Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 The Foreign Ministry handed over on Thursday three Indonesian crew members of fishing vessels and an Indonesian female migrant worker in Saudi Arabia to their respective families. The three crew members, Aldi Fauziansyah Suwandi, Amin Sumardi and Sobirin, were previously held hostage by pirates off Gabon waters in May. Meanwhile, Etty Toyyib, a death row inmate for 20 years after she was convicted guilty by the Saudi government for allegedly poisoning and killing her employer Faisal Al- Ghamdi in 2001, has been exonerated. I am going to say that the whole process to help Ibu Etty escape death row was long and complicated. However, I am grateful that many people supported us in the process, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of emergency situations informs that the roads across Armenia are passable. The Georgian side reported that the Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open only for trucks as the ban on entry to Georgia for foreigners is still in force. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Spurred on by local and national protests since the killing of George Floyd, Grand Rapids city leaders are discussing more police reforms and, in some cases, implementing changes more quickly. While many previously proposed reforms were reactive to specific incidents or came after studies and months of discussion, city officials signaled a change in practice in June when they announced more than a dozen policy changes, including a formal ban on police chokeholds, to be made by mid-August. The bell rang for Round 3 of the legal sparring match between Norfolk County farmers and the local health unit Wednesday, as the two sides again found themselves arguing about how many migrant farm workers can safely quarantine in a bunkhouse. Simcoe farmer Brett Schuyler thought hed won the day when the Health Services Review and Appeal Board struck down Dr. Shanker Nesathurais three-person bunkhouse limit as unreasonable and arbitrary. Farmers say the limit makes it harder to bring in workers and compete with neighbouring counties. But within 90 minutes of that decision being announced on June 12, Haldimand-Norfolks chief medical officer of health filed an appeal a move criticized by some county councillors as a waste of taxpayer dollars. That brought the parties before a three-judge panel of the Divisional Court for Wednesdays hearing, which was broadcast on YouTube. Nesathurais legal team argued that the tribunal made significant legal and factual errors in striking down the key plank of his farm worker policy. This gutted the Section 22 order, lawyer Jill Dougherty said. The board misapprehended or ignored key evidence. She said a class order is meant to be broadly applied and not consider details like the size of individual bunkhouses, and that the standard of proof set by the review board was too high given that Nesathurai was responding to an emerging global pandemic. As a medical expert, it was enough that Nesathurai had reasonable and probable grounds to decide that limiting bunkhouse occupancy during quarantine would lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Its not about waiting for certainty in the form of scientific studies, Dougherty said. Its a matter of judgment by the medical officer of health. Lawyer Andrew Plumb, representing Schuyler Farms, countered that the tribunal was right in taking issue with Nesathurais decision to impose more stringent limits on quarantines than those set out by the federal government, and in particular capping bunkhouse occupancy at three regardless of square footage. I dont think the (legal) test is whether Dr. Nesathurai thinks its a good idea, Plumb said. (The three-person limit) doesnt stop the problem. The problem is post-isolation outbreaks, she added, pointing to the large-scale COVID-19 outbreak at Scotlynn Group in Vittoria, where workers had isolated alone in hotel rooms. The health unit has not officially determined the source of that outbreak, which infected 200 workers, killing one. Health unit general manager Marlene Miranda told the tribunal that two workers did not disclose possible symptoms during quarantine, while Plumb said it was more likely that day labourers bused in from nearby cities brought the virus onto the farm. Dr. Nesathurai has consistently refused to take that into consideration, Plumb said. The local community legal clinic, two migrant worker advocacy groups, and Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights submitted statements in support of Nesathurais position. They raised the broader issue of migrant workers not having equal access to health benefits and employment rights because they are contractually tied to their employer, who can send them home should they advocate for their own health and safety what Justice for Migrant Workers lawyer Shane Martinez called the omnipresent fear of repatriation. After a full day of testimony, the panel reserved its decision. Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo Sonora, CA Tuolumne County Public Health reports that one new Tuolumne County resident has been identified with coronavirus and is isolating today. Three individuals are no longer in isolation and are listed as recovered. Tuolumne residents tested 7,904, positive 132 (67 females and 65 males), hospitalized 3, active cases 15, total recovered 115. The current Tuolumne county coronavirus rate is 99.33 in 100,000 which is just under the 100 per 100,000 level for the states county data monitoring program. No action will be taken until Tuolumne County is officially on the list and has gone through the established process with the state. Details are in the news story When Will Tuolumne County Make The COVID-19 Watch List? here. Details about recent Coronavirus cases in Calaveras are here. Daily COVID-19 Cases County Active Date New Today Hospital/ICU Alpine 0 7/27 0 0 Amador 29 7/28 5 4 Calaveras 27 7/28 7 1 Mariposa 12 7/29 3 0 Madera* 972 7/29 118 40 Merced* 1,615 7/29 112 79 Mono* 62 7/29 7 1 San Joaquin* 1,741 7/29 286 231/74 Stanislaus* 1,180 7/29 204 142/50 Tuolumne* 18 7/29 1 3 Totals (Cumulative) COVID-19 Cases County Recovered (new) Total Positives Deaths Alpine 2(+1) 2 0 Amador 60(+5) 89 0 Calaveras 80(+36) 108 1 Mariposa 37(+1) 51 2 Madera* 972(47) 1,850 28 Merced* 2,225(+71) 3,875 35 Mono* 53(+4) 124 1 San Joaquin* 4,114(+79) 11,209 146 Stanislaus* 7,209(+155) 8,492 103 Tuolumne* 115(+3) 132 2 Tuolumne County Public Health Updates If you are having COVID-like symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information. The no-cost state testing site is open at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds Tuesday Saturday 7am to 7pm. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Appointments are strongly recommended as walk-ins are extremely limited. The site now offers testing for children ages 3 and older (accompanied by a parent or guardian). It is important that people continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including: Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble! Wear a face covering in public. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household. Stay home if you are sick. Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks. LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES Community Resources Portal: https://bit.ly/TCcovidPortal Tuolumne County Public Health Website: www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/publichealth Public Health COVID-19 Call Center: (209) 533-7440 California COVID-19 website: www.covid19.ca.gov State Testing Site info and Appointments: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Tuolumne County Business: www.tcdisasterassistance.com CDC COVID-19 website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html Thank you for your support and efforts to protect the safety and health of our community Weather Alert ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 20 to 29 below zero. * WHERE...Central, northern and southern Vermont and northern New York. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 10 AM EST Friday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temperatures will drop well below zero tonight into early Friday morning with northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph expected across the region. The coldest wind chills are expected between 5 AM and 9 AM Friday with winds expected to weaken as the day progresses. Temperatures will remain on the cold side throughout the day with high temperatures only climbing into the single digits above zero. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. && If the health and safety of students and teachers cannot be guaranteed when schools reopen in the fall, then teachers should strike, says the leader of New Jerseys second largest teachers union. In those cases, should a teacher strike, if they believe their life and the lives of their students, arent being protected? I believe they should, AFT New Jersey President Donna Chiera, who oversees 30,000 members, told NJ Advance Media. Chiera was echoing comments which gained national attention made by her unions national president, Randi Weingarten this week. Though she says strikes are on the table in New Jersey, Chiera said theres been no discussion of it yet. CHICAGO - A Chicago woman who last month became the nations first COVID-19 patient to undergo a double lung transplant said Thursday that she woke up days later, unaware about the surgery and unable to recognize my body. Mayra Ramirez said that before she fell ill she was an independent, active person who moved from North Carolina to Chicago in 2014 to work as a paralegal. She said she had an autoimmune condition, but was otherwise healthy. She had gone on a three-mile run shortly before becoming ill and heading for the hospital. I was told to hurry up (and) change, she said. I was asked who would be making my medical decisions for me. Thats when I told them it would be my mother and eldest sister who all live in North Carolina. I only had a couple minutes to contact them to let them know what was going on before I was intubated. Ramirez, 28, spoke to the media on Thursday alongside Brian Kuhns, 62, of Lake Zurich, Illinois, who followed her as the second U.S. coronavirus patient to undergo a double transplant. Ramirez underwent the lung transplant on June 5 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She didnt wake up until mid-June. I looked at myself and couldnt recognize my body, she said. I didnt have the cognitive ability to process what was going on. All I knew was that I wanted water. Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery and surgical director of the Northwestern Medicine Lung Transplant Program, said Ramirez, who was on a ventilator, fought for her life for six weeks, with the virus completely destroying her lungs. Doctors would call Nohemi Romero, her mother in North Carolina, with updates. Ramirez, sitting next to her mother during a news conference at the hospital, said her family made the trip to Chicago with the intention of saying goodbye. Luckily, once they arrived, my mother and my two sisters, the medical team was able to stabilize me, Ramirez said. They were explained the option of lung transplantation and my mother agreed to it. And then within 48 hours, I received the 10-hour lung transplant. Bharat is calling Ramirezs surgery a milestone in care for patients with severe COVID-19. Lung transplant isnt for every patient with COVID-19, but it does offer some of the critically ill patients another option for survival, Bharat said. Mayra and Brian are living proof of that. Thoracic surgeon Dr. Rafael Garza Castillon said Northwestern is now considering performing the procedure on other patients whove eliminated the virus and have no other significant organ failure. We are all learning together and sharing best practices, and now lung transplant is part of COVID-19 care, Bharat said. Ramirez who is now at home, said shes feeling much better, though shes still working to rebuild her strength and endurance. She said she knows theres a family grieving their loved one. It wasnt until weeks later that I had the ability to, you know, think to myself theres a family out there thats grieving their loved one, Ramirez said. I have that persons lungs and how lucky I was to have received it. Kuhns said he thought the virus was a hoax until he contracted it. This disease is not a joke, he said. It hit me like a lead slammer on my head. I was perfectly healthy. This thing took me down hard. Fred Hall, a 31-year Niagara Falls firefighter, was given a final farewell by his colleagues and family during a line of duty death ceremony Thursday. Hall, who was born and raised in Niagara Falls and retired as a platoon chief about five years ago, died Saturday of a job-related cancer. He was 62. After a service inside Patterson Funeral Home, members of Niagara Falls Fire Department formed two lines as a piper led a procession, including a hearse carrying Halls casket, passed them down Main Street. Typically, firefighters from across Ontario would attend such a ceremony, but due to COVID-19 and related restrictions, only members of Niagara Falls Fire Department were present. Weve obviously had to adjust certain things due to COVID, said Justin Canestraro, president of Niagara Falls Professional Firefighters Association. But what we wanted to make sure we held on to, both for our own members and the family, is the tradition of the final farewell that is very important to firefighters to make sure we send the person off properly, who gave their life basically to the public of Niagara Falls and the safety of his fellow brother and sister firefighters. Canestraro said he worked directly with Hall, describing him as his captain and mentor. We rode the trucks together and Fred really was the epitome of what you want to be as a firefighter, acting as a professional all the time, coming to work every day with a smile and just had the love and passion for the job that we try to instill into all of our members today. Deputy Chief Jo Zambito said he had the opportunity to meet Hall a few times, remembering particular times during the departments retiree breakfasts. Zambito said he received many emails from members of other services sending their condolences. Thursdays rolling salute to signify Halls last ride was flanked by an honour guard flying several flags, including those representing the fire department, Canada, the City of Niagara Falls and International Association of Fire Fighters. His family was also presented today, said Canestraro. His helmet that he wore last (was also present), which was his white platoon chief helmet, along with the Canadian flag and also a medal that came directly from the IAFF, which is a line of duty commemorative death medal. His name will now be engraved forever on memorials in Niagara Falls, in Toronto, in Ottawa, and in Colorado Springs, with a subsequent ceremony that goes with each. Canestraro said its important the public understands the way firefighters are dying today is not like you see on TV. Its not the dramatic dying inside a fire. Though that does happen, its the cancer, its the cancer and the chemicals that were faced with daily that takes us away too early from our families, he said. Its the slow stuff that comes after a person has already dedicated their entire life to this city. Canestraro said less firefighters are dying at fire scenes thanks to the training they now receive and the safety measures in place. Freds generation of firefighters have bear the burden of firefighting in a time when it wasnt as safe as it is today, and their families are feeling those effects now, he said, adding several agencies, including Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, consider Halls death as a line of duty death. His ceremony today would have been the same as if he fell through a roof and passed away at a fire. CHANTILLY, Va., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VT Group, an industry-leading provider of force modernization and digital transformation solutions, announced that it has consolidated its enterprise-wide capabilities in a strategic move to better serve its customers and will rebrand as VTG. Following the successful integration of two key acquisitions and numerous recent contract awards, the company is repositioning to offer an expanded range of engineering and sustainment services to a growing portfolio of Defense customers and to reflect the transformative solutions it now offers across naval, aerospace, network, and digital domains. Tracing its earliest roots to 1866 and operating under the name VT Group since 2002, the company had previously managed unique capabilities each under separate company brands within the VT Group umbrella. Today's move signals the consolidation of its enterprise-wide talent and capabilities under a single customer delivery model that combines innovative technologies, deep domain knowledge, and core engineering expertise with middle-market agility and responsiveness. VTG President and Chief Executive Officer John Hassoun explained, "We are no longer a disparate group of companies but instead one enterprise working together towards a common mission: expanding America's competitive advantage in the modern battlespace." Today's announcement culminates the strategic transformation of the 150-year old company that began when Hassoun took the helm in 2017. Operational improvements, divestitures, acquisitions, and aggressive organic growth have all played critical roles in reshaping VTG for the future. In the last year alone, VTG acquired National Technologies Associates (NTA) to build out its aerospace engineering portfolio and doubled down in Navy shipbuilding and Fleet modernization by acquiring C5ISR and weapons systems engineering expert DELTA Resources. The company has also earned a string of prime contract wins with the US Navy's major systems commands. VTG won two 10-year contracts to install advanced C5ISR systems on Navy warships, submarines, and shore installations; secured the flagship Presidential Helicopters support contract; and was selected to integrate directed energy laser weapons aboard Navy destroyers. The company also expanded its support to several other Defense Department customers, winning a prime vehicle to provide integrated base defense systems to Air Force facilities worldwide, and adding opportunities that enhance its digital transformation and IT modernization capabilities. VTG will now offer its customers modernization solutions and full lifecycle engineering for rotary, tilt-rotor, and fixed wing aircraft, all classes of naval warships and submarines, and a comprehensive suite of maritime, aerospace, and land-based C5ISR systems. "The evolution of the brand follows the evolution of the company's strategy, offerings, value proposition, and business structure," said Chief Growth Officer Sunil Ramchand. "While the streamlined name VTG acknowledges the company's 150-year legacy, the new brand reflects the full breadth and depth of our enterprise, as well as our enduring commitment to deliver the most advanced technologies to confront the next generation of threats." About VTG VTG delivers force modernization and digital transformation solutions that expand America's competitive advantage in the modern battlespace. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, VTG provides full lifecycle engineering for naval, aerospace, network, and digital requirements. Whether at sea, in the air, on land, or in cyberspace, VTG delivers Tomorrow's Transformation Today. For more information, visit us at www.VTGdefense.com. SOURCE VTG Related Links http://www.VTGdefense.com Pegasus Airlines has signed up to the COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol. Image: Pegasus Airlines This protocol, which is an operational guide for the management of air travellers and aviation personnel in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, includes the measures defined by EASA and ECDC to ensure the health safety of air travellers and aviation personnel. Pegasus Airlines CEO Mehmet T. Nane said, As we always say, as Pegasus Airlines, we value our guests and personnel above all. For this reason, long before our flights were reinstated, we had been adapting to the new situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on the implementation of health and safety measures. This is because taking the necessary precautions and following the rules is of critical importance to ensuring healthier and safer travels. Before restarting our domestic and international flights, we took all the necessary measures to ensure that our guests and personnel fly in the healthiest and safest way possible. Now, we have also signed up to the COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol. By joining this protocol, we promise to comply with EASA standards and support the creation of common standards worldwide for healthier and safer air travel while the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue. Nane added: Following the pandemic, in this new period, there are three prominent topics on our road map: hygiene, order and trust. As Turkeys digital airline; in this new era where hygiene, order and trust have become paramount, we will continue to work tirelessly to serve our industry. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 03:31:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for efforts to address the scourge of human trafficking by reducing gender inequality. In a message on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, which falls on July 30, Guterres said women and girls already account for more than 70 percent of detected human-trafficking victims, and today are among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many global inequalities, created new obstacles on the path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and left millions of people at greater risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labor, forced marriage and other crimes, he said. With previous downturns showing that women face a harder time getting paid jobs back in the aftermath of crisis, vigilance is especially important at this time, he said. "If the world is to put human dignity and human rights at the center of the COVID-19 response and recovery, we need to do more to protect trafficking victims and prevent vulnerable people from being exploited by criminals. On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, let us pledge to work for inclusive societies and economies that leave no one behind." Women make up 49 percent and girls 23 percent of all victims of human trafficking. Sexual exploitation is the most common form of exploitation (59 percent share), followed by forced labor (34 percent share), according to UN data. Enditem Emergency medical technicians at POSCO take part in an emergency patient transportation drill using a helicopter at the company's mill in Pohang, May 20. Courtesy of POSCO By Nam Hyun-woo POSCO said Thursday it has set up a medical evacuation system to transport victims of industrial accidents at its mills by helicopter to large hospitals. According to the steelmaker, it installed 45 medical devices including defibrillator and ventilator inside one of two helicopters the company owns. POSCO claimed this is the first case in Korea of a private company setting up a medevac system with its own helicopter. POSCO said it decided to do so because it takes up to four hours to transport patients by roads from hospitals near its mills to specialized hospitals closer to Seoul. Since the nearest trauma center able to mobilize a medical helicopter is located 90 kilometers from its Pohang mill and 120 kilometers from its Gwangyang mill, there have been difficulties in providing prompt medical services, POSCO said. A trauma center refers to a hospital capable of providing medical services for serious traumatic injuries oftentimes observed in industrial accidents. There are 17 hospitals designated as trauma centers in Korea with 16 of those in operation currently. With its helicopter, POSCO said it can transport patients to trauma centers or specialized hospitals near Seoul within an hour. For this, the company has established a transfer systems with a number of trauma centers across the country, and signed a partnership in June with Hallym University Medical Center in Seoul for emergency medical services. In May and June, the company carried out emergency patient transportation drills at its mills in Pohang and Gwangyang with the helicopter. "Our commitment to safety is second to none," POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said. "We decided to set up the transportation system as part of the company's responsibility to provide prompt medical services for employees in case of accidents." Emergency medical technicians inside the company and medical staff from nearby hospitals will be on board the chopper when transporting a patient from hospital to hospital. The company said the chopper will be in operation during the daytime. POSCO said it plans to operate the chopper for free on request from regional governments and local hospitals in emergency situations, as part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Since Choi took the chairmanship of POSCO in 2018, the steelmaker has been conducting a slew of CSR activities, including charity, volunteer service, education and venture incubation programs. On Wednesday, the company adopted its corporate citizenship management standards, which will serve as the guidelines for its CSR activities, and pledged to embrace the philosophy of corporate citizenship all across its business. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Export of wood and furniture from Turkey to Iran decreased by 42.75 percent from January through June 2020 and made up $79.5 million, Turkey's Trade Ministry told Trend on July 30. In June 2020, Turkey exported wood and furniture worth $23.6 million to Azerbaijan, which is 20.14 percent less than in the same month of last year. The export of wood and furniture from Turkey to the world markets decreased by 5.2 percent from January through June 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $2.5 billion. According to the ministry, Turkeys export of wood and furniture for the reporting period made up 3.3 percent of the country's total export. In June 2020, Turkey exported wood and furniture worth $459.8 million to the world markets, which is 32.3 percent more compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said. Turkey's export of wood and furniture in June 2020 amounted to 3.4 percent of the country's total export. Over the past 12 months (from June 2019 through June 2020), Turkey exported wood and furniture worth $5.4 billion abroad. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu By Express News Service BENGALURU: In the past one year, the State government has taken a number of policy decisions to woo investors, but the lack of a proactive approach by the bureaucracy still seems to be a concern. A defence components manufacturing company that provides high-end cutting tools to many projects, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limiteds (HAL) Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project, has applied for a small plot in Nelamangala Industrial Estate to establish its manufacturing unit, and is waiting since 2018. We have been waiting for the allotment for the past two years, said ADD Engineering Components (India) Private Limited Director Girish Linganna. We have received several communications from neighbouring state Andhra Pradesh, inviting us to establish our facility there, but are keen on having it in Karnataka. Unfortunately, we are not getting the required support from the authorities, he said. ADD Engineering Components (India) Private Limited is a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GMBH, Germany, and its application is pending with the Karnataka Small Scale industrial Development Corporation (KSSIDC). Such an inordinate delay can send a wrong message to foreign investors. When contacted, a senior officer at KSSIDC admitted to the delay and attributed it to a legal issue. The official also said that not just ADD Engineering Components, but applications by many other firms too are pending due to the legal issues they are trying to sort out. The official, however, expressed helplessness on giving a timeline to resolve the issue, and facilitate setting up of manufacturing units. We can give them a plot in Gauribidanur, the official told The New Indian Express. However, for a company that works with defence PSU HAL, such a suggestion to establish the unit far from Bengaluru is as good as rejecting its request. Girish said if not at Nelamangala Industrial Estate, KSSIDC can allot a plot in a place close to the city as it will help them be closer to defence manufacturing hubs. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Ministry leader questions John MacArthurs resistance to Calif. COVID-19 shutdown order Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A prominent ministry leader has expressed concern over megachurch pastor and author John MacArthurs decision to keep Grace Community Church open despite a state order. Earlier this month, California announced that churches and other in-person public gatherings in 30 of its counties would be closed to help curb an uptick in COVID-19 cases. MacArthur said that Grace Community would remain open despite the order, arguing that the state government had no right to interfere in ecclesiastical matters in a way that undermines or disregards the God-given authority of pastors and elders. we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lords clear commands, MacArthur stated. when any government official issues orders regulating worship (such as bans on singing, caps on attendance, or prohibitions against gatherings and services), he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority as a civic official and arrogates to himself authority that God expressly grants only to the Lord Jesus Christ as sovereign over His Kingdom, which is the church. Jonathan Leeman, editorial director of the ministry group 9Marks and an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church in Maryland, penned a column in response to MacArthurs announcement. Leeman warned churches about following the actions of Grace Community, noting that while he respected some of what MacArthur had to say, he was concerned about certain conclusions. One was that churches can still meet outdoors under the guidelines and that, in the past, churches have altered their worship patterns in light of national calamities due to government orders. Churches in coastal cities during World War Two accommodated evening black-out requirements in case enemy planes hit the coasts. Those churches didnt insist the government had no right to restrict our worship, wrote Leeman. In other words, just because you think God will ultimately vindicate your decision to disobey the government on the last day doesnt mean its wise. You might have other options that avoid undue attention. Leeman also pointed to the increasing debate over LGBT issues and religious liberty, especially government mandated support for LGBT agenda items for Christian individuals and groups. The politics of LGBT tells me our churches may have more occasions to defy government requirements in years to come. Do we want to spend down our capital on pandemics? he continued. Right now, the guidelines restricting churches also restricts restaurants, movie theaters, museum, gyms, funeral homes, non-essential offices, shopping malls, barbershops, and more. As those restaurant and gym owners cast a glance over at our churches, will our refusal to abide by the same restrictions which are causing them financial distress help the witness of the gospel, especially if we could find other ways to comply, such as meeting outdoors? Leeman added that while he is also concerned about the indefinite timeline provided by California on the restrictions, he was concerned that Graces stance implied that the church did not believe there is a real threat with Covid-19. Again, that is a judgment call they are allowed to make. And that judgement call presumably stands behind their subsequent judgment call to disobey the government, he added. Once more, my goal here is not to necessarily disagree with much less condemn either judgment. My goal is to open up a little space of Christian freedom for other churches to make different judgments, and then to encourage all of us to exercise patience and charity with one another and our churches as we make different decisions. California Governor Gavin Newsom has garnered much criticism for his orders restricting in-person worship in his efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included a ban on singing in church, believed to be a way in which the coronavirus can be spread. Three churches filed suit against the ban earlier this month. When Newsom banned indoor worship services and small group meetings in as many as 30 counties earlier this month, two ministry groups filed suit in district court. The Pasadena-based Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministries filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Governors orders impose disparately onerous prohibitions and numerical restrictions on religious gatherings in churches, and even on in-home Bible studies, worship meetings, and life groups, they claimed in the lawsuit. And the Governor has imposed these draconian restrictions on Plaintiffs while openly celebrating and encouraging mass gatherings for protests. The Constitution demands more and so should this Court. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Batam, Indonesia Thu, July 30, 2020 07:10 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5be04 2 National Indonesia,Vietnam,Vietnamese-fishermen,Vietnamese-vessels,fishing-boat,fishing-dispute,fishing-trawlers Free Indonesia has detained a Vietnamese boat carrying two tons of fish that was operating illegally in its waters, officials said Wednesday, just a week after a similar high-seas pursuit. The trawler with nine crew tossed fishing nets and other incriminating equipment overboard and then set a tire alight in the hopes that the smoke would throw off their pursuers, Indonesian maritime authorities said. The vessel then slammed into an Indonesian coast guard ship and a passing commercial boat in its failed bid to escape, they added. "We fired a water cannon at the boat to stop it as it tried to get away," said coast guard spokesman Wisnu Pramandita, adding that authorities seized two tons of fish being stored onboard. The incident happened on Sunday near Indonesia's Natuna islands at the edge of the South China Sea but was only made public on Wednesday. Last week, Indonesia said it had detained two Vietnamese vessels in the same area following a dramatic high-seas brawl with dozens of crew desperate to avoid arrest. Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago nation, says illegal fishing costs its economy billions of dollars annually and has been trying to stop foreign vessels entering its territory. Jakarta claims the southernmost reaches of the South China Sea as its exclusive economic zone. In March, maritime authorities seized five Vietnamese fishing boats and nearly 70 crew in the area. Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui speaks during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on June 1, 2007. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters) Taiwans Mr Democracy Lee Teng-Hui Dies Aged 97 in Taipei TAIPEIFormer Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, dubbed Mr. Democracy for burying autocratic rule in favor of freewheeling pluralism, died at the age of 97, the official Central News Agency reported on Thursday. Lee became Taiwans first democratically elected president in 1996, in a landslide victory that followed eight months of intimidating war games and missile tests by mainland China in waters around Taiwan in an attempt to scare voters. He thrived on defying Chinas drive to absorb the island it regards as a wayward province and hoped for Taiwan to be a country of democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity. By Yimou Lee Describing the killing of an American citizen in Pakistans courtroom as shameful tragedy, the US state department has called on Islamabad to take immediate action and bring in reforms to put an end to such incidents in future. Tahir Ahmad Naseem, from the minority Ahmadi community, was shot dead in a courtroom in Peshawar on Wednesday. He was on trial for blasphemy for allegedly claiming to be a prophet. Condolences to family of Tahir Naseem, an American citizen who was killed today inside a courtroom in Pakistan. We urge Pak to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again, tweeted Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs, US State Department. Naseem, who was arrested in 2018, was accused of having violated Pakistans blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty for certain offences. He was shot in the courtroom by the person who had filed charges against him. In a related development, a member of Sindh assembly from the ruling PTI party has changed his DP on his social media page to display a picture of the murderer to pay tribute for his action. Ahmadis, a four million-strong minority group in Pakistan, have faced death, threats, intimidation and a sustained hate campaign for decades. SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Club Feast an affordable, subscription-based restaurant delivery service offers a wide range of signature dishes from neighborhood favorites for only $6.95 per meal delivered at pre-selected times with no membership fee. Currently, Feast partners with San Francisco favorites such as The Halal Guys, Kitava, and Voodoo Love and plans to expand nationwide in the coming months. Subscribers browse a wide selection of top meals from participating restaurants and choose a delivery time that suits their schedule. Feast's model allows subscribers to pre-order all of their meals for the week at once, or they can order single meals with just one day's notice to maximize flexibility. To get started, visit www.clubfeast.com. Offering meals for only $6.95 each with free delivery, a 40% discount compared to competitors' prices, Feast is setting a new chapter for the restaurant delivery industry. Feast's users can save hundreds of dollars every month while getting the same high-quality meals as other restaurant delivery services. Feast gives its members access to convenient, locally sourced meals without the steep price tag. Supporting its partner restaurants is core to Feast's mission. Feast helps local restaurants by generating a new revenue stream and serves customers as they adjust to the realities of the pandemic. Unlike traditional delivery services that cut into restaurant profits, this subscription-based service seeks to support local restaurants in multiple ways. By curating a select menu of dishes, no meal customization, and optimizing delivery schedules in advance, Feast allows restaurants to maximize efficiency, manage work flows, and utilize kitchens during non-peak hours. This support, paired with competitive pricing, provides restaurants with additional revenue streams and enhanced profitability in this uncertain time. Feast is deeply committed to serving both its customers and restaurant partners, offering a convenient, affordable service that benefits all stakeholders. Press images can be found HERE. About Feast Feast is a technology company that delivers premium meals from restaurants at a 40% discount to competitors' prices through an efficient subscription-based model with no membership fee. Feast offers flexible lunch and dinner subscription plans that allow customers to pre-order signature dishes from leading restaurants in their city and get food delivered right to their door for just $6.95 per meal. Our food-first business model is an all-around win for our restaurant partners, our delivery partners, and our subscribers. For more information, visit www.clubfeast.com. Follow Feast on Facebook @ClubFeast, Instagram @ClubFeast and on Twitter @ClubFeast. Contact Feast at [email protected] for any comments or questions. Contact Name: Laura Phillips Phone: (631) 873-5953 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.png SOURCE Club Feast WASHINGTON President Donald Trump, lagging in the polls and grappling with deepening economic and public health crises, on Thursday floated the startling idea of delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election. The notion drew immediate pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike in a nation that has held itself up as a beacon to the world for its history of peaceful transfer of power. In Connecticut, Democrats reacted angrily and the Republican state chairman downplayed the idea as a radical concept. Trump suggested the delay as he pushed unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic would result in fraud. But shifting Election Day is virtually impossible and the very idea represented another bracing attempt by Trump to undermine confidence in the American political system. The date of the presidential election the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year is enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. Top Republicans in Congress quickly rebuffed Trumps suggestion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the election date is set in stone and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy said the election should go forward as planned. Regardless, the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay in the end of Trump's term noon on Jan. 20, 2021. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump tweeted Thursday. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? In a press briefing Thursday evening, he doubled down on the idea, speaking at length about how he thought states decisions to mail ballots to voters would result in fraud. He claimed it might takes weeks, months or years to get the final results. Do I want to see a date change? No, he said. But I dont want to see a crooked election. In fact, only five states conduct elections entirely by mail, although more states expect to rely more heavily on mail-in ballots in November because of the virus outbreak. Connecticuts Secretary of the State Denise Merrill has sent applications for absentee ballots to every registered Republican and Democrat in the state for the upcoming party primaries, and a bill passed during the recent legislative special session that Gov. Ned Lamont said he will sign, will allow voters who are afraid of going to the polls because of the coronavirus to use mail-in ballots for the November general election. Lamont, asked about Trumps tweet during his daily news briefing, said Were ready. The states are ready, and it is a really lousy idea. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, in a statement, said the presidents tweet was an indicator that the Trump realizes hes in danger of losing re-election. Facing dismal polling, Trump now threatens the unthinkableto postpone the election, Tong said in a statement. This blatantly unlawful threat is clearly in violation of the U.S. Constitution, and the fact that we are even discussing the legality of this rant is a glaring threat to our democracy. The Constitution empowers Congress to set election timing. There is no emergency power that allows the president to delay the election or block the transfer of power. It is the states duty to hold the election, seat electors, and certify our results to Congress. Connecticut will hold its election and perform its duty to elect a President. Merrill, the states top election official, tweeted a one-word response to Trump: No. But J.R. Romano, GOP state chairman who plans to fly to Charlotte, N.C. next month for the truncated Republican National Convention activities, said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont changed the states primary elections twice during the coronavirus pandemic, finally settling on August 11. We've moved elections here in Connecticut, because of COVID, Romano said. There are states that are not prepared for the chain of custody needed to keep track of ballots. The idea is it's simply about fraud. Most of the mail-in states have infrastructure that has been in place for 10 years. He pointed to last year's absentee-ballot scandal in Bridgeport's Democratic mayoral primary that is still under investigation by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. I'm not opposed to mail-in balloting, he said. Voting in a presidential election is literally the most-important thing a citizen can do, Romano said. Romano noted eight recounts in the 2018 legislative races, and that 28 races were decided by less than 1 percent of the vote. These margins are tiny, and 10 or 15 votes could result in a shift of the entire General Assembly. What if a ballot box [outside city and town halls to collect ballots] is destroyed, would President Trump be right? Trump charged after winning the 2016 election that millions of votes were illegally cast for his opponent, former Secetary of State Hillary Clinton. No evidence of such wrongdoing has emerged. Trumps comments came on a day when the Commerce Department reported the nations economy shrank at an annual rate of 32.9 percent in the spring quarter, an all-time record, due to the coronavirus shutdown. Nancy DiNardo, chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee, blasted Trump. Its bad enough that Donald Trump would advocate for subverting a national election on the day that America is eulogizing John Lewis, one of the greatest advocates of voting rights, DiNardo said in a statement. Its unconscionable that he continues to use his position as President of the United States to undermine confidence in our most basic right: voting. So, very simply, no." DiNardo, in response to Romano, said that primary dates differ at all levels of government and those dates can change by legislative or municipal action. In fact, Lamont used his executive power in the public health emergency to move the dates of Connecticuts primaries. J.R. knows the difference between that and Election Day, DiNardo continued. Even Mitch McConnell rejects the idea of a delay. The Connecticut Republicans fealty to Donald Trump seems to know no bounds. With just over three months until Election Day, Trump trails in the polls nationally and across battleground states, and some surveys even suggest traditionally Republican-leaning states could be in play. While Trump has come back before after trailing consistently in the polls throughout 2016, the survey data has raised the possibility that he could face a landslide loss if he doesnt turn things around. Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on Novembers election and the expected pandemic-induced surge in mail-in and absentee voting. He has called remote voting options the biggest risk to his reelection. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the GOP. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting and the states that use it exclusively say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor doesnt disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that all forms of voter fraud are rare, including absentee balloting. Staff writer Ken Dixon contributed to this report and an Associated Press story is included. (Natural News) As the rioting and civil unrest in Portland stretch out to its second month without decisive action and without the cooperation of local authorities, rioters are unlikely to stop any time soon. Every night since the beginning of the riots, small groups of dedicated and highly organized Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters ready themselves for their battle with the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) outside the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland. When federal law enforcement officers arrived in the city, the rioters went after the federal Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. The federal officers have had to deal with rioters starting fires to draw individual agents out of the safety of the courthouse, and those using high-powered lasers that can permanently damage the eyesight of the officers. To complicate things, rioters also throw a variety of projectiles to injure the federal troops such as rocks, bottles, fireworks and Molotov cocktails. (Related: Federal officers in Portland may have been PERMANENTLY blinded by rioters with lasers.) Listen to this latest episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how the mainstream media is complicit in all of the criminal acts perpetrated by the left-wing Antifa and Black Lives Matter domestic terrorist movements. Night 60: Rioters light fires, federal officers forced to use tear gas to disperse mob The riot on the evening of Monday, July 27th, began at around 9 p.m. According to the PPB, crowds began by blocking several streets downtown as demonstrators began giving speeches about police brutality and racial injustice at the Justice Center. Meanwhile, just a block away, the organized rioters were beginning to form outside of the Federal Courthouses perimeter. At around 10 p.m., the rioters began lighting fires. The first fire was started at the site where a sculpture of a bronze Elk once stood, right between Chapman and Lownsdale squares. By 10:20 p.m., federal officers started issuing warnings to the rioters to cease their activities, however, these warnings were promptly ignored. We heard the 2nd warning from Federal Protective Services. People are banging on the fence and throwing water bottles at the federal courthouse. #Portlandprotests@KOINNews pic.twitter.com/pROUsoJkGm Jacquelyn Abad (@JacquelynAbadTV) July 28, 2020 By around 11:30 p.m., the federal officers began deploying tear gas and using crowd-control munitions such as pepper spray rounds and rubber bullets. Officers were also seen using a hose to extinguish several fires close to the Federal Courthouse. In response to the tear gas, the rioters used leaf blowers to clear the air. They also tried to tear down the fence protecting the courthouse which prompted federal authorities to warn them that if they did not stop their demonstration would be declared an unlawful assembly. After midnight, the PPB said that a rioter threw a Molotov cocktail or a similar incendiary device at the courthouse. It burst into flames near the buildings doors. This, the lighting of several more fires and the fact that the rioters never stopped trying to tear down the fence was what forced federal authorities to declare the event an unlawful assembly by 12:40, at which point the federal officers began moving in on the rioters. They deployed flash-bang grenades and fired more tear gas. KOIN 6 News reported that, by 1:30 a.m., there were no more than a hundred rioters remaining in the area. They would slowly disperse soon after, as the deployment of tear gas and flash-bang grenades seems to have been effective at stopping the riots. Federal officers staying in Portland until rioting ends Billy J. Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, proclaimed that federal law enforcement officers will be staying in Portland until attacks on the Federal Courthouse cease. He even warned that more federal agents might be on the way if a proper conclusion to the rioting is not found. It is not a solution to tell federal officers to leave when there continues to be attacks on federal property and personnel, Williams said during a news conference. We are not leaving the building unprotected to be destroyed by people intent on doing so. Williams, whose main office is inside the besieged Federal Courthouse, has called on the community, as well as business and faith leaders, to help end the nightly violence occurring in their city; otherwise, the federal government will send more law enforcement officers into the city. According to the Washington Post, the Trump administration is planning to send at least 150 additional federal agents into Portland, as the current deployment of troops in the city has not stopped the battles with rioters, but has actually intensified them. One hundred of the additional troops will come from the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and 50 will come from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While the plan has not been finalized, it seems clear that President Donald Trump is looking for ways to finally stop the riots from continuing, and sending in more federal officers is a concrete show of force to make the rioters back down. Learn more about the rioting in cities like Portland and Chicago at Rioting.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com KOIN.com Twitter.com APNews.com AlJazeera.com Christian filmmakers launch first-ever fan-owned faith-based movie studio: Called Higher Studios Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Called Higher Studios is making its debut amid the global coronavirus pandemic as the first film studio to give Christian fans a hand in making faith and family movies that will spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Launched in Franklin, Tennessee, by movie executives Jason Brown and Ash Greyson, the studio wishes to revolutionize Christian movie-making by becoming the first fan-owned faith-based movie studio. The co-founders wish to honor God and serve others while making their content. "Our goal is to give a voice to creators through a lens of faith. We are not just a studio or production company; we are a production community," Greyson told The Christian Post on Wednesday. Brown commented, "I cant think of a better time to start a studio to share the Gospel through media. If you look at the news for more than a few minutes, I believe it's easy to see that we need some hope and the light of the world." In April, Brown and Greyson and the Called Higher Studios team managed to raise $1 million from over 3,700 investors to fund the studios operations. The campaign was not a traditional fundraiser. Instead, it invited donors to become investors and buy stock in the company, naming them owners alongside the studio co-founders and other investors. According to a statement shared with CP, Called Higher Studios first production will be The Grace of Christ. The film is a period piece based on the crucifixion of Jesus, written by Brian Baugh ("Im Not Ashamed"). Production will begin in 2021. Called Higher Studios will assemble world class writers, producers, actors, marketers, and industry professionals who will partner together to support the vision of Christian fans who invested in the studio. The goal is to make world-class content, while giving investors hands-on experience in making and developing movies. The supporters will be able to weigh in on projects, help to choose actors and even possibly be featured in the films as well. Along with making faith-based films, Called Higher Studios is engaging with nonprofits, charities and NGOs. With a core objective to be Called Higher, the studio aims to do good work worldwide in partnership with organizations such as Reboot Combat Recovery, The Joseph School in Haiti and Josiahs House. The Electoral Commission has suspended the voter registration exercise on Friday, July 31, 2020. A press statement issued by the EC on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 said the decision was to allow the Eid-ul-Adha celebration by the Muslim community. The exercise will resume on Saturday August 1. The public is hereby informed that the Commission will not undertake the Voters Registration Exercise on Friday the 31st of July, 2020. The Voters Registration Exercise will resume on Saturday the 1st of August to Thursday the 6th of August, 2020. The Commission apologizes for any inconvenience caused by its earlier release, the EC added. The decision by the EC was taken after the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Constituency, Ras Mubarak, described the decision for the exercise to proceed on Friday as a total disrespect to Muslims in Ghana. On a day, Muslims are expected all over the world to be observing the feast of sacrifice that is the Eid al-Adha, the Electoral Commission has decided to go ahead with the registration of voters on such important day. One of the two most important festivals for Muslims up and down the country and globally. It is a show of disrespect, of disdain, and of insensitivity to Muslims not just in Ghana but Muslims globally and I think we should not be entertaining these acts of disrespect to religious freedoms. Its a violation of peoples religious freedoms, he added. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video T hey may have seen several of their flagship shows delayed or halted due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but ITV are back with a vengeance with their newly announced Autumn schedule. Not only has the broadcaster confirmed that its two hugely popular soaps, Coronation Street and Emmerdale, will be back to its usual billing of six episodes a week, ITV has also announced a series of unmissable dramas that will also be on our screens in the upcoming autumn months. Here are just a few of the dramas we can look forward to Des ITV Based on shocking true-life events, Des is based on one of the most infamous criminal cases in British history; the story of Dennis Nilsen. Referred to as the kindly killer, Nilsen became infamous for murdering 15 young boys and men in the 70s and 80s. While initially making friends with them and offering them food and a place to stay, he then brutally murdered them. Nilsen focused on homeless men, or those living off the grid, which led to him continuing to commit his crimes undetected for five years. The best films and TV for experiencing a summer getaway from home 1 /12 The best films and TV for experiencing a summer getaway from home Italy: The Talented Mr Ripley, 1999 The only thing more covetable than Marges 50s wardrobe get me those crisp white linens! is the Italian setting of this dark, sexy film version of Patricia Highsmiths dark, sexy novel. Oh to be on my own Grand Tour right now (with a 1990s Jude Law in my thrall). Technically, the film is set in the fictional Italian town of Mongibello Rome, Positano, Venice and islands of Ischia and Procido stand in variously for the imaginary idyll, besides some trips to Rome and Venice, which means glorious shots of the Spanish Steps and Piazza San Marco. And its la dolce vita, alright (apart from all the murders): azzurro seas and sky, bleached white cliffs and Aperol spritzes at every turn, yachts and sun-drenched dinners and sojourns to basements for soulful jazz solos and copious cigars. Granted, its an unsettling film (all the murders), but if you zone out of Matt Damons psychopathy and just focus on the sunsets, its quite the holiday. Phoebe Luckhurst Rio, Brazil: Black Orpheus, 1959 My father is Brazilian and my heart belongs to Rio. Marcel Camus film, a reworking of the Greek myth, shows off the citys seriously grand streets but is mostly set in a favela that looks down on the bay. Check out those obscenely beautiful mountains, which resemble whales, thrusting themselves onto the land. Check out that sunshine, which glistens on the shacks like maple syrup. The story serves up frantic carnival-lovers, many of them with missing teeth and backs drenched in sweat. This is not an authentic vision (the French director shot the film with coloured gels) and the dialogue has aged badly. But the fakery is part of the fun. Rio is synonymous with yachts, beaches and not-a-care-in-the-world glamour; its the epitome, for many, of cool. Camus Technicolour curio tunnels under that myth. Its the kind of film that sends you back into the light, blinking with pleasure. Charlotte OSullivan Albuquerque, New Mexico: Breaking Bad, 2008-13 It was easy to get swept up in Breaking Bads whirlwind plot and, amid the unravelling chaos, forget to appreciate just how special the shows cinematography was. Led by creator Vince Gilligan and director of photography Michael Slovis, Breaking Bad forged its own trademarks. There were the point-of-view shots, captured from inside a washing machine, or a car engine, or beneath the surface of a swimming pool, that ramped up the tense claustrophobia. But most memorable was the desolate, yet somehow versatile expanse of the New Mexico desert. It was beautiful at times it signified freedom as protagonist Walter White embarked on his meth-making liberation, and was often bathed in the orange hues of a setting sun. But as things went south, that same desert became hopeless. There were close-ups of withering plants, and incredible wide shots of the great, arid expanse a metaphor for the plots ultimately irretrievable peril. Jochan Embley Iceland: Woman at War, 2019; And Breathe Normally, 2018 Anyone whos been to Iceland and taken that eerie bus ride to Reykjavik through the lava fields from Keflavik airport, can confirm that its like stepping onto another planet but to say so detracts from the beautiful human stories that its filmmakers have to share about the isolated nation. Isold Uggadottirs And Breathe Normally is a stunning story of two lives, both in their own form of peril, that come to a crossroads. The powerful tale of kindness between strangers utilises the stunning backdrops of Icelands empty wildernesses to accentuate that at the end of the day, all we have is each other. Benedikt Erlingssons curiously odd film Woman at War, a moving parable for environmental activism, similarly uses Icelands bleak natural beauty to drive home just how precious our planet truly is. George Fenwick Rural Brazil: The Mission, 1986 I was hoping to get to Brazil for a holiday in June, though I fear its looking highly unlikely. So Ive been consoling myself by re-watching The Mission, the story, more or less, of what happened to the Jesuit missions in southern Brazil in the mid-18th century and one of the most beautiful films ever made. Who could forget the scene of the Guarani Indians pushing a missionary, tied to a large wooden crucifix, into the Iguacu River, sending him tumbling down those colossal roaring waterfalls to his death? And what about the stunning facade of the church of Sao Miguel das Missoes, restored in celluloid from the ruin that it is, to its original glory? Ive discovered that the film is a mash-up of locations, from Argentina and Paraguay, to Columbia, as well as Brazil. So, as and when, Ill be going to those places too. Katie Law Mainland Europe: Killing Eve, 2018-present Most people watch Killing Eve for the outfits; I watch for the wanderlust: sweeping Tuscan vineyards; caffe lattes in magnificent Italian piazzas; four-poster beds in high-ceilinged Parisian apartments with creaky wooden shutters. No show makes me more desperate to hop on the Eurostar and spend summer Interrailing my way around in Europe. The fact that its the backdrop for a spy drama, not a cheesy rom-com, makes it all the more alluring. In the latest season, Jodie Comers character Villanelle is no longer living in the French capital but in Spain. We see her roaming around the Placa de la Barceloneta, Spanish spice shops and Barcelonas Gothic Quarter. It may be some time before my next Spanish minibreak, so Im currently comfort-binging seasons one and two. As soon as the PMs new French travel agreement comes into place, Im heading to Paris Place Vendome with my brightest, boldest, bubblegum-pink dress. Katie Strick BBC Yorkshire: Gods Own Country, 2017 Proof that films dont always have to look to exotic locations to offer an escape. Beautiful rural Yorkshire is the setting for this affecting drama, which follows frustrated farmhand Johnny (Josh OConnor), forced to oversee the day to day running of his familys farm after his father suffers a stroke. Things are indeed grim up north initially, but Johnnys life is changed forever by the arrival of a worker from Romania. As the character enters into a life-affirming new relationship, the horizons seem more boundless than ever and the sweeping fields and stunning bucolic landscapes jump from the screen. Yorkshires stark beauty hasnt been captured like this since Kes, and the sight of the countys green pastures is enrapturing and intoxicating. Harry Fletcher Brittany, France: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019 Aristocratic Heloise (Adele Haenel), just emerged from a convent, isnt too pleased about being locked up on an island in Brittany, betrothed to an unseen suitor. Enter artist Marianne, commissioned to paint her, and what was once a prison becomes a paradise, as well as a blueprint for an idyllic form of social distancing. The film, shot in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon in Brittany (though the chateaux at La Chappelle-Gauthier in Ile-de-France stood in for Heloises home) is a gorgeous showcase for the wild, rocky coastline of northern France, and the perfect kind of escapism. Its pure euphoria to let those crashing waves, the ancient house, and the overwhelmingly powerful love story swallow you up. George Fenwick The Greek Islands: Mamma Mia! 2008; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, 2018 Ive been cheated by coronavirus and I think you know when. It was the moment I realised I would not be jetting off to a gorgeous Greek island this year to find out if Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan or Stellan Skarsgaard is my true father. Instead Ill be watching the Mamma Mia films, which lusciously evoke the Majorelle blue bliss of these islands. So much so, in fact, that a clip revealing some of the locations were green screen went viral earlier this year, crushing many a dream. Thankfully, most of the wizardry really was down to the glory of nature (except Chers scenes. Those are in Pinewood studios), with the first film mainly shot on Greek island Skopelos, and the second on Croatian gem Vis just off the Dalmatian Coast. Bring on the days when this SOS ends, and I can get drunk and tanned to the sound of ABBA songs. Jessie Thompson AP After his capture, Nilsen was honest about his killing spree but failed to remember the names of anyone he had murdered, leading to one of the UKs biggest manhunts in history. The story is told through the prism of three isolated men - a detective, a biographer, and Nilsen himself. And with an all-star cast including David Tennant, Daniel Mays and Jason Watkins, Des is on course to be one of this years most talked-about dramas. Honour Keeley Hawes leads in this new drama / ITV Another drama based on true-life events, Keeley Hawes stars in this moving drama which follows DCI Caroline Goode who brought five killers to justice in the heartbreaking true story of Banaz Mahmod. Mahmods so-called wrong-doing? Falling in love with the wrong man. Goode is left appalled when she uncovered that Mahmod had previously sought police protection over fears for her life on five separate occasions, and decided to seek justice on her behalf. The Sister The Sister stars Bertie Carvel and Russell Tovey / ITV This four-part series features an all-star cast, with Doctor Fosters Bertie Carvel and Being Humans Russell Tovey leading the charge. Haunted by a doomed party which saw a young girl dead Nathan (Tovey) is left stunned when his eccentric old acquaintance Bob (Bertie Carvel) turns up at his door with new information that could tear his world apart particularly as Nathan has a few of his own secrets now Singapore Grip The new drama is an adaptation of JG Farrell's novel ( ITV ) Adapted from JG Farrells satirical novel of the same name, the period drama follows a British family living in Singapore during the Second World War at the time of the Japanese invasion. As his business partners (played by Charles Dance) health starts to decline, ruthless rubber merchant Walter Blackett (David Morrisey) tries to ensure the future of his business and decides Matthew Webb (Luke Treadaway) is the best fit for his daughter Joan (Georgia Blizzard). Matthews idealism leaves Walter increasingly suspicious as Matthew himself falls under the spell of Vera Chiang (Elizabeth Tan), a mysterious Chinese refugee. All these dramas will air Autumn time only on ITV DETROIT The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to arrests of suspects in the shooting death of 4-year-old Nathaniel Mesiah Roby-Townsend. The child was killed when two individuals armed with rifles opened fire on the residence at 18611 Birwood St. in Detroit, around 12:50 p.m. on May 21, the FBI reports. One round struck the boy in the chest, killing him instantly. Townsend was in the kitchen of his grandmothers home during a family gathering when the shooting occurred. #WantedWednesday: The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the homicide of Nathaniel Mesiah Roby-Townsend in Detroit, Michigan, on May 21, 2020: https://t.co/blMYH6tfKw FBI Detroit (@FBIDetroit) July 29, 2020 Earlier this month, Detroit rapper Christian Trick Trick Anthony Mathis offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. Information related to this homicide can be reported to the FBIs Detroit Field Office at 313-965-2323, or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tipsters can also report information online at tips.fbi.gov. Information can also be shared with local FBI offices, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. READ MORE: Child dead, 1-year-old twin injured in alleged abuse; mother, boyfriend arrested Detroit Police chief on citys lack of riots tells Tucker Carlson, we dont retreat Motor City Casino to layoff over 2,500 amid extended COVID-19 closure 18-year-old dead, 2 others seriously injured in Northern Michigan crash As a student at the University of Montana, Ive had a chance to connect with peers across the world this summer through the Mansfield Centers new Global PALS program, in spite of the barrier of a pandemic. Through this exchange, Ive built a friendship and global awareness I never thought was possible virtually. Global PALS, which stands for Peers Across Lands Sharing, was created this summer for students at the University of Montana to connect with young leaders from various Southeast Asian countries. The program works as a virtual exchange, pairing one University of Montana student with a student from across the globe. Students engage in cross-cultural learning activities with their PAL, such as discussions about their respective countries, cooking cultural dishes, and even going on virtual adventures together. Despite a physical barrier, the opportunities for connection that the program has fostered for involved students, like myself, have been wonderful experiences. My PAL, Pia, is from the Philippines. We share common interests in journalism, and Ive loved learning about her work with documentaries. Ive learned that the Philippines and Montana are both outdoorsy places, and that the civil rights protests occurring in America are being mirrored in the Philippines although with different issues on the table. Weve both had the opportunity to learn about the political climate in each others countries. Pia and I are very similar, and its been fun to get to know her this summer. Not only has the Global PALS program provided opportunities to connect with our individual partners, but the Mansfield Center has also been inventive about ways to create group learning opportunities via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform. Pia and I led the first group session, meeting with a cohort of students from the University of Montana and Southeast Asia. We organized PechaKucha Storytelling, which is a type of storytelling traditional in Japan. Each person created a presentation of 20 slides, and had 20 seconds per slide to tell the group about their favorite book or movie essentially, getting 400 seconds total to tell your story. Another set of PALS organized a group watch of Becoming, a documentary about former first lady Michelle Obama that included virtual discussion. From both group sessions, students had valuable takeaways from connecting with their peers across the world. We learned that even with completely different cultures, we all enjoyed similar films and books. Many films and books, even across our cultures, contained similar themes regarding empathy, kindness, inward and outward beauty, and dystopian societies. Amidst the exchanging that occurred, everyone treated each other with respect, were willing to work through awkwardness, and enjoyed making new friends. The ingenuity of the Mansfield Center in creating a program that connects students from across the world even in the midst of a global pandemic is worthy of praise. Even more worthy of praise, though, is the way that this program supports University of Montana students in their leadership and workforce development. Not only are students provided an opportunity to learn how to work virtually, but we are also honing our cross-cultural communication skills, allowing us to become better equipped to deal with an increasingly global economy in the future. I encourage other institutions to create these virtual learning opportunities for students, too. As a student, the Global PALS Program has inspired me to be more culturally aware about the world around me, which is an important aspect of becoming a globally minded citizen. I feel supported, connected, and more prepared than ever for a future working with a global community as a result of being involved in Global PALS. Mariah Thomas is an Honors student in the Global Leadership Initiative at the University of Montana, studying Journalism and Political Science. She also works as an International Research Intern at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center. Love 5 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A major Chicago children's hospital has apologized for its history of performing cosmetic genital surgery on intersex babies in order to make them appear more male or female. The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago apologized on Tuesday, saying it understood that its approach to intersex surgery was 'harmful and wrong'. The hospital is believed to be the first in the US to apologize for performing the surgeries. In a letter published on the hospital's website, CEO Dr Thomas Shanley and Chief Medical Officer Dr Derek Wheeler also apologized to intersex people who have been harmed by the treatment at their facility. The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (above) apologized on Tuesday, saying it understood that its approach to intersex surgery was 'harmful and wrong' 'We recognize the painful history and complex emotions associated with intersex surgery and how, for many years, the medical field has failed these children,' the hospital said in a statement on its website. 'Historically, care for individuals with intersex traits included an emphasis on early genital surgery to make genitalia appear more typically male or female. 'As the medical field has advanced, and understanding has grown, we now know this approach was harmful and wrong. 'We empathize with intersex individuals who were harmed by the treatment that they received according to the historic standard of care and we apologize and are truly sorry.' The hospital did not say how many intersex surgeries it had performed over the years but did say doctors had not performed a clitoroplasty surgery on an infant or child in the last five years. Children whose genitals don't typically align with the norm have for decades faced surgery to rearrange their anatomy to resemble that of more typical boys and girls - long before they are old enough to have a say in the decision. Intersex activists have long argued that the surgery is a violation of human rights and have called to outlaw the gender-alignment surgery. Pictured above is Pidgeon Pagonis speaking during a protest outside the hospital in July 2018 Intersex genitalia can be surgically changed for an array of reasons: to change appearance, to help urination or menstruation, improve fertility and sexual function, or ward off potential medical complications. Intersex activists have long argued that the surgery is a violation of human rights and have called to outlaw the gender-alignment surgery. Moving forward, the Chicago children's hospital said it was adapting its policy to ensure no irreversible genital surgeries, unless medically necessary, would be performed until the patient can make the decision for themselves. The hospital said the policy, for now, would not apply to patients born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) - a genetic disorder that often sees a child born with ambiguous genitalia but can affect their normal growth. 'Over the next six months, we will carefully and critically evaluate whether the same policy requiring assent/consent from intersex and CAH patients should apply,' the hospital said. The hospital is forming a group made up of patients, family and clinicians that will be headed by an intersex person or one with CAH. The group will provide findings to the hospital that they say will guide their future surgeries for CAH patients. The hospital said there would not be any on children with CAH outside of those deemed medically necessary, until those findings were made. Las Vegas Sands President Robert Goldstein told CNBC on Thursday that the city of Las Vegas will continue to struggle economically as the coronavirus pandemic persists. "It's clearly a difficult time for us ... and from my perspective, we're in for some more pain around here," Goldstein said in an interview on "The Exchange" with CNBC's Contessa Brewer. Goldstein's comments come two days after the announcement that CES, the U.S.' biggest technology show, will be an online-only event in January due to the coronavirus yet another blow to the economy of Las Vegas, where CES is held. Last year, the multiday event had more than 171,000 attendees from across the world. "Las Vegas ... is a large-scale city by any means you measure it: 150,000 sleeping rooms, large conventions, large banquets. Large is the word for Las Vegas, so not exactly an easy place to be in this environment," said Goldstein, who called CES going virtual "hurtful short term" for the city. Casino resorts in Las Vegas closed due to the coronavirus in mid-March and began to reopen on June 4. Las Vegas is a destination city dependent on tourism, especially from visitors who fly in. For Las Vegas to recover meaningfully, Goldstein said, a vaccine to prevent Covid-19 or "something that changes the consumer perception of this virus" is needed. "And I don't see that happening short term," said Goldstein, who also is chief operating officer. Las Vegas Sands, which generates about 90% of its EBITDA from Macao and Singapore, did receive a bit of relatively positive news this week as the Chinese government will begin broader visa issuance for Macao. The company generates a little over 60% of its revenue from the Chinese territory and casino hub. "It's a step in the right direction, but not the step," Goldstein said, because the change to visa issuance policy does not yet cover tourists. "We're tourist-driven." However, Goldstein said he believes that a restart to the critical program known as the individual visit scheme, or IVS, may not be too far off. "I think it will happen in the course of the summer or fall. It will be slow. It will not be large steps. It will be a series of small steps leading to a full-scale IVS opening both for Guangdong and all of China at some point," he said. "What that point is, no one really knows." But he added: "We do know that the Asian consumer, the Chinese consumer, is very conversant with a virus environment. They're used to masks and gloves and social distancing and temp checks. They're not going to respond like Americans, who had a hard time with it. We also know that they're not going to travel beyond China, so I think Macao will become a very favorable destination when those doors do open." Shares of Las Vegas Sands were higher by more than 3% on Thursday, outperforming the broader S&P 500, which was trading slightly negative. The company, founded by CEO Sheldon Adelson, reported last week net revenues were down 97% year over year for the quarter that ended June 30. It posted a net loss of $985 million for the quarter. Despite the financial challenges the pandemic has presented for the company, it recently said it was extending its pledge to maintain employee benefits and pay through at least Oct. 31. In a letter to employees obtained by CNBC's Brewer, Adelson said he believed Las Vegas Sands was the only casino operator not to furlough or lay off workers due to the Covid-19 crisis. Adelson feels that "supporting people in these difficult times is the right thing to do from a moral perspective, at a time when this city is really having some incredible challenges," Goldstein said. "But also business wise, we believe this pandemic will eventually go away and we'll be at the head of class in terms of desirability both for customers and also for employees." CNBC's Contessa Brewer contributed to this report. - Herman Cain succumbed to COVID-19 after she was diagnosed with the virus one month ago - Cain was diagnosed with the disease after attending President Donald Trump's rally without face mask in Tulsa, Oklahama - Prior to the rally, he was quoted praising South Dakota governor for not making face masks mandatory during the rally President Donald Trump's aide and former presidential candidate Herman Cain has succumbed to COVID-19 days after saying face masks were not mandatory. Cain, 74, succumbed to the disease on Thursday, July 30, at a hospital in Atlanta where he was undergoing medication after being diagnosed with the disease a month ago. READ ALSO: Polisi katika kituo cha Bondo wapimwa kwa lazima baada bosi wao kuangamizwa na COVID-19 Herman Cain vied for US presidency in 2011. Photo: Getty Images Source: UGC READ ALSO: WHO raises alarm as Kenya's COVID-19 cases near 20K mark Cain's death was made public by Newsmax TV where he was set to launch a weekly show. "Cain, who recently joined Newsmax TV and was set to launch a weekly show, died in an Atlanta-area hospital where he had been critically ill for several weeks," the conservative website Newsmax reported. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza was admitted on July 1, two days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. As a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain was one of the surrogates at President Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. READ ALSO: COVID-19: Kenya records 788 new cases, 14 more succumb to disease At least eight Trump advance team staffers who attended the Oklahoma rally tested positive for coronavirus. Before heading for the rally, which was highly criticised by health officials, Cain praised South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for not requiring face masks at the campaign rally. "Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. People are fed up,!" Cain Tweeted in a photo where he was not wearing face mask. Cain's death came at a time when confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US stand at 4,588,051 with 154,360 deaths and 2,246,910 recoveries. Globally, the number stands at 17,201,277 confirmed cases, 670,454 deaths and 10,716,271 recoveries. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. Source: TUKO.co.ke Seats are available on a free bus trip to Washington, D.C. for Harrisburg-area residents interested in participating in the Commitment March on Washington whose rallying call is Get Your Knee Off Our Necks. The march will take place on the 57th anniversary of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s I Have a Dream speech. I grew up a target of racial profiling, said Black Lives Matter organizer Claudie Kenion. The 51-year-old said hes been pushing back against racism since the 1980s, but his fight was reignited by the death of George Floyd when restrained by a Minneapolis police officer. Black Lives Matter is working with local central Pennsylvania nonprofits UniteCentralPA and reloved to fill up to 100 bus seats. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the march in Washington that will descend on the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28. Were tired of being mistreated, Kenion said. Were gonna fight until the world wakes up. This movement is not dying again, no more. In Harrisburg, the mayor and city officials, and police, they are starting to work with us. The rallying call Get Your Knee Off Our Necks gets to the heart of the matter, he said. Were trying to educate people on systemic racism, Kenion said. As soon as people see the word Black, our movement becomes a problem; they dont understand. Were not supporting violence or looting. It takes a small fraction of people to mess up our message. Were not a Marxist group, no thats not us. Were looking to sit down and talk to people. Having a professional dialogue goes a long way. Personally, Kenion recalls being expelled when he was in middle school. He said a classmate called him a racial slur, but that it was Kenion who was kicked out for defending himself when the classmate took a swing at him. Students, both black and white, defended him, he said. But he was the one who had to leave school to attend another one. I think that we are at a historic point in America, said reloved Founder and CEO Heather Norton. The Civil Rights Movement has, unfortunately, had to continue 57 years later after Martin Luther King gave his I Have A Dream Speech. Now is our opportunity to speak up and use our voices to make the change that we so desperately need. Donations to help pay for the trip have been pouring in, Norton said. All participants riding along will be provided free face masks and hand sanitizer. The groups also will be handing out gift bags once in D.C. that include sunscreen, water, snacks, and other items provided by Lowes and Costco in Harrisburg. To ensure the safety of passengers during the coronavirus pandemic, Norton said the buses will be fumigated and sanitized. Anyone who has an underlying health issue is asked to stay at home, Kenion said. We were told by Al Sharptons group that they are going to go through with the march no matter what, he said. The (owner) of the charter buses said as long as we are in the green phase, we can fill up all the seats on the bus. If we are in the yellow phase, we have to seat every other seat. The groups will adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Temperature checks will be done on the morning of the event. Masks are required to be worn roundtrip while on the bus. And, participants must sign a COVID-19 waiver before departing. The free trip is available until all seats are filled. This movement isnt just about statistics, Norton said. Its about sitting down with our neighbors and having conversations, and not turning the other way when we see something or hear something thats unjust. We need to broaden our focus and it starts at the community level. Its not just speaking out about the criminal justice system; its about funding education, access to medical care, and fixing the mental health system. Click on this link to register for the event. READ MORE New poll shows Trump struggling in Pa., with many planning to vote against him FDA provides hand sanitizer do-not-use list: What to look for, what to avoid Majority of Pennsylvanians favor face masks, support Gov. Wolf amid pandemic, new poll says WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump met Thursday with the family of a soldier who investigators say was slain on the Texas Army base where she was stationed, saying it is a terrible story and that he would help with funeral expenses. The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found July 2 following her disappearance in April from Fort Hood, rallied with several dozen supporters before the meeting with Trump, calling for justice in the case and for changes in the way the military handles sexual abuse and harassment. Its an incredible story. Its a terrible story, Trump said to the family in the Oval Office. So were going to look into it very powerfully. We already have started, as you know, and well get to the bottom of it. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa. Well be in touch with you constantly. Guillens family has said she was sexually harassed by the fellow solider suspected of killing her, but the Army has said there is no evidence supporting the claim. The Army has said she may have experienced harassment by others at the base that was not sexual in nature. Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy on July 10 ordered a review of the command climate at Fort Hood. The truth will come out whether they like it or not, said Lupe Guillen, the younger sister of Vanessa Guillen, said ahead of the meeting with the president. She said relatives were disappointed to not have heard from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding her sisters case and were ready to take their story straight to the White House. John Wittman, a spokesperson for Abbott, said the governors office has not heard from the Guillen family but is prepared to help. He said the governors office was looking into whether Texas has any authority over a U.S. military death. He also said the Texas attorney generals office was looking into whether the family may be eligible for assistance from the crime victims compensation fund. Governor Abbotts heart aches for the Guillen family and he and the First Lady keep them in their prayers, Wittman said in a text message. Investigators have not revealed a motive for Guillens death. They said in a complaint that she was bludgeoned to death in the armoury room of the Army base near Killeen. Fellow Fort Hood soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, is suspected to have killed and dismembered Guillen. Robinson killed himself after being confronted by police on July 1. A civilian suspect, 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar, is in custody on three counts of conspiracy to destroy evidence for helping Robinson hide Guillens remains and attempting to flee. The family is pushing a bill that would address procedures for reporting sexual harassment and assault in the military, according to the familys lawyer, Natalie Khawam, who helped write it. U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, are sponsoring the bill, which is named #IAmVanessaGuillen after a social media movement on harassment in the military. Guillens mother, Gloria Guillen, said she was angry to hear McCarthy say her daughter was not sexually harassed. She said she had spoken to her daughter about the harassment, but Gloria Guillen did not detail what her daughter said. She said she was speaking up for all women in the military. If there is war, who is going to defend us if our soldiers are scared to join? she said in Spanish. Who is going to guard our country if our soldiers are being assaulted, killed and disappeared? A funeral has not been held for Guillen because relatives are still waiting for her remains, Khawam told Trump. They hope to have a service soon in Houston. And if I can help you out with the funeral, Ill help you out, financially, Ill help you, Trump said. Army officials said that the panel reviewing the climate and culture of the military community at Fort Hood will include former assistant director of the FBIs Criminal Investigation Division Chris Swecker, chairman of McGuireWoods LLP Jonathan Harmon, assistant general counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Carrie Ricci, regional director of veteran non-profit FourBlock Queta Rodriguez and Jack White, a partner at Fluet Huber + Hoang. ___ Acacia Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. She is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Nicki Minaj's husband Kenneth Petty has asked a judge to alter the terms of his pretrial release condition to make sure he can be present for the birth of their child. Petty, 42, is currently awaiting trial after being arrested for failing to register as a sex offender when he moved to California to be with the Move Ya Hips rapper. He's hoping to convince a judge to adjust his current curfew and travel restrictions so he can be with his wife, 37, whenever it's time to go into labor, according to documents obtained by TMZ. Special request: Nicki Minaj's husband asked a judge to alter the terms of his pretrail release conditions to make sure he'll be present for the birth of their child. Above is a March 2020 mug shot taken after he failed to register as a sex offender in the state of California Kenneth is only allowed to travel within California and would like permission to accompany Nicki as her manager when she goes out-of-state for business, since the baby could come at any time. Petty told to judge that the U.S. Attorney's Office and pretrial services had no objections to the request, but still needed a judge's approval. Other pretrial conditions will stay in place, meaning Petty can't use illicit substances and will continue to wear an ankle monitor. Kenneth was required to register as a sex offender in California because he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1995. Irreplaceable moment: He's hoping to convince a judge to adjust his current curfew and travel restrictions so he can be with his wife when it's time to go into labor, according to legal docs Other rules: Other pretrial conditions will stay in place, meaning Petty can't use illicit substances and will continue to wear an ankle monitor In March he was arrested by Federal authorities for failing to register. Shortly after, he pleaded not guilty and was released on a $100k bond. Nicki and Kenneth announced their happy baby news via social media on July 20th. The Anaconda rapper caused a stir as she cradled her full baby belly while dolled up wearing a curly yellow wig, embellished bikini, and sparkling platform heels. Keeping things simple, she captioned the shot: '#Preggers [yellow heart emoji]' Nicki shared a more introspective caption in another post, writing: 'Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes.' Congrats! Nicki and Kenneth announced their happy baby news via social media on July 20th Rumors that the rapper was expecting have been swirling around since before she and Petty wed in 2019. Prior to their marriage Nicki shocked fans by announcing she was retiring from music to start a family. 'I've decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me Love you for LIFE,' she tweeted in September 2019. She later walked back her statement while responding to a fan's tweet. 'Im still right here. Still madly in love with you guys & you know that. In hindsight, this shouldve been a Queen Radio discussion & it will be. I promise u guys will be happy. No guests, just us talking about everything. The tweet was abrupt & insensitive, I apologize babe.' One of the unions representing Eglinton Crosstown construction workers says it has turfed one of its newest members after a noose was found at a job site. Local 27 of the Carpenters District Council of Ontario said that it had requested and received the unequivocal resignation from an individual who had recently joined the union after conducting an investigation into the incident, which the union called a racist and hateful act. Local 27 denounces these acts in the strongest terms, and supports our industry employer colleagues in their swift removal of the individual. Behaviour that makes anyone feel unsafe on construction work sites will not be tolerated, and accountability rests on everyone in the industry to create safe and respectful workplaces, the union said in a news release Wednesday evening. The noose was found Tuesday evening at the Fairbank Station work site at Dufferin and Eglinton. Metrolinx spokesperson Fannie Sunshine told the Star that the worker was a subcontractor doing work for Crosslinx Transit Solutions, the construction consortium working on the Crosstown project. Sunshine says the worker will be banned from working on any Metrolinx projects. Toronto police told the Star on Thursday that an investigation is also underway. Last month, four nooses were found at different construction sites across the city. Two nooses were found on a site near Michael Garron Hospital. Another was discovered near Bay and Front streets, and one at a construction site near Regent Park. With files from Raneem Alozzi TY Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun Read more about: Seema Sirohi Incredible as it may sound but the United States government has unwittingly been funding charitable organisations linked to terrorist groups that its hunting abroad, doling out millions of dollars over the years without oversight. It is an exceptionally severe case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. The crux of the problem: various government agencies involved dont seem to talk to each other, allowing dubious groups to claim federal funding, research by the Middle East Forum shows. While the FBI and CIA track terrorist groups at home and abroad, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Agriculture and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) give money to their sister organisations in the US. Senior US officials grace receptions on Capitol Hill organised by groups that are banned in some Arab countries because they radicalise those they offer to help. The bewildering reality of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds has special pertinence for India given the well-organised attacks on Capitol Hill led by Islamist groups such as Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA). Not many know that the CAIR was founded in 1994 by a front group for Hamas, and even designated as a co-conspirator in a 2008 terror financing trial in the US. Even fewer would know that the ICNA is linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, whose members slaughtered thousands of Bengali intellectuals and liberals during the Bangladesh war of liberation in 1971. Both the CAIR and the ICNA are in the forefront building a dire narrative of distress and danger in Kashmir on Capitol Hill since August when India abrogated Article 370 in the state and bifurcated it into two union territories. Many of the most vocal members of Congress and their staffers have bought into their narrative to the extent they dont give any credence to the other side. Any criticism of the CAIR is immediately termed Islamophobia by their well-funded and aggressive spokespersons. Despite US President Donald Trumps strong rhetoric as a candidate on fighting radical Islamic terrorism, his administration seems to be lax about monitoring where American largesse ultimately goes. Apart from naming radical Islam as a threat in its National Strategy for Counterterrorism document in 2018, the current administration has done little to study, understand and identify moderate, reformist Muslim leaders and separate them from Islamists. The British experience of funding self-proclaimed Muslim community leaders in the late 1980s who turned out to be Islamists seems to be forgotten. It took nearly a decade for British officials to come to grips with their mistake and distance themselves from the Muslim Council of Britain, a group run by the violent Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and clean up public schools in Birmingham, which had been taken over by Islamists, before former Prime Minister David Cameron changed government policy in 2011. However, the Barack Obama administration wasnt watching or learning as might be expected. Instead, it was falling prey to the same tactics and unwittingly empowering Islamists. It was funding community programmes in Muslim communities without due diligence on so-called leaders, some of whom had served prison sentences or were on the run from terrorism-related charges. Around $4 million in federal grants was given out to questionable organisations through the so-called Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programme. The line of thinking was borrowed from the Europeans that groups like Jamaat are moderate compared to Al Qaeda. Therefore, we should fund moderate Islamists to fight the radical. It is like using fascists to fight the Nazis, according to Cliff Smith, director of Middle East Forums Washington Project. Even though the Trump administration stopped the CVE programme, the practice of funding questionable groups has continued, says Sam Westrop, director of the Islamist Watch Project. He has researched US government funding over the years. He found that funding under the Trump administration, in fact, tripled to $13 million. Even this is not the complete picture because some US government departments do not report the grants individually to various groups. The web the so-called charity organisations weave in the US and other western countries is indeed dense and difficult to unravel. However, there is no justification for one arm of the government funding groups that the other is fighting. Its unclear why the USAID or the FEMA cant refer to the federal governments database on terrorists and terrorist groups before approving grants to various organisations. Red flags would surely come up. It is disturbing not least because bulk of the money a whopping $8.7 million went to the ICNA, a front for Jamaat-e-Islami, an organisation with a bloody history in South Asia. The funds were given for disaster assistance projects. Vali Nasr, an Iranian American academic and former dean of the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, has identified the ICNA as one of the eight major branches of Jamaat. The ICNA has openly said that the Islamic Movement has been the main force behind the jihaad against the kuffar (non-believer) in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bosnia etc. It was the ICNA that apparently was behind many rallies against India in the US after August. Of course, Pakistans ISI officers are often spotted at the ICNA conferences. India banned Jamaats Jammu and Kashmir branch for five years last March because of its links to terrorists. New Delhi will be disturbed to find out that an ICNA subsidiary called Helping Hand for Relief and Development joined with Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2017 for a conference in Pakistan. It should hardly be a beneficiary of US government funds. Not many members of the US Congress or federal government are familiar with Jamaats history or links with the ICNA or know that Syed Salahuddin, the head of its military wing Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, is a designated global terrorist. Yet the two hearings held on the Kashmir situation after August had the ICNAs hand all over. Westrop and Smith say that the ICNA and its allies are now fully focused on India and working hard to convince Americans that Kashmiri terror against Indian troops is just. ICNA and its branches even use their charitable infrastructure to subsidise such violent pursuits. Its going to take dedicated effort and sustained investigation by various US government agencies to understand, isolate and prosecute Islamists who claim to represent all American Muslims and dominate the discourse. (This article first appeared in the ORF) During their meeting, the two sides discussed on-going developments in the country and preparations for the upcoming round of the Constitutional Committee writes SANA. President Bashar al-Assad met with Special Envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Vasilyevich Vershinin, as well as the accompanying delegation. Lavrentiev conveyed to Assad the congratulations of President Putin on the success of the recent elections of the Syrian Peoples Assembly, which confirms the support of the Syrian people to the states approach to achieving stability and improving living conditions in the country. During the meeting, the parties discussed developments of the situation in Syria, where it was stressed that the continuation of some aggressive political and economic policies, and their continued interference in Syrian affairs is the main factor in the protracted presence of terrorist organizations in some Syrian regions, and the resulting undermining of stability and the prevalence of dangers that threaten the lives and livelihood of Syrians. On the agenda were the ongoing preparations for holding a meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva next month as well as the need for various international parties to work on providing the appropriate atmosphere for the committee to carry out its work, according to the principle upon which it was formed namely under the leadership of Syria and without any external pressure to influence its work. The two sides affirmed their determination to continue and intensify joint work, follow up on the development of bilateral relations, make efforts to find solutions to the difficulties resulting from the policies adopted by some Western countries against Syria, mitigate the effects of unjust sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, and assist the Syrian people in facing the consequences of these sanctions, including addressing the coronavirus pandemic. In attendance were Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Office, Dr. Ayman Sosan, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Luna al-Shibl, the Syrian Presidencys Director of the Political and Information Office, and the Russian Ambassador to Damascus. 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. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. The Oilfield Photographer Inc. / The Oilfield Photographer, Inc. A bankruptcy judge gave troubled oil field service company BJ Services another 30 days to continue operations and resume negotiations to sell assets. In a virtual Wednesday evening hearing, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur gave the Tomball company more time to sort out its financial and legal issues and save as many of the jobs of its remaining 1,200 employees as possible. BJ Services filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 20, just four days after the company to reach an agreement with lenders. Judge Isgur originally gave BJ Services seven days to continue operations and resume negotiations. His new order gives the company more time. Under the worst scenario, the case could end in a Chapter 7 liquidation in which the 150-year-old company would be dissolved, broken up and sold off in pieces with more than 1,200 workers losing their jobs. Downturn: BJ Services files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy BJ Services, which has oil well cementing and hydraulic fracturing crews deployed in shale plays across the United States and Canada, owes nearly $357 million to lenders and another $134 million to vendors. The company, already hit hard by the oil bust caused by the coronavirus pandemic, saw a $75 million deal that would have saved the company fall apart July 16. Fuel Fix: Get daily energy news headlines in your inbox Prior to filing for bankruptcy, BJ Services had offers on the table to sell its cementing business and part of its hydraulic fracturing business in two deals that would have saved more than 500 jobs. Under Judge Isgur's order, business operations can continue while negotiations for those sales can resume. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The number of times one can get cheated is directly proportional to who the cheater is. An interior decorator, who made the mistake of trusting his friend learnt that lesson the hard way after losing three luxury cars and Rs 15 lakh cash. Thaniga is a movie financier based in Uthandi, near Chennai. He was friends with Khivraj, an interior decorator. In 2018, when Khivraj was in need of some money, he pledged his BMW and its documents to Thaniga and borrowed Rs 6 lakh. Later, Khivraj repaid the sum and took his car back, but the documents were not returned. Thaniga convinced Khivraj that he had misplaced them. A few months later, Thaniga borrowed the car from Khivraj for his personal use. It was never returned. There went the car number-1. A few months later, Khivraj tells his friend that he is planning to buy a new car. Thaniga promises to arrange one for him, and takes Rs 15 lakh for the payment. Again, a new BMW arrives. But, Khivraj finds some issues with the car papers, and decides to return the vehicle. Thaniga takes the vehicle but does not return the cash. That is car number-2. After two BMWs, Thaniga was not done taking his friend for a ride. When Khivraj buys a car for himself, a new Audi, Thaniga asks if he can take it for a ride. Khivraj lends his Audi for Thaniga to go on a trip. That car, too, does not come back. At this point, Khivraj decides to look into the matter. He realises that Thaniga had sold his first BMW to a person in Coimbatore. He had not lost the documents, but had used them to sell the car. He had also sold the Audi to a person in Hosur. Two of the cars were retrieved. The number of beef calves registered in Britain has increased, figures show, with Wales in particular recording a healthy boost - the highest for five years. Across GB there has been an overall rise of 1.2% in calves both dairy and beef registered between January and May 2020, compared to the same period last year. In Wales the figure is higher, with an increase of 3.1 percent, figures by the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) show. The statistics reflect a range of factors, including a trend of producing more cross-bred calves from the dairy herd, according to Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales (HCC). Some of the beef breeds and cross breeds showing the biggest increases in terms of calf registrations in Wales include the Aberdeen Angus (up 11.7%) and Hereford (up 4.8%). Both Charolais and British Blue registrations are up just over 4 percent, figures show. The 2020 figures are a contrast to the last five years, where BCMS calf registration data has indicated a flat picture in the Welsh beef registrations. HCC market analyst, Glesni Phillips said the figures may show a positive sign for the future of the beef industry in Wales, and reflect broader trends in both the beef and dairy sectors. This comes despite the beef sector being hit by uncertainty in recent times," she said, adding that a combination of market conditions led to low farm-gate prices last year. "Demand fluctuated widely in the early stages of the coronavirus lockdown as pubs and restaurants closed their doors. However, weve seen encouraging consumption figures throughout Britain in the second half of the spring, with great support from consumers for home-produced beef." One high-profile new entrant into the beef sector is international rugby referee Nigel Owens MBE, who has recently started his own Mairwen herd of Hereford cattle in Carmarthenshire. Having worked at Wern Farm Drefach when I was younger it had always been a dream of mine to keep my own herd, said Mr Owens, who has built up to around 30 cattle so far on a 116-acre holding. "If anything the lockdown has given the chance to get things up and running more quickly, as weve been able to get on with fencing, hedge-laying and developing our soil and pasture. SAGINAW, MI The Michigan Attorney Generals Office will review the case of a former Saginaw police officer who was fired after being accused of using excessive force on a woman he arrested. The Saginaw County Prosecutors Office on Wednesday, July 29, announced it had received investigative reports from the Michigan State Police detectives two days prior. After staff there conferred with the office of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, they decided to refer the matter there for the appropriate resolution. It is in the best interest of the community that an independent prosecutorial entity review the matter, said Saginaw County Prosecutor John McColgan Jr. The state polices investigation stems from an incident that occurred July 11 involving a white Saginaw police officer and a 57-year-old Black woman. That night, the officer arrested the woman on charges of felonious assault and assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police. While in the jail, the woman spit on the officer, at which point he struck her several times, to the point she fell to the floor, Police Chief Robert M. Ruth has said. The officer was placed on unpaid suspension as separate criminal and internal investigations began. Ruth announced on July 17 that the internal investigation had concluded, finding the officer had used excessive force. The officers employment was terminated. We want to send a very strong message we will not tolerate excessive use of force, Ruth said at the time. That night and for several days thereafter, several Saginaw police officers called in sick, requiring Saginaw County Sheriffs deputies and state police troopers to assume their duties in the city. The ex-officers name has not been publicly divulged. The woman who had been arrested has been arraigned in Saginaw County District Court on the two charges she had been arrested on. She is free on bond. MLive has submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to the Saginaw Police Department and Michigan State Police seeking reports related to the incident. Those requests have thus far been denied. Read more: Prosecutors expect to receive investigation of fired Saginaw police officer next week Saginaw Police Department back to full staff after recent officer shortage Saginaw police union says it is not coordinating staff shortage at the department Saginaw Police Department short staffed again, union official explains possible reason why State police, sheriffs deputies doing temporary patrols in Saginaw Saginaw police officer fired for excessive force against woman, 57, hed arrested Police union tangles with city of Saginaw in dispute over coronavirus safety requests Saginaw police unions deliver 46-1 no confidence vote in chief Indias largest online investment & wealth management platform Paytm Money today announced the appointment of Varun Sridhar, as the new Chief Executive Officer of Paytm Money. He will lead the launch & development of the equity brokerage other than growing the already successful mutual funds, NPS and Gold services. Under his leadership, the company will continue to simplify, innovate, and bring wealth management products to millions of Indians. He will be reporting to Amit Nayyar, President at Paytm. Varun has led the digital transformation journey of some of the top retail banks in India and abroad. Most recently he served as CEO of FinShell India where he launched realme PaySa a fintech platform on mobile. Prior to this role, he was with BNP Paribas for close to eight years where amongst other assignments he supported the acquisition of Sharekhan. As a board member & member of the executive committee, he supported the scale-up of the digital equity brokerage & mutual fund business. He did his MBA from the prestigious SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan Italy, and graduated from the University of Delhi. Amit Nayyar, President at Paytm said, Paytm Money is on a mission to empower millions of Indians with wealth management products. We are very excited to welcome Varun, whose experience in retail banking, broking, and wealth segment would help us accelerate our goals. I look forward to working closely with him to expand Paytm Money further." Varun Sridhar, CEO at Paytm Money said, "I am thrilled to be part of the team that is responsible for introducing wealth management services to consumers in both India and Bharat and making meaningful financial inclusion simple & easy. At Paytm Money, I hope to build along with a fantastic team the most cost-effective & consumer-friendly products & experience for investors & traders. The wealth management and financial service solutions that Paytm is building are transforming the lives of millions of Indians and are relevant globally as well." Paytm Money also announced that Amit Kapoor has joined as the new CFO & Vice President for the company. Prior to this role, he was working with Aviva India as CFO of the life insurance company. Paytm Money is headquartered in Bengaluru and has a team of over 300 employees. The company has over 6 million users on its platform, availing direct mutual funds & NPS. Paytm Money aims to invest Rs 250 crores over the next 12-18 months as it has planned to launch new businesses including equity brokerage in this financial year. Norwich churches rally round arson-hit mosque Norwich churches rally round arson-hit mosque Anglican churches in Norwich have spoken out in solidarity with Muslim brothers and sisters following an alleged arson attack on the developing 1m Aylsham Road mosque in the city in the early hours of Monday morning. The July 27 attack, whose fire caused severe damage to the toilet and washing facilities on the recently renovated building, has left faith communities concerned about the vulnerability of religious buildings and eager to extend the hand of friendship and solidarity across faiths. Rev Martin Hartley and Rach Hartley from St Catherines Church, Mile Cross, and vicar of St Lukes, Rev Sarah Quantrill, also on the Aylsham Road expressed shock that such an attack could occur in Norwich. We stand alongside our Muslim friends and neighbours at this time. This attack does not represent who we are as a people in Norwich. We pray that the mosque is quickly repaired and look forward to welcoming the Islamic community into the Aylsham Road area when renovations are complete, they said in a statement. The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Usher, also expressed inter-faith solidarity: I am deeply saddened to learn of the fire at the Aylsham Road Mosque and Im appalled that it was potentially started by arson, he said. Norwich is known as a city of welcome. If such a crime has been committed then we are all diminished. I stand with my Muslim brothers and sisters at this sad time and commit to building the common good alongside them. While the attack has caused much distress, the mosque and local community, including the parishioners of St Catherines and St Lukes, stand united in solidarity, determined to build deeper relationships and understanding. Pictured above is the site of the former King Edward VII pub site on Aylsham Road in Norwich which is being redeveloped as a new 1m mosque. Picture courtesy of Google Street View. Keith Morris, 29/07/2020 SINGAPORE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Group-IB, a global threat hunting and intelligence company headquartered in Singapore, has been awarded a grant under the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore's Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation powered by TNB Ventures. Group-IB will tap on the government funding to complete the development of its AI-driven cyber investigation solution uncovering hidden connections to dismantle cybercriminal underworld. After a series of pitching and project evaluation rounds carried out by CSA and TNB representatives as well as the end-users from Singapore's private and public sector, Group-IB was named one of the 9 innovative awardees selected out of 87 submissions. The solution that is being developed addresses critical cybersecurity challenges in detecting and predicting cyber threats from a myriad of sources, including discussions in the DarkWeb, correlating them with threat actors to establish their alleged identities. The solution is intended to help law enforcement (LE) officers, police cybercrime investigators, threat intelligence and DFIR specialists as well as SOC analysts. The solution, powered by Group-IB's proprietary cyber threat intelligence data collected throughout 17 years of incident response and investigations, will speed up cybercrime investigation process, shorten the time for assessing the severity of cyber threats, and will allow the prevention at early stages. Group-IB is going to develop the solution on the premises of its Global HQ in Singapore. All intellectual property rights by way of patents and trademarks, associated with the project, will be registered and managed in Singapore. The project will be led by a team from Group-IB who has prior first-hand experience in the most complex incident response engagements and successful cyber investigations around the world. Shafique Dawood, Group-IB's Head of Sales and Business Development in APAC and the project lead was quoted as saying "As cybersecurity professionals, we would like to highlight what an important milestone this is for Group-IB. Thanks to this grant, we'll be able to finalize our solution designed to help local government agencies and private companies with an assessment and insights into the imminent cyber threats, attribution, and early-stage prevention of cyberattacks. The collaboration between private cybersecurity companies and the government is essential in strengthening Singapore's cybersecurity posture and we are honored to receive support from CSA which plays a critical role in providing opportunities for cybersecurity companies to develop innovative solutions that address the cybersecurity challenges of key sectors in Singapore. Group-IB is strategically positioned for Singapore to leverage its technology in hailing a new era of cyber preparedness and the hunt for advanced cyber threats." About the Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) and partner, TNB Ventures, launched the 2019 Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation on 2 October 2019, inviting cybersecurity companies to develop innovative solutions to address specific cybersecurity challenges. The Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation 2019 is done in collaboration with 10 participating organisations CSA, Integrated Health Information Systems (IHIS), Jurong Town Corporation (JTC), Keppel Data Centre REIT, Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Ministry of Health (MOH), PacificLight Power, PSA Corporation Limited, Senoko Energy and YTL PowerSeraya. This initiative consolidated and articulated the cybersecurity needs of these organisations into challenge statements that cybersecurity companies are invited to address through innovative solutions. Through this, CSA aims to strengthen the partners' cyber resilience and at the same time provide opportunities for cybersecurity companies to catalyse cutting-edge solutions in Singapore for commercial adoption. For more details, please contact: Group-IB PR-Team +65 31593798 [email protected] https://www.group-ib.com https://www.group-ib.com/blog Twitter | LinkedIn SOURCE Group-IB Related Links http://www.group-ib.com Whether its been filtered through ancient volcanic rock, siphoned from a mountain glacier, or collected from the tears of fertile mountain goats (hypothetically speaking), water is an essential ingredient in every spirit, typically making up more than half of your bottle of booze. The question is, does specially-sourced water actually make for a better quality spirit? MoM investigates That water makes up most of the liquid in your favourite spirit should come as little surprise. The amount is even stated on the bottle, albeit inadvertently. If the label on your gin bottle reads 42% ABV, then 58% is water. Even if your cask strength whisky comes in at 63.5% ABV, the remaining 36.5% is water more than one third. Given that water is such a prominent and essential ingredient, it must be a relatively important aspect of the production process. And it is, but not for the reason you might think. Water is one of the most important parts of a distillery and the spirit quality, acknowledges Brian Kinsman, malt master at Glenfiddich Distillery, which sources its water solely from the Robbie Dhu Spring. We only have three ingredients water, malted barley and yeast and the water quality will influence flavour formation in fermentation, which is where much of the final distillery character is formed. Each water source has its own unique chemical makeup, depending on the geology of the local area. The levels of trace metals or minerals like chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc can have a profound effect on the distilling process. During fermentation, different trace metals will influence yeast metabolism, which directly impacts our yield and sensory profile of the wash, Kinsman says. High-mineral water particularly calcium and magnesium helps enzymes in the mash break starch down into simple sugars, explains Brendan McCarron, head of maturing whisky stocks at The Glenmorangie Company. It makes the mashing more effective, and allows the fermentation to be more active, he says. This kicks off a whole lot of other chain reactions, so you produce more fruity, ester-style flavours during the fermentation period. For this reason, the different mineral make-up is important for each distillery to have their own characteristics, says Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. The site was chosen due to its location along the Kentucky River and abundance of springs in the area, he explains. Typically in Kentucky, due to the limestone the water is iron-free and rich in nutrients such as magnesium and calcium. However, not everyone shares the same view when it comes to sourcing water. For some distilleries, the ethos is the purer, the better. Our view is that the water used for the distillation part of the process should be as bland and as neutral as possible, says Arturo Illan Illan, global brand manager for Martin Millers Gin. This ensures that any impurity in the water does not impair the delicate process of distillation. The team use Icelandic water sourced from deep aquifers beneath a dormant volcanic caldera, which Illan says is as close to pure, naturally occurring H2o as it is possible to get. Either way, its important to point out that were talking about barely-detectable effects here. You wouldnt pick up a whisky and nose it and go, Ah, now thats a mineral-rich whisky right there, I can really smell the magnesium, McCarron says. Its nuanced. And this is where the marketing B.S. has come into water in whisky. In the 1970s, 1980s, youd hear its the water that makes the whisky which is true, its massively important. But I think a lot of people started attributing lots of the flavour to water. Certain whisky myths persist around the use of water in whisky to this day. One of the biggest, he says, is that the reason Ardbeg Distillery makes such smoky whisky is because it has a peaty water source. Thats just not true, he says. Another belter was about a certain distillery up in the Highlands, which used to say that the water which it did ran through a hill of heather into a Loch before it went into the distillery, and thats why the whisky was so heathery in the bottle. Again, its a great sounding story, but a complete fabrication. Its easy to see why certain hypotheses came to exist. A lot of the flavours, a lot of the spirit character, a lot of the aromas that were contributing to the water were actually coming from fermentation, he continues. So its almost like it wasnt untrue that the water was making that heather [note], it was helping, but weve come down a level or two of detail weve more understanding of how fermentation works. These debunked myths, theres a grain of truth in them, but its much more about what does the water help the fermentation do?. Definitely mineral-rich water has a huge effect. Extra-peaty water has no effect. Its only recently that weve started to understand that not all water is the same, says Ronald Daalmans, environmental sustainability manager for Chivas Brothers. It would be nice to think weve gone around and found lots of water supplies, decided which ones matched the product we wanted to make, and then chose the location, he says. But historically I dont think thats how any site has come about, its generally linked to the fact that there is a large supply available. We probably didnt have the chemistry at that time. And its part of the legacy of why the product is the way it is The location has a story to tell in terms of whats under your feet and why the water is there, and thats then reflected in the chemistry. The chemical make-up of water isnt the only variable to affect the distilling process. Perhaps more important is the temperature. Not only does having lots of cold water help you condense your spirit allowing lots of copper contact and preventing sulphury notes, McCarron says but its crucial for the fermentation stage. The starting temperature is dictated by the weather, and when its too high (during a particularly hot summer, for example) it results in a drop in yield. June, July and August are a nightmare for distillers, it takes loads more work because theres a double whammy, McCarron says. Its hotter outside, which means your fermentations are going to heat up quicker, and also your cooling water is warmer than it usually is. If you speak to any man or woman in the industry who makes the stuff, theyre much more focussed on whats the temperature of the water in the summer than they are whats the exact mineral composition. So far, weve spoken about the water distilleries use during fermentation and distillation. In the case of dark spirits, the next stop for new make is the cask. We often adjust the strength with water before that happens, and then again [after maturation] before it goes into the bottle, explains Daalmans. At both of those stages in the process we are very wary of changing the character in any way, so we use demineralised water. It has no minerals nothing thats going to alter the flavour, the mouthfeel, any of those factors. The water used at this stage absolutely has to be made neutral and homogeneous. If you use any water that isnt, it goes bang theres an explosion of reactions and you create these salts and hazes, says McCarron. It would start to shimmer, like in a film where somebodys stuck in a desert and theyre crawling on their hands and knees, and off in the distance, you can see an oasis and a camel appears. Its called haze because it looks like a heat haze. Youd also get floc, which looks like tiny little bits of cotton wool floating about in the whisky. The de-mineralisation process usually occurs at a de-mineralisation plant using a rather clever scientific process called reverse osmosis. But not always, as is the case with Martin Millers water, which is naturally stripped of its mineral content as it slowly filters through the volcanic rock, says Illan Illan. The water is claimed by the Icelanders to be the purest in the world, having an average of only 8 to 30 parts per million of dissolved solids, he says. The purest non-Icelandic bottled waters, for example, contain upwards of 400ppm. Ultimately, how important is water in spirits-making? Massively, says McCarron. It is massively important. If youre going to build a distillery from scratch, you want to find a really good quality source of water. You want to have lots of it, and you want it to be quite cool because youre going to use it to ferment, to condense your distillate and stuff like that. Having good quality drinking water, lots of it, and at a good temperature is key. If you dont have that, dont build a distillery. COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dire impact on American's plans for retirement. More than a third of Americans (38%) say their retirement plans have been impacted, most commonly, because they will have to retire later than planned (19%) or won't be able to retire at all (10%). While many retirees receive Social Security as a source of retirement income, COVID-19 has adults across generations (61%) even more worried than before about Social Security running out of funding. Two 2020 surveys, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Nationwide Retirement Institute both during and before the pandemic began, highlight concerns consumers have about Social Security. In fact, 63% think it is more important now than it was before to optimize Social Security and more than one in four who are eligible for Social Security (28 percent) say the pandemic has caused them to change their decision on when to file for benefits. "Americans are facing complex retirement scenarios as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and market volatility," said Tina Ambrozy, senior vice president of Strategic Customer Solutions at Nationwide. "On top of this, adults across generations lack a basic understanding of Social Security benefits and ways to maximize those benefits." Concern about saving enough and being financially prepared for retirement was present even before the pandemic. A majority of adults worried Social Security would run out of funding in their lifetime before COVID-19 (79% Millennials, 81% Gen Xers, 66% Boomers+), and many feel they will need to continue working because Social Security won't pay enough (75% Millennials, 72% Gen Xers, 48% Boomers+). Better understanding of Social Security is needed As consumers assess their plans for retirement, general misconceptions and uncertainty around Social Security need to be addressed to ensure adults plan effectively and can maximize benefits. Less than half of each generation are confident in their knowledge of Social Security (44% Millennials, 40% Gen Xers, 37% Boomers+). Common misconceptions and uncertainties include: The (incorrect) belief that if adults claim benefits early, their benefits will go up automatically when they reach full retirement age (Only 45% Millennials, 49% Gen Xers, and 69% Boomers+ correctly identify that this statement is false) Not understanding eligibility nearly all Millennials (97%), most Gen Xers (90%), and over three in four Boomers+ (80%) incorrectly identify the age at which they are eligible for full benefits Fewer than one in ten adults know all of the factors that determine the maximum benefit (4% Millennials, 6% Gen Xers, 7% Boomers+) Half or more say they do not know how much of their income will be replaced in retirement by Social Security (49% Millennials, 49% Gen Xers, 57% Boomers+) Americans believe the system needs to change While two thirds of Millennials (67%), compared to 61% of Gen Xers and 51% of Boomers+, believe there will be cuts to Social Security under the current administration, funding isn't the only concern. A majority across each generation believes the Social Security system is in need of change (82% Millennials, 85% Gen Xers, 80% Boomers+). To keep Social Security financially viable in the future, most of them support ideas such as: Privatizing a small portion of Social Security benefits so people are free to invest that portion as they see fit (64% Millennials, 61% Gen Xers, 51% Boomers+) Applying cost of living increases for Social Security benefits only to lower- or middle-income households (62% Millennials, 70% Gen Xers, 63% Boomers+) Eliminating the payroll tax earnings cap, which limits the amount of income that can be taxed for Social Security (61% Millennials, 61% Gen Xers, 63% Boomers+) "Means testing" where people above a certain income threshold would receive no or reduced benefits (58% Millennials, 60% Gen Xers, 53% Boomers+) The pandemic has consumers looking to financial professionals for guidance Given the lack of knowledge of Social Security across generations, the need for guidance from financial professionals is significant. Most are open to learning more about Social Security, particularly Millennials (94%) and Gen Xers (92%) (compared to 84% of Boomers+). Among them, 29% of Millennials, 25% of Gen Xers and 13% of Boomers+ would prefer to talk with a financial professional to learn more about Social Security. Further, most adults who either work with a financial advisor or plan to ask one about Social Security (86% Millennials, 93% Gen Xers and 74% Boomers+) say if a financial professional could not show them how to maximize their Social Security benefits, they would find one who could. "With so much uncertainty, many people are looking for help in identifying ways to take better control of their finances. In fact, in an April poll we found that one in four adults (24%) say they have reached out to a financial professional for the first time as a result of the pandemic*," Ambrozy said. "Preparing for retirement holistically by working with a financial professional and using online tools can help Americans better understand their options and achieve their retirement goals." Ambrozy adds that financial professionals can help consumers effectively and holistically prepare for the future by having more in-depth client conversations around understanding and maximizing Social Security benefits. The Nationwide Social Security 360 Analyzer can help advisors assess a client's goals to better advise on the optimal time to claim Social Security. See how to make the most of your Social Security benefits at www.nationwide.com/ssinsights. Advisors can visit www.nationwidefinancial.com/ssinsights Methodologies The COVID-19 Social Security survey was conducted online within the United States between May 15-19, 2020 among 2,026 adults aged 18 and over by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Nationwide Retirement Institute via its Harris On Demand omnibus product. Nationwide Retirement Institute's seventh annual Social Security survey conducted February 19-March 6, 2020 among 1,727 U.S. adults age 24 or older who currently collect or plan to collect Social Security benefits. Respondents for these surveys were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the online panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Data are weighted where necessary by age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, income, marital status, and propensity to be online to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. About The Harris Poll The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible. To learn more, please visit www.theharrispoll.com. About Nationwide Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. This material is not a recommendation to buy, sell, hold, or rollover any asset, adopt an investment strategy, retain a specific investment manager or use a particular account type. It does not take into account the specific investment objectives, tax and financial condition or particular needs of any specific person. Investors should work with their financial professional to discuss their specific situation. This information is general in nature and is not intended to be tax, legal, accounting or other professional advice. The information provided is based on current laws, which are subject to change at any time, and has not been endorsed by any government agency. Nationwide and Harris Poll are separate and non-affiliated companies. Nationwide Investment Services Corporation (NISC), member FINRA, Columbus, OH. Nationwide Retirement Institute is a division of NISC. Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, Nationwide is on your side and Nationwide Retirement Institute are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company Nationwide 2020 * The Nationwide Retirement Institute's COVID-19 Financial Survey, conducted online April 8-10, 2020 by The Harris Poll among 2,042 U.S. adults 18+ NFM-19920AO Contact: Charley Gillespie [email protected] 614-249-6349 SOURCE Nationwide Related Links http://www.nationwide.com Ten pubs, cafes, clubs and restaurants across New South Wales have been slapped with $5,000 fines after they were caught out breaching coronavirus restrictions. Almost one in 40 hospitality venues visited by Liquor & Gaming NSW, SafeWork NSW and NSW Fair Trading inspectors in last weekend's blitz breached COVID-19 safety restrictions as a fresh outbreak of new infections continues to grow across the state. Of the ten venues named and shamed, four were from the NSW Central Coast while another three were from western Sydney. Hulstone Park Hotel (pictured) was one of 10 venues to cop $5,000 fines in a statewide blitz Eateries Heart 2 Heart in Merrylands and Master Hot Pot in Auburn are in the Cumberland Council area, which has recorded 23 cases in the last four weeks Named and shamed Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ - Gosford Yai Thai - Gosford Thai Thyme - Erina Hero Sushi - Erina Heart 2 Heart - Merrylands Master Hot Pot - Auburn Tamworth Services Club - Tamworth Greyhound Social Club Ltd - Yagoona Hurlstone Park Hotel - Hurlstone Park Kingswood Hotel - Kingswood Advertisement The Kingswood Hotel near Penrith was also fined, along with Hurlstone Park Hotel in Sydney's inner west, Yagoona's Greyhound Social Club in the city's south-west and Tamworth Services Club in north-east NSW. On the Central Coast, the Mapo Galbi Korean BBQ and Yai Thai restaurants in Gosford were also busted, along with Thai Thyme and Hero Sushi. Most breaches related to a lack of a COVID-19 safety plan, inadequate record keeping and poor social distancing. Liquor & Gaming compliance executive director Peter Dunphy described businesses breaching the strict rules as reckless. 'It beggars belief that anyone would want to eat, drink and mingle, shoulder to shoulder with others during a pandemic,' he said. 'Pubs, clubs, bars, casinos, cafes and restaurants are high risk for COVID transmission. They are subject to public health order conditions specifically designed to keep them open and keep our communities safe. 'It is public knowledge that COVID clusters have spread rapidly at restaurants and jumped from suburb to suburb. We all need to play it safer - businesses as well as customers.' The Kingswood Hotel (pictured) near Penrith in Sydney's west breached safety restrictions The $50,000 in fines issued during last weekend's statewide blitz of 410 venues takes the total number to $70,000. Liquor & Gaming NSW is working with police to investigate disturbing footage of queues of pub patrons outside the Greengate Hotel on Sydney's north shore on Wednesday night. Similar scenes were spotted at Double Bay's The Golden Sheaf earlier this month. The bar popular with university students mid-week was fined $5,500 after a photo went viral showing hundreds of patrons huddled together as they waited in the queue. Liquor & Gaming NSW believed up to 250 customers failed to comply with social distancing rules in front of the popular bar. Tamworth Services Club in regional NSW (pictured) was also busted in the statewide blitz The public are urged to report any COVID safety breaches they spot at venues to police. 'You never know who is filming or taking photos or when police and inspectors might visit your business,' Mr Dunphy warned. Eighteen new cases were reported in NSW on Thursday. Gyms will be subject to new public health orders from August 1. An immigrant who crossed the border illegally and assaulted a U.S. Border Patrol agent near The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo has been given time served. Jose Manuel Zapata-Suazo, of Honduras, had been in custody since his arrest on Dec. 31. He then pleaded guilty on March 3 to assault on a federal officer by physical contact. U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to a sensor activation at about 6:24 a.m. on Dec. 31 near Headen Avenue and Ventura Street in the El Tonto neighborhood. An agent saw a group of several immigrants who were in the country illegally jump a fence and enter the backyard of a residence in the 2300 block of Water Street. The agent relayed this information to other agents over the radio. Agents Jeffrey M. Dorne and Cesar O. Olveda responded to the location and entered the residence through the backyard. Agents located a small storage shed in the backyard and noticed the door slightly open. Agents opened the door and discovered six people inside the shed. Authorities instructed the individuals to remain still and raise their hands. When agents attempted to arrest the individuals, the individuals responded violently, striking and pushing the two agents as they attempted to flee from the shed, states the affidavit. Zapata-Suazo, Kelvin Midencio Benedict-Garcia and Walter Yobani Ordones-Chavez were part of the group hiding in the shed. Ordones-Chavez struck Olveda with his fist and pushed him against a short wall, causing him pain. Zapata-Suazo attempted to flee but Dorne apprehended him. During the apprehension, Zapata-Suazo forcefully made contact with Dorne, grabbing his arm and pulling away to try to flee. Zapata-Suazo was eventually detained. Agent Rafael Trevino arrived at the scene and made contact with Benedict-Garcia. Benedict-Garcia pushed Trevino against a wall, causing him to fall and injure his knee. Benedict-Garcia kicked Trevino on his leg before being apprehended. Border Patrol arrested seven people in total. All crossed the border illegally. Ordones-Chavez and Benedict-Garcia and Zapata-Suazo were from Honduras. The case against Ordones-Chavez and Benedict-Garcia remains open. They have a final pretrial conference set for Aug. 4. Prominent Hong Kong protest leaders have been barred from running in upcoming elections, a move that is seen as a further sign of Beijing's tightening hold on the city after the passage of a controversial security law. The announcement from the Hong Kong government followed the arrest on Wednesday of four people for allegedly advocating for secession from mainland China. Joshua Wong, who became one of the best known faces of the pro-democracy movement that has gripped Hong Kong in recent years, confirmed to NBC News that he is among the 12 individuals barred from standing in September's Legislative Council elections. The 70-seat Legislative Council helps to set laws in Hong Kong but just 35 of the seats are directly elected by the public. In a statement, the Hong Kong government stated that Wong and the 11 others couldn't stand because they would be unable to uphold the basic law of Hong Kong based on their positions on issues such as advocating for democratic reforms and objecting to the national security legislation. Prodemocracy group Studentlocalism, meanwhile, said their former leader Tony Cheung was one of four former members that police arrested late Wednesday. Hong Kong police confirmed that three men and one woman, all between the ages of 16 and 21, were being held after being accused of advocating in online posts for Hong Kongs secession from China. Anyone who commits an unlawful act, whether in the real or in the cyber world, is liable to criminal prosecution, Hong Kong police said in a statement. Beijing imposed the contentious law just before midnight on June 30, banning what it calls secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Offences carry the possibility of up to life in prison. Studentlocalism joined other groups in Hong Kong in rebranding social media accounts that could breach the new legislation before it came into force. Police accused the four of posting content that violated the legislation in July, despite the groups Facebook page stating that all activities in Hong Kong had ceased on June 29. Story continues Image: Pro-democracy activists hold banners outside a court in Hong Kong on Thursday. (Kin Cheung / AP) Human Rights Watch condemned the arrests and urged governments to impose targeted sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese government officials responsible for the new law. "The gross misuse of this draconian law makes clear that the aim is to silence dissent, not protect national security," Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said. The imposition of the law has been one of a number of major flashpoints in recent months between China and western governments. China has been angered by outward displays of support from western allies towards pro-democracy groups demonstrating in Hong Kong. The U.S., U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Australia all suspended their extradition treaties with the former British colony, accusing China of violating the terms of the handover agreement with Britain that returned the territory to Chinese sovereignty. Under that agreement, China agreed to maintain a "one country, two systems" approach to Hong Kong that would guarantee the freedoms Hong Kongers enjoyed until 2047 50 years after the handover. Britain further enraged Beijing by offering many Hong Kong residents a route to British citizenship after the controversial law was imposed. The U.S. has continued to clash with China in recent weeks accusing Beijing of stealing U.S. intellectual property and blaming the country for the coronavirus pandemic. In a tit-for-tat, Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston and, in response, the U.S. consulate in Chengdu was told to shutter. Reuters contributed to this report. Last week the Trump administration ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close, explaining through official channels and press statements that the consulate had functionally become a spy hub for the Chinese Communist Party. When asked about the order by a reporter, Cai Wei, the consul general of the consulate, demanded proof, saying that diplomats have to speak the truth, you have to speak with facts, and I know Americans call that the rule of law and you have that you are not guilty until proven guiltywheres the proof? Unfortunately for Consul General Cai Wei, proof abounds. First, lets start with the State Departments evidence that the Chinese have engaged in espionage in Texas, working to steal information from the Texas A&M medical system and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Just last year, three Chinese scientists were forced to leave Houstons MD Anderson Cancer Center because they had breached NIH policies and were most likely associated with Chinas Thousand Talents program, which was designed by the Chinese Communist Party to facilitate intellectual property theft in the sciences. But it doesnt stop there. The Chinese government has not only worked to steal intellectual property from Texas medical institutions, it also works aggressively to infiltrate our universities, including through Confucius Institutes, which are campus cultural centers directly funded by the Chinese government, or through the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). That Foundation is a pseudo-philanthropic foundation which works with American universities by giving them money for exchanges and partnerships. These groups are the velvet glove around the Chinese governments iron fist. They meddle with our curricula, silence criticism of the Chinese Communist regime, and yes engage in espionage and theft of intellectual property. They operate not just on college campuses but also in the K-12 space, pushing Chinese Communist Party propaganda on our children. Just a few years ago, I secured a bipartisan provision prohibiting the Department of Defense from funding Chinese language programs at schools that host Confucius Institutes, which was later signed into law by President Donald Trump as part of the FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act. Further, the State Departments order to close the Chinese consulate in Houston comes on the heels of the arrests of four Chinese researchers who were working as agents for the Peoples Liberation Army and lied it in order to obtain American visas. The Chinese consulate in San Francisco harbored one of the individuals for days in order to evade arrest. But these four researchers are just the tip of the iceberg the FBI is investigating Chinese individuals who have committed visa fraud by lying about their affiliation with the Chinese military in 25 cities across the United States. The public evidence shows that the Chinese consulate in Houston was closed because it was used as a base for spying in Houston and throughout the Southwest. Moreover, these are just the facts in public. The Trump administration has mountains more evidence regarding the Chinese consulate in Houston, and I have privately and publicly urged top officials to make as much of it available to Americans and the world as possible. So my response to the consulates closure is: Good riddance. For years, Ive worked hard in the Senate to make the case that China poses the greatest geopolitical threat to the United States in the next century. And this year, the Chinese governments censorship, lies and propaganda have been laid bare by their handling of the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan and has become a deadly global pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 600,000 people worldwide. For a long time in Washington, there were apologists for China in both parties. Politicians who denied the threat of Communist China and insisted that the path forward was getting more and more in bed with the Chinese government. Chinas behavior during the coronavirus pandemic has changed that perception, and I believe that the most significant long-term foreign policy consequence of this global pandemic is that people on both sides of the political aisle are realizing what a threat communist China is to our national security. Cruz is a U.S. Senator for Texas and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It has been revealed that Russia has deployed short and medium-range air defence weapons in Homs province writes Al-Masdar. A number of Russian air defense personnel were spotted in Syrias Homs Governorate, as reported by Avia.Pro, who cited a Telegram channels new video. Russian air defense systems are deployed not only at the military facilities of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, but also in a number of other regions of the Arab Republic. As it turned out, in Homs, at least one air defense division was deployed, which is armed with short and medium-range weapons, they said. The Russian publication cited a video from the Telegram channel, Reverse Side of the Medal, which has posted several rare videos of the Russian military in Syria. Experts pay attention to the fact that we are talking about radars P-18 Terek, P-19 Danube, Kasta, etc., which allows you to detect the widest range of air targets at various distances and heights. As for the air defense means themselves, according to experts, the Tor, Pantsir, Buk, etc. complexes can be used, Avia.Pro said. It should be noted that most of Syrias air defense systems are either Soviet era or Russian-made, with new radars from China and Iran. 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. "I'd like to express our considerable gratitude to Ken for his service on the Aerion board and the benefit of his vast experience and supply chain expertise that he contributed to the evolution of our company," says Tom Vice, Chairman, President and CEO of Aerion. "Now that we have assembled our world-class team of industry-leading aerospace companies to bring the AS2 to market and we are moving forward with the development of Aerion Park and our next round of capital raising, bringing on a Boeing leader with Ed's corporate development experience will provide tremendous value," added Vice. Neveril has been with The Boeing Company for over 11 years. He currently serves as Senior Director of Enterprise Corporate Development, where he reports to the Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Strategy and Corporate Development. His primary responsibilities in this role include joint ventures, public company acquisitions and other complex strategic transactions. Previously, Ed served as the company's Chief Counsel of Mergers & Acquisitions, where he and his team had responsibility for structuring, negotiating, documenting and closing all M&A transactions across the company. Ed received his undergraduate education at the United States Military Academy at West Point and his law degree from Northwestern University. Boeing and Aerion are united in a long-term partnership with the common goal of leading the safe and responsible introduction of new mobility ecosystems. Boeing made a significant investment in Aerion in early 2019 to accelerate technology development and aircraft design to unlock the potential of supersonic air travel for new markets. Ed joins Mike Sinnett, Vice President and General Manager of Product Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Bryan Barrett, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Keystone Group, L.P. and Paul Adams, Former President, Pratt & Whitney, along with Tom Vice on Aerion's board of directors. "Together with Boeing we are steadfast in our intention to create a faster, more connected future for human mobility. We welcome Ed to our board, and he will be an integral member to our efforts to bring the AS2 supersonic business jet to production and form a new launch point for the future of sustainable supersonic flight," said Bryan Barrett of Keystone Group, L.P. Aerion's pursuit of faster point-to-point travel begins with the launch of the AS2 supersonic business jet. Designed to be inherently environmentally responsible from first flight, the AS2 is the first supersonic aircraft designed to be powered by 100% synthetic fuel and reach supersonic speeds without the need for an afterburner. The AS2 will be the first aircraft to be assembled at the company's new global headquarters in Melbourne, Florida - Aerion Park with manufacturing scheduled to commence in 2023. About Aerion Corporation: Aerion is founded on a core belief of bringing humanity closer. The company's vision is a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours using new transportation networks powered by clean energy solutions and enabling a world where distance is no longer a barrier. The starting point is sustainable supersonic flight, led by the world's first supersonic business jet the AS2. More information can be found at www.aerionsupersonic.com . SOURCE Aerion Corporation Related Links https://www.aerionsupersonic.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 07:10:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed his deep concern over the increasing violence in Sudan's Darfur region, notably the attacks in West Darfur on Saturday and in North Darfur on July 13, in which dozens of people were killed and thousands were displaced. The secretary-general commended the efforts by the Sudanese authorities, under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, in responding to these incidents, and called for an investigation to ensure accountability, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, in a statement. Deliberate attacks against civilians violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The secretary-general reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to support the implementation of the national protection strategy developed recently by the transitional government. The African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur will continue to focus on its protection mandate, and humanitarian partners continue to provide emergency relief, said the statement. Guterres urged all armed groups, particularly those that have not joined the ongoing peace talks in Juba, South Sudan, to resolve their grievances through a political process. As Sudan continues its process of democratic transition, there is a clear imperative to end the conflict in Darfur with a definitive and inclusive peace agreement, it said. Enditem The brother of a COVID-19-infected teenager who has sparked panic in Queensland after allegedly lying her way into the state from Victoria claims she is being targeted because of her race. Olivia Winnie Muranga, 19, flew into Brisbane on July 21 with Diana Lasu and an unidentified friend - allegedly getting around the Queensland government's ban on Victorian travellers by transiting from Melbourne via Sydney. Their case has sparked outrage after the pair and one of their family members became Queensland's first community transmitted coronavirus cases since May. The trio have since been charged with one count each of providing false or misleading documents and fraud after allegedly providing false information on their border declarations. Footage has now emerged of Muranga casually ordering a drink at the Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar on Brisbane's Southbank with a friend in the hours after she was tested for the virus on Monday. Olivia Winnie Muranga (left), 19, and Diana Lasu, (right), arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 Pictured: Olivia Winnie Muranga. She, Lasu and an unidentified family member have become the first people in Queensland to test positive for COVID-19 since May INFECTED WOMEN'S ALLEGED ITINERARY July 21 - Olivia Winnie Muranga flies into Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 with Diana Lasu, also 19, and an unidentified friend July 24 - Muranga, a cleaner, allegedly calls in sick to Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of Brisbane after going to work for two days July 25 - Muranga goes to the doctor and is told to get tested July 27 - She allegedly finally gets tested, but is spotted getting a drink with a friend within hours at the Cowch dessert cocktail bar on Brisbane's Southbank July 27-29 - Muranga is allegedly active in the community again July 29 - Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces two women who allegedly lied on their declaration forms to enter the state have tested positive for COVID-19 Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young called the pair 'reckless' and said she was 'very disappointed'. July 30 - Three women are charged with one count each of providing false or misleading documents and fraud Advertisement The venue is one of 11 visited by the three women while infectious. 'Two cocktails hardly seems worth all this pain,' Arif Mendes, who owns a restaurant Muranga visited, told A Current Affair. 'People say we're in this together... well clearly not for some people, that's disappointing.' Before that, she had allegedly gone to work for two days at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of the city before calling in sick. She went to the doctor on Saturday, who said to get tested immediately, but she allegedly waited until Monday to do so. As long lines of worried people waited on Thursday to get tested at a pop-up clinic set up at the college, Ms Muranga's brother admitted her alleged actions were a 'mistake'. He said his sister waited several days in between experiencing symptoms and getting sick. 'Some days she couldn't even breathe out of her airways and s**t,' he told the program via telephone. When told a lot of people could now be infected because of her alleged actions, the brother said it 'was not something we sat down and thought about' . He then claimed the criticism his family member was receiving had been intensified because of the colour of her skin. 'It's a f***ing mistake,' he said. 'I reckon if someone else did this that wasn't of colour, you'll be protecting them - you wouldn't be doing all of this s**t.' Queensland Police on Thursday afternoon said three women had been charged for allegedly providing false information on their border declarations. A 19-year-old Heritage Park woman, a 21-year-old Acacia Ridge woman and a 21-year-old Algester woman were all charged with one count each of providing false or misleading documents and fraud. The women could be fined $13,345 or sent to jail for a maximum of five years. Footage has emerged of Muranga casually entering the Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar on Brisbane's Southbank with a friend and ordering a drink Police said the trio are now cooperating with officers and Queensland Health officials. The women are in quarantine and will appear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on September 28. 'There is no further information available at this time in relation to the ongoing criminal investigation,' a statement read. Muranga allegedly went to work for two days at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of Brisbane. Pictured are people lining up at the college on Thursday to get a COVID-19 test after a pop-up clinic was set up The 11 Queensland locations visited by infected pair The pair took flight VA863 from Melbourne to Sydney and flight VA977 from Sydney to Brisbane, 21 July Parklands Christian College, Park Ridge, 22-23 July 2020 9.30am-6pm Madtongsan IV Restaurant, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 7-9pm Heeretea Bubble Tea Shop, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 9.25pm YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care, Springwood, 23-24 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 24 July 2020 3.30-3.50pm Thai Peak Restaurant, Springfield, 26 July 2020 6.30-9pm Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All P'Nut Street Noodles, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All African Grocery Shop, Woodridge (Station Rd), 28 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 12.25-12.30pm Chatime Grand Plaza, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 Advertisement Police previously alleged the women were lying to investigators about their movements. 'What we have seen in these instances are [alleged] deliberate acts of deception,' Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said. 'The way our borders operate cannot prevent that. It is incredibly important that everyone who comes into Queensland, is accurate in terms of the declaration. In this instance, it is not a matter of identity, there is no false identity. 'It is about not declaring where people have been.' Police investigators and health authorities will analyse the women's mobile phone data to track their movements. A police source has meanwhile alleged the teenagers threw a party for about 20 people at their accommodation in Melbourne earlier this month, the Brisbane Times reported. Lasu (pictured) and Muranga are accused of making false declarations on their border paperwork Victoria Police issued infringement notices to all in attendance at the party after being called to reports of a 'disturbance'. Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said police were confident everyone who had been to the Melbourne party had now been identified. Police on Thursday revealed 40 people have been caught lying to authorities while crossing the Queensland border. 'From the beginning of this, we have issued well over 1,100 infringement notices and 40 people have made false declarations at our borders,' Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said. Ms Carroll said she was 'very disappointed' with the alleged behaviour of Muranga and Lasu, and their unidentified travel buddy. She said the three women have been served court notices. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the pair would face court. It was earlier reported that one of the women cooperated with Queensland authorities in contact tracing since she arrived back in the state. The second woman had allegedly refused to share details of her travels over the course of the last week. 'I'm very worried about the second individual who has not been cooperative and has not shared where she's been, so we haven't been able to contact those venues,' Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said. Queensland Police on Thursday said the three women who have been charged are now cooperating with QPS and Queensland Health officials. Muranga works as a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge (pictured), which is functioning as a coronavirus testing facility Legal firm Creevey Russell Lawyers Crime and Misconduct division lawyer Craig van der Hoven said anyone who knowingly transmits COVID-19 without taking precautions could face up to two years behind bars. Queensland on Thursday recorded three new coronavirus cases, including two linked to a previously identified Sydney cluster. The pair had dined at the coronavirus-stricken Apollo restaurant and tested positive to the deadly respiratory infection overnight. Between them the pair visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 They have been praised for choosing to self isolate at home upon returning to Queensland, limiting their risk of contributing to community transmission. 'We've seen that today, its sensible to close the border to anyone from greater Sydney,' Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young agreed. The third case was a man in his 20s who returned from the United States. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this is 'the best scenario we could have hoped for'. During a press conference on Thursday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new cases confirmed they made the right decision in closing the borders The three new cases are unrelated to Muranga and Lasu. Muranga allegedly also visited a Thai restaurant in Springfield on Sunday and a Southbank cocktail bar on Monday. Authorities have described the border crossing as the 'perfect storm'. They are examining whether the women visited the Free Pentecostal Church of Australia in Springfield. All aged care homes in Brisbane's Metro South region have been ordered to lock down to stop a potential spread as a result of the women's actions. Muranga is a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge. The school's principal Gary Cully confirmed a coronavirus-infected cleaner worked for three days last week. 'The staff member was on site last week and then rang in sick and then that's when the trace program started,' Mr Cully told The Courier Mail. 'As far as I'm aware they were not symptomatic while they were onsite and then called in sick the following day and then the next week were tested.' People line up in their cars and on foot to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College on Wednesday A man delivers cleaning equipment to a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Parklands Christian College in Logan Shopping centres, restaurants, a school, and a church they visited will shut while authorities scramble to conduct contact tracing. The incident prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce all Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the state from Saturday. 'There will be a thorough police investigation here but now we have to act as a community and in the areas where the chief health officer says need to be closed, will be closed and I urge people in those areas when that list goes out later on today to please ensure that if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested,' she said. Queensland residents returning will have to isolate in a hotel for 14 days at their own expense. One of the women attended the Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Sunday where she dined at the Peak Thai restaurant about 6.30pm. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 03:57:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRASILIA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Marcos Pontes are the latest high-profile Brazilians to have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it was announced on Thursday. The first lady, 38, "is in good health and will follow all of the established protocols," the president's office said. President Bolsonaro tested positive earlier, as did some members of his cabinet. Pontes said via Twitter he had several symptoms of the disease and begun treatment, and would work remotely from his home. "I am fine, just a few symptoms of a cold and headache. Now in isolation. Everything is going to be fine," wrote Pontes, adding he would participate in trials of the antiparasitic, anti-viral drug nitazoxanide, which has been approved in Brazil for treating mild cases of COVID-19. Clinical trials of the drug are being spearheaded by his ministry, which coordinates the work of laboratories and specialists on the novel coronavirus. On Saturday, President Bolsonaro said a new test showed he no longer had the virus after initially testing positive on July 7. Three of his close aides are now quarantined at home after testing positive, including Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni, Education Minister Milton Ribeiro and now Pontes. Two other ministers, Bento Albuquerque, who is in charge of mines and energy, and Augusto Heleno, who heads the institutional security cabinet, tested positive in March, but quickly recovered. Brazil has the world's second-largest outbreak, after the United States, with more than 2.5 million cases of infection and over 90,000 dead from the disease. Enditem A homeless dog shelter in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Korean Animal Welfare Association By Lee Hyo-jin A homeless dog shelter in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, is suspected of selling rescued dogs to slaughter houses, according to the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), Wednesday. The shelter is run by a local animal hospital appointed by Jeongeup City Government in 2019. The hospital is responsible for rescuing abandoned dogs and managing their adaptation process. The local government paid the animal hospital 120,000 won ($100) per dog. However, local animal rights activists have cast doubts about the care center for several months. It previously did not disclose its location and hid detailed information about dogs that went missing from the facility. KAWA activists, along with Jeongeup city officials, visited the center on July 26. But they could not find all of the dogs reported to be kept there. After questioning, the shelter owner led them to a slaughter house located a 15-minute drive from the center. "It turned out that the shelter owner had been selling abandoned dogs to a slaughter house," KAWA official Chae Il-taek said. At the slaughter house, a total of 49 dogs including 18 puppies were locked up in rusty cages with no food or water. Many of them were suffering from skin diseases and diarrhea. Two or three dog carcasses were lying on the ground. Tools traditionally used for slaughtering dogs in Korea, such as blow-torches and electrocution devices, were found in the vicinity. Most of the dogs were immediately transferred to a different animal hospital. The animal welfare group is demanding punishment for those responsible. "We will file a complaint against the local hospital, shelter owner and the person who ran the slaughter house based on the Animal Protection Act and Veterinary License Act," Chae said. It is unclear whether Jeongeup City was aware of the situation, according to Chae. But it is unlikely the city will be able to avoid the blame for its lax management of the animal care system. "So far we do not have clear evidence that the city government was engaged in the selling process. But the city is obliged to visit the designated shelter at least two times a year. They presumably did not check on it regularly," Chae said, adding that they will urge the local government to properly manage animal-related issues. Have shutdowns to slow the spread of the coronavirus done any good? I doubt it. My guess is that in future yearsonce President Trump is safely out of officea consensus will emerge that the shutdowns that U.S. governors have imposed, like the governments of a number of European countries, were a disastrous policy error. I think history will conclude that the shutdowns turned a relatively mild epidemic into a relatively mild epidemic plus a catastrophic economic setback, with adverse health consequences that approached, and may even have exceeded, those of the virus. In the ongoing debate over whether shutdowns have been useful, a comparison of Minnesota and Wisconsin is a valuable data point. These two adjoining states are of comparable population, demographics, history and geography. A Wisconsinite is basically a Minnesotan without the smugness. On the coronavirus, the states parted company on May 13, when the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down that states Safer at Home order. Minnesota, meanwhile, continued under a lockdown, eventually in modified form, to the present day. To an observer, the difference is obvious: Wisconsin is open for business. Minnesotans cross the St. Croix to eat out and hang out in the restaurants and bars on the Wisconsin side of the river. Wisconsin isnt quite South Dakota, but compared with Minnesota it is a bastion of freedom. What happened when Wisconsins courts lifted that states shutdown order? My colleague John Phelan has the story. Liberals associated with Minnesotas Walz administration predicted a dire body count. Ken Martin is the Chairman of Minnesotas DFL party, and Steve Sack is the editorial cartoonist for the DFLs flagship newspaper, the Star Tribune: Not sure what's happening with our neighbors to the East, but I am quite certain we will see a huge increase in COVID related deaths thanks to their terrible courts. BTW @thestevesack is the best political cartoonist in America hands down. @DemStateParties @TheDemocrats pic.twitter.com/rP3Hu2GJLO Ken Martin (@kenmartin73) May 15, 2020 Do cartoonists ever issue retractions or apologies? I suppose not. But Martin and Sack couldnt have been more wrong. John Phelan picks up the story: Figures from the Minnesota Department of Health and Wisconsin Department of Health Services show that, from May 14th to July 27th, Wisconsin suffered 472 Covid-19 deaths and Minnesota suffered 939, as seen on Figure 1. Again, given the two states broadly similar populations 5.6 million in Minnesota and 5.8 million in Wisconsin that means a much higher rate of Covid-19 deaths in our state as well as a much higher number. Indeed, between May 14th and July 27th, Wisconsin saw 81 Covid-19 deaths per million residents. In Minnesota, we saw 167 Covid-19 deaths per million residents a rate 2.1 times higher. John concludes with a good question: To what does Mr. Martin attribute our states woeful performance? Martin will never answer that question, of course. But a large part of the answer is that Minnesotas governor, Tim Walz, is stunningly incompetent. Minnesotas terrible COVID performance is due mostly to the fact that nearly 80% of its fatalities have been in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Minnesota has discharged infected patients directly into such long term care facilities, a practice that Governor Walz, apparently unwilling to admit error no matter the human cost, continues to this day. (For an in-depth discussion of Minnesotas COVID disaster, go here, or else read Scotts multi-part series on Coronavirus In One State.) Carnage in the nursing homes explains Minnesotas terrible record compared with its neighbors, but it doesnt answer the broader question: why, after 2 1/2 months, hasnt Wisconsin seen the spike in deaths so confidently predicted by liberals when its shutdown ended? One factor is that for young people, those under 25, COVID is less dangerous than the average seasonal flu. (Details at the link above.) So all those young people congregating in Wisconsin bars might be risking a cold, but they arent risking fatality. A states overall performance probably depends more than anything else on how well it protects its old people. Wisconsin has done a much better job of this than Minnesota, without restricting the rest of its population to their homes. In any event, Wisconsins experience casts serious doubt on the claim that draconian shutdowns successfully prevent COVID fatalities. OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal has floated a venture capital (VC) fund - Aroa Ventures - focused on early-stage startups in technology, leisure infrastructure and consumer sectors with annual revenues ranging $500,000-$1 million. It will have an average deal size of $1 million-$10 million. The VC also includes Gaurav Gulati, co-founder and ex-COO of Innov8, which was acquired by OYO for $31 million in March 2019. Aroa Ventures was registered in 2019 in Singapore with Agarwal and Thomas Hufnagel as shareholders, Entracker reported. Agarwal owns 100 percent of the entity. OYO did not respond to queries, the report added. As per reports however, Agarwal and Gulati are looking to entrepreneurs of high repute, who are looking to build long-lasting businesses. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. "Beyond capital, our team of serial entrepreneurs and experienced professionals work alongside portfolio companies to accelerate their growth and to deliver better risk-adjusted returns," the website stated. SEARCH A minimum of 3 characters are required to be typed in the search bar in order to perform a search. When couples argue, mediation by a third party improves the outcome of the confrontation. But that's not all: mediation is also linked to heightened activity in key regions of the brain belonging to the reward circuit -- this is the main conclusion of a study carried out by scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and published in the journal Cortex. The experiment consisted of giving couples behavioural questionnaires and subjecting them to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) prior to and following a session in which the two partners argue. Couples who received active mediation reported higher satisfaction than non-mediated couples at the end of the conflict. Heightened activation in the nucleus accumbens, a key region in the reward circuit, was also identified in the mediation group compared to the control group. This is the first time that a controlled, randomised study has succeeded in demonstrating the advantages of mediation for couple conflicts and identifying a related biological signature. "We know from numerous studies that thinking about romantic love and your romantic partner activates the so-called reward circuit in the brain, which is associated with feelings of pleasure and motivation," begins Olga Klimecki, a researcher at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (CISA) and in UNIGE's Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. "Until now, however, we didn't know the impact that couple conflict, and mediation by a third party, could have on this activation. It was precisely to fill this gap that we devised our study." To conduct their experiment, the researchers enrolled 36 heterosexual couples (for statistical reasons and for comparison with previous studies) who were monogamous (according to the statements made by the couples themselves) and who had been together for at least a year. Before coming to UNIGE, participants had to check off a list of 15 standard subjects (in-laws, sexuality, finances, household chores, time spent together, etc.) which most often fuelled conflict with their partner. Sources of conflict "We then invited participants to start a discussion about one of these subjects," explains Halima Rafi, a doctoral student in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and the article's first author. "Some of the couples chose a box ticked by both partners. Others preferred to start on a subject that only one of the partners considered a source of conflict. This worked just as well, if not better. The first ten minutes were a generally little embarrassing, but things then began to flow with an impressive naturalness, and inevitably ended in conflict." The session, which lasted one hour, was accompanied by a professional mediator who mediated the dispute in half of the cases. In the other half, the mediator remained entirely passive. Participants completed a behavioural questionnaire before and after their argument to measure their emotional state. In each couple one member's brain activity was measured before and after the dispute while they were shown images of their romantic partner or images of an unknown person. General deactivation Data from the questionnaires indicated that couples who benefited from active mediation were better at resolving conflicts, were more satisfied with the content and progress of the discussion, and had fewer residual disagreements. "As for the neuroimaging results," continues Rafi, "the activations before the conflict replicated earlier studies on romantic love, showing an activation pattern in brain regions such as the striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. After the dispute, we quite logically observed a general deactivation in both groups in the regions associated with romantic love, including the striatum." By contrast, when comparing couples who received active mediation with those who did not, the researchers found that the former tended to have greater activation in the nucleus accumbens after the conflict, which is a key region in the brain's reward circuit. Moreover, the participants who felt the most satisfied after the resolution of the conflict also had the highest nucleus accumbens activation when looking at their romantic partner compared to an unknown person. "Our results suggest, for the first time, that third-party mediation has a significant and positive impact on the way couples argue, both behaviourally and neurally," concludes Klimecki. "This biological signature for romantic love is very interesting because it cannot be manipulated in the same way that an answer to a questionnaire could be. We would now like to continue the research and see, for example, whether we can measure similar effects in conflicts of a different type and not necessarily concerning love." By PTI MUMBAI: With the Maharashtra government calling for low-key Ganpati celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, livelihood of people associated with the festivities, which generate a turnover of more than Rs 70 crore every year in Mumbai, has been adversely affected. There are some 12,000 Sarvajanik Ganesh mandals here. Besides, nearly two lakh idols are installed by citizens at their homes every year, Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella body coordinating between the civic body, government and Ganesh mandals, told PTI. "There is a small industry which works during the festival involving flower vendors, electricians, those selling items like bamboo for setting up mandaps, those providing transportation facilities, artisans and many more," he said. "The business turnover during the festivities here is over Rs 70 crore and the government also gets taxes," he said, adding that the livelihood of those involved in the celebration-related works would be affected this year. Ganeshotsav is the most popular festival in Maharashtra. The pandals set up by various mandals in Mumbai and other places in the state attract thousands of devotees during the 10-day festival, which begins on 'Ganesh Chaturthi'. This year, 'Ganesh Chaturthi' falls on August 22. Over the years, Ganpati celebrations have grown by leaps and boundssince it became a 'sarvajanik' (public) festival more than a century ago. In 1896, the plague epidemic cast a shadow on the festival here. At that time also, the celebrations were subdued and people used photograhs of Lord Ganesh on their wall calenders to offer prayers since the idols could not be made, Dahibavkar said. This year, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, there was a proposal to postpone the festival to February next year. But, from January 1, 2021, use of Plaster of Paris will be banned. "What to do with the idols already made?" he said. Besides, open spaces for setting up pandals are provided as per high court order for 12 days a year. In 2021, open spaces will not available for 24 days (12 days in February and 12 days later during Ganesh Chaturthi), he said. He also said after discussions between the government and the civic body, it was decided to cap the height Ganesh idols at four feet so that the requirement of people to carry the idols for installation and immersion is minimum, he said. Restricted height would ensure immersion at a nearby site, he said, assuring that hygiene protocols would be followed during the festival. Meanwhile, idol makers, who are usually much in demand in the run up to the festival every year, are also facing the heat of the pandemic. Brihanmumbai Ganesh Murtikar Sangh president Gajanan Tondvalkar said they had asked the civic body to allow idols of less than five feet to be made almost a couple of months before the actual decision for idols of four feet was taken. "Most of the workers live in tiny homes and they need open spaces for making idols. Not all have their own space. We have been demanding a single window clearance system for setting up mandaps for idol-making." "But, that has not happened for last 15 years. We need permission from the local police station, traffic police, environment department, fire brigade and health department. This year these permissions were waived off. But we got only 35 days to start work on the idols," he said. Referring to their other problems, including use of material for making idols, Tondvalkar said clay idols take time to dry. "If the permission for open spaces is given on time, we will make only clay idols. Because of the time constraints, we can't complete all the orders this year," he rued. "We got clay from Gujaratin five containers. Due to the lockdown, we had difficulty in getting these vehicles into the city. Doesn't the condition of Ganesh idol makers matter to the decision makers? Livelihood of lakhs of people is dependent on the Ganesh festivities," he said. "First, you waste time in taking decision on the height of the idols, but dont consider the important aspect of providing space. The instructions are to follow social distancing norms, and use masks and sanitisers. How to follow social distancing when there are space constraints?" he asked. Tondvalkar said since they have not been provided spaces in open playgrounds, they have no option but to work on footpaths and othersuch places. As per the new guidelines, the state government has asked citizens to worship metal or marble Ganesh idols at home or install clay idols of not more than two feet, and perform immersion at their homes. Notably, the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai's most famous Ganpati idol, earlier this month announced cancellation of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The GSB Ganeshotsav Samiti in Wadala area has already postponed the celebration to 'Magh Shudh Chaturthi' in February next year, a samiti official earlier said. Dahibavkar said this year, blood donation, health camps and public awareness campaigns on coronavirus will be held instead of cultural programmes. Online darshan facility for idols installed at sarvajanik mandals would be made available for devotees, he said, adding that mandals have also been asked to avoid decoration and lighting on stage. There are 84 immersion points in Mumbai and apart from these, more artificial ponds will be created, he said. July 29, 2020 Speech Secretary of Defense Speech U.S. European Command Force Posture Policy Press Conference: Secretary Esper's Opening Statement (as prepared) Good morning everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Since being sworn into office more than a year ago, I have been consistent in stating that my top priority would be implementing the National Defense Strategy. Over the past year, we have done just that. If you look at my recent message to the joint force regarding the progress we've made, you'll see very clearly how far we have moved on our three lines of effort, which include the first line of effort: build a more lethal force; and the second line of effort: strengthen alliances, as well as our 10 subordinate goals. One important initiative to advance the NDS has been to conduct a review of all the Combatant Commands to ensure a focus on NDS priorities. This includes optimizing our force presence worldwide; directing our time, money, and manpower toward our highest priorities; implementing our Immediate Response Force, Contingency Response Force, and Dynamic Force Employment enhanced readiness concepts; and, moving toward greater use of rotational forces from the United States to enhance our strategic flexibility and operational unpredictability, as we've done over the past few months with our Bomber Task Forces. We are pursuing several other initiatives under this rubric as well. There are currently more than a half dozen Combatant Command reviews underway, beginning with U.S. Africa Command late last year, and the most recent being U.S. Space Command. Today, we want to update you on the status of our U.S. European Command review, which was accelerated with the President's decision in early June to reduce our footprint in Germany, and our plans to reposition our forces in Europe to be better situated for Great Power Competition. It is important to note that in NATO's 71-year history, the size, composition, and disposition of U.S. forces in Europe has changed many times. Sometimes this has been a result of changes in the threat, sometimes because of other changes in the international environment, and sometimes simply because the borders between NATO countries and Russia have shifted as new Allies have joined. As we've entered a new era of Great Power Competition, we are now at another one of those inflection points in NATO's history, and I am confident the Alliance will be all the better and stronger for it. Since June, EUCOM has done excellent work in developing a plan that achieves the President's objective, and meets the following five principles that I gave General Wolters as he and his staff began their planning: Enhance deterrence of Russia Strengthen NATO Reassure allies Improve U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility Take care of our Service members and their families in the process. The President approved the EUCOM plan in late June; we briefed key members of Congress last week; and the team and I spoke with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and directly affected Allies over the past few days. As we share the plan with you, note that this plan is subject to and likely will change to some degree, as it evolves over time. The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000 in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth. Of the 11,900, nearly 5,600 Service members will be repositioned within NATO countries, and approximately 6,400 will return to the United States, though many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe. The broad strokes of these moves are as follows: First, various U.S. headquarters will be consolidated in locations in Europe outside of Germany, including, in some cases, collocating at the same locations as their NATO counterparts in Belgium and Italy. This will strengthen NATO and improve the operational efficiency and readiness of over 2,000 Service members in these headquarters. Second, the nearly 4,500 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will return to the United States, as other Stryker units begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region, giving us a more enduring presence to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATO's southeastern flank. Third, the 2,500 airmen based in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, who are responsible for aerial refueling and special operations, and who had been scheduled to re-base to Germany, will remain in the U.K., thus ensuring the uninterrupted readiness and responsiveness of these units. Fourth, a fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing will be repositioned to Italy, moving them closer to the Black Sea region and better capable of conducting dynamic force employments and rotational deployments to NATO's southeastern flank. In addition to these moves and the rotational forces announced by President Trump and Polish President Duda in 2019, we also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army's newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw signs a Defense Cooperation Agreement and burden sharing deal, as previously pledged. There are or may be other opportunities as well to move additional forces into Poland and the Baltics. Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the principles I set forth from the beginning, particularly being fair to and taking care of our Service members and their families. We could see some moves begin within weeks; others will take longer. As anyone can see, the repositioning of our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic and positive shift, wholly in line with the NDS, and consistent with other adjustments the United States has made within NATO in previous times. These changes achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia; strengthening NATO; reassuring Allies; and, improving U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility. And, of course, at all times, we will prioritize our most important resource: our Service members and their families. No moves will take place without thorough communication with our people, continued engagement with Congress, and consultation with our Allies. Thank you, and I will now turn it over to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hyten, and EUCOM Commander General Wolters. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Speeches/Speech/Article/2292081/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address BALDWIN -- The Pleasant Plains Township planning commission met on July 22, in a special meeting to consider a special land use request for a recreational marijuana grow facility. Following a public hearing on July 18, the request had been conditionally approved after commission members objected to the site plan that included using converted shipping containers as modules for the grow facility. Commission members pointed out that shipping containers were not allowed in the township and requested the site plan be revised to include a permanent structure with a concrete slab. The planning commission agreed that if the site plan was revised to include a permanent structure, they could get on board with granting the special land use permit. A revised site plan was submitted, replacing the shipping containers with a 20x40 foot pole barn on a concrete slab. During the special meeting, Township Supervisor Kevin Braddy questioned whether the newly proposed pole barn building would comply with the county building codes. Commission member Randy Eling said the county has nothing to do with the special land use permits allowed by the township. "This is between the township and the state," Eling said. "The state determines if the building meets code. The county has nothing to do with it." Commission chairperson Su Eling added, it is up to the state to determine if the building is up to code before approving the license for the grow facility. Commission member Dave Ghent said he was concerned about the size of the property because it is only 1.9 acres and according to the township ordinance on greenhouses and nurseries, 5 acres is required. "In this case, the recreational marijuana ordinance takes precedence," Su Eling said. "The proposal meets all of the requirements of the township ordinance for recreational marijuana and for zoning. He has done everything we have asked him to do and now it is up to us to approve his request." "My concern is that we will have a pole barn with electricity and a port-a-potty in a commercial district," Braddy said. "That's a precedent we don't want to set." Su Eling explained that the property was zoned as rural forest and was not in the commercial district, therefore the zoning requirements were different than for commercial property. "We have to go by the rural forest zoning ordinance and the recreational marijuana ordinance," she said. "It meets all the requirements of the marijuana ordinance and the zoning ordinance as far as our part of it." The proposal is for a Class A small grow facility of 100 plants with a 20x40 foot, permanent structure that would be enclosed with a fence and would include a carbon filter air filtration system for odor control, and would use solar power and recycled rain water so no water or electricity would be necessary, she said. Randy Eling told the commissioners that they were reaching to far out of the planning commission's perview with their objections to the request and that the special land use permit should be approved. A motion to approve the request failed with a 3-3 vote. "I don't think we have properly had enough time to look this request over," Ghent said. "I'm not sure we have enough information to approve it right now." A motion to table the request until further information could be gathered was approved. ALTON An Alton man faces drug charges after police allegedly found more than five grams of suspected cocaine, $12,000 and suspected drug dealing paraphernalia in his home. Anthony C. Billops, 31, was charged Tuesday with unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $250,000. He could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. New moderate income housing program could be on the way to Long Beach An international student arrives at a dormitory building of Kyung Hee University in Seoul, for 14 days of self-quarantine upon arrival, in this Feb. 24 file photo. Korea Times file By Bahk Eun-ji The Ministry of Education is encouraging foreign students enrolled in colleges here for the fall semester to take online classes from their home countries, as part of efforts to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to ministry officials Thursday. Currently, foreign students entering the country have to go through special entry procedures pertaining to flight schedules and self-quarantine on arrival. But the education ministry in now planning to actively encourage foreign students to take classes online without leaving their home countries. To this end, the ministry will introduce operating standards for improving the quality of online classes. "The education ministry is in talks with universities to advise them to improve the credit system for lectures requiring face-to-face lessons in the first semester of next year," said Ahn Woong-hwan, a deputy head of the ministry's higher education policy. "A detailed plan for the second semester will be announced next month." Under the current guidelines, if international students don't enter the country, their visa to study abroad is invalidated. But considering the pandemic situation, students will also be exempt from the rule requiring them to enter the country within 15 days of the start of the semester. For those who enter the country, each university should establish a plan to manage the different timing of their flight schedules, and share the arrival information with local governments in an effort to handle quarantine measures effectively. To this end, the ministry will cooperate with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to manage the timing of their entry and the schedule for visa screening for foreign students. Universities should first allow the students self-quarantine for 14 days. School officials are also required to strictly monitor whether the students comply with quarantine rules. The government will provide guidance on penalties for breaking the rules. The education ministry will also reflect the universities' efforts to protect and manage foreign students in consideration of the virus situation when evaluating the certification of their internationalization competency. Meanwhile, according to data released by the education ministry, the number of foreign students entering the country since the special entry procedure was implemented in the first half of the year was 37,375. Among them, 25,777 were from China, 8,344 from Vietnam and 59 from the United States. Of those, 23 were confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 seven of whom were confirmed during screening at the airport while 16 were identified during the self-quarantine period. The ministry said, however, there are no cases of the virus being spread to the local community by those students who tested positive. ODE Asset Management, part of the Doris Group, has been awarded a five-year contract with Interconnector (UK) to provide integrity management, onsite inspection and non-destructive testing services, and acting as competent person in accordance with the UKs Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSRs). The contract award comes after significant investment in bespoke asset integrity management software to optimise inspection intervals. ODE AM developed the software based on the principles of API580 Risk Based Inspection (RBI) and to align with its principles of maximum value from every asset with zero harm to people or the environment. Shaun Hutchinson, ODE AMs Regional Operations Director, said: A traditional RBI regime is great for extending inspection intervals but is labour intensive and requires high levels of technical resource to perform complex calculations. Our intention with this system was to do all of this work in advance as part of our investment meaning the user interface is a series of intuitive, drop-down boxes, providing optimised risk-based equipment inspection intervals. We are confident that this approach along with our non-intrusive inspection approach will result in extended inspection intervals, reduced outages, increased uptime and provide significant savings to our clients. IUKs Bacton Terminal is currently the largest entry and exit point on the UK gas network, capable of pumping up to 58 million cu m of gas per day. Sandy Reid, ODE AMs Managing Director, noted: We are pleased to be entering into a partnership with Interconnector (UK) Limited. ODE AM actively seeks out opportunities in the oil and gas industry to innovate and improve. We look forward to employing, and seeing the results of, our tailored software being used at the Bacton Terminal for the first time. He continued: This will also be an important prospect for us at ODE AM to further develop our Integrity Management Team and better integrate with our supply chain, particularly our inspection partner. We also look forward to the opportunity of demonstrating the true value benefits of our bespoke service as we work with Interconnector UK in the years ahead. Steve Turner, Managing Director of Interconnector (UK) said: Integrity Management is a key service supporting our commitment to safe and efficient operations. Interconnector is pleased to have awarded ODE Asset Management this contract. We look forward to our future partnership and our joint focus on optimising the integrity management of Interconnectors Bacton Terminal facilities. Tradearabia News Service Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Ruth Davidson is set to return to the helm of the Scottish Conservatives after Jackson Carlaw was forced out as party leader after just six months. In a statement Mr Carlaw, 61, said he made the 'painful decision' after realising he was not the best person to lead the party in the run-up to next year's Holyrood election. But it is believed he was pressured into quitting by senior figures in the party who are backing Moray MP Douglas Ross, a former Scotland Office minister, to replace him in the long-term. The 37-year-old left his government position in May this year in response to No10 chief advisor Dominic Cummingss 260-mile drive to Durham during the lockdown. Ruth Davidson is set to return to the helm of the Scottish Conservatives after Jackson Carlaw was forced out as party leader after just six months But it is believed he was pressured into quitting by senior figures in the party who are backing Moray MP Douglas Ross, a former Scotland Office minister, to replace him in the long-term Ms Davidson, 41, who stood down from the role last August after eight years, will stand in for him at first ministers questions until he is elected as an MSP, according to The Herald. However, the former leader still intends to quit the Scottish parliament in March, and could be in line for a peerage following several successful election campaigns against the SNP. Mr Ross, the MP for Moray, will stand on the Highlands and Islands regional list for Holyrood if he becomes leader. Last night Ms Davidson was making phone calls to lobby for Mr Ross, according to The Times. His campaign will be run by John Lamont, Ms Davidsons former chief whip at Holyrood who is now the MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk. Mr Carlaw had succeeded Ms Davidson as party leader in February, having served as acting leader following her resignation 'Jackson Carlaw has served @ScotTories at almost every level for over 40 years,' Ms Davidson tweeted. 'I cant thank him enough for the eight years we served together as my deputy and you see the class of the man in his resignation this evening.' Mr Carlaw had succeeded Ms Davidson as party leader in February, having served as acting leader following her resignation. The politician said stepping down now gives his successor time to prepare for the next Scottish Parliament election, in which the SNP will be aiming for a record fourth victory. This result would only serve to increase calls for a second independence referendum. Jackson Carlaw today quit as leader of the Scottish Conservatives Party after less than six months in the job Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said Mr Carlaw had been a 'tremendous servant' to the Scottish Conservative Party for more than four decades. He added: 'As an activist, deputy chairman, deputy leader and leader, he has given his all and deserves our thanks for his efforts. 'It is a mark of his commitment to the cause that he chooses to stand aside at this time and I offer my best wishes to him, Wynne and the family.' First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also tweeted her best wishes, saying: 'Leadership is a tough business and I'm sure his decision wasn't easy.' Mr Carlaw said he made the 'painful decision' after realising he was not the best person to lead the party in the run-up to next year's Holyrood election. Pictured: Mr Carlaw with Michelle Ballantyne in February The politician said stepping down at this time gives his successor time to prepare for the next Scottish Parliament election Mr Carlaw's resignation comes almost exactly a year after Ms Davidson quit as Scottish Tory leader. The hunt to find her successor was delayed by December's general election, with Mr Carlaw, who had been her deputy, serving as interim leader before being elected into the job in February. In the ballot, he defeated the right-wing MSP Michelle Ballantyne by 4,917 votes to 1,581. But in December's general election, the Tories lost seats in Scotland, with the number of Conservative MPs from north of the border going from 13 to six. Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross is reportedly being urged to stand for the leadership after he quit his ministerial post over Dominic Cummings' lockdown trip to Durham, the BBC said. It has also been suggested that Ms Davidson could stand in for Mr Ross at First Minister's Questions until the Scottish Parliament election in May. Announcing the shock move, Mr Carlaw said the summer had given him the 'chance to think hard' about the position. He said: 'Nothing is more important to me than making the case for Scotland's place in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Mr Carlaw had been a 'tremendous servant' to the Scottish Conservative Party for more than four decades 'I believe the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party is the most important voice in Scotland for setting out that positive argument. I am clear that nothing must get in the way of doing so. 'In the last few weeks, I have reached a simple if painful conclusion - that I am not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed to lead that case over these next vital months in Scottish politics prior to the Holyrood elections.' He added: 'Given the importance I attach to the job, I've therefore decided to stand down with immediate effect.' Mr Carlaw said it had not been an 'easy call', but added: 'I have spent a lifetime in politics holding to the maxim that party and country comes first. 'I believe I am doing my duty by holding to that view now. 'I simply believe that a new leader will be able, as we recover from the Covid emergency, to make the case for the Scottish Conservatives and the union better than me. That is all that matters.' He said: 'Managing the transition from Ruth Davidson's leadership to a refreshed party has been a challenging task but I feel confident that I leave the role with the party in good heart and, crucially, with time to elect a new leader so he or she can prepare for the elections next year. 'The Scottish Conservatives will fight those elections as we have always done - as the one party that will unequivocally speak up for all those Scots who do not want to go back to more division, but instead want our country to move on, as part of the United Kingdom, able to rise to the challenges of the future. 'I will fight that cause hard for these next few vital months as a loyal member of my party.' Sensex and Nifty fell for the second straight session on Thursday in line with global markets, as a dovish stance by the US Federal Reserve warned the coronavirus pandemic might threaten the modest economic recovery. In afternoon session, European stocks fell after Germany said its economy shrank by 10% in the second quarter from the previous three-month period. A record 50,000 Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours in India on Thursday also led to negative sentiment among investors. Sensex which rose 300 points initially erased all gains to close in the red. PVR, Inox Leisure stocks fall after govt says cinema halls to remain closed in Unlock 3 While Sensex ended 335.06 points or 0.88 per cent lower at 37,736.07, NSE Nifty tumbled 100.70 points or 0.90 per cent to end at 11,102.15. IndusInd Bank was the top loser on Sensex, tumbling 5.62 per cent, followed by HDFC, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, SBI, Bajaj Finserv and Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Maruti, Infosys and Reliance Industries were among the gainers, climbing as much as 3.44 per cent. Gold demand crashes 70% in April-June; high prices, COVID-19 lockdown keep buyers away Markets also turned choppy on the expiry of July derivatives and a weak trend in the rupee, traders said. Gaurav Ratnaparkhi, Senior Technical Analyst, Sharekhan said, "Nifty started the day on a positive note. However, it couldn't stretch beyond 11,300. The bears took control thereon & dragged the index significantly down. Today's decline can be attributed as a follow through of the bearish outside bar formation on July 29. On the downside, the Nifty found support at a crucial rising trendline. So the index is still within the range of 11050-11350. The bears, however, are gearing up to break the lower end of the range. Once the support zone of 11050-11000 breaks, the index will be set for a significant correction." BSE telecom, oil and gas, finance, bankex, utilities and power indices fell up to 2.25 per cent, Broader BSE mid-cap and small-cap indices fell 0.38% and 0.43 per cent, respectively. "Unlock 3.0 failed to enthuse, as earnings results took priority and markets turned volatile in the expiry session. Financials led the losses for the benchmark index," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. Banking stocks led the losses with BSE bankex ending 440 points lower at 24,626. Oil and gas index on BSE too slumped 300 points to 13,274. On the other hand, healthcare, IT and teck stocks capped losses. Bank Nifty lost 1.95% or 429 points to 21,646. Of 30 Sensex stocks, 22 ended higher. Market breadth was negative with 1023 shares ending higher against 1631 falling into the red. In the forex market, the rupee fell 4 paise to close at 74.84 against the US dollar. COVID-19 cases in India crossed the 50,000 mark in a single day for the first time, pushing the virus tally to 15,83,792, while the recoveries went past 10 lakh on Thursday, according to Health Ministry data. Bharti Airtel share price slips 4% on widening of loss in Q1 The death toll climbed to 34,968 with 775 people succumbing to the disease in a day. Globally, the number of COVID-19 cases has crossed 1.68 crore, with more than 6.61 lakh fatalities. Global markets US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration and Democrats in Congress were still "far apart" on a new coronavirus relief bill which led the global markets lower in trade today. Senate Republican leaders on Monday rolled out a $1 trillion package of proposals, which Democrats rejected as inadequate. In Europe, Frankfurt's DAX retreated 2.4% to 12,511 after the GDP figures came in below expectations. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.2% to 3,286.82 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo gave up 0.3% to 22,339.23. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong tumbled 0.07% to 24,710.59 after data Wednesday showed the territory's economy shrank by 9% in the quarter ending in June. The Kospi in Seoul advanced 0.2% to 2,267.01 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 added 0.7% to 6,051.10. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 1.27 per cent lower at $43.53 per barrel. New Delhi, 30 July : Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has described the National Education Policy (NEP) as 'highly regulated and poorly funded'. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister of Delhi, said, "The NEP 2020 outlines a system full of regulations and inspections but no concrete commitment of funding. At the state level, the policy includes a commission, a regulatory body, a directorate of education, SCERT and an education board which are bound to collide with each other." Sisodia welcomed the move to rename the HRD Ministry as Education Ministry, but he also added that merely changing the name would not give it a new vision. He said it is the responsibility of the government to provide quality education to children, but in this new policy, there is no direct emphasis on the government school system taking up this responsibility. Rather it seeks to "encourage private philanthropists", he said, adding that the policy actually confuses instead of giving a way forward. Wanting to include more Tulsa history in the schools core curriculum, University of Oklahoma regents toured downtown Tulsas Black Wall Street and got a sneak preview Tuesday of the future Greenwood Rising center, which will be a sort of interactive museum focusing on the 1921 Race Massacre. Its an important part of Oklahoma history and U.S. history, regent Eric Stevenson told the Tulsa World during the tour. So it needs to be an important part of the universitys history too. OU President Joseph Harroz explained how he wants to revamp the universitys general education curriculum to challenge our way of thinking and have students learn about the other, with a required American history class including lessons on the Tulsa Race Massacre. We have seen nationally how important it is that we understand each other, Harroz said Tuesday. Thats the only way were going to make progress, the only way to continue this democracy of ours. Paris to have place named after Hrant Dink Turkey opposition party MPs petition for parliamentary inquiry into Hrant Dink assassination Armenia parliament speaker in US, meets with Nancy Pelosi Biden says invasion of Ukraine will be disaster for Russia Newspaper: Armenia PM Pashinyan plans to hold Presidents office Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc, led by ex-President Kocharyan, starting new processes Taliban PM calls on Muslim countries to be first to formally recognize their government Saudi Arabia records lowest temperature in 30 years Erdogan's visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 3 Russian peacekeeping contingent establishes order of passage through Lachin corridor French Senate votes to ban hijab at sporting events Armenian FM: All necessary conditions to be created for Demarcation Commission work Olaf Scholz: Borders in Europe cannot be changed by force Lavrov presents Armenian Ambassador to Russia, with the Order of Friendship Bill Gates warns of pandemics far more serious than COVID-19 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 Ombudsman: I urge not to give in to Azerbaijani manipulations, to visit Artsakh Armenian FM: Armenia passes a package of proposals to Azerbaijan France names the main favorite of presidential election Garo Paylan concludes address in Turkey parliament in Armenian Russian Foreign Ministry believes there is no risk of large-scale war in Europe Dollar goes up in Armenia Sharmazanov: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan did not decide to hold press conference, he did not change his mind Blinken: Russia has plans to increase force on Ukraine borders : Azerbaijani military participate in Turkish drills Taliban say all conditions for recognizing legitimacy of government are met Azerbaijan MFA statement distorts events of Armenian massacres in Baku 32 years ago Karabakh ombudsmans office: Azerbaijans anti-Armenian, genocidal policy has clear chronology US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map Armenia ex-defense minister, army General Staff chief, some others criminal case court hearing kicks off FM: Most important direction continues to be international recognition of Artsakh Armenia revenue committee chief on opening of Turkey border: Shall we live with closed borders? In fear? US selects Los Angeles to host Summit of the Americas in summer 2022 Karabakh Foreign Minister: Return of refugees can only be like mirror Iranian president arrives on official visit to Moscow All CSTO peacekeepers leaves Kazakhstan Artsakh Foreign Minister: Unacceptable to bracket NKAO and NKR together Karabakh FM: Format of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' visits needs to be restored Media: Air communication between Turkey and Armenia will start on February 2 Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan attack on Karabakh will mean attack on Russia Gold prices hardly change American professor angers Erdogan's son-in-law Hovhannes Khachatryan is elected Armenia Central Bank Deputy Governor 15 years pass since Hrant Dink assassination 563 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Guterres offers Merkel job at UN Armenian church revamped in Iran World oil prices going up Newspaper: ECHR rulings increase after Armenia revolution in 2018 Newspaper: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan to give interview instead of press conference Azerbaijan MFA falls into hysterical rage by France FM statement The Pope to donate 100,000 to help migrants on border of Belarus and Poland Fourth vaccine against COVID-19 is not enough for Omicron World is on verge of country defaults French Foreign Ministry considers unacceptable Azerbaijan statements about Pecresse US to return two valuable artifacts over 4,000 years old to Iraq Germany may consider halting Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine Israel successfully completes test of anti-ballistic missile system Plane landing in Sochi struck by lightning Putin and Aliyev discuss Ukraine situation Greek PM Mitsotakis threatens Turkey with sanctions Handelsblatt: US and EU abandon idea of disconnecting Russia from SWIFT international payment system Artsakh President meets representatives of non-governmental organizations Avalanche kills person in Iran 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 Erdogan: Gas from Mediterranean to Europe can only be pumped through Turkey Iranian Consul General discusses customs cooperation in Nakhijevan 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 Armenian National Interests Fund participates in Abu Dhabi Sustainable Development Week summit North Korea fires missiles for fourth time this year West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra passed away at a city hospital in the early hours of Thursday. He was 78. Sources at the private hospital where Mitra was admitted to said he died due to heart and age-related ailments. "He was admitted to the hospital a few days back after his creatinine level was found to be high during a routine check-up. He was a patient of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and also had other age-related ailments," a senior official of the hospital said. Mitra passed away around 1.30 am following a cardiac arrest, the hospital sources said, adding he had tested negative for COVID-19. He is survived by his wife and son. According to a family member of the Congress leader, he was taken to the hospital a few days back for regular health check-up. Mitra had undergone a bypass surgery some years back when he was a Lok Sabha MP. Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MP and All India Congress Committee incharge of party affairs in the state, condoled the demise of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee chief. "My heart goes out to the family of the Lt Somen Mitra. He was a giant of Bengal, and he touched the lives of millions of people in his long journey. My condolences to his family and all those who admired him. His legacy will not be forgotten," Gogoi tweeted. Commonly known as 'Chhorada' (younger brother), Mitra was one of the most firebrand politicians of the 1960s and '70s. He was baptized into the Congress, through student politics in the late sixties. A three-time president of the Congress' West Bengal unit from 1992-1996, 1996-1998 and then again from September 2018, Mitra was a seven-term MLA from the Sealdah assembly constituency. He left the Congress in 2008 to form his political outfit Pragatisheel (Progressive) Indira Congress. He later merged his outfit with the Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and won the election on a TMC ticket from the Diamond Harbour parliamentary seat that year. Mitra quit the TMC in 2014 to rejoin the Congress. He was one of the chief architects behind the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front and Congress alliance in West Bengal during the 2016 assembly polls. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condoled the passing away of party's West Bengal unit president Somen Mitra and said that he will be remembered with "love, fondness and respect". "All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect," Gandhi said in a tweet. West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too condoled the demise of state Congress president Somen Mitra. Dhankhar said that as constitutional head of the state, he was enormously benefited by Mitra's wise counsel on several occasions. "Saddened at the death of veteran Congress leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions," the governor said in a message. "Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life," Dhankhar wrote in the social media message. The chief minister said she was saddened to hear about the passing away of Mitra. "Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and INC West Bengal president Somen Mitra," Banerjee said in a message. "My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers," she wrote in her social media handle. The milestone came even as the Jersey Shore beaches were in full swing, Atlantic Citys casinos were open and towns across the state were walling off streets to create lively outdoor-dining bazaars. Aides to Mr. Murphy touted the achievement on Twitter, noting that New Jersey was the only state in the nation to have achieved a two-week decline in new cases of the virus. On Thursday, it was New Yorks turn to crow. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that New York had reached new lows in the number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 or on ventilators. The rate of positive test results was 1.09 percent in New York half of New Jerseys 2.15 percent positive rate on Friday. Mr. Cuomo said he had no plan to bar residents of New Jersey from coming to New York. I dont know how you could quarantine New Jersey, Mr. Cuomo said. They dont fly into New York. Youd have to blockade roads, and were not talking about blockading. Officials with Mr. Murphys office noted on Thursday that despite the uptick, New Jersey continues to be among the six states with the fewest new daily infections per 100,000 residents. Some of the increase in the last week also can be linked to a lag in testing results, which they said are sometimes delivered in large bulk batches, skewing the daily case counts. On Wednesday, for example, the state reported 489 new cases of the virus; on Thursday, there were 261. On Friday the first day since March 10 without a single Covid-19 death in New Jersey the number spiked again to 699 cases. The governor has not minced words about the worrisome trend, or its potential to undermine months of conscientious efforts to reduce the spread of the virus that has been linked to 15,819 deaths in the state. Apache (APA) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.74 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.99. This compares to earnings of $0.11 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 25.25%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this oil and natural gas producer would post a loss of $0.30 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.13, delivering a surprise of 56.67%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Apache, which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States industry, posted revenues of $752 million for the quarter ended June 2020, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.28%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $1.60 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Apache shares have lost about 48% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -0.4%. What's Next for Apache? While Apache has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Story continues Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Apache was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.50 on $952.13 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$1.90 on $4 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production - United States is currently in the top 40% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apache Corporation (APA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The Federal Executive Council has approved payment of 15.21m and N1.708 billion towards the counterpart funding for the Presidential Power Initiative, PPI, a power upgrade and modernization program between the Nigerian government and Siemens AG of Germany. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this to journalist after a virtual meeting with the council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday. The 15.21 million which translates to about N6.940 billion is for offshore deals while N1.708 billion is set aside for onshore deals. According to the Presidency, the Councils approval is a ratification of the President earlier approval, and his directive to the Ministry of Finance as well as the Ministry of Power. Ahmed explained that the first phase of the project is designed to include 23 transmission initiatives as well as 175 separate transformative projects in the electricity distribution franchise. According to her, the project would also support the regulator, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, towards improving metering in the electricity industry in the country. She said, Mr President and his German counterpart met in Abuja on August 31, 2018, and committed to jointly increase the capacity of Nigerias electricity grid from the current capacity of 5,000MW to 25,000MW over a three-phased programme. After this meeting, an MOU was executed on July 23, 2019, between the Nigerian government and Siemens AG with the German government support.The Federal Government is taking the loan from the German government with the plan to on-lend this particular loan to the distributing network. So, its a convertible loan facility to the DISCOs and we will be working with the DISCOs to restructure an appropriate loan agreement as soon as we are able to close out on this initial phase of the process. Council approved and ratified Mr. Presidents approval. Earlier the President had directed the Ministries of Power and Finance , and the Bureau of Public Enterprise, BPE, to conclude the engagement with Siemens AG to commence the pre-engineering and concessionary financing aspects of the Presidential Power Initiative. The PPI journey started on August 31, 2018, when Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Nigeria and met with President Buhari. The project amongst other benefits will deliver improved power supply nationwide, with attendant results in job creation, investor confidence, cost and ease of doing business and economic growth. The Presidency noted that the ultimate goal of the PPI is to modernize and increase the Nigerian electricity grid capacity from about 5 Gigawatt, GW, currently to 25 GW, over three phases. Australian authorities have declared that they are doing "everything possible" to fight coronavirus outbreaks in aged care facilities in the state of Victoria. As of Wednesday there were 804 active cases relating to outbreaks across aged care facilities in Victoria, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared the situation a "health crisis" on Tuesday in a press conference. Nick Coatsworth, the deputy chief medical officer (CMO), said on Wednesday that governments across the country have committed resources to help fight the outbreaks in more than 80 facilities. "I can tell you that as of today, everything possible is being done," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television. "Now, the numbers of cases in some facilities is substantial and that is going to take some time to get on top of, but we have seen that there is an Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) going down there of clinical leaders to help with that leadership gap that we have got." St Basil's Home for the Aged, a nursing home in Melbourne's northern suburbs, has been identified as one of the hardest-hit facilities with nine deaths. And so far 89 cases have been linked to the facility, according to the update from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Wednesday. Families of residents at the facility have complained that they waited days for information from the facility about the conditions of their relatives. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called for a royal commission into the aged care crisis while Alison McMillan, Australia's chief nursing and midwifery officer, has said she has "considerable concerns" about the care given to residents at St Basil's. "On Sunday I went in and we added additional resources to that facility as we were moving significant numbers out as well," she told ABC radio on Wednesday. "I acknowledge that there were some occasions where care wasn't as good as I would want to see." Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The British authorities are worried about a second wave of coronavirus infections in Europe and will not hesitate to bring back more quarantine measures, possibly within the next few days, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday. Britain last week re-imposed a 14-day quarantine period on people arriving from Spain, a move that caused havoc to plans to reopen the continent for tourism in the summer high season. Hancock stopped short of naming other European countries that might also end up back on the UK quarantine list, but cited France as an example of one where infections have lately risen. I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe, and weve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores, and to tackle it, Hancock said during an interview on Sky News. We have significant concerns about the second wave that is coming across Europe. And its not just Spain ... but there are other countries too where the number of cases is rising. And we are absolutely determined to do everything that we can to keep this country safe, he said. When asked whether Britons should be prepared for more measures to be announced within the next few days, he said yes. The number of cases have gone up sharply in some countries in Europe ... France now has more cases than we do, per day, and in Spain we saw the numbers shoot up which is why we had to take the rapid action that we did, he said on Talk Radio. France reported almost 1,400 new cases on Wednesday, the highest daily increase in more than a month. Hancock said the British authorities were working on possible ways to shorten the quarantine period for people coming from Spain, but no change was imminent. We are working on whether by testing people during that quarantine it is safe to then be able to release them earlier ... But we are not imminently making an announcement on it, he said in a BBC television interview. He said that in Britain, the number of cases had stopped falling and was at best flat, which was a result of increased social contact as lockdown measures have gradually been eased. He urged people to keep following social distancing guidelines. Chinese believers stated there is no longer a safe place for Chinese Christians as religious persecution continues and increases. A member of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, further claimed in the ICC video that the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), "makes you think that they are willing to compromise because they know Americans care about freedom of religion." "If China makes concessions in religious freedom, then the U.S. should compromise in trade. It's CPC who politicizes religious freedom, not Christians." Wang Yi and a church elder stated they were imprisoned for their faith and the government forbids parents to enroll their children in church schools, threatening to send them to re-education camps. Forcefully sending adopted children back to their birth parents, Chinese believers are devastated from the unlawful action. With many concerns, Chinese believers also state that they cannot guarantee if their adopted child would be taken away by the government. The article from persecution ICC reported there are closure or demolition of churches or places of worship, arresting of Christians, and social pressure. "The abuser of religious freedom should not go unnoticed and unpunished." With specific recommendations, ICC hopes to work with policymakers throughout the U.S. government and the cohort of religious freedom advocates to advance religious freedom for Chinese Christians. "The Chinese Communist government is built on and relies on lies. One of the lies is the ludicrous claim that it only punishes religious believers when they violate the law." Chinese Christians are wanting attention from the U.S due to religious persecution. According to ICC reports, almost every province in China has seen Christian persecution on the rise. "We aren't saying the U.S government should put pressure on the Chinese government but what the Chinese communist party is afraid of is being exposed. They are afraid of transparency. Because under such circumstances, CPC will definitely intensify religious persecution. The worse China-U.S. relations get, the more CPC persecutes Christians." According to the report, those two provinces "have a high percentage of Christians," and have seen active "cross demolition campaigns." According to BP news, The U.S. State Department, in its 2019 report on international religious freedom, China destroyed Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish, Taoist and other houses of worship; barred people under 18 years of age from taking part in religious activities; and continues to imprison hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslims, as well as Uyghur Christians, in internment camps. Open Doors USA ranks China 23 on the 2020 World Watch List of the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians. Five people, including four cops, were injured when a bomb hidden inside a weighing machine-like object went off inside a police station in Dhaka on Wednesday morning Dhaka: Bangladeshi police said they arrested three suspects in the bombing of a Dhaka police station and denied a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group, saying the attackers were motivated by criminal intent. Five people, including four police, were injured when a bomb hidden inside a weight machine-like object went off inside the Pallabi police station on Wednesday morning. The Islamic State group claimed credit for the blast in a statement the same day. Three suspected hitmen were arrested Wednesday along with two loaded firearms and another weight machine-like object, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Saiful Islam denied any links between the Islamic State group and the blast. IS made this kind of false claim in the past, too. This is also part of that process," he said. As per the information available so far, criminal intentions were behind the blast and were investigating the incident. He also described as baseless claims made by US-based SITE Intelligence Groups founder Rita Katz. Katz, in the tweet Wednesday, said the blast marked the first attack in Dhaka since last August and was part of a campaign in the lead-up to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The Islamic State has claimed similar attacks on police in the past. Authorities do not publicly reveal the results of their investigations. Bangladesh has a history of attacks by radical groups. It experienced a rise in Islamic militancy in recent years, with groups targeting atheist bloggers, publishers and writers, members of minority groups and foreigners. On 1 July, 2016, five militants took hostages and opened fire in a Dhaka cafe, killing more than 20 people, mostly foreigners. Seven members of a banned militant group were sentenced to death for the attack last year. The government had also rejected the IS claim of responsibility. She said she is working with county health officer Ernest L. Carter to determine whether restrictions need to be rolled back, but said she does not believe such actions are necessary. But she warned that residents need to remain vigilant to avoid additional restrictions. Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701) Today Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Morning high of 30F with temps falling to near 20. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Mostly cloudy skies. Low 9F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. More than 200 genes with novel and known roles in glioblastoma - the most aggressive type of brain cancer - offer promising new drug targets. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Addenbrooke's Hospital and their collaborators engineered a new mouse model to show for the first time how a mutation in the well-known cancer gene, EGFR initiates glioblastoma, and works with a selection from more than 200 other genes to drive the cancer. The results, published today (30 July) in Genome Biology present the first mouse model of its kind, which is available for the research community to advance new treatments for this lethal form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer. It is treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy, however glioblastoma cells can evade treatment and tumours return. The prognosis is poor - the average patient survives for 12-18 months following diagnosis*. New, targeted treatments and immunotherapies are currently being developed to help glioblastoma patients. It is still not known exactly why glioblastomas begin to grow. In a new study, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators created a new mouse model with glioblastoma to investigate which genes were implicated in the cancer. The model showed that the well-known cancer gene, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) can alone initiate the brain tumours to grow in mice, resulting in tumours that were highly representative of human glioblastomas. Dr Imran Noorani, a corresponding author previously from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and now based at Addenbrooke's Hospital and the University of Cambridge, said: "We have created a new mouse model for studying the lethal human brain cancer, glioblastoma. For the first time, we showed that the familiar cancer gene, EGFR is capable of initiating glioblastoma and we identified new driver genes, whose potential for therapeutic targeting deserves further exploration." To identify which genes help EGFR to drive the cancer, the team used the PiggyBac transposon technique - a small section of DNA inserted into different parts of the genome to introduce mutations. This revealed more than 200 known and novel mutations in tumour suppressor genes that were working with EGFR to drive brain tumour growth, many of which present new drug targets. The team compared the results with human genome sequences from glioblastoma patients and uncovered many genetic mutations found in both humans and mice. Human genomic data contains many mutations implicated in glioblastoma, without clear indication of which specific mutations drive the cancer. With the new mouse model, the team were able to narrow down on which mutations drive glioblastoma, which will focus future drug development. Professor Allan Bradley, previously Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and now Chief Scientific Officer of Kymab and Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, said: "Glioblastoma patients urgently require new, targeted therapies. Unfortunately, glioblastoma tumours can become highly resistant to therapies that target specific molecules, as there are many other genetic drivers that can 'take over' progressing the cancer. This new mouse model provides the missing link to translate findings from new potential treatments tested on mice to clinical trials." ### Notes to Editors: *For more information on glioblastoma, visit The Brain Tumour Charity: https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/brain-tumour-diagnosis-treatment/types-of-brain-tumour-adult/glioblastoma/ Publication: Imran Noorani et al. (2020) PiggyBac mutagenesis and exome sequencing identify genetic driver landscapes and potential therapeutic targets of EGFR-mutant gliomas. Genome Biology. DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02092-2 Funding: This work was supported by Wellcome grant 098051. Selected websites: About the University of Cambridge The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. To date, 107 affiliates of the University have won the Nobel Prize. Founded in 1209, the University comprises 31 autonomous Colleges, which admit undergraduates and provide small-group tuition, and 150 departments, faculties and institutions. Cambridge is a global university. Its 19,000 student body includes 3,700 international students from 120 countries. Cambridge researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established larger-scale partnerships in Asia, Africa and America. The University sits at the heart of the 'Cambridge cluster', which employs 60,000 people and has in excess of 12 billion in turnover generated annually by the 4,700 knowledge-intensive firms in and around the city. The city publishes 341 patents per 100,000 residents. http://www.cam.ac.uk About Kymab Based in Cambridge, UK, we are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a deep pipeline of novel human antibody-based therapies in a broad range of indications. Our unique platforms generate a vast repertoire of fully-human, species cross-reactive and affinity-matured antibodies against challenging targets. http://www.kymab.com The Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast - we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. We support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. We are a politically and financially independent foundation. https://wellcome.ac.uk/ Syria Sanctions Designations Press Statement Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State July 29, 2020 Today, the State Department and Treasury Department continued the United States' sanctions campaign against the Assad regime by releasing 14 new designations under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act and other authorities. This campaign began last month with the first round of Caesar Act designations. We have named today's tranche of designations the Hama and Maarat Al-Numan sanctions. These names are meant to memorialize the victims of two of the Assad regime's most notorious atrocities, both of which occurred in this week in 2011 and 2019. Nine years ago, Bashar al-Assad's troops carried out a brutal siege of the city of Hama, killing scores of peaceful protesters in a shocking sign of what was to come. One year ago, the Assad regime and its allies bombed a busy marketplace in Maarat Al-Numan, killing 42 innocent Syrians. The Assad regime's military has become a symbol of brutality, repression, and corruption. They have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, detained and tortured peaceful protesters, and destroyed schools, hospitals, and markets without regard to human life. We are designating Zuhair Tawfiq al-Assad and the First Division of the Syrian Arab Army pursuant to E.O. 13894 Section 2(a)(i)(A), in addition to Zuhair Tawfiq al Assad's adult son, Karam al-Assad, under Section 2(a)(ii). Among today's actions, we are also designating Bashar al-Assad's adult son Hafez al-Assad pursuant to E.O. 13894 Section 2(a)(ii). We will continue to hold Bashar al-Assad and his regime accountable for their atrocities, while keeping the memory of their victims alive. It is time for Assad's needless, brutal war to end. This, above all, is what our sanctions campaign is meant to bring about. A political solution under UNSCR 2254 is the only credible path to the peace the Syrian people deserve. The Caesar Act and other U.S. Syria sanctions are not intended to harm the Syrian people and do not target humanitarian assistance or hinder our stabilization activities in northeast Syria. We will continue our humanitarian assistance through our international and Syrian partners, even in areas under the Assad regime's control. The United States has contributed more than $11.3 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the conflict and will continue to do so. There must be accountability and justice for the victims of Hama, Maarat al-Numan, and of the Assad regime's other war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Assad regime and those who support it have a simple choice: take irreversible steps toward a lasting political solution to end the Syrian conflict as called for by UNSCR 2254 or face new tranches of crippling sanctions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Whats up? In a surprise announcement, the Monetary Authority Singapore (MAS), Singapores central bank, has called on the local banks to cap their dividend payments for this year. MAS recommendation is for banks to pay out a maximum of 60% of the total dividend per share paid out in the fiscal year 2019. At the same time, banks were urged to offer shareholders the option of scrip dividends to conserve even more cash. MAS move comes as a pre-emptive measure to bolster the banks reserves and enable them to be in a better position to support lending to businesses and individuals who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic. The move is done in the name of prudence, as COVID-19 continues to infect numerous people around the globe with no signs of slowing down. As such, the central bank is encouraging banks to carefully manage their capital in case a more adverse scenario emerges. At the same time, Ravi Menon, the managing director of MAS, has also recognised the need for banks to pay out a certain level of dividends to supplement the income of investors who rely on it. So what? As all the local banks are under the purview of the central bank, they would have to adhere to its recommendations and put a cap on their dividends for this year. The three local banks are DBS Group Holdings Ltd (SGX: D05), United Overseas Bank Limited (SGX: U11) and OCBC Ltd (SGX: O39). As a recap, DBS paid out a quarterly dividend of S$0.33 in the first quarter of 2020. This means that annualised, the annual dividend should amount to S$1.32. UOB paid out a total dividend of S$1.30 last year, while OCBCs full-year 2019 dividend stood at S$0.53. A reduction of 40% from last years dividend level means that DBS can pay out a maximum of S$0.79, UOB can pay out a maximum of S$0.78 while OCBC has to cap its current year dividend at S$0.318. Now what? Shortly after the MAS announcement was made, DBS released a statement stating that the cap restricts its cumulative dividends to S$0.72 for the next four quarters starting from the second quarter of 2020. Story continues The other two banks have yet to formally announce their dividend caps but are likely to do so very soon. Assuming the local banks pay out the maximum allowable dividends for this year, DBS dividend yield will fall to 3.5%. UOBs dividend yield will be reduced to 3.9%, while OCBCs dividend yield will stand at 3.6%. With share prices battered to multi-year lows, many attractive investment opportunities have emerged. In a special FREE report, we show you 3 stocks that we think will be suitable for our portfolio. Simply click here to scoop up your FREE copy before the next stock market rally. Click here to like and follow us on Facebook and here for our Telegram group. Disclaimer: Chin Hui Leong owns shares in DBS Group Holdings Ltd, United Overseas Bank Limited and OCBC Ltd. The post MAS Calls on Local Banks to Limit Their Dividend Payments appeared first on The Smart Investor. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump drew immediate rebukes from across the political spectrum Thursday after proposing a delay to the November election and claiming without evidence that widespread mail balloting would be a "catastrophic disaster" leading to fraudulent results. The suggestion represented Trump's latest, and most dramatic, attempt to undermine public faith in the Nov. 3 election, with a series of attacks that have grown more frequent and emphatic as polls have shown his political fortunes declining. The president has gone after mail voting nearly 70 times since late March in interviews, remarks and tweets, including at least 17 times this month, according to a tally by The Washington Post. Thursday's tweet came on the heels of a report showing that the economy shrank nearly 10% from April through June, the largest quarterly decline since the government began publishing such data 70 years ago. The president does not have the authority to change the date of the general election, which is set by Congress. Trump encountered unprecedented pushback to his idea from senior Republicans on Capitol Hill and conservative leaders outside government, as well as legal scholars, historians and Democrats. Former president Barack Obama, speaking at the funeral of the late civil rights icon John Lewis in Atlanta, alluded to the intensifying war over voting rights, saying that "even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting." Obama, who has avoided public comments on much of Trump's presidency, did not specifically cite his successor's latest suggestion or mention him by name. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was among many Republican senators who quickly and unequivocally rejected Trump's idea. "Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time," McConnell said in a television interview with WNKY of Bowling Green, Ky. "We'll find a way to do that again this November 3." Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford Trump gave no indication that he would launch a serious push for the date change, or that he thinks he has the power to do so without congressional approval. But he appeared unfazed by the criticism. He "pinned" the tweet in which he first floated the idea Thursday, fixing it to the top of his Twitter feed. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," he wrote in the message. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" At a news conference late in the day, Trump said he does not want to delay the election but said the alternative is a "crooked election" that could take months or even years to resolve - suggesting that he is prepared to contest the results if he loses. "I want to have the election," he said. "But I also don't want to wait for three months and find out that all the ballots are all missing and the election won't mean anything. That's what's going to happen, and everyone knows it." Several Trump advisers said no internal discussions were underway within the White House about moving the date. The tweet caught aides by surprise, said one senior adviser, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations. "He is just trolling," said another. The Constitution gives the power to regulate the "time, place and manner" of general elections to Congress, while states control the dates of primary elections. Nowhere is the president granted such power. In addition, the Constitution's 20th Amendment spells out a hard end to a president's and vice president's four-year terms on Jan. 20, whether an election is held or not. "The president has no power to change the date of the election," said Richard Hasen, a law professor at the University of California at Irvine. "This is yet another statement by the president which undermines voter confidence and that seeks without evidence to undermine the legitimacy of voting by mail." No president has ever before tried to postpone a federal election, said historian Michael Beschloss. The idea was floated to President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, during the Civil War, and to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942, during World War II. Lincoln said at the time that postponing an election because of the "Southern rebellion" would mean "our system has been defeated," while Roosevelt said doing so while fighting fascists would mean "we have become fascists ourselves," Beschloss said. "That tweet claims powers that he does not have, period," he said. "He is not a dictator." One of the most dramatic critiques of Trump's tweet came from Steven Calabrese, a co-founder of the conservative Federalist Society, who wrote in an opinion piece published in The New York Times on Thursday that the idea was "fascistic" and "grounds for the president's immediate impeachment." Trump has enjoyed full-throated support from conservatives and nearly all congressional Republicans; the Federalist Society, for instance, has cheered on and even helped select his Supreme Court nominations. That backing appeared to wobble Thursday, with many Republicans not only alarmed by the president's apparent disregard for the limits of his power but emboldened to say so in public. "Election Day is and will be Nov 3, 2020," tweeted Republican Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary to George W. Bush. "Mr. President - please don't even pretend to mess with this. It's a harmful idea." Added Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on Twitter: "We are not moving the date of the election. The resistance to this idea among Republicans is overwhelming." Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., weighed in similarly. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted the relevant passage from the Constitution granting Congress the power to set election dates. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, told supporters at a virtual fundraiser Thursday that Trump probably was trying to steal attention away from Lewis's funeral. Other Democrats suggested that Trump's suggestion reflected a realization that he could lose to Biden, who has been leading in national and battleground-state polls. "Donald Trump is terrified," tweeted Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who is among those being considered as a running mate for Biden. "He knows he's going to lose to @JoeBiden. It will require every single one of us to make that happen. We will see you at the ballot box on November 3rd, @realDonaldTrump." Some Democrats used the occasion to promote how-to instructions on mail balloting. "President Trump is talking about delaying the November election because he is afraid of people voting by mail," Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., said in a tweet, in which she included a link to a Florida government website with instructions on how to do so. "You know what to do," she added. The president of the American Postal Workers Union, Mark Dimondstein, also rebuked the president for undermining confidence in the U.S. Postal Service. He noted that there is "essentially no fraud" in mail balloting. "It's a tremendous insult for the president be railing against vote by mail over and over and over and over, railing against the post office," Dimondstein said. "It's an insult to every postal worker and every customer who trusts the post office." Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, said on Fox Business that "obviously" the president understands that he doesn't have the authority to move the election. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump's tweet. Earlier this week at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, however, Attorney General William Barr told Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., that he had not studied the question of whether the president could move the election date. "I've never been asked the question before. I've never looked into it," Barr said. Biden suggested in April that Trump might try to move the election date. At the time, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh accused Biden of "incoherent, conspiracy-theory ramblings" and said the president "has been clear" that the election will happen on Nov. 3. Another Trump campaign spokesman, Hogan Gidley, said in a statement Thursday that the president was merely "raising a question about the chaos Democrats have created with their insistence on all mail-in voting." In fact, most Democrats are pushing for mail balloting in addition to early in-person and Election Day voting - not universal mail balloting, as Trump has alleged - because even though many voters have expressed a new preference for voting by mail because of fear of infection, many other voters remain more comfortable casting their ballots in person. Trump has argued that mail-in voting tends to hurt Republicans at the ballot box, but some Republicans worry that the president's own rhetoric is what's turning their voters off from mail balloting. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted this month found that 51% of Democrats prefer voting by mail this fall, compared with 20% of Republicans. A recent study by Stanford University researchers found no partisan impact of expanding voting by mail. At the congressional hearing, Barr repeated his concern that he felt there was a "high risk" that mail-in voting would lead to fraud but said he did not believe the election would be rigged - seeming to break with Trump. "I have no reason to think it will be," Barr said. Even if Congress voted to delay the general election, the electoral college is still required to elect a president under federal law. If lawmakers changed that, too, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would still be required to leave office by noon Jan. 20. With no successor, the speaker of the House of Representatives, currently Pelosi, would be next in line. - - - The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck, Scott Clement, Matt Zapotosky, Erica Werner, Jacob Bogage, Seung Min Kim, Annie Linskey and Devlin Barrett contributed to this report. BRASILIA, Brazil - Dozens of criminals blew up a bank branch and exchanged gunfire with police officers in a mid-sized city of Brazils Sao Paulo state, officials said Thursday. According to state authorities, around 30 armed men participated in the overnight attack in the city of Botucatu, located 150 miles (240 kilometres) from the state capital, then made their getaway. It wasnt immediately clear if the robbery was successful. Sao Paulos Public Security Secretariat said two officers and one suspect were wounded, and police apprehended rifles, vehicles, cash and ammunition. The suspect died after reaching the hospital, and police are searching the region for the others, according to the secretariat. Television network Globo reported the assailants were heavily armed, wore bulletproof vests and attacked multiple bank branches in the city. The network also said some residents were taken hostage during the attacks and that the suspects shot up a police station and set vehicles afire before escaping. Read more about: Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The recent pronouncements made by President Rodrigo Duterte on big businesses in the country will scare away foreign investors, according to a business development strategist. Martial Beck, former executive vice president of the European Chamber of Commerce, said it is difficult to convince foreign companies to choose the Philippines as a location even if the Philippine government has been working so hard to get foreign investors. President Rodrigo Dutertes recent pronouncements on big businesses may aggravate this further according to Beck. READ: Duterte tells telcos Smart and Globe to improve services before December Certainly, the pronouncements made recently are probably going to scare some investors away, Beck told CNN Philippines The Final Word on Thursday. On the other hand, Beck said he believes the country is in the right direction for putting the passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act as a priority. CREATE Act or formerly Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), aims to reduce the corporate income tax rate from 30 percent to 25 percent. Tax incentives are welcome and they are necessary tool to attract foreign investors," Beck said. "The Create Law is in the right direction but anything can happen. He also noted that investors want to make sure that their investments will be safe in the country and that no law or decision will jeopardize their investments. Meanwhile, Beck said that these times call for a consistent government to help small and medium enterprises. It has been very tough the last five, six months," he said. "This is a time that the government should be consistent in its policies. The world is watching what is happening in the Philippines. Bakrid 2021: UP prohibits gatherings of over 50, animal sacrifice at public places When is Bakrid in India 2020? All you need to know about Eid al-Adha India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 30: Eid-al-Adha, also known as Bakrid (Bakra Eid) in India, is the 'festival of sacrifice". It is one of the two most important festivals of the Muslim community. Since India celebrates a day after Saudi Arabia, except certain states, this year Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on August 1, a day after Saudi. However, Kerala, like Saudi, will celebrate on July 31. This year however celebrations are likely to be low key amid the coronavirus pandemic. Eid-al-Adha starts on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah (twelfth and final month) of the Islamic lunar calendar, and ends after four days. This year, celebrations will begin on July 31 (Friday) worldwide, as announced by Saudi Arabia. No mass prayers in Eidgah for Bakrid; Up to 50 allowed at a time in mosques: Karnataka govt The significance of this festival is associated with Ibrahim and his son Ismael and their devotion to Allah. Therefore, the Eid al-Adha is revered as the festival of sacrifice, which encourages people to offer their most loved objects or belongings to God. How is Eid al-Adha celebrated? On Eid al-Adha, many Muslims pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque nearby. They also wear new clothes, visit friends and family. Many Muslims symbolically sacrifice a goat or a sheep as an act of qurbani. Muslims around the world offer prayers, attend sermons, feast on delicious food, give charity to the poor and share their resources, food and celebrations with their relatives, neighbours and friends. Special food is prepared on Eid al-Adha and shared with relatives. A portion of the food is also distributed among the poor and needy. This represents the sheep that God sent to Ibrahim to sacrifice in place of his son. Wishes: No shadows to depress you, Only joys to surround you, God himself to bless you, these are my wishes for you, Today, tomorrow, and every day. Eid al-Adha Mubarak! "Wishing you and your family a health, wealth and prosperity. May Allah shower his mercy on all of us. Eid Mubarak!" "May Allah bring you and your family happiness, peace and prosperity! Eid Mubarak! "Enjoy peace and prosperity! May Allah always keep you healthy bless you! Eid Mubarak!" US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News "Wishing you a joyful Eid al-Adha Mubarak! May Allah accept all our sacrifices!" Have a safe and Happy Eid al-Adha 2020! Top 50 finalists have emerged in a Jack Ma Foundation competition that seeks to support African entrepreneurs. This year's "Africa's Business Heroes" prize competition, organized by Jack Ma Foundation's flagship philanthropic program in Africa, Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative, is the second edition after its 2019 debut. The competition aims to identify, support and inspire the next generation of African entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their local communities, working to solve the most pressing problems and building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future, according to organizers. Over a 10-year period, the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative plans to recognize 100 African entrepreneurs and commit to allocating 100 million U.S. dollars in grant funding and training programs for the broad African entrepreneurial ecosystem. The top 10 finalists in the competition will share a prize pool of 1.5 million dollars this year and gain access to the initiative's community of business leaders to leverage its shared expertise, best practice, training and resources. "With this prize competition, we are looking to inspire and reward African business heroes in all sectors and encourage any aspiring applicants to seize this opportunity to break through barriers and create hope for the future," said Jason Pau, senior adviser for international programs at Jack Ma Foundation. Over 22,000 registrations from 54 African countries were received since the launch of the competition on April 6 until the close of the application on June 22, according to the foundation. The applicants, from a wide range of sectors, are aged between 19 and 82, and the average age of the top 50 finalists is 37, it said. The 50 entrepreneurs emerging in the first round represent 21 countries across Africa, such as Ghana, Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya, and are from 18 sectors including agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, business services, construction, education, with female contestants making up the half, the foundation said. The finalists have introduced "unique" projects in line with the situation of the continent. For example, Abid Khirani from Morocco developed a road safety device attached to the helmet, which is able to notify motorcycle riders of road-related dangers, provide location services, and trigger the emergency procedure and alert family members in case of an accident. According to the schedule, the top 20 finalists, who will be determined by established business leaders through video-call interviews, will be announced in early August, followed by semi-final pitches in mid-August that will determine the top 10 competitors. The top 10 are expected to be announced in September after they are selected through in-person pitches with a distinguished and experienced panel of investors, business leaders and professionals, the foundation said. A final pitch competition show is scheduled to be held at the end of November, when the top 10 finalists will take the stage to pitch business legends, including Jack Ma, to win the share of the prize pool. Jack Ma created the prize after he made his first trip to Africa in 2017, inspired by the energy and entrepreneurial potential of the young people he met with. The Jack Ma Foundation, founded in 2014, has been focusing on education, entrepreneurship, women's leadership, and the environment. Leo Varadkar ordered a security review for a State car and Garda driver for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney in his final days as Taoiseach, Independent.ie can reveal. In one of his last acts as Taoiseach, Mr Varadkar ensured Mr Coveney retained his taxpayer funded security detail before the new government was formed. Mr Coveney was due to lose his car and driver after he stepped down as Tanaiste. However, Mr Varadkar contacted Department of the Taoiseach secretary general Martin Fraser to ask for the security review in the days before he stepped down and was succeed by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin. Read More But Mr Fraser did not officially ask his counterpart in the Department of Justice Aidan ODriscoll for the review until the day after Mr Martin was appointed Taoiseach. Mr Martin was not alerted to Mr Frasers decision to obtain security advice which ensured Mr Coveney retained his 200,000 a year State car and driver. Mr ODriscoll asked Garda Commissioner Drew Harris if it was appropriate for Mr Coveney to retain his security detail. But Justice Minister Helen McEntee was not informed by Mr ODriscoll of his decision to contact the Garda Commissioner. A spokesperson for Ms McEntee said the Commissioner told the minister he had taken a decision on providing additional garda support for Mr Coveney but he did not tell her what the decision was. The Foreign Affairs Minister has said he needs the service because he regularly travels to Northern Ireland. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan did not have the security service when he held the office. Labour Party leader Alan Kelly has raised questions in the Dail about the process surrounding the allocation of extra resources for Mr Coveney at a time when the country is facing into serious economic hardship. During the last recession, Mr Coveney publicly denounced the use of State cars and pledged not to use one if he held office. If I become a minister, I will not accept a State car. Im telling you that now. You can quote me on it, Mr Coveney told a Young Fine Gael conference in November 2010. State cars and Garda drivers were limited to the President, Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Justice Minister and certain senior justice officials back in 2011. Foreign Affairs ministers were not included. Labour leader Alan Kelly challenged Mr Varadkar on the issue in the Dail. He said there are now five things known about how the car was arranged for Mr Coveney: "Firstly, that you made the request when you were Taoiseach for this; "That the current Taoiseach knew nothing about it even though it was actioned on he was Taoiseach; "The Minister for Justice knew nothing about it; "That the government decision from 2011 regarding Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Justice having State cars still stands and hasn't been changed. And there is no paper trail and all of this has been done orally." He asked: "How could you as Taoiseach in the last government make a request for a State car for a minister in a government that had not yet been formed. "How was that constitutionally possible?" And Mr Kelly also asked: "Did you make this request in the full knowledge that Minister Coveney would indeed be the Minister for Foreign Affairs... for a government that had not yet been formed." Mr Varadkar replied saying: "Theres no mystery here mystery here and there's no conspiracy here and you can try to exaggerate it and all the rest of it. I'm happy to be very clear about this." He said: "There are particular security protocols when it comes to the Minister of Foreign Affairs traveling to Northern Ireland." Mr Varadkar said that whoever holds that role has to have a Garda car and Garda protection when they travel to the North. "That has been security protocol for the best part of 20 years." He said that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has usually been the Tanaiste over the last ten years "so this hasn't been an issue." Mr Varadkar added: "But it did happen on occasion when the Minister of Foreign Affairs was not the Tanaiste that they had to have civilian drivers when they were South of the border and then also, the use of a Garda car when going to Northern Ireland and that would have been a situation the Charlie Flanagan would have dealt with." Mr Flanagan held the role after the 2016 general election. Mr Varadkar added: "So when I knew that I was going to be the Tanaiste and that therefore the Minister of Foreign Affairs the next government would not be the Tanaiste, I asked the secretary general of the Government to look into the matter, and decide what was appropriate. "That was the beginning and end of my involvement in this. "He did make enquiries and the Garda Commissioner advised that it would be appropriate for the current arrangements to be maintained." NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- eBaoTech Corporation (eBaoTech), a global leader in digital insurance solutions, announced that Aegon Life has joined more than 10 new clients across the US, Brazil, India, Botswana, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore - ranging from insurance carriers, insurtech startups, and digital channel partners - that have turned to InsureMO on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for increased agility and innovation, including faster product launches and new channel integrations. Aegon Life India chose InsureMO on AWS, to help extend investments in core systems without wholesale replacement of those systems. Core systems are often a barrier to digital innovation, new products across new channels delivering a better user experience, and replacing them is often too costly and time consuming. eBaoCloud InsureMO provides an API-based modernization layer around core systems that enables configuration of new insurance policy types, integration to new channels and partners, and rapid development and deployment of new products with low launch costs that drive new policy volumes at scale. For example, Aegon Life was able to launch its group platform with an eCommerce company within six weeks, which otherwise would have taken months. Additional benefits for Aegon Life include: Multiple lines of businesses running off a single platform enabled by InsureMO API support for distribution partners willing to do servicing beyond just sales (making Aegon Life one of a few carriers capable of providing this type of support) Shortening new product launches from months to 2-3 weeks Launching new insurance plans for affinity partners in less than a day Reducing the partner onboarding process from weeks to 1-3 days All of these benefits are enabled by the scale, resiliency, and agility AWS offers. eBaoCloud InsureMO platform is based on a microservices architecture and contains common APIs needed to manage the whole lifecycle of General (P&C), Life, and Health insurance policies. This includes quotation, illustration, underwriting, payment, and claims. The platform can seamlessly integrate with external applications and services such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR), voice recognition, payment, and location by API calls. InsureMO also supports third parties to develop APIs and register on InsureMO. The availability of templates enables product configuration and speed. Currently, over 3,000 products templates from over 120 insurance companies across more than 10 countries have been configured on eBaoCloud InsureMO. "The term 'Digital Transformation' in insurance is no longer about just replacing your legacy core with a modern core system. The need is to package and launch products in matter of days and connect to multiple channels. eBaoCloud's InsureMO platform solves the same problem with the '3V' proposition (massive Volume, Velocity and Variation) without waiting for legacy core replacements and driving API-led connectivity to enable any insurance scenarios from Life, General, Group, and Health," Rajat Sharma, Corporate VP and Head of Sales and Strategy commented, "We are very excited to work with AWS and rely on them, with the broadest global presence, to quickly roll out InsureMO during this critical industry revolution era." InsureMO's first client in India, Douglas Kennedy, Chief Technology Officer, Aegon Life Insurance said, "We are delighted to be included in the first wave of partnerships for eBaoCloud InsureMO on AWS in India. This association will help us continue to be the differentiators in the industry and achieve greater speed to market and speed to value. The first launch of our group platform with an eCommerce player was achieved within six weeks of signing our partnership with eBaoTech demonstrating by having the right teams, right architecture, right vision you can run at great speed." Ralph Severini, Global Strategy Lead, AWS Insurance Independent Software Vendors, Amazon Web Services, Inc. said, "AWS is delighted to support eBaoTech as they leverage the agility and scale of the cloud to bring new and innovative products to market faster with the goal of providing richer experiences for their customers. AWS's collaboration with eBao provides Aegon Life with the foundation to achieve accelerated growth at scale and support expedited policy delivery, which their customers have come to expect." eBaoTech holds AWS Financial Services Competency status and is an Advanced Technology Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN). Achieving the AWS Financial Services Competency differentiates eBaoTech as an APN member that possesses deep industry expertise, solutions designed with AWS architectural best practices, and staff with AWS certifications. APN Partners are vetted, validated, and verified against a high bar to achieve the AWS Competency designation. Watch an online video about Aegon Life Insurance Company CTO sharing the success story at https://vimeo.com/442616376 About eBaoTech eBaoTech is a digital solution provider to the global insurance industry and our mission is to "make insurance easy". We do business in more than 30 countries globally, serving over 200 carriers and numerous agents, brokers, insurTech's and others in the insurance ecosystem. Digital insurance is the coming wave and the insurance industry is moving into the API economy. eBaoTech provides solutions and services that enable digital insurance. eBaoTech has been dedicated to insurtech innovation since its founding in 2000. In 2001, eBaoTech developed the world's first browser/server-based insurance core system suite, leading the advent and adoption of Java-based 3G insurance IT. In 2015 eBaoTech launched the world's first distributed, cloud-native and microservices based 4G insurance platform that provides a complete set of insurance APIs across an insurance policy's full lifecycle. eBaoTech offers a cloud based solution that enables digital insurance and enterprise level core system insurance software. We make insurance easy. eBaoTech Digital Solutions eBao Cloud is a family of products based on open API insurance platform that provides real time connectivity and transactional capabilities to insurers, traditional channel partners, affinity partners, and insurTech startups. eBao Software includes core system suites for Life, P&C, and Health Insurers as well Re-Insurers. More information, please visit www.ebaotech.com. SOURCE eBaoTech Related Links www.ebaotech.com MYRTLE BEACH Both Horry and Georgetown counties will likely some see impacts from a tropical storm in the coming days, but predictions are a bit hazy due to the changing nature of Tropical Storm Isaias. Potentially, the storm could bring heavy rains and winds to the area Sunday heading into Monday, with the Grand Strand on the edge of the current route for the storm. The National Weather Service currently calls for chances of rain and thunderstorms through the middle of next week. Daytime temperatures will remain in the high 80s all weekend ahead of Isaias arrival. Steven Pfaff, the warning coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Wilmington, N.C., said Isaias is moving fast and is currently near Puerto Rico. While the chance of hurricane force winds reaching the Grand Strand are very low, he said there could be unsafe conditions including wind gusts and flash flooding. And the forecast could change in the coming days as it moves past the Caribbean and toward the mainland United States. If it tracks further inland that would imply more rain, but if it stays off the coast it means less rain, Pfaff said. But this has been a tricky one from the start because it has been so disorganized. Riverine flooding, the type that raises the Waccamaw River out of its banks, is unlikely due to the expected amount of rain and speed of the storm, Pfaff said. While this prediction could change depending on the trajectory of Isaias, Pfaff said a fast-moving storm can help prevent enough rain from falling over large enough regions for a sustained period of time to cause severe river floods. If you remember Florence was moving at, gosh, 3 miles per hour. So the bands of rain were over the same regions for hours, Pfaff said. Flash flooding, a result of intense rain confined to a small area, is more likely in these kinds of storms. This type of flood can quickly create unsafe driving conditions on roads. Pfaff said there is a greater than normal uncertainty about what this tropical storm might bring to the Grand Strand, indicating the track and potential impacts will become more clear in the coming days. If the forecast changes, Pfaff said the National Weather Service and local weather stations will quickly update the public. While Isaias' potential local impact is unknown, Pfaff added the Atlantic Ocean has been actively producing storms this year following predictions that 2020 would be a busy hurricane season. Typically, the peak of hurricane season doesnt come until later in the summer heading into the fall. Hurricanes Matthew, Florence and Dorian all hit during the month of September. Hurricane season will likely look a lot different this year. Earlier this month, Horry County Assistant Administrator Randy Webster reminded the public to begin preparing for a coronavirus season now. This includes coordinating your own sheltering plans further inland, having a preparedness kit that includes important documents and enough supplies to survive two weeks on and making arrangements for your pets. Pfaff reminded the public to seek out good information about storm preparedness and any upcoming weather threat. He warned there is a lot of misinformation on social media that could give some a false sense of security. Weve had a busy season in 2020 and it doesnt look like it is slowing down, Pfaff said. We have a history and it looks like this year will continue being busy. It is not known if storms will bring direct impacts to the area, but we have a history and people need to stay alert. A group of mates who were caught drinking beer and watching television together at a rental property in Melbourne have been fined almost $10,000. Victoria Police issued a total of 88 fines to individuals on Wednesday who have been caught breaching the Chief Health Officer directions. The six men were found at a short term rental property on the Mornington Peninsula, in Melbourne's south-east, despite a Stay at Home order being in place. A group of mates who were caught drinking beer and watching television together at a rental property in Victoria have been fined almost $10,000 (Police leaving an aged care facility on July 29) Victoria Police issued a total of 88 fines to individuals on Wednesday who have been caught breaching the Chief Health Officer directions When police arrived the six men told officers they were there for a 'work related meeting' but they were found drinking alcohol and watching TV. The men were each fines $1,652, adding up to a total of $9,912 in fines for the group. Officers conducted 21,833 checks on vehicles at checkpoints on main arterial roads and made 5,650 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places. Of the 88 fines issued on Wednesday, 11 infringements were given at the vehicle checkpoints and 26 were for failing to wear a face mask when leaving home. A number of fines were issued after people refused to wear a mask even after being offered one from police. From Thursday every single Victorian will have to wear masks in public or face a $200 fine. Police officers arrest an abusive skateboarder who tried to run from the officers as they gave him a move on order for not wearing a facemask and disturbing the peace on July 29 ADF personnel work at the Victorian state control center, which is being used for the coronavirus pandemic Premier Daniel Andrews said from 11.59pm on Sunday the mandatory mask wearing order active in Melbourne for the past week will be applied statewide. CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS EXTENDED IN REGIONAL VICTORIA From 11:59pm on Thursday, the local government areas of Colac-Otway, Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains, and the Borough of Queenscliffe, will no longer be able to visit people or have visitors at home. From Sunday August 2 at 11:59pm, a face covering will be mandatory for all Victorians whenever they leave home. Advertisement 'It's inconvenient, it's challenging, but it's essentially Stage 4 for Melbourne, and it's something we can do in regional Victoria without causing significant economic cost, but getting a really significant public health benefit,' he said. It comes as Victoria saw a record-breaking single daily increase in coronavirus cases 723 infections announced on Thursday. The figure is more than double Wednesday's 295 infections and far exceeds the state's previous record of 532 cases on Monday. Premier Daniel Andrews announced an additional 13 deaths, taking the state's death toll to 105 and national figure to 189. The fatalities are three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men in their 90s. Mr Andrews said 10 of the 13 deaths were aged care residents. There are 913 active cases in aged care facilities and a total of 5,885 active cases across the state. There are 312 Victorians battling coronavirus in hospital and 34 patients are fighting for their lives in intensive care. Former Republican presidential primary candidate and Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain has died of COVID-19, his personal website announced on Thursday. Cain briefly climbed to the top of the Republican primary field in late 2011 before his campaign collapsed. He ultimately dropped out of the 2012 nomination contest after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. Concerns around those allegations last year forced him to withdraw from consideration for a position on the Federal Reserve Board after being nominated by President Donald Trump. Advertisement As a stage 4 colon cancer survivor, Cain was at high risk of a bad outcome if he contracted the novel coronavirus. COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, has killed more than 150,000 people in the United States since the start of the pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. While it is impossible to pinpoint when Cain contracted the virus, he attended Donald Trumps controversial Tulsa, Oklahoma, rallyat which several campaign staff members tested positive for COVID-19on June 20 and was photographed and filmed in a tight crowd without wearing a mask. Advertisement Advertisement Nine days later, he tested positive for COVID-19. Two days after that, on July 1, his symptoms were severe enough that he had to be hospitalized. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, Dan Calabrese, the editor of Cains website, wrote in the post announcing Cains death. On the same day that Cain was hospitalized, his social media account tweeted in praise of Trumps decision to hold a July 4 rally at Mount Rushmore without mandatory masks. They deleted the tweet this morning, but its still appearing if you click through from a link. Less than a month ago Herman Cain tweeted this. He died from COVID-19 this morning. pic.twitter.com/dDAHqA1ov8 Greg Newkirk (@nuekerk) July 30, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his final hours, his social media account tweeted about a recent CBS News poll saying that 70 percent of Americans were skeptical of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Whoever is running his twitter account thought it was more important to stay on brandthan to be cognizant of the fact that Herman Cain was dying from this virus. https://t.co/RxsYxEOV9n Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 30, 2020 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his last months, Cain was also a cheerleader for reopening the economy. In a Fox Business segment on May 19, Cain said, We must open up this economy. Cain then argued that Democrats who sought a more cautious approach to reopening the economy were doing so to damage the presidents political prospects. There is a political element in here and all of the Democrats dont want us to open up and they keep claiming we might be opening up too soon. Look at the data! Were not opening up too soon, Cain said. They would love to be able to campaign on a totally collapsed economy and blame President Trump and his administration. He added that certain Republican governors were reaching that proper balance in reopening schedules. We are only about a week and a half into some of this measured type of reopening that states like Florida, and Georgia, and Texas are doing, he said. So far, according to [Health and Human Services] Secretary Alex [Azar] they are doing OK and it has not spiked in terms of hospitalizations. That is a good sign. Florida reported a state record 216 deaths and Texas recorded 316 deaths on Thursday, as it was reported that 1,420 people in the United States had died from the coronavirus outbreak, the highest one-day total since May, according to the New York Times data, excluding reporting anomalies. For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below. EU sanctions on HK 'symbolic' Global Times By Zhao Yusha Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 23:33:40 Provocation to hurt 'pragmatic ties' with China The European Union (EU)'s sanctions on China over the Hong Kong affairs are a "symbolic gesture" to strike a balance between Washington and Beijing, as the measures will only have a limited impact on Hong Kong, observers noted. However, they warned that the EU should carefully watch its further steps, and avoid tilting to the US, especially as US elections are approaching, because any further provocation against China will only undermine the basis of China-EU relations, which are hailed as a model of pragmatic international relations, and sabotage the bloc's time-honored diplomatic independence. The EU adopted measures on Tuesday in response to the national security law for Hong Kong, including a ban on exports of specific equipment and technologies considered sensitive for use in Hong Kong. The bloc said it will work to ease visa and "asylum" opportunities for Hong Kong residents. The EU indicated it could take further steps at the end of the year. The Chinese mission to the EU on Wednesday said it firmly opposes the EU's decision to impose sanctions on Hong Kong. "We urge the EU to truly respect China's position on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, and to stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any way," the Chinese mission said in a statement. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said that the EU believes that it is a stakeholder and has concerns in Hong Kong and wishes it prosperity and stability. Then it should take concrete steps toward these goals, instead of unilaterally rolling out sanctions that go against this goal. Wang urged the EU to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic affairs, and focus on healthy relations between China and the bloc. This move was soon interpreted by Western media, including The Wall Street Journal, as the EU inching toward a tough US stance on China. The bloc's decision can be seen as kowtowing to US pressure, but adopting those measures, which only have a very limited impact on Hong Kong or the Chinese mainland, are only a "symbolic gesture," as it is part of its balancing strategy not to upset too much Washington or Beijing, Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Wednesday, noting that the bloc will never go as far as Washington or London. Chris Tang Ping-keung, Commissioner of Police of the Hong Kong Police Force, told the Global Times last week that any sanctions from any country based on political reasons have absolute zero impact on him, and 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 one country. "I believe Germany and France do not bow to external pressure. They independently shape foreign policies, and this has been the case over the years. And the EU is also making steps to become strategically autonomous," George N. Tzogopoulos, director of EU-China Programmes, and also a senior research fellow at the Center International de Formation Europeenne, told the Global Times. He said that China and the EU cannot agree on everything, but can collaborate. The EU's public comments on Hong Kong cause understandable frustration for China but - generally speaking - the EU position remains mild. On July 24, when speaking with his German counterpart Heiko Maas, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that current difficulties in China-US relations were created by the US, which is attempting to break up China's development process. Wang told Mass some anti-China forces in the US have maliciously stirred ideological confrontations, and openly coerced other countries to pick sides between China and the US and confront China to serve the selfish interests of the US. Maas said Germany is ready to strengthen cooperation with China in vaccine development and post-pandemic economic recovery and jointly plan for important high-level exchanges between EU and China for the next step. Wang made a similar statement when talking to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian over the phone on Tuesday, criticized US hegemony, saying a certain political faction in the US, driven by the need to lift campaign prospects and maintain unipolar hegemony, are going all out to negate the history of China-US relations, suppress China on every front, provoke China on its core interests. Both calls were made after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on "democratic nations" to unite against the Chinese Communist Party. China and the EU, during their long-term interaction with each another, have already adopted a management mechanism, where both sides can sit down and negotiate critical issues, said Sun, citing talks between Wang and Mass, and between Wang and Le Drian. On one hand, they echo the US and other Western countries, as they share some ideological values; on the other hand, they also prioritize practical policies and economic benefits, and won't go against China on core issues, and hurt their cooperation, said Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations of Renmin University of China. However, observers also warned that as the US gets tougher on China as its election approaches, the EU, being caught in the middle, may take further steps to upset China. "It will undermine relations between Beijing and Brussels, and be a shame for the EU, which has long honored its independent diplomatic policies," Sun said. The EU should also learn its lesson from the recent rift between China and the US, that China will not yield to threats from the outside world, especially when it comes to sovereignty issues. So by pressuring China on Hong Kong or other core issues, the EU may have lost its reckoning, Sun said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Shipping costs are one of the highest expenses in order fulfillment, usually second only to product. As e-commerce sales continue to succeed, brands are feeling the pressure to mobilize their direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategies, and with that shift come questions about crafting the best shipping carrier strategy. One of the core ways this sector differs from traditional retail is that DTC e-commerce shipments employ small parcel providers rather than freight services. Regardless of a company's sales model, in order to assemble the ideal carrier mix, it is important to have at least a baseline understanding of how to navigate this area of business. Consider the specific needs of your business For a company in early growth stages, volume may simply not be high enough to warrant using more than one service, making a single-carrier arrangement the easiest and most efficient strategy for e-commerce orders. Likewise, if you don't need to ship far to reach most or all of your customers, and if service level is your top priority, a regional carrier may be all you need. Because they service a more concentrated geographic region, their shipments can typically be sorted and sent more quickly. These organizations are also smaller, so you might find they are more flexible on rates and other fees than the national carriers with whom they compete for business. All that said, if your company only has a contract with a regional carrier, and you have a sudden surge in orders, business picks up in other regions, or that carrier goes on strike, that could quickly become an issue. Failing to meet delivery promises will sully your reputation, at best--more likely, it will cost you future orders. Solve the rate equation Before comparing rates, it's helpful to understand how they are determined. Freight shipping rates are based on various factors such as weight, freight classification, and distance traveled. What's important to know about the weight factor is that, when it comes to pricing, major carriers now place more emphasis on volume (dimensional weight). So, the more compact a package is, the better it generally is for your bottom line. Some carriers use a flat rate for shipping anywhere in the U.S., regardless of weight or size. Otherwise, whether using freight or small parcel carrier, the main variable is zones--the geographical areas carriers ship to, measured by the distance from address of origin to destination. Zones span from one through eight; the farther the distance, the higher the zone. For example, using USPS's Domestic Zone Chart, if the origin is in New York City, Topeka, Kansas, is Zone 6, Cleveland is Zone 4, and Los Angeles is Zone 8. For packages being shipped to lower zones, you can use slower (a.k.a. lower-cost) service levels, which can subsidize the higher cost of packages shipped to higher zones and using higher service levels. If your customers comprise a geographically diverse group, having a multi-carrier shipping strategy is certainly worth exploring. Understanding the lay of the land--literally--can help you realize savings both with shipping decisions and in contract negotiations. Negotiate ideal terms and ensure compliance Carriers roll out new features, services, and other changes constantly; sellers' products and packaging are also updated, and new markets are opened. All of that impacts shipping, so the carriers, delivery times, and other services a business utilizes should be reconsidered annually, at minimum. Determining which shipping carriers, methods, and services to use is done on a per-package basis. You can negotiate your own rates, use your fulfillment provider's rates, or a mix of both. Companies with fulfillment partners often take advantage of their ability to negotiate more favorable terms based on maintaining high volume of business with multiple carriers. Whatever your agreed-upon terms are, tracking and analyzing performance will give you all the data you need for future negotiations. There are apps and other software available to help companies manage this part of the business; fulfillment companies use transportation management systems designed for full transparency to optimize efficiencies. One of the areas these tools monitor is whether a carrier is meeting service levels. For example, did a parcel marked for next-day delivery arrive two days late? And are mistakes like this habitual? By collecting this data, you can hold carriers accountable for falling short of meeting expectations, which offers an advantage during rate negotiations. As we look back on the time before the coronavirus pandemic, even a date as recent as December 4, 2019, can sometimes seem like ages ago. In truth, it was less than seven months ago that PennLive first reported on Legacy Park, a 185-acre mixed-use project under development by Landmark Homes. Areas of the development will be divided into single-family homes in Wrights Landing, the townhomes of Madison Court and the retail area of Market Square. Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Anglian Water Services Ltd. Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 London, 29 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Anglian Water Services Ltd. and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Key rating considerations are summarized below. The Baa1 rating of Anglian Water Services Limited (AWS) is supported by (1) its low business risk profile as a monopoly provider of essential water and sewerage services; (2) its relatively stable and predictable cash flow generation under a well-established and transparent regulatory framework; (3) its track record of strong operational performance; and (4) the creditor protections incorporated in its financing structure. These strengths are offset by (1) the current high level of gearing, at around 78% of net debt/regulatory capital value (RCV), although Anglian Water has announced plans to reduce leverage from current levels and committed to remain below 80%, and (2) the likelihood of significantly weaker interest coverage over the 2020-25 regulatory period (AMP7) due to a significant reduction in the allowed cost of capital and more challenging operational targets. Story continues AWS decided not to accept the December 2019 final determination published by Ofwat, economic regulator for water companies in England and Wales, setting tariffs for AMP7. The matter has now been referred to the Competition and Markets Authority and the company will not have certainty over its over its revenues and investment programme until later this year or early 2021. This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period. The principal methodology used for this review was Regulated Water Utilities published in June 2018. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit. This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Graham Taylor VP - Senior Credit Officer Project & Infrastructure Finance 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 Neil Griffiths-Lambeth Associate Managing Director Project & Infrastructure Finance 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 2020 Moody's Corporation, Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Moody's Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, "MOODY'S"). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. AND/OR ITS CREDIT RATINGS AFFILIATES ARE MOODY'S CURRENT OPINIONS OF THE RELATIVE FUTURE CREDIT RISK OF ENTITIES, CREDIT COMMITMENTS, OR DEBT OR DEBT-LIKE SECURITIES, AND MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY MOODY'S (COLLECTIVELY, "PUBLICATIONS") MAY INCLUDE SUCH CURRENT OPINIONS. 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Google's Sundar Pichai faced an awkward line of enquiry during today's House Antitrust Subcommittee hearing related to its 2007 acquisition of adtech platform DoubleClick, and how it went on to renege on an original promise to lawmakers and regulators that it would not (nor could not) merge DoubleClick data with Google account data -- automagically doing just that almost a decade later. By linking internet users' browsing data, as harvested via the DoubleClick cookie, to Google accounts it was able to join the dots of user identities, (Gmail) email data, search history, location data and so on (Google already having collapsed the privacy policies of separate products, to join up all that activity) with its users' wider internet browsing activity -- vastly expanding its ability to profile and target people with behavioral ads. Agency for Google users to prevent this massive privacy intrusion, there was none. Rep. Val Demings contended that by combining DoubleClick cookie data and Google account data Google had essentially destroyed user privacy on the internet. And -- importantly, given the domestic antitrust scrutiny the company now faces -- that that had only been possible because of the market power Google had amassed. "When Google proposed the merger alarm bells were raised about the access to data Google would have -- specifically the ability to connect a user's personal identity with their browsing activity," said Demings, before zooming in to hammer Pichai on another tech giant broken data privacy promise. "Google... committed to Congress and to the antitrust enforcers that the deal would not reduce user privacy. Google chief's legal advisor testified before the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee that Google wouldn't be able to merge this data. Even if it wanted to, given contractual restrictions. But in June of 2016 Google went ahead and merged this data anyway -- effectively destroying anonymity on the internet," she explained. Story continues Demings then pressed Pichai on whether he personally signed off on the privacy-hostile move, given he became CEO of Google in 2015. and @RepValDemings crushes it on what was my burning question for Google by probing 2016 cookie/data merge. Here is the press report. It's also known as question #106 by Texas AG @KenPaxtonTX. Republican for those who think these concerns are partisan. https://t.co/WV8qj2Iepk pic.twitter.com/JgSYgojtEX Jason Kint (@jason_kint) July 29, 2020 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Pichai hesitated before attempting a bland response -- only to be interrupted by Demings pressing him again: "Did you sign off on the decision or not?" "I -- I reviewed at a high level all the important decisions we make," he said, after a micro pause. He then segwayed in search of more comfortable territory, starting into Google's usual marketing spiel -- about how it "deeply cares about the privacy and security of our users". Demings was having none of it. The U-turn had enabled Google to combine a user's search and browsing history, location data and information from emails stored in Gmail, she said, blasting it "absolutely staggering". She then referenced an email from a DoubleClick exec who had told the committee it was "exactly the kind of user reduction in privacy that users' founders had previously worried would lead to a backlash". "'They were unwavering on the policy due to philosophical reasons. Which is Larry [Page] and Sergey [Brin] fundamentally not wanting users associated with a cross-site cookie. They were also worried about a privacy storm, as well as damage to Google's brand'," she said, quoting directly from the email from the unnamed DoubleClick exec. "So in 2007 Google's founders feared making this change because they knew it would upset their users -- but in 2016 Google didn't seem to care," Demings went on, before putting it to Pichai that what had changed between 2007 and 2016 is that Google gained "enormous market power". "So while Google had to care about user privacy in 2007 it no longer had to in 2016 -- would you agree that what changed was Google gained enormous market power?" she asked. The Alphabet and Google CEO responded by asking for a chance "to explain" -- and then rattling off a list of controls Google offers users so they can try and shrink how it tracks them, further claiming it makes it "very easy" for people to control what it does with their information. (Some EU data regulators have taken a very different view of Google's 'transparency', however.) "We today make it very easy for users to be in control of their data," claimed Pichai. "We have simplified their settings, they can turn ads personalization on or off -- we have combined most of activity settings into three groupings. We remind users to go do a privacy check up. One billion users have done so." Demings, sounding unimpressed, cut him off again -- saying: "I am concerned that Google's bait and switch with DoubleClick is part of a broader pattern where Google buys up companies for the purposes of surveilling Americans and because of Google's dominance users have no choice but to surrender." She went on to contend that "more user data means more money" for Google. Pichai had a go at denying that -- starting an answer with the claim that "in general that's not true" before Demings repeated the contention: "So you're saying that more user data does not mean the more money that Google can collect?" That was easier for Pichai to sidestep. "Most of the data we collect is to help users and provide personalized experiences back", he shot back, neatly avoiding the key point that the access Google has given itself to people's data by cross linking their web browsing with Google IDs and product activity enables the tech giant to generate massive profits via targeting them with creepy ads, which in turn makes up the vast majority of Alphabet's profit. But with that Demings' five minutes were up -- although the hearing continues. You can tune in here. Shortly later in the session, facing further questions around ad data, Pichai noted that Google no longer uses data from Gmail for ad targeting -- although this change is relatively recent (June 2017). BEVERLY, Mass., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medicinal Genomics Corp. (MGC), a pioneer in harnessing cannabis genomics to improve the agricultural productivity, safety and transparency of cannabis, today announced that SD PharmLabs, a multistate testing lab organization, has selected Medicinal Genomics' PathoSEEK qPCR platform for microbial testing in its Texas hemp lab, the first in that state. Beyond testing, PharmLabs also provide genetic breeding services to cannabis and hemp cultivators in half a dozen states and is heavily involved in assisting regulators in those states with crafting regulations governing their legal industries. "We build state-of-the-art facilities everywhere we land," said Greg Magdoff, Founder and CEO of SD PharmLabs. "We have every supplier's platforms in our labs, but we wanted to find the best for this latest opening. We put every supplier's features and capabilities into a spreadsheet. Once we did that, the answer was obvious. Medicinal Genomics won hands down." The hemp business is Texas is just getting started and has tremendous potential. The state has plenty of good land, water, weather and the support of the state's department of agriculture. Money from the oil industry has also found its way into more profitable fields. With cannabis oil selling wholesale for upwards of $10 per gram, and over 1.1 million grams in a $40 barrel of oil, the favorable economics of cannabis and hemp farming become very clear. "We're very pleased that Greg and his team selected us for their new Texas lab," said Brendan McKernan, Medicinal Genomics CEO. "We know how robust their business is and we look forward to working with them not only in other geographies, but also to supply the genetic tools we both know cultivators need to produce new varieties that have higher yields, require fewer pesticides, and are more adaptable to the changing environment." About Medicinal Genomics Corporation Medicinal Genomics Corporation is a pioneer in advancing the genomics of cannabis to build a stronger scientific foundation for cannabis-based products. The company's unmatched expertise in genetic science helps cultivators, dispensaries and testing laboratories characterize and understand the quality and consistency of cannabis to ensure patients and consumers have access to consistently safe, high quality cannabis. To support their mission, Medicinal Genomics also produces CannMed, an annual gathering of cannabis leaders dedicated to the scientific advancement of the cannabis industry, and Kannapedia, the world's most complete public cannabis cultivar database. For more information, please visit www.medicinalgenomics.com. MGC media contact: Ben Amirault [email protected] 617.892.7243 SOURCE Medicinal Genomics Corporation The global death toll from the coronavirus is around 668,000, with more than 17 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness. Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions. Central Asia Flags are flying at half-staff in Kyrgyzstan as the country observes a national day of mourning to commemorate victims of the coronavirus pandemic that has swept across the Central Asian nation. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and other top officials attended a mourning ceremony on July 30 at the Ata-Beiit memorial complex, where a mass prayer was said to honor the deadly infection's victims. According to the Health Ministry, the number of coronavirus cases in Kyrgyzstan as of July 30 was 35,143, of which 24,474 people had recovered and 1,364 patients had died. In Kazakhstan, Sanitary Inspector-General Aizhan Esmaghambetova announced that as of July 31 masks must be worn by people when they are outdoors, in shops, pharmacies, public transportation, and other public places. As of July 30, the number of coronavirus cases in the country was reported at 87,644, including 793 deaths. In neighboring Uzbekistan, authorities said on July 29 that Deputy Finance Minister Yorqin Tursunov had died of COVID-19 at the age of 55. According to the Finance Ministry, Tursunov was hospitalized with acute COVID-19 symptoms two days earlier. Also on July 29, the country's Sanitary Inspector-General Nurmat Otabekov said he had tested positive and is being treated. Uzbek health authorities said that as of late on July 29, the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 22,585, including 131 deaths. In Tajikistan, the chairman of the State Taxation Committee, Nusratullo Davlatzoda, said on July 30 that due to restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, 27,000 businessmen and entrepreneurs had to suspend their activities, due to which the State Treasury took in 40 million somonis ($522,500) less in taxes than planned over the last six months. Tajik health authorities said on July 29 that in the previous 24 hours, 44 new coronavirus cases were registered in the country, bringing the total number to 7,320, of whom 60 people had died. However, an investigative report by RFE/RLs Tajik Service last month revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients. In Turkmenistan, the only country in the region that has not officially registered a single coronavirus case, authorities in the eastern region of Lebap have ordered local residents to bury their dead in graves that "are not visible from satellites," namely to have the graves flat and without stones. The order came after the ASSA news website reported last week about COVID-19 victims in the western region of Balkan, providing pictures taken from Google Map archives showing increasing number of new graves in the city of Balkanabat. RFE/RL correspondents report from the Lebap region that the number of graves in local cemeteries has increased fifteenfold since July 2019. Although Turkmen officials have insisted that there is no coronavirus in the country, RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died. In Ashgabat, the capital, morgues have released the bodies of people who officially died of pneumonia wrapped in plastic bags and covered with a chlorine-penetrated fabric, local residents who lost their loved ones told RFE/RL. In some parts of the country, so-called quarantine zones have been established and some industrial facilities are being shut down, RFE/RL correspondents report. The leader of a World Health Organization mission, Catherine Smallwood, told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled country. Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate "critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating." With reporting by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, and Turkmen services Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput's death case recently took a new turn when the late actor's family registered an FIR against his actress-girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty in Patna. Meanwhile, the Mumbai police has also been investigating this matter, and have already interrogated more than 38 people for the same. However, Sushant's close friend, producer Sandip Ssingh recently told Republic TV that the Mumbai Police has not formally summoned him to record his statement yet, despite being one of Sushant's closest friends. Sandip was quoted as saying, "They have not taken my statement as of now. They have spoken to me, they have taken all the details from me. They have spoken to me in detail." The producer also expressed his doubts over the allegations of "suicide" revealing that Sushant had been a happy person. He also said that Sushant's former manager Disha Salian like the late actor, wasn't someone whom he thought would die by suicide, and decribed her as a 'happy-go-lucky' person. Speaking about Sushant, Sandip recalled how both of them would aspire for and talk about 'two Biharis ruling Bollywood.' He also told Republic TV that from the glimpse he got of Sushant's room when he arrived there after hearing of the suicide, the ceiling was low enough that it would make hanging onself cumbersome. On being asked if Sushant was planning to quit Bollywood, Sandip responded in affirmative and said that the late actor wanted to do organic farming. Further, when Sandip was quizzed if Sushant was boycotted by Bollywood bigwigs like Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra, the producer replied that Sushant's relationship with the Bollywood bigwigs were on his personal level and he is nobody to give anyone a clean chit. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020. The post-mortem report confirmed his death by asphyxia. Since then, the Mumbai police has been probing this case from various angles including professional rivalry. ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Case: SC Dismisses PIL For CBI Probe, Says 'Let Police Do Their Job' ALSO READ: Sushant's Father And Sister Mitu Never Mentioned Rhea's Name In Their Statements To Mumbai Police July 30 : Since we have entered the first unlock phase of coronavirus pandemic. People are getting more bold and fearless. They are leaving their home deprived of any work. Today Veteran actor Anupam Kher as responsible citizens giving a reminder has urged his fans to stay home. He posted the image of two capsules written stay home on it. The image shared by Anupam also stated that The only medicine found till now lets take it. The Wednesday actor has been very active in creating awareness amid coronavirus pandemic. He keeps sharing motivational quotes and videos on his social media handles. The Instagram feed of Anupam read, A Reminder... :) #stayhome Meanwhile, on the work front, Anupam Kher was last seen in the movies Hotel Mumbai, One Day: Justice Delivered, and The Accidental Prime Minister. Recently Anupam was also seen posting about his new play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hain on his Instagram. It is the play about the failures, disasters of Anupams life. It's an autobiography. He released his autobiographical play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai on his new website. He feels the play will give some hope to people during these stressful times. Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, offers a glance at Anupam's failures, triumphs, and life lessons, as the actor sets out to depict ordinary people. Republican Senators Introduce the Protecting America From Spies Act Following the closing of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday introduced legislation to protect the nation from spies. Cruz and three other Republican senators created a proposal that will deny visas to anyone who has spied on or stolen intellectual property from the United States. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) joined Cruz to advance the Protecting America from Spies Act. Under current law, the Chinese Communist Partys spies expelled from the U.S. have the ability to immediately reapply for visas, Cruzs office noted. The Protecting America from Spies Act would update the Immigration and Naturalization Act to ensure past, present, and future espionage and tech-transfer activity is considered inadmissible for entry into the United States. The bill also states that if the spying occurred within the past 5 years, the spouse and children of the alien would also be disqualified from obtaining or renewing a visa. The U.S. State Department ordered the Chinese Consulate in Houston to close on July 22. According to State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, China was violating U.S. sovereignty. The United States will not tolerate the PRCs violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the PRCs unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior. President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in U.S.-China relations, Ortagus said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times. According to Senate Intelligence Committee Acting Chairman Marco Rubio, the consulate was not used for diplomatic purposes. Chinas consulate in Houston is not a diplomatic facility. It is the central node of the Communist Partys vast network of spies and influence operations in the United States. Now that building must close & the spies have 72 hours to leave or face arrest, Rubio said on Twitter on July 22, adding that the closure is long overdue. The closure order came on the heels of an indictment of two Chinese nationals for a decade-long cyber espionage campaign in which they were accused of stealing information on weapons designs, drug information, software source code, and personal data. Cruz said that China has been using espionage against the United States without consequence for far too long. The State Departments recent closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston due to the Communist Chinese Party actively engaging in espionage and intellectual property theft was an important step, but more needs to be done, said Cruz, adding that that is why he led the effort to introduce the Protect American from Spies Act. The bill, which has been sent to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, is being introduced in the House by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.). It is past time to stop known spies from China coming back into our country, Hartzler said. In September last year, the United States expelled two Chinese embassy officials for driving onto a sensitive military base in Virginia, the first time in more than 30 years that Chinese diplomats were expelled over suspected espionage. Top U.S. officials have recently ramped up criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), saying the regime is the biggest threat to the United States. Roughly 80 percent of all economic espionage prosecutions brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges criminal conduct intended to benefit the CCP. China is involved in some way in about 60 percent of all trade secret theft cases, according to the DOJ. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureau is opening a new counterintelligence investigation involving China every 10 hours. The bureau has more than 2,000 active China-related investigations, as part of the China Initiative, a large-scale counter-CCP campaign launched in November 2018 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report. 1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up. 2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed. 3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms. 4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually. 5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings. Vote View Results A toddler found floating face down in her grandparents' swimming pool has made a full recovery in what has been hailed as a miracle. The little girl was saved by the swift action of two police officers who were attending another incident nearby. When Robert Lindblom and Kyle Skipper, of Pensacola Police in Florida, arrived at the house, they found the three-year-old unresponsive. Mr Linblom said that when he first saw the childs purple and blue skin, he felt sure it was too late to save her. The little girl's skin had turned blue, leaving the officers fearing the worst / WEAR-TV/ABC 3 He told local news channel WBTV: "To be honest, my first thought was there was no way we were gonna bring her back. I thought for sure she was gone," he said. "When I saw her take a breath, I really just thought it was a miracle. He and his colleague administered CPR before rushing the child to hospital. Doctors said she would have died if her rescuers had got there any later, according to the US broadcaster. Bodycam footage of the heart-stopping incident was shared on Facebook by the police department following the incident on June 13. Loading.... The child has not been named but she is said to have made a full recovery. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Natalie Thomas (Reuters) London Thu, July 30, 2020 16:46 538 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a94013 2 People face-mask,deaf Free The introduction of mandatory face masks in most enclosed spaces across Britain was designed to protect people during the pandemic but has made life very difficult for the deaf community. Face coverings prevent lip reading and hide facial expressions, making it virtually impossible for the 12 million people who are either deaf or suffering with hearing loss in Britain to communicate and forcing many to stay at home. Mangai Sutharsan, director of Empowering Deaf Society, said she understood why masks were important to help counter the spread of COVID-19 but the introduction had increased her anxiety about going into public spaces. "Personally I'm frightened to go to the shop and to mix where people are wearing masks," she told Reuters in sign language, translated into English by an interpreter. "People don't know I'm deaf so they'll be talking to me but I won't know it, or I won't understand them which is embarrassing. This is really stressful." Read also: Yogyakarta woman creates 'transparent mask' to help the deaf communicate in time of coronavirus A survey in May for the Office for National Statistics showed that those with hearing problems were already less likely to leave their home during the pandemic and a charity supporting those with hearing loss say masks is making that worse. "Communication for many is virtually impossible and it's a huge challenge causing massive anxiety," Ayla Ozmen, head of research and policy at Action on Hearing Loss, told Reuters. Those travelling with, or providing help to deaf people are exempt from wearing face coverings under the rules, and some manufacturers have begun making masks with clear plastic panels, but these are not yet widely available and they can steam up. New Delhi 30 July : Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, here on Thursday, urged the Delhi government to reduce the value-added tax (VAT) on diesel to 12.5 per cent and petrol to 20 per cent. Bidhuri said before Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to power, 12.5 per cent VAT was being charged on diesel. The VAT on diesel was increased to 30 per cent and on petrol from 20 per cent to 30 per cent during the Kejriwal's rule. "If the government really wants to give relief to the people of Delhi, then it should charge 12.5 per cent VAT on diesel and 20 per cent VAT on petrol," he said. The BJP had continuously been demanding lowering of VAT on motor fuel, he said and added, the Delhi government accepted the demand to some extent, but it needed further reduction. BGR Our Sun isnt quite as old as other stars out there. However, scientists are already trying to pinpoint exactly when the Sun will die. Of course, it isnt as simple as throwing out a date. After all, were working with a massive ball of energy that weve still barely managed to scratch the surface of The post Scientists think they figured out when the Sun will explode and kill us all appeared first on BGR. Indias banks, facing a critical challenge of slowing credit off-take, need to take a leaf from the late 70s shampoo sachet revolution by FMCG companies, who launched affordable bite-sized packets as the average bottle of shampoo cost more than most Indians were willing or able to pay, says former RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya in his new book. What is the point of a one year loan repaid in monthly installments to a farmer who earns only during a harvest? The financial services providers must reduce the size of the packaging and also re-think the formula itself, he argues in the book Quest for Restoring Financial Stability in India. Acharya says India remains one of the most financially under-penetrated large economies in the world. An estimated 50% of people are employed informally in India. They may earn as much as those in formal employment but they remain invisible to the banking system. So when they want a loan the bank denies them credit unless they can offer a hard asset as collateral. The average Indian cannot do this and ends up resorting to informal finance. This is one of the reasons why Indias credit-to-GDP ratio stands at just 55.7% compared to Chinas 208.7%. If the formal financial system understands better the cash flow patterns of individuals then it can serve the unique needs of Indian customers, says Acharya, who was deputy governor between January 2017 and July 2019. This way, he says, with the aid of smarter technology, there is no reason why India cannot raise its credit-to-GDP ratio to bring it in line with those of more high-income nations. Making cash-flow based credit available to every Indian is a small solution to Indias big problem of financial exclusion, according to Acharya. As financial stability often requires enduring short-term pain for long-run growth, it is not easy to be its gatekeeper anywhere in the world, and certainly not so in India, he says. He also recalls that as RBIs deputy governor he did not strike compromises on what really mattered for restoring financial stability, neither with the governors nor with the government. On his decision to quit as the central banks deputy governor, Acharya writes, at times it wasnt easy, but I continue to believe that it was worth fighting for. It was the right stance. His books comes at a time when the RBI and the government are struggling to put Indian banking system on a sound footing so that recovery kicks off in the Covid-ravaged economy. Affordable housing was a critical issue before COVID-19 found its way here: Full-time minimum wage workers could not afford a two-bedroom rental anywhere in the U.S. In Nebraska, a two-bedroom rental unit requires wages of more than $16 per hour. Minimum wage here is $9 per hour. Median income in Nebraska has been dropping in recent years, while rental and real estate prices rise, and theres a serious deficit in affordable housing inventory. In addition, the floods that affected large swaths of the state last year have had a long-term effect on housing availability and stability. Next, consider that only 20 to 25% of Americans who are eligible for some kind of federal rental assistance actually receive it, and now the administration is revoking some fair housing rules. In Nebraska, no law assures fair housing to recipients of Social Security or other federal income. Sen. Tony Vargas has introduced LB 1020 to ensure peoples sources of legal income cannot be used to discriminate against them, among other changes. But that bill seems unlikely to reach the floor. The Legislature on Monday voted down an eviction moratorium. New Delhi: India has firmly told China to vacate the Finger 5 area in Pangong Lake, Ladakh, even as disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has reached a critical point. While complete disengagement has happened in Galwan valley and Hot Springs, the process is yet to be completed in Gogra area, Pangong Lake for which more talks are expected to happen. "As per media reports, both sides are building up. When build-up happens, to expect Chinese to pull back from Pangong Tso runs contrary," said Former 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General PJS Pannu. While both sides are in engaged in the fifth round of military talks, India has said the disengagement process is yet to be completed. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "Some progress made towards" disengagement but the "process has as yet not been completed". He further explained, "As we have stated earlier, the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship....we expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas." The MEA statement comes even as Chinese side on July 29 claimed that "front-line border forces of the two countries have disengaged in most locations, and the current situation has continuously improved with eased tensions". So far since the June 15 Galwan Valley incident, three rounds of military talks on June 22, June 30 and July 14, another three rounds of diplomatic talks--Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on June 24, July 10th and July 24 and one round of SR level talks between NSA Doval Ajit Doval and Chinese FM Wang Yi has happened. Meanwhile, the Chinese envoy Sun Weidong when asked on China making new claims at LAC said, "Nothern line in Pangong Lake and Chinese customary boundary is in accordance with LAC and there is no case of China expanding its territorial claim." He declined to answer Chinese casualties during the Galwan incident when asked and said, "understand the goodwill..we don't want to add more tensions and escalate the situation" at LAC. New Delhi: Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma failed to appear at the Gurugram court on Thursday (July 30, 2020) despite being issued summons. On July 20, based on a former employee's complaint, the Gurugram court had ordered Alibaba founder Jack Ma to appear in the court on July 29. However, the case was postponed for Thursday. Of the 15 parties named, only five were represented by lawyers, all by a single law firm. The represented parties include 2 Indians, 2 Chinese officers and the fifth is UC Web Mobile Private Limited. It names Sandra Xu, the International HR Head; Nisha Handa, erstwhile director; Ramesh Bisht, erstwhile director; Shunyan Zhu, Director and UC Web Mobile Pvt Ltd. The court asked the defandants' law firm that if all the 15 defandants are connected to the same group of companies then can not they be representated by one law firm. The court gave time till the law firm asks all 15 parties to answer in court whether this law firm will fight the case on behalf of all or just the five parties. This was done to avoid wasting the court's precious time. On the plea by petitioner Pushpendra Singh Parmar, who has challenged his termination from the company, Gurugram court issued summons to 15 officers of the company including Jack Ma, to appear in the court either personally or through a lawyer on July 29. The petitioner has accused UC Web of the Chinese company Ali Baba Group of censoring news and even spreading fake news on company apps. The plea said news related to the Indian Army was banned on its app. According to the allegation, the company has made such a list of about 2000 words, which cannot be used for any news report, words such as ITBP, McMahon line, India China border, Boycott Chinese product, NSG etc. It is also alleged that the Chinese company has openly supported Pakistan and pro-Pakistani terrorists. For example, after the terrorist attack in Pulwama any news written against Pakistan was stopped. It is alleged that fake news was used to create instability in the country. Just before the Gujarat Assembly Elections Gujarat in November 2017, the company sent a fake news message of riots to crores of users on October 27 2017. It was due to his objection to the use of fake news by the company, the top management removed the complainant from the job immediately and did not even give any reason in writing. The owners of a luxury resort have revealed they lost $80,000 when the Queensland government closed its border to Sydney residents after an increase in coronavirus infections in the NSW capital. Sam and Kerri-Ann Charlton own the Bedarra Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reef and were hopeful of a busy season when Queensland's travel restrictions started to ease in early July. But when it was announced the border will be closed to Sydney residents from Saturday, August 1, the resort was flooded with cancellations. 'We've had to cancel four to five villas for this weekend, which is about $80,000 down the drain. I'm so p***ed off,' Ms Charlton said. Queensland resort owners Sam and Kerri-Ann Charlton say they are 'p***ed off' after the state government closed the border to Sydney, costing them $80,000 in business Mr and Mrs Charlton own the luxury Bedarra Island Resort (pictured) and said their phones were ringing off the hook with cancellations after the border announcement Mr Charlton said much of their business comes from south of the border, The Financial Review reported. 'It's like a double whammy. Close to 25 per cent of the bookings we're holding at the moment are from the greater Sydney region,' he said. 'Any time the premier or Chief Health Officer gets up and makes a statement, our phones run red hot with cancellations. It's almost uncanny.' The couple said when they heard the news it was like being told there had been a 'death in the family'. Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen agreed the border closure was a major blow for tourism in the state. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk threatened to 'slam the border shut' on July 27 before announcing the ban on Sydneysiders on Wednesday after the number of cases continued to rise. Mr Chalrton said 25 per cent of current bookings at the resort (pictured) were people from the Sydney area The premier added 31 local government areas in Sydney to the COVID-19 'hotspot' list. 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.' Daily Mail Australia have contacted Mr and Mrs Charlton for further comment. Carter Trousdale might be called a Renaissance man one minute explaining how to play the ukulele, the next, discussing the policy perils of Brexit. Passionate about connecting people across cultures, Carter speaks French and is developing in Arabic, Russian, and German. He studied abroad in Morocco and has had internships on three continents, the latest of which was working for the U.S. Department of State at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium. In addition to being a former NCAA varsity student-athlete, he has had the honor of being a Robert M. Gates Scholar and a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar. Carter transferred to William & Mary because he wanted to be challenged. "At William & Mary I'm challenged to grow every day by new ideas, conceptions, and perspectives by other students in my classes and pretty much everyone who opens their mouth and speaks here. It's just an amazing environment. After graduation, Carter accepted a position as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, a top management consulting firm in Washington, DC. In this role, he applies his critical thinking skills to solving challenges and serving clients across the federal government. Learn more about Carter IndusInd Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, falling over 5 per cent, followed by HDFC, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, SBI, Bajaj Finserv and Bharti Airtel. Domestic equity benchmark Sensex slumped 335 points on Thursday, dragged by losses in financial stocks amid negative cues from global markets. The 30-share BSE benchmark ended 335.06 points or 0.88 per cent lower at 37,736.07; while the NSE Nifty tumbled 100.70 points or 0.90 per cent to 11,102.15. IndusInd Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, falling over 5 per cent, followed by HDFC, Axis Bank, PowerGrid, SBI, Bajaj Finserv and Bharti Airtel. On the other hand, Sun Pharma, Maruti, Infosys and Reliance Industries were among the gainers. According to Narendra Solanki, Head- Equity Research (Fundamental), Anand Rathi, Indian markets opened in green following mixed global cues as US Fed kept rates on hold. However, during the afternoon session, market sentiment turned cautious as doubts rose on further deterioration of the asset quality of financial companies. The selloff was led by banks and financial stocks, he added. Markets also turned choppy on the expiry of July derivatives, traders said. Bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo ended in the red, while Seoul settled on a positive note. Stock exchanges in Europe were trading with losses in early deals. Global oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 1.27 per cent lower at $43.53 per barrel. In the forex market, the rupee fell 4 paise to close at 74.84 against the US dollar. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters Year 2020 has been a year of tragedies, particularly for the Bollywood, which lost some of its brightest stars in the last few months. Irrfan Khan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor, choreographer Saroj Khan are some of the stalwarts who passed away. Amid all the tragedies, actor Rajshri Deshpande has found a novel way to remember the actors. She has planted trees in honour of actor Irrfan Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput. It has been three months now that actor Irrfan Khan passed away after battling neuroendocrine tumor. But the legacy that the actor left behind has made him immortal with his unparalleled contribution to the Indian cinema. Paying tributes to Khan, actress Rajshri Deshpande remembered the actor as a guiding light and mentor to many emerging actors. She shared an image of a tree being planted in the name of late actor and said, "He himself was a tree. A huge one, whose canopy of outstanding movies gave shade to thousands of cinema travellers like me. He taught us. he showed us the way. He opened many doors for actors like me. This one is for you, Sir. #Irrfankhan (sic)." Deshpande is an actor and activist and has worked in web series Sacred Games. She came to limelight for her role of Laxami in Pan Nalin's Angry Indian Goddesses. He himself was a tree. A huge one, whose canopy of outstanding movies gave shade to thousands of cinema travellers like me. He taught us. he showed us the way. He opened many doors for actors like me. This one is for you, Sir. #Irrfankhan pic.twitter.com/rQk5p2AAM9 Rajshri Deshpande (@rajshriartist) July 30, 2020 Khan, known for bringing gravitas to Bollywood and essaying the ordinary aam aadmi with panache, was ailing since 2018 when he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. He passed away at the age of 53 in Mumbai and was laid to rest at the Versova cemetery. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ahan. Planting a hope .. Planting a dream... Planting an inspiration... Planting in remembrance of an artist, a dancer, a genius, a fighter, an inspiration ... Dear Sushant, your legacy will live on...@itsSSR pic.twitter.com/vYNEHONNC4 Rajshri Deshpande (@rajshriartist) July 30, 2020 Sushant Singh Rajput's sudden death after he ended is life at hi Bandra residence in June took everyone by shock. The young actor was found hanging at his home. His death triggered debates on mental health and nepotism in Bollywood, with several bigwigs being questioned in connection with the case. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Fans of one of Australia's oldest beers are patting themselves on the back after their efforts saw cans of the famous brew return to shelves 15 years after they were pulled from sale. Reschs Silver Bullet cans are finally making a comeback following a 15 year hiatus Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) has announced Reschs Silver Bullet cans would finally return to NSW bottle shops and pubs after a campaign by lovers of the pilsener. The work was the doing of the Reschs Appreciation Society, a 7,500-strong group of dedicated beer drinkers that was founded 10 years ago. The society had been campaigning for the return of the cans for years and last November CUB finally agreed. 'I started the society ten years ago because I was irritated one night when I couldn't find the beer I love,' Matt Henricks told Daily Mail Australia. 'This is the big symbolic change that the beer we love is back on the radar. We are literally just a bunch of battlers that are obsessed with this beer. 'The biggest victory for us is that CUB even put our (society) logo on the case.' The society started off as a Facebook page which Mr Henricks said is growing by 100 people every week. He now sells Reschs merchandise with the majority of proceeds going to charity and said the group felt like a family who just want real beer. Matt Henricks, (pictured) founder of the Reschs Appreciation Society had been campaigning for the cans to return for years The society started off as a Facebook page which Mr Henricks said is growing by 100 people every week 'The idea came to me at 3am on a bucks night and the community we've created is really something special,' he said. 'We are kind of like an anti-craft beer movement, we like beer that tastes like beer - not pineapple.' Reschs continued to sell in its bottle form in 2005 but was hard to come by as it was only sold in select retailers and pubs. 'I think Reschs has been unfairly tarnished as a legacy brand and (CUB) kind of see these legacy brands as dying,' Mr Henricks said. The Reschs Appreciation Society (pictured) is a group of thousands of Australian beer lovers who were anxiously awaiting the return of the Silver Bullet cans 'Carlton had the view that the popularity was dying so they killed off the cans. 'Now it's like a resurgence of the cans. We are bringing back an icon.' Mr Henricks has been working with Reschs Marketing Manager Hugh Jellie since November and had a role in deciding how the beer would be packaged. CUB has even put the appreciation society's logo (bottom left) on cases of the beloved beer Members from the Reschs Appreciation Society are seen enjoying a glass of their favourite brew 'We stopped making Silver Bullets 15 years ago because sales were down. But the Societys passion has helped us realise this was a mistake,' Mr Jellie said. 'Theyre a great bunch of men and women who love bonding over good beer and we love to support them.' The cans will initially be available in NSW and online but the society hopes they will soon be available nationwide. 'It' a vindication of (our) work for over 10 years, it's a source of pride,' Mr Henricks said. 'I think they've got a hidden gem and they just don't know it yet.' John Lewis Donald Trump hit a PR double today, floating the idea of delaying the election. Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell, quickly shot down Trumps trial balloon, saying, Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time. Well find a way to do that again this Nov. 3. King Trump doesnt have the authority to fiddle around with Election Day. The Constitution empowers Congress to set the day of the vote. That hardly matters to the president. His Election Day gambit succeeded in diverting attention from the historic contraction of the American economy and the funeral of Congressman John Lewis, which was attended by three presidents not named Trump. The Commerce Dept. reported that the GDP contracted 9.5 percent from April through June, the steepest decline since 1947 as states shut down to deal with the spreading COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Dept. added to that gloomy news, reporting that 1.43M Americans filed for unemployment benefits during the week ended July 25. That marked the 19thconsecutive week of a million or more claims, which was unheard of prior to COVID-19. Trumps election tweet stole some of the national spotlight from the Atlanta funeral of civil rights advocate John Lewis. President Barack Obama eulogized Lewis, while Bill Clinton and George W. Bush delivered remarks at the ceremony held at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Lewis, an advocate for voting rights who was called the conscience of the Congress," would have been appalled by Trumps delay-the-election idea. That would have suited Donald just fine. The New York Times on July 30 published an essay that Lewis wrote a couple of days before he died. In it, he wrote: "The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it. Lewis also wrote: Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself." The anti-Lewis doesnt give a fig about democracy or a world at peace with itself. To Trump, its all about maintaining a grip on the presidency, even if means whining day-after-day about delaying or cancelling the election. Trump hit a double today but he was called out at third base by the American people after he tried to stretch it into a triple. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the possibility of delaying the nation's November presidential election despite its date being enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Trump, without evidence, repeated his claims of mail-in voter fraud and raised the question of a delay, writing: "delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Also Read: 'Nobody Likes Me': Trump On US Health Expert Fauci's High Approval Rating Also Read: Mauritius at heart of India's approach to Indian Ocean region, says PM Modi Calling for the immediate release of Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Saifuddin Soz, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said "illegal" detention of political leaders damages the fabric of the country. Soz has alleged that he has been detained in his house since August 5 last year, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. "The illegal detention of political leaders with absolutely no basis damages the fabric of our nation. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Despite all the fear and uncertainty, the earnings season is turning out to be much better than feared, with estimate revisions for the third quarter of 2020 and beyond continuing to move up. While the majority of companies are still unable to provide full-year guidance, management commentary has turned increasingly positive this quarter, signaling what we guessed (and hoped) about the second quarter being a bottom. Some companies of course stand out from the rest in terms of earnings quality and growth prospects. These are captured in Zacks methodology like the Zacks Rank, Zacks Industry Rank, VGM Score and more. Here are a few I like particularly because they also beat estimates that were on the rise, along with a brief discussion of their numbers- Aarons, Inc. AAN Aaron's is a major omni-channel provider of lease-purchase solutions, mainly to underserved and credit-challenged customers. Through its various business segments, the company primarily deals in sales and lease ownership, apart from specialty retailing in furniture, home appliances, consumer electronics, as well as accessories. Popular brands at Aaron's include Philips, Samsung, Whirlpool, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Simmons, and Ashley, among others. The company announced that it is splitting into two (Progressive and Aarons) by way of a tax-free distribution of shares to improve focus and increase long-term shareholder value. The reconstruction is expected to be completed by year-end. Zacks Rank #1 VGM A Industry: Retail - Consumer Electronics (top 11%) Revenue beat of 4.7% was driven by strong customer payment activity and higher 90-day buyouts, likely helped by the government stimulus package. The decline from last year was related to various pandemic-induced situations such as increased store closures, lower deliveries and a more limited product portfolio. Lease decisioning remains more conservative than in normal times because uncertainties related to the pandemic persist and a second wave looks like a possibility. Story continues Earnings beat of 43.9% was because of higher revenue and cost control on the SG&A front as offset by a lower gross margin. While the full-year outlook remains withdrawn, management expects third-quarter earnings of 85 cents at the mid-point, much better than the 59 cents Zacks Consensus Estimate. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the June quarter increased 3 cents 7 days before the earnings release and another 9 cents since then. The company thrashed these higher expectations. 2020 earnings were expected to decline 16.71% from 2019 levels to $3.24 going into the announcement. Valuation: At 15.15X forward earnings, the shares are trading relatively close to the six-month high of 16.51X. However, they remain attractive in comparison to the S&P 500, especially considering the fact that estimates should move significantly higher. Anthem, Inc. ANTM Formed through the merger of Anthem Inc. and WellPoint Health Networks Inc. in Nov 2004, Anthem is one of the largest publicly traded managed care organizations in terms of membership. The company was previously named WellPoint Inc. (WLP). Zacks Rank #2 VGM A Industry: Medical HMOs (top 20%) Revenue miss of less than 1%. Revenues were driven by pharmacy product revenue related to the launch of IngenioRx and higher premium revenue due to growth in Medicaid and Medicare and the return of the health insurance tax in 2020, partially offset by a decrease in experience-rated premiums in the Federal Health Products & Services business. Earnings beat of 4.9% Management expects to meet the original full-year adjusted earnings per share guidance of greater than $22.30 for the year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the June quarter jumped 80 cents (10.0%) 7 days before the earnings release and the company swept past these higher expectations. 2020 earnings were expected to grow 15.07% over 2019 levels to $22.37 going into the announcement, which looks okay considering the guidance. Valuation: On a price to forward earnings (P/E) basis, the shares are trading at an 11.66X multiple, which is close to the median value of 11.51X in the last six months. The S&P 500 is trading at its six-month high. Therefore, there appears to be significant room for upside. United Rentals, Inc. URI United Rentals is the largest equipment rental company in the world, with an integrated network of 1,181 rental locations in North America and Europe. The company offers 4,000 classes of equipment for rent at a total original equipment cost (OEC) of $14.3 billion to construction and industrial companies, utilities, municipalities, government agencies, independent contractors, homeowners and other individuals that use equipment for projects that range from simple repairs to major renovations. Zacks Rank #1 VGM A Industry: Building Products - Miscellaneous (top 27%) Revenue beat by 7.0% despite pandemic-induced reduced rental revenue, lower fleet productivity and weaker pricing. Earnings beat by 90.7%, mainly because of aggressive cost management. However, management commentary was encouraging. CEO Flannery said that volumes began recovering in mid-April, providing it momentum going into the busy season. Moreover, while visibility remains limited, near-term indicators point to the second half tracking normal seasonality in a majority of the served markets. As a result, guidance was re-introduced. While full-year earnings guidance wasnt provided, revenue guidance of $8.25 billion at the mid-point was a shade better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.23 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate jumped 12 cents (7.1%) 7 days ago and another 11 cents since. The company still went on to beat these raised expectations. 2020 earnings were expected to decline 33.67% from 2019 levels to $12.95 going into the announcement. Valuation: At 11.87X forward earnings, the shares are trading relatively close to the six-month high of 12.88X. However, they remain attractive in comparison to the S&P 500. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM Sprouts Farmers Market, which operates in the highly fragmented grocery store industry, has a unique model that features fresh produce at the center of the store, an expansive bulk foods section, and a vitamin department focused on overall wellness. Moreover, the company has been diversifying its offerings to meet changing preferences of consumers, who are looking for more health and wellness products. These products are generally plant-based, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and grass-fed. The company is focusing on natural and organic food, which is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. Zacks Rank #1 VGM A Industry: Food - Natural Foods Products (top 6%) Revenue beat by 2.2%. Comp sales peaked in May and normalized in June (were notably higher than guidance for the quarter). Grocery, meat and frozen categories were strongest. E-commerce was 12% of sales, up more than 500% year on year. Earnings beat of 47.5% was partly because of strong revenue and partly on account of more efficient use of funds for promotion/advertising as offset by higher SG&A. Both revenue and earnings represent significant increase from 2019 levels. Guidance remains withdrawn due to uncertainties. Management said that sales are tracking above normal along with related cost although gross margin will be higher. Some but not all COVID-related benefits are expected to remain after the pandemic has blown over. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the June quarter increased a couple of cents in the few days before the earnings release and the company blew past these higher expectations. 2020 earnings were expected to grow 38.4% over 2019 levels to $1.73 going into the quarter. Valuation: At 16.79X forward earnings, the shares are trading relatively close to the six-month high of 17.67X. However, they remain attractive in comparison to the S&P 500, especially considering that estimates should move up from these levels. OReilly Automotive, Inc. ORLY O'Reilly Automotive is a leading specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States. The company sells products to both Do-it-Yourself (DIY) customers and Do-it-for-Me (DIFM) customers that need professional installers. The extensive product range includes new and remanufactured automotive hard parts (such as mufflers, brakes and shock absorbers), maintenance items, accessories, a complete range of auto body paint and related materials, automotive tools and professional service equipment. Zacks Rank #2 VGM B Industry: Automotive - Retail and Wholesale Parts (top 17%) Revenue beat of 23.6% came on the back of comparable store sales increase of 16.2%. COVID impacted no more than the first two weeks, after which sales came back strongly, especially in DIY. DIFM continued to improve through the quarter. The stimulus helped results. Earnings beat of 73.2% on good cost control, although this is expected to tick up through the rest of the year. Full-year guidance remains withdrawn. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the June quarter jumped 33 cents (9.7%) 7 days ago and another 16 cents before the earnings release but the company blew past the higher expectations. 2020 earnings were expected to drop 6.0% from 2019 levels to $16.80 going into the announcement. Valuation: At 24.69X forward earnings, the shares are trading relatively close to the six-month high of 24.82X. However, they remain attractive in comparison to the S&P 500, especially considering that estimates should move up from these levels. Kinross Gold Corporation KGC Based in Ontario, Canada, Kinross Gold Corporation is primarily involved in the exploration and operation of gold mines. It ranks among the top 10 gold mining companies in the world with 2019 production of around 2.5 million gold equivalent ounces. The company's operations are located in three core regions - the Americas (56% of 2019 production), Russia (21%) and West Africa (23%). It holds major assets in Canada, the U.S. and Russia, and is primarily involved in the exploration and operation of gold mines. Kinross also produces and sells silver. Zacks Rank #2 VGM B Industry: Mining Gold (top 28%) Revenue beat by 23.6%, as all its mines continued production through the quarter. Earnings beat by a penny, helped by margins that increased 53% year-over-year, well above the 31% increase in the average realized gold price. Paracatu, Kupol and Tasiast, the three lowest-cost mines contributed 63% of total production. A notable development during the quarter was the completion of the Lobo-Marte pre-feasibility study, which allowed the addition of 6.4 million ounces to the companys gold reserve estimates, ,increased its reserve life index and enhanced its long-term development project pipeline. While full-year guidance remains withdrawn as a precautionary measure, production, cost of sales per ounce, all-in sustaining cost per ounce and capital expenditures are on track to meet its original 2020 guidance. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the June quarter increased a couple of cents 7 days before the earnings release and the company beat the higher expectations. 2020 earnings are expected to grow 85.3% from 2019 levels to 63 cents. Valuation: At 12.67X forward earnings, the shares are trading relatively close to the median value of 12.13X over the last six months. Additionally, they remain attractive in comparison to the S&P 500. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Aarons, Inc. (AAN) : Free Stock Analysis Report OReilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Anthem, Inc. (ANTM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research JK Rowling: Gender-transitioning minors is 'medical scandal' about to 'erupt' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (16,299.29, up 4.63 points) SOPerior Fertilizer Corp. (TSX:SOP). Basic Materials. Unchanged at $0.03 on 13.54 million shares. Eastmain Resources Inc. (TSX:ER). Basic Materials. Up nine cents, or 51.43 per cent, to nearly $0.27 on 7.4 million shares. Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Basic Materials. Down six cents, or 0.51 per cent, to $11.70 on 6.62 million shares. Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Down 10 cents, or 0.46 per cent, to $21.79 on 5.28 million shares. Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financial Services. Down 13 cents, or 0.70 per cent, to $18.45 on 4.91 million shares. Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Basic Materials. Down 31 cents, or 0.81 per cent, to $38.04 on 4.58 million shares. Companies in the news: Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX:SJR.A). Up four cents, or 0.16 per cent, to $24.54. Shaw Communications Inc. has disclosed details of a new wireless service called Shaw Mobile, which will be in Alberta and British Columbia. The owner of Freedom Mobile says the new service will combine elements of its wireless and residential fibre networks as well as its WiFi hotspots. The Calgary-based company will offer three levels of service plan, currently at an introductory price discount, all with access to more than 450,000 Shaw Go WiFi hotspots. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSXLMFI). Up $1.49, or 5.37 per cent, to $29.22. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. earned $25.7 million in its latest quarter on higher revenues led by a 41 per cent gain from its plant protein group. The company says its net income amounted to 21 cents per share for the three months ended June 30, compared with a loss of five cents per share or $6.3 million a year earlier. Adjusted profits were 35 cents per share, up six per cent from 33 cents per share in the second quarter of 2019 as stronger sales were largely offset by COVID-19 costs and strategic investments in plant protein. Husky Energy Inc. (TSX:HSE). Down 23 cents, or 4.87 per cent, to $4.49. Husky Energy Inc. swung to a $304-million net loss in the second quarter as revenues plunged nearly 55 per cent. The Calgary-based oil producer says it lost 31 cents per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, compared with net income of 36 cents per share or $370 million a year earlier. Revenues were $2.38 billion, down from $5.24 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Down 13 cents, or 0.21 per cent, to $61.23. TC Energy Corp. is reporting higher net profits in the second quarter on asset sales even though revenues decreased. The Calgary-based company says it earned $1.3 billion or $1.36 per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, up from $1.1 billion or $1.21 per share a year earlier. The results included an after-tax gain of $408 million related to the sale of a 65 per cent equity interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline and an incremental after-tax loss of $80 million due to the Ontario natural gas-fired power plant assets sold in April. Gildan Activewear Inc. (TSX:GIL). Up 17 cents, or 0.71 per cent, to $24.11. Gildan Activewear Inc. missed expectations as it reported a large second-quarter loss after sales plunged 71 per cent amid widespread closures of customer stores because of COVID-19. The Montreal-based company, reporting in U.S. dollars, says it lost $249.7 million or $1.26 per diluted share, compared with a profit of $99.7 million or 49 cents per share a year earlier. The results included $224 million of charges, including $131 million that were COVID-related and $93 million for initiatives to simplify its offering and cut costs. Excluding one-time items, the adjusted net loss was $196.6 million or 99 cents per share, down from a net income of $115 million or 56 cents per share in the prior year's quarter. Molson Coors Beverage Co. (TSX:TPX.B). Up $1.20, or nearly 2.43 per cent, to $50.59. Molson Coors Beverage Co. beat expectations even though COVID-19 lockdowns caused its net income and sales to plunge in its most recent quarter. The Montreal-based company, which reports in U.S. dollars, says its net income decreased nearly 41 per cent in the second quarter to $195 million. That equalled 90 cents per share for the three months ended June 30, down from $1.52 per share of $329.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. Excluding one-time items, underlying net income increased 2.3 per cent to $337.3 million or $1.55 per share, compared with $329.6 million or $1.52 per share a year earlier. Resolute Forest Products Inc. (TSX:RFP). Up 66 cents, or nearly 16.1 per cent, to $4.76. Resolute Forest Products Inc. saw weaker sales this spring compared with a year ago, as the economic downturn slashed paper shipments by 27 per cent. The Montreal-based company says it earned US$6 million, or seven cents per diluted share, on sales of US$612 million for the three months ending on June 30. That's down from US$25 million, or 27 cents per diluted share, on sales of US$755 million in the second quarter of 2019. Crescent Point Energy Corp. (TSX:CPG). Down 15 cents, or nearly 6.7 per cent, to $2.09. Crescent Point Energy Corp. is reporting a $145.1-million loss in its latest quarter on a 73 per cent decrease in revenues amid lower crude oil prices. The Calgary-based company says its losses amounted to 27 cents per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, compared with a profit of 36 cents per share or $198.6 million a year earlier. Adjusted losses were $27.9 million or five cents per share, compared with adjusted profits of $146 million or 27 cents per share in the second quarter of 2019. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. It is a bad week for optimists. Victorias latest horrifying figures, after a few giddy days of consecutive declines, dash the fantasy that it is somehow inevitable that Melbourne will automatically progress to the end of restrictions and a gradual resumption of our enviable lifestyle. The light at the end of the tunnel just dimmed. Progress is not inevitable. It will only happen if we make it happen. The mask has become a part of the premier's standard press conference attire. Credit:The Age A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If people test positive to the virus but still go to work, as the Premier explained at his press conference on Thursday, we will not see the back of this virus anytime soon. Clearly just trusting everyone to do the right thing is not enough. The Premier needs to follow the West African proverb made famous by US President Teddy Roosevelt to speak softly and carry a big stick. Do we start locking people up? Vandals dont need a reason to deface property, but on occasion a victim is targeted as a means of intimidation. Thats what Wyandotte police believe was the case when a vandal scrawled graffiti on a red Dodge Ram parked in the 700 block of Eighth Street. A police report was filed July 27, but the victim said the truck had been parked in his driveway since the night of July 25. The reporting officer said the culprit spray painted some type of symbol, possibly an anarchy symbol, as well as a vulgar expression directed toward President Donald Trump. Deputy Police Chief Archie Hamilton said the victim believes he was targeted because of a political sticker on the truck illustrating his support for Trump. Additionally, the suspect wrote the phrase 1312, which is the numerical representation of the anti-law enforcement slogan A.C.A.B., Hamilton said, referring to an acronym expressing disdain for police officers. It is clear that the suspect(s) are attempting to intimidate others who do not share their political views. Our agency will not tolerate this type of dangerous behavior, and we are confident we will identify and prosecute the person responsible for these crimes. Residents of an apartment block in Crumlin have protested about alleged rat infestations, mould, damp and overcrowding at their Dublin City Council housing complex. People living in Seagull House, at the corner of Crumlin Road and Rutland Avenue, have been raising concerns about their "disgraceful" living conditions for more than a year. Yesterday, they held a protest outside Dublin City Council's local offices in Crumlin to call for better living conditions. The residents have said they are living with a rat infestation, as well as mould and damp. Sewerage There have been claims there are problems with the insulation, sewerage and drainage system at the development. Residents claimed bins were not being collected often enough, and there were problems with the general maintenance of the building. They claimed communal areas needed to be cleaned more frequently. The protesters have called on Dublin City Council to ease overcrowding in the complex by increasing access to public housing in the area. In January last year, a group of residents first came together to form the Seagull House Residents' Association after they said their repeated complaints to the council were not being responded to. Peter Dooley, a member of the committee and a former candidate for People Before Profit, said conditions at the apartment block had since become worse. He said the residents were being forced to endure "disgraceful" living conditions. "In early 2019, to deal with their inhumane living conditions, I supported the residents in starting and organising the Seagull House Residents' Association, where they agreed on a set of reasonable demands that Dublin City Council deal with for the whole complex," he said. "Dublin City Council's inaction has led to the conditions of their tenants worsening. They are now taking collective action to get their voices heard and get the decent living conditions everyone deserves." Mr Dooley said the "basic human rights" of people living in Seagull House were being denied, and there should be a "citywide movement" of council tenants calling for better standards. Yesterday, a council spokesman said: "If the residents' group submit details of the issues that they are raising to the city council's Housing Department, they will be investigated and the tenants will be contacted directly." In 2019, the council rejected claims Seagull House had been "neglected". At the time, the council said it was carrying out an audit of all of its older apartment complexes "with a view to informing a citywide plan to deal with issues in our older complexes". The council said it had been aware of an issue with rats at the property, but added that it was cleaning communal areas and collecting bins regularly. Workers deliver a cart full of ballots from voting machines around the city to the Philadelphia Board of Elections June 4, 2020. On the day after Pennsylvania's primary election, results are taking longer because of a flood of mail-in ballots city officials need to process. Read more Voting early enough was the key to successfully casting a ballot by mail in Pennsylvania last month. At least three weeks before the June 2 primary election, to be precise. Voters whose mail ballot requests were processed after that point were less and less likely with each passing day to end up successfully voting, according to an Inquirer analysis of state data. Before May 12, almost 90% of voters who requested mail ballots ultimately voted, and the vast majority did so by mail. But many mail ballot applications, almost two out of five, were processed within three weeks of the election. And for those voters, only about 76% ended up voting. Thats a significant difference: Without that drop-off, about 92,000 more Pennsylvanians would have voted in the primary, according to the Inquirer analysis. This years primary was the first election in which people were allowed under a new state law to vote by mail without providing a reason. Coupled with a coronavirus pandemic that made in-person voting riskier than normal, the new law sent the number of mail ballot requests skyrocketing. Every step of the process took longer than normal, with inundated county elections offices struggling to quickly process applications and print ballots. And mail delivery was uneven and often delayed, voters and elections officials across the state said. While its impossible to know exactly why the voting rate dropped as mail ballot requests were made closer to election day, the data suggest elections officials and voting-rights advocates were right when they warned that the states mail ballot deadlines are too tight and were likely to disenfranchise voters. And the data now backs it up, said Lee Soltysiak, Montgomery Countys chief operating officer and clerk of its elections board. Its not just a bunch of grumpy election officials wringing their hands. Montgomery County was one of six for which Gov. Tom Wolf extended the mail ballot deadline, and elections officials there ended up counting thousands of mail ballots under that order. Even so, the voting rate fell from 89.5% for voters whose applications were processed before May 12 to 75.9% for voters whose requests were processed later. Thats 7,100 votes in Montgomery County. Voters have until one week before election day to request a ballot, and completed ballots have to be returned by 8 p.m. election day to be counted. For many voters, elections officials said, theres no way to receive their ballots with enough time to return them. And because of the pandemic, many of those voters might not choose to instead vote in person. It may be with all the good intentions in the world, making it so people can apply as late as possible, but those good intentions are disenfranchising voters, said Al Schmidt, one of the three Philadelphia city commissioners who run elections. It doesnt matter what the intentions are when voters are disenfranchised. READ MORE: Trump floats an Election Day delay, a Congressional power, citing false claims about mail-in voting fraud Tens of thousands of mail ballots arrived after the deadline, with most of them counted under Wolfs order but thousands more rejected. To get a wider picture of voter behavior, The Inquirer combined a dataset of every approved mail ballot request for the June 2 primary election with the July 13 voter roll, which records the method by which a voter participated in the primary election. (Two counties, Northumberland and Susquehanna, were excluded from the analysis because they did not have data for the primary.) Of the more than 1.8 million voters in the analysis, 1.09 million had their applications processed before May 12 and almost 976,000 of them ended up voting. More than 713,000 voters had their mail ballot requests processed on or after May 12, and 545,000 of them ultimately voted. The analysis cannot show why voters did not cast ballots. Some voters mailed their ballots back and they arrived at county elections offices too late to count. Others may have given up after deciding their ballot could not be submitted in time. And still others may have tried to vote in person but ultimately did not do so. There is clearly a timeline problem [but] I dont think we have enough information to know the solution, said Suzanne Almeida, the interim head of the good-government group Common Cause Pennsylvania. Elections officials and voting-rights advocates have urged state lawmakers and the governor to quickly pass a law changing the voting deadlines, though theres no consensus around a specific fix. Some propose widening the window by moving the application deadline earlier. Others say the deadline for returning ballots should be later, perhaps by allowing ballots to be postmarked by election day but received in the days after. Still others suggest a hybrid of the two or some other option. There are also several lawsuits in state and federal courts over how Pennsylvanias general election will be conducted, and some of those take aim at the ballot deadlines. Without a policy change, county officials said, they would urge voters to request mail ballots earlier, devote more resources to processing ballots more quickly, install drop boxes and other ways for voters to return ballots, and try to work with the postal service to ensure fast or at least predictable mail delivery times. Ultimately, though, they said a statewide fix is required. The one thing we are all asking for at this point is to move that deadline, said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Then I think some of those problems can be fixed. Sixty-five-year-old Parwez Parvaz, who had moved the Allahabad High Court seeking registration of an FIR against Yogi Adityanath, has been convicted in a 2018 gangrape case. The district sessions court of Gorakhpur sentenced him to life imprisonment along with another co-accused. According to a report in The Indian Express, Parvaz had in 2017 moved the HC against Yogi, who was then an MP from Gorakhpur, alleging that he gave a hate speech. In 2018, after the High Court allowed the UP government to not prosecute Adityanath now the chief minister of UP Parvaz filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the order, the report stated. Earlier, BJP leader YD Singh had made an appeal at Gorakhpur court alleging that Parvaz, also a journalist, had produced doctored video as evidence in the case against Adityanath. In his complaint, Parvaz had named the then Gorakhpur MP Adityanath, the then MLC YD Singh, the then mayor of the city Anju Chaudhary and now state minister Shiv Pratap Shukla for having incited the Gorakhpur communal riots of 2007. A report in The Wire had quoted Parvaz as saying that ever since he pressed charges against Adityanath, he has faced multiple threats, including false criminal charges on him. Two cases in which he is then accused were of rioting and rape. He had been lodged in jail in the rape case. "Imagine, Pervez is a second accused in the rape case, but he was denied bail, while the main accused is out. Most witnesses have said that there was no such incident at the spot where the complainant has accused the two of rape," Syed Farman Naqvi, counsel for Parvaz, was quoted in a 2018 report. Naqvi further said that the police arrested him just because "the complainant named one Parwez" in her FIR. The report stated his counsel as saying that Adityanath had owned up to his provocative speech in a popular television show. The CID, too, in its DFR, had categorically said that "there was enough evidence to prosecute the BJP leaders". The focus, however, has now taken been shifted with Parvaz's conviction. "District and Sessions Judge Govind Vallabh Sharma on Tuesday sentenced the two accused Parwez Parvaz and Mehmood alias Jumman to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 each on both and ordered that Rs 40,000 from the fine be given to the gangrape victim," government counsel Yashpal Singh was quoted as saying by IE. Parvaz's lawyer Miftahul Islam, meanwhile, said that they will be challenging the conviction in a higher court. The man was arrested in September 2018 after a 40-year-old woman accused him and Mehmood alias Jumman Baba (66) of gangrape on June 3, 2018. In her police complaint, the woman had alleged that she had gone to the house of Jumman Baba on June 3, 2018 for "seeking remedies" for her marital problems, when he took her to an isolated place and raped her at gunpoint along with "someone who Jumman called Parvez bhai". Islam alleged that the court did not allow the defence to submit written arguments on Tuesday."Without concluding the arguments, the judgment was pronounced. There were no arguments and we were not allowed to submit our written arguments as well," Islam said. But the government counsel said that lawyers were given enough time to submit their arguments. "They (the defence counsels) were stalling the court proceedings in order to delay it. They had ample time to argue. The court proceedings were held as per the law," Yashpal Singh was quoted as saying. In May 2017, after the BJP came to power in UP and Adityanath became the CM, the state government refused to give sanction to prosecute Adityanath and four other BJP leaders in the 2007 hate speech case. The state had refused to grant sanction, saying the "video evidence (CD)" sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in 2014 was "tampered" with, the IE report stated. In February 2018, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by Parvaz and his colleague Asad Hayat, challenging the UP governments refusal to grant sanction to prosecute Adityanath in the hate speech case. "The Special Leave Petition against the High Court judgment is pending in the Supreme Court," Naqvi was quoted by IE. The Gambia's President Adama Barrow has gone into self-isolation after his vice-president, Isatou Touray, tested positive for coronavirus. Ms Touray said she was in "good spirits and will be going into quarantine". President Barrow will isolate for two weeks, according to a statement from the presidency. The country has so far confirmed 326 coronavirus cases and eight deaths, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. The Gambian government has been urging citizens to wear masks and maintain a distance of three steps between each other to prevent the spread of the virus. Source: bbc Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video But most of Americas colleges closed their campuses just before the acceptance deadline for incoming freshman. That means the college-bound Class of 2020 got the raw deal in this pandemic. Now, those freshmen are still getting the shaft as they try to get the vibe and personality of a campus they gambled on through a computer. Every day, another college announces an online-only fall. The Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science completes the procurement package of a feeder, one of the ITER components, in July, 2017. (Photo by Ye Hualong) The assembly of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the worlds largest nuclear fusion project, started in France on Tuesday. More than 30 countries including China take part in the project. As a major ITER China working group, the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science undertakes the procurement package of superconducting conductors, correction coil, superconducting feeder, power supply, diagnosis and assembly, accounting for nearly 80% of China's ITER procurement package. The ITER is being assembled to replicate the fusion power of the sun, which provides light and warmth and enables life on Earth. The project requires collaboration of seven parties - China, the European Union, Russia, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and India. China signed the ITER agreement in 2006. A departure ceremony is held in Hefei, East China's Anhui province, in March, 2020. Sushant Singh Rajput's posthumous release, Dil Bechara has been receiving massive love from the actor's fans. With an overwhelming response, the film became the most-watched on Disney+ Hotstar. Unfortunately, the actor couldn't witness the love he has been showered upon. We have compiled a list of actors who couldn't see the reaction to their last film. Furious 7 Premise: Furious 7 was the final screen appearance of Paul Walker. The actor died in a car accident while shooting the film. The film sees Walker as Brian O'Conner, who along with Vin Diesel and the rest of their team has a showdown with Jason Statham (Deckard Shaw) and his army. What Works: The fast-paced action sequence, entangled in a revenge drama, makes this one an interesting watch. Where to Watch:Amazon Prime Video Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish Premise: Chitrangada The Crowning Wish is written and directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film was premiered two years after the demise of the filmmaker. It follows the story of a same-sex couple who are looking forward to adopting a child. But the law does not permit them. Things take a turn when the couple decides to take an extreme decision in order to become parents. What Works: Rituparno Ghosh's award-winning film is a thought-provoking watch and gives the viewer an insight into the dilemmas of a same-sex couple. Where to Watch: Hungama Play Star Trek Into Darkness Premise: Before Leonard Nimoy's death in 2015, Into Darkness was the last time the actor portrayed the much-loved character of Mr Spock. Even though the actor had a brief appearance in the film, his cameo is etched as a fond memory for fans. Into Darkness sees Captain Kirk leading a mission to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction as he engages in an intense game of life and death. What Works: Despite being a long film, actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine keep it engaging. Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video Michael Jackson's This is It Premise: This Is It is an American documentaryconcert film about Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name. The documentary was not shot with the intention of making a film. However, post Jackson's demise, the backstage videos and rehearsal clips were compiled and released as a documentary. What Works: If you're a Michael Jackson fan, the documentary will give you a closer look at things that went behind the artist's magnificent shows. Where to Watch: YouTube Mirch Masala Premise: Mirch Masala was released after the demise of actress Smita Patil. Also featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Ratna Pathak Shah among others, the film is set in the colonial India in the early 1940s. Patil drives the narrative of the film as she plays, Sonbai-- a marginalised woman who raises her voice and fights against the bureaucratic power. What Works: Reflecting upon the economic and social spectrum of women in colonial India, this feminist film is courageous and brave. Where to Watch: Mubi Aviation has been among the industries hit hardest as the virus has spread. The March aid bill, known as the Cares Act, singled out airlines for relief but imposed conditions on companies accepting money. Among them was a promise to not lay off employees until Oct. 1. The date seemed far off and likely to fall amid a recovery in passenger demand, but now the provision has set up the potential for dramatic job losses. King, a former pastor to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, inspired Lewis' civil rights work as he fought segregation both on the street and during his long tenure in the US Congress Atlanta: When John Lewis is mourned, revered and celebrated at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, he returns to a sacred place imbued with civil rights history. The arc of Lewis legacy of activism will once again be tied to Ebenezer's former pastor Martin Luther King Jr., whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. King continued to inspire Lewis' civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during sometimes bloody marches, Greyhound bus Freedom Rides" across the South and later during his long tenure in the US Congress. Lewis died 17 July at age 80. Former President Barack Obama will be attending Thursday's funeral and is expected to address mourners, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who was not authorized to speak publicly. President George W. Bushs office said the former president and first lady Laura Bush also will attend. He was my hero," Ebenezer's senior pastor, The Reverand Raphael Warnock, said in an interview late Wednesday. He laid it all on the line, at the risk of life and limb." He read the Gospel, and he actually believed it love your enemies," added Warnock, who will officiate the funeral. When Lewis was 15, he heard King's sermons on WRMA, a radio station in Montgomery, Alabama, he recalled in an interview for the Southern Oral History Program. Later I saw him on many occasions in Nashville while I was in school between 1958 and 61," Lewis said. In a sense, he was my leader. King was the person who, more than any other, continued to influence my life, who made me who I was," Lewis wrote in his 1998 autobiography, Walking with the Wind." By the summer of 1963, Lewis was addressing thousands of people during the March on Washington, speaking shortly before King gave his I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke then about Black people beaten by police and jailed themes that resonate vividly in today's times. My friends, let us not forget that we are involved in a serious social revolution," Lewis told the huge crowd on the Washington Mall. To those who have said, Be patient and wait,' we have long said that we cannot be patient," he added. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again." In 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers in the city of Selma in what became known as Bloody Sunday". Last Sunday, his casket was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The wagon rolled over a carpet of rose petals on the bridge that spans the Alabama River. On the south side of the bridge, where Lewis was attacked by the law officers, family members placed red roses that the carriage rolled over, marking the spot where Lewis spilled his blood and suffered a head injury. Lewis was later awarded the Medal of Freedom by the nations first Black president in 2011. He spent more than three decades in Congress, and his district included most of Atlanta. On Monday, a memorial service at the US Capitol in Washington drew congressional leaders from both parties. Lewis was the first Black lawmaker to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. On Wednesday he was lauded as a warrior and hero during a ceremony at the Georgia Capitol, where people paid their final respects to the civil rights icon in one of the last memorials. Lewis was a member of Ebenezer, and it was my honor to serve as pastor to John Lewis, a man of faith and a true American patriot who selflessly risked life and limb in the sacred cause of truth-telling and justice-making in the world, Warnock said in a statement before the funeral. He was wounded for Americas transgressions, crushed for our iniquities and by his bruises we are healed," Warnock added. Today we weep. Tomorrow we continue the work of healing that was his lifes work. Thiruvananthapuram, July 30 : Six months after the first coronavirus case was detected in the country at Thrissur on January 30, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, here on Thursday, his government had done its best to fight Covid-19 and bring relief to the people. But the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) termed the handling a big failure. Speaking to the media, Vijayan said the state government had contained coronavirus effectively. "When on March 24 the nationwide lockdown was declared, Kerala had 105 cases. But with start of the unlock process and return of people from abroad and other states, the cases started to rise. On Wednesday, we had had 21,298 cases," said Vijayan. Pointing to 4.19 lakh returnees from other states and 2.62 lakh from abroad, the Chief Minister said foreign returnees accounted for 9,099 cases and domestic travellers 12,199 infections. "If one compares these with other places, we have done extremely well. And that's because of our correct strategy," Vijayan said. He said asymptomatic people and those with mild symptoms could stay at home under the experts' guidance, and it would also be applicable to health professionals. However, the UDF termed Vijayan's claims a tall one. "The state government has limited its role to acting against violators of Covid-19 protocols. The pandemic is being treated as a law and order issue instead of a health hazard. "The UDF cooperated with the Vijayan government in the fight against Covid-19. But their much-touted Plans A, B and C have all turned a cropper. The failure has come at a time when Kerala boasts of the best healthcare, matured over years due to efforts of the successive governments," said Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala after a meeting of the UDF. He said fewer tests were being conducted and Kerala stood 11th in the country in terms of daily testing. "Test results are delayed as much as a week. The data being given out is manipulated. Experts have agreed on these aspects. Moreover, the government first said everyone would be treated at hospitals, then they said Covid First Line Treatment Centres would be opened and now they are saying Covid positive patients can stay at home. "All these changes prove that the much-talked about Kerala model has gone out of the window," said Chennithala. The government had left it to the people to protect themselves from Covid-19, he added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) TOKYO, July 30, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Mazda Motor Corporation's production and sales results for June 2020 and for January through June 2020 are summarized below.I. Production1. Domestic Production(1) June 2020Mazda's domestic production volume in June 2020 decreased 59.4% year on year due to decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in June 2020]CX-5: 16,804 units (down 56.3% year on year)CX-3: 4,934 units (down 39.5%)MAZDA3: 3,397 units (down 76.1%)(2) January through June 2020Mazda's total domestic production volume in the period from January through June 2020 decreased 44.4% year on year due to decreased production of passenger vehicles.[Domestic production of key models in the period from January through June 2020]CX-5: 116,722 units (down 49.3% year on year)MAZDA3: 42,574 units (down 56.5%)CX-30: 32,449 units (up 3740.1%)2. Overseas Production(1) June 2020Mazda's overseas production volume in June 2020 increased 6.4% year on year, reflecting increased production of passenger vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in June 2020]CX-30: 10,085 unitsMAZDA3: 7,929 units (up 4.4%)MAZDA6: 5,627 units (up 69.9%)(2) January through June 2020Mazda's total overseas production volume in the period from January through June 2020 decreased 11.9% year on year due to decreased production of passenger and commercial vehicles.[Overseas production of key models in the period from January through June 2020]MAZDA3: 51,071 units (down 15.9% year on year)CX-30: 49,456 unitsMAZDA6: 22,702 units (up 54.9%)II. Domestic Sales(1) June 2020Mazda's domestic sales volume in June 2020 decreased 23.8% year on year due to decreased sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 4.0% (up 0.2 points year on year), with a 1.4% share of the micro-mini segment (down 0.3 points) and a 3.0% total market share (unchanged).[Domestic sales of key models in June 2020]MAZDA2 (includes Demio): 1,925 units (down 31.6% year on year)CX-30: 1,389 unitsMAZDA3: 1,188 units (down 34.9%)(2) January through June 2020Mazda's domestic sales volume in the period from January through June 2020 decreased 14.0% year on year due to decreased sales of passenger and commercial vehicles.Mazda's registered vehicle market share was 5.2% (up 0.4 points), with a 2.0% share of the micro-mini segment (unchanged) and a 4.0% total market share (up 0.2 points year on year).[Domestic sales of key models in the period from January through June 2020]CX-30: 15,929 unitsMAZDA2 (includes Demio): 14,916 units (down 27.3% year on year)CX-5: 12,649 units (down 37.4%)III. Exports(1) June 2020Mazda's export volume in June 2020 decreased 55.2% year on year due to decreased shipments to North America, Europe and other regions.[Exports of key models in June 2020]CX-5: 17,622 units (down 52.5 % year on year)CX-3: 5,119 units (down 39.3%)MAZDA3: 4,120 units (down 70.7%)(2) January through June 2020Mazda's export volume in the period from January through June 2020 decreased 48.2% year on year due to decreased shipments to North America, Europe, Oceania and other regions.[Exports of key models in the period from January through June 2020]CX-5: 105,270 units (down 49.3% year on year)MAZDA3: 34,105 units (down 61.5%)CX-30: 18,760 units (up 16650.0%)IV. Global Sales(1) June 2020Mazda's global sales volume in June 2020 decreased 11.0% year on year due to decreased sales in Japan, Europe and other regions.[Global sales of key models in June 2020]CX-5: 31,916 units (down 16.8% year on year)MAZDA3: 20,873 units (down 20.2%)CX-30: 14,862 units(2) January through June 2020Mazda's global sales volume in the period from January through June 2020 decreased 25.1% year on year due to decreased sales in Japan, the U.S., China, Europe and other regions.[Global sales of key models in the period from January through June 2020]CX-5: 157,789 units (down 30.3% year on year)MAZDA3 (includes Axela): 109,867 units (down 31.8%)CX-30: 75,486 unitsFor the full press release, visit https://bit.ly/3hNbNOu.About MazdaMazda Motor Corporation (TSE: 7261) started manufacturing tools in 1929 and soon branched out into production of trucks for commercial use. In the early 1960s, Mazda launched its first passenger car models and began developing rotary engines. Still headquartered in Hiroshima in western Japan, Mazda today ranks as one of Japan's leading automakers, and exports cars to the United States and Europe for over 30 years. For more information, please visit www.mazda.comSource: MazdaCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. DAKAR, Senegal - Even in the best of times, many Muslims scramble to afford a sheep to slaughter on Eid al-Adha, a display of faith that can amount to an entire months income. Now, the financial pressures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic are straining families across Africa even more as they prepare for the Islamic holy day. From Morocco to Senegal to Nigeria, the important religious tradition of purchasing a ram is simply beyond financial reach for some this year. And even those who can afford a sheep are getting smaller ones since prices in some parts of the continent have doubled compared to last year. The situation is really complicated by the coronavirus. Its a tough market, said Oumar Maiga, a livestock trader in Abidjan, Ivory Coasts largest city. People are not coming in the way they usually would. We are in a situation weve never seen in other years. As families cut back, hawkers who sell fancy carving knife sets to drivers stuck in traffic also are doing less business for Eid al-Adha, which will be observed Friday. The tailors who sew elaborate holiday boubous and vendors who sell barbecue grills by roadsides are hurting, too. In Senegals capital, Dakar, thousands of sheep oblivious to their fate stood on display outside the Leopold Senghor stadium. With just 48 hours to go before the holiday expected Friday, Abdou Karim Seck struggled to find a deal. My budget is 120,000 CFA ($206), and the sheep Im being offered at this price are too small, he said. His sales as a trader have been falling for nearly three months now. They wouldnt even cost 80,000 CFA ($137) in normal times. During Eid al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, Muslims commemorate the prophet Ibrahims test of faith by slaughtering livestock and animals and distributing the meat to the poor. Its also a time when families gather to prepare and enjoy a large feast, and many typically shell out for new outfits for the whole family. But Malika Bounhi, who lives in Morocco, said she wont be taking part in Eid celebrations for the first time. Bills have been piling up since she lost her private sector job due to the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic. It is heartbreaking that I wont be able to bring joy to my children during Eid, she said. Prices have skyrocketed in Morocco because of intercity travel restrictions that have upended the supply of sheep, said Saad Azizi, a regional manager for Moroccos sheep and goat association. Prices also were pushed up after the government closed several markets for failing to comply with health measures. Abdou Ka, a young salesman from the interior of Senegal, remembers a big rush of customers wanting sheep at this time last year. This year, Im a bit worried. We only see a few customers, and they have a low budget, Ka said. Its because of the coronavirus. I have the impression that people are struggling to find money. Only civil servants come in large numbers. And some of them dont agree to pay much. The cheapest ram a person can find in Dakar goes for about 80,000 CFA ($137), though more handsome ones can be sold for four times that amount. Unhappy buyers say their money doesnt seem to be going as far this year. I want a good sheep for 225,000 francs ($387). What the sellers are offering me is not good, said Mariama Thiare, a businesswoman. Last year, I had a big sheep for the same amount. Some searching for deals have travelled further outside the capital, only to find nothing cheaper. Others who prepaid for their rams say now the sellers are demanding 25% more to get the animals delivered by Friday. On Wednesday, Alioune Ndong said he still didnt know how hed come up with the money for his familys feast, and he called on Senegals government to help struggling families like his. COVID-19 has drained my money, said the tailor based in the town of Mbour outside the capital. How do you expect me to be able to buy a ram? I pray God to be able to get one before Friday. ___ Amira El Masaiti in Rabat, Morocco; Abdoulie John in Mbour, Senegal; and Hilaire Zon in Abidjan, Ivory Coast contributed. Hobsons, the education technology leader enabling student success, recently selected Mercy College as the 2020 winner of Hobsons Education Advances Award (EAA) for Admission. Each year, Hobsons recognizes academic institutions that contribute toward a future in which all students advance toward their full potential. Nearly 60 institutions submitted their success stories for awards in three categories. Hobsons recently announced the winners in all categories, including Admission. The finalists for Admission demonstrated successful practices in attracting students and improving overall recruitment efforts. By using Intersect by Hobsons, Mercy College enrollment managers implemented data-informed practices to reach Naviance students who are best-fit for their programs. As a result, Mercy has significantly broadened its inquiry and applicant pools. Empowering students with the right information about their higher education choices is more important than ever. At Hobsons, we believe colleges and universities play an important role in presenting new possibilities to students, said Kate Cassino, CEO of Hobsons. As the 2020 Education Advances Award winner, Mercy College has demonstrated excellence in Admission through its efforts to attract traditional and nontraditional students. In parallel, Mercy has continuously increased retention and graduation rates. It is a privilege for Intersect by Hobsons to be a part of Mercys successes. Mercy College is a four-year comprehensive institution serving 10,500 students on four New York campuses. In its winning submission, Mercy College highlighted its partnership with Intersect by Hobsons to ensure that its message and mission reached students who would benefit from the colleges services and offerings. Hobsons also recognized the other finalists, Southern New Hampshire University and West Virginia University. Each demonstrated what is possible when combining people, process, and technology to make a difference in the lives of students. Read more about these EAA finalists accomplishments. About Hobsons A leader in education technology, Hobsons helps more than 19 million students to identify their strengths, explore careers, match to best-fit educational opportunities, create academic plans, and reach their education and life goals. More than 15,000 K-12 and higher education institutions partner with Hobsons, leveraging our expertise and solutions Naviance, Intersect, and Starfish for the success of students. Learn more at http://www.hobsons.com. The countdown is on for NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance mission set to launch Thursday, July 30. NASA's next mission to Mars will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and land in Jezero Crater on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. THE HOUSE VOTES TO APPROVE LATINO MUSEUM: Latino history is American history, and new Smithsonian museum proves it "The Perseverance rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planets geology and climate, collect carefully selected and documented rock and sediment samples for possible return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration beyond the Moon," NASA said. The rover will also carry a helicopter named Ingenuity, "the first aircraft to fly in a controlled way on another planet." Here are some other facts about the mission, slated to launch at 6:50 a.m. 1) The name Perseverance was chosen from among 28,000 essays submitted during the Name the Rover contest. The name is symbolic of the challenges the mission is up against in collecting samples and using new technology and "epitomizes" why NASA chose this name. 2) Perseverance will carry seven instruments to conduct its mission to the Red planet which includes a "Mastcam-Z, an advanced camera system with panoramic and stereoscopic imaging capability with the ability to zoom" said its website. 3) The Jezero Crater where Perseverance will land "was a possible oasis in its distant past," states the website. The Perseverance science team believes this location has a high probability of finding past microbial life. 4) Perseverance will also be collecting data on the Red Planet's geology and climate. "Perseverance is the first rover to bring a sample caching system to Mars that will package promising samples for return to Earth by a future mission," NASA said. You can also follow Perseverances adventure on social media @NASAPersevere and @NASAMars. STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Kolkata, July 30 : Veteran Congress leader and West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) president Somen Mitra died at a city hospital early on Thursday. He was 78. Mitra was hospitalised here with increased creatinine level, fever and respiratory troubles. He was undergoing dialysis. According to sources, Mitra was admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in south Kolkata. Though his health condition slightly deteriorated on Monday night but later it got stable after treatment at the hospital. He was responding to the treatment well. Sources said Covid-19 tests were also done on Mitra and the test report was negative. "Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and Indian National Congress West Bengal president Somen Mitra. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted. Mitra took charge as the state Congress chief in 2018 and played a crucial role in forging an electoral understanding between the Left parties and Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. This was his third stint as Bengal PCC chief. "Saddened at the death of veteran Congress Leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray almighty to bestow eternal on the departed soul," Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted. Mitra started his political career from north Kolkata and came to limelight in the 970s. He became MLA in 1972 from Sealdah Assembly constituency and went on to represent the seat seven times. Later, he left the Congress party in 2008, floated his own outfit and joined Trinamool Congress in 2009, during the Nandigram-Singur movement. Mitra was elected from Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat on a Trinamool ticket in 2009. But he snapped his ties with Trinamool Congress and returned to Congress in 2014. Israels Foreign Ministrys Appointments Committee nominated July 29 veteran diplomat Alexander Ben Zvi to be the countrys new ambassador to Russia. The embassy in Moscow has been functioning for almost a year without an ambassador, so this is certainly good news, especially since Ben Zvi previously served in Moscow. He is currently Israels envoy to Poland, and has been ambassador to Slovakia and Costa Rica. Many see Ben Zvi as the right man for the right mission. But the good news did not stop there. The Appointments Committee also nominated other ambassadors and heads of missions: Irit Ben-Abba was nominated to be Israels ambassador to China, Eddie Shapira to be consul general in Shanghai, Alex Goldman-Scheiman to be ambassador to Belarus and Yonatan Tzedaka to be consul general in Bangalore. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi took office May 18. Today, 2 months later, the ministry is bursting with activity. No longer are there feelings of the ministry being ignored by its own minister; the impression that the public had forgotten all about the ministry is gone; and feelings that other government ministries were sidelining the Foreign Ministry have been cast by the wayside. The first sign of revival was certainly the new wave of nominations. On June 7, the government approved the appointment of Amira Oron as the countrys new ambassador to Egypt. The embassy had no ambassador for over a year and a half. Her nomination also meant that the embassy would be headed by a professional diplomat, not by a former politician. On July 5, the Appointments Committee chose 10 new ambassadors and one consul general. These included several new female ambassadors such as Hagit Ben-Yaakov, Meirav Eilon Shahar and Zehavit Ben Hillel. According to the April 20 unity deal between the Likud and Blue and White parties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the right to pick the next ambassadors to London, Paris and Canberra. He also has the right to pick the new envoys to the United States and the United Nations. In May, Netanyahu appointed former Minister Gilad Erdan to the double job of ambassador to the United States and envoy to the UN. Netanyahu has not yet said who will fill the other positions, though former Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely will probably get London. Also, there are two or three positions that became vacant with the new July 29 appointments. But thats really all. In fact, for the first time in years, a great deal of the top diplomatic positions are manned. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told Al-Monitor that with the new nominations, 18 women will head Israeli embassies and missions abroad. True, the unity deal created a gigantic government. And the trend that Netanyahu started in his last term of dispersing the responsibilities of the Foreign Ministry to other ministries still is there. If anything, the Foreign Ministry must now cope with plenty of other new ministries, all looking for responsibilities. That being said, however, things are changing for the better even in this arena. In the last government, Netanyahu conducted much of his diplomatic efforts vis-a-vis Muslim and Arab countries through his own envoys, chief among them Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. But that modus operandi is becoming more and more complicated. The Defense Ministry headed by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz now cooperates efficiently and even voluntarily with the Foreign Ministry headed by Blue and Whites No. 2. On July 26, Haiat published a statement coordinated between the press offices of the two ministries. The statement recounted that an Israeli delegation headed by senior officials of both ministries was on its way to India, to deliver medical equipment to fight the coronavirus and to test Israeli technologies that could help thwart the pandemic. Another tweet by the ministry, on July 28, revealed the extent of Ashkenazis ambitions. "Congratulations to our colleagues and friends at @StateDept celebrating its 231st anniversary," wrote Foreign Ministry CEO Alon Ushpiz. "Relations between @IsraelMFA and the State Department are an indispensable part of Israels alliance with the USA." The photo placed by the text showed Ashkenazi meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Over his years as premier, Netanyahu has always managed on his own Jerusalems relations with Washington. Now it seems, that Ashkenazi has no intention of leaving this diplomatic field exclusively in Netanyahus hands. Protestors clash with federal officers outside the Mark O Hatfield United States Courthouse on 25 July in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Chris Tuite/imageSPACE/MediaPunch /IPX The chief executive of Lloyds Bank (LLOY.L) has linked COVID-19 to recent unrest in the US over racism and inequality, saying the pandemic has exposed underlying issues in society. Discussing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on a call with journalists, Antonio Horta-Osorio said: The crisis has also exposed underlying inequalities that still exist in society. Like many others, I have been moved by the recent tragic events in the US and the issues raised around inclusion and diversity. Horta-Osorio did not specifically mention the murder of George Floyd or the Black Lives Matter movement but his further comments made clear this was what we was referring to. READ MORE: Lloyds Bank promises more black managers in wake of Black Lives Matter It is clear that achieving and inclusive environment for everyone must be our goal, but right now we have very specific challenges that we have to address urgently for our black colleagues, he said. We must all make this a priority and have all of our colleagues feel understood and included. Antonio Horta Osorio, CEO of Lloyds Banking Group. Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Earlier this month Lloyds announced an action plan to improve black representation within the bank, pledging to increase the proportion of black senior leaders at the bank from 0.6% to 3% within the next five years. Horta-Osorio said Lloyds had been making progress on diversity in recent years but admitted it was not good enough when it came to black representation. READ MORE: Lloyds sets aside extra 2.4bn to deal with COVID-19 I am committed to understanding the perspective of our black colleagues and have spent time listening to their experiences to understand what new actions we can and should take, he said. As an organisation we are committed to standing against discrimination in all its forms and believe everyone has a contribution to make. Horta-Osorios comments came as Lloyds Bank reported worse-than-expected half-year results. A 2.4bn ($3.1bn) provision for COVID-19 losses wiped out profits at the bank, pushing it to a 602m loss in the first six months of the year. The Miami Hurricanes learned who their 10 conference opponents will be in a 2020 season altered by the coronavirus pandemic and have a target start date, as the Atlantic Coast Conference released its return-to-play plan on Wednesday evening. While Notre Dame will play in the ACC this season, UM will not see a matchup with the Fighting Irish. The Hurricanes will, however, add a showdown with Clemson. The announcement by the ACC Board of Directors targets the week of Sept. 7-12 to get football teams returning to game action, if public health guidance allows. Todays decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference, said ACC commissioner John Swofford in a statement. The Boards decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise. Miami is slated play home games against Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia, and have road games against Clemson, Louisville, N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Dates are yet to be determined. A Miami-Clemson game is one thats going to get a lot of national exposure, which is great for the ACC, said UM athletic director Blake James on a web conference with reporters. Its great for college football and its great for the young men in our program to have that opportunity to go and play a team like Clemson. In relation to what the original ACC schedule would have looked like for the Hurricanes, UM added Clemson, Louisville and N.C. State while losing a meeting with Duke, an ACC Coastal Division foe. The ACC plan, approved by university presidents, will also include one non-conference game for a total of an 11-game schedule, a number James called aspirational. Story continues James said Miami is eyeing to play one of the three between Temple, UAB and Wagner, the three non-conference opponents UM had on the schedule before alterations were made. The Hurricanes were also slated to play at Michigan State in 2020, but the Big Ten opted to keep its teams schedules within the conference this season. Thats something that we have to work on here in the coming days, said James, who added it will be a home game played within Florida. We need to have, whoever our opponent is, agree to the medical standards as agreed upon by the ACC institutions, and well work from there. The ACC Championship Game will be pushed back from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19. There will be no divisions within the conference for the 2020 season, and the league championship game will feature the top two teams based upon highest conference-game winning percentage. As far as whether fans can attend Hurricanes home games, James said it remains an if, noting hes hopeful Hard Rock Stadium can host fans at partial capacity. James said Miami remains on track to begin official practices ahead of the season on Aug. 7. While a bubble atmosphere, which has been successful in the NBA and MLS, is not possible in college athletics, James said athletes will have to be vigilant to protect themselves and will receive proper guidance from the university. The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to wipe out the fall season, but the biggest conferences are taking steps to try to mitigate potential disruptions to keep football on the slate. Earlier in July, the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they will play conference-only schedules this season. Notre Dame will play in a football conference for the first time in the 133-year history of the proudly independent program if the season is played. Notre Dames 10-game ACC schedule includes Clemson at home. The school and the league agreed to equally share TV revenue including the Fighting Irishs deal with NBC as an independent among the 15 schools. I would love to have the opportunity to play Notre Dame. I think Miami-Notre Dame is great for college football, said James, who pointed to the ACC seeking to keep an even strength of schedule among conference teams in determining opponents this season. Information from the Associated Press contributed to this story. 2020 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. With the presidential battle in the state tightening, President Donald Trump went to West Texas on Wednesday to cast himself as the savior of the states vital oil and gas economy, and to blast the Democrats who want to phase it out. If they got in, you will have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas, Trump said while standing near an oil rig in Midland with less than 100 days until Election Day. Instead, he warned that the zealots, radicals and extremists are trying to shut down your industry. Before he took office, Trump said the industry was under constant attack from then-President Barack Obama though it was Obama who lifted a decades-old ban on U.S. oil exportation, setting Texas on a path to become one of the worlds largest producers. But the day I took the oath of office, we ended the war on American energy and we stopped the far-leftist assault on American energy workers, said Trump. The presidents pro-oil pep talk comes two weeks after his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, outlined a climate change program that would set the nation on a path to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. Biden has said a key tenet of the $2 trillion plan is to help workers in the fossil fuel industries transition to well-paying jobs in other areas, including clean energy. OP-ED FROM ENERGY SECRETARY: COVID-19 brought oil and gas down, but Trump is powering a comeback While the Texas economy relies heavily on the oil and gas industry, Democrats have made the case that the environmental impact of those industries has resulted in more natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, which devastated parts of the state in 2017. Trump used his speech to highlight pro-industry steps hes taken, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, approving the Keystone XL pipeline, blocking Obamas clean power plans and opening up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. The United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas on the face of the earth, Trump said. Yet the industry in Texas is still struggling from a coronavirus-related glut that has already cut an estimated 40,000 jobs compared to last year. The number of active rigs in the Permian Basin has dropped by more than 70 percent. Last year the nation had 946 active rigs. Now, there are 251, according to Baker Hughes. Trump acknowledged those troubles, related to a crash in oil prices crashed earlier this year, but claimed his negotiations with Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut production is saving the industry in Texas. Hence, were OK now, Trump said. Were back. Biden: Now isnt the time for politicking Democrats slammed Trump for making a mostly political trip to Texas as the state struggles through its worst month since the pandemic hit. More than 6,000 people in Texas have died from the virus, with more than 2,800 of those deaths in July. Mr. President, now isnt the time for politicking or photo-ops, Biden said before Trump arrived in the state. Texans need a president with the experience and vision to fight for families no matter how many catastrophes reach our shores. Trump briefly addressed the pandemic in his remarks Wednesday. Our hearts are with the people of Texas, he said. We love our people. We love our country. He pointed to state data showing the number of new cases has begun to decline, but warned Texans need to remain vigilant. The virus impacted Trumps speech on Wednesday, keeping U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, from flying with Trump on Air Force One because he tested positive for it. TRUMP VISITS CANCELLED: Two Texas Republicans test positive for COVID-19 Houston Republican Wesley Hunt was expected to be in Midland for the event, but he too tested positive on Wednesday and scrapped those plans. Hunt was endorsed by Trump earlier this year in his race for the 7th Congressional District in Houston against Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston. Texas has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1976, but recent public polling has shown Biden and Trump in nearly a dead heat with early voting set to begin in less than three months. The trip to Texas was as much about raising money as anything for the Trump campaign, which has seen Biden pull in more contributions in both May and June. The Republican National Committee on Wednesday said the fundraising events in West Texas were scheduled to bring in around $7 million. After landing in Midland just before noon where he was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump headed to Odessa for a $2,800 per person fundraiser. For an additional $50,000, attendees were able to get a picture with Trump. And for an extra $100,000 they were part of an exclusive roundtable discussion with Trump, according to an invitation obtained by the Midland Reporter-Telegram. Those events were off-limits to the press. Later Trump traveled back to Midland to tour an oil rig and speak at Double Eagle Energy, a company whose co-founders have already given almost $74,000 to Trumps re-election campaign and a political action committee supporting the president. One of those co-founders, Cody Campbell, called Trump an ally. He has been a great supporter of the industry, and he understands the importance of oil and gas to the country, Campbell told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. Staff writer Sergio Chapa contributed reporting from Houston. Ottawa (AFP) - In highly-anticipated testimony to Parliament on Thursday Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied any conflict of interest in awarding a lucrative government contract to an organization that had previously paid members of his family. Trudeau spoke in his own defense before the Finance Commission for 90 minutes, an exceptional move for a Canadian head of government, as he tries to ward off an escalating scandal. "There was never any direction by or attempt to influence from me or my staff that the public service recommend WE Charity," he said referring to the group central to the probe. WE Charity has said it paid Trudeau's mother and brother nearly CAN$300,000 for speaking engagements in recent years. Trudeau's wife was paid CAN$1,500 for an event in 2012, before her husband became the leader of the Liberal Party. Trudeau apologized for the affair on July 13, saying he made a "mistake" in not recusing himself from discussions about awarding a student scholarship fund government contract to WE Charity that was initially estimated at CAN$990 million (USD $662 million). Canada's youth minister has said the program's final value actually came out to about CAN$500 million, local media reported. The charity has given up the program, but the controversy remains. The organization could have already received more than CAN$40 million, according to reports. - 'Nobody believes you' - The opposition Conservative Party has also accused WE Charity of reimbursing Trudeau relatives another CAN$212,000 in travel expenses. The prime minister acknowledges he was aware of his relatives' activities with the charity, but that he was not abreast of any remuneration, including travel expenses. "Nobody believes you when you say you don't know how much money your family has got from the group," Conservative spokesman Pierre Poilievre said. "How much money total have your brother, mother and spouse received from this organization, how much?" Story continues Both main opposition parties have called on Trudeau, who heads a minority government, to resign. The Conservatives are basing their numbers on testimony given by WE Charity's co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger to the Finance Commission on Tuesday. "We were not chosen for this work by public servants because of our relationship with politicians," the brothers insisted during their four-hour appearance. Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who has also found himself ensnared in the matter as a second subject of the ethics investigation, said last week that he had paid back more than CAN$41,000 in travel expenses to the charity. Morneau also apologized for his involvement in discussions about disbursing contracts to WE Charity, as one of his children is employed by the organization. Morneau's reimbursement check was meant to cover expenses incurred by the charity over two humanitarian trips he and his family took in 2017. The scandal has damaged Trudeau in public opinion polls, but his party is still positioned well for an early election, according to the average of four polls cited by Canadian public broadcaster CBC. More than half of the country -- 53 percent -- said they now have a lower opinion of Trudeau than they did a month ago, according to one such poll. The prime minister has run afoul of the ethics commissioner on two previous occasions since 2017 for conflict of interest violations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:03:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- "The China-U.S. relationship can have a future only when it is built on dialogue and cooperation -- a future of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation," Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said. "If there is a side to choose, then all countries, China and the U.S. included, should choose the right side of history, working within their countries to improve their own domestic governance, while working outside their borders to build together a world with lasting peace, common security and shared prosperity," said Cui in an op-ed posted Thursday on POLITICO.com. "The world needs strong solidarity, not growing division. Countries should be each other's partners, not imaginary enemies," he said. Calling the abrupt shutdown by the U.S. side of China's Consulate-General in Houston an "unusual break in international diplomacy," the ambassador said Washington's decision will dampen people-to-people exchanges, causing inconvenience for visa and passport applications in the region to say the least, and diminish the desire for cooperation between the two countries. "From a broader perspective, it is only one in a series of moves to demonize China and ramp up ideological confrontation," he said. "However, no sensible foreign policy is based on ignorance, arrogance or shortsightedness, let alone hatred," he said. "As some try to overthrow the China policy built by successive U.S. administrations, it is important to remember the history between the two countries," he said. "The idea at the heart of President (Richard) Nixon's statement (during Nixon's own visit to China) -- respect for each other's political systems and core interests -- has been the basis for the establishment and continued growth of China-U.S. relations, to the benefit of the two peoples and the whole world," he said. "The ups and downs of the past 41 years have proved that both countries stand to benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation," he said. "China's U.S. policy remains unchanged. The closure of America's Chengdu Consulate this week is merely a legitimate response based on the principle of reciprocity, which is consistent with diplomatic practices and a due right of all sovereign nations," he said. "We are still willing to grow China-U.S. relations with goodwill and sincerity and hope the U.S. will return to the right track." The Chinese envoy noted "there are current attempts by some U.S. policymakers to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China (CPC)." "Such policies violate the principles that have helped build the relationship between the countries, and are doomed to fail," he said. The CPC, whose philosophy is to place the people's interests and trust above all else, has drawn strength from the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, and has found a path of development best suited to China, he said. Surveys by Harvard University and Edelman have both concluded that the Chinese government is widely supported by its people. "During his visit to China, President Nixon quoted President George Washington at a banquet: 'Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.' Today, his words are still resoundingly true," the ambassador said. Enditem Mumbai, July 30 : Actress Ankita Lokhande, ex-girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput, had reportedly informed Bihar Police that the late actor was quite unhappy because Rhea Chakraborty harassed him. Ankita made her claim while she was visiting Sushant's family in Patna, a report in news18.com stated. According to the website, Ankita told the police that through a chat around the time of release of her Bollywood debut film, "Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi" in 2019, Sushant mentioned being "harassed" by his then current girlfriend Rhea. A report in dnaindia.com corroborated the news saying a source had informed the website that, according to Ankita, Sushant had told her that he is "quite unhappy in the relationship and wants to end it as Rhea harassed him". The news18.com report further stated that Ankita's above-mentioned chat with Sushant was shared with the police at that time. Sushant dated Ankita, his co-star of the hit TV series "Pavitra Rishta", for almost six years after which they parted ways. After Sushant's demise in June, Ankita had visited the actor's family, when they were in Mumbai to perform his last rites. During her visit to Patna later, Ankita had reportedly shown the above-mentioned chats to Sushant's sister Shweta Singh Kirti. On Tuesday, it came to light that Sushant's father KK Singh had filed an FIR at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna accusing six people, including his girlfriend Rhea, for abetment to suicide. On Wednesday, Ankita took to social media to share a cryptic post. The actress tweeted an image that reads "Truth Wins", on her verified account. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Advertisement Coastal flooding is set to rise by around 50 per cent globally due to climate change in the next 80 years, a new study predicts. UK and Australian researchers conducted climate change scenarios where carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise rapidly. They found the associated flooding, due to the melting of polar ice, would endanger millions of people and cost more than 10 trillion. Land exposed to extreme flooding will increase by more than 96,500 square miles globally up 48 per cent or more than 308,000 square miles from today. This would mean about 77 million more people will be at risk of experiencing flooding a rise of 52 per cent to 225 million at the very least. The areas predicted to be most impacted by flooding are north-west Europe, south-east and east Asia, north-east US and northern Australia, they found. But even the UK and other parts of northern Europe will be at risk of 'extensive flooding' by the end of this century. Global distribution of projected 100-year return period extreme sea levels. Rises are expressed in metres and colour-coded A catastrophic climate-related event that would usually only happen once every 100 years would also happen 10 times as often under the foretasted climate scenario. 'A warming climate is driving sea level rise because water expands as it warms, and glaciers are melting,' said study lead author Ebru Kirezci at the University of Melbourne. 'Climate change is also increasing the frequency of extreme seas which will further increase the risk of flooding. aves crash onto the shore as the sun rises over Langland Bay near Swansea in South Wales this February. The UK and other parts of northern Europe will be at risk of 'extensive flooding' by the end of this century, the study claims 'Our research shows that large parts of communities residing in low-lying coastal areas are at risk of being devastated so we need urgent action. 'Vulnerable areas need to start building coastal defences, we need to increase our preparedness, and we need to be following strategies to mitigate climate change.' The study should be a 'wake-up call' for governments to implement flood defences, safeguard coastal life and infrastructure and combat carbon dioxide emissions. Drone footage captures the devastating effects of Britain's bout of bad weather earlier this year. The economic risk in terms of the infrastructure exposed to flooding will rise by up to 10.8 trillion by 2021, scientists say 'This is critical research from a policy point of view because it provides politicians with a credible estimate of the risks and costs we are facing, and a basis or taking action,' said co-author Professor Ian Young, also at the University of Melbourne. The research team, which included personnel from the University of East Anglia (UEA), combined data on global sea levels during extreme storms from 1979 to 2014 with projections of sea level rises under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios. They then used this data to model maximum sea levels that may occur by 2100 and combined this with topographic data the physical physical features of land surface to identify areas at risk of coastal flooding. Also using data on global population distribution and GDP in affected areas, they estimated the population and assets at risk from flooding. A bus struggles in flood water on Friday in Bexhill, a seaside town situated in the county of East Sussex in England in early March With high greenhouse gas emissions and no sufficient flood defences implemented, land affected by coastal flooding could increase by 48 per cent at the turn of the next century, they reveal. A total of 68 per cent of the global coastal area flooded will be caused by tide and storm events, with 32 per cent due to projected regional sea level rise. Areas that could be at risk of extensive flooding include south-eastern China, Australia's Northern Territories, Bangladesh, West Bengal and Gujurat in India, the US states of North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. In Europe, particularly at-risk regions are the north-west of the continent, including the UK, northern France and northern Germany. 'Global inundation hotpots': The difference between projected episodic flooding in 2100 minus present day episodic flooding. The bigger the difference, the bigger the width of a circle Regional areas showing the projected flooding associated with a 100-year return period extreme sea level event for 2100. Coloured dots show the magnitude of the projected extreme sea level at the coast. Flooding extent shown by blue shading The global population exposed to coastal flooding could be up to somewhere between 225 million and 287 million by 2100 the latter of which would represent an alarming 4.1 per cent of the world's population. Infrastructure exposed to flood water could cost of up to $14.2 trillion (10.8 trillion), which represents 20 per cent of global GDP. 'This analysis shows the urgency of action to address sea-level rise via both climate mitigation to reduce the rise and adaptation such as better coastal defences, as some of the rise is unavoidable,' said Lead UK author Prof Robert Nicholls, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA. The analysis does not take account of existing flood defences that in places like northern Europe already provide significant protection. But without investment in flood defences or a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, coastal flooding could have calamitous implications for the humans of 2021, many of whom have already been born. The study has been published in Scientific Reports. As the hearse carrying John Lewis' body drove through Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood on Wednesday, it made a lengthy and symbolic stop at a rainbow crosswalk as dozens of people gathered on the sidewalk to watch the procession pass. It feels very appropriate that that stop was prolonged for John Lewis legacy," Victoria Kirby York of the National LGBTQ Task Force told NBC News. "I believe his vocal leadership and support in championing LGBTQ equality even prior to it becoming a cool thing for people to hop on the bandwagon for was critical in being able to shift public opinion across the country. York added: He was about civil rights, equality and liberation for everybody. Period. Full stop. Image: Members Of U.s. Congress Oppose Same-sex Marriage Ban (Scott J. Ferrell / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file) The stop by Lewis motorcade lasting nearly a minute was an acknowledgement of his vocal advocacy over the years for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans. An early advocate Lewis, who represented Georgias 5th Congressional District from 1987 until his death on July 17, did not wait until it was politically safe to stand up for LGBTQ rights. In 1996, when 65 percent of Americans opposed same-sex marriage, Lewis delivered an impassioned speech on the House floor decrying the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA federal legislation that sought to define marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman as a mean and cruel bill. This bill is a slap in the face of the Declaration of Independence. It denies gay men and women the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Marriage is a basic human right, he said. You cannot tell people they cannot fall in love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to say when people talked about interracial marriage and I quote: Races do not fall in love and get married. Individuals fall in love and get married. DOMA, considered a political compromise at the time, easily passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by then-President Bill Clinton in September 1996. It was the law of the land until 2013, when United States v. Windsor chipped away at the heart of the legislation. Same-sex marriage would not be legal across the U.S. until 2015, when the Supreme Court handed down its Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Story continues York said Lewis early support for LGBTQ rights was unsurprising, given his activism in the preceding decades. When youve stared death in the face solely because of the color of your skin, it gives you a different view of justice, York said, referring to Lewis' multiple near-death experiences fighting for civil rights, including during the infamous "Bloody Sunday" protest on Alabamas Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965. He put his body on the line to create the world that we all thought was impossible. John Lewis moral compass overruled whatever the stigma of the day was, she added. Equality for black people means equality for Black LGBTQ people, and equality for Black LGBTQ people means equality for all LGBTQ people, and I think that was a clear through-line for him. A decades-long ally Lewis would continue to be on the forefront of nearly every major congressional proposal to advance LGBTQ rights. On Lewis congressional website, there is a page dedicated to LGBTQ issues, which prominently features a powerful quote from Lewis. I fought too long and too hard to end discrimination based on race and color, to not stand up against discrimination against our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, it reads. He then goes on to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with whom he led the movement for racial equality, saying, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Lewis was a co-sponsor or vocal advocate for over a dozen congressional bills that sought to either expand LGBTQ rights or limit anti-LGBTQ discrimination, including the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) and the Respect for Marriage Act. The Human Rights Campaign, the countrys largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, noted that Lewis worked closely with Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., during the drafting of the Equality Act which would modify existing civil rights legislation to add protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and was a lead sponsor of the legislation. Following Lewis death, Alphonso David, the Human Rights Campaigns first Black president, called Lewis a hero and civil rights icon who pushed our country closer to the promise of a more perfect union. Future generations will learn how he faced down discrimination with courage and defiance, boldly challenging the United States to envision a future where every person, no matter their race, sexual orientation or gender identity, has an equal chance at the American Dream, David said in a statement. Lewis appeared at an HRC fundraiser in 2016 and told the crowd of mostly LGBTQ people, You and I are partners. We are part of an ongoing struggle to redeem the soul of America, to help people in this country and around the world come to grips with one simple truth: We are one people, he added. We are one family. We are the human family. York said she hopes Lewis drive to fight for equality even if not for a group to which he belonged will inspire others to do the same. He gave full-throated, passionate appeals that all of Gods children be treated equally, and that that included LGBTQ people, and that meant so much to me, both in my career as an advocate and advocating for other marginalized communities that I may not identify with, like the transgender community and intersex community, she said. He was a powerful example of how we should be doing advocacy at the margins, and I hope every member of Congress has taken a lesson from him. A changer of hearts and minds While Lewis LGBTQ advocacy undoubtedly changed hearts and minds across demographic spectrums, York, who is Black, said there was a special significance and power in having a straight, cisgender Black man as such a visible ally. I think that all of those identities that he carried helped Black fathers, brothers, nephews all across the country learn how to talk and accept their own children, their own relatives who had been hurt by homophobia and transphobia, she said, adding that he gave permission for so many others who were potential allies to be able to step out of their fear and support LGBTQ equality. John Lewis is a man of deep faith no one could question that, she added. So for someone who is a man of deep faith to say that LGBTQ people matter, are equal and deserve protection and dignity, that gave other people the language to be able to say the same thing in their families, in their churches, in their homes. I believe that probably saved countless lives. In a sobering survey released this month, The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis prevention organization, found that 2 in 5 LGBTQ youth in the U.S. have "seriously considered" suicide in the past year. I do believe that those numbers could have been even higher if it wasnt for the full-throated advocacy that John Lewis gave, and by him doing that, the permission he gave to others to really show up as the fathers that they wanted to be for their children, she said. Power of his legacy In a posthumous op-ed in The New York Times on Thursday, Lewis wrote: Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. York said this message underscores the power of his legacy. We all have the capacity to create change, she said, adding that Lewis started as a teenager doing work to bring equality for all people, and thats something that our youth should be excited about. These protests and rallies over the course of this summer are moving this country forward, she added. If we can just stay in it together despite hurt feelings, despite trauma, despite the healing weve got to do together, despite our blindness to other peoples experiences if we remain open to it all, we can create a country we can be proud of for our children and our childrens children. York said this coming together of different groups is also part of Lewis legacy. It hasnt been about one group over the other, she said. Its been about all of us getting across the bridge together." And, if Lewis' many supporters are successful, that bridge could one day be named after him. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise By RFE/RL's Radio Farda July 29, 2020 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched underground ballistic missiles as part of a drill involving a fake U.S. aircraft carrier during military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the IRGC fired a missile from a helicopter targeting the same carrier. Drones separately targeted the bridge of the fake carrier, according to state TV on July 29, which did not immediately broadcast footage of the launches or the drone attack, nor did it identify the missiles used in the drill. The U.S. military said that ballistic missile fire detected from the exercise resulted in U.S. troops being put on alert at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command in Qatar. Troops sought cover during that time. "The incident lasted for a matter of minutes and an all clear was declared after the threat ... had passed," said Central Command spokeswoman Beth Riordan. Both bases are hundreds of kilometers away from where Iran put the replica aircraft carrier. 'Irresponsible And Reckless' Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been on the rise since 2018, when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy. In January, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad. Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq. Washington is also pressing for the extension of a yearslong UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October. A recent incident over Syria involving an American jet fighter approaching an Iranian passenger plane has also renewed tensions. Footage of the first day of drills broadcast on state television on July 28 showed a missile fired from a helicopter leaving a trail of smoke before appearing to smash into the side of the fake warship. Other footage from the exercise dubbed Payambar-e Azam 14 (The Great Prophet) showed speedboats encircling the replica, commandos rappelling onto the deck of the vessel, and scuba forces underwater. Antiaircraft batteries were seen firing from a location that the report described as being near the port city of Bandar Abbas. Land-based trucks also launched missiles and troops used shoulder-fired missiles. The U.S. Navy condemned the "irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran," calling it an attempt "to intimidate and coerce." With reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran- launches-underground-ballistic-missiles -exercise/30754747.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrives at BBC Broadcasting House in London to appear on the Andrew Marr show. U.K. Health Minister Matt Hancock has warned that further coronavirus quarantine measures may be imposed amid fears of a "second wave starting to roll across Europe." The U.K. has already imposed a 14-day self-isolation period on all travelers returning from mainland Spain, and its chief medical officer announced on Thursday that the government will extend the self-isolation period for anyone displaying Covid-19 symptoms or a positive test result from seven to 10 days. In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, Hancock said he was "worried" about a second wave of Covid-19 infections reaching the U.K. "Around the rest of the world, outside of Europe, there are clearly very sharp increases in the number of cases, in places like Brazil, Mexico, India and other places," he said. "But closer to home in Europe, including in some of the countries that we had exempted from quarantine because their cases were so low, we are seeing that come up, and we won't hesitate to act." Indian-origin writer Avni Doshi's first novel, Burnt Sugar, will be published internationally today. However, she is no stranger to critical acclaim. Her book has already been longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize this week, with the judges calling it an 'utterly compelling read' that is 'emotionally wrenching but also cathartic, written with poignancy and memorability'. Last year, Burnt Sugar was published in India under the title 'Girl in White Cotton', and here too, Doshi garnered many praises from the critics for her unusual writing style and deft storytelling. Doshi took seven years and went through eight drafts to complete her novel. She says that the most difficult part of the writing process was to not have any real feedback. "The hardest part was writing alone. Not having anyone to show your work to." the writer tells News18 in an email interview. "Having your husband read your work doesnt count - hes never going to be as harsh as he needs to be. I needed someone who was going to be willing to hurt me and gut the manuscript. I needed my very own Ezra Pound." she adds. Burnt Sugar, at its core, is about a dysfunctional mother (Tara) - daughter (Antara) relationship. The book opens in Pune, where we meet the narrator, Antara, who is trying to cope with the declining memory of her mother, Tara, whom she resents deeply. "The relationships between mothers and daughters (and in general, the relationships between women) are really interesting to me. In particular mothers and daughters replicate each other and become foils for one another - I was fascinated by how we can contain these contradictions within our most intimate relationships," says Doshi. Doshi masterfully interweaves past with the present narrative to show readers the root cause of Antara's resentment, and how Tara's impulsiveness and constant neglect of Antara during her childhood have shaped her as an individual, but more importantly, as a mother. Therefore, in some sense, this book is also about motherhood. Doshi's sentences have the precision of an acupuncturist's needle, and her writing style is spartan, stark. She draws up the mundaneness of Antara and Tara's lives in meticulous details, it feels more like studying a painting, than reading words. Perhaps, Ezra Pound would have liked this novel very much. As the narrative of Burnt Sugar darts back and forth, time and memory become central themes in Doshi's book, and her characters carry the essence of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's characters, who often walk through their present-day mundaneness, with their eyes in the past. "Time and memory are endlessly fascinating to me. Even when I worked in the art world, I was really interested in work that played with duration, decay, and transformation," says Doshi who had been a student of art history and worked as an art curator. "Writers like Javier Marias are also so skilled at playing with registers of time in a single sentence. For me, the fascination with time and memory is not only in lived experience but also in how language is constructed... Im really drawn to the way Marquez wrote time into his work, not just in terms of story, but also in language choice and tense." adds the author. Doshi chose the tense and the point of view of her novel wisely while writing its third draft and Antara's voice became the thread that carries the story forward. Antara's voice sets the tone right from the very beginning, and summarizes her entire existential turmoil in the first sentence of the book, "I would be lying if I said that my mother's misery has never given me pleasure." Doshi writes Antara as someone who is often resentful, morbid, and sometimes really dark. By the end of the book, as Tara loses almost all her memory, Antara feeds her sugar every day, 'not to kill' her, but just to sedate her. '...she (Tara, her mother) consumes it like an addict. She becomes more like another sofa every day. No one notices this is the reason - no one makes the connection. They don't believe in science unless it comes from the mouth of a doctor and in the form of a tablet." Antara says in the book and then goes on to add, how easy it is to kill someone, slowly, sanctioned by friends and medicine. If that doesn't make your blood freeze I don't know what will. But Antara is no sociopath, in Doshi's masterful hands, Antara is an articulate, and incisive woman merely flawed but not evil. "Characters must be flawed because people are flawed. I didnt want Tara and Antara to feel like abstractions. I wanted them to be human, and as a result, to be damaged as we all are." says the author. Through Antara, Doshi gives words to women's innermost feelings of resentment, guilt, and alienation, which we are often too afraid or ashamed to own up to even our own selves. Despite her morbidity, Antara doesn't alienate you as a reader, in fact, there are many places in the book, where you would find her relatable, especially when she is facing her overly critical mother, or treading gingerly as she articulates her thoughts to her husband, Dilip. In one of the chapters, Antara describes her mother-in-law with a great deal of dark wit and says, " She (the mother-in-law) must have read up that the way to win a girl over, the girl who has stolen your son, is to make her believe that she has surpassed him in your heart. Kill her with kindness." In another chapter, she talks about the dangers of the proximity of neighbors, " Sometimes, while we (Antara and her husband) shout at each other, I imagine the neighbours on the other side pressing their ears up to the plaster. Or maybe they sit on their sofa side by side and watch the sounds invade their rooms, sounds that nearly take shape, shifting weight". During these passages, and many others in the book, like when she is a new mother and struggling to deal with postpartum-depression she is utterly familiar, made of flesh and bones. Tara too, as Antara's 'obverse', is a wonderfully realized character. Doshi builds her past in an ashram in Pune, where she was the paramour of an Osho-like baba with vivid images. Many women from Doshi's family had been a part of Osho's ashram but the author said that she wrote more from imagination than from reality. "To be clear, the ashram in the novel is not the Osho ashram, but an invented one. I didnt do any research about ashrams and actually I didnt draw directly from my familys stories very much. Thats because the women in my family arent great storytellers - they leave out a lot of details and Im left to fill in the silences." she says. "I suppose thats how I wrote about the ashram - as an exercise in filling in those silences, using my imagination, my fears, and my expectations about what must have happened there," she adds. However, in depicting Tara's dementia, Doshi is very accurate in references to the physical transition of Tara, and had done a great deal of research to get that right. But, she shines as an author when she shows how people around Tara, especially her daughter Antara, are dealing with her memory loss. In one of the early pages, Antara confesses, " Sometimes I cry when no one is around -- I am grieving but it's too early to burn the body'. Anyone who has seen their loved ones disappear into a shell of their bodies would instantly know that feeling. After a glorious debut, Doshi, who currently resides in Dubai, is gearing up to write another novel. "But dont ask me what its about because I have no idea what my manuscripts are about until they are finished," she says. Coronavirus: What you need to read Coronavirus maps: Cases and deaths in the U.S. | Cases and deaths worldwide Vaccines: Tracker by state | Booster shots | For kids 5 to 11 | Guidance for vaccinated people | How long does immunity last? | County-level vaccine data What you need to know: Omicron variant | At-home tests | Breakthrough infections | Symptoms guide | Masks FAQ | Delta variant | Other variants | Follow all of our coverage and sign up for our free newsletter Impact of the pandemic: Supply chain | Education | Housing Got a pandemic question? We answer one every day in our coronavirus newsletter The One News Colmar Brunton poll released last night has support for Labour at 53 per cent, National at 32 per cent, NZ First at 2 per cent, and the Greens at 5 per cent, and ACT is at 5 per cent. The New Conservatives and Maori parties are each on 1 per cent. On those results, Labour could govern alone. Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has 54 per cent in preferred Prime Minister, while National's Judith Collins is at 20 per cent. ACT leader David Seymour and New Zealand First's Winston Peters are each at 1 per cent. Collins has a 27 per cent approval rating as National leader, however, considerably higher than Muller and Bridges. On measures of people's trust for the party leaders, Ardern is at 82 per cent, Collins is at 47, and Peters is at 34 per cent. The new poll followed one from Newshub-Reid Research on Sunday, which had the National Party's popularity sinking to new lows. That survey - the first since Judith Collins took over as leader - showed National slumping to 25.1 per cent. That's down from 30.6 per cent in May, a result which spelled the beginning of the end for then-leader Simon Bridges. Labour was on 60.9 per cent - up 4.4 points. National campaign chair Gerry Brownlee denounced the Newshub-Reid Research poll as a "rogue" result. Speaking from the campaign trail in Palmerston North, Collins told reporters she felt "very strongly" that the results were "clearly false". National released its internal polling to MPs on Tuesday, and, on Wednesday, Collins told Morning Report that the results are "close to" 47 per cent and 36 per cent, presumably in favour of Labour. Heather Roy, a political commentator and former ACT deputy leader, told Checkpoint the poll felt "much more realistic" than the Newshub-Reid Research poll on Sunday. "I think most of the parties will probably agree with that, particularly the two major parties. It's worth bearing in mind that no party in the last 69 years has got more than 50 percent and I still don't think any party will get more than 50 percent at this election." Dave Cormack, political commentator and former policy advisor to the Greens, told Checkpoint he did not think tonight's poll showed that the last one was "rogue". Instead, he thinks it reflects the period which people were polled. "There hasn't been good news for National for a very long time. I suppose this week's been good insofar as no one has resigned." "I've never seen anything like it." Roy says Collins would be happy with the upward trend for her as leader compared to her predecessors, but would not be satisfied with 20 percent as preferred Prime Minister. "She'll be striving hard to lift that," she says. She expects National's support to rise and Labour's to drop before the election. Roy says National will need to pull something "revolutionary" out of the bag for New Zealand's economy to be able to get their support up. Cormack agrees that National needs to announce a policy that could get people excited. "I'm sure there will be a 10-lane road announced in the coming days." Cormack says Labour will be reluctant to announce any policy that risks alienating voters while they're polling at such high numbers. Both agreed the poll indicated New Zealand First and its leader Winston Peters were in serious trouble. -RNZ. In 2005, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow returned from work to find her husband and mother shot dead in the basement of her Chicago home. Investigators initially focused on a White Supremacist who had put out a hit on Lefkow. But the killer turned out to be someone they'd never suspected: a homeless electrician who had lost a medical malpractice suit in her courtroom. He killed himself when police pulled him over a week later and found a list of enemy judges, including Lefkow, in his van. Lefkow was forced to relive her family tragedy this month when a struggling lawyer armed with a gun and a grudge opened fire at the home of another female judge U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in suburban New Jersey killing her 20-year-old son and critically wounding her husband. "It seems to me it's almost always men, with these obsessions. They act on on them in violent ways. And it ends up in (these) tragedies," Lefkow, 76, told The Associated Press. Both attacks, like others against judges, were carried out by men with a weapon and a vendetta. And in both, the assailants were not on law enforcement's radar. But the latest case adds a dangerous new twist that authorities nationwide have struggled to thwart until it's too late: the vast misogyny that proliferates online. Investigators have concluded that a Manhattan lawyer who seethed about women in obsessive online posts targeted Salas on July 19 and killed a rival lawyer in the men's rights movement in California a week earlier before killing himself in rural New York. Roy Den Hollander had a lengthy dossier on about a dozen female judges from across the country half, including Salas, Latina with him when he was found dead, two people with knowledge of the investigation told the AP. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Den Hollander's anti-feminist screeds go back at least 20 years, when his divorce from a Russian woman he met during a work stint in the country led to years of court filings against her, her lawyer, her workplace and others. "It was rage against women and it was palpable," said lawyer Nicholas J. Mundy, who represented Den Hollander's ex-wife. "If they were successful or had any power over him, he just had a hatred for them, a deep hatred. He would seethe." In the years since, the 72-year-old spewed vitriol and sometimes violent imagery about women on his website deriding his late mother, his ex-wife, friends from childhood and "feminazi" judges in a nearly 2,000-page rant. The obsessive, unfiltered posts, discovered only after his shooting rampage, alarm those who believe law enforcement must do more to flag the dangerous combination of misogyny, guns and online abuse. "I've been very rattled," said New York lawyer Carrie Goldberg, who represented some of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sex assault victims, and has been the subject of frequent online harassment. "There was so much public indication by this man of his hatred toward women, his love of guns, and his particularized angst toward Judge Salas." Yet the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects the nation's approximately 2,700 federal judges, said they were not tracking Den Hollander. Marshals typically keep watch over judges in their courthouses. At home, where many have worked during COVID-19 quarantines, judges mostly rely on training and alarm systems installed after the Lefkow attack. "Many judges are good at being security minded. But it's not for everybody. And it's tough to stay in that condition all the time. Guards go down," said John Muffler, a former U.S. Marshal who led the agency's National Center for Judicial Security. In the wake of the Salas attack, some federal judges and legal scholars interviewed by the AP called for the U.S. Marshals Service to spend more time monitoring such online hate speech. That's complicated by both the expanse of the internet and the thorny question of when criticism protected by the First Amendment becomes a threat. The Marshals Service said it reviewed more than 1 million "derogatory" social media posts aimed at people it protects during the last fiscal year. However, feminist scholars and activists believe that misogynistic threats are overlooked and under-prosecuted because there are so many of them. "This is a person who's been fantasizing about killing women for years," said Mary Anne Franks, a University of Miami law professor. "If you have left a paper trail like this, you shouldn't be allowed to get a weapon." Den Hollander's dossier also included a female oncologist thought to have treated him for what he described in his posts as terminal cancer. The illness apparently led him to step down last year from a gender bias case he had pending before Salas, in which he challenged the U.S. military's male-only draft registration requirement. Salas let the case proceed to trial but Den Hollander thought she'd moved it along too slowly. Muffler believes the cancer diagnosis, if true, was likely the trigger for Den Hollander to act on his revenge fantasies. As with the assailant in the Lefkow case who had lost his home it was the final straw. Attacking a judge "is their way of shifting control back to themselves," said Muffler, now a security consultant. While threats against federal judges are increasing, and number some 4,400 a year, physical attacks remain rare, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. But when it happens, Muffler said, it's usually deadly. Lefkow thought of resigning after losing her loved ones, but she had a family to support, including two daughters still living at home. And the law, she realized, was her calling. "It ripped the family apart, but you go forward. And do what you have to do," said Lefkow, who says she sent a letter expressing her condolences to Salas last week. I mean, its tragic for this family, she said. Losing your only child, thats the worst thing that can happen. A 56-year old woman who drunkenly spat in the face of a key worker during the Covid-19 pandemic has been jailed for nine months. Pauline Burns, from Donegall Street in Belfast, was told that her actions on April 4 this year caused fear of infection not just to the woman she spat on - who works as a cleaner in a Belfast hospital - but also to the woman's family. Described in Belfast Crown Court as a woman with a history of alcoholism, Burns admitted a charge of common assault, and appeared at the remote hearing via a videolink with Hydebank. Judge David McFarland said that whilst spitting into someone's face was a serious matter, anyone who did so during the Covid-19 could expect a "robust penalty". This, the judge said, was to act as a deterant to others and to protect those who "work on the front line providing service and protection to others". In submissions made by prosecutor Simon Jenkins, it emerged the offence took place two weeks after restrictions were put in place. At 6pm on Saturday April 4, the mother-of-three had just left her home in west Belfast and was due to deliver food to her father who was self-isolating when she was approached in the street by a drunken Burns. The two woman knew each other, and after Burns asked the other woman for a hug, due to social distancing she refused. She then asked Burns politely to keep her distance, but Burns verbally abused her then repeatedly spat on her, which landed on her face and body. As she was a designated key worker due to her job as a hospital cleaner, she was concerned about being infected with Covid-19 and immediately returned home and showered. She did not contract Covid as a result of the incident. Burns was arrested at her hostel the following morning, and when interviewed she admitted she had been drunk the day before. She also admitted that whilst she did know the woman, she could not remember speaking to her, asking her for a hug or spitting repeatedly on her. It was noted that Burns had 201 previous convictions which included previous assaults. Also noted was her history of alcohol abuse. During Thursday's sentencing, Judge McFarland said that after being released on bail for the spitting offence in April, Burns "came to police attention a short time later" and was remanded back into custody. Branding Burns 201-strong criminal record as "appalling", Judge McFarland said her convictions "focus on her disorderly conduct and drunkeness". The judge said that after reading defence reports, it was clear Burns has a "difficult" childhood and there was an "extensive history of alcoholism" in her family. He added: "Her life for the past 15 to 20 years has been a revolving door between prison and hostels." Judge McFarland said he was giving Burns credit for asking to be sentenced so quickly. He also praised the police and prosecution "for the speed with which they have progressed this case". As he sentenced Burns to nine months custody, Judge McFarland said: "This incident took place two weeks into the restrictions placed on the community concerning Covid-19, and her actions would have been motivated by an intention to cause fear of serious harm, including the transmission of Covid-19. "This fear would have extended to infection of the victim's family, given the highly contagious nature of the disease." Premier Doug Fords government should urgently hire new nurses and front-line workers to give long-term-care residents the four hours of daily care they need, a long-awaited staffing report says. Staffing is critical to creating a higher quality of life and care for residents, the Long-Term Care Staffing Study Report concluded. It was released on Thursday by the Ministry of Long-Term Care. The recommendation, from the staffing advisory group struck after a public inquiry into the murders of eight nursing-home residents, will only help homes if workers are hired immediately, before a second wave of COVID-19 hits long-term care, say seniors advocates, union and industry leaders. We need government to make a commitment that this report will not be shelved to collect dust, said Candace Rennick, secretary treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Ontario, which represents 35,000 long-term-care staff. Without delay, they need to implement timelines and make financial investments to ensure these recommendations become reality. A ministry spokesperson said the report is being used to develop a staffing strategy that will be released later this year. Roughly 100,000 workers are employed by the industry that is home to 78,000 residents, most of whom are very old, sick and living with cognitive decline. The report notes a shortage of nursing home staff, in part because hospitals have better wages and working conditions, and said improvements to pay, benefits and hours should be system wide. While the study said its advice will help inform a comprehensive staffing strategy, there is no requirement that the government must act on the recommendations. Weve had enough studies and reports, said Lisa Levin, CEO of Advantage Ontario, which represents 200 not-for-profit and municipal homes. We desperately need this to be the real springboard for government action. Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) said Premier Ford must take swift action before more COVID outbreaks hit homes, demanding the immediate hiring of personal support workers, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nurse practitioners. After 1,844 residents and eight workers died from COVID-19, industry leaders say the system cannot handle a second wave without proper levels of staff. There is a terrible tension, leaving everyone stressed to the limit, wondering what will happen in the fall, said Grinspun. This report cannot go to the bureaucracy machinery. It starts with the hiring and without that, all the rest is nice words. We absolutely need to hear from the premier that they are hiring so we can build up the system to avert a second tragedy coming this fall. A recent RNAO report said Ontarios nursing home residents currently receive about 2.7 hours of hands-on care each day. The cost of moving to four hours of care would be about $1.6 billion a year, the report said. It also called for the addition of nurse practitioners and infection prevention and control nurses, which the report recommended. The staffing advisory group included academics, a geriatrician and leaders in the long-term-care industry. They spoke with union leaders, health-care associations and long-term-care operators. If the short-term worry is focused on the pandemic, the longer concern looks at the staffing crunch created as baby boomers age and demand for registered nurses and personal support workers outstrips the supply. Considerable improvements to workforce attraction and retention are needed to address this gap, the report said. It also recommended changes to the culture of homes, pointing to a punitive compliance system and requirements that force staff to spend time on documentation instead of residents. Some advocates say cuts to annual inspections mean the system is not punitive enough. The authors also noted the need for resident-centered care, highlighting programs like Butterfly (now Meaningful Care Matters) along with the Eden Alternative, P.I.E.C.E.S. and the Gentle Persuasive Approach. These programs can empower workers and allow residents to flourish in their elder years. Resident and staff outcomes are improved on many data points including happiness, said Jill Knowlton, chief operating officer of Primacare Living, which uses the Butterfly model. As many advocates note, emotion-focused care is easier to implement when homes have enough workers. The report detailed the need for a staffing formula based on care hours worked when staff are in the home, not the hours paid, when they could be on days off or vacation. Weve been talking about that for years, said CUPEs Rennick. Opposition leaders say Ford now needs to put words into action. Ontario will simply move from one preventable tragedy to the next if the government maintains the skeletal staffing ratios and inadequate standards of care, said Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, MPP for Guelph. New Democrat MPP Teresa Armstrong (London Fanshawe) said Ford cant let the recommendations lie fallow with dozens of earlier reports if he truly wants to help elders. Long-term-care facilities are incredibly understaffed, and the folks who do the vital work of caring for seniors are overworked, undercompensated and taken advantage of, Armstrong said. Read more about: The United States is trying to instigate a new Cold War with China because it is looking for a scapegoat ahead of the US presidential election in November, CNBC reported referring to the Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming. It is not China (that has) become assertive. Its the other side of the Pacific Ocean who want to start new Cold War on China, so we have to make response to that, Chinas ambassador to London Liu Xiaoming told reporters. We have no interest in any Cold War, we have no interest in any war. We have all seen what is happening in the United States, they tried to scapegoat China, they want to blame China for their problems, he said. We all know this is an election year. They want to do anything including treating China as an enemy, Liu said. Probably they think they need an enemy, they think they want a Cold War but we have no interest, we keep telling America, China is not your enemy, China is your friend, your partner. New Delhi: As new developments hit headlines in actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, a Maharashtra government minister said that the Bihar Police cannot carry out its investigation in Mumbai without permission. After an FIR was lodged against Sushant's actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty by his father KK Singh in Patna recently, a team of Bihar Police began its investigation in Mumbai parallelly. The case is also being investigated by the Mumbai Police. "Bihar Police cannot investigate the case in Mumbai without permission. The team should first inform the Mumbai Police," Minister of state for home (rural) Shambhuraj Desai told Zee Media. The Maharashtra government has, meanwhile, maintained that Sushant's case won't be handed over to the CBI despite mounting pressure from the actor's fans, a few Bollywood personalities and politicians. As per Maharashtra, the Mumbai Police is fully capable of a fair probe and is doing the investigation fairly. Desai also added that during Mumbai Police's interrogation, Sushant's family did not name anyone. The Mumbai Police is questioning people and Bollywood personalities and investigation is going in the right direction. The Mumbai Police has so far questioned over 35 people in Sushant's case while the Bihar Police has quizzed his sister Mitu Singh and ex-girlfriend Ankita Lokhande. Sushant died by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai. He was said to be under stress and depression. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Zareen Khan says people still assume Salman Khan helps her find work: "I cannot be a monkey on his back" NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- First State Investments (FSI), a leading global asset manager, recently marked the three-year anniversary of its high yield group's U.S. composite strategies with top-decile rankings, versus institutional peers, for the three-year period ending June 30, 2020. The FSI Broad1, Select, Quality and Short Duration high yield composites generated three-year annualized gross returns of 5.00%, 4.83%, 5.03% and 3.71%, respectively. All four composites outperformed their ICE BofA high yield benchmark indexes. According to eVestment, a global leader in institutional investment data and analytics, the FSI Broad, Select, Quality and Short Duration composites were ranked in the 4th, 5th, 5th and 3rd percentiles in their respective institutional peer groups. "We're pleased to celebrate the three-year anniversaries of our high yield strategies, which are managed by our New York-based team, and we continue to achieve superior results for our clients in a challenging environment," said Bachar Beaini, managing director of the Americas region for First State Investments. The firm's high yield strategies seek to combine dynamic fundamental, bottom-up credit selection with a top-down portfolio risk management process. Matt Philo and Jason Epstein are co-heads and senior portfolio managers of the high yield team and have led the strategies since inception. Philo said, "As co-managers, Jason and I are executing on our time-tested investment process that has proved to be successful for global investors. We are dedicated to our inclusive, team approach, which has resulted in a strong credit culture and positive outcomes for clients." Epstein added, "Volatile market conditions in the first half of 2020 reaffirmed our conviction that effective investing in the high yield market is first and foremost about risk control. We expect both challenges and opportunities to continue in high yield and are confident in our team's investment process." Philo joined First State Investments in May 2016 and has more than 30 years of industry experience. Before First State Investments, he was head of high yield at MacKay Shields. Epstein, who joined the firm in September 2016, has 18 years of experience and was previously a managing director of high yield for Oak Hill Advisors. 1The performance of the FSI Broad High Yield composite is hypothetical as the assets of the Select High Yield strategy and the Quality High Yield strategy have been combined to create the Broad High Yield Strategy. About First State Investments Sydney-based First State Investments, known as First Sentier Investors in Australia, is a global asset manager with approximately US$148 billion managed on behalf of investors worldwide, as of June 30, 2020. FSI is a member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation (MUTB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG) www.firststateinvestments.com. Media inquiries: Margaret Kirch Cohen CL-Media Relations LLC Tel: +1 847 507 2229 Email: [email protected] Sarah Lazarus CL-Media Relations LLC Tel: + 1 617 335 7823 Email: [email protected] SOURCE First State Investments Related Links http://www.firststateinvestments.com Every day, at least a quarter million people around the world are infected by the coronavirus and more than 5,500 die from the disease. Six months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its sixth and most severe Public Health Emergency of International Concern, with at least 17.1 million infected and over 669,000 dead, the public cry for a vaccine has grown ever more urgent. There are now more than 4.5 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States alone and just under 154,000 dead. The pandemic is spiraling out of control. Yet the government months ago abandoned any serious effort to contain the virus. When questioned about his administrations disastrous response to the virus, President Donald Trump inevitably ignores the breakdown in testing and the grim statistics of disease and death, touting instead purported progress in developing a vaccine. The unstated premise behind this posture is the homicidal policy of herd immunity and the position that the population must learn in the interim to live with the virus. Enter Moderna Inc., a ten-year-old biotechnology firm that is researching one of the 164 different candidates for a coronavirus vaccine. On Tuesday, the Financial Times reported that the company is currently planning to charge the US and other governments $25 to $30 for a dose of its drug. The pharmaceutical giants attitude was spelled out most crudely by Stephen Hoge, Modernas president, who made nearly $5 million last year and who said at a congressional hearing last week, We will not sell it at cost. Modernas price point is high even compared to other companies in the vaccine sweepstakes, such as Pfizer, which has reached a deal with the US government for $19.50 per dose of its vaccine, and AstraZeneca, which has signed a deal with the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy for $3 to $4 a dose if its vaccine is approved. Moderna has already received $955 million from the Trump administrations Operation Warp Speed program, headed by former Moderna board member Moncef Slaoui, as well as technical support through its partnership with the National Institutes of Health. If its drug is approved, Moderna stands to rake in potential revenues of $16.5 to $19.8 billion from US sales alone. This is a pernicious example of how capitalist private ownership of vital industries such as health care and production for profit turn the search for a life-saving vaccine into a money-making racket. Moderna is not the exception. It exemplifies the rule. AstraZeneca will be given $1.2 billion if it succeeds in making a vaccine and Trump has already agreed to purchase 100 million doses of Pfizers vaccine at $2 billion if the drug is licensed. Another drug company, Novavax, will land a $1.6 billion windfall if its coronavirus vaccine clinical trials are successful. The government handoutsno strings attachedare going to non-vaccine companies as well. This week it was announced that Eastman Kodak will receive a $765 million loan through the US International Development Finance Corporation to make generic pharmaceuticals. The Trump administration claims this handout will help produce drugs to fight COVID-19, but Kodak is slated to ramp up production only over the next 5 to 8 years. The Democrats have raised only token objections. Representative Jan Schakowsky, in a statement to Barrons, called for reasonable pricing of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments that have been developed by taxpayers. At most, concerns have been raised that the budget set for Operation Warp Speed, $10 billion, be matched by substantially increased funding for testing and contact tracing. Meanwhile, some 25 million laid off workers are losing their $600-a-week supplemental unemployment benefit, hundreds of thousands of small businesses are going bankrupt, and there is supposedly no money to plug gaping holes in state and local budgets that will mean massive cuts in education, health care, public transit, housing and other public services. In an earlier period, there was a certain commitment to providing life-saving vaccines for free. After Jonas Salk developed his cure for polio, resources were mobilized to produce enough of the vaccine to inoculate millions of children and virtually eliminate the disease from the US and the world. As a result, from 1988 to 2018, the number of cases reported each year plummeted from 350,000 to just 33. There are no plans to develop a similar program to distribute a coronavirus vaccine today. Instead, the pandemic is seen as an opportunity to make a financial killing. The market capitalization of Moderna has increased more than seven-fold in the past 52 weeks, to more than $30 billion. Gilead, the maker of the highly-touted but mostly ineffective therapeutic remdesivir, is now worth $90 billion. At the same time, the race for a vaccine is being used by the American oligarchy as a bludgeon in the geopolitical arena. The US government is subsidizing the drug companies not to save lives, but to produce a made in America vaccine that will be used as a weapon against countries seen to be impediments to the drive of US imperialism for global hegemony, including, but not limited to, China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba. A US-made vaccine will also be used to gain leverage against Washingtons erstwhile European allies. Fearing that China or even Russia might develop a vaccine ahead of the US, the American corporate media has already launched a campaign of lies charging the two countries with hacking US vaccine researchers. This is aimed at criminalizing and undermining their vaccine programs and potentially justifying a ban on their import into the US. As WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in June, There should not be a divide between the haves and the have-nots in regard to a coronavirus vaccine. But such appeals fall on deaf ears. The nationalism exuded by Trump and his global counterparts is not the result of personality clashes, but the economic interests of the capitalist oligarchs who rule and determine policy in every country. Those economic, class interests are in irreconcilable conflict with the urgent human need for a rational, internationally coordinated effort, using the knowledge and resources of all nations, to develop a vaccine that will be available to all at no cost. Any question of national interest or private gain must be subordinated to this socially necessary task. This cannot happen under capitalism, an outmoded and destructive social system that subordinates all social considerations to the ever greater enrichment of a small and parasitic layer of multi-millionaires and billonaires. The social force whose interests coincide with science and the preservation of human life is the international working class. This is the force that must be brought forward to fight the pandemic. This means mobilizing the entire working class to expropriate the pharmaceutical giants and every other major industry and transform these monopolies into publicly-controlled utilities. The dictatorship of corporate interests over humanity must be abolished and economic life be placed in the hands of the workers themselves, establishing a genuinely democratic, socialist society. By Tom Plate Some speeches are unforgettable while others are hard to forget no matter how hard you try. Last week, the top U.S. foreign policy official erupted on China in a speech for the ages, if not for war. One hopes the speech will age quickly and pass quietly into the catacombs of history. Given at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's address had the feel of a vintage newsreel, complete with black and white footage and clear-cut good guys and bad guys. Its trendiest idea drew from 1983, when President Ronald Reagan denounced the "evil empire," which was then the Soviet Union. Last week, Pompeo recycled this notion by evil-empiring China. It seems some ideas are just too good to retire, especially in the absence of new ones. "If we don't act now," Pompeo said, "ultimately the CCP will erode our freedoms and subvert the rules-based order that our societies have worked so hard to build. If we bend the knee now, our children's children may be at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party, whose actions are the primary challenge today in the free world." Is China really Pompeo's primary problem at the moment? No fearsome challenge faces Pompeo's boss, President Donald Trump, in the Republican primary, but November's general election is another matter. Thus, framing China as the free world's "primary challenge" is aimed at shielding Trump from the blows of defeat. Even snake oil takes time to market. Team Trump probably launched its anti-China platform too late to save the election. Even so, the campaign might be starting to have effect, especially in Washington and New York, where pompous sages appear terribly aggrieved that China won't roll over like some well-trained capitalist chihuahua. To make matters worse, there's enough optical ambiguity from the government's policies of President Xi Jinping to make Pompeo's anti-China push seem a plausible product. Then there are the matters of intellectual property theft, internet hacking, spies in U.S. consulates and so on. China has its own set of stories to tell but doesn't seem to know how to tell them, or at least how to sell them, particularly in the U.S. Maybe it's hopeless with people like Pompeo in power. The view from Washington seems to be that almost any story or opinion that offers a sympathetic view of China merits deep suspicion. "This is where I am concerned about the American media, too," Pompeo said in his speech. "When American institutions pick up those storylines [from China's media] and carry them forward, they are, in fact, propagating Chinese propaganda, and we all ought to be wise to that." On the contrary, it might be a better world if there was value attached to at least listening to what China has to say, and perhaps learning something by at least trying to understand the other side. The same goes for China, though Beijing officials give the impression that they lend no more credence to U.S. statements than we do to theirs. China now appears not to care too much any more about what anyone thinks. What we have here is a perfect storm a failure to communicate that at times seems almost deliberate. The world needs Beijing to do better. How far does the Chinese government's soft-power gang think it can get by simply riding on public relations generated by cute pandas? Too much of its hard-earned national wealth goes to its military, as it does in the U.S. Does the U.S. government believe tough-talk policy will actually scare the Chinese? Surely not. Could it frighten its own electorate into believing China is an even greater menace than COVID-19, though? Maybe. One speech will not accomplish that, but many more will come during the election campaign, a quadrennial political pandemic of its own. After more than two centuries of this infectious nonsense, we still have no vaccine. If you hate China or specifically the Communist Party you will enjoy Pompeo's gaseous eruptions. He is actually an intelligent man, albeit one with flawed assumptions about the world, but he can turn a phrase with the worst of them. While negotiating arms control with then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Reagan repeatedly used the mantra "trust, but verify." Pompeo takes it further: "Distrust and verify." That's progress? Polls on the mainland report that most Chinese are happy enough with their government. So for Americans who subscribe to Pompeo's view that "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," one wonders what other option Pompeo has in mind. Professor Tom Plate is the distinguished scholar of Asian and Pacific studies at Loyola Marymount University and vice-president of the Pacific Century Institute, both in Los Angeles. His article was distributed by the South China Morning Post. A natural gas storage facility exploded Wednesday in Mont Belvieu after a contractor struck an underground pipeline, officials said. No injuries were reported. All facility workers had been accounted for, said Mont Belvieu city spokesman Brian Ligon. The explosion sparked a large fire around 5 p.m. in the Lone Star NGL facility at 506 W. Winfree St. Firefighters were still working to suppress the flames as of 8 p.m. Wednesday night. The fire had dwindled significantly, and officials expected the fire to burn itself out overnight, according to a Facebook post from the city. MBFD and industrial units are continuing with suppression operations while the line bleeds out, the city said. We are very thankful that no plant employees or responders were injured during this incident or during the response. West Winfree Street and State Highway 146 remained closed late Wednesday. Lone Star NGL is a subsidiary of Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP, one of the largest natural gas infrastructure companies in the U.S. Company spokeswoman Lisa Coleman told the Houston Chronicle that a contractor struck an underground pipeline at 4:45 p.m. In addition to Mont Belvieu firefighters, the companys own fire team responded to the incident. Coleman said there were no evacuations. Energy Transfer and the Baytown Fire Department late Wednesday began conducting air monitoring. Results did not show any levels of concern, Coleman said. There will be an investigation into the cause of this incident, Coleman said. Updates will be provided as information becomes available. Ligon added that there was no public threat from the fire. A 2016 Houston Chronicle investigation found there is a major chemical incident every six weeks in the Houston area. The Lone Star facility stores and processes natural gas liquids, which include products like propane, butane and ethane. At the facility, natural gas liquids are separated into individual components through a process called fractionation. Transmission pipelines from the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale and East Texas make up the companys Lone Star Express network, 535 miles of pipeline that ships natural gas liquids from shale plays to the Mont Belvieu storage and fractionation facility. julian.gill@chron.com erin.douglas@chron.com From letting COVID-positive travelers from Wuhan board international flights when they were prohibited from boarding domestic trains to cyber-warfare against the United States to unlawful pugnacity in the South China Sea, ethnic cleansing of Muslim minorities, breach of Basic Law provisions protecting Hong Kong freedoms, dissing the U.S. and spreading propaganda via the NBA, Twitter, and Hollywood (Mulan?), and, recently, mysterious seed packets sent to U.S. farmers, the planting of which could very well grow a beanstalk to hell, China seems drunk on power, yet the West keeps pouring the baijiu. If meaningful change must come from within, the Chinese people must demand it from their leaders. As they haven't done so yet, a U.S. policy of reciprocity will provide some incentive. Each nation has its own customs and values; however, the rule of reciprocity, the idea that we take in proportion to what we give, transcends region, ideology, and even history. It is an irreproachable natural law, understood and respected by all societies. America was created as a result of this principle: American colonies were giving more to the English throne than they were getting in return. So we told George III to bugger off. America has been enduring Chinese overreach for quite some time, and so the time has arrived for a Boston Tea Party of sorts for unrequited aspects of the relationship. While our foreign policy record has not always screamed virtue, no one can fault a country for demanding reciprocity. And with the threat to the U.S. shared by the free world, the U.S. has a chance once again to be an international paragon of liberal democratic values. While there is a national security argument, evidence of data-harvesting and espionage is difficult to prove, and indeed, if people don't care about Alexa reporting to Bezos, perhaps they are willfully naive on China, too. However, good leaders do what's best for their people even if it's a bitter pill to swallow. A caring parent stocks the fridge with walnuts and grapefruit juice, not Ho Hos and Mountain Dew. China loyalists (Apple, Nike, the NBA, Hollywood, investment banks, the German auto industry) won't get out of bed with China unless they're dragged out because they benefit greatly and ordinary Americans pay dearly. (Although tarring and feathering may be a tad aggressive, whoever claims that our countrymen care more about cheap socks at Walmart than human dignity should be pilloried in the town square for a weekend.) Ordinary Americans are the many, but their voices are drowned by the interests of the few. We must referendum all leaders who place China's interest before ours. A reimagining of the relationship with China will require that a condition for doing business with or otherwise benefiting from this country is reciprocity in the marketplace of ideas (humanitarian values) and commerce. Unless we adopt and enforce a policy of reciprocity, what incentive does China have to cooperate in widening the road for two-way traffic? When the rich can freely buy a house and emigrate to the clean air of the U.S. or Canada, why would they sacrifice profit for the environment? If they can stand by while Uyghur culture is being extirpated and still make billions in sanctimonious Silicon Valley, why would they lobby for human rights and piss off the apparatchiks? If you are the billionaires who own TikTok, WeChat (a messaging app and highly censored news feed), or Wanda (a Chinese film company), if you have free rein to profit off our young people while censoring their speech, why would you jeopardize your monopoly in China to competition from Western companies? If you're a Chinese student in America, why would you lobby for liberal immigration, education, work visa, and diversity and inclusion policies in your own country, if the belt and road goes one way from China to the U.S.? If you are a member of the CCP, why would you call out systemic racism if the cost of a more pluralistic society is relinquishing the Han Chinese monopoly on political power under which you thrive? Is the West the architect of its own demise if the liberal values we created render us helpless to resist a foreign dictatorship deploying our free markets to buy us out and influence us from within (even Reddit, the platform of the people, is controlled by China now)? The real danger is that unless China liberalizes, the U.S. may be compelled to become more totalitarian for self-defense. A race to the bottom. However, reciprocity offers an alternative to avoid compromising our own freedoms while preserving our core values and integrity. The best way to get leaders anywhere to adopt positive change is to vote with the pocketbook. This is especially true in dictatorships where money is the only ballot. A travel ban on members of the CCP will affect a large enough swath of Chinese citizens to jostle Chinese businesses and party leaders into playing by the rules. Although it will affect a large number of people, and certain sectors hit hardest in the U.S. will scream murder most foul, that is the point: in China, change will never come from the top. It must be grassroots. But ordinary Chinese will not fix their problems at home if they can pass the buck to future generations. Americans, however, cannot in good faith ask or expect Chinese citizens to demand change from their government when our own corporations actively enable such gross human rights and civil liberty violations. America needs to throw cold water on the narrative that we had better do what China says because America needs China. Maybe Tim Cook needs China, but we the American people do not. Whoever spins that yarn should ask Chairman Xi how come his daughter chose Harvard over Peking University. Shareholders must choose dignity over dividends. For film stars yes, you, Matt Damon America made you rich and famous, so show gratitude and stop selling us out: more The Departed, less The Great Wall. Otherwise, China will continue to grease the palms of its American collaborators to impose its rules on the world system until we become Vichy-like vassal nations, and then it will be too late. While Trump's record on Chinese transgressions has been much bark and little bite, not to mention the participation of his son-in-law's family companies in the EB-5 visa scheme for Chinese investors, thanks to Mike Pompeo's stately presence and forceful and prescient advocacy, the message on China is not distracted by the messenger. America is finally on the right track with regard to the one of the most, if not the most, important policy points for the coming decades. So let's stay on it and build momentum while there's still time, because an invertebrate Beijing Biden will throw America to the wolves. The leverage China might have over him in connection with his son should be a grave concern to all Americans. Our only hope is to enforce reciprocity now so that even when Biden tries to walk it back, it'll still be more reciprocal than it was in 2016. Kenneth Mak is an attorney who thinks complacency has made us sheepish, to the delight of MNCs, and so it's time for a correction in the marketplace of ideas. Republican state Sen. Steve Nass, one of the Legislatures most conservative members, called for lawmakers to meet in an emergency session to kill the order, which he called illegal and unnecessary. Evers said he would welcome the Legislature meeting to address the pandemic, which it hasnt done since mid-April. But he said it was a sad commentary that Nass wanted to reconvene just to kill the mask order. Kensington Palace has announced the Princess of Wales 'Travolta' dress is going on display alongside original sketches that were created for her during the design process. Diana: Designing for a Princess at Stone Hall, features the first exhibition of the dress that the Princess wore on the dance-floor with John Travolta during a White House Gala since it joined the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection in 2019. Ahead of today's reopening following the UK's lockdown, Kensington Palace tweeted footage of the precision and care that goes into preserving the dress for public display. Social media users gushed their excitement at being given the opportunity to view the 1985 gown, designed by Victor Edelstein. Scroll down for video The Diana: Designing for a Princess exhibition at Kensington Palace is set to showcase the midnight blue gown Princess Diana wore at the White House in 1985. Pictured: John Travolta dancing with Diana at the gala dinner Princess Diana dazzled in the midnight blue velvet gown as she showcased her dance skills to music from John Travolta's classic film Saturday Night Fever at the White House. Designed over an 11-year period, the Princess would regularly visit Victor Edelstein at his shop in Kensington during the process. She was spotted wearing the gown on a number of other prestigious occasions including a state visit to Austria in 1986 and for her famous portrait by Lord Snowden in 1997. Diana auctioned off the dress before her death to raise funds for Aids Charities in June 1997 for 100,000. The floor-sweeping gown dubbed the 'Travolta' dress, has increased in value throughout the years with the Historic Royal Palaces purchasing it for 265,000 at auction last year. The Princess of Wales visited Victor Edelstein at his shop in Kensington during the 11-year design period of the iconic gown. Pictured: Diana and U.S. President Ronald Reagan Eleri Lynn who is the curator at Historic Royal Palaces released a statement at the time of the acquisition, explaining the importance of the piece being on display at the Princess's former home. She said: 'Not only is the Travolta dress a fantastic example of couture tailoring designed to dazzle on a state occasion, it represents a key moment in the story of twentieth century royal fashion. 'Were delighted to have acquired this iconic evening gown for the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection - a designated collection of national and international importance - over twenty years since it first left Kensington Palace,' she added. The exhibition also features sketches from one of Diana's favourite designers David Sassoon, who illustrated the going away outfit worn to board the train for her honeymoon in 1981. Eleri Lynn who is the curator at Historic Royal Palaces, gushed that they're delighted to have acquired the dress 20 years after it first left Kensington Palace. Pictured: The exhibition Announcing the display of the dress on Twitter, Historic Royal Palaces explained that it's the first exhibition since it joined their collection in 2019 Elsewhere, is an annotated sketch of the maternity dress the Princess of Wales wore while pregnant with Prince William and later with Prince Harry. Responding to Kensington Palace's video of the 'Travolta' dress, Twitter users praised the move to display it now. One person wrote: 'Lovely news on the anniversary of Diana's wedding, the day she became out Princess of Wales'. 'A gem of a gem. An absolute treasure... many will enjoy seeing this iconic dress. Here's to tomorrow,' another said. A third added: 'Just wonderful. I think Diana would have been so interested in how you have preserved the dress and in your display technique.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 18:02:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Sun Hui checks rails at the construction site of the railway linking the city of Golmud in Qinghai and the city of Korla in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Ding Lei) URUMQI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- While many of his peers are hanging out with friends and seeking white-collar jobs, 24-year-old Sun Hui is building his career, one railway sleeper at a time, in the desert at an altitude of some 3,000 meters in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Tanned by the strong sun, Sun Hui barely looks his age. "You can call it a 'railway tan'," Sun said jokingly. As a railway worker with China Railway First Group Co., Ltd., Sun is the youngest of a team currently building a railway linking the city of Golmud in Qinghai and the city of Korla in Xinjiang. The 1,213.7-km Golmud-Korla Railway, which finished track-laying earlier this month, crosses a variety of landscapes including deserts, plateaus and mountains as well as natural reserves. Sun graduated from a railway college in 2018 and joined the team with four classmates as a technician. Yet he never expected the construction of the railway to be so arduous. "As soon as the wind picks up, there's nothing but sand on the menu. Don't eat and you'll starve, eat and you'll gag," Sun said. The railway crosses vast stretches of no-man's-land, with no accommodation available. Sun and his co-workers have to live in makeshift dormitories that are set on rail tracks and move as they proceed with the project. "It can be very cold in winter, and in summer, you have to battle with swarms of mosquitoes," said Sun. The harsh working environment, however, hasn't daunted Sun, who grew up in a city in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. He turned down an office job in early 2019, citing his preference to work in the field to gain first-hand experience. "Hardship is a natural part of growth," said Sun. Zhao Zhenming, a project manager with the Golmud-Korla Railway, said the young railway workers are growing up fast as they are willing to learn and ready to overcome difficulties and shoulder responsibilities. Sun now not only works as a technician, but also helps with human resources work. The railroad switch work for the last stops of the railway was completed under his supervision. The Golmud-Korla Railway is expected to be put into operation later this year, and Sun cannot wait to be one of the first passengers on the train. "I will proudly tell the person sitting next to me that I helped build this railway." Enditem Health Minister Robin Swann has paid tribute to a "dedicated and successful" Co Down surgeon who died suddenly at the weekend. Kyle McDonald was a consultant spinal surgeon in the Belfast Trust. It is understood the 38-year-old passed away in his sleep at his Holywood home. Speaking in the Assembly yesterday, Mr Swann expressed his condolences to the family. "Kyle was a consultant spinal surgeon in the Belfast Trust and, tragically, passed away suddenly on Sunday," the minister said. "He was a dedicated and successful surgeon and a credit to his family and profession. "My thoughts are very much with his wife, his children and the entire family, his patients and his colleagues in the health service. I know that I speak for the entire House in extending our deepest sympathies." His heartbroken father tweeted that he was "so devastated to notify the sudden death of our son Kyle McDonald". He paid tribute to a "brilliant son, exceptional spinal consultant and most importantly a wonderful husband to Poppy and father to Darcey and Rory". Mr McDonald was married to Poppy (nee Stewart) and the father of daughter Darcey (6) and son Rory (4). He is survived by his parents Martin and Anne McDonald in Newry and sisters Paula and Cathy. State Sen. Holly Mitchell, MLK CEO Joined Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies Workshop for Deep Dive Discussion on Birth Inequities in Los Angeles Keynote speaker Sen. Holly Mitchell (DLos Angeles) joined a lineup of visionary leaders to address Black infant mortality and patient experience and safety for Black mothers and birthing people. LOS ANGELES, July 24, 2020 Communities Lifting Communities (CLC), the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, and the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) hosted a unique virtual workshop on addressing birth inequities in the Black community on Friday, July 24. The event was part of Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies, a collaborative effort to reduce Black infant deaths and improve patient experiences and safety among Black moms and birthing people in South Los Angeles, the South Bay and the Antelope Valley. ADVERTISEMENT The Honorable Holly J. Mitchell delivered opening remarks and discussed SB 464, the California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. Mitchell shared how she authored the bill and shepherded its passage. She also shared her vision for respectful, equitable maternity care especially for Black mothers, and her steadfast support and call to action for perinatal care providers. Following months of tireless advocacy, Mitchell saw SB 464 signed into law in October 2019. Aimed at improving outsized infant and maternal mortality rates that have long hurt Black families, the legislation she championed mandates hospitals, alternative birth centers and clinics that provide birth services implement implicit bias training and track relevant statistics. Black women deserve better, Mitchell stated in 2019. Bias, implicit or explicit, should no longer impact a womans ability to deliver a full-term baby or to survive childbirth. At the event, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital CEO Elaine Batchlor and Perinatal Services Manager Tammy Turner shared how the facility is implementing an equity focus, and best practices that have led to improved outcomes for Black birthing women. The hospital has received statewide attention for its c-section rates, which stand at less than a third of the state average. The facility attributes its success to a unique birthing model that adds laborists and midwives to obstetrics teams. Attendees also heard key themes from a July 12 Listening Sister Circle that convened Black pregnant and parenting people, community advocates and birth professionals who live or work in South Los Angeles, South Bay or Antelope Valley on specific recommendations to hospital partners participating in the Cherished Futures pilot program. ADVERTISEMENT We believe this work cannot be done for Black women without Black women, said Dana Sherrod, Perinatal Equity Manager for the Public Health Alliance of Southern California, and project lead for Cherished Futures. We are intentional about bringing Black women, our voices, and lived experiences to the decision-making table. In Los Angeles County, Black women and families continue to disproportionately experience higher rates of infant and maternal mortality and morbidity compared to other racial or ethnic groups. Research shows that factors such as education, income, and health status to do not fully explain the gap, but rather points to systemic issues such as racism and toxic stress throughout a womans life, which negatively impacts birth outcomes. Through a two-year grant from Health Net and in partnership with CLC, HASC, and the Public Health Alliance of Southern California (Alliance), the Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies pilot initiative is uniting decision-makers from local birthing hospitals, public health, health plans, community-based organizations, advocates and patients to co-design systems-change interventions at three levels: clinical, institutional and community. Cherished Futures has a cohort of five participating hospitals: Antelope Valley Hospital, Cedars-Sinai, Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Torrance. To learn more about the work being done by Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) and Cherished Futures, please visit https://communities.hasc.org/cherished-futures. Large attendance figures can be expected on the last day at the office before they all float free And so we have lift-off. The surly bonds of a mutinous atmosphere were dramatically broken and a teeming, wriggling world left receding in rear view. On the day Nasa launched a mission to Mars, another multi-million-euro venture involving, as many believe, life on another planet was green for go. Rocketing away. Burning fuel to get probably 57million miles away from the place. The day had arrived to finally drop work and head straight for rest and play. Our expensive Oireachtas rovers are now projected to make parachute descents into far-flung constituencies, including remote zones of sterile emptiness that few of us can possibly imagine. The House is going into recess. Lifted off are the burdens on the backs of our poor TDs. The punishing G-forces are easing off and so is the Opposition. The Cape Canaveral of the Convention Centre that great outer space from the Dail, where suited-and-booted Deputies have had to be almost swung by crane into their towering, isolated seats will shut. It may even be deep-cleaned, after its month-long showering with radioactive star material. Therell be no Perseverance here. Thats something to do with Nasa although the self-same Neasa was not persevering in voting with her own recently-formed Government. Elected a Green TD for Dublin Central, Neasa Hourigan resigned the whip and voted in favour of a Labour Party amendment on a housing Bill. Read More The ordinary inhabitants of Earth wont pay the slightest notice, but political scientists were beside themselves with interest, trying to see if it had caused any wobble in the constellation o Ryan. We suspect that Neasa and some of the other newbies would be happy to keep going with their astral adventures. But no, the boffins have prevailed, and they will be fixed in the courses. The order is out to everyone: Do nothing for six weeks, keep the head down, and hope for safe re-entry in mid-September. Sure its a whole world away. Closure means, of course, the occlusion of the recently-discovered heavenly body that is the Fine Gael party chairman, Richard Bruton. Who is not to be confused with actor Richard Burton, a burnt-out star long since collapsed on itself. But well also miss such streaking comets of the Dail firmament as Danny Healy-Rae. The Kerry booster must fall back to earth like the rest of them, no longer up above in Dublin and orbiting the Ceann Comhairle. But he blazed as fiercely as ever on his final outing, while thundering about the closure of BorgWarner in Tralee. This bombshell occurred a couple of days ago and took the workers and the town of Tralee by surprise, he said. The loss of livelihoods is always a horrible blow. But Danny went further. It was akin to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Nobody is allowed to smile when Danny is talking, especially on an unhappy topic like job losses, but it is probably technically true that nobody actually died in the bombshell at BorgWarner. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar kept his eyes from looking up at the heavens, for once. He robotically replied, crunching over the dusty terrain: I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of job losses in Kerry, but mentioning that it had happened across the economy due to the pandemic, before lauding Government moves to sustain jobs and stimulate the economy. The politicians strapped in and accelerated to the very edge of midnight, sitting all the hours on their last day so they could not be accused of a lack of application. It was truly a time-space continuum. Until they broke through into Friday and were suddenly floating free. Newlyweds have been sent stunning photographs of their sunset wedding - after a stranger took pictures and tracked them down on Twitter. Nevona Friedman, 26, captured the moment the couple exchanged vows with no witnesses on Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday evening. She was on a stroll with her boyfriend at around 8pm when she realized the couple did not have a wedding photographer, reported the New York Post. 'I realized there was no one else there no family watching or photographer. I really can't imagine getting married with no photos.' Ms Friedman lined up the perfect shot, showing the couple staring into each others' eyes in front of a stunning orange skyline. She later posted it online with the caption: 'If you were getting married on the Brooklyn Bridge this evening, I've got some photos for you!' The moment the couple exchanged vows with no witnesses on Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday evening at around 8pm Eventually a friend of the newlyweds saw the post and Ms Friedman was able to send them their only wedding photographs. And the couple, artist Nikolina Kovalenko, 32, and Stefan Ponova, 30, have since shared their incredible love story. The newlyweds married exactly a year after meeting while salsa dancing in Colombia. They immediately shared an 'amazing connection'. Nikolina was leaving the next morning to travel through South America and joked Stefan should meet her at the bus stop. Nevona Friedman (pictured) 26, captured the moment the couple exchanged vows with no witnesses on Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday evening Ms Friedman lined up the perfect shot, showing the couple staring into each others' eyes in front of a stunning orange skyline. She later posted it online She managed to find the couple after her Twitter post went viral. In a follow up tweet she said the couple's love story was 'crazy' At 6am the next morning he was waiting for her. They shared a ten-hour bus journey, trekked through the glaciers of Patagonia and enjoyed the beaches of Brazil before heading to New York City at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. 'We went from one exciting story, I guess, to a very interesting situation here,' Kovalenko told the Post. 'But we didn't feel claustrophobic being locked down together. We just felt like we were connecting even more.' The couple started their wedding day at their favorite brunch spot Cafe Zona Sur near their home in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Nikolina and Stefan are pictured together during their travels around South America after meeting each other in July last year The couple during their travels together. They trekked through the glaciers of Patagonia before heading back to New York The pair enjoyed an 'amazing connection' and have married on the one year anniversary of meeting each other The couple are pictured exploring ice caves together during their 12 months of travels Women were fascinated by the bride's dress, a For Love & Lemons white maxi ensemble with a plunging back They walked the four miles to the bridge and met an officiant in the center, with the idea of walking off at the other end as man and wife. After the wedding they enjoyed champagne and were so distracted by talking about their future together they missed their dinner reservation. Comments soon rolled in as Twitter users congratulated the couple. One said: 'This is really all you need when you get married. You & your intended, starring so deeply into each other's eyes that you don't care about the view behind you. The rest of the wedding show isn't necessary if you have that.' Another added: 'I'm in love with the story and I don't even know it! The way he's looking at her, the fact they just them two and one other person, that has the be the way to explain that love is humble, simple, beautiful and pure.' Others praised Ms Friedman for taking the photographs: 'Beautiful photo. You are a really good person doing this. Thank you for being you.' Comments soon rolled in as Twitter users congratulated the couple and thanked Ms Friedman for stepping in to become the unofficial wedding photographer 'How lovely. You were meant to be there. That photo will give them joy that will last a lifetime,' one wrote. One said: 'This photo is an entire romance novel and the beautiful satisfying ending so I'm a sucker and crying. And this dress.' Women were fascinated by the bride's dress, an ankle-length For Love & Lemons white ensemble with a plunging back. The $224 dress, reduced online to $89.97, was posted on the Twitter thread and has since sold out. Other users were suspicion, asking whether the couple could have been spies or conducting an extra-marital affair Another user was suspicion, asking whether the couple could have been spies. They wrote: 'What if they're like, spies, and their wedding was private for a reason and now they're scrambling to find a coverup.' Other conspiracies included the possibility the couple were having affairs behind their partner's back. One wrote: 'I'm just glad they weren't both married to other people and having an affair, and they wanted to commit to each other behind their spouses backs in front of one witness. That could have ended badly...you know, with the internet and all.' President Donald Trumps former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on June 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. A federal appeals court on Thursday tossed out its order that a trial court judge dismiss the criminal case against former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, and said it will rehear arguments on the issue. The ruling is a blow to the retired Army lieutenant general and the Justice Department, which has asked the trial judge to drop the charge. Flynn pleaded guilty in late 2017 to lying to FBI agents about his conversations with a Russian diplomat in the weeks before the inauguration of President Donald Trump. But for more than a year, he has sought to undo the plea, and recently found support from top Justice Department officials. The trial judge, Emmet Sullivan of U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., has not acted on the department's motion to toss the case. Instead, Sullivan appointed an outside lawyer to argue that the case be continued, and proceed toward sentencing of Flynn. The judge also allowed outside parties to weigh in on the question of whether to dismiss the case. The lawyer appointed by Sullivan, John Gleeson, said in a court filing that the Justice Department's bid to abruptly drop the case after defending the legitimacy of the prosecution for years was "highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the President." Flynn's lawyers opposed Sullivan's foot-dragging on the dismissal request and related actions allowing outside commentary in the case, and asked an appeals court to force him to endorse the dismissal. A three-judge panel in the federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington in late June ordered Sullivan to dismiss the case after hearing arguments. But Sullivan asked the full appeals court to reconsider that order. The appeals court agreed Thursday to do so, saying a majority of the 10 judges who considered Sullivan's request voted to approve it. The order vacates the three-judge panel's order that Sullivan dismiss Flynn's case. The full line-up of judges on the appeals court set oral arguments for the so-called en banc reconsideration hearing for Aug. 11. The court said both sides should be ready to address the question of whether there are "no other adequate means to attain the relief desired." Its order implies that at least some judges on the appeals court believe Sullivan should be given the opportunity to rule on the dismissal request before an appeal is heard of his refusal to do so. Jon Bon Jovi recently sold his oceanfront Palm Beach, Florida estate for a cool $19.8 million, according to real estate site TheRealDeal.com. But he isnt moving far on the same day that he closed on that sale, he bought a $43 million home 2.3 miles down North Ocean Boulevard. Who says you cant go home? Well, to a new home just miles away, anyway. The distance between Jon Bon Jovi's old and new Palm Beach homes according to Google Maps. Bon Jovi bought the property he just sold for $10 million back in 2018, knocked down the home that was standing, and built a new one. The home he built had five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. His new digs, once owned by cable television mogul Jeffrey A. Marcus, feature a courtyard pool and cabana, exercise room, wine cellar, elevators, a three-car garage with air conditioning and two oceanfront loggias. Whats a loggia? According to Merriam-Webster, a roofed open gallery especially at an upper story overlooking an open court. Fancy! Meanwhile, Bon Jovis seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion in Middletown on the Navesink River still hasnt sold. Its been on the market since 2017. Christies International Real Estate lists the home, called High Point Estate, as price upon request. CNBC reports the price is $20 million. The Christies listing mentions breathtaking vistas and 700 feet of Navesink River frontage, 12-foot ceilings, hand-painted Venetian plaster, a custom circular staircase and a movie theater along with a bar with a view of the river, a kitchen with alabaster countertops, a breakfast room with a river view, a fireplace in the family room and a seating area to view the sailboats on the river as they pass by. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Chinese technology company Huawei has become the world's biggest smartphone seller, displacing Samsung from the top spot in the process. Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices in the second quarter of 2020, trumping Samsung's 53.7 million, according to data from research firm Canalys. The period running from April to June this year marks the first quarter in nine years that a company other than South Korean giant Samsung or US iPhone maker Apple has led the market. Despite being excluded from the UK's 5G roll out and banned from trading with US companies, the results reveal Huawei's global smartphones sales are still healthy. The result is largely dependent on the coronavirus pandemic, which has stunted Samsung's sales in some of its key markets. Huawei shipped more smartphones worldwide than any other vendor for the first time in Q2 2020 Huawei released its Mate 30 in the UK for 899 back in February its first smartphone made without access to Google apps due to the US ban. 'This is a remarkable result that few people would have predicted a year ago if it wasnt for Covid-19, it wouldnt have happened,' said Canalys senior analyst Ben Stanton. 'Huawei has taken full advantage of the Chinese economic recovery to reignite its smartphone business. Huawei shipments of 55.8 million in Q2 is down 5 per cent year-on-year. But second-placed Samsung shipped 53.7 million smartphones, a 30 per cent fall against Q2 2019. Huawei already had the biggest market share in China, while in comparison, less than 1 per cent of Samsung's market share is in the country. Samsung has also seen its core markets, such as Brazil, India, the US and Europe, 'ravaged by outbreaks' of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns, which closed physical phone stores and kick started an economic slowdown. Huawei now sells 72 per cent of its smartphones in mainland China, compared with 61 per cent for the January to March quarter this year. 'Our business has demonstrated exceptional resilience in these difficult times,' a Huawei spokesman said. Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices, down 5 per cent year on year. But second-placed Samsung shipped 53.7 million smartphones, a 30 per cent fall against Q2 2019 Huawei's smartphone sales share for the rest of the world dwindled over the two quarters, from 39 per cent to 29 per cent. While domestic sales rose 8 per cent, Huawei's overseas shipments fell 27 per cent in Q2 2020 compared with a year prior. But its success can be attributed to the fact that it has grown to dominate its domestic market. This is in part due to China's response during the Covid-19 outbreak the country has emerged well from the pandemic, with factories reopened, economic development continuing and tight controls on new outbreaks. However, Canalys added that it will be hard for Huawei to maintain its lead in the long term. 'Its major channel partners in key regions, such as Europe, are increasingly wary of ranging Huawei devices, taking on fewer models, and bringing in new brands to reduce risk,' said Mo Jia at the research firm. 'Strength in China alone will not be enough to sustain Huawei at the top once the global economy starts to recover.' Overall, Huawei's sales fell 5 per cent from the same quarter a year earlier, while Samsung posted a 30 per cent drop due to weak demand in its key markets. Samsung said on Thursday it expects smartphone demand to pick up in the second half of the year. Huawei released its Mate 30 in the UK for 899 back in February its first smartphone made without access to Google apps due to the US ban As for Huawei, the Chinese company has felt the heat of US sanctions that have disrupted its business overseas. The US has effectively blocked Huawei from using Google's services, damaging the attractiveness of the Chinese company's phones abroad and limited its access to chips for 5G networking. Earlier this month, the UK government revealed that Huawei equipment will be banned from the UK's 5G networks due to security concerns. Telcos purchasing any new Huawei 5G equipment will be prohibited in the UK after December 31 this year, and all of its hardware will be removed from the networks by 2027. The decision will not affect Huawei smartphones only the companys network equipment that forms part of the countrys 5G infrastructure. Telcos purchasing any new Huawei 5G equipment will be prohibited in the UK after December 31 this year The decision came after the governments National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assessed the impact of US government's ban on Huawei equipment. The latest restrictions on Huawei could wipe out $25 billion in revenue from several Asia-based firms, financial firm S&P Global Ratings said this week. Huawei has yet to publicly address the impact these curbs will have on its operations. It remains unclear how much of Huawei's second-quarter sales were driven by its 5G smartphones and high-end models that are most vulnerable to the restrictions, said Nicole Peng, vice president of Mobility at Canalys. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) National COVID-19 task force chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. says he is personally vouching that all COVID-19 related transactions are above board amid calls to audit such expenses. "Base sa personal experience natin sa pag-handle ng mga procurement, especially mga PPE (personal protective equipment), test kits, at lahat ng mga kailangan ng DOH (Department of Health), talaga pong maitataya namin ang aming integridad sa pagbili ng mga kagamitan na kailangan ng ating mga mamamayan sa paglaban sa COVID," Galvez said in a press briefing on Thursday. [Translation: Based on my personal experience in handling procurement, especially PPE, test kits, and all other needs of the DOH, I can really say that I can put my name on the line to vouch for the integrity of the purchases of material needed by the people in the fight against COVID-19.] READ: PH debt breaches 9T in June as gov't borrows more for pandemic response Six senators have asked the Commission on Audit to conduct a thorough probe on all coronavirus-related expenses of the government, following billions of pesos in realigned budget items, loans, and donations received by the government since the global pandemic was declared. Galvez said purchases of protective gear, hospital equipment, and medicines have also been streamlined to fast-track transactions and cut costs. He said President Rodrigo Duterte has been in talks with global leaders for direct procurement to make things cheaper. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque added that he will present details on COVID-19 spending measures next week to show that the government has "nothing to hide." The Office of the Ombudsman has initiated its own probe into lapses in the COVID-19 response. On Tuesday, six senators asked the Commission on Audit to conduct a special probe into government spending related to COVID-19, given the billions of pesos of realigned funds, loans, and donations received from local and international sources. Senator Nancy Binay also told CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday that she believes all the expenses should be accounted for. "Alam naman natin maraming alegasyon pagdating dun sa pag-disburse ng Bayanihan 1 (Act) and dapat naman talagang i-audit siya whether special or regular audit [We know there are numerous allegations regarding the disbursement of funds under the Bayanihan 1 (Act) so it really should be audited whether special or regular audit]," the senator said, but worried that state auditors will be able to finish the review in time for deliberations on the 2021 budget in Congress. The government is now gearing up for additional orders of nasal canulla, a new medical equipment that is said to be more effective than ventilators in treating patients with trouble breathing. Mumbai, July 30 : Actress Rasika Dugal is delighted to bring some cheer through her work amidst the tough time. Earlier, she gave a glimpse of her writing and acting-from-home skills with the short film, "Banana Bread", directed by Srinivas Sunderajan. She starred in the film with Mukul Chadda. The short film is a funny take on love and loneliness in time of social distancing. She is now awaiting the streaming of her upcoming film, "Lootcase". Its story revolves around a turn of events that unfolds after a middle-class man chances upon a suitcase full of cash. Rasika will be seen showcasing her comic timing in the film, which also stars Kunal Kemmu. "Shooting for 'Lootcase' was a lot of fun. Director Rajesh Krishnan would fill the scene with many quirks and Kunal's super comic timing was a treat to play off," said Rasika. "During the lockdown, with our short film 'Banana Bread', I felt the need to create something relatable yet light-hearted...some humour to keep us from slipping into a sense of doom and gloom. The warmth with which 'Banana Bread' was received was heartening. I am now delighted that 'Lootcase' is giving me another opportunity to bring some cheer. I think the quirkiness of the film will be a fun ride for the audience. And I can't wait to be be on that ride with them," she added. She also has projects like "Mirzapur Season 2", "Delhi Crime Season 2" and "A Suitable Boy" in her kitty. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, who steadfastly refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, said on Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19, leading at least three of his colleagues to say they would self-quarantine. Attorney General William Barr, who testified to a committee hearing on Tuesday in which Gohmert participated, will be tested for coronavirus as a result, a Justice Department spokesman said. Gohmert, a U.S By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert, who steadfastly refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic, said on Wednesday he has tested positive for COVID-19, leading at least three of his colleagues to say they would self-quarantine. Attorney General William Barr, who testified to a committee hearing on Tuesday in which Gohmert participated, will be tested for coronavirus as a result, a Justice Department spokesman said. Gohmert, a U.S. representative from Texas, where coronavirus cases have surged since the state reopened, said he tested positive in a prescreening at the White House and would self-quarantine for 10 days. "Now I need to self-quarantine," Gohmert said in an interview with Texas broadcaster KETK-TV. "It's really ironic, because a lot of people have made a big deal out of my not wearing a mask a lot. But in the last week or two, I have worn a mask more than I have in the whole last four months." Republican Representatives Mike Johnson and Kay Granger and Democratic lawmaker Raul Grijalva said they would self-quarantine after being in contact with Gohmert, according to statements from their offices or media reports. "I'm self-quarantining until I take a test and then again until results are in. In the meantime, my work schedule and the lives of my employees are disrupted," Grijalva said in a statement. "This stems from a selfish act by Mr. Gohmert, who is just one member of Congress." Masks, which health experts say help prevent transmission of the highly contagious virus, have become a symbol of America's bitter political divide, with some Republicans, including Gohmert, shunning them after President Donald Trump long refused to wear one in public. During Tuesday's hearing, Committee Chairman Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat, scolded several Republicans, including ranking member Jim Jordan, for failing to wear masks. Gohmert said he wore a mask during the proceedings. In a Twitter posting on Wednesday, Nadler wished Gohmert a "full and speedy recovery." Asked if she would consider a mask mandate for the House of Representatives, Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "We're talking to the Capitol physician about that. We'll see what they recommend." COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people in the United States, and almost 4.4 million have tested positive for the virus, according to a Reuters tally. Infection rates have begun to soar in recent weeks after states lifted earlier restrictions on social gatherings and travel. Including Gohmert, 13 members of Congress have been diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19. The other 12 have all recovered and Gohmert said he was asymptomatic. Republican Rand Paul in March became the first senator to contract the disease. He faced criticism from his colleagues after spending time walking maskless around the Capitol, even using its gym, while waiting for test results. After recovering, Paul, a physician, also shunned a mask, arguing that he is now immune. Other medical professionals have said it is unclear whether a person can contract COVID-19 a second time or how long immunity may last. Gohmert said he would now wear a mask, but when asked about mask policies, told the broadcaster: "If somebody feels strongly that everybody should wear a mask then they shouldn't be around people that don't wear masks." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Richard Cowan, Sarah N. Lynch, Susan Cornwell and David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Marguerita Choy and Bill Berkrot) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. A migrant worker at a farm at the centre of a massive COVID-19 outbreak was fired and threatened with deportation after being accused of speaking to journalists about unsafe living and working conditions, according to a new legal complaint obtained by the Star. The reprisal complaint filed Wednesday evening to the Ontario Labour Relations Board claims Scotlynn Growers violated provincial health and safety laws when it fired 36-year-old Gabriel Flores Flores for raising concerns about the spread of the virus that infected more than 200 workers and killed his bunkmate. The complaint notes that as a seasonal agricultural worker, Flores is bound by his restrictive work permit that ties his right to be in Canada to an eight month contract with a single employer. The result, Flores told the Star from a safe house where he has now taken refuge, is a system that disenfranchises workers. Supposedly we come to Canada with rights, but we do not have power, he said. In an interview with the Star, Scotlynn president Scott Biddle said Flores was never fired. He said the worker requested to go back into Mexico because he had a sick family member and was scared being on the farm because of the outbreak. We would never let a worker go, ever, for speaking to the press. Every health and safety concern is taking into consideration, Biddle said. Those are false accusations. Karen Cocq, a co-ordinator with the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC), said Flores case proves that permanent resident status is essential for workers to be able to stand up for their rights, protect their health and safety, and protect themselves from exploitation. The federal government knows that as long as workers can be deported at a moments notice, any other rights or protections they may have on paper will remain inaccessible, she said. The Star first spoke to Flores on the condition of anonymity in mid-June for an investigation into an outbreak at Scotlynn that ultimately claimed the life of 55-year-old father of four Juan Lopez Chaparro. That investigation revealed a history of complaints about crowded bunkhouses and unsafe working conditions at the farm. In a June interview, which took place after the alleged termination, Biddle told the Star Scotlynn was committed to safe work and housing, adding that it should never be a concern for workers to raise issues. Weve never sent a worker back for voicing his opinion, he said. Flores says he learned of Chaparros death on a late June evening when three unexpected visitors arrived at the apartment he shares with 13 other migrant workers. It was almost midnight when the countys medical officer, a priest, and a farm supervisor showed up to deliver the news. Flores, who had also contracted the virus and recovered, was shaken, he told the Star. We were very scared, said Flores. Any one of us could have been in (Chaparros) situation. That night, Flores spoke up, according to the reprisal complaint filed by Parkdale Community Legal Services. He asked the three visitors about ongoing health risks to workers and the possibility of reinfection. He told them he believed Scotlynn should take stronger health and safety precautions, according to his complaint. He asked if the farm owner, known only to Flores as el patron, would provide an explanation of what happened to Chaparro. He also asked whether he could take the next day, a Sunday, off to grieve his bunkmates death. His supervisor gave Flores permission to do so, the complaint says; but in the morning, Flores was allegedly fired after being accused of speaking to the press. The reprisal complaint says Flores had previously raised concerns about health and safety issues directly with his superiors. In May, the complaint says Flores had alerted three supervisors to COVID symptoms exhibited by Chaparro, and says Flores did not know what follow up action was taken. Widespread testing of workers began on May 29, the complaint says, after several workers had been hospitalized. Biddle has said his company, a multimillion dollar farm that describes itself as North Americas Farm Stand, provided timely support to Chaparro and spent $700,000 quarantining workers in hotel rooms after many tested positive for the virus. He said the farm could not achieve success by treating employees negatively. After workers were informed of Chaparros death, and Flores raised further concerns, the complaint says Biddles father, Robert Biddle Jr came to Flores bunkhouse on the morning of June 21 and angrily spoke to him in English. Biddle Jr then held up a smartphone that contained a video image of an anonymous Scotlynn farm worker speaking about workplace safety conditions on the farm. Flores understood that Mr. Biddle Jr was accusing him of being the worker in the video and that he would be sent back to Mexico, according to the complaint. A Spanish-speaking supervisor then arrived and spoke with Biddle Jr, the complaint says. The supervisor confirmed in Spanish that Scotlynn did not want Mr. Flores at farm and that he would be put on the first flight back to Mexico the following morning. Although Flores had indeed spoken with the Star in June, the complaint says the man in the video (an online press conference held by MWAC) was in fact another worker who had worn a face mask to conceal their identity. In court documents from 2016, Biddle Jr is listed as a principal of Scotlynn Investments. Biddle said his father was not involved in the business and that Biddle himself is the sole owner of all Scotlynn companies. He never was on the farm or near this guy, he said. Flores was not given a plane ticket or termination letter, and was told he would be given paperwork to fill out later in the day, the complaint says. Flores said the events rattled him: he is the breadwinner for his wife and two children, and he also supports his mother, who is disabled and recently underwent surgery that still needs to be paid for. According to the reprisal complaint, he contacted a friend outside of the farm shortly after being fired. That individual reached out to MWAC, who arranged for Flores to be picked up and taken somewhere safe where he could access legal support. The allegations in the claim have not been proven before the labour board, which often seeks to mediate settlements before ordering hearings. Under Ontario law, the onus lies with employers to refute reprisal claims. Biddle said there was no documentation of Flores raising health and safety complaints with superiors, but said he was aware Flores had raised concerns with the Mexican consulate during the pandemic. He described Flores as a short-term employee trying to make a lot of noise. Over the past decade, more than 5,500 migrant workers have been repatriated midway through a contract in Canada, according to data obtained by the Star from the Mexican Ministry of Labour. In 2014, research by the University of Toronto documented hundreds of cases of medical repatriation in which injured migrant workers were deported after an accident, usually against their will. In a statement to the Star, a spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said the federal government does not track data on repatriations of temporary foreign workers. In light of the pandemic, Cocq says the task of overhauling the current system of temporary and restrictive work permits that allow repatriations to happen in the first place is more urgent than ever. Without permanent status, workers like Gabriel will continue to be denied the equality and the respect they deserve, and that means livelihoods and lives will continue to be at risk, she said. More than a thousand migrant workers have tested positive for the virus, according to a tally of media reports and public health unit data. In response, the federal government has promised to ramp up inspections and improve an initiative that provides migrant workers who can document abuse with a non-renewable open work permit for up to a year. But the government has not said if it will address what advocates call the key structural problem with Canadas migrant labour program: workers precarious immigration status. In a letter that will be delivered to the federal immigration minister Marco Mendicinos office Thursday, Flores says his experience can and does happen to many migrant workers. The letter calls on the Mendicino to do the right thing and grant migrant workers permanent status in Canada. The reprisal claim seeks $538 in unpaid wages for Flores for work before his termination, and around $27,500 for loss of future earnings because of the early end to his seasonal contract. It also seeks $10,000 in damages for pain and suffering. Flores said he hopes to speak out not just for himself but on behalf of other migrant workers who spend so much time in Canada that we are more Canadian than Mexican. But without permanent status, he said, that has not translated into concrete protections. Its a system of work where we cant speak out. Donald Trump's new campaign focus on 'law and order' in the midst of months-long Black Lives Matter protests is not a winner among suburban Americans, a poll released Thursday revealed. White suburban Americans, a critical voting bloc Trump narrowly won in 2016, are much more concerned with economic and healthcare issues over crime, the Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed. Trump has turned his campaign's message toward combatting crime in the last few months, often tweeting and repeating the message, 'Law & Order!' most recently retweeting the notion Thursday morning. But when white suburban voters, likely the demographic he is targeting with his tough-on-crime message, were asked about the 'most important problem facing the United States today,' cracking down on crime was not a top priority. The poll, taken July 15-21, showed of the 1,603 people surveyed, white suburbanites were split 21 per cent to 21 per cent between the economy and healthcare being the top issue facing America. Only 6 per cent of adult respondents who identify as white and living in the suburbs said crime was their biggest concern going into the election. President Donald Trump's tough-on-crime campaign approach is not resonating with white suburban Americans, a poll released Thursday reveals, as only 6 per cent of voters say that is their top concern 'LAW & ORDER!': Trump often tweets and repeats the message that he will combat crime another losing reelection campaign message The president's campaign focus came after nationwide black lives matter protests have roiled cities for months sometimes spilling over into the suburbs It is crucial Trump again secure this voting bloc to clinch another victory in November but his messaging on crime is falling flat in another blow to his reelection strategy. While flying to Texas on Wednesday to tour an oil field, Trump announced he had gotten rid of an Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule imposed during Barack Obama's presidency, which require city suburbs to analyze racial disparities and track progress. 'I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,' Trump announced via Twitter. 'Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down,' he assured in a second part of the post. 'I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!' Trump's support in the U.S. suburbs are already eroding amid concerns about his supposed mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic. Among white Americans in the suburbs, 81 per cent said they were personally concerned about the spread of the virus. Preserving the 'Suburban Lifestyle Dream': Trump announced in a tweet Wednesday that he is ending an Obama-era rule that required city suburbs to analyze racial disparities to further fair housing 'Crime will go down,' the president vowed Forty-one per cent of that subset claim they approve of the way Trump has handled the pandemic, which is down 12 points from a similar poll from March. According to the poll, Trump's net approval in suburban areas has declined by 17 percentage points from March to July as the coronavirus swept the country. Presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads the president by 11 points in the suburbs, up from a 6-point advantage four months ago. Of all Americans, 42 per cent believe Biden would be better at dealing with COVID-19 compared to the 33 per cent who leaned toward Trump's handling. White suburban Americans, however, were more closely split over which candidate was better equipped to lead the nation out of the crisis, with 40 per cent saying Trump and 38 per cent saying Biden. Rural voters still largely lean toward Trump and urban voters toward the Democratic candidate. With the continuously disintegrating support in the suburbs, Trump has returned to a familiar campaign theme: trying to scare voters away from backing Biden in November by focusing on violence involved with the recent protests. The president recently deployed federal agents to confront protesters in cities such as Portland, Oregon and has released several campaign ads portraying a lawless and dangerous America under a Biden presidency all in an effort to position himself as the candidate who will keep the country safest. Trump has attempted to paint Joe Biden as promoting a 'lawlessness' America, claiming he supports the notion to defund police even though the presumed Democratic nominee has come out against the progressive call to strip departments of their funding Data suggests that Trump, who trails Biden in almost all national polls, could shore up his support in the suburbs and improve his chances of winning the Nov. 3 election with stronger leadership on the health and economic crises rather than doubling down on assertions that the country would be less safe with Biden in the White House. 'His law-and-order message seems more geared towards resuscitating his base than winning over swing suburbanites,' said Dave Wasserman, a non-partisan analyst with the Cook Political Report. 'There is no way Trump can win the election unless he turns around his numbers on the handling of COVID.' But Trump's advisers insist his tough-on-crime message resonates with suburban voters after months of protests over racial injustice and police brutality against black Americans and calls from progressives to 'defund' the police. 'The violence, the lawlessness, is sickening. This is what Joe Biden and the Democrats stand for,' said Rick Gorka, a senior member of the Republican National Committee and part of Trump's re-election campaign. 'Our data shows this is an extremely moving issue, especially with suburban voters and those that are undecided.' Biden does not support defunding the police, despite the Trump campaign efforts to paint him as a supporter of that measure. One Trump campaign television ad, however, shows an older woman being attacked by burglars while she waits on hold trying to call emergency services. The spot ends with the slogan: 'You won't be safe in Joe Biden's America.' 'Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream,' Trump said in a tweet directed to 'Suburban Housewives of America' last week. 'I will preserve it, and make it even better!' New Delhi, July 30 : Congress Treasurer Ahmed Patel has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding that a Union Health Ministry team be sent to Bharuch in Gujarat as the situation is deteriorating there due to the pandemic. In the letter he said the situation in Bharuch and several other districts of the state is "worrisome". If appropriate steps are not taken the pandemic will "crush" the state's healthcare infrastructure and will have a "cascading" impact on the lives of the people. "It is my humble submission that you may consider sending a team of Union Health Ministry to Bharuch and other vulnerable districts of Gujarat so that they may assess the ground situation," wrote Patel. Ahmed Patel in the letter said that testing in Gujarat is very low and only 9,000 tests have been conducted in Bharuch so far. He emphasised that testing facility should be provided in the rural areas so that people should not be forced to travel to big cities in these times. He said that cremation grounds should not become the source of the virus spread, proper precautions should be taken in this regard. All hospitals in Gujarat should be equipped with ventilators and oxygen, he demanded. He said the Gujarat mortality rate is high and needs to be brought under control. Gujarat till Wednesday recorded a total of 59,126 Covid cases and 2,396 deaths. Imphal, July 30 : Manipur, which had recorded no Covid-19-related death until Tuesday, has now seen four people succumb to the disease in the past 48 hours, officials said on Thursday. With the continuing rise in cases, the state government has extended the 7-day complete lockdown and curfew, that was supposed to end on Thursday, for one more week from Friday. State Health and Family Welfare Department's Additional Director Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang said that three Covid-19 patients, aged 47, 48 and 60 years old, died on Thursday. "All the three men had co-morbid health conditions and were recently infected," the official said. The three fatalities come a day after the state registered its first Covid-19 death with a 56-year-old patient succumbing on Wednesday. The man was also suffering from type-2 diabetess and hypertension. The state has, so far, seen 2,505 cases, out of which 829 are active while 1,672 people recovered from the disease with a recovery rate of around 67 per cent. Extending the lockdown, Chief Secretary J. Suresh Baby, in a notification, said: "The lockdown has been extended till August 6 as new cases of Covid-19 infection continues to be detected among the people who have no history of travel outside the state." With the return of thousands of natives from different parts of the country, specially the southern region, Manipur and the seven other northeastern states witnessed a rapid rise in cases. A 23-year-old woman, who had returned to the state from the UK in March, became the first coronavirus case in the entire northeast. She was also the first Covid-19 patient to recover in the region. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) China's ambassador to London said on Thursday that the United States was trying to trigger a new Cold War with the Communist state because it was searching for a scapegoat ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. "It is not China (that has) become assertive. It's the other side of the Pacific Ocean who want to start new Cold War on China, so we have to make response to that," China's ambassador to London Liu Xiaoming told reporters. "We have no interest in any Cold War, we have no interest in any war." "We have all seen what is happening in the United States, they tried to scapegoat China, they want to blame China for their problems," he said. "We all know this is an election year." "They want to do anything including treating China as an enemy," Liu said. "Probably they think they need an enemy, they think they want a Cold War but we have no interest, we keep telling America, China is not your enemy, China is your friend, your partner." Across the United States, teachers and parents are increasingly opposed to the reopening of schools as the pandemic continues to surge across the country. Protests against the imminent reopening erupted this week in Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and other states. In opposition to President Trumps demand for full, in-person instruction from the start of the school year, teachers are demanding online-only instruction until there are no new cases of community transmission. Poll after poll shows that there is widespread opposition to a return to in-person education until the virus is contained. An AP poll last week showed only 8 percent of the population supported opening schools as usual while 77 percent supported major adjustments or having no in-person instruction at all. Teachers in districts as far apart as California and Texas have threatened strikes to protect students and families. Denver teachers protest unsafe reopening (Source: Jefferson Co. Education Association) Under these conditions, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second largest teachers union in the US, is trying to limit and isolate the emerging teachers struggles. At their biennial convention being held online this week, AFT officials passed a resolution on the reopening of schools, which paid lip service to the safety of educators and students but included no serious actions to oppose the reckless and deadly policy. Instead, AFT locals will use every action and tool available to us from serving on state and local reopening committees to filing grievances, lawsuits and other actions against unsafe and unsound plans or the faulty implementation of plans. According to the resolution they would only support local and/or state affiliate safety strikes on a case-by-case basis as a last resort. In other words, the AFT and its state and local affiliates will collaborate with government officials to reopen the schools while the union diverts and dissipates anger with impotent grievances and legal complaints. In the event this is not enough to stop the teachers from taking strike action, the AFT will do everything to prevent local and state walkouts from coalescing into a powerful nationwide strike against the two corporate-controlled parties. Randi Weingarten speaking at a Chicago Teachers Union rally in May 2019 This is exactly what the AFT and its counterpart, the National Education Association (NEA), did in response of the wave of teachers strikes that spread across the country in 201819, beginning with the wildcat strikes by educators in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona. With growing demands for a nationwide strike to demand improved school funding, wages and working conditions, the unions deliberately isolated each strike and cut deals with Republican and Democratic state governments which betrayed the teachers demands and have only left educators more vulnerable to the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. While AFT insists that the conditions under which the schools will be reopened is a local issue, that is not the way Trump looks at it. The Trump administration is determined to get children out of their homes so that their parents can get back to work and resume the flow of profits needed to pay for the massive bailout of Wall Street. While the Democrats pose as critics of Trump and work more closely with the unions, they are just as determined to force teachers back into the classrooms, regardless of the deadly consequences. Teachers are confronting a bipartisan push to reopen the economy as COVID-19 deaths across the US have reached their highest level since May, with nearly 1,500 deaths recorded Wednesday. The lifting of social distancing measures in Democratic and Republican controlled states alike has led to a renewed surge in infections with Texas, Florida and California leading the way and the country as a whole reaching 4.5 million cases. Denver teachers (Source: JCEA) Despite the absurd claims by Trumps education secretary Betsy DeVos that children are actually stoppers of the disease, and they dont get it and transmit it themselves, the number of child infections and hospitalizations in Florida has risen by 34 percent and 23 percent, respectively, and thousands of children have been infected in Tennessee and other states. There is no safe way to reopen schools while there is ongoing community transmission. The density of students crammed into dilapidated and poorly ventilated buildings rotating through playgrounds and cafeterias makes schools a central vector for disease transmission. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, between 20 and 40 percent of infections now are asymptomatic. Precisely because children are younger and healthier, asymptomatic infection is more prevalent among them. This means taking temperatures and checking for other symptoms is virtually meaningless. The only way to check for infections would be daily testing with immediate results, which officials say is unfeasible. During an online forum Tuesday night, AFT President Randi Weingarten, leading member of the Democratic National Committee, emphasized the economic need to resume in-person instruction. In an effort to give a scientific cover for the return-to-school policy, Weingarten brought on Dr. Fauci. While Fauci claimed the schools could be reopened safely, in the end he could provide no scientific proof that this was the case. In many respects, unfortunately, though this may sound a little scary and harsh, I dont mean it to be that way, is that youre going to be actually part of the experiment, of the learning curve, of what we need to know. Teachers listening live on Facebook immediately responded. Why is it acceptable to make teachers lab rats when they didnt sign up for that? wrote one. Being part of the experiment is more than a little scary, said another, Its a lot scary. The experiment of beginning in-person instruction while the pandemic is spreading unchecked throughout the US can have only one outcome, a sharp increase in transmission. No country that has closed its schools due to the pandemic has yet reopened them without attempting to contain the outbreak first. Israel is a demonstrative case of the dangers facing US teachers. On May 17, a day when there were only 10 new cases reported throughout the country of over 9 million people, the Netanyahu government announced a full reopening of schools. Throughout June the pandemic spread with 47 percent of new infections occurring in schools. Now total cases have quadrupled, deaths have doubled since schools reopened and the daily average of new cases in the country is 1,750. No US state has a community transmission rate as low as Israel when it resumed in-person instruction. There is enormous opposition to this reckless and murderous policy. Dana, a Pittsburgh public school teacher, told the WSWS, Reopening the schools will absolutely fuel the spread of COVID but Im never surprised when people in power make bad decisions that negatively impact kids and teachers. Lawmakers have not actually valued education for a long time, and this is evident through lack of funding. Its no shock that the people forcing this also dont care about protecting the lives of kids, teachers and their families. To defend the lives of educators, students and parents, new forms of organization, independent of the AFT and NEA, have to be created. In every school and neighborhood, rank-and-file safety committees must be organized. They must be connected to a national network of committees to prepare and organize a nationwide strike by teachers and school workers to block the unsafe reopening and demand a crash program to rebuild the schools and hire the necessary staff to provide high quality, safe and equal education for all. No teacher or school should be penalized for refusing to work under unsafe conditions. There must be no loss of income as long as the pandemic continues. Because educators are engaged in a battle against the Trump administration, which is seeking to establish a presidential dictatorship and use military repression to crush social opposition, teachers must reach out to every section of the working classautoworkers, Amazon and other logistics workers, health care workers and othersto prepare a common struggle. This must be combined with a political counteroffensive against both corporate-controlled parties, which have spent decades gutting public education and promoting school privatization. After handing over trillions to Wall Street, both parties are preparing a massive attack on public education. To defend the right to high-quality public education, the working class must fight for a socialist alternative to capitalism and a radical redistribution of wealth from the corporate and financial oligarchy to the masses of working people. A junior priest at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya, three members of the UP Fire Services and one personnel of the local intelligence unit deployed there tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Thursday, days ahead of the ground breaking ceremony for the new Ram temple, but the person overseeing the project said there is no cause for concern. On August 5, 11 priests from Varanasi and Ayodhya will perform the rituals during the bhumi pujan for the Ram temple , but the junior priest was not part of this group. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to participate in the ceremony. The construction of the temple was made possible by a Supreme Court ruling in November that ended a decades-old dispute and ordered that a Ram temple be built on the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The priest in question is one of the five who perform daily rituals at the current makeshift temple at Ram Janmabhoomi. There is nothing to worry. One of the priests who performs daily rituals at Ram Janmabhoomi has tested positive. The entire campus will be sanitised on a routine basis, said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust which is responsible for the temple project. A member of the trust who asked not to be named said the 11 priests would be tested for Covid-19 on August 3, when rituals begin for the three-day ceremony that culminates in the bhumi pujan. Only a few people are being invited for the ceremony on August 5 in light of the social distancing norms necessitated by the pandemic. The number of Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh is on the increase and stood at 81,039 as of Thursday night. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Ram Janmabhoomi complex on July 25 to review preparations for the event. He requested local saints to attend the ceremony only if they get invites from the trust. Those that do, shouldnt take along anyone with them, he added. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust last week 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 the bhumi pujan on television and light earthen lamps at home in the evening. On Saturday Adityanath said people have waited 500 years for this day and that it would be celebrated on the lines of Deepawali, which, in some parts of the country, is celebrated to mark Lord Rams return home to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile. More than 21,000 people in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi have been ordered to take a coronavirus test, authorities said Thursday as they scrambled to contain the nation's first outbreak after three virus-free months. At the weekend, a man in the coastal city of Danang tested positive for COVID-19 -- the first community transmission the country had detected since April. Since then, more than 40 new infections have been found, spreading out from popular tourist destination Danang to neighbouring provinces and other, farther-flung cities. The health ministry has urged everyone who visited the seaside city in July to come forward. In Hanoi, 600 kilometres (370 miles) north of Danang, authorities have detected two new cases so far. Hanoi districts have received 21,000 testing kits for residents recently returned from Danang, the capital's deputy health director Khong Minh Tuan told Hanoi Moi newspaper -- an official mouthpiece of local authorities. "People should be actively contacting local health authorities for the tests," he said, adding that officials will try to complete testing by Saturday. Hanoi's bars have been closed since Wednesday, while fairs and festivals were suspended. At a clinic in the capital on Thursday, medical workers in protective suits took blood samples and mouth swabs at a makeshift rapid-testing centre. Le Van Hieu, who visited Danang three weeks ago for a short holiday, said he has had no cough or fever since he's been back, but still turned up at the test site. "Organising rapid testing is good for the community in order to prevent the virus from spreading," he told AFP. Most of the new infections are linked to three Danang hospitals, now placed under lockdown. All flights in and out of Danang and public transport within the city have been suspended, and the majority of its 1.1 million inhabitants have been advised to remain at home. The swift halt to movement comes after Danang has enjoyed weeks of local tourists returning, especially after Vietnam lifted nationwide restrictions in April. The communist state has won praise for its handling of the virus -- reporting just 464 infections in total, including those from the new wave, and no deaths despite sharing a long, ungovernable border with China. Medical workers took blood samples and mouth swabs at a makeshift testing centre in Hanoi Hanoi's bars have been closed since Wednesday, while fairs and festivals were suspended Vietnam has won praise for its handling of the virus While lockdowns have helped slow the spread of COVID-19, drug abuse, suicide, and domestic violence have risen The unintended consequences of the COVID-19 lockdowns have been severe: mass unemployment, increased drug overdoses and suicides, and widespread social unrest. This month, the National Bureau of Economic Research released a paper detailing another: increased domestic violence. Analyzing government-mandated lockdowns in India, researchers Saravana Ravindran and Manisha Shah found evidence of a 131 percent increase in complaints of domestic violence in May in red zone districts, or districts that experienced the strictest lockdown measures relative to districts that had less strict measures (green zones). The researchers, who used a difference-in-differences empirical strategy, found the increase in domestic violence complaints was consistent with a surge in Google search activity for terms related to domestic violence over the same period. The authors say their findings contribute to a growing literature on the impacts of lockdowns and stay-at-home policies on violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings, which also found a decline in reported sexual assaults because of decreased mobility, are similar to those from research that found lockdowns led to a 100 percent increase in intimate partner violence calls in Mexico City. A study analyzing data from police departments in four U.S. cities showed smaller increases in domestic violence, 1027 percent, during lockdown periods. Statistics Canada reported that one in 10 women are currently very or extremely worried about violence in the home, and Canadian police forces are reporting a rise in domestic violence calls. Globally about one-third of women experience intimate partner violence (IPV), which negatively impacts female earnings, labor participation, earnings, mental health, and household consumption. Unseen Costs of Lockdowns The global increase in domestic violence during the lockdown period has received relatively little attention, though CNN recently reported on the increase south of the American border. In Mexico, federal lawmakers shut down most of the economy on March 23, urging people to stay indoors. Activists told the network the action spurred an onslaught of domestic violence, and data show 911 calls for domestic violence are up 44 percent from the same time the previous year. The lockdowns triggered violence in so many ways, Perla Acosta Galindo, director of Mas Suenos A.C., a womens community center, told CNN. People cant work, theres alcoholism, overcrowding; its a lot. Lockdowns Are Destructive To some degree, the COVID pandemic has been portrayed as a morality play. Some would have you believe those who care about people support lockdowns; those who dont care about people oppose them. Were presented with false choices: We can support the economy or protect American lives. These types of arguments only serve to divide. They can also obscure a basic truth: There are human costs to lockdowns, besides the economic ones, that can ravage lives just as badly as disease. The Washington Post, for example, recently reported on a hidden epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic: drug overdoses. One Ohio coroner said he cant process the bodies fast enough. Weve literally run out of wheeled carts to put them on, Anahi Ortiz told the paper. Statistics suggest the trend is national in scope. Data from the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program show that overdoses were up 18 percent in March, 29 percent in April, and 42 percent in May from the same periods the previous year. These statistics should come as no surprise. Social scientists have been writing about the deadly consequences of social isolation for years. Its not just higher stress levels, disrupted sleep patterns, and altered immune systems. One 2015 study determined that social isolation substantially increased the risk of stroke (32 percent) and heart disease (29 percent). Social isolation is also linked to suicide. While there is no comprehensive 2020 data on suicides, anecdotal evidence suggests many are struggling to cope with quarantine life. In May, during the peak of the lockdowns, one California doctor told local media his hospital has seen a years worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks. Lockdowns Have Victims As the French economist Frederic Bastiat stressed, every policy produces not only one effect, but a series of effects. The immediate and intended effects are what he calls the seen, while the indirect, unintended consequences are the unseen. The seen usually gets all the attention, while the unseen often goes neglected. In this case, the seen are the victims of the virus and those who hopefully avoid spreading or catching the disease because of the lockdowns. They are, without a doubt, worthy of our care and attention. But we also must not ignore the unseen: the millions of human beings who, as a result of the lockdowns, have become victims of domestic violence, drug overdoses, depression, suicide, and more. As Antony Davies and James Harrigan wrote, The uncomfortable truth is that no policy can save lives; it can only trade lives. It may one day be determined that the lockdowns saved more lives than they destroyed, although recent evidence suggests the correlation between lockdown severity and COVID-19 deaths is weak. But lets not underestimate the devastating human toll of this policy. The lives ruined or snuffed out by the lockdowns deserve better than that. They deserve to be seen. Jonathan Miltimore is the managing editor of FEE.org. His writing/reporting has been the subject of articles in TIME magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Forbes, Fox News, and the Star Tribune. This article was originally published on FEE.org. The Supreme Court refused to entertain a PIL for CBI Inquiry in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case, saying that the police should be allowed to do their job. There seems to no end to the twists and turns in Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide probe. While the Supreme Court today refused to transfer the probe to CBI, saying that the police should be allowed to do their job. The family of Sushant Singh Rajput filed a caveat in the Supreme Court on Rhea Chakrabortys petition seeking transfer of the investigation in the actors death case to Mumbai Police. On Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a PIL for CBI Inquiry in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. The Chief Justice asked petitioner Alka Priya to go to the Bombay High Court if she had something concrete in Sushant Singh Rajputs case. The police are investigating the same and they should be allowed to do their job, he added. On Thursday, BSP president, Mayawati said that it would be better that the CBI takes up the Sushant Singh Rajputs death probe rather than police officers of Bihar or Maharashtra. ED has also written to the Bihar Police, asking the Mumbai Police to share the details of the investigation in order to probe a possible money laundering angle. Earlier in the day, the late actors father, KK Singh, had filed a caveat in Supreme Court after Rhea Chakraborty, one of the accused in the late actors death investigation, moved the apex court seeking transfer of the case to Mumbai as the case has been registered there. The late actors family filed the caveat to ensure that the investigation is done smoothly. The caveat mentioned that nothing should be done in the above-mentioned matter without prior notice to the undersigned. Vikas Singh, the advocate for Sushant Singhs father, told ITV that he wanted the matter to be investigated under the supervision of Patna High Court. The plea filed by Sushants father also stated that the Mumbai Police is not investigating the death of Sushant Singh. Patna Police is investigating and also inquiring about the death of Sushant. As per the reports by ITV, Rhea Chakraborty and Shovik are missing from their residence in Juhu, Mumbai. Sushants fans on social media are questioning Nilotpal Mrinal who describes himself as a friend of Sushant Singh Rajput. Pictures of Nilotpal with Aditya Pancholi are going viral. There have been many allegations against Aditya Pancholi and his son Suraj Pancholi earlier in the Sushant case. On Sunday, KK Singh had filed an FIR at the Rajendra Nagar police station in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty and her family for cheating, exploiting, and abetment to suicide. He also alleged that the Jalebi actress had kept the actor from his family and completely in her possession. A team of Bihar police officials flew to Mumbai to begin the investigation process. According to our sources, Bihar police recently spoke to Sushants sister Mitu Singh. She revealed that she stayed with the actor for a few days when Rhea left his home on June 8. Sushant told me about the fight between him and Rhea. Sushant told that Rhea left the house with some of her belongings and went away, saying that she might not come back now. Sushant was very sad and upset about this incident. I tried to explain it to him. I stayed there for four days. My children are young so I returned from Bandra on 12 June., said Mitu. I tried to convince Sushant while returning. I had never thought that Sushant could take such a step. Two days later, in the morning, Siddharth Pithani called me and told me that Sushant was not opening his bedroom door. I left immediately for Bandra. I also tried to call Sushants number in my way but to no avail. After reaching Bandra, we found Sushant hanging. I could not understand what to do. After that, the Mumbai Police reached there and started the investigation., she further added. Bihar Police can also interrogate 3 psychiatrists and 1 psychologist from Mumbai, as per our sources. Today, the Bihar police will check Sushant Singhs call details and all electronic evidence. Rhea and five others were booked under IPC Section 306 (Abetment of suicide), Sec 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), Sec 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), Sec 380 (Theft in dwelling house), Sec 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust), and Sec 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property). It is being reported that Rhea has hired lawyer Satish Maneshinde who has worked on Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutts cases previously. On June 14, the Mumbai Police had registered an accidental death report (ADR). It filed under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code. No formal complaint was registered in connection with Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide case until his father registered the FIR in Patna. According to the sources, no new statement will be recorded by Mumbai Police. A few days ago, Rhea had introduced herself as Sushants girlfriend and requested that a CBI probe should be initiated in his death. Sushant Singh Rajputs demise had shocked the nation and it left his fans in a state of grief. ZURICH (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) struck a more optimistic note than peers on Thursday, forecasting 2-3% underlying sales growth this year as demand for high-end pet food and health products helped it eke out growth in the second quarter. Rivals Danone (DANO.PA) and Unilever (UNA.AS) (ULVR.L) posted a fall in quarterly sales and gave no outlook for the year because of the novel coronavirus. The worlds largest food manufacturers previous guidance for 2020 sales growth above 3.5% did not include the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Chief Executive Mark Schneider told Reuters in a telephone interview. We now have a much better understanding of how COVID-19 affects our business, Schneider said. He added that Nestle, known for brands including Nespresso coffee and Purina pet food, had wanted to provide stability to investors. Packaged food companies have weathered the crisis better than other industries as consumers bought coffee, pasta, pet food and infant formula in bulk during COVID-related lockdowns. Nestles organic sales growth, which excludes currency swings and acquisitions, eased to 1.3% in the three months to June, from 4.3% in the first quarter, as the effect of stockpiling waned. Schneider said pet care had outperformed thanks to strong online sales, and coffee consumption at home - which Nestle strengthened recently thanks to its partnership with Starbucks (SBUX.O) - was resilient. Health products like vitamin pills also got a boost from COVID-19 worries, Schneider said. He said business in China, the first country to be hit by the novel coronavirus, was on the mend and lockdown-related production difficulties in India were over. Analysts applauded the better-than-expected first-half sales growth and improved margin of 17.4%. Net profit also beat expectations at 5.9 billion Swiss francs ($6.46 billion). A strong result and confident outlook in the circumstances that looks set to preserve Nestles premium rating and reputation, Jefferies analysts said in a note. Shares, which have risen over 5% so far this year, were up 0.5% at 0934 GMT, outperforming a slightly weaker sector index .SX3P. Nestle said the overhaul of its business toward high-margin foods such as plant-based burgers remained on track. As part of the shift, it has put underperforming North American water brands and Chinese peanut milk Yinlu up for sale and said both reviews should be completed in early 2021. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches, Sommer wrote. She alleges alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments, and that scientists are cooking up a vaccine to prevent people from being religious. And, despite appearing in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress on Monday, she has said that the government is run in part not by humans but by reptilians and other aliens. The undersea pipeline project, which has been subject to extraterritorial US sanctions since last December, is nearly 94 percent complete, but the United States is desperately trying to halt it through sanctions against the companies involved, Sputnik reports. The Austrian energy company OMV has called for a political response to the latest US threat of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. The dispute around the natural gas pipeline is about the extent to which Europe will defend its independence, in particular as it pertains to its energy supply, the companys chief executive Rainer Seele told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Seele added that it was up to politicians, not the companies, to respond. However, as a European company, we expect politicians to work to ensure that Europe does not lose its attractiveness as an investment location, he said. OMV is among five European investors along with Wintershall Dea, Uniper, Shell and Engie which cover half of the total cost of the project, led by the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom. Uniper, which is based in Germany and controlled by Finlands state-owned energy company Fortum, also told the newspaper with regret that the United States continues to try to undermine an important infrastructure project that we believe is important for Europes energy security. - Teachers in Tennessee under the aegis of MNEA recently protested the reopening of schools saying it was not safe - In a bold demonstration of their concern, they carried out a mock funeral as they drove by the state governor's residence - The teachers said they would return to school once there were no new cases in 14 days Teachers spend a lot of time with children, more than what their own parents do, research has revealed. With that in mind, most teachers get endeared to their students and would do just about anything to protect them. READ ALSO: Refigah advises Stivo Simple Boy "Road to music success is never straight" The teachers demonstrated just outside the state's governor's home. Photos: Nashville Radio/Tennessean Source: UGC READ ALSO: Am I supposed to be in the morgue for people to believe I have COVID-19? Jeff Koinange poses This was brought to life recently after a group of US teachers in Tennessee demonstrated against the plan to reopen schools amid the coronavirus outbreak. The tutors held a mock funeral ceremony in a procession they tagged Die In Vigil held at the Nashville Farmers Market on Monday, July 27. According to Newsweek, the educators organised the protest under the aegis called Metro Nashville Education Association (MNEA). "We refuse to sit by idly while our colleagues in other districts prepare for the school year by making wills and writing farewell letters to their loved ones. This is completely unacceptable, cruel, and insane," MNEA said. READ ALSO: Serge Aurier: Brother of Spurs star Christopher shot dead in France The teachers said they were not sure coronavirus is no more. Photo: UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Mwanamke Mkenya afariki dunia baada ya kugonjwa na lori Marekani They drove in cars in a long procession past the house of the state governor, Bill Lee, so that he could see their concerns. The president of the association, Amanda Kail, said the teachers would only feel safe on the condition that classes were done virtually and would return to school once there were no new cases in 14 days. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. I married a man every woman wanted - Pastor Joan Chege | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Archdiocese of Miami calls for hate crime investigation after statue of Jesus found headless Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Archdiocese of Miami is calling for a hate crime investigation after vandals beheaded a statue of Jesus at a church, adding to a string of attacks on Catholic monuments nationwide. Deacon Edivaldo da Saliva of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in West Kendall, told Local 10 that he found the headless statue of the Savior on Wednesday morning and condemned it as a part of an ongoing attack on church monuments nationwide. "This morning I found it on the ground, and we presume that it is vandalism," da Saliva said. "We have seen this happening all over the country." The Archdiocese of Miami now wants police to investigate the vandalized statue as a hate crime. "Archbishop Thomas Wenski is requesting this investigation be considered a hate crime," Mary Ross Agosta, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Miami, told Fox News. "The statue, located outside the church, was on private and sacred property." The attack on the Miami churchs statue of Jesus comes in the wake of similar attacks against other monuments to saints and biblical figures. Last weekend a statue of the Virgin Mary was also beheaded at a parish in Chattanooga, Tennessee, becoming the third such attack, the Catholic News Agency reported. Fr. Manuel Perez, pastor of St. Stephen Catholic Church, said he found the headless Virgin Mary while walking the church grounds in preparation for mass last Saturday morning. Fr. Perez said that he looked around the church grounds to see if he could find a missing head and he couldn't locate it, Jim Wogan, director of communications for the Diocese of Knoxville, told CAN about the vandalized $2,000 statue of the Holy Mother. A statue of Mary was set on fire in Boston, Massachusetts, while in Brooklyn, New York, another statue was tagged with the word IDOL in black spray paint. Wogan said the attacks were happening at a very chaotic time in our history, noting that anger seems to be sort of a default setting for people right now. I think our bishop and our pastors would hope that people would remember the sort of example that is set in the Gospels that, we're to treat each other as we'd want to be treated, he said. Last month, the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri was forced to defend the statue of King Louis IX of France located in front of the St. Louis Art Museum in Forest Park as praying Catholics clashed with protesters seeking to tear it down. For those unfamiliar with King Louis IX he was a rabid anti-semite who spearheaded many persecutions against the Jewish people. Centuries later Nazi Germany gained inspiration and ideas from Louis IX as they embarked on a campaign of murderous genocide against the Jewish people. Louis IX was also vehemently Islamophobic and led a murderous crusade against Muslims which ultimately cost him his life, a change.org petition seeking to change the name of St. Louis the city and remove the statue, said. In a statement defending the king, the Archdiocese of St. Louis called him a saint who reverenced God and did much to care for the poor. The history of the statue of St. Louis, the King is one founded in piety and reverence before God, and for non-believers, respect for ones neighbor. The reforms that St. Louis implemented in French government focused on impartial justice, protecting the rights of his subjects, steep penalties for royal officials abusing power, and a series of initiatives to help the poor. King Louis IXs renowned work in charity helped elevate him to Sainthood, the archdiocese explained. King Louis IXs renowned work in charity helped elevate him to Sainthood, the St. Louis Archdiocese continued. His daily suppers were shared with numerous beggars, whom he invited to the royal table. On many evenings, he would not let them leave before he washed their feet. He personally paid to feed more than 100 poor Parisians every day. His care for the sick was equally moving; St. Louis frequently ministered to lepers. He also created a number of hospitals, including one for the blind and another for ex-prostitutes, the statement added. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries on Thursday reported a 30.97 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 13,233 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2020, thanks to exceptional gain of Rs 4,966 crore from stake sale to BP in Reliance BP Mobility. The strong performance by telecom and retail arms helped the company to ride out a tough quarter which was disrupted by COVID-19 induced slowdown. However, the company's oil-to-chemicals (O2C) and oil and gas business were impacted by subdued demand amid global lockdowns. O2C business, which is set to be split as a separate division, saw revenue declining by 33 per cent YoY to Rs 25,192 crore, primarily due to lower price realisations with disruptions in local and regional markets amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The division has posted a net profit of Rs 37,611 crore in June quarter of 2019. O2C undertaking of the company comprises entire oil-to-chemicals business of the company consisting of refining, petrochemicals, fuel retail and aviation fuel (majority interest only) and bulk wholesale marketing businesses together with its assets and liabilities. The June quarter was very challenging for this division as domestic industry and supply chains virtually came to a halt due to lockdown and both producers and converters had to shut down plants across India. Segment EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) declined by 49.7 per cent to Rs 4,430 crore as compared to Rs 8,810 crore in April-June period of the last fiscal. EBITDA margin stood at 17.6 per cent, down from 23.4 per cent in Q1 FY20. Also Read: RIL Q1 results: Profit rises 24% to Rs 13,248 crore, revenue at Rs 88,253 crore "Weak domestic demand and higher share of exports impacted margins as compared to regional benchmarks. The impact of lower realisation was partially offset by cost optimisation and integration benefits," RIL said in a press release. RIL said that polyester chain margins were weaker due to decline in PX (paraxylene) and PTA (Polyester Intermediate Prices) margins with significant new supplies. Polyester chain margins were at $540/MT as compared to $668/MT in Q1 FY20. "With sharp fall in feedstock prices, naphtha cracking economics improved vis-a-vis gas cracking aiding polymer chain margins. Polymer chain margins were at $500/MT versus $471/MT in the prior period," the company said. Also Read: Reliance Jio Q1 result: Profit jumps 183% to Rs 2,520 crore, revenue up 34% Meanwhile, RIL's oil and gas business reported a 45 per cent YoY decline in revenue at Rs 506 crore due to lower production in domestic business post closure of Panna Mukta and D1D3 fields and lower prices. Segment EBITDA for the quarter turned negative at Rs 32 crore with lower volumes and weak realisations. For April-June quarter of this fiscal, the overall production was 10 per cent higher from previous quarter at 26.3 billion cubic feet (bcfe) and price realisation was at $2.39/mcfe. Reliance's coal bed methane (CBM) gas production remained stable at 0.95 MMSCMD, with ongoing focus on sustaining and augmenting production. On Krishna Godavari (KG)-D6 block development, RIL said that the project was on track for commissioning by mid-2020 prior to COVID-19 outbreak. Drilling and sub-sea installation work for all wells have been completed, while offshore works on platform and pre-commissioning requiring mobilisation of critical resources of OEM contractors from global locations are pending due to COVID-19 restrictions. 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... He has been successful on the big screen, appearing in many successful dramas and romantic comedies. But Josh Lucas revealed that early in his career there was one job he couldn't land. The 49-year-old actor said he auditioned seven times for Sex and the City without ever being cast, while speaking with Access on Wednesday. No luck: Josh Lucas revealed he auditioned seven times for Sex and the City without ever being cast, while speaking with Access on Wednesday The Sweet Home Alabama actor sat down with the outlet to promote his upcoming movie The Secret: Dare to Dream. 'The thing that really gets me is I auditioned seven times for Sex and the City and never got it once,' he said. 'I was like, "Cmon, you guys know who I am!"' He also dished that early in his career he also auditioned to be on Dawson's Creek once, though with no success. His The Secret co-star Katie Holmes starred in the series from 1998 until 2003. You know: 'The thing that really gets me is I auditioned seven times for Sex and the City and never got it once,' he said. 'I was like, "Cmon, you guys know who I am"' Iconic: Saying: 'Like every actor, I fought and still fight for roles. Early on in my career it was like "take anything."' 'Particularly if it was a good show, like Dawson's Creek,' Lucas continued. 'Or Sex and the City, or something iconic, there are so many things like that I have years of...or sometimes I would say some pretty intense heartbreak' Early in his career, he discussed the hunger he had for any projects. Saying: 'Like every actor, I fought and still fight for roles. Early on in my career it was like "take anything."' 'Particularly if it was a good show, like Dawson's Creek,' Lucas continued. 'Or Sex and the City, or something iconic, there are so many things like that I have years of...or sometimes I would say some pretty intense heartbreak.' And losing out to jobs hurt, though now he said he has a funny story, saying 'Or you're told you get it and then it doesn't happen, or another actor, a more famous actor decides to take it away from you.' Dang it, Matt: Lucas also joked about a time Matt Damon supposedly stole a voice over job from him But Damon through a wrench into his plans: 'And then supposedly Matt Damon called the owner of the company and was like "I'll do it," and they were like "Oh! Really? Okay! Sorry Josh"' 'I kind of have a funny one with Matt Damon,' though he said 'I don't know if this is true.' Explaining the situation with the Good Will Hunting actor he said: 'I had been hired for a voiceover job and I was really excited about because it was a really good voiceover job.' But Damon through a wrench into his plans: 'And then supposedly Matt Damon called the owner of the company and was like "I'll do it," and they were like "Oh! Really? Okay! Sorry Josh."' Maybe on day: But Damon through a wrench into his plans: 'And then supposedly Matt Damon called the owner of the company and was like "I'll do it," and they were like "Oh! Really? Okay! Sorry Josh"' (Witherspoon, Lucas and Patrick Dempsey on screen in 2002) Reunited: 'It's really why I did The Secret too. It's the same director Andy Tennant...I get to work with him and the same DP we had from Sweet Home Alabama' He also said any hope of reuniting with his Sweet Home Alabama co-star Reese Witherspoon for a sequel is waiting on her to 'pull the trigger,' as she has since become a mogul and household name. Though Lucas reunited with the film's director Andy Tennant on The Secret. 'It's really why I did The Secret too. It's the same director Andy Tennant...I get to work with him and the same DP we had from Sweet Home Alabama.' 'There were these really wonderful flashback moments ,' he said on set of his upcoming film as he reflected on nearly 20 years since Sweet Home Alabama. Promo tour: Lucas went on Access to promote his new move The Secret: Dare to Dream which will be available for streaming on Apple TV July 31 Plot: It stars Katie Holmes as widow Miranda raising her three kids when handyman Brady (Lucas) brings joy to the family, though he has a secret. The film is based on the 2006 self-help book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne The Secret: Dare to Dream will be available for streaming on Apple TV July 31 after it was scheduled for a theatrical release in April, before the coronavirus pandemic closed theaters. It stars Holmes as widow Miranda raising her three kids when handyman Brady (Lucas) brings joy to the family, though he has a secret. The film is based on the 2006 self-help book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Thousands of extra students are expected to get a place at university this year in what's being predicted as the biggest ever year of clearing, as institutions place 'quantity over quality to earn some bucks'. With a fall in overseas students predicted due to the coronavirus, places for British students have been increased. According to The Times, UCAS is predicting 80,000 students could find a place during the clearing scheme - which runs in the two weeks after A-Levels results day in August. Last year 73,000 students found a course during the same period. Prestigious universities such as King's College London are looking to fill places left by students who would normally travel from abroad Prestigious universities such as King's College London, Bristol, Edinburgh and more than dozen other Russell Group members are still looking for students, with more than 4,383 courses on offer between them. Institutions have a deal with the government allowing them to take in five per cent more UK students than their targets. With A-Level exams cancelled this year due to the pandemic, and results relying on school averages and teachers' own assessment of their pupils, results this year are set to be slightly different. Before clearing begins on August 13, universities have been urged to show some flexibility with their entry requirements. Commons education committee chairman Robert Halfon told The Times: 'The problem is that so many universities seem hell-bent on going after quantity over quality to earn some bucks.' Neil O'Brien, warned too many prospective students were staying in education to avoid a lack of jobs in the current market. He added: 'My main fear is for students who may drop out, or struggle to keep up and end up with a lot of debt and poor prospects at the end of it.' Fire trucks and EMS crews filled the narrow streets in the Allison Hill neighborhood in Harrisburg on Wednesday afternoon after a 2nd alarm fire broke out in neighboring apartment buildings. Harrisburg Deputy Chief Glenn Sattizahn described arriving to the homes in the area of 14th and Swatara streets and seeing a column of smoke coming from one of the buildings. The initial call came in around 2:50 p.m. for a fire in a back porch, Sattizahn said, and quickly upgraded the alarm on the fire to bring in more units. No cause was determined as of Wednesday evening, however, Sattizahn said there were a couple of possibilities being investigated by Harrisburgs fire chief and a Harrisburg police detective. One of the problems fire crews ran into was that the fire was near where the electric service came into one apartment, which left an overhead power line arching and sparking while firefighters were trying to put the fire out, Sattizahn said. One firefighter did have to be treated after being shocked, Sattizahn said. Another firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and a mother and infant were transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The two residences most affected are 408 and 410 14th Street, both apartment buildings, and Sattizahn said they are confident it started in 408. The bulk of the damage is between four apartments on the second and third floors. The first floors of both buildings have smoke and water damage. 406 14th Street, a building that may be under renovation, had minor smoke and water damage, Sattizahn said. Between the four apartments, 12 people were displaced, Sattizahn said. The American Red Cross will be assisting the families. Heat was again a factor, with temperatures in the mid-90s for a majority of the firefight. The heat obviously today, it takes a lot out of you, when youre just working for 20 minutes, Sattizahn said. Its a part of why they called for several extra units to help. In all, a fire like this takes its toll, Sattizahn said. Moreso than just the physical aspect, the mental aspect of not just for the guys who were being transported to the hospital who are injured but for the guys who are still here, still having to do the work. The guys who get transported are in the back of our heads, Sattizahn said. Read more on PennLive: Xi to attend ceremony marking completion of BeiDou-3 system as final satellite starts operation in network Global Times By Deng Xiaoci Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 17:03:56 Last Updated: 2020/7/29 21:56:56 Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a ceremony marking the completion and launching of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System scheduled for Friday in Beijing. According to the China Satellite Navigation Office on Wednesday, the final satellite of the third generation of China's BeiDou navigation satellite system, or the BDS-3, has completed in-orbit tests and assessment work, and officially joined the network. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be present at the Friday ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, which will start at 10:30 am, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The satellite is also the 55th member of the BeiDou system that was launched by a Long March-3B launch vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province on June 23. The satellite will start providing navigation, positioning and timing services, the office said on Wednesday. A BDS insider with the Xi'an Satellite Control Center told the Global Times on Wednesday that the final BDS-3 satellite reached the fixed service point in the GEO orbit that is about 36,000 kilometers above ground on June 30. The satellite will provide quality services for more than a decade to come, the insider noted. The final BDS-3 satellite is the third geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite and 30th of the third-generation series of BDS-3, and was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). BDS is China's largest space-based system and one of the four global navigation networks. The three others are the US' GPS, Russia's GLONASS and the European Galileo. Compared to previous generation series, the BDS-3 constellation with an array of 30 satellites on three different orbit planes - three at the GEO, three at the inclined geosynchronous orbits, and 24 at the medium Earth orbit--have a higher bandwidth, allowing for enhanced communication, and carry more accurate and stable atomic clocks to improve timing and navigation services, according to the project contractor, China Academy of Space Technology. This year, China's BDS has been playing an important role in providing mapping services for the rapid construction of Huoshenshan, Leishenshan makeshift fangcang hospitals in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province at the beginning of the year when the city was stricken by the most severe COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Also, BDS terminals were carried atop Qomolangma (Everest in English) for the first time in late May, to assist the Chinese surveying team in their quest to measure the new height of the world's peak. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Editor's Note: Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news stories and expert opinions that moved the precious metals and financial markets. Sign up here! (Kitco News) Gold is holding around the $1,950 an ounce level with prices wanting to test their new record highs and head higher, according to Commerzbank. Yesterday evening it made an unsuccessful bid to regain its record high from the start of the week. It is likely to give it another go, says Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch. Everything the market heard from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday after the central bank kept rates unchanged suggests a path higher for the yellow metal, Fritsch notes. As its Chairman Powell put it, the Fed is not even thinking about to think about to think about raising rates. This makes it clear how long it will be until rates are hiked Thus the Fed will remain in demand to combat the crisis, and the ultra-loose monetary policy will not change in the foreseeable future. All of this suggests that the gold price will continue to rise. Matt McClain Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who has frequently refused to don a face covering in the Capitol, confirmed on Wednesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus before a planned trip with President Donald Trump on Air Force One, and he blamed his diagnosis on wearing a mask. The results immediately sent a shudder through the Capitol, where this week Gohmert has been voting and actively participating in congressional hearings, including a Judiciary Committee session on Tuesday with Attorney General William Barr and another held by the Natural Resources Committee. 30.07.2020 LISTEN Yesterday was one of the worst days of my life. As I watched the video footage of an old woman of 90 years being hacked to death, I cried in my spirit and felt the heavy yoke of religious indoctrination and enslavement. Like many of you, I could not wrap my brain around such a despicable act. How on earth, especially in the twenty-first century would an old woman, blessed with longevity that is very rare in our part of the world, be stoned, whipped, and hacked to death because of the perception that she is a witch? In the 1960s, many modernisation theorists predicted that religion would give way to rationalism. Any institution that is rooted in religion, particularly chieftaincy, was confidently earmarked to collapse in the face of the scientific-technological world. It was forecasted that religious fanaticism and reckless actions perpetrated in the name of religion would dissipate and give way to modernisation. In short, modernisation was tipped to bury religion. But by the late 1970s, it became obvious that religion was not ready to go into oblivion, at least not any time soon. The Iranian revolution in 1979 sparked a renewed interest in religion. The so-named Middle East, the home of most of the so-called Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam recovered its religious zest and zeal. The place became the melting pot of religious atavism and revitalisation. Given that the Middle East is the epicentre of the Abrahamic Religions or revelatory religions, the Iranian revolution spilled over into the Region. In just a matter of a few years, the revolution which was inspired by religious fundamentalism spread to other parts of the world, including Ghana. Consequently, by the 1980s, religions like the Shia and Nation of Islam, founded by Wallace Fard Muhammed, had officially registered their presence in Ghana. It was also around this time that Ghanaian Christianity experienced sporadic charismatisation, marked by prophetism, speaking in tongues, and divine healing. Added to the Iranian revolution was the infamous 9/11. The attack on the United States of America on September 11, 2001, instead of cowing America into submissiveness breathed new life into religious activism. The disaster renewed the vision of people to invest in religion, as human incompleteness and vulnerability were shown on the television screen for everyone to watch. The CNN and BBC announcement that America, considered the superpower of the world since the collapse of the Soviet world, was under attack vividly captured the inherent weakness of human beings. With the illusions of American invincibility deconstructed, many individuals decided to invest in God. Churches were filled. Spirituality, however we define it, surged. Religious functionaries, including those with the acclaimed capacity to interpret religious texts on eschatology, became celebrities. There was also neo-traditionalization of indigenous religions. Scholars reconsidered the modernisation theory and renewed their interests in writing about religion. Since the group of men who attacked the United States claimed to have been inspired by religion, popular and academic discourses explored the centrality of religion in human civilization. In the end, the world came to the solemn conclusion however grudgingly that religion could not be taken for granted. Religion needed attention if human civilization is to last. So far, I have argued that religion is central to human life and it cannot be wished away as a fad and figment of the imagination. It is also important to highlight that religion gives inspiration and hope to people to live. It helps human beings to make sense of the mysteries of the world. In other words, we ascribe meaning to and from life largely from the perspective of a religious belief. Religion, therefore, is a major worldview to many people. Notwithstanding the socio-psychological importance of religion, I want to highlight a few of the areas where religion defined as a form of indoctrination based on either atheism or theism can harm human life. As a Christian, I must say that Christianity is not a religion qua religion, as identified by Karl Barth (1886-1968), a Swiss reformed theologian. Christianity is a relationship that God establishes with His elect through Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit seals the relationship. This means that in Christianity salvation is the work of the Triune God alone. God the Father appoints us from eternity (Ephesians 1:4), the Son purchases our salvation (I Corinthians 6:20), and the Holy Spirit seals it (Ephesians 4:30). As we build a relationship with the Triune God, our lives are expected to be transformed. We are to live exemplary lives as the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). It is not about mindlessly following some religious rituals and laws. It is about being transformed to excel in every aspect of life education, politics, science, business, and interpersonal relations. All this means that we are freely saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Christ alone. We are not saved by observing any rituals or sacralising a particular day. Our salvation is essentially and entirely based on what Christ has done for us; not what we are able to do for ourselves. Left to us, we will never love Christ. Left to us, we will never identify with Christianity. Left to us, we will hate the things of God. This why in Christianity, we did not love God, but God loved us. We were enemies, but God befriended us. We exercised our freewill against Him, but He graciously saved us. And He will graciously keep us in Him until the end of our earthly journey (the eternal security of our faith Philippians 1:6). Unfortunately, many of us have reduced Christianity to religion seeking to please God with deified rituals. We reduced the freedom we have in Christ to achieve excellence in life with irrelevant religious rituals and observations. We have sacralised some rituals, including days of worship and made it the centre of religion. Consequently, many religious people have become ardent keepers of religious rituals and yet their contributions to human life is zero. They are Christians on either Saturday or Sunday and on Monday, life returns to the ordinary. The reduction of religion to rituals implies that we must all pretend to be religious. Politicians are religious when they want vote; men are religious when they want a woman and so on. This partly explains the paradox in Ghana: why is there so much corruption in Ghana when about 90 percent of the population claim to be religious? How come that a country with an overwhelming Christian population, we are almost retrogressing on a daily basis? How come we cannot account for the progressiveness that Christianity inspires? Why are we not excelling in science and technology? Why do we perform poorly in school? I will considerably say that we have underperformed as a nation because of religious indoctrination. We pretend to follow Christ and yet, we do not know what it means to be saved. We reduced being saved to keeping a set of laws: dont eat this and that; dont pray in that language; dont work on a particular day and so on. We have sacralised rituals at the expense of godly living that brings about excellence in life. I was so sad that a friend of mine, whom I considered level-headed, could not go beyond religious indoctrination to look at how Christianity transforms life. This friend of mine was complaining that Seventh-day Adventist students are being forced to write exams on a Sabbath. I could not understand why we have allowed some religious superficiality to blindfold us. I simply could not understand why a graduate of a public university who has also acquired a degree in theology (which theology, though?) could not understand the simplicity of our Christian faith and the freedom we have in Christ to excel in life. I could not understand why a rational and mature human being would privilege the keeping of a particular day sacred, which as it were does not bring salvation to anyone, the future prospects of the students. In my perplexity, I texted one of my friends who is also a Seventh-day Adventist member the following: I dont know the problem he (the one advocating that the state should not allow SDA students to write exams on the Sabbath) is addressing: is it that the pupils will lose their salvation when they write exams on the Sabbath or it will just be an infraction of a religious duty? If writing exams on the Sabbath is inconsequential to salvation, why the hue? If it is consequential to salvation, then what happens to salvation by grace? To some extent, I understood my friend who was protesting against SDA students being asked to write exams on the Sabbath. This is precisely because he has spent his entire childhood and adulthood life on reading commentaries and opinions about the Bible instead of him reading the Bible independently. He has spent his entire life believing that Ellen G. White was a prophetess, whose insight on the Bible must be treated like a little light to the Bible. Like many SDA members, he spends every Saturday studying commentaries on the Bible, instead of asking critical questions and allowing the Bible to speak for itself. We might think this is only a challenge with the SDA church. It reflects in many pseudo-Christian churches, including the Jehovahs Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It could be found among the historic and Pentecostal and charismatic churches. It is almost as if we have all become gullible in the face of religion. It is also as if we leave our thinking at home when going to church. We have outsourced our thinking capacity to a few individuals who claim to have mastered Biblical hermeneutics. In 2008/2009 academic year at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), a group of students belonging to one of the famed charismatic churches in Ghana failed en mass because these students thought faith was enough. They had been deluded by their religious leader that they have to spend time praying and trusting God instead of studying diligently, alongside. The end was an academic disaster. While I was a student at the UCC (2004-2008), one of my roommates who was three years ahead of me and a member of the SDA church graduated with a Third Class. This agricultural science student was very brilliant, who entered the UCC after he had gone through the college of education. He had converted from Catholicism to Adventism. As a convert of the SDA church, his zest and zeal for keeping the Sabbath holy were unapparelled. He never read or studied any of his books (apart from SDA books) on the Sabbath. He never wrote quizzes (mid-semester exams) and exams on the Sabbath. Unfortunately, he was at the UCC when writing quizzes and exams on a weekend was non-negotiable. In the end, his religious fanaticism ruined his academic success. His zest for keeping the Sabbath holy became his aporia. The last time I met him in 2013 in Accra, he had left the Adventist church and joined a charismatic church. He could not do his postgraduate studies in agricultural science with a Third Class. He had to veer off into another area of study. As a young man and Christian, I approach every Bible commentary with one goal in mind: the interpreter is fallible. I hold the Bible to be the only inspirational and infallible book to guide my life. Certainly, I have been inspired by some Christian authors, but one thing I do is that I do not allow any of these Christian authors to determine my understanding of the Bible. I admire individuals who spend their entire lives studying the Bible and writing a commentary on it. But try as they do, they are still human beings and are susceptible to making grave mistakes. It is rather sad that many of us are unwilling to admit that some of the Christian authors we read (including a few of them like Joseph Smith of the Mormons, Ellen G. White of the SDA, and Charles Taze Russell of the Jehovahs) made grave mistakes with some of their interpretation of the Bible. This is precisely because we have deified them and made their writings inviolable and equally important like the Bible. This posturing is in clear violation of the Bible. The Bible does not have a high view of man as a god, neither does it have a low view of him as a dog. The Bibles image of man is a creature of God who had fallen into sin and whose reasoning faculty has suffered a dislocation. But the Bible sees that the only means of salvation is for God to save man. Yet, whether pre or post-salvation experience, the Bible does not threat the reasoning capacity of man as sacrosanct. That is why the Bible expects us to set Christ apart as Lord in everything, including our interpretation of the Bible (I Peter 3:15a). Related to the above is the fact that there is a democratisation of the gift of priesthood in Christianity. The Bible is very clear that every Christian is a priest to the glory of Christ (I Peter 2:9). This means that every Christian has equal right to appear before God through Christ. No man has been given the right to mediate between his fellow man and God. The only mediator between God and man is Jesus Christ (I Timothy 2:5). This includes the fact that we all have equal access to Gods Holy Spirit to understand the Bible. The Bible is also written in a language that every Christian must be able to understand and apply to his life. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit who is given to all Christians who possesses the faith, helps every Christian to understand Gods word. He is our only trusted teacher (John 14:26). He is the only one we can trust to give us insight into the Bible. I pray that a time will come when Christians from all denominations will understand that no interpreter of the Bible (regardless of their pedigree and outrageous claims they made/make) can claim to be the infallible and final authority of the Bible. We must be guided by the Holy Spirit alone to understand and apply the wisdom of the Bible. In the end, what I want you to take from this journalistic article is that while the Bible is infallible, the interpreters of the Bible (including the revered founders of your Christian denominations) are all miserably fallible. Satyagraha Anglo-Dutch multinational company Unilever had changed its logo design in 2004, after continuing with the 1970 logo for more than three decades. Wolff Olins a brand consultancy agency was tasked with creating a new brand image for the consumer goods company. They designed the Unilever logo as we see it now. The India chapter of the company had recently made headlines for rebranding its fairness products after being criticised for promoting the light skin tone ideal. The brands logo, which is a U shape was designed to be symbolic of its vitality mission. If you zoom into the logo and look closely, you will see the U is made up of 25 distinct symbols, each representing Unilevers sub-brands or corporate values. The company's website states: "Unilever is committed to making sustainable living commonplace and our logo is a visual expression of that commitment. Each icon has a rich meaning at its core, and represents some aspect of our effort to make sustainable living commonplace." It has the DNA or the double helix that is symbolic of bioscience; a bee that is symbolic of hard work and biodiversity; a strand of hair that is symbolic of beauty; a spoon that symbolises nutrition, and 20 such meaningful symbols. Hindustan Unilever Got this image from a friend Excellent way of communicating company products Marvelous #logodesign Great company, great products and above all a true wealth creator@CNBC_Awaaz @CNBCBajar @HUL_News pic.twitter.com/xFpGgQFxBj Sumit Mehrotra (@SumitResearch) July 30, 2020 A twitter user recently shared an image explaining each symbol and lauded Unilever for its "marvellous logo design". Pompeo called Chinas Communist Party the central threat of our times and lauded the Trump administrations approach. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday the tide is turning in his countrys dealings with China, saying there is international support for American policies even as he said he was dismayed at the number of countries supporting Beijings new security law for Hong Kong. Reflecting rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, including tit-for-tat consulate closures, Pompeo took a tough line on China in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We see the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for what it is: the central threat of our times, Pompeo said. He said other countries are supporting US initiatives like the push not to use Huawei Technologies Co Ltd equipment in 5G networks and stepped-up maritime manoeuvres in the South China Sea. Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP. Senators, the tide is turning, Pompeo said. Washington and Beijing each recently closed one of the others consulates and Pompeo recently announced an end to Hong Kongs special trading status. However, Pompeo also noted the difficulty of forming an international alliance, given Chinas economic strength. He said he was surprised and dismayed at the number of countries that backed Beijings crackdown on the autonomy of Hong Kong. Also at the committee hearing, Pompeo declined to directly address reports that Russia offered bounties for killing US soldiers in Afghanistan. The proper people have been aware of every threat to our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan, he said, in response to a question from Senator Bob Menendez, the top committee Democrat. He defended the administrations decision to remove thousands of troops from Germany. Republican Senator Mitt Romney said he had spoken to senior German officials who considered the withdrawal an insult to Germany. Pompeo was testifying publicly at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing for the first time since April 2019, discussing the State Departments budget. President Donald Trumps administration has tried to slash spending on diplomacy since it took office, something rejected by Congress every year. Committee Democrats released a report this week harshly criticising Pompeos tenure at State, saying he had harmed diplomacy by leaving jobs open for months, treating career diplomats poorly and promoting a culture of retaliation. Lawmakers asked Pompeo about Trumps abrupt firing in May of Steve Linick, the State Department inspector general, as he investigated arms sales to Saudi Arabia and allegations that Pompeo improperly ordered a taxpayer-funded subordinate to handle personal errands. Pompeo denied wrongdoing, repeating earlier assertions that Linick had improperly leaked information. Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Tuesday said the nation has in the last few days, recorded a gradual decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and expects the trend to continue as the public adheres to the preventive protocols. He said Ghanas active COVID-19 cases stood at 3,617 with 168 deaths as of Monday, July 27 after a total of 782 new positive cases where recorded from the June 23rd to July 25th. Dr Kuma-Aboagye who was speaking at a media briefing in Accra said the national coronavirus positivity rate depended on the testing strategy adopted by the GHS which targets persons who show symptoms of the virus and people they have come into contact with. He said the number of COVID-19 deaths had also reduced significantly as the number of positive cases falls. The confirmed 782 new cases were recorded from 58 districts in seven Regions, the remaining nine Regions did not report any new positives cases in the last few days. The Greater Accra Region recorded 428 new cases, from 23 Districts; Ashanti Region recorded 319 news cases from 21 Districts; Bono East 21 new cases; Northern Region seven new cases; and the Bono Region five new cases from three Districts. The Director-General said 2,489, of the active cases, are in Accra, active cases in the Ashanti region has significantly reduced to about 480; Western Region has 222 active cases, and Volta Region has 111 active cases. The Eastern Region has 49 active cases; Central Region has 91, and Western North and the Upper West Regions have five active cases respectively and the Savanah Region has only one active case. Ghana has since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in March this year recorded 30,631 recoveries with a cumulative total of 34,406 cases as the viral case fatality of 0.54 per cent. The nation has so far conducted 382,752 tests, bring the national test positivity rate to 8.99 per cent. 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 Lebanon Community Schools will open the school year with in-person instruction options for grades K-3 and distance learning only for grades 4-12. A statement from Superintendent Bo Yates on Wednesday incorrectly noted that Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Department of Education "directed all school districts to open the year using distance learning as source of instruction for grades 4-12." On Tuesday, Brown and the state's epidemiologist, Dean Sidelinger, introduced metrics for safe reopening. To open in-person classes to all students, the state's positive test rate for COVID-19 must be at or below 5% for the previous seven days for three consecutive weeks. On Wednesday, the state's rate was 5.1%. In addition, counties have to have 10 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents for the same timespan. Neither Linn nor Benton County has met both of these requirements for three consecutive weeks recently, but both have independently met them for shorter periods of time. On Wednesday, Yates said his original statement should have indicated that the district's plan was based on current metrics for the county laid out by the state. Additionally, he noted that the district, like others across the mid-valley, is still contending with what the new rules mean. Yates' announcement noted that K-3 students would have the option to receive in-person classes. "We will be allowed to provide this model due to the downward trend of our county infection rate, as well as the specific needs of our young students," Yates said. "To keep social distancing guidelines, we will need to restructure our classes for these students. Dividing the classes into two separate cohorts will allow us to meet the social distancing guidelines directed by Governor Brown and the Oregon Department of Education." According to the new state guidelines, K-3 students may only receive in-person instruction if the virus is not actively circulating in the community and the county has 30 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents for the previous seven days for three consecutive weeks. Yates noted on Wednesday that the district didn't yet know what in-person classes for those students would look like or if they would be half-days. Ideally he said, students would be in classes four days a week. Currently, the plan is to have those students in classes, permitted by current-day metrics. But, if the county were to break that 30 new cases per 100,000 residents threshold, K-3 students would be pulled from in-person classes as well. That decision would be communicated to parents via the district's website and email list. For students in grades 4-12, Lebanon Community Schools will be utilizing the Canvas Learning Management System that allows students to connect to teachers. K-3 kids would also utilize the system if unable to attend school in-person. "Canvas has many benefits including clean, user-friendly, content-focused design, an excellent platform for cultivating interconnected, digital teaching and learning opportunities, and frequent feature and tool updates," Yates said. "Canvas also has an excellent parent program that you can access from your phone. Our ability to provide online content will be vastly improved from spring." Chromebooks will continue to be offered for grades 3-12. "We realize that this is not the preferred model that the majority of our parents and community support," Yates wrote, "but it is the safest model for students and staff to start the year. We will adjust onsite instruction in accordance with the Oregon Department of Education guidelines. Our priority is to provide students access to onsite instruction as soon as we can safely do so." 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. (Photo : REUTERS/Simon Dawson) Actor Amber Heard delivers a statement as she leaves the High Court in London, Britain July 28, 2020. (Photo : REUTERS/John Sibley) Actor Johnny Depp gestures as he leaves the High Court in London, Britain July 28, 2020. (Photo : Rich Polk / Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 04: Founder of The Art of Elysium Jennifer Howell (C) poses with guests during The Art Of Elysium Presents WE ARE HEAR'S HEAVEN 2020 at Hollywood Palladium on January 04, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Non-profit The Art of Elysium founder Jennifer Howell claimed the Tesla car that Elon Musk gave Amber Heard has a bugging device. According to Daily Mail, Howell said in a sworn statement on July 26 provided to Depp's lawyers that Paige shared with her that "Musk had gifted a Tesla or multiple Teslas." Although she is unsure of the actual number, Howell said Paige learned later that it was ''bugged'.' Musk's representative declined to comment, but sources close to him commented that Howell's statement as 'pure fantasy" and pointed out that Heard only said "glowing things" about the Tesla CEO. Meanwhile, Howell also claimed that the actress' mother who died in May at 63 favored Johnny Depp over Musk who she claimed as "controlling." She also said she met Heard's late mother Paige Heard who Howell claimed has shared secrets about Amber's relationship with the Musk after she broke up with Johnny Depp. Howell said Paige depicted Musk as "controlling" while she described Depp as an "angel" or "saint." Paige also allegedly wished Heard would reunite with the actor. Howell said she became close friends with Heard's younger sister Whitney Henriquez when she was her superior from 2014 to 2016, first as a volunteer, then as a manager at her community arts non-profit, The Art of Elysium, in Los Angeles, California. Meanwhile, Howell claimed to know Heard who was her charity's star volunteer and she helped her stage art exhibits in special needs schools, children hospitals, elder care facilities, and hospices. Heard received an award for her efforts in 2015, the Spirit of Elysium Award, which was the highest honor given by the charity. However, she was upset when Heard divided her $7 million divorce settlement money between the American Civil Liberties Union and the LA Children's Hospital, which according to Amber's publicist, were more prominent than The Art of Elysium. Read also: Read also: [VIDEO] Watch Johnny Depp Throwing Wine Bottles, Smashing Up Kitchen in a "Drunken Rage' with Amber Heard "This is complete fiction" In 2019, Howell claimed what while she was visiting Henriquez months after giving birth to her son, Paige spilled about her older daughter's love life. She wrote in her statement that Paige told her that Depp and Heard broke up because her daughter was "violent and emotional and loved Johnny so much." "Whitney told me that Amber and Johnny were still in touch and that they were each other's true loves or something to that exact sentiment," said Howell adding that she was surprised because the conversation happened after the divorce. However, according to Mirror, Henriquez commented on Wednesday, July 29, that Howell's story was "complete fiction." Heard's representatives did not deny that Henriquez and Howell were close friends. However, Henriquez stated Howell's claims as complete fiction. "Jennifer Howell's statements do not bear any relationship to the truth and I have no idea why she is saying this," Henriquez said. Meanwhile, Howell's testimonial is among the sworn statements provided in Depp's on-going defamation case against Heard. In 2019, Depp charged his former wife with a $50 million lawsuit after she wrote an article published in Washington Post where she described herself as a domestic violence survivor. The suit also alleges that a month after getting married, Musk gave Heard a night visit at Depp's penthouse while her husband was out of the country in March 2015. This was based on a testimony of Eastern Columbia Building personnel. Also, concierge staff at Depp's former apartment building claimed to have seen Musk around the property before the split. Depp's attorneys later subpoenaed Musk for any communications with Heard during her marriage to Depp, which mentions any alleged domestic violence incidents. The tech CEO has insisted he only had a romantic relationship with Heard after her marriage ended in May 2016. Earlier this month, Tech Times reported about a video clip showing Depp throwing a wine bottle on the floor and shouting at Heard. Meanwhile, the trial is over while parties would need to wait until September to receive the judgment. This article is a property of Tech Times written by CJ Robles. Read also: Amber Heard And Johnny Depp Record Court-Mandated Apology For Dog Smuggling Into Australia 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Gopal Pacherwal and Major General SP Murgai (retd) were also held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy. A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly and two others to four years in jail in connection with the newsmagazine Tehelka's sting - Operation West End - on purpoted corruption in defence procurement. The sentencing comes just five days after the trio of former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and Major General SP Murgai (retd) were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy. by special CBI judge Virender Bhat. All three were convicted under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 9 (Taking gratification, for exercise of personal influence with public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The case involves the accused purportedly accepted bribe from a fictitious company for supply orders for hand-held thermal imagers for the army.Aired by Tehelka, the whole sting operation was code-named Operation West End. Incidentally, the meetings took place at the official residence of then defence minister George Fernandes, leading to the issue becoming a major national embarrassment for the erstwhile Vajpayee government. Fernandes briefly had to step down as the defence minister in 2001 before returning to the same position a few months later. Dear Annie: My daughter, "Connie," left home when she was at 17 to join the army. I was going through a separation, and then divorce, from her father. Before leaving, she was very unruly and hard to handle. So, her father and I decided to sign her up for the army since she was underage. I still had a 16-year-old son at home to raise as well. This is the issue: Because of what I was dealing with (separation/divorce), I told her that, due to her behavior, signing her up for the military was all felt I could do. I also mentioned to her that her behavior was the cause of my marriage falling apart. Her father was having an affair and didn't want her around. Now, she has returned home with her husband and two beautiful teens. She has been verbally abusive to both kids, telling them at times she will kick them out if they misbehave. I know this stems from what I did to her. Nevertheless, I have apologized for sending her off to the military and accusing her of tearing my marriage apart, but I couldn't handle her or the marital upheaval I was going through at that time. One other thing is that she no longer wants to be called Connie (her middle name), but since her time in the army, she uses and wants to be called by her first name. I have not agreed to the name change and still call her Connie. She is now in her late 30s. -- Regretful Dear Regretful: It's time to let yourself off the hook. Beating yourself up over the decisions you made more than 15 years ago does not do anyone any good. It also keeps everyone focused on the past rather than the present. Have a heart-to-heart with your daughter and share with her what you were going through at the time. Do this, not to make excuses for your words and behavior, but to tell her that if you had known better at the time, then you would have done better. Now, you are here to share that wisdom with her. The only way we learn not to repeat the same patterns as our parents is to be aware of them. By sharing your growth and regrets, she might begin to see how to change her own behavior. As a sign of moving forward and creating a new relationship with her, consider calling your daughter by whatever name she prefers. Using her name of choice is a sign of respect. Model the behavior you'd like to see from your daughter and your grandchildren. Dear Annie: We had to cancel our trip to celebrate my 9-year-old granddaughter's birthday due to COVID-19. It occurred to me that, if I could find a photo of her mom (our daughter) on her 9th birthday, my granddaughter might get a kick out of seeing her mom at her same age. I found the right album, took a photo of the photo using my iPad and sent it to her. Her dad immediately sent me a text, saying that she had just loved it and that it had raised her spirits. I got to thinking that I should send lots of people a single fun picture of themselves that I had taken over the years, and ask them if they could guess what year the photo had been taken. My texts were going crazy, as everyone was guessing about the year, and the event that the photo was from. We had fun, reminiscing about what had brought us together, for the event in the photo, and how young we were, etc. Some of these people live all over the world, and some are close but may as well be on the other side of the world right now. Most photos they hadn't ever seen, and I barely remembered a few myself. It was a fun way to reconnect, and I thought I would pass it along. -- Barb Dear Barb: What a fantastic way to foster connection and enjoying beautiful memories with loved ones near and far! Thank you for the suggestion. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM Pronab Mandal By Express News Service KOLKATA: Responding to an appeal, a Muslim woman travelled 40 km and reached a stranger Hindu familys house in Kolkata to take care of two newborn twins whose mother was sent to a quarantine centre for 14 days after she tested positive for Covid-19. The family with an ailing member was in deep trouble after all the professional centres which provide domestic helps refused to send anyone to their house. One of the family members then uploaded an appeal on a social media platform seeking help for taking care of the twins. Responding to the post, Firdous Moon, the 36-year-old teacher of a private school, turned up as a messiah for the family residing in Dum Dum. "I do not judge people by their religion. I dont believe in religion. I believe in humanity only. Whatever I did, it was as a human being. When I saw the post on Facebook, I felt the infants needed a pair of caring hands and I decided to offer it," said Firdous, adding, "My parents were against my decision. they were worried about my health because I wanted to go to a house where a family member tested positive for Covid-19. I listened to my mind and left home last Sunday." Firdous Moon, a resident of Pailan in South 24-Parganas district, had no experience of handling infants but she managed everything within three days she took them on her lap. Now she is feeding them after every three hours, cleaning them and playing with them when they are awake. As she was asymptomatic, the mother of the twins was sent to a quarantine centre for two weeks. She tested positive after returning home. The womans husband isolated himself as soon as the twins were brought home. "It is because my son was going to his workplace regularly and he did not want to cause any risk to her wife and children. My husband is suffering from ailments. I am an aged woman and taking care of the twins was not possible for me. When Firdous called us and said she belonged to the Muslim community, we didnt think twice to accept her," said the grandmother of the twins. The elderly woman expressed her hope that Firdous act would encourage others to stand beside the families who have Covid-19 patients at home. "None of our neighbours came forward," she lamented. Washington: Russia plans to register a coronavirus vaccine by August 10-12, clearing the way for what its backers say would be the world's first official approval of an inoculation against the epidemic. The drug developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund may be approved for civilian use within three to seven days of registration by regulators, according to a person familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified because the information isn't public. Russia claims to have a coronavirus vaccine. Credit:AP The Gamaleya vaccine is expected to get conditional registration in August, meaning it will still need to conduct trials on another 1600 people, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said in a televised meeting of officials with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Production should begin in September, she said. Italy's interior ministry on Wednesday said it was finding the migrant situation "much more complex" than in previous years, and was upping returns to Tunisia as it struggled to house new arrivals. "The coronavirus emergency and the consequent very serious economic crisis that has hit not only the countries of North Africa hard, (is) feeding an exceptional flow of economic migrants" across the Mediterranean, it said. Many land on the holiday destination of Lampedusa island, as sunbathers paddling in crystal waters look on. "Autonomous landings on the Italian coasts have more than multiplied in a very short period of time," the ministry said, referring to small boats which make it across from the coast of North Africa without being intercepted. There were also "organisational complexities" linked to coronavirus, for new arrivals who need to be tested then kept in isolation for a set period of time -- and some have been breaking quarantine rules, enraging local populations. Many of the autonomous landings have been on the picturesque but tiny Lampedusa, which lies close to North Africa, and has seen a rise in the number of small boats landing there from Tunisia in particular. Nearly half of the 11,000 or so migrants who had made shore in Italy as of last week had set off from Tunisia, and most of those were Tunisian citizens, official figures show. Other arrivals largely set off from war-torn Libya. - 'High risk' - "The EU must immediately step up" and re-start the redistribution across the bloc of newly-arrived asylum-seekers, "particularly in this phase of high sanitary and health risk", Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said. More than 300 people, mainly Tunisians, arrived in Lampedusa during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday on board 13 boats. Italian media said that had pushed the numbers at the island's reception centre to over 1,000. Newly-arrived Tunisians could be seen lining up along the port -- one woman holding a toddler, another clutching a kitten -- before many were placed on a ferry to take them to mainland Sicily, an AFP photographer said. In a video posted by the Corriere della Sera daily, holidaymakers splashing in the shallows watched as migrants clambered out of their boat onto the rocks on one side of the bay. The ministry said 410 migrants had been transferred from Lampedusa on Wednesday. While people are moved on from the small centre on a regular basis, it soon overcrowds again. Italy's interior minister Luciana Lamorgese met with Tunisia's President Kais Saied and its interior minister in Carthage on Monday to express "strong concerns" about the recent influx of migrants from Tunisia. Flights for repatriation to Tunisia resumed on July 16, with 80 Tunisian citizens returned since the end of the lockdown, the ministry said Wednesday, adding that its aim was "to increase the number of weekly returns". It also said it hoped to be able to deploy two ships in the coming days to be used to quarantine migrants, each capable of housing up to 600 people at a time. Shamet, who is known as one of the NBA's top up and coming young players, wants to elevate awareness of Tohi and Aronia Berries and make them a household name. Especially as Aronia is emerging as a trending ingredient and is being recognized in both trade and consumer press for its remarkable health benefits. "I'm at the beginning of my career but I already think about longevity. What you put in your body is important now but will also pay off in the long run. I drink Tohi as part of an overall commitment to a healthy lifestyle." Tohi, a Kansas City-based healthy lifestyle brand, has a line of four Aronia Berry-based functional beverages. Aronia boasts a high micronutrient profile and total antioxidant measures that are four times that of blueberries and twice that of acai. Antioxidants are widely studied and are believed to improve heart, bone, immune and brain health by inhibiting the oxidation of free radicals in the body that can lead to inflammation and chronic disease. Tohi beverages are clean label (only five ingredients), low in calories (45 calories per can), non-GMO and Kosher certified, vegan, allergen free and non-carbonated. Tohi is available in four flavors: The Original, Blackberry Raspberry, Dragon Fruit and Ginger Lime. Anyone can purchase Tohi beverages online or in more than 500 retail outlets including: Hy-Vee, Price Chopper, Rouses Markets, Reasor's, Fareway, Tony's Fresh Markets and Kum & Go. "We are beyond thrilled to have Landry Shamet on 'Team Tohi' as an Athlete Ambassador," said Shari Coulter Ford, CEO and Co-Founder of Tohi Ventures. "His commitment to optimizing performance through his work ethic and nutrition regimen align perfectly with Tohi's focus on innovating consumer products focused on human performance, resilience and longevity. Landry is the perfect embodiment of the Tohi brand." About Tohi Beverages Tohi beverages are 30% single strength Aronia Berry juice and 70% hydration, available in four refreshing flavors: The Original, Blackberry Raspberry, Dragon Fruit and Ginger Lime. Tohi is non-carbonated and naturally low in calories, with no added sugars and just a hint of Monk Fruit for sweetness. Tohi beverages are packaged in eco-friendly, 12-ounce slim aluminum cans, available for purchase at www.DrinkTohi.com and Amazon. About Tohi Ventures Tohi is an emerging wellness brand innovating antioxidant-rich products from a trending specialty crop, Aronia Berries. Aronia is native to North America and Tohi sources Aronia directly from Midwestern growers across seven states, supporting their sustainable growing practices. Tohi is the creation of two female friends, each with significant healthcare, entrepreneurial and investment experience and a shared philosophy of a nutrition first approach to wellness. For more information, visit www.DrinkTohi.com. Fans can follow Tohi on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. For more information, contact: Michaela Pearce, Tohi Public Relations (816) 500-5911 or [email protected] Ashley Smith Becker, PR and Marketing Landry Shamet (949) 246-1999 or [email protected] SOURCE Tohi Ventures Related Links https://drinktohi.com Irans paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched underground ballistic missiles Wednesday as part of an exercise involving a mock-up American aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting its network of subterranean missile sites. Although state television documentaries have focused on operations at underground bases, all have avoided showing geographic details revealing their locations. Wednesdays launch from what appears to be central Irans desert plateau may have changed that amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the US over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers and as economic pressures grow. We have carried out the launch of ballistic missiles from the depths of the earth for the first time, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guards aerospace division, told state TV. That means without utilizing conventional launchpads, the buried missiles suddenly rip out of the earth and hit their targets precisely. Drone footage captured by the Guard showed two missiles blasting out from covered positions in the desert early Wednesday morning, with debris flying up into the air in their wake. The Guard did not identify the location of the launch, nor the missiles involved. The launch, six months after the Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed all 176 people on board, appeared geared toward demonstrating the strength of its missile program to a domestic audience, missile expert Melissa Hanham said. The above-ground footage shown on state television, coupled with investigative techniques, make it possible to locate the site, she said. Once you find the silo, its really not a safe place to keep your missile anymore, said Hanham, who works as the deputy director of an Austria-based group called the Open Nuclear Network. Since its bloody 1980s war with Iraq, which saw both nations fire missiles on cities, Iran has developed its ballistic missile program as a deterrent, especially as a UN arms embargo prevents it from buying high-tech weapons systems. The underground tunnels help protect those weapons, including liquid-fueled missiles that can only be fueled for short periods of time, Hanham said. What theyre trying to do is increase the survivability of their missile forces, she said. They feel that their missile forces are exposed and that they could be taken out preemptively. By building this elaborate tunnel scheme, theyre trying to increase the survivability. Iran also could have used missiles buried in hermetically sealed canisters for the launches without the need for a major underground base, said Michael Elleman, a missile expert and the director of the nonproliferation and nuclear policy program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Solid-fuel propellant could allow such missiles to be buried for years, he said. Presumably, these missiles can be launched remotely, without a launch crew on site, Elleman said. Perhaps the launch crew is nearby, and has operational control of several to a handful of missiles. However, he said he suspected the US likely knew where the missiles were buried. Maybe not all of them, but a large percentage, Elleman said. If so, they are vulnerable to pre-launch strikes during a crisis. The drill, called Great Prophet 14, also sends a message to the United States. Iran has been firing at a fake aircraft carrier resembling Americas Nimitz-class carriers towed out to the strait by a tugboat. Adm. Ali Reza Tangsiri, the Guards naval chief, said its armed drones attacked the bridge of the fake carrier Wednesday, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported. During Wednesdays drills, footage showed a missile striking a target resembling an American missile defense system known as a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD. Tasnim published a graphic overnight that altered the image of an American carrier into the shape of a casket with a set of crosshairs on it, with a caption quoting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledging to seek revenge for the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in January. The drill and the American response to it underline the lingering threat of military conflict between Iran and the U.S. after a series of escalating incidents last year led to the January drone strike. Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq. While the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed both Iran and the US for months, there has been a growing confrontation as America argues to extend the yearslong UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October. A recent incident over Syria involving an American jet fighter approaching an Iranian passenger plane also has renewed tensions. Economic pressure from the collapse of the nuclear deal, caused by President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrawing America from the accord, has seen Irans rial currency drastically drop in value. At the time of the deal in 2015, $1 cost 32,000 rial. Today, $1 is worth some 235,000 rials. Ballistic missile fire detected from the drill Tuesday resulted in American troops being put on alert at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of the US militarys Central Command in Qatar, the military said. Troops briefly sought cover during that time. Both bases are hundreds of kilometers (miles) away from where Iran placed the replica aircraft carrier in the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. O ver the past 42 years, Irish artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin has become revered for his vibrant conceptual work both on and off the page. An emeritus professor at Goldsmiths, he is known as a key teacher of and inspiration for the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught. Now, he has joined The Evening Standards Food For London Now appeal, donating two works to our Help the Hungry auction in collaboration with Sothebys. The auction, which is currently live, will raise money for The Felix Project, and help contribute to the building of central Londons largest ever food kitchen. For the auction, Sir Michael has donated the Mies van der Rohe Chair and the Saarinen Chair, both made in 2019. Hailing from a series that pays homage to designers and architects whose vision has shaped what we think of as modern, the sculptural reliefs in polished steel belie reality, inviting the viewer to have a seat while conjuring a sense of tangibility and three-dimensionality. / Sir Michael Craig-Martin Here, we talk to Sir Michael about the auction, the social importance of food, and what the world should look like post-Covid-19. Why did you donate a work to the Help the Hungry Auction? One of the most important aspects of contemporary life that the pandemic has brought to our attention is the shocking and increasing number of people who regularly go hungry, who simply do not know where the next meal is coming from, who cannot feed their children. Donating a work to the Help the Hungry Auction will hopefully help raise much needed funds to assist those in the greatest need. What does food mean to you personally? I love good food but for me food carries as much social as personal meaning. It is not difficult to understand why sharing a meal is at heart of virtually every culture. Can you tell us a little bit more about your donated works? All of my work is based in drawing. Normally drawings are essentially immaterial, just lines from a pencil or pen and dependant on a sheet of paper to even exist. In my drawings of chairs the lines are drawn in steel, and thus are substantial, independent, material. What prompted you to start working with polished steel relief? The opportunity of turning images into objects. What sort of an effect did lockdown have on you creatively? Did you feel more inspired, or did you find it more difficult to work? I found I worked well under lockdown. The days were peaceful with little interruption or distraction. As there were no deadlines or other pressures, I took whatever time I needed. Interestingly I have found it more difficult to work since lockdown ended. It is not easy to find a new rhythm of work as everything now seems so uncertain, so temporary. COVID-19 has heralded a new hunger crisis, with thousands going hungry as the economic impacts of the pandemic are felt across the country. How crucial is it that we do all we can to ensure nobody goes without a meal in this country? We should consider it completely unacceptable that anybody in our country regularly goes hungry. We should all support free school meals, food banks, and the fundraising efforts of charities such as this. What do you hope the new normal will entail post-pandemic? What lessons must we learn from this period, and what are some changes youd like to see made? The pandemic has emphasised and in many ways exacerbated the inequalities between people. The new normal provides us with a unique opportunity to make our world a great deal fairer and more inclusive. The Tamil Nadu government has announced an extension of the existing lockdown in the state till the end of August, though with certain relaxations. However, the practice of a complete lockdown on all Sundays will continue in this period. The key relaxation announced by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami is that restaurants and tea shops, which are currently allowed to give out parcels, will now be open for dine-in services on the condition that occupancy should not cross 50% of the capacity at any point. Parcel services too can now be run till 9pm. Grocery shops can be open for an hour more than before beginning August 1. Private companies and export units, which are currently operating at 50% workforce, can raise it up to 75%. E-commerce will be allowed in Chennai for both essential and non-essential items. Shopping malls, gyms, swimming pools and educational institutions will remain shut across the state till end-August. Ban on public transport will continue across Tamil Nadu and e-pass will be mandatory for inter-state travel during this period. Palaniswami said Chennai was seeing a decline in the count of coronavirus positive cases, adding that more fever clinics are being opened in other districts. More than 1 lakh people have recovered till date. Mortality rate in the state stands at 1.6%. A former US Marine from Texas has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony after being accused of assaulting two police officers while drunk. Trevor Reed, 29, was handed the sentence Thursday at a court in Moscow as the judge said he had caused the officers 'mental and physical harm'. Reed told journalists after the verdict that 'this is completely a political case', amid suspicion he is being used as a pawn in a potential prisoner swap. Trevor Reed, 29 (pictured in court today), has been sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony after being found guilty of attacking two Russian police officers while drunk Reed, a student, moved to Moscow in May last year in order to be near girlfriend Alina Tsibulnik, 22, who he had met on holiday in Greece. The pair lived together for two months and had planned to marry in September, when they were both invited to a party for Tsibulnik's colleagues on August 15. At the party, which took place just a few days before he was due to fly out to Texas, Reed says he was encouraged to drink a large amount of vodka. 'There is also a possibility that he may have been given other substances without his knowledge,' a statement put out by his family said. Reed claims to have no knowledge of what happened next, but Tsibulnik said she got the pair a ride home with two of her colleagues in the early hours of the next day. Along the way Reed became nauseous and tried to get out of the car, prompting the driver to pull over. While outside the car, Reed began walking close to traffic, prompting the two colleagues to call police and drive away - leaving Tsibulnik and Reed behind. Two officers eventually arrived and said they would take Reed to a police station to sober up. Tsibulnik says she was told to come back in a couple of hours to collect him. Police say Reed grabbed one officer's arm and hit another in the face as they took him to sober up after a party in which he was 'encouraged to drink a lot of vodka' But when she arrived at the police station around 9am, Tsibulnik says she found Reed being spoken to by two members of Russia's FSB - successor to the KGB. She says Reed had been questioned for hours while still under the influence and without a lawyer or translator present. The officers claimed Reed had assaulted them on the way to the station - pulling on the driver's arm and causing their car to swerve, before elbowing a second officer who tried to intervene in the face. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which spoke to Reed's father who has attended every day of the trial, the evidence against him is deeply flawed. CCTV footage did not show the police car swerving while on its way to the station, as the officers had claimed. The pair also failed to answer basic questions about the journey, changed their stories several times, or claimed to be unable to remember key moments. 'Almost everything introduced in the trial, that's in the case, has been fairly well disputed,' father Joey Reed said. Reed's father Joey (pictured standing) blasted the 'corrupt' trial and said he intends to appeal to Vladimir Putin. Reed's Russian girlfriend, Alina Tsybulnik (pictured sitting), was also in court While the US embassy in Russia has sent a translator along to sit in the trial, Reed said officials have only been in direct contact with his son once - during a two-minute phonecall in June this year. Following the verdict, the elder Reed said was planning to appeal directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the trial which he said was 'completely corrupt'. 'We are not arguing about Russian law, we are arguing about how Russian law is applied,' he told reporters. Reed's case has attracted attention owing to the lengthy sentence faced by a US citizen and speculation in Russian and US media that Reed could become part of a prisoner swap. In June, Russia convicted US citizen Paul Whelan, also an ex-marine, to 16 years in a penal colony for espionage, prompting speculation he could participate in a prisoner swap. Whelan's brother David said in a statement on Wednesday that 'our family is not privy to government discussions, if there are any, about Paul's case'. Sullivan has also raised concerns over the case against Michael Calvey, a high-profile American investor who was arrested last year for allegedly defrauding a Russian bank. We dont know what the flowering will be after we break up Amazon, but I promise you its coming. Zephyr Teachout made that prediction in an interview released Monday, two days before Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos appeared before the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust alongside fellow masters of the universe Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Tim Cook of Apple, and Sundar Pichai of Google. The hearing devolved into Republican representatives complaining about the companies perceived bias against conservatives, but Democrats invited the CEOswho spoke from their homesto address rising concerns about their companies alleged monopolistic powers and anti-competitive influence on markets and politics. Advertisement The antitrust debate around Big Tech gained prominence after Facebooks Cambridge Analytica scandal and again during this years Democratic presidential primary, after Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced breaking up the companies as part of her platform. But Warren isnt alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Teachouta law professor and author who has run (unsuccessful) campaigns for New York governor, state attorney general, and the House of Representativeshas made a career of tackling government corruption, open communication, and corporate manipulation. And antitrust reforms are the subject of her new book, Break Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money. She joined host Mike Pesca on The Gist to discuss the book and many of the issues that led to Wednesdays hearing. A portion of the interview is transcribed below; it has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Mike Pesca: Youve taken a populist turn, and I can sense that because the em in your books title is not in T-H-E-M. Its apostrophe-em. Youre a woman of the people. Zephyr Teachout: Well, one of the horrible things that has happened with antitrust and anti-monopoly is that a bunch of economists, academics, well-funded Robert Borkstyle thinkers really basically started to tell the American people that they had no business talking about antitrust or anti-monopoly. That this is a technical issue for highly trained economists; youve got to get your nose out of here. And one of the things that I care the most about is letting people know that they have complete authority to demand a new antitrust era, to demand things being broken up. They dont have to know all the details of particular economic models in order to say, Hey, Amazon and Monsanto have way too much power, and its a problem. Advertisement Advertisement You write, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Monsanto, AT&T, Verizon, Walmart, Pfizer, Comcast, and CVS represent a new political phenomenon, a 21st Century form of centralized authoritarian government. OK. Why arent they just robber barons who want to rob, as opposed to want to rule, because thats what a government does as opposed to what capitalists do? Advertisement Advertisement Yeah, thats right. [But] think about Facebook or Amazon. If youre a seller in America today and you want to get your goods to marketif youre a seller of consumer goodsyou basically have to go to Amazon. You dont have a choice. You cant opt out unless you happen to have a trust fund and dont plan to make any money. Advertisement Advertisement And so Amazon then becomes the regulator, basically regulating how you are treatedhow well you show up in search results when people are looking for shoes. And theres a scope of power that they have over peoples lives, making decisions, directing who wins and loses. Or when it comes to Facebook: The amount of power that Facebook has over media and deciding who the winners and losers are in mediathat is beyond just being a participant in the market and actually comes to be a kind of governing power. Advertisement Advertisement I dont think that theres an easy, precise line that divides the two, but I dont think theres any doubt that Monsanto and Facebook and Google are on the other side of that linethat they are not inside the market, but controlling the market. And thats the real line that I take. Advertisement And by the way, this is part of a long American tradition of thinking of monopoly power as governmental power and as a rival form of government that really threatens democracy. Its an idea that was popular for most of American history and then faded out of view in the 1980s with the Reagan revolution. So the argument you just made about Amazonwhich I think is accurateI recall the same argument being made about Walmart 12, 15 years ago. They have such power as a retailer; they have such monopsony power; they could set prices. I think that was true, but doesnt the presence of Amazon argue that even such world-changing power can be threatened? Advertisement Advertisement Well, no. But I first want to give people a sense of what this means, the scope of the power. One of the examples that was often used with Walmart is that Walmart could tell Coca-Cola what sweetener to use in its recipe or threatened to demote its shelf space. And basically that Walmart, because of its positionlike Amazon because of its positionhas the ability to demand in its contracts with sellers a huge amount of transparency into their businesses and then control what those businesses do. We dont know what incredible innovations might have happened if Amazon, Facebook, and Google werent in the catch-and-kill business. Zephyr Teachout So I see it more like Amazon and these other new monopolistsif you analogize it to the mafia, [they] saw one crime family doing well and said, Lets get in on that. And in fact, you see Amazon really studying the pathologies that Walmart did a great job of pioneering and building on top of them. So now we have multiple crime families. It doesnt make it a better system; it makes it a more dangerous one. And what I see is that more and more, our government is shared government between elected officials and a relatively small number of big companies, and then financiers behind them. Advertisement Would you admit, though, that there is a certain genius behind some of these methods? That the Google algorithm is really smart and good, and whatever they do with it aside, they deserve to have some success based on the fact that theyve delivered search to consumers in a way that consumers really like? The same seems true with what Walmart did to the efficiency of the supply chain and that Amazon perfected. In some of these cases, I think these arent even quality products; theyve just learned to capture the market. But with other cases, maybe the tech ones, some benefit to the consumer and some success should be allowed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think weve got to separate out two different things. One is [that] a lot of innovation is innovation in monopolization, and you referred to that. But the other is that a lot of times we look at companies like Uber and praise them for technological advances that really Uber shouldnt get credit for. In fact, the ideas that Uber really pushedin terms of being able to not have to hail a taxi but push a button and have a taxi comewere already well in the works. And most of what Uber did had to do with monopolizing markets and lawbreaking. Advertisement And I think that theres a fiction out there that we cant have nice things unless monopolies provide them to us, and thats just not true. Theres an ongoing debate thats a hundred years old about which is more innovative: systems that are top-down or systems that are decentralized? I fall on the decentralized side. So we dont know what incredible innovations might have happened if Amazon, Facebook, and Google werent in the catch-and-kill business, where they make sure that they smother any innovators who come up to challenge their power. Advertisement And in fact, its hard because we dont have those innovations. But Ill tell you, Id rather have thousands of people all pushing their imaginative capacity in different companies than relying on Sheryl Sandberg having a new idea next month for pushing the limits on our innovation. I think were going to have more innovation after we break up these companies, not less. And when you look at history, theres a lot of evidence thats exactly what happens. Look at the breakup of AT&T and the incredible flowering that led to. We dont know what the flowering will be after we break up Amazon, but I promise you its coming. Advertisement Advertisement I generally agree with the premise that companies like Amazon and Walmart are good for consumers but bad for workers and probably bad for suppliers. And that theyre so bad for workers, especially in some of Amazons practices, that it far outweighs the benefit to consumers. We could try to break up Amazon, but wouldnt an alternative be if there is the political will to wade into a fight with Jeff Bezos? Perhaps there would also be the political will to, say, raise the minimum wage to $23, or to have real union rules, and that would be sort of an end-run around some of the most pernicious aspects of a company like Amazon? Advertisement Advertisement Yeah. I dont see these as either/or. In fact [in] one of the later chapters I get into this, especially since I spend most of my time talking to progressives about how they dont spend enough time taking on power and spend almost all their time focusing on policies, most of which [are] policies that I support, including a significant raise in the minimum wage. Advertisement I think that theres often a false sense of having to choose between better usury laws and breaking up big banks. I would argue that the way to get to better usury laws is to have a more stable political environment where power is more decentralized. So you actually have the capacity to demand those usury laws, not just in a one-off moment, but in a continuous way. I want to get away from a way of talking about antitrust and anti-monopoly that ignores the human impacts of how humiliating it can be to be a subservient in this big chain and not to feel free enough that you could walk away, and also how paranoid it makes people. Advertisement Advertisement This is a difficult-to-prove hypothesis, but I think growing monopolization is part of the growing paranoia in our culture. Because if you are aIll just use chicken farmerUber driver for now, but we can also say newspaper that relies on Facebook, and you suddenly see your numbers drop, and you suddenly get paid a lot less or you suddenly get paid a lot more, you start to develop theories about how Uber or Tyson or Facebook is treating you. But theyre unprovable theories. Youre in the dark, because they are the central forces that can decide your fate. And I think when peoples economic life is so precarious and so dependent on a handful of big companies, its not only not ideal because it represses wagesit actually changes who we are. It makes us more paranoid and fearful and suspicious, and I dont think thats a good thing. Advertisement Listen to this full conversation below, and subscribe to the Gist on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join Slate Plus, and enjoy ad-free episodes of the show. Generally speaking, Republicans are seeking tighter regulation of the process, while Democrats are seeking greater leniency. (Conventional wisdom holds that high turnout favors Democrats because it means more nonwhite and low-income voters are participating.) In Minnesota, groups including the NAACP and League of Women of Voters are challenging a requirement that a witness be present when a mail-in ballot is filled out. For those who live alone, that requirement poses a direct threat to their health because of the COVID-19 threat, says the NAACPs complaint. In a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania, Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee seek to ensure that all written ballots are delivered in person or by mail to county boards of elections, not collected at places such as shopping centers, retirement homes, college campuses and municipal government. They also want to disqualify any ballots not received in an unmarked envelope inside the mailing envelope (to guarantee voter anonymity) and to allow poll watchers to be present at all locations where absentee or mail-in ballots are being returned. Herman Cain, a maverick conservative Republican businessman who briefly led the race for the U.S. partys 2012 presidential nomination, died Thursday from the coronavirus. He was 74. Cain had been hospitalized for a month in the southern city of Atlanta and initially appeared to regain strength but faltered again in recent days. Cain attended President Donald Trumps political rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20 that led to numerous coronavirus infections. But Cain, who was seen not wearing a mask during the rally, said he had traveled extensively elsewhere about the same time. It is not known where he contracted the virus that has now killed more than 150,000 Americans. At his death, Cain was chairman of Black Voices for Trump. Last year, the president nominated Cain to a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. central bank, but Cain withdrew after opposition mounted against him. Because I ran as a Republican for president and the United States Senate, and because I am an outspoken voice of conservatism, an outspoken voice of the Constitution and the laws, Im being attacked, Cain said. Cain held a string of corporate executive positions throughout his life, most prominently from 1986 to 1996 as president and chief executive of Godfathers Pizza, a national chain that he transformed into a success after it had been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. In 2011, as he campaigned for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, he pushed for sweeping tax reform that he called his 9-9-9 Plan a 9% business transactions tax, a 9% personal income tax, and a 9% federal sales tax. Cain briefly pulled ahead of eventual Republican nominee Mitt Romney in political surveys a year ahead of the election, but he withdrew from the race in December 2011, after two women accused him of sexual harassment while he was chief executive of the National Restaurant Association from 1996 to 1999. Cain denied the charges, and his wife Gloria stood by him, saying, He totally respects women. In a tweet, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said, Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. She also added, Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith. Based on Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroors book, Avrodh: The Siege Within carefully charts the militant activities in the contentious region of Jammu and Kashmir Vicky Kaushals shoutout to the Indian Armys effort through Uri: The Surgical Strike was an honest portrayal of the strategic task forces that work tirelessly to safeguard the nation. Aditya Dhars deft hand at direction produced a compelling narrative that divorced itself from hyper-nationalism as much as it could, while clinically showcasing the military coup. Raj Acharyas take on the Indian retaliation of the 2016 attacks weaves a similar story of grit, patriotism, and keen precision that ensured Indias global standing as a military force to reckon with. Based on Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroors book, Indias Most Fearless, Avrodh: The Siege Within carefully charts the militant activities in the contentious region of Jammu and Kashmir. The story highlights the series of events that sparked off with the death of notorious militant leader Burhan Wani (whose name is changed in the series). That political and military wings work hand in hand to curtail long-standing feuds within national borders is a given, but Avrodh takes its time to establish the intricate workings between the two worlds. The Sony Liv series carefully dissects each political aspect Indias relationship with Pakistan on paper vis-a-vis the actual rivalry behind media spotlights, her equation with the US, the controversial position of PM Narendra Modis decision to not attend that years SAARC summit all are shown to exist within a delicate balance, threatening to crumble at any moment. The acting in Avrodh is (for the most part) quite riveting. Each character comes to life in an appropriate manner. Neeraj Kabis depiction of the National Security Advisor (Ajit Doval at the time), Vikram Gokhales precise portrayal of Modi, Amit Sadhs able handling of Major Videep Singhs character are especially praiseworthy. The nine-episode run, despite its languid start, never feels hackneyed or heavy with jingoistic tropes. Shanu Singh Rajputs cinematography holds the viewers attention with ample close-ups and drone shots. Even though the backstory may already be known to many, Avrodh succeeds in providing new insights into the chain of events. The main antagonist Abu Hafeez, is played by Anil George. Kohl-rimmed eyes and a heavy local accent adorn the actors understated performance as the formidable leader of jihadist Islamic Mujahideen group Jaish-e-Mohammed. Jaish works in surreptitious ways, clearly proclaiming their contempt for Indias occupation of Kashmir. Their ulterior motive aside, Hafeezs villainy is never overbearing. You understand where he is coming from, and almost see the world through his warped vision, till the moment he enters a local school and brainwashes young boys for the cause. Barring Madhurima Tulis character (as an overzealous journalist, Namrata Joshi), each character weaves an honest portrayal of their parts. Namrata stands out as an odd peg, passionately waving the journalist tag whenever challenged. The character comes across as an annoying addition to an otherwise smooth script. Her scoops turn out to be national security hazards that impede Indias aim to achieve success under strict secrecy. Her transformation to author in the climax seems a forced step, an almost contrived art-imitating-life moment if you will. One of the major loopholes that Avrodh cannot bypass is its portrayal of a national political voice, bolstering the Uri attacks. Gokhales character often slips into the role of a political icon rather than a functional cog in the national machinery. The show could have done well by completely avoiding such hyperbolic depictions. But barring few scenes, Gokhale shines in the prime ministers role. The goings-on at Uri were national news, and hence, the series stood a good chance of becoming a hackneyed subject, especially with how high the josh had been around it. But, Avrodh steers clear of unnecessary excessives. Moments of fervent war-cries and impassioned speeches on national pride do not seem misplaced and could well be considered necessary in those high-octane scenarios. The series puts noticeable effort into genuine storytelling and succeeds. Avrodh has a lot to offer through its nine episodes, even if Vicky Kaushals near-perfect Vihaan Singh-Shergill seemed the epitome of true patriotism for most. (All images from YouTube) Tropical Storm Isaias officially formed late Wednesday, drenching the south of Puerto Rico with heavy rains as it spirals towards Hispaniola with a threat of flooding and landslides. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was expected to cross the Dominican Republican and Haiti, which share Hispaniola, by early Thursday and the southeastern Bahamas by early Friday. It's following a path that could take it to the U.S. mainland by the weekend. The storm carries the threat of three to ten inches of rain in some areas of Hispaniola before spiraling toward Florida and the eastern U.S. Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph late Wednesday, centered 265 miles southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was moving west-northwest at 20 mph. Tropical Storm Isaias officially formed late Wednesday drenching the south of Puerto Rico with heavy rains and 50mph sustained winds. The storm pictured passing through Saint Thomas of the Virgin Islands above Heavy rains and vicious rains overcame Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the storm system officially became Tropical Storm Isaias A heat map satellite view of the storm as it upgraded from Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 to Tropical Storm Isaias pictured above By Wednesday evening it was already beating the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean with thunderstorms and whipping winds. On Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday night Puerto Rico suffered a massive power outage that affected at least 400,000 customers throughout the island, hours ahead of the storms approach. By Wednesday evening 96,000 customers were without electricity. The outage came as the Federal Emergency Management Agency claimed Puerto Rico was not prepared to respond to a major event on top of a rising number of COVID-19 cases. 'I dont want people to lower their guards, because this system is quite dangerous,' Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan said. 'This is not (Hurricane) Maria, but it will bring a lot of rain.' President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration request from Puerto Ricos governor, who also activated the National Guard. The hurricane center said the storm was expected to swirl over Hispaniola and then pass between the eastern coast of Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas on Friday. The trajectory of the storm shows it will cross the Dominican Republican and Haiti, which share Hispaniola, by early Thursday and the southeastern Bahamas by early Friday It then could cross through the central Bahamas on Saturday and possibly move on to southern Florida and the Carolinas, but the center said it was too early to predict the path that far, saying there is 'large uncertainty after it leaves the Caribbean.' Tropical storm warnings remained up for Puerto Rico, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Martin, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barts, Turks and Caicos Islands and portions of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the central Bahamas. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours. Forecasters warned that Isaias could drop three to six inches of rain, with up to 10 inches in isolated spots. Puerto Rico is particularly vulnerable in the face of the incoming storm, with officials expressing concerns about the potential for landslides and flooding. As of Wednesday evening much of the Caribbean including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are under a Tropical Storm warning or watch The storm could make it to mainland US by the weekend, reaching Florida on Saturday and spiraling upwards into Sunday A view of the rain forecast for the Caribbean on Thursday as of 5am above A rainfall outlook for the weekend shows extremely heavy rain will pound the Caribbean islands, Florida and up the East Coast The US territory is also struggling with a spike in COVID-19 cases with more than 16,000 cases reported and over 200 deaths so far. The island is also still reeling from the after effects of 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria and a string of earthquakes earlier this year that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in the island's south. Puerto Ricos power grid was destroyed by Maria and the rebuilt system is fragile and susceptible to failures, as experienced this week. The Tuesday and Wednesday outage seemed to be related to a problem in a transmission line that connects both to natural gas power plant EcoElectrica and Costa Sur, one of PREPAs main power stations, according to the Miami Herald. Officials said more than 300 shelters across the island were prepared to receive people if needed and that more than 130,000 face masks were available. A woman fishes at the Santo Domingo promenade, in Dominican Republic on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Isaias gained traction not so far away A view of high waves slamming the old walls of San Juan, Puerto Rico pictured Wednesday A man transports wood before the arrival of the storm on Wednesday as vicious waves start to beat the edges of the city A worker cleans the sewers before the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaias in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Wednesday The Tuesday and Wednesday outage seemed to be related to a problem in a transmission line that connects both to natural gas power plant EcoElectrica and Costa Sur, one of PREPAs main power stations, according to the Miami Herald. The Costa Sur Power Plant Complex in Guayanilla pictured above in August 2018 As Isaias spirals with strength the US is now bracing for the storm. The National Hurricane Center projected the storm's path shows the system could be located near or on either side of the Florida Peninsula by the weekend and gradually head northeast. However, the trajectory of the storm could change as it passes through the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola, long known as a hurricane shredder with mountains up to 10,000 feet elevation, which could slow the storm or break it altogether. Isaias is the ninth named storm system of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - China will on Friday see July results for its manufacturing PMI, highlighting a busy days for Asia-Pacific economic activity. The index is expected to show a score of 50.7, down from 50.9 in June. The non-manufacturing PMI came in at 54.4 in the previous month. South Korea will release June figures for construction output, industrial production, manufacturing production and retail sales. In May, construction output was down 5.8 percent on year, industrial production sank 6.7 percent on month and 9.6 percent on year, manufacturing production dropped 9.8 percent and retail sales added 4.6 percent on month and 1.7 percent on year. Taiwan will see advance Q2 figures for gross domestic product, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.55 percent - slowing from 1.59 percent in the three months prior. Japan will provide June numbers for unemployment, industrial production, housing starts and construction orders, as well as July results for consumer confidence. The jobless rate is expected to rise to 3.1 percent, up from 2.9 percent in May. The jobs-to-applicant ratio is called at 1.16, down from 1.2 in May. Industrial production in May was down 8.9 percent on month and 26.3 percent on year in May, while housing starts fell 12.3 percent on year and construction orders dipped 6.1 percent. The consumer confidence index had a score of 28.4 in June. Australia will see June figures for private sector credit and Q2 data for producer prices. In May, credit was down 0.1 percent on month and up 3.2 percent on year. In Q1, producer prices added 0.2 percent on quarter and 1.3 percent on year. Hong Kong will provide June numbers for retail sales; in May, sales climbed 30.7 percent on month and 6.6 percent on year. Thailand will provide June data for retail sales, current account and its coincident index. In May, retail sales plummeted 28.1 percent on year, the current account surplus was $0.06 billion and the coincident index score was 120.86. Finally, the markets in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are closed on Friday in observance of Eid al-Adha and will reopen on Monday. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Timo Glock says he feels "sorry" that quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel's achievements are being diminished. Eddie Jordan, a former F1 team owner turned outspoken television pundit, told the F1 Nation podcast that he would "probably not" sign up the Ferrari refugee for 2021. "Can he rekindle a kind of sparkle and a fire and the enthusiasm and the charisma that he had? It's going to be difficult at his age," Jordan said. Glock, a former F1 driver, admits that Vettel's last few seasons with Ferrari have damaged his reputation. But he says the Maranello team lacked the stability to allow the German to emulate the feats of his mentor Michael Schumacher. "With Seb, things were a little lacking. In his time, there were constant changes at the management level," Glock told the Konigspartie podcast. "He didn't get the opportunity to build a team around himself to make Ferrari as successful as Michael was able to." Glock said Vettel not having a manager was another obstacle. "It's never good for a driver to try to turn things upside down with a lot of pressure. It's always easier if you can send someone else to do the kick-off," he said. "It's an area in which he wasn't well positioned and thought he could sort it all out on his own because he was used to that at Red Bull. It was easier for him there," Glock added. Nonetheless, he thinks those in Formula 1 are too quick to forget Vettel's achievements. "It's a pity and I am sorry that there are those who forget that he is a four-time world champion, and that in the first few years he definitely put Ferrari back in a position to fight for the title," said Glock. "Now, the mistakes always stand out before you think about the positives. That's difficult as it puts you under even more pressure and creates even more mistakes." (GMM) Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) A lawmaker on Thursday questioned the timing of the renewed call for the revival of capital punishment in the Philippines, saying the government should instead shift its focus towards plans for survival amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to CNN Philippines, Senator Nancy Binay said the country has already been seeing enough fatalities daily due to the coronavirus. By discussing death penalty, kamatayan pa rin ang pag-uusapan (were still going to talk about deaths)? The conversation will shift towards death again when theres so much death already happening around us, Binay said in an interview with The Source. Sa akin, at the moment, mag-focus muna tayo kung papaano tayo mabubuhay, kung papaano natin bubuhayin ang ating mga kababayan, she added. [Translation: For me, at the moment, we should focus on how we can live, and how we can keep our countrymen alive.] In his last State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte once again called on Congress to revive death penalty, specifying the method of lethal injection, as punishment for drug-related crimes. Officials and lawmakers were divided over the proposal, with Binay joining the list of those who expressed concern over the punishment. Until maayos natin ang justice system natin, kawawa yung mga mahihirap. They cant afford the best lawyers. Hindi magiging patas ang hustisya hanggang hindi naaayos ito, the senator said, adding she was personally against the death penalty. [Translation: Until we fix our justice system, the poor are at a disadvantage. They cant afford the best lawyers. Justice wont be fair unless we fix the system.] 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 the governance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. A bill implementing the death penalty for drug-related crimes was passed by the House of Representatives during the 17th Congress, but was stalled in the Senate. READ: PDEA chief favors lethal injection only for 'big-time drug traffickers' Actions in Congress While Binay does not see the reimposition of death penalty as a priority measure in the upper chamber, Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa a vocal advocate of the policy maintained the Senate would be able to multitask legislations amid the pandemic. With all due respect, itong ating senado naman ay pwede mag (our Senate can do) multitasking it doesnt stop us from performing our mandate na gumawa ng batas (to create laws) pertaining to other pressing issues, Dela Rosa said during a Senate hearing on Wednesday. Meanwhile, some members of the lower chamber have promised a meticulous deliberation on the proposed death penalty bills and to deliver the legislation while Duterte remains in office. A group of bystanders were seen rushing to the aid of a Kansas driver who rammed into the back of a city transit bus after suffering a seizure at the wheel. Video footage shows the dramatic moment the 41-year-old driver of an SUV rear-ended a Wichita Transit bus in the middle of a busy road on Tuesday. The black SUV was seen accelerating against the bus, spinning its tires and causing a loud screeching sound after the man's foot reportedly got stuck on the gas pedal. Scroll down for video Witnesses rushed to the aid of the driver of an SUV after it rammed into the back of a Wichita Transit bus in Kansas on Tuesday The SUV driver's foot reportedly became stuck on the gas pedal after he suffered a seizure at the wheel Police said the man, who was not named, suffered a medical episode before the collision. Several witnesses who were standing nearby quickly sprung into action, with one man running up to the vehicle to try to pull the driver out of his car. Two men were eventually able to open the passenger door and brought the driver to safety. The man only suffered minor injuries, police said. The 51-year-old female driver of the bus was uninjured, according to local news station KSN. Video of the incident was shared on social media by bystander Rene Brand who praised the kind strangers for their heroic actions. 'There are heroes all around us. These guys most likely saved lives today. This could have been really bad. Thanks to our everyday heroes among us. Prayers,' he said. The black SUV was seen accelerating against the bus, spinning its tires and causing a loud screeching sound A court in Moscow has sentenced former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of assaulting two police officers, a charge that he refused to admit. Judge Dmitry Arnaut of Moscows Golovinsky District Court on July 30 also ordered Reed to pay 150,000 rubles ($2,000) to each police officer as compensation for moral damage. U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan condemned the conviction and sentencing as "theatre of the absurd," saying they were based "on evidence so ridiculous that even the judge laughed in court." The 29-year old Reed, who is from Texas, traveled to Moscow in May 2019 to study Russian and spend time with his Russian girlfriend, Alina Tsybulnik. On August 15, several days before his trip back to Texas, Reed and his girlfriend attended a party organized by her colleagues. He claims to have no memory of what happened following the party, where he says he was encouraged to drink large quantities of vodka. In a car going home afterward, Reed said he felt unwell, asked the driver to stop, and got out. His girlfriend's co-worker called police and left the site with another colleague, leaving Tsybulnik alone with Reed. Two police officers arrived at the scene and took Reed in to sober up, telling Tsybulnik to come back in a few hours and pick him up. Tsybulnik told RFE/RL that when she arrived at the police station later, Reed was being questioned, without a lawyer or interpreter present, by two men who introduced themselves as employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB). Tsybulnik was told that her boyfriend was accused of endangering the lives of the policemen who brought him in by yanking the driver's arm and elbowing another officer who tried to intervene. However, the case against Reed has been marred by inconsistencies. Video evidence reviewed in court appeared to show no evidence that the police vehicle swerved as a result of Reed's actions, as alleged by the police officers. Speaking before the judge, the officers themselves have claimed to have no memory of key moments in the journey, and have retracted parts of their statements on several occasions or failed to answer simple questions from Reed's defense team. Reed is one of several American citizens to face trial in Russia in recent years on charges that their families, supporters, and in some cases the U.S. government have said appear trumped up. Last month, another former U.S. Marine, 50-year-old Paul Whelan, was sentenced by a court in Moscow to 16 years in prison for espionage which he, his supporters, and the U.S. government have questioned. Whelan's lawyers said earlier in the month that their client might be exchanged for Russian nationals held in the United States, namely Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot serving 20 years on a conviction of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, and Viktor Bout, jailed in the United States for illegal weapons trafficking. A year ago, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov proposed a prisoner swap that would involve the release of Yaroshenko in the United States and a U.S. national held in Russia. Ryabkov did not specify whom he meant, but some took the comment as evidence that Moscow is using Americans like Reed as bargaining chips amid tensions with Washington. With reporting by TASS and Interfax SARASOTA, Fla., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Demand for Alcohol Free alternatives for American consumers continues to increase. Alternative wine drinkers include the health and wellness minded, persons on prohibitive medications, pregnant or lactating women, "Sober Curious" and those who have made a personal lifestyle choice. Buonafide Foods announced today the introduction of Buonafide Hug0.0 (750 ml), an alcohol free dry sparkling wine cocktail made with alcohol free sparkling extra dry taste wine, mint and elderflower syrup which is known for its immune boosting and other health benefits. Hug0.0 is an alcohol free twist on the popular aperitivo HUGO which originated in the Italian Alps region. CEO, Michael Yourison states, "The addition of Buonafide Hug0.0 to our portfolio of Buonafide 0.0 Alcohol Free Italian Wines enhances our alcohol free wine selection for customers and consumers. The quality of the Hug0.0 is superior and a first within the alcohol free wine cocktail category in the US. When tasting the Hug0.0 the bubbles introduce a delightful elegant floral bouquet of the elderflower balanced with subtle mint undertones. The alcohol free wine cocktail is perfect for summertime fun and provides the same ritual experience and sense of occasion that brings a feeling of inclusiveness and enjoyment when entertaining without the negative effects of alcohol. Doesn't everyone need a Hug now and then?" Buonafide Hug0.0 is produced and imported direct from the Italian Alps region of Alto Adige and is available direct to consumer from Buonafide Foods at: www.buonafidefoods.com as well as selected retailers in the US. Contact: Michael Yourison/CEO E-Mail: [email protected] Phone: 941 201 9240 www.buonafidefoods.com SOURCE Buonafide Foods DES PLAINES, IL Amid reports of upwards of 150 people gathering without masks at a series of religious activities at the Methodist Campground on East Algonquin Road, the City of Des Plaines is demanding the group follow state COVID-19 mandates. Members of The Last Reformation have been holding "Big Tent Revival" events all week with plans to continue through Sunday. Following an emergency meeting Tuesday night, Mayor Matthew Bogusz signed a revised and updated emergency declaration that according to Alderman Andrew Goczkowski, puts "Des Plaines' face covering and social distancing requirements a step ahead of Governor Pritzker's executive order," which includes a broad exemption for the free exercise of religion. The new Des Plaines' declaration is intended to treat all public gatherings equally, according to Goczkowski, whether they are religious in nature or not. "Failure to do so will result in a citation and fine," Goczkowski said. "Failure to comply after a citation may result in further action." According to the city, the fine is $750 for each violation, and it would mount each day. Torben Sondergaard, organizer of the "Big Tent Revival" events, took to social media Wednesday requesting assistance from President Trump. He stated his group will continue congregating and that an "order is not a law." "We have sent a letter to the President of the United States to ask for his help," Sondergaard said on Facebook. "I'm asking all Americans to pray now for a supernatural intervening to stop this Socialist Agenda before we become like China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, or Iran." In a video uploaded to YouTube, Sondergaard is seen receiving a notice of the City's executive order from the Des Plaines Police Department. "It is a crazy world we are living in. You can riot as much as you want. But you can not worship together without masks even on private property," said Sondergaard, who claims between 400-500 people have attended each night since last Friday. "The city has tried everything they can to shut our revival meeting down but couldn't." Story continues None of the dozens of organizers and attendees seen at the campground Thursday afternoon were wearing masks. A former member of the "The Last Reformation" religious group, described by critics as a cult, said its adherents live in mold-infested conditions in North Carolina. (Jonah Meadows/Patch) A letter from the City was sent to residents Tuesday acknowledging a number of concerns over the gathering. "The City had no choice but to issue a tent permit. The Governor exempted religious groups from his order for gathering of 50 people or less," Alderman Colt Moylan (Des Plaines Ward 2) said. "The group is peaceful so far." An event permit was not issued to Sondergaard and his group. Sondergaard said Thursday an event permit is not needed for the gathering, only the approved tent permit. Moylan added that the Des Plaines City Council will talk about the campground at its next meeting on Monday "to implement certain language so this won't happen again." He also said police are monitoring the gathering around the clock. "Our freedom to worship is now being attacked by an overinflated COVID-19 pandemic Trojan horse. It's not OK to allow terrorists to burn our country, shoot innocent people, burn federal buildings, tear down historical statues, capture police stations, but not worship the king Jesus Christ," Sondergaard said. "They are coming for your freedom to worship." Claiming "religious persecution" from his native Denmark, Sondergaard is reportedly seeking asylum in the United States and has been living with his family in North Carolina since last year. According to a Kickstart campaign for the event, Sondergaard started The Last Reformation in 2011. Similar gatherings are scheduled around the world following the Des Plaines event with a stop in New Hampshire planned for August. Camilla Johnson, chairman of InsideOut, a Danish anti-cult organization, reached out to Patch regarding Sondergaard's claim of being religiously persecuted in Denmark. "We simply want to let you know and stress that this claim is not true," Johnson said. "Instead, we do suspect that Torben Sondergaard fraudulently claims he is entitled to asylum in the U.S. and he is using his position as a leader to coerce his followers to comply and participate in this scheme." InsideOut helps victims of cults and radical, religious groups, according to its website. It also works with the Danish government, Danish child protection organizations and the Danish media to expose cult leaders and help victims of negative social control in religious communities. "We know this particular group led by Torben Sondergaard well, for example, for his disregard for the health of others, violent exorcisms to 'purify' sinners, children and the mentally ill included," Johnson said. "Former members have told us stories of TLR leaders and members using their positions of authority to intimidate followers to either comply or be silent when trying to expose this group." There have been a number of reports on social media of members of The Last Reformation attempting to "recruit followers" at spots around the area and not practicing social distancing guidelines when doing so. On the Kickstart page for the event, Sondergaard states that his group would be sending members "out on the street." Ida Cryes, who says she's a former student of The Last Reformation, told Patch that Sondergaard is "faking his asylum" as there's no law in Denmark or persecution. Residents have been making posts to Facebook expressing their frustration with city officials and the group. Here are a few posts: This is unacceptable! They are in fact out in the community, harassing people! Also, no masks or Social Distancing, putting our residents in harm's way! Shut it down! Talking about it next Monday is not going to help in any way! Just drove by. No police anywhere. This is a serious problem and the leaders of our community are completely absent. I am furious There have been reports of these people out at Prairie Lakes and Lake Opeka approaching children. They were also at Costco in MP approaching people and are staying at a hotel in Schaumburg. No social distancing and no masks. They are potentially spreading Covid all over the community! Related: Illinois Ministry Sues Pritzker, Alleges 'Hostility' To Religion Court Sides With Pritzker On Religious Gathering Restrictions Coronavirus Panic Over 'Big Tent Revival' Religious Gatherings This article originally appeared on the Des Plaines Patch COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mettler-Toledo International Inc. (NYSE: MTD) today announced second quarter results for 2020. Provided below are the highlights: Reported sales decreased 6% compared with the prior year. In local currency, sales decreased 4% in the quarter as currency reduced sales by 2% . Net earnings per diluted share as reported (EPS) were $5.22 , compared with $5.06 in the prior-year period. Adjusted EPS was $5.29 , an increase of 3% over the prior-year amount of $5.16 . Adjusted EPS is a non-GAAP measure, and a reconciliation to EPS is included on the last page of the attached schedules. Second Quarter Results Olivier Filliol, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Demand in our end markets was negatively impacted by COVID-19; however, our sales decline was more modest than expected. Good growth in China and the resiliency and diversity of our Laboratory and Industrial businesses contributed to our better-than-expected performance. We are pleased with positive growth in Adjusted EPS and strong cash flow generation in the quarter given the challenges of the current environment." GAAP Results EPS in the quarter was $5.22, compared with the prior-year amount of $5.06. Compared with the prior year, total reported sales decreased 6% to $690.7 million. By region, reported sales decreased 8% in the Americas, 6% in Europe and 2% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $155.3 million, compared with $155.2 million in the prior year. Non-GAAP Results Adjusted EPS was $5.29, an increase of 3% over the prior-year amount of $5.16. Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency decreased 4% as currency reduced reported sales growth by 2%. By region, local currency sales decreased 7% in the Americas and 5% in Europe and increased 1% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $176.6 million, a 1% decline from the prior-year amount of $177.7 million. Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Operating Profit are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules. Six Month Results GAAP Results EPS was $9.25, compared with the prior-year amount of $9.48. Compared with the prior year, total reported sales decreased 5% to $1.340 billion. By region, reported sales decreased 3% in the Americas, 7% in Europe and 6% in Asia/Rest of World. Earnings before taxes amounted to $273.8 million, compared with $280.9 million in the prior year. Non-GAAP Results Adjusted EPS was $9.28, compared with the prior-year amount of $9.26. Compared with the prior year, total sales in local currency decreased 3% as currency reduced reported sales by 2%. By region, local currency sales decreased 2% in the Americas, 5% in Europe and 3% in Asia/Rest of World. Adjusted Operating Profit amounted to $317.9 million, a 2% decrease from the prior-year amount of $325.6 million. Adjusted EPS and Adjusted Operating Profit are non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the attached schedules. Outlook The Company stated that forecasting continues to be challenging given the significant uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and ensuing impact to the global economic environment. While the Company is providing an estimate for sales growth and Adjusted EPS for 2020, management cautions that market dynamics and impacts related to COVID-19 are fluid and changes to the business environment can happen quickly. The estimates for the third quarter and full year 2020 include significant uncertainty and management acknowledges that market conditions are subject to change. For the third quarter 2020, based on management's current estimate of market conditions, the Company estimates that local currency sales will decline approximately -1% to -3%, and Adjusted EPS is forecasted to be in the range of $5.80 to $6.00. For the full year 2020, the Company estimates that local currency sales will decline approximately -1% to -3%, and Adjusted EPS is forecasted to be in the range of $22.70 to $23.20. While the Company has provided an outlook for local currency sales growth and Adjusted EPS, it has not provided an outlook for reported sales growth or EPS as it would require an estimate of currency exchange fluctuations and non-recurring items, which are not yet known. Conclusion Filliol concluded, "We quickly adapted our operating model to the challenges of COVID-19 with priority placed on the safety and well-being of our employees while continuing to provide leading-edge instruments and services to our customers. Overall demand in our end markets continues to be negatively impacted by COVID-19. While the majority of our sales are to essential end markets including life sciences and food manufacturing, we also benefit from significant diversification in our product offering. We believe we are continuing to gain share despite the environment and will be strongly positioned to capture growth as our end markets recover." Other Matters The Company will host a conference call to discuss its quarterly results today (Thursday, July 30) at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live webcast or replay of the call, visit the investor relations page on the Company's website at www.mt.com/investors. The presentation referenced in the conference call will be located on the website prior to the call. METTLER TOLEDO (NYSE: MTD) is a leading global supplier of precision instruments and services. We have strong leadership positions in all of our businesses and believe we hold global number-one market positions in most of them. We are recognized as an innovation leader and our solutions are critical in key R&D, quality control and manufacturing processes for customers in a wide range of industries including life sciences, food and chemicals. Our sales and service network is one of the most extensive in the industry. Our products are sold in more than 140 countries and we have a direct presence in approximately 40 countries. With proven growth strategies and a focus on execution, we have achieved a long-term track record of strong financial performance. For more information, please visit www.mt.com. Statements in this press release which are not historical facts constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not rely on forward-looking statements to predict our actual results. Our actual results or performance may be materially different than reflected in forward-looking statements because of various risks and uncertainties, including statements about expected revenue growth and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue." We make forward-looking statements about future events or our future financial performance, including earnings and sales growth, earnings per share, strategic plans and contingency plans, growth opportunities or economic downturns, our ability to respond to changes in market conditions, customer demand, our competitive position, pricing, our supply chain, adequacy of our facilities, access to and the costs of raw materials, shipping and supplier costs, gross margins, planned research and development efforts and product introductions, capital expenditures, cash flow, tax-related matters, the impact of foreign currencies, compliance with laws, effects of acquisitions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our businesses. Our forward-looking statements may not be accurate or complete, and we do not intend to update or revise them in light of actual results. New risks also periodically arise. Please consider the risks and factors that could cause our results to differ materially from what is described in our forward-looking statements, including the uncertain duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. See in particular "Factors Affecting Our Future Operating Results" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and other reports filed with the SEC from time to time. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited) Three months ended Three months ended June 30, 2020 % of sales June 30, 2019 % of sales Net sales $690,673 (a) 100.0 $731,366 100.0 Cost of sales 292,703 42.4 311,828 42.6 Gross profit 397,970 57.6 419,538 57.4 Research and development 31,193 4.5 36,582 5.0 Selling, general and administrative 190,134 27.5 205,215 28.1 Amortization 13,889 2.0 12,326 1.7 Interest expense 9,582 1.4 8,882 1.2 Restructuring charges 860 0.1 2,891 0.4 Other charges (income), net (2,943) (0.4) (1,574) (0.2) Earnings before taxes 155,255 22.5 155,216 21.2 Provision for taxes 28,693 4.2 28,056 3.8 Net earnings $126,562 18.3 $127,160 17.4 Basic earnings per common share: Net earnings $5.29 $5.15 Weighted average number of common shares 23,940,278 24,698,032 Diluted earnings per common share: Net earnings $5.22 $5.06 Weighted average number of common 24,228,989 25,118,352 and common equivalent shares Note: (a) Local currency sales decreased 4% as compared to the same period in 2019. RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING PROFIT Three months ended Three months ended June 30, 2020 % of sales June 30, 2019 % of sales Earnings before taxes $155,255 $155,216 Amortization 13,889 12,326 Interest expense 9,582 8,882 Restructuring charges 860 2,891 Other charges (income), net (2,943) (1,574) Adjusted operating profit $176,643 (b) 25.6 $177,741 24.3 Note: (b) Adjusted operating profit decreased 1% as compared to the same period in 2019. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (amounts in thousands except share data) (unaudited) Six months ended Six months ended June 30, 2020 % of sales June 30, 2019 % of sales Net sales $1,339,835 (a) 100.0 $1,410,818 100.0 Cost of sales 567,456 42.4 602,961 42.7 Gross profit 772,379 57.6 807,857 57.3 Research and development 65,580 4.9 72,635 5.1 Selling, general and administrative 388,878 29.0 409,640 29.0 Amortization 27,887 2.1 24,548 1.7 Interest expense 19,801 1.5 17,976 1.4 Restructuring charges 2,765 0.2 4,414 0.3 Other charges (income), net (6,286) (0.5) (2,248) (0.1) Earnings before taxes 273,754 20.4 280,892 19.9 Provision for taxes 49,077 3.6 41,927 3.0 Net earnings $224,677 16.8 $238,965 16.9 Basic earnings per common share: Net earnings $9.37 $9.65 Weighted average number of common shares 23,984,055 24,774,262 Diluted earnings per common share: Net earnings $9.25 $9.48 Weighted average number of common 24,291,321 25,217,359 and common equivalent shares Note: (a) Local currency sales decreased 3% as compared to the same period in 2019. RECONCILIATION OF EARNINGS BEFORE TAXES TO ADJUSTED OPERATING PROFIT Six months ended Six months ended June 30, 2020 % of sales June 30, 2019 % of sales Earnings before taxes $273,754 $280,892 Amortization 27,887 24,548 Interest expense 19,801 17,976 Restructuring charges 2,765 4,414 Other charges (income), net (6,286) (2,248) Adjusted operating profit $317,921 (b) 23.7 $325,582 23.1 Note: (b) Adjusted operating profit decreased 2% as compared to the same period in 2019. METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (amounts in thousands) (unaudited) June 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 Cash and cash equivalents $127,277 $207,785 Accounts receivable, net 490,429 566,256 Inventories 299,746 274,285 Other current assets and prepaid expenses 72,356 61,321 Total current assets 989,808 1,109,647 Property, plant and equipment, net 743,393 748,657 Goodwill and other intangibles assets, net 739,755 742,221 Other non-current assets 206,691 188,796 Total assets $2,679,647 $2,789,321 Short-term borrowings and maturities of long-term debt $53,585 $55,868 Trade accounts payable 155,901 185,592 Accrued and other current liabilities 493,343 513,052 Total current liabilities 702,829 754,512 Long-term debt 1,146,590 1,235,350 Other non-current liabilities 380,135 378,679 Total liabilities 2,229,554 2,368,541 Shareholders' equity 450,093 420,780 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $2,679,647 $2,789,321 METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (amounts in thousands) (unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Cash flow from operating activities: Net earnings $126,562 $127,160 $224,677 $238,965 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation 10,194 9,623 20,327 19,390 Amortization 13,889 12,326 27,887 24,548 Deferred tax (benefit) expense (852) 58 (4,570) (14,881) Other 4,423 4,338 8,818 8,820 Increase (decrease) in cash resulting from changes in operating assets and liabilities 29,021 (26,435) (28,387) (50,977) Net cash provided by operating activities 183,237 127,070 248,752 225,865 Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 1,994 1,144 2,025 1,216 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (18,223) (22,295) (37,089) (44,699) Acquisitions (632) (504) (6,242) (504) Net hedging settlements on intercompany loans 727 (6,028) (9,281) (1,226) Net cash used in investing activities (16,134) (27,683) (50,587) (45,213) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from borrowings 243,830 336,123 1,076,098 638,830 Repayments of borrowings (616,806) (261,083) (1,168,125) (532,729) Proceeds from exercise of stock options 10,615 8,767 17,750 37,757 Repurchases of common stock - (186,249) (200,000) (372,500) Acquisition contingent consideration payment - - - (10,000) Other financing activities - 1,753 (800) 1,753 Net cash used in financing activities (362,361) (100,689) (275,077) (236,889) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (1,050) (739) (3,596) 2,566 Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (196,308) (2,041) (80,508) (53,671) Cash and cash equivalents: Beginning of period 323,585 126,480 207,785 178,110 End of period $127,277 $124,439 $127,277 $124,439 RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW Net cash provided by operating activities $183,237 $127,070 $248,752 $225,865 Payments in respect of restructuring activities 3,001 3,154 4,627 6,846 Transition tax payment - 4,289 - 4,289 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 1,994 1,144 2,025 1,216 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (18,223) (22,295) (37,089) (44,699) Adjusted free cash flow $170,009 $113,362 $218,315 $193,517 METTLER-TOLEDO INTERNATIONAL INC. OTHER OPERATING STATISTICS SALES GROWTH BY DESTINATION (unaudited) Europe Americas Asia/RoW Total U.S. Dollar Sales Growth (Decrease) Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 (6%) (8%) (2%) (6%) Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 (7%) (3%) (6%) (5%) Local Currency Sales Growth (Decrease) Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 (5%) (7%) 1% (4%) Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 (5%) (2%) (3%) (3%) RECONCILIATION OF DILUTED EPS AS REPORTED TO ADJUSTED DILUTED EPS (unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 % Growth 2020 2019 % Growth EPS as reported, diluted $5.22 $5.06 3% $9.25 $9.48 (2%) Restructuring charges, net of tax 0.03 (a) 0.09 (a) 0.09 (a) 0.14 (a) Purchased intangible amortization, net of tax 0.12 (b) 0.10 (b) 0.23 (b) 0.21 (b) Income tax expense (0.08) (c) (0.09) (c) (0.29) (c) (0.57) (c) Adjusted EPS, diluted $5.29 $5.16 3% $9.28 $9.26 0% Notes: (a) Represents the EPS impact of restructuring charges of $0.9 million ($0.7 million after tax) and $2.9 million ($2.3 million after tax) for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and $2.8 million ($2.2 million after tax) and $4.4 million ($3.5 million after tax) for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which primarily include employee related costs. (b) Represents the EPS impact of purchased intangibles amortization, net of tax of $2.8 million and $2.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, and of $5.6 million and $5.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. (c) Represents the EPS impact of the difference between our quarterly and estimated annual tax rate before non-recurring discrete items during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 due to the timing of excess tax benefits associated with stock option exercises. SOURCE Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Related Links http://www.mt.com Australia likely to face unbearable consequences Global Times By Liu Xin and Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 23:48:40 Australia and US allies in Indo-Pacific region targets of PLA in possible China, US clashes The US and Australia are teaming up to levy criticism against China and vow to strengthen military cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, especially after the meetings between their foreign and defense ministers. Experts warned that by cooperating with the US' anti-China policies, Australia, as an opportunist, would not climb to a more important position in the region as it has always longed for, but will face unbearable consequences by undermining its ties with China. Compared to political provocations, Australia's deepening of military ties with the US will raise vigilance from China, including from its citizenry, even more, which will more likely hurt Australia's interests further, analysts noted. Despite the raging COVID-19 epidemic situation in the US, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Linda Reynolds both flew to Washington to have meetings with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The move has been described by Australian media as designed to renew and strengthen a "united front against China." After the two-day talks, the two allies released a joint statement in which China has been mentioned in almost every topic. They accused China of violating international norms in the South China Sea and criticized China's policies in its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At a routine press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin asked the US and Australia to stop their words and deeds that interfere in China's internal affairs and harm its interests, so as to create favorable conditions for the development of China-US and China-Australia relations. Australia has taken the leading role in cooperating with US' anti-China actions, including on topics regarding Huawei and the South China Sea. While closely following in the steps of the US, Australia still wants to fool China, its largest trade partner, to avoid economic damages, observers said, referring to Australian foreign minister's hypocritical gestures of showing nice to Beijing. While stressing that the US and Australia share a commitment to the rule of law and further accusing China over Hong Kong, Payne also told a joint press conference that Australia has no intention of damaging its important bilateral relationship with China. It will also not commit to patrols in conjunction with the US on its freedom of navigation operations. Tuesday's joint statement was written in accordance with the US' recent tough rhetoric toward China. Australia is cooperating with the US' political performance as the latter needs open support more than ever, Zhou Fangyin, a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Zhou noted that Pompeo's speech on July 23 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum can be regarded as a strategic mobilization for a global anti-China front, but in reality it got less-than-expected feedback from its allies, the EU or other countries. It needs Australia to cooperate with its political performance. As for Australia, its cooperation with the US is partly out of shared concerns with the US over the so-called China threat, and more out of a desire to showcase its values in the West, Zhou said. Australia wants to play a role as the US' deputy sheriff in the Asia-Pacific region or a crucial role in the US' Indo-Pacific Strategy. It is dancing with the US in step on containing China while hoping to fool China or make its provocations tolerable, analysts said. Payne's remarks during the joint conference fully expose Australia's opportunist trickery. Australia wants to portray itself as a "partner" but not a henchman of the US. By not committing to patrols, Australia believes it will not overly stimulate China, Chen Hong, director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Wednesday. However, Australia is making a gamble and betting more chips on the US by jeopardizing China-Australia ties. Being loyal to a failed leadership - the US with its failed governance and system fully exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic - Australia would find itself walking on a tightrope and cannot afford the price of falling off, Chen said. Although China would prefer not to use trade exchanges as leverage, strained China-Australia ties and rising anti-China sentiment in Australia would discourage economic exchanges. As three Chinese government departments have already released warnings about visiting or studying in Australia, impacts on Australia's tourism industry would be deeply felt especially after the epidemic, Chen noted. Wanting to please everyone is actually pleasing no one. Australia will remain as a US henchman by dancing to the US' tune to contain China," Chen said. No good for military cooperation In the joint statement released on Tuesday, the US and Australia also agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, a move coming amid heightened tensions with China, which "present a common front between the allies," AFP reported on Wednesday. Australia and the US will cooperate in many military fields including hypersonic, electronic and space-based warfare, AFP reported. The joint statement also said the two countries intend to establish a US-funded commercially operated strategic military fuel reserve in Darwin, which is expected to strengthen the resilience of supply chains. AFP reported that the US and Australia will consider conducting exercises there with like-minded countries such as Japan and India. Chinese military analysts said that the US sees Australia and Japan as two horns in the West Pacific, and they form a triangle with Guam in controlling the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and West Pacific. Unlike Japan and Guam, which can be easily reached by China's short-to-medium range and intermediate range missiles - a nightmare for the US military - Australia is further away and less vulnerable to missiles fired from the Chinese mainland, analysts said. Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the US is roping Australia in with the attempt to use it as an important strategic military base for its Indo-Pacific Strategy. Since Australia has easy access to the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, US bomber deployments at military bases in Australia can significantly improve its deterrence in the region. Australia has boosted its national defense expenditure as it will receive advanced fighter jets which can enhance its joint combat capability with US forces, Wei said, noting that Australian warships can also cooperate with the US' 7th Fleet in its military presence in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, and in a potential lockdown of the Strait of Malacca. However, being tied to the US' chariot against China will not be a good thing for Australia, and provocative moves could seriously risk Australia's interests, Wei said. By joining the US in military activities targeting China even more closely, Australia is putting its fate into the hands of the Americans, who have been stirring up trouble on multiple fronts against China to an extent. Observers, both Chinese and foreign, believe that military conflict between China and the US has now become increasingly possible. In case a military conflict between China and the US takes place, and Australia, as well as other countries like India and Japan, play a role in it, they will immediately also become targets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), as the PLA will take resolute countermeasures to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, other military experts reached by the Global Times pointed out. No matter how much Australia develops its own military, it is only a follower of the US and its capability in the South China Sea will be limited and far inferior to the PLA, they said, noting that even the US does not have an upper hand on China's doorstep. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The US economy collapsed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, suffering its largest decline on record while hopes for a recovery took another hit as job losses increased, according to government data released Thursday. The 32.9 percent GDP contraction, though slightly better than expected, was the worst experienced by the world's largest economy since at least 1947 and underscored the severity of the rapidly unfolding crisis, which has already destroyed tens of millions of jobs. While President Donald Trump continues to promise a dramatic recovery, COVID-19 cases have resurged in recent weeks, eroding early progress towards a rebound and forcing authorities in several states to reimpose restrictions that sent workers back home. The latest Labor Department data showed a second straight weekly increase in initial claims for jobless benefits following several weeks of declines, prompting renewed calls for Congress to quickly approve a new round of emergency spending to support the economy. The separate growth figures from the Commerce Department are given at an annual rate -- a measure of the full-year result if the damage was translated over 12 months. Compared to the same quarter of 2019, economic activity fell 9.5 percent, still the worst figure since 1948. "The staggering news of the historic decline of the gross domestic product in the second quarter should shock us all," US Chamber of Commerce?Executive Vice President Neil Bradley said in a statement. The data "should compel Congress to move swiftly" to provide assistance to unemployed workers and businesses. - Help for workers - Congress is currently locked in debate over the size and composition of the next spending bill, with Democrats fighting to retain the $600 additional weekly payment made to unemployed workers set to expire Friday. Republicans want to cut that money and offer businesses that reopen protection if some employees become infected. "COVID is the iceberg. If we don't want to be the Titanic, we need more lifeboats to traverse COVID-tainted waters," Grant Thornton chief economist Diane Swonk said on Twitter. US media reported the White House is pushing for a stop-gap measure that would extend the extra unemployment payments by one week as well as the moratorium on evictions for renters while negotiations continue. Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi has opposed the plan, and she and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer are due to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin again late Thursday to try to bridge the differences. Shortly after the data were released, Trump took to Twitter to rail against potential voter fraud and suggest postponing the November 3 election. "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Trump tweeted, prompting many to say he was trying to distract attention from the awful numbers. His opponent, former vice president Joe Biden, laid the blame squarely at Trump's feet, pointing to the death toll from the virus in the United States which on Wednesday exceeded 150,000. "The depth of economic devastation our nation is experiencing is not an act of God, it's a failure of presidential leadership," Biden said in a statement. "Had President Trump taken immediate and decisive action, tens of thousands of lives and millions of jobs would never have been lost." - Employment setback, stalled growth - After surging in March amid the massive job losses at the start of the pandemic, first time claims for jobless benefits have been falling for weeks, but they rose again to 1.43 million in the week ended July 25, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That figure does not include the 829,697 new claims by people who filed under a special program for those who would not normally be eligible for aid. The data show "the resurgence in COVID-19 cases is taking a toll on the recovery in the labor market," Oxford Economics lead US economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in an analysis. Continuing claims, which is the number of people receiving benefits for more than a week, jumped to over 17 million while the insured unemployment rate rose to 11.6 percent in the week ended July 18. Following a reduction of 5.0 percent in the first three months of the year, the GDP plunge was driven largely by the drop in its largest component, consumer spending, which fell 34.6 percent annualized, according to the report, which was the first estimate for the second quarter. Trade also took a huge hit in the latest quarter, with exports falling just over 64 percent, and imports down 53.4 percent. But personal income got a boost of $1.4 trillion from the government emergency spending measures that provided payroll funds for businesses and direct unemployment payments to workers. More businesses have had to shut down again as virus cases rise, undermining the nascent US recovery Quarterly real GDP growth for United States. Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden blamed President Donald Trump for the severe economic crisis WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Beekeepers have many options available to them when deciding on where to purchase their colonies. They can buy locally, import from large out-of-state producers or buy specially-bred stocks. This decision could impact their businesses in the long run. Brock Harpur, assistant professor of entomology, is the recent co-recipient of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) CARE grant that will help beekeepers improve the health and productivity of their apiaries. The three-year grant was awarded to Harpur and Margarita Lopez-Uribe, assistant professor of entomology at Pennsylvania State University, to conduct a comparative study of local honey bee stocks in Indiana and Pennsylvania. Through this work, the researchers will be better able to quantify the health to profit ratio of traits associated with different lines. This single-blind study will work with colonies over the next three years, testing for some regular phenotypes and collecting data, which will eventually be synthesized into Extension materials and research papers for beekeepers and researchers, Harpur said. In addition to printed materials, Harpur added, the study results will be disseminated through field days and hands-on workshops around the state. While Harpur and Lopez-Uribe lead the study in their respective states, it is highly collaborative research and draws on the cooperation and expertise of beekeepers in both states. Ultimately, Harpur and Lopez-Uribe hope their study will decrease rates of colony loss due to pests and pathogens, which is high in both states, and also empower beekeepers with knowledge about how different stocks perform in their hands. I think we need to be smarter about how were buying and replacing honey bee stocks, Lopez-Uribe said. Currently, queens and honey bee packages are mass produced and transported long distances. That can be detrimental to the industry and the sustainability of honey bees as a species. Lopez-Uribe and Harpur hope their research may offer more reasons for beekeepers to stock their hives from local sources instead of sending away for a stock they view as less expensive. While they expect to find different results regarding the best stock, due to geography, climate and other factors, the researchers said they are pioneering the process for evaluating honey bees at the local level, something that is needed across the country. Two hundred hives, originating from five distinct sources, have been distributed across Indiana and Pennsylvania. A team in both states will visit each hive once every three months to collect data. Its a logistically and technically complicated study, Harpur said, but the data gathered will prove invaluable to beekeepers across the state. The bottom line is that for many, beekeeping is a business, and even difference of a few dollars between queens can be substantial if the beekeeper has to purchase hundreds of queens, Harpur said. This study will add value to the Hoosier beekeeping industry and set the example for other studies across the country to follow suit. Writer: Emma Ea Ambrose, 765-494-2406, eeambros@purdue.edu Source: Brock Harpur, 765-494-0512, bharpur@purdue.edu Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415; Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu Agriculture News Page Shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday, two masked people clambered up a ladder to the roof of a courthouse in downtown New Orleans and dropped a banner from its side. "Evictions = death," it read. Thus began an hourslong blockade aimed at preventing evictions in New Orleans during the coronavirus pandemic. Banging pots and pans and locking arms, dozens of protesters stopped people from entering City Hall and the building that houses the 1st City and Orleans Parish Civil District courts. The protest succeeded in disrupting a variety of court hearings, including evictions. An Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman said the demonstration resulted in no arrests, however. The confrontational tactic was necessary because of government inaction in the face of a wave of evictions that could soon wash over the city, protesters argued. The expanded unemployment benefits that have given tens of thousands of jobless New Orleanians a lifeline expires this week. A moratorium on evictions in federally backed properties ended Saturday, but landlords still have to provide 30-day notice, which in practice means that evictions can't be filed until Aug. 24. The U.S. Congress is meeting this week to address both issues, but demonstrators said state and local officials need to intervene in the meantime. They claim Gov. John Bel Edwards and Mayor LaToya Cantrell could be more aggressive about tapping federal funds for rental assistance, and the local judges who oversee residential evictions could simply close up shop until money becomes available. The 1st and 2nd City Courts were closed for weeks after the coronavirus outbreak began. The governor hasnt listened, the mayor hasnt listened, said Frank Southall, an organizer with the New Orleans Renters Rights Assembly, which supported and publicized the protest. Re-close eviction court until you have a plan. As of Thursday afternoon, there have been 343 evictions filed in 1st City Court since the end of a state moratorium on June 15. Even though roughly half of all rental properties are still covered by the separate federal moratorium, the number is roughly in line with the pre-pandemic eviction rate. Some landlords have said the state and federal eviction moratoriums shifted the burden of paying for housing onto them. Edwards and Cantrells administrations have said that they have sought money to help tenants, although theyve acknowledged its nowhere near enough. The Edwards administration announced a $24 million rental assistance program that quickly ran out money earlier this month, and the city launched a new, $1 million program on Monday. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up More money from Congress in another stimulus package could be directed toward renters, the governor's office says. The city has implemented a rental assistance program, created an emergency housing program for the homeless and worked to provide legal assistance to residents facing eviction," said Beau Tidwell, the mayor's communications director. "Unfortunately, local resources are limited, and immediate federal action is required to provide support and intervention to those hit hardest by the economic impact of the COVID pandemic, including those facing housing insecurity." Meanwhile, the judges say their hands are tied because the decision of whether to close the courts is not up to them. The judges follow the law first and foremost and receive guidance from the Supreme Court and, in certain instances, executive orders from the governors office, said a court spokesman. Where the law allows for evictions to proceed, the judges must follow the law. Outside the courthouse, attorneys and litigants were met with a wall of protesters as they tried to enter the building. Some attempted to shove their way inside only to be forced back. Others, including tenants, succeeded in talking their way past the demonstrators, or slipping in through a side entrance to City Hall, which is connected to the courthouse by a breezeway. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office deputies who guard the building mostly watched from inside a breezeway. One staffer for a family law attorney grinned as she took a cellphone video of protesters chanting around her as they stopped her at the front entrance. She resorted to using a back gate on Poydras Street and sliding past protesters to get inside so she could file paperwork. I think its awesome, but I have work to do, the woman said. Im not trying to do evictions. Judges in the building handle a wide variety of cases, from fender-benders to child custody disputes to asbestos lawsuits. Walt Pierce, the court spokesman, said they would reschedule some hearings. All of the judges, attorneys, litigants, witnesses and visitors seeking entry to the courthouse were affected in one way or another by the activities outside of the courthouse not just the parties to eviction proceedings, he said. Judges are rescheduling cases where needed for that very reason. New Orleans hires former short-term rental exec to oversee permitting, including of short-term rentals The former general manager of a major short-term rental company will oversee the New Orleans city department charged with enforcing the rules Justice Department Sets Date for Fourth Federal Execution This Year The Justice Department on Wednesday rescheduled the execution of a convicted murderer who killed a 63-year-old woman and her 9-year-old granddaughter back in 2001. If the execution, scheduled for August 26, takes place, Lezmond Mitchell would become the fourth federal death-row inmate to be put to death after a 17-year hiatus. In July, three death-row inmatesDaniel Lewis Lee, Wesley Ira Purkey, and Dustin Lee Honkenwere put to death by lethal injection at a federal prison in Indiana after unsuccessful attempts to delay their executions in the courts. All three men were convicted of murdering children. Mitchells execution was previously scheduled for December 2019 but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit blocked the event while his case played out in the courts. In April, the court of appeals unanimously rejected Mitchells claim and denied his request for a full-court rehearing earlier this month. Mitchell is expected to also die by lethal injection at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, the department said. Allowing Mr. Mitchells execution to go forward would be a grave injustice and an unprecedented affront to tribal sovereignty, and it should not be permitted to proceed, his attorneys said in a statement to Reuters. Mitchell was convicted for the 2001 murders of Alyce Slim and her granddaughter in a carjacking in Arizona. Mitchell was convicted of stabbing the 63-year-old grandmother, throwing her body into the backseat next to the child, and driving her pickup truck about 40 miles into the mountains. There Mitchell ordered the 9-year-old to lay down and brutally murdered her, prosecutors said. He then attempted to dispose of the bodies and burned their clothes. Mitchell later confessed to the murders and a jury in a district court in Arizona found him guilty of several federal crimes including first-degree murder, felony murder, and carjacking resulting in death, the department said. In July 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced that he has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt an addendum to the federal protocol, which will clear the way for the federal government to resume capital punishment. Five convicted murderers were scheduled to be executed in the announcement, including Mitchell. However, the executions were blocked after legal challenges were filed in an effort to delay the executions. One challenge sought to clarify the law on how the government carries out federal executions, which the Supreme Court declined to hear, paving way for the Trump administration to proceed with their plan. In June, the government scheduled the executions of Lee, Purkey, Honken, and Keith Dwayne Nelson for dates in July and August, prompting widespread criticism. Critics say the scheduling had no regard for the safety and health of those involved. Nelson, whose execution is set for August 28, is expected to become the fifth death-row inmate to be put to death by lethal injection. He was convicted of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl who was rollerblading in front of her Kansas home and sexually assaulting her in a forest behind a church before strangling the young girl to death with a wire. Mitchell is a member of the Navajo Nation and the only Native American on federal death row. Zachary Stieber, Isabel Van Brugen, Reuters contributed to this report. Lily Beach Resort & Spa, Maldives has been voted as the number 1 all-inclusive resort in Asia and ranked the 11th all-inclusive resort in the World at the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Awards 2020. Every year, TripAdvisor pulls together all the reviews, ratings, and saves that travelers share from across the globe and use that info to spotlight the very best. The Travelers Choice Best of the Best awards celebrates them Yes Bank has taken over the headquarters of Anil Ambani's group in suburban Santacruz in Mumbai for failure to repay dues worth Rs 2,892 crore. Photograph: Prashant Waydande / Reuters. The private sector lender has also taken possession of two flats in South Mumbai for the non-payment of dues by Reliance Infrastructure, according to a notice published by Yes Bank in a newspaper on Wednesday. Nearly all the major companies in Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) were operating out of the Santacruz office called 'Reliance Centre'. However, in the last few years, the fortunes of the group have gone south with the companies meeting various fates, including bankruptcies and stake sales. Yes Bank said it had sought to recover dues of Rs 2,892.44 crore from Reliance Infrastructure on May 6 and took possession of the three properties on July 22 after a failure to repay even after 60 days of the notice. It cautioned the general public not to deal with the properties, adding that any dealing with the properties will be subject to a charge of Yes Bank for an amount of Rs 2,892 crore. Last year, the group was looking to lease out the same headquarters -- which admeasures 21,432 square metres as per the Yes Bank notice -- in an attempt to raise resources to pay off debts. The other two properties are spread over two different floors in South Mumbai's Nagin Mahal, admeasuring 1,717 sq ft and 4,936 sq ft. It can be noted that exposure to ADAG firms is blamed as among the key reasons for the high amount of bad debt piled up by Yes Bank. Due to the high amount of non-performing assets, the lender had to be bailed out by a SBI-led consortium of lenders for Rs 10,000 crore. Before the bail-out, the government and the RBI superseded the Yes Bank board in March and installed a new chief executive and board. On June 23, Anil Ambani had claimed that R-Infra, which has loans outstanding of Rs 6,000 crore, will be completely debt-free this fiscal year. In 2018, the company sold its Mumbai energy business to Adani Transmission for nearly Rs 18,800 crore, which helped reduce the debt to nearly Rs 7,500 crore. Mr. Nicholas Ofodile, a Kogi-based businessman, who was found dead in his car, last month along AbujaLokoja highway, was murdered by assassins hired by an aggrieved associate. This was made known by the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ede Ayuba, while parading the leader of the gang, one Vincent Omogor and 27 others at the commands headquarters in Lokoja yesterday. Ayuba disclosed that the suspect was arrested by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives in collaboration with vigilantes in the state. He was arrested in Orehi, Kogi Local Government Area of the State. Speaking with newsmen, the suspect said he was commissioned by someone who he referred to as chairman to assassinate the businessman. He said the suspect was aggrieved by the failure of the deceased to fulfill certain financial obligations to him when he (suspect)s father took ill. He explained that chairman became infuriated when his father died of the ailment and set the process of revenge in motion. Chairman gave us full details about the mans movement from Lokoja to Abuja. We then waited for him and when we saw his car, we forced him to stop, dragged him out, killed him and put his body back inside the car he said. Tyson Foods announced today it is hiring a chief medical officer and adding almost 200 nurses and support staff as it continues to manage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an announcement, the company said it has already tested nearly a third of its workforce and plans to test thousands of workers every week across its facilities. Currently, less than 1% of Tyson Foods U.S. workforce of 120,000 team members has active COVID-19, the company said. Tyson said it has more than 400 people currently as part of its health services team. The additional nurses will conduct on-site testing and assist with case management and treatment for employees who test positive. The companys protocol calls for random testing of employees using an algorithm-based selection process, taking into account the number of positive cases among plant workers and in the surrounding community. There will also be daily health screenings as employees arrive to identify those who are symptomatic, and their close contacts. Donnie King, Tyson Foods group president and chief administrative officer, said the measures are working well so far. Adding more resources and technologies reinforces our commitment to protecting our team members, their families and plant communities, King said. United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International President Marc Perrone said the union welcomed the plan. UFCW is urging all companies in the industry to follow Tysons lead and take immediate action to expand COVID monitoring as we work to flatten the curve, Perrone said. Tyson has major plants in Albertville and Blountsville, as well as smaller locations in Alabama. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the new NEP and renamed the HRD Ministry as Education Ministry. A single regulator for higher education institutions, multiple entry and exit options in degree courses, discontinuation of MPhil programmes, low stakes board exams, common entrance exams for universities are among the highlights of the NEP. Here's what the education policy means for different sections of the society: What does the new education policy mean for school-goers? The medium of instruction till grade 5 and preferably till 8 will be in the local language. So a student in central Bihar may get his first instructions in a local dialect, which in this would be Maghahi. More than one attempt to clear boards or improve performance. No rigid formation of streams of arts, commerce, science, and students can take up whichever courses they want. Report cards will be a comprehensive report on skills and capabilities, instead of just marks and statements. Vocational courses with internship for Class 6 onwards for students who want to opt out of formal education and pursue any trade or craft. What does the new education policy mean for higher education? Four year degree course in conformity with foreign institutions, helps students who want to pursue masters program abroad. Multiple entry and exit points, credit system make courses flexible for students who do not want to pursue research. Flexibility in the curriculum. You can study literature as a pass subject with your science degree. Students who had dropped out in the middle of a program can now resume their course from where they had left off. What does the new education policy mean for colleges and universities? There will be a common entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to universities and higher education institutions. A single regulator helps cut red tape to bring in transparency in accreditation and approval mechanism. Even engineering institutions, such as IITs, will be expected to move towards more holistic and multidisciplinary education with more arts and humanities. What does the new education policy mean for researchers? Only serious research scholars continue till 4 years in the graduation course. M Phil is scrapped, so only those who want to pursue higher education and research as a career option continue beyond 3rd year in the degree course. What does the new education policy mean for investors and entrepreneurs? Public investment in education reach 6 per cent of the GDP. This means more opportunities and facilities for both teachers and students. Helps top institutes in India to expand and set up shops abroad. What does the new education policy mean for parents? With vocational courses and informal internships being institutionalised, parents, especially in rural households, can now encourage their children to take up courses in farming etc. Foreign universities to be allowed to set up their shops in India. This means students need not travel abroad for quality higher education. Can be a super saver for those seeking a degree from an Ivy League College. Industry A research oriented higher education dovetails with industry to foster innovation In science and technology. A win-win situation for both. Politicians: Policy skirts clear of three language formula. Given enough room to states to choose medium of education to avert any backlash from non-Hindi speaking provinces. Herman Cain, a business executive and former Republican presidential candidate, has died after contracting the novel coronavirus. He was 74 years old. The prominent conservative businessman was hospitalised weeks after he attended President Donald Trumps rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June, where he served as a surrogate for the Black Voices for Trump committee. Cain had been critically ill with Covid-19 for several weeks, after being admitted to hospital in early July and receiving oxygen. At least eight advance team staffers for the presidents re-election campaign who were in attendance at the rally tested positive for Covid-19. A former presidential nominee, Cain gained prominent during the 2012 Republican primaries for a 9-9-9 tax plan that would have reduced virtually all income, corporate and national sales taxes to a standard rate of nine per cent. He dropped out of the race after he was accused of sexual harassment by four women, allegations he denied while suspending his campaign. The president tweeted about Cain on Thursday, writing: My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning. Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. The president also wrote that Cain was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend. Cain was a successful business executive and the former CEO of Godfathers Pizza. He authored several books about entrepreneurship and was a syndicated columnist for Newsmax. The site confirmed his death and said he was set to launch a weekly show before passing away in an Atlanta-area hospital where he had been critically ill for several weeks. Cains website also confirmed his death in a blog post titled: Were heartbroken, and the world is poorer: Herman Cain has gone to be with the Lord. Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away, the post read. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle. There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldnt be quick, the post continued. Herman was 74. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer. We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope hed have a full recovery. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / MGX Minerals Inc. ("MGX" or the "Company") (CSE:XMG) (FKT:1MG) (OTC:MGXMF) is pleased to provide details of on site activities at the Heino Gold Deposit and Tillicum Claims. Metallurgy As recommended by mine engineering consultants SRK Consulting (Canada) Ltd., two 150 kg. samples from Heino-Money Gold Zone and East Ridge Zone have been sent for metallurgic testing for extraction of gold and silver at ALS Canada. The Heino material is from the 2130 adit portal area, where recent bulk sampling has taken place (as reported below), and the East Ridge sample is from historical 1988 drill core. Soil Samples Twenty-five soil samples have been taken from a 200 x 300 meter area East of Tillicum Mountain. The samples have been sent for assay and results are expected shortly. Magnetometer Survey A total of 3.9km of magnetometer survey have been completed to further delineate and detail the extension of Heino and East Ridge Zones. Drilling The Notice of Work for a 3000 meter drill program has received preliminary review by the British Columbia Ministry of Mines and has been found to have no known archaeological sites within the proposed work area. The application is expected to enter the consultation phase shortly. LiDAR Mapping The Company is reviewing proposals for helicopter LiDAR and satellite hyperspectral and synthetic radar mapping options for proposed 5751 ha. survey as recommended by SRK Consulting. Both options will provide data for the identification of surface mineralization, related structures, and existing infrastructure without interference from vegetation. The helicopter based proposal would also provide a magnetometer survey and is likely to be the chosen method. Data will provide a modern mapping basis for infrastructure planning and future exploration. Recent Exploration As announced July 24th, 2020, six 0.5kg to 1kg, samples were taken at the 2030 Portal of the Heino-Money Pit Zone at the Heino Gold Deposit during the SRK Consulting (Canada) Site Visit July 8th, 2020. Samples were shipped under direct chain of custody to ALS Canada Ltd. in Kamloops, British Columbia, crushed and pulverized, with further shipment to ALS Canada Ltd, North Vancouver, BC under custody of ALS Canada Ltd. The samples have undergone gold analysis by fire assay and gravimetric finish up to 6 ounces per tonne Au are reported. Previous silver, lead, and zinc assays from press release issued July 20 are included. Bulk Samples are of selected mineralized material and are not representative of the deposit as no mineral resource estimate at any level of confidence has been completed: Sample # Weight kg Au ppm Au oz/ton Ag ppm Ag oz/ton Pb % Zn % 301 .78 138.5 4.04 1090 31.8 9.05 3.92 302 .61 87.4 2.56 522 15.2 4.75 4.94 303 .94 207.0 6.04 94 2.7 1.015 3.38 304 .93 114.0 3.33 1080 31.5 9.13 4.49 305 .94 85.5 2.49 1080 31.5 7.5 5.35 306 .51 7.52 0.22 295 8.6 3.45 12.55 Historical Work Summary of recorded surface and underground drilling from the NI 43-101 compliant technical report (the "SRK Report") are reported below: Table 10-1: Summary of recorded drilling Year(s) Mineral Zone Surface Drilling Underground Drilling No. of Holes Meterage No. of Holes Meterage 1981-1987 Heino-Money 100 7,060 9 177 1988 92 3,079 1993 8 284 1981-1984 East Ridge 26 1,586 1988 75 13,149 14 610 1989 10 1,446 1984 Silver Queen 12 ? 1984 Grizzly 4 615 1984 Arnie Flats 5 292 Totals 232 24,148 123 4,150 Small scale production occurred in 1981, 1984, and 1993 from the Heino-Money Zone. Table 6-4 from the SRK Report summarizes tonnages and metal content recovered per year of extraction. Table 6-4: Summary of bulk sampling conducted on the Heino-Money Zone Year Mined Tonnes Milled Tonnes Au Grams Recovered Au Ounces Recovered Ag Grams Recovered Ag Ounces Recovered 1981 58 58 4,570 145 3,259 105 1984 227 168 48,351 1,554 51,570 1,658 1985/1986 2,972 2,972 98,910 3,180 1993 6,800 5,503 102,455 3,294 164,071 5,275 Total 10.057 8,701 254,286 8,173 218,900 7,038 Qualified Person Andris Kikauka (P. Geo.), Vice President of Exploration for MGX Minerals, has prepared, reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release. Mr. Kikauka is a non-independent Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Advisors Kingsdale Advisors is acting as strategic shareholder and communications advisor and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP is acting as legal advisor to MGX Minerals Inc. About MGX Minerals Inc. MGX Minerals Inc. invests in commodity and technology companies and projects focusing on battery and energy mass storage technology, extraction of minerals from fluids, and exploration for industrial minerals and precious metals. Contact Information: Neil Foran Chief Financial Officer neil@mgxminerals.com Web: www.mgxminerals.com Andy Radia Director, Communications and Marketing Kingsdale Advisors Ph: 416-867-2357 aradia@kingsdaleadvisors.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to plans for assessment and other activities conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Heino-Money Deposit and Tillicum Claims, the preparation and filing of the Technical Report, and the preparation for structural engineering review for the purpose of underground bulk sampling. Forward-looking information is generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "in the event", "if", "believes", "asserts", "position", "intends", "envisages", "assumes", "recommends", "estimates", "approximate", "projects", "potential", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. The Company's forward-looking information are based on the applicable assumptions and factors the Company considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to the Company at such time, including without limitation, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various risk factors. These factors include, among others, geological and environmental factors, operating or technical difficulties in connection with the activities contemplated in this press release, general economic conditions, or conditions in the financial markets. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors, and their potential effects, which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Except as required by securities law, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise. SOURCE: MGX Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599691/MGX-Minerals-Provides-Exploration-Update-from-Heino-Gold-Deposit Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Connect all the Ninja Racers together and build the classic wow gold Patrol Buggy! Each sold separately. Themes, characters and accessories may vary. Ideal for ages 5 and up. 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Besides, the anti-Indian group, which was banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July last year for advocating 'Referendum 2020', is learnt to have plans for similar camps in Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand when Indian embassies there will be celebrating India's Independence Day on August 15. Indian security agencies have warned embassies in these countries to be on alert. As per the inputs, SFJ's Attorney and General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is camping in Canada's capital Ottawa to coordinate the August 15 voter registration camps in front of Indian Consulates in Canada and other western countries. Recently, the SFJ, headed by Pannun in Canada, burnt the Indian tricolour in Canada and mailed the remains to the Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa. The group has claimed that "remains of Indian tricolour have been mailed to Ajay Bisaria, Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa as a symbolic gesture to remind India that Canada considers Khalistan as a political opinion unlike India where Referendum 2020 campaigners are being charged under UAPA and sedition". Article 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms declares the freedom to express political opinion as a fundamental right of the people, the SFJ claims in the mail. However, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of Canada last week rejected the SFJ's 'Referendum 2020' campaign and said, "Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India, and the government of Canada will not recognise the referendum." The group since July 4 has chosen Punjab, Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir to launch its online voter registration for the 'Referendum 2020' through different portals but reportedly could not gather support. The group has used Canadian cyberspace twice for launching its voter registration for the referendum in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. Calling SFJ activities constitutionally protected, Pannun has said, "Canadian government did not and cannot restrict activities of Referendum 2020 on Canadian soil." The SFJ leader also threatened that "propagation of Khalistan Referendum from and in Canada will continue and Referendum 2020 polling across Canada will be held as per schedule in November". Pannun is among the nine pro-Khalistanis who were designated as terrorists by the Indian government earlier this month. US-based terrorist Pannun has been playing a major role in the 'Referendum 2020' campaign. The US-based radical Khalistan outfit has urged Sikhs in India and abroad to support its infamous agenda of 'Referendum 2020', which is being promoted by the group to divide India on communal lines. The SFJ is supported by Pakistan-based handlers to provide money and logistic support to radical Sikh elements in Punjab to carry out subversive activities. The group is headed by Avtar Singh Pannun and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who have started advocating Khalistan as well as the online secessionist campaign for Referendum 2020. However, the SFJ's agenda has been rejected by the Sikh community across India in spite of the Inter-Services Intelligence-sponsored propaganda of 'Referendum 2020'. The Pakistani intelligence agency ISI has been backing the malicious campaign launched by the SFJ as a large number of Pakistani Twitter handles have started tweeting in favour of the so-called 'Referendum'. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians) --IANS rak/kr Poor weather delayed the initial launch of the spacex Dragon Crew mission to the International Space Station in May and the team is facing similar issues for the return home this weekend. A 500-mile tropical storm is brewing in the Caribbean that could bring intense winds to the Atlantic Ocean - the splashdown target for the capsule. NASA and SpaceX announced Wednesday that all is a 'go' with bringing astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken back on Sunday, August 2, but teams are keeping a close watch on the weather. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said: 'Tropical weather barreling toward Florida could delay this weekends planned return of the first SpaceX crew.' 'If the weather isn't good or the sea states aren't good, we're going to take our time bringing Bob and Doug home. Our number one highest priority is their safety.' Poor weather delayed the initial launch of SpaceX Dragon Crew to the International Space Station in May and the team is facing similar issues for the return home this weekend On Wednesday, SpaceX and NASA cleared the Dragon crew capsule to depart the International Space Station and head home after a two-month flight. Because NASA test pilots Hurley and Behnken will aim for the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico just off Florida's coast, the wind and waves must be relatively calm. Managers are targeting a Sunday splashdown, right around the time rough weather is expected to hit Florida. The weather system is currently in the eastern Caribbean and is expected to develop into a tropical storm with winds up to 40 miles per hour. NASA and SpaceX announced Wednesday that all is a 'go' to move forward with bringing astronauts Doug Hurley (left) and Bob Behnken (right) back to Earth on Sunday, August 2, but are keeping a close watch on the weather Pictured is the latest track of the newly formed Tropical Storm forming in the Atlantic NASA's commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, said flight controllers will closely monitor the weather and, if necessary, keep the astronauts at the space station until conditions improve. Elon Musk's SpaceX company made history on May 30 when launching Hurley and Behnken to the International Space. The mission, called 'Launch America, marked the first launch of NASA astronauts from the US in nearly a decade and also the first time a private company sent people into orbit. Hurley and Behnken took off from Launch Complex 39A at 3:22pm Saturday, May 30. 'Let's light this candle,' commander Hurley said just before liftoff. For Musk, the launch represents another milestone for the reusable rockets his company pioneered to make spaceflight less costly and frequent. The mission, called 'Launch America, marked the first launch of NASA astronauts from the US in nearly a decade and also the first time a private company sent people into orbit And it would mark the first time that commercially developed space vehicles - owned and operated by a private entity rather than NASA - have carried Americans into orbit. However, just as poor weather looms over the splashdown, it stopped the Dragon Crew from its initial launch on June 27. SpaceX said in a tweet: 'Standing down from launch today due to unfavorable weather in the flight path. Our next launch opportunity is Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m. EDT, or 19:22 UTC.' It was cancelled with less than 17 minutes remaining on the countdown clock as bad weather meant the launch had to be delayed by a few seconds around the Kennedy Space Center. NASA is still moving forward with Sunday's plans to bring the space fairing heroes home, who will splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean - something that has not been done in the past 45 years NASA is still moving forward with Sunday's plans to bring the space fairing heroes home, who will splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean - something that has not been done in the past 45 years. SpaceX is already preparing to launch a second crew to the space station at the end of September. NASA wants six weeks between the splashdown and the launch of the next Dragon crew, for capsule inspections and reviews. is trying to persuade the British government to put some Spanish regions on its safe list. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzlez Laya says the UK decision last weekend to require people arriving from to self-isolate for 14 days was based on Spain's recent national surge in cases. Gonzlez Laya told Radio Euskadi in an interview Thursday that some Spanish regions are not badly affected, and suggested could allow corridors between those regions and the UK. on Wednesday reported the highest daily number of new infections in almost three months, with 1,153. But the Balearic Islands, including vacation hotspots such as Ibiza and Mallorca, had just one new case while the Canary Islands, another popular destination for British tourists, had only seven. Spain is the top holiday destination for British tourists, with around 18 million people heading there last year, and their absence is a heavy blow to Spain's key tourism 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.) Google and Facebook took particularly sharp jabs for alleged abuse of their market power from Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday in a much-anticipated congressional hearing that put four of America's most prominent tech CEOs in the hot seat. Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc's Jeff Bezos, Google owner Alphabet Inc's Sundar Pichai and Apple Inc's Tim Cook - whose companies have a combined market value of about $5 trillion - parried a range of accusations that they crippled smaller rivals in their quest for market share. The videoconference hearing was the first time the four CEOs have appeared together before lawmakers. Though it was Bezos' first congressional testimony, he appeared the least fazed. Cook drew fewer barbed questions than Bezos and handled them efficiently. Zuckerberg suffered the most damage, stumbling at times when confronted with internal emails. Pichai, CEO of both Alphabet and Google, took the most heat from conservatives on the panel and looked the worse for it, as he repeatedly told lawmakers he would be happy to look into various situations and get back to them. The Big Tech hearing triggered scorn from viewers over its own tech issues. Bezos escaped questioning for about an hour in what may have been a tech issue and was caught on screen reaching for what appeared to be a snack. Poor audio, flat-screen televisions switching off, and chief executives appearing together as thumbnails on a large screen led to mockery of the virtual set-up on Twitter. Lawmakers descended into shouting at each other at points, with a pandemic twist. One yelled: "Put your mask on!" THEFT, COPYING, CONTENT MODERATION Cicilline set the tone for the hearing when he began by accusing Google of theft. "Why does Google steal content from honest businesses?" he asked. He alleged Google stole reviews from Yelp Inc and threatened to delist Yelp from search results if it objected. Pichai responded mildly that he would want to know the specifics of the accusation. "We conduct ourselves to the highest standards," he added, disagreeing with the characterization. Facebook's Zuckerberg took a series of questions about the company's purchase of Instagram in 2012 and whether it was acquired because it was a threat, as he dubbed it in an email obtained by the committee. Zuckerberg responded that Instagram at the time was a tiny photo-sharing app rather than a social-media phenomenon. In one of the more notable exchanges, Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, pushed Zuckerberg on whether Facebook had ever copied its competitors. "We've certainly adapted features that others have led in," he said. "How many companies did Facebook end up copying?" she asked. "Is it less than five? Less than 50?" "Congresswoman, I don't know," Zuckerberg said. Jayapal pressed Amazon's Bezos on whether the company used data from third-party sellers in making sales decisions. An Amazon executive previously had denied the practice under oath and was contradicted by a news report. Bezos answered cautiously that the company had a policy against such actions. "If we found that somebody violated it, we would take action against them," he said. On the Republican side, Representative Jim Jordan accused the companies of hampering conservatives from reaching their supporters. Jordan pressed Pichai on whether Google would help former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, win in November. "We support both campaigns. We approach our work in a nonpartisan fashion," Pichai responded. Representative Matt Gaetz asked Facebook's Zuckerberg whether content moderators disadvantaged conservative content. Zuckerberg said they were trained to be neutral. "STREET FIGHT" Apple's Cook rejected the notion there is nothing to stop his company from raising the commissions it charges in the App Store. "I disagree strongly with that," he said. "The competition for developers - they can write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. We have fierce competition at the developer side and the customer side, which is essentially so competitive I would describe it as a street fight." A detailed report with antitrust allegations against the four tech platforms and recommendations on how to tame their market power could be released by late summer or early fall by the committee, senior committee aides said. Also read: Facebook's Zuckerberg skewered with internal emails during antitrust hearing What Are Grasslands? Grasslands are vast areas covered mostly by grass and grass-like plants. They have many different names. In the US theyre called prairies, in Australia, theyre called rangelands, while in South America theyre called pampas, llanos, and cerrados. These areas dont receive enough rainfall to grow trees or support a forest, but they dont get too little either to become a desert. Grasslands are somewhere in between these two ecosystems. They receive just enough rain to support an abundance of grass and in some areas, a few trees spaced far apart from each other and clusters of shrubs as well. Grasslands support grazing animals or those that mainly feed on the grass to survive like zebra, antelope, and bison. There are two main types of grasslands: tropical or savanna and temperate grasslands. Tropical Grasslands A typical savanna landscape in Kenya, Africa. Image credit: Volodymyr Burdiak/Shutterstock.com Tropical grasslands are grasslands with scattered trees and some shrubs. Trees often grow away from each other, and in between these widely spaced trees are shrubs that grow in small clumps. These grasslands, also called savannas, are mostly found all over Africa, in Australia, South America, and India. According to information from the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP), savannas are always found in warm or hot climates where the annual rainfall is from about 50.8 to 127 cm (20-50 inches) per year. Rainfall occurs within a six-to-eight-month period followed by a very long period of drought. These tropical grasslands are home to a wide variety of animals and support a thriving ecosystem. Many medium-sized to large herbivores thrive in grasslands since there is plenty of grass to eat. There are also a lot of carnivores that roam these areas that feed on these grazing animals. Some of those that live in many well-known savannas include zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, antelopes, elephants, impalas, lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs among many others. There are also a variety of birds that roam grasslands to feed on insects that live on grass and shrubs. African wild zebras and wildebeest in the African savanna against a background of cumulus thunderclouds and the setting sun. Image credit: Delbars/Shutterstock.com The largest savannas are found in Africa. It covers more than 50% of the entire continent. Many species of flora and fauna are found here. Tourists from all over the world visit Africa to see the beautiful animals in their savannas. African safari tours allow visitors to observe animals in their natural habitat and in some cases even take photos from afar. Some lodges also allow tourists to camp out for a night or two in the middle of a grassland. Temperate Grasslands Steppe grasslands of Europe. Image credit: Dmitry Fch/Shutterstock.com Temperate grasslands are typically found in areas above the equator. These are wide plains that are often drier than savannas with temperatures that are a lot colder. They are flat, treeless, covered with grass, and have rich soil. This is why many temperate grasslands have been turned into farms or grazing lands for cattle. Temperate grasslands include the Eurasian steppes in Ukraine and some parts of Russia, Argentine pampas as well as all the prairies found throughout North America and the great plains of Canada. According to UCMP temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters with moderate rainfall.The temperature range in temperate grasslands is very large over the course of the year. Summer temperatures can be well over 38 C (100 degrees Fahrenheit), while winter temperatures can be as low as -40 C (-40 degrees Fahrenheit). The soil in temperate grasslands are dark and covered with a very fertile and nutrient-rich layer that supports different species of grass including blue grama, purple needlegrass, and buffalo grass, as well as some flowers such as, goldenrods, blazing stars, wild indigos, coneflowers, sunflowers, clovers, and asters. The species depends on the areas amount of rainfall, temperature, and overall climate. Horses in the steppe of Kazakhstan near Almaty City. Image credit: Aureliy/Shutterstock.com Numerous animals thrive in temperate grasslands according to the UCMP. These include gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves, prairie dogs, jackrabbits, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, skunks, badgers, blackbirds, grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks, owls, snakes, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and spiders. The CBI carried out searches at 28 locations across four states after registering a case against four Navy officers for allegedly siphoning off Rs 6.76 crore by generating fake bills for purported supply of IT hardware to the Western Naval Command, officials said on Thursday. The searches in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Karnataka continued till Wednesday midnight and resulted in the recovery of Rs 10 lakh cash, they said. Captain Atul Kulkarni, Commanders Mandar Godbole and R P Sharma, and Petty Officer LOG (F&A) Kuldeep Singh Baghel allegedly prepared seven fraudulent bills of Rs 6.76 crore, they said. "All these accused naval officers abused their official position to defraud the naval authorities and rob the exchequer of public money which led to pecuniary gain to themselves," according to the CBI FIR. The bills were allegedly raised between January and March in 2016 at the Western Naval Command in Mumbai for supplying information technology and networking related hardware. "None of the items mentioned in the bills were supplied to HQ, WNC (Western Naval Command). No documents pertaining to preparation of the bills i.e. approvals, financial sanction, purchase orders, receipt vouchers, etc. are available at HQ," the CBI FIR said. The Navy had introduced a Financial Information System (FIS) in 2012 for budget monitoring and ensuring authenticity of the bills submitted. All bills bear a unique FIS number. The bills of any work executed by the naval authorities are first entered on the FIS, thus generating a FIS number. FIS user id is the personal number allotted to an officer and cannot be accessed by any other staff. The fraudulent bills were prepared by FIS user IDs of Godbole and Sharma, showing their active connivance in the offence, the FIR alleged. The agency has alleged that Kulkarni was the supervising officer of the unit where the bills were generated, they said. It alleged that Kulkarni actively connived with Godbole and Sharma in the generation of the fake bills. The agency has also booked four officials of the Controller of Defence Accounts, besides private companies Star Network, ACME Networks, Cyberspace Infovision and Moksh Infosys. Announcement: Moody's publishes new methodology for rating local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) in China Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 Hong Kong, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has published a new methodology for rating local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) in China titled "Local Government Financing Vehicles in China Methodology." In this methodology, Moody's defines LGFVs and describes how it will assess the credit risk of LGFVs using a top-down analytical approach primarily based on governmental support expectations. The two key components of the top-down analytical approach are governmental capacity to support and LGFV characteristics affecting support. Moody's expects a limited number of rating or outlook changes. Most of the rating changes would be limited to one notch, some upward and some downward. For all rated government-related issuers (GRIs) owned by regional and local governments in China that do not meet Moody's definition of an LGFV, Moody's will continue to use an approach based on a standalone assessment, the Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA), in combination with the Joint Default Analysis (JDA) approach described in Moody's GRI methodology. The methodology implements the approach proposed in a Request for Comment (RFC) titled "Local Government Financing Vehicles in China: Proposed Methodology" dated 15 April 2020, which can be accessed via this link: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1216256. Moody's received a total of nine comments submitted through our Request for Comment page in response to this Request for Comment for which three respondents requested confidentiality. As a result, six of the comments are available for viewing as explained in the Results of Consultation called "Local Government Financing Vehicles in China: Proposed Methodology," which can be accessed at: http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1216259. Story continues This press release is not intended to provide a summary of the methodology. For a full explanation, please consult "Local Government Financing Vehicles in China Methodology", now available on www.moodys.com and accessible at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1216254. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS ONLY: For more information, please call one of our global press information hotlines: New York +1-212-553-0376 , London +44-20-7772-5456 , Tokyo +813-5408-4110 , Hong Kong +852-3758-1350 , Sydney +61-2-9270-8141 , Mexico City 001-888-779-5833 , Sao Paulo 0800-891-2518 , or Buenos Aires 0800-666-3506 . You can also email us at mediarelations@moodys.com or visit our website at www.moodys.com. This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Ivan Chung Associate Managing Director Financial Institutions 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 Gary Lau MD - Corporate Finance 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.) 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Even as Indonesia passed the milestone of 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, the Widodo administration is pushing ahead with a large-scale reopening of businesses across the country, endangering the lives of millions of workers and their families. Faced with an ever-growing threat of recession, the Indonesian ruling elite is desperate to keep the economy afloat regardless of the consequences for working people. Last week, the government announced the formation of the Committee for COVID-19 Mitigation and National Economic Recovery, a team designed to replace the current coronavirus taskforce. It is being headed by Minister for State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir. The team was established with the stated aim of balancing the governments health and economic responses to the pandemic, in the sense that both be managed under the auspices of a single institution for maximum coordination, Economic Minister Airlangga Hartanto told the press. The decision has come under criticism from epidemiologists and commentators for the domination of the teams membership by corporate representatives that will further prioritise economic recovery over containment of the virus. The principal economic problem confronting Indonesia has been financing the budget deficit needed to respond to the massive global downturn. The fiscal response has amounted to $US47.6 billion, largely in the form of stimulus packages to prop up big business, with scarce reserves for health and social welfare. Such spending, however, has proven inadequate, with Bank Indonesia predicting an economic contraction of between 4 and 4.8 percent in the second quarter. The Finance Ministry, meanwhile, expects the budget deficit to reach 6.3 percent and the economy to shrink by 0.4 percent this year. The World Bank offered a much less optimistic projection, suggesting output could contract by as much as 3.5 per cent in 2020 and only see a partial recovery in 2021in other words, remaining around 8 per cent below what it otherwise would have been but for the pandemic. For Indonesia, an emerging economy that has steadily expanded by about 5 percent a year over the recent period, this would be a disaster. In preparation, the government is increasingly hoping to revive tourism. Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan is frantically arranging to reopen major tourist destinations like Bali, Yogyakarta, and Banyuwangi. Bali, which contributes to more than half of the nations tourism revenues, has seen the number of coronavirus cases more than double to 3,219 since businesses opened again for residents on July 9. Borders will open for domestic tourists this Friday, and for international tourists on September 11. As infection rates surge, even in remote sections of the archipelago, the government decided to cancel its daily COVID-19 media briefings, arousing suspicions that it is seeking to under-report or conceal case numbers from the public. Through January and February, the government publicly denied it had discovered any cases, concealing data in an attempt to avoid panic. When the first cases were announced in early March, top government officials began to downplay the risk posed by the virus, floating a myriad of unscientific cures such as daily prayers, a local rice dish, and a eucalyptus necklace, among others. The virus was allowed to spread rapidly from province to province, before partial lockdown measures were implemented in late March in Jakarta, the virus epicentre. Infection rates continued to surge during the lockdown, partially due to the lack of travel restrictions around the Idul Fitri religious holiday. Eager to resume unhindered production, the government commenced its economic reopening late last month, leading to a dramatic rise in infections and deaths. As of yesterday, the country had 102,051 recorded cases and 4,901 deaths, figures which vastly underestimate the real scale of the spread. Indonesia has witnessed over 1,000 new infections daily for 36 consecutive days. Many deaths are likely going undetected, as both East Java and Jakarta have reported sharp rises in burial rates over the past four months. Suspected COVID-19 deathsi.e. of patients who were not able to be testedare not counted in the official death toll. The health sector, which is both underfunded and underequipped, has been particularly devastated. According to local paper Warta Kota, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) has estimated that six out of every 100 deaths were medical workersthe worst mortality rate among health workers in Southeast Asia. At least 70 health workers are believed to have died from COVID-19. In the absence of significant government funding, a token medical equipment package, worth $US1.4 million, was delivered last week by the Australian government. This will be swiftly exhausted by a healthcare system on the brink of collapse. Jakartas medical infrastructure is now overflowing due to the recent influx of patients. In some instances, we pick up patients from their homes, we bring them to the hospital, and the hospital is already full, Iwan Kurniawan, head of the capital citys ambulance division, explained to VICE Asia. Indonesia is still ranked among the lowest countries in the world for coronavirus testing. Despite a renewed effort to expand capacity, the country has only performed 5,178 tests per million people. The extreme shortage of testing equipment, together with the lack of any contact tracing regime, has resulted in widespread undetected viral transmission, spiralling out of control across all 34 provinces. Testing is largely confined to Java, Indonesias most populous island. The country operates 269 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing laboratories, half of which are located in Java. Jakarta, with its dozens of ministry-run laboratories, state universities, and private hospitals, accounts for 30 percent of the total samples tested nationwide. The regional disparity in testing is nowhere more apparent than in Papua province. Balitbangkes, the largest PCR laboratory in Papua, had no choice but to stop accepting new samples from Saturday, as it lacks the required reagent and single-use equipment. Papua, a growing hotspot for the virus, has recorded 2,720 cases, yet none of its 10 labs are currently accepting new samples. PCR machines are spread across the country, but populous provinces like Riau, North Maluku, North Kalimantan, and Southeast Sulawesi only operate one lab each, while Jambi, Bengkulu, Central Kalimantan, Gorontalo, and Maluku each have just two. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a minimum case detection benchmark of one test per 1,000 population per week to be able to define a regions positivity rate. But the WHOs latest situation report on Indonesia showed that, throughout the country, only Jakarta had met this benchmark. Nasser, an expert staffer on the old COVID-19 taskforce, offered the following excuse to the Jakarta Post: Everything is so sudden and new, so there wasnt really any time to prepare the labs well. In reality, the healthcare system has been subject to decades of cuts and austerity measures, leaving it totally unprepared to deal with the requirements of a pandemic. Moreover, the pandemic has had an equally devastating impact on the social position of the working class. The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce has estimated that more than six million workers have been laid off, as companies struggled to survive through the partial lockdown. The worsening social crisis will undoubtedly lead to mounting unrest among workers and peasants. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The Philippines broke its record for single-day coronavirus cases, with 3,954 new infections reported by the Department of Health on Thursday. The previous record high was 2,539 posted on July 8. The new figures also pushed the national case count to 89,374, surpassing Chinas numbers at around 87,000 based on the Johns Hopkins University tracker. Of the additional cases, the DOH said 1,320 are fresh or were detected in the last three days, while 2,634 were part of validation backlog. The DOH detailed in its case bulletin that Metro Manila accounted for 1,703 or 43 percent of the new cases. Cebu province had 958, Laguna had 177, Rizal had 90, while Cavite had 87. An all-time high 38,075 new recoveries were also listed, with the tally of survivors surging to 65,064. Meanwhile, the death toll edged closer to 2,000, with 23 more deaths. Nineteen occurred in July, while three in June, and one in April. A total of 1,983 patients have lost their lives to the disease since the outbreak started in the country, the DOH said. The country's active cases or currently ill patients now stands at 22,327, or around one-fourth of the total case count, based on the case report. The department attributed the swell in numbers to its enhanced data reconciliation efforts. It said that of the new recoveries reported, 37,166 are from Oplan Recovery or efforts to monitor the status of confirmed cases. Data on recovery reconciliations will be reported every 15 days, it added. The DOH further said patients with mild or asymptomatic cases, whose onset of illness or specimen collection was more than 14 days ago, shall be tagged as recovered. It added that this protocol is followed by the United States and European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as by India. Current recovery policies now show that at the 10th day of the illness, the risk of transmitting the virus to other people is significantly reduced, the department said in a statement. According to an interview on Thursday with infectious disease expert Dr. Benjamin Co, the direction in tackling the pandemic should be coming straight from the national government, instead of letting every local government craft its own strategy. There should really be a blueprint on how to exit from this place," he said. "We need a clear roadmap where all these cases are coming from. The surge in cases came ahead of the national governments decision on the new quarantine status for virus hotspots Metro Manila and Cebu City, as well as for other areas across the country. President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to make the announcement Thursday. READ: Authorities recommend placing Metro Manila, Cebu City under GCQ by August 1 Among Filipinos residing abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported 15 new infections, with the case load reaching 9,407. Another recovery was also listed for a total of 5,462, while the death count remains at 666. Worldwide, the disease has hit over 17 million people, with some 667,000 deaths and nearly 10 million recoveries. A pedophile who was arrested last year at the Java coffee shop in Karen for defiling a six-year-old girl has been found guilty. At the time of his arrest on March 13, 2019, William Wangila, 40, attacked the girl at the restaurants washrooms while she was washing her hands. The girl went to the toilet and while she was washing her hands at the sink, Wangila grabbed her and inserted his fingers in her genitals, Nairobi county police commander Philip Ndolo said following the suspects arrest. After the man tried to assault her she ran to her mother for help, he added. The suspect was beaten up by a mob before security officers took him to Karen police station. On Wednesday, July 29, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions provided an update on the case revealing that Mr Wagila has been found guilty of committing an indecent act to a minor. The suspect has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. The jury at Southwark Crown Court dismissed the 49-year-olds claims his accusers were lying, instead believing victims who gave tearful evidence during a three-and-a-half week trial. Elphicke, a former lawyer who admitted lying to police, his wife and party bosses when the allegations were first put to him, sighed and looked at his lawyer as the jury foreman recorded guilty verdicts in each of the three sexual assault allegations. Judge Mrs Justice Whipple released Elphicke on bail to be sentenced in September but warned: All (sentencing) options remain open. There is a very real possibility he faces immediate custody. The jury of 11, comprising eight women and three men, took two days to reach their verdicts. Elphicke was Dover MP between 2010 and 2019 when he was succeeded by his wife Natalie Elphicke, who was not present in the courtroom as the verdicts were returned. Advertisement The first offence took place in Elphickes London home in summer 2007, when he invited a woman in her early 30s to share a drink with him while his children were asleep and his wife was away with work. The woman said Elphicke asked her about bondage and sex, then kissed her and groped her breast before chasing her around his home chanting Im a naughty Tory. Breaking down in court, she told jurors: He tried to kiss me and I moved my head, he pushed me down by my shoulders, he had his knee between my legs and he was groping my breast. I was just shocked really, really shocked. He was saying really bizarre things that are embarrassing like Im a naughty Tory. He was trying to grope me and trying to grab my bum. He was following me, it was like a race. I couldnt understand what was happening. The victim said Elphicke was very animated, excited and clearly enjoying himself. She said she phoned her sister to tell her what had happened after fleeing his home, who later told police the episode sounded like a sketch from The Benny Hill Show. He had his mouth open, continually trying to kiss me ... It was like a disgusting, slobbery mess The second complainant, a parliamentary worker in her early 20s, said Elphicke also tried to kiss her and then groped her when they met for a drink in Westminster in April 2016. Advertisement He then told her: Im so naughty sometimes. The victim said: He had his mouth open, continually trying to kiss me. It was like a disgusting, slobbery mess. She said she spurned Elphickes sexual advances, telling jurors she was physically repulsed by him, and that Elphicke told her he had not been happy for years in his marriage. But she said he assaulted her again the following month when he ran his hand up her thigh towards her groin. The woman, who wept while giving evidence, added: I think he thought that if he kept going that I would one day cave. But I wouldnt. Elphicke said he kissed the first complainant but said he initially felt it was something they both wanted. He told jurors he was besotted with the second complainant, but denied assaulting her. The court heard Elphicke had an affair with a third woman, not a complainant in this case, between 2015 and 2017, but that he did not tell Mrs Elphicke until March 2018 when he was questioned by police. He also kept his kiss with the first woman secret for around a decade, the court heard. None of the three women can be named for legal reasons. Advertisement The court heard Elphicke initially denied any knowledge of the allegations against the parliamentary worker when he was summoned before Tory party whips in January 2017. He later called on his friend, the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, to accompany him to a second meeting, although he failed to mention to Mr Grieve that he had strong feelings for the woman. Elphicke also admitted lying to police about the same issue, banking on him not being prosecuted and therefore being able to keep it from his wife. However, he told jurors he had to come clean about his emotional attachment to the parliamentary worker when legally qualified Mrs Elphicke pored over the case files during lockdown and accused him of having an affair with the woman more than 20 years his junior. Elphicke became a government whip under David Camerons premiership in 2015, but returned to the back benches when Theresa May came to power the following year. He had the party whip suspended in 2017 when allegations of sexual assault first emerged, but it was controversially reinstated a year later for a crucial confidence vote in then-prime Minister Mrs May. The whip was withdrawn again the following summer when the Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision to charge Elphicke. India has asked Nepal to prevent its citizens from "illegally" visiting the Indian territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Gunji, according to local media reports here. In a letter to the Nepali administration, an Indian official earlier this month said that Nepalese people in groups wanting to "illegally" enter into these Indian regions would create problems for both the countries. The Deputy District Commissioner, Dharchula, Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, Anil Shukla, in his letter dated July 14 also urged the Nepali authorities to share information with the Indian authorities about such activities, the Himalayan Times reported. "We have received a letter and phone call regarding India's decision to prohibit Nepalis from crossing into the territories," Sharad Kumar Pokhrel, Chief District Officer of Darchula, Nepal, was quoted as saying by the paper. However, local people have informed that they have not been stopped while crossing to the aforementioned areas, Pokhrel said. In its reply, the Nepalese authorities said that the movement of its citizens in Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Gunji areas is "natural" as the regions belong to the country, the paper said. "The movement of Nepalese nationals in these areas are natural," said the letter signed by Tek Singh Kunwar, Assistant District Administrator of Darchula, Nepal, according to Kantipur daily. The letter was sent to the Indian official following instructions from the Nepalese Home Ministry, Pokharel was quoted as saying by Rising Nepal daily. Nepal last month completed the process of redrawing the country's political map through a Constitutional amendment, incorporating strategically important Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas which India maintains belong to it. India has termed as "untenable" the "artificial enlargement" of the territorial claims by Nepal. The India-Nepal bilateral ties came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal reacted to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory. President Trumps tweeted suggestion to delay the Nov. 3 election is a nonstarter that decision is up to Congress, and the Democratic-controlled House would never go for it. But while Trump has no basis to claim that the widespread mail balloting that will be needed during the coronavirus pandemic will be tainted, there is a troubling possibility that voting in several key states will be chaotic. Of course, thats partly because of the presidents ceaseless efforts to undermine mail voting as a rigged system that benefits Democrats. Whats more, neither he nor other Republicans have supported nearly $4 billion in election-system aid included in a coronavirus stimulus bill that the House passed in May. Instead, Trump continued his anti-mail-balloting campaign Thursday, tweeting that with Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? California, which has been moving toward all-mail elections for several years, is in relatively good shape to handle the increased number of people voting by mail because of the pandemic. The state will mail ballots to every active voter for the fall election. But the battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire and Florida received a grade of C or worse in terms of their readiness to vote in a pandemic, according to a study this month by the Brookings Institution. Michigan, a state that Trump won in 2016 but where Democratic presidential nominee-to-be Joe Biden is leading in polls this year, received a B for committing to mail every voter a ballot. Colorado, a battleground state that also hosts a U.S. Senate race that Democrats hope to flip, and California are among the six states and the District of Columbia to receive an A for readiness from Brookings. Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who has been focused on ensuring ballot access in 15 battleground states through her organization Fair Fight, worries about whether states will be able to ensure that people can vote and have their vote counted. I think were 50-50, Abrams told The Chronicles Its All Political podcast. Abrams said many states have the capacity to make it work, but thats going to take attention, and its going to take perseverance, and most importantly its going to take making sure that voters understand their rights and they know their part in pushing back against the voter suppression that has become de rigueur for the Republicans. Trump has continually said that vote-by-mail is replete with fraud. In April, he tweeted that Absentee Ballots are a great way to vote for the many senior citizens, military, and others who cant get to the polls on Election Day. These ballots are very different from 100% Mail-In Voting, which is RIPE for FRAUD, and shouldnt be allowed. That is wrong in two ways. Absentee ballots are mail-in ballots theres no difference and incidents of fraud are very rare, said Rick Hasen, an election expert and political science professor at UC Irvine. Trump himself has voted by mail. Regardless, Trumps repeated falsehoods about the safety of voting has an effect, Abrams said. My concern is that hes lying, she told The Chronicle. And my fear is that people believe him. Abrams said 34 states allow voters to cast ballots by mail without having to offer a reason. But the other 16 states require a reason, such as being elderly or disabled. And some states have had issues with voter suppression, including Abrams native Georgia. The Associated Press reported weeks before the 2018 election for governor in which Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp ultimately defeated Abrams that 53,000 voter registrations were on hold in Kemps office because they violated the states exact match verification process. Under that policy, information on voter applications must exactly match data on file with the Georgia Department of Driver Services or the Social Security Administration. The Associated Press reported that even though Georgias population was 32% Black, the list of voter registrations on hold in the office is nearly 70% Black. The racist intent in this is so clear, Robert Greenwald, a filmmaker who produced Suppressed: The Fight to Vote, about the Georgia election, told The Chronicle. Because (the suppression) is only in the African American districts. At a Thursday news conference, Trump continued to cite discredited voter fraud scenarios in explaining his suggestion for a possible election delay. Trump said he didnt want to have to wait for three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing, and that the election doesnt mean anything. Thats whats going to happen, Trump said. Thats common sense. And everyone knows it. Smart people know it. Stupid people may not know it. And some people dont want to talk about it. But they know it. While states may have challenges this fall, there seems to be little chance that Trump would be able to delay the election. Even his fellow Republicans dismissed the idea Thursday. Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and well find a way to do that again this Nov. 3, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Besides, said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the San Jose Democrat who chairs the Committee on House Administration the panel charged with oversight of federal elections only Congress can change the date of our elections. And under no circumstances will we consider doing so to accommodate the presidents inept and haphazard response to the coronavirus pandemic, or give credence to the lies and misinformation he spreads regarding the manner in which Americans can safely and securely cast their ballots, Lofgren said. Hasen, the election expert, speculated that Trumps Twitter proposal was more about distracting voters from the latest grim economic news than his concerns about election law. On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment last week, bringing the total to more than 54 million Americans since the onset of the pandemic. Also on Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that the nations gross domestic product the amount of goods and services the country produces tumbled 9.5% in the second quarter of the year, another sign that the economy is free-falling into a recession. Voters are pinning the blame on Trump, as he is trailing Biden in national polls and across most battleground states. Theres no question in my mind that Trump tweeted about potentially delaying the election to distract from these awful economic numbers, Hasen, author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy, tweeted Thursday. But that doesnt mean he wont try shenanigans related to the election and hes already undermining its legitimacy. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A special prosecutor is being sought to handle the cases of two white men charged in an alleged assault on a Black man who says he was attacked at a southern Indiana lake and that someone threatened to get a noose. Monroe County Prosecutor Erika Oliphant recused herself Wednesday and requested a special prosecutor in response to a motion filed earlier Wednesday by an attorney for one of the charged men, Sean M. Purdy of Pittsboro, Indiana, seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor. Oliphant will also step aside in the criminal case against Jerry E. Cox Jr. of Danville, Indiana, who she also charged on July 17 in the alleged attack, deputy prosecutor Jeff Kehr told The Herald-Times. Purdy, 44, and Cox, 38, both face criminal confinement, battery and intimidation charges in the July 4 assault on Vauhxx Booker, a civil rights activist and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission. Booker said he called 911 after the men assaulted him and pinned him to a tree at Lake Monroe, just south of Bloomington. He said five men accused him of trespassing on private property and after he tried to apologize, the situation got physical. Booker said the men threatened to break his arms and said, get a noose, while telling his friends to leave the area. He said one of the men wore a hat decorated with a Confederate flag and that the men made statements about white power. Witnesses who were with Booker that day said they heard racial slurs being shouted and that someone said get a noose and leave the boy here, we will take care of him. The FBI said it was investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Purdys lawyer, David Hennessy, alleged in his request for a special prosecutor that Oliphant engaged in selective prosecution and was biased by public pressure and support for Booker. His motion asked a judge to schedule a hearing where he intended to present evidence and argue that Oliphant was wrong not to file criminal charges against Booker, but that hearing is no longer necessary in light of Oliphants decision request for a special prosecutor in Cox and Purdys cases. Hennessy said he was surprised and pleased by Oliphants swift action to hand off the cases. He has said that Booker was on private property on the day of the incident, and that after Purdy and his associates informed Booker of the property line, the situation was assumed to be resolved. Hennessy contends that hours later, however, Booker again approached Purdy and a group of others. Witnesses told DNR investigators that Booker threatened them, claiming to be a county commissioner. Then, he said, Booker got in the face of Purdys girlfriend and punched Purdy three times. Hennessy wrote in his motion that the Monroe County prosecutors office ignored that Mr. Booker has agitated others with the hope of being a victim and is seeking fame and fortune at the expense of people he victimized. A publicist representing Booker addressed Hennessys claims in a statement emailed Wednesday. Despite what appears to be a gross inequity, no matter who the prosecutor is, the facts of the case remain the same, it states. A lawyer representing Caroline McCord, Purdys girlfriend, filed a motion Tuesday seeking a special prosecutor to investigate why Oliphant did not charge Booker with any crimes. Her motion states that Booker trespassed on private property and intimidated McCord by claiming to be a county official and threatened to assess fines against her. Kehr said it would be up to a judge to issue a ruling on that request. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Holly Rose Rolfe should never have been homeless. It just didn't make sense. At 20, the Perth woman's future looked bright. She had a loving family, good friends, a part-time job and plenty of career goals. She was going to be a nurse. As she waved goodbye to her mother who was jetting off to the United States for a six-week holiday, there was no clue Ms Rolfe's world was about to be turned upside down. But an email from her mother four days later changed everything. "I'm not going back to Australia. It's time for me to do me and for you to put your big girl pants on and look after your sister," the email read. Attached to the email was a photograph of Ms Rolfe's mother and an unknown man on horseback in the Smoky Mountains, near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The man was Ms Rolfe's mother's new husband. Advertisement She was never coming home and, just like that, Ms Rolfe's world collapsed. Shortly after receiving the email, her mother's rent payments stopped coming in. Ms Rolfe dropped out of university to pick up extra shifts but the bills continued to pile up. Then came an eviction notice. She begged Centrelink for support but was told crisis accommodation was full and payments couldn't be arranged on the spot. Homelessness just doesn't happen overnight, there is always a build-up, she remembers being told by the clerk. "You should have told us earlier." Desperate for a safe place to stay she slept on friends' couches, but after almost six months of calling in favours her options ran out. Defeated, she packed her belongings into her tiny 1980s Suzuki and slept in the study booths at Curtin University's 24-hour library. The people that are considered homeless or at risk of becoming homeless can be people that you sit next to on the train. Holly Rose Rolfe, 24 "It was the lowest point of my life and it was shocking because it happened out of nowhere," Ms Rolfe said. "It was so shameful because I lived this life of a normal 20-year-old that was going to the gym all the time, had friends, was going to the pub and studying, and all of a sudden it was like I dropped off the radar." Advertisement But just as she thought she had hit rock bottom, a small act of kindness gave Ms Rolfe the push she needed to get back on her feet. A university tutor who had become aware of her situation offered to let her stay at her investment property for free, no strings attached. "Having a safe place, four walls and a roof, to recover and heal literally changed my life and after that, I was able to move into transitional crisis accommodation," Ms Rolfe said. Four years after losing her home, Ms Rolfe has turned her life around. She is living in a shared house in Orelia with her pet dog Douglas and finishing a Bachelor's degree in social work at Curtin University. A fierce advocate for safe and secure accommodation, she works as a co-ordinator at the Youth Affairs Council of WA and as an ambassador for Homes for Good, an initiative launched in 2019 that connects landlords looking for tenants and people in need of long-term housing. Ms Rolfe is a fierce advocate for secure accommodation and a passionate social worker. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola The idea behind the initiative is simple. Data collected by HomeHub, the not-for-profit behind Homes for Good, shows there are currently 60,000 West Australians in need of affordable housing and 800 sleeping rough in Perth. Advertisement Meanwhile, there are 200,000 vacant properties across the state and hundreds of landlords looking for tenants. Loading Homes for Good aims to link the empty homes with those who need them most, while providing wrap-around support for the tenants to ensure they can meet their rent payments, retain employment and care for the home. For Ms Rolfe, the program is the reflection of her own story and how a landlord's act of goodwill can effectively save a person's life and change their course forever. Through her advocacy work, the now-24-year-old has made it her life mission to ensure no one else slips through the cracks and there is no wrong door to knock on to get a helping hand. "I never want another person to feel the heartbreak and the helplessness that I felt when I was going through that situation I did not have a single family member that I could get a hug from," she said. "I'm an intelligent person, I've gone to university and I pride myself on learning new things, for me to go through that ... it can happen to anybody. Advertisement Over 13,000 Ukrainians have been killed since the start of Russian aggression in Ukraine's east. Hostilities in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region has led to 60 civilian casualties since year-start, reads a report by the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission, released Thursday, July 30. "The Mission corroborated reports of five civilian casualties, all injuries, bringing the total number since the beginning of 2020 to 60 eight fatalities and 52 injuries," the report reads. Also, the SMM says, between July 13 and July 26, they recorded about 8,000 ceasefire violations, including about 2,100 explosions, compared with approximately 5,200 and 1,700, respectively, in the previous two weeks. Read alsoOSCE records 111 violations on first day of truce in Donbas Ukraine Parliament's Human Rights Representative Liudmyla Denisova earlier said 11 civilians have been killed in shelling by the Russian occupation forces in Donbas since the beginning of 2020. Over 13,000 Ukrainians have been killed since the start of Russian aggression in Ukraine's east. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The country's most wanted person was arrested in Pampanga province on Thursday, the Philippine National Police said. Ruben Ecleo Jr., who had been in hiding and was earlier convicted in the killing of his wife, was arrested in Angeles City. A PNP report said he has a standing arrest warrant for graft and corruption issued by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. The former House lawmaker from a powerful clan was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for killing his wife in Cebu, but authorities were unable to bring him in. Often described as a cult leader, he headed the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association founded by his father. Authorities said he had been using the alias Manuel Riberal while in hiding. PNP Chief PGen Archie Gamboa presented Ecleo during a media briefing. He said "the long arm of the law eventually caught up with the elusive fugitive... after 14 years." Gamboa said a 2-million reward for Ecleo's arrest would be given to an agent, whom he did not name. In a separate interview on CNN Philippines Thursday, Gamboa said he credited to Metro Manila police chief PMGen Debold Sinas who began the investigation on Ecleo's whereabouts as Eastern Visayas regional director. In the briefing, Sinas said they received confirmation two weeks ago that Ecleo was in Pampanga, but was not seen outside his house. He said they tried to apply for a search warrant but changed their tactic as previous raids against Ecleo ended up violent. "Bloody, kasi we believe na yung mga kapitbahay niya doon ay followers niya sa Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association. We were afraid na baka may taga-San Fernando or Angeles na kakilala at alam na alam namin," Sinas said. [Translation: Bloody, because we believe his neighbors were also his followers in the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association. We were afraid that someone from San Fernando or Angeles would find out that we knew.] Sinas added authorities were able to flag down a vehicle which carried Ecleo who has on his way to play golf only after they confirmed his identity. He said Ecleo surrendered "peacefully and without resistance." Sinas said they coordinated with the judge in Cebu who convicted Ecleo in the parricide case as well as the Sandiganbayan. Asked by the media about his involvement in his wife's death, Ecleo said in the vernacular, "Hindi ako gumawa, pero inakusahan ako... kaya aminin ko na." [Translation: I did not do it, but I was accused... so I admitted to it.] He denied any involvement in the deaths of his wife's family, however, and knowlege of who might be responsible. Benjie Relacion Fernan, Ecleo's driver, was also arrested for allegedly obstructing the apprehension and prosecution of a criminal offender. The PNP said Ecleo and Fernan were brought to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City for investigation. This is a developing story. By PTI NEW DELHI: Given the size of India's population, herd immunity "cannot be a strategic choice or option", the health ministry said on Thursday as it urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour till a vaccine is developed. At a press briefing, when asked whether India was approaching herd immunity against the coronavirus infection, Officer on Special Duty in the Health Ministry Rajesh Bhushan replied that herd immunity is a kind of indirect protection from an infectious disease like COVID-19. It happens only when a population becomes immune either through vaccination or immunity is developed through a previous infection, he said. "In a country with the size of the population like India, herd immunity cannot be a strategic choice or option. It can only be an outcome, and that too at a very high cost as it means lakhs of people would have to be infected, get hospitalised and many would die in the process," Bhushan said. He said herd immunity can be achieved through immunisation but that is in the future. "Are we approaching herd immunity? The health ministry believes it still far away and in the future. For now, we have to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, following hand hygiene and maintaining 'do gaz ki doori (maintaining distance of two yards)," the OSD said. ALSO READ | Herd immunity in India may generate only in pockets, can be short-lived: Scientists "Till a vaccine comes up, following COVID-appropriate behaviour is the social vaccine against the disease." The officer also said phase 1 and 2 human clinical trials of two indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccine candidates have started. Bhushan also said the government has so far received 131 claims under the Rs 50 lakh COVID-19 insurance scheme for healthcare providers and payments have already been made in 20 cases. "Under the scheme, we have received 131 claims. The claims are a bit slow in coming as the families are initially in a state of shock and therefore it takes time to sign and fill up the necessary paperwork. "Out of these 131 claims, in 20 cases payments have already been made. In Sixty-four cases payment has been processed and would be made in the coming few days while 47 cases are with different state governments," he said. About the spread of coronavirus infection in the country, Bhushan said Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana have reported the maximum number of cases. Due to enhanced testing infrastructure, on an average 4,68,263 COVID-19 tests have been conducted daily from July 26 to 30. The recovery rate among COVID-19 patients too has increased from 7.85 per cent in April to 64.44 per cent on Thursday, the officer said. "Recoveries are now 1.9 times the number of active coronavirus cases. Bhushan further said that 21 states and Union Territories have case positivity rate less than 10 per cent, while in four it is less than five per cent. The COVID-19 positivity rate in Rajasthan is 3.5 per cent, Punjab 3.9 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 4 per cent, and Jammu and Kashmir 4.7 per cent, he said. The OSD also stressed that effective clinical management has led to a decline in COVID-19 case fatality rate from 3.33 per cent on June 18 to 2.21 per cent on July 30. CHICO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTCQB:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has received an equipment order totaling $325,000. The order is for a refurbished Taylor Machine XH-550-L forklift with 55,000-pound capacity. The equipment is in inventory and will ship in early August to a logistics company located in Northern California. About AmeraMex International AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional corporate information, online heavy equipment inventory/ pricing and videos. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Investor and Media Relations McCloud Communications, LLC Marty Tullio, Managing Member Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com SOURCE: AmeraMex International, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599595/AmeraMex-International-Receives-325000-Equipment-Order Advertisement UK ministers met today to thrash out plans to place travel restrictions on more European countries with spiralling coronavirus infections as figures show cases are on the rise in holiday hotspots on the continent but death curves have yet to follow suit. The Government will announce which nations will be removed from Britain's 'air bridge' list tomorrow following the consultation with England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the Joint Biosecurity Centre. Spain became the first country to be slapped with restrictions on Saturday after cases almost trebled in July, rising to almost 40 cases per 100,000 people last week. For comparison, the UK's rate per capita is roughly 15. Scotland today announced it will impose a 14-day quarantine on arrivals in the country from Luxembourg, a move almost certain to be echoed in England and the rest of the UK. A number of other EU countries considered to be 'high risk', including Germany, France, Belgium and Croatia, are being closely monitored amid upticks in infections. While it is undeniable that the number of people testing positive for the virus in Europe has risen - 36 countries recorded an increase in infections, based on a seven day rolling average compared to the week before - scientists are split about whether it really constitutes a 'second wave'. Some experts say the number of infections were too low to be considered a true resurgence of the disease and that it was 'inevitable' clusters of outbreaks would emerge when lockdowns were eased. Professor Keith Neal, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline policymakers need to accept spikes will happen across Europe but they 'in no way' represent a second wave. He said countries will need to 'learn to live' with the virus by wearing masks and social distancing to keep the economy afloat. 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine. I do not think we will ever eradicate the virus. I think it is likely that the virus will be around for decades and infect people multiple times over their life span.' Others said the current trajectories of outbreaks in some European countries were 'critically sharp' and could rapidly develop into a second wave just as deadly as the first, which warranted the economically crippling blanket travel bans. Dr Andrew Preston, a microbiologist at the University of Bath, told MailOnline: 'Yes, the number of cases in European countries is low compared to the initial peaks in March/April. But the trajectory of case numbers is critical. The upturn in cases in Spain has been very sharp. If that trajectory is maintained then it doesn't take long for the numbers to start to reach critical levels. 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine. I do not think we will ever eradicate the virus. I think it is likely that the virus will be around for decades and infect people multiple times over their life span.' Covid-19 in Europe: There has been a rise in the number of cases on the continent this month, with Spain and Luxembourg suffering the biggest rise in cases But the death tolls in these countries is still consistently low - but it can take up to three weeks for people to show symptoms, fall unwell and succumb to the virus, before they eventually trickle into the data Sunskeekers soaked up the rays on the sand in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday. Spain became the first country to be slapped with restrictions on Saturday after cases almost trebled in July, rising to almost 40 cases per 100,000 people last week. For comparison, the UK's rate per capita is roughly 15 Vast crowds of people enjoyed the warm weather at Scheveningen beach in The Hague, Netherlands, amid the pandemic I'm NOT hysterical: Matt Hancock denies talking up COVID panic by claiming a 'second wave is rolling across Europe Matt Hancock today denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' towards Britain and declared there was a 'real danger' of the UK being struck by a spike in cases. Ministers today confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days, in line with World Health Organization guidance up from the current seven-day self-isolation period because 'evidence has strengthened'. It came hours after it emerged that Boris Johnson who fears a second wave could strike Britain within a fortnight told his SAGE advisers and cabinet ministers that he 'needs to act fast' and is expected to ramp up quarantine measures at home and abroad within days. Today BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isnt a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Advertisement Professor Neal added that a ramping up of testing capacity across the continent is partly responsible for the apparent rise in cases, with more people with mild illness being picked up compared to at the start of the crisis, when many countries were only swabbing hospital patients. Experts point to the fact there has not yet been a rise in Covid-19 deaths as evidence against the second wave theory. But there is roughly a three-week time period between someone catching the infection, falling ill with symptoms and passing away, so it could take another week or so before fatalities on the continent start to appear in the data. Meanwhile, there has been much debated about the term 'second wave' itself, which many epidemiologists say is becoming a 'scary term' peddled by politicians. A second wave implies the virus was eradicated and has come back. Professor Anthony Costello, a former World Health Organization (WHO) official, said this morning 'this is still the first wave' and spikes in infections were signs of the virus bursting through the defensive measures put in place by Governments around the world. It comes after Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that a second wave was already rolling through Europe, conjuring up images of another deadly surge of infections in the UK. So what is the situation among Europe's 'high risk' countries? MailOnline looks at how Covid-19 is behaving in nations most likely to be slapped with travel restrictions by UK officials: Spain According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Spain has recorded almost 40 cases per 100,000 people in the last two weeks. On Saturday, Boris Johnson imposed a mandatory 14 day quarantine rule for anyone travelling back from Spain to the UK, where the infection rate is roughly a third (14 infections per 100,000). The outbreak remains under control in many parts of Spain, but regions such as Catalonia in the north-east and neighbouring Aragon have seen a huge spike in infections. Spain has been one of the hardest hit countries in the world during the pandemic, suffering more than 282,000 infections and 28,000 deaths. But some have suggested the death toll could be much higher, due to the fact the country only records Covid-19 fatalities if the victim was given a diagnosis. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Sunday that the true toll could be 60 per cent greater, at about 44,868, if deaths suspected of being caused by the virus were included. This would give Spain the highest death toll in Europe, ahead of the UK's 46,000. Germany In the past week the country has recorded 3,611 new infections, which works out at just four infections per 100,000 people. But it means the nation is recording more than 500 new infections per day, compared to 350 in June. Germany was one of the few countries to successfuly squash its epidemic through widespread testing and contact tracing. The head of Germany's public health agency, Lothar Wieler, said he was 'very concerned' by rising infections in the country and suggested the country was in the midst of a second wave. He blamed Germans becoming 'negligent' about the rules and urged citizens to wear masks and adhere to social distancing and hand-washing measures. People are now being encouraged to wear masks outside if it's not feasible to keep a 1.5metre distance from others - previously the rules only applied in indoor settings. Germany is also now imposing mandatory testing for anyone returning from high-risk countries such as Brazil, Turkey and the US. Overall, Germany has recorded 209,000 cases and 9,212 deaths. Mr Wieler told a press conference on Monday: 'We don't know yet if this is the beginning of a second wave but of course it could be. But I am optimistic that if we follow the hygiene rules we can prevent it, it's up to us.' France French Health Minister Olivier Veran said this week that while the country was 'not currently seeing a second wave', he warned that the outbreak was trending in that directions. Last week the country's daily new cases rose above 1,000 for the first time in more than 10 weeks. France has ramped up its testing capacity dramatically since the start of the pandemic, but Mr Veran said this could not be the sole driving factor behind the spike. Like most countries, France is experiencing mini flare ups in infections in particular regions - including the south west, Brittany and Mayenne in the north west. The reproduction R rate nationwide is thought to be hovering at around 1.3, meaning that every 10 people with the virus will infect 13 others on average. Experts say the R has to be below for the virus to be effectively contained and prevent the outbreak from growing exponentially. But the rate is being skewed upwards by hotspot areas like Brittany, where thew R spiked to 2.6 between July 17 and 20, leading to local authorities in one resort on Monday announcing the closure of beaches, parks and bars at night. Brittany largely avoided the epidemic during the first wave of the virus but there are now a number of clusters at holiday resorts. Locals have blamed an unprecedented number of French holidaymakers gathering at the seaside as citizens choose to go on staycations for their summer holidays amid uncertainty around foreign travel. France has suffered a total of 30,238 Covid-19 deaths and recorded 185,000 infections since March. Belgium Belgium is thought to be one of the countries most at risk of losing its 'air bridge' with the UK, which would mean travellers coming back would need to quarantine for 14 days. There was a 71 per cent increase in the seven-day average number of infections between July 17 and July 23, up from 163 new cases a day to 279. The country was recording more than 1,000 cases at the peak of its crisis. Between June and July, the Covid-19 rate almost tripled, from 5.3 to 15.1 per 100,000 of the population. The Netherlands has already warned travellers against going to the popular clubbing city of Antwerp, where the infection rate has been as high as 31.7 per 100,000 people in the last week, a fivefold increase week-on-week. Belgium's prime minister, Sophie Wilmes, has recommended everyone who can work from home does so once more in a bid to keep a lid on a future large-scale outbreak. From today, families are only allowed to have social contact with five people outside their home. Other rules include allowing only one person from a household to go shopping and they are restricted to half an hour in supermarkets. Nearly 10,000 people so far have been killed by Covid-19 in Belgium, and more than 67,000 have been diagnosed with the disease. Luxembourg Luxembourg - which managed to escape the first wave of Covid-19 relatively unscathed - is now becoming Europe's coronavirus hotspot. The duchy has the highest infection rate on the continent at 214.9 cases per 100,000 people, which is more than quadruple Spain's rate and 15 times higher per capita than in the UK. But because Luxembourg, a small country of only 613,894 people, has recorded just 6,533 total cases and 114 deaths, the UK Foreign Office says it is still safe to travel there. The country's R rate is thought to be at 1.03, which is roughly in line with the estimated R in England. British experts told MailOnline today that officials in Luxembourg were 'testing vritually everybody', which was skewing the figures upwards. Croatia UK Government ministers are meeting today to discuss whether to abort the air bridge link with Croatia, a major holiday destination for Britons, after its infection rate rose to 12.4 per 100,000 this week, slightly less than the UK's. But Croatian officials say the spike was linked to a number of super-spreader events such as weddings, large-scale events and sporting tournaments in the far eastern regions of Croatia, away from the popular coastal touristy areas. The country has so far recorded 114 deaths and more than 6,500 cases since March. Kristjan Stanicic, managing director of the Croatian national tourist board, said on Thursday: 'Guests from the UK are highly important to us, and we have seen the revival and return of numerous flight routes from the UK to various Croatian cities such as Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Pula and Dubrovnik.' Where's next in European holiday crackdown? Scotland imposes a 14-day quarantine on arrivals from Luxembourg over surge in coronavirus cases with England set to follow suit Scotland is to impose 14-day quarantine on arrivals in the country from Luxembourg, its government announced today. The measure, which follow the UK-wide quarantine move against Spain last weekend, will come into effect from midnight and seems almost certain to be followed by similar moves in England and the other home nations. Luxembourg, along with Belgium, had been mooted as ripe for a return to quarantine travel in recent days. The tiny duchy, which borders France, Belgium and Germany, has the highest incidence of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Europe. In a statement this afternoon, SNP justice minister Humza Yousaf said: 'This decision is based on the latest available data from the Joint Biosecruity Centre and it gives another clear indication that the virus is active and still spreading. 'We have always maintained that we are closely monitoring the pandemic situation in all countries and we will impose quarantine requirements as necessary in a bid to protect the public. 'This virus is showing a resurgence in areas and it should not be forgotten how deadly it remains. Our priority to is suppress the virus, prevent it from being transmitted and protecting public health.' The move will raise fears that more European destinations could face travel restrictions, with Croatia and Belgium among those already being tipped to join Spain and Luxembourg. Nicola Sturgeon's Scotland is to impose 14-day quarantine on arrivals in the country from Luxembourg, her government announced today The measures, which follow the UK-wide quarantine move against Spain last weekend, will come into effect from midnight and seems almost certain to be followed by similar moves in England and the other home nations Luxembourg has the highest incidence of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Europe In a statement this afternoon, SNP justice minister Humza Yousaf said: 'This decision is based on the latest available data from the Joint Biosecruity Centre and it gives another clear indication that the virus is active and still spreading' Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish schools will reopen on August 11 Nicola Sturgeon today announced schools in Scotland will finally reopen from August 11 after almost five months of being shut. The First Minister said classrooms will reopen immediately after the summer break but local authorities will be given the option of a phased return for students. However, the Scottish Government's expectation is that all pupils will be back in classes full-time by August 18 'at the latest'. Schools in Scotland have been closed to most pupils since the end of March as classes were taught online. The Scottish Government previously suggested there would be a blended model consisting of pupils being taught in school part-time and also learning at home. But Ms Sturgeon told MSPs in a statement to the Scottish Parliament today that the suppression of the virus meant she could now confirm full reopening dates. Advertisement It came as Boris Johnson today urged Britons not to 'delude themselves' that the coronavirus crisis is over amid fears of a second wave of cases across Europe. The Prime Minister said the public should not 'lose focus' and pointed to evidence that local outbreaks are 'bubbling up' in 30 different areas of the UK. Britain's Covid-19 outbreak is still growing as official statistics today revealed daily infections have risen by 12 per cent in a week with the rolling average hitting a four-week high. Department of Health chiefs today announced another 845 people across the UK have tested positive for the life-threatening virus, up from the 767 recorded yesterday and 769 last Thursday. It means 737 Britons are being diagnosed with the disease every 24 hours, on average the highest level since July 3, when the average stood at 749. Mr Johnson's comments came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' - and defended the sudden decision to add Spain to the list of quarantine countries and extending the isolation period to ten days for people who have tested positive or have symptoms. This morning, BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. Today's announcement by the Scottish government will heap pressure on Boris Johnson (pictured today) to do the same in England 'We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isnt a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Johnson & Johnsons experimental coronavirus vaccine protected a group of macaques with a single shot in an early study, prompting the U.S. drugmaker to start trials in humans this month. All of the animals that were exposed to the pandemic-causing pathogen six weeks after the injection were immune except one, who showed low levels of the virus, according to a study published in the medical journal Nature. The health-care behemoth kick-started human trials on July 22 in Belgium and in the U.S. earlier this week. RECORDATI ANNOUNCES POSITIVE FIRST HALF 2020 RESULTS. REVENUES +2.3%, EBITDA +11.4%, ADJUSTED NET INCOME +16.8% Consolidated revenues 760.2 million, +2.3%. EBITDA (1) 311.1 million, +11.4% 311.1 million, +11.4% Operating income 261.5 million, +7.8% Net income 196.9 million, + 13.0% Adjusted net income (2) 225.6 million, +16.8% 225.6 million, +16.8% Net financial position (3) : net debt of 922.4 million; 902.7 million at 31 December 2019 : net debt of 922.4 million; 902.7 million at 31 December 2019 Shareholders' equity 1,242.0 million Isturisa (osilodrostat) Launched in the U.S.A., France and Germany. Filed for approval in Japan. Full year 2020 targets updated Milan, 30 July 2020 - The Board of Directors of Recordati S.p.A. approved the Group's consolidated results for the first half 2020 prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IAS/IFRS) and in particular as per IAS 34 requirements for interim reporting. These financial statements will be available today at the company's offices and on the company's website (www.recordati.com) and can also be viewed on the authorized storage system 1Info (www.1Info.it). The independent auditors' report on the consolidated condensed half-year financial statements will be available within the legal deadline at the company's offices and on the company's website (www.recordati.com) and can also be viewed on the authorized storage system 1Info (www.1Info.it). Financial highlights Consolidated revenues in the first half of 2020 are 760.2 million, up by 2.3% compared to the same period of the preceding year. International sales grow by 4.0%. Included is revenue of 32.8 million related to Signifor, Signifor LAR, consolidated starting 24 October 2019, and Isturisa. in the first half of 2020 are 760.2 million, up by 2.3% compared to the same period of the preceding year. International sales grow by 4.0%. Included is revenue of 32.8 million related to Signifor, Signifor LAR, consolidated starting 24 October 2019, and Isturisa. EBITDA (1) is 311.1 million, or 40.9% of sales (37.6% in the first half of 2019), an increase of 11.4%. EBITDA excludes non-recurring costs related to the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency of 4.0 million, which comprise mainly donations to hospitals. is 311.1 million, or 40.9% of sales (37.6% in the first half of 2019), an increase of 11.4%. EBITDA excludes non-recurring costs related to the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency of 4.0 million, which comprise mainly donations to hospitals. Operating income , at 34.4% of sales, is 261.5 million, an increase of 7.8% over the same period of the preceding year. , at 34.4% of sales, is 261.5 million, an increase of 7.8% over the same period of the preceding year. Net income, at 25.9% of sales, is 196.9 million, up 13.0% over the first half of 2019, thanks to increase in operating income, lower financial expenses and reduction of the effective tax rate. Adjusted net income (2) , the additional performance measure introduced this year in order to provide information in line with best practice in the sector, at 29.7% of sales is 225.6 million, an increase of 16.8% over the first half of 2019. at 25.9% of sales, is 196.9 million, up 13.0% over the first half of 2019, thanks to increase in operating income, lower financial expenses and reduction of the effective tax rate. , the additional performance measure introduced this year in order to provide information in line with best practice in the sector, at 29.7% of sales is 225.6 million, an increase of 16.8% over the first half of 2019. Net financial position (3) at 30 June 2020 records a net debt of 922.4 million compared to net debt of 902.7 million at 31 December 2019. During the period milestones of $ 80,0 million were paid to Novartis following the European and U.S. approval of Isturisa, own shares were purchased for a total disbursement, net of disposals for the exercise of stock options, of 22.5 million and dividends were paid for a total of 110.4 million. Net of these effects cash generation during the period was of around 189 million. Shareholders' equity is 1,242.0 million. (1) Net income before financial (income) expense, provision for taxes, depreciation, amortization and write down of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, and non-recurring items. (2) Net income excluding amortization and write-down of intangible assets (except software) and goodwill, and non-recurring items, net of tax effects. (3) Cash and short-term financial investments less bank overdrafts and loans which include the measurement at fair value of hedging derivatives. Corporate development news In the month of February the marketing authorizations for Signifor and Signifor LAR in the U.S. were transferred to Recordati Rare Diseases Inc. and direct marketing of these products on this market started. Also, and as per the agreement with Novartis, the marketing authorizations for Isturisa were transferred to Recordati Rare Diseases both in the United States and in Europe, in March and April respectively, and the product was launched with initial sales in the second quarter in the U.S. and in France. Furthermore, in March, the Japanese New Drug Application (JNDA) was submitted to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare seeking marketing approval for osilodrostat. The active substance of Isturisa is osilodrostat, a cortisol synthesis inhibitor. Osilodrostat works by inhibiting 11-beta-hydroxylase, an enzyme responsible for the final step of cortisol biosynthesis in the adrenal gland. The benefits of Isturisa, demonstrated in the LINC 3 clinical trial and now also confirmed by the LINC 4 trial, are its ability to control or normalise cortisol levels in adult CS patients with a manageable safety profile, making this product a valuable treatment option for patients with Cushing's syndrome. Both the European Commission and the FDA confirmed the orphan drug status of Isturisa and granted approval respectively for the treatment of endogenous Cushing's syndrome in adults (in EU) and for the treatment of patients with Cushing's disease, for whom pituitary surgery is not an option or has not been curative (in USA). Management Comments "Despite the first half having been impacted by the COVID-19 epidemiological emergency, net revenue increases and both operating income and net income grow significantly and are in line with expectations thanks to the positive contribution of the new products and the reduction of expenses," stated Andrea Recordati, CEO. "The second quarter of 2020 saw an intensification of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in all geographical areas in which the Group operates. The restrictions on the movement of people, transport, production, commerce, were progressively reinforced. Although pharmaceutical operations were allowed to continue in order to ensure the availability of drugs for the population, the restrictions inevitably affected our markets of reference mainly due to fewer visits to doctors and diagnostic procedures, a reduction of minor surgeries as well as lower incidence of mild infectious disease resulting from the diminished circulation and interaction between people," continued Andrea Recordati. "While complying with all the measures necessary to ensure the health safety of its personnel, Recordati has continued its production and distribution activities without interruption and has adopted measures to guarantee the continued availability on the market of its products and enable the continued growth of the Group". Finally, Andrea Recordati said, "Based on an assumed gradual return to more normal operations, we expect to achieve, for the full year 2020, revenues of around 1,500 million, below estimates issued at the beginning of the year, EBITDA(1) of between 580 and 590 million and adjusted net income(2) of between 408 and 418 million, in line with previous plan estimates, thus confirming profit margin growth over the previous year. Finally, based on the encouraging initial sales of Isturisa, mainly in the USA, we estimate that this product could reach, at peak, total sales of between 300 and 350 million with potential further upside from expansion of indication to Cushing's syndrome in the USA and expansion in new territories, confirming its importance for our future growth". Conference call Recordati will be hosting a conference calltoday 30 July at 4:00 pm Italian time (3:00 pm London time, 10:00 am New York time). The dial-in numbers are: Italy +39 02 8058811, toll free 800 213 858 UK +44 1 212818003, toll free 800 0156384 USA +1 718 7058794, toll free 855 2656959 France +33 170918703 Germany +49 69 17415713 Callers are invited to dial-in 10 minutes before conference time. If conference operator assistance is required during the connection, please digit * followed by 0 or call +39 02 8061371. A recording of the conference call will be placed on the website www.recordati.com. A set of slides which will be referred to during the call will be available on our website www.recordati.com under Investors/Company Presentations. Recordati, established in 1926, is an international pharmaceutical group, listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (Reuters RECI.MI, Bloomberg REC IM, ISIN IT 0003828271), with a total staff of more than 4,300, dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Recordati has operations throughout the whole of Europe, including Russia, Turkey, North Africa, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, some South American countries, Japan and Australia. An efficient field force of medical representatives promotes a wide range of innovative pharmaceuticals, both proprietary and under license, in a number of therapeutic areas including a specialized business dedicated to treatments for rare diseases. Recordati is a partner of choice for new product licenses for its territories. Recordati is committed to the research and development of new specialties with a focus on treatments for rare diseases. Consolidated revenue for 2019 was 1,481.8 million, operating income was 465.3 million and net income was 368.9 million. For further information: Recordati website: www.recordati.com Investor Relations Media Relations Marianne Tatschke Studio Noris Morano (39)0248787393 (39)0276004736, (39)0276004745 e-mail: investorelations@recordati.it e-mail: norismorano@studionorismorano.com Statements contained in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements are based on currently available information, on current best estimates, and on assumptions believed to be reasonable. This information, these estimates and assumptions may prove to be incomplete or erroneous, and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, beyond the Company's control. Hence, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All mentions and descriptions of Recordati products are intended solely as information on the general nature of the company's activities and are not intended to indicate the advisability of administering any product in any particular instance. RECORDATI GROUP Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (thousands of ) INCOME STATEMENT First half 2020 First half 2019 Change % REVENUE 760,192 743,253 2.3 Cost of sales (211,754) (223,298) (5.2) GROSS PROFIT 548,438 519,955 5.5 Selling expenses (174,196) (183,884) (5.3) Research and development expenses (71,242) (59,757) 19.2 General & administrative expenses (36,684) (34,598) 6.0 Other income (expenses), net (4,806) 843 n.s. OPERATING INCOME 261,510 242,559 7.8 Financial income (expenses), net (7,083) (10,922) (35.1) PRE-TAX INCOME 254,427 231,637 9.8 Provision for income taxes (57,484) (57,363) 0.2 NET INCOME 196,943 174,274 13.0 Attributable to: Equity holders of the parent 196,918 174,252 13.0 Non-controlling interests 25 22 13.6 EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic (1) 0.959 0.853 12.4 Diluted (2) 0.942 0.833 13.1 ADJUSTED NET INCOME (3) 225,568 193,137 16.8 EBITDA (4) 311,091 279,313 11.4 (1) Earnings per share (EPS) are based on average shares outstanding during each year, 205,384,957 in 2020 and 204,317,687 in 2019, net of average treasury stock which amounted to 3,740,199 shares in 2020 and to 4,807,469 shares in 2019. (2) Diluted earnings per share is calculated taking into account stock options granted to employees. (3) Net income excluding amortization and write-down of intangible assets (except software) and goodwill, and non-recurring items, net of tax effects. (4) Net income before financial (income) expense, provision for taxes, depreciation, amortization and write down of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, and non-recurring items. COMPOSITION OF REVENUE First half 2020 First half 2019 Change % Total revenue 760,192 743,253 2.3 Italy 148,485 155,097 (4.3) International 611,707 588,156 4.0 Pending completion of independent audits. RECORDATI GROUP Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (thousands of ) INCOME STATEMENT Second quarter 2020 Second quarter 2019 Change % REVENUE 330,957 360,263 (8.1) Cost of sales (86,243) (106,832) (19.3) GROSS PROFIT 244,714 253,431 (3.4) Selling expenses (74,342) (89,321) (16.8) Research and development expenses (36,314) (30,605) 18.7 General & administrative expenses (18,315) (17,344) 5.6 Other income (expenses), net (2,659) 388 n.s. OPERATING INCOME 113,084 116,549 (3.0) Financial income (expenses), net (4,187) (6,931) (39.6) PRE-TAX INCOME 108,897 109,618 (0.7) Provision for income taxes (23,149) (27,456) (15.7) NET INCOME 85,748 82,162 4.4 ADJUSTED NET INCOME (1) 100,393 91,773 9.4 EBITDA (1) 138,219 135,374 2.1 (1) Net income excluding amortization and write-down of intangible assets (except software) and goodwill, and non-recurring items, net of tax effects. (2) Net income before financial (income) expense, provision for taxes, depreciation, amortization and write down of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill, and non-recurring items. COMPOSITION OF REVENUE Second quarter 2020 Second quarter 2019 Change % Total revenue 330,957 360,263 (8.1) Italy 66,949 72,874 (8.1) International 264,008 287,389 (8.1) Quarterly results not subject to audits RECORDATI GROUP Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (thousands of ) ASSETS 30.06.2020 31.12.2019 Property, plant and equipment 131,528 133,342 Intangible assets 1,144,505 1,161,760 Goodwill 569,696 577,973 Equity investments 31,153 38,566 Non-current receivables 16,436 16,426 Deferred tax assets 76,179 71,513 TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 1,969,497 1,999,580 Inventories 255,095 226,885 Trade receivables 285,867 296,961 Other receivables 56,697 79,949 Other current assets 10,301 7,683 Fair value of hedging derivatives (cash flow hedge) 13,920 9,949 Short-term financial investments, cash and cash equivalents 218,392 187,923 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 840,272 809,350 TOTAL ASSETS 2,809,769 2,808,930 Pending completion of independent audits. RECORDATI GROUP Summary of consolidated results prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (thousands of ) EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 30.06.2020 31.12.2018 Share capital 26,141 26,141 Capital in excess of par value 83,719 83,719 Treasury stock (101,350) (93,480) Hedging reserve (2,340) (5,357) Translation reserve (169,967) (146,866) Other reserves 56,217 64,651 Retained earnings 1,152,408 999,708 Net income for the period 196,918 368,825 Interim dividend 0 (98,764) Equity attributable to the holders of the Parent 1,241,746 1,198,577 Non-controlling interests 259 234 TOTAL EQUITY 1,242,005 1,198,811 Loans due after one year 971,603 937,344 Employees' termination pay 20,394 20,557 Deferred tax liabilities 42,041 43,172 Other non-current liabilities 21,116 22,292 TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 1,055,154 1,023,365 Trade payables 155,585 175,481 Other payables 99,457 185,706 Tax liabilities 33,622 21,094 Other current liabilities 10,944 12,543 Provisions 16,705 17,933 Fair value of hedging derivatives (cash flow hedge) 13,198 10,788 Loans due within one year 176,604 149,817 Bank overdrafts and short-term loans 6,495 13,392 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 512,610 586,754 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 2,809,769 2,808,930 Pending completion of independent audits. DECLARATION BY THE MANAGER RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARING THE COMPANY'S FINANCIAL REPORTS The manager responsible for preparing the company's financial reports Luigi La Corte declares, pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 154-bis of the Consolidated Law on Finance, that the accounting information contained in this press release corresponds to the document results, books and accounting records. Attachment U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at a discussion at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington on Feb. 10, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Ruth Bader Ginsburg Resting Comfortably After Medical Procedure at Hospital U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is resting comfortably after having undergone a nonsurgical medical procedure and is expected to be released from hospital by the end of the week, the Supreme Court announced late Wednesday. The 87-year-old justice underwent a minimally invasive procedure to revise a bile duct stent at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. According to her doctors, stent revisions are common occurrences and the procedure, performed using endoscopy and medical imaging guidance, was done to minimize the risk of future infection, the court said in a statement. The stent was originally placed in August 2019 when she was treated for a cancerous tumor on her pancreas. Ginsburg on July 15 underwent a procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to clean the stent. At the time, she had gone to the hospital after experiencing fever and chills, and the case was a suspected infection for which she was placed on intravenous antibiotics. On July 17, the justice announced that she is receiving treatment for liver cancer via chemotherapy and that she was tolerating the treatment well and it has so far been effective in reducing the lesions on her liver. While she has faced different types of cancers, it was the first time she has developed liver cancer. She has been treated previously four times for cancer. The most recent was pancreatic cancer in August 2019 for which she underwent radiation therapy. The other cases were in December 2018 when the justice had two cancerous growths removed from her left lung, and prior treatments for pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, on Nov. 30, 2018. Standing from left: Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Seated from left to right, bottom row: Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) Ginsburg is the oldest justice on the nine-member court, and her health is closely watched because a Supreme Court vacancy could give Republican President Donald Trump the opportunity to appoint a third justice to the court. The court has a 5-4 conservative majority, with two justices appointed by TrumpBrett Kavanaugh in 2018, and Neil Gorsuch in 2017. Ginsburg joined the Supreme Court in 1993 as an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton. The liberal justice said she would like to serve until shes 90 if her health allows. Reuters contributed to this report. More than 150 years after emancipation, the city council in Asheville, North Carolina, voted this month to remove a Confederate monument erected on the site of local slave auctions and pay financial restitution to African American residents. The deeply symbolic steps have the city on edge and the nation wondering what's next. As racial justice protests roil cities coast to coast, Asheville has become a focal point in the long-running debate over who deserves compensation for decades of slave labor; how much should be paid and by whom; and who should decide. "The lesson I would hope other local governments take is, 'you can do this.' It's not just about writing a check," said Councilwoman Julie Mayfield in an interview with ABC News Live. PHOTO: The Asheville, N.C., city council voted to shroud and remove a granite obelisk monument to former governor, Confederate leader and slave owner Zebulon Vance. The site has become a gathering point for racial justice protests. (ABC News) Asheville's city council voted unanimously to formally apologize for slavery and promise new investments in black homeownership and business opportunity. It's the first municipal government in the south and only the second in the country to enact financial reparations. "It's a huge step given where we're at," said Rob Thomas, a 33-year-old Asheville native who leads the city's Racial Justice Coalition. "We're in the South. We're in the Bible Belt. Our state is a conservative Republican state and they typically go against what it is we're asking for." Asheville's plan doesn't make any direct payments to local black families and leaves it to a newly established commission to decide the amount of city funds and where they will be spent. Mayfield says it will all be done without raising taxes. Just before the Civil War, 283 white residents around Asheville owned more than 1,900 slaves, according to public records. Today the city of 90,000 is 12% Black and a quarter of those families live in poverty. "What we have committed to do in this resolution is invest in and create systems and programs and structures that will allow those community members to have the same opportunities for economic mobility, to build generational wealth that white people have," Mayfield said. Story continues PHOTO: Rob Thomas of Asheville, N.C., leads the city's grassroots Racial Justice Coalition advocating for financial reparations for slavery and decades of systemic racism. (ABC News) The median income for an Asheville family is just over $42,000 dollars; for black families, it's $30,000, according to U.S. Census data. The wealth gap is even more staggering: nationwide, the net worth of a typical white family today is 10 times greater than that of a typical Black family, Federal Reserve data shows. MORE: Georgetown students vote overwhelming in favor of $27 fee for slavery reparations Economists say it's unclear how much Asheville's reparations resolution can do to close the gap. "These local efforts of atonement, however well-intentioned and however desirable, are not reparations by any means," said Duke economist and leading reparations expert William Darity, who says it would take $13 trillion to get Black Americans financially on par with their white peers. That's more than four times the budgets of all American city governments combined, he said. "The federal government is the culpable party because of its historical complicity in the process of maintaining slavery," Darity told ABC News Live. "Most of these local initiatives are a variety of forms of pulling the knife out, which is essential. But it's very, very different from healing the wound." As Washington remains divided on reparations, some cities are looking to Asheville as a model on how to move forward. PHOTO: Asheville, N.C., population 90,000, is known as a bohemian mecca in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In July, it became the first city in the South and only second in the nation to approve financial reparations for slavery. (ABC News) Providence, Rhode Island, and Richmond, Virginia, the former Confederate capital, have taken steps this month to follow Asheville's lead. Other cities are also joining the conversation. Last year, Evanston, Illinois, became the first U.S. city to approve financial reparations for Black residents. "I feel that it has the potential to do amazing things. But at the end of the day, it's going to boil down to how much support and accountability comes from the community," Thomas said. MORE: Evanston, Illinois, finds innovative solution to funding reparations: Marijuana sales taxes Blowback to the reparations resolution has been intense, said city officials, some of whom have been inundated with calls and emails threatening to boycott the city. Most Americans -- 63% in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll -- oppose government payments to descendants of slaves. "When you talk about making restitution, how do you make restitution for folks that are not here? People that were hurt are gone," said Jerry Green, chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party. "In my opinion, we ought to look toward the future and work from here and quit dwelling on the past." "None of us were there," added fellow Republican resident Fremont Brown. "We weren't involved in it. So why should we pay?" PHOTO: Buncombe County GOP Chairman Jerry Green says many conservatives in the areas surrounding Asheville, N.C., oppose financial reparations for descendants of slaves because they were not directly involved in the practice. (ABC News) The federal government did reimburse Native Americans for their land in 18th and 19th century treaties and paid Japanese Americans for the indignity of internment camps during World War II. Some say direct payments to African Americans is the most fair and effective way to make up for more than a century of slave labor which helped build the American economy. "Wholeness tends to be made via a monetary payment," said Ile Adaramola, an African American attorney in Asheville. "When the city says they're going to start right now, it's only words on paper because it's not done." "I heard red tape; bureaucracy," Adaramola added. "And when we are looking at the history of reparations, it tends to be riddled with a lot of problems." MORE: America's national parks face existential crisis over race Thomas, the racial justice activist, concedes Asheville's reparations resolution is not "reparations in its truest form," but argues that a grassroots movement at the local level is necessary to spur action in Washington. Democrats have introduced legislation in Congress to establish a federal commission to study reparations, but so far those measures have failed to gain widespread support. Leaders in the House of Representatives say they plan to pass a bill this year. Republicans and President Donald Trump are adamantly opposed. PHOTO: Asheville city councilwoman Julie Mayfield joined the unanimous, historic vote to formally apologize for slavery and create a commission that will fund investments in homeownership and business opportunities for black residents. (ABC News) Long a bohemian mecca for liberals in an otherwise conservative state, the city did not shock many with its embrace of reparations, but advocates cautioned against interpreting it as a sign the city's racial divide has been healed. The death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis sparked violent protests in Asheville and exposed racism that some residents said continues to lurk. "As woke as I thought I was," said Asheville mother Katlin Smith, "I also realized that I have a lot of work to do myself, and I appreciate the community effort behind (reparations)." MORE: By the numbers: Slavery and Juneteenth "There is not racial equity in Asheville by any stretch of the imagination," she added. "We are the poster child for segregation." Mayfield said she hopes the city can affect change and be a blueprint for other cities to follow. "Don't let yourself get boxed in by people who want to box you in," she said of her advice to other municipal leaders considering reparations. "Look at the broader system and look at what you can do to enhance investments." Until those investments come, Thomas said he plans to keep up the fight in Asheville. The community that made him is now depending on him, he added. "What made me is all the seeds that my elders planted in my head as a youth that I didn't listen to at the time," Thomas said. "Once I was able to cultivate my mind and actually feed those seeds with the proper nourishment, now I have these beautiful trees and bushes that are producing the fruit that you see today." Local resident and organizer David Greenson, who is white, said "The murder of George Floyd seemed to open a window in a lot of people's minds and hearts." "I think people didn't want to be bystanders," he added. ABC News' Jackie Yoo contributed to this report. Reparations for slavery: Is Asheville a national model? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Moneris Leverages Visa Enabled Visa Direct to Provide more Canadians with fast and efficient access to their funds TORONTO, July 30, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, Visa announced a new offering with Moneris Solutions Corporation ("Moneris"), a leading Canadian payment processor, to expand its Real-time1 Funds disbursement reach in Canada. The Real-time Funds solution from Moneris, powered by Visa Direct, Visa's real-time push payments platform, helps Canadians receive fast, simple and secure disbursements directly into their bank accounts2. With Visa Direct, which has processed 2 billion transactions3 in the past year, Visa is working with payment participants around the world to bring speed and transparency to the process of sending and receiving funds. Moneris' payment solutions already serve 350,000 merchant locations across Canada, from large national retailers to small businesses, and the funds disbursements opportunity to small businesses and consumers in Canada represent approximately $1.4 CAD trillion4. Canadian consumers want fast access to their funds, with 62 percent saying they would be likely to opt in for a real-time payment method if it were available5. For small businesses, the ability to manage cash flow is critical to their growth and success, and 85 per cent would likely switch to a merchant acquirer who offered a real-time payment solution6. In times like these, where the impact of COVID-19 continues to affect all aspects of daily life and business, quick access to funds is especially critical. "We're pleased to work with Moneris to help bring efficiencies to the process of sending and receiving money, and provide a smoother experience for individuals, families and businesses," said Brian Weiner, Vice President & Head of Product, Visa Canada. "Through Visa Direct, Visa is empowering millions of Canadians to access their money where and when they want, which has become increasingly important during these unprecedented times." "We're pleased to be able to work with Visa to help deliver this solution. Giving merchants the ability to refund and reimburse customers with real-time push-payments quickly, easily and securely offers a significant benefit to our merchants," said Patrick Diab, Chief Product Officer, Moneris. "Removing the administrative burden of cheque issuance and making funds available to customers on cards that they already carry in their wallet can help drive more efficiencies for many of our merchant segments." Moneris is offering the Real-time Funds solution to businesses in a variety of industries, including insurance, gig economy, prepaid cards and lending. Moneris' Real-time Funds joins a growing list of innovative companies and collaborations across Canada using Visa Direct. For more information about Visa Direct, visit Visa.com/VisaDirect. ______________________ 1 Actual fund availability depends on receiving financial institution and region. Visa requires fast-funds enabled issuers to make funds available to their recipient cardholders within a maximum of 30 minutes of approving the transaction. Please refer to your Visa representative and the Visa Direct Original Credit Transaction Global Implementation Guide for more information. 2 The Real-time Funds solution from Moneris, powered by Visa Direct Visa's real-time push payments platform is made available through Moneris' financial institution partner, and helps Canadians receive fast, simple and secure disbursements directly into their bank accounts. 3 https://s1.q4cdn.com/050606653/files/doc_financials/2019/q4/CORRECTED-TRANSCRIPT-Visa,-Inc.(V-US),-Q4-2019-Earnings-Call,-24-October-2019-5-00-PM-ET.pdf Data refers to Visa's Fiscal Year 2019, which ended September 2019. 4 Aite Group Business-to-Consumer Disbursements in Canada: Market Overview research, December 2018. 5 Aite Group Business-to-Consumer Disbursements in Canada: Market Overview research, December 2018 6 Aite Group Business-to-Consumer Disbursements in Canada: Market Overview research, December 2018. About Visa Inc. Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. Our relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit visa.ca, usa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/blog.html and @VisaCA. About Moneris Moneris is Canada's largest provider of innovative solutions for mobile, online and in-store payments, processing more than one in three transactions. Serving businesses of every size and industry, Moneris offers hardware, software and solutions to help transform the way businesses grow and operate, in payments and beyond. For more information please visit www.moneris.com and follow @moneris. SOURCE Visa Canada For further information: Media Contacts: Melissa Vekil, Visa Canada, [email protected] Two Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighters were challenged by Finland's F/A-18C Hornet combat aircraft after they allegedly violated the latter's airspace on Tuesday (July 28, 2020). While Finland claimed the Sukhoi fighters entered its airspace, Russian authorities denied the charge. "Two SU-27 fighter aircraft of the Russian Federation are suspected of having violated Finlands airspace on Tuesday 28 July 2020. The suspected territorial violation occurred in the Gulf of Finland off the coast of Helsinki at approximately 14.00 (4:30 pm Indian Standard Time) in the afternoon. The Finnish Border Guard is investigating the matter," a statement issued by Finnish Defence Ministry Media and Communications Director Niina Hyrsky claimed. The Finnish Air Force scrambled its F/A-18C Hornets to intercept the Russian Sukhoi Su-27s which Hyrsky stated remained inside Finland's airspace for almost two minutes. She added that the Su-27s came 0.5 kilometres into her country's airspace. But the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that four Su-27 fighters were on a scheduled flight from the countrys northwest Karelia to the westernmost Kaliningrad Region but none of the aircraft violated the airspace of any other country. "On July 28, four Su-27 fighters of the Russian Navys naval aviation performed a scheduled flight from an aerodrome in the Republic of Karelia to a redeployment aerodrome in the Kaliningrad Region. The flight proceeded along the earlier-agreed route and the crews of the Russian planes were in constant contact with air traffic control posts," the Defense Ministry stated as quoted by Russian news agency TASS. It went on to add that the fighters carried out their mission strictly according to the international rules of using the airspace, without violating the borders of other states. Russia routinely sends its military aircraft to Kaliningrad situated between Poland and Lithuania with the route following a narrow strip of international airspace over the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. While Finland is not a member of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an overwhelming part of its military hardware is American including the F/A-18s and its armaments. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case seems to be getting convoluted with every new update on it. While the Mumbai police is currently investigating Sushant's death case, the late actor's father KK Singh recently registered an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and her family members in Patna. He levelled serious allegations against her including, cheating, theft and abetment to suicide. However, as per a report in Mumbai Mirror, Sushant's father KK Singh and sister Mitu never said a word against Rhea Chakraborty in their signed statements to the Mumbai police. A senior police officer, on the conditions of anonymity, told the tabloid that Sushant's sister Mitu delayed the statement process multiple times. He was quoted as saying, "Not only did she (Mitu Singh) not mention Rhea Chakraborty on the day of Sushant Singh Rajput's death and then again in her signed statement, but she also did not respond to several requests by the investigating team to appear for the recording of a more detailed statement. The officer said the FIR in Bihar is an attempt to range police forces of two states against each other and get the case, eventually, transferred to the CBI." Further, the report in Mumbai Mirror stated that Sushant's father met Joint Commissioner of Police Vinay Kumar Chaubey, towards the end of June. But, he mention anything about Rhea or the alleged mental torture of Sushant, which his father later mentioned in his FIR to Patna police. The report further stated that Sushant had meet Kumar to get the late actor's Bandra residence vacated. On the other hand, Sushant's family has claimed that Mumbai police was not ready to file an FIR. Instead, they wanted them to provide the names of big production companies in their statements. ALSO READ: Subramanian Swamy Explains Why He Thinks Sushant Was Murdered; Reveals 26 Evidence Points ALSO READ: Late Sushant Singh Rajput Feared Being Implicated In Ex-Manager Disha Salian's Suicide Case! FILE PHOTO: A company logo is seen on a product displayed before French food group Danone's 2019 annual results presentation in Paris By Dominique Vidalon PARIS (Reuters) - Danone reported weaker first-half results on Thursday, as costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic squeezed its profit margins and a decline in out-of-home consumption cut the sales of its bottled water division by 28% in the second quarter. The owner of Evian and Badoit water predicted an improvement in the second half and said it was confident the second quarter, which saw the pandemic spread to more regions such as Latin America and Africa, would be its "most challenging quarter of the year". First-half recurring operating income reached 1.702 billion euros ($2.00 billion), a like-for-like decline of 8.7%, following extra costs of 115 million euros to ensure business continuity and employee safety during the pandemic. The profit margin slipped to 14% of sales against 14.7% for the corresponding period a year ago. Second-quarter like-for-like sales fell 5.7 percent to 5.954 billion euros, after rising 3.7% in the first quarter. This reflected some de-stocking after stockpiling in Europe and North America made at the end of the first quarter because of government-imposed lockdowns as well as the full effect of the closure of restaurants and cafes. Water sales alone slumped 28%, roughly in line with a 30% prediction made in June. Overall, out-of-home channels, which usually account for around 45% of water sales in the quarter, fell almost 50%, the company said. In April, the company withdrew its financial guidance for 2020, citing uncertainty over the pandemic. It said on Thursday it was not yet able to provide updated financial guidance for 2020. Finance chief Cecile Cabanis however told reporters she was confident the group would emerge stronger from the current crisis and saw no reason not to reiterate Danone's mid-term guidance of 3-5% annual like-for-like sales growth. ($1 = 0.8508 euros) (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Barbara Lewis) Every day, with each step down the stairs to his basement, Jim Weaver feels himself getting younger, the images in his mind more lucid. As he heads toward the room where he paints, the 76-year-old folk artist becomes Jimmy again, a young boy looking at the world in wide-eyed wonder in the 1940s and 50s in Sheffield, Ala. Some of the things he sees are the carefree moments of childhood kids fishing, chasing lightning bugs, hula-hooping, watching planes in the sky. Others are indicative of racial tension in his hometown Black children not allowed in the same swimming pool as white children, for example. He knew segregation was wrong even then, and he wondered why all children werent treated equally. In his basement, which he fondly calls his time machine, Jim, a memory painter, brings to life colorful scenes from his childhood. He considers himself a storyteller. Each of his brightly colored paintings has a story attached like the one he considers his masterpiece, Balcony of a 1950s 3D Movie. Born in 1943, Jim remembers going to the movies with his father and sitting in the balcony, where his dad could smoke. Black people had to sit in an area of the balcony that was partitioned, with enough of an opening at the top for white people to throw their trash over it. I can still see that ice going through the projection, he says. Not knowing what else to say, his father told him, Son, theres a lot of mean people in the world. The experience stuck with Jim, who has painted it over and over, along with other memories from his childhood. Its uncanny what I remember, he says. He paints many of the same scenes again and again in different sizes, varying the colors and other details. Following the advice of a fellow folk artist, Jim uses samples of vivid Behr house paint to paint on wood or canvas. He also prefers to use a small spotter paintbrush. It took him some 130 hours to paint the 24-by-36-inch version of the movie theater memory from 1952 with that tiny brush. I call myself deliberate, but I think Im slow, he says with a laugh. During a phone interview, his chair squeaks as it swivels around when hes describing his workspace. His wife, Gwen, teases him about cleaning it up, but he insists he knows where everything is. He doesnt want to jeopardize his perfectly working time machine. At Jims feet at all times are at least two of the four dogs who keep him company while he works. Years ago, he rescued an abandoned, pregnant mama dog in the neighborhood. Now and then, hell get up to let her and her three pups in and out of the back yard, or just stop to pet them when they need attention. A painting of his childhood dog, Cracker the first thing he drew when he decided to try his hand at art at age 60, and still a favorite subject today hangs on the wall nearby. Cracker, who lived from 1950 to 1967, hated the postman and is included in many of Jims paintings. Every year, Jim sends hand-painted Christmas cards to everyone who has bought his artwork during the year. Cracker is always featured on the much-anticipated cards. As memories pop up when hes working on a painting, hell write them down on his table. He remembers everything from 70-plus years ago, he says. I can remember what my mama said when I was three and four years old, but not what my wife said yesterday, he says. Its a joke he repeats often, but theres more than a hint of truth in it. I was meant to do this Raised in the northwest Alabama town of Sheffield, Jim returned there when he got out of the U.S. Army in 1965, then he left for four decades or so for a career in retail. For 17 years before he retired, he was the manager of the Walmart in Andalusia. When Gwen retired from teaching after 35 years, he convinced her to move north to Florence. The couple has collected folk art for years. Gwen, who grew up on a farm, also feels an affinity for the style. We both just gravitated toward it, he says. The walls of their home are filled with work by Bernice Sims, Woody Long, Jimmie Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, Purvis Young, Mister Imagination, Maurice Cook and others. I cant afford my collection, Jim says with a laugh. Were wall to wall, bumper to bumper. After he retired, Jim decided he was just going to try to paint. Id never painted anything, he says. Never drew anything. An artist friend who owned a shop en route to the beach asked him if she could display some of his work. After talking him into it, she displayed six of his paintings behind the cash register. Less than a week later, a couple from Boston came in and bought them all. Encouraged, Jim kept working at it. For six years, he applied to the Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, but never made it then, finally, he was accepted. This fall would have been his seventh show there, and his daughter Jaime Weavers first (she makes unique wall hangings from reclaimed materials), but the festival was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Im disappointed, but Im glad they made that decision, he says. I love Kentuck. I love everything about it. Once a collector of others art, now Jim finds his own work is in demand. His paintings are sold in the Kentuck Gallery as well as at the Visionary Folk Art Gallery in Dayton, Ohio, and online through Possum County Art and Collectibles. Lately, hes had good luck selling artwork from his Facebook page. Each painting includes a laminated written version of the story behind it like And the Children Shall Lead Them, based on a memory from 1949 in which he watched two little girls drink from two different water fountains. The Black girl sipped from the water fountain marked White, and the white girl used the Black fountain, then they looked at each other, smiled and walked off. A few years ago, a patron bought two versions of the painting, one for himself and another that he donated to a school in Birmingham. To this day, as far as Jim knows, students there are required in their English classes to write essays based on the painting. Just thinking of it gives him goosebumps. Its just overwhelming to me, he says. I guess I was meant to do this. Another painting, Annie Hood and Jimmy W. in 1946, features a Black woman who was a friend of his parents, holding him in her arms. She used to love on me, he says. When I got older, I would hide from her. Later, I found out shed had a little boy who drowned, and he and I had the same birthday. If Id known, Id have let her kiss me all she wanted. Revisiting memories, whether sweet or bittersweet, through painting them and sharing the stories is cathartic for Jim, who has suffered with migraine headaches for years. This has been the happiest quarter of my life, he says. Even when I had more money, I wasnt as happy as I am now. JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli security officials on Thursday announced they have caught a Hamas militant who fled the Gaza Strip and swam into Israeli waters, confirming weeks of rumors that a Hamas figure had defected to Israel. Israel's Shin Bet security agency said that Izz el-Din Hussein, 24, fled Gaza on June 28 to escape family problems and unspecified persecution by Hamas commanders. Israeli naval forces spotted him in the Mediterranean Sea and arrested him before he reached the shore. The Shin Bet said Hussein joined Hamas' military wing in 2013 and commanded an air defense unit that included training with anti-aircraft missiles. It said Hussein had provided Israel a great deal of valuable intelligence about Hamas, and on Thursday, he was indicted on serious security offenses. Israeli and Arab media have reported recently that a Hamas militant perhaps a top commander had defected to Israel. Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a secret military issue, have said a low-ranking member fled the territory because of marital issues. Qandil Badr, an uncle of Hussein's, said the family did not trust the Israeli claims. We trust my nephew but there has been no contact with him ever since his disappearance, he said. We need a credible party to visit him and examine his situation. Israel and Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel's destruction, have fought three wars and numerous skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007. ___ Associated Press writer Fares Akram in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, contributed to this report. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tamr, Inc., the leader in data mastering solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a new five year $60 million contract ceiling from the U.S. Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) to accelerate and automate the process of flight certification recommendations for new flight configurations. AFSEO is responsible for verifying safe flight operating conditions for planes loaded with new stores (sensors, weapons, electronic warfare (EW) pods and a variety of other aeronautic devices) and new configurations. With more than 30 years of aircraft performance studies, AFSEO accumulated substantial amounts of data that can be leveraged in the evaluation process for new configurations. However, over time, this critical data has been dispersed and siloed, limiting AFSEO's ability to use it to certify new stores. AFSEO selected Tamr to mine the technical content in historical documents using their machine learning software and technical expertise to quickly identify relevant antecedents that can support the engineering decisions to protect pilots and aircraft as well as meet the evolving mission. Flight safety depends on accurate, fast data analysis. Our goal is to leverage machine learning to quickly search and sift through more than 30 years of data to automatically make recommendations 'by analogy'. This recommendation would take weeks for an engineer to develop manually. With Tamr, AFSEO can predict if a configuration is safe based on previously approved configurations. Increased ROI and utilization of existing Air Force aircraft Increased efficiency of AFSEO engineers and analysts Dramatic savings in average time per request, as a first draft report that takes a human weeks or months, is now generated in seconds Automatically tagged more than 60,000 historical documents, letting analysts find relevant studies faster Delivered substantial cost savings by keeping analysis in AFSEO instead of contracting aircraft manufacturers "AFSEO performs difficult tasks to deliver a very important capability to current and future generations of aircraft," said Mike Gormley, Lead for Tamr Government Solutions. "This contract demonstrates their confidence in Tamr to improve the organization's current throughput and agility for future mission requirements." This production award comes after successfully completing a 20-month prototype effort with the Defense Innovation Unit--the Department of Defense organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military at commercial speed. Webinar : Chief Data Officer of the U.S. Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office will address how the Air Force implemented machine learning to accelerate and automate the process of recommendations for new flight configurations. Date: August 24th, 2020. Register here. Additional Resources: Tamr Capabilities Statement: https://www.tamr.com/whitepaper/government-solutions-capabilities-statement/ Learn more about Tamr: www.tamr.com/public-sector Read Tamr's blog: www.tamr.com/blog Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tamr_Inc Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tamrinc About Tamr, Inc. Tamr and through its subsidiary, Tamr Government Solutions, is the leading data mastering company that accelerates data-driven business outcomes for large organizations. Public sector leaders like: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Army, U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy trust Tamr to manage their enterprise data as an asset. Tamr's unique approach of using human-guided machine learning algorithms to accelerate data mastering projects lets the world's largest organizations enhance their data operations, rapidly activate latent data, and increase the velocity of business outcomes through data-driven insights. With a co-founding team led by Andy Palmer (founding CEO of Vertica) and Mike Stonebraker (Turing Award winner) and backed by investors including NEA and Google Ventures, Tamr is transforming how companies get value from their data. SOURCE Tamr, Inc. Related Links https://www.tamr.com/ Jeffrey Epstein's long-time assistant has been spotted in Connecticut amid rumors she is under investigation for being part of his child sex ring. Lesley Groff, who was once described by Epstein as 'an extension of my brain', was seen walking her dog through the New Canaan neighborhood where she lives on Wednesday. US prosecutors are thought to be looking into Groff's time working for Epstein along with three other alleged 'recruiters' following the arrest of his alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell. More light was due to be shone on their role today, when parts of a 418-page deposition that Maxwell gave to investigators in 2015 were due to be made public - until a judge issued a last-minute blocking order. Lesley Groff, Epstein's long-time assistant who has been accused of being part of his sex abuse ring, was spotted walking her dog in Connecticut on Wednesday Groff, who denies wrongdoing, is thought to be under investigation by US prosecutors along with three other women in Epstein's inner circle following the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell Judge Loretta Preska, who is overseeing Maxwell's case, already overruled one appeal earlier this week - but has not said the documents must remain secret until at least Monday. Groff's name has previously appeared in legal papers linked to Epstein as women who claim they were abused by him spoke about her role in his sex ring. Jennifer Araoz, who says she was recruited by another of Epstein's staff members outside her high school when she was underage, said she was told to wait in 'Ms Groff's office' when she went to see him. Hundreds of pages of secret testimony that Maxwell gave to investigators in 2015 were set to be unveiled today, but that has been now been delayed Sarah Ransome, another of his accusers, said Groff also arranged travel for her and spoke to her about her weight loss after she was instructed to slim down. In a separate 2017 lawsuit, filed by an anonymous Jane Doe, it was claimed that Groff was part of a circle of female 'recruiters' close to Epstein. 'Groff coordinated schedules between Epstein and the various young females used for sex; made travel arrangements for the girls; tended to their living needs; and communicated with them in order to maintain their compliance with the rules of behavior imposed upon them by the enterprise,' the lawsuit said. Groff's attorney Michael Bachner has denied the claims, saying: 'As an executive assistant to Epstein, Lesley worked as part of a professional staff that included in-house attorneys, accountants, an office manager and other office staff. 'Lesley's job included making appointments for Mr. Epstein as directed by him, taking his messages, and setting up high-level meetings with CEOs, business executives, scientists, politicians and celebrities. 'At no time during Lesley's employment with Epstein did she ever engage in any misconduct.' Following Maxwell's arrest on sex crime charges earlier this month, authorities are now thought to be looking into roles played by other prominent women within his inner circle, the Telegraph reported. Groff's name is on that list, the report claimed, along with Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross and Nadia Marcinkova. Kellen, described by Epstein's accusers as his 'lieutenant', has been accused of procuring girls for him to abuse. Ransome claims Kellen kept a 'rolodex' of women who could be sent to see the billionaire on his private island or at his New York mansion whenever he wanted. 'She knew that these girls were there to be abused repeatedly,' Ransome said. Kellen's name also frequently appears on flight logs of Epstein's private jet, known as the 'Lolita Express'. Maxwell is accused of being Epstein's 'madam', procuring and training young girls for the pedophile to abuse over the course of many years Her lawyers say that she was in fact a victim of Epstein herself, who was manipulated 'sexually and psychologically' over the course of many years. Ms Marcinkova, another assistant, says she was also a 'sex slave' who was brought to the US from Slovakia when she was 15 by Epstein. Ms Ross, a former model, has not spoken about her time working for Epstein. In an interview with the New York Times carried out 15 years before his death while in custody in Manhattan, Epstein gushed about the role his assistants played in his life. Describing them as his 'social prosthesis', he said: 'They are an extension of my brain. Their intuition is something that I don't have.' He went on to tell how when Groff announced she was having a baby, he hired her a nanny and bought her a Mercedes to make it easy for her to commute from Connecticut. 'There is no way that I could lose Lesley to motherhood,' he said. Maxwell is currently in jail in Brooklyn facing sex crimes charges over her time working for Epstein, with trial scheduled for next year. But the case is set to pass a milestone today when parts of a 2015 deposition she gave to police, which runs to 418 pages, is set to be made public. Maxwell (pictured in a recent court sketch), who has pleaded not guilty, has launched a last-minute bid to keep the documents sealed Maxwell's lawyers claim the documents contain 'extremely personal' details about her sex life. The documents were sealed after Maxwell settled a case brought against her by Epstein's primary accuser Virginia Roberts in 2017 for an undisclosed sum, thought to run into the millions. Maxwell's lawyers argued the depositions were confidential and under a protective order, and federal prosecutors in her sex trafficking case wrongfully got a hold of the documents and used them to form some of the charges against her. They claim Maxwell was set up for a 'perjury trap', alleging Giuffre was 'privy to and participating in an ongoing criminal investigation' in 2015 and 2016 where Maxwell was a 'person of interest' in that case. Maxwell's attorney Ty Gee writes that despite a court order that prevented Giuffre from handing over the deposition to law enforcement, the transcript was still leaked to New York prosecutors. The reconsideration request comes a day before 80 sealed documents were set to be released, stemming from Judge Preska's ruling last week. A videographer knifed near the scene of a protest outside Portlands federal courthouse said Wednesday he was nearly killed over his right-wing politics and activism. I was stabbed for being a conservative journalist, said Andrew Duncomb, 25, who films demonstrations and other political events under the moniker Black Rebel. Duncomb, who is Black and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he had traveled last Friday to Portland from his home in Northern California to document the nightly unrest outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse and county Justice Center. He had a specific agenda in mind. My main goal was to show that it wasnt just the feds creating the problems, Duncomb said. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Portland to decry police brutality and systemic racism since the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis police in late May. Trump sent federal forces into the city in early July to quell the turmoil, a move that only escalated tensions. Often, the downtown protests now in their 62nd consecutive day have devolved late at night as some protesters lob fireworks, bottles and cans at the federal courthouse and federal officers, shine lasers in their eyes and try to dismantle a reinforced fence installed outside the courthouse. Federal tactical officers, many dressed in camouflage fatigues, have respond with aggressive force, firing tear gas and impact munitions into the crowds and pushing people several blocks away. Duncomb, who has more than 20,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook, said that people familiar with his work had alerted activists to his presence at the protests shortly after he arrived. Originally from Oklahoma, Duncombs notoriety online has stemmed, in part, from his fervent defense of the Confederate flag and monuments, including his participation in a 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that culminated with a neo-Nazi killing a counter-protester with his car. Andrew Duncomb The trouble in downtown Portland started just before 2:30 a.m. Saturday when a group began trailing him and a few of his friends for several blocks, according to Duncomb and court records. Duncomb said he eventually handed his video camera to a friend and decided to confront one of the men from the group. Someones stalking us, the friend can be heard saying in the video as Duncomb approaches the man, who wore a respirator, goggles and a pair of brown Carhart overalls, near Southwest Salmon Street and Fourth Avenue. Hey buddy, why are you following us? Duncomb says as he comes up from behind the man and wraps his arm around the mans shoulder, the video shows. The man then stabs Duncomb without saying a word, the video shows. Duncomb said the blade entered his back between his rib cage and hip, just inches from his spinal cord. The adrenelline just soared through me, he said. I had a can of bear mace and a knife on me, too. But I didnt want to endanger innocent bystanders. Duncomb was taken to OHSU Hospital and released Sunday, he said. Police arrested Blake David Hampe, 43, at the scene, court records show. He told police that Duncomb had set up on him and tried to choke him, according to a probable cause affidavit. Hampe faces charges of second-degree assault, a Measure 11 crime, and unlawful use of a weapon, records show. He remains in jail, pending a $250,000 bond. A lawyer for Hampe was not listed in court records. Duncomb said he is slowly recovering and hopes to return to covering protests soon. I wasnt meant to die. It wasnt my time to go, he said. Im not going to let them intimidate me for going back out. This story has been updated to include a reference to Duncombs participation in the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. -- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632 Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Kochi, July 30 : Joint Commissioner of Customs Anish P. Rajan, a key official behind the busting of gold smuggling case in Kerala that rocked the Pinarayi Vijayan government, on Thursday received transfer orders to Nagpur. He has been asked to join his new posting latest by August 10. The Customs sources said it was a normal transfer. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been up in arms since Rajan told the media none from Vijayan's office called to suggest hushing up of the case. The two parties had also alleged that Rajan was a Left sympathiser. The gold smuggling case surfaced when P.S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the Customs on July 5 while he was allegedly facilitating smuggling of 30 kg gold in a diplomatic baggage from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram. The case turned murky when name of Swapna Suresh, another ex-employee of the UAE Consulate and later employed with the IT Department, surfaced in the case. Her links with senior IAS official M. Sivasankar came up later during the investigation. Sivasankar, first removed from his posts of Secretary to Vijayan and IT Secretary, was later suspended from the service. The Kerala BJP plans to launch a campaign demanding Vijayan's resignation over the case. Top BJP leaders from the state, including Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, will stage day-long sit-ins, starting from August 1 to 18, at various places in Kerala. While O. Rajagopal, the lone BJP legislator in Kerala, will stage sit-in here on August 1, state BJP chief K. Surendran will hold protest in Kochi on August 18. MGM Northfield Parks premier event on the racing calendar, the Carl Milstein Memorial, a $250,000 invitational event for the sports top three-year-old pacers, will take place on Aug. 15. Uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of two of Northfields earlier stakes events in 2020: the Battle of Lake Erie and the Cleveland Trotting Classic. All of us at MGM Northfield Park are pleased that the Carl Milstein Memorial is a go on Aug. 15, said Dave Bianconi, Northfields director of racing operations. I have been in contact with the connections of many top three-year-olds across North America to assemble a great field for our top night of racing this year. The undercard for the Milstein will include the $50,000 Myron Charna Presidents Pace, an Invitational for top Ohio-sired veteran pacers. Ohio Sires Stakes legs for both three-year-old pacing fiillies and three-year-old male trotters will also be contested. Post time for Milstein night at Northfield is 6 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Aug. 15. (MGM Northfield Park) The Mason Small Business Development Center (Mason SBDC) headquartered in Fairfax City, announces continuation of no-cost business counseling and training services to the small business community in the City of Manassas and Manassas Park. The organization will continue support to city-wide businesses without disruption through virtual appointments and schedules. The program as part of a collaborative agreement with the City of Manassas Economic Development Authority expanded its services to downtown Manassas in January of 2019. George Siragusa, Mason SBDC Senior Counselor and the lead representative of the program at the Manassas city location previously provided face-to face counseling services at the co-working space, Centerfuse by appointment only. With the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program invites businesses who have been working with Siragusa and those intending to start a business within the city, to reach out to the program to continue virtual counseling. Manassas Park and City of Manassas businesses are encouraged to follow the steps below: - To learn more visit https://www.masonsbdc.org/manassas Initial Registration for no-cost services is required. To avail of services, please register here:- https://bit.ly/39LtY4x Existing clients may email help@masonsbdc.org or call 703.261.4105 to schedule appointments. The Mason Small Business Development Center has been providing business counseling and training services at no cost to entrepreneurs, for over 30 years. The program serves counties of Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William, in addition to City of Fairfax, City of Manassas and Richmond. The organization is supported and sponsored by the Small Business Administration, George Mason University, the Virginia Small Business Development Center, City of Manassas Economic Development Authority and the Prince William County Department of Economic Development. For questions regarding this release, please contact the program manager by sending an email to pr@masonsbdc.org NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 7, 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed "Avonte's Law," New York City legislation aimed to make schools safer for special needs students. The city-wide initiative was named for Avonte Oquendo, a nonverbal 14-year-old boy with autism who left his Queens public school undetected in 2013 and tragically drowned in the East River. David Perecman, Founder and Lead Trial Lawyer of The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., who represented Avonte's mother, Vanessa Fontaine, in a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her son and assisted in efforts to pass the bill, highlights the safety breakthroughs achieved for special needs children. Following the enactment of Avonte's Law in New York City in 2014, several innovative and sustainable measuresas well as federal legislationhave been put in place to help ensure safety for special needs children. In 2015, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer proposed a federal bill also dubbed "Avonte's Law" aimed to protect children with autism or other developmental disabilities who may wander away from safety. proposed a federal bill also dubbed "Avonte's Law" aimed to protect children with autism or other developmental disabilities who may wander away from safety. By the end of 2015, under New York City's Avonte's Law, nearly all city schools installed alarms on their doors as well as implemented other precautionary measures to prevent students from being able to exit their schools unnoticed. Avonte's Law, nearly all city schools installed alarms on their doors as well as implemented other precautionary measures to prevent students from being able to exit their schools unnoticed. In 2016, The Journal of Pediatrics published a comprehensive study on wandering behavior among children with autism and intellectual disabilities. The study's findings highlighted the commonality of this safety issue among special needs children. published a comprehensive study on wandering behavior among children with autism and intellectual disabilities. The study's findings highlighted the commonality of this safety issue among special needs children. In 2017, the federal "Avonte's Law" bill was re-introduced as "Kevin and Avonte's Law" to provide resources to assist in planning, establishing or operating programs to prevent wandering and to locate missing individuals with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, or developmental disabilities such as autism. On March 23, 2018 , Kevin and Avonte's Law was passed as a legislative addition to the FY18 omnibus appropriations bill . "I am extremely proud of the strides that have been made in remembrance of Avonte Oquendo to protect other children with developmental disabilities," said Mr. Perecman. "Avonte's name is now permanently linked to local and national safety measures to help ensure a tragedy like this never happens to another family again. The sixth anniversary of the New York City's Avonte's Law passing serves as a reminder of how far we've come and what steps still need to be taken to protect special needs children." Each year, The Perecman Firm offers the Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship, which directly benefits students with autism and those with autistic family members. This year, in honor of the scholarship's fifth year being offered, the firm has increased the award amount from $1,000 to $5,000. Applicants can apply until July 31, 2020, at 11:59 EDT and the scholarship winner will be announced in August. More information about the scholarship can be found at www.perecman.com/avonte-oquendo/autism-scholarship. For more information, visit www.perecman.com. About The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C. Founded in 1983 by David Perecman, The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C. is a full-service personal injury law firm with offices in New York, New York, and Jericho, New York. The firm's attorneys concentrate their legal practices in all aspects of personal injury, including construction accidents, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and civil rights matters, as well as workers' compensation and Social Security Disability. Recognized by U.S. News for the past eight consecutive years as one of the Best Law Firms in America for Plaintiff's Personal Injury in New York, and distinguished among their peers for their professionalism, knowledge, and results by nationally-recognized organizations, including Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers, the firm and its attorneys have recovered more than $500 million in verdicts and settlements on their clients' behalf. For more information, visit www.perecman.com . SOURCE The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C. Related Links https://www.perecman.com All of these developments are deeply disturbing. Theyre also not terribly surprising. A powerful China is no longer content to bide its time. Nor will it continue to live by the rules drawn up by others. Like all big powers, Beijing will use its economic weight and military might to try and shape the international environment in ways that suit its own interests. We all know fireflies and the flashes of brilliance they bring to summer evenings in the backyard. But few of us know fireflies like Sarah Lower, a professor of biology at Bucknell University and a leading firefly researcher. Something she wants us all to know is that light at night harms fireflies. They use light to communicate, and their light is a mating signal. So if theres a lot of ambient light around, they cant see each others signals, and they cant find each other to mate. Most of them have only two weeks or so in their winged, lightning-tailed adult stage to accomplish that. The rest of their lifecycle proceeds at a more leisurely pace from the females laying their eggs to the eggs hatching into larvae that spend nearly a year and for some species two years in the soil before emerging as the next generation of adults. Lower explained, Many of the fireflies we are seeing right now first hatched out of eggs in the summer of 2018. An important part of their hurried mating process is for a firefly to light up and use a blinking pattern to attract a mate. Sometimes, multiple fireflies use a blinking pattern in unison to literally light up the path to find a mate. An individual male has greater reproductive success in finding a female if (many of them) all signal together, said Lower. In Malaysia, where all of the males gather together and signal from a single tree, we think that is to identify a specific area where females know to go, and mating can occur. That synchronicity gives the fireflies a better chance to mate and lay eggs. Lower sees the interference of artificial as a major threat to declining firefly populations but isnt prepared to determine where it ranks in relation to other significant threats like pesticides and habitat loss. Noting that a lab in Korea has demonstrated deadly impacts on aquatic fireflies of fertilizer in their water, she cautioned, We just dont have data on a lot of these factors. The only thing we really have data on is light pollution. She has launched a collaborate research project with John Tooker, professor of entomology at Penn State, to assess the impact of neonicotinoid agricultural insecticides on fireflies. Her other research areas are firefly species that have lost the ability to light up through the process of evolution, predatory fireflies that mimic the flashing of other species to attract them for eating and the microbiome in firefly species that eat as adults. Another little-known aspect of fireflies right here, in the backyards of Pennsylvania, is the fact that we probably are viewing more than one species on any given evening. Lower noted that at Bucknell in Lewisburg she has documented a dozen different specie in a single season. She said one of the most common species across most of Pennsylvania is the Big Dipper, or eastern, firefly, which tends to fly and flash in a J-shaped pattern right around sunset. The Big Dipper firefly has an enormous range, extending throughout the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains. Across that range the species has evolved different colors of light in its bioluminescent tail, ranging from green in Pennsylvania to orange in Texas. Lower said that variation appears to be an adaptation to the environment. For fireflies intent on finding a mate, its all about standing out against the environment. There are several species of dark fireflies, which do not flash, including the winter firefly. With a native range that includes Pennsylvania, she noted, the winter firefly reverses the normal schedule for the insects, flying during the day, emerging in fall, overwintering in bark crevices, mating in late March through April and laying eggs in May. Lower caught some of them in central Pennsylvania on February 28 this year. A discussion of fireflies with Lower is loaded with things most of us couldnt even guess about the insects, including those she and co-author Cheyenne McKinley detailed in their Scientific American article, 11 Cool Things You Never Knew about Fireflies. Here are some of them: Fireflies are beetles. Whether you call them fireflies or lightning bugs, these insects are neither flies nor true bugs. Instead they are beetles, just like ladybugs and rhinoceros beetles. There are more than 2,000 species of firefly worldwide. Fireflies are found all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica. Fireflies use flashes as mating signals. The flashes that you see in your yard are generally from males looking for females. They flash a specific pattern while they fly, hoping for a female reply. If a female waiting in the grass or bushes likes what she sees, she responds back with a flash of her own. While all fireflies light up in their larval forms, there are many species of fireflies that do not use light as an adult mating signal. Fireflies spend most of their life in the larval stage. The armored, grub-like larvae are vicious predators, tracking down and consuming slugs, snails and earthworms. They can spend up to two years in this larval stage before metamorphosing into adults. The females of one group of fireflies, called Photuris, have earned the nickname femme fatales. Unlike most species, these fireflies eat as adults. By mimicking the flash patterns of other firefly species, the female lures unsuspecting males in closer to make a meal of them. The biggest fireflies are huge. Females of the Lamprigera firefly can grow to be the size of your palm. Some fireflies flash in unison. Some species of firefly have a unique way of performing their mating signals: they synchronize their flashes. Truly synchronous fireflies are found in Southeast Asia. They congregate in colony trees and blink in unison. Other species synchronize their flashes over a few-second period, appearing as waves of light and dark that ripple through the forest. These can be found on the East Coast of the U.S. from Georgia to northern Pennsylvania. Lower also has some suggestions for people wanting to attract fireflies to their yard. They should keep their lights off in order to minimize light pollution, make sure that there are spaces provided for their prey such as worms and slugs, and develop areas with vegetation to provide cover and moisture for the fireflies during the heat of the day. If quality nature journalism like this is important to you, please consider supporting our work. Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. The following is taken from Bren Simons 2017 article regarding support for the Aspen Institutes work to discuss and address the challenges facing our nation and world. Please visit - https://brensimon.com/aspen-institute-pavilion/ for more information. ...I have long admired the Aspen Institute for its deep-rooted history as a thought-provoking organization dedicated to improving the world. The organization and its scholars foster open-minded dialogue and as such, I wanted to help create a meeting place for discussion on challenges facing our nation and the world. That is why the Bren & Melvin Simon Foundation is sponsoring the development of a new pavilion and terrace located at the Institutes location in Aspen, Colorado. Bren Simon has been a longtime friend of the Aspen Institute who understands the importance of setting aside a safe space to examine and exchange ideas, said Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson. Our campus is such a space, where thousands of people gather annually from different communities, beliefs, backgrounds, faith, and ideologies to join in a timeless conversation about the role that we all have in creating a good and just society. The Bren and Melvin Simon Foundation is honoring the new pavilion to former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright. She embodies all in which we hope to instill upon those who pass through the Aspen Institutes doors. Her drive, forward thinking, and patriotism has bettered this nation, just as we hope those attending conferences at the Institute will do for years to come. In naming our new pavilion in honor of her good friend Aspen Institute Trustee Madeline Albright, the Bren and Melvin Simon Foundation is not only helping us expand our footprint on the campus, it also helps perpetuate a critically important legacy of leadership, continued Isaacson. Bren Simons decision to name the building after someone like Madeline Albright, who has given her entire life as an educator and public servant, is not only a celebration of this remarkable individual, but an example to us all of civic philanthropy. Story continues The pavilion and terrace are scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2018, Jeffrey Berkus Architects will incorporate a modern design aesthetic while preserving the buildings key elements originally designed in 1955 by the renowned Herbert Bayer and Fritz Benedict. They will overlook Aspens mesmerizing scenery, with careful attention to avoid obstructing the stunning mountain views of Castle and Maroon Valleys. I hope that the thought leaders who come to the new pavilion will be inspired to find solutions to national and international issues and help turn words into action... Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website https://brensimon.com/ The last time Daniel Lee West saw his son, Kamdyn, they were playing in his mothers yard near the historical center of a small town about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta in Georgia. Now, he may have to take a DNA test to be reunited with the 2-year-old, who was found wandering barefoot in a diaper and a black T-shirt more than 700 miles away in Miramar Sunday. The search for his 21-year-old mother, Leila Cavett, continues for the third day in Hollywood. Hollywood police took over the case from Miramar police Wednesday, after they received reports that Cavett was possibly seen near the area of Hollywood Boulevard and US Route 441, a highway that extends from Miami, through the states of Georgia and North Carolina, to Tennessee. Miramar police also found her car, a mid-to-late 90s white Chevy Silverado 3500, in Hollywood, according to a press release. I just want Leila and Kamdyn safe, said West, 35. Leila is a great mom. [She] would do anything for our son. Daniel Lee West and Leila Cavetts son, Kamdyn, celebrating a birthday. West, who came forward as the now 2-year-olds father earlier this week, is working with Miramar and Hollywood police to locate Cavett. West contacted Miramar police earlier this week to claim custody of the child, but police told him he may have to provide proof that he is the father, he said. CPS [the Florida Department of Children and Families] is supposed to tell me what to do. I am coming there as soon as they do, West said. Cavetts sisters, who traveled from Jasper, Ala., Tuesday morning to speak with police, were also unsuccessful in claiming custody and may return to Alabama soon, Cavetts sister, Gina Lewis, said Wednesday. West met Cavett, who is originally from Jasper, in Dawsonville, Ga., two years ago, he said. Cavett was then in a relationship with Levi Arnold, a car aficionado who says he is from Woodstock, Ga., on his Facebook profile. We were never together; it was just a hookup, said West, who now lives in Ellijay, a town 30 miles northwest of Dawsonville. Our relationship was about Kamdyn only. Lewis confirmed that West is Kamdyns biological father and said Arnold stepped up as a father figure when the little boy was born. Arnold split up with Cavett shortly afterwards and now lives in Townley, Ala., according to his profile. Story continues West stayed in touch with Cavett and their son Kamdyn after they moved to Alabama in 2019, and then back to Georgia earlier this year. He saw Kamdyn and sent payments to his mother every two or three weeks, he said. He sent his last payment to Cavett Thursday around lunchtime. Miramar police are still searching for Leila Cavett, the mother of 2-year-old Kamdyn found alone near Willowbrook Apartments Sunday. Detectives met with Cavetts family Tuesday. Cavett was staying with her aunt Robin Jenkins in Dawsonville, until the two had a disagreement and Cavett moved to a friends house, according to West. The Dawson County Sheriffs Office confirmed that Cavett was in Dawsonville in February, when a family member filed a report claiming that Cavett had been using crack cocaine at a residential home. Cavett had been arrested the year before on charges of drug use, according to Alabama court records. It was not clear whether the case was settled, the Herald reported. West said he was not aware of Cavetts criminal record. However, Cavetts sisters fear that she may have gotten into trouble. I am definitely thinking she is danger, just from how Kamdyn was found, Lewis told the Herald Wednesday shortly after reposting baby pictures of her sisters son on Facebook with the caption, We will find your mommy soon. Lewis and other family members told reporters that they last heard from Cavett on July 17 in a FaceTime call and she didnt say anything about going to Florida. Lewis and West said that going to another state without telling any family members was out of character for Cavett. Josh Freeland, who knows Cavett from her time in Georgia, said the whole thing doesnt make sense. Shes a mother. A great one at that. She has a love for people i cant explain... [and] shes one of few people I will care for for the rest of my life, Freeland told the Herald Wednesday. I just want her home back where she belongs. Kam doesnt deserve this. That baby is two years old and has been with her ever since he was born. Freeland extended his support to the family. It is the most frustrating, heartbreaking thing I have ever had to go through, Lewis said Wednesday. Coming down here and not knowing anybody was obviously very scary but I want to say thank you to everyone who shared and brought awareness to the situation. The community has been amazing. If you have any information about this case, contact the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 or 954-967-4411. Miami Herald reporter Carli Teproff contributed to this report. An earlier version of this report misstated the police agency that found Leila Cavetts truck. Miramar officers found the truck in Hollywood. Seven babies were stillborn at Harare Central Hospital in Zimbabwe on Monday night after urgent treatment was delayed because of staffing issues, two doctors have confirmed to the BBC. Nurses are on strike nationwide because of a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other concerns, and the maternity wards were overwhelmed. One doctor said Mondays deaths were the tip of the iceberg. The health sector has recently been hit by a COVID-19 procurement scandal. It is alleged that multi-million dollar contracts were awarded to buy supplies at inflated prices and the health minister has been sacked over the allegations. A leaked government response to senior doctors, who wrote to complain about conditions and to threaten strike action, acknowledged challenges in hospitals, an increase in poor outcomes and a serious shortage of medical supplies because of a lack of foreign currency, but urged medical staff to reconsider your intention of withdrawing services. The deaths at Harare Hospital first were first published by Dr Peter Magombeyi, who tweeted, We have been robbed of our future, including our unborn babies. Please stop the looting. Two doctors with direct knowledge of the situation at Harare Central Hospital confirmed to the BBC that on Monday night eight Caesarean section operations were performed. Seven of the babies were stillborn. There was very, very late intervention, said one doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity because he did not have official permission to talk to the media. Two of the mothers had ruptured uteruses and needed early operations. The other operations were done because of obstructed labour, but were not done on time so the babies died, stuck in their mothers pelvises. The doctor described dire scenes at Harares two main state hospitals, with only a handful of nurses and doctors at work because of a strike. Many of the capitals smaller clinics have also been affected, or closed, by industrial action which began in June, prompting many pregnant women to come to Harare Hospital, overwhelming the maternity ward. These are not isolated incidents. This is repeated every day and all we can do is watch them die. This is torture for the families, and for the junior doctors, said a second doctor. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. The restriction on passenger flights to Kolkata from six cities, most of which are Covid-19 hotspots, with a large number of coronavirus caseshas been extended till August 15, after West Bengal recorded a surge in patients in the state, NSCBI Airport authorities said on Thursday. The West Bengal Additional Chief Secretary (Home) also wrote to the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation to extend the ban on passenger flights to Kolkata till August 15. The restriction on arriving flights to Kolkata Airport from 6 cities i.e Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad has been extended up to August 15, 2020, the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport authorities said in a tweet. Earlier today, the NSCBI airport in Kolkata had announced that there would be no flight operations on lockdown days. Earlier, the ban on passenger flights from these six cities to Kolkata had been in place till July 31. Over the last few weeks, West Bengal has recorded a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases it has added daily. On Thursday, the states Covid-19 case count shot up to 67,692 with a record 2,434 fresh cases, the state health department said. With 46 new fatalities reported on Thursday, Bengal logged the highest number of single-day deaths till date, pushing the death toll to 1,536. The number of active coronavirus cases currently stands at 19,900. In the last 24 hours, 2,140 patients have recovered from the viral disease, improving the discharge rate to 68.33 per cent, according to the health departments data. To curb the spread of coronavirus in the state, the West Bengal government had a day earlier announced complete state-wide lockdown for seven days in August. According to an analysis of the daily health bulletins provided by the Karnataka government, more than 65% of deaths due to coronavirus that have taken place in Bengaluru since July 1, took place within 24 hours of hospital admission, or involved patients who had already died by the time they were brought to the hospital. The report, by Indian Express, highlights how the state capital saw 860 deaths linked to Covid-19 between July 1 and July 28. Out of these, 55% or 479 people died within 24 hours of being admitted, and 10% or 94 people were declared dead on arrival to the hospital, showed the data. It was also noted that those who died within 24 hours in the hospital were brought in a state of breathlessness, the report states. Dr K S Sathish, a pulmonologist and member of the Covid-19 state death audit panel told IE that patients showing up late to hospital was a big issue, as they are not diagnosed and come at the "eleventh hour". Dr C Nagaraja, the director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases said that out of the 50 deaths at the hospital, 21 took place within 12 hours of admission, and many within even three hours. He added that 5-6 patients were brought dead. It was within three days of ventilation that 70% deaths took place in, and that was a sign that people were arriving at the hospital very late, Nagaraja said, who is also a member of the death audit panel. Ninety-one deaths were reported till July 15 at the Victoria Hospital attached to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute. Thirty-nine out of these took place within 24 hours of admission, and many within 10 hours, the nodal officer for the Covid-19 core committee at the institute, Dr Smitha Segu told IE. However, only very few of the patients who got admitted on time went to the ICU, Dr Segu said. The state capital also has witnessed various incidents of patients being turned away from hospitals. Bengaluru saw 957 deaths between March and July 28 and 860 of them took place in July alone. A previous analysis of Covid-19 deaths in Karnataka till June had also identified late arrival at hospital as a key factor to fatality, apart from age and co-morbidity conditions. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:22:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The economic damage caused by COVID-19 will continue to affect Fiji's economy into 2021, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday. According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), the ADB said in its Pacific Economic Monitor launched on Thursday that the impact of COVID-19 on Fiji's tourism industry and its related sectors is projected to result in negative 16 percentage points to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020. However, the value addition from health sector spending, a result of the vigorous health check campaigns during the lockdown period, and increased activity in the information and communication sector are projected to add 1 percentage point to GDP. The ADB said that Fiji's tourism industry is projected to return to pre-COVID-19 levels only by 2023, provided a vaccine is identified or borders reopened this year. Fiji's tourism industry employs approximately 150,000 people directly and indirectly. 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 hotels and 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 lay-offs are likely before things improve this year. A 3.7-billion-Fijian-dollar (about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus budget is expected to generate a net deficit of 20.2 percent of GDP, pushing debt to 83.4 percent of GDP, the ADB said, adding that the higher fiscal deficit is on account of lower revenues due to lower rates on taxes, customs, and excise duties on a broad range of items. Public debt will likely increase to the equivalent of 65.6 percent of GDP in 2020 from 49.3 percent at the end of 2019 -- a significant increase on the 47.1 percent estimated in the initial 2020 budget. On Thursday, the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), the island nation's central bank, also said that its overnight policy rate (OPR) remained unchanged at 0.25 percent due to current weak global economic environment. The Fijian economy is expected to contract by 21.7 percent in 2020 mainly due to poor tourism activity and its knock-on effects to the rest of the economy. Enditem Manipur authorities on Thursday extended the complete lockdown in the entire state for another seven days till August 6 or until further orders whoever is earlier. The state had been witnessing complete lockdown from 2pm of July 23 after the report of detecting infection of Covid-19 amongst a few people who have no history of travel outside the state. State Chief Secretary Dr J Suresh Babu who is the chairperson of state executive committee of the state disaster management authority, issued an order in connection with the extension of complete lockdown on Thursday. There shall be complete lockdown and Deputy Commissioners will issue an order imposing curfew in their districts, says the order. The activities which were permitted during the complete lockdown were also issued along with the order. Meanwhile three more deaths were reported due to co-morbid health conditions and Covid-19 in the state,taking the total Covid-19 related death tally to four on Thursday,according to officials. On Wednesday, the state reported its first death related to Covid-19 at RIMS hospital.The 56 year old patient was from Khongjom. The 2nd,3rd and 4th death cases related to Covid-19 were reported from RIMS and JNIMS hospitals ,official sources said. The 2nd case is a 48 year old male resident of Leimakhong while the 3rd case is a 47 year old male inhabitant of Langol.The 60 year old patient who is the 4th case is from Moijing. After the state recorded its biggest single-day spike of 141 Covid-19 cases on wednesday, as many as 47 persons including 10 females were confirmed as new cases of Covid 19 on Thursday,officials said. On the other hand,19 persons were discharged from the Covid care facilities and centres,the source said.Total number of Covid-19 positive in the state increases to 2506 while the active and recovereds cases are 829 and 1,672 respectively. The recovery rate is 66.90 percent. Italy extends state of emergency over the covid-19 crisis until 15 October 2020. The Italian government has extended the country's existing state of emergency, which expands the governments powers in tackling the coronavirus health crisis, until 15 October. The extension of the current state of emergency - introduced six months ago and set to expire on 31 July - was approved on 29 July, despite objections from the opposition which accused Italian premier Giuseppe Conte of trying to keep too much power despite a dramatic fall in the rate of contagion. Describing the extension as "inevitable," Conte told the senate: The virus continues to evolve and has not run its course. It would be incongruous to abruptly suspend such an effective measure. However Conte also stressed that there was "no intention to dramatise the situation" or to fuel "an unjustified state of alarm." What exactly is the state of emergency? The state of emergency grants special powers to national and regional authorities in tackling the fallout from the coronavirus crisis quickly, cutting through the usual bureaucratic procedures to implement, modify or revoke emergency measures if and when required. It will also facilitate the continuation of smart-working, will allow for the ban on flights to and from countries considered at risk, and will speed up the process in getting schools ready to reopen in September, reports Italian news agency ANSA. The move comes after Italy secured 208.8 billion in grants and loans as part of the EU Recovery Fund, a massive stimulus package to boost Europe's coronavirus-hit economies. The rescue deal, which allocates 28 per cent of the total fund for Italy, was hailed as "historic" by Conte. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com. Stomach churning footage shows the moment a family took sushi home for dinner - only to find it was glowing fluorescent blue. The video, which was taken in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, shows Arun Yolpaiboon, 58 and her son Natthanai Kanchanawasa, 21, unpacking three boxes of raw fish and rice on Tuesday, before getting the shock of their lives. The video then shows Kanchanawasa holding up one of the shrimps, which he had boiled, revealing how blue it had become. He later ate one. Natthanai Kanchnawasa, 21, boiled and ate one of the fluorescent blue prawns Storing sushi at too high temperatures can cause it to become contaminated, explained professor of biology at Chulalongkorn University PhD Jessada Denduangboripant He has since said that since trying the toxic snack, he has not suffered any illness but the glowing meal still frightened the family. He said: 'It was strange to see a glowing shrimp like this since we like to eat the sushi regularly. We could have eaten it without realising had it not changed colour. 'Luckily, I have not had any strange symptoms after eating it but perhaps it was because it was boiled.' The pair then talk to health professionals to get to the bottom of the mystery. The associate professor of biology at Chulalongkorn University PhD Jessada Denduangboripant explained that the shrimp could have been glowing as it had not been stored at a low enough temperature, which allowed it to be contaminated with fluorescent bacteria. The pair spoke to health professionals who said the seafood bought in a shopping mall in Nonthaburi had become contaminated with fluorescent bacteria in the cooking process He said: 'Normally, the seafood can be contaminated with fluorescent bacteria but they are eradicated by heat in the cooking process. 'But in sushi the seafoods are mostly uncooked so they should be kept in very low temperatures to limit the bacteria numbers. 'I believe the shrimps on the sushi might not have been kept under a sufficiently low temperature which caused the amount of bacteria to increase.' The professor added that the consumer should not eat any pieces of glowing sushi due to the potential infection. He said: 'There are various possible bacteria on the shrimp and it needs to be examined before it is safe to consume otherwise the consumer might suffer from food poisoning.' Arun Yolpaiboon, 58 and her son Natthanai Kanchanawasa, 21, were shocked to discover that the sushi they bought in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, was bright blue Arun, a businesswoman, said she would be more careful choosing the sushi from now on. She added: 'This is a surprise lesson for me and it will affect my decision next time when I'm choosing what food to buy. 'I think I have to be more careful or I could suffer from digestion infections or food poisoning.'' Ten days before the increasingly dramatic presidential elections, Belarus state media broke the wildest of stories. A Russian mercenary force had been caught in Minsk plotting to disrupt the vote. The 33 men, said to be from the private Russian military firm Wagner, had disguised themselves as tourists at a sanatorium, but had given themselves away by their military clothing and not drinking. Video footage broadcast on Wednesday of a dawn raid saw Belarusian KGB officers seize the soldiers and their motley collection of personal effects that included military insignia, dog tags, Arabic texts, Sudanese banknotes, SIM cards, and condoms. Jeff Bezos still doesnt have a good answer to what might be the strongest antitrust claim facing Amazon. During a marathon hearing that at times veered wildly off topic, one of the biggest admissions came from the Amazon CEO who admitted that he cant guarantee the online retailer hasnt misused data from third-party sellers on its platform. The issue is at the heart of antitrust investigations into the company on two continents. Yet Bezos offered little to counter the claims that Amazon has unfairly used the data it collects from third-party sellers to inform the products it sells under its own brands, like Amazon Basics. Merchants have long alleged that Amazon uses its vast data troves to undercut some of the most successful sellers by offering its own competing products. A Wall Street Journal report in April offered an in-depth look at this practice. The investigation found that while Amazon has policies that bar employees from looking at data from individual sellers, the rules are easy to circumvent and not always enforced. One source told the WSJ that managers sometimes would ask an Amazon business analyst to create reports featuring the information they wouldnt otherwise be able to access. Amazon's Assoc. General Counsel told me under oath that Amazon does NOT, use any specific seller data when creating its own private brand product. Reports revealed that was a lie: that they DO access data on third party sellers. So I just asked Jeff Bezos which it is. Watch: pic.twitter.com/MiR7NHI7Y8 Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) July 29, 2020 Some of these claims were backed up by at least one former Amazon employee who spoke to the antitrust subcommittee, according to Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who read a quote from the unnamed individual while questioning Bezos. Theres a rule but theres nobody enforcing or spot checking they just say dont help yourself to the data, she said. Its a candy shop, anyone can have access to anything they want. It was during Jayapals questioning that Bezos admitted that he cant guarantee you that policy has never been violated. We have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business, but I cant guarantee you that policy has never been violated, he said. We continue to look into that very carefully, Im not yet satisfied that weve gotten to the bottom of it and were going to keep looking into it. The issue has also drawn the scrutiny of European regulators, who opened an antitrust investigation into Amazon last year. Based on the Commission's preliminary fact-finding, Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace, the European Commission (EC) wrote in a statement at the time. The Wall Street Journal reported in June that the EC plans to file charges against the retailer. Amazons use of third-party seller data wasnt the only issue Bezos took heat on. He was also grilled on what the company does to stop those who sell stolen or counterfeit goods (not nearly enough, according to lawmakers). And, like Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg, Bezos was asked about one of his companys acquisitions. Lawmakers published internal documents showing Amazons aggressive strategy to undercut online retailer diapers.com no matter what the cost. Amazon eventually acquired the company in 2010. Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - The German economy suffered a record slump in the second quarter as coronavirus lockdowns took their toll, official data is set to show Thursday, but experts say a recovery is already under way. Federal statistics agency Destatis will unveil its flash estimate at 0800 GMT, with leading research institutes forecasting that gross domestic product shrank nearly 10 percent between April and June compared with the previous quarter. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier warned earlier this year that the pandemic would push Europe's top economy into "the worst recession" in its postwar history, ending a decade of growth. But it's not all bad news. Germany has withstood the coronavirus shock better than many of its neighbours. Stable infection rates encouraged the country to relax coronavirus restrictions in early May, allowing factories, shops and restaurants to reopen. Thursday's data "is a glimpse in the rearview mirror", ING bank analyst Carsten Brzeski told AFP. "The economy already began picking up in the course of the second quarter." Altmaier said he expects the German economy to return to growth in October, boosted by unprecedented government stimulus to spur investment and consumer spending, alongside huge rescue packages that have helped companies like Lufthansa stay afloat and preserve thousands of jobs. Germany's bounce-back should also get a lift from the European Union's 750-billion-euro ($883 billion) coronavirus recovery plan. Altmaier's ministry forecasts that German output will contract by 6.3 percent in 2020 before expanding by 5.2 percent in 2021. By contrast, the European Commission expects the economies of France, Italy and Spain to shrink more than 10 percent this year. - Second wave fears - Better-than-expected business and consumer confidence surveys recently suggested Germans are feeling more optimistic about the future. But concerns have grown over a spike in COVID-19 cases at home and across Europe, partly fuelled by summer travel. Story continues As an export powerhouse, Germany is highly vulnerable to virus setbacks in other countries that could lead to renewed shutdowns that once again disrupt supply chains and suppress demand. In April and May, at the height of the global lockdowns, German exports plummeted around 30 percent year-on-year. Germany's mighty industrial sector, already feeling the pain from US-China trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty, has been especially hard hit. Car manufacturing alone fell 40 percent year-on-year over the first six months of 2020, a 45-year low. ING analyst Brzeski said German exports would take time to return to pre-pandemic levels, leaving the country to rely on domestic demand to power its rebound. KfW chief economist Fritzi Koehler-Geib said the German economy had a "successful start" to the summer but it was "too early to give the all-clear". "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." ATLANTA A motorcade on Wednesday led John Lewis on one final tour of Atlanta, the city he represented in Congress for more than three decades and a place he helped establish as the spiritual home of a nonviolent movement to protest racism. But on this ultimate journey, the hearse carrying the body of the congressman and civil rights leader traversed a city that in recent weeks has been racked by turmoil. It drove down streets where scores of demonstrators have marched this summer to protest police violence, including the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man who was killed by a white police officer last month. Mr. Lewiss death on July 17 came amid a moment of unrest across America, with the nation again wrestling with its troubled racial history. And in the days since, at memorial events in Alabama and Washington, one person after the next has invoked Mr. Lewiss credo of getting into good trouble. As a young man and for the rest of his life he defined it as a moral call to rebel through nonviolent means against injustices, even if the consequences were perilous. The conversations about Mr. Lewiss legacy, with some of his colleagues calling him the conscience of Congress, have pushed many activists and others to consider how his message of nonviolent resistance has endured and evolved for a new generation carrying on the fight. Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police BRIDGEPORT A Weston man suffered life-threatening injuries after he apparently ran into traffic on Interstate 95 south Tuesday night and was hit by a vehicle, according to police. The crash was first reported around 6:15 p.m. Troop G, at the Connecticut State Police barracks in Bridgeport, got several 911 calls about a pedestrian who had been hit by a vehicle on I-95 south near Exit 29. The number of childbirths and marriages hit an all-time low in May. Korea's population has been declining for seven months now and it seems to be headed for a demographic cliff as young people refuse to procreate. According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, only 23,001 babies were born across the country in May, down another 2,359 or 9.3 percent from a year earlier. Childbirths have declined for 54 months in a row. But 24,353 people died in May, down 397 or 1.6 percent on-year and resulting in a population decrease of 1,352 people. Some 18,145 couples married, down a whopping 4,900 or 21.3 percent on-year. Kim Soo-young at Statistics Korea said, "Marriages seem to have dropped because the population of prime marrying age in their 30s is in decline and because many weddings were postponed amid the coronavirus epidemic." The remaining population is getting more restless. Some 607,000 people registered new addresses in June, up 123,000 or 25.3 percent from a year earlier and the highest number since June 2015. Gyeonggi Province topped the list with 12,668, followed by South Chungcheong Province (1,560) and North Chungcheong Province (1,094). According to the Korea Appraisal Board, 138,578 homes were sold throughout the country last month, 2.5 times more than a year earlier and the highest number since November 2006. WASHINGTON The entire Washington-based federal appeals court is stepping into the legal dispute over former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn as it weighs whether a judge can be forced to dismiss a case that the Justice Department no longer wants to pursue. The action Thursday by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacates a decision from a three-judge panel last month that ordered the case dropped. The move also prolongs the fight over Flynns fate and represents one more dramatic development in a case that has taken unexpected twists and turns over the past year and turned Flynn into something of a cause celebre for Trump and his supporters. The court set arguments for Aug. 11. It did not offer an explanation for its decision in a brief order posted online, but did say the parties should be prepared to address whether there are no other adequate means to attain the relief' desired. Sidney Powell, a lawyer for Flynn, did not immediately return an email seeking comment, but tweeted the news and wrote, WOW! A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 last month that U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan had overstepped his bounds by not immediately granting the Justice Departments request in May to dismiss the case against Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period. The panel ordered Sullivan to grant the department's motion and dismiss the case, but Sullivan asked for the dispute to be reviewed by the entire court instead of just three judges. The unusual dismissal motion by the Justice Department, in one of the signature prosecutions of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference, followed a review by a U.S. attorney who was assigned by Attorney General William Barr to scrutinize the Flynn case. That prosecutor, Jeff Jensen of Missouri, recommended that the department dismiss the case. In its motion, the department said it had determined that the FBI had insufficient grounds to question Flynn about his contacts with the diplomat, Sergey Kislyak, and that any statements Flynn made during the interview were not material to the broader counterintelligence investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. The FBI was alarmed by the December 2016 conversations in part because Flynn had encouraged Kislyak to refrain from escalating tensions over sanctions imposed by the Obama administration for Moscow's interference in the election that Trump had just won against Democrat Hillary Clinton. White House officials, meanwhile, had adamantly denied that Flynn and Kislyak had discussed sanctions. But rather than immediately dismiss the case, Sullivan appointed a retired federal judge to argue against the Justice Departments position and to consider whether Flynn could be held in criminal contempt for perjury because he had previously pleaded guilty under oath. Flynns lawyers asked the appeals court to step in and order Sullivan to grant the departments request. New Delhi: A huge fire broke out on Friday at a furniture market in Oshiwara, Mumbai. Ten fire tenders along with 10 tankers have been rushed to the spot. Huge amount of smoke was seen coming out from the furniture market. As of now cylinder blast is suspected behind the outbreak of deadly fire. The incident took place at Gulshan Nagar in Behram Baug in Oshiwara. Residents alleged that they heard noise of cylinder explosion in the area and the fire is a result of two LPG cylinders exploding in the area. The furniture market is located close to Jogeshwari area in Mumbai.A Smoke seen arising from the fire that broke out at a furniture market in Oshiwara (Mumbai); 10 fire tenders at the spot. pic.twitter.com/MarOmu7NUo For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Arrival of Chinese supertrawlers raises concern in Liberia by Lucinda Rouse July 30,2020 | Source: China Dialogue Ocean The arrival last month of six Chinese-flagged trawlers caused alarm in Monrovia, the capital of the West African nation of Liberia, over their potential to affect local fisheries and communities. The size and fishing capacity of the so-called supertrawlers is of a scale previously unknown in Liberia, with a greater level of sophistication than the current fleet of industrial vessels that target demersal fish such as snapper and grouper, species that local fishermen in wooden canoes depend on for their livelihoods. The new 50-metre-long vessels, the Hao Yan Yu 860, 861, 862, 863, 865 and 866, were built in China in 2018 and are owned by Shenzhen Hao Hang Pelagic Fishery. This private company, which appears on the licence applications, is in turn 100% owned by Shenzhen Binhai Mingzhu Industrial. Although Liberian authorities have completed a pre-licensing inspection, they have not yet licensed the new vessels, since the required permits from China to allow them to fish in Liberian waters appear to have expired on 31 March. Under the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)s Port States Measures Agreement, Liberia is forbidden from issuing licences without prior authorisation from the vessels flag state, according to Emma Metieh-Glassco, director general of Liberias National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA). Six Chinese bottom trawlers, owned by Dalian Int. Coop Pelagic Fishing Co. Ltd, are already licensed to fish in Liberian waters. Although Liberias industrial demersal fleet is significantly smaller than those of other West African countries, including neighbouring Sierra Leone, environmental and community groups are nevertheless concerned that the additional vessels will place a strain on fish populations and threaten the livelihoods of Liberias artisanal fishing communities. Compared to many of its neighbours, Liberia has been a shining example of sustainable fisheries management in the past decade. A six-nautical-mile exclusion zone for industrial vessels introduced in 2010 is designed to protect the inshore artisanal fishing industry, which supports the livelihood of some 33,000 people. The supertrawlers will compete with the artisanal fishermen, said John Adams, secretary-general of a community management association in the fishing town of Robertsport. We recovered our species 10 years ago and we need to protect our stocks. However, the government of President George Weah, who came to power in January 2018, is keen to attract new foreign investment amid a worsening economic situation which is hampering its ability to deliver on its pro-poor agenda. We are not a conservationist country, said Glassco. We are more interested in sustainable use, adding that a forthcoming policy will seek to increase the number of trawlers permitted to operate. New legislation has reduced the industrial exclusion zone from six nautical miles to four for certain vessels, such as shrimpers, as well as changing the definition of a semi-industrial vessel, which in theory permits larger boats into areas previously reserved for artisanal fleets. The change would not however permit the six newly arrived trawlers to fish within six miles of the shore. Nevertheless, Adams is concerned that the trawlers might slink into the six-nautical-mile zone at night and disturb our fishermen. Even operating outside the zone carries risks for local fishing communities. The new vessels may scoop up juvenile fish that would be needed by coastal communities, said Steve Trent, executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), which recently launched a project designed to support community management of Liberias fisheries and reduce instances of illegal fishing. Glassco stated that, once Chinese authorisation had been received, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) planned to issue a trial licence for one or two vessels for an initial two to three months for demersal trawling only to ascertain their catch rates. We are not going to license six gigantic vessels without a record of catch rates, so its not wise to give all six licences at once, she said. Data and corresponding analysis on Liberias fish populations is lacking, but an assessment completed in 2011 suggested 6,000 metric tons per year for demersal fish would be a sustainable level for industrial fishing. According to Austin Saye Wehye, director of research and statistics at NaFAA, the six existing Chinese trawlers caught between 4,000 and 5,000 metric tons of fish in 2019. Speaking to China Dialogue Ocean in May 2019, Saye Wehye said: We dont have a great knowledge of stocks so are not keen to attract additional industrial fishing. We are trying to be cautious and make sure our stocks are sustainably managed. Saye Wehye is since reported to have been suspended by NaFAA for his involvement in a questionable report that recommended the licensing of the vessels. The artisanal sector already hampered by a lack of infrastructure and cold supply chain to market suffered a further blow earlier this year when NaFAA increased licence fees for artisanal fishing vessels by up to 1,000%, prompting boats to remain in port for almost two months prior to negotiations. Liberias fisheries law mandates NaFAA to manage the sector based on the best scientific evidence available to maintain or restore stocks at levels capable of producing sustainable yield, and prohibits the licensing of fishing plans that exceed sustainable levels. If Liberia has reached its maximum sustainable yield, there is no way we will license any vessel, maintained Glassco. Licensing the new vessels would be running a major risk, said Trent. Why would anyone want to send a valuable product and food away from the country at this time? If the maximum sustainable yield is wrongly calculated, which is a probability, stocks will collapse. Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. (Newser) Michael Flynn is not out of hot water just yet. The entire Washington-based federal appeals court plans to take up the Justice Department's request to dismiss the criminal case against President Trump's former national security adviser, per the AP. The action Thursday by the full US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threatens to undo an earlier decision from a three-judge panel of that court that ordered the case dismissed. The movedeemed "very rare" by USA Todayalso prolongs the fight over Flynns fate and represents one more dramatic development in a case that has taken unexpected twists and turns over the past year and turned Flynn into something of a cause celebre for Trump and his supporters. story continues below The court set arguments for Aug. 11. It did not offer an explanation for its decision in a brief order posted online, but did say the parties should be prepared to address whether there are 'no other adequate means to attain the relief' desired." Sidney Powell, a lawyer for Flynn, did not immediately return an email seeking comment, but did tweet the news and wrote, WOW!" The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 last month that US District Judge Emmet Sullivan had overstepped his bounds by not granting the Justice Departments request in May to dismiss the case against Flynn. Flynn had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period. (Read more Michael Flynn stories.) Photo: Glacier Media BC Ferries has issued a long weekend warning that customers travelling without a booking on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale and Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay routes should expect multiple sailing waits. Booking in advance is strongly recommended to guarantee the sailing of your choice. Early morning and late evening sailings are expected to be the least busy. BC Ferries also said that much like previous summers, Thursday and Friday afternoon, as well as Saturday morning, are when most travellers are expected to be travelling. Other advice for travellers this long weekend includes a few points unique to the ongoing pandemic: Transport Canada COVID-19 screening is in effect, so its a good idea to arrive at least an hour before your sailing for both vehicle and foot passengers. Bring and wear a face covering at terminals, on board and/or if you choose to leave your vehicle. Remain in your vehicle if youre driving on board, where possible. Grab and go limited hot food and items are available on some vessels and routes; take them back to your vehicle or to an outside deck as limited seating is available in the cafeteria. Maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from passengers and crew. BC Ferries is also reminding people that it will not tolerate any abuse, including verbal abuse, towards its employees. A customer who abuses an employee will be denied service, the company said. The company takes this issue very seriously and reminds customers to continue to heed Dr. Bonnie Henrys advice to be kind, be calm and be safe. The actress Bella Thorne is leaving her bright-pink home behind. Shes listed the outrageously decorated home in Sherman Oaks, CA, for $2.55 million, the Los Angeles Times reported. The space features brightly colored murals on the walls, rainbow-hued stairs, and a rose room, covered with, yes, handcrafted roses. If youre a fan of the actress, this might be the ultimate conversation piece. The former Disney star, who is just 22, purchased the property in 2016 for $2.01 million. She lived there for a couple of years, but has since primarily used the place for photo shoots and events, according to a recent profile of the home in the Los Angeles Times. "I wanted it to feel like every time you step into another room, you are entering a complete other world," she told the Times. She also declared herself "obsessed" with roses, which explains the floral wall. There's no doubt this property is an Instagram dream. A photo posted on social media shows the actress draped in a swinging magenta pendant chair. Starting with the hot-pink exterior, the home definitely stands out. If the next owner isnt as keen on the color choices, though, that can easily be fixed with a new paint job. The Los Angeles-based company Just Right Painting, Inc., which services the area, took a look at the listing photos for us. Based on an eyeball of the home's specs, it reported that the cost for a power wash, prime, and application of two final coats of fresh paint to the exterior would run about $12,500. But that's just the exterior. If you want to cover over the interior color customizations with more neutral shades, figure on another few thousand bucks. Perhaps a buyer won't want to paintand the marketing for the home has leaned into the look. The listing description notes that inside the gated abode, potential buyers will find a unique and re-interpreted contemporary traditional. A mild understatement! The 4,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom house has been redone to the hilt to fit Thorne's precise tastes. Bella Thorne's hot-pink house realtor.com What an entrance! Wall mural, rainbow stairs, and bright colors everywhere. realtor.com Rose room with swing chair and pink walls realtor.com Living room with fireplace realtor.com Kitchen with marble counters and multicolored cabinets realtor.com Family room with pocket doors that open to the outside realtor.com Master bedroom realtor.com Bathroom covered in ivy and flowers realtor.com Cavernous closet realtor.com From the foyer, you can't miss the wild murals that span the two-story entry, rainbow-painted stairs, and brightly colored doors, which have a certain Skittles vibe. A blue-green dining room features a fireplace, and the family room opens out, with pocket doors, to a covered barbecue, pool, and hot tub in a small but private backyard. The kitchen features a marble-top island, built-in espresso machine, stainless-steel appliances, a pot filler, and multicolored cabinets. The home also includes a butlers pantry, wine cellar, and an office. The main bedroom features sliding glass doors, high ceilings, more murals, and a fireplace. The marble bathroom is covered with flowers and ivyanother project waiting for the new owner. Meanwhile, the cavernous closet includes a floral print ceiling, accented with fluffy red surfaces, and needs to be seen in person. It's massive, to say the least, the listing states. The property also includes a two-car garage, smart home systems, and surround sound. Thorne rose to prominence as a teenage star in the Disney show Shake It Up" in 2010. She has kept busy on a variety of television, music, and film projects ever since. Brandon Melgar with Segovia Real Estate Group holds the listing. The post Bella Thorne's Home Will Cost You $2.55MPlus a Pretty Penny for a New Paint Job appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. OC Board of Education To Sue Newsom Over California School Closures The Orange County Board of Education (OCBE) agreed in a closed session on July 28 to file a lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Public Health Officer, seeking an order to overturn their decision to restrict in-person learning in state schools for the fall. Attorney Robert Tyler told The Epoch Times in an email that the board plans to officially file the suit next week. His law firm, Tyler & Bursch, said they will represent the board at no taxpayer cost. The lawsuit will argue that low-income and minority families face unfair burdens due to the restrictions, and that the state Constitution guarantees all school children have the right to equal opportunity for learning. Newsom issued an order on July 17 to mandate remote learning for counties on the states official watch list for high rates of COVID-19. Counties can reopen their schools only if they remain off the list for 14 consecutive days, by sustaining appropriate infection rates below the states thresholds. While wealthy families generally have the technology, equipment, high-speed internet and the ability to begin the school year with an entirely virtual distant learning model, many lower income families without the same tools and education will suffer greatly if the schools remain closed, Tyler said in the email. Tyler said the order does not make certain that children born to immigrant parentswho dont know how to read or write Englishare being offered adequate instruction and supervision. When Newsom issued the mandate, 32 countiesincluding Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orangewere on the watch list. Our students, our teachers, staff, and certainly parents, we all prefer in-classroom instruction for all the obvious reasonssocial and emotional, foundationallybut only if it can be done safely, Newsom said at the time. Attorney Jennifer Bursch, also representing the board, said children in California have a constitutional right to equal opportunity in education. The governor denied them these rights and did so without adequately considering the disparate impact these restrictions would have on the disadvantaged, Bursch said. The governors ban on in-person learning will cause tens of thousands of kids to fall through the cracks and, in many cases, [they] will be harmed for life. The announced lawsuit comes after the OCBE voted 4-1 on July 13 to recommend reopening county schools without requiring students and staff to follow the states safety guidelines, including mask wearing and social distancing. The OCBE emphasized the importance of in-person instruction, calling remote learning an utter failure. The boards recommendations are not binding on the countys 28 school districts, which independently create their own rules and guidelines for return. Orange County Superintendent Dr. Al Mijares said in a July 29 statement he was disappointed but not surprised by the legal action. Remember that locally elected school boards and superintendents will continue to approve and implement their own plans based on the guidance of state and local public health agencies and the needs of their communities. The Orange County Department of Education is working to support them every step of the way, and I am optimistic that we can unite as a county to return our students to safe and equitable learning environments, Mijares said. City News Service contributed to this report. Compounds tested for their potential as antibiotics have demonstrated promising activity against one of the deadliest infectious diseases - tuberculosis (TB). Researchers from the John Innes Centre evaluated two compounds with antibacterial properties, which had been produced by the company Redx Pharma as antibiotic candidates, particularly against TB. TB, which is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is often thought of as a disease of the past. But in recent years it has been increasing due, in part, to rising resistance to treatments and decreasing efficacy of vaccines. One strategy in the search for new treatments is to find compounds that exploit well-known existing targets for drugs such as the bacterial enzyme DNA gyrase. This member of the DNA topoisomerase family of enzymes is required for bacterial DNA functionality, so compounds that inhibit its activity are much sought after as antibiotic candidates. Using X-ray crystallography, the team elucidated the molecular details of the action of the compounds against their target. Surprisingly, a very common mutation in DNA gyrase that causes bacteria to be resistant to a related group of antibiotics, the aminocoumarins, did not lead to resistance to the compounds under scrutiny here. "We hope that companies and academic groups working to develop new antibiotics will find this study useful. It opens the way for further synthesis and investigation of compounds that interact with this target," says Professor Tony Maxwell one of the authors of the study which appears in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. To date, efforts to develop new treatments for TB have been unsuccessful, with current treatments having been used for over 50 years. World Health Organisation (WHO) figures reveal that each day over 4000 people die from TB and 300,000 people fall ill from the disease. Nearly 500,000 people fell ill with drug-resistant TB in 2018. Professor Maxwell says: "Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is now well-recognised as one of the biggest problems facing us in the in the 21st Century. If we don't find solutions to it soon, we could be looking at epidemics of bacterial disease going forward. People know about the bubonic plague and other such terrible pestilence through studying history but it's not overstating the case that bacterial diseases of this sort could reemerge if we do not have effective antibiotics. We must find a way of bringing together expertise from the academic and business sector towards decisive action." ### The study appears in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Funding for the study came from BBSRC, Wellcome Trust, Redx Pharma. About the John Innes Centre The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology. Our mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, to apply our knowledge of nature's diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health, and wellbeing, and engage with policy makers and the public. To achieve these goals we establish pioneering long-term research objectives in plant and microbial science, with a focus on genetics. These objectives include promoting the translation of research through partnerships to develop improved crops and to make new products from microbes and plants for human health and other applications. We also create new approaches, technologies and resources that enable research advances and help industry to make new products. The knowledge, resources and trained researchers we generate help global societies address important challenges including providing sufficient and affordable food, making new products for human health and industrial applications, and developing sustainable bio-based manufacturing. This provides a fertile environment for training the next generation of plant and microbial scientists, many of whom go on to careers in industry and academia, around the world. The John Innes Centre is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and is supported by the John Innes Foundation through provision of research accommodation, capital funding and long-term support of the Rotation PhD programme. For more information about the John Innes Centre visit our website http://www.jic.ac.uk About BBSRC The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. Funded by government, BBSRC invested 498 million in world-class bioscience in 2017-18. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. More information about UK Research and Innovation. More information about BBSRC, our science and our impact. More information abou ?BBSRC strategically funded institutes. The hugely popular Galaxy M-series just got its newest member - say hello to the M31s. It brings a 6.5-inch Infinity-O sAMOLED panel - a first for the M-series as well as 25W charging support (with the required charger in the box) to top up the massive 6,000 mAh battery. The phone also carries a Gradient design with black and blue shades and features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Around the back, we find the 64-megapixel primary Sony IMX682 shooter alongside a 12MP ultrawide snapper and two 5MP modules - one for macro shots and another for depth data. Samsung has also brought over its Single Take mode which captures up to 10 photos and videos with one press of the shutter button. The selfie camera comes in at 32MP just like on the Galaxy M31. The M31s also runs on the Exynos 9611 chipset and comes with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. The 6,000 mAh battery inside can power other gadgets thanks to the reverse charging support which effectively turns the M31s into a power bank. On the software side, we have OneUI core 2.1 on top of Android 10. The Galaxy M31s goes on sale starting August 6. The6/128GB trim will retail for INR 20,499 ($273) while the 8/128GB model will go for INR 22,499($300). New Delhi, July 30 : Lt Governor Anil Baijal has reversed the Delhi cabinet's decision to reject the Delhi Police's panel of lawyers for the riots cases in the High Court and the Supreme Court, the city government said on Thursday. "The decision of the Delhi government's cabinet on Tuesday to appoint a panel of lawyers in the Supreme Court and High Court for the Delhi riots has been rejected by Lt. Governor Anil Baijal. The Lt Governor did this by using exclusive authority from the Constitution. Also, the Home Department of the Government of Delhi has been ordered to approve the panel of Delhi Police," a government statement said. The Delhi cabinet was of the view that the investigation of Delhi Police in connection with the riots was not considered fair by the court, and, in such a situation, a fair trial of the case is not possible with the approval of the police's panel. The statement said that the Lt Governor rejected the cabinet decision, by exercising the authority found under the Constitution's Article 239 (AA) (4). "At the same time, under the authority obtained from this article, the Delhi government has issued an interim order to approve the panel of Delhi Police," it added. At Tuesday's meeting, the cabinet rejected the Delhi Police's proposal, and the suggestion of the Lt Governor, on the panel of lawyers, the statement said, adding that the cabinet believed that the fundamental principle of criminal justice is that investigation should be completely independent of prosecution. "The Delhi Police has been the investigating agency of the Delhi riots in such a way that the approval of their panel of lawyers can raise questions on fairness," it said. The Lt Governor's office has not yet reacted to the statement. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Azerbaijan exported 881,580,000 standard cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey in May 2020, accounting for 33.05 percent of the countrys total gas imports, Trend reports citing Turkeys Energy Markets Regulatory Authority (EPDK). The countrys gas exports to Turkey rose by 14.51 percent year-on-year. Turkey imported 769,900,000 standard cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan in May 2019, which accounted for 28.72 percent of its total gas imports. Azerbaijan is followed by Qatar with 520,200,000 standard cubic meters of natural gas and Russia with 339,950,000 standard cubic meters. In total, Turkey imported more than 2.667 billion standard cubic meters of natural gas in May 2020, as compared to 2.681 billion standard cubic meters in the same period of 2019, or 0.51 percent down year-on-year. Turkey imports gas from Azerbaijan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Gas Pipeline. In accordance with the contract, Turkey annually buys from Azerbaijan 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas produced at the Shah Deniz field. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:10:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Thursday reported 626 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 66,529 and the death toll to 445, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Currently, 8,754 patients are receiving treatment, including 134 in ICU, the statement added. The ministry also announced the recovery of 863 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 57,330. Kuwait started on July 28 the third phase plan of restoring normal life. During the third phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed. 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 A propaganda poster on preventing the spread of Covid-19 is seen on a wall as a man smokes a cigarette along a street in Hanoi on April 29, 2020. Manan Vatsyayana | AFP | Getty Images Vietnam, once praised for its success in containing the coronavirus outbreak, is now battling a resurgence in cases and has warned that the disease could spread wider across the country. The Southeast Asian country which shares a border with China, where the virus first emerged had not recorded any locally transmitted cases for more than three months before a 57-year-old resident of the central city of coastal Danang was tested positive for the coronavirus disease on Saturday, said the Vietnamese government. The patient had no travel history domestically or internationally over the past month, the government said. But Reuters reported that tens of thousands of domestic tourists have been on vacation in the coastal city. Authorities are preparing to evacuate the roughly 80,000 tourists in Danang. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc warned on Wednesday that every province and city in the country is at risk of more infections, reported Reuters, citing state broadcaster Vietnam Television. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards To be clear, the 450 total confirmed cases reported in Vietnam as of Wednesday remain relatively small for a nation with a population of around 97 million. The country also has not recorded any deaths relating to the coronavirus. But the renewed outbreak in Vietnam underscores the difficulties governments face in containing the fast-spreading disease. That's the case even for a country that was internationally hailed as a potential model for other developing countries in managing the coronavirus outbreak. The Vietnamese government's online newspaper VGP said on Monday that preliminary epidemiological investigations showed some of the new cases detected in Danang were linked to three hospitals in the city. Genome analysis also revealed that "this is a new type of Covid-19, which is more infectious," said Acting Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long. Authorities have tightened containment measures in Danang, such as stepping up contact tracing, limiting crowd sizes and halting non-essential services. Flights to and from the city have also been temporarily suspended. On Wednesday, Vietnam reported new cases in its two biggest cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City which were attributed to people who visited Danang in the last few weeks. Reuters, citing city authorities, reported that around 18,000 people who visited Danang returned to Ho Chi Minh City and another 21,000 went home to Hanoi. Authorities in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, said Thursday they will conduct mass testing of the 21,000 residents who recently returned from Danang, reported Reuters. The city also ordered bars to be shut and banned large gathering, according to the report. Resurgence in Asia Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday brought down the rate of value added tax (VAT) on diesel from 30% to 16.75% in the national capital at one go, a move which, he said, is likely to reduce the current price of the fuel in the city by Rs 8.36 per litre. Together, we have to revive the economy after the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Currently, diesel is quite expensive in Delhi. It costs around Rs 82 per litre. The Delhi cabinet on Thursday has decided to reduce the VAT rate on diesel from 30% to 16.75%. This will reduce diesel rate by Rs 8.36 per litre. This move is likely to help revive Delhis economy, said the CM during a virtual press briefing on Thursday.. On May 4, the Delhi government had increased VAT on both petrol and diesel to 30% from 27% and 16.75%, respectively. The move was aimed at increasing Delhis revenue, which had dipped by 90% in April because of the Covid-19-induced nationwide lockdown restrictions, which were enforced from March 25. This is one of the several measures to revive Delhis economy. Earlier this week, we had launched a portal to connect job-seekers with potential employers and the kind of response we have received is overwhelming, said Kejriwal. The CM said over 200,000 job vacancies have been posted in the portal and listed that 7,577 employers and 322,865 job-seekers were registered until Thursday morning. In the coming days, I shall connect with several industry groups, representatives and experts via video-conference to discuss more ways to revive Delhis economy, he added. Kejriwal stressed that the public should not be complacent in their fight against Covid-19 at this juncture and should comply with social distancing norms, wear masks and maintain hygiene. Our government For the framers of the Constitution really got it wrong. They said majority rules, but I guess minority rules. The first thing a country needs is Law and Order since we dont have Law and Order. This is no longer a country. In a decade or two will be satellites of communist China and the Soviet Union no doubt about it. A reader Thats nonsense. You know who the actual majority is in this country? People who didnt vote. About 138 Million Americans participated in the 2016 election. Thats about 43% of the U.S. population. Of them, almost 63 million voted for the current President, almost 66 million voted for his opponent. That leaves roughly 112 million people of voting age in this country who didnt vote at all. So the party in power right now was voted in by just 25% of the voting age people in this country. This hyperbolic nonsense about us being no longer a country is literally crazy talk. Because the party in power has to hear protesters complaints about how things are run? You understand that the constitution designed a system of majority rule, but enshrined protections for those not currently in power, include right to protest and voice dissent. Also, your law and order president has us closer to Russia now than any president has before, so maybe adjust your propaganda accordingly. Ed Note Hamilton Republicans I see the local Republicans chose Ileana Schirmer as their party chair. All I had to read is she supported David Henderson in the last primary to know I can never support the GOP again if this is the type of candidate they endorse; and BTW, the reader who called you about Lisa Richford was dead wrong: the Trentonian hardly protected her if anything, I feel you didnt go hard enough on her and Henderson, that racist idiot. A reader We did cover the racist things Henderson posted on Facebook and we wrote a story about his response to that, and gave his opponent a chance to call him out on both. Weve also mentioned his online behaviors many times since then. Ed Note The logos of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are seen in a combination photo from Reuters files. (Reuters) Pompeo Calls Out Tech CEOs for Incredulous Ignorance of Chinese IP Theft Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called out big tech CEOs for claiming to U.S. lawmakers that they have no firsthand knowledge of technology theft from China, adding that such ignorance would seem incredulous. They need to get out more, he said at a Senate committee hearing on July 30, adding that such Chinese threats have gone on for decades. The idea that anyone in the tech space could not know of what the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to steal and the cyberattacks theyre making seems incredulous to me. Its patently clear to anyone whos watching that the Chinese are engaged in intense efforts of intellectual property theft, including to technology, he said later at the hearing. During a July 29 House antitrust hearing, the chief executives of four of the worlds top tech giants, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, gave a muted response when questioned by lawmakers on whether they believed Beijing was stealing U.S. technology. I dont know of specific cases where we have been stolen from by the government, Apples Tim Cook said. I know of no case [of] ours where it occurred, which is, I can only speak to firsthand knowledge. Witnesses Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Apple CEO Tim Cook are sworn-in before a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on Online Platforms and Market Power, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, on July 29, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters) Sundar Pichai, head of both Google and its parent company, Alphabet, similarly said he had no firsthand knowledge of any information stolen from Google in this regard, but later recalled a large-scale Chinese cyberattack in December 2009, weeks before the company pulled out from the Chinese market. Jeff Bezos of Amazon, the wealthiest person in the world, said he hasnt seen it personally, but heard many reports of it. Certainly there are knock-off products, if thats what you mean, and there are counterfeit products and all of that, he said when pressed by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.). But if the answer is the Chinese government stealing technology, he said, thats the thing Ive read reports of and but dont have personal experience with. Mark Zuckerberg was the only one out of the four to directly address the issue. I think its well documented that the Chinese government steals technology from U.S. companies, the Facebook CEO said. In an earlier part of the hearing, two lawmakers also asked Google why it chose to drop a $10 billion contract with the Pentagon to work on an artificial intelligence (AI) project in 2018, while still running an AI research lab at a top Chinese university in Beijing. The university also conducts AI research for the Chinese military. Pichai, in response, said that Googles work in China is limited to a handful of people working on open-source projects. Pichai said the accusation that Google was working with the Chinese military is absolutely false, and pointed out that Google began a cybersecurity project with the Pentagon in May. The CEOs were silent when Steube asked for recommendations on how to protect U.S. firms from aggression and government intervention abroad. After waiting for 15 seconds and hearing no reply, Steube gave the floor to another lawmaker. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) speaks during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power in the Rayburn House office Building, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 29, 2020. (Graeme Jennings-Pool/Getty Images) China, the worlds second-largest economy, is a key manufacturing base for Apples iPhones. Amazon, however, gave up its local marketplace in China in April 2019 after struggling for years to compete with local e-commerce platforms. And while the country remains the worlds top social media market, mainland Chinese users are unable to access Facebook and its properties, WhatsApp and Instagram, from behind the Great Firewall without special software. At the July 30 hearing, Pompeo noted that Beijing could take advantage of international firms desire to enter the Chinese market to censor American speech. Its sometimes the caseyou hear it privatelybecause theres continued threats made against their businesses that are operating not only in China, but working in other parts of Asia and Southeast Asia as well, he said. The Chinese Communist Party is completely willing to bully and to threaten to get these companies to behave. Apple has come under fire for removing thousands of apps from its Chinese App Store upon the Chinese regimes requests. In a recent case in October 2019, it pulled a crowd-sourced app that offered real-time updates about the Hong Kong protest movement. Around the same time, the company also came under criticism for sending iPhone and iPad users web browsing data to Shenzhen-based social media giant Tencent. Gary Bauer, commissioner at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, previously urged U.S. companies against supplying technologies to the Chinese regime and potentially contributing to its human rights abuses. Tech companies need to remember that they are American tech companies. And they should be sensitive to the values that we stand for, he said in a recent interview. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday attended his first public event since recovering from COVID-19, though he declined to speak. Brazil's president is typically last to address at the presidential palace, but Bolsonaro only watched the event recognizing women who work in rural areas around Latin America and left the room once it ended. He wore a mask throughout the event. Bolsonaro consistently downplayed the coronavirus' severity during the pandemic, and he often joined supporters and took outings from the presidential residence, sometimes without a mask. On July 7, he told reporters he had tested positive for COVID-19, then spent more than two weeks confined to the presidential residence while participating in meetings by video call. On Saturday, he announced he had tested negative and left his home, rode a motorcycle around Brasilia and took photos with some well-wishers. Bolsonaro said he experienced only minor symptoms during his convalescence and took to social media to promote the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment. On the final days before announcing his recovery, Bolsonaro began participating in the daily flag-lowering ceremony in front of the residence. He remained separated by a reflecting pool from the few dozen supporters who attended. A former Bergen County woman convicted of murdering her husband and dumping his dismembered body in the Passaic River in 1996 has been released from federal prison, authorities said. Rita Gluzman, 72, formerly of Upper Saddle River, was released Tuesday from the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, prison records show. She had been convicted in the murder of her estranged husband, Yakov Gluzman, who had filed for divorce and was living in an apartment in New York. Gluzman recently suffered multiple strokes, has early Parkinsons disease and trouble walking and moving around. A judge granted her a compassionate release, reported TV station WFAA. WFAA reported Gluzman is staying at a Sheraton hotel in New Jersey and plans to move into a home in Hackensack. Gluzman was arrested several days after the April 6, 1996, killing of Yakov Gluzman, who had been attacked with a hammer and an ax in his Westchester, New York, home. After a 16-day federal trial in White Plains, she was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, reported lohud.com. Accused of crossing state lines to commit the domestic-violence murder, Gluzman became the first woman charged under the federal 1994 Violence Against Women Act. Also convicted in the crime was Vladmir Zelenin, a distant relative whom later said Rita Gluzman blackmailed him into participating. Zelenin was released from prison in 2015, according to lohud.com. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As if to symbolize U.S. decline, a giant of American industry is being overtaken by foreign rivals. Intel Corp., the company that once marked U.S. dominance of the semiconductor industry, has announced that the introduction of its new flagship series of computer chips, 7nm CPUs, will be a year behind schedule. This is after its previous generation of chips, 10nm CPUs, took much longer than expected. Intel, unlike many semiconductor companies, designs and fabricates its own chips. On the design front, its being overtaken by domestic rivals and U.K.-based ARM Ltd., which recently snatched Apple Inc.s business away from Intel. On the fabrication side, Intel is losing ground to Taiwans TSMC, which specializes in manufacturing chips for other companies and which has had little trouble making its own new generations of chips on time. TSMC now has a higher market value of the two companies: Intels failures probably come as a result of various factors that are specific to the company itself. Some observers say that by insisting on vertical integration, Intel missed out on the opportunity to learn from the innovations generated by other companies (its now working on switching to a less integrated model). Its focus on its existing high-end markets caused it to stumble in newer markets for cheaper chips -- a classic case of the so-called innovators dilemma. It also made some bad decisions about fabrication technologies, and it suffered from various personnel issues at the top. Some, however, will probably see Intels stumbles as a sign that the U.S. isnt doing enough to back the semiconductor industry. That will intensify calls for the government to step in and support the ailing giant. Already, lawmakers are considering a $25 billion subsidy program for chip manufacturers, ostensibly to compete with China, which heavily underwrites its own companies. Intel, already one of the biggest recipients of government subsides, and whose chief executive officer has lobbied for the new bill, would undoubtedly reap a significant portion of the windfall. Story continues Indeed, there are some good reasons for the U.S. government to boost the chip industry. National defense is one. Computer chips are essential to modern warfare, and its too risky to let China have a stranglehold on high-level control circuitry. Taiwan is a de facto U.S. ally, but if it gets blockaded in a conflict with China, the U.S. could be cut off from TSMCs factories and lose access to critical chip supplies at the worst possible moment. Industrial clustering is a second reason to want a domestic semiconductor industry. Chipmakers, like all high-tech companies, employ lots of skilled workers; having those workers in the U.S. creates a deep pool of talent and ideas that other companies located nearby can take advantage of, encouraging other tech industries to locate in the country as well. But there are more efficient ways to accomplish those goals than to throw money at one big, dominant company. Intel has been spending tens of billions of dollars on stock buybacks in recent years, halting only recently during the coronavirus pandemic. Buybacks, like dividends, are a way of returning cash to investors; basic corporate finance theory says that companies do this when they have more cash than they know how to invest productively. Thus, throwing government money at an existing champion such as Intel is likely to fatten shareholders pockets wallets rather than galvanize a wave of world-beating new investments. Instead, the government can pursue semiconductor dominance in more effective ways. The first is to encourage TSMC to put chip plants in the U.S., reducing the risk of Taiwan being isolated in a conflict. This already is beginning, and the Taiwanese chipmaker is planning a $12 billion facility in Arizona. Second, the U.S. can help encourage new chip manufacturers to get better at competing with Intel. An analogy is the auto industry, where the most cutting-edge innovation in recent years has come not from established -- and heavily subsidized -- giants such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors, but from upstart innovator Tesla Inc., a beneficiary of tax breaks for clean-energy vehicles and which is now worth more than both older companies combined. In addition to encouraging innovation, new companies provide diversification, so that an industry doesnt pin all its hopes in one or two big established players. And adding more companies fosters healthy competition as well. The U.S. needs more dynamic new companies of the Tesla variety. But as Andy Grove, one of Intels founders, warned in 2010, it can be difficult for smaller U.S. companies to scale up to compete with giant foreign rivals; its difficult for modern upstarts to do what Intel managed to do. Although capital is cheap on paper, the U.S. financial system isnt set up to dish out the large sums of cheap money that young manufacturing companies need to scale up to Intel-like size; even Tesla has skirted the edge of bankruptcy multiple times. GlobalFoundries, a U.S. company whose business model is similar to that of TSMC, has been unable to bear the research and development costs necessary to stay at the leading edge. This could be addressed with a version of Groves suggestion for a government-led scaling bank, which would provide cheap financing for young companies to grow and reach the technological frontier. Instead of unconditional cash subsidies, these loans would be contingent on investment and growth. And they would be temporary in nature; whether a company succeeded in becoming a new high-tech giant, its access to the spigot of cheap financing would be finite. Industrial policy is sometimes necessary, but its a tricky thing to get right. By helping upstart high-tech manufacturing companies scale up, the U.S. might be able to support strategic industries while retaining the benefits of market competition. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Noah Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was an assistant professor of finance at Stony Brook University, and he blogs at Noahpinion. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Thousands of people stranded in Manila because of the COVID-19 pandemic await processing at the Rizal Memorial Stadium so they can be transported to their home provinces, July 25, 2020. A spokesman for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday thanked China for agreeing to give Manila access once it develops a vaccine for COVID-19, saying that it pays to be friendly despite territorial disputes. Spokesman Harry Roque said the government also hoped that other friends including the United States and European nations would share their knowledge if they find a vaccine. We thank the government of China for publicly saying that the Philippines, a close friend, would benefit from a vaccine they are developing, Roque said in a virtual news conference. These are fruits of an independent foreign policy, where we are friends to all and enemies to none. Roques statement came on the day that the health department reported the single-largest daily tally of 3,954 infections, bringing the total to 89,374. In addition, 23 people were killed, bringing the death toll to 1,983. The Philippines has recorded more infections than China, where the coronavirus originated and more than 84,000 have been infected. Indonesia tops the region with more than 106,000 cases. Worldwide, more than 17 million have been infected by COVID-19 and nearly 668,000 have died, according to disease experts at the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. In comments Wednesday saying China would give priority to Manilas vaccine request, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was responding to an appeal uttered Monday by Duterte during his State of the Nation Address to Congress. I made a plea to Chinese President Xi Jinping that if they have the vaccine, can they allow us to be one of the first? Or if it is needed, if we have to buy it, that we will be granted credit so that we will normalize as fast as possible," Duterte said. In the same speech, Duterte said he was powerless to enforce his countrys ownership of territories in the South China Sea that have been claimed or taken over by China. 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, the president said. Researchers around the world are racing to develop vaccines against the coronavirus, and 27 of the candidates have advanced to human trials, where they are tested on thousands of people to see if they work, according to the The New York Times, a leading U.S. newspaper. For its part, the U.S. has provided more than $19 million in COVID-19 assistance to the Philippines, the State Department said Wednesday in a summary of its global efforts to fight the pandemic. The funding includes about $6.5 million to upgrade laboratories and specimen-transport systems, and to prevent and control infectious diseases in health facilities, among other things; and $6.8 million to help communities prepare for and respond to COVID-19, the statement said. Richel V. Umel in Iligan City, Philippines, contributed to this report. While the temple town of Ayodhya is gearing up for the grand foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Ram Temple, seven devotees from Bengaluru are preparing to embark on a journey to go witness the event. Even as the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, on Saturday, issued an appeal to all devotees to watch the live telecast of the ceremony while lighting a diya at home, this group says that it is an event of a lifetime and the pandemic can't dampen their spirits. "We know it is a time when coronavirus is rampant, but we will maintain social distancing rules and go by the guidelines. We will be offering a pooja here in Bengaluru on August 3 and then head to the airport to board the Lucknow-bound flight," said Sashikanth Sharma, a member of the Vishwa Hindu Parisad (VHP). The group will also set up a 'bhavya bhandaar' (open kitchen) at the Hanuman Killa Mandir in Ayodhya on August 5. Through this initiative, they hope to provide free food to all devotees who will come to witness the event. "On the day of the ceremony, we will be serving food to all, even if there are 50,000 devotees we will serve them food from morning to evening," Sharma added. Among those travelling is also Manjunath, a devotee who had earlier travelled to Ayodhya by foot carrying bricks from Bengaluru during the dispute days. Although, the group will not be travelling by foot this time around, they hope to take a little soil from the Ram temple in Bengaluru as an offering. The group plans to return to Bengaluru by August 8 with a handful of holy soil from the Ram Mandir site, which it will later distribute among the Ram temples in the city. LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP and Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman LLP announce entry and final approval of a class action settlement concerning AutoZone's Rewards program. Under the settlement, AutoZone will reinstate and/or issue more than $48.9 million in AutoZone Rewards to approximately 4.8 million customers who were members of AutoZone's Rewards program in California before AutoZone's National Plan Conversion, which took place over late 2014 and early 2015. The class action lawsuit, filed in August of 2016 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged that AutoZone improperly changed the terms of its Rewards program to cause program members to lose both Rewards and Credits which could be used to earn Rewards. The Court approved the settlement and entered final judgment on July 29, 2020. "We are very proud of this result," said Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP partner Seth Yohalem, who served as lead class counsel. "Under the settlement, every class member who lost a Reward will receive a Reward of equal value. Every class member who lost a Credit will receive a Reward which can be used immediately without making additional purchases." "It is a great result for the class of California consumers we have had the honor to serve," echoed Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman LLP's litigation chair Todd Bonder. AutoZone must reinstate or issue the Rewards by August 29, 2020. The Rewards will be valid for 12 months after they are reinstated/issued. Subject to a small number of exceptions, the Rewards that AutoZone must reinstate and/or issue can be used in place of cash at AutoZone, including to purchase a wide variety of items priced at equal or lesser value without any obligation to pay money out of pocket. Class members will be able to use their Rewards either in person or online. Members of the public can see if they are part of the class and what they will receive from the settlement by visiting the settlement website, https://www.azrewardslitigation.com/, and entering either their AutoZone Rewards account number or the telephone number they used to create the account. The settlement website contains additional information about the case. The case is Hughes et al. v. AutoZone Parts, Inc. et al., Case No. BC 631080. Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP is a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman LLP is a law firm based in Beverly Hills, California. Contact: Seth Yohalem Partner / Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP Tel: 312-278-3153 [email protected] SOURCE Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP Herman Cain, a 2012 United States Republican presidential candidate and conservative Black voice in American politics, has died after contracting COVID-19, according to a statement on his website and Facebook page. Cain was diagnosed with the disease in late June after attending a Tulsa, Oklahoma, political rally for President Donald Trump, an event where many attendees crowded close together without wearing face masks. Were heartbroken, and the world is poorer: Herman Cain has gone to be with the Lord, a statement on his website said. Cain had been admitted to an Atlanta-area hospital on July 1 after attending the Tulsa rally 11 days earlier without wearing a mask. Trump Tulsa Rally I was there! The atmosphere was exciting and inspiring! Cain wrote on Twitter after the June 20 rally. He tweeted a photograph of himself without a mask at the rally surrounded by fellow Black Trump supporters also not wearing masks. Cain did not meet Trump in Tulsa. Cain was informed on June 29 that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Within two days, he developed symptoms serious enough to require hospitalisation. At 74, he was part of the age group most at risk for severe COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle, his website editor Dan Calabrese said in the statement on Thursday. Cain posted support on Twitter for not mandating masks at a July 4 event Trump attended at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP! he tweeted. Health experts agree that mask-wearing can significantly cut down on the spread of the virus that has killed more than 150,000 Americans. By Express News Service BENGALURU, BELAGAVI: Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and other senior BJP leaders on Wednesday rubbished speculation over change of leadership in the State. Savadis visit to New Delhi after his meeting with Governor Vajubhai Vala, and skipping the first anniversary celebrations of the BJP government in Karnataka, had raised many eyebrows in political circles. There is no discussion about leadership change and B S Yediyurappa will continue to be the Chief Minister. My visit to Delhi had nothing to do with politics as I was there to meet Union ministers for transport department work, Savadi, who is also Transport Minister, told TNIE on Wednesday. Terming as sheer coincidence his Delhi visit on the day the government celebrated its first anniversary, and meeting the Governor a day before taking off to Delhi, the Deputy CM said that Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javadekar had given him an appointment on Monday and he had informed the Chief Minister about it on Thursday. My meeting with the Governor was a courtesy call after his heart operation. I had sought an appointment earlier, but it was delayed as he was not meeting anyone for a few days, Savadi said. On his meeting party president JP Nadda in New Delhi, the DyCM clarified that he had gone to greet him as the party had completed one year of governance in Karnataka, and there was no discussion about cabinet expansion or any other issue. Union minister Joshi, too, termed the speculation over leadership change as rumours. Yediyurappa is doing a wonderful job and giving able administration. He will complete his term as CM. I dont know how the rumours spread, it could be by the media, he said. The senior BJP leader said he was very happy working under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is an opportunity and I am grateful, he said, and rubbished reports about his meeting party MLAs in Karnataka. Sources said that after Savadi, Women and Child Welfare Minister Shashikala Jolle, too, had gone to meet party leaders in New Delhi as the party may replace some ministers, mostly from North Karnataka districts, during the cabinet reshuffle. At least two of the recently nominated MLCs are expected to make it to the cabinet, sources said, adding that MLC Bharati Shetty, who has worked for several years for the party, could replace Jolle, and disgruntled Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti is also likely to get a look-in. Jolle was in Delhi along with her husband Annasaheb Jolle, BJP MP from Chikkodi constituency, apparently to meet senior leaders to retain her post. Meanwhile, commenting on Savadis visit to Delhi, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi is reported to have said in Belagavi, Let Savadi become chief minister if the top position is in his fate. The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Study reveals where first cases of COVID-19 outside China may have originated based on case travel histories Of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in each affected country outside mainland China, almost two thirds had travel links to Italy, China, or Iran. Study suggests 1 in 4 of these first cases originated in Italy, and 1 in 5 in China. Many small clusters of household transmission were reported among early cases, but clusters in occupational and community settings tended to be larger--supporting the role of physical distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country--with almost two-thirds of these first cases linked to travel to Italy (27%), China (22%), or Iran (11%), according to new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. "Our findings suggest that travel from just a few countries with substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission may have seeded additional outbreaks around the world before the characterisation of COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020", says Dr Fatimah Dawood from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, who co-led the research. The study is the first of its kind to use publicly available global case data to describe travel exposure and case cluster characteristics among early COVID-19 cases in different countries. However, the authors caution that given almost all cases in the analysis were reported in middle-income and high-income countries from Asia and Europe (due to late detection in other regions), they were unable to draw a complete picture of COVID-19's early global epidemiology. In this study, researchers examined publicly available online reports from national ministries of health and other government agency websites, social media feeds, and press releases on a daily basis to identify newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported between Dec 31, 2019, and March 10, 2020 (ie, during the prepandemic period, corresponding to weeks 1-11 of the outbreak). Countries with at least one case were classified as affected. Early cases were defined as the first 100 cases reported in each country, and later cases as those after the first 100 cases. The researchers analysed travel history for the first case reported in each country outside mainland China, case characteristics (eg, age, sex, exposure), and cluster frequencies and sizes. During the first 11 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak, 32,459 COVID-19 cases were identified from 99 countries and locations outside mainland China (figure 1). The analysis found that travel history of the first reported case in each affected country varied by world region (figure 3 and infographic). Travel to Italy was linked with half (3/6 cases) of the first-reported cases in Africa, and over a third (36%, 16/45) in Europe and the Americas (38%, 5/13). Travel to mainland China accounted for 83% (10/12) of the first-reported cases in the Western Pacific and over half (57%, 4/7) in Southeast Asia. Seven (44%) first-reported cases in the Eastern Mediterranean region had a history of travel to Iran. Among 1,200 cases from 68 countries with age or sex information available [2], 874 (73%) were early cases, with an average age of 51 years. Just 3% of cases (25/762 with age information available) occurred in children younger than 18 years. In total, 2% (21/1,200) of early cases occurred in health-care workers. During the prepandemic period, 101 clusters involving 386 cases were identified in 29 countries (table 3). Household transmission was reported in three-quarters (76/101) of clusters, with an average of 2.6 cases in each cluster. By contrast, the 11 clusters related to community gatherings (ie, tour groups, faith-based groups, and dinner parties; average 14.2 cases per cluster), and the 14 clusters reported in non-health-care occupational settings (average 4.3 cases per cluster), tended to be larger--supporting a possible role for physical distancing in slowing the spread of COVID-19, researchers say. "Four large clusters in our analysis, and large outbreaks reported elsewhere, have been linked with transmission in faith-based settings, highlighting the need to partner with faith-based organisations when designing and implementing community mitigation efforts", says co-author Dr Philip Ricks from the US CDC. "Six healthcare-associated clusters were also identified, underscoring the need for strict infection prevention and control practices and monitoring health-care workers for signs of illness." [1] The analysis also highlights the relatively late detection of COVID-19 in Africa, with only 6 out of 46 (13%) countries studied in the region reporting cases by the time WHO characterised the outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. This compares with a third (13/35) of countries in the Americas and the majority of countries in Europe (45/54, 83%), Eastern Mediterranean (16/23, 70%), and Southeast Asia (7/11, 64%). "The epidemiology of COVID-19 in low-income countries and in Africa could differ, as reported in previous influenza pandemics, and accurate data from these settings will be needed to assess the full global effect of the COVID-19 pandemic", says Dawood. [1] The authors note some important limitations of their study, including that the analysis of case characteristics was limited to only 4% (1,200/32,459) of global confirmed cases that had sufficient information about a case's age or sex; and publicly available data varied in completeness, which could have resulted in some case characteristics going undetected. They also note that the first confirmed case in each country might not have been the first true case of infection in some countries, since early case detection efforts varied substantially. ### NOTES TO EDITORS The study received no funding. It was conducted by researchers from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www. sciencemediacentre. org/ wp-content/ uploads/ 2018/ 01/ AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE. pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com [1] Quotes direct from authors and cannot be found in text of Article. [2] The 68 countries and locations with cases with information on age and sex were Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. The 31 countries and locations with cases for which no case had information about age or sex were Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hungary, Iran, Jordan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Monaco, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the UK, and the USA. Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Kanpur, July 30 : Chaman Singh, father of lab technician who was kidnapped and murdered last month as Uttar Pradesh police was involved in a botched up rescue operation, has threatened to commit suicide with his entire family if the police did not find his son's body. The accused, now arrested, had told the police that they had kidnapped Sanjeet Yadav for ransom on June 22 and had then murdered him on June 26/27. They said that they had thrown his body in the Pandu river. The Kanpur police, since July 23, has been trying to trace the body of Sanjeet but have failed in their efforts. Chaman Singh told reporters that he and his family will first try to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with their demands. "If even after meeting the chief minister, we do not get justice, we will commit suicide by setting ourselves ablaze in front of Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow," Singh said. Chaman Singh further said, "It is not only the body, the police have not even recovered his other belongings, including his bag and ATM card. Police have only recovered his bike." Sanjeet was kidnapped on June 22. The family was later asked by the kidnappers to pay a ransom of Rs 30 lakhs. The police asked the family to arrange for the money and hand it over to the kidnappers and the police would catch them red-handed. The family threw a bag containing the cash on a road from the top of a flyover as instructed in the presence of police but the kidnappers ran away with the bag before the police could catch them. Sanjeet's mother and sister said they had sold jewellery and property to arrange for the ransom money. The case led to massive public outrage and the Kanpur SSP Dinesh Kumar Prabhu was transferred by the chief minister while four others were suspended. Haiti - Storm Isaias : Haiti still under threat, be careful At 5:00 p.m. the center of tropical storm Isaias was located near latitude 19.5 north and longitude 70.6 west, or 35km southeast of Puerto Plata, 169 km east of Cap Haitien. Isaias is moving northwest at near 20 mph (31 km/h) and northwestward movement with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next few days. According to forecasts, the center of Isaias will move close to the southeastern Bahamas by the end of the night. Isaias is expected to be near the central Bahamas on Friday evening and move near or over the northwestern Bahamas and near southern Florida on Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are near 95 km/h with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected approximately the next day, and Isaias is expected to become a hurricane on Friday or Friday night. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 390 km from the center. According to the trajectory analysis of several models, the Center of the system should cross the Dominican Republic during the day of Thursday and the northern region of the island of Haiti in the evening. Therefore, thunderstorm rain showers ranging from moderate to heavy reaching between 75 and 125 mm in the plains and 200 mm especially in mountainous areas. They are likely to occur from sustained gusts of wind and heavy seas conditions are also expected in the North region and the Gulf of Gonave from today to tomorrow. Consequently, the General Directorate of Civil Protection, the SPGRD in conjunction with the UHM maintained the activation of the National Risk and Disaster Management Plan with an Orange Vigilance level (i.e. Risk of moderate to strong impacts) on the country. In relation to the dangerous sea conditions that will be installed especially in the northern sector of the island of Haiti. SEMANAH together with the UHM announces the temporary ban on all cabotage operations on the northern coastal regions and the Gulf of Gonave. The SPGRD of concert with the UHM and the DGPC also asks the Haitian population to exercise caution and to listen the weather reports of the UHM and the advice of the authorities of their respective zones to know the behaviors to adopt during the passage of this cyclonic event. Tropical storm ISAIAS is about to hit the country, especially in its northern region. Here are some guidelines to follow : - Stay tuned to Meteorological bulletins; - Stay tuned to instructions issued by local authorities; - Put your important papers in a safe place; - Prepare your emergency kit with food and water for at least three days; - Prepare to evacuate if you live in an area exposed to the risk of flooding and landslides: (seaside, ravine, river, mountainside, etc.); - Avoid crossing flooded rivers under any circumstances; - In the event of thunderstorms and strong winds, do not take shelter near windows and in wooded areas; - Prune the trees near the house; - Lower any heavy object placed high and not secure: antennas, signs and others; - Secure the animals. HL/ HaitiLibre Tens of thousands of Americans who swabbed themselves for coronavirus testing may have falsely been told they were free of infection, a new study suggests In an effort to expand stunted, lagging testing in the US, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light for coronavirus testing using samples collected from low down in the nostrils, rather than from uncomfortable deep nasal swabs. It later determined that people could even collect the samples themselves, at home - so long as they are supervised by medical professionals via telemedicine - without sacrificing test accuracy. But scientists at the University of Utah analysed the accuracy of self-collected nasal swabs, like the ones used at drive-through testing sites and mailed to Americans as part of at-home testing kits, and found a different story. Results from lower nostril samples were compared to nasopharyngeal swabs - which are conducted by health care workers and are inserted so deep into the nose they can make people gag, their eyes water or even trigger nosebleeds - and saliva tests. Scientists found only 70 of 86 out of 354 people who had Covid-19 were picked up by nasal swabs, which are more comfortable because they only require a gentle nostril swab. The nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva tests were not perfect either but did detect more cases - 80 and 81, respectively. Although the researchers admitted it is not a huge amount of 'wrong' results and that the results were not statistically significant, experts have repeatedly warned that any missed case can have consequences. If a person who is positive for Covid-19 receives a false negative result, they will not self-isolate and may spread the virus to other people. Nearly 54 million tests have been conducted across the US, and at least a tenth of approved tests can be done at-home, using shallow self-swabs. Professionally-done nasopharyngeal tests are known to be uncomfortable because the swab must go so far back into the person's nose (Pictured: A man getting tested in Surabaya, Indonesia) An excerpt from the instructions included with LabCorp's at-home coronavirus test instructs users that the swab 'does not need to be inserted far' into the nose The tests people take themselves in the comfort of their own home are far less invasive than nasopharyngeal swabs - what is considered the gold standard by scientists. About 10 of the 100 FDA-authorized tests available in the US are self-swab diagnostics. In at-home kits, there are instructions to use a swab around the back of the throat as well as the nostril. This can make people feel sick or tickle, but the swab is not pushed deep inside the nostril to reach the nose 'floor' as it would be with nasopharyngeal swabs. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SWAB TEST FOR CORONAVIRUS? Nasopharyngeal swabs are used to detect respiratory viruses, such as the flu and the new coronavirus. It is the preferred choice for SARS-CoV-2 testing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It involves inserting a long, flexible cotton bud into the nostril and along the nose 'floor'. This is supposed to be done slowly so that it is comfortable. The aim is to reach the posterior nasopharynx, a cavity made up of muscle and connective tissue, covered in cells and mucous that are similar to the nose. It continues down into the throat. The swab is rotated several times in order to get enough cells. The sample is then sent to a lab, where it will be tested to determine if the patients cells are infected with the virus. The coronavirus is a RNA virus, which means it uses ribonucleic acid as its genetic material. A process called reverse transcription is needed to transcribe the RNA into readable DNA. A swab sample doesn't collect much RNA in one go, therefore a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to rapidly make billions of copies so it can be analysed. The DNA is dyed a fluorescent colour, which glows if the coronavirus is present, confirming a diagnosis. Anterior nasal swabs, which are read in the laboratory using the same methods described above, can be carried out by the patient and use a shorter cotton swab. The swab only needs to enter the nose to a depth of roughly one centimetre before being rubbed around the nostril wall. It is less likely to make the patient feel sick or to produce a gagging or coughing reflex. Experts say they have less contact with the mucous membranes, which are areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Advertisement Experts say anterior nasal swabs have less contact with the mucous membranes, which are areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Instructions given to Britons shipped the postal tests say: 'No force is needed and you do not have to push far into your nostril.' One benefit is that because they are less invasive, they are unlikely to make a patient cough meaning that healthcare workers are less likely to be exposed to the virus. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said the study findings 'certainly suggest these DIY tests are not as good and miss a proportion'. He claimed around 10 per cent of coronavirus tests that would have been spotted by the nasopharyngeal swabs test would be missed by the at-home test. But Professor Hunter told MailOnline the study does not prove the tests are useless and called for larger trials of the swabs currently being used in the UK. He said: 'This study is fairly small and it needs to be repeated using a larger number of tests, preferably in the UK, before we draw reliable conclusions.' Testing in the US, and even studies of testing, have been plagued by uncertainty and flaws. The study, not yet published in a medical journal or peer-reviewed by fellow experts, was carried out across hospitals in Utah. At a drive-thru test center, 354 people took all three Covid-19 tests; they were instructed to swab both nostrils, spit into a tube, and then had a nasopharyngeal swab taken by a medic. Some 268 people received a negative result across the board. Eighty-six people got a positive result either from one, two, or three or the tests. No singular test produced 86 results, proving that no test is able to always detect the coronavirus. Sixty-six patients had SARS-CoV-2 detected in all three tests, meaning they undoubtedly had the virus. But 13 were detected in only two tests, and seven patients got a positive result from one test. It means that, had any of these 20 patients had a singular test, their result may have returned as negative. The seven who tested positively from one test were made up of two nasopharyngeal swabs and five saliva tests meaning the nasal swabs did not pick up the virus on their own at any point. The results broke down how many results were given by each testing method, to find that anterior nasal swabs gave a positive result the least amount of times. The differences in results 'did not reach statistical significance' because the numbers are so small, the paper on medRxiv said. However, the researchers wrote: 'Relying on anterior nasal swabs alone could have missed infection in 10 to 11 patients compared with nasopharyngeal swabs or saliva, respectively. 'Missed Covid-19 cases have major clinical implications affecting isolation decisions for symptomatic 111 patients and are a lost opportunity for contact tracing.' It's not clear what percentage of tests being run in the US use self-swab samples, but at least 10 - including LabCorp's Pixel (top) and Everlywell's at-home tests (bottom) How nasopharyngeal swabs are conducted: Paediatric nurse practitioner Jessica Peck shared a diagram of how the coronavirus test is carried out on Twitter and said: 'This is how far back we have to put the swab to test you for #COVID19. You might want to follow medical recommendations and #StayAtHome' When the researchers cross-referenced the tests with each other, they found 'excellent agreement'. This means that, in most cases, the tests produced the same result - either negative or positive. Results showed if a nasopharyngeal swab was taken alongside an anterior swab then the results were the same 86.3 per cent of the time. If a a nasopharyngeal swab was taken alongside a straight saliva test, there was a 93.8 per cent chance the results were accurate. The researchers said that the highest number of cases would be detected when combining nasopharyngeal swabs with a saliva test. SELF-SWABS FOR COVID-19 DO WORK, STUDY SHOWS Despite the concerns, scientific studies have suggested that self-swab testing actually is accurate enough to diagnose viruses. A study by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles said self-tests showed 'comparable sensitivity' when trying to diagnose Covid-19. This shows that both professionally done swabs and ones that people did themselves picked up about the same proportion of positive cases. That study, published online on April 15, was done on 45 people, of whom 29 were definitely infected with the coronavirus and had already been diagnosed. It found that the supervised self-collection tests detected 26 of those 29 patients, while unsupervised self-collection only found 19 out 29 (66 per cent). Meanwhile the tests done by medical professionals successfully found 23 out of 29 positive cases. In conclusion the scientists said: 'Supervised self-collected oral fluid and nasal swab specimens performed similarly to, if not better than clinician-collected nasopharyngeal swab specimens for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection.' Another study of generic infections in the airways found nasopharyngeal swabs were better performing than just a nasal swab. Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland tested the two types on 230 children with chest infections. They found that using both methods together - the deep nose and the nostril wipe - successfully detected 73 per cent of cases. The nasopharyngeal swab on its own found 19 per cent of cases, while just a nasal swab found only seven per cent. Their research was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Advertisement The researchers noted: 'Nasopharyngeal swabs have historically been considered the reference method for respiratory virus detection. 'In addition, anterior nasal swabs are used routinely for influenza nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). 'Recurrent shortages of swabs and personal protective equipment (PPE), however, have prompted evaluation of alternatives to NPS including the use of patient self-collected ANS and saliva.' The Department of Health and Social Care refuted the findings, saying the evidence shows self-tests are 'just as effective'. A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Instructions on how to perform these types of tests are included wherever individuals are asked to undertake self-swabbing.' Scientists first warned about self-tests being less accurate in June after Britain began started to ramp up its swabbing capacity at the end of April. Dr Andrew Preston, an infectious lung disease expert at the University of Bath, told MailOnline that shallower swabs in the nose and mouth were not as good. He said: 'It's clear the deeper into the nasopharynx, the better it is picking up the virus.' Dr Preston added: 'I work a lot with whooping cough, and we tilt the person's head right back. 'We consider it an unsuccessful swab unless the eyes water. We see real, real issues with the sensitivity of the swab if swabbing in nose.' In a clear warning about how self-tests could miss the infection, he said: 'The further back you go, the more chance you've got of getting the virus.' Even nasopharyngeal swab tests carried out by professionals are estimated to be inaccurate in up to 30 per cent of cases due to variations in how medics carry them out. This is based on scientists' estimations, because the Department of Health will not release data about the false negative rates of its tests. It is not clear how inaccurate self-swabs are, even though they are being carried out more than 60,000 times a day in the UK. Professor Jon Deeks, a biostatistics expert at the University of Birmingham, said: 'A single negative test result doesn't exclude the disease.' It is believed that nasopharyngeal swabs are more reliable because they are better at picking up traces of a virus. They go much deeper into the nasopharynx, a cavity in the airway which connects to the throat. Medics get a sample from along the 'floor' of the nose near the mucous membranes areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Claire Cox, an intensive care outreach nurse working in Brighton, said in May that using the correct technique was crucial. In a blog on Patient Safety Learning, she wrote: 'Simply swabbing the inside of the nasal passage is not deep enough to verify that the virus is present.' These swabs have become notorious for being uncomfortable because they require an extra-long cotton bud to be forced into the back of the nostril and rotated. They can make people gag, make their eyes water or even trigger nosebleeds but they are considered the most accurate way of diagnosing Covid-19. MINSK -- A sister of Veranika Tsapkala, the wife of former potential presidential candidate Valer Tsapkala, says she was briefly detained for questioning after she disappeared, raising fears she had been kidnapped. Natallya Leanyuk said on July 30 that she was approached by three men in civilian clothes near Belgazprombank where she works earlier in the day and presented with a subpoena ordering her to come in for questioning. The men then took her to the police where she was questioned regarding a probe launched against Valer Tsapkala after a Turkish businessman, Sedat Igdeci filed a lawsuit against the politician accusing him of bribery and insult. Valer Tsapkala had to flee the country with his children for safety reasons earlier this month. Leanyuk says she was released by the police after the questioning. Leanyuk's employer, Belgazprombank, used to be led by Viktar Babaryka, who was arrested and charged with embezzlement last month after he announced his intention to take part in an August 9 presidential election. Earlier in the day, Veranika Tsapkala, who remained in Belarus to assist an opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya's campaign, said her sister was "kidnapped" by unknown men in civilian clothes. Tsapkala also said that she had been summoned to the Directorate on the Fight Against Organized Crime for what she said was to "testify against my husband." "I consider this as political pressure imposed on me, my husband, and on our election campaign," Tsapkala said. July 29, 2020 Release Department of Defense Statement: U.S. European Command Force Posture Review Today the Secretary of Defense announced an update to the status of our U.S. European Command Force Posture review as a part of the department's continued efforts to implement the National Defense Strategy. Following the decision from the President in early June to reduce our force footprint in Germany, the Secretary provided direction to the Department to develop options for repositioning our forces throughout Europe using five core principles: Enhance deterrence of Russia Strengthen NATO Reassure allies Improve U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility Take care of our Service members and their families in the process In total, approximately 11,900 military personnel will be repositioned from Germany, with nearly 5,600 repositioned within other NATO countries and 6,400 returning to the United States to address readiness and prepare for rotational deployments. The plan will consolidate headquarters to strengthen operational efficiency, will reposition some forces to the United States to focus on readiness, and place rotational forces in the Black Sea region on NATO's southeastern flank. These force posture changes meet the Secretary's above core principles while adapting our force posture to address national security concerns in today's environment. In addition, these changes will prioritize service members and their families as they relocate throughout the process. Read Secretary Esper's opening statement at the U.S. European Command Force Posture Policy press conference. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2292244/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Indian market has rallied about 50 percent from the lows recorded in March 2020. After a sharp rise, investors are now looking to add stocks that are trading at attractive valuations. One of the ways to identify a company based on its value is Price-to-Book ratio which in simple terms measures the market value of a company relative to its book value. P/B is a good tool to do bottom fishing when there is a very sharp correction in either the index or a companys stock price as when there is a threat to earnings in the short term, P/E looks expensive which can be misleading, suggest experts. We have shortlisted some stocks based on price-to-book value multiple from the BSE 500 stocks. There are as many as 18 stocks that are trading below P/B of less than 1, including Dish TV, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, BHEL, Mahindra Lifespace, Indiabulls Real Estate and UCO Bank. Note: The data is for reference only and not buy or sell recommendations. It is purely for research purposes. Clearly many companies look undervalued but the real question is should one consider investing in these companies or are they value traps? Lets understand what is a value trap? The maximum number of stocks that look cheap on valuations could turn out to be a value trap. Investors should deep dive into companies that are trading at cheap valuations, and avoid those with bleak future and having very poor growth visibility, suggest experts. Companies threatened with substitute products or technology disruption could also become future value traps. Companies whose RoE is consistently remaining below the weighted average cost of capital is also a value trap, Rusmik Oza, Executive Vice President, Head of Fundamental Research at Kotak Securities told Moneycontrol. From the list, particularly for PSU banks, many of them are trading below 1x on P/B but there is a reason for it. Weak balance sheet, rising NPAs, lower capital adequacy ratio and the threat of erosion in net worth are some of the reasons for few banks to trade below book value, said Oza. In most of the other non-banking stocks which are trading below 1x P/B, there are multiple reasons. Few of them are loss-making with very little probability of reattaining profitability. Oza further added that a few other companies that are trading below 1x P/B dont have any visibility of growth. Their revenues are either stagnant or falling with erosion in margins and poor RoEs. Most of these companies are clearly a value trap. How to avoid value traps? In India, only growing companies thrive and deliver good returns. One should use P/B in only certain businesses like real estate, utilities, banks, and NBFCs. In certain hardcore asset-based businesses like cement, steel, hotels etc. when the cycle is extremely negative and stock prices have been beaten down disproportionately then P/B should be considered to value the company, says Oza. Whether a company is a value trap or is a great investment opportunity and is available at a discount to intrinsic value it requires much more study than just looking at this ratio. Value traps are companies that appear as if they are cheap but are actually not cheap. These companies are, in fact, more expensive on their total value, i.e debt + market cap basis, Dr Vikas Gupta, CEO & Chief Investment Strategist at OmniScience Capital told Moneycontrol. Consider buying a house on loan for Rs 1 crore. There is a down payment of Rs 20 lakhs which is equivalent to the market cap and there is the loan component of Rs 80 lakhs. If one only looks at Rs 20 lakhs of equity component and decides that the house is cheap, it could be a value trap. The actual price of the house is Rs 1 crore, he said. Gupta further added that the easiest way to avoid a value trap is to avoid all high-debt companies and loss-making companies. Rusmik Oza of Kotak Securities advises investors to avoid companies with bleak future and the ones which have very poor growth visibility. Companies threatened with substitute products or technology disruption could also become future value traps, he said. He further added that companies whose RoE is consistently remaining below the weighted average cost of capital are also a value trap. Such companies will never be able to generate wealth for investors. Ideally one should look at companies generating higher cash flows from operations, having lower debt/equity ratio, having decent margin profile, and whose product has a longer shelf life, he added. : The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. COLUMBUS, Ohio Its no longer Speaker Larry Householder. In a bipartisan 90-0 vote, Ohio House members removed the newly indicted Republican from his post of state house speaker. The chamber then recessed as Republicans try to figure out a successor. Nine members did not vote, including Householder, who was not present. He was arrested last week on racketeering charges, along with four associates. A federal grand jury indicted Housholder and four others Thursday in what investigators say was a $61 million bribery scheme. The former state house speaker and four others face racketeering charges for an alleged conspiracy that funneled money from businesses, such as FirstEnergy, through dark money groups and PACs. The aim: elect Householder as speaker, pass a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants in northern Ohio and defend the subsidies against a referendum to block them. Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder walks out of U.S. District Court after charges that he participated in a racketeering conspiracy in Columbus, Ohio on July 21, 2020. Others indicted include: Matthew Borges, former Ohio Republican Party chair and consultant; Neil Clark, founder of Grant Street Consultants; Juan Cespedes, co-founder of The Oxley Group in Columbus; Jeffrey Longstreth, adviser to Householder. Generation Now, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit linked to Householder and Longstreth. The tally of the official 90-0 vote to remove Republican Larry Householder as speaker of the Ohio House. All are innocent until proven guilty. Each faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Dark money is a breeding ground for corruption. This investigation continues, said Dave DeVillers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, in a statement. The announcement came less than an hour before Householder was removed from his position as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Herman Cain: Former Republican presidential candidate dies after battle with COVID-19 The search for a replacement Two Republican men are vying for the big seat on the dais, but it remains unclear whether either of them has the 50 votes needed to win it. State Rep. Bob Cupp, R-Lima, appeared to be the front runner after three of his competitors dropped out and threw their support behind the former Ohio State Supreme Court justice. Story continues I am grateful for the support from my esteemed colleagues today, Cupp said in a statement. It is imperative that we begin to rebuild public trust in our chamber, and serve the people of Ohio with the integrity they deserve. Several lawmakers told The Columbus Dispatch of the USA TODAY Network its still possible they will leave Columbus on Thursday without electing a new leader. Householders second in command, Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Butler of Oakwood, Ohio, is still in the running for the position. I think this is typical Republican foolishness where they are not able to get on one accord, and then the House stands in confusion and the people of Ohio are left in limbo, Rep. Erica Crawley, D-Columbus, said. The House went six weeks without a speaker in the spring of 2018 after then-Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned because of his own federal investigation for possible extortion, bribery and Travel Act violations. Traditionally, the majority party picks a speaker no matter how long it takes. Former Speaker Ryan Smith was elected on the 11th ballot after Rosenbergers departure. But Householder broke the the mold in January 2019 when he got 26 Democrats to put him over the top. Democrats are unlikely to do that again this time around. I dont think there is a willingness to vote for a Republican, Rep. Jeff Crossman, D-Parma, said. Its left a bad taste in peoples mouths whats happened. He also says Republicans need to call another vote to expel Householder from the chamber as well as remove him as speaker. Why wouldnt we fire the speaker? Crossman asked. I think it is unfair to hold our staff accountable to the Houses code of conduct but not our elected officials. House Republicans appear reluctant to take that step in part because Householder is running unopposed in the 2020 election and could simply return to the chamber in January. And of course from a legal standpoint he remains innocent until proven guilty. My biggest thing around that is due process, Rep. Paul Zeltwanger, R-Mason, said. I would like to at least see a day in court for a response. Zeltwanger opposed his partys decision to remove Householder as speaker. But if he has to pick a new leader, hes behind Butler. Conservative Republican like Rep. Nino Vitale are also backing Butler, who must leave the chamber after this year due to term limits. There is not a lot of honor and decency in Columbus or anywhere in politics, but Jim Butler is indeed, one of the few, Vitale wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. Vitale lamented the fact that most Ohioans wont know how Republicans pick the next speaker because it will be done using secret ballots during a private meeting. The party will then say, no matter who wins, we have to all come together and act like we all supported the person who wins the majority in the public vote on the floor, Vitale wrote. I am not big on that group think mentality. I believe in total transparency. Contributing: Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer Follow reporter Anna Staver on Twitter: @annastaver This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Larry Householder indicted in bribery case; house speaker job stripped Meet a Mumbai couple whose hearts are so big that they emptied out their entire savings to help feed the poor and needy during the COVID-19 pandemic IMAGE: Mizga and Faiyaz Shaikh distribute groceries at Ambujwadi, Malwani, north west Mumbai. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh "If Indians see people in a crisis around them they will come forward to help those in need; whatever they can offer. You just need to step out and see. You will see people like us everywhere: helping those in need," says Mizga Shaikh, the principal of a small school in Malwani, north west Mumbai. The Zeal English School caters to some 350 underprivileged students at a nominal monthly fee. Mizga and her husband Faiyaz, who works at a perfumes and cosmetics company, and from whose employees' provident fund account the couple has withdrawn Rs 5 lakh in the last four months just so that they can feed the poor and the needy in their neighbourhood and Mumbai, laugh heartily, almost joyously despite his empty EPF account, when one reminds them of do deewane shahar main/raat ya dopahar main/aabodana dhoondte hai/ek aashiyana dhoondte hai, the well-known song from the Hindi film Gharonda. "We don't know what the future holds for us. But now we are going with the flow. Whatever comes our way we are happy to embrace it," says Mizga when asked about their dream home. That Rs 5 lakh was meant to make the down payment to get a home loan to buy a home that they had been wanting to buy for themselves and their children, Aliza and Izaan. They were all set to do so, but then COVID-19 struck and with it exposed hundreds of people, most daily wagers leading a hand-to-mouth existence, parents of children who studied in Mizga's school, in their locality who were left to fend for themselves without any means of livelihood due to the extended lockdowns in Mumbai. So, when help from NGOs and other contacts these couple could get in touch with dried up, the couple decided to do the unthinkable: dDip into Faiyaz's PF savings to feed those without any mean of survival. As word spread about their good deed, blessings began to pour from all corners of the country. Word also spread how the couple is helping the poor and the needy. So, the calls from those in need of rations, food kits, etc have also begun to multiply. One such call also came from Mahindra and Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra who offered to deposit Rs 4 lakh in Faiyaz's personal account as a gesture of appreciation for the selfless work the couple has been doing. "Mr Mahindra said I can keep that amount in my personal account and continue what I am doing. While I am overwhelmed by his generous gesture I told him I cannot keep that money for myself, but will spend it on the needy shall the need arise," says Faiyaz. Ask him about his home for his children and he says, "We leave it to almighty Allah. Let Him give us only what we deserve. No more." "Any house in Mumbai is a dream house. Even if I were to live in a shanty in this city, that too would be a dream house," adds Mizga. While donations have been coming in from across India the money is far too less to meet the growing cries of help from not just their immediate neighbourhood, but from across the city, says Faiyaz. "As Indians, as human beings, we should work together to help bring succour to the underprivileged and those less fortunate than we are. The children who are the future of our country, our world, should get the best education irrespective of their religion, caste or financial condition. It's only then we can make India and the world, a better place to live in," says Mizga. Mizga and Faiyaz spoke with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com about their motivation and the help they are getting for their noble work. IMAGE: Faiyaz Shaikh and children from Mizga's school pack food packets for distribution across Mumbai. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh What inspired you to help the poor during COVID-19? Mizga Shaikh: When the pandemic happened, the country was under a sudden lockdown. Nobody was prepared about how to deal with it financially. Most of our pupils come from below poverty line families. 90 per cent of these people work as daily labourers. They go out every day, earn their living and get food on the table for themselves and their children. They were able to sustain their lives for the first few days after the lockdown. But once their means of income and savings started getting exhausted, these parents and our pupils started calling us for help. Some didn't have rations at home and so were going hungry. When we did a survey on our own we realised that the situation was very, very, pathetic; some of our students had slept without food for two days or more. We told ourselves that we need to do something about their situation. At least help them with daily rations or food. That was our motivation and then we started contacting non-government organisations and other contacts we had for help. Initially, these NGOs provided us with readymade khichdi; some offered ration kits. This continued for about two months, but the lockdown continued beyond April-May. And the needs of these people were immense; they were sitting home without any work and so no income. Their savings, whatever little they had, was over. The NGOs we were seeking help from were also stretched with the load they were facing. So, at that time, my husband and I decided that we had no other alternative but withdraw funds from his employees provident fund. The funds in my PF account were for buying a house for our family. We wanted to use that money as down payment for our house and the balance would have come from a home loan we were planning to take. Faiyaz Shaikh: We started diluting that amount (the PF fund) by giving ration to the needy; slowly and gradually, without us realising, we had spent about four-and-a-half lakh from my PF account. And it's still going on. IMAGE: Mizga Shaikh distributes food to needy children and their families at Malwani. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh If you continue this way, you will soon exhaust all your PF savings... Mizga Shaikh: It's almost exhausted (both laugh); it's almost exhausted. He had Rs 5 lakh in his PF account and today we are almost done with that (both laugh again). So, what next? What happens after that? Will you stop helping the poor once these funds are over? How do you plan to continue to help the poor and needy after your funds are exhausted, which I am sure they will soon? Fayaz Shaikh: You know what? When the media started covering our story, from the first day our report was published, from the same day we started getting calls from people across India. So many people were blessing us and a few actually started donating to us to keep up with what are doing. We had paused a little for want of funds, but after getting the donations we began providing food and rations to the poor in Ambujwadi, Malwani. Yesterday (July 27) we gave food to 150 families worth Rs 80,000 that would help them feed themselves for the next eight to 10 days at least. While donations are pouring in from across the country they are not much. The number of people calling us for food and rations has gone up substantially over the last three-four months. Only yesterday (July 27) India's legendary businessman Anand Mahindra called us and offered to help. He was so generous and kind-hearted that he offered to transfer Rs 4 lakh that I have spent from my PF account into my personal account. He said I can keep that amount in my personal account and continue what I am doing. While I am overwhelmed by his generous gesture I told him that I cannot keep that my money for myself, but will again spend it on the needy shall the need arise. On the one side I am getting calls from people across India blessing us for our deed and on the other hand we are also getting calls from the needy asking us for food and rations. Tell us about the home that you have dreams of buying for which you have no down payment money now. Faiyaz Shaikh (laughs): To be very frank, right now the feeling is we are having two families: The families that we have at our home; the other family is the people who, despite all their financial and existential odds, come to educate themselves at our school. These children, their parents and the needy community around us are our second family. We cannot abandon them in these times. So, whatever we are doing, we are doing it for our second family. That's it. IMAGE: The Shaikhs with daughter Aliza and son Izaan. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh We want to know about the home you have dreams about. Faiyaz Shaikh: We live it to almighty Allah. Let Him give us only what we deserve. No more. Mizga Shaikh (laughs): Any house in Mumbai is a dream house. Even if I were to live in a shanty in this city that too would be a dream house. We have two children -- daughter Aliza, 13, and son Izaan, 10 -- in our family, so obviously we are planning to buy a small house, maybe a one-room or two-room apartment, whatever we can afford at this stage in our lives. Our affordability depends on the home loan we would be eligible for (laughs). At present, we are staying in a rented house. How did your children react to your decision to spend your PF savings on feeding the poor? Mizga Shaikh: Actually, nobody was aware about what we were doing and how we were funding it. Nobody in our families was aware that we were dipping into our savings to do what we are doing. Faiyaz Shaikh: Now because of the media stories they have come to know about what we are doing. We are glad we have received genuine appreciation and support from our parents and our children too. Faiyaz Shaikh: Now, it's up to God; with God's good wishes, Insha Allah, we will buy our dream home one day. Mizga Shaikh: We don't know what the future holds for us. But now we are going with the flow. Whatever comes our way we are happy to embrace it. Let's see when we will buy our house. See, planning doesn't work; that we have experienced. It's God's will that gives us the courage and the strength to do what we are doing. It was God's will that we spend my husband's PF money for His own people. In that sense, the timing, you can say, was perfect. We are glad that money is being spent for an important purpose. IMAGE: School children and their parents await their turn to submit home work and collect study notes. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh Could you tell us about the school that you run? Mizga Shaikh: That is our second family. I am running the school for underprivileged children for the last ten years. Our motto was never to make financial gains from the school. We charge Rs 100 per month for Jr KG students and the maximum we charge for Class 10 is Rs 350 per month. We want to cater to these children so that they get better education and they have a better future. That has always been our school's motto. Only last year we had our first batch of six SSC (Secondary School Certificate) students pass out with decent marks. Three out of these six are now studying in colleges and have plans to pursue studies till graduation. Right now, we have 350 students studying from Jr Kg to Class 10 in our school. Mizga Shaikh: Yes, that's true. They don't have enough to make ends meet so how can they pay the fees? We have waived their fees for three months at least. Let us see what happens from here. While we are providing online classes to students who have the means to do so, we are also supporting them offline. As of now, we are not calling students to school. What we do is write notes in a book and we call parents in groups of ten, turn by turn, and give these notes to them for a week. We have made a WhatsApp group for every standard and teachers upload educational pictures, graphs, audios and videos in these groups so that children can learn at home without having to spend on costly hardware like computers or an Internet connection. Based on this study material, children are given home work. A week later, parents come with this homework to the teacher for correction. The teachers after correction gives home work and study material for the following week. How are you paying teachers if you don't earn any fee income from your students? Mizga Shaikh: We have to pay them. They also come from the same socio-economic background. We are paying them. They are also dependent upon us for their incomes in a staggered manner. We have also not cut their salaries given their financial condition. Values that you have cherished all your life... Mizga Shaikh: I can only say that all Indians have a big heart. If they see people in crisis around them they will come forward to help those in need; whatever they can offer. This value is cherished by many, many Indians like us. You just need to step out and see. You will see people like us everywhere: helping those in need. For us, humanity is the value we cherish and I have come across so many inspiring people who have done the same. We Indians don't see religion, caste, region when we see people in need. They are just as human as you and I. IMAGE: The Shaikh couple at a marriage ceremony. Photograph: Kind courtesy Faiyaz Shaikh Your message to fellow Indians... Faiyaz Shaikh: We have seen lot of people in Mumbai who have lent a helping hand to those in need and done a fantabulous job. We have grown up seeing such fantastic people around us: not just NGOs, corporates, charitable institutions but people in their individual capacity have done every time this city has suffered for whatever reasons. We have also seen such examples across India. This is one of the greatest achievements of India and Indians. Through Rediff.com, we would like to request fellow Indians to help us, donate to us or donate and forward help to hundreds and thousands of people like Mizga and Faiyaz across India who are trying to help the poor and needy in whatever small way they can. We just need help from people who can come forward and help us take our work ahead. Mizga Shaikh: As Indians, as human beings, we should work together to help and bring succour to the underprivileged and those less fortunate than we are. The children who are the future of our country, our world, should get the best education irrespective of their religion, caste or financial condition. It's only then we can make India and the world, a better place to live in. If you would like to help Faiyaz and Migaz help the poor and the needy, please contact Faiyaz at 9892484631 remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Chandigarh Five opposition MLAs and two others, led by Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira, on Thursday demanded an impartial probe into the alleged false implication and arrests of Sikh youth under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, in the state. In a memorandum to chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Khaira and other leaders said that Sikh youth, particularly poor Dalits, were being falsely implicated and arrested under the UAPA by the central as well as state governments in the garb of tackling the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)-sponsored Referendum 2020 campaign. They urged the government to order an impartial probe, preferably a judicial inquiry, or by vendetta commission head justice Mehtab Singh Gill (retired) keeping in view the gravity of excesses being committed upon innocent Sikh youths. The memorandum was signed by former MP Dharamvira Gandhi, former minister Sucha Singh Chhotepur, and MLAs Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Pirmal Singh Khalsa and Jagtar Singh Jagga. All seven are either erstwhile or rebel leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They said that under the draconian law, more than 16 FIRs have been registered during the recent weeks across Punjab while 47 FIRs have been registered during the three years tenure of Congress government, in which utterly poor, defenseless and innocent people have been arrested. We have personally conducted spot visits and done a deep case study of some of these cases, which proves that most people arrested under the said law are innocent and have been falsely implicated, declaring them Khalistani modules, terrorists, etc, they wrote to the CM, sharing details of four FIRs registered under the anti-terror law. Q&A with author Rachel Beanland UofSC alumna makes waves with first novel, 'Florence Adler Swims Forever' Rachel Moyle Beanland graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2003 with degrees in public relations from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and art history in the College of Arts and Sciences. She also was in the second class of McNair Scholars and a member of the South Carolina Honors College. Rachel Beanland studied public relations and art history and was a member of the South Carolina Honors College. Her first novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever (Simon & Schuster), was published this spring to strong reviews. USA Today called it the perfect summer read and it is featured as one of Good Morning America's "25 Novels You'll Want to Read This Summer." We caught up with Beanland to talk about her book, her family, the writing process and her time at the University of South Carolina. Question: Lets start with a short synopsis of the Florence Adler Swims Forever. Rachel Beanland: The book follows the Adler family in the summer of 1934 in Atlantic City after their youngest daughter, Florence Adler, has returned home from college intent on swimming the English Channel. She ends up drowning off the coast of Atlantic City. Youre following along as the family grieves her loss. But the family has more immediate problems because her oldest sister, Fannie, is on bed rest in the local hospital after having lost a baby the previous summer. The family makes the decision not to tell Fannie that her sister is dead. Of course, that secret becomes their undoing one way or another, and its what pushes the story forward. Q: The book is loosely based on your family. (Fannie is based on your great-grandmother and the character Gussy is based on your grandmother.) How did you learn about that history? A: My parents are interfaith. My mom is Jewish and lived in Philadelphia and Detroit, but her parents lived in Atlantic City, so she spent summers there. My father was from Upstate South Carolina, from the sleepy little town of Walhalla. He had been raised Methodist. He had the polar opposite upbringing of my mother. His family was much more loose-lipped; we knew all the stories. That storytelling piece was a large part of family life in South Carolina. On my mothers side of family, they were very tight-lipped. Nobody spoke about Florence. By the time I was growing up in 80s and 90s, Florence had been dead for decades and there were very few people alive who knew her. When my mother was telling the story, the emphasis was always on what a strong woman Florences mother must have been, to go in (to her older daughters) hospital room and act like everything was fine. It was presented as a black-and-white argument; there was no gray area. As a teenager, I remember asking, What if Florences sister my great-grandmother had wanted to know her sister had died. After my father died, it felt important to mourn someone in real time. I started to question it more and more. As I thought about writing this, it was that little kernel of the story that wouldnt leave me alone. Q: The book is getting good reviews and is included on several must read summer lists. Why do you think people will enjoy or connect with this story? Alumna Rachel Beanland's first novel has been featured on several summer "must read" lists. A: There are a few things that make the book relevant right now or at least maybe a good escape. I think contemporary work can be a little bit tough right now. Our contemporary world is so mixed up, in some ways, its a relief for people to pick up a book that takes them to a time before COVID. I think that might be part of it. Its a good time for historical fiction. Another thing about the book, its about grief. I dont think I could have written the book without having lost my father. I lost him 10 years ago. He died of pancreatic cancer. He was 58, I was 29. It rocked everyones world. I think it was only because I had witnessed my family lose him and saw the way we all dealt with our grief differently that I was able to rotate through the Adler family and imagine how each of them was dealing with Florences death in their own way. I think that would have been a challenge to do that without having that fundamental loss in my own life. And the time were living in now, were all grieving something. Whether weve lost someone we love to COVID or had to reschedule a wedding or missed a bar mitzvah. Or youre a freshman in college and you missed part of the year and you dont know whats happening with your sophomore year. Theres so much loss right now. Theres something appealing in watching this family go through this loss and come out the other side. That is uplifting in a weird way. What has your familys reaction been? When I was writing it, I would not let my mother see it. I was slow to tell her about it. I was particularly nervous to tell my grandmother. She was alive when I started working on the book. As she got older, she talked about Florences death. It was a defining moment of her life. She was 6 years old when she witnessed her aunts body brought up on the beach. So, I was nervous to tell her I was fictionalizing this highly traumatic event in her life. She was 94 when she died, I was halfway through the book. My mother said, Rachel I have to tell her this before she dies. My grandmother was fine with it. When I handed the manuscript to my mother, Id finished a draft, my agent was excited about it, but I hadnt sold it yet. I figured my mother would have corrections; shes a great editor. She called me at one point and said she was having a hard time, definitely with Isaac (the fictional character of Fannies husband, Beanlands grandfather). In real life, he was a great guy, so she was having a hard time telling herself these were fictional characters. But two-thirds of the way through she was able to let go of the real people and embrace the characters. When she finished the book she called me in tears and said it was lovely. What did you study at Carolina? I studied journalism and art history. Whats funny is I never discovered creative writing at USC. I knew I loved to write, but I was being too practical. No one sat me down and said, Rachel, you love to write. You could write books. It didnt occur to me. How did your time at UofSC prepare you for what you are doing now? All of my classes prepared me for this. Art history was a different kind of writing, I was writing big extensive papers. I took a wonderful African American literature class in the Honors College with Jim Burns. Journalism classes were really helpful to me. Theres something about that bare writing youre trained to produce in a journalism program and professional life that works well for me with my creative writing. I dont think Im a particularly florid writer. I try to get to the point. I think theres something about my style that comes out of the journalism school background. One class I think about constantly is Doug Fishers copy editing class. As a PR student, you did not have to take copy editing. But I knew if I wanted to have any street cred in the real world, I needed to take this class. That class was the hardest class I took in college. I got an A, but I worked really, really hard for it. The act of copy editing is great anytime youre writing anything, thinking about your word choice and the specificity of word choice. The idea of shaving down the unnecessary; its important at the sentence level and its important at the paragraph level. When you are working with your editor and she tells you that you need to take out 15 pages of this chapter, you have to switch your brain and say, What are the scenes or pieces of dialogue that are not critical to this story? Thats what Doug Fisher was teaching us the whole time, how to remove what was not necessary. That stayed with me. And being a part of the McNair Scholars program and part of the Honors College, I was always told from the very first day I walked in that I was going to do big things. You kind of dont believe it when you are 18. I was a Truman finalist. Jan (Smoak) and Novella (Beskid) in the (National Fellowships and Scholar Programs) held my hand through that whole process. There were a lot of times like that, where despite it being a very large school, it felt very small and it felt like everybody wanted to help me be successful. And that they somehow recognized my talents. I never for a second questioned my decision to go to the University of South Carolina. Theres something appealing in watching this family go through this loss and come out the other side. That is uplifting in a weird way. Rachel Beanland, author of Florence Adler Swims Forever Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Limited visits to residents in nursing homes will be allowed in future during an outbreak of Covid-19. Visiting restrictions to these facilities, which were badly hit by the virus for a number of months, left many residents unable to see relatives and friends. Revised rules issued yesterday say that if there is an outbreak of Covid-19, visits will generally be suspended in the first instance with the exception of the most critical circumstances - for example, end of life. When the situation has been evaluated and control measures are in place, family and friends should be advised that visits that are essential will be facilitated. General visiting will be limited based on a risk assessment that is reviewed at least every two weeks. If the outbreak is confined to one wing or one building on a campus, there may be less requirement for visiting restrictions in other sections. All visiting will be subject to the visitor accepting that visiting during an outbreak of infection is associated with some risk to them and their choice to accept that risk, the guidelines from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said. From this week the relaxed restrictions mean children can visit for the first time. The Covid-19 restriction which limited the number of people nominated to visit a resident to two has been lifted. There is also flexibility around the number of visitors to a resident at one time and the visit can last up to an hour. Indoor visiting for residents where there is no ongoing Covid-19 outbreak should be encouraged and should be normalised as soon as is practical, but with appropriate precautions to manage the risk. Mary Butler TD, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, said: "I've listened to the views of many families and I recognise that the impact of Covid-19 on society in general - and especially those living in nursing homes - has been considerable. "We must remember that residential settings are people's homes." Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui rides in an open limousine as he inspects armored divisions in 1997. (Chang Tien-Hsiung / Associated Press) Lee Teng-hui, the first Taiwan-born president of this island state whose prickly relationship with China and unbending passion for self-rule set the tone for every leader who followed, has died at a hospital in Taipei. He was 97. Active until late in life, Lee died Thursday evening after suffering from infections, cardiac problems and organ failure since being hospitalized in February, Taipei Veterans General Hospital said, according to the Associated Press. Few political figures in Taiwan have cast as long a shadow as Lee. He oversaw the end of martial law, loudly rejected Beijing's pursuit of unifying China and Taiwan, and led an ambitious foreign policy aimed at winning allies around the world. For years, China fumed at his provocations. President for 12 years beginning in 1988, Lee stepped onto the world stage in 1996 when he suggested Taiwan adopt a special state-to-state relationship with China the antithesis of Beijings prized unification goal. In response, China flexed its muscles by testing missiles off Taiwan's coastline, letting that dramatic display signal its feelings about Lee's pursuit of democracy. Lees idea for an autonomous Taiwan took root when he was growing up during Japan's oppressive colonial rule of his homeland, said Anna Chou, a departmental director with the Taiwan Solidarity Union political party, which considers the former president its spiritual leader, though he was neither a member nor a founder of the group. Under Tokyos rule from 1895 through the end of World War II, Taiwanese were barred from advancing upward in government to the level of their colonizers. Local militias and other small bands of Taiwanese revolted but lacked the resources to overthrow the Japanese. The Nationalist Party, or KMT, which had ruled all of China before being overpowered by communist revolutionary Mao Zedong's troops, regrouped in Taiwan in the 1940s and kept the island under martial law until Lee took office. Subsequent presidents in Taiwan have followed Lee's lead on self-rule, particularly current President Tsai Ing-wen, who routinely flouts China's advances. Story continues KMT elders came to resent Lee for pushing back against their goal of unifying with China and blamed him for their losses in the 2000 presidential election. Opposition politicians had also sought his support and sometimes received it. Lee was born Jan. 15, 1923, in Sanchih, a farming town about an hour north of Taipei. He took an interest in Japan, Taiwans colonizer then, as his father worked in the Japanese-run police force. Lee studied Japanese martial arts in school and eventually became a second lieutenant in the Japanese imperial army in charge of an anti-aircraft unit in Taiwan. In high school, he won a scholarship to Kyoto Imperial University, where he graduated in 1946. Lee initially joined the KMTs political operations in the 1970s as minister of agriculture. The party eventually named him chairman and then vice president and finally, in 1988, president. As president he eventually rejected KMT authoritarian rule and its goal of unifying with China. The party threw him out after 2000, when its nominee lost the presidential race to the relatively new Democratic Progressive Party. Lee worked within this system to get to the top, but eventually turned his back supporting some democratic reforms and emphasizing Taiwans worthiness for individual statehood, said Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center research institution in Honolulu. His description of Taiwan and China having a special state-to-state relationship is as good as any bumper-sticker principle anyone has offered to capture Taiwans point of view. The Democratic Progressive Party, which is in power today, advocates a guarded, distant relationship with China. Beijing still insists on eventual unification, by force if necessary. President Lee Teng-hui is congratulated on his reelection at a celebration rally in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1996. (Vincent Yu / AP) The current presidents predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, a member of the KMT, opened a dialogue with China but vowed not to unite with the country during his eight-year term. Mas predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, talked about declaring legal independence from China the ultimate consecration of self-rule throughout his own eight-year term. His words inflamed Beijing and rattled the United States, which at the time advocated a stable China-Taiwan relationship. Lee typically saw Washington as an ally in resisting China's aggressions. In 1995, he became Taiwans first president to visit the United States, where he spoke at an alumni reunion at Cornell University, where he had earned his PhD. He appealed to the United States by accelerating Taiwans democratization by meeting with pro-democracy protesters in 1990 and later by forcing parliamentary elections that gave seats to more native Taiwanese instead of KMT backers from China. As the first president to visit the U.S., Lee opened a new chapter in U.S.-Taiwan relations, said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington. Chen and Tsai inherited some of his thoughts but have taken Taiwan's independent identity further. His appearance at Cornell is what inspired former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry to speak out against Chinas perceived interference in the Taiwan 1996 presidential race, said Parris Chang, a Taiwanese professor emeritus of political science at Pennsylvania State University. Lee also reestablished diplomatic relations with several countries that had abandoned it in favor of China. After leaving office, he kept China on edge with visits to Japan, which he respected culturally even if not as a colonizer. On a particularly splashy trip in 2015, he visited the Japanese parliament. All three of his successors in Taiwan have sought closer political, military and economic ties with the United States and Japan. Tsai and Chen vied with China for diplomatic recognition from small, impoverished nations in Africa, the Americas and the South Pacific. Those countries speak for Taiwan in the United Nations, while Washington sails warships near Taiwan as a warning to China. Lees most common nickname among Taiwanese remained Mr. Democracy throughout his life. The general public in Taiwan has a very high regard for President Lee, ruling party lawmaker Lo Chi-cheng said. Lee, he said, played an important role in the process of reversing authoritarian rule. Jennings is a Times correspondent. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 13:14 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a7d0c7 1 Business pharmaceutical-industry,COVID-19,hospital,GP-Farmasi,production-capacity,consumer-demand Free Pharmaceutical companies have seen declines of between 50 to 60 percent in demand for drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic as people avoid visiting medical facilities, according to an industry group. The Indonesian Pharmaceutical Companies Association (GP Farmasi) reported Wednesday the drop in demand had forced companies to lower their production capacity to less than 50 percent for the past three months. The association also estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 workers had either been laid off or furloughed. The industry had employed up to 700,000 workers in total, according to the association. As factory utilization has been low, companies started laying off or furloughing workers, Tirto Kusnadi, the chairman of the association, said during a virtual discussion on Wednesday. With COVID-19 restrictions closing large parts of the economy, the chemical, pharmaceutical and traditional medicine industry recorded an annual growth rate of just 5.59 percent in the first three months of the year, well down on the 11.53 percent annual growth recorded in the same period in 2019. Read also: Sinovac collaboration could see COVID-19 vaccine ready by early 2021, Bio Farma claims The companies COVID-19 woes have been worsened by cash flow issues, as hospitals have not paid their Rp 3 trillion (US$206.3 million) in debt. The Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) reported it had disbursed the money to the hospitals. Our cash flow was disrupted as distributors faced difficulties serving medical facilities that have had rather large debts since last year, said Tirto. To better handle the pandemic, the government is teaming up with, among others, Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta to develop ventilators suitable for intensive care units (ICU) at hospitals to meet the needs of coronavirus patients. Mass production is expected to begin in August. We are waiting for a clinical trial permit from the Health Ministry. We have obtained other permits, including the standards and certificates, said Herman Supriadi, the director of machine industry and agricultural machinery at the Industry Ministry. But even with all the permits completed, Herman said the trial might take quite a long time. The government wants to see Indonesias pharma industry become one of the worlds top 15 with a market value of Rp 700 trillion by 2025. Read also: Regulatory issues limit Indonesia's role in global pharma value chain: Think tank To that end, the government has introduced several policies such as the Industry Ministerial Regulation no. 16/2020 that requires pharma products to use local contents. It also offers incentives like a tax deduction of up to 300 percent for pharma companies spending on research and development. However, Indonesian pharma companies still import 90 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to produce their drugs. Tirto said pharma companies had long been wanting to develop the domestic API industry, but always failed. With COVID-19, everyone is now talking about API again, said Tirto. The production of APIs requires government support and the industry wanting to develop it. Without support, regulations, incentives and good human resources, I think our pharma industry will continue like this. The government is considering imposing trade remedies to curb imports, including of APIs, with the aim of reducing overall imports of raw materials by 35 percent to $82 billion in 2022 by encouraging local companies to produce import substitutes. Hours after Oregons governor announced the phased withdrawal of federal officers from Portland, several dozen officers filled city streets late Wednesday in the largest visible response by the federal government to downtown demonstrations. Officers wearing Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection uniforms advanced on protesters gathered near the federal courthouse and remained on the streets for an hour. Officers faced off with protesters at multiple locations near the courthouse, all at once. The oft-chaotic confrontations brought tear gas, impact munitions and arrests. The standoffs unfolded after a night that saw thousands of people downtown for anti-police violence demonstrations, which have happened every night since late May. Recent protests have drawn thousands, particularly since the use of force by federal officers drew a nationwide spotlight and sent multiple protesters to hospitals. Andre Miller addressed the crowd gathered Wednesday at a rally before federal officers engaged with protesters. Miller was hospitalized after he was hit in the head with an impact munition shot by federal officers during overnight demonstrations July 21. He encouraged protesters to keep showing up for the original purpose, even if federal officers do ultimately leave. I want yall to make sure that Black Lives Matter is your number one priority, said Miller, who wore a tactical vest and a bandage over his head wound. This is just the beginning. Crowds started to gather for the demonstrations around 9 p.m. Several dozen people wearing blue medical scrubs marched around the area near the federal courthouse and chanted, Black lives matter! Several Black people, including Miller, rallied the crowd from the steps of the local Justice Center next to the courthouse. Someone used a projector to display a Black Lives Matter logo on the Justice Center. One person asked people to raise their hands if they think federal officers wont actually leave. Hundreds of people did. Gov. Kate Brown said earlier Wednesday she reached an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security for federal officers to begin pulling out of Portland Thursday. But Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad F. Wolf did not offer a definitive timeline in his own statement about the joint plan. He said officers will remain in Portland until we are assured that the courthouse and other federal facilities will no longer be attacked nightly and set afire. The Mark O. Hatfield courthouse was not a focal point of Portlands anti-police violence protests until federal officers began to emerge from it, sometimes shooting impact munitions toward the crowd. Although protesters often cause small fires by aiming fireworks toward the building or lobbing burning trash over the fence surrounding it, nearly all are contained to the sidewalk. In recent nights, federal officials have repeatedly warned people to stop before emerging to release tear gas and shoot impact munitions. Before that, they issued no warning at all. At the start of Wednesdays demonstrations, the crowd was almost completely focused on the rally at the local Justice Center. One person drew applause after saying the real way to achieve peace in Portland was to meet with protesters who have demanded for police reforms every night since late May. She shouldve met with us if she wanted peace, said the speaker, in reference to Brown. The crowd grew to thousands of people after more marchers arrived shortly after 9 p.m. Many of the people wore yellow, signifying their connection to the Wall of Moms. The group of self-identified mothers emerged as a prominent force at the recent protests, but internal turmoil surfaced earlier Wednesday that raised questions about the groups future and leadership. The groups white founders had handed off their roles to women of color. But Dont Shoot Portland leaders said Wednesday that they had pulled back because they now believe the Wall of Moms group intended to get federal officers out of Portland rather than support the Black Lives Matter movement. Demetria Hester, who was leading the crowd in yellow Wednesday, said the mothers had formed a new group, Moms United for Black Lives Matter. On Wednesday night, the mothers group and other marchers gathered at the Justice Center rally, where speakers talked often about the Black Lives Matter movement and the news that federal officers might leave after a deal brokered by Brown. As the rally continued, federal officers prepared for the focus to shift to the courthouse. Around 10 p.m., several Customs and Border Patrol agents walked out of a garage door at the back of the courthouse alongside an unmarked black Dodge Ram. The officers went back inside after the truck drove away. No officers were at the front of the courthouse, where a crowd had started to grow. New floodlights affixed to the courthouse shined on protesters below. Some fireworks crackled in the area around 10:20 p.m. The rally outside the Justice Center ended around 10:30 p.m. with instructions to go home. Most people stayed. Some people gathered near the remnants of a former elk statue, where protesters light a bonfire most nights. A group of made up mostly of people of color stopped other protesters from setting the fire. They are disrupting the movement, one person said. Outside the federal courthouse, federal officers issued their first warning to the crowd around 10:50 p.m. People shining different types of lights at the building appeared to prompt the warning. Minutes later, federal officers emerged from the building, set off stun grenades and shot several pepper balls toward protesters. They also released some sort of irritant into the air. Federal officers quickly retreated into the building but continued to issue warnings to stop pointing lights at officers standing on a lookout point. They also told people to stop throwing things over the fence. Several hundred people remained in the area by 11:20 p.m. Only a handful of fireworks exploded throughout the night, a contrast to a constant stream of fireworks on previous nights. One man climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, ran the length of the area behind it, picked up a spent munition and was shot several times with pepper balls. Then a stream of federal officers emerged for the second time and set off stun grenades and tear gas. Officers launched some tear gas canisters over the fence and into Lownsdale Square, the city park across Southwest Third Avenue. People used leaf blowers to try to stop the gas from spreading. Around 11:30 p.m., federal officials declared the gathering unlawful and ordered people to leave. Although the crowd decreased somewhat, hundreds of people remained. Federal officers came out of the courthouse again around 11:40 p.m. and released more gas. This time, some of the officers carried shields. Around 11:50 p.m. federal officers emerged on the streets. Unlike previous nights, they arrived from the west, not east, on Main Street and advanced toward protesters. They set off gas and munitions as they closed in on the crowd and walked toward the courthouse. Some of officers swept through Lownsdale Square. Soon, the number of officers on the street had grown to at least several dozen. Dozens of officers carrying batons formed a line on Southwest Third Avenue near the south side of the courthouse. Another group of officers took to Salmon Street, on the north side of the courthouse. Those officers pressed people west. The officers on the south side also eventually moved west. The confrontation, which turned chaotic at times, continued for an hour. Several officers stood guard in the fenced area of the courthouse, and others stood west, east, north and south of it. Officers and protesters faced off for several minutes on Southwest Second Avenue, behind the courthouse. The two groups stood feet apart, with protesters far outnumbering that group of officers. The situation became so tense at one point that officers retreated into the courthouse parking garage after detaining one person. Other groups of officers remained on the streets surrounding the courthouse. Officers set off more tear gas and stun grenades, and detained another person near Third Avenue and Main Street. Many officers eventually gathered one block away near Third Avenue and Salmon Street and faced off with protesters. At times, they released more tear gas. The officers blocked the crowd from getting back to the courthouse. Video footage from live social media streams showed officers began to retreat from the intersection just before 12:50 a.m., an hour after they emerged on the street. Officers staged behind the courthouse also moved back at that time. Dozens of people remained downtown, and the live video showed officers continued to periodically engage people outside the courthouse well past 1 a.m. Sean Meagher, Dave Killen, Joe Freeman, Maxine Bernstein and Brooke Herbert of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. The Colorado state auditor has written a scathing performance review about a state board responsible for developing standards for treating and managing registered sex offenders. The audit said members of the Sex Offender Management Board voted on policy revisions that benefited their firms, did not reference supporting evidence when setting standards as required, failed to verify the qualifications of applicants it sanctioned to treat sex offenders and did not adequately investigate complaints against treatment providers, The Colorado Springs Gazette reported. The audit also found that in 2018 through 2019, nine board members had actual conflicts or situations that created the appearance of a conflict that were not disclosed and did not prevent them from performing official actions. Officials in the state Department of Public Safety, which oversees the 25-member board, said during a legislative hearing Tuesday that they were addressing the problems identified in the audit, but legislators said they were skeptical. The board has received complaints in recent years, with civil rights advocates and legislators arguing they should not require low-level sex offenders to keep taking polygraphs or bar even young juvenile offenders from living with their siblings. Id have greater hope if these issues had not been languishing for many years, Republican state Sen. Paul Lundeen said, adding that the board has received complaints since 2015 and has shown it was resistant to change. The board is still working on how to ensure members with experience in sex offender management, such as polygraphers and therapists, could serve on the board and provide expertise while not violating state laws meant to prevent financial conflicts of interest, said Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky, the liaison within the states public safety department to the board. Lobanov-Rostovsky said the board has asked for guidance from the state attorney generals office, and consultant, Yuma County Commissioner Trent Bushner, had helped craft new conflict-of-interest policies. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a presidential permit on Wednesday granting the operator of the existing Keystone oil pipeline, TC Energy, the right to increase the maximum throughput capacity, while the Keystone XL project continues to face significant legal hurdles to starting construction. Under the permit, the limit to ship crude oil from Canada to the U.S. refineries via Keystone is being raised to 760,000 barrels per day (bpd), up from 590,000 bpd in a previous presidential permit, TC Energys spokesman Terry Cunha told Bloomberg via email. Alberta, the heart of Canadas oil industry, which has been plagued by pipeline shortage for years, welcomed the increased maximum shipment capacity. This decision sets the stage to significantly increase the capacity of the existing, base Keystone system which carries Alberta crude oil from Hardisty to refineries in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast. This is excellent news for Canadas energy sector, and hard-working people and families on both sides of the border who benefit from continued North American energy security and interdependence, Albertas Energy Minister Sonya Savage said. Increasing our ability to ship oil to key markets will help protect the value of our energy resources and attract new investment, in turn, creating jobs for hard-working Canadians, Savage said. The permit for increased capacity of Keystone comes three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that construction of the long-delayed and once-resurrected Keystone XL project cannot begin. The justices at the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that Keystone XL cannot use the so-called Nationwide Permit 12 that allowed pipelines to cross rivers with minimal review if they meet specific criteria. The Supreme Court, however, allowed other pipeline projects to return to use that permit aimed at fast-tracking construction of vital oil and gas infrastructure. Getting Albertas oil and gas products to market is essential for the economic recovery of the entire country. Its why we continue to advocate for the completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and have directly invested in Keystone XL kick-starting construction earlier this year, Savage said earlier this week. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: T Muruganandham By Express News Service CHENNAI: Lockdown version 7.0 is here till August 31, of course with more relaxations. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced this after holding discussions with the health experts committee at the secretariat. However, complete lockdown will be in force on all Sundays - August 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. Operation of public and private buses, metro rail, and electric train services will remain suspended till August 31. Ban on public worship in big places of worship, religious gatherings will continue; schools, colleges, training centers, research centers, all educational institutions, shopping malls, theatres, gyms, swimming pools, beaches, tourist spots, zoos, museums and places where people gather in large numbers will remain closed till August 31. As far as to train and flight services, the status quo will continue. E-Pass is necessary for inter-district and inter-State movement. Independence day will be celebrated as per the guidelines issued by the Centre by maintaining social distancing and by wearing masks. Details of extended lockdown till August 31 in Tamil Nadu Part 1 @xpresstn @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/90DzPGYqOC T Muruganandham (@muruga_TNIE) July 30, 2020 What is allowed within the Chennai City Police limits from August 1? All industries, private and export organisations can function with 75 per cent of employees Dine-in services are allowed in 50 per cent of the seats in restaurants and tea shops between 6 am and 7 pm. However, takeaway services will be allowed between 6 am and 9 pm Public worship in small places of worship in village panchayats, town panchayats, and municipalities that have an annual income less than Rs.10,000 will be allowed. However, public worship in all places of worship in municipal corporations will not be allowed. Vegetable shops and grocery shops can function between 6 am and 7 pm The shops which were allowed to function between 10 am and 6 pm, no will be allowed to function till 7 pm E-commerce agencies will be allowed to deliver all essential and non-essential goods. In the rest of the State except in Chennai, along with the relaxations announced last month, public worship is allowed in small places of worship which have an annual income of less than Rs.10,000 located in village panchayats, town panchayats, and municipalities. However, public worship will not be allowed in big places of worship. Public darshan in all places of worship in municipal corporations will not be allowed. School closures in spring resulted to reductions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths by up to 60 percent in some areas of the country, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday. Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings Network, and the University of Cincinnati in Ohio wrote in the study that states with lower numbers of confirmed cases during school closures from March to May likely saw the biggest impact of children remaining at home, which made the cases lower by around 72 percent. They added that states with more COVID-19 cases have reduced their number by 49 percent by closing schools. "States that closed schools earlier, when cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was low, had the largest relative reduction in incidence and mortality," the researchers were quoted in a report. However, they said it is also possible that the decrease may have been linked to the concurrent non-pharmaceutical interventions. The research's findings were discovered at a time when schools across the country were debating over reopening plans for the fall. This includes states of New York City and Los Angeles. New York has decided that schools will offer a combination of online and in-person learning. Los Angeles plans to have online classes alone. Children are generally thought to have a lower risk for severe illness from COVID-19. However, how they can spread the disease is yet to be discovered. The chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Dr. Sarah Fortune, said that schools are "like little bars." This is because many people are confined in tight spaces. Fortune added that states who are deciding to reopen schools can see "equivalent" spread to areas that allowed bars and restaurants to reopen. Fortune added that they would need to test students all the time to reopen schools in a more normal way. Parents on Schools Reopening Nationwide Children's Hospital's survey in Ohio found that over 40 percent are reluctant to send their children back to school. Parents worry that their children will be infected with COVID-19 at school. Researchers noted that 44percent of parents worry that their children would catch COVID-19 at school and infect family members when they get home. Around 37 percent of parents said they were worried their children would be exposed to germs in school. However, around 38 percent of responding parents think whether their children would fall behind academically if online learning continues. Thirty-six percent of parents were concerned about the challenges linked to online learning. Researchers also said 36 percent of parents worry about their child's "emotional well-being" if schools remain closed. Only five percent of parents said they had no concerns about school plans in the fall. "The results show that while we need to continue to take precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19, it's important to focus on the mental health implications, as well," Parker Huston, one of the researchers who headed the survey, was quoted in an UPI report. Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said that education officials should ensure there is a balance for learning, social, and mental health needs of children in making decisions for reopening schools. Check these out: How Prepared Are California Schools for Reopening? Schools Struggle to Reopen at Limited Capacity While Parents Protest Against It How Are Some Schools in The U.S. Going to Reopen Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 03:08:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi military said two Katyusha rockets landed at the edge of Baghdad International Airport on Thursday without causing casualties. The attack took place in the evening when two rockets were fired from Radhwaniyah area southwest of the capital, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, but Baghdad airport and the Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq, as well as the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone, have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks. The Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The U.S. airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on Jan. 5 to pass a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly for training and advisory purposes. Enditem The customs department has busted a major Agarbatti smuggling racket and arrested the father-son duo of Bharat H. Shah and Ronik Shah. The department has seized 161.94 MT of Agarbattis and 68.36 MT of Agarbatti Powder, which they had illegally imported from Vietnam. The seized goods were concealed in six containers which landed at the Chennai port. The importer -- Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers, Bengaluru -- had declared to the Customs that these containers contained Joss powder and Premix powder for making incense sticks. Normally 15% customs duty is charged on Joss powder, but there's no charge under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN countries, which includes Vietnam. The customs department said that the importer was trying to take advantage of the FTA and use the items covered thereunder to conceal and smuggle restricted Agarbattis. Agarbattis are placed in the restricted list of imports since August last year and cannot be imported without a licence. The customs department acted on intelligence received from its sources that some importers were illegally smuggling Agarbattis from Vietnam even after the item was restricted for import. It used used data analytics to identify the importer Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers, and then kept a tight watch on its six imported containers that had landed at Chennai port. The importer had declared that the containers had Joss powder and premix powder for making incense sticks, but they had concealed huge quantities of undeclared Agarbatttis and Agarbatti powder with the consignment. Later the customs officers searched the office and residential premsies of the importer at Bengaluru and apprehended Bharat H Shah and his son Ronik Shah. The seizures and arrests are part of a nationwide drive by the Customs to stop smuggling of Agarbattis, which are on the restricted list of imports. The government fears that importers are misusing ASEAN FTAs to import goods from China and other non-Asean countries. It's even reviewing some of the FTAs. Many Indian manufacturers have demanded complete withdrawal from such FTAs. Also read: No money to pay states their GST share, govt tells parliamentary panel On the bright June day Sumayah Albadani said goodbye to her 10-year-old daughter in Egypt, she lacked the courage to tell the girl she was leaving for good and moving halfway across the world with the rest of the family. Albadani hugged Raghad Saleh outside a neighbors apartment in Cairo before quickly turning away. Soon she was on a plane to America with two of her other children. It was the hardest moment of my life, Albadani said in Arabic, speaking to The Chronicle through an interpreter. It was the hardest day for my daughter and I. Albadani stayed with her daughter for as long as she could. But her visa to the United States was hours from expiring on July 1, and her husband and fourth child were already in San Francisco. She had to go. The Saleh family had been trying to leave Yemen, their war-torn homeland, for years. Raghads father, Abu Bakr Saleh, made it to the U.S. in 2016, joining his father in San Francisco and preparing to send for Albadani and their four children as soon as he was settled. The family traveled to Egypt to wait. Now Playing: Raghad Saleh, 10, was stranded in Egypt when her parents and three siblings immigrated to San Francisco. They received visas; she did not. She pleads to the U.S. government from a neighbor's apartment in Cairo to let her join her family. Video: Manjula Varghese The Chronicle The good news and the familys visas came on March 1. But not Raghads. Its still unclear why. At first, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo assured the family that it would take only a few weeks to fix the mixup and grant the child a visa. That was before the coronavirus pandemic hit. In March, the Trump administration suspended visa services at all U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Then, in June, President Trump signed a proclamation banning most immigration to the U.S. through December, citing high unemployment and public health concerns. Now, a month after Albadani said goodbye, Raghad lives in a three-bedroom apartment in Cairo with a Yemeni woman and her adult son neighbors she barely knows as her family pleads with the embassy to let them bring her home. The saga offers a look at the hardships immigrant families have been willing to face to start over in America and at the complications that can stem from fights over politics and policy in Washington. The Salehs are among thousands of families whose lives have been upended by the sweeping immigration restrictions. Visas for most workers, visa lotteries and temporary immigration visas have all been curbed. So has family-based immigration, which lets a U.S. citizen or permanent resident sponsor an immediate relative for a green card. Thats the program the Saleh family used. Because of this, visa issuances have plummeted in the last year: The State Department issued 1,567 immigrant visas in June, compared with 38,529 visas in June 2019, the most recent records show. In May, the State Department issued 697 immigrant visas, compared with 39,393 visas in May 2019. In announcing the mandate in June, the White House said it would protect U.S. workers who lost employment during the pandemic and ensure that travelers do not spread the virus in the U.S. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle It also sparked chaos and uncertainty, undoing immigration plans in the works for years and forcing many families to make sudden, life-altering decisions about their future. Critics accused the president of using the pandemic to implement broad immigration restrictions, a pillar of his presidency. The Saleh family is among 23 plaintiffs challenging the order in federal court. They argue the ban is unconstitutional and has caused general chaos from harming companies to separating families. In one case, a Bangladeshi woman is unable to join her husband in New York, although she is supposed to start a masters program at Cornell University in the fall. Another plaintiff is stuck in Albania, despite winning a green card through the U.S. lottery system. The proclamation itself is absolutely breathtaking in scope, no matter how you look at it, said Karen Tumlin, director of the Justice Action Center in Los Angeles, which filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., last week with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Innovation Law Lab. It is an absolute disembowelment of our legal immigration system. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle For the Salehs, the policy meant that to pursue the American dream, they had to split up. Its the worst feeling Ive felt in all my life, having to leave my daughter behind, said Saleh, Raghads father. He and Albadani have four children: Ahmed, 14, Asma, 12, Raghad, 10, and Maya, 8. They lived in Ibb, a city in western Yemen, where Saleh owned a small mobile phone store. The countrys ongoing civil war has hit Ibb especially hard, Amnesty International has reported. When Saleh got his travel documents in 2016, he asked the embassy to delay processing the visas for Albadani and their children so he could get settled in the U.S. first a common practice for many immigrant families. Three years later, after settling in an apartment in San Francisco and getting cashier jobs at a food mart and at Kentucky Fried Chicken, Saleh asked the U.S. Embassy to process his familys visas. That was in 2019. Excited, Albadani and the children moved to Egypt last fall to be close to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, which processes visa applications for Yemenis. The embassy in Yemen closed in 2015 because of the war. Courtesy Saleh family As they waited for their visas to come through, that excitement grew. And then, on March 1, the visas arrived. Confusion. Even devastation. Where was Raghads visa? Amir Naim, an attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations who represents the Salehs, said its unclear what went wrong with Raghads application, but that its possible the embassy made a clerical error. Albadani asked the embassy to extend her visa so she could stay with her daughter until the situation resolved. The answer was no. In fact, embassy officials urged her to leave immediately because a second visa was no guarantee, Albadani and Saleh said. Naim contacted the embassy on the familys behalf. Emails show that in denying his request to process the 10-year-olds visa, the embassy cited the presidential proclamation. And in June, the family contacted House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office for help. An aide to Pelosi last week confirmed her office is working on the case but declined to comment further, citing confidentiality. The Salehs case is puzzling but not unique. Because most immigration to the U.S. has stopped, foreigners who, like the Salehs, waited many years to get visas are now unsure of when or if theyll be able to enter the country. 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. Theyre left in this limbo, said Naim. The uncertainty makes it even more depressing than just being separated. A Chronicle reporter contacted the State Department on July 21 to ask about Raghads case. A spokeswoman said visa cases are confidential. But she said that visa applications are typically resolved on a case-by-case basis and are not issued until concerns raised during the screening process are resolved. On Sunday, less than a week after The Chronicles inquiry, the embassy in Cairo (where it was Monday) contacted a former family attorney to say that Raghads case was in the works. An officer at the embassy emailed the family asking for more information to process the visa, including whether the child would be able to travel to the U.S. in the next few weeks. The answer? Absolutely. But while the family is ecstatic and hoping it means they will see Raghad soon, their lawyer, Naim, remains cautious. Stories like the Salehs are well-known among Middle Eastern families, who have faced significant scrutiny since the Trump administration implemented its first travel ban in 2017, said Rafael Urena, an immigration attorney in Los Angeles. The ban, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, bars immigration from 13 Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen. Its not unusual to hear of a family being broken up in the way that this family has been broken up, said Urena, who specializes in Yemeni cases. We often see families piecemealed in the issuance of their visas for no apparent reason. The Salehs obtained a waiver exempting them from the travel ban by demonstrating three key elements: that they would experience hardship if they were denied entry to the U.S., would not pose a threat to national security and that their entry was in the national interest meaning Salehs father in the U.S., Mohamed Saleh, would suffer hardship if the family did not join him. Joe Guzzardi, a spokesman for the conservative nonprofit Progressives for Immigration Reform in Washington, D.C., which opposes mass immigration, said the familys predicament is quite possibly a terrible mistake on the part of the State Department. But the presidents proclamation which is intended to protect millions of workers isnt to blame, he said. When Trump issued that executive order, there were more than 40 million Americans unemployed, hundreds of businesses closed forever, Guzzardi said. To me its inarguable that adding more employment-based visas whether theyre tech workers or whatever category of worker they represent is totally unfair to American workers. In a video interview with The Chronicle last week, Raghad said she spends all her time alone in her room, video chatting with her family on WhatsApp, a messenger application that allows people to communicate internationally. The girl said nothing will feel normal until she is home again. I spend all my time contacting my family, said Raghad, through an interpreter. When theyre asleep, I feel lonely. I cant sleep or eat. I feel so depressed. Raghads temporary travel visa expired, which means shes living in Egypt illegally. She cannot renew her status because the embassy still has her passport, Naim said. Every moment, every hour, every day Im waiting for the day that Im going to gather with my family, Raghad said through tears. Raghad asks daily about the status of her visa, her parents said. Theyre worried about the girls mental health. We came here to the U.S. to be happy, but we are not happy, said Albadani. It would have been better if they had not given any of us the visas. Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez. (Nikkei Asian Review) India has tightened restrictions on Chinese companies seeking to supply goods or services to the government, expanding its economic retaliation against Beijing over a border conflict in the Himalayas. Procurement regulations revised last week now require businesses in countries that share a land border with India to register with the relevant authorities and receive permission from the external affairs and home affairs ministries before bidding for contracts. This applies to a broad range of public-sector business, including state governments, state-run businesses and banks, and public-private partnerships. Though India borders China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, exemptions in effect limit the scope of the rules to China and Pakistan, of which only China would realistically be involved in government procurement. New Delhi said the measures aim to strengthen the defense and national security of the country. The apparent goal is to freeze Chinese companies out of Indias public sector entirely part of a clampdown on Chinese business in India since a clash along the border in mid-June that left 20 Indian troops dead. The eastern state of Bihar has canceled a contract for a $390 million bridge over the Ganges River due to the involvement of Chinese companies, according to local media. The state of Maharashtra has frozen three Chinese investments, including the planned purchase of a General Motors plant there by privately run Great Wall Motor. India has also tightened scrutiny of shipments from China, leaving products such as mobile phones stuck at ports. A tariff hike on solar cells may be considered as well. India has been adding solar capacity to address electricity shortages and make its power supply greener. The country imports about 80% of its cells from China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this month that the country must reduce its reliance on imported solar equipment, and the government is expected to impose import restrictions of some sort aimed at Beijing. Last month, India banned 59 apps from Chinese companies, including TikTok and WeChat. News agency PTI reported Monday that 47 more apps that apparently cloned the blocked services have also been banned. New Delhi had been growing warier of Beijing even before the border standoff began in May. In April, it revised foreign direct investment rules to require companies based in neighboring countries to receive government permission before investing in Indian businesses. Like the new procurement rules, this change essentially targeted China. China was the top exporter to India in fiscal 2019 at $65.2 billion, accounting for 14% of Indias total imports. Chinese foreign direct investment in India for the five years through fiscal 2020 totaled $4.3 billion, more than double the figure for the preceding five years. Chinese automakers are breaking into the Indian market, while Chinese investors have poured money into prominent Indian startups such as Paytm. The app ban and other measures aimed at Beijing are a double-edged sword and may not last long, said Chandramouli Nilakantan, CEO of Indian consulting firm TRA Research. This article was originally published by Nikkei Asian Review Contact editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com) As I prepare for private life after almost four decades with the Toronto Police Service, the last five years of them spent as Chief, Im reflecting on where we are as a progressive police service and what that means for our citizens, our young people, our racialized and vulnerable communities, and our members. The discussions on defunding and the police role in mental health crisis situations are critical. Im struck by the fact that young people are at the forefront of this reckoning, demanding change and insisting on a seat at the table. It takes me back to my decision as a young Black man to become a police officer. Ive always been driven to serve others. In the early years of my career, I saw policing in terms of its core elements that through law enforcement and apprehending offenders, we could make the community safer. We did, and we do, but I also saw that law enforcement isnt often preventative. Instead, we deal with the negative outcomes of larger societal problems, rather than their root causes. I learned that if we were going to be part of discussions about those larger causes, we needed to reflect the communities we serve, and to have deep, trust-based relationships with those communities. I wanted to be at the table where decisions were made, and in roles where I could shape change. As Torontos first Black Chief of Police, I brought my lived experience to the role in a way that wasnt really part of the conversation before. Once youre in this seat, you realize a few things quickly and sometimes harshly. You learn about expectations, both your own and those of your communities. You learn where you can effect change, and where you need help doing so. You learn that being an effective partner at the table just like effective policing is based on trust. Trust is built through our relationships. And building relationships requires an investment in communities and in people: choosing the right people, providing the right training, and building resilience and emotional intelligence. Underpinning all of that is ensuring a culture that evolves and can reflect the communitys expectations. You also realize that the foundations of public trust in the police cannot be taken for granted and, in fact, can be lost in a minute. Or, perhaps in 8 minutes and 46 seconds, as we all witnessed through the murder of George Floyd. That single, tragic event, in another country, triggered a mass awareness of the need for rapid and disruptive change in how Black people are treated by police. In Toronto, and across Canada, it is the same intense and painful reflection on the part of governments, citizens, and police officers, which has resulted in an urgent call for overdue change. Which brings me to where we are today. One of the many aspects of public trust is shown in our ability to reflect the city we serve. Toronto is diverse and constantly evolving. So must be the Toronto Police Service. And ensuring that we are ready for the conversation about the future of policing has always been a focus of mine, as Chief. Its what modernization and our The Way Forward vision have been all about. I dont have room here to describe the tremendous change initiatives we have delivered, but they include introducing neighbourhood community officers, a new Race-Based Data Strategy, best-in-class training for our officers (including on racial bias), as well as our transformational multi-year People Plan that focuses on diversity and inclusion, culture building, leadership, professional development, and performance excellence. These are a deliberate part of the long-term strategic vision we developed with our partners through the Transformational Task Force, the community, and members of the TPS to better serve the people of Toronto. Its why the TPS, possibly more than any other Canadian service, is already at the table to discuss the future of policing. As a community, we can make constructive changes where Black, racialized, or vulnerable persons are treated with respect; where we talk about root causes like why a young Black man would pick up a gun in the first place; about how the community sees itself reflected in their police service; and finally how to continue to build a relationship that is strong and deep. And so as I step away from this role and this organization after so many years, I want to say this: Be at the table. Bring your voices and your lived experiences. This is your city, and we are your Service. Together in partnership, we can keep Toronto the best and safest place to be. The co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua was found guilty for the illegal possession and carrying of firearms and has been sentenced to four years in prison by Tbilisi City Court today. Rurua, who was detained last year, says he is a political prisoner. The opposition parties, who have been demanding Ruruas release since his detention, also call him a political prisoner. His lawyer said that we were waiting for the unfair verdict, adding that they will appeal the courts decision, Agenda.ge reported. It was because of Rurua the opposition parties refused to vote for constitutional changes earlier this year, per the March 8 election agreement between the ruling party and the opposition. The opposition claimed that the ruling party accepted Ruruas release in the election talks which were mediated by the diplomatic corps which the ruling party strongly denied. Do you struggle with blemishes, spots and blackheads? If so, this L'Oreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask could be the answer as it helps to clear blemishes and brighten sensitive, combination and acne-prone skin. Some reviewers claim they have noticed a difference after just one application. And today it is reduced by 33 per cent on Amazon, meaning it's just 5.33 per jar. Even better, if you Subscribe & Save, you'll get an extra five per cent off, making it only 5.06 per jar. The L'Oreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask is currently just 5.33 per jar on Amazon The L'Oreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask is blended with marine blue algae extract, which is known for its anti-blemish properties. The clay mask gently targets deep into the pores to clear blemishes and imperfections. It also unclogs blackheads and blocked pores without drying your skin out. It's one of six masks in L'Oreal Paris' line of Pure Clay Masks. The six masks have been formulated with three carefully selected clays. These include Kaolin, which helps to absorb impurities and excess sebum, Moroccan lava clay, a mineral-rich ingredient which targets imperfections, and Ghassoul, which is known to help clarify complexion. This popular beauty buy is being described by shoppers as great for acne prone and sensitive skin. Many fans of the Blemish Rescue Mask also say it leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and clean. One customer wrote in their review: 'I used the mask today for the first time and I really liked it! I have pale complexion, and my skin is sensitive, combination acne prone skin so I have a lot to deal with. I am also dealing with a breakout at the moment due to using a wrong skin product. 'This left my skin feeling nice, smooth, relaxed, clean, and actually brighter, and this was just the first use! Recommend highly for sensitive skin you wish to brighten.' The L'Oreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask gently targets the pores to clear blemishes and imperfections. It also unclogs blackheads and blocked pores without drying your skin out A second shopper added: 'As someone with sensitive skin, I struggle to find a product that tackles blemishes without causing redness or dryness for my skin. 'I cannot recommend this product more! This product is gentle on my skin, with a light fragrance, that leaves my skin smooth and cleansed. I notice blemishes fading within a couple of hours.' A third commented: 'I'm currently five months pregnant and was suffering from really bad hormonal acne on my chin and forehead. 'I started using this mask a couple of times a week and it has improved my spots to no end, they're virtually gone now. I would highly recommend this product, it also leaves your skin feeling soft and clean.' The L'Oreal Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Mask is blended with marine blue algae extract, which is known for its anti-blemish properties L'Oreal Paris recommends applying a thin layer of the Pure Clay Blemish Rescue Clay Mask all over the face, two times a week (try to avoid the eyes and lips). Leave to dry for up to five to ten minutes, then gently remove with a wet towel or lukewarm water. For best results, MailOnline beauty writer Emily Knott recommends steaming before masking to soften the skin and open the pores. Steaming your skin also allows your skincare products (such as creams, serums and actives) to absorb better since skin cells are more permeable when they're damp. Fill up a bowl with hot water and place your face over the steam with a towel over your head. MailOnline may earn commission on sales from the links on this page. People run as tear gas canisters land near them during a protest sparked by the death of George Floyd while he was in police custody on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Scott Olson/Getty Images Over 100 police agencies dropped out as security for the Democratic National Convention set to take place in Milwaukee next month, WTMJ-TV reported. Milwaukee police Chief Alfonso Morales said that many agencies are concerned about safety due to new policies that restrict "use of tear gas and large amounts of pepper spray" at crowds. "When you rule an unlawful assembly to help break up that crowd, once we deem them unruly, that's a safe manner in doing so. Not having those tools increases the potential for more violence," Morales told the outlet. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Police agencies are backing out of agreements to provide security for next month's Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee and some are citing new restrictions banning pepper-spray and tear gas. According to the WTMJ-Milwaukee, The Milwaukee Police Department sought out more 1,000 police officers to assist with security for the DNC event taking place in late August. However, according to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, the law enforcement agencies withdrew from the convention due to new policies from the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, WTMJ reported. The new directives forbid the "use of tear gas and large amounts of pepper spray" on demonstrators, according to the report. "Not having those tools increases the potential for more violence," Morales told the WTMJ. "That's a big concern for the law enforcement community within Milwaukee and outside of Milwaukee." The Associated Press reported that in a meeting last week, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission wanted Morales to address why tear gas was used on demonstrators during George Floyd protests. The outlet also reported that Morales could be terminated if the directives aren't followed. Although the event will be mostly virtual, Former Vice President Joe Biden will be in attendance to accept the party's nomination, the report said. Story continues Based on the report, Morales said there isn't enough security to oversee the event, however, he is not opposed to receiving federal backing or help from the National Guard. "Those will be options and those options are still at the table," Morales said. Read the original article on Insider RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- X Display Company (XDC), a leader in MicroLED displays, announced today that Professor John Rogers, Advisor to XDC, will present an Invited Paper on MicroLED technology, at the prestigious DisplayWeek symposium, hosted by the Society for Information Display (SID). XDC has also launched a brand new website www.xdisplay.com to showcase the company and its technology. XDC was recently spun out of X-Celeprint, to leverage, over a decade of development in microLED and Micro Transfer Printing technology. XDC's business is to 1) license IP for applications ranging from TV, Electronic Signage, Laptops, Mobile and others and, 2) sell MicroIC and PixelEngine components to the industry. Professor John Rogers will present an Invited Paper titled "More than MicroLED: Mass Transfer of Pixel Engines for Emissive Displays" under section 44.2 at SID's DisplayWeek symposium and conference, on Friday, August 7th, 2020. The talk will cover mass transfer process to distribute LEDs and IC's across a display substrate, pixel level circuitry to drive the emitters and progress towards commercialization of MicroLED displays. "As a brand new display company, XDC is honored to present its technology at DisplayWeek," said Randolph Chan, CEO of X Display Company. "We have a top notch team, best-in-class technology and IP, enviable investors and customers; we are building displays of the future." XDC has been demonstrating MicroLED displays to select OEMs and building its eco-system. The company is also hiring at its locations in Cork, Ireland and RTP, NC. About X Display Company X Display Company (XDC), a Cork, Ireland and RTP, North Carolina based technology developer, licenses intellectual property for manufacturing microLED displays and sells MicroIC and PixelEngine components that will power next-generation displays. XDC is poised to capture share in the display market, delivering products that will make peoples' lives better. www.xdisplay.com Media Inquiries: [email protected] SOURCE X Display Related Links http://www.xdisplay.com HOLYOKE Police blocked off the street leading to the Holyoke Mall and Holyoke Crossing for more than three hours for an investigation into a shooting Wednesday night. Massachusetts State Police and Holyoke Police closed Holyoke Street, which leads to the mall from the intersection of Whiting Farms Road. They have also blocked access to the shops at Holyoke Crossing and the parking lot to Hunts Photo and Video and other stores across the street. A detective called it an active crime scene. Other police referred questions to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gullunis office. Holyoke Police officials confirmed there was a shooting at the location but could not give any details about the crime. Officials for the District Attorneys office would only say police are investigating an incident on Lower Westfield Road. The crime occurred at about 6:15 p.m. Police reopened the road at about 9:30 p.m. This is a breaking news story. MassLive will update as more information becomes available. WICHITA, Kan., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems [NYSE: SPR] announced today changes on its Executive Leadership Team. John Pilla, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, and Vic McMullen, Senior Vice President for Global Manufacturing and Boeing Operations, have announced their intent to retire and will move into special advisor roles with the company, effective August 1. "Both John and Vic have been instrumental to Spirit's success and have made major contributions to the global aviation industry," said Tom Gentile, President and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems. "I am pleased that they will continue to share their expertise with the company and ensure a smooth transition." To consolidate responsibilities for leading key growth efforts and gain efficiencies across a number of functional areas during this challenging period for the global aviation industry, the following leadership changes are effective immediately. Sam Marnick will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to Gentile. Marnick, who previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer, will oversee a number of functional organizations, including Supply Chain Management, Strategy, M&A, Enterprise Risk Management, Research & Technology, Information Technology and Human Resources. In addition, she will lead growth initiatives across a number of key markets for Spirit that include Fabrication, Aftermarket, and Regional and Business Jets. Kevin Matthies will serve as Senior Vice President, Quality and Engineering, reporting directly to Gentile. Matthies most recently served as Senior Vice President of Quality and will expand his responsibilities to include Product and Factory Support Engineering. Also, he will lead the company's Global Manufacturing Excellence initiative and Global Safety Council. "These changes will help position Spirit to navigate a prolonged recovery of the commercial aviation market and sharpen the focus of our team on key growth markets," Gentile said. On the web: www.spiritaero.com On Twitter: @SpiritAero About Spirit AeroSystems Inc. Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.SpiritAero.com. SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems Related Links http://www.spiritaero.com Statement by Oleg Bakhmatyuk, the Owner of Ukrlandfarming Yesterday, the judges of the Appeal Chamber of HACCU handed down a flagrantly improper judgement overturning the ruling of the Pechersk District Court to close the case against Oleksandr Pysaruk and myself. The decision of the Appeal Chamber of HACCU does not, however, compel the Prosecutor General to reinstate the annulled decision of the First Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaliy Kasko, as the criminal proceedings have been closed. Leading Ukrainian lawyers, the Bar Association, the Kharkiv Human Rights Group had all warned of the danger of such a cynical disrespect for the law and human rights. The V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine had issued a black-and-white opinion on the issue. But it happened anyway, HACCU delivered a judgement, which is beyond unlawful. I would like to draw attention to several important facts: - Zero Corruption, the Telegram channel of the Anticorruption Centre (AntAC), published a long post about the judgement of the Appeal Chamber of HACCU before the judge pronounced the ruling. Interestingly enough, there wasnt anyone in the courtroom, except the parties, and the hearing was not being broadcast! Broadcasting would not have been possible, as not even participants in the hearing have the right to take photos or record video without the courts permission and consent from the parties (that is according to Article 27 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine). AntAC claims a separate room was provided to them in the HACCU courthouse where they were allegedly watching the hearing and webcasting in on their Telegram channel. - AntACs long post appeared before the defence counsels managed to send two-word texts to their clients, which proves it was written before the judges pronounced the judgement. This suggests that the text of the ruling was either leaked before its pronouncement or third parties were given improper access to it in the courtroom. Does that sound like an independent and impartial court to you?! I hope the sound recordings and video footage from the hearing do not miraculously disappear from HACCUs archives. - The Appeal Chamber of HACCU dismissed a complaint filed by my lawyers with the Pechersk District Court of Kiev and closed the proceedings opened by the Pechersk Court. Pandoras box has been opened. From now on, it is fine to disrespect any ruling by any court in Ukraine and force any court to pass biased judgements by using improper influence in the country. - NABUs entire case hinges on the absurd allegation that I colluded with the former deputy governor of the NBU, Oleksandr Pysaruk, whom international financial institutions have stood up for as an IMF employee. The court confirmed that he had acted strictly within his powers and in compliance with the law in effect at the time. The case collapsed. His name is no longer mentioned by either SAPO, NABU or AntAC in the context of this case. This provides further evidence that the attacks on me are politically motivated, which both the Ukrainian politically establishment and the international business community know only too well. It is obvious that the judgement was delivered under the influence and in the interests of Artem Sytnyk who is destroying my company to exact personal vengeance. The company contributes billions in taxes and employs 27 thousand Ukrainians. Now the ball is in the court of the Prosecutor Generals Office: will the Prosecutor General yield to those people and their vested interests or will she protect the integrity of the process and act as a guarantor of the law and legality in Ukraine? We are positively convinced that the European Court of Human Rights will find the judgement of the Appeal Chamber of HACCU to be a flagrant violation of human rights in Ukraine. We hope this outrage will be properly evaluated by the High Council of Justice. We have no intention of giving up: as a businessman I have a responsibility for tens of thousands of my employees who have been subjected to intimidation by law enforcement along with my company for the past 9 months, while all they want is to protect their jobs and livelihoods in Ukraine. Rape victims are being denied justice, critics have said after prosecutions and convictions dropped to a new record low. Only 1,439 people were convicted in rape-related cases in the year to March, according to new statistics released by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), down a quarter on the previous year. Completed prosecutions also reached a record low after falling by almost a third, from 3,034 in 2018-19 to 2,102. Only 1.4 per cent of more than 55,000 rapes recorded by police in the same period were charged. Victims advocates have accused the CPS of allowing the effective decriminalisation of rape, and prosecutors have announced a five-year plan to narrow the gap between reports and charges. The latest figures were revealed as womens groups won the latest stage of a legal battle over accusations that prosecutors have been removing weaker cases from the system to improve conviction rates. The Court of Appeal allowed the challenge to go ahead and overturned a previous ruling by the High Court. Although the number of convictions has fallen, the latest figures show that as a proportion of cases charged they rose to 68.5 per cent in the year. The End Violence Against Women Coalition, which is bringing the judicial review, said there had been a vacuum of leadership and accountability. The Centre for Womens Justice, which is acting on behalf of the coalition at the Court of Appeal, said rape victims had a much better chance of seeing justice being done five years ago. Director Harriet Wistrich asked: How can it be that we have moved so far backwards in a crime that is so serious and does so much harm? Lord Falconer, Labours shadow attorney general, said there had been no adequate explanation to why the figures have dropped so sharply. The High Court rejected a legal challenge over rape prosecutions but the case has gone to the Court of Appeal (iStock) The CPS needs to urgently identify the causes of why prosecution levels are so low, learn these lessons quickly and act swiftly to reverse this worrying deterioration of prosecution levels to ensure that victims of rape and sexual violence are not denied their right to justice, he added. Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats justice spokesperson, said authorities were failing survivors of sexual violence allowing too many criminals to walk free. The government announced a review to identify why convictions have fallen more than a year ago, but the group conducting it has only met four times and we still havent seen any results, she added. Recommended CPS faces legal challenge over plummeting rape prosecutions Dame Vera Baird, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, called the statistics utterly shameful. There are 1,500 fewer rapists being convicted than three years ago, she added. Rape is a serial offence and rapists carry on until they are stopped. The CPS figures show a 19 per cent drop in the number of rape cases referred to the prosecutors by police, down from 3,375 in 208-19 to 2,747. The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) described the fall in the number of convictions as very concerning and said they were committed to changing the way investigators work. A joint statement from its leads for rape, domestic abuse and charging said several reasons were behind the drop in the number of cases passed to prosecutors. We are hearing from our officers that it is becoming harder to achieve the standard of evidence required to charge a suspect and get a case into court, it added. Max Hill QC, the director of public prosecutions, said 'serious mistakes' were being made in the past Investigators are working incredibly hard to try and reach that standard. The NPCC said police were also concerned about mounting delays between rape reports and charging decisions, partly blaming the high evidential threshold and examinations of complainants mobile phones. And the average time for the police and CPS to bring a charge increased to 145 days, compared with 108 in 2018-19. The CPS said it was working hard to reverse the trend we've seen in recent years as a new five-year strategy was unveiled to improve the rate of conviction in rape cases. Max Hill QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I do accept the scale of the problem but we must also accept if we are talking about that, that looking back three or four years some serious mistakes were also being made. There were cases going to court which shouldn't have been going to court, so we have had to eradicate that as well. The CPS strategy includes a joint action plan with police and giving officers legal advice early in investigations. Mr Hill also said more alleged rape victims should be allowed to pre-record evidence to avoid coming to court for trial, and victims who do need to attend should be offered a digital walkthrough of the process so that they know what to expect. He said trends are moving in the right direction, pointing to a rise in the proportion of cases referred to the CPS by police that result in charges. PHILIPSBURG:--- Young St. Maartener Nikita Ambrose is now better equipped to start pursuing her tertiary studies in the Netherlands thanks to a donation she received from the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation earlier this month. Nikita is the daughter of one of Tzu Chis long-time recipient, the late Angela Ambrose, who passed away in November 2019. Angela had been a Tzu Chi recipient since 2009. In an effort to help Nikita on her educational journey, Tzu Chi provided her with her airline ticket, pocket money, reusable masks, a Da Ai Technology Blanket, warmer bag and Tzu Chi Founder Master Cheng Yens Jingsi in five languages. Nikita aspires to become a chef. Tzu Chi advised her to look into the major causes of global warming during her journey. Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung said a chef can help save lives through the preparation of healthy meals. Nikita thanked the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation for its generous donation and for helping to jumpstart her journey to obtain a tertiary education. Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung said the foundation is grateful to have an opportunity to help the daughter of one of its loved long-time recipient, jump-start the process to achieve her dreams. About three years ago, Ilya Lachugin joined Alex Sato in his tiny Hells Kitchen apartment. The West 50s studio was on the top floor of a prewar elevator building, with a rent of about $2,000 a month for a little more than 200 square feet. The kitchen was in an alcove. We had a stove, sink and refrigerator thats all, Mr. Lachugin said. I cook, Alex cleans. Mr. Lachugin, 33, who is originally from Moscow, yearned to buy a home. In a rental, he said, you never can relax. In my mind, you always have to worry about the lease, and it is not a place for yourself. Mr. Sato, 46, who is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, felt no particular urgency to buy, although it did seem financially prudent. I came to New York for work and ended up staying, he said. In the back of my head, I always thought it was going to be a temporary situation, that I would go back to Brazil. With Ilya, now I have a family. The two were married last year. [Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com] Mr. Lachugin constantly browsed online listings, and last winter the couple decided to visit some open houses. They were hoping to find a studio in a co-op building for around $300,000, although they could pay more if necessary. And they wanted to stay in Hells Kitchen, preferring a smaller place there to a bigger place elsewhere in the city. When he first moved to the neighborhood, Mr. Lachugin felt it was crowded with people and traffic, but it had grown on him. The couple often walked their French bulldog, Mamma, in Central Park. And both enjoyed walking to their offices in Midtown, where Mr. Lachugin works as a financial analyst and Mr. Sato works at a technology company. One essential was a nice kitchen or at least the potential to make it nice, Mr. Lachugin said. They also wanted a sublet policy that would let them rent the home if they wished. Among their options: U.S. President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to Russia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico for the OPEC + agreement to cut oil output, concluded in April. "When oil crashed, I got Saudi Arabia, Russia, and others to cut nearly 10 million barrels a day, and got OPEC Plus and Mexico to agree to the deal. And hence, were okay now," he said. "And I want to thank, frankly, Saudi Arabia. I want to thank Russia. I want to thank Mexico. And I want to thank OPEC+," Trump stressed at the meeting in Texas. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies agreed to lower their current crude oil production cut level to 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd) starting from August, from the existing 9.7 million bpd. The 9.7 million bpd cut has begun on May 1 and will extend through the end of June. The cuts will then taper to 7.7 million bpd from July through the end of 2020, and 5.8 million bpd from January 2021 through April 2022. All members would reduce output by 23%, with Saudi Arabia and Russia each cutting 2.5 million bpd and Iraq cutting over 1 million bpd. Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died after being hospitalized for the new coronavirus. He was admitted to an Atlanta hospital on July 1, two days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Ten days prior, Cain attended a Trump rally in Tulsa, Okla., where he was seen without a mask. It's not clear exactly when or where Cain contracted the virus, but according to local Tulsa health officials, Trump's Tulsa rally and protests in the city likely contributed to a surge in coronavirus cases. Cain's supporters are mourning his passing. One of Cain's former aide's, Ellen Carmichael shared a thread of sympathetic tweets. Youre never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning, said Dan Calabrese, the editor for Cains website. Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away. Calabrese said in the statement, doctors were hopeful as recently as five days before his death that Cain would make a recovery. However, because Cain previously beat Stage 4 cancer he was considered at high-risk for complications related to COVID-19. Calabrese wrote on the website We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight." Newsmax said in an article "Cain, who recently joined Newsmax TV and was set to launch a weekly show, died in an Atlanta-area hospital where he had been critically ill for several weeks." Cain, a businessman and politician, worked for Coca-Cola Co, Pillsbury, Burger King and the was CEO of Godfathers Pizza. According to CNBC he had been a business executive and the board chairman of a branch of Kansas Citys Federal Reserve Bank before moving into Republican politics and eventually becoming a presidential candidate. Before closing his statement, Calbrese said, "But the good news is that we had a man so good, so solid, so full of love and faith . . . that his death hits us this hard. Thank God for a man like that. Rest well in His presence, Boss. We love you." Aiuuu.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 11 May 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. The total number of people who shared the aiuuu homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the aiuuu homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the aiuuu homepage on Twitter + the total number of aiuuu followers (if aiuuu has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the aiuuu homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the aiuuu homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if aiuuu has a Facebook fan page). Basic Information PAGE TITLE ____ DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS , , , OTHER KEYWORDS mm , The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. Domain and Server DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Chinese (Simplified, China) UTF-8Chinese (Simplified, China) DETECTED LANGUAGE SERVER Microsoft-IIS/6.0 (ASP.NET) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2003 Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. 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Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The combined risks of COVID-19, anti-globalization, trade friction, debt woes, global recession and geopolitics have no doubt amplified the uncertainties of the world. However, newly released economic figures indicated that the Chinese GDP returned to positive growth in the second quarter, expanding 3.2 percent year-on-year. China also witnessed positive growth in both imports and exports in June and realized an 8.4-percent year-on-year growth in actual use of foreign investment in the second quarter, which signaled foreign investors stable and growing expectations of and confidence in the Chinese market. Foreign investment in China had gathered momentum month by month and seen promising prospects for long-term growth in the first half of this year. Global foreign direct investment (FDI) would fall below $1 trillion in 2020 for the first time since 2005 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the World Investment Report 2020 released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on June 16. Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, the actually utilized FDI of China stood at 472.18 billion yuan (about $67.93 billion, excluding foreign investment in banking, negotiable securities, and insurance sectors), dropping by 1.3 percent compared to that of the same period last year. With COVID-19 being gradually brought under control in China, the actual use of FDI in the country has begun to recover since April, during when the country utilized a total of 70.36 billion yuan of foreign investment, up 11.8 percent from a year ago. The figure was followed by continuous robust positive growth and a marked upturn in the area. China is seeing new trends in foreign investment activities, with FDI in Chinas high-tech service industry growing rather rapidly. As China intensifies its efforts on high-quality economic development and the construction of a modern economic system, more than 70 percent of the inward FDI has been used in Chinas high-tech service industry, while the proportion used to go into the country's manufacturing sector. High-tech service industry had witnessed a 19.2-percent year-on-year increase in actual use of FDI in the first six months of this year. In particular, the FDI in services of information, inspection and detection, and R&D and design, surged by 20.9 percent, 8.7 percent and 35.7 percent, respectively. China remains one of the most important destinations for global investors. The amounts of actual FDI flowed to China from Chinas Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Singapore, and the U.S. grew by 4.2 percent, 7.8 percent, and 6 percent respectively during the first half of this year, while countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) invested 2.9-percent more in China than they did in the same period last year. As facts have shown, COVID-19 only had a short-term and controllable impact on certain areas of Chinas actual use of FDI. With China achieving positive progress in epidemic prevention and control, inward foreign investment in the country has started to pick up. The actual use of FDI in Chinese provinces including Fujian, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Heilongjiang, and Hainan maintained positive growth during the January-June period, and that in Jiangsu reached $12.46 billion. Improving investment and business environment is currently an important task for China. The foreign investment law, which took effect in China more than half a year ago, has improved the level of foreign investment liberalization and facilitation through detailed provisions on such aspects as market access and transparency of foreign investment policies. This June, China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce unveiled the 2020 edition of the Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access and the Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access in Pilot Free Trade Zones (2020 Edition), cutting the numbers of sectors in the country that are off-limits for foreign investors from 40 in 2019 to 33 and the prohibited industries in pilot free trade zones from 37 to 30. China has achieved notable progress in improving investment environment since the release of the first negative list containing 190 items in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2013. According to the 2020 American Business in China White Paper recently released by American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), China has made significant progress in perfecting its intellectual property rights (IPR) protection system. More and more American enterprises in China believe that Chinas IPR protection environment is improving, suggested the white paper. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still lingering in the country, 96 percent of the respondents predicted that their business in China would return to normal within the next three to six months, said the document. In contrast to some global narratives, our China-based data suggests that the majority of our members will not be packing up and leaving China anytime soon, remarked Alan Beebe, president of AmCham China. Zhang Yansheng is chief researcher of China Center for International Economic Exchanges. A group of militants detained in Belarus could have been used to destabilize the situation in the country before the presidential elections, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Kateryna Zelenko said. "Ukraine has long warned that members of the Russian-led forces and illegal armed formations that participated in hostilities in eastern Ukraine are being used in other parts of the world and pose a threat. The identification of these militants in Belarus confirms this fact and indicates that they can be used for destabilization of the situation in Belarus before the presidential elections," Zelenko said in the commentary, released on Thursday. The ministry said that they are closely following the situation around the detention of several dozen Russian militants by Belarusian law enforcement officers. "In this regard, we emphasize that Ukraine develops good-neighborly relations with neighboring Belarus, fully supports its sovereignty and independence. Questions about possible extradition or other legal actions will be resolved by the relevant law enforcement and applicable authorities," the spokesperson said. Law enforcement officers of Belarus detained 32 militants of the private military company (PMC) Wagner near Minsk on Wednesday night and one more person was detained in the south of the country. Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Serhiy Kryvonis said in a comment to Channel 5 that Ukraine may demand the extradition of the natives of Ukraine detained in Belarus along with other militants of the Russian military company Wagner. According to him, he has already addressed this issue to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Probably, we consider such a proposal so that they could be extradited to us. This issue is being discussed how. It would be good. Firstly, it would strengthen normal relations between Ukraine and Belarus, would give an impetus to the improvement of relations and would be the desire of our enemies to use the territory of our neighbors as a springboard for actions against our country," Kryvonis said. The latest claim in Sushant Singh Rajput's case is that his domestic help claimed Rhea Chakraborty of being into black magic. Bihar Police sources told Times Now that Sushant's sister Mitu Singh quoted the domestic help's claims in her statement to the police. According to Times Now, the Bihar Police who took Sushant's sister Mitu's statement yesterday, July 30, were told that a domestic help alleged that Rhea was into black magic. This has not been confirmed independently by Mitu Singh yet. The report also added that both Mumbai Police and Bihar Police have been getting conflicting statements with regard to Sushant's case. Sushant's father K.K. Singh lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and five others, including her brother and parents, for alleged abetment of suicide, theft, cheating, confinement, and a few other charges under the Indian Penal Code. Although Sushant and Rhea were rumoured to be dating, Rhea confirmed that she was Sushant's girlfriend only after his death. Sushant's father alleged that Rhea and her family defrauded Sushant of Rs 15 crore, controlled his bank account and credit cards, cut him off from his family, and took possession of his medical records and threatened to make them public. The FIR against Rhea and others was registered by the Bihar Police and not the Mumbai Police, who have been investigating the case since the actor's death. According to Sushant's father's lawyer, the family did not trust the Mumbai Police with their investigation, and therefore lodged the FIR over a month after the actor's death, in his hometown Patna. Another reason is that Sushant's father is aged and could not have travelled for the case because of ill-health. ALSO READ: Sushant's Father And Sister Mitu Never Mentioned Rhea's Name In Their Statements To Mumbai Police Rhea recently filed a petition in the Supreme Court, requesting the transfer of the investigation to Mumbai. In response, Sushant's family filed a caveat with the court to not allow Rhea's petition to be heard in the court. ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Father Files Caveat In Supreme Court After Rhea Chakraborty's Plea Police believe the Queensland teenagers who sparked the states latest coronavirus emergency hosted an illegal party while in Victoria. A police source revealed about 20 people attended a party the women threw at their accommodation during a trip to Melbourne, which is in the grip of a COVID-19 outbreak, earlier this month. Olivia Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu (right) have been named as the COVID-positive teenagers who flew to Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21. Credit:The Today Show Victorian police responded to a "disturbance"at the address and infringement notices were handed out to all who attended. Gathering restrictions were introduced in Victoria again last month after the coronavirus cases spiked in the state. New Delhi: Government on Friday said there have been a series of cross border terror attacks from Pakistan controlled territories across the LoC recently which has created an environment not conducive for holding a meaningful dialogue. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh while replying to a written question in the Rajya Sabha also said that Pathankot Air Base terror attack mounted from Pakistan and the subsequent intensification of anti-India cross-border terrorism including Poonch and Uri strikes have eroded the necessary environment free from terror and violence. He was asked whether it is a fact that Indias relationship with its immediate neighbours in the recent past is not so smooth and if so, the reasons thereof and the steps proposed to be taken to improve it? While he termed the ties with Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka as smooth, in case of Nepal, Singh described the ties as unique and special. He also said India attaches importance to developing good relations with China and both sides, during their meetings in past, have agreed to make efforts for further strengthening of Closer Developmental Partnership on the basis of mutual sensitivity to each others concerns, interests and aspirations. On Pakistan, he said, Yes. India intends to have normal and peaceful relations with all its neighbouring countries including Pakistan. However, Pakistan has supported armed insurgency and terrorism in the State of J&K. Cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan endangers security and stability not only of India but of the entire region. Pakistan covets territory of J&K which is an integral part of India. Recently there have been a series of cross border terrorism attacks from Pakistan controlled territories across the Line of Control which has created an environment not conducive for holding a meaningful dialogue. He further added that as a result of Pakistans assurances to take steps for expediting Mumbai terrorist attack trial undergoing in Pakistan, the two sides agreed on Composite Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) to resolve all outstanding issues as well as humanitarian issues. Pathankot Air Base terrorist attack mounted from Pakistan and the subsequent intensification of anti-India cross border terrorism including Poonch terrorism attack on 11 September 2016 and Uri terrorism attack on 18 September 2016, have eroded the necessary environment free from terror and violence, Singh asserted. India is non-committal about holding bilateral talks with Pakistan Prime Ministers foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz, who will be travelling to Amritsar next week to attend the Heart of Asia Conference. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday gave his clearest indication yet that the United States would seek to force UN sanctions on Iran if an arms embargo lapses. Russia and China, two of the Permanent Five nations that enjoy veto power on the Security Council, want the UN embargo on selling conventional weapons to Iran to end on October 18 as laid out under a 2015 resolution. Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States would introduce a resolution to extend the embargo "in the near future" which "we hope will be met with approval from other members of the P5." "In the event it's not, we're going to take the action necessary to ensure that this arms embargo does not expire," he said. The United States has previously said it has the authority to "snap back" UN economic sanctions that were lifted as part of a nuclear deal with Iran. "We have the capacity to execute snapback and we're going to use it in a way that protects and defends America," Pompeo told the committee. The 2015 resolution had blessed a denuclearization deal with Iran negotiated by former president Barack Obama from which President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018. Trump has since repeatedly denounced the accord and imposed unilateral US sanctions on Iran, but Pompeo argues that the United States remains a "participant" in the accord -- with the right to snap back UN sanctions for violations -- as it was listed in the 2015 resolution. Even US allies are skeptical about the legal argument and warn that such a move could damage the Security Council as an institution. France and Britain, the other nations in the P5, support extending the arms embargo but say the greater priority is maintaining a diplomatic solution to stop Iran's nuclear program. The embargo issue could come to a head days before the US presidential election. Trump's rival Joe Biden backs the Iran agreement. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States will seek to impose UN sanctions on Iran if an arms embargo is not extended Communication is key to keeping people engaged and supporting good mental health among remote workers. Photo: Getty With lockdown restrictions easing in the UK, many workers will finally be returning to the workplace after months of working from home. For some, working remotely has been a challenge. Few people have a home office and have had to make do with working on the sofa or hunched over the kitchen table. Parents have had to juggle homeschooling with Zoom meetings, and lots of us have had to get used to spending all our time with partners and housemates. For others, though, home-working has been a welcome change from the stress of commuting to the office. And while some people cant wait to return, many people hope that they will be offered the option of flexible working post-COVID-19. 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. READ MORE: Why being self-aware is key to being a good boss Working from home comes with many benefits, but it can be easy for staff to become disengaged and feel unsupported when they arent in the workplace. So what can you do to keep everyone happy and motivated? In line with the governments recent move to give employers more control over their return to work, many offices are choosing to stay closed and employees continue to work remotely, Dr says Nick Taylor, co-founder and CEO of the workplace mental health platform Unmind. Without the social aspect of the office creating variety and creativity, employees may feel that their days have become monotonous, which could lead to dissatisfaction and disengagement with work. At a time when disengagement may be on the rise, its essential to show employees that you appreciate them and their efforts. Equally, finding ways to connect people to the purpose in their work is crucial to helping them feel motivated. This is especially pertinent now as many may feel disconnected from their work, or disheartened by the traumatic period weve lived through, Taylor says. Employee engagement should be a key focus for any company and its never been more important than it is now. While teams are separated, people might feel isolated, so boosting morale across the organisation is crucial for building staff engagement. Story continues There are a number of different ways that employers can do this from creating social events to giving their employees a wellbeing budget. At Unmind, for example, weve enjoyed a long-standing virtual run once a week, which has really helped our team to maintain a sense of connection, he says. Recognition is also central to keeping up employee morale giving genuine praise for a job well done and getting the wider team to recognise achievements is a great way to boost engagement and motivation. READ MORE: Should remote workers' salaries differ based on their location? Another way to keep remote employees engaged and connected is to use technology. In the last few months, weve seen the role technology can play in helping businesses adapt and operate remotely despite many of us getting fed up with Zoom meetings. Weve also seen the fundamental role digital services play in supporting employee wellbeing from helping staff better manage their own mental health, to enabling employers to identify specific areas within their wellbeing strategies that need improvement, Taylor says. Communication is also key to keeping people engaged and supporting good mental health among remote workers. Frequent face-to-face check-ins are important even if virtual to gauge how employees are coping and to proactively offer them the support they need, Taylor says. These check-ins shouldnt just cover work projects either, they should also focus on wellbeing more broadly. This should build trust and destigmatise conversations around mental health at a very stressful time. READ MORE: Can an email always replace a meeting? Beyond this dialogue, employers need to empower employees to learn about and look after their own mental health too. This might mean encouraging people to take regular breaks, do exercise and take adequate time off. Finally, its also important to be flexible and understand that COVID-19 will have put additional pressures on many people across all levels within the workforce, Taylor adds. Simply being kind and compassionate when speaking to your employees and ensuring they understand that you have their safety and wellbeing at the centre of your internal employee strategy can go a very long way. CLEVELAND, Ohio The number of homicides and injuries from gun violence in Cleveland continue to climb compared to recent years, including a particularly violent Fourth of July weekend. In years past, law enforcement here attributed rising crime rates to everything from a poorly-funded police department to sweltering temperatures. But 2020, in all its anxiety, civil strife and political upheaval, brings with it a new explanation some in law enforcement are now using to explain rising crime rates: The coronavirus. In a press conference after the July 4 weekend, Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams and Mayor Frank Jackson attributed the sharp rise in violence, in part, to the pandemic. Neither provided anything beyond the statement to bolster their theory. The same goes for police chiefs in New York and Chicago. But does the theory hold water? What is known is that coronavirus resulted in record unemployment, dire projections for evictions and brought many of the underlying systemic socio-economic problems into sharp focus. And coronavirus hit home not long before the social unrest over several high-profile police killings, most predominantly the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd on May 25. COVID-19 is pretty unprecedented, and what well be able to attribute to it is a story yet untold, said Dan Flannery, the director for the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research Education at Case Western Reserve University. But people have been cooped up for quite a while, and more people are literally back out on the streets, so theres more opportunity for something to happen. Twenty-seven people suffered gunshot wounds, and three died during the Fourth of July weekend. By contrast, 10 people were shot during the same weekend in 2019. The 2020 surge has shown little signs of waning. Thirteen more people died from gun violence since that weekend, and at least 62 more have been shot, including seven children under 17 years old, according to police reports. Since the latter part of February going into March, when COVID-19 really started to hit in this countrywe saw an increase in violent crime, Williams said during his post-Fourth of July press conference. Not just here in the city of Cleveland and in Northeast Ohio but across the country. And weve been dealing with those increases ever since. 93 homicides in 2020, compared to 68 in 2019 Statistics show the numbers of homicides are up with 93 in 2020 as of Thursday, compared to 68 through July 29, 2019, according to Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner and police records. Non-fatal shootings including incidents of gunfire where no one is injured are up 35 percent across the city as of July 18, according to the most recent data released by Cleveland police. Police recorded 673 shootings through that date, compared with 495 through the same date in 2019 and 544 in 2018. Each of the five police districts has seen an increase of about 20 percent. The far West Side First District experienced a 94 percent increase in shootings, up from 37 in 2019 to 72 in 2020. The Fourth District, which encompasses the southeast side of Cleveland, by far leads the city with 222 non-fatal shootings. The experts who spoke with cleveland.com -- Bryanna Fox, an associate professor of criminology at the University of South Florida and Cleveland State University director of criminology research Wendy Regoeczi-- said researchers wouldnt have a full picture of the effects of the virus on crime for some time. But they pointed to several issues that contribute to high crime rates in Cleveland and other cities. Pre-existing issues intensified by pandemic, social unrest Cleveland already had problems with poverty and police-community mistrust before coronavirus concerns enveloped the nation in March. U.S. Census Bureau data released in September 2019 showed one-third of Cleveland residents and half of the citys children live in poverty. The Cleveland Police Department remains under a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice to reform the department, in part because of a pattern police misconduct towards residents. And statistics show homicides during the first part of the year were already trending up. Non-fatal-shootings, however, were down. The amount of stress heaped on by the effects of the pandemic including skyrocketing unemployment and less access to social services likely intensified those issues. People act out more aggressively in general during times of stress, said Fox, who is also a former FBI agent. Environmental stressors increase the likelihood that we act out more aggressively or violently than if we were a better version of ourselves, where we could take a step back or walk away. Easing coronavirus restrictions Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines relaxing of stay-at-home orders on May 18 also could play a role. More people ventured out of their homes in the following weeks, evidenced by near-historical levels in new COVID-19 cases in Ohio and Cleveland. Those numbers have since waned since the state recorded its second-highest number of new coronavirus cases on Friday. The ease of restrictions also coincided with the Fourth of July holiday, which landed on a Saturday, and as the weather warmed, coaxing more people out of their homes, Regoeczi said. Violent crime rates go up in the summer, and I dont know if its just unfortunate timing, but restrictions were lifted so close to July 4 and people have been cooped up in the colder months. They want to come out and let loose, Regoeczi said. Thats always an issue during the holiday weekend that may have been exacerbated. Police-community mistrust escalated after Floyd killing Social unrest over Floyds death is another key issue that likely worsened already existing mistrust between residents and the police. That can lead to more violent crime in neighborhoods where police mistrust is already an issue, the experts said. Regoeczi noted that Clevelands deadliest year in the last decade 2016, when 144 people were killed also came amid of social unrest following a string of police killings of unarmed Black men across the country. Mistrust of police tends to have two effects on violent crime for two reasons: people hesitate to call police to help resolve disputes that without intervention escalate into violence and residents become reluctant to cooperate with police during investigations, Flannery said. Solving shootings and homicides is critical in lowering violent crime in neighborhoods because it takes violent offenders off the streets and breaks the cycle of retaliatory violence, Flannery said. The issue of solving homicides is a longstanding one in Cleveland. A recently-released report by the Department of Justices National Public Safety Partnership said Cleveland needs double the amount of full-time homicide detectives in order to investigate the increasing number of homicides properly. The DOJ on Tuesday announced a crime-reduction plan called Operation Legend that will send at some 25 federal agents to Cleveland and provide $10 million for the city to hire 30 new officers, the Ohio State Highway Patrol to hire five more troopers and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority to hire four new investigators. When police-community relations deteriorate, the community tends to provide less information to police in investigations, thats going to lower arrest and clearance rates, which means more perpetrators stay on the streets, Regoeczi said. Record number of guns Fox also pointed to the number of guns on the street, another pre-existing issue that grew during the past few months. As coronavirus concerns hit in March, the FBI reported an all-time high of 3.7 million background checks for gun purchases, an indicator of how many people are buying guns. That record was broken in June, with 3.9 million background checks, as the country roiled with anger over Floyds killing and weeks of ensuing protests. It all happened during social unrest. You have millions of new guns around, people are more on edge, their stressed, fearful, they dont have jobs. All of those things do not bode well for gun violence. Read more from cleveland.com: Stabbing, shooting in Valley View is latest in long line of violence between Hells Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs Cleveland woman beaten to death in Buckeye-Woodhill home, police say Man shot to death in grocery store parking lot in Clevelands Kinsman neighborhood YouTube removed a livestream of Heather Mac Donald challenging the Black Lives Matter narrative on police shootings due to a violation of Community Guidelines after the lecture was flagged to us for review. In a statement to National Review, Mac Donald said her Thursday lecture presented the facts about police shootings and the use of non-lethal force, based on federal data. Those data show that the Black Lives Matter narrative that we are living through an epidemic of racially biased policing shootings of black men is false, she said. YouTube does not believe that the public deserves to know the truth about law enforcement in this country. The truth violates its Community Guidelines, which apparently are dedicated to perpetuating racial hatred and the breakdown of law and order. After National Review reached out to the platform about the incident, YouTube reinstated the stream, saying it had been mistakenly removed, but added an age-sensitive inappropriate warning for users. Mac Donald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and best-selling author of The War on Cops, was invited to give a virtual lecture at the Center of the American Experiment, a conservative think tank based in Minnesota. Titled The Truth About Crime, Race and Policing in America, the video challenged the claims made by Black Lives Matter about police shootings of African Americans. The idea that the police are wantonly killing black men is a creation of a politicized press and an elite establishment dedicated to the idea that racism is Americas defining trait, Mac Donald says in the lecture, which is still available on Facebook. She also argued that the death of George Floyd, which sparked nationwide unrest and rioting, was immediately portrayed as what is known in literary theory as a synecdoche: a part that stands in for a whole, in this case, the whole of anti-black police violence. But if we conclude from that one case, however shocking, that the police are biased against black men, we can just as easily conclude from other individual cases that the police are biased against white men, she argued, citing the 2016 deaths of Tony Timpa and Daniel Shaver, both of whom were white and died at the hands of police officers in incidents captured on video. Story continues Mac Donald concluded her presentation by warning that this attack on law enforcement undermines our justice system and fundamental rights and could descend into civil war. In an email to the Center of the American Experiment, YouTube explained that after it had reviewed the complaint it received on Mac Donalds lecture, the platform determined that it violates our guidelines, without specifying the complaint or the violation. Center of the American Experiment president John Hinderaker told National Review that the think tank is appealing the decision and was re-uploading the lecture to YouTube as a separate video. Editors Note: This article has been updated after YouTube reinstated the livestream. More from National Review The Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamadou Bawumia, has reiterated governments commitment to investing in the education of Ghanaians to make the country more responsive to the needs and challenges of the 21st century. Dr. Bawumia made these remarks in a speech delivered at a ceremony at the forecourt of Parliament House when he handed over 100 school buses to schools drawn from the North Eastern, Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Oti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions. This was in fulfillment of a promise made when in March 2020, he presided over the handing over of 365 Isuzu Double Cabin pickup trucks out of a total of 840 procured, which were distributed to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directorates of Education, as well as selected agencies under the Ministry of Education. The Vice President also handed 493 out of a total 2,000 motorbikes that have been procured to aid the work of circuit supervisors and to further enhance their supervisory roles in the education sector. In his speech, the Vice President declared that President Akufo-Addo believes that the significant educational reforms that his government has rolled out since 2017 will come to nothing if we do not provide the necessary logistical support for our schools to run effectively as they deliver their mandate for the Ghanaian child. This government will continue to invest in the education of its citizens because it is the right thing to do. We will continue to invest in the frontline managers of our educational institutions because they are central to any education reform we seek to pursue, and we must equip them with the necessary tools to enhance their work to enable them to deliver their mandate in a more efficient manner, he declared. In attendance at the event were the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwaa, directors of both the Ministry and the GES as well as heads of agencies under the Ministry. 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. Featured Video Prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met financial sector regulators and discussed preparedness to deal with the post-covid world and further measures that the government can take to boost economic recovery while maintaining financial stability in the system. The meeting was attended by chiefs of Reserve Bank of India, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, defence minister Rajnath Singh along with road, transport and highways minister Nitin Garkari were present in the meeting. The meeting took stock of the pre-covid and post-covid world and the challenges the regulators may face in coming days," a government official said under condition of anonymity. A second official said issues related to China were also discussed. India has taken a host of measures to reduce its dependence on China after a tense border standoff left 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops dead. SEBI and finance ministry are currently in discussions to put curbs on portfolio investments from China. The meeting also comes at a time when government is preparing another round of fiscal stimulus to boost economic recovery at a time rising cases of covid-19 is believed to have plateaued economic recovery. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday said India has space for both fiscal and monetary measures but it needs to quickly contain spread of the pandemic to make economic recovery sustainable. IMF also said while monetizing fiscal deficit may be inevitable, India should chart a credible fiscal consolidation roadmap to ensure regulatory independence. The IMF has estimated Indian economy to contract by 4.5% in FY21 while Goldman Sachs expects June quarter will be the worst with GDP shrinking by 45% as business activity came to a standstill for at least two months due to stringent lockdown measures. RBI is considering to allow banks to offer moratorium to stressed sectors such as aviation, hospitality among others though many bankers including HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh has openly opposed extension of the loan moratorium. In its financial stability report, RBI last week said its macro stress tests for credit risk indicate that bad loans could touch 12.5% by March 2021 from 8.5% in March 2020 under baseline scenario. It also warned that if the economic conditions worsen further, this may soar to 14.7% under the very severely stressed scenario. In the last two weeks, Modi chaired series of meeting with top officials from the finance ministry, Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council, governments policy think tank NITI Aayog as well as the commerce ministry to draw up a strategy and action points towards revival of the Indian economy and the way ahead. On Wednesday, he met heads of top private and public sector banks, non-bank lenders over a video conference, asking them to scale up lending across the priority sectors such as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agriculture, and relook at its lending practice to ensure stable credit growth. Banks and businesses have come under immense pressure, amid a sustained rise in infections, and a partial lockdown in some states. It has been a rough ride for the insurance and pension regulators as well. Due to a large number of covid-19 cases, the insurer regulator had asked all the companies to launch an indemnity-based standard health policy Corona Kavach policy for individuals and families. However, the biggest challenge for IRDA has been the lack of uniformity as far as premiums are concerned. The key challenge for PFRDA is to roll out a fresh process to facilitate pension funds for government employees who have just retired. Currently, the process has not gone completely digital. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics MOORESVILLE, N.C., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) today announced it will provide an additional $100 million in bonuses to assist associates with unforeseen expenses and hardships, increasing the company's total commitment to associates and communities during the pandemic to nearly $600 million. Full-time hourly associates will receive $300, and part-time and seasonal associates will receive $150 on Aug. 21 matching the funds provided to all hourly associates in March, May and earlier this month. "No one could have anticipated how long we would be navigating this pandemic together. As we approach the start of another school year, our commitment to support our hard-working associates will continue into August," said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe's president and CEO. "We are incredibly proud of how our stores, supply chain and corporate associates have faced this pandemic head-on to solve challenges in our communities and care for our customers. We are grateful for their resilience, teamwork and ongoing commitment to safety, and are pleased to share this additional bonus to help with childcare, remote-schooling and other general expenses they are managing during these tough times." With the bonus announced today, Lowe's will have invested approximately $500 million in coronavirus relief funding for associates. In addition to the previous special payments and bonuses, Lowe's increased pay for full-time, part-time and seasonal associates by $2 per hour for the month of April. The company continues to offer telemedicine services to all associates and their families, even if they are not enrolled in Lowe's medical plans. Lowe's also continues to support its communities through much-needed grants and PPE product donations. The company has committed more than $100 million in community assistance to those who need it most, including healthcare workers, minority-owned small businesses and rural communities. For more information about Lowe's support during the pandemic, visit newsroom.lowes.com. About Lowe's Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 18 million customers a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2019 sales of $72.1 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com. SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc. Related Links http://www.lowes.com Iran welcomes Taliban's ceasefire announcement over Eid ul-Adha, hopes for mutually acceptable peace agreement Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 3:45 PM Iran has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire by the Taliban militant group over Eid ul-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), one of the most important Muslim-calendar events, hoping for a mutually acceptable peace agreement in the war-ravaged country. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Wednesday that the ceasefire announcement was "a positive step towards peace and stability" in Afghanistan. He also expressed hope that "the move by the Taliban will help provide the necessary condition for an agreement in Afghanistan." "We hope that we will soon see the beginning of intra-Afghan dialogue centered on the Afghan government and with the participation of all political groups, including the Taliban, with the aim of finding a peaceful solution and reaching a mutually acceptable agreement for peace based on the constitution and democratic structures in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," Mousavi noted. He also reiterated the Islamic Republic of Iran's readiness to contribute to promotion of the Afghan-Afghan dialogue at the request of the parties involved. The Taliban on Tuesday announced a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha starting on Friday. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid ordered the group's militants "to refrain from carrying out any operation" during the Eid al-Adha celebrations but warned any attack "by the enemy" would be met with force. The Afghan president's spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said the government welcomed the ceasefire announcement but added that Afghans wanted "a lasting ceasefire and the start of direct talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan." The move, which was announced after President Ashraf Ghani described progress in a contentious prisoner exchange, could signal the start of the long-delayed peace talks. "To demonstrate the government's commitment to peace, the Islamic Republic will soon complete the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners," Ghani told officials, pointing to the number of inmates the government originally pledged to free under a US-Taliban deal in February. "With this action, we look forward to the start of direct negotiations with the Taliban in a week's time," Ghani added. Ghani said that since a US-Taliban agreement signed in February, 3,560 Afghan security forces personnel have been killed in attacks by militants. He said 775 civilians had also been killed and another 1,609 wounded since the deal. Separately, a Monday report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed in the first six months of the year, mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address All they told me to do was mix plaster, said Matthews, who had been trained to do more technical work with the molds, which would have paid better. I said to hell with this damn job, and I left and went back to the G.I. people, he said. I told them: Hey, look, I cant make it out here. They arent paying me any money in that jive job. Matthews, who had dropped out of high school to earn money for his family before joining the service at 16, decided to get his high school diploma and then enrolled at New York University, where he studied business administration for the remaining three years on his G.I. education benefit. I couldnt afford to pay for the rest of N.Y.U., but I read everything I could get my hands on concerning everything I wanted to learn, he said. Unlike Matthews, many Black veterans were denied access to a college education, largely relegated to vocational programs. According to the journalist and historian Edward Humes, in his article How the G.I. Bill Shunted Blacks Into Vocational Training, 28 percent of white veterans went to college on the G.I. Bill, compared with 12 percent of Blacks. Of that number, upward of 90 percent of Black veterans attended historically Black colleges and universities institutions mainly in the South that were already underfunded with limited resources. In his book When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America, Ira Katznelson wrote that the enrollment of veterans at historically Black colleges and universities was 29,000 in 1940 and 73,000 in 1947. And 20,000 to 50,000 were turned away because of limited capacity, Humes wrote. After studying at N.Y.U. and working more menial jobs, Matthews heard a radio announcement about selling life insurance. He became a general agent for a number of years, but was denied a small-business loan from the Department of Veterans Affairs when he wanted to open his own insurance office. I know Black veterans who couldnt get loans and had real problems, he said. African-Americans were routinely denied mortgages, and Black veterans were no exception. During the summer of 1947, Ebony magazine surveyed 13 cities in Mississippi and discovered that of the 3,229 V.A. home loans given to veterans, two went to African-Americans. According to Humes, in the postwar years, two out of three whites owned a home, whereas Black homeownership stayed around 40 percent. And it wasnt just in the South. There were planned communities like Levittown in Long Island that didnt allow Blacks, said Jeffrey Sammons, a history professor at N.Y.U., whose research focuses on African-Americans in the military and sports. Many of these communities were developed specifically for white veterans. The Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) has hailed the work of An Garda Siochana after two brothers were jailed for staging a road traffic collision in order to claim compensation. The MIBI had worked in conjunction gardai from the outset after a number of personal injury claims were submitted. Les Markham, 30, of Friary Court, Askeaton and Ronnie Dearman, 24, of Rose Court, Keyes Park, Southill pleaded guilty, earlier this year, to a single charge under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. During a sentencing hearing earlier this month, John OSullivan BL, instructed by state solicitor Padraig Mawe, said the charges related to a staged accident at Derrybeg Cross, Rosbrien, Limerick on October 6, 2017. Mr Markham has admitted trying to induce the MIBI to pay a settlement arising from the accident while Mr Dearman has admitted aiding his co-accused. Sergeant Adrian Egan said Les Markham was the front-seat passenger in a blue Volkswagen Passat which was struck with some force from behind by a Honda Civic. While the driver of the Civic fled the scene and was not present when gardai arrived shortly after 8pm, DNA recovered from the airbag matched that of Mr Dearman, who is also known as Ronnie Markham. Les Markham admitted he had orchestrated the collision and had instructed his brother to rear-end the Passat. He also admitted buying the Honda Civic on Done Deal earlier in the day and giving the keys to Mr Dearman. Mr Markham told gardai he did not intend to get rich and that none of the other occupants of the Passat were aware of the plan. Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell said he was sending out a crystal clear message that insurance fraud will not be tolerated. He said motorists are hard pressed enough without the without the two defendants attempting to rip off the system. Mr Markham was sentenced to two years imprisonment with the final 12 months suspended while Mr Dearman received an 18 month prison sentence, with the final nine months suspended. MIBI Chief Executive, David Fitzgerald has welcomed the judgment and the message it sends out. This is a tremendous result and testament to the fantastic work undertaken by the garda team working on this case. From the time this case was first reported, the gardai have mounted a thorough and detailed investigation and it was thanks to their efforts that this result was achieved, he said. Convictions like this highlight what awaits those who attempt to get away with fraud and we hope these sentences will act as a deterrent for anyone reckless enough to consider committing fraudulent activity in the future, he added. Jennifer Jara's first pregnancy ended at 27 weeks with a heartbreaking loss. The then 27-year-old and her husband, Joaquin, learned in 2014 that due to complications related to Jara's high blood pressure, the daughter she was carrying had stopped growing and despite having a heartbeat, would most likely die in utero. After 13 weeks of uncertainty, fetal monitoring and hoping their baby would survive, the couple attended a routine doctors visit and learned there was no longer a heartbeat. Jennifer and Joaquin Jara's first child, a daughter named Jessica, was stillborn at 27 weeks in July 2014. (Jennifer Jara) Their daughter, Jessica, was stillborn on July 1, 2014, and Jara recalls being sent home from the hospital that evening without her baby after an induction and 24 hours of labor. "It was a very surreal experience," Jara, who now has three children ranging in age from 3 months to 4, told TODAY Parents. "We left the hospital that night and basically got wheeled out in a wheelchair with a packet of information about funeral homes, burial and cremation. We were told, 'Make an appointment with your doctor in two weeks,' and, 'Good luck.' Not that the doctors and nurses werent empathetic, but that was all they could really do." Jara's last ultrasound photo of baby Jessica, who received frequent monitoring in utero due to a lack of growth. (Jessica Jara) In the weeks after the stillbirth, Jara says she was heartbroken. The Saint John, Indiana mom's grief only grew when she began receiving medical bills for Jessica's delivery in the mail. "It's a reminder every single month," said Jara. "You don't get to bring a baby home but you still have to pay this payment plan of however many dollars a month. It seems so unfair." Six years after Jessica's death, Jara is hoping to help parents like her have one less thing to worry about after losing an infant by paying medical and funeral bills for families who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. The Jaras with their children, Olivia, 4, Joaquin, 3, and Gianna, born in May 2020. (Jessica Jara) "I sat down and thought about those days after Jessica was born," Jara explained. "How could someone have helped me? Second to bringing my baby back to life, which nobody can do, I thought, 'What about all the bills that come in?'" Story continues While on maternity leave after the birth of her youngest child, Gianna, Jara launched Love, Jessica, a non-profit organization designed to help families in the infant loss community with their expenses. Since its launch on July 1, which would have been Jessica's sixth birthday, the organization has covered $1250 in medical expenses, $250 in payments for five different families in states like Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Jara has received donations from businesses and individual donors who want to help relieve the burden of families who have experienced a loss. After a couple fills out a simple application and submits copies of their medical bills, Jara pays the facility directly and provides the family with a receipt. As the organization grows, Jara hopes to cover a higher amount per family. And, the organization has enough money in donations to cover expenses for several more families in the coming months. Jennifer Harper, a mom from Dayton, Virginia, applied for assistance from Love, Jessica after she and her husband, Adam, lost their daughter, Hannah, in June 2020, following several weeks of complications during her pregnancy. Jennifer Harper applied for assistance from Love, Jessica, after losing her daughter, Hannah, in June 2020. (Jennifer Harper) "I had bills from an emergency room visit at 12 weeks, bills from extra monitoring and ultrasounds, a hospital bill for the induction and an anesthesiology bill for an epidural to have a D&C after delivery," Harper explained. "When the first bill came after I lost Hannah, I cried and cried and was so angry. I couldn't believe after all that all the false hopes that I lost her." "Love, Jessica was a light during a dark time to me and helped me not to feel so alone in all of this," Harper added. "The service helped greatly to ease the financial burden as well as to ease my mind that there was light amidst the sadness." For Jara, helping families with their medical expenses is a powerful way to remember the daughter she lost. "It keeps my daughters memory alive. It helps me keep her name out there. Every time I write Love, Jessica, I smile a little bit," said Jara. "It makes it seem like it didnt just happen in vain." Opening of Worldline's tender offer for Ingenico securities Bezons, July 30, 2020 - On July 29, 2020, the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) announced that the tender offer for Ingenico's shares and OCEANEs will open on July 30, 2020 and that its closing date will be set after receipt of supporting evidence of the European Commission's merger control clearance, it being specified that Worldline reserves the right to waive this condition (it is also recalled that the AMF declared the above-mentioned tender offer compliant on July 28, 2020). Gilles Grapinet, Worldline's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: "I am very happy to announce the opening of our public offer on Ingenico's securities, another decisive milestone reached towards the closing of the friendly merger between our two groups. I would like to highlight the very strong mobilization of the teams and advisors of our two companies, which made possible the opening of the tender offer in accordance with the timetable initially planned, less than six months after the announcement of the transaction. I am convinced that the resulting combined Group will be ideally positioned to benefit from the structural transformations of our markets, which are already strongly accelerating as a consequence of the current crisis. In addition, the combination of our geographic positions, technologies and the talents of the women and men of our two groups will create a combined company with an outstanding value proposition to the benefit of all our clients and business partners. Finally, as a result of this truly strategic merger, more than ever, Worldline will be in a position to play a central role in the pursuit of the consolidation of our digital payments industry." Nicolas Huss, Ingenico's Chief Executive Officer, said: "Following the filing of Worldline's proposed tender offer, we take a new step forward today with the opening of the formal tender offer on Ingenico shares. This key milestone is the result of the exemplary collaboration between Worldline and Ingenico teams over the past months in the combination process to create the new European World-Class leader in digital payments. The combined entity will be ideally positioned to seize growth opportunities driven by our long-term drivers and reinforced by the recent situation that favors the acceleration towards digital payments." The offer for Ingenico shares includes a primary mixed offer and, subject to a "mix and match" mechanism, a secondary exchange offer and a secondary cash offer: primary mixed offer: 11 Worldline shares and 160.50 for 7 Ingenico shares secondary exchange offer: 56 Worldline shares in exchange for 29 Ingenico shares secondary cash offer: 123.10 per Ingenico share The offer for Ingenico OCEANEs includes an alternative between a mixed offer and a cash offer: mixed offer: 4 Worldline shares and 998 for 7 Ingenico OCEANEs cash offer: 179 for each Ingenico OCEANE A friendly offer to create a new leader in global payment services This transaction would bring together two leading companies with a view to creating the world's fourth largest player in payment services by bringing together approximately 20,000 employees in 50 countries. Upon closing of the transaction, the newly combined group would offer leading payment services to nearly one million merchants and 1,200 financial institutions. An offer recommended by Ingenico's board of directors On July 7, 2020, the board of directors of Ingenico unanimously issued a favourable reasoned opinion on the offer and considered that the offer is in the interest of Ingenico, its shareholders, the holders of OCEANEs and its employees, and recommended that shareholders and holders of Ingenico OCEANEs tender their shares to the offer. This reasoned opinion was issued in particular after having read the report of the independent expert, the firm Ledouble, appointed by the board of directors of Ingenico, which concluded that the terms of the offer proposed for the Ingenico shares and OCEANEs were fair. In particular, the offer for Ingenico shares results in a premium of 17% based on the closing prices of each of Worldline and Ingenico on January 31, 2020 immediately prior to the announcement, 24% based on the volume weighted average prices over the month prior to the announcement and 18% and 23% based on the volume weighted average prices over the three- and six-month periods prior to the announcement, respectively. Timetable The closing date of the offer will be set by the AMF after Worldline will have obtained the merger control clearance from the European Commission1. Availability of documents relating to the offer Worldline's offer document and Ingenico's response document, as approved by the AMF on July 28, 2020 under visa no. 20-370 and visa no. 20-371 respectively, as well as documents relating to the other information relating to the legal, financial, accounting and other characteristics of Worldline and Ingenico as filed with the AMF on July 28, 2020 are available respectively on the AMF website) and on the websites of) and Ingenico). These documents may be obtained free of charge from Worldline (80 quai Voltaire, River Ouest, 95870 Bezons) or Ingenico (28-32, boulevard de Grenelle, 75015 Paris), depending on whether they relate to Worldline or Ingenico. Implementation of a toll-free number accessible from France A toll-free number is available to shareholders and holders of Ingenico OCEANEs calling from France (open Monday to Friday): 0 800 91 88 94. Important information This press release is disseminated for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell, any Worldline or Ingenico securities. Investors and shareholders are strongly advised to read the offer documentation, which contains the terms and conditions of the offer, as well as any amendments or additions to these documents, if any, as they will contain important information about Worldline, Ingenico and the proposed transaction. This press release must not be published, broadcasted or distributed, directly or indirectly, in any country in which the distribution of this information is subject to legal restrictions. The tender offer will not be open to the public in jurisdictions in which its launch is subject to legal restrictions. The publication, broadcasting or distribution of this press release in certain countries may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions. Therefore, persons located in countries where this press release is published, broadcasted or distributed must inform themselves about and comply with such restrictions. Worldline and Ingenico disclaim any responsibility for any violation of such restrictions. In particular, this press release does not constitute an offer to purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell, any securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States unless they have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or the securities laws of any U.S. state, or are exempt from registration. The securities that may be offered in any transaction have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or the securities laws of any U.S. state and Worldline does not intend to make a public offering of any such securities in the United States. Worldline contact Investors Relations David Pierre-Kahn +33 6 28 51 45 96 david.pierre-kahn@worldline.com Communication Sandrine van der Ghinst +32 499 585 380 sandrine.vanderghinst@worldline.com Press Anne-Sophie Gentil asgentil@kairosconsulting.fr Ingenico contact Investors Relations Laurent Marie +33 7 84 50 18 90 laurent.marie@ingenico.com Press Helene Carlander +33 (0)7 72 25 96 04 helene.carlander@ingenico.com About Worldline Worldline [Euronext: WLN] is the European leader in the payment and transactional services industry. With innovation at the core of its DNA, Worldline's core offerings include Pan-European and domestic Commercial Acquiring for physical or online businesses, secured payment transaction processing for banks and financial institutions, as well as transactional services in e-Ticketing and for local and central public agencies. Thanks to a presence in 30+ countries, Worldline is the payment partner of choice for merchants, banks, public transport operators, government agencies and industrial companies, delivering cutting-edge digital services. Worldline's activities are organized around three axes: Merchant Services, Financial Services including equensWorldline and Mobility & e-Transactional Services. Worldline employs circa 12,000 people worldwide, with 2019 revenue of circa 2.4 billion euros. www.worldline.com Worldline's corporate purpose ("raison d'etre") is to design and operate leading digital payment and transactional solutions that enable sustainable economic growth and reinforce trust and security in our societies. Worldline makes them environmentally friendly, widely accessible and support social transformation. About Ingenico Ingenico Group. 1 This authorization is a condition precedent to the offer stipulated by Worldline in accordance with Article 231-11 of the AMF General Regulation (Worldline reserves the right to waive the benefit of this condition). Attachment State lawmakers voted Thursday to designate Juneteenth, the day commemorating the end of slavery, a state holiday. The legislation establishes the third Friday in June as Juneteenth Day, and must be signed by Gov. Phil Murphy to become law. It was on June 19, 1865, that Union soldiers brought news of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, and declared that all people held in slavery must be freed. Over 150 years after the first celebration of Juneteenth, I am glad this holiday is finally getting the recognition it deserves, state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson, a bill sponsor, has said of the measure. By formally recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday, we can inspire more people to learn about its meaning and help them gain a better understanding of just how slow progress has been for the Black community. Juneteenth is not a federal holiday. After the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer and the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests that ensued, a number of businesses, including Target, Twitter and Uber, made Juneteenth company holidays. Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Ralph Northam of Virginia recognized June 19 this year as a paid holiday for state government employees and said they would propose legislation marking the day as a formal state holiday. A new state holiday in New Jersey carries a more than $3 million price tag annually through increased overtime costs, according to a fiscal analysis of the bill. No cost estimate was available for local government employers. The bill (S19) passed 62-0 with 12 abstentions in the Assembly and 34-3 in the Senate. Assemblyman Hal Wirths, R-Sussex, who abstained on the bill, said he supports the creation of the state holiday but the state should remove a holiday in exchange to mitigate the increased costs. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Socrates and the Mob 2020 Commentary Imagine a place where free citizens could be called before tribunals on charges brought against them by other citizens. The charges might be as general and unprovable as corrupting the youth or maybe not believing properly in the gods of the community. Five hundred citizens would gather and hear the charges. They would then vote and a simple majority of the assembly was enough to convict the accusedsometimes sentencing him or her to death. Imagine no rule of law, no expert investigations, no judicial rulings on evidence. Imagine that an accusation and the simple momentary will of the people was enough to end a persons livelihood and life. The place I have in mind wasnt a fictional dystopia. It was not Pol Pots Cambodia or Maos China. These people who ran this system werent Soviet apparatchiks. In fact, the city-state I just described was the first and greatest of the worlds democracies. This was celebrated Athensthe birthplace of philosophy and democracy, the home of renowned sculptors and architects and scientists. This was the home of Plato and Aristotle and the authors of the great Greek tragedies. It was that great city of enlightenment that allowed a teacher named Socrates to be brought before a public tribunal of 500 citizens on trumped-up charges. This is the democracy that voted him guilty for being a corrupting influence and for not believing what they wanted him to believe. This was the great democracy that sentenced the great questioner to death by a simple majority vote of an assembled group of citizens. A Democracy or a Republic? Today, we consider ourselves to be living in a democracy. This word has come to replace what Benjamin Franklin and the other framers of the Constitution believed they had given usa republic. What is the difference? To the framers, democracy meant an unbridled majority will that could trample on the rights of minorities. A republic, by contract, was a system of government based in representation in which institutional checks and balances would be in place to protect minority rights. James Madison made the best contrast between what they understood to be democracies and republics in Federalist No. 10. In that essay, he reminds us still that majorities arent always right and, in fact, are often very wrong and are willing to trample the rights of individuals and minorities when its their will to do so. Minority groups are seldom better, when given power. In this current summer of mass protests, a rampant cancel culture roving through cyberspace claiming their trophies, vandalism brought against buildings and public art, and groups declaring autonomous zones free of police and the rule of law, its essential that we remind ourselves of the wisdom of Madison and the framers of our constitutional order. Were beginning to see serious cracks in the institutional framework and cultural expectations that are meant to protect individuals from the will of a momentary assembly. Feckless politicians are giving the streets over to mobs. Police have been ordered to stand back as groups, under the cover of darkness, descend upon statues and pull them down. Governors are banning gatherings in churches and large family picnics but turn the other way when mass gatherings of people, some masked, some not, link arms and march. The rule of law is essential in any society where individual and minority rights are to be protected. The rule of law means that the law applies to everyone and binds everyonewhether the majority or the minority. The rule of law requires that groups, no matter how enlightened, are not left to take matters into their own hands or use force and the threat of force to get their way. The rule of law can sometimes be slow, but its all that protects any of us from vigilante justice, abuse of power, convictions without trials, property confiscation and destruction, and punishment for thought crimes. Breonna Taylor While its happening all over the nation, we should pay particular attention to whats happening in Louisville, Kentucky. On March 13, shortly after midnight, Louisville police executed a no-knock search warrant at the home of Breonna Taylor, where police believed drug dealing was occurring; there seems to have been some intelligence that her home was being used to receive and store the product. The results of the full investigation have yet to be released, but we do know that her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had a gun, and when police bashed in the door, he fired at them. The police returned fire into the residence and Taylor ended up fatally shot. While Walker and Taylor seem to have believed they were victims of a home invasion, the police believed they were under hostile fire. Its a tragedy that, second only to the killing of George Floyd, has fired the wave of protests and the accompanying violence across the country. It has also sparked police reforms and a newly empowered Black Lives Matter movement. What is unfolding in Kentucky is worth watching, because its a microcosm of the attack on the rule of law thats sweeping the nation. Peaceful protests have become riots. Riots have damaged buildings and forced the closure of businesses, and the mayor has been powerless to stop it. One officer has been fired for firing blindly into the home and charges have been dropped against Walker for shooting a police officer. But the protesters are demanding something else. They are demanding immediate justice. Theyre not demanding a full and thorough investigation that takes time and is done right. The case is now in the hands of Kentuckys young black Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who has urged patience and said the investigation will take time. But thats not good enough for the protesters. Their cry is What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now! No Justice, no peace, they chant. They know the results they want and are demanding itconviction. They have surrounded the attorney generals home, squatting on his lawn, and have had to be forcibly removed and arrested. They have blocked streets to stop traffic and commerce. This past weekend, a group of armed militia came to Louisville and threatened to be back in four weeks and to burn it down if the case isnt acceptably resolved. Our Only Hope The United States has had serious problems with the legal system being used in a racist manner. But what the more radical among the protesters and the cancel culture warriors fail to realize is that the rule of law is our only hope if we want to live in a world in which actual justice and not mere force (of the establishment or of an aggrieved group) is to rule the day. Our founders knew their history and knew how Athenian assemblies had hastily sinned against justice and free thought. Americans built a system to prevent force from replacing judgment, and that was to protect minority thoughts from majority tyranny. On the internet and in the boardrooms, in the streets and in our classrooms, were beginning to lose trust in the institutional and cultural safeguards past generations so carefully worked to construct. We need more Socrates and less Athenian assemblies in 2020. Gary L. Gregg is host of the podcasts Vital Remnants and The McConnell Center Podcast, and is author or editor of a dozen books on American public life. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. By Abankula Global cases of COVID-19 accelerated beyond 17 million on Wednesday night, just four days after the world crossed the 16 million mark. According to data compiled by worldometers.info, global cases reached 17,147,431 on Wednesday, with 263,367 cases recorded in a 24 hour cycle. The death toll stood at 668,771 by Thursday morning. United States, Brazil and India, along with a several Latin American countries were responsible for the explosion in COVID-19 cases, data shows. Virus cases in the U.S. have ballooned to 4,554,780 and deaths 153,440. The country logged another record 1,149 deaths in a 24-hour cycle. Brazil is the worlds second most affected nation with 2,553,265 cases and deaths soaring to the 100,000 mark. As of Wednesday night, 90,134 Brazilians have died from the virus, with 1,500 new deaths recorded in a single day. India has 1,584,384 cases, with 35,003 deaths. Russia, which has signalled it may approve the worlds first vaccine for the virus, has so far reported 828,990 cases and 13,673 deaths. South Africa, Mexico, Peru, Chile have also reported more fresh cases. Russia said on Wednesday it would register its Coronavirus COVID-19 vaccine by August 10 to Augusta 12. The vaccine is being developed by Moscows Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, with financial aid from Russian Direct Investment Fund . The Gamaleya vaccine is expected to get conditional registration, meaning it will still need to conduct trials on another 1,600 people, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said in a televised meeting of officials with President Vladimir Putin Wednesday. Production should begin in September, she said. More than 165 potential coronavirus COVID vaccine candidates are at different stages of development around the world and 27 experimental vaccines have managed to reach the clinical human trials phases. Out of these, most talked-about potential Coronavirus COVID19 vaccines are UKs Oxford-AstraZeneca, US-based Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Chinese firms Sinovac and Sinopharm, and Indias indigenous COVAXIN. The initial results of all these vaccine candidates have been positive. Related By Theresa Harrington EdSource Oakland Unified is working to reform an online program designed to help failing students following a scathing civil grand jury report last month that accused the district of awarding some students unearned grades and allowing unqualified students to graduate at one of its high schools. The district has hired a consultant to review its online credit recovery program before it will allow Castlemont High to use it in the upcoming school year, which starts Aug. 10 with distance learning district-wide. So-called credit recovery programs enable students to make up traditional classes they failed. In a report called "Castlemont High: Cheating its Students," an Alameda County civil grand jury found that the Oakland school and the district had "failed" its students, saying, "There is no excuse for awarding a high school diploma to those who do not earn it." Other than in the title, the Grand Jury report did not accuse the school or the district of cheating in the strict sense of the word. Rather, it said that the school had been "perpetuating an inequitable and failing system that pushed these students out the door without providing them with a complete education." "Central to the controversy was Castlemont's disproportionate reliance on Apex Learning, an online educational program used for students who had previously failed traditional core courses," the report said. The district allows schools to use Apex online courses for credit recovery purposes, but the report cited abuses in the use of the system. Oakland Unified spokesman John Sasaki said the district would formally respond to the grand jury report by Aug. 21. A civil grand jury in Alameda County is made up of volunteers who investigate various aspects of local government to ensure greater accountability. A civil grand jury typically does not look into criminal issues, and did not allege any in this case. The civil grand jury found that: -Teachers sometimes assigned a student grades for Apex courses that were higher than those recorded in the online system for that student's quizzes and tests. -Some students made up an entire semester course in a matter of hours using the online courses, which are generally expected to take 70 to 90 hours to complete. -A teacher who served as the administrator of the online Apex credit recovery program sometimes taught Apex courses without being credentialed in the subject. -A lack of oversight and failure to adhere to the district's own rules, along with poor communication between staff, contributed to inconsistent practices in the way online credit recovery, independent study and makeup courses were monitored, completed and graded. The report also criticized the district for misleading the public in response to allegations of grade-changing last September. At the time, the district said it found no evidence of wrongdoing after it investigated two teacher complaints that alleged grades were changed and that students received diplomas without completing required coursework. The grand jury began its investigation last fall after hearing media reports about the teacher complaints and noticing inconsistencies between the district's response and the teachers' allegations. It looked at the records of 29 Castlemont students, interviewed several current and former school and district teachers and administrators, and examined numerous documents. In February, the district hired Nevada-based i3DigitalPD firm, which specializes in online instruction training, to review its use of the Apex online credit recovery system over the past three years. It produced a draft report of its findings, and recommended improvements last month, and plans to train staff in best practices for the system. Sasaki said that Castlemont High has not been allowed to use the Apex system since the complaints were received and the school will not use it again until the outside evaluation is complete and all staff have been properly trained. The Apex system is used throughout Oakland Unified and i3DigitalPD's review applied districtwide. The grand jury recommended that the district create policies and practices for students to make up work and courses. It also said the district should institute controls such as limiting the number of courses students can take at one time on the Apex system and developing checks and balances to ensure teachers' grades reflect the quality of students' work. Kim Loomis, CEO of the i3DigitalPD firm, said her organization has provided the district with multiple pages of proposed policies and procedures to improve its credit recovery program, and it is up to the district to finalize them. These include how-to information for using the Apex online credit recovery system that address the problems raised by the grand jury, such as the need to provide qualified teachers, track time spent on the program, and proctor tests to ensure no cheating is allowed. "The key is having accountability in place so that students and teachers know what's expected," she said. The district's new policies and procedures, she said, should include standards for how courses are graded. Previously, she said teachers and administrators didn't have adequate training, so were able to claim they didn't know they weren't following best practices and protocols. "Oftentimes, they would just say, 'A teacher quit. I had to put someone in there,'" Loomis said. "We're really trying to get away from, 'I didn't know.'" She plans to create on-demand video trainings that teachers can watch anytime before they use the Apex system. Sasaki said the district is working to improve its practices, although the school board relaxed its graduation requirements for 2020 due to disruptions of the school year because of the coronavirus. That left students and teachers scrambling to finish up courses through distance learning. Because some students did not have access to computers or the internet at home, the district gave high school students "credit" or "no credit" instead of grades and the school board agreed to waive the 2.0 GPA requirement for graduation during the pandemic. In addition, the district allowed students who needed to make up courses to take four classes instead of two during the four-week summer school period that ended July 2. Editor's Note: As a special project, EdSource is tracking developments in the Oakland Unified and West Contra Costa Unified School Districts as a way to illustrate some of the challenges facing other urban districts in California. West Contra Costa Unified includes Richmond, El Cerrito and several other East Bay communities. 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. Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Continued Treasury and State Sanctions on the Assad Regime July 29, 2020 Today, at President Donald J. Trump's direction, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State announced designations on four individuals and ten entities actively supporting the murderous and barbaric Assad regime in Syria. Today's designations employ a range of sanctions authorities to target the Assad regime, including the Caesar Act provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020, which authorizes sanctions on individuals providing support to the Syrian government. The targets of today's sanctions include a corrupt Syrian businessman complicit in support to the regime, and nine entities responsible for enriching the Syrian regime through construction of luxury real estate. The United States also designated three Assad regime figures, including a senior regime general responsible for perpetuating the conflict in Syria, as well as the regime-controlled First Division of the Syrian Arab Army for its obstruction of a ceasefire in Syria. Today's sanctions continue the recent actions by the Trump Administration against those who enable the Assad regime's violent reign of terror. On June 17, 2020, the United States designated nearly 40 individuals and entities also actively supporting the Assad regime. More sanctions will follow as part of a sustained campaign of economic and political pressure to deny the Assad regime the resources it uses to wage war against the Syrian people. These designations also underscore the Administration's simple but firm position that no individual or entity should enter into business with or otherwise enrich such a vile regime. Importantly, today's actions are intended to hold the murderous Assad regime accountable. They are not directed at the Syrian people, whom the United States supports in their efforts for peace, stability, and rule of law. This Administration remains committed to a lasting political solution in Syria. The Assad regime and its patrons must recognize that a political resolution is the only viable mechanism to bring a peaceful end to the Syrian conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Congress leader and former HRD minister Shashi Tharoor has welcomed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, but questioned the government for not introducing it in Parliament first. In a series of tweets, he also said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has chosen unrealistic targets in the education sector through the NEP. There is much to welcome in what we have seen of the #NewEducationPolicy2020 announced by @DrRPNishank. A number of suggestions made by some of us seem to have been taken into account. However, the question remains why this was not brought before Parliament first for discussion, Tharoor said in his first tweet. There is much to welcome in what we have seen of the #NewEducationPolicy2020 announced by @DrRPNishank. A number of suggestions made by some of us seem to have been taken into account. However,the question remains why this was not brought before Parliament first for discussion. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 30, 2020 He then went on to highlight the features of the policy, which he said present tangible and realisable targets. He said that the government should ensure that aspiration is matched by implementation. Ive advocated revision of the 1986 National Education Policy since my days in MHRD, to bring it into the 21st century. I am glad the Modi Govt has finally grasped the nettle, even if it took them six years to do so. Challenge is to ensure aspiration is matched by implementation, Tharoor said. For instance, the goal of 6% of GDP to be spent on education was first articulated in 1948! Every Govt articulates this target& then comes up against its own Finance Ministry. In the last 6 years, ModiGovt expenditure in education has declined in real terms. How will it reach 6%? he added. Talking about the spend of the government in education sector, he said, The goals of 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education and 100% in secondary school are laudable, but when you realise its currently 25.8% in Higher Edn & 68% in Class 9, you wonder if such targets are any more realistic than the Govts solar-energy commitments at Paris. The NEP should have offered more tangible&realisable targets for research. Total investment on research& innovation in India declined from 0.84% of GDP in 2008 to 0.6% in 2018. There are currently only 15 researchers in India per 100,000 of population, compared with 111 in China, Tharoor said in his final tweet on the issue. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed Indias first new National Education Policy in at least 28 years, recommending primary education in local languages, facilitating the possible entry of foreign universities in India, creating a single higher-education regulator, and easier board examinations. These wide-ranging reforms are aimed at making the Indian education system more contemporary and skill-oriented. The NEP also renamed the HRD (human resource development) ministry as the education ministry. Ras al-Ayn has been plagued by explosions, which have targeted civilians and killed and injured a number of people reports Enab Baladi. Thirteen people have been killed since the beginning of July in the city of Ras al-Ayn, northwest of Hassakeh, which is under the control of the Turkish-backed National Army. Abdullah al-Jasham, a media officer in the Ras al-Ayn Local Council, told Enab Baladi on Wednesday, that four explosions have targeted Ras al-Ayn since the beginning of July, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. A vehicle-borne bomb exploded yesterday in the Ras al-Ayn market, killing two people, including a child, and wounding two others. Eight civilians, including a 13-year-old child, were killed and 21 others were injured on Jul 26, 2020, when an explosive device planted in a vegetable cart exploded in a popular market in Ras al-Ayn. On Jul. 24, 2020, a civilian was wounded by a vehicle-borne bomb across from al-Safrani Ice Cream, east of the National Hospital in Ras al-Ayn. The events were preceded by the death of three civilians, including a woman, and the injuring of eight others, on Jul. 23, 2020, by a car bomb, in front of the cultural center near the local council. The Ras al-Ayn bombings are part of a series of explosions that have been hitting areas controlled by opposition factions, especially the rural areas of Aleppo, east of the Euphrates, and affected popular markets. The assassinations of military figures in the region have also taken place. The Department of Moral Guidance, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Interim Government, asked civilians last Monday to move away as far as possible from the markets ahead of Eid al-Adha, due to the crowded nature of the markets, which may be an appropriate climate for terrorists to carry out their terrorist plans. The department also asked civilians and military personnel to not take their vehicles (cars, motorcycles) to the markets, and that is to help establish a high level of security. In an earlier interview with Enab Baladi, the spokesperson for the National Army, Maj. Yousef Hamoud, said that the majority of the explosions are being prepared locally by agents, whether from the Syrian regime or the Islamic State and PKK cells. 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. TrekIT Health, a Philadelphia, PA-based company re-designing the EHR experience for clinicians through predictive data visualization and modern clinical workflow tools, closed $1M in additional seed financing. The round was led by Tech Council Ventures with participation from Boston Millennia Partners Founders Fund and Front Row Fund, who joined existing investors including IP Group, DreamIT Health and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA. Led by CEO Subha Airan-Javia, MD, TrekIT Health provides an HIPAA compliant and secure, real-time workspace for synthesizing information across EHRs and care teams, which has been integrated at major health systems across the United States. It is in use by over 150 different clinical services and over 5,000 users a month. The company is also announcing that Rick Valencia has joined the company as executive chairman. In his prior role as President of Qualcomm Life, Valencia built Qualcomm Inc.s digital health business, and oversaw two healthcare-focused funds, including the Qualcomm Life Fund and dRx Capital, in partnership with Novartis. FinSMEs 29/07/2020 OnePlus just announced the new Nord mid-ranger last week, but the company is surely busy also working on its next-gen flagship device. Over the past few years it's gotten us used to seeing one or two T devices around October-November, and it looks like that may happen again in 2020. A OnePlus handset with the model number KB2001 has just been spotted in the GeekBench database, and this could be the upcoming OnePlus 8T or the 8T Pro. It was running Android 11 when it ran the benchmark, which makes sense if the company sticks to its usual T device announcement timeline - Google should definitely release the final version of Android 11 by then. The phone has 8GB of RAM, and its GeekBench 5 scores for both single-core and multi-core are pretty much in line with what we've seen this year from other devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. It's not clear, however, whether it will employ the 865+ or not. With some notable exceptions, the T versions have never been huge updates to the non-T models, but whether that will hold true this time around remains to be seen. Via Vondrasek and Christensen were told to use soap and water to wash off residual powder from the pepper balls, the report said. Christensen said the injuries caused him to bleed through his shirt. Protester Neal Duffy, 38, said he never heard any instruction or announcements from police that night other than back up right before he was arrested. He said the group was constantly chanting and Matthews was on the bullhorn, adding to the noise. If (the polices) message was for us to disperse, it was a minimal attempt for them to tell us that, he said. And a lackadaisical one at that. After the altercation with Vondrasek, Duffy said, he heard one officer tell others, Put them all in handcuffs. He said an officer then slammed him into the bridge railing, took him to the ground, put a zip tie on him and then kneed him in the ribs. Duffy said he plans to file a complaint, but said he doesnt know who the officer was. Matthews said that when he was arrested, he was told he was resisting arrest because he put his hands up and didnt lie on the ground. Mali's opposition on Wednesday reiterated calls for President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign, again spurning a compromise floated by West African leaders seeking to resolve a weeks-old political crisis. Using the acronym by which the president is known, prominent opposition leader Choguel Maiga told a news conference that "the only watchword remains the resignation of IBK". He said a "second phase of civil disobedience" would occur three days after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which the faithful will celebrate this week. Mahmoud Dicko, a Saudi-trained imam who is considered the figurehead of the opposition June 5 Movement, also told reporters that he had asked Prime Minister Boubou Cisse to step down. The announcements mark an entrenchment for the movement, which has not budged from urging Keita's resignation despite several high-profile efforts to mediate the political impasse. The loose alliance of opposition groups and religious leaders has since last month has been channelling deep anger in Mali over a dire economy, perceived corruption and a brutal jihadist conflict. Already on Tuesday they dismissed a plan to break the impasse with Keita, which the 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS had put forward the previous day. West African leaders had suggested forming a new unity government to resolve an election dispute that has sparked outrage. By Monday evening, Keita had already appointed a stripped-down government with the intention to recruit opposition members. Cisse also visited Dicko on Tuesday evening to invite him to bring his June 5 Movement into a unity government, at which point the imam asked him to step down. "Mali is not a submissive or resigned people," Dicko said on Wednesday. "The Malian nation must be restored by Malians for Malians and for Malians." 'Not going to resign' Keita, in power since 2013, has come under increasing pressure to resolve Mali's brutal eight-year-old jihadist revolt, and kickstart the slumping economy. Story continues But much of the Sahel nation's current tension was sparked in April, when the Constitutional Court tossed out 30 results from long-delayed parliamentary elections -- a move that benefited Keita's party. Protests ratcheted up into a crisis on July 10 when an anti-Keita rally organised by the June 5 Movement turned violent. Eleven people died in clashes with security forces over several days, marking the bloodiest political unrest the former French colony has seen in years. But the June 5 Movement has continued to insist on Keita's departure, despite two ECOWAS mediation missions which suggested a new unity government, and a resolution to the election quarrel. ECOWAS leaders confirmed that plan via video link on Monday -- sticking by Keita -- and backed a new vote for the 30 disputed seats in the election. But 29 of the 30 MPs whose election victories are in question refused to step down on Wednesday. "We've come together and we're not going to resign. Our constitution is being violated by the ECOWAS declaration," opposition MP Gougnon Coulibaly told reporters. Storm clouds Wednesday's rejection marks at least the fourth time that Mali's opposition has rebuffed efforts at compromise, raising the spectre of further unrest. The standoff with Keita has alarmed Mali's international allies and neighbours, who are keen to avoid the country sliding into chaos. Far from the capital, much of the vast West African state lies outside government control and is overrun by jihadists and ethnic militias. Mali has been struggling to quell a Islamist revolt that first emerged in the country in 2012, then spread to the centre, and to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have died in the conflict to date, and hundreds of thousands have had to flee their homes. (AFP) Haiti - FLASH: Storm Isaias, Haiti on Orange alert This Thursday, tropical system #9, became a tropical storm named Isaias located at 17.2N 67.9W between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, 440km south-east of Haiti, the winds are 95km/h and the system travels at 33 km/h in a North-West direction. The first effects are starting to be felt on the island with rains and gusty winds. At 5 am, the center of tropical storm Isaias was located near latitude 17.2 North and longitude 67.9 West. Isaias is moving northwest at near 21 mph (33 km/h), and moving from west-northwest to northwest. Some decrease in its movement speed is expected over the next few days. According to forecasts, the center of the storm will move over Hispaniola during the day and near the Southeast of the Bahamas by Friday morning," informs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Maximum sustained winds are near 95 km/h with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected until the arrival in the Dominican Republic this Thursday morning at 8:00 am, with strength expected on Friday and Saturday. Tropical storm force winds extend outward as far as 665 km (415 miles) from the center. A Weatherflow station in Yabucoa Tanque de Agua reported sustained winds of 52 mph (83 km/h) with a gust to 59 mph (94 km/h). Tropical storm conditions are expected to reach parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the warning zone on Thursday Estimated rain in northern Haiti : 7 to 15 cm with isolated maximums of up to 20 cm. In addition, Wednesday in Haiti at 9:00 am, the Directorate General of Civil Protection, the Permanent Secretariat for Risk and Disaster Management (SPGRD) in conjunction with the Hydro-Meteorological Unit of Haiti (UHM) announced the activation of the National Risk Management Plan with a Orange Vigilance level (moderate to strong impacts expected within 24 to 36 hours) on the country. Current forecasts call for heavy rains and potentially fatal flash floods and landslides across the country, particularly around the north coast. Humanitarian partners are preparing to respond to potential impacts, under the leadership of the Government of Haiti. SL/ HaitiLibre Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, who brought direct elections and other democratic changes to the self-governed island despite missile launches and other fierce saber-rattling by China, has died. He was 97. Taipei Veterans General Hospital said Lee died Thursday evening after suffering from infections, cardiac problems and organ failure since being hospitalized in February. Lee strove to create a separate, non-Chinese identity for Taiwan, angering not only China, which considers the island part of its territory, but also members of his Nationalist Party who hoped to return victorious to the mainland. Lee later openly endorsed formal independence for the island but illness in his later years prompted him to largely withdraw from public life. Physically imposing and charismatic, Lee spanned Taiwan's modern history and was native to the island, unlike many who arrived with Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, at the end of the Chinese civil war. At times gruff, at times personable, he left little doubt he was the man in charge in almost any setting. A leader must be tough and strong enough so he can put an end to disputes and chaotic situations, he wrote in his autobiography. He was born in a farming community near Taipei on January 15, 1923, near the midpoint of Japan's half-century colonial rule. The son of a Japanese police aide, he volunteered in the Imperial Japanese Army and returned to as a newly commissioned second lieutenant to help man an anti-aircraft battery. He earned degrees in Japan and Taiwan, as well as at Iowa State University and Cornell University in New York. He worked for the U.S.-sponsored Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, which sought to encourage land reform and modernize Taiwanese agriculture. In 1971, Lee joined the governing Nationalist Party. As a descendant of the people who migrated to the island from China in the 17th and 18th centuries, he was part of the party's effort to broaden its base beyond the 1949 arrivals from the mainland. He was Taipei mayor, province governor and vice president before succeeding to the presidency in 1988. In his early years as president, Lee met significant resistance from Nationalist hard-liners who favored the party's tradition of mainlander domination and resented Lee's native status. He beat back the resistance, largely by giving his detractors important political positions. In 1990, Lee signaled his support for student demands for direct elections of Taiwan's president and vice president and the end of reserving legislative seats to represent districts on the Chinese mainland. The following year he oversaw the dismantling of emergency laws put into effect by Chiang Kai-shek's government, effectively reversing the Nationalists' long-standing goal of returning to the mainland and removing the Communists from power. Communist China saw the democratic steps as a direct threat to its claim to Taiwan, and its anger was exacerbated when Lee visited the United States in 1995. To Beijing, Lee's visit to Cornell signaled the United States was willing to accord special recognition to the ruler of a renegade Chinese province. The U.S. made sure Lee did not meet with high-ranking American officials, including then-President Bill Clinton, but its attempts to dampen Chinese anger were unsuccessful. China soon began a series of threatening military maneuvers off the coast of mainland Fujian province that included the firing of missiles just off Taiwan's coast. More missiles were fired immediately before the March 1996 presidential elections, and the U.S. response was to send aircraft carrier battle groups to Taiwan's east coast in a show of support. Taiwanese were uncowed and the elections went ahead, with Lee victorious. In a celebrated interview in late 1996, Lee declared that relations between and China had the character of relations between two separate states. This was heresy, not only in the eyes of Beijing, but also for many Nationalists, who continued to see Taiwan as part of China, and looked forward to eventual union between the sides, though not necessarily under Communist control. In 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party as president, ending a half-century of Nationalist monopoly. His election was virtually guaranteed by a split in the Nationalist Party, which had two representatives in the race. The retiring Lee had supported one of them but was still blamed for the split, and the party moved to expel him. In 2001, supporters of Lee formed a new pro-independence party. The Taiwan Solidarity Union also wanted to break the cultural and political connection between the island and the mainland. Lee himself backed away from wanting a formal declaration of independence for Taiwan, insisting it already was, given the island was not Chinese Communist-controlled. In 2012, he backed independence-minded candidate Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP, who lost to the Nationalists' Ma Ying-jeou, an avatar of closer ties between China and Taiwan. Tsai ran again and was elected in 2016, upping tensions again with China. Lee was ailing by that time and played little role in the election. Tsai won re-election this year by a healthy margin over her Nationalist challenger. (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.) How chemists are building molecular assembly lines Part of the challenge is programming the actions of molecular machines and reducing the waste from chemical triggers that get them to work. DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "V2X Cybersecurity Market by Unit Type (OBU and RSU), Form (In-vehicle and External Cloud Services), Communication Type (V2I, V2V, V2G, V2C, and V2P), Security Type (PKI and Embedded), Connectivity Type, Vehicle Type, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The V2X cybersecurity market comprises major companies such as ESCRYPT (Germany), OnBoard Security (US), Autotalks (Israel), AutoCrypt (Korea), and Continental (Germany). The growth of the V2X cybersecurity market can be attributed to the increasing trend of connected and autonomous vehicles equipped with V2X technologies and growing cyber threats in the automotive industry. The global V2X cybersecurity market size is projected to reach USD 3,065 million by 2025, from an estimated USD 935 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 26.8%. The advent of V2X technology will have a significant impact on connected and autonomous vehicle technologies, which, in turn, will drive the V2X cybersecurity market. The focus of automobile manufacturers has shifted from fuel efficiency, performance, driver safety, and stability of the vehicle to additional features such as vehicle connectivity, electrification of functions, and digitalization. This change in focus has created a massive opportunity for non-automotive industry players such as Intel, Qualcomm, and Nvidia, to name a few. Also, from the demand side, consumers are more inclined toward connected features such as navigation systems, live traffic updates, and easy access to emails via the internet in their vehicles. The growing attraction of connected cars is compelling automotive companies to develop skills in web technology, chip design, and embedded systems, starting with smartphone integration. However, with the technological evolution of V2X communications, secure data processing has become a significant challenge. Thus, cybersecurity has gained a significant focus in the V2X communication system of vehicles. The increasing cloud-based applications would drive the V2C segment in the forecast. The V2C segment is projected to be the largest market during the forecast period. The fact that cloud stores all the personal/private data such as driver information, driving details, location, and vehicle details, securing V2C communications is one of the highest priorities for cybersecurity companies. V2C is a technology where all the necessary information from vehicles is stored on the cloud in real-time as well as various cloud services are provided in the vehicle. V2C offers features such as weather updates, firmware & software updates (FOTA and SOTA), and multimedia services over the cloud (internet) inside a vehicle. These features allow vehicle users and passengers to stay connected with the outside environment. However, such features and applications need a constant update for proper functioning. Thus, it is the top priority for security solution providers to make cloud technology secure. To avoid any malware, security updates are provided with the help of cloud-based services. These frequent updates reduce the risks associated with data loss, and at the same time, reduce the cost of data retrieval, which helps overcome many issues related to cybersecurity. The Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest and the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region is projected to account for the largest share of the global V2X cybersecurity market during the forecast period. The region is home to renowned V2X cybersecurity companies such as Autotalks, AutoCrypt, and Argus Security. China is expected to be the most influential factor in the Asia Pacific V2X cybersecurity market. China has been conducting various tests and trails on cellular connectivity for V2X, and the expected country-wide launch is by 2021. The large market share of China can also be attributed to the high sales of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which is equipped with V2X, especially V2C and V2I. Moreover, increasing the adoption of electric vehicles will result in the increased demand for V2X technologies, which are quite suitable for electric vehicles. Apart from this, the increasing purchasing power of the population and growing concerns over the environment have triggered the demand for V2X in the Asia Pacific. Since South Korea and Japan are among the leaders in electronics, it would enable them to design V2X solutions with better performance at a lesser price. Thus, increasing V2X use in vehicles will result in high demand for cybersecurity solutions, thus, driving the Asia Pacific V2X cybersecurity market. North America is expected to be the second-fastest market in the forecast period. The North American automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally. The region, which is home to the big three - Ford Motors, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles - is known for passenger cars with advanced comfort and safety technologies. It is expected that market growth in North America would be significant due to the rise in application areas based on connectivity. Thus, the demand for cybersecurity solutions for cars in this region will also increase. The region is home to many renowned V2X cybersecurity solution providers such as OnBoard Security (Qualcomm), Green Hills Software, and Harman, which would further help the market grow. Research Coverage The market study covers the V2X cybersecurity market size and future growth potential across different segments such as by unit type, connectivity, communication, security, vehicle type, form, and region. The study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market, along with their company profiles, key observations related to product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies. Market Dynamics Drivers Large Amount of Data Generated by Vehicles and Increasing Cyberattacks Significantly Growing Global Automotive V2X Market Reinforcement of Mandates by Regulatory Bodies for Vehicle Data Protection Restraints Complex Ecosystem with Multiple Stakeholders Opportunities Increasing Trend of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Technologies Prone to Cyberattacks Rising Demand for Electric Vehicles Challenges Need for Keeping Up with Continuous Evolutions in V2X Ecosystem Companies Mentioned Altran Aptiv Autocrypt Autotalks Ltd. Blackberry Certicom Continental Denso Corporation Escrypt Green Hills Software Harman International ID Quantique IDNomic Infineon Technologies AG Karamba Security Lear Corporation NXP Onboard Security (Qualcomm) Saferide Technologies Secunet STMicroelectronics Trillium Secure Inc. Vector Informatik GmbH For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gkdlln Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com A judge-imposed condition that required about a dozen protesters arrested this month by federal officers to not participate in any public demonstrations or public assemblies while on release is expected to be dropped, prosecutors and public defenders said Wednesday. Since early July, federal prosecutors have routinely asked judges to adopt other conditions before the defendants can be released pending trial: a curfew from either 8 or 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. and geographical limits that require them not to come within a five-block radius of the federal courthouse unless for official court business. But U.S. Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta added the no-protest provision when a defendant balked at the proposed curfew, prohibiting the person from attending any protests, rallies or public assemblies while on release. Another magistrate judge, Jolie A. Russo, followed suit, according to attorneys familiar with the cases. All agree its unconstitutional. Oregons U.S. Attorneys Office is joining with federal public defenders to ask that the condition be modified to a less restrictive one. Nora Benavidez, a spokeswoman from PEN America, a nonprofit organization that celebrates literature and free expression, said any restrictions forcing First Amendment-abiding protesters to sign away their right to demonstrate to be released were gross violations of free speech and assembly. Her statement came in response to a ProPublica story Tuesday on the conditions imposed. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office didnt seek the protest prohibition, according to spokesperson Kevin Sonoff. The additional restrictions were added by the court, he said. Oregon Federal Public Defender Lisa Hay said judges have invited lawyers for the defendants involved to modify the condition. I agree the condition is unconstitutional as written, Hay said. Prosecutors said it wont be a condition on any of the cases going forward. A less restrictive condition would bar defendants from being within a five-block radius of the federal courthouse during the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Hay said. On Wednesday, Acting Homeland Secretary Chad F. Wolf said there had been 94 arrests by federal officers during nightly protests in Portland to protest police violence and racial injustice. As of Wednesday morning, federal officers had made 86 total arrests, resulting in 63 pending criminal cases and 3 citations, according to Oregons U.S. Attorneys Office. Charges have included arson and attempted arson, assault on a federal officer, operating a drone in restricted airspace, stalking and harassing federal officers and failing to comply with a federal order. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Check out news you should not miss today: Society The Peoples Committee of the central city of Da Nang on Wednesday evening issued an announcement for local food and drink businesses to stop their operations, including online sale and take away services, from 1:00 pm Thursday due to the ongoing development of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks. Vietnam on Thursday morning reported nine new cases of COVID-19 in Da Nang and Hanoi, raising the countrys tally to 459 cases with 90 under treatment and 369 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health. 121 medical staff who were in contact with Vietnams COVID-19 patients No. 449 and 450 at three hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have tested negative with the virus, the citys Center for Disease Control announced on Wednesday night. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, as of Wednesday morning, 9,000 people who returned from the central city of Da Nang had made medical declaration while local health authorities had also tested nearly 6,000 cases as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Ho Chi Minh City authorities on Wednesday afternoon discovered 11 Chinese people who illegally entered Vietnam at a condominium in Binh Thanh District. All were sent to quarantine. Authorities in Da Nang on Wednesday inspected two local facilities and seized 34,000 face masks with unknown origin. Lifestyle Live in Cloud - Cuckoo Land, a Vietnamese short film by Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, will compete with 11 others at the 2020 Venice International Film Festivals Orizzonti Short Competition category this September, the festivals organizers announced on July 28. Education The north-central province of Nghe Ans Department of Education and Training on Wednesday afternoon said it has requested local preschools to temporarily halt their operation to protect children from the risk of being infected with COVID-19. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The findings were part of a study by researchers at University College London Experts warned mixed messages could contribute to a second wave of the virus This is compared to 90% of people in England understanding the rules in March Only 45% of people in England have a 'broad understanding' of lockdown rules More than half of us don't understand the Government's coronavirus lockdown rules, a study has revealed. When the restrictions were imposed at the end of March, more than 90 per cent of people in England knew what they were meant to be doing. But researchers at University College London found that only 45 per cent of people in England now have a 'broad understanding' of the lockdown rules. This is compared to 75 per cent in Scotland and 61 per cent in Wales - where rules were relaxed at a different pace. Researchers found that only 45 per cent of people in England have a 'broad understanding' of lockdown rules and suggested that Downing Street's decision to end daily press briefings means people are less informed Researchers found that as measures eased at different rates across the UK, levels of understanding of what is and is not permitted dropped, particularly among younger adults. And only 14 per cent in England fully understand the current guidance, compared to 18 per cent in Wales and 27 per cent in Scotland, according to the study of 70,000 people. Ministers have been criticised for chopping and changing social distancing guidelines and issuing confusing slogans such as 'stay alert'. Experts have warned that the widespread confusion and mixed messages could contribute to a second wave of the virus. They suggested that Downing Street's decision to end the daily press briefings at the end of June means people are less informed and more confused. Lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt, from University College London, said: 'This could possibly reflect difficulties in applying the rules to more complex life scenarios amongst younger adults, or may be reflective of the different amounts of time spent following the news on Covid-19 amongst different age groups. 'The general drop-off in understanding could be due to unclear messaging from the Government, or a reduction in interest and engagement from people, especially with the cessation of the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing in late June.' The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is the UK's largest study into how adults are feeling during the pandemic. On Wednesday the head of the British Medical Association, Chaand Nagpaul, told MPs: 'If I look at something as simple as our messages on social distancing, we're told that social distancing is still two metres, or one metre plus. Do you think any member of the public understands what one metre plus means? Many don't really understand this because it's not clear and they're not social distancing.' The study also found that access to healthcare has fallen, with one in 10 people across the UK reporting being unable to see or speak with a GP about their physical health. The University College London study found that access to healthcare has fallen, with one in 10 people across the UK reporting being unable to see or speak with a GP about their physical health (file photo) Around one in 20 were unable to speak to a professional about their mental health, while one in five reported not telling a GP about symptoms of an illness when they usually would have - even when an appointment was available. Meanwhile, researchers said depression and anxiety levels, life satisfaction and happiness have all shown improvements across every socio-demographic group. Loneliness levels have also decreased further, but there is little change in people reporting major or minor stress due to catching Covid-19, unemployment, finance, or getting food, according to the study. Cheryl Lloyd, education programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: 'With concerns growing over a second wave of Covid-19 it is concerning that many people in England report not understanding the current Government guidance. 'As another Nuffield-funded study by the Reuters Institute has shown, people are less likely to access news about Covid-19 on a daily basis now that lockdown has eased. 'With the rules changing regularly, this may be a factor in the public not understanding the Government guidance.' Washington Rep. John Katko and his Democratic opponent, Dana Balter, on Thursday rejected President Donald Trumps suggestion that the Nov. 3 election should be delayed because of the risk of voter fraud. Trump floated the idea in a tweet Thursday morning, making an unsubstantiated claim that increased mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic will lead to election fraud. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump tweeted. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Katko, R-Camillus, a three-term House member who has endorsed Trump, said the president doesnt have the authority to delay the election, and theres no reason to cast doubt on the security of mail-in voting. I just completely disagree with the president, Katko told syracuse.com in an interview. Election days are set by Congress, and I dont support any attempts by anyone to delay the election. I disagree with Trumps tweet that the mail-in election would create an inaccurate and fraudulent outcome. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 Trump made his suggestion on the same morning the government reported that the U.S. economy plummeted at a 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter, the worst quarterly decline in American history as businesses shut down during the pandemic. Trump is trailing Joe Biden in presidential election polls nationally and in key battleground states as tens of millions remain out of work. The unemployment rate stands at 14.7%. Balter, a Syracuse Democrat, said the timing of Trumps tweet is no coincidence. This is a dangerous proposal from the president that would put the foundation of our democracy at risk, Balter said in a statement. Donald Trump is very clearly trying to distract attention from todays devastating GDP numbers because the decimation of our economy is the fault of his failed response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Katko, asked if he thought Trumps suggestion was politically motivated, said, I dont presume to know what he was thinking when he sent the tweet out. I wish he would put down Twitter. The former federal prosecutor said theres no evidence that absentee ballots or mail-in voting will lead to an increase in voter fraud. He has expressed concerns about counting those ballots in a timely fashion. New York lawmakers passed a bill last week allowing all registered voters in the state to vote by absentee ballot in November to avoid a trip to the polls during the coronavirus pandemic. The 24th Congressional District election between Katko and Balter in Central New York is viewed by political analysts as one of the 10 most competitive House races in the nation. Balter said studies have shown that mail-in voting can be accomplished without an increase in fraud. She said Trump is simply trying to sow doubt as he faces a tough reelection battle. It is a fact that mail-in voting is safe, secure, and reliable, Balter said. Many states and the military have been relying on mail-in voting for years and fraud is exceedingly rare. She cited research compiled by election watchdogs that found only 143 cases of fraud over 20 years out of more than 250 million mail-in ballots cast across the United States. Trump has refused to commit to accept the results of the upcoming presidential election. He told supporters last month that this will be the most corrupt election in the history of our country. MORE ON THE 2020 ELECTION President Trump floats election delay amid claims of voting fraud CNYs candidates for Congress: Trump should wait for invite before sending forces into cities NY mail-in voting deluge fuels uncounted ballots, confusion Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 Social media is fun but its also time consuming, which is what actor Richa Chadha felt and a few days ago, she made her Twitter account private. I realised I spent nine hours in a week on the platform. I have several things to complete and I cant meet any deadlines with this waste of life on social media. I havent vacated my space, but just made the account private to limit engagement, because I have to finish a book I started writing, says the Section 375: Marzi Ya Jabardasti (2019) actor. Theres been a lot of talk about social media toxicity affecting ones mental well being. Of late, Bollywood celebs, including Sonakshi Sinha, Aayush Sharma and Saqib Saleem quit Twitter due to the negativity on the platform. The incessant trolling, threats, and pressure to say the right things at the right time definitely takes an emotional toll. While Chadha doesnt take social media too seriously, and says its a medley and battle of bits, bytes and bots based on algorithms and cant replace human interaction. She adds, The platform is toxic because the world has become toxic. People take advantage of anonymity to find relevance and vent. This is the behaviour of cowards and mustnt be taken seriously. Sure theres negativity on social media, and there are advantages as well. Many enjoy a social detox for a bit before returning to it. Chadha is thankful that she isnt addicted to social media. She admits she has had her fair share of positive interactions on the platform as well. It works both ways. As an artist, you are pleasantly surprised to find fans in Norway and Turkey, thanks to social media. You may not get to know how loved you are either, if you arent online, in certain cases. I love social media, but like everything else in life, it has its demons, she signs off. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON KABUL, -- Taliban violence in Afghanistan has remained above "historic norms" for most of the second quarter of this year, a U.S. watchdog said in a report published on July 30. The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said the security situation had not improved following the signing of a landmark peace deal between the Taliban and the United States in late February. "[Enemy] violence levels stayed well above historic norms for the majority of the reporting period," SIGAR said, citing NATO's Resolute Support mission. There had been hopes internationally and in Afghanistan that the U.S.-Taliban deal would result in a reduction in Taliban violence. However, the militants have continued attacks on government security checkpoints and bombings, pausing online for a three-day cease-fire over the Eid al-Fitr holiday in late May. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on July 28 said more than 10,000 government forces had been killed or wounded since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed. The United Nations has documented more than 1,200 civilian deaths in the first half of 2020. The report comes after the Taliban announced a further three-day cease-fire over the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday at the end of this week. The government has said it will reciprocate. The UN welcomed the announcement of a temporary cease-fire and called for a quick start to intra-Afghan negotiations. The U.S.-Taliban agreement paves the way for the withdrawal of all international troops from Afghanistan and an exchange of prisoners between the government and the militants. In exchange, the Taliban is obligated to enter peace talks with the government. Photo: The Canadian Press Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks via video conference during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on antitrust on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP) The Latest on testimony before a congressional committee by the CEOs of Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google (all times local EST) 6:30 p.m. Democratic chairman of a House antitrust panel says Facebook is making money off dangerous lies that could have deadly consequences. Rep. David Cicilline lodged the accusation at the tech companys CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, Wednesday during a congressional hearing also featuring testimony from the heads of Apple, Amazon and Google. Cicilline noted a series of popular conspiracy theories including that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax that have thrived on Facebook's platform during the deadly virus grip across the globe. It brings the most activity which, of course, produces great profit, Cicilline said to Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg offered assurances that the social network's users dont want to see misinformation in their feeds, so the company has taken big steps to scrub its site of inaccurate coronavirus claims. But that only invited more push back from Cicilline, noted out that just on Monday the company struggled to take down a video of pro-Trump doctors peddling misleading claims that Americans dont need to wear masks and an unproven anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a sure-fire way to treat the virus. The video raked in more than 20 million views before Facebook started removing it, with dozens of other versions of it still cropping up. Earlier in the hourslong hearing, GOP congressmen had complained that Facebook, YouTube and Twitter took down that same video at all, describing it as censorship. Nodding to that political tightrope hes walking on, Zuckerberg defended the companys misinformation policies, weve been quite aggressive in taking some of that down, as some of the questioning from the other side of the aisle has shown so far. ___ 5:20 p.m. U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly ripped the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook while likening them to copycats, liars, bullies, drug dealers and traitors in an attempt to prove its time to crack down on their technology powerhouses. The barrage of unflattering comparisons and allegations of misconduct unfolded Wednesday during an extraordinary hearing that summoned Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg before a congressional committee. The committee is looking into allegations that the companies have been abusing the popularity of their products and services to stifle competition and innovation. All four CEOs appeared via video because of the pandemic. Lawmakers were particularly harsh on Google, whose dominant search engine serves as the main gateway to the internet, and Facebook, whose social network with more than 2 billion people has has had trouble blocking efforts to spread bogus information in attempt to sway elections and sow social unrest. Both Pichai and Zuckerberg insisted their companies have worked hard to fix any problems on their services and strive to improve their mostly free services to keep their users happy to they can continue to sell the ads that bring in most of their revenue. ___ 4:45 p.m. A key House lawmaker investigating Big Techs power is squarely targeting Amazon. Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat, told Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a hearing Wednesday that evidence shows that the e-commerce giant is only interested in dominating the market and is fundamentally anti-competitive. Cicilline said Congress must take action. As chair of a House Judiciary panel, Cicilline is looking toward possible new legislation to update century-old antitrust laws. But Republican Rep. James Sensenbrenner rejects the idea that legislation is needed showing it could be a difficult mission for Democrats in Congress. The Bezos, along with the CEOs of Apple, Facebook and Google were answering lawmakers' questions about their companies practices as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market dominance in the technology industry. ___ 3:50 p.m. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he can't guarantee that the company isn't accessing seller data to make competing products, an allegation that the company and its executives had previously denied. His comments came Wednesday during a congressional hearing into the market dominance of four tech giants Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe have been scrutinizing Amazons relationship with the businesses that sell on its site and whether the online shopping giant has been using data from the sellers to create its own private-label products. We have a policy against using seller specific data to aid our private label business, said Bezos, in a response to a question from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Amazon's home state of Washington. But I cant guarantee to you that that policy hasnt been violated. A Wall Street Journal article from April quoted Amazon employees who said they did have access to seller data to make competing products, including a car trunk organizer that Amazon copied. Bezos said he was aware of the article and is still looking into the allegations. Im still not satisfied that weve gotten to the bottom of it, he said. ___ 3:30 p.m. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is again being put on the defensive in a congressional hearing over the social networks role as a conduit for Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. And Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, has brought the issue current with concerns that right-wing groups are using Facebook to infiltrate the Black Lives Matter movement and to spread anti-Semitic propaganda. Zuckerberg says Facebook uses sophisticated technology to intercept hate speech, often before its seen on the platform. It hurts our business, he said. Zuckerberg's comments came at hearing that also featured Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The CEOs are answering for their companies practices as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market dominance in the industry. ___ 2:45 p.m. Facebook internal company documents are being deployed against CEO Mark Zuckerberg by lawmakers asserting that the company has gobbled up rivals to squelch competition. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the Democrat who heads the House Judiciary Committee, told Zuckerberg at a hearing Wednesday that documents obtained from the company tell a very disturbing story of Facebooks acquisition of the Instagram messaging service. He said the documents show Zuckerberg called Instagram a threat that could meaningfully hurt Facebook. Zuckerberg responded that Facebook viewed Instagram as both a competitor and a complement to Facebooks services, but also acknowledged that it competed with Facebook on photo-sharing. Some critics of Facebook have called for the company to divest Instagram and its WhatsAPP messaging service. The questioning came at a congressional hearing that also featured Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. ___ 2:30 p.m. The chairman of a Congressional committee investigating the power of major technology companies accused Google of leveraging its dominant search engine to steal ideas and information from other websites and manipulating its results to drive people to its own digital services to boost its profits. Rep. David Cicilline peppered Google CEO Sundar Pichai with the allegations of abusive behaviour while grilling him Wednesday during a hearing that is also putting Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on virtual hot seats while answering questions posed through a video stream. Pichai repeatedly deflected Cicillines attacks by asserting that Google tries to provide the most helpful and relevant information to the hundreds of millions of people who use its search engine each day. He said this is part of its effort to keep them coming back instead of defecting to a rival service, such as Microsofts Bing. Pichai struggled to answer one question about whether Google threatened to dump Yelp from its search engine database after the restaurant review site told Google to stop scraping its site for content. Yelp raised that issue about a decade ago before before Pichai became CEO in 2015. The only Native American on federal death row is scheduled to be executed in late August, the U.S. government announced Wednesday. Navajo man Lezmond Mitchell, 37, is set to die on August 26 by lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terra Haute, Indiana, where he's being held. If it proceeds it will be the first time in modern American history the government executed a Native American tribe member. Mitchell is among the first handful of inmates set to be put to death after the Trump administration restored federal executions after an informal, 17-year moratorium. Under federal law, the U.S. government cannot pursue a death sentence for a capital murder committed on Native American land without the tribe's consent. However, tribal officials and even the victims' family have opposed the death penalty. The U.S. government announced Wednesday it has set the execution date for the only Native American on death row, 37-year-old Lezmond Mitchell, for August 26. He's being held at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terra Haute, Indiana Lawyers appear before 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on December 13, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona to argue the motion filed by Lezmond Mitchell to reopen proceedings on his case challenging his conviction and capital sentence for the 2001 murder (file photo) 'The federal government's announcement that it now plans to execute Lezmond Mitchell demonstrates the ultimate disrespect for the Navajo Nation's values and sovereignty,' his attorneys, Jonathan Aminoff and Celeste Bacchi said in a statement Wednesday shared with DailyMail.com. Native American tribes for decades have been able to tell federal prosecutors if they want a death sentence considered for certain crimes on their land. Nearly all, including the Navajo Nation, have rejected that option. Mitchell was convicted in the murders of Navajo woman Alyce Slim, 63, and her nine-year-old granddaughter in October 2001 on the reservation that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. He and an accomplice abducted Slim with the plan to use her vehicle in a robbery of a local trading post. Prosecutors said the two fatally stabbed Slim and slit the girl's throat. Their beheaded, mutilated bodies were found in a shallow grave on the Navajo Nation. Mitchell was convicted of carjacking resulting in death - a crime that carries a possible death sentence no matter where it happens, meaning the tribe had no avenue to object. Mitchell killed grandmother Alyce Slim and her nine year-old granddaughter in order to steal her truck for use in the robbery of this trading post on the Navajo Indian reservation Mitchell has been spared temporarily by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals where his attorneys argued they should be able to interview jurors for potential racial bias. Mitchell lost the bid in late April, but the case hasn't technically been closed, preserving a stay of execution. His attorneys have asked the appeals court to essentially keep the stay in place while they seek review at the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. attorney in Arizona urged the appeals court Wednesday to make a quick decision. His attorneys have said he had no history of violence and wasn't the primary aggressor. 'Mr. Mitchell was just 20 at the time of the crime with no history of violence, while his juvenile co-defendant, who was the primary aggressor and had previously murdered two people in an unrelated incident, received a sentence of life imprisonment,' his attorneys said in the Wednesday statement. His attorneys stressed the execution would be a violation of the Federal Death Penalty Act, in which Congress promised that no Native American would be subjected to the death penalty for a crime committed against a fellow Native American on Native American land unless the tribe consented. U.S. Attorney General William Barr noted Wednesday that courts repeatedly have ruled against Mitchell In the attack Mitchell's victims were Native American and the murders took place on Native land. 'In what the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals referred to as a "betrayal of a promise made to the Navajo Nation," the Department of Justice exploited a legal loophole and sought the death penalty against Mr. Mitchell for the federal crime of carjacking over the objection of the Navajo Nation, the victims' family, and the local United States Attorneys Office,' Mitchell's attorneys said. Mitchell is scheduled to be put to death in the same week as Keith Dwayne Nelson, who was convicted of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl while she was rollerblading in front of her Kansas home and raping her in a forest behind a church, then strangling her. File image of a death champter equipped for lethal injection at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana above Three other federal inmates were put to death earlier this month - Dustin Honken, Wesley Purkey and Daniel Lewis Lee. All were convicted of killing children. U.S. Attorney General William Barr noted Wednesday that courts repeatedly have ruled against Mitchell. Navajo Nation Council Delegate Carl Slater, whose grandparents testified against capital punishment in Mitchell's trial as educators, has been pushing the tribe to request clemency from the federal government and affirm its position against the death penalty. If the execution moves forward, Slater said it would send a message that the federal government has no problem using loopholes to infringe on the tribe's sovereignty. 'This completely conflicts with our values. The government has an obligation to express our values and reflect them. That's not just to our citizens, that's to other sovereigns that have these relationships,' he said. The partnership will leverage Wipro's Digital and Quality Engineering capabilities to transform Testing and Environment Management Services for the bank Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that Metro Bank, a large UK based retail and commercial bank, has awarded a multi-year contract to deliver and transform Testing and Environment Management Services. As part of this partnership, Wipro will leverage its Digital and Quality Engineering capabilities to drive transformation through automation, service virtualisation and DevSecOps enablement. This will help Metro Bank achieve its objectives around cost, pace and quality of operations and further differentiate them from other high street banks. Wipro will accelerate the bank's digital journey through its marquee offerings, Virtual Automation Engineer, IntelliAssure and Digital Rig. In addition, Wipro has been chosen as one of the preferred partners to deliver Business-IT services across Metro Bank functions. Cheryl McCuaig, Chief Information Officer at Metro Bank, said, "We are excited to partner with Wipro on this journey towards transforming our business. We look forward to a successful partnership that delivers value to both organisations and enables us to achieve our goal of improving the quality, velocity and efficiency of our IT delivery. This directly supports Metro Bank's strategy to become the UK's best community bank by providing outstanding service and solutions to our personal and business customers." Omkar Nisal, Senior Vice President Head Banking EMEA, Wipro Limited, said, "We are delighted to be chosen as Metro Bank's strategic transformation partner for testing and environment services. We look forward to working together and delivering an ambitious programme that will significantly improve the overall efficiency of technology change." About Metro Bank Metro Bank is celebrated for its exceptional customer experience. Its mobile app and online service achieved the top spot in the Competition and Market Authority's Service Quality Survey among personal and business current account holders in February 2020; the bank also ranked in the top two for overall service and store service for personal and business customers. It was awarded 'Best All Round Personal Finance Provider' at the Moneynet Personal Finance Awards 2019. Offering retail, business, commercial and private banking services, it prides itself on giving customers the choice to bank however, whenever and wherever they choose. Whether that's through its network of stores open seven days a week, early until late, 362 days a year; on the phone through its UK-based 24/7 contact centres; or online through its internet banking or award-winning mobile app: the bank offers customers real choice. The bank employs around 3,500 colleagues and is headquartered in Holborn, London. Intelliassure: A Next Generation IT wellness platform leveraging the principles of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, advanced analytics and built on Wipro HOLMES Wipro's AI and Automation platform. Virtual Automation Engineer (VAE): Intelligent Test Automation built on the theme of 'Automating the Automation' enabling natural language-based automation, at-scale cloud-based autonomous execution and automated maintenance through self-healing, resulting in on-demand validation of digital applications undergoing frequent changes. Digital Rig: Wipro's enterprise DevSecOps platform for non-linear scaling of DevSecOps through simplification, standardisation and automation of key engineering capabilities across the organisation through a self-service catalogue. About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 180,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain 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, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could decrease technology spending, adversely affect demand for our products, affect the rate of customer spending and could adversely affect our customers' ability or willingness to purchase our offerings, delay prospective customers' purchasing decisions, adversely impact our ability to provide on-site consulting services and our inability to deliver our customers or delay the provisioning of our offerings, all of which could adversely affect our future sales, operating results and overall financial performance. Our operations may also be negatively affected by a range of external factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic that are not within our control. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We 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. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005534/en/ Contacts: Nisha Chandrasekaran Wipro Limited nisha.chandrasekaran@wipro.com The Bachelor's Tara Pavlovic was forced to postpone her April nuptials to fiance Nick Shepherdson due to the coronavirus pandemic. But despite looking forward to her new Spring wedding date, Tara has experienced another heartbreaking hitch as a bride-to-be. In emotional Instagram Story videos on Thursday, the reality TV star, 28, detailed how picking up her wedding dress has become a bittersweet moment. Scroll down for video 'It's meant to be the best day of my life': Bachelor star Tara Pavlovic has shared ANOTHER heartbreaking hitch as a bride-to-be after postponing her wedding due to COVID-19 'I've cried all my makeup off today, I literally just cry all the time, it gets a bit too much,' Tara said of Australia's COVID-19 'second wave' crisis. Tara expressed her sadness at not being able to fully enjoy the lead up to her special day, which is now due for September/October. 'So I'm picking up my wedding dress tomorrow... It's meant to be the best day of my life,' she said, noting her lowered enthusiasm and excitement given the times. Tara admitted that rather than being excited, picking up her dress had now become a painful reminder of the people she would miss on her wedding day. She said most of her family probably wouldn't be able to attend the milestone occasion as the Queensland borders are due to close to Sydney residents this week. Painful: Tara admitted that rather than being excited about picking up her wedding gown, it had become a painful reminder of the people she would miss on the big day due to border closures between NSW and QLD 'I'm just like cool... Aren't I meant to be excited about this?' she pondered. The disappointment follows Tara cancelling her dream wedding and overseas honeymoon to the US in April when the health crisis surrounding COVID-19 hit home. Tara explained that she and Nick were happy to reschedule the original date as it was something that was needed 'to save lives and protect people'. Rescheduled: Tara and fiance Nick Shepherdson previously cancelled their April wedding date and honeymoon to the US due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tara explained that she and Nick were happy to reschedule the original date as it was something that was needed 'to save lives and protect people' (both pictured) However, she blasted the 'selfish idiots' who weren't able to do the 'right thing' which has to lead to the second outbreak and further border closures. Tara had shared her excitement earlier this month while revealing the couple have rescheduled their wedding date for spring time. The blonde stunner shared a sweet selfie with her beau, which she captioned: 'Just under three months and I become Mrs. Shepherdson.' 'Just under three months and I become Mrs. Shepherdson': Earlier this month, Tara was excited to reveal the couple had rescheduled the special day for spring as restrictions had been easing In the photo, Tara and Nick appear smitten as ever as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Tara - who has appeared on both The Bachelor and Bachelor In Paradise - joked that if they were forced to have to cancel the wedding again she would 'give up' on setting another date. In March, Tara revealed that she and Nick had to postpone their April wedding indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'I could not forgive myself if someone came to my wedding and got sick. It's just not worth it, which is really, really sad,' Tara said in a tearful video at the time. By Richard Barrios TCM/Running Press. 221 pp. $28 - - - The Jets are due to land in December, the Sharks right with them. But where? In theaters retooled for socially distanced viewing (Coronascope?) or in the super-safety of our streamed-into homes? We're talking, of course, about the Steven Spielberg-Tony Kushner version of what originated in the 1950s as a Broadway play with several striking features. There was the chutzpah of converting the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet" into a musical; the topicality of replacing the Montagues and Capulets with finger-snapping, street-dancing New York juvenile delinquents; and the stature of the show's masterminds - composer Leonard Bernstein, choreographer and director Jerome Robbins and playwright Arthur Laurents. (Also contributing was a young lyricist named Stephen Sondheim.) After doing boffo business and winning multiple Tonys, "West Side Story" was made into a 1961 movie, which did boffo business and won multiple Oscars. It's this incarnation that film historian Richard Barrios elucidates in his informative and engaging new book, a co-production of Turner Classic Movies and Running Press. Barrios traces "West Side Story" back to a 1948 conversation between Robbins and his then-boyfriend, Montgomery Clift. Just as Cole Porter had played fast and loose with Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" in concocting the Broadway hit "Kiss Me Kate," so, Robbins and Clift thought, something exhilarating might be made of "Romeo and Juliet." Robbins floated the idea of an update centering on tensions between Jews and Catholics, but Bernstein and Laurents had the aha moment: Both were visiting Los Angeles in the summer of 1955 when articles about street-gang warfare ran in the Los Angeles Times. Bernstein, Barrios reports, "was as mercurial as his music; Laurents was a master at clever, cutting sarcasm; and Robbins's outbursts of temper ... promptly became the stuff of legend." Thus, their collaboration could easily have succumbed to "toxic combustibility." But the Three Egos managed to work and play well together, and what started out as "East Side Story" and slouched through its adolescence as "Gangway" grew up to be "West Side Story," with a pre-Broadway premiere in Washington, D.C., on August 19, 1957. The film rights went to the brothers Mirisch - Walter, Harold and Marvin - who had just become players by producing Billy Wilder's "Some Like It Hot." Robbins, who had directed the play, signed on to do the same for the movie, but because his forte was choreography, the Mirisch Company burdened him with a co-director, Robert Wise. Casting proved to be a drawn-out and fraught process. Larry Kert, the Broadway Tony, "was apparently never under serious consideration," but Elvis Presley apparently was. (I like to imagine Elvis singing "You Ain't Nothin' But a Shark Fish" at his audition.) In the end the role went to Richard Beymer, who had achieved what Barrios calls "dreamboat" status in the movie version of "The Diary of Anne Frank." With Carol Lawrence, the Maria of the original cast, deemed now too old for the role, Natalie Wood was chosen for her star power. For all his dreamboating, the Iowa-born Beymer has admitted that he wasn't right for Tony. Wood worked hard on her dancing, even harder on her singing. She was led to believe that her voice would be used for all but the highest notes, which Marni Nixon would dub. In fact, management knew all along that Maria's vocals would be all-Nixon, all the time. Wood had to live with what Barrios calls "a sour conclusion to a difficult professional experience." Those were the days when Hollywood enticed folks into movie theaters with spectacles that beggared the small screen of a black-and-white TV. Spectacle doesn't come cheap, and the film was budgeted at a robust $5 million. Largely due to Robbins's perfectionism, the production got off to a squandering start. He insisted on take after take for the dance numbers, and instead of the normal shooting pace of "two to four script pages per day, totaling roughly three minutes," the Mirisches were getting "less than one page and well under one minute per day." In a section of the book wryly called "The Rumble," Barrios recounts the firing of Robbins and the ascension of Wise, who holds the dubious distinction of having second-guessed two artistic titans, Robbins and Orson Welles. (When in 1942 "The Magnificent Ambersons," Welles's follow-up to "Citizen Kane," came in too long and gloomy for the studio's taste, Wise cut it and filmed a new, upbeat ending.) At any rate, the Wised-up "West Side Story" was a hit, grossing $44 million; winning 10 Oscars plus a special honorary award for Robbins; and pleasing the critics. Most of them, anyway. Two of the greats, Pauline Kael and David Thomson, later filed dissents, she dismissing the film as "frenzied hokum," he as "pedestrian." So there's room for improvement by Messrs. Spielberg and Kushner. As we wait for their "West Side Story" to arrive via one technology or another, reading Barrios will make us better equipped to reach our own verdict. - - - Drabelle, a former contributing editor of The Washington Post's Book World, writes frequently about movies. An annual wool sourcing project will increase its fleece collection from 16 tonnes to a record 22 tonnes this year due to the pandemic's impact on the wool industry. Chimney Sheep Ltd will soon start its sourcing project 'Operation Wool' for the third year in a row. The Cumbrian firm will be collecting approximately 22 tonnes of Herdwick wool throughout August directly from local farmers. It will be used to create the company's chimney draught excluder, the Chimney Sheep. The financial support Operation Wool provides to the farmers comes at a crucial time due to the declining wool industry since the pandemic. The global wool market closed in February resulting in vast volumes of wool lying unsold, causing the price of wool to crash and making it financially unviable for farmers to sell their fleeces. Sally Phillips, Chimney Sheep Ltds founder, is increasing the companys wool collection from 16 tonnes last year to a record 22 tonnes. This equates to the wool from just over 20,000 Herdwick sheep which is 20% of the UK Herdwick population and will fill five lorries. Now unable to viably sell the wool through British Wool, Chimney Sheep will buy the Herdwick wool directly from Cumbrian farms. The farmers will be paid a better rate compared to selling the wool to British Wool whilst making it more cost effective for Chimney Sheep Ltd by cutting out several sourcing steps. Ms Phillips said there had been 'no better time than right now' to support the British wool industry and the farmers that supply it. "It is so important to me that we buy this fantastic material because if we dont it will either get thrown away or burnt, which is a heartbreaking thought," she said. "Herdwick wool in particular has such brilliant properties like durability and breathability which makes it perfect to use for making our Chimney Sheep draught excluder. "Due to wools versatility, I would encourage more manufacturers and producers to look to it as an alternative material and in turn, help get the industry to grow again in the UK. It comes as a viral petition demands the government to use British wool products in the new home insulation scheme. Farmers are urging for a 'once valuable resource' to be used as part of the scheme, which will commence in England from September. The Algerian President Wednesday fired labor minister Ahmed Chaouki Fouad Achek Youcef, reports say citing the office of the president. National Solidary Minister, Kaouther Krikou has been appointed as acting minister in replacement. The office did not provide reasons for the move. Youcef, 64, was appointed early January in the presidents first cabinet after his election in December. The move comes on the backdrop of a recent incident payment of pension for retired civil servants. Hundreds of retirees queued up in front of post offices to cash in their pension. Youcef, Algerie Patrioque notes, tended in his resignation to the president over family issues. Firefighters embrace as their colleagues cleanup after a rowhouse fire on North Colorado Street on Jan. 6, 2018. Lt. Matthew LeTourneau, stationed with Engine Co 45, died after being trapped under debris and rubble while battling the blaze. Read more Philadelphia firefighters struggled with cold weather, a dilapidated building, and excessive clutter while battling a 2018 rowhouse fire and collapse in North Philadelphia that killed a resident of the house and a fire lieutenant, according to reports released Thursday. Resident Delgera Lane and Fire Lt. Matthew LeTourneau died in the fire and subsequent building collapse on North Colorado Street. Two firefighers were also injured. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Philadelphia Fire Department both released findings on the fire Thursday, 2 years after the blaze. In response to the after-action reports, the Fire Department will work to improve incident command and communication, knowledge of building construction, and tactics during extreme weather, Commissioner Adam K. Thiel said Thursday. Those efforts include new training courses and new command vehicles with special features that have already been put into use. This was a heartbreaking day for the city, for this department, and for all of Matts family, friends and colleagues, Thiel said in a statement. Its difficult to relive the incident through these reports, but understanding how and why this happened will help prevent another tragedy. LeTourneau, a 42-year-old lieutenant and 11-year veteran of the department, was killed after the building collapsed and he was pinned down by joists from the second floor. Matt was absolutely, hands down, one of the best trained, experienced company officers that we had, Thiel said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. The report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters responding that January day faced limited street access due to snow, parked cars, and the narrow roadWAY, as well as inoperable hydrants. Extreme cold weather also impacted the response, as did excessive clutter inside the house and its deteriorating structure. The report recommended that the Fire Department increase response capabilities during extreme weather and make sure that firefighters are trained to understand the impacts of building age and construction. The fire marshal was unable to determine a cause for the fire after an extensive investigation that included federal assistance, Thiel said. The excessive clutter inside the home was described in the reports as a challenge for firefighters. Thiel said that situation was out of the Fire Departments control, and he urged Philadelphia residents to always keep two means of exit clear in every room. The poor condition of the 19th-century house, while uncommon for many other fire departments, is the typical structure in which we attempt to save lives, Thiel said. Thiel said he had discussed the report with LeTourneaus family earlier this week and will hold virtual town hall meetings with Fire Department members. The LeTourneau family said in a statement released by the department that they were grateful the report provided more information on that fateful day in January. We know that nothing can change what happened that day, their statement said. Matt will always be a hero for his sacrifice and service to the City of Philadelphia and, more importantly, to the Philadelphia Fire Department, a profession he dreamed of even as a child. He gave his life doing what he loved, and if only we can be so blessed. Growing up in Corvallis, Maximilian Uriarte always knew one day hed be a professional artist. So, naturally, he figured the quickest way to get there would be to join the Marines and serve in a war zone. Twice. Heres the thing: It worked. This week, Uriarte, now 33 and living in Santa Monica, California, is celebrating the release of his second graphic novel, Battle Born: Lapis Lazuli. Its not the most conventional way to go about pursuing a career in the art world, Uriarte acknowledged, and there were times he questioned his decisions. It took years, he said, but he feels like he got what he wanted. "It ended up working out, Uriarte said in a phone interview earlier this month from his California home. It definitely had some perks. I got to travel all over the place. As a teen in the Pacific Northwest, Uriarte hadnt done much traveling, which was partly what prompted him to look for opportunities. My mom was in Portland, my dad in Corvallis, and both of them knew I was an artist. And one day I came home and said, I'm going to join the Marine Corps. I just talked to a recruiter. And theyre both like, What? Thats new. I dont think anybody saw it coming. Uriarte served from 2006 to 2010, including two tours in Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, first as an MRAP turret gunner with a jump platoon and then as a billeted combat photographer and combat artist. He finished, or terminated, his enlistment as a lance corporal, which led to the title of the comic strip and website for which he is best known: Terminal Lance. The strip is a sly poke at the absurdities of military service as seen through the eyes of two grunt lance corporals, Abe and Garcia. The two characters made up the heart of Uriartes first graphic novel, The White Donkey: Terminal Lance, published in 2016. Battle Born, released Tuesday, is its own original tale. While also revolving around American involvement in the Middle East, the story has a much wider arc. Battle Born is set in Afghanistan, which Uriarte himself has not visited. But the situation it describes is real. Mining the gemstone known as lapis lazuli has been the livelihood of Afghanistans Badakhshan province for generations. When the Taliban came, its members stole and sold the gems and imposed their own brutal rule. In Battle Born, the struggling Afghan government, seeking control, asks for help from the United States, which sends a platoon into the mountains to work with the local residents. Uriartes characters then must wrestle with how American and British colonialism and imperialism play out in a culture with its own issues. "What Battle Born to me is really about, the challenge, is what does it mean to be civilized, and is that a virtue worth embracing?" Uriarte said. These are things that get challenged in the story. It ties into the dark history of Afghanistan as it relates to the British and Americans and the shadow of colonialism and imperialism. The details of the tale, Uriarte said, are ones he doesnt see people talking about but wishes they would. This story, the situation in Afghanistan right now, the real-life one with the Taliban and the gemstone trade, all of that is real. Thats going on. Its part of the reason I wanted to set the story there, is kind of to draw attention to it, he said. I hope it gets in peoples heads that this is a real thing going on and its all terrible. Uriarte said he worked hard to convey the depth and richness of the culture of Afghanistan to the point of filling several pages with dialogue in either Pashto (the language of the Taliban) or Dari (the language of the local residents) without providing a translation in English. I worked with a couple of interpreters from the Marine Corps that I had been in contact with, translating the dialogue in the book and putting it in there accurately. If its wrong, you can blame them, he quipped. It was an important creative decision, he said, to make sure the language stood alone. For me, it was out of respect for the language and out of respect for that culture, to not make it easy for someone who speaks only English, Uriarte said. Like, youre not entitled to understand that language, you know what I mean? Uriarte portrays the Marine Corps the same way he feels about it: as two separate entities, Marines and Corps. I love the Marines. I didnt really love the Corps. Thats kind of how Ive come to look at my time in, he said. For the most part, Im very happy not being active duty anymore. As a veteran, the authenticity of his voice resonates with fans. Terminal Lance has almost 400,000 fans, and The White Donkey was a New York Times best seller. Uriarte describes The White Donkey as an anti-war story, adding: I think anybody in their right mind is anti-war, or at least they should be. Battle Born, he said, further explores the expectations of military service and the way it contradicts itself. It continues to challenge the typically Western-centric narrative. I try to stay true to that voice and to the Marine Corps experience as I know it, he said. I think people like my honesty about the military experience. In writing and drawing The White Donkey, Uriarte said he ended up stumbling his way through the creation, trying to find ways to build visual scenes and carry them from page to page while still driving the narrative. It was a learning experience, to say the least, he said. How do you organize a massive graphic novel? Theres not a lot of resources out there. He took what he learned and funneled it into Battle Born, creating a story that, by his estimate, has less than half the dialogue of Donkey but easily 100 more pages of artwork. I think I was able to make a graphic novel that feels more like a graphic novel from start to finish, he said. Uriartes first works of art, starting as a preschooler, were dragons, followed by dinosaurs. He always liked comics particularly Conan the Barbarian and Captain America and is a huge fan of Yoji Shinkawas Metal Gear style. But while he names them as inspirations, he didnt really turn to comics for the sake of doing art. Graphic novels, he said, were more a vehicle to tell a visual story in a way thats more accessible than, say, raising millions of dollars to film a movie. The visuals are the important part, he added. The way I get into it is I listen to music and the images come. I dont even know what they mean at first. The ending of Battle Born came to me and I didnt know what it meant. I just see this beautiful thing in my head, and how do I get there? It all kind of coalesces. (The 1982 "Conan" soundtrack provided the inspiration for "Battle Born," for those who want to re-create the experience.) Uriarte said he hopes people will come with him on his visual journey, no matter how they might feel about the Marines, the Middle East or military service in general. I hope they enjoy Battle Born' and dont just write it off as a military thing, like a cliche military story, he said. To me, its something really special. Its just an epic tale, and I hope people enjoy it. Published by Little, Brown & Company, "Battle Born" is available in hardcover for $28. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WASHINGTON - House lawmakers pressed top officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday about staff shortages, the lack of covid-19 testing and infection-control lapses at state-run nursing homes for veterans and called on the administration to take a leading role in oversight that's typically left to the states. The hearing before the health subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs also probed the use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine at a home for veterans and their spouses outside of Philadelphia. Subcommittee Chairwoman Julia Brownley, D-Calif., questioned why the drug, touted by President Donald Trump for months as a potential treatment for covid-19, was administered to 30 residents at the Southeastern Veterans' Center, including patients who had underlying heart conditions and those who had not been tested for covid-19. Earlier this month, The Washington Post reported that doctors at the 238-bed nursing home dosed patients with what came to be called a "covid cocktail" during more than two weeks in April, often over the objections of nurses and without the full knowledge of residents' families. At least 11 residents received the drug even though they had not been tested for covid-19, The Post found. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., who represents the district where the state-run home is located, asked VA officials whether the department provided any guidance on use of the unproven drug, which has been shown to trigger cardiac problems and other adverse effects in patients. The Food and Drug Administration revoked an emergency-use authorization issued in late March. "The covid-19 outbreak at Southeastern Veterans' Center has broken the hearts of many in and around my community," Houlahan said. "We certainly owe it to our veterans, especially those that still live in that facility, to do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again." Teresa Boyd, the assistant undersecretary for health for clinical services at the VA, said there was no specific guidance about hydroxychloroquine but added that the drug has been around for years and that medications can be used off-label. Houlahan said she was particularly concerned that a covid-19 vaccine would be given to veterans before it was widely proven safe and effective. "I'd sure like to see lessons learned in real time instead of post pandemic and post autopsy," she said. Lawmakers also called on the VA to step up oversight of the more than 150 homes, run by state governments with about $1 billion a year federal funding. One is the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts, where 76 people died of covid-19 amid one of the most lethal outbreaks in the country. The Government Accountability Office reported last month that the home failed to enforce social distancing between residents and lacked staff and protective equipment. Paul Barabani, who testified on Wednesday as a member of a coalition focused on improving patient care at Holyoke, said he has been advocating for residents and staff for years. "What if they had listened to my request for additional staff? and the creation of individual rooms?" he said. "How many of these deaths may have been prevented if they had listened and acted?" Brownley said the VA's inspections provide only "loose oversight," relying on an outside contractor to assess homes and issuing recommendations rather than mandates for improvement. Boyd said that states generally ensure quality care and proper staffing. "We absolutely respect the autonomy of the state and their operational oversight and responsibilities with these state-run homes," she said. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said the administration needs to do far more to keep veterans healthy and safe. "The question ... that I have for this committee and to those testifying that I think we all have a right to ask: Who is in charge?" he asked. --- Mikhail and Rosenzweig-Ziff are journalism students at Northwestern University's Medill Investigative Lab. For Marwa Conelly, the Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday this week was supposed to be extra celebratory this year she was looking forward to getting engaged around that time. Then she lost her father to the coronavirus, and less than 24 hours later her mother, who died unaware her husband, whom she had known since childhood, was gone. Now the thought of spending Eid at their home without them fills Conelly with dread. "I will miss them," Conelly said. "I just want to go to sleep and wake up to find that the Eid period has passed already." With the coronavirus ravaging the world, Eid comes as the wounds of the bereaved are raw, and for Muslims in the throes of grief, it can amplify the pain. Many are wrestling with how to navigate its rituals without lost loved ones, as some seek ways to honor the departed during the holiday. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorates the Quranic tale of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham)s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. In Egypt, where the Conellys live, the first day of Eid will be on Friday. Normally the family has a festive but laid-back routine for the first day of Eid. After Marwa Conelly returns home from the Eid prayer at the mosque, the family would breakfast and then nap before gathering again for more food and television. There would be joking and teasing: Conelly, 30, would ask about her "Eidiya," the cash gift traditionally handed out to kids during the holiday. Her mom would playfully tell her she was too old for that now, even though they still give her and her sister "Eidiya." This year she will miss all of it, even the battles over who washes the dishes, and is thinking of staying elsewhere. Kashmiri men shop at a bakery ahead of Eid al Adha in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, July 30, 2020. Shops and business establishments opened in Indian portion of Kashmir after government decided to ease the lockdown but the usual rush of shoppers ahead of Eid was missing amid the fear of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)AP Such struggles can ring true across faith communities. "The holidays are a time we celebrate together and share our rituals and share our worship or our beliefs," said David Kessler, author of "Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief." "And if your loved one has died, their absence is extremely loud during a holiday." In Iraq, Mohamed, who asked to be identified with just one name due to the sensitivity surrounding the virus, remembers planting kisses on his father's head and hand on Eid as he wished him a happy holiday. His father died in May. Hospitalized and under quarantine, Mohamed was unable to say goodbye or attend his burial, shortly before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "Before, we felt joy during Eid," he said. "Not anymore, not like before." For Eid al-Adha, Mohamed said, his family is thinking of baking date cookies a favorite of his dad's to bring to the neighbors while asking them to pray for him. "Since my father died, people have been too afraid to visit because of the coronavirus," he said. Indeed, Kessler said fears of contagion have denied many families the support they could otherwise count on in times of bereavement. "People who would usually be coming over and bringing casseroles and, you know, sitting at your kitchen table with you didn't do that," he said. Kessler, who in March launched an online grief support group that has attracted nearly 17,000 members, said religious and nonreligious holidays alike, from Easter and Passover to Mother's Day and Father's Day, have been "very, very intense" for the bereaved. A new kiswa, or covering, is placed atop Islam's holiest site the Kaaba in Mecca on July 29, 2020. The gold-stitched black covering is changed each year during the hajj pilgrimage ahead of the Eid al-Adha celebrations. This year's hajj was dramatically scaled down from 2.5 million pilgrims to as few as 1,000 due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP)AP Besides the loss of loved ones, the pandemic has taken a toll on a sacred mainstay of Islam: the hajj pilgrimage, in which Muslims typically pour into Saudi Arabia before the start of Eid. One of the pillars of the faith, it is required once in the lifetime of each able Muslim, and many people around the globe spend years saving money to afford the journey. This year the hajj is sharply curtailed due to the coronavirus, with only very limited numbers of those already residing in Saudi Arabia allowed to take part. In one of the rituals, the faithful circle the cube-shaped Kaaba building toward which Muslims around the world pray daily. Heather Laird, president of the Center for Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology in California, said the hajj has such deep spiritual meaning that losing access to it can be a cause for mourning. She cried when she realized she would not be able to make the hajj this year as she had hoped, and wondered if she may never get another chance. She has asked someone close to her to pray with her that the virus is gone by next year. "I've actually been wanting to go for several years," she said. "I'm just hoping and praying that I have another opportunity." Some see in Eid a chance for spiritual succor as they remember those lost. Mostafa Omar of Egypt said his mother had been looking forward to performing the ritual sacrifice of an animal to feed the needy this Eid. After she was felled by COVID-19, the family will carry out that wish. "It gives me comfort to do what she wanted," Omar said, "to make her happy." By MARIAM FAM, The Associated Press More: What is Eid al-Adha and how is it celebrated? Muslim families celebrating end of Ramadan at home amid pandemic Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate, dies after battling coronavirus At fund-raising events where he has pulled in more than $24 million for Joseph R. Biden Jr.s campaign in the past two months, former President Barack Obama has privately unleashed on President Trump to party donors, bringing up past accusations of Mr. Trumps assaulting women and warning of his efforts to push nativist, racist, sexist fears and resentments. With less than 100 days until the presidential election, Mr. Obama has laid out the stakes of 2020 in forceful fashion. He has urged support for Mr. Biden, his former vice president, while worrying about the state of American democracy itself, even making an oblique reference to Nazi Germany, according to notes made from recordings of Mr. Obamas remarks, donors and others who have been on the calls. Even three years out of office, Mr. Obama remains one of the Democratic Partys biggest draws for giant contributors and small donors alike. A virtual conversation on Tuesday with the actor George Clooney sold out of tickets that ranged from $250 to as much as $250,000. (The biggest donors got access to a small virtual clutch with Mr. Obama.) Donors who have paid six-figure sums to see Mr. Obama on Zoom he held two other, more intimate, conversations for donors with Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a major Democratic donor, and J.B. Pritzker, the billionaire governor of Illinois have been privy to wide-ranging Q. and A. sessions about the state of politics and unvarnished analysis from the former president. G rime artist Solo 45 has been jailed for 24 years for raping four women and holding them against their will. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Andy Anokye, was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court of 30 charges relating to a two-year period. These were 21 rapes, five counts of false imprisonment, two counts of assault by penetration and two of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The musician, who was part of the grime collective Boy Better Know, derived sexual pleasure from torturing the women by water-boarding, interrogating, assaulting and raping them. He claimed the acts were part of consensual role play, or a game he played called Catch me, Rape me, and said he told women he would terrorise them. Police began investigating Anokye, who is from London but had a harbourside apartment in Bristol, in 2017 after a woman complained she had been raped by him. After his arrest, officers discovered harrowing footage filmed by Anokye on his mobile phone that revealed he had abused multiple women. Judge William Hart imposed an extended sentence, meaning Anokye will serve 24 years in prison and five on licence, and ordered he must sign the sex offenders register for life. The judge told Anokye, who appeared by video link from HMP Long Lartin, he had no sexual boundaries or empathy for those concerned. He said Anokye had become addicted to the perverted pleasure he took from abusing the women in the case. The judge added: You have a background that includes gang associations and criminal violence. Im entirely satisfied that your career as a music artist was flourishing at the time of this offending and that you would have gone to great heights. You were part of a well-known collective Boy Better Know. The fellow artists from that collective have achieved great success. The judge said none of those fellow artists were aware of Anokyes behaviour, or dark side. They are in no way tarnished by your misdeeds which you carried out in a private way, the judge told Anokye. Your convictions have deprived you of that career but the fault is yours alone. During the trial, the graphic video clips filmed by Anokye were played to the jury. They showed Anokye interrogating the women about previous sexual partners, slapping them, insulting them and raping them. One clip showed a woman crying and saying I hate you, with the musician laughing and making a thumbs-up sign to the camera. Anokye, who was signed to Island Records and had collaborated with Stormzy, JME and Wiley, was described as a violent, controlling narcissist and a bully by prosecutors during the case. The trial heard he forced one woman to lie in a bath of freezing cold water, held a shotgun to the head of another woman. and made one sit with a bottle of water tied to her finger with a shoelace. His abuse included holding a cloth covered in bleach to womens faces, with one woman telling jurors he had forced a mobile phone down her throat. Giving evidence, Anokye told the court he had dacryphilia sexual arousal from tears. Christopher Quinlan QC, prosecuting, said Anokye is dangerous to the public and poses a risk of physical and sexual violence. He is a calculating, highly manipulative man, Mr Quinlan said. He has no concept at all of what right-minded people consider to be proper behavioural values. Following Anokyes arrest, police examined videos and images on three mobile phones, an external hard drive and a laptop found at his apartment in Bristol. They contacted further women and three came forward with complaints of abuse at his hands. A fifth woman also gave evidence against Anokye during the trial, but jurors heard he could not be charged with alleged offences against her as they took place abroad. Sally ONeill QC, representing Anokye, said he is willing to undergo treatment programmes for his behaviour. She told the court he has an ongoing anxiety disorder and is a different person since his arrest in 2017. Holland America Line Changes Name of Newbuild to Iconic Rotterdam and Designates it the New Flagship; Ship Expected to Be Delivered July 30, 2021 Click to Tweet: .@HALcruises changes newbuild name to iconic Rotterdam; new flagship and 7th ship to bear the moniker for the cruise line to be delivered in July 2021. SEATTLE, Washington, July 30, 2020 - In honor of some of the most memorable ships in Holland America Line's nearly 150-year history, the premium cruise line is changing the name of its newbuild from Ryndam to Rotterdam and designating it the new flagship of the fleet. The seventh ship to bear this historic name, Rotterdam will be delivered one year to the date on July 30, 2021, pushed back slightly from its original delivery of May 2021 due to the global health situation. When Rotterdam is delivered from Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Italy, it will spend the summer exploring Northern Europe and the Baltic on roundtrip cruises from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Guests and travel advisors with clients who were booked on the ship's Premiere Voyage in May and itineraries through July 30 are being contacted with rebooking options. "The first ship for Holland America Line was the original Rotterdam, the company was headquartered in the city of Rotterdam for many years, and the name has been a hallmark throughout our history since 1872 so clearly the name is powerful and symbolic," said Gus Antorcha, Holland America Line's president. "With the current Rotterdam leaving the company, we knew we had a unique opportunity to embrace the name as our new flagship and carry on the tradition of having a Rotterdam in our fleet. Seven is a lucky number, and we know she's going to bring a lot of joy to our guests as she travels across the globe." The History of the Name Rotterdam Holland America Line's first ship was Rotterdam, which sailed its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New YorkOct. 15, 1872, and led to the founding of the company on April 18, 1873. Rotterdam II was built in 1878 for British Ship Owners Co. and purchased by Holland America Line in 1886. Rotterdam III came along in 1897 and was with the company until 1906. The fourth Rotterdam joined the fleet in 1908 and also served as a troop carrier when World War I ended. Following the war it made regular cruises from New York to the Mediterranean. Rotterdam V, also known as "The Grande Dame," set sail in 1959 and began sailing transatlantic crossings with two classes of service. It later converted to a one-class ship in 1969. She sailed with Holland America Line for 38 years until 1997, including several Grand World Voyages, and currently is a hotel and museum in the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam VI, the most recent to cruise for Holland America Line, was introduced in 1997 and the first ship in the R Class. Inaugural Season to Explore Mediterranean, Baltic and Norway Cruising aboard Rotterdam VII begins Aug. 1 with the ship's seven-day Premiere Voyage departing from Trieste, Italy, to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, with port calls throughout the Adriatic Sea and southern Italy. The ship sails Aug. 8 from Civitavecchia on a 14-day cruise through the western Mediterranean and on to Amsterdam. From Aug. 22 through Oct. 10, the ship will sail roundtrip from Amsterdam on three seven-day itineraries to Norway, one 14-day to the Baltic and one 14-day to Norway, Iceland and the British Isles. A trans-Atlantic completes the inaugural Europe season with a 14-day voyage from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To accommodate guests booked on cancelled itineraries of Ryndam from May through July, Nieuw Statendam cruise itineraries also will see some changes to match up as much as possible with former Ryndam sailings. "Guests and travel advisors will be notified today of this news and coming changes to current itineraries," added Antorcha. "We ask everyone, though, to please bear with us just a few weeks for all of the details as we rebuild itineraries and put the finishing touches on several desirable alternatives. We will follow up with specific details very soon so everyone knows their options." Guests booked on the originally scheduled Premiere Voyage will be rebooked on the Premier Sailing for Rotterdam, departing August 1, and will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit. All other guests who were booked on impacted Ryndam or Nieuw Statendam cruises will be automatically rebooked to a similar future cruise date during the summer at the same fare paid. Guests will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit for cruises 10 days or less and $250 per person for itineraries of 12 days or more. Guests are asked to wait until they receive updated booking confirmations in the next several weeks before contacting Holland America Line for additional changes to the booking. About Rotterdam VII The third in the Pinnacle Class series, Rotterdam will carry 2,668 guests, measure 99,500 tons and feature highly successful amenities and innovations introduced with her sister ships, including the 270-degree surround screen World Stage, Rudi's Sel de Mer and Grand Dutch Cafe. Delivering the best of everything, Rotterdam celebrates live music with an exclusive collection of world-class performances each night - from Lincoln Center Stage and B.B. King's Blues Club to Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard. Throughout the ship, Rotterdam also will showcase Holland America Line hallmarks that drive one of the highest guest repeat rates in the industry: exquisite cuisine guided by eight of the world's leading chefs; gracious, award-winning service; and superbly appointed staterooms and suites, including family and single accommodations. Rotterdam is the 17th ship constructed for Holland America Line by Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which most recently built Nieuw Statendam. Naming details have not been finalized and will be announced later. For more information about Holland America Line, contact a travel advisor or call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com. Editor's note: Renderings are available at https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/onhped6c. - # # # - Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com. About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)] Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon more than 70 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits more than 470 ports in 98 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, is under construction and will join the fleet in July 2021. The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs. In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently assessing enhanced health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Actual offerings may vary from what is displayed. Stay updated on current Travel Advisories and Health & Safety protocols. Pinnacle3Delivery20 Euromonitor International is the world's leading independent provider of strategic and tactical market research. We create data and analysis on thousands of products and services around the world. 30.07.2020 LISTEN Morocco celebrates today the 21th anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the Throne of his ancestors. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic and in compliance with the directives of the Ghanaian health authorities, the Embassy of Morocco held a virtual celebration online during which various partners of the Embassy have expressed their congratulations and good wishes to the Morocco people in videos published on the Embassys official twitter and facebook accounts. Her Excellency Mrs Imane Ouaadil, Ambassador of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Ghana aired a virtual speech during which she spoke about the significance of the Throne Day as it is called in Morocco, the state of the bilateral relations between Ghana and Morocco and future prospects of cooperation. According to the Moroccan Head of Mission, Throne Day not only reflects the renewal of the act of allegiance between the Throne and the people of Morocco but also provides opportunity to highlight the political, economic and social reforms conducted in the Kingdom which had a tremendous positive impact on the political stability and economic growth in the country and on the lives of all Moroccan citizens. Regarding the bilateral relations, the Moroccan Ambassador underlined that her countrys under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI has always strived to promote economic development, regional integration, peace and security in Africa in general and with Ghana in particular. She enumerated in this regard the ongoing cooperation projects underway between the two sister countries in the fields of agriculture, agro industry, social housing and construction. In the field of education, and despite the pandemic, the Moroccan top diplomat announced that despite the ongoing pandemic, her country is maintaining its 90 annual scholarship program for Ghanaian students for the academic year 2020-2021, 20 of which are dedicated to vocational training. Tackling the challenges posed by the covid 19 pandemic, Mrs Ouaadil underlined that Morocco and Ghana are respectively the second and third African countries in terms of testing. In this regard she congratulated His Excellency President Nana Akufo Addo for his remarkable leadership during the pandemic and praised the Government of Ghana, the healthcare workers and all stakeholders for their relentless efforts and selfless services to keep the COVID-19 pandemic under control in the country. The top diplomat underlined that the current global health crisis put into focus the necessity of African solidarity and enhanced regional cooperation. She noted that such tangible solidarity has been shown by His Majesty King Mohammed VI who donated an important medical consignment to the African Union and to other individual African nations to fight COVID-19 in June 2020. She also pointed out that in the same spirit of solidarity and good cooperation some of the Moroccan companies based in Ghana such as OCP Ghana, CIMAF, BANK of AFRICA have duly contributed to the Ghana COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Moroccan Ambassador also addressed the Moroccan community living in Ghana zishing them a happy National Day and an auspicious Aid Al Adha. She also commended their resilience, sense of belonging and compassion towards their fellow citizens during this health crisis. More than 1.4 million Americans filed claims for unemployment last week, another grim marker of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The new figures released by the Department of Labor Thursday brings the total number of jobless claims since the onset of shelter-in-place to 54 million. The numbers come as a federally funded weekly boost of $600 in benefits is set to expire Friday. Initial claims rose for a second week in a row, the first time since late March that has happened. Congress is still at a standstill about a new coronavirus relief bill that would determine the future of the extended benefits. The U.S. economy plunged by a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate in the second quarter, April through June, according to a report by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This figure is more than three times the previous worst quarterly contraction a 10% drop in 1958. John Blanchard Economists say that the continued economic devastation goes beyond the effects of temporary shutdowns, as the country heads into a long-term recession. Now, the recession is really taking hold, said Erica Groshen, senior extension faculty member at Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The shutdown may have ignited that process, but it didnt put (the U.S.) into recession mode immediately. Nearly 830,000 people applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a Cares Act program that extends benefits to gig workers, freelancers and the self-employed, who do not normally qualify for benefits. In total, 30.2 million people were collecting unemployment benefits for the week ending July 11, according to the Labor Departments non-seasonally adjusted data. California processed 249,007 new claims this week, as well as 224,679 claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The state has now processed more than 9 million claims since mid-March, paying a total of $55.1 billion in benefits, according to the Employment Development Department. Economists point out that unemployment claims tell only a small part of the story. Stop-and-start reopenings, closures both temporary and permanent, and backlogs in state unemployment insurance systems cloud the figures. The trend is becoming a bit muddy because of these different currents, Sean Randolph, senior economist at the Bay Area Council, said. But the longer the shutdown goes on, then you have an accelerating impact on the companies that are open. Unemployment numbers are now reflecting some of the recessionary impact as well as new shutdowns and permanent layoffs, Groshen said. This is very high churn, and what this may mean in the long run is that this recession will be characterized by a very high number of people who were affected, for at least part of the time. She added that state unemployment insurance systems are really overextended and havent been able to keep up with all of the claims coming in. They were not built for this level of activity, she said. To address the onslaught in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state employment department will begin tackling the backlog of unpaid claims, streamlining communications with people seeking benefits, and improving its technology. As Congress debates a new coronavirus relief bill, layoffs are still happening across industries that seemed at first to resist the pandemics impact. LinkedIn of Sunnyvale, which offers recruiting services, said it would cut 960 jobs, and biotechnology company Genentech in South San Francisco will cut 474 jobs. On July 6, Tiffany Black became officially unemployed after being laid off from her marketing job at Airbnb. The short-term lodging marketplace in San Francisco cut a quarter of its workforce because of the pandemics devastating effect on the travel industry. Black, who has worked in marketing for 18 years, wasnt surprised when Airbnb announced the job cuts. Shes both been laid off before and had to lay people off. Certain functions go down first when a business is struggling, and one of the functions that definitely goes down is marketing, she said. Ultimately Airbnb laid off around 80% of their marketing organization. Despite the upheaval, Black counts herself lucky Airbnb created a talent directory for its former employees, which Black says has led to a number of companies and people reaching out to her about different opportunities. Shes also taking this time to explore options she wouldnt have seriously considered before getting laid off, like graduate school and a government fellowship. Getting laid off gave me the gift of time to be more self-reflective in a way that I havent been before, she said. Also, the pandemic kind of forces you to really stop and say, What am I really doing? What is really valuable in my life? While Black is excited to look for her next opportunity, she acknowledged that the job market is undeniably tough. The competition is steep, she said. Right now its a recruiter market. Recruiters have the pick of the litter because there are so many people available. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Everybody ultimately is seeking some level of stability, because everything around us is so unstable, she added. Black received severance pay from Airbnb for eight weeks after her job ended, which means she didnt qualify for unemployment benefits until that ran out. As a result, she was only able to benefit from the extra pandemic assistance for about three weeks. Theres a whole group of us who were in this weird limbo, she said. Yes, we were still on payroll and getting severance pay, so we couldnt apply for unemployment, but as a result, once we did get on unemployment, the $600 just wasnt going to be available to us. As the jobless await a stimulus bill from Congress, economists warn that the economy will be further harmed if the extra $600, or at least some portion of it, isnt extended. Without that money, we know that some people are going to spend less, and it will exacerbate the recession, Groshen said, adding that theres no evidence that the extra money is actually stopping anyone from looking for work, as some Republican members of Congress have argued. The California Policy Lab at UCLA found that the federally funded payments have injected $26 billion into Californias economy since late March. For more than half the Californians receiving unemployment benefits, that extra $600 has boosted their benefit amounts above the threshold for Very Low Income, Till von Wachter, a co-author of the analysis and UCLA economics professor explained. Given the low benefit amounts for those particularly hard hit by the current crisis, reducing this amount to $200 could put a lot of unemployed in serious financial difficulties. Randolph said that uncertainty about federal policies and the availability of a vaccine means that the economy will operate from a place of restraint, slowing down growth. Businesses have to plan, and theres so little solid ground to plan around, he said, explaining that this affects decisions on payroll and employment. It means theyre going to be very cautious and very conservative. He added that this means a radical shift in what the Bay Area economy looks like. We came out of the last big recession pretty quickly and very strongly, he said. This is a really dramatic reversal from where weve been for the last 10 years. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced on Thursday his decision to appoint a senior member of his Civil Contract party as Armenias new environment minister. President Armen Sarkissian was expected to formalize the appointment of Romanos Petrosian later in the day. Petrosian, 40, has served as governor of Armenias central Kotayk province until now. He had graduated from the Geology Department of Yerevan State University from 2003. The previous environment minister, Erik Grigorian, resigned on May 5 for still unclear reasons. Grigorian had held the post since May 2018. Pashinian did not explain his choice of the new minister when he announced it during a weekly cabinet session in Yerevan. Nor did he say who will replace Petrosian as Kotayk governor. Speaking to RFE/RLs Armenian service, Petrosian promised a stricter enforcement of the governments environment protection rules. He said many of Armenias serious ecological problems are the result of the inactivity and negligence of state regulatory bodies. Petrosian also vowed stronger government action against Armenian mining firms contaminating the air, land and rivers or mismanaging their waste disposal sites located close to towns and villages. The Environment Ministry will do more to reverse the damage caused to environment, he said. New Delhi: Tax department has unearthed Rs 32,000 crore through searches in last three fiscals and found that use of black money is rampant in sectors like real estate and educational institutions, government said on Friday. The data indicates that the main sectors in which black money is rampant include real estate, finance, trading, manufacturing, educational institutes and services, Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. During 2015-16, the I-T Department conducted 445 searches which discovered undisclosed income of Rs 11,066 crore. Total assets seized were Rs 712.68 crore. Also 545 searches conducted in 2014-15 have led to admission of undisclosed income worth Rs 10,288 crore. Total assets seized amounted to Rs 761.70 crore. Besides, 569 searches in 2013-14 saw admission of undisclosed income of Rs 10,791.63 crore and asset seizure of Rs 807.84 crore. This takes the total undisclosed income which was admitted during searches to Rs 32,146 crore. Analysis of the searches by the Income Tax department during the last three financial years indicates that the persons searched were involved in multiple activities in varied sectors, Gangwar said. He said the government has taken several measures to effectively tackle the issue of black money. These include prohibition of acceptance of payment/advance of Rs 20,000 or more in cash, enactment of benami transaction law and mandatory quoting of PAN for transaction above Rs 2 lakh. In reply to another question in the Lok Sabha, Gangwar said that between April and October, the Enforcement Directorate registered 109 cases under FEMA involving Hawala transactions. During 2015-16, 138 such cases were registered under FEMA, while in 2014-15 it was 104 and in 2013-14 it was 75. The above cases may include a few cases relating to illegal activities and terrorism also, Gangwar said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has debunked the alleged claim proposing that his office made the recovery of $62billion debt from multinational oil companies. The revelation was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations to the AGF, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu. He stated that the compulsion of the information is crucial in waving off distorted and misinformation suggesting that the office recovered that amount of money. According to him, it was simply an effort to recover funds for the Federal Government that prompted his office to chase and hope to collect such funds so as to complete outstanding and meaningful projects in the country. The statement read further that the office of the Attorney General is devoted to fight against corrupt practices and the collective obedience to the rules guiding the state and country to the best interest of Nigerians. Meanwhile the AGF gave the confirmation that his office in the past year had initially pursued energetically to collect the said debt from International Oil Companies. Taxi drivers say they are angry that they have still not been given clear guidance on protective screens from the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) four months on from the start of the pandemic. Gerry Maxwell from the Belfast Public Hire Taxi Association said the industry remains in "severe crisis" - a situation which is being compounded by a lack of support and clarity from the Executive. On Wednesday some taxi drivers claimed they had received a letter asking them to remove screens that may not comply with government standards. However, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon denied her department had made the request. A Driver and Vehicle (DVA) letter sent to taxi drivers due to have their vehicles tested - seen by the Belfast Telegraph - states: "Taxi drivers may choose to remove the screen prior to the test." The information is included under a guidance section for taxi drivers and bus drivers who have a screen or partition fitted in response to the pandemic. It also states that if a screen or partition has been fitted it must meet stipulated regulations, or documentary evidence must be produced to show it meets regulations. Ms Mallon, speaking on Wednesday's Radio Ulster Nolan Show, said the DVA has offered advice to those who want to fit screens. She said the DVA wanted to ensure the screens fitted did not interfere with driving positions or seat belts. "We're not saying take your screens out," she said. "What we're saying is can you just bring along your document just to show who fitted it and it will be checked for safety," she said. Mr Maxwell said the department's lack of "clarity" on the issue has further confused drivers, who in the absence of "definitive" departmental guidelines throughout the lockdown, were forced to fit screens at their own expense. "I'm totally disgusted," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "Those screens have cost between 60 and 200. Some drivers went to Dublin to get them fitted. "They made that choice because there was no guidance, no help from any department within the Executive to tell us different. "We have 8,576 taxi drivers in Northern Ireland. For 133 days we've asked for guidance and we've had nothing. Nichola Mallon has not engaged with us." He stressed the mood among the drivers continues to be one of "panic". "Remember 95% of our business is gone, it's finished. We still don't have workers back in the city centre. So we're not getting a wage, we're trying to survive," added Mr Maxwell. He said that the efforts of taxi drivers who worked during the pandemic had been forgotten by the Executive. "We were taking people who were being tested for Covid up to the test centres. It was taxi drivers who were taking the NHS staff to work," insisted Mr Maxwell. "There's no thought for us. The PPE that Translink are using is funded by the department. My PPE, my masks, my gloves, my cleaning equipment - I have to pay that. Nobody's funding the taxi drivers. "There's drivers who needed to work because they have mortgages and car payments. "We've had at least 20 drivers who have had their vehicles repossessed." The taxi driver said Stormont needs to step in and provide financial help to drivers. "We need a hardship fund, we need financial help. We need guidance. The DfI and DfE (Department for the Economy) are kicking us back and forward to each other and nobody will make a decision to help us," he said. Sinn Fein MLA Cathal Boylan also accused both departments of "passing the buck" in relation to the taxi industry. "Those in the transport sector, such as taxi drivers, have been hit hard during the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mr Boylan. "Throughout the pandemic, many in the transport sector were on the front line, leaving health service staff and carers to work. "They also delivered meals, gas or electricity top-ups and heating oil to the vulnerable." The party's infrastructure spokesperson also said taxi workers had heard "many platitudes" from the Executive, but what they need is "action". "The Infrastructure Minister has the responsibility for the transport sector and she needs to start showing leadership on this vital issue by ensuring clear guidance and practical support is provided. "It's well past time the taxi industry got the support they need and deserve during this challenging period," he added. The DfI and DfE did not respond to a request for comment by the time of going to press. Tui is to close 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the tour operator has announced (Martin Rickett/PA) Travel company TUI says its shutting a third of shops across the UK and Ireland including potentially four Irish outlets. Spokespeople for the package holiday giant in Dublin, London and its headquarters in Hannover, Germany, said no holiday bookings will be affected by the closure of physical stores, given that most sales already happen online. Eight of TUIs 10 stores in Ireland are listed as closed temporarily due to Covid-19 transmission risks. Two shops in Kilkenny and on Talbot Street in Dublin are listed as open. One TUI official said four of the 10 Irish branches were likely to close. A second said at least some Irish outlets would remain open. I can confirm that none of the stores that are currently open are at risk of closure, that London-based spokeswoman said. An agent who answered the phone at the Talbot Street branch said it was open for business but TUI was not highlighting this fact because wed be inundated. The agent said staff there had not been informed about its future. In a statement, TUI said it was consulting with staff on the closure of 166 stores in the UK and Ireland and, until those talks finished, no list of affected branches would be published. About 350 outlets would survive the cuts, it said. TUI said it planned to move 70pc of approximately 900 staff in the closing outlets to work-from-home roles, others to surviving branches. But potentially 250 to 300 job losses could be expected. In May, TUI - the worlds biggest provider of package holidays - said it would slash costs globally by 30pc and cut more than 8,000 of its 70,000 employees worldwide. It had already received a 1.8bn German government-backed loan in March to keep it afloat. Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI for the UK and Ireland, said TUI needed a smaller footprint because 70pc of sales already happen online. We believe Covid-19 has only accelerated this change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home, he said. TUIs shares fell by more than 5pc today on the London and Frankfurt exchanges. The company now is worth under 2bn, a third of its value before the crisis. The Bihar police team which is in Mumbai in connection with their probe into the alleged death by suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput did not follow established protocols, a Maharashtra minister said on Thursday. Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai said what the Bihar police were doing was wrong. A team of the Bihar police arrived here on Wednesday to probe an 'abetment to suicide' case registered against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in Patna connection with the death of Rajput. "The Mumbai police have registered a case from day one we are investigating it," he said. Desai said the Patna police have registered a case and a team has landed in Mumbai. "Whenever a police team from a state visits another state for investigation, there are some protocols which are to be followed.. these were not followed," Desai told a news channel here. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had on Wednesday ruled out a CBI probe into the death of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on June 14. "The Mumbai police are investigating the case and there is no question of the case being handed over to the CBI," Deshmukh had said. Krishna Kumar Singh (74), Rajput's father, lodged acomplaint against Chakraborty, the deceased actor's friend, and six others in Patna on Tuesday. A four-member team of the Patna police arrived at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection-I) of Mumbai crime branch, a police official had said on Wednesday. The Mumbai police have already questioned several people from the film industry. But in a surprising twist, the late actor's father, who had so far maintained silence about his son's death, lodged an FIR against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, for alleged abetment to suicide. The case was registered under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide). Sushant Singh Rajputs sister Shweta Singh Kirti has shared a post on her Instagram account, requesting her followers to stand together to get justice for the late actor. She shared a picture along with a message. She wrote, Lets stand united, lets stand together for the truth! #Indiaforsushant #Godpleasehelpus #Seekingstrengthandunity. Sushants former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande had also shared a positive post on her Instagram page, a day after the late actors father filed an FIR in Patna against his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. She wrote, Truth wins. Talking about the accusations made by Sushants father, Sanjay Kumar Singh, inspector general, central range, had said on Tuesday, KK Singh lodged the case with Rajiv Nagar police station against Rhea Chakraborty, and her family including Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, Shruti Modi, Showik Chakraborty and others under Sections 341, 342, 380, 406,420, 306 and 120 (B) of the IPC. Sushants father has made a serious charge against Rhea and her family. He has alleged that she had kept Sushant away from his family and completely in her possession. She was also handling his bank account. It was also reported that crores of rupees were withdrawn from his bank account. Watch what Sushant Rajputs cousin said on FIR against Rhea Chakraborty Rhea on Wednesday had filed a petition to transfer the investigation to Mumbai. She had earlier demanded a CBI probe in Sushants death. However, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday, Mumbai police are investigating the case. It will not be transferred to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Also read: Abhishek Banerjee feels blessed to be an outsider: Even the smallest of success becomes glory for me Sushant died by suicide on June 14. He was reported;y suffering from depression. His sister Shweta recently shared a June 10 chat with the late Sonchiriya actor on her Instagram account. In the chat, Shweta asks Sushant to come over to US. He said, Bohat mann karta he di (I really feel like...), to which she replied with a beautiful picture of a place she went hiking to 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...). If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918 Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rating Action: Moody's assigns initial A1 to West Fargo, ND's Special Tax bonds; outlook revised to stable Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 New York, July 30, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned an initial A1 special tax rating to the city of West Fargo, ND's $18.9 million Taxable Gross Revenue Bonds (Sheyenne Street Lights on 32nd and Northern Lights Project), Series 2020. Moody's also affirms the A1 on the city's outstanding general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) debt. The outlook is now stable. Following the sale, the city will have $265.2 million of rated GO debt and $18.9 million of rated special tax debt. RATINGS RATIONALE The A1 general obligation (GO) rating reflects the city's growing suburban tax base tied into a robust regional economy, healthy financial position, and a very high and growing debt burden that drives elevated fixed costs. The initial A1 special tax rating reflects the broad nature of the tax pledge, strong projected debt service coverage, satisfactory legal covenants with a debt service reserve fund (DSRF) funded at the standard three prong test and an additional bonds test (ABT) at 1.5 times. There is a standard flow of funds with monthly principal and interest segregation. 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 West Fargo. 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 city changes, we will update the rating and/or outlook at that time. RATING OUTLOOK The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the city's credit characteristics will remain strong supported by continued economic expansion that will continue to support the revenue growth needed to accommodate the city's high leverage. The city's financial position is expected to remain healthy, bolstered by strong liquidity and significant levying ability. Story continues FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS -Sustained tax base and revenue growth that moderates the city's debt and fixed cost burdens (GO rating) -Upgrade of the city's GO rating (Special Tax) -Legal separation of the pledged revenue stream from the city (Special Tax) -Improved debt service coverage (Special Tax) FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS -Growth in the city's debt and fixed cost burdens arising from significant borrowing or contraction of the tax and revenue base (GO rating) -Deterioration of the city's employment base, tax base, or demographic profile (GO rating) -Declines in fund balance or liquidity (GO rating) -Decline in pledged revenues that drives decrease in debt service coverage (Special Tax) LEGAL SECURITY Debt service on the city's outstanding GOULT bonds is expected to be paid from special assessments levied by the city against benefiting properties. However, debt service is ultimately secured by the general obligation unlimited tax pledge of the city, which is the basis of our rating. Should assessments prove inadequate to pay debt service, the city's GO bonds benefit from the availability of a designated property tax levy that is not limited by rate or amount. The Series 2020 bonds are secured by the city's pledge of Tax Increment Finance revenues (TIF), economic development sales tax revenues, and special assessments. Legal provisions include a 1.5x additional bonds test and a debt service reserve funded at the three prong test. USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds of the Series 2020 bonds will finance the acquisition of a Public Plaza and Parking Ramp and various improvements in the city's TIF District. PROFILE The city of West Fargo, ND is located in east central North Dakota (Aa1 stable) in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The city's population has grown substantially, nearly doubling over the last 15 years from 14,940 in 2000 to over 34,000 residents. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in the special tax rating was US Public Finance Special Tax Methodology published in July 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1077147. The principal methodology used in the general obligation ratings was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in July 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1230443. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies. 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. 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Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video conference on Thursday, jointly inaugurated the Supreme Court building of Mauritius with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, after India assisted in the construction of the key project. On the occasion, PM Jugnauth said the project demonstrates the strong ties between Mauritius and India and is the symbol of a great friendship. "India has always supported us in various projects and I wish this relationship long life," he said in a tweet. Its a great day for both of our countries. This project demonstrates the strong ties between Mauritius and India. This project is the symbol of a great friendship. India has always supported us in various projects and I wish this relationship long life. @narendramodi @PMOIndia Pravind Jugnauth (@PKJugnauth) July 30, 2020 This morning, I had the privilege of inaugurating the new Supreme Court by videoconference with my counterpart @narendramodi. I sincerely thank you, Prime Minister, and India for participating in this project. @PMOIndia Pravind Jugnauth (@PKJugnauth) July 30, 2020 READ | PM Modi & Counterpart Inaugurate India-aided Mauritius SC Building; Send Message For China PM Modi also expressed happiness over India's assistance in the construction of other key projects in Mauritius and being a partner in the developmental projects of the island nation. "Only a few months back, we had jointly inaugurated the landmark metro project and a new state-of-the-art hospital. I am happy to know that both these projects are proving useful for the people of Mauritius," PM Modi said. Speaking about India's bid to work together with other nations as against the imperial rulers of the past who exploited nations in the name of developmental partnerships, PM Modi said, "History has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships. It gave rise to colonial and imperial rule. It gave rise to global power blocks. India is making development partnerships that are marked by respect, diversity, care for the future and Sustainable development." The message is also pertinent given China's expansionism, over which it has been accused of debt-trapping entire nations via the use of development aid and projects. READ | PM Modi Holds Meeting With Top Bankers; Asks Them To Ensure Stable Credit Growth New Supreme Court building The new Supreme Court building has been constructed with Indian grant assistance and is first India assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis after COVID-19. The building project is one of the five projects being implemented under the Special Economic Package of USD 353 million extended by the Government of India to Mauritius in 2016. The project has been completed within schedule and below expected costs. The building is spread over an area of more than 4700 sqm with over 10 floors and a built-up area of around 25,000 sqm. The building flaunts a modern design and green features with a focus on thermal and sound insulation and high energy efficiency. In October 2019, Prime Minister Modi and the PM of Mauritius had jointly inaugurated the Phase-I of the Metro Express Project and the new ENT Hospital project in Mauritius, also built under the special economic package. Under Phase-I of Metro Express project, construction of 12 km of metro-line was completed in September last year, while work on its Phase -2 envisaging 14 km of metro-line is ongoing. Through the ENT Hospital project, India assisted in construction of a 100 bed state of the art ENT hospital in Mauritius. READ | Modi Government Storms 'trust Survey' As India Leaves U.S, Japan, Canada Far Behind READ | PM Modi, Jugnauth To Jointly Inaugurate Mauritius Supreme Court Building Huang Xiaowei (4th, L, back), Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, talks with rural women during her inspection tour to Zhengzhou City and Lankao County in Central China's Henan Province on July 20-22. [Henan Women's Federation] Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, on July 20-22 conducted an inspection tour to Zhengzhou City and Lankao County in Central China's Henan Province. Huang visited the Jiao Yulu Memorial Hall and watched the life story exhibition of Jiao Yulu, who worked in Lankao in the 1960s and devoted his life to combating sandstorms, soil contamination and floods while improving the lives of the locals. Noting that the core of the Jiao Yulu Spirit is the public servant spirit of "putting the people first," Huang urged the women's federations to study and practice that spirit, and integrate the people-centered development philosophy into their work. Guo Xia is a delegate to the 12th National Women's Congress and leader of a food company affiliated to a women's poverty alleviation base in Zhangzhuang Village in Lankao. Huang encouraged Guo to publicize the Party's theories, policies and guidelines while helping local women increase their income. Huang learned more about the activity of Looking for the Most Beautiful Family and free screening of cervical and breast cancers in the women and children's homes in Daizhuang and Wuyemiao villages and Wangzhuang Community in Lankao. Huang emphasized more efforts should be made in the building of family, family education and family traditions, and in creating new ways in social governance at primary level. She also called on women volunteers and college students to join in the activities of caring for children in summer vacation, such as popularizing the knowledge on prevention of drowning and sexual assault. Huang visited two private enterprises during her inspection tour, investigating the establishment and development of the women's federations in new sectors and among new groups, and how the women's federations guide, serve and contact local women. During the tour, Huang underlined that the women's federations should play a unique role in coordinating regular epidemic containment with economic and social development, and more solid efforts should be made in the work of rights protection and caring for and assisting women and children in need. Huang said women's federations should also deepen their reforms, and unite and lead women to contribute to a decisive victory in the battle against poverty and the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Huang Xiaowei (1st, R), Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation, meets local workers during her inspection tour in Central China's Henan Province on July 20-22. [Henan Women's Federation] (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) New Delhi, July 30 : The Supreme Court has declined to entertain a PIL seeking CBI probe into the death by suicide by actor Sushant Singh Rajput. A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said the PIL petitioner Alka Priya has no locus standi in the matter. "The Mumbai police are probing the matter. If you want, then you can go before the Bombay High Court and seek appropriate relief," noted the bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian. Advocate K.B. Upadhyay, appearing for the petitioner, argued before the bench that Sushant was a good man, as he was supporting several social causes. The bench replied it has nothing to do with whether a person was a good person or bad person, and it is about jurisdiction. The bench told the petitioner's counsel that he should go to Bombay High Court, if there was anything concrete to be shared. Upadhyay had contended in the plea that there are several irregularities in the investigation of Mumbai police. "He had injury marks on his body," said Upadhyay. Days after Sushant Singh Rajput's father K.K. Singh lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, accusing her of cheating and threatening his son, who committed suicide last month, the actress on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the investigation to Mumbai. Speaking to IANS, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said his client has electronically filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai where investigation in connection with the actor's death is already in progress. Maneshinde, however, refused to share the contents of the petition. Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor's death by suicide on June 14. Sushant's father has levelled various allegations against Rhea, including taking money from his son and also threatening him to disclose his medical reports to the media. Sushant's family has also accused Rhea of keeping him away from his family. Sushant's first cousin and former BJP MLA from Bihar's Chhatapur, Neeraj Kumar Singh said the FIR has been filed after the family somehow overcame the shock of the untimely and sudden demise of the young actor, and after various things came to their knowledge. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed An anti-vaxxer has refused to get tested and self-isolate despite eating at a venue struck by coronavirus. An online war has broken out after the Queensland mother announced she would not isolate even though she may have been exposed to COVID-19 at a restaurant attended by Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu. The two 19-year-olds holidayed in Melbourne earlier this month before returning to Brisbane via Sydney on July 21, where they spent eight days socialising at a plethora of venues before both tested positive to COVID-19. Among the 11 Brisbane and Ipswich venues visited by the infected pair were restaurants, cocktail bars and grocery stores. Anyone who has visited any of the venues has been told to self-isolate and be tested. Patients queue at the Parklands Christian College coronavirus testing facility in Brisbane on Thursday. Anyone who has visited eleven venues attended by Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu has been told to self-isolate and be tested A Facebook post with a list of the eleven locations went viral on Thursday after a woman refused to isolate despite attending one of the venues at the same time as the infected teenagers. The woman was tagged on the post by a friend who commented 'we went to that place at that time'. When told she was required to be tested and isolate, the woman responded: 'f**k no i (sic) dont (sic) isolate for the flu so wont (sic) for so called COVID'. Her response drew outrage in the comments, earning her the term 'Karen' - referring to women showing a high level of entitlement - before she claimed she did not 'believe' in coronavirus. 'I have researched the facts and risks and do not for one second believe this crap!' her second comment reads. 'Where has this years flu season gone oh thats right they renamed it to COVID where have all the measles outbreaks gone'. She then revealed she does not vaccinate her children. 'I also dont (sic) vaccinate my children and omg they live in fernvale (sic) and walk among you so watch you might catch something they dont have'. Numerous comments on the post claimed the woman should be reported to the police and Queensland Health authorities. 'You are no better than the two that bought it into Queensland,' one comment reads. Anyone who has visited the following 11 locations has been told to 'immediately self-quarantine and contact 13 HEALTH': Flight VA863 from Melbourne to Sydney and flight VA977 from Sydney to Brisbane, 21 July Parklands Christian College, Park Ridge, 22-23 July 2020 9.30am-6pm Madtongsan IV Restaurant, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 7-9pm Heeretea -Bubble Tea Shop, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 9.25pm YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care, Springwood, 23-24 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 24 July 2020 3.30-3.50pm Thai Peak Restaurant, Springfield, 26 July 2020 6.30-9pm Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All P'Nut Street Noodles, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All African Grocery Shop, Woodridge (Station Rd), 28 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 12.25-12.30pm Chatime Grand Plaza, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 All Ms Muranga and Ms Lasu, as well as one of their immediate family members, on Wednesday became the first three cases of coronavirus in the Queensland community since May. The two teenagers travelled to Victoria with an unidentified friend, whose coronavirus test results have not been released yet. Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu (right), became the first two cases of coronavirus in the Queensland community since May Queensland Police on Thursday afternoon said three women had been charged with one count each of providing false or misleading documents - in relation to their border quarantine declarations - and fraud. The women could be fined $13,345 or sent to jail for a maximum of five years. Police said the trio are cooperating with officers and Queensland Health officials. The women are in quarantine and will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on September 28. Doctor arrested New Delhi: An Ayurvedic doctor who was allegedly mastermind in over 50 murder cases of truck and taxi drivers across the city and neighbouring states was arrested from Baprola area where he was living after jumping parole in January. The police claimed that he may have been involved in more than 100 murder cases but could not confirm the exact figure as the cases registered against him in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan were investigated by the state police concerned. Advertisement Doctor arrestedDevender Sharma, 62, a BAMS degree holder, hails from Purreni village in Uttar Pradesh's Aligrah district and he was apprehended by Delhi Police Crime Branch team six months after jumping parole in a murder case, they said. The police said Sharma was convicted in several cases of kidnapping and murder. He was arrested twice earlier for running a fake gas agency in Uttar Pradesh and was also jailed for running a kidney racket in different states. "Sharma was serving life sentence in Central Jail, Jaipur in a murder case and was out on parole for 20 days in January this year after spending 16 years in jail. But he jumped parole and stayed at his native village for a while before moving to Delhi in the beginning of March. Advertisement PhotoIn 1994, Sharma also got involved in an interstate kidney transplant racket which was running in Jaipur, Ballabhgarh, Gurgaon and other places. He and several other doctors were arrested in 2004 in the Gurgaon kidney racket case, the officer said. From 1994 to 2004, he claimed to have carried out more than illegal 125 kidney transplants done for which he got Rs five to seven lakh per case, he said. During interrogation, he also confessed to being the mastermind of more than 50 murders. He was arrested for several murder cases reported in 2002-2004 but was convicted only in only six-seven cases. His wife and children left him in 2004 after they came to know about his activities, he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Police authorities said a high-ranking official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Mandaluyong City on Thursday afternoon. PCSO Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga and his driver, Salvador Gunao, were both shot at 3:35 p.m. along Calbayog Street near Malinao Street in Barangay Hills, according to a police report. Barayuga died on the spot while Gunao suffered a gunshot wound to his upper right abdomen and is currently under observation at the Victor R. Potenciano Hospital, the report also said. It added that a witness saw a man on board a motorcycle without a plate number shooting at the victims while they were inside their vehicle. Barayuga is the second official killed this week following National Center for Mental Health Chief Roland Cortez who was also gunned down on Sunday. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:56:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VALLETTA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Malta will issue a call for boats to be used to quarantine migrants at sea, the Home Affairs Ministry announced on Thursday, after a substantial number of those who landed in the past few days tested positive for the coronavirus. The ministry said it was looking for vessels to be able to house migrants at sea rather than taking them on land after they are rescued. Work had also continued on relocating migrants and deporting those who are not eligible for protection, the ministry said. It said that up till Thursday, all the necessary precautious measures were taken when migrants positive for COVID-19 were found. These cases have been isolated. A total of 66 from a boatload of 94 that arrived on Tuesday evening, and 19 of a boatload of 33 that arrived on Wednesday morning, who were rescued in the past few days, were found positive for the COVID-19. "The Maltese government feels that there should be the choice to use these vessels so that the situation can be controlled and managed better," the government said. Enditem (miningmx.com) - The wedding economy is estimated to be worth $300bn annually with a host of industries, from travel and hospitality to the garment sector, hanging on to its finely-tailored coattails. Perhaps no industry is more desirous, therefore, of sweet nuptials than the jewellery sector diamonds in particular. The last three years have been torrid for the global diamond sector. De Beers exemplified the rut: its 2019 profit of $558m was the lowest in a decade. A sales upturn in January suggested the beginning of the long-anticipated recovery, until COVID-19 sent consumers from high street into lockdown. Unpolished or rough diamond sales to the secondary sector, the cutters and polishers who like to inspect goods in person, was stopped in its tracks. Botswana, where De Beers convenes ten sales meetings a year with selected buyers, closed its borders. Other miners ran into similar travel bans as the pandemic tore through the world. Yet the forces that brought the diamond sector to a halt in March might yet provide the seeds of its recovery. The closure of Queensland's border is not a foregone conclusion, despite outbreaks of COVID-19 cases in other states, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says. Commuters face long delays at the Queensland-NSW border checkpoint. Credit:Elise Derwin The state's borders were reopened on July 10 after being closed for four month, but travel from Victoria has remained restricted. Travel from a number of declared hotspots, now including greater Sydney, has been imposed in the past week. Victoria endured its darkest day with 723 new cases and 13 deaths confirmed on Thursday, while NSW recorded a further 18 cases and an inner-city Sydney cluster continues to grow. He knew that every single one of us has a God-given power. And that the fate of this democracy depends on how we use it; that democracy isnt automatic, it has to be nurtured, it has to be tended to, we have to work at it, its hard. And so he knew it depends on whether we summon a measure, just a measure, of Johns moral courage to question whats right and whats wrong and call things as they are. He said that as long as he had breath in his body, he would do everything he could to preserve this democracy. That as long as we have breath in our bodies, we have to continue his cause. If we want our children to grow up in a democracy not just with elections, but a true democracy, a representative democracy, a big-hearted, tolerant, vibrant, inclusive America of perpetual self-creation then we are going to have to be more like John. We dont have to do all the things he had to do because he did them for us. But we have got to do something. As the Lord instructed Paul, Do not be afraid, go on speaking; do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. Just everybodys just got to come out and vote. Weve got all those people in the city but we cant do nothing. LANSING Across the United States, people have been reporting receiving unsolicited packages containing seeds from China in the mail. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is warning residents who receive these packages not to open or plant the seeds. The seeds are usually sent in white packages displaying Chinese lettering and the words China Post, according to a news release from MDARD. Most recipients say they did not order anything, and that the packaging was labeled as jewelry. Some recipients have reported ordering seeds on Amazon and receiving these seeds. BEIJING, July 30 -- The Chinese military is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the US sending military personnel to Taiwan for exercises and exchanges, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday. Ren made the remarks when commenting on the continuously strengthening military contacts between the US and the Taiwan region, in particular, a promotional video of the US Special Operations Forces that showed rare footage on joint military training between the US and Taiwan militaries. The US move has seriously violated the fundamental principles of international relations and the US political commitment to China. It has a severe negative impact on bilateral relations and mil-to-mil relationship between China and the US, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said Ren. Ren said that China has lodged solemn representations with the US side. He urged the US to immediately correct its mistake, stop its official and military contacts of any form with Taiwan region, earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques, and promise that no similar incidents will occur again. Ren stressed that, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The future of Taiwan lies in national reunification, and the well-being of Taiwan compatriots depends on national rejuvenation. China has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient capability to thwart any form of external interferences and separatist attempts for "Taiwan independence". And China will resolutely defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. A man was injured by gunfire Wednesday night at a memorial for another man who was shot and killed in Northeast Portland earlier this week, police said. The incident marks another in a string of violent incidents this week about which police have provided few details. Around 11:20 p.m., officers responded to reports of gunshots near the intersection of Northeast 8th Avenue and Northeast Dekum Street. Police said they found a man who had been shot in the leg when he stopped to visit the memorial. He was taken to a nearby hospital, but police did not release his medical condition. The location of the memorial was the same place where Jordan Lee Louis, 22, was shot and killed on Tuesday night. Despite a news report soon after the shooting that a person had been killed, police would not confirm the man had died for more than 24 hours. The state medical examiner said Wednesday that Louis died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his cause of death a homicide. Police have not named any suspects in either shooting, just two of several violent incidents this week in Northeast Portland. On Monday, 19-year-old Mister Ford was shot and killed at Northeast 87th Avenue near Multnomah University. Late on Tuesday, multiple people were stabbed blocks from where Ford was killed. Police have thus far refused to say how many people were injured, the extent of their injuries, whether any suspects had been arrested, or whether anyone was killed. Early Wednesday, police said one person had been shot on Northeast Prescott Street between 105th and 109th avenues, but investigators have not given any update on that persons medical condition or said whether they believe any of the above incidents are linked. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Sydney (AFP) - Friends of a British-Australian academic jailed in Iran on spying charges launched a public campaign to win her freedom Thursday, saying that Australia's strategy of quiet diplomacy had failed. Nearly two years after Kylie Moore-Gilbert was detained while trying to leave Iran, a group of friends and colleagues are demanding that Canberra do more to resolve the situation. The "Free Kylie" group said it had respected the Australian foreign ministry's guidance to "remain quiet" and allow diplomats to do their work. "But we believe that this strategy on its own has failed," they said, adding the policy had made "little headway in improving her day-to-day living conditions, let alone securing her release". Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, is serving a 10-year sentence for spying, a charge she has strenuously denied. This week she was moved from a jail in Tehran to a notorious women's prison in an old chicken-processing factory outside the capital. Blacklisted under US human rights sanctions, Qarchak prison has become a byword for the ill-treatment of political prisoners and is described as filthy and coronavirus-ridden by non-governmental groups. "The quarantine unit... holds all kinds of criminals, including those convicted of murder and drug and financial offences," said the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. Moore-Gilbert was reportedly arrested at Tehran airport by Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in September 2018 after attending a conference in Qoms. It is believed she was reported by a conference delegate or someone interviewed for her research, which focused on the Gulf -- in particular Bahrain, a crucible for competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia. - Hunger strikes - "Please, I beg of you to do whatever it takes to get me out," Moore-Gilbert wrote in a June 2019 letter to Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Story continues The Cambridge graduate said in a separate letter that she had been on hunger strike five times, while unconfirmed reports said she had attempted suicide. Australia's foreign ministry this week said her case remained one of its "highest priorities, including for our embassy officials in Tehran". In an unusually strongly-worded statement, the department also warned it would "hold Iran responsible for Dr Moore-Gilbert's safety and well-being". Prisoner and hostage negotiations are notoriously fraught, with governments and families forced to decide if quiet discussions are less likely to antagonise captors, often against a fraught geopolitical backdrop. Iran's complex political and judicial system -- which sees hardliners, reformists and myriad state institutions vying for influence -- can make things more complex still. "Even though the situation is sensitive, there are avenues Australia can pursue on behalf of Kylie," said her friend and colleague Jessie Moritiz, suggesting the US may be able to help facilitate a prisoner swap. Relations between Washington and Tehran have gone from bad to worse under President Donald Trump, who pulled out of a landmark deal that saw Iran restrict its nuclear programme -- long suspected of being cover for developing a weapon -- in return for international sanctions relief. More recently, Iran vowed reprisals for the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, who masterminded paramilitary operations in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Nonetheless, the "Free Kylie" group said the government should explore every option and urged Australians to petition members of parliament and the media to raise awareness. Congress leader Saifuddin Soz, 82, on Thursday said he has been under detention since August last year when Jammu & Kashmir was divested of its special status and accused the Union Territory administration of lying to the Supreme Court on Wednesday that he was never detained nor under house arrest. The court on Wednesday closed a habeas corpus petition filed by Sozs wife after the administration assured it he was not under detention. I am [under] house arrest since August 5, 2019, and today [Thursday] press people came and they saw police not allowing me to go out...they [administration] shamelessly told the SC [Supreme Court] that I was a free man. It is so tragic. The SC must feel the necessity of asking the central government why it was told lies...My lawyer will approach a court here about how a lie was told in the Supreme Court, Soz told HT over phone. Soz, who is a five-time member of Parliament and a former Union minister, said this after a video went viral on social media showing security personnel pulling him away from the boundary wall of his Srinagar house when he was speaking to journalists. Soon after, Soz, who cant be seen any longer, is heard telling the person who pulled him away not to touch him. Soz added he has over the last year left his house to visit his ailing sister and to travel to Delhi in September and December for treatment. Whenever I went out of my premises since August 5, 2019, I had to obtain permission from the government, he said. He added additional security personnel had been deployed at his house. I asked one of them how can he touch me. This is my house and you go out. Look at the high-handedness of that policeman; he was in civvies and I did not know him. But what can the Kashmir police do, they are also under pressure. Also read | Time to heal Kashmirs wound, look to future within India: Supreme Court Hundreds of people, including three former chief ministers, were detained in August last year as part of measures to prevent protests against the nullification of the Constitutions Article 370 that ended Jammu & Kashmirs special status. A communications blackout and a lockdown were imposed but most of the restrictions have since been eased even as the mobile internet remains restricted. Two former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were released in March while Mehbooba Mufti remains under detention. Jammu & Kashmir lieutenant governor GC Murmu did not respond to questions about Sozs detention. The Jammu and Kashmir administrations spokesperson and principal secretary, Rohit Kansal, reiterated the governments stand that Soz was never under detention or arrest. ...He has been to Delhi twice- in October and December. Free to go wherever he likes with usual security drill. No question of lying in Hon SC @diprjk, Kansal posted on Twitter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted Sozs video and hit out at the government over the former Union ministers illegal detention. The illegal detention of political leaders with absolutely no basis damages the fabric of our nation. Mr Soz must be released at once. Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, too, shared the video and termed Sozs treatment a national disgrace. Omar Abdullah said 15 leaders of his National Conference were also illegally detained like Soz. Soz Sahibs plight is not unique. @JKNC_has gone to court because more than 15 of our colleagues are similarly illegally detained & I have no doubt the administration will claim they arent detained... Muftis daughter, Iltija Mufti, said Soz was manhandled for speaking to media. I faced the same situation in January when I tried to address media at my house in Srinagar. Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Anil Gupta questioned the videos authenticity and added if the administration has said Soz is not under detention, then he is free. Soz is playing the victim card to gain sympathy. Elon Musk said Tesla might license software to competitors. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that Tesla would consider licensing its self-driving software and supplying battery technology to other automakers. "We're just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!" Musk said. Musk's comments came in response to a blog post about German automakers looking to close the technological gap between them and Tesla. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the electric automaker is considering getting into the business of lending software and supplying hardware to its competitors, floating the idea in a tweet Tuesday. "Tesla is open to licensing software and supplying powertrains & batteries. We're just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!" Musk said. The comments came in response to a tweet linking to a report from Teslerati about German automakers' plans to catch up to Tesla in their development of electric vehicles. Automakers have been fairly transparent about its technological head start, with one Volkswagen executive saying Tesla has a 10-year jump on rivals, according to Reuters. Audi's new CEO, Markus Duesmann, also told Reuters that Tesla has at least a two-year advantage "in terms of computing and software architecture, and in autonomous driving as well." When pressed further by a Twitter user about whether Tesla would consider licensing its flagship self-driving software, Autopilot, Musk replied: "Sure." In the past, Tesla supplied powertrains and batteries to Mercedes-Benz and Toyota when the companies were Tesla shareholders, but it has since ended those programs, according to Electrek. Read the original article on Business Insider Siilo, an Amsterdam, The Netherlands based secure collaboration app for healthcare professionals, raised an 8.6m (9.5m) in Series A funding. Backers included Heal Capital, Philips Health Technology Venture Fund and current investor EQT Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand its product offering to support case-based collaboration and knowledge-sharing on its platform, increase network growth across Europe, specifically across the UK and Ireland as well as, DACH, Benelux, as well as hire talent in areas such as product development and customer success. Founded in 2016 by former surgery resident Joost Bruggeman (CEO) and Arvind Rao (CFO), Siilo provides a dedicated platform where every healthcare professional can be connected while also adhering to healthcare compliance regulations such as GDPR, ISO-27001, HIPAA, NHS standards, and more. The Siilo Messenger app is free for individuals and teams to coordinate patient care, expand their professional network, and reduce time-to-decision by exchanging best practices. Siilo Connect is the companys subscription service for hospitals, care organisations, and medical associations where administrators can facilitate staff-wide collaboration on patient cases, discuss internal policies, and consult with external specialists, all while maintaining organisational compliance. Siilo Connect is used for secure departmental collaboration within renowned academic institutions such as East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam and Berlin-based Charite. FinSMEs 30/07/2020 Thrive Earlier Detection Corp., a Cambridge, MA-based company dedicated to extending and saving lives by incorporating earlier cancer detection into routine medical care, raised $257m in Series B financing. The round was led by Casdin Capital and Section 32, with participation from new investors Bain Capital Life Sciences, Brown Advisory, Driehaus Capital Management, Intermountain Ventures, Janus Henderson Investors, Lux Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Perceptive Advisors, Rock Springs Capital, Sands Capital, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and other undisclosed investors. All of Thrives Series A investors returned to participate in the Series B financing. Thrive also announced that Eli Casdin has been appointed to the board of directors. Mr. Casdin has spent the last 17 years focused on and investing in disruptive technologies and business models across life sciences and healthcare. In 2011, he founded Casdin Capital, a life science technology investment firm to provide growth equity to private and public companies throughout the industry continuum. The company intends to use the funds to advance its test into a registrational trial and continue to work closely with key stakeholders to remove barriers to ensure timely access, including future reimbursement for CancerSEEK. Led by David J. Daly, chief executive officer, Thrive Earlier Detection is a healthcare company focused on incorporating earlier cancer detection into routine medical care to extend and save lives. The company is developing CancerSEEK, a liquid biopsy test that is designed to detect many cancers at earlier stages of disease. CancerSEEK, used in combination with standard-of-care screening tests, has the potential to shift this paradigm to a new reality where the majority of cancers, including many with no screening options today, are diagnosed through screening and at earlier stages. FinSMEs 29/07/2020 Children typically are "superspreaders" of respiratory germs, which makes the fact that they don't seem to be major transmitters of the coronavirus that causes covid-19 puzzling. They're relatively absent among hospitalized patients, which initially was thought to be because they're less likely to become seriously ill once infected. Later studies indicate that those of primary school age, at least, may be less likely to catch the virus in the first place. With schools and universities in the Northern Hemisphere considering reopening in August and September, scientists and public health authorities are trying to determine the role of young people in spreading the pathogen and how best to mitigate that threat. 1. To what extent are kids getting infected? Estimates by midyear indicated that only 2% to 5% of individuals with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 were under 18 years old. That's well below that age group's share of the global population, which hovers around 30%. Compared to adults, children with Covid-19 typically have milder symptoms that are predominantly limited to the nose, throat and upper airway, and they rarely require hospitalization. 2. Are the risks spread evenly? Perhaps not. Children younger than 10 are significantly less susceptible to the virus than teenagers and adults, according to research by scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston and the University of St Andrews in Scotland that was released ahead of peer review and publication in July. Susceptibility for children older than 10 was similar to adults apart from those over 60 years, who are at greater risk, they said. The findings are supported by a study published in June that used antibody tests to survey 2,766 people in Geneva. It found teenagers were almost as likely to have been infected by the virus as adults age 20 to 49, while children age 5 to 9 trailed well behind. 3. Why might younger kids be less susceptible? There are several theories. Scientists have posited that covid-19 might be sparing children because they are less exposed to the virus, with school closures and other distancing measures largely isolating them. It's possible children mount a more robust initial immune response to the virus, giving the body a better shot at fending it off (and avoiding some complications adults get). It's also been suggested that the receptor the virus uses to invade human cells is less mature in children, making it harder for it to cause an infection. Younger people are less commonly afflicted by hypertension, type-2 diabetes and other chronic conditions known to increase the risk of severe illness from Covid-19. A low infection rate and mild symptoms among children were also seen during earlier outbreaks of two other novel coronaviruses, one in 2002-2003 that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and another starting in 2012 that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). 4. Do kids spread the virus? There's limited evidence. In a much-cited study of 5,706 coronavirus patients and their contacts in South Korea published July 16, researchers concluded that children younger than 10 spread the virus at the lowest rate. They found, however, that those age 10 to 19 were more likely to spread Covid-19 within a household than younger children and adults were. The study had limitations. As with similar studies, the researchers first identified an infected person and then tested that person's contacts, which means they can't be certain who started the chain. Plus, the study was conducted while schools were mostly shut down. In the U.S., school closure was associated with a 62% drop in Covid-19 cases and 58% decline in deaths, researchers at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reported in July. They acknowledged that the trends were largest in states with a low cumulative incidence of Covid-19 at the time schools were shut, and that it's possible some of the reduction was due to other measures. 5. What's happened where schools reopened? The evidence is preliminary and mixed. Denmark and Norway reopened schools in April and avoided subsequent outbreaks. Health specialists connect their success both to mitigation strategies including smaller classes and increased hand washing, and to the fact that overall cases were low at the time. Germany brought older students back to schools in small groups in early May when overall cases were moderately high and saw increased transmission among students, though not school staff. In Israel, schools were fully reopened without restrictions on May 17. Ten days later, a major outbreak occurred in a high school, followed by a significant wave of infections in the general population, prompting the government to shut down parts of the economy again. 6. How sick do children get? Scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in June found that clinical symptoms manifest in 21% of infections in 10- to 19-year-olds, rising to 69% in people older than 70. Death is extremely rare in children, although it can occur in those who are already very sick with cancer or other serious conditions. An uncommon but serious blood disorder has been associated with SARS-CoV-2, as the virus is called. Known as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), it's a potentially lethal condition, similar to Kawasaki disease. It occurs at a rate of about two per 100,000 people younger than 21 years -- much less than the 322 per 100,000 in which coronavirus infection is diagnosed in that age group. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 02:27:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Police officers stand guard on the platform of a metro station in Moscow, capital of Russia, on April 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Oleg Brusnikin) Operating in St. Petersburg, the perpetrators were raising funds for the IS. MOSCOW, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Russian law enforcers have "suppressed the activities" of a group of supporters of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday. The group, from a Central Asian country, planned to murder Russian servicemen and law enforcement officials and then travel to the Middle East to join the IS, the FSB said in a statement. Operating in Russia's second largest city of St. Petersburg, the perpetrators were raising funds for the IS, the service said, adding that law enforcers are investigating if the group promulgated terrorism and recruited Russian citizens. Means of communication and bank cards used in criminal activities were seized at the perpetrators' residence, it added. The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun has announced that the State will allow religious organisations to reopen its door to worshippers from August 14. Abiodun disclosed this on Wednesday during the COVID-19 updates at the Governors Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The governor sent a strong warning to churches and mosques that anyone that fails to follow the guidelines put in place by the state government would be sanctioned appropriately. He said the use of face mask, physical and social distancing and the provision of handwashing facilities are measures that must be put in place to allow for an effective operations during worship services. He said, We urge our religious leaders to ensure that they abide by the measures mutually agreed upon and rolled out. As a government, we will not hesitate to impose severe sanctions, including, but not limited to, lockdown on any worship centre that fails to comply with the laid down guidelines. It is important to note that all religions obey God and the authorities of the land. Wearing of face masks in the public is now compulsory. Therefore, I hereby invoke powers conferred on me by Regulation 7 of the Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations No. 2 of 2020 (the Regulations), made pursuant to Section 33 of the Public Health Law of Ogun State (the Law), to mandate the compulsory wearing of face masks by all persons in public as part of measures to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic. HK LegCo election may be postponed to next year to ensure fairness: expert Global Times By GT staff reporters Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 1:25:51 Hong Kong media reported on Tuesday that the Legislative Council (LegCo) election, scheduled for September, would be postponed to next year due to the worsening COVID-19 epidemic situation in Hong Kong, with experts saying if the report is true, it aims to protect the health of the public and ensure a fair environment for residents to elect lawmakers. News of the postponement came on Tuesday evening as Hong Kong-based media hk01.com cited an anonymous source to say that the election would be postponed for one year until October 2021. Lawmaker Chan Kin-por, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) LegCo Finance Committee Chairman, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Hong Kong is facing a very serious epidemic situation, and it is unlikely to be totally controlled in a few months, so the government must consider the difficulties for hundreds of thousands voters of the city to participate in the election and vote. "In September if the epidemic situation remains serious, many residents would not go out to vote at polling stations, and then the election can hardly be fair. These are all factors that the government and electoral commission must consider," Chan said. Tian Feilong, a legal expert on Hong Kong affairs at Beihang University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday the move, if it is true, is a result of taking the public's health of the HKSAR as the priority. Tian said that he had believed the election would be postponed for only six months. But as this year's election is vital for the future implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong and the city's management, it is understandable that the HKSAR government is very careful to make sure everything is fair, Tian noted. Chan further said that the opposition camp will surely oppose the decision because they know that hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents will return from overseas and the mainland to vote, and if the epidemic situation remains uncontrolled, these voters will be quarantined or even choose not to come back and vote, this is truly unfair for the pro-establishment camp. "The opposition camp only cares about their political goal and totally ignores public health and fairness of the election," he said. The decision came amid opposition camp politicians hyping the normal reviewing of candidacy for all candidates, as they claimed the review, that requires candidates to clarify their political stance and position on the newly enacted national security law in Hong Kong, is an illegitimate political review. Experts noted that demanding answers about their position on the national security law for Hong Kong from candidates, and reviewing their candidacy is a legitimate, reasonable and necessary procedure under the guidelines on election-related activities. Speculation that a growing number of opposition camp candidates would be disqualified in the 2020 LegCo is nothing but a "deliberate misinterpretation" of the law and groundless accusation that central and local governments interfere in the election, they added. Some pro-separatist camp candidates, including former secretary-general of the secessionist group Demosisto Joshua Wong Chi-fung, received letters from electoral officers demanding a response to critical questions such as whether they support "Hong Kong independence," media reported. Other candidates, including Civic Party members Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu and Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, said they received letters from the officers seeking answers about their stance on the newly enacted national security law, which sparked their concerns over mass disqualification, as the opposition camp also criticized "electoral authorities for seriously interfering in the election." But observers said the separatists and some radical opposition camp politicians are trying to stigmatize and misinterpret the election policy to cover their real purpose that tries to paralyze the government and even subvert state power to realize separatism through winning the election. The enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong does not have a direct influence on the intensity of the review process for candidacy, Kennedy Wong Ying-ho, solicitor of the Supreme Court of Hong Kong and also a candidate for the DAB, the biggest pro-establishment party of the city, for the LegCo election, told the Global Times on Tuesday. "There have always been reviews of candidacy, as civil servants must uphold national laws and the Basic Law, and there were no extra requirements added into the review process, as the national security law for Hong Kong has come into force," Wong said. Candidates must uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the HKSAR, according to the guidelines on the election-related activities with respect to the LegCo Election. As the national security law for Hong Kong has been included in Annex III of the Basic Law, it is reasonable to ask whether they uphold the national security law as part of the Basic Law, according to Tian. "This is a game of concepts. It's not called a 'political review' but a review in accordance with the law," Tian said, noting that the ultimate goal of the election is to select qualified lawmakers to serve the HKSAR and safeguard the Basic Law. "How can they take part in the election if they are against 'one country, two systems' and attempt to subvert state power? " Tian asked. Meanwhile, the power of electoral officers to disqualify non-eligible candidates is also long-existing and lawful, legal experts said. "The national security law for Hong Kong adds no enforcement to it whatsoever," Wong said. A number of factors will be considered by electoral officers to disqualify candidates, including their past words and deeds, while experts believe that there will not be mass disqualifications this year as the Basic Law ensures a democratic election procedure. "Whether it's a false statement or hypocritical show of support to the HKSAR government or the national security law for Hong Kong, the electoral officers would consider not only what candidates say but also what they do," Tian said. Some believe that this year's candidacy review is stricter than it was in past years. "This is probably because of the changing situation. Candidates used to stoop to new lows in the past, which is not supposed to happen again this year," Wong said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran military satellite relays full-scale image of US base Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 2:40 PM Iran's first military satellite Nour (Light)-1 has relayed a full-scale image of the United States' biggest airbase in West Asia in its first attempt at imaging from the space since launch. The Aerospace Division of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that launched the multi-purpose satellite back in April provided the high-resolution vivid image of the al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar that the orbiter had taken using the "mosaic imaging" method, Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday. The image covers the full expanse of the airbase that reportedly houses as many as 13,000 terrorist US forces and answers to the terrorist US Central Command (CENTCOM). Iran recognizes the Pentagon and all of its subsidiaries, including CENTCOM, as terrorist entities in response to a move by Washington to blacklist the IRGC last year, despite the Corps' proven record of successful terror fight across the region. The IRGC said the image was taken as Nour-1 was monitoring underway large-scale drills by the Corps, codenamed Payambar-e A'zam (The Great Prophet) 14, that enlisted both the elite force's Aerospace Division and its Navy. Upon launching the orbiter back on April 22, the Aerospace Division vowed that the country's aerospace program would gather pace with the development. During the maneuvers that spanned the general area of Hormozgan Province, west of the strategic Hormuz Strait, and the Persian Gulf, the Corps staged "all-out and multi-layer" strikes against the life-size replica of a Nimitz-class US aircraft carrier. The IRGC's servicemen began the episode by destroying the mock carrier's accompaniment with coast-to-sea fire. State television aired footage showing the damage caused to the mock aircraft carrier following the operational juncture, and the IRGC commandos' rappelling onto the vessel. On Tuesday, CNN reported that following the launch of ballistic missiles by the Corps during the drills, al-Udeid and al-Dhafra, another airbase in the United Arab Emirates, were temporarily put on "high alert" and the American forces deployed there were asked to stay in bunkers. Speaking alongside the drills, the IRGC's chief commander, Major General Hossein Salami, said the Islamic Republic would never initiate any offensive against any country but would assumes a fully offensive mode when it comes to tactical and operational performance. By assuming an offensive mode on the operational and tactical level, the Corps will be "turning the tables" on the enemy, General Salami asserted. Charles Dunaway, a political analyst from the US state of Oregon, says, "The acquisition of satellite imaging capability of this quality is a major breakthrough not only for Iran but for the entire region. The forces of Resistance will now be able to monitor US, Saudi and Israeli forces throughout the region." "Release of this data publicly puts the aggressor nations on notice that their facilities and their soldiers are not safe from attack by Iran or others resisting the Anglo-Zionist empire. It means that Iran may be able to make publicly available information on troop and ship movements to counter planned attacks." "It is time for the US to withdraw completely from the region. The American people will not support a policy that makes their military sitting ducks," the pundit told Press TV. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address In the wake of the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the revived national focus on racial issues, Black graduates of VMI began to speak out on social media about racism at the institute, and the need for VMI to acknowledge that racism exists and to make changes, including removing the Jackson statue. In his letter, Peay announced the school will reorient the flagpoles surrounding the Jackson statue on the parade ground. The flags will be centered at the new barracks, which will change the symbolic focus from Jackson and signal VMIs move to the future, he said. The school also will relocate the oath ceremony from New Market Battlefield, where 10 VMI cadets died fighting for the Confederacy, to school grounds. New Market Day, celebrated on the anniversary of the battle with a ceremony and parade, will honor all VMI alumni who died in military conflicts and will be renamed the VMI Memorial Parade. VMI has, because of its unique role as a combat unit at the Battle of New Market, focused on our Civil War history at the expense of other times and events, Peay wrote. BRIDGEPORT A city teenager who police said admitted to strangling a 14-year-old boy who went missing Tuesday was ordered held in lieu of $2 million bond on Thursday. The 14-year-old Bridgeport boy was found dead in Oxford Wednesday, police said. Detectives found the body of Jose Nunez in a wooded area off Wyant Road in Oxford after following up on unspecified information gathered by Bridgeport police. Nunezs mother reported the 14-year-old missing around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Later that day, Bridgeport police received unconfirmed information that a homicide had been committed in Bridgeport and that the deceased body was dumped outside the city in another town, according to Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Scott Appleby. Appleby said 19-year-old Diante Willoughby, of Bridgeport, was arrested during a traffic stop on Route 67 in Oxford on Wednesday. Contributed photo / Bridgeport Police Department Willoughby was arraigned in Bridgeport Thursday. An autopsy on Nunez Thursday indicated that the cause of death was strangulation, Appleby said. The manner was official classified as homicide. The evidence here is incredibly strong in terms of the defendants involvement in the charges, Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton said as Willoughby watched the proceeding on a monitor from the basement lockup at the Golden Hill Street courthouse. Senior Assistant States Attorney Edward Lee Miller told the judge that, based on additional evidence in the case, he was increasing the charges against Willoughby from one count of murder to murder, murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child. Murder with special circumstances carries a sentence of life in prison without parole. In light of the allegations in this situation, the state is asking for a $2 million bond, Miller told the judge. Initially bond had been set at $1 million. The judge then ordered the case transferred to the Fairfield County Courthouse for a hearing on Aug. 11. According to the police report, following his arrest in the case, Willoughby admitted he choked the victim to death. The investigation into Nunezs death remains active. Treasury Continues to Pressure Investors and Companies Supporting the Assad Regime's Corrupt Reconstruction Efforts July 29, 2020 Washington Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned one individual and nine entities for enriching the Syrian regime through construction of luxury real estate. This action is the Treasury Department's second sanctions action pursuant to the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (Caesar Act). OFAC previously designated nine targets pursuant to the Caesar Act on June 17, 2020. These targets consisted of individuals and entities who are actively supporting the corrupt reconstruction efforts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's corrupt businessmen underwrite the regime's exploitative schemes and shamefully profit from its atrocities, such as the July 2011 Siege of Hama and the July 2019 bombing of Maarat al-Numan. Bashar al-Assad and his business associates are complicit in destroying Syria's economythey squander tens of millions of dollars each month to wage war against the Syrian people instead of providing for their basic needs. Today's action reinforces the restrictive measures against the Syrian regime undertaken by the European Union and strengthens the U.S. Government's commitment to impose costs on those funneling profits to the Assad regime. "While corrupt businessmen with ties to Assad invest in luxury real estate made possible by forced displacement of innocent civilians, they also worsen the oppression of the Syrian people," said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while the Assad regime seeks to profit from their suffering." Among today's 10 Treasury designations, OFAC is designating four targets pursuant to the Caesar Act and Executive Order (E.O.) 13582 for their significant support to the Government of Syria. The remainder of the targets are being designated solely pursuant to E.O. 13582. Concurrent with the Treasury Department's designations, the State Department designated four persons pursuant to Section 2 of E.O. 13894, focused on those obstructing, disrupting, or preventing a ceasefire to the Syrian conflict, and adult family members of previously sanctioned individuals. Today's Treasury and State actions, which build upon the U.S. government's efforts to promote accountability for the Assad regime and its supporters, are part of a sustained campaign by the United States to pressure the Assad regime to end the conflict in Syria along the lines of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, including through a nationwide ceasefire. The United States remains committed to the Syrian people, and we will continue our humanitarian assistance through our various international and Syrian partners, even in areas under regime control. Sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act and other Syria-related authorities do not hinder our stabilization activities in northeast Syria. WASSIM ANWAR AL-QATTAN AND LUXURY TOURISM INVESTMENTS Wassim Anwar Al-Qattan is a Syrian businessman who holds several contracts with the Government of Syria to develop government-owned shopping malls and hotel properties in Damascus. Al-Qattan is reportedly tied to powerful regime figures, and the Syrian government has awarded almost all of the recent major real estate projects outside of Marota City in Damascus to him. Al-Qattan's name first emerged within the Damascus business community in July 2017, when his company Muruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group won an auction to re-invest in Qasioun Mall. The project's previous investor was reportedly stripped of its contract with the Syrian government after Al-Qattan offered a higher annual fee of 1.2 billion Syrian pounds ($2.7 million), paid to the Syrian government. Additionally, Muruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group signed a contract with the Syrian Ministry of Tourism in June 2018 to invest in the Al-Jalaa Hotel in Damascus, paying the government 2.25 billion Syrian pounds ($5 million) a year for 25 years. Al Qattan also owns 50 percent of Adam Trading and Investment LLC, which acquired a contract from the Damascus governorate in August 2018 to develop and manage the Massa Plaza Mall in Damascus. In January 2019, Al-Qattan's company Intersection LLC acquired a 48-year contract to invest in the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments)-owned Yalbagha Complex in central Damascus and convert the property into a tourist commercial complex. The Qasioun Mall, Al-Jalaa Hotel, Massa Plaza Mall, and the Yalbagha Complex are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of Syria. Wassim Anwar Al-Qattan and his companies Muruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group, Adam Trading and Investment LLC, and Intersection LLC are being designated pursuant to E.O.13582 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services in support of, the Government of Syria. Al-Qattan and these three entities are also being designated pursuant to the Caesar Act for knowingly providing significant financial, material, or technological support to, or knowingly engaging in a significant transaction with, the Government of Syria (including any entity owned or controlled by the Government of Syria) or a senior political figure of the Government of Syria. Muruj Cham Investment and Tourism Group, Adam Trading and Investment LLC, and Intersection LLC are additionally being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Al-Qattan. Al-Qattan also owns or controls two additional companiesWassim Kattan LLC and Larosa Furniture both located in Damascus. Wassim Kattan LLC specializes in the sale of vehicle parts and accessories and Larosa Furniture specializes in the manufacture of furniture. Wassim Kattan LLC and Larosa Furniture are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13582 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Al-Qattan. SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS All property and interests in property of these persons that are in or come within the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated persons. In addition, non-U.S. persons that engage in certain transactions with the persons designated today may themselves be exposed to designation. View identifying information on the individuals and entities designated today. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND TRADE TO SYRIA OFAC has issued several general licenses related to humanitarian assistance and trade with Syria. Additionally, on April 16, OFAC issued a Fact Sheet highlighting the most relevant exemptions, exceptions, and authorizations for humanitarian assistance and trade under the Syria, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba, and Ukraine/Russia-related sanctions programs.[1] The Fact Sheet also outlines specific guidance for OFAC-administered sanctions programs related to personal protective equipment (PPE) and other Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related humanitarian assistance and trade. For more information regarding the scope of any sanctions program's requirements, or the applicability or scope of any humanitarian-related authorizations, please contact OFAC's Sanction Compliance and Evaluation Division at (800) 540-6322 or (202) 622-2490, or by email at OFAC_Feedback@treasury.gov. #### [1] https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/covid19_factsheet_20200416.pdf NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LONDON (Reuters) - The trading units of European oil and gas majors have shielded their second-quarter results from the full force of the corona-induced collapse in demand for fuel, but big writedowns showed the scale of the challenge ahead, results showed on Thursday. Frances Total (TOTF.PA) and Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) scraped out small profits against expectations of losses with the help of the trading units which can exploit market gyrations even when prices fall. These results are driven in particular by the outperformance of trading activities, once again demonstrating the relevance of Totals integrated model, Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement. Shell Chief Financial Officer Jessica Uhl said the company had stellar trading results due to solid, good market conditions, in particular high volatility in oil prices which allows nimble traders to take advantage of small changes in order to buy, store or sell fuels. Graphic: Total reports Q2 net profit dive, maintains dividend - here Earnings of $1.5 billion at Shells trading unit in the quarter was about 30 times higher than a year ago. This mirrored Equinors (EQNR.OL) results last week, where trading helped the Norwegian company avoid an operating loss. Graphic: Shell Q2 20 profits - here Graphic: Shell Q2 20 fuel sales - here Oil prices LCOc1 plunged below $16 a barrel in April from above $60 at the start of the year, as daily global crude consumption plunged by as much as a third. Prices have regained some ground since then to trade above $40. Graphic: Oil price extremes - here Enis (ENI.MI) refining and marketing units second-quarter profit shot up by 76% to $139 million compared with a year ago, although the company overall still swung to a loss, it said on Thursday. But trading earnings have not protected the companies from the gloomier longer term prospects for demand. The pandemic has prompted energy firms to slash long-term crude price outlooks, cutting the value of their assets. Frances Total (TOTF.PA) wrote down $8 billion in the quarter, while Shell cut the value of its assets by $16.8 billion. Eni wrote down 3.5 billion euros ($4.1 billion) and BP, due to report second-quarter results on Aug. 4, has guided for a $17.5 billion hit. Shell responded to the pandemic by cutting its dividend for the first time since World War Two and lowering planned spending this year by $5 billion to a maximum of $20 billion. Eni cut its dividend and introduced a new dividend policy based on the oil price. Equinor also cut its dividend and suspended a share buyback. BP and Total have not cut their dividends. U.S. oil and gas majors Chevron (CVX.N) and Exxon (XOM.N) are due to report on July 31. Does Vladimir Putin have something on Vice President Mike Pence? How about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his GOP caucus? Is there damning evidence the Russian president holds about each Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives? If not, then why does no Republican in the federal government save Mitt Romney, a senator from Utah, ever pipe up about the fact that our president never, ever calls Putin out for his actions? Not even for his reportedly having put out a bounty on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Though the specifics of the link between Putin and President Donald Trump remain unknown, at least to most everyone besides the pair themselves, it's long been clear that there's some deep connection. Putin knows something, has something, holds something over Trump's head. There is no other logical way to explain the former reality TV star's sycophancy toward the Russian autocrat. And the way he invariably does Putin's bidding. On Wednesday, in a video clip of an interview with Trump, the president said hed not raised the issue of the bounties on the heads of U.S. service members with Putin during a recent telephone conversation. The call, he said, concerned other matters. On that same day, the removal of some 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany became official. This, it should go without saying, sparked celebrations in the Kremlin. That Trump always does Putin's bidding remains disturbing, of course. But it's no longer any surprise. Trump is weak, Putin is strong, and our president is under the former KGB chief's thumb. At the end of the day, Trump, if he's not a Russian asset, continually behaves as one. That Trump himself has, for some reason, been trying to make Russia great again remains a given. He quakes and quivers and bows down before strongman Putin. But what's up with Republicans in Congress and throughout the federal government? Does McConnell, who once appeared to understand well that Moscow was our adversary, now believe that giving Putin what he wants is just A-OK? If so, then why? In Trump's new interview, with Axios, he was asked his feelings about news that Russia is supplying weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan. His response? We did the same thing when the Soviet Union was fighting there in the 1980s. The Trump doctrine in two words: moral equivalence. Related: US GDP Suffers Record Collapse, Jobless Claims Point to Stalling Recovery The U.S. economy suffered a historic collapse in the second quarter of this year, with Commerce Department figures showing gross domestic product (GDP) plummeting by 32.9 percent in annualized terms as business activity ground to a halt due to the pandemic. The unprecedented economic contraction, which is an advance estimate released by the Commerce Departments Bureau of Economic Analysis on July 30, is more than triple the previous all-time GDP drop of 10 percent in the second quarter of 1958. Markets were pretty much expecting a disastrous number, and they got it. The recovery is going to take time, said Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist at Mizuho Securities USA. Most of the drop in GDP took place in April, when business activity ground to a halt as the country was under lockdown to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as the novel coronavirus. Many businesses resumed operations in May, fueling hopes for a quick rebound. But a resurgence of cases, especially in the densely populated South and West, are tempering hopes for quick economic recovery. The bottom fell out of the economy in the second quarter, said Sung Won Sohn, a finance and economics professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The outlook is not very good. Americans are not behaving well in terms of social distancing, the infection rate is unacceptably high, and that means economic growth cannot gain any traction. The Commerce Department said the second-quarter economic crash was driven by lockdowns sparked by the outbreak, adding that the dismal number likely doesnt reflect the full impact of the pandemic response. The decline in second-quarter GDP reflected the response to COVID-19, as stay-at-home orders issued in March and April were partially lifted in some areas of the country in May and June, and government pandemic assistance payments were distributed to households and businesses, the department stated. This led to rapid shifts in activity, as businesses and schools continued remote work and consumers and businesses canceled, restricted, or redirected their spending. The drop in GDP reflected decreases in personal consumption expenditures, exports, private inventory investment, and nonresidential and residential fixed investment, along with state and local government spending. Adding to the economic gloom was a disappointing jobless claims report, also released July 30, which showed that initial weekly unemployment filings rose for the second straight week after steadily falling from its March peak of almost 7 million. For the week ending July 25, the number of Americans filing jobless claims was 1,434,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week, Labor Department figures show (pdf). By comparison, the pre-pandemic peak in new weekly jobless claims in America was 695,000, dating back to 1982. A relative bright spot in the jobless numbers is the figure for continuing claims, which reflect people who earlier filed an initial claim and now continue to receive unemployment benefits. While the number of workers continuing to collect unemployment spiked by 867,000 during the week ending July 18, about a million workers went off unemployment the week before, so the net number of workers on continuing claims is lower over a two-week period. So, the net was still lower over the whole two week period in continuing claims than we thought, which implies to me that what were seeing in July data is more of an inflection point than a topping out in the economy, basically, Ricchiuto said. So, were not reaching an extreme, but weve basically inflected into a slower growth rate. Also, the total number of people collecting benefits in all unemployment programs for the week ending July 11 dropped by 1.6 million compared to the previous week. We all know that shutting down the economy was going to lead to a very, very sharp contraction in GDP. But theres also evidence of a sharp rebound as well, Ricchiuto noted. Still, the July 30 economic data broadly reinforces the theme that the momentum of economic recovery has slowed, especially in places that have seen a surge in CCP virus infections. The Federal Reserve on July 29 acknowledged that the spike in cases was likely stalling recovery, while pledging to support the economy as long as necessary, guaranteeing it will continue to flood the financial system with cheap funds and fueling a rally in Wall Streets three main indexes late in the July 29 session. Wall Street on July 30 had been trading largely flat, while the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note dove to around 0.54 percent in the morning, marking the first time the benchmark rate has traded below the 0.55 threshold in more than three months. Falling Treasury note rates reflect a risk-off sentiment as investors seek safety amid uncertainty. The Wall Street fear gauge, or the VIX volatility index, spiked by more than 16 percent intraday and was up around 5.6 percent just after 1 p.m. ET on July 30. The plunge in GDP and faltering recovery could put pressure on the White House and Congress to agree on a second stimulus package. Economists widely agree that without the historic fiscal package of nearly $3 trillion, the economic contraction would have been deeper. Campaigns Respond Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden seized on the news to blame President Donald Trump for the economic slowdown and the loss of lives from the pandemic. The depth of economic devastation our nation is experiencing is not an act of God, its a failure of presidential leadership, Biden said in a statement. Had President Trump taken immediate and decisive action, tens of thousands of lives and millions of jobs would never have been lost. The Trump campaign was riding on great economic indicators before the outbreak in Wuhan of the CCP virus. President Donald Trumps reelection campaign responded to the economic report by noting that the figures cover the period from April to June, when the nation was hardest hit by the lockdowns related to the pandemic. The campaign noted that retail sales and consumer spending continue to rise. The media is also grabbing onto the annualized number which supposes that the economic conditions will remain the same for an entire year, which it undoubtedly will not, Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director, said in a statement. The Presidents policies already have the economy rebounding as the jobs reports from May and June show that an incredible 7.5 million jobs were created as lockdowns ended and businesses began reopening. Epoch Times reporter Ivan Pentchoukov and Reuters contributed to this report. Transcripts order an Official Transcript Track Official Transcript Requests through Clearinghouse Transcripts can be ordered online 24/7 through the National Student Clearinghouse. Electronic delivery is the preferred delivery method if at all possible for your request. If you have questions about your transcript request, please contact [[w|transcripts]]. The transcript is the complete record of all academic work attempted at William & Mary, regardless of degree-seeking status or program level. The university does not provide official transcripts that segregate individual courses, schools, terms or levels. Requests for transcripts are typically processed within two business days. Additional time is required for requests of student records prior to Fall 2003 and for requests made at the end of the semester. All fines, fees, and most holds must be cleared from a student's account before a transcript will be released. The 1988 Virginia Debt Collection Act, Section 2.1-735, prohibits release of transcripts to any individual who owes a past due debt to a state agency. Sweden has today told staff to work from home for the rest of the year to manage crowding on public transport after revealing it is seeing a 'very positive' drop in new covid cases yesterday. The recommendation, which is directed at those 'who have the possibility to work from home,' will remain in place until the New Year and is designed to make things easier for those who need to physically go to work. It comes after the country's top epidemiologist announced yesterday that Sweden was witnessing a 'very positive' downward trend, with the lockdown free country recording 318 new cases today and serious cases in need of intensive care falling. Sweden has today told staff to work from home for the rest of the year to manage crowding on public transport after revealing it is seeing a 'very positive' drop in new covid cases yesterday. Cases in Sweden continue to drop Death rates in the country are similarly down despite the country opting against lockdown measures But the country has had 80,100 total cases of coronavirus, and one of the highest per capita death tolls in the world - well above Denmark, Norway and Finland which have each seen fewer than 1,000 deaths. Public Health Agency noted that 'if our contacts go up again there is a considerable risk of a new spread during the autumn'. Sweden has been an outlier in its coronavirus response. It has kept schools for under-16s open and has not closed cafes, bars, restaurants and most businesses. Masks have been recommended only for healthcare personnel. Its approach has been based on an attempt to gain herd immunity, but the World Health Organization has warned against pinning hopes on an immune response after contracting the virus. Nevertheless, Sweden now has a similar infection rate to the UK with a handful of people are now being admitted to intensive care per week, down from as many as 45 per day at the height of the crisis. Sweden's top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has celebrated the number of falling cases but officials have said staff must still remain at home to avoid numbers rising again Deaths have also fallen, with 56 fatalities announced in the last week compared to 101 in the previous seven days. Swedish officials have promised to launch an investigation into the country's coronavirus response. The commission has a broad mandate to look at how the virus arrived in Sweden, how it spread, the government's response, and the effect on equality. The commission will report on elderly care at the end of November, although its final conclusions are not due until 2022, ahead of a national election. The UK Foreign Office continues to advise against non-essential travel to Sweden, but has lifted that warning for the other Scandinavian countries. Job Title: Sector Specialist: AgriTech Department for International Trade Organization: British High Commission (BHC) Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Salary: UGX 13,792,022/= monthly Office Notice No.: 09/20 KPL About US: The British High Commission is the diplomatic liaison office that aims to develop and maintain close bilateral relations with Uganda, in accordance with British government policies. The British High Commission is responsible for the political relationship between the UK and Uganda, and we provide advice and guidance on political and governance issues. BHC provides assistance and documentary services to British nationals in Uganda. The UK Trade and Investment Section provides assistance to both British and Ugandan businesses. Job Summary: The Sector Specialist: AgriTech Department for International Trade will join a dynamic network of committed trade officers working to support Africas exciting economic growth and position at the heart of the future world economy. This is an exciting time to join DIT Africa, as we continue to expand our resources to deliver on the ambition of our current Government to be Africas trade and investment partner of choice. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Agriculture, including production and processing but with a particular emphasis on agricultural technology and investment, is one of six sector priorities in 2020/21 for the Department for International Trade in Africa. The Sector will be led by a Sector Director in South Africa working with a virtual team across the continent. You will support that team in each location with expert advice based on African agricultural needs, practices and regulations. You will understand African needs intimately and be able to translate those to officials less familiar with the sector. You will forge close relationships with African producers, distributors and regulators such that you can interpret their needs and develop solutions with and for them. You will seek first and foremost to progress their plans and assist in their capability, but you will have a good knowledge of international best practice to contribute. You will bring a commercial perspective to agricultural progress and efficiency trying to find the areas where commercial, investment or regulatory intervention could improve the viability of African agricultural production for the marketplace. This will be in complement to other actors for the British Government, with whom you will forge close working relationships, whose primary interests might be in e.g. food security and/or livelihoods. You will work to understand the contribution of DFID and other programmes so that DIT can support these while also adding value in its commercial and trade policy sphere. Your aim will be to help African producers understand where a commercial application could deliver on or raise their ambition. You will also consider where UK or regional trade agreements could support growth for the sector. And you will consider the question of access for African produce to valuable markets like the UK and EU but where stringent standards need to be met on importation. Together with expertise in agriculture, arable and pastoral, you will understand agricultural finance and business and will help advise for different schemes on models of finance including from UK Government partners including UKEF and DFID. You will not be so concerned as colleagues with aligning African plans to UK solutions, but it would help to understand UK capabilities, public and private, especially in the area of research and innovation. For this you would make connections to the UKs innovation centres and support work that could have mutual benefit in bringing ground breaking techniques to Africa. Your role will be advisory, but you would be expected to show a clear contribution to relationship development with African producers, to trade policy gains helping African prosperity, and to the upskilling of our agritech network as they better understand how to target solutions for African needs. Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant for the British High Commission (BHC) Sector Specialist: AgriTech Department for International Trade job must hold an Undergraduate degree and other relevant professional qualification or experience. At least six years experience working in an agri-tech or related fields and a keen interest in its applicability to Africa Experience of working in or with government departments, NGOs, and similar institutions Proven track record of cross-team collaboration A positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable can-do attitude that can see way through challenges. Knowledge of African markets and/or African trade and production networks. Knowledge of, and a keen interest in sustainable development Broad knowledge and understanding of UK Export Finance and Development Finance, although training will be provided is desired Competencies: Making Effective Decisions, Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Achieving Commercial Outcomes How to Apply: All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join the British High Commission in the aforementioned capacity should apply by clicking on the link below. Click Here Deadline: 6th 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 Syracuse, N.Y. Downtown Syracuse may be buzzing this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Its the third weekend in which Walton Street in Armory Square will be closed to traffic but open for outdoor seating on the street. And its the first weekend for the special Summer Dining Weeks Deals promotion at 30-plus downtown restaurants, which began on Monday. Both are intended to boost traffic for restaurants and bars whose business has been disrupted this year by the coronavirus, dining room shutdowns and restrictions on how they can operate after reopening. Walton Street will once again be closed to traffic from the corner of South Clinton, then west past South Franklin and around the curve along Onondaga Creek to West Fayette Street. The street is closed from 8 a.m. Friday to around 8 a.m. Monday, with restaurants allowed to set up tables along the curb until 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. With the addition this week of The Limerick Pub in the 100 block of Walton, seven restaurants/bars will take advantage of the curbside table service. The others are: The Blue Tusk and The Hops Spot in the 100 block of Walton Street and Pita Dream, Margaritas Mexican Cantina, Kasai Ramen and Sakana-Ya, all in the 200 block between South Franklin and Onondaga Creek. For the second week, the event will also feature several pop-up retail (non-food) vendors near Onondaga Creek, and live music near Kasai Ramen. The Summer Dining Weeks Deals, coordinated by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, are a new program this year modeled on the successful Downtown Dining Weeks held each year in mid-winter, typically a slow time for restaurants. It runs each day through Saturday, Aug. 15. Each participating restaurant offers special menus for for a fixed price, in most cases $35 or less for dinner or $15 or less for lunch. (Restaurants may offer the deal for either lunch or dinner, or both). Some restaurants offer variations on the discount, depending on the type of menu they serve. An updated list of participating restaurants and the menus theyre offering is available at the Downtown Committee web site. The site also lists available bus and biking transit options, as well a parking facilities. MORE ON RESTAURANTS Ironwood Pizza in Manlius wont reopen. How many more are permanently closed? 3 popular diners face challenges in reopening amid pandemic Dunkin to close 800 stores nationwide Relax, Upstate NY: The governor is not coming after your chicken wings Some CNY restaurants reopen. Others prefer to wait. Heres why 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. RICHMOND Virginias U.S. senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, are urging help be sent to the immigration detention center in Farmville where roughly 9 in 10 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19, drawing national attention. In a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the Democratic senators asked for the White House to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to dispatch experts to Farmville. As of Wednesday morning, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported that 290 detainees had tested positive for the coronavirus and 262 of the confirmed cases were under isolation or monitoring. According to Kaine and Warner, there were 26 confirmed cases among staff members. There were 312 detainees at the center, which is owned by the Immigration Centers of America, as of Tuesday. ICE said Wednesday that most of the detainees testing positive had no symptoms; one had been hospitalized, and three who were exhibiting symptoms were being monitored at the facility. In their letter to the president, Kaine and Warner wrote: The Farmville ICE facility and surrounding community now face a dire situation where almost every detainee at the Farmville facility has tested positive for COVID-19. This presents a clear risk to individuals within the facility but also endangers the broader community as facility staff and released detainees have interaction with the general public. It is incumbent upon your administration to work with the CDC to create and deploy teams of epidemiologists to conduct an assessment of the pandemics impact at the Farmville ICE facility, the senators added. State and local officials stand ready to support the CDC in efforts to help contain the current outbreak before it spreads to the surrounding Farmville community. Gov. Ralph Northams office offered state help to Farmville in May. In an email, Northam spokesperson Alena Yarmosky wrote Wednesday that the governor is deeply concerned about increases in COVID-19 cases within ICE detention centers, most notably at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia. On July 22nd, the Governor sent a letter directly to President Trump ... seeking urgent CDC intervention and widespread testing of all residents and staff, Yarmosky wrote. The CDC responded and is currently working with state and local health officials to further assess the situation. The Governor appreciates their quick response. In May, Northams office offered to help conduct COVID-19 testing that could be used to curb the spread of the virus in the facility. Kaine and Warners letter Wednesday complained that they have repeatedly pushed the Trump administration to prevent and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in Virginia detention facilities. A second facility is located in Caroline County. In a prepared statement Wednesday, an ICE spokesperson said the welfare and safety of detainees is a high priority and that steps have been taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including the use of expanded voluntary testing for detainees in the agencys custody. ICE said the Farmville facility has ramped up its efforts to protect and care for detainees in its custody by providing face masks, procuring additional handwashing stations and most recently, administering comprehensive testing of all detainees. Testing was offered to all detainees at Farmville from July 1 to July 3 to learn the scope of COVID-19 cases at the facility. The majority of those who tested positive are asymptomatic, but are being closely monitored and receiving appropriate medical care, ICE said. The agency said medical checks are done twice a day, including a temperature screening. ICE continues to incorporate the Centers for Disease Controls COVID-19 guidance, which is built upon the already established infectious disease monitoring and management protocols currently in use by the agency, the agency said in its statement. Kaine and Warner say that after a transfer of 70-plus detainees from Florida and Arizona in June led to a spike of more than 50 coronavirus cases at Farmville, they urged the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the health of detainees and workers and to stop transfers between facilities. Within two weeks of the June transfer, more than half of the detainees tested positive for COVID-19, the senators wrote. Out of 22,000 detainees across the U.S., there currently are 941 positive cases, according to ICE. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nandita Bose and Diane Bartz (Reuters) Washington Thu, July 30, 2020 10:10 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a710d8 2 Business tech-companies,house-of-representatives,united-states,Amazon,Facebook,Alphabet,zuckerberg,jeff-bezos,Sundar-Pichai Free Google and Facebook took particularly sharp jabs for alleged abuse of their market power from Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday in a much-anticipated congressional hearing that put four of Americas most prominent tech CEOs in the hot seat. The chairman of the US House of Representatives antitrust panel holding the hearing said afterwards that the four CEOs had acknowledged concerning behavior. What we heard from witnesses at the hearing confirmed the evidence that we have collected over the last year, Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat, told Reuters. Facebook Incs Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Incs Jeff Bezos, Google owner Alphabet Incs Sundar Pichai and Apple Incs Tim Cook - whose companies have a combined market value of about US$5 trillion - parried a range of accusations that they crippled smaller rivals in their quest for market share. The videoconference hearing was the first time the four CEOs have appeared together before lawmakers. Though it was Bezos first congressional testimony, he appeared the least fazed. Cook drew fewer barbed questions than Bezos and handled them efficiently. Zuckerberg suffered the most damage, stumbling at times when confronted with internal emails. Pichai, CEO of both Alphabet and Google, took the most heat from conservatives on the panel and looked the worse for it, as he repeatedly told lawmakers he would be happy to look into various situations and get back to them. The Big Tech hearing triggered scorn from viewers over its own tech issues. Bezos escaped questioning for about an hour in what may have been a tech issue and was caught on screen reaching for what appeared to be a snack. Poor audio, flat-screen televisions switching off, and chief executives appearing together as thumbnails on a large screen led to mockery of the virtual set-up on Twitter. Lawmakers descended into shouting at each other at points, with a pandemic twist. One yelled: Put your mask on! Theft, copying, content moderation Cicilline set the tone for the hearing when he began by accusing Google of theft. Why does Google steal content from honest businesses? he asked. He alleged Google stole reviews from Yelp Inc and threatened to delist Yelp from search results if it objected. Pichai responded mildly that he would want to know the specifics of the accusation. We conduct ourselves to the highest standards, he added, disagreeing with the characterization. Facebooks Zuckerberg took a series of questions about the companys purchase of Instagram in 2012 and whether it was acquired because it was a threat, as he dubbed it in an email obtained by the committee. Zuckerberg responded that Instagram at the time was a tiny photo-sharing app rather than a social-media phenomenon. In one of the more notable exchanges, Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, pushed Zuckerberg on whether Facebook had ever copied its competitors. Weve certainly adapted features that others have led in, he said. How many companies did Facebook end up copying? she asked. Is it less than five? Less than 50? Congresswoman, I dont know, Zuckerberg said. Jayapal pressed Amazons Bezos on whether the company used data from third-party sellers in making sales decisions. An Amazon executive previously had denied the practice under oath and was contradicted by a news report. Bezos answered cautiously that the company had a policy against such actions. If we found that somebody violated it, we would take action against them, he said. On the Republican side, Representative Jim Jordan accused the companies of hampering conservatives from reaching their supporters. Jordan pressed Pichai on whether Google would help former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, win in November. We support both campaigns. We approach our work in a nonpartisan fashion, Pichai responded. Representative Matt Gaetz asked Facebooks Zuckerberg whether content moderators disadvantaged conservative content. Zuckerberg said they were trained to be neutral. "Street fight" Apples Cook rejected the notion there is nothing to stop his company from raising the commissions it charges in the App Store. I disagree strongly with that, he said. The competition for developers - they can write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. We have fierce competition at the developer side and the customer side, which is essentially so competitive I would describe it as a street fight. A detailed report with antitrust allegations against the four tech platforms and recommendations on how to tame their market power could be released by late summer or early fall by the committee, senior committee aides said. BRONX, N.Y., July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Britta Will, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and of cell biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has won a 2020 Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research. Dr. Will is one of seven New York City area-based scientists to receive the prestigious award, which provides $600,000 over three years for innovative basic science cancer research. Dr. Will's award will help fund her studies on the mechanisms that create and sustain cancer stem cellsa unique and therapy-resistant population of cancer cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), two age-related and largely incurable blood cancers. Watch video of Dr. Britta Will describing her cancer research. "I'm very excited and honored that the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance selected me for this award," Dr. Will said. "The prize will boost my lab's efforts to make scientific advances that can help us better understand these cancers and work toward developing drugs that can benefit patients. With every publication, with every piece of data we put out there, we increase the knowledge and our ability to help patients. Being able to work on this every day is a real privilege." When people have AML or MDS, a small population of cancerous blood stem cells, called leukemic stem cells (LSCs), resists chemotherapy and causes the cancers to relapse. Dr. Will plans to investigate how iron influences LSCs. Specifically, she will study iron regulatory pathways, key processes that determine how cells acquire and use this essential nutrient. In research involving mouse models of myeloid leukemia and human LSCs, she will determine whether limiting the cells' access to iron can slow or prevent cancer growth. Results could lead to new drugs that could limit iron availability and make cancer stem cells more susceptible to chemotherapy. Dr. Will noted that the prize specifically supports early-stage research that is impossible to get funded through traditional grants. "The Pershing Square Sohn Alliance's mission stresses that no one should be afraid to start something new and out-of-the-box," said Dr. Will, whose lab includes four postdoctoral researchers, a Ph.D. student, and several technicians. "This award enables us to step out of our comfort zone. It's also a great encouragement that provides an ecosystem for younger trainees on these projects to develop their careers." "This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Will," said Roman Perez-Soler, M.D., chief of medical oncology at Einstein and chair of oncology at Montefiore Health System. "Her creative and bold research earned her this award and we look forward to her continued success and scientific discoveries." Dr. Will is the second Einstein faculty member to win the Pershing Square Sohn prize; in 2015, the Alliance awarded the honor to Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and of medicine. About Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D. students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube. SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine Related Links www.einstein.yu.edu 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. By Trend A large group of flight and engineering-technical staff of the Turkish Air Force has arrived in Azerbaijan's Ganja city to participate in the "TurAz Qartal?-2020" joint flight-tactical exercises, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The work on staff accommodation, exercise planning, and other organizational issues are currently underway to get prepared for the exercises, the ministry said. Azerbaijan will host large-scale tactical and flight tactical exercises with combat shooting with the participation of the Turkish ground and air forces based on annual plan within the Agreement on Military Cooperation between the countries. The joint exercises will involve military personnel, armored vehicles, artillery installations and mortars, as well as military aviation and air defense equipment of the of the two countries armies. According to the plan, the trainings involving ground forces will be held in August 1-5, 2020 in Baku and Nakhchivan cities, and those ones involving military aviation - from July 29 through August 10, 2020 in the cities of Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh. FREDERICTONNew Brunswick is opening its bubble by allowing some Quebec residents who live near the border to visit for day trips starting Aug 1. Residents of the Avignon and Temiscouata regions and Listuguj First Nation will be able to enter New Brunswick without having to self-isolate for 14 days as long as they dont stay the night. Premier Blaine Higgs said Thursday those border residents must preregister before travelling and anyone who fails to do that will be turned away. New Brunswick is currently part of whats called the Atlantic bubble, which allows Atlantic Canadians to travel within the region without having to quarantine for two weeks. We have some really solid safeguards in place, Higgs told reporters. Not only are these only day passes but you have to register in advance so we know where you are. And theres a questionnaire to be filled out so we know what activities youve been participating in. For instance, the premier said, Quebecers wishing to enter New Brunswick must attest to not having travelled outside their communities during the previous two weeks. He said the government is relying on the integrity of people to tell the truth. But Peoples Alliance Leader Kris Austin said Thursday hes against the idea. Quebec residents who live by the New Brunswick border or their contacts, could have travelled to hot spots like Montreal and bring COVID-19 into the province, he said. New Brunswick has had 170 cases of COVID-19, two of which are active. The province has also reported two deaths attributed to the coronavirus. Higgs said his province isnt ready to open its borders to the rest of Canada, but said allowing limited travel for certain Quebecers is a small move in that direction. We know this is not unique, Higgs explained. This is something that Labrador and Quebec have been doing for some time now. It is very restricted in the area were speaking of, so its not like were opening to all of Quebec, were opening to this region only. Quebec residents along the border have been calling on the New Brunswick government to ease travel restrictions, which have prevented them from seeing relatives and friends. Businesses have also complained about a significant loss of revenue. Read more about: Barista-brewed coffee and Traeger grills werent the amenities Rosie Reynolds and her husband Joe were expecting from a motel. There are a lot of dubious qualities associated with motels, says Joe, a Los Angeles-based brand strategist. But in pandemic times, there are also a lot of appealing qualities, such as limited indoor facilities and never having to share a corridor with other travellers. But on a recent road trip along the West Coast, the Reynoldses, both in their early 30s, decided to base themselves at motels due to the affordability, proximity to towns, and ease of social distancing. In Bend, Ore., and Mt. Shasta, Calif., they booked stays at Loge Camps, a three-year-old hospitality brand that flips roadside inns into eco-minded retreats for outdoor enthusiasts. At both locations, the couple was pleasantly surprised to find grounds scattered with fire pits, hammocks, and bike-tuning stationsalong with in-room comforts such as Rumpl blankets and complimentary trail mix. But it was the level of service that truly won them over. To navigate the challenges of coronavirus, Loge sent emails prior to our visit, which provided all details for a safe, contactless stay, says Joe, noting such smart service innovations as DIY housekeeping kits and a new SMS text system for obtaining advice on local breweries or under-the-radar hikes. The Reynoldses arent the only ones suddenly interested in renovated trucker hangouts. Motels provide fewer opportunities for encounters with staff or guests. Theres no lobby traffic. You dont have to use an elevator to reach your room, explains Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of University at Buffalos infectious disease division. You can avoid people altogether when going between car and room. All this, plus locations that are almost always near major cities, make motels some of the safest, most convenient accommodations for the current circumstances. That might be why many motels are enjoying sold-out summers while more traditional US hotels averaged around 40% occupancy for the month of June, according to STR, a data company specializing in hospitality. Whats more, staying in a motel doesnt require downgrading your travel style: High-design motelssome with prices that rival boutique hotelshave been on an ascendant trend since well before the pandemic. Motels Reimagined Across the country, hoteliers have been updating motels with upscale interiors, hiring boldface names to create interesting food and cocktail menus, and adding resort-like amenities. At Loge Camps, which has five hotels along the West Coast, that also means outdoor movie nights and a charitable spirit; portions of each stay benefit nonprofits that focus on local stewardship. At Tourists, which opened last summer in North Adams, Mass., in the Berkshire Mountains, it means outdoor showers on wood-panelled decks and smores kits as a nightly turndown treat. At two-year-old Hotel Joaquin, in Laguna Beach, Calif., it means an on-site adventure outpost stocked with complimentary surfboards, kayaks, and snorkel gear. Though single- and two-floor layouts make them relatively safe, many motels are taking such further precautions as requiring reservations for pool time and providing in-room breakfast and beer deliveries. As a result, travellers are using motels as base camps to explore the outdoors, rather than as overnight pit stops between long stretches of driving. Mike French, founder of the Pioneertown Motel, a former Old West movie set with 19 rooms near Joshua Tree National Park in California, recently introduced weekly and monthly self-guided retreats to satisfy the interest in longer stays. Guests who stay a week get two nights free, along with suggested itineraries and options to have barbecue set-ups or deliveries of produce from regional farms. Luxury Redefined The big selling points of resortsvalets, concierges, formal social dinning, recreation, spas, health clubs, shoppinglose their appeal right now, says avid traveller Rick Simonson, a 61-year-old former serial tech chief financial officer who now advises privately held technology companies while splitting his time between Dallas and Telluride, Colo. Elevators, poorer ventilation, and lobbies at a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express now seem risky, too, he adds. After months at home, Simonson and his wife chanced a stay at the Amigo Motor Lodge in the Central Colorado mountain town of Salida. They were able to assure [that] the room we would occupy would have at least one vacant night immediately before our check-in, if not more, he says. Each room has windows that open front and back that provide natural ventilation, which early on we learned is very beneficial to avoiding Covid-19. Outdoor seating areas in front of rooms, plus a central courtyard, made it easy to enjoy a beer or coffee without being surrounded by others, he says. Now, Simonson says that if he travels again, hell stay only at upscale motels. Ive had very good experiences with Airbnb, but it just cant match the precautions and the comfort the Amigo gave us. The 96-room Marram, a renovated oceanfront motel in Montauk, at the eastern tip of New Yorks Long island, features Le Labo bath products and Retrospec cruiser bikes, with rooms starting at $600 a night. Its owner, Atit Jariwala, has been converting luxury travelers who might have previously stayed at equally pricy stays such as nearby Gurneys ($995 a night) or the Ocean House in Rhode Island ($765 a night). Hes seen a boom in bookings for the rest of summer, with most weekends already sold out. Is this luxury? Yes, says Erik Warner, owner of the Sound View Greenport, a 55-room oceanfront motel on Long Islands North Fork and the Anvil, a 50-room converted motel in downtown Jackson Hole, Wyo. Both properties are nearly back at last summers numbers. Guests are looking for hotels that provide them with the highest probability of not contracting the virus and simultaneously, the highest degree of comfort, he explains. Thats the new luxury. Where to Stay Sold on the concept? Here are eight standouts to consider for your next trip. Amigo Motor Lodge, Salida, Colo. Birch bed frames, Oaxacan woven pillows, and white porcelain tile bathroomsplus four designer Airstreamsmake this 1950s motel new again. From $100 Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa, Calistoga, Calif.Besides its prime location at the end of Napas famed Silverado Trail, this 62-room retro motor lodge has three geothermal mineral pools and such old-school lawn games as corn hole. From $249 Longleaf Hotel, Raleigh, N.C.A glowing 16-foot neon sign proclaiming Long Live Longleafnot to mention an ambitious wine programbeckons travelers to this restored 1960s Travelodge. From $105 Marram, Montauk, N.Y.Rooms feature light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi. Firepits are equipped with roasting sticks and house-made marshmallows. And a visiting reiki master leads singing bowl meditations on weekends. From $600 Pioneertown Motel, Pioneertown, Calif.Western movie stars, including Roy Rogers, founded the hamlet of Pioneertown in 1946 as a movie set. Today, the buildings include artist studios, a saddle maker, and a 19-room motel that attracts Los Angeles hipsters and musicians. From $175 Sound View Greenport, Greenport, N.Y.The new beach bar at this restored mid-century motel was designed by the cocktail wizards from Death & Co. From $365 Tourists, North Adams, Mass.Wilco bassist John Stirratt is a partner in this 48-room hotel located right off the Appalachian Trail. From $360 The Yachtsman Hotel and Marina Club, Kennebunkport, MaineThe 30 harbor-front bungalows have private teak terraces, access to kayaks and canoes, and daily bakery basket deliveries. From $347 (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pulled the $3 billion Restore Mother Nature Bond Act from the November ballot, he told reporters during a conference call on Thursday. Were going to postpone the environmental bond issue hopefully one year, to next year, but I dont think it would be financially prudent to do it at this time, Cuomo said. The proposed fund was intended to build resilience against climate change effects such as flooding, among other environmental priorities. It would protect forests, restore wildlife habitat and help communities build disaster-resistant infrastructure. The last major environmental bond act passed in New York was in 1996. The governors decision sparked immediate dismay from environmental advocates. The bond act provided critical funding for climate change mitigation and investment, Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Peter Bauer said. Without significant public investment, were spinning our wheels. The state Senate and Assembly passed the $3 billion bond act in the state budget this year, forwarding it for New York voters consideration. A provision in the law, however, allowed the state budget director to pull the bond act before it goes to voters if the states finances are in poor shape. Finances have deteriorated, in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state is looking at a $30 billion deficit over the next two years a $14 billion shortfall in the current budget cycle and a $16 billion gap expected in the next fiscal year. The financial situation now is unstable, as everyone knows, Cuomo said on the call. Were waiting to see what the federal government provides in aid. Were waiting to see what the revenues (are that) come back to the state. State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Rockville Centre, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, blamed Washingtons failure to help states through the pandemic economic downturn. This will have long-term consequences for combating climate change, increasing our storm resiliency and creating jobs, Kaminsky said. There is just no excuse for this and it is shameful. State Sen. Betty Little, R-Queensbury, represents a large portion of the Adirondack Park. Little supported the bond act this year, her last serving in state government before retirement. Im usually an optimist who pushes forward, but I do think this is the right decision, she said in a statement. The bond act will help many communities in our region but the timing for voter support needs to be right. I am hopeful that will be the case next year. Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, warned that even when the coronavirus threat is stabilized, climate change will remain a problem. Government cant continue treating the environment as a luxury it is a critical asset, Tighe said. The budget bill language said, that if the act is not submitted to the people at the general election to be held in November 2020, this act shall expire and be deemed repealed. A spokesperson at the state Budget Office said the bond act will have to return to the state Legislature next year. Bill Ulfedler, executive director of the Nature Conservancy in New York, had an emailed comment ready for the moment Cuomo made the announcement to reporters. Ulfelder called the decision a missed opportunity. While it is clear that the pandemic has had a serious impact on the economy of our state and the nation, this measure was an opportunity to create jobs and conserve the clean water, clean air, and natural resources our children and grandchildren depend on, Ulfelder said. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. The Bond Act would have been a pathway to a better future for New York, by addressing looming problems that threaten the health, safety, and prosperity of all New Yorkers, he said. He and other environmental advocates welcomed the chance to revisit the bond act in the future. Ulfedler said it is incumbent upon our state leaders to ensure other, existing sources of funding for these critical purposes are fully utilized and are not further reduced in the state budget as the deficit is addressed. Not all were shocked or in disagreement with Cuomos decision on Thursday. The Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board said it was the right decision to postpone when there are a number of other priorities for the state to fund. New York State, schools and local governments are dealing with very large budget deficits and it is uncertain whether the federal government will provide COVID-19 impact aid to the state and local governments, said Fred Monroe, a spokesperson for the Review Board. Now is not a good time to move forward with the largest environmental bond act in New York history. The bond act received plenty of criticism when it was announced, too, for its lack of specificity on what it would fund. Monroe said that was an issue the Review Board still had. Some groups, like the Adirondack Mountain Club, had hoped it could fund trail work. Michael Barrett, director of the ADK, said though he was disappointed the bond act would be delayed, he understood Cuomos reasons and called it good judgment in waiting to promote this important initiative. The Adirondack Council called out national leadership for failing to correct course. Without the prospect of new federal aid to states from Congress, we understand why the Governor is reluctant to move forward with new borrowing at this time, Rocci Aguirre, deputy director of the council, said in a news release. Aguirre added that the bond act could have been a financial win for taxpayers by funding things like new wastewater treatment systems. That is a project Lake George is dealing with now. David Gibson, managing partner of Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve, said Cuomos move was expected and understandable, given the pandemic and the states finances. We know the governor remains committed to this very important environmental measure, Gibson said. We anticipate its return to public consideration next year. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. SEATTLE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- JetClosing, the leading digital home closing service for resales and refinances, today announced the close of its $9 million Series B funding round led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., with additional investments from Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) and Trilogy Equity, bringing its fundraising total to $35 million. The investment will fuel continued expansion for the cloud-based digital title company, streamlining historically manual, in-person processes that have lacked transparency and efficiency for home buyers, sellers, agents, and borrowers. JetClosing utilizes fully encrypted workflows for secure document transfers, wire transactions, remote online notarizations (RON), and e-signatures. User information is further guarded using multi-factor authentication, which introduces safe, transparent, and remote digital home closings and refinancings for the first time. "In light of the current economy, this funding demonstrates unequivocally that there is a real market need for a digital workflow to facilitate home closings for resale and refinancing transactions," said Dan Greenshields, CEO of JetClosing. "Pandemic or not, consumers expect a technology-first closing process that's catered to their fast-paced, on-demand, and mobile lifestyles. This investment will allow JetClosing to expand into new markets while continuing to add features and bolster our platform's overall user experience." JetClosing, which is currently available in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, has demonstrated the convenience and value of its fully digital title and escrow services throughout the current market environment, as people search for ways to complete home transactions remotely. To prevent fraud commonly associated with home buying scams, JetClosing has instituted a number of security measures, including a recent partnership with CertifID, a real-time identity and account verification platform for protecting money transfers. "Our investment in JetClosing recognizes the company's growth as well as the value of the underlying technologies that power the platform and protect user data," said Geoff Entress, Managing Director of PSL. "Cybersecurity is so critical in a remote operating environment and JetClosing's standards are unmatched in the industry. We clearly see the opportunity for JetClosing to become the platform of choice for all home closings and refinancings, giving buyers, sellers, agents, and borrowers confidence throughout the process." About JetClosing JetClosing is the leading digital title and escrow company for real estate transactions. Through its innovative platform, JetClosing provides unprecedented transparency, security, and efficiency throughout the home closing process. With a presence in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, JetClosing's team of veteran title professionals and technology leaders is expanding nationwide to provide digital title and escrow services to buyers, sellers, agents, lenders and borrowers. To learn more, visit www.jetclosing.com. About Pioneer Square Labs (PSL) Pioneer Square Labs is a Seattle-based startup studio and venture firm that finances, creates and launches technology startups. For more information, please visit www.psl.com. SOURCE JetClosing Inc. Related Links jetclosing.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the first foundation brick for the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5 will usher in a new beginning. A beginning that would mark the first largely non-controversial moment in the epic saga of an issue which had been both one of the lengthiest legal battles in independent India as well as the most-defining political aspect of it. What else but the Ram temple movement and the rising wave of Hindutva had been the most significant reasons behind the BJPs phenomenal growth. A party with 2 MPs in 1984 has come a long way to now dominate India's political landscape. This is the story of the political history of an issue and movement around it that redefined national politics from 1980 onward, the period that was ripe with memories of the Emergency and short-lived experiments with the first non-Congress government at the Centre. It was the time when in 1980, the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh and a section of the Janta Party came together to form a new political entity, the Bharatiya Janata Party. Since then, the past 40 years have been a roller-coaster ride for the party with a strong nationalistic Hindutva outlook. Its an era of the BJPs gradual rise and decline of the Congress at the national level. As the BJP was formed in 1980, the party openly professed its commitment to the cause of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation. Atal Bihari Vajpayee became its first president. Even as the newly formed BJP, under a moderate Hindutva face, Vajpayee, had moved on to the stage of pursuing majoritarian Hindu politics, extending support for the long-drawn RSS-led agitation for what it called liberating the Ram Janmasthan in Ayodhya where the Babri mosque stood, political dividends were minuscule in the general elections of 1984. The assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the BJPs mild approach towards Hindutva, both were seen as a cause behind it. The saffron party managed to get just 2 seats in the Lok Sabha that was entirely dominated by the Congresss 414. As Indiras son Rajiv took over as the next prime minister, it was time for the BJP and its mother organisation the RSS to revisit their strategy. Unfazed by electoral adversities, the RSS and BJP decided to throw all their might behind the Ram temple movement. The Congress, despite an overwhelming electoral victory, seemed dwarfed when it came to devising a strategy against this. As the temple movement gained pace, the Congress party, with the government also in Uttar Pradesh, gave in, paving the way for the opening of the locks at the disputed site in early 1986. A subtle move aimed at catering to the growing Hindu sentiment, it would prove to be a fatal political error as it further galvanised the pro-temple agitation. The opening of the locks marked a new moment in the temple movements history. It was the single biggest development since the night of December 22-23, 1949, when idols of Ram and Lakshman were secretly placed under the central dome of Babri Masjid. The BJP decided to take a full plunge. In 1989, at its Palampur convention, the party adopted the "liberation of Ram Janmabhoomi and construction of a grand Ram temple at the disputed site as its core political agenda. The hard-line face of Hindutva, LK Advani, was brought in as the new president of the party. The very next year in 1990, Advani launched his controversial Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra. The year of Advanis Rath Yatra, and the one preceding it, were also a lot about political turbulence, both at the Centre as well as in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Congress was in decline. India had VP Singh as prime minister, supported by both the Left and the Right. The party with 2 MPs in 1984 now had 85 members in the Lok Sabha. The Left parties had 45. In UP, too, it was Mulayam Singh Yadav as chief minister and in Bihar it was Lalu Prasad Yadav. Both were the new faces of social engineering and growing backward caste consciousness arising out of Mandal Commission politics. It was not just the BJP that was to reap the benefits, but also Mulayam and Lalu, in the larger politics around the Ram temple. While Mulayam got the infamous title of 'Maulana Mulayam' after ordering firing on kar sevaks in Ayodhya in 1990, Lalu created a new political profile by getting Advani arrested in Samastipur, Bihar. Both, thus, carved out a lasting electoral base of Muslims and Yadavs, or the MY factor, which still defines politics in these states to a large extent. As the build-up around the temple movement increased, the BJP was clearly reaping the political benefits. However, the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi disturbed its political calculations in the elections for the 10th Lok Sabha in 1991. The party that was headed for a bigger yield was curtailed with just 123 MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, it succeeded in forming its first government in Uttar Pradesh, with Kalyan Singh as chief minister. With UP under the wings, the stage was all set for a new showdown on the Ram Mandir issue. The climax came on December 6, 1992, when despite the state governments assurances in the Supreme Court, the mosque was razed in Ayodhya by Hindu zealots. The union government of the Congress led by PV Narasimha Rao was seen as a mere spectator. It was an error that would haunt the Congress for long. The demolition of Babri Masjid marked a watershed moment in contemporary political history of the country. While the Congress was almost wiped out from states like UP and Bihar, with minorities shifting away from it, a simultaneous blow was also dealt to the BJP in the Hindi heartland as the Hindutva wave subsided a bit, after seeing a dangerous high in the demolition. The remaining task was done by increasing caste consciousness, Mandal and Dalit politics. Though in subsequent parliamentary elections of 1996 up to 1999, the BJP went on increasing its tally in the Lok Sabha and finally forming its first five-year government at the Centre in 1999, the stage in state politics was dominated more and more by the likes of Mulayam, Mayawati and Lalu Prasad. The genie of Ram temple was out and now entangled in a long-drawn legal battle of title dispute. As legal proceedings dragged on first in High Court and then in Supreme Court, politics moved beyond the temple issue. From 2004 to 2014, while the Congress-led UPA ruled the nation, the BJP seemed to be in troubled waters. In 2014, when the BJP recovered lost ground under Narendra Modis leadership, Ram temple was more a footnote of the party's commitment. Though Modi successfully modeled and projected himself as the staunch new poster boy of radical Hindutva, he chose to keep a distance from Ayodhya and Ram temple. Never as PM did he visit the holy city. On occasions, he did say, The way for Ram temple will come through the courts. Finally, with the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the temple in its 2019 decision, the long-drawn legal battle and political movement around it came to an end. Now, as Prime Minister Modi is all set to visit Ayodhya on August 5, to lay the first brick for the foundation of the Ram temple, a new kind of politics is likely to emerge. A politics beyond agitation for Ram Mandir. A politics that will be taken to the peoples court by the BJP as a long-standing electoral promise that has finally been delivered. (This story is Part 1 of a series on Ayodhya's Ram Temple which is set for a grand 'Bhoomi Poojan' on August 5) He also sought an extension of the ongoing supply of PPE kits and N-95 masks from the Centre beyond September as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the state Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday sought support and help from the Centre for setting up a permanent infectious disease hospital and research facility near Mumbai. He put forth the demand while interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Harsh Vardhan at the virtual launch of COVID-19 testing facilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata. Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra joined the inauguration of the testing facilities in their respective states via video conference. Addressing Modi at the event, Thackeray said, "I want to set up a permanent infectious disease hospital near Mumbai city, where people will be admitted for treatment and simultaneously research can also be undertaken. I need your support and help for its construction." He also sought extension of the ongoing supply of PPE (personal protective equipment) kits and N-95 masks to the state from the Centre beyond September to deal with the rising cases of COVID-19. As per existing norms, the Centres mandate to supply PPE kits and N-95 masks, key tools in the fight against coronavirus spread, to states is only till September. "We are trying to live with the coronavirus crisis. But this is not the last outbreak of 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. There should be an extension of supply of PPE kits and N-95 masks beyond September. We are going to need these equipment for a longer time, said the chief minister. 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. Medical workers wait for cars to pull up to the swabbing tent at the city's coronavirus testing site next to Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia on Friday, March 20, 2020. The site, which opened Friday afternoon, is the first city-run drive-through location where people can be swabbed to determine if they have the coronavirus. At the time of opening, it was only for people with symptoms who are over 50 and healthcare workers with symptoms. Read more TL;DR: Philadelphia public school students will not return to classrooms until at least November, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. says. There have been reports of coronavirus reinfections in the United States, India, Israel, Iran, and Bolivia, but experts say it is challenging to address this possibility. Read more about what experts say could be causing this. Ellie Silverman (@esilverman11, health@inquirer.com) What you need to know: Pennsylvania is averaging more than double the number of new daily coronavirus cases as it was in the middle of June. All Phillies players and coaches have tested negative following an outbreak among the Marlins, though a visiting clubhouse staffer has tested positive. They are expected to play Yankees next week instead of the Marlins. Meanwhile, Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson tested positive for the coronavirus. If your garbage is piling up amid trash-collection delays in Philly, heres where you can take it. New Jersey lawmakers plan to propose legislation would require all-remote learning. Anthony Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, outlines five things people can do to prevent coronavirus surges. The next coronavirus may already be circulating in bats, a study suggests. Whats going on in your county? We organized recent coverage of the coronavirus pandemic by local counties mentioned in the stories to make it easier for you to find the info you care about Local coronavirus cases The coronavirus has swept across the Philadelphia region and cases continue to mount. The Inquirer and Spotlight PA are compiling geographic data on tests conducted, cases confirmed, and deaths caused by the virus. Track the spread here. Philadelphia public school students will not return to classrooms until at least November, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said yesterday. There was fierce opposition to the districts plans for a hybrid model of in-person and online instruction. Coronavirus cases in this region continue to rise, and other districts are also choosing to start the year without in-person instruction. Read more here. There have been reports of coronavirus reinfections in the United States, India, Israel, Iran, and Bolivia, but experts say it is challenging to address this possibility. Nobody really knows yet. So far there have only been individual reports, said Brian DeHaven, assistant professor of biology at La Salle University. Based on what we know from other viruses, its possible these reports are misleading test results. Read more about what experts say could be causing this. Helpful resources You got this: Attend an outdoor comedy show Local comics will be performing for an outdoor concert series that will kick off next week at the Fishtown club Punch Line Philly. The outdoor audience will be limited to 50 people, because of socially distanced seating, and those guests will be required to wear masks when not seated at their table. For more information, including the clubs calendar and where to buy tickets, read more here. A subtle pinot grigio can be a summer palate cleanser. Heres the latest on Phillys pandemic dining scene. Three factors to consider when deciding if your child should opt for virtual learning or return to school. Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter. What were paying attention to How the coronavirus spread in the United States has splintered into many, different outbreaks, all requiring different solutions, the New York Times reports. The Kaiser Family Foundation published a guide examining what we know about children and how the coronavirus spreads. Pennsylvania business owners are asking Gov. Tom Wolf to enforce the mask requirement so they are not tasked with ordering it upon customers, WHYY reports. Enjoy getting our journalism through email? You can also sign up for The Inquirer Morning Newsletter to get the latest news, features, investigations and more sent straight to your inbox each morning Sunday-Friday. Sign up here. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan attended a consultation at the Defense Army, he wrote about this on his Facebook page, presenting some emphases made by him. ''Official Baku does not refrain from Armenophobic and militaristic policy. The clashes provoked by Azerbaijan in Tavush part of Armenia-Azerbaijan border, followed by Turkey's aggressive and overt interference in the hostile activities against the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh once again prove the reality that army building was and remains the priority direction of our country and we have to do our best for the development and strengthening of the army', Harutyunyan said, adding that acquisition of new weapons and construction of new engineering structures will be continuous. ''Our army was, is and will be strong and combat ready, always ready to protect the borders of the Motherland, the security and welfare of our people. This is an issue of national agenda and uniting the efforts and potential of the entire Armenian nation we will do our best to successfully fulfil that mission'', the President of Artsakh said. Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan 15th century Nantes Cathedral damaged in fire; French authorities open arson investigation Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Precious artifacts, the grand organ and stained glass windows were damaged Saturday after fires started in three places inside a 15th-century Nantes Cathedral in western France, according to French authorities, who have opened an investigation into arson. After Notre-Dame, Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul cathedral, in the heart of Nantes, is in flames, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. Support for our firefighters who take all the risks to save this Gothic jewel of the city of the Dukes." More than 100 firefighters took three hours to contain the fire Saturday morning in the city of Nantes. It didnt spread further because the roof of the cathedral was rebuilt with concrete in 1972 after it was destroyed in a fire, according to Laurent Ferlay, the director of the regional fire department. Nantes Prosecutor Pierre Sennes said the fires, believed to be arson, started in three places in the cathedral. A witness, Jean-Yves Burban, who runs a newsagent facing the cathedral, told Reuters he heard a bang at around 7:30 a.m. local time. I am shaken up because Ive been here for eight years and I see the cathedral every morning and evening. Its our cathedral and Ive got tears in my eyes. Today, all Nantais and Nantaises are in this emotion, this sadness, Nantes Mayor Johanna Rolland was quoted as saying. Its a place for all Nantais, a part of our history. A Rwandan refugee, a volunteer who was in charge of locking up the day before the fire broke out, was detained, according to BBC. His detention was to clear up inconsistencies in the man's schedule. We must remain careful as to the interpretation of this police custody. It is a normal procedure, Sennes was quoted as saying. The construction of the Roman Catholic Gothic cathedral began in 1434 and took 457 years to finish in 1891. Last April, the Notre Dame Cathedral, a major church that has long been an enduring iconic symbol of Paris, was heavily damaged due to a severe fire. The world watched in horror as flames consumed the roof and spire of Notre Dame, both of which collapsed. The church was being renovated at the time. Construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral began in 1163 and took nearly 200 years to complete. The Gothic church is one of the first to make use of flying buttresses, which slant to form a separate pier, usually forming an arch with the wall it supports. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Metro Manila and Cebu City should to be placed under general community quarantine for the first two weeks of August, authorities on the ground recommended ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte's decision. Danny Lim, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, said that mayors collectively suggested that the National Capital Region retain its current quarantine status for a third month. The mayors, however, would like to retain the power to place select areas experiencing a surge of cases under localized lockdowns to curb community transmission. Local implementer and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said separately that Cebu City is ready to ease to GCQ status, weeks after strict stay-at-home rules were enforced there amid a spike in infections, especially involving severe symptoms. The city has been under the transition phase of modified enhanced community quarantine for the last two weeks since mid-July. In a Thursday afternoon briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the situation for Metro Manila will not be "business as usual" as they ask local government units and even private firms to take on a bigger role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. He then hinted slim chances of the region returning to the stricter modified ECQ, agreeing with the remarks of Senator Sonny Angara that Metro Manila's economy which accounts for about half the national output will likely collapse if it reverts to lockdowns. "Well, sabihin na lang po natin hindi nagkakalayo ang pananaw ng IATF at ni Sen. Angara [Well, let's just say that the IATF's appreciation is not that different from Senator Sonny Angara]," Roque added. Earlier, Roque said the situation in Metro Manila has "improved" with a longer case doubling rate. It now takes about 8.9 days for the number of infections to double, which he said fell under GCQ. However, he did note that critical care capacity of hospitals is at a "critical" level, but said this was because of a limited number of beds allotted for COVID-19 patients. RELATED: Gyms, internet cafes allowed to partially reopen in GCQ areas by August Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, the treatment czar in the COVID-19 response, said Thursday afternoon that hospitals are not meeting the 30 percent allocation for total beds to COVID-19 patients, noting that the average is just at 16 percent. He stressed that health facilities should improve this, noting that capacity should be expanded to 50 percent of total beds when an area or region sees a surge in infections. Roque added that healthcare facilities have been told to allot more beds, while new quarantine centers will be opened. Several hospital authorities, however, have said that the problem is more of lack of manpower than beds. Roque said Wednesday that Metro Manila will be a "living experiment," as he hopes that the rate of infections will slow down just like how it happened in Cebu City. RELATED: Duterte to bare 'major changes' in pandemic response An Tanaiste and Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment, Leo Varadkar, TD and actor and writer Amy Huberman joined with Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) Chair Breege ODonoghue in launching #MADELOCAL. The Made Local campaign, developed by DCCI, is a nationwide initiative to boost sales and drive revenue for both makers and retailers. The Irish craft and design industry is a significant contributor to regional economies. DCCI has over 3,000 registered client enterprises and engages with over 150 retailers across the country who specialise in authentic Irish products. Recent research conducted by DCCI has indicated that 9 in 10 consumers feel an affinity to Irish craft and design. DCCIs ambition is that the Made Local campaign will remind consumers taking staycations this year of the high-quality, unique products available from Irish makers and designers across the country. Consumers will see the newly designed Made Local symbol in participating retailers when shopping for gifts and keepsakes during their holidays. This will be featured on Irish-made craft and design in these shops across the country from today. The research also reveals that 43% of Irish consumers will continue to shop online even as restrictions ease. DCCI is calling on consumers to choose these local businesses when shopping online for gifts, homewares or fashion. Announcing the launch of the campaign, An Tanaiste and Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, said: Ireland is renowned for its exceptionally talented designers and craftspeople who create beautiful work which is exported around the world. These makers and the retailers make a significant contribution to the Irish economy and provide sustainable employment. The Governments July Jobs Stimulus will help businesses to reopen and rehire or retain staff, through an enhanced Restart Grant and an extension to the wage subsidy scheme. We can all play our part; by backing the Made Local campaign, we can help our vibrant Irish design and craft sector to return to prosperity and growth. Commenting on the importance of Irish craft and design, Breege ODonoghue, Chair, DCCI, said, There is an abundance of unique and beautiful products created throughout this country. It is reflective of our rich culture and history and is intrinsic to who we are. This is evident in our research which shows the value Irish consumers place on authentic Irish design. We know that consumers want to buy products made by local designers and makers. As the economy begins to re-open, were calling on these consumers to shop local and consider the breadth of Irish-crafted, high-quality products available here. This will, in turn, help us re-vitalise our wonderful craft industry. Commenting on the Made Local campaign, Actor and Writer Amy Huberman, said, I am so delighted to support the Made Local campaign. Following a very difficult few months due to COVID-19, it is important to make a conscious effort to help local craft businesses in Ireland. Our country is full of some of the most talented designers and craftspeople in the world and we are so lucky to have such beautiful produce right here on this island. We would like to encourage consumers to think before they shop and give our local makers a chance to thrive over the coming months. The Made Local campaign will run throughout the summer with 100 retailers involved in the campaign, supporting the work of DCCIs 3,000 registered clients. For more information on Irish craft and design and where to shop products that are Made Local, please visit: www.dcci.ie or join the conversation by following #MADELOCAL. UN Support Mission in Libya says most of the casualties were in Libyas western region and caused by Haftars forces. More than 100 civilians including children were killed by ground fighting, explosive remnants and air raids in Libya between April and June, according to the United Nations. The figure is an increase of 65 percent from the first three months of the year, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Wednesday. The second quarter of the year also saw the number of wounded civilians jump to 252, an increase of 276 percent. UNSMILs report said most of the casualties both those killed and wounded were in western Libya, the scene of intense fighting after the eastern-based forces of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar launched in April last year an offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli, from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). But Haftars 14-month campaign collapsed last month when the GNA forces, with Turkish support, gained the upper hand, driving his forces from the outskirts of Tripoli and other western towns. The GNAs military success depended partly on Turkish-supplied drones that pushed back Haftars self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) from Libyas skies. Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 overthrew longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by militias and foreign governments. While the GNA is supported by Turkey, Haftars LNA is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. Between April and June, UNSMIL said, it had documented the deaths of 85 non-combatants and more than 230 wounded in western Libya, or 89 percent of the total civilian causalities. At least 22 were killed and a dozen wounded in central Libya, while only two were wounded in the eastern side of the county, it said. Haftars forces were responsible for 80 percent of the casualties, or 75 dead and 212 wounded, the report said. The GNA-allied forces killed about three dozen civilians and wounded some 50 others, it said. The remaining civilian casualties could not be attributed to a specific party to the conflict. Ground fighting killed 69 civilians and wounded 195, while more than two dozen people were killed and at least 14 wounded by air raids, the report said. As Haftars forces withdrew from Tripolis southern suburbs last month, they left behind mines and improvised explosive devices and booby traps that killed two civilians and wounded 41, the report added. It also documented nine attacks on schools, nine assaults on healthcare facilities and one attack on an ambulance during the second quarter. The mission blamed Haftars forces for seven of those attacks. Tripolis Khadra hospital, which was designated to receive patients infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, was hit on four different occasions by rockets, according to the report. The UN mission also reported that drone attacks in support of the GNA on the western town of Qasr Bin Ghashir on June 3 killed 17 civilians, including four children. The attacks also wounded 14 civilians, some of them severely. In recent weeks, the GNA forces have pressed towards the strategic city of Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi located 450km (280 miles) east of Tripoli. The GNA has pledged to retake the coastal city along with the inland al-Jufra airbase. Seizing Sirte would open the door for the GNAs forces to advance even further eastward and potentially take vital oil installations, terminals and fields now under Haftars control. Amid rising tensions, neighbouring Egypt has threatened to send troops into Libya if the Turkish-backed GNA forces try to seize Sirte. Last week, the Egyptian parliament gave a green light for possible military intervention, a potential major escalation that would further destabilise Libya. US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Wednesday that TikTok was under a national security review and that his agency would make a recommendation to the president about the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app this week. The comments marked the first time the US government has acknowledged that TikTok was under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinizes deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks and is led by Treasury. "TikTok is under CFIUS review. We will be making a recommendation to the president this week so we have lots of alternatives," Mnuchin said. Reuters reported in November that the app's Chinese parent, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co was being probed by CFIUS over its $1 billion purchase of social media app Musical.ly after lawmakers raised concerns over how it stores personal data as well as allegations of censorship. A TikTok representative said the company could not comment on CFIUS matters but added that TikTok was working to "develop a best-in-class security infrastructure" and promote a safe app experience. The committee can force ByteDance to unwind the deal, or take other measures to mitigate the national security threat. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that ByteDance has received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them. Some ByteDance investors are valuing the popular app at about $50 billion. Flanked by Mnuchin, President Donald Trump said before leaving the White House on a trip to Texas that "we are looking at TikTok." The company is under fire in Washington, as relations between the Trump administration and Beijing have grown chilly over the coronavirus and China's moves against Hong Kong. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was considering banning the app, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said earlier this month that action was coming in weeks. Also read: Investors price TikTok at $50 billion in takeover bid The Union health ministry intends to replicate the successful Delhi model in other states with large outbreaks of Covid-19, a Union health ministry official said on Thursday, citing the example of how authorities in the national capital were able to bring down a key metric the case positivity rate from 37% in June to 6% this week. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage Case positivity rate refers to the number of people found positive among all people who are tested for Covid-19 on a particular day a proportion that determines how prevalent the disease is and how well health officials are able to catch and isolate patients. The improved numbers show that test, trace and treat strategy has worked very well and Delhi is a prime example before us as it managed to successfully contain the disease spread with the help of the centre. The situation is being managed in two ways: keeping the infection low, and also keeping the mortality low. Experts have shown that in 80% of the positive cases it is possible to trace close contacts within 72 hours. This model will have to be adopted in other states also, said Rajesh Bhushan, officer on special duty, health ministry. In an interview to HT on July 18, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal credited a five-point Delhi Model increased testing, home isolation of mild cases, availability of hospital beds, transparency of data, and plasma therapy for helping the region become one of the few in the country to be able to rein in the outbreak. On Thursday, the health ministrys Bhushan reiterated there was no community transmission in the country. In India, there are clusters of cases and pockets of localised transmission, and the solution to contain it lies in aggressive testing, effective surveillance, contact tracing and clinical management of those infected to be able to fight it successfully, he said. Bhushan also referred to the one million recoveries, a milestone India passed on Wednesday and said it shows how much effort has been put in by our doctors, nurses, paramedic and other frontline workers in managing the outbreak. Indias case fatality rate also declined from 3.33% on June 18 to 2.21% on July 30, he said, adding: Our target is to bring the case fatality rate to 1% or less, and case positivity rate to 10% in first phase, and later to 5% in states with high case load as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, said Bhushan. Eight states have achieved a case fatality rate of 1% and below. The ultimate aim is to save lives and it is a positive trend that we are losing fewer patients as compared to other Covid-19 affected countries, says Dr GC Khilnani, former head, pulmonology department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A 19-month-old injured in a weekend Tuscaloosa abuse case has now died, according to authorities. The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit said the girl was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon at Childrens of Alabama. Investigators have upgraded the charge against a man previously arrested in the case. Felix Tabb, 28, is now charged with capital murder. The new warrant against Tabb was obtained Wednesday and served on him in the Tuscaloosa County Jail where he was already held on first-degree assault. Investigators on Saturday responded to DCH on a report of a child with significant head trauma. The girl was airlifted to Childrens in Birmingham where she was on life-support until her death. Capt. Jack Kennedy said the investigation showed the mother left her child alone with a Tabb, a male acquaintance, for several hours in the 3700 block of Third Avenue East. Physical evidence was found at the residence that showed the girl was injured while under the mans care. The young victim was one of two toddler girls killed in abuse cases in Tuscaloosa County. Authorities responded Monday to a home in the 15000 block of Savannah Drive in Coker. The call originally came in as a medical issue, Kennedy said. The girl was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Because of the age of the 19-month-old, Kennedy said, the investigation was launched. John Thompson, the boyfriend of the girls mother, had been taking care of the child while the mother was working. He told authorities he found the child breathing irregularly and summoned help. A preliminary autopsy report on Tuesday indicated the death was not due to natural causes. Kennedy said the report indicated severe abuse, assault or trauma. The 31-year-old Thompson is also charged with capital murder. In another round of their anti-Russian disinformation campaign 'U.S. government officials claim that some websites loosely connected to Russia are spreading 'virus disinformation. However, no 'virus disinformation can be found on those sites. The Associated Press as well as the New York Times were briefed by the 'officials' and provided write ups. AP: US officials: Russia behind spread of virus disinformation Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscows military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The information had previously been classified, but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more freely discuss it. Officials said they were doing so now to sound the alarm about the particular websites and to expose what they say is a clear link between the sites and Russian intelligence. Between late May and early July, one of the officials said, the websites singled out Tuesday published about 150 articles about the pandemic response, including coverage aimed either at propping up Russia or denigrating the U.S. Among the headlines that caught the attention of U.S. officials were Russias Counter COVID-19 Aid to America Advances Case for Detente, which suggested that Russia had given urgent and substantial aid to the U.S. to fight the pandemic, and Beijing Believes COVID-19 is a Biological Weapon, which amplified statements by the Chinese. The first mentioned piece, Russias Counter-COVID Aid To America Advances The Case For A New Detente, is by the well known author Andrew Korybko, a U.S. political analyst living in Moscow. It was published at OneWorld.press. The essay discussed the Russian Coronavirus aid flown in early April from Russia to the U.S. The analyst concludes that such aid can be seen as the beginning of a new detente between the U.S. and Russia. There is zero 'virus disinformation in the Korybko piece. The aid flight did happen and was widely reported. In a response to the allegations the proprietors of OneWorld point out that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a recent Q&A also alluded to a new detente with Russia. Was that also 'virus disinformation? The second piece the 'officials' pointed out, Beijing believes COVID-19 is a biological weapon, was written In March by Lucas Leiroz, a "research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro". It is an exaggerating analysis of the comments and questions a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry had made about the possible sources of the Coronavirus. The original spokesperson quote is in the piece. Referring to additional sources the authors interpretation may go a bit beyond the quotes meaning. But it is certainly not 'virus disinformation to raise the same speculative question about the potential sources of the virus which at that time many others were also asking. The piece was published by InfoBRICS.org, a "BRICS information portal" which publishes in the languages of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). It is presumably financed by some or all of those countries. Another website the 'U.S. officials have pointed out is InfoRos.ru which publishes in Russian and English. The AP notes of it: A headline Tuesday on InfoRos.ru about the unrest roiling American cities read Chaos in the Blue Cities, accompanying a story that lamented how New Yorkers who grew up under the tough-on-crime approach of former Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg and have zero street smarts must now adapt to life in high-crime urban areas. Another story carried the headline of Ukrainian Trap for Biden, and claimed that Ukrainegate a reference to stories surrounding Bidens son Hunters former ties to a Ukraine gas company keeps unfolding with renewed vigor. U.S. officials have identified two of the people believed to be behind the sites operations. The men, Denis Valeryevich Tyurin and Aleksandr Gennadyevich Starunskiy, have previously held leadership roles at InfoRos but have also served in a GRU unit specializing in military psychological intelligence and maintain deep contacts there, the officials said. InfoRos calls itself a 'news agency and has some rather boring general interest stuff on its site. But how is its writing in FOX News style about unrest in U.S. cities and about Bidens escapades in the Ukraine 'virus disinformation? I fail to find any on that site. In 2018 some "western intelligence agency" told the Washington Post, without providing any evidence, that InfoRos is related to the Russian military intelligence service GU (formerly GRU): Unit 54777 has several front organizations that are financed through government grants as public diplomacy organizations but are covertly run by the GRU and aimed at Russian expatriates, the intelligence officer said. Two of the most significant are InfoRos and the Institute of the Russian Diaspora. So InfoRos is getting some public grants and was allegedly previously run by two people who before that worked for the GU. What does that say about the current state and the content it provides? Nothing. The NYT adds that hardly anyone is reading the websites the 'U.S. officials pointed out but that their content is at times copied by more prominent aggregator sites: What we have seen from G.R.U. operations is oftentimes the social media component is a flop, but the narrative content that they write is shared more broadly through the niche media ecosystem, said Renee DiResta, a research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, who has studied the G.R.U. and InfoRos ties and propaganda work. There are plenty of sites who copy content from various outlets and reproduce it under their name. But that does not turn whatever they publish into disinformation. All the pieces mentioned by AP and NYT and attributed to the 'Russian' sites are basically factual and carry no 'virus disinformation. That makes the 'U.S.officials claims that they do such the real disinformation campaign. And the AP and NYT are willingly falling for it. San Francisco police officers were injured in separate incidents over the past week, with a sergeant being stabbed in the face during an arrest and two others suffering chemical burns while breaking up a fight, authorities said Thursday. At about 9:15 p.m. Saturday, police responded to reports of a stabbing at Waller and Clayton streets in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, according to San Francisco police. A witness pointed out the suspect Mike Anderson, a 40-year-old San Francisco resident fleeing from the scene, and officers began pursuing him on foot, police said. As a sergeant attempted to arrest Anderson, he allegedly produced a sharp metal object and stabbed the sergeant in the face. A struggle with other officers ensued, leaving two other officers injured before Anderson was taken into custody, police said. The sergeant was taken to the hospital, where he received eight stitches in his face. Anderson was taken to the San Francisco County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, three counts of resisting an officer and resisting an officer which causes injury, according to police. Last Friday, a separate incident involving two families in a dispute around 9 a.m. on the 1600 block of Sunnydale Avenue ended with an unknown chemical being sprayed and an unknown liquid being thrown, according to police. Two officers attempting to break up the fight were hit by the liquid chemical and spray, suffering minor burns and temporary vision loss. 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. Regina Cole, 29, and 23-year-old Tyresha Blake, both of San Francisco, were arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of assault with caustic chemicals, police said. San Franciscans have never tolerated attacks on the police officers sworn to protect their safety, and I have no higher priority as our Citys chief of police than to protect the life and well-being of all members of the San Francisco Police Department, Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement. Recent attacks on San Francisco police officers over the weekend are unacceptable, and they merit our citys most aggressive response. Brett Simpson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: brett.simpson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @brettvsimpson Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 15:31:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- New Zealanders are being invited to help recognize the work of the many "unsung heroes" in our ethnic communities during COVID-19. New Zealand is home to 942,000 people who identify their ethnicity as Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, Asian, and Continental European. During the extraordinary time of the COVID-19 pandemic, community organizations representing ethnic communities worked tirelessly to meet the needs of their local communities, Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa said in a statement on Thursday. "When people in our communities and neighborhoods needed help and support during one of the most challenging times the country has faced, they received it," she said. "Much of the hard work was done behind-the-scenes," Salesa said. She invites the public to nominate those groups that have made a real difference during this time, the contribution of which will then be acknowledged and recognized. Enditem He also gave verbal directions to make necessary arrangements for the prevention of COVID-19 spread during the session, the official added The Rajasthan Governor has approved the Cabinet proposal to call the assembly session from August 14. (Twitter/@ashokgehlot51) Jaipur: The deadlock over convening the Rajasthan Assembly ended Wednesday with Governor Kalraj Mishra agreeing to call a session from August 14. The Raj Bhawan announcement came a couple of hours after the Ashok Gehlot Cabinet sent a fourth proposal to the Governor for summoning the Rajasthan Assembly, mentioning August 14 as the new date. The government argued that this met the 21-day notice requirement on which the Governor was insisting, counting the days from July 23 when the first proposal for the session was sent to the Raj Bhawan. The Congress government had earlier asked for the session to begin on July 31. The Governor had turned down three earlier proposals, saying if the government wanted the assembly summoned at short notice it should state that it planned to hold a vote of confidence. Otherwise, it should give 21 days' notice, he had said. On Wednesday, the Raj Bhawan returned the third proposal sent by the government on Tuesday. But the fourth proposal sent Wednesday night after another cabinet meeting was approved. The Rajasthan Governor has approved the Cabinet proposal to call the assembly session from August 14, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said. "He also gave verbal directions to make the necessary arrangements for the prevention of COVID-19 spread during the session, the official added. While returning an earlier proposal Tuesday, Governor Mishra highlighted three points: a 21-day notice, live broadcast of the proceedings if there is a trust vote, and social distancing during the session. As the impasse over calling a session seemed to deepen Wednesday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a 15-minute meeting with Mishra at the Raj Bhawan. Hours later, the state Cabinet met to redraft the proposal, setting the new date. Speaker C P Joshi also met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan, making what was described as a courtesy call. It was also Joshi's birthday. After the Cabinet meeting, a minister announced that the government is sending a new proposal which it hoped will end the deadlock. Neither the Governor nor the government wants confrontation. The Cabinet has passed a revised proposal for forwarding to the Governor, Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told reporters. Gehlot is caught in a tussle for power in Rajasthan with his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot, who leads a group of 18 other dissident Congress MLAs. A part of this drama is being played out in the Rajasthan High Court, which the 19 dissident MLAs had earlier approached against the disqualification notices served to them by the Speaker. On Wednesday, the high court also began hearing a plea by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, challenging the Speaker's decision to reject his complaint against the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress. Justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal will also hear a Bahujan Samaj Party petition on the same issue. At a Pradesh Congress Committee meeting, where the new state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasra took charge, Gehlot told party workers that there was nothing to worry about as the leadership in Delhi was with them in the crisis. "The love letter has already come. Now, I am only going to have tea with him, he said before heading for the Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Mishra. He was referring to the note from the Governor, returning for the third time his Cabinet's proposal to convene the state assembly. According to a press release from the Raj Bhawan, the Governor had also referred to the coronavirus pandemic while returning the government's proposal. He questioned why the lives of over 1,200 people be put in danger without any special reason. After Wednesday's cabinet meeting, a minister said it was for the Speaker to ensure these arrangements. The Raj Bhawan statement, made before the cabinet meeting in the evening, had also referred to the MLAs who are holed up in hotels. The note said it is the constitutional duty of the Governor to ensure their free movement and presence in the House. Pilot, who was sacked as Rajasthan's deputy chief minister and the state's Congress chief after he rebelled, congratulated Dotasra on being appointed to the post he once held. I expect that without any pressure or prejudice, you will give full respect to those workers through whose hard work the government was formed," he tweeted in Hindi, in an apparent reference to himself and the other dissidents. "Thank you very much Sachin ji, Dotasra tweeted back. I also hope that you will leave the hospitality of the BJP and the (Manohar Lal) Khattar government and come to Jaipur to stand with the Congress government for maintaining the honour of all Congress workers whose hard work formed the government. Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 107 MLAs in the 200-member assembly. The BJP has 72. File photo PM News reports that unidentified gunmen have killed 13 members of the same family in a village in Kogi-Koton-Karfe LGA in Kogi state. There was only one survivor in the family, police said. The killings were carried out in the early hours of Wednesday in Agbudu community. One other person, outside the family, was killed and six persons were seriously injured. The state Police Commissioner, Ede Ayuba, who disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the command headquarters in Lokoja, said he got the report about 2: 00 a.m. Ayuba confirmed 13 of the slain victims were from same family. This morning around 2 am, my Area Commander called me to report that he received information that there was an attack on Agbudu community. I called the SSA on Security of the Local Government in Koton-Karfe and I said that before I get there, he should mobilise his vigilante men to assist the police the DPO and the Area Commander in the area for them to assess the place and see what assistance they could render. Ayuba said that the vigilance men and his men left immediately and by the time they got there, the hoodlums had carried out their operation and left. The commissioner said he later went to the scene of crime and took part in collection of the dead bodies, adding that: I was there and I was part of those who picked some of the dead bodies we are talking about. Yes, 14 people were killed and about six others were injured. The saddening thing is that out of the 14 bodies that were brought out, 13 were from one family. In that family, it is only one person that survived. His uncle, his mother, his uncles wife, his younger brother, his senior brothers wife, his wife and all his children were killed, he said. The commissioner said that the police had carried out some preliminary investigations and discovered that there had been long-standing communal feud in the community. What I think is, there has been a long-standing communal problem around that area which we are not clearly seeing, but we know that it would not be far from it. Presently investigation is in progress. The only person that survived the attack is already with us and he is helping us. The chief of that place is also helping us and some other spirited individuals. The Ohimege of Koton-Karfe, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isa-Koto, is also helping us, the local government and all the personnel are helping us. We are sure, God helping us, we are going to get to the root of all these things that are happening. In the interim, I want to give the assurance that we are not going to relent in our efforts. We will make sure we get to the root of anything that is behind the killings, he said. The CEOs of four tech giants -- Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google -- appeared before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law on Wednesday to address concerns that their businesses may be harming competition. IMAGE: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook all raise their hands to be sworn in to testify remotely via videoconference during a US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in Washington, US. Photograph: US House Judiciary Committee/Reuters According to a CNN report, during the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg was pressed on a video that went viral this week containing false and misleading claims about coronavirus. "Doesn't that suggest, Mr Zuckerberg, your platform is so big that even with the right policies in place, you can't contain deadly content?" Representative Cicilline asked. "We have, on COVID misinformation in particular, a relatively good track record of fighting and taking down lots of false content," Zuckerberg was quoted as saying, "as well as putting up authoritative information. We have built a Covid information center with authoritative information from health officials." Representative Kelly Armstrong asked Jeff Bezos a series of important questions about how Amazon uses data from third-party sellers, reported CNN. IMAGE: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks via video conference during the hearing in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Photograph: Graeme Jennings/Pool/Reuters As per the report, Armstrong drilled down, getting Bezos to concede that "aggregate" could mean as few as two sellers -- implying that it might be possible for employees to guess at which data was whose when trying to position Amazon products more advantageously. In his remarks, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company "is a uniquely American company whose success is only possible in this country." House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler questioned to Mark Zuckerberg if Instagram should be broken off from Facebook. IMAGE: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos testifies during the hearing. Photograph: Graeme Jennings/Pool/Reuters "In hindsight, it looks obvious that Instagram reached the scale it has. At the time, it was far from obvious," Zuckerberg told the committee. According to a Sputnik report, during the hearing, Sunder Pichai also said that Google is not giving any significant advanced technology support to Chinese armed forces. IMAGE: Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/Pool/Reuters "We are not working with the Chinese military: It is absolutely false," Pichai told the hearing, according to Sputnik. "We are deeply committed to supporting the US military and the US government." FILE PHOTO: Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the Sultanate of Sulu, points at a map of Borneo's eastern Sabah state as he talks to reporters in suburban Taguig City, Philippines on Tuesday March 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) By Clarissa Batino The Philippine foreign minister sparked a diplomatic fight over Twitter by asserting ownership over the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, reviving a longstanding territorial dispute between the Southeast Asian nations. Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, on his official Twitter account, said he will summon the Philippine ambassador on Monday in reaction to his Philippine counterparts July 27 tweet. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin tweeted that Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines, reacting to a U.S. Embassy item describing the area straddling both nations as part of Malaysia. This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties. @MalaysiaMFA will summon the Philippines Ambassador on Monday to explain. Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia. https://t.co/KcUnDxOySl Hishammuddin Hussein (@HishammuddinH2O) July 29, 2020 You summoned our ambassador for a historically factual statement I made: that Malaysia tried to derail the Arbitral Award. This was reported to us by our diplomats on the scene and our German lawyer. None may share our Hague victory who worked against it. https://t.co/BzmWvE5NGQ Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 29, 2020 Sabah is a long-standing, on-and-off flashpoint between the neighbors, with the most recent flare up in February 2013 when followers of a self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu, sought to claim sovereignty and led to clashes that killed dozens. The sultans of Sulu once ruled over Sabah and the Sulu islands in southern Philippines. The state fell under British control after World War II and joined Malaysia in 1963, shortly after Sulu ceded its sovereignty to the Philippines. The Sabah state itself is facing its own domestic political upheaval as the opposition party said it has enough majority in state parliament to take over -- leading Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, who has also been touted as a possible prime minister candidate, to hold a lengthy meeting with the state governor late Wednesday amid talks of a snap state election. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2020 (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images) Trumps Creative Kodak Deal Hailed by Health Experts WASHINGTONThis week, the Trump administration took a momentous step to bring manufacturing back to the United States as the once-mighty camera company Kodak will be transformed into a pharmaceutical firm to produce essential medicines. Rosemary Gibson, the co-author of China Rx, praised the deal, calling it a great step forward for the country. Our health security will be dramatically improved and certainly our national security, she told The Epoch Times. We need 50 of these to come back to our country. As a result of the pandemic, Gibsons book has become essential reading for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as it exposes the risks of Americas dependence on China for medicines. Eastman Kodak Co. has secured a $765 million government loan under the Defense Production Act (DPA) to produce generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as part of an effort to reduce the United States reliance on China for crucial medical supply. The loan will be provided by U.S. International Development Finance Corp., the governments newly formed development finance institution. With this loan, Kodak will build the needed capacity to produce essential medicines. Gibson noted that such deals will help create some degree of self-sufficiency. We should be able to make some of the most essential drugs that are necessary for our health care systems, our hospitals, so they dont face disruptions especially during periods of the pandemic, she said. The country still faces a shortage of basic antibiotics such as doxycycline and amoxicillin, she noted, that are crucial for coronavirus patients and China controls 90 percent of the core chemicals to make them. During the pandemic, countries where production facilities are located have imposed export restrictions for critically needed items. Thats disrupted the U.S. pharmaceutical industrys global supply chain and alarmed Congress and the White House. President Donald Trump called the deal a momentous step toward achieving American pharmaceutical independence. Restoring U.S. manufacturing is a core matter of national security that has become ever clearer due to the pandemic, he said on July 28 at a White House press conference. The Kodak deal marks the administrations 33rd use of the DPA, a Korean War-era law that grants the president a wartime authority to get the needed supplies from the private industry. According to Roger Klein, a physician and health policy expert, Trump found a creative way to help Kodak make productive use of its assets and resources, while creating new jobs. This is a creative and innovative way to bring manufacturing home by helping a struggling but storied company to redeploy its expertise, he told The Epoch Times. Kodak shares have skyrocketed more than 1,100 percent in just two days after the announcement. Why Kodak Founded in 1888, Kodak was once one of the most powerful companies in the world. However, the photography pioneer failed to ride the digital wave and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012 after a long struggle. According to Harvard Business School professor and former Kodak executive Willy Shih, it makes sense to turn to Kodak for the production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients. Kodak has the capability, since it was one of the great manufacturers of complicated organic chemicals, he told The Epoch Times. The Eastman Kodak research lab, in the latter part of the 20th century, was one of the great industrial research labs in the world, especially for organic chemistry. In addition, new process technologies afford the opportunity to reduce waste products and produce in an environmentally responsible way, according to Shih. However, there are economic challenges in producing domestically, which affect drug pricing. When the current crisis passes, will people be willing to pay more because its made domestically? Now my argument would be, if you want to have a domestic supply chain so that you have more resilience when the next pandemic hits, the answer should be yes, Shih said. But I dont think consumers are prepared to do that. And I think thats the fundamental dilemma in this country. With the new deal, Kodak will reach a capacity to produce 25 percent of the generic active pharmaceutical ingredients needed in the country, a fact sheet by the White House stated. Jim Continenza, CEO and chairman of Kodak, told CNN that the new operation would create 300 new jobs in Rochester, New York, where Kodak is based, as well as 30 to 50 jobs in Minnesota. In addition, it will create 1,200 indirect jobs, he said. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who touted the deal, said in a tweet on July 28 that he was happy to have worked with the White House on the project. The fed gov took a smart step today in using the Defense Production Act, he wrote. Americans should never again rely on foreign supplies during a pandemic. Ly Son Island off the coast of Quang Ngai Province in Central Vietnam is said to be the azure island as the seawater is so azure and pure that it gives visitors a feeling of seeing through the seabed. C hinas ambassador to the UK has said that recent rows have "seriously poisoned the atmosphere" of relations between the two countries. Liu Xiaoming warned the UK against allowing Cold War warriors to further damage relations with Beijing. The relationship between the two nations has soured in recent weeks amid rows over Hong Kong, the ban on tech giant Huawei playing a role in the 5G network and British criticism of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. On Thursday, Mr Liu rejected claims of abuse against Uighur Muslims, condemned the decision on Huawei and warned the UK not to interfere in Chinese internal affairs over Hong Kong. Liu Xiaoming was recently questioned about China's allegedly human rights abuses against the Uighurs / BBC In an online press conference, Mr Liu said: China respects UK sovereignty and has never interfered in the UKs internal affairs. It is important the UK will do the same namely, respect Chinas sovereignty and stop interfering in Hong Kongs affairs, which are Chinas internal affairs, so as to avoid further damage to the China-UK relationship. The imposition of a new national security law led to the Government opening the door to British National (Overseas) passport-holders in the territory to come to the UK, and the suspension of extradition arrangements. A Uighur woman waiting with children on a street in Kashgar in China's northwest Xinjiang region / AFP via Getty Images China has threatened not to recognise the BN(O) passport as a valid travel document. Donald Trumps White House has pushed allies to distance themselves from China, and US sanctions ultimately led to the UKs U-turn on Huaweis involvement in 5G. Boris Johnsons Government has also come under pressure from hawkish MPs on the Tory benches calling for a tougher stance. Huawei has been banned from playing a part in the UK's 5G network / AFP via Getty Images But Beijings representative in the UK said the country should follow its own foreign policy. Mr Liu said: Its our hope that the UK would resist the pressure and coercion from a certain country and provide an open, fair, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese investment so as to bring back the confidence of Chinese businesses in the UK. He added that once the Brexit and Covid-19 issues are dealt with, there will be unlimited prospects for China-UK co-operation in areas of trade, financial services, science and technology, education and healthcare. It is hard to imagine a global Britain that bypasses or excludes China, he said. Decoupling from China means decoupling from opportunities, decoupling from growth and decoupling from the future. Hong Kong made their first major arrests under China's new security law this week / REUTERS He said he hoped the two countries have enough wisdom and capabilities to manage their differences rather than allowing anti-China forces and Cold War warriors to kidnap the China-UK relationship. Great Britain cannot be great without independent foreign policies, he said. Mr Liu devoted a large part of his press conference to addressing rumours and lies about the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, with a series of propaganda videos aimed at rebutting Western criticism. He suggested that so-called victims of persecution including forced sterilisation were either separatists or actors trained by anti-China forces in the US and other Western countries. In a further sign of the deteriorating relationship with China, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab condemned a decision to block 12 pro-democracy candidates from standing in Hong Kongs legislative council elections in September. It is clear they have been disqualified because of their political views, undermining the integrity of one country, two systems and the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the joint declaration and Hong Kongs basic law, he said. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) East Zone water concessionaire Manila Water admitted it has received thousands of complaints about supposedly wrong billing statements during the periods of enhanced community quarantine. Speaking to CNN Philippines on Thursday, Manila Water Communications Manager Dittie Galang said, "Out of our 1 million water service connections...ang mga humiling na imbestigahan yung kanilang bill ay umaabot lamang sa mahigit 7,900, or roughly 0.7 percent nung ating mga customers." [Translation: "Out of our 1 million water service connections...those who asked that their billings be investigated are just 7,900 or roughly 0.7 percent of our customers.] Upon investigation, of the 7,900 around 6,200 are based on actual meter readings, she added. Galang said a number of those who complained about high water bills were found to have underground leaks which may not have been immediately repaired, and contributed to the cost especially during the period when Metro Manila was under an enhanced community quarantine. Galang said a number of factors could have contributed to why customers' water bills were higher than expected, especially during the ECQ months. One of them, she said, could be because the ECQ happened during the months of March, April, and May summer months when customers' consumption is usually high. "Kasama pa nito, nung nasa ECQ tayo... mas maraming miyembro ng pamilya ang nasa bahay lang at mas marami ang gumagamit ng tubig sa mas mahabang oras dahil hindi pumapasok nsa eskwela, hindi pumapasok sa opisina, nasa bahay lang," she said. [Translation: Along with this, during ECQ...more family members were consuming water for longer periods because they were at home and not going to school or work.] There were also constant reminders from the Department of Health for people to wash their hands and disinfect their surroundings. Galang said customers were given a special statement of account once the water company was able to resume reading of water meters, to let customers know how the process was done and how they were billed. "Ang pagbabasehan lang naman nito ay yung pagbasa nung huling nag meter reading...at nung nagresume tayo nung actual meter reading. Yung difference between those two readings, yun ang ating pagcocompute-an," she said. [Translation: We only base these on the last meter reading...and when we resumed the actual meter reading. The difference between those two readings was what we use to compute.] She added they divided that reading as equally as possible into three months. Galang said the total consumption from the reading was divided as equally as possible into three months. This was done to avoid the charges happening all at once, she said, adding that "if the consumption is higher, there is a chance they will go up to the next tarrif grade and pay a higher bill." She, however, admitted there were instances when customers' billings had to be adjusted. Payment schemes for the current bills are available for customers. "Yung unang inoffer sa mga customers...binibigyan yung non-lifeline customers hanggang July 31 para bayaran yung kanilang ECQ bills. Yung mga lifeline customers, yung mga kumu-konsumo ng 10 cubic meters or less sa isang buwan, at nandoon ito sa mga low-income communities, binigyan natin sila hanggang katapusan ng August," she said. [Translation: The first offer for customers...non-lifeline customers were given until July 31 to pay their ECQ bills. Lifeline customers, or those who consume 10 cubic meters or less in a month, and these are usually in low-income communities, they have until the end of August.] However the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System has asked that the deadline be extended until the end of September. Manila Water says they have agreed to this, adding the extension will be for all customers. Manila Water says a staggered payment option are also offered to customers who have high water bills Watch the interview here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:36:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Africa still has a chance to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent once proper measures taken, John Nkengasong, director of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said on Thursday. According to the released data as of July 29 by the CDC Africa, a total of 871,970 cases of infection and 18,475 deaths across the continent had been registered. "If you look at the continent carefully, 36 countries have less than 5,000 cases, and 43 countries have less than 10,000 cases," Nkengasong said while attending a virtual conference held by a Chinese think tank, the China-Africa Institute. "There is still a huge opportunity on the continent to develop appropriate model actions to fight COVID-19," he noted. Nkengasong also reiterated his praise of China's response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The China-Africa Institute, created in April 2019, aims to strengthen Sino-African understanding, exchanges and friendship. Enditem San Franciscos $1.6 billion Central Subway project was deeply troubled even before the pandemic struck, its construction lagging two years behind schedule as Chinatown businesses went under. A city bus project on Van Ness Avenue has wrought similar disarray, holding another neighborhood hostage to infighting and ineptitude. Now, in the name of inflicting the transportation management wizardry responsible for such boondoggles upon another agency and the suburbs it serves, San Franciscos supervisors are threatening to drive a viable commuter train off the rails. Rather than give voters a chance to approve a 0.125% sales tax to help Caltrain survive the devastation of its ridership by the coronavirus the rare tax proposal they havent uncritically embraced the supervisors decided this moment of crisis was an ideal opportunity for a petty political squabble. Led by Aaron Peskin and Shamann Walton, they passed a convoluted and possibly illegal scheme Tuesday to hijack the revenue and force the San Mateo County Transit District to give them more control over the service. SamTrans has managed Caltrain under an agreement with neighboring jurisdictions since it helped purchase the lines right-of-way from Southern Pacific in 1991; San Francisco and Santa Clara County never paid their share. The supervisors have been joined in their juvenile turf warfare by their Santa Clara County counterparts and, more disappointingly, the usually responsible mayors of San Francisco and San Jose, London Breed and Sam Liccardo. The mayors attested in a joint statement that it is never a good time to deal with governance wan justification indeed for choosing the worst possible time. How could so many local pols come to the misguided conclusion that they should threaten the region with a self-inflicted wound in the midst of a deadly and costly pandemic? Partly by casting the South Bay-to-San Francisco systems commuters as representatives of that favorite regional bugaboo, the rich tech worker. While the systems riders do skew affluent, a recent survey showed that 10% are from households earning less than $50,000 a year and 29% are from those making under $100,000. Moreover, Caltrain is substantially supported by passengers, who shouldered 70% of its pre-pandemic budget. Nor would putting 65,000 riders a day in cars help anyone who uses the Bay Areas roads or breathes its air. San Mateo County officials have been categorical in their rejection of the recent maneuvers. Thats understandable under the circumstances, though it may not be the best way to reach a compromise that keeps trains running. The middle countys position may be strengthened by the fact that San Franciscos gambit doesnt appear to comply with the state legislation enabling a tri-county tax, which requires any revenue to go to Caltrain. Its time for the adults in local government assuming there are a few left to sort out their bureaucratic resentments and put this tax to the voters. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. While deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be leveling off. Scientists arent celebrating by any means, warning that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places Arizona, California, Florida and Texas and that cases are rising in close to 30 states in all, with the outbreak's center of gravity seemingly shifting from the Sun Belt toward the Midwest. Some experts wonder whether the apparent caseload improvements will endure. It's also not clear when deaths will start coming down. COVID-19 deaths do not move in perfect lockstep with the infection curve, for the simple reason that it can take weeks to get sick and die from the virus. The future? I think its very difficult to predict, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's foremost infectious-disease expert. "What inevitably is going to happen is that the states that are not yet in trouble, will likely get into trouble," Fauci said Wednesday in an interview on MSNBC. States including Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee are seeing an increase in the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, he said, a development that preceded the spike in the South and West. The White House coronavirus task force has warned Midwestern governors that the time to get ahead of the curve is now before the numbers start to skyrocket in their states, Fauci said. "Before you know it, two to three weeks down the pike, you're in trouble," he said. Already, West Virginia is watching coronavirus migrate from the South daily, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said. The state has lost five more people to the virus since Monday, bringing the total to more than 112 deaths in the state. "It's just not good. That's just all there is to it," Justice said. The latest numbers More than 4.4 million cases of the virus and 152,000 deaths have been reported in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Where western and southern states stand now States across the West and South have set records for daily cases and deaths this month as the virus has surged. California set a grim record of 197 deaths in a single day, the California Department of Public Health reported Wednesday. The last record for the state was set just the week before at 159. Los Angeles County also saw its highest COVID-19 death toll to date with 91 deaths, bringing the total in the county to 4,516. But the county's Health Director Barbara Ferrer warned that some of Wednesday's fatalities are also attributed to a reporting backlog. Also setting a record for coronavirus deaths in one day, Florida reported 216 deaths Wednesday. The state has been at the forefront of the resurgence in coronavirus cases. Texas cases surpass New York Coronavirus cases in Texas have risen to more than 418,00, putting the state at a higher case count than New York. Once the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, New York now ranks fourth in total case count behind California, Florida and Texas, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Medical teams on the frontlines in Texas said that spikes in the state have taken a toll. "It's very hard. We're seeing entire families in our communities ravaged by the virus," said Dr. Martin Schwartz, who treats patients in intensive care units. "A lot of deaths inside one single family. It's terrible." The main hotspot in the state has been the Rio Grande Valley, where hospitals began reaching capacity earlier this month. Health officials say the pandemic is wreaking havoc on communities in Hidalgo County. "It's a tsunami what we're seeing right now," said Dr. Federico Vallejo, a critical care pulmonologist. He told CNN last week that he is treating up to 70 patients a day compared to the usual 15 to 20 a critical care doctor sees during a rotation. Texas was one of the first states to reopen in May, but Gov. Greg Abbott announced a pause to any further reopening in June when cases surged. Now Texas is one of the 41 states to implement mask requirements in some form to protect against the virus's spread. Though many health experts stress the importance of wearing masks to protect against the spread of the virus, their use has been under debate in the public. Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, who has frequently refused to wear a mask, has tested positive for the virus. Gohmert told KETK on Wednesday he may have contracted coronavirus by incorrectly wearing his mask. "I can't help but think that if I hadn't been wearing a mask so much in the last 10 days or so, I really wonder if I would have gotten it," Gohmert added. "You know, moving the mask around, getting it just right, we're bound to put some virus on the mask that I sucked in. That's most likely what happened." While wearing a mask incorrectly can expose a person to the virus, experts say it primarily spreads person to person. Florida sheriff issues more than 200 citations for gatherings Florida's Broward County sheriff says he's got no plans to end an operation cracking down on large gatherings, which has already resulted in more than 200 citations. The operation's goals were two-fold, Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a virtual news conference Wednesday: to reduce the large gatherings that were taking place and to crack down on "roving car clubs" that were bringing dozens of young people together throughout certain parts of the community. There have been more than 1,100 calls of service about parties and social gatherings, the sheriff said. In the two weeks since the operation was launched, Tony says police have responded to at least 13 different gatherings or parties and issued more than 260 different citations. "Anytime we're having large gatherings of 100, 150 plus people, it's crystal clear that we're not seeing a compliance with the CDC recommendations and therefore more people will contract this virus," the sheriff said. "We have no interest at this point in time to discontinue having this type of enforcement operation," he said. Broward County borders Miami-Dade County, which has been called by some experts the country's new coronavirus epicenter, with overwhelmed hospitals and maxed out ICUs sounding the alarm over the rise in patients. And in the last week, sick Floridians seeking treatment in Miami-Dade County spilled over to the neighboring county's hospitals. And across the state, the daily number of coronavirus-related deaths broke a record Wednesday for the second day in a row. During his news conference, the sheriff urged the use of face masks, asking residents in the community to take a "common sense approach." "It's not about the individual person anymore," Tony said. "When you don't wear a mask when you don't comply, you are potentially exposing someone else. So it's not simply about what you can do for yourself as well what you can do for other people that you don't even know." He said several businesses who weren't following coronavirus guidelines were shut down for at least a day or fined. "We do need to get better compliance out of our community, they need to take on a greater deal of social responsibility. If not, we will be out there enforcing, citing, and writing notices," the sheriff said. Stop the spread of COVID-19 To help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask. Masks are required in public places in some states and businesses. Multiple major retailers have announced mask requirement policies as the nation continues to see a large number of cases reported in certain areas. The CDC also recommends you keep 6 feet of distance between yourself and others. Make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. For more tips on how to stay safe, CLICK HERE. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Pompeo's anti-China speech contrary to historical facts, says former U.S. senior diplomat U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's anti-China speech last week was a "psychotic rant" and ran contrary to historical facts, said a former U.S. senior diplomat. Charles Freeman, a former veteran diplomat who worked on multiple positions in the U.S. State Department, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Pompeo's speech served domestic political agenda and his own political ambition, instead of foreign policy goals. In a hostile speech at Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum last Thursday, Pompeo groundlessly slandered the domestic and foreign policies of Beijing and instigated "the free world" to stand up against China. The speech was part of a broad anti-China campaign, and the United States is reestablishing hostility against China "as outlined in Pompeo's psychotic rant of last Thursday," Freeman said. As evidenced by a series of similar hostile public remarks by National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General William Barr, Freeman said the U.S. "China policy is now made by notable anti-China elements, who will have agreed with the many falsehoods and distortions of Pompeo's rhetoric." Standing in front of Nixon's birthplace, Pompeo asserted that U.S. engagement policy with China, originated from former President Nixon and implemented by successive U.S. administrations, was a failure because it did not change China domestically. Such a claim was entirely against the history in the opinion of Freeman, who joined Nixon's path-breaking visit to China in 1972 as the principal interpreter. Nixon had "absolutely zero interest" in changing anything but influencing China's foreign policies, Freeman told Xinhua. "Those who don't understand what engagement achieved argue that it failed to change the Chinese political system, something it was never intended to do," Freeman emphasized. The engagement was also not designed to change China's economic system, he noted. "But it did fundamentally, which was good for China, the United States, and the world." "Overall, the maneuver was brilliant," he said. The U.S. engagement policy with China bolstered the global balance and helped keep the peace, and cooperation between Washington and Beijing in the 1980s contributed significantly to the end of the Cold War. "Apparently, Americans who don't see this are so nostalgic for the Cold War that they want to replicate it, this time with China," said Freeman. Freeman also told Xinhua that some Americans were so unsatisfied with China's achievement that "rather than addressing their own country's competitive weaknesses, they are attempting to knock China back into government-managed trade and underdevelopment." Those people imagined that "decoupling" would somehow restore the economic strengths America's ill-conceived policies have enfeebled, he said. Freeman, who was U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia in the late 1980s and later assistant secretary of defense, said Pompeo's speech was a domestic political speech rather than a foreign policy speech. "Pompeo's purpose was to make a play for that part of Trump's constituency. He plans to run for president himself," he said. Yorba Linda, where Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum located, is one of the most consistently Republican cities in Orange County, about 37 miles (about 59.5 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles in California. Pompeo was born in Orange County. ChaosSearch is delivering on the initial promise of a data lake with a new approach that delivers ubiquitous data access to all data no matter the size, scale, or speed. ChaosSearch, Inc., creator of the first cloud data lake engine for scalable log analysis, today announced a record-breaking first half of 2020. At a time when many companies are struggling due to COVID-19s impact on the economy, ChaosSearchs 1H 2020, and particularly its second quarter ending June 30, saw substantial growth in revenue from new customer adoption and existing customer expansion. The company attributes this to the urgent need for cost-effective, hassle-free log analysis solutions that can easily handle tens of terabytes of data per day as well as help protect infrastructure against cyberattacks. Cloud-native applications, which are growing by leaps and bounds, are putting increasing pressure on conventional log analytics infrastructure as data volumes swell. And with the acceleration in cyberattacks since COVID-19, the need for analyzing massive amounts of security log data is skyrocketing. All of this is driving demand for cost-effective scale-out access across terabytes of data that can be retained for months and years, said Les Yetton, ChaosSearch co-founder and CEO. As the past six months make clear, ChaosSearch is uniquely able to deliver what businesses require. Every day were taking more inbound inquiries from forward-thinking enterprises with the mandate and motivation to modernize and consolidate infrastructure, enhance uptime and security, and contain costs. The remainder of 2020 looks incredibly promising for our company. ChaosSearch is delivering on the initial promise of a data lake with a new approach that delivers ubiquitous data access to all data no matter the size, scale, or speed, said Mike Leone, principal analyst with ESG. This empowers businesses to gain insight and take action by rapidly ramping up and promoting data access and analysis to more people, at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches with virtually no future limitations based on speed, scale, or cost. Customer Traction A healthcare software company in the US and a research consortium in the EU that are collaborating on vaccines for COVID-19 selected ChaosSearch to monitor logs and proactively react with automated alerting and integrations to secure large repositories of research and patient data. HubSpot, a publicly traded marketing automation leader, selected ChaosSearch as the foundational log analytics infrastructure to support 20TB+ per day of Cloudflare log data for a critical security use case, as part of a planned transition from an in-house managed ELK Stack environment to a fully managed service. A global leader in guest data management and intelligence for the hotel industry with a growing data volume, wanted to move away from an in-house ELK Stack to reduce cost and complexity of log operations, and reflected that ChaosSearch was an easy choice. All of our users were already familiar with the Kibana UI, implementation was a breeze, and ChaosSearch has been a drop-in solution from day one. Armor, a top 5 leading global cybersecurity software company that protects workloads in public, hybrid, and private cloud environments, selected ChaosSearch as a replacement for a self-managed ELK Stack, to deliver an integrated log analysis solution to its customers. A leading SaaS healthcare payment platform vendor anticipating explosive data growth selected ChaosSearch as a managed, high-performance auto-scaling alternative to standing up an open source ELK Stack. The growth and success in the first half of 2020 is a testament to our overarching mission, the team as a whole, and of course the cutting-edge technology that makes ChaosSearch innovation possible. From the beginning we set out to reimagine / reinvent what a data lake could and should be, betting hard on cloud object storage and our patent-pending technology, said Thomas Hazel, ChaosSearch Founder and CTO. ChaosSearch provides the capabilities operational professionals need to store and analyze data at a scale, simplicity and cost thats disruptive. The only solution based entirely on cloud object storage, its distributed architecture and proprietary indexing and compression technologies enable businesses to gain new and better insights quickly and at a fraction of the cost. ChaosSearchs fully managed service helps businesses be much more agile and efficient, and more easily meet changing market demands. About ChaosSearch ChaosSearch delivers on the true promise of data lakes, instantly turning a companys own cloud object storage into a hot, robust, streamlined data analytics engine, where it is as simple to generate insights from the lake as it is to push data into it. Implemented today as a data lake engine for scalable log analysis on Amazon S3, ChaosSearch is an ELK-compatible, highly secure, fully managed service that scales to petabytes of data, quickly and at disruptively low cost. The privately held company is based in Boston, MA. For more information, visit ChaosSearch.io, follow on Twitter @ChaosSearch and LinkedIn. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, a coalition of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, is gradually relaxing lockdown restrictions, which were imposed since end-March to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in phases as part of the Maharashtras Mission Begin Again campaign that was unveiled on May 31, from next week. The campaign seeks to open up commercial activities in a bid to revive economic activities that have been battered by the pandemic. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here However, Mumbai-based retailers have written to CM Thackeray, urging him to let all shops in the city open after lockdown 3:0 ends on Friday (July 31). Shops in Mumbai, the epicentre of Covid-19 in the state and the country as well, have been allowed to open on alternative days. Salons and hotels, too, are operating under strict protocols, including maintaining social distancing norms to keep the contagion at bay. Viren Shah, president, Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA), said the current arrangement is economically unviable for retailers. Shops are allowed to open for only around 12 days a month. This doesnt help our cause, as we cant even pay our monthly rents or salaries to staff due to restricted economic activities, Shah said. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage However, in a recent interview to Saamana, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, the CM had made it clear that the lockdown wouldnt be abruptly lifted in a bid to guard against a second wave of viral infection in Maharashtra, a trend that has been reported from other countries that have been in the grip of the pandemic. He explained that a gradual easing of lockdown restrictions is the only way forward to flatten the viral curve. On Wednesday, the state extended the lockdown until August 31, albeit with a few more relaxations. Markets and shopping malls have been allowed to re-open from August 5, but movie halls, theatres, food courts, restaurants and gymnasiums are still off-limits. Eateries, operating out of shopping malls, have been allowed to operate as takeaway services. The spike in Covid-19 cases in the densely-congested Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other cities such as Pune have derailed the state governments plan to allow more transport facilities and additional workforce in offices. State government officials said that the easing of lockdown restrictions have also taken into account the upcoming religious festivals such as Bakr Eid, or Eid-al-Adha, on Saturday (August 1) and the 11-day Ganeshotsav that starts from August 22. On Wednesday, Maharashtra reported 9,211 new Covid-19 cases, as it breached the unenviable 400,000 mark. At present, the state has 1,46,129 active cases and the recovery rate is at 59.84%. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON FRANKFURT (Reuters) - HeidelbergCement, the world's No. 2 cement maker, on Thursday said it would continue to tighten its purse strings in the wake of the coronavirus crisis after a good start to the July-September quarter. The German group said construction activity had gradually recovered over the course of the second quarter, but cautioned it was still impossible to provide an outlook for the full-year. "We have made a solid start into the third quarter. We will maintain our focus on cost savings and preserving liquidity," Chief Executive Dominik von Achten said in ... Green shoots: I was eight when I moved to Fermoy from Belgium, and although I had taken English lessons in Mechelen, school was a shock because I had no idea what people were saying. My grandmother Alma sparked the Irish connection when she came for a holiday after Ireland joined the EU in 1973, and ended up buying a holiday home in Tallow. My mother would have spent a lot of her childhood here, and on their honeymoon my dad got the bug. On a whim they moved to Fermoy with myself and my brother in 1996. A year later my dad was asked to run a Belgium factory so we moved to Clonmel where I made great friends; they have all emigrated abroad for work, only one lives in Dublin. I liked history, and coming from Belgium to live in Ireland thought the idea of the EU was fantastic, so I went off to study European Studies in Trinity. Backing Irish enterprise During my degree I took a year off and went to Brussels for an internship at the EU parliament. I was drawn to the multiculturalism and wheeling and dealing of Brussels, to the buzz of it all. When I graduated in 2009 I considered my options - I had an arts degree in a recession, so I figured rather than join the mountain of educated CVs, I would get work experience. I turned down a place with the College of Europe and applied to the Enterprise Ireland graduate programme and I moved to Amsterdam where I helped with trade missions and assisting Irish companies entering the Benelux market. Because the programme is for two years I found EI invested in me, the six-month internships can be too short to pick up meaningful skills. It was in Amsterdam, almost 10 years ago, in O'Reilly's pub, I met Peter Campbell - an Irish guy then working for PwC. Breaking into the EU scene I wanted to get into EU affairs but I struggled; it took months of interviews. It's tricky to have a couple of years experience - you don't want to do an internship, the common way to start off, but you have insufficient experience for other positions. I was beginning to panic so I moved to Brussels, if you want to do the EU thing you have to do this, and I found a job with an Irish-owned public affairs consultancy Schuman Associates. The work was interesting, and I could work from anywhere so when Peter moved to Greece with a new job, I was able to work from Athens and travel to Brussels when needed. Following the money One of my areas was anti-money laundering; I learned a lot writing briefs and following the policy to forecast how things were changing. Part of my job was organising big forums and moderating anti-money laundering events. Public speaking is intimidating - especially when your audience are experts - but it was good for me to push myself and to put myself out there. You can't be shy in Brussels. I probably overstayed at Shuman. I stayed for six years because I liked the people and the work but I found it less challenging once I knew the job really well; I got stuck in my ways. So a year and a half ago when the job with the EU agency for cybersecurity (ENISA) came up, it seemed created for me. Lockdown It was easy for me to work from home in the pandemic; I was used to it. I was all set with an office and a second monitor. It was strict in Greece. You had to text a government system before you could go out. Nobody was ever denied but it felt strange. I am on the committee of the Greek/Irish association. Many women are here because they met a Greek man on holidays 40 years ago. It's lovely to be part of it. We had a nice buddy system in Covid where people could phone others if they needed help. On the case of hackers I start my day with cereal and coffee at my desk - reading the news, checking for ENISA mentions. We help the EU create policy and give advice on how to make systems more secure. The last massive cyber attacks were in 2017 with NotPetya and WannaCry, which took down massive companies, even the NHS. Europe is not yet prepared for the next one. I worry as the world becomes more computerised and with people accessing more data from home. There is a lot of malicious intent out there. Lost in translation I prepare Juhan's (Lepassaar) speeches and manage his media. In order to collect vast information I am meeting with experts all day - they can be very technical so I need to translate this into clear prose so policy makers in the EU Commission or MEPs can digest it. I take info in and regurgitate the essence to explain the solutions. I am supposed to have the day off tomorrow but the FT wants to interview Juhan on the cyber threat in banking so I will prepare his briefing and sit in on the interview. Feeling Irish I find it hard to stop working at night and on holidays but I am great at taking 20-minute breaks to do yoga. I read to relax and I run a book club - we read in English even though most of the members are Greek. I can speak it well though it did take six years of lessons. Mary Robinson came to visit my l school in 1996 and I spoke to her for a few minutes and for years wanted to be president of Ireland. Now, I'll settle for just being Irish. I feel like I am already and now my mum has started the naturalisation process; next year, I will be. New York A British socialite charged with recruiting three girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse made a last-minute bid Wednesday to stop the public release of her 2016 testimony in a civil case. Ty Gee, a lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell, told a Manhattan judge that the depositions by his client should be kept sealed, in part because they are evidence in the criminal case brought against her on July 2. U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska denied what she described as an "eleventh-hour" request after last week ordering the public release of the documents by Thursday. But she also delayed the release of the depositions through Friday to give Gee time to appeal. He immediately did with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. Maxwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to charges that she procured the girls, including one as young as 14, for Epstein to abuse in London and the United States in the 1990s. She remains at a federal jail in Brooklyn after bail was denied because she is a risk to flee. The charges against Maxwell came nearly a year after Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan lockup where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. If convicted, she could face up to 35 years in prison. Gee said Maxwell only revealed "intimate information about her personal life" in a case brought by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, because a confidentiality agreement between parties in the case "specifically excluded an exception for law enforcement." "Had the language not been made an order of the Court, Ms. Maxwell would have proceeded in a different fashion," Gee wrote. He also told the judge that lawyers in the case may have used the need for depositions to set a "perjury trap" for his client. The lawyer said the public release of the April and July 2016 depositions should be blocked because they form the basis of criminal perjury charges in the indictment brought against Maxwell. But Preska said he could have made that argument for the past month. The perjury charges pertain to Maxwell's answers to questions posed by lawyers in the civil case, including whether Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages. "I don't know what you're talking about," Maxwell responded, Gee noted. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Excerpts from seven hours of depositions of Maxwell were made public last year, along with over 2,000 pages of documents. "The unsealing of Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript would result in substantial negative media publicity and speculation in an internet world," Gee wrote. "The public's right of access to Ms. Maxwell's deposition transcript is substantially outweighed by the compelling interest in ensuring her right to a fair trial." Lawyers for Giuffre and the Miami Herald, which intervened to secure the public release of documents, were sent messages seeking comment. OCEANSIDE, Calif., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- North San Diego County has improved access to post-secondary educational opportunities with UEI College opening its new Oceanside campus. This week marks the first incoming student cohort at the new campus located at Mission Avenue and Canyon Drive (2027 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA, 92058). The Oceanside campus is replacing UEI's San Marcos location, providing more space to add new programs. The new UEI College Oceanside Campus "We have been serving North County since 2010 in San Marcos, but we outgrew that space and are thrilled with our beautiful new home in Oceanside," said Oceanside Campus President Alex Poyuzina. Like all other UEI College locations throughout California, the Oceanside campus is welcoming students with modified operations that include comprehensive COVID-19 prevention protocols. "The health, safety and well-being of our students and colleagues is the top priority," said Dr. Fardad Fateri, President and CEO. "At the onset of the pandemic we deployed a distance education portal that has worked well to keep students on their path to graduation. Students are doing most of their coursework online, with limited time on campus in small groups, which are focused on the hands-on tasks in labs." "UEI is training essential workers, particularly in our health care programs, and students are seeing the types of precautionary protocols that they can expect when entering the workforce after they graduate," Dr. Fateri added. Modified operations at UEI College include COVID-19 protocols such as limited time on campus focused on essential learning tasks, wearing masks, temperature checks upon entry, social distancing, hand sanitation stations throughout campus, a staggered schedule limiting the number of students on campus at one time, and protective personal equipment (PPE) for medical and dental assistant labs. Labs and classrooms are being cleaned and sanitized after each class. The UEI Oceanside campus is 38,000 square-feet and includes 11 training labs, 6 lecture halls and classrooms, 5 computer labs, lounge areas, a student resource center and access to outdoor studying areas. Programs being offered at the new Oceanside campus are focused on healthcare, business, criminal justice and trades. Those include Medical Assistant, Medical Office Specialist, Dental Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Criminal Justice, Business Office Administration, and HVAC training. UEI will be adding Automotive Technician training in August. Many programs have evening classes available. "UEI is a viable option for students who are not able to put their lives on hold for four years and attend a university," Poyuzina said. "In as few as 10 months, you can learn the skills you need to start a career. We offer hands-on training from instructors who have a wealth of experience in the industries they teach. Some programs include an externship with local employers, and UEI offers career services and job placement resources." The new Oceanside campus serves some 400 students with room for growth and expanded offerings over the next few years. About UEI College Founded in 1982, UEI College is an employee-owned, accredited institution that provides students with post-secondary career education programs in high-demand verticals such as healthcare, trades, business, and criminal justice. Each of the hands-on training programs offered are designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and training they need to be successful in their futures. Programs are tailored to meet the needs of students and focus on smaller classes to ensure each student can learn and get the attention they need. Students can train for entry-level careers and start building their future in as few as 10 months at campus locations throughout California. For more information visit www.uei.edu. Media Contact: Joe Cockrell, [email protected], 949.812.7749 SOURCE UEI College The investors seeking to take over CoreLogic Inc. plan to solicit support from fellow shareholders to replace nine directors, after the company rejected their $7 billion proposal to take it private. Cannae Holdings Inc. and Senator Investor Group previously said they owned a 15% economic stake in real estate data company CoreLogic, including stock and options. The firms had said they were prepared to call a special meeting as early as July 28 to replace the board if the company didnt engage in talks. Since the initial proposal, the mix of the investors holdings now falls short of the 10% beneficial ownership of common shares required to call a meeting, so they need the support of additional holders, they said in a letter to shareholders Wednesday. They accused the company of increasing the share count to dilute their holdings to 9.9%, and adopting a poison pill to delay them calling a meeting. If these are not just delay tactics, the company has the opportunity now to promptly call a special meeting in early October the date shareholders could have reasonably expected a meeting before the company began all of this gamesmanship, Senator partner Quentin Koffey and Cannae Chief Executive Officer Richard Massey said in the letter. We suspect they will not. The pair said they would launch a so-called consent solicitation aimed at reaching the 10% threshold and calling a meeting to replace the majority of the 12-member board. The poison pill or shareholder-rights plan implemented by CoreLogic restricts the investors from buying more shares or converting their options, and has essentially frozen their position. It also prevents them from getting other shareholders to contribute shares toward calling the meeting without a consent-solicitation process. CoreLogic said in a statement its board continues to believe the offer undervalues the company, particularly in light of its recent revised financial guidance, dividend increase and $1 billion share-repurchase program. Our board is unanimous and highly confident in its belief that CoreLogic will be able to deliver significantly more value to shareholders than this opportunistic proposal, said Paul Folino, the companys chairman. We will continue to provide full transparency into our business so all our shareholders can participate in CoreLogics substantial value-creation potential. $7 Billion Proposal Bill Foleys holding company Cannae, with Senator, made a $7 billion proposal, including debt, to take over CoreLogic in June. That proposal has been rebuffed by the Irvine, California-based companys board, which argues it undervalues the company. The board has also said it would not grant the duo due diligence as they have requested before they raise their $65-a-share offer, which the pair has yet to do. While the offer was a 23% premium at the time, shares in CoreLogic have traded well above the offer price since the bid was made, and closed Tuesday at $67.88 apiece, giving the company a market value of $5.4 billion. Since the initial offer was made, CoreLogic has boosted its financial guidance, increased the amount it can spend on buying back its own shares and adopted the poison pill. Last week, the company committed to a $1 billion share-repurchase program, increased its quarterly dividend by 50% and said it would also exit its lower-margin reseller business. The investors nominees are W. Steve Albrecht, Martina Lewis Bradford, Gail Landis, Wendy Lane, Ryan McKendrick, Katherine Rabin, Sreekanth Ravi, Lisa Wardell and Henry W. Winship. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. [Photo: Trevor Reed with his Russian girlfriend Alina. He was visiting her in Moscow when he was arrested and charged with the crime for which he was sentenced today. via freetrevorreed.com] An American student accused of drunkenly assaulting a group of policemen says he's innocent. Russia is sending him to prison anyway, not long after Vladimir Putin's government locked up American Paul Whelan over similarly dubious charges. Trevor Reed, a student at the University of North Texas and a former U.S. Marine, was sentenced to nine years in jail on Thursday after a Moscow court decided he was guilty of endangering the lives of two police officers who detained him after a party in the Russian city. Reed said he could not remember the incident, because he was drunk when he was detained. Reuters: His conviction adds a new irritant to already bad relations between Russia and the United States. Russia last month convicted U.S. citizen Paul Whelan of espionage, despite his protestations of innocence, and sentenced him to 16 years in jail. U.S. investor Michael Calvey is being held under house arrest on fraud charges he denies. Prosecutors accused Reed of grabbing a police officer who was behind the wheel of a car after he was detained on Aug. 15. That, they said, caused the vehicle to swerve dangerously. He was also accused of elbowing a second officer. Reed's defence called the charge against him fraudulent. His legal team said he should not have been detained in the first place and that the officers had changed their testimony throughout the trial. Reed travelled to Moscow in May last year to learn Russian and see his Russian girlfriend. More at Reuters: Russia hands U.S. student long jail term on police assault charge Here is the campaign for Reed's release: FREE TREVOR REED China censures US 'reckless provocation' after consulate closures Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 12:40 AM China has censured the US for a "reckless provocation of confrontation and division" after Washington's closure of a Chinese consulate culminated in a tit-for-tat measure on behalf of Beijing. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the comment in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on Tuesday and warned that the Sino-US relations could "fall into the abyss of confrontation." Calling on the US to "engage in rational communication" with Beijing to resolve disputes, Wang also said the international community should resist "any unilateral or hegemonic act" from the administration in Washington. Washington abruptly informed Beijing last Tuesday to close its consulate in Houston, Texas. The US government accused Chinese employees at the Houston consulate of espionage and said the consulate staff had been "stealing" intellectual property. The Chinese Foreign Ministry reciprocated on Friday by ordering the closure of the Chengdu consulate by Monday and accused the US of "groundless fabrications" about the actions of China's diplomatic missions. The Chinese state media said the move by the US government to close China's consulate in Houston was an attempt to blame Beijing for American failures ahead of presidential elections in November. Relations between the United States and China have hit the lowest level in decades. The two are at loggerheads over a range of issues, including trade, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the coronavirus pandemic. Washington has recently taken a markedly more aggressive posture against Beijing, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo having called for regime change in "Communist China." Wang in turn said on Tuesday that the US had become "the biggest perpetrator to destroy the current international order," and called Pompeo's remarks a sign of "the ghost of McCarthyism coming back from the ashes." The US now has four consulate offices in China, namely in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Wuhan, in addition to an embassy in Beijing. China maintains an embassy in Washington DC and four consulates, namely in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured lawmakers on Thursday that the Trump administration has confronted top Russian diplomats and military officers about the alleged bounties Russia has offered Taliban-linked rebels to kill American troops in Afghanistan even though Donald Trump has refused to bring the topic up with his counterpart Vladimir Putin. "I can assure you and the American people that each time I've spoken with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov, I have raised all of the issues that put any American interests at risk, whether it's our soldiers on the ground in Syria, soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan, the activities that are taking place in Libya, the actions in Ukraine," Mr Pompeo testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Each and every one of these [issues] that potentially threaten American interests are things that I raise in my conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov, and I speak with him with some frequency." More follows A 36-year-old woman, who returned from India, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore, the ministry of health said, as the number of infections rose to 51,809. Singapore on Wednesday reported three imported COVID-19 cases, including the woman. They were placed under stay-home notice. The woman, who is a Singapore citizen, had arrived in Singapore from India on July 17. Singapore on Thursday reported 278 new COVID-19 cases. Three of the cases reported on Thursday were foreigners on work passes here while one was a Singaporean, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary update. Today's cases take the national tally to 51,809. There are also four imported cases on Thursday who had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore. With 205 patients discharged on Wednesday, 46,098 patients have fully recovered from the disease, according to the MOH. Singapore so far has reported 27 deaths from COVID-19 complications. (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.) Herman Cain, American businessman and former Republican candidate for president, has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for nearly a month, according to a post on his personal website and a source close to the White House to ABC News. "You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal with it," staffer Dan Calabrese wrote in an obituary posted on HermanCain.com Thursday. "Herman Cain -- our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us -- has passed away." "Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer," the post continues. "We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he'd have a full recovery." MORE: Coronavirus updates: Herman Cain dies after battle with COVID-19 Cain, 74, was hospitalized in Atlanta with the coronavirus on July 1, 11 days after he attended President Donald Trump's indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. He was photographed there inside the arena without a mask sitting with a group of other Trump campaign surrogates. When Cain's team confirmed the news of his hospitalization on Twitter, they noted: "There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus." A spokesperson for Cain said on Monday that he remained hospitalized and was being treated with oxygen for his lungs. "The doctors say his other organs and systems are strong," the spokesperson added at the time. PHOTO: In this photo posted to his Twitter account in June 20, 2020, Herman Cain is shown at a rally for President Trump in Tulsa. (Herman Cain/Twitter) MORE: Herman Cain expected to withdraw from Fed Reserve Board of Governors consideration The former pizza company executive was the front-runner in the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination for roughly a month with an agenda he called the 9-9-9 plan to simplify the tax code. Story continues Another former Republican candidate for president, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was among the first to express his condolences on social media and noted Cain's catchphrase. Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) July 30, 2020 President Donald Trump tweeted in the afternoon that he spoke with Cain's wife, Gloria, and their two children, Melanie and Vincent, and expressed his condolences. "He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend," Trump tweeted. ...the phone with his amazing wife Gloria, daughter, Melanie, and son Vincent to express my deepest condolences to the entire family. @FLOTUS Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest In Peace! pic.twitter.com/GNUf5jHjX0 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 At his coronavirus briefing Thursday afternoon, Trump added, "Let me begin by expressing our sadness at the passing of a wonderful man and a dear friend of mine, Herman Cain. He was a very special person and I got to know him very well. Unfortunately he passed away from the thing called the China virus." Cain was born in 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Atlanta by two working-class parents. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and earned a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University four years later. During his studies, he served as a mathematician at the U.S. Department of the Navy. David A. Thomas, the president of Morehouse College, offered his condolences, saying, "He was a philanthropist, a successful business executive, a political activist, a media personality, a caring father, and a son of Morehouse who graduated in 1967. Our hearts and prayers are with the Cain family." Cain entered the corporate world and climbed the professional ladder at several companies including Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and Burger King. In 1986, he was appointed the CEO of Godfather Pizza and quickly turned the failing chain into a profitable business. PHOTO: In this Nov. 30, 2011, file photo, Republican presidential contender Herman Cain addresses campaign supporters during a campaign stop in Cincinnati, Ohio. (John Sommers II/Reuters, FILE) In 1993, Cain rose to the political spotlight during a town hall meeting with President Bill Clinton over health care. He argued with the president over a health care mandate, contending it would cost jobs and hurt businesses. "Mr. President, with all due respect, your calculation on what the impact would do, quite honestly, is incorrect," he said. Cain left the Godfather Pizza in 1996 and became the president and, later, CEO of the National Restaurant Association, where he lobbied with congressional lawmakers. He served as an economic adviser during the 1996 Bob Dole presidential campaign and remained close with Republicans. MORE: Herman Cain: 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Cain launched two unsuccessful presidential runs in 2000 and 2004. In 2006, he was diagnosed with stage IV liver and colon cancer, but he said in 2007 he was cancer-free. In 2012, he made another attempt at the White House and gained momentum among potential GOP voters. A Quinnipiac University poll released at the end of October 2011 had him leading the GOP candidates by seven points. It was around this time that several women came forward with sexual harassment allegations that dated back to the '90s. While Cain denied all of the allegations, his poll numbers slipped and he suspended his campaign that December. PHOTO: In this June 20, 2014, file photo, Herman Cain speaks during Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington. (Molly Riley/AP, FILE) He remained an active figure in GOP politics following his campaign and served as a pundit on Fox News and other programs. Last year, Trump said he was considering Cain for a seat on the Federal Reserve, but Cain withdrew. A co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain became an outspoken advocate for the Republican Party and Trump in recent years. Cain is survived by his wife, who he married in 1968, two children and several grandchildren. ABC News' Beatrice Peterson and John Santucci contributed to this report. Herman Cain, businessman and former GOP presidential candidate, dies from coronavirus at 74 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com JONA (dpa-AFX) - Cement giant LafargeHolcim (HCMLY.PK, HCMLF.PK) Thursday reported that its first-half net income Group share fell 65.7 percent to 347 million Swiss francs from last year's 1.01 billion francs. Earnings per share were 0.55 franc, down from 1.68 francs last year. Net income before impairment and divestments was 501 million francs, compared to 769 million francs last year. Adjusted earnings per share were 0.80 franc, compared to last year's 1.28 francs. Recurring EBIT fell 28.4 percent to 1.19 billion francs from last year's 1.67 billion francs. Net sales of 10.69 billion francs decreased 18.1 percent from 13.06 billion francs in the prior year. Sales fell 10.8 percent on a like-for-like basis, reflecting the severe impact of the implementation of strict lockdowns of construction sites in several major operating countries. In the second quarter, recurring EBIT fell 31.6 percent from last year to 932 million francs, and net sales declined 23.9 percent on a reported basis and 17 percent on a like-for-like basis to 5.40 billion francs. Jan Jenisch, CEO, said, 'The peak of the crisis is behind us. We expect a solid second half of the year based on June's full recovery, the trend of our order book and upcoming government stimulus packages.' Looking ahead for fiscal 2020, based on the speed of June's rebound, the company expects fast demand recovery. The company said the execution of action plan 'HEALTH, COST & CASH' will continue ahead of targets. 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. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave an interview for Greek ''MEGA TV'', referring to the recent activities of Turkey. ARMENPRESS presents the full interview. Question: How will Armenia react in the event that Turkey actually provides in practical terms arms, personnel and money to Azerbaijan? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. The only country which has been speaking the language of threat over this past week was, indeed, Turkey. We will be defending us, we will be strengthening our defense, we will be working with our international partners. Question: There are analysts that claim that the Armenian-Azeri conflict is actually only a smokescreen of the growing rivalry between Russia and Turkey. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: We are a member of the international community, a sovereign state. We need peace and security in this region. We do not need making this region an object of international rivalry. Question: Turkeys president Rejep Tayyip Erdogan called the offensive beyond Armenias caliber. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Well, this is exactly the language that we reject, the language of threat, to review these policies from a nation which has been living in denial and impunity. And lately we have also been observing the justification of the act of the Genocide. This is not exactly the way in which one nation is willing to contribute to peace in the region. Question: Turkey is actually trying to recreate the neo-Ottoman state in a wide area. Zohrab Mnatskanyan: Greece is a nation which has been working very hard towards peace and stability in its part of this neighbourhood. Armenia is pursuing very similar objectives. Question: Great Hagia Sophia in Istanbul once again echoed with Muslim prayers. Zohrab Mnatskanyan: This act of converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque is exactly a threat to that symbol of harmony and dialogue and mutual respect. Question: How do you see the provocation from Turkey on Greece? Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: I want to reiterate our strong support and solidarity to Greece and to Cyprus. This is a major destabilizing act in the Eastern Mediterranean which again manifests the very aggressive policies that Turkey has been consistently displaying in those recent times. Question: In the event that Turkey and Greece get involved in an armed conflict, will Armenia actually stand in solidarity with Greece? Zohrab Mnatskanayan: I do not see anything that can shatter or can question the very strong solidarity, the very strong relationship and the very strong friendship between Armenia and Greece. We react decisively against such acts which put at risk our interests or our sovereign rights. Kodak Shares of Eastman Kodak surged 318 percent to $25.26 per share on July 29 its best ever after United States President Donald Trump announced the company had a deal to produce generic drugs in light of COVID-19 pandemic. The jump at one point of the day was 570 percent at $60 per share and trading was halted 20 times during the day due to high volatility. This follows the 203 percent spike on July 28 when the US government awarded a first-of-its-kind $765-million loan to Kodak to produce ingredients under the Defense Production Act. Total increase in the share price for this week alone was 1,300 percent, hitting a market-cap of more than $1.5 billion from $115 million till July 27, CNBC reported. Kodak Executive Chairman Jim Continenza said they will leverage its infrastructure and expertise in chemicals manufacturing to play a critical role in the return of a reliable American pharmaceutical supply chain. Existing facilities in Minnesota, New York, St. Paul and Rochester will be expanded under a new Kodak Pharmaceuticals arm, the company 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 Notably, this is not the first time Kodak has ventured into the pharma business. It produced non-prescription medicines like aspirin during the 90s, but sold the business to SmithKline Beecham in 1994 for $2.925 billion. Trump termed the deal the most important in US pharma industries history adding: We will bring back our jobs and we will make America the worlds premier medical manufacturer and supplier. Under government support, the unit will have the capacity to produce up to 25 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) needed to make generic drugs in the US and reduce dependency on foreign countries for medical supplies. Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? There is no evidence, however, of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes. Washington: US president Donald Trump is for the first time floating a delay to the 3 November presidential election, as he makes unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of presidential elections the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. The Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the 20 January, 2021 presidential inauguration. Trump tweeted Thursday: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 His tweet came on a day of bad economic news the government reported that U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7%. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes. Five states already rely exclusively on mail-in ballots, and they say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor doesnt disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that all forms of voter fraud are rare, including absentee balloting. Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on November's election and the expected surge in mail-in and absentee voting as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And Trump has called remote voting options the biggest risk to his reelection. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the GOP. Trailing in public and private polls, Trump refused in an interview just weeks ago with Fox News to commit to accept the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote. I have to see. Look ... I have to see, Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on Fox News Sunday. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time, either. Last month, Trump told supporters in Arizona that This will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country." Just months ago, in April, Trump had ruled out the prospect of trying to change the election. I never even thought of changing the date of the election," he said. "Why would I do that? November 3rd. Its a good number. No, I look forward to that election. Im not thinking about it at all," he added. "Not at all. Attorney General William Barr, speaking to a House committee earlier this week, claimed there was a high risk that mail-in voting would lead to massive fraud. He said he had no reason to think the upcoming election would be rigged. But he said he believed if you have wholesale mail-in voting, it substantially increases the risk of fraud. During the hearing, Barr was asked about comments he made last month over foreign interference in the election through phony ballots. He said he didnt have evidence that foreign countries could use them to change the outcome of an election. But he said it was common sense they would try. New Jersey lawmakers appear to be in favor of potentially releasing 3,000 inmates - roughly 20 per cent of the state's prison population - in an effort to curb the disastrous impact coronavirus has had on their facilities. Those inmates who are currently within a year of completing their state sentences would be eligible to be released up to eight months early based on credits awarded for time served during the pandemic, the New York Times reports. The legislation from state lawmakers could potentially be the first legislative initiative of its kind in the country, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawmakers will be voting Thursday whether to push through legislation that would release 3,000 inmates from New Jersey prisons It would not allow the release of most sex offenders, but would apply to those convicted for violent crimes like murder. 'There are people who were sentenced to long prison terms, but they weren't sentenced to die in prison,' said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey. New Jersey currently has the highest prison death rate, according to data from the the Marshall Project and The Associated Press. Under an April executive order, some 338 at-risk inmates had been freed from the state's prison system while another 700 people were released from county jails. Those releases have occurred largely on a case-by-case basis. The bill has received unanimous bipartisan support during a Senate committee hearing, including backing from Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R) who said his support stemmed from 'basic, simple justice' Some 49 prison inmates have already died in New Jersey from the coronavirus. Some 2,892 prisoners - roughly 17 per cent of the population - and 781 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus. Several employee deaths have been attributed to the virus, as well. The bill, if approved, would free roughly one-fifth of the 16,704 people currently serving sentences in the state. It has received unanimous bipartisan support during a Senate committee hearing and has also gained major support by key lawmakers in the state. 'It goes beyond party politics,' Mr. Sinha said. 'Wanting to see people survive is not partisan. This is a clear matter of public health.' A spokesman for Gov. Phillip D. Murphy wouldn't comment on whether he would sign the bill but said that the specific details would need to be negotiated out A spokesman for Gov. Phillip D. Murphy wouldn't comment on whether he would sign the bill but said that the specific details would need to be negotiated out. Sen. Gerald Cardinale, a Republican representing parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties, expressed support for the bill. Describing himself as a law-and-order conservative, Cardinale said that his support stemmed from 'basic, simple justice.' He slammed the Department of Corrections for failing to keep inmates safe. 'We are not doing very well at all in terms of protecting people,' said Mr. Cardinale. 'They're prisoners, but they are human beings.' Christopher P. DePhillips, who voted against the bill in an Assembly committee, wanted to see the bill amended before it went to a vote on Thursday Prisons in New Jersey have worked to curb the virus, with there now being fewer than 30 coronavirus cases linked to state correctional facilities, according to the commissioner of the Department of Corrections, Marcus O. Hicks. The facilities still struggle as social distancing is practically impossible and with the ever present risk of employees bringing in the virus. Nicole D. Porter, a director of advocacy for the Sentencing Project, said that the proposal was still not enough. 'What the United States has done pales in comparison to other countries,' she said, pointing to the release of 85,000 prisoners in Iran and 30,000 in Indonesia. 'Every day is urgent for somebody in prison,' Ms. Porter said. 'It's just now the entire world is going through an urgent experience together.' Christopher P. DePhillips, who voted against the bill in an Assembly committee, said he was sympathetic to the challenges faced by prisoners but expressed concern about the release of violent offenders. He wanted to see the bill amended before Thursday vote to accommodate ways to keep the prisoners safe without releasing them. A new Employment Wage Support Scheme and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment into next year will provide much needed certainty to businesses and individuals in Laois, Fine Gael Deputy Charlie Flanagan has said. Speaking after the Governments July Stimulus package was announced, Deputy Flanagan said the new 7.4bn suite of measures will help get Laoiss businesses back on their feet and get as many people as possible back to work quickly while continuing to manage the impact of Covid-19. This package which Fine Gael in Government has been working on will - help businesses and create jobs - support all get back to work - especially young people - build confidence and invest in communities - prepare Ireland for a sustainable economy in the future Deputy Flanagan said, Im pleased to confirm a new Employment Wage Support Scheme will succeed the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and run until April 2021. Employers in Laois whose turnover has fallen 30% will receive a flat-rate subsidy of up to 203 per week per employee, including for seasonal staff and new employees. New firms operating in impacted sectors will also be eligible. The scheme will support around 350,000 jobs into the beginning of next year. The restart grant for enterprises will benefit a range of SMEs. It will be expanded by 300m bringing the total funding to 550m. The payment level is being increased to 25,000. Further payments may be available to those firms which have already received them. Other businesses, such as B&Bs across Laois, not previously included in the scheme, will now be eligible. Businesses forced to close due to public health requirements will be granted a waiver of commercial rates for the six months to end-September 2020. Deputy Flanagan said those without work especially young people need as much support as possible. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment, due to end in August 2020, is being extended until April 2021. We know that this is extremely helpful to those not working. We have heard that testimony repeatedly. This will provide security for households across Laois as job opportunities return. To help restore consumer confidence and support retailers and businesses across Laois, there will be a 6-month reduction in the standard rate of VAT from 23pc to 21pc, from the beginning of September. Our tourism sector has been crippled by Covid-19. A new Stay and Spend incentive will allow any taxpayer who pays over 625 on accommodation, food and non-alcoholic drinks, between October and April 2021, claim back up to 125 through a tax credit. Housing is a priority for this Government and further levels of support under the Help to Buy Scheme at cost of 18m will be made available. Until the end of this year, buyers will be able to reclaim up to 10pc, or a maximum of 30,000 of the price of a new build, up from 5pc or 20,000 previously. A further 500m will be used in capital expenditure nationwide for works to: schools, transport infrastructure, heritage, arts, tourism and Gaeltacht related projects, peatlands rehabilitation, a national retrofit programme, town and village renewal, fishery and on-farm renewable energy investments. Further details on these will be forthcoming. Deputy Flanagan continued, With a strong focus on investing in training and skills development, 19,000 places on the Governments Skills to Compete programme will equip people for emerging growth sectors and occupations. Businesses will be supported to adapt to the green economy, with 10m set aside for engaging in green research, development and innovation, capital investment, and capacity building, through the first phase of a new Green Enterprise Fund. The package also contains a 20m Brexit fund to help SMEs involved in exporting and importing with the UK and further afield to equip themselves for new customs arrangements from next January. Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on communities, businesses, families and individuals across Laois. Our absolute aim and priority is the wellbeing of every person and community in Laois. Since March, unprecedented levels of support have already been deployed to help businesses and our people, including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, the Restart Grant, Rates Waivers, and credit schemes for businesses of all sizes. Fine Gael has not been found wanting in any respect and the work to help all continues. Prior to the July Stimulus Package, business and employment support measures came to a total of 14.6bn. Thanks to the efforts of the Irish people, large parts of the economy in Laois are now safely re-opened. However, some parts remain closed, while many open businesses are severely impacted by reduced demand, as well as social distancing and public health requirements. Now is the right time to start on the path to a jobs-led sustainable recovery. The July Stimulus of over 7 billion will build economic confidence, within public health constraints, and deliver immediate effective supports to get people back to work," he stated. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: A large volume of dried vegetables have been exported to Turkmenistan from January through May 2020, Trend reports, citing the Eurasian Economic Commissions statistics. The total volume of dried vegetables exported to Turkmenistan is 809 kilograms for a total amount of $1,978. From January through May 2020, Russia was the only exporter of dried vegetables to Turkmenistan. In addition to dried vegetables, Russia and Kazakhstan exported 901,504 kilograms of dried bean products to Turkmenistan for the total amount of $382,874. Russias share from the total amount of exported dried bean products is $43,264, and Kazakhstans - $339,609. In addition, the mentioned countries, as well as Kyrgyzstan, exported 26.5 million kilograms of potatoes for a total amount of more than $5.9 million to Turkmenistan. The share of Kazakhstan in the amount of exported potatoes is $2.2 million, the share of Kyrgyzstan $507,785, and the share of Russia $3.1 million. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Younger adults are driving the increase in COVID-19 cases in Burleigh and Morton counties, Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Director Renae Moch said Wednesday during a public briefing on a task force being formed to address the area's development into a coronavirus hot spot. The event was held the same day the state Department of Health reported a fourth coronavirus-related death in Burleigh County, and cases in Burleigh-Morton took another big jump. Meanwhile, hospital leaders in Bismarck discussed positive coronavirus cases among their staffs, amid talk in the community about a possible outbreak at one of the two facilities. In both counties, the age group with the highest number of COVID-19 cases is people in their 20s, with people in their 30s also seeing an increase, according to Moch. People in their 20s are leading in positive tests by age and by unique positive tests. They are the individuals out in the community, Moch said at the briefing. Theyre more active. Maybe they have front line jobs or are in service positions. Part of the reason for the recent surge in cases is that the area is now seeing the effects of large gatherings held during the July Fourth holiday, according to Moch. She said the local health department will be keeping an eye on the age group because members will be going back to college and living with other students. Gov. Doug Burgum on Tuesday announced the task force in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Burleigh and Morton counties in recent weeks. North Dakota Chief Operating Officer Tammy Miller at Wednesday's briefing said a steering committee made up of local leaders will run the group. Those leaders were not immediately announced, though Bismarck Mayor Steve Bakken confirmed to the Tribune that he is on the committee. More information about the task force is to come later in the week. The task forces goal is to bring down Burleigh and Morton counties positivity rate to at or below the states average. Funding has not been outlined yet, though both Miller and Burgum have said it likely will be done with federal CARES Act coronavirus relief money given to the state. Moch said one of the task forces aims will to be increase testing capacity in the two counties. The task force does not have the authority to mandate mask-wearing. That will be left up to local jurisdictions. Custer Health Administrator Erin Ourada said she hopes the task force increases messaging about the importance of wearing a mask. Bakken said the city needs the extra support the task force can provide. He wants to keep local businesses open and get children back in school. Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health has been ahead of even what the states been doing in a lot of regards, but were stressed on resources, the mayor said. New cases While a fourth coronavirus-related death in Burleigh County was reported Wednesday, a 77th was confirmed in Cass County. The Cass County woman in her 80s had underlying medical conditions, but the Burleigh County man in his 80s did not, according to the state Department of Health. His death was only the third in the state in that category. The two new deaths raised the state total to 102. Cass has long been North Dakota's COVID-19 hot spot, but that distinction has passed to Burleigh and neighboring Morton County this month. Active cases in North Dakota have more than tripled this month, coinciding with the reopening of the economy and an increase in testing. Burleigh leads the state in active cases, at 285, and Morton is third, with 80. The two counties together have more than one-third of the state's 1,038 active cases. Cass County has 120 of them. The Burleigh-Morton task force is being modeled after one created in early May in the Red River Valley after Cass County and Fargo bloomed into a hot spot. The outbreak there has lessened in recent weeks. Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney, a physician and member of the Red River Valley COVID-19 Task Force, attributed the regions drop from a high of nearly 10% in positive cases to increased testing and a vigorous contact-tracing program used to identify and isolate groups of those who may be infected. Mahoney told The Associated Press that area residents also heeded stay-at-home requests and precaution recommendations such as wearing a mask. We had great compliance, he said. We saw numbers drop dramatically after that. Mahoney said education is key to compliance. People are fiercely independent but this disease spreads like crazy, he told AP. The challenge is to motivate your community to do the right thing." State health officials on Wednesday reported a total of 89 new coronavirus cases in 21 counties, including 27 in Burleigh and nine in Morton, pushing the statewide total since the start of the pandemic to 6,227. There have been 351 hospitalizations and 5,087 recoveries. Thirty-nine people remained hospitalized Wednesday, up four from the previous day. The number of people in North Dakota tested for coronavirus at least once is at 151,083, and total tests number 300,971. For more information on coronavirus in North Dakota, go to health.nd.gov/coronavirus. Hospital cases Leaders of Bismarcks two hospitals were asked at the briefing to address concerns expressed in the community about how many health care workers might have tested positive, and whether there are any hospital outbreaks. About 60 Sanford Bismarck employees and seven CHI St. Alexius Health employees are in quarantine due to COVID-19, according to Sanford President Michael LeBeau and CHI St. Alexius CEO Kurt Schley. LeBeau said fewer than 3% of that health systems approximately 3,000 employees in Bismarck are not at work due to COVID-19 infection. Some of the affected employees were in therapy-related units, and others worked on various hospital floors, he said. He said characterizing Sanford cases as an outbreak is not appropriate -- that the hospital has been very aggressive with testing front line health care workers. Front line testing to make sure were catching folks when they have it, I think, is an important strategy, LeBeau said. The seven CHI St. Alexius employees caught COVID-19 through community spread, and they worked in nonpatient facing positions, Schley said. The hospital hasnt recorded any cases of employee-to-employee or employee-to-patient transmission. Sanford Health and CHI St. Alexius are the two largest private employers in the Bismarck-Mandan area, according to the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC. Hong Kong government warns more nominees could face similar decision as the disqualified 12, including Joshua Wong. Prominent activist Joshua Wong and 11 other opposition figures have been barred from running in Hong Kongs upcoming legislative elections, a move they decried as the latest assault on Chinas critics in the semi-autonomous city. The government of Hong Kong, in a statement on Thursday, said electoral authorities had disqualified the 12 nominees for failing to demonstrate their intent to support and promote the territorys mini-constitution, or Basic Law. Advocating for independence, soliciting intervention by foreign governments, or expressing an objection in principle to a national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong earlier this month are behaviours that could not genuinely uphold the Basic Law, the statement said. It added that the Hong Kong government supported and agreed with the decision and warned more nominees could face a similar fate in the near term. Wong confirmed his disqualification in a post on Twitter, saying he was barred for describing the new national security law as draconian. 3. Despite 610,000+ #Hongkongers voting in #HKs primary, #Beijing now staged the biggest-ever crackdowns on the citys election, by disqualifying nearly all pro-democracy runners, from young progressive groups to traditional moderate parties. pic.twitter.com/fW5yq1lHON Joshua Wong (@joshuawongcf) July 30, 2020 The barring of opposition candidates amounted to Chinas biggest-ever crackdown on an election in Hong Kong, he said, adding the move targeted young progressive groups to traditional moderate parties. He added that clearly, Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of people in Hong Kong, tramples upon the citys last pillar of vanishing autonomy and attempts to keep the citys legislature under its firm grip. No political censorship The South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong-based news publication, said Gwyneth Kwai-lam Ho, another prominent activist, was also disqualified for opposing the national security law in a statement on July 25. Ho was told that such an unequivocal expression against the national security law casts serious doubt on whether the candidate embraces, promotes, and supports the fundamental principle of one country, two systems, and therefore objectively has the genuine and true intention to uphold the Basic Law at the time of the nomination, according to the SCMP. China had introduced the new legislation in Hong Kong on June 30, seeking to punish what it termed secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The law, which bypassed Hong Kongs legislature, followed months of pro-democracy protests last year that at times descended into violence. Critics of the law describe it as an assault on Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms, assured under the one country, two systems framework set in place when the city was returned by the United Kingdom to Chinese rule in 1997. But supporters say it will bring stability after a year of anti-China unrest. Others disqualified included four incumbent opposition legislators, Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung, the SCMP reported. The government statement said other improper behaviour that could disqualify nominees included intentions to vote down government proposals indiscriminately to force it to accede to other political demands and a refusal to recognise Chinas sovereignty over Hong Kong. But there was no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community, it said. White terror The disqualifications mark a major setback for the pro-democracy campaigners, who had been hoping to win the first-ever majority in Hong Kongs Legislative Council, known as LegCo. It came hours after four students, aged between 16 and 21, were arrested for social media posts that were deemed to breach the new security law. The four were all former members of Student Localism, a pro-independence group that announced it was disbanding its Hong Kong branch the day before the security law was enacted. Police said they were arrested on suspicion of organising and inciting secession through comments made on social media posts after the law came in. Student and rights groups condemned the arrests, saying they heralded the kind of political suppression ubiquitous on the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong has fallen into the era of white terror, the Student Unions of Higher Institutions, which represents 13 student unions, said in a statement overnight, referencing a Chinese idiom to describe political persecution. It is crystal clear that more and more Hongkongers [will] have to endure Communist terror, it added. At least 15 people have now been arrested under the new law. Nathan Law, a democracy activist who went into exile after the law was imposed, expressed similar sentiments on Twitter. White terror, politics of fear dispersed in Hong Kong, he said, describing the election disqualifications as an attempt to bring Chinas rubber-stamp parliament system to Hong Kong. The Chinese Communist Partys strategy is apparently aiming to suppress all forms of resistance in Hong Kong with huge fear and intimidation, he wrote. She is expecting her first baby in November with her tradie boyfriend Jake Yard. And on Thursday, The Bachelor's Nichole Wood excitedly celebrated her six-month milestone by showing off her baby bump in tiny lingerie. The 26-year-old Gold Coast reality star was simply glowing as she posed in a matching khaki bra and G-string. Bumping along nicely! The Bachelor's Nichole Wood shared a photo of her baby bump, now at six months. On Thursday, she showed off the growing bump in the green version of the racy underwear Next to this photo she also posted a pregnancy photo of herself with brunette hair, wearing the same style of underwear in black. 'From lounging around on holiday to lounging around pregnant @loungeunderwear keeping me comfortable through it all,' she captioned the post. 'Whether it be out on holidays or kicking at home with my bump,' she added alongside the hashtag '#6monthspregnant'. In June, Nichole and Jake revealed they are expecting a daughter at a special gender reveal party with their close family and friends. Before the bump: Next to this photo she also posted a pregnancy photo of herself with brunette hair, wearing the same style of underwear in black It's a girl! In June, Nichole and Jake revealed they are expecting a daughter at a special gender reveal party shared a photo of herself and her partner launching a smoke powder cannon and pink powder coming out The mother-to-be shared a photo of herself and her partner launching a smoke powder cannon and pink powder coming out. She said in the caption: 'can't believe Im having a girl.' Nichole announced she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Jake Yard, in May. Parents to be: Nichole announced she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Jake Yard, in May Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, she said she'd never expected to fall pregnant naturally because she suffers from a hormonal condition that can affect menstrual cycles and fertility. 'I didn't find out until I was seven weeks, so it was pretty crazy and I wasn't expecting it,' she said. 'I have something called polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a sort of infertility that can make it harder to get pregnant, so I was shocked that I fell pregnant naturally.' The cafe manager said she'd learned she was pregnant after she started craving savoury foods out of nowhere, despite having a serious sweet tooth all her life. 'I wasn't expecting it': Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the time, she said she'd never expected to fall pregnant naturally because she suffers from a hormonal condition that can affect menstrual cycles and fertility 'All of a sudden I was eating weird things at work like ham and cheese croissants with smashed avocado on them!' she said. Nichole was one of the standout contestants on Matt Agnew's season of The Bachelor last year. She made it to the tenth episode of the series and is best known for arriving on a motorcycle to meet Matt during the first episode. After leaving the show, she quickly found love with tradie and father-of-one Jake, and the couple have been together ever since. After almost three decades, the government is ready to transform the country's education system by making some impactful suggestions. While the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) aims at making India a global knowledge superpower by providing high-quality education to all, some of its targets look ambitious going by its past performance, although it doesn't mean that one rules out potential success in future. The policy focusses on almost doubling the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3 per cent to 50 per cent by 2035. The GER in higher education, calculated for 18-23 years, has improved from 20.8 per cent in 2011/12 to 26.3 per cent in 2018/19 - an increase of 5.5 percentage points over the last eight years. Growing by this rate, it would achieve only three-fourth of the target in the next 15 years. Statewise, the picture was not so disappointing as the ratio varies considerably in different regions. Sikkim with GER of 53.9 tops the list along with Chandigarh (50.6 per cent), while Tamil Nadu in the third spot was in close proximity, at 49 per cent. Tamil Nadu has an average enrolment of 924 students per college while the average enrolment per college was 751 and 2,034 in Sikkim and Chandigarh, respectively. A total of 18 states and union territories have a GER more than the national average including Kerala (37 per cent), Maharashtra (32 per cent) and Punjab (29.5 per cent). NEP 2020 has set the target to increase the public investment in the education sector to reach 6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the earliest. Currently, the expenditure on education by centre and states as a proportion of GDP is 3.1 per cent in 2019/20 (budget estimates) and has inched up by a meagre 30 basis points in the past six years. A closer look reveals that it remained stagnant at 2.8 per cent of GDP between 2015 and 2017 and crawled to 3.1 per cent in 2018/19 and stayed there. The government does not seem to be increasing investments in this sector as the new policy requires since its share in the total social services spends (both Centre and states) has significantly fell down from 46.1 per cent to 40.7 per cent during the last six years, but it still remains the maximum. Also, 2019/20 saw an 18 per cent increase in the budget allocations towards education compared to just 4.6 per cent growth in the budget estimates of 2020/21. Also Read: FMCG industry to see a flat growth in 2020; June shows green shoots Also Read: Limited roll-out of GST e-invoice system unlikely to serve purpose Also Read: Tata Steel and its same old plans to turn around Corus Queenslanders are facing long queues in order to get tested for coronavirus after a pair of infected teenagers illegally entered Queensland from Victoria by flying via Sydney. Shocking video showed queues of cars winding around for kilometres in order to have the coronavirus test in Logan, south of Brisbane, on Thursday. The footage showed traffic at a complete standstill at a roundabout as people waited to turn into the testing facility. The line wound through the area and even into a car park, with worried residents also queuing on foot. Queenslanders are facing long waits and queues in order to get tested for coronavirus (pictured, queues outside Parklands Christian College near Brisbane on Thursday) The footage showed traffic at a complete standstill at a roundabout as people waited to turn into the testing facility where they would be forced to wait in their cars until reaching the front of the queue Images show hundreds of people lining up and waiting to be tested at Parklands Christian College, where one of the women worked for two days before testing positive. Many had large sun hats and umbrellas in order to keep sun safe while they waited. One couple told Nine News they had queued for six hours before they were seen by health professions. 'It just astounds me that anyone could do what these young ladies have done and think that that's okay,' Diane Kerr, waiting with her husband Barry, said. 'You have no idea what the person next to you (in line) have been doing. '[We spent] three hours in the sun at QEII hospital to get told to go home, or go sit in your car for another two to three hours.' The spike in people getting tested comes after a pair of coronavirus-infected teenagers illegally entered Queensland from Victoria by flying via Sydney. Many had large sun hats and umbrellas in order to keep sun safe while they waited (pictured, queues outside Parklands Christian College near Brisbane on Thursday) Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu, both 19, and an unidentified friend, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne on Tuesday, July 21. All Victorian residents were banned from entering Queensland from July 9, but the women were able to enter the Sunshine State by stopping off in Sydney. The teens allegedly travelled on Virgin Australia flight 863 from Melbourne to Sydney, to make it appear they hadn't come from Melbourne. Shortly afterwards they boarded flight VA 977 to Brisbane. They are also accused of making false declarations on their border paperwork, which asks passengers if they have visited Victoria in the past 14 days. Two of the teenagers had their phones seized by Queensland police. The devices are now being forensically analysed, The Australian reported. Police believed the women were lying to investigators about their previous movements. Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 Ms Muranga is believed to have gone to work for two days at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of the city, before calling in sick and then going to see a doctor on Saturday, who said to get tested immediately. Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Thursday revealed the three women have been served court notices. 'They went to extraordinary lengths to be deceitful, deceptive and quite frankly criminal in their behaviour,' Ms Carroll said. One of the women has cooperated with Queensland authorities in contact tracing since she arrived back in the state, and any person who could have been exposed to the disease has been notified. The second woman is refusing to cooperate or share details of her travels over the course of the last week. The two women and one of their immediate family members are the first three cases of the virus in the community since May. The test results for the third unidentified traveller who illegally crossed the border with them have not been released yet. As if we needed any more evidence of the Democratic Party's capitulation to the anti-Israel left, House speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed for re-election the notorious anti-Semite and Israel-hater Rep. Ilhan Omar, rejecting Omar's four challengers, including Antone Melton-Meaux, a popular black pro-Israel progressive. Minnesota's 5th district, one of the safest Democratic seats in the country, is holding its primary on August 11. "Ilhan is a valued and important member of our Caucus," said Pelosi in her endorsement statement. "In her first term, Ilhan has already established herself as a leader on a host of issues from child nutrition to housing to U.S.-Africa relations." This is the Ilhan Omar whose slurs about Jewish dual loyalty and money buying influence ("It's all about the Benjamins, baby.") were ranked among the top ten anti-Semitic incidents of 2019 by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. In March 2019, in response to the uproar, even in her own party, about Omar's hateful comments, Pelosi passed a watered down, non-binding House resolution condemning anti-Semitism and Islamophobia but failing to call out Omar by name. And she kept Omar on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, attributing the congresswoman's Jew-hatred to a "language problem." Since taking office in 2019, Omar has become the leading critic of Israel in the Congress. In July of that year, she proposed resolution H.R. 496, asserting Americans' right to participate in boycotts both at home and abroad. This move to support the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS) would challenge existing anti-boycott legislation at the federal and state levels. Omar argued that boycotting Israel is as justifiable as was boycotting the Nazis. She criticized the president for imposing economic sanctions on Iran, Israel's existential enemy, and slammed President Trump's Middle East peace plan as "shameful and disingenuous." She has become part of a growing cadre of young Democratic progressives working quite successfully to turn the party against the Jewish state. Just recently pro-Israel stalwart Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who headed the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, lost in the Democratic primary to Jamaal Bowman, who shares Omar's opinion that foreign aid to Israel should be restricted. Antone Melton-Meaux, Omar's most popular challenger, is a 47-year-old attorney who insists that you can be both progressive and pro-Israel. He rejects anti-Semitism and criticizes the Muslim congresswoman for her "harmful tropes" about the Jewish community. He accuses her of ignoring her Jewish constituents. In an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate, Melton-Meaux commented, "[Omar] lost the trust of many in the Jewish community, and that's very unfortunate[.] ... To the extent that I can be a useful partner on the issue of U.S.-Israel [relations], especially on issues of anti-Semitism or other race issues, I am proud to be a part of that." Melton-Meaux has amassed six times the money that Omar has raised. Despite being the incumbent in the race, Omar's donor list doesn't include many well known Minnesotans who usually give big to Democratic candidates in statewide and congressional races. Rather, it is Melton-Meaux who has attracted financial support from prominent local politicians and businesses, pro-Israel bipartisan PACs, and even some Wall Streeters. Clearly, he's the obvious candidate to replace Omar for anyone who cares about anti-Semitism and Israel. It is no surprise that Sen. Bernie Sanders, long an advocate for the Palestinians against the Jewish state, echoed Pelosi's enthusiasm when he recently endorsed Omar, describing her as "a woman of incredible strength and dignity," adding, "We need Ilhan's leadership in the Congress. We need her voice speaking out for justice." Justice? Well, not for Israel. Ilhan Omar has a problem with American Jews, whom she libels with well recognized anti-Semitic tropes. She also has a problem with Israel the only country in its region that embraces the values the Democratic Party claims to champion. She accuses the Jewish state of "hypnotizing the world" and supports the campaign to eliminate it. But Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn't have a problem with Ilhan Omar. She had the power to get rid of Omar in the same way the Republicans got rid of Steve King (R-Iowa) for his racist and sexist remarks. Instead, she did the opposite. Why? This shrewd politician raised a finger to see which way the wind is blowing in her party...and it's not with Israel. Ziva Dahl is a senior fellow with the news and public policy group Haym Salomon Center. Q. I retired from the federal government on July 31, 2019. I received $21,293 in Social Security, which I understand is not taxed in New Jersey. My income up until my retirement date was $36,249. I received $6,256 in pension payments after that date. I also did a $25,000 withdrawal from the Thrift Savings Plan. The contributions were exempt from federal taxes until withdrawal but not exempt from state taxes. I would be claiming married filing jointly. My wife had an income of $30,816. The big question: Should that $25,000 withdrawal be reported as income since it was already subject to New Jersey tax when the contributions were made? Im older than 62. Unsure A. Congratulations on your recent retirement. Lets tackle your various sources of income post retirement. First, you are correct that Social Security benefits received are not taxable on your state return, while your pension plan distributions of $6,256 most likely are, said Cynthia Fusillo, a certified public accountant with Lassus Wherley, a subsidiary of Peapack-Gladstone Bank, in New Providence. Of course, your salary pre-retirement is taxable. Fusillo said Thrift Savings Plan contributions are taxed when made. in other words, they are not salary deferrals for New Jersey tax purposes. Therefore, when you receive a distribution from your Thrift Savings Plan, that distribution will not be reportable on your New Jersey return since its already been taxed, she said. This is unlike a 401(k) plan which is a recognized salary deferral mechanism for New Jersey tax purposes. For the 2019 tax year, the retirement income exclusion is up to $80,000 for qualifying taxpayers, and that amount goes up to $100,000 for 2020. The key is that your total income cant be above $100,000 to qualify, she said. Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com. Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.coms weekly e-newsletter. Californians can now go to an entirely new kind of drive-thru, after the Glendale Galleria turned a parking garage into an outdoor dining space after the coronavirus pandemic forced indoor dining to close for a second time. Photos of the makeshift venue show small tables with up to four chairs, all six feet apart, situated in a parking garage as long pipes and support beams hang overhead. The unusual dining experience at the shopping center in Los Angeles County was mocked online - but customers and vendors are just happy it's there. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has changed the landscape for struggling restaurants and eateries, and many are simply looking for ways to financially stay afloat. The Glendale Galleria on Friday opened its new outdoor dining area that was placed on the bottom floor of a three-story parking garage Pictured: linoleum tables were placed six feet apart and spread out across parking spaces But people on social media couldn't help but share jokes and make fun of the solution. 'NONE of the food at glendale galleria is THAT good for people to be busting it in the parking lot like this,' one woman wrote. 'Eating a car fumes-filled burger at the Glendale Galleria parking structure because [America],' a man joked. One man, imagining a date, wrote: 'What if we kissed... over dinner... in the Glendale Galleria parking structure.' Another person had a similar joke and wrote: 'Guys say I know a place and then take you here.' 'In a couple years,' one woman wrote, '[I'm going to say] yall was eating the Glendale galleria parking lot I aint forget."' The Glendale Galleria, which sits in an affluent California city, inspired one person to share a meme. Several California residents made fun of the new outdoor dining area at Glendale Galleria shopping center after it was announced Many people shared jokes about the potential dining experience, including this user who joked about 'eating a car fumes-filled burger' Indoor malls in Los Angeles County were closed once again this month as coronavirus cases and deaths continued to rise 'Me walking into the Glendale Galleria parking lot for brunch,' he wrote, accompanied with a gif. Slate reporter Henry Grabar simply wrote, 'Advantage: New York,. He later added: 'Obviously come January New Yorkers will be dining in the West 4th St. subway mezzanine, so get your laughs in now.' The satirical website The Onion even poked fun at the new Glendale Galleria dining area with an article titled, 'L.A. Designates Open-Air Dining Areas Along 101 Freeway Median.' 'Were thrilled to take this bold step to give Angelinos a chance to dine while enjoying the sights and sounds of the iconic L.A. stretch of interstate highway,' wrote The Onion, in a fake quote from LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. And some people were just perplexed that people were dining out in a state with more than 488,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 9,000 deaths. One user joked about taking a date to the Glendale Galleria outdoor dining area One Twitter user shared a meme and wrote 'Me walking into the Glendale Galleria parking lot for brunch' Twitter user: ''In a couple years, [I'm going to say] yall was eating the Glendale galleria parking lot I aint forget"' Others were simply shocked that people were dining out in California amid the coronavirus pandemic Pictured: Customers enjoy an outdoor dining experience in the parking lot of the Glendale Galleria shopping mall on Wednesday 'I [really] cant wrap my brain around the fact that [people] are [really] eating in the parking lot of the glendale galleria,' one woman wrote. 'Like how is it worth it at that point?' But for Gevik Baghdassarian, owner of Armenia cuisine eatery Massis Kabob, the parking garage dining space provides new opportunities at a time when the majority of Americans are inundated with health concerns. 'We gave it a shot, and, to our surprise, people were actually coming,' Baghdassarian told Curbed. 'God willing, when this pandemic is over, I think people will still enjoy or, maybe, prefer being outdoors.' When Los Angeles County once again shut down indoor dining, Baghdassarian was set on keeping his family's restaurant open. Massis Kabob has been int the Glendale Galleria's food court for three decades and is a local fixture. The Onion, a satirical website, also shared a fake article about the outdoor dining area Initially, Baghdassarian's staffers would kebabs to waiting customers in their vehicles, which turned the entrance to an adjacent parking garage into a substitute drive-thru. Some customers began to park their cars and eat the delicious food at a few tables right outside the food court - which was small and not equipped for social distancing. Then representatives from Brookfield Properties, which owns Glendale Galleria, approached Baghdassarian with the idea to transform the bottom floor of its three-story parking garage into a dining area. Curbed reports that the area has been outfitted with linoleum tables from the food court. Some of the tables were placed on 'swatches' of Astroturf, which helped stop tables wobbling on the parking garage ramp. Massis Kabob in Glendale Galleria (pictured) is a family-owned eatery that has been in the food court for three decades The publication also noted that the ambiance is intermixed with tire squeals and honks from passing vehicles. The Glendale Galleria, unlike other places in the area that have opened outdoor dining, didn't have prime outdoor seating before the pandemic hit. A renovation in 2012 saw its 1970s brick-heavy design dismantled, but the shopping center wasn't reoriented towards the street or made to filter in sunlight into the interiors. Still, customers from other re-opened Glendale Galleria stores and locals visited that parking garage that represented a new normal. California residents Gary, Jerry and Ricky told Curbed that the outdoor dining area is convenient, safe place to meet. The trio have met for coffee and a chat at the Glendale Galleria food court for 15 years before the pandemic hit. They regularly gathered at a table near the Dunkin Donuts, and have a few suggestions for the new outdoor patio. Pictured: another view into Glendale Galleria's new outdoor dining area California has recorded 488,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 9,000 deaths on Friday Rocky noted that since the indoor mall is closed, diners have to visit anchor stores to use the bathroom. 'They need bathrooms for people out here,' said Ricky, retired law enforcement worker. 'Thats too far.' Gary, a lawyer, had ideas to boost the venue with music and new decor. 'Lets put an outdoor grill with barbecue smoke, hanging plants, a little bar, soda, juice, wine, beer no hard liquor. A little mariachi band there,' he said. 'Then take all the small stores and bring them outside in tents. And a Dunkin Donuts outdoors.' According to Jerry, the parking garage dining will be the new normal for quite some time. Jerry works for a health care company and believes a vaccine is more than a year out. 'The virus is here to stay for a while. Weve got to be ingenious, creative. We wont be captive,' said Gary. On July 1, Mayor Garcetti re-closed indoor dining and readjusted protocols after cases and deaths in the county rose at a significant rate. On Wednesday, there were 8,755 new cases and 197 new deaths across California. Nearly 7,000 patients infected with coronavirus were hospitalized and 2,012 were admitted into the intensive care unit. An additional 1,500 suspected cases are hospitalized and 197 are possible in intensive care units. The majority of cases have affected residents aged 18 to 49, despite the virus' negative risks for elderly citizens. English French Rueil Malmaison, 30 July 2020 VINCI awarded contract by Quebec authorities for the rehabilitation of Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel, Montreal Enhance safety and optimise traffic 4 years of work A 726 million contract The Quebec Ministry of Transportation has selected consortium Renouveau La Fontaine, comprising VINCI subsidiaries (50%) Eurovia, consortium leader, and Dodin Campenon Bernard and Canadian company Pomerleau (50%), to rehabilitate Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel and its access roads. The tunnel was opened in 1967 and is the longest underwater structure in Canada, covering a distance of 1.5 km beneath the Saint-Lawrence River. It is a strategic transport corridor for the Montreal urban area, linking the eastern part of the Island of Montreal to the city of Longueuil. Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel carries 120,000 vehicles a day. The rehabilitation aims to improve tunnel safety, optimise traffic and promote carsharing and public transport. The contract, worth 726 million (C$1,142 million), calls for the financing, design and execution of rehabilitation works. The financing package includes a bank loan from a syndicate of five Canadian banks and a Japanese bank. The works will be carried out between early 2021 and July 2025. They include: Access roads: widening the A20 motorway with the addition of a new bus and carsharing lane, as well rehabilitating 25 km of pavement (on the A25 and A20) and an interchange. Tunnel: repairing the structure; installing new fire protection facings; landscaping and architectural finishes; modernising all electrical, electromechanical and supervisory infrastructure, as well as deploying new technologies to increase operator and user safety (fire safety equipment and smoke evacuation systems). Throughout the works, the consortium will be responsible for the operation, upkeep and maintenance of the various sites and roads, which will remain open to traffic at all times. About VINCI VINCI is a global player in concessions and contracting, employing 222,000 people in some 100 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, above and beyond economic and financial results, we are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. VINCIs goal is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, and partners and for society at large. www.vinci.com This press release is an official information document of the VINCI Group PRESS CONTACT VINCI Press Department Tel: +33 (0)1 47 16 31 82 media.relations@vinci.com Attachment Cherelle VanBrakle said she feels Austins policy is more than fair. She grew up in the St. Johns neighborhood in a house her parents bought in 1987 for $60,000. Now in her early 30s and working for a federally qualified health center in Austin, she said her parents house and most others on the block would sell in the $400,000s, which is out of her price range. VanBrakle instead bought a house in suburban Manor for $165,000 but misses the old vibe of her street and wishes she could move back. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2020) - Royal Road Minerals (TSXV: RYR) ("RRM" or the "Company") today announces that it has filed amended certificates of the qualified person pursuant to Part 8 of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI43-101") in connection with the technical reports (the "Technical Reports") prepared for the Company by Luna Recursos Naturales and Mr. Nigel Chapman, B.Sc. HONS, M.AIG, dated and filed by the Company on June 5, 2020 and titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Luna Roja Property Northeastern Nicaragua", "NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Caribe Property Northeastern Nicaragua", "NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Guintar-Niverengo Margaritas Property, Antioquia, Central Colombia", and "NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Formalisation Properties, Narino, Western Colombia". This filing is being made at the request of the Ontario Securities Commission staff in connection with a review being conducted in connection with the filing of a short form prospectus by the Company. The amended certificates state that Mr. Chapman was not independent of the Company, applying the test set out in Section 1.5 of NI43-101 and that Mr. Chapman had prior involvement with the properties that are the subject of the Technical Reports while he served as a contractor and employee of the Company during the period from March 2019 to January 31, 2020. 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. For further information please contact: Dr. Timothy Coughlin President and Chief Executive Officer USA-Canada toll free 1800 6389205 +44 (0)1534 887166 +44 (0)7797 742800 info@royalroadminerals.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60739 Authorities in Rajasthans Alwar announced a lockdown on Thursday morning in areas under the Kotwali police station area after a surge in Covid-19 cases. The lockdown will be in place until August 12. The lockdown which came into force at 4 am caught most people unawares and even those involved related to essential services were stopped at various places. There was some confusion in the morning but the administration will consider the issues and smoothen things, Alwar collector Anadi said Superintendent of police Tejeswani Gautam said that 38 points have been made by the police and 400 police personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. Barricades have been set up in all areas under the Kotwali police station. According to the lockdown guidelines, there will be relaxation from 7 am to 11 am for essential items such as groceries and milk, but on Thursday this was not followed. The district collector said the lockdown will be a smooth affair from Friday. The business community of the city said that the partial lockdown was unfair to some. They said they requested the district collector for complete lockdown. Alwar has 3,662 Covid-19 cases, out of which 2,157 are active. Rajasthans Covid-19 tally stands at over 40,000 cases out of which 11,097 are active cases. The number of deaths in the state is 663. In Udaipur, district collector Chetan Devra extended night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 and also restricted some commercial activities in the city on the weekend. Devra issued the order on July 27. The restrictions dont apply to the police officials, medical stores and other essential services. Businessmen, shopkeepers and hoteliers of the city are unhappy with the decision. Some of them met the collector on Wednesday and requested him to allow commercial activities until 11pm. Members of chamber of commerce also had a meeting with the administration and said the community had already suffered losses during the three months of statewide lockdown. In Jodhpur, a night curfew from 8 pm to 6 am is still in force. In Barmer, after a 7-day lockdown in the first week of July, the city is now under a 15-hour curfew between 5pm and 9am. The restrictions are only in the city area; elsewhere in the districts there are no restrictions. Barmer has so far recorded 1,343 Covid-19 cases out of which 555 are active.. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The United Nations says that more than 100,000 people fled conflict inside Afghanistans borders so far this year amid continued violence, despite an agreement between the United States and the Taliban intended to pave the way for intra-Afghan peace talks. The UN Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also reported on July 30 that nearly 10,000 people were displaced due to heavy fighting between government forces and Taliban militants in the northeastern provinces of the country last week, while another 600 people were displaced in the south for the same reason. 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 to end nearly 18 years of war. Although the Taliban has refrained from attacking U.S. and NATO forces, militants continue to stage near daily attacks on Afghan security forces. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on July 28 that more than 10,000 government troops had been killed or wounded since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed. The UN has documented more than 1,200 civilian deaths in the first half of 2020. The Taliban has announced a three-day cease-fire for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, which will start early on July 31. The government has said it will reciprocate. U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who arrived in Kabul on July 29 as part of a regional tour to push the peace process, hailed the development in a tweet, saying our hope is this Eid brings all Afghans together in understanding & mutual respect and one step closer to a sustainable peace. Under the U.S.-Taliban deal, Kabul was to release around 5,000 Taliban in exchange for the militants freeing 1,000 government and military personnel. To date, Kabul has freed about 4,000 militants and the Taliban nearly 800 government forces. The Taliban has accused Afghan security forces of rearresting insurgents who had been released. But Ghani on July 28 signaled progress in the prisoner exchange, saying Kabul would "soon" finish the swap. Late on July 29, the Taliban said it would complete the release of government prisoners by Eid as a "goodwill gesture." With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters and dpa DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boom Supersonic , an aerospace company building the world's fastest civil aircraft, and leading industrial technology company, Rolls-Royce, today announced an engagement agreement to explore the pairing of a Rolls-Royce propulsion system with Boom's flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture. Boom's commercial airliner, Overture. The goal of the new agreement is to work together to identify the propulsion system that would complement Boom's Overture airframe. The engagement will involve teams from Boom and Rolls-Royce collaborating in engine-airframe matching activities for Boom's flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture. The teams will also examine certain key aspects of the propulsion system. The teams will investigate whether an existing engine architecture can be adapted for supersonic flight, while Boom's internal team continues to develop the airframe configuration. "We've had a series of valuable collaborations and co-locations with Rolls-Royce over the past years to lay the groundwork for this next phase of development," said Blake Scholl, Boom founder and CEO. "We look forward to building on the progress and rapport that we've already built with our collaboration as we work to refine Overture's design and bring sustainable supersonic transport to passenger travel." The priorities of this engagement are informed by Boom and Rolls-Royce's shared commitment to sustainability. Both companies recognize that supersonic passenger travel has to be compatible with a net-zero carbon future, and the two teams will work together to address sustainability in Overture design and operations. Overcoming the technological challenges of supersonic flight provides a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation sustainably. "We share a strong interest in supersonic flight and in sustainability strategies for aviation with Boom," said Simon Carlisle, Director of Strategy, Rolls-Royce. "We're now building on our valuable experience in this space as well as our previous work together to further match and refine our engine technology for Boom's Overture." As a result of this collaboration, Boom and Rolls-Royce expect to make significant progress towards finalizing Overture's aircraft configuration and propulsion system. About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions to meet our planet's vital power needs. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. Annual underlying revenue was 15.45 billion in 2019, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. In 2019, Rolls-Royce invested 1.46 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 29 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research. About Boom Boom Supersonic is redefining commercial flight by bringing supersonic flight back to the skies with Overture. This historic commercial airliner is designed and committed to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability. Boom's vision is to bring families, businesses, and cultures closer together through supersonic travel and make the world dramatically more accessible. Boom is the first commercial airplane manufacturer to commit to a carbon-neutral flight test program and to build sustainability into its entire aircraft program. The company is backed by world-class investors and has 30 aircraft on pre-order. Founded in 2014, Boom has assembled a team of over 140 full-time employees who have made contributions to over 220 air and spacecraft programs. For more information, please visit https://boomsupersonic.com . SOURCE Boom Supersonic Related Links https://boomsupersonic.com Earlier Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote a letter to ComEd CEO Joseph Dominguez saying shes deeply disturbed by the companys behavior and wants evidence of reforms before agreeing to renew the utilitys franchise agreement set to lapse at the end of this year. But its not clear what alternative city officials would be willing to consider going forward. New Delhi: After Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty for abetment to suicide in Patna, a four-member police team from Bihar landed in Mumbai to investigate the case along with the Mumbai police which has already questioned over 37 persons in connection with the actor. The Bihar police team kicked off its investigation on Wednesday, July 29. The four-member team spent nearly 3 hours in the morning at Crime Branch office and then headed to Pear heights building in Versova to quiz one of the servants of Sushant. The cops questioned him for almost 2 hours. One inspector and sub-inspector from Bihar police then recorded the statement of Sushant's sister Mitu Singh at an undisclosed location in Goregaon. The questioning lasted for about 4 hours and some sensational revelations came to the fore. The Bihar police team is likely to record the statement of Sushant's former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande today. The cops will be analysing the financial data of the Sushant's bank accounts and questioning late actor's CA today. Earlier, Sushant's father KK Singh lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and her family for cheating, exploiting and abetment to suicide. The FIR against Rhea Chakraborty was filed in Patna's Rajiv Nagar police station under IPC Sections 341, 342, 380, 406, 420 and 306. Rhea, however, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of investigation in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case to the Mumbai Police after an FIR was lodged against her. NEW YORK - U.S. officials frowned upon the opening of an Iranian supermarket in Venezuelas capital, saying Thursday that any presence of Iran in the Western Hemisphere is not something we look very favourably on. Acting Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of States Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Michael Kozak told journalists in a call that the opening of the market shows this is like an alliance of pariah states. I would be surely surprised if Venezuela is able to obtain much benefit from Iran, said Kozak in his response to a reporters question about the supermarket. Iran is willing to play around, is willing to sell stuff to Venezuela when Venezuela really does not have the money to be buying very much. An Iranian cargo ship docked in Venezuela in June carrying food for the new market in Caracas, weeks after the Islamic Republic had already sent five tankers loaded with gasoline to the fuel-starved nation. The recent deliveries signal a newly blossoming relationship between the two nations in defiance of stiff financial sanctions by the Trump administration against each of them. The new Megasis supermarket, in the east of Caracas, was launched Wednesday amid a tightening of the coronavirus quarantine. The inauguration was a private event attended only by Venezuelan government officials, Iranian diplomatic personnel and businessmen, according to images a journalist for the Telesur television channel posted on her Twitter account. The supermarket is expected to open to the public this week. Kozak described Iran on Thursday as the worlds biggest sponsor on terrorism. Iran is not going to save Venezuela from the situation it has put itself in, but it does put itself in a more dangerous situation by playing these games, he said. Megasis is headed by Iranian businessman Issa Rezaei, who runs a chain of 700 supermarkets in Iran. On Tuesday, Rezaei said on Twitter that our goal is commercial. He also said he is buying Venezuelan products like mangos, pineapples and wood to take to Iran. Venezuela has the worlds largest oil reserves, and critics of President Nicolas Maduro point to the nations reliance on Iran for gasoline as an example of the socialist governments failure. The U.S. seeks to oust Maduro, backing his political rival Juan Guaido. Maduro blames many of the problems on U.S. sanctions and other measures to undermine his rule. He says the U.S. wants to install a puppet government so it can exploit Venezuelas vast resources. PRESS RELEASE FIRST-HALF 2020 EARNINGS Paris July 29, 2020 Klepierre, the European leader in shopping malls, today reported earnings for the six-month period ended June 30, 2020.(1) The significant events of the period include: Good sales recovery since reopening, with June sales reaching 85% of the prior-year level 83% of non-deferred rents collected over the first half, 62% in the second quarter Shopping center net rental income down 5.0% excluding disposals and forex Cost of debt down 30 bps to 1.2% vs. year-end 2019 Net current cash flow per share down 1.2% vs. first-half 2019 at 1.37 Portfolio valuation down 2.8% on a like-for-like basis over six months Loan-To-Value ratio at 40% New EPRA Net Tangible Asset Value per share at 34.90 ( 2 ) Strong liquidity position (3.1bn), covering upcoming refinancing needs through June 2022 Jean-Marc Jestin, Chairman of the Executive Board, commented, After an encouraging start to the year, Klepierres activities were largely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns enforced since mid-March, which mechanically curbed variable revenues. Since early May, however, all of our malls have reopened and are applying the most stringent protective measures in Europe. We have had an encouraging restart in terms of footfall and consumption. However, in the current uncertain health context, we remain cautious as we strive to adequately assess the impact of the crisis on the Groups financial performance in 2020. Looking ahead to the long term, we hold fast to our vision of retail transformation that a decade ago led us to focus on clear capital allocation, a customer-centric approach and sound financial discipline. Key financials 06/30/2020 06/30/2019 Reported change Change excl. disposals and forex Like-for-like change(3) In millions, total share Total revenues 616.0 668.3 -7.8% - Net Rental Income (NRI), shopping centers 503.1 552.0 -8.9% -5.0% Property portfolio valuation (incl. transfer taxes) 22,840 24,042 -5.0% -3.8% Net debt 9,129 8,818 +3.5% - Loan-to-Value (LTV) 40.0% 36.7% +330 bps - Net debt to EBITDA 8.4x 8.1x +0.3x - In , Group share EPRA Net Tangible Assets (NTA) per share(2) 34.9 36.9(4) -5.4%(4) - Net current cash flow per share 1.37 1.38 -1.2% - Operating performance Story continues Operating context After a solid start of the year, business at Klepierre shopping malls was brought to a virtual standstill by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic across Europe, and by the subsequent restrictive health measures implemented from early March, including: Store closures: in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic, the closure of all stores was ordered, except those selling basic necessities (including grocery, small food stores and pharmacies); and Limited restrictions: in other countries, representing almost 20% of Klepierres gross asset value(5) (Norway, Sweden and Netherlands), only partial administrative closures were issued, mainly for bars, restaurants, personal care and leisure activities. These measures allowed most stores to remain open, although some retailers decided to close of their own volition. Since early May, restrictions have been gradually eased in all countries where Klepierre operates, leading to the progressive reopening of the Groups malls. As of June 8, all of Klepierre malls had reopened. To ensure the protection of staff and visitors, Klepierre has proactively implemented strict protection measures certified by Bureau Veritas in all of its malls. At Group level, stores have been closed for 1.9 months on average due to the lockdown measures, representing 153.5 million in rents (total share, excluding VAT; 26% of gross rents for the first half of 2020) and 40 million in service charges. Further to the lifting of restrictions, as of July 20, 2020, 96% of our stores (in rents) had already reopened. The Group expects this rate to keep increasing in the coming weeks. Retailer sales Following a good start to the year (up 2.5% for January and February), sales plummeted in most countries on the back of the administrative closure orders. The magnitude of the decrease was closely correlated to the nature of the lockdown measures. With the gradual reopening of malls across Europe, retailer sales have recovered faster than initially anticipated. The impact of social distancing on footfall has been partially offset by high transformation rates and higher average basket sizes. The trend has been improving month by month, with June sales reaching 85% of the prior-year level (penalized by a negative calendar effect) compared to 76% in May.(6) This improvement has appeared to carry over into July, with footfall standing at 80% of the prior-year level, compared to 75% in June (and 68% in May). By geographic area, in countries that have only implemented partial lockdowns (Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands), sales were 96% of the prior-year level in June, showing a clear improvement compared to 83% in May. The recovery has been particularly strong in Norway, where sales were 9% higher year on year in June, after being 6% lower in May. Countries that reopened after lockdown are enjoying an encouraging resumption of business with sales standing at 84% of the prior-year level in June and showing a 10-percentage point improvement compared to May on average. France (87% of the prior-year level in June) and Denmark (94% of the prior-year level) posted stronger performances partly as a result of government stimulus plans. By segment, Household Equipment, Supermarkets, and Culture, Gifts & Leisure are now back to prior-year levels (up 0.1% on average in June vs. last year). Conversely, Fashion, Food & Beverages, and Health & Beauty are yet to fully recover (79% of the prior-year level, on average, in June). Net Rental Income Net rental income (NRI) generated by shopping centers totaled 503.1 million for the half-year ended June 30, 2020, down 8.9% on a reported portfolio, total share basis compared with 2019. This reflected the combined effect of the following factors: A 17 million negative impact from disposals; A 26 million downward adjustment (-5.0%) excluding disposals and forex mostly linked to lower variable revenues (including sales-based rents, specialty leasing and car park revenues), and, to a lesser extent, an increase in provisions for bad debts (11 million) and a slight rise in vacancy (up 80 bps to 3.8%). This was partly offset by positive indexation (1.3%) and positive reversion; A 6 million negative impact reflecting unfavorable changes in exchange rates and other non-recurring items. Rent collection To support retailers cash position, the Group has deferred the payment of portion of the rents of the second quarter to the second half of the year, mainly related to the rents and service charges invoiced during the lockdown period. Receivables increased by 273 million (including VAT) as of June 30, 2020, compared to end of March 2020. In the first half of 2020, the Group invoiced rents and service charges for a total amount of 711.3 million(7) and collected 83% of non-deferred rents and charges of the first-half (491 million collected out of 593 million) and 62% over the second quarter.(8) This unusually low collection rate is attributable to the pandemic and the subsequent mall closures. In April and May, most of the retailers stopped paying rents due to the grace periods implemented by various governments throughout Europe and payment deferrals granted by Klepierre to its tenants to ease their cash position. Following the reopening of its malls, the Group has entered into discussions with tenants to find mutually acceptable solutions regarding rents relating to the lockdown period. Most negotiations are ongoing; they are conducted on a case-by-case basis and are focused around granting a partial waiver of outstanding rents in exchange for lease extensions and/or the opening of new stores. In countries where stores did not close or reopened in early May (Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany), rent collection has improved sharply to stand at 88% for the first half taken as a whole (and 78% for the second quarter). In countries where stores re-opened more recently (France, Southern Europe and Central Europe), rent collection has been lower (81% for the first half; 54% for the second quarter), but is set to improve as negotiations progress. Indeed, since reopening, the Group has intensified discussions with retailers and 900 deals have been recently approved.(9) Deal-making should continue to accelerate in the coming months and Klepierre expects to finalize negotiations by the end of the year, leading to a higher collection rate on Q2. As of June 30, 2020, 341 deals related to Covid-19 have been signed. Concessions granted to the retailers have been treated according to IFRS 16, whereby any lease modification has to be taken to income on a straight-line basis of the minimum lease term. The impact over the first-half is less than 1 million. Receivables related to tenants that have entered into insolvency proceedings have been impaired for 11 million, in accordance with IFRS 9. Leasing update Although leasing activity has been mostly focused on rent settlements since March, the Group nonetheless signed almost 400 leases in the first half and continued to open flagship stores throughout its portfolio of leading European malls. In France, Primark opened a 6,650-sq.m. store at Belle-Epine (Paris area) while Zara and Bershka stores were fully modernized and right-sized. The Sports segment continued its momentum over the first half as illustrated by the opening of new Decathlon (Novy Smichov Prague, Czech Republic), XXL (Gulskogen Drammen, Norway and Emporia, Malmo, Sweden), Nike (Milanofiori Milan, Italy), and Foot Locker (Aqua Portimao Portimao, Portugal) stores. On top of these emblematic banners, the Group also inaugurated two brand new Destination Food concepts at Emporia (Malmo, Sweden) and Novy Smichov (Prague, Czech Republic), welcoming diversified, well-known international banners and on-trend local concepts. Net Current Cash Flow and portfolio value Net current cash flow Over the first half of 2020, net current cash flow per share decreased by 1.2% year-on-year to 1.37, as a result of the combined impact of the following factors: Net rental income decreased by 9.2%, on a total share basis on the back of a 5.0% decline excluding disposals and forex (for more information, please refer to the Net Rental Income section above); Operating cash flow was down 7.4% on a total share basis. As soon as the lockdown started, Klepierre implemented a stringent action plan to reduce costs. It translated into a 19.2 million decrease (or 23.1%) in staff costs and other administrative expenses; Cost of net debt decreased by 15.1 million to 52.9 million on a total share basis. Restated for non-cash and non-recurring items, the cost of net debt declined by 10 million as a result of high-yield bonds refinanced on maturity at more favorable conditions. Overall, the average cost of debt declined to 1.2%, compared to 1.5% over the first-half of 2019; Current tax expense decreased by 9.6 million to 8.8 million on a total share basis, reflecting the decline in current cash flow before taxes and supportive fiscal measures following the Covid-19 outbreak implemented in Italy and Poland; and The average number of shares outstanding fell from 295.9 million in first-half 2019 to 286.4 million in first-half 2020, as a result of the completion of the share buyback program. Portfolio valuation Including transfer taxes, the value of Klepierres shopping center portfolio stood at 22,584 million on a total share basis as of June 30, 2020, down by 3.4% on a reported basis and 2.8% on a like-for-like basis over six months. Considering the still unknown impact of the Covid-19 going forward, appraisers have included a material valuation uncertainty clause in their reports.(10) Accordingly, the EPRA net initial yield(11) of the shopping center portfolio(12) came out at 5.1%, up 10 basis points compared to six months ago. Debt and financing Debt As of June 30, 2020, consolidated net debt totaled 9,129 million, versus 8,830 million as of December 31, 2019. The 299 million increase is mainly attributable to deferred and/or uncollected rents and service charges for the second quarter of 2020, which amount to 273 million, while the reduction in capital expenditure from 120 million to 92 million was partly offset by 77 million disposal proceeds. Overall, the Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio increased to 40% as of June 30, 2020, a 270-basis-point increase compared to year-end 2019, as a result of the increase in net debt and a slight decline in the fair value of the property portfolio. Restated for deferred and/or unpaid rents, the Loan-to-Value ratio comes out at 38.8%. The net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio was also affected by both the deferred collection of rents and the sluggish operating performance due to the lockdowns. As of June 30, 2020, it stood at 8.4x. Financing Klepierre has accelerated its refinancing plan in order to avoid any material refinancing issues for the next 24 months. Accordingly, during the first half, the Group raised 900 million of new notes at an average yield of 2.0% and a nine-year maturity. Thanks to these operations, Klepierres liquidity position stood at 3.1 billion as of June 30, 2020, including 679 million in cash at hand, 2.0 billion in unused committed revolving credit facilities (net of commercial paper) and 400 million worth of uncommitted credit facilities. The average cost of debt continued on a downtrend, coming out at 1.2% versus 1.5% a year ago. act for good: klepierres low-carbon strategy RECOGNIZED BY THE SCIENCE-BASED TARGETs INITIATIVE Klepierres low-carbon commitments have recently been approved as the most ambitious 1.5 C-aligned targets by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), in line with the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change. This scientific approval rewards Klepierres low carbon approach through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, Act for Good. As part of this strategy, Klepierre has set four major carbon targets for 2022: To reduce its energy consumption by 40% (compared with 2013). By the end of 2019, the Group had already reduced its consumption by 29%; To power the common areas of its shopping malls with 100% renewable electricity. This is currently effective for 93% of Klepierres malls; To achieve a net zero-carbon footprint at the five largest shopping centers in its portfolio. Fields, Creteil Soleil, Val dEurope, Porta di Roma, Emporia; these five malls represent a testing ground as the Group expands its carbon neutral program to cover all assets in its portfolio by 2030; To have its strategy certified by the SBTi. This target has now been achieved, two years ahead of the initial Act for Good target year. In advance on these four targets, the Group is drawing ever closer to achieving its longer-term goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, an ambition that is becoming close to a reality since Klepierre has already reduced its carbon emissions by 72% since 2013. EPRA Net Tangible Assets (NTA) As recommended by EPRA, Klepierre has applied the new net asset valuation standards as of June 30. EPRA NTA per share amounted to 34.90 at the end of June 2020, versus 36.90 six months earlier(3). This decrease reflects the decline in the value of the like-for-like portfolio (1.85 per share), the dividend payment (1.10 per share) and foreign exchange and other items (0.42 per share), which more than offset the 1.37 net current cash flow per share. Outlook After an encouraging performance in the early months of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Klepierres operations leading the Company to withdraw its 2020 guidance in late April. Klepierres priority is to operate its malls with best-in class protective health measures, in view of the situation the Covid-19 pandemic. Klepierre has engaged in an intensive dialogue with its tenants regarding the payment of rents corresponding to the closure period while providing them with support and flexibility. Many transactions have already been signed and more are expected to be concluded in the coming weeks. Although the gradually improving trend observed on footfall and retailer sales might augur a possible return to pre-crisis business levels, global economic uncertainties still prevail and will take time to dissipate. The Group will continue to very carefully manage its financials with a close eye on spending and liquidity. Klepierre is not able at this stage to provide reliable guidance for full-year earnings in the context of the still-evolving health environment and Covid-19, which could give rise to further albeit targeted - lockdowns. Nevertheless, the Group is committed to updating the market as soon as it has a clearer view on the pace of its business recovery. In the long term, Klepierres conviction is that retailers will continue to refocus their operations on the most productive stores and the most attractive retail destinations for their customers, supporting Klepierres strategic choices initiated a decade ago: Clear asset selection with dominant shopping centers in the most dynamic European urban areas; An extensive leasing platform offering differentiating expertise to banners; and Operational initiatives in line with new consumer habits and desires in terms of shopping, social interactions and environmental responsibility. change in retailer sales in june 2020 compared to june 2019 Country June(a) % of total reported retailer sales France -13% 33% Belgium -15% 2% France-Belgium -13% 35% Italy -21% 22% Norway +9% 10% Sweden -13% 9% Denmark -6% 4% Scandinavia -2% 23% Spain -26% 7% Portugal -26% 2% Iberia -26% 8% Czech Republic -18% 2% Poland -22% 3% Turkey -26% 1% CE & Other -22% 6% Netherlands -24% 2% Germany -16% 3% TOTAL -15% 100% Segment June(a) % of total reported retailer sales Fashion -24% 35% Culture, Gifts and Leisure -3% 18% Health & Beauty -9% 15% Food & Beverages -25% 11% Household Equipment 5% 13% Other -15% 9% TOTAL -15% 100% (a) Change in retailer sales on a same store basis, excluding closure days. Total revenues In m Total share Group share H1 2020 H1 2019 H1 2020 H1 2019 France 211.2 215.4 171.5 176.0 Belgium 9.8 9.1 9.8 9.1 France-Belgium 220.9 224.5 181.2 185.2 Italy 98.3 102.6 97.2 101.4 Norway 30.6 34.9 17.2 19.6 Sweden 27.0 29.2 15.1 16.4 Denmark 26.1 29.6 14.6 16.6 Scandinavia 83.6 93.6 46.9 52.5 Spain 56.6 58.5 56.6 58.5 Portugal 9.1 11.4 9.1 11.4 Iberia 65.7 69.8 65.7 69.8 Poland 16.1 17.9 16.1 17.9 Hungary 0.0 9.8 0.0 9.8 Czech Republic 15.8 16.6 15.8 16.6 Turkey 7.6 10.3 6.8 9.4 Other 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.7 CE & Other 41.0 56.4 40.2 55.4 Netherlands 36.9 41.2 36.9 41.2 Germany 24.5 26.4 23.3 25.2 SHOPPING CENTERS GROSS RENTAL INCOME 571.0 614.6 491.5 530.7 Other retail properties 10.0 12.3 10.0 12.3 TOTAL GROSS RENTAL INCOME 581.0 626.9 501.5 543.0 Management, administrative and related income (fees) 34.9 41.4 32.5 39.6 TOTAL REVENUES 616.0 668.3 534.1 582.5 Equity-accounted investees* 39.4 41.9 37.9 40.0 * Contributions from equity-accounted investees include investments in jointly controlled companies and investments in companies under significant influence. Quarterly net rental income on a total share basis 2020 2019 In m Q2 Q1 Q4 Q3 Q2 Q1 France 97.0 92.1 98.8 97.4 100.2 95.4 Belgium 4.8 4.5 4.8 5.0 4.7 4.1 France-Belgium 101.8 96.6 103.5 102.4 104.8 99.5 Italy 45.0 42.9 50.0 50.0 50.1 43.3 Norway 14.1 14.5 15.2 15.7 16.0 16.0 Sweden 11.7 12.3 13.3 12.6 13.4 12.9 Denmark 11.1 12.3 13.3 13.1 13.9 12.7 Scandinavia 37.0 39.1 41.8 41.4 43.3 41.6 Spain 24.9 26.9 26.7 27.1 27.0 26.2 Portugal 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.6 4.7 6.0 Iberia 29.4 31.3 30.9 31.6 31.7 32.2 Poland 6.7 8.0 8.8 7.9 8.4 8.0 Hungary 0.0 0.0 2.0 4.6 5.5 4.6 Czech Republic 7.0 7.8 8.7 8.2 8.1 8.1 Turkey 1.7 3.8 3.6 3.4 4.0 4.3 Other 0.1 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.6 CE & Other 15.5 20.1 23.8 24.9 26.6 25.6 Netherlands 14.6 14.4 18.5 16.9 18.5 15.0 Germany 7.1 8.5 10.1 10.2 11.7 8.0 SHOPPING CENTERS NET RENTAL INCOME 250.3 252.8 278.6 277.3 286.8 265.2 Other activities 4.0 4.4 5.3 5.8 5.6 5.9 TOTAL NET RENTAL INCOME 254.3 257.2 284.0 283.1 292.4 271.1 Net current cash flow H1 2020 H1 2019 Change Total share, in m Gross rental income 581.0 626.9 -7.3% Rental and building expenses (69.5) (63.4) 9.7% Net rental income 511.5 563.5 -9.2% Management and other income 42.2 46.1 -8.5% General and administrative expenses (63.9) (83.2) -23.1% EBITDA 489.8 526.4 -7.0% Adjustments to calculate operating cash flow: Depreciation charge for right of use assets(a) (4.0) (4.3) Employee benefits, stock option expense and non-current operating expenses 0.2 3.8 IFRIC 21 impact 7.5 6.8 Operating cash flow 493.5 532.7 -7.4% Cost of net debt (52.9) (68.0) -22.2% Adjustments to calculate net current cash flow before taxes exclude: Amortization of Corios debt mark-to-market (8.4) (9.6) Financial instrument close-out costs 4.1 10.5 Current cash flow before taxes 436.3 465.7 -6.3% Share in equity-accounted investees 26.4 27.8 -4.8% Current tax expenses (8.8) (18.4) -52.2% Net current cash flow 453.9 475.0 -4.4% Group share, in m NET CURRENT CASH FLOW 392.1 409.8 -4.3% Average number of shares(b) 286,430,401 295,908,706 Per share, in NET CURRENT CASH FLOW 1.37 1.38 -1.2% (a) Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities related to head office and vehicle leases as per IFRS 16. (b) Excluding treasury shares. The review procedures on the condensed interim consolidated financial statements have been completed. The Statutory Auditors review report is in the process of being issued. 2020 half-year EARNINGS WEBCAST PRESENTATION AND CONFERENCE CALL The Klepierre Executive Board will present the 2020 half year earnings on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 9:00 am Paris time (8:00am London time). Please visit the Klepierre website www.klepierre.com to listen to the webcast, or click here. A replay will be also available after the event. AGENDA October 23, 2020 Third-Quarter 2020 Business Review (after market close) April 29, 2021 Annual General Meeting Investor relations contacts media contacts Hubert dAILLIERES, Group Head of IR and financial communication +33 (0)1 40 67 51 37 hubert.daillieres@klepierre.com Mengxing ZHANG, IR Officer +33 (0)1 40 67 53 05 mengxing.zhang@klepierre.com Paul LOGEROT, IR Officer +33 (1) 40 67 53 02 paul.logerot@klepierre.com Helene SALMON, Group Head of Corporate & Internal Communications +33 (0)1 40 67 55 16 helene.salmon@klepierre.com Delphine GRANIER, Taddeo +33 (0)6 33 05 48 50 teamklepierre@taddeo.fr ABOUT KLEPIERRE Klepierre, the European leader in shopping malls, combines development, property and asset management skills. The companys portfolio is valued at 22.8 billion at June 30, 2020 and comprises large shopping centers in 12 countries in Continental Europe which together host 1.1 billion visits per year. Klepierre holds a controlling stake in Steen & Strm (56.1%), Scandinavias number one shopping center owner and manager. Klepierre is a French REIT (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris and is included in the CAC Next 20, EPRA Euro Zone and GPR 250 indexes. It is also included in ethical indexes, such as DJSI World and Europe, FTSE4Good, STOXX Global ESG Leaders, Euronext Vigeo France 20 and World 120. These distinctions underscore the Groups commitment to a proactive sustainable development policy and its global leadership in the fight against climate change. For more information, please visit the newsroom on our website: www.klepierre.com This press release and its appendices together with the earnings presentation slideshow are available in the Publications section of Klepierres Finance page: www.klepierre.com/en/finance/publications ([1]) The Supervisory Board met at Klepierres headquarters on July 28, 2020, to examine the half-year financial statements, as approved by the Executive Board on July 24, 2020. The consolidated financial statements have been subject to review procedures by the Companys Statutory Auditors. The review report on the half-year financial information is to be issued shortly. ([2]) Net Tangible Assets per share figures are rounded to the nearest 10 cents. ([3]) Like-for-like data exclude the contribution of new spaces (acquisitions, greenfield projects and extensions), spaces being restructured, disposals completed since January 2019, and foreign exchange impacts. ([4]) EPRA NTA as of December 31, 2019. Change communicated over 6 months. ([5]) On a total share basis, including transfer taxes. ([6]) Change in retailer sales on a same store basis, excluding closure days. ([7]) Excluding VAT. ([8]) All the collection rates are as of July 24, 2020. ([9]) Total of deals related to Covid-19, in all European countries ([10]) For more information, please refer to the Supplemental Information to the Earnings Release (section 6 Portfolio valuation) available in the Finance section on the Groups website. ([11]) EPRA Net Initial Yield is calculated as the annualized rental income based on passing cash rents, less non-recoverable property operating expenses, divided by the market value of the property (including transfer taxes). ([12]) Group share for the shopping center portfolio appraised (i.e., excluding retail parks and movie theaters). Attachment Rating Action: Moody's upgrades ASP Emerald Holdings, LLC to B2; outlook stable Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 New York, July 30, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") upgraded ASP Emerald Holdings, LLC's (Emerald) Corporate Family Rating (CFR) to B2 from B3 and Probability of Default Rating (PDR) to B2-PD from B3-PD. Moody's also assigned a B2 rating to Emerald Performance Materials, LLC's first lien term loan and senior secured revolving credit facility. The B2 rating on the existing revolving credit facility and Caa2 rating on the second lien term loan is expected to be withdrawn subject to the transaction closing as proposed. The outlook is stable. "The upgrade reflects the improved capital structure, in which absolute debt levels have declined significantly as a result of proceeds from the CTS sale and the $100 million equity contribution from American Securities. The refinancing of the secured credit facilities also eliminates risk associated with the upcoming maturities," said Domenick R. Fumai, Vice President and lead analyst for ASP Emerald Holdings, LLC. Upgrades: ..Issuer: ASP Emerald Holdings, LLC .... Probability of Default Rating, Upgraded to B2-PD from B3-PD .... Corporate Family Rating, Upgraded to B2 from B3 Assignments: ..Issuer: Emerald Performance Materials, LLC ....Senior Secured 1st Lien Revolving Credit Facility, Assigned B2 (LGD3) ....Senior Secured 1st Lien Term Loan , Assigned B2 (LGD3) Outlook Actions: ..Issuer: ASP Emerald Holdings, LLC ....Outlook, Remains Stable ..Issuer: Emerald Performance Materials, LLC ....Outlook, Remains Stable RATINGS RATIONALE The upgrade to the B2 CFR is supported by Emerald's revised capital structure and lower balance sheet debt, reduced financial leverage metrics and improved interest coverage. Emerald reduced over $200 million of debt with the proceeds from the sale of its CVS Thermoset Specialties (CTS) business to Huntsman Corporation (Baa3 stable) for $300 million. The company is now refinancing the capital structure with a new $425 million first lien term loan and $100 million additional equity investment by its sponsor, American Securities, in the form of perpetual convertible preferred equity to two parent holding companies. In turn, Emerald will receive $100 million from the parent holding companies in exchange for common equity that will be used along with the first lien proceeds, borrowing from the new revolving credit facility and some balance sheet cash towards refinancing the existing debt and paying fees and expenses. The combination of lower debt and interest expense should enable the company to increase free cash flow generation. Emerald's credit profile further reflects its specialty chemical portfolio that serves a diverse number of end markets and enjoys significant exposure to less cyclical food, beverage, flavors and fragrances and personal care products. The credit profile also incorporates Emerald's meaningful market positions in many of its niche market segments and benefits from vertical integration. Moody's expects adjusted Debt/EBITDA to decline from 6.4x as March 31, 2020, towards 5.0x in FY 2020. Story continues Emerald's B2 CFR is constrained by its modest size, with pro forma sales of approximately $480 million for the last twelve months ending March 31, 2020. Emerald also has a relatively small asset base with net PP&E of roughly $311 million as of March 31, 2020. Although Emerald Kalama Chemicals' (EKC) EBITDA margins are consistently in the 20% range and its existing business more resilient than CTS, the company also has exposure to end markets that are more cyclical such as rubber, automotive, sealants, coatings, oil and gas and mining. The divestiture of the CTS business, which enjoyed approximately 30% margins, limits Emerald's upside growth potential given the mature nature of many of its remaining end markets and reduces business diversity. Emerald's liquidity is good supported by its $75 million senior secured revolver, which had $50 million drawn as a result of precaution as the coronavirus pandemic escalated in March and $33 million in cash at the end of the first quarter. Pro forma for the proposed refinancing, the company expects to have roughly $50 million of revolver availability with sufficient cash balances and expectations for positive free cash flow. Emerald's current debt capital consists of the existing $379 million outstanding first lien term loan rated B2 and the $167 million outstanding second lien term loan. The Caa2 rating on the second lien reflects the preponderance of first lien debt that ranks ahead in terms of priority. Moody's expects to withdraw the ratings on the second lien term loan once the transaction is completed. The B2 ratings assigned to the proposed $425 million first lien term loan and $75 million first lien revolving credit facility are in line with the B2 CFR, reflecting the existence of only first lien debt in the capital structure following the repayment of the second lien term loan. The stable outlook assumes that financial performance and credit metrics remain appropriate for the B2 rating, including maintaining adjusted leverage between 4.5x to 5.0x and that the company generates sustained positive free cash flow in 2021. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS Although not likely over the next 12 months, Moody's would consider upgrading the ratings if the company achieves sustained adjusted financial leverage below 4.5x (Debt/EBITDA) and Retained Cash Flow-to-Debt (RCF/Debt) sustained above 15%. An upgrade would also require the company to increase scale and business diversity through organic growth. Moody's would likely downgrade the ratings if adjusted leverage increases above 5.5x for a prolonged period, or free cash flow falls below $20 million in 2021. Ratings could also be downgraded if there is a significant increase in gross debt as a result of an acquisition or sizable cash dividend to the sponsor, indicating a return to a more aggressive financial policy. Despite the high dividend on the preferred stock, Moody's doesn't view the perpetual convertible preferred equity as debt because it is being held by the sponsor, there is no cash dividend provision and expectations that the convertible perpetual preferred equity will not be redeemed prior to the first lien term loan B. However, if the preferred stock is redeemed with cash from the borrower in a subsequent financing or dividend to the parent holding companies prior to a material reduction in the outstanding term loan debt, it could result in a negative outlook or rating downgrade. ESG CONSIDERATIONS Moody's also considers environmental, social and governance risks in Emerald's rating. Governance risks are elevated due to private equity ownership by American Securities, which includes a board of directors with majority representation by members affiliated with the sponsor, and reduced financial disclosure requirements as a private company. American Securities has already extracted over $190 million in dividends since acquiring Emerald in 2016; however, the recent equity investment signals a more conservative financial policy than in the past. As a specialty chemical company, Moody's characterizes environmental risk as moderate; Emerald has a modest amount of accruals for environmental liabilities. The principal methodology used in these ratings was Chemical Industry published in March 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1152388. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. Emerald Performance Materials, LLC, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, is a producer of specialty chemicals used in a wide range of food, personal care and industrial applications. Emerald Kalama Chemical (EKC) operates in three business segments: 1) Consumer Specialties, 2) Industrial Specialties and 3) Antioxidants and Accelerators. The company was acquired in late 2014 by private equity firm American Securities from prior private equity owner Sun Capital Partners Inc. for $300 million. Following the sale of the CVC Thermoset (CTS) division, Emerald generated pro forma sales of about $480 million for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2020. 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. 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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. 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. Domenick Fumai Vice President - Senior Analyst Corporate 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 Glenn B. 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COLUMBUS, OhioA federal grand jury formalized racketeering conspiracy charges against ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four allies on Thursday, and demanded the forfeiture of $60 million the speaker and his team allegedly received from FirstEnergy to pass a $1.3 billion bailout of two nuclear power plants. Householder, chief political aide Jeff Longstreth, and lobbyists Matt Borges, Neil Clark, and Juan Cespedes are accused of using FirstEnergy bribe money to expand the speakers political power and enrich themselves by millions of dollars through a web of dark-money groups and bank accounts, including the non-profit Generation Now. If convicted, each could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, in addition to any money they must forfeit. The indictment specifically seeks the forfeiture of money in two Generation Now bank accounts and two brokerage accounts in the name of Longstreth and Exchange Investment Realty. Each of the five are scheduled to be arraigned next Thursday afternoon by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz. David DeVillers, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said after their arrests last week that the Householders enterprise is likely the largest bribery, money-laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people in the state of Ohio. In all, Householder -- who was removed as House speaker on Thursday -- received more than $500,000 for his personal benefit, according to DeVillers. More than $100,000 of the bribe money from FirstEnergy Corp. was used to pay costs associated with Householders Florida home, and at least $97,000 was used to pay expenses for Householders 2018 House campaign, the complaint stated. The indictment does not mention FirstEnergy Corp. by name. Nor does it name FirstEnergy Solutions -- FirstEnergy Corp.s then-subsidiary which operated the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants (and continues to operate them under the name Energy Harbor after splitting from FirstEnergy earlier this year). Instead, the complaint refers to them both under the collective name Company A. There are numerous giveaways that FirstEnergy is Company A, including that the complaint quotes public comments from former FirstEnergy Corp. President/CEO Charles Jones, labeling him Company A Corp. president and CEO. Read the full grand-jury indictment here: Cleveland.com reporter Eric Heisig contributed to this story. Read more Ohio politics and government stories: Gov. Mike DeWine asks state board to halt ban of hydroxychloroquine How coronavirus could shape the first presidential debate in Cleveland Rep. Jim Jordan attacks tech CEOs, saying they discriminate against conservatives Northeast Ohio lawmakers urge state regulators to reconsider Lake Erie wind farm ruling Ohio House Republicans, Attorney General Dave Yost, at odds over how to remove Larry Householder as Ohio House speaker SANFORD, MI - When tree service owner Justin Hartmann traveled from his home in Florida to mid-Michigan, he was hoping for a contract with Midland County for debris removal in the wake of a flooding disaster in May. What he found was one of the most inspiring communities hes ever seen, he said. Hartmann owns Canary Tree Services in Jacksonville, and his crews have worked in areas across the nation struck by natural disasters. So, when a contractor he worked with located near Sanford told him about the historic flooding that ravaged the town, Hartmann loaded up his trailer and made the hike north. While waiting for word on a work contract, Hartmann traveled around Sanford to help out as much as I could, he said. Soon enough, he found himself using his specialized equipment to help Sanford residents remove boats and other items from dry lake beds. Although Canary Tree didnt get a contract, Hartmann decided to stay. Working on lake bottoms can be dangerous work, Hartmann said, and he knew he had the machinery and expertise to do so safely. We got the paperwork and permission to work with cranes and an excavator on the lake bottoms, Hartmann said. Its absolutely dangerous. Theres all sorts of sharp stuff down there, theres mud thats like quicksand, and boats tipped to the side could fall over and hurt someone. Several local volunteers started working with Hartmann. Bruce Thibodeau, who has 15 years in boat transportation experience, helped Hartmann locate parts for a job, and Thibodeau has helped Hartmann as needed ever since. Hartmann estimates that within a seven-week period, his team rescued 100 to 150 boats from the lake bottom. Now that most boats have been removed, Hartmann and his crews are moving on to tree removal. Hartmann said he agreed to let residents pay what they could for his work, especially for those who had lost their homes and didnt have insurance. Hartmann said his past work in the ministry inspired him to help Sanford residents as much as he can. After he and his wife decided they wanted to start a family, they left the ministry and began his tree removal company to make money. We always said we would return to ministry after we were able to pay our bills with the tree removal company, Hartmann said. But now we see we can use our business to help people. Despite his eagerness, Hartmann said that a few weeks ago he grew concerned about pushing his family to stay in Michigan too long. He talked to his wife about going back to Florida, and she told him they should stay. She said, I want you to finish strong and keep your promise to these people because what else are they going to do?' So I took a few days off to spend with my family and then went back at it, he said. After working in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters around the nation, Hartmann said there is something special and inspirational about the Sanford community. As long as people want me here, Im here, Hartmann said. I like this community. Its amazing the way theyve come together like this. It inspires me, and its a good feeling being able to stay here. Read More 500-year flood, dam break uncovers historic logs on Sanford and Wixom lake beds Band director starts Instagram closet for Sanford-area teen flood victims Midland Community Foundation launches dedicated fund for Sanford area flood victims Flood-ravaged Sanford will be a vibrant community again after $23 million in damage, leaders say Local attorney starts GoFundMe for Sanford businesses affected by flooding We lost our whole town: Sanford salvages whats left after flood destroys homes and businesses LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (http://compare-autoinsurance.org/) is a top auto insurance brokerage website, providing car insurance quotes online from trustworthy agencies all over the United States. This website launched a new guide that explains when should drivers change their current car insurance providers. Switching your carrier is never an easy choice, especially since it involves a lot of paperwork and economic risks. But sometimes is the best decision. Find out the top reasons for changing your current car insurance company. It is advised to scan the market first, using an auto insurance quote online to compare prices and advantages. But first, read the following list of reasons: 1. A sudden, unexplained rate increase. There are many reasons why your rates may increase, from the obvious ones (causing various traffic violations, special offers that expire, moving in a new location) to smaller details. But if the company keeps increasing the rates without being able to explain why, then you should look for other, cheaper options. 2. Poor customer service. We all want a reliable and responsive customer service that will help us understand terms, conditions and making a claim. . You should expect a certain degree of flexibility from your insurance company, and if you speak with someone who isn't flexible with your insurance requests, keep in mind that there are plenty of insurance companies with better customer service. 3. Choosing to work with real insurance agents. Plenty of insurance companies have 24/7 agent access, which can be a plus if you're the type of person who prefers working with agents, rather than working with online forms. Do keep in mind that your local agent might be willing to make an off-hours exception for your insurance needs if you announce it ahead. 4. You want to add more drivers to your policy. The current provider may impose limitations regarding the number of drivers available for a policy. Or can add age limitations, for example, not allowing teen drivers. If you want to add another driver, consider changing your current provider. Story continues For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org. Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Having bad experience with the claim processing or customer support can determine a person to change the insurance compay", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing Company Person for contact Name: Gurgu C Phone Number: (818) 359-3898 Email: cgurgu@internetmarketingcompany.biz Website: https://compare-autoinsurance.org SOURCE: Internet Marketing Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599605/Top-Reasons-To-Change-The-Current-Car-Insurance-Company Drones have become a more visible part of American society since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. And while many use cases havent drawn much scrutiny, occurrences such as unarmed military-grade drones flying over protests have raised concerns about the intentions of public safety organizations that utilize the technology.Government agencies have to be careful not to damage the publics trust; otherwise, they may not be able to fly drones anymore. Thats the perspective of Charles L. Werner, a retired fire chief who directs DRONERESPONDERS, a program that, according to its website , brings together drone users with the ultimate objective of maximizing drone operations for public safety.Earlier this month, DRONERESPONDERS released The Five Cs, which are principles that departments can follow in order to ensure responsible use of drones. The top principle: community engagement and transparency.The number one thing that needs to be done is very extensive and transparent engagement with the community, Werner said. They have to be well informed of how the drone is going to be used and when its going to be used. The public has the right to look at whats being done with the drone at any time that they wish.The key is being proactive rather than reactive. Two recent cases illustrate the importance of this point.In April, the Westport Police Department in Connecticut announced its intention to utilize drones that can detect potential COVID-19 symptoms in individuals, but the outcry in Westport was so great that the department abandoned the new technology in two days. The department told that the logic behind its announcement was to gauge public opinion.A different scenario unfolded in Minnesota this month. The Golden Valley Police Department sent drones to spot instances of indecent exposure on a beach. This unusual use case made national headlines and drew harsh criticism and ridicule While Golden Valley Police Department issued an announcement after the controversy erupted, the best practice for agencies is to keep the community in the loop from the beginning to avoid compromising the publics trust. Werner said failing to think about what the headlines might say the next day can wind up harming the entire industry, not to mention that police in 2020 are already under a microscope.Matthew Guariglia, policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), shared a perspective that sums up the fear that some have about police stepping over the line with emerging tech.I think it [drone technology] poses quite a threat to civil liberties, Guariglia said. As we know with police, once they get approval to use a piece of surveillance for one reason, its not long before it becomes the new favorite toy.Guariglia said while the government as a larger body may be able to develop responsible uses for drones, he doesnt trust police to stay in bounds on their own. Guariglias skepticism is based on different episodes in the past.For example, EFF recently uncovered evidence that the San Francisco Police Department conducted mass surveillance of protesters at the end of May and in early June using a downtown business district's camera network without receiving public approval as required by San Francisco law.Such news, along with the revelation that unarmed Predator drones were flown over protests in major cities, should terrify anyone who believes in the right to protest, Guariglia said.To help prevent breaches of trust with drone technology, DRONERESPONDERS might point to its fourth principle for responsible drone use: clear oversight and accountability.We really recommend that you periodically audit your program so that you can reinforce that youre using these principles, Werner said.If drones are going to be used, there better be a good reason why theyre being used, Guariglia said. In regard to the incident with the Golden Valley Police Department, Guariglia believes flying drones to detect illegal nudity amounted to a slight convenience.What did the drone contribute to that scenario that an officer walking up and down the beach could have just as easily? Guariglia said.Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD), which has one of the most advanced drone programs in the country, understands the importance of building and maintaining community trust. Lt. Don Redmond, who manages the drone program, said his department engaged with stakeholders citizens, local politicians and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union for about a year before it even purchased its first drone.Were in the media all the time, Redmond said. Everything we do, we announce upfront so theres no shock when it happens. There should be no surprises.CVPDs policy outlines exactly why the agency has drones and what the tech wont be used for namely, general surveillance or general patrol operations. And if a novel idea for the technology does come up, Redmond said the public is notified before the mission, as when the department, during the pandemic, planned to send a drone with speakers near a homeless population in the canyons to announce that medical resources were being provided nearby.When citizens of Chula Vista see a drone, they know its to help respond to an emergency situation, Redmond said. In the last year, Redmond has received only two phone calls asking for an explanation about the drones. On one of these calls, a woman was curious about why a drone flew over her house. Redmond told her that a man with a knife was running through her neighborhood and that she could come view the footage if she had any doubts.She was very appreciative that I was straightforward about it, Redmond recalled.Redmond, Guariglia and Werner all had their own reservations about the news that multiple U.S. police departments have had drones shout out social distancing orders to crowds. Werner thought the practice probably created confusion and a perception of sci-fi creepiness, while Guariglia and Redmond pointed out that public health is not the domain of police.For law enforcement, its probably not a good idea, Redmond said. If county health officials want to do it strictly through the health department, I think the community would accept that quicker than the police department using it for the same reason. Four children under the age of 10 were left unattended in a parked car in New Glasgow Wednesday and the incident is under investigation by police. New Glasgow Regional Police responded to a call around 2:50 p.m. Wednesday and found the children, ranging from one to nine years of age, in a blue Volkswagen parked outside the town's Walmart. Police say some of the car's windows were down. The three girls and a boy were taken to Aberdeen Hospital as a precaution. Temperatures in the New Glasgow area reached 22 C on Wednesday and the humidex hit 30. Pictou County, along with much of the rest of Nova Scotia, was and continues to be under a heat warning issued by Environment Canada. The weather agency says people and pets should never be left inside a vehicle when heat warnings are in effect. In a news release Wednesday, Const. Ken Macdonald cautioned about the risks of hot cars in summertime. "On a very warm humid day like today, the temperature inside your vehicle becomes extremely hot, extremely fast and deadly. "It only take 20 minutes for the interior of a vehicle to reach extreme temperatures even on days that seem relatively mild." On Thursday morning, Macdonald told CBC that investigators were still looking into the incident. He did not have an update on the condition of the children. MORE TOP STORIES Advertisement President Trump on Thursday met with the family of murdered Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen in the Oval Office to discuss the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill, which would help victims of sexual harassment in the military. Guillen, 20, was first reported missing in April after telling family and friends that she was being sexually harassed by a superior. Her remains were found on June 30. Authorities say fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, killed her with a hammer and stuffed her body in a box to carry off post. Robinson, who has since committed suicide, allegedly enlisted his 22-year-old girlfriend Cecily Aguilar to help dismember and dispose of Guillen's body. On Thursday, Trump expressed his condolences to the family. He vowed to carry out a rigorous investigation into her death, saying he did not want it to be 'swept under the rug', and offered to personally pay for her funeral if the family needed financial help. 'We didn't want this swept under the rug. They're doing a very strong investigation ... We'll get to the bottom of it. he said. Trump was horrified when the family learned they had not yet been able to have a funeral for Vanessa because investigators have not handed over her body. Scroll down for video U.S. President Donald Trump listens to Gloria Guillen, the mother of slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen who was was found dead after disappearing from the army base in Texas, during a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 30 Trump promised the family that a 'powerful' investigation into Vanessa's killing and violence against women in the military Vanessa's mother was distraught during the meeting. Trump, moved by her emotions, said he could tell there was 'a lot of pain' and offered to help the family financially with her funeral Gloria is now appealing for a bill to stamp out violence in the military. Trump is expected to endorse it 'There has not been a funeral yet? How come?' he asked them. When they said they were told to wait, he replied quickly: 'No. That's no good.' Turning to an aide, he then said: 'We've got to take care of that.' 'When would you like to have the funeral? As soon as possible? We'll make sure that happens. Where will you have the funeral, do you know? 'If I can help you out with the funeral I'll help you. Financially, I'll help you. If you need something we'll take care of it. 'We will make sure she is very respected,' he said. Gloria, Vanessa's mother, spoke in Spanish and a translator relayed her comments to Trump. 'Thank you very much for having us,' she began. 'It's an honor to be here. She wants your help to bring justice for what happened to her daughter. She wants to know who's really responsible, who is responsible for what happened to her daughter and why didn't people act on it. The family of Vanessa Guillen (pictured) will meet with President Trump on Thursday to discuss the proposed #IAmVanessaGuillen bill 'Her daughter died in service of the country from the hand of people who are in the military. She just wants your help to get the truth,' the translator said. Trump responded somberly. 'I saw this on one of the shows recently and I was just looking and it hit me very hard. I saw what happened to your daughter Vanessa, who is a spectacular person and respected and loved by everybody inlcuding in the military. 'I invited you to the White House...the FBI and the DOJ are involved. The people at Fort Hood are very much involved. We didn't want this to be swept under the rug, which could happen,' he said. 'We'll get to the bottom of it, maybe things will come out. 'We'll be in touch with you constantly. 'You have our support. We won't stop,' he said. The family are advocating for a bill in her honor which would help tackle sexual harassment. Family attorney and author of the bill, Natalie Khawam, was also there for the meeting. She said there is systemic sexual harassment at Fort Hood that must be addressed. The #IAmVanessaGuillen bill would allow service members to report sexual harassment claims to a toll-free 800 number. Guillen's family and Khawam said the Vanessa had been sexually harassed by a colleague who allegedly watched her while she showered. Guillen told her family she did not report the incident over fears of retaliation. Thursday's visit to the White House began with a scheduled press conference at the National Mall at 8:30am, which will be followed by a 'Justice for Vanessa' march from the Capitol to the White House. Spc. Aaron Robinson (left) allegedly bludgeoned Guillen with a hammer before enlisting his girlfriend, Cacily Aguilar (right) to help dismember the body and bury it 20 miles from Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam (right): 'I dont know a person in the world that doesnt think that this is the greatest thing on Earth' 'We will not accept anything less than justice for Vanessa,' wrote Khawam in a statement. 'When someone volunteers to serve our country, they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by their fellow service members. This bill will help us provide the protection and respect to others that was denied to Vanessa.' After the march, the Guillen family and Khawam are scheduled to meet with President Trump to discuss the proposal. Trump is expected to host a press conference after the meeting in support of the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill at 12:30pm. He previously spoke to Telemundo about the Guillen's death, which he called 'horrible. Absolutely horrible.' Then, the Guillen family and Khawam will go to The Ellipse, a park near the White House, to discuss their meeting with Trump and the next steps to take. The meeting with Trump comes after Robinson's girlfriend Cecily Aguilar was denied bail for her alleged role in the horrific death. Authorities discovered Guillen's (pictured) remains on June 30 near Fort Hood in Texas after she was first reported missing in April Aguilar was accused of helping Robinson dismember Guillen's body and bury it in a shallow grave near Fort Hood, but issued a not guilty plea to three counts of evidence tampering. Aguilar was denied bail by a judge during a hearing earlier this month and remains in custody, Robinson died via suicide on July 1 as investigators closed in on him for the murder. According to reports, Aguilar was either Robinsons estranged wife or girlfriend. Aguilar told reportedly investigators that Robinson claimed to have used a hammer to beat to death Guillen in a Fort Hood arms room, then stuffed her body into a box to carry off post. She allegedly said that Robinson picked her up from her job at a gas station on either April 22 or April 23. Army officials have said that they did not find evidence that Robinson harassed or made inappropriate comments towards Guillen (left and right) He then allegedly took her to a site near Leon River, showed Guillen's body to her, and together they tried to dispose of the body using multiple different methods over the course of several days. Such methods of disposal were said to include mutilating and attempting to burn Guillens body, a police affidavit details. When the body didn't completely burn, Aguilar allegedly said that they buried the remains in three different holes. Authorities then asked Aguilar to call Robinson. During the call, which investigators were listening in on, Robinson did not deny what they had supposedly done to Guillen and also was heard saying, 'Baby, they found the pieces. They found pieces.' Before she died, Guillen's relatives said that she had told them she was being sexually harassed and was too afraid to come forward about it. An Army official told ABC News that during the Army's Criminal Investigation Command's investigation into her disappearance, they found information suggesting that she may have experienced harassment at the base. The harassment, however, did not appear to be sexual, although investigators said that found that some of the comments made about Guillen were sexual in nature. Army investigators also found that neither the harassment nor the comments stemmed from Robinson. The Army said that Guillen and Robinson were not in the same command and did not work in the same building. Army investigators also said that they didn't find any evidence of a relationship between Guillen and Robinson, other than a professional one, after checking phone records and text messages. In an interview with ABC last week, Guillen's mother, Gloria, slammed Fort Hood officials for lying to her, calling them 'clowns in a circus'. She told the station that she wants Congress to investigate Fort Hood's handling of her daughter's disappearance. Vanessa's sisters, Mayra and Lupe, also spoke out about their sister's murder. 'She was taken away from me in the most horrible way, yet they take it as if it was a joke,' Lupe told ABC 11. 'My sister is no joke. My sister's a human being just like me, her, all of us.' Mayra told the station that she will continue to speak out about her sister's murder 'because we cannot let this happen again'. 'My sister was taken away. She could have been your sister, your friend,' Mayra added. Pictured: Soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment conduct ongoing searches of the training area at Fort Hood, Texas, for missing Vanessa Guillen Protests have unfolded in various cities in Texas denouncing the Army and Fort Hood and demanding answers into her and other disapperances at the base. A march and vigil for Guillen pictured in Austin, Texas on July 12 Juan Cruz, the boyfriend of Vanessa Guillen, kneels in front of a mural honoring her on Sunday in Houston, Texas, her hometown Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said the Army would be conducting an independent investigation of Fort Hood, 'the command culture and climate', and the circumstances surrounding Guillen's death. The news was first announced during a press conference with representatives from the League of United Latin American Citizens and Rep. Sylvia Garcia. Khawam, however, says the Armys independent investigation is not enough. 'Thats not congressional investigation, thats not going to get everybody exposed, every piece of that base looked into because at the end of the day you never know who on that panel the relationship they have, what involvement they have,' she said. The attorney is also conducting her own independent investigation as the push for a congressional probe continues. 'She will not be buried. Theyre trying to bury the story but she will not be buried. We will keep her alive through a bill that fixes this,' Khawam vowed. 'Were going to keep her alive with the whole country saying never forget. 'This is why were going to do thisso we never forget this happened. The only way to never forget something is to fix it and get that reform in there so our military and soldiers never fear that this happens to them.' Robinson fatally shot himself on July 1 while police were trying to take him into custody. Aguilar could face 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted of her charge. The judge did not set a date for her next court appearance. In addition to Guillen, authorities discovered the bodies of Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, and Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales, 24, around the same time as Guillen. Morta, 26, of Pensacola, Florida was found unresponsive on July 17 near Stillhouse Hollow Lake, which sits around 15 miles away from Fort Hood. Wedel-Morales, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma was discovered on June 19 after disappearing in August 2019. The Army listed Wedel-Morals as a deserter for the 10 months after he went missing. The brother of celebrity SAS hardman Ant Middleton has been jailed following a 700,000 cocaine bust. Michael Middleton, the older brother of SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant, ferried 7kg of the Class A drug from France to Britain on the Eurotunnel. However, the 41-year-old was caught red-handed when he drove into London and was arrested as he tried to hand over the rucksack filled with cocaine to another drug dealer. Michael Middleton, pictured here with brother Ant who hosts Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins, was caught ferrying 7kg of cocaine across the channel and was arrested in London Officers from the Met and National Crime Agency recovered 7,000 in cash from Hoxha's car Now Middleton, who is one of Ant's three brothers, has been jailed for three years and five months. Ant, 39, is said to have a close relationship with his brothers and in April this year they were left heartbroken when their mum Diana died of cancer. Middleton, from Portsmouth - the Hampshire city where Ant grew up - was caught on March 12 this year following the 700,000 drugs handover. He had travelled into the UK via the tunnel from Calais to Folkestone, Kent, and then drove to Heston, west London. He got into the passenger seat of drug dealer Ervis Hoxha's car to exchange the cocaine however officers from Metropolitan Police Service Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) swooped in and arrested them. As well as the drugs, officers seized almost 7,000 in cash from 31-year-old Hoxha's car. When searching his home in Tooting, London, they found a further 1,500 in cash and additional evidence of his drug dealing activities including plastic wraps, a drug press, scales and a heat sealing machine. The rucksack containing 7kg of cocaine which was seized by police officers earlier this year Forensic examination of Hoxha and Middleton's phones found that both were encrypted devices - which are commonly used to undertake criminal activity. Both men admitted supplying class A drugs. Another man, who was in Middleton's car on the night of the arrests, was fined after pleading guilty to possession of a class A drug. On Tuesday at Isleworth Crown Court, London, Hoxha was jailed for three years and nine months and Middleton was jailed for three years and five months. Detective Chief Inspector Tony O'Sullivan, from the OCP, which worked with the National Crime Agency, said: 'Drugs, cash and violence are a vicious cycle that all go hand-in-hand. Ant Middleton's brother Michael Middleton (left) has been jailed alongside Ervis Hoxha after the pair were caught with 7kg of cocaine in a 700,000 drugs bust by the Met and NCA 'The OCP is acting swiftly to arrest criminals and break the link between all the three factors. 'The NCA and Met will continue to work together to stop organised criminals profiting on the supply of drugs, which in turn will help reduce violent crime across London and the UK.' When they were young Ant and his brothers left Portsmouth and moved to the village of Saint-Lo, in northern France, before Ant moved to Essex. He joined the forces at 16, completing the 'Holy Trinity' of elite units - the Paras, Royal Marines and Special Forces - and now hosts Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins. Description GIS 30 July 2020: The launch of the review process of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Mauritius will be effected soon through videoconference and will bring together all stakeholders and different segments of the society to promote an inclusive and participatory approach in that exercise. The country is moreover benefitting from the support of the French government to the tune of 200,000 euros and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the tune of USD 300,000 for the review. This was announced by the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, yesterday afternoon, during a press conference at Ken Lee Tower, in Port Louis. T he French Ambassador to Mauritius, Mr Emmanuel Cohet, and the Representative of the UNDP Country Office in Mauritius, Ms Amanda Serumaga, were also present. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement (Article 4, paragraph 2) requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve. Parties whose NDCs have a time frame of up to 2030, need to communicate or update by 2020, their contributions and do so every five years. The time frame of Mauritius is 2030, hence the need for a review. This review, stressed Mr Ramano, will determine Mauritiuss new commitments in terms of greenhouse gas reduction and adaptation measures to protect the country from risks associated to climate change. According to him, although Mauritius emits only 0.01% of greenhouse gases, through NDCs, the country has made a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. In this context, several priority sectors have been identified such as energy and transport with regards to mitigation, and sectors such as water, agriculture, fisheries, health and protection of coastal areas in terms of adaptation, he said. For the review process, the Minister indicated that Mauritius is benefiting from the support of the French Government through the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) and Expertise France. In fact, following the climate summit held in December 2017 under the chairmanship of the French President, and through the signature of an agreement with the AFD, Mauritius received technical assistance to the tune of 2 million euros. Within this assistance, Mauritius has secured funding to the tune of 200,000 euros, he pointed out. In addition, the services of a consortium of international experts have been mobilised by the AFD and Expertise France, namely Application Europeene de Technologies et de Services and Cibola Partners. As for the UNDP, stated Mr Ramano, the assistance extended to Mauritius lies within the framework of the Climate Promise Initiative project. The UNDP will help the country to hold consultations with various socio-economic partners and raise awareness on the NDCs to ensure an inclusive and participatory approach. He also indicated that the UNDP is providing assistance to Mauritius to the tune of USD 90,000 for the elaboration of the master plan on the environment. Ahead of the COP21 (21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]), the NDCs of Mauritius were submitted to the secretariat of the UNFCCC on 28 September 2015. The new NDCs of Mauritius, will be submitted before COP26, which had to be postponed to November 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mauritius ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change on 22 April 2016 and has been very proactive since the adoption of the agreement. A series of measures was adopted pertaining to disaster risk reduction, adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change, as well as for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. and carbon emission. The main measures are: strengthening of the drain system; protection and rehabilitation of coasts, and monitoring of climatic parameters. Mauritius has also introduced four legislations namely, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, Land Drainage Authority Act, Local Government Amendment Act and Mauritius Meteorological Services Act. In addition, the Climate Change Bill, is under preparation to improve Mauritius's capacity to adapt to the growing negative impacts of climate change while promoting sustainable development. 30.07.2020 LISTEN The Federal Government of Nigerias National Social Investment programme N-SIP with particular reference to N-power for the purpose of this piece which started four years ago, has been welcomed, accepted and adjudged by many as a life-changing initiative of the current administration, led by President Mohammadu Buhari, aimed at lifting many especially unemployed youths out of poverty as well as empowering many in various areas of entrepreneurship. The above position is predicated on the assertion that many beneficiaries according to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Farouq have become entrepreneurs and are doing well in their chosen businesses. According to Sadiya Farouq, over 109,823 beneficiaries of Batch A and B of N- Power programme across the country have established businesses in their communities statistics like this give me joy and once again, I want to say congratulations and like I said in my good will message I look forward to hearing amazing testimonials and meeting beneficiaries of this programme who will be doing great things in the future. As laudable as this programme is, it has been faced with unceasing complaints and issues of delayed stipend payment to the beneficiaries since it was put under the control of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development headed by Sadiya Farouq. And to extreme, many N-Power beneficiaries have also continued to questions the delay in the clearance of their backlog of stipends arrears, running to two to three months or more now. One explanation given by the ministry could be seen from this excerpt written by Joseph Erunke and published by the Vanguard Newspaper on July 23, 2020, The federal government, Thursday, said it did not pay 14,020 enrollees in the just ended batches of N-Power programme because the affected beneficiaries account details were found to be already existing in other ministries, departments, and agencies. The government which noted that the actions of the enrollees were against the established rule of the N-Power programme, regretted that the development affected some genuine and eligible beneficiaries. From the abovementioned excerpt, the question agitating most minds of the beneficiaries is; why will dogs eat feces, and goats will then inherit tooth decay? Regretting that the development affected some genuine and eligible beneficiaries isnt the best way to assuage the feelings, patience, circumstance of the beneficiaries, considering the hard times of nowadays and coupled by the COVID-19 pandemic which has had its toll on most world economies. In my opinion, the right thing to do is to settle those beneficiaries who are genuine and eligible instead of allowing the 14,020 enrollees malfeasance affect genuine and eligible ones Again, early March this year, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, explained that the delay in paying N-Power beneficiaries was due to some verification process in the ministry. Farouq disclosed that the Ministry was out to understand and have a full list of beneficiaries that were paid before she took over as Minister. In a statement, she signed, Farouq said: I know we had a complaint in October while we just got the NSIP into the ministry and we needed to understand the programme considering that it has been in existence before we came on board. We needed to understand before we start signing for a large amount of money and that was why we had the delay then. Unfortunately, then we were operating with a director who was overseeing the office of the permanent secretary and then in January, we had a new permanent secretary who also had to understand the nature of the programme. From available information as this excerpt will suffice, However, after receiving a complaint of non-payment by some beneficiaries who did same through the ministry, the OAGF (GIFMIS) officially wrote informing the ministry that out of a total of 516,600 N-Power beneficiaries data sent to OAGF for migration in April 2020, only a total of 502,580 data have successfully migrated to the GIFMIS platform, while a total of 14,020 beneficiaries were returned because the beneficiaries account details already exist in other MDAs, which is against the established rule of the N-Power programme, one can therefore say that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development now know the total number of eligible and genuine batch A and B N-Power beneficiaries as well as total number of ineligible and fake batch A and B N-Power beneficiaries. Or are there other excuses, explanations or reasons to be given by the ministry again as to why the eligible and genuine batch A and B N-Power beneficiaries are yet to be paid their June and July 2020 stipends even as their batches come to an end tomorrow. The time to act is now, as the batch A and B beneficiaries continue to inundate N-Power social media handles with questions on when their 2020 June and July stipend will be paid. Hon. Sadiya Farouq over to you Nwaorgu Faustinus is a socio-political commentator, blogger, freelance writer and mass communication graduate; he can be reached through [email protected] By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan Railways have switched to alternating current power supply, the companys press service reported on July 29. According to the statement, switching to alternating current will have a positive impact on increasing the volume of goods transported by rail and increasing the number of passengers through improved traction of electric locomotives. This will save energy and other resources, optimize costs, simplify operations, and increase the speed of trains as well. First test launch of the new alternating current electric locomotive was passed successfully for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan Railways. The test was conducted at Alabashli station near Ganjam Currently, 90 percent of Azerbaijan Railways locomotives are powered by electric traction, so the company is seeking to expand the use of alternating current power. For this purpose, 12 dart substations have been built and 768 km of contact network reconstructed. In addition, Alstom company has ordered 40 alternating current cargo locomotives and 10 passenger locomotives operating on dual power systems (DC and AC). Thirteen freight locomotives and 10 passenger locomotives have already been delivered to the country. Moreover, the company is building two modern locomotive depots in Bilajari and Ganja to provide maintenance and inspection of AC locomotives in accordance with international operating standards. It should be noted that 23 Azerbaijan Railways drivers successfully completed training at the simulator, organized in October 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, as part of the transition to alternating current, and received a certificate. The initial stage of railway construction in Azerbaijan started as early as in 1878 and was completed on January 20, 1880, when Baku-Sabunchu-Surakhany railroad, which was only 20 km long, was commissioned. Presently, the total length of railroad tracks is 2,910.1 km, operational tracks are 2079.3 km long, 802.3 km of which are double tracks. On July 20, 2009, the President signed a decree regarding the establishment of Azerbaijan Railways Closed Joint-Stock Company. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz develops new packaging design with premium quality stamp Bama Mayonnaise, leading mayonnaise brand from the portfolio of global culinary leaders, GBfoods has recently completed its state-of-the-art production factory in Sango, Ogun State. The factory which will support the local manufacturing of Bama mayonnaise, with its original recipe successfully rolled out its first batch of products to the Nigerian market recently. This investment is an added assurance of GBfoods commitment to continually contribute to Nigerias economic and social development through the localization of its products. The factory draws from a blend of GBfoods rich global practices and regional experiences to support consumers growing needs, whilst highlighting the opportunity for their communities to be a part of the long-standing heritage. This will, in turn, make Nigeria a key export hub for Africa and will further lead to the creation of jobs and the development of human capital in the country. The CEO of GBfoods Africa, Mr. Vicenc Bosch reiterated Bamas commitment to maintaining its original recipe developed over 80 years ago in the United States of America while being produced in Nigeria. He said, The tradition and origin of American recipes is what makes Bama unique and superior in comparison with our competitors. Mr. Vicenc Bosch further went to state Our priority when building this international standard production facility in Nigeria was to make sure we were able to meet the demands of our customers, not only in Nigeria but also in other African countries. In addition to the new factory, the company has also unveiled a new packaging design, featuring a quality stamp to reiterate the products category-leading position, and to emphasize its superior quality and taste to consumers. With the quality stamp feature, customers are now able to identify and purchase original Bama products. The new design stays true to the corporate colors, brand characters, and label art that is synonymous with Bama Mayonnaise while making the shelf presence and overall impact much stronger. Bamas superior formula and product have been uniquely put to the test, delivering a smooth texture and mouthwatering creamy experience to deliver the taste which spreads moments of love to all its consumers. Speaking on the commissioning of the factory, Mr. Vincent Egbe, the Managing Director, GBfoods Africa, Nigeria Business Unit said, Our growth and expansion plans for Nigeria are long-term and this investment is a testament to the industrial and infrastructural advancement that GBfoods is bringing not only to Nigeria but to Africa as a whole, we aim to make Nigeria an archetype in food security and also to become the food basket of Africa. Over the last couple of years, one of the things that we have ensured is to establish Bama as the gold standard of Mayonnaise, not just in Nigeria but across Africa. Our quality commitment to our product means that our customers and our consumers know that they are getting the very best mayonnaise product developed in the USA, designed and produced in Nigeria, Mr. Egbe added. Bama Bama as known has continued to deliver the best premium quality mayonnaise to the Nigerian market. According to Cletus Onyebuoha, the Business Unit Marketing Director, GBfoods Africa, Bama is a trusted symbol of love with consumers. Scoop and spread it on your bread or vegetables, youll enjoy the same premium quality product made with all-natural extracts, proteins and healthy oil. Our promise to consumers is to deliver that delicious taste which spreads moments of love at breakfast and other occasions. That is why we are re-inviting consumers to not only taste love in every scoop but to share it. Withstanding over 80 years of quality and trusted consumer experience, Bama Mayonnaise which is developed in the USA continues to provide matchless tasty and delicious nourishment that transforms eating experiences across the world. <<<>>> About GBfoods Nigeria GBfoods has a wide range of quality well-established brands in Nigeria such as Gino, Bama and Jago, under which they manufacture a wide range of quality products that make the daily lives of many African families easier. Products under their brands include Gino Tomatoes Mix; Gino Pepper Onion, Gino Thyme; Gino Curry; Gino Chicken and Beef Cubes; Bama Mayonnaise as well as Jago Mayonnaise. GBfoods investments aim to satisfy local culinary habits and preferences whilst offering the healthiest and best ingredients for the Nigerian cuisine. About Bama Mayonnaise The Bama mayonnaise recipe was developed in the United States of America over 80 years ago and has continued to expand across Africa. On 20th April, 2020, the first batch of locally produced Bama mayonnaise was rolled out in its new state-of-the-art mayonnaise factory located in Ogun state. Bama satisfies the most demanding African palates with its exquisite taste, accompanying some of the most traditional local recipes and it is currently a top seller in many African countries including Nigeria. The rich history of the spread is the foundation on which the brand has been built. Bama is that taste that spreads moments of Love driven by its the unique delicious taste experienced when applied to bread, sandwiches with fresh vegetables and other meals mayonnaise is typically eaten with. In summary core to the Bama brand is the improved taste it brings to meals, the act of spreading love and bonding it brings to mealtimes and the rich heritage and history it upholds, thus bringing premium quality mayonnaise to Nigerian and African home. When the pandemic prompted companies to furlough or lay off thousands of employees, some chief executives decided to show solidarity by forgoing some of their pay. But it turns out that their sacrifice was minimal. A survey of some 3,000 public companies shows that the cuts which, so far, have come in the form of salary reductions were tiny compared with their total pay last year. Total pay includes things like bonuses and stock awards that typically make up the bulk of what corporate bosses take home. Only a small percentage of the companies cut salaries for their senior executives at all, which is surprising given that the pandemic has crushed profits and sales for many companies, forcing large layoffs. But even among businesses that did cut the bosss pay, two-thirds of the chief executives took reductions that were equivalent to only 10 per cent or less of their 2019 compensation, according to an analysis by CGLytics, a compensation analysis firm. Companies in this group include The Walt Disney Co., Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Marriott International. All of those businesses have laid off or furloughed employees or pressed workers to take pay cuts. This compensation analysis offers another example of how the coronavirus pandemic has walloped the working and middle classes while mostly sparing the people at the very top of the economic hierarchy. These salary cuts were more window dressing than anything else, said Liz Shuler, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO. The labour federation Wednesday released a report showing that companies in the S&P 500 stock index last year paid chief executives on average 264 times as much as median employees, down from 287 times in 2018. Of course, this analysis is incomplete because the year is not over. In the coming months, corporate boards could decide to significantly reduce the bonuses and stock options they hand out to top executives for 2020. That would represent a big break from recent years when boards, which are primarily made up of corporate executives and investors, approved ever higher pay packages. A few chief executives have already taken a sizable hit. The survey showed that Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin, a Seattle-based real estate brokerage, took a pay cut that was equivalent to the $284,000 he got in 2019. The reason we did it is because we had to furlough or lay off more than a thousand people, Kelman said when asked what motivated the decision to withhold his salary. Its not just about the pay cut; its about the general sense that capitalism is not working for everyone. CGLytics surveyed the companies in the Russell 3000 index, which comprises most of the publicly traded businesses in the United States, and found that 419 companies had disclosed details of salary cuts. Only about 10 per cent of those companies cut salaries by more than 25 per cent of the executives 2019 total realized compensation, a figure that CGLytics came up with by adding up all the money and stock each boss received last year. The firm values the stock at the price at which trading ended Dec. 31. The price of many stocks fell sharply this spring when the pandemic took hold. But stocks can recover over time, and many have soared since March. As it became clear that the pandemic was going to devastate the economy and their businesses, many boards and chief executives appeared to sense a need to tell workers and investors that they were sharing in the pain. United Airlines said the executives salary cuts were a recognition of the effects of the pandemic and to lead by example. United, which has been hit hard by a plunge in demand for air travel, is expected to start furloughing up to 36,000 workers Oct. 1. Oscar Munoz, who in May became Uniteds executive chair after serving as chief executive, did not get salary from March 10 through June 30, which amounted to a $610,000 (U.S.) pay cut on the $2 million salary he is being paid this year. But the reduction was a little less than three per cent of the $22.2 million that Munoz took home in 2019. Uniteds new chief executive, J. Scott Kirby, will give up around $790,000 of salary this year. That is equivalent to nine per cent of the $8.7 million that CGLytics estimates he received last year. United said that it was extremely unlikely that it would make 2020 bonus payments, which it planned to set at 250 per cent of salary, to its top executives. Deltas chief executive, Ed Bastian, took a salary cut of around $714,000, or 5.35 per cent of the total compensation he received in 2019, according to CGLytics. A Delta representative said the decline in Deltas stock price and difficulties ahead for the airline would weigh heavily on the value of Bastians pay. The spokesperson, Trebor Banstetter, said the value of Bastians total compensation this year was likely to be down 58 per cent from pre-pandemic projections, but he did not provide details of how the company arrived at that figure. Delta is asking its pilots to take pay cuts in order to keep their jobs. Disney awarded Robert A. Iger, its former chief executive who stepped down in February, large compensation packages over the nearly 15 years that he led the company. Iger, who is now executive chair, gave up his salary from the end of March through the end of the year. The $2.25 million in forgone pay is equivalent to 3.3 per cent of Igers total realized compensation in 2019, according to CGLytics. Disney furloughed tens of thousands of workers in March. The hotel industry has also been hit hard by the pandemic, and companies like Marriott International have been furloughing and laying off workers. The companys chief executive, Arne M. Sorenson, took a salary cut that was equivalent to less than two per cent of the $66 million in total compensation that CGLytics says he was paid in 2019. Connie Kim, a Marriott spokesperson, said nearly $50 million of the compensation for last year was related to stock appreciation rights granted nine to 10 years earlier. Some companies merely deferred salary payments for senior executives, rather than make outright cuts. General Motors deferred 30 per cent of the salary of its chief executive, Mary T. Barra, and other top leaders, and 20 per cent of other white-collar employees. The deferrals, which began April 1, were going to last for as long as six months, but Tuesday, General Motors told employees that it was ending the 20 per cent deferrals Aug. 1. Barra and the other senior executives will continue to defer 10 per cent of their salaries. She made $30 million in total realized compensation last year, according to CGLytics. When asked why the deferrals were ending sooner than expected, James R. Cain, a company spokesperson, said, The business demanded that we conserve cash, and it is recovering faster than we expected. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:51:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases rose to 234,889 on Thursday with nearly 2,700 new cases reported, and deaths from the virus increased to 3,083. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that 2,695 new COVID-19 positive cases and 48 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh. "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 234,889 while fatalities stood at 3,083," she said. According to the official, 12,937 samples were tested in the last 24 hours in labs across the country. She said the total number of recovered patients in the country stands at 132,960 with 2,668 new recoveries. According to the official, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.30 percent and the current recovery rate is 56.61 percent in the country. Bangladesh recorded highest 4,019 cases in a 24-hour period on July 2. And the country reported the highest 64 deaths of COVID-19 patients in a day on June 30. Enditem KEY HIGHLIGHTS Centre working with states to strengthen public procurement policy with focus on Make-in-India and timely payment of dues Standardising public procurement policies across government agencies is part of DPIIT strategy to climb the ladder of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking Emphasis on clearing dues within 30 days of receiving the bills for at least small tenders Suppliers and vendors complain that PSUs and government agencies raise queries on the bills at various stages thus delaying the payment by as many as six months The Centre is working with states to standardise public procurement policy suggesting them to keep their focus on Make-in-India and provisions for timely payment of dues to suppliers. "We are working with states on public procurement policy as it is a major part of GDP. We have told states that if they don't have a public procurement policy they can have one immediately and adopt practices suitable to state. This should have a strong Make-in-India focus similar to that of the Centre," a senior government official told BusinessToday.In. Reliable sources said that the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in its strategy paper for boosting industrial growth has laid stress on standardising public procurement policies across government agencies, Centre and states. The move is part of its strategy to climb the ladder of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking. ALSO READ: 'Foreign-owned vs Indian-owned': MSMEs demand new rule to elbow out Chinese firms The DPIIT has sought comments from the industry on the strategy paper and earlier held a meeting with industry representatives. The industry captains want institutional mechanism to clear pending dues of vendors and suppliers. Payment delays have been a perennial problem for suppliers and vendors, especially in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. While the Centre has been pushing PSUs and other entities to pay their vendors in time - within 45 days as mandated in the MSMED Act, 2006 - the private firms have complained of inordinate delays. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a mid-sized corporate house said that PSUs and government agencies raise queries on the bills at various stages thus delaying the payment by as many as six months. Amit Jain, CMD of Delhi-based CMI Ltd pointed out various shortcomings in the current procurement policy and suggested to provide for preferential treatment to locally manufactured goods. He said that the move would help the nation in two ways - savings in forex spend and at the same time helping domestic manufacturing industry flourish. ALSO READ: GeM to be integrated with Indian Railways' e-procurement system: Commerce Ministry "Financial burden in the form of Bank Guarantees (BGs) may be waived off or at least reduced in terms of percentage. Since, many times projects tend to get delayed or stuck in the middle for some reason or the other, the BG should be sought on the supplied or executed portion of contract rather than total contract value," Jain said. As government tries to strengthen the procurement policy, officials have suggested to frame a National Prompt Payment Regulations for all public procurement contracts to mandate payment of majority of invoices within 30 days of receipt of invoice. The rule could apply to small tenders. In order to fix accountability, a status report on payment clearances by all the government departments could be tabled in Parliament with oversight of national regulator Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). "Enactment of a unified national public procurement law with participation of, and implementation in all States can significantly ease public procurement participation for all businesses," said the strategy paper on new draft industrial policy. VK Bhandari, Chairman and MD of Kolkata-based Supertron Electronics Pvt Ltd (SEPL) said that payments for supplies to government entities should be cleared within 30 days, noting that Government e-Marketplace (GeM) had addressed the payments issues for regular use items such as computer accessories. "We welcome procurement policy that brings more transparency and ensures payment within 30 days," Bhandari said. ALSO READ: Indian Railways to introduce clause in procurement process to promote local vendors Vice President Mike Pence had some hiccups Thursday in the first hour of his tour of Pennsylvania when his campaign bus got in a fender binder and then two police officers on motorcycles went down. The campaign bus swiped a dump truck on its side, bending the vehicle's fender. Pence had to get out of the bus and transfer to a limo. A Pence official called it a 'minor fender bender.' Vice President Mike Pence exited his motorcade during a trip to Pennsylvania to check on a police officer who was in a motorcycle accident Additionally the campaign bus hit a dump truck in a 'fender bender' and Vice President Pence exited the bus to ride in a limo An ambulance was on hand for the incidents; the vice president was not hurt Vice President Pence was in route to a Cops For Trump event when the accidents occurred The vice president was not injured in the incident, which came on the same day of news that the U.S. economy shrank by 33 per cent in the April-June quarter, the worst quarterly plunge ever. The bus was left behind as the motorcade continued but then two motorcycle cops went down, causing another delay. Pence got out of his vehicle to speak to one of the officers as emergency medical personnel checked the two men out. The vice president did not appear to be wearing a mask when speaking to the officer. An ambulance was on the scene as one usually travels in motorcade. All this happened while Pence was in route to a 'Cops for Trump' rally. Later Thursday, Pence called all those involved in the accidents. He spoke to the truck driver from the accident with the campaign bus. He also spoke to one of the officers who was on a motorcycle in the 2nd motorcade incident, and he has left a voicemail for the second motorcycle officer, a White House official said. The bus mishap happened in rural Allegheny County on a very sharp curve and about 10 minutes into the ride. Accidents are fairly common in President Donald Trump and Pence's motorcades as the vehicles move quickly and often make sharp turns. Pence is campaigning in western Pennsylvania to show the Trump administration's support for law enforcement and to shore up support in the critical battleground state. Polls show Joe Biden leading Trump in Pennsylvania, the state where Biden was born. The presumptive Democratic nominee leads by 6 points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. But the Trump campaign is determined to keep Pennsylvania competitive, particularly as Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state in 20 years when he picked it up in 2016. Pence's first stop is at the Greensburg Police Department for a 'Cops for Trump' event. Then he will tour the Guy Chemical Company in Somerset. He thanked officers ahead of his remarks. 'Grateful for all of the law enforcement officers who support us and help get us safely to where we are going each day. Thank you for all you do!,' he wrote on Twitter. Many of the supporters lined up for the 'Cops for Trump' event were not wearing masks, according to a video posted by Marc Lotter, a spokesman for the Trump campaign on the scene. There was also little social distancing among the crowd. The event took place on the same day Herman Cain died of the coronavirus. The former presidential candidate was at President Trump's Tulsa rally where several campaign staff and Secret Service agents tested positive for the disease. Cain did not wear a mask at the rally. Vice President Mike Pence wore a face mask when he got to his 'Cops for Trump' event Pence removed his mask to speak the crowd where he touted the Trump administration's support for police officers Many people lined up for the Pence event did not wear face masks Pence tweeted his thanks to law enforcement after the accident Pence wore a mask when he exited his limo but took it off to speak to the crowd. He touted the administration's support for police and criticized some liberal Democrats who have called on police departments to be defunded in the wake of George Floyd's death. 'We are not going to defund the police, not now, not ever,' he said. DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Diesel Power Engine Market by Operation (Standby, Prime, and Peak Shaving), Power Rating (Below 0.5 MW, 0.5-1 MW, 1.0-2 MW, 2.0-5 MW, and Above 5 MW), End User (Industrial, Commercial, and Residential), Speed, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The diesel power engine market is expected to grow from USD 6.3 billion in 2020 to USD 7.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.6%. Leading players in the diesel power engine market are Caterpillar (US), Cummins (US), Wartsila (Finland), Rolls-Royce Holdings (UK), MAN SE (Germany), Volvo Penta (Sweden), and Doosan Infracore (South Korea). Increased industrialization, growing demand for reliable backup power supply, and datacenter investments are set to drive the diesel power engine market The market has a promising growth potential due to several factors, including increasing industrialization, growing demand for reliable backup power solutions, and datacenter investments especially in Europe and North America. Diesel power engines are compression ignition, reciprocating engines and are considered one of the most reliable and capable fossil fuel-based power generation technologies. These engines are coupled with an alternator to generate power as and when demanded. They are utilized for continuous and emergency standby power supply across end-users such as oil & gas, mining, petrochemical, data centers, hospital, and commercial buildings. The market growth for diesel power engines can be attributed to the increased demand for reliable backup power, especially from industrial and commercial end-users to supply critical loads. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is expected to impact the global diesel power engine market. The COVID-19 outbreak led to large scale shutdown of operations across sectors, and disruption of projects and investments across end-use industries. Due to extended lockdown and disruption of operations, the end-use demand was low, and this was reflected in the 2020 first-quarter revenues of both Caterpillar, and Cummins who registered 21%, and 19% decline in revenues respectively. Standby: The largest segment of the diesel power engine market, by operation Standby segment is the largest segment of the diesel power engine market, by operation. Standby diesel engines are used by end-users for emergency power supply. Fast-start diesel engines, which can immediately come online and start supplying loads, are preferred in most cases. The demand for these standby diesel engines is more among the end-users. Industrial consumers, such as manufacturing and processing plants, rely on these standby diesel engines to maintain higher productivity in case of grid power failures. Sectors with critical loads, such as hospitals, telecom infrastructure, and data centers, require a continuous power supply. With the increased industrialization especially in the Asia Pacific, the largest market for diesel power engines. These factors are expected to drive the market for diesel power engines globally. Commercial: The fastest-growing segment of the diesel power engines market, by end-user Commercial segment is the fastest-growing segment of the diesel power engine market, by end-user. The commercial sector's demand for diesel engine-powered gensets arises out of the need for reliable backup power for sectors with critical loads, such as hospitals, data centers, telecom infrastructure, and airports. Other commercial establishments such as malls, shopping complexes, offices, hotels, and warehouses also rely on diesel generator sets for emergency backup power supply. In cases of outages, they always require efficient and reliable power backup. The growth in datacenter and critical facilities investments, coupled is expected to create huge demand for diesel power engines. The need for reliable and quick backup is expected to propel the demand for diesel power engines in the commercial sector. Europe: The fastest-growing region in the diesel power engine market. The market growth in this region can be attributed to the growing data center investments especially in countries such as Germany, the UK, and other Nordic Countries. New regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are expected to contribute to the growth of data centers and thereby create demand for diesel power engines for backup power solutions. Research Coverage The report segments the diesel power engine market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, based on region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and South America), operation (standby, prime, and Peak shaving), end-user (industrial, commercial, and residential), power rating (Below 0.5 MW, 0.5-1 MW, 1.0-2 MW, 2.0-5 MW, and Above 5 MW), speed (below 720 rpm, 720-1000 rpm, above 1000 rpm). The report also provides a comprehensive review of market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in the diesel power engine market. The report also covers qualitative aspects in addition to the quantitative aspects of these markets. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Market Opportunities during the Forecast Period 4.2 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Region 4.3 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Operation 4.4 Diesel Power Engine Market, by End-user 4.5 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Power Rating 4.6 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Speed 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 YC Shift Analysis 5.3 COVID-19 Health Assessment 5.4 COVID-19: Economic Assessment 5.5 Market Dynamics 5.5.1 Drivers 5.5.1.1 Rising Demand for Reliable and Uninterrupted Power 5.5.1.2 Growing Commercial Sector Investments 5.5.1.3 Increasing Urbanization and Industrialization 5.5.2 Restraints 5.5.2.1 High Fuel and Operation & Maintenance Costs 5.5.2.2 Competition from Alternative Energy Sources 5.5.3 Opportunities 5.5.3.1 Growth in Hybrid Power Generation in Rural and Remote Locations 5.5.4 Challenges 5.5.4.1 Stringent Environmental and Governmental Regulations 5.5.4.2 Rising Demand for Natural Gas in Power Generation Applications 5.6 COVID-19 Impact on Diesel Power Engine Market 5.6.1 Drivers 5.6.1.1 Increased Demand for Reliable Power from Healthcare Sector 5.6.2 Challenges 5.6.2.1 Supply Chain Disruption due to COVID-19 5.7 Value Chain Analysis 5.7.1 Raw Material 5.7.2 Manufacturing 5.7.3 Distribution & Post-Sales Services 5.8 Case Study Analysis 5.8.1 Diesel-Powered Electricity Generation for Emergency Power Supply 5.8.1.1 Summa Health 5.8.1.2 AVK 6 Scenario Analysis 6.1 Scenario Analysis 6.1.1 Optimistic Scenario 6.1.2 Realistic Scenario 6.1.3 Pessimistic Scenario 7 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Operation 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Standby 7.3 Prime/Continuous 7.4 Peak Shaving 8 Diesel Power Engine Market, by End-user 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Industrial 8.3 Commercial 8.4 Residential 9 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Power Rating 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Below 0.5 MW 9.3 0.5-1 MW 9.4 1.0-2 MW 9.5 2.0-5 MW 9.6 Above 5 MW 10 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Speed 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Below 720 Rpm 10.3 720-1000 Rpm 10.4 Above 1000 Rpm 11 Diesel Power Engine Market, by Region 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Impact of COVID-19 on Global Diesel Power Engine Market 11.3 Diesel Power Engine Average Selling Price 11.4 Asia-Pacific 11.5 North America 11.6 Europe 11.7 Middle East & Africa 11.8 South America 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Revenue Analysis of Top 5 Market Players 12.3 Market Evaluation Framework 12.4 Key Market Developments 12.4.1 New Product Launches 12.4.2 Investments & Expansions 12.4.3 Contracts & Agreements 12.4.4 Mergers & Acquisitions 12.4.5 Partnerships & Collaborations 13 Company Evaluation Matrix and Company Profiles 13.1 Company Evaluation Matrix Definitions and Methodology 13.1.1 Star 13.1.2 Emerging Leader 13.1.3 Pervasive 13.1.4 Emerging Companies 13.2 Company Evaluation Matrix, 2019 13.3 Company Profile 13.3.1 Caterpillar 13.3.2 Cummins 13.3.3 Wartsila 13.3.4 Rolls-Royce Holdings 13.3.5 Man SE 13.3.6 Volvo Penta 13.3.7 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbochargers 13.3.8 Hyundai Heavy Industries 13.3.9 Doosan Infracore 13.3.10 Yanmar Holdings 13.3.11 Kubato 13.3.12 Kohler 13.3.13 Mahindra Powertrain 13.3.14 Anglo Belgian Corporation 13.3.15 IHI Power Systems 13.3.16 Guangzhou Diesel Engine Factory 13.3.17 Daihatsu Diesel MFG 13.3.18 FPT Industrial 13.3.19 CNPC Jichai Power Company Limited 13.3.20 Liebherr For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ts482g 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 The number of new Ireland-based websites jumped by 26% in the first six months of the year, figures show. A total of 33,286 new .ie domains were registered from January to June. According to figures published today by IE Domain Registry in its latest .ie Domain Profile Report, more than 40% of new registrations in Ireland happened in the two months of May and June, as businesses reacted to the Covid-19 closures. IE Domain Registry said the increase suggests that more companies, self-employed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown to maintain their revenue streams, stay in contact with customers, and expand into new markets. David Curtin, chief executive of IE Domain Registry, said: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a noticeable effect on new .ie registrations across virtually the entire country. Thirty-one of the islands 32 counties recorded an increase in the first six months of 2020. This significant digital expansion suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs, in cities and in regional parts of the country, understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent. Having an online presence means that these businesses can stay in contact with their customers, build on their relationships, and, most important of all, continue to sell to them through an online store, click-and-collect service, or voucher booking system. Irish SMEs ability to cater to consumer choice and comfort, by providing both an online experience and an in-store shopping experience, will be key to the countrys economic recovery in 2020 and beyond. There was a total of 295,794 .ie domains in the .ie database at the end of June, an increase of more than 8% compared to June last year and almost 44% on the same period five years ago. The IE Domain Registry also investigated the .ie domain ecosystem to record how many Oireachtas members, including TDs and Senators, have a uniquely Irish .ie website. Thinking about an online presence for your business? 73% of SMEs with a website said their website is important for driving future sales growth. Here are six reasons why you should choose a .ie online address for your business https://t.co/Y4m03opnH8 #ChooseIE .IE (@dot_IE) July 29, 2020 Just over half of Oireachtas members have a .ie website. Among the three parties of Government, 52% of Fianna Fail members have a .ie website, 57% of Fine Gael, and 56% of the Green Party. A little over a quarter of Sinn Fein Oireachtas members have a .ie website. The corresponding figure for the Social Democrats is 100%. The figures also show: A total of 59% of all new .ie registrations in the first half of the year were by companies or the self-employed. New .ie registrations by individuals increased by more than 35%. Co Tyrone recorded the largest increase in new .ie domains (105%), followed by Monaghan (83%) and Carlow (75%). Dublin and Cork recorded the highest (12,504) and second highest (2,734) numbers of new .ie domain registrations. Great Britain accounts for the majority of internationally registered .ie domains. New registrations increased by 13% year-on-year from 635 to 718. New .ie domain registrations that include a fada increased by 13%. A total of 41% of .ie websites now have a security certificate. Self-isolation rules are being changed as scientists warn people with coronavirus may be infectious for longer than previously thought. The chief medical officers of all four UK nations said anyone with symptoms or a positive test result should isolate for 10 days instead of seven. They changed their advice as the country braces for winter and warnings of a "second wave" of COVID-19 brewing in Europe. In a statement, the four scientists said evidence - while limited - "has strengthened" to show people with the virus "have a low but real possibility of infectiousness" for up to nine days after catching it. Extending self-isolation will "help provide additional protection to others in the community", they added - particularly vulnerable people who have been shielding since March. It remains the case that people with coronavirus symptoms are most infectious just before or in the first few days after their symptoms begin. Anyone with symptoms who has a negative test during their isolation period can be released from it. Those who have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will still have to stay at home for the same amount of time as before - 14 days. The UK has followed some other countries in extending the isolation period to 10 days. But the World Health Organisation recommends isolating for 10 days after onset, plus an additional three days once symptoms have subsided. Boris Johnson denied the new guidance would confuse people. The prime minister added there are between 10 and 30 areas in the UK where coronavirus is "bubbling up a little bit" and that the only way to keep the lid on them is with "tough, swift and decisive local lockdowns". It comes as new figures showed England suffered the highest levels of excess deaths of any country in Europe over the first half of 2020. Earlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "worried" about another peak, telling Sky News' Kay Burley@Breakfast there is a "second wave starting to roll across Europe". Story continues "It's something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it coming," he said. Asked about data that suggests the R rate - the average number of people someone with the virus passes it on to - is above the crucial number of one in some areas, Mr Hancock said he would not "prejudge" as statistics will be published on Friday. The R rate is 1.02 in the South East and 1.04 in the South West, according to University of Cambridge researchers. Mr Hancock did admit the decrease in coronavirus cases in the UK had "flattened off". Meanwhile, new research suggests one in every 14 Britons has already been infected with the virus. An Oxford University study of more than 20,000 people indicated that 7.1% of the population have coronavirus antibodies, which appear in someone's blood after they are infected. While ministers are increasing isolation times for people with symptoms, the Daily Telegraph reported they are also trying to reduce the 14-day quarantine for travellers coming back to the UK from "high risk" countries. :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker On Tuesday, Mr Johnson did not rule out cutting returning travellers' self-quarantine to 10 days. He said: "We are always looking at ways in which we can mitigate the impact of the quarantine, try to help people, try to make sure that the science is working to help travellers and holidaymakers." The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all non-essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, after it suffered an increase in cases. NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson said another wave, along with "exhausted staff" while the health service tries to rebuild services, could prove "challenging". "The level of concern among our members - the people who are leading NHS trusts, who are leading in primary care and all levels in the systems - is very high," he said. "There's real concern about winter and the compounding factors there, but also about an earlier spike." Since the 1970s, Oslos modest government quarter has been dominated by a huge work of art: The Fishermen, a concrete mural by Pablo Picasso and the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar that overlooks the districts central square. The mural, on the wall of a government building known as Y-Block, has long been one of Norways most high-profile pieces of public art. That is, until today. To the outrage of preservationists, art-world figures and Mr. Nesjars daughter, the Norwegian authorities removed the work early Thursday as part of plans to demolish Y-Block, which was damaged in a 2011 terrorist attack. , We're sorry, this article is not currently available Marysville, CA (95901) Today Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mostly clear skies. Low 42F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Two nonprofit groups in Arizona have sued the city of Phoenix in the federal court for not including some immigrants in the recent COVID-19 relief aid. The coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately impacting most of the immigrants in the country. Many of them are still out of job and only depend on the unemployment payment. But there are many as well, who did not receive the aid due to their immigration status. Phoenix has received an amount of $300 million as part of the Coronavirus Relief Fund under the CARES Act that was signed by President Donald Trump to help Americans in their financial crisis amid the global pandemic. In a recently published article, two Arizona nonprofit groups sued Phoenix for excluding some immigrants from the city's rental and mortgage assistance. The Phoenix City Council has allocated $25 million to the rental, mortgage, and utility assistance. The William E. Morris Institute for Justice and the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest filed the case in the federal court in mid-July. They alleged that the city illegally excluded some immigrants from the assistance program. William E. Morris Institute for Justice Director Ellen Katz said the funds are intended to keep people in their homes for health and safety reasons. She also believed that it will benefit everyone when people stay in their homes. The nonprofit groups alleged that Phoenix used the 1996 federal law to define the immigrants, who will qualify for the assistance program. This law excludes people with Temporary Protected Status, asylum applicants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients. In the lawsuit, the groups claimed that the Coronavirus Relief Aid is not subject to restriction based on immigration status. This means that immigrants, regardless of their status, must receive housing rental and mortgage assistance. They argued that the recipients of the CARES Act must be exempted from the 1996 federal law because they are "short-term, non-cash, in-kind emergency disaster relief." Katz added that the "funds fit squarely within that exception." Katz asserted that the city gives the housing assistance relief fund directly to the landlords, mortgage companies, and utility companies and the city did not give it directly to the renters and homeowners, thus, making it "non-cash" and "in-kind." The two groups said the city is violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution that prohibits states from preempting federal laws. Aside from the direct $1,200 payment and $600 unemployment benefit, the CARES Act has also included other programs to provide fast and direct economic assistance for Americans. It is the best interest of the first relief package to help Americans negatively and heavily impacted by the global pandemic. But in Phoenix, only the court can decide now if all immigrants would be eligible in the city's COVID-19 relief funds. Check these out! Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson will not be reappointed (Liam McBurney/PA) Northern Ireland Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson will not be reappointed when her term in office ends next month. She has campaigned for payment of a pension to those most severely injured during the Troubles. That was stalled following a Stormont dispute over whether former paramilitaries should be eligible. The DUP and Sinn Fein are at loggerheads over the definition of a victim. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said the pension for the badly injured should be funded by Stormont. Relatives of some victims of non conflict-related violence have said Northern Ireland should have a commission representing all victims of crime. Kieth Nielsen Facebook Harris County Republican chair-elect Keith Neilson, who once withdrew his victory after he posted a racist meme to Facebook, will assume office Aug. 3, according to the Texas Tribune. The post the latest in years of conservatives weaponizing Martin Luther King Jr.s words against Black Lives Matter demonstrators included the late reverends words, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Worse enough, the words were posted on top of a stock photo of a single banana. (Natural News) When pressed during a recent CBS interview with Norah ODonnell about the fact that nearly every test patient given an experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine thus far has developed systemic side effects, billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates was nervously unconcerned, reassuring viewers that the FDA will do a good job at that. As ODonnell explained, a whopping 80 percent of those given at least two doses of Modernas test vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) got sick, in many cases with the same symptoms one might develop from the infection itself. But according to Gates, it is nothing to worry about because the side effects were not really that bad. The FDA, uh, not being pressured, will, gulp, look hard at that, a squirmy Gates, obviously uncomfortable, responded to ODonnells question about whether or not the vaccine is safe. The FDA is the gold standard of regulators, uh, and their current guidance on this, if they stick with that, is, is, very, very appropriate, uh, and, you know, the, it, the side effects were not super severe, that is it didnt cause permanent health problems for, uh, the things, their, you know Moderna did have to go with the fairly high dose so, uh, you know, to get the antibodies. Some of the other vaccines, uh, are going, able to go with lower doses to get, uh, responses that are pretty high including the J&J and the Pfizer, and so theres a lot of characteristics of these vaccines, uh, its great that we have multiple of them, uh, that are going on there, he added before being cut off by ODonnell who was not going to let him off the hook about the fact that every test patient who received a high dose of Modernas vaccine developed a side effect. After reiterating this to Gates, he once again responded, saying, yeah, but some of that is, is not dramatic where, you know, its just, you know, super painful, but yes, there, we need to make sure theres not severe side effect, and trying not to laugh towards the end of his bizarre statement. The FDA, uh, I, I, I think will do a good job of that, uh, despite the pressure, he added. Bill Gates admits that none of the test coronavirus vaccines work with just one dose; some people will require two, three, or even more jabs When further asked how many doses of the vaccine people will need once one is released, Gates responded that none of them will be adequate with just one jab. Most people will need two, and sometimes it takes more, particularly in the elderly. For this reason, Gates wants to jam-pack the studies with as many elderly participants as possible in order to give us that data. To sum it all up, experimental Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are harming people left and right, but it is not a big deal because at least they are not dying, according to Gates. And when these same vaccines are ultimately released to the general public with the FDAs blessing, people will have to get one, two, three, seven, or 20 of them nobody really knows in order for them to work. Why has nobody asked him how much money he is making from this? asked one Zero Hedge commenter. Im not a body language expert but this guy is lying, wrote another. Any criminal defense attorney will tell you that people who give long, rambling, and confusing answers to straightforward questions are lying. Gates is hiding a lot of info. The latest stories about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) are available at Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Perk Labs Inc. (CSE:PERK)(OTCQB:PKLBF)(FRA:PKLB) ("Perk Labs" or the "Company") the parent company of Perk Hero, the all-in-one mobile ordering, contact-free payments and loyalty app, announced the appointment of Mr. Norman Tan, CFA, to the Company as its full time Chief Financial Officer effective July 30, 2020. Mr. Tan will replace Ms. Tracey St. Denis, who worked part-time in that role. Mr. Tan was previously the Company's Vice President of Finance. "We are very pleased to have Mr. Tan in this position. I am confident that his consulting and finance experience will prove incredibly valuable for the next phase of our company's strategic growth", says Jonathan Hoyles, CEO of Perk Labs. "We truly have appreciated Ms. St. Denis' expertise and commitment to our company and wish her continued success in her career." In his previous roles, Mr. Tan served as the Chief Financial Officer at Lendified Holdings Inc and before joining Lendified, Mr. Tan was a part of Deloitte's audit and assurance practice where he worked with finance leaders in industries including fintech, manufacturing and professional services. He has also held roles in management consulting, technology equity research and private equity. Mr. Tan received his B.Comm with Honours from the University of British Columbia, his MBA from Queen's University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Prior to joining Perk Labs, Mr. Tan was an investor in the company. Mr. Tan purchased shares of the Company, when he purchased a total of 217,391 units at 0.046 per unit, as part of the private placement that was completed in January 2020. "I am honoured to be the Chief Financial Officer for Perk Labs. Their team, technological expertise, product offering, and sheer determination is a testament to the Company's success. I am excited to roll-up my sleeves and work with the team to develop and implement scalable financial and operational systems that will support Perk labs as it grows into a world class fintech company." says, Mr. Tan, CFO of Perk Labs. The latest news and information about Perk Hero's features can be found at www.perkhero.com and stakeholders can read about the Company's strategy and ongoing advancements in technology on the company blog, which can be viewed at https://medium.com/@perk_labs. About Perk Labs Inc. Perk Labs Inc. is the owner of Perk Hero, a digital loyalty management platform that enables merchants to provide their customers with digital rewards and a more engaging and convenient customer experience. For more information about Perk Labs, please visit www.perklabs.io For more information contact: Jonathan Hoyles CEO Perk Labs Inc. (833) 338-0299 investors@perklabs.io Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of the Company's business strategies, its expectations concerning future operations, and that the Company will grow into a world class fintech company. Although the Company considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. SOURCE: Perk Labs Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599576/Perk-Labs-Announces-Appointment-of-New-Full-Time-Chief-Financial-Officer ROUGEOT Energie, operating as general contractor EPC 1 on behalf of Dijon Metropole Smart EnergHy, has selected McPhys hydrogen production, compression and distribution solution to supply the metropolitan fleet of heavy (buses, garbage trucks) and light (utility and passenger cars) vehicles. McPhy will design, build and integrate two hydrogen stations with a capacity of 400 kg of hydrogen per day each, connected to a 1 MW high-power electrolyzer, for a complete zero-emission mobility chain. Following the signature of this new contract totaling more than 4 million, McPhys references reach a total of 33 stations and 43 MW of high-power electrolysis2. La Motte-Fanjas, July 30 2020 07.30 am CEST McPhy (Euronext Paris Compartiment C: MCPHY, FR0011742329), specialized in hydrogen production and distribution equipment, today announced having been selected to deploy two stations with a capacity of 400 kg of hydrogen per day each, connected to a 1 MW high-power electrolyzer, on the territory of Dijon Metropole. The project supported by Dijon Metropole Smart EnergHy contributes to the democratization of hydrogen as a zero-emission alternative for public, professional or private transport. Our stations will make it possible to supply all the hydrogen mobility in the region: buses, garbage trucks, utility and private vehicles. Buses, for example, will be able to refuel with hydrogen produced on site, from household waste or local renewable energies, and travel more than 300 km without emitting any CO 2 or polluting particles. More than ever, we are convinced that hydrogen has a decisive role to play in the fight against air pollution and climate change., testified Laurent Carme, CEO of McPhy. Dijon Metropole is implementing a complete zero-emission hydrogen ecosystem To promote and develop its hydrogen infrastructure, Dijon Metropole has created, with ROUGEOT Energie, the project company Dijon Metropole Smart EnergHy (DMSE). The first step of the deployment plan is to implement, in the north of Dijon, a McPhy hydrogen solution composed of two hydrogen stations, coupled with on-site hydrogen production. Story continues Four distribution terminals for both heavy and light vehicles will thus be available to supply the zero-emission vehicles of the collectivity and its partners. This fleet of hydrogen vehicles will initially be made up of 27 buses, 9 garbage trucks and around 15 light vehicles. The project is expected to reach a total of 200 buses, 50 garbage trucks and 250 light vehicles by 2030. This project stands out for the positive energy loop it will create in the heart of the Dijon metropolitan area. The electrolyzer connected to produce hydrogen on site will be powered 90% by electricity from a household waste incinerator and the remaining 10% will come from locally produced renewable energies. Consequently, the Dijon Nord project will enable the recovery of so-called fatal electricity, which would have been lost if it had not been used to power this ecosystem, and avoid nearly 2,500 tons of CO 2 emissions per year3. The Dijon Nord project has received support and co-financing from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME). McPhy, a range of equipment and services perfectly adapted to face the challenge of clean mobility With many references already installed in the territories, McPhy has been selected by ROUGEOT Energie, acting as general contractor on behalf of the company DMSE, to design, manufacture and commission a complete chain of zero-emission hydrogen mobility. Two McFilling hydrogen stations, one offering a filling pressure of 350 bar and the other offering a "Dual Pressure" configuration (350 and 700 bar), will ensure, thanks to a very high availability rate and a total daily potential of 800 kg of hydrogen delivered, the continuity of public services and the refueling of professional and private vehicles in the area. Indeed, the solution proposed by McPhy offers a fast recharging time, around a few minutes, and the possibility of simultaneous recharging, thanks to the redundancy of the equipment, which boosts the capacity of the stations in case of peak consumption. Interfaced with the hydrogen stations, the McLyzer electrolyzer will have a production capacity equivalent to 1 MW of high-power electrolysis and will be equipped with high current density electrodes, ensuring optimal performance and energy efficiency to complete this hydrogen production and distribution ecosystem. This new contract, totaling more than 4 million, brings McPhys references to 33 stations and 43 MW of high-power electrolysis and confirms the Groups position as a strategic partner for zero-emission mobility projects. Next financial communication 2020 annual revenues release, on January 26, 2021, after close of trading. About McPhy Specialized in hydrogen production and distribution equipment, McPhy is contributing to the global deployment of zero-carbon hydrogen as a solution for energy transition. With its complete range of products dedicated to the industrial, mobility and energy sectors, McPhy offers its customers turnkey solutions adapted to their applications in industrial raw material supply, recharging of fuel cell electric vehicles or storage and recovery of electricity surplus based on renewable sources. As designer, manufacturer and integrator of hydrogen equipment since 2008, McPhy has three development, engineering and production centers in Europe (France, Italy, Germany). Its international subsidiaries provide broad commercial coverage for its innovative hydrogen solutions. McPhy is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment C, ISIN code: FR0011742329, MCPHY). CONTACTS NewCap Investor Relations Nicolas Fossiez | Emmanuel Huynh T. +33 (0)1 44 71 20 42 mcphy@newcap.eu Media Relations Nicolas Merigeau T. +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 mcphy@newcap.eu Follow us on @McPhyEnergy 1 EPC: engineering procurement and construction 2 References already deployed, under installation or in development. Among them, 2 HRS and 4 MW ELY are part of the conditional part of the Zero Emission Valley framework agreement, signed on June 2020. 3 Source: JUSTY engineering office Attachment Press Release July 30, 2020 POE TO NTC, DICT, TELCOS: RECONCILE CONFLICTING DATA ON CELL TOWERS Sen. Grace Poe asked government regulators and telcos to reconcile their inconsistent data on the number of cell towers in order to have a clear basis for ramping up efforts to boost connectivity in the country. "Sinasabi ng Globe meron silang 9,535 cell sites, ang sabi ng NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) ay 17,292 ang kanilang cell sites. Ang Smart, 24,600 ang stations, ang sabi ng NTC meron daw silang 23,000. Ang sinasabi na total ng mga telco, meron silang 34,000 na mga cell site, pero ang sinasabi naman ng NTC, 40,000 daw ang meron. At ang sinasabi naman ng DICT, 18,000 ang mga cell tower, so ano ba talaga ang totoo?" Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, said in a television interview. The data were part of the report submitted by Globe Telecom and Smart Communications as well as the NTC to the committee on their plans to improve connectivity. Third player, Dito Telecommunity, has yet to turn over its report. Poe underscored the urgent need to build more cellular towers to meet increasing traffic as work, education and a number of transactions have shifted online amid the pandemic. She said having an accurate data on the number of cellular towers and where they are situated will give regulators a thorough picture if the telcos have been complying with their commitment toward digitization and what government can do to speed up the rollout of crucial infrastructure. The senator acknowledged that the telcos' efforts to invest in building more cell sites rely on the cooperation of local government units and other stakeholders, which issue the permits to jumpstart the construction. "Ngayon, halos 25 proseso o mga pirma ang kailangan para payagan ang telco na magpatayo ng cell tower na tatagal ng anim na buwan hanggang isang taon. Parang bahay na ang pinatayo mo kung ganoon," she said. Poe urged the cooperation of the private firms to disclose the causes of delays in their application for permits so that agencies could act on them. "Sabihin nila sa atin kung sino ba sa gobyerno ang umiipit sa kanila. Kung seryoso talaga ang ating gobyerno na mapabilis ang internet, alam ko na hindi papabayaan ang hinaing ng ating mga kababayan na mabigyan na ng tamang serbisyo," she stressed. Poe said the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) related to the Common Tower initiative is also expected to remove the roadblocks in the processing of the permits. The JMC aims to significantly remove red tape by streamlining the procedures and requirements for permits, licenses, clearances, certificates and other requirements in the construction of Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructures or common towers-reducing processing time from 200 days to just 16 days. The circular was signed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Anti-Red Tape Authority, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. Sonipat, July 30 : Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) of O.P. Jindal Global University here said on Thursday that it has appointed 10 distinguished senior advocates of the Supreme Court of India as honorary Adjunct Professors of Law and Distinguished Professors of Legal Practice. The Supreme Court advocates are part of the LEAD programme -- Lawyering Excellence for Advocacy Development - a new initiative launched by JGLS. The objective of the LEAD programme is to inspire outstanding law students through teaching and learning experiences led by distinguished legal practitioners that will help them consider joining the legal profession with a special focus on litigation with a view to joining the bar and the bench. The senior advocates who are part of the LEAD Programme are Gourab Banerji, Sidharth Luthra, Gaurav Pachnanda, Mohan Parasaran, Sajan Poovayya, Ritin Rai, Surat Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Parag Tripathi and R. Venkataramani The vision of the LEAD Programme was to "identify some of the most outstanding members of the legal profession to teach a course to the senior students of law, with a view to educating and inspiring them," C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University and Dean, Jindal Global Law School, said in a statement. "The larger purpose of this effort is to instil in the minds of budding lawyers an imagination to become part of the legal profession with a stronger focus on legal practice and litigation," he said. Each Honorary Adjunct Professor will teach a 1-credit course on an advanced area of law and legal practice. The courses will span over a period of eight weeks starting from September 5. "The courses taught by the Honorary Adjunct Professors will become the mainstay of JGLS' LEAD Programme which is going to be launched from Fall 2020," said Sreejith S.G., Professor of Law and Executive Dean, Jindal Global Law School. "The LEAD Programme aims to further the School's commitment to provide its students the legal imagination which has highest constitutive and professional potential." Three Detained In Russia's Far East Amid Anti-Kremlin Protests By Siberia Desk, RFE/RL's Russian Service July 29, 2020 KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, Russia -- Police in Russia's Far East have detained three people who demonstrated in support of the arrested former governor of the Khabarovsk Krai region. A coordinator of the opposition Open Russia organization, Sergei Naumov, told RFE/RL that Svetlana Dilman, her son Yevgeny, and an activist known as Dmitry were detained in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on July 29. "Svetlana told me by phone that five police officers severely beat her son while they detained him," Naumov said. Police officials in Komsomolsk-on-Amur were not available for immediate comment. In the regional capital, Khabarovsk, supporters of former Governor Sergei Furgal rallied on July 29 for the 19th straight day, demanding the resignation of President Vladimir Putin. Demonstrators have been protesting in the city of 600,000 people since July 11, with their numbers reaching tens of thousands on weekends. Smaller demonstrators have been held in towns and cities in Khabarovsk Krai and adjacent regions. Khabarovsk Krai residents overwhelmingly voted for Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), 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 2004-05. He denies the allegations. Putin has appointed Mikhail Degtyaryov, also an LDPR member, as acting regional governor. Authorities are said to be unnerved by the rallies in Furgal's support, with Khabarovsk's mayor saying such demonstrations were illegal and could help the spread of the coronavirus. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has warned of an alleged terrorist threat involving explosives, which it claimed to have foiled. In addition, the regional authorities have said they were considering a return to strict quarantine measures, citing the "difficult situation with the spread of coronavirus infection." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/three-detained-in-russia-s-far-east -amid-anti-kremlin-protests/30755557.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A North Brunswick, N.J., health and beauty products manufacturer is spending $16.7 million to move its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Forks Township, creating 105 new jobs in the region. A.P. Deauville, makers of Power Stick anti-perspirant, body wash and other grooming products, has reached full capacity at its New Jersey facility. To double its manufacturing capacity, A.P. Deauville plans to buy and renovate an 180,000-square-foot facility at 3700 Glover Road in the Northampton County township. The property was listed for sale by Forks Specialty Metals in December 2017, around the same time they went bankrupt. The companys pledged to invest $16.7 million into the project and hire 105 employees over the next three years, according to the county. The Lehigh Valley is a region historically known for its manufacturing strength and we are pleased that A.P. Deauville is relocating its operations here, Gov. Tom Wolf said in a press release. The need for A.P. Deauville to more than double its production space to keep up with consumer demand is a testament to the companys growth, and it will result in a significant and long-term investment and 105 new well-paying manufacturing jobs for Pennsylvanians. The company owns the Power Stick, Soft Whisper and Arm & Hammer brands. It hopes to complete renovations in October and be operational by the end of the year. The new jobs are welcome news for a region grappling with 14.2% unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their new manufacturing center will bring 105 good quality jobs and an important industry to Forks Township, said Lamont McClure, county executive. This is the kind economic development we want in Northampton County. The governors action team helped the company secure significant statewide tax incentives and grants that made the relocation an easy decision, said Frederick Horowitz, company CEO. The new jobs include office, professional and manufacturing roles with high salaries, he said. Wages range from $15 per hour for production workers to $100,000 annually for senior management, according to a news release from the county. We look forward to creating manufacturing jobs in a great state where business is welcomed as a productive partner of government and a positive member of the community, Horowitz said. The state Department of Community and Economic Development connected the company with the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, which helped find the site and provided support through the process, according to LVEDC. Its encouraging to see growth continue in the regions economy -- and manufacturing sector -- despite the coronavirus pandemic. A.P. Deauville is a high-quality manufacturer that joins a thriving sector that employs 35,000 people in the Lehigh Valley, said Don Cunningham, president and CEO of LVEDC " The companys relocation to Pennsylvania and Northampton County would not have been possible without the engagement of state and county leadership. The company is expected to spend about $9 million to buy the facility, $5 million on machinery and equipment and $2 million renovations, according to a county news release. The company received a $250,000 Pennsylvania First grant that will be distributed upon the creation of new jobs, a $2.4 million Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority loan and $50,000 in job training funding. The Northampton County Industrial Development Authority also provided the company a $105,000 county job creation grant to offset the cost of machinery and equipment, according to the county. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. NEW ORLEANS - A group that was denied permission to march in a Louisiana citys Christmas parade when it insisted on carrying Confederate battle flags lost its latest appeal Thursday in a federal court. Three judges of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by the Louisiana Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. They upheld a lower court ruling that there was no constitutional violation in the denial of the permit because permitting decisions were made by a private, non-profit group not a government entity. The decision comes amid nationwide demonstrations and calls for racial justice following the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And it is the result of a dispute that begin months after other killings that raised the national consciousness: The permit for the annual parade in the northwest Louisiana city of Natchitoches was denied in 2015, months after white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine Black worshipers at a South Carolina church. Pictures on social media of Roof posing with Confederate battle flags led to renewed opposition to public displays of Confederate iconography around the nation. When the case was argued at the 5th Circuit in February, judges questions made clear they were concerned that the denial of a permit by the city would be a violation of freedom of speech. The citys mayor had expressed concern that the display of Confederate flags during the parade would offend Black residents. But the case hinged on the role of the Historic District Business Association a defendant in the Confederate groups lawsuit, along with Natchitoches officials. That group, which ran the parade under an agreement with the city, denied the permit. U.S. District Judge Dee Drell dismissed the Confederate groups lawsuit last year. The 5th Circuit panel upheld Drells decision, finding the City was not involved in the decision to deny the SCV the right to participate in the parade. The panel consisted of judges Jennifer Walker Elrod, Catharina Haynes and Leslie Southwick. Hyderabad, July 30 : Muslim leaders of Telangana have asked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao not to test their patience and immediately make a categorical announcement for reconstruction of the two mosques demolished in the secretariat premises. United Muslim Forum (MUF), an umbrella grouping of various Muslim organizations and clerics, stated that lack of progress for reconstruction of the mosques even three weeks after their demolition had caused anger and unease among the community. It recalled that when the chief minister had expressed regret over demolition, it had made clear that regret alone will not be enough and both the mosques should be rebuilt at their original sites. "However, the government's silence shows that it is following into the footsteps of the Congress and that it has no importance of sanctity of mosques and regard for the sentiments of Muslims. If this is the case, Muslims will finalise a plan of action for democratic protest for restoration of mosques. The patience of Muslims should not be tested on this sensitive issue," the statement said. In an obvious reference to Babri Masjid, the Muslim leaders stated that the Congress party had committed a mistake and it is still facing the wrath of Muslims. They also remarked that an alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) does not mean Muslims would keep quite on the issue of mosques. MUF is headed by Moulana Raheemuddin Ansari, who is also president of Telangana Urdu Academy, a government body. MUF, which had backed TRS in the previous elections, comprises various organizations including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). The previous statement by MUF warning protest over the issue of demolished mosques had the name of AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. The Chief Minister on July 10 had expressed regret over damage to mosque and temple during demolition of old buildings at the secretariat and promised to rebuild them. Reacting to this, the MUF had said that regret alone was not enough and those responsible for demolition should be brought to book and demolished mosques should be rebuilt where they stood. The government has razed all 10 blocks at the old secretariat to build a new complex at a cost of Rs 400 crore. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister examined the designs of the new complex and suggested several changes to it. He instructed officials to ensure all facilities so that all should work comfortably. He stated that in the new secretariat, the chambers of ministers, chief secretary, secretaries, advisors and all the facilities will be created. He suggested that on all the floors, there should be a dining hall, meeting hall and place for the visitors. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. Mumbai, July 30 : Raveena Tandon has taken to social media to spread the word about adopting rescued animals. The actress also shared photographs of her pets. Raveena took to her verified Instagram account on Thursday to share photographs of herself with her pet cat and dogs, all of which are rescued animals. "On this friendship day ! Meet my best friends besides the human kinds! #friendshipday #friendsforever. Meet Chotu, came to live with us after a car ran over his head, lost both his eyes, after his hospital treatment, I brought him home. Puma, a tiny kitty roaming fearlessly on the streets of mumbai, just missing being run over. Now does dadagiri on the others at home. Meet Cuddles the half Pomeranian and half indie found on a hot terrace left to die with other siblings by a breeder because he was not a pure breed! AdoptDontShop," captioned the actress. Throughout the lockdown, Raveena has kept her fans entertained on social media by sharing funny videos featuring her pet cat Puma. On the work front, Raveena is all set to return to the big screen with "KGF: Chapter 2", starring Kannada superstar Yash. The film is a follow-up of the 2018 Kannada blockbuster "KGF: Chapter 1". Sanjay Dutt plays the antagonist in the sequel. Reality Check of US Unilateral Demand for China to Close Consulate-General in Houston Global Times Source: Chinese Foreign Ministry Published: 2020/7/29 8:26:31 Reality Check of US Unilateral Demand for China to Close Consulate-General in Houston 2020/07/29 On 21 July, the US made the unilateral provocation by making an outrageous demand that China close its Consulate-General in Houston. By so doing, the US has grossly violated international law, the basic norms of international relations, and relevant provisions of the China-US Consular Convention, and gravely damaged China-US relations. China has made legitimate and necessary response. The US has been fabricating pretexts and spreading lies about its egregious decision. In a matter of just a few days, the US has churned out different versions of the story. Lies, however, will always be lies even if they are repeated a thousand times. The different versions of the story concocted by the US side have no factual base and mix black with white. In sum, the US has failed to present even one single piece of solid evidence. It is important that we list US false allegations vis-a-vis the facts. The purpose is to debunk the falsehoods and let people know the truths. 1. False: China has stolen intellectual property from the US, including the COVID-19 vaccine research achievements. Closing the Chinese Consulate-General is "to protect American intellectual property and Americans' private information". True: The US side is talking sheer nonsense. It has failed to back its allegation with even one single piece of solid evidence. The reality is, China is a big country in terms of innovation and intellectual property. It has become a main source driving intellectual property growth in the world. On COVID-19 vaccine research and development, China has been at the forefront and has no need to steal from the US . China is a big country in terms of innovation and intellectual property. It has kept strengthening the protection of scientific innovation and intellectual property rights. China is now among the world's leading players in terms of scale and growth rate of innovation input. Its R&D expenditure had grown from RMB 300.31 billion yuan in 2006 to RMB 1.96779 trillion yuan in 2018, an average annual increase of 17% and rising from the sixth to the second in the world. China has the world's biggest number of researchers. China's IP offices have received the highest number of patent applications for nine years in a row. China also registered rapid increase in international patent applications and has risen to the world's second biggest filer via WIPO's Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) System. As pointed out in the WIPO annual report, China has become a main driving force for the overall growth in the global demand for intellectual property rights. China is one of the global leaders in the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines. At the moment, Chinese scientists are working on multiple vaccine projects along five technical routes. Vaccines with China's independent intellectual property have entered clinical trials. The Beijing Institute of Biological Products under the China National Biotec Group, a subsidiary of the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), has set up the world's largest production plant for COVID-19 vaccines. China's National Medical Products Administration and other competent authorities are working to facilitate the deployment of vaccines. China is also working with relevant countries on vaccine research and development, production and distribution. The US accuses China of stealing its research outcomes. Such accusations are a total disrespect to the hard work of Chinese scientists and malicious slanders against China's COVID-19 response. They have seriously undermined international cooperation on vaccine research and disrupted the global response against the disease. The Houston Chronicle, Cable News Network (CNN), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) all called the reason "to protect American intellectual property", as cited by the US State Department in its order to close the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston, suspicious. The real aim of the US decision was to deflect people's attention from the US administration's poor handling of COVID-19. Closing the Chinese Consulate-General prior to the election was a measure by Trump to "play tough on China", hold up his declining approval rating, and turn China into a convenient target to vilify and shore up votes. New moves acting on the absurd logic that "China is ripping off America" pop up almost every single day in the US. In the midst of a presidential re-election campaign and with the US economy battered by the disease, Trump is convinced that playing the "China card" gives him political advantages. The actions taken by the US side, which are largely driven by internal politics, would only make China-US relations even more strained. 2. False: China is using its talent recruitment programs to steal scientific research and intellectual property from research institutions such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center and from energy and high-tech companies in the Houston area. True: These are trumped-up charges made by the US under the presumption of guilt against the normal scientific and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. China's efforts in attracting talent from abroad are no different in essence from customary practices of other countries. These efforts are above-board and beyond reproach. The cross-border movement of talent in the era of globalization has facilitated technological and economic advances worldwide. Countries are all actively carrying out international exchanges and cooperation on talent. What China is doing in this respect is in essence not different from other countries' practices. Closer exchanges and cooperation between China and the US on science and technology serves the interests of both sides. According to the Global AI Talent Tracker released in mid-June by MacroPolo, the in-house think tank of the Paulson Institute, 29% of top-tier AI researchers working in the US received undergraduate degrees in China. Thus, the US global lead on AI has much to do with the talent supply from China. What the US government is doing conflicts with its self-claimed ideals of openness and freedom as well as the commitments publicly made by its leaders. It runs counter to the global trend of talent exchanges worldwide, and has brought grave negative impact on the normal people-to-people exchange and personnel inter-flow between the two countries. 3. False: The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston has a history of engaging in "subversive behavior". It is the central node of the Communist Party's vast network of spies and influence operations, and the epicenter of efforts by the Chinese military to send students to the US to obtain information that could advance its warfare capabilities. It has engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations. True: Since its opening, the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston has always observed international law and US laws, and stayed committed to promoting friendship between the two countries. There are no spying activities or influence operations as claimed by the US. By fabricating such claims, the US is simply "measuring others' corn with its own bushel". China always pursues the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. Infiltration and interference is never in the genes or tradition of China's foreign policy. Dedicated to advancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in the US abide by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, bilateral treaties and US laws. The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston was the first consular mission opened in the US following the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties. In the past four decades and more, it worked hard to promote friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, and enhance mutual understanding and all-round cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. While COVID-19 raged on in the southern states of the US, the Consulate-General donated masks to Houston and Harris County, actively facilitated anti-virus cooperation between China and the southern states, and assisted Shanghai, Shandong and Shenzhen of China in donating medical supplies to Houston. The composition and number of the staff at the Consulate-General in Houston was open information to the US side. It runs counter to the common sense in diplomacy to accuse the Consulate-General of being the central node of the Communist Party's vast network of spies and influence operations, and the epicenter of efforts by the Chinese military to send students to the US to obtain information that could advance its warfare capabilities. Such a claim is also very preposterous. Some staff of the US Embassy and consulates-general in China have been engaged in activities incompatible with their capacities, interfering in the internal affairs and undermining the security interests of China. The US Embassy often publishes on its website articles attacking China and China's political system. It is reported that the staff of the US Consulate-General in Hong Kong met covertly with "Hong Kong independence" elements during the turbulence surrounding the proposed legislative amendments in Hong Kong to discuss US sanctions on Hong Kong, interfering in Hong Kong's affairs. China has lodged representations on multiple occasions. In July 2018 and January 2020, the US side opened Chinese diplomatic bags twice without permission. This was a flagrant breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. It also grossly violated China's diplomatic dignity and security interests. Hence China's diplomatic and consular missions lodged strong representations at the first opportunity. The US side did not deny what had actually happened, but kept exonerating its wrongful behavior with technical excuses in an attempt to shirk responsibility. The US behavior and response ran counter to international law and the norms of international relations, and therefore must be condemned. In addition to opening diplomatic pouches, the US side has since 2018 forcibly unpacked the office supplies of Chinese missions on at least 13 occasions. The New York Times questions the assertion that "the Houston Consulate-General had a history of engaging in 'subversive behavior' and was the 'epicenter' of research theft in the US", and it believes that there is no evidence to support this allegation. An editorial of Houston Chronicle reads that China is the Houston region's second-largest trading partner and it has benefited from having the Consulate-General in the city. For more than 40 years, the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston has served as a symbolic bridge, facilitating travel, trade and cultural ties between Houston and China. For decades, China has been an important trading partner of Texas in key sectors such as energy, oil, chemicals, science and technology, which will bear the brunt of the US move. The closure will also have a direct impact on passport and visa application in the regions covered by the Consulate-General, and will put a heavy damper on the desire of Chinese citizens to study, travel and work in the US. According to US Congressman Al Green, communities of Asian Americans in Houston have already been discriminated against because of President Trump's comments against China and their work and the safety of their families are under threat. The closure of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston will make the situation worse. He called for not treating all Asian Americans as spies and fully evaluating the potential damage these words and actions may do to the American people and thinking more for their sake. 4. False: Chinese Consul-General in Houston and two other diplomats were recently caught using false birth information at the security check of an airport in Houston to escort Chinese travelers to the gate area of a charter flight. True: The US allegation could not be further from facts. The staff of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston have always followed international law and American local laws when performing their duties in the US. All diplomats and consular staff must obtain identification cards from foreign affairs authorities of the host country, thus their personal information including date of birth is no secret, but open information to such authorities. This is common sense. The said Chinese consular officers used consular ID cards issued by the US State Department and entered the restricted area of the airport upon approval from the US side to take care of Chinese nationals who were taking the temporary flight back to China due to COVID-19. 5. False: There is a complete lack of reciprocity between the US and China in the treatment of diplomatic and consular staff. The US concerns over the treatment of its diplomats and consular officers in China have gone unresolved. True: China supports and provides necessary facilitation for the performance of all lawful, normal official acts in China by foreign diplomatic and consular officers including those from the US. It is the US that has imposed unjustified restrictions on and created barriers for Chinese diplomats and consular officers in the US. The US figure far outnumbers China's when it comes to diplomatic and consular missions and staff. China has five diplomatic and consular missions in the US, while the US has six in China. It is reported that there are more than 1,000 staff in the US Consulate-General in Hong Kong alone. China supports and provides necessary facilitation for the performance of all normal official activities in China by foreign diplomatic personnel including those from the US. A former US ambassador to China visited each of China's provinces within his three-year term. In October 2019 and June 2020, the US made unilateral provocations by imposing restrictions on the activities of Chinese diplomats and consular officials in the US. Such restrictions are a serious violation of the relevant rules of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. For example, all Chinese members of China's foreign missions in the US are required to submit a written notification to the Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) of the State Department of all official engagements with any local government representatives, as well as all official visits to any educational or research institutions. Such notifications must be submitted five business days prior to the planned engagement date. All Chinese military personnel assigned to the Chinese Embassy or a consular post, as well as those temporarily visiting, are required to provide OFM notification five business days prior to any travel plan, for official or private purposes, which is in excess of a 25-mile radius of their places of work or the US ports of their entry. In the face of the unreasonable provocations of the US, China has no choice but respond with legitimate and reciprocal countermeasures as necessary. 6. False: The US demanded the closure of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston because China did not accord facilities for the reopening of the US Consulate-General in Wuhan and the exemption of nucleic acid testing of returning US diplomats. True: China has never set up obstacles for the return of diplomats and consular officials of other countries, including the US. Quite the contrary, China has provided necessary facilities for them to perform duties in accordance with law. On 25 January, the US unilaterally announced the temporary closure of its Consulate-General in Wuhan and the evacuation of the personnel therefrom. China accorded facilities for the departure of the personnel, for which the US expressed appreciation at different levels. Records are available for verifying the fact. In June, some US diplomats returned to Wuhan. Since then, China has accorded facilities to the US Consulate-General to perform its functions in accordance with law. On the basis of respecting their privileges and immunities, China has applied nucleic acid testing equally to all foreign diplomats and consular officials entering China. This arrangement is also accepted by the US. The so-called issue of nucleic acid testing is simply an excuse. 7. False: The US side claims that its demand to take over the premises of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston is consistent with relevant US laws and regulations. True: The outrageous and unreasonable demand of the US seriously violates a number of international laws. Both the land and the premises of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston are properties of the Chinese government. According to Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the sending State may entrust another consular post or diplomatic mission it has in the territory of the receiving State with the custody of the premises of the consular post which has been closed, together with the property contained therein and the consular archives. China is entitled to entrust its Embassy or other consulates-general in the US with the custody of the premises of its Consulate-General in Houston. The unreasonable demand of the US side to take over the premises of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston seriously violates the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and infringed on China's legitimate rights and interests. Both the land and premises of the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston are China's state property. Even if relevant premises are not covered by consular privileges and immunities, the relevant property is still protected by international law. 8. False: The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston threatened dissidents and refugees with the Fox Hunt operation. True: Chinese law-enforcement authorities engage in international law-enforcement cooperation in accordance with international law and on the basis of respecting the sovereignty and laws of other countries. The targets are fugitive suspects, not "dissidents and refugees" as claimed by the US side. Combating transnational crimes is a broad consensus of the international community. China's judicial and law-enforcement cooperation with other countries are aimed at repatriating fugitives, and upholding the sanctity of law and social justice. China will step up its efforts in fugitive repatriation and return of the criminal proceeds, and bring the suspects to justice. By portraying fugitives as dissidents and refugees, the US side is distorting basic facts and offering itself as a safe haven for criminals. Its deep-rooted Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice have been fully exposed. 9. False: Diplomats working in Chinese Consulate-General in Houston are Chinese spies. Chinese spies are stirring up trouble all over the world. True: Meddling in other countries' internal affairs is never in the DNA of China's diplomacy. Chinese diplomats, who are working vigorously to advance China's friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with other countries, have never engaged in activities incompatible with their status. China is committed to growing its relations with other countries on the basis of such principles as mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. Chinese diplomats have always followed the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the laws of their host countries when they promote China's bilateral ties, and friendship and cooperation with their host countries. The US allegation that Chinese diplomats at the Consulate-General in Houston have carried out espionage in Australia and other US allies is made up out of thin air. It is like measuring others' corn by one's own bushel. It is common sense for diplomats to rotate among different postings. The US has the world's largest diplomatic service. It is reported that the US Consulate-General in Hong Kong alone has more than 1,000 employees. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance headed by the US has long been engaged in large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber-theft,wire-tapping and surveillance against foreign governments,companies and individuals in violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations. This is an open secret. From Wikileaks to Snowden, from the arrest of former ALSTOM executive Pierucci to the Crypto AG scandal, there are enough facts to show who is the world's largest spy factory and troublemaker. A Foreign Policy article noted that "Houston is an odd pick to target for intelligence allegations" and that "the activities cited by the administration are vague." 10. False: The Chinese Consulate-General in Houston openly criticized Hong Kong pro-democracy camp and supported nationalist counter protests on campus. The Consulate-General has planted informants on campus, tried to influence Chinese students through propaganda and undermined freedom of speech. True: The "China-supported counter protests", as claimed by the US, were spontaneous, rational patriotic actions by Chinese students in exercising their freedom of speech. It is the US who has intentionally condoned anti-China actions on campus by certain rioters seeking to destabilize Hong Kong. Certain anti-China elements seeking to destabilize Hong Kong openly made radical remarks and inflamed violence on campus in total disregard of law. The Chinese students only came together to express their outrage in what is spontaneous, rational patriotic action. In doing so, they are also exercising their freedom of speech. China firmly opposes any separatist rhetoric or action. We support Chinese students' desire and aspiration to safeguard the unity of the country and the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and encourage them to abide by local laws and regulations and express their patriotic sentiments rationally. The US is using the pretext of "human rights" and "democracy" to whitewash the radical, violent criminal acts by anti-China forces seeking to destabilize Hong Kong, and condone their behaviors on US campus. The US has no interest whatsoever in the safety and well-being of Hong Kong residents. It only cares about its own selfish interests and hegemony, and has been using "human rights" and "democracy" as a fig leaf to interfere in other countries' domestic affairs. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Daily Hampshire Gazettes Northampton offices go on the market this week. The paper announced that the building - featuring more than 45,000 square feet of space - and the 3.57 acres of land it sits upon will be listed for $4.2 million. The Gazette moved into the space located on Conz Street between downtown Northampton and Interstate 91 more than four decades ago. Michael Moses, publisher and chief revenue officer of Newspapers of New Englands Massachusetts operations, said the Gazette will continue to operate out of the city and the decision was based in part on a reduced need for space. The Gazette has just over 50 people on staff currently, the paper reported, many of whom began working remotely this year due to coronavirus shutdowns. Theres opportunity for us to get an updated workspace for employees and a place people feel good about coming to work, Moses said, in a Gazette article about the sale. Moses announced last month that the company would cease in-house printing of the Gazette and Greenfield Recorder, instead partnering with an Auburn-based commercial printer. The two newspapers, and their smaller sister publications The Athol Daily News, Amherst Bulletin and Valley Advocate are owned by New Hampshire-based Newspapers of New England. Moses said the decision to get out of the business of manufacturing newspapers was economically motivated. With printing outsourced to Worcester County, Moses announced that 29 employees - nine full-time and 20 part-time - would lose their jobs. The employees losing their jobs are eligible for severance packages, said Moses, adding We are grateful for their hard work but, as we all know and experience, times change. Moses said employees were extended a weeks pay for each year of service, up to 15 weeks. Employees on the healthcare plan would be covered by the company through the remainder of the year. In March, the company announced additional layoffs. Ten staff members at the Gazette and three employees at the Recorder were laid off due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Moses announced in an editorial Tuesday that employees hours were also reduced. Managers and supervisors at both newspapers took a 10% pay cut as well. Our workforce reduction was a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis. Like all companies, we are doing the best we can to navigate through this unprecedented challenge, Moses wrote in an email to MassLive. The newspapers intend to rehire laid-off workers, but they cannot predict when the public health crisis will end, he said. The Gazette expanded its Conz Street office several times over the years, including most recently building an addition to house a two-story Cerutti Model S-4 flexographic double-width press more than a decade ago, at a cost of $12 million. Last December, the Gazette, Recorder and Daily News laid off eight workers and closed the Athol office. Editors note: This article was updated to reflect the severance package offered to laid off workers. Coronavirus LIVE updates: The Sikkim government on Friday extended the complete lockdown in the state till 3 August in view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said. Auto refresh feeds He added, India has achieved the milestone of more than 1 million recoveries, which has taken the recovery rate to 64.54%. This shows that the active cases under medical supervision are only 33.27% or approximately 1/3rd of total positive cases. Indias case fatality rate is also progressively reducing and currently stands at 2.18%, one of the lowest globally. Health Minster Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday chaired a meeting of a Group of Ministers (GoM) on the COVID-19 situation in the country, News18 reported. The report added that Vardhan noted that "of the total number of active cases, only 0.28% are on ventilators, 1.61% on ICU support and 2.32% on oxygen support". The guidelines will be effected from August 1 and valid till August 31. In accordance with the unlock 3.0 guidelines from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Sunday lockdown on 2 August has been lifted along with night curfew from 1 August between 9 pm and 5 am, state Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said in an order on Thursday. The Karnataka government on Friday announced the Unlock 3 guidelines to be implemented in the state from 1 August. The government is planning to lift the total lockdown on Sundays, along with the night curfew. In line with the Centre, Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy announced that the lockdown now in force has been extended till 31 August but with relaxation in restrictions, ANI reported. There is also isothermal testing that enables identification of the coronavirus in a saliva sample and a test using polyamino acids that seeks to isolate proteins related to COVID-19, the statement said. These simple, non-invasive technologies include a voice test that uses artificial intelligence to identify changes in the patient's voice and a breath analyser test which requires the patient to blow into a tube and it detects the virus using terra-hertz waves, it said. The rapid testing is being jointly developed in cooperation with the Defense Research and Development Directorate of the Israeli Ministry of Defence, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Principal Scientific Advisor, India -- coordinated by the ministries of foreign affairs of Israel and India. Israel and India are conducting trials here on a large sample of patients for four different kinds of technologies that have the potential to detect COVID-19 in about 30 seconds, including a breath analyser and a voice test, according to an Israeli statement. Jammu and Kashmir registered 490 more novel coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections over the 20,000 mark on Friday, while the death toll rose to 377 with 12 more fatalities, officials said. There are 7,765 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), while 12,217 patients have recovered so far, according to the officials. Two out of the 12 new fatalities were from the Jammu region, while 10 were from the Kashmir Valley. "COVID-19 pandemic likely to be more serious by October-November, holding Bihar polls then will endanger people's lives," the statement said. BJP ally LJP on Friday wrote to the Election Commission asking it not to hold Bihar Assembly polls, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in the state. The national capital has seen a drop in the number of active cases over the past few days. On Thursday, Delhi had 10,743 active cases, down from 10,770 on Wednesday, 10,887 on Tuesday, 10,994 on Monday and 11,904 on Sunday. The number of active cases was 27,007 on July 1, according to health department bulletins. "The situation was beyond control of the Delhi government and when Home Minister Amit Shah intervened in mid-June, the cases of COVID-19 started declining, bed availability improved and now the Kejriwal government is taking credit for it," Gupta claimed. Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta in a press conference asked the Arvind Kejriwal government to answer why it had tried to "scare" people with Sisodia claiming that there would be 5.5 lakh coronavirus cases by July 31. There was no immediate reaction from Sisodia or the AAP on the issue. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had tried to "scare" people by claiming that COVID-19 cases in Delhi will reach 5.5 lakh by 31 July, but the situation was brought under control with the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the city BJP unit said on Friday. In June, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had said that Delhi was likely to have 5.5 lakh novel coronavirus cases by the end of July and 80,000 beds would be needed to accommodate patients. The Himalayan state has recorded a nearly seven-fold increase in coronavirus cases in the last one month, registering a total of 610 infections till July 30. One COVID-19 patient has died and 395 are under treatment. The Sikkim government had reimposed a complete lockdown in the state on 20 July for six days and extended it till 1 August in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases. A set of revised guidelines with regard to restrictions on movement and gathering of people, however, will come into force on 3 August and will be applicable till 31 August, he said. As per the revised guidelines from the Home Department, the lockdown remains extended till 6 am on 3 August, a notification issued by Chief Secretary SC Gupta said. The Sikkim government on Friday extended the complete lockdown in the state till 3 August in view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said. Maharashtra reported 10,320 new COVID-19 cases and 265 deaths on Friday, taking total cases to 4,22,118, including 2,56,158 discharges and 14,994 deaths. Active cases stand at 1,50,662, the state health department said. In line with the Centre, Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy announced that the lockdown now in force has been extended till 31 August but with relaxation in restrictions, ANI reported. Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo on Friday said, "We've decided that limited number of COVID-19 positive asymptomatic persons will be initially allowed for home isolation. 50 patients to be allowed in Raipur, 20 each in selected large cities, 10 each in other places and 5 each in small districts." Karnataka minister BC Patil on Friday said that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Coronavirus LATEST Updates: The Sikkim government on Friday extended the complete lockdown in the state till 3 August in view of a spurt in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said. As per the revised guidelines from the Home Department, the lockdown remains extended till 6 am on 3 August, a notification issued by Chief Secretary SC Gupta said. A set of revised guidelines with regard to restrictions on movement and gathering of people, however, will come into force on 3 August and will be applicable till 31 August, he said. The Sikkim government had reimposed a complete lockdown in the state on 20 July for six days and extended it till 1 August in view of a surge in COVID-19 cases. The Himalayan state has recorded a nearly seven-fold increase in coronavirus cases in the last one month, registering a total of 610 infections till July 30. One COVID-19 patient has died and 395 are under treatment. Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal on Friday cancelled the Delhi government's decision to reopen hotels and weekly markets on a trial basis. The decision was taken by the Arvind Kejriwal government as part of the 'Unlock 3' guidelines. India reported over 50,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time since the outbreak of the virus, pushing the country's caseload to 15,83,792, while experts warned that though "herd immunity" may develop in certain pockets, it's likely to be short-lived. The country on Thursday registered an increase of 52,123 infections in 24 hours while the death-toll climbed to 34,968 with 775 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed. Amidst the growing cases, Tamil Nadu announced the extension of coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state on Friday till 31 August but with more relaxations, including scaling up workforce in private establishments and allowing dine-in services in hotels and restaurants. The West Bengal government further extended the ban on flights from six "high" COVID-19 cities, including Mumbai and Delhi, till 15 August. However, the number of number of recoveries continued to rise surpassing 10 lakh with active cases now at 5,28,242, according to the Union Health Ministry. Meanwhile, in another reassuring news, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford in the UK was shown to elicit an immune response and reduced the viral load in monkeys exposed to SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study published in the journal Nature. Tamil Nadu extends lockdown Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami, announcing the extension of the lockdown, reasoned that "significant" number of coronavirus cases had prompted the continuation of curbs. He called for public cooperation towards strict adherence to social distancing, wearing of masks and hand hygiene to contain the spread. The decision came after Palaniswami held discussions with district collectors on Wednesday and the government appointed medical expert panel on Thursday where he took stock of the situation in the state. As of Thursday, Tamil Nadu has 2.34 lakh Covid-19 cases, including 3,741 deaths. Extending the total shutdown imposed across the state on Sundays in July to August, Palaniswami said intense curbs will be in place on 2,9,16,23 and 30 August as well. The Independence Day celebrations on 15 August will be held across the state as per Central Government guidelines on precautions like social distancing and use of masks, he said in a statement. Existing ban on religious congregations, operation of public transport including Metro rail, shopping malls, theatres and bars and all kinds of political and sporting activities, inter-state public and private transport will continue, he added. The e-pass system for inter-district and inter-state travel will continue, he said. Schools and educational institutions will remain closed but they can continue with and promote online learning, the chief minister added. Ban on international aviation, but for services allowed by the MHA, will also continue. Hotels and resorts will remain closed but those accommodating medical personnel, police and government officials, besides facilities used as quarantine centres will function, he said. Popular tourist destinations Udhagamandalam and Kodaikanal will remain out of bounds for travellers. Herd immunity may be short-lived, say scientists Herd immunity against Covid-19 in India is likely to be achieved only in pockets given the many socio-economic groups in the country and may be short-lived rather than long-lasting, say scientists as sero-surveillance data from New Delhi and Mumbai raise hopes of community protection' from the disease. Herd immunity occurs when a large number of people, usually 70 to 90 percent, become immune to a contagious disease after being infected to it. But there are many grey areas clouding the issue as far as the novel coronavirus is concerned with no consensus on when herd immunity sets in. There are no clear numbers to say at what percent of infected population we will achieve herd immunity. Many epidemiologists believe that for SARS-CoV-2 it would be at around 60 percent, said Shahid Jameel, virologist and CEO of the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, a public charity that invests in building biomedical sciences and health research frameworks. State-wise figures Of the 775 fresh deaths reported on Thursday, 298 are from Maharashtra, 92 from Karnataka, 82 from Tamil Nadu, 65 from Andhra Pradesh, 41 from West Bengal, 33 from Uttar Pradesh, 26 from Delhi, 25 from Punjab, 24 from Gujarat, 15 Jammu and Kashmir, 13 from Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Telangana. Nine fatalities have been reported each from Bihar and Jharkhand, seven from Haryana, six from Rajasthan, five from Odisha, four from Assam, three from Goa, two each from Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh and one each from Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Of the total 34,968 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 14,463, followed by 3,907 in Delhi, 3,741 in Tamil Nadu, 2,396 in Gujarat, 2,147 in Karnataka, 1,530 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,490 in West Bengal, 1,213 in Andhra Pradesh and 843 in Madhya Pradesh. So far, 650 people have died of COVID-19 in Rajasthan, 492 in Telangana, 413 in Haryana, 361 in Punjab, 348 in Jammu and Kashmir, 278 in Bihar, 159 in Odisha, 98 in Jharkhand, 92 in Assam, 72 in Uttarakhand and 68 in Kerala. Puducherry has registered 47 deaths, Chhattisgarh 48, Goa 39, Tripura 21, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh 14 each, Ladakh six, Meghalaya and Nagaland five each, Arunachal Pradesh three, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Andaman and Nicobar Islands two each and Sikkim one. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation. Oxford vaccine tests show encouraging results Researchers from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US and the Oxford University found that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine protects the macaques from COVID-19 pneumonia a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in which the lungs become inflamed and may fill with fluid. Preliminary results from this research were used to facilitate the start of clinical trials of the vaccine in humans, the researchers noted. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 is made from a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus a group of viruses that can cause a range of illnesses, including the common cold that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, a structure that enables the coronavirus to enter human cells. The researchers show that a single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, given to six macaques 28 days before exposure to SARS-CoV-2, is effective in preventing damage to lungs and drastically reduces the viral load, when compared with six control animals. US records over 1,50,000 COVID-19 deaths The US has recorded over 1,50,000 Covid-19 deaths amidst warning from a top Indian-American physician that the country has failed to arrest the spread of the deadly pandemic. America's coronavirus toll was 150,676 as of Wednesday more than a fifth of the world's recorded deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The US also had over 44,26,000 confirmed cases, making it the world's worst-hit country. The first death in the US was reported on 29 February. The country reached 50,000 deaths 54 days later on 23 April, and 34 days later, on 27 May, crossed 100,000 deaths. It has taken 63 days to add another 50,000 to cross 1.5 lakh deaths, CNN reported. "I think the fact that we as a country have not been able to get our arms around this, have not prioritised preventing those deaths is all that much more maddening," Dr Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, said. "And so, for me it's frustration, it's sadness. And a resolve to try to figure out how we prevent the next 1,50,000," Jha told CNN. "I think we can, but we're really going to have to work for it," he added. Some states in the US are seeing their highest tolls. California on Wednesday reported 197 COVID-19-related deaths in a single day, according to state Department of Public Health. That total far outpaces the previous high of 159, recorded just last week. Florida also reported a record 216 deaths on Wednesday. Scientists map how coronavirus spreads via aerosols Meanwhile, scientists have simulated how the novel coronavirus spreads indoors via aerosols as infected people speak or exhale, and have found the features of good ventilation that can filter virus particles out of the air, information that may help businesses and schools reduce COVID-19 transmission when they reopen. The researchers, including Jiarong Hong from the University of Minnesota in the US, modelled indoor airborne virus transmission via aerosols, which are tiny droplets ejected from people's mouths when they exhale, speak, or cough. According to the yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the preprint server arXiv, when an infected person does this, the virus particles hitch a ride on the aerosols as they land on nearby surfaces, or are inhaled by another person. Based on their experiments, the researchers found that in indoor spaces, good ventilation will filter some of the virus out of the air, but may leave more viral particles on surfaces. "Our results show that the design of ventilation is critical for reducing risk of particle encounters. Inappropriate design can significantly limit the efficiency of particle removal, create local hot spots with orders of magnitude higher risks, and enhance particle deposition causing surface contamination," they wrote in the study. With inputs from PTI Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register An Uber Eats customer was left outraged after he caught his delivery driver on security camera eating his order of chicken wings before he got to the door. Richard Jackson, who lives in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, was looking forward to enjoying 15 boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. But when he spotted sauce smeared all over the bag, he realized the driver had already tucked in. Then he looked at surveillance footage and his suspicions were confirmed. Jackson confronted the driver, who admitted what he had done, but said unapologetically: 'Oh, I was hungry'. 'He's walking along the grass and then my camera happened to pick him up. I gestured towards my camera,' Jackson told CBS Chicago about the incident. 'He was clearly caught digging into my food. An Uber Eats customer saw the driver digging into his food while walking toward his house Richard Jackson, who lives in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, saw the breech in protocol via his security cameras and spotted sauce smeared on the bag 'He was digging into the bag, you know, sort of chucking the boneless wings repeatedly popping them in. This is when I see the sauce smeared all over the bag. It's missing several pieces of the chicken.' The video appears to show the driver reaching into the bag almost immediately after getting out of the car. Footage from one of Jackson's several cameras around his property shows him refusing to accept the order after an inspection. 'I did challenge him on why he was eating my food,' Jackson said. 'He eventually admitted to eating my food. He said, "Oh, I was hungry."' The driver was not the same one originally assigned to his order, Jackson said. Jackson got a refund for the meal but he is not happy with the restaurant for not putting a tamper-proof seal on the container. 'It's concerning that he was so nonchalant,' Jackson said, 'especially during a pandemic where we have a highly transmissible disease.' The cameras picked up the activity from the moment the driver got out of his car Footage shows him reaching into the bag from Buffalo Wild Wings in Chicago, Illinois Uber told DailyMail.com on Thursday that it looked into the incident immediately and the driver has been removed from the platform. They said that as part of their contactless delivery service they have provided CDC guidance to restaurant partners and delivery people to ensure all orders are properly sealed in tamper-evident packaging. The company also said that food prep areas are separated from any locations where delivery people wait for orders. A large number of businesses have been relying on food delivery orders amid the pandemic. According to Uber, 82 percent of restaurant operators say Uber Eats has been crucial to business during COVID-19 and 75 percent of operators said that they would have had to close their business if not for Uber Eats. A whopping 81 percent said they would have had to lay off staff members if not for third-party delivery and Uber Eats partners have reported more impact from the app than others during the crisis, including a larger increase in sales. Some partners saw sales increase by more than 40 percent. CBS reported that s 2019 U.S. Foods study found 28 percent 500 delivery worker polled admitted to eating customers' food and more than half said they were tempted by the smell. Johnson & Johnson's experimental coronavirus vaccine protected macaque monkeys with a single shot in a pre-clinical study, potentially gaining on other vaccines that are further along in testing but require two doses over time. Five of six primates exposed to the pandemic-causing pathogen were immune after a single injection. The exception showed low levels of the virus, according to a study published in the medical journal Nature. Researchers evaluated a total of 52 macaques and seven different vaccine prototypes. The health-care behemoth kick-started human trials on July 22 in Belgium and in the U.S. earlier this week. Although other vaccine-makers have moved more quickly into development, with AstraZeneca having already administered its experimental vaccine to almost 10,000 people in the U.K., gaining protection with a single dose could prove an advantage in the logistical challenge of rolling out massive vaccination programs worldwide. "The findings published today are a very important part of the profile that we can bring to the table over the next few weeks as we work with different countries on reaching advanced agreements" for supply of the still-experimental vaccine, Paul Stoffels, the drugmaker's chief scientific officer, said in an interview. The primate data show that the coronavirus vaccine candidate generated a strong antibody response, and provided protection with only a single dose, Stoffels said. J&J aims to embark on the last phase of tests in September, compressing the traditional timeline as it races against others including AstraZeneca, Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc for a shot to end the pandemic. "This is clearly good news," Louise Chen, a Cantor Fitzgerald analyst said in a Thursday note to investors. "The positive data today is important since J&J has a vaccine platform that has been used before which could ease concerns about the safety of new vaccines being developed for Covid-19." After slight pre-market gains, J&J fell 0.06% to $146.45 at 12:13 p.m. in New York. The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based drugmaker will test both a one-dose coronavirus shot, and a shot coupled with a booster in its early-stage studies of more than 1,000 adults, which launched this month. As the vaccine candidate accelerates through later-stage trials, data will first report out from the one-dose arm of its trials, and Stoffels said J&J will likely seek an emergency use authorization from regulators for a single shot. The shot-plus-booster regimen, however, poses better prospects for enduring immunity, Stoffels said. "That is the optimal approach for long-term protection. If you give a boost, you get 100-fold more neutralizing antibodies. The paper shows that the higher your neutralizing antibodies, the better for your protection." Stoffels said vaccine-makers must rise to the challenge of protecting 70% of the world's population from Covid-19 through safe and effective inoculation. Should they achieve that goal, the virus could be "eliminated from the world entirely," he said. But it's not clear how long coronavirus antibodies can protect people from the disease, and clinical trials haven't yielded proof that a shot could prevent infection for an extended period of time. Albert Bourla, chief executive officer of Pfizer, said on Tuesday that he's preparing for the coronavirus to endure, leading to long-term demand for a seasonal shot to protect against covid-19. "There is a likely scenario that either the vaccine's immunity will not be lasting forever," Bourla said, "or that the virus will mutate, or that the virus will find ways to come back again and again." J&J's Stoffels offers a different perspective. "I hope we can protect people for a long time with one, two, or even three boosters. Hopefully, by then, it will be done," and the world will achieve comprehensive heard immunity, he said. J&J, which received a $456 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, has already entered discussions with the U.S., the European Union, and governments around the world about supplying its vaccine should it prove successful in the clinic. Stoffels said those negotiations will advance in light of the new data. J&J's technology is based on the human adenovirus, a type of common cold virus. It's an approach that is perhaps best known for its use in an Ebola vaccine. The company has not yet determined a price for its shot, though top executives suggest it will be offered on a not-for-profit basis for the duration of the pandemic. Technavio has been monitoring the mechanical seals market and it is poised to grow by USD 1.12 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 5% 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/20200730005716/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Mechanical Seals Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire). Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact Frequently Asked Questions- At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024? Growing at a CAGR of over 5%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024. What is the key factor driving the market? Rising adoption of renewable energy is one of the key factors driving the market growth. Who are the top players in the market? A.W. Chesterton Co., AESSEAL Plc, EnPro Industries Inc., Flex-A-Seal Inc., Flowserve Corp., Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH Co. KG, Leak-Pack Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd., Meccanotecnica Umbra Spa, Smiths Group Plc, and YALAN Seals Ltd. are some of the major market participants. Which region is expected to hold the highest market share? APAC What is the major trend for the mechanical seals market? The emergence of additive manufacturing is a major trend driving the market growth. The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. A.W. Chesterton Co., AESSEAL Plc, EnPro Industries Inc., Flex-A-Seal Inc., Flowserve Corp., Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH Co. KG, Leak-Pack Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd., Meccanotecnica Umbra Spa, Smiths Group Plc, and YALAN Seals 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 rising adoption of renewable energy has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Mechanical Seals Market 2020-2024: Segmentation Mechanical Seals Market is segmented as below: End-user Oil and Gas General Industries Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Water and Wastewater Treatment Power Other Industries Geography APAC North America Europe MEA 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=IRTNTR41125 Mechanical Seals 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 mechanical seals market report covers the following areas: Mechanical Seals Market size Mechanical Seals Market trends Mechanical Seals Market analysis This study identifies the emergence of additive manufacturing as one of the prime reasons driving the mechanical seals market growth during the next few years. Mechanical Seals Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the mechanical seals market, including some of the vendors such as A.W. Chesterton Co., AESSEAL Plc, EnPro Industries Inc., Flex-A-Seal Inc., Flowserve Corp., Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH Co. KG, Leak-Pack Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd., Meccanotecnica Umbra Spa, Smiths Group Plc, and YALAN Seals Ltd. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the mechanical seals market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Mechanical Seals Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist mechanical seals market growth during the next five years Estimation of the mechanical seals market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the mechanical seals market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of mechanical seals market vendors Table of Contents: PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT 2.1 Preface 2.2 Currency conversion rates for US$ PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysis Value chain analysis PART 04: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2019 Market outlook Market size and forecast 2019-2024 PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market condition PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Market segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user Oil and gas Market size and forecast 2019-2024 General industries Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Chemicals and pharmaceuticals Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Water and wastewater treatment Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Power Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Other industries Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by end-user 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 Emergence of additive manufacturing Increasing popularity of IoT for mechanical seals Advances in material science in mechanical seals PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE Overview Landscape disruption Competitive scenario PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors A.W. Chesterton Co. AESSEAL Plc EnPro Industries Inc. Flex-A-Seal Inc. Flowserve Corp. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH Co. KG Leak-Pack Engineering (I) Pvt. Ltd. Meccanotecnica Umbra Spa Smiths Group Plc YALAN Seals Ltd. 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 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005716/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will hear oral arguments in the matter on August 11. A United States appeals court on Thursday agreed to rehear arguments over whether a federal judge assigned to the US criminal case against President Donald Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn must agree to dismiss the case. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it would hear oral arguments in the politically charged matter on August 11. In a 2-1 decision on June 24, a three-judge panel of the DC Appeals Court had ruled in favour of Flynn and the Trump administration. The panel said US District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who had handled Flynns trial, must grant a Justice Department motion to drop the case. But Judge Sullivan asked the full Appeals Court to reconsider the panels ruling, saying the Justice Departments dropping of the Flynn case was unprecedented and should be carefully scrutinised. Sullivan had appointed retired judge John Gleeson as a friend of the court to argue against dropping the matter. In this case, the district courts actions will result in specific harms to the exercise of the executive branchs exclusive prosecutorial power, wrote Appeals Court Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump. The contemplated proceedings would likely require the executive to reveal the internal deliberative process behind its exercise of prosecutorial discretion, she added. Appeals Court Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama administration appointee, dissented. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, was one of several former Trump aides charged under former Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation that detailed Moscows interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russias then-Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. He later switched lawyers to pursue a new tactic that accused the FBI of entrapping him, and asked the judge to dismiss the charge. US Attorney General William Barr also intervened in Flynns case to support dropping the charges against him. Barr told a congressional panel on July 29 an internal Justice Department review showed the FBI had no basis to interview Flynn. Barr claimed he had not discussed the case with President Trump. UK warns of catastrophic environmental threat from hazardous Yemeni oil tanker The UK has called on the Houthis in Yemen to give UN experts access to an oil tanker off its west coast, in a bid to prevent an environmental catastrophe. The UK warned the UN Security Council on the 15th July that the FSO SAFER oil tanker, which has 1.14 million barrels of crude oil on board, posed a devastating threat to the environment. Its poor condition means it is now close to leaking millions of gallons of oil into the Red Sea. The tanker is moored in Houthi-held territory off the west coast of Yemen, and the UN is seeking access for a mission to assess the tankers condition, conduct any possible urgent repairs, and make recommendations for the safe extraction of the oil. The tanker has the potential to cause an oil spill four times larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989, which involved 257,000 barrels of oil and the effects of which are still being observed over 30 years later. It would cause unprecedented damage to the surrounding Red Sea marine environment which is home to over 1200 species of fish, of which 10 per cent are only found in the Red Sea. Any spill would also devastate the livelihoods of nearly four million people, with fishing stocks taking 25 years to recover. It would close the vital port of Al Hodeidah for up to six months and cost up to 16 billion to clean up. If there was a spill, it would make responding to the already challenging humanitarian situation in Yemen even more difficult. Minister for the Middle East, James Cleverly, said: The FSO SAFER oil tanker is an environmental disaster waiting to happen and unless UN experts are allowed to access it, we are facing a catastrophic environmental threat. The Houthis cannot continue to hold the environment and peoples livelihoods to ransom. It is in everyones interests, especially the suffering people of Yemen, that this tanker is made safe immediately. We will continue to use our seat on the UN Security Council to do all we can to stand up for and protect the Yemeni people. Yemen is suffering from the worlds largest humanitarian crisis, with 24 million people - a staggering 80% of the population - in need of humanitarian assistance. This devastating situation is now being compounded by the rapid spread of coronavirus, with UK-funded modelling estimating that Yemen has already had over one million infections. QUITO, Ecuador, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Republic of Ecuador (the "Republic" or "Ecuador") announced today that, following a hearing before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the "Court"), it is extending the Expiration Date and the Consent Deadline of its Invitation relating to approximately U.S.$17.4 billion of its external bonds (the "Eligible Bonds") from 5:00 p.m. Central European Time on Friday, July 31, 2020, to 5:00 p.m. Central European Time on Monday, August 3, 2020 (the "New Consent Deadline and Expiration Date"). The terms and conditions of the Invitation are described in the invitation memorandum dated July 20, 2020 (the "Invitation Memorandum"). Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meaning ascribed to them in the Invitation Memorandum. As set forth in the Invitation Memorandum, the Republic reserved the right in its sole discretion to extend the Consent Deadline and Expiration Date at any time. On July 20, 2020, the Republic commenced a solicitation of consents from eligible holders to amend each series of Eligible Bonds and their respective indentures (the "Consent Solicitation") and, in conjunction with the Consent Solicitation, the Republic also announced it was inviting those Eligible Holders (as defined below) to exchange their Eligible Bonds for a package of New Securities to be issued by the Republic under a new master indenture (the "Invitation to Exchange"). The Invitation to Exchange and the Consent Solicitation, together, are hereinafter referred to as the "Invitation". As set forth in the Invitation, the Consent Deadline and the Expiration Date are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Central European time on July 31, 2020 (the "Original Consent Deadline and Expiration Date"). On July 29, 2020, Contrarian Capital Management ("Contrarian") and GMO Emerging Country Debt Fund, GMO Emerging Country debt Investment Fund plc and GMO Emerging Country Debt (UCITS) Fund (collectively, "GMO" and together with Contrarian, "Claimants") filed a federal securities class action against the Republic of Ecuador (the "Republic" or "Ecuador") in the Court seeking a preliminary injunction against the Republic in relation to the Invitation. A hearing was held before the Court on July 30, 2020. Following this hearing, the Republic agreed to an extension of the Consent Deadline and Expiration Date to the New Consent Deadline and Expiration Date of 5:00 p.m. Central European Time on Monday, August 3, 2020, and pursuant to this announcement and in accordance with the Invitation the Republic is announcing that it will extend the Invitation from the Original Consent Deadline and Expiration Date to the New Consent Deadline and Expiration Date. Except as set forth in this announcement, the terms of the Invitation are not modified or amended. The original settlement date and settlement deadline for the Invitation as described in the Invitation Memorandum remain unchanged. ********* Eligible Holders, or custodians for such holders, of Eligible Bonds may obtain a copy of the Invitation Memorandum by contacting the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent at the contact information set forth below, or by download, following registration, via: https://gbsc-usa.com/ecuador. This announcement is for informational purposes only and is not an invitation or a solicitation of consents of any holders of Eligible Bonds. The Consent Solicitation and Invitation to Exchange to Eligible Holders of Eligible Bonds is only being made pursuant to the Invitation. Holders of Eligible Bonds should read the Invitation Memorandum carefully prior to making any decision with respect to delivering their consents or tendering their securities because it contains important information. Ecuador will make (or cause to be made) all announcements regarding the Invitation by press release in accordance with applicable law. Ecuador has not registered the Invitation or the Eligible Bonds under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities law. The Invitation may not be made in the United States or to any U.S. persons except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Invitation is being made only to (A) "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, (B) "accredited investors" within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) of Regulation D under the Securities Act ("institutional accredited investors") and (C) (x) persons outside the United States, (y) if located within a member state of the European Economic Area or in the United Kingdom, a "qualified investor" as defined in Regulation (EU) 1129/2017, and (z) if located outside the EEA or the UK, is eligible to receive this invitation under the laws of its jurisdiction. Only holders of Eligible Bonds who have returned a duly completed eligibility letter (available on the website of the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent, at https://gbsc-usa.com/ecuador) certifying that they are within one of the categories described in the immediately preceding sentence are authorized to receive and review the Invitation Memorandum and to participate in the Invitation ("Eligible Holders"). NONE OF THE DEALER MANAGER, THE TRUSTEE, THE INFORMATION, TABULATION AND EXCHANGE AGENT, THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR NOR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHETHER HOLDERS SHOULD DELIVER THEIR CONSENTS OR TENDER THEIR ELIGIBLE BONDS PURSUANT TO THE INVITATION, AND NO ONE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY ANY OF THEM TO MAKE SUCH A RECOMMENDATION. EACH HOLDER MUST MAKE ITS OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO CONSENT OR TENDER THEIR ELIGIBLE BONDS. The Invitation Memorandum is available from the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent. The Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent for the Invitation is: Global Bondholder Services Corporation 65 Broadway Suite 404 New York, New York 10006 Attn: Corporate Actions Banks and Brokers call: (212) 430-3774 Toll free (866)-470-3800 By facsimile: (For Eligible Institutions only): (212) 430-3775/3779 Confirmation: (212) 430-3774 Email: [email protected] Any questions regarding the terms of the Invitation should be directed to the Dealer Manager or the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent at their respective addresses and telephone numbers set forth on this communication. If you have any questions about how to tender your Eligible Bonds in the Invitation, you should contact the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent. Requests for additional copies of the Invitation Memorandum, the eligibility letter or any other related documents may also be directed to the Information, Tabulation and Exchange Agent. The Dealer Manager for the Invitation is: Citigroup Global Markets Inc. 390 Greenwich St, 1st Floor New York, NY 10013 Attention: Liability Management Group U.S. Toll-free: +1-800-558-3745 Collect: +1-212-723-6106 Email: [email protected] ********* The Republic of Ecuador Ministry of Economy and Finance Av. Amazonas entre Pereira y Union Nacional de Periodistas Plataforma Gubernamental de Gestion Financiera, Pisos 10 y 11 Quito, Ecuador (Financial Advisor to the Republic of Ecuador) Lazard Freres 121 Boulevard Haussmann 75008, Paris SOURCE The Republic of Ecuador Erica Robbie is the editor-in-chief of Local Magazine and Local Weekly as well as the arts & culture editor for the Aspen Daily News. She can be reached at erica@aspendailynews.com or on Twitter @ericarobbie. BURLINGAME, Calif., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jolene N. Fraser, CPA, a forensic accounting expert, was inaugurated today as the new chair of the CalCPA Board of Directors during CalCPA's virtual Annual Members' Meeting. Fraser will focus on the core mission of CalCPA to promote growth and prosperity for every member - and that of the profession. Making connections and building relationships among California CPAs will underpin Fraser's strategic platform during her 2020-21 tenure as chair. CalCPA is the nation's largest state CPA society. "With every storm cloud like the current pandemic, there's a silver lining an opportunity out of the challenge," said Fraser. "For California CPAs, our silver lining is the new opportunity for us to connect, learn and grow stronger together. CalCPA will continue to explore innovative opportunities that deepen our connections in meaningful ways, and I look forward to sharing our progress with you in the coming year." "Jolene's depth of experience as a CPA, business executive and active, engaged member and volunteer leader of CalCPA, gives her the requisite skills to lead our profession during these challenging times," said Anthony Pugliese, CPA, CGMA, CITP, President and CEO of CalCPA. "Jolene will continue our efforts to find the silver lining and help members find opportunity and community as they help to rebuild our economy." Several CalCPA programs are designed to help Fraser deliver on her strategy this year, including: Forge Stronger Connection Between CalCPA, Chapters and members: CalCPA has begun quarterly, virtual meetings with Chapter leadership, the first of which resulted in numerous innovative ideas. In addition, CalCPA is also introducing enhancements to our impactful technical committees while strengthening deeper connections between Chapters and the members they serve. Launch CalCPA Connect Platform: Members will have access to virtual hubs of information, education, and resources that bring members together in tight-knit communities around shared interests such as Tax or Managing and Accounting Practice. Through the CalCPA Connect Platform, members will be able to interact with state leaders and each other to share insights and experiences. Expand 'Conversations and Coffee' Programs: Newly launched, Conversations and Coffee offers CalCPA members an ongoing opportunity to come together in intimate smaller online groups to discuss and share opportunities, challenges and best practices with each other. Build a More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Environment for All Members: In the coming months, CalCPA will be working work with a broad array of members, partners and staff to identify best practices, meaningful metrics, and impactful programs to help achieve this goal. Fraser said that through meaningful and actionable efforts like these, even in an environment in which we can only meet online, the profession will persevere and turn any challenges into opportunity their silver lining. Fraser previously served as first vice chair of the CalCPA board of directors, and is Managing Director in the Forensic, Litigation & Valuation Services Group of EisnerAmper's Sacramento office. With more than 20 years of public accounting and consulting services experience, Jolene specializes in forensic accounting, providing consulting services and expert testimony. She often testifies in matters involving professional standards applicable to CPAs, computation of economic damages in commercial litigation matters, and fraud investigations across a wide variety of industries. Prior to joining the firm, Fraser was a Principal in Ueltzen & Company, specializing in forensic accounting and forensic technology services. Her background also includes audit experience at Reznick Group as well as Deloitte. Fraser is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Fraser previously served as President and Treasurer of the nonprofit organization, Teaching Everyone Animals Matter (TEAM), and serves on the American River College (ARC) Accounting Advisory Committee. About CalCPA CalCPA traces its heritage to 1903 when the California State Society of Certified Public Accountants was organized. In 1909, it merged with two other state CPA associations to form CalCPA. CalCPA serves more than 43,000 members in public practice, private industry, academia and government, and has 14 chapters across California. CalCPA also offers more than 1,400 live courses, conferences, webcasts and on-demand self-study courses annually. More information is available online. SOURCE California Society of CPAs Related Links http://www.calcpa.org United States President, Donald Trump has called for the postponement of the 2020 election. On Thursday, the American leader mad... United States President, Donald Trump has called for the postponement of the 2020 election. On Thursday, the American leader made the call on Twitter. Trump expressed concern that the election would be fraudulent. His reason was the controversial universal mail-in voting. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???, he tweeted. More parts of Bihar were on Thursday affected by floods, caused by rise in water levels of rivers originating in Nepal, though the disaster management department asserted that this has resulted in no fresh loss of lives. According to the departments bulletin, 71 panchayats of Madhubani and Siwan districts, which were not affected by the floods till the previous day, have now been hit by the calamity. The number of affected districts so far has, thus, reached 14. The number of people affected by deluge has risen to 39.63 lakh, up from 38.47 lakh on Wednesday. Death toll, however, remained stable at 11, with Darbhanga accounting for seven casualties and the remaining four reported from West Champaran. Other districts declared as flood-hit are East Champaran, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Sitamarhi, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Khagaria. At a meeting he chaired on the previous night to review the flood situation, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar instructed officials to pull up their socks reminding them "it is in the months of August and September that we see the worst of the calamity". "We must have arrangements in place for evacuating people from vulnerable areas. We are this time faced with a twin challenge in the backdrop of raging corona pandemic. It must be ensured that those being kept at relief camps are tested for COVID-19 on a priority basis and social distancing is maintained as far as possible", he said. Till date, 3.16 lakh people have been evacuated and moved to safe places by personnel involved in relief and rescue work, including 21 teams of the NDRF. More than 25,000 people have taken shelter in 19 relief camps and close to six lakh people were being fed at more than 1,000 community kitchens. An embankment along the Budhi Gandak river at Bairiya in East Champaran district was vandalized by unidentified villagers. "An FIR has been lodged in connection with the damage caused to the embankment which has, however, resulted in no loss to life and property. Our department is doing the needful", water resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha tweeted. The 9th battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), stationed at Bihta near Patna, has rescued thousands of people ever since floods began wreaking havoc a couple of weeks ago. "Our personnel have rescued close to 8,000 people, which include children, the elderly and pregnant women. Our men have fanned out in 13 of the affected districts," the battalions commandant Vijay Sinha said. One of NDRF teams was Thursday diverted from West Champaran to Siwan upon the disaster management departments request, he added. He also informed that NDRF men saved the life of a four-year-old boy in East Champaran district, who suffered a snake bite at his marooned village. "Our men reached the village late in the night. The boy, Adnan, was carried in a boat to the nearest primary health center, wading through flood waters for a six kilometres long stretch. Thankfully, timely medical aid took him out of harms way", Sinha added. Some of the 132 women laid off from the Flormar Cosmetics Company's Kocaeli factory, which the French cosmetics group Yves Rocher holds a 51-percent stake, check their mobile phones as they continue their daily protest outside the factory grounds after being dismissed on May 15, 2019, in Gebze on Jan. 29, 2019. (Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images) Turkey: Social Media Laws Passage Raises Censorship Worries ISTANBULTurkeys parliament approved a law on July 29 that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media, despite concerns of growing censorship in a country where critical voices are already muted. The law requires social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to maintain representatives in Turkey to deal with complaints about content on their platforms. Companies refusing to designate an official representative could be subject to fines, advertising bans, and bandwidth reductions that would make their networks too slow to use. Most alarming to the Turkish governments critics, the nine-article legislation also would require social media providers to store user data in Turkey. The government says the legislation was needed to combat cybercrime and to protect users of social media. Speaking in parliament on the morning of July 29, ruling party lawmaker Rumeysa Kadak said it would be used to remove posts that contain cyberbullying and insults against women. Lawmakers against the measure termed it a censorship law that would further limit freedom of expression in Turkey. Garo Paylan, a legislator from the pro-Kurdish opposition party that has had members arrested for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants, said the law will further erode avenues for the governments political rivals to reach the public. This way, the oppositions last remaining windpipe will be cut, Paylan said. The local representative of social media companies would be tasked with responding to individual requests to take down content violating privacy and personal rights within 48 hours or to provide grounds for rejection. The company would be held liable for damages if the content is not removed or blocked within 24 hours. After steep fines and advertising bans, a court could order the bandwidth needed to access the social media network halved and then cut further if the company persists in not appointing a Turkey-based representative. The storage of user information raises concerns about more than privacy, critics of the legislation said. Hundreds of people have been investigated and some arrested over social media posts on the COVID-19 pandemic, opposition to Turkish military offensives abroad, or insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials. In Turkey, 54 million of the countrys 83 million people identify as active social media users. A July survey by polling company Metropoll showed 49.6 percent of respondents didnt support a law that could limit, shut down, or fine social media companies over the content. Some 40.8 percent said they would support it. Istanbul resident Serkan Aslan, 23, said he supports some regulation of social media. In environments where people share their personal, daily lives like Instagram, I dont believe interference is right, Aslan said. But on channels like Twitter, where people can easily be misled, to be honest, I think regulation is the right thing to do. But Tugrul Calis, 62, disagreed. An avid social media user, Calis said he wouldnt want to break the law. So what do you do? You automatically self-censor. And thats the worst: A person not being able to freely share his or her thoughts, to censor ones self, Calis said Cyber-rights activist, lawyer, and academic Yaman Akdeniz said: These measures will have a chilling effect on Turkish social media platform users, and people will be scared to use these platforms because Turkish authorities will have access to the users data. Rights groups and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights came out against the bill on July 28 ahead of the vote, with Amnesty International calling it draconian. If passed, these amendments would significantly increase the governments powers to censor online content and prosecute social media users. This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression online and contravenes international human rights law and standards, Amnesty Internationals Andrew Gardner said. Erdogan has demanded the law, vowing to control social media platforms and eradicate immorality. Twitter didnt respond to a request for comment. Turkey leads the world in legal requests to Twitter for content removal, with more than 6,000 demands in the first half of 2019, according to the companys most recent transparency report. More than 408,000 websites are blocked in Turkey, according to The Freedom of Expression Association, a nongovernmental organization. Akdeniz, who authored the associations 2019 report, said the law would lead to content removal from news sites as well as social media, in addition to previous measures of blocking access. Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was blocked for nearly three years before Turkeys top court ruled that the ban violated the right to freedom of expression. The majority of mainstream media companies are owned by pro-government businesses, and critical journalists have been fired or jailed over the years. The Journalists Union of Turkey says 76 journalists and media staff are behind bars in Turkey. The law passed after 16 hours of tense deliberations in parliament, where Erdogans ruling party and its nationalist ally hold the majority of seats. It is set to come into effect on Oct. 11 after a presidential approval and publication in the Official Gazette. By Zeynep Bilginsoy & Mehmet Guzel Coca-Cola on Tuesday announced it will release a hard seltzer under its Topo Chico brand later this year. The new drink will be sold in select cities in Latin America. Topo Chico Hard Seltzer will launch in the United States in 2021, making it the company's first foray into alcoholic beverages in its home market for the first time since it sold its Wine Spectrum business in 1983. Coke acquired Topo Chico in 2017. The sparkling mineral water is a cult favorite among Texans, but the beverage giant has been expanding its distribution since the deal. On the company's second-quarter earnings call, CEO James Quincey referred to Topo Chico as a rising star in Coke's portfolio. Both sparkling water and hard seltzer are fast-growing categories for the beverage industry. In 2019, hard seltzer's volume more than tripled, helping reverse the trend of declining global alcohol consumption, according to IWSR. White Claw, which is owned by Mike's Hard Lemonade brewer Mark Anthony Brands, and Boston Beer's Truly hold most of the market share. Other beverage giants, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and Constellation Brands, have added hard seltzer lines to some of their most recognizable brands. Coke said it would share more details about Topo Chico Hard Seltzer closer to the launch. The Shelbourne Hotel is facing a backlash over its removal of slave girl statues, with an investigation under way into suspected planning breaches and the move being condemned in the Seanad. However, the hotel also continued to receive praise from members of the black comm- unity and immigrant support groups, who said presenting slavery as art without its brutal context was not acceptable. Dublin City Council confirmed it was investigating possible planning breaches in the removal of the statues of two Egyptian princesses and their shackled slave girls, which had stood at the entrance of the Shelbourne since 1867. Nonsense The hotel is a protected structure and, by law, any works which would affect the character of a protected structure must apply for and obtain planning permission. If a breach occurs, a planning authority may order any un- approved works to cease and for the building to be restored to its previous state. Former attorney general and justice minster Michael McDowell attacked the hotel's decision in the Seanad, saying it was "nonsense" and he was "outraged" by it. "There are two possibilities, that somebody actually made a complaint about them, in which case it's a response to idiocy, or alternatively, this was a corporate search for anything that could offend, which is another form of idiocy," he said. "This is a protected structure. It's unlawful, it's criminal, to change it without planning permission, and for a large multinational corporation to breach the law in this way, in an idiotic way, is wholly unacceptable. "Our heritage is not to be torn down or removed simply because of the foolish notions of causing offence where no offence could possibly be reas- onably be taken." Dr Ebun Joseph, who lectures in Black Studies at UCD, said she was surprised that the statues could be viewed as beautiful or that their removal required consultation. "It's not nice to have to pass by a representation of a reprehensible part of your past all the time while others' ugly pasts are not shown," Dr Joseph said. She said that if the statues were part of a display detailing the brutal truth about slavery, that would be fine, but on their own they did not represent the past truthfully. Green Party MEP for Dublin Ciaran Cuffe apologised for tweeting that public consultation should have taken place before the statues were removed. "As an urban planner, I should know that planning can suppress as well as liberate," he said in a later tweet. Target Statues with links to slavery have become the target of Black Lives Matter protests abroad in recent months. Some statues honouring figures who made their wealth from the slave trade have been removed or torn down. The Shelbourne's statues did not come to negative attention here, but were the subject of commentary in an Irish-American online news service in recent days. The Shelbourne issued a statement saying it had removed the statues in light of recent world events and would find suitable replacements. It has not commented on the planning queries that have arisen. The Shelbourne has gone through exhaustive planning procedures before when altering the building, including in 2006 when it underwent a major refurbishment and in 2017 when the facade was restored. Last year, it had to provide evidence to support a planning application simply to allow it to replace its revolving front door with a hinged door. CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) is expected to release Tamil Nadu SSLC class 10th results 2020 in a couple of days. Although DGE has not yet confirmed the date and time for releasing the results, it is being speculated that the board would release the SSLC class 10th results in the first week of August 2020. Once officially 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. List of official websites to check Tamil Nadu SSLC results: dge.tn.gov.in dge2.tn.nic.in manabadi.co.in dge1.tn.nic.in tnresults.nic.in schools9.com 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. There's a lot of talk being thrown around on the television and the print press, from Democratic pols, journalists, and other Democrats, about assorted "myths" regarding race relations, COVID, and whatnot. Here are the definitions: Myth: a widely held but false belief or idea. Truth: that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality Here are a few myths that most of the media and other Democrats present to the public as if they were true: The "hands up don't shoot" narrative, which has been used to gin up racial hate, division, and violence for years. It is especially used to target white cops. How many white cops have been injured or killed because so many journalists and other Democrats have perpetuated this myth? That white Christian boys at a pro-life rally who were wearing MAGA hats were racists. These boys were anything but that but treated as disposable pawns by journalists to destroy Trump. The intentionally false story was used to gin up racial hate and division. How many innocent people, including kids, are journalists and other Democrats willing to destroy to get the radical leftists they support in power? That allowing fully developed babies to die without health care after birth is "reproductive choice." The reproductive choice was clearly made around nine months before. The reason that the pleasant term "reproductive choice" is used by most journalists and other Democrats for this murderous act is that the truthful terms of murder or infanticide would repulse anyone with a conscience. That there was collusion between or among Trump and Russia in the 2016 election. This myth has been used to destroy and defeat Trump and his associates for years. It is perpetuated to mislead the public. There is no end to the number of people journalists, career swamp creatures, and other Democrats are willing to destroy as they perpetuate this myth. They conduct endless, useless witch hunts despite knowing that the Russian collusion story is fake, a hoax, or a myth. Here are a couple of truths that the media, Representative Jerry Nadler, and other Democrats tell the public are myths: That radical leftist groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter are perpetuating violence and destruction on cities throughout the U.S. It is not a coincidence that almost all the violence and destruction are done to cities run by leftist Democrats for decades because the public officials willingly look the other way. The media and other Democrats treat the violence as a myth in order to claim that Trump is only sending in federal agents to boost his election. That there were a massive number of corrupt criminals in the Obama administration who were willing to lie and commit other criminal acts in order to take out Trump and elect the corrupt, lifetime criminal Hillary as president. The media and other Democrats have covered up these corrupt, criminal acts for years and now they seek to destroy William Barr who is trying to tell the public the truth. Either the media and other democrats have a lack of intellectual capability to tell the difference between the truth and myths or they are intentionally lying to the public in order to destroy Trump and elect Democrats. If they were honest, they would never have supported the corrupt criminal Hillary for president, and they certainly wouldn't support the corrupt, incompetent Biden this year. Most journalists should register as campaign workers and donors with the Federal Election Commission because every day almost all the supposed news stories are campaign ads for Biden and against Trump. It is essentially 24 hours of in-kind free contributions. Image credit: Thomas Good, NLN, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. BENZIE COUNTY, MI A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of a man who caused more than $270K in damage to a home and garage owned by well-known philanthropist in Benzie County. The home located on South Carmean Road was maliciously damaged and an unattached garage was set on fire. A family member encountered the suspect during the crime, police said. The suspect is described as a white male in his late 50s to early 60s. approximately 5-foot-8 with a stocky build and unshaven or with a short beard. The Benzie County Sheriffs Office offered the reward Thursday after learning the property belonged to Wayne Weber, known in the area for running the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation. RELATED: Man who broke into Northern Michigan home set garage on fire on way out, police say Through the foundation, the Webbers have helped the Northern Michigan community in numerous ways. Since 2009, the foundation has donated thousands of winter clothing to Benzie County elementary schools, provided a CT scanner to Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital in Frankfort and provided annual financial support to local food pantries, among other things. Most recently, the foundation has supported the Mobile Dental Van in Benzie County which provides dental services to children in the region. This family has been one of our communitys biggest supporters and now its our turn to help them, a news release reads. Anyone with information should contact Benzie County Central Dispatch by calling 231-882-4487. Mumbai based content production studio, The Goodfellas Studio launched a first of its kind India Content Production Status Map recently. The tool offers comprehensive information to track content production capabilities and limitations across 22 states and 37 regions in India affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Marketers, brands, agencies, individual content creators and production houses can use the map (www.goodfellas.studio/covid19 ) to identify prevalent guidelines and SOPs across states in India to help them take necessary production decisions. The map gathers data from creators across the country and verifies the same against key news and prevalent Government guidelines and sources. The inspiration & the methodology behind this tool have come from the Global Production Status Map created by global creative production platform, Genero. The free tool effectively breaks down production capabilities across regions in 4 parameters: Post-production and studio production shoots, Small scale studio production with talent, medium scale production with restrictions and full-scale production possibilities with SOP guidelines to be followed. The tool not only helps creators make better production decisions but also gives an exposure to locations outside the regular go-to cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi & Bengaluru known for high production and ease of creation capabilities. According to the tool, as of today, states like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh are more shoot ready than other regions. Commenting on the development, Co-founder, Goodfellas Studio, Ridhesh Sejpal said, This tool provides marketers and creators with up-to-date information on the level of production possible across different regions in our country. The Covid-19 guidelines and SOPS are extremely decentralized in India. The virus spread is continuously fluctuating and so are the guidelines in different states. This makes it extremely confusing to keep track of the lockdown guidelines on a day-to-day basis. We endeavour to get all the information in one place and keep it up to date for our fraternity as much as possible. Creators and marketers are clueless about where they can shoot and to what extent. So something like this helps bridge the knowledge gap and also guides the creators to the right region! Click here to view the map: http://www.goodfellas.studio/ covid19 Unemployment is one of the side effects caused by the pandemic, Photo: Dung Minh While visiting the Hanoi Centre for Employment Services to carry out procedures for unemployment benefits, 28-year-old Nguyen Thi Oanh was acquainted by an employee of a life insurance company who advised her about the retirement insurance package. Life insurance agent Hong Bien asked Oanh about her job and income, then built a template of the pension fund based on the amount she wanted to receive monthly after retirement. Bien said I only need to pay around VND300 million ($14,400) for 15 years, but when I retire at the age of 60, I would have savings of nearly VND1 billion ($44,400), Oanh said. Oanhs insurance package each month is about VND2.2 million ($96), which she can either pay monthly or once a year. As she got convinced, Oanh plans to use the entire unemployment insurance of more than VND20 million ($870) to pay the first year of this insurance fund, even though she is still unemployed and will not know when she can get a new job. Accepting these benefits will continue to be difficult for a few months, but I may not be unemployed forever. Investing in the future is a smart decision, Oanh said. However, Oanh will not only face difficulties during the next few months, but may also lose her unemployment benefits if she cannot pay the VND2.2 million per month for a minimum of two years. Oanhs story is just one of many unemployed workers. Not only are they secondary victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also creating great pressure on the national social security system if such unemployment is increasingly lasting. Therefore, supporting and creating jobs for these workers is necessary and urgent to minimise negative impacts on society. One of the solutions to help reduce unemployment is to quickly assist businesses in difficulties to stabilise production early and to avoid mass layoffs. A recent survey of VietnamWorks with 400 enterprises and 3,400 jobseekers showed that 40 per cent of businesses were affected by the disease, while 30 per cent of them have cut their staff to maintain operation throughout the crisis. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of companies chose to cut back on wages and benefits. In particular, textile and footwear companies were the most affected group. According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam currently has nearly 3,000 enterprises operating in the footwear industry with more than one million employees working in the tanning industry and 500,000 in supporting industries. Meanwhile, the textile industry has about 5,000 businesses and about 2.5 million workers. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 caused the textile and footwear industry and many others to face order shortages. Therefore, many businesses have had to lay off workers. In June, Hue Phong Footwear JSC was forced to end the contracts of over 2,200 workers and relocate its production base to Tra Vinh province. At the same time, PouYuen Vietnam Company Ltd., with more than 60,000 employees, reduced its staff by nearly 2,800 workers and is expected to lay off more than 3,000 more in August. It is predicted that in the next few months, the number of laid-off workers will increase while the main export markets of Vietnam such as the United States, Europe, and China are still affected by the pandemic. Facing these hurdles, many businesses have considered how to cope with them. While some choose to reduce costs by cutting staff, the remainder have shown sufficient capacity to maintain and continue operations. Determining the risk of labour shortage when returning, these businesses are still trying to retain workers. Pham Tien Dung, chairman of PCB Cat Tuong Electronic Production Co., Ltd., said that the biggest concern for businesses is production materials, labour resources, and capital. Therefore, the company clearly identified that retaining workers during and after the pandemic is a top priority. Although it is very difficult, we have never thought of cutting down any employees. In order to retain workers, the company is forced to use the reserve capital to pay their salaries, Dung said. Currently the group employs nearly 100 workers. Meanwhile, 666 enterprises and nearly 17,000 labourers that are part of Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zones Management Authority (HIZA) said that, although enterprises are facing difficulties during this stressful pandemic, no business had to close. Le Quang Long, deputy director at the HIZA, said they have instructed their members to support their labourers in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, ensuring that employees are entitled to proper and adequate benefits. In addition, the HIZA has conducted several reforms to support businesses to solve problems and soon re-stabilise their production. Moreover, the HIZAs trade union has also been carrying out social activities such as organising a zero-VND supermarket, and offering rice and other provisions. A much-anticipated congressional hearing featuring the CEOs of four of America's largest tech firms kicked off on Wednesday afternoon in a confrontation that promises a healthy dose of political theatre, while also offering a window into the thinking of lawmakers trying to rein in Big Tech. Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc's Jeff Bezos, Alphabet Inc-owned Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple Inc's Tim Cook--who together represent about $5 trillion of the U.S. economy--are appearing via videoconference before the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust ... NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are the first humans SpaceX rocketed into orbit. SpaceX; NASA; Business Insider SpaceX is about to return its first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday afternoon. Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two NASA astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. Elon Musk's aerospace company will now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Update: SpaceX has successfully landed NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley back on Earth. For the latest, visit our live coverage page with streaming video commentary from NASA TV. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are about to return to Earth and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle on May 30, then docked the spaceship (which they named "Endeavour") to the International Space Station. Their experimental mission, called Demo-2, is the first with humans ever launched by SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. It also represents a new era of commercially developed and operated space vehicles started by NASA almost 10 years ago. But before the mission can succeed, the crew must safely land. After a two-month stay in orbit, the men climbed back into the Crew Dragon capsule and undocked from the ISS on Saturday at 7:34 p.m. ET. The capsule is now preparing for a fiery fall back to Earth, scheduled for 2:48 p.m. ET on Sunday. (You can watch NASA TV's continuous live-streaming coverage at the end of this story.) NASA is overseeing SpaceX's experimental mission. On Wednesday, the agency gave the company an initial "go" to proceed with its landing plans. If it affected enough splashdown sites, Hurricane Isaias could have forced the astronauts to stay in orbit a while longer. Story continues But the sites NASA picked in the Gulf of Mexico remain unaffected, and the astronauts are set to land off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. Recovery crews are waiting to recover the astronauts with boats, airplanes, and helicopters. As of 12:55 p.m., NASA mission controllers reported the weather was calm and the seas were smooth. "It looks like glass. It's awesome," one mission controller said on NASA's live feed. The ship had successfully fired its thrusters to push itself into a deorbit path as of Sunday at 2:08 p.m. ET. "We cannot wait to get Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley back to Earth," Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, said during a press briefing on Wednesday, noting the agency would continue to watch the weather. Crew Dragon can't land if there's rain, lightning, big waves, or winds exceeding 10 mph SpaceX's Crew Dragon is guided by four parachutes as it splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles off Florida's east coast on March 8, 2019, after returning from the International Space Station on the Demo-1 mission. Cory Huston/NASA Isaias became a named tropical storm on Wednesday night, when its wind speeds exceeded 39 mph. It reached hurricane status the next day, when sustained winds reached 75 mph. The storm affected several landing areas just as Endeavour prepared to reenter Earth's atmosphere and splash into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. Three of the seven landing zones that SpaceX and NASA prescribed for the test mission, called Demo-2, lie within the "cone of probability" for the storm's path. Those splashdown sites (shown below) are located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Cape Canaveral, Daytona, and Jacksonville. Mission managers instead chose sites in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola or, as a backup option, Panama City. "This mission will be a bit unusual as timelines will be in flux quite a bit up until undocking as we finalize landing locations," a NASA spokesperson told Business Insider in an email on Friday. Pensacola is the-westernmost location of the seven options, and Panama City is the second-westernmost. An August 1 map shows NASA and SpaceX's landing zones for the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission amid the estimated path and conditions of Hurricane Isaias. Pensacola (left) and Panama City (right) are indicated with a red arrow. The outer-edge green shows a 5-10% chance of sustained tropical storm-force winds. Google Earth; NOAA; NASA; Business Insider "We won't leave the space station without some good landing opportunities in front of us," Behnken told reporters from the ISS on Friday morning, adding that NASA and SpaceX are keeping him and Hurley informed. "The lion's share that work happens on their end. We don't control the weather, and we know we can stay up here longer." If weather conditions had become nasty, mission managers may have scrubbed the undocking and landing attempt. Steep waves, rain, lightning, low clouds, poor visibility (for helicopters to fly the astronauts from a SpaceX recovery boat back to land), or even winds stronger than about 10 mph can trigger a "no-go" decision. "We're going to watch the weather very carefully," Steve Stich, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said on Wednesday. NASA and SpaceX gave the final "go" for undocking on Saturday evening. Behnken and Hurley could have stayed in orbit another 2 months, if needed SpaceX's Crew Dragon "Endeavour" spaceship photographed by astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy while performing a spacewalk on July 1, 2020. NASA Once the astronauts undock, they have to land within about three days because the spaceship only has enough water and lithium hydroxide which scrubs carbon dioxide from the air to last Behnken and Hurley for that long, Stich said. While docked to the ISS, though, Endeavour could have shared life support and lasted much longer. The vehicle has been in space for more than 60 days, but this version of Crew Dragon is designed to last about 120 days due to its solar-panel design, Stich said. In theory, that gives SpaceX and NASA opportunities through most of September to safely get Behnken and Hurley back home. "We know we can stay up here longer," Behnken told reporters during a briefing on Friday morning. "There's more chow and I know the space station program's got more work that we can do." Stich noted SpaceX and NASA can make a call as late as an hour before undocking to delay the whole sequence and try again another day. "If the weather's looking bad that day, we're not even going to try to undock," Stich said. "The beauty of this vehicle is we can stay docked to the space station." As part of the process to approve a landing, NASA and SpaceX used a robotic arm to survey Crew Dragon's heat shield, which must withstand temperatures of of to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during atmospheric reentry, for damage by space debris. "There were no areas on the vehicle that were any concern for entry," Stich said. NASA TV is streaming around-the-clock coverage of the astronauts' attempt to return to Earth. You can watch the agency's broadcast via the YouTube feed below. Susie Neilson contributed reporting. This story was originally published July 29, 2020. It has been updated with new information. Do you have a story or inside information to share about the spaceflight industry? Send Dave Mosher an email at dmosher+tips@businessinsider.com or a Twitter direct message at @davemosher. More secure communication options are listed here. Read the original article on Business Insider The Police command in Bauchi State on Thursday said it arrested 27 rape suspects and five others for various offences. Ahmed Wakili, the police spokesman, made this known in a statement in Bauchi. We arrested 27 suspected rapists and five other suspects in connection with offences against property and disturbance of public peace, Mr Wakili said. He said the arrest was in line with the police statutory duty of protection of lives and property. He said the command would not relent in its efforts to fight all forms of criminality in the state. The command warns all criminal elements and their allies, nursing agenda that is bashful to the safety and security of the state to desist from such acts. The command will not relent in mobilising resources within to confront and neutralise criminal act and tendencies, Wakili warned. READ ALSO: The police spokesman commended the state government for enacting the law to enforce the fight against sexual gender-based violence on women and children. He appreciated the people of the state for continuous cooperation with the police and urged them to explore to the fullest. (NAN) The Customs department on Wednesday caught illegal imports of restricted items agarbattis (incense sticks) and its powder from Vietnam in large quantities in blatant violation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a finance ministry official said. In a major drive against the smuggling of agarrbattis from Vietnam, Customs officials on Wednesday arrested Bharat H. Shah and his son, Ronik Shah in Chennai after seizing 161.94 MT [metric tonnes] of agarbattis and 68.36 MT of agarbatti powder, which were found concealed in containers imported by Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers (IAM), Bengaluru. This is one of the biggest seizures of restricted items in recent times at the port, the official said requesting anonymity. IAM did not respond to HTs queries. While Bharat H Shah and his son Ronik could not be contacted. The official said the importer had declared to the Customs that these containers contained joss powder and premix powder for making incense sticks. Joss powder is normally attracts a 15% Customs duty. However, the duty is nil under the FTA with ASEAN, which includes Vietnam, he said. Joss powder is a herbal substance used for manufacturing mosquito coils and incense sticks. The importer was trying to take advantage of the FTA as well as smuggle restricted agarbattis, he said. Agarbattis are placed in the restricted category since August 2019 to protect domestic manufacturers and cannot be imported without a licence. Acting on inputs that some unscrupulous importers were clandestinely smuggling agarbattis from Vietnam after the item was restricted for import last year, the Customs used data analytics to identify the suspect importer, IAM, the official said. A strict vigil was kept on its six imported containers that had landed at Chennai port. The containers said to contain joss powder and premix powder for making incense sticks revealed huge quantities of undeclared agarbatttis and agarbatti powder concealed behind the declared goods, he said. The Customs officers searched the office and residential premises of the importer at Bengaluru and apprehended the Shahs, both of whom had planned the smuggling, he said. Upon enquiry they disclosed that they had ordered two more containers from Vietnam, which were in the pipeline. At Chennai port, these two containers were identified and searched, which again revealed concealed agarbattis in huge quantities, he added. The seizures and arrests are part of a nationwide drive by Customs officials to stop the smuggling of agarbattis, which are on the restricted list of import, he said. U.S. President Donald Trump has called for the 2020 US presidential election to be delayed despite its November date being enshrined in the US Constitution. Mr Trump, without evidence, repeated his claims of mail-in voter fraud and raised the question of a delay, writing: "delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" In a series of tweets, Mr Trump said the election would be "inaccurate and fraudulent" if mail-in voting was used. Mail-in voting has been considered by a number of US States due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. The US President cannot legally delay the election. "Mail-In Voting is already proving to be a catastrophic disaster. Even testing areas are way off. The Dems talk of foreign influence in voting, but they know that Mail-In Voting is an easy way for foreign countries to enter the race. Even beyond that, theres no accurate count," the US President said. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" he added. Trump's tweet came shortly after the United States reported its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression: a second-quarter crash in gross domestic product due to widespread shutdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Trump, who is trailing challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden in opinion polls, had previously intended to focus his re-election bid on the nation's economic performance. Trump had previously suggested he would not trust election results - complaints similar to those he raised going into the runup to the 2016 election - but had not so directly suggested changing the Nov. 3 date. Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, which have been used in far greater numbers in primary elections amid the pandemic. He has also made unsubstantiated allegations that voting will be rigged and has refused to say he would accept official election results if he lost. Democrats, including Biden, have already begun preparations to protect voters and the election amid fears that Trump will try to interfere with the November election. "A sitting president is peddling lies and suggesting delaying the election to keep himself in power," Democratic Representative Dan Kildee wrote on Twitter. "Don't let it happen. Every American Republican, Independent and Democrat should be speaking out against this President's lawlessness and complete disregard of the Constitution." U.S. Senator Tom Udall, also a Democrat, said, "There is no way @POTUS can delay the election. We shouldn't let him distract us from his #COVID19 incompetence." Nonpartisan U.S. election analyst Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia said the tweet seemed to follow Trump's typical approach of trying to distract voters from bad news. "Trump suggesting delaying the election (he can't do this w/o congressional approval) seems to be one of his more obvious attempts to change the subject given this morning's wretched GDP numbers," Kondik wrote on Twitter. Attorney General William Barr was asked in congressional testimony earlier this week whether Trump could change the election date: "I've never been asked the question before. I've never looked into it." Expand Close US attorney general William Barr (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via AP, Pool) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US attorney general William Barr (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via AP, Pool) Barr also testified that to his knowledge, a sitting president cannot contest the results of an election if the vote tallies are clear. U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., called Trump's tweet "despicable," especially because it came on the day of the funeral of civil rights icon John Lewis. "Americans will rise up & continue John's fight for unfettered access to the ballot box," Clyburn tweeted. "Our voices will not be silenced." As more states have turned to mail-in voting in response the pandemic, Trump has repeatedly sought to undermine the method, often with unsubstantiated claims. He has attacked mail voting nearly 70 times since late March in interviews, remarks and tweets, including at least 17 times this month, according to a tally by The Washington Post. A Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment on Trump's tweet. Trump has also argued that mail-in voting tends to hurt Republicans at the ballot box. A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted this month shows that 51% of Democrats prefer voting by mail this fall, compared to 20% of Republicans. However, a recent study by Stanford University researchers found no partisan impact of expanding voting by mail. At the congressional hearing, Barr repeated his concern that he felt there was a "high risk" mail-in voting would lead to fraud, but said he did not believe the election would be rigged - seeming to break with Trump. "I have no reason to think it will be," he said. Expand Close US house speaker Nancy Pelosi (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp US house speaker Nancy Pelosi (AP) Even if Congress voted to delay the general election, the electoral college is still required to elect a president under federal law. If for some reason that didn't happen, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would be required to leave office by noon on Jan. 20. With no successor, the speaker of the House of Representatives, currently Democrat Nancy Pelosi, would be next in line Additional reporting from Washington Post. A man in his twenties has been shot dead in north London. Police and paramedics were called to Beaconsfield Road, Edmonton, at around 9pm on Wednesday, Scotland Yard said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Footage from the scene showed police vehicles lining the street and a cordon in place. No arrests have been made. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, where officers are pictured on Thursday morning / Matt Writtle The killing comes as the Metropolitan Police recorded its highest monthly number of violent deaths so far this year. The force has recorded 16 homicides so far in July, while figures on its crime data website show there were nine in June and eight in May. In March and April the figure was slightly above average, with 12 homicides recorded in each month, up from seven in February and 11 in January. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Thursday alleged that the Delhi government did not release Rs 1,181 crore to the corporation despite several communications and deliberately pushed the civic body into a financial crisis. Addressing a press conference, Jai Prakash, mayor, North Delhi Municipal Corporation, alleged that files pertaining to clearance of Basic Tax Assignment are pending with the government since May 25. The corporation was owed Rs 240 crore under BTA but those files are not being cleared, he said. Basic Tax Assignment is a segment where the state government collects tax on behalf of municipal corporations and pays the share of the civic body later. Several phone calls and text messages to both the Delhi government and the Aam Aadmi Party were not answered. Earlier, a media advisor to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said, The court made it clear last month that Delhi government has no dues left. The mayor said as per recommendations of fifth Delhi finance commission the Delhi government has to give around Rs 3,000 crore to the north civic body in an year. In the financial year 2018-19, the corporation got only Rs 1,600 crore from the government while in 2019-20 only Rs 1,500 crore was given by the government, Prakash said. It is a deliberate attempt to create a financial problem. This BTA fund of Rs 240 crore is used to pay salaries of sanitation employees and DBC workers. This year as of now the Delhi government has released only Rs 387 crore to the north corporation and we are yet to get Rs 1,181 crore from them, Prakash said. According to north corporation officials, other than getting money from the government, the civic body generates revenue of Rs 2200 crore from its own resources such as property tax, advertisements, parking contracts, stamp duty tax among others. This year the income of the corporation has gone down drastically due to Covid-19 pandemic so we need funds from the government to sail through the crisis, the official said. Cow shelter funds Senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak at a press conference on Thursday alleged that the municipal corporations had not released funds for the maintenance of cow shelters for last three years. Pathak said that there were around four cow shelters which are jointly maintained by the government and the civic bodies. The government and the corporation both give Rs 20 per cow per day to the cow shelter every year. The government paid its share of around Rs 10.5 crore to Rs 11 crore to cow shelters but the civic bodies have not paid their share of money for the last three years. Their councillors are engaged in fodder corruption, Pathak alleged. Responding to the allegations north corporation mayor Jai Prakash said, The allegations of corruption are baseless. We have had a meeting with the managers of cow shelters and we are arranging funds for them. It could not be released as the government is not paying our dues. The Delhi high court on Thursday pulled up Delhi University (DU) for its lack of preparedness in providing scribes to visually impaired students and said it is the responsibility of the varsity to provide scribes to such students. The court also observed that of the 1.82 lakh final-year students, who registered on the university portal for the first phase of the mock test that started on July 27, only 22,372 completed the entire exam process. DU is holding online exams in the open-book format (OBE) for final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students as a one-time measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite opposition from both students and teachers, DU has scheduled the online exams between August 10 and August 31. In OBE format, students have to download the question paper from an online portal and once they are done taking the exam, the answer sheets have to be scanned and uploaded. The university gives each student three hours for the entire process. A bench of justice Hima Kohli and justice Subramonium Prasad expressed its displeasure over the abysmally low number of students being able to complete the exam during mock tests and said it was not comfortable with this figure. The courts remarks came while hearing pleas by law student Prateek Sharma and National Federation of Blind (NFB) seeking to set up effective mechanisms for visually impaired and specially abled students. On Thursday, DU filed an affidavit stating that 182,237 students had registered for online exams of whom 70,101 had logged in for the first phase of mock tests which started from July 27. DU said 39,159 students attempted the exams and only 22,372 could submit their answer sheets. With respect to persons with disability (PwD), the varsity told the court that 834 such students had registered for the OBE and only 142 could complete the exam process. Appearing for DU, senior counsel Sachin Datta, told the court that the mock test was conducted to familiarise the students with the online exam process and that they had given different subject papers to students. He said students may have got question papers that were not of their subject and hence they could not complete the exam. To this, the court said, Why would you think that students would be able to answer something which is not of his/her subject?. Senior advocate SK Rungta, appearing for NFB, told the court that several students could not take the exams for want of a scribe. He said 60 students had given a request to the varsity to provide them scribes -- 58 wanted the scribe at home, while two wanted them at the CSC (common service centre). The DU counsel told the court that they can only provide scribes at the CSC and not at home. The court said there was a complete mismatch of information after it was informed by the CSC director that they would only facilitate exams and would not have anything to do with scribes. Look at the plight of the student. Several students are sitting outside Delhi. Lets not forget that even if the metropolitan cities might have facilities, the other remote areas would not have proper connectivity. The paltry number of students having completed the exams against those registered raises some curiosity (sic), the court said. The matter will next be heard on August 5. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR) today announced the following schedule and contact information for its second quarter earnings release and investor call. Earnings Release: August 5, 2020 (after market close) Visit the investor relations portion of Quaker Houghton's website at https://investors.quakerhoughton.com/ Teleconference: August 6, 2020, 7:30 a.m. (ET) Participate live by phone or listen to live audio webcast through the investor relations portion of Quaker Houghton's website at https://investors.quakerhoughton.com/ Dial-in Number: +1-877-269-7756 (toll-free) +1-201-689-7817 (toll) Please call 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the call. No password required. If unable to participate live, select from one of the following replay options: Digital Replay: Available through August 12, 2020 Call +1-877-660-6853 (toll free) or +1-201-612-7415 (toll) Conference ID No. 13707443 Archived Webcast: Visit the investor relations portion of Quaker Houghton's website at https://investors.quakerhoughton.com/ About Quaker Houghton Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR) is the global leader in industrial process fluids. With a presence around the world, including operations in over 25 countries, our customers include thousands of the world's most advanced and specialized steel, aluminum, automotive, aerospace, offshore, can, mining, and metalworking companies. Our high-performing, innovative and sustainable solutions are backed by best-in-class technology, deep process knowledge and customized services. With 4,500 employees, including chemists, engineers and industry experts, we partner with our customers to improve their operations so they can run even more efficiently, even more effectively, whatever comes next. Quaker Houghton is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, located near Philadelphia in the United States. Visit quakerhoughton.com to learn more. SOURCE Quaker Houghton Related Links https://investors.quakerhoughton.com We need doctors who reflect the community To the editor: Sometime in the late 1930s to early 1940s, Dr. James Baldwin built St. Marys hospital on Fayette Street, known to locals as The Block. At that time the country was segregated, so he built the hospital for Blacks. St. Marys served people of color for some time past World War II. After WWII, Community Hospital was built to replace St. Marys. That hospital had three black doctors, Dr. Williams, Dr. Price and Dr. Matthews. All three of these doctors delivered babies. After the war, we had two hospitals in Martinsville. Many of the patients at Community Hospital did not have insurance. I know because I ran the medical lab. The doctors there still encouraged patients to come there for treatment and to deliver their babies. In 1968 Medicare stated that the federal government would fund one hospital in Martinsville. The two hospitals (Community Hospital and Martinsville General Hospital) merged and took on a new name, Memorial Hospital. Memorial Hospital served the community and delivered babies until it was sold in 2001 for around $125 million. Today, LifePoint Health is the owner of Sovah-Martinsville. I am hearing in the community that LifePoint would like to close the labor and delivery section of the hospital. How can this possibly be a benefit to our community? Will women of Martinsville and Henry County be required to travel extended distances for doctors appointments and deliveries? Why would such a decision even be considered with the demographics of Henry County and the fact that LifePoint has an extremely competent, Harvard- and Yale-trained OB-GYN, Dr. Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, on staff. According to some individuals who saw a memo that circulated around the hospital, Dr. Abdul-Mbacke is no longer welcome to practice at LifePoint. I certainly hope this is not true. I believe that Martinsville and Henry County need competent, compassionate, well-trained medical staff who are representative of the demographic of our population. And I think it is safe to say that decisions should be made that are in the best interests of our residents. We need local labor and delivery, and we need Dr. Abdul-Mbackes expertise. VERSHARN N. SCALES Martinsville Commodity Technology Advisory LLC (ComTech Advisory), the leading analyst firm covering energy and commodity trading and risk management (E/CTRM) and related technologies, announces the release of the 2020 Sourcebook of CTRM and Commodity Management Suppliers and Software (CTRM Sourcebook). Updated to include some additional information this year, CTRM Sourcebook remains the most informative and easy to use report of its kind. Featuring coverage of a record 39 software products from 31 different vendors, the CTRM Sourcebook series is now the primary resource tool for companies who are planning or are actively seeking a software solution to capture and manage their commodity trading and risk management activities. Designed to be information rich, yet highly usable, it includes extensive information on the vast majority of full-scale, multi-market CTRM products, and many of the commodity/region-specific solutions currently available around the globe. Each individual product listing provides guidance on geographic & industry segment coverage, a detailed matrix of functionality by commodity, a company and product-line description, and contact information for each vendor. According to Patrick Reames, Managing Partner of Commodity Technology Advisory, Weve updated the functional chart for each product in this most recent edition to identify several new features/functions, improve readability and have, for the first time, included LNG as a examined commodity. CTRM Sourcebook remains our most popular report. said Dr. Gary. Vasey, Managing Partner. It is widely and extensively used across the industry to aid users in identifying potential solutions for their functional and technical requirements. The 2020 CTRM Sourcebook is now available for free download from the http://www.CTRMCenter.com and http://www.ComTechAdvisory.com websites. About Commodity Technology Advisory Commodity Technology Advisory (ComTech Advisory) is the leading analyst organization covering the Energy and Commodity Trading and Risk Management (E/CTRM) technology markets. Led by Patrick Reames and Dr. Gary M. Vasey, ComTech Advisory provides invaluable insights, backed by primary research and decades of experience, into the issues and trends affecting both the users and providers of the applications and services that are crucial for success in markets constantly roiled by globalization, regulation and innovation. For more information, visit http://www.comtechadvisory.com New virus clusters that were identified in the port city Dalian are now spreading to other provinces in China. Local health officials in Dalian plan to mass-test all six million residents as this cluster had now spread to many cities across the country including the capital, Beijing. China reported more than 100 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus on July 29 while the country continues to battle what might culminate into a second wave of infections. read more 1 / 7 People sit socially distanced on chairs as they wait to undergo coronavirus tests at a makeshift testing centre in Dalian, China on July 28. A fresh coronavirus cluster in Dalian has spread to other provinces and prompted fresh restrictions, authorities told AFP. (STR / AFP) 2 / 7 Health workers carrying out coronavirus tests in a shopping mall in Dalian on July 25. On July 29, Chinas Covid-19 cases reached 101- the highest daily figure since April, AP reported. (STR / AFP) 3 / 7 A health worker carries out a coronavirus test on a resident at a makeshift testing centre in Dalian on July 28. According to AFPs report, six more cases were reported on July 28, in the industrial port city of Dalian, where a new outbreak first emerged at a seafood processing plant last week, bringing the total number of new infections in Dalian to 44. (STR / AFP) 4 / 7 People line up to undergo coronavirus tests at a makeshift testing centre in Dalian on July 27. Local health officials in Dalian told AFP that they would conduct mass-test for its six million residents within four days. They announced on July 27 that samples had already been taken from 1.68 million people. (STR / AFP) 5 / 7 In a bid to stop the surge in cases, Dalian authorities have also banned group celebratory dining activities and ordered customers to display a local health code on their phones when entering restaurants, reported AFP. (Tyrone Siu / REUTERS) 6 / 7 Commuters wearing face masks as a precaution against coronavirus while riding in a subway train in Beijing, on July 29. According to an AFP report, a fresh Beijing case reported on July 27 was linked to an asymptomatic patient who had travelled from Dalian - the first new local case since a cluster in the capital was brought under control in early July. (Andy Wong / AP) North Syracuse Central Schools today released its proposed plan for reopening schools in the fall calling for a hybrid approach. Some students will attend school in classrooms only one or two days a week, according to a district plan released Thursday afternoon. In the junior high and high school, students will be divided into four groups, with each group attending school one day each week and continuing remote instruction the other days. Junior high and high school students will attend either Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, with Wednesday a cleaning day when remote instruction will continue. Elementary and middle school students will be divided into two groups, with students attending classes Monday and Tuesday, or Thursday and Friday. In all schools, students with special needs would got to school five days a week. Masks will be required. The district will allow any students that dont want to go to school to do their studies remotely. North Syracuse is the second-largest school district in Onondaga County, behind the Syracuse City School District. North Syracuse has more than 8,000 students. Liverpool is third with almost 7,000 students. Related article: How is your school reopening? See Central New York school district coronavirus plans In the Liverpool school district, district officials want to open with a hybrid plan, where some students attend school two days a week while others learn remotely, and then the schedule flips. That way everyone in the district will go to school classrooms at least two days a week. Schools are required to submit draft plans to the state Education Department by tomorrow and post them on their website. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will make a decision on whether or not classrooms will reopen during the first week of August. 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 After experiencing shortness of breath, coughing and fevers, Sharon Tapp learned she had COVID-19. As her health worsened, doctors admitted her to the hospital. For the next 117 days she stayed, undergoing treatment for COVID-19 complications. She has finally returned home but faces weeks of therapy before she fully recovers. Still, she feels grateful to be home. It feels great, the 60-year-old nurse told TODAY. Everyone was pleased and happy to see me standing up. They were just overjoyed." When Sharon Tapp returned home after 117 days in the hospital because of COVID-19, her co-workers, doctors, therapists, friends and family celebrated her with a parade. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins Medicine) From monitoring symptoms at home to a long hospital stay As a nurse case manager at VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Tapp was a vocal advocate for her patients and deftly helped difficult to discharge patients find arrangements for their aftercare. She suspects she contracted the coronavirus at work. On March 18, she went for a test and doctors told her to quarantine and monitor her temperature as she awaited her results. Soon, her symptoms increased. I started losing my taste for food and then I started having fevers, she explained. My temperature kept going higher I was still having chills and felt very weak. I just felt so bad my boyfriend took me to (Johns Hopkins) Suburban Hospital. Staff rushed her to the ICU, but they soon realized Tapp, who was in a coma, needed more specialized care and on April 7, they sent her via helicopter from Bethesda to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Doctors placed her on an ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates blood to relieve stress on the lungs and the heart. She relied on a feeding tube for nourishment and IVs snaked into her arms to deliver medicine. While there, she experienced three blood clots in her legs, acute respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia in both lungs. My doctor said that my (infection) was the worst that you can get, she said. I was very, very, very sick. After being in the hospital for so long, Sharon Tapp had to relearn how to do basic activities, such as swallowing and walking. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins Medicine) She doesnt know why she became so ill as she has no underlying health conditions. When she finally woke, she felt as helpless as an infant, needing help to do just about anything. Story continues I was just like a newborn baby in a diaper, she said. Slowly, she improved and she moved to a regular floor, then an acute rehabilitation hospital for three weeks. Dr. April Pruski, who led her rehabilitation team, said three weeks was a long stay. Yet, many patients hospitalized for COVID-19 require extensive rehab. These patients are really just systemically affected by COVID itself, the assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medicine told TODAY. They can have problems with their lungs and breathing. They can have problems with their kidneys, where they need to go on dialysis. Some people have brain issues and some develop confusion or they get cognitive issues. Patients can also develop clots, thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and stroke. Spending a lot of time in bed often leads to muscle breakdown and disability. Theyre prone on their bellies, Pruski said. They are often intubated for a very long time. After spending 40 years working as a nurse, it was very difficult for Sharon Tapp to let others finally take care of her even though she suffered numerous complications from COVID-19. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins Medicine) This can lead to post intensive-care syndrome, which can impact both the patients and their families. Theres a lot of delirium that goes on in the ICU and it can persist for a very long time. Theres also the psychological complications of anxiety and depression, Pruski said. There are sleeping problems. Theres family anxiety. All of these problems just dont go away. Thats why the hospital starts rehab for patients as soon as possible. The earlier we start the less negative outcomes, she said. Related: From constant care to returning home For Tapp, needing help to do everything was overwhelming. I was the type, I took care of everybody. Now, everybody wants to take care of me, she said. Theyre just trying to see that I am taken care of but I hate to be dependent on people. Her desire to care for others encouraged her during her 40-year career as a nurse. I like helping people. Thats just my nature, she said. I really enjoy when they get better and I have something to do with it. As the patient, though, she wasn't used to the nurturing. Friends and family called her daily and prayed for her, which helped her through her recovery. They had a prayer chain. My niece would call me every day to find out what I did, Tapp said. I know prayer changes things because the doctors had called my sisters and told them they didnt know if I was going to make it. Sharon Tapp feels happy to be at home, even though she has weeks of physical, occupational and speech therapy ahead of her. (Courtesy Sharon Tapp) She had to relearn how to do so many things she took for granted, such as swallowing so she could eat. And, she had to build up her stamina to walk again. She has a rolling walker and a quad cane. A little bit, I walk by myself, without anything. But I dont want to fall and hurt myself, she said. While she has a wound from the tracheostomy that helped her breathe, it should heal. But shes noticed her voice changed, though doctors didn't notice any damage after examining her throat with a scope. I have a hoarse and raspy voice I did not have, Tapp said. The speech therapist will help me with some vocal therapy. Even though she knows she has more speech, physical and occupational therapy ahead of her, Tapp is looking forward to returning to work. Its more than possible. It's a matter of Sharon getting her endurance back and Sharon being ready to go back, Pruski said. She will do it because she has hope and she wants to and she can. CORRECTION (August 3, 2020 10:50 a.m. ET): This article has been updated to change a typo in a quote. The Austrian energy company OMV has called for a political response to the latest U.S. threat of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. The dispute around the natural gas pipeline is about the extent to which Europe will defend its independence, in particular as it pertains to its energy supply, the companys chief executive Rainer Seele told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Seele added that it was up to politicians, not the companies, to respond. "However, as a European company, we expect politicians to work to ensure that Europe does not lose its attractiveness as an investment location," Sputnik cited him as saying. The U.S. Senate last week passed its version of the 2021 defence spending bill, which authorises new sanctions against Nord Stream 2. It has to be reconciled with the relevant House bill before it moves to President Donald Trump. The bill effectively prohibits any companies from laying pipes, providing underwriting and services on the project, or providing port facilities for the ships involved. If approved, the bill will be enforced retroactively to December 2019. Hardik Satishchandra Shah, a 2010 batch IAS officer, has been appointed private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shahs appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Thursday, an order by the department of personnel and training said. Shah, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, is serving as deputy secretary in the PMO and was personally picked by the PM for his new role, according to people familiar with the development. Shah will take over from Rajeev Topno. Topno, a 1996 batch IAS officer, was appointed as senior advisor to the World Bank Executive Director in June. He is expected to proceed to Washington for his new assignment after August 15. Until then Topno and Shah will work together, for a smooth handover. Topno, also a Gujarat cadre officer, had spent 11 years in the Prime Ministers Office, first as a deputy secretary in 2009 when Manmohan Singh had just started his second term. PM Modi continued with him, appointing him to his personal staff. Hardik Satishchandra Shahs first assignment at the Centre was in 2017 when he joined as private secretary to environment minister Anil Madhav Dave. He continued in the environment ministers personal office after Prakash Javadekar came in before finally moving to the PMO in 2019. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Musa said he went berserk at about 10:30 am against an officer (a Subaltern) which led to the latters death. The soldier approached the officer who was standing in front of the Units Headquarters making a phone call. The soldier has been arrested, is in custody undergoing investigation. General situation in the unit is calm, it read. The remains of the deceased officer has been evacuated to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital. Musa said investigation into the case has since been instituted to determine the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident. A pass is a written permission to be away from ones military unit for a limited period of time, and with the armys Operation Lafiya Dole, it could be for seven, 10 or 14 days. The soldier joined the army in the 2016 intake and had since been deployed to fight Boko Haram in the north-east. This time, he had been in duty post for almost 12 months and he wanted that pass by all means, a military source in Bama said. Normally, you apply for a pass by filling the form and then you submit to the adjutant who is the battalion administrative officer. It is the adjutant that will now make recommendations and forward to the commanding officer for approval. The soldier was denied the pass by the adjutant, and that was when he got angry and decided to kill him. He opened 36 rounds on the officer, killing him instantly. Another source said the soldier was due for a pass having spent more than the required three months which makes him eligible. You can apply for a pass after three months, but the problem we have in this operation is that the superiors will be telling you that we dont have enough manpower. So, a lot of soldiers are always denied pass, he said. He added that the pass is only given when the soldier has to attend to critical matters like loss of parents or loved ones. Meanwhile a military source has disclosed that soldier had requested a pass to visit his family over an urgent matter, and when he was turned down on Wednesday, he fired shots at the lieutenant who is the battalions adjutant responsible for administrative matters. Charles Bouaziz stepping down as CEO and Thierry Navarre appointed as CEO ad interim Regulatory News: Ontex Group NV ("Ontex" or "the Company") (BSE:ONTEX) discloses that Charles Bouaziz is stepping down from his role of Chief Executive Officer of Ontex, with effect from July 30, 2020. Thierry Navarre has been appointed Chief Executive Officer ad interim. Thierry Navarre has been on Ontex's Executive Leadership Team since 2009 when he was appointed Chief Operating Officer, and became Chief Transformation Officer in 2019. Previously, he was the Group Supply Chain Director and has worked within Ontex for almost 15 years. The Board of Directors has commissioned an executive search firm to coordinate the process of identifying a permanent Chief Executive Officer among internal and external candidates. The Board of Directors thanks Charles Bouaziz for his contribution over the past seven and a half years, during which the Company developed from a European-focused private label manufacturer to a publicly-listed global personal hygiene player with an extensive portfolio of Retail Brands and Own Brands. Hans Van Bylen, Chairman of the Board, declared: "As a Board we believe that Ontex benefits from strong products and positions across our key categories and markets, with clear potential for further development. We will fully support Thierry Navarre and the Ontex management team to lead the successful execution of our ongoing transformation initiatives. Our firm ambition remains to further improve our performance and drive value for our shareholders." Thierry Navarre, CEO, stated: "I feel honored to lead Ontex in these challenging times. I will focus on strengthening and improving our operations in order to make sure the Company keeps on moving ahead in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak as we have done since the beginning of the crisis. I look forward to working with the entire Executive Leadership Team, the Board and all of our talented employees and partnering with all our customers to drive our operating profitability and return Ontex to a path of robust growth." Ontex is a leading international provider of personal hygiene solutions, with expertise in baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex's innovative products are distributed in more than 110 countries through Ontex brands such as BBTips, BioBaby, Pompom, Bigfral, Canbebe, Canped, ID and Serenity, as well as leading retailer brands. Employing some 10,000 passionate people all over the world, Ontex has a presence in 21 countries, with its headquarters in Aalst, Belgium. Ontex is listed on Euronext Brussels and is part of the Bel Mid. To keep up with the latest news, visit www.ontex.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729006099/en/ Contacts: PRESS ENQUIRIES Gaelle Vilatte +32 53 333 708 gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com INVESTOR ENQUIRIES Philip Ludwig +32 53 333 730 investorrelations@ontexglobal.com Saadia Faruqi (l.) is a Pakistani American author, essayist, interfaith activist, and creator of the Yasmin early reader series. She is also the editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry, and prose. Laura Shovan is the author of the middle grade novels The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary and Takedown, as well as a longtime poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council. Faruqi and Shovan have teamed up for a new novel, A Place at the Table, in which 11-year-olds Elizabeth and Sara meet in an after-school South Asian cooking class. In spite of their different backgrounds they bond over a shared appreciation for international culture and cuisine. We asked the co-authors to interview each other about their book, a celebration of food and friendship. Saadia Faruqi: So lets talk about our upcoming novel, A Place at the Table, which were both so excited about! I remember you approached me a few years ago about writing a book together. Tell me more about your thought process. What made you decide there was a story that you couldnt tell on your own? Laura Shovan: Yes, that was at the end of 2017! I had been doing school visits for The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary and was surprised to find that so many readers identified with the bicultural, first-generation characters in that book. The children I met reminded me of how I grew up, so firmly connected to my mothers British family that I didnt feel fully American. I wanted to write a middle grade story about that experience, about a girl who desperately wants her immigrant mother to become a U.S. citizen. It was going to be called Citizen Mom, a title that my own daughter quickly nixed. It wasnt only the title that wasnt working, though. Being first-generation isnt one persons story. It belongs to many people. After talking with my agent, Stephen Barbara, the idea to co-author the book started taking shape. You were the first person I thought of, Saadia. Not only do I admire your writing, but you had shared with me that youre a recent citizen. When I first called you about the book that became A Place at the Table, what attracted you to the idea? Faruqi: Id been thinking deeply about writing a first-generation story for a long time. Id written other manuscripts before with those themes, but theyd never gone anywhere. So when you asked me to join you in writing about that very special first-generation experience, something Id been watching my own kids grapple with for years, I jumped at the chance. Its very interesting being a part of a family that is similar in terms of culture but different in terms of belonging. As immigrants who came to America in adulthood, my husband and I have so many memories of Pakistan intertwined into our psyches that my children dont have. At the same time, my kids have a sense of identity and belonging to the U.S. thats hard for us to wrap our minds around. I really wanted to explore that dichotomy, to discuss these issues, which Im sure so many immigrant families face. Shovan: I love how you express this dichotomy when Sara describes her parents speaking to her in Urdu and her answering in English. She says its almost like a game that they play, one that she always wins. But I also think of my dad, whose father was an immigrant from France, and his regret that he didnt learn French at home. This push and pull between languages and cultures is something that immigrant families are still navigating, generations later. Elizabeth and Sara get to have the friendship I wish Id had as a middle schoolersomeone who understands what it means to be an American when your parent is not one. Why was it important to you to show that these girls have to work hard at establishing trust? Faruqi: I feel that the main theme of our book is friendship. More than the other themes, equally important though they may be racism, Islamophobia, food everything is a sub-set of the friendship theme. Theres the burgeoning friendship between Sara and Elizabeth as they struggle to learn about each other and accept each other. Theres also the dying friendship between Elizabeth and Maddie, and the ugly connotations that raise their heads in past and present conversations. Sara and Rabias friendship is on rocky grounds as they lose each other physically but then try to use technology to keep in touch. And of course the two mothers, Mrs. Hameed and Mrs. Shainmark, who are thrown together because of their daughters and realize they may have more in common than they think. All these relationships are reflective of reality in their messy, uncertain, selves. I hope that readers, both young and adult, can gain something out of watching these relationships unfold. How to be a good friend. How to struggle and stand up for your friends, even when you dont understand them. How to work together for common goals. Come to think of it, thats kind of like the two of us, as well. How do you think our friendship has grown and evolved over the course of writing this book? Shovan: Im laughing because I remember that you were initially concerned about how we would make the writing process work. We had not met in person yet. I live in Maryland and youre in Texas. But collaborating long distance was the easy part. We had to negotiate the basic narrative, pin down which plotting method would work best for both of us, and balance our two very different writing styles: Im a pantser who loves to revise, youre a plotter who works to perfect early drafts. As we began to talk over each individual scene and how the moments of the story impact Sara and Elizabeth, we connected through our own family stories. Elizabeths character is semi-autobiographical and I was worried about how my parents would receive that. How honest was I willing to be about the depression and social anxiety my mom experienced as a new immigrant? You encouraged me through that process. I really miss those times when we were on the phone with each other several times a week! Another major difference in our writing styles ended up being something we bonded over. I am a hands-on researcher. Were you surprised when I asked you to send me recipes, so I could make all of the dishes Mrs. Hameed teaches in the cooking club? Faruqi: I love how you actually cooked all the Pakistani foods that are included in the book. I have to be honestin the beginning I was a bit taken aback that anyone would want to do that. The sense of inferiority is so ingrained in me, in all marginalized groups, probably. Why would anyone want to learn about my culture, my cuisine? I put a lot of these insecurities in Saras character, and how she reacts when her mother is the teacher of a South Asian cooking club. I myself rarely cook desi food, so it was an eye-opening experience for me to look through YouTube videos and find easy recipes for you to emulate. By the end of the first draft, I was totally smitten by many of these housewives-turned-YouTube stars who were showcasing their skills online. We decided to put Salma Auntys Desi Kitchen into the book as a little tribute to all those ladies [who are] unashamed of their cuisine. It definitely helped me see my own foods in a different light: something delicious, something worthy of being learned, and copied, and enjoyed. We also touch upon British and Jewish foods in the book, and how food can be such a powerful connection for immigrants and first generations with their culture. Did you feel this personally as well? Shovan: My mother was a much better cook than Mrs. Shainmark, though she did resort to instant mashed potatoes and Hot Pockets. It was fascinating to learn Pakistani cooking from YouTube videos. I was able to reproduce the recipeand even sent you pictures of the samosas and Tahari ricebut I was missing all of the cultural context. When families, especially immigrant families, are in the kitchen together, thats when the stories come out. I used to cook with my husbands grandmother, whose parents were from Italy. Shed tell me about her mother making homemade pasta and laying a sheet out on the roof for the pasta to sun-dry. When we cook with children, were teaching them more than a family recipe. They are receiving history, oral traditions, and cultural pride. I remember our editor, Jennifer Greene, saying that food is often a persons first experience with a culture thats new to them. In A Place at the Table, Elizabeth is so hungry to connect with her family, friends, and later with Sara and Mrs. Hammed through food. By contrast, it takes Sara time to believe that anyone is interested in what her family eats, let alone in her as a person. As you said, friendship is at the heart of the story. Sara and Elizabeth mirror the openness with which you and I shared our cultures and our personal stories in writing this book. Faruqi: Im really looking forward to A Place at the Table releasing soon. Im sure there are going to be some very important discussions around food and culture, and coming together around the tableboth physically and virtuallythat will help our society and our readers in so many ways. A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan. Clarion, $16.99 Aug. 11 ISBN 978-0-358-11668-4 Apply as a Graduate or Professional Student Funding a graduate or professional education is a challenge for many students. As students seek financial support for their studies, they should first look to their academic department or professional school for assistance. Students seeking access to the Federal Student Loan program should make sure to file a FAFSA. Grants and Scholarships The Office of Financial Aid does NOT award scholarships or fellowships for graduate students. The primary source of information for these opportunities is the academic department or professional school in which the student is enrolled or plans to enroll. 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Additional Information Deferred Loan Payments - Federal loans will be automatically deferred while you are enrolled at least half-time (4 credits per session). You can opt to make payments on the accruing interest while you are in school if you can afford to do so. Please contact your loan servicer for more information on how to do this. Information on your assigned loan servicer can be found on Studentaid.gov website (login with your FSA User Id and Password). Cost of Attendance & Loan Eligibility Your loan eligibility will be based on the total cost of attendance for the period of at least half-time enrollment. The cost of attendance includes tuition per credit hour plus allowances for room, board, and books/supplies. You may also request to include the cost for purchasing a laptop and for the College Health Insurance coverage. Funds Disbursement & Refunds - Disbursement of loan funds will take place after classes begin for each semester or session that you are enrolled in. In some cases, the disbursement will be held until after the drop/add period is closed or your enrolled credits are 4 for the semester. If you are due a refund of excess loan funds, refunds will be processed according to the institutions refund policy. Information about refunds can be found on the Bursars Office website. Withdrawal/Aid Adjustment Adjustments to financial aid may be required if you withdraw. Federal loans are subject to the federal refund calculation. For information about adjustments to your loans due to withdrawing, please visit the Bursars Office website on Withdrawals. Financial Aid for Health Insurance Coverage Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:36:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Political wisdom is urgently needed for avoiding a further free fall in U.S.-China relations which are crucial for the two countries and the world as a whole, a leading U.S. expert on China said. "The cascading free fall in U.S.-China relations is ripe with danger, as chances for escalation or miscalculation rise to flood-water levels," warned Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn foundation, in an interview via email with Xinhua. There is "certainly election-year politics involved", Kuhn said. "With the U.S.'s disastrous record of controlling the coronavirus, bashing China seems both a politically expedient target and a convenient distraction." The contest between President Donald Trump and his presumptive Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, will be a "slug-out brawl," Kuhn said. "Who can best bash China will be the winner, they believe, the tough-guy champion." "In this election, it's like playing a 'whole deck of China Cards,' he said. "Is all this negativity furthering long-term American interests? Of course not." "Neither are the anti-American pronouncements in China furthering Chinese interests," he added. The senior expert lamented that "there is a vicious cycle between American and Chinese mutual attacks, each reinforcing the other in a race to the bottom." "While the U.S. has recently instituted, unilaterally, disrupting policies on China, it would be a mistake to cast current American concerns as only election-year rhetoric. This time it is more," he said. "In fact, opposing China is just about the only issue that the bitterly opposed Democratic and Republican political parties agree on ... How to combat these current perceptions is a challenge for China," he said. According to the expert, accusations against China will be made when playing the "China Card" in the coming campaign, including alleged unfair economics, job loss, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among others. "Notwithstanding real issues on both sides, simplistic bias and one-dimensional stereotyping, on both sides, is a recipe for confrontation, not cooperation," Kuhn said. The challenge for the United States is to avoid threatening China's core interests, while the challenge for China is to reduce the anxiety of those who fear China's rise, he said. The expert believes that "a window of opportunity shall open for China and the United States to reset relations" after the U.S. election is over in November. However, "the window will be narrower than normal, and the differences will be wider," he said. "A reset will be attempted after the election. That will be good. But no going back to halcyon days of amiable U.S.-China relations," he predicted. "Nothing would be better for the American and Chinese peoples, indeed for the peoples of the world, than genuine cooperation between the U.S. and China. I'm watching for wisdom." Enditem Ive been helping authors to write books for over 15 years. This has given me incredible access to some of the worlds top non-fiction authors, like Jack Canfield. Jack, and his business partner at the time Mark Victor Hansen, are the co-authors of one of the most successful book series of all time: Chicken Soup For The Soul. Jacks books have sold over 500 million copies around the world. Although there is no way to confirm this definitively, Jack Canfield is likely one of the top non-fiction authors of all time. I recently had a chance to interview Jack about his journey with books. If you are interested in publishing a non-fiction book to help your career, then read on to get his amazing advice. 1. Ask yourself who you want to help Jack explained that he rarely thought about the money that he would make, in the early days. He focussed all of his attention on the people that his books could help. The journey to becoming a bestselling author is not easy. Its that focus on the people that your book will help that will keep you going! Related: 7 Common Questions About Self-Publishing on Amazon Jack told me: I always wanted to be wealthy. I mean, who doesn't? But I never set out to make money. That wasn't my top goal. My goal was to make a difference. I've always been someone who loved to learn, so if I can learn something and turn around and teach it to someone else, I'm really happy. 2. Get a great editor before you self-publish If you are going to spend any money on your project, spend it on editing. That was one of Jacks biggest pieces of advice. He explained that you could spend a significant amount of time and money on launching and promoting your book, but if the book is not a real page-turner, it will be a big waste. Most authors never get a good editor involved. 3. You have to be persistent It really wasn't easy in the beginning. No, it wasn't easy at all. Well, first of all, you know, I come from a family where we didn't have any money. My dad made $8,000 a year. And so, we grew up poor and I worked all my way through high school. I worked through college. I served breakfast in the dorms. I did dorm cleaning. I cut the grass in the summer on the university grounds crew. So, you know, this was not handed to me in any way." When he and his co-writing started Chicken Soup, Jack said he was making about $100,00 year, but was $140,000 in credit card debt from having started his company. "Once we wrote Chicken Soup, we got rejected by 144 publishers." Publishers told Jack that people don't read collections of short stories and they thought the title was stupid. "Publishers in New York were even more jaded," says Jack. "It was too positive and all that kind of stuff." Related: 5 Things This Self-Published Author Did to Sell Over 20,000 Books After 1 1/2 years of trying, the 145th publisher they approached gave them positive feedback. "We found a little publisher down in Florida. He made us go out and prove to him that people would buy it before he gave us a deal. We spent a full year doing seminars in hotels and getting people to sign forms saying that they would buy our book. It was only after we gave the publisher 10,000 signed forms that he gave us our deal! 4. Follow the Rule of Five Jack said, Do five things a day toward the achievement of your breakthrough goal. Our breakthrough goal was to get this book to be a bestseller. It took us 14 months to hit our first bestseller list, The Washington Post. Then it hit the New York Times list. The book slowly climbed up the list but when it got to the top, it stayed there for three years. Twenty-five years later, we're published in 47 languages. But it was a lot of work. It was a lot of calling up newspaper editors and sending free books out and calling military bases and saying, 'Do you have this book? Can I send you a copy?'" Jack continued: "We'd call up multilevel marketing companies and see if they would recommend it to their downlines. We get, 'No, no, no.' I'd get hung up on. And then one guy bought a thousand books. Then another person at Discovery Toys bought some books, and then she hired me to be her keynote speaker at a company convention. For every 50 nos, we would get one lucky break. 5. Free media is the key My favorite tip from this chat with Jack came when I asked him, What would you do differently if you were starting again today? Jack said that he would take advantage of all the free media that is out there today. Podcasts are one of the top choices for consumption in media, so get yourself on as many podcasts as you can. Search Google for podcast show hosts. There are millions of them and they are all looking for more guests. Jack also suggested looking for influencers on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Offer to be on a live video with them. If you push these free media options hard enough, it could take you to a bestseller list. Related: How Self-Publishing Can Establish You as an Expert Writing a book is a great way to increase your credibility in your business niche. Nothing worthwhile is ever going to be easy, but if you follow Jacks advice you can make your book a success! You can hear my full interview with Jack Canfield by downloading the Authority Factor Podcast. Related: 5 Self-Publishing Book Tips From the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' Author Who Has Sold Over 500 Million Copies Use This App to Avoid Typos and Craft Perfect Emails Every Time Planning to Self-Publish Your First Book? Avoid These 6 Rookie Mistakes at All Costs Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) San Francisco voters will consider several ballot measures in November, including an Overpaid Executive Tax and a measure to build more public housing, after their unanimous approval on Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors. The supervisors first approved putting the Small Business and Economic Recovery Act before voters. It would change the city's business tax, basing it on gross receipts rather than payroll, and it would limit funding for certain voter-approved funds in an effort to free up as much as $300 million to support businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is repealing the payroll tax and replacing it with a gross receipts system," the measure's author, board President Norman Yee, said during Tuesday's meeting. "This measure has a very critical element, allowing us to unlock funds already collected through our city.... This will benefit 3,100 businesses who are barely getting by right now." The supervisors also approved putting the Overpaid Executive Tax, authored by Supervisor Matt Haney, on the ballot. This measure would ask voters whether to assess a 0.1 percent surcharge on the annual business tax payable by companies that pay their CEOs 100 times more than their average worker. Haney said the greater the disparity in pay, the higher the surcharge, with the company of a top executive who is paid 200 times as much as an average worker paying a 0.2 percent surcharge. The tax, which would apply only to large companies and is modeled after a similar measure enacted in Portland, Oregon, could raise $140 million annually, Haney estimates. He suggests the money be used to hire thousands of nurses, doctors and emergency responders. "Big companies that short their workers but pay their executives multimillion-dollar salaries can afford to pay their fair share in taxes," Haney said in a statement. Supervisors approved adding a measure authored by Supervisor Dean Preston to the ballot that would authorize the city to build or rehabilitate up to 10,000 municipally owned rental housing units that would be leased at affordable rates permanently. The measure is needed to create the housing because Article 34 of the California Constitution requires voter approval for public housing of any kind. Preston has said Article 34 is a tool used in the past to keep people of color out of affluent neighborhoods. "It is time to throw racist laws like Article 34 into the dustbin of history," Preston said in a statement. "With this measure, San Francisco is making a powerful statement that we can lead the way statewide in dismantling segregationist housing laws." Lastly, the supervisors passed a resolution to support a one-eighth cent sales tax, with various conditions, to be used for Caltrain's long-term operating and capital costs. The tax, according to the resolution authored by Supervisors Shamann Walton, would produce dedicated funding for Caltrain, which has seen ridership plummet during the pandemic, like other Bay Area transit agencies. Before it appears on the ballot, this measure also must be approved by Caltrain's Board of Directors, the boards of supervisors in both Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the San Mateo County Transit District. San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine said conditions in Walton's resolution, like supermajority voting requirements and calls for Caltrain to separate from its operator SamTrans, make the measure "illegal, unwinnable at the polls, and unworkable for Caltrain. Unless amended, this poison pill means the Caltrain sales tax is now dead which puts the railroad in great peril." 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. Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan have evicted dissident and 1989 pro-democracy movement veteran Chen Yunfei from his home after he criticized a draconian new security law recently imposed on Hong Kong, RFA has learned. Chen had moved to the Sichuan town of Pixian earlier this month along with his elderly mother after they were evicted from their previous home in Pixian county, near the provincial capital Chengdu. "They sent round five or six gangster types who entered my home and sat there eating, drinking, and cursing," he said. "They were very loud, and they stopped my elderly mother from getting any rest." "That made me afraid to go out, so I couldn't get anything to eat, then a bunch of them forced their way inside, smashing stuff up, and they snatched my phone off me and shoved me out of the door," he said. "They even kicked me down the stairs, and then they sealed off the front door," he said. But Chen's troubles aren't over. The authorities in his new location have also put pressure on his new landlord, who cut off his water and electricity in the heat of summer, he told RFA on Thursday. Chen said he has been forced to beg for fresh water for washing, bathing, and drinking from neighbors and friends, or use water from a nearby stream, or drink bottled water. Repeated calls to the government helpline had made little difference to his plight, which has lasted for two weeks now, he said. "I made my 22nd call today," Chen said. "They didn't tell me it couldn't be resolved; they just passed the buck by saying the matter would be referred to the relevant department." "I have to go and ask for help at the police station every day," he said. "I just came out of there." "I go there to beg for water and charge my phone so I can still use it," Chen said, adding that the trouble had started after he criticized the imposition of draconian national security legislation on Hong Kong via his Twitter account. "I wrote that [former deputy public security minister] Sun Lijun hadn't managed [the situation in Hong Kong] well, and that it was a bit of a joke that he had to go down there in person to try to control seven million people," he said. "They told me to delete it because it was politically sensitive, but I told them that I don't delete stuff," he said. Friend's account is closed A friend of Chen's surnamed Zhou said his WeChat account had been shut down after he tried to help Chen. "All I said was that I would take some water over to Chen Yunfei, as well as some other personal items," he said. "No sooner had I sent it, than about half an hour later I was automatically logged out of WeChat." "When I tried to log back in again, I was told that my account had been shut down for 31 days for spreading rumors," Zhou said. Zhou said Chen had bought an electric tricycle to carry his mother around looking for a new home after their last eviction. "I feel so, so sorry for him; it's absolutely chilling. I hope whoever it is will allow him some way to exist," he said. Repeated calls to the Pixian county government and police department rang unanswered during office hours on Thursday. Chen was briefly detained by police last month after he marked the anniversary of a massacre of civilians in Beijing on June 4, 1989 that ended weeks of student-led democracy protests on Tiananmen Square. The government bans public memorials marking the event, and has continued to ignore growing calls in China and from overseas for a reappraisal of the 1989 student protests, which it once styled a "counterrevolutionary rebellion." During an international online event marking the 31st anniversary of the massacre in early June, Chen had commented: "We have seen wave upon wave of civil unrest and grievances in Hong Kong, from the [2003] Article 23 protests to the anti-extradition movement and the opposition to the national security law." "These things show us that the Chinese government hasn't found the root of popular malaise, and also that the things we were fighting for in the 1989 protest movement were the right things," Chen said. "There is no reason why we shouldn't publicize and commemorate June 4 in any number of ways." Chen had previously been sentenced to four years' imprisonment over his commemoration of the Tiananmen massacre by visiting the grave of a 1989 student protester in 2015. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. The city will receive thousands of arrivals from Da Nang City by land in the next three days. The municipal Departments of Health and Transport have to coordinate to strictly control the flow of people to the city, he added. The functional departments must mobilize returners cooperation in the fight against the pandemic and force them to wear face masks. He agreed that all citizens returning from Da Nang have to isolate themselves for 14 days. The City Party Chief asked the municipal Peoples Committee to coordinate with the HCMC High Command to receive arrival of overseas Vietnamese and limit Non-essential mass gatherings and community events to reduce the spread of the virus. Permanent Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Le Thanh Liem asked relevant and functional departments and units in the city and districts to bring the situation under control and implement prevention and control measures, including tracking the movements of people who come from Da Nang since July 1, completing health declaration, collecting samples for COVID-19 testing, forcing citizens to wear face masks in public areas and crowded places. The municipal government has also asked the Department of Industry and Trade to ensure supply of goods during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. HCMC recorded no new COVID-19 infections in 116 days from April 3 until present time, said Director of the Municipal Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh The city received 4,907 citizens who came home from Da Nang since July 1. They have been isolated at home or at locations specified by the citys authorities. The muncipal health sector will enhance controlling transmission, managing pandemic risk and strengthening early testing, especially people who have symptoms of respiratory illness. Private pharmacies will be asked to report information on buyers with respiratory symptoms to health centers in districts. The department will also focus on improving surveillance of arrivals and evaluating risk of cross-border transmission, he marked. At the meeting At the meeting By Thanh An Translated by Kim Khanh Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. The Supreme Court has cleared a major roadblock in the completion of a Trilateral Highway Connectivity project between India, Myanmar and Thailand by staying the litigation initiated by the defaulting contractor before the Manipur high court. The order passed on Tuesday came on a petition filed by the ministry of external affairs. India had signed an agreement with Myanmar on August 29, 2016 for construction and upgrading of 69 bridges of Second World War vintage as part of the ambitious road project beginning from Manipur till Thailand. But ever since the project was awarded to a joint venture of Mumbai-based Niraj Cement Structurals Limited and Manipur Tribal Development Corporation Limited in November 2017, delays lagged the project, as a result of which India acting through project consultant IRCON Infrastructure and Services Limited terminated the contract on December 24, 2018. The challenge to the termination order filed by the contractor is pending before a division bench of Manipur high court since April 2019. Earlier, the contractors petition was dismissed by a single judge citing lack of territorial jurisdiction to hear the case. The Centre has throughout claimed that Manipur HC lacks jurisdiction to hear the case. Moreover, the contractor has recourse to arbitration under the agreement. The MEA in its plea said that further pendency of litigation before Manipur HC will harm Indias bilateral relations with friendly neighbours and cast the country in a bad light jeopardizing other trans-nationally significant development and connectivity initiatives. Attorney General KK Venugopal appeared for Centre. The apex bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian issued notice on the Centres petition, directed stay of the writ appeal proceedings, and listed the matter after two weeks. The project was to complete by November 27 this year. Till date, not one bridge out of the 69 bridges is ready. The Indian Ambassador to Myanmar wrote to the Centre on June 24, 2020 apprising the Indian government of Myanmars expectation of early completion of the project. The project is a grant-in-aid initiative by India as part of its Act East Policy and will benefit Myanmar as the dilapidated bridges pose a danger to human life and property. With the presidential election fewer than 100 days away, federal intelligence authorities continue to warn of potentially damaging cyberattacks against our election infrastructure by foreign nation-states. While we have made progress protecting that infrastructure since 2016, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended American elections. Jurisdictions are now facing the need to scale up options like online voter registration and mail balloting so that voters have more ways to participate safely, and this presents new targets for foreign adversaries to attack. Advertisement But the protective measures that were deployed in the primaries can provide some important lessons on how to ensure a cyberattack does not disrupt our elections this fall. With budgets cratering across the United States, its not clear that state and local jurisdictions can afford all of these measures. This is why Congress, which is considering a new coronavirus package over the next two weeks, must allocate money that local officials can use to run elections safely and securely this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here are three of the most important lessons from this springs primaries. 1. Deploy resiliency measures for online tools. This does not mean actual voting machines. Whether its increased use of online voter registration or greater reliance on web applications to request mail ballots, voters are increasingly turning to the internet to help navigate the complex election process. With more voters using these systems, their failures will affect more votersand be more likelythan in previous elections. And indeed, we saw crashes of such systems in multiple states in the weeks leading up to their primaries, including Florida, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. Advertisement Advertisement While it is likely that these failures were the result of the increased but legitimate use of these sites, it isnt hard to imagine how they could have been intentional. Indeed, it is axiomatic in election security circles that nearly any failure that can happen through mismanagement or software bugs could also happen as the result of a malicious attack. In fact, we have seen distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks against online systems abroad, such as the back-to-back DDoS attacks on the United Kingdoms two main political parties just weeks ahead of the December national election. Advertisement To protect against such attacks, election officials should partner with information technology service providers that help prevent system crashes by distributing the voter traffic across their data centers. Advertisement They should also develop backup plans in case mail ballot application and registration sites do go down. When these websites are unavailableparticularly close to a deadlinethe sites should automatically redirect voters to a backup page where they can enter their information in a fillable PDF. Election officials can complete these requests at a later time. If a website failure prevents a voter from registering or requesting a ballot, these voters should be treated as having submitted their request at the time they provided their information on the redirect page. The state of Virginia uses a redirect function of this sort to serve as a fail-safe for its online voter registration systems. Advertisement Advertisement Finally, officials should prepare for the possibility of hackers injecting corrupted data into the underlying systems by, say, changing the address on a voter registration file. Such an attack could make it difficult or impossible for a legitimate voter to cast her ballot, whether through the mail or at a polling place. To prevent such errors, officials should conduct periodic testing to identify vulnerabilities in election systems, update and patch all essential software, and monitor registration and ballot request activity to look for abnormal patterns. Another simple resiliency measure is to text or email voters each time a change to their record is made, similar to the protocol on many online commercial accounts. If the requested changes were not legitimate, voters can alert officials about the potential security breach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2. Be prepared for breakdowns of polling place equipment. Many more Americans will vote by mail this year than ever before, thanks to the coronavirus. But the primaries also show that in-person voting will still be critical, with millions choosing this option to cast their ballots, whether because their mail ballot applications were not processed in time, they live in areas where mail is unreliable, they need assistance they can only get at the polls, or they just prefer this option. A cyberattack on voting equipment could be devastating. We got a taste of what could happen if polling place electronic pollbooks or voting machines were attacked during the Georgia primary. There, the inability of poll workers to start these systems resulted in chaos in parts of the state, with lines that lasted for hours, particularly in majority nonwhite polling places in and around Atlanta. Advertisement Local election authorities must have a backup plan if polling place machinery fails. For the 41 states that use electronic pollbooks to check in voters, that means having paper backups to process voters in case those machines wont start. And for the 21 states that use voting machines to mark ballots, it will be critical to have enough emergency paper ballots that voters can mark by hand, so that voters can continue casting ballots until machines can be fixed. Jurisdictions can also use emergency paper ballots when lines to use machines exceed 30 minutes. Advertisement Advertisement Of course, its possible the information in both the electronic and paper pollbooks could be corrupted. In 2016, operatives working on behalf of the Russian government targeted voter registration databases in all 50 states. While they did not change any information in those databases, it could have been devastating if they had. Corrupted data could be made to show that legitimate voters were not entitled to vote because, for instance, their address had changed, or they had already voted. Advertisement Federal law creates a fail-safe for this kind of attack: provisional ballots, which voters can fill out and authorities can use later to determine whether pollbooks wrongly showed the voter was not entitled to vote. Having sufficient provisional ballots and envelopes to account for two to three hours of peak voting activity will allow voting to continue in the event of this kind of data corruption. 3. Have a backup plan for mail voting failures. Without question, the biggest visible change in how we conducted our elections since the pandemic began is the move to mail ballots. At least 41 states and the District of Columbia will provide all voters with the option to vote by mail this fall, and if the primaries are any indication, many voters are going to do just that. In Wisconsins primary, close to 1 million ballots were cast by mailmore than five times the number of ballots cast in the 2016 general election and the most mail ballots ever cast in any Wisconsin election. Similar increases were seen in Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, D.C., and elsewhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, mail voting this spring didnt always go smoothly for election workers or voters. Election offices struggled to keep up with the massive increase in mail ballot applications, often sending ballots back to voters too late. In some cases, problems within the post office appeared to be the cause for delayed arrival or return of such ballots. According to an NPR analysis, more than 65,000 mail-in ballots were rejected nationwide in this years primary elections because they arrived after a states deadline. Advertisement Advertisement It isnt difficult to imagine an attack on a states voter registration database or the post office itself that could delay delivery or return of mail ballots, putting the ability of voters to return their ballots on time at risk. While there are many steps election offices and the post office can take to harden their infrastructure from cyberattack, a backup plan that allows voters to return their ballots quickly, without having to rely on the post office, is critical. States like Colorado and Utah, which have had significant numbers of voters cast mail ballots for years, have long offered secure drop boxes in accessible locations for voters to drop off ballots directly, rather than have to rely on the postal service. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission recommends having one drop box for every 15,000 to 20,000 voters. At least 20 states do not have any drop boxes for voters, and many more do not have nearly as many as the EAC recommends. Advertisement President Donald Trumps reelection campaign recently sued Pennsylvanias secretary of the commonwealth and the county boards of elections in an attempt to bar the state from using drop boxes there. (Disclosure: The Brennan Center for Justice, where I work, moved to join the case on behalf of our clients PennFuture and the Sierra Club to ensure, among other things, that the drop boxes may be installed and used by voters.) The good news for each of these security measures is that none is technically difficult, and in each case, there is still time to implement them. At the same time, these security measures cost money, something that is in short supply in most states and counties during the pandemic. The Brennan Center has estimated that the total additional costs for making necessary changes to run fair, safe, and secure elections this year during the COVID-19 pandemic to be in the neighborhood of $4 billion, including hundreds of millions of extra election security costs. In June, the House passed the HEROES Act, its latest proposal for a coronavirus package. It would provide state and local election jurisdictions with $3.6 billion. Earlier this week, Senate Republicans responded with their package, which included no money for elections. What comes out of negotiations between the two chambers in the next few weeks may determine how secure our elections are from cyberattack this fall. Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. By Express News Service MAHBUBNAGAR: A 35-year-old farmer was mowed down by a truck when he tried stop it from transporting sand illegally from his farm land in Thirumalapur in Rajpur mandal in the district on late Wednesday night. According to sources, the victim Kadi Narasimhlu had been resisting the sand smugglers' attempts to move sand from his field for quite some time now but of no avail. Last night, too when the smugglers tried take sand in their truck, he tried stop them but they drove the truck over him, killing him on the spot. The tyres of the truck crushed his head, making identification of the body difficult, for a while. Sources said that the farmer had brought to the notice of the police and revenue officials in the past the pressure brought on him to allow smuggling of sand but no action followed. Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education, says government has completed necessary documentation for the establishment of University of Entrepreneurship. This, he said would provide Vocational Skills to offer skills training for Ghanaian youth to boost the private sector. According to Professor Yankah, the University to be named after the late renowned Ghanaian entrepreneur, Mr. Appiah Minkah, when completed, will offer opportunity for small, micro, medium business operators and artisans to study in-depth business managerial skills. The University, which will be the first of its kind in West Africa, will be established in Greater Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The Minister of State made this known when he presented equipment to 20 hairdressers and dressmakers selected from various parts of Agona East District for them to train apprentices in their areas to curtail youth unemployment. The beneficiaries received items including; sewing machines, overlock, neatening and embroidery machines and electric irons. Others are standing and wall hair dryers, steamers, ceramic machines and hand dryers. Professor Yankah said the university would award certificates, diplomas and degrees, masters and doctorate degrees to business operators as well as artisans to improve quality and enhance business development. The Minister of State stated that the government has given priority to vocational and technical schools, which were currently enjoying free education as part of the efforts to give more skills training. He stressed that the government was committed to offering assistance for more Youths to acquire skills training to enable them become self-reliant. The presentation of equipment to hairdressers and dressmakers, he noted, would go a long way to support their work and train more apprentices at reduced cost to help combat poverty. He took the opportunity to enumerate a number of interventions the government was undertaking to boost the livelihoods of the people to include; the distribution of bags of fertilizers to cocoa and vegetables farmers in the district free of charge to help boost their produce. The others include; massive infrastructure in Education, roads, agriculture, electricity and job creation and others as part of a programme to give the needed facelift to the Area notably, the award of contract of the Winneba-Junction to Akim Oda trunk road to improve transportation of goods and services. Professor Yankah called on the people in the Agona East to vote for him and President Akufo-Addo on December 7, to enable them continue their good work to enhance economic well-being of Ghanaians. Mr Dennis Armah-Frempong, Agona East District Chief Executive (DCE) said the government had awarded six feeder roads on contract to be constructed and tarred before the end of December 2020. He mentioned them as; Mankrong-Junction to Agona Duakwa, Agona Asafo to Kwesitwikrom, Otwekromto Agona Fawomanye, Duaboni to Kwesi Paintsil, Agona Kwanyako to Awutu- Bawjiase and Kwanyako to Agona Swedru. Mr Armah-Frempong said the Agona District experienced major infrastructural development in the past three and half years of Akufo-Addos Administration, which made significant impact on the lives of the people. He therefore called on the chiefs and the people in the Agona East to vote for Professor Yankah and President Akufo-Addo to fix the economy. Nana Appiah Kubi V, Chief of Mensakrom commended Professor Yankah and President Akufo-Addo for their sense of direction to assist Hairdressers and dressmakers to promote their businesses. He said the people of Mensakrom have seen unprecedented infrastructure in education, health, roads, electricity and others under President Akufo-Addo and pledged their support to rally behind his government to continue the good work. Nana Kojo Amoakwa V, Chief of Agona Duakwa, for his part cautioned the youth to desist from violence and bury their political differences and assist the government to execute its mandate. 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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Amarinder directed the health department to strictly ensure that Covid-19 patients are not charged for plasma therapy and that nobody is allowed to buy or sell plasma, which has proven a life-saver in many cases in the absence of a cure for the infection. The state government had on Sunday decided to make plasma available to private hospitals from its plasma bank at a cost of 20,000 per unit. A notification was also issued in this regard. However, the move drew all-round flak, especially from opposition parties which accused the government of profiteering. Aam Aadmi Party state president Bhagwant Mann even announced to stage a state-wide protest on Friday against the government move to sell donated plasma at an astronomical rate to coronavirus patients undergoing treatment in various private hospitals in the state. In his statement, the chief minister also appealed to the recovered patients to come forward to save the lives of others. He urged all deputy commissioners (DCs) and health department officials, during a review meeting on Thursday, to motivate such patients to donate plasma. Currently, there are around 10,000 recovered Covid-19 patients in the state. The CM also asked the health department to expedite setting up of two new plasma banks in Amritsar and Faridkot to supplement the one already operational in Patiala. He was informed by medical education minister OP Soni that the approvals for the new banks have already been received and tenders are being floated for the procurement of equipment. Chief secretary Vini Mahajan suggested that all the field officers, including DCs and SSPs, should remain at their headquarter towns even at night for the next two months. The food minister said that the responsibility to identify beneficiaries under the National Food Safety Act rests with state governments New Delhi: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday said there has been "no discrimination or wrong identification" of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in Bihar, and efforts are being made to identify genuine and needy persons. The NFSA covers about 8.71 crore beneficiaries in Bihar, including about 25 lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families. Each beneficiary is entitled for 5 kilograms subsidised foodgrains as per the Act. In a statement, Paswan said there were some reports of wrong identification of beneficiaries in the issue of NFSA ration cards in Bihar. But, the central government clarifies that the identification of beneficiaries under the NFSA is done based on certain criteria and the responsibility for this rests with the state governments, he added. "There has been no discrimination or wrong identification of NFSA beneficiaries in Bihar. The system of identification of beneficiaries as per norms is uniform across all the states and Union territories," Paswan added. Paswan added that in May, the Bihar government requested his ministry to enhance the monthly foodgrains allocation to cover the entire 8.71 crore beneficiaries in the state. The Centre immediately took action on the request, he added. However, recently, the Centre asked the state government to provide a report on the coverage of beneficiaries in the state, he said. Paswan further said the state reported that it was in the process of cleaning 15 lakh existing inactive ration cards. In addition to this, the state confirmed that about 23.39 lakh new ration cards have been issued, over and above 1.41 crore existing ration cards. "The state has also informed that the list of NFSA beneficiaries may be finalised after completion of July month distribution, and the state does not have its own scheme for foodgrain distribution under the Public Distribution System," he added. Paswan said the central government is providing about 55.24 lakh tonnes of foodgrains annually under the NFSA and bearing a food subsidy bill of nearly Rs 16,500 crore. Over and above this, the Centre is also providing 34.8 lakh tonnes of free foodgrains to NFSA beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for the April-November 2020 period with an additional food subsidy of nearly Rs 12,061 crore. Further, under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package, an additional quantity of nearly 86,400 tonnes of free foodgrains for two months (for distribution to nearly 87 lakh migrants per month) has been provided at a subsidy of nearly Rs 322 crore. "Thus, the Department of Food and Public Distribution clarifies that all efforts are being made for the achievement of 'Rightful Targeting' of food subsidy benefits to the genuinely needy persons/families in Bihar by the central government," Paswan added. Congress MLAs huddled in a hotel in Jaipur for the last fortnight will continue to camp together till the Rajasthan Assembly meets on August 14, a party leader said Thursday. IMAGE: Governor Kalraj Mishra interacts with the Congress MLAs at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur. Photograph: PTI Photo This was discussed at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held at the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying since the July 13. "All legislators will remain united and stay together till August 14," Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi said after the CLP meeting chaired by Gehlot. After rebuffing a Cabinet proposal three times, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday agreed to convene a session of the Vidhan Sabha on August 14. Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot are locked in a tussle for power in the state. Altogether, there are 107 Congress MLAs in the 200-member assembly, but Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs have openly defied a party whip. At one point, Pilot claimed that 30 Congress MLAs were with him. But the Gehlot camp claims that with the support of independents and allies it has the majority support in the House. The Congress numbers include six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs who merged as a group with the ruling party after the 2018 assembly polls. The merger is now being challenged in the high court by the BSP and a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA. The BJP has 72 MLAs in the House. While saying that the loyalist MLAs will stay together till the session begins, Mahesh Joshi did not clarify whether they will continue at the same hotel. "It will be decided where to stay," he told reporters. But he ruled out any location outside the state. Joshi said the minister will take care of their departments during this period, adding that they have been going to the Secretariat. Before the CLP meeting a core group discussed the Gehlot group's strategy. The 19 MLAs in the rival Sachin Pilot camp are also said to be camping together at hotels in Guragon near Delhi. The Gehlot camp had indicated that it may seek a vote of confidence when the House meets, but refused to specifically state that this is a part of the session's agenda. Time is running out for Tennesseans planning to vote early in the State and Federal Primary and County General election. Early voting ends on Saturday. The State and Federal Primary and County General election is Thursday, Aug. 6. County election officials have worked diligently to make early voting safe and easy, said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. Theres no need to wait. I encourage voters to take advantage of the final Saturday of early voting. Tennesseans are encouraged to do their part during early voting and on Election Day to stay safe. This includes wearing a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and are trained in social distancing protocols. This includes wearing a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and other voters. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials will be wearing face coverings and are trained in social distancing protocols. Voters can find their early voting and Election Day polling locations, view and mark sample ballots, see their elected officials, districts and county election commission information as well as access online election results through the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com . Download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play. Tennesseans voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification to the polls. A driver's license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable. More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found here: What ID is required when voting? or by calling the Division of Elections toll-free number, 1-877-850-4959. G20 members have urged international collaboration to ensure governments and businesses plan properly for an anticipated Covid-19 rebound at a virtual meeting recently organised by B20 Saudi Arabia. The B20 Saudi Arabia, the official voice of the global business community across all g20 members, hosted a virtual discussion entitled Preparing for the Second Wave, amid concerns the global business community is ill prepared for a second surge in Covid-19. The event, attended by over 500 participants, was moderated by Linda Yueh, former BBC Chief Business Correspondent and Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School. While the majority of participants do not foresee a viable and readily available vaccine in the near future, they were committed to the fact that business must continue to operate or risk the possibility of a global economic depression. Rather, they believe business must collaborate across the public and private sector to re-engineer the way we work so the protection of our employees and citizens remains at the forefront and the economy can function at a high level. We recognize the severity of the virus and its continued pressure on business across the world, even as some economies move past their first wave of cases. We must safeguard the future of business together through collaborative action and dutiful preparedness in a way that supports those most vulnerable to the disruption caused by the pandemic, such as women in the workforce and micro, small and medium-sized businesses, said Yousef Al-Benyan, Chair of B20 Saudi Arabia. "Placed at the intersection of business and policy, the B20 is in a unique position to lead the conversation on how global issues such as the coronavirus pandemic impact the worlds economic well-being. According to the OECD, should a second wave occur triggering a return to global lockdowns, world economic output is expected to plummet 7.6% in 2020, before climbing back 2.8% in 2021. At its peak, unemployment for OECD countries would more than double the rate prior to the outbreaks, with little recovery in the next year. In the first panel discussion, The Macroeconomic Picture, Luiz de Mello, Director of the Policy Studies Branch at the Economics Department of the OECD said. Support will continue to be needed as the recovery gathers steam, and especially if there is a second wave. Over time, we will need to move away from rescue towards recovery and reallocation. The policies we put in place will need to consider this anglefor instance, job protection initiatives for individuals who work in sectors that suffer the most. We don't want to come out of this crisis with high structural unemployment or stranded assets. B20 Finance & Infrastructure Taskforce Chair Rayan Fayez added: As we learn our lessons from the first Covid-19 wave, we must now focus our efforts on implementing a coordinated, cross-border action plan. While the global financial system continues to contract, we must ensure it can withstand a potential second wave and emerge stronger post-pandemic. In an intricately inter-connected and co-dependent global system of finance, trade, investment, technology, and governance, the crisis should be contained with globally coordinated measures. The second panel discussion addressed The Business Imperative.The first wave of the pandemic showed the value of community and of consensus. And in the world of work, when employers and workers and their representative organizations embed social dialogue into their standard operating procedures, it enables negotiation and compromise on difficult issues, the sorts of hard socioeconomic problems that the world will face in confronting a second wave, commented Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labour Organization. In a fireside chat on The Healthcare Perspective, Dr. Hans Kluge, Regional Director for Europe of the World Health Organization, said: The global business community will play a fundamental role in minimizing the impact of a resurgence on Covid-19 and through collaboration across the public and private sector, must re-engineer the way we work to ensure the protection of employees and citizens. We urge the private sector to subscribe to an economy of wellbeing, where health is the vanguard of economic recovery and sustainable development leaving no one behind. Covid-19 has exacerbated the digital divide for people and businesses, particularly women and MSMEs. Entrepreneurs all over the globe have demonstrated agility and resilience as they quickly adjusted their ways of operating to ensure business continuity. As the world may face potential new waves of infection, we need a coordinated effort between business leaders, governments and multilateral organizations to ensure businesses of all sizes have the financial, technological and regulatory support necessary to keep economies moving, said Diane Wang, Founder & CEO, DHgate and B20 Co-Chair, Digitalization Taskforce. The event also follows the publication of the B20s Special Report to the G20entitled Jump-starting the Global Economy in a Post-Covid-19 Phase, outlining a six-point plan designed to combat the current global pandemic and lay a foundation to address future resurgences of the disease. Both the discussion and the Special Report are products of the B20 Covid-19 Initiative, a cross-border and cross-industry group established to assess the key issues for business arising from the pandemic and how industries will react to the effects of the crisis. TradeArabia News Service A pair of Washington County teens were named Wednesday evening among the 10 best science and math scholars in the high school class of 2020 by the nations most prestigious science competition for U.S. high school seniors. Rupert Li, a recent graduate of Jesuit High, won fourth place in the Science Talent Search competition, based on his advanced mathematics research project and his math and logic problem-solving skills. He was awarded $100,000 toward his college and graduate school education. Illinois teachers and other school employees could strike if school districts implement in-person learning without meeting safety measures outlined by government entities or medical professionals, two of the largest teachers unions in the state in a joint statement Wednesday. The Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers representing around 238,000 employees in public and private schools, colleges and universities in the state, including Chicago Public Schools teachers said they will pursue whatever means necessary to ensure that schools have adequate safety protections. No avenue or action is off the table the courts, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board - nothing, including health and safety strikes, the statement said. The unions said they believe some types of in-person learning are possible with mitigation strategies in individual communities. But absent a practical safety plan that includes a clear line of responsibility and enforcement, the two groups are calling for the upcoming school year to start with remote learning. Chicago Public Schools is seeking feedback on its hybrid proposal for the fall as the Chicago Teachers Union continues to vigorously call for entirely-remote learning. Parents are split whether schools should reopen, though many are weary with lingering concerns about safety. Announcements from suburban school districts range from fully remote classes to a partial return, though virtually all give families the option to continue online schooling. Several districts have walked back initial plans for some in-person learning, instead opting to conduct the semester online until further notice. The two unions said in their joint statement: We are working to ensure that any district providing in-person instruction in Illinois is prepared and able to abide by the safety measures outlined by the state, the federal government, and medical professionals. If those measures are not met, we will do everything we can to protect our students and those who care for them teachers and professors, bus drivers, classroom aides, secretaries, building janitors and everyone in between. No avenue or action is off the table the courts, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board nothing, including health and safety strikes, the statement continued. The entire weight of the IEA and the IFT will be used in whatever way is necessary to protect the students and the staff who educate them. The rapid community growth and global participation is validation for what the lightweight blockchain and ZKP featureset supplied by Coda brings to the table. Coda Protocol, a lightweight framework for the Web 3.0, celebrates its one-year anniversary of its public testnet. As one of the largest layer 1 testnets by peer count for non-ICO-ed protocols, Coda has grown its testnet community by 1200% since launch. Additionally, over 150 Genesis token grants have been extended to members of the community to ensure a strong backbone of block producers at Codas mainnet launch. As Coda has allocated 1000 Genesis token grants to ensure decentralization of the network, there are still 850 Genesis spots available. Coda testnet participants are highly distributed, hailing from over 180 different countries with representation from countries like Russia, the UK, the US, China, the Netherlands, Korea, India, Germany, and more. This global community has supported Coda's rapid expansion into new geographies by assisting in the translation of key documentation and content, so far in 9 languages. O(1) Labs, the team behind Coda Protocol, has delivered many products to improve access, usability and to facilitate developers building on the protocol. Examples of this include an easy-to-use GraphQL API for node operation activities, a Client Javascript SDK to produce and sign transactions programmatically without being connected to a live network, and a Coda Sandbox Docker Container to launch a private standalone environment for testing block production. Evan Shapiro, CEO and Co-Founder of O(1) Labs, said, "The rapid community growth and global participation is validation for what the lightweight blockchain and ZKP featureset supplied by Coda brings to the table. Were excited to see the project and community grow further as continuing improvements to its novel architecture puts it increasingly ahead of other chains. Notable partners contributing to the development include both Bison Trails and Figment Networks. Coda also contributed to the testing, feedback, and support for the new Coinbase Rosetta API. Aaron Henshaw, Co-founder and CTO of Coda partner Bison Trails, said, "Were thrilled to see Coda reach this milestone and to recognize the success of their testnet. Over the past year, Coda grew an active and technically-minded community and demonstrated scalability to support an impressive number of concurrent nodes without performance degradation. Were looking forward to Genesis and mainnet launch! Andrew Cronk, Cofounder & Head of Product at Figment Networks, said, "Coda Protocol has succeeded in building a strong and diverse community around the open-source technology, a critical achievement in blockchain. We have invested resources to support Coda integrations on our Hubble and DataHub products in anticipation of their forthcoming mainnet launch and are looking forward to further supporting Coda validators, stakeholders, and developers as the community continues to grow. Since launching its testnet one year ago, Coda has demonstrated clear progress in becoming a blockchain of choice among the blockchain developer community that will be deploying Coda to build snapps, or snark-powered apps, upon mainnet launch scheduled for later this year. Coda distinguishes itself from other protocols with its use of recursive zk-SNARKs to enable the encapsulation of the entire blockchain's history in a single, verifiable, lightweight proof. This novel deployment of zero-knowledge proofs has landed Coda the moniker "the world's lightest blockchain." For media inquiries, please contact Kili Wall at (310) 260-7901 or Kili(at)MelrosePR(dot)com. About Coda Protocol Coda Protocol is being incubated by O(1) Labs, the leader in zk-SNARKs and verifiable computation. Coda Protocol, the worlds lightest blockchain, provides a foundation for the decentralized digital economy (Web 3.0), offering scalability to thousands of transactions per second, millions of users, and years of transaction history without sacrificing security. By utilizing recursive zk-SNARKs, the Coda blockchain always stays the same sizeabout 20 kilobytes (the size of a few tweets). Recursive zk-SNARKs allow nodes to rapidly share and update proof of the correct blockchain state across the network. This breakthrough application of zk-SNARKs solves the issues of scalability and high barrier to entry for nodes that have plagued legacy blockchains to-date. By making it easier for nodes to participate, Coda improves decentralization and therefore security of the network. The Coda blockchain can be easily accessed from any device, including phones and browsers, and can be seamlessly integrated into new decentralized applications (dapps). A corner of Manila (Source: internet) Hanoi - The Philippines' outstanding debt soared past 9 trillion pesos (roughly 183.9 billion USD) as of the end of June as the government borrowed more to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines Bureau of Treasury said. The total debt stock for June reached 9.05 trillion pesos, an increase of 163.3 billion pesos or 1.8 percent compared to May due to the net issuance and availment of domestic and external financing, the treasury bureau said in a statement. Of the total outstanding debt stock, 32 percent were sourced externally while 68 percent are domestic debt. Data from the Department of Finance (DOF) of the Philippines showed that from January to June, the government has availed programme loans worth 216.3 billion pesos (roughly 4.4 billion USD) for coronavirus response, with 130.5 billion pesos (roughly 2.6 billion USD) from the Asian Development Bank and 85.8 billion pesos (roughly 1.74 billion USD) from the World Bank. The Philippines' debt-to-GDP ratio before the COVID-19 strike was at only 39.6 percent in 2019. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 18:43:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A sailor from the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been detained on suspicion of leaking state secrets to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Thursday. The suspect is being held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol and faces a criminal case on the grounds of high treason, the FSB said in a statement. A court has ruled that the sailor be kept in custody while an investigation is underway, the FSB added. Enditem Like many of us, Charles Chen, an Oakland food industry consultant, picked up a hobby while his daily life was curtailed by shelter-in-place: baking. Unlike many of us, he kept at that hobby, and the task of making what he calls Japanese-style Basque cheesecakes has become an all-consuming passion. Making a few batches to gift to friends snowballed into baking every day to meet orders coming in through Instagram. Now, five months later, his cheesecakes are distributed by places ranging from Oakland grocer Magnolia Mini Mart to fine dining restaurants like Maum in Palo Alto and Nightbird in San Francisco. His attention to detail has produced beautiful, rich confections that have quickly gained his fledgling company, Basuku Cheesecakes, a cult following. But at the operations core, hes still making about a dozen cheesecakes a day himself and is wondering how to even begin scaling something so delicate. I had the opportunity to try the cheesecake in June, and I had a half-thought that $30 ($35 now) for such a wee, albeit beautifully golden pastry seemed steep. But I let that go: Those were the salad days, when we still had a little spending money from those federal stimulus checks and the whole world seemed like it was on discount. And when I finally sliced into that thing, I understood. The texture is phenomenal, reminiscent of when you leave a triple-creme soft cheese out on the kitchen counter and its fat wilts and softens, leaving you with something you can effortlessly scoop up and smear on a cracker with a spoon. While its edges are somewhat firm, the center is almost soupy at room temperature, sunken from its own weight. The cake has an intense caramel aroma, from both its browned surface and the character of the milk itself. Between my husband and me, the cake lasted for a week and a half as we sneaked thin slivers of it from the box just enough to coat the tongue and let the caramel flavor linger. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle When I called Chen on a Thursday afternoon, he was baking in his West Oakland apartment. He told me that hes rearranged his life around the cakes: In the mornings, he sets out the ingredients to temper while he runs around the Bay Area to do consulting work, and when he gets home, he bakes for five to six hours to produce about a dozen cakes. The limit on his production is firm, based on the size of his rental units oven, a standard model that can fit two cakes at a time. Despite the way the cheesecake business has transformed Chens daily life, this isnt the typical side hustle story, where a cook or chef with an unspoken love for a cuisine has finally gotten the chance to make it. Im no chef, he said. Im a one-trick pony. He started by baking bread (not sourdough, he clarifies), and while experimenting, he came across a recipe for La Vinas Basque cheesecake online and took it for a spin. It was a global fad in 2018, though it just wasnt as big in America, he said. But in America, obviously with the pandemic and shelter-in-place and all that, people were looking for recipes to make. Ive never had a cheesecake, or tarta de queso, from San Sebastians La Vina, so I evaluated the Basuku cheesecake on its own stand-alone merits. Not that his cheesecake is an exact replica since Chen had never been to San Sebastian either, he riffed on the recipe based on his memory of trying a version in Japan. (The first time he had one was a year ago, at a Lawsons convenience store there.) In the hope of making his ideal cake, he swapped baking tips with a friend in Japan who was also trying to perfect the Basque cheesecake. And each iteration crept closer to his memories of visiting his dads side of the family in Hokkaido, a northern Japanese region famous for its dairy production. Dairy in Hokkaido has a distinct richness that is often captured in candies, breads, soft-serve ice cream and tea drinks. Chen told me that even when he was a child, he never drank milk in the United States, but when he visited Japan, he would drink glass after glass of the stuff. Japanese customers and friends have told him that his cakes evoke their nostalgia for home, something that hes quite proud of now. Thus, his cakes are Japanese-style Basque cheesecakes. Ultimately every batch is the same: Its eggs, sugar and cream, he said. Finding the best versions of each in a dish with so few ingredients is a priority, then, as inferior products have little to hide behind. The star of the show is cream from Alexandre Family Farm, an organic dairy farm that practices regenerative farming and pasture feeding in Crescent City (Del Norte County) and processes its products in San Leandro. Unlike typical grocery store examples, the cream from Alexandre has a higher fat content thanks to a low-temperature pasteurization process. After sampling the farms cream at a farmers market, Chen began to pick up batches of it from the facility once a week. Its the closest thing to Hokkaido-quality dairy hes found in the United States. When you actually taste cream that was literally processed the day before, there is this different flavor, a different aroma, Chen said. When I open the bottles of cream and Im pouring them into the batter, I can smell it. Its fantastic. Generally the cream here, even the expensive stuff, I still havent gotten that aroma. Thats a big, big part of the cake and its soul. Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle Eat the cake while sipping on a fortified wine like Sherry or Madeira something that can put up a fight against its big dairy flavor. A smoky Pedro Ximenez would do well here; alternately, the bright bergamot notes of Korean yujacha (yuzu marmalade tea) are also a suitable counter to the plush, creamy notes of the cake. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Customers have resonated with the effort Chen puts into his cheesecakes, too. Shortly after I tried the cake, Chen announced on Instagram that he was booked a month out on preorders with a screenshot of his calendar. It read Cheesecake over and over again every day. Handling overs via Instagrams messaging system was proving to be unsustainable and disorganized as well. Without thinking it through, I was just taking orders, saying yes. I found myself baking six to seven days a week, Chen said. He personally delivered the cakes all across the Bay Area, to a diverse set of neighborhoods: Piedmont, East Oakland and North Beach among them. To get ahead of the crush, he leveraged his connections in the restaurant scene and got friends and colleagues to distribute the cheesecakes out of their businesses. This way, he could maintain the same amount of volume without having to bake every day. Magnolia Mini Mart, an early adopter, has been selling from its window in West Oakland. And Basuku came at a good time for Palo Altos Maum, which turned into a retail operation after shuttering its dine-in service. Chen has been assisting Maum with its pandemic pivot as a consultant, and now, it sells his cakes alongside items from other local artisans like Noodle in a Haystack and Soba Ichi. Though he doesnt have a certified kitchen from Alameda County, hes not worried. The business isnt at the point of profitability where it would even register as notable to the county, and hes already in the process of scouting for commercial kitchens to work out of, though he has plenty of options to choose from with so many friends restaurants either closed or partially closed. Hes even considering handing off the recipe and the cakes production to Kim Alters team at Nightbird just to give himself a break. How to buy You can find the cakes at these retailers: KJ Orchards. Order online during the week to pick up on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. https://kjorchards.square.site/ Magnolia Mini Mart. Send a direct message on Instagram to preorder for pickup. 2311 Magnolia St., Unit M, Oakland. www.instagram.com/magnoliaminimart/ Maum. Order online for pickup at the restaurant. 322 University Ave., Palo Alto. www.exploretock.com/maum Nightbird. Order online for pickup at the restaurant. 330 Gough St., San Francisco. www.exploretock.com/nightbird See More Collapse I asked Chen if the runaway success of his hobby, something he was doing to relax at home, was something that he worried about. It isnt. I dont really consider myself having any hobbies, he said while the sound of his metal whisk hitting the inside of a bowl reverberated in the background. Work is what I do. Having a personal life and things like that have unfortunately become secondary to me. While it may seem extreme from the outside, this level of hustle the networking, the ingredient sourcing, the dairy geekery is his normal. Perfecting the cheesecake got him through this ongoing quarantine; in a different way, the otherworldy pleasures of actually eating the creamy and caramel-scented cake has helped a lot of other people deal with the stresses of the pandemic, too. At least, for as long as the cake lasts. Advertisement A group of rough sleepers believed to be migrants have set up camp in London's exclusive Park Lane in the last few days, after a group were removed from the same area last September. Men, women and children have pitched up tents outside the Hilton Hotel in Mayfair, just yards away from Hyde Park. Last year, a homeless camp mainly made up of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants pitched up in the same area after being moved from Marble Arch by police, having seen a rise crime and anti-social behaviour. The migrants, accused of pick-pocketing and theft, were ordered to move from the Transport for London private land by officers after reports of muggings and robberies. Pictures today show a camp being set up on the same land, with people photographed setting up their tents and lying on grass in the good weather. Rough sleepers believed to be migrants have set up camp in London's exclusive Park Lane opposite the Hilton hotel near Hyde Park for the second year in a row A woman dressed in a black top and skirt was photographed moving a foam mattress across the patch of grass as the campers set up A woman believed to be homeless lies down on the grass enjoying the good weather. Last September, a homeless camp mainly made up of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants pitched up in the same area after being moved from Marble Arch by police, having seen a rise crime and anti-social behaviour in the area The camp has been set up outside the five-star London Hilton on Park Lane hotel (left) with tents set up in the shade of the trees Several tents have been set up next to each with large coverings hung over the top of them. The campers' bags and belongings are left to the side of the tents Large amounts of the men and women believed to be homeless were seen setting up camp in Park Lane today as the capital continues to open up following the coronavirus lockdown A man and a woman carry a blue tent over a flower bed as they set up camp today. Last year, Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants was a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful A group of men lie down on the grass by the camp. Migrants were ordered to move from the same Transport for London private land by officers last September after reports of muggings and robberies A woman moves throws and a large cushion into a tent while a man sets it up as the weather reached highs of 84.2F (29C) earlier today A woman dressed in a black top and skirt was photographed moving a foam mattress across the patch of grass as the campers set up. Large groups of men believed to be living illegally at the camp lied on the grass near the tents as the weather reached highs of 84.2F (29C) earlier today. Several tents have been set up next to each with large coverings hung over the top of them on the grass, while the campers' belongings have left by the side of tents. The camp has been set up as the capital continues to be opened up as the country eases out of the coronavirus lockdown. Westminster Council said: 'We are aware that a group of people sleeping rough have gathered on Park Lane in recent days. We are working with our charity partners, the police and the Home Office to find a solution. 'The council spends more than 7m a year in helping people find a life away from the streets offering more than 500 bed spaces a night. 'We always help those people who have a genuine need but stress that living on Westminsters streets is a danger to their lives. We act swiftly in response to any reports of anti-social behaviour.' A man crouches next to a tent he is pitching up while a woman dressed in a long skirt and black top carries a large cushion and two throws into it Nearby, a woman wearing a patterned skirt waits with her hands on her hips as another man sets up a tent next to a bush on the land Bags of belongings and rubbish are left by the side while a towel is hung in a bush. Last September, shopping trolleys were piled with pots and pans, a broomstick, an accordion and a 32-inch plasma television, which a Romanian named Dan planned to sell 'for a few hundred pounds' Earlier this month, London councils and homelessness charities called on the government to suspend the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) immigration status during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent a rise in homelessness. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants with the status in the UK have been given the right to work in the country without access to benefits should they become unemployed. A letter spearheaded by Southwark councillor Kieron Williams sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel said a lack of benefits available to NRPF status immigrant 'make it almost impossible to secure long-term homes for many rough sleepers'. The letter said: 'Without urgent action to address these issues we risk facing the unthinkable tragedy of rough sleeping going back up even while the threat of Covid-19 remains.' Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and Greater London Authority have been approached for comment. A mattress is left lying against a fence. Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants last yearwas a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful The Home Office policy states that the deportation of rough sleepers who are EU citizens is unlawful and broke freedom of movement rules Last September, shopping trolleys were piled with pots and pans, a broomstick, an accordion and a 32-inch plasma television, which a Romanian named Dan planned to sell 'for a few hundred pounds'. Dan said he did not want to return to Romania and was living with no money, no job and no food, according to The Telegraph. Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants was a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful. Raid police officers overlooked the site on September 19 to ensure there were no cases of modern slavery, which included people held against their will. However those living in the 'tent city' resisted deportation at the time thanks to a High Court ruling made in 2017. The Home Office policy states that the deportation of rough sleepers who are EU citizens is unlawful and broke freedom of movement rules. Falk Senger, Managing Director of Messe Munchen: Even though we are reducing the total exhibition area, we are offering exhibitors the opportunity with this format to present themselves to the global market both in the halls and digitally. Due to the continuing travel restrictions in several countries, electronica is extending its program this year. Alongside a compact trade fair concept that includes all the topics covered by electronica, the event will be complemented by digital offerings. Falk Senger, Managing Director of Messe Munchen, looks with confidence to the coming fall thanks to the adapted concept: We are delighted that electronica can take place. Even though we are reducing the total exhibition area, we are offering exhibitors the opportunity with this format to present themselves to the global market both in the halls and digitally. At the same time, visitors can attend electronica as usual in Munich or take part virtually in the event worldwide. The additional offerings include digital trade fair stands and conference broadcasts. That way, customers can also find out about trends in the automotive, embedded, IIoT, 5G, medical electronics and smart energy fields even if they are unable to be in Munich in person. As it already did in 2018, SEMICON Europa will be complementing the electronica trade fair program with solutions from the field of semiconductor production. Digitally expanded electronica format approval from the industry Exhibitors welcome the expansion of the trade fair concept to include digital offerings. Kurt Sievers, CEO NXP Semiconductors and Chairman of the Advisory Board of electronica, emphasizes: "electronica is indispensable as a meeting place for the industry. It is important for us as exhibitors to present our innovations and maintain intensive dialog with our customers, especially this year. In view of the current situation, the decision to digitize parts of the trade show offerings and thus to meet the special circumstances in an innovative manner is both right and important". Christoph Stoppok, Head of Components, Mobility & Systems at the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (ZVEI), explains how great the impact of COVID-19 has been on the electronics industry: The coronavirus pandemic has led to a decline in revenues for a number of companies. That makes it all the more important for electronica to provide the industry with a platform this year, as usual, to generate renewed business momentum. The new membership survey conducted by the trade association shows that the coronavirus pandemic is having a tangible impact on companies bottom line. Revenues are expected to drop by an average of 14 percent. Safety and hygiene concept for safe visit to electronica Due to the current situation, special measures based on the rules in place for everyday life will be taken to ensure the protection and safety of everyone involved even in times of the coronavirus crisis. Together with the Bavarian State Government, we have developed a very convincing protection and hygiene concept that allows trade fairs to be held successfully even in these times and gives the industry the opportunity to meet again face to face, as Falk Senger confirms. Congressman John Lewis, Making Good Trouble What kind of man was Congressman John Lewis? What made him stand out among his peers? It was not his physical statue, but we all took notice of his presence. Congressman John Lewis was the son of a sharecropper from rural Alabama who became rich in the spirit of Jesus Christ. It appears this was where he found himself, his purpose in life, sharing the gospel of Christ through intentional acts of love for all people. He was determined not to let anybody turn him away from his calling. He preached the word of God as a child and spent a lifetime allowing God's power to shine through his actions and deeds. He walked the walk of a servant. You did not have to guess where he stood on freedom and justice. Right or wrong, he would speak to you with truth and kindness. His tone and manner made him like an open book always ready, willing, and able to impart knowledge and understanding with a dose of wisdom. He understood that knowledge without wisdom could be dangerous for any of us. What kind of man was congressman John Lewis? He was a man of his time and exactly what the world needed - a visionary, activist, and protester who got into "Good Trouble." Nashville, a place that many considered the buckle of the bible belt, is were John Lewis attended American Baptist Theological Seminary and Fisk University. He completed studies at both institutions, and it was on the streets of Nashville where he began his life as an activist leader. It is through life experiences where he sharpened his skills of organizing, strategizing, and implementing plans of civil disobedience to Jim Crow laws and systemic racism in places like diners were Black people could not sit and be served. During the era of the 1950s and 1960s, Nashville lived up to the image of a southern bastion of oppression to people of color, yet John Lewis would not stop or be deterred from his life's work of serving God and promoting freedom and justice for all people. He demanded that, as a nation, we look at ourselves and submit to the Angels within us. Congressman John Lewis was a faithful servant leader, and his ego did not get in the way of service to humanity. He believed in "We the People," knowing the power of free people. John Lewis volunteered for the Civil Rights Movement right out of high school at the age of 17; he became inspired by the work and actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Ralph David Abernathy, C.T. Vivian, and so many others during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In meeting John Lewis for the first time in the mid-1950s, while they both were in Montgomery, Al., Dr. King said, "I want to meet the Boy from Troy," referencing John Lewis, who was known as the boy preacher from Troy, Al. As an avid servant during the Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis was jailed over 40 times in his life, beaten and blooded many times, including "Bloody Sunday" March 7, 1965, while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. A Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement for freedom and justice in America, particularly for Black people. On that day, non-violent marchers were beaten by Alabama State Troopers with Billy-Clubs, some with barbed wire wrapped around them, and some marchers being run over by the Trooper's horses. John Lewis left with a bloody body and a fractured skull. This ordeal did not deter him from his calling of service to God or the Civil Rights Movement. He would not stop! John Lewis was also one of the original 13 Freedom Riders who traveled throughout the south. A region of the country where hatred, fear, and terror ran deep against Black people for everyone's right to sit anywhere on a Bus. Why would he not stop or change the way he advocated for freedom and justice? Because of his faith in Christ and his unwavering commitment to non-violence as a way of life, not as a political tactic. He could see beyond where he was in the 1950s to where we could be if people of all stripes came together for the good of humanity, and service to others. John Lewis only feared Christ, so why would he stop. As a result of his fearlessness, the racist Jim Crow system of America saw John Lewis as a threat to their status quo on issues like the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a piece of Federal Legislation that he saw as one way to non-violently help America live up to its Ideals of freedom and justice for all citizens, public accommodations, and Black Lives Matters. His elders spoke of him as a man who did not bite his tongue. He told the truth to the powers that control systematic racism and the powerful about the errors of oppression and inequality. Even though he was called everything but a child of God, by people who deemed themselves as true children of God, he saw to forgive and love them. He was a man so committed to loving all of God's children, because it was his Christian nature. That was just who he was. His role was to embrace all people through faith, regardless of status or skin tone. The Life of Congressman John Lewis is a study of sacrifice for the greater good. In part, for Americans to live up to their ideals, "All Men are Created Equal and Endowed with Inalienable Rights." He sacrificed his life through the Civil Rights Movement's service and struggles, and the halls of Congress were contempt of a person can be masked by the decorum of that body's power and its leaders. Congressman John Lewis was a robust and unrelenting force for good all his life, not yielding to man's will or the trappings of power. He carried the Baton of Hope to future generations, that inspired this nation through some of its Darkest History, and turbulent times. Not bad for the son of a sharecropper in rural Alabama. Job Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant, Job Well Done! Absentee Ballots In a major win for voting rights in the State of Tennessee, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle, ruled that the state's limits on absentee voting during the pandemic constitutes "an unreasonable burden on the fundamental right to vote guaranteed by the Tennessee Constitution." Her ruling mandates that the State of Tennessee must give all eligible voters the option to vote by mail in the upcoming 2020 elections because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the following day the State of Tennessee filed a motion to stay the Chancellor's order along with a motion for interlocutory appeal, which would allow a direct appeal to the Court of Appeals before the Chancery Court makes its final ruling on the injunction. Following the State's motion to stay, Chancellor Ellen Lyle ruled that the State of Tennessee must comply with the court's order and instructed the state to fix its absentee voting request forms. Anyone who deems COVID-19 a risk to their health or others will be able to request an absentee ballot. The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that it will not block the order allowing mail-in ballets to all eligible voters during the COVID-19 pandemic. First Time Voters: It is unclear at this monument whether first time voters will be able to vote absentee. In the Chancellor mandate, she states that "any eligible Tennessee voter". However, in her order, she does not specifically state first time voters. Update: Tennessee election officials plan to enforce the requirement that first-time voters who register by mail cast their ballot in person On election day, if there is a dispute on your ability to vote you can request and cast a Provisional Ballot. The United States is preparing to return to the planet Mars. The U.S. space agency NASA plans to have a spacecraft, called Perseverance, deploy a rover on the planets surface. The vehicle has been called the brainiest Martian rover yet. NASA officials say its mission will be to search for signs of life on the Red Planet. This will be the space agencys fifth rover to explore Mars. The first, named Sojourner, was sent in 1997. Then came Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004. The fourth rover, Curiosity, has been exploring the planet since 2012. The missions have resulted in valuable information. The vehicles helped gather data showing Mars was not always the cold and empty place it is today. Experiments provided evidence that at one time, the planet held several chemical elements that may have supported life. These included running water, organic molecules, and a more favorable climate. In 2018, Curiosity found large amounts of organic molecules in 3.5 billion-year-old rock in an area that once had a large lake. Scientists have yet to show that the molecules were a product of biological processes linked to life as we know it. NASA says Perseverance aims to take the next step in searching for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will also study the planets climate and surface materials. Perseverance is NASAs largest, heaviest and most technology-loaded vehicle ever sent to Mars. The six-wheeled rover is three meters long, a little over two meters tall and weighs 1,000 kilograms. It has 19 cameras, two microphones and a two-meter-long robotic arm. A machine connected to the robotic arm will drill down into the surface to gather rock and soil samples. These particles will then be put in special tubes and stored away for eventual return to Earth. NASA says the tubes went through an extreme cleaning and baking process to remove any microorganisms from Earth. A mission to collect the samples is planned for 2026. NASA said that back on Earth, we can investigate the samples with instruments too large and complex to send to Mars. The rover is equipped with X-ray and imaging systems to study the chemical makeup of Martian surface materials and to identify possible organic compounds. It will be a long trip for Perseverance, which is expected to reach the Jezero Crater on Mars in February 2021. The area is 45 kilometers wide and sits just north of the planets equator. Researchers suspect that a river flowed into a large body of water at Jezero between 3 and 4 billion years ago. This was the main reason the crater was chosen for the Perseverance mission, notes NASA project scientist Ken Farley. The crater area is a promising place for finding organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life, he added. One experiment planned for Perseverance will involve a device designed to convert carbon dioxide from Mars atmosphere into oxygen. The experiment aims to demonstrate a way to produce the important gas, which could be used by astronauts or as fuel on future missions. Perseverance also is carrying a small experimental helicopter called Ingenuity. NASA says the 1.8 kilogram-aircraft will attempt its first flight a few months after arrival on Mars. NASA officials hope it will be the first helicopter to ever fly on another planet. Ingenuity project leader MiMi Aung told The Associated Press the helicopter will start out like a baby bird, attempting to rise about 3 meters off the surface. It will then try to push forward into the planets extremely thin atmosphere. Other flight tests will be carried out, with Ingenuity trying to go a little higher and farther each time. It really is like the Wright brothers moment, Aung said. If the tests are successful, such helicopters could assist astronauts on future search and collection missions. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. His story was based on reports from NASA, The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. George Grow was the editor. Quiz - NASA to Launch Newest Mars Explorer to Seek Signs of Life Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mission n. an important task, usually involving travel somewhere microbial adj. relating to microbes (very small living things) data n. information, especially facts or numbers drill v. to make holes in hard materials with a machine sample n. a small amount of something to represent what the rest is or should be like baking n. making something hot by heating it crater n. a big hole equator n. an imaginary line drawn around the middle of a planet potential adj. having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future convert v. to cause to change in form A Sydney mayor has defended a TikTok video of himself dancing in his official robes and chains. Ryde Lord Mayor Jerome Laxale uploaded the 12-second clip 'as a laugh' for his young children, but critics say he has 'embarrassed the council'. Under the rules of the local government office, mayors are only allowed to don the antiquated attire for official duties. Scroll down for video. Sydney Mayor Jerome Laxale (pictured) has divided his constituency by posting a TikTok video of himself dancing in his official robes and chains The Ryde Lord Mayor uploaded the 12-second clip 'as a laugh' for his young children, but critics are saying he has 'embarrassed the council' But Mr Laxale has defended the tongue-in-cheek video, claiming people are taking it too seriously. 'I filmed it in December last year, had a bit of a laugh which is something I like to do, poke fun at myself,' he told 2GB radio. 'But some people take it a little bit more seriously than intended.' Host of the radio program Ben Fordham joked that his dance moves were so cringeworthy they 'would make your daggy uncle blush'. The Labor Party member admitted 'It was a terrible dance' but said when he showed his kids, they 'loved it'. Although the video was posted in December with the caption 'I'll probably get sacked for this,' it has only recently caught the attention of the public. 'I think the mayor has embarrassed the council often and this is yet another example,' Liberal Party Ryde Councillor Trenton Brown said. 'Sadly, he refuses to wear the robes for official functions. Citizenship ceremonies, the Lunar New year other big events in the city of Ryde. 'Silly little dances like this is just another example of how he doesn't take the office seriously.' One listener said: 'Jerome, you are not cool'. Another said, 'what a fruit loop!' But others said constituents should cut him some slack. 'He is only human, let him have a little fun,' a listener said. Despite the backlash, Mr Laxale said he plans to continue to post videos to his 39 TikTok followers. 'It's a great way to engage young people,' he said. (L) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the first working cabinet meeting of the new government at the Chagall Hall in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on May 24, 2020. (Abir Sultan/Pool via Reuters), (R) Chinese Communist Party head Xi Jinping attends a meeting with delegates from the 2019 New Economy Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Nov. 22, 2019. (Jason Lee-Pool/Getty Images) Time to Reassess The China-Israel Economic Relationship: Former Israeli National Security Head While China and Iran are reportedly close to concluding a long-term agreement on economic cooperation, Israel should examine the potential threat that deal may pose to it and reassess its policy on China, Jacob Nagel, and Mark Dubowitz, experts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said in an article on the FDD website. This deal between an economic partner and a mortal enemy should be an alarming wake-up call, Nagel and Dubowitz said. Nagel is a retired brigadier general and a professor at The TechnionIsrael Institute of Technology. He served before as an acting national security advisor to the Israeli prime minister, and acting head of the National Security Council. Dubowitz is a former venture capitalist and high-tech executive. Although the details of the China-Iran deal have not been publicized, there is speculation that China will allegedly invest $400 billion over 25 years in the Iranian banking, telecommunications, energy, and infrastructure sectors in exchange for heavily discounted Iranian oil, wrote Nagel and Dubowitz. The negotiations of the Sino-Iran agreement started in 2016 after Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Iran and both countries signed a joint statement on strategic partnership. This photo released Thursday, July 2, 2020, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows a building after it was damaged by a fire at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, some 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File) This deal, if signed, will weaken the Trump administrations maximum pressure policy on Iran and will help Iran to circumvent U.S. sanctions imposed on it after the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear dealthe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)in 2018, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). China will obtain access to strategic infrastructure such as railways and ports in Iran which are located at the crossroads of the Middle East and Central Asia, through its Belt and Road initiative, according to ECFR. Iran seeks to lean on China for its high-tech, authoritarian surveillance state model, which will allow the Iranian regime to tighten oppression on its people and increase the regimes chances to remain in power, Nagel and Dubowitz wrote. Considering that Iranian leaders have repeatedly threatened to destroy the state of Israel, Irans development of nuclear weapons makes this threat more real; Nagel and Dubowitz see a need for Israel to decouple from China. Chinese investments in Israel pose a risk to it and its allies because they will give the Chinese regime access to strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and big data, that can be used by the Chinese military. In addition, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is also the most dangerous adversary of the United StatesIsraels most valuable ally, Nagel and Dubowitz wrote. Chinese investments in Israeli infrastructure of strategic importance such as the new port of Haifa, the port of Ashdod, underground tunnels, and control systems in the northern Carmel mountains, and Tel Avivs subway system, are being constructed by the Chinese as a part of the Belt and Road initiative. The new port of Haifa, after coming online in 2021, will be handed over to a Chinese company that will operate it for a period of 25 years. An Israeli naval base is located adjacent to the port of Haifa. The port itself is often visited by the Sixth Fleet of the U.S. Navy which conducts military exercises there and uses the port to support Israel in the event of war, according to NPR. The proximity of the Chinese port to U.S. naval assets is a problem. The handover decision raised security concerns from the United States as its Sixth Fleet may be spied on by Chinese intelligence. Nagel said he has repeatedly voiced this concern for over a year. The U.S. Navys Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) is anchored in the northern Israeli port of Haifa on March 15, 2018. (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images) Nagel told The Epoch Times that he started to advocate more than a year ago that Israel should reassess its decisions about some of Chinas investments. Disruptions in the material supply to factories due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, national security issues related to Israeli technological ties with China, and the Israeli strategic relationship with the United States were the reasons for this reassessment, Nagel said. Recognizing Israel as the Start-up Nation, Chinese investors make significant investments in Israeli start-ups, and use these investments as an essential source of technology to build next-generation weapons, Nagel wrote (pdf), adding that Israeli startups raised $325 million from Chinese investors in the first three quarters of 2018, up from $76 million in 2013. Chinese investments account for roughly 1015 percent of Israels economy, Nagel said. It can be lowered but no Chinese investment should go to highly sophisticated technologies, he added. I do not know of Chinese who would buy any Israeli food chain, or invest in our Coca-Cola system, Nagel told The Epoch Times. We do not want them however to invest in infrastructure, banks, insurance, or in the tunnel under Tel-Aviv, transportation system, trains, dissemination of water, energy, or electricity, he added. Also Chinese companies are not allowed to compete in Israeli 5G networks, Nagel said. This rule also applies to all Israeli high technology. These technologies are however critical to modernizing the U.S. defense and often are civilian and military dual-use, Nagel said, adding that decoupling from China will stop a flow of capital to the Israeli high-tech sector which will stifle its development. Nagel believes that decoupling from China cannot be achieved by enacting more laws that would suffocate the private sector. Israel wants to play by free-market rules and attract capital from its allies such as India, Japan, Australia, Canada, and other Indo-Pacific allies, as well as Gulf countries, to replace Chinese investments so it can continue the development of its high-tech sector, Nagel wrote. Decoupling from China will also be an opportunity for the United States to allocate some investment funds to replace Chinese capital in Israeli high-tech start-ups and it will expand technology, military, intelligence, and political cooperation, with the United States, Nagel wrote. American and Israeli free-market ingenuity will outpace anything that Chinas state-run authoritarian model can produce, Nagel concluded. Potential Misuse of Israeli Forensic Devices Sold to Hong Kong Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, who led the pro-democracy party in Hong Kong, posted on his Facebook page a letter from Israeli human rights activists to the Israeli government a request to halt the export of Cellebrite forensic devices and software that have allegedly enabled Hong Kong police to break into the cell phones of 4,000 pro-democracy activists and arrest them. Cellebrite provides forensic tools to be used by police or law enforcement around the world to fight crime and terrorism and should not serve tyrannical regimes, the letter says. The Cellebrite products have been used by the Hong Kong police for years but with the advent of the new national security law in Hong Kong and the demise of the one-country, two-systems rule, the technology can potentially be misused. Wong revealed that his cell phone and the cell phones of other pro-democracy protesters were hacked by the police using the Cellebrite system, according to legal documents. Wong urged the Israeli Defense Ministry to immediately stop the export of the Cellebrite system, which is used for infringement on privacy, deprivation of liberty and freedom of expression, and political incrimination of Hong Kong citizens under the new National Security Law, which does not meet standards of international law. The new national security law was imposed on Hong Kong by the Chinese regimes rubber-stamp legislature and took effect on June 30. The new law bans secession, subversion, and terrorism, as well as activities related to foreign interference. Moreover, it allows the communist regimes security agencies to set up operations in Hong Kong. Cellebrite/Israel is a subsidiary of Japans Sun Corporation. Farmers have warned they will run out of workers this year, despite soaring unemployment due to the coronavirus crisis. An online meeting discussing the labour shortage was held between state and territory agriculture ministers on Wednesday. Deputy Nationals Leader David Littleproud said after the meeting that finding a solution was a top priority but it may not be easy because Australians don't want to do farm work. Despite soaring unemployment rates amid the coronavirus crises, farmers say they will run out of workers this year The farming industry has relied on overseas workers to pick and pack their crops for supermarket shelves 'There's a real aversion from the Australian workforce to go and pick fruit. Even when the dole was $550 a fortnight, we couldn't get people off the couch to go and pick fruit,' Mr Littleproud told the ABC. He said that the farming industry has relied on overseas workers to pick and pack their crops for supermarket shelves. When Australia shut its borders in March this year amid the growing coronavirus pandemic there were more than 140,000 backpackers and more than 7,000 Pacific Islanders with working visas in the country. However, those numbers have almost halved in under six months. In addition, despite the unemployment rate forecast to reach 10 per cent as industries struggle to deal with lockdowns and border closures, the farmers say they will still not be able to source workers. 'Australians have not wanted to do it, particularly when we've doubled Newstart and we've got JobKeeper, it's a very hard incentive to get someone off the couch to travel a couple of thousand kilometres to pick fruit for six weeks,' Mr Littleproud said. The national unemployment level is currently at 7.4 per cent - the most elevated since November 1998. Treasury is now expecting the national jobless rate to hit 9.25 per cent by the end of December - a level unseen since September 1994 during the long aftermath of Australia's last recession. The unemployment rate is forecast to reach 10 per cent (pictured; People are seen in a long queue outside a Centrelink office in Brisbane, Tuesday, March 24, 2020) A worker picks ripe red papaya from trees in an orchard at the Skybury Coffee Pty papaya plantation in the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia In June million people were officially unemployed, with plenty more giving up looking for work. Without JobKeeper wage subsidies, Australia last month had an effective unemployment rate of almost 11 per cent, Treasury economists said. Farmers are concerned that not just the international border closures are set to affect the rural workforce, with New South Wales and Queensland refusing to let seasonal fruit pickers and shearers from Victoria across state lines. National Farmers Federation CEO Tony Mahar this week urged Australians to consider farm work, saying that in some cases workers could earn up to $1,000 a week. Mr Littleproud said the government was looking at international solutions because it was not confident Australians would step up to take on farm work. In April, the federal government allowed Pacific Islanders already in the country to extend their working visas. The next step, according to the National MP, was to try to reach agreements with countries that have successfully controlled COVID-19 to allow temporary workers. 'My cabinet colleagues and I are working through the diplomatic channels to try and get some more solutions to try and give us even more comfort,' he said. United Nations: Deeply concerned over the deterioration in situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for restoration of stability in the region, saying the world body supports all efforts to reach durable peace and security. The secretary-general is deeply concerned about the deterioration of the situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir in recent days, a United Nations statement attributed to his spokesman said. He calls on all involved to prioritise the restoration of calm and stability in order to prevent any further escalation and loss of life, the statement said, adding that Ban trusts India and Pakistan can find common ground and work towards a sustainable peace. The UN stands by the people of the region and supports all efforts to reach durable peace and security, said the statement. Tension between India and Pakistan have increased after the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri on September 18 and the resultant surgical strike on terrorist launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the army 10 days later. Since then, cross-border firings have increased killing soldiers and civilians on both sides. This week, 12 people, including three Pakistani soldiers, were killed in alleged Indian cross-border firings. The Indian response came after the Indian Army warned of heavy retribution following the killing of three of its soldiers, with the body of one of them mutilated in a cross-LoC attack. Pakistan has denied as false and baseless its troops were responsible for the mutilation and deaths of Indian soldiers. Also Read: J-K: Soldier, 2 militants killed in Bandipora encounter; another militant surrenders in Sapore after gun-battle Also Read: Outgoing Pak army chief Gen Raheel warns India against aggression For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Advertisement Eye protection to block pathogens may be necessary to fully prevent coronavirus infection, leading US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has said. 'If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,' Dr Fauci told ABC News in an Instagram Live interview on Wednesday. Coronavirus is primarily contagious through respiratory droplets expelled when people cough or sneeze, but growing evidence suggests that fine aerosols from just regular speaking or breathing may be able to spread the disease too. Those particles can get into the eyes, too, although it's not as dominant a route of infection. Public health experts - perhaps most prominently Dr Fauci himself - have relentlessly advocated for universal mask-wearing, but struggled nonetheless to convince Americans to adopt face coverings. The virus is still spreading rampantly in many US states, showing no sign of weakening, even as President Trump pushes for reopenings of businesses and schools, driving experts like Dr Fauci to encourage more - not less - protective gear. Dr Anthony Fauci suggested wearing goggles or a face shield to fully protect against coronavirus during a Wednesday Instagram Live interview (pictured) In addition to wearing masks, one of the primary public health recommendations made by officials is that people wash their hands and avoid touching their faces. That includes the eyes. If viral particles end up on your hands, they will not infect you through your skin. But touching your nose, mouth or eyes, can introduce the virus to cells it can invade. 'If you really want perfect protection [you need protection] of your mucosal surfaces - you mucosal surfaces in your mouth, your nose, but also in your eyes,' said Dr Fauci. Mucosal surfaces are any that are coated with types of cells that make mucus, a thick, slippery fluid that lines and protects certain parts of the body. Mucus helps slough away pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and contains immune cells, including B cells and antibodies. Goggles can keep viral particles out of the eyes, which have 'mucosal surfaces' - tissues coated with slippery mucus - that allow the virus to enter the body. Pictured: A man wears goggles while riding the subway in New York City Although they don't offer as tight a seal, face shields may also help block virus from reaching the eyes, nose and mouth But we don't have natural antibodies to the new and unfamiliar SARS-CoV-2, so mucus has less power to neutralize the virus. And the tissues that mucus covers are necessarily permeable to allow their functions, including mucus secretion as well to facilitate their sensory functions, such as breathing through the nose, and sight via the eyes. So when mucus fails, viruses are left with an easy entry point to the interior of the body where they are safe to hijack the energy production of our cells and replicate. Doctors have noted presence of coronavirus in the eyes. In fact, red or pink eyes became a recognizable sign of the infection as the pandemic spread earlier this year. That tipped doctors and scientists off to the ability of coronavirus to infect eyes via our natural tears. 'Theoretically, you should protect all the mucosal surfaces, so if you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it,' said Dr Fauci. He noted that it's not an official or universal recommendation, but that protecting your eyes denies the virus one more opportunity to infect you. Dr Fauci also discussed the role of aerosols - a fine mist that can linger and travel further through the air - in coronavirus transmission. 'We don't know the relative role of aerosol [transmission]...we can assume it plays a role,' he said. Particles so tiny will likely be able to get through face coverings short of a perfectly sealed N95 mask. But, so far, they don't appear to be the primary cause of infections. 'It does not mean that we should not adhere to universal mask-wearing,' Dr Fauci said adamantly. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nancy Pelosi ORDERS masks to be worn in the House after Republican lawmaker tests positive for coronavirus House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday night on the House floor that masks must be worn in the chamber from now on and rulebreakers would be kicked out by the sergeant at arms. 'Members and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the Hall of the House except that members may remove their masks temporarily when recognized,' Pelosi announced, using the official term for the House chamber. Pelosi is putting in place stricter rules after Rep. Louis Gohmert, a Texas Republican, tested positive for the coronavirus, which prompted at least one high-ranking government official, Attorney General Bill Barr, to get tested as he might have been exposed. The California Democrat said members won't be allowed to enter the House chamber sans masks. 'Masks will be available at the entrypoints for any member who forgets to bring one,' she also said. Politico broke the story and reported Wednesday morning that Gohmert had tested positive at the White House during pre-screening for a planned trip to Texas with President Donald Trump. Gohmert regularly refused to wear a mask and was spotted Tuesday roaming around the Capitol's hallways and in the Judiciary Committee hearing room before Barr testified without a mask on his face. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on the House floor Wednesday night that members would have to wear masks in the House chamber from now on, after Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive for the coronavirus Rep. Louis Gohmert, who is regularly seen on Capitol Hill not wearing a mask, tested positive for the coronavirus, Politico first reported. Gohmert's case was found because he was being screened at the White House so he could travel to Texas with President Trump Wednesday ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ America's Grim New Milestone: Country surpasses 150,000 COVID-19 fatalities On Wednesday afternoon, Johns Hopkins University confirmed that 150,034 Americans have now died from the highly contagious virus, with more than half a dozen states clocking their highest daily number of fatalities in the past 24 hours. American citizens now account for almost a quarter of the 662,577 coronavirus deaths recorded worldwide. No other country comes close to reporting as many coronavirus deaths as the US. Brazil has seen 88,539 deaths, while the United Kingdom has clocked 46,046 fatalities. Italy and Spain - which were both hit hard by the coronavirus in April and May - have reported less than 36,000 deaths respectively after their fatality rates sharply declined in the wake of strict stay-at-home orders. It's a different case in the United States, where the death rate continues to soar, despite the country stretching into its fifth month battling the pandemic. Fatalities have increased by more than 10,000 since July 17, which marks the fastest increase in deaths since the US went from 100,000 to 110,000 fatal cases over 11 days in early June. On Tuesday, seven states - Florida, California, Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oregon and Montana - all reported a record spike in their fatalities. A California nurse is pictured caring for a COVID-19 patient in the ICU of El Centro Regional Medical Center in the state's southeast on Tuesday Texas leads the nation with nearly 4,000 deaths so far this month, followed by Florida with 2,690 and California with 2,500. While deaths have rapidly risen in July in these three states, New York and New Jersey still lead the nation in total lives lost and for deaths per capita. Even though deaths are rising across the US, they remain well below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people a day were dying from the virus. Health experts have indicated the death toll may not be as bad this time around possibly because a large share of the current cases are younger people, who are less likely to die, and because of advances in treatment and knowledge of the virus. Deaths are a lagging indicator and can continue to rise weeks after new infections drop. A coronavirus death, when it occurs, typically comes several weeks after a person is first infected. Meanwhile, Texas - the second-most populous state - added more than 6,000 new cases on Monday, pushing its total to 401,477. Only three other states - California, Florida and New York - have more than 400,000 total cases. This week, Nova Scotians finally got the public inquiry they wanted into Canadas deadliest mass shooting. Its obviously whats needed and the federal and provincial governments should never have tried to pitch a closed-door review into the April rampage by a gunman that left 22 people dead. Now its Ontarians who are still waiting for the public inquiry they need into the COVID-19 deaths of more than 1,900 long-term care residents and the crisis state of long-term care. On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford provided more details of his plans to hold a government commission, rather than a public inquiry. The three commissioners a judge, a former civil servant and a retired hospital chief executive are no slouches and theyve been given a decent amount of power. But its still not whats needed. The commissioners have the power to summon people to testify and produce evidence, but that doesnt mean they will. They have the power to hold public hearings, but again theres no guarantee they will. After all, they also have the power to hold private meetings and read existing reports instead of calling witnesses. Even more problematic is the commissions general mandate. It is too narrowly focused on COVID-19 how it spread in long-term-care homes, its impact, the adequacy of prevention and containment measures and guidance on how to do better in any future outbreaks. Those are all vital areas to investigate but its far from all that is needed. COVID-19 did not create the problems were seeing in long-term care; it simply exacerbated them and exposed them in the most public and tragic way. Preventing a future outbreak is not the same as fixing the system. To regain faith in Ontarios long-term-care homes, we need a broad and transparent inquiry into everything from how homes are funded, staffed and operated, to how the different delivery models affect outcomes for residents. What should the minimum daily standard of care for residents be? And what kind of regulatory and inspection regime is required to ensure those standards are met? In Canada, COVID-19 deaths have been overwhelmingly concentrated in nursing homes. And in Ontario, those deaths have been concentrated further still in for-profit care homes. Thats a difference that demands an explanation. Troublingly, its an issue that the Ford government seems to have already made up its mind on. Its not about ownership, Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton said while taking questions about the commission. Shouldnt it be up the independent commission to determine how ownership structures for-profit, non-profit and municipally-run affect resident outcomes? Ford has repeatedly stated that a commission will have the ability to do the job and a full public inquiry isnt needed. Thats what Nova Scotias premier tried to argue, too. It didnt fly there and it shouldnt fly here. Ford is also fond of saying that he inherited a broken system and, yes, long-term care has been a fiasco for decades under multiple governments. But its also true that the Ford government has been in power for two years and rather than make things better it has made them worse. Ford has the opportunity now to change that. And with everyone seized of the issue, this is Ontarios best opportunity to finally and dramatically improve long-term care. But the scope of whats investigated needs to be far broader than what the government has asked for and the commissioners have stated theyre prepared to tackle. And it must all be done in public so families who have lost loved ones and everyone else can have confidence in the findings. Read more about: InterDigital, an Indian mobile and video technology research and development company, today announced that they are taking action against Xiaomi for infringing on patents involving cellular and H.265/HEVC Indian patents. InterDigital has stated that they are willing to settle the issue with Xiaomi under the terms of a FRAND license. According to the claim, which was filed in the Delhi High Court, InterDigital is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for Xiaomis infringement of patents. The patents involving cellular technologies include many 3G and 4G enhancements that InterDigital developed over two decades of R&D and the patents involving H.265/HEVC technologies include many advancements to reduce the network resources required and enhance picture quality. Currently, these InterDigital patents are already licensed by companies like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, etc. Commenting on the patent infringement, William J. Merritt, President and CEO of InterDigital said: The threat from the Communist Party of China is very real, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday asserting that the Trump administration has begun to take all the "right actions" to rebalance the relationship with Beijing in a way that protects and secures freedom for Americans. Pompeo also expressed hoped that the Chinese will decide that their commitments under the Phase one trade deal must be complied with. "Will wait and see if they come through with their obligations there," he noted. "From America's national security perspective, the threat the President (Donald Trump) identified when he campaigned back in 2015 from the Chinese Communist Party is very real. And so we've begun to take all the right actions to rebalance this relationship in a way that protects and secures freedom for the American people," Pompeo told Michael Knowles of The Ben Shapiro Show in an interview. "You saw it first from the administration on trade. We had a deeply nonreciprocal set of trade relationships where the Chinese Communist Party stole intellectual property and then turned around and sold it back to us, dumped it with state-sponsored enterprises, conducted cyber-theft at levels that no other country can match the scale of today. "Enormous set of things that destroyed jobs all across the US because that intellectual property is the grist for a lot of good jobs for American working people," he said. Asserting that Trump has taken on this seriously, Pompeo said the mission set is to ensure the next century remains a Western, democratic, freedom-loving century like this last one, and not one dominated by a model that General Secretary Xi Jinping, the leader of the CPC, wants it to be. Pompeo hoped that China complies with the first part of the Phase One trade deal. "We hope there are places that we can work with China. We want good things for the Chinese people. What we're never going to sacrifice is American national security and American economic prosperity," he asserted. Responding to a question, Pompeo said Communist regimes have a propensity to have the inability to tell the truth at the most critical moments. "So even today, they are denying access to places that need access so that we can figure out who patient zero was, how this virus moved around the world," he said. "We've still got people with this virus, and the Chinese Communist to this day, now call it six-and-half-months on from when the Chinese Communist Party knew that human-to-human transmission was possible, it's still the case that they won't allow a simple inquiry into what happened; how it happened; and most importantly, to allow us to make sure we can get comfort that this won't happen again," he said. The coronavirus is not the first virus that has come from China, he alleged. Also read: US, allies must use more creative approach to press 'Frankenstein' China: Mike Pompeo The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has ordered security personnel at the Abuja-Kaduna train station terminus to deny access to anyone without a face mask, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amaechi gave the order when he visited the Idu Train Terminal to inspect passengers' compliance with the COVID-19 safety measures, on Wednesday. The minister's visit followed the reopening of services after four months lockdown due to the pandemic. On the increased transportation, Amaechi said the government does not have money to subsidise the fare, so passengers would have to bear the risk. He added :Even before the pandemic, we were under pressure from even people in kaduna asking us to increase the rate. We just provide the services for everybody not because we want to make profit. At this stage we are not making profit, its just to recoup the running cost. The minister further said that incidences of eminent personalities flouting NIgeria Centre for Disease Control's (NCDC) COVID-19 safety measures at airports would not be condoned at train stations. He encouraged passengers to imbibe the simple, safety basics, saying protecting ourselves against COVID-19 takes no special training. Amaechi also debunked claims by the National Assembly that the amount of indebtedness of the country to foreign countries is tantamount to ceding the country's sovereignty to other nations, like China. He further explained that loans being accessed from foreign financial bodies were for infrastructural development with payment stretched across a certain period. He said an escrow account managed by the Federal Ministry of Finance has been opened, with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) making monthly payments towards loan repayment. On loan, the minister said he was to appear again before the House of Representatives on August 17, to give insight into the commercial loan agreement signed between Nigeria and Export-Import Bank of China to the tune of 5.3 billion dollars. If there were financial institutions within the country that could loan the ministry such enormous sums of money, there would be no need seeking funds across shores, he said. He, however, expressed optimism that the project when completed would not only have the capacity to repay the loans but generate revenue for the country. He added that it would also create employment for the teeming unemployed in the country. (NAN) Ayodhya: Ahead of the bhoomi pujan event for the construction of Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed the police to be vigilant in every district. While holding a security meeting today with the top officials, Adityanath instructed police officers to make tighter security arrangements.. According to reports, instructions have been given to keep a close watch on the anti-social elements to prevent them from creating any mischief. Also, the officers were reminded that strict protocols of COVID-19 should be followed. On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Earlier, on Saturday CM Adityanath had vitied Ayodhya to review the preparations for the 'bhoomi pujan' at the Ram Janmabhoomi premises. The Chief Minister offered prayers to Lord Ram at Ram Janmabhoomi site. Meanwhile, on Tuesday it was reported that Pakistani spy agency ISI is planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Ram Janmabhoomi in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya on August 15. According to intelligence agency R&AW, the ISI was training Lashkar and Jaish terrorists in Afghanistan to launch the attack. Security personnel are on tight vigil to keep a check on the activities in Delhi, Ayodhya, and Kashmir. Over the past week a curious groundswell has taken place in the American media. Former Obama national security advisor Susan Rice, someone who has never run for political office and is largely unknown to the American public, has been promoted in a series of press reports as a likely choice of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to be his running mate. The Washington Post led off the barrage with its July 25 profile, headlined, Susan Rices advantage: A long work history with Biden. Former Obama official has emerged as an underdog VP pick. The article noted that for four years, 20132016, Biden frequently began his work day with a national security briefing from Rice, given jointly to the president and vice president in the Oval Office. The two had offices in the same part of the West Wing, and Biden would drop in to Rices office at will. Image Credit: Obama White House Archive Two days later, Ryan Lizza in the Hill wrote: The elusive hunt for Bidens Biden has recently pushed Susan Rice into the top tier of candidates. As Obamas national security adviser for his entire second term, Rice and Biden worked closely together on an almost daily basis, making her the only potential running mate who Biden knows so intimately very few of the other candidates come close to meeting that test Lizza went on to quote an unnamed Democratic strategist who described Biden as focused on foreign policy issues, particularly conflicts with rival great powers, for which he would need assistance. To the question who would fill the bill, the strategist answered, Susan Rice: ready on Day One for Russia and China. The same day, the New York Times ran a flattering profile under the headline, Susan Rice Wants to Run for Office. Will Her First Campaign Be for VP? The article noted Rices interest in a Senate race in Maine, where she has family ties, although she ultimately decided not to challenge incumbent Republican Susan Collins. The Times wrote that Rice has been demonized by right-wing Republicans for statements she made on television about the attack on a US facility in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012, in which the US ambassador and three others were killed. More categorical was the headline in Politico for an article posted on the evening of July 27: Its absolutely serious: Susan Rice vaults to the top of the VP heap. This account centered on Rices relationship with Biden during the Obama administration, concluding that allies of others being eyed for the vice presidency are increasingly worried about Rice, especially because of her close ties to Biden, who, as Obamas No. 2, had an office just steps away from hers. From the Rwanda genocide to drone missile assassinations Susan Rice, now 55, has spent her entire career in the area of US foreign policy, beginning as a policy aide to Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988, when she was 23. She worked for eight years each in the Clinton and Obama administrations, either in the State Department or on the National Security Council. When Republicans were in the White House, she was part of the Democratic foreign policy apparatus in exile, working for McKinsey & Co., Intellibridge Inc. and the Brookings Institution, as well as advising Democratic presidential candidates John Kerry and Obama. Rice is the scion of a black bourgeois family in Washington D.C., where her father Emmett, an economics professor, became the second African American governor of the Federal Reserve, a prominent local banker and member of several corporate boards. Her mother Lois was a longtime executive with the College Board. She helped establish the Pell Grant program in the Department of Education and was a board member or corporate adviser at Firestone, McGraw-Hill, Control Data Corporation and Fleet Bank. She also was a trustee of the Center for Naval Analyses and was named by President Bill Clinton to the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. Clinton appointed Susan Rice to his National Security Council in 1993 and she had principal responsibility for Africa during such disasters as the Rwanda genocide. She was named assistant secretary of state for African Affairs during Clintons second term (19972001), and was criticized for her close ties to authoritarian rulers such as Paul Kagame in Rwanda and Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia. She was in charge of US policy in Africa in 1998, when twin bombings hit the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and Clinton ordered a retaliatory missile strike that destroyed a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan that had no connection to the attacks. When Obama won the presidency in November 2008, Rice was a top foreign policy adviser, with wide support in the military-intelligence apparatus and big business. She was named US ambassador to the United Nations and confirmed unanimously by the Senate. As the WSWS wrote: While often touted as the first African-American woman to serve as US ambassador to the UN, in reality Rices role was in direct continuity with figures such as John Bolton and John Negroponte, appointed by the George W. Bush administration with the aim of bullying other nations into acquiescing to US demands Rice was among the closest advisers to Obama, dating back to when he was a US senator, and was one of the first prominent members of the Democratic Party foreign policy establishment to join his 2008 presidential campaign. The affinity between the two gave the lie to Obamas pretense then of representing some kind of antiwar alternative to the Bush administration. In the years before Obamas election, Rice was part of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a right-wing Democratic think tank that advocated the continued occupation of Iraq, a military surge in Afghanistan and a more aggressive military posture toward China. She publicly supported the US war of aggression against Iraq as well as the weapons of mass destruction pretext provided by Bush. Within the Obama administration, she became one of the leading advocates for imperialist intervention in Libya and Syria, on the pretext of pursuing humanitarian and democratic aims. She was a strong supporter of the Zionist regime in Israel, denouncing as anti-Israeli crap any gestures at the United Nations in support of the Palestinians. In September 2012, after the attack on the US facility in Benghazi, Libya, that left the US ambassador and three other Americans dead, Rice was sent out on the Sunday television interview programs to give the official story that a spontaneous local uprising, not an organized terrorist attack, was the cause of the disaster. The truth, which the Obama administration wished to conceal, was that its policy of relying on Islamic fundamentalist groups to overthrow the Gaddafi regime in Libya had led to blowback, as the Al Qaeda-linked groups turned their guns on the US mission. With congressional Republicans seizing on the Benghazi affair as a weapon against Hillary Clinton, then the US secretary of state and the expected Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, Rice took the fall. She withdrew her name from consideration to replace Clinton and in July 2013 was named Obamas national security adviser, a position that did not require Senate confirmation but gave her considerable authority in coordinating US foreign policy. Among the imperialist crimes with which her tenure was associated were the ongoing military interventions in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan; the ultra-right coup in Ukraine that overthrew the elected pro-Russian government; the escalating US-backed war by Saudi Arabia in Yemen; mounting US pressure on China, including the elevation of the South China Sea to the level of a major international crisis; and the savage economic squeeze on Iran that produced the 2015 nuclear agreement. Particularly significant was the ongoing campaign of drone missile assassinations, initially in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, then extended to Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya, and eventually including nearly all of North Africa. White House officials spoke about terror Tuesdays, where Obama, Rice and then-chief counterterrorism aide John Brennanlater CIA directorwould go over death lists and make their selections. As the WSWS explained in 2016, the National Security Council, where Rice held sway, played a central role in the drone missile murder campaign: The role of the NSC in this process is particularly important. This body has quadrupled in size under the Bush and Obama administrations, as day-to-day direction of national security policy has been concentrated in the White House. Besides giving the president and his closest aides a direct line to the military-intelligence apparatus, the NSC insulates the drone assassination program from outside scrutiny. Considered part of the White House, the NSC is exempt from any congressional scrutiny as well as the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, under the interpretation of executive privilege embraced by Bush and Obama and accepted by Democrats and Republicans in Congress. NSC officials, up to and including current National Security Adviser Susan Rice, cannot be subpoenaed by a congressional committee or otherwise held accountable for their actions. What a Rice selection would mean While its article boosting a possible Rice selection was not the first to appear, the New York Times has led the way in this campaign, setting the agenda, as is frequently the case, for the corporate media as a whole. On July 21, the Times op-ed page published a column by Rice herself, under the headline, Take the Next Step Toward Racial Justice, in which she postured as an opponent of police violence and systemic racism. There is little to say about the content of Rices column, filled with vague soporifics about improving education, dismantling structural barriers and achieving racial justice, all without any fundamental change in the capitalist system, which of course goes unmentioned as the root cause of police repression and racist oppression. This topic is, of course, an awkward one for someone whose role in government has been John Brennan in a pantsuit. Rice has never had any public association with struggles for democratic rights or against police brutality. Quite the contrary: she was well known as a friend of right-wing African dictators, so long as they toed the line on US foreign policy demands. Her tenure at the NSC began at the time of the coup by Egyptian military dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, warmly embracedafter a few perfunctory human rights noisesby the Obama administration. But Rice has been attempting to show some progressive side in media commentaries over the past few months in an effort to minimize any criticism from the Sanders wing of the Democratic Party should she become the vice-presidential nominee. She hardly needs to bother. Bernie Sanders has never displayed a trace of independence from the imperialist foreign policy of the Obama-Biden administration, or the Clinton administration before it, bringing out his antiwar posturing only when a Republican was in the White House. In 2020, after closing up his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and endorsing Biden, Sanders set up six joint committees staffed by Biden and Sanders supporters to work out Democratic Party policy in six key areas. None of them concerned foreign policysignaling that the incoming Biden administration will have a free hand to pursue its right-wing agenda of military build-up against Russia and China and the forceful assertion of US imperialist interests around the world. If Biden chooses Rice as his running mate, it will allow him to satisfy the gender and racial warriors of the identity politics wing of the Democratic Party without making the slightest concession to the working class. On the contrary, by selecting the Democratic equivalent of Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, an African American advocate and apologist for American corporate interests up to and including imperialist war, Biden would be sending a signal to Wall Street and the military-intelligence apparatus that his administration will be absolutely ruthless in its defense of the global interests of American imperialism. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stuart Graham (Agence France-Presse) Edinburgh, United Kingdom Thu, July 30, 2020 12:45 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a7bc55 2 Science & Tech UK,researchers,robot,health-care,career,humanoid Free Pepper's skill set includes making phone calls, identifying missing items in the kitchen and occasional aerobics instruction. Now, after a surge in loneliness among vulnerable groups during the coronavirus pandemic, this robot's potential as a companion have earned her a role in a Scottish university's assisted living experiment with artificial intelligence. Scientists at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh have programmed robots, including Pepper -- who was launched as the world's first humanoid in Japan in 2014 -- to perform tasks normally carried out by care workers. "We are specifically interested in understanding the needs of the most vulnerable at this time and what technology could be used to make their lives better," Mauro Dragone, the project's lead scientist, told AFP. "Successful innovation in the field is crucial to alleviate the strain on health and social care services." The experiment, named Ambient Assisted Living, will initially focus on finding solutions for priority groups, whose vulnerabilities have been compounded by social isolation measures required during the pandemic. For the research, Pepper and other robots have been put to work in a university laboratory configured to resemble a standard apartment, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room. Privacy concerns By using robots to perform basic household tasks for those who have lost their vision or hearing, or suffer from dementia, the project hopes to ease pressure on care workers, who are often encumbered by high workloads. Researchers, care providers and the end users of assisted living services are being asked to use cloud and so-called internet of things technologies -- in which objects in the house are fitted with sensors linked to the internet -- to participate remotely. "We are transforming this lab into a remote open access lab so that we can keep doing this work together even while there is social distancing in place," Dragone said. The project will trial "invisible" signal and sensor technology used to monitor participant's behavior, vital signs and constant state of health. Should the sensors detect a health emergency in a patient, an alert can be transmitted, allowing carers or emergency workers to take rapid action. "In this laboratory we are experts in sensor technology that is invisible," Dragone said. "Rather than attaching sensors, we use technology such as a Wi-Fi signal to detect the presence and activities of people at home," he added, noting this meant there would usually be nothing new to install or wear. Researchers are "mindful" about privacy issues and the ethical issues that could come up in the project, said Dragone. A worldwide panel of ethics experts on artificial intelligence is overseeing the experiment and will run "constant" risk assessments on the technology as it is developed, he explained. Positive response The Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland, which represents 80 voluntary care providers that support around 200,000 people, has encouraged its members to collaborate on the project. Emma Donnelly, the group's digital program manager, said COVID-19 had accelerated the need to implement "digital solutions" in care facilities. "There was already an existing drive for digital before the pandemic, but the crisis management answer has been to accelerate the implementation," she added. Donnelly said the reaction to the project had been "really positive" so far. "The focus of the project is on the end user and there is a co-design element to it," she added. "The care providers know that everything the project produces will support them in making their day-to-day lives a little bit easier." Deep-sea anglerfishes employ an incredible reproductive strategy. Tiny dwarfed males become permanently attached to relatively gigantic females, fuse their tissues and then establish a common blood circulation. In this way, the male becomes entirely dependent on the female for nutrient supply, like a developing fetus in the womb of her mother or a donor organ in a transplant patient. In anglerfishes, this unusual phenomenon is referred to as sexual parasitism and contributes to the reproductive success for these animals living in the vast space of the deep sea, where females and males otherwise rarely meet. The permanent attachment of males to females represents a form of anatomical joining, which is otherwise unknown in nature except for the rare occurrence in genetically identical twins. The immune system represents an estraordinary obstacle here. It attacks foreign tissue as it would destroy cells infected by pathogens. Just witness the difficulties surrounding organ transplantation in humans, which requires the careful cross-matching of donor and recipient tissue characters, together with immunosuppressive drugs, to ensure the long-term survival of the organ graft. But how is it possible then that, in case of anglerfishes, that individuals of the same species accept each other so readily when tissue-rejection is the usual and expected result of any such union? The phenomenon of sexual parasitism has posed an enigma that has existed for 100 years, ever since the first attached couple was discovered by an Icelandic fisheries biologist in 1920. Now, scientists from Germany and the USA have solved this century-old conundrum and report their findings in the scientific journal Science. Key functions of the immune system eliminated A few years ago, Thomas Boehm, a medical doctor and immunologist working at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany, and Theodore W. Pietsch, an ichthyologist and a internationally renowned expert on anglerfishes working at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, set out to study the genomes of different anglerfish species. They began by looking at the structure of major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens. These molecules are found at the surface of the body's cells and signal alarm to the immune system, when the cells are infected by a virus or a bacterium. To make sure that all pathogens are efficiently recognized, the MHC molecules are extremely variable, so much so that it is hard to find identical or near-identical forms in any two individuals of a species. This feature is at the root of the tissue-matching problem that plagues human organ and bone marrow transplantation. Interestingly, the researchers found that anglerfishes that utilize permanent attachment are largely depauperate in genes that encode these MHC molecules, as if they had done away with immune recognition in favor of tissue fusion. "Apart from this unusual constellation of MHC genes, we discovered that the function of killer T cells, which normally actively eliminate infected cells or attack foreign tissues during the organ rejection process, was also severely blunted if not lost entirely. These findings hinted at the possibility that the immune system of anglerfishes was very unusual among the tens of thousands of vertebrate species", says Jeremy Swann from the MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics and first author of the study. Survival without acquired immune facilities After these unexpected discoveries, the scientists suspected that the re-organization of the immune system of anglerfishes might be even more extensive than expected. And indeed, further research indicated that antibodies, which are the second powerful weapon in the arsenal of immune defence are also missing in some of the anglerfish species. "For humans, the combined loss of important immune facilities observed in anglerfishes would result in fatal immunodeficiency", says Thomas Boehm, Director at the MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics and lead scientist of the project. However, anglerfishes are obviously able to survive without essential adaptive immune functions. Thus, the researchers concluded that the animals use much improved innate facilities to defend themselves against infections, a most unexpected solution to a problem that is faced by all living things. Indeed, until now it was thought that a partnership of acquired and innate immunity, once it was formed in evolution, cannot be disentangled with severe consequences. Immune system affects the reproductive strategy The study thus shows that despite several hundred million years of co-evolutionary partnership of innate and adaptive functions, vertebrates can survive without the adaptive immune facilities previously considered to be irreplaceable. We assume that as yet unknown evolutionary forces first drive changes in the immune system, which are then exploited for the evolution of sexual parasitism", says Thomas Boehm. Interestingly, the scientists believe that, among their collection of fishes, they have even captured one species en route to developing sexual parasitism. "We find it remarkable that the unusual mode of reproduction was invented several times independently in this group of fishes", says Ted Pietsch from the University of Washington. Although the details of the improved innate immune facilities in anglerfishes remain to be discovered, the results of this study point at potential strategies that enhance innate immune facilities in human patients who suffer the consequences of inborn or acquired impairment of immune facilities. Hence, the scientific journey that began with an obscure observation on board a fishing vessel out in the mid-Atlantic unexpectedly opens up new avenues for the treatment of immune disorders in humans. ### Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Lawmakers in the House of Representatives also want to conduct a separate investigation on the sudden deaths of high-profile inmates inside the New Bilibid Prison. Makabayan bloc has filed House Resolution 1075, which seeks to have the Committee on Justice conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the deaths of convicts, including the high-value inmates at the national penitentiary. HR 1075 was filed on Tuesday, but a copy of the resolution was only shown to the media on Thursday. Makabayan bloc said that the deaths of the inmates warrant a "close" and "thorough" investigation as it traverses many issues surrounding jail facilities. These include health and sanitary conditions, prisoner deaths, the drug trade, organized crime, and fake deaths of inmates. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee was initially slated to look into the deaths of the convicts supposedly due to COVID-19, but it is still waiting for the results from the separate probe of the National Bureau of Investigation for further verification. The controversial deaths of the nine high-profile drug convicts raised questions among the public over the past week. Aside from known drug lord Jaybee Sebastian, also reported to have died were Amin Imam Boratong, Eugene Ho Chua, Francis Go, Benjamin Marcelo, Sherwin Sanchez, Willy Yang, Shuli Zhang, and Jimmy Ang. LIST: High-profile Bilibid inmates whose deaths are linked to COVID-19, according to BuCor Makabayan cited the call of prisoners' rights group Kapatid for complete reports on these deaths, as "families are kept in the dark and forced to grapple with fear which could be avoided only if prison officials will tell the truth." Makabayan bloc is formed by Bayan Muna Partylist Reps. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite, Eufemia Cullamat, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra previously said that close to 480 deaths among inmates were recorded in Bureau of Correction facilities, 21 of which were due to coronavirus-related complications. Deaths may be slightly higher due to the pandemic, he added. Arlene Foster is expected to appear alongside Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill in public on Friday (Liam McBurney/PA) Arlene Foster is expected to appear alongside Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill in public on Friday following a meeting of ministers from both sides of the Irish border. The North South Ministerial Council is being held in Dublin for the first time since devolved government was restored at Stormont in January. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the first minister and deputy first minister will gather at Dublin Castle to discuss matters of mutual interest. Bobby Storeys funeral is still under police investigation over potential breaches by mourners of social distancing rules. Expand Close Bobby Storeys funeral is still under police investigation for potential breaches of social distancing rules (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bobby Storeys funeral is still under police investigation for potential breaches of social distancing rules (Liam McBurney/PA) Mrs Foster said: I have always made it clear that we need to have the Executive working and need to continue to deal with Covid. We need to continue to focus on recovery, dealing with EU exit meetings. I have never said that we have not continued to work as an Executive across the five parties together. Mrs Foster has said her powersharing partners apology after attending the republican funeral falls short. Trust between members of the Stormont coalition and Ms ONeills credibility in delivering Covid-19 health messaging have been damaged by the controversy over large crowds as the cortege passed through west Belfast, the DUP leader said. Ms ONeill has stood by her decision to go to the west Belfast service for the senior republican but did say sorry to families bereaved during lockdown for any hurt caused by scenes of hundreds of people lining the route. The Executive met on Thursday. Mrs Foster said the Covid-19 tracker phone app launched on Thursday would work in an inter-operable way with the Republic of Ireland and any brought forward by the other UK administrations. Self-isolation with Covid-19 symptoms or a positive test result has been increased from seven days to ten. Ministers also agreed to relax Covid restrictions in child care settings by August 1. Bangalore startup develops mobile app for Covid infection and risk assessment The Centre for Augmenting War with Covid-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH), an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has selected Bangalore based startup Acculi Labs to develop a Covid risk assessment profile called Lyfas Covid score. Acculi Labs has developed Lyfas a clinical-grade, non-invasive, digital functional biomarker smartphone tool for screening, early detection, root cause analysis, acute event risk assessment, prognosis, and home monitoring of chronic diseases which they have repurposed to Lyfas Covid score. Lyfas is an Android application in which, when one keeps the index finger on the rear phone camera of a mobile phone for 5 minutes, captures the capillary pulse and blood volume change and derive 95 biomarkers with proprietary algorithms and signal processing techniques. It uses the power of smartphone processor and smartphone sensors to capture a bunch of body signals. The signals are subsequently processed on the principle of Photoplethysmography (PPG), Photo Chromatography (PCG), Arterial Photoplethysmography (APPG), mobile spirometry and Pulse Rate Variability (PRV). Lyfas then provides cardio-respiratory, cardio-vascular, hematology, hemorheology, neurology based parameters that are capable of tracking minute pathophysiological changes in the body. These changes are further profiled into organ system-wide response. The technology is focused on population screening, monitoring of quarantined individuals, and surveillance at the community spreading phase. It has been proved to detect asymptomatic individuals with an accuracy of 92 per cent, specificity of 90 per cent, and a sensitivity of 92 per cent in a study conducted with Medanta Medicity hospital. The new technology developed with support from the DST, will detect the possible infection in an asymptomatic individual to prioritise the conventional testing queue as well as carry out a risk assessment of an asymptomatic individual to become symptomatic and risk assessment of an asymptomatic individual for recovery. The novel method will supplement efforts for early detection of disease and risk assessment of infected population and help prioritise the conventional testing queue through mass screening is a crucial challenge the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown up. Combating the crisis needs technological solutions that can carry this out rapidly while minimising risk for healthcare professionals. CAWACH, an initiative by the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), DST, Government of India, is supporting market-ready innovations for the control of Covid-19 and startup ideas to address associated challenges. In March 2020, DST collaborated to support technologies that are solving Covid problem. Acculi Labs was selected after several rounds of screening for a solution towards mass screening. Its product Lyfas has received a grant of Rs30 lakh from DST and is now virtually supported by IIT Madras, Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC), MedTech Incubator. Based on the success of the study, Medanta ethics committee approved it for a larger population study. This study is currently registered in Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) and is acknowledged by World Health Organisation (WHO). While the governments AarogyaSetu works on contact tracing where one has to enter your symptoms, Lyfas is a proper medical screening test which purely depends upon test results. Trump's foreign trade and economic policy has relied heavily on capital flight to achieve foreign policy objectives. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was ample evidence that Trump's capital strategy was both productive and effective in achieving, or at least helping to achieve, foreign policy objectives. Undoubtedly, capital flight from China strengthened the U.S.'s hand in negotiating a more favorable trade relationship with China. The U.S. struggle to gain footing in the pandemic-afflicted world raises the question: how will capital respond to the pandemic, and will it undermine the Trump policy, returning leverage and power to competing nations? Any answer is far from certain and arguably premature, given that no one knows the duration of the pandemic or the relative durations of dislocation competing countries will experience; those with far less mobility and freedom and therefore less opportunity for spread and those with demographic, geographic, or cultural barriers to spread can be expected to fare better than those that are comparatively, in those regards, less fortunate. Regardless, the evidence suggests to date that the benefactors economically of COVID-19-induced capital flight are nations like the U.S., Canada, Germany, and France. Indeed the flight of capital from more vulnerable and weaker markets has accelerated post-pandemic. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently noted: Economies that had entered the crisis with weaker positions have already experienced massive outflows of portfolio investments. This repeats a familiar pattern whereby international investors transfer capital back home or invest in safer assets during periods of uncertainty. According to the OECD, what is exceptional about capital flow dynamics during the COVID-19 crisis is the "scale and speed of the outflows." According to The Institute of International Finance (IIF) daily flows tracker, around $103 billion (U.S. dollars) was drawn from emerging market economies between mid-January and mid-May 2020, with equity inflows plummeting first, followed by debt flows. The OECD observed: The sudden stop in capital flows has been faster and more incisive than observed during similar events in recent years, including during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the 2013 Taper Tantrum when the Fed announced a gradual exit to its quantitative easing programme, and the 2015 Chinese stock market sell-off. Accompanying the massive flows of capital is relative strengthening of currencies for capital flow recipients vis-a-vis those nations from which capital is fleeing for relative safety. The U.S., Japan, the E.U., and Switzerland are the overwhelming beneficiaries of currency appreciation. After a notable drop in the first half of March, the Canadian and Australian dollars, too, rebounded. The rest of the world has not fared as well, with emerging markets suffering the greatest devaluations, many being forced to implement policies to encourage capital from foreign countries to replace or support currencies and capital markets. As the pandemic accelerates, reaches a peak, and hopefully wanes, the Trump administration has positioned the U.S. in an exceptionally strong position to accomplish foreign policy objectives. Together with possible goodwill accompanying foreign aid consisting of ventilators, PPE, therapeutics, and technology, the U.S. is in a unique and enviable position to request reasonable concessions from trading partners, contributions to mutual defense and technological ventures, cooperation in combating human-trafficking and illegal drugtrafficking, and continuing the pressure upon state sponsors of terror, all stated goals of the administration. It remains to be seen whether the electorate will give his administration the opportunity to exploit the advantage it has capably engineered. One of Huntsvilles top economic recruited companies has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in three years, leaving area governments scrambling to recoup their investments. Remington Arms, a gun manufacturer who opened a plant in Huntsville in 2014, filed for Chapter 11 protection on Monday in federal bankruptcy court in the Northern Alabama district in what appears to be the demise of the legendary company. It also appears to culminate whats been a deteriorating relationship with Huntsville leaders. The Huntsville city council in 2018 restructured its project development agreement with Remington to allow the company some flexibility as it emerged from its first bankruptcy. In the aftermath of that new deal, though, Remington never followed through on its obligations to inform the city of Huntsville of its employment numbers at the plant, Mayor Tommy Battle told AL.com. Remington was required to have at least 415 people on payroll at the Huntsville plant by the end of 2019 in what was to have been an eventual increase to almost 2,000 employees. Battle said he did not know how many people have been or are still working at the plant We gave them until April to turn in the numbers and weve been kind of harping on them to get some numbers in but they changed a lot of execs out there so its been different people in charge that you have never met or you have to really search out to find out who is in what place out there, Battle said. We feel like they have not met the conditions of their contract. Battle and Chip Cherry of the Madison County Industrial Development Board, which worked to bring Remington to Huntsville, said that local governments that provided financial incentives to lure Remington to the Rocket City should be in good shape to recapture those investments. When the agreements were made when they came here, we entered into a series of agreements, the community through the IDB, we have series of agreement with them that safeguards those investments, Cherry said in an interview with AL.com. The bankruptcy filing does not list secured creditors, of which local governments would be a part, Cherry said. Unsecured creditors listed in the filing include Huntsville Utilities. When the Huntsville city council gave Remington a fresh start in November 2018, the agreement called for local governments to recoup $12.5 million in incentives. For the city of Huntsville, specifically, it called for the Remington facility itself to revert to the city. The Remington deal to come to Huntsville included incentives of $9.5 million from the city of Huntsville, $2 million from the Madison County Commission and $1 million from the Huntsville Industrial Development Board. Remington received $68.9 million in incentives altogether, including from the state of Alabama. The Remington plant on Wall-Triana Highway near Huntsville International Airport sits on about 112 acres and the plant and the property has been appraised at about $47.3 million, according to county property records. Both Battle and Cherry said that their immediate concern is for employees at the plant. Given that Remington is seeking to sell its assets rather than reorganizing as it did in its 2018 bankruptcy, Battle and Cherry said the hope is for another tenant most ideal, another gun manufacturer would move into the building with the idea of the smoothest transition as possible. Cherry, also the CEO of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, described the property as very marketable and that Remington had made significant improvements to the building that was obsolete when it first moved in. It would be an attractive piece of property if it came to that, Cherry said. Battle said there has been some preliminary contact made with the city from companies interested in the property. Were well-secured in this, he said. They owe us $10-12 million and that will come out in the final accounting. More than that, we want the jobs and the economy and the investment in the community. Theyve done the start of what they promised us but they have not finished it up. The possibility of a successor company coming in is probably very real. Tom Cruise was at the peak of his career when he joined the Church of Scientology in the early 1990s. The "Jack Reacher" actor first got involved with the controversial religion in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He was immediately drawn to Scientology and has since become a passionate advocate of the organization. Unfortunately, the "Top Gun" star's association with Scientology was said to be one of the reasons for his failed marriages. To recall, after his relationship with Roger ended, Cruise married Nicole Kidman in 1990 until their divorce in 2001. He also tied the knot with Katie Holmes in 2006, but they ended up splitting in 2012 due to speculations that she wants her daughter Suri to break free from the unique constraints of Scientology. Founded in 1953 by the famous science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is described as a religion which connects to a belief that every human being has a reactive mind that responds to life's traumas. Hubbard also wrote a self-help book called "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health," which aims to offer a sense of psychological wisdom through a concept called "mental auditing." Unfortunately, the organization has been criticized due to its program called "Project Celebrity," with an objective to offer rewards to Scientologists who will recruit some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Aside from the 58-year-old actor, some celebrities got persuaded but eventually ended up leaving the organization; however, there are still some like Cruise who still practice Scientology up until this time. John Travolta Former teen heartthrob and phenomenal actor John Travolta began practicing the religion when he joined in the '70s. It was reported that he was recruited by Yvonne Gillham, who was a major figure in the Church of Scientology and the founder of Celebrity Centres. While filming for his 1975 horror film "The Devil's Rain," Gilham gave him the book "Dianetics" and the rest was history. On the other hand, his wife and actress Kelly Preston, who was once described by the church's former top spokesman Mike Rinder as someone who is "more dedicated Scientologist than John," credited the organization for helping her deal with the death of their 16-year-old son Jett in 2009. Laura Prepon "That '70s Show" actress Laura Prepon was also a firm believer of Scientology. In fact, she appeared in one of the covers of the church's official magazine, Celebrity Magazine, where she spoke about her experiences in the religion. "So when I first got into Scientology, I did Personal Values and Integrity and then Overcoming Ups and Downs in Life. These courses touched on the observations I was aware of when I was younger. It was right there in black and white. It was amazing, and I felt that finally, something was speaking my language. It totally connected with me," Prepon wrote. She also mentioned that it helped her live a stress-free and happy life. Alanna Masterson "The Walking Dead" actress Alanna Masterson is a devout Scientologist alongside his brother and "That '70s Show" star, Danny, and father Joe Reaiche. However, Joe left the organization after claiming that it ruined his family apart. The former Scientology clergy member accused that the church "brainwashed" his four children. READ MORE: Ellen DeGeneres Doomed: Investigators To UNCOVER Her As One of the Biggest FRAUD Perpetrators A member of a gang of poachers arrested for killing a mountain gorilla which had become a great favourite among both tourists and local people has been jailed for 11 years in Uganda. Rafiki, a 25 year old silverback and leader of a clan of 17, was the first gorilla to die at the hands of humans for almost a decade. His loss has been seen as a grave setback to the long and painstaking conservation campaign to pull the great apes back from the edge of extinction. Bwindi National Park, in the west of the country, the habitat of the Nkuringo Group of gorillas, had been shut during the coronavirus pandemic and wildlife protection groups have reported more than 300 incidents of poaching during the months of lockdown. The absence of foreign tourists, who pay around 500 each for a permit to visit the gorillas, and spend money in local hotels, restaurants and markets have been a huge blow to the livelihood of people in the area. Rafiki died last month after a spear was thrust into his stomach, fatally damaging his internal organs. Four men were arrested after an investigation by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA). Felix Byamukama had pleaded guilty to the killing of the gorilla as well as a duiker antelope and a bush pig after entering a protected area. The other suspects remain in custody, awaiting trial. Byamukama had initially claimed that he had used the spear in self-defence after the gorilla attacked him. A search of his home led to the discovery of hunting weapons including snares, spears and bells for the collars of hunting dogs. He was also found to be in possession of illegal bush meat. Wildlife rangers dismissed the claim that Rafiki could have initiated the attack. He had never shown hostility towards humans, they say, pointing out that was the reason behind his name, which means Friend in Swahili. Executive Director of UWA, Sam Mwandha, welcomed the courts decision saying: Rafiki has received justice. We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife.If one person kills wildlife, we all lose, therefore we request every person to support our efforts of conserving wildlife for the present and future generations. Byamukama was tried at a local rather than a wildlife protection court where, under Ugandas stringent laws, poaching can carry a life sentence as well as heavy fines. But prosecution and conviction have often proved to be difficult in the past with the poachers working in professional gangs becoming adept at hiding evidence. The Covid-19 conservation crisis has shown the urgency of The Independents Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which seeks an international effort to clamp down on illegal trade of wild animals Rafikis family were often seen outside their home area. Anna Behm Masozera, director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, a coalition of regional conservation groups, said this made it a symbolic group in regard to co-existence with people. She told the magazine National Geographic: The death and the circumstances surrounding it are significant. He was the only mature male in this iconic group. Park managers across the mountain gorilla range are indicating higher than normal human activities, many illegal. There are just over a thousand mountain gorillas left in existence. As well as violence from poachers, they may risk coronavirus infection in contact with humans. Recommended No tourism means wildlife conservation in Kenya is jeopardised Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a conservationist working with the great apes in Uganda, said: It would be a total disaster: gorillas are very close knit, and they live in a family group. Theyre always together and theyre always grooming each other. If one gorilla gets it, the rest are going to get it. Also, the gorillas have the same ACE2 protein receptors like humans which mean that they can easily get Covid-19 in the same way that humans can get it, and they would experience similar effects as humans. A former British Army officer who has been involved in training anti-poaching units in East Africa said: What happened was very sad, such a waste of a life of a magnificent creature. The one good thing is that the Ugandan authorities investigated and carried out arrests quickly, but the pandemic and its economic consequences continue to fuel poaching in lots countries I am afraid. Washington, July 30 : US President Donald Trump's administration is planning to withdraw some federal security forces from Portland, Oregon, after weeks of clashes with protesters, it was reported on Thursday. In a statement on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the pullout was conditional on local police protecting federal buildings, the focal point of unrest, reports the BBC. Without setting a timeline for the pullout, Wolf said he and Oregon's Democrat Governor, Kate Brow had "agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers". "That plan includes a robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland." He added that "state and local law enforcement will begin securing properties and streets, especially those surrounding federal properties, that have been under nightly attack". Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Brown said: "They (federal agents) have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland." But she added that federal officers from the US Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service will stay at the courthouse, where they are usually based. Following the announcement, Trump declared victory, tweeting: "If the Federal Government and its brilliant Law Enforcement (Homeland) didn't go into Portland one week ago, there would be no Portland. "It would be burned and beaten to the ground. If the Mayor and Governor do not stop the Crime and Violence from the Anarchists and Agitators immediately, the Federal Government will go in and do the job that local law enforcement was supposed to do." However, hundreds of protesters gathered in the city centre on Wednesday night near the courthouse building, the BBC reported. The federal forces were deployed in Portland on July 4 to protect federal buildings that were vandalised during weeks of protests against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May. Their deployment exacerbated the civil unrest, especially when footage emerged of demonstrators being grabbed off the street by federal officers and forced into unmarked cars. Governor Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, both Democrats, complained they never asked for the federal intervention, blasting it as an election-year stunt by Trump. Besides Portland, the Trump administration has also sent federal agents to several other cities including, Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque. The US Department of Justice said on Wednesday it would also send federal officers to three more cities - Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee - owing to "disturbing increases in violent crime, particularly homicides". Food supply chains in Victoria could collapse if coronavirus testing rules aren't changed, transport bosses claim. Truck drivers entering New South Wales and South Australia from Victoria are now required to take a COVID-19 every seven days if they're crossing borders. The strict rules are an attempt to curb the widespread outbreak in the southern state which saw an enormous spike on Thursday with 723 new cases. But the Victorian Transport Association slammed the move saying the regulations would hold up 650,000 tonnes of food and building supplies entering the state each day. Truck drivers entering New South Wales and South Australia from Victoria are now required to take a COVID-19 every seven days. Pictured: Workers unloading supplies from a Food Bank truck in Melbourne 'In Victoria we don't test for asymptomatic cases you cant get a test just because you feel like it,' VTA chief executive Peter Anderson told 3AW radio on Thursday. To be compliant with Victorian laws, truck drivers would have to quarantine for three to five days while waiting for the test results. 'For us to comply with that, it means we would have to break that law.' About 15,000 trucks arriving in Victoria with essential goods every 24 hours. The strict rules are an attempt to curb the widespread outbreak in the southern state. Pictured: Frontline Medical testing staff are seen at a pop-up site in Victoria Mr Anderson also wrote in a letter to VTA members that proving drivers had been tested would be difficult because there are no written or electronic test receipts, according to The Australian. 'While the transport and freight industry has been softly affected in border crossings there are now new restrictions that will create enormous issues and stress for individual companies that need to service customers in other states.' It comes three weeks after Services NSW mandated that some truck drivers would have to isolate for 14 days when entering Victoria. The NSW government back-flipped on the decision a day later and made a new permit for drivers to ensure they were able to transport freight across the Victorian border each day. Police are seen helping with the delivery of crates of bread to commission housing in Victoria All Victorians will be required to wear a mask in public from next week after the state following the spike in cases and 13 deaths on Thursday. Premier Daniel Andrews warned that Melbourne's crippling lockdown will likely be extended if case numbers continue to rise. 'Ultimately, every Victorian, I think deep down knows and appreciates that unless everyone plays their part this lockdown will not end anytime soon,' Mr Andrews said. At the time, she and her partner Ryan Hurst, 28, had been together for a little longer than three years and were on the brink of engagement. But as the cancer treatment started, thoughts of a wedding were pushed aside in a bid to save Ms Gallos life. It was very left of field, the now 26-year-old Kinglake local says. Ive always been in very good health and had no reason to suspect the worst. And, as is the case particularly with ovarian cancer, the side effects can be explained away by other things. Around Anzac Day last year, she finally got her answer: she was suffering from a rare subtype of ovarian cancer and it was stage four. For six months, Rebecca Gallo practically lived in her doctors office. She was trying to find out why she was always bloated, losing weight and why there was unexplained pain around her abdomen. We were ready to get engaged for a long time, but with everything that happened last year it just didnt end up happening, Ms Gallo says. And then COVID hit. Fast forward to today, and the couple is busy planning to wed on their two-hectacre Kinglake property on August 7. The problem is, the date falls in the middle of Melbournes second lockdown, with current restrictions meaning they can't have a wedding with any loved ones from Melbourne let alone their dream wedding with hundreds. There have been a few changes to my health lately and my body isnt as strong as it was last year, so weve decided we would get married soon so I could be as healthy as possible and enjoy the wedding as much as possible, says Ms Gallo. Unlike other couples, they dont have all the time in the world. So along with Mr Hursts father Jeff Hurst, Ms Gallo and Mr Hurst are petitioning the Victorian government for special consideration on compassionate grounds to allow healthy guests from Melbourne to attend. In regional Victoria, up to 20 people can attend a wedding at a venue. However, since their property is a private residence, a maximum of five visitors are allowed in addition to the members of the household. Jeff has really taken the lead in this, talking with MPs, getting together everyones details and figuring out what the government needs from us, Ms Gallo says. Its more than likely that we will still get married on that day regardless, and hopefully towards the end of the year we can have a bigger celebration. The Trump administration was too slow to admit that coronavirus imported from Europe was a major threat to the US, the director of the largest US health agency has finally said after months of denial. 'The introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening,' said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr Robert Redfield said in a Tuesday ABC News interview. 'By the time we realized (the) Europe threat and shut down travel to Europe, there was probably already two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe. 'That's where the large seeding came in the United States.' The Trump administration banned travel to the US from Europe on March 13, more than a month after the President prohibited travel from China, on February 2. In the intervening weeks, Trump continually blamed the Chinese for the US outbreak, insisting upon calling coronavirus the 'China virus.' Reports by the CDC as well as other research institutions have confirmed that the dominant strain of coronavirus that spread in New York City, the first US epicenter, came from Europe and was spreading well before the travel ban. CDC Director Dr Robert Redfield admitted that the US was slow to realize the virus was spreading from Europe during an interview with ABC News In a March Congressional hearing, Dr Redfield said that Europe was 'the new China' and the real threat for importation of coronavirus, but has largely demurred when asked if travel from the EU and UK should have been halted earlier. Despite support for closing down travel from Europe to the US from both Dr Redfield and head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr Anthony Fauci, travel was banned from Italy and Iran before restrictions were implemented for Europe. Research now indicates that while a good portion of Washington's early outbreak came from China, coronavirus likely arrived in New York City by late-January from Europe, spreading to nearly 11,000 people before the first case was announced on March 1. Screening was set up at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport in mid-January, but only travelers from China were initially flagged and data on JFK and screening expanded to other airports suggests they were ineffective at identifying people with COVID-19. President Donald Trump did not ban travel from Europe until March 13 - more than a month after he halted travel from China on February 2 But it wasn't just the delay in the travel ban that allowed the spread of coronavirus to explode out of control in the US. Dr Redfield also admitted that the US coronavirus response - including the elements for which his agency was responsible - has had its faults. 'Yes, there's been mistakes. And, yes, we fail,' Dr Redfield said. 'We're in it doing the best we can and we're trying to make the best judgments we can.' The CDC was panned for the slow distribution of its COVID-19 test, the first available in the US - which then proved to be faulty. In a separate ABC News interview, Dr Redfield said he does not think the CDC will be venturing into the business of making diagnostic tests again in the future, and will likely instead contract that work out to manufacturers. Rights Issue Closes Oversubscribed Perth, July 30, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Torian Resources Limited ( ASX:TNR ) is pleased to advise that the Renounceable Rights issue announced on 6 July 2020 (Offer) has closed oversubscribed and raised $2.2 million. To accommodate a portion of the excess demand, the Company has agreed to raise an additional $824,441 on the same terms as the Offer ("Follow-on Placement").The total amount raised is $3 million before costs. The Company will issue a total of 187,500,000 new fully paid ordinary shares (Shares) and 93,750,000 new options exercisable at $0.02 expiring 7 February 2022 (Options). The Options will be listed under ASX ticker code TNRO.The Company will issue 51,527,570 new Shares and 25,763,785 Options in the Follow-on Placement which will be issued using the Company's existing capacity under Listing Rule 7.1 and 7.1A. 32,390,755 Shares and 25,763,785 Options will be issued pursuant to Listing Rule 7.1 and 19,136,815 Shares will be issued pursuant to Listing Rule 7.1A.Mahe Capital Pty Ltd acted as Lead Manager and Underwriter to the Offer and advised Torian on the Rights Issue and the Follow-on Placement. Torian would like to thank all of its shareholders for their support and welcomes new shareholders, including institutional shareholders introduced by Mahe Capital to the register.Executive Director Peretz Schapiro said, "We would like to thank our shareholders for the strong support they have shown us during this capital raise, demonstrating their strong commitment to the company. We would also like to thank Mahe Capital, who have been outstanding in introducing Torian to new shareholders, who have clearly recognised the value in our ~400km2 of tenure in the Eastern Goldfields, and our commitment to a systematic exploration approach.We are now well funded to commence a 5,000m RC drilling campaign at Mt Stirling to test the depth and strike extent of the existing JORC resource. This will be followed by an approximate 10,000m drilling campaign at Diorite, where our recent sampling program returned rock chips of up to 21 g/t Au in the vicinity of the historic 73 g/t Diorite King mine.With almost 13 Moz in resource located within the immediate neighbourhood of our Mt Stirling Gold Camp, including Red 5's King of the Hills, St Barbara's Gwalia and Saracen's Thunderbox mines, we are confident that the Leanora region is a great location to be pursuing new major discoveries".To view the timetable, 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. Cypriot govt official said Russias Putin made the promise in a 45-minute telephone chat with the Cypriot president. Cyprus appealed to Russia on Thursday to help defuse tensions with Turkey over natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean where a long-simmering dispute over jurisdiction in the energy-rich area has been heating up. A Turkish seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, sailed into waters off Cyprus earlier this week. Last week, Greece protested plans by Turkey to send another vessel, the Oruc Reis, to an area between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete. Turkey put off that project pending talks with Greece. In a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades asked for the intervention of the Russian president to Turkey, for Turkey to be convinced to cease its illegal actions, Cypriot government spokesman Kyriakos Koushios said in a written statement. The Russian president promised to intervene towards [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan to de-escalate the crisis, but also for involvement in a creative dialogue to solve the Cyprus problem, Koushios said. Putin, he said, was gravely concerned with the situation. European Union members Greece and Cyprus are at odds with Turkey over overlapping claims to offshore hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. Nicosias call to Putin, who is considered close to Erdogan, is possibly the most tangible sign yet of concern that tensions could escalate to the point where they get out of hand. Relations between Turkey and Greece dipped to a new low last week after Turkeys navy issued an advisory for seismic surveys normally a precursor to hydrocarbons research in waters the Greeks said was theirs. The two countries disagree on the limits of their respective continental shelves. Erdogan had requested any operations be put on hold as a constructive approach to negotiations with Greece. But Turkish Minister of National Defence Hulusi Akar said Turkey had the right to carry out energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. Carrying out exploratory work to benefit from the resources in marine areas under the authority of Turkey and (northern Cypriot) licensed areas is our right and we will definitely exercise it, he said. While Greece said Turkey had taken a positive step by putting off plans for surveys between Cyprus and Greece, it said it was concerned operations around Cyprus had not ceased. By IANS NEW DELHI: Actress Rhea Chakraborty has told the Supreme Court that she has been falsely implicated in the FIR registered against her in Bihar by late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs father. Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case took a dramatic turn recently after his father K.K. Singh recently filed an FIR in Patna accusing six people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide. The actress, who on Wednesday had moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the investigation to Mumbai, told the apex court that she also received many death and rape threats and that she is in deep trauma due to the loss of Sushant, which has multiplied further due to the constant media glare the case has been receiving. ALSO READ | After Sushant Singh Rajput's father, now Bihar govt files caveat in SC, seeks to be heard in Rhea's plea Rhea informed the top court that she was in a live-in relationship with Sushant till June 8. She claimed that Sushant was suffering from depression for some time and was on anti-depressants. "In peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case, the petitioner has been falsely implicated in the present case filed by at the instance of Krishna Kishore Singh," Rhea said in her plea. "He committed suicide on the morning of June 14 at his Bandra residence by hanging himself. The petitioner was summoned and she had visited the Bandra police station on various occasions and her statement was recorded under Section 175 of CrPC. "The petitioner has filed a complaint at Santa Cruz police station in Mumbai against the death and rape threats. It would be just and expedient, if the transfer of the case is directed from Patna to Mumbai," the plea said. ALSO READ | 'Sushant was murdered': Subramanian Swamy gives his reasons Speaking to IANS earlier, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde had said that his client has electronically filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai where the investigation in connection to the actor's death was already in progress. Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor's alleged suicide on June 14. Sushant's father has levelled various allegations against Rhea, including taking money from his son and also threatening to disclose his medical reports with the media. Sushant's family has also accused Rhea of keeping him away from his family. Pittsfield Superintendent of Schools Jake McCandless, seen here in the Pittsfield High graduation video, is a finalist in the Mount Greylock Regional School District. Pittsfield Superintendent a Finalist for Mount Greylock Post WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Pittsfield Schools Superintendent Jason "Jake" McCandless is one of three candidates for the vacant superintendent position in the Mount Greylock Regional School District. The School Committee on Wednesday heard a report from the CEO of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which vetted the 22 qualified candidates who submitted applications for the post and narrowed the field down to three finalists. McCandless is joined by Portia S. Bonner and Mary Jane Rickson. All three will be interviewed over the next two days with the School Committee hoping to vote on a final decision and offer the position to its selection on Friday afternoon. McCandless has helmed the Pittsfield Public Schools since 2013, when he was hired by the city school district after 11 years in the Lee Public Schools. He indicated last year that he was looking to "make a change" and had applied for several posts. Bonner currently also is a candidate for the superintendent of Martin County, Fla., public schools, according to the Treasure Coast Newspapers of Port St. Lucie, Fla. The paper identified Bonner as an education consultant who served as superintendent of the East Haven, Conn., Public Schools from 2013-17. The Marin County School Board has announced its plans to make its decision in September. MASC's Liz Lafond said Bonner has more than 26 years of experience in public education, "including time spent as a teacher, department chair, assistant superintendent and as a superintendent in both Massachusetts and Connecticut." The Greenfield Recorder reported in Februrary that Rickson was a finalist to be the superintendent in Orange. She most recently was interim superintendent of the Maynard Public Schools. Rickson has 30 years of public education experience, "with seven of those years spent in a regional vocational district and experience as a school committee member, teacher, dean of students, assistant principal, special education administrator and superintendent." McCandless has worked in public education for more than 27 years as a teacher, department chair, assistant principal and a superintendent for 15 years. MASC CEO Glenn Koocher and Lafond, who were authorized by the School Committee to provide up to five finalists, were enthusiastic about the quality of the finalists they brought forward. Lafond said MASC reviewed the applicant pool with an eye toward finding candidates who could hit the ground running as the district prepares to begin the school year in the middle of a global pandemic. "We have vetted these candidates in the past over the years, and we are familiar with them," Koocher said. "If there are any specific questions people would like to pose, either individually to us or as a committee, we'd be happy to answer them. "As with all candidates, there are elements of the background qualifications that may trigger questions and inquiries, and in some of those cases, it might be helpful for us to explain to you individually what those responses might be. All three had highly credible references from reliable individuals, and I don't believe there's anything here that is going to be an impediment or an embarrassment to them or the School Committee." School Committee member Carolyn Greene, a veteran of two prior superintendent searches in the district, said she appreciated the fact that all three of the finalists have prior experience as superintendents. "They were all very excited, and they all spoke about the qualities of the district and the work that's been done," Lafond said. "It sounds to me, like a superintendent would do, they've already begun to do research." Members of the public will have the opportunity to "meet" each of the candidates in a half-hour long virtual "meet and greet" session prior to his or her 75-minute interview with the School Committee. Rickson's public meet and greet will be held Thursday from 3 to 3:30 p.m., with an interview with the committee to follow at 3:35. McCandless' meet and greet is Thursday from 5 to 5:30 p.m. with an interview at 5:35. Bonner's meet and greet is scheduled from 10:30 to 11 a.m. on Friday with an interview at 11:05. School Committee Chair Christina Conry said she would send an email to the school community on Wednesday evening with the schedule. Links to the meet and greets and public interviews should be available on the district's website. MEXICO CITY Mexicos Supreme Court avoided taking up substantively the issue of abortion Wednesday by rejecting an injunction issued by a judge on technical grounds. Anti-abortion groups celebrated the decision and feminist organizations criticized the court for using technicalities to dodge the issue. In Mexico, abortion in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy is allowed only in Mexico City and the southern state of Oaxaca. But federal law allows abortion in situations where the woman was a victim of rape without establishing any time period to carry out the procedure. The case before the Supreme Court judges centered on an injunction granted in Veracruz state that ordered the state legislature to remove articles from its criminal code that criminalized abortion and limited access to it in cases of rape. Womens groups believed that if the Supreme Court upheld the injunction they could have used a similar tactic in other states that have not changed state legislation to be in line with federal abortion law. The justices on Wednesday voted 4 to 1 that the Veracruz legislature had not failed to act on the federal governments instruction, because there was already law on the subject. The dissenting judge argued current Veracruz law runs against the dignity and health of women and international conventions signed by Mexico. Veracruz law only allows abortion in the case of rape, requires an existing police report and only within 90 days. Vernica Cruz, a lawyer and director of the nonprofit organization Las Libres, said the case before the court was not going to decriminalize abortion, nor declare unconstitutional abortion as a crime. It only tried to say that Veracruz state lawmakers should legislate in line with a federal government recommendation in late 2017, she 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 The Chartered Institute of Administrators and Management Consultants (CIAMC)- Ghana has held its second annual Admin professionals conference, on the theme "Admin, the pulse of the office in crises situations". The conference, which was held via zoom was in recognition of the pivotal role secretaries, office managers, administrative executives and officers play in the success and survival of organizations in todays challenging business environment. It is also devoted to celebrating treasured Administration staff, considering the amount of work that they do, and at the end encouragement practitioners to unite in their resolve and efforts to make Administration a profession of choice. Mr Paul Kwatei Hammond, Chairman, CIAMC Board of Trustees, said the theme for the conference reflected the growing recognition of the power of administration, and importance of bringing professionalism in all spheres of office management. He said Administrative Professionals week since 1995 have been celebrated internationally in recognition of the pivotal role secretaries, office managers, administrative executives and officers played in the success and survival of organizations, but had gone through several transformations to reflect changing administrative job titles and responsibilities in the modern economy. He said from next year, the last week of April in each year would be dedicated to the celebration of administrators and general office support staff and for 2021, Administrative Professionals Day would be celebrated on the Wednesday of the Admin Professionals Week. Mr Hammond said in these challenging times of COVID-19, experts recommend that office managers must begin to think of their staff as freelance workforce with a range of skillsets beyond their pre-crisis set of activities and deploy them accordingly. This forcefully brings to bear the need for Admin Professionals to uplift their skillsets well beyond the norm, and embrace the challenges and opportunities of IT in the execution of their diverse tasks and obligations. "We need to be proactive in recognising quality service delivery, customer interest protection and office image enhancement in response to the radical changes ahead. Addressing this future calls for the re-organisation of all Admin Professionals towards standardisation of skills and practices and the bringing together of administrators across all sectors to unite for personal, corporate, and national development, which we embarked on in 2019." He said the conference was expected to create high awareness among administrators about the pivotal role they played and the need to improve the integrity of the administration career, sensitisation the general public on the pivotal role of the administrator in the firms successful operations, and also to launch the 2021 Appreciation Day and Awards criteria. Mr Paul Effah, President, Randford University Collage, said speaking on the Future of work, noted that despite the impact of COVID-l9, organisations that were most creative and innovative in their approach to work were capturing larger shares of their respective markets. Online business and the use of modern technologies had become the medium through which work was transacted. He said no one knew when COVlD-l9 would leave humanity, however what was certain was that with or without COVlD-l 9, the future of work would not be the same. Even before the onset of COVlD-l9 pressures from the global environment had led to the innovations that had changed the nature of work. This, he said, would create challenges for organisations to address, and they would continually have to look for ways to better serve their customers. "Institutions should take advantage of the characteristics of the generation to mould them to acquire the new skills for the socio-economic development and transformation of society as we move into the future. They are the ones who would be required to address future problems that are not yet on the radar and use technologies that are yet to be invented." Mr Effah added that workers who were already in the system would have to be retained to fit into the new mode of work which would require self-discipline and commitment and ability to work under little or no supervision in a decentralised environment. Dr Mrs Regina Gyampo-Vidogah, Director ICT Services, University of Cape Coast speaking on manual and E-records management, said record management was organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle, from the time of creation or inscription to its eventual disposition. She said records management could be manual, electronic and hybrid, and some challenges of records management include inadequate professionally trained records managers, lack of funding to facilitate proper records management practices, insufficient space for records keeping, misplacement of vital records, lack of record retention, resistant to change, understanding between information; data; records; documents and knowledge management, among others. However, the benefits of electricity records outweigh that of manual. Addressing the issue of difficult and crucial conversation at the workplace, Dr Mrs Margaret Amoakohene, Head Department of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, advised administrators to ensure to establish open lines of communication, ensure communication was vertical and find positive terms of addressing such communications to ease the tensions around such conversations on employees. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Islamabad high court has formed a special bench to hear the case of former Indian navy commander Kulbushan Jadhav from next week, Geo News reported on Thursday. Jadhav, a former Indian navy commander, has been sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a spying case Islamabad high court chief justice Athar Minallah will be heading the bench. A lawyer will also be appointed for Jadhav on Monday. Earlier this week, the Pakistan government presented the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance, 2020, in Parliament for approval. This legislation will pave the way for Jadhav to appeal his death sentence handed to him by a military court in 2017. The ordinance will have an overriding effect as its provisions shall have effect notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law for the time being in force, including the Pakistan Army Act 1952. On July 22, the Pakistan government had approached the Islamabad high court to appoint a legal representative for the Indian spy. The move was made in the light of the International Court of Justices July 17, 2019 decision, following which the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance, 2020 was enacted to implement the courts verdict. According to the governments petition, Jadhav refused to file a petition against his sentence. Jadhav cannot appoint a lawyer in Pakistan without Indias assistance. The petition claimed that New Delhi is also reluctant to avail the facility under the ordinance. 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. On July 17, Pakistan had offered Jadhav consular access for a third time, after the second opportunity was not fully availed. Last week, India had accused Pakistan of blocking all avenues for an effective review of Jadhavs case and said it reserved its rights to avail of further remedies. The external affairs ministry had accused Islamabad of systematically blocking access to the former naval officer, not providing documents related to his case and violating the International Court of Justices (ICJ) order for a review of his conviction. TWENTY-SEVEN years after the Supreme Court rendered its ruling for the Minors Oposa versus Factoran case, how does it become a legacy for the children and the future generations? For lawyer Gloria Ramos, Oceana-Philippines vice president, the Supreme Courts ruling has paved the way for the promulgation of the 2010 Rules and Procedure for Environmental Cases. This, she said, cemented the Oposa doctrine and has given confidence to lawyers, citizens and peoples organizations who dared to advance the cause of healthy environment. Now, when you file cases, you are no longer hesitant to do it not just because we are convinced that it is the right thing to do, but we are convinced that the legal system is behind us in filing cases, she said in her talk in a webinar titled 27 years of the Oposa versus Factoran Ruling, A Legacy for Our Children and Future Generations, on Thursday, July 30, 2020. The webinar, hosted by the Oceana Philippines, Philippine Earth Justice Center Inc. and the University of Cebu-School of Law, is in celebration of the 27th anniversary of the landmark decision of the Oposa versus Factoran, the first case that expressly tackled the Constitutional rights of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology. In 1993, around 40 Filipino minors, represented by their parents and lawyer Antonio Oposa Jr., invoked their rights and those of generations yet unborn to a healthy environment and sought to stop the widespread commercial logging. During that time, then Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Fulgencio Factoran Jr. and his predecessors granted timber license agreements to different corporations allowing to cut the aggregate area of 3.89 million hectares for commercial logging purposes. Petitioners, through their parents, sought to make the DENR Secretary stop issuing licenses to cut timber. They invoked their right to a healthy environment pursuant to Sections 15 and 16 of Article II of the 1987 Constitution. Story continues The Supreme Court decision penned by Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., ruled in favor of the minors and paved the way for the development of Philippine and international environment law. Davide, who gave a message during the forum, likened the decision as the gospel of self preservation and self perpetuation, and of survival. Internationally, Professor Tarini Mehta, of the O.P. Jindal Global University in India, said the great legacy of the Oposa case is that it brought the principle of intergenerational concern into legal lives and gave it legal strength. She said the ruling emphasized globally that the people of the present generation did not inherit the Earth from their ancestors but merely borrowed it from the children yet unborn. The other contribution of this case is that this gave hope to young people around the world that their voice for the future matters; that they have the part to make the change, she said. Retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna, Chancellor of the Philippine Judicial Academy who explained the basis of the Supreme Court ruling, added that there is also now a growing recognition that indeed, nature also has its rights to follow rhythm and harmony. This concept, he said, was deemed unacceptable at first during the making of the provision of the law used by Oposas side. He also said under the 2010 Rules and Procedure for Environmental Cases, it is provided that there is a remedy now to stop threats or degradation to the environment. You can go to courts to get temporary stopping orders to stop anything (deemed questionable), he said. Quoting Davide, Azcuna said the key to the ruling is that the basic rights to a healthful and balanced ecology need not be written in the Constitution for they are assumed to exist since the inception of human kind. They are self-executory without the need for legislated enforcement. Lawyer Grizelda Anda, executive director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) said the case is a progressive approach to environmental justice as it provides an opportunity to enable the courts, prosecutors and environmental advocates to push for a liberal interpretation of the standing. However, Anda said there is still a need to maximize such ruling to address urgent environmental issues of today such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which, she said, can be linked to wild life smuggling. Other environmental problems of concern, she said, involves the climate crisis, fisheries and coastal issues, mining and the coal and dirty energy issues, among others. She said there is still a need to build a constituency of enabling citizens to maximize the many realizations and law that the Oposa case has paved way to compel government agencies to do their mandates. We have to make sure that every citizen understands his or her role as a trustee and guardian of the environment, she said. (WBS) Retailers who have been barred from trading at Melbournes markets are to reopen their shops after a senior government bureaucrat clarified the lockdown rules. Many retailers at markets such as Preston, South Melbourne and Queen Victoria have been struggling to survive after a government directive in March stated only stalls selling food and drink were able to trade during stage three restrictions. Preston Market cafe owner Robert Bekhazi. Credit:Eddie Jim The traders questioned why they were closed when shopping centres remained open. After missing months of revenue, it turns out they were always able to. Many of them have lobbied the government, so it came as a surprise when the director of the states COVID-19 response wrote to one saying he would ask the Department of Health and Human Services to update its website to reflect that market retail stores could in fact open. MEXICO CITY - Tourists or locals visiting a cave in north-central Mexico could endanger what is purported to be some of the earliest evidence of human presence in North America, archaeological authorities said Thursday. Mexicos National Institute of Anthropology and History said the remote Chiquihuite cave in Zacatecas state has been declared off-limits to visitors. Scientists are looking for the DNA of ancient humans in the sediments (of the cave floor), thus human presence could contaminate strata that has been preserved intact for thousands of years, the institute said. The cave is located on a hilltop near the town of Concepcion del Oro, Zacatecas. Unlike some other famous ice-age caves, there are no clearly visible signs of human habitation like rock paintings, hearths or butchered animal bones at Chiquihuite. According to an article published earlier this month in the journal Nature, stone tools found in the cave suggest that people were living in North America as early as about 26,500 years ago, about 10,000 years earlier than most scientists accept. Ciprian Ardelean of the Autonomous University of Zacatecas and others say they found stone tools and debris from tool-making, and said he believed people probably used the cave as a winter shelter for short periods of time. His team has so far been unable to recover any human DNA from the cave. Read more about: The frustration over online learning is mounting for some Houston-area parents as fall nears. One group of moms in Klein ISD want their children to return to the classroom this school year. "My big frustration is that I'm a full-time working mom, and I have three elementary children. This really falls upon the working mom," Klein parent Candice Hebert said. The new guidance from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton served as encouragement for the moms. Paxton said local health orders to keep school campuses closed through Labor Day may not actually be legal in a report by the Houston Chronicle. LOVE IT OR HATE IT? Houston parents debate HISD's reopening plan for online learning Although there's still more to sort out with school start, many districts still tentatively plan to start the year in August with online classes, then offer in-person instruction at a later date, depending upon the status of the coronavirus pandemic. Klein ISD plans to start online Aug. 19, opening classrooms to kids whose parents choose in-person learning no later than Sept. 9. Hebert said her group of Klein ISD moms believes that it's safe to send kids back to classrooms. "It's just not fair to working moms. We do so much for our families anyway," Hebert said. 'The brunt of this will be put on our plate. It's not fair but it's the reality." On top of that, Hebert believes that teachers should be present to truly educate the kids. "The reality is that I'm not a better teacher. All of the educational things---this is not in my tool box," Hebert said. "The majority of the teachers I know want to go back. " Hebert is frustrated with heated discussions among Houston-area moms over the choice between online learning and in-person learning. "It's mom-shaming," Hebert said. "But like I said, everybody needs to have their own choice. One of my best friends wants to keep her kids at home. I support her in that. We can all work together." A few other parent groups have recently emerged over this school topic, including a West U neighborhood group called "Red Apple Protest." They protested in favor of getting kids back in class last Monday in front of West University Elementary. The Red Apple Protesters were met by a counter-protester group dressed as the Grim Reaper holding signs that say, "Open Schools NOW!" Hebert said it's important to keep in mind that this is not about mom-shaming, but giving parents the choice when it comes to their kids' education. "If they don't feel safe, then absolutely keep their kids at home," Hebert said. "We just want our choice. We want to let our voices be heard." alison.medley@chron.com Stock Market Technical Patterns, Future Expectations and More We get a lot of questions from individuals every week. Our research posts contain a lot of varied examples of Technical Analysis, Economic Data Points, Advanced Price Theory, and other more obscure analysis techniques. Yet, sometimes our readers want to know more how do we read the tea leaves to try to adopt a consensus approach to trading, investing, and hedging the global markets at times like these? The easiest answer is that we are a team of technical researchers and analysts. Every day we are watching our proprietary modeling systems, various market symbols, and technical/price setups that occur throughout the globe. Because we specialize in US stocks, ETFs, and Futures, our concern is how the US market will react to these impulses. Having said that, we explore ideas about how capital will flow from one asset class to another over time as various rotations in the global market take place. Every week, we communicate different points of view and do so across different time frames which provides you with a full view of long and short term expectations and potential moves for stocks and commodities. Sometimes this can be confusing to follow if you dont understand the time horizon we are discussing. One article may be about a major double top in the stock market with long term bearish implications, and the next article about more upside potential in stocks as the stock market tries to fill the February price gap window. One is bearish, the other is bullish, both provide a ton of insight for a different type of trader and time horizon looking forward. The team is able to explore and identify any potential trade setup/trigger we believe is important for our future success. Our team can identify short, intermediate, or longer-term setups in any symbol or market segment. We then discuss the potential for each setup/trigger and attempt to validate the setup/trigger using our proprietary technology. We focus on confirmed trade setups originating from a variety of proprietary technology solutions that are aligned with our researchers general analysis. This keeps our team honed in on what is really happening in the markets as we attempt to identify the Best Asset Now related to potential risk and profit. The one thing that many people dont understand is how much we discuss RISK. The first thing any of our researchers accomplish before they suggest a trade setup is a Risk Analysis related to the price structure and future expectations. Our researchers may think a certain symbol or asset class is the greatest trade of the year, but risk factors associated with general market conditions, recent support/resistance levels, or volatility may disqualify that trade simply because we wont allow anything to take excessive risks for our members. Our view is there will always be another trade setting up in the next two or three days. Before you continue, we suggest taking a moment to read some of our other bigger picture research posts on silver, gold, and the US markets. Be sure to opt-in to our free market trend signals before closing this page so you dont miss our next special report! MARKET PERSPECTIVES We are sharing some of our most recent research with all of you to help you understand how we view different market perspectives and opportunities as triggers set up in the US stock market. We view some of these longer-term triggers as bigger waves that are setting up out in the ocean. When they hit the shore, they have the potential of disrupting things quite extensively and causing quite a bit of damage. But until they hit the shoreline, they are just big waves that are pending in the future. Our shorter-term systems help us navigate the smaller price rotations and are often what we fall back onto to confirm trade triggers. If the bigger wave suggest greater risk is a factor, then well adjust the targets and stops for our shorter-term triggers to help eliminate risk and turn the short-term trades into a scalping-type of trade. Quick in and out for 5% to 7% (or more) and then wait for the next setup. In a broader sense, we are simply navigating the seas and tides while attempting to identify the best opportunities for our members. We write about all types of technical and price pattern triggers even economic data. Internally, we focus on technical patterns and setups that are generated by our proprietary trading/modeling systems. So, when you read any of our public research posts, remember that internally we may be viewing things quite differently as the technical and modeling systems are only deployed for subscribers or members. MIRRORED 200 DAY MA SETUP This first example highlights what we believe is a very clear longer-term setup relating to the general market weakness across a broad segment of the US stock market. Back in February 2020, a similar type of pattern set up just before the February 24 collapse. Now, we have a bigger and broader divergence between the number of stocks above their 200 Day Moving Average levels while Bonds (TLT) is climbing higher. This, generally, warns that the markets are stalling and may settle into a downside price trend. Could the downside price trend be aggressive and volatile? You bet it could. But right now we know this big wave is pending and we also know that risks seem rather high for a downside price correction given this technical pattern setup. BEARISH DIVERGENCE This second chart highlights the Jobless Claims levels over the past 6+ months of 2020. The one thing we want to highlight is the moderate increase in the latest Jobless Claims level and how that may represent a second wave of COVID-19 cases prompting additional closures/shut-downs within the US economy in some states. The last thing this recovery effort needs right now is another wave of newly unemployed workers and this data could become a very real problem when you consider the spending, housing, mortgage, credit card, and other factors that are associated with a loss of income for any active consumer. There is a domino-process that is likely to take place if these workers are unable to find new jobs quickly. JOBLESS CLAIMS STARTING TO RISE AGAIN Now, as we close out this first part of our Technical Patterns, Trading Perceptions, Future Expectations, and More research post, we want to ask you if you would do anything differently than we currently do to attempt to effectively trade and manage risk levels throughout these incredible times and price swings in the global markets? Remember, we actually called these incredible price moves back in July/August 2019 (and earlier) with our Super-cycle research and other longer-term cycle analysis: July 24, 2019: THE BLACK HOLE IN GLOBAL BANKING IS BEING EXPOSED August 14, 2019: GLOBAL CENTRAL BANKS MOVE TO KEEP THE PARTY ROLLING August 28, 2019: PRECIOUS METALS ABOUT TO PULL A CRAZY IVAN Over the past 12 months, weve effectively called many of the biggest market moves and trends in some cases many months in advance. Our predictions related to precious metals have been highlighted on many other podcasts and segments. We consider it an honor to be included in others interpretations and presentations yet we also know the accuracy of our research is what really counts. This brings us back to the start of this post our efforts in generating these free research posts is to help you understand what we are thinking along different time horizons to help you develop your own consensus outcome. We hope you are gaining real value from our efforts because we are not going to stop now this is when you need us the most. 2020 through 2024 are going to include some of the biggest price swings weve seen in decades. Get our Active ETF Swing Trade Signals or if you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of my Passive Long-Term ETF Investing Signals which we are about to issue a new signal for subscribers. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 09:17:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were injured in an explosion on Thursday morning in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, local firefighters said. According to the firefighters, the explosion, which occurred at around 9 a.m. local time, is believed to have been caused by a gas leak. Enditem BUFFALO, N.Y., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB) announced today that Francesco Lagutaine will join the company as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, effective August 17, 2020. "At M&T, we seek to make a difference in people's lives, and our ambition is to be a distinctive bank that serves its customers better than anyone else. A robust Marketing and Communications Division is a vital component of any customer-centric organization. These are the teams that help us learn more about our customers, entice them to join us and tell the stories that bring our work to life," said Christopher Kay, Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Banking, Business Banking and Marketing. Francesco's expertise in leading transformative, customer-focused marketing and communications strategies, coupled with his passion for creativity, design and innovation, make him uniquely qualified to help us present the very best version of our company as we work to modernize our marketing infrastructure, understand our customers' journeys and drive business growth," said Kay. Lagutaine joins M&T with more than 20 years of global marketing and financial services expertise, including posts in London, Frankfurt, Singapore and New York City. Most recently, he served as Hong Kong-based Chief Marketing and Experience Design Officer for Manulife, where he was responsible for brand and marketing management, data analytics, customer experience design, digital and product marketing. Prior to that he served as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Customer Franchise at Citibank Asia Pacific, where he was responsible for brand, marketing, analytics, customer experience and digital. Lagutaine spent the first portion of his career in a variety of senior management roles for leading global advertising agencies, including Ogilvy & Mather, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Saatchi & Saatchi and Lowe & Partners. He earned a law degree from Univesita Statale degli Studi di Genova in Italy. "M&T bank has a great brand and a deep legacy of standing by their customers and supporting the communities they operate in. I am excited to join the M&T family and to work with their talented marketing and communications team to shape and tell our story across the country and across the world. And I look forward to working alongside the M&T team in serving our customers and supporting our communities in the moments that matter most," said Lagutaine. He and his family are relocating from Hong Kong to Buffalo, NY. About M&T Bank M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. 2020 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. Media Contact: C. Michael Zabel 716-842-2311 [email protected] SOURCE M&T Bank Corporation Related Links http://www.mandtbank.com A 48-year-old Easton man faces several felony drug charges after he was arrested Thursday morning in a traffic stop in the 200 block North 13th Street at the same time detectives searched his home several blocks away in the West Ward and found drugs and cash, city police report. City Vice Unit detectives, armed with an arrest warrant charging Christopher Gordon with delivery of crack cocaine, pulled him over about 6:45 a.m. and took him into custody, Lt. Matthew Gerould said. Gordon had been under surveillance, Gerould said. A K-9 from Wilson Borough police checked the champagne colored Chrysler sedan inside and out and a warrant will be obtained so a complete search can be done, Gerould said. At the same time, the departments Special Response Unit and vice detectives entered Gordons home at 435 S. Warren St. and recovered about $2,500 in crack, about $2,500 in heroin, about $700 in oxycodone, some MDMA and about $5,800 in cash, Gerould said. A second vehicle was confiscated at another location, Gerould said. Both vehicles were used in Gordons drug business, Gerould added. Controlled purchases of heroin and crack were made from Gordon in the public housing residence as part of the investigation, Gerould said. Easton police search a home July 30, 2020, after serving a warrant at 435 S. Warren St. in the city and recover crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, MDMA and about $5,800 in cash.Tony Rhodin | For lehighvalleylive.com A woman and two children were in the home when police entered but the woman is not charged with any crimes, Gerould said. City police will work with the Northampton County District Attorneys Office to take both vehicles through the forfeiture process, Gerould said. The money gained through the sale of such vehicles is reinvested in police departments in the county as well as funding parts of the DAs office. Gordon was arraigned before District Judge Richard Yetter III on charges stemming from the home search of possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine, possession with intent to deliver heroin, possession of a controlled substance (oxycodone and MDMA), and possession of drug paraphernalia, Gerould said. The delivery charge was withdrawn, records show. Gordon was housed in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $100,000, records show. His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Aug. 10 in Yetters court in Wilson Borough. Court papers do not list an attorney for Gordon. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. 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. More snow on the way in Pennsylvania; here's how much to expect She has jetted off to Turkey with new beau Carl Woods, son Junior, 15, and daughter Princess, 13, after having to leave son Harvey, 18, at home following his hospital stint. And Katie Price looked sensational as she posed for a photo with her two children and boyfriend, 31, while enjoying a day by the pool on Wednesday. The former glamour model, 42, said she has plans for a holiday with her eldest son after his hospital stint, which saw him fight for his life over a 10-day period in intensive care before he was discharged last week. Getaway: Katie Price posed in a sweet family snap with beau Carl Woods, and kids Junior and Princess during their Turkey trip on Wednesday In the sun-soaked photo Katie showed off her ample cleavage and slender stomach in a red-and-white bikini as she posed with her arms around her Princess and Junior. Her brunette locks were pulled back into a sleek ponytail and she wore a glamorous palette of make-up for the occasion. Princess put on a stylish display in a white two-piece, while Junior wore a pair of black-and-white graphic print swimming trunks. Carl posed behind Katie and wrapped one arm around her shoulders as he smouldered for the snap. Plans: The former glamour model, 42, is said to have plans for a holiday with her eldest son after his hospital stint, as he couldn't come on the family trip to Turkey Meanwhile, in a video obtained by The Sun Katie vowed to take son Harvey on holiday after she was forced to leave him at home with his carer rather than take him on the trip to Turkey. She was seen talking to Princess about the trip, and detailed her struggle to please every member of her family before coming up with the alternative plan. She explained to her eldest daughter: 'You've just lost Rolo, and was always going on holiday on Sunday, and Harvey was originally going as well. But because he's just come out of hospital this week I am not comfortable taking him. Doting mum: In a YouTube video obtained by The Sun, Katie said she would take Harvey on holiday with son Jett, six, and Bunny, five, after her return from Turkey 'When you go back to Pete's then I'm going to have Jett and Bunny and I'm going to take them on holiday with Harvey. 'Just because Harvey's come out of hospital this week and I don't want to risk anything. I can't keep everyone happy but I'm trying to.' Harvey fell ill when the family were celebrating Princess' 13th birthday at home, with Katie having to leave the party to be with her eldest child - who suffers from autism, blindness, septo-optic dysplasia and PraderWilli syndrome. Illness: Harvey fell ill last week when the family were celebrating Princess' 13th birthday at home, with Katie having to leave the party to be with her eldest child Harvey was rushed to hospital last week leaving Katie and the family deeply concerned, but was given the all clear to return home. However, he is not allowed to travel, and a source told The Sun: 'Doctors told Katie it would be better for Harvey's health if he stayed at home. She's heartbroken but of course she'll take doctors advice. 'Harvey will stay at home with his carer and Katie will still go - she's taking Princess and Junior and some of their friends and she didn't want to cancel their holiday and let them down, especially as Princess's birthday party was disrupted by Harvey going to hospital.' Katie is said to be 'heartbroken' that her son Harvey couldn't come with to Turkey as planned for the family trip. At least 212 environmental campaigners were murdered worldwide in 2019, Global Witness reports. Colombia and the Philippines combined accounted for just over half of the confirmed deaths. Deaths and killings are business as usual for President Rodrigo Duterte and his government. Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - At least 212 environmental campaigners were murdered worldwide in 2019, making last year the deadliest on record for frontline activists battling the destruction of nature, watchdog group Global Witness reported Wednesday. Colombia and the Philippines combined accounted for just over half of the confirmed deaths -- 64 and 43, respectively -- followed by Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. About 40 per cent of victims were indigenous people, and over two-thirds died in Latin America. One in ten were women. For decades, indigenous communities living in the forests of Central and South America, Asia and Africa have seen their ancestral lands degraded and destroyed, sometimes with the blessing of corrupt local or national governments. Most of 34 agribusiness-related killings occurred in Asia, especially the Philippines. Two Indonesian activists were stabbed to death in October near a palm oil plantation in northern Sumatra. In the Philippines, police and counter-insurgency operations led to the massacre of 14 sugar plantation farmers on Negros island in March, only months after nine others had been killed in similar circumstances. Burning forests not only robs the planet of greenhouse gas absorbing vegetation, it also releases stored CO2 into the atmosphere. Logging operations were directly linked to 24 deaths, with another 14 related to illegal crop substitution, 11 to land reform, and six to water management or dam construction. In the Philippines, a Manobo tribal chieftain was killed during a military bombardment while protesting rogue mining operations near Kitaotao, northern Mindanao. "The Philippines' remaining virgin forests -- like those protected by the Manobo -- are being felled for mineral extraction and profit," the report noted. "This is 'business as usual' for President Rodrigo Duterte and his government who are forging ahead with policies that prioritize fossil fuels and have passed draconian laws that can be used to silence those trying to stand in their way." Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Aiken, South Carolina for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 6 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Aiken, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Aiken with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Aiken. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Aiken, South Carolina please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-san-diego-ca/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Aiken, South Carolina (in alphabetical order) Aiken Center 1105 Gregg Highway Aiken, SC 29801 (803) 649-1900 alpha-behavioralALPHA Behavioral Health Center 804 Fair Street Camden, SC 29020 (803) 432-5813 Axis I Center of Barnwell 1644 Jackson Street Barnwell, SC 29812 (803) 541-1245 Cornerstone 1612 Rivers Street Greenwood, SC 29649 (864) 227-1001 Faith Home Christian Recovery 144 Faith Home Road Greenwood, SC 29649 (864) 223-0694 Three Rivers Behavioral Health 2900 Sunset Boulevard West Columbia, SC 29169 (803) 796-9911 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. Leaders across political lines on Thursday condoled the death of Congress president Somen Mitra describing him as a grassroot politician with deft organisational capacity. Mitra passed away at a Kolkata hospital early Thursday. He was 78. Veteran CPI(M) leader Biman Bose recalled his personal equations with Mitra and said his death was a blow to "the secular and democratic forces in the state who are trying to forge a united fight against the BJP and Trinamool Congress." Bose recalled how Mitra rose above partisan and kept personal equations with him and leaders of other parties. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said it was a great loss for Bengal "Somen da's death means the end of an era. We might have differences in political ideology. But over and above this he was a people's leader who had a long chequered political innings," Ghosh said. BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said "may the departed soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family." Trinamool Congress leader and senior minister Subrata Mukherjee said Mitra was instrumental in his baptism into as a student leader in early 70s and he (Mukherjee) and late Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi got immense support from Mitra as they worked for the party in 70s. "I had lost a great friend when Priyo da had died two years back. Now Somen has also gone all off a sudden. Last two days I heard he is recovering. But this morning got the shocking news," Mukherjee said. He described Mitra as a dedicated and brave party worker. MP Sougata Roy said Mitra was an organisational man and recalled "how he fought against Naxal and CPI(M) terror in 70s, and built up the youth congress and congress." "We don't belong to the same party but I have great respect for him," Roy said. Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Choudhury said: "I have lost my guardian in politics". Congress leader in the Assembly Abdul Mannan said "I was inducted into state level by Somen da. He was popular among grassroot workers and earned their love for his behaviour. "We had arguments and differences. But that never soured our relationship as an elder and younger brother. He was a legendary leader," Mannan said. Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said Mitra believed in "balance politics and he never believed in personal attack and acrimony." Mitra passed away around 1.30 am following a cardiac arrest, hospital sources said, adding that he had tested negative for COVID-19. He is survived by his wife and son. A three-time president of the Congress West Bengal unit from 1992-1996, 1996-1998 and then again from September 2018, Mitra was a seven-term MLA from the Sealdah assembly constituency. (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 Nordic nations are continuing to hold out against face masks even as most of the world either orders or recommends their use. Masks are a rare sight in supermarkets, on buses and along the streets in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Reykjavik, and most who do wear them are tourists. According to a recent survey by YouGov, only five to 10 per cent of respondents in the Nordic countries said they used a mask in public settings, a figure that has remained stable since the start of the crisis in March. At the same time, the corresponding figures have risen to between 70 and 80 per cent for most of the other 20 countries polled, including India and the United States. This graph from YouGov shows the percentage of people in each country who say they are wearing a face mask in public places. The countries along the bottom are all Scandinavian nations, while the graph also shows how mask usage has dramatically increased in the UK People walk along a street in Stockholm on Monday with nobody wearing masks, as continues to be normal in the Scandinavian nations Asked on Tuesday what might change his mind on recommending the use of face masks, Sweden's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said he was still waiting for 'some form of proof that they are effective'. 'I have the impression that if the government doesn't say clearly 'we advise you to wear a mask', nobody will,' 21-year-old French student Camille Fornaroli said, adding she was shocked to see how rare masks were in Stockholm. Birgitta Wedel, a 63-year-old pensioner, said she would have preferred if Sweden's authorities recommended masks, at least on public transport. But she added that she would keep going without one unless there was a shift in official policy. 'If they don't... I will not wear it because nobody else does,' Wedel said. Marten Sporrong, a 50-year-old businessman, also said he would follow government recommendations: 'If they tell us we don't need masks, we won't wear them'. Sweden has received global attention for its softer approach to curbing the spread of the virus which, coupled with a relatively higher death toll, has led to the region's largest country being shunned by its neighbours. But when it comes to masks, the Nordic nations look staunchly united. 'Except for Sweden, there are very few cases in those countries,' said KK Cheng, an epidemiologist at the University of Birmingham. 'So I don't blame them for not doing it, as long as they have reasonable social distancing and contact tracing is done properly,' Cheng added. SWEDEN: 80,100 cases, 5,739 deaths DENMARK: 13,725 cases, 614 deaths FINLAND: 7,423 cases, 329 deaths NORWAY: 9,172 cases, 255 deaths ICELAND: 1,872 cases, 10 deaths Cheng rejected also rejected Tegnell's dismissal of face masks, saying: 'I think it's wrong, it's irresponsible and it's stubborn. If he's wrong, it costs life. If I'm wrong, what harm does it do?' Britain is among the countries which has changed its stance on masks, having initially played down their effectiveness before making them compulsory in shops and on public transport. After the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its guidance, Danish health officials began cautiously recommending using masks in early July - such as when going to the hospital for a test or when you are coming back from a risk area. 'Face covers don't make sense in the current situation, where we have a consistently very low level of infection,' Soren Brostrom, director of the Danish Health Authority, told broadcaster DR on Tuesday. 'But could it make sense in the long-term, when we bump into each other on public transport and other situations? That is of course something that we will evaluate,' Brostrom added. Similarly, in Norway and Finland, although there is 'no opposition in principle,' masks are deemed an unnecessary precaution while the spread is low. 'It may be something that will have to be considered in the near future if the contamination increases,' Are Stuwitz Berg, a doctor with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, told AFP. Mika Salminen, director of Health Security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, told broadcaster YLE the issue would likely resurface 'when people begin to return from holidays to a greater extent, and of course if the epidemic situation changes radically.' A meeting of the Delhi Cabinet will be held on Thursday. The meeting will be chaired by Chief Minister The Chief Minister is scheduled to hold a press conference following the meeting. Yesterday, Kejriwal directed city officials to strictly follow the government's guideline about doing a RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) test on patients whose COVID-19 reports are negative despite showing symptoms. The also delinked the hotels that had tie-ups with hospitals to increase the COVID-19 beds in the capital. The decision was taken in light of reducing numbers of COVID-19 patients in the Union Territory. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A California family of eight was traveling from Antonio, Texas, to their home in San Diego when their journey took a horrific turn. Crystal Sparks, who is seven months pregnant, was driving along a dark, rural highway in New Mexico on July 12, when she lost control of the vehicle. Her husband, Brad Sparks, 42, and their kids Cameryn, 14, Bailey, 12, Landon, 10, Sadie, 7, Jackson, 5, and Wilson, 3, were all passengers in the Chevrolet Suburban. The Sparks family. (Courtesy of Kimberly Piccolo Correia) The SUV "rolled multiple times" and landed upside down in an area that wasnt visible to passing cars, according to a GoFundMe organized by Crystals aunt Kimberly Piccolo Correia. Unable to move, Brad was able to use voice command to access his Apple Watch to call for help, Piccolo Correia wrote. Help came but not enough for everyone. The couples beautiful daughter Bailey and sweet son Landon both died from their injuries. Though Crystal, 37, suffered a punctured lung and multiple broken bones, her unborn child, who is due in October, appears to be healthy and is maintaining a strong heartbeat, Piccolo Correia shared. According to a press release from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the initial investigation indicates the crash was due to driver fatigue. The department noted that alcohol was not involved and that the incident remains under investigation. In an emotional Facebook post, Crystal recalled the terrifying moments that followed after the crash. "As we lay trapped in our car in the dark, upside down and in shock, I wondered if thats how we would die. Brad was quick to start checking on the kids calling out their names. Sadie was able to tell us that she could see Landon outside of the car but his eyes were closed, but that Bailey was missing," Crystal wrote on July 19. Crystal, who has been discharged from the hospital, said her faith is bringing her comfort. "God is so good," she wrote. "He has been here in such tangible ways from the moment we went off the road... And in all of the comfort and peace He continues to give abundantly." Coronavirus may cause hearing problems in one in eight patients, according to a study. Audiologists at the University of Manchester followed 121 adults who were admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital with coronavirus. When asked about changes to their hearing, 16 people said their hearing was worse eight weeks after being discharged. Eight reported worse hearing and another eight reported tinnitus hearing noises, usually a ringing, in the ear. Researchers noted that other viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis can also cause hearing loss. Other coronaviruses known to infect humans can damage crucial nerves that carry information to and from the brain. Coronavirus may cause hearing problems according to a new study which found a significant number of Covid-19 patients reported symptoms eight weeks after being discharged from hospital (stock picture) Lead researcher Professor Kevin Munro said: 'It is possible, in theory, that Covid-19 could cause problems with parts of the auditory system including the middle ear or cochlea.' The middle ear is the tube that leads from the ear drum to the auditory nerve and throat. Coronavirus made me DEAF: American woman, 20, who contracted Covid-19 in Italy says the virus made her lose her hearing Julia Buscaglia, 20, a student at the University of Buffalo in upstate New York who moved to Florence in January, said she had a 'wet cough' and 'no symptoms were present that the CDC warned us about'. Posting to Twitter she explained how she returned home from hard-hit Italy, at the beginning of March. Julia said she was able to travel back into the United States where 'not a single person asked where I had been'. After testing positive she said: 'My jaw DROPPED. How was I positive? I didnt have the symptoms on the news.' In her harrowing personal account Julia told how her hearing became 'significantly less', adding: 'As Italy was starting to become a place of concern our program urged us to return home.' By March 3, her last day in Italy, Julia said she 'still couldnt hear', adding: 'At this point I lost all ability to taste and smell, yet I did not have a runny nose or cough. 'I had a headache constantly during the day which I just treated with Tylenol. I left the next morning to return to America.' Julia is now 'completely healthy'. Advertisement It passes by the cochlear a hollow, spiral-shaped bone found in the inner ear that plays a key role in the sense of hearing Professor Munro said: 'For example, auditory neuropathy, a hearing disorder where the cochlea is functioning but transmission along the auditory nerve to the brain is impaired could be a feature.' People with auditory neuropathy have difficulty hearing when there is background noise, such as in a pub. A condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome is also linked to auditory neuropathy, which is also known to be linked with the coronavirus. The participants of the study were asked about their hearing over the phone after they had been discharged. Sixteen people (13.2 per cent) reported their hearing was worse. Eight people reported deterioration in hearing, but four said they already had some problems with their hearing before Covid-19. Another eight reported tinnitus (hearing noises that are not caused by an outside source), three of whom already had pre-existing hearing loss. The results of the study, published in a letter to the International Journal of Audiology, added to fears that Covid-19 could have long-term impacts on hearing, particularly for those with existing issues. Notably the average age of the patients who reported hearing problems was 64 years old. The University of Manchester researchers say more work is needed to be able to identify why there is an association between the virus and hearing problems. Professor Munro added: 'While we are reasonably confident in the differentiation of pre-existing and recent changes in hearing and tinnitus, we urge caution. 'It is possible that factors other than Covid-19 may impact on pre-existing hearing loss and tinnitus. 'These might include stress and anxiety, including the use of face masks that make communication more difficult, medications used to treat Covid-19 that could damage the ear or other factors related to being critically ill. 'That is why we believe there is an urgent need for high-quality studies to investigate the acute and temporary effects of Covid-19 on hearing and the audiovestibular system. 'Timely evidence for decision-makers is urgently needed, so we need to be able to act quickly.' The new findings add to a growing body of evidence that suggests hearing is somewhat affected by Covid-19. Only in June, Professor Munro and his team did a systematic review of evidence linking Covid-19 and hearing loss. The found reports of hearing loss and tinnitus, but there were only a small number of studies and the quality of evidence was low. Tumar Alexander, left, has accepted an offer from Mayor Jim Kenney, center, to become Philadelphia's next managing director. Read more Mayor Jim Kenney has selected Tumar Alexander to become acting managing director, entrusting a widely respected City Hall veteran with Philadelphias top non-elected position as the city confronts the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing protests against systemic racism. Alexander, 45, who is currently first deputy managing director, will succeed Brian Abernathy in an acting capacity, Kenney spokesperson Deana Gamble said. Abernathy announced two weeks ago that he would step down on Sept. 4 following criticism of the citys response to protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Kenney previously said the administration would conduct a broad search for Abernathys permanent successor. Tumar is certainly under consideration for the [permanent] role, Gamble said. In the meantime, the review of the Managing Directors Office is still underway, and determining the best structure of the citys operating departments is the mayors current focus. Managing director, a position unique to Philadelphia, is essentially the chief operating officer, overseeing all city agencies and reporting to the mayor. Abernathy became a highly visible representative of the administration during his brief tenure, thanks to a combination of factors including the increased attention brought about by a time of crisis, Kenneys propensity to let deputies take front-and-center roles, and Abernathys forthright approach. That increased visibility may have cost Abernathy the position. He announced his planned resignation after becoming a target of demonstrators critical of the citys heavy-handed response to the protests. The role is likely to change under Alexander, who prefers to avoid the spotlight and work behind the scenes. That is one of the reasons Alexander is popular with City Council. Folks have illusions of self-grandeur. That is not something that Tumar Alexander has suffered from at all, Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker said in a recent interview. Hes been much more focused on putting his head down, making sure that the team is successful in delivering a final result.... Philadelphia needs him right now. Philadelphia needs his leadership. Abernathy, who is white, said when announcing his planned resignation that he would like to see someone who is African American, and maybe even an African American woman, succeed him as the city charts a path forward after the protests. Alexander, who is Black, got his start in Philadelphia politics volunteering for one of former Mayor John F. Streets campaigns and worked in the Managing Directors Office during Streets administration. During Mayor Michael Nutters tenure, he served as a deputy mayor and was the administrations chief liaison to Council. When relations between Council and Nutter deteriorated during Nutters second term, Alexander was known as one of the few administration officials who maintained credibility on both sides. Alexander will be Kenneys third managing director, following Abernathy and Mike DiBerardinis, who retired from city government in January 2019. Getting a hotel refund after the coronavirus pandemic can be complicated. With your situation, it was even more complicated because there was a third party involved: your online travel agency. Otel.coms terms and conditions suggest that its hotels have different refund policies. Some charge you upfront for the full amount, while others will bill you when you show up. But Otel.com doesnt say whose refund policy is more important -- the hotels or its own. It all looks like a provocation designed to obtain a certain resource that can be used later in international negotiations, said Ivan Pavlov, a prominent Russian lawyer, when presented with the details of Mr. Reeds case. This can be a bargaining chip. Prosecutors in Mr. Reeds case presented little forensic evidence, and the testimony of police officers was inconsistent. Mr. Reeds lawyers said that investigators also waited long enough that CCTV footage from inside the police car had expired and been deleted from the hard drive. This case, when I read it, I realized that it was just complete nonsense, said Sergei V. Nikitenkov, one of Mr. Reeds lawyers. Mr. Reed had met his Russian girlfriend, Alina V. Tsybulnik, 22, on a dating website in 2016. At the time, he was working for a private defense contractor in Afghanistan, and the two later met in person during a vacation in Greece. Ms. Tsybulnik also visited Mr. Reed in Texas several times over the past four years. In May 2019, Mr. Reed traveled to Russia to spend time with Ms. Tsybulnik, who is a lawyer, and learn Russian. One week before he was to leave, Ms. Tsybulniks friends held a party in a park outside Moscow. At the party, Mr. Reed drank more than 23 ounces of vodka, according to his lawyers. After the party, Ms. Tsybulniks friends offered to drive the couple home, but during the trip, Mr. Reed became increasingly agitated. He asked the driver to stop the car and began running drunkenly near a busy highway, while waving his hands and shouting incoherently, the court heard. Worried for his safety, his girlfriend and others called the police, according to Ms. Tsybulnik. Mr. Reed said in court that he has no memory of what happened that night after he drank five or six shots of vodka. On the occasion of GMT Magazines 20th anniversary (and WorldTempuss upcoming 20th anniversary in 2021), we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. The Millennium Watch Book is available exclusively now for pre-order at a discounted rate on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with delivery aimed just in time for the holiday season. In the coming weeks, WorldTempus will be exclusively sharing excerpts from the book, to give you a taste. Only a few days left to get an additional 10% discount on the Millennium Watch Book. To obtain your code, fill in the information requested in the dedicated area to the left of the article. Heres is an exclusive excerpt from our section One Year, One Watch, where we pick one watch to symbolise each year from 2000-2020. For more information, visit www.the-watch-book.com. Unique Flashback to the year 2000: the 20th century was drawing to a close. We were on the threshold of a new millennium that will outlast us all. From January 1, 2000 onwards, there would be those born in 19-something and everybody else. Henceforth, Gen Z would be taking the place of the Millennials. The year 2000 had long been a milestone in the collective imagination: the subject of dreams, paintings, and designs. In 1900, they imagined 2000 with air travel, deep-sea exploration, underground cities, time machines, and mobile houses. Which all goes to show that some predictions can be trusted. Watchmaking is all about measuring passing time and the year 2000 began with the fear of the Y2K Bug. The world was afraid of collapsing because computers wouldnt be able to read a date. How ironic! In the end nothing happened, and computer scientists everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. But lets get back to watchmaking: the challenge before us is to choose 21 watches that tell the story of the years 2000-2020. Where should we start? 2000 is a unique year, so the watch in question must be equally unique. The timepiece had to be the symbol of watchmakings past as well as its future. Like the magical number 2000, it must evoke something for everyone. It absolutely had to have a legendary name. And it must be one that has endured, so that it can take us by the hand, guide us along the path, and still be there in 2020. All that left only one possibility: the Rolex Daytona. At that time, Rolex was already an iconic brand, on the verge of achieving world domination. Cosmograph Daytona Rolex The Cosmograph, now regarded as the ultimate Daytona model, was a baby-boomer chronograph, presented at Basel sporting a new movement the 4130 made for the first time by Rolex. Gone were the Valjoux and Zenith movements of the 20th century. In that extraordinary year, the Daytona, first released in 1963, became a Rolex product through and through, looking to the future and the rest is history. Little-noticed when it first arrived, only attracting much greater scrutiny later, today its come to symbolise a new order in watchmaking. Having also become impossible to get hold of, its now the epitome of frustration marketing. Calibre 4130 Rolex The dawning century of watchmaking would come to be defined by many words: icon, myth, vintage, Manufacture, product placement, auction, star, China, and globalisation. All of those were to apply to the Daytona. And thats why its our watch for the year 2000. Why Rolex? The Geneva-based brand is the best-known in the world. Its aura comes from its incredible ability to resist both change and ageing. In and of itself, its the perfect counter-example of the era commencing in 2000. At a time when everyone was talking about growth, booms, crises, and globalisation, Rolex didnt budge, remaining true to its principles and confident in its vision. And thats precisely its strength. Rolex is a solid rock, a reference point, and a reassuring name. It invented watchmaking marketing and yet made non-communication a profitable strategy in a world that was on the cusp of placing too much value on image alone. The Rolex Daytona 116520 As the first Daytona fitted with an in-house calibre, the 116520 was when Rolexes became 100% inhouse-made. It wasnt until the end of the millennium that Rolex produced its own chronograph movement: and that was a sign. In doing so, Rolex strengthened its independence and its ethos of mechanical perfection. Cosmograph Daytona 116520 Rolex/Jean-Daniel Meyer In addition to the new, superbly-fashioned movement (albeit hidden behind the watchs spartan caseback), Rolex was discreetly changing other components, too: the dial, hands, and strap were subtly given a new design. By getting rid of the El Primero in favour of its own calibre, Rolex sought to close a chapter of its history: Queen 16520 is dead. Long live Queen 116520. But that was not to be. On its death in the spring of 2000, the Daytona Zenith became an overnight legend. Rolex had just invented another form of marketing: immortality marketing. The take from the devils advocate Lucifer likes the dark side of the force aspect of Rolex: its the brand of the powerful and symbolises despite itself a world of money and excess. More seriously, the Daytona 116520 is an unassailable watch; even its weaknesses are strengths. That said, it does have a few minor faults that have always bothered me a little. First of all, theres that silver circle round the counters, and all the wording on the dial. I think simplifying the dial would be a great way of Rolex coming more into line with its image of simplicity and discretion. But that wasnt how things played out in 2000. Well just have to wait until 2023 when the Daytona turns 60. The Swedru Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Samuel Yankey has cautioned the youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to cause mayhem before, during and after the December 7 polls. He said the Officers and men of the Ghana Police Service would not countenance or spare any group or individuals who will try to create violence in the Area. ACP Yankey who gave the warning when he addressed the Nyakrom Traditional Council Meeting at Nyakrom in the Agona West District of the Central region pledged to work to ensure peace and stability. The meeting attended by the Omanhene, Divisional Chiefs, Queenmothers and other sub-chiefs of the Council, was to take stock of the past and plan ahead as it discussed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations. The Swedru Divisional Police Commander warned residents in Agona West and other areas under the Divisional Command not to try to flout the electoral laws or face the consequences. ACP Yankey said the Parliament of Ghana has enacted laws against vigilantism and hooliganism to prevent threats to the Countrys democratic system which was peaceful over the years. He said the Police was on top of issues and was gathering intelligence on any group of persons or individuals who would attempt to break the law and will not hesitate to deal with such miscreants to maintain the peace. ACP Yankey said the Police have not recorded any nasty situation in connection with the ongoing Voter Registration exercise in the Agona West and other areas under the Swedru Divisional Command since the Electoral Commission (EC) started the exercise on Tuesday, June 30. ACP Yankey called on the Chiefs and Queenmothers to continue offering advice to the youth against engaging themselves in acts that would spark off violence during and after the election. He however, commended the residents for their discipline and sense of patriotism towards the registration exercise and urged them to maintain it even after the December election. On COVID-19 pandemic protocols, ACP Yankey called on the people to observe them to avert the spread of the virus, saying the outbreak of the pandemic had created huge social and economic problems globally. He said the police was ensuring that the laws put in place by President and Ghana Health Service concerning the COVID-19 were strictly enforced to ensure safety of the people. ACP Yankey therefore asked residents of the Swedru Divisional Command to refrain from flouting laws on Social Distancing, wearing of nose masks, private funerals and church services duration. He called on the people to cooperate with law enforcing agencies for peace to prevail at all times. Okofo Katakyi Nyakoh Eku X, Omanhene of Nyakrom Traditional Area commended the Swedru Divisional Police Command for its excellent work which had contributed to the peace prevailing in the Area. He reiterated call on the youth to refrain from allowing themselves to be used by the politicians for some few Ghana Cedis to cause disturbances during and after the election and urged all to register to gain the power to vote. The Omanhene warned the people in the traditional Area to be cautious and follow the COVID-19 pandemic protocols to contain the virus. Okofo Katakyi Nyakoh Eku said the Council would not hesitate to punish any persons or group who would flout the laws of COVID-19. He called on Divisional Chiefs, Clan Heads, Queenmothers and other kingmakers to intensify their educational campaign about the dangers posed by the pandemic and advised religious bodies to strictly adhere to the protocols to ensure their safety. 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 YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. A medical worker has died from the novel coronavirus in Armenia, the ministry of healthcare said today. In a statement the ministry of healthcare extended its condolences over the death of ambulance nurse Susanna Parsamyan. Recently two more healthcare workers have died from COVID-19 in Armenia. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) spoke with international students from universities around Australia this week about their dire circumstances, which have worsened amid the coronavirus pandemic and the criminally negligent policies of governments. A recent report highlighted egregious levels of wage theft targeting international students working in Australia to pay for rent, food and exorbitant course fees. It warned that financial hardship brought on by the coronavirus crisis will exacerbate the exploitation of international students. Governments have done virtually nothing to aid the hundreds of thousands of international students enrolled at universities across Australia. Many lost their jobs due to limited social distancing measures when lockdowns began in March. Now, amid a profit-driven, back to work campaign, they are being forced back into low-wage positions with poor conditions, and the threat of contracting the potentially deadly virus. Hundreds of international students lining up to collect food vouchers in Melbourne, June 1 [Credit: @BeauNewham, Twitter] The IYSSE spoke with a Pakistani student at Victoria University in Melbourne who said he lives hand to mouth. I cannot save anything. I pay so much for the fees at university and there are no jobs. He said universities gave a one-off payment of $1,200 to international students from the government, but he has received only $700 so far. The student said universities arent taking any real measures. There is no help for us students. A business student from China studying at Brisbanes Griffith University told the IYSSE that he previously worked part-time in restaurants and supermarkets, but had not received shifts since the pandemic began. He said: I have rarely heard of Chinese students ever getting the legal minimum wage. The maximum wage I have ever received is $18 per hour and the lowest wage Ive ever received is $12 per hour. The statutory minimum wage in Australia for part-time workers aged 20 is $18.49 per hour and $18.93 for workers aged 21. For international students, he said, fighting for the minimum wage is an uneconomical troublefew international students receive assistance in this area. It will affect students future work and life. Most of the time, students are reluctant to cause trouble. Like all the other students the IYSSE spoke to, the Chinese student indicated that neither the Australian government nor the government of his home country have given any assistance. He noted that the Morrison government has made it clear that it will not provide financial assistance to international students who encounter financial difficulties, and has said they should return to their country. He claimed that this was about putting Australias national interest first. The student told the IYSSE that, even if international students wanted to go home, governments have either closed borders, restricted flights or the price of tickets has sky-rocketed. The student also pointed to the relationship between Australia and China undoubtedly becoming more and more tense, and the impact on international students is becoming more and more obvious. He said the United States threatened expulsion of Chinese students and the anti-China propaganda of the US, the UK and Australia make increasingly clear their military hostility toward China. But I always believe that most Australians are against war and racism, he added. An IYSSE member distributed a questionnaire to 15 Chinese students. Of the respondents, one students wage was less than $10 per hour and 5 students wages were $1015 per hour. None of the students reported wages above $20 per hour. A third of the respondents said they never expected to receive the legal minimum wage. They all agreed that the Australian government was not helping international students. Some students pointed to a Chinese embassy program to distribute hygiene products to international students when lockdowns began, but said that it was insufficient. One student wrote in a comment: Chinese students overseas were abandoned. Another student from Victoria University, 22-year-old Amir, told the IYSSE that he lost his job when the COVID-19 crisis broke out. As international students, we have a lot of expenses like food, clothes, rent and insurance. My parents from Lebanon help me financially, but our countrys economy now is not good, so the banks refuse to give my family a loan. That makes it extra difficult as they were helping me get through this. Speaking on his studies, Amir said universities shut down to protect the students. Studying online is really difficult, though. The environment to study is not good, the connection to Zoom is not good, you cannot get good communication with friends and others in the class. There are also so many distractions, its hard to focus. Amir said his accounting course costs $14,000 per semester, adding but it is all online now. We arent using the university facilities, but it is the same cost. It is a really tough year for everybody and we have to pay it up front. There is no indication we are going to get any money back and they say I have to pay my future fees by July 31 or I get a late fine. Tharindu, originally from Sri Lanka, is a 29-year-old masters student at the Victorian Institute of Technology in central Melbourne. He lost his job as a cleaner at Monash University shortly after lockdowns were introduced in March. The contractor fired anyone with less than five years experience. Tharindu managed to find another job as a childcare cleaner, but noted that it is uncommon for international students to get work as quickly as he had. He is earning $17 per hour for his part-time job. Tharindu noted that working as a cleaner during the pandemic is not a pleasant experience, adding, we work under a lot of pressure because it is a cleaning job, so there are greater risks for everyone in cleaning jobs. The only precautions offered by the contractor were to advise that the workers get a government certificate regarding COVID-19 prevention and detection, and fill out questionnaires to report if they have any COVID-19 symptoms and to leave the premises if they do. Tharindu said he had to provide his own mask for work. Concerned for his health, Tharindu noted that international students are not eligible for government assistance for healthcare and are forced to pay thousands of dollars to get health insurance in order to secure a visa. He added that the situation has changed all over the world as a result of the pandemic and that many parents of international students are not able to send money for them as usual. He said that he knows other international students who relied on not-for-profits and donations for food. Even though I dont want to work during COVID-19, I have to work, Tharindu said. We know there is a greater risk for cleaners, but theres nothing else we can do because it is a very hard time for our parents as well. In Sri Lanka, they are on the brink of not having a wage because the government was saying they dont have enough money to pay salaries. Tharindu described his financial situation as very hard, stating we dont even buy clothes anymore. We have to focus on the essentials only. Denouncing the nationalist response of the Australian and other governments around the world to the pandemic, Tharindu said international students were shocked when Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that they should go home if they cant afford their expenses. My friends were fearful of what was going to happen because we were also unable to go homethere were no flights, he said. We are considered only as a means of income for the universities, not more than that, Tharindu stated. Governments label some groupsyou are students, migrants, temporary workersand try to find a way to avoid providing assistance and help to them, he said. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers in his far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government continue to cynically claim that India, under their leadership, is mounting a successful battle against COVID-19, the virus is in fact rampaging across the country; and is now deeply entrenched in both Indias teeming cities and in rural areas, where health care facilities are all but non-existent. Currently, India is the country with the third highest number of infections in the world after the US and Brazil. Total infections have surged passed the grim milestone of 1.5 million. India is also currently sixth in terms of recorded COVID-19 deaths, with 34,191 fatalities. However, it is widely recognised that the figures provided by Indias Ministry of Health and Family Welfare fall well short of the true number of infections and deaths. Even going by the official figures, India has one of the most rapidly rising case counts in the world. Official cases have doubled within just 19 days, compared to 40 days in the US and 36 days in Brazil. During the last six days, India has reported nearly 50,000 new cases daily, including 49,292 cases on Tuesday. Over the past 12 days, half a million new infections have been registered. Health workers screen residents for COVID-19 symptoms at Deonar slum in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) Leading epidemiologists and medical experts believe the impact of the pandemic is far greater than these figures suggest. In an interview with journalist Karan Thapar of The Wire on July 25, Bhramar Mukherjee, Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the University of Michigan, said that COVID-19 is surging like a storm across India. She expressed shock about the virus spread into villages with "fragile health care systems. According to Mukherjee's assessment, India has between 20 and 30 million undetected COVID-19 cases. Within six weeks, she believes the true number of infections will reach 100 million. The Times of India noted on Tuesday that half of the countrys 739 districts have reported at least 500 cases each. Of them, about 200 have more than 1,000 cases each and there has been at least one Covid-19 death in almost 80 percent of the districts, reported the Times. Painting a bleak picture of the situation, it added, Many of these emerging hotspots have scanty health infrastructure and managing an explosion of cases could prove beyond their capabilities. Already, cases in 11 districts are growing at double-digit rates. However, the Modi government has shown little concern over the pandemics rapid acceleration. Instead, it repeatedly parrots the claim that India is doing better than other countries. In his monthly national radio address on July 26, Modi advanced this line of argumentation, claiming that the recovery rate in our country is better compared to other countries, the mortality rate is much less as well, and India has also succeeded in saving the lives of millions of the people. These lies are meant to provide muster for the governments homicidal drive to reopen the economy, forcing workers back on the job amid the pandemic and with little to no safety measures. They are also a desperate attempt to cover up the scale of the disaster in the hope an explosion of popular anger against the Modi government and the entire ruling elite can be avoided. Even the governments own undercounted figures do not support Modis contention that India has been successful in coping with the coronavirus. In the Wire interview, Professor Mukherjee pointed to a survey showing that 23 percent or 5 million people in Delhi, India's National Capital Territory, have been infected with COVID-19. Mukherjee added, but only 100,000 (were) detected due to the low level of testing. India has only tested the equivalent of 1.2 percent of its 1.3 billion population (or 17.33 million samples). This equates to just over 11,400 tests per million people. The US meanwhile has tested the equivalent of 14 percent of its population and Russia 17 percent. We need to do 40 million more tests as of today, Mukherjee added She then went on to expose the bogus character of Indias COVID-19 recovery rate, a statistic that Modi and government officials are forever touting as proof of the efficacy of their efforts to contain the pandemic. According to the government's data, 63 percent of those infected by COVID-19 during the past six months have recovered. But Professor Mukherjee explained that the criteria used to determine who has recovered varies by country. For example, in the US a patient is declared recovered after two negative RT-PCR tests. I do not know how recovered is being determined (in India), said Mukherjee. I doubt two tests for everybody. (If that was the case) then the number of tests would have been much larger in India. The interviewer, Thapar, then recalled that in the Days of April two negative tests were required before you (were) allowed to leave hospital. However in June, the Delhi government decided if you dont have fever, are not symptomatic, you can be discharged without any tests. While there is no publicly available data about fatalities among cured COVID-19 patients, there are several well-documented cases of people dying shortly after being released from hospital, including at least one case while the patient was travelling home by bus. Mukherjee drew attention to the glaring levels of social inequality, although she did not elaborate on this pivotal issue. We dont have accurate hospitalization data in India. What I noticed from anecdotal sharing is that people who are rich and have connections are getting to the hospitals (while) poor people are not getting hospital care. Hospital admissions are not based on symptoms or severity but just economic status. Modi and the Indian ruling elite are desperately seeking to hide this reality. However, it is plain for all to see that the surge in India's caseload and deaths is the direct outcome of the decision taken by the Modi government and supported, and where they form the state government implemented, by the opposition to reopen the economy, so that big business can resume extracting profit from Indias impoverished workers and toilers. Modi allowed export industries and other key sectors like construction to resume operations even in so-called COVID-19 hotspots at the end of April, when India's official total COVID-19 caseload stood at 35,365, with 1,152 deaths. Following in the footsteps of the United States and the European powers, Modi and the Indian elite have embraced the disastrous and unscientific herd immunity policy, under which the virus is allowed to spread through the population essentially unhindered. Jayaprakash Muliyil, the chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the government's National Institute of Epidemiology and an outspoken proponent of reopening the economy and pursuing herd immunity, bluntly declared that With a substantial opening up of the lockdown, India may see at least two million deaths. Modis two-month-long, ill-prepared lockdown was not accompanied by any scientifically planned health care programme, let alone the mobilisation of vital resources to fight the pandemic. The Modi governments refusal to provide adequate financial and social support to millions of workers during the lockdown resulted in mass lay-offs and horrific scenes of social distress, especially for tens of millions of impoverished migrant workers. If the ruling elite learned anything from this experience, it is that they will not impose a second lockdown, even at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. Modi has vowed that there will not be another total lockdown no matter the death count. In an editorial Tuesday, the Times of India denounced even the limited restrictions that some state governments have re-imposed in the face of the massive spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. " [T]here can be no more excuses, declared the Times, for continuing with lockdowns after experiencing the massive economic damage they have wrought. The central government, it insisted, must get all states on board for unlocking plans for August. A mother has told how her son died after a 'rude and abrupt' NHS 111 operator failed to spot that the four-year-old's sudden rash and shortness of breath meant he was dangerously ill. Sherry Keane, from Liverpool, rang the health advice line in the middle of the night as she was so worried about Jaydan-Lee, who was also vomiting and lethargic. But the call handler failed to spot the deadly signs or call an ambulance and the little boy died the next day from meningococcal septicaemia. An investigation concluded Jaydan-Lee would have made a full recovery had his mother received the right medical advice in June 2016. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Ms Keane, 27, said she was furious the female call handler who was not medically trained was still working for 111. 'It's disgusting that she has been given a second chance,' she said. 'My little boy hasn't got a second chance he's not here because she didn't do her job properly. A mother has told how her son Jaydan-Lee (above) died after a 'rude and abrupt' NHS 111 operator failed to spot that the four-year-old's sudden rash and shortness of breath meant he was dangerously ill Sherry Keane rang the health advice line in the middle of the night as she was so 'worried about Jaydan-Lee, who was also vomiting and lethargic. But the call handler failed to spot the deadly signs and the little boy died the next day from meningococcal septicaemia 'She was rude, and didn't seem to care about my son or his condition. She talked over me, kept interrupting and was dismissive as if she just wanted the call to end. 'I was in a state, totally freaked out and worried about my little boy and her manner made me feel like I was a paranoid mother who shouldn't be wasting her time. 'She didn't listen to me - if she had my little boy would still be here today.' Ms Keane, who was awarded 15,000 compensation after the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust admitted medical negligence, is now suing for further damages. 'No amount of money can bring my little boy back,' she said. 'But the trust has changed its policy and now the call handlers have to be medically trained. 'It's too late for my little boy, but I hope my actions will stop another family having to go through what I had to.' Jaydan-Lee began to feel unwell after bumping his head at a bus stop as he travelled home from visiting his grandmother with Ms Keane. 'He was a boisterous little boy and was looking around as we waited for the bus and turned and bumped his head,' his mother said. 'There wasn't a lump or cut on his forehead, just a little red mark, so I wasn't worried.' An internal investigation concluded Jaydan-Lee would have made a full recovery had his mother received the right medical advice in June 2016. Ms Keane said she was furious the female call handler who was not medically trained is still working for 111 Ms Keane, who was awarded 15,000 compensation after the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust admitted medical negligence, is now suing them. Pictured: The rash he developed that night He seemed to recover but the next afternoon he began to feel unwell, falling asleep as he watched TV. When he woke he had a runny nose, a 'raspy' sounding chest and his mother presumed he was coming down with a cold. 'I gave him some Calpol but as I was taking him upstairs, he was sick, and I put him to bed and kept an eye on him,' she said. 'Later he developed a temperature and wanted to cuddle. I stripped him down to a vest and underwear and gave him some juice.' Ms Keane, who works for mobile operator 3, became worried when she noticed a blotchy rash on his legs and called 111 just after midnight on 13 June 2016. Jaydan-Lee was groaning in the background as she told the operator he had vomited, had a rash, was sleepy and fighting to breathe. When she tried to tell the handler about his high temperature and that his back was cold, the operator talked over her. An internal investigation found that at the end of the nine-minute call, the handler failed to identify that Jaydan-Lee needed urgent treatment and didn't send for an ambulance. She also didn't make sure that his mother had understood that she should take her little boy to hospital. An ambulance wasn't called until the following lunchtime when Jaydan-Lee who his mother thought was asleep became unresponsive. Jaydan-Lee began to feel unwell after bumping his head at a bus stop as he travelled home from visiting his grandmother with Ms Keane. 'He was a boisterous little boy and was looking around as we waited for the bus and turned and bumped his head,' his mother said He seemed to recover but the next afternoon he began to feel unwell, falling asleep as he watched TV. Ms Keane, who works for mobile operator 3, became worried when she noticed a blotchy rash on his legs and called 111 just after midnight on 13 June 2016 He'd had a cardiac arrest bought on by septic shock caused by meningococcal bacteria, possibly triggered by the bump on his head at the bus stop. Describing the horrific attempts to save his life, Ms Keane said: 'In the ambulance a paramedic was still doing chest compressions but after a while at the hospital the doctor asked me if I wanted them to stop. 'I told them as a mother I never wanted them to give up but if it wasn't going to bring my baby back, I wanted them to stop pounding on his little chest. 'I just couldn't believe that my little boy had been running around the day before, asking for his juice and wanting to play outside and now he was dead. I began screaming but no noise came out.' At an inquest into his death, recording a narrative verdict, the coroner said: 'During this consultation, the adviser failed to identity, explore and action several red flags. 'She failed to probe and access the information required in order to complete a proper assessment. It was quite evident the adviser did not listen and question effectively. 'If appropriate questioning and probing was carried out it is likely the consultation would have resulted in an ambulance being called with a red 2 response time of eight minutes.' An internal investigation found that at the end of the nine-minute call, the handler failed to identify that Jaydan-Lee needed urgent treatment and didn't send for an ambulance. She also didn't make sure that his mother had understood that she should take her little boy to hospital Ms Keane said although she now knew the truth, the pain was still raw: 'It doesn't stop me grieving for my baby every single day.' Pictured: Jaydan as a baby Dr Parviz Habibi PHd, a former consultant in paediatric intensive care and respiratory medicine at St Mary's Hospital, concluded that if a 'proper assessment' by the 111 caller had been carried out and an ambulance called or the mother had taken Jaydan-Lee to hospital he would have survived. The 111 handler kept her job and was paid while she was given extra training and then re-instated. A spokeswoman for North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said it was 'so very sorry' for his death. 'A full investigation was undertaken following Jaydan-Lee's death which did identify areas of learning for the trust and improvements have since been made. 'On this occasion, we fell below the standards that we expect and we are deeply sorry.' Ms Keane said although she now knew the truth, the pain was still raw: 'It doesn't stop me grieving for my baby every single day. His illness didn't kill him that 111 handler's failure to call him an ambulance did. 'I wish I'd trusted my mother's instincts and taken him straight to A & E, but I didn't and now I have to pay the price of losing my little boy. 'Jaydan-Lee isn't here and so I have to tell this story. I'm his voice and I need to make sure that other families don't go through anything like this.' The Chinese-owned app TikTok is under a security review by the U.S. government, which will make a recommendation on the matter to President Donald Trump next week, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Trump said Wednesday, "we are thinking about making a decision" about TikTok. The video-sharing social media app, is extremely popular in both the U.S. and around the world. It has already been downloaded 2 billion times worldwide and 165 million of those downloads were in the U.S. The app features not only entertainment videos, but also debates and takes positions on political issues, such as racial justice and the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Saturday, July 25 11:35 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to a Jerome Township residence for a report of a loud party. Deputies made contact with a 41-year-old man, who said he would shut the live band down soon because it was getting late. 10:01 p.m. A 51-year-old intoxicated woman called 9-1-1 to ask that deputies remove a shotgun from her home because she didn't want it there anymore. Contact was made with the 51-year-old husband, who said the gun was almost 40 years old and has been in the house for more than 10 years. He moved the unloaded shotgun from underneath the bed and into a different room so his intoxicated wife did not know where it was. No threats with the gun were made. 9:52 p.m. Deputies responded to a dog bite in Lincoln Township. 8:47 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jasper Township roadway for a report of a person driving a vehicle while possibly hanging a gun out the window in a non-threatening manner. The deputy was given plate information and followed up with the suspect at his residence. The 51-year-old denied having a gun, or hanging anything out the window. No firearm was located inside his vehicle. 7:25 p.m. A 42-year-old Mount Pleasant man was arrested for an outstanding warrant out of Saginaw County for failing to appear in court following a traffic stop of an 18-year-old boy for speeding. The 42-year-old was transported to Freeland and turned over to Saginaw County Sheriff's Office to be lodged. The driver was given a warning for his excessive speed. 5:40 p.m. Deputies responded to a vehicle crash in Greendale Township. 3:51 p.m. A deputy was dispatched toward an active flee-and-elude in Warren Township involving Gladwin County and Beaverton City Police. Prior to the deputy's arrival in the area, the suspect had crashed his bike and was taken into custody without incident. 2:56 p.m. Deputies responded to a two-vehicle traffic crash in Midland Township. Minor injuries were sustained. 1:39 p.m. A deputy responded to a car-deer crash in Larkin Township. 12:11 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 300 block of Ashman Street. 11:18 a.m. Deputies responded to a Edenville Township residence for a suicidal 20-year-old man. He was transported to MidMichigan Health ER for a mental health petition. 9:58 a.m. Officers responded to a breaking-and-entering in the 2600 block of Abbott Road. 9:14 a.m. A 29-year-old Ingersoll Township guardian reported a 16-year-old boy ran away from home. The investigation is ongoing. 8:55 a.m. Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in Geneva Township. 7:23 a.m. Deputies responded to a car-deer crash in Warren Township. 3:04 a.m. A 24-year-old Porter Township man was arrested for assaulting his 38-year-old live-in roommate. The 38-year-old did not suffer any injuries, but the 24-year-old suffered a laceration to his chin. The 24-year-old was transported to the MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland for his injuries. After getting medically cleared, he was transported to the Midland County Jail. NEW YORK and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Symphony Talent, a global company that helps recruitment leaders transform the talent experience through software and services, released today three enhancements to its SmashFlyX Programmatic Recruitment Advertising solution. The new features goal-based auto-campaigning, Connected TV (CTV) advertising, and global ad hoc job posting increase ad management efficiency and broaden employer brand awareness in video-based mediums. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Labor Department recently reported 31.8 million people were claiming unemployment insurance, about 1 in 5 workers. And with more people working and sheltering at home, a recent online study found that 75 percent of respondents are watching more streaming content than before the pandemic. "There is an exceptional opportunity for organizations to ensure job seekers are aware of the roles they're hiring for now, as well as roles that may open up down the line," said Roopesh Nair, CEO of Symphony Talent. "Amidst a lot of uncertainty, companies can still build pipelines of talent for engagement with potential hires." Furthering its breadth and depth of automation and omnimedia campaigning, SmashFlyX's new features include: Goal-based auto-campaigning: The first completely automated approach to recruitment advertising campaigns. The first completely automated approach to recruitment advertising campaigns. SmashFlyX will automatically search the CRM for well-matched candidates for a job; if there aren't enough by location or skill, it will recommend or boost advertising spend for that job to increase exposure and generate new applicants. Set your average time-to-fill goals once for every job type upfront, then the platform's proprietary machine learning will continually compare your actual time-to-fill to your goal time-to-fill, self-optimizing channels and spend to reach it. Connected TV advertising: According to eMarketer, 204 million U.S. viewers are predicted to watch CTV by 2022 . Additionally, connected TV ads show consistently higher completion rates (95%) than desktop (75%) and mobile (72%), as they are quick and mostly non-skippable. According to eMarketer, 204 million U.S. viewers are predicted to . Additionally, connected TV ads show consistently higher completion rates (95%) than desktop (75%) and mobile (72%), as they are quick and mostly non-skippable. SmashFlyX targets viewers by occupation on the flat screens they watch every day, from Hulu to Sling TV to CBS News Live. You upload your employer brand video ad, preview it on the appropriate channel, then SmashFlyX automatically tags, tracks and geotargets the campaign. For example, if you're a retailer with 500 stores in 16 states, geotargeting automatically sets up a 15-mile, zip code radius around each store, with no manual effort or human input necessary. Global ad hoc job posting: In traditional job distribution, if you need to post or focus on one specific job without a strategy or additional advertising running, it's manual and separate from the rest of your data. In traditional job distribution, if you need to post or focus on one specific job without a strategy or additional advertising running, it's manual and separate from the rest of your data. SmashFlyX allows you to browse 8,000+ job boards from domestic and international to college and professional associations and more and simply click to post, even if it's just one job requisition. This online shopping cart experience within SmashFlyX automates the purchasing and contracting, job distribution, and tracking and reporting. "We see so many organizations spending an exorbitant amount of time and resources advertising without insight," said Sean Quigley, vice president of product at Symphony Talent. "Our goal is to consistently add unique features that make our platform more intelligent, automated and limitless so recruitment advertising is stress free." Symphony Talent won an HRE Top Product Award in 2018 for its programmatic advertising solution, and just last month made it a core module of its SmashFlyX talent marketing platform , fully integrated with CRM and career sites. The company also has extensive creative and brand service expertise, supporting companies not only in advertising strategy and execution, but creating ad campaigns, assets and videos. More About Symphony Talent Symphony Talent is a global leader in transforming employer brand experiences through talent marketing software and services. Its talent marketing platform, SmashFlyX, unifies CRM, career site, talent mobility and programmatic advertising to help talent acquisition teams automate tasks for efficiency and empower interaction. Symphony Talent has won major awards in creative and employer brand services for EVP strategy, employer brand campaigns, career site design, and more. The company supports more than 600 customers across the globe, with headquarters in New York, London, Bangalore, and Belfast. Visit symphonytalent.com to learn more, and follow us on Twitter @SymphonyTalent_ and @SymphonyT_EU . SOURCE Symphony Talent Related Links http://symphonytalent.com Amravati : , July 30 (IANS) In a shocking development, a government hospital lab technician allegedly took a vaginal swab from a woman for conducting a Covid-19 test, officials said on Thursday. He has now been arrested for molestation and rape. The incident occurred on Tuesday, when the 23-year-old complainant had gone for a Covid test at the Trauma Care Testing Lab of the Badnera government hospital in the district, said Investigating Officer Punjab Wanjari. The woman, a mall employee, turned out to be a contact of a colleague who tested Covid-19 positive, and was sent along with 20 others to the TCTL for a corona test. After the test, the technician - identified as Alpesh A. Deshmukh, 30 - called up the woman to inform her that the Covid test was positive and she was required to undergo another test - a vaginal swab. "When she asked whether there are any female technicians for the second test, the accused replied in the negative, but allowed her to bring a female companion if she wanted," said Wanjari. Deshmukh took the swab and later informed her that the test was negative, which aroused suspicions in her mind. The woman subsequently confided in her brother, who enquired with a doctor and confirmed that there are no vaginal swab tests involved for Covid. "She immediately lodged a complaint and we arrested the accused. He was produced before a court and has been remanded to police custody till July 31," Wanjari told IANS. The incident sparked off a furore with Maharashtra Women & Child Development Yashomati Thakur - who is also Guardian Minister of Amravati district - demanding the most stringent punishment for the accused. "The accused technician has been booked under IPC's Sections 354 and 376. He will not be spared. This is shocking that such an incident can take place in a district which gave India its first woman President (Pratibha Patil)," Thakur said in a statement. Strongly condemning the incident, Bhumata Ranragini Brigade President Trupti Desai said besides the first women President, Amravati district has a woman Minister and Guardian Minister, and woman MP Navneet Kaur-Rana, which made it all the more shocking, and wondered what will be situation elsewhere. "This is a sheer atrocity on the dignity of a woman. We urged the government to immediately clear the proposed Disha Law to deter such culprits," Desai told IANS. The Ukrainian Armed Forces did not fire back. Russia's hybrid military forces on Wednesday, July 29, fired one provocative shot from a grenade launcher in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, amid the newly-agreed truce. "In the past day, one shot fired by the Russian Federation's armed formations from an under-barrel grenade launcher was recorded near the village of Novoluhanske. The shot was random and provocative, so our soldiers did not fire back," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on July 30, 2020. Read alsoCeasefire violations by enemy in Donbas "non-systemic," senior military official says "Since the beginning of the ceasefire, which started on July 27, there have been no Joint Forces casualties. Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other units of the defense forces are performing their tasks as intended," it said. Since Thursday midnight, enemy troops have also opened fire from a grenade launcher and rifles to stage an act of provocation near the village of Novotoshkivske. The Ukrainian Armed Forces did not fire back. In addition, the JFO HQ said 76 unknown explosive devices had been found by the State Emergency Service's units in the past day. "At the request of local administrations, Joint Forces' rescuers are repairing houses damaged by artillery shelling in previous years, performing work of different complexity. Joint Forces personnel have also provided medical and other assistance to over 20 Ukrainian citizens at the exit and entry checkpoints. Firefighters from the Joint Forces extinguished 33 fires over the past day. No civilian casualties were reported," the report says. Two small cities in the San Joaquin Valley that rejected public health orders to shut down certain businesses during the coronavirus pandemic remain defiant after the state took steps to withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid. At their city council meetings on Monday, leaders in Atwater, a city of 29,000 off Highway 99 in Merced County, and Coalinga, a city of 17,000 in the southwest corner of Fresno County, stood by resolutions they passed this spring allowing all businesses in their communities to reopen. The Governors Office of Emergency Services warned the cities last week that they could collectively lose about $600,000 of federal coronavirus relief unless they come into compliance with state health requirements. Both are located in hard-hit Central Valley counties that have recently emerged as hot spots for the virus. They are among areas where Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered the closure of bars, indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters, indoor worship services and other sectors believed to be likely venues for virus transmission. Local officials said it was an economic trade-off they are willing to make. They decry Newsom as a bully who is illegally denying them money they are owed. John Blanchard Atwater Mayor Paul Creighton, who led an effort in May to declare it a sanctuary city for all businesses, said he worried that shutting down again would cost more in lost tax revenue and failed businesses than whatever financial aid the state is offering. Slammed by the recession a decade ago, Atwater has long been considered one of the most fiscally challenged cities in the state. We dont want to be a ghost town, Creighton told The Chronicle on Wednesday. Were trying to navigate through this pandemic without being completely devastated by the end of it. Coalinga has tried to get around state closure orders by declaring every business in the city essential. The state isnt buying it. Ever since Newsom imposed the countrys first statewide stay-at-home order in March, lockdown measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus have become a highly combustible political battle in California. Protesters showed up at the Capitol in Sacramento in April urging the governor to reopen the state. Frustrated by the slow initial pace of reopening, several rural counties dropped shelter-in-place rules in early May in violation of the state order, prompting warnings from the Newsom administration that they might not receive disaster funds. Atwater and Coalinga, however, are the first communities to actually be penalized by the state for flouting pandemic regulations. The recently passed state budget included $1.8 billion in federally supplied coronavirus relief for cities and counties. It also gave Newsom the authority to withhold the money if his administration determined that a local government was not following state guidelines on coronavirus response. We give an enormous amount of power, control and authority to local government, but what were now looking for is accountability, Newsom said last month. Atwater was eligible to receive $387,428 and Coalinga $212,358 of the funding. But in similar letters last Thursday, Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Office of Emergency Services, informed them that the state would not provide the first allocation of that money until they rescinded their resolutions defying the business closures. Ghilarducci noted that both cities are located in counties with rising hospitalizations and rates of positive tests higher than the state average. Andrew Kuhn / Merced Sun-Star All of these actions were, and remain, necessary to preserve public health and safety, Ghilarducci wrote. COVID-19 does not stop at administrative boundaries and one communitys failure to follow public health orders will negatively impact other communities. Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the emergency services office, said the state remains optimistic that the two cities will rescind their resolutions. The goal is that we provide all of the money to all of the cities and counties, he said. The City Council in Coalinga passed a resolution on May 7 declaring all businesses in the city essential. Councilman Adam Adkisson said Wednesday it was a necessary step to preserve small businesses that could not otherwise make it through the pandemic. Gyms, houses of worship and even the movie theater in town are open, he said, though restaurants and other businesses with state licenses have been more cautious. Coalinga has recorded 157 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, a lower rate of infection than in most other cities in Fresno County. I would like to get the state off our back, Adkisson said. Were doing what we had to do to survive. He was one of four council members who voted down a motion Monday by Mayor Ron Lander to rescind the resolution, the Fresno Bee reported. The city is now seeking help from the federal government to get Newsom to hand over the relief money, and will consider in the coming week whether to file suit. Its like we didnt do his homework for him, so hes going to take our lunch money, Adkisson said. Atwater has suffered a larger outbreak than Coalinga 590 total cases as of Tuesday, compared with just 12 on May 15, when the City Council passed its sanctuary city resolution. Creighton, the mayor, dismissed any connection between the surge and keeping businesses open. He said the city has been following safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and encouraged the state to provide more testing supplies so officials could identify where the hot spots are in the community. We need their help, he said. We dont need their discipline. Atwater officials affirmed their stance at a City Council meeting Monday, which the Merced Sun-Star reported was also attended by activists with Freedom Angels, the anti-vaccine group that organized the Capitol protests. Creighton said Newsom is choosing winners and losers during the pandemic first among businesses that can remain open and now among cities that can receive federal aid. He said it was shocking and appalling that the governor is withholding money from one of the most vulnerable communities in the state, comparing it to abuse. He cant just be a bully all the time, the mayor said. Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff KAMPALA The German government has extended a grant of Euros 58.4 million (about Shs254b) towards the Uganda government for various development activities for the next two years. According to a press statement from the German Embassy in Kampala yesterday, the grant agreement between the two governments was reached at via video conferencing on Wednesday. Mr Patrick Ocailap, the deputy secretary to the Treasury, signed the agreement on behalf of Uganda. Another Euros 15.0 million (about Shs64b) in grants is envisaged for the public finance management reform programme following the approval of the German Parliament, the statement reads in parts. The grant, according to the German Embassy, will concentrate on developing Ugandas renewable energy, agriculture, rural development as well as governance and human rights. The specific areas of the German cooperation include creating jobs for the youth, promoting private sector development, enhancing access to electricity as well as fiscal management. In the field of agriculture, Germany contributes in particular EUR 20 million to enhance access to affordable credits for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the statement reads further. Through this, the German government envisions increasing productivity and creating incomes as well as employment opportunities in rural areas, especially for the youth. Germany is upscaling its support to local administrations with the aim of enhancing their service delivery function and to farmers with the goal of fostering their market integration. Furthermore programme activities to securing land rights as well as sustainable fisheries management were extended, the embassy said in the statement. Germanys bilateral programmes are implemented by GIZ (German International Cooperation) and KfW, a banking group. All initiatives support Uganda in implementing its National Development Plan III, the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union. Related Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Mecca, Saudi Arabia Thu, July 30, 2020 08:10 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a619d0 2 World Saudi-Arabia,coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus-effect,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Pilgrims were quarantined Tuesday in the Muslim holy city of Mecca ahead of the dramatically downsized haj as Saudi authorities strive to prevent a coronavirus outbreak during the five-day pilgrimage. Up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in the annual ritual starting Wednesday, according to haj officials, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million international pilgrims that attended last year. Those selected to take part in this year's haj were subject to temperature checks and placed in quarantine as they began trickling into Mecca at the weekend. State media showed health workers sanitizing their luggage, and some pilgrims reported being given electronic wristbands to allow authorities to monitor their whereabouts. Workers, clutching brooms and disinfectant, were seen cleaning the area around the Kaaba, the structure at the center of the Grand Mosque draped in gold-embroidered cloth towards which Muslims around the world pray. Haj authorities have cordoned the Kaaba this year, saying pilgrims will not be allowed to touch it, to limit the chances of infection. They also reported setting up multiple health facilities, mobile clinics and ambulances to cater to the pilgrims, who will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing. "There are no security-related concerns in this pilgrimage, but it is to protect pilgrims from the danger of the pandemic," Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, Saudi Arabia's director of public security, told reporters on Monday. Some 70 percent of the pilgrims are foreigners residing in the kingdom, while the rest will be Saudi citizens. All worshippers were required to be tested for coronavirus before arriving in Mecca and will also have to quarantine after the pilgrimage as the number of cases in the kingdom nears 270,000 -- one of the largest outbreaks in the Middle East. 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, according to a haj ministry program document. 'Indescribable feeling' The foreign press are barred from this year's haj, usually a huge global media event, as the government tightens access to Mecca. Saudi authorities initially said only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the kingdom would be permitted for the haj but local media reports say as many as 10,000 will be allowed to take part. The haj ministry has fielded a deluge of anguished queries on Twitter from rejected applicants. But Haj Minister Mohammad Benten insisted the process was transparent, telling the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television that "health determinants" formed the basis of selection. "I did not expect, among millions of Muslims, to be blessed with approval," Emirati pilgrim Abdullah Al-Kathiri said in a video released by the Saudi media ministry. "It is an indescribable feeling... especially since it is my first pilgrimage." The ministry said non-Saudi residents of the kingdom from around 160 countries competed in the online selection process. But it did not explain how many applied, and some disappointed pilgrims have complained that the government-run lottery was not clearly outlined and say no reason was given for their rejection. Despite the pandemic, many pilgrims consider it is safer to participate in this year's ritual without the usual colossal crowds cramming into tiny religious sites, which make it a logistical nightmare and a health hazard. Even in a regular year, the haj leaves pilgrims exposed to a host of viral illnesses. The government scaled back the pilgrimage as it could be a major source of contagion, but the move will deepen the kingdom's economic slump, analysts say. It comes as Saudi Arabia faces a sharp downturn in oil prices due to a collapse in global demand driven by national lockdowns, which triggered austerity measures including the tripling of a value added tax and cuts to civil servants' allowances. The haj and the year-round umrah pilgrimages together rake in some $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Telecommunications companies should also name government regulators contributing to delays and inefficiency in their services, Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday. During the Laging Handa virtual briefing, Poe stressed the administration should not just single out telcos for failing to improve their services. "Hindi natin sinasabing walang kasalanan ang telco. Kung problema talaga ang pagbibigay ng permit, dapat naglantad sila at sinabing ito ang mga tao sa likod nito na nagpapahirap [sa kanila]," said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services. [Translation: We are not saying that telcos are not entirely liable. If the issue is really about the issuance of pemits, tecos should have spoken up and revealed who are these people giving them a hard time.] Poe also called on local officials not to pressure telcos, especially amid the pandemic. "Wag niyong ipitin [ang service providers] dahil ito ay importante para sa kabuhayan, pag-aaral ng ating mga kababayan," she said. [Translation: Do not make things difficult to our service providers because their services are essential to the public.] Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier expressed a similar sentiment, saying President Rodrigo Duterte should have also issued a stern waning against local officials allegedly extorting money from telcos in exchange for licenses. He added that such problems are most prevalent in "areas where the presence of armed groups like the CPP-NPA is strong." In his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte warned telecommunication companies Smart and Globe to improve their services before December or be shut down and expropriated by the government. He noted that the two companies have been operating for years yet the public keeps getting "lousy" services and transactions. JOHANNESBURG, July 30 (Reuters) - The Zambian kwacha is likely to come under pressure in the coming week as month-end rebalancing sees some selling by corporate investors. In East Africa, currencies are set to remain range-bound. ZAMBIA The kwacha could weaken as companies complete hard currency sales to make month-end payments. On Thursday, commercial banks quoted the currency of Africa's second largest copper producer at 18.2140 from a close of 18.0810 a week ago. "We expect the local unit to face some headwinds in its quest to remain range-bound as big month-end corporate conversions have already been priced in," Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO) said in a note. KENYA The Kenyan shilling is also expected to be under pressure from increased dollar demand from the energy sector as international travel resumes in the east African economy. Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 107.60/80 per dollar, compared with 108.10/30 at last Thursday's close. A senior trader at one commercial bank said they expected to "see more demand for dollars from the oil sector," as international flights resume on Aug. 1. UGANDA The Ugandan shilling is seen firming, helped by inflows of hard currency from exports of commodities such as coffee. At 1040 GMT commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,683/3,693, compared to last Thursday's close of 3,680/3,690. "We're receiving a bit of inflow from exporters of commodities like coffee, as is usual at the end of the month," said a trader at a commercial bank in the capital Kampala. He said the local currency will likely trade in the 3,670-3,690 range, with a bias on the upper end. TANZANIA The Tanzanian shilling is expected to hold steady next week, drawing support from exports of agricultural commodities weighing against weak demand from energy and other sectors. Commercial banks quoted the local currency at 2,315/2,324, from an average of 2,310/19 a week ago under pressure from companies and manufacturers settling month-end payments in dollars, Terry Karanja, a treasury associate from AZA, a Nairobi-based forex trading firm said. "We expect the shilling to stabilise as agriculture export inflows support the currency this coming week," she said. She did not name specific commodities but Tanzania has traditionally exported coffee, tea, cashew nuts and tobacco. (Reporting by George Obulutsa, Chris Mfula, Elias Biryabarema; Compiled by Mfuneko Toyana; editing by Barbara Lewis) The Supreme Court yesterday Wednesday dismissed a suit challenging the accreditation of the Ghana School of Law as the sole institution to provide professional law courses in the country. The suit filed by Professor Stephen Asare known on social media as Kwaku Azar was essentially challenging the monopoly of the Ghana School as the only school accredited to train lawyers in Ghana. In his suit, the plaintiff had argued that the phenomenon was not proper and was seeking the Supreme Court to declare it as unconstitutional. It was his contention that all LLB candidates from the 11 approved faculties that qualified but are not admitted to the Ghana School of Law have nowhere in the country to go to pursue the professional course which would ultimately qualify them as lawyers. In the past few years, the failure rate of candidates taking the QCE after completing their professional course at the Ghana School of Law has been consistently high, evidencing that the school is unable to effectively train students or lacks the incentive to properly train candidates because of its monopoly position, Prof. Asare argued. Besides, he contended that because of the school monopoly position, failed students, whether at the entrance examination or QCE, cannot turn to other schools. They must either keep trying to enter or to exit the school. It is a classic case of a monopolist who has trapped its customers. Neither the school nor the regulator has an incentive to improve the passing rates under these circumstances. Rather, they have an incentive to increase the fees. In economics parlance, the students have become cash cows. Among the declaration he was seeking are: A declaration that the current monopoly enjoyed by the Ghana School of Law in the provision of the professional and post-law courses that prepare candidates for the qualifying certificate of examination violates Article 25(2). Declaration that pursuant to Article 25(2) of the Constitution accredited public and private universities have the right, at their own expense, to establish and maintain law faculties to offer the professional law course that prepares students for the qualifying certificate of examination. He was also seeking a declaration that the distinction between the professional law course, run by the Ghana School of Law, and the Academic Law Course, run by approved universities, is arbitrary and capricious and done only to further the monopoly power of the Ghana School of Law in violation of Article 296(b). Prof. Asare was, therefore, seeking an order directing the General Legal Council to provide regulations that allow approved law faculties and other private institutions to provide the professional course, or otherwise integrate this course in their curriculum, the completion of which entitles students to take the qualifying certificate examination or examinations, pursuant to Section 13(e) of Act 32. An order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants whether by themselves, their agents, assigns, privies, servants and whomsoever of whatever description from causing the School of Law to be opened for new students, pending the final determination of the substantive suit. But in a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel presided over by Justice Sule Gbadegbe, and assisted by Justices Yaw Appau, Samuel Marful-Sau, Agnes Dordzie, Nene Amegatcher, Prof. Nii Ashie Kotey, and Mariama Owusu dismissed the suit as not properly invoking the jurisdiction of the court. The court said the full reasons for the dismissal would be filed at its registry. ---Daily Guide Did Meghan Markle lie about herself to the world? Or did someone do that for her? Knowing that Wikipedia is probably the easiest site to get to know someone, someone certainly tried to make Meghan Markle more appealing to the world by changing her descriptions on Wikipedia. Probably forgetting that Wikipedia is easy to edit just by anyone, people have to rely on what this site has to say about something, or someone. After all, even though the information here is easy to change or add, it's hard to fathom why certain people would like to deliberately mislead others. However, a new report claims that Meghan Markle, or someone in her camp did. Meghan Markle's Wikipedia page was drastically altered just before her relationship with Prince Harry became a household topic. The report claims that the changes were made in the Duchess of Sussex's favor, painting her as a hardcore activist and humanitarian, instead of the original description of being a model. The section covering her modeling work simply no longer exist now. Apparently, it was easy to check. Record of changes made to Meghan Markle's page on Wikipedia showed several made on early October 2016. AT the time, people still do not she and Prince Harry were an item. In fact, they were already dating a lot then, and by the end of the month, news break out how serous they are to each other. The first change removed the very detailed original mention of her work as the "the model who held case #24 on the US version of the television game show "Deal or No Deal," Wikipedia's records of changes revealed. And then 10 minutes later after this change, another were made. This time, apart from being an actress, it was changed to her being a fashion model, spokesmodel" to one who was an "Activist, Humanitarian," Following that, the entry pegged her as someone "involved in the socio-political arena." Information now showed that she's no longer JUST a feeble actress. Instead, she's now someone who have "worked with The United Nations Women, where, as an Advocate" and had the experience of presenting "at UN Headquarters for the HeforShe Gender Equality Campaign in September 2014." Her long list of achievements now include being a panelist for 'One Young World,: and being able to travel to Afghanistan with the Joint Chief of Staff on the USO tour, which took place back in 2014. Two days later, another achievement added on her Wikipedia page was that she founded the lifestyle blog, TIG. According to the Telegraph, tracing who made the changes were nonpromising. The changes appeared to be made anonymously from an IP address of a LA PR firm but no known links to the duchess. Analysis claimed that it could be any one among Meghan Markle's friends, who were aware that her royal dalliance with Prince Harry was about to go public. None of the information were really and absolutely, made up though is the founder of TIg. and she indeed, had been an activist. But for the changes to the made on a site ordinary people access to get information is still quite suspicious and controversial. It even reeks of desperation. Reps for Meghan did not comment yet, in spite of requests to do so. READ MORE: Finding Freedom: Top 3 Most Shocking Revelations in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Bombshell Biograph Hangal : , July 30 (IANS) A group of seven women with no medical knowledge in Karnataka's Haveri district have helped a woman deliver a baby boy in an emergency situation, guided by a doctor on video call. "Seven of us helped our neighbour Vasavi Pathepur deliver a baby boy successfully, guided by gynaecologist Priyanka Mantagi," Jyoti Madi of Hangal village, 370 km northwest of Bengaluru, told IANS. On Sunday, Pathepur was going to the washroom when she unexpectedly went into labour and her foetus had already come out a little by then. As a complete lockdown was being observed across the state, the nearest government hospital was not accessible as an ambulance was not readily available, creating an emergency situation. "At this juncture, we gathered together and were deciding what to do when one of our sisters remembered her childhood friend Mantagi, currently pursuing MD in gynaecology in KIMS Hubli, and we contacted her," said Madi. Fortunately, Mantagi was available when she was contacted though she has been extremely busy discharging Covid duties. "Mantagi suggested that she would make a video call and guide us through the process for a safe delivery, resulting in the birth of the baby boy," said an elated Madi. Following the gynaecologist's directions, the women managed the delivery. After the procedure, the ambulance arrived to take the mother and baby to a hospital. In her first delivery, Pathepur had given birth to a baby girl through C-Section. "We have not done anything great. It is all God's grace," said Madi. While many people are connecting the video call delivery to a similar incidence shown in the Aamir Khan starrer hit flick "Three Idiots", which released more than a decade ago, Madi said it was a movie whereas they did it in real life. Madi has completed her engineering and lives in Bengaluru. Currently she is at her mother's home in the village because of the Covid-induced lockdown. The other six women who were involved in the delivery are Ankita Vedambhattanavar, an MCA graduate from Bengaluru, Madhulika Desai, advocate, Madhuri Kamanahalli, Vijayalaxmi Joshi and Mukta Kamanahalli, homemakers, and Shivaleela Pattara, a government teacher, all from the same village. Unacademy | Headcount: 1,500 | Headquarters: Bengaluru | Year founded: 2015 | In 2020, Facebook-backed Unacademy became the second edutech startup to become a unicorn (startups valued at over $1 billion). (Representative Image: Pixabay) The National Education Policy 2020 that was cleared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet on July 29 seeks to bring a sea change in the Indian education system and make the curriculum of schools and colleges more skill-oriented. There will not only be a change in the way a student studies but also in the way examinations are conducted and the final assessment is provided. Also, there will be a lot more flexibility to choose subjects in schools and colleges. However, concerns remain about how it will be implemented. Moneycontrol brings you voices from across the education industry: Malabika Sarkar, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University Academic credits will be helpful The Gross Enrollment Ratio of 50 percent is an important target and all universities must contribute to it. The initiatives announced under NEP 2020 should help achieve this target. The government-recognised multiple the entry and exit options at the undergraduate level will give more options to the youth. This, supported by an Academic Bank of Credit to digitally store academic credits, will go a long way in providing a favourable environment to students to plan their education. Rustom Kerawalla, Chairman of Ampersand Group (owner of VIBGYOR Group of Schools) Vocational learning to help school students NEP 2020 lays special emphasis on Early Child Care Education (ECCE) and development by including a play-based multi-faceted curriculum. The universalisation of ECCE will lay the foundation for the development of every child and will be able to honour unique skill-sets at an early age. The integration of co-curricular subjects at par will help students honour their hobbies and skills and make value addition in the areas of preference. Project-based learning, vocational learning at an early age, and learning of life skills and inclusion of technology will help a child realise ambitions, gain multi-dimensional knowledge and universal skills and lay the foundation for higher education. Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, Shahani Group Akhil Shahani, MD, Shahani Group Should have been implemented long ago NEP should have been implemented years ago to enable India's education system to catch up with that of other fast-developing nations in Asia. The focus on light government regulation, multidisciplinary institutions and creating equivalence of vocational and academic streams are welcome, but these have been a part of other countries' education models for years. Also read: All you need to know about the National Education Policy It would have been good to have some more innovative ideas implemented like recognition of pathway/twinning programmes with foreign universities, permission for for-profit firms to set up schools & colleges, allowing corporate CSR funding for primary research in universities and allowing universities to offer online degrees to outside their geographical jurisdiction. As education is a state subject, it is important for the central government to create a mechanism to ensure each state implements these new policies effectively. Narayanan Ramaswamy, Partner and Sector Head - Education and Skill Development, KPMG in India Skill-based learning to get a boost NEP signals the end of ROTE and brings in assessments based on the application of core concepts, introduces skills from grade 6 onwards, enabling every child to have at least one skill at the end of school education. The emphasis on multidisciplinary education and flexibility of subjects is interesting and will help in broad basing the thinking for the next generation. I feel that graded autonomy, single regulator, phasing out affiliation system in 15 years, special education zones, emphasis on language, multiple entry and exit will herald a transformation in Indian higher education. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur IIM Sambalpur Director Mahadeo Jaiswal Allowing entry of global institutes is a welcome change Allowing global institutes to set up campuses in India is also a positive move as it will increase competition because it will open up our education system and it will also help sustain high talent in the country as students dont have to move out to pursue education. Changing the pedagogical structure from a 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system is in line with international educational standards. Due to the small structure of our IIMs and IITs, despite having ample talent, they were unable to figure in the top 100 institutes of the world. Allowing technical institutes to become multi-disciplinary will help IIMs and IITs to start other departments like medical etc and make their size bigger and allow them to admit more students. This will enable them to compete with the elite institutes of the world and become at par with them in the coming years. Diversification makes education more complete and helps increase intellectual outcome. Overall, the changes have been made according to the global system of education. This will also help attract foreign students to India and help the economy as well. Manoj K Arora, Vice-Chancellor, BML Munjal University Build your own degree Universities need to be research intensive, enterprising and multi-disciplinary. NEP talks about the importance of liberal arts and that curricula needed to be hugely flexible. Multiple exit/entry and the credit bank will give students a lot of flexibility in getting educated and earning degrees while they are working. We are moving towards the concept of building your own degree. We believe that we as a university and the country as a whole are going to immensely benefit, and look forward to its fair implementation. Mayank Kumar, MD and co-founder, UpGrad Mayank Kumar, MD and co-founder, UpGrad Edtech players will get a boost Hopefully, once the NEP extends the RTE to 18 years, it'll be the first step to democratize higher education as well. The entire premise of increasing GER to thereby increase the GDP of the country will fall flat if the now 'educated' 18-year-olds are not 'employable'. So, this will be the much-awaited and much-needed first step towards the larger goal of creating a stronger Bharatiya work-force. Given the contextuality of the current situation when the NEP has gotten approved, I expect a significant push for online education, as right now 'education' and 'online education' are synonymous. The push would invariably lead to mushrooming of more edtech players in the already crowded-sector, allowing choices for the learner and fueling a price war for the players. This is where 'quality', one of the foundational pillars the draft NEP is based on, will drive value & outcome for the learners. Sumeet Jain, Co-founder and Higher Education expert at study abroad platform Yocket Which foreign university will get entry into India? Under the NEP the worlds top 100 foreign universities will be facilitated to operate in India through a new law. According to the HRD Ministry document, listing salient features of policy, such (foreign) universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India. This is a big announcement but not very clear. How are they going to decide the top 100 universities? Which list will they be using it? What are the parameters to choose this 100 universities? This certainly can be a great opportunity for universities to open a campus in India. It will be very important to see how easy it is for the universities to set this up. Many universities would like to open up options where they can provide students with multiple campus courses. This could make studying in foreign universities more accessible. I hope there are some check and balances which ensure that these universities ensure quality in India. We should look at skilling our youth with the help of these existing foreign universities. Sridhar Rajagopalan, co-Founder and chief learning officer, Educational Initiatives (edtech firm) Mother tongue as medium of instruction is welcome Education should in mother tongue or local language at least till class 5 after which should be in English- this approach has a lot of benefits. Pedagogical research has established beyond much doubt that children learn best if they learn in their mother tongue (or local language) in the primary classes. This does not mean that children should not learn English. It only means that English should not be the medium of instruction in the primary years. The medium of instruction should be the language that is most prevalent in the child's surroundings. OTTAWAWE Charity proposed using public money for short-term contracts ranging from $30,000 to $125,000 for its own workers to administer a government program for students volunteers that was scrapped amidst a political firestorm, documents obtained by the Star reveal. Dated May 4, the proposal gives the most detailed picture yet of how the Toronto-based charity planned to use millions of dollars in payments from Ottawa to design and deliver the $543.5-million program, which was cancelled this month in the face of a conflict of interest scandal for the Liberal government. The revised proposal from May 4 outlines an initial budget of $19.5 million to deliver the program to a first tranche of 20,000 student volunteers an amount that matches the minimum payment granted to WE Charity when it was awarded the contract in June. The document spells out how WE Charity could use this money for remuneration of more than 190 workers to administer the initial phase of the program. In an emailed response to questions from the Star, WE said these amounts include compensation and all employment related costs like pension and employment insurance payments, as well as recruitment and training costs. The budget outlines how 175 program managers would cost $30,000 each for four and a half months work. Ten supervisors would cost $45,000 each for five and a half months on the job, while five group leaders and two project leaders would each cost $70,000 and $125,000 for six and eight months work respectively, the proposal says. In its email, WE Charity described the May 4 document as a working draft with a proposed budget that was being regularly changed in discussions with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the federal department responsible for the grant program. The charity said its proposed budget was calculated based on expected expenses determined by our team according to the parameters of the program provided by the government. The federal program called the Canada Student Service Grant would have given student volunteers $5,000 for 500 hours of service, payouts that translate to less than minimum wage in every province and territory. WE said payments from government were only meant to cover eligible expenses to deliver the program and that the charity would not have profited from administering it. Dani Keenan, a spokesperson for Diversity, Inclusion and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, said by email Wednesday that the COVID-19 cabinet committee endorsed WE Charity as a third party to deliver the program on May 5, while the entire cabinet approved the plan on May 22. Keenan said the total payments to WE under the contract would have represented about eight per cent of the maximum $543-million program budget, and that those costs were in line with those of other similar programs ... delivered by third parties in previous years. She did not say whether the government signed off on budget details contained in the May 4 proposal, but said the government sets high level funding parameters in third-party agreements like this and that any administrative costs like salaries must be reasonable. The May 4 proposal outlines several other budget items from the initial payment of $19.5 million, including: $2.5 million for admin costs for WE Charity; $295,000 for recruitment and advertising; $280,000 for human resources support participants; $120,000 for social media co-ordination; $120,000 for story telling and content sharing. Alongside budgetary details, the May 4 proposal shows the charity was willing to white label the national program a marketing description for when an entity makes a product but doesnt place its brand on it. The June 23 funding agreement refers to a white label for the online platform created by WE Charity to connect students with volunteer opportunities. Neither Chagger nor Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned WE Charity was running the grant program in their prepared remarks when they announced the program on June 25, leaving the information to background documents released online. In its response to a question from the Star about the white-label offer, WE Charity said it would not have sought any branding recognition for its role and that this was at the direct request of ESDC. Keenan said that WE Charity offered to deliver the program under the governments branding. The decision to award the program contract to WE sparked questions and accusations against the Liberal government over ties between the charity and family members of Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Trudeaus wife, brother and mother have collectively received more than $280,000 to appear at WE events, the charity has said. Morneau disclosed that he had repaid more than $40,000 to the charity to cover costs of international trips that he and his family took with the organization. Both politicians have admitted they took part in the Liberal cabinet decision on May 22 to award the contract for the student volunteer program to WE Charity and have apologized. Meanwhile, the House of Commons ethics commissioner is investigating them for potentially breaking Parliaments conflict of interest law. The Commons finance committee has held hearings on the matter, and will hear Thursday from Trudeau and his chief of staff, Katie Telford. According to previous testimony from several people including Morneau, WE Charity founders Marc and Craig Kielburger, and public service staff and documents tabled with the committee, WE became involved in the program as the government tried to create a program to pay post-secondary students for volunteer work this summer amid the pandemic. Appearing at the committee on July 22, Michelle Kovacevic, an assistant deputy minister in the finance department, said she received a copy of a May 4 proposal from WE Charity to deliver the volunteer grant program on May 7. Testifying that same day, Morneau told the committee that Chagger presented her initial proposal for WE Charity to administer the grant initiative to the governments COVID-19 cabinet committee on May 5. The written proposal obtained by the Star is dated the previous day, and includes more than 60 pages detailing how WE Charity would deliver the program. It proposed that Ottawa pay WE $19.5 million to deliver the program for the first cohort of 20,000 students, with $5 million of that money going to partner non-profits that would host volunteer gigs. The document also proposed WE receive another $13.7 million for each additional tranche of 20,000 volunteers. In the funding agreement inked on June 23 and released publicly by the Commons finance committee the government agreed to pay WE $19.5 million for the first cohort. It would get another $13.5 million if there was a second tranche of 20,000, and $10.5 million for volunteers beyond that. The total budget was for $543 million: $500 million directed through WE Charity to up to 100,000 student volunteers, and up to $43.5 million to pay the charity for its work. Keenan, Chaggers spokesperson, said Wednesday that it was possible the budget would increase if there was further demand for positions; the initial budget for the program was earmarked at $912 million when it was first envisioned in April. The agreement also said WE Charity would get $30 million of this money upon signing the contract. During their appearance at the finance committee on Tuesday, the Kielburgers acknowledged receiving this money and said the charity is refunding it now that the program has been cancelled. The American Red Cross is clamoring for plasma donations, weeks after at least one Connecticut hospital system closed its own collection centers. The Red Cross issued a plea this week for convalescent plasma, claiming the demand for the potentially life-saving treatment for COVID-19 patients had more than doubled over the past month as cases increase nationwide. Were distributing convalescent plasma products faster than that kind of donation is coming in, said Mary Brant, a spokeswoman for American Red Cross. Convalescent plasma is collected from people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies for the illness in their blood. Since April, the Red Cross has collected and distributed more than 20,000 convalescent plasma products nationwide, Brant said. In Connecticut, however, at least one hospital chain has put its plasma collections on hold, citing a decrease in cases and surplus of donations. On July 13, Nuvance Health which includes Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon hospitals announced it was suspending activity at the plasma collection centers at Danbury Hospital, Norwalk Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in New York. At that time, Nuvance said the decision was based on a decline in local COVID cases and a reserve of more than 600 units of plasma stored for future use. Nuvance Health put its convalescent plasma donation program on hold for the near term because local infection rates in Connecticut and New York remain low, Dr. Diane Kantaros, Nuvances chief quality officer, said Wednesday in a statement. We greatly appreciate our donors who helped us treat over 300 patients in our hospitals with convalescent plasma. To help with the nationwide surge in cases, were encouraging our donors who want to continue donating their plasma to donate directly to the American Red Cross and New York Blood Center. Kantaros added that Nuvance was prepared to restart its plasma program if theres a second wave in the region. Many other area hospitals do not have on-site collection centers, and have directed potential donors to agencies like the Red Cross and the New York Blood Center. Greenwich Hospital, for example, works with the New York Blood Center and continues to actively encourage patients to donate convalescent plasma at the facility, said Magaly Olivero, a spokeswoman for the facility. Stamford Hospital has never had its own collection center, but encourages COVID survivors to donate to the New York Blood Center and the Red Cross. Since the Red Cross is a national organization, Brant said donations are distributed wherever there is a need in the U.S. Unlike the blood drives that occur in various locations across the country, most states have specific centers for plasma collection. In Connecticut, the Red Cross plasma collection center is at the Farmington Platelet Donation Center. Potential donors can make an appointment online. Since the COVID crisis began, Brant said, shes been impressed with the way people have stepped up to help, and hopes they continue to do so. Its always amazing to me that, in times like these, you see the very best of humanity, she said. Its amazing to see people who have just finished battling disease and as soon as they saw they had the antibodies to help, wanted to donate. For more information on how to donate, visit the Red Cross website. Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Savings Bank of Ukraine Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 London, 30 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Savings Bank of Ukraine and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Key rating considerations are summarized below. Savings Bank of Ukraine's (SBU's) B3 long-term local currency deposit rating incorporates its b3 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) and Moody's assessment of a very high probability of government support. This support assumption does not result in any rating uplift because the government rating is at the same level as the bank's BCA. SBU's long-term foreign currency deposit rating of Caa1 is capped by Ukraine's foreign currency deposit ceiling, also Caa1. SBU's BCA is constrained by its high level of problem loans and weak recurring profitability. At the same time its BCA reflects the bank's (1) strong banking franchise in Ukraine; (2) high direct exposure to sovereign debt and government-related borrowers; and (3) high level of liquid assets and recently improved capital buffer. Story continues This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period. The principal methodology used for this review was Banks Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit. This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Svetlana Pavlova, CFA Asst Vice President - Analyst Financial Institutions Group Moody's Investors Service Limited, Russian Branch 7th floor, Four Winds Plaza 21 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya St. Moscow 125047 Russia JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Yaroslav Sovgyra, CFA Associate Managing Director Financial Institutions Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Ltd. 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As most of the world either orders or recommends the use of face masks, with even US president Donald Trump seen wearing one, Nordic nations are the remaining holdouts. In supermarkets, on buses, and along the streets of capitals -- such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Reykjavik -- face masks are a rare sight, worn only by a small minority, many of who are tourists. According to a recent survey by YouGov, only five to 10 percent of respondents in the Nordic countries said they used a mask in public settings, a figure that has remained stable since the start of the crisis in March. At the same time, the corresponding figures have risen to between 70 and 80 percent for most of the other 20 countries polled, including India and the United States. "I have the impression that if the government doesn't say clearly 'we advise you to wear a mask', nobody will," 21-year-old French student Camille Fornaroli told AFP, adding she was shocked to see how rare masks were in Stockholm. - Following recommendations - Birgitta Wedel, a 63-year-old pensioner, told AFP she would have preferred if Sweden's authorities recommended masks, at least on public transport. But she added that she would keep going without one unless there was a shift in official policy. "If they don't... I will not wear it because nobody else does," Wedel said. Marten Sporrong, a 50-year-old businessman, also said he would follow government recommendations: "If they tell us we don't need masks, we won't wear them". Sweden has received global attention for its softer approach to curbing the spread of the virus which, coupled with a relatively higher death toll, has led to the region's largest country being shunned by its neighbours. But when it comes to masks, the Nordic nations look staunchly united. "Except for Sweden, there are very few cases in those countries," KK Cheng, an epidemiologist at the University of Birmingham's Institute of Applied Health Research told AFP. "So I don't blame them for not doing it, as long as they have reasonable social distancing and contact tracing is done properly," Cheng added. Asked Tuesday what might change his mind on recommending the use of face masks, Sweden's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said he was still waiting for "some form of proof that they are effective". - 'Stubborn' - For Cheng, such logic is questionable. "I think it's wrong, it's irresponsible and it's stubborn," the epidemiologist said. "If he's wrong, it costs life. If I'm wrong, what harm does it do?" After the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its guidance, Danish health officials began cautiously recommending using masks in early July -- such as when going to the hospital for a test or when you are coming back from a risk area. "Face covers don't make sense in the current situation, where we have a consistently very low level of infection," Soren Brostrom, director of the Danish Health Authority, told broadcaster DR on Tuesday. "But could it make sense in the long-term, when we bump into each other on public transport and other situations? That is of course something that we will evaluate," Brostrom added. Similarly, in Norway and Finland, although there is "no opposition in principle," masks are deemed an unnecessary precaution while the spread is low. "It may be something that will have to be considered in the near future if the contamination increases," Are Stuwitz Berg, a doctor with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, told AFP. Mika Salminen, director of Health Security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, told broadcaster YLE the issue would likely resurface "when people begin to return from holidays to a greater extent, and of course if the epidemic situation changes radically." On Thursday however, one Nordic country broke slightly from the mold. Iceland -- which like its neighbours have so far sworn off masks -- announced that it would start requiring their use on public transport, domestic flights, ferries and in hairdressing salons. Coronavirus might have isolated Swedes from their Nordic neighbours, but they all seem to agree that masks are for the meek Swedish state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell is still waiting for "some form of proof" that masks are effective An estimated 29 tigers were present in Arunachal Pradeshs Dibang-Kamlang-Namdapha Block, according to the Status of Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India report (2018) released on Tuesday. The confirmation of the big cat presence based on scat samples and camera trap images comes amid concerns about the proposed diversion of large forest areas around Dibang Valley Wildlife Sanctuary for a power project and a dam. Experts say the projects will impact both the tigers and their prey. The 3,097 MW Etalin Hydropower Project will impact 1150.08 hectares and the Dibang Multipurpose Dam 4,577.84 hectares in the unclassified state forests and other community lands. Both are under different stages of the Union environment ministrys consideration. Two adult individual tigers were photographed in the sanctuary in 2018 during the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)s tiger estimation, according to the report. Dibang Valley holds unique importance for in-situ conservation of this unique and genetically diverse lineage of tigers as the local aboriginal community of Idu Mishmis considers tigers as their elder brothers, it added. One adult tiger was photographed in Dibang Valley during the estimation process in 2014. Molecular signs were also noted. Tiger presence is repeatedly being seen during camera trap exercises. The Valley is definitely a very good habitat for tigers, said NTCA member secretary SP Yadav. The 2018 estimation has recommended discussions with Idu Mishmis before proceeding with any notification of the sanctuary as a tiger reserve. Arunachal Pradesh Wildlife Advisory Board member Anoko Mega said the projects will impact both the tiger and tiger prey. Some of the prey cross the Talon river or are found in abundance along the river like the Mishmi Takin. If the environment ministry really considers the tiger to be an important species, it will not consider projects which will be disastrous for the tiger habitat here. The community had always known there were tigers here, said Mega. If at all a tiger reserve is declared here, the boundary should be demarcated after consulting local people so that there is no impact on human habitation. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) researchers identified 11 individual tigers, including two cubs, during a three-year camera trap-based study in the sanctuary and the Mishmi hills. They published their findings in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in 2018. But WII, in a report titled Wildlife Conservation Plan for the Impact Zone of Etalin HEP, said there was no tiger presence in the project area. Environment ministrys Forest Advisory Committee in its factsheet had said Etalin Hydropower project is located in sub-tropical evergreen and rain forests and in a vital tiger area. The Idu Mishmi Cultural & Literary Society (IMCLS) wrote to NTCA and the Union environment, forests & climate change ministry in 2018, saying the community should be consulted before proceeding with notifying the sanctuary as a tiger reserve. Based on years of empirical research on ecological and social aspects of tigers in Dibang Valley, we strongly believe that the right strategy for Dibang tigers would be to develop a new kind of tiger reserve that is built not with fences and armed patrol guards, but around a cultural model, a culture which has so far proven to be effective in saving the tiger, wrote IMCLS. The 2018 NTCA report said Arunachal Pradesh has large contiguous forests over 136,000 km, which include Pakke Tiger Reserves, Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Mouling National Park, DEring Wildlife Sanctuary, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kamlamg and Namdapha Tiger Reserve. Compared to earlier surveys, this landscape unit shows a persisting low-density tiger populationthe largest tiger population of Arunachal Pradesh is within pockets of this landscape, it said. The report added the 1,811 km Trans Arunachal Highway will become a barrier for the movement of the wildlife species in several of these corridors. One in every three tigers in India lives outside reserves, according to the report, highlighting the challenge of protecting Indias national animal and reducing instances of man-animal conflict. The proportion has increased from around one in every four tigers living outside reserves, according to a 2014 study. India recorded a 33% increase in tiger numbers from 2014 to 2018, according to the summary of the report, All India Tiger Estimation Results, released last year. There were 2,967 tigers in 2018, compared to 2,226 in 2014. No tigers were recorded in Mizorams Dampa and West Bengals Buxa tiger reserves while they face the severe threat of local extinction in Jharkhands Palamau reserve, according to the report. Corbett Tiger Reserve, which is among reserves at or nearing capacity, had the largest population of tigersabout 231in 2018, the report said. At a critical moment when the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is extremely grim, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other like-minded politicians are sparing no efforts on wantonly bashing China. Speaking at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Pompeo harshly attacked the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China's social system1, urged an end to the long-held engagement approach towards China and called for "a new alliance" to force China to change according to Washington's wishes. Pompeos attacks are full of slanders, cliches and fallacies. The fact is clear to all. 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 contributing greatly to world peace, to global development, and to safeguarding the rules-based international order. 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 another Edelman Trust Barometer trust and credibility survey, 95 percent of the Chinese people trust the Chinese government, ranking the top of all countries surveyed, while the United States is second to last, with only 48 percent of the interviewees saying that they trust the government. It is disappointing that Pompeo and some U.S. politicians have been busy with defaming China without ever reflecting on what is going wrong in their own country. The United States has reported more than 4.3 million COVID-19 cases, far higher than any other country or region, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The worsening pandemic situation has dealt a heavy blow to U.S. economy. Economists have warned that the resurgence of COVID-19 cases is raising the risk of a double-dip recession if the country is unable to resolve the pandemic problem. Misfortunes never come singly. The "Black Lives Matter" movement came at a time when coronavirus pandemic is raging in the country as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest racism and injustice. Its time for Pompeo and the like to stop attacking China and stop shifting blame on China, as their conduct won't save a single life in America, nor fix its homegrown troubles. Sema4, the Stamford, Connecticut-based digital healthcare company now worth just over $1 billion, takes its name from the system of sending messages via code using flags. And like its namesake, Sema4 is trying to send messages of its own to the broader healthcare system based on the signals it uncovers and flags in massive data sets of population health that can reveal insights and best practices, according to the company's founding chief executive, Eric Schadt. Spun out from the Mt. Sinai Health System in June 2017, Sema4 is the second digital healthcare company in a week to reach a billion-dollar valuation from investors (Ro, too, is now worth over $1 billion). In this case, Sema4's $121 million financing came from BlackRock, Deerfield and Moore Capital, and follows only 12 months after another $120 million institutional financing from investors, including Blackstone, Section 32, Oak HC/FT, Decheng and the Connecticut Innovation Fund. The company's ability to attract capital may have something to do with a business model that's managed to amass nearly 10 million patient records through partnerships with 10 major health systems and several hundred thousand more patients through a strategy that has the company offer direct insights to patients as part of enhanced care services. "My effort centered on how do we aggregate bigger and bigger sources of data to better inform patients around their health and wellness," said Schadt. Sema4 chief executive Eric Schadt. Image Credit: Sema4 Sema4 works with physicians to provide analysis of genetic data so doctors can make informed decisions on what care would work best with their patients. "Were providing a meaningful service on behalf of the physician and its a service that the physician wants us to do because theyre generally not adept at the genomics," said Schadt. The company provides screening services for reproductive health and oncology as two of its core competencies, acting as a single point of care to collect and store information in a way that's easily portable for patients, Schadt said. Story continues "We play in the testing arena as a growth hack engine to engage patients and generating high amounts of quality data and seek to engage with them to get to higher scales to build the biggest models to get what [doctors] need on any condition of interest," he said. Sema4 is currently working in three areas: reproductive health, precision oncology and now COVID-19. In April, the company had no ability to analyze tests for COVID-19, but did have lab space that was certified to perform the necessary analysis. Now, the company can handle 15,000 tests per day. As a result of the round, Andrew Elbardissi, a managing partner at Deerfield, as joined Sema4's board of directors. Other recent additions to the board include Mike Pellini, the former chief executive of Foundation Medicine and current investor at Section 32 (the venture firm launched by former Google Ventures head Bill Maris); former principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Rachel Sherman; and former Goldman Sachs chief financial officer, Marty Chavez. Sema4 is a leader at the forefront of one of the most exciting intersections in healthcare the application of technology, AI and machine learning to help improve patient outcomes. We are excited to support this talented management team as Sema4 begins its next phase of growth," said Will Abecassis, Head of Innovation Capital at Blackrock, in a statement. Goldman Sachs acted as a financial advisor to Sema4 on the transaction. N HS operations should move towards "Zoom medicine" with more consultations carried out by phone or video where possible, the Health Secretary has said. In a speech to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) on Thursday, Matt Hancock urged the NHS not to fall "back into bad habits" and continue a shift towards "Zoom medicine". He explained that the coronavirus pandemic led to dramatic changes to how the NHS operates and "we cannot and will not revert back to before". From now on, all consultations should be teleconsultations unless theres a compelling clinical reason not to," said Mr Hancock. Of course if there is an emergency, the NHS will be waiting and ready to see you in person just as it always has been. But if they are able to, patients should get in contact first via the web or by calling in advance. That way care is easier to manage and the NHS can deliver a much better service. Not only will it make life quicker and easier for patients but free up clinicians to concentrate on what really matters. Matt Hancock said NHS consultations should move online and to mobile phones / PA Mr Hancock said that the vast majority of people can go online and a very large swathe of society prefers to do these things online. The MP for West Suffolk suggested that online services "frees up time". We do provide face-to-face where needed, whether thats because you need a physical interaction to give the healthcare, obviously, or because somebody doesnt want to," he said. But we also make available Zoom medicine. Mr Hancock added that he wanted to empower people everywhere in the NHS. NHS workers march on Downing Street - In pictures 1 /38 NHS workers march on Downing Street - In pictures AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive. AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive. AFP via Getty Images NHS staff hold their hands up to maintain correct social distancing as they prepare to march to Downing Street in central London AFP via Getty Images NHS staff hold up banners as they march to Downing street AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive Getty Images NHS staff hold up banners as they march to Downing Street AFP via Getty Images NHS staff hold up banners as they march AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive. AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive. AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive Getty Images Getty Images Health workers descended on Whitehall on Wednesday evening, carrying banners that said Clapping wont pay my bills and We helped you survive, now help us survive Getty Images Getty Images PA PA PA Getty Images NHS workers march from St Thomas' Hospital to Downing Street PA NHS workers march from St Thomas' Hospital to Downing Street PA NHS workers march from St Thomas' Hospital to Downing Street PA Participants include the members of Unite, Keep Our NHS Public and Nurses United. PA PA PA NHS workers march from St Thomas' Hospital to Downing Street, PA Shoes laid out to depict the number 540 in front of the gates of Downing Street to represent the number of fatalities of health and care workers in the UK believed to have died of Covid-19 PA He said: So if youre a porter, thinking about how you can use technology to optimise your routes around the hospital, or if youre a ward matron thinking about how you run your ward, get on and make the improvements. And, if youre part of the management structure, empower people to make those improvements and let them get on with it and the system will back you. But President of the RCP Professor Andrew Goddard warned that in a recent survey, 50 per cent of its members said they didn't have access to a webcam. He said: The RCP has been at the forefront of arguing for using technology to transform the way in which services are provided, for the benefit of patients and the environment, but the Government and the NHS must make sure that they bring everyone with them on this journey." Edel Harris, chief executive of the learning disability charity Mencap, added: Technology is wonderful, but not everyone can access it. The Secretary of States announcement that all consultations should be teleconsultations, unless there is a compelling reason not to, could seriously exacerbate the health inequalities that already exist for people with a learning disability. The UKs 1.5 million people with a learning disability should be offered face-to-face consultations automatically without needing to ask for them. Loading.... This is a reasonable adjustment and we will be asking NHS England to ensure this happens starting with annual health checks. Additional reporting by PA Media. Earlier today, Center of the American Experiment hosted a live-streamed presentation by Heather Mac Donald titled The Truth About Crime, Race and Policing. Heathers talk, which lasted for around 40 minutes, was fact-filled. It delivered a knockout punch to the Black Lives Matter systemic police racism narrative, which cant stand up to empirical analysis. Thousands of people watched the livestream on an event page, on YouTube and on Facebook. We intend that a vastly greater numberhundreds of thousandswatch the archived video on YouTube, Facebook and other platforms. But within an hour after the program ended, YouTube deleted the video on the pretense that it violated YouTubes Community Guidelines. We got this email from YouTube: I appealed YouTubes banning of the video with this message: This is obviously a mistake. The speaker is Heather Mac Donald, one of Americas top authorities on crime and policing. She is the author of a bestselling book on the subject, has testified before the House Judiciary Committee on the topic of her speech, and was described by a former Attorney General of the U.S. as the greatest thinker on criminal justice in America today. Her talk was data-rich and totally beyond criticism based on YouTubes Community Guidelines. Please reverse this erroneous decision immediately. Wasnt it just a day or two ago that there was a Congressional hearing on political bias on the part of Big Tech? Apparently Google hasnt learned its lesson. It obviously intends to suppress any factual critique of the Marxist Black Lives Matter narrative. We have already begun to notify our friends in Washington of this outrage. We have re-uploaded the video to YouTube, where you can watch it here, at least for the time being. We are also uploading the video to Facebookit is a huge fileand I will add that link when it is ready. [Update: Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanExperiment/videos/1471714743012938/ ] A special bench of a Pakistani court is set to take up the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the former Indian Navy officer sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, even as New Delhi said on Thursday that Islamabad haS blocked all its efforts to seek remedies in the case. A special bench of the Islamabad High Court headed by chief justice Athar Minallah will hear Jadhavs case from August 3, Pakistans Geo News channel reported. A lawyer will also be appointed to represent Jadhav on Monday, it added. The Pakistani government this week tabled the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance, 2020, in Parliament for approval. The ordinance was promulgated to allow Jadhav, 50, to appeal the death sentence given to him by a military court in 2017. In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a virtual weekly news briefing that Pakistan has systematically blocked all of Indias attempts to seek remedies for Jadhav. He accused Pakistan of violating the 2019 judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which called for an effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentencing of Jadhav, and its own ordinance. Pakistan, Srivastava said, has not provided unhindered, unimpeded and unconditional access to Jadhav or the official documents requested by India. Their actions expose the farcical nature of their approach to this issue, he said. We reserve our position in this matter, which includes the right to avail further remedies. Ill also reiterate that we stand committed to protect the life of our national Kulbhushan Jadhav, Srivastava said. The Pakistani government petitioned the Islamabad high court on July 22 to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav for filing a review petition against his sentence. The defence secretary and the judge advocate general branch of the military were made parties to the petition filed by the law ministry. The petition contended Jadhav had refused to file a review petition against his sentence and that India was reluctant to avail of the remedies under the ordinance. India has dismissed these contentions and said that a Pakistani lawyer appointed by it was unable to file a review petition on July 18 as he was not provided necessary documents by Pakistani authorities. Indian officials walked out of a meeting with Jadhav on July 16 after Pakistan breached assurances of providing unimpeded consular access. Jadhav was arrested by Pakistani security agencies in Balochistan in March 2016 and charged with involvement in spying. India rejected the allegations and said he was kidnapped by Pakistani operatives from the Iranian port of Chabahar, where he was running a business. The ICJ ruled that Pakistan violated Jadhavs rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and stayed his execution. Stonehenge, a Neolithic wonder in southern England, has vexed historians and archaeologists for centuries with its many mysteries: How was it built? What purpose did it serve? Where did its towering sandstone boulders come from? That last question may finally have an answer after a study published Wednesday found that most of the giant stones -- known as sarsens -- seem to share a common origin 25 kilometers (16 miles) away in West Woods, an area that teemed with prehistoric activity. The finding boosts the theory that the megaliths were brought to Stonehenge about the same time: around 2,500 BCE, the monument's second phase of construction, which in turn could be a sign its builders were from a highly organized society. It also contradicts a previous suggestion that one large sarsen, the Heel Stone, came from the immediate vicinity of the site and was erected before the others. The new paper appeared in the journal Science Advances. Lead author David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton, told AFP he and his team had to devise a novel technique to analyze the sarsens, that stand up to nine meters tall (30 feet) and weigh as much as 30 metric tons. They first used portable x-rays to analyze the chemical composition of the rocks, which are 99 percent silica but contain traces of several other elements. "That showed us that most of the stones have a common chemistry, which led us to identify that we're looking for one main source here," said Nash. Next, they examined two core samples from one of the stones that were obtained during restoration work in 1958 but which then went missing until resurfacing in 2018 and 2019, respectively. They performed a more sophisticated analysis on these samples using a mass spectrometry device, which detects a bigger range of elements at a higher precision. The resulting signature was then compared to 20 possible source sites for these sedimentary rocks, with West Woods, Wiltshire found to be the closest match. Only the 17th century English natural philosopher John Aubrey had previously postulated a link between "Overton Wood," probably a former name for West Woods, and Stonehenge. - 'Enormous endeavor' - Previous work has found that Stonehenge's smaller "bluestones" came from Wales, about 200 kilometers (160 miles) to the west, and the new study says that they and the sarsens were placed at the same time. "So it must have been an enormous endeavor going on at that time," said Nash. "Stonehenge is like a convergence of materials being brought in from different places." Just how the early Britons were able to transport the boulders weighing up to 30 tons a distance of 25 kilometers remains unknown -- though the prevailing idea is they were dragged along sleds. The site's significance also remains mysterious. "I think you're looking at a very organized society there," added Nash. As for why they picked West Woods, he said, it could have been a case of pragmatism as it was one of the closest sites. But the area was also a hive of Early Neolithic activity. It is home to a huge ancient burial site known as a barrow, a large circular earthwork, prehistoric cultivated fields that are now woodland, and a polissoir -- a rock used to sharpen ancient stone axes. Nash said that the technique the research team had devised could help answer further archaeological questions, such as the route used to transport the boulders -- which can be inferred if sarsen chippings are discovered at waypoints. He and his team also hope to use the techniques on other ancient sarsen sites scattered around Britain. The stone circle of Stonehenge is silhouetted at sunrise during the pagan festival, Summer Solstice, in Avebury, Wiltshire, 21 June 2007 Graphic on a new study that tracks the origins of some of the largest stones at Britain's ancient Stonehenge monument. The letter at the centre of the Duchess of Sussexs legal battle with a British newspaper detailed her intimate thoughts and feelings about her fathers health and their relationship. The duchess is bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, over an article which reproduced parts of a handwritten letter she sent to her father Thomas Markle. In court documents outlining her claim against the publisher, her solicitors say the letter was obviously private correspondence and she did not expect the contents to be made public. Sections of the letter, which was sent to Mr Markle, 76, in August 2018, were published in February in the Mail on Sunday and on MailOnline. The headline read: Revealed: The letter showing true tragedy of Meghans rift with a father she says has broken her heart into a million pieces. In one extract, the duchess wrote: Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces not simply because you have manufactured such unnecessary and unwarranted pain, but by making the choice to not tell the truth as you are puppeteered in this. Something I will never understand. Particulars of claim, prepared by Schillings law firm, on behalf of the duchess, say: The letter was obviously private correspondence written by the claimant to her father. Further, it contained the claimants deepest and most private thoughts and feelings about her relationship with her father and were detailed by her at a time of great personal anguish and distress. The claimant intended the detailed contents of the letter to be private, and certainly did not expect them to be published to the world at large by a national newspaper, and without any warning. Associated Newspapers denies the allegations particularly the claim that the letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning and says it will contest the case. Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung speaks during a general shareholders' meeting at the group headquarters in Seoul in this March file photo. / Courtesy of Shinhan Financial Group By Park Jae-hyuk Shinhan Financial Group's strong ties with ethnic Koreans living in Japan have come under the spotlight again, since one of its Korean Japanese non-executive directors acquired a large stake in the financial group recently. According to a regulatory filing by Shinhan, Thursday, CYS CEO Choi Kyong-rok saw his stake in the financial firm increase to 0.27 percent roughly worth 40 billion won ($33 million) from 0.19 percent, July 16, after he inherited shares from his father, Choi Young-seok, the former CYS CEO who died in October last year. The late Choi was a non-executive director of the financial group and its banking unit. Given that the Commercial Law prohibits non-executive directors from holding more than a 1 percent stake in the company. Choi is considered to have a significant stake. Furthermore, it is unusual for a son to take over his father's position as a non-executive director, according to industry officials. Choi took the position in 2018, when Shinhan recommended him for his expertise and knowledge in digitization. He had also served as a non-executive director of Shinhan Life Insurance from 2010 to 2015. Industry officials forecast Korean Japanese will continue to exercise their influence over Shinhan, handing over their shares to their descendants as the Choi family did. In addition to Choi, three more are serving as non-executive directors at Shinhan Fedora CEO Jin Hyun-duk, Taisei Group Chairman Park An-soon and Primer Korea CEO Yuki Hirakawa. Shinhan has offered four non-executive seats among 10 to Korean Japanese over the past decade, although the company denied any impropriety. When it was criticized for its shareholder structure during the "Boycott Japan" movement last year, following the Korea-Japan trade dispute, the group emphasized it is a Korean company as the successor to Hanseong Bank, the nation's first commercial bank established in 1897. However, Shinhan Bank was established in 1982 by Korean Japanese Lee Hee-gun, based on investments from ethnic Korean shareholders living in Japan. They have invested 25 billion won since the bank's launch. The reason Shinhan calls itself as the successor to Hanseong Bank is because of its merger with Chohung Bank in 2006. Hanseong changed its name to Chohung in 1943. Sources said Shinhan still seeks approval from its Korean Japanese shareholders when making important decisions. Its management has frequently visited Japan to meet elderly Korean Japanese shareholders, who are known to collectively have a 17 percent stake. The governance has caused a series of controversies, as Korean Japanese have held many non-executive seats, relative to their stake. In September 2017, the Financial Supervisory Service sent a warning to Shinhan, pointing out its Korean Japanese directors were unsuitable for their positions. The Center for Good Corporate Governance also disagreed with the appointment of Choi as a non-executive director in 2018, raising a suspicion about his relationship with Shinhan management. Prev 1 of 8 Next Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal For Ida Parker, getting a drink of water is not as simple as turning on the faucet. Sometimes, its a day trip. The lifelong Tohajiilee resident travels into Albuquerque to buy cases of bottled water at Costco and Sams Club. She treks to the city at least once a week to do her laundry, too, because, she says, washing clothes with the water flowing into her house would just make the garments dingy. Travel required for basic needs is such that she already has about 15,000 miles on the 2020 Volkswagen she bought about five months ago. A lot of people go maybe three or four times a week (to Albuquerque), Parker said of her neighbors. Tohajiilee, a satellite community of the Navajo Nation about 30 miles west of Albuquerques Big I interchange, has one working well that leaders say is insufficient for the roughly 2,000 residents. The quality is such that residents rely predominantly on bottled water for drinking and generally use the wells output which resembles liquid rust only for showering and household chores such as washing dishes. But that is only when there is enough available, and when the well is not entirely out of service. The water is so corrosive that it eats away at the wells components, forcing major repairs and outages three times in the past five years. Officials say they have a solution to what theyve deemed a water crisis, but a major landowner is thwarting their effort. Tohajiilee, at the western edge of Bernalillo County, wants to build a 7.3-mile transmission line from the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authoritys westernmost water tank. The Navajo Nation has water rights to the water that would flow to Tohajiilee, and officials say the water utility has signaled a willingness to work on the project. But it would require procuring easements from three landowners along the line, one of which Western Albuquerque Land Holdings, or WALH has refused to entertain negotiations. We will pay our own way, Tohajiilee Chapter President Mark Begay said Wednesday at a news conference in the village. Were willing to pay for the land to run the pipeline. Were not asking for anything for free. The stalling has prompted Bernalillo County to intervene. The County Commission recently voted to allow the county to proceed with condemnation if necessary. County Commissioner Debbie OMalley, who represents Tohajiilee, said the COVID-19 pandemic makes the water situation especially dire, because the virus has disproportionately hit the states Native American communities. Public health officials say regular and proper hand-washing is one of the keys to limiting the spread. Its a serious matter. Lets get this (project) done, OMalley said. Representatives for WALH did not respond to Journal messages Wednesday, but the owners are no strangers to water battles. WALHs attempts to develop Santolina into a potentially 90,000-person community southwest of Interstate 40 and 118th Street are in something of a holding pattern as it has had issues securing sufficient water for the project. Asked if she thinks WALHs refusal to work with Tohajiilee could be somehow related, OMalley said, I think theyre looking for leverage. Begay said the well Tohajiilee relies on today has gone out of service three times in the past five years 2015, 2017 and 2019 and repairs have cost $46,000 to $79,000 each round. One of the outages extended for two weeks. In such events, the water utility drives tanker trucks into the community. Given how quickly the water is eating through the wells pipes, Begay is already bracing for what he says is an almost inevitable breakdown in the next year. The only way for us to get clean water, safe water is from Albuquerque through a pipeline, he said. The Navajo Nation has over $700 million in federal coronavirus relief money through the CARES Act, and the proposed spending plan includes $8 million to build the transmission line and buy the easements, said Jamie Henio, a delegate who represents Tohajiilee on the Navajo Nation Council. The appropriation would still require approval by the council and the Navajo Nation president, but Henio said he believes in the future of the project. If theres a will, theres a way, and there is a big will here, he said Wednesday. Officials say that the water utility has said it is willing to work with Tohajiilee and that two of the private landowners along the proposed 7-mile pipeline have agreed to negotiate. WALH, however, has shown little interest in moving the plan forward since Tohajiilee representatives began reaching out in 2018. George Mihalik, a project engineer from Souder, Miller & Associates working on the project, said he sent multiple emails in the summer of 2018 to WALH representatives before receiving any response. Ted Garrett of Garrett Development Corp. ultimately answered on Sept. 27, 2018. Thank you for your email requesting an easement for a water line across Western Albuquerque Land Holdings LLCs property to the 7W reservoir, Garrett wrote. WALH has reviewed your request and is not interested in pursuing discussions for such an easement. Mihalik said the line is designed to cause as little impact as possible, running adjacent to an existing power line. The project would run through about two miles of WAHL property, albeit in a 30-foot strip that Mihalik said adds up to approximately 7 total acres of land. OMalley said she was surprised when Tohajiilee representatives approached the county to say they had gotten nowhere working with WALH, but that the countys experience has been similar. The county attorney reached out, and WALH knew that we were moving toward the possibility of eminent domain, she said. There was a conversation. It was No, theyre not interested, so it was, like, All right. We need to prepare to condemn.' Officials held Wednesdays news conference in front of a truck stocked with donated bottled water that was ultimately distributed to residents who lined up in their cars outside the chapter house in the afternoon. Tohajiilee resident Rheana Apachito, who helped with the distribution, said the intent was to keep community members from having to travel outside the village to get drinking water. Kathy Secatero was among those stocking up. The lifelong Tohajiilee resident said water issues are a fact of life. The water that comes to her house is not that good and taps reliably run dry every day. Its out from probably 8 in the morning all the way until 7, even 10, in the evening, so Im out of water all day, she said. Im lucky that I get water here for drinking. Anthony Jackson contributed to this report. A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will be tested locally as part of a clinical trial seeking to enroll 30,000 participants nationwide. The University of Kansas Medical Center and Children's Mercy Hospital will lead the local effort, which calls for the recruitment of 1,500 participants in Kansas and Missouri. NASA is set to launch an ambitious mission to Mars on Thursday with the liftoff of its next-generation Perseverance rover, a six-wheeled robot tasked with deploying a mini helicopter, testing out equipment for future human missions and searching for traces of past Martian life. The $2.4 billion mission, slated for liftoff at 7:50 a.m. ET (1150 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral, is planned as the U.S. space agency's ninth trek to the Martian surface. The United Arab Emirates and China separately this month launched probes to Mars in displays of their own technological prowess and ambition. Launching atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance, the car-sized Perseverance rover is expected to reach Mars next February. It is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists believe could hold traces of potential past microbial Martian life. "This is unlike any robot that we've sent to Mars before because it has the purpose of astrobiology," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Reuters in an interview. "We are trying to find evidence of ancient life on another world." The rover will attempt for the first time to bring Martian rock samples back to Earth, collecting materials in cigar-sized capsules and leaving them scattered on the surface for retrieval by a future "fetch" rover. That conceptual rover is expected to launch the samples back into space to link up with other spacecraft for an eventual Earth homecoming around 2031. Also aboard Perseverance is a four-pound (1.8 kg) autonomous helicopter called Ingenuity that is due to test powered flight on Mars for the first time. Bridenstine said he can imagine a day when NASA places a robot on Mars that can deploy perhaps a dozen different helicopters for exploration. Since NASA's first Mars rover Sojourner landed in 1997, the agency has sent two others - Spirit and Opportunity - that have revealed the geology of vast Martian plains and found evidence of past water formations, among other discoveries. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. "We know that we're going to make discoveries with the Mars Perseverance rover that are going to make us ask a whole lot more questions, just like every previous discovery," Bridenstine told Reuters. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under its Artemis program, which envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the bigger leap to Mars. Perseverance will carry out an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planet's surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. "There's a lot of things that we need to be able to develop and discover," Bridenstine said, "so that when we get to Mars we can actually survive for long periods of time." One of the most complex maneuvers in Perseverance's journey will be what mission engineers call the "seven minutes of terror," when the robot endures extreme heat and speeds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, deploying a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to gently touch down on the planet's surface. Also read: Working from home? Barbados plans to let visitors stay, work remotely for a year Around 2800 students in Uttarakhand still study in make-shift schools made of huts and kutcha structures as they lack proper school buildings. These schools are situated in forest areas of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar district, informed officials. As per the record of the education department, there are 62 such schools in the state for primary and upper primary sections. Officials from the education department said that as students studying in these schools live in the forest areas, they are unable to construct buildings for these schools. Mukul Kumar Sati, additional state project director for Samagra Siksha Abhiyan said that the education department has to run the schools there as students live there, but they are not able to construct permanent structures. We have to run schools wherever there are children, in this case, they live inside forest areas. There are 50 primary schools and 12 junior high schools situated inside forest areas of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts. There are teachers available but we cannot make permanent school building as the forest department says it will be considered as encroachment, said Sati. He further said that the officials are trying to find a solution to the issue, but till then students will have to continue studying in make-shift schools. Meanwhile, officials from the forest department say that permission needs to be taken for transferring land forest land for making the school buildings. Harak Singh Rawat, state forest minister said that talks are underway with the state education department to send a combined proposal regarding all the schools. We have to ensure that all our children get education, which is why I have asked officials to send a combined proposal for all the schools which can be sent to the union government for land transfer and once we get permission the school buildings can be constructed. We understand that it is a long process, but I am hopeful that we will get permission as education is equally important, said Rawat. The minister further added that it is important to build the schools as the students remain in constant fear of attack from wild animals which can lead to conflict. Women receiving standard treatment in New York City for ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers are not at increased risk of being hospitalized for or dying from COVID-19 due to their cancer, a new study shows. The researchers found that neither having cancer nor receiving treatment for it, which can come with its own toxicities, worsened COVID-19 disease outcomes. Led by researchers at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study showed that 121 women, ages 51 to 63, who were receiving standard treatments for such malignancies and who contracted the pandemic coronavirus had similar rates of hospitalization and death as those who only had COVID-19. Publishing in the journal Cancer online July 31, the study showed that 54 percent of the women (66 of 121) required hospitalization and among these, 25 percent (17 of 66) died, for an overall death rate of 14 percent. This is comparable to the results of another study, which showed a 21 percent death rate among all 5,700 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the city, who were mostly male (60 percent) and at greater risk of the disease, researchers say. Having late-stage gynecologic cancer, cancer surgery, or high-dose chemotherapy also did not increase a woman's risk of dying from COVID-19. Importantly, the work also found that 75 percent of gynecologic cancer patients with COVID-19 had a mild form of the disease and recovered from their infection. Our study should be reassuring for women with gynecologic cancers who are worried that having cancer increases their risk of becoming seriously ill if they go to the hospital because of COVID-19," Olivia Lara, MD, Study Lead Investigator and Oncology Fellow, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perlmutter These patients already contend with increased inflammation and imbalanced immune systems that, in theory, coronavirus infection could make worse. "Women with gynecologic cancers have the same risk factors for dying from COVID-19 as women without these cancers," says study senior investigator Bhavana Pothuri, MD, MS, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Perlmutter. These shared risk factors, she says, which overall double women's risk of dying from COVID-19, are being African-American or having two or more underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. As part of the study, researchers reviewed the medical records of women treated for both COVID-19 and gynecologic cancer at area hospitals between March 1 and April 22, 2020. These included NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYC Health + Hospitals Bellevue Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and the Montefiore Medical System. Another study finding was that a small number (eight of 121) of participants receiving immunotherapy, drugs that harness the immune system to attack cancer cells, were three times more likely to die than women who were receiving standard radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, or a combination of these therapies. However, Pothuri cautions that the number of women receiving immunotherapy was not large enough to lead to any firm recommendations about clinical care. (or to result in any firm conclusions about clinical care) Pothuri says the team has plans to analyze patient records for further insights into any factors that might lessen the impact of these underlying risk factors for COVID-19 on women with cancer, including how best to communicate with local community groups. For now, Pothuri says, women should definitely not put off screening, diagnosis, or treatment of new cancers out of any additional fear they have about the risks from COVID-19. "The basic rules of cancer care have not changed during the pandemic," she says. "Early detection, screening, and care lead to more people surviving what remains a leading cause of death among American women." The firms new funds will be the largest ESG Funds With $43 million in Assets Wilmer Gibson Singapore Active management is offering the ability to discover compelling, differentiated investment opportunities that are most of the time undiscovered and away from underlying benchmarks ultimately aiming to add meaningful alpha returns to customers portfolios, said Carver Yang, CEO at Wilmer Gibson. Active management is offering the ability to discover compelling, differentiated investment opportunities that are most of the time undiscovered and away from underlying benchmarks ultimately aiming to add meaningful alpha returns to customers portfolios, said Carver Yang, CEO at Wilmer Gibson. Singapore, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wilmer Gibson, a leading financial services firm providing world-class wealth management services, today announced plans to deliver new funds with dedicated ESG strategies to its customers very soon, pending regulatory staff review. The two new funds, will be named Wilmer Gibson Sustainable Prime Fund and Wilmer Gibson Sustainable Core Fund, and will bring two specific investment frames to detect opportunities driven by corporate sustainability practices and solutions. Following the recent creation of Wilmer Gibsons Research Team for Sustainable Investing, which is headed by Mei Quin, the firm has been researching various sustainability-focused solutions for both the retail and institutional markets and has been increasingly introducing its related analysis across its broader investment platforms. Active management is offering the ability to discover compelling, differentiated investment opportunities that are most of the time undiscovered and away from underlying benchmarks ultimately aiming to add meaningful alpha returns to customers portfolios, said Carver Yang, CEO at Wilmer Gibson. The firm ESG product developments are part of a wider continuing effort by Wilmer Gibson to use its emerging product lineup to help customers capitalize on a broad range of market dynamics through an efficient combination of non-traditional and innovative traditional investment strategies. The two new Wilmer Gibson ESG funds will be formed through the repositioning of two existing products offered by the firm. Wilmer Gibson Multi-Cap Growth Fund will become Wilmer Gibson Sustainable Prime Fund, a multi-cap fund with $20 million in assets focused on finding companies with demonstrated commitment to sustainable business practices. The fund will be managed by Michelle Dong, Wilmer Gibson Head of Sustainable Investing. Story continues Additionally, Wilmer Gibson Multi-Cap Value Fund will become Wilmer Gibson Sustainable Core Fund, a mid-cap fund with $23 million in assets focused on identifying companies with products and services that deliver solutions directly contributing to sustainable social, environmental, and economic development. The fund will continue to be managed by Michelle Dong, who will be joined by Mei Quin, the Head of the Research Team for Sustainable Investing. We did observe a growing realization factor in the market that companies engaged in sustainability often show improving fundamental and financial performance. The firms latest offerings are a strong recognition by us that investors, who are more and more intrigued by ESG investing, stand to benefit from strategies in this area in the years ahead, added Carver Yang. 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 Attachment New regulatory framework aims to put all companies who qualify for a listing under the same rules, regardless of their corporate structure and where they sell their shares SPRINGFIELD Cracks are beginning to show in the House Democratic caucus that Michael Madigan has overseen as Speaker for all but two years since 1983. Three more members of that caucus called for Madigan to resign this week, at least as House Speaker and chair of the states Democratic Party. They join another Democratic representative and three senatorsall womenand a number of high-profile Republicans in calling for Madigans resignation from at least one of his leadership positions. A Madigan spokesperson declined to comment Thursday on Capitol News Illinois questions as to whether Madigan was considering the request. The latest calls for the Speakers resignation come nearly two weeks after he was implicated in a bribery scheme relating to utility giant Commonwealth Edison. In a court document, ComEd admitted to handing out benefits such as lobbying jobs and subcontracts to close associates of the Illinois House Speaker in an effort to gain support for legislation benefitting the company. Madigan has not been charged with any crime and has denied wrongdoing. Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, a Naperville Democrat, was the only member of the House Democratic caucus who had called for his resignation before this week. She was also the only Democrat who did not vote for Madigan as speaker at the beginning of this session of the General Assembly. This week, Reps. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, and Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, added their names to the growing list seeking Madigans resignation. Others have called for the Speaker to resign if the allegations in the ComEd court document are true. Howard, in a statement Wednesday, called for Madigans resignation as Speaker and party chair. The sworn statements in the U.S. Attorneys agreement with Commonwealth Edison detail a years-long scheme of payoffs and bribery involving many of Speaker Madigans closest allies. Even if he was not directly involved in this scheme, these accusations clearly demonstrate that the Speakers leadership has failed, she said in the statement. Speaker Madigan has a duty to recognize that these allegations have cast a deep shadow on the reputation of our House. He must take action now to avoid inflicting further damage on the members of the House and the Democratic Party. While she said Madigan has not been charged and is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process, his ties to the investigation make it impossible for Rep. Madigan to continue in his leadership roles. I hope he will do the honorable thing and step down, she said. On Thursday morning, Kifowit tweeted that she electronically delivered a letter to the speaker requesting he step down. I write this letter as a legislator who voted for you for Speaker in the past, Kifowit wrote. The reality is that each time, the vote I made for you was carefully considered. I voted with the view that you would respect and honor the leadership position of the Speaker of the House. But, in light of the ComEd document, Kifowit said it was clear that Madigan or at least those he empowered in his inner circle did not hold the respect and dignity of the institution of the Illinois State House and the General Assembly as a whole. The actions described in the U.S. Attorneys deferred prosecution agreement by ComEd show that you have compromised the integrity of the office of Speaker of the House and undermined the public trust, she said. Therefore, I demand you to do the right thing and step down immediately as Speaker of the House. In the event that you do not, and if you choose to seek nomination to this position again, I will vote against said nomination and will not vote for you should your nomination be successful. Hours after Kifowits letter, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, joined her colleagues in calling for the Speaker to resign from his leadership roles. I have long been an outspoken critic of Speaker Madigan, but I have always stopped short of calling for his resignation, deferring to many of my colleagues concerns about due process, she said in a statement. As a leader on criminal justice reform, I feel strongly about the principles of innocent until proven guilty and the right to due process. I also believe leadership must be held to a higher standard, and it is clear that the constant drip of corruption stories will interfere with our ability to advance a progressive agenda. Whether these investigations ultimately implicate him or continue to pick away at his inner circle, the damage is done. Earlier in the week, prominent Democratic Sen. Heather Steans, of Chicago, called on Madigan to resign those two positions as well. Some will argue that the Speaker is innocent until charges are filed and hes proven guilty. But those are not the standards that should apply to his leadership role. Serving as Speaker is not a right; its a privilege. A leaders actions must avoid even the perception of wrongdoing. Speaker Madigan repeatedly has violated that trust, she wrote in a statement. Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, called for his resignation to both those positions and as a member of the General Assembly shortly after the ComEd news broke as well. Sen. Iris Martinez, D-Chicago, has called for Madigans resignation as party chairman. Republicans have been steadily beating the drum on the ethics issue since the news broke, with Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin taking a stronger stance Thursday than he had previously. After reviewing the facts contained in the ComEd deferred prosecution agreement, it is abundantly clear that Michael J. Madigan is unable to execute his responsibilities as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and as state representative for the 22nd House District, Durkin said in a statement. I call for the immediate resignation of Speaker Madigan from the Illinois House of Representatives, and will be filing a resolution to have the House Chamber vote on a new Speaker immediately. Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during the official Supreme Court group photo in November 2018. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for minimally invasive surgery, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday. Ginsburg is now "resting comfortably." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now "resting comfortably" and is expected to be released from the hospital at the end of the week after a minor procedure, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday. The statement said Ginsburg underwent a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure to correct a bile duct stent that was placed back in August of 2019. According to the statement from the Supreme Court, Ginsburg's doctors said stent revisions are normal and the procedure the Justice underwent is meant to reduce future infection. Earlier this month, Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for a potential infection. In that instance, her bile-duct stent was cleaned and she was placed on antibiotics. Earlier this month, Justice Ginsburg announced that she was undergoing chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer. "On May 19, I began a course of chemotherapy (gemcitabine) to treat a recurrence of cancer," Ginsburg said in a statement on July 17. "A periodic scan in February followed by a biopsy revealed lesions on my liver. My recent hospitalizations to remove gall stones and treat an infection were unrelated to this recurrence." Ginsburg, who has survived cancer multiple times before, said on July 17 that she'd still be able to serve on the bench. "I am tolerating chemotherapy well and am encouraged by the success of my current treatment," Ginsburg's statement said. "I will continue bi-weekly chemotherapy to keep my cancer at bay, and am able to maintain an active daily routine. Throughout, I have kept up with opinion writing and all other Court work." Story continues "I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that," she added. Ginsburg was treated for colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. In December 2018, she had surgery to remove cancerous growths in her lungs, and in 2019 was treated for a tumor in her pancreas. Read the original article on Business Insider Deputy Hobbs buzzed open the inmates cell door after he hit his head on the floor (Image: Gwennett County Jail) Dramatic footage has emerged of three inmates rushing out of their cell doors to save a police officer who suffered a heart attack. Deputy Warren Hobbs, 46, fell unconscious and hit his head on the prison floor after suffering a cardiac emergency in the Gwinnett County Jail in Lawrenceville, Georgia, US on July 10. Prisoner Terry Loveless first noticed the deputy feeling unwell and told his inmates Walter Whitehead and Mitchell Smalls when he saw the officer collapsed. The trio immediately banged on the door and made a commotion until Deputy Hobbs managed to open their cell door. CCTV at the prison captures the inmates running down to help the officer. Whitehead is seen grabbing a phone to call for emergency services while Loveless and Smalls hold the semi-conscious officer up and check for his injury. Deputy Hobbs hit his head when he fell on the floor and was bleeding profusely. The trio quickly dialled 911 and tended Deputy Hobbs before first aid responders arrived (Image: Gwennett County Jail) He was then rushed to a local hospital and is now recovering at home, Fox News reported. Whitehead, who was booked in jail for drug charges, said: It scared me. I dont care if its a police officer or whoever it was. I will do whatever I can to save a man. I dont want anyone to die. Smalls recalled the moment as he saw Deputy Hobbs Kinda lying back in his chair before making noises. He added: I started hollering and screaming and banging on the door to try to alert everybody to wake up. Loveless said he saw Deputy Hobbs trying to pull himself up to the desk. It was sad because it didnt look good at all but the man had fight in him to get up, he said. As he came up I can make eye contact with him Im like deputy Hobbs, Deputy Hobbs, please. The inmates Terry Loveless, Mitchell Smalls and Walter Whitehead were praised for saving the police officer (Image: Gwennett County Jail) The Sheriff Office posted the clip on their Facebook to thank the three inmates for saving Deputy Hobbs life. They wrote: The inmates whose rooms were close enough to see what was happening began pounding on their doors. Soon the entire unit was thundering with noise as many inmates pounded on the doors shouting for our deputy who lay unconscious and heavily bleeding on the floor. Our deputy later stated that while he did not realise hed been unconscious, he became aware of what sounded like pounding drums and could hear inmates shouting his name over and over. He immediately thought an inmate needed help and somehow managed to rise to his feet and press the control panel to open cell doors. They also posted a picture of the three inmates, adding: Kudos to these inmates for coming to the aid of our deputy when he suffered a cardiac emergency in a jail housing unit. We thank them for their timely assistance and the lesson their actions provide. Its not the uniform that makes a hero. Its the person wearing it. *** Source: Daily Star UK Proclaim to men the pilgrimage: they will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path Quran, Surat Al-Hajj This time of the year has a particular spiritual significance in the hearts of millions of Muslims around the world, a time when hearts are yearning for the annual Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam, and eyes are readying for a breathtaking glimpse of the holy Kaaba, the Bait Allah, or House of God, and the black cube at the centre of Mecca, literally at the heart of Islam. The Kaaba represents the qiblah, the direction that Muslims face during their five daily prayers, and it is also the sacred place that worshippers from around the world visit every day and every hour to perform the umra (the lesser pilgrimage) and the annual Hajj. This year, however, the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to the pilgrimage season, and it will be limited to people living in Saudi Arabia in order to stem its spread. Many devoted Muslims around the globe will now look on the Kaaba on video instead, and for the first time in modern history it has been standing almost in awesome solitude, with only a handful of worshippers visiting for months on end and even during the holy month of Ramadan. The cities of Mecca and Medina, at the centre of the pilgrimage, have also been sealed and closed to visitors for months on end for the first time in modern history. But it is also at this time of the year that an important historical tradition associated with the Hajj is remembered. On the ninth day of the month of pilgrimage, the Dhul-Hijjah, the Kaaba receives a new and perfumed kiswa covering in a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of Islam and that adds even more glow and veneration to the object of Muslims passion. The tradition is considered an act of veneration, and thus a huge amount of care in terms of costly fabrics, craftsmanship, and long months of hard work by hundreds of textile workers is dedicated to the pure gold and silver calligraphy of Quranic verses skillfully embroidering the black cotton-padded silk of the kiswa, reportedly costing some $5 million. The awesome cover weighs more than 650kg, including 12kg of pure gold and 25kg of silver thread. The old kiswa that the new one replaces is usually gifted to important figures and museums around the world, either in full or in smaller pieces, and it is sometimes sold at auction to raise money for charity. Historians have chronicled the different stages of the kiswa and its different colours, fabrics, and designs. It is said that in the early days of Islam the Kaaba was draped in fine multicolored textiles including white, green, and red, and that it was only after the late 12th century CE (sixth century Hijri) that the black colour was adopted and about two centuries later the tradition of adorning the black silk drape with gold and silver calligraphy was started. According to Manal Atia, director-general of the Sharjah Museums Department in the UAE, which houses many important sacred textiles from Mecca and Medina, the tradition of changing the kiswa that dates back to the earliest days of Islam tells a story not only about faith and the central significance of the holy city of Mecca in Islamic history, but also about exquisite craftsmanship and the believers calligraphers, weavers, dyers, embroiderers that were and continue to be involved in its annual creation. The traditions accompanying the mahmal [the caravan carrying the kiswa from Egypt to Mecca in past centuries], ranging from parades, festivities, and Hajj scenes painted on walls [wall paintings depicting the Hajj was a long-standing historical tradition], tell us a lot about the cultural aspects of the Hajj season in historic Egypt as well as the political significance it involved, commented Sherine Al-Kabbani, a researcher in Islamic history and culture and the author of a MA thesis on the Egyptian mahmal. Historians have chronicled how the rulers of different periods competed in providing the holy kiswa, not only in a quest for its blessings, but also because it was a symbol of power over the haramayn, the two cities of Mecca and Medina. Providing the kiswa was widely seen as a symbol of supremacy over the Islamic world, and the rulers who provided it also saw themselves as the protectors of Islam and its sanctuaries. THE MANUFACTURE OF THE KISWA: Egypt boasted of being the official provider of the holy kiswa for centuries on end, and the Dar Al-Kiswa Al-Sharifa in Khurunfish Street in the Gammaliya district of Cairo tells stories of hard labour, festivities, and great pride in producing the kiswa.Egypts contribution to the weaving of the black Kaaba drape dates back to the early days of Islam. According to Al-Kabbani, the second Muslim caliph of Islam, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, asked Egypt to provide the kiswa from the Qubati cloth of the time due to the fact that Egypt was widely known for its high-quality fabrics and skilled textile workers.Egypt and Yemen were the two main sources of the kiswa at the time. According to Nahla Nassar, author of an article on the Dar Al-Kiswa Al-Sharifa published in the British Museums collection of essays on the Hajj, the Prophet was the first to have used Egyptian Qubati cloth for that purpose, followed by [the three Rashidi Caliphs succeeding the prophet] Abu Bakr, Omar, and Othman.The tradition continued into the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, and there are several accounts of the caliphs ordering cloth, directly or through their agents, from the tiraz factories of Tunis, Tuna, and Shata [all near Damietta] in Egypt, Nassar said. When the Fatimids came to power in Egypt, they too dressed the Kaaba with Egyptian-made cloth.But it was during the later Mameluke era, particularly during the reign of Sultan Baybars, that Egypt really asserted its hegemony over the tradition and became the main official provider of the Kaaba drape every year in the face of rivalry from other rulers, Al-Kabbani told Al-Ahram Weekly.At various times in the past and under the originally Central Asian Mamelukes of Egypt, the major textile-making centres were in Egypt and Syria, says Maria Sardi in another article in the British Museums essays on the Hajj called Weaving for the Hajj Under the Mamelukes.Under the Ottomans, the kiswa was put together by specialised workshops in the Turkish cities of Bursa and Istanbul. During Ottoman times, the transport of the mahmal was restricted to the Cairo and Damascus caravans, and when the Albanian leader Mohamed Ali Pasha ruled Egypt after 1805, the manufacture of the kiswa moved to Cairo.The Mameluke sultans also provided the curtain for the Kaaba door and a covering for its interior that were both manufactured in Cairo. The fabric covering the Kaaba entrance was called the evil of Fatima after the Mameluke Sultana Fatima Shajarat Al-Dorr, whos believed to have been the first to send the fabric to Mecca, Sardi said.According to Nassar, the cost of the kiswa was met by the treasury (bayt al-mal) until 1349-50 CE, when [the ruler] Al-Saleh Ismail established a waqf [endowment] through which the revenue from three villages in Egypt was set aside to meet the cost of the yearly kiswa for the Kaaba and one every five years for the prophets tomb and minbar [pulpit]. This waqf, Nassar chronicled, was dissolved in 1813 during Mohamed Alis fiscal reforms. Subsequently, and up until 1962, the cost of providing the Meccan textiles was met by the Egyptian treasury. Different sources give different accounts of where exactly Egypts textile centres were located in the early days of manufacturing the Kaaba drape. Nasser suggests that the weaving of the kiswa seems to have been done at the Mosque of Al-Hussein in Cairo during the Mameluke and early Ottoman periods, although there is mention of its being woven also at the tiraz factory in Alexandria; then it moved to the Qasr Al-Ablaq in the Citadel, and then to the Warshet Al-Khurunfish in 1817. The latter was a large textile centre established by Mohamed Ali in Cairo in the area of the Bayn Al-Surayn and the Christian quarter known as the Khamis Al-Ads, according to Nassar. Nassar said the Warshet Al-Khurunfish was a huge workshop on which vast sums of money had been spent. He added that neighbourhood sheikhs were assembled and instructed to gather 4,000 young men from Cairo to work under the supervision of craftsmen and learn crafts. It was estimated that 10,000 youths might be needed once the place was complete, he said. The workshop was under government control and was known as the Department of the Noble Kiswa. According to Sardi, the esteem for the Kaaba cover was such that a high official bearing the prestigious title of the Nazir al-kiswa bi dar al-tiraz (controller of the kiswa at the state textile workshop) supervised its manufacture in the royal atelier. The name of the workshop was later changed to the Dar Al-Kiswa Al-Sharifa in 1953, when it was affiliated to the Ministry of Religious Endowments, according to Nasser. He provided a detailed description of how the workshop was equipped with machinery and skillful craftsmen, who worked under strict supervision and laboured for some 10 months every year in the intricate embroidery of the kiswa. In the other two months, the workshop was dedicated to producing the embroidered robes of honour and uniforms worn by pashas, clerics, and diplomats, as well as making marks of rank for the army and police and embroidered covers for the tombs of saints. Stables were also affiliated to the workshop for the camels needed to carry the mahmal that took the kiswa to Mecca in a big procession. THE EGYPTIAN MAHMAL: When finished, the fine Kaaba drape was carried in the mahmal, a wooden frame covered with brocaded silk, in a parade around the streets of Cairo accompanied by tambourines, trumpets, and whirling dervishes, whilst the chief steward of the shrine marched ahead of the displayed hangings, according to Sardi.According to Nassar, the mahmal took the cubical shape of the Kaaba in its lower half, while the upper part took a pyramid or tent-like shape according to the historical period in which it was made or the country from which it came.Fabrics of exquisite quality were commissioned by the former royal family to cover the mahmal, Sardi added. The place held by the mahmal within the procession of the caravan was prominent, and upon its departure from Cairo impressive festivals took place which the whole populace gathered to watch.The day of the mahmals parade through the streets of the capital was one of great festivity. The shops were decorated, and the streets were strewn with fine fabrics, while a band of seven drummers escorted the palanquin alongside a Mameluke corps of selected lancers, Sardi wrote.The mahmal was carried by a huge camel, called nabeel (noble), followed by other camels each called mabrouk (or blessed) that carried the luggage and water for pilgrims and were protected by soldiers throughout the journey to Mecca. According to Sardi, fine yellow silks were used as horse trappings for the troops of the horsemen escorting the mahmal alongside manifold velvets and gold brocades that decorated the saddles of the camels marching ahead.In her study, Al-Kabbani describes how many Egyptians considered the mahmal a source of blessing and sought to receive that blessing by touching, kissing, or at least watching the mahmal as it went through the streets of Cairo before its departure to Mecca.Many of these scenes were depicted in murals, she said. People would even seek to kiss the feet of the camels carrying the mahmal, believing that they would receive blessings since those feet would soon tread in Mecca and Medina. Rulers and governors similarly sought to kiss the camels and perfume the mahmal with bokhor scents, a scene that was often depicted on murals.A huge skeleton of the nabeel camel now stands in testimony of such rituals at the Manial Palace Museum in Giza, while parts of the holy kiswa are on display in the Egyptian Textile Museum in Cairo and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as a remembrance of the good old days.But there is more to the holy kiswa than blessings. Both al-Kabbani and Sardi made it clear that the rulers of the time were also keen on bestowing the covers of the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina for the political significance this tradition involved. After all, according to Sardi, the name of the Mameluke sultan was inscribed on the Kaaba covering and thus his power symbolically spread into the Hijaz in what is now Saudi Arabia. According to Sardi, the Hajj was an event of great religious and political importance, which the Mameluke sultans recognised almost from the very beginning. In the years of the Mameluke hegemony over Egypt and Syria (1250-1518 CE), the holy cities of Mecca and Medina were put under the control of the Mameluke sultan. In order to legitimise the Mamelukes role as the protectors of Sunni Islam, they showed remarkable concern for the organisation of the annual Hajj to Mecca, where they could best display their prominent role among other rulers of the Islamic lands. Perhaps in attempts to perform that role, the Mameluke sultans re-established the Hajj route through Sinai and provided it with all needed amenities, digging wells and building cisterns and caravanserais (hostels), according to Sardi. The political significance of this textile was so great that throughout the Mameluke era, several rulers attempted to abrogate this right [of the Mamelukes as the sole providers of the kiswa], often leading to diplomatic conflicts. But it was the mahmal and the ceremonies accompanying the caravan that also demonstrated the economic and political power of the sultans. The regular presence of this embellished palanquin in the pilgrimage caravan was a constant reminder of the Egyptian ruler despite his physical absence, Sardi elaborated. It offered the Mamelukes the chance to demonstrate their wealth and power to the thousands of pilgrims attending the caravan. The kiswa and the rest of the fabrics made for the Meccan sanctuaries were the symbols of the Mameluke supremacy over the Hijaz. The name and the title of the Mameluke sultan embroidered on the coverings of the Kaaba was a constant reminder of his power. GRADUAL DEMISE: Egypt retained this religious and political significance for centuries, taking great pride in the awesome parade which accompanied the mahmal as it took its pilgrimage route from Cairo to Mecca, until Saudi Arabia took over the manufacture of the kiswa and established its own workshops in 1962. Nassar recounts how the final chapter in the history of the Dar Al-Kiswa began in 1962, when a ship called the Mecca arrived at the port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, carrying 1,109 Egyptian pilgrims, along with the kiswa of the Kaaba, its hizam (belt), burqu, and the sitara (curtain) for the Bab Al-Tawba [the door of repentance] of the Kaaba. However, the Saudi authorities declined to accept the kiswa, so it was sent back to Egypt, Nassar said. Even so, the Dar Al-Kiswa continued with its embroidery work for some time, carrying out smaller commissions and manufacturing decorative panels for mosques or for sale. The number of embroiderers then dwindled, and by the 1980s many veterans had retired or passed away, Nassar said. The institution finally closed its doors in 1997, and the kiswa is now made in Mecca, as it has been since 1962. Hajj Sobhi Saleh, the only surviving textile worker who was among the staff producing the kiswa during the last four years before Mecca took over the manufacture of the holy cover, has featured on TV, telling audiences of the good old days when Egypt produced the blessed drape. Sobhis father was also a textile worker and was chosen as among the best 60 embroiderers involved in the making of the holy kiswa in the khedival era. Changing the kiswa was an important tradition observed twice per year, once in Shaaban, the Hijri month preceding the holy month of Ramadan, and once before the Hajj season starts, Saleh told Erennews.com. The fabrics used in the production of the kiswa were of high quality that can be rarely found nowadays, and pure gold and silver threads were used in the embroidery, which is still the case to date. When the kiswa production moved to Saudi Arabia, Saleh said that those working in the Dar Al-Kiswa continued to embroider other things including marks of rank for the army and police uniforms. Saleh himself was among those selected to decorate the uniform of late president Anwar Al-Sadat and other officers during the ceremony celebrating the 1973 War victory. But soon the veteran staff in the workshop passed away or moved elsewhere and opened their own workshops. The two-century old workshop officially closed in the late 1990s and has since been turned into a storehouse for material owned by the ministry of religious endowments. The centuries-old workshop that once witnessed the heyday of kiswa manufacture is now left in a deplorable state and is hardly known even to people in the vicinity. A shabby metal plaque that hangs on the steel gate that replaced the old wooden one is the only sign left from the past. Al-Kabbani was lucky to have been able to enter the formerly grand place when she was doing her Masters degree in 2005. The workshops interior is a work of art that is crumbling under the onslaught of neglect, Al-Kabbani told the Weekly. Nobody would allow visitors in at that time, she said, and of course photography was forbidden. The interior of the workshop is just like a haunted house from a film, littered with old equipment, old machines, broken glass, and solely inhabited by spiders. What really broke my heart was seeing an old pattern of the holy kiswa thrown on the floor and mired in dust. The guard was totally unaware of the value of this costly piece, she commented. Al-Kabbani is among those calling for the renovation of the workshop. Weve been long calling for turning the former Dar Al-Kiswa into a museum, but all calls have been falling on deaf ears, she said. Nobody even seems to know if the place is registered as a monument. The workshop remains in the possession of the ministry of religious endowments, which is not the official body responsible for restoring antiquities. A recent feature on Egypts Dar al-Kiswa: A Monument Turned into a Dump on the website Al-Monitor has similarly described the dismal state of the forgotten workshop despite calls to turn it into a museum. Reminiscing about the good old days of his childhood, 71-year-old Ali Al-Domyati, who owns a shop facing the Dar Al-Kiswa, told Al-Monitor of the great pride Egyptians took in the parades carrying the mahmal that used to take place in the streets of the old neighbourhood. The parades, he said, had started from Al-Khurunfish, crossing Al-Muizz Street, and then the Al-Hussein neighbourhood. After that, the parade would head to the Suez province where the kiswa would be transported aboard a ship to the holy land, Al-Domyati told Al-Monitor. Weve urged the government to look after the building, especially after the residents started to litter its vicinity, but to no avail. From time to time, we hear about plans to renovate the Dar Al-Kiswa, but years have gone by and the situation is only getting worse. Mohamed Yassin, another 84-year-old witness to kiswa production, also told Al-Monitor of his childhood days when he used to visit the workshop and distribute milk to the workers. The inside of the building is a work of art decorated with Islamic embroideries, he told the website. But now even the annexed mosque is closed because of the garbage scattered everywhere. *A version of this article appears in print in the 23 July, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: At least 11 persons, including two minor boys, have been apprehended in connection with the alleged rape and blackmail of two minor sisters in Balodabazar district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Thursday. The incident, which had taken place on May 31 in Palari police station area, came to light on Wednesday when one of the victims contacted the women's helpline to complain about the offence, the official said. The victims, aged 14 and 16, had stepped out for an outing with two male friends, when eight accused intercepted them on the outskirts of a village, Balodabazar superintendent of police Indira Kalyan Elesela said. The accused grabbed the girls and thrashed their two friends, who fled the scene, the official said. The accused then took turns to rape the girls and filmed the act on their cellphones, he said, adding that the victims were threatened of dire consequences if they complained about the assault. On Wednesday, one of the victims informed the women's helpline about the rape and said they were being blackmailed by a man, who threatened to circulate a video of the sexual assault on social media, he said. The police have nabbed 11 persons in connection with the case, including the man who blackmailed the victims and the two male friends of the girls, the official said. While one of the accused is the victims' cousin, two minors involved in the crime have been detained, he said, adding that a case has been registered and probe is underway. ALBANY In early April, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo warned that the state may need 40,000 ventilators and up to 150,000 hospital beds projections that would prove to be far beyond the state's actual needs. In response to those initial concerns, his administration began spending hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase thousands of ventilators, mobile X-ray machines and "BiPAP" breathing-assistance devices, most of which were never used. Although the inventory of the state's medical stockpiles is arguably a matter of public record, the governor's office declined to provide details on how much medical and personal protective equipment are now in its reserves much of it stored at large industrial warehouses in Guilderland, at Oriskany, Oneida County, and a facility in the New York City region. The office did, however, promptly provide a breakdown of its expenditures during the pandemic, including listing $278 million to purchase more than 8,800 ventilators; $94.4 million to buy 1,179 mobile X-ray machines; and $60.7 million for more than 17,000 "oxygen concentrators" a category the administration said encompasses the BiPAP devices. On April 7, as the governor appeared on MSNBC to report that New York had logged a pandemic-high 800 deaths during the previous 24 hours, he said that hospitals were "over capacity" and facing a critical shortage of the ventilators used to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. "We have been scrambling with ventilators. We move them all over the state like pieces on a chess board, literally whatever hospital has the greatest inflow (of patients) that night, we move ventilators around the state," he said. "We have also used other machines that have a ventilating capacity, something called the BiPAP machine." BiPAPs are bi-level airway pressure machines that push air into a person's lungs. Under the state's plan, Cuomo had said, they were to be fitted with a special part that could make them function like a ventilator. The state scrambled to acquire those machines as Cuomo cited health experts' worst-case scenarios for hospitalizations and patients who may need to be intubated. On April 2, he announced the state had 750 BiPAPs in reserve and had purchased another 3,000 from a Pittsburgh medical supply company. Six days later, Cuomo said a Florida company, Mercury Medical, had donated another 2,400 BiPAP machines that were being flown to New York for free by JetBlue. But despite the governor's assertions in April that the BiPAP machines were being "used" to treat patients, they were never put into operation. "BiPAPs, luckily, were not needed," Richard Azzopardi, an adviser and spokesman for Cuomo, acknowledged this week. He added: "As a matter of policy we do not comment on our stockpiled supplies." Azzopardi said the purchases were necessary at a time when the state facing a $6.1 billion deficit before the pandemic struck was planning for the worst, despite pushback from the White House that the governor was overstating his needs. That discrepancy emerged in mid-April, when Cuomo and President Donald J. Trump repeatedly sparred over the levels of response as the governor cited earlier Centers for Disease Control estimates indicating there could be up to 2 million U.S. fatalities, and that New York's 56,000 available hospital beds would fall far short of its needs. But those estimates apparently did not factor in the reduction of infection rates due to economic shutdowns, social distancing mandates and the wearing of masks by millions of people. The president retorted that New York would not need the number of hospital beds and ventilators that Cuomo had called for, and he also criticized the state for failing to keep an adequate stockpile of ventilators. "Cuomo ridiculously wanted '40 thousand Ventilators.' We gave him a small fraction of that number, and it was plenty," Trump tweeted on April 17, as the two government leaders clashed. "State should have had them in stockpile! ... We built you thousands of hospital beds that you didn't need or use, gave large numbers of ventilators that you should have had, and helped you with testing that you should be doing." Cuomo, who countered that the federal stockpile had just 10,000 ventilators, insisted that his estimates were based on scientific projections offered by federal and other medical experts and, if they were wrong, Trump should blame them. The president's remark about New York's hospital beds referred, in part, to a 4,000-bed field hospital the federal government swiftly built at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, which never had more than 10 percent capacity and on most days was virtually empty. It was one of several field hospitals that Cuomo's administration had scrambled to assemble in April that saw little use. Azzopardi, the governor's spokesman, said it was those field hospitals and potentially many more that were never built that had prompted the state to purchase more than 1,000 X-ray machines. "These were procured at a time when the state was preparing for an apex projected to require 150,000 hospital beds and we planned on building several field hospitals which needed to be fully equipped," he said. "As we now know, New Yorkers crushed the curve of the virus and, thankfully, we never had to build the hospitals." Cuomo continued to push for more ventilators and increased hospital capacity after New York and nearly all other states implemented stay-at-home orders including closing businesses and schools that sharply flattened the rate of infections and deaths in New York. It was during that period that Cuomo's administration scrambled to purchase personal protective equipment, ventilators and the mobile X-ray machines, which cost an estimated $125,000 or more apiece, according to medical industry equipment suppliers. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Other expenditures included $35 million for gloves, $168 million for respirators and $4 million worth of soap. The governor's office did not provide an exact dollar figure or quantity of the unused BiPAP machines. "While New York was climbing the apex and projections showed we would need upwards of 150,000 hospital beds and 40,000 ventilators, Northwell Health developed a way to add a readily available part to the BiPAP that would effectively convert it into an emergency use ventilator," Azzopardi said. "This type of conversion would only be necessary in an emergency situation and if hospitals and the state ran out of ventilators." He added "for context" that the number of people hospitalized in New York for COVID-19 symptoms only reached a little more than 18,0o0 at the height of the pandemic here, and that the state "never ran out of ventilators." With a now-ample supply of medical and protective equipment, the nation's hardest-hit state from the coronavirus is now, in Cuomo's words, returning favors to states that he said had helped New York, including sending "volunteer" health care workers here. But those volunteers were compensated, including many at pay rates far above what New York nurses and other front-line workers here were paid. So far, Cuomo has authorized a multitude of donations from New York's stockpiles of personal protective equipment to Houston, Atlanta, Savannah, Ga., and St. Petersburg, Fla. Those gifts include 22,500 face shields, 26,500 gloves, 22,500 N95 masks, 3,750 gallons of sanitizer, 124,000 surgical masks and 22,500 test kits. "I know I speak for all New Yorkers when I say we will always be grateful for that help that came to us, and we are paying back the favor today by sending PPE to St. Petersburg, where we've worked together to establish a community testing site," Cuomo said Wednesday, adding that New York would equip a testing site in Pinellas County, Fla. "We will continue to return the favor and lend help to whoever needs it." Azzopardi said New York's purchases and stockpiling of medical equipment came as the pandemic's grip on the world was peaking and it was unclear how many people may die or need hospitalization, including in intensive care units. Many states sent ventilators and workers to New York as its cases soared. New York was hit the hardest and had to contend with a worldwide shortage of protective equipment, but when we needed it the most 30,000 front-line workers from other states stepped up and volunteered to help us through one of our darkest moments," he said. "We never forgot that and are proud to return the favor in any way we can, while also making sure we have the resources and the PPE available to brace for a second wave." Assembly Minority Leader William A. Barclay, a Republican from Oswego, said New York lawmakers should receive more information about how much equipment is in the state's stockpiles, and why some of it is being shipped to other states. "If taxpayer dollars are paying for equipment that is now collecting dust or being shipped to other states, then we have questions that demand answers," Barclay said, adding that upcoming legislative hearings regarding New York's response to the pandemic "may just be the right forum." The assemblyman also challenged the administration's position that it will not comment on or disclose information on its medical stockpiles. The Assembly's Republican conference had pressed unsuccessfully in March for the administration to report monthly how much and on what it was spending what was then a $40 million emergency appropriations bill. That unprecedented legislation also gave Cuomo sweeping emergency powers to respond to the pandemic, including changing state laws at will. "Given all that we've gone through with COVID and what we're facing with the state's dire economic conditions, New Yorkers have every right to know this kind of basic public health and fiscal information," he said. "Emergency response and preparedness are obviously critical, but so is a full accounting of where taxpayer resources are directed and how much of the public's money is being spent." Call for Welsh Government to deploy Deeside field hospital to alleviate pressure at Wrexham Maelor in wake Coronavirus spike This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jul 30th, 2020 A Welsh Parliament member has called for the temporary field hospital in Deeside to be deployed to help alleviate pressure on Wrexham Maelor as the hospital deals with a spike in coronavirus cases. There are between 70 and 80 cases of coronavirus at Maelor Hospital, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board confirmed on Tuesday, an increase of around 10 from the previous day. Shadow Minister for Health, Andrew RT Davies MS has claimed Wrexham Maelor is becoming increasingly overwhelmed and non-covid patients are being dangerously exposed. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said it has now instigated universal screening for all patients on wards where there has been COVID-19 positive patient. This is in addition to screening every patient admitted to our hospitals. All patients who test positive are appropriately isolated and all infection prevention and control measures are in place. Said Gill Harris, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Betsi Cadwaladr. Welsh Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies, said: This is a very alarming situation at Wrexham Maelor with a huge surge in coronavirus cases. Were hearing of distressing scenes on hospital wards that are becoming increasingly overwhelmed and where non-covid patients are being dangerously exposed to those entering the hospital environment with the virus. Labours health minister needs to get on top of this situation urgently and all avenues must be explored by the Welsh Government including deploying the Enfys field hospitals in the region to help alleviate pressure at Wrexham Maelor and protect patients. Enfys Glannau Dyfrdwy Rainbow Hospital Deeside is one of three Rainbow Hospitals in North Wales, the other two are in Bangor and Llandudno. The temporary 430-bed hospital in Deeside built at a cost of around 13.9m has remained unused during the pandemic but is expected to remain on standby through the winter due to concerns over a potential second wave of coronavirus. The temporary hospitals in North Wales were established to reduce occupancy in BCUHBs main hospitals during the pandemic. As well as preventing admissions they were designed to help step-down patients, who had received treatment at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Glan Clwyd Hospital and Wrexham Maelor Hospitals, to recover and eventually return home. The temporary hospitals were not designed to cater for patients needing intubation, so ventilators were not items of equipment fitted within Rainbow Hospitals. Welsh Conservatives are also looking to tomorrows 21 day lockdown regulations announcement, with Shadow Minister for Covid-19 Recovery, Darren Millar MS, calling for the Welsh Government to ease lockdown further. Mr Millars party has issued a new list of seven changes they would like to see announced tomorrow: Relax the two-metre social distancing rule (with mitigating measures) Make face coverings in shops mandatory Permit people to meet in larger groups of up to five households outdoors Extend social bubbles to allow people to meet more loved ones indoors (up to three households at a time and including overnight stays) Re-open theatres and bingo halls Re-open indoor gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools, and equestrian centres Allow indoor weddings and receptions at more venues Commenting, Darren Millar MS, said: The people of Wales are enduring the toughest coronavirus restrictions in the UK and it is high time that their hard work in preventing the spread of the virus was rewarded. I urge the Welsh Labour-led Government to carefully consider all of the items on our list to restore more freedoms for people in Wales to meet and spend time with their loved ones, have more fun, get fit and get wed. Our plans will also help more businesses and activities to become more viable. These freedoms have or are being safely restored in other parts of the UK and people in Wales should be able to enjoy them too. We need to continue to re-open our society and economy while protecting lives and livelihoods. Facebook has been accused of not blocking dirty ads and lending a hand to the behavior of swindling consumers, thus harming the reputation of e-commerce websites and big brands in Vietnam, according to retailers. Many users in early July complained that they regularly saw ads for branded smartphones at astonishingly low prices. All the products were counterfeit. Very attractive price for 289 first orders of the day: just VND4.5 million for Note10+. 12-month warranty, 1-for-1 exchange within 30 days at The Gioi Di Dong and Dien May Xanh chains, said an ad running on La***a_voucheruudai since July 11. A representative of Lazada affirmed that many fanpages fake the brand of its e-commerce website. And to make it more persuasive, the fanpage usually posts articles about Lazada Vietnam. It is really difficult to discover that this is a fake page. Everything on this fanpage is copied from Lazadas genuine page. The posts advertising fake products are hidden and they are only visible to targeted clients, said Minh Hiep, an advertiser in HCM City. Facebook has been accused of not blocking dirty ads and lending a hand to the behavior of swindling consumers, thus harming the reputation of e-commerce websites and big brands in Vietnam, according to retailers. Nguyen Manh Hai, the owner of a shop in district 10, said with the price of below VND5 million, the Note10+ advertised on this page cannot be a genuine product. Large retail chains now quote the price of VND20 million for a brand-new Galaxy Note10+, while used products are priced at not less than VND13 million. Besides La***a_voucheruudai, there are hundreds of other fanpages counterfeiting big brands and buying Facebook ads to approach more consumers. Shopee said the company has been working directly with units that operate social networks to block and remove websites and accounts counterfeiting Shopee. It has also joined forces with cybersecurity agencies to give information and deal with violators of business laws. Meanwhile, The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World) commented that Facebook is slow in solving the problems related to brand counterfeiting. Dang Thanh Phong from The Gioi Di Dong, the largest mobile phone retail chain in Vietnam, said Facebook requires detailed reports about counterfeiting pages. It takes Facebook a lot of time to settle the cases. According to Phong, The Gioi Di Dong has a legal division in charge of finding administrators of counterfeit pages and giving warnings about the infringement. If the subjects are uncooperative, the company settles the problems through legal procedures. However, the number of counterfeit pages has been increasing rapidly. The representative of Lazada said such counterfeit pages have been increasing. Lazada checks daily and reports to Facebook. However, as it is too easy to create a Facebook page and buy ads, it seems that anyone can counterfeit brands. Mai Lan VN social networking sites shaken by draft amendment More than 500 local social networking sites will need to secure a permit to continue earning revenue if the draft decree amending Decree 72 is approved. PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I work at three different hospitals and when I place one of my badges and a key together on the same bungee something is always in the way," said an inventor from Midwest City, Oklahoma. "This inspired me to develop a better means to store badges together with keys to allow them to conveniently be used." She developed the patent-pending DOUBLE BUNGEE BADGE AND KEY HOLDER to eliminate a mess of multiple, tangled clip attachments. This invention ensures that a badge and keys are always together and safely attached to the user. Additionally, it would offer users improved organization and accessibility. The original design was submitted to the national sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-HTM-9327, 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 This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Muslim pilgrims, wearing face coverings and moving in small groups, began circling Islams holiest site, the Kaaba, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. During the hajj, the white floors that surround it usually have hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world. But this year is different. Only a small number of pilgrims as few as 1,000 could take part. Ammar Khaled is a 29-year-old Indian pilgrim who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. He said that although he is alone on the hajj, he is praying for those he loves. Words arent enough to explain how blessed I feel and how amazing the arrangements have been, Khaled said. Amr Al-Maddah is the chief planning officer at the Ministry of Hajj. He said, We are taking every step possible to make sure that this hajj will end with zero cases of COVID-19 and also with zero deaths in our total hajj numbers. Before pilgrims could even enter Mecca, they were tested for the virus, required to self-isolate in hotel rooms, and have their temperatures checked. Each pilgrim is in a group with about 20 others. A group leader will guide them throughout the hajj. This will help limit any crowding in places like the Grand Mosque, which houses the Kaaba. While on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago, the pilgrims wear identity cards that connect to their phones. The card stores the pilgrims personal information, health data, and other hajj-related details. It permits the Saudi government to easily monitor the pilgrims. It also gives pilgrims a way to contact their group leader and make special meal requests. Pilgrims were also given special clothes to wear during the hajj. The clothes contain silver that helps kill bacteria. They were also provided with prayer rugs, umbrellas, towels, soaps, sanitizers and other necessities. This year marks the first time in many years that people from outside Saudi Arabia do not take part in the five-day hajj. Al-Maddah said permitting people to enter Saudi Arabia from abroad would have created possible health risks. This year, two-thirds of pilgrims are foreigners already living in Saudi Arabia. These foreigners come from among the 160 different nationalities that would have normally been on the hajj. The other one-third are Saudi security and medical officials. All have to be between the ages of 20 and 50 and have no serious illnesses. For us, safety comes first, al-Maddah said. We are employing technology to make sure that these services and these precautions are met and delivered in the highest standard. Im John Russell. Aya Batrawy reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted the report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story pilgrim n. someone who travels to a holy place hajj n. a journey to Mecca that is a religious duty for Muslims blessed adj. having a sacred nature : connected with God; very welcome, pleasant, or appreciated amazing -- adj. causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement arrangement -- n. the way that things or people are organized for a particular purpose or activity : the way that things or people are arranged monitor v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time sermon n. a speech about a moral or religious subject that is usually given by a religious leader foreigner n. a person who is from a country that is not your own precaution n. something that is done to prevent possible harm or trouble from happening in the future PHOENIX, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, along with its network member firms Royal Alliance Associates and Securities America, today congratulated financial professionals Patti Brennan, CFP, CFS and Trudy Haussman, CFP for their recognition in Barron's annual survey of the Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors in the U.S. Ms. Brennan and Ms. Haussman are affiliated with Royal Alliance and Securities America, respectively. The prestigious Barron's Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors list is based on the results of a 102-question survey completed by financial professionals about their practices. The results are assessed according to Barron's proprietary formula to generate a ranking based on assets, revenue and quality of practice. Ms. Brennan is President and CEO of Key Financial, Inc. in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Her firm provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services and has approximately $1.25 billion in total client assets. Ms. Haussmann is President and Owner of Haussmann Financial, which has been one of Securities America's top branches since 2004. Her firm, which has $1.12 billion in total client assets, has specialized in retirement transition planning for employees of major corporations for over 20 years. She joined Securities America in 1991. The recognition represents the latest in a series of accolades for both Ms. Brennan and Ms. Haussman. Both have been named to Barron's Hall of Fame, which honors financial professionals who have appeared in 10 or more annual Barron's Top 100 Advisor rankings for their long-term commitment to excellence. Ms. Haussman has been included in the Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors list for 15 continuous years since its inception, while Ms. Brennan has been included for 14 consecutive years. Patti Brennan, CFP, CFS, President and CEO of Key Financial, said, "My team and I are honored to be included in this year's Barron's Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors rankings. During these challenging times for our clients, we have been even more focused on providing a service experience that puts investors' minds at ease and helps them stay on track toward their goals. This recognition demonstrates that we are on the right path, and we will continue to maintain our dedication to serving our clients to the best of our abilities." Trudy Haussman, CFP, President and Owner of Haussmann Financial, said, "We are seeing every day just how vital our roles as financial professionals are in providing sound, thoughtful guidance to our clients. My team and I are gratified that our efforts have been recognized again this year by Barron's, and we are firmly committed to continuing with the tradition of excellent service and attention that our clients have come to expect from us." Jamie Price, President and CEO of Advisor Group, said, "Advisor Group, Royal Alliance and Securities America are fortunate to support exceptional financial professionals like Patti Brennan and Trudy Haussman, who set a powerful example for all of us to look up to. In challenging times, the best financial professionals redouble their efforts to help their clients succeed, and as their inclusion in the 2020 Barron's Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors rankings demonstrates that's exactly what Ms. Brennan and Ms. Haussman have done. We are proud to stand in their corner, and to support all of our financial professionals across the country." To learn more about Key Financial, Inc. please call 610-429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com. To learn more about Haussman Financial, please call 800-773-8700 or visit www.haussmannfinancial.com. In addition to Royal Alliance and Securities America, Advisor Group also includes FSC Securities Corporation, Investacorp, KMS Financial Services, SagePoint Financial, Securities Service Network, Triad Advisors and Woodbury Financial. About Advisor Group Advisor Group, Inc. is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 11,300 financial professionals and overseeing over $450 billion in client assets. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Advisor Group, Inc. subsidiaries, FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, Inc., Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities services are offered through Investacorp, Inc., Securities America, Inc., and Securities Service Network, broker-dealers and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, Investacorp Advisory Services, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., SSN Advisory, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisor Group, Inc. is a holding company. Advisor Group, Inc. is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Advisor Group, Inc. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379 Third-party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one client's evaluation. About Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. is part of Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, and a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA and SIPC. Royal Alliance has more than 3,600 affiliated independent financial advisors and is headquartered in Jersey City. It was founded in 1969 and employs a client driven approach focused on meeting the unique demands of businesses and individuals. For more information visit http://www.royalalliance.com. About Securities America Securities America is part of Advisor Group, the nation's largest networks of independent wealth management firms. Headquartered in Omaha and founded in 1984, Securities America supports approximately 2,600 independent financial professionals with innovative technology and wealth management platforms, practice management and business growth tools and a personalized service culture. The firm's flexible, multi-custodial approach supports a range of business models including Super OSJs, independent RIAs, RIA-only advisors, hybrid advisors and financial institutions. For more information visit https://www.securitiesamerica.com/. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA / SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. and Arbor Point Advisors, LLC. About Key Financial Inc. Key Financial, Inc., is a federally registered investment adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is headquartered in West Chester, PA. With over $900 million assets under management, Key Financial Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services. The firm is a subsidiary of the Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., and the insurance services offered through Patricia Brennan are independent of Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. For information about the firm's planning services or to speak with Patti Brennan, call (610)429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com. About Haussman Financial Haussman Financial's mission is to get to know clients in order to understand their needs, wants, and long-term goals on a holistic basis, then help them develop, implement, and monitor strategies that are designed to address their individual situations. From managing debt to saving for college to retirement, Haussman Financial is committed to utilizing all of its resources to helping clients pursue their goals. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., a Registered Broker-Dealer, Member FINRA / SIPC. Haussmann Financial and Securities America are unaffiliated firms. Media Contacts: Joseph Kuo / Chris Clemens Haven Tower Group 424 317 4851 or 424 317 4854 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Advisor Group Related Links https://www.advisorgroup.com A man who pleaded guilty to glassing a promising Dublin GAA player in the eye in a nightclub, ending his dream to play with the senior team, has been sentenced three years in prison. Stephen Howe was 22 when he smashed the glass into 19-year-old Aaron Duffys face while both men were in a line for the toilets at the Wrights Cafe Bar in Swords, Dublin on December 23, 2017. The victim had to undergo surgery to treat a severe perforation and prolapse of his left eye. The attack had a massive detrimental effect on Mr Duffys life, resulting in the end of a long-term relationship, the ending of his dream to play with the Dublin senior team, and treatment for depression and self harm. His work as a plumber also suffered. A medical report from September 2018 stated the eye now has satisfactory vision but that there is a permanent scar to the cornea Howe, of Brookdale Road, Rivervalley, Swords, had been on bail for a motoring offence at the time of the attack. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today counsel for Howe appealed to judge Elma Sheahan to show leniency in sentencing, saying that Howe would lose his job with the British Army if given a custodial sentence. He said the accused had been devastated by the words in Aaron Duffys victim impact statement, and had a serious conversation with his own father afterwards on how to change his life, and ultimately applied to join the British Army, something which led to repercussions from his friends. Howe had gone on to serve in Kabul, where he was injured, and had since self-harmed with a knife, the Circuit Criminal Court heard. A lieutenant from the British Army was in court to verify that Howe would lose his position if given a custodial sentence, but was not called upon to give evidence. Judge Sheahan said the maximum sentence was five years, and that the evidence was Mr Duffy was in the queue for the toilet minding his own business, and the evidence from the CCTV footage appeared to show a jovial and pleasant atmosphere which changed when Howe suddenly attacked Mr Duffy with a glass. One cannot but be moved by the fact that the victim had worked since he was a boy to play for the senior Dublin team, she said. She added that the attack was a gratuitous and mindless act of violence. Judge Sheahan said that the fact Howe could gain a position and serve in the British Army and get a posting in Kabul was evidence that he can be held responsible for his actions. She said the attack was unacceptable at every level. In mitigation she took Howes guilty plea, remorse, offer of compensation, hospital admission for self harm, and his job with the British Army, into consideration. But she explained that the attack was at the highest level of offending and carried a possible five year sentence. With mitigating elements Judge Sheahan said a sentence of three years and six months, with the last six months suspended, was to be handed down. Hard-up Australians are being targeted by scammers posing as government organisations, it has been revealed. Residents have been warned to be cautious when receiving a myGov email, where Australians can access services such as Centrelink and the tax office, as it could be a scam. The email asks people to 'please signing in' to the website. Authorities say the bad grammar is a sign that it isn't from Services Australia. Hundreds line up outside Centrelink on March 23 in Melbourne after losing employment due to the pandemic. Scammers are targeting those who have been worst hit by the pandemic Australians have been warned to be cautious when receiving an email claiming to be from myGov as it could be a scam Scamwatch has received over 3,600 scam reports mentioning COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic 'Beware of the latest COVID-19 relief scam,' Scamwatch tweeted. 'Be careful with links in messages, and always check whether a government website is the real deal incorrect spelling and grammar or the wrong logo are clues that the website is a fake.' Scamwatch has received over 3,600 scam reports mentioning COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. TIPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMS Don't click on hyperlinks Go to the website through your web browser. For example, to reach the MyGov website type 'my.gov.au' into your browser yourself Never responded to unsolicited messages or calls that ask for personal details Advertisement 'Scammers are pretending to be government agencies providing information on COVID-19 through text messages and emails 'phishing' for your information,' the organisation revealed on Tuesday. 'These contain malicious links and attachments designed to steal your personal and financial information. 'Scammers are also pretending to be Government agencies and other entities offering to help you with applications for financial assistance or payments for staying home.' Services Australia General Manager Hank Jongen said in a podcast on July 16 that it is easy to click on the wrong link. 'It's important to know there are services out there to help you if you fall victim to a scam,' Mr Jongen said. 'I know it can be embarrassing to admit you've been scammed, but it's so important to let Scamwatch know to help protect others from being taken advantage of. 'The Scamwatch page, at scamwatch.gov.au, is an interesting read and I encourage everyone to spend a few minutes becoming familiar with what common scams are happening in Australia right now.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Brussels, Belgium Thu, July 30, 2020 07:50 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a60399 2 World EU,remdesivir,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-drugs,COVID-19-treatment,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free The European Commission has ordered 30,000 treatment doses of the antiviral medication remdesivir from US drugs giant Gilead, it announced Wednesday. Sold under the brand name Veklury, remdesivir is the first medicine to be approved by the EU to treat victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in EU member states and Britain. It is hoped the drug will shorten recovery times for patients with severe infections and it will be made available early next month. The first batch of doses will cost 63 million euros ($73 million) and ought to cover needs for the next few months before a second procurement contract in October. Thiruvananthapuram, July 31 : Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Thursday said the state is passing through the worst ever crisis period as far as the finances are concerned. He also answered the criticism of the Congress led UDF on various issues. Issac said that in the past revenues falling by 10 to 20 per cent in a budget year is natural. "The situation today is such that the revenues estimated in the budget has fallen as high as 50 per cent and hence the finances are precariously placed. People do not have cash flow . We cannot cut expenses in the health and basic infrastructure and it will continue by cutting down on other things," said Issac. On the way out , Issac said he expects the Centre to sanction the nearly Rs 6,000 crore which they ought to give. "Even though the borrowing powers of the state government has been increased, it has come with lots of conditions and we are in the process of fulfilling all those conditions," added Issac. On the widespread criticism of the Congress, that at present what prevails in the state is aConsultancy Raj' , Issac brushed aside that and said wherever necessary consultants will have to be appointed and thataAs just what is happening. " Any World Bank assistance will have to go through a consultancy. In the present K-Phone project , it was the Congress led UDF which appointed the consultant and when we assumed office in 2016 May, we were given the opened tenders and we gave it to the lowest quote," said Issac. On the latest controversy over appointing a consultant without even acquiring land for the proposed Sabarimala airport, Issac laughed and said what happens first is a feasibility study and then only one looks for the land and that has only happened. " Do you know why the Congress is worried. Now we are in the last year of this government and had it not been for Covid, numerous projects worth Rs 15,000 crore in the education and health sectors would have been inaugurated and this is what the Congress is deeply worried ," said Issac. Touching upon the allegations of backdoor appointments being made, Issac said during the Congress led UDF government, time they had made 30,000 temporary appointments. " We have done only 12,000 temporary appointments and what must not be forgotten is we have appointed 20,000 people in permanent posts," said Issac. Brushing aside the appointment of now arrested Swapna Suresh (gold smuggling case) in a high paying job , Issac said this is a one off aberration that has taken place and if one compares similar things that took place in the previous Congress governance, there are numerous such cases. Authorities doorknocking the properties of Victorians who have tested positive for coronavirus are discovering some people not at home and others still going to work while sick. Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday revealed police are investigating a number of people who were not at home in recent days when authorities came to check they were isolating after receiving a positive test. Australian Defence Force personnel and Victoria Police in Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne. Credit: Simon Schluter It comes as police fined 88 people for flouting coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, including Melburnians who travelled far beyond their local area to get a coffee or go fishing. About 30 teams of health officials and Australian Defence Force members were out doorknocking on Wednesday, visiting 269 properties to check coronavirus-positive residents were at home. Montgomery County logged its deadliest day of pandemic deaths with health officials confirming five more COVID-19 deaths bringing the total to 62. Since July 1, the county has recorded the most deaths in a month with 26. According to the Montgomery County Public Health District, the deaths include one Conroe man and two Magnolia men who were hospitalized and one Spring woman and a man from New Caney who were not hospitalized at the time of their death. The ages of the deceased residents range between 60 and 90. The countys total number of cases increased 87 to 6,077. Of those, 2,464 are active. Total hospitalizations, both county and non-county residents increased from 184 to 190. Of those 190, 69 are Montgomery County residents. We are continuing to see an increase in positive cases coming every day, County Judge Mark Keough stated on social media. Please dont let your guard down when it comes to practicing the CDC guidelines when in public. With the increase use of face coverings and masks please remember the mask is not a substitute for good hand hygiene and social distancing. All of the guidelines if followed correctly will dramatically reduce the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends the following measures in a public place: stay at least six feet from others at all times; wear a cloth face covering to help protect yourself and others; wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; and bring hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol to use if soap and water are not available. As the number of cases continue to increase, Montgomery County commissioners allocated an additional $1 million in CARES Act funding to keep employees working from home. To date, about $4 million has been allocated to set up many employees at their home to minimize contact with the public and other employees during the pandemic. For those needing to be testing, MCPHD has launched an online registration process for its voucher program for both symptomatic and asymptomatic. The testing is for Montgomery County residents only. To get a voucher, go to mchd-tx.org or mcphd-tx.org and click on the need to be tested link. Fill out the information. A voucher will be emailed. Once you have the voucher, make an appointment at your choice of testing center and get tested. The MCHD/MCPHD COVID-19 Call Center is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3:30pm. Call 936-523-5040. cdominguez@hcnonline.com Participants at the online meeting discussing the situation in Syria (Photo: VNA) Hanoi Vietnam on July 29 called on the international community to support Syria to ensure food security and enhance COVID-19 response capacity. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, emphasised the importance of guaranteeing humanitarian access across all regions of Syria via maintaining security stability and seriously implementing a ceasefire in northwest Syria as well as responding to the nationwide ceasefire appeal of the UN Secretary General. The diplomat welcomed the support of the international community for the Syrian people and called for stronger cooperation between the Syrian government and the UN agencies on this matter. He underlined the two priority tasks of ensuring food security and strengthening COVID-19 response for Syria. So far, nearly 700 COVID-19 infections have been recorded in Syria. To pick up a takeout order at Post & Beam these days, you bypass the usual front entrance and walk through the patio now cleared of tables as you approach the counter window. You smile gratefully behind your mask as the friendly woman on the other side of the glass, also masked, hands over two brown paper shopping bags with your dinner, hot and ready on time as promised on the website. If you ate at Post & Beam before COVID-19 shut down restaurant life as we know it, you will feel a tug of sadness as you walk back to your car. In nonpandemic times, the patio on a hot summer night would be packed with diners groups of friends and families meeting over plates of fried chicken, short ribs or maybe catfish with a dash of chimichurri, complemented by ice-cold cocktails infused with fresh herbs. At full strength, Post & Beam is an essential Southern California experience, a special night out where people dress up yet feel at ease and, as they walk out the door: happy. Pizza chef Jaron Quetel, left, tosses pizza dough at Post & Beam. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) When I think back on a lifetime of meals I shared with Jonathan Gold, my late husband and this papers restaurant critic until his death in 2018, I like to picture evenings we spent at Post & Beam. Sustained by a rye Old-Fashioned, Jonathan would indulge my craving for the restaurant's deviled eggs with smoked catfish. And if we'd brought friends, it was never a bad idea to order an extra plate of shrimp and grits for the table. We both felt that Post & Beam had become a vital part of Los Angeles and the national dining scene. For these reasons and more, I am thrilled that the founding and current driving forces behind Post & Beam Brad and Linda Johnson, Govind Armstrong and John and Roni Cleveland are this year's recipients of the Los Angeles Times Gold Award. The Gold Award, as Jonathan described it in 2017, is given annually "with the idea of honoring culinary excellence and expanding the notion of what Southern California cooking might be. The award celebrates intelligence and innovation, brilliance and sensitivity to aesthetics, culture and the environment." Story continues The first recipient was Wolfgang Puck, "who taught the world," Jonathan wrote, "what it means to be a Los Angeles chef." In 2018, the honorees were Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, who "blurred the boundaries between street food and fine dining," Jonathan wrote, "in ways that some of us are just now beginning to appreciate." Last year, the Gold Award went to Cassia's Bryant Ng and Kim Luu-Ng, who have skillfully blended the flavors of Vietnamese and other Asian cuisines with European technique and California seasonal produce, showing that fish sauce can be as important to the cuisine of Los Angeles as olive oil. When Brad Johnson and Armstrong opened Post & Beam on Dec. 31, 2011, a fine-dining establishment in the parking lot of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw mall, it was a critical milestone for Los Angeles. They ensured that any conversation about Los Angeles' best restaurants had to go beyond the usual Westside/Hollywood neighborhoods, places each knew well from opening restaurants in those spots. "Post & Beam is the most ambitious restaurant ever to open in the Crenshaw District," Jonathan wrote in 2013. "If you want to understand the power structure of South Los Angeles, you could do worse than to eavesdrop over grits and a Bloody Mary at Post & Beam after church on a Sunday afternoon." Jerked catfish with dirty rice and chimichurri sauce. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) I've always loved the modern elegance of the dining room, the way the food so easily brought global influences into cooking that may have emerged from the American South but was undeniably Californian. Armstrong, who has the DNA of Los Angeles fine dining in his bones, starting from his storied days as a teenage apprentice at Spago, was the right chef to establish Post & Beam. His kitchen adventures have encompassed the esoteric precision of Spain's Michelin-starred Arzak, the foundational L.A. restaurants Campanile and City, and his breakouts at Jackson's, Chadwick, Table 8 and 8 oz. Burger Bar, not to mention "Top Chef Masters" and "Iron Chef." A year ago, Johnson and Armstrong passed the Post & Beam torch to John and Roni Cleveland, ensuring that the restaurant would remain a Black-owned business. My fear was that there would be somebody of means who would come in, someone not from the community," Johnson told The Times' Amy Scattergood in September. "What a loss that would be. Cleveland, who was mentored by Armstrong in the kitchen before taking over the restaurant, is not only fostering the restaurant's reputation for excellence, he is making the place his own. During the pandemic, he's adapted the restaurant's takeout operations adding weekly specials and summer cocktails, creating celebratory Mother's Day and Father's Day menus, promoting a Black-owned distillery and with Roni at his side, he's led an effort to feed seniors in the neighborhood, establishing Post & Beam as a vital local resource in hard times. "As a proud South Central Los Angeles native, being able to carry the torch alongside John has been an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience," Roni Cleveland said when she learned of the Gold Award. "Navigating this business through COVID has not been easy, but we were determined to survive and to be of service. This recognition lets me know that we are not only surviving we are thriving!" Post & Beam's founding chef Govind Armstrong, left, current chef-owner John Cleveland and founding owner Brad Johnson. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) Armstrong, who now leads the kitchen at the Lobster on the Santa Monica Pier and continues to be a resource for the Clevelands, said, "I hope for the continued opportunity to demonstrate the power and value of small, Black-owned businesses that serve their own communities while also welcoming their neighbors. To that end, we again thank you for this recognition." "The L.A. Times Gold Award acknowledgment carries with it such deep meaning," Johnson said. "Jonathan was a hero to us. I'm grateful our team effort is being recognized in such a meaningful way at this very significant moment. While I know John and Roni still have their work cut out for them, hopefully, this important recognition adds to their resolve and lifts their spirits. I know it does mine, I'm soaring." John Hagee, Cornerstone Christian Schools file lawsuit to resume in-person classes in August Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Evangelist John Hagee and several parents of children who attend Cornerstone Christian Schools are suing Texas local and county officials to allow the schools to open in August despite a local health order prohibiting in-person classes until Sept. 7. Hagee, Cornerstone Christian Schools, Cornerstone Church and Global Evangelism Incorporated have been joined by parents in filing a lawsuit last week against Bexar County and San Antonio public officials over a directive issued by the local health department. According to the lawsuit, the directive issued by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 purports to impose restrictions on all public and private schools that provide pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade instruction. Although the directive instructs schools not to open for in-person instruction until Sept. 7, Cornerstone Christian Schools is scheduled to reopen for in-person instruction on Aug. 17. Plaintiffs contend that an order prohibiting in-person instruction infringes on the religious freedom enjoyed by private religious schools because it tries to force the schools to close for in-person instruction against their desires. Further, the parents a pediatric surgeon, a nurse and a Texas ranger allege that they "may be forced to quit their job if their kids in-person learning is not allowed until September. The plaintiffs asked the district court for a temporary restraining order against the local orders to allow for the school to have in-person classes with social distancing guidelines in place. Plaintiffs hold a sincere religious belief and seek to educate, and have their children educated, through the in-person instruction of Plaintiffs religious, educational institution to further those sincere beliefs, the legal filing reads. The Texas Health & Safety Code and the Directive impermissibly make Plaintiffs beliefs the object of their enforcement and, thus, are not facially neutral. Moreover, Defendants actions in enforcing the Directive are not generally applied. On July 17, the City of San Antonio Office of Emergency Management announced that all schools in Bexar County, private and public, would have remote learning until at least Sept. 7. We recognize the importance of re-opening schools, San Antonio Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo, who is named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement. This directive considers the higher risk for spread of COVID-19 in schools due to their confined spaces, and the challenge for children in following social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Re-opening will happen in phases, based on COVID-19 metrics. The following week, Cornerstone Christian Schools posted a statement on Facebook explaining that they intend to give parents the option of having students attend classes online or in-person. We believe that parents should have the right to decide what is best for their families in the context of their childrens education, Cornerstone stated. Cornerstone added that the schools are implementing significant social distancing measures for in-person schooling and were blessed to have the classrooms, buildings, and overall space necessary to keep our kids safe while providing them the important educational, social and mental-health benefits associated with classroom instruction. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent an official letter addressed to religious private schools explaining that they are exempt from official shutdown orders. Even if the government may have a compelling interest in closing certain aspects of society to contain the spread of a virus, blanket government orders closing all religious private schools are not the least restrictive means of achieving that interest, wrote Paxton. Thus, as protected by the First Amendment and Texas law, religious private schools may continue to determine when it is safe for their communities to resume in-person instruction free from any government mandate or interference. Religious private schools therefore need not comply with local public health orders to the contrary. According to The San Antonio Express-News, city and county officials say they will continue asking private and religious schools to voluntarily comply with the health directive. I think what Dr. Woo has done is not an overreach, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said Tuesday, according to the newspaper. All shes simply saying at this stage is wait until Sept. 7." I hope that we can work with the schools and get that worked out without having to continue the litigation," he added. "I think its in the best interests of the parents, the children and everybody here in the community. The purchase of Cyprus property is facilitated by the power of the World Wide Web. Agents can work with potential buyers online and accomplish the acquisition of the right Cyprus property for recreation or vacation. PAPHOS, CY / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Those individuals who are looking for property for sale in Cyprus will be pleased to know that the use of the World Wide Web simplifies the entire purchase transaction. When searching for property options in the location, the use of the internet means that there are pictures, maps, details of listings, and other information that buyers look for before deciding to buy. Although Cyprus is a strictly guarded country, the Web makes it possible to learn about available listings. Cyprus enjoys a special status in the European Union as a British Overseas Territory. The country doesn't have a parliament but is controlled by the Crown. Cyprus is a popular tourist location because of its scenic beauty, historical sights, and beautiful beaches. The vibrant country of Cyprus has many tour packages to accommodate all the needs of travelers. These are suitable for individuals, as well as for families with children. There are many beautiful beaches, as well as centers of the population, such as Larnaca. This city is a top choice for property purchase or rental. It features historical background, peaceful ambiance, and great natural beauty. These features make Larnaca a favorite location for leisure, business, and tourist activities. The visitor can check out shopping, hotels, restaurants, health facilities, and parks. The website features the latest listing of properties for sale in this area and elsewhere on the island. Additional details are available at https://iListers.cy As one of the top holiday destinations globally, Cyprus is also a destination for those looking for a retirement or investment property. Purchasing through the use of the Web is easy and convenient. The transaction doesn't require a trip to the island or other difficult challenges to overcome. A holiday trip to the island will likely be enough to start the visit on a path to property ownership. Media Contact Company: iListersCY Address: Tafos Ton Vasileon 100, Diamond Complex Blk B, Shop 10-11, Kato Pafos 8015, Paphos CY Phone: +357 99 113303 Email: khavariali0014@gmail.com SOURCE: iListersCY View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599603/Property-For-Sales-In-Cyprus-Company-iListerscy-Named-As-Market-Leader-in-Cyprus Flags of Taiwan and the United States are placed for a meeting between U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and with Su Chia-chyuan, President of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 27, 2018. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Sen. Gardner Calls on Trade Representative to Begin Bilateral Trade Agreement Talks With Taiwan Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), urged the U.S. trade representative (USTR) to begin negotiations between the United States and Taiwan on a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Gardner, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy sent a letter to USTR Ambassador Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday urging him to take advantage of the favorable environment with the passage of the Taipei International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act to begin trade talks. I write to respectfully urge you to immediately initiate meaningful negotiations between the United States and Taiwan on a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), Gardner wrote. With unanimous support, the Senate passed the TAIPEI) Act in October 2019 and it was signed into law in March. The legislation aims to engage in bilateral trade negotiations with Taiwan, with the goal of entering into a free trade agreement that is of mutual economic benefit and that protects United States workers and benefits United States exporters. Gardner said the TAIPEI Act was enacted to improve the economy for the United States and Taiwan. The senator also emphasized that further trade with Taiwan will strengthen the bond of democracy between the two countries and will not depend on mainland China. Whether its a supply chain involving our pharmaceuticals or our PPE or semiconductors, these are very important indigenous industries to be able to maintain. Indigenous doesnt mean that theyre necessarily, you know, only in the United States but that we have a shared interest from allies that share our values, to invest in that area and hopefully the United States, Gardner said on Thursday during a virtual discussion with the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said earlier in the week that Taiwan will be working with the United States to make semiconductors here in the United States. In 2018 the U.S. (goods and services) trade with Taiwan was close to $95 billion. Exports were $40.3 billion; imports were $54.2 billion. Taiwan is currently our 11th largest goods trading partner with $76.0 billion in total (two way) goods trade during 2018. Since the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the Trump administration has taken a tough stance with the CCP and lawmakers have been creating legislation to bring essential manufacturing back to the United States and stop the CCP from expanding its military power in the Indo-Pacific region. According to the National Defense Magazine, The FY 21 (National Defense Authorization Act) NDAA establishes the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to send a strong signal to the Chinese Communist Party that America is deeply committed to defending our interests in the Indo-Pacific. Gardner also emphasized that deepening the trade relationship with Taiwan will ultimately increase U.S. national security, security for Taiwan, and security in the Indo-Pacific region. The senator said the U.S. government needs to support and further engage with Taiwan to prevent the CCP from doing to Taiwan what it did to Hong Kong. You know, were not going to allow this, we were lulled into a sense of complacency in Hong Kong, see what happened. Were not going to let that happen with Taiwan and thats U.S. leadership thats going to be required, the United Nations and every organization around the globe, whether its a healthcare organization or a telecoms issue, Gardner said. We need to stand up for this and engage them because once we do that, its more and more difficult for China to do something nefarious, Gardner added. Gardner concluded his letter to Lighthizer by stressing his willingness to work together, toward deepening a trade partnership with Taiwan for the prosperity of the two nations and their allies. Tropical Storm Isaias built strength as its forward speed slowed slightly on Thursday, and forecasters said there was a chance it could grow to a hurricane as it strikes the Bahamas, maybe as soon as early Saturday. On Thursday, Isaias grew into a tropical storm as it sped through the Caribbean, drenching Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It was expected to reach the Bahamas on Thurday night and the Florida coast by Saturday, possibly as a hurricane. Its heavy rains and strong winds could brush up the Eastern Seaboard early next week, forecasters said. "Interests elsewhere along the southeast coast of the United States should monitor the progress of this system," the National Hurricane Center said in a Thursday night advisory. "Additional watches or warnings may be required for a portion of the Florida peninsula tonight or Friday." The projected path on Thursday evening placed the storm's center off the coast of South Carolina by early Monday. But South Carolina could start feeling the winds by Sunday morning, forecasters said. Winds on Thursday evening extended out from the center over 240 miles, forecasters noted. Isaias on Thursday dumped rains on the island of Hispaniola, home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with 60-mph winds. It earlier flooded Puerto Rico with torrential rainfall, high winds and frequent lightning strikes. Trees and power lines were felled and some areas experienced mudslides. It was expected to reach the southeastern Bahamas late Thursday, the central Bahamas on Friday and near the northwest Bahamas and South Florida on Saturday, forecasters said. Though it's possible the storm would remain offshore as it passes South Carolina, Charleston city officials met for an hour to map out a strategy. Emergency Management Director Shannon Scaff said staff talked through potential timelines for the storm and ensuring there's enough supplies available for city residents. "We're really uneasy this year because of COVID, so we want everything to be as wire-tight as we can get it," Scaff said. Right now, the city has enough for 75,000 sandbags and a stockpile of 90,000 personal protection equipment masks. "There's a lot of uncertainty right now about what this will do," Scaff said. "We're using this as an opportunity to triple check all our processes." Scaff said he'll monitor National Weather Service updates through Friday and expects city staff to work through the weekend. The city was not planning to board up windows and did not encourage local businesses to do that yet either. Charleston County Emergency Management officials also were assessing the situation on Thursday. There is a lot of uncertainty with the track of this storm, but the time to prepare is now as we could see impacts from Tropical Storm Isaias as early as this weekend, Emergency Management Director Jason Patno said in a news release. National Hurricane Center forecasters said there's a risk of winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge along portions of the East Coast, starting in Florida this weekend and spreading north by early next week. It's too soon to determine the magnitude and location of those impacts until the track and intensity forecasts solidify, according to the National Hurricane Center. Predictions are expected to change frequently in the coming days and it's still unclear what threats the storm poses to South Carolina. "There's still a tremendous amount of uncertainty," said Michael Emlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston. The effects on the coast could be just a little bit of wind and not much rain, or we could see tropical storm winds and flooding, he said. It's too early to tell. "It's really a challenging forecast," Emlaw said. They're looking to see how the storm track changes over the next few days. If multiple updates show the storm tracking far offshore, then conditions will be fairly safe, he said. Now, it's just a matter of watching and waiting. MILAN (Reuters) - Italian brake maker Brembo said on Wednesday it would not buy additional shares in tyremaker Pirelli after increasing its stake to almost 5%. Brembo, which makes brakes for automakers including Ferrari and Tesla as well as several Formula One teams, said it now held a 4.99% stake in Pirelli, both directly and indirectly through its Nuova FourB parent company, and that it had completed the purchase process. Brembo's Executive Deputy Chairman Matteo Tiraboschi on Wednesday told Reuters the company had no plans to further increase its holding at the moment, and had no desire to play a role in Pirelli's governance. "We have made an investment, which we had decided on before the COVID-19 outbreak, in a company that we know and greatly respect, with a market positioning which is very similar to our own," he said. Brembo said in March that it had bought a 2.43% stake in Pirelli with "a non-speculative, long-term approach". The surprise move raised speculation it could be the first step towards a future integration of the two groups - both focused on premium market segments - to create an Italian heavyweight in car parts supply. Pirelli, whose tyres are used by Formula One racing teams and automakers such as BMW and Audi , was not available for comment. Pirelli is controlled by China's ChemChina and Silk Road Fund, which jointly hold about 46% and are linked by a shareholder agreement expiring in 2023 to Camfin, the investment vehicle of Pirelli Chief Eexecutive Marco Tronchetti Porvera, which owns a stake just above 10%. Tronchetti Porvera previously said there were no plans for a merger with Brembo and moved on to bolster his influence over the tyremaker with Camfin in May agreeing with China's Niu family to create a joint venture that could allow it to control an 18% stake in Pirelli. (Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by James Mackenzie, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Kirsten Donovan) Babil Khan, elder son of late actor actor Irrfan Khan, has opened up on the issue of religious discrimination prevailing in India. Taking to Instagram stories, Babil has shared a few posts in which he spoke about why he is afraid and how he does not want to be judged by his religion. "Can't even post anything about how I feel about the people in power without my whole f**king team telling me that it might end my career. I am scared, I am afraid. I don't want to be. I don't want to be judged by my religion. I am not my religion, I am a human being, just like the rest of India," he wrote. "Mandatory holiday for Eid cancelled on Friday while holiday for Raksha Bandhan on Monday still given. Okay then no problem, I'll just celebrate Eid when it's not Eid on Saturday," Babil added. Babil also shared that he might receive hateful comments like "anti-national" or "go to Pakistan" after his post. "Waiting for the 'toh Pakistan Ja na phir you anti-nationalist' comments like.... First of all, I love India, and I'm telling you this because I do my education in London and every time I go, I can't wait to come back and take rickshaw rides with my hernias, have panipuri at Aksa beach, travel anywhere; in the forests, the crowds... I love India. Don't you dare, call me an anti-nationalist, I promise you, I'm a boxer, I will break your nose," he wrote. The foreigners in Krauts book generally constitute a privileged class scholars, writers and artists whose ideas (or mere proximity to ideas) have been used against them. The foreigners in Soboroffs book, by stark contrast, are among the most vulnerable, persecuted for their presence alone. In Separated, he describes traveling along the southern border during the early part of the Trump presidency to report on tightening immigration enforcement. All the while, a more horrifying story was starting to take shape. Image Jacob Soboroff, author of Separated: Inside an American Tragedy. Credit... Art Streiber for MSNBC By the time the homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen put her signature to an official policy of family separation in May 2018, border agents had already been separating asylum seekers from their children since the previous year. This punishment of migrant families was compounded by a process that Soboroff describes as either willfully cruel or cruelly negligent. Record-keeping was so shoddy and inadequate that authorities didnt properly keep track of which child belonged to whom, making reunification for some families exceedingly complicated, if not impossible. The statistics that do exist are startling: Since the summer of 2017, Soboroff writes, at least 5,556 children were taken from their parents the true number is still unknown. The head of the American Academy of Pediatrics called family separation government-sanctioned child abuse; the nonprofit Physicians for Human Rights called it torture. Even though the policy was officially ended after a public outcry in the summer of 2018, separations continued. Migrant parents who are detained at the border with their children have again been presented with an impossible choice: consent to their children being released without them, or stay together in indefinite detention. Separated is structured chronologically, with the narrative of Soboroffs own discovery of what was happening presented incrementally, highlighting the secrecy and extraordinary confusion of the process and how removed even a journalist like Soboroff was from what was happening on the ground. He also recounts the story of Juan and Jose, a father and son who fled narco-traffickers in Guatemala in the summer of 2018. Jose, 14 at the time, was taken from his father at the border. Juan and Jose would endure 124 days of separation before they were reunited. There was no information about Jose in his fathers case file, and it would take a social worker to track the father down to a detention facility located 1,500 miles from where the son was being held. Nobody warned of the impact on children, one anonymous official told Soboroff. Given that family separation was adopted as a merciless form of deterrence, this excuse makes no sense. The entire policy was predicated on how traumatic that impact promised to be. The subtitle of Separated is Inside an American Tragedy, but what Soboroff memorably depicts isnt just tragic but brutal. Any soaring rhetoric about yearning to breathe free has been traded in for the crudest of threats: If you try to come here, just look at what were willing to do. Lucknow, July 30 : Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has said that the 'bhoomi pujan' of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is a culmination of his dreams. Singh was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Babri mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992. His government was dismissed after the demolition and he was later convicted for contempt of court. He even had to spend a day in jail and was fined Rs 2,000. Talking to a news channel, he said, "The structure was demolished, my government was dismissed on that day and the foundation for the temple had been laid the same day. If the structure had not been demolished, the court verdict may not have been what it finally was." He said that he had no regrets over the fact that his government was dismissed in 1992. "This was a small sacrifice for the issue of Ram temple. I had no regrets then and I have no regrets now. The aspirations of millions of Hindus are being fulfilled now and my dream is also being fulfilled," he said. Singh, who is among the invitees for the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5, further said that he had tremendous faith in Lord Ram. "Power does not matter when the issue is related to Lord Ram. For me, faith is supreme and power is transitory," he added. Asked whether he had any regrets about not fulfilling his duty of protecting the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, Singh said that four battalions of central forces had arrived in Faizabad and when the magistrate asked for the forces, he moved them. "However, the forces could not move beyond the Saket Mahavidyalaya where about three and a half lakh devotees had gathered and were not allowing the forces to move ahead. The district administration asked me if they should use force and even said that if they opened fire, there would be a bloodbath. I ordered that there should be no firing because I could not put lives of the people at risk. I knew if people died in Ayodhya, there would be violent reactions in other parts of the country," he recalled. He stated that he did not regret his decision and did what was right at that time. "For a big issue like the Ram temple, even the biggest sacrifice is small," he ended. ASX-listed stem cell therapy company Mesoblast expects long-term demand for the COVID-19 treatment it is developing as the second wave of cases in Australia shows the virus is here to stay. Chief executive Silviu Itescu said Australia and the world would need ongoing treatment options for coronavirus, even if a vaccine for the deadly virus is discovered. "We all hope the vaccine will come around, but we have to be realistic," Dr Itescu said. "Even with vaccines, treatments like ours are still going to be necessary." Dr Silviu Itescu, chief executive of stem-cell company Mesoblast. Credit:Josh Robenstone The next two months will be critical for Mesoblast's virus research, with the $2 billion company waiting for two key data releases in the coming weeks. Last Wednesday, mid-morning, nurse Mari Luz Salado performed a PCR swab test on a patient with coronavirus symptoms patient zero at the health center in Navas del Madrono in Spains western region of Extremadura; that night the result came back positive. When Jose Eloy Duran, coordinator of the outpatient clinic, received the news early Thursday morning, he already had a list of five people who had close contact with the patient and a team of trackers on the case. By noon, the list had grown to 30, and included co-workers and family members. A few hours later, all the contacts had an appointment for a PCR test and were informed that they had to quarantine for two weeks. Many people are unaware of the number of daily interactions they have Ana Bejarano, director of public health in Caceres province It is essential to act quickly and be one step ahead, explains Duran. It is impossible to contain the virus without tracking. Spain has 3,500 contact trackers, according to data collected by EL PAIS from the regional authorities, but it would need more than 8,000 to control the Covid-19 epidemic by international health recommendations. Were detectives, jokes Dr Maria Dolores Tejero, who works in the Caceres health department. Tejero belongs to a team in charge of coordinating and updating the data that arrives from the 23 health centers in the Extremadura region. Since May 11, this group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, newly qualified doctors and veterans have been combining contact tracing with the usual demands of their professions. In a modest room, with a couple of computers and pieces of paper with arrows linking one name to another, the team has just pieced together a network of people who have had some type of close contact with coronavirus cases. According to criteria of the Spanish Health Ministry, a close contact refers to anyone who has been in immediate physical proximity to patient zero without the recommended protection or who has shared an closed space or been closer than two meters for more than 15 minutes. This could be anyone from a partner or a family member to a passenger in the next seat on the bus or a guest at a dinner party. Finding these individuals is a trackers job. The investigation begins when a person is diagnosed with Covid-19. Are you sure they didnt meet staff from the other company you work for? they might be asked. But were they wearing masks? How long were you with him? The questions are exhaustive. Jose Eloy Duran and Carmen Recio, coordinator and pharmacist at the public health center in Navas del Madrono, as they review the list of one positive patients close contacts. Olmo Calvo Ana Bejarano, director of public health in Caceres province, says its also important to do a second round of questioning. People tend to think only of their family or the people they live with, she says. Many people are unaware of the number of daily interactions they have. Maybe you talk to your neighbor for a while inside the lobby of your building, which is an enclosed space, and you dont give it much thought. Duran knows from experience that even small encounters are important. Early last week, the health center he coordinates reported an initial outbreak among three people, a figure that rose to five after a follow-up investigation. All of the secondary infections were asymptomatic and three of them tested positive after enjoying a few beers with patient zero at an outdoor sidewalk cafe without wearing a mask. It is a team effort that requires coordination between hospitals, primary and public healthcare. Thats the key, says Bejarano, who also emphasizes the importance of basic civil responsibility. Some people have been more reticent and there are those who think we are exaggerating, but most collaborate. Spain has 3,500 contact trackers, but would need more than 8,000 to control the Covid-19 epidemic, according to international recommendations Bejarano walks around with a notebook at the ready and a cell phone that rings constantly. She answers and says: Yes? Did the priest give her communion in her hand or in her mouth? Ask him again because it may be a casual contact, I dont think its a close one. Although well wait for the outcome of the PCR and, meanwhile, he should keep isolated. Once the call is finished, Bejarano explains: Our role is to prevent the transmission of the virus. We are very strict in that sense and this means that, if theres any doubt, we consider it a contact. Call just in case is the mantra the trackers work by. The coronavirus pandemic is far from over and no one wants to hear the words second wave. In another corner of the department, Dr Jesus Perez scribbles on a pad, adding to a list of the number of positive cases and their locations. Written next to the words Tordecilla de la Tiesa, a municipality in Caceres province, is the number two and a big asterisk. One more positive case at this location and it would be considered an outbreak. According to the Health Ministry, an outbreak is defined as three or more cases with an epidemiological link, or one case at a senior residence. A total of 15 outbreaks have been reported in Extremadura, 12 of them still active, according to sources from the regional health department. As of last Friday, there were still 204 active Covid-19 cases in the region, and 889 contacts under medical surveillance. The hours fly by and the day comes to an end. The next step for the contact tracking team will be to wait for the results of the PCR tests carried out in the past 12 hours and, if any should test positive, start the process over again. Bejarano goes home to two teenagers and a pile of work. At midnight the data will be updated and she will be on her screen to take a look. I cant go to sleep anymore without knowing whats in store tomorrow, she says. All our energy is being put into containing the coronavirus. English version by Heather Galloway. Here are the companies making headlines in midday trading: UPS Shares of the delivery and logistics giant jumped more than 14% on the back of better-than-expected results for the previous quarter. UPS reported a profit of $2.13 per share on revenue of $20.46 billion. Analysts polled by Refinitiv expected earnings of $1.07 per share on revenue of $17.48 billion. The company said demand for home delivery drove the company's results. Qualcomm Shares of the semiconductor company soared on Thursday morning, gaining more than 15%, after the company reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal third quarter and announced a settlement and licensing agreement with Huawei. Qualcomm said its agreement with the Chinese telecom giant would generate roughly $1.8 billion in revenue from the settlement and the licensing for previous quarters. Valero, Occidental, ConocoPhillips Sagging oil prices weighed on major energy stocks on Thursday. Shares of Valero sank more than 5%, while Occidental and ConocoPhillips fell 7.4% and 5.8%, respectively. Valero and ConocoPhillips also released earnings results before the bell. Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble shares rose more than 2% after the company reported stronger-than-forecast results for the previous quarter. The company earned $1.16 per share, topping a Refinitiv estimate of $1.01 per share. P&G's revenue for the quarter also beat estimates. The company said a big driver for the strong results were cleaning product sales. Teladoc The digital health stock jumped 8.6% after beating forecasts for its second quarter results. The company also said it expects revenue to grow by 30% to 40% in 2021. KeyBanc Capital Markets called the report a "mic drop" and raised its target on the stock to $240 per share from $195. Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Treasury yields sank on Thursday following weak economic data, and bank stocks followed suit. Shares of Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan lost 3.2% and 2.7%, respectively. PayPal The payments stock rose more than 4% after it beat expectations on the top and bottom lines for the second quarter and provided guidance above what analysts anticipated, according to estimates compiled by FactSet. The company said net new active accounts more than doubled compared with the same quarter in 2019. Eli Lilly Shares of Eli Lilly slumped more than 5% after the company missed revenue expectations for the second quarter. The pharmaceutical company reported second quarter revenue of $5.5 billion, which was $256 million below what analysts surveyed by Refinitiv anticipated. The company's earnings did beat expectations, however. O'Reilly Automotive Shares of the auto parts retailer jumped more than 5% after the company beat Wall Street expectations for the second quarter. O'Reilly reported earnings of $7.10 per share on revenues of $3.09 billion. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had expected $4.41 of earnings per share on revenues of $2.64 billion. The company said its comparable store sales grew by more than 16%. L Brands Shares of the fashion retailer fell by more than 5% after Citi downgraded the stock to sell from neutral. The bank said in a note that the market was overestimating the potential for near term sales at Bath & Body Works. CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this story. Here's where we'll leave things tonight. It's been a full day of news - hence why we've run the blog a bit later tonight. The last of the residents from St Basil's Home for the Aged in Melbourne's north are evacuated to hospitals on Friday. Credit:Justin McManus What happened around the country today: This is Rachael Dexter signing off. As always, if you appreciate our COVID-19 coverage and are an avid reader of the blog, please consider taking out a subscription to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald to support what we do. Stay safe, look after one another - and goodnight. Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo on Thursday said US efforts to lead an international awakening against the Chinese government is working and the tide is turning as a result. He went on to cite Indian ban on Chinese apps as a manifestation of it along with the closer interactions of the Quad, and separate actions by other countries. Testifying at a US senate hearing on the 2021 budget for the state department, Pompeo also said he is not yet certain about the shape or form of the new grouping of like-minded nations an alliance of democracies that he recently mooted to confront the global threat from China in a major policy speech from a California library named after President Richard Nixon, whose 1972 visit let to the thaw in US-China relations. Pompeo had then called for a global compact, arguing US policy of bling engagement with China had failed. The top US diplomat was pressed repeatedly by both Republican and Democratic senators on China, more than on any other foreign issues, reflecting the urgency felt among American policy makers on the issue. Calling the Chinese Communist Party US officials insist on treating the Chinese government as an entity separate from the people the central threat of our times as he has before, Pompeo told senators, the incursion against India and the real-estate claim against Bhutan and other conflicts around the world were indicative of Chinese intentions to expand their reach and to bring socialism with Chinese characteristics to the world. Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP, he said, adding, Senators, the tide is turning. The secretary of state listed some of the global developments, he said, were the result of the American lead on international awakening against China: the growing ostracism of Chinese firms from the rollout of 5G networks, increasing rejection of Chinese claims in the disputed South China Sea, and the condemnation of the new laws in Hong Kong. Were proud to have stepped up maritime maneuvers in that body of water (the South China Sea) alongside friends like Australia, India, Japan, and the UK, Pompeo said in his full and prepared remarks, which were different from the brief summary he read out as his opening statement. He added: India has banned 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, that threatened its citizens privacy and security. The secretary of state had earlier indicated the United States had played an assist role in the first round of bans of 59 apps, without providing details. The US has since said it was considering a ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps and devices and companies threaten the security of the country. Pompeo said the US, Australia, India, and Japan have reinvigorated the Quad as part of an effort to confront China through multilateral bodies. He went on to say this grouping is stronger than it has ever been and maybe we were gifted by General Secretary Xi (Jinping). He took actions that caused each of the leaders of those countries to recognize the value of this group, he added. The secretary of answering a question about Indias invitation to Australia to join the upcoming military exercises with the United States and Japan. The top US diplomat went on to specify the many actions the Trump administration has taken against China in recent months: sanctions against Chinese officials for the mistreatment of Uighur muslims in Xinjiang; imposition of export controls on companies supporting it; termination of trade benefits for Hong Kong and the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, which, he said, had become a den of spies. As further indication of the Trump administrations intentions for the region, Pompeo said the state department was seeking $1.49 billion for foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific region, a 20% increase from the FY 2020 request. We want that part of the world to be free, open, and prosperous, he said. * Team of 200 to work on new computer-driven vehicle system * "Project Artemis" aims to better compete with Tesla * New system will serve VW group, but be used at Audi first By Edward Taylor and Jorn Poltz INGOLSTADT, July 30 (Reuters) - Carmakers that once competed mainly over the power of their engines are now vying over a much less tangible sort of power as they race to develop automated vehicles - computing. New Audi boss Markus Duesmann is assembling a team of about 200 engineers within parent company Volkswagen Group to develop a new computer-driven vehicle system, he told Reuters. Dubbed "Project Artemis" after the Ancient Greek goddess of hunting, the plan is to chase down - and overtake - Tesla , widely viewed as the industry leader in software. "When it comes to digitalisation we are lagging behind - for now," Duesmann said in an interview at Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, southern Germany. With the advent of self-driving cars, vehicles need processors and software operating systems to analyse data from radar, lidar, and camera sensors to calculate driving reflexes so cars can navigate and avoid accidents on their own. In the past, bigger cars with more powerful engines were automatically better. Now computing power and intelligence will be a key metric for defining what is premium, forcing Audi and Volkswagen to retool the way they design cars. "Technical development of vehicles is no longer organised according to a vehicle's size, but by the car's electrical and electronic architecture," Duesmann said, explaining that premium and value models would now differentiate themselves according to their computing power and sensor levels. To build the new system, Duesmann is assembling a "results oriented" engineering team to work on accelerating development of a scalable vehicle platform. "(Project) Artemis will be smaller than a Formula One team. I am thinking around 200 staff," he said. "To develop a new car with so many new features in this period until 2024 is so demanding that it is probably without precedent. That's why we have decided to work with a separate unit," said Duesmann, who is also head of research at Volkswagen Group. Story continues The idea is that an agile development group will be less encumbered by the bureaucracy within Volkswagen Group, which owns brands including Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, Skoda, and Lamborghini, as well as Audi and VW. VW has more than 10,000 employees working in research and development at the company's Wolfsburg headquarters alone. Artemis will be led by Alexander Hitzinger, who was responsible for autonomous driving at Volkswagen and built up the Porsche racing team that won Le Mans endurance race in 2015, 2016, 2017. Hitzinger also worked at Apple, where he set up and managed product development for autonomous vehicles. The Artemis team will harness the engineering know-how within Volkswagen Group, but also have the authority to use outside partners. "If we gain speed with a supplier or with a software company, we will consider it. Speed is extremely important," Duesmann said. China will also play a role, Duesmann added, declining to elaborate. Project Artemis will sit alongside Volkswagen Group's Car.Software organisation, also based in Ingolstadt. "They need each other," Duesmann said, adding many of Artemis's staff would remain embedded within Volkswagen Group brands, but receive instructions from Ingolstadt. "The result will be a common concept which is scalable for all of us," Duesmann said. "The first model will be an Audi." (Reporting by Edward Taylor and Joern Poltz in Ingolstadt, Germany and Paul Lienert in Detroit; Editing by Mark Potter) BEIJING, July 30 -- From July 7 to 8, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Senior Officials' Meeting Plus and the ASEAN Regional Forum Security Policy Conference (ASPC) held video conferences, and Chinese military's representatives participated in the video conferences in Beijing, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND), in a regular press conference on Thursday. According to Ren, the Chinese military's representatives and the other participating parties of the ASEAN countries exchanged views on the military's participation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the international and regional security situation, and discussed on strengthening the coordination of the two meetings. The Chinese side emphatically introduced the Chinese military's experience in fighting COVID-19 pandemic at home and relevant information on conducting international cooperation in the fight against COVID-19,and proposed that all parties should strengthen the capacity in jointly dealing with non-traditional security challenges, said Ren Guoqiang, adding that the meetings have yielded positive results in enhancing understanding and expanding consensus. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense departments and militaries of China and the ASEAN countries have maintained close communication and coordination, exploring exchanges and cooperation under normalized pandemic prevention and control situation, Ren introduced. They also have achieved positive effects in terms of anti-pandemic material assistance, dispatching medical expert groups, and holding video conferences in exchange of experience, he added. Next, the Chinese military will, as always, strengthen pragmatic cooperation with all parties in the fields of anti-pandemic efforts, joint exercises and training, humanitarian relief and disaster reduction, so as to jointly maintain regional security and stability, Ren expressed. WCG CenterWatch Real World Evidence and Data in Clinical Trials: A Tufts Study of 30 Pharma Companies A CenterWatch/FDAnews Webinar Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 1:30-3:00 p.m. EDT https://www.centerwatch.com/realworldevidence Considering using real world evidence (RWE) in the next clinical trial? The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) study can provide valuable insights. The CSDD investigated 30 biopharmaceutical companies to determine how the industry is using real world data (RWD) and RWE. The study sheds light on the primary uses of RWD to generate evidence and identifies gaps and challenges in using RWE. The speakers will walk attendees through the studys important takeaways. Mary Jo Lamberti, PhD, a Tufts University professor and associate director of sponsored research at the CSDD, along with Francis Kendall, a 30-year pharmaceutical industry veteran and senior director at Cytel where he is a key member on the companys real world analytics team, will discuss cases of what is being done with RWE and RWD. Based on their knowledge, and using several recent case studies, Dr. Lamberti and Mr. Kendall will share valuable information on: Types of technology used to access or collect real world data and evidence and partnerships that support usage Significant challenges to using RWD Strategies and practices that impact return on investment or performance Key drivers for change and the adoption of RWE The potential of RWE and how it may be used across the clinical development pipeline A view on what will happen next in the RWE domain A look into regulators position regarding COVID-19 studies Understand the critical factors needed to consider in using RWE, and gain insight into the current and planned uses of RWE to support development and post-approval safety studies. Interested in registering multiple sites? Call (888) 838-5578 in the U.S. or +1 (703) 538-7600 globally to learn about our special multisite discount. Webinar Details: Real World Evidence and Data in Clinical Trials: A Tufts Study of 30 Pharma Companies A CenterWatch/FDAnews Webinar Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 1:30-3:00 p.m. EDT https://www.centerwatch.com/realworldevidence Tuition: $287 per site Easy Ways to Register: Online: https://www.centerwatch.com/realworldevidence By phone: 888.838.5578 or 703.538.7600 About FDAnews: FDAnews is the premier provider of domestic and international regulatory, legislative, and business news and information for executives in industries regulated by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Pharmaceutical and medical device professionals rely on FDAnews' print and electronic newsletters, books and conferences to stay in compliance with international standards and the FDA's complex and ever-changing regulations About CenterWatch: Founded in 1994, CenterWatch is a trusted source and global destination for clinical trials information for both professionals and patients. CenterWatch provides proprietary data and information analysis on clinical trials through a variety of newsletters, books, databases, and information services used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, CROs, SMOs, and investigative sites involved in the management and conduct of clinical trials. As a pioneer in publishing clinical trials information, CenterWatch was the first Internet site to publish detailed information about active clinical trials that could be accessed by patients and their advocates. There's no denying that we'll all be happy to see the back of 2020. So far, it's been a year extraordinaries, and that extends to our holiday plans too. You can't really go abroad, despite the Government's 'Green List', so many people are exploring the vast array of staycation options Ireland has to offer on our doorsteps. If the idea of a few nights away in your run of the mill, and possibly overpriced, hotel in one of the regular tourist haunts doesn't appeal to you - here's one for your consideration: A geometric glamping dome nestled in the Wicklow countryside. With all the modern comforts blended seamlessly into a beautiful natural setting, why not swap the hustle and bustle of the city for rolling hillsides, lush green fields, forests and stars, where you will awake each morning to spectacular mountain views and the sounds of nature. The dome is thoughtfully decorated to reflect and in-keep with its surroundings. Built into the hillside under some Scots Pines, using a mix of locally sourced materials and modern tweaks to compliment the natural setting. Guests can spend the night in a spacious dome that includes Irish designed Foxford luxury linens, bedding, plush towels, bathrobes, double bed, solar-powered lighting and an outdoor deck, with art deco furniture inside and out. Separate from the dome built into the woodland is a purpose built, fully equipped kitchenette, shower and WC. This consists of a see-through roof and multi-coloured walls of wood to stay immersed in the trees and nature. If you want to try something a bit different this summer, then you may have just found what you're looking for. For more information on this luxury dome boutique glamping experience, click here. MACDARA O Cuaigs life has always been influenced by the ocean reared amongst a family of fishermen, he grew up living in a home by the sea and spent his childhood fishing. The fisheries scientist and TV presenter knows well how valuable the ocean is to us, and says that no matter how far any of us live from the shore, the tide - one of the most powerful forces on earth - affects us every day, in ways we may not even realise. Even the air we breathe... a big percentage of that actually comes from the sea because there's plants - plankton and algae - and they photosynthesise in the sea. Seventy percent of the world is covered by the sea so there's a lot of oxygen being produced that we don't think of; we think of trees (when we think of oxygen production). "So, every time you take a breath you're taking some product from the sea into your lungs, O Cuaig says. As well as the ocean providing us with resources, transport and natural, sustainable food, he says it influences our climate. If you go stand outside and there's a shower of rain or a bit of a breeze, that has been transferred across the globe by the energetic movement that's associated with the transfer of energy and the tides, you know yourself if you're standing on the west coast, you see the rain coming from the sea towards you, coming from the west. Take Ireland - if you consider how far north we are in latitude; were as far north as Labrador, on the other side of the Atlantic, but our climate is quite benign compared to Labrador and that's because the sea brings heat across from the Gulf stream . thats what brings us our weather. It produces our climate for us, so every day when you step outside the sea is affecting you. The flipside of that, he says, is how humans affect the sea, particularly as modern consumers using plastics that eventually end up in the oceans; be it through littering, use of unnecessary plastics like straws, or microplastics in cosmetics and toothpaste. The sea is so good to us and I feel we should be good to it, says O'Cuaig. We live on this island, we have a great maritime heritage that we should be proud of and we have inherited a really useful resource - for pleasure, economics and wellbeing. it's up to us now to ensure that we leave it as a legacy and in a good state for the next generation Anything that any of us can do to ensure that we should - whether that's getting our children to learn about the sea or just to go for a walk on the shore and take it all in. Recently the Connemara native took up a new role with the Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services of the Marine Institute. Hes the fisheries liaison team leader and his main job is collating data for fish stock assessment - or as his wife, Aoife, explains it to their two kids, Oscar and Ailbhe: he counts fish! Thats it in a nutshell, O Cuaig laughs. The new position builds on his skills and experience working with fishermen. The fishing industry facilitates at-sea data collection. Scientists head out to sea with vessels and fishermen share their own knowledge and data to help scientific programmes that assess fish stocks' status. Data is then assessed, along with data from different nations at ICES (International Council of the Exploration of the Sea) - an intergovernmental marine science organisation, meeting societal needs for impartial evidence on the state and sustainable use of our seas and oceans - and an assessment of the state of the stock is made. That, in turn, helps inform managers about what the appropriate allowable catch should be; they then use that information and make socio-economic and biological decisions. Its partly the reason O Cuaig got into marine science and he says its like a dream job - to be able to use fishermen's knowledge and expertise to strengthen the science that underpins the sustainable exploitation of our resources and ensure a decent living and environment for Irelands coastal communities. The native Irish speaker, recently presented the links for Taoide - a three-part TV series about the tide, broadcast on TG4 as well as BBC Alba, S4C, BBC1 Northern Ireland and on stations in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The series showcased some of the world's most stunning beaches, marshlands, swamps and estuarine mudflats from locations across the globe; Norway, China, Wales, Canada, Scotland, Netherlands, the Arctic Circle and England. Highlights included places like Canada's Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides on earth and the Corryvreckan Whirlpool off the coast of Scotland and West Corks Lough Hyne, near Skibbereen - Ireland's first marine nature conservation reserve and is one of the most important marine habitats in Europe. "It's very unique from a science point-of-view, O Cuaig said. "It was once a freshwater lake but now is fully marine." It is believed that rising sea levels flooded the lake with saline ocean water about 4,000 years ago and it's connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow tidal channel known as the rapids - so-called because the lake empties there with a rush twice a day. Taoide also filmed at Omey Island, near Clifden in Galway, where horse races are held along the beach at low-tide in the summer and out at sea with the Galway Hookers and on Finis Island, Connemara - an area O Cuaig spent a lot of time fishing as a commercial fisherman. O Cuaig recommends marine.ie.ie for anyone interested in learning more about our seas and he says you can still catch Taoide, which was supported by the Marine Institute, on TG4s player. As to date, 332 m booms have been deployed by the NCG at the entrance of the Blue Bay Marine Park. Polyeco is deploying another 500m of fence booms alongside the front of the vessel as a precautionary measure. Polyeco will bring additional equipment and supplies on Thursday 30 July 2020. The salvage team and the first tug, PSV Standford Hawk, reached Mauritius early this morning. All crew members are subject to Covid test. They will only be allowed to leave Port Louis for Pointe dEsny, once they obtain clearance from the Ministry Of Health prior to their results of Covid Test. Moreover, the tug will need clearance from the Prime Ministers Office to leave the Port. Once this stage cleared, the PSV Standford Hawk will head on to site at Pointe dEsny. The Salvage team led by Captain Lars Tesmar, will start an assessment of the work to be undertook on site before proceeding to the salvage operation. Testing of sea water quality is being maintained on a daily basis by National Environmental Laboratory. Results as at 29 July 2020 showed no presence of oil and grease. Assistance from Quantilab and SGS is being sought for test of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals in the sea water. NEL has collected seawater samples at 5 locations namely NCG post, Blue Bay public beach, Pointe dEsny beach, Pte Jerome and Mahebourg waterfront. The Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping is ensuring ecological assessment of the marine environment. On the other hand, with the help of NCG, they are sensitising the fishers of the region to reassure them that the situation is under control. There are volunteers available to help in cleanup in case of oil spill. Ile aux Aigrettes area including the nearby channel was also assessed. 800 m of booms would be required to close the channel to protect the islet and the Ramsar site. Polyeco will undertake this action as from Friday 31 July 2020. LEU (Living Environment Unit of the Ministry) team is also on standby at Pointe dEsny beach. The ship is in stable condition; no oil spill has been observed. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires That release could not be found. New Delhi, July 30 : Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has written to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding the release of Dr Kafeel Khan who is in jail after the NSA was invoked against him by the government. In her letter to the UP Chief Minister, she said that she wanted to raise the issue of Kafeel Khan who has spent around 450 days in jail. Khan has selflessly served the people in tough times. "I hope that you will look into the matter in a sensitive way and ensure that Dr Khan gets justice," said Priyanka Gandhi. At the end of the letter, Priyanka invoked a Guru Gorakhnath hymn, which means: Do not discriminate, speak sweet words. If the other person is seething with anger, then you must use water to calm him down. The Allahabad High Court is hearing the matter of the NSA against Khan invoked by the Aligarh district administration in February 2019. The court is set to hear the matter on August 5. The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh had arrested Kafeel Khan from Mumbai in January this year. He is accused of making inflammatory remarks at Aligarh Muslim University during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 12, 2019. He was suspended from Gorakhpur's BRD medical college and hospital after many children died due to lack of oxygen. The Congress has taken up his cause and even protested his detention. The Bombay high court (HC) has sought an explanation from the superintendent of Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai for failing to take Ramesh Bawa, the former managing director (MD) and chief executive office (CEO) of IL&FS Financial Services, for urgent medical examination and treatment to Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai. Bawa was arrested by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a corporate fraud probe agency under the Central government, for abusing his position as the then MD and CEO of the IL&FS group company and granting out-of-turn massive loans to entities, who allegedly had dodgy creditworthiness, and causing loss to the non-bank lender and its creditors. He has been booked for committing breach of certain provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. On July 14, a single judge HC bench had directed the superintendent of Taloja Jail to ensure that he was taken to Sir JJ Hospital at the earliest to attend to his heart condition and other ailments. However, when the matter came up for further hearing on Tuesday, Justice Anuja Prabhudessai was informed by an assistant public prosecutor that Bawa was not taken to Sir JJ Hospital, as it was apprehended that he might come in contact with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients. Besides, the prosecutor said, no police escort was available to take Bawa to Sir JJ Hospital. Justice Prabhudessai found the excuses unsustainable. The judge directed the jail superintendent to comply with the courts July 14 order in a week and also ordered him to submit a proper explanation for failing to adhere to the earlier directive. The court will hear the case next on August 11. Among the restrictions which migrants and asylum seekers were worried about is the requirement by some EU member states for all foreign arrivals to self-quarantine or provide a negative COVID-19 test, which "many people seeking safety in the EU cannot fulfil", Xinhua news agency quoted the FRA as saying on Monday. Brussels, July 28 (IANS) The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has expressed its concerns over the additional obstacles facing migrants and asylum seekers when they are trying to enter the EU and the increase in allegations of pushbacks at borders. The latest FRA quarterly bulletin on migration said the coronavirus containment measures led to a 90 per cent decrease in asylum applications in April 2020, the lowest rate since 2008. Commenting on the situation at reception centers across Europe, the agency said the restrictions and quarantines in reception centers are often stricter than those for the general population. Many new arrivals are not registered at all or with a delay while access to legal help is limited. It noted, while many countries allowed people who were supposed to leave the reception centres to stay until the pandemic is over, unsuccessful asylum applicants or even recognized refugees often became homeless in others. The agency, which has been collecting data on migration since 2015, also expressed its apprehension that, due to the pandemic, many asylum-seeking children cannot access education. Many centre lack online learning tools or stable Wi-Fi connection. According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 16,724 migrants arrived in Europe in the period between January and April this year, a 16 per cent increase from the 14,381 arriving during the same period last year. Nearly half of all arrivals have been to Greece, this year's busiest destination. --IANS ksk/ On Sunday, an unnamed top presidency official told journalists in Abuja that the government of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, signed the power agreement with Azura to generate 450MW of electricity in Nigeria. The unnamed official, who did not want to be identified, said this was because the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) became operational in April 2013 before the Muhammadu Buhari government came to power. The claims by the top official at the presidency were published in a number of Nigerias leading newspapers, including PUNCH and THISDAY. Controversial deal The Azura power deal has become a subject of controversy in recent weeks. Details showed that the nation will have to pay Azura $1.2 billion if it decides to exit the Pull Call Option Agreement (PCOA). Already, Nigeria is obligated to pay between $30 million and $33 million monthly to Azura for power generated, even if not dispatched transmitted through the national grid by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Nigeria also reportedly pays roughly N700 million monthly as the exchange rate differential in the deal with Azura. The Senate, in its intervention, considered the signing of the agreement dangerous for the fiscal survival of Nigeria. The governments attempt to attribute the deal agreement to Mr Jonathan, therefore, comes against the background of these developments. Claim According to newspaper reports, the presidency official said that records show that the Power Purchase Agreement for the transaction in question was signed on April 22, 2013, during the tenure of Mr Jonathan. He added that top federal government officials would be communicating with the Senate to clarify this misconception. It is fairly standard, especially where, as in this case, the plant is a huge one requiring enormous set-up cost and the country is in dire need of the power. 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, he claimed. The claims were made in reaction to the call by the Senate, asking the federal government to pull out of its PPA with Azura power plant and allow the company to pull $1.2 billion from the foreign reserves. The Senate committee on power, in its report presented by its chairman, Gabriel Suswam, had last week described the agreement as a drain on the countrys treasury and called for its immediate termination. Many phases, Jonathans involvement The Azura power deal had many phases, the preliminary parts of which the government of Mr Jonathan initiated and signed. First, on April 22, 2013, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc under Mr Jonathan signed the PPA with Azura Power West Africa Ltd, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. This was also confirmed by the presidential source in the claims made on Sunday. BusinessDay in its reports at the time said the company is investing about $700 million to develop a total of 1000 megawatts power plant facility and create direct jobs for 1,000 Nigerians during the first phase expected to take off in 2016. In October 2014, the Jonathan government also signed the Put Call Option Agreement (PCOA), executed in December of that year. However, documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the entire power agreement could not be completed under the Jonathan presidency because the then Attorney General, Mohammed Adoke, objected to the content of the PCOA. In letters written to Mr Jonathan and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the then minister of finance, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES earlier on Monday, Mr Adoke declined to give legal assent to the PCOA deal. He argued that it was injurious to the interest of Nigeria and that a sovereign guarantee would put the nations foreign assets at grave risk. In the first letter dated 24th July, 2014, addressed to Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, Mr Adoke rejected some of the clauses included in the PCOA agreement, including certain events that ordinarily ought not to be under force majeure or this type of force majeure that were included in the PCOA. Advertisements He also raised concerns about a number of provisions which have to be reviewed because of the financial obligation that government may have to bear if the agreement is enforced. On the December 23, 2014, Mr Adoke again wrote to Mr Jonathan explaining why he chose to decline to write a legal opinion on the PCOA deal. In the letter, Mr Adoke said he was responding to another letter dated December 1, 2014 directed at him by Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, requesting his legal opinion on the PCOA. He, however, told Mr Jonathan that he was unable to reply Mrs Okonjo-Iweala because the PCOA was executed without due regards to his legal opinion of July, among other reasons. Mr Adoke said that, for one, no significant change was made to his recommendation on a number of clauses, adding that in the PCOA, radioactive contamination was not treated as a local political force majeure event, but still attracted Buyer Default Purchase Price. Also, Mr Adoke said his counsel that clause 13.1.2 of the PCOA should be deleted was ignored. The clause, he explained, provides that the Nigerian government irrevocably waives its immunity over its assets or revenue from suits, execution, attachment or other legal processes. In view of the foregoing, I wish to respectively inform Your Excellency that I am unable to write the legal opinion to the effect that the Acura PCOA conforms to the extant laws and policies of government, Mr Adoke told Mr Jonathan. This is because of the liability issues that may attend the execution and implementation of the PCOA if necessary precautions are not taken to safeguard the interests of government. He finally advised Mr Jonathan to direct Mrs Okonjo-Iweala to effect the recommendations to make the PCOA compliant with extant laws, policies and circulars of government. Stalled process However, PREMIUM TIMES investigations revealed that the power deal remained at this stage until the expiration of Mr Jonathans tenure, despite pressure from officials of the government to have the final phase of the deal completed. For the World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee to be activated, Nigeria needed to execute some key guarantee instruments. A guarantee instrument is a type of financial backstop offered by a lending institution, which means that the lender will ensure that the liabilities of a debtor will be met. The guarantee enables the customer, or debtor, to acquire goods, buy equipment or draw down a loan. In the case of the Azura power deal, the guarantee instruments included, among others, the indemnity agreement and the PCOA. The activation of these instruments are essential for a drawdown on the letter of credit (LC), should the Nigerian government default on the agreements. These instruments were not signed until Mr Jonathan left office in May 2015, effectively rendering the agreement inconclusive and inactive. Buhari activates agreement On May 29, 2015, Mr Buhari was sworn in as president after he defeated Mr Jonathan in a fiercely contested presidential election. PREMIUM TIMES understands that shortly after the new government came to power, there were pressures on the Nigerian government to assent to the guarantee instruments. However, Mr Buhari did not appoint ministers into the various ministries until November 2015 and no adjustment was made to the PCOA as recommended by the immediate past attorney general. On August 21, 2015, three months after Mr Buhari assumed power, the Nigerian government finally completed the signing of the World Bank Partial Risk Guarantees (PRGs) in support of the 450 megawatts Azura-Edo Independent Power Plant (IPP). The Guardian reported that parties to the agreement included the Federal Government represented by the Ministry of Finance and Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET); the World Bank in its role as the provider of the guarantees; the project sponsors represented by Azura Power West Africa Ltd (Azura); and various lenders represented by JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Standard Bank; and Siemens Bank. Similarly, a copy of the indemnity agreement dated August 21, 2015, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, showed that signatories to the agreement included Anastasia Mabi Daniel-Nwaobia, Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Finance and Indira Konjhodzic, IBRDs acting Country Director for Nigeria. CONCLUSION Based on these findings, the claim by the presidency that the Azura power deal was signed by the Jonathan government, and not Buharis, is FALSE. The senate committee, headed by Mr Suswam, confirmed this in its presentation last week. The activation of the guarantee instrument at the final phase of the power deal was signed on August 21, 2015, three months after the Buhari government was inaugurated on May 29, 2015. In effect, the Buhari government signed the Azura power deal. Natasha Trethewey was just 19 years old when her mother was shot and killed by her stepfather. She was born in 1960s Mississippi to Gwendolyn Ann Turnbough, her Black mother, and Eric Trethewey, her white Canadian father whose mixed race marriage was illegal at the time because of miscegenation laws; they went out of state to be married. They ultimately divorced while Natasha was young; her stepfather, Joel Grimmette, murdered her mother in 1985. Trethewey went on to become Americas poet laureate, twice, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Her new book, Memorial Drive: A Daughters Memoir, is the first time shes written about her childhood years. In a very emotional interview, she spoke with the Star about why she wrote the memoir now, building monuments and discovering her mothers voice in police files. Its such a beautiful memoir and I had to keep putting it down to absorb it all because its also painful. It was very hard to write. It took me seven years. Even as I had given myself the task of doing it I dont think I really wanted to go into the depths of those difficult places that I had to go to write it, to remember all the things I had been trying for so long to bury. What made you want to do it now? I had to find a way to contend with the ways that (my mother) was being erased. And what I mean by that is the more attention that I got after winning the Pulitzer, after being appointed poet laureate, the more my back story became part of what would be written about me in magazines or in newspapers. And when that happened, my mother was often presented as just an afterthought, a footnote, murder victim, or just a murdered woman. And I felt that people werent recognizing just how important she was in my life, in making me the person that I became and the writer that I became. I decided that if she was going to be mentioned again and again that I was going to be the one to tell her story, and to place her in the proper context in my life. Youve addressed your mothers death and particularly how it frames your life in your poetry collection Monument. How does the act of memoir create a different feeling or healing than the act of poetry? I was working on them at the same time. I would be working on the memoir and I would have to stop and turn the page over, because something would start to come out as a poem and not prose. I think that I needed more room to move around, rather than the very small spaces of a poem, the density and compression of a poem. I needed somehow to have more space. And writing prose allowed me to do that. I was, of course, still focused on the kind of lyricism that I try to bring to a poem. As a poet, language is clearly important to you. Which got me to thinking about you calling your last poetry collection Monument and this memoir Memorial Drive, both homages to your mother. Theres a real play on the two words. My mother died on Memorial Drive, which is the road leading up to the nations largest monument to the Confederacy. Those two things are placed side by side and always have been side by side, I think, in my psyche as my two existential wounds. The trauma and racism of the Confederacy, and its history of slavery and its ongoing message of subjugation to African Americans, and the way that my mother (she pauses to take a breath) The figurative that you are thinking about, certainly the thing that I was thinking about as well: What is it that has driven me toward being the kind of poet who is interested in memory and memorialization in creating a lyrical monument to my mother? What is the possibility of something that is more lasting even than stone? There is a specific incident in the book when you were kind to your stepfather, Joel. He later admitted that, at that moment, he intended to kill you, but your kindness stopped him. But that meant he was free to kill your mother. Was there always a survivors guilt? I think so. And I think its in the process of writing that I revealed that even to myself. The first time that I really recognized that is what I was carrying was in a poem called Genus Narcissus from my book Native Guard. Its about those narcissus flowers that I talked about in the book that I had picked for her. But the first time that I kind of understood that I had given her a flower that suggested an early death, thats when I kind of understood that I felt guilt somehow, that I was implicated in it. The police let your mother down one of them left the job when he was supposed to be guarding her apartment. We live in a society that does not value some lives as much as others. And we can see that particularly in this story with the case of a womans life. This is before the American anti-stalking laws had gone into effect, before the Violence Against Women Act. There are so many ways that the lives of women are undervalued So I do think that her story does tell us something about lives that are valued less than others. Youve referred to your mothers death as my greatest wound. Has writing helped to heal or is the grief what keeps you writing? Well, I think there is healing from this. What it seems to me that I can do, and what I have done, is give that wound a kind of palliative care so I can live with it. You keep it clean, you keep it from getting infected, but it doesnt go away you just live with it. Sometimes certain things make the pain less acute; sometimes it hurts as if it just happened. I do think that writing about this and even having difficult conversations about it is part of that palliative care because it means I get to talk about her with more people who will know something about who she was and participate in the care of the memorial, of the monument Ive been trying to erect for her. You serendipitously discovered the police file in 2005 and the transcript of her last phone call, which you published in the book. How important was it to you that we hear or at least read her voice? It was a hard decision to make. Because I, on one hand, worried that readers would see it as me being lazy because I wasnt telling the story. But in this case, it felt to me that it would be easy for me to tell you how smart and resilient and calm and patient and thoughtful my mother was, or I could just show you and let you see it for yourself and hear it in her voice. You write that To survive trauma, one must be able to write a story about it. And this story evolved over the years to create a narrative of self that could in turn, contain yet another trauma and give it meaning. This individual story seems to have created an expansive container for the story of Black America. Without being able to tell an individual story like this one, or a collective story of a people, you would be reduced to thinking of everything as random and capricious instead of thinking about the value in unearned suffering. I think (Martin Luther) King said something about the way that unearned suffering is part of ones humanizing and nobility of survival and resilience and transcendence. Better to tell that story than a story of subjugation and oppression Unearned suffering is redemptive. Its also the difference between someone trying to victimize you and being a victim. Absolutely. My mother was not a victim. I am not a victim. The people that I write about who helped to make this country are not victims. Even as it is a nation that is trying to victimize again and again. KAMPALA British American Tobacco Uganda Limited (Bat Uganda) announced its half-year results for the six months ending June 30, 2020; posting gross revenue of Ushs 76 billion, profit before tax of Ushs 9.9 billion and contributions to Government revenue of Ushs 42.9 billion. Commenting on the results, BAT Uganda Managing Director, Mathu Kiunjuri said: I am pleased to report that BAT Ugandas business continues to show resilience despite the difficult operating environment in the country. For the first half of 2020, gross revenue reduced by 12% to Ushs 76 billion, mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumer purse. With rising unemployment and a significant increase in the cost of various basic consumer goods, the pandemic has left many consumers more cash-stretched than ever. Additionally, the closure of retail outlets led to constrained consumer access to our products. Despite these challenges, our Business continues to be resilient, posting a 2% increase in profit before tax to Ushs 9.9 billion due to prudent cost management measures undertaken to mitigate the decline in revenue. As we navigate the particularly challenging business environment occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the menace of illicit trade is entrenching itself now more than ever, on the back of heightened consumer affordability challenges. This is partly evidenced by the reduction of our contribution to Government taxes in the form of Excise Duty, Value Added Tax (VAT) and Corporation Tax by Ushs 7.3 billion to Ushs 42.9 billion. We are concerned that, despite the enhanced border controls put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, our trade teams continue to report an increased presence of illegal tax-evaded cigarettes in the Ugandan market, primarily tax-evaded cigarettes from Kenya. This is consistent with third party research conducted at the end of last year, which indicates that about 44% of illicit cigarettes sold in Uganda have been smuggled across the Kenyan border. Evidently, border enforcement alone is not sufficient to curtail the illicit trade in cigarettes, which continues to deny the Government in excess of Ushs 30 billion every year. Whilst we recognise the opportunity presented by URAs Digital Tracking Solution (DTS), immediate action is required to redouble enforcement of anti-illicit trade regulations. This enhanced action includes cooperation between Uganda and Kenya officials in stemming the flow of illicit cigarettes into Uganda, which requires identification of the source of these illegal products and their supply routes. We also reiterate our call to the Government to ratify the World Health Organisation (WHOs) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (ITP). As part of our continued effort and commitment to build a sustainable business and contribute to Ugandas economic development, we will continue to engage transparently with the relevant Government agencies to support the fight against illicit trade in cigarettes. Also commenting on the results, BAT Uganda Chairman, Hon. Dr. Elly Karuhanga said: The resilient performance of our business reflects our commitment to build a sustainable business that contributes to Ugandas economic growth. Currently, amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our primary focus is to ensure the safety of our employees, maintain business continuity and work with relevant Government agencies to ensure a stable and predictable regulatory environment. Looking forwards, I am confident that with sustained investment in our business, the exceptional quality of talent within the Company, and our partnerships with over 30,000 business partners and tobacco farmers, we have the right strategy in place to deliver a better tomorrow for consumers, society, employees and shareholders. About BAT Uganda BAT Uganda is a member of the British American Tobacco Group, one of the worlds leading multi-category consumer goods companies, with brands sold in more than 180 markets. The Company has sustained a significant presence in Uganda since 1928 and has been listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange since 2000. BAT Uganda has grown to become one of the countrys largest taxpayers and we have been listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange since 2000. We sell cigarettes chosen by a majority of Ugandas adult smokers with a variety of high-quality cigarette brands sold in the market and partner with over 30,000 trade and business partners in Uganda. Through its sister companies within the BAT Group and its partners, BAT Uganda is the largest single buyer of Ugandan tobacco leaf supporting the livelihood of over 13,500 tobacco farmers. Related By Akbar Mammadov Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti has condemned the violence against Azerbaijani protesters who were attacked by Armenian nationalists in Los Angeles on July 21. Seven Azerbaijanis and a police officer were injured when a violent group of Armenian protesters attacked a much smaller group of Azerbaijani counter-protesters outside of the building of the Consulate-General of Azerbaijan in Los-Angeles. In a letter addressed to the Consulate-General, Garcetti said: I was saddened to hear the events that took place outside of the Consulate of Azerbaijan on Tuesday, July 21. While I am unable to comment on an active LAPD investigation, I strongly condemn the actions of those who resorted to violence. The Mayor promised that the city will continue to work to ensure the safety of the Azerbaijani community in Los Angeles. In the meantime, Consulate-General of Azerbaijan in Los-Angeles has revealed a video from the protest on July 21, that shows Armenians throwing cutting tools in front of Azerbaijani counter-protesters outside of the consulate. Sharing the video in its official Facebook page on July 30, the consulate noted that some Armenian Dashnaks came to protest in front of the Consulate well-armed on July 21 to stage a provocation. By doing so, Armenian nationalists were hoping that Azerbaijanis would resort to violence. Here, is a Dashnak who was driving around Azerbaijanis repeatedly throwing a hammer, pliers, and other tools at them each time, the consulate wrote. It should be noted that the Los-Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the Armenian attack against Azerbaijanis in that protest as hate crime. Armenians stepped up hate crimes against Azerbaijanis following the cross-border clashes initiated with Armenian forces firing artillery at Azerbaijani positions in Tovuz on July 12. On July 22, police in Belgium arrested seventeen Armenians for attacking Azerbaijanis outside of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium. The arrests come after a violent attack on Azerbaijanis outside of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium on July 22 where Azerbaijans diplomatic mission and community members were attacked by Armenians who threw stones and sharp objects at them. Armenian hate groups also targeted Azerbaijanis separately, attacking them in large groups in different parts of Belgium. A graphic video of an Azerbaijan man being beaten and insulted by around ten Armenian men in Brussels went viral. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The number of new applicants seeking unemployment benefits in South Carolina eased slightly last week, but the state is still managing more than 195,000 workers who were forced from their jobs over the past five months. The latest figures released Thursday suggest that new layoffs are not as severe as what the state dealt with in April, when more than 89,000 people signed up for unemployment assistance in a single week. Dan Ellzey, the director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, took that fact as a good sign for the state economy, which leaders hope will recover amid a growing pandemic and a national recession. "Our economy is gaining traction as business owners reopen with strict safety protocols, recall their workforces and recruit new employees," Ellzey said in a news release on Thursday. "We are strongly encouraged by this downward trend in initial claims and the performance of the economy." But the broader unemployment numbers are not as positive. The 195,208 idled workers who continue to claim state jobless benefits is unlike anything South Carolina witnessed in at least the past four decades. It dwarfs the number of people who filled the state's unemployment rolls during the Great Recession. The statistics also suggest that the state's unemployment crisis has not improved much since early June. Nearly the same number of people were relying on jobless benefits at that time, as the state posted an official unemployment rate of 8.7 percent. The state unemployment systems throughout the country have been one of the primary safety nets for millions of Americans who lost their jobs as the coronavirus took hold in the United States. It has allowed individuals and families to continue to pay their rent, mortgage, utilities, student loans, credit card bills and health care costs amid the pandemic. But the situation is about to get significantly harder for anyone who doesn't have a job to return to right now. The extra $600 per week that the federal government was paying to every eligible unemployment applicant in the country won't be there next week. That means the South Carolinians who are still relying on jobless benefits will need to survive on $326 per week or less, depending on their previous income levels. Congress and President Donald Trump's administration are debating whether to extend the federal assistance. The Democratic controlled House wants the extra $600 approved in full through the rest of the year. But the Republican led Senate is fighting to reduce the federal contribution to $200 per week. Even if Congress acts this week, it won't happen quickly enough to keep the extra money flowing to the millions of Americans who continued to pursue jobless benefits earlier this month. DEW reminded people Thursday that the federal benefits are ending and officials explained that it was up to Congress to sort out whether the money will be reinstated later this year. "If there is no agreement, these payments will not be restarted," Ellzey said in his statement. "If there is agreement, it could take a while to implement a different federal program developed by Congress depending on the complexity of the changes. It is just not a matter of stopping and then re-starting the program." In South Carolina, that means roughly $117 million will disappear from household incomes and the state's economy next week. In the meantime, the state agency is trying to connect the state's dislocated workers with potential employers. As a licensed general contractor and a certified public accountant in South Florida who has been advising clients in accounting- and construction-related issues for the past 15 years, I have seen hurricane seasons come and go and I have seen the devastation a hurricane can leave on properties and businesses. With the devastation and uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, plus the unpredictable nature of Floridas hurricane season, we are bound to see a rise in business interruption claims across all industries. With the changes in risks, the increased complexities and nuances in policies, and the measuring of claims becoming more complex, it is more critical than ever that clients have their agent or broker help them look after their best interests and stay involved throughout the claims process. Ultimately, it is the broker who negotiates and best understands the policies, and it is the broker who can and should assist businesses in preparing for a claim situation such as hurricane damage. The best questions a broker can ask a carrier before or during a claim situation are: What is your adjustment process, and are claims assigned to third-party adjusters or handled within? This information not only helps prepare business clients for a claim situation, but it also gives the business a better understanding of the process in advance. It is vital to give clients the details of how the adjustment process would be handled in the event of a claim. We have been involved in many claims where unexpected or unknown factors in the claims process set a bad tone from the beginning. This could be avoided if the proper expectations are set in advance. The more information an insurer receives in advance of a claim, the more effective the claim. Another critical piece of advice a broker or agent can provide the client is to properly maintain historical records in order to more easily generate reports. Too many businesses do not understand this concept when it comes to business interruption claims. The cleaner, simpler and easier it is to provide a carrier with the financial reports requested, the easier the claims process ultimately becomes. One of the trends I continue to see in business interruption claims is the lack of good recordkeeping. When I begin assessing and analyzing a business interruption claim or accounting issue, the first place I go to is the records file. Every business has different practices and internal procedures, but at the end of the day, the paper trail is what helps win or lose a case and is the crux of any recovery claim. The only way to receive recovery compensation for any loss of business, or business interruption, is to prove that there was a loss and records are critical to this. As a forensic accountant, I have experienced and been involved in matters in which the physical office was uninhabitable or the physical records were destroyed and the business owner still expected business interruption claims to be paid at the demanded amount. This expectation is unrealistic, as carriers generally require the appropriate and reasonable support to process claims. Without the ability to produce accurate and timely accounting records that support financial losses, the likelihood of a carrier processing those claims becomes minimal and extremely challenging. Brokers should notify clients that they cannot go back in time if their records are not what they should be. Urge them to make sure their records are in order at the start of the hurricane season. Having the right staff and technology infrastructure in place during the times we are experiencing today is essential in maintaining accurate and current records. The business must be able to track, report and prepare current and historical financial data remotely. Being able to handle this from a remote location is increasingly more important because of the risks associated with hurricane season and coronavirus. For instance, when I review business interruption claims, identifying and analyzing the fixed and variable expenses in a forensic accounting exercise is required. While a business may have the fixed expense of a mortgage payment or rent payment that would occur regardless of a hurricane, variable expenses could be impacted directly (i.e., having an employee who is hourly and relies on the business functioning at a certain capacity). If that employee is unable to work because of the impact of a hurricane, these variable expenses need to be recognized and considered when measuring the business interruption losses. Not having these types of accurate accounting reports and categorization of historical and current expenses would make preparing a claim much more difficult and potentially impossible. To avoid this and minimize the risk and exposure, agents should advise their business clients to invest the time, money and resources (in the form of personnel) prior to any claim situation in order to properly implement technology-based, financial recordkeeping and have enough staff trained within the system to assist if a claim arises. This will minimize the stresses that come along with the adjustment process and give a sense of comfort to the business owner sustaining the loss and the carrier processing the claim. Having a background in construction, and advising clients on all sizes and at all phases of construction projects, I have found that keeping up-to-date accounting and cost records on projects is the only way to effectively navigate claims. Otherwise, it becomes more of a guessing and assumption-based scenario, which results in delays in the claims process and frustrations on both sides. This is usually when claims result in significant legal costs and extended periods of time in litigation. Brokers and agents also can help businesses learn how their insurance company handles business interruption claims from a coverage standpoint. I have seen very large and successful businesses think business interruption coverage applies when in reality the policies contain specific exclusions. There are specifics within coverages that the brokers can educate their clients about during the procurement process that would help businesses understand business interruption coverages. This could affect how businesses decide to proceed in filing a claim if there is a loss and it could also provide insight into how a specific business could help train personnel in preparing the appropriate financial reports when presenting a claim. Document, Document, Document Businesses should also document everything at the start of hurricane season. This means having owners take pictures of the physical location and documenting certain equipment and contents anything that would or could be subject to a loss. The same should be done immediately after a hurricane, or as soon as possible. In times of crisis, adjusters, consultants, etc., can have a significant backlog of work, which may mean that the business is already up and running again before the claim is considered. Having proof in pictures could be critical to a case to help facilitate and expedite the adjustment process. From my experience, if the documentation provided by an insured party in a claim situation is relevant and current, prior to any meetings or site inspections occurring, the likelihood of a smoother claims process is much greater. This allows the carrier, adjuster and the necessary consultants to review in advance and generate the questions and information requests before any formal meeting or site visit. This hurricane season is unique in that many businesses or, one could argue, all businesses have been impacted by the coronavirus in some way. When calculating the damages or amount owed to a business because of a hurricane, the coronavirus impact will have to be considered as well. We cannot predict the future or how insurance companies or our legal system will handle this, but good recordkeeping, timely and accurate reporting, and relevant historical data will assist and prove to be beneficial in this process. Topics Carriers Catastrophe Natural Disasters Trends Agencies Claims Hurricane I moved to the Mission District in 2007 after graduating college, and Ive called it home ever since. When you live in a place long enough, you get accustomed to certain smells in all the nooks and crannies throughout the neighborhood. My first smell memories came from La Cocina on 25th and Folsom streets, the beloved nonprofit that provides a kitchen to primarily low-income, immigrant women of color who are also food entrepreneurs. My apartment was across the street, and every day Id get warm toast-y corn wafts of pupusas cooking on the plancha as soon as I stepped outside. As I continued down Folsom toward 24th Street, heady hits of coffee and cardamom from Philz entered my nose. This was back when you could still find the literal Phil at the shop it was the first coffee shop I went to in San Francisco, and it was his first location before his son took over and expanded the brand nationally. Head left toward the 24th Street BART and there was the beautiful smell of meat grilling and singeing from Taqueria El Farolito at what seemed any hour of the day. Other smells I grew fond of and familiar with: the smell of buttery morning buns from Tartine Bakery at the corner of 18th and Guerrero, bacon-wrapped hot dogs all along Mission Street (you could smell them even better after a few drinks at Beauty Bar, a favorite in my late-night, alcohol-tolerant youth), the subtle smell of the sea outside Sun Fat Seafood. These smells remained the same throughout the 13 years Ive lived in the Mission that is, until March. At the beginning of shelter-in-place, when businesses shut down and no one went outside except for the occasional brisk walk or quick run to the grocery store, all these smells disappeared. I remember taking strolls to clear my mind and thinking to myself that perhaps I had caught COVID-19 myself, a loss of smell being reported as a symptom. But as things slowly reopened, as restaurants set up makeshift patios for outdoor dining and street vendors slowly returned with their carts, the smells also slowly came back (albeit slightly diffused through my mask). And there was one smell in particular that I had missed so terribly, a smell I could rarely resist but was happy to have back: the smell of Petes Bar-B-Que on 20th and Mission. Thanks to either accidental or well-planned ventilation, you can smell Petes a block away in either direction, and its divine. But its not the fragrance of fire or smoke coming from Petes that youd expect to sniff from its name theres actually literally nothing barbecue about it besides the sauce. Instead, the 44-year-old restaurant centers around an equally aged rotisserie, barely hanging on yet faithfully rotating racks of ribs and skewers of chickens that slowly drip their fats onto rows of potatoes below. The smell is concentrated and intoxicating its like a thousand roasting chickens inside a tiny San Francisco apartment. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle These smells loop on repeat throughout the day and have been bringing Mission locals through Petes doors for much longer than Ive lived in the neighborhood. But I can appreciate timeless beauty and a place thats been feeding its community for decades thats exactly what Petes Bar-B-Que is. The rotisserie-hofbrau hybrid was founded by Pete Koutoulas, who immigrated to America in 1968 when he was 28 without speaking a word of English. Having grown up on a farm in Greece, he sought a better life for his family and followed his brother to Daly City. Koutoulas first worked at a radiator shop in the Mission, then at a restaurant where he learned the wonders of rotisserie cooking. Wanting to do more than live paycheck to paycheck, he saved up some money and opened his restaurant in 1976. The short menu, he says, hasnt changed since. The thing I like to get is a simple rotisserie chicken cut up with the sauce on the side and a baked potato drenched in meat drippings ($10-$13.50). The chicken is seasoned in a dry rub that features salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, chile pepper and some secrets it leans savory rather than spicy and is straightforward and simple. Theres a certain texture a perfectly cooked rotisserie chicken achieves: crispy yet simultaneously sticky skin, and meat that almost threads away as you tear it apart. The ribs also marinated overnight in the same dry rub are a good changeup, too (a chicken and ribs combo plate is $16). Sometimes Ill add the tomato salad on the side to feel healthy it almost reminds me of a Greek salad sans feta and olives. The sauce a thick, ketchup-based version with similar spices as in the dry rub, leans sweet, and I advise using it as a dipper rather than a default drencher, but thats just me being picky. Do as you please, but the potato is a must. By no means is the food at Petes life-changing, but it serves a purpose: to keep the family going and to keep a community fed (there are still regulars whove been coming in from day one). Sometimes thats all a restaurant needs to be. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle For most of the restaurants life, Pete worked 14-hour days, seven days a week. He never closed for Christmas or New Years, until his son Kosta started helping out. They then started closing on Sundays. At age 80, Pete can be found behind the counter, energetically cutting up and serving meat for his customers with the same mustachioed smile found cartooned on the to-go bags and the banner that hangs on the back wall. Why do you still work? Why dont you retire? I ask Pete. I love to work, Pete tells me with a shrug and a smile. Its why I came to the United States because I love to work. And we should be thankful for Pete and his work. For over four decades hes been part of the Missions culinary fabric, providing countless meals and memories and tastes and smells that make this neighborhood one of the greatest dining destinations in one of the best cities in the world a place this transplant is proud to call home. Omar Mamoon is a San Francisco writer and cookie guy. Instagram: @ommmar Email: food@sfchronicle.com Pennsylvania Rep. Russ Diamond didnt take long to respond to Gov. Tom Wolfs call on the House of Representatives to censure Diamond for his thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community. The Lebanon County Republican returned fire two hours later by issuing a statement calling on Wolf to resign but not before removing Dr. Rachel Levine as state health secretary. Diamond has been critical of Wolfs response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Levines response. Nearly parroting the words that Wolf used to describe Diamonds defense of those who dont wear a mask, Diamonds statement begins: Abhorrent, unlawful, political and deadly. These are the words that describe my disdain for Wolfs actions, not just today but throughout the COVID-19 disaster emergency. He goes on: Secretary of Health Rachel Levine made a strong statement in defense of her lifestyle and condemned hatred and intolerance. I, of course, condemn all hatred and intolerance. However, I found it ironic that Levine fails to see that her own policies, and those of the governor, are creating similar hatred and intolerance across Pennsylvania. Levine on Tuesday had addressed recent transphobic attacks against her and others in the LGBTQ community. The next day, Diamond issued a statement using virtually the same language as Levines statement, but used those words to defend those who choose not to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Wolf on Wednesday called for Republican House leaders to introduce a resolution censuring Diamond for the statement. Diamond said the governor and Levines messaging for universal mask-wearing has divided people and are not the hallmarks of a free society, nor a tolerant one. He went on to say that the Wolf Administrations COVID-19 response contributed to the death of more than 4,800 nursing home residents. He also repeated his condemnation of the governors decision last month to ignore his own orders about being in gatherings of no more than 25 people when Wolf participated in a protest march against racial discrimination in June. He also brought up the governors decision to withhold federal CARES funding from Lebanon County as punishment for the county GOP leaders decision to allow businesses to reopen in violation of Wolfs phased reopening plans, which now is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the county. Diamond also was critical of Wolfs silence about a resolution offered calling for the censure of Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Brian Sims for his recorded verbal attacks on anti-abortionists outside an abortion clinic in Philadelphia last year. I call on the governor to immediately resign, right after he dismisses Dr. Rachel Levine as secretary of Health for her horrendous performance as the top health official in the state, and her actions to rescue her own mother from the deadly setting of a personal care home without informing the rest of Pennsylvania of the dangers within. He said Levine, a transgender woman, may live as she wishes, as I have always firmly believed any American has the right to, including those who desire the freedom to make their own personal safety decisions. *This story has been updated to clarify one of Rep. Diamonds criticism about the governor. 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. Lewis Hamilton arrived in Silverstone ahead of the Formula One British Grand Prix on Thursday, after facing backlash for sharing a post on anti-vaxxers. The British racing driver, 35, sported one of his typically bold looks as he arrived at the circuit, after claiming he was 'misinterpreted' for sharing a post accusing Bill Gates of lying about the progress of COVID-19 vaccines. Lewis - who is favourite to win the British Grand Prix on Sunday - shared the video with his 18.3 million Instagram followers, leading some to accuse him of 'anti-vaxx nonsense.' He's here! Lewis Hamilton, 35, arrived in Silverstone ahead of the Formula One British Grand Prix on Thursday, after facing backlash for sharing a post on anti-vaxxers Lewis displayed his typically bold sense of style in baggy jeans with a grey bird print, along with a checked jacket and trainers. The racing champion sported his face mask as he arrived at the circuit, ahead of the practice race on Friday. Lewis took to social media on Monday to clarify his statement after sharing a post which question Bill Gates' announcement about COVID-19 vaccine trials. Out and about: The British racing driver sported one of his typically bold looks as he arrived at the circuit, as favourite to win the Grand Prix this weekend Drama: It comes after Lewis insisted he was 'misinterpreted' after he shared a post which accused Bill Gates of lying about COVID-19 vaccine trials Taking to Instagram he penned: '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.' Raging: Vaccination is the latest controversy Hamilton has involved himself with after he recently branded Bernie Ecclestone 'ignorant and uneducated' Vaccination is the latest controversy Lewis 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'. Lewis 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. South Africa: New leisure travel regulations Cabinet has agreed to ease restrictions around leisure travel, paving the way for citizens to travel within their provinces of residence. After the release of the new regulations, individuals will be permitted to leave their homes for leisure purposes within the province where they currently live. Its only for intra-provincial travel, not inter-provincial. If youre in Gauteng, youre allowed to travel within Gauteng. You cant go to KwaZulu-Natal, Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said on Thursday. Accommodation establishments are now permitted to operate for leisure intra-provincially. However, no more than two people may share a room, except for a nuclear family, parents and their children. Establishments are already legally obliged to require and keep a copy of proof of identity, the Minister said, adding that short-term home rental or sharing remains closed. Speaking at a briefing on the new regulations affecting the travel and leisure sector, Kubayi-Ngubane said tour operators will be allowed to conduct guided tours in open safari vehicles, subject to directions, including the provision for both social distancing and maximum ventilation. Restaurants to close at 10pm Diners will now be able to enjoy meals at restaurants until 10pm. The curfew was previously 9pm. However, alcohol is still off the menu. The Minister believes that extending operating hours will go a long way in helping to increase the eateries revenue. The impact of the pandemic has been devastating for the sector. Many businesses are at risk and many jobs have already been lost. However, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the impact is minimised, she said. Kubayi-Ngubane said the changes will come into effect as soon as the new regulations are gazetted. Relief measures In supporting the tourism sector in this crisis period, the Department of Toursim redirected R200 million through the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF). Of the 7 284 valid applications submitted, the department could only assist 4 000 businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector. Allocation of funds was conducted in line with government policies and ensured that there was an equitable share of resources across all regions of the country, including rural areas and small towns or dorpies, Kubayi-Ngubane said. However, 3 284 applications were not funded due to depletion of resources, even though some qualified. Reasons for non-approval ranged from enterprises with an annual turnover of R5 million and above, non-tourism enterprises, enterprises not covered under the TRF guidelines like franchise restaurants, applications with the outstanding mandatory document such as a valid tax certificate, and those without supporting documents." The Minister said letters detailing the reasons for unfavourable considerations are being prepared and will be issued to all unfunded applicants soon. Meanwhile, Kubayi-Ngubane said the department was encouraged by the letters of appreciation from patriotic South Africans, black and white, who did not listen to the misleading noise that the relief was specifically for black people. This ultimately confused and discouraged even those who qualified for the grant not to apply. Support for tour guides The department said the announced R30 million financial relief for freelance tourist guides, over two to three months, is underway. However, the processing of payments has taken longer due to some provincial offices closing down after they had positive COVID-19 cases. The department has received a list of 9 380 tourist guides from the provinces. However, some are registered with Unemployment Insurance Fund. To avoid double-dipping, we have initiated a verification process to ensure that only those who are not receiving income benefits [get aid], the department said. The first batch of payments to 1 378 verified, eligible beneficiaries has been made and the second group will be paid once the verification process is completed on 31 July 2020. In addition, we welcome the decision by the Minister of Finance to review and change the qualifying criteria for the R200 billion COVID-19 Loan Guarantee Scheme, so that more businesses can gain access to the funds. We encourage businesses in our sector to [take] this opportunity, Kubayi-Ngubane said. She has also welcomed the announcement by Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi to extend the Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) until 15 August 2020. This will go a long way for many businesses and employees, she said. The Minister said since the outbreak, the department has been having regular interaction with various stakeholders. "These interactions, which are almost on a weekly basis, have helped us to gather inputs from all stakeholders on how best to reopen the sector and support the recovery going forward. The department will formalise the working relationship with sector players through the formation of a task team, which brings together a broad spectrum of private sector players and officials from the Department of Tourism, to work towards reopening the sector and resolving other challenges. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. C harlie Elphicke was a party whip for David Cameron's Conservative government. As Lord Commissioner of the Treasury his role was to instil discipline in Conservative Party MPs, ensuring they backed the government in parliamentary votes. However, privately, the member of parliament for Dover failed to maintain the most basic of standards - sexually assaulting two women decades younger than him. The married father-of-two told a jury at Southwark crown court that not only had he cheated on his wife Natalie by having a consensual affair with a third woman, he had also inundated a parliamentary worker in her early twenties with messages as he sought a sexual relationship with her. Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke alongside MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke / PA I felt very strongly about her, Elphicke told the court. She was really lovely and I lost my head over her. However, the jury decided it was much more than that, convicting Elphicke of sexual offences three charges of assault on two women, the younger of whom was two decades his junior. Elphicke was in the class of 2010 intake of Tory MPs alongside the likes of Sajid Javid, Dominic Raab and Priti Patel. He had been selected as the partys candidate for Dover three years earlier, while a tax lawyer in his mid-thirties, living with his wife and two young children just off Sloane Square in central London. Elphicke became a Government whip under Mr Camerons premiership in 2015, but returned to the back benches when Theresa May came to power the following year. Natalie Elphicke stood by her husband / PA The parliamentary worker, who met up with Elphicke to challenge him about groping her in Westminster earlier that year, later confided in friends that the demotion really hit him hard. I think it humbled him massively, she added. Elphicke had the party whip suspended in November 2017 as the sexual assault allegations were passed to police, although he complained that the media had been tipped off about the move before he was. The whip was controversially reinstated a year later when Mrs May faced a confidence vote, only for it to be removed again. Elphicke would later admit lying to the whips, the police and to his wife about various elements of the case. His wife Natalie Elphicke his successor as Dover MP at the last election only discovered his desire for an affair with the parliamentary worker when she pored over case details during lockdown, he said. Mrs Elphicke arrived hand-in-hand with her husband on the first day of the trial and Elphicke told the jury she had accompanied him every day since. Theresa May reinstated Charlie Elphicke for a confidence vote / PA She was not called by the defence to give evidence, nor was she present in court to see her husband enter the witness box. The extent of the damage to their marriage was revealed by the 49-year-old defendant when he answered questions from his barrister. It hangs by a thread, Elphicke said. Ive made a complete mess of everything. Elphicke said the women were lying he admitted kissing the first complainant, a woman in her early thirties whom he said he did not find attractive but denied groping her and chasing her round his London home chanting Im a naughty Tory. And he denied sexually assaulting the parliamentary worker he had fallen for, apparently declaring his love of Abba to her in the hope they were on mutual ground before attacking her. Elphickes barrister told the jury it was likely his client was guilty of being a bad husband and behaving foolishly. In the end, the jury decided he was much more than that. Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. Soldiers from the National Guard are being deployed across the country to assist overwhelmed health departments and skilled nursing facilities hit hard by COVID-19. Here in the Golden State, California National Guard soldiers are being stationed in nursing homes, doing everything from taking care of both residents' daily and medical needs to rearranging furniture and disinfecting facilities hit hard by the virus. They're also traveling the state running mobile pop-up testing sites. Colonel James Ward, the Joint Surgeon for the state National Guard, said health facilities can get strapped for staff fast. "It's unexpected, a bunch of people get exposed, and then they call the state and say, 'Hey, we need help'," he said. That's where the National Guard comes in, with "rapid medical strike" teams of around eight to 10 people. Ward said that includes a variety of positions, including medical doctors, physician assistants, nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, even behavioral health and field medics. More than 200 medical personnel have responded, going to 25 nursing homes, two hospitals, and two other medical centers since the virus hit. Early on in the pandemic, they had as many as 13 rapid medical strike teams spread across the state as health care facilities scrambled to staff up against the virus. Now, as staffing demands have eased it's down to five. Ward said in general these strike teams stay at a location for 72 hours to six days to get them over the staffing crunch. "Once they're stable, and they're good to go, we literally reset and we wait for the next mission," he said. icon DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Sometimes those missions can be pretty long. Captain Serenity Holden oversees a team that runs mobile COVID-19 testing centers across the state. These mobile teams have done around 20,000 tests so far. I reached Holden at the hotel where she and her team isolate themselves when not on duty. They've been living in hotels since the beginning of May. "I was definitely not expecting this to be a long-term assignment," she said, laughing. And no one did. But now Holden is stationed in Sacramento County operating a high-demand drive-through testing site. "There's been lines before we got there, and we've hit our maximum capacity within two hours," she said. Her team also set up pop-up testing sites at more than 40 nursing homes. "They have been so locked away from everyone, so that everyone seems so very happy to just to get some interaction with people," Holden said. But she said not everyone is happy to see soldiers in uniform on their streets and in their nursing homes. Holden said some nursing homes have been worried, asking if the soldiers will show up in tanks -- "are you going to show up with guns?" she said. One Sacramento resident told a local TV news station that seeing soldiers made things more intense. People were already on edge because of the national guard presence during recent protests. Holden said her team of soldiers who swab people for the virus try to be less intimidating. Their uniforms, for example? "They're basically pajamas. We don't have a bunch of guns," she said. The Department of Defense says over 3,000 National Guard soldiers across the country have tested positive for COVID-19. In California, Colonel Ward said they've had better luck. "It's not been an excessive amount, any different from what's going on in the community. We monitor that closely," he said. But the virus shows few signs of slowing down here. Just recently, California for the first time hit more than 150 COVID-19 deaths in a single day. This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V): GRG Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE): G6A OTCQB Venture Market (OTCQB): GARWF VANCOUVER, BC, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Golden Arrow Resources Corporation (TSXV: GRG) (FSE: G6A) (OTCQB: GARWF), ("Golden Arrow" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it is initiating a 500-metre diamond drilling program at the Tierra Dorada gold project in Paraguay. At the Alvaro target area, mapping and sampling has delineated at least four prospective gold vein showings, and sampling has returned multiple high-grade gold assays from these veins (see News Releases dated December 5, 2019 and May 27, 2020). The most recent trench channel samples returned assays of 11.14 g/t gold and 6.36 g/t gold from a 0.78 wide vein at Trench T-6 in Showing 4 (see Figure 1: https://bit.ly/39B8N4O). The drill program will test these showings in more detail and at greater depths. "Tierra Dorada is a large project, and the Alvaro target itself is just one of several priority areas. By moving to shallow drilling of the prospects at Alvaro we will be able to more rapidly and effectively evaluate our targets and advance the entire project. Our regional work to delineate new prospects will continue at the same time," commented Brian McEwen, Golden Arrow's VP Exploration and Development. Golden Arrow has selected a local drilling company to complete the program, and is finalizing the operating details. Once drilling is underway, the program will take approximately one month to complete, and may be expanded depending on results. Regional mapping, stream and rock sampling continues in both the north and south property blocks of the project. An Induced Polarization (IP) survey is also planned to aid in delineating targets under cover (see News Release dated May 27, 2020). The survey will commence once the Chilean-based geophysical team is permitted entry to Paraguay, which is currently restricted due to COVID-19 regulations. Program Details The Tierra Dorado gold project covers an area of Pre-Cambrian shield in southern Paraguay prospective for orogenic gold deposits. The project includes two concessions totaling 64,000 hectares: the Paraguari concession to the north, and the Misiones concession to the south. Golden Arrow mainly focused its activities to date at one of four previously-identified target areas known as Alvaro in the southern property block, but also has a team working on geological reconnaissance and stream sediment sampling in both the northern and southern block concessions to evaluate as much of the property as possible for additional targets. Alvaro Target, Trench Sampling Results from trenches T-5 through T-7 are summarized in Table 1 below. Trenches T-5 and T-6 targeted the newly-identified structure at Showing 4, where a previous boulder sample returned 47.4 g/t Au, 260 metres northwest of trench T-1 at Showing 1 (see News Release dated December 5, 2019). Trench T-5 revealed an apparent vein thickness of 1.25 metres but because of flooding from a water dam adjacent to the trench only a limited chip sample was collected, which assayed 0.02 g/t Au. Trench T-6, located 50 metres to the northeast of T-5 and along the same strike, was sampled by two channels cut one metre apart. In each channel two samples were collected from the vein, which averaged 0.78 metres of true width. The weighted average of sample assays was 11.14 g/t Au in one channel and 6.36 g/t Au in the second channel, over the vein width. The vein has a strike of 70 and an apparent dipping of 28 to the northwest, and true width was calculated considering the 28 dipping. Because of the nearby water dam, it was not possible to trench deeper to reach the host rock, so the total width of the vein and possible mineralization in the host rock is uncertain at this stage. At Showing 3, Trench T-7 exposed a sub-horizontal quartz vein with gentle dipping to the northwest, and a true width of 0.25 metres. Eight chip samples were collected with a highest grade of 1.23 g/t Au. At 300 metres to the southeast of T-8, two additional trenches were hand excavated and quartz vein was sampled. Assays are pending. Alvaro Target, Other Sampling: Figure 1 includes the location of additional boulder sampling 2.3 kilometres northeast from Trench T-6, along the apparent strike of the vein at Showing 4. A chip sample from quartz boulders returned 0.97 g/t Au. The source of these boulders is uncertain and additional work must be done in the area Alvaro Target, Drill Program With the current prospecting permit for the Tierra Dorado project, the Company can drill holes up to 20 metres in depth. This is sufficient for testing near-surface prospects to delineate targets for deep drilling in greater detail than is possible with trenching. Golden Arrow has selected the Paraguayan company MasterGold S.A. for drilling services, using a diamond drill that will recover HQ diameter core. The program will include a nominal 500 metres of drilling which is expected to test at least 8 of the known quartz vein Showings, including the hanging wall and footwall rocks which were difficult to sample with trenching. Paraguari Concession, Regional Sampling Program Regional reconnaissance work has commenced at the northern concession. Thirteen stream sediments samples were collected from an active stream. Three samples show anomalous gold, with values of 650, 86 and 9 ppb Au. These anomalies are 10 kilometres north of the Alvaro target, in the northern part of the Precambrian Rio Tebicuary Metamorphic Complex, which is the same complex that hosts the gold mineralization at Alvaro. Additional detailed work is in process. Table 1. Summary of Results from Channel Sampling in Trenches 5-7, Alvaro Target Area Trench Sample Width Au g/t Ag g/t Channel Total Width Av. Au g/t Av. Ag g/t T-5 PS-0063 1.25 0.018 -0.5 chips T-6 PS-0064 0.38 17.4 5.9 A 0.78 11.14 3.9 PS-0065 0.4 5.19 2.0 PS-0066 0.38 9.68 4.4 B 0.78 6.36 3.1 PS-0067 0.4 3.2 1.8 T-7 PS-0071 0.25 -0.005 -0.5 PS-0072 0.25 0.227 -0.5 PS-0073 0.25 0.561 -0.5 PS-0074 0.25 0.153 -0.5 PS-0078 0.25 0.138 -0.5 PS-0079 0.25 0.030 -0.5 PS-0080 0.25 1.230 -0.5 PS-0081 0.25 0.376 -0.5 Methodology and QA/QC Channel samples were collected from the trenches with an electric saw. Channel and rock chip samples were shipped to ALS, an internationally recognized assay service with laboratories in Chile and Peru. Samples were prepared at the facility at Copiapo, Chile and assays were done in Lima, Peru. Rock samples were assayed for gold using fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Samples with more than 10 g/t Au were re-assayed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Analyses for a multi-element package by ICP-OES following a four-acid digestion. Soil and stream sediments were sieved at 80 and 140 mesh. Fraction minus 140 mesh and inbetween 80 and 140 mesh were assayed. Golden Arrow follows industry standard procedures for the work carried out on Tierra Dorada Project, with a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program. Blank, duplicate and standard samples were inserted in each batch of samples sent to the laboratory for analysis. Golden Arrow detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data. Qualified Persons The results of the Company's exploration program have been reviewed, verified (including sampling, analytical and test data) and compiled by the Company's geological staff under the supervision of Brian McEwen, P.Geol., VP Exploration and Development to the Company. Mr. McEwen is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the contents of the news release. About Golden Arrow: Golden Arrow Resources Corporation is a mining exploration company with a successful track record of creating value by making precious and base metal discoveries and advancing them into exceptional deposits. The Company is well-leveraged to the price of gold, having recently monetized its Chinchillas silver discovery into a significant holding in precious metals producer SSR Mining Inc. Golden Arrow is actively exploring a portfolio that includes a new epithermal gold project in Argentina, a district-scale frontier gold opportunity in Paraguay, a base-metal project in the heart of a leading mining district in Chile and more than 180,000 hectares of properties in Argentina. The Company is a member of the Grosso Group, a resource management group that has pioneered exploration in Argentina since 1993. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Joseph Grosso" _______________________________ Mr. Joseph Grosso, Executive Chairman, President and CEO Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mineral properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlooks; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; and future exploration and operating plans are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of COVID-19; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain, amend, or maintain licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining activities; and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's public disclosure documents for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, unless required pursuant to applicable laws. SOURCE Golden Arrow Resources Corporation Russia is demanding an explanation for what may be the arrest of over 30 alleged Russian mercenaries in Belarus, accused of plotting, quote, "acts of terrorism" ahead of the Belarus presidential election. Adding to the alarm: Belarus is a traditional ally of Russia. The arrests are said to have occurred on Wednesday. Russia's ambassador has also been summoned to the Belarusian capital Minsk. State TV broadcast footage of the suspects being detained near the city. But authorities say they have information that more than 200 fighters had entered the country to destabilize it ahead of the Aug. 9 election. Belarus also says some of the people detained confessed to attempting to orchestrate a revolution. Moscow has long denied reports that it uses mercenaries in foreign affairs, and footage of the arrest shows some of the suspects with Sudanese currency and a phone card. It's led to speculation in Belarus that they may have actually been in transit to Africa. Even though the two countries are traditionally allies, their relationship has been recently strained. It's also the biggest challenge in years for the re-election of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko who has ruled for over a quarter of a century. 65-year-old Lukashenko has accused opponents of being in cahoots with foreign backers to overthrow him and has jailed two of his main election rivals ahead of the vote. Now Belarusian authorities have turned to the leading opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanouskaya - saying her husband may have ties to the Russian group. Tikhanouskaya denies either of their involvement. He was arrested in May and authorities have launched a criminal case against him on suspicion of inciting riots, according to the Belta news agency. Back to Lukashenko and he is expected to win the election despite growing opposition and protests. Exploration of Ornamental Rocks in Angola This is an article contributed by the Embassy of Angola in Korea ED. Map of Angola Top leaders vowed further reforms as the country faces mounting risks and challenges. Chinese companies spending abroad slumped to 10-year low. Meanwhile, the number of global coronavirus cases topped 17 million Thursday afternoon, and the Chinese mainland reported daily Covid-19 numbers the likes of which have not been seen since mid-April. Taiwans controversial former leader Lee Teng-hui died at 97. By Lu Yutong (yutonglu@caixin.com) and Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) ** TOP STORIES OF THE DAY Top leadership calls for further reforms to address long-term challenges Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need for thorough reforms for China to ride out mounting risks and challenges during a meeting Thursday of the 25-member Politburo, the top decision-making body. Top leaders discussed the countrys 14th five-year plan covering 20212025 and longer-term development strategies during the midyear gathering, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Officials said conditions facing China remain complicated and grave and said the country needs to continue restructuring its growth model to cope with challenges. Chinese companies overseas acquisitions drop to 10-year low Chinese companies spending on overseas mergers and acquisitions plunged 40% in the first half to a 10-year low of $14.6 billion affected by the pandemic and rising political uncertainties abroad, according to Ernst & Young. A total of 248 deals were announced during the first six months, down 17% year-on-year. Former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui dies at 97 Taiwans former leader Lee Teng-hui died Thursday in Taipei at age 97. His death at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital was attributed to septic shock and multiple organ failure after he spent five months in the hospital. World Bank predicts China to expand 1.6% this year The World Bank revised down its 2020 growth prediction for China from 5.9% before the pandemic to 1.6%, which would mark the slowest expansion since 1976, according to its latest China economic update. That figure is slightly higher than the IMFs forecast of 1%. It also forecast that 8 to 20 million fewer people are projected to escape poverty in 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic scenario, if no additional policies are implemented. Central planners push local governments to borrow big Chinas central government is pushing local authorities to issue a remaining 1.51 trillion yuan ($220 billion) in new special-purpose bonds that aim to spur the economy by end of October. The funds must be used for public welfare projects that generate income spending it on existing debt, wages and pensions, land acquisitions and real estate investment is forbidden. Chinas Sinopharm to test potential Covid-19 vaccine in Brazil Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm has agreed a deal with Brazils Parana state to hold human trials of the companys coronavirus vaccine candidate. It will be the virus-ravaged nations fourth major vaccine trial, with trials also underway for candidates developed by AstraZeneca, Sinovac Biotech and a Pfizer partnership with BioNTech, Reuters reported. Sinopharms deal is still subject to Brazilian regulatory approval. Huawei takes global smartphone crown from Samsung Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. overtook Samsung Electronics Co. in smartphone shipments in the second quarter, and became the worlds top vendor for the first time, according to a report from research firm Canalys on Thursday. In the three months through June, the Chinese company shipped 55.8 million devices, down 5% year-on-year. Samsung came in second place with 53.7 million smartphones, falling a steep 30%. Electric SUV-maker Li Auto raises $1.1 billion in IPO Joining its peers in tapping the U.S. capital market, Chinese new-energy car firm Li Auto Inc. sold 95 million American depositary shares for $11.50 each on its Nasdaq debut Wednesday, raking in $1.1 billion. The electric-SUV maker plans to launch a premium vehicle in 2022, according to its filings. It sold about 10,400 of its flagship model, Li ONE, as of the end of June. Chipmaker Qualcomm announces Huawei licensing deal Qualcomm Inc. announced a new licensing deal with Chinas Huawei Technologies Co., sending its shares up more than 12% in extended trading. The chipmaker gave a strong sales forecast for the current quarter, signaling that fifth generation mobile phone services are taking off. ** OTHER STORIES MAKING HEADLINES Chinese smartphone-maker Xiaomi Corp. named Zeng Xuezhong, a former executive at ZTE Corp., head of its mobile phone business in another management reshuffle the company said aimed to bring in a younger generation of executives. Leading Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan has urged Hong Kong to launch mass testing for coronavirus infection on all its 8 million residents amid the latest surge in Covid-19 cases in the special administrative region and to consider making its coronavirus swab tests free. Bankrupt Sichuan Coal Industry Group Ltd. Liability Co. announced on Wednesday that its former chairman, Jing Hongnian, is under investigation for corruption, marking the second official from the insolvent company to be placed under investigation. An investigation conducted by marketing services provider Tokyo Shoko Research showed (link in Chinese) on Wednesday that 1,000 out of 3,789 listed companies in Japan have lowered their financial performance forecasts. Among them, 70% of the companies specialize in manufacturing, retail and services. Chinas Ministry of Commerce said Thursday that nationwide retail sales via e-commerce platforms reached 5.15 trillion yuan in the first half of the year, up by 7.3% over the same period in 2019. Chinese home-appliance group Haier Smart Home Co. Ltd. put on sale 54% of its stake in its industrial internet platform COSMOPlat for 4 billion yuan, eyeing to spin off the unit that is valued at nearly 7.5 billion yuan after rounds of fundraising earlier this year. ** ON THE CORONAVIRUS The Chinese mainland added (link in Chinese) 105 new symptomatic coronavirus cases for Wednesday, up from Tuesdays 15-week high of 101. Of those, 102 were local cases with 96 in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and five in northern Liaoning province. Beijing Municipality also reported one local case. On Wednesday, Hong Kong reported 118 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total confirmed cases in the region to 3,002. Of those, 113 were locally transmitted and five were imported. The number of cases in the Philippines to date reached 85,486 on Wednesday, surpassing Chinas total of 84,060. As of Thursday afternoon Beijing time, the number of Covid-19 cases worldwide topped 17 million, with a death toll of over 667,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Read more Caixins coverage of the new coronavirus ** LOOKING AHEAD Aug. 3: Release of Caixin China manufacturing PMI Aug. 5: Release of Caixin China services PMI Aug. 6: SMIC reports second-quarter financial results Aug. 7: Release of Chinas import and export data for July Contact reporter Lu Yutong (yutonglu@caixin.com) and editor Flynn Murphy (flynnmurphy@caixin.com) Read more China Business Digest: Hong Kong Recession Drags On; China Reports Most Daily New Virus Cases Since April Kodak to turn drug maker with $765 m US govt loan Eastman Kodak Co on Tuesday announced plans to shift to production of pharmaceutical ingredients with a $765 million government loan under the Defense Production Act, CNB quoted James Continenza, CEO and executive chairman of Eastman Kodak, as saying in an interview. Kodak, which is known more for its cameras and imaging business, will now produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in the country, helping reduce dependency on other countries by strengthening domestic supply chains. The companys shares were trading at $8.80 after closing at $2.62 in the previous session. The US International Development Finance Corp said on Tuesday it would sign a letter of interest to provide the loan to Kodak. The Trump administration has been looking to bolster the ability to produce drugs and their raw materials in the United States after the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the industrys dependence on China and India for its supply chain. "This is the beginning of American independence from our pharmaceutical dependence on foreign countries," White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said in an interview with Fox Business network. In May, the administration awarded a contract worth up to $812 million for a new US company to manufacture drugs and drug ingredients in the country. New York-based Kodak, which was founded in 1888, has a market capitalisation of $114.6 million. The loan will allow it to launch Kodak Pharmaceuticals, a new arm of the company that will produce critical pharmaceutical components. By the time this thing ramps up, 25 per cent of the (active pharmaceutical ingredients) for generics we need in the United States is going to be right at that facility, Navarro said in the interview. Kodaks stock rallied more than 200 per cent on Tuesday after the Trump administration announce the plan. The company emerged from a 2011 bankruptcy in 2013, and its shares tumbled from a 10-year high of $37.20 on 9 January 2014, to a low of $1.55 on 23 March this year. Never again do we want to rely on shipments from China or elsewhere in order to get lifesaving medical supplies, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. Kodak, which is based in Rochester, N.Y., and has a long history of manufacturing chemicals used in photographic film, now plans to support Americas self-sufficiency in producing the key pharmaceutical ingredients we need to keep our citizens safe, Kodaks executive chairman, Jim Continenza, said in a statement. The Trump administration said the Kodak deal is the first of its kind and uses powers afforded by the Defense Production Act. The administration previously used these powers to demand that Ford Motor Co begin manufacturing respirators and masks and that General Motors Co make ventilators. However, it has awarded $354 million to Phlow Corp in May to start producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, among other chemical ingredients, used in certain essential medications. The total contract is worth up to $812 million. Phlow cites a shift toward producing API in China and India as the rationale behind its business model. Drug makers largely do not manufacture API in the US, and many have instead turned to lower-cost countries like China and India to source some or all of their API. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been growing concern in the US about where API were manufactured, driven in large part by generic-drug shortages and questions about the integrity and stability of the Chinese and Indian supply chains, especially as tensions with China have accelerated during a US election year. Only 28 per cent of the manufacturing facilities making ingredients used in drugs sold in the US were produced domestically, as of August 2019, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Most of the remaining facilities producing ingredients for American pharmaceuticals are in China (13 per cent), the European Union (26 per cent) and India (18 per cent). Australia has suffered its worst day of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 700 new infections and 13 deaths from the disease recorded in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state. The country's previous national record of new cases was 518 but a second wave of the coronavirus , centred on care homes, has seen numbers rise again. The new daily high saw 723 confirmed coronavirus cases. Victorian state premier Daniel Andrews said: "I'm obviously concerned to see these numbers increase. It is not unexpected in some ways when you have got so many cases in private sector aged care." Too many people were going to work when they were sick or while they were waiting for test results, he added. Further restrictions are being brought in to combat the surge ; Melbourne, Victoria's state capital, has already been locked down since earlier this month and other states have closed their borders. Social distancing restrictions are to be extended, with people in the state's south no longer allowed to have visitors to their homes from Thursday. :: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Spreaker The Federal government has sent 1,400 military personnel and five emergency teams to Melbourne to help deal with the aged care issues, including contact tracing. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he supports the new rules: "We've now been in this lockdown [in Melbourne] for some weeks and we are not getting the results we would hope for, and as a result the further measures that are taken are certainly necessary. "On some days the virus wins, on other days we beat it. But I think we've got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there's some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus." The country had prided itself on rapidly containing the initial outbreak and has sill only suffered 189 deaths from among its little over 16,000 cases. The outbreak in Victoria state has spilled into neighbouring states despite internal borders being closed. Queensland said it had found three new cases on Thursday, two of whom were believed to have contracted coronavirus while in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales. T he FTSE 100 was down 89.43 points at 6042.04 today after Shell and Lloyds both posted disappointing results. Lloyds set aside a further 2.4 billion in its second quarter to cover the cost of loans it thinks could turn bad as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The impairment charge is 1 billion more than analysts had expected and pushed the bank to a loss of 602 million for the first half of the financial year. The first half loss compares with pretax profits of 2.9 billion last year. Meanwhile oil giant Shell has taken a giant 14.2 billion loss in the second quarter of the year, after writing down the value of its reserves. The company is a bellwether for the global economy. There was little cheer anywhere as Standard Chartered also posted losses. The bank's earnings fell in the second quarter as the bank suffered heavy credit impairment charges and announced redundancies amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pre-tax profits at the emerging markets-focused lender fell 40% on year during the period to $733 million. Out later is US and Germany second quarter GDP figures. Germany's economy is expected to contract by 9% while some analysts have penned a 34.5% decline for the US. The numbers are extraordinary. Michael Hewson, analyst at CMC Markets, said: "In times such as these, the use of adjectives like unprecedented has become an almost daily event, however the use of it doesnt change the fact that trying to determine the economic damage caused by the virus cant really be estimated by calculations on a spreadsheet, given the knock-on effects it continues to have on human behaviour now as well as future economic activity over the next few quarters." Australian leaders cannot escape the judgment that comes from the heartless mathematics of this pandemic, calculated daily to reveal who is ahead of the wave and who has been knocked off their feet. Every leader's performance can be measured and the latest numbers confirm the dangerous failures in Victoria and the questions over its Premier, Daniel Andrews. Premier Daniel Andrews said the ADF will soon be doorknocking the homes of every single person who tests positive to coronavirus in Victoria. Credit:Joe Armao About 85 per cent of the nation's active coronavirus cases are now in Victoria. As of Thursday, the state accounted for almost all the infected patients in hospital and more than half the deaths. This is a nightmare for Victorians and they are not alone. While they wait out the crisis in lockdown, other Australians watch to see whether they are in for the same fate. How Andrews handles this crisis has implications for everyone. After taking various initiatives and launching a number of programmes for the betterment of education in India under the aegis of The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiative since 1999, Infosys co-founder Sarojini Damodaran Shibulal (SD Shibulal) realised that the task was enormous and required systemic change. Leaders were required, who could drive the change. But this could not be done by training some leaders or creating a leadership training institute as the scale of the problem was very high. Even if K-12 education is taken into account, which is at the heart of Shibulals education initiatives at present, the task is daunting in a country like India, where the government school system is really huge with around 1.5 million schools, around 4.5 million leaders and about 250 million children. On the top of it the learning outcome of majority of children in the government schools was far from satisfactory. Against this background, ShikshaLokam, a digital Education Leadership Platform led by SD Shibulal, was created in 2017. SD Shibulal, Founder & Director, ShikshaLokam recently spoke to Hindustan Times about ShikshaLokam, its journey so far, its impact and what they are aspiring to achieve in the near future. Here are the edited excerpts: On ShikshaLokam SD Shibulal: ShikshaLokam is a societal platform aimed at bringing systemic change in Indias K-12 education system mainly through leadership development. It is open and completely free. It is a three layered structure, with digital infrastructure at its core. The second layer is the collaboration, co-creation and localization layer having various actors in the educational ecosystem, like leaders and teaching leaders, concerned government officials, people involved in the capacity building in the school system and social entrepreneurs working towards school transformation. The third layer is our amplification network and constitutes mostly of our partners or people who work with us and collaborate and co-create on the platform. The amplification network is essential as we cannot be present everywhere and local people have better understanding of the ground situation. ShikshaLokam provides open source technological capabilities and learning resources to those on the platform and offers an opportunity to collaborate, co-create and find solutions for transforming Indias K-12 education through systemic change. One of the major benefits of collaboration and co-creation is that it saves a lot of time as once an idea is invented at one place, while you may need to localize and contextualize, you dont need to reinvent. Secondly, as the platform is completely open, what happens in one part of the country can be seen in all other parts. ShikshaLokam: Journey so far SD Shibulal: The growth of ShikshaLokam was slow in first two years but last twelve months have been good for us. Today we have around 3.2 lakh users, we clock about 400-700 transactions per second, there are about 1,000 observations made on the platform everyday and we indirectly touch about 15 million school going children every day, which is about 5% of the school going population of the country. There has been very good progress in our reach and impact, especially in the last one month. Impact of ShikshaLokam: Some examples Creation of school development index in Delhi schools SD Shibulal: ShikshaLokam helped the Delhi government in assessing 5,000 government schools on various parameters. A dashboard called the school development index was created on basis of this assessment, which was done on our app Samiksha. One of the parameters for assessment was school safety and security, which led to the creation of school safety councils. The council consists of school leaders, community leaders and some students. The activities of the council are tracked on our platform. Delhi government aspires to eventually publish this school development index, so that parents can take informed decision. Thus a parent can find best school in their area on various parameters like safety and security, teacher learning practices etc. once it is published. The creation of the index shows clear impact of ShikshaLokam because it drove the decision of creating school safety committee which will touch 5,000 schools in Delhi and every child in these schools. Increasing enrolment ratio in Punjab schools: SD Shibulal: Punjab wanted to increase enrolment ratio in their schools and they figured out that increasing parent-teacher interaction could be of help in achieving this end. A parent-teacher interaction programme was rolled out with the help of ShikshaLokams knowledge platform Bodh which helped in capacity building for interaction of 25,000 teachers with 5 lakh parents. It was later found out that enrolment went up by 5% in the current academic year in the state. Continuous improvement of schools in Goa: SD Shibulal: Goa wants continuous improvement of its schools and for this they have created their own framework. However, they are taking help of our platform for assessment and tracking the improvement. English Teaching in Andhra: SD Shibulal: In Andhra, one lakh eighty thousand people were onboarded on our platform for capacity building for English teaching. Similarly, a number of other states are using the ShikshaLokam platform according to their priority, but with high impact. We work with states and adopt their priority. We enable them to drive their priority about leadership development and school transformation using our platform. What next: SD Shibulal: ShikshaLokam is currently present in 18 states, and fully present in four states and our aspiration is to scale it further. We are hoping to reach full implementation in 10 states in the next 12-24 months. We are also expecting that the numbers of micro-observations we are seeing everyday, which is around 1,000 today, will scale up to 5,000. So it is expected that impact of the platform will be much higher in the next 24 months. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Jharkhand BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash on Wednesday said the state government was acting on political vendetta after he was put in home quarantine following his return from New Delhi, further declaring it as illegal. Prakash had gone to New Delhi for his oath ceremony in RS and returned to Ranchi on July 23 and has been since been in 14-day home quarantine. The MP on Wednesday wrote to Ranchi DC and registered his protest against the decision and demanded revoking the order. The visit to Delhi was to discharge my official and parliamentary duty. Even the circular issued by the chief secretary regarding home quarantine for those coming from outside the state exempts people discharging official duty. I have been put in home quarantine despite it, which reflects the mindset of the state government, he said. Prakash is the second leader to have been put in home quarantine after returning from outside the state. Earlier, BJP legislature party leader and former chief minster of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi had been put in home quarantine after his arrival from New Delhi last week.. The Rainbow Social cultural groups and prominient persons in the country have been reacting to the call by President Muhammadu Buhari's nephew, Malam Mamman Daura, for the 2023 presidency to be based on competence rather than rotation between North and South. In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Daura who is regarded one of the Presidents closest confidant, urged Nigerians to embrace competence, and not zoning, in determining the next president in 2023. But major cultural groups in the South and Middle Belt Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; the Niger Delta socio-cultural group, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); and frontline nationalist and leader of the South-south, Chief Edwin Clark, have reacted swiftly saying the nation stands no chance of moving forward except it ensures equitable distribution of power and restructuring of the country. The ruling All Progressives Congress also distanced itself with the view, saying it represents his personal opinion, which did not represent the position of the party. ThisDAY reports that Ohanaeze Ndigbo warned that equity should not be sacrificed on the altar of parochialism since it was the rotation sentiment that produced the incumbent. The group insists it is the turn of the South, particularly Ndigbo, to produce the president in 2023. All we know is that it is the turn of the South where we have abundant competent individuals who can steer the ship of this country, particularly among Ndigbo, the President General of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo,said via a statement by his media aide, Chief Emeka Attamah, Nwodo added that it was unfair of Daura to seek an end to rotation after Buhari and the northern region had enjoyed two terms in quick succession. The truth is that Mamman Daura is not being a fair judge. Then, he didn't believe rotation should end. Now that he has tasted power through Buhari, rotation can end and the most qualified and competent can be voted in, discountenancing that the South-east has never tasted what he is drooling in. According the THISDAY report, Nwodo reminded Daura that the law of equity demands that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. By the way, who determines the most qualified and competent candidate? Is it as competent as the last one they gave the nation? It is indisputably the turn of the South, specifically the South-east, he added. He said one of the reasons northern politicians ganged up and removed former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, from office in 2015 was over the claim of violation of the rotation principle. He said: Now that it is the turn of the South, they don't see it in that context anymore. Having benefited enormously from his nephew being the president, he now wants it jettisoned because it is the turn of the South. Talking about competence or most qualified, was President Buhari the most qualified Nigerian when he ascended the presidency? Has he proved to be the most competent? Are the service chiefs the most competent among their colleagues to warrant their being retained beyond their tenure? Now that it is the turn of the South, precisely South-east, he is mouthing most qualified and competent. Equity is a constant flagship for peace and good governance. Without it, there will be continued agitation and crisis. The Yoruba cultural group was also unequivocal in rwejecting the view canvassed Buharis nephew. Spokesman of the group, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the Daura's interview had exposed the deceit of the North and its selfish agenda. He said, It is amusing to see those, who were singing zoning or tearing down of Nigeria before 2015, now becoming the apostles of competence after taking eight years. This is the most selfish orchestra. And this same group has opposed true federalism that would make people comfortable without rotation of the highest office in the land. With the unjust advantages of the Buhari's years, some of our compatriots are developing the idea that that is the best for the country to have without thinking of the implication. There is no hope for Nigeria under this structure. If we go back to federalism, the internecine battle for the control of the centre will definitely go down, he said. The Niger Delta socio-cultural group, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) is also vehemently opposed to Dauras proposition. . In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson, PANDEF described Daura's statement as not only insensitive but most unfortunate and unarguably capable of creating unnecessary tension in the country. It sThegroups statement reads, Nigeria is currently being confronted with grave challenges of insecurity, with attendant threats to the socio-economic fabrics of the country; lives and property of innocent citizens are being devastated daily, across the country. Surprising, that seemed not to bother the Northern leader, who is reportedly a close confidant of Mr. President. We expect people like Mamman Daura to speak, in ways and manner, that would promote national unity and cohesion, and not to make statements that would heat up the Nation's political space. Unfortunately, it appears he is more interested in who would take over from President Buhari in 2023. Perhaps, he needs to be told that the concept of zoning and rotation of political offices is correlated to the principle of federal character, provided by the Constitution, to promote political balance, and to address the problems of exclusion, marginalisation, under representation across the political zones, and power domination by any section of the country. No wonder the federal character provision of the nation's Constitution is being grossly abused by the Buhari administration. No region has a monopoly of competent people. But come to think of it, if anyone should talk of competence, at this time, should it be coming from them? (Photo : Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks via video conference during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on "Online Platforms and Market Power", in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : U.S. House Judiciary Committee via REUTERS) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg listens to a question about his company's policies on extremists and hate speech on the Facebook platform from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) as he testifies remotely via videoconference during a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in this screengrab made from video as the committee meets on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS) Rep. Pramila Jayapal, (D-WA), speaks during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his company amid accusations of controlling monopolies and having anti-competition behaviors. For the first time, the world's richest man Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, the fourth richest man, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the world's most valued corporation, and Sundar Pichai of Google, key search engine, gather before the Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law Subcommittee on July 29. They endured nearly six hours of grilling as they defended their companies, which were accused of being liars, copycats, bullies, and traitors. One of the highlights of the hearing is when lawmakers showed Zuckerberg's internal emails boasting about acquiring competitors and plotting out a 'land grab' on rivals, as Daily Mail reported. As he read from the emails, Democratic Representative Joe Neguse accused Zuckerberg of running a monopoly in the tech market. Documents from the Hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google" pic.twitter.com/J6WKZaEMmv House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 29, 2020 Neguse asked the CEO if he recalls telling one of Facebook's senior engineers in 2012 that he can "buy any competitive start-up, but it will be a while until we can buy Google.' Zuckerberg replied he does not recall such a conversation, "but it sounds like a joke." Documents from the Hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google" pic.twitter.com/1o6TwV8k4k House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 29, 2020 Neguse said the 2012 email chain came after Facebook's acquisition of Instagram was completed. Zuckerberg explained that his goal is to 'neutralize potential competitors," particularly those that could damage Facebook's market leverage. Before the buyout, Instagram was one of the biggest competitors of Facebook. Read also: Tech CEOs Congress Hearing: 5 Crucial Issues Raised and How Bezos, Zukerberg, Pichai, Cook Responded The Colorado representative concluded that "Facebook has used its market power" in recent years to either buy or copy its rivals. He enumerated the apps owned by Facebook, which were among the most downloaded apps of the recent decade. These include Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. "And we have a word for that - that word is monopoly," Neguse said. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler commented that the documents are shown in the hearing "tell a very disturbing story" of how Facebook acquired Instagram. Read also: Facebook Wants To Combine Messenger, Instagram, And WhatsApp: Here's What That Means How Facebook acquired Instagram Facebook acquired several social media and messaging apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp, while it has also attempted to buy Snapchat and other apps. For years, Facebook has grown to be one of the most powerful and popular social media platforms in the world. Zuckerberg said in his five-page statement that he supports a "strong and consistent competition" policy that guarantees an equal playing field. "We believe in values -- democracy, competition, inclusion, and free expression -- that the American economy was built on," Zuckerberg said. However, Rep. Pramila Jayapal downplayed Zuckerberg's statement. She asked the CEO of Facebook has ever "threatened to clone" other company's products while trying to acquire the company, in which Zuckerberg said "no." However, Jayapal discussed that Facebook was also developing a similar product called Facebook Camera while it was then buying Instagram. Read also: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook Bosses Ignored Research Findings on Instagram's Racist Algorithm The congresswoman quoted Instagram founder Kevin Systrom who believed that Zuckerberg would go into 'destroy mode' if Facebook did not get Instagram. The CEO denied the claim while it said the social media company "certainly adapted features" that its competitions have led in. "Our acquisitions have helped drive innovation for people who use our own products and services and for the broader startup community," Zuckerberg said in his prepared statement. Instead of breaking up the company, the CEO pushes for more regulation around vital issues like privacy and data portability. Calls to close Facebook began last year after Chris Hughes, one of the company's founders, published an article in The New York Times. Hughes discussed how the social media network becomes a threat to democracy by disrupting its competitions. This article is owned by Tech TImes. Written by: CJ Robles Read also: Facebook Ad Boycott: Brands Pulling Ads From Facebook Over Hate Speech 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Cheap Virgin flights to the Kimberley have done little to help local travel agents on the brink of collapse due to the pandemic. The taxpayer-subsidised flights, announced by Tourism Minister Paul Papalia last week, were designed to stimulate tourism in the states north in the off-peak travel season from August to October. Christine Ross owns Attadale Travel and has been running at a loss for more than four months since the virus hit. The 7800 tickets travelling between Perth, Broome and Kununurra got snapped up within 48 hours, leaving little opportunity for agents to utilise the deal, according to Christine Ross from Attadale Travel. Because they werent just sold on a return basis, they definitely havent just been used for tourism purposes, she said. Google and Facebook took the sharpest jabs for alleged abuse of their market power from Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday in a much-anticipated congressional hearing that put four of America's most prominent tech CEOs in the hot seat.Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc's Jeff Bezos, Google owner Alphabet Inc's Sundar Pichai and Apple Inc's Tim Cook - whose companies have a combined market value of about $5 trillion - parried a range of accusations from lawmakers that they crippled smaller rivals in the quest for market share, via a videoconference hearing. Though it was Bezos' first congressional testimony, he appeared the least fazed. Cook drew fewer barbed questions than Bezos and handled them efficiently. Zuckerberg took the most damage, stumbling at times when confronted with internal emails. Pichai, CEO of both Alphabet and Google, took the most heat from conservatives on the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel and looked the worse for it, as he repeatedly told lawmakers he would be happy to look into various situations and get back to them. Unfortunately, the Big Tech hearing was decidedly low-tech. Bezos escaped questioning for about an hour in what may have been a tech issue, and was caught on screen reaching for what appeared to be a snack. Poor audio, flat-screen televisions switching off, and chief executives appearing together as thumbnails on a large screen frustrated viewers and led to mockery of the virtual set-up on Twitter. Lawmakers descended into shouting at points, with a pandemic twist. One lawmaker shouted: "Put your mask on!" Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat and chair of the antitrust subcommittee, set the tone when he began by accusing Google of theft. "Why does Google steal content from honest businesses?" he asked. Cicilline alleged Google stole reviews from Yelp Inc and said Google threatened to delist Yelp from search results if it objected. Pichai responded mildly that he would want to know the specifics of the accusation. "We conduct ourselves to the highest standards," he added, disagreeing with the characterization that Google steals content to win users. Facebook's Zuckerberg took a series of questions about the company's purchase of Instagram in 2012 and whether it was acquired because it was a threat. Zuckerberg responded that the deal had been reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission and that Instagram at the time was a tiny photo-sharing app rather than a social-media phenomenon. "People didn't think of them competing with us in that space," he said. In one of the more notable exchanges, Representative Pramila Jayapal pushed Zuckerberg on whether Facebook had ever copied its competitors. "We've certainly adapted features that others have led in," he said. "How many companies did Facebook end up copying?" she asked. "Is it less than five? Less than 50?" "Congresswoman, I don't know," Zuckerberg said. The hearing was the first time the four CEOs have appeared together before lawmakers. Jayapal pressed Amazon's Bezos on whether the company used data from third-party sellers in making sales decisions. An Amazon executive previously had denied the practice under oath and was contradicted by a news report. Bezos answered cautiously that the company had a policy against such actions. "If we found that somebody violated it, we would take action against them," he said. On the Republican side, Representative Jim Jordan accused the companies of taking a long list of actions that he said showed they try to hamper conservatives from reaching their supporters. "Big Tech is out to get conservatives," he said. Jordan's allegations come after President Donald Trump, who has clashed with several of the biggest tech companies, on Wednesday threatened to take action against them with executive orders. Jordan also pressed Pichai on whether Google would help former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, win in November. "We support both campaigns. We approach our work in a nonpartisan fashion," Pichai responded. Republican Representative Matt Gaetz pressed Facebook's Zuckerberg on whether content moderators disadvantaged conservative content. Zuckerberg said they were trained to be neutral. "We aim to be a platform for all ideas," he said. "I certainly don't want our platform to be run in such a way to have a ... bias." 'STREET FIGHT' Apple's Cook rejected the notion there is nothing to stop his company from raising the commissions it charges in the App Store. "I disagree strongly with that," he said. "The competition for developers - they can write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. We have fierce competition at the developer side and the customer side, which is essentially so competitive I would describe it as a street fight." PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com A detailed report with antitrust allegations against the four tech platforms and recommendations on how to tame their market power could be released by late summer or early fall by the committee, senior committee aides said. Also Read: West Bengal total lockdown: No flight operations at Kolkata airport for 7 days in August Also Read: Mauritius at heart of India's approach to Indian Ocean region, says PM Modi Iran urges other countries not to be deceived by US over arms embargo ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Tue / 28 July 2020 / 16:25 Tehran (ISNA) - Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Mohsen Baharvand has urged other countries not to be deceived by the US, which is trying to have the UN's arms embargo on Iran extended. Mohsen Baharvand made the comment as US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook travelled to the region in recent days in line with Washington's efforts to extend the arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. Hook is to visit several European countries as well to pursue this objective. "Our message to countries in the region and across world is that they should not be deceived by the US," said the top Iranian diplomat. He said the White House has launched propaganda campaigns to make others change their minds about the issue. "The Americans know well that Iran is a logical player and has never been, and will never be a threat to the regional countries," he said. He noted the US seeks to scuttle the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and stir up fresh chaos in the region, IFP reported. "The outcome of this illogical behaviour of the US is that all countries in the region and beyond will lose," he added. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:25:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Five people were injured on Thursday in an explosion in a perfume factory northeast of Lebanon's capital Beirut, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. The explosion caused heavy fires that extended to nearby forests, NNA said. Civil defense workers have rushed to the area to extinguish the fire. The cause of the explosion is still unknown. Enditem Customers enjoy their drinks at the newly reopened cafes on Leidseplein Square, as Netherlands eases some of the lockdown measures put in place during the (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on June 1, 2020. (Eva Plevier/File Photo/Reuters) Dutch Government: Masks Havent Been Proven Effective Government not advising public to wear facial coverings AMSTERDAMThe Dutch government on Wednesday said it will not advise the public to wear masks to slow the spread of coronavirus, asserting that their effectiveness has not been proven. The decision was announced by Minister for Medical Care Tamara van Ark after a review by the countrys National Institute for Health (RIVM). The government will instead seek better adherence to social distancing rules after a surge in coronavirus cases in the country this week, Van Ark said at a press conference in The Hague. Because from a medical perspective there is no proven effectiveness of masks, the Cabinet has decided that there will be no national obligation for wearing non-medical masks, Van Ark said. The decision bucks the trend as many European countries have made masks mandatory in stores or crowded outdoor areas. Day trippers and tourists walk in Amsterdam on July 25, 2020. (Olaf Kraak/ ANP / AFP via Getty Images) RIVM chief Jaap van Dissel said that the organization was aware of studies that show masks help slow the spread of disease but it was not convinced they will help during the current coronavirus outbreak in the Netherlands. He argued wearing masks incorrectly, together with worse adherence to social distancing rules, could increase the risk of transmitting the disease. So we think that if youre going to use masks (in a public setting) then you must give good training for it, he said. Mask are currently required only on public transportation in the Netherlands and in airports. The decision followed a meeting of health and government officials after new coronavirus cases in the country rose to 1,329 in the past week, an increase of more than a third. Dutch cases have risen steadily since July 1, when the government announced an easing of lockdown measures to include restaurants and public gatherings if people maintain a 1.5 meter (five foot) physical distance. By Bart Meijer and Toby Sterling Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 17:06 538 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a95da0 1 Business kimia-farma,pharmaceutical-industry,profit,COVID-19,financial-performance Free Publicly listed pharmaceutical firm PT Kimia Farma is aiming to make up for last years losses despite the COVID-19 pandemic, after recording a promising financial performance in this years first half. The companys finance director Pardiman said on Wednesday that the company had prepared several strategies to book a profit this year, including conducting retail transformation, optimizing its supply chain and diversifying its products and portfolios, among other measures. The strategy was proven in the first quarter of this year when we managed to book Rp 160 billion [US$10.8 million] and we believe this will continue through to the end of the year, he said during an online public expose, referring to the companys operating income in the years first quarter. Pardiman, however, did not elaborate on the companys profit projection for this year. The company recorded Rp 12.72 billion in losses in 2019, compared to Rp 491.5 billion in profit a year earlier, due a 119.16 percent increase in finance costs. It booked Rp 48.57 billion in profit in the first half of this year, a 1.7 percent increase from Rp 47.7 billion last year, its financial report shows. Its net sales also increased slightly by 3.5 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the years first half to Rp 4.68 trillion, from the January to June period of 2019, despite the blow dealt to the economy by the pandemic. The companys optimism also seems to be supported by the fact it has seen an increase in sales of COVID-19 related products, like medicines and health supplements, during the pandemic. However, [sales of] products not related to the coronavirus, such as cosmetics, declined by around 30 percent compared to a year prior and that will continue to pose a challenge for us, president director Verdi Budidarmo said. The companys generic medicine sales saw the highest jump of 10 percent yoy to Rp 739 billion in the first half of the year, while over-the-counter medicine and cosmetics sales nosedived 17.8 percent yoy, its report shows. Given that the pandemic has yet to show signs of slowing down, business development director Imam Fathorrahman said the company would continue to develop products that could help prevent COVID-19. The company plans to distribute a vaccine candidate that is currently being developed by state pharmaceutical firm Bio Farma, in cooperation with Sinovac Biotech of China. Read also: Indonesia teams up with global manufacturers in vaccine hunt At the same time, Kimia Farma will also develop products for degenerative illnesses that have been included in the companys product development roadmap this year, as ailments like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease continue to increase both domestically and globally. It will also continue its organic expansion plans this year by allocating Rp 547 billion in capital expenditure (capex) sourced from its own internal funding, said Pardiman. We have used about 54 percent of the capex to develop our pharmacy, clinic and laboratory chain, our medicine production and our raw material plant in Cikarang [in West Java], he said. The raw material plant, which has been in operation since 2019, was established under a joint venture with South Koreas Sungwun Pharmacopia Co Ltd in 2016, and is also aimed at reducing Kimia Farmas dependency on imported raw materials. Verdi said the countrys pharmaceutical industry was still heavily dependent on imported raw materials from China, India and many other countries. He expects the plant to reduce the firms raw material imports by 2.72 percent this year. We hope this will continue, as we aim to further reduce our raw material imports by 23.82 percent by 2024, said Verdi. Kimia Farma also plans to diversify its products and portfolio this year through inorganic growth. Verdi said the diversification would be achieved through strategic partnerships with other companies rather than through acquisitions. These partnerships include developing products that relate to our core pharmaceutical business, both for COVID-19 products and non-COVID-19 products, he said. Meanwhile, Pardiman said the company was committed to reducing its accounts receivable, including Rp 1.13 trillion from the government, to help reduce its short-term loans. Kimia Farmas shares, traded on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) under the code KAEF, were up by 7.21 percent to Rp 2,380 apiece as of 1:42 p.m. on Thursday . Indian ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Wisconsin governor Tony Evers held a virtual meeting on Wednesday (local time) wherein the two discussed trade and investment as well as people-to-people relations between Wisconsin and India. Both discussed strategies to tap the potential in the agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors common to India and Wisconsin that would lead to win-win outcomes for both. The Ambassador briefed the Governor about the initiatives India has taken in healthcare and education and discussed collaboration in these sectors, Indian Embassy said in a release. While asserting that India and Wisconsin share a robust trade and investment relationship, the release said the total trade between India and Wisconsin is over US$ 1 billion. Many Indian companies in the IT, engineering services, medical equipment, and manufacturing sectors have invested in Wisconsin. These companies have invested close to $185 million in Wisconsin, creating over 2,460 jobs in the state, the release stated. They also add value to local economies and communities through their CSR initiatives. Similarly, Wisconsin-based companies in the automobile, electrical equipment, financial services and technology sectors have established a strong presence in India. They include Harley Davidson, Rockwell Automation Inc., ManPower Group, etc., it added. It underlined that the Indian community has a vibrant presence in Wisconsin, which is also an important destination for Indian students with close to 1,500 Indian students studying in educational institutions in Wisconsin. India has a strong education connection with Wisconsin. The tradition of Indian studies started on the University of Wisconsin campus in the mid-1880s, when a Professorship of Sanskrit was established, said the Indian Embassy release. Sandhu underscored the need to revive and strengthen the university-to-university linkages between India and the U.S., including in the fields of R&D and bio-health. Ambassador Sandhu and Governor Evers agreed to further strengthen the multifaceted engagement between India and the state of Wisconsin, the Indian Embassy said. (ANI) Egypts Social Solidarity Ministry announced on Thursday that it has allocated EGP 2 million as urgent aid from its Relief Fund to compensate the families that were negatively affected because of the war on terrorism in the villages of Bir Al-Abd area in North Sinai. North Sinai Governor Mohamed Abdel-Fadil Shosha explained in a statement on Thursday that each family in the villages of the Bir Al-Abd affected by the war on terrorism would receive EGP 500 from the social solidarity ministry. The governor said that several schools in Bir Al-Abd and Sheikh Zuwayed were equipped with blankets and mattresses to accomodate affected families. He added that hundreds of food cartons have also been distributed to these families. Last week, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced that it had foiled a terrorist attack targeting a military post near Bir Al-Abd, killing 18 takfiris. Egypt has been conducting Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 for the past two years to combat takfiri elements in Norh Sinai. Search Keywords: Short link: The move is expected to contribute to the normal relations between Ukraine and Belarus. Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Serhiy Kryvonos proposes that a request should be placed for the extradition of Ukrainian citizens who were detained in Belarus as part of Russia's private military company (PMC) Wagner. This would contribute to the normal relations between Ukraine and Belarus, Kryvonos said on Channel 5. Read also"Little green men" in Belarus: Dozens of militants detained near Minsk part of Russia's PMC Wagner media (Video) The official says this "would discourage our enemies from using the territory of our neighbors as a springboard for actions against our country." According to him, he has already raised this issue before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. As was reported, 32 members of Russian PMC Wagner were detained in Belarus on July 29. Belarusian law enforcement agencies said that the mercenaries had arrived to destabilize the situation during the election campaign in that country. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called the situation an emergency and demanded an explanation from Russia. At the same time, the Russian State Duma claims the incident will not affect relations with Belarus. The border guards of Belarus plan to step up security along the state borders after the detention of PMC Wagner's fighters. Border control with the Russian Federation will be particularly enhanced. By PTI NEW DELHI: "The Constitution is supreme for me," Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said on Thursday, and refuted allegations that he had acted under the Central government's pressure in the political tussle. The Governor also asked the Gehlot government to make all efforts to check the spread of coronavirus and focus on development work in the state. In an interview to PTI, Mishra, who on Wednesday agreed with the state Cabinet's proposal to call an assembly session from August 14, said he has always directed the state government to follow constitutional provisions in sending its request for convening a session. He had asked the state Cabinet to follow the 21-day notice requirement to call a session while turning down its earlier three proposals before finally agreeing to call the session. ALSO READ | Hike in horse trading 'rates' after announcement of Assembly session: Ashok Gehlot "The Constitution is supreme for a governor. There is no pressure on me," he said when asked about the Congress' charge against him. Mishra, who was one of the senior most BJP leaders and a former union minister before being made governor, also expressed his anguish at the protests by Congress legislators inside Raj Bhawan, saying this was not an "appropriate" behavior against somebody holding a constitutional post. He also rejected any comparison between the protests by Congress MLAs and the one by BJP lawmakers, including him, in Uttar Pradesh in 1995 against then state governor, saying UP agitation was held outside Raj Bhawan and it did not violate any decorum. The BJP MLAs had then protested against the infamous guest house' incident in which BSP supremo Mayawati was allegedly attacked by some people at the behest of Samajwadi Party leadership. Asked about his expectations from the Rajasthan government, Mishra said it should speed up development work and work out a strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19. "The state government should take care of the common man. Attempts should be continuously made to spread awareness among the masses to curb the global pandemic. An atmosphere should be created that people should not fear (the disease). All out efforts should be made to check the pandemic," he said. With most of the ruling Congress MLAs being put up in a five-star hotel in Jaipur to deal with the political crisis following a revolt by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18-odd MLAs loyal to him, the BJP has accused the state government of not taking adequate measures to deal with the pandemic, and other issues facing the state. The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to poach its MLAs in league with party dissidents to allegedly topple the Gehlot-led government. The BJP has denied the charge and termed the political crisis an outcome of internal feud in the Congress. DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertafore today announced it has launched AMS360 Connect on Salesforce AppExchange, empowering customers to provide both sales and servicing teams at independent agencies with a complete view of an insurance customer's needs. By syncing data between the Vertafore and Salesforce platforms, AMS360 Connect empowers Vertafore's agency management system users to serve their clients more quickly and effectively. Built on the Salesforce Platform, AMS360 Connect is currently available on AppExchange at https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N3A00000FMcypUAD . AMS360 Connect The integration between Vertafore and Salesforce provides a more efficient flow of customer and policy information to: Help producers provide timely advice, leading to improved retention, cross-sell and proactive outreach to customers Enable faster processing of new business quoting by automatically passing prospect data from Salesforce to create a submission shell in AMS360 Improve data accuracy and completeness by eliminating duplicate data entries, which can reduce E&O exposure and prepares improved reporting and analytics Enhance the agency employee experience by freeing up time to deepen customer relationships "Competing in today's insurance industry requires agents and carriers to put the customer at the front and center of everything they do," said Amy Zupon, CEO of Vertafore. "By providing integration between an agency's management system and the Salesforce platform, we provide agents and carriers with a 360-degree view of their customers, as well as actionable insights from that wealth of information. In other words, a one-stop platform with the tools they need to compete and succeed in the insurance marketplace." "Vertafore's AMS360 Connect is a welcome addition to AppExchange, as they power digital transformation for customers by deepening industry-specific CRM capabilities," said Woodson Martin, GM of Salesforce AppExchange. "AppExchange is constantly evolving to enable our partners to build cutting-edge solutions to drive customer success." About Salesforce AppExchange Salesforce AppExchange, the world's leading enterprise cloud marketplace, empowers companies to sell, service, market and engage in entirely new ways. With more than 5,000 listings, 7.5 million customer installs and 90,000 peer reviews, it is the most comprehensive source of cloud, mobile, social, IoT, analytics and artificial intelligence technologies for businesses. Additional Resources Like Salesforce on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/salesforce Follow Salesforce on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salesforce Like Vertafore on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vertafore Follow Vertafore on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vertafore Salesforce, AppExchange and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. 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 . Media Contact: Liz Reilly SSPR 719-475-0370 [email protected] SOURCE Vertafore Related Links https://www.vertafore.com YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Romanos Petrosyan has been relieved from the position of Governor of Kotayk province and will be appointed as minister of environment of Armenia. The respective decision was adopted during todays Cabinet meeting. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he has made a decision to appoint Romanos Petrosyan as minister of environment. I will sign today the respective petition and will submit it to the President, the PM said. Pashinyan thanked Vahe Jilavyan for the works carried out while serving as acting minister of environment. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan March 3 started out as a normal day for San Quentin Prison University Project students. At the time, news of the novel coronavirus was reverberating around the world, but the students many of whom are incarcerated for nonviolent or drug-related offenses still trickled in to their Tuesday evening composition class, eager, engaged, and ready to write. But then they noticed that their volunteer teacher, Rebecca VanDeVoort, sounded sick that evening. The students were worried that VanDeVoort had come down with the virus, and that they would too. She was eventually able to assure them it was just seasonal allergies, but her students fears that an outbreak would spread within the prison would soon be realized. Following the transfer of 121 inmates from the California Institute for Men in Chino in late May a prison where theres been more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 the virus took hold of San Quentin. Referred to as the worst prison health screw-up in state history by Assemblymember Marc Levine, 2,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 at San Quentin, with the current number of infected inmates at around 400, and 19 men have died. Following the outbreak, San Quentin Prison Arts Project teachers have been compiling resources on how to demand their release, while former inmates are amplifying the voices of those who are still incarcerated. Together, their goal is to bring attention to the prisons inmates, who say theyre being punished for being sick. In response to the crisis, San Quentin are supplying inmates with tens of thousands of additional pieces of personal protective equipment such as N95 masks, reusable cloth masks, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies, per a recent press release. Over the last four months, weve set unprecedented measures, said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Press Secretary, Dana Simas. Zoe Mullery, whos taught creative writing at San Quentin for 21 years through the William James Association, is gravely concerned about her students, none of whom shes been able to contact. From July 14 - 22, prison officials suspended phone access inmates who were lucky enough to be isolated in the gym were able to make phone calls, but most could only communicate with the outside world via mail. San Quentin is like the Louisiana Superdome during Hurricane Katrina, she says. Were here on the outside wringing our hands. Similarly, VanDeVoort, who was a volunteer writing professor through the Prison University Project, says she has been prohibited from contacting her students since education programs were suspended on March 10. She recalls the last day she taught class, which was around the time inmates began hearing about the virus. They were worried, and I understood why. They cant say I want to be six feet away from someone else, thats not an option. Ariana Bindman Since lockdown, Mullerys been teaching her students through distance learning: a cumbersome process where she drops off lesson packets to her supervisor, who then delivers them cell-to-cell through an institutional mail system. Once students receive the packet, they complete it and send it back. However, this procedure, which has taken weeks for Prison Arts teachers to set up, is already experiencing issues. Since sending out the first lesson packet five weeks ago, Mullerys only gotten six back out of 23 and doesnt know why. Shes especially worried about her student Juan Haines, an award-winning incarcerated journalist and senior editor of San Quentin News, who shes taught for nearly a decade. Haines, who contracted Legionnaires Disease during an outbreak at San Quentin in 2015, tested positive for COVID-19 recently. Afterwards, Haines was sequestered to the 'Badger Unit,' a solitary confinement zone for sick inmates, reported Solitary Watch. The Consequences of Getting Sick While Incarcerated Despite the California Correctional Health Care Services direction that medical isolation conditions should be as similar to regular housing as possible, solitary confinement colloquially known as the hole is anything but. They locked me into a cell, they gave me cold meals (for every meal), I cant even heat up water ... Theres no mental health services at all, Haines said in a recorded phone call on July 2. It was reported that about two dozen inmates in the Badger Unit went on hunger strike, demanding basic rights such as showers, phone calls, exercise, fresh air, hot food and mental health services. The CDCR states that a hunger strike was never recorded in the prison. By nature, the hole contradicts the CCHCS guidelines. Their website states that inmates in medical isolation should be provided access to the same necessities and privileges that would otherwise normally be available. Inmates should also be able to shower at least every other day (or more, if possible), and have time outside of isolation, like yard time. They should also be able to make phone calls, and have access to their personal property and the canteen. Wayne Boatwright, an effervescent legal consultant and former inmate at San Quentin, says that solitary confinement is a frightening and multifaceted experience. Prison is the punishment. Being removed from society is the punishment. Theyre not supposed to torture you while youre in prison, he says. A lot of people dont recognize that construct. For inmates, the biggest punishment of solitary confinement is losing their personal property and sense of security. Boatwright claims that if inmates fall ill and get sent to the hole, their belongings are seized by correctional officers and often go missing usually because officers give them away to their favorites, who are either workers or snitches. And when inmates return, they get put back in a different cell with a complete stranger. If you're sharing your cell with someone and have a 30-year sentence, you want to know youll be comfortable with them, Boatwright added. As a result, to avoid solitary confinement, some inmates are hiding their illness to avoid getting tested. According to Mullery, some inmates would even splash cold water on their faces and in their mouths before getting temperature checked. And when nurses would visually assess inmates and ask if they were experiencing symptoms, prisoners would never admit it. CDCR Press Secretary Simas states that, "anyone moved to Badger was not moved for punitive reasons and none of their property was touched and remained in their cell waiting for their return." For Adnan Khan, former inmate and Executive Director of Re:Store Justice, going to the hole wasnt an option when he fell ill during the Legionnaires outbreak it was common knowledge that if you were sent there, you wouldnt receive adequate medical care, he claims. Inmates even had a running joke that whether you were sick or had a broken leg, youd receive the same treatment: ibuprofen. Prisons aren't hospitals, therefore, theyre not hospitable, he says over the phone. In an article about the time he fell ill, he wrote, I chose to take care of myself. I believed I could do a better job than the prisons punitive response to sickness and its poor health care system. So for three days, he lay on his bunk in excruciating pain, shivering and weathering severe hot and cold flashes. Because he never sought medical treatment while incarcerated, he says he never found out what illness he contracted or how. He also says that social distancing is impossible in prisons, which he calls COVID's best friend. This is because inmates are constantly getting escorted by correctional officers and sharing close quarters with hundreds of other men. Boatwright, who also served time at San Quentin during the Legionnaires outbreak, says that being under state control limits opportunities to protect yourself. When he was in a dorm with 200 men, there were only two bathroom areas with two large soap dispensers both of which were always either empty or out of order. Not because they werent filled, but because many inmates were so frightened theyd run out of soap, he says. There, anxious inmates would regularly hoard soap, filling up plastic bottles in private. Subsequently, one man could deprive the other 199 of critical public resources. But this nervous tendency to hoard, which takes place both behind prison walls and in American supermarkets, is understandable. Prison is a pressure cooker. Theres high levels of vigilance and high levels of anxiety. Any additional stressor added to the system has a disproportionate impact on the community, because you're at such a high level of stress, Boatwright said. San Quentins COVID-19 Response Efforts Despite recent criticism by former inmates and Prison Arts teachers, Boatwright said San Quentin is making steps in the right direction. This month, they began serving hot meals outdoors, and they converted the on-site California Prison Industry Authority furniture facility where he previously worked on an assembly line into an alternative care site with around 250 beds. According to a San Quentin representative, starting July 22 inmates will also have limited access to phones, ideally once a week. More for you Another Death Row Inmate At San Quentin Dies Possibly From Covid-19 On July 23, the prison partnered with a third-party organization for a one-time cleaning of its 593,637-square-foot interior. In addition to providing PPE and testing staff members every 14 days, the prison is addressing overcrowding: As of July 15, San Quentinss inmate population has been reduced from 4,051 to 3,362. This is because the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation suspended intake from county jails, as well as expedited the parole of 3,500 men. And in a recent statewide decision, 8,000 inmates could be eligible for early release by the end of August. However, Khan says that this response is performative at best. [Releasing] 8,000 [men] is not a COVID response, thats a response to public pressure. If they reduced San Quentins population to 2,000 men, that would be an effective response," he said. Aside from prisons physical design, Khan says that the criminal justice system at large is partially responsible for exacerbating the COVID-19 outbreak. The reason we have COVID problems is because we have a mass incarceration problem, he says. San Quentin, which was designed to house 3,082 inmates, is still over capacity. Now that the coronavirus has invaded the prison, inmates must now also make the difficult choice between their physical health or their release date. In a recent phone call an anonymous San Quentin hospital worker told Khan that they are paid one dollar an hour to sterilize prison cells, and refusing to do work means getting written up. For those who are lifers and must appear before a parole board, writeups can push back their release date by a minimum of three years. I gotta do the job, because then the [parole] board is going to look at that and say why did you get written up? Why did you disobey that order? Said the hospital worker in the video. Im being treated like Im not a person, Im not a human being, thats how you treat slaves. The hospital worker told Khan that they once cleaned up to 50 cells at a time with just three other inmates, were repeatedly denied showers and later tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, both VanDeVoort and Mullery, who care about their students and know many of their life stories, remain on the outside of the San Quentin Superdome looking in. When asked if shes optimistic that the situation will improve, VanDeVoort pauses. Ultimately, there are not enough people who understand and value the lives of prison inmates in the United States ... I'm not super hopeful, but I want to be. I think we should be trying harder, she says. I would say were the criminals, not them, if we dont address the way that people in those circumstances are being treated. Ariana Bindman is a freelance writer in the Bay Area, find her on Instagram at @ariana.bindman. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:09:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUWAIT CITY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Kuwait held on Thursday an online celebration of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Xue Chuanlai, defense attache of the Chinese Embassy in Kuwait, said over the 93 years the PLA has grown into modernized armed forces and written a glorious chapter in modern history. In the face of the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese armed forces have been actively engaging in international cooperation with foreign counterparts to prevent and control it, Xue said. "In June, the Chinese and Kuwaiti military medical experts held a video conference to discuss COVID-19 response and exchange experiences, illustrating again that our friendship can withstand the test of time and will be always full of vitality," he noted. Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Li Minggang said the recent years have witnessed fast growing cooperation between the Chinese and Kuwaiti armies which has become an important part of bilateral relations. "This year has witnessed the ever-stronger China-Kuwait strategic partnership and mutual beneficial cooperation in our joint fight against COVID-19 pandemic," Li noted. China and Kuwait have stood firmly together and demonstrated solidarity and partnership through mutual support in face of the coronavirus, the Chinese ambassador said. During the critical moment in China's battle against the epidemic, Kuwait extended a helping hand and donated medical supplies to China, and in return, China has provided necessary facilitation to Kuwait in procuring medical supplies from China, he said. Furthermore, China dispatched a medical expert team to aid Kuwait's COVID-19 response efforts, and invited officials and medical experts of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health and the Kuwaiti Army to attend several video conferences held by the Chinese side to discuss COVID-19 response and exchange experience, Li noted. Participating in the online celebration, Mohammad Ahmad Al-Khodar, assistant chief of staff for Kuwait's National Service, hailed the relations between armies of the two countries. "We will continue to strengthen our friendly cooperation with the Chinese People's Liberation Army and exchange experiences and information to enhance our relations to a new level," he said. Enditem The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) in Bahrain has announced that 30 volunteers have signed up to support the team responsible for deploying advanced technologies to limit the spread of the coronavirus by assisting the BeAware Bahrain application project. The iGA emphasised that the culture of volunteerism receives significant support from Bahrains public and private sectors. The iGA extended its utmost appreciation to all who have demonstrated their willingness to support the kingdoms efforts to combat Covid-19. The iGA stated that the volunteers were selected via the National Volunteering Platform, volunteer.gov.bh, to provide logistical support needed by the authority. The Authority held a series of preparatory meetings with the selected volunteers via video conference to highlight the main tasks required, as well as provide guidelines regarding regulations and other terms. The volunteers were divided among three locations to provide logistical support for the BeAware Bahrain application. The first team, based in Bahrain International Airport, supported arriving passengers on how to download and activate the app, explaining to them its features and how it should be used during their self-isolation periods and also helped the registration team process passengers in accordance with precautionary procedures and measures. The second team received individuals with appointments at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. The team worked on familiarising users with the features of the app, downloading and registration processes and ways to use its eServices, including how to view the information it provides and receive notifications. The team played a vital role providing technical and logistical support to the administrative team on the processes of registering individuals for home self-isolation periods. The third group, the virtual team, provided technical support to users by answering inquiries related to the app in coordination with the Ministry of Healths 444 contact centre. They also helped the other teams ensure business continuity and managed the preparation and reactivation of home self-isolation e-bracelets. - TradeArabia News Service On Friday, the GTA comes in from the cold as more COVID-19 restrictions come off. But in the midsummer heat, be careful about what you wish for. And in mid-pandemic, be rueful about what you forgot to ask for. Lest we forget, the catch is that we must still cover up as more local businesses open up. Lets not forget, however, that we never properly plugged the gaps on masks. Consider this COVID-19 contradiction: When you walk into an office lobby, waiting to take the elevator, you must wear a mask not merely for ethical and medical but legal reasons. The objective no objections or exceptions is not only to safeguard yourself but protect everyone else around you. Yet when you walk into an apartment or condo lobby, waiting for the elevator to arrive, no protection is required in many buildings. The objective of looking after everyone in the vicinity, through face masks, remains strictly optional. Facing that gap, Toronto city council moved Wednesday to close that loophole, to take effect only on Aug. 5. Elsewhere in the GTA and across Ontario, the contradiction and confusion continues. Its up to your neighbours or your building owners whether anyone or everyone wears masks. Your exposure to danger depends on the kindness of strangers and the goodwill of managers leaving you at the mercy of time and place. Thats because Premier Doug Ford has delegated the matter of masks to municipalities, creating a helter-skelter hodgepodge across the province. One by one, week after week, urban areas have hopscotched in a game of catch-up that could have been avoided with a clear provincial strategy. Bad enough that you never know, moving from one municipality to the next, where masks are mandatory in public and commercial areas. What truly takes the breath away, when it comes to face coverings, is that in most of Ontario Toronto being the notable exception starting later next week apartments and condos consider themselves exempted until further notice. It is a legal loophole that lacks logic and defies common sense. It is an accident waiting to happen, an outbreak biding its time. If you work at a big bank tower downtown, owned by a faceless corporate entity, all faces must be covered. Equally, if you toil on a factory floor or in a sprawling warehouse, proper protection is enforced by law. If you are a Walmart shopper, the company has your back. The worlds biggest retailer (and greeter) wont welcome you at the door without a face covering, thanks to local laws and its own corporate culture across the continent (even in antimask American states). Above all, if you are a homeowner with direct street access whether privileged or poor no one can approach or encroach without a mask in your foyer or walkway. If a majority on a condo board opts against masks, or the management of a rental apartment cant be bothered, ordinary residents regardless of whether they are in the majority, or merely a minority of one are out of luck. Thats because the premier and his fellow politicians have passed the buck on masks, delegating the decision to dwellings. To repeat: COVID-19 is not something you opt into or opt out of. Our exposure to other people exhaling shouldnt depend on whether youre safe at work or unsafe at home. The virus doesnt distinguish between a restaurant lobby or apartment lobby. But our premier clings to that distinction, despite the contradiction. The golden rule is to make sure you social distance, wear a facial covering of some sort, the premier opined to reporters Wednesday. Golden rule? Why not an ironclad rule fashioned into the law of the land? Speaking of the law: Ford has told tenants not to panic in this pandemic if they cant meet monthly rental payments or face eviction. Now, tenants who are in the lurch with landlords are wondering if they can take the premiers promise to the bank or to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Turns out they are more vulnerable than they may have imagined. First, a law passed by Fords Progressive Conservative government this month gives landlords a new ability retroactively to apply for eviction orders without a hearing by the tribunal if their tenant falls behind the terms of a repayment plan. Why deprive tenants of the right to argue their case at the tribunal? Possibly its the backlog of cases, increased by COVID-19, engulfing one of the most important judicial processes any ordinary resident of Ontario might ever face. In fact, that backlog grew under Fords Tories, upon taking power long before the pandemic because they systematically eviscerated and emasculated the provinces all-important tribunals. As revealed in a column last month, the Landlord and Tenant Board saw its roster of 44 full-time adjudicators decline by nearly 30 per cent, falling to a low of 31 as of early 2020 depriving residents of their right to a speedy hearing. The latest figures from Tribunal Watch a newly-formed independent watchdog group show that the number of full-time tribunal members and vice-chairs has recovered only slightly to 35 (the associate chairs job is vacant), still far below 2018 levels. The premier has promised, personally, to protect tenants from eviction. He has not only failed to safeguard their legal rights to a tribunal hearing, but refuses to safeguard the tribunal itself. Whether its peace of mind from face masks or security of tenancy in mid-pandemic, this is yet another case of double jeopardy from a premier whose reassurances for residents are increasingly rhetorical, not legal. Read more about: The funeral for the civil rights icon will be held at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. When John Lewis is mourned, revered and celebrated at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, he returns to a sacred place imbued with civil rights history. The arc of Lewiss legacy of activism will once again be tied to Ebenezers former Pastor Martin Luther King Jr, whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. King continued to inspire Lewiss civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during sometimes bloody marches, Greyhound bus Freedom Rides across the South and later during his long tenure in the US Congress. Lewis died on July 17 at the age of 80. Former President Barack Obama will be attending Thursdays funeral and is expected to address mourners, according to a person familiar with the arrangements who was not authorised to speak publicly. A mourner shows a card as he waits for the coffin of John Lewis to arrive at the state capital in Atlanta [Brynn Anderson/AP Photo/Brynn Anderson] Former President George W Bushs office said the he and former First Lady Laura Bush will also attend. He was my hero, Ebenezers senior pastor, the Reverend Raphael Warnock, said in an interview late on Wednesday. He laid it all on the line, at the risk of life and limb. He read the Gospel, and he actually believed it love your enemies, added Warnock, who will officiate the funeral. When Lewis was 15, he heard Kings sermons on WRMA, a radio station in Montgomery, Alabama, he recalled in an interview for the Southern Oral History Program. Later I saw him on many occasions in Nashville while I was in school between 1958 and 61, Lewis said. In a sense, he was my leader. King was the person who, more than any other, continued to influence my life, who made me who I was, Lewis wrote in his 1998 autobiography, Walking with the Wind. John Lewis asked The NYT to publish this on the day of his funeral. It is necessary reading. He writes, When you see something that is not right, you must say something Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part. https://t.co/gNWQDpeAZt Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) July 30, 2020 By the summer of 1963, Lewis was addressing thousands of people during the March on Washington, speaking shortly before King gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. He spoke then about Black people beaten by police and jailed themes that resonate vividly in todays times. My friends, let us not forget that we are involved in a serious social revolution, Lewis told the huge crowd on the Washington Mall. To those who have said, Be patient and wait, we have long said that we cannot be patient, he added. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. In 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers in the city of Selma in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Last Sunday, his coffin was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The wagon rolled over a carpet of rose petals on the bridge that spans the Alabama River. On the south side of the bridge, where Lewis was attacked by the law officers, family members placed red roses over which the carriage rolled, marking the spot where Lewis spilled his blood and suffered a head injury. Lewis was later awarded the Medal of Freedom by the nations first Black president in 2011. He spent more than 30 years in Congress, and his district included most of Atlanta. On Monday, a memorial service at the US Capitol in Washington drew congressional leaders from both parties. Lewis was the first Black legislator to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. On Wednesday he was lauded as a warrior and hero during a ceremony at the Georgia Capitol, where people paid their final respects to the civil rights icon in one of the last memorials. Lewis was a member of Ebenezer, and it was my honour to serve as pastor to John Lewis, a man of faith and a true American patriot who selflessly risked life and limb in the sacred cause of truth-telling and justice-making in the world, Warnock said in a statement before the funeral. He was wounded for Americas transgressions, crushed for our iniquities and by his bruises we are healed, Warnock added. Today we weep. Tomorrow we continue the work of healing that was his lifes work. Aussie Home Loans heiress Deborah Symond O'Neil has revealed how a $110 overnight serum from American beauty brand Estee Lauder transformed her skin from dull and congested to radiantly clear over the course of one year. The 32-year-old daughter of Australian financier John Symond showcased the results on her Instagram story Wednesday, comparing photos taken before using the 'Advanced Night Repair' serum in January 2018 and 13 months later in February 2019. In the second, Deborah's skin looks visibly brighter without a single blemish. She also shared a photo taken this week, proving her complexion has maintained its youthful radiance over the past year and a half. Scroll down for video A world of difference: Aussie Home Loans heiress Deborah Symond O'Neil in January 2018 (left) before using Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum, and 13 months later in February 2019 (right) Deborah, who is the owner of high-end leisurewear label Mode Sportif, said she first started using the anti-ageing serum ahead of her highly publicised wedding to property developer Ned O'Neil in April 2018. She said she applied the serum throughout her pregnancy and has continued to use it since welcoming her first child, son Beau, at Sydney's Mater Hospital on February 13, 2020. The businesswoman said she has 'honestly seen amazing results' after applying the serum almost every night for the past two and a half years. Deborah in a selfie taken July 29, 2020, which proves her complexion has maintained its youthful radiance over the past year and a half Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair Serum, which costs $100 to $195 depending on size 'Can't believe my progress looking at these photos,' she wrote on her Instagram story. 'It's so hydrating and really creates that gorgeous glow.' Advanced Night Repair was the world's first overnight serum, invented at Estee Lauder's New York laboratories in 1982. Made with hyaluronic acid, it claims to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles by intensely hydrating skin while you sleep, making your face look younger. In-house cosmetologists recently reformulated the product, which now comes in a bottle made from recycled glass. The new formula launches Sunday in-store at Myer and David Jones, with prices starting at $110 for 30ml, $159 for 50ml and $205 for 75ml. Customers who prefer to shop online can order the serum from Estee Lauder's official website. Deborah with son Beau, who was born at Sydney's Mater Hospital on February 13, 2020 Deborah (left and right) is the owner of high-end leisurewear label, Mode Sportif While Deborah works in fashion, she's just as passionate about beauty. In May, the first-time mum shared the five-minute makeup and skincare routine she was using while working from home in isolation. Deborah told Harper's Bazaar she had cut down on cosmetics in favour of a 'quick and easy' regime that brightens her face and 'hides the hours of sleep' she has been missing caring for her newborn son. The glamorous blonde (pictured on a hike) is a fitness fanatic who enjoys spinning classes, Pilates and long walks 'After my morning skin ritual, and having applied my Rationale Superfluid tint, I brush up my brows, and apply the Hourglass clear brow gel,' she said. She gets rid of 'unwanted' under-eye bags with Bare Minerals 'Bare Skin' concealer, applies a rose-coloured cheek tint to warm her face and finally a pink-tinged matte lipstick by Estee Lauder to finish off her look in shade 'Seduce'. The glamorous blonde said she was taking a break from mascara to encourage her eyelashes to thicken. Deborah (pictured) said she enjoyed paring back her makeup routine during lockdown Deborah was thrust into the spotlight in April 2018 when her extravagant wedding to property developer Ned O'Neil at Hamilton Island's ultra-exclusive Qualia Resort made national news. She walked down the aisle in a $200,000 custom-made Christian Dior gown, made over the course of one year at the designer's Paris atelier. Deborah and Ned met more than a decade ago through family friends and realised their fathers were old associates Deborah's being financier John Symond and Ned's superyacht broke and owner of Rose Bay Marina, Denis O'Neil. The couple honeymooned in Europe that summer, spending time on Mr Symond's 73-metre yacht, worth an estimated $100million. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Washington Post journal has published an article, claiming that Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev want to put an end to the political opposition in his country. ARMENPRESS reports the article also refers to the aggression of Azerbaijan against Armenia in July and the political developments following it. Its mentioned that the president of Azerbaijan has never been kind to independent media and dissidents. The February parliamentary elections were deemed by international observers to be devoid of real political competition. Now, in the midst of the pandemic, low oil prices and tensions with archrival Armenia, Mr. Aliyev has suddenly discovered a fifth column of enemies, the political opposition, and has begun throwing them in jail. Mr. Aliyevs tantrum is threatening to obliterate what remains of independent political forces in Azerbaijan'', reads the article. Referring to the Azerbaijani aggression on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the article notes that an organized rally took place in Baku during those days, which was used by Aliyev to silence his political opponents. Late in the protest, a group of people briefly stormed into the parliament building in Baku before they were removed by police, and several police cars were overturned by angry crowds. Aliyev saw the protest as a pretext to go after the fifth column. The day after the rally, he attacked the largest opposition party, the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. He claimed that the Popular Front is worse than Armenians, reads the article, adding that the specials services of Azerbaijan have started to arrest the members of the party and other people. Sources in Azerbaijan say that as many as 120 people are currently held, including some deputy leaders of the party as well as journalists. EZULWINI - Senate hopeful Sifiso Mabuza has learnt that securing a political seat is not a stroll in the park. This comes after Mabuza felt harassed by the police who descended on some of his properties, as they allegedly carried out the vetting process for the position of a senator, which was left vacant by the late Mike Temple. At around 3pm yesterday, a contingent of police officers from Mbabane descended the Malagwane Hill and proceeded to Ezulwini where Mabuza has 31 state-of-the art flats at Mvutjini and 16 at Ebuka, respectively. Mabuza is one of the three Senate hopefuls, who were supposed to be elected last Monday by the House of Assembly, however, the elections failed to take off. This was after the Senate Elections Returning Officer, Ndvuna Dlamini, said the process could not continue as they had received communication from the national commissioner of police that they were still vetting the candidates. The other candidates are businessmen Bongani Matsebula and Jimmy Hlophe from Mhlume and Manzini Region, respectively. Harassed According to Mabuza, he felt harassed because he went through all the required processes as per the dictates of Section 96 of the Constitution which included, getting a police clearance, paying his taxes and producing his voter registration card. Mabuza said he felt harassed as the police officers also questioned his wife about him and they also went around calling pastors, his former teachers to the extent of asking how far he had gone with his education. Of note is that Mabuza is a brother to Hosea MP Bacede Mabuza, who has recently been in the headlines after successfully moving a motion calling for the suspension of raids and arrests conducted in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), 2018. Questions Meanwhile, at Mvutjini the police are reported to have entered the flats where they asked some of the tenants several questions. According to Siboniso Simelane, who is the property supervisor, the cops first claimed that they were looking for a certain Mamba individual who lived within the complex. When informed that there was no one with that identity, they proceeded to enter the premises, informing us that as police officers, they had every right to enter any place and at anytime, he said. Simelane narrated that while some officers took pictures of the premises, others knocked on the doors of the tenants and asked them where and whom they paid their rentals to and at what date of the month. He said there were six plain-clothes officers. Simelane alleged that one of the tenants was asked if she paid her rentals through the bank or in cash to a certain individual. After their mission was completed at the Mvutjini flats, the officers are reported to have moved on to Ebuka where a similar occurrence took place. At Ebuka, the cops were met by the property groundsman, Mefika Dlamini, to whom they introduced themselves. According to Dlamini, the law enforces did not disclose the nature of their investigation save to say they only came to conduct investigations. He was asked to accompany them as they interviewed some of the tenants. In one of the flats, the police allegedly found a minor who informed them that one of her parents was at work. In another flat, they reportedly found a woman whom they asked about the leasing arrangements of the flats. They proceeded to count the number of flats and further took photographs of the compound. Dlamini said the police then left, stating that they could return for further investigations. SHELTON The rubber hit the dumpster Saturday as volunteers removed nearly 200 old tires from the wooded area beside Little Pond Trail. This clean-up job was organized by the Shelton Trails Committee, which helps in maintaining some 30 miles of trails throughout the city. The committee regularly holds work parties to clean up city trailways, but committee member Val Gosset said this job called for more heavy lifting. It was amazing the amount of work done in such a short period of time to spruce this area up, said Gosset. Little Pond Trail is in a little-known open space in White Hills, one of the Out and About Challenge spots. The short trail to the pond has recently been cleared and spruced up, but there was still a mound of used tires that needed to be removed. Gosset said the tires were once used for the base of an elaborate wrestling ring built by neighborhood teenagers about 20 years ago. The ring has long since been removed, but the tires remained. We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout, said Gosset about the volunteers who came to the trail to help. It was a hot day. We really got a lot done. Shelton Trails Committee member Mark Vollaro hatched the plan last week when he learned that Highway Department employee Nancy McMonagle knew the homeowner on Pine Tree Hill Road who lived closest to the tire pile. McMonagle secured the homeowners agreement to use his yard to get to the tires and made arrangements for a dumpster to hold them. More than 20 volunteers gathered to tackle the job, dislodging the tires, removing water from them, hauling them out of the woods and stacking them on the trailer platform Trails Vollaro created to transport the tires across the yard. McMonagle and her husband and son loaded the dumpster. Gosset also credited longtime Shelton resident and retired Police Officer David Eldridge, who was unable to go by Saturday so went to the site Friday and moved some 90 tires from the trail to next to the dumpster. I knew the area, and the large task they had, said Eldridge. The homeowners daughter said I had permission to walk through their yard, so I went and spent a couple hours. During these times, families need a release valve and places to go. So now we can see how important our open space and trails are and how they directly benefit the community, said Eldridge. The Open Space Commission Trails Committee are our unsung heroes in our community. The trails they made have never seen the level of usage until COVID-19. Shelton Trails work parties are usually held the second and forth Saturday morning of each month. To receive notifications of future work parties, email sheltontrailscommittee@gmail.com. brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com The FBI is investigating whether the Chinese government attempted to illegally obtain COVID-19 research from American universities, including the University of Texas campuses in Austin and San Antonio, UT officials confirmed to the Houston Chronicle. The federal law enforcement agency told UT-Austin officials last week that the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston sparked the probe, Daniel Jaffe, UTs interim executive vice president and provost, wrote in an email to the universitys faculty, graduate and post-doctorate students on Monday. As a result of this ongoing and evolving national situation, the FBI will contact UT researchers about the role of the consulate and efforts by the Chinese government to illegally procure research from American universities, Jaffe said. The University of Texas at San Antonio received similar contact from the FBI. Bernard Arulanandam, vice president for research, economic development and knowledge enterprise at UTSA, said in an email to faculty and students that the FBI alerted the university on July 22 about concerns around the role of the consulate and Chinese governments efforts to acquire intellectual property from U.S. colleges. In emails to their respective campuses, both Jaffe and Arulanandam said they did not know who would be contacted by the FBI or for what purpose. Its not unusual for federal law enforcement officers to ask to speak with researchers if deemed necessary to support criminal or national security investigations, Jaffe wrote to the UT-Austin community. On HoustonChronicle.com: U.S. officials take over Chinese consulate in Houston The FBI San Antonio office referred the Chronicle to the U.S. State Department, whose officials said they were working on the newspapers request for additional information and how many universities have been contacted about research concerns. The State Department did not comment Thursday. During a July 24 teleconference briefing on the closure of the consulate, U.S. government officials said the Chinese consulate in Houston was implicated in an investigation of grant fraud at a Texas research institution, but did not name the university. Consulate officials were directly involved in communications with researchers and guided them on what information to collect, a Justice Department official said during that teleconference. And a State Department official added, If you look at what happened with the corona outbreak in China in 2019, they have been very clear about their intent to be the first to the market with a vaccine and the medical connections here arent lost on me. Officials at the Texas A&M University System, which is known for its research, did not comment on whether they have had recent correspondence with the FBI over research concerns involving China. Kevin R. Gamache, the A&M Systems chief research security officer, said the system works very closely with our federal partners including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to protect our research enterprise. We also have (kept) our faculty, staff and students apprised as appropriate on any threats that might pose a risk to our research, he said. The A&M flagship in College Station was tapped this week to lead the effort of mass producing a coronavius vaccine candidate as part of the Trump administrations plan to make such shots available to the U.S. population in record time. University of Houston spokesman Mike Rosen said the college has been in touch with the FBI for years on this broader issue, but as of Thursday, had not heard from the agency since the consulate closed. Baylor University similarly has not had any recent heightened interactions with the FBI, spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said in an email. On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas A&M to lead mass production of COVID vaccine candidate And neither UTHealth nor MD Anderson have received new guidance from federal law enforcement, officials from the institutions said Thursday. What happened? A network of associates of Chinas armed forces concealed their military affiliation when applying for student visas, U.S. government officials have said. The Justice Department indicted two suspected Chinese hackers, alleging they targeted U.S. companies conducting COVID-19 research. Officials have also expressed concerns this year about consulates using networks of spies on campuses that report on fellow students. On HoustonChronicle.com: Feeling Hong Kongs pain, Texas college students do their part A Justice Department official said the departments increased outreach and threat briefings to universities has led them to more cases of Chinas espionage but emphasized that the recently announced investigations and cases are just the tip of the iceberg. The sum total of the Houston consulates activities went well over the line of what we are willing to accept, and unless we disrupted it, it threatened to become even more aggressive in Houston and at other Chinese consulates nationwide, an official said. U.S. officials took over and closed the Chinese Consulate in Houston last week as ordered by the Trump administration amid accusations of espionage activity. The Trump administration, which confirmed the closure, cited a need to protect American intellectual property and private information. The Chinese government threatened to retaliate and on July 24, announced the closure of a U.S. Consulate in Chengdu. Jaffe, UTs provost, urged students with questions or concerns about sharing details of their work with anyone to contact their deans. Students should also alert the information security office about any phishing attempts or unsolicited emails from foreign countries or entities. Our international scholars are a vital part of our research community. You enrich our environment and are critical to our teams success, and we value your contributions, Jaffes email said. We realize that this news is coming during an already difficult time, so we encourage you to reach out to your supervisors or Texas Global and let us know how we can continue to support you. Currie Engel and Todd Ackerman contributed to this report. brittany.britto@chron.com Steve Jennings/Getty ImagesFor the first time ever, O, The Oprah Magazine, will not feature Oprah Winfrey on its cover. Instead, the publication's namesake has given that honor for the September issue to Breonna Taylor. "Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem," Winfrey writes of the Louisville, Kentucky police shooting on March 13 that resulted in Taylor's death at the age of 26. "What I know for sure: We cant be silent," Oprah continues. "We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine. I cry for justice in her name." Winfrey also shares details of her recent chat with Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, who explains how she is still grappling with her daughter's untimely death, and details what she experienced that sorrowful night. Winfrey notes that only one of the three police officers involved in Taylor's death have been "dismissed from the police force," while the other two "still have their jobs." Details for how to continue the fight for justice in Taylor's name are included in the piece, too. These include actions such as signing petitions, making calls or donations, and using soocial media hashtags to spread awareness. Though Winfrey has shared the cover of O magazine with others, like her best friend Gayle King or her A Wrinkle in Time co-stars Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon, she has never not appeared on the cover herself. The publication, which launched in April 2000, is set to end its regular monthly print editions with this December's issue after 20 years of publication. The September cover of O magazine featuring Taylor hits newsstands August 11. By Carson BlackwelderCopyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Open Access Fiber Networks in Europe - Regulatory Frameworks and Initiatives" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Telecommunications markets in Europe are currently going through major infrastructure separation trends, both on mobile markets with towercos or on the fixed market with the creation of wholesale pure players for fiber networks. There has recently been a strong institutional push towards the 'Open Access model', including in the European Electronic Communications Code, adopted in 2018. It is perceived as grounds for equal access for wholesale customers in the light of the significant investments required by fiber deployments, which could be prohibitive for new entrants and impair competition levels. Starting with a definition of the open access model and its specificities compared to a standard wholesale player, this report provides a situational analysis and a typology of open access initiatives in Europe. Through a study of four representative application cases, it then provides the reader with analytical keys to examine many aspects of the core issue: Is open access the way forward for fiber deployments? Key Topics Covered Executive Summary 1. Open Access Fiber Initiatives Overview 1.1. What are Open Access Fiber Networks? 1.1.1. Open Access is more than a network-sharing arrangement 1.1.2. The 2018 version of the European Code of Communications encourages Open Access 1.1.3. Open Access Network Architecture 1.1.4. Open Access Business Models 1.2. Open Access in Europe 1.2.1. Typology of Open Access Players in Europe 1.2.2. General EU Overview of Open Access Initiatives 2. Case Studies 2.1. Deutsche Glasfaser (Germany) 2.2. Open Fiber (Italy) 2.3. Stokab (Sweden) 2.4. Reykjavik Fiber Network (Iceland) 3. Analyst Insights: Is Open Access the Way Forward for Fiber Deployments? List of Tables and Figures 1. Digest of Open Access Fiber Initiatives Open access business models Open access initiatives in the EU, by country 2. Case Studies Broadband subscribers in Germany , as of December 2019 , as of Fiber homes passed (incl. FTTB) and subscribers in Germany , as of December 2019 , as of FTTH/B Total homes passed and subscribers for Deutsche Glasfaser, as of December 2019 Broadband subscribers in Italy , as of December 2019 , as of Fiber homes passed (incl. FTTB) and subscribers in Italy , as of December 2019 , as of FTTH/B Total Homes passed for Open Fiber, as of December 2019 Broadband subscribers in Sweden , as of December 2019 , as of Fiber homes passed (incl. FTTB) and subscribers in Sweden , as of December 2019 , as of Broadband subscribers in Iceland , as of December 2019 , as of Fiber homes passed (incl. FTTB) and subscribers in Iceland , as of December 2019 , as of RFN's FTTH/B Total homes passed and subscribers, as of December 2019 Companies Mentioned Asturcn Axione CETIN Covage Deutsche Glasfaser EstWin National Broadband Ireland nGIG Open Fiber Openreach Reykjavik Fiber Network SIRO Stokab TDC For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/70ba8h Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com The Chinese ambassador to India said the two neighbours need to straighten views on three key issues, including that Beijing is not a strategic threat to New Delhi India and China should handle relations "cautiously, calmly and rationally" while avoiding "suspicion and confrontration", Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said on Thursday. Weidong further added that it was the invisible virus, not China, which is a threat to India. Stating that "China's basic policy towards India remains unchanged", Weidong said that the two neighbours "should grasp fundamental interests of two countries and their peoples, stick to friendly cooperation and properly handle differences to bring bilateral relations back to normal track". In a series of tweets, which was part of a webinar on India-China relations, the ambassador also stressed on the need for the neighbouring countries to straighten their views on three key issues to move "India-China relations forward". To move #China-#India relations forward, I believe that we need to straighten our views on several key issues. First, #China is committed to peaceful development, and is not astrategic threatto #India. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 First, he said, "China is not a strategic threat to India" while stressing that Beijing is committed to peaceful development. "Safeguarding world peace and promoting common development has always been fundamental goal of China's diplomacy. Since PRC founding 70 years ago, we have always pursued good-neighborly friendship, sought development with our neighbors and worked to make pie of cooperation bigger," he added. The Chiense ambassador said that "it is short-sighted and harmful to deny long history of peaceful co-existence between the two countires" and protray China as "opponent and strategic threat due to temporary differences and difficulties". Secondly, while China firmly upholds its sovereignty, it "will never engage in aggression or expansion", Weidong said. "China has firmly safeguarded its national sovereignty, security and development interests. We have never been aggressive and pursued own development at expense of other countries. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Xizang affairs are totally China's internal affairs and bear on China's sovereignty and security. While China doesn't interfere in other country's internal affairs, it allows no external interference and never trades its core interests either," he said. Thirdly, Weidong said that the Indian and Chinese economies are highly complementary, interwoven and interdependent and a "forced decoupling is against the trend and will only lead to a 'lose-lose' outcome. He said the economic and trade exchanges between the two countreis should be positive cycle of mutual accomplishment and not a "zero sum game". "It should not become a knockout nor a zero-sum game deliberately suppressing others. We should recognise mutually beneficial and win-win nature and jointly create open, fair and just business environment." Weidong's remarks have come amid India's decision to ban several chinese apps and their copies in India and amid a growing demand to ban on import of "Chinese goods" in the country following between Indian Army and Chinese PLA soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. Twenty 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in the clas on 15 June. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. Last week, India and China agreed on "early and complete" disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh and may hold more military talks soon as they held a fresh round of diplomatic parleys amid indications the withdrawal of forces by the Chinese army from certain parts in the region has not gained momentum. In his concluding remarks, the ambassador stressed that the India-China relations are hard earned he said that "we should handle relations cautiously, calmly and rationally, conform to international trend, always look forward and move forward, resolutely avoid whirlpool of suspicion and confrontation". President Donald Trump trails Democrat Joe Biden in Pennsylvania 41% to 50%, according to a new poll. The poll by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College also found that only 38% of respondents believe Trump is doing an excellent or good job the same as in January. The poll further found only 24% of Pennsylvania respondents believe the United States is headed in the right direction, down from 38% in January. Im not going to make an argument Trump cant win, but he obviously has his work cut out for him, F&M political scientist G. Terry Madonna said. The poll found that substantially fewer voters remain undecided or plan to vote for a third-party candidate compared with 2016. Among Biden supporters, it found more than half, 55%, say their vote will be against Trump rather than for Biden. The poll was done July 20-26 and includes responses from 667 registered voters in Pennsylvania, including 314 Democrats, 267 Republicans and 87 independents. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. Pennsylvanians gave Trump especially low marks for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 29% giving him a grade of A or B. Trump received his highest mark for his handling of job creation, with 45% of poll respondents giving an A or B. He received considerably lower marks 37% or less giving him an A or B in areas including handling of foreign policy, immigration and improving the health care system. With only three months left before the election, Madonna predicts it will take a flattening of the coronavirus curve and substantial signs of economic recovery for Trump to win. The new Pennsylvania poll adds to the weeks-long barrage of polls showing Trump trailing Biden in the six most important battleground states. In addition to Pennsylvania, they are Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina. The Real Clear Politics average of polls as of Tuesday showed Biden leading by margins of about 3% to 8%. Trump won all of those states in 2016, although in several, including Pennsylvania, he won by the slimmest of margins. Its hard to imagine Trump winning if he loses two or three of those battleground states, Madonna said. Still, the Trump campaign is far from giving up on Pennsylvania, with Vice President Mike Pence due to visit western Pennsylvania on Thursday to seek support from law enforcement. Trump has been advertising heavily in the state. Biden visited several times in June. Madonna said both campaigns are working hard to identify people who might vote for them and target them with messages. This takes place largely over social media and messaging platforms, rather than the old method of neighborhood canvassing. The Trump campaign is known for having great expertise and financial resources for such technology-driven campaigning. Moreover, the voter registration trend in Pennsylvania favors Trump. As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday, Republicans have picked up 165,000 registered voters since 2016, compared to 30,000 for Democrats. As a result, a 936,000 registered voter advantage enjoyed by Democrats in 2016 has shrunk to about 800,000. Thats significant given Trump won Pennsylvania by only 44,000 votes, or less than one percent of the total, in 2016. On the other hand, a pro-Trump opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday warned its getting late early for Trump. It stressed that he benefitted greatly from widespread dislike of Hillary Clinton in 2016, but theres no similar dislike of Biden. Nationally, much has been made of eroding support among independents who backed Trump in 2016. The new Pennsylvania poll shows 38% of independents having a positive view of Trumps job performance. Among Republicans, 75% have a positive view of Trumps job performance, while only 6% of Democrats have a positive view. 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. (@ChaudhryMAli88) DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2020) Saudi Arabia will maintain coordination with Algeria with regards to the settlement of the Libyan crisis, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Tuesday following talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The Saudi foreign minister visited Algiers earlier in the day, as part of the succession of visits to North African countries, including Egypt on Monday, where he also vowed bilateral coordination in tackling the regional challenges. "We have discussed the situation in the region and found a convergence of views between Saudi Arabia and Algeria, especially with regard to challenges facing the region, primarily the Libyan crisis. We share the opinion that the solution must be intra-Libyan so that the peace process can end the conflict and protects Libya from terrorism and foreign interference. It is very important to continue the coordination between Algeria and Saudi Arabia toward reaching a peaceful solution," Prince Faisal said following the meeting, as quoted by the Al-Hadath broadcaster. According to the Saudi foreign minister, countries neighboring Libya have a key role to play in the peace process. The almost decade-long Libyan conflict has escalated over the past few months around the power struggle between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), in control of the country's west, and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and the House of Representatives. Since last April, the confrontation turned openly military as the LNA forces attempted an offensive on the GNA-held Libyan capital of Tripoli and prompted a massive counteroffensive. An international conference on Libya was held in Berlin in January, where participating countries have agreed to an arms embargo as a measure of non-interference in the Libyan civil conflict. Yet, the warring parties have accused each other of collusion with foreign governments, including those which have agreed to the pact. Turkey, in particular, has been providing extensive military support to the GNA since the latter formally requested assistance in late 2019. The Libyan House of Representatives, in the meantime, has requested deployment of troops from Egypt, whose parliament promptly greenlighted the potential intervention. Infrastructure Minister: Ukraine to launch e-ticket nationwide (Photo) 14:55, 30.07.20 5159 International transport will be added later. Nasa is heading to Mars, and will be streaming as it goes. The space agency is launching its Perseverance rover to the red planet today, on a mission to find evidence of alien life there. It will also be hosting a live stream of the launch, allowing anyone to watch it on Earth. People will be able to watch it on Nasa's live stream on just about any platform they want: the main one is Nasa TV's channel on YouTube, which can be found here, but it can also be watched on its Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion and Theta.TV. The United Launch Alliance a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, which made the rocket that will carry the rover will also be hosting its own live stream and countdown to launch. That can be found on its website. And other people not so connected to the launch will also be hosting streams. The UK's National Space Centre, for instance, will be hosting a Q&A, followed by a live stream, on its Facebook page. The Independent will also be covering the launch on its live blog. You can find that here. The launch will happen at 7.50am local eastern time, or 12.50pm in the UK, though coverage will start a little earlier. The launch window is two hours long, giving the space agency an opportunity to launch every five minutes, if the conditions do not immediately allow. 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 full launch period lasts for three weeks, until 15 August. If Nasa misses that window entirely, it will not be able to launch for another two years. The department of Health has announced that of the 85 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed today, nine of them are in Laois. The incidence of Covid-19 in Laois has risen by nine, according to the latest official figures released by the Department of Health this Thursday, July 30. It brings the total number of cases in Laois to 282. Kildare also has a huge increase of 26 cases. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn says that at least 18 of them are from a factory that is now closed. 18 new cases are confirmed in Dublin, 11 in Clare, seven in Limerick, four in Meath and the remainder are spread across seven other counties. Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, said; Todays figures demonstrate how quickly COVID-19 can remerge in our country. We are now at a crucial point in our response to COVID-19. Over the coming days it is vital that everyone continues to avoid large crowds, physically distance, wear face coverings where appropriate and wash hands regularly. COVID-19 is extremely infectious and no one is immune. Follow public health advice and stay vigilant. Up to date, national figures show there was one new death from Covid-19 in Ireland. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre data now shows an official death toll of 1,763 deaths in Ireland recorded since the first official death in March. A further 85 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed as of midnight, July 29 bringing the total number of official cases of Covid-19 infections in Ireland to 26,027 cases since the first confirmed infection on February 29. The usual county by county breakdown figures given by the the department do not reflect today's rise, as those cases are counted two days previously, and so are from Tuesday July 27. In those numbers, Laois rose by two cases from the previous day to reach 273 cases. Kildare rose by two to 1,543. Offaly stands at 487 - no change. Tipperary has 544 cases - no change. Kilkenny had one new case to reach 357. Carlow is at 179 cases - no change. Westmeath has one new case to reach 679. Longford remains at 288 - no change. The total for Dublin in the county breakdown is 12,487 - up by seven. Midland, Texas President Donald Trump took sweeping digs at crazy left radical Democrats on a trip Wednesday to the fracking fields of West Texas, launching unsubstantiated claims that a Democratic administration would destroy everything from the countrys suburbs to the U.S. energy industry. Trump, speaking in front of stacked oil barrels, also played down the difficulties of the U.S. oil and gas industry, which is still struggling with the pandemic economic downturn and global oversupply that briefly drove oil prices into negative territory this spring. Prices have rebounded to around $40 a barrel, still below what some producers here need to break even. Were OK now. Were back, were back, Trump said to a crowd scattered with people wearing cowboy hats and face masks. He sought to contrast his support for oil and gas with Democratic rival Joe Bidens more climate-friendly energy plan, though Biden himself has stopped short of calling for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the production method that spurred U.S. oil and gas to a yearslong boom that started under President Barack Obama. "If they got in, you would have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas,'' warned Trump, whose poll numbers for the 2020 election are lagging. He claimed the same, without evidence, for Ohio and Pennsylvania, two fracking states that also are battlegrounds in the presidential race. More: New poll shows Trump struggling in Pa., with many planning to vote against him Speaking under a tent on a hot, windy day, Trump alluded to the opposing party in the most extreme terms, saying a Democratic White House win and the policies of the Washington crazy left radical Democrats would mean the death of American prosperity. It would destroy our country. Trump also praised a step he took last week to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule for low-income families, one that had Trump tweeting warnings to what he called the Suburban Housewives of America. Its been hell for suburbia, he said Wednesday. They want to uproot and demolish every American value. They want to wipe away every trace of religion from national life. They want to indoctrinate our children, defund our police, abolish the suburbs, incite riots and leave every city at the mercy of the radical left, Trump declared. President Trump: "There will be no more low-income housing forced into the suburbs." https://t.co/JdJ8UuLdTQ pic.twitter.com/w5UeL6sMlZ The Hill (@thehill) July 29, 2020 The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article. Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better! https://t.co/1NzbR57Oe6 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020 Trump was combining campaigning and fundraising in his first trip to an oil and gas rig and his first visit as president to the Permian Basin. He expected to raise $7 million, including $100,000 per person for one event. Trump's loyal donors and supporters in the oil and gas industry are dealing with the state's fierce coronavirus outbreak and the boom-turned-bust of oil and gas. Trumps government has exerted itself for the oil and gas industry. That includes rolling back environmental and public health protections and speeding up permitting as part of what Trump describes as an American march to global energy dominance. His administration has moved to open up vast wilderness areas to oil and gas interests over the objections of environmental groups. Trump also has sought to override various regional objections to oil and gas pipelines with executive orders. And next month, the administration is expected to announce its latest effort to block regulation of the industrys emissions of methane, a potent agent of climate change. West Texas environmental activists say the methane emissions are part of a too-little-regulated industrys assault on the air, water and public health in the regions yearslong expansion of oil and gas production. Successful legal challenges stopped the administrations earlier attempts. For years, Democrats have been watching Texas demographics with growing populations of Latinos, young people and ex-Californians and pining for the election cycle when it would be in play. Although Trump won the state comfortably in 2016, former Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke gave Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a scare two years ago, and Democrats have used that race to try to build an organization that could swing the state blue. Sensing an opportunity, Biden has begun airing advertisements in Texas as coronavirus cases surge there. Losing Texas would upend Republicans plan for capturing the electoral vote needed to hold the White House. Coronavirus infections remain widespread in Bexar County, where officials Wednesday reported 946 new cases and seven more deaths from COVID-19. Hospital data, however, showed the continuation of an encouraging trend, with 1,007 people hospitalized, down from 1,045 on Tuesday. There were 389 people in the ICU and 269 on ventilators, down from 413 and 283, respectively, on Tuesday. The high point for hospitalizations came about two weeks ago on July 13, when 1,267 people were in the hospital. Despite the decline, the hospital system remained under severe stress, with just 12 percent of hospital beds available. Its a fairly decent drop, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said, but whats disturbing is that while weve had a little bit of a drop in people that are in ICU, we still have some people who are very, very sick. The percentage of people testing positive for the virus was about 18 percent: a sign that COVID-19 remains a serious threat here, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. That means theres substantial, uncontrolled community spread of COVID-19, Nirenberg said. Twelve percent of patients in the hospital are pediatric patients, meaning theyre under 18. So this is still a dangerous period. For the first time, Nirenberg provided a seven-day rolling average of cases, which stood Wednesday at 768. Since the epidemic began, the virus has infected 38,930 people here. Of the latest victims of the disease, two were Hispanic men in their 50s and 30s with underlying medical conditions; one was an Anglo man in his 60s with an unknown medical history; three were women in their 40s, 70s and 80s, two with underlying medical conditions; and one was a man in his 80s with an unknown medical history. Officials still were not certain exactly how many people had died of COVID-19 in Bexar County since the epidemic began. This week, the Texas Department of State Health Services changed how it tracks the deaths, now using death certificates rather than reports from counties. By the states count, the COVID-19 death toll in Bexar County stood at 521, much higher than the 342 reported by Metro Health. Nirenberg and Wolff wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday urging him to clear up another point of confusion caused this week by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who opined that a local health authority may not order the closure of schools. Metro Health has ordered all schools to conduct remote learning at least until after Sept. 7. The one person who can iron out this whole mess is the governor, Nirenberg said. This confusion has to end. Confusion is the enemy of controlling this pandemic. We saw it happen with face masks, now were seeing it happen with our young people, and we cant have that. Overwhelmed by cases of the virus, first responders in South Texas are getting help from the military. Three Army Reserve medical task forces have arrived in Texas and will work this week at hospitals in Corpus Christi and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Army North, the joint force land component command for the Northern Command, said a medical task force from San Antonio arrived Monday in Corpus Christi. The task force split into two teams and began work Wednesday supporting Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Shoreline and DeTar Hospital Navarro in Victoria. Another medical task force from Nashville, Tenn., arrived Tuesday in the Rio Grande Valley and will begin work today supporting Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen and Harlingen Medical Center. A third medical task force from San Diego, Calif., also arrived on Tuesday and will begin work today supporting DHR Health in Edinburg. Northern Command has assigned about 580 military medical and support personnel from the Army and Navy to support FEMA in Texas. The Army Reserve units join three active-duty medical task forces and five Navy medical teams that arrived in the state earlier this month. We are committed to assisting those in need as part of the whole-of-nation response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in support of FEMA, Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, U.S. Army North commander, said in a prepared statement. Staff writer Sig Christenson contributed to this report ATLANTA - Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, died Thursday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. Dan Calabrese, who authored a post on Cains website announcing the death, told The Associated Press that Cain died at an Atlanta hospital early Thursday morning. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. Its not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. A photo taken at the rally showed Cain, without a mask, sitting closely to other people who also were not wearing any face coverings. A statement on his Twitter account said he tested positive for COVID on June 29 and was hospitalized July 1 because his symptoms were serious. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, Calabrese wrote in the website post Thursday. Trump offered his condolences in a tweet on Thursday in which he said he had also spoken by telephone to Cains family. He later started his news conference at the White House with a mention of Cains death. He was a very special person ... and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus, Trump said, using the moniker he often ascribes to the new coronavirus, which was first detected in China. He added, We send out prayers to Hermans great wife, Gloria ... And I have to say, America grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans that had their lives taken by this horrible, invisible enemy. Cain, who had hoped to become the first Black politician to win the GOP nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed President Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Cain said he could not remember Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone, but polls conducted in the weeks afterward showed his popularity slipping considerably. Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and up-by-the-bootstraps life story to many tea party supporters and other conservatives. He first ventured into national politics in 1994 when he publicly challenged President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, on his proposal to force employers to buy health insurance for their employees. For many, many businesses like mine, the cost of your plan is simply a cost that will cause us to eliminate jobs, Cain told Clinton. What will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate? Afterward, the restaurant industry used Cain as a spokesman as it campaigned against Clintons plan, which ultimately failed. Cain served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. After moving back to his native Georgia, he ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2004. He lost to Rep. Johnny Isakson in the primary. Less than two years later, Cain was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his colon that had spread to his liver. He recovered and later credited God with persuading him to run for president after Obama, a Democrat, took office in early 2009. Thats when I prayed and prayed and prayed, Cain told an audience of young Republicans in Atlanta. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. Youve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure? Cain projected a self-confident image that at times bordered on arrogance. He referred to himself in the third person, and his motivational speaking company was named T.H.E. New Voice Inc. The acronym stood for The Hermanator Experience. Cains run for the presidency was unlikely considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, his father worked three jobs as a janitor, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically Black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the U.S. Navy. While it was a good job, Cain said his ambitions were in the corporate world. He wanted to be president of something ... somewhere, he later wrote. He worked first for Coca-Cola, became a vice-president with Pillsbury, then was appointed to run its struggling Burger King unit in the Philadelphia area. His success prompted Pillsbury officials to ask Cain to take over its floundering Godfathers Pizza chain. Cain said he returned the franchise to profitability. The centerpiece of Cains presidential campaign was his 9-9-9 plan, which would have replaced the current tax code with a 9% tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. Cain said the plans simplicity would stimulate the economy by giving investors certainty. If 10% is good enough for God, 9% ought to be good enough for the federal government, he told crowds. Numerous Republican politicians, party activists and conservative political commentators mourned Cains death on social media Thursday. Romney tweeted, Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Cain was a fierce advocate for conservative principles across the board, while Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, referring to Cain as one of his closest friends, remarked that Herman ... lived the American dream and aspired to share his success with others. Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. ___ Associated Press reporter Kate Brumback contributed to this report. The body of a 33-year-old woman has been found in bushland in Sydney's south with burn injuries, about 800 metres from the road. Police were called to the area near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road at Menai, in the Sutherland Shire, after a man who was walking his dog found the body just before 5.15pm on Wednesday. Najma Carroll's body was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry, off Heathcote Road, Menai. Credit: NSW Police The woman has been formally identified as Najma Carroll, 33, who was most recently known to have lived in Sydneys inner west, police said. Her death is being treated as suspicious. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Aam Aadmi Party government to release funds to pay the pending salaries of the resident doctors of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NrDMC) within a period of 15 days. A division bench of the high court presided over by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan directed the Delhi government that the amount of Rs 8 crore required to pay salaries to the doctors should be released within a period of 15 days, irrespective of incomplete paperwork by the said municipal corporation. The bench also appreciated the stand of the Delhi government to release the amount for providing remuneration to the resident doctors employed by the said municipal corporation earlier. "We appreciate the stand taken by the Delhi government in releasing Rs 8 crore for the purpose of providing remuneration to the resident doctors of NrDMC," it said. During the course of hearing, advocate Satyakam, who was appearing for the Delhi government, told the bench that the government was not liable for the salaries for other NrDMC employees. "The liability still lay with the NrDMC and not the government of Delhi," he submitted. Noting the said submissions, the court clarified that it was not going into the other issues between the Delhi government and the corporation with regard to payment of salaries to other employees of NrDMC and the funds it claims it is yet to receive under various heads. The court, which was hearing the matter via video conferencing, posted the matter for further hearing on August 31. The counsel appearing for the NrDMC informed the court that salaries of all the resident doctors in hospitals run by the civic body have been paid up to May. "All the regular doctors have also been paid their salaries till the month of April," she added. The said orders were passed while the bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it on its own motion after taking cognisance of a report related to non-payment of salaries to NrDMC doctors for the last three months. According to media reports, NrDMC hospital doctors have threatened mass resignation or a pen down strike if their salaries for past three months are not released. The Kasturba Hospital's doctors have written a letter to the administration threatening mass resignation, while doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital have reportedly drafted a letter threatening a pen down strike. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: The Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan started exporting pumpkins to the Russian markets, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the administration of the region. "Some 19 tons of pumpkin have already been shipped to the Russian markets. At the same time, local farmers plan to increase yields and, consequently, foreign supplies. Imported seeds are planted in the fields, while some ripe fruits are delivered to local consumers, while the other part is exported," the message said. Earlier, Kashkadarya region started exporting yellow watermelons of Chillaki S1 variety to Russia at the price of 55 cents per kilogram. Uzbekistan exported more than 2068.3 tons of watermelons as of July 1 2020. The largest batch of watermelons was shipped to Russia (1,179 tons), but this is 228 tons less than the same period of 2019. In total, Uzbekistan exported $427.2 million worth of fruits and vegetables in the first half of 2020. Compared to the same period of 2019, the Uzbekistans export of vegetables decreased by 34 percent. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini People wearing masks make their way in the Ryomyong street in Pyongyang, North Korea Friday, July 3, 2020. Many North Korean residents are not buying their governments explanation that supreme leader Kim Jong Uns decision to declare a coronavirus national maximum emergency was driven by an infected refugee who recently returned from South Korea, local sources told RFA. Following the mans return to the area near his hometown Kaesong on July 19, the government shut the city down completely, with the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper saying that authorities had declared a national maximum emergency over concerns that the man had brought the coronavirus with him. Some conscious residents point out that the authorities are trying to put the blame for the failure of the coronavirus quarantine on a single North Korean refugee who has re-entered North Korea, said the source, a resident of North Hamgyong province. The residents are wondering how the background of this decision could [possibly] be due to the symptoms of the returned North Korean refugee, the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely, told RFAs Korean Service this week. They do not believe the announcement that [authorities] suspected coronavirus symptoms, which [officially] had not been seen in people returning from countries like China and Russia, but were suddenly found in one North Korean refugee, the source said. North Korean assertions to the international community that it was coronavirus-free had raised doubts in view of stringent measures it had imposed since late winter to combat the pandemic. The country closed border trade with China, locked down entire counties and cities after public lectures told citizens where the virus was said to have been spreading, and fired senior health officials for poor quarantine enforcement. The source noted that Pyongyang is in the midst of a high-level campaign to smear the reputations of people who have left North Korea to settle abroad, mainly in rival South Korea. In June, the authorities lashed out at the North Korean refugees in South Korea because they distributed propaganda leaflets [by balloon into North Korean territory], the source said. North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong and cut off official communications with South Korea, citing Seouls inability to rein in civic groups sending the balloons to the North. So now thats why they are making all this fuss about one returned North Korean escapee, said the source. A second source, a resident of Ryanggang province on the border with China, described the terms of the maximum national emergency. What I know is that the city of Kaesong is completely closed, so everyone is prohibited from entering the city, the second source said. The change to maximum emergency was decided by the Highest Dignity and the tasks to be carried out were presented to the party, labor organizations, government agencies, security agencies, quarantine and health agencies, said the second source, using an honorific term to refer to Kim Jong Un. [They] blocked the movement of each province, city, county, and district, saying that a new danger was introduced that could result in a fatally devastating disaster for our people, said the second source. The second source said that most residents did not accept the governments explanation, because they were well aware that COVID-19 was likely coming in across the long Sino-Korean border, which remains porous although officially closed. Most residents are puzzled by the fact that the authorities have been silent on the numerous cases of suspected coronavirus in people near the borders of China and Russia, yet they are making a big deal out of a single returnee to Kaesong, the second source said. They say the authorities want to shirk responsibility for their failure in the coronavirus quarantine by blaming the returnee, and still have an excuse to tighten control over the movement of residents. South Korea confirmed Monday that a 24-year-old refugee from North Korea surnamed Kim, had on July 19 swum from South to North following the reverse route he had originally taken to escape from North to South in 2017. Authorities said Kim had never been tested for coronavirus, and South Koreas robust contact tracing system did not reveal he had been in proximity to anyone who had tested positive. Two people he had frequent contact with were tested and the results were negative. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Lloyds Banking Group slumped to a pre-tax loss of 602million in the first half of the year, warning investors that the impact of the pandemic was more 'profound' and 'much larger' than it expected. The lender has set aside 3.8billion for a spate of bad debts expected once furloughing ends, more mass job cuts emerge and consumers and businesses start feeling the full force of the economic fallout from the crisis. City insiders had been expecting the bank to post a loss closer to 30million rather than over 600million and a year ago the group unveiled a 2.9billion profit. Like other major banks, including Barclays and Santander, Lloyds said its help for individuals and businesses during the pandemic would come at a cost to the businesses' bottom line. Annual loss: Lloyds Banking Group slumped to a pre-tax loss of 602million in the last year The amount of cash it has set aside for bad debts is around 1billion more than analysts had been expecting. Lloyds said its outlook for the year remained 'highly uncertain' and warned that the impact of lower rates and economic fragility would continue for at least the rest of the year.' Shares in FTSE-100 listed Lloyds fell sharply this morning and are currently down 6.5 per cent or 1.83p to 26.54p. A year ago, the share price stood closer to the 55.00p mark. Lloyds revealed it has granted over 1.1million payment holidays to retail customers, with around 33,000 capital repayment holidays provided to small businesses and other firms to help them 'alleviate temporary financial pressures.' The payment holidays for retail customers have been granted to people with mortgages, loans, cards and motor finance deals with the bank. The group said it had also dished out over 9billion worth loans to businesses and commercial customers via Government-backed schemes, including Bounce Back loans, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan schemes. Lloyds, which is often seen a bellwether for the UK economy as it is one of the most domestically focused banks, said it expects impairments to top 4.5billion to 5.5billion by the end of its financial year. The amount of cash being stashed away by Lloyds' customers in the first half increased by 29billion and 13billion in the first quarter, partly as a result of lower consumer spending during lockdown. Outgoing boss Antonio Horta-Osorio, said: 'The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the first half of 2020 has been profound on the way we live our lives and on the global economy. We remain fully focused on helping our customers and the UK economy recover, in collaboration with Government and our regulators.' Lloyds' boss Antonio Horta-Osorio, said: 'The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the first half of 2020 has been profound on the way we live our lives and on the global economy' Forecasts: Lloyds Banking Group's post Covid-19 forecasts and economic predictions He added: 'Although the outlook is uncertain, the Group's financial strength and business model allow us to help Britain recover and play our part in returning our country to prosperity. 'Our customer focused strategic plan remains fully aligned with the Group's long term strategic objectives, the position of our franchise and the interests of shareholders.' Lloyds is searching for a new chief executive to help steer it through the economic fallout from the pandemic, after Horta-Osorio announced earlier this month his plans to step down after a decade at the helm. In line with other banks, Lloyds told its shareholders on 31 March that they would not receive any dividend payouts this year. Today Lloyds said: 'The Board will decide on any dividend distributions or buybacks on ordinary shares in respect of 2020 at year end, in line with the approved dividend policy. Payment holidays: Barclays also said it handed out payment holidays on 157,000 credit cards, 106,000 loans and 121,000 mortgages during the pandemic Donald Brown, a senior investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, said: 'Lloyds' pre-tax loss is worse than analyst expectations and, like Barclays earlier in the week, it has had to set aside a large amount of capital to offset the potential impact of Covid-19 on its loan book, with bad debts expected to rise sharply. 'However, the bank is well capitalised and strong liquidity and increased customer deposits mean it has the opportunity to lend into the recovery, with the potential to underpin longer-term growth. 'Of all the major banks, Lloyds is most exposed to the performance of the UK economy which brings with it its own set of challenges not least the influence of Brexit, which is still taking shape in the background. Nevertheless, the underlying tone of the statement is gloomy, as the bank seeks a new CEO to guide the group forward.' A sector under pressure Major banks across Europe have been counting the cost of likely bad loans due to the pandemic this week, with Santander setting aside extra provisions as it gears up for a spate of bad debts. Lloyds' domestic rival Barclays has also set aside 3.7billion for the first half as it braces itself for piles of bad debts likely to emerge later this year. This week, Barclays said it had handed out payment holidays on 157,000 credit cards, 106,000 loans and 121,000 mortgages, on borrowing worth a collective 16.2billion. Huge loss: Santander posted its first quarterly loss in its 163-year history this week On Wednesday, Spanish lender Santander reported the first quarterly loss in its 163-year history, of 11.1billion, which reflected both loan impairments and a write-down in the value of some assets. Britain's third-largest mortgage lender Santander UK revealed in its half year results that more than a fifth of mortgage borrowers, 239,000 in all, had asked for three-month breaks on home loans worth a collective 37.1billion. But, the number of customers still on payment holidays had fallen to 7 per cent by 15 July, the bank said, as thousands didn't take up the option of a further three-month break and instead began making repayments again. Ana Botin, the executive chairman of Santander, said: 'The past six months have been among the most challenging in our history. The impact of the pandemic has tested us all and I am proud of how Santander has responded.' A former Frankston City Council manager has admitted to defrauding ratepayers out of $460,870, saying his actions were partly driven by insecurity about a relationship with his new girlfriend. Andrew James Williamson, 45, the council's former infrastructure manager, created fake invoices for a sole trader electrician to work for Frankston City Council between September 2016 and April 2017. Former Frankston City Council manager of infrastructure Andrew Williamson. Credit:Facebook In those seven months, Williamson funnelled $460,870 in council money through the sole trader's account and kept $346,554.81, the prosecution said. Williamson also admitted to falsifying invoices to the electrician, Aiden Magnik of A Good Electrician, and trying to dishonestly obtain a further $65,530 in council funds in May 2017. Beauty lovers are obsessing over a makeup artist's lavish 'glam room' fitted with neon lights, storage space for thousands of products and a theatrical Hollywood mirror. Analyce Thomas posted photos of her newly renovated home studio in a group on Facebook, telling members she is 'beyond happy' with the professional space she has always dreamed of. 'I started from nothing and I've always put back into my business and now I finally have this,' the Melbourne creative wrote in the caption. Ms Thomas paints clients' faces on high swivel chairs in front of a large mirror illuminated by light bulbs fitted along either side. A purple sign spelling out her name hangs over the vanity while an eight-tier storage unit houses her vast cosmetics collection. Scroll down for video 'Glam room' of dreams: Melbourne makeup artist Analyce Thomas' home studio, fitted with a custom-made neon sign that spells out her name Ms Thomas has storage space for her vast cosmetics collection made up of thousands of products She shared photos of the room before its redesign to show up-and-coming makeup artists that 'anything is possible' with hard work. The photos have gone viral since they were shared Tuesday, with many calling the studio 'goals' and saying they hoped to have their own some day. Replying to questions in the comments, Ms Thomas said she purchased the sign from Custom Neon, a website that allows you to design your own LED lighting. She didn't disclose the cost but similar sized signs are priced at $779. The creative (pictured) renovated her home studio into the 'glam room' she had always dreamed of Then and now: Photos of the basic set-up Ms Thomas started her business with (left) and her new 'glam room' (right) show how far she has come The drawers come from IKEA while the high swivel chairs were bought in Target two years ago, Ms Thomas revealed. Beauty enthusiasts were blown away by the elaborate design. 'Congratulations girl! Investing in yourself and your [business] is the most powerful and empowering message to yourself to say you've totally got this and deserve every success! Proud of you,' a fellow artist said. Another said: 'Looks amazing. It's so elite, can't deal.' Others said they were 'in love' with the 'dream glam room'. Dozens of makeup brushes and beauty tools are stacked into containers on the Hollywood-style vanity The term 'glam room' was coined by British interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who has designed bespoke makeup stations for every Kardashian-Jenner except Kim over the past decade. Bullard, who has also created glam rooms for two princesses, told Architectural Digest in 2017 that the concept is a 'must-have' for celebrities with large social media followings. 'The way a home gym used to be the fashion, it's now the glam room,' he said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 09:44 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a6de0d 1 Editorial face-masks,face-mask,COVID-19,pandemic,Idul-Adha,#Editorial Free The COVID-19 pandemic has changed peoples lives, including religious rituals. In the coronavirus version of Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice), Muslims in Indonesia are once again called upon to bend teachings and tradition. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has called on Muslims nationwide to perform strict health protocols to prevent virus transmission. Those who live in highrisk areas, known as red zones, should avoid praying in mosques and conduct the qurban (sacrificing animals) in proper slaughterhouses to prevent crowds gathering. In Jakarta, as of last Thursday, some 33 community units (RW) were categorized as red zones, an increase from 30 RWs recorded earlier. The 33 RWs are spread across 26 subdistricts in all six administrative areas in Jakarta. This is a good time for Muslims to quietly reflect on generosity and the sincerity of giving. With the sacrificed animals not visible to the eyes of those who make the sacrifice, Muslims are learning to give without expecting anything in return. Something that is often missing from daily life. Those who were supposed to go on the haj have been disappointed because Saudi Arabia is not allowing haj pilgrims from outside the country, which will also be a test for the hopeful pilgrims who had spent years waiting to go to Mecca. In the same spirit of sacrifice, the countrys citizens should learn to let go of many things to maintain their health and safety during the outbreak. The government has so many oversight problems that it is sometimes very hard to rely on it to implement health protocols. Pressured by the need to make a living and the absence of strong social protection, discipline is a serious problem for many people in this country. Breadwinners still go to offices and factories despite a lack of safety provisions on public transportation and in their workplaces. When it comes to choosing between their family and their health, it is often an easy choice for them, family comes first. But this kind of sacrifice is actually short-sighted. Because when they fall sick, it is their family members who must bear the burden. What people should remember these days is to be mindful of themselves and their health. Because by caring about themselves, it means they care about others, including their families. Dozens of others, in their workplace, on public transportation or even in their homes could contract the virus if they let down their guard and allow the virus to strike. Vaccines and medicines are still on trial and it could be next year before people can access them. So, the focus is on how to best protect ourselves. Wearing masks at all times when in public, washing hands and keeping a distancethese are the true sacrifices that people should make these days. This may make our journeys longer, make it more difficult to access offices and mean we see friends and relatives less often, but eventually it will keep them safe. These are actually simple things to do and can be done quietly without government officials or office supervisors forcing us. But the hardest problem is usually controlling ourselves. The late George Floyd has taken on a new form. Thanks to a collaboration between Houston's George Floyd foundation and Change.org, a hologram effigy of the 46-year-old will tour the U.S., following the route of the 1961 Freedom Rides, according to the New York Daily News. In a statement to NY Daily News, Change.org senior campaigner Sylvia Rolle said, This project seeks to replace the monuments of racist confederate memory with symbols of solidarity and justice." Launched Monday night in Richmond, Va., the hologram first replaced a statue of Jefferson Davis, BET reported. Tuesday night, while still in Richmond, Floyd's hologram replaced the Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee. The statue will make stops in numerous Southern states, including North Carolina and Georgia. 'JUSTICE FOR VANESSA GUILLEN': Spc. Vanessa Guillen's family to introduce the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill, meet with Trump Floyd's family is both honored and grateful to see his name live on and said they have enjoyed being a part of this special moment. Since the death of my brother George, his face has been seen all over the world, Floyds brother Rodney Floyd said, as reported by NY Daily News. The hologram will allow my brothers face to be seen as a symbol for change in places where change is needed most. He's absolutely right when he says his brother's face has been seen all over the world. Here in Houston, where Floyd had deep Third Ward ties, he was honored with tons of murals, peaceful protests and ceremonies in his memory. It warms my heart knowing the love that my brother is spreading around the world, NY Daily News reported from Floyd's brother. Im hurting right now, but Im happy to be here. But its just hard just being here, looking at my brother, seeing him on a hologram. I never thought Id see my brother on a hologram. I always thought that wed grow old, fish, and die all together in a natural death. Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, when former Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled into his neck for almost eight minutes. After public outcry, deadly riots and protests, Chauvin and three officers who were on scene with him, but did nothing to help, were charged and fired. The Lagos State Government says it has earmarked N1 billion as part of COVID-19 bailout for the hospitality sector in the state. Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known on Wednesday in Ikeja during the 6th Lagos Corporate Assembly, tagged: BOS Meets Business. The Lagos Corporate Assembly was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives. Sanwo-Olu said that the fund would be accessed through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). One of the commitment that we will continue to give to you is that when it comes to your businesses, we must continue to ensure that we give you the opportunity to do well, we give you the space to thrive. It is only when you do well that Lagos can continue to have that lead, that Lagos can continue to remain that place that good businesses can continue to thrive. We need to do a lot more for the industry. We have just given approval for a N1 billion support that will go through the Lagos Employment Trust Fund. The hospitality operators have to meet certain criteria to be able to access the fund. I am working collaboratively with the CBN to get specific sign up from them that I will donate to the hospitality industry in Lagos, he said. The governor said that measures already being implemented to ensure a business friendly environment included waivers of penalties on annual tax remittance and tax returns on COVID-19 donations. He said that the measures also included the signing of a new Land Use Charge Law with a 48 per cent reduction in the 2018 payment of the charge. Sanwo-Olu assured members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) that a list of approved taxes would be published on the state's website to resolve the issue of multiple taxation. Representatives of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) who attended the interactive meeting, the first by the Sanwo-Olu administration, commended the state government for continuing the meeting. Members of the OPS present included Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, NACCIMA, SMEDAN and Nigeria Employers Consultative Association. The meeting was also attended by the State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, and other top government officials. At the meeting, the OPS asked the state government to review the 10p.m. curfew imposed in the state because of the COVID -19 pandemic. The OPS also urged the state government to address issues of taxation, bad roads and unwholesome attitude of some officials. They commended the state government for the various measures already implemented and solicited more to ensure a robust environment for businesses to thrive. In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs Lola Akande, said that all the issues raised during previous meetings had been resolved by the relevant government ministries and agencies. Akande said that the issues, contributions and feedback helped immeasurably to improve on government's service delivery towards making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.(NAN) On July 29, 2020, the 300th China-Europe freight train in 2020 set out from Hefeibei Railway Station in Hefei, east Chinas Anhui province, to Vorcino, Russia via Erlian Port, with 100 TEUs of goods such as refrigerators and freezers. Despite the COVID-19 epidemic and floodsHefei International Land Port worked together with Hefeibei Railway Station, Hefei Customs and China Railway International Multimodal Transport Co.to ensure high-quality and large-scale operation of China-Europe freight trains on a regular basis. Hefei was among the first cities in China to resume operation of China-Europe freight trains amid the epidemic. They have delivered 800 tons of medical supplies including masks and protective suits. The travel time between Hefei and Neuss, Germany has been shortened to 12 days from 15-16 days since March, and that between the Chinese city and Helsinki, capital of Finland, has been reduced from 14 days to 10 days. Return trips from Europe to Hefei saw a 100.34 percent year-on-year increase in the value of cargo during the first half of this year. The city has launched 20 routes to 24 cities in eight foreign countries. The proportion of homegrown products in the total cargo rose more than 20 percent year on year. Cargo from the Yangtze River Delta region, which consists of Shanghai municipality and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, accounted for over 80 percent of the total. The China-Europe freight train services provide sufficient transport capacity guarantee for the development of export-oriented economy in the eastern Chinese region.(By Li Renjian) Brussels, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2020 ) :The EU is to reimpose travel restrictions on Algeria, diplomats said Wednesday, after a resurgence of coronavirus in the north African state. Governments have restricted inbound travel from outside the EU in order to slow the spread of the epidemic, but on July 1 began reopening their borders to travellers from certain areas. The bloc is expected to announce on Thursday that Algeria is being removed from a list of non-EU countries deemed to have the virus under relative control, a number of diplomats told AFP. Though the final decision on who to admit rests with national governments, the move effectively bans travel from Algeria to the EU. An EU diplomat said that Algeria's neighbour Morocco would stay on the safe list but would be kept under close watch. Algeria has seen a rise in coronavirus cases, with 675 infections -- a one-day record for the country -- recorded on Friday. The EU's safe list -- which is reviewed every two weeks -- also includes Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The travel list is not binding on member states, and some -- such as Hungary -- have imposed tighter measures of their own. For Marwa Conelly, the upcoming Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday was supposed to be extra celebratory this year she was looking forward to getting engaged around that time. Then she lost her father to the coronavirus, and less than 24 hours later her mother, who died unaware her husband, whom she had known since childhood, was gone. Now the thought of spending Eid at their home without them fills Conelly with dread. I will miss them, Conelly said. I just want to go to sleep and wake up to find that the Eid period has passed already. With the coronavirus ravaging the world, Eid comes as the wounds of the bereaved are raw, and for Muslims in the throes of grief, it can amplify the pain. Many are wrestling with how to navigate its rituals without lost loved ones, as some seek ways to honor the departed during the holiday. Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorates the Quranic tale of the Prophet Ibrahims willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. In Egypt, where the Conellys live, the first day of Eid will be on Friday. Normally the family has a festive but laid-back routine for the first day of Eid. After Marwa Conelly returns home from the Eid prayer at the mosque, the family would breakfast and then nap before gathering again for more food and television. There would be joking and teasing: Conelly, 30, would ask about her Eidiya, the cash gift traditionally handed out to kids during the holiday. Her mom would playfully tell her she was too old for that now, even though they still give her and her sister Eidiya. This year she will miss all of it, even the battles over who washes the dishes, and is thinking of staying elsewhere. Such struggles can ring true across faith communities. The holidays are a time we celebrate together and share our rituals and share our worship or our beliefs, said David Kessler, author of Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. And if your loved one has died, their absence is extremely loud during a holiday. In Iraq, Mohamed, who asked to be identified with just one name due to the sensitivity surrounding the virus, remembers planting kisses on his fathers head and hand on Eid as he wished him a happy holiday. His father died in May. Hospitalized and under quarantine, Mohamed was unable to say goodbye or attend his burial, shortly before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Before, we felt joy during Eid, he said. Not anymore, not like before. For Eid al-Adha, Mohamed said, his family is thinking of baking date cookies a favorite of his dads to bring to the neighbors while asking them to pray for him. Since my father died, people have been too afraid to visit because of the coronavirus, he said. Indeed, Kessler said fears of contagion have denied many families the support they could otherwise count on in times of bereavement. People who would usually be coming over and bringing casseroles and, you know, sitting at your kitchen table with you didnt do that, he said. Kessler, who in March launched an online grief support group that has attracted nearly 17,000 members, said religious and nonreligious holidays alike, from Easter and Passover to Mothers Day and Fathers Day, have been very, very intense for the bereaved. Besides the loss of loved ones, the pandemic has taken a toll on a sacred mainstay of Islam: the hajj pilgrimage, in which Muslims typically pour into Saudi Arabia before the start of Eid. One of the pillars of the faith, it is required once in the lifetime of each able Muslim, and many people around the globe spend years saving money to afford the journey. This year the hajj is sharply curtailed due to the coronavirus, with only very limited numbers of those already residing in Saudi Arabia allowed to take part. In one of the rituals, the faithful circle the cube-shaped Kaaba building toward which Muslims around the world pray daily. Heather Laird, president of the Center for Muslim Mental Health and Islamic Psychology in California, said the hajj has such deep spiritual meaning that losing access to it can be a cause for mourning. She cried when she realized she would not be able to make the hajj this year as she had hoped, and wondered if she may never get another chance. She has asked someone close to her to pray with her that the virus is gone by next year. Ive actually been wanting to go for several years, she said. Im just hoping and praying that I have another opportunity. Some see in Eid a chance for spiritual succor as they remember those lost. Mostafa Omar of Egypt said his mother had been looking forward to performing the ritual sacrifice of an animal to feed the needy this Eid. After she was felled by COVID-19, the family will carry out that wish. It gives me comfort to do what she wanted, Omar said, to make her happy. And for Doaa el-Agoze, also in Egypt, it will be the first Eid without a cousin and an uncle lost to the virus and two other relatives who died of other causes. El-Agoze learned of her cousins death as she was fighting the virus herself and dealing with questions about her own mortality. For her family, Eid is normally a boisterous affair full of food, chatter, laughter and music: It feels like we all are kids still. She doesnt know exactly what this Eid will be like, but she and others want to go to the cemetery to pray through masked mouths for their loved ones. We want them to know that even while they are not with us, we will not forget them and that we love them, she said. I pray that they are spending their Eid in heaven. ___ Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support from the Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Mira / Alamy Stock Photo How to drive with a trailer Your car, SUV or pickup will handle differently with even a small trailer attached. Here's how you can make piloting this ship the best experience. Load your supplies toward the front, the heaviest in front of the trailer's axle; center them; tie them down; and pack minimally. Attach the trailer to your vehicle correctly, including the hitch, a cable for the trailer's brakes, and a cable for the emergency breakaway system that stops the trailer safely if it disconnects from your vehicle. Check tire pressure on both your vehicle and the trailer to correctly inflate the tires. Also note the speed ratings for your trailer's tires, often 60 to 65 mph, and stay under that maximum speed. Practice backing up, braking and maneuvering in a wide open space, such as an empty parking lot, before you hit the road. Make sure you can see the back end of your trailer through both side mirrors. Empty any wastewater and gray-water holding tanks often on a trip to reduce your weight and increase gas mileage. Wait to fill your freshwater tank before you set up camp rather than at home for the same reason. Drive more slowly than you would if you had just your car and make peace with staying in the slow lane. You will accelerate more slowly because of the extra weight and take longer to stop. The higher center of gravity that most trailers have in comparison to cars means they can tip over more easily. Slamming on the brakes could cause a skid or jackknife. Use your turn signals and watch for others who might cut in front of you. You need to keep ample distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Anticipate making wide turns so you won't bump anything on the inside of a turn, and avoid any turns sharper than 90 degrees. Be wary of trailer sway. A large vehicle, such as a tractor trailer, passing you at a high speed can cause your trailer to wiggle back and forth. High winds or high speeds also can cause the problem. Don't try to counter steer; this is not an icy parking lot. Instead, take your foot off the gas to slow down by at least 10 mph. Don't apply the brakes. Hold your steering wheel in the straight-ahead position. As soon as possible, stop to reload your trailer with at least 60 percent of your cargo's weight at the front. Aparna wants to clear something up: Its not that she doesnt like comedy; its that she doesnt like bad comedy. And as anyone whos unfortunate enough to date men knows, there are a lot of guys out there who dont realize how unfunny they are. The cast of Indian Matchmaking caught up with Dolly Singh from Netflix India to answer fan questions and share their reactions to their newfound reality TV fame. Aparna clarified that its very hard to find good comedy, and that I dont think Im opposed to humor, but I just think that overall a lot of people are not funny. And they think they are. And theyre not. She is a hero for saying it. Akshay talks about breaking off his engagement, and what he meant when he said he wants to find a girl who is like his mom. Nadia spoke about how proud she was to represent Guyana, and Vinay spoke about how defensive he was to represent ghosters. Pradhyuman gave this prolonged reason for why hes turned down 150 matches, using a metaphor where he compares women to cell phones? These interviews all happen over Zoom, which gives a glimpse into everyones quarantine apartment setup. Most disturbing of all is Gurus decor choices: the only thing on his shelf is a stuffed animal that says Hudson Yards on it. We hope Sima Aunty watches this video and takes note, because thats a red flag. Related Hundreds of workers will be investigated for allegedly dipping into their superannuation funds for the wrong reasons with almost $42billion being pulled out of the scheme early. Cash-strapped Australians have been given the chance to withdraw up to $20,000 from their retirement savings if they found themselves in financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. But some have been using the cash to pay down mortgages or even put deposits on a home, prompting fears young workers will face a financial crisis in their retirement. Cash-strapped Australians have been given the chance to withdraw up to $20,000 from their retirement savings (pictured, queues at a Centrelink in Brisbane during the crisis) Some workers have been using the cash to pay down mortgages or put deposits on a home About 10 per cent of customers are now up to $25,000 ahead on their mortgages, one lender told the Sydney Morning Herald. The Australian Tax Office admitted on Thursday not a single eligibility check has been done since the scheme was launched. Tax Office second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn told a senate committee the ATO has been working on the assumption Australians are honest. He said a program is now being set up to check if people are ineligible to use the scheme. Anyone found ineligible could face fines up to $12,600, and they can also be taxed on the withdrawn amount. Treasury predicts $41.9 billion will be pulled out of workers' accounts early during the coronavirus pandemic, far higher than initial estimate of $29.5 billion WHO CAN ACCESS COVID-19 EARLY RELEASE OF SUPER Citizens and permanent residents Citizens and permanent residents are able to apply to access up to: $10,000 of their super until June 30 and a further $10,000 from July 2020 1 until 24 September 2020. Applicants must satisfy one or more criteria: You are unemployed. You are eligible to receive a job seeker payment, youth allowance for jobseekers, parenting payment (which includes the single and partnered payments), special benefit or farm household allowance. On or after 1 January 2020, either: you were made redundant, your working hours were reduced by 20% or more, your business was suspended or there was a reduction in your turnover of 20% or more. SOURCE: AUSTRALIAN TAX OFFICE Advertisement To be eligible, people must have been made redundant, become unemployed, had their hours reduced or be on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance or Parenting Payment. More than 2.6 million people have used the early release program, which allows people in hardship to access $10,000 at a time over two rounds. The Treasury predicted $41.9billion will be pulled out of workers' accounts early during the coronavirus pandemic, far higher than initial estimate of $29.5billion. Industry Super Australia chair Greg Combet said 560,000 people had completely cleaned out their accounts, with 460,000 under the age of 35. 'That's simply creating a big problem for them down the road in retirement and also for taxpayers. It just pushes people back on to the pension,' he told the ABC. He said industry super funds would oppose any move to extend the early release scheme beyond December. Labor's financial services spokesman Stephen Jones slammed the government's handling of the scheme. He said it was 'extraordinary' it had taken the ATO this long to address the issues with the scheme. 'If people have been accessing this scheme outside the eligibility process, there are consequences for that. 'That should have been pointed out from the beginning - $12,600 in fines and a hefty tax bill, it's not good enough.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not lecture people on how to spend the savings they withdrew. 'Superannuation doesn't belong to the superannuation fund managers. It belongs to the superannuation fund members.' WASHINGTON -- The 16-year-old sister of a slain Army specialist took the stage in front of 100 people on the National Mall in Washington on Thursday and fervently demanded Congress pass reforms to prevent more deaths. "This has to stop," Lupe Guillen said. "Fort Hood should be held accountable. Their leadership has to be held accountable. They signed to protect and respect every soldier, but they didn't protect my sister, they didn't respect my sister." Spc. Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old small arms repairer stationed at Fort Hood, was killed by another soldier April 22. She was reported missing in late April, and her remains were found more than two months later about 20 miles from the base. Guillen's family has said that she faced sexual harassment on base but was too afraid to report it. "My sister didn't report it," Lupe Guillen screamed to the crowd Thursday. "Why? Because she was afraid to. She was afraid of retaliation." Guillen's family, along with their attorney, Natalie Khawam, gathered outside the Capitol on the National Mall to announce the #IamVanessaGuillen bill. The measure would allow service members to file claims of sexual harassment and assault to a third-party agency, rather than through the chain of command, Khawam said. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, attended the rally in support of the family, as did dozens of other people from as far as Texas and California. Following speeches from Lupe Guillen and Vanessa Guillen's mother, Gloria, the crowd marched to the White House. The Guillen family met with President Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon to present him with their bill. "I'm grateful for the president to be hearing me," Lupe Guillen said. "I'm not nervous to speak to him, because this has to stop." In addition to announcing new legislation, the Guillen family again demanded a congressional investigation into Vanessa's death. As the family was speaking to the crowd in Washington on Thursday, the Army announced they would launch an independent review of Fort Hood. The panel that will investigate the base includes five lawyers who are not in the military. The group will look into base's culture and report their findings to James McPherson, undersecretary of the Army, and Gen. Joseph Martin, the Army's vice chief of staff. In a statement Thursday, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said, "The Army is committed to taking care of our soldiers, civilians, families and soldiers for life, and this independent review will explore the current command climate and culture at Fort Hood." The Guillen family was critical of the Army and the Army Criminal Investigation Command for not responding fast enough to find Guillen when she went missing in April. Spc. Aaron Robinson, a fellow soldier, is believed to have killed Guillen with a hammer in an arms room, and then moved her body to a site along the Leon River. When confronted June 30 by local law enforcement in Killeen, Texas, Robinson shot himself in the head and died. Robinson's girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was being held without bail on three federal charges related to helping Robinson mutilate and hide Guillen's body. Mayra Guillen, another of Vanessa's sisters, said Thursday she was proud of her sister for joining the Army. Now, however, she regrets not talking her out of it. Lupe Guillen said none of Vanessa Guillen's superiors approached the family at her memorial to offer condolences. "I don't want to see another man or woman dead at Fort Hood," Lupe Guillen said. "I don't want to see another man or woman sexually harassed or assaulted at Fort Hood. They treated my sister like she was a nobody. The Army sees her as an object, a number." CHICAGO, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- JPMorgan Chase gave preferential treatment to large commercial banking clients seeking emergency loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) at the expense of smaller businesses, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday that will be the subject of a consolidation hearing today by a Joint Panel on Multistate Litigation. According to the lawsuit filed by Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm on behalf of Illinois technology company Ajira AI LLC, Chase and other banks participating in the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program became key gatekeepers in the disbursement of nearly $349 billion in pandemic-related financial aid for businesses. The program awarded participating banks with an origination fee based on a percentage of the value of each loan they processed. According to published reports, nearly all of Chase's private and commercial banking clients who applied for a PPP loan received one, while only about 1 out of 15 smaller businesses that sought loans was successful. While small companies struggled to navigate glitches in the Chase website, larger businesses received individualized personal attention, according to the lawsuit. Chase ultimately awarded $14 billion in loans the most of any bank participating in the PPP program. "Small companies like Ajira AI deserved a fair chance for emergency funding to avoid layoffs and save their businesses," said Fears Nachawati trial lawyer Matthew McCarley. "Instead, they were victims of a two-tiered system that processed loans for favored customers first." Ajira AI applied for a $30,000 PPP loan through Chase on April 7. The company was informed on April 17 that the funds had been exhausted. The company later provided additional information when funding was replenished, but that application was denied because bank representatives wrongly rejected it for lacking documentation. The lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, fraudulent concealment, tortious interference and unfair and deceptive business practices. Since similar lawsuits have been filed on behalf of other small businesses, Mr. McCarley said those lawsuits should be consolidated so that they can move through the courts more efficiently for all parties. The case is Ajira AI LLC et al. v JPMorgan Chase Bank, Cause No. 20-CV-04428, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In addition to Fears Nachawati, Ajira is represented by Chicago-based Khowaja Law Firm. Dallas-based Fears Nachawati Law Firm represents individuals and businesses in cases involving environmental and water contamination litigation, public entities, private entities, mass torts, drug and medical device cases, wrongful death, and products liability. For more information, visit https://www.fnlawfirm.com. Media Contact: Robert Tharp 800-559-4534 [email protected] SOURCE Fears Nachawati Law Firm Related Links https://www.fnlawfirm.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- State officials continued their campaign against bars and restaurants violating coronavirus mandates Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a Wednesday press call. In total, the state issued violations to 29 businesses -- three of which are on Staten Island, Cuomo said. A spokesman for the governors office said formal charges had not yet been filed against the Staten Island businesses, so they could not be identified. Cuomo also said the state had issued 12 summary suspensions for licenses issued by the State Liquor Board Authority. Two Brooklyn businesses had their licenses suspended, along with one in the Bronx, three in Manhattan and six in Queens. Since the start of the pandemic, 57 businesses have had their liquor licenses suspended -- none have been on Staten Island. While New York states COVID-19 numbers continue to steadily decline, there are alarming increases in states across the country and now is not the time to let our guard down, Cuomo said. Local governments need to do their job, but the state is supplementing their efforts in every way we can. Noncompliance will lead us right back where we were just a few months ago -- so we must continue to crack down on the bad actors who violate the law and risk everyones health and safety, he continued. This week, the states multi-agency task force, led by the SLA and state police, has done 1,131 compliance checks, observing violations at 55 establishments, according to a media release from the governors office. Businesses found to be in violation face fines of up to $10,000 per violation, and those that receive suspensions can have those licenses permanently revoked. SLA Chair Vincent Bradley said the rules put in place by the governor will continue to be aggressively enforced. Cuomo has pointed to social distancing shortcomings as cause for concern, along with rising rates around the country. The health and safety of New Yorkers should be everyones priority, and we will continue to weed out those who are not taking this pandemic seriously, Bradley said. Of the 62,276 tests conducted Tuesday, the state found an infection rate of 1.1%. Five New Yorkers died Tuesday with the virus, and 619 of the states residents remained hospitalized. 3 1 of 3 Gilbert Carrasquillo - Getty Images Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Scott Olson - Getty Images Show More Show Less 3 of 3 Like many Americans, we can't get enough of Michelle Obama. From her inspiring speeches as First Lady to her Netflix documentary, Becoming, Obama always has the right words to say to make us feel powerful and informed. Fortunately, there's now an easy way to hear a whole lot more from her. On July 29, the author and lawyer launched The Michelle Obama Podcast, a new audio show on Spotify. According to its description, the podcast features the former First Lady in conversations with loved ones and colleagues about the "relationships in our lives that make us who we are." The first episode features Obama in a conversation with her husband, former President Barack Obama. They discuss everything from their upbringings and early careers to our responsibilities to our communities and our country. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Rohan Patil It was an action-packed day on July 29 as the benchmark index Nifty and the banking index swung both ways, keeping intraday traders on the edge. Nifty failed its previous sessions breakout and formed a bearish harami candlestick pattern on the daily chart. Generally, such a candlestick pattern requires confirmation of the red candle, closing below the bearish pattern. Nifty has reached close to the resistance of 78.6 percent retracement of the entire downswing seen from January 2020 top to March 2020 bottom. On the lower side, a breach of 10,900 level which is 21-day EMA, will test the lower band of the channel, which is placed at 10,750. On the higher side, the upside is likely to be capped near 10,600 which is the upper band of the rising channel pattern. Midcap100 index closed above its 50-week exponential moving average on the weekly interval but still, it is underperforming the benchmark index which is visible on the Relative Strength (RS) indicator on the weekly chart. Nifty has neglected its bearish ABCD harmonic pattern which was placed at 10,971 level on the weekly chart. For the Bank Nifty, momentum oscillators are gradually rising higher on the weekly interval but still, the banking index is underperforming the benchmark index Nifty which is visible on the Relative Strength (RS) indicator on the weekly chart. Here are three buy calls for the next 2-3 weeks: Sonata Software | Buy | LTP: Rs 258.70 | Target price: Rs 295 | Stop loss: Rs 240 | Upside: 14% Sonata Software has completed a consolation pattern and witnessed a breakout above its trendline resistance on July 29th on the daily timeframe. At the current juncture, the stock has given a fresh breakout above its 100-days exponential moving average on the daily interval along with marginally higher volumes. The majority of indicators and oscillators are showing a positive trend for the current scenario. Furthermore, prices have sustained above all its major simple moving averages. Traders can accumulate the stock in the range of Rs 257-261 for the target of Rs 295 with a stop loss below Rs 240 on a daily closing basis. Tata Steel | Buy | LTP: Rs 372.85 | Target price: Rs 410 | Stop loss: Rs 350 | Upside: 10% On July 20th, the stock managed to surpass the multiple resistance zones around Rs 340 350, which eventually confirmed a smaller degree triangle breakout. After that, the stock consolidated and completed its throwback near its trendline support. The recent leg of strong up-move is also supported by strong volumes and it also resembles a strong consolidation breakout. The stock is trading above its exponential moving averages (21 and 50) on the daily chart. Momentum oscillator RSI (14) is reading above 60 levels with positive crossover. The MACD indicator is reading above its line of polarity with positive sentiments. Traders can accumulate the stock in the range of Rs 370 - 375 for the target of Rs 410 with a stop loss below Rs 350 on a daily closing basis. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company | Buy | LTP: Rs 451 | Target price: Rs 490 | Stop loss: Rs 425 | Upside: 9% Since March 2020, the stock has been trading in a higher high higher low formation. It confirmed a horizontal trendline breakout on the daily timeline. Volumes have been rising along with the prices. The counter is trading near its four-month high level. The short and medium-term trend of the stock is positive as it is trading above (21, 50 and 100- day) exponential moving averages on the daily interval. Oscillators and momentum indicators like RSI and MACD are showing strength in the stock. Traders can accumulate the stock in the range of Rs 447-451 for the target of Rs 490 with a stop loss below Rs 425 on a daily closing basis. (The author is a technical analyst at Bonanza Portfolio) 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. Hardik Satishchandra Shah, a 2010 batch IAS officer has been appointed private secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shahs appointment was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Thursday, an order by the department of personnel and training said. Shah, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, is serving as deputy secretary in the PMO. Hardik Satishchandra Shah will take over from Rajeev Topno. Topno, a 1996 batch IAS officer, was appointed as senior advisor to the World Bank Executive Director in June. He is expected to proceed to Washington for his new assignment after 15 August. Topno, also a Gujarat cadre officer, had spent 11 years in the Prime Ministers Office, first as a deputy secretary in 2009 when Manmohan Singh had just started his second term. PM Modi continued with him, appointing him to his personal staff. Hardik Satishchandra Shahs first assignment at the Centre was in 2017 when he joined as private secretary to environment minister Anil Madhav Dave. He continued in the environment ministers personal office after Prakash Javadekar came in before finally moving to the PMO in 2019 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Some 26.5 million kilograms of potatoes were exported to Turkmenistan for a total amount of $5.9 million from January through May of 2020, Trend reports, citing the Eurasian Economic Commissions statistics. The main exporters were Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The share of Kazakhstan in the amount of exported potatoes is $2.2 million, the share of Kyrgyzstan $507,785, and the share of Russia $3.1 million. The same countries exported 3.2 million kilograms of onions and garlic to Turkmenistan, for a total amount of $279,312 from January through May. According to the Eurasian Economic Commissions statistics, Russia and Belarus exported a large volume of dairy products to Turkmenistan from January through May 2020. Some 299,239 tons of milk and cream worth $705,643 were exported to Turkmenistan by aforesaid countries from January through May. Belarus share from the above amount is $622,377, while Russias share $83,265. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Sushant Singh Rajput's case is only getting murkier by the day with recent developments that are making the people question the way how Mumbai Police has been investigating the case. On 14th June, we lost Sushant and it's been more than one and a half months that all his fans have been asking for justice. It was Sandip Ssingh who was one of the first few people who reached Sushant's house just after the news came that he was no more. But, it feels like he, who claims to be his close friend, has made a mockery of the entire situation. In earlier interviews with Bollywood Hungama and SpotBoye, he rightly claimed that he was battling depression and he shouldnt have taken such a step. We all go through ups and downs, Ive also been under depression for not being able to make the film I wanted to till now. Par yeh galat raasta chuna usne. Wish he spoke to me once, in his own words, Sandip said that Sushant died by suicide. He also dismissed the allegations of Sushant being boycotted by the Bollywood mafia gang. He said, People are saying he lost seven films, blaming his relationship status, even claiming he did not have money...But Sushant did not specify the reasons for his decision, these are all our assumptions. He was an outsider and he worked with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, he also did two films for Abhishek Kapoor. He worked with Neeraj Pandey and was to work with Ramesh Taurani and Rumi Jafry. Sandip, what changed your perception when you were invited to Arnab Goswamis debate yesterday? From saying that he was depressed to he might not have taken such a step, statements have twisted and your truth is conflicted and doesnt have a strong stand. Here are the revelations that Sandip did yesterday and a few questions that I have to ask him: 1. He revealed that Mumbai Police have not recorded his statement. According to law, if nothing is registered as a written statement, its not considered as a record to testify. He said, They have not taken my statement as of now. They have spoken to me, they have taken all the details from me. They have spoken to me in detail. Why wasnt this revealed earlier in the interviews you gave to Bollywood Hungama? If you had shared this earlier, it would have helped Sushant get justice. 2. He revealed that he received a call from Mahesh Shetty and they rushed to Sushants flat. First, he said that police didnt allow them to enter inside the flat, and after when it was being asked about the height of the room and ceilings, he said they were standing just outside the room. Thats contradicting! 3. He claimed that he was a close friend to Sushant but when Arnab probed him further, he wasnt in touch with him for months. He told Arnab that he wasnt in contact with him for over 10 months. He told Sushant wasnt in touch with anyone. He said that he shared a relationship with Sushant that goes past 10 years. 4. He clearly denied that Sushant is not someone who would have taken his own life. He is a very very happy guy and he was a clear person and always wanted to know what he wanted to do, said Sandip. If you had this stand, why didnt you come out earlier? What were you waiting for? And you praising Republic or Arnab for bringing the truth doesnt give you a clean chit. 5. Sandip also said that he was connected with him over text messages but he didnt remember when the two had the last conversation. If there was no connection whatsoever, why are you hogging the limelight and giving interviews to every channel thats approaching you? 6. He claimed that the rooms ceiling was not high but he hadnt entered the room. He was just outside the room and could gauge the height by seeing it from outside. If you had seen the room and knew the height of the ceiling was low, why did you not point it out earlier? 7. He also went on to say he hadnt ever met Rhea Chakraborty ever. 8. He also denied that he didnt say the marks on his neck and Arnab said that the forensic experts believe that he didnt die by suicide. Why did you earlier say that he killed himself? 9. Sandip also said that it was only one ambulance that was present there. In the entire 30 mins of a conversation with him, he looked confused and sounded uncertain of the statements he was making. What I fail to understand is that Sandip, you claim to be his closest friend, but you were not there when he was going through tough times and why are you changing your statements? Do you have a stand or not? Why this hypocrisy? To me, it feels like you are just hogging the limelight and adding no value. One last question I am posting at you: Why did you leave the debate that was more of a plea for asking for justice for your best friend? On the other hand, recently, Sushant's familys lawyer Vikas Singh stated that the Sushants family had informed Bandra police in February that he is not in a good company and is being harassed. Where were you then, Sandip? We really hope that truth comes out soon and fans get their answers and family gets justice. The talks on compensation for downing of UIA plane have started in Kyiv with the participation of Irans delegation. "Talks on compensation for downing of UIAs PS752 flight with the participation of the Iranian delegation have started in Kyiv today. We have been trying to start the negotiation process for a long time and I welcome the fact that this has happened. The process will not be easy, but we are working to get the result, to achieve justice," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in a video address posted on Foreign Ministry's Facebook page. He assured that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine would make every effort to get the biggest possible sum of compensation. This will allow relieving a bit the pain and grief of the relatives which they have been experiencing for more than six months. We will achieve justice, no matter how much time and effort it costs," the minister stressed. The Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane (flight PS752) heading from Tehran to Kyiv crashed shortly after it took off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport at about 06:00 Tehran time (04:30 Kyiv time) on January 8. There were 176 people on board nine crew members (all Ukrainians) and 167 passengers (citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany, and the UK). All passengers and crew were killed in the crash. On July 18, France's Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority (BEA) received Flight PS752s recorders from Iran. On July 24, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Yevhenii Yenin informed that the transcript from Flight PS752s recorders had confirmed illegal interference with the plane. ol Hybrid inverter integrates distributed energy resources, supports smart grid function Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed an intelligent power electronic inverter platform that can connect locally sited energy resources such as solar panels, energy storage and electric vehicles and smoothly interact with the utility power grid. Inverters convert electricity from the direct current generated by power sources to the alternating current used in homes and the electric grid. Today's inverters face additional challenges -- matching power supply to consumer loads and serving as the primary source of energy conversion between increasingly popular, but intermittent sources of electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind, and connecting to onsite energy storage, EVs and smart appliances. The hybrid inverter platform can do all this while interacting with the larger power grid. ORNL researchers embedded computing capability in the hybrid inverter platform, supporting real-time communication and decision-making between various control systems and the power electronics-based inverter hardware. The platform, using open-source software, is designed to work universally with any control system -- what the industry refers to as plug-and-play. The research is detailed in a publication titled, "Agent-Based Framework for Supporting Behind the Meter Transactive Power Electronic Systems," which was presented at the IEEE 2020 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference. "Every one of the companies offering solar power, smart appliances, EVs and so on typically have a different control system for their products. What we want to create is a way to integrate all these systems using a common platform and create a smoothly functioning, autonomous, distributed energy system," said Madhu Chinthavali, who leads ORNL's Electric Energy Systems Integration group. The platform encourages the installation of clean, energy efficient distributed resources while minimizing the expense of multiple pieces of equipment in a home, he added. The research enables a smart grid -- a system that functions autonomously with real-time monitoring and instantaneous power management for better system stability and resilience to disruption. The platform started with the VOLTTRON open-source software created by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO). ORNL scientists then built a new software agent that can communicate among various control systems down to the power electronics-driven inverter hardware. "We made our own component-level hardware, and that's a strength we bring to the table," Chinthavali said. "We designed from the bottom up, creating our own platform from scratch to consider the ramifications of system controls down to the switch. This helps us design an overall better integrated system." The project is supported by DOE's BTO and Office of Electricity programs through the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC). GMLC brings together national lab resources with DOE program offices such as to modernize the nation's power grid. Next for the technology is scaling up to higher voltage systems. While homes operate on 120 volts, expanding the platform to 240 volts and then to 480 volts enables use in a commercial setting such as a factory. By scaling the technology further, up to 13.8 kilovolts, the researchers can accommodate medium-voltage applications on the larger, bulk power grid system. That scaleup work under the GMLC Medium-Voltage Hub will be performed at ORNL's Grid Research Integration and Deployment Center. The GRID-C research facility is dedicated to the development and evaluation of advanced components for a secure and resilient power grid, including the creation of scalable power electronics devices and controls to support an autonomously functioning grid. "Autonomous systems for the grid can be likened to the evolution of the auto industry," Chinthavali said. "The shift from manual to automatic transmission enabled a system that requires less effort by operators, particularly in congested areas. Today, that automatic gear system is supporting the move to autonomous vehicles. The hybrid inverter platform is a similar building block for the smart, autonomous grid of the future." Other researchers working on the project include Michael Starke, Steven Campbell, Rong Zeng, Sheng Zheng, Mitch Smith, and Teja Kuruganti, all of ORNL. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE's Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https:/ / energy. gov/ science . ### This story has been published on: 2020-07-29. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Teachers unions flex their influence The school year is on the verge of starting in much of the United States, and the country is still deep in a debate over whether, how and when to bring students back. The White House is pushing for a full return to classrooms, school officials are struggling with safety precautions, and concerned parents are becoming increasingly desperate as their children have fallen behind. Adding to that volatile mix, teachers unions are emerging as a powerful force in determining the shape of public education during the pandemic. Teachers across the country are fighting for stronger safety measures, limits to their online teaching responsibilities, and delayed returns to in-person teaching. This week, the nations second-largest teachers union authorized its members to strike if adequate safety precautions like masks and new ventilation systems are not put in place. Teachers unions in Florida have already sued the governor over his push to require in-person instruction. Critics say that teachers unions are inflexible and want to have it both ways: reluctant to return to classrooms, but also resistant to teaching online. Union leaders point out that many teachers went above and beyond their normal duties when schools were closed in the spring. Nagpur: Police claimed on Friday that a retired cashier of the State Bank of India (SBI), allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Saoner. As per the police, he was heavily depressed due to scrapping of high currency notes and thus took the extreme step. Ananda Mukut Bapat (58) hung himself from the ceiling at his house, they said. Police sources said Bapat had amassed huge wealth in the form of scrapped currency notes. He apparently went into depression after the demonetisation move and decided to end life. Bapat had taken VRS from the bank and had started his own business. He had called his son from Pune few months back to assist him in the business, they said. A suicide note left behind by him said that he is taking this extreme step due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes. Saoner Police has registered a case of accidental death (AD) and handed over the body to his son after conducting a post mortem. FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The administration seems to be singling out broadcast giant ABS-CBN with a new set of House probes laid on the table, a group of progressive lawmakers claimed Thursday. In its virtual presser, the Makabayan bloc slammed the recent House resolutions seeking to investigate ABS-CBN and the Lopezes on more issues, which came even after the killing of the media network's franchise application. "Personalan na talaga. Overkill na ang ginawa sa ABS-CBN," said ACT-Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro. "Lugmok na nga, tinanggalan na nga ng prangkisa ang ABS-CBN tapos ganito pa." [Translation: They are really taking it personally. They did an overkill on ABS-CBN. They already killed its franchise, and now this.] Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said the move is being done "straight out of a dictator's playbook," hinting on the network's shutdown during the Marcos regime. "ABS-CBN is clearly being targeted and singled out and this is not okay. Diretsong diretso mula sa playbook ng isang diktador." For Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaits, the congressional investigations, coming from lawmakers who were mostly allies of the administration, appear to be part of a strategy to legitimize a possible "takeover" of the network. Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla, the three staunchest critics of the network, were previously criticized for supposedly plotting a takeover of the network's assets and infrastructure after openly discussing it with his colleagues in a Zoom meeting. Defensor had earlier denied this allegation. Four House resolutions seeking investigations on issues surrounding the broadcast giant were tabled on Tuesday for first reading, looking further into allegations previously raised in the lower chamber's joint committee hearings about its franchise application. Marcoleta, Defensor, and Remulla were signatories to most of them. Three of these resolutions revolved in the authenticity of ABS-CBN's land title, alleged violations in the block time agreement of Amcara Broadcasting Network, and an alleged loan condonation by the Development Bank of the Philippines in favor of companies affiliated with the Lopez family. Around 11,000 employees of the network stand to lose their jobs after the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted to junk its franchise on July 10. READ: TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise CNN Philippines' Xianne Arcangel and Glee Jalea contributed to this report. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: New Education Policy: The new National Education Policy (NEP) recommends a highly-regulated and poorly-funded education model, while it is either confused or silent on how the reforms outlined in it will be achieved, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. Referring to the policy as a progressive document, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said it recognises the flaws in the current education system but was unable to break free of the pressures of old traditions. The NEP is a progressive document but there is no roadmap for its implementation. The nation was waiting for a new education policy for 34 years. It is here now. It is a forward-looking document, which accepts the flaws of todays education system but has two issues with it -- it was unable to break free of the pressures of educations old traditions and does not say how the reforms that it speaks of will be achieved. The policy is either silent or confused on these issues, Sisodia said at a press conference. The policy recommends a highly-regulated and poorly-funded education model. There is an attempt to escape from the governments responsibility to provide quality education in its schools, he added. Teaching in the students mother tongue or regional languages up to Class 5, lowering the stakes of board exams, a single regulator for higher education institutions except for law and medical colleges and common entrance tests for universities are part of the sweeping reforms in the NEP unveiled on Wednesday. Fundamental teaching in mother tongue or regional languages is a progressive step. We also welcome the focus on early childhood education, the deputy chief minister said. Sisodia, who is also the education minister of Delhi, said, If there are going to be common entrance exams in universities, why do we need board exams? What is the need for duplication? A policy, which is now going to be in place for the next few decades, is completely silent on sports. Replacing the 10+2 structure of the school curricula with a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to the 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18 age groups respectively, scrapping M.Phil programmes and implementing common norms for private and public higher education institutions are among other salient features of the new policy. Nick Cordero's widow Amanda Kloots has written an emotional letter about loss following the actor's tragic death from COVID-19 complications earlier this month. The theatre star passed away aged 41 after spending more than 90 days in hospital fighting for his life, who is survived by his heartbroken wife, 38, and their 13-month-old son Elvis. Amanda took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to share a throwback photo of the family-of-three as she detailed her experience with grief and admitted the tragic loss has left her 'unable to think or move'. Tragic: Nick Cordero's widow Amanda Kloots has written an emotional letter about loss following the actor's death (pictured together with son Elvis, 13 months) The fitness instructor, who tied the knot to her late partner in 2017, penned: 'Every day, as I process this loss more and more, I realize new things that are hitting me on a daily basis. 'Today it was that I lost our family. I lost my husband. Elvis lost his father, but today I realized we lost our family.' Sharing the challenges of moving forward, the online influencer explained: 'We didnt really even get to be a family. We wont have those memories that I dreamed of since Elvis was born. This hit me hard. 'It stung like a horrible bug bite actually. The pain of everything has recently begun to stop me in my tracks. Ill be doing something and I freeze, unable to think or move. My gut aches, it actually aches deeper than I ever knew it could.' Heartbreaking: The theatre star passed away from COVID-19 complications aged 41 after spending more than 90 days in hospital fighting for his life 'I've been left unable to think or move': The fitness instructor, 38, took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to detail her experience with grief The mother-of-one revealed she decided to upload her message in a bid to help others going through similar struggles. Amanda ended her post: 'I am saying this tonight in hopes that if anyone else can relate, know that Im here with you. If anyone else feels this pain, you are not alone. Grieving is a journey we all do differently. 'Talking about it when I have the strength is helping me. I dont always have the strength, sometimes I cant talk at all. There are no answers. There is no right or wrong. I can only allow myself the time and the process and be honest with that.' Nick, whose Broadway credits include Rock of Ages and Waitress, died on July 5 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Romance history: Amanda and Nick, whose Broadway credits include Rock of Ages and Waitress, tied the knot in 2017 and welcomed their son last June (pictured in August 2017) The Canadian star was first admitted to the facility in late March after initially being diagnosed with pneumonia. At the time, Amanda revealed her husband was in intensive care and was having a 'hard time breathing'. Days later, doctors confirmed Nick was suffering from coronavirus after being tested three times, testing negative on the first two occasions. Lengthy battle: The Canadian star was first admitted to the facility in late March after initially being diagnosed with pneumonia Amanda was unable to be at her husband's side in the hospital due to coronavirus safety guidelines and visitor restrictions at the hospital. Initially, Nick's symptoms were intermittent. In an interview with Buzzfeed at the time, the entrepreneur said the thespian 'could not get out of bed, so tired, no energy, that was really his only symptom.' But his condition soon took a drastic turn for the worse, and shortly after being admitted to the hospital, Nick was placed on a ventilator by doctors. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: As many as 2,621 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry. According to Sadat Lari, 226 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 4,041 people is critical. The official said that Iran's Tehran, Mazandaran, Fars, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, Alborz, Lorestan, Golestan, Kerman, Semnan, Hormozgan, North Khorasan and Ilam provinces are red zones. So far, more than 2.43 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 301,500 people have been infected and 16,569 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 261,200 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Premier Daniel Andrews and federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck both defended Professor Suttons decision this week. Clinical waste removalists at the St. Basil's Homes for the Aged Care in Victoria. Credit:Penny Stephens The St Basils outbreak has been portrayed as an example of mismanagement and slipshod infectious disease control practices in an industry notorious for cost-cutting and neglect. Mr Kontis said the virus was introduced into a well run home by asymptomatic staff and that vulnerable residents were forgotten in an ill-considered response by the Department of Health and Human Services. Loading I told them we have got no confidence in the people you will bring in. Can you imagine bringing in people who have never been there before to do an afternoon or a night shift to look after people? There must have been another solution to be found," Mr Kontis said. The first COVID-19 case at St Basil's was confirmed on July 10, three days before the federal government mandated the use of personal protective equipment in aged care centres. It was introduced separately by three staff who were each infected by friends or family and worked in different parts of St Basil's. Mr Kontis said that after the staff infected residents, attempts to contain the outbreak were hampered by delays in test results being provided back to St Basils management. Documents provided to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald show that at the height of the St Basils outbreak on July 15, all residents and 90 per cent of staff were tested. It took three days for the full test results to be returned despite DHHS giving the home priority status. Mr Kontis said: How can you work on test results that take up to three days to come back?" All St Basils staff were re-tested last Sunday. About one third of them remain positive and about another third are still waiting for results. Loading The crucial decision affecting St Basils residents was taken after a 3pm meeting on July 21 between Mr Kontis, his management, senior DHHS and federal Department of Health officials and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson. At the time 18 staff and 40 residents, including nearly all residents of the dementia wing, had tested positive for COVID-19. Professor Sutton, in a letter to Mr Kontis, said the outbreak represented a "significant and serious threat to public health" and to the health and lives of St Basils staff and residents and that all staff who had worked in the home during the previous two weeks needed to quarantine. "Given the significant and extensive transmission of infection to date, the high case fatality rate of COVID-19 and the ease with which it can spread within the residential aged care facility and the community, it is essential that further immediate actions are taken to safeguard the health and wellbeing of residents, and the health under occupational health and safety obligations of staff," Professor Sutton wrote. The letter gave St Basils no choice, warning: "It is an offence to refuse or fail to comply with such a direction, without reasonable excuse." Staff were given until 12pm on July 22 to vacate the home. Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton directed St Basil's entire staff and management to quarantine from the virus. Credit:Joe Armao Mr Kontis wrote back to Professor Sutton noting that the directive meant the homes entire management team would be sidelined and residents would be left in the care of unfamiliar agency staff under the direction of the federal government. "We do not know who any of these replacement staff are and whether they are competent or trustworthy to provide care to our residents," he wrote. "The agency which was suggested by DHHS operatives appears to be a labour hire firm which takes no responsibility whatsoever for the actions of the staff they provide." We, further, have no way of knowing whether there will be adequate supervision by the government-appointed managers of the replacement staff and whether those managers have the capabilities and experience to manage a facility of this type." Loading Mr Andrews on Wednesday staunchly defended the decision to direct more than 100 staff at St Basils to stay at home. "The alternative would be to have them working and infect every single person in the place," Mr Andrews said. "You cant do that." Mr Kontis described a labour hire firm initially proposed by DHHS to provide interim staff a firm subsequently replaced by Aspen Medical as the "Uber Eats" of healthcare. Its the same thing that happened in hotel quarantine," he said. Unfortunately, our industry is riddled with part-time and casual people and contractors and subcontractors.'' Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week described some of the subsequent examples of neglect reported by St Basils families as distressing. Mr Kontis described the case of one resident who was found by her daughter lying in soiled sheets and with an uneaten tray of party pies and sausage rolls next to her bed. She was in an advanced stage of dementia and had lost her ability to swallow. SAFETY HARBOR, Fla., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TOP Chops, an innovative producer of Beef Jerky snacks, has announced that Nakia Reigh Kelley, an experienced entrepreneur with a strong background in finance and business development, has been hired as the company's Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she will lead a team responsible for new business development and partnerships, developing the company's executive team through strategic hires, investor relations, and day-to-day operations of the company. "Nakia has the experience we need to reorganize this company and take it to the next level," said Dusty Jaquins, founder of TOP Chops Snacks, Inc. "Nakia quickly assembled a group of sharp-driven women that work together very well. Her team has been working tirelessly through the global pandemic to keep our company moving forward so we can continue to bring quality snack products to the market." After owning her own national accounting firm for 14 years and serving small businesses as a startup consultant and business strategist, Kelley was tapped to serve on the board of directors of Tampa's TechNova Florida to help grow the local Tampa, Florida tech and startup community. In 2018 she co-founded the Change Her Story Inc. publishing organization. Nakia met Tory Johnson, American author and CEO of Women for Hire, while working with the Pennsylvania Governors Conference for Women. Tory Johnson recognized Kelley's daughter as a savvy young entrepreneur and the youngest CEO ever in direct selling. She had started her own direct selling company at the young age of 14 years old. While Kelley was on tour with her daughter for "Spark and Hustle" women's conferences founded by Tory Johnson; she was introduced to the snack industry and multiple opportunities to help transition start-ups with business development, accounting, and strategy. This is where she found her love for the natural food industry. "Tory had introduced me to some amazing female founders in the natural food space," Kelley said. "It started me on a journey that ultimately connected me years later to Dusty and allowed me to pull together my incredible team. Together, we have been navigating the current climate and despite COVID-19 we have been challenged to consistently pivot and find creative strategies to market and sell during these times. In the short time our team has been on board, we have successfully reached important milestones." TOP Chops was chosen by the Chobani Food Incubator to be part of its inaugural class from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI). Since then, its products have been requested by national grocery chains and become the sought-after beef jerky on several e-commerce platforms. About TOP Chops Snacks A nationally recognized competitor in the $4.3 billion meat-snack market, TOP Chops Snacks manufactures a range of jerky snacks based on all-natural, premium US raised beef and 100% natural spices. Top Chops was chosen by the Chobani Food Incubator to be part of its inaugural class. Supported by the work of a premier food science group, the company created a healthy jerky, naturally sweetened with dried plum juice and packed with antioxidants, fiber, and healthy acids. High in protein and low in fat, TOP Chops Beef Jerky is naturally sweetened for a tender chew with delicious flavor and is keto approved. For more information about the company, visit the website at https://topchops.com/ . SOURCE TOP Chops Beef Jerky Related Links https://topchops.com The chairperson was forced to adjourn this morning session during secret balloting on the confidence withdrawal motion as mayhem broke out in parliament between opposition and Ennahda MPs The Tunisian Parliament began on Thursday a vote on withdrawing confidence from Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi. The Tunisian parliament devoted its session today to vote on the motion submitted by dozens of MPs, led by the MPs from the liberal Free Constitutional Party, to withdraw confidence from Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement, but the dispute over the method of voting sparked tensions at the start of the session. The chairperson of the session was forced to adjourn this morning session during secret balloting on the confidence withdrawal motion as mayhem broke out in parliament between opposition and Ennahda MPs. The session and secret balloting were resumed shortly after. MPs from smaller opposition parties and recently resigned ruling coalition parties also support withdrawing confidence from the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Movement, the largest bloc in parliament, charging that he violated rules of procedure and failed to run the sessions in a partial manner. A request to withdraw confidence from the speaker requires an absolute majority vote of 109 votes from a total of 207 MPs. More to follow Search Keywords: Short link: Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of people have been hit with scams relating to the virus, exploiting concerns such as financial stability and healthcare. Scamwatch, run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC), tries to help Australians recognise scams, so people dont fall victim to them. Scammers have been using the COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage, preying on people from all over Australia, Scamwatch warns. Since the start of the pandemic, Scamwatch has received more than 3600 reports of scams mentioning the coronavirus and more than $2,240,000 has been lost. During the pandemic, more than 3600 coronavirus-related scams have been reported to Scamwatch. Source: Getty Images Scammers are using the spread of coronavirus to exploit and play on the fears of all consumers, an ACCC spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia. Scammers are doing things such as falsely selling coronavirus-related products online, and using fake emails or text messages to try and obtain personal data. Who is most likely to be scammed? According to the ACCC spokesperson, people in NSW have recorded more financial losses than people in other parts of Australia. Since the start of the pandemic, residents in NSW have reported 1189 scams and a loss of more than $981,000. However, given the nature of these scams being online or through text messages, no one is safe. As for age, there is one demographic which has reported more losses during the pandemic and one gender is particularly harder-hit by financial scams. People aged 35-44 have reported more losses than any other age bracket with over $626,000 in losses and 556 reports, the spokesperson said. Male reporters have reported higher financial losses with 1685 reports and over $1.2 million in losses, compared with 1892 reports submitted by women, and over $1.19 million in losses. Despite this, there are things people can do to prevent being scammed. What scams to look out for Scammers are pretending to be well-known businesses and government agencies providing information on COVID-19 through text messages and emails phishing for your information, the ACCC spokesperson said. Story continues Scamwatch advises these emails and text messages may contain malicious links or attachments which are designed to potentially steal your information. On their website, Scamwatch has provided examples of what these scams might look like and how they might seem convincing. One example was sent via email and it is a letter signed by Minister for Health Greg Hunt and advises the recipient of the email has been in contact with one person who has tested positive for the coronavirus. This letter claiming to be from Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt is being used in a coronavirus scam. Source: Scamwatch The email also says there is a link which contains the necessary details of your appointment with the Department of Health, while other examples provided show text messages from GOV or MyGov, which is quite deceiving. However, its not just government agencies scammer pose as, some might pretend to be businesses or banks, travel agents, insurance providers and telco companies. Scams can also be shared across social media. In May, several people on social media brought a scam to Woolworths attention. The post shared by several people claimed people could score $200 simply by sharing a link. The post was not associated with Woolworths and the supermarket advised not to click the link as the scammers could potentially receive financial or personal information from you by doing so. The best way to detect a fake trader or social media shopping scam is to search reviews before buying, the spokesperson said. Scammers may also offer deals, appearing from big companies, like a scam which circulated on social media a few months ago, which suggested Woolworths shoppers would receive a $200 coupon by sharing a link. Source: Facebook What to do if you think someone is trying to scam you The advice from Scamwatch is to not click any of the links in these sorts of email and texts, just to be safe. Instead, go directly to the website yourself through your internet browser. Dont click on links in text/social media messages or emails, even if it appears to come from a trusted source, the spokesperson suggests. Be wary of sellers requesting unusual payment methods such as upfront payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, preloaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin. Never respond to unexpected messages and calls that ask for personal or financial details, even if they claim to be a from a reputable organisation or government authority just press delete or hang up. Scamwatch suggests being aware of the types of common scams, educating people in your life and know what to do if you come across a scam. Source: Getty Images Scammers may also try to hack into your devices, so it is important to never allow a stranger to have remote access to your computer, even if someone claims to be from a telco company. Scamwatch also says it is important to inform those close to you about scams talk to family, friends and colleagues about scams, to prevent them from falling victim to a malicious scam. Its also worthwhile having a conversation with your bank so you know how to best protect your financial information and the steps you will need to take if you are scammed. 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. New Delhi: As government puts complete ban on over-the-counter exchange of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes, on Thursday, worry and choas among netizens have been piling up on what to do with old notes? PM Narendra Modi in his surprise move on November 8, announced demonetisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 whose legal tender status have been withdrawn. Today is the 17th day of demonetisation move and public grievance over demonetisation is not completely solved yet. Post demonitisation governemnt took slew of measures to tackle the cash rush and cash cruch. In view to ease confusion and chaos , News Nation comes up with exclusive programme on government's demonetisation policies at 3pm. Call in to know answers to your queries: 0120- 71386 Here is the date line of major demonetisation events November 8: Government withdrawal whose legal tender status of higher denomiation Rs 500 and Rs1000 currency notes. Old notes worth Rs 4000 can be exchanged at banks. Withdrawal limit from banks fixed at Rs 20,000 for a week and a daily limit at Rs 10000. November 9 Old notes to be accepted metro stations, ASI monuments, toll plazas and medicine shops, petrol pumps, crematorium. Government announced that now- defunct currency notes of 500 and 1000 will be accepted for making payments towards fees, charges, taxes and penalties payable to the central and state governments including municipal and local bodies, and other utility charges like water and electricity. November 13 Cash exchange limit over the counter increased to Rs 4500. Cash withdrawal limit at ATMs increased to Rs 2500 per day in the recalibrated ATMs.The weekly limit for withdrawal from bank accounts increased to Rs 24,000, the daily limit is removed. November 14 Government extends existing exemptions for acceptance of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes up to 24 November, 2016 midnight. November 17 Cash exchange limit over the counter reduced to Rs 2000.Families allowed to withdraw up to Rs 2,50,000 from their own bank accounts, in case of a wedding. Agriculture traders allowed to withdraw Rs 50000. November 24 Old notes cannot be exchanged at banks. Only foreigners allowed to exchange currency up to Rs 5000 per week.Old notes of Rs 1000 cannot be used. Government allows use of Rs 500 to pay for fuel, mobile recharges, water and power bills. Government-run school and college fees can also be paid with old notes of Rs 500. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. With many peoples finances still in doldrums, banks are wary of giving fresh loans. In such a scenario, mortgage guarantee backed home loans help as borrowers can get loans for higher tenure beyond the retirement age. India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) is Indias only such mortgage guarantee firm, having tied up with atleast 15 lenders, and covers loans of around Rs 9,000 crore across more than 50,000 customers. Sovan Mandal, Chief Business Officer, India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC), speaks to Hiral Thanawala of Moneycontrol in this interview. Excerpts: What percentage of your customers has opted for loan moratorium? When the moratorium scheme was first announced, more than 40 per cent of our borrowers (those who took loans from our bank partners) had opted for the moratorium. There were mainly two reasons: they either faced a cash crunch or they did not understand moratorium properly. Over the past few months, people have got back to normalcy and have started paying their EMIs. As per the latest data available, 26 per cent of our customers are in the moratorium phase. Most of the lenders are expecting borrowers who opted for home loan moratoriums to become delinquent once the moratorium ends. How would your role kick in if EMI defaults happen? Guarantee programs such as ours will support the financial eco-system by protecting lenders against credit losses which could spike significantly during such downturns. We have done our analysis. We expect defaults on repayments to go up under these stressed situations. But we are in a position to support with cash flows to the lenders. It also gives us an opportunity to establish the value of a guarantee product, as the usual perception has been that default is usually insignificant in home loans. Most of the lenders have not really understood the long cycle risk of the home loan business and how guarantee products protect them against such risk. The pandemic has changed this perception. Why is mortgage guarantee needed in these pandemic times while applying for a home loan? Will having a mortgage guarantee revive home loans demand after COVID-19 ends? Most of the lenders are wary of lending in the current economic uncertainty. Some of the lenders are tightening their policy norms. We are working with our lender partners to mitigate the risk with mortgage guarantee, so most are now looking at leveraging the mortgage guarantee instead of tightening their lending policies. If the government or the regulator allows certain benefits to accrue to lenders on account of mortgage guarantee, such as lower provisioning, and capital requirement, or allows higher loan-to-value (LTV) lending up to 90 per cent with mortgage guarantee, similar to other developed markets it would help to revive the demand for home loans. What portion of a typical housing loan does IMGC guarantee? Do you assess borrowers before agreeing to guarantee their loans? Regulations allow us to guarantee up to 100 per cent of the loan amount. But, higher the coverage, the greater is the capital requirement for us and thus the cost also goes up. So, most lenders agree to get a guarantee of 20 per cent cover. This is adequate to cover losses. Borrowers are willing to pay the fees for mortgage guarantee. No additional parameters are assessed other than those required to judge the eligibility for home loans. But the cost of guarantee is added to the EMI that the borrower pays. When can a bank invoke a mortgage guarantee? Generally, a mortgage guarantee gets invoked when the borrower turns into a non-performing assets (NPA) as per the RBI regulations. A home loan is defined as an NPA when the account is 90 days past due. The reasons could be the demise of the borrower, job loss, medical emergency in the family, willful default, and so on. That is when our cover kicks in and we pay the guarantee amount to the lender. What is the cost added to the EMI after opting for a mortgage guarantee scheme? The one-time fee varies from 1 per cent to 1.8 per cent (of the entire home loan amount) depending on various parameters credit profile of the borrower, loan-to-value ratio, etc. On an average, the EMI, for a customer, goes up by Rs 15 for every Rs 1 lakh home loan, on account of mortgage guarantee fee. So, for a Rs 20 lakh home loan, the mortgage guarantee fee will be Rs 300 every month. Not many borrowers are aware of mortgage guarantee schemes and their benefits. How you are planning to educate them? Unfortunately, we do not have any competition and we are the only organisation working on creating the whole segment. As more and more lenders integrate mortgage guarantee in their offering, the market will slowly adopt it as a new standard and more borrowers will be aware. Also, any regulatory changes will support in increasing the awareness amongst borrowers. We strive to keep the community informed about UM's achievements in innovation and imagination through a variety of research publications, social media, and activities. As the Indian Army confronts the soldiers of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army at and around the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh sector, the country must also prepare to take on a growing threat within the activities of a rising number of Chinese companies operating in India which have links, directly or indirectly, to the Chinese Communist Party as well as to its military arm, the PLA. As it is, almost the entire world is now battling the Covid-19 pandemic that originated in China, and which the CCP had covered up for months, at a time when it could have been contained in Wuhan itself. In the middle of all this, many Chinese companies have been trying to make hay, not just in India but in several other countries too, grabbing marketshare along with sundry other activities on behalf of both the Chinese Communist Party and the PLA. They are also making billions, as the world suffers. A rigorous investigation is called for to ensure that our nations security is not compromised, and our economy is not destroyed. In Ladakh, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed and 175 others injured at the PLAs hands, and this lawless CCP militia must not be allowed to run havoc in the rest of India. Several big names like Alibaba, Tencent and SAIC Motor Corporation, among others, are suspected to be furthering the interests of the CCP and the PLA. One enterprise launched a 0.8 million tons-per-annum iron-ore pelletisation facility at Koppal, Karnataka, at a cost of over Rs 250 crores. Its key investor, Xinxing Cathay, is reportedly reorganised, reconstructed and unhooked from its previous avatar as the production department and subordinate enterprises of the PLAs general logistics department. Another company invested Rs 1,000 crores to set up a manufacturing facility in Chhattisgarh. The state government invited them to set up a manufacturing plant, which is likely to send a team to physically examine iron ore deposits deep inside Chhatisgarh. Just imagine! A Chinese Army-linked enterprise deep inside one of Indias major raw material sources. This company, with a turnover of Rs 3,000 crores, has already supplied about 30,000 tonnes of ductile iron pipes to India. The China Electronics Company announced a $46 million (Rs 320 crores) investment in a 200MW PV manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh (2018). CETC, Chinas leading military electronics manufacturer, also makes CCTV cameras. Several Chinese research institutes have been recently added to the US governments entities list, restricting exports to them on national security grounds. They were implicated by the US justice department in several cases of illegal exports. Some Chinese employees were also convicted for military espionage. They had obtained technology used for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where the Chinese detain over 1.5 million people in prison camps. Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei Technologies (that is being investigated worldwide for its Chinese government links), had worked for the PLA for decades before launching his company in Shanghai in 1987. In 2018-19, Huaweis reported revenue from India was Rs 12,800 crores. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo warned America and the world last week that Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent and others like them were not normal companies, they didnt answer to shareholders or simply work to maximise profits, that they acted as agents of the Chinese State and the PLA, whose interests they furthered. Was anybody in India listening? In 2019, the US Congress US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said: The Chinese governments military-civil fusion policy aims to spur innovation and economic growth through an array of policies and other government-supported mechanisms, including venture capital (VC) funds, while leveraging fruits of civilian innovation for China's defence sector. This raises hard questions about Chinese venture capital investments in India too, including by Alibaba and Tencent. They are also developing artificial intelligence (Al) in a range of sub-domains for China under the military-civil fusion initiative. Alibaba, along with others, is part of Chinas national Al team. It already made deep inroads in India with strategic investments in Indian startups, and its portfolio includes payments firms, food delivery startups, and online grocery and logistics firms. If Alibaba was the trailblazer, Tencent is tenacious, having made investments in the Indian tech sector, transport and food delivery, education and health. Its $499 million investment in Ola Cabs came as both Ola India and Tencent-backed Didi Chuxing China were fiercely competing with Uber. Then followed a $700 million e-commerce investment: that deal made Tencent the biggest Chinese investor in India. It acquired a diversified portfolio, targeting big players in every vertical, leading a $175 million fundraising round into Indian companies to a$90 million injection in a healthcare startup, followed by another $55 million. Another Chinese firm plans to invest $200 million in Indias online gaming space, and $115 million funding in a music streaming service. Tencent, like ByteDance, entered the news space, with $50 million funding in aggregator app NewsDog. But the most problematic could be auto firms, such as MG Motors, originally a British carmaker. One of its subsidiaries, Nanjing Automobiles, was once the PLAs vehicle-servicing unit. If these CPC and PLA front companies can make millions, if not billions, from India, and this country fails to recognise what Beijings gameplan really is, and gets addicted to Chinese products and investments, even God cant save India. The government needs to wake up and get cracking. The banning of 59 Chinese apps was a good start, but much more is needed, and there is no time to be lost. If that is not done, forget the Galwan Valley or Pangong Tso, or the whole of Ladakh, the Chinese will have captured the heart of India. A civil servant from Northern Ireland whose father founded a peace centre here will be taking over as the head of one of Britain's cyber intelligence agencies. Lindy Cameron will replace Ciaran Martin as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ, at a time of ongoing controversy over the performance of the intelligence agencies in countering cyber campaigns by hostile states. Meanwhile, Richard Moore, director general of political affairs at the Foreign Office, is to become the new chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), replacing Sir Alex Younger, who will leave the service in the autumn. A recent report by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) strongly criticised the failure of the Government and the security and intelligence services for a failure to combat Russian propaganda offensives during the last general election and the Brexit and Scottish independence referendums. Ms Cameron was born in Northern Ireland where her father Craig was a founding member of the Corrymela Peace and Reconciliation Centre, set up to promote dialogue between the Protestant and Catholic communities during the Troubles. She joins the NCSC from the Northern Ireland Office where she was deputy head to the Permanent Secretary, Sir Jonathan Stephens. She had previously served as the Director-General in charge of the Department for International Development (Dfid) programmes in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Ms Cameron, a graduate of the Ministry of Defence's Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), served in Baghdad and Kabul for Dfid, and Helmand for the Foreign Office at particularly violent times in both conflicts. She worked in the Cabinet Office during the 2008 financial crisis. Ms Cameron said following her appointment: "Over the past four years, the NCSC has transformed the UK's approach to cyber security and set a benchmark for other countries to follow. I am delighted to join the NCSC and relish the opportunity to take this world-leading organisation to the next level." GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming said: "I am excited to welcome Lindy to the NCSC and GCHQ. She joins at a time when cyber security has never been more essential to the nation's resilience and prosperity. "Lindy's unique blend of experience in government, overseas and in security and policy issues make her the ideal leader to take NCSC into the next stage of its delivery." Twitter has been slammed for its double standards for flagging posts by Donald Trump while Iran's Ayatollah can call for 'genocide' of the Israeli people. The social media giant says the dictator's anti-Semitic tweets calling Israel a 'cancerous growth' pass as 'commentary on political issues of the day', while President Trump's tweets 'could inspire harm'. During a Knesset hearing on antisemitism in social media Wednesday, human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky questioned why the President's tweets were flagged but not those of Ayatollah Khamenei, who 'literally called for the genocide of Israel and the Jewish people'. It comes as Twitter faced criticism for suspending the Twitter account of Donald Trump Jr. for 12 hours after he tweeted a video promoting hydroxychloroquine as cure for coronavirus. Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky (pictured) questioned why the President's tweets were flagged but not those of Ayatollah Khameini The question was asked during a Knesset hearing on antisemitism in social media on Wednesday On June 23, Twitter placed a public interest notice on one of Trump's tweets, after he wrote: 'There will never be an 'Autonomous Zone' in Washington, D.C., as long as I'm your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!' The notice read: 'We've placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group.' Questioning the perceived double standards, Ostrovsky asked Twitter's Ylwa Pettersson: 'You have recently started flagging the tweets of President Trump. 'Why have you not flagged the tweets of Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei, who has literally called for the genocide of Israel and the Jewish people?' Pettersson defended the decision, justifying the flagging of Trump's tweets by saying they could 'inspire harm'. She replied: 'We have an approach to world leaders that presently say that direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy sabre-rattling on military, economic issues are generally not in violation --' She was interrupted by Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh who sought to clarify the question: 'So, calling for genocide is okay, but commenting on politics is not?' Twitter's Ylwa Pettersson (pictured) justified the flagging of Trump's tweets by saying they risked inciting violence among members of the public She was interrupted by Knesset member Michal Cotler-Wunsh (pictured) who sought to clarify the question Pettersson replied: 'So if a world leader violates are rules but there is a clear interest in keeping that up on the serves we may place that behind a notice that provides more context about the violation and allows people to click through if they wish to see that type of content. 'And that is what happened for the Trump tweet, that tweet was violating our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line of that tweet and the risk that it could possibly inspire harm and similar actions.' In May, Trump faced backlash and Twitter placed a notice on his post about violence occurring during George Floyd demonstrations. In one Twitter post, Trump wrote: 'Just spoke to [Minnesota] Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.' During the same month, Khamenei compared the state of Israel to a 'cancerous tumor' in a Twitter post. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo commented on the tweets, saying: 'The United States condemns Supreme Leader Khamenei's disgusting and hateful anti-Semitic remarks. They have no place on Twitter or on any other social media platform. 'We know Khamenei's vile rhetoric does not represent the Iranian people's tradition of tolerance.' The accusation of double standards comes after Republicans criticized Twitter for suspending the account of Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, after he posted a link on Monday evening to a viral video of a doctor claiming hydroxychloroquine is a 'cure' for coronavirus and calling it 'must watch.' Donald Trump Jr.'s Twitter account was restricted after he posted a video of a doctor claiming hydroxychloroquine 'cures' coronavirus 'We've temporarily limited some of your account features,' the Twitter notice to the president's eldest son read, adding it would be in effect for 12 hours. 'We have determined that this account violated the Twitter Rules. Specifically, for: 1. Violating the policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19,' it continued. Andrew Surabian, a spokesman to Don Jr., posted an image of the notice to Twitter Tuesday morning, lamenting: 'Big Tech is the biggest threat to free expression in America today & they're continuing to engage in open election interference - full stop.' Stickers with messages of the pro-democracy movement are left by protesters on a street in Hong Kong. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press) Hong Kong authorities have expanded their use of a contentious national security law to disqualify a dozen pro-democracy candidates from running in the territory's upcoming legislative elections and to arrest four pro-independence activists for inciting secession on social media. The two moves, which took place in a span of 24 hours starting Wednesday, give substance to fears that the new law, imposed by the communist government in Beijing, is being deployed to silence organized dissent in a region that was supposed to be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy from China. The 12 candidates, who included sitting legislators and high-profile opposition leaders such as Joshua Wong, said they were disqualified for opposing the national security law, which gives mainland China sweeping powers in Hong Kong. Opposition groups fear the disqualifications are one of several ways through which the government will tilt the September polls in Beijings favor. There are also fears the government will postpone the elections, ostensibly because of another outbreak of COVID-19 in the territory. Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of ... Hong Kongers, tramples upon the citys last pillar of vanishing autonomy and attempts to keep Hong Kongs legislature under its firm grip, Wong said in a Facebook post Thursday, which included a copy of his disqualification notice. The national security law also was invoked a day earlier when a special police unit established to enforce the legislation arrested four students in the first planned operation of its kind targeting government critics. Previous arrests under the law were on-the-spot detentions of protesters carrying pro-independence flags and banners with revolutionary slogans. Police did not identify the three men and one woman arrested, who ranged in age from 16 to 21, but a recently disbanded pro-independence group, Studentlocalism, said the four were former members of the group and included its leader, Tony Chung. Story continues A police spokesman said the suspects, who were all denied bail, were arrested for promoting Hong Kongs secession from China and pledging to use all the means to unite other independence groups. The four face up to life in prison for violating the law, which was introduced July 1 in response to more than a year of pro-democracy protests that have rocked the Asian financial center and driven a deeper wedge between Beijing and Washington. The U.S. has issued sanctions and revoked trade privileges with Hong Kong in response to the law, which China says is designed to target acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Hong Kong was supposed to be granted a high degree of autonomy for 50 years after Britain returned the former colony to China in 1997 under a special arrangement known as one country, two systems. The agreement guaranteed Hong Kongers independent courts, a free press and the right to assembly freedoms that arent found across the border in the mainland. Those differences have made Hong Kongers fiercely proud of their identity and are one of the chief reasons why younger residents harbor no affinity with China. With the firewall between Hong Kong and the mainland now breached, the city's status as a global hub buttressed by the rule of law is also eroding. Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have suspended their extradition treaties with the territory. American internet giants Facebook, Google and Twitter have declined to process requests for data by local law enforcement. And senior Hong Kong government officials say foreign banks are shuttering their accounts overseas under U.S. pressure. Worried residents in the city of 7 million people have deleted social media accounts and emigrated overseas, controversial books have been taken off library shelves and at least one well-known professor, Benny Tai at the University of Hong Kong, has been fired for his support of the democracy movement. On Thursday, Honcques Laus, a pro-independence activist and former member of Studentlocalism, revealed on Facebook that he had moved to Britain and applied for asylum. He joins Nathan Law, who co-founded the now-defunct political party Demosisto with Wong, in having fled to Europe. The September elections are seen as one of the last vestiges of democracy in Hong Kong, though the legislature is stacked heavily with pro-Beijing representatives. Opposition parties were optimistic about their chances after sweeping victories in district council elections in November and an extraordinary turnout this month for primary elections in the face of the draconian national security law. But on Tuesday, Hong Kongs beleaguered chief executive, Carrie Lam, huddled with her Cabinet and close advisors to discuss the possibility of postponing the polls. Hong Kong is grappling with a new outbreak of the coronavirus that has been setting new local records for infections. Though not under lockdown, the city has delayed school reopenings, restricted restaurant dining and mandated mask use. Opposition candidates worry that the government is considering delaying the elections to blunt the momentum of the pro-democracy side. This is not the end of the disqualifications, said Fernando Cheung, a pro-democracy lawmaker. And it is still likely that the election will be delayed for one year, further undermining the efforts of the opposition camp in its primary election. By completely shunning a legitimate way for people to express their discontent toward the current regime, it forces the people to turn underground or leave the territory. A Victorian man has been arrested at Sydney Airport after he landed without an entry permit and refused to return home. The 21-year-old man arrived in Sydney on Wednesday shortly before 1pm and was unable to show NSW Health officers an exemption to get into the state. Officers at the airport for Operation Coronavirus were called to assist NSW Health who were talking to the man after he got off his flight. A Victorian man has been arrested at Sydney Airport after he flew into New South Wales without a permit to enter the state. Pictured: NSW Police look on at the airport on July 6 Police officers wear face masks as they watch passengers arrive from at Sydney Airport on July 07 They were told the man was from Roxbough Park in Victoria and had been allowed to charge his phone to show his permit, but was unable to display one. The 21-year-old then said he would apply for one so he could care for his children. Police allege the man attempted to apply for an exemption multiple times but it did not work as he was providing false information. The man then revealed he did not actually have any children or a valid excuse to enter NSW. Officers told him to return back to Victoria and was given suggestions for travel and assistance from NSW Health. When the man refused to make travel plans and comply with police orders he was arrested and taken to Mascot Police Station about 3.30pm. Passengers arriving from Melbourne are greeted by staff from NSW Health to check for COVID-19 symptoms at Sydney Airport Officers searched the man's luggage and found a bottle of alprazolam - also known as Xanax and used to treat anxiety - that was not prescribed to him. The man was charged with not complying with noticed directions and possessing a prescribed restricted substance. He was granted conditional bail and is going to quarantine in a Health-managed hotel until he appears at Downing Centre Local Court on August 17. Police are continuing to urge the community to report suspected breaches and any behaviour that will impact on the health and safety of the community. NSW confirmed another 18 coronavirus on Thursday as fears of a growing outbreak continue to rise. Clusters appear to be spreading throughout Sydney in particular, as venues from Bondi to the inner west close their doors in the wake of the crisis. Pictured are residents from Sydney's eastern suburbs lining up to be tested Of the 18 latest cases, four are associated with the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster in Sydney's south-west which has risen to 89. Another four are linked to The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point while two are linked to the funeral cluster in Sydney's south-west Another two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine while six are under investigation. NSW Health urges anyone who lives in or have visited hotspot areas in the past two weeks to get tested if they start displaying the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms. They include Potts Point, Carnes Hill shops, Prestons, Bonnyrigg, Wetherill Park, Mt Pritchard, Bankstown City Plaza, Cabramatta and popular ski resort Perisher in southern NSW. Frank's Pizza Bar in Camperdown (pictured) also closed on Wednesday night after revealing a patron tested positive for the deadly respiratory infection 'We are choosing to close the restaurant until next Tuesday the 4th of August, in order for our restaurant to be professionally deep cleaned,' the owner of Frank's Pizza Bar said in a statement on Wednesday night Around 27,147 tests were conducted across the state on Wednesday, up from 18,543 on Tuesday. There are 100 patients in hospital with the virus, including five in intensive care. Frank's Pizza Bar in the inner-west suburb of Camperdown closed on Wednesday night after revealing a patron tested positive. 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 'We are choosing to close the restaurant until next Tuesday the 4th of August, in order for our restaurant to be professionally deep cleaned,' the owner said in a statement. Anyone who dined at the restaurant on July 26 between 6pm to 8pm are urged to monitor for symptoms and immediately self-isolate and seek testing. The popular ski resort of Perisher has also been rocked by coronavirus fears after initial samples collected at the local sewage treatment plant last week returned a positive result for the presence of COVID-19. 'Further sampling and analysis is required to assess the significance of this initial positive result,' a NSW Health statement read. 'The positive sewage result can be due to shedding of the virus by someone who may have previously had the illness, with the virus "shedding" through their system for up to four weeks later.' 'While no cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Perisher or Thredbo to date, its important that anyone who was in this area get tested if they have even the mildest of symptoms.' Contract tracing and cleaning is underway at western Sydney's Parklea Correctional Centre after an inmate tested positive. New Delhi, 30 July : The crime branch of the Delhi Police has arrested three in connection with an armed robbery at Dayalpur in Northeast Delhi on July 26. The three arrested persons have been identified as Mohammad Chand, Javed and Pavi. According to the police, five men barged into a house, held the victim and his aged mother hostage, and looted over Rs 14 lakh cash, gold and silver jewellery. Chand, a gambling addict, was in debt and under pressure from lenders to pay back. As Chand was familiar with the victims, the complainant's sister had once shared with him the information about cash and jewellery at brother's house. After this, he hatched a plan to rob them, and roped in his friends Javed, Salim, Raju. Raju then got his associates Sharik and Rahees involved in the plan. Raju, Sharik and Rahees arranged the weapons for the crime. On the day of crime, at the instance of Chand they barged into the complainant's home and took him and his mother hostage at gun-point. They looted Rs 14.25 lakh cash, about 35-40 tola of gold jewellery, about 500 grams silver jewellery. One tola is equal to 11.66 gm. "After the crime, Raju gave Rs 2 lakh to Chand, Rs 1.5 lakh to Javed and Rs 50,000 to Salim and kept the rest, including jewellery, with himself. Salim had also taken out Rs 25,000 from the complainant's pocket. He bought a mobile phone from that money. The phone has been recovered. Efforts are on to nab Raju, a person with criminal past, and identify his links with other crimes, as well as arrest his other associates and recover the looted money and jewellery, and the weapons used in the crime. "He is said to have run away to eastern UP," said Rakesh Paweriya, DCP Crime. Vietnam beat back its first wave of coronavirus infections by embracing US-supported pandemic strategies that the Trump administration largely ignored. Now the Southeast Asian country is using the plan to combat its first cases in more than three months, seeking to keep its record as one of the few places in the world that hasnt reported a single Covid-19 death as of this week. Even before Vietnam confirmed its first cases in late January, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered officials to break out the blueprint developed in 2014 during a global health security project, funded in part by US-AID and created with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations. Strict adherence to the plan allowed the country to claim victory over the virus this spring, stamping out clusters. Faced with a resurgence that has similarly confounded Japan, Hong Kong and Australia, Vietnamese authorities are moving to contain a fresh cluster that has led to 36 new cases in the past week, for a total of 459 cases as of Thursday morning. Officials imposed strict quarantines on thousands of people who may have been exposed in the coastal city of Danang, reimposed stay-at-home measures and tightened border and immigration controls to prevent illegal entry. The government is now warning the virus could spread to other regions, including Ho Chi Minh City and the capital of Hanoi, where officials are suspending large gatherings such as religious activities and ordering bars to close. The CDC has been working with us and helped us build up a plan that put in place steps to fight against pandemics, said Tran Dac Phu, senior adviser at the Public Health Emergency Operations Center under the nations Ministry of Health. The government is now very concerned about a second wave. We continue to work with the CDC and World Health Organization on this. Key to the governments success so far has been its ability to move quickly to test patients, isolate those who are sick, aggressively trace contacts and quarantine for 14 days those who come in contact with positive cases. Its also been essential to have consistent and transparent communication with the public, said Dr. Matthew Moore, director of the CDCs Global Health Security Program in Vietnam. The agency, which has been in Vietnam for 20 years and has a staff of 58 in the country including eight Americans, works with the government on testing protocols, guidelines to prevent transmission in health-care settings and training in epidemiology. Time and time again they have shut down chains of transmission, he said. Laser-Like Focus Vietnam, a country whose 96 million citizens had a gross domestic product per capita of $2,715 last year, has been able to control the outbreak because of the governments laser-like anti-virus focus, a one-party political system and a population that didnt need convincing as a result of past disease outbreaks. The U.S., with a gross domestic product per capita of $65,280 in 2019, has not. Vietnams success has been globally lauded. The U.S., meanwhile, has surpassed 4.3 million cases and 149,000 deaths while President Donald Trump has consistently downplayed the spread of the virus. Rather than following the advice of the experts, in July he retweeted a post claiming the CDC was lying about the virus. There have been dramatic differences between how Vietnam and U.S. approached the contagion crisis. Within weeks of Vietnams first reported cases in late January, the government closed schools. The Trump administration continues to resist school shutdowns, and has even threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that dont bring back students. Hanoi quickly deploys tests to anyone suspected of exposure to the virus, while the U.S. continues to face testing shortcomings. Danangs authorities shut down two hospitals where two victims visited and ordered patients, medical staff, caregivers and family members -- about 8,800 people in total -- to be quarantined for 14 days at centralized bases, hospitals and homes, according to the citys health department. A third hospital also was closed. Vietnam has some key advantages the U.S. doesnt in combating the virus. The Communist Party-controlled government dominates a society with a culture of collectivism, and its tough measures, like willingness to put in place lockdowns when needed, has been met with little resistance from the population. This comes despite the fact that its quarantine regime is uncompromising and one of the strictest in the region. The government has placed Vietnamese and even foreigners seen at high risk of infection into isolation, sometimes at remote military camps. Still, an edge Vietnam has over the U.S. is the consistent message it has sent to the public about combating the virus, said Dr. Todd Pollack, an infectious disease specialist with the Harvard Medical School Partnership for Health Advancement in Vietnam. The governments communications campaign includes posters in residential and office complexes, text messages, an app to help Vietnamese trace cases near them, regular updates on the Ministry of Healths website and even a pop song encouraging hand-washing and social distancing. Past Epidemics Helping the country fight the virus has been the memory of past epidemics. The SARS outbreak in 2003 during killed five people in Vietnam and the bird flu led to 52 deaths in repeated outbreaks between 2004 and 2008. The country is also currently coping with a diphtheria outbreak that has caused three deaths, leading the government to isolate 700 people in a village in the coffee-growing Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. Vietnams aggressive anti-virus measures have come at a cost: Almost 31 million workers have experienced job losses or pay cuts amid the restrictions. Vietnams economy could grow 3% to 4% this year -- half the official target of 6.8%, according to a government advisory council. Meanwhile, the government is getting pushback from some overseas-based companies as it strives to maintain its second-wave vigilance. Companies from South Korea, Vietnams second-largest foreign investor, are pressuring the government to lift mandatory two-week quarantines of their workers traveling to Vietnam, local media outlet VnExpress reported. Yet the countrys decisive actions may have burnished its reputation among companies seeking to diversify supply chains away from China. Some Japanese companies, with financial incentives from their government, are looking to relocate operations to Vietnam. Taiwanese company Inventec Corp., Apple Inc.s assembly partner for AirPods, is preparing to establish a unit in Vietnam and other suppliers of the Cupertino, California-based company may follow. Now the governments all-hands-on-deck counterattack is kicking in again. We are improving our quarantine facilities to be able to isolate more people when needed, the Ministry of Healths Phu said. (Updates with more virus cases in the fourth paragraph.) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Madras High Court has granted News18 Tamil Nadu an interim injunction restraining the self-proclaimed vlogger Mr Maridhas from publishing any message, picture or graphical representation that is defamatory, derogatory or in the nature of a threat against our channel. Honorable Justice C V Karthikeyan, hearing a civil suit by us, has also directed Mr Maridhas to remove the derogatory videos pertaining to News18 Tamil Nadu or its employees. Mr Maridhas has posted several videos on YouTube that contain false news, baseless allegations and defamatory remarks relating not only to our channel, but also the personal life of our employees. He not only openly named several persons associated with our organisation but also discussed their private relationships drawing untrue, unnecessary and defamatory inferences from the same. The videos were posted by Mr. Maridhas as a part of his active propaganda and scheme of defaming us, tarnishing our credibility and unlawfully interfering with our independence and functioning. He went to the extent of using forged and fabricated emails to further his propaganda of spreading fake news against our channel and the employees of the Network18 group. One of Network18s editors has also filed a complaint of forgery with the police for the fabrication of an email ID in his name to spread fake news. An FIR has been registered. The Network18 group, which operates News18 Tamil Nadu, will not tolerate any attempts to besmirch the reputation of the channel or its employees. All the legal actions we have initiated will be taken to their logical conclusion. News18 Tamil Nadu is committed to fair and objective news coverage. We are a neutral news media organisation and will not be swayed by political considerations. We also enforce high standards of professional behaviour. Those who violate our code of conduct will be strictly dealt with. News18 Tamil Nadu is determined to provide viewers with top-notch coverage of news, events and issues in the state. The administration of hotel Best Western Country club, Manesar and Heritage Village, Manesar - where Sachin Pilot and his supporting MLAs were allegedly camping - told the special operation group (SOG) that the legislators were not their guests. Teams of SOG are camping in National Capital Region from July 17 to record the statements of Congress legislator from Sardarshahar Bhanwarlal Sharma, who has been booked in connection with an audio-tape related to an alleged plan to topple the Rajasthan government and other MLAs who were allegedly camping at these hotels. On July 23, the SOG issued notice to the hotels where the MLAs were allegedly staying. In the reply, the administration of Best Western Country club, Manesar, informed us that their hotel is a Covid-19 care center and the MLAs didnt stay in their hotel, said Ashok Rathore, additional director general of police (ADGP), ATS-SOG. Rathore added that the administration of Heritage Village, Manesar also gave a reply on similar lines. The administration of Heritage Village, Manesar told us that the MLAs didnt stay at their hotel, the ADGP added. Also read: Rajasthan crisis - Why Cong avoided mention of floor test in its proposals In the past 12 days, the teams of SOG went to both the resorts where it suspects the rebel Congress MLAs were staying but were not allowed to enter the premises by the hotel management, said an SOG official. Our teams tried at least five times to go inside the hotels in the past 12 days during which sometimes teams were stopped from 1 kilometre away at the barricading or the main gate by the Haryana police, said a senior police official familiar with the developments. The SOG has registered three FIRs on complaints related to horse-trading to allegedly dislodge the Congress government in the state. The first FIR number 47 was registered on July 10, in which two accused Ashok Jain from Banswara and Bharat Malani were arrested and are presently in judicial custody. The second FIR 48 and third FIR 49 were registered on July 17. In the FIR number 48, three accused including Sardarshahar MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, Sanjay Jain and one Gajendra Singh were booked. The FIRs were registered based on the complaint filed by Mahesh Joshi, Congress chief whip of the Rajasthan assembly, after audiotapes surfaced on Thursday evening and went viral on social media amid the uncertain fate of the Gehlot government. The FIRs were filed under Section 124A (sedition) and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). My mom was born during the Black Power movement of the 1970s. She was one of the first people I know of in my family to have a Black-sounding name -- Tameka, a distinctively African-American moniker of Arabic origin, which simply means twin. But when I was a kid in the early 2000s, and we were around mixed company, sometimes my mom would introduce herself as Tammy. Afghans on July 29 welcomed a three-day cease-fire but called for it to be made permanent after the government and the Taliban said they would observe a truce that could kickstart peace talks as soon as next week. The foes this week announced a temporary stoppage in Afghanistan's war, only the third official pause in nearly 19 years. It is slated to start Friday and run for the duration of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival. Ali, a Kabul shopkeeper who only gave one name, said three days was insufficient. "We want peace forever," he told AFP. "We have the right to live in peace like other countries, we want our country to develop. We are all -- old and young -- tired of this war." The Taliban -- who over the years has steadfastly dismissed government cease-fire calls and upped violence even after signing a deal with the United States -- announced it would lay down weapons after President Ashraf Ghani signaled progress in a contentious prisoner exchange. He said Kabul would "soon" finish the swap that will see Afghan authorities free 5,000 Taliban members while the insurgents release 1,000 government forces. Late on July 29, the Taliban said it would complete the release of government prisoners by Eid as a "goodwill gesture." "The other side should also complete the release process of all the 5,000 prisoners" so peace talks can begin, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen wrote on Twitter. The swap, detailed under a U.S.-Taliban deal signed in late February in Doha, is a crucial step to talks starting. Both Ghani and the Taliban have said negotiations could begin next week once the exchange is completed. 'Permanent Cease-fire' Ghani's spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told AFP that while Kabul would observe the cease-fire, he cautioned it did not go far enough. "The people of Afghanistan demand a lasting cease-fire and the start of direct talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan," Sediqqi said. Fawzia Koofi, a prominent women's rights campaigner and member of the government's negotiating team, wrote on Twitter she was "hoping for a lasting and permanent cease-fire." Top U.S. officials also hailed developments, including special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who arrived in Kabul on July 29 as part of a regional tour to push the peace process. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's spokesman for military operations, said insurgents must "refrain from carrying out any operation against the enemy during the three days and nights of Eid al-Adha so... our countrymen would spend the Eid with confidence and joy." The only other cease-fires in the long Afghan war came in June 2018 and May this year to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Those cease-fires prompted widespread relief across Afghanistan but were short-lived, with the insurgents returning to the fight straight afterward to resume near-daily attacks. High Death Toll The U.S.-Taliban deal stated that the militants and Kabul should start direct peace talks on March 10, following the prisoner swap. That date passed amid political disarray in Kabul and disagreements over the exchange, with Afghan authorities saying some released Taliban inmates were returning to the battlefield. Highlighting the toll on civilian and military forces in the months since the deal, Ghani said more than 3,500 Afghan troops had been killed. He said 775 civilians had also been killed and another 1,609 wounded since February. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has blamed the Taliban for the bulk of civilian casualties during the first half of 2020. Observers say the bloodshed highlights the Taliban's determination to push for broad control in Afghanistan, and underscores how little the United States can do to stop the group. The U.S.-Taliban deal "was not designed to bring peace to Afghanistan but to facilitate a face-saving exit of U.S. forces and engagement from Afghanistan," said Nishank Motwani, deputy director at the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. "The Taliban fundamentally believe that victory is theirs." At the same time, it is not yet known how many members of the group may be extradited. The SBU Security Service of Ukraine will seek the extradition of Ukrainians who are members of Russia's private military company (PMC) Wagner detained in Belarus. In particular, the SBU will engage the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. According to international rules, it is the prosecutor's office that must submit a request for extradition, the SBU's press center told BBC News Ukraine. At the same time, it is not yet known how many members of the group may be extradited. This issue is being clarified. According to preliminary data, citizens of Ukraine wanted by the police are among the detainees. Moreover, some of them were included in Ukraine's Myrotvorets (Peacekeeper) Center database, which lists individuals who pose a threat to the country's security. Read also"Little green men" in Belarus: Dozens of militants detained near Minsk part of Russia's PMC Wagner media (Video) As UNIAN reported earlier, Deputy Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Serhiy Kryvonos proposed that a request should be placed for the extradition of Ukrainian citizens who were detained in Belarus as part of Russia's PMC Wagner. Some 32 members of Russian PMC Wagner were reportedly detained in Belarus on July 29. Law enforcers had earlier been tipped about the arrival of over 200 foreign fighters in order to destabilize the situation during the election campaign period. Every Russian mercenary in the group was seen carrying small hand luggage upon arrival, while the group also had three large heavy suitcases that they were spotted loading into a vehicle. Presidential elections in Belarus are scheduled for August 9. She recently headed back to work after the government began to ease restrictions. And Lisa Armstrong cut a summery figure as she headed to the shops to pick up a newspaper and fizzy drinks in West London on Wednesday. The make-up artist, 43, looked lovely in a green smock dress which sheathed over her figure. Chic: Lisa Armstrong cut a summery figure as she headed to the shops to pick up a newspaper and fizzy drinks in West London on Wednesday Donning a pair of black sunglasses, Lisa showed off her legs in the dress, which featured a ruffle neckline and several pleated layers. She added a boost to her height with white ankle boots and tied her newly-dyed blonde locks up in a high bun. In keeping with safety guidelines, Lisa donned a face mask. Summery: The make-up artist, 43, looked lovely in a green smock dress which sheathed over her figure Stylish: Donning a pair of black sunglasses, Lisa showed off her legs in the dress, which featured a ruffle neckline and several pleated layers Lisa recently admitted she 'hasn't done anything for months' as the nation continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic. Lisa discussed having plenty of time on her hands in lockdown, while revealing she even called out her pal Piers Morgan over his live TV make-up gaffe. Speaking to the Royal Television Society, Lisa said: 'I haven't done anything for months. People are having to do their own make-up. Discussing Piers' hilarious gaffe, she said: 'When Piers [Morgan] did his for Good Morning Britain, I texted him and asked: What the hells happened to you? 'People are now appreciating what make-up artists do.' The make-up artist has since headed back to work and shared several snaps in various designer inspired face masks. The half-naked body of a young woman found in bushland in Sydney's south has signs that attempts were made to set it on fire, police said. Police were called to bushland near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road, Menai, at 5.15pm on Wednesday after a member of the public made the grim discovery. The woman is yet to be formally identified, but she is believed to be aged in her 30s. Police were called to bushland near Sandy Point Quarry (pictured) off Heathcote Road, Menai, at 5.15pm on Wednesday after a member of the public made the grim discovery Officers were pictured examining the crime scene on Thursday as police work to determine whether the woman was killed at the site or later dumped there The homicide squad has been brought in and a crime scene has been established. Police said the woman's body was found with head injuries and early examinations indicate that attempts had been made to set the body on fire, the Daily Telegraph reports. Investigators are still trying to determine whether she was killed at the scene or her body was dumped there later. Specialist forensic police spent Thursday scouring the area for evidence. Local detectives and the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death. The woman, believed to be aged in her 30s, was found dumped in bushland (pictured) Police remained at the scene on Thursday scouring the area for evidence (pictured) As of July 30, 12 regions of Ukraine and Kyiv city do not meet all the necessary criteria for easing quarantine measures introduced to prevent the coronavirus spread. According to data provided by the Ukrainian Health Ministry, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv regions and Kyiv city are not yet ready to ease lockdown restrictions. Information on the spread of coronavirus in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is not available. The Health Ministry explains that regions with high prevalence of COVID-19 are considered to be regions that have one of the following indicators: the occupancy of beds in health facilities intended for hospitalization of patients with confirmed COVID-19 exceeds 50%; the average number of PCR and ELISA tests conducted during the past seven days is less than 24 per 100,000 population; the detection rate of COVID-19 is more than 11%; the growth rate of COVID-19 is more than 10%. As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine extended coronavirus quarantine until August 31 and approved the countrys division into four types of epidemic zones. Green, yellow, orange, or red level of epidemic danger of COVID-19 spread will be set depending on the epidemic situation in a region or certain districts. As of July 30, Ukraine reports 68,794 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 1,197 new cases recorded over the past day. (Natural News) The Democratic leadership of the city of Seattle is planning to abolish its entire criminal justice system, including police, prisons and municipal courts, according to leaked documents. The supposed plan by Seattles Democratic City Council was apparently detailed in several documents leaked from the King County Executives Office in Seattle to reporter Christopher Rufo. The papers apparently slam Americas criminal justice system, arguing that it is a white supremacist institution that needs to be dismantled. The supposed plan comes after city officials announced their support for cutting the Seattle Police Departments (SPD) budget by 50 percent. Leaked documents claim that the criminal justice system is racist Rufo, who serves as the editor for City Journal and director of the Discovery Institutes Center on Wealth and Poverty, talked about the supposed leak with radio host Glenn Beck on Monday. Talking to Beck, he revealed how Seattle city leaders supposedly plan to abolish foundational institutions responsible for catching and prosecuting crime, including police departments, prisons and even court systems. This is a document that comes from the King Countys executive office, and it really provides the theoretical basis for the executives plan to completely and permanently shut down the largest jail, with no plans to replace it, Rufo pointed out to Beck. Rufo then went on to explain how the document presented a kind of chart and a pyramid showing that the things that form the foundation of not just Seattle, but Americas criminal justice system is white racism, white supremacy, white fragility, and a whole lot of other theories with the kind of the buzzwords that have been circulating lately. He goes on about how the leaked documents claim that crimes committed by people of color are not the fault of the criminal, but of society or, more specifically, white society. The logic is, well, if you have a racist society, that in essence forces people, especially people of color, to commit crimes, he explained. I mean, its absurd! It doesnt work in practice at all, he continued. Police department already defunded Even without the supposed plan to abolish the citys criminal justice system, the SPD is already facing problems as the city council moves to defund it. (Related: Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan proposes SLASHING the Seattle Police Departments budget by $20 million tells police to expect deeper cuts in the future.) On July 8, a majority of the Seattle City Council expressed support for a proposal that would cut the SPDs budget in half by 2021. This was followed by multiple council members stating in a budget meeting on July 15 that they would also support a 50 percent cut to the departments remaining budget for this year. In response, SPD chief Carmen Best has stated that what the council wants is impossible and that there isnt enough time to implement the changes needed to make the budget cuts work. I want to make sure we have the right staffing model that were able to continue providing public safety to the community that we serve, Best said in an interview with NPR. I think that the impact would be absolutely detrimental not only for the police department but for the community that we serve, she explained further. At this point, we are working really hard to make sure that we can maintain adequate levels of staffing and adequate levels of service and cutting, just lopping off 50% of our officers, I would think at this time would be a reckless maneuver and Im hoping that people will calm down and look at ways that we can have a real plan in place of how we might transfer some of the responsibilities and services to other areas. The city had already been reforming the police department as part of a federal consent decree Seattle entered into eight years ago following a Department of Justice investigation into their use of force. Sources include: NeoNettle.com ChristopherRufo.com SeattleTimes.com 1 SeattleTimes.com 2 NPR.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 04:08:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Italy on Wednesday declared a heatwave alert for 10 cities going into effect on Thursday, when temperatures in many parts of the country are expected to surpass 40 degrees Celsius. It is the first major set of heatwave alerts this summer in Italy. That compares to the summer of 2019, when the country declared three large-scale hot weather alerts. But the latest heatwave is expected to have farther-reaching consequences than the hot spells last summer, as the country is emerging from impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far infected nearly 250,000 people and caused more than 35,000 deaths. The Italian economy is struggling with low production and export demand, a dramatic drop-off in tourist arrivals, and adjustments related to high numbers of workers doing their jobs from home. The heatwave could have a further negative impact, according to media reports. For example, Coldiretti, a leading agricultural union, warned last week that the hot and dry weather along with a lack of field workers because of the pandemic could combine to make 2020 Italy's worst agricultural production year in decades. The cities impacted by the alert include Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Turin. The alert means residents are encouraged to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, and public officials in some cases hand out water bottles. This year, government officials have warned that residents must continue to obey coronavirus health rules, including mask-wearing and social distancing. The alert will stay until Sunday, when high temperatures in most places are expected to drop to below 35 degrees Celsius. Enditem Bloggers have blogged about it. Instagrammers have instagrammed about it. Heritage-minded walking tours too would stop by for quick feasts and photo opportunities. And now it is gone. Hazi Shabrati Nihari Shop is history. The iconic eatery near Old Delhis Haveli Azam Khan was famous for its signature meat stew it would be cooked overnight and served fresh in the early morning. It has been replaced by a grocery that opened last Friday. The shop stays within the family, but the business has changed. It all happened because of.... you guess itcoronavirus pandemic! We remained shut during the long lockdown, says Mohammad Shuaib Ilyas, the grandson of Hazi Shabrati, the late founder who set up the eatery in 1957. In his late 30s, the gentleman says that he realized the following truth during the traumatic lockdown: The only shops that thrive in situations of emergency are the ones dealing with any of these four things: medicines, vegetables, dairy products and grocery. The eatery couldnt survive the new conditions, Mr Ilyas says. All our cooks left for their villages in UP and Bihar as soon as the roads reopened. There was no way we could have restarted the nihari cooking. Replace the eatery by a grocery was the wisest thing to do, he feels, while handing over a cake of Lifebuy soap to a masked customer. This afternoon, the grocery is still looking new, as crisp as newly starched clothes that will take some time to adapt to the wearers figure. The floor is neatly arranged with rows of sacks containing different varieties of rice. The walls are lined with metal racks, the kind public libraries use for stacking books. The shelves are packed with jams and ketchups, soaps and detergents, lentils and spice boxes. Truly, the world here has changed so swiftly. Just a few months back this was a busy kitchen with a huge brass cauldron, or degh, filled with piping hot nihari. The degh would be half-buried into an earthen stove that was as old as the shop. A lungi-wearing cook perched on the counter would patiently ladle the nihari out of the cauldron to pour it into takeaway plastic packets for customers. It is said that in the old days, a nihari degh would never be made to leave the fire, and that the stew would be cooked slowly, continuously, with fresh stock being added daily. No such romance existed in Hazi Shabrati Nihari shop, at least during its final years. The degh would be washed twice daily, just before cooking nihari afresh, and a typical degh would be replaced by a new one in a month. But until the pandemic hit our city, while the shop would routinely roll down its shutters every evening and the cooks would duly go to bed, the nihari would keep simmering in the degh, on a low fire. That all-night slow-cook tradition was rigorously followed. And, every morning by 8, the locals would gather around to make their claim upon the dish. They still come, but now they ask for Amul buttter and Kissan jam factory-made items available in all the ordinary places. Founder Hazi Shabrati died 23 years before his shop underwent such a drastic change. His wife, Sakina Begum, died late last year. Both lie buried in Dilli Gate graveyard. Grandson Mr Ilyas now poses with folded arms against the shops backdoor painted in Urdu saying Hazi Shabrati Nihari Shop. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ontarios number of new COVID-19 cases stayed below 100 for the second day in a row, increasing by 13 to 89 on Thursday, the Ministry of Health reported as Toronto and Peel prepared for wider business openings starting Friday. Windsor-Essex remained the provinces hot spot for the highly contagious virus with 15 new infections tied with Ottawa on that front and has the highest number of active cases at 326, compared with 242 for Ottawa, 234 for Toronto and 192 for Peel. Locally, 28 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 17 of them reporting no new cases, Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter. The Ministry of Health figures, which included three more deaths, are based on reports from health units as of 4 p.m. the previous day. Two-thirds of the new cases were in people under the age of 40, with almost half in the 20 to 39 age bracket. Windsor-Essex has been struggling with outbreaks of COVID-19 that prompted provincial health officials to keep the region in Stage 2, meaning restaurants and bars cannot serve patrons indoors, and gyms, movie theatres and playgrounds must stay closed. There are 12 outbreaks in Windsor-Essex at farms, manufacturing plants and a construction company ,in addition to a growing number of cases and some hospitalizations in Low German-speaking communities, also in neighbouring Chatham-Kent. We want to work with them, said Windsor-Essex chief medical officer Dr. Wajid Ahmed, citing spread has occurred through traditional cultural gatherings in the last couple of weeks. It definitely puts them at a higher risk, he added at a news conference Thursday, noting outreach is underway on testing and reinforcing precautions to curb the spread of the virus. We are providing them with all the tools that they need. Across Ontario, the number of people in hospital for COVID-19 fell by seven to 84 with 27 in intensive care and 16 on ventilators. Outbreaks in nursing homes increased by two to 17 while two more residents and six more staff were infected with the virus, bringing the number of active cases among residents and workers who care for them to 12 and 37 respectively. To date, 1,844 residents and eight of their health-care workers have died from the virus, a toll that is the subject of a commission announced this week by Premier Doug Ford in addition to investigations by Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube and the office of the patient ombudsman. A Star compilation of data from health units at 5 p.m. Thursday found 102 new and probable cases of COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours, raising the tally to 41,189 infections since late January. There were three more deaths in the same time period for a total of 2,809. Read more about: Nicole has been working on the Gary schools financial profile with Cender, so she is already familiar with our fiscal needs and goals, said McNulty. She has also handled the financial affairs of many other school districts across the region, so we trust her expertise, and consider her a great asset to our team. The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form It said foreigners will be allowed entry at Brazilian airports if they present before boarding their flights health insurance valid in Brazil during the period of their stay. Four minor airports will remain closed to foreign travelers, but the governments decision includes the main airports of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. To the Editor, I struggle with Basav Sens rationale that renewable energy, he must mean wind and solar, can replace fossil fuel employment. Whereas Paul Steidler thereafter identifies a huge problem with increased costs to everyone if accomplished as planned. Basav Sen like many environmentalists says pollution, meaning CO2 but calling it only carbon, is the cause for climate change. That is misdirected. The US has reduced CO2 by 50% switching to natural gas and nuclear whereas China, India and the underdeveloped world have added 10 times that in coal fired fuel plants. I am astonished by cries of climate change doomsday being reported. Our climate has been warming for 12,000 yrs, since the last Ice Age. Climate is cyclical. But I do not see CO2 at the heart of this threat. It is a component of the air we breathe and is not a pollutant. Plants, oceans and vegetation recycle it. Our atmosphere is 0.04% CO2 and I fail to see a human caused increase as a calamity. Yet the calls for elimination are startling. And the proposals to do so are folly. One group is suggesting we shoot micro particulate matter into the upper atmosphere to block sun rays and cool the earth. Whereas they might stay in an orbit for a while, what goes up must come down. Electric autos are a laugh. Just 250 miles and overnite charge means at best a niche market. Tesla Motors was lured into EA by the $7,500 tax rebate offered by our govt. That is expiring along with govt subsidies on wind and solar generation to save us from CO2 danger, which is a fabrication. Nuclear is where the answer lies for clean jobs, business and clean energy. And nuclear can power our world perfectly if fossil fuels are eliminated. But environmentalists lack technological understanding-or are otherwise ignorant of the science. Green Industries all depend upon storage batteries when the wind doesnt blow and sun doesnt shine. Storage batteries are at maximum technology and incapable of supplying electricity to eliminate fossil fuel power plants or automobiles. Yet country wide renewable electricity is dependent upon storage batteries to hold the electricity that cannot be used near term. However, Bill Gates invested $1 billion in renewables and notes that there is no technology close to allowing us to take all our energy from renewables. Gates can afford a billion dollars as a show of support for a prospective industry but most of us need an investment to show more of a return than that. Ron Jones Alton SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Huawei Technologies topped the table as the number one smartphone seller in the world in the second quarter, leaving behind Samsung, according to technology market analyst firm Canalys. The Chinese telecom giant shipped 55.8 million devices in the second quarter, 5% down from last year, while the long-time market leader Samsung's sales dropped 30% to 53.7 million from last year, impacted by Coronavirus pandemic. Huawei has been shifting focus to the domestic market since the U.S. government restrictions, and presently sells 70% of its smartphones in mainland China. Helped by China's early retrieval from the Covid-19 pandemic, Huawei could bring in 8% growth in domestic smartphone sales in the second quarter. However, its overseas shipments dropped 27% in the quarter. 'Samsung has a very small presence in China, with less than 1% market share, and has seen its core markets, such as Brazil, India, the United States, and Europe, ravaged by outbreaks and subsequent lockdowns,' said Canalys Senior Analyst Ben Stanton. According to Canalys analyst Mo Jia, the domestic market alone will not help the company to retain its firstborn victory once the economy starts to roll on. The U.S had imposed a ban on Huawei products citing security reasons saying the company has close ties with the Chinese Communist Party and China's military forces. In May this year, President Trump extended the ban till May 2021 and has been pressing its allies to stand up for their national security by boycotting the company. Europen countries, key markets to the Chinese smartphone maker, are divided towards the Chinese company. Early this month, the UK decided to ban buying Huawei-made gadgets from December 31, 2020, and all existing Huawei equipment will be removed from its 5G network by the end of 2027. Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Sweden have already joined the league to ban Huawei from future 5G networks. Nevertheless, countries like Belgium said it has not found any evidence that Huwei is using its equipment for spying. Canada has not given out any clear indication whether it would join its other 4 members including Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, of 5-member intellillegenc alliance, The Five Eyes (FVEY), in barring Huawei Technologies. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Until today, a lack of a true, out-of-the-box solution meant program compliance processes for most companies were plagued by heavy, complicated, irregular, generally manual administrative work, making communicating status to partners cumbersome and errors and overpayments a regular and wide-reaching occurrence. On average, a global program compliance study of channel professionals and strategists* showed the scope and scale of the problem: 81 percent of channel programs support multiple attainable tiers, levels or program types with different compliance metrics 72 percent have at least 3 employees who work on evaluating, calculating and determining tier compliance along with sharing that out to partners, with 21 percent reporting at least 6 employees working on compliance specifically 60 percent are not confident their partners are accurately segmented into the correct tiers Of the channel leaders not confident their partners are tiered properly, 78 percent said they may be overpaying their partners by up to 20 percent, with more than half of those estimating overpayments of up to $100,000 per quarter per quarter Because of the difficulty, 42 percent of vendors evaluate, calculate and determine partner tier placement or audit program compliance only once per year 53 percent present progress to partners in an ad hoc way and then, many only upon request by the partner "One of the biggest sources of channel friction comes from vendors and partners not being aligned with status and achievements directly affecting commissions and payments that are rife with errors and frustrating for everyone," said Gary Sabin, Impartner VP of product management. "With a check box, Impartner Program Compliance Manager instantly reduces the administrative burden of channel teams and improves the ROI of their programs by giving them everything they need to automatically tier partners, track partner progress in complying with tier and program requirements, and communicate their status, benefits and what they need to do to progress to the next level one of the most important tools in motivating partners to move up and to the right." Following are the feature highlights of the new solution: A "What If," sandbox-style feature to try out various scenarios and evaluate the balance of how partners will distribute between tiers before rolling out to partners The ability to create, edit, delete, configure and manage tier structures (a set of requirements designated for certain partner levels and regions for a given timeframe) all configurable by channel account managers with no coding required Auto promotion or demotion of partner accounts based on tier structure rules Dashboards to allow partners to see where they stand, what their benefits are, and what is required to move to the next level Native integration into Impartner's workflow engines, allowing vendors to drive precise communications around tier changes and updates Tiering and progress reports to show current payment status of program and tier requirements as well as tier history and per period snapshot data for all tracked partner program requirements Leading IT technology analyst Peter O'Neill issues a dire warning for companies with poor, error-filled program compliance management systems. "Partners' tolerance of vendors who are hard to do business with and have poor partner management processes such as compensation support, will find themselves rapidly and increasingly behind those with those with platforms that truly support partners through their complete (digital) business cycle including in commission transactions," said O'Neill. "Our technologies have long solved for the No. 1 problem - channel conflict - with our customers reporting globally we reduce that by 80 percent. We couldn't be more excited to bring Program Compliance Manager to life, to tackle issue No. 2, which together with our recently announced Journey Builder, can help companies worldwide choreograph and motivate partners to follow the optimal, most profitable path for both the partner and the vendor," said Sabin. For a demo of Impartner's new Program Compliance Manager and the company's full suite of channel management technologies, click here. For qualified companies, Impartner can have organizations up and running with a free POC to see live how the Impartner's multi-award winning PRM solution can help accelerate channel performance by 32.3 percent. Request a POC here. About Impartner Impartner delivers the industry's most complete SaaS-based Channel Management Platform, helping companies worldwide manage their partner relationships and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. Impartner's flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solution is the industry's most award-winning PRM technology and one of the industry's only turnkey solutions that can deploy a world-class Partner Portal in as few as 14 days. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit www.impartner.com, or in the United States call +1 801 501 7000, for EMEA general call +33 1 40 90 31 20 and for London call +44 0 20 3283 4465. Follow Impartner on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. *Based on an Impartner global study of channel managers and top channel strategists using the Qualtrics platform; results anonymized. Contact: Kerry Desberg Impartner +1 425-231-9529 [email protected] SOURCE Impartner Related Links http://www.impartner.com Diyar Al Muharraq, one of the largest real estate developers in Bahrain, has signed up Spectrum Company to supply treated wastewater from Muharraq station to the main irrigation tanks at the entrance of its premium mixed-use development in the kingdom. A subsidiary of MM Kooheji group, Spectrum is a leading provider of waste water removal, commercial cleaning and sewage services. As per the deal, Spectrum Company will also be managing the delivery of treated wastewater to the individual irrigation tanks at sales office, the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa mosque, as well as the show villas for the following projects: Al Bareh, Deerat Al Oyoun, Al Naseem, and Al Naseem show villa access route. The company will also distribute water to different landscape areas located around Diyar Al Muharraq, said Engineer Ahmed Alammadi, CEO of Diyar Al Muharraq after signing the agreement with Hisham Al Kooheji, Managing Director of Spectrum Co at Diyar Al Muharraqs headquarters recently in the presence of officials from both parties. "This Spectrum partnership will enable us to provide the best services to our residents and visitors of Diyar Al Muharraq. We look forward to maintaining the quality of services provided by continuing to cooperate with well-known companies within various sectors," he added. Commenting on the partnership, Al Kooheji said: "Spectrum Co is well-known for its extensive experience, as it was established more than 100 years ago in Bahrain. The company has diversified interests in trading, manufacturing, real estate, contracting and jewellery across Bahrain and Saudi Arabia." "We are delighted to collaborate with Diyar Al Muharraq to provide tanker services for the city of Diyar Al Muharraq, with the aim to provide an ideal housing and living environment," he added.-TradeArabia News Service WASHINGTON - Herman Cain, the former pizza chain executive who sought the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has died weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus. "You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning," Dan Calabrese, the editor of Cain's website, wrote in a statement Thursday. "Herman Cain - our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us - has passed away." Calabrese told The Washington Post that the cause was covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. While it is unclear where Cain, who was 74, contracted the disease, he was among several thousand people who attended a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20, most of whom did not wear masks. Cain, who co-chaired Black Voices for Trump, was pictured massless and not socially distancing at the event. Cain is one of the most prominent Americans to have died of the virus, which has claimed more than 150,000 lives in the United States. Word of his death comes amid a heightened focus on how seriously Republicans have taken advice from medical experts. On Wednesday, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, who had been seen walking the halls of the U.S. Capitol without a mask and not socially distancing, announced that he had tested positive shortly before a planned Air Force One flight with President Donald Trump. Tributes to Cain's business accomplishments and political endeavors poured in from leading Republicans after the announcement of his death. "My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning," Trump said in tweets he relayed that he had spoken to members of Cain's family. "Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Cain "led an accomplished life - business titan, cancer survivor, and Republican presidential candidate." "He will always be remembered for his love of country," McCarthy added in a tweet. Cain was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa. He was pictured not wearing a mask at the event, and before being hospitalized, he advertised in a tweet that masks would not be required at an Independence Day celebration that Trump staged at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. "PEOPLE ARE FED UP!" Cain wrote. An update posted on Cain's Twitter feed three weeks ago said he was "still in an Atlanta-area hospital, where doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right." "This is a tough virus, but we serve a tougher God. Herman wants to get back in action soon, so please continue praying," the tweet said. Bob Jack, the chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party, said the party was seeking to speak with those who had met with Cain at Trump's controversial rally in Tulsa on June 20, where he was photographed sitting with other Black Republicans without a mask and not practicing social distancing. "Looking for people that attended the President Trump Rally and met with Herman Cain," Jack posted on the party's Facebook page Thursday afternoon. "Please call the Tulsa GOP office and leave a message for the Chairman." In an interview, Jack said he was aware that Cain was at the rally but he was "kind of under the radar" and - from what he saw Cain did not sit close to the area where Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt sat with others the Oklahoma congressional delegation. "I didn't talk to anyone that actually spent time with him," Jack said. "We have not received any reports of anyone contracting covid at the rally. I'm not saying there's not somebody out there. I'm just saying we haven't received any reports from anybody directly linked to the rally. I thought somebody would have caught it." The June 20 rally was widely derided by public health officials, and its more than 6,000 participants largely eschewed masks and did not sit in a socially distanced way, in fact, placards placed on every other seat to ensure social distancing were removed before the rally started. Several Trump Secret Service agents and advance staff tested positive before the rally. Tulsa's health director, Bruce Dart, later said that the rally "likely" contributed to a spike in Tulsa's covid-19 cases. "It was reckless for the event to have been held," said state Rep. Regina Goodwin, a Democrat who represents the Tulsa area. "The death of Herman Cain is evidence of that recklessness and the insensitivity of Donald Trump. Unfortunately Herman Cain died, but he chose to attend the rally without a mask . . . basically that is a life, a human being who should not be dead." Paris Dennard, an advisory board member for Black Voices for Trump, attended the rally but said he wanted to limit his responses in the interview to the "life and legacy of Herman Cain" rather than speak about his own health or Cain's. He said that he first met Cain at a Republican conference in 2009 and had worked with him on Republican causes ever since, including Black Voices for Trump, an advisory group launched by Trump at an event in November in Atlanta. Although he was photographed close to Cain at the rally, he declined to discuss the photograph in detail, except to say he personally "follows the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines" about mask-wearing and noted that many people often take their masks off when being photographed. A number of Black surrogates for Trump attended the rally, including media personalities Diamond and Silk; T.W. Shannon, a former Oklahoma state representative; television analyst Carol Swain; Texas Rep. James White; Carl Smith of Alabama; Legacy Republicans Alliance President Corrin Rankin; conservative author Deneen Borelli; former NFL player Jack Brewer; activist Kiyan Michael; activist Alveda King; Atlanta business executive Sharon LeVell; entrepreneur Madgie Nicolas; the Rev. C.L. Bryant, a Louisiana pastor; Black Conservative Federation President Diante Johnson; consultant Linda Lee Tarver; author Cecilia Johnson; former Bank of America senior vice president Glenn McCall; actor and comedian Terrence Williams; Philadelphia GOP leader Calvin Tucker; and author David Harris. During his bid for the 2012 Republican nomination, ultimately won by Mitt Romney, Cain became known for his simplified tax plan, known as Nine-Nine-Nine, and for complaints that he sexually harassed women. The Nine-Nine-Nine tax plan would have dramatically reworked the tax system. It would have set tax rates at 9% for income tax, sales tax and corporate tax. Trump met with Cain on January 2019 about joining the Federal Reserve board. Asked for comment at the time on whether he was being considered for the post in an interview, Cain made a play on his famous tax proposal and said, "None-None-None." Cain confirmed, though, that he was at the White House: "It's hard to miss a six-foot Black man in a black hat walking out of the White House," he said with a laugh. He later withdrew himself from consideration, citing "how big a pay cut this would be." Cain served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, but those posts are often given to business executives and community leaders who serve to inform top Fed officials about what they are seeing in the labor market and the economy more broadly. Cain withdrew from consideration for the central-bank position after some lawmakers, economists and Wall Street investors questioned his qualifications for the post, and noted the allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct that derailed his 2012 presidential campaign. One of the accusers said she would testify at his confirmation hearing if given the chance. Some lawmakers also had concerns that the nomination of a close political ally of the president, who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump and lashed out at his critics, would threaten the bank's independence. Cain's momentary ascent to the heights of Republican presidential politics in 2011 mirrored his first emergence in the political world nearly two decades earlier, with the power of his personality, plus his roots as a Baptist preacher and businessman making national headlines and connecting with some voters. In 1994, Cain, as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza, confronted President Bill Clinton during a televised town hall about health care. Cain's conservative critique made him a minor star of sorts in the GOP at the time, and led him to build relationships with then-House GOP powerhouse Newt Gingrich and New York congressman Jack Kemp, among others. He later supported Steve Forbes's 2000 presidential bid. But in 2004, when he jumped into the political arena as a candidate, Cain was defeated when he ran against Johnny Isakson in Georgia's Republican Senate primary, a setback that he would often reference as a contest that taught him about politics. Two years later, he was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer, but after chemotherapy it subsided. Once cancer-free, Cain mused about a presidential campaign of his own and gave frequent speeches around the nation to business and conservative groups, slowly building his profile with talks and a syndicated column and media appearances. Fox News host Sean Hannity became a personal ally, and tea-party groups started to make him a regular at gatherings. Yet Cain was not an ideologue on spending, unlike some tea-party counterparts - a nod to the conservative populism that was later taken up by Trump. In 2008, Cain criticized "free-market purists" in his column and supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program. - - - The Washington Post's Colby Itkowtiz, Emily Langer, Julie Tate and Heather Long contributed to this report. Opalesque Industry Update - Commonfund, a leading asset manager for nonprofit organizations, today announced the appointment of Terrence (Terry) Hill as Managing Director, Business Development. In this role, Terry will be responsible for the management and development of outsourced CIO (OCIO) solutions for endowments, foundations and other philanthropic organizations across the Midwestern United States. Based in Commonfund's Chicago office, he will serve as a member of the Commonfund Asset Management Sales & Service team and lead efforts in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Terry joins Commonfund from Bank of America Private Bank, where he led OCIO business development efforts in the Midwest for endowments, foundations, healthcare organizations and other institutions. Before Bank of America, he spent more than eight years at Hirtle, Callaghan & Co., where he oversaw the Midwest team and managed OCIO client development and experience throughout the region. "Terry brings over fifteen years of institutional OCIO experience to Commonfund, along with a sophisticated understanding of philanthropic organizations and their unique investment needs," said Tim Yates, President and CEO of Commonfund Asset Management. "As nonprofits face unprecedented challenges to their business models and resources, Terry will play a key role in bringing Commonfund's tailored investment solutions to these critically important institutions." Terry earned his B.S. in Finance at Indiana University, a J.D. at DePaul University, and M.B.A. from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business. Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys. WASHINGTON - D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday what schools would look like in the nation's capital in the fall, and it's an outcome that the city's leaders had been trying to avoid: An all-virtual start to the 2020-2021 academic year. The decision isn't a surprise. Coronavirus infection numbers are on the rise in the Washington region, and every neighboring school district in Maryland and Virginia have already canceled plans for in-person learning in the fall and say they will begin with distance learning. As a pioneer in the industry, we are early adopters of new technologies like Liquid which drive efficiency, speed, and trust among industry participants. - Meltem Demirors This week, the Liquid Network, a sidechain-based settlement network designed by Blockstream, welcomed eight new members to the Liquid Federation: CoinShares, Condensat Technologies, INX, JST Capital, Paymium, Petrushev Capital, Sevenlabs, and Satoshis Games. The new batch of members brings the Liquid Federation to a total of 53 members, which includes cryptocurrency exchanges, trading desks, infrastructure providers, and now even some Bitcoin gaming companies. The new addition of members represents an accelerating interest in the industrys leading sidechain, said Samson Mow. At the time of writing, there are over 2,400 L-BTC and almost 500 registered assets on the Liquid Network. The latest notable issuances include SETTLENETs Japanese yenbacked JPYS token and Light Nites variety of gaming assets. As the federation grows, the security of the Liquid Network also improvesdecision making over the development of the network becomes more distributed. Also, the upcoming Dynamic Federations (DynaFed) update will facilitate any of the members to fire up new functionaries that operate and secure the sidechain. Capital markets are seeing a rapid digital transformation, and nowhere is the pace of technological innovation as rapid as in crypto, said Meltem Demirors, Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares. As a pioneer in the industry, we are early adopters of new technologies like Liquid which drive efficiency, speed, and trust among industry participants. The addition of new members also means new integrations. Some are already online, while others will be going online soon, providing Liquid users with more venues to manage and trade their L-BTC and other Liquid assets. CoinShares: A leading global provider of institutional-grade investment products and services for digital asset investors. Coinshares intends to use Liquid as transport rails for its digital asset trading between exchanges. Condensat Technologies: a provider of white-label asset management and core-banking infrastructure. Condensat Technologies uses Liquid as a currency and asset reserve system for custodian core banking software and as a verification system to allow easy and cheap auditability. INX: a platform for the listing and trading of regulated security tokens and cryptocurrencies for institutional and retail investors. INX plans to integrate Liquid Securities as a key part of its security token trading services. JST Capital: provides a full suite of traditional financial services to institutions in the digital asset market, including trading, execution, structuring, investing, and risk management. JST Capital is using Liquid to trade OTC on Crypto Garages SETTLENET platform. Paymium: one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world based in Paris, France, providing trading and merchant services. Paymium is adding L-BTC support to allow for faster bitcoin deposits and withdrawals for their BTC-EUR traders. Petrushev Capital: an asset management advisory that specializes in the digital asset derivative and spot markets. Petrushev Capital is using Liquid for OTC trading, with a focus on smallcap European fiat market pairs. SevenLabs: a provider of cutting-edge infrastructure for end-to-end, global, non-custodial exchange networks and provides services to enable crypto pioneers to interact with distributed ecosystems. SevenLabs Liquid-powered TDEX protocol provides a peer-to-peer, non-custodial platform for traders to exchange Liquid assets. Satoshis Games: a developer of online games with Bitcoin-based rewards and assets (such as the upcoming Light Nite) and a publishing platform for new games interested in adding the same Bitcoin features. Satoshis Games uses Liquid to tokenize in-game skins, enabling players to withdraw and trade them with other players, as well as verify their scarcity. The Liquid Network is an open network, providing anyone with faster, confidential transaction features, and the power to issue new assets. Liquid Federation membership provides additional benefits such as contributing to the networks security and management, Bitcoin peg-out features, and enhanced connectivity to the network. If you would like your business to become a member of the Liquid Federation, submit your interest via the Liquid Federations Membership Board through liquid.net. -- About Blockstream Blockstream is the global leader in Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure. Blockstreams sidechain technology (the Liquid Network) enables faster Bitcoin settlements while empowering financial institutions to tokenize assets. Blockstream Mining provides enterprise-class mining facilities for the colocation of Bitcoin mining operations. The Cryptocurrency Data Feed, developed in partnership with Intercontinental Exchange, delivers best-in-class real-time and historical exchange data. Blockstream Green is the worlds most advanced consumer Bitcoin wallet. Blockstream was founded in 2014, with offices and team members distributed around the world. About the Liquid Network The Liquid Network is a sidechain-based settlement network for traders and exchanges, enabling faster, more confidential Bitcoin transactions and the issuance of digital assets. The Liquid Network is operated and managed by its federated members, ensuring the system has no single point of failure. Learn how to get access to the future of digital asset finance at liquid.net. MELBOURNE - (Reuters) - Rio Tinto said on Wednesday it saw a sharp V-shaped recovery in China as stimulus spurred industrial activity, helping its first-half profit handily beat market expectations. Rio Tinto is the first of the major iron ore miners to report results from a first half marked by coronavirus-induced disruptions but also by high iron ore prices. "We believe that China has enjoyed a very steep V-shaped recovery," CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques said on a call. "Today we see it as that the demand for steel and iron ore in China is very, very strong and order books are full," Jacques said. That rebound helped it report half-year underlying earnings of $4.75 billion, beating a consensus of $4.36 billion from 16 analysts compiled by Vuma. Iron ore accounted for 96% of Rio's underlying earnings. Rio is the world's largest iron ore miner. It declared a record dividend of $1.55 per share, up from $1.51 last year and bang on expectations but refrained from paying out a special dividend as some analysts had hoped, suggesting a more cautious view for the remainder of the year. "Rio's resilience and the very strong balance sheet supports the small increase in the dividend," said Richard Marwood, senior fund manager at Royal London Asset Management, which holds shares in the miner. "Commodity prices will be driven by the shape of the global economic recovery, but Rio is well placed to cope with whatever comes next, given its strong finances and high quality asset base." Rio's London-listed shares were up 1.5% by 1040 GMT, outpacing a 0.6% rise in the wider market. The demand recovery story outside China remained uncertain, Jacques said. "In other major economies like the U.S and Europe, the recovery is much more tentative," he said. "Big questions remain over the trajectory of consumer spending globally in the face of significant levels of unemployment." Rio said in its earnings statement that it had taken a $1 billion impairment charge, largely related to four of its aluminium smelters as well as its Diavik diamond mine in Canada. Story continues High power prices forced Rio to close its New Zealand smelter this year and to ask Icelandic regulators to address what it called discriminatory power pricing for its ISAL smelter. Its Australian aluminium businesses remains under review. We are having a lot of private conversations for all our smelters in Aus. Those are challenging conversations, there is no doubt about it, and we are working hard in order to find a solution, Jacques said. Free cash flow tumbled 28% as the miner spent more on development projects and tax payments, but analysts at Jefferies remained upbeat about its prospects. Higher metal prices and relatively stable unit costs should help free cash flow improve sequentially in the second half, they said, and suggested Rio could pay a special dividend with its full-year results. "We have continued to pay the same level of taxes, same level of employment, the same dividend," Chief Financial Officer Jakob Stausholm told Reuters. "But for a special dividend, its better to wait a moment to make such considerations." Jacques said he will front an Australian Senate enquiry next week over Rio's destruction of two sacred caves of historic significance in Western Australia. The results from a separate board-led review into the incident is due to conclude in October. Rio expects Guinea's giant Simandou iron ore reserve to be developed, as China looks to diversify its sourcing away from the Australians and Vale in Brazil. Guinea in June signed an agreement with a consortium for the development of the giant reserve after it won a $14 billion tender last November to develop the blocks which hold more than 2 billion tonnes of high-grade ore. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi and Shriya Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru, Melanie Burton in Melbourne and Zandi Shabalala in London; Editing by Kim Coghill and Jason Neely) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 06:36:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on March 13, 2019 shows the Boeing logo at its headquarters in downtown Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Joel Lerner) "Regretfully, the prolonged impact of COVID-19 causing further reductions in our production rates and lower demand for commercial services means we'll have to further assess the size of our workforce," Boeing's president and CEO Dave Calhoun said. SAN FRANCISCO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Boeing will further assess the size of its workforce amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's president and CEO Dave Calhoun said on Wednesday. The market simply won't support higher output levels at this time, and the company needs to adapt accordingly, Calhoun wrote in a letter to employees. Boeing previously announced a net 10 percent workforce reduction in 2020 through a combination of voluntary layoffs, attrition and involuntary layoffs (ILOs) to align to a smaller market. According to Calhoun, the first wave of associates affected by ILOs received notification in May, and the company continues to conduct smaller, phased workforce reductions to reach the target. "Managers are communicating the latest wave of those reductions beginning today," he said. "Regretfully, the prolonged impact of COVID-19 causing further reductions in our production rates and lower demand for commercial services means we'll have to further assess the size of our workforce," Calhoun noted. "This is difficult news, and I know it adds uncertainty during an already challenging time. We will try to limit the impact on our people as much as possible going forward." Boeing Company on Wednesday reported second-quarter revenue of 11.8 billion U.S. dollars, GAAP loss per share of 4.20 dollars, and operating cash flow of 5.3 billion dollars, primarily reflecting the impacts of COVID-19 and the 737 MAX grounding. In Commercial Airplanes Programs, Boeing delivered a total of 20 aircraft in the second quarter of 2020. The delivery included two 777Fs to China Southern Airlines in May. The backlog included over 4,500 airplanes valued at 326 billion U.S. dollars. Oudenaarde, Belgium -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2020 -- Passionate about both authentic Belgian chocolate and sustainable lifestyles, Jonas Hoekman has just launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help bring the best organic, dairy-free chocolate to his homeland of Belgium and beyond. As a long-time vegan chocolate and sweets creator from Belgium, Jonas has absolutely perfected the art of transforming traditional Belgian chocolate into plant-based versions that look, taste and feel like the "real thing". Even his white and milk chocolates will fool the most discerning connoisseurs. Hoekman's Belgian Chocolates collection is fully plant-based, which means vegan, dairy-free and cholesterol-free. It also means that his chocolates are healthier, lower in sugar and more sustainable to help preserve our precious environment. Further delivering on a strong feel-good vibe, all ingredients are sourced free from child labor for full commitment to humanity. With Hoekman's Belgian Chocolates, you're sure to experience that rich chocolatey taste that only comes with authentic Belgian chocolate. Choose from a wide collection of treats from chocolate drops to even dinosaur-shaped bites. For a limited time only, support Hoekman's Belgian Chocolates NOW on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonashoekman/be-happy-belgian-organic-chocolate-and-dairy-free-alternatives Funds raised from this campaign will be used to support costs associated with production. While a small scale production operation is already running, Jonas hopes to use funds from this campaign to expand his machines and cooling infrastructure to make his chocolates more accessible. Backers worldwide can support this project for as little as 5 (and receive an e-book with sweet plant-based recipes), or pledge 50 or more to receive fresh authentic vegan Belgian chocolates straight from the production line in January 2021. Other exclusive reward options, including virtual tours of Hoekman's production facility, are available. This campaign will only run for a very limited time, so ACT FAST to help support authentic plant-based Belgian chocolate. About Jonas Hoekman Jonas Hoekman is an accomplished plant-based chocolate and sweets creator from Oudenaarde, Belgium. His ultimate mission is to make the world a better place through the distribution of his organic, plant-based, and dairy-free chocolate alternatives - thus improving quality of lives while minimizing environmental impact. Contact Contact Person: Jonas Hoekman Company: Confiserie Jonas City: Oudenaarde State: Oost-Vlaanderen Country: Belgium Phone: +32470805836 Email: jonas@confiseriejonas.be Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonashoekman/be-happy-belgian-organic-chocolate-and-dairy-free-alternatives Photo's and video's are available on demand by simple request to jonas@confiseriejonas.be or Whatsapp +32470805836 Close Trump says he wont go and pay respects to John Lewis at Capitol John Lewis will go down in history as the founding father of a better America, former president Barack Obama said during powerful eulogy to the civil rights hero. Mr Obama was the fourth former president to deliver remarks at the funeral after Bill Clinton and George W Bush spoke, and a letter from Jimmy Carter was read out, to mourners gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. "The life of John Lewis was in so many ways, exceptional. It vindicated the faith in our founding, redeemed that faith, that most American of ideas," Mr Obama said. The celebration of Mr Lewis' life turned to the hope for his legacy as Mr Obama used the famous pulpit of MLK to rally support for voting reform ahead of the 2020 election between his former VP Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Mr Trump was the only recent living president not to make an appearance of some kind at the service, though his actions cast a long shadow over the messages of speakers. "There are those in power that are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermine the postal service, in the run up to an election that's going to be dependent on mail in ballots so people don't get sick," Mr Obama said. "I know this is a celebration of John's life, there are some who might say we shouldn't dwell on such things. But that's why I'm talking about it. John Lewis devoted his time on this earth fighting the very attacks on democracy, and what's best in America, that we're seeing circulate right now." Mr Bush and Mr Clinton earlier focused on the life of Mr Lewis and the better future he created for the country. Mr Bush had mourners in hysterics as he remembered Mr Lewis's early childhood while Mr Clinton spoke about the lessons he has learned from the late congressman. Follow The Independent's live updates and coverage below: Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load Johns Hopkins researchers have received $35 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND), on behalf of the Defense Health Agency, for two nationwide clinical trials to test the effectiveness of a convalescent blood plasma outpatient treatment. The treatment is a transfusion of a blood product from COVID-19 survivors that contains antibodies that may help the patients immune system fight the virus. The randomized double blind trials totaling 1,100 people will be conducted at over 20 ambulatory clinics in medical centers across the U.S., including the Navajo Nation, and will help researchers determine whether convalescent blood plasma therapy can effectively be used to treat people in the early stage of COVID-19 illness or prevent the infection in those at high risk of exposure to the virus at their home or jobs. Currently, there are no FDA-approved vaccines to prevent infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, nor approved treatments for the illness in its earliest stage. There are also no outpatient therapies to prevent hospitalization or death. This is a story of great synergy between researchers and institutions to carry out important studies that will inform our nation and the world on how effective plasma can be to prevent COVID-19 and to treat early disease, says Arturo Casadevall, M.D., Ph.D., a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor who holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. To initiate the clinical trial, Casadevall and his colleagues assembled a broad collaboration of investigators at Johns Hopkins and at participating medical centers across the U.S. Leaders of the trials include Casadevall and his colleagues Shmuel Shoham, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, David Sullivan, M.D., professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Daniel Hanley, M.D., director for multisite clinical trials in the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Blood plasma therapy may have the most potential in providing immediate immunity to people at high risk of COVID-19 exposure and treating COVID-19 early to prevent hospitalization or death, says Sullivan. For definitive proof of this, we need a rigorous randomized clinical study to evaluate it. The prevention trial will include 500 people who have been exposed to COVID-19 in their home or at work as health care providers. The companion trial will have another 600 participants who have early COVID-19 disease, meaning they are within eight days of their first symptoms but are not sick enough to be in a hospital. All participants will be over age 18. The researchers aim to complete recruitment of participants to the trial in early fall 2020. Convalescent blood plasma therapy involves transfusing a portion of blood called plasma from people who have recovered from the virus. When separated from red and white blood cells and platelets in the blood, plasma is the yellow-tinged liquid that includes proteins called antibodies, which glom on to foreign substances such as viruses and either mark them for destruction by the immune system or disrupt a virus ability to multiply and grow. Physicians have used the treatment for severe diseases in hospitals for more than a century, often during epidemics such as the influenza pandemic of 1918 and the more recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. Laboratory experiments in the past have shown that the therapy neutralizes many viruses. However, the treatment is often used in the chaotic phases of a crisis without the rigors of a large clinical trial. There is very little clinical data proving the effectiveness of using the therapy in outpatient clinics, according to the researchers. Currently, only hospitalized patients have access to any type of therapy for COVID-19. Because plasma from recovering patients is widely available, it may be a rapid low-cost treatment of major value in early stages of epidemics. A randomized trial is needed to clearly demonstrate these historical and laboratory proven benefits, says Hanley. The blood plasma used in these trials is being collected from many organizations, including the New York Blood Center and the American Red Cross. One donor can provide plasma for up to three people. Trial participants will receive one IV infusion of the plasma at an outpatient facility, which usually takes about an hour. As part of the trials, participants with COVID-19 will be monitored over four weeks to determine the course of the disease and its severity. Participants who have been exposed to the virus will be evaluated over four weeks for development of COVID-19 infection, including symptom checks and laboratory testing for the virus and antibodies. The researchers will examine the long-term immunity of both groups at three months after infusion with convalescent plasma. From the trials, Shoham says, the researchers hope to learn if blood plasma can prevent infection or squash it where it begins. There are also biological implications, he says, adding that blood plasma therapy could expand treatment options for viral diseases. Were reviving an old approach to fight pathogens, and it may be useful for other viruses or parasites such as malaria. Johns Hopkins research into convalescent blood plasma therapy was previously funded by $3 million from a Bloomberg Philanthropies gift and $1 million from the state of Maryland. Seed funding such as this can normally take time to get. However, with expedited financial support, the investigators were able to get this research quickly up and running. Johns Hopkins also received a $1 million award supplement from the National Institutes of Healths National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Additionally, the researchers used the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Trial Innovation Network and the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project at Michigan State University (ccpp19.org) to develop interest in the trial among participating centers. Jason Roos, deputy joint program executive officer for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense, says, Weve seen that convalescent plasma can benefit patients suffering from some of the worst effects of COVID-19. The JPEO-CBRND is excited to be working with The Johns Hopkins University to determine whether that same plasma could help protect our Joint Forces from COVID-19, either by preventing infection altogether or drastically reducing their symptoms. Those types of beneficial outcomes would help us make sure our servicemen and women stay healthy so they can complete their mission. Other key faculty supporting this project include virologists Andy Pekosz and Sabra Klein of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and transfusion medicine experts Evan Bloch and Aaron Tobian of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. DISCLAIMER: Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers are working tirelessly to find ways to better understand and eventually eliminate COVID-19 and the virus that causes it. New discoveries like this one, especially those related to clinical therapies and drug regimens, are still early in concept. This will require rigorous research, testing and peer review, all of which take time, before solid conclusions for clinical care and disease prevention can be made. # # # Media contacts: Kathy Marmon at kmarmon@jhu.edu and Carly Kempler at ckemple2@jhu.edu. Note: This news release was originally published in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Newsroom. For more information on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Expert Insights site. SANTA FE, N.M., & NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenEye Scientific (OpenEye) and CHDI Foundation (CHDI) today announced a research collaboration to identify novel small-molecule therapeutics for Huntington's disease (HD) utilizing Orion, OpenEye's cloud-native molecular design platform. Orion will be employed to perform multiple searches of 475 billion enumerated 3D structures (2.5 billion individual compounds) to identify molecules that bind the huntingtin protein, which is central to HD pathophysiology. "We are pleased to collaborate with OpenEye and engage their novel computational platform and in-house expertise to identify small molecules that bind to a specific pocket in huntingtin that was identified by cryo-electron microscopy," said Robi Blumenstein, President of CHDI Management. "Our hope is that this computer-aided identification will speed progress towards small-molecule therapeutics for HD." Using Orion's GigaDocking enginewhich performs massively parallel molecular docking utilizing tens of thousands of CPUs at Amazon Web Servicesa search of the 475 billion 3D structures takes no more than 24 hours. Further molecular modeling of selected compounds will be performed in concert by OpenEye and CHDI scientists using Orion. "We are proud to work with CHDI and to use our new cloud platform, Orion, to help combat Huntington's disease," said Dr. Anthony Nicholls, CEO of OpenEye Scientific. "We built Orion to change the conceptual scale of small-molecule drug discovery, and this exciting collaboration gives us the opportunity to bring massive computational resources to bear on a therapeutic problem of huge significance. Cloud resourcing makes this an exciting time for computational chemistry, and we anticipate a fruitful collaboration with CHDI." About Huntington's disease Huntington's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene. The defect causes a DNA sequence called a CAG repeat to occur many more times than normal. Each child of a parent with a mutation in the huntingtin gene has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation. As a result of carrying the mutation, an individual's brain cells degenerate, leading to behavioral, cognitive, and motor impairments that, over the course of the disease, significantly reduce the individual's quality of life and ultimately cause death within 15 to 25 years of overt clinical onset. It is estimated that around one person in 10,000 carries the mutated huntingtin gene. There are currently no therapeutics approved that slow the progression of Huntington's disease. About CHDI Foundation, Inc. CHDI Foundation, Inc. is a privately-funded nonprofit biomedical research organization that is exclusively dedicated to collaboratively developing therapeutics that substantially improve the lives of those affected by Huntington's disease. As a collaborative enabler CHDI seeks to bring the right partners together to identify and address critical scientific issues and move drug candidates to clinical evaluation as quickly as possible. Our scientists work closely with a network of more than 700 researchers in academic and industrial laboratories around the world in the pursuit of these novel therapies, providing strategic scientific direction to ensure that our common goals remain in focus. More information about CHDI can be found at www.chdifoundation.org. About OpenEye Scientific OpenEye Scientific is an industry leader in computational molecular design based on decades of delivering rapid, robust, and scalable software, toolkits, and technology and design services across the drug discovery process. Our scientific approach has focused on visualizing and analyzing the shape and electrostatics of molecular 3D structures to inform and guide the advancement of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. OpenEye recently integrated its applications and toolkits into Orion, the only cloud-native, fully integrated molecular design platform. Combining unlimited computation and storage with powerful tools for data sharing, visualization and analysis in an open development platform, Orion offers unprecedented capabilities for drug discovery and optimization. Founded in 1997, OpenEye is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., with offices in Boston, Mass.; Cologne, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, go to www.eyesopen.com. Contacts: Marshall Poindexter OpenEye Scientific 617.849.8670 [email protected] Simon Noble, Ph.D. CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation 212.660.8112 [email protected] SOURCE OpenEye Scientific Related Links www.eyesopen.com Former special counsel Robert Mueller. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Former special counsel Robert Mueller's decision not to charge President Trump with obstruction of justice was an unconscionable lapse that let Trump get away with lying, Norm Eisen, former special counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, said in a Wednesday interview on the Yahoo News podcast Skullduggery. Eisens sharp comments about Mueller, for whom he said he has always had great respect, came during a discussion about his new book A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump, an intimate account of the impeachment battle. Eisen reveals in the book that he drafted 10 articles of impeachment against President Trump some of which stemmed directly from Muellers report even before the House learned about the Ukraine scandal that ultimately became the basis for impeachment. But Eisen reserved some of his strongest criticism for Mueller, who he believes was ill-equipped to deal with a president as reckless as Trump. He failed because he brought a 19th-century mentality, a 19th-century ethics and honor, to a 21st-century problem, Eisen said. Its like trying to put out a burning building with a water pistol. His report just did not, was not fit for the purpose. It did not address the crisis represented by a President Trump who is attacking all the fundamentals of our rule of law, constitutional republic system. Released in April 2019, Muellers report documented multiple contacts between Russian agents and Trump's associates as well as efforts by the president to shut down the Russia investigation. But Mueller did not charge the president or his allies with conspiring with the Russians or accuse Trump of obstruction of justice. Eisen scoffed at Muellers contention that it would have been unfair to charge the president with obstruction of justice. It wouldnt be fair? It was much more unfair not to, Eisen said. He hints at the need for impeachment. He should have been bold like [former special counsel Kenneth] Starr and said, In my view, I recommend impeachment. He should have released the report or made a public statement immediately. He wrote a private letter to the attorney general and the attorney general distorted his findings. He said, Oh, please release my summaries. But Barrs as bad as Trump in abusing the system. These are 21st-century abusers. They know how to spin and manipulate. Story continues Eisen pointed to the presidents ally Roger Stone, whom Mueller indicted on one count of obstruction, five counts of false statements and one count of witness tampering. Stone was convicted and sentenced in February to 40 months in prison. Trump commuted that sentence earlier this month. The president has long denied knowledge of Stones behind-the-scenes attempted collaboration with WikiLeaks and told Mueller he didn't recall talking to Stone about the subject. Eisen said he believes it is simply not credible that the president would not recall conversations with Stone and that Mueller should have charged Trump. He said the consequences of Muellers choice have been dire. Bob didnt even confront Trump, he didnt force Trump to testify, Eisen said. He let Trump get away with lying and pretending he doesn't remember. ... Those honorable decisions and leaving it to others to decide, leaving it to Congress to after the presidency, letting Barr manipulate, completely neutered his investigation, and as I explain, we never recovered from that and that is a tragedy. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The Covid-19 pandemic has been the biggest spoiler of the year, affecting economies, crores of industries and businesses along with dampening spirits. The crisis is likely to affect this years Independence Day celebrations as well. The ramparts of the Red Fort will not be the same as on August 15 every year. The government has made many amends to this years celebrations and plans to make arrangements keeping preventive measures in mind in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of guests attending the ceremony will be limited this year while children, who are the centre of attraction of Independence Day celebrations every year, will also be absent. Many agencies are involved in the preparation of the Independence Day event at Red Fort, including the Archaeological Survey of India, Jal Board, Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Police, among others. As per a report by HTs Hindi language publication Live Hindustan, the following are some of the measures taken to ensure that this years Independence Day celebrations take place keeping the coronavirus situation in mind. Social distancing will be the most important aspect kept in mind while organising the event. A minimum distance of six-feet will be kept while making seating arrangements for the guests. The guests will not be seated where the Tricolor flag is hoisted from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Arrangements are being made for guests to sit at the lower level of the ramparts with limited seats. It is likely that the authorities give a miss to childrens participation during this years Independence Day celebrations in the national capital. Nations corona warriors, from healthcare professionals like nurses, doctors, paramedical staff to policemen, among others, are likely to be invited to the Red Fort ceremony in limited numbers. Apart from this, the guests may also be able to watch the ceremony on an LED screen. This years Independence Day celebrations in the national capital shall consist of the ceremony at the Red Fort which will include the presentation of a Guard of Honour by the Armed Forces and the Delhi Police to the Prime Minister, unfurling of the National Flag accompanied by playing of the National Anthem and firing of 21-gun salute. The prime ministers speech shall be followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the release of tricoloured balloons at the end. At Home reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan will take place. In an advisory issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs last week, the government pressed for the use of technology in the best possible manner for Independence Day events across the country. The government has strictly directed to avoid large gatherings and congregation of people in large numbers. The events organized could be web-cast in order to reach out people at large, who are not able to participate, the release issued by Ministry of Home Affairs stated. Performance of Police/Military bands may be recorded at places of historic importance associated with the Independence movement; and recorded versions thereof may be displayed through large screens/digital media, during public functions and on social media, the release noted. The New Jersey manufacturer of Power Stick products is relocating its head headquarters and manufacturing operations to Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Thursday morning that A.P. Deauville, a manufacturer of health and beauty products, will relocate its headquarters and manufacturing operations in New Jersey to 3700 Glover Road in Forks Township, Northampton County near Easton and has pledged to invest $16.7 million in the project and create 105 jobs for the Lehigh Valley region. The company has reached full capacity at its New Jersey manufacturing facility and will purchase and renovate a 180,000-square-foot facility, doubling its manufacturing capacity. The company is eligible to receive $250,000 in funding from the Department of Community and Economic Development upon the creation of the new jobs and another $50,000 in funding for job training. The project was coordinated by the Governors Action Team. A.P. Deauville manufactures the Power Stick brand of anti-perspirant, body wash, body sprays and mens grooming products. The company is currently located in New Brunswick, New Jersey. --Business Buzz --Sign up for PennLives newsletters Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like PennLives business page on Facebook at @PennLiveBusiness Prosecutors in Los Angeles has filed a request to extradite Harvey Weinstein from New York (David Mirzoeff/PA) Prosecutors in Los Angeles has filed a request to extradite Harvey Weinstein from New York, in a bid to try the disgraced Hollywood producer on five counts of sexual assault. Weinstein, 68, is serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York after being convicted of rape in February. Expand Close Prosecutors in Los Angeles are trying to extradite Harvey Weinstein from New York (PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Prosecutors in Los Angeles are trying to extradite Harvey Weinstein from New York (PA) He is also accused of assaulting three women in Los Angeles. The extradition process to bring him to California began in March, but has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Los Angeles County District Attorneys office said DA Jackie Lacey filed a request for temporary custody on July 20. New York officials are expected to set a hearing date to consider the request, prosecutors added. If successful, it would pave the way for Weinstein to be put on trial again. Weinstein is charged with five offences against three women in Los Angeles. He is alleged to have attacked a woman at a Beverly Hills hotel in May 2010 as well as sexually assaulting two women during separate incidents in 2013. If convicted as charged, Weinstein faces 29 years in state prison. A generous donation of $100,000 to Equine Guelph has been made by the Kerr family to establish an equine education and community outreach endowment. A portion of the Kerr Fund for Equine Education and Community Outreach will support much needed ongoing operational funding for the University of Guelphs not-for-profit centre for the horse owner. Sheryl Kerr was inspired to set up the fund through her positive experience taking courses on TheHorsePortal.ca, Equine Guelphs online learning platform. After taking the Horse Care and Welfare course, quoting from the National Equine Code of Practice came naturally for creating a COVID-19 response plan for her 150-acre farm and training facility. Kerr was impressed with the practicality of the Equine Guelph course and how lessons learned could be directly applied to daily operations. Having learned so much myself from Equine Guelphs online courses, I know first hand how much value they bring to the horse community," said Kerr. Our horses deserve the very best, and Equine Guelph has access to the latest advice from experts across a range of topics that are essential for any horse owner from beginners to barn owners. Equine Guelph Director Gayle Ecker expressed gratitude and says, the funding will help us to continue to build our practical and affordable educational programs and industry resources that help improve horse welfare. The global reach of Equine Guelphs programs was recognized recently by Equestrian Canada as the 2019 recipient of their National Health and Welfare Award. Equine Guelph has been a pioneer in the development of evidence-based, award-winning online education since 2002. Many student testimonials resonate with Kerrs sentiments, extolling the merits of a wonderful online learning community, the quality of content and expertise of the instructors and guest speakers. My hope is that the Kerr Fund for Equine Education and Community Outreach will bring greater awareness for the excellent programs and resources that Equine Guelph has to offer, as well as to inspire others in the horse community to give, said Kerr. Any horse enthusiast can benefit from what Equine Guelph has to offer, and programs like this rely on donations to survive and thrive. (Equine Guelph) Flight schedules at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport have been slowly recovering after their near-complete shutdown in April, but the rebound may stall in the coming months amid worries that airlines will further reduce flights and lay off staff. The latest airport data showed that domestic flights to and from the Kenner facility had recovered from a near stand-still in April to about 20% of the normal schedule in May, or a little more than 1,000 flights out of the more than 5,000 that were seen each month before the pandemic. The largest carriers operating out of the Kenner airport -- including Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, United Airlines and Delta -- all declined to say officially if they plan to trim their flight schedules in the coming months, though several have warned of layoffs. Southwest, the largest operator, accounting for about 35% of the passengers that go through the New Orleans airport, cut its daily flight schedule from 63 before the pandemic to just 17 in May. "As demand has begun returning, weve slowly added in more flights and we are currently offering a little more than 40 flights a day in August," said Southwest spokesman Dan Landson, though he wouldn't say if flights may be cut again in the fall. Southwest hasn't issued a formal notice to staff about cuts and CEO Gary Kelly has said furloughs and lay offs "will be the last thing we do" to keep the airline financially healthy. But Kelly also told employees that the company would be forced to make cuts if passenger traffic doesnt triple by the end of the year, and earlier this month 17,000 Southwest employees (about 28% of the workforce) signed up for voluntary buyouts or leave of absence. Earlier this week, Bloomberg Quint, a Bloomberg News joint venture with an Indian data-focused news organization, calculated that 400,000 U.S. airline workers have been fired, furloughed or told they will lose their jobs during the pandemic. That does not include thousands more who have taken voluntary buyouts. Among those on notice are 36,000 United Airlines workers who have been told through official WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notices that they may lose their jobs by Oct. 1, including 70 at the New Orleans airport. American Airlines, which accounts for about 15% of New Orleans passenger traffic, also issued a WARN notice to 25,000 workers of possible layoffs. It hasn't yet filed a WARN notice with the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Though the airlines declined to comment on whether they will reduce flights from New Orleans in coming months, social media groups that include pilots and other airline and airport operatives who work out of New Orleans noted this week that American Airlines plans to reduce its daily direct flights to Washington, D.C., to weekends only, and that all the other large carriers also plan cutbacks. While the number of flights rebounded in May, passenger traffic still was only a small fraction of pre-pandemic levels -- at 86,000 it was down 93% from the 1.3 million passengers that went through the airport in May 2019. At risk also are many of the approximately 1,000 jobs in the 52 restaurant and retail concessions that rely on travelers. Only 17 of the concessions have re-opened and Delaware North-Chase Catering, which operates a dozen of the airport's concessions, recently issued a WARN notice to its 270 employees. Glen White, a spokesman for Delaware North, said a few of the company's employees have been brought back for limited business at MoPho, Chick-Fil-A, Bar Sazarac and Dooks Burgers, which have continued to operate on Concourse B. On Aug 3 the company opened the Midway Pizza next to the Chick-Fil-A and, on Concourse C, Folse Market, which altogether make up half Delaware North's concessions. As for the rest, White said: "Employees have been on temporary leave since April [and] were recently notified that as a result of COVID-19s ongoing impact on the business, the leave will likely be extended through September or beyond." Bethesda, Maryland-based HMS Host, which employs about 500 people in a dozen concessions, wasn't available for comment. Erin Burns, an airport spokeswoman, said the airport authority has committed to keep employing its 200 full-time staff, many of whom are crucial to keeping operations running safely. However, only half the 120 janitorial and cleaning staff normally employed by the airport through Henry Consulting are working since the pandemic. This story has been corrected to show Southwest flights were 63 daily before the pandemic. Also, comments from Delaware North's spokesperson were added. (Natural News) Political violence is an attack on America itself. Tucker Carlson made some very important points in a recent broadcast discussing the lefts politically-motivated violence and how the Democrats are using this violence to assume power. The current state of affairs in Americas inner cities can best be described as a third world country that has collapsed into a war zone, especially in places like Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Instead of denouncing the violence and restoring law and order, several of these democratic leaders are cheering it on. Democrats look to benefit from political violence, destroying democracy Political violence ends democracy, returning a country to the most primitive systems of governance. Under this system, the powerful rule over the weak. People who hurt others get to do exactly what they want and everyone else must obey them. Political violence isnt simply an assault on individual Americans. Its an attack on America itself. In this country we govern by consent, not by force. People with guns dont make laws. Voters do, said Carlson. So why are the people who run these cities encouraging the political violence? Democrats are looking to benefit from the violence, to ultimately use it to intimidate and gain power. Carlson summarized it well: Its okay to set fires or smash strangers in the face with two by fours, so long as you are chanting the correct slogans. If youre on the right team, everything is allowed. But if you dare to dissent from the orthodoxy, you will be swiftly punished. The message they are sending you is very clear. Americans are not equal anymore. There are two standards in this country. One standard for them and a very different standard for you. Democratic leaders are excusing political violence. Their voters are destroying democracy itself, as they continue to get away with torching buildings and attacking police officers in Seattle. As they riot and hurt people, the democratic leaders make excuses for their voters and pretend none of the destruction is even happening. The media continues to go along with the violence, justifying it as peaceful protest. The democratic party has descended into complete lawlessness and chaos as they topple statues, assault innocents, burn buildings, and commit widespread acts of violence. How long will CNN, ABC, and MSNBC get away with condoning violence, inverting the truth and gas-lighting the rest of America into accepting that this violence is peace? With their relentless, shameless lying, the media are co-conspirators in the violence. At least fifty-nine police officers were injured during the peaceful Seattle protests, as Joe Biden voters attacked law enforcement with rocks and explosives. In Sacramento, reporters had to flee the scene when one hundred fifty left-wing militants assaulted and threatened their lives. In downtown Louisville, heavily armed protestors in military outfits sauntered through the city and threatened law enforcement. Do democrat leaders really think they will gain power through violence, while casting the blame on their opposition? Sources include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com Grubbly Farms, a market leader in sustainable, insect-based snacks and feed for backyard chickens, today announced the closing of its $2.9 million seed funding. Grubbly Farms was founded in 2016 to help drive a more nutrient-rich and environmentally-friendly food source in the backyard chicken market. The companys product lines, Grubblies and Grubbly Layer Feed, are made with black soldier fly larvae (grubs), a sustainable protein source whose health and environmental benefits are well-established. While chickens come running to enjoy every peck, they also receive essential nutrients to help them grow healthier feathers and lay eggs with stronger shells. The funding round was led by Overline, an Atlanta-based seed-stage venture capital firm that primarily focuses on startups in the Southeast. Other investors in Grubbly Farms include Oval Park Capital, Techstars, and Create-X. Sean Warner, CEO and co-founder of Grubbly Farms announced, We are seeing rapid growth in the domestic backyard chicken market, buoyed by pet owners who are seeking to provide their families with the healthiest, freshest eggs. We are excited to take in this new investment capital to stay ahead of the growing demand for our nutritious, sustainable products and to introduce new products that our loyal pet owners are requesting. Backyard chicken keeping has evolved out of the modern homesteading movement. Adoption has grown in recent months as an increasing number of municipalities have passed regulations that allow chickens to be kept as pets in urban and suburban areas. There has also been an acceleration in the market resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns, as more Americans are staying home and are turning to new hobbies, including backyard chicken keeping. The American Pet Product Association estimates that as many as 10 million U.S. households keep poultry as pets today. Michael Cohn, Managing Partner of Overline said, We are thrilled to partner with the Grubbly Farms team to drive more sustainable, environmentally-friendly food products for backyard chickens. We are big fans of the team and their mission, and we have been impressed by the loyal customer base that the company has built. We see tremendous opportunity for Grubbly Farms to continue to grow within its current market, as well as into adjacent pet market segments. Patrick Pittaluga, COO and co-founder of Grubbly Farms continued, We are very excited about the current trends in our business. Weve seen an explosion in demand, as the market gets educated on the health and environmental benefits of our products, compared to traditional snacks and feed that are produced using lower-quality foreign sources. With the new capital, we will be making key hires and investments in our supply chain to stay ahead of our growing demand, as well as in marketing to drive additional awareness of the Grubbly Farms brand. Grubbly Farms is an ideal example of the type of business we built Overline to support, said Sean OBrien, Managing Partner of Overline. We look for exceptional founding teams that provide their customers with a strong value proposition within a growing market segmentattributes that are evidenced by Grubbly Farms rabid fanbase and current business momentum. We were also drawn to the strong environmental benefits of the Companys products, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid harmful farming practices that are involved in the production of many of their competitors offerings. About Grubbly Farms Inc. At Grubbly Farms, were committed to raising the bar on the way we feed our pet chickens, using nutrient-rich, farm-grown black soldier fly grubs. Our grubs are as healthy for pets as they are healthy for the planet. Every pound of grubs harvested recycles 10 pounds of food waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill and release methane gas as it decomposes. Grubbly Farms has helped recycle nearly 4 million pounds of food waste to date. These nutrient-rich grubs also have the power to replace conventional protein for pets, such as fishmeal, which provides relief to our overfished oceans. With grubs at the heart of what we do, its our promise to provide products with premium nutrition, sustainable ingredients, and full transparency. Together, we can transform how we feed our chickens while helping our planet thrive. About Overline Overline is a founder/operator-led early stage venture capital firm, based in Atlanta, that primarily focuses on investments in the Southeast United States. Its inaugural fund, Overline Seed Fund I, LP, is a generalist fund that leads pre-seed and seed investments across multiple industries and business models. Overline takes a hands-on approach to supporting its portfolio companies, providing key introductions to its network of prospective customers, partners, investors and top talent. Contact Hailey Dray Director of Marketing hailey.dray@grubblyfarms.com Archbishop slams Catholic leaders for allowing heresy, sodomy and corruption to run rampant Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Roman Catholic Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a prominent critic of Pope Francis, has accused a group of Church leaders of subverting the Church from within by allowing "heresy, sodomy and corruption" to run rampant. In a recent interview with Vatican expert Marco Tosatti, the 79-year-old Vigano elaborated further on what he sees as the "deep church." Vigano, who previously served as the Vatican's ambassador to the United States in one of the top diplomatic positions, first coined the phrase "deep church" in a June letter to President Donald Trump in which he described it as mercenary infidels who seek to scatter the flock and hand the sheep over to be devoured by ravenous wolves. According to Vigano, there's an effort by the leadership of the Catholic Church, including the pope, to downplay the role of sodomy and homosexual behaviors in the sexual abuse of minors. Throughout the interview, Vigano referred to Pope Francis by his given name of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. For Bergoglio and his entourage, sodomy is not a sin that cries out for vengeance in the presence of God, as the Catechism teaches," Vigano said. "Bergoglios words on this topic and even more the actions and words of those who surround him unfortunately, confirm that an operation of legalization of homosexuality is currently underway and that prelates and theologians are carrying this discussion forward who have manifested without equivocation that they are unfaithful to Catholic teaching." After declaring that a "gay lobby" consisting of now defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Cardinal Joseph Tobin and others has infiltrated the Catholic Church, Vigano spoke of another interest of a political nature. He alleges the interest can explain the Catholic churchs response to McCarrick, who faced allegations of sexual abuse. Vigano quoted from an article in Church Militant that alleged that Francis unshackled him [McCarrick] from Benedict-imposed restrictions just weeks after becoming pope. Sources in China show that McCarrick may have been instrumental in working out the ongoing secret payments of billions of dollars from the Chinese communists to Francis Vatican, Church Militant claimed. Vigano alleged that it was hardly a coincidence that the Vatican remained silent when China ordered Christian villagers to renounce their faith and worship the nations Communist Party leaders instead. The implication from Vigano was that a secret agreement made between the Holy See and Beijing explains the Vaticans decision to remain silent on the human rights violations perpetrated by the regime. Vigano added that he remains pessimistic as to whether Catholics worldwide will ever learn the whole truth about McCarrick. McCarrick, who served as archbishop of Washington, D.C., has faced a multitude of sexual abuse allegations dating back half a century when he allegedly grabbed the genitals of a teenage boy on two occasions. While multiple priests and seminarians have accused McCarrick of predatory sexual behavior over the years, most of those accusations were ignored. The dynamics of McCarrick's situation changed considerably in 2018 when an investigation conducted by the Archdiocese of New York deemed allegations against McCarrick to be credible. McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals that summer and the pope placed him in seclusion for a "life of prayer and penance." The Vatican laicized McCarrick in early 2019, stripping him of his clerical status. Lets not forget that the legitimization of homosexuality is part of the agenda of the New World Order to which the Bergoglian church adheres openly and unconditionally not only for its destabilizing value in the social body but also because sodomy is the principal instrument with which the Enemy intends to destroy the Catholic priesthood, corrupting the souls of the Ministers of God, Vigano said. For this reason, at least as far as what seems possible, the entire truth about McCarrick will never officially come to light. Vigano concluded the interview with Tosatti by calling for action from the sons of light to expose the complicities and crimes of those who make war on the Good so as to establish the New World Order. In May, Vigano penned a document titled the Appeal for the Church and the World to Catholics and all people of good will." In the appeal, he criticized the restrictions on religious services during the coronavirus pandemic. He also warned of a world government beyond all control and an odious technological tyranny. Vigano caused a stir in the global Catholic community in 2018 by publishing an 11-page letter calling on Pope Francis to resign and accusing the pontiff of covering for McCarrick. The Vatican responded to Viganos allegations by calling them monstrous and blasphemous. In 2019, the Vatican held a global summit focusing on the need to combat the sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic church. The summit featured about 200 leaders from across the world. During his introductory remarks at the summit, Pope Francis implored leaders to find ways to fight this evil afflicting the Church and humanity. However, critics contend that the Vatican still has not done enough to halt clergy sexual abuse since the summit. 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. After years of working towards developing more affordable housing for more than 150 people on the Oonuhseh Niagara Native Homes Inc. waiting lists, the not-for-profit organization learned Wednesday it will receive $475,000 in upper-tier government commitments to make new facilities a reality in St. Catharines and Thorold. Despite the good news, Oonuhseh Niagara Native Homes Inc. executive director Jody Nadeau said the happy announcement was diminished for her when she was approached by an angry neighbour, as government representatives gathered at the Ormond Street construction site for the announcement Wednesday afternoon. I went up to her and she expressed that the whole neighbourhood does not agree with you people moving here, Nadeau said. She didnt stop there. She said the unidentified woman just went on and on, she said, Nobody wants you guys here. Nadeau said the woman also complained about parking in the area, concerned the new duplex would make the situation worse. She wouldnt even take what I was saying into consideration, Nadeau said. She just kept on angrily demanding the same thing. She just took an opportunity at a really inappropriate time to be stating that kind of stuff. Nadeau said she didnt want to make a big thing about it at the time and politely listened to the woman, handed her a business card and invited her to call the organizations office. Oonuhseh Niagara Native Homes has been part of that neighbourhood for decades. The non-profit organization has owned property at 60 Ormond St. since 1988, although the land has sat vacant for the past few years after a fire destroyed a building there. Its not new land. Its property that we already had in our stock, she said. Nadeau said the funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and Ontario, provided through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative, will help pay for a new duplex to replace that home on Ormond Street as well as a new larger building on Oakdale Avenue in St. Catharines that will include two wheelchair accessible units with wider entrances, lower countertops and washrooms with accessible features. We have a wait-list that has way over 150 people for one-bedroom units, she said. Nadeau said the organization is absolutely elated about the funding. Happy is not even the word, she said. Its amazing what were all trying to do for the community in this region. RELATED STORIES Contributors Opinion Indigenous peoples are more than feathers and drums The current projects are intended to provide more housing for elders of the regions First Nations community, and plans for the new facilities are making their way through the planning process before work can begin in the months ahead. In a media release regarding the funding announcement, Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said ensuring Indigenous people have access to affordable housing that meets their needs is absolutely critical, especially during this challenging time. We look forward to continuing this vital work in collaboration with municipal, federal and Indigenous partners, he said. Municipal Affairs and Housing MinistervSteve Clark said the province is committed to working with our Indigenous program administrators, like Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, to help build much needed housing for Indigenous people living off-reserve. These new buildings are one of the ways our government is ensuring Indigenous people can access the affordable housing and supports they need today, and in the years to come, Clark said. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has allocated a $928,000 grant for Tajikistan to procure additional personal protective equipment for health care workers to support the countrys efforts in combatting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Trend reports with reference to Kabar. According to ADB Tajikistan Resident Mission (TJRM), the supplies comprising protective coveralls, aprons, masks, gloves, shoe covers, face shields, headcaps, and other items will be delivered in three shipments. The first shipment is expected to come from Cambodia in August. The second and third shipments are expected from China in August and September. The grant is reportedly drawn from an ADBs ongoing regional technical assistanceRegional Support to Address the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Potential Outbreaks of Other Communicable Diseasesand adds to an initial $100,000 grant reallocated from the Tajikistan Maternal and Child Health Integrated Care Project in March to procure medical supplies. Separately, on June 18, ADB approved a $50 million grant under its COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program to provide budget support to the Tajikistan government and help fund its comprehensive response plan and countercyclical measures. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members49 from the region. Profile Evaluation Request [ #permalink Hello, I would greatly appreciate if I could get your thoughts on my background. Background: 27M, half East Asian, half Native Hawaiian Round: R1 2021 (HWS, Booth, Kellogg) GMAT: 710 YOE: 4 years as an Analytics Consultant at matriculation if excluding 2 YOE before earning my Bachelors (those 2 YOE were full time salaried positions at a tech company and a healthcare tech startup). Extracurriculars: Served as the Student Chapter Liason for a professional organization for 3 years, and am currently an executive committee member. In addition to serving the student chapters of various universities (including one I was the president of as a college student), I have spent hundreds of hours mentoring students 1:1 and have directly helped many of them land their first full-time job. My involvement has been 30-50+ hours a year for the last 3 years since graduating (and another 2 years while in college as the President of the student chapter). Personal Background My parents eloped because the East Asian side of my family didn't approve of the Hawaiian side. My parents then divorced while I was very young. My Mom raised 3 kids alone by herself. Grew up dirt poor. All of my life I have had to be self-sufficient and hustle to get ahead. I was cooking dinner for my family in 7th grade and had my first job in 9th grade. I believe my professional work experience will further demonstrate these traits. [u] Experience [/u] 2015: 9 months at a software development company. I had several internships under my belt as a junior in college and decided that I had what it takes to work a full time position in tech. I applied to many openings and ended up receiving two offers. At this company, I started my analytics journey and pioneered the use of web traffic data in this company to analyze and forecast bookings/sales. 2016: One of my bosses joined a healthcare tech startup as their Director of Product, and liked me and my work so much that he brought me over. Being a startup I wore many hats. My official title was DevOps Analyst and I did some server maintenance here and there, QA when needed, and managed the various analytics platforms we were using (Google Analytics, New Relic, etc). Most importantly, I picked up the ability to operate in environments with high ambiguity and further honed my resourcefulness. 2017: Joined a global tech consulting firm as an Analyst after I graduated from college. I hustled hard and was on track to receive two promotions in one year (Analyst > Senior Analyst > Consultant), however a competitor poached me to their firm as a Consultant. I received about an 80% raise. Not sure if this huge raise further speaks to my competence and market value in the Tech Consulting industry. 2018: Now with almost 3 YOE but only 1 YOE in consulting, I was already being staffed in SME type roles. At this point I had also fulfilled multiple Advanced Analytics engagements for all of the O&G supermajors (in addition to other F100 companies). 2019-2020: Started being staffed in "tech lead" type roles. 2019 was a huge year for me. I was selected to be the SME for my skillset for an international project in SE Asia, leading workshops and advising the middle-upper management of a multinational pharma company in Singapore. After that, I was staffed as the Analytics Lead of an O&G's Business Transformation program that had $1.7b in its portfolio. Within 3 years of earning my undergraduate degree, I was fulfilling roles on projects that typically had people with 5-10 years of experience. Why MBA? As I mentioned, growing up was difficult, especially being an immigrant with no father figure. I learned that my great grandfather was an inventor and entrepreneur, and his company (which still exists today as one of the largest international Asian F&B brands) was nationalized. My great grandfather became my only father figure, and I read extensively about how he ran his company and his business values, which were (roughly translated), shrewd use of financial capital, being the best in his niche, and continuous learning to have the best educated workforce. Getting a top MBA and transitioning to a top consulting firm is in line with these values. As I have moved up the ladder in tech consulting, I've gotten closer and closer to the decision makers, where some of the most impact can be made. I'm seeking an MBA to acquire a broad set of business skills which, when combined with my analytics expertise, will set me up to be a business leader in the future. Immediately after MBA, I would transition to strategy consulting at MBB/T2. What are your thoughts on my chances at my selected schools for R1 2021 (HSW, Booth, Kellogg)? My hope is to get some scholarship money wherever I go. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. The Supreme Court on Thursday turned down the demand for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput even as his family and the Bihar government filed separate caveats to deny actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting the suicide, any immediate relief in the case. The top courts order came on a public interest litigation that asked for a court-monitored probe and said Rajput was a generous person who supported charities. But the bench, comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, wasnt convinced. This matter has nothing to do with the fact whether the person was good or bad. The case is being investigated by the Mumbai Police. We are dismissing this petition, the bench held. The 34-year-old actor was found dead in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14. Since then, Mumbai Police have questioned 45 people, including top directors and producers but family of the actor who hailed from Bihar has remained unconvinced with the probe. Last week, Rajputs father KK Singh filed a police complaint in Patna that alleged Chakraborty and her family members of abetting the suicide, prompting Bihar Police to send a team of officers to Mumbai for the probe. Chakraborty and Rajput were in a live-in relationship. On Wednesday, Chakraborty filed a petition in the apex court asking the FIR to be transferred to Mumbai from Bihar. She alleged that Rajputs father had used his influence to rope her into the case. Chakraborty had also been questioned by Mumbai Police earlier. But on Thursday, Rajputs family filed a caveat seeking her petition not be heard without a notice or a hearing to the family. Later in the day, the Bihar government also filed a caveat and announced it hired senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi to appear on behalf of state government to oppose Chakrabortys plea. Advocate Keshav Mohan appearing for Bihar, confirmed the development and said, The Bihar government is a necessary party in this case as the petition by Rhea Chakraborty has challenged the jurisdiction of Bihar government to pursue the FIR lodged by KK Singh. A caveat is a pre-emptive legal measure taken to ensure that a party does not get any favourable order without a notice or a hearing accorded to the opponent. A senior Bihar government official said the administration might recommend CBI probe in the case, agreeing to the demand by Rajputs family. The official said that Bihar government had the right to recommend a CBI probe because an FIR was lodged in its jurisdiction. Verizon is now competing home internet service providers in rural areas utilizing its 4G LTE network. Thats based on reports detailing the carriers announcement, with the service already available in five states. Those include Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. The company indicates that the decision to push forward with home internet offerings is spurred by changes in the way users access the internet. And thats not all about COVID-19 either, although company spokespersons have reportedly said that was factored in. More succinctly, senior vice president of consumer marketing and products at Verizon Frank Boulben says that the need for connectivity is critical. What deal is Verizon offering to deliver better internet via 4G LTE? In terms of pricing, the new Verizon 4G LTE home internet should prove competitive. With peak speeds expected at around 50Mbps and unlimited data on offer, pricing hits at just $60 per month. Verizon will require users to purchase a router as well, costing around $240. Advertisement It isnt immediately clear whether current Verizon mobile customers will be getting discounts on the router. Or whether theyll be able to buy the gadget on one of the companys payment plans. But Verizon customers will get a discount if they already use the companys networks. For those customers, plans will cost $20 less at $40 per month. The price here is also $10 less for current subscribers than a similar offering tested by T-Mobile last year. but dont get too excited just yet Of course, there are also caveats to this rollout although almost none of those is expressly linked to Verizon. For starters, this isnt necessarily a wide rollout. Its not even technically a statewide rollout and the areas serviced arent necessarily the most rural either. Verizon is only offering up its 4G for home internet in select regions of each state. And, at least for now, thats limited to select cities. Advertisement In Georgia, for instance, the service is now available in Savannah. Springfield, Missouri joins the exclusive list too. For Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky, the service is only available in the Tri-Cities region. The speeds albeit potentially faster than the average 39Mbps experienced by most rural users via DSL wont be the fastest available anywhere. While data is unlimited, download speeds are claimed at an average of 25Mbps. Since cell service is typically, and historically, bad indoors. Theres no way to be certain peak speeds will ever be seen by any given customer. Indian American Philip Mathew has been arrested and charged with first degree pre-meditated murder for allegedly stabbing his wife, Merin Joy, to death and running over her with his car in Coral Springs, Florida. Police reports indicated that Mathew had a history of domestic violence. (Broward County Sheriffs Department photo) Want to know what it's really like to run your own business? The 'Making It Work' Podcast Series puts you in a room with entrepreneurs who want to kick out conventional wisdom and take you through the highs and lows of starting or running a business during the COVID 19 pandemic. LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Change before you have to' is the celebrated business adage by General Electric's famous CEO, Jack Welch, much quoted across consulting circles. Large conglomerates with the benefit of management consultants will likely have contingency plans in place to ride out economic downturns. But for smaller business owners running on tight margins and at greater risk, few could have anticipated a global pandemic would turn their livelihoods upside down in a matter of weeks. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the real drivers of our economy. Some have been able to ride the wave better than others; some are being driven to the brink of destruction, others are adapting and flourishing. What exactly distinguishes them? Like many aspects of life in the time of COVID-19, the pandemic also presents a business opportunity. A key benefit of running a smaller enterprise is its agility and ability to quickly adapt. Amidst the chaos, some stealthy business owners are doing just that - adapting their strategies, their sales channels and their entire ethos to reevaluate, remodel and realign. How are they running their companies under the constraints of Coronavirus? What are the realities they're facing in this new world order? Is working in isolation more or less productive? And is it possible to pandemic-proof a business? Some industries it appears have fared better than others. For an entrepreneur David Patrick from Shark Wheel who literally reinvented the wheel (for skateboards), business is booming. "People with time on their hands have been buying more recreational items like skateboards and our sales are off the chart," he says. But booming business doesn't guarantee an easy ride for growing startups when cash flow is at its tightest. "When you're growing and you're scaling you're not stockpiling profits because you have to spend constantly in order to sustain your growth," says entrepreneur Dana Donofree whose business - AnaOno in women's lingerie has withstood the crushing impact of COVID-19 on the retail industry. So how should growing startups manage their cash flow, and is it prudent to scale a business under the looming threat of recession? These are just some of the questions being asked in the 'Making it Work' podcast series which addresses the day-to-day challenges of small business owners; such as making difficult decisions on keeping employees and how to keep up the momentum, to the bigger picture top-down questions. Most great ideas are, after all, preceded by chaos! Iain Patton Director Ethical Team Ltd hello@ethicalteam.com According to a report by UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Council's Mixed Migration Centre, thousands of refugees and migrants suffer extreme abuse including torture and sexual or gender-based violence, and in some cases death Nearly half of all the violence visited on African migrants during their journey to the Mediterranean coast is perpetrated by law enforcers, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said. According to a report by UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Council's Mixed Migration Centre (MMC), thousands of refugees and migrants suffer extreme abuse including torture and sexual or gender-based violence, and in some cases death. The report is based on nearly 16,000 interviews with refugees and migrants. "In 47% of the cases, the victims reported the perpetrators of violence are law enforcement authorities, whereas in the past, we believe that it was mainly smugglers and traffickers," Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR special envoy for the central Mediterranean, told a news conference in Geneva. "States have a responsibility that they need to discharge in that respect." UNHCR reported that 1,750 people had died in 2018 and 2019 trying to reach the sea, but Cochetel said the true numbers were likely to be higher. "That is just the visible tip of the iceberg. There are many families looking for their loved ones along the routes, and there is no answer to give them," he said. In recent months, hundreds of migrants have been stopped at sea and sent back to Libya despite the risk of violence there. On Monday, Libyan authorities shot dead three Sudanese migrants trying to avoid detention as they disembarked from a failed attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. War-ravaged Libya is a major transit point for migrants seeking to reach Europe and now hosts an estimated 654,000 of them, often living in cramped conditions with little access to healthcare. Search Keywords: Short link: Platform and Technology Revenue Increased 24% to $3.3 million, 68% of Total Revenue; Year-over-Year EBITDA margins more than doubled to 28% or $1.4 Million RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Issuer Direct Corporation (NYSE American:ISDR) (the "Company"), an industry-leading communications and compliance company, today reported its operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Brian Balbirnie, CEO of Issuer Direct, commented, "The second quarter was a record quarter for us in terms of top-line revenue, operating income, EBITDA and cash flow from operations, as we benefited from our virtual product line-up and continued newswire expansion." Mr. Balbirnie continued, "Looking at our growth drivers, they were threefold. First, ACCESSWIRE continues to be a steady contributor to our top line results, growing 19% year-over-year. This is a product offering we believe can continue its strong growth in both customer counts and revenue for years to come. Secondly, despite the current environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rest of our business performed well and exceeded our expectations in many ways. We believe this is a good indicator for us as we move to the back half of the year. Finally, in terms of new offerings, we delivered on our product pivot with a virtual focus, which supported our revenue growth, increased our profitability and also drove our overall platform branding and marketplace awareness." Mr. Balbirnie concluded, "It is encouraging to see the growth in revenue and EBITDA margins in the quarter. We remain committed to continue the innovation of our products, the search for acquisition targets in the communications industry and the drive to increase market awareness through our sales and marketing teams." Second Quarter 2020 Highlights: Revenue - Total revenue was $4,884,000, an 18% increase from $4,138,000 in Q2 2019 and a 22% increase from $4,016,000 in Q1 2020. Platform and Technology revenue increased 24% from Q2 2019 and 23% from Q1 2020. The increase in Platform and Technology revenue was due to an increase in webcasting revenue as a result of our new virtual products, increased revenue from our newswire business and additional subscriptions of Platform id. Platform & Technology revenue increased to 68% of total revenue for Q2 2020, compared to 64% for Q2 2019. Services revenue increased 7% from Q2 2019 and 19% from Q1 2020. Gross Margin - Gross margin for Q2 2020 was $3,522,000, or 72% of revenue, compared to $2,888,000, or 70% of revenue, during Q2 2019 and $2,763,000, or 69%, in Q1 2020. Platform and Technology gross margin was 78%, compared to 73% in Q2 2019 and 74% in Q1 2020. The increase in gross margin is primarily related to the increase in revenue from our virtual products. Operating Income - Operating income was $1,001,000 for Q2 2020, as compared to $130,000 during Q2 2019. The increase in operating income is due to the increase in gross margin as well as a decrease in operating expenses. General and Administrative Expenses decreased $125,000, or 9%, primarily due to a decrease in bad debt expense due to a large reserve in Q2 2019. Product development expense decreased $178,000, or 52% from Q2 2019 due to a decrease in headcount. Net Income - Net income was $772,000, or $0.21 per diluted share, during Q2 2020, compared to $212,000, or $0.05 per diluted share, during Q2 2019. Operating Cash Flows - Cash flows from operations for Q2 2020 were $1,477,000 compared to $259,000 in Q2 2019 and $602,000 in Q1 2020 Non-GAAP Measures - Q2 2020 EBITDA was $1,354,000, or 28% of revenue, compared to $550,000, or 13% of revenue, during Q2 2019. Non-GAAP net income for Q2 2020 was $974,000, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to $477,000, or $0.12 per diluted share, during Q2 2019. Stock Repurchase Plan - During the quarter, the Company repurchased an additional 62,198 of its shares at a total aggregate value of $580,000, under the Company's $2,000,000 share repurchase program originally announced on August 7, 2019 and increased on March 16, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, we have purchased a total of 160,068 shares under the stock repurchase plan. First Half 2020 Highlights: Revenue - Total revenue was $8,900,000, a 7% increase from $8,317,000 during the first half of 2019. The increase in Platform and Technology revenue was due to an increase in webcasting revenue as a result of our new virtual products, increased revenue from our newswire business and additional subscriptions of Platform id. Platform & Technology revenue increased to 67% of total revenue for the first half of 2020, compared to 64% for the first half of 2019. Services revenue decreased 3% from the first half of 2019. Gross Margin - Gross margin for the first half of 2020 was $6,285,000, or 71% of revenue, compared to $5,765,000, or 69% of revenue, during the first half of 2019. Platform and Technology gross margin was 76%, compared to 74% during the first half of 2019. The increase in gross margin is primarily related to the increase in revenue from our virtual products. Operating Income - Operating income was $1,249,000 for the first half of 2020, as compared to $277,000 during the first half of 2019. The increase in operating income is due to the increase in gross margin as well a decrease in operating expenses as noted for Q2 2020. Net Income - Net income was $998,000, or $0.26 per diluted share, during the first half of 2020, compared to $417,000, or $0.11 per diluted share, during the first half of 2019. Operating Cash Flows - Cash flows from operations for the first half of 2020 were $2,079,000 compared to $795,000 during the first half of 2019. Non-GAAP Measures - EBITDA for the first half of 2020 was $1,976,000, or 22% of revenue, compared to $1,108,000, or 13% of revenue, during the first half of 2019. Non-GAAP net income for the first half of 2020 was $1,372,000, or $0.36 per diluted share, compared to $995,000, or $0.26 per diluted share, during the first half of 2019. Key Performance Indicators: During the quarter, the Company worked with 1,477 publicly traded customers, compared to 1,440 during the same period last year. During the quarter, the Company worked with 1,390 privately held customers compared to 997 during the same period last year During the quarter we signed 35 new Platform id. subscriptions to new or existing customers with a total annual contract value of $225,000 Total Platform id. subscriptions as of June 30, 2020 were 295, with an annual contract value of $2,228,000, compared to 273 subscriptions with an annual contract value of $2,098,000 as of March 31, 2020. Non-GAAP Information Certain Non-GAAP financial measures are included in this press release. In the calculation of these measures, the Company excludes certain items, such as amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation, integration and acquisition costs, the impact of discrete items impacting income tax expense and tax impact of adjustments. The Company believes that excluding such items provides investors and management with a representation of the Company's core operating performance and with information useful in assessing its prospects for the future and underlying trends in the Company's operating expenditures and continuing operations. Management uses such Non-GAAP measures to evaluate financial results and manage operations. The release and the attachments to this release provide a reconciliation of each of the Non-GAAP measures referred to in this release to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. TheNon-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered a substitute for the corresponding GAAP financial statements and investors should evaluate them carefully. These Non-GAAP financial measures may differ materially from the Non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. CALCULATION OF EBITDA ($ in '000's) Three Months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Amount Amount Net income: $ 772 $ 212 Adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 353 419 Interest expense (income) (1 ) (114 ) Income tax expense 230 33 EBITDA: $ 1,354 $ 550 Six Months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Amount Amount Net income: $ 998 $ 417 Adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 727 831 Interest expense (income) (59 ) (186 ) Income tax expense 310 46 EBITDA: $ 1,976 $ 1,108 RECONCILIATION OF SELECTED GAAP MEASURES TO NON-GAAP MEASURES ($ in '000's, except per share amounts) Three Months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Amount Per diluted share Amount Per diluted share Net income: $ 772 $ 0.20 $ 212 $ 0.05 Adjustments: Amortization of intangible assets (1) 172 0.05 191 0.05 Stock-based compensation (2) 84 0.02 131 0.03 Tax impact of adjustments (4) (54 ) (0.01 ) (68 ) (0.02 ) Impact of discrete items impacting income tax expense (5) - - 11 0.01 Non-GAAP net income: $ 974 $ 0.26 $ 477 $ 0.12 Six Months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Amount Per diluted share Amount Per diluted share Net income: $ 998 $ 0.27 $ 417 $ 0.11 Adjustments: Amortization of intangible assets (1) 344 0.09 382 0.10 Stock-based compensation (2) 129 0.03 268 0.07 Integration and acquisition costs (3) - - 112 0.03 Tax impact of adjustments (4) (99 ) (0.03 ) (160 ) (0.04 ) Impact of discrete items impacting income tax expense (5) - - (24 ) (0.01 ) Non-GAAP net income: $ 1,372 $ 0.36 $ 995 $ 0.26 1) The adjustments represent the amortization of intangible assets related to acquired assets and companies. 2) The adjustments represent stock-based compensation expense related to awards of stock options, restricted stock units or common stock in exchange for services. Although the Company expects to continue to award stock in exchange for services, the amount of stock-based compensation is excluded as it is highly variable based on the stock price and not tied directly to the operations of the business. 3) The adjustments represent legal and accounting fees and other non-recurring costs in connection with the acquisition of VisualWebcaster Platform. 4) This adjustment gives effect to the tax impact of all non-GAAP adjustments at the current Federal rate of 21%. 5) The adjustments eliminate discrete items impacting income tax expense. For the periods ended June 30, 2019, the discrete items relate to either the excess or shortfall stock-based compensation benefit recognized in income tax expense during the period. Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: July 30, 2020 Time: 4:30 PM ET Participant: 877-407-8133 | 201-689-8040 Live Webcast: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/842/36011 Conference Call Replay Information The replay will be available beginning approximately 1 hour after the completion of the live event, ending at midnight eastern on August 13, 2020. Toll-free: 877.481.4010 International: 919.882.2331 Reference ID: 36011 Web replay: http://www.issuerdirect.com/earnings-calls-and-scripts/ About Issuer Direct Corporation Issuer Direct is an industry-leading communications and compliance company focusing on the needs of corporate issuers. Issuer Direct's principal platform, Platform id. , empowers users by thoughtfully integrating the most relevant tools, technologies, and services, thus eliminating the complexity associated with producing and distributing financial and business communications. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, Issuer Direct serves thousands of public and private companies globally. For more information, please visit www.issuerdirect.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "prospects," "outlook," and similar words or expressions, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could," are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, performance, or achievements for many reasons including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Company disclaims any intention to, and undertakes no obligation to, revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, a future event, or otherwise. For additional risks and uncertainties that could impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, including but not limited to the discussion under "Risk Factors" therein, which the Company filed with the SEC and which may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov/ . For Further Information: Issuer Direct Corporation Brian R. Balbirnie (919)-481-4000 brian.balbirnie@issuerdirect.com Hayden IR Brett Maas (646)-536-7331 brett@haydenir.com Hayden IR James Carbonara (646)-755-7412 james@haydenir.com ISSUER DIRECT CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) June 30, December 31, 2020 2019 ASSETS (unaudited) Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 17,097 $ 15,766 Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $601 and $700, respectively) 2,599 2,051 Income tax receivable - 48 Other current assets 273 141 Total current assets 19,969 18,006 Capitalized software (net of accumulated amortization of $2,472 and $2,153, respectively) 815 1,134 Fixed assets (net of accumulated amortization of $245 and $181, respectively) 839 899 Right-of-use asset - leases 1,979 2,127 Deferred tax asset 292 256 Other long-term assets 64 77 Goodwill 6,376 6,376 Intangible assets (net of accumulated amortization of $5,281 and $4,937, respectively) 3,171 3,515 Total assets $ 33,505 $ 32,390 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 430 $ 266 Accrued expenses 1,385 1,151 Note payable - short-term (net of discount of $6 and $19, respectively) 314 301 Income taxes payable 614 310 Deferred revenue 2,015 1,812 Total current liabilities 4,758 3,840 Deferred income tax liability 130 141 Lease liabilities - long-term 2,138 2,309 Total liabilities 7,026 6,290 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. - - Common stock $0.001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 3,734,502 and 3,786,398 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. 4 4 Additional paid-in capital 21,619 22,275 Other accumulated comprehensive income (loss) 21 (16 ) Retained earnings 4,835 3,837 Total stockholders' equity 26,479 26,100 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 33,505 $ 32,390 ISSUER DIRECT CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands, except share and per share amounts) For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Revenues $ 4,884 $ 4,138 $ 8,900 $ 8,317 Cost of revenues 1,362 1,250 2,615 2,552 Gross profit 3,522 2,888 6,285 5,765 Operating costs and expenses: General and administrative 1,197 1,322 2,413 2,683 Sales and marketing expenses 950 875 1,846 1,695 Product development 165 343 359 680 Depreciation and amortization 209 218 418 430 Total operating costs and expenses 2,521 2,758 5,036 5,488 Operating income 1,001 130 1,249 277 Interest income (expense), net 1 115 59 186 Income before income taxes 1,002 245 1,308 463 Income tax expense 230 33 310 46 Net income $ 772 $ 212 $ 998 $ 417 Income per share - basic $ 0.21 $ 0.05 $ 0.27 $ 0.11 Income per share - fully diluted $ 0.21 $ 0.05 $ 0.26 $ 0.11 Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic 3,736 3,857 3,762 3,854 Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - fully diluted 3,761 3,873 3,789 3,871 ISSUER DIRECT CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (in thousands) For the Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income $ 998 $ 417 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 727 831 Bad debt expense 182 555 Deferred income taxes (51 ) 6 Non-cash interest expense 13 13 Stock-based compensation expense 129 268 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable (730 ) (1,384 ) Decrease (increase) in other assets 77 (266 ) Increase (decrease) in accounts payable 164 67 Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses and other liabilities 367 (87 ) Increase (decrease) in deferred revenue 203 375 Net cash provided by operating activities 2,079 795 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of VisualWebcaster Platform - (2,788 ) Capitalized software - (20 ) Purchase of fixed assets (4 ) (6 ) Net cash used in investing activities (4 ) (2,814 ) Cash flows from financing activities: Payment for stock repurchase and retirement (785 ) - Net cash used in financing activities (785 ) - Net change in cash 1,290 (2,019 ) Cash - beginning 15,766 17,222 Currency translation adjustment 41 (7 ) Cash - ending $ 17,097 $ 15,196 Supplemental disclosures: Cash paid for income taxes $ 12 $ 128 Non-cash activities: Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities $ - $ 260 SOURCE: Issuer Direct Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599442/Issuer-Direct-Reports-Second-Quarter-2020-Results Former RAW officer NK Sood (Youtube videograb) N K Sood, a former officer of the Research & Analysis Wing, made a sensational claim alleging that some Bollywood personalities are involved in dealings with dodgy individuals who are associated with Pakistans notorious Inter-Services Intelligence thereby posing a serious security threat to India. Sood took to his YouTube channel to insinuate that some Bollywood biggies are linked to Aneel Mussarat, a British businessman of Pakistani origin. Mussarat is Pakistan prime minister Imran Khans close associate and has funded his political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Sood alleged that Mussarat hosts ISI and Pak army officials who visit London. The former RAW agent also referred to the social media heat that a Bollywood actress is facing for allegedly taking Rs 5 crore to support anti-CAA protests earlier this year. Sood added that several Bollywood celebrities attended the wedding of Aneel Musarats daughter in September 2017, where Imran Khan and several ISI officials were present. He said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate are already probing some personalities because of their association with Mussarat. A few days ago, Bharatiya Janata Party national vice president, Baijayant Panda has also made a sensational charge linking some Bollywood personalities to Pakistan and the ISI. The former Member of Parliament from Odisha claimed in a tweet that some Bollywood personalities have business and personal links with certain Pakistanis and NRIs who encourage violence in Jammu and Kashmir. - More than two months after House Democrats proposed a $3 trillion HEROES Act coronavirus relief package to supplement the existing CARES Act passed in March, Senate Republicans countered this week with an outline for their $1 trillion HEALS Act. The latter emphasizes money for schools; liability protections for businesses; a second round of one-off stimulus checks for individuals and households; reduced unemployment benefits in favor of return-to-work incentives; and guidance for another iteration of the Paycheck Protection Program, among other items. The HEROES Act, meanwhile, stressed a continuation of existing unemployment subsidies, enhanced individual stimulus payments and greater allocations toward state and local governments and healthcare workers, to name a few of its core tenets. The questions are myriad, particularly whether a compromise can be carved out and enacted before the Senate takes its mid-summer recess starting August 8. But beyond that unknown, there are uncertainties about the practical execution of any final legislation, not to mention whether it will effectively target and ultimately provide its intended unburdening to a wide enough swath of American employers and workers. To help scythe our way through the regulatory weeds, we spoke with Peter Isberg, vice president of government affairs for payroll- and HR-service provider ADP. We will continue to update you on the progress of federal relief efforts as the situation evolves. Related: Republicans Unveil Their $1 Trillion Stimulus Proposal. Here's What's in It Between now and August 7, how, do you think this is all going to shake out in terms of effective and meaningful stimulus relief for the average American? That's a very big question. We'll see what is eventually adopted. We're paying a lot of attention to the Paycheck Protection Program the second round because there were almost five million businesses that got a significant help early in the pandemic with PPP loans. And many businesses haven't been able to wrap that up and say, "Let's go ahead and document that I spent the money in accordance with the rules and therefore this is forgiven." The system isn't going to open for the forgiveness applications until at least August 10. A lot of them have a loan that has been received and spent and documented and is ready for forgiveness, and then you have another round coming, which is good news. You would be able to spend money on improvements to the work site for instance, or employee safety, personal protective gear, that kind of thing. I'll switch gears then and talk about the employee retention tax credit, which will help employers get back to work. Previously, the CARES Act established our employee retention tax credit, which was essentially 50 percent of wages up to $10,000 for qualifying businesses that could demonstrate a reduction in revenues associated with the COVID situation. So you could either take an employee retention tax credit or get a PPP loan. A huge percentage of businesses took the loan route and therefore couldn't take the employee retention tax credit. That may be relaxed in this HEALS Act. It's going to get a lot more attention than it did with the CARES Act. Will encouraging individuals to go back to work by reducing unemployment benefits have the intended effect if the economy is still opening slowly? It varies dramatically by industry. If a business can't open at all, then what's helpful is to have a wage supplement. And that's exactly what they're debating today: What's the wage-replacement rate that makes sense? And a systems question is: Can we target that at an employee level so that we know don't give a broad $600 to everyone? It took long enough to get the systems to adapt to the uniform expectation in the last relief package, so how would states possibly account for that kind of individual variance? There's a system that states use to administer unemployment benefits, and that involves employers sending a report to every state unemployment insurance agency once a quarter, detailing the wages paid to each worker. But there's a huge lag. So the states won't have that wage information for wages paid in April, May or June until late August. The fear would be that if they're trying to customize the individual person's wage amounts, they've got a five-month lag. Going back to PPP, what can be done in this latest package to assuage people who felt it didn't seem fair that the Omni Hotels of the world, who might've had alternative sources of capital, were able to access millions in loans? I understand that there are provisions that would help to target the second-round loans more specifically and make clear that businesses that have access to public capital markets and things like that aren't eligible for these loans. And there's a number of points in there that clarify that certain trade associations and the like are eligible, so there are some new tweaks in the HEALS Act that we need to assess and understand. Is there an item that's likeliest to bridge the divide between the HEROES and HEALS acts and make it through with bipartisan support? I'd love to know that answer myself. I think we generally expect additional tax credits for employers and incentives to rehire and reopen and pay an employee. The PPP loans will certainly be there. There will be some debate about: Rather than the $600 [unemployment] supplement, what makes sense? What can they do down the road? What group still hasn't had their needs fully addressed by either proposed legislation? It's always difficult to address the gig economy. There are very different terms depending on your frame of reference, but there's an increasingly large percentage of the workforce that's not quite in the workforce as we know it. There's [been] an effort to extend some benefits, such as unemployment insurance to gig economy workers, and it's just tough to make that work within the systems that we have. So I think that's going to be something that they're going to struggle with, and it's going to be an interesting evolution to see. How do we extend benefits and government support to people who aren't employed in the traditional sense, but [who are] no less deserving than anybody else? That will be something to watch. Related: House Democrats Share Details of $3 Trillion Heroes Act Is there an essential bit of advice for someone who's either trying to keep a small business open right now or stay employed, in terms of staying on top of all these legislative developments and not being left out? Businesses and even employees need to pay close attention to state and local announcements on opening and to what extent you can be working or keeping your businesses open. That's all very local still and very sensitive. But otherwise, I would point to the fact that Congress almost certainly will enact further supports and supplements that will be helpful to employees, the unemployed and businesses that want to stay stay afloat. And know that it's going to be tough to plan. "When can I start to see that money?" is always a tough thing. Some of this, like the employee retention tax credits at least in the HEALS Act would be retroactive to the beginning of the quarter, so a business could do a little bit of planning. And they should understand they're going to recover those funds by reducing their payroll tax deposits going forward. It might be helpful to just become familiar with the mechanics of: If this does pass, how do I use it? Related: Want to Start a Side Hustle Investing in Real Estate? Here's How to Start with $500. Collateral Damage Of Anti-China Sentiments: the Indian Startup Ecosystem Emergence of Indian Local Grocers Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Elizabeth and Andrei Castravet are getting ready for their second wedding in Moldova on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. Elizabeths father and brother, Chuck and Charlie Potthast, are the first of her family to arrive. But as soon as they land in Moldova, they begin grilling Andrei about his past. In a sneak peek for the new episode, Charlie continues to push Andrei until they end up in a tense and explosive argument. 90 Day Fiance stars Elizabeth and Andrei | via Instagram Andrei doesnt get along with Elizabeths family Ever since they got married on 90 Day Fiance, Andrei and Elizabeth have been butting heads when it comes to her family. Elizabeths dad, Chuck, wants Andrei to work and provide for his family, and hes offered Andrei a job numerous times. But Andrei has always pushed back because he thinks that this is his father-in-laws ploy to control him. Andrei also has issues with Elizabeths sisters, who believe hes too strict and controlling. Elizabeths family isnt shy about their feelings, and they usually tell Andrei exactly what they think of him. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Defends Andrei and Explains Why He Comes Off Really Mean Elizabeths family dont understand any boundaries, and theyre always in my business, Andrei says on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. My relationship with Elizabeths family is nonexistent. I dont talk to them, Im mostly seeing them at some family gatherings, he adds. They can laugh in your face, but the next day if you ask them to do something, they will just turn you down and say no to you. Thats my biggest issue. Being a double-faced. Elizabeths brother and dad grill Andrei in Moldova As soon as Chuck and Charlie land in Chisinau, they begin grilling Andrei about his past. On the car ride home from the airport, they ask him why he left his job as a police officer in Moldova to move to Ireland. Andrei tells them he had some issues, but doesnt say anything more. You know, maybe its me being an overprotective dad, Chuck says in a confessional. But, what I found a little strange was why he would leave a nice career and move to a foreign country. Theres a lot of red flags there. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Andrei Appears to Call Elizabeth a C*** in New Preview Clip When they get to Andreis parents house, Charlie starts asking Andreis brother Radu about his past over dinner. Andrei is clearly uncomfortable and asks Charlie and Chuck to drop it because it isnt any of their business. The conversation then turns into a discussion about why Andrei isnt working. He insists that Elizabeth wants him to stay home to raise their daughter, Eleanor. But when Elizabeth joins in, she says she wants Andrei to get a job. Andrei and Charlie get into an explosive argument on 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After In a sneak peek of the upcoming episode, Charlie seems to continue pushing Andrei about his past. During the discussion, which appears to be happening over a formal dinner, Charlie asks one of Andreis friends why he went to Ireland. Andrei tells Charlie that no one will tell him the real story. Why are you having a problem with we asking questions about you, Charlie asks, to which Andrei replies, Just shut the f**k up dude. Both Charlie and Andrei abruptly get up from their seats and look like theyre about to get into a physical fight. Elizabeth gets in the middle of them and starts yelling for them to stop. Fans will finally get to see how the tense drama unfolded on the next episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. Mo:mos are Nepalese dumplings. The ones from MoMo House are plump with flavourful fillings enveloped by wrappers that are pulled and pinched closed. Steamed, theyre tender; fried, theyre crispy. Sometimes theyre added to a brothy jhol. Sometimes theyre marinated, skewered and blistered in the tandoor. They can look like pincushions, half-moons, flowers, or take on other shapes. Mine are tsi:tsi: mouse-shaped parcels with furrows reminiscent of the Himalayan range. The Cambridge restaurant offers a tour of Nepalese, Indian, and Indo-Chinese dishes. The menu is refreshed every few months and has plenty for vegetarians, along with chicken, lamb, beef, and fish dishes for those wanting meatier fare. Rice is available, instead of naan, if youre avoiding wheat. Their dishes are available by delivery, preordered pickup, and walk-in. Theyre following current COVID-19 precautions so you can call ahead for a reservation in their 30-seat dining room or grab a table when you come by. I got my pickup order on time, but it was missing a dish the restaurant quickly fixed it, so all is well. Co-owner Ganesh Adhikari left Nepal for culinary school in New Delhi and then worked in five-star hotels in the Middle East and Singapore. He accepted a role in British Columbia in 2013 and moved to Cambridge for a few years; about a year ago, he opened MoMo House with his brother, Suresh Bohora. Adhikaris move to Canada meant leaving his wife, Samjhana, and then-infant daughter, Puja, in Nepal. Until the family can be reunited, they make do with online visits. Nepalese food is varied by its terrain and influenced by its neighbours, India and Tibet. At MoMo House, we get a taste of its cuisine. Mo:mos are had either on their own or in jhol. Char-tinged skewers emerge from the tandoor. Bowls of fragrant tomato-y butter chicken and dal makhani, vindaloos, and kormas are ladled. For those craving Indo-Hakka Indian-influenced Chinese dishes or Indian interpretations of Chinese foods there are Hakka noodles and Manchurian, Sichuan, and chili-sauced meats and vegetables. Even for the dumpling fiend I am, ordering their full mo:mo menu would be extreme. The solution is their jewel box of a Mo:Mo Platter ($18.99, vegetarian). The steamed dumplings, filled with ground chickpea, soya bean, cauliflower, carrot, other vegetables with aromatics are yielding. The others are marinated and caramelized in the tandoor: golden cashew sauce-dipped reshmi; emerald green hariyali with coriander and mint, and ruby red tandoori. The Tandoori Mixed Grill Platter ($21.99) comes with rice and vinegary cucumber, cabbage, and carrot slaw. In the container is a tumble of tender, well-seasoned de-skewered meats. The lamb shami is earthy. The chicken tikka is savoury. The fish (basa) tikka is firm and succulent. The sauces accompanying the mo:mos are also tasty with the mixed grill. The creamy chili sauce has citrussy-floral notes from Nepalese timut pepper (Sichuan peppers cousin) and the hariyali sauce is bright and tangy. Dry Vegetable Manchurian ($10.99) are two-bite vegetable pakoras that are plunged into the fryer and then lightly coated in a brilliant red Manchurian sauce. Truthfully, I usually find some local Manchurian sauces too salty, but here, the addition of tomato (I think) tones down the soy sauce, bringing out sweetness, garlic, and mild heat. Pairing well with the chicken and lamb, the Mattar Paneers ($12.99) rich tomato gravy is studded with peas and firm paneer cubes. Gulab Jamun ($3.99) is a lovely ending of two toothsome little balls of dairy goodness soaked in a light rosewater-scented syrup. No, I didnt share. Offering a taste of Nepal, MoMo Houses invites us to a flavourful selection of dishes from the Himalayan range. The foods are well made, something for those wanting to try something new or just a little different. JM Dining columns focus on the food available for pickup, takeout and delivery in Waterloo Region, as well as meals taken on patios and in restaurants. They are based on unannounced orders from or visits to the establishments. Restaurants do not pay for any portion of the reviewers meal. Jasmine Mangalaseril is on Facebook Instagram , and Twitter as @cardamomaddict. Momo House 1118 King St. E., Cambridge 519-650-5400 momohouse.ca Hours: Sunday: noon to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Closed Mondays. On-site Dining: Dining room seats 30. Seats can be reserved or as-available for walk-ins. Accessibility: The entrance and washrooms are wheelchair accessible. Tables in the dining room are well spaced and the menus design is easy to read. The website is mobile-friendly. Menu: Nepalese, Indian and Indo-Hakka dishes with a few western dishes. Good vegetarian choice. Dairy, nuts and wheat flour are in the kitchen. Please let them know of any allergies when ordering and they try to accommodate. Payment: Cash, Debit, Mastercard, Visa. How to get your food: Call for preordered pickup. Walk-in. Delivery by DCA (via restaurant website) and UberEats The Bill: $77.92 (including tax but not tip) for two platters, two single dishes, one dessert Ordering food in the time of coronavirus: As restaurants are making decisions on a day-to-day basis, please check their social media or call them for updates. Lists of restaurants operating can be found at https://bit.ly/3d2JV74 and wilmotstrongertogether.ca; a crowdsourced list is on Facebooks Food In The Waterloo Region at bit.ly/3d1cKAX. The India-Bangladesh relationship, over the past decade, has been the brightest spot in Indian foreign policy. After a tense 1990s and 2000s, when power alternated between the moderate Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, and the extremist Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Begun Khaleda Zia, and a short period of indirect army rule, the Awami League returned to power in 2009. Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladeshs iconic freedom fighter and first president, Mujibur Rahman, was clear that having good relations with India, externally, was essential for Bangladeshs progress and cracking down on Islamists, internally, was essential for maintaining democracy and peace. This translated into unprecedented security cooperation between the two countries, when Dhaka cracked down on militants and terrorists who used Bangladesh as a base to conduct activities in India, particularly the Northeast. Delhi consistently backed Ms Hasina in her domestic political battles. This often meant arguing against the international community, particularly the United States and European Union, which was worried about the growing democratic deficit in Bangladesh. Delhi and Dhaka also signed a landmark boundary deal, resolving a four-decade-old problem. But it was not all smooth. India was unable to deliver on a Teesta water-sharing seal, which undermined Ms Hasinas political standing. But in recent years, two other significant developments have taken place. The Indian political discourse over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act-National Register of Citizens appeared, on the Dhaka street, as targeted towards Bangladesh. Dhaka scaled down diplomatic engagement substantially and made it clear that it did not approve of being at the receiving end of hostile political rhetoric, even if it was for domestic political purposes. The second has been the enhanced Chinese influence, engagement and investment in Bangladesh on the lines of what Beijing is doing elsewhere in the region. This has encouraged a section of the Bangladeshi opinion-making elite, and political elite, to see China as a counter-weight to Indian influence. In this backdrop, there have been reports that Ms Hasina refused to see the Indian ambassador in Dhaka for months, despite requests. Irrespective of the accuracy of the reports there is a view that the meeting could not be held due to the pandemic it is clear that the relationship needs work. India must not let its domestic political discourse affect its most important relationship in its eastern neighbourhood; it must reach out to Ms Hasina and provide her with deliverables, which can enhance the domestic political space for her to pursue closer ties with India; it must deploy its soft power and attempt an image-correction. Bangladesh has been a steadfast ally. Dont let it slip. 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. First ballistic missiles fired deeply from beneath Earth by IRGC IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, July 29, IRNA -- Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on Wednesday that IRGC can target hostile targets anywhere in the Persian Gulf region with the facilities which it has available today. Speaking on the sidelines of the final phase of the joint drill of Holy Prophet (PBUH) 14, which has been held in the general region of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz since Tuesday morning, Brigadier General Hajizadeh said that the IRGC's drills are routinely held, but the ballistic missiles were fired for the first time from the depths of the earth in the operation conducted by the IRGC Air Force. Referring to the missiles penetrating the defense shields and demolishing the enemy's defense systems as a new and novel action in the joint exercise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) 14, he said, "We first deployed a system and targeted it with anti-radar missiles in this exercise", and also the IRGC Aerospace Force's drones carefully targeted the predetermined objectives, especially the US aircraft carrier replica, from a remote distance. He went on to say that the system and equipment, which is placed in the Aerospace force complex, including missile, defense, anti-warship, and other facilities, along with other marine and terrestrial equipment, causes the synergy and inhibitory power along with other armed forces, whose consequence is Iran's perfect security today. He urged that Iran can target the enemy's targets anywhere in the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman, and the Indian Ocean with the available facilities. The final stage of the joint drill of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)-14 in cooperation between the Navy and the Aerospace Force of the Army of the IRGC started on Tuesday morning in the general region of Hormozgan province, west of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. 3266**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address On a scorching summer afternoon, a wild Siberian tiger with flamboyant orange coat and vertical black stripes is seen taking a nap in deep forests of northeast China. Experts in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park saw the visuals through a real-time monitoring system. While some experts predicted in 1988 that wild Siberian tigers would disappear from China in four decades, Feng Limin, a tiger expert, witnessed how China brought back the big cat from the brink of extinction. China has launched a pilot national park project for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, spanning an area of over 1.46 million hectares in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang. Construction of the national park is scheduled to be completed this year. Four years ago, Feng and his colleagues sank their teeth into the protection and research of Siberian tigers in the city of Hunchun, Jilin Province, a core area of the national park. But where are the big cats? In the early days, researchers had to spend a lot of manpower to climb over mountains by feet and install infrared cameras. "We usually spent three months replacing batteries of the cameras, three months retrieving data cards and another three months analyzing the data," said Feng, deputy director of the monitoring and research center of Siberian tigers and Amur leopards under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. "So the final videos and images we got were actually recorded a year ago, making it difficult to carry out the protection work efficiently," Feng said ahead of the International Tiger Day, which fell on Wednesday. To get real-time data of the endangered animals, researchers cooperated with tech firms to set up networks in the uninhabited forest and develop intelligent infrared cameras. The devices can relay high-definition images and videos of animals and collect data on natural resources such as soil, water and air. "What we protect is not only a single species but also their habitats, surrounding vegetation and the complete food chain to make sure the species can survive and prosper in the environment," Feng said. The monitoring system uses artificial intelligence to record the appearances of the animals, and big data analysis enables researchers to know the condition of different species and habitats. The number of intelligent infrared cameras has increased to over 3,000 from more than 100 in 2018. More such cameras will be installed in the forest. Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, mainly live in Russia's Far East and northeast China. One of the world's most endangered species, about 500 Siberian tigers are believed to be living in the wild. With the intensified protection efforts, including the introduction of a logging ban and a national park, the number of tigers has rebounded in China. A total of 10 wild Siberian tiger cubs had been bred in the park between 2017 and 2019, park administration said. Monitoring results show a marked increase of wild Siberian tigers and Amur leopards in the pilot park. Six Siberian tiger breeding families and five Amur leopard breeding families have been monitored, and the proportion of the young animals has reached 30 percent to 35 percent, which is an ideal population structure state, according to the park officials. China's conservation efforts to protect wild Siberian tigers have promoted the global population restoration of this species and the expansion of its habitats, said Jiang Guangshun, executive deputy director of the feline research center at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 15:49:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States failed to recognize the coronavirus threat from Europe in time, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has said. Since the country's COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the United States has reported over 4.4 million confirmed cases and over 150,000 deaths. "The introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening," Redfield said in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday. "By the time we realized (the) Europe threat and shut down travel to Europe, there was probably already two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe," he said. The U.S. government closed off travel with China on Feb. 2, while flights with Europe were not cut off until March 13, by which time 26 cases had been confirmed in New York City. Sequences of the earliest SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens in New York City resembled those circulating in Europe, according to a CDC report released in mid-July. Enditem An elderly man who died in a shopping mall was found in a locked stairwell that was only checked by security once per month, an inquest has heard. Tasmanian dementia sufferer Bernard Gore was reported missing on January 6, 2017, after he walked into the stairwell at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney's east and became trapped. The 71-year-old spent the next week trying to get out but died hungry and alone. The inquest into his death on Thursday heard police did not believe Mr Gore had entered the shopping centre when conducting their missing persons search. 'Westfield Security provided that information to police. I was more concerned he was out in the elements,' Sargeant Matthew Hall told the inquest, 9News reported. Tasmania dementia sufferer Bernard Gore (pictured) was found in a stairwell at Westfield's Bondi Junction in 2017 Detectives from Rose Bay Police Station launched a frantic three-week manhunt throughout Sydney for Mr Gore, before he was found by a janitor in the fire escape near the level three access door. Senior risk and security manager from Westfield's parent company Scentre Group, Yigal Shirin, told the inquest the stairwell Mr Gore was found in was checked monthly to see if it was blocked. 'At the time I was happy with that,' he said. Mr Shirin said he told his staff to check the CCTV cameras at all the entries and exits to see if Mr Gore had visited the centre. Not all cameras were viewed, with Mr Gore seen in footage arriving at 12.48pm, walk up to level four and through door L407 at 12.50pm. Door L407 could not be opened from the inside and although there was an exit downstairs and through a corridor, Mr Gore had not found it in time. Mr Shirin said his staff had 'missed' Mr Gore's arrival. Constable Rebecca Daniels and Constable Ramon Gilarte attended the Westfield's security control room on January 9 in a bid to pin down Mr Gore's whereabouts. Forensic analysis indicated he died at least one or two weeks before his body was found - meaning he slowly died in the stairwell (pictured) over the course of more than a week 'It was mentioned that they had reviewed the CCTV and hadn't found him ... attending the Westfield in the three or four days between Mr Gore being declared missing,' she said. The two-officer team searched the centre for several hours and Constable Daniels said they asked guards to assist by checking the fire stairs which - unbeknownst to them - were up to 14km long. 'Looking back on it now, we should have done it ourselves,' Constable Gilarte said. 'Rather than trusting their protocols.' Constable Daniels on Monday broke down while reliving her fruitless search for the retiree. She said the three-week investigation 'consumed' her and the entirety of the Rose Bay Police Station. 'Even if we were patrolling other areas for different jobs ... we still had Mr Gore in the back of our mind,' Constable Daniels told the inquest. 'I was looking for him on my way to and from work. Westfield security checked CCTV cameras but 'missed' Mr Gore's entry to the stairs on January 6 'I would purposefully go out of my way and go to train stations on my way home from work, just to see if he was there, particularly since we had such a good description of him. 'I remember I had his name in the search field of my phone. I would constantly refresh it just to see if he'd been found.' The inquest has also previously heard a 'code grey' which would have triggered a full search of the centre was not activated by staff. Mr Gore's daughter Melinda last year cried as CCTV of the moment he walked into the stairwell on January 6 was played at his inquest. 'There is no further CCTV footage of Bernard after the time Bernard entered the fire stairs,' counsel assisting the coroner Anna Mitchelmore SC told the NSW Coroners Court on Monday. Mr Gore was found lying in a 'semi-kneeling position' in the stairwell. His family spent weeks searching for him and Westfield faced questions about how Mr Gore's body went undiscovered for such a long time - in a time where temperatures skyrocketed to the mid-40s. Detectives seen huddling outside the fire escape where Mr Gore's body was found and blocking off the fire door during their investigation Records obtained from the shopping centre showed the exit door at the bottom of the stairwell was not opened in the three weeks between Mr Gore entering, and his body being discovered. Hundreds of thousands of shoppers came and went as Mr Gore sat trapped inside, hearing their voices echoing down the stairs. More than 20 million people visit each year spending $1.1 billion. Known as 'Butch' to his mates, Mr Gore was staying with his wife at his daughter's apartment on Ocean Street in Woollahra in the weeks before his disappearance. He went missing carrying only $30 and his transport Opal card when he did not turn up to meet his family at the shopping centre on January 6. Mr Gore was taking medication for hypertension and a mild cognitive impairment at the time of his death and had gone missing in Hobart once before. However, he had successfully made the journey between home and the shopping centre several times before and had a well-established routine. Colombia gang arrested in K'taka Bengaluru, July 30 (UNI) CCB Police have nabbed a three-member, including a woman, high-tech gang of notorious robbery gang of Colombia nation and recovered from them stolen Rs 2.58 Crore worth 6kg 143-gram gold ornaments, Rs 4 lakh worth 9 mm Browning Pistol and 23 live rounds. According to a press release by Police here on Thursday, the arrested were identified as William Padilla Martinez (48), Leidy Stefamnia Munoz Monsalve (23) and Christian Yenis Navarro Olarle (34). All of them, Citizens of Colombia had arrived in India on Business Visa via Nepal. They first arrived in Delhi and after learning about IT BT companies in Bengaluru through their boss, the main accused, Gustavo alias Tavo alias Mustafa, got attracted to the city and stayed in a Service apartment. They were nabbed while moving suspiciously in Electronic City and they were taken into custody after they confessed to their crimes. Our Divisions Copyright 2021-22 DB Corp ltd., All Rights Reserved This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. Bathinda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said Pakistan was yet to recover from the setback of surgical strikes and was damaging itself by fighting against India. Earlier, soldiers were unable to show their valor despite having the strength. But now Pakistan has seen strength of our brave soldiers after they carried out surgical strikes in 250-km area across the LoC, Modi said while addressing a public rally. He said there were tremors across the border after these strikes and they have not yet settled. Reaching out to Pakistani public, Modi said, 125 crore Indians eyes were wet with tears after killing of school kids in Peshawar. Every Indian felt the pain of Pakistani. Reiterating that Pakistani public should ask their rulers that fight should be against black money and corruption rather than fighting any country, Modi said, By fighting against India they (Pakistan) are damaging themselves and killing innocents also. Pakistani people also want freedom from poverty. For the sake of political benefits this atmosphere has been created by them, he added. Modi was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of AIIMS in Bathinda. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. US Sanctions Entities Supporting Syrian President Assad By VOA News July 29, 2020 The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned one person and nine entities on Wednesday for supporting the efforts of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. government believes the entities supported Assad funding luxury real estate developments. "While corrupt businessmen with ties to Assad invest in luxury real estate made possible by forced displacement of innocent civilians, they also worsen the oppression of the Syrian people," said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. "The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while the Assad regime seeks to profit from their suffering." This is OFAC's second sanction under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 (Caesar Act). All targets sanctioned under the Caesar Act are believed to be supporting and helping the reconstruction efforts of Assad in some way. The first sanction under the Caesar Act targeted nine entities and took place on June 17, 2020. The U.S. says it believes that the entities targeted in their sanctions profit from Syria's problems, naming in their press release the July 2011 siege of city of Hama and the July 2019 bombing of the Maarat al-Numan market. During the July 2011 siege of Hama, the Syrian government deployed its army to crack down on anti-government protests, resulting in mass civilian deaths and casualties. The Maarat al-Numan market bombing was an aerial terror attack that killed and wounded many civilians. The United Nations Human Rights Council said that the attack came from "pro-government forces intended to terrorize civilians in an effort to depopulate the zone and accelerate its capture." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ATLANTA Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, died Thursday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. Dan Calabrese, who authored a post on Cains website announcing the death, told The Associated Press that Cain died at an Atlanta hospital early Thursday morning. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. Its not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. A photo taken at the rally showed Cain, without a mask, sitting closely to other people who also were not wearing any face coverings. A statement on his Twitter account said he tested positive for COVID on June 29 and was hospitalized July 1 because his symptoms were serious. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, Calabrese wrote in the website post Thursday. Trump offered his condolences in a tweet on Thursday in which he said he had also spoken by telephone to Cains family. He later started his news conference at the White House with a mention of Cains death. He was a very special person and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus, Trump said, using the moniker he often ascribes to the new coronavirus, which was first detected in China. He added, We send out prayers to Hermans great wife, Gloria And I have to say, America grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans that had their lives taken by this horrible, invisible enemy. Cain, who had hoped to become the first Black politician to win the GOP nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed President Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Cain said he could not remember Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone, but polls conducted in the weeks afterward showed his popularity slipping considerably. Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and up-by-the-bootstraps life story to many tea party supporters and other conservatives. He first ventured into national politics in 1994 when he publicly challenged President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, on his proposal to force employers to buy health insurance for their employees. For many, many businesses like mine, the cost of your plan is simply a cost that will cause us to eliminate jobs, Cain told Clinton. What will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate? Afterward, the restaurant industry used Cain as a spokesman as it campaigned against Clintons plan, which ultimately failed. Cain served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. After moving back to his native Georgia, he ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2004. He lost to Rep. Johnny Isakson in the primary. Less than two years later, Cain was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his colon that had spread to his liver. He recovered and later credited God with persuading him to run for president after Obama, a Democrat, took office in early 2009. Thats when I prayed and prayed and prayed, Cain told an audience of young Republicans in Atlanta. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. Youve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure?' Cain projected a self-confident image that at times bordered on arrogance. He referred to himself in the third person, and his motivational speaking company was named T.H.E. New Voice Inc. The acronym stood for The Hermanator Experience. Cains run for the presidency was unlikely considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, his father worked three jobs as a janitor, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically Black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the U.S. Navy. While it was a good job, Cain said his ambitions were in the corporate world. He wanted to be president of something somewhere, he later wrote. He worked first for Coca-Cola, became a vice president with Pillsbury, then was appointed to run its struggling Burger King unit in the Philadelphia area. His success prompted Pillsbury officials to ask Cain to take over its floundering Godfathers Pizza chain. Cain said he returned the franchise to profitability. The centerpiece of Cains presidential campaign was his 9-9-9 plan, which would have replaced the current tax code with a 9% tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. Cain said the plans simplicity would stimulate the economy by giving investors certainty. If 10% is good enough for God, 9% ought to be good enough for the federal government, he told crowds. Numerous Republican politicians, party activists and conservative political commentators mourned Cains death on social media Thursday. Romney tweeted, Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Cain was a fierce advocate for conservative principles across the board, while Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, referring to Cain as one of his closest friends, remarked that Herman lived the American dream and aspired to share his success with others. Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. ___ Associated Press reporter Kate Brumback contributed to this report. Google Street View Thirty-one Costco employees in Santa Clara County have gotten coronavirus infections over the past two weeks, according to county officials: 13 in Sunnyvale, 8 in San Jose (at the Senter Road location), six in Gilroy and four in Mountain View. The countys Public Health Department is working with Costco to investigate the outbreaks. The county said that preliminary results indicate that Costco is complying with social distancing and other protocols. The cases were likely caused by community transmission and most likely not internal transmission among employees, officials said. Gaya: Three bike-borne assailants on Friday looted Rs 21.30 lakh, out of which 20.10 lakh in old currency, from a Grameen Bank in Bihars Gaya district. The robbers decamped with the cash after holding branch manager of the Madhya Bihar Grameen Bank at gun point. Out of the looted amount, only Rs 1.20 lakh were in new currency notes while the rest of the amount, Rs 20.10 lakh,was in demonetised notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000, Gaya deputy superintendent of police Alok Kumar Singh said. The three entered the Pandey Parsama branch of Grameen Bank and looted the money from the branch manager. Apart from branch manager, there were only two customers inside the branch at the time of incident, he said. The robbers then escaped from the scene, the deputy superintendent of police said, adding that police are investigating the incident. SP Garima Mallick, additional superintendent of police Balram Kumar Choudhary along with Singh and other officials have reached the spot. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:18:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) offers better access to affordable capital and infrastructure expertise to its growing list of African member countries, an Ethiopian expert said on Thursday. "As a multilateral development bank committed to financially sustainable lending practices, the AIIB offers its growing list of African member countries better access to affordable capital and infrastructure expertise," Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), told Xinhua on Thursday. According to the expert, African nations and businesses often face a "credibility gap" in trying to convince foreign and domestic investors, and the rest of the business community about their commitments to particular polices. "The AIIB membership provides powerful guarantees of governments' policy directions," he added. Costantinos, also professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, further argued that by investing in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors, it plans to connect people, services and markets better. Noting that infrastructure plays a key role in economic growth and poverty reduction, Costantinos stressed that the lack of infrastructure affects productivity and raises production and transaction costs, which hinders growth by reducing the competitiveness of businesses and the ability of governments to pursue economic and social development policies. "The lack of infrastructure in Africa is widely recognized," he said, adding that "there are a number of good reasons for poor nations to join the AIIB." "The attractiveness of AIIB is that governments are able to obtain an improved infrastructure access to finance and markets for their exports," he added. Enditem Shipt founder Bill Smiths latest venture is expanding into 10 markets, doubling its footprint in six months. Landing, which launched last November, is now available in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. It debuted in six cities last year, including Birmingham, along with New York City and the San Francisco/Bay Area, where the company is headquartered. Landing calls itself the first flexible membership leasing model for fully-furnished apartments. It offers on-call concierge service and housekeeping through an app. For an annual membership fee of $199, Landing members can access fully-furnished one and two-bedroom apartments in urban centers, working directly with existing property owners. Smith pitched in $15 million of his own money and raised another $30 million to get Landing going. And the company says it is well-positioned for the changes wrought to the economy and workplace by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that more people are working remotely, the need for flexible living accommodations is more apparent. If the last few months have taught us anything, its that the modern renter is looking for more freedom and flexibility, Smith, Landing CEO, said. Landing has also added three executives with extensive resumes. Its chief operating officer, Marcus Higgins, was head of U.S. operations for OYO Hotels & Homes, and Chief Financial Officer Casey Woo was global head of strategic finance at WeWork. The new chief marketing officer, Andrew Speyer, was the former global brand director for Airbnb, and worked with Verizon, BMW and American Airlines. The Zimbabwean government has signed an agreement with the countrys dispossessed commercial white farmers to compensate them with US$3.5 billion after their land was seized under Robert Mugabe's regime. Over 20 years ago, Robert Mugabe forcibly took more than 4,000 farms from the country's 4,500 white large-scale commercial farmers. He justified the land grabs as a payback to correct historical wrongs, claiming they were forcibly taken from the nation's blacks. Zimbabwes Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mthuli Ncube officially signed the compensation agreement with former commercial farmers on Wednesday, July 29. 'In the agreement, we have given ourselves 12 months to run around the world, around Zimbabwe to think of ways of raising this funding,' Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said at the signing ceremony in Harare. 'We are determined that we achieve that. It's also about pledges not necessarily about cash being put on the table. It's about commitment.' Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa said the Wednesday deal was 'historic in many respects'. 'It brings closure and a new beginning in the history of the land discourse in Zimbabwe,' Mnangagwa said. 'The process which has brought us to this event is equally historic as it is a reaffirmation of the irreversibility of land as well as a symbol of our commitment to constitutionalism, the respect of the rule of law and property rights,' he said. According to the report, the cash-strapped government set up a committee made up of farmers and donors to raise the money as they do not have the funds to make the payouts. 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 She suffered an embarrassing wardrobe blunder earlier this month, when she presented GMB in odd shoes. But, Charlotte Hawkins was a vision in white, on Thursday, as she exited Global radio studios in London, clad in a pretty bardot midi dress. The Good Morning Britain host, 45, highlighted her slim waist with a thick mottled brown belt and boosted her height with a pair of summery wedges. Gorgeous: Charlotte Hawkins, 45, was a vision in white, on Thursday, as she exited Global radio studios in London, clad in a pretty bardot midi dress Charlotte's frock boasted a ruffled bardot neckline which allowed the presenter to show off her bronzed decolletage. The TV star strolled along in a strappy pair of wedges, which displayed her pillar box red pedicure. Her blonde tresses were styled into tumbling curls, while her face was adorned with a bronzed make-up look. Charlotte carried her belongings in a grey tote bag, and held onto a light blue denim jacket, which she later put on as she made her way home. Pretty: Her blonde tresses were styled into tumbling curls, while her face was adorned with a bronzed make-up look Glam: Charlotte's frock boasted a ruffled bardot neckline which allowed the presenter to show off her bronzed decolletage Earlier this month, Charlotte realised after hosting an episode of GMB, that she was wearing two different pink heels. One of the pointed shoes was faux animal leather while the other had a bow detail on top. Charlotte outed herself on Twitter, saying: 'So I must have been half asleep this morning getting ready - I managed to find shoes that perfectly matched my dress... but not each other!! 'This is what happens when our GMB stylist #debbiedresses isnt around!' Finishing touches: The TV star strolled along in a strappy pair of wedges, which displayed her pillar box red pedicure, and later put on her denim jacket as she made her way home Oops! Good Morning Britain's Charlotte Hawkins suffered an embarrassing wardrobe blunder when she presented the show in odd shoes earlier this month It comes after Charlotte admitted it would be 'really hard' to send her five-year-old daughter Ella back to school after Boris Johnson first announced that primary schools would be opening on June 1. Speaking ahead of the return, she said: 'My daughter's going back next week and I've had to explain to her, "You're not going to be necessarily with all your friends, you'll be in a group of 15 and you can't go and see the others even if you want to." 'She said: "I'll wave from a distance". 'But it's really hard - you put them in a room together, they haven't seen their friends in two months.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Cha Lino (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network) Thu, July 30, 2020 16:32 538 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a93063 2 Entertainment Ryan-Reynolds,teddy-bear Free After the unique teddy bear of a Filipina was returned to her without any damage, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds thanked everyone who searched high and low to get the stuffed toy back home safely. Reynolds previously appealed to his 16 million followers on Twitter for the safe return of 28-year-old Mara Sorianos teddy bear. Last week, the Filipina artist living in Vancouver, Canada, lost one of her last memories of her late mother who died from cancer in 2019. The teddy bear contains a voice recording of Sorianos mother stating in Filipino that she loves her daughter. Reynolds offered a $5,000 cash reward to anyone who could return the stuffed toy back to Soriano last Sunday, July 26. Three days later, the teddy bear was reunited with its owner. To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe, Reynolds said, retweeting Sorianos announcement about the teddy bear on his Twitter page yesterday, July 29. Vancouver is awesome, the Canadian actor added. #FoundMarasBear. Read also: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively donate $1m to US, Canada food non-profit organizations In happier news... thank you everyone who searched high and low. To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe. Vancouver is awesome. #FoundMarasBear https://t.co/X7FlyiR89P Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 29, 2020 Speaking about how it was returned to her possession, Soriano said that it was given back by two Good Samaritans in a safe space. Her mothers voice is still inside the teddy bear, she confirmed, and that there was not a single scratch on it. Sorianos backpack, which contained several important documents, gadgets and the special teddy bear, was stolen from her on July 24. She was moving into a new apartment with her fiance when someone took the bag while it was momentarily left unattended. The Filipina did not specify if her other items were returned along with the stuffed bear. Topics : This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post MONTCALM COUNTY, MI -- Michigan State Police are in a standoff Thursday at a Montcalm County residence after gunshots were fired after they arrived. According to a news release from the Michigan State Police, shots were fired from the residence on West Coral Road as troopers from the Lakeview Post arrived to perform a wellness check of the man Thursday morning, July 30. No troopers were injured and troopers did not return fire, police said in the news release. Authorities believe the subject to be the only person inside the home at this time, police said. Police also said in the news release that they dont believe there is a threat to the public. Michigan State Polices Emergency Support Team members are on the way to the scene to assist. Additional information is expected to be release by police later Thursday. More on MLive: Dangerous swim conditions quickly developing along Lake Michigan shore As U.S. unemployment rate upticks again, Michigan gets more people back to work Trumps call to delay election more about politics than safety, Whitmer says Capacity building: to improve victim identification and national referral mechanisms at the country level and better identify and safely report human trafficking cases in the context of migration flows at ports of entry, transit points, and destination communities. Knowledge and Research: to provide law enforcement and prosecuting authorities in beneficiary countries with reliable information on the modus operandi of criminal networks and to foster development of intelligence on individuals and groups or individuals associated with human trafficking among populations migrating within the region. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) People should not compare countries' coronavirus situations due to differences in cultural and socio-political contexts, the Philippines COVID-19 response chief implementer said Thursday. Ang situation natin sa Pilipinas, dapat di i-compare sa ibang bansa kasi iba iyong political situation doon at iba rin ang culture, Secretary Carlito Galvez told reporters in a briefing when asked why the country cannot seem to manage to bring the viral disease under control unlike its neighbors Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore. [Translation: The situation in the Philippines should not be compared to other countries because their political systems and cultures are different.] Galvez said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the country could be attributed to violations of quarantine rules and other safety protocols. Experts have earlier noted that the Philippines uses a military approach to address a public health problem, arresting those who fail to follow safety measures such as wearing of face masks. President Rodrigo Duterte himself has previously blamed the spread of COVID-19 on Filipinos disobedience. Collateral challenges Galvez also pointed out that collateral challenges such as rendering assistance to returning overseas Filipinos and locally stranded individuals who lost their jobs amid the lockdowns due to COVID-19 affected their response to the crisis. To date, 200,000 stranded individuals have signified their intent to be transported back to their home provinces, the chief implementer said. The government provides stranded people in Manila with negative coronavirus rapid test results a free ride home under its Hatid Tulong program. Unprepared for pandemic But Galvez openly admitted the flaws in the countrys healthcare system, such as infrastructure gaps in some regions. He said this is the why hospitals are close to being overwhelmed. As a nation, we were not able to prepare 'yung ating healthcare facilities. We were not able to invest in healthcare facilities, noting the limited Level 3 hospitals in Calabarzon. Health Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire on Tuesday appealed to the public to exercise more caution and comply with minimum health standards, saying the countrys healthcare system is close to being overwhelmed amid rising COVID-19 cases. Despite these, the country still made gains from mitigating measures, according to Galvez and testing czar Vince Dizon said. Despite these, Galvez noted the Philippines has kept its mortality rate low with nearly 2,000 deaths unlike developed European countries as well as the United States, which recorded over 150,000 fatalities, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, Dizon pointed out the country is now second to South Korea in terms of the number of individuals tested for COVID-19 in Asia. Ang South Korea as of July 25 ay naka-pagtest ng 1.5 million, ang Pilipinas po ay halos 1.4 million, Dizon said in a briefing. [Translation: As of July 25, South Korea has tested 1.5 million people while the Philippines has tested almost 1.4 million.] The Philippines' population is twice as big as South Koreas. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 17:26 538 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a980e3 1 City robbery,robbery-attempt,female,ojek-driver,Women,Bekasi Free A female app-based ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver has wowed netizens after CCTV footage of her fighting off two men who were trying to rob her went viral on social media. Dwi Wulan Meilani, 32, was reportedly dropping off a food order at a Bekasi housing complex in West Java at 3 a.m. on Sunday when the incident occurred. The CCTV footage shows her riding her motorcycle on a quiet road when two men, also on a motorbike, approach her from behind. One points a sickle at her and tries to grab hold of one of her handlebars but fails. He then pushes her and she falls to the ground. Leaping off the back of his bike, the robber rushes over to Dwi and snatches her smartphone from her hand. But she quickly gets up, runs after him, grabs on to his jacket and pulls him down to the ground before he can get back on his vehicle. His accomplice remains on the bike, likely shocked and confused, watching the entire scene unfold. Dwi and the robber grapple on the ground. He desperately tries to get away but she latches on to his jacket which he decides to discard in order to make his escape. Nevertheless, she persisted. Read also: Ojek drivers stand up against violent robbers She chases after both the fleeing motorcycle and her attacker, who can be seen running away, leaving only his jacket behind. In the fray, Dwi managed to get back her smartphone along with the robbers sickle. I just grabbed the sickle. And then I screamed and some young men came to help, Dwi said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. Dwi asked the young men to chase the robbers but had already fled the scene. Meanwhile, Babelan Police chief Comr. Ramses Sitinjak said his officers would do everything they could to track down the perpetrators and the CCTV recording had been secured as evidence. He added that Dwi had decided against filing an official report about the incident because she had not been injured nor had she lost any of her belongings. She said she was fine, so she didnt file a report. However, we will investigate the attempted robbery as it has become viral. (aly) On the subject of Catalonia, Spain does not have a plan B and it doesnt think one is needed. We could name the only plan that Spain has after Justice Marchena, the Supreme Court judge [that convicted the Catalan political prisoners]: punish the Catalans and teach them a lesson until they surrender. Thats why they dont think that taking away the political prisoners prison benefits is newsworthy at all: they had taken it for granted. For this reason they regard Pablo Iglesias reaction saying it was bad news as high treason: it suggests that the problem could be managed in a different way. Thats why the Podemos leader is being accused of working for a pluri-national Spanish Republic albeit a united one! Not only do they aim to preserve Spains unity at all costs, but they also wish to protect the status quo with no changes. When PM Pedro Sanchez vowed to defuse the tension [between Catalonia and Spain], it was only a change in Marchenas marketing plan, the only plan that there is. It is a plan that rules out any chance of a dialogue because they are not prepared to make any concessions whatsoever. Part of the problem, too, is the fact that every strategy put forward by Catalonias independence movement every one of them, with subtle differences is aimed at exploring and resorting to Spains plan B, which doesnt exist. And when they realise there is no plan B, they become genuinely perplexed. You see, they dont have a viable plan B themselves, either, even though one is badly needed in their case. We will carry on with our work in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean until the end, which we began to protect our rights, Erdogan said in a pre-recorded message for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, said attacks on civilian targets in Yemen have claimed a number of lives and hampered the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) from fully performing its tasks. Noting economic impacts of conflicts, he pointed out the depreciating currency, the risk of foreign exchange reserves running out, and strong cuts to civil servant salaries, adding that the control of ships entrance into Hudaydah port hasnt been eased, thus obstructing the transportation of essential goods, medical supplies and humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock noted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, especially amid increasingly unpredictable developments of COVID-19 and the lack of transparency in information about infection cases in the areas controlled by the Houthis. He voiced concern about violations in civilian protection and the serious risk of food insecurity as a result of the strong reduction in sponsors donations this year. He also highly valued the US, the UK and the EUs financial contributions to the settlement of those challenges. Both Griffiths and Lowcock urged parties in Yemen to continue complying with the ceasefire, protect women and children, and ensure womens participation in the political process. They stressed that the UN will continue playing the intermediary role to work with relevant parties to accelerate negotiations so as to soon obtain a nationwide ceasefire. They also called for more financial contributions to resolve food insecurity and poverty, asking the Houthis to realise its commitment to allowing the UN technical mission to access the Safer tanker to perform tasks. At the meeting, members of the UN Security Council requested relevant sides to keep making efforts to implement the ceasefire, voiced concern over attacks on civilians, and expressed support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen. They also emphasised the full implementation of the Stockholm and Riyadh agreements and appealed for more assistance for Yemen to deal with the food insecurity risk and COVID-19. Sharing the concern over recent conflicts in Yemen, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnams permanent mission to the UN, showed support for the three-point peace plan submitted by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen. He called on parties in and outside Yemen to quickly take measures to obtain a nationwide ceasefire, facilitate humanitarian facilities, and address the food insecurity risk. The diplomat also underlined the obligation to protect civilians, particularly women and children, urging for the serious implementation of the Stockholm and Riyadh agreements and continuation of dialogue towards a comprehensive political solution with the UN acting as the intermediary. The thorny issue of who has jurisdiction over Lough Foyle has been raised once again. Moville resident Enda Craig has urged local representatives to 'wake up' and finally end all confusion over the Lough. Mr Craig made the comments following a motion at last week's monthly meeting of Donegal County Council, where the issue of unregulated oyster fishing was raised. At the meeting in Letterkenny, local councillor Terry Crossan highlighted the environmental and visual impact an estimated 60,000 oyster trestles is having on the Lough. The Muff-based councillor asked council officials to contact the Marine Minister to engage with his British counterparts to seek to resolve the jurisdictional issues. However Mr Craig stated that there are no 'jurisdictional issues' between Britain and Ireland as the Crown Estate owns the seabed of Lough Foyle. The lough has been a disputed area between Britain and Ireland since the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922. You can't claim jurisdiction over something you don't own, it's that simple, he told the Inish Times. The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings within the UK belonging to the British monarch as a corporation. Mr Craig said that the issue of jurisdiction has been settled and that local representatives should recognise that fact. I know that local representatives deal with numerous issues on a daily basis so they may not understand fully that Ireland has no jurisdiction over the lough at all, but it is time that they waken up and stop claiming jurisdiction over something that they don't own. He also highlighted the feeling of 'unequal treatment' that traditional oyster fishermen have received over the ongoing unregulated farms dotted along the Lough Foyle coast. The traditional wild oyster fishermen look on as oysters are being harvested in large numbers on trestles on the shoreline of Lough Foyle by fishermen who are not burdened with a licence fee. He added: Any attempt to resolve the issue of licensing on the sea-bed of Lough Foyle without firstly taking into account it's ownership by the Crown Estates is putting the cart before the horse and is doomed to failure. All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, says the late Pa Ayo Fasanmi was his mentor and role model. Tinubu said this in a ... All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, says the late Pa Ayo Fasanmi was his mentor and role model. Tinubu said this in a tribute to Fasanmi who died at the age of 94 on Wednesday. He said the deceased was a true progressive who until his death remained an advocate for fiscal federalism. The former governor of Lagos State said when Fasanmi took ill recently, he spoke to him and continued to monitor his health. The APC leader said, I had a close relationship with Papa Fasanmi, dating back many years. He was a mentor and role model to me and many others who believe in progressive politics as a means to uplift our society and its people. When Papa was recently admitted to the hospital for age-related sickness, I spoke to him and followed up with his close aide to monitor his situation. As Afenifere leader, he was a true believer in the importance of fiscal federalism as essential for the growth of Nigeria. His vision for our nation was a coherent and correct one. Tinubu commiserated with the Afenifere family including its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, and APC leader, Chief Bisi Akande, over the death of their bosom friend. He said with Fasanmis passing, Nigeria had lost someone special and excellent in every way. The APC leader said like American civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis, who was buried on Thursday, Fasanmi remained faithful to the truth for which he suffered greatly. Yet, no matter the cost, he never strayed from his principles. A brave man, he never flinched at the prospect of speaking truth to power, Tinubu stated. He added that the deceased devoted himself toward progressive development and democratic advancement but this job had not been completed because the Nigeria of our dreams is still a work in progress. Regardless of where the next conflict occurs or which adversary it features, the Air Force will be at the forefront. National Defense Strategy Commission Air and space are critical domains for our national security, yet our nation has consistently failed to invest sufficiently in these requirements. As a result, todays U.S. Air Force is older and smaller than at any time in its history, even as it begins to birth the new U.S. Space Force with massive funding needs of its own. The Department of the Air Force, which encompasses both the Air Force and the Space Force, faces daunting demands. Within the budget of a single service, it must modernize its geriatric fleet to remain the worlds predominant Air Force, while building up the nascent Space Force to ensure it remains ahead of its near-peer competitors, China and Russia. Air Force fighter jets average 29 years old and, along with 90 percent of its bombers, most cannot safely penetrate modern air defenses. Its bomber force has shrunk by two-thirds, and its B-52 bombers have been in service since the 1960s. Most of its refueling tankers were purchased during the Eisenhower administration. And since 1991s Gulf War, the Air Force has 30 percent fewer people and 37 percent fewer aircraft. More than any other service, the Air Force forfeited capacity to help fund a peace dividend following the Cold War. After 9/11, it took more cuts to help fund a growing Army bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. Budget reductions and short-term continuing resolutions undermined planned modernization. The Air Force provides the airlift, strike capability, combat air patrols, unmanned aircraft, and intelligence and surveillance for the joint force. It provides two-thirds of the nuclear triad, which our nation has long relied upon for deterrence. The Space Force was created to ensure that our nations space capabilities our clear asymmetric strategic advantage will not become another parity domain. Todays Space Force assets provide the core timing and location data that enable secure cash withdrawals from ATMs, safe navigation the world over, and critical communications, as well as command and control for our entire military. Story continues Yet, the Department of the Air Force has been consistently underfunded for years. This years budget request of $718 billion for defense appears to be evenly divided among the services: 29 percent for the Department of the Air Force (including Space Force), 29 percent for the Department of the Navy (including Marine Corps) and 27 percent for the Department of the Army. Thats deceptive, however. For decades, a so-called non-blue share has been stashed inside the Air Force budget. Known as the pass-through, these funds are neither controlled nor used by the Air Force. At $39.2 billion in 2020 20 percent of the department budget the pass-through accounts for 6 percent of the entire defense budget, more than twice as much as the Space Force. Without it, the Air Force Departments share falls to only 23 percent of defense spending well below the other services. By design, national investment in intelligence and black space budgets have been purposely masked. And since 1962, the non-blue share of the Air Force budget has grown, costing the Air Force billions in resources. The result: Todays Air Force is too old, too small and too poorly funded to meet its obligations under the National Defense Strategy. As Congress directed in 2018, it needs robust spending increases to modernize quickly. The new Space Force is now entering an orbit that will demand funding increases to pay for new capabilities. It too must compete with Air Force modernization and pass-through funding to achieve its objectives. This is all light years away from real transparency and good governance in national security. Air Force makes reductions to B-1s, A-10s, Global Hawk drones and more in FY21 budget request The services rationalize budget resource shortfalls by saying they will simply accept more risk, but few truly understand what that means. Accepting risk means acknowledging the military may not be able to deter future conflicts. It means American lives will be put in jeopardy because our military will be unable to protect them. It means America may need to stand down in some circumstances rather than confronting adversaries. We cannot build a new Space Force on the cheap, and we cannot continue to mortgage the future of our Air Force to pay for non-Air Force requirements. Congress and the administration should eliminate the misleading pass-through and be honest about our national investment in defense. Transparency will make America stronger and safer, and ensure a successful future for our new U.S. Space Force. Keith Zuegel is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and is the Air Force Associations senior director for government relations. Critics blamed the record low in rape convictions on government cuts. (Getty) Campaigners have hit out at appalling rape prosecution figures that revealed a record low for convictions of the crime. Prosecutors have unveiled a five-year strategy to improve the rate of rape convictions as new figures showed that prosecutions have dropped by a third. Police and prosecutors faced criticism earlier this month after it was revealed that just 1.4% of recorded rape cases ended with a prosecution in the year to March. The figures have been blamed on government cuts, with one former prosecutor saying: victims deserve better. They come just weeks after victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird said rape is effectively being decriminalised due to a catastrophic decline in prosecutions. Rape is possibly the hardest of crimes to prosecute but this looks like theyve given up Govt cuts are largely to blame Recruiting new police & prosecutors do not replace the loss of 1/2 million years of experience Victims deserve bettterhttps://t.co/bZeSihXRZJ nazir afzal (@nazirafzal) July 30, 2020 The Centre for Womens Justice said the numbers show the effective decriminialisation of rape in England and Wales. End Violence Against Women director Sarah Green said: We have seen a vacuum of leadership and accountability within the CPS when it comes to rape, with no recognition of the harm done to the thousands of survivors being failed by the system. Read more: Heartbreaking pictures show baby dolphin stranded in surf after being abandoned by mother Centre for Womens justice director Harriet Wistrich added: In actual fact a survivor reporting rape five years ago had a much better chance of seeing justice done. How can it be that we have moved so far backwards in a crime that is so serious and does so much harm? Nazir Afzal, former chief prosecutor for the North West, also hit out at the government, tweeting: Rape is possibly the hardest of crimes to prosecute but this looks like theyve given up. Story continues These numbers are appalling. So much more must be done to support victims. Rapists must face the full force of the law.https://t.co/Z44pESBNLr David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 30, 2020 He said government cuts were largely to blame, saying: Recruiting new police & prosecutors do not replace the loss of 1/2 million years of experience. He added: Victims deserve bettter [sic]. David Lammy MP wrote: These numbers are appalling. So much more must be done to support victims. Rapists must face the full force of the law. Commenting on the figures, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was working hard to reverse the trend weve seen in recent years. Speaking ahead of the release of the statistics, director of public prosecutions Max Hill said the CPS would use a five-year strategy to improve the figures. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: I do accept the scale of the problem but we must also accept if we are talking about that, that looking back three or four years some serious mistakes were also being made. There were cases going to court which shouldnt have been going to court, so we have had to eradicate that as well. According to a report from the Police Foundation published on Wednesday, the number of rapes reported to police rose by 260% between 2013 and 2019. But data from the Home Office showed that in the 12 months to March just 1.4% of 55,130 offences recorded by police led to prosecution. Of the cases that were closed, 41% collapsed because the victim did not support further action. Indoor house parties are contributing to the increase in coronavirus cases in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. At the outset of his news conference, Murphy said he understood the desire to gather indoors. "We've all had our routines turned upside down for the past four months and we want to blow off some steam with friends," he said. "None of us can fault anyone for having that notion." He added: "And with the weather we've been having on top of that, I understand the desire to escape the heat and head into the air conditioning." But, Murphy said, people cannot continue to have crowded house parties. "They are not safe. Period." "They are how coronavirus gets passed around more efficiently," Murphy said. The governor said a "series" of recent house parties including one attended by young people between the ages of 14 and 19 in Middletown have been linked to more than 50 new positive cases. Additionally, a party on Long Beach Island has now sidelined nearly three dozen Surf City lifeguards, who have tested positive for the coronavirus, he said. Law enforcement officers broke up a house party attended by an estimated 700 people in Jackson, N.J. (The Lakewood Scoop) And on Sunday night, there was a massive house party in Jackson, about 65 miles south of Manhattan, that was attended by an estimated 700 people. Murphy said it was not yet known how many coronavirus cases may arise from "that out of control party," but the state's health commissioner believes there will be many. The owner of the Airbnb rental where the party took place and two others were issued summonses. "This is no time for anyone to be vying for induction into the knucklehead hall of fame," the governor said. "And unfortunately, all of the above instances qualify." Over the past four days, the state has reported roughly 2,000 new cases of the coronavirus, Murphy said. "We are now back plus or minus to where we were roughly a month ago in the daily numbers of new cases," Murphy said. Story continues He urged residents, young people in particular, to wear face masks and to act responsibly. "Remember this: Just because you are younger and hopefully less susceptible to the ravages of COVID-19, is not an excuse to let your guard down," he said. "You are not immune." There have been at least 183,793 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey, with 15,798 deaths, according to NBC News' tally. New Jersey recorded 261 new cases and an additional 16 deaths Thursday, Murphy said. Murphy said the danger of indoor gatherings is the reason his administration halted a planned restart of indoor dining. On June 29, Gov. Murphy said plans to allow indoor dining to resume July 2 would be postponed indefinitely because of a surge in coronavirus cases in the South and West. "I'm not going to say that indoor dining is like a house party because it isn't," he said Wednesday. "But when one party in an air-conditioned house leads to dozens of new cases, it should give us all pause." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Estelle Shirbon (Reuters) London Thu, July 30, 2020 12:04 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a7a4de 2 People Meghan-Markle,tabloid Free A lawyer for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, accused a British newspaper publisher in court on Wednesday of commercially exploiting its legal dispute with her by using court documents as the basis for "sensational" coverage. Meghan, wife of Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry, is suing Associated Newspapers over articles in the Mail on Sunday in February 2019 that included parts of a handwritten letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018. Increasingly hostile relations between the royal couple and some British newspapers they accused of intrusive, inaccurate and sometimes racist coverage was one of the reasons why Harry and Meghan left Britain for the United States. Meghan's lead counsel, Justin Rushbrooke, said that within hours of some legal papers being filed this month, the Mail used them as the basis for what he called a sensational article on its website, which "started a wildfire" of wider media coverage. "Other litigants don't make commercial fodder out of the other side's pleadings," he said. A full trial on Meghan's lawsuit, in which she alleges the Mail invaded her privacy and infringed her copyright, is not expected until next year, but the High Court has been dealing with side issues in pre-trial proceedings. The question on Wednesday was whether the Mail should be allowed to publish the names of five friends of Meghan who gave anonymous interviews to the US magazine People for an article published a few days before the Mail's on her letter. Meghan is seeking a court order preventing disclosure of the names. Lawyers for Associated Newspapers argue such an order would breach the principle of open justice. Read also: Harry and Meghan book lifts lid on bitter split with family "Clickbait" The People interviews are central to the defense. The Mail has justified publishing Meghan's letter on the basis that she had revealed its existence in People, via her friends, and that was what drove her father to disclose its contents. One section of the Mail's article was titled: "HOW MEGHANS MEDIA FIGHTBACK LED HER DAD TO REVEAL LETTER HE WANTED TO KEEP SECRET". Meghan has told the court in a written statement that she did not authorize her friends to speak to People. She said they "made a choice on their own to speak anonymously with a US media outlet ... to defend me from the bullying behavior of Britains tabloid media". The identities of the five are known to the Mail because they were named in a document filed to court by Meghan's lawyers in July as part of the legal proceedings. Associated Newspapers dispute that the document should be treated as confidential. In her witness statement, Meghan said "for the Mail on Sunday to expose them (her friends) in the public domain for no reason other than clickbait and commercial gain is vicious and poses a threat to their emotional and mental wellbeing". She also accused the Mail of seeking to "create a circus and distract from the point of this case - that the Mail on Sunday unlawfully published my private letter". In written arguments in response, Associated Newspapers' lawyers accused Meghan of using "extravagant and extreme language" to express an opinion not based on evidence. It said the Mail had shown restraint by not publishing the names even though there was no legal restriction preventing it from doing so. Judge Mark Warby will give his ruling on whether the friends can be named at a later date. Advertisement Boris Johnson today warned coronavirus cases are 'bubbling up' in 30 towns across Britain, as he insisted the virus is under 'some measure of control' following a 'massive success' in reducing cases. The Prime Minister explained there are between 'ten and 30' places which could be at risk of 'tough lockdowns' to get the virus under control after a localised rise in infections. Areas with the highest case rates per 100,000 people are Blackburn with Darwen (83.3), Leicester (57.7), Oldham (53.1), Bradford (44.9) and Trafford (39.3), according to NHS Digital figures. Speaking in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Mr Johnson told Sky News: 'There are between ten and 30 places where you are seeing it bubbling up a little bit. I think the country as a whole understands that the best way to deal with this is if we have tough local lockdowns to get it under control in those towns.' He added that levels of the virus are falling amid a 'huge effort' in Leicester - the first city to be subject to a localised lockdown - but Britons must not 'delude' themselves that we are 'somehow out of the woods.' 'It is absolutely vital that as a country we continue to keep our focus and our discipline and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we're out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over,' he said. 'The most important thing we can do is stop a second wave, a really damaging second wave, which will have real consequences.' The Prime Minister also today insisted the country has had 'massive success' in reducing the number of 'tragic deaths' amid the pandemic, which has killed more than 45,975 people in Britain. 'Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths,' he said. 'We've got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down.' The number of deaths fell to a rolling daily average of 66 this week, down from a maximum of 1,445 during one 24-hour period in April. Another 38 deaths were reported today. However, Mr Johnson has warned that the UK is not yet safe from the coronavirus crisis after official statistics showed England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe in the first half of 2020. 'It's absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we're out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over,' he said. His comments came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' - and defended the sudden decision to add Spain to the list of quarantine countries and extending the isolation period to ten days for people who have tested positive to have symptoms. Boris Johnson today warned coronavirus cases are 'bubbling up' in 30 towns across Britain, as he insisted the virus is under 'a measure of control' following a 'massive success' in reducing cases. He is pictured with Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel at a gin factory in Bedale, North Yorkshire Mr Johnson greeting a police officer with a touch of the elbow when he visited the headquarters of North Yorkshire Police today Home Secretary Priti Patel - who also attended the visit alongside the PM - laughed as he petted one of the police dogs This morning, BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. 'We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Matt Hancock's second wave warning came as: Ministers confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days up from the current seven-day self-isolation period; Boris Johnson is set to be add more countries to the UK quarantine list tomorrow; Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty want tougher border controls immediately after figures show 1,300 people with Covid-19 entered the UK at the start of the pandemic; Leicester's lockdown will be reviewed today 48 hours earlier than expected as official statistics show the city's coronavirus infection rate has halved in a fortnight; Holiday giant Tui is closing 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the UK's biggest tour operator announced; Up to 21,000 people have died because of unintended consequences of lockdown many due to a lack of access to healthcare, according to a shocking study. Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isn't a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Top scientists today admitted it is unlikely the coronavirus will ever be eradicated, saying it could be around for decades and infect people 'multiple times over their life span'. Critics argued that Britain needs to 'learn to live with it' because the virus is going to keep spreading. Experts have also warned that countries that try to completely eradicate the virus, such as New Zealand will get infected when they re-open their borders as they will inevitably have to do. Asked during a visit to North Yorkshire today if he was ashamed over the ONS analysis showing Britain led Europe for the number of excessive deaths in 2020, the Prime Minister said: 'We mourn every loss of life that we've had throughout the coronavirus epidemic. 'What I would say to them [families of the deceased] is that we really owe it to them to continue our work in driving the virus down. 'Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths. 'We've got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down. Mr Johnson tries out a North Yorkshire Police Rural Taskforce bike - which is electric powered 'But I have to tell you that we're looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see what's been happening in the United States.' Mr Johnson urged people to continue to stick to social distancing and hygiene rules in order to stop the spread of the disease. He said: 'Broadly speaking, the only way to control coronavirus is if everybody collectively obeys the social distancing rules and works together to drive the virus down. 'So that's why I make this point that I do - we've done a huge amount. Together we've really reduced the incidence of the virus and we've got the number of deaths down. 'But it can come up again, and we've seen what is happening in other European countries, so what I'm saying to people is don't lose focus, don't lose discipline, continue to observe those guidelines and if you have symptoms, get a test.' The PM said it would be a mistake for the UK to think that the coronavirus crisis is finished. 'It's absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we're out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over,' he said. ENGLAND SUFFERED THE MOST EXCESS DEATHS IN EUROPE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic, new figures revealed today. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. While other countries had higher spikes in excess deaths between February and June, England had the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate - meaning it had the highest level of excess deaths overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes, but they can be used as evidence of how severe coronavirus outbreaks have been - because not all deaths caused by the virus are recorded by authorities. It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths, called 'peaks', suggesting they faced the hardest hits on the continent. Bergamo, one of the first places in Europe to go into lockdown, had the highest peak in excess mortality. It saw 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis, in the week ending 17 April. Advertisement It comes as Number 10 today confirmed the length of time people with coronavirus symptoms in England will have to self-isolate for is to be increased to 10 days. Patients who are confirmed to have Covid or who have a cough, fever or loss of sense of smell or taste were told before to stay at home for seven days. Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told reporters the change was being made due to the 'low but real possibility of infectiousness' between seven and 10 days after the onset of the illness. Health officials still believe there is evidence shows people with symptomatic coronavirus are most infectious just before and in the days immediately after their symptoms appear. However, there is also a low but tangible possibility that people with Covid-19 are still infectious between seven and nine days after their symptoms start, which prompted the change in guidance today. Health chiefs stressed the previous advice was 'seven days minimum' rather than just seven days, with people whose symptoms persisted longer advised to remain in isolation for longer. Scientists today welcomed the move. Dr Julian Tang, an expert in respiratory diseases at the University of Leicester, said: 'The evidence for this 10-day rather than 7-day cut-off has been around for some months already and more and more studies confirm this. 'There have been concerns about the former 7-day isolation cut-off for sometime now because it just didn't tally with the evidence. Finally, now it does.' Mr Hancock also hinted more European countries could be added to the UK's quarantine list to stop Covid-19 getting a stranglehold in Britain again, after ministers were accused of being too slow to react early on in the pandemic. He told Sky News: 'I am worried about a second wave. You can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe. We have to do everything we can to prevent it reaching these shores. 'It's not just Spain, there are other countries too where the number of cases is rising, and we are absolutely determined to do all we can to keep this country safe.' He told the BBC later: 'There is a real danger of an increase in cases in the UK but we will move fast if needed'. The quarantine period for people returning to the UK from foreign countries such as Spain would be pared back to 10 days with testing from 14 days under the same plans, it was claimed today. Isolation rules have previously caused confusion as those confirmed to have the virus via a test have been told to isolate for seven days, whereas their 'close contacts' faced 14 days. The disparity was due to the time taken to develop symptoms of the virus. The Government has at times been accused of 'mixed messaging' over the rules. The policy change came after talks between Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, Boris Johnson and senior cabinet ministers at No 10 on Monday. Mr Johnson is said to have told them: 'We need to act fast' with a ramping up of quarantine rules expected within 24 hours. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall relative excess mortality out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. But the hardest hit nations were Italy and Spain which suffered the largest spikes Looking at major cities, the highest peak excess mortality was in Madrid at 432.7 per cent in the week ending March 27. Meanwhile in the UK, Birmingham had the highest peak excess mortality of any major British city at 249.7 per cent in the week ending April 17 CORONAVIRUS R RATE 'IS ABOVE DREADED LEVEL OF ONE IN SOUTH WEST AND SOUTH EAST' The coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England, according to a projection. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions the North West, East and London have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Advertisement The Government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned No10 that Britain could be just two or three weeks behind Spain's second wave trajectory, according to The Times. But experts have called on ministers not to over-react to the small spike in cases. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: 'I do not think we will ever eradicate the virus. I think it is likely that the virus will be around for decades and infect people multiple times over their life span. 'However, because of residual immunity from prior infections or immunization, the disease will become far less severe and probably start to resemble to common cold. He added: 'A country like New Zealand that has eradicated the virus will only get infected when they open up again, as they will eventually have to do.' Professor Keith Neal, from the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline: 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine. 'We may get small resurgences when people's behaviour gets more lax, but we can tighten restrictions in these hotspots, look at Leicester disease is falling.' He added the UK can live alongside the virus and keep transmission risk to as low as possible 'by mask wearing, working from home, travel restrictions, taking appropriate actions in hotspots'. Professor Neal said: 'You're always going to have hotspots, like Leicester and in Spain. But every measure helps reduce transmission trails.' The rolling average of daily cases in the UK has been rising since earlier this month, while there have been fresh restrictions in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and localised outbreaks in Stone, Staffordshire, and Wrexham, north Wales. Figures yesterday revealed Oldham had overtaken Leicester to have the highest number of cases in England. Blackburn with Darwen is still the worst-hit authority in the country. But NHS data today shows it is back down in third place, with an infection rate of 53.1 cases per 100,000 people during July 21 to 27. Modelling from Cambridge University suggests the R rate (left) has barely changed in London and now stands at 0.92, after dropping to below 0.5 after the lockdown was introduced. The team also believes cases (right) are on the decline and have not yet to spike upwards in the capital. The first blue line is March 23, when lockdown was introduced. The second blue line is May 11, when the government released its Covid-19 recovery strategy. The red line is July 24, the last day of modelling The coronavirus R rate in the Midlands (left) is much lower than it was in June, according to the Cambridge team. Cases (right) are also still declining but at a much slower rate than they were The R rate in the East of England (left) now stands at 0.88, but has barely changed throughout July. The number of daily cases (right) is also still on a downward trend, according to the academics However, the R rate appears to have risen above one in the South East (right) and cases (right) are starting to float upwards from an estimated 669 infections on July 6 to 758 on July 24 The R rate (left) is also estimated to have risen to above one in the South West, the region home to Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. The team estimated there were 160 new infections across the region on July 24 up from 136 on July 4 ARE CASES ON THE UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for a fortnight but deaths have barely changed and hospital admissions are still flat, according to official figures. Department of Health statistics show 726 people are testing positive for the life-threatening virus each day, on average. It is 33 per cent higher than the average of 546 recorded exactly three weeks ago, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. But the number of Brits being diagnosed with Covid-19 is much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being recorded each day during the height of the crisis but this is likely to be a massive under-estimate due to a lack of testing. Fewer than 20,000 people were getting swabbed for the virus on a daily basis in April. Now more than 100,000 tests are being processed each day. The number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. Hospital admissions another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 100 people are still being admitted in England each day. However, scientists from King's College London believe cases could still be on the rise. Data from a symptom-tracking app the team runs estimates 2,110 people are being struck down with the virus each day in the UK up from 1,884 last week. But the academics believe the outbreak is stable. Testing figures do not show the true number of people infected because many people catch the virus but never test positive for it, either because they don't realise they are sick, because they couldn't get a test, or because their result was wrong. Advertisement Leicester's rate currently stands at 57.7 up slightly on Wednesday's figure but down 15 per cent in a week. Leicester, the first place in the UK to have a mini-lockdown imposed, will have its shutdown reviewed today two days earlier than expected. Fears of a resurgence of infections come as scientists found that the coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions the North West, East and London have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Despite the warnings, Boris Johnson was urged not to panic over fears of a summer surge. Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said ministers should continue efforts to get the economy moving by urging more workers to return to the office. He said: 'The message from the Government is still really fearful, it needs to be much more nuanced. 'They must say, 'Look, this is a disease that by-and-large affects those with co-morbidities. Protect the vulnerable but the rest of you should be getting back to work'.' Sir Iain added: 'We seem to have lost the ability to balance risk.' Meanwhile, health leaders said there were 'very high' levels of concern about a fresh spike. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that non-Covid productivity in NHS trusts was currently at about 60 per cent. He called for an 'Amazon-style' way for health and care workers to order personal protective equipment where it arrives the next day. Ban most foreign holidays says controversial Independent SAGE group as it repeats its call for Britain to try and eliminate coronavirus - but what would be the economic cost? Britain should dramatically restrict foreign holidays and travel in an attempt to totally eliminate coronavirus rather than just restricting it, the Independent SAGE committee has argued. The panel, which shadows the UK's official scientific advisory group, said a substantial reduction in the number of people entering the country would allow officials to isolate any remaining cases and wipe out the virus. This claim runs against the prevailing consensus among health experts and the Government's own scientists, who believe community transmission is inevitable until a vaccine arrives, regardless of whether Britain closes its borders. The call for dramatic travel restrictions would also cripple businesses, particularly holiday companies who have been hammered by the pandemic. The report cites New Zealand which is reliant on tourism for 5.5% of its GDP but has been left facing a devastating economic hit by its move to almost completely shut its borders. The Government already requires returning travellers to quarantine for two weeks after returning from most countries. Keith Neal, Emeritus professor in infectious diseases at Nottingham University, said: 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine.' Advertisement Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the council of the British Medical Association, said another spike should not be seen as an 'inevitability' and it was time to be 'more robust' about mitigating the threat. He also called for more concise public messaging over measures people can take to stop the spread of the virus. 'If I look even at something as simple as our messages on social distancing we're told that social distancing is still two metres, or one metre plus,' he said. 'Do you think any member of the public understands what one metre plus means? What does the plus mean? Many don't really understand this because it's not clear and they're not social distancing. It comes as damning figures today revealed England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. While other countries had higher spikes in excess deaths between February and June, England had the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate - meaning it had the highest level of excess deaths overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes, but they can be used as evidence of how severe coronavirus outbreaks have been - because not all deaths caused by the virus are recorded by authorities. It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths, called 'peaks', suggesting they faced the hardest hits on the continent. Bergamo, one of the first places in Europe to go into lockdown, had the highest peak in excess mortality. It saw 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis, in the week ending 17 April. Two top scientists today said that banning foreign travel could eliminate Covid-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter and Professor Neil Pearce believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. 'With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing Covid-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the Dorset seaside resort of Lyme Regis today to enjoy the scorching weather Belgium and Luxembourg could be removed from the safe travel list as early as tomorrow and Croatia could also be at risk. Luxembourg has the highest incidence of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Europe YOUNGER PEOPLE 'MAY BE MORE AT RISK IN A SECOND WAVE' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. Advertisement Professor Hunter, of Oxford University, and Professor Pearce, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'If we want to avoid a 'November nightmare' and have a relatively 'normal' Christmas, a push for elimination gives us the best chance. 'Is elimination achievable? We think it is though it would require major changes to the British government's current thinking.' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. However, the virus had turned into a new strain which could effect young and healthy people. Experts now fear that coronavirus could see a similar 'W curve' as the Spanish flu - meaning there would be three major spikes in deaths. US student sentenced to 9-year jail for resistance to Moscow police RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:04 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) Moscows Golovinsky District Court on Thursday sentenced American student Trevor Reed to 9 years in penal colony for using violence against police, RAPSI was told in the courts press service. The court also recovered 100,000 rubles (about $1,400) from the defendant in compensation for moral harm to each police officer. In 2019, Trevor being under the influence of alcohol resisted two Moscow police officers breaking uniform of one of them and beating another one Royal Bank of Canada is telling its office workers in and around Toronto to keep working from home into next year as part of the companys efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19, following similar instructions from Bank of Nova Scotia and Toronto-Dominion Bank. Our overall approach remains gradual and conservative, Helena Gottschling, Royal Banks chief human resources officer, told Greater Toronto Area employees in a memo Thursday. Although a very small number of GTA employees who are currently working from home may return to RBC premises starting in mid to late September, most will remain at home into 2021. Plans may vary across businesses and functions, Gottschling said, but the Toronto-based bank will be flexible wherever possible and focus on worker health and safety. Staffers returning to the office will be given at least four weeks notice, according to the memo. Royal Bank, Canadas largest lender by assets, has about 82,500 employees. Toronto-Dominion told employees in Canada and the U.S. Wednesday that it expects working from home to remain the reality until the end of the calendar year, and possibly into 2021. Scotiabank informed head-office employees in Toronto that they should plan to work from home for the rest of the year, though some are allowed to return earlier. Read more about: President Trump is at his worst when he asserts a moral equivalence between America and Russia. Trump asserted such an equivalence during an interview with Bill OReilly in 2017. Trump told OReilly that he respected Vladimir Putin. OReilly objected by noting that Putin is a killer. Instead of explaining the ways in which Putin nonetheless might deserve some form of respect, Trumps response was: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Now, three and a half years into his term as President of the United States, Trump remains willing to defend Putin by equating American conduct with Russias. Asked about Russia arming the Taliban so it can attack American troops, Trump replied, Well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia, too. Andy McCarthy writes: Its a page right out of the same Blame-America-First textbook that caused Republican and conservative heads to explode when President Obama spent eight years saying the same things. True, except Im not sure that even Obama equated America with Putins Russia. I certainly dont recall Obama defending alleged assistance by Russia, or anyone else, in the killing of American troops. McCarthy goes on to state: The president is. . .drawing a repulsive equivalence between our support of the Afghan jihadists against Russia to liberate Afghanistan from Soviet tyranny and Russias support of Afghan jihadists against Americans to collapse Afghanistan into sharia fundamentalism. One can view as problematic our support of jihadists (though not the Taliban Trumps claim that we supported it is incorrect) in their fight to expel the Soviets from Afghanistan. Our policy had both positive effects it helped lead to the demise of the Soviet Union (Trump affirms this in stronger terms during the same interview) and negative ones the jihadist takeover of Afghanistan. But its worse than jarring to hear an American president defend Russias alleged efforts to have Americans killed and to humiliate our country by making Trumps withdrawal from Afghanistan look like another case of the mujahideen kicking foreigners out of their country. Its all the more astonishing to hear this from a president whose calling card is America first. If Putin is aiding the Taliban in killing American soldiers, he likely views it as payback for the way the U.S. helped humiliate the Soviets in Afghanistan, thereby contributing to the end of the Soviet Union something Putin considers a geopolitical catastrophe. I can understand why Putin would see it that way, but its unconscionable for an American president to back that narrative. Trumps political enemies are going to have a field day with this. Joe Bidens campaign is blasting Trumps statement, as it should. Bidens strategy of staying in his basement waiting for Trump to make unforced errors seems to be paying off. The evolution of urban development on First Hill Perkins and Will is in the planning or construction stages of over 3.5 million square feet of new development on First Hill. By BRAD HINTHORNE Perkins and Will Hinthorne First Hill has the distinction of being one of Seattles oldest neighborhoods, having gone through many iterations since its establishment in the 1870s. The area has, at different periods, been home to Seattles most prominent families, some of Seattles earliest residences and emerging artists. Now, First Hill is in the midst of another transformation as health care institutions, cultural organizations and a growing, engaged residential community have been working to fill in the edges and create a more seamless vibrant community. In recent years, First Hill has been the recipient of incredible design-forward, community-oriented development. Perkins and Will, alone, is in the planning or construction stages of more than 3.5 million square feet of new construction with a combined value just under $1.8 billion, including over 1,000 residential units. The First Hill Public Realm Action Plan has been essential to the neighborhoods success, as it manages this growth to become a denser, more walkable neighborhood. A collaboration between several stakeholders, including the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the First Hill Improvement Association, the plan is a roadmap for leveraging roadways and public spaces to create a livable, walkable urban neighborhood. Additionally, an array of public transportation options, which include a new light rail station in nearby Capitol Hill and Seattles streetcar system, have made the area more attractive to residents, visitors and businesses alike. Photo courtesy of Perkins and Will [enlarge] At 707 Terry on First Hill, a pair of 33-story residential towers designed by Perkins and Will are under construction. Institutional investment in First Hill is also foundational to its evolution. For decades, Pill Hill has been a hub of health care systems in Seattle, including Swedish First Hill Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center and Virginia Mason. More recently, The Polyclinic and Kaiser Permanente have also built a significant presence in the area. As Seattle continues to grow, there is strong demand for expanded and updated facilities to provide state-of-the-art care to a larger patient population. As a result, First Hill has been infused with institutional investment from health care systems and every one of the health care institutions mentioned above has either recently expanded or has plans to grow over the next five years. On First Hill, institutional investment goes hand-in-hand with the development of the neighborhoods long-standing artistic and cultural vibrance. For example, Swedish has plans to construct the First Hill Mile, an urban walking path intended to improve the health and pedestrian fabric of the First Hill neighborhood. And, at the intersection of Boylston Avenue, Marion and Broadway, a former Swedish Health Services office building has been transformed into a contemporary art museum, dubbed the Museum of Museums. MoM hosts two formal exhibition spaces, three additional on-site museums, rotating installations, murals and sculptures, a theater and weekly art classes. The new MoM gallery joins an array of diverse arts organizations on First Hill, including the Frye Art Museum, which is across the street from 707 Terry, a pair of 33-story residential towers designed by Perkins and Will and currently under construction. Reflecting its artistic neighbor, the projects creative design consists of two towers that appear to lean away from each another, connected by a skybridge. Upon completion, the Frye Museum has the option to assume ownership of a select number of apartments, renting them to generate a sustainable source of income that will fund the institutions operations. Residential boom In addition to this financial benefit, projects like 707 Terry also contribute to the neighborhoods growth by drawing new people to First Hill. This residential boom is bringing energy and foot traffic to the neighborhood that builds on the institutional investment and arts and culture of First Hill, creating a virtuous cycle of continued growth. [enlarge] Lennar's Ovation Towers will have two 32-story towers adjacent to the historic Town Hall venue. The project includes a park adjoining a new lower level of performance space in the recently renovated Town Hall. Another example of a public-private collaboration for the betterment of the neighborhood is Lennars development of two 32-story towers adjacent to Seattles beloved Town Hall venue. Designed by Perkins and Will and named Ovation Towers, the project is a nod to the historic event venue and will add 565 new residences, along with 8,400 square feet of retail, office and restaurant space, creating synergies with the recently renovated Town Hall. As part of the development, Lennar is also building a park that adjoins a new lower level of performance space in the recently renovated Town Hall, allowing patrons to spill out into the newly created extended event space and public park amenity. First Hill has long been one of Seattles most distinct neighborhoods, influenced by both its proximity and separation from the downtown core. While change is constant, so is the areas commitment to livability, creating new public amenities and advocating for neighborhood improvements as a component to new development. As public planning, investment and residential growth continue to converge in the area, First Hill will transform further into a commercial and cultural hub. The next chapter for Seattles oldest neighborhood looks full of hope. Brad Hinthorne is a principal at the global architecture firm Perkins and Will. A graduate of the University of Washington, Hinthorne is based in the Seattle studio, where he leads a diverse portfolio of public and private sector projects including health care, higher education, mixed-use, multifamily, civic and commercial. Other Stories: By failing to contain the coronavirus, the United States is allowing what began as a temporary disruption of economic life to do lasting damage to the nations prosperity and prospects. With little chance of an imminent economic rebound, millions of Americans who have lost their jobs during the pandemic are now in grave danger of losing their homes, too. Twenty-two percent of households say that they dont expect to be able to make their next monthly rent or mortgage payment, according to a Census Bureau survey. Temporary limits on evictions, imposed in the early weeks of the U.S. crisis, are gradually ending, and a growing number of lenders and landlords are seeking to evict those who cannot pay. The plight of desperate tenants and homeowners is attracting far less attention than it did during the housing crisis that peaked in 2008, perhaps because this time the problems did not begin in the housing market or perhaps because this crisis arrived so abruptly. But the alarm bells ought to be ringing: The U.S. is on the verge of allowing a mass dislocation of lower-income households that could dwarf the last crisis. The immediate need is for Congress to impose a nationwide moratorium on evictions and then to give people who have lost their jobs the money required for rent or mortgage payments. The moratorium is necessary because it takes time to distribute aid; it would protect people from losing homes while help is on the way. The aid is necessary because erasing obligations, as some have proposed, would merely move the crisis up the food chain. About 47% of rental units are owned by individual investors, who must pay their debts, too. Much of the necessary money can be provided by continuing the $600 weekly payments that the federal government has made to unemployed workers since April. The Urban Institute calculates that those payments provide roughly two-thirds of the $5.5 billion in monthly aid required to keep people in their homes. The House passed a bill in May that more than addresses these needs. In addition to extending supplementary unemployment benefits through January, it provides $100 billion in aid for renters about $16 billion a month for the next six months and another $75 billion in aid for homeowners, both substantially reserved for lower-income households. It also imposes a 12-month moratorium on tenant evictions and a 60-day grace period for homeowners facing foreclosure. It includes funding to help people who do lose their homes, including $11.5 billion for homeless shelters and support services. In the absence of aid, millions of Americans could lose their homes in the coming months. But even the House legislation is not sufficient to address the crisis. Congress also needs to provide expert assistance to tenants and homeowners facing the loss of homes. Congress also should resurrect the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program, created in 2008 in response to the last housing crisis. The program, which ended in 2018, provided counseling to more than 2 million homeowners, helping many to avoid foreclosure through loan modifications or negotiated sales. The price for such counseling is relatively modest: The foreclosure mitigation program cost $853 million over 10 years. The benefits can be enormous. The loss of a home is also the loss of an investment, and of a community. Moving can make it harder to keep a job. It can force children to transfer to a new school. And the black mark of an eviction or a foreclosure makes it harder to rent a new home, let alone buy one. The need for such measures is not merely a product of an unexpected public health crisis. It also reflects the fact that millions of lower-income households were teetering on the brink of eviction during the previous decade of economic growth. New York Times Race-Based Traumatic Stress is a Mental Health Concern Among Black Population For many people within the Black community, racial trauma or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) is a mental health condition that can have dire consequences on your health if left untreated. RBTS refers to the mental and emotional injury an individual may develop after having experienced racially charged discrimination and/or harassment. With July recognized as Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Kaiser Permanente is raising awareness about mental health issues facing underrepresented groups, including the Black population, and the importance of seeking timely treatment when needed. ADVERTISEMENT Mental Health America (MHA) is one of the nations leading community-based nonprofit organizations dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness, and promoting the overall mental health of all. The tragic death of George Floyd and events that followed present a unique moment in history, a time where the trauma of Blacks is being acknowledged like never before. Discrimination based on race has a painfully detrimental psychological impact on the Black community, said Chidi Njoku, a licensed clinical social worker and department administrator of Psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. In fact, for many members of the Black community today, the prolonged exposure to these racially charged situations results in symptoms similar to those exhibited in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Such symptoms include anger, depression, repeated thoughts of the negative experience, headaches, chest pains, insomnia, hypervigilance, low self-esteem and mentally distancing from the traumatic events. For many, acts of racism and/or microaggressions are an unfortunate part of our reality, Njoku said. If youre an individual who has experienced the previously mentioned symptoms in a way that feels unmanageable, youre more than likely suffering from a race-based traumatic stress injury. According to PEW Charitable Trusts, racism is a contributor to a public health crisis. It noted Black women are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than white women. Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police as white men. And the average life expectancy of Black Americans is four years lower than the rest of the U.S. population. It is important to seek help when facing mental health challenges including those caused by racial trauma. If left untreated, these symptoms can worsen and cause severe problems to your overall health, Njoku stressed. Concerns about privacy can at times be a deterrent for some in these communities, and he emphasized that protecting your privacy is a highly important aspect of mental health treatment. Be assured that discussions with your mental health provider, which include your diagnosis and treatment plan, are kept confidential, Njoku explained. No family member, employer or insurance company can access your medical records without the patients permission. ADVERTISEMENT A person with good self-care routines that seek a balance between mental, physical, social and spiritual spheres in their life is doing well for themselves, Njoku noted. Neglecting or ignoring these areas will often create a domino effect in other spheres, and will likely have a negative effect on your overall mental and physical health. Knowing when to seek help Njoku encourages members of the Black community to seek help if youre experiencing any of the Race Based Trauma symptoms at a level thats effecting your ability to be present in life. These include work or school performance not going well. When it comes to your mental health, individuals should prioritize themselves and not listen to the stigmas or any other detractors that would discourage you from getting the support you need. If youre too anxious or depressed to advocate for yourself, its okay to lean on someone you trust for support to get the help you need, Njoku added. Remember: As scary as it may feel one of the most courageous things you could do is take the time to invest in yourself by seeking help. New Delhi: In connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a four-member police team from Bihar is in Mumbai to investigate the case. The cops have already recorded the statement of actor's sister Mitu Singh, who resides in Mumbai. She gave details of what happened between June 8 to June 12, 2020. In her statement, Mitu told Bihar police that on June 8, Rhea Chakraborty called her to say that she had a fight with Sushant Singh Rajput. She said, "the next day I went to Sushant's house in Bandra and stayed there for a few days." "Sushant told me about the argument he had with Rhea, after which the latter left his place with a few of her own and his belongings, saying that she might never return. Sushant was really upset and seemed affected by this incident. I tried to comfort him and stayed there for 4 days but because my kids are young, I left his Bandra pad on June 12. I never ever imagined in my dreams that my brother will do something like this", Mitu told cops. "After two days on June 14, I got a call from Sidharth Pithani saying Sushant is not opening his door and has been inside his bedroom for long. I immediately for his place and meanwhile tried calling him also but all in vain. After reaching his house, with the help of a locksmith, the door was opened and I saw Sushant's body hanging from the ceiling. I was shocked and didn't know what to do. After sometime Mumbai police came and started the investigation, " she said. Today, Bihar police can get hold of electronic evidence including Sushant's call details. Also, they might question psychiatrists who treated the actor. According to sources, Bohar police will probe Rhea Chakraborty's family and verify the allegations made by the late actor's father. Sushant's bank details will be analysed after the police team meets his CA. Also, friend Sidharth Pithani will be probed. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty are not at their Juhu residence and search is on to find whereabouts of Samuel Miranda. But Shruti Modi, their former manager has been traced and soon will be questioned by the Bihar police team. Maria Protheroe swindled the taxpayer when she received income support despite earning 500,000 as a landlord. (SWNS) A judge has told a wealthy property tycoon that she faces two years in prison unless she pays back 180,000 in benefits she falsely claimed. Maria Protheroe, 56, received taxpayer-funded income support despite earning 500,000 as a landlord renting out dozens of properties around the UK. She also lied to obtain mortgages to buy more houses and then claimed to live in two of them to avoid capital gains tax when she sold them. Between 2003 and 2016, Protheroe dishonestly claimed 178,368 in a string of benefits as well as avoiding 33,000 in tax payments. Protheroe, of Coventry, admitted two charges of fraud, failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in circumstances and cheating the public revenue. Maria Protheroe had a portfolio of 10 properties including houses in Coventry, Plymouth, Manchester, Bradford and Scotland. (SWNS) She was ordered to pay back 178,368 or spend two years in prison when she appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday. Judge Anthony Potter told her: You had a benefit of just over 200,000 through offences which demonstrate enormous arrogance on your part. You believed that rules that applied to other people did not apply to you, and you disclosed only what you wanted to on various applications, not what you were required to disclose. The four offences reflect sustained dishonesty over a period of at least 10 years. MORE: The native British mammals at risk of extinction The court heard Protheroe began claiming invalidity benefit and then incapacity benefit, and later employment and support allowance, on the basis that she was too ill to work and had no other income. In 2010 she also claimed carers allowance in respect of her sister, giving an address in Winchester and claiming to have no employment and no land or property which was rented out. In fact she had a portfolio of 10 properties including houses in Coventry, Plymouth, Manchester, Bradford and Scotland. Maria Protheroe was ordered to pay back 178,368 or spend two years in prison when she appeared at Warwick Crown Court. (Flickr) The court heard her property empire made her a little over half a million pounds between 2003 and 2016. And although there was no charge in relation to it, it was calculated she had avoided 33,000 in income tax. Story continues When her offences came to light and she was arrested in November 2016, police found 34,510 in cash at her home in Cromwell Road, Coventry. MORE: Outrage as 'appalling' new rape conviction figures revealed Prosecutor Ben Close told the court: It still appears to be her case that she was not earning anything at all, and that the properties were not profitable. Alex Pritchard-Jones, defending, said Protheroe, who had no previous convictions, had looked into deceiving HMRC by making positive lies, but in the end decided not to engage at all. Protheroe was also ordered to pay 25,000 court costs. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Trying to predict who Joe Biden will choose as his running mate is, if youre a certain type of person, a fun parlor game in this otherwise dreadful summer. But its also a recognition that the pick matters more than it would in a normal year, considering Bidens age and his opponent. Guessing these things was a little easier in the past, when the main criterion for a vice presidential candidate was where they came from. For most of American political history, geographical balance was seen as essential for any winning ticket, a way for a candidate to show that he wouldnt be beholden to the interests of any one region of the country. John F. Kennedys decision to tap Lyndon Johnson to fill out the 1960 Democratic ticket, for example, had much to do with the fact that LBJ was a Southerner and, more specifically, a Texan. President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) Kennedy, a Massachusetts liberal, felt it was necessary to nominate someone like Johnson, whom he disliked on a personal level, to keep the South in Democratic hands. Johnson, meanwhile, desperately wanted the presidency, and felt that accepting the job of vice president a job that, on some level, he knew he would hate would be his best chance of getting there. Both were right. Today the art of choosing the right vice presidential candidate is much more complex. Regional balance is no longer a priority, having been pushed aside by more urgent matters of symbolism, stance and representation. Before he was his partys presumptive nominee, Joe Biden promised he would choose a woman to be his running mate. This will be only the third time in American history that a woman was chosen to be the vice presidential candidate of a major party, after Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Sarah Palin in 2008. Having decided that he would select a woman, Biden has a number of other considerations to mull. Should Biden, who has spent nearly five decades in politics as an instinctive moderate, select a progressive like Elizabeth Warren to bolster his left flank? Or, given the importance of minority voters to the Democratic Party and this summers widespread protests over racial justice, would it be a mistake to go with yet another all-white ticket? Story continues Another wrinkle is Bidens age. Hell be 78 on Election Day, which means the moment he takes power hed be the oldest person ever to enter the Oval Office. He has also kept the door open to serving only one term, and if thats the case, his vice president could have a huge advantage over any competitors in the 2024 primaries. Hes selecting, in other words, not only someone who could take over for him at a moments notice but also the person who might lead the party into the next decade. Sen. Thomas Eagleton, left, and Sen. George McGovern after McGovern announced that Eagleton was stepping down as his vice presidential running mate in 1972. (AP Photo) Biden, having been a fairly powerful vice president himself, surely has very well considered ideas about what he wants and what he doesnt want. But a lot can go wrong when choosing a running mate, even when the stakes arent quite this high. When George McGovern, the Democratic nominee in 1972, tapped Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton, the results were disastrous; not only had Eagleton anonymously disparaged McGovern to a reporter but he also had a history of mental illness that hed kept secret. Once that history came to light, McGovern initially defended Eagleton before replacing him with Kennedy in-law Sargent Shriver. A few months later, McGovern lost to Richard Nixon in a 49-state landslide. Then theres Palin, who was supposed to shore up John McCains credibility among conservatives but wound up damaging his campaign after she gave a series of disastrous interviews. Picking Palin also helped fuel questions about the 72-year-old McCains age, with Democrats arguing that the Alaska governor would not be up to running the country if suddenly elevated to the presidency. Biden, needless to say, does not want to open himself up to similar criticism. Before he was talked into choosing Palin, then an obscure figure, McCain had wanted to go with his close friend Joe Lieberman, a conservative Connecticut Democrat who was Al Gores running mate in 2000. Whether such a ticket could have been successful is anyones guess, but theres a real advantage in opting for a vice presidential contender the candidate knows well, if only because it provides some insurance against Eagleton-esque and Palin-esque surprises. Republican presidential nominee John McCain with running mate Sarah Palin at the Republican National Convention in 2008. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters) Avoiding surprises is likely a major concern for Biden and his team. For one thing, hes been steadily widening his lead in the polls over Trump for months. Candidates who are winning tend to be cautious you dont want to risk losing that momentum. Another challenge for Biden is that, if its perceived that hes interested in serving only one term, he would become a lame duck as soon as hes inaugurated. And when the president is a lame duck, ambitious vice presidents tend to start campaigning for the big job, which could lead to all sorts of unnecessary turbulence and difficulty getting an agenda through Congress. So he needs someone whos loyal, and the best way to ensure loyalty is to choose someone the candidate already knows and trusts. Among the choices Biden is reported to be considering, former national security adviser Susan Rice is the only one thought to be in his inner circle of friends and close advisers. Should Rice become the Democratic nominee for vice president, her established personal and professional relationship with Biden, in addition to her lengthy and accomplished resume, would no doubt be a reason she got the nod. And, as a Black woman, she would add diversity to the ticket. Former national security adviser Susan Rice. (Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg via Getty Images) But regardless of Bidens pick, we have no way of knowing how powerful she would be. Dick Cheney had a tremendous influence over George W. Bushs administration, while LBJ spent his nearly three years as vice president far removed from any real decision making. What we do know, however, is that Bidens choice will be among the most scrutinized in recent history. Not only will he have to deliver someone who seems like she could lead the country on day one; shell also need to have the right mix of professional, personal and ideological bona fides to appease, or at least avoid alienating, a political coalition that stretches from the far left to erstwhile Republican suburbanites. Or maybe not. Vice presidential selections sometimes defy any grand strategic thinking, so we shouldnt discount the possibility that Biden, having promised to announce a decision next week, simply picks a name and runs with it. Joe Biden takes a question after delivering a speech in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday. (Mark Makela/Getty Images) Something similar happened in 1980. Ronald Reagan, the Republican nominee, had been trying to get former President Gerald Ford to join his ticket. The match, for a time, looked preordained in the minds of some political observers. But with the GOP convention underway, Reagan and his team, having tired with what they perceived as Fords dithering, shrugged and settled on someone else: George H.W. Bush, the former congressman and CIA chief who had come in second in the primaries. That last-minute and somewhat impulsive choice changed the course of American history, creating the conditions necessary for not only Bush to become president but also, by extension, his eldest son. And who couldve predicted that? _____ Read more from Yahoo News: The unusually dry winter has forced Whakatane District Council to undertake dredging operations at the Whakatane River bar, starting this week. Dredging will happen on the outgoing tide and aims to loosen the compacted sand between the narrows at the river entrance and the river bar, about 50 metres offshore. The loose sand will be taken out to sea in the tidal current, to a point where a proportion of it will carried away by the west-east current along the coast. Whakatane Coastguard and a number of commercial and recreational users have indicated that the water depth between the narrows and the bar has reduced to a point where safety is being compromised, says Harbour Superintendent Isaac Tait. At low tide, with the rivers current flow, the water depth is just 400 mm. We have a restriction in place now which means the river entrance cant be used two hours either side of low tide for all vessels and four hours for deeper draft vessels. He says the ultimate goal of the dredging operation is to increase the depth at the entrance at low tide to 1.5 metres the point where access restrictions come into effect. That could take a number of weeks to achieve, depending on river flows and whether or not we have any significant heavy rain events to help flush the sand at the entrance away. Council staff are aware the annual whitebait season opens in two weeks, and aim to have the operation completed before August 15. Well monitor the situation closely and adjust the dredging operation to suit. Clearly, the safety of people using the harbour entrance has to be our first priority, but we are aware of the importance of the whitebait season to our community and well do our utmost to limit any impacts. The Councils operative resource consent allows the dredging operation during daylight hours only. New Delhi: After the government puts complete ban on over-the-counter exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, the RBI has issued a statement on Friday, that members of public that exchange of banknotes in a 500 and a 1000 denominations, whose legal tender status has been withdrawn, will continue to be available at the counters of the Reserve Bank upto the current limits per person of up to Rs 2000. A "The Reserve Bank of India advises members of public that exchange of banknotes in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations,whose legal tender status has been withdrawn, will continue tobe available at the counters of the Reserve Bank up to thecurrent limits per person as hitherto," the central bank saidin a statement. During the meeting, Central Government took various decisions relating to certain operational aspects of the Scheme relating to cancellation of legal tender character of old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes. The government took decision that will be no over the counter exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes after midnight of Thursday. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Affluent empty nesters, downsizers and professionals are opting for single-level living in the sky, rather than on the ground. Despite serious prices that can run into the millions of dollars, the transition to large apartments continues to grow in popularity. An apartment in the Melbourne suburb of Armadale designed by Carr. Credit: A number of architects have led the way in designing lavish apartments in Melbourne and Sydney. Carr is building a number of house-sized apartments in Sydney's affluent Double Bay and has also completed several in some of Melbournes blue-ribbon suburbs, including Toorak, South Yarra and Brighton. They are often more akin to detached homes, with floor space of up to 400 square metres. Aidan Turner was dressed in character on Wednesday as filming commenced on the Italian set of forthcoming biographical drama Leonardo. The Poldark star plays brilliant but tormented renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci in the new series, which will endeavour to explore the artist's life through some of his best known works. And with production back in full swing after a three month suspension prompted by the coronavirus health crisis, Turner, 37, was joined by co-star James D'Arcy as they prepared to film their latest scene in the grounds of Tivoli's 16th century Villa d'Este. Back at work: Aidan Turner was dressed in character on Wednesday as filming commenced on the Italian set of forthcoming biographical drama Leonardo Sporting a long shoulder length wig and thick beard, D'Arcy was almost unrecognisable as he readied himself for another scene as Ludovico Sforza, Leonardo's patron & Duke of Milan. The actor, 44, was had in hand with beautiful Italian actress Miriam Dalmazio - who plays Sforza's wife Beatrice d'Este - as he made his way onto the bustling set. With cameras ready to roll, the three stars chatted among themselves as members of the production team put the finishing touches to their exterior set. Completely immersed in his role as Sforza, D'Arcy was later seen engaged in a stern conversation with Turner's Leonardo, as goblet bearing extras gathered for what appeared to be an outdoor celebration. Co-star: Turner was joined by James D'Arcy, who plays Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, as they prepared to film their latest scene in the grounds of Tivoli's 16th century Villa d'Este Reunited: The two actors chatted as they waited for cameras to roll in Italy on Wednesday Cast and crew returned to work on June 15th after filming ground to a halt following the spread of coronavirus COVID-19. The show charts the artist's life from childhood to becoming one of the world's most beloved geniuses of art and science. Born in 1452, Leonardo is one of the greatest individuals of the last millennium, he is known primarily for his contributions to the art world, including paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. In good company: D'Arcy was had in hand with beautiful Italian actress Miriam Dalmazio - who plays Sforza's wife Beatrice d'Este - as he made his way onto the bustling set Let's talk: The three stars were joined by goblet bearing extras as they filmed what appeared to be a social gathering During the Rennaisance he dabbled in invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leonardo will 'unlock the mystery' behind Da Vinci's genius as well as explore a tantalising secret in his life. The new series was created by The Man In The High Castle showrunner Frank Spotnitz and Sherlock writer Steve Thompson, the show will be directed by Daniel Percival and Alexis Sweet. Face to face: D'Arcy's Sforza looked stern as he exchanged words with Turner's Leonardo That's better: But there were smiles all round after cameras stopped rolling on the Italian set Speaking about the show, Frank, whose company Big Light Productions is co-producing the drama, admitted it was 'both a challenge and an honour' to portray Da Vinci's life on the silver screen. In a statement, he said: 'Its both a challenge and an honour to dramatize the life of one of the most fascinating people who ever lived. 'Leonardo is constantly surprising, and despite his fame remains an enigma more than 500 years after his death. WHO WAS LEONARDO DA VINCI? Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, is one of the greatest individuals of the last millenium. The poly math was a driving force behind the Renaissance and dabbled in invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been attributed with the development of the parachute, helicopter and tank. He was born in what is modern-day Italy in 1452 and died at the age of 67 in France. After being born out of wedlock the visionary worked in Milan, Rome, Bologna and Venice. His most recognisable works include the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, Vitruvian Man. Another piece of artwork, dubbed the Salvator Mundi, sold for a world record $450.3 million (343 million) at a Christie's auction in New York in 2017. Advertisement 'Weve uncovered sometimes little-noticed clues about Leonardos life and pieced them together in a puzzle that attempts to reveal the humanity behind the genius.' While Luca Bernabei, CEO of Lux Vide who have produced the drama, added in his own statement: 'Leonardos story invites us to believe in humanity, in its extraordinary abilities and the possibility of looking to the future beyond those horizons that today appear as overwhelming obstacles.' Leonardo is currently set for release in 2021, but has yet to find a distributor in either the UK or the USA. Wearing a blue woollen uniform topped with a black fur hat, Snezhana Golubeva's son pursed his lips as he slowly turned a curved sword in a leafy village outside Moscow. In a meadow nearby, Golubeva was wandering through tall grass picking wildflowers for herbal remedies. She didn't expect to spend the holidays in a village outside Moscow. But border closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic left her and many other Russians scrambling for alternatives -- and fuelling a revival of old Russian pastimes. "Usually, I go with my son to Greece or Italy for a week or two or even a month," said Golubeva, a 40-year-old beautician. "This summer we've come here for religious services and to join all the activities here." Instead of lazing on European beaches, Muscovites who fled to summer homes are watching Soviet-era films and learning about the healing properties of wild plants. Golubeva and her 14-year-old son go twice a week to workshops led by Cossacks, who once guarded the southern frontiers of tsarist Russia in Alyaukhovo, east of Moscow. One recent weekend, 69-year-old army officer Nikolai Dolgopol was teaching Cossack songs and sword fighting. "With no Thailand or Turkey, quite a few young people are coming here to learn the traditional values they've been missing," he said. While Golubeva's son learnt to wield a Cossack sabre, she headed to the meadows for a guided nature walk with a group of women. - Moscow exodus - Marina Vasilyeva, who worked in the Soviet Union's broadcasting governing body, was sharing tips on plant-based remedies to boost the immune system. "It's no big deal," said Ksenia Akimova, a 14-year-old student holding a huge bunch of plants. "Instead of going to Montenegro, I'm learning about the traditions of our forefathers." A strict coronavirus lockdown in March prompted an exodus from the capital to country cottages. Almost half of Russians own second homes known as dachas, allocated to them during the Soviet era. Those without rushed to rent, with searches for summer homes near Moscow surging more than five-fold in April, according to property search site to Cian.ru. The residences have served as a refuge before. During the economic crisis after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many families grew food in dacha vegetable patches. In the current crisis, more than half of respondents to an April survey by travel site Tutu.ru said dachas were "the best way" to escape the pandemic. Families this year were also much less likely to send their children away to summer camps, with 83 percent of Muscovites saying children would stay at home, according to the government's virus information website. This mass move from the city drove a three-fold surge in sales of hanging chairs, while sales of inflatable paddling pools, hammocks and recliners doubled, according to Avito.ru classified ad site. - 'Another way to travel' - One recent Saturday evening, dacha dwellers in Yermolino, a village 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Moscow, sat in traditional cinema seats arranged on grass in front of a large outdoor screen. Projectionist Alexander Mamayev, who salvaged 1,500 film reels from the local council, uses vintage projectors to stage outdoor screenings. In spite of the mosquitos, the screenings are a hit, said Mamayev, a 32-year-old lawyer. Since no one has gone on holiday, "our audiences have doubled", he said. "Cinema is another way to travel." Open-air shows are a Soviet-era tradition, he said, when projectionists would bring the latest releases to remote collective farms. Mathematician Nikolai Moshchevitin and his daughter were among the audience watching Soviet cult classic The Mystery of the Third Planet -- a 1981 animation telling the story of a space expedition to find new animals for the Moscow zoo. Since conferences in Europe and China on are hold, the 53-year-old told AFP the screenings were "a good way of travelling to my childhood". The sudden death of a Michigan auto parts worker has touched off an angry response among coworkers. Management has not released the cause of death, but coronavirus, which has spread throughout the facility, is widely suspected. Damian Jones worked at Faurecias giant parts plant in Saline, Michigan, just west of Detroit. He drove a tug delivering parts to different lines and workstations around the plant. In his late thirties or early forties, he was well-known and well-liked, and dozens of posts in sympathy and sadness have flooded the company Facebook page since his death. Work isnt the same without you, one wrote three days ago. You touched a lot of people. This isnt goodbye. Its a, See you later, my friend. There were emojis of broken hearts and gushing tears. Another wrote, So sad to hear of a fellow UAW, PC&L brother run those tugs and Hilos in his honor today. The primary concern of management remains reducing absenteeism to maintain production. Meanwhile, the company continues to work its employees to the point of exhaustion. In order to maintain production in the face of skyrocketing absenteeism, some workers are being forced to work seven 12-hour shifts, or 84 hours every week. By the time of this writing, the United Auto Workers union reportedly still has not spoken to his family or released the cause of his death. Many workers knew him personally and would be directly at risk if the cause of death was indeed coronavirus. Several workers contacted the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter to tell us about his death and the conditions in the plant. We dont know how he died, said a nightshift worker. They wont tell us anything. They dont care. We get a regular little paper mask, she continued. The hilo drivers and tug drivers just wear a mask and glasses. The workers on the line have to wear a mask and a face shield. It is really hot in the plant and you are sweating in the mask. Its terrible. She denounced the supervisors for staying in their sanitized and air conditioned offices while conditions on the factory floor are deplorable. They are not disinfecting, she said. Management are all completely safe up in the office. We are out in the plant. They dont do any deep cleaning, just so everybody knows. There is no deep cleaning going on. There have been multiple confirmed cases of coronavirus in different locations throughout the plant. Two workers have tested positive on the Jeep line at different times, two in the medium press area, one on the F-150 line and one in the department called 552. They dont call everyone, said a worker on afternoons. Some people get a call when there is a positive test, some dont. One post from Facebook gives an indication of the growing anger among workers. I see these posts about positive people on JL(Jeep Line) and who got contacted. But my question is, Why hasnt the whole plant been contacted? This [disease] is airborne. We walk through these areas, use bathrooms and work We as coworkers and union brothers and sisters have to stand together. They dont give a shit about us. They want their parts. Who cares if we die? They will replace us before the shift is over. Wake up people! Why do you think that they keep offering us these bonuses? Just pay attention to our supervisors. They are in the fishbowl (air-conditioned office) and letting the Gap leader run the show. A worker on days told the Autoworker Newsletter, They have us all working seven days. They say we have clean work stations, but when you work in there, there are none! Another thing they claim is that there is a six foot rule for social distancing. There is no six foot rule. We have to work right on top of each other. Theres already five confirmed cases. They dont give a damn about us. Last summer, the United Auto Workers union imposed a sellout contract after an eight hour Hollywood strike. Now, it is colluding with with the company to impose speed-up and massive overtime under conditions of the deadly spread of the coronavirus. Under the contract they cant make us do 12 hours, but we work that anyway, another worker said. We know there were cases on the Jeep line, IT, and the front door line. We dont find out from the UAW or the company. They dont tell you anything. Brothers and sisters on the line tell you what happened and where. Like many workers who spoke with the Autoworker Newsletter, she said the situation is reaching the breaking point. People are scared, stressed and frustrated risking their lives. Seven days a week is getting to them. Theres 300 call offs a day. What does that tell you? When we opened there was 400 people that didnt come back. The conditions are unbearable. They keep trying to hire people, and they work for a week, she said. The roof is still falling apart, leaking. When it rains outside, it rains inside. We have janitorial staff come in to change the trash, but the bathrooms are dirty and disgusting. Its the same shape, they put no money into the plant. That money they got from he stimulus, where did it go? Nothing is fixed. We need to make things better right now! Social media and word of mouth are the main means that workers have to find out about positive cases and begin to organize themselves to fight the virus. For example, a worker explained a dangerous situation on Facebook to alert his co-workers. I made a post Friday about my father testing positive. Well earlier today I got confirmation that my sister who lives with him and her two kids and my stepmom, they all tested positive with the exception of my nephew. I notified my superior and will be contacting HR and medical Monday morning. I am getting tested because I was holding my three-year-old niece and playing with her. I have not been back to work since I made my last post. Im just letting everyone know and when my results come back after I get tested Ill let everyone know. Autoworkers throughout the country have already formed rank-and-file safety committees to oppose the dangerous conditions imposed jointly by management and the UAW. For help setting up a committee at your own workplace, contact the Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org. A company owned by a member of the Chinese Communist Party Guanghui Energy Company may gain access to our power grid through a large wind farm in the Devils River Areas of West Texas, and the federal government is not moving fast enough to prevent it, and the state government lacks the power to stop it. Texas power grid is a complex system connecting power generators to consumers through transmission and distribution networks across the state. For this complex system to be reliable, tools and techniques must estimate the state of the power grid at any one time. This prevents rolling black outs and ensures consumers get power when they need it. When the Texas utility sector deregulated resulting in the ability for any entity to provide power to the grid as long as their application was administratively complete those involved did not predict a company friendly with a hostile foreign government would try to connect to our power grid. Allowing an adversary to connect to our power grid enables the attacker to perform a false data injection attack where the attacker spoofs the systems monitoring tools to falsely think activity is happening on the grid. Usually, when a single power plant fails, a transmission line is cut, or a generator fails, other units throughout the system pick up the load. However, when demand for electricity is high, failures on the grid can lead to a cascade of breakdowns resulting in many people losing power. This scenario happened in August 2003 when a massive blackout impacted 50 million people in the Northeast. An analysis by the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force found that the 2003 blackout started with a few generators going offline in northern Ohio because of mechanical trouble. The load was shifted to nearby generators, but overgrown trees made contact with overhead power lines, causing those lines to trip. Utility companies in the region didnt have adequate monitoring systems in place, so workers failed to recognize the severity of the situation before generators across the region became overloaded and shut down. What if the power grid could be tricked into thinking this scenario was happening in order to bring part of our grid down for a finite period of time? Grid operators like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are supposed to have procedures in place to prevent, detect and reverse this type of behavior. Most cyber professionals believe they can defend against attacks, but often when tested by a sophisticated adversary they fail. While I trust grid operators are doing what they think they should be doing, federal resources should be made available to help them verify they can defend against this type of attack. Congress should move swiftly to implement the concept of Systemically Important Critical Infrastructure. This idea and designation recommended by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission would enable the federal government to bring to bear its unique authorities, resources, and intelligence capabilities to support entities that operate systems like the power grid. Additionally, once the owners of this West Texas project named Blue Hills Wind becomes part of the power community, they will gain access to security industry alerts, private industry insights and national security threat assessments. This could create the ultimate fox in the hen-house scenario, where we our giving an adversary our playbook and telling them which play we are running and when. The potential for a foreign government to access the Texas power grid would erode trust in the power community, and as Rob Lee, a pioneer in the industrial security incident response and CEO of Dragos, explains community and trust are the best national defenses we have for the electric system. While SICI designation is a specific action to better protect our power grid, more general actions to counter the threat of the Chinese government can be taken. A retired U.S. general would be prevented by the Chinese government to buy land near a Chinese military base in mainland China, so why are we allowing a former general in the Peoples Liberation Army of China to buy land in West Texas? We need a general policy of reciprocity if American companies and investors are unable to do something in China, then Chinese companies and investors should be prevented from doing those same things here. In 1975, President Gerald Ford created an inter-agency federal committee called the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review the impact transactions involving foreign investments in the U.S. would have on national security. As the Blue Hills Wind project is meandering through this process many questions are being generated, but a few things we know: the Chinese government threatens global supply chains, steals American intellectual property and economically bullies smaller countries in an effort to become the worlds superpower by 2049. Through government state sponsorship the Chinese company Huawei has captured nearly 30 percent of the global 5G market, and the U.S. and our allies are scrambling to prevent Huawei from infiltrating telecommunications networks globally. We must act to prevent a similar scenario in our power markets. Hurd is a U.S. representative from San Antonio. Xcel Energy Inc (NASDAQ:XEL) Q2 2020 Earnings Call , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, and welcome to the Xcel Energy Second Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call. Questions will only be taken from institutional investors. Reporters can contact media relations with inquiries, and individual investors and others can reach out to Investor Relations. [Operator Instructions] At this time, I turn the conference over to Paul Johnson, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir. Paul Johnson -- Vice President of Investor Relations Good morning, and welcome to Xcel Energy's 2020 second quarter earnings conference call. Joining me today are Ben Fowke, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Bob Frenzel, President and Chief Operating Officer; Brian Van Abel, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Amanda Rome, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. This morning, we'll review our second quarter results, share recent business and regulatory developments and discuss how we're managing through uncertainty around COVID. The slides that accompany today's call are available on our website. As a reminder, some of the comments we make during today's call may contain forward-looking information. Significant factors that could cause results to different from those anticipated are described in our earnings release and our SEC filings. Today, we will discuss certain metrics that are non-GAAP measures, including items, ongoing earnings, electric and natural gas margins. Information on comparable GAAP measures and reconciliations are included in our earnings release. Now, I'll turn the call over to Ben Fowke. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Well, thanks, Paul and good morning everyone. We had a strong quarter, booking earnings of $0.54 per share for the second quarter of 2020, compared with $0.46 per share last year. Our year-to-date earnings are on track with our financial plan, and we are mitigating the impact of COVID-19. As a result, we are reaffirming our 2020 guidance. We continue to help our customers and protect our employees during the pandemic. We're stepping up our charitable giving to help our communities. Our business continuity plans have been executed extremely well. We're keeping employees safe, while providing reliable service to our customers. And we're helping to restart the economy through our capital investment programs that create jobs in our communities. Earlier this year, the Minnesota Commission opened a relief and recovery docket and invited utilities in the state to submit potential projects that would create jobs and help jump-start the economy. In June, we filed a plan that proposes $3 billion of capital investment. This includes approximately $1.8 billion of incremental capex for wind repowering, a 460-megawatt solar facility, expanded EV infrastructure and about $1.2 billion of accelerated transmission, distribution and natural gas investments. We recently announced a solicitation for repowering of wind projects that are either owned by Xcel Energy or under PPAs. We estimate 800 megawatts to 1,000 megawatts of potential repowering projects and expect to make a commission recommendation by year-end. We are also proposing options to mitigate customer bills. Overall, feedback has been very positive, and we look forward to working through the process with the commission. Now, as you might have heard, the US Treasury recently announced a one-year extension of the Safe Harbor for renewable projects. Wind projects that began construction in 2016 now have until the end of 2021 to complete construction and received PTCs at the 100% level. While we were confident that our projects would qualify for a 100% PTC level regardless of this change, the extension assures us benefit for our customers should any projects slip into 2021. Importantly, this change also presents the opportunity to move Dakota Range from the originally planned 80% PTC level to a 100% PTC level. While this will not impact earnings, it will significantly reduce costs, which is a great outcome for our customers. Advancing our strategic priority of leading the clean energy transition, we and our co-owners recently announced the early retirement of the second coal unit at Craig. While we only have a small ownership stake in Craig, we are proud to help drive the early retirement of another coal unit. We're also making significant strides to improve ESG transparency and disclosure. We recently issued our TCFD report and risk assessment, which describes the resilience of our climate strategy using different scenarios. The addition of this report enhanced our disclosures and results in a full TCFD compliance for Xcel Energy. Another strategic priority is to keep our customer bills low. As a result, it was very satisfying to see that SPS's electric rates in Texas and New Mexico were the lowest in the country for 2019 as recently reported by S&P Global. Providing strong customer service and reliability and an attractive price is a hallmark of Xcel Energy, and we're very proud of this recognition. We're also excited that after 10 years, we've reached a settlement agreement with Boulder that will result in a new franchise agreement and also a partnership to explore grid site options to meet our carbon goals. The approval process for the settlement will include a vote by City Council in August, a ballot referendum and vote by the people at Boulder in November. If approved, the franchise will go into effect in January of 2021. Finally, I was recently elected Chairman of EEI. It will be an honor to lead the industry in such an important and challenging time, and I intend to focus on three areas. My first priority is the industry's ongoing COVID-19 response related to the workforce, customers and recovery from the pandemic. Second, I intend to focus on clean energy innovation. I'm asking EEI to develop federal and state policy proposals that will bring dispatchable zero carbon technologies into the marketplace to enable the industry to meet our long-term carbon goals. Finally, I've asked EEI to focus on what our industry can do to promote racial justice and increasing our commitment to advance diversity and inclusion. Like our country, our entire industry has been shaken by the death of George Floyd. Mr. Floyd died only a few miles from our corporate headquarters, and Minneapolis was the first city to experience widespread protest and rioting. I think, as a society, we have a lot of work to do. We need to look hard at ourselves, our unconscious biases and our business practices. I asked some hard questions about how we can improve our diversity. I'm confident that Xcel Energy can play a leadership role in driving positive change for our country and our communities. So with that, let me turn the call over to Brian who will provide more detail on our financial results and our outlook. Brian? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Ben, and good morning everyone. We had a strong quarter, booking $0.54 per share for the second quarter of 2020, compared with $0.46 per share last year. The most significant earnings drivers for the quarter include the following: lower O&M expenses primarily driven by our cost management efforts increased earnings by $0.05 per share; higher electric margins increased earnings by $0.02 per share, which reflects riders and rate increases that offset the negative $0.07 per share impact from declining sales largely due to COVID-19; higher AFUDC equity increased earnings by $0.03 per share; and finally, our lower effective tax rate increased earnings by $0.07 per share. However, the majority of the lower ETR is due to an increase in production tax credits, which flow back to customers through electric margin and is largely earnings neutral. Offsetting these positive drivers were increased depreciation and interest expense, reflecting our capital investment program and other items, which combined reduced earnings by $0.09 per share. Next, I want to discuss the status of COVID-19 impacts and mitigation efforts. As expected, COVID-19 had a major impact on second quarter sales. Our second quarter weather-adjusted electric sales declined by 7.1%. However, these impacts are better than projected in our base case scenario, which is embedded in our guidance assumptions. On a weather-adjusted basis, April retail electric sales declined 9.6%. May showed improvement as retail electric sales declined 6.7%, and June showed further improvement as retail electric sales declined 4.7%. This monthly trend reflects the economic shutdown that started in mid-March and the gradual opening up of the economy in May and June. As a reminder, we have a sales true-up mechanism for all electric classes in Minnesota and decoupling for the electric residential and non-demand small C&I classes in Colorado. This covers about 45% of our total retail electric sales. Since second quarter sales came in better than projected in our base case scenario, we have additional cushion should economic or lapse occur the recovery faltered. Conversely, if sales continue to come in better than expected, we will adjust our contingency plans accordingly. We're also closely monitoring bad debt expense and working with customers on payment plans. While it is difficult to project where we'll land, bad debt expense increased approximately $25 million in the 2008-2009 time period as a reference point. Our commission to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, New Mexico and Michigan have issued orders to defer pandemic-related expenses. We also reached a settlement in Colorado with the Staff and OCC that would allow us to COVID-19-related bad debt expense, pending a commission decision. Finally, our filings in North Dakota and South Dakota remain under commission review. We've also made strong progress in our efforts to reduce O&M cost to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. Based on our contingency plans, we expect annual O&M expenses will decline 4% to 5% in 2020, which should offset COVID-19 impacts in the base case scenario. We're also prepared to implement additional contingency plans, if the impacts exceed our base case scenario. And as we've discussed in the first quarter, there are limitations to what we can offset. We remain focused on providing strong customer service and reliability, and we will not make short-term decisions that have a negative long-term impact on our customers or shareholders. The last COVID-19 topic I want to cover is liquidity. We finished our planned debt issuances for the year, and we were able to access the capital markets on strong terms and issued bonds at record local bonds. We also closed on the sale of the Mankato Energy Center, which provided approximately $650 million of cash proceeds after carving out the gain for charitable contributions. As a result, we now have available liquidity of approximately $4.5 billion. And finally, we issued an equity forward last year, which we expect to settle later this year, bringing our total liquidity through approximately $5.2 billion. Next, let me provide a quick regulatory update. In New Mexico, the Commission approved our constructive settlement that reflects a rate increase of $31 million, a ROE of 9.45%, an equity ratio of 54.8%, and accelerated depreciation of the Tolk coal plant to reflect in earlier retirement. In Texas, we reached a constructive unopposed blackbox settlement, which reflects an electric rate increase of $88 million, a ROE of 9.45% and an equity ratio of 54.6% for AFUDC purposes, and acceleration of the depreciation life of the Tolk coal plant. We anticipate a commission decision in the third quarter. And in July, we also reached a constructive settlement in our Colorado natural gas rate case, which reflects net rate increase of $77 million, a ROE of 9.2%, an equity ratio of 55.6% and a historic test year as an adjustment for the Tungsten to Black Hawk project. We anticipate a commission decision later this year. On our last call, we discussed our preference to avoid rate cases impossible, especially in light of COVID-19. So we recently filed for rider recovery of our wildfire and advanced grid investments in Colorado, another filing of comprehensive rate case. The riders will cover 2021 through 2025 and provide regulatory flexibility. And as part of our Minnesota relief and recovery filing, we express our interest in seeking an alternative path to avoid a rate case filing this year. We think this would be a constructive outcome for all parties. We've had initial discussions, and we'll keep you posted. With that, I'll wrap up. We are effectively mitigating COVID-19 impacts. We continue to provide reliable energy service to our customers, while ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and communities. We reached constructive settlements in our Texas and Colorado rate cases. We avoided an electric rate case in Colorado by filing for wildfire and advanced grid riders. We filed our relief and recovery proposal in Minnesota, which will create jobs, help rejuvenate our local economies and result in significant customer benefits. We announced an earlier retirement of another coal plant and achieved TCFD full compliance. We reached a settlement with Boulder that should end municipalization efforts. We are reaffirming our 2020 guidance range of $2.73 to $2.83 per share based on our solid year-to-date results and progress on contingency plans. Finally, we remain committed to delivering long-term earnings and dividend growth within our 5% to 7% objective range. This concludes our prepared remarks. Operator, we will now take questions. Questions and Answers: Operator Thank you. [Operator Instructions] And we'll take our first question from Jeremy Tonet with J.P. Morgan. Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Hi, good morning. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Good morning. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Good morning. Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Just wanted to touch base, I guess, on your retail sales expectations at this point. Didn't know if you had any data from July, if you could provide us any more color. It seems so far in the second quarter, you guys are trended somewhere between the base case and the mild case. I'm just wondering if you could give us any feeling, I guess, from what you can see so far how the third quarter might be shaping up initially between those two scenarios? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, happy to. But as you know, we don't have AMI. So we have some visibility into July information, particularly we have some sample customers. And what we're seeing on the C&I side is we're seeing a slight improvement, as we look at some of the specific data that we have. We've seen some improvement in the oil and gas slowed down in SPS, something we're watching closely. If you look at the results down there, the kind of bottomed out in May, and we've seen improvement relative still below about 5% from where it was pre-COVID levels, but good to see the C&I improvement there. We're also watching our Colorado C&I. If you look at our earnings release and our presentation, you can see that the C&I sales from May to June didn't improve as much as they did from April to May, so that some are focusing on in Q3, but we are seeing positive trends there. In the residential, I think we're still continuing to see that strength that we saw in 2Q. So overall, positive trends going into Q3, but if you look at our base scenario, we did have significant improvement in the depths in Q2 to Q3. So some, we are watching closely. Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Got it. That's very helpful. Thanks. And just with regards to the Minnesota relief and recovery proposal, I'm just wondering if you might be able to share any more as far as any early feedback that you might have received so far or just kind of expectations going forward at this point. Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Hey, Jeremy, it's Bob. Thanks for the question. Coincidentally, we actually had a Minnesota planning meeting yesterday with the department and the commission to talk through the Relief and Recovery Act. We think this is a really interesting example of coordination between investor-owned utilities and the political community to try and solve some of the problems that are affecting our communities from the pandemic. I think the commentary yesterday was kicked off by Lieutenant Governor with a positive tone. I feel like we had some positive tone from some of the commissioners with a special interest to an expeditious resolution and timeline. So we'll know more as we work through the rest of the summer in terms of timeline, but I think yesterday's planning meeting felt fairly positive. Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Yeah. It's encouraging. That's great. Thanks. And if I could just sneak in a last one here, it seems like your guide, D&A interest and AFUDC equity, all kind of changed a little bit there. I was wondering if you could help us with some of the drivers. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah, certainly. When you put them altogether bottom line, it impacts pretty immaterial for the year. Puts and takes, depreciation changes are coming out of our rate cases. We had some depreciation rate changes that were implemented. Obviously, interest expense, we set a record low coupons in Minnesota. We issued a 30-year bond at 2.6%, which is the lowest 30-year first mortgage bond for utilities, so really good results there out of the team. And then, on the other pieces of rider revenue, right, just a little bit of delays in implementation of wind farms, but net-net, pretty immaterial impact when you take them all together. Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Great. Thanks so much. Operator Next, we will go to Julien Dumoulin-Smith with Bank of America. Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst Hey, team. Good morning. Hey, thanks for the time guys. So let me take the other side of what Jeremy was just talking about. Let's talk about cost reductions, and let's talk about that in the context of your progress year-to-date and what this means going forward in the future years, right? I hear you guys talking about staying out in Colorado, for instance, leveraging riders a little bit more, but give us a little bit of context and where you are against the plan given the 4% to 5% articulated and then, what that means for sustainability and prospects to stay out in these states? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Let me -- I'm going to let Brian give you the details on that drilling, but let me just say, I really proud of how the entire team -- entire Xcel workforce has really stepped up to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, while still providing us important, obviously, product that we deliver. And we've done in a number of different ways, but what most impressed me is the innovation and creativity to use of technology and to improve our business. So I'm optimistic that a lot of that -- we've got to work through, but a lot of this will give us a lot of momentum as we go into 2021. With that, I'll ask Brian to give some more details. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yeah. Thanks, Brian. And good morning, Julien. Yeah, so from a run rate, right? We've put in the contingency plans in the sense of the end of March, as we saw the fit. And so, we had nine months from a year-to-date perspective. We're about a little over $50 million ahead of 2019, so executing out just slightly ahead of plan when we look at what our plans are for Q2. So that puts us in a good position for the balance of the year. Now, obviously, if sales come in a little bit better, we can adjust those contingency plans for the year. And Ben said it well. The team has done a great job of developing and executing those plans for this year, and we've really turned our attention to what is sustainable in 2021 and beyond. But I think we've got -- when you talk about regulatory flexibility and rate case sales, we're also -- the other side of the equation is everything we've learned over the past few months from the impact of COVID-19 is we're incorporating into our sales forecast for 2021 and incorporating that in our sales forecast for 2021. And so, we're looking at both sides of the equation. And so, a big focus for the team in Q3 from an O&M sustainability perspective, which will deliver further guidance and clarity in Q3 on that. Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst Got it. But net-net, fairly confident that consistently earn at authorized levels to the extent to which that you're successful staying out in these cases inclusive of, for instance, the Colorado? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yeah. I think that's a fair assumption. You broke up a little bit. I think you said you would expect another authorized levels with the regulatory proceedings, just to make sure I heard you correctly. Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst Yeah. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Where exactly are you, Julien? Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst We will talk about that later. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer We have enjoyed your notes from the road, Julien. Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst There you go. So in Colorado and speaking of Colorado, what are your prospects for stimulus here as you think about the -- potentially mirroring your efforts in Minnesota? Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Hey, Julien; it's Bob. So if you're in Colorado, we're having good weather out there. We've had a nice warm summer. I think you saw some of our weather-adjusted sales were pretty strong in Colorado. As far as relief and recovery goes, what we've done in Minnesota we believe has been relatively unique for the country, but we're certainly open to the ideas and trying to partner in other jurisdictions. I'll give a lot of credit to the administration and the commission and the department in Minnesota for their leadership and their partnership with us on the R&R plan and getting the utilities in the state to step up and try and help our communities and our customers. And if we can find that kind of partnership, we are absolutely looking and willing to do that. As -- if the pandemic continues or if we see some resurgence, there may be more opportunities down the road for us on something similar in other jurisdictions. We wouldn't rule it out. Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst Great. Best of luck. Thanks guys. Nice travel. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stay safe wherever you are. Operator And next, we'll go to Travis Miller with Morningstar. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Good morning. Thank you. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hi, Travis. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst I wonder if you could talk a little bit more when you said in Minnesota, the alternative path, what that might look like in one of the full three year rate cycle filings? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yeah, Travis. And as we kind of put it in our relief and recovery plan, the alternative path is really looking at a potential stay out for 2021. Going into 2020, we were able to reach a constructive stay out with the parties, which the commission approved and that was really focused in a couple of key components around sales true-up and deferral of the annuity amortization, a couple of key components. And now, we're just starting to -- we put that in the relief and recovery plan. I think there is another path there, and we've just started the initial discussions around that. And certainly, we will look to see if we can find a good constructive settlement that works for our customers and us. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Okay. What do you include potentially something like a rate base true-up, something like that as well or are there other mechanisms that we keep you that allowed or slightly below the allowed ROE? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Well, for Minnesota, the two big components, if you look out similar to -- at least sitting here today, similar to the settlement that we reach for this year as the big component of sales true-up and then, the deferral of some amortizations. We do have riders recover a lot of our investments with our renewable investments -- long-term renewable rider. And we have our transmission cost rider, which covers some investments. So we have rider mechanisms that help recover the investments we're making for our customers. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Okay. Got it. And then, just confirming that you guys are still on track for that five-year 7% rate base growth and the $22 billion capex. Any changes for those numbers? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer I would say -- Travis, this is Ben. Yeah, we are on track, and we're targeting the upper half. We'll update all of that in the third quarter when we update you on our five-year capital forecast, but I think you will be pleased with what we're projecting. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Okay. And then just real quick, does that include the $3 billion in Minnesota or would that be incremental? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer That would be -- well, first of all, $1.8 billion is incremental; the other is an acceleration, but yeah, I mean, that's not necessary to -- for us. So that would be incremental. Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Okay. Great. Thanks so much. Operator Next, we will go to Steve Fleishman with Wolfe Research. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hi Steve. Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Hi, good morning. So just good to hear your voice Ben and have fun being the Chair of EEI. So on the Minnesota kind of recovery investment, has the commission give some indication on the basis of the decisions they are going to make in terms of like, is it based on the amount of jobs created versus the rate impact or just how are they going to make that decision? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Well, I think they will take a number of factors into consideration. But I think as as you know our steel for fuel strategy accomplishes capital investment, job growth and helps with rate. So. to the extent we can emphasize that, I think the better will be. There will be a solicitation and we'll bring those projects in. We are anticipating that we will have a very good price point for the solar that we're planning. And Brian and Bob, I don't know if you want to add anything else. Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Yes, Steve, I think it's still a little bit early innings. But I think the comfort level with the investment, the economic development, the job creation, that portfolio coupled with the relief opportunities as Brian mentioned on rates and stay out mechanisms, I think is a big package. We haven't got a full time line out of them. We had a big planning meeting yesterday, which was favorable with some positive comments from the commission and even the administration. And so we're comfortable and confident where we sit. We don't have a lot of details other than that to share with you right now. Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst All right. Do you have any sense of the rate impact of the $3 billion. Or you're kind of waiting to see your bidding and all that? Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer I think we still need to run through the solicitation process on the renewable portions, for sure, which will run through August and into September before we make some decisions. But we're pretty confident that we know the impacts of the things we would put forward. And we know a little bit of what other people would do as well. So we're pretty comfortable with the cost side of that. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve, we wouldn't put forward our wind repowering if it wasn't NPV positive to the consumer. So I think the real -- will that offset the acceleration of some of the distribution and transmission spend that we're talking about, and I think likely it will, but to Bob's point, we will run through those numbers. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, Steve, just some further color on the repowering. We had the long road repowering approved and we have now or should be upfront the commission hopefully in Q3 and those show the front end customer savings and you got the repowering which is now really good in this environment. And so we're working through similar analysis on our currently owned wind farms that we think would be good candidates for that. Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Okay. And since most of these things are related to things that you own or like you're pre-assuming it gets approved pretty highly likely it would be you who actually would make some investment? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yes. That's correct. Third parties. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer I think that's... Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst And just last question. Yes, OK. And last question is related to -- so if that is all true, yes... Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer One thing to be clear on those -- there are parties that could submit PPAs for either a PPA extension or a BOT. So some combination of our investment plus others. Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Great. And I apologize. Last question on this which is just how should we think about financing plan for as much as the incremental, you know, more time... Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. Steve as we talked about before and really in the filing, we think about $1.8 billion is the incremental part, the other $1.2 billion roughly is accelerated. But as we go through this process, we expect the commission indicated yesterday that they look to find a way to move through this pretty quickly. And at the same time we're developing our five-year capital plans for '21 through '25. And so, we'll put that all together and roll out our five-year financing plan if we have enough clarity to include this in our five-year capital plan by October. But generally, what we spoke about before, timing and size matters for incremental capital, and if it's significant enough and lines up, we will generally fund that with our consolidated capital structure. Now, as we've spoken about before, it's important to maintain that financial strength and the credit quality of the company. Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Got it. Great, thanks. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Steve. Operator Next we'll go to Sophie Karp with KeyBanc. Sophie Karp -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Hi, good morning. Congrats on the quarter and thank you for taking my question. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Sophie. Sophie Karp -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst So just to build on this -- on the rate strategy this year and the questions around that, I'm wondering if we think about more, I guess stay out rates since obviously your right decision given the COVID situation. But if this continues to be the case and the COVID is kind of here to stay and is effective economic consequences will be ongoing for a while, could we see a pivot in the overall strategy where you move away from periodically cases and kind of switch on a more permanent basis to alternative mechanisms and just kind of move away from the strategy of being a -- say a rate case filer to more of a paying outflow for the period for longer? That's my question. Thank you. Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Sophie, it's, Bob. Good to hear your voice. You were a little broke up there, but let me try and address the question, which I think is, how do you think strategically about rate cases in the context of the pandemic in longer term is sort of my takeaway. And you know, we have a lot of rider mechanisms in our various states and we're making billions of dollars of investments on behalf of our customers and infrastructure around clean energy transition and grid modernization and we also have to keep the utility financially healthy. So that's the backdrop that we work with. We are obviously working with our regulators right now on mechanisms by which we would need to file rate cases and we're actively engaged in conversations with stakeholders in Minnesota and Colorado. I think you saw us settle our gas case and then file a couple of riders, which we think would allow us to stay out of our electric case in Colorado and that's a bit of the strategy. If we continue to invest in areas that have real time in rider recovery, you've seen us execute on decoupling in sales true-up mechanisms in our businesses and that's helpful as well. And so strategically, I think we're in the right places. We're always going to look for mechanisms by which we can mitigate our cost structure, keep our bills low for our customers, while we keep to invest in the infrastructure that we need to. So we'll continue to be creative, probably with our commitment and the goal would be to not go into rate cases, if we could avoid them, but we have to keep the utility financially healthy and so we balance all of that. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yes. And Sophie, just building on what Bob said, I mean, whether it's traditional rate cases or expansion of riders or some combination, the bottom line is we are going to achieve our clean energy objectives, our levels of reliability and our customer improvements in customer experience all while keeping total bills below the pace of CPI. That's our objective. And that's what we're on track for and that's what I think we still remain on forecast to do. So -- because that's the key thing, is to make these investments, while not -- while keeping our product affordable. Sophie Karp -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Thank you. And then a follow-up if I may, on the O&M. So you entered this year guiding for O&M growth year-over-year and then the COVID situation you had to flip that and basically find cost cuts right to offset the impact and it seems like it's going well. Could you give us some sense of the shape of that throughout the year. Are you kind of even into it now and plan to ramp up in the second half or are you pretty much trying a run rate at this point and we should expect a steady kind of O&M trajectory throughout the year? How should we think about this? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Hey, Sophie, this is Brian. I think the way you said it, you assume a steady run rate pretty ratably over the quarter. So I think you're thinking about it right, we continue to see that run rate. Sophie Karp -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Got it. Thank you so much. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator Next we'll go to Paul Patterson with Glenrock Associates. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Hey, good morning. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hey, Paul. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Just a few quick follow-ups. So back in Minnesota -- and I'm sorry if I didn't completely understand it. How much did you guys -- were you guys saying that this capex might be going to third parties or contracts, how much of the total is subject to that? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The $1.8 billion incremental is -- that's our spend. But what Paul was saying is when we do a solicitation, we'll have our own wind projects that we own that we bid into that and -- but we will also encourage independence to bid in as well and they can bid in either as a build, own, transfer, which would result in our ownership or they could bid in with an expansion of a power purchase agreement and we'll take a look at all of those. But at the end of the day, our incremental capex will come from ownership in wind projects, perhaps our own and perhaps BOT's, the solar facility that we're talking about at our coal plant and Becker, Minnesota, advances in EV infrastructure. And I think that covers the incremental and then we look at the acceleration of that $1.2 billion of grid spend. Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Paul we're not going to [Speech Overlap]. We're not going to know what other parties are going to build until we get through the process, which would be more toward the end of August. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Okay. And then when we think incremental, just to be clear. That doesn't mean bringing something in from the future. This is just incremental, in other words it wouldn't happen anyway, it doesn't change the trajectory of your capex outlook from -- in other words, you are not moving something from the future to now. It's as an accelerated would suggest. When you say incremental, it would -- it wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Is that the way to think about it? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, that's the way to think about it, Paul. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Okay. I think I understand. And then with respect to the... Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Paul, just on the -- I mean, look, I think the way to think about it is, the $1.2 billion that we're not calling incremental, that's an acceleration of something that's already in our forecast. The $1.8 billion would not be in our existing forecast. Now over the course of 15 years, might it have happen. Yes, that's how we're defining that. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst That's really helpful. I appreciate it. And then with respect to the the CPI goal, is that still 2%? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes, I mean I think it extends a little bit by jurisdiction. Is that... Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Yes. That's roughly at Xcel level, a good way to think about it. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Okay. And then, just in general, I mean, this has been touched on by other people, but I'm just wondering if this -- if things continues down the road, is there any potential maybe to upsize this, if we have a weaker economy. If -- do you follow what I'm saying, is there any sort of discussion of a potential like, hey, maybe this is a good jobs idea or economic stimulus idea and we could see something maybe a bigger than this? Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer I think I'll let the team weigh in on this Paul, but I think it's probably would come from other jurisdictions. Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Okay. And you already sort of addressed that. Okay. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Have a good day. Operator We'll go to Insoo Kim with Goldman Sachs. Insoo Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Thank you. I just have one quick question. In your guidance for the year end base case assumption, what type of assumption are you making on deferral treatment of COVID-related costs? Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Around -- yes, bad debt deferrals. Hey Insoo, this is Brian. As we talked about in Q1, we assume that we get constructive treatment around the regulatory deferrals. When we think about our bad debt expense, we have roughly about $25 million increase and we look at what happened in 2008 and 2009 and that's everything we've seen for the three months of impacts that remains pretty consistent as our thinking going into this. And if we think about it right, we have about 95% of our businesses covered with our six deferral orders, two are waiting for the Dakotas. So we feel like we've reached a constructive place with those deferral orders and we'll continue to evaluate the deferrals as you go through the balance of the year. Insoo Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Got it. So the bulk of -- at least the bulk of what's happened in terms of the approvals were somewhat embedded in making that guidance then. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. That's correct. Insoo Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst Got it. That's all. Thank you. Operator That concludes today's question-and-answer session. I will now turn the call back over to Brian Van Abel for any additional or closing remarks. Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Yes. Thank you all for participating in our earnings call this morning. Please contact our Investor Relations team with any follow-up questions. Have a good day. Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator [Operator Closing Remarks] Duration: 42 minutes Call participants: Paul Johnson -- Vice President of Investor Relations Ben Fowke -- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Van Abel -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Robert C. Frenzel -- President and Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Tonet -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith -- Bank of America -- Analyst Travis Miller -- Morningstar -- Analyst Steve Fleishman -- Wolfe Research -- Analyst Sophie Karp -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Paul Patterson -- Glenrock Associates -- Analyst Insoo Kim -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst More XEL analysis All earnings call transcripts Authorities in China return to demolish Christians homes after razing church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A month after partially demolishing a church structure in Chinas Fujian province, dozens of security guards and officials came back to bulldoze homes in the residential compound where the church once stood. Guards and officials from the local Ethnic and Religious Bureau stormed the Xingguang Church building in Xiamen city last Wednesday for further demolition of Christian homes in conjunction to the house church, reports the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. A Christian preacher, Yang Xibo from Xunsiding Church posted videos on Facebook in which dozens of officials from the Urban Management Law Enforcement department can be seen marching toward the remaining structures that were not demolished in June. While breaking into a Christian home, the officials didnt show any papers of authorization for their action. When a 67-year-old woman tried to stop them, officials some of them equipped with anti-riot shields shuffled her off. Other Christians at the scene who were trying to intervene were blocked at the stairs and prevented from moving further. When they questioned the authorities why they illegally entered private property and demolished peoples residence, they were met with silence, ICC said. For the Chinese government to frantically persecute Christians even after their churches were shut down shows how Beijing has no interest in respecting religious freedom," Gina Goh, ICCs regional manager for Southeast Asia, said. What the Chinese Communist Party does not understand is that Christianity will not be wiped out just because the buildings no longer stand. The more the government erodes the rights of Chinese citizens, the more enemies it creates within its territories. One day, this pressure cooker will explode, threatening the CCP regime, the exact endgame it is fearful of. On June 11, more than 100 officers from four different agencies came to demolish parts of the Xingguang Churchs interior of five rooms, removing panelling and partition walls, according to the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Authorities also removed church property, including furniture and educational materials, from the churchs school section. The timing of the destruction coincided with the State Departments annual report on international religious freedom, including a lengthy section on freedom of religion or belief violations by the Chinese government. Xingguang Church was earlier raided on April 19, followed by another violent raid on May 3, in which many members were injured and some were briefly detained, according to ICC, which said the churchs preacher, Titus Yu, recently filed a complaint pursuant to Chinas Supervision Law against three officials for their abuse of power and illegal intrusion of personal property. The preacher received no response. The Italian-based magazine Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion which covers human rights issues in China, reported in June that authorities removed crosses from more than 250 state-sanctioned churches in Anhui province between January and April. In its 2020 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that not only have authorities removed crosses from churches across the nation, but they have also banned youth aged 18 and younger from participating in religious services. On Open Doors USAs World Watch List, China is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. The organization notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political, or invite foreign guests. This company article has been removed. Showtime has released the first teaser trailer for its highly anticipated limited series The Comey Rule. For the four-hour two-part series, Brendan Gleeson transforms into President Donald Trump as he comes face to face with former FBI Director James Comey, played by Jeff Daniels. The 30-second trailer was released on Wednesday and shows a glimpse into the the meetings between the two men in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Coming soon: Showtime released the first trailer of its upcoming limited series, The Comey Rule, on Wednesday, showing Brendan Gleeson transformed into President Donald Trump as he comes face to face with former FBI Director James Comey, played by Jeff Daniels 'I know some people in the bureau (FBI) have it in for me,' Gleeson says in a distinguishable raspy Trump voice. 'But I'm the President now.' While Trump grapples with his new role, Comey seems to be handling larger concerns. 'Why are there four guys with ties to Russia on one campaign,' Daniels says as Comey to an advisor, before seemingly meeting with Russian officials. 'I've looked at this from every angle,' he adds. 'They're all terrible. We're steaming towards an ice berg.' POTUS: 'I know some people in the bureau (FBI) have it in for me,' Gleeson says in a distinguishable raspy Trump voice. 'But I'm the President now' Ice berg ahead: While Trump grapples with his new role, Comey seems to be handling larger concerns. 'Why are there four guys with ties to Russia on one campaign,' Daniels says as Comey to an advisor, before seemingly meeting with Russian officials Controversy: 'I've looked at this from every angle,' he adds. 'They're all terrible. We're steaming towards an ice berg.' It appears to also cover Comey's testimony in front of Congress Trump comes in through voiceover, 'Nobody gets treated as unfairly as I do,' as he is shown with beautiful women. And in a moment Comey documented and testified about in front of Congress, over dinner Trump tells him 'I need loyalty.' 'Whatever side you're on,' flashes across the screen. 'You only know half the story.' The trailer ends with a public meeting between the two, while shaking hands, Trump leans in to whisper in a raspy voice in Comey's ear. Unfair: Trump comes in through voiceover, 'Nobody gets treated as unfairly as I do,' as he is shown with beautiful women Loyalty: And in a moment Comey documented and testified about in front of Congress, over dinner Trump tells him 'I need loyalty' 'I look forward to working with you. Let's take a picture,' he says as cameras flash. A scene flashes of Gleeson, as Trump, heading out to the 2017 Inauguration, his silhouette distinguishable as the President, in a draping dark coat and combed back hair. In the short trailer, Trump remains an ominous figure, with no clear shots of his face. The two-part series will air on back-to-back nights September 27 and 28. Swearing in: A scene flashes of Gleeson, as Trump, heading out to the 2017 Inauguration, his silhouette distinguishable as the President, in a draping dark coat and combed back hair Friends; The trailer ends with a public meeting between the two, while shaking hands, Trump leans in to whisper in a raspy voice in Comey's ear. 'I look forward to working with you. Let's take a picture,' he says as cameras flash Two-night event: The limited series will air on Showtime September 27 and 28 in a two-night four-hour event The Comey Rule is based on the New York Times bestselling book by Comey, A Higher Loyalty and more than a year of additional interviews with a number of key principals.' Of the series, Showtime says 'The Comey Rule is not a biopic of one man, but is instead the story of two powerful figures, Comey and Trump, whose strikingly different personalities, ethics and loyalties put them on a collision course.' And calls Russia's interference in the 2016 election a, 'deep and unprecedented penetration into American politics'. The first night of the two-night, event will explore the earliest days in the Russia investigation and the FBI investigating Hillary Clinton's emails, and how they impacted election night when Trump shocked the world. Source; The Comey Rule is based on the New York Times bestselling book by Comey, A Higher Loyalty and more than a year of additional interviews with a number of key principals' Part two, however, is said to be a 'day-by-day account' of the volatile relationship between Trump and Comey in his first few months in the White House. Based on scenes that appear to show Comey's testimony in front of Congress it appears to cover that as well. President Trump dismissed Comey on May 9, 2017, after he faced criticism for his 2016 handling of the bureau's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Mr Comey, who was appointed FBI Director by President Obama, was also heading an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and alleged links between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Although presidents have occasionally clashed with FBI directors, Mr Comey was the second ever director to be dismissed from the Bureau. President Trump (pictured) dismissed Comey on May 9, 2017, after he faced criticism for his 2016 handling of the bureau's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server James Comey (pictured), who was appointed FBI Director by President Obama, was also heading an investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and alleged links between Moscow and the Trump campaign Comey's firing by Trump triggered a 22-month long investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian election interference in 2016. Mueller documented numerous contacts between Trump campaign figures and Moscow but found insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy. Aside from Daniels and Gleeson the series boasts an all-star ensemble cast including Holly Hunter as Acting Attorney General Sally Yates and Kingsley Ben-Adir as President Barack Obama. The cast also includes Michael Kelly as former FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Jennifer Ehle as Patrice Comey, Scoot McNairy as former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Jonathan Banks as former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, Oona Chaplin as former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, Amy Seimetz as former FBI lawyer Trisha Anderson, Steven Pasquale as former FBI agent Peter Strzok and Peter Coyote (The Disappearance) as Robert Mueller. Day by day: Part two, however, is said to be a 'day-by-day account' of the volatile relationship between Trump and Comey in his first few months in the White House Event series: The two-part, four-hour event series was adapted for the screen and directed by Oscar(R) nominated screenwriter Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, Shattered Glass) and executive produced by Shane Salerno, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin and Ray The cast is rounded out by Steve Zissis (Togetherness), Shawn Doyle (House of Cards), Brian d'Arcy James (Spotlight), Dalmar Abuzeid (Anne with an E), William Sadler (When They See Us), Richard Thomas (Tell Me Your Secrets), T.R. Knight (Grey's Anatomy), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Spencer Garrett (Bombshell), Michael Hyatt (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Damon Gupton (Black Lightning) and Seann Gallagher (Good Witch). The two-part, four-hour event series was adapted for the screen and directed by Oscar(R) nominated screenwriter Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, Shattered Glass) and executive produced by Shane Salerno, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin and Ray. The series was produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Home Run Productions, The Story Factory, and Secret Hideout. The Comey Rule premieres September 27 on Showtime and on Stan in Australia. At first glance, Noha looks like a frail toddler drowning in a pair of brightly coloured pyjamas that belong to an older sibling. But the Yemeni girl is actually seven years old and so starved that her organs have begun shutting down one by one. Noha is among an estimated 2.4 million children in war-torn Yemen that the United Nations fears will be pushed to the brink of starvation by the end of the year, because of the conflict and unprecedented shortages in humanitarian funding during the pandemic. Like many, Noha is suffering from a deadly mix of afflictions. She has rickets, limb spasms and convulsions due to calcium deficiency, according to Yemeni doctor Ashwaq Muharram, who is helping to treat her. She looks like a starved baby not a child, Muharram tells The Independent from Hodeidah, home to some 300,000 people. Noha, 7, who nearly died from malnutrition, is being treated in hospital in Hodeidah (Ashwaq Muharram) Nohas flesh is drawn tight across her skull. Without assistance, she struggles to sit up on her hospital bed, which nurses have strewn with Disney bedsheets to cheer her up. Earlier this month, when she was finally brought into Thawra hospital in Hodeidah, a coastal city among the worst hit by Yemens hunger crisis, medics feared she would not make it. Her family say they had to wait until the last minute because they had no money to pay for transport to a hospital or any treatment. Mostly we eat bread, and some rice donated from friends or a charity. We never have any protein, says Nohas mother, who also appears malnourished and frail. They can only very occasionally get hold of vegetables like tomatoes. We have had no money coming in because of the war and the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus, so we cannot afford to eat, says the mother, who asks that her name not be published. The whole family is going hungry, but became increasingly alarmed when Noha started suffering from diarrhoea that left her severely dehydrated and malnourished. A basic basket of goods costs over $45 now (34), which is a months salary that we havent had in years, the mother continues. We do not have enough money to feed any of the children properly. A gynaecologist by trade, Muharram has for years been running a mobile nutrition clinic from the back of her car that tours the more remote areas of Hodeidah. Despite a critical lack of medicine and doctors, Hodeidahs Thawra hospital is treating several critical cases, having long been the front line of Yemens five-year war. The city is among the hardest-hit by soaring food prices, as well as diseases such as cholera, which only exacerbates malnutrition cases. The situation was already terrible because of the war but made worse by the coronavirus, which has meant any work [people had] has now halted, she tells The Independent. Before the pandemic reached Yemens shores, more than 15 million people over half the countrys total population were already relying on humanitarian food aid to survive, according to the UN. The arrival of Covid-19, which shuttered businesses and disrupted supply lines, has only made that hunger crisis more acute. Vanessa Roy, from Famine Early Warning Systems Network, tells The Independent that 2020 could be a record bad year for hunger in Yemen. This year will be the worst in terms of the total population anticipated to be in need of food aid, she says. This week, the UN sounded the alarm about another potential famine. Speaking to the Security Council on Tuesday, the UNs humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, said that without more funding and an immediate ceasefire, there would be a surge in hunger, malnutrition, cholera, the coronavirus and above all, death. Despite the fact the country is on the verge of collapse, he said the UN was only able to raise 18 per cent of the money needed to run their programmes this year after a failed funding drive. They have already had to close vital programmes, including those treating malnourished children like Noha. Just a few days before Lowcocks statement, several UN agencies said that an additional 1.2 million people in the largely government-held south of Yemen will be acutely food insecure by the end of the year. The UN fears 2.4 million children will face starvation by the end of the year (Reuters) The joint report describes how Yemen is in the eye of a perfect storm of economic shocks, conflict, floods, a plague of desert locusts and now the coronavirus. We are witnessing a very alarming deterioration and we dont see anything allowing us to stop this current decline, Annabel Symington, a spokesperson for the UNs World Food Programme, tells The Independent. We need to act now, or it will be too late. Yemen has been ravaged by a ruinous civil war since the Iran-backed Houthi rebels swept control of the north of the country in late 2014, ousting the president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. In response, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a bombing campaign in March 2015 to try to reinstate the internationally recognised government. Five years on, there is little hope of an end to the fighting. Adding to the countrys multitude of woes, a second civil conflict has erupted within the anti-Houthi alliance between the southern separatists and the recognised Yemeni government. In this tornado of violence, the country was ill-equipped to deal with the arrival of the coronavirus, which has infected at least 1,700 people and killed almost 500 more, according to official figures. A lack of testing means the real numbers are expected to be far greater. Satellite imagery analysed by Bellingcat shows dying date palms in Hodeidah (Google Earth) But experts fear that, while the deadly virus has piled immense pressure on Yemens crumbling healthcare system, hunger may still be the biggest threat to civilians. In fact, Oxfam says that more people in Yemen may die this year from hunger linked to Covid-19 than from the disease itself. Soaring food prices are among the main reasons for hunger in Yemen. The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) told The Independent that the cost of staples such as flour has increased by 40 per cent since last year alone, while the cost of food in general has tripled since the start of the war. This is driven in part by a sharp decline in food and aid coming into Yemen, a country that relies on imports for 90 per cent of its supplies. But there are other factors piling pressure on families. New reports shared with The Independent indicate that the destruction of Yemens agricultural sector, which employs half the countrys workforce and is responsible for 15 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), will also push more people into food insecurity this year. The FAO said last week that cereal production this year is forecast to be just 365,000 metric tonnes less than half of pre-war levels. The crops that are among the hardest hit are the countrys palm trees. According to public reports and local journalists investigating the issue, half the countrys more than 4 million palms have died since the start of the war. In Hodeidah alone, the agricultural hub where Noha lives, a million fruit palms are believed to have died over the last five years, devastation tracked by Bellingcat and Dutch peace organisation Pax using satellite imagery. We found that in the three locations, date palms have been disappearing over the last three years. In certain areas, more than half can be seen on the satellite imagery to have dried out, says Wim Zwijnenburg, the author of the report. He explains that attacks on farms and water sources, combatants land-mining plantations, as well as drought and a lack of fuel to power water pumps have all ravaged the area. Over a million date palms in Hodeidah are believed to have died since the start of the war (Google Earth) It shows you the secondary impact of conflict on food security. Date palms are just one aspect. There is a loss of agricultural yields across Yemen over the last five years. The Yemen Data Project, which tracks airstrikes in the country, told The Independent that since the start of the war there have been over 680 air raids on farmlands across the country, killing and injuring nearly 400 civilians, and disrupting agricultural production. At least 153 of those strikes have battered farms in Hodeidah alone. Caught in the crossfire, farmers have had to abandon their plantations to drought, disease and destruction, says Yemeni journalist Mohammed al-Hakimi, who has done extensive research on the topic. Palm plantations in places like Hodeidah are at risk of extinction as a result of drought and desertification, which is swallowing up areas. The full impact of this on the local communities has yet to be properly quantified, but the destruction of crops such as date palms removes a source both of income and food at a time when families like Nohas are already below the breadline. Back in the hospital, Nohas mother has little hope for a brighter future. We have no money, no way of getting money and most aid has already dried up, she says, keeping watch over her little girl. I just hope my daughter can survive this. Six months ago, Eun Joo (Grace) Chon was working as a server in the tea room at Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Then came the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and measures taken across Canada to curb the potential spread of the potentially deadly virus. That meant closure of the Prince of Wales and Chon, 43, suddenly found herself out of work. For the first two or three weeks it was nice, Chon said. I have been working since I was 13. But soon boredom began to creep in, and she began looking for something she could do to pass the time until she could return to her job. I wanted to do something productive, she said. Maybe I can draw something but water colours, oil painting can be so expensive so I started using markers. That was May 22. She began to draw local sites or photos she found online. She began posting her art to her Facebook and Instagram pages. And as it turns out, the community took notice, and she began receiving requests from people to create works for them or others who wanted to purchase her work. One of my co-workers asked me to draw her fathers old car, Chon said. He said, Ill pay you. Her co-workers dad loved it, Chon said. She started out with drawings of old buildings, including the Prince of Wales, but soon realized she had an affinity with classic cars. More and more, they became the subject of her work. I didnt realize how great old cars are, Chon said. Now, I really love drawing these cars. People love them because they want something to bring back memories. She now has so many requests coming in so much for the lockdown boredom that she is facing a new problem, a lack of time. Each drawing will take between four and five days to complete. I cannot say yes to everything, Chon said. I have to make sure theres quality as I build up my name as an artist. Creativity, however, is not entirely new to Chon. In the past, she has knitted and crocheted. She is also an award-winning sushi designer. I have a sense of, oh, I dont know, presentation? Her winning design at a provincial competition five years ago in Toronto, wound up being sold across Canada. But it wasnt always that way, she said. Growing up in South Korea, she was never really encouraged to pursue art. The education system is so different; they can tell you if you can be an artist. My teacher said not to be an artist. But in the end, even naysayers havent stopped her. Using Copic markers from Japan, Chon watched countless YouTube videos and practised. What makes the markers unique is the fact the colours can be blended, and more importantly, they are streak free. As for inspiration, she looks to the world around her. The thing I tell my husband and friends is I just draw what I see, she said. Im just going to believe in my eyes. To see Chons work, visit her pages on Facebook and Instagram. To purchase or commission works, Chon can be reached via email to ejchon@gmail.com. With the August Bank Holiday approaching, some will be jumping into their cars and heading off on a well-earned staycation. For those who havent switched to an electric vehicle and are still driving a petrol or diesel car, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has some tips to help you drive more efficiently. This will help you use less fuel, reduce your emissions and also stay safe, not only this weekend but all the time. Fuel consumption tends to be affected most by your driving style, excessive rapid acceleration, unnecessary short trips, a cold engine, poor car maintenance and incorrect tyre pressure. A less aggressive, energy conscious driving style could save as much as 10% on your fuel costs. Regular maintenance This tip applies all the time but is especially important ahead of a long journey or a motoring holiday. A properly maintained petrol or diesel car will have good engine lubrication, wheel alignment and well-adjusted brakes, reducing your fuel use. It will also mean your car is safer and more reliable. Check tyre condition and pressure Be sure to check your tyres regularly. Tyres in good condition, with the proper thread depth and at the right pressure, improve both safety and fuel consumption. Tyres that are 10% below recommended pressure increase fuel consumption by around 2%. Read the road By watching the road ahead and anticipating any likely problems, your driving will become smoother, more controlled and be safer for all. Drive in as high a gear as is suitable to road conditions and at bends reduce your speed gently and accelerate smoothly when you are halfway through to help reduce fuel use. Avoid idling Once you turn the engine on, drive off gently without delay. This will reduce excessive fuel consumption and pollution. Even if youre waiting only 30 seconds it is more economical to switch the engine off and start it again when necessary. Incidentally, many newer cars have an automatic stop/start function, which means you dont have to think about this. Reduce unnecessary drag After you arrive safely at your destination make sure to take off any unused bike racks or roof boxes and save as much as 20% on your fuel costs. You can save a further 3-5% by using the cars air-conditioning to cool down rather than leaving the windows open while you drive. Avoid short journeys A cold engine uses significantly more fuel than a warm engine. So, once you reach your staycation destination opt to walk or cycle where you can and avoid using your car for short journeys. SEAI is encouraging each of us make changes in how we use energy. More advice and information on www.seai.ie. BEIJING, July 30 -- PLA and armed police troops with a total of 725,000 person-time have participated in battling floods in southern China as of July 28 since the flood season this year, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) at a regular press conference in Beijing on July 30. "The whole military puts the safety of the people's lives and property in the first place, moves quickly and goes all out to carry out rescue and disaster relief work, said Ren Guoqiang, while introducing the general situation of the Chinese military's participation in the flood control and disaster relief. According to Ren, as of July 28, the Chinese military has sent 725,000 troops, 228,500 militiamen, 7,749 boats, and 54,116 construction machinery and vehicles in total to participate in 3,749 rescue operations. The military has assisted in the transfer of 137,000 people and over 4,560 tons of materials from the disaster-stricken areas. There are over 11.8 million sandbags filled, 3,800 piping leaks blocked, 900 kilometers of embankments reinforced, and 224 kilometers of roads restored. Ren added that currently, China's flood control situation is still severe. Many troops are still fighting in hard-hit provinces such as Fujian, Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Anhui, racing against time to save the people and the property. Andrea Leadsom has recalled sexist remarks made during her banking career, after being refused to work home during her battle with post-natal depression. The MP, 57, from Aylesbury, began her career in the financial sector, and in 1993 at the age of 32, she was promoted to become the youngest senior executive of Barclays Bank, while seven months pregnant. Mother-of-three Andrea was allowed 10 weeks of maternity leave, but soon found herself battling 'horrendous' post-natal depression, which left her 'in pieces' and wouldn't return to her job for three months. Speaking on Iain Dale's All Talk podcast, she claimed that after asking to work from home for two days a week, the bank's managing director told her that the firm had 'managed without female senior executives until now' and 'certainly didn't want part-time ones'. Andrea Leadsom, pictured in London in January, has recalled sexist remarks made during her banking career, after being refused to work home during her battle with post-natal depression 'I was given this fantastic job as deputy financial institutions director, but then I went off on maternity leave,' Andrea said. 'I was told, "Well you can only have ten weeks if you want to have this job" and I thought "Yeah cool I can do that". Anyway along comes the baby and I got post-natal depression, which was totally horrendous. 'I've never had mental health problems and part of my passion for the Early Years is realising you can be completely fine and normal and then something life changing comes along and you are totally on the floor, in pieces in floods of tears. 'When he cried I would cry, he wasn't sleeping I wasn't sleeping, it was awful. 'I didn't go back to work for three months and when I came back I asked them, "Can I come back three days in the office and two from home" and I had a two-hour commute. They said "No" and then the managing director of the UK bank said "We've managed without female senior executives until now, we certainly don't want part-time ones". Mother-of-three Andrea was permitted 10-weeks of maternity leave, but soon found herself battling 'horrendous' post-natal depression. She is pictured with husband Ben and their children Freddie, Charlotte and Harry Andrea previously opened up about suffering two miscarriages following the birth of her first son while working at the company, insisting the period in her life was 'unlike anything before'. Andrea left the company 'amicably' in 1997, but told that she had consulted a law firm who confirmed she did have a case for constructive dismissal, and sex discrimination. 'About 18 months and two miscarriages later,' Andrea said, 'I got a law firm who wrote to me confirming "Yes, you can sue them for constructive dismissal, and sex discrimination". 'We decided I would go amicably, but of course it was a tough couple of years.' She added: 'If you are having kids and wanting to be a parent at the same time, it's very difficult. Andrea left the company 'amicably' in 1997 but was told she had a case for constructive dismissal, and sex discrimination 'So what I did then was went part time to a London based funds management company and again I was it's managing director and people didn't understand how I could do it part time.' After swelling her profile during the 2016 Brexit referendum, where she appeared with Boris Johnson on the Vote Leave team during a debate at Wembly stadium, the then energy minister challenged for the Tory party leadership following David Cameron's resignation. Her Brexit credentials won her enough support among MPs to put her on the final ballot with Theresa May. But her campaign imploded when she said that 'being a mother' gave her the edge over May - who has spoken of her pain at never having children. Facing a fierce backlash, Leadsom bowed out of the contest and paved the way for May to enter Number 10, where she appointed Leadsom to her cabinet. Leadsom went on to hold several cabinet posts during both May and Johnson's premierships, until she was sacked by the current PM and returned to the backbenches where she serves as MP for South Northamptonshire. An AFP collaborator poses for a picture using the smart phone application TikTok on December 14, 2018 in Paris. - TikTok, is a Chinese short-form video-sharing app, which has proved wildly popular this year. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images) TikTok, whose parent company is based in China, has announced plans to give creators over $2 billion in the next three years as it goes head-to-head with U.S. rivals Instagram and YouTube. The video-sharing social media app said in a blog post Wednesday that it will give creators in the U.S. over $1 billion in the next three years, and more than double that globally. In Europe, TikTok said it will give creators $70 million over the next year and at least $300 million within three years. TikTok users will have to submit an application to TikTok in order to access the funding. If successful, TikTok will provide them with regular payments for posting content on its platform. Details of the application process and how much individuals can earn are yet to be revealed. "To further support our creators, we're launching the TikTok Creator Fund to encourage those who dream of using their voices and creativity to spark inspirational careers," Vanessa Pappas, general manager of TikTok U.S., said in a blog post. Pappas said the fund had been set up "to help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content." When the blog post was first published on July 23, Pappas said the U.S. fund would start with $200 million. However, in an update on Wednesday, she said: "We have seen an incredible response to the Creator Fund and are excited to share that we expect this Fund will grow to over $1 billion in the US in the next 3 years, and more than double that globally." Kazakhstan has extended the quarantine for two more weeks, Deputy Prime Minister Yeraly Tugzhanov announced Thursday, Kazinform reports. While speaking at the press briefing of the Central Communications Service, Deputy Prime Minister Tugzhanov revealed the State Commission chaired by Prime Minister Askar Mamin had made a decision to extend the quarantine measures in the country for two more weeks. Tugzhanov added that the Government together with regional authorities would continue to monitor the epidemiological situation in the country on a daily basis. All necessary decisions to improve the situation will be made, he assured. On Thursday, Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the decision to extend the quarantine for two weeks from August 3. The decision was made amid the dropping numbers of new COVID-19 cases countrywide in order to make sure they wouldn't rise again. Once again, the coronavirus is ascendant. As infections mount across the country, it is dawning on Americans that the epidemic is now unstoppable and that no corner of the nation will be left untouched. As of Wednesday, the pathogen had infected at least 4.3 million Americans, killing more than 150,000. Many experts fear the virus could kill 200,000 or even 300,000 by years end. Even President Donald Trump has donned a mask, after resisting for months, and has canceled the Republican National Convention celebrations in Florida. Each state, each city has its own crisis driven by its own risk factors: vacation crowds in one, bars reopened too soon in another, a revolt against masks in a third. We are in a worse place than we were in March when the virus coursed through New York, said Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner. Back then we had one epicenter. Now we have lots. To assess where the country is heading now, The New York Times interviewed 20 public health experts not just clinicians and epidemiologists but also historians and sociologists because the spread of the virus is now influenced as much by human behavior as it is by the pathogen itself. Not only are U.S. cities in the South and West facing deadly outbreaks like those that struck Northeastern cities in the spring, but rural areas are being hurt, too. In every region, people of color will continue to suffer disproportionately, experts said. While there may be no appetite for a national lockdown, local restrictions must be tightened when required, the researchers said, and governors and mayors must have identical goals. Testing must become more targeted. In most states, contact tracing is now moot; there are simply too many cases to track. And while progress has been made on vaccines, none is expected to arrive this winter in time to stave off what many fear will be a new wave of deaths. Overall, the scientists conveyed a pervasive sense of sadness and exhaustion. Where once there was defiance and then a growing sense of dread, now there seems to be sorrow and frustration, a feeling that so many funerals never had to happen and that nothing is going well. The United States is a wounded giant, while much of Europe, which was hit first, is recovering and reopening although not to us. Were all incredibly depressed and in shock at how out of control the virus is in the U.S., said Dr. Michele Barry, director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University. With so much wealth and medical talent, they asked, how could we have done so poorly? How did we fare not just worse than autocratic China and isolated New Zealand but also worse than tiny, much poorer nations like Vietnam and Rwanda? National hubris and belief in American exceptionalism have served us badly, said Martha Lincoln, a medical anthropologist and historian at San Francisco State University. We were not prepared to see the risk of failure. What Weve Learned Since the coronavirus was first found to be the cause of lethal pneumonias in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, scientists have gained a better understanding of the enemy. It is extremely transmissible, through not just coughed droplets but also a fine aerosol mist that is expelled when people talk loudly, laugh or sing and that can linger in indoor air. As a result, masks are far more effective than scientists once believed. Virus carriers with mild or no symptoms can be infectious, and there may be 10 times as many people spreading the illness as have tested positive for it. The infection may start in the lungs, but it is very different from influenza, a respiratory virus. In severely ill patients, the coronavirus may attach to receptors inside the veins and arteries and move on to attack the kidneys, the heart, the gut and even the brain, choking off these organs with hundreds of tiny blood clots. Most of the viruss victims are elderly, but it has not spared young adults, especially those with obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes. Adults ages 18 to 49 now account for more hospitalized cases than people ages 50 to 64 or those 65 and older. Children are usually not harmed by the virus, although clinicians were dismayed to discover a few who were struck by a rare but dangerous inflammatory version. Young children appear to transmit the virus less often than teenagers, which may affect how schools can be opened. Among adults, a very different picture has emerged. Growing evidence suggests that perhaps 10% of the infected account for 80% of new transmissions. Unpredictable superspreading events in nursing homes, meatpacking plants, churches, prisons and bars are major drivers of the epidemic. Thus far, none of the medicines for which hopes were once high repurposed malaria drugs, AIDS drugs and antivirals have proved to be rapid cures. One antiviral, remdesivir, has been shown to shorten hospital stays, while a common steroid, dexamethasone, has helped save some severely ill patients. One or even several vaccines may be available by years end, which would be a spectacular achievement. But by then the virus may have in its grip virtually every village and city on the globe. Solutions Must Be Localized Some experts, like Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, argue that only a nationwide lockdown can completely contain the virus now. Other researchers think that is politically impossible but emphasize that localities must be free to act quickly and enforce strong measures with support from their state capitols. Danielle Allen, director of Harvard Universitys Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, which has issued pandemic response plans, said that finding less than 1 case per 100,000 people means a community should continue testing, contact tracing and isolating cases with financial support for those who need it. Up to 25 cases per 100,000 requires greater restrictions, like closing bars and limiting gatherings. Above that number, authorities should issue stay-at-home orders, she said. Testing must be focused, not just offered at convenient parking lots, experts said, and it should be most intense in institutions like nursing homes, prisons, factories or other places at risk of superspreading events. Testing must be free in places where people are poor or uninsured, such as public housing projects, Native American reservations, and churches and grocery stores in impoverished neighborhoods. None of this will be possible unless the nations capacity for testing, a continuing disaster, is greatly expanded. By the end of summer, the administration hopes to start using pooling, in which tests are combined in batches to speed up the process. But the method only works in communities with lower infection rates, where large numbers of pooled tests turn up relatively few positive results. It fails where the virus has spread everywhere, because too many batches turn up positive results that require retesting. At the moment, the United States tests roughly 800,000 people per day, about 38% of the number some experts think is needed. Above all, researchers said, mask use should be universal indoors including airplanes, subway cars and every other enclosed space and outdoors anywhere people are less than 6 feet apart. Dr. Emily Landon, an infection control specialist at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, said it was sad that something as simple as a mask got politicized. Its not a statement, its a piece of clothing, she added. You get used to it the way you got used to wearing pants. Arguments that masks infringe on personal rights must be countered both by legal orders and by persuasion. We need more credible messengers endorsing masks, Wen said just before the president himself became a messenger. They could include CEOs or celebrities or religious leaders. Different people are influencers to different demographics. Although this feels like a new debate, it is actually an old one. Masks were common in some Western cities during the 1918 flu pandemic and mandatory in San Francisco. There was even a jingle: Obey the laws, wear the gauze. Protect your jaws from septic paws. A libertarian movement, the Anti-Mask League, emerged, Lincoln of San Francisco State said. There were fistfights with police officers over it. Ultimately, city officials waffled and compliance faded. I wonder what this issue would be like today, she mused, if that hadnt happened. Images of Americans disregarding social distancing requirements have become a daily news staple. But the pictures are deceptive: Americans are more accepting of social distancing than the media sometimes portrays, said Beth Redbird, a Northwestern University sociologist who since March has conducted regular surveys of 8,000 adults about the impact of the virus. About 70% of Americans report using all forms of it, she said. And when we give them adjective choices, they describe people who wont distance as mean, selfish or unintelligent, not as generous, open-minded or patriotic. The key predictor, she said in early July, was whether or not the poll respondent trusted Trump. Those who trusted him were less likely to practice social distancing. That was true of Republicans and independents, and theres no such thing as a Democrat who trusts Donald Trump, she added. Whether or not people support coercive measures like stay-at-home orders or bar closures depended on how scared the respondent was. When rising case numbers make people more afraid, they have more taste for liberty-constraining actions, Redbird said. And no economic recovery will occur, she added, until people arent afraid. If they are, they wont go out and spend money even if theyre allowed to. The Danger Indoors As of Wednesday, new infections were rising in 33 states and in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, according to a database maintained by the Times. Weeks ago, experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, were advising states where the virus was surging to pull back from reopening by closing down bars, forbidding large gatherings and requiring mask usage. Many of those states are finally taking that advice, but it is not yet clear whether this national change of heart has happened in time to stop the newest wave of deaths from ultimately exceeding the 2,750-a-day peak of mid-April. Now the daily average is 1,106 virus deaths nationwide. Deaths may surge even higher, experts warned, when cold weather, rain and snow force Americans to meet indoors, eat indoors and crowd into public transit. Oddly, states that are now hard-hit might become safer, some experts suggested. In the South and Southwest, summers are so hot that diners seek air conditioning indoors, but eating outdoors in December can be pleasant. Several studies have confirmed transmission in air-conditioned rooms. In one well-known case cluster in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China, researchers concluded that air conditioners blew around a viral cloud, infecting patrons as far as 10 feet from a sick diner. Rural areas face another risk. Almost 80% of the countrys counties lack even one infectious disease specialist, according to a study led by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. At the moment, the crisis is most acute in Southern and Southwestern states. But websites that track transmission rates show that hot spots can turn up anywhere. For three weeks, for example, Alaskas small outbreak has been one of the countrys fastest-spreading, while transmission in Texas and Arizona has dramatically slowed. Deaths now may rise more slowly than they did in spring because hospitalized patients are, on average, younger this time. But overwhelmed hospitals can lead to excess deaths from many causes all over a community, as ambulances are delayed and people having health crises avoid hospitals out of fear. The experts were divided as to what role influenza will play in the fall. A harsh flu season could flood hospitals with pneumonia patients needing ventilators. But some said the flu season could be mild or almost nonexistent this year. Normally, the flu virus migrates from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere in the spring presumably in air travelers and then returns in the fall, with new mutations that may make it a poor match for the annual vaccine. But this year, the national lockdown abruptly ended flu transmission in late April, according to weekly Fluview reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. International air travel has been sharply curtailed, and there has been almost no flu activity in the whole southern hemisphere this year. Assuming there is still little air travel to the United States this fall, there may be little reseeding of the flu virus here. But in case that prediction turns out be wrong, all the researchers advised getting flu shots anyway. Theres no reason to be caught unprepared for two respiratory viruses, said Tara Smith, an epidemiologist at Kent State Universitys School of Public Health. Partially Effective Remedies Experts familiar with vaccine and drug manufacturing were disappointed that, thus far, only dexamethasone and remdesivir have proved to be effective treatments, and then only partially. Most felt that monoclonal antibodies cloned human proteins that can be grown in cell culture represented the best hope until vaccines arrive. Regeneron, Eli Lilly and other drugmakers are working on candidates. Theyre promising, both for treatment and for prophylaxis, and there are companies with track records and manufacturing platforms, said Dr. Luciana Borio, a former director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the National Security Council. But manufacturing capacity is limited. According to a database compiled by the Times, researchers worldwide are developing more than 165 vaccine candidates, and 27 are in human trials. New announcements are pouring in, and the pressure to hurry is intense: The Trump administration just awarded nearly $2 billion to a Pfizer-led consortium that promised 100 million doses by December, assuming trials succeed. Because the virus is still spreading rapidly, most experts said challenge trials, in which a small number of volunteers are vaccinated and then deliberately infected, would probably not be needed. Absent a known cure, challenges can be ethically fraught, and some doctors oppose doing them for this virus. They dont tell you anything about safety, Borio said. And when a virus is circulating unchecked, a typical placebo-controlled trial with up to 30,000 participants can be done efficiently, she added. Moderna and Pfizer have already begun such trials. The Food and Drug Administration has said a vaccine will pass muster even if it is only 50% effective. Experts said they could accept that, at least initially, because the first vaccine approved could save lives while testing continued on better alternatives. A vaccine doesnt have to work perfectly to be useful, Walensky said. Even with measles vaccine, you can sometimes still get measles, but its mild, and you arent infectious. We dont know if a vaccine will work in older folks. We dont know exactly what level of herd immunity well need to stop the epidemic. But anything safe and fairly effective should help. Still, haste is risky, experts warned, especially when opponents of vaccines are spreading fear. If a vaccine is rushed to market without thorough safety testing and recipients are hurt by it, all vaccines could be set back for years. A Focus on People of Color No matter what state the virus reaches, one risk remains constant. Even in states with few Black and Hispanic residents, they are usually hit hardest, experts said. People of color are more likely to have jobs that require physical presence and sometimes close contact, such as construction work, store clerking and nursing. They are more likely to rely on public transit and to live in neighborhoods where grocery stores are scarce and crowded. They are more likely to live in crowded housing and multigenerational homes, some with only one bathroom, making safe home isolation impossible when sickness strikes. They have higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and asthma. Federal data gathered through May 28 shows that Black and Hispanic Americans were three times as likely to get infected as their white neighbors and twice as likely to die, even if they lived in remote rural counties with few Black or Hispanic residents. By the time that minority patient sets foot in a hospital, he is already on an unequal footing, said Elaine Hernandez, a sociologist at Indiana University. The differences persist even though Black and Hispanic adults drastically altered their behavior. One study found that through the beginning of May, the average Black American practiced more social distancing than the average white American. Officials in Chicago, Baltimore and other communities faced another threat: rumors flying on social media that Black people were somehow immune. The top factor making people adopt self-protective behavior is personally knowing someone who fell ill, said Redbird. By the end of spring, Black and Hispanic Americans were 50% more likely than white Americans to know someone who had been sickened by the virus, her surveys found. Hernandez, whose parents live in Arizona, said their neighbors who had not been scared in June had since changed their attitudes. Her father, a physician, had set an example. Early on, he wore a mask with a silly mustache when he and his wife took walks, and they would decline friends invitations, saying, No, were staying in our bubble. Now, she said, their neighbors are wearing masks, and people are telling my father, You were right, Hernandez said. This Is the Beginning There was no widespread agreement among experts about what is likely to happen in the years after the pandemic. Some scientists expected a quick economic recovery; others thought the damage could persist for years. Working at home will become more common, some predicted, while crowded, open-plan offices may be changed. The just-in-time supply chains on which many businesses depend will need fixing because the processes failed to deliver adequate protective gear, ventilators and test materials. A disease-modeling system like that used by the National Weather Service to predict storms is needed, said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Right now the country has surveillance for seasonal flu but no national map tracking all disease outbreaks. As Dr. Thomas Frieden, a former CDC director, recently pointed out, states are not even required to track the same data. Several experts said they assumed that millions of Americans who have been left without health insurance or forced to line up at food banks would vote for politicians favoring universal health care, paid sick leave, greater income equality and other changes. But given the countrys deep political divisions, no researcher was certain what the outcome of the coming election would be. Redbird said her polling of Americans showed little faith in institutions across the board; were not seeing an increase in trust in science or an appetite for universal health care or workers equity. The Trump administration did little to earn trust. More than six months into the worst health crisis in a century, Trump only last week urged Americans to wear masks and canceled the Republican convention in Florida, the kind of high-risk indoor event that states have been banning since mid-March. It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better, Trump said at the first of the resurrected coronavirus task force briefings earlier this month, which included no scientists or health officials. The briefings were discontinued in April amid his rosy predications that the epidemic would soon be over. Trump has ignored, contradicted or disparaged his scientific advisers, repeatedly saying that the virus simply would go away, touting unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine even after they were shown to be ineffective and sometimes dangerous, and suggesting that disinfectants or lethal ultraviolet light might be used inside the body. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs and their health insurance and are in danger of losing their homes, even as they find themselves in the path of a lethal disease. The Trump presidency is the symptom of the denigration of science and the gutting of the public contract about what we owe each other as citizens, said Dr. Joia Mukherjee, chief medical officer of Partners in Health in Boston. One lesson that will surely be learned is that the country needs to be better prepared for microbial assaults, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, a former director of the CDC. This is not a once-in-a-century event. Its a harbinger of things to come. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. F ormer Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died of complications from coronavirus aged 74. A post on Mr Cains Twitter account announced his death. The former CEO of a major pizza chain went on to become an ardent supporter of US President Donald Trump. He had been ill with Covid-19 for several weeks. Herman Cain has died aged 74 / Getty Images It is not clear when or where he was infected, but Mr Cain was admitted to hospital less than two weeks after attending Mr Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Mr Cain had been co-chairman of Black Voices for Trump. We knew when he was first hospitalised with Covid-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, read an article posted on the Twitter account. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle. Mr Cain was an avid support of Donald Trump / White House Mr Cain, who had hoped to become the first black man to win the Republican nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Mr Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the Internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed then-president Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Mr Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Mr Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Mr Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Mr Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after they had had dinner in Washington. Ms Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Mr Cain seeking job advice. Herman Cain has died aged 74 / AP Mr Cain said he could not remember Ms Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone. Polls in the weeks afterwards showed Mr Cains popularity had slipped considerably. Mr Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and life story to many Tea Party supporters and other conservatives. But he repeatedly fumbled under the scrutiny that follows a front-runner for the presidency. He gave a rambling response when asked by the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel whether he supported or opposed Mr Obamas policies in Libya. The videotaped interview went viral on the internet. Mr Cains run for the presidency was unlikely, considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, he joked that his family was so poor it was po. His father worked three jobs as a caretaker, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the US Navy. Mr Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. Additional reporting by PA Media A study conducted by researchers in the UK and Italy suggests that individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are probably at their most infectious during the first week of illness. The systematic review and meta-analysis of data available on the viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 found that although viral shedding may be prolonged among infected individuals, any live virus tended to be cleared from the respiratory tract within a week of symptom onset. No studies reported the isolation of live virus after nine days since symptom onset, even though patients still had high viral RNA loads. This finding suggests that the duration of viral RNA detection cannot be used to infer how long a person is infectious for, say Muge Cevik (University of St Andrews), and colleagues. The team says the findings highlight the importance of identifying cases of infection early and beginning isolation practices as soon as symptoms start, even when symptoms are mild. A pre-print version of the paper is available on the server medRxiv*, while the article undergoes peer review. Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Transmission electron micrograph of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID The importance of understanding SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics Understanding viral dynamics, the duration of viral RNA shedding, and viable virus isolation are essential to understanding disease transmission, determining the duration of infectiousness, and informing the effectiveness of control measures. While a number of studies have evaluated SARS-CoV-2 shedding, viral load dynamics and duration of viral shedding reported across studies so far have been heterogeneous, said Muge Cevik and colleagues. Now, the team has conducted a study aiming to characterize viral load dynamics, the duration of viral RNA, and the shedding of viable SARS-CoV-2 in different types of samples, including those taken from the upper respiratory tract (URT), lower respiratory tract (LRT), and stool and semen samples. The researchers also compared the viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 with those of SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). What did the study find? After searching Medline, EMBASE, Europe PMC, the pre-print servers MedRxiv and BioRxiv and grey literature, the team identified 79 studies on SARS-CoV-2, eight on SARS-CoV-1 and 11 on MERS-CoV that met eligibility criteria. For SARS-CoV-2, the mean viral RNA shedding duration was 17.0 days in the URT; 14.6 days in the LRT, 17.2 days in stool, and 16.6 days in serum. The corresponding maximum shedding durations were 83, 59, 35, and 60 days. Meta-regression bubble plot of the impact of age on mean SARS-CoV-2 shedding from the upper respiratory tract Most studies assessing SARS-CoV-2 viral load in URT sample series showed that loads peaked within one week of symptom onset, before then consistently declining. By contrast, SARS-CoV-1 viral loads peaked in URT samples between days 10 and 14 of illness, and MERS-CoV viral loads peaked at days 7 to 10 of illness. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are likely to be most infectious in the first week of illness, write Cevik and team. Several studies report viral load peaks during the prodromal phase of illness or at the time of symptom onset, providing a rationale for the efficient spread of SARS-CoV-2. Five studies assessing SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in LRT samples showed peaks in the second week of illness, while viral loads in stool were more inconsistent, ranging from reported peaks on day 7 and up to six weeks after symptoms began. None of the studies managed to isolate live virus Of all studies that attempted to isolate the live virus in respiratory samples, none could do so beyond day nine of symptom onset, even when viral loads remained high. The median time to clearance of the live virus was 3.5 days in URT samples and 6 days in LRT samples. No live virus isolated beyond day nine of symptoms despite persistently high viral RNA loads, thus emphasizing that the infectious period cannot be inferred from the duration of viral RNA detection, said Cevik and colleagues. Although SARS-CoV-2 RNA shedding can be prolonged in respiratory and stool samples, the duration of a viable virus is short-lived. The team says that this review, which is the first study to analyze SARS-CoV-2 viral dynamics and viral shedding duration comprehensively, highlights the importance of detecting and isolating early cases and educating the public about the spectrum of illness. However, given potential delays in the isolation of patients, effective containment of SARS-CoV-2 may be challenging even with an early detection and isolation strategy, conclude the researchers. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. One of the former Minneapolis police officers who stood by as Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes, leading to his death, has moved to have his charges dismissed on the grounds that he had no way of knowing that a crime was about to take place and the State has not proved that he did, DailyMail.com can reveal. Documents filed today in Hennepin County District Court call for Tou Thaos charges to be dropped on the basis that they are not supported by probable cause under Minnesota statute. Thao, 34, and fellow officers J Alexander Kueng, 27, and Thomas Lane, 36 were all charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for their failure to intervene in the now notorious killing that took place on May 25. Lawyers for fired Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss two felony charges against him in the death of George Floyd. Pictured leaving court right on July 21 J Alexander Kueng has already filed notice of his intention to plead innocent on grounds of self-defense and justifiable force, while Thomas Lane was the first of the three to kick back at the charges as his attorney Earl Gray filed notice of a motion to dismiss at his clients very first court appearance in June. Now Thaos attorney Robert Paule has argued that the state has failed to show, 'by probable cause that Mr Thao; (1) knew former officer Derek Chauvin and others were going to commit a crime and (2) intended his presence of actions to further the commission of that crime.' The motion seen by DailyMail.com goes on to state that the facts presented by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank do not show probable cause that his client, 'had the requisite mental state for Aiding and Abetting,' under Minnesota law. Nor, according to Paule, do the facts support the allegation that Thaos actions, 'furthered the commission of the underlying crime for Aiding and Abetting.' Thao is the only officer who did not lay hands on Floyd that day, following the disastrous call out to a report alleging that Floyd had tried to pay for goods at Cup Foods using a fake twenty-dollar bill. Thao's lawyers argue that county prosecutors have failed to show Thao knew that Derek Chauvin and the other officers were going to commit a crime. In the egregious attack Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes Thao is the only officer who did not lay hands on Floyd that day, following the disastrous call out to a report alleging that Floyd had tried to pay for goods at Cup Foods using a fake twenty-dollar bill. Thao pictured blocking bystanders as Chauvin had his knee on Floyd According to the original complaint officers Kueng and Lane were already on the scene when Thao and Chauvin arrived in a separate squad car. Chauvin, 44, immediately stepped in and tried to get Floyd into Kueng and Lanes police cruiser. When that failed Chauvin 'pulled Mr Floyd out of the passenger side of the squad carand Mr Floyd went to the ground face down and handcuffed.' Kueng held Floyds back and Lane held his legs as Chauvin placed his left knee on Floyds neck. While Floyd repeatedly told officers, 'I cant breathe,' said 'Mama,' and begged 'please,' the complaint states that Thao, 'obtained a hobble restraint from the squad car to restrain Mr Floyd in that manner.' The restraint also known as a hogtie restraint binds a persons bound hands to their 'hobbled' or cuffed ankles rendering them helpless. The complaint does not state that Thao tried to deploy the restraint only that officers 'decided not to use it and maintained their positions.' At this point Thao turned his back on his colleagues and the dying man and focused his attentions on holding back the crowd that had gathered in anger and horror at the scene that played out before them. Floyd died after Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck despite his pleas 'I can't breathe' on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparking international protests Thao's lawyers filed this motion above on Wednesday The complaint states, '[Thao] became concerned about a number of citizens who had gathered and were watching the the officers subdue Mr Floyd and potential traffic concerns, and so the defendant stood between those citizens and the three officers retraining Mr Floyd. 'When one citizen stepped off the curb, imploring Chauvin to get off of Mr Floyd the defendant put his hands on the citizen to keep him back.' The catastrophic fall out of the eight minutes and 46 seconds that Chauvin kept his knee pressed down on Floyds neck continues to be felt across the country and beyond. Thaos motion for dismissal will be heard on September 11, directly after the motion filed by Lane. All three of the officers charged with aiding and abetting have now made bail and only Chauvin remains in custody in the maximum-security Minnesota Correctional Facility Oak Park Height where he will be held until his trial, currently slated for March 8, 2021. Chauvin waived his right to demand a trial within 60 days as both the State and his defense asked for more time to wade through discovery that, at last reporting, ran to 8130 documents and 750 audio visual recordings. Last week a gag order imposed by Judge Peter Cahill was overturned. Judge Cahill has expressed frustration over leaks of confidential meetings between attorneys and the victims family and key players repeated comments regarding the merits of the cases and guilt or otherwise of the defendants. In keeping with the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) goal of providing the best experience and outcomes for its students, FLVS has partnered with Infosec Learning, a market leading virtualization company, for the new Computer & Network Security Fundamentals course, part of the new Applied Cybersecurity Program of Study, to be launched in the fall of 2020. Cybersecurity careers are among the fastest growing in the United States, according to the Department of Labor, and require specific knowledge sets and skills. Infosec Learning will provide FLVS students with access to its state-of-the-art virtualization platform and turnkey skills development labs. Students will leverage up-to-date hardware, software, and scenarios used by todays cyber-professionals using only their own web browser. Through the combination of high-powered virtual machines and interactive exercises, the Infosec Learning virtual labs will be embedded in the course at key points of the students journey. Students will have the opportunity to learn the important hands-on skills required to identify threats and defend computer networks. Florida Virtual School is committed to expanding our catalog of Career & Technical Education courses that will help students gain new knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in todays technologically advanced world, said Dr. Louis Algaze, President & CEO for FLVS. We are honored to collaborate with Infosec Learning to enhance the Computer & Network Security Fundamentals course with innovative and immersive hands-on virtual labs and to develop enriching learning opportunities for Florida students. We are very pleased to be partnered with FLVS, a leader and innovator in online learning in the secondary education space, said James Kowatch, CEO of Infosec Learning. Our platform, leveraging virtualization technology, is a complete fit with FLVS teaching and learning methodology, as well as their scale. We fully expect students to have a great experience and develop knowledge and skills that will serve them well in this exciting field. About Florida Virtual School Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is a fully accredited, statewide public school district offering more than 190 courses to Kindergarten-12 students. Its certified teachers use a variety of personalized instructional programs to create individualized educational plans for every student. Since 1997, FLVS students have successfully completed more than 4.6 million semester enrollments. FLVS also provides its courseware and expertise to online and blended learning programs across the nation. Services include content licensing, FLVS Global School, District Virtual Schools, digital learning labs, and professional development. As a not-for-profit, FLVS reinvests supplemental funds into the development of new educational technologies and the creation of the highest-quality courses, benefiting Florida students. To learn more, visit http://www.flvs.net. About Infosec Learning Infosec Learning is a Baltimore based, virtual learning and assessment company. Our focus is on Cyber Security, Computer Networking, Data Science, and Software Training, serving education, corporate, and government clients. Founded in 2016, Infosec Learning serves over 20,000 learners each year. Infosec Learning provides virtual labs, virtual desktops, cyber ranges, custom development and skill assessment services related to cyber security, data science, software training, front end web development, and a host of other information technology pathways. To learn more visit http://www.infoseclearning.com Advertisement Barack Obama has excoriated President Trump and his administration during his fiery eulogy for the late John Lewis by calling out efforts to stifle voting and slamming the use of tear gas on peaceful protesters by federal agents. Speaking in front of the American flag-draped casket bearing Lewis' body at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, Obama said the late civil rights activist had dedicated his life to 'fighting the very attacks on democracy' that 'we're seeing circulate right now.' Refusing to mention Trump by name, Obama said the electoral system was currently under attack by Republicans trying to suppress the minority vote and Trump's repeated attacks on mail-in voting. 'We may no longer have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run up to an election that's going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don't get sick,' he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. He called on Congress to act on voting rights and restore the Voting Rights Act, which the Supreme Court diminished in 2012, saying: 'You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for. 'The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that is a fine tribute. But John wouldn't want us to stop there. Once we pass it, we should keep marching to make it even better.' Obama called the procedural hurdle that effectively requires 60 votes to pass major legislation a 'Jim Crow relic', referring to the segregation era. He went to say that all Americans should be automatically registered to vote, including inmates, and declared that election day should be a national holiday to ensure everyone can get to a polling place. His criticisms came just hours after Trump suggested delaying the 2020 election over claims of 'mail-in fraud' - a power he does not have. Speaking in front of the American flag-draped casket bearing John Lewis' body at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday, Former President Barack Obama said he owed a great debt to his 'mentor' Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom Obama said Lewis will be a 'founding father of a fuller, better, fairer America' as he delivered a stirring eulogy for the civil rights icon and longtime Congressman During his 41-minute eulogy, Obama also compared Trump to former Alabama Gov. George Wallace - who infamously said in the 60s 'segregation now, segregation forever' - and staunch 60s segregationist Bull Connor as he slammed the government for recent scenes in which federal agents have tear gassed protesters. 'Bull Conner may be gone, but today, we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of black Americans,' he said. 'George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators.' Lewis died on July 17 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral on Thursday caps a week of services and tributes to the civil rights icon Trump used troops to clear protesters from Lafayette Square outside the White House and sent federal agents recently into Portland, Oregon. 'I know this is a celebration of John's life. There are some who might say we shouldn't dwell on such things. But that's why I'm talking about it. John Lewis devoted his time on this Earth fighting the very attacks on democracy and what's best in America that we're seeing circulate right now,' Obama said. Obama, who awarded Lewis the Medal of Freedom in 2011, said he owed a great debt to his 'mentor' and his forceful vision of freedom and that Lewis would be a 'founding father of a fuller, better, fairer America'. He said Lewis was an American whose faith had been tested 'again and again to produce a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance'. 'Americans like John... liberated all of us. America was built by people like them. America was built by the John Lewises,' Obama said. 'He as much as anyone brought this country closer to our highest ideals. And someday when we do finish that long journey toward freedom, whether it's years from now or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America.' Speaking of Lewis' fight for civil rights, Obama said Americans needed to be vigilant against 'darker currents of this country's history'. 'This country is a constant work in progress,' he said. 'We're born with instructions to form a more perfect union. 'Explicit in those words is the idea that we're imperfect. What gives each new generation purpose is to take up the unfinished work of the last generation and carry it further than any might have thought possible.' Someday when we do finish that long journey toward freedom, whether it's years from now or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America. Barack Obama Referencing Lewis' lengthy history as a civil rights activist, Obama said he kept getting on buses and sitting at lunch counters, getting arrested and marching 'on a mission to change America'. He referenced one moment when Lewis and Bernard Lafayette got on a bus and refused to change seats when he was just 20 years old. 'Imagine the courage of two people Malia's age - younger than my oldest daughter. On their own. To challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression. John was only 20 years old. But he pushed all 20 of those years to the center of the table, betting everything, all of it, that his example could challenge centuries of convention and generations of brutal violence and countless daily indignities suffered by African Americans. 'Until his final day on this Earth, he not only embraced that responsibility but he made it his life's work. 'The life of John Lewis was, in so many ways, exceptional.... And yet, as exceptional as John was, here's the thing: John never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do. 'If we want our children to grow up in a democracy, not just with elections, but a true democracy, a representative democracy, and a big-hearted tolerant, vibrant, inclusive America of perpetual self-creation, then we're going to have to be more like John. We don't have to do all the things he had to do because he did them for us. But we got to do something.' Lewis' casket, which was draped in a US flag, arrived at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday morning ahead of his funeral service Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton eulogized John Lewis during his funeral service in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, capping a week of memorial services and tributes to the civil rights pioneer. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to give the eulogy for Lewis who died on July 17 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are also slated to speak House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seated for the funeral service of John Lewis on Thursday Sen. Kamala Harris (left), Stacey Abrams (center) and Sen. Cory Booker were among the mourners People watch outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses the memorial service of late Congressman John Lewis in Atlanta Mourners lined the streets following the ceremony as the hearse carrying Lewis' casket traveled from Ebenezer Baptist Church to a nearby cemetery for burial Following the memorial service, close friends and family father at South-View Cemetery for Lewis' burial Earlier President George W. Bush, who attended with wife Laura, told mourners at that Americans live in a 'better and nobler country today' because of him, while Bill Clinton urged the US to follow in the civil rights icon's footsteps. Politicians, dignitaries and other mourners filed into the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday to honor the life and legacy of the longtime Congressman. Both Bush and Clinton both spoke of Lewis' humble beginnings on a farm in Troy, Alabama, to becoming a leader of the civil rights movement and ultimately the man known as the 'conscience of Congress'. Bush was the first of the three presidents to speak of Lewis, telling mourners: 'John and I had our disagreements but in the America John Lewis fought for and the America I believe in, differences in opinion are inevitable elements and evidence of democracy in action. We the people, including Congressman and Presidents, can have differing views on how to perfect our union while sharing the conviction that our nation, however flawed, is a good and noble one. We live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis. George W. Bush 'We the people, including Congressman and Presidents, can have differing views on how to perfect our union while sharing the conviction that our nation, however flawed, is a good and noble one. 'We live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis and his abiding faith in the power of God, the power of democracy and in the power of love to lift us all to a higher ground.' Describing Lewis' character, Bush said: 'He always thought of others; he always thought of preaching the gospel, in word and in deed, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope. John Lewis believed in the Lord, he believed in humanity and he believed in America.' Former President Bill Clinton praised Lewis' civil rights efforts of the decades, saying he had an 'uncanny ability to heal troubled waters'. 'John Lewis was a walking rebuke to people who thought, 'Well we ain't there yet, we've been working a long time, isn't it time to bag it?' He kept moving. He hoped for, and imagined, and lived and worked and moved for his beloved community,' Clinton said. 'He got into a lot of good trouble along the way, but let's not forget he also developed an absolutely uncanny ability to heal troubled waters. When he could have been angry and determined to cancel his adversaries, he tried to get converts instead. He thought the open hand was better than the clenched fist. 'It is so fitting on the day of his service, he leaves us our marching orders - keep moving,' Clinton added, referencing Lewis' final words that were published posthumously in the New York Times on Thursday. 'I just loved him. I always will, and I'm so grateful that he stayed true to form: He's gone off yonder and left us with marching orders,' Clinton said. 'I suggest... since he's close enough to God to keep his eyes on the sparrow and us... we salute, suit up, and march on.' Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were among the mourners at the funeral service on Thursday Former President Bill Clinton clapped along with other mourners as they celebrated Lewis' life on Thursday. His wife Hillary Clinton was absent from the funeral The casket was placed at the front of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday ahead of his funeral service Family members arrive for the service of late Senator and Civil Rights leader John Lewis House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also spoke, recalling how Lewis' body was lying in state at the US Capitol earlier this week, and a double rainbow appeared. 'There was this double rainbow over the casket,' she said. 'He was telling us, 'I'm home in heaven, I'm home in heaven.' We always knew he worked on the side of angels, and now he is with them.' She went on to say Lewis bought his experience fighting for civil rights to Washington. 'He insisted on the truth in the Congress of the United States,' she said. 'When John Lewis served with us, he wanted us to see the civil rights movement and the rest through his eyes.' 'He wanted us to see how important it was, how important it was to understand the spirit of nonviolence.' President Trump, who did not visit the late Congressman's body as it lied in state this week, did not attend the funeral. Before the funeral began, the church bells rang 80 times to signify the number of years Lewis was alive. Hillary Clinton did not attend. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Sen. Kamala Harris, Stacey Abrams and Sen. Cory Booker were among the mourners. More than an hour before the service was scheduled to begin, dozens of people had already gathered outside the church with many sitting in lawn chairs in front of a large screen just outside waiting to watch the service. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her husband Derek were among those in attendance during Lewis' funeral service Members of Congress socially distanced from each other during the funeral service and all wore masks Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, left, speaks with State Sen. Nikema Williams ahead of the funeral service BULL CONNOR: THE FACE OF SEGREGATION IN BIRMINGHAM, AL Bull Connor was the commissioner of public safety in Birmingham, Alabama, for more than 20 years in the 1960s and was a staunch opponent of the civil rights movement. He became an international figure and symbol of oppression when he set polices dogs on and fired hoses a civil rights advocates - including children. Connor also is said to have protected members of the Ku Klux Klan when they committed racial violence and bombings. Bull Connor was the commissioner of public safety in Birmingham, Alabama, for more than 20 years in the 1960s and was a staunch opponent of the civil rights movement In 1961, he allegedly ordered Birmingham police to stay away from the Trailways bus station while Klansmen attacked the Freedom Riders. The images of the dogs and hoses being used against protesters were shared on televisions and published in newspapers across the country. Some say it helped shift opinion in favor of the civil rights movement. He died in 1973 from a stroke. Advertisement His funeral followed a week of memorial services. The coffin bearing his body was escorted across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on Sunday, decades after his 'Bloody Sunday' beating there drew a national spotlight to the struggle for racial equality. On Monday, his casket was taken to the US Capitol in Washington where it lay in state through Tuesday. He spent more than three decades in Congress and his district included most of Atlanta. The funeral came on the same day The New York Time published an essay written by Lewis two days before his death. He wrote that he was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and that protesters had filled him with hope for the future in the final hours of his life. 'When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war,' Lewis wrote. 'So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.' He also recalled the teachings of King: 'He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice,' Lewis wrote. 'He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. 'Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe,' Lewis added. 'In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.' The arc of Lewis' legacy of activism will once again be tied to Ebenezer's former pastor Martin Luther King Jr., whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. King continued to inspire Lewis' civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during sometimes bloody marches, Greyhound bus 'Freedom Rides' across the South and later during his long tenure in the U.S. Congress. When Lewis was 15, he had heard King's sermons on WRMA, a radio station in Montgomery, Alabama, he recalled in an interview for the Southern Oral History Program. 'Later I saw him on many occasions in Nashville while I was in school between 1958 and 61,' Lewis said. 'In a sense, he was my leader.' King was 'the person who, more than any other, continued to influence my life, who made me who I was,' Lewis wrote in his 1998 autobiography 'Walking with the Wind.' By the summer of 1963, Lewis was addressing thousands of people during the March on Washington, speaking shortly before King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech. He spoke then about black people beaten by police and jailed - themes that resonate vividly in today's times. 'My friends, let us not forget that we are involved in a serious social revolution,' Lewis told the huge crowd on the Washington Mall. 'To those who have said, 'Be patient and wait', we have long said that we cannot be patient,' he added. 'We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again.' In 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers in the city of Selma in what became known as 'Bloody Sunday.' The Honor Guard is pictured carrying Lewis' casket following his memorial at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta The casket of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis is placed at his burial site inside the South View Cemetery following the memorial service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday The Honor Guard carries the casket to it's final resting place during the burial service The Honor Gold is seen folding the American flag which was draped across Lewis' coffin The flag was folded by the military honor guard before white roses were placed on top of the coffin by family members. The casket was then lowered into the ground The Honor Guard presents the flag that was on the casket of Congressman Lewis to his son, John-Miles Lew A military honor guard fires a salute to Lewis near his resting place at South-View Cemetery Samuel Lewis holds a flower for his brother at the graveside service which followed the rousing memorial at Ebenezer Baptist Church Family members look on as the Rev. Raphael Warnock says a prayer at the graveside service Lewis' family laid white roses on top of his casket after the Honor Guard removed the American flag and presented it to his son Overcome with emotion, family members are seen embracing at the burial site. Despite the soaring temperatures, the family still made sure to keep their face masks on amid the coronavirus pandemic Lewis' son, John-Miles Lewis, releases a white dove and rose petals following the conclusion of the burial service on Thursday Family and friends left the casket covered in white roses before it was finally lowered into the ground GEORGE WALLACE: 'SEGREGATION NOW, SEGREGATION TOMORROW, SEGREGATION FOREVER' George Wallace was one of the leading figures against the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The four-time Governor of Alabama said: 'I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say, segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,' when he was elected into office in 1962. George Wallace was one of the leading figures against the civil rights movement in the 1960s and fought to curtail the powers of the federal government. The four-time Governor of Alabama said: 'I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say, segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,' when he was elected into office in 1962. Eleven years earlier, the US Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Brown Vs Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in which it was argued the education of black children separate from white children was unconstitutional. The Brown case meant the University of Alabama had to be desegregated. But in the years that followed hundreds of African-Americans applied for admission, but all were denied. The university worked with police to find any disqualify them, or when this failed, intimidated the applicants. But in 1963, three African-Americans with perfect qualifications - Vivian Malone Jones, Dave McGlathery and James Hood - applied, and refused to be intimidated. In early June a federal district judge ordered that they be admitted, and forbade Governor Wallace from interfering. Then on June 11, Malone and Hood arrived to register, with Wallace attempting to uphold his promise. Federal marshals told Wallace to step aside but Wallace cut Katzenbach off and refused, giving a speech on States' rights. It took General Henry Graham to command Wallace to step aside, saying: 'Sir, it is my sad duty to ask you to step aside under the orders of the President of the United States.' Wallace also ran for the presidency four times - three times as a Democrat and once as an independent. During his 1968 campaign as an Independent he vilified blacks, students and people who called for an end to the war in Vietnam. He ran on his own ticket and won five Southern states - or 46 electoral votes. In 1972, he returned to the Democrats on the back of huge popular support and was vehemently against 'forced busing' - or the attempt to integrate schools. On the campaign he was shot in Laurel, Maryland, paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He died in 1998 suffering from Parkinson's disease. Advertisement A mourner raises a fist as the hearse carrying civil rights icon, the late Rep. John Lewis passes by Thursday afternoon following his funeral service A large crowd gathered outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church to watch Lewis' service on a large screen More than an hour before the service was scheduled to begin, dozens of people had already gathered outside the church with many sitting in lawn chairs in front of a large screen just outside waiting to watch the service Patrice Houston and Isaac Ferguson Dillard stand with others gathered outside of the church ahead of the funeral service Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday reached out indirectly to the rebel legislators supporting his erstwhile deputy Sachin Pilot, claiming that he still wanted the MLAs to attend the upcoming assembly session as they had been elected on the Congress partys symbol. I still want those unhappy MLAs to attend the assembly session as theyve been elected on Congress symbol. Its my responsibility to ensure that they are seen standing with the government in front of the public, Gehlot said amid a bitter power struggle with rebel leader Sachin Pilot. After turning down a Cabinet proposal three times, Governor Kalraj Mishra has finally agreed to convene a session of the legislative assembly next month on August 14. ALSO READ | Haryana hotel, resort say Rajasthan MLAs werent their guests Among the 107 Congress MLAs in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, Pilot and 18 other dissident legislators have openly defied the party whip and refused to attend Congress party meetings despite being asked to do so. Expressing confidence in his government and MLAs who are supporting him, Gehlot further said, Im happy that the Governor finally accepted my request to call the Assembly session sooner as any more delay could have resulted in further horse-trading. Everyone knows horse-trading took place but that wont affect us, we will complete our full term. The Congress numbers include six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs who merged with the ruling party after the 2018 assembly polls. The merger is now being challenged in the high court by the BSP and a BJP MLA. Amid the political turmoil continuing in the state, the Rajasthan high court on Thursday issued notices to the Speaker of the assembly, secretary of assembly secretariat and the six MLAs who had contested elections on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) tickets and then merged with the Congress later. The court issued the notices while hearing a petition filed by the BSP against the merger of the MLAs into the Congress. The six BSP members of the Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLAs) who had merged with the Ashok Gehlotled Congress government are Sandeep Yadav, Tijara MLA, Wajib Ali (Nagar), Deepchand Kheria (Kishangarh Bas), Lakhan Meena (Karauli), and Rajendra Gudha (Udaipurwati). The Bharatiya Janata Party has 72 MLAs in the Rajasthan assembly. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake is hoping to make up for its pandemic losses with two online art auctions. Being held Aug. 17 to 31 and later in the fall, the auctions will feature 50 pieces of various media by artists across Ontario who answered an open call for submissions. They were chosen from 120 works. Jurors were Canadian art specialist Geoffrey Joyner, artist and theatrical designer David Antschrl and Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre exhibits chair Mark Skeffington. Each auction will feature about 25 pieces, some donated outright to the centre and others to split their sales with the artists. The August auction will feature work by artists lisuch aske Emily Andrews, Geoff Farnsworth, E. Robert Ross, Marilyn Cochrane, Julie Ponesse, Win Henstock and Robert Crosby. We understand that some people are still reluctant to visit an art gallery in person, even with extra safety precautions in place, said Skeffington. So, an online auction still allows people to engage and buy art, supporting artists and the centre. A Muskoka loveseat painted by Amy Ballett and a Muskoka chair painted by Elaine Bryck are also part of the auction. We are so thankful to the incredible artists who submitted so many high-quality art pieces, said arts centre chairwoman Lise Andreana. The Pumphouse will also host a solo exhibition by Niagara artist Beverley Barber Aug. 2 to 30, with a reception Aug. 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It marks the venues first exhibition of the year. Tours of the centres recent renovation will also be held Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Earlier this year, the Pumphouse used a $143,500 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for infrastructure improvements. Along with a new HVAC system and interior fittings, it upgraded accessibility for enhanced art programs at the Ricardo Street gallery. National Urban League, BET and Key Impact Partners Declare September 18 National Black Voter Day As part of the organizations #ReclaimYourVote campaign, the National Urban League, in partnership with BET and other key civil rights organizations, has designated September 18, 2020, the first-ever National Black Voter Day. The announcement today comes 100 days out from Election Day on November 3rd and aims to energize and galvanize Black voters nationwide to take demonstrable action toward civic engagement. September 18 is the countrys first early voting day in South Dakota and Minnesota, the latter a ground zero of the fight for racial justice since the killing of George Floyd. ADVERTISEMENT Partners include the National Action Network and the NAACP. The pandemic and racial justice protests have shone a bright light on the stark racial disparities that exist in health care, the economy and our criminal justice system, National Urban League President Marc H. Morial said. If we are to repair these gaps we must commit ourselves to making sure every Black American has the tools they need to register and cast an informed vote, whether by mail or in-person, early or on Election Day. Jeanine Liburd, BETs Chief Social Impact & Communications Officer, said We have witnessed attempts to exclude Black Americans from the voting process through the purging of registration rolls, restrictive voter ID laws and other forms of voter suppression, a legacy of Jim Crow. We are thrilled to be partnering with the National Urban League and an incredible group of impact partners to declare September 18 National Black Voter Day to energize our audience to reclaim their vote during this upcoming election and beyond. National Black Voter Day will focus on the campaigns Five Steps to Voting: Step 1: REGISTER TO VOTE Visit National Urban Leagues voter registration page. Confirm your registration. Make sure you still live at the address listed on your registration. Make sure the spelling of your name on your ID matches exactly the spelling on your registration. Step 2: CHECK YOUR VOTING OPTIONS When does early voting begin and end? Does your state allow mail-in ballots? Does your state allow no-excuse absentee ballots? Step 3: KNOW THE CANDIDATES AND ISSUES Know who and what youre voting for. Which causes and issues are priorities for you? Research the candidates and understand where they stand on key issues. Step 4: FIND YOUR POLLING LOCATION What type of ID do you need to vote? What time does the polling place open and close? Step 5: VOTE, VOTE, VOTE! Vote early Take a friend Vote the entire ballot Report attempts at voter suppression by calling 866-OUR-VOTE #ReclaimYourVote was launched early this year to identify significant electoral issues, demystify confusing civic processes, share ways to remain protected while voting in a COVID-19 environment, and highlight specific opportunities for Black Americans to reclaim our collective power through civic engagement. To date, #ReclaimYourVote has leveraged activations, talent and civil rights partnerships, television spots to urge the Black community to be counted in the census and to take a stand and vote. ADVERTISEMENT In the days leading up to National Black Voter Day, the National Urban League, BET and its impact partners will launch a spate of content, programming and initiatives to increase awareness of the collective voting power of Black Americans, to drive toward resources to ensure access to voting registration, to help provide guidance on voting rights restoration for eligible voters and to engage the candidates on the issues that matter most within our community. For more information, please visit www.reclaimyourvote.org CALGARY, AB, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) has released its first public statement on climate change. The statement acknowledges the effects of rising global temperatures and lays out CP's commitment to ongoing efforts to mitigate the impacts. The statement supports the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which seek to limit global temperature rise to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels. In support of this initiative, CP will establish a science-based emissions reduction target to guide its climate action. "CP recognizes the importance of using energy efficiently and reducing the impact our operations have on the environment," said Keith Creel, CP President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our company is committed to doing more, and through targeted investments in technology and innovation, we will continue to serve as an industry leader when it comes to sustainability. We will meet the climate change challenge with the same commitment to service and excellence the CP family brings to everything we do." CP continually aims to align with recognized initiatives that bring governments, industry and suppliers together, such as the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Adopting a framework promoted by the TCFD, CP has completed a detailed analysis of possible global warming scenarios to fully explore the range of potential climate change risks and opportunities facing the organization, now and into the future. Through this work, CP intends to integrate climate-related risks into its enterprise risk-management mechanisms and continue to develop strategies for mitigation and adaptation. CP has long focused on energy-saving initiatives as a core component of its sustainability practices. Since 1990, CP has improved its locomotive fuel efficiency by more than 40 percent through many different initiatives and programs designed to improve fuel economy and reduce air emissions. The application of leading practices, emerging tools and relationship building across the value chain and industrial sector, will remain critical as CP addresses the challenges of climate change. CP has been a contributing participant to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) for over a decade, consistently disclosing annual emissions, progress made on practices to improve the management of greenhouse gas emissions and ongoing energy efficiency initiatives. For more information about CP's sustainability practices and initiatives, visit sustainability.cpr.ca. Note on forward-looking information This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to CP's operations, priorities and plans for the establishment and achievement of certain environmental and sustainability targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Forward-looking information is indicated by words such as "commitment", "aim", "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "will", "intend", "target", "should" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. Forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives, assumptions and statements about possible future events, conditions, and results of operations or performance. Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. By its nature, forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including but not limited to the fuel efficiency of railways and CP's operations, CP's ability to implement certain initiatives, including emissions targets, scenario analyses, risk mitigation strategies, changes to enterprise risk management and internal carbon pricing mechanisms, future investments in and the availability of carbon emissions-reduction tools and technologies including through CP's fleet modernization program and technology upgrades, the impacts of existing and planned capital investments, and CP's ability to work with governments and third parties to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as additional factors detailed from time to time in reports filed by CP with securities regulators in Canada and the United States. Reference should be made to "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in CP's annual and quarterly reports filed on Form 10-K and 10-Q, respectively, including CP's annual report filed on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2019 and quarterly report filed on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2020. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date hereof. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections and it is possible that predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forms of forward-looking information will not be achieved by CP. Except as required by law, CP undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information, or the foregoing assumptions and risks affecting such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. About Canadian Pacific Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR SOURCE Canadian Pacific Related Links www.cpr.ca HANOI A specially converted Vietnam Airlines passenger plane equipped with ventilators and state doctors returned from Equatorial Guinea to Hanoi on Wednesday carrying 140 Vietnamese workers infected with COVID-19. The plane, which left on Monday night for 27-hour, 21,000-kilometer round trip to the town of Bata in the West African country, arrived in the capital Hanoi, where infected patients were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. We are all prepared, Pham Ngoc Thach, director of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases campus just outside Hanoi, told Reuters. One hundred ventilators, medicine and other equipment for testing and treatment as well as some 500 rooms have been set aside for the passengers. Equatorial Guinea has registered more than 3,000 cases of COVID-19 and 51 deaths, numbers that relative to its population of 1.2 million make it one of the African countries considered by the World Health Organization as severely affected by the pandemic. Vietnam, virus-free for months, was bracing for a wave of locally transmitted COVID-19 infections on Wednesday after new cases were discovered in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Central Highlands, all linked to a recent outbreak in Danang. Of the 220 people on the flight from Equatorial Guinea, 140 were infected with the virus, state media said. At least a dozen were critically ill, said Thach, in what he described as an unprecedented large intake of patients for his hospital. State media said the rescue effort was organized after the stranded workers, who had been working on a hydropower project, sent a letter to the Vietnam embassy in Angola, 1,200 km away, asking for help. In a statement, Vietnam Airlines said it was only the second time one of its planes had flown to Africa. The first was on June 18, when it repatriated 309 Vietnamese workers from Angola. How fundamentally different views about climate change and a green economy could influence voters in the 2020 election. As wildfires raged across California late last year, scorching more than 100,000 acres and driving tens of thousands from their homes, US President Donald Trump lashed out at the states Democratic Party leadership and threatened to cut off federal aid. Youve got fires eating away at California every year, because management is so bad, Trump claimed. The battle over wildfires between Trump and California reveals fundamentally different views about the dangers posed by climate change, and the choice voters face in the 2020 presidential election over taking action to combat it. Because of Trumps philosophy, he is inevitably drawn into conflict with California, says Jerry Brown, who served four terms as Democratic governor of California and ran three times for president. When it comes to the green economy and climate change, California is in front and given our tremendous economic dynamism, California does refute the Trumpian claim that reducing carbon emissions hurts the economy. The suffering will take place primarily after Trump is dead ... He won't have to pay for what he is imposing on billions of people. Jerry Brown, former California governor Brown, who held a Global Climate Action Summit while governor in 2018, sees Trumps disregard for climate change as a serious threat to the planet. The suffering will take place primarily after Trump is dead and thats the evil of it, Brown says. He wont have to pay for what he is imposing on billions of people into the future. California wildfires Errol Navickas experienced the full fury and destructiveness of the California wildfires last October. He lost his home and virtually all his possessions in the Saddleridge fire, which burned close to 9,000 acres (3,640 hectares) in northern Los Angeles. The flames were going about 70 miles an hour with the wind, so its the fastest fire Ive ever seen, he says. In the fall, California is buffeted by winds that flow off the mountains towards the coast, increasing the spread and intensity of fires. Firefighters tackle a wildfire threatening nearby hillside homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2019 [Getty Images] Navickas does not give much credence to President Trumps claim that wildfires are the result of mismanagement of the forests. Theres no forest around here, he says. And if theres no rains youre going to have four feet of just crispy, dry plants ready to burn. And for about 15 years its been getting drier and drier. 200722150011008 In fact, about 50 percent of the area burned in California in the last 30 years has been due to anthropogenic or human-caused climate change, according to Crystal Kolden, a professor at the University of California, Merced, specialising in wildfire behaviour. She says that the scientific evidence connecting California wildfires and climate change is overwhelming. It dries the vegetation out so that its more flammable. And then with climate change rains are on average getting pushed back by several weeks in some cases. So now we see that where winter used to be far too wet for things to burn, now we can have long dry periods when the winds are starting to really pick up and it means that fires can burn really intensely. [The majority] of the most destructive fires in the last decade, theyre not in places that are forests, Kolden adds. And were seeing the same types of increases in fire intensity, in fire size and this extension of fire season across the entire globe. But the science does not carry much weight for President Trump, a point Joe Biden hammers home in a campaign ad in which the president is shown blaming California wildfires on a lack of pre-emptive raking, and which reprises Trumps remark about climate change that a lot of it is a hoax, its a hoax. A whirlwind of hot ash and embers moves through a wildfire, dubbed the Cave Fire, burning in the hills of Santa Barbara, California in 2019 [Reuters] Clean air agreements The president is pulling the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement in which 195 countries pledged to meet emissions reductions goals. Trump wants to free up fossil fuel companies, he wants to let it rip regardless of the natural environment, Brown says. In 2018, the California legislature and Brown committed the state to 100 percent zero-carbon electricity and economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045. California is also a leader in setting fuel efficiency standards for cars and promoting the use of electric vehicles. Autos are the greatest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Green energy sounds great, but how many jobs is it actually going to produce and how reliable is the energy going to be? Charles Kesler, California conservative For 50 years, California has had a waiver under the Clean Air Act allowing it to establish fuel efficiency standards beyond national requirements. In 2012, the Obama administration adopted Californias goal of achieving 54 miles (87 km) a gallon by 2025 as the national standard. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in March, the Trump administration reduced it to only about 40 miles (64 km) per gallon. The administration has also revoked the waiver allowing California to set its own clean car standards. The state and 14 others are now challenging the rollbacks in court. The Chinese are moving inexorably to zero-emission cars, Brown says. If Trump were to succeed to be able to subsidise the old-fashioned gasoline car with the lowest possible regulation, well wake up in the next five to seven years and the American industry will be in collapse. And we in California are trying to hold him back to prevent it. Brown believes Trump is blinded by his belief in the sanctity of the free market, and that for him imposing a fuel efficiency standard is what you would call blasphemy if you were trying to see this in religious terms. And thats what it is, its almost a religious war and therefore they have to stop California. Trump supporters and opponents Trumps understanding of freedom, and the threats California liberals pose to it, resonates not only with supporters across the rest of the US, but also those in the rural northern part of California. Members of the right-wing Tea Party movement and other conservatives there are trying to break away from California and set up a new 51st state the State of Jefferson. Radio hosts Terry Rapoza and Win Carpenter are leaders in the effort to establish a new state, which has thousands of supporters in 23 northern counties. They feel Democratic representatives from urban areas have too much power in shaping policy. Los Angeles has 11 senators, and 11 counties in northern California have one, Rapoza says. Carpenter says the list of government policies they object to is way too long. Youre looking at taxation, I mean just the restrictions on basic things to take care of yourself and to defend yourself. In his view, the wildfire problem is largely the result of regulations that restrict logging, not climate change. We live in a four-season part of the state, Carpenter says. The climate changes every season. Rural counties in northern California, like those across the US, voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2016 election. People understand the truth. They can spot a liar a mile away. Thank God we had Mr Trump run for the presidency, Carpenter says. President Trumps star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California after it was vandalised in 2018 [Reuters] But in West Hollywood, people are so dismayed by the Trump presidency that the city council passed a resolution calling for the removal of Trumps star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Donald Trump has harassed and otherwise demeaned women throughout his career, West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath says. He has targeted immigrants, LGBT people, he is a bully in chief. We do not need national monuments that glorify the kind of behaviour that he has exhibited. So far, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has refused to remove Trumps star, which is repeatedly vandalised, exasperating Horvath. Were tired of resources being spent on this, she says. The crisis of homelessness has hit our region hard. We could be spending those dollars actually caring for people and uplifting people. In his State of the State Address last February, Gavin Newsom made combatting homelessness Californias top priority. The governor called for investing $750m in a new housing fund, on top of $1.5bn the state has allocated to local governments to combat homelessness over the last two years. Common threats and common sense Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has pledged to invest $640bn over 10 years to expand the supply of affordable housing, and to provide vouchers to help people pay rent in California and other states. But at his rallies, President Trump has repeatedly bashed California politicians for the states homelessness problem. Its a shame. Its a disgrace to our country, he says. His administration has proposed cuts in the federal housing budget. Donald Trump surveyed homes destroyed by fires with Gavin Newsom, first responders and Jerry Brown in Malibu in November 2018 [Reuters] Charles Kesler, a California conservative who edits the Claremont Review of Books, says Trumps attacks on California for homelessness are part of his general reaction to the failure of blue-state policies. Along with the president, he believes that homelessness in California reflects Democratic policies that have harmed the middle class, and that the strategy of building a green economy to reinvigorate the American Dream is fundamentally flawed. Green energy sounds great, but how many jobs is it actually going to produce and how reliable is the energy going to be, Kesler says. At the UN Climate Action Summit in New York last September, Governor Newsom pointed out that: California is significantly outperforming the United States of America in GDP growth over a five-year period because of our environmental strategies. Five to one five to one, the number of clean energy jobs in the State of California versus fossil fuel jobs. Daniel Kammen, who founded the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab at the University of California, Berkeley adds that the state is ahead of schedule in meeting its energy needs from renewable sources, and is far along in building a green economy. Across the United States right now, 35-40 percent of all investments in green tech flow through California, he says. The 2020 election in the United States is absolutely critical, because we know on the climate side that we have very few years left to get on an innovative green energy path. Daniel Kammen, University of California, Berkeley Biden is following Californias lead, and promises to transition the US to a green economy. His plan calls for investing $2 trillion over the next four years, setting the US on a path to achieve a clean energy, net-zero emissions economy by 2050. The 2020 election in the United States is absolutely critical, Kammen says, because we know on the climate side that we have very few years left to get on an innovative green energy path. The importance of the coming poll is at least something both sides can agree on. Radio host Win Carpenter feels it is critical that Trump wins. Mr Trump is at one point of the government and then we are at the other end. Hes fighting from that side, were fighting from this side, he says. Former Democratic governor Jerry Brown says the stakes in the 2020 election are climate change, social turmoil and the current pandemic. Weve got to find a way to see the common threats. Certainly, the coronavirus is a common threat. Climate change is a common threat all we need is some common sense in the minds of those people who are in charge. The Italian Senate voted today to strip far-right chief Matteo Salvini of his parliamentary immunity, paving the way for him to be tried for allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea. The vote, which passed by 149 to 141 with one abstention, opens the way for a fresh and potentially career-derailing trial on charges that could see Salvini, a senator, serve up to 15 years in jail. 'If anyone thinks the are going to scare me with a politically-motivated trial, you've got the wrong man,' Salvini told the senate ahead of the vote. The head of the anti-immigrant League party is also set to stand trial in a separate but similar case. Italian senator and Lega party far-right leader Matteo Salvini, acknowledges the applause by his party colleagues, after his speech today at Italy's Senate in Rome before the votes on whether Salvini should be stripped of his parliamentary immunity so he can be tried for the second time for allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea Prosecutors in the Sicilian city of Palermo accuse Salvini of abusing his powers as then-interior minister in August 2019 to illegally prevent more than 80 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean from disembarking from the Open Arms charity ship. Ministers cannot be tried for actions taken while in office unless their parliamentary immunity is revoked by the Senate. The vote is expected at around 1600 GMT. 'Defending Italy is not a crime. I am proud of it, I would do it again, and I will do it again,' Salvini said on Wednesday. He has insisted the decision to stop the migrants from getting off the ship until a deal was brokered with EU countries to take them in was reached collectively within the government. That is the same defence Salvini is using in the other trial, in which he is accused of blocking migrants from disembarking from the Italian 'Gregoretti' coast guard boat last July. In February, the Senate voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity in that case. The preliminary hearing has been postponed thrice due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is now scheduled to take place in Sicily on October 3. Political analyst Franco Pavoncello said a go-ahead from the Senate on the Open Arms trial would 'certainly have an impact on Salvini', whose popularity has dropped since the coronavirus pandemic swept through Italy. Prosecutors in the Sicilian city of Palermo accuse Salvini of abusing his powers as then-interior minister in August 2019 to illegally prevent more than 80 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean from disembarking from the Open Arms charity ship (pictured as an Italian police boat sails toward the Spanish rescue ship) Salvini, 47, says Italy's over two-month lockdown hit him and his party hard, as he had to put an end to his frequent rallies up and down the country and his famous beachside selfie sessions. A Demopolis poll this week found that the League has dropped over 11 points in a year, from holding 37 percent of voting intentions to 25.4 percent today. 'At the moment Salvini generates little media interest. The decision to strip him of his immunity would re-open the case and could whip up media attention,' Pavoncello told AFP. 'Those who vote to send him to trial in a bid to create political problems for him could end up giving him the limelight instead.' He warned, however, that while Salvini may make temporary gains, 'a trial could be difficult for him in the long term, for the charges are serious'. Salvini is currently in opposition but is determined to become prime minister. Although the League may be slipping down the polls, it is still the most popular party in Italy and its leader expects to do well at the next elections. A conviction, however, could throw a serious spanner in the works. Olabode Oluwaseun has been arraigned A 47-year old man, Olabode Oluwaseun who allegedly killed his wife, Blessing and their unborn baby to death has been arraigned in court. It was gathered that Olabode hit his late wife on the abdomen, which led to her death and her unborn child. The accused, who was arraigned on a one-count charge before an Akure Magistrate Court, was alleged to have committed the crime on April 3 at No 56 Oke-Agba area in Akure. It was alleged he hit her right side of the abdomen resulting to the death of the unborn child and the mother. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Uloh Goodluck, informed the court the offence was punishable under Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code Cap 36 Volume 1 Laws of Ondo State. Uloh said the case was a case of murder and urged the court to remand Olabode to police custody pending legal advice from the Department of Public Prosecution. Counsel to Olabode, A. Ololike, did not oppose application for a remand order. Presiding Magistrate, N. T Aladejana, ordered Olabode remanded in police custody pending legal advice from the DPP. He adjourned the case to September 8 for mentioning. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? A Baytown man was recently sentenced to two years in prison in a case where he stood accused of groping two girls at separate south Montgomery County Walmart stores one evening last summer. Ryan Daniel Reding, 29, pleaded guilty to indecency with a child, a second-degree felony, in the 221st District Court. On June 30, visiting Judge Paul Damico sentenced Reding to two years with 121 days served. Reding is now required to register as a sex offender, court documents show. Redings sentencing concludes a case that featured more than one unusual development, including the dismissal of charges alleging he threatened to rape another girl at a third Walmart in south county while out on bond. On Aug. 14, Reding groped two girls at the Walmart stores located at 1025 Sawdust in Spring and at 10001 Woodlands in The Woodlands, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office stated at the time. The girl Reding was prosecuted and convicted for groping was 11 years old, according to court records. BREAKING NEWS UPDATES: Get your Houston breaking news alerts delivered to your Inbox Camera surveillance footage of Reding at one of the stores led to him being identified about five days later and taken into custody in Port Aransas where he was working offshore. While out on a $50,000 bond posted in September, Reding was arrested again after a girl 10 or 11 years old identified him in a photo line-up as the man who on Oct. 3 tried groping her at the Walmart at 2901 Riley Fuzzel in Spring, according to a probable cause affidavit. A grand jury in the 221st District Court reviewed that case and on Jan. 23 dismissed the second-degree criminal attempt charges against Reding after finding no grounds for prosecution, court records show. As a result, Reding was once more released from jail custody. He was booked again in March after his mother requested to revoke bond, according to jail and court records. Redings mother stated he is acting in an incomprehensible way, not listening to reason, being belligerent towards her. She feels he is incompetent to make reasonable decisions; he cannot control his temper, a court affidavit read in part. MORE FROM JOSE R. GONZALEZ: Montgomery Countys Wayne Mack named Texas justice of the peace Earlier that same month, court records show presiding Judge Lisa Michalk approved defense attorney William Patillos request to withdraw from the case. Reding, the motion read, did not comply with the terms of employment agreed upon with his lawyer. Court records, however, still list Patillo as Redings attorney. On Wednesday, Patillo was unable to be reached for comment. Reding is to serve out his sentence with the Texas Department of Criminal Justices prison system. As of July 29, he was still being held at the Montgomery County Jail, according to jail records. jose.gonzalez@chron.com twitter.com/jrgzztx Educators being sent to serve is certainly an understatement, especially given the state of the world today as schools try to strike a balance between fostering learning and keeping students safe. Emmanuel-Faith Lutheran School in York is no exception. Fittingly, their theme for the school year is Sent to Serve, based on the Bible verse Matthew 20:28 -- The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Each year, a theme and related Bible verse is selected by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) as a unifying thought for all Lutheran schools to celebrate and live. Sent to Serve for the 2020-2021 Emmanuel-Faith Lutheran School year has already been put into action, through the schools plan for preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Emmanuel-Faith's staff has been sent to serve and we are truly blessed to work with our amazing families again this school year, said Emmanuel-Faith Principal Brad Wellmann. With the uncertainty and constant change caused by the COVID-19 situation, it will be even more important for our staff to focus on our spiritual and emotional goal areas for students. PORTAGE, MI -- Ramona Park Beach in Portage will temporarily close after three beach staff began showing coronavirus symptoms. The three workers are being tested for COVID-19 and other beach staff who had contact with them are self-quarantining. Portage City officials said the beach will be closed beginning Thursday, July 29 and remain closed at least until the test results are available. Staff plan to thoroughly sanitize Romona Park Beach facilities before the park reopens. More from MLive Kalamazoos Do-Dah Parade will be stationary while attendees walk by Kalamazoo adds oversight to citizen review board after closed-door discussion Doja first shop to offer recreational marijuana sales in Portage China's Ministry of Public Security has reportedly arrested all 27 major suspects of the PlusToken Ponzi scheme that defrauded nearly $3 billion from its victims. Several Chinese news outlets reported the news on Thursday, saying that the ministry has also arrested 82 "key members" involved in the scheme. In August 2019, Chinese police officials confirmed to The Block that six suspects affiliated with PlusToken had been arrested, but the main suspects were still on the run at the time. PlusToken was launched in early 2018 and was already suspected to be a pyramid scheme as early as September 2018. In June 2019, the company triggered a wide-ranging panic among Chinese and Korean investors when some users reported that they could not withdraw funds from the wallets. However, the issues were then brushed off as a "hacker attack." PlusToken managed to collect multi-billion dollars from about 800,000 investors. Over a period of time, hundreds of millions of dollars tied to PlusToken have been moved. Just last month, nearly 790,000 ETH, worth roughly $188 million at the time, were moved. 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. The Thursday sought response of the Centre, AAP government and Lieutenant Governor's office on a plea seeking that no one be appointed to the post of Delhi Commission (DMC) chairman which fell vacant recently. The application has contended that since the constitutional validity of the DMC Act is under challenge in the high court, no one be appointed to head the commission till the matter is decided. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government and LG's office and sought their stand on the application by August 31 when the main petition is also listed for hearing. The court also directed the three to file their replies to the main petition before the next date of hearing. The application has been filed by Vikram Gahlot, a social worker, who in his main petition has challenged the constitutional validity of the Act under which the commission has been set up. Advocate Dhananjai Jain, appearing for Gahlot, told the court that as the constitutional validity of the Act is under challenge, no one ought to be appointed to head the commission. The constitutional validity of the DMC Act was challenged in the wake of certain controversial social media posts made by the commission's former chairman -- Zafarul Islam Khan. Khan's tenure ended recently, the court was informed. Gahlot, in his petition, has contended that the Delhi Legislative Assembly did not have the powers to enact the DMC Act and therefore, the statute be declared ultra vires of the Constitution and struck down. He has also contended that since the Act was not valid, the appointments made under it, including that of the chairman, would also be invalid. (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.) Express News Service BENGALURU: To start implementing the major reforms in the primary and higher education brought in by the Centre, Karnataka needs to set in place two major requirements- - Right people with some familiarity to start the work and a certain level of finances. There are a number of things you can do, there is no discovery here, you need to do actual hardcore action, Dr Kasturirangan, Chairman of the committee that drafted the New Education Policy (NEP), told TNIE on Wednesday. He said that Karnataka already had an education policy which was formulated when he was the chairman of the Knowledge Commission. Now, they only need to rework the essentials to ensure its updated, he said.For starters, he said, the State can focus on properly reconfiguring Anganwadis and pre-primary schools towards the Early Childhood Care and Education, which mandates free safe and high quality education for children of ages 3-6. Welcoming the NEP, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Higher Education Dr C N Ashwathnarayan said, Once the final policy is released by the Centre, the Karnataka government will work expeditiously to bring about the transformational changes and implement them. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar, too, said the State government welcomed the NEP that is based on the principles of Teach to Transform, Educate to Empower, Learn to Lead. Various universities, too, seem to have received the NEP well. Venugopal K R, Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University, said, The NEP aims to shift the commercial education concept to charitable activity. It aims to increase the public investment on education from 10% to 20% and encourage philanthropic private funding. M S Reddy, Special Officer at Maharani Cluster University (MCU) said the MCU will join hands with the State governments Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department to start PG, diploma and certificate courses from the academic year 2020-21 in a phased manner. On Friday Dow Chemical Company announced that it plans to cut six percent of its global workforce. The Midland, Michigan-based company cited lower sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as the main reason for what is expected to be at least 2,100 layoffs. The announcement comes on the heels of the historic flooding in late May, which devastated much of the Midland area that now faces the prospect of further financial and social downturn. Two other mid-Michigan corporations, Hemlock Semiconductor and auto parts supplier Nexteer Automotive, also announced job cuts during the last two weeks of June. Both multi-billion-dollar corporations also cited economic pressures stemming from the pandemic as their reason for making the hard decision of cutting jobs. Hemlock Semiconductor, one of the largest employers in neighboring Saginaw County, laid off 50 out of its total 660 employees. Nexteer, also one of Saginaw Countys largest employers with 5,000 auto workers at its Buena Vista Township factory alone, did not disclose how many of its 13,000 workers it laid off, or will lay off. The latest round of layoffs at Dow further exposes the long-going exploitative and controlling nature of the companys relationship with the Midland region. Based in mid-Michigan for over a century, the company has a portfolio of insidious partnerships with the US military and is a notorious polluter, causing countless ecological disasters in the region. Yet the city and region around Midland have grown up around the structure of Dow, making it not only the primary employer of Midland but its social and economic lifeline. The city governance in turn accepts every environmental crime or announcement of layoffs without protest. The current layoffs also come four years after Dow Chemical laid off 2,500 workers, 700 in Midland alone, a blow that sent shock waves through the community of approximately 41,000. The 2016 layoffs took place during the Dow Chemical acquisition of Dow Corning and its merger with DuPont, which for its part laid off ten percent of its workforce at the time. In addition to the layoffs, Dow often uses its position to side-step pollution regulations, largely avoiding significant repercussions caused by its persistent poisoning of the regional environment. The company faces lawsuits on a yearly basis for destroying the regional environment with contaminants, and particularly for its dumping of the dangerous and highly toxic chemical dioxin into the local waterways. Just nine months ago, the company had to pay out $77 million to compensate for injuries to natural resources caused by the release of hazardous substances from Dows Midland facility. However, such instances of limited payouts are often the exception, while most get bottled up by Dows legal resources. The job cuts will also undoubtedly compound the difficulties stemming from the historic flooding that took place in May in Midland Countya result of a chain of dam failures starting with the privately-owned Edenville dam, which had not passed proper safety standards for decades by the time of its collapse. Floodwaters destroyed virtually all of nearby Sanford Village, leaving residents and small business owners devastated and homeless. Many residents reported that they did not have flood insurance and were left in financial ruin, with no assistance from state or federal governments. The city of Midland itself was also flooded, destroying dozens of homes, businesses, and public property. With well over $200 million in damages to infrastructure and homes in the region, the layoffs may be a death knell to the hardest-hit areas. To date, the only palpable assistance given to residents has taken the form of paltry relief from the federal government distributed through FEMA, notoriously known for its cover-up role in disasters like Katrina. For its part, the flooding also likely compounded the existing environmental dangers in the region. Dows sprawling industrial complex is located along the Tittabawassee River, which swelled dramatically during the floods and breached the companys containment ponds. As the WSWS reported in June, these containment ponds are Dows chemical runoff collections that might hold any number of chemicals that flowed from the grounds of the complex when it rains. While Dow has claimed that nothing dangerous was in the ponds at the time of the flooding, state and local officials have mostly left Dow to its own devices, increasing the likelihood that the real extent of the danger will not be reported. The other layoffs in the region will also undoubtedly compound the social and economic difficulties for mid-Michigan. Hemlock Semiconductor, located in Hemlock just south of Midland, announced that its 50 layoffs were a product of the US-China tariff wars, with Chinese tariffs on US polysilicon exports effectively blocking the company from the Chinese market. These tariffs are a product of the Trump administrations trade war against China which could provoke a full-scale military conflict between nuclear powers. Workers in both countries will face the brunt of these destructive provocations. The situation for the highly exploited Nexteer Automotive workers at the nearby Saginaw area plant could also be disastrous, particularly as they have suffered under the homicidal back-to-work policy promoted by the American ruling class and its international counterparts. At least two Nexteer workers tested positive for COVID-19 at the Saginaw plant in late March, before the plant was shut down. Since May, autoworkers in general have been forced back into their workplaces under dangerous and even deadly conditions, at risk of contracting COVID-19 for the sake of corporate profit. At Nexteer, workers were among the first to be caught up in this drive, along with other auto parts workers, being forced back to work amid increased risk of contracting the coronavirus. In addition the Nexteer workers were already subjected to a rotten contract sellout in 2015, rammed through by the UAW against broad opposition, which lowered wages and made it easier to victimize workers. The implications of large-scale layoffs in the Saginaw and Midland area will undoubtedly compound an increasingly intolerable situation. Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai on Thursday (July 30) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to attend Ram Temple 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony in Ayodhya is like former president Rajendra Prasad's visit to Somnath Temple in Gujarat. Rai said that PM Modi himself is a leader born out of Ram Temple movement started by VHP and later supported by BJP. Talking about the number of guests who will be invited to attend the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony on August 5, Rai said that the number of guests is being reduced daily and Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has made all the preparations for the historic event. Rai noted that the symbol of the slavery will be removed on August 5 and a grand Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya. Rai reiterated that no time capsule, enlisting the history and facts related to the Ram Janmabhoomi, will be placed below the Ram temple in Ayodhya It is learnt that six saints from Gujarat are invited to attend the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony. The saints who have received the invitation are Mahant Swami Mahamandleswar Akhileshwardasji Maharaj, Acharya Parmatamanandji Maharaj. Shashtri Madhav Priyadasji, Avichaldasji Maharaj and Krishnamani Maharaj. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday instructed the police to remain vigilant in every district ahead of the 'bhoomi pujan'.While holding a security meeting today with the top officials, Adityanath instructed police officers to make tighter security arrangements. According to reports, instructions have been given to keep a close watch on the anti-social elements to prevent them from creating any mischief. Also, the officers were reminded that strict protocols of COVID-19 should be followed. Police released CCTV images of four suspected racist thugs with their faces blurred out to protect their identities. (SWNS) A police force in England has been mocked for releasing images of four suspects in a racial assault with their faces blurred out to protect their identities. Derbyshire Police are hunting two males and two females after a 15-year-old boy was chased before being thrown to the ground and punched and kicked in Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire. Police issued CCTV images of the suspects following the attack, that took place on 29 June, but deliberately removed their faces with white blobs. The alert was quickly mocked by Facebook users after it was posted on the site. Police issued CCTV images of the suspects on a Facebook appeal. (SWNS) One Facebook user, Sue Davies, said: How ridiculous... does anyone recognise them how can we if we cant see them! "Arent we meant to look after the victim not the criminals! MORE: 'Hundreds' of people tested for coronavirus after outbreak at local pub Dale Smith posted: Are you being serious? If they are old enough to commit crime, they are old enough to face the consequences of being identifiable in an appeal. Grow a spine Derbyshire Constabulary. Pampering to the pansy society that protects criminals more than victims. A 15-year-old boy was chased to the Morrisons in Chapel-en-le-Frith where he was attacked. (PA) The force defended the decision to blur the faces of the suspects, claiming the images had to be anonymised due to their age. A police spokesperson said: A 15-year-old boy was chased from the Co-op to the Morrisons where he was thrown to the ground, kicked and punched to head and body and racially abused between 9.30pm and 10pm on Monday 29 June. MORE: Women found dead in freezer 'subjected to very significant violence' Officers want to speak to the people pictured in relation to the offence. The images have been anonymised due to the age of those pictured, however, their clothing is distinctive and is likely to be recognised by anyone who knows them. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Crown Resorts chief legal officer has told a public inquiry he did not talk to law enforcement agencies or engage his own investigators to probe revelations that some of Crowns junket partners were in bed with one of the worlds biggest drug trafficking syndicates. Joshua Preston, who is responsible for legal and regulatory compliance, also told the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority's inquiry into Crown on Thursday that he and the James Packer-backed casino giant were not aware of any information, including court documents, that proved those links when it dismissed them as being part of "deceitful campaign against Crown". There was a "substantial risk" of junkets being infiltrated by organised crime, the inquiry was told. Credit:Joe Armao The powerful inquiry conducted by former Supreme Court Justice Patricia Bergin, SC, was triggered by revelations by The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes in July last year that some of Crowns junket partners, which bring wealthy Chinese gamblers to Australian casinos, had links to organised crime and money launderers. It will consider whether the group should keep the licence for its new $2.4 billion casino nearing completion at Sydneys Barangaroo. Counsel assisting the inquiry, Naomi Sharp, SC, questioned Mr Preston about what he did in light of the reports the some Crown junkets were linked to an international drug trafficking and money laundering syndicate known as "The Company". Home Search ICH US Arrogance is a Gas By Finian Cunningham July 29, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Washingtons arrogance is so out of control it has become impossibly absurd. It is astounding just how "exceptional" American politicians are at spouting double-think and contradictions without even the slightest shame or self-awareness. In a keynote speech last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admonished European so-called allies to join Washington in its recklessly confrontational stance towards China. Pompeo, using anachronistic Cold War rhetoric, asserted that the "free world" must be defended against a "new tyranny" based in Beijing. This is while the US Congress is unleashing more severe economic sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which could hit over 100 European companies to the tune of 12 billion in financial losses if the European Union proceeds with the ambitious Russian energy partnership. Thats according to Oliver Hermes, chairman of the German Eastern Business Association. The German parliament has also denounced the American sanctions as being an attack on the sovereignty of Europe over the latters strategic energy policies. It should be obvious that Washingtons claims about "protecting Europe from energy dependence on Russia" are a preposterous pretext for promoting more expensive American natural gas exports. So much for presumed American free-market capitalism! Now isnt that rich irony? The Trump administration wants Europe to push its anti-China campaign for "free world values against tyranny" and yet Washington is threatening to damage European economies if Europe doesnt buy more expensive gas from America. You could hardly make that farce up. And, still, American officials exhort this ludicrous proposition with a straight face. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Also in the same speech from last week, Pompeo doubled down with the double-think when he said Washington is expecting Russia to join American efforts to impose arms controls on China. At the end of his oration, Pompeo was asked: "Does Russia present an opportunity now to the United States to coax them into the battle to be relentlessly candid about the Chinese Communist Party?" Heres how Americas top diplomat replied: "So I do think theres that opportunity. That opportunity is born of the relationship, the natural relationship between Russia and China, and we can do something as well. There are places where we need to work with Russia. Today or tomorrow, I guess it is, our teams will be on the ground with the Russians working on a strategic dialogue to hopefully create the next generation of arms control agreements like [former US president] Reagan did. Its in our interest, its in Russias interest. Weve asked the Chinese to participate. Theyve declined to date. We hope theyll change their mind". (It is worth bearing in mind that Pompeo was formerly the director of the CIA who bragged about "lying, cheating and stealing" as a professional duty.) Forget the bit about Pompeo expressing concern for "world peace" in his latest address. Whats really going on here is Washington trying to gain leverage over Chinas strategic forces by using Russia as an interlocutor. Thats one of the reasons behind the Trump administrations ambivalence towards extending the New START accord with Moscow. Washington is deliberately gambling with the threat of a new global arms race to put pressure on Moscow and Beijing to conform to its strategic objectives of controlling both. But the immediate point here is Pompeo having the audacity to say the US wants to "work with Russia" in regard to China. This shameless impudence is casually mentioned while Washington is threatening Russias vital interests from its energy trade with Europe. So, lets get this straight: America wants Russia to help it in corralling China "in return" for sabotaging Russias strategic commercial interests with Europe? The utter arrogance of the American Empire is such that it is blind to its own absurdities. Hence its blowhard officials talk without any shame. It wants Europe and Russia to cede to its diktats over energy trade and China and then presumes to lecture the world about the virtues of freedom and democracy. Under its own crass leadership, American global standing is collapsing from the weight of its absurdity. US arrogance is such that it is uniting the world against itself. Washingtons self-absorbed diktats are becoming intolerable, even to formerly subordinate allies in Europe. Americas decline has long been on the cards, but ironically that decline is accelerating under a president who claims to "make America great again". 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 " - Post your comment below See also 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. 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In its latest move to make its products and packaging more sustainable, Food Lion has announced today new sustainability policies for genetically modified food (GMOs) and farm animal welfare. SALISBURY, N.C., July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its latest move to make its products and packaging more sustainable, Food Lion has announced today new sustainability policies for genetically modified food (GMOs) and farm animal welfare. Working in partnership with Retail Business Services, which develops private brand products for each of the Ahold Delhaize USA local brands, Food Lion and Retail Business Services is requiring all private brand products to have clear on-pack Bioengineered Food labeling. At Food Lion, a healthy and sustainable community is at the heart of everything we do, said Geoff Waldau, executive vice president of Merchandising at Food Lion. We are committed to nourishing our neighbors in the towns and cities we serve in a sustainable manner. In addition to providing healthier food choices and more locally sourced products for our customers, we are working hard to deliver greater transparency into the food they buy. The addition of these policies furthers our commitment to nutritious, transparent products that meet our customers preferences and lifestyles. The announcement of these policies builds on previously-announced commitments regarding sustainable chemistry, climate change and artificial ingredients. It also builds on Food Lions announcement that it joined the Ocean Disclosure Project early in 2020 to increase transparency of sustainable seafood sourcing efforts. Food Lion has an industry-leading sustainable seafood policy covering more than 2,500 products, and all its own brand coffee, cocoa, tea and soy products are 100 percent sustainably sourced. GMOs Under the new GMO policy, Food Lion is requiring all private brand products to have clear on-pack Bioengineered Food labeling, well ahead of the Federal Bioengineered labeling deadline of January 1, 2022. Story continues Food Lion supports the National Bioengineered Food* Disclosure Standard and is also committed to monitoring science and assessing risk around GMOs and will look to organizations like the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to continue to enhance the GMO policy. For customers who want to avoid GMOs, Food Lion offers Natures Promise products. None of Food Lions Natures Promise items (organic or non-organic) include any intentionally added GMOs. Food Lion also offers products that are non-GMO certified by a third party. Food Lion does not knowingly sell animal products derived from genetically modified protein sources, including salmon, and does not plan to carry these products in the future. Animal Welfare Food Lion recognizes the importance of ensuring healthy farm animal welfare practices. Food Lion will not tolerate animal abuse and supports the globally recognized Five Freedoms of animal welfare. Under the new farm animal welfare policy, Food Lion expects suppliers of whole or single ingredient cattle products, whole pork products, whole or single ingredient poultry products and other whole or single-ingredient products derived from farm animals to have an established publicly-facing animal welfare policy, report annually that they meet animal welfare acceptable levels of assurance and disclose progress through an annual animal welfare assessment and provide adequate training in their native language to all individuals involved with the direct handling of animals throughout the supply chain. The animal welfare policy also addresses the following key areas: Animal testing : Food Lion does not support the testing of private brand food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products and their ingredients on animals; nor does it ask suppliers of private brand products to conduct animal testing, unless there is a legal obligation. Antimicrobials : Food Lion supports the judicious use of antimicrobials on farm to help sick and injured farm animals with a veterinarians oversight. Food Lion does not support the use of antimicrobials medically crucial to humans nor the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in animal farming. Broiler Chickens: Food Lion recognizes concerns related to growth size and rate and stocking density of chickens raised for meat production and is actively speaking with suppliers, stakeholders and animal welfare experts to develop a set of product standards related to breed, stocking density and enriched environments and examining science-based studies to make updates to the animal welfare policy. Confined housing systems: Food Lion has committed to working with suppliers to reach a 100 percent cage-free shell egg assortment by 2025 or sooner. Food Lion understands there are several confinement concerns linked to gestation stalls for breeding pigs or sows, and the companies are asking pork suppliers to transition to group housing and eliminate the use of gestation stalls by 2025 or sooner. Growth hormones : Food Lion sells only private brand milk products free of the artificial growth hormone rBST/rBGH. Additionally, the Food Lion offers Natures Promise free from meat that prohibits the use of hormones and growth stimulants. Pain management: Food Lion expects suppliers of fresh and frozen products derived from whole or single ingredient cattle, pork, poultry and other whole or single-ingredient products derived from farm animals to have written policies detailing best practices for managing painful procedures to reduce suffering. The animal welfare policy applies to all suppliers. Food Lion will begin working toward compliance with private brand suppliers and work with all suppliers to improve compliance throughout the total assortment of whole or single ingredient products by 2025. Ahold Delhaize USA companies will begin annual reporting on the areas covered by the animal welfare policy beginning in 2021. Food Lion will continue to enhance its sustainability policies over time that align with its commitment to caring for its neighbors. About Food Lion Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 77,000 associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored by a strong commitment to affordability, freshness and the communities it serves. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company has donated more than 500 million meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1 billion more meals by 2025. Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com. CONTACTS: Emma A. Inman, APR emma.inman@foodlion.com (757) 408-0110 Matt Harakal matthew.harakal@foodlion.com (704) 245-3317 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b11235fc-b39f-4a44-a8da-00e98e3649ff BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: Decision about the blocked deposits of liquidated banks in Azerbaijan is expected to be made during the upcoming week, Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov said. Rustamov made the remark at a press conference, Trend reports. According to the chairman, Constitutional Court in Azerbaijan held meeting in connection with the blocked deposits in four previously closed banks. Illegal acceptance of deposits in the closed banks occurred without CBA's control, he said. Rustamov said that the banks sign a contract with the population on such terms that they actually receive the status of savings deposit. We believe it's not the population's fault. The bank owners are guilty, and the rights of citizens must be restored. The Constitutional Court is dealing with this matter. The internal processes are underway. More than 1,300 people will have access to deposits worth 62 million manat [$36.4 million]," he said, expressing hope for a favorable outcome of the court's decision. (1 USD = 1.7 manat on July 30) --- Follow the author on Twitter: @eldarjanashvili WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aveshka is proud to announce that several Federal Regulatory Agencies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), have issued five separate contract awards to Aveshka to provide comprehensive technical and advisory services on health and safety and operational matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our extensive subject matter expertise is informed by science and real-world experience in managing major public health crises," said Andy Weis, Aveshka Senior Vice President, Growth and Operations. "FDIC is leveraging our knowledge as they are committed to prioritizing the health and safety of their staff and improving their current readiness posture." Aveshka has well over 100 experts currently supporting response efforts related to COVID-19. Aveshka's services provide a tailored approach to ensure operational continuity and workforce protection, a safe return to operations, and readiness for future all-hazards crises for any type of organization. Various organizations, including school districts, financial institutions, and commercial real estate firms have recently sought Aveshka's offerings and services to support their transitions to the "new normal." "We were at the ready to provide support to our financial regulatory agency customers at an extremely critical time," said Priscilla Golden, Aveshka Program Director for CDC and FDIC programs. "With a large teamexperienced professionals in public health preparedness and response, pandemic planning and response, clinical medicine, industrial hygiene, business continuity, and health communicationswe are positioned to expeditiously expand and tailor our COVID-19 response support services to any business or industry." Join Aveshka public health experts and experts from Atlantic Union Bank and Deep Water Point in an upcoming webinar on August 12, 2020, "Reconfigure, Reconstruct, and Re-Enter: Mitigating Risk While Sustaining Business Continuity and Enhanced Enterprise Value" covering how financial institutions and organizations can maintain and evolve a safe and secure working environment for their employees and the enduring impacts COVID-19 may have on this industry and its shareholders. ABOUT AVESHKA, INC. Aveshka is a thought leader that integrates strategy, technology and innovation to deliver cutting edge, breakthrough solutions that strengthen the nation against security threats. Aveshka accelerates the advantage for its customers' missions, rendering them protected today and prepared for a safer and smarter tomorrow. For more information, visit www.aveshka.com. SOURCE Aveshka, Inc. New Delhi, July 30 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated her government bungalow in south Delhi's upscale Lodhi Estate, sources said on Thursday. A top source close to Priyanka said that she has vacated the house at Lodhi Estate. The government had asked Priyanka, who is also party in-charge for eastern Uttar Pradesh, to vacate the bungalow by August 1 as she is no more a Special Protection Group (SPG) protectee. Priyanka has been residing in the Lodhi Estate bungalow since 1997. The bungalow has now been allotted to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni. On Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had invited Baluni over tea, but the BJP leader politely declined, citing health grounds. However, he promised the Congress leader a sumptuous traditional Uttarakhand meal, once he shifts to the bungalow. Baluni also promised Priyanka a meal consisting of delicacies like 'Manduve ke Roti', 'Jhangore ki kheer' (both made of millets), Pahadi raita and 'Bhatt ke Chutkani' (black beans daal), once the BJP's media in charge is in his new residence. Thanking her for her invite, Baluni cited the cancer treatment he underwent in Mumbai which requires him to be in isolation for some more time before he can venture out. Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, Priyanka Gandhi spoke to Baluni over the phone. She took to Twitter to say: "Spoke to Anil Baluni and his wife I pray for their health and prosperity". The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its June 30 communication, had said that Priyanka Gandhi had been assigned 'Z plus' security with CRPF cover on an all-India basis, which didn't have any provision for allotment or retention of the government accommodation. The US and UK have been at odds over the fate of the Londoners, who are accused of involvement in the capture and killing of more than half a dozen British and American citizens in Syria. - Hussein Malla/AP Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, has said he is hopeful of a good outcome in the coming weeks in the case of Islamic State suspects The Beatles, raising the prospect the US could be preparing to extradite the pair for trial. Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee ElSheikh, who have been stripped of their British citizenship, are currently in American custody in Iraq after being brought over the border with Syria. The US and UK have been at odds over the fate of the Londoners, who are accused of involvement in the capture and killing of more than half a dozen British and American citizens in Syria. They are believed to make up two of a four-man team of Britons nicknamed The Beatles, who tortured Western Islamic State prisoners. Britains Supreme Court ruled in March ruled that it was unlawful for authorities to cooperate with the US in a high-profile terrorism case without first being assured that the men would not face the death penalty, which the UK objects to. Secretary Of State Pompeo Testifies Before Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Greg Nash/The Hill The UK earlier this month told their American counterparts that they were suspending sending over all evidence in criminal cases because the US still uses capital punishment. The US has so far not offered any assurances, leaving Kotey, 36, and ElSheikh, 32, in limbo. Speaking at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Mr Pompeo said, however: We are making progress, working with important partners who want justice but have a different set of rules, he said, alluding to the UK. Its working to convince them that proceeding to bring them (The Beatles) to justice is the right approach. I am very hopeful in the coming weeks we will have a good outcome here. When we make a decision to bring someone back from some place else, either through extradition or another legal process, those countries say because we have the death penalty (...) they cannot permit that to happen, or share the information we might need to complete a successful prosecution. Story continues One of our roles is to convince those countries to permit us to do that. Secretary Of State Pompeo testifies before Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Nicole Tung/AP Families of some of the victims of The Beatles have appealed to the US Department of Justice to consider dropping the death penalty as they say they would rather see the pair sentenced to life in prison. "The UK has spoken," said Diane Foley, whose journalist son James was killed on video by one of The Beatles. "They're not going to share it without us taking the death penalty off the table." New evidence recently surfaced in which Kotey and ElSheikh admitted torturing Americans, including Mr Foley, during an on-camera interview. We implore President Trump, Attorney General William Barr and the Justice Department to have the detainees brought to the United States to face trial, three of the families said in a joint letter to the Washington Post last week. Like any grieving relatives, we want to know the full truth about what happened to our loved ones, and we want to see our childrens murderers held accountable. These things can happen only if the suspects are put on trial before a jury in an American court of law. Eleven Louisiana bar owners filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Gov. John Bel Edwards, arguing his coronavirus rules limiting bars to takeout and delivery unlawfully target one business sector and impose overly harsh restrictions. The lawsuit names the Democratic governor and Fire Marshal Butch Browning, the chief enforcement officer of the virus regulations for Edwards, as defendants. It was filed in Lafayette federal court by bars located across Acadiana, including in New Iberia, Morgan City, Youngsville and Lafayette. The bars argue Edwards cannot show a real or substantial relation between the closure of bars to onsite drinking and the public health crisis. They say only a small number of known COVID-19 cases have been traced to bars by the state, and they say none of those cases were tracked to their businesses. +6 Lafayette bar owners call closure 'worst-case scenario' as coronavirus cases keep climbing Lafayette's bar owners have had mixed responses to Gov. John Bel Edwards' decision to shut down bars beginning Monday, but there is one thing Lawyer Jimmy Faircloth, representing the bar owners, said Edwards coronavirus restrictions may have warranted the benefit of the doubt in the early days of the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease caused by the virus. But he said more scientific data is available, and he argues that data undermines Edwards decision. Further, the public has become well versed in the art of social distancing, and businesses have learned to alter their environments to accommodate this practice. Simply put, although perhaps justified months ago, it is no longer sufficient to rely on hysteria, hearsay or biased commentary as a basis to impose overly-broad, draconian restrictions on fundamental rights, wrote Faircloth, a one-time executive counsel to former Gov. Bobby Jindal. The Louisiana Department of Health says it has traced 464 confirmed coronavirus infections to 41 bars, among the largest number of cases tracked to a specific type of business. Edwards banned onsite consumption at bars earlier this month after previously allowing bars to reopen with restaurants and other businesses. But the governor and his health advisers said bars have shown to be specifically problematic because people tend to huddle closely together inside without masks while drinking and lapse in their virus precautions the more alcohol they consume. Top stories in Acadiana in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up The White Houses coronavirus task force recommended that Louisiana close bars to reduce public health risks and to lessen the spread of the virus. Gov. Edwards is confident that the action he has taken to close bars to on premises consumption is both legal and necessary to protect the health and safety of the people of Louisiana, and the White House agrees with him, Edwards spokeswoman Christina Stephens said in a statement Wednesday. She added: Louisiana has seen increasing case counts in recent weeks, and the governor did what is necessary to reduce the spread and make sure our health care system is not overrun. Hospital leaders in the Acadiana region have worried about the rising number of COVID-19 patients in their facilities, saying they are running out of space and canceling some elective surgeries. The bars argue in their lawsuit that the virus cases tracked to bars represent less than half of 1 percent of the more 100,000 confirmed cases across Louisiana. The lawsuit says that suggests bars do not pose a disproportionately high risk to the public that justifies restrictions targeted specifically to them. They say Edwards actions violate federal and state constitutional protections. Louisiana has had more than 112,000 confirmed coronavirus cases since early March, according to the state health department. Another 69 deaths were reported Wednesday, bringing the number of Louisiana residents who have died from COVID-19 to 3,769. Giving evidence in court, Charlie Elphicke wept as he listed a number of regrets that he had. And yet as he was last night found guilty of three charges of sexual assault many will conclude that his biggest regret of all was being found out. Indeed, so frequent were his lapses of judgement that its hard to imagine how he could have been considered suitable for public office, let alone the job of a Conservative whip, responsible for party discipline. An accomplished liar, now, finally, he must face the consequences a reputation in ruins, a criminal record, a very probable spell in prison and the end of his marriage. Immediately after the conviction, Elphickes wife Natalie announced that she has left him. Charlie Elphicke was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault on Wednesday. His wife, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke announced they had split immediately after the conviction A successful finance lawyer who was awarded an OBE in 2015 for her services to the housing industry, she had been at his side every day throughout the three-week trial, arriving hand in hand, putting on a show of stoic support and loyalty. Behind the scenes, however, a close friend of the couple revealed that the marriage has been in trouble for some time and spoke of furious rows as her patience finally ran out. The friend said: She gritted her teeth to accompany him to court. She was as steadfast in her support of him as a woman could ever be expected to be. She went to court with him for the sake of her family. After her very public humiliation not only were there sexual assaults on a series of women, but also a two-year affair, all laid bare few will be surprised that shes finally had enough. Charlie Elphickes dramatic downfall started one evening in 2007 with a woman in her 30s with whom he found himself alone in his Belgravia townhouse. His wife was away on a business trip and their two young children asleep upstairs. First he quizzed the woman about her sex life, asking if she was into bondage and whether she liked silk or leather. Then he pounced on her, kissed and groped her, before chasing her around the house chanting Im a naughty Tory and slapping her bottom in a scene described as being straight out of a Benny Hill sketch. Natalie Elphicke was seen leaving Southwark Crown Court alone on Thursday, following the conviction of her husband Charlie on three counts of sexual assault Elphicke a former Government Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury was MP for Dover from 2010 to 2019, stepping aside before last December's election when his wife Natalie (right) stood instead While Elphicke denied the comments and the pursuit, he admitted that he shared a consensual kiss prompted, he claimed, by her dropping a number of chocolates into his open mouth. In a moment of extreme stupidity I forgot who I was... I forgot where I was, the 49-yearold said. I should not have let this happen the buck stops with me. It was one of the greatest regrets of my life. Until, that is, the next one. That came in 2015 when he started a two year affair with a second young woman whom he had met through his work. Naturally, all done behind his wife Natalies back. But even those extra-marital activities didnt stop Elphickes roving eye from latching on to woman No3, a Parliamentary worker in her early 20s. Whining about his unhappy marriage, the then Tory MP for Dover plied her with champagne, after which he kissed and groped her. A second assault took place at a later date. Again Elphicke painted a different picture, claiming that he had merely propositioned her. He had, he said, lost his head after becoming besotted by the amazing younger womans vitality and smile. When she complained about what had happened to party whips, Elphicke lied and lied again first to senior party members then to police and his wife, calling the claims appalling and untrue. I should not have lied to the police, I should have just fronted it up, he said in court. I should have told the whole truth rather than half of the truth. It was a terrible mistake. Im sorry. Given last nights guilty verdicts, its safe to assume the apology cut little ice with the jury. It certainly didnt with his wife. The Mail can reveal how Charlie Elphicke already had a reputation for making unwanted approaches to young women, long before his accusers went to the police. Last night a Tory activist told the Mail how Elphicke had used the same naughty catchphrase after leching after his fiancee at the Tory Party annual conference in Manchester in 2009. Attending a private dinner, the activist said Elphicke, accompanied by wife Natalie, spotted that the woman, some years his junior, was wearing a diamond engagement ring. He asked to have a look at her ring saying he was an expert in diamonds, he said. Then he started stroking her hand and said you can do better than that. Basically he was humiliating me and leching over her. I felt like punching him and with hindsight I wished I had done. But I was young, my boss was there and I did not want to make a scene. The way he spoke he sounded like a pantomime villain. Boris Johnson met with Elphicke (left) in Dover last July, several months before he decided not stand at the December General Election His wife could see what was going on and acted as though it was normal. He was looking at my fiancee in a very predatory way. I think he enjoyed belittling me. The activist said a second incident occurred involving his fiancee and Elphicke at a function at a London restaurant. He started playing footsie with her under the table and kept asking her are you naughty? Are you naughty?, he said. When we heard the evidence from the court case and the naughty Tory line we knew [the complainant] wasnt lying. Elphickes predatory behaviour finally caught up with him in the autumn of 2017 as ripples from the #MeToo movement, inspired by revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, were spreading into every corner of society. They soon reached the British political establishment as details of what was to be dubbed the Pestminster Scandal emerged. As a number of MPs were publicly accused of inappropriate behaviour, revelations came to light about the existence of a dirty dossier compiled by Westminster researchers containing the names of almost 40 Conservative MPs. Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, Elphicke was found guilty on three counts of sexual assault Those named in the dossier were accused of a range of misdemeanours including cheating on their spouses and being handsy at parties. A redacted version of the list with the MPs names blanked out was published on the Guido Fawkes political gossip website. Following its publication, newspapers received an email from libel lawyers Carter Ruck acting on behalf of Elphicke. It warned any allegation relating to Mr Elphicke appearing on the list of MPs (as published by Guido Fawkes) is false and any publication of the allegation made against him, or even the fact that his name appears on the list, is defamatory. The Mail can now reveal that the entry in question alleged that Elphicke had been inappropriate with members of the opposite sex. It was against this fevered background that on November 4, 2017, news broke that he had been suspended from the Conservative Party and that serious allegations had been referred to the police. He and Natalie came out fighting: the MP expressing his surprise, shock and anger and stating that he had no idea at all what it was he had been accused of, and his wife saying she and her family had been hung out to dry by the Tory Party. After a lengthy police investigation, charges of sexual assault involving two women were brought in July 2019. Elphicke stood down from his seat, with his wife duly picked by his constituency party to replace him. In her victory speech she praised her husband as the best MP the area had had, adding that she was delighted to be given the opportunity to build on his legacy. The united front shown by the couple would be maintained as she helped Elphicke prepare to face trial. Given her background, that is perhaps hardly surprising both she and her husband are lawyers. Grammar-school educated Mrs Elphicke studied law at the University of Kent before going on to specialise in the field of housing finance. Elphicke, meanwhile, took his law degree at Nottingham University having attended fee-paying Felsted School in Essex. His father Geoffrey was a company director while his mother Mary-Jo dabbled in local politics before herself unsuccessfully standing as a Parliamentary candidate for the Tories in the 1979 election. She re-married and over the next 20 years wrote 45 books for Mills & Boon under the pen-name of Mary Lyons. Coincidentally, Elphichkes older sister is also married to a former Tory MP Mark Field who left the Commons last year. Having spent his 20s and 30s as a tax lawyer, in 2010 Elphicke successfully stood in the safe Conservative seat of Dover. The couples work commitments were juggled with raising their two children, a girl and boy. It was just months after their son was born in 2007 that the first of the offences took place. With his wife away on business for the first time since the birth and the children in bed in their Belgravia townhouse, Elphicke invited the woman to share a 40 bottle of wine with him. I think he talked about me and my boyfriend, she told the court. He started talking about what we liked in a sexual way... I just remember saying thats not really what we should be talking about. Moments after the former MP's conviction, Natalie Elphicke sent a tweet out to followers announcing they would be getting to divorced He was saying Do you like silk and leather or something and about a bondage-type thing. It was, she said, embarrassing and excruciating. But what followed, she added, was much worse. He just basically jumped on me, she said. He pushed me down by my shoulders and he had his knee between my legs and he was groping my breast. He was trying to put his mouth on my mouth. It wasnt what Id describe as a peck. It was like an opened mouth smush on my face. He was all over me. The court heard how Elphicke subsequently paid her a sum of money some 5,000 in increments of 100 and 500. When interviewed by police Elphicke claimed the woman had demanded to be paid compensation. Asked if he had ever told his wife about the payments, Elphicke told police: No. The second victim told how in 2016, she found herself in Elphickes company sharing a bottle of champagne in Westminster. They were discussing their mutual liking for Abba when he told her I really do like you and assaulted her. She described feeling threatened by Elphicke whom she said had a Jekyll and Hyde personality, telling police she had heard him say: People in my good books go a long way. People in my bad books dont. She said: The message I was getting was, Dont p**s me off. Elphicke told the court he believed that she was equally attracted to him and invited her to meet him at his flat, where he waited for several hours but she never came. I felt like a complete idiot, he told the court. His victim said she decided to come forward about the allegations in November 2017 when government whips contacted her over a probe they had started into Elphicke. As the police investigation progressed, rumours spread in his constituency that he had been having an affair. He eventually admitted this to his wife, but failed to tell her or the police about his attraction to the other woman he was accused of assaulting in 2016. Elphicke said he feared if he also owned up to this it would have proved too much for his wife, only admitting his true feelings in March this year as they prepared for the trial. It was very, very difficult, he said. Ive got a lot of work to do. Shes most upset that I didnt tell her at the outset. Yet another regret to add to the list of others. As part of his plea agreement, Verduzco admitted to possessing 28 grams of crack and 171 grams of methamphetamine as drug-involvement conduct, and he admitted that he had assisted someone else in illegally purchasing a firearm, according to the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 01:51:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Pilgrims pray in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on July 29, 2020. (Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media/Handout via Xinhua) The Hajj rituals begin on Wednesday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The number of pilgrims for this year's Hajj has been greatly reduced to ensure social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. RIYADH, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday embarked on the first day of their Hajj rituals in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by Saudi ministry of media. The pilgrims started the major Islamic pilgrimage after finishing four days of hotel isolation in Mecca and prior to that a week-long quarantine at home, as part of the preventative measures to guard against COVID-19. Pilgrims circumambulate the sacred site Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on July 29, 2020. (Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media/Handout via Xinhua) The pilgrims, some of them carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from the fierce sun, observed social distancing as they circumambulated the sacred site Kaaba, the building at the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque draped in gold-embroidered cloth toward which Muslims around the world pray. Hajj authorities have cordoned the Kaaba this year, while pilgrims are not allowed to touch it, so as to limit the chances of COVID-19 infection. Pilgrims circumambulate the sacred site Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on July 29, 2020. (Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media/Handout via Xinhua) The pilgrimage this year is limited to citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia, who meet preset conditions and have been subjected to quarantine procedures. Individuals from 160 nationalities residing in the Kingdom have been selected to perform the Hajj. The number of pilgrims for this year's Hajj has been dramatically reduced to ensure that the social distancing measures are adhered to. Foreigners residing in Saudi Arabia make up to 70 percent of the total number of pilgrims while Saudi citizens account for the remaining 30 percent. OTTAWA, ON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - The Government of Canada remains committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Canada. For public health reasons, the temporary restriction on all optional or discretionary travel at the Canada-United States (U.S.) border remains in place. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is announcing that as of July 31, 2020, at 12:01 am PDT, stricter rules and additional entry conditions will be imposed on travellers transiting through Canada to Alaska for a non-discretionary purpose. These measures are put in place to further reduce the risk of introduction of COVID-19 cases and to minimize the amount of time that in-transit travellers are in Canada. More specifically, foreign nationals transiting through Canada to Alaska: must enter Canada at one of the five identified CBSA ports of entry (POE): 1) Abbotsford-Huntingdon (British Columbia) 2) Coutts (Alberta) 3) Kingsgate (British Columbia) 4) North Portal (Saskatchewan) 5) Osoyoos (British Columbia) will be allowed a reasonable period of stay to carry out the transit; will be limited to travel within Canada using the most direct route from the POE to the intended POE of exit, while avoiding all national parks, leisure sites and tourism activities; and, using the most direct route from the POE to the intended POE of exit, while avoiding all national parks, leisure sites and tourism activities; and, will be required, before entering the U.S., to report to the nearest CBSA POE to confirm their exit from Canada . In-transit travellers will be issued a vehicle "hang tag" to be attached to their rear view mirror for the duration of their trip to or from Alaska to support compliance while they are in Canada. The front of the tag will make it clear that the travellers are transiting and include the date they must depart Canada. The back of the tag will remind travellers to comply with all conditions imposed upon entry and the Quarantine and Emergencies Acts and a list of public health and safety measures to follow. These measures also apply to foreign nationals transiting to the U.S. through Canada from Alaska. However, entry into Canada from Alaska on the northern border is not limited to designated POEs. Additional measures might be imposed at time of entry by a border services officer (BSO). Upon arrival at one of the designated POE, in-transit travellers must satisfy a BSO that they meet the requirements for entry into Canada. Travellers are encouraged to have documentation that will demonstrate their purpose of travel. The final decision is made by a BSO, based on the information available to them at time of entry. Following admission into Canada, in-transit travellers are provided with a Public Health Agency of Canada handout. The document clearly states that travellers should: avoid contact with others while in transit; remain in the vehicle as much as possible; not make any unnecessary stops; practice physical distancing at all times; pay at the pump if they need gas; use a drive through if they need food; wear a suitable mask or face covering while in transit; and, ensure good hygiene practices if they need to use a rest area. In-transit travellers are encouraged to use only those services that are open to travellers along the direct route on which they are travelling. Travellers who arrive at a non-identified POE for the purpose of transiting to Alaska will be denied entry and advised to go to one of the five identified POEs. No matter the reason for travel, all foreign nationals who have COVID-19 or exhibit any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to enter Canada. Providing false information to a BSO may lead to consequences such as being denied entry and/or banned from returning to Canada. Quick Facts The Canada-U.S. temporary border restriction put in place on March 21 at 12:01 am EDT continues. All discretionary/optional travel remains prohibited. at continues. All discretionary/optional travel remains prohibited. Foreign nationals are only admitted to Canada in circumstances where the traveller is considered to be transiting through to Alaska for a non-discretionary purpose such as work or going to primary residence. in circumstances where the traveller is considered to be transiting through to for a purpose such as work or going to primary residence. The CBSA consulted with implicated federal partners, provinces and territory in the development of the stricter rules and conditions being imposed on travellers transiting to Alaska . . As of March 31, 2020 , travellers arriving in Canada must provide their contact information to a border services officer (either by paper, online, via the ArriveCAN App or verbally to the officer) when seeking entry. This information is collected on behalf of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to support their compliance and enforcement of the 14-day quarantine or isolation requirement outlined in Order in Council 2020-0524. , travellers arriving in must provide their contact information to a border services officer (either by paper, online, via the ArriveCAN App or verbally to the officer) when seeking entry. This information is collected on behalf of the Public Health Agency of (PHAC) to support their compliance and enforcement of the 14-day quarantine or isolation requirement outlined in Order in Council 2020-0524. The CBSA collects contact information on behalf of PHAC who, along with provincial/territorial health authorities, monitor and track individuals from a public health perspective. Failure to comply with the current border restrictions is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to $750,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months. If a traveller causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations, they could be liable for up to $1,000,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years. and could lead to up to in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 6 months. If a traveller causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening this act or the regulations, they could be liable for up to in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to 3 years. For the latest on cross-border programs and services, travellers can call the CBSA ' s Border Information Service at 1-800-461-9999. Associated Links Media Line: 613-957-6500 or 1-877-761-5945 Website: www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca Twitter: @CanBorder Facebook: CanBorder Instagram: CanBorder YouTube: CanBorder SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency Related Links http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/ BEIRUT and NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FFA Private Bank ("FFA") and Ankura have entered into a teaming agreement to provide a suite of advisory and consulting services to the Lebanese market in response to the current financial crisis. FFA is one of the region's leading investment banks with a deep understanding of the Lebanese financial sector. Ankura is a leading global business advisory firm specializing in Turnaround & Restructuring, M&A, Forensic Accounting, Due Diligence, and Regulatory Advisory capabilities. This collaboration comes at an important time to provide critical expertise and resources that can help address and alleviate the challenges facing the financial services industry and more broadly impacting the Country's economy. It is vital that financial institutions have access to expert resources that can help them develop and evaluate strategies designed to help them navigate the financial crisis. In such an environment, integrated turnaround plans, restructuring, valuations and due diligence are core skills essential to any serious effort to revitalize businesses by making informed decisions and realizing winning strategies. Only a handful of global companies offer such a suite of services at the required level. The collaboration between FFA and Ankura will result in a comprehensive and best in class localized market offering across a comprehensive range of services. "Restructuring, turnaround, due diligence and forensic reviews services in the local market are foundational to support strategic repositioning of financial institutions in order to facilitate growth as part of a renewed and vibrant Lebanese economy," indicated Jean Riachi, CEO of FFA. "The current crisis does not change the fact that while many Lebanese commercial banks and businesses still enjoy fundamental strengths, they will likely need to adapt to the new operating environment in order to renew with success. FFA's independence and exclusive focus on advisory services, together with our alliance with Ankura, give us a unique positioning to cater to the turnaround needs." "Ankura is delighted to partner with FFA," said Simon Michaels, Ankura Chairman of EMEA and APAC. "With offices in the Middle East, we are committed to the region and look forward to offering our extensive international capabilities to the Lebanese market." With a consistent process-driven approach aimed to understand issues and stabilize, restructure and turnaround troubled institutions, Ankura's highly skilled and tested experts bring insights and solutions to help solve complex problems in challenging situations, allowing for successful resolutions and creating value for stakeholders. About FFA Founded in 1994, FFA was granted a specialized banking license in 2007 by Banque du Liban. The Bank also operates from within the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) through its subsidiary bank, FFA Private Bank (Dubai) Ltd. Today, FFA Group is one of the region's leading banks specialized in Capital Markets, Wealth Management, Real Estate and Investment Banking. It has consolidated shareholders' equity in excess of USD 45 million and over USD 1.5 billion in total assets under management. About Ankura Ankura is a global business advisory and expert services firm defined by HOW we solve challenges. Whether a client is facing an immediate business challenge, trying to increase the value of their company or protect against future risks, Ankura designs, develops, and executes tailored solutions by assembling the right combination of expertise. We help clients navigate a wide range of corporate performance and risk management challenges, including those pertaining to compliance, investigations, forensics, technology, turnaround and restructuring, and corporate strategy. We build on this experience with every case, client, and situation, collaborating to create innovative, customized solutions, and strategies designed for today's ever-changing business environment. This gives our clients unparalleled insight and experience across a wide range of economic, governance, and regulatory challenges. At Ankura, we know that collaboration drives results. For more information, please visit: www.ankura.com. SOURCE Ankura Related Links https://ankura.com By Ann Saphir and Jonnelle Marte OAKLAND, Calif./NEW YORK (Reuters) - After surviving two strokes at age 27, Olivia Colt threw herself into starting a catering business, a lifelong dream. Ten years and another stroke later, she had built Salt & Honey Catering Plus Events into a thriving operation in downtown Oakland. Now with the coronavirus pandemic forcing cancellations of her customers' weddings and events, she has slashed her staff from 25 to six and tried to drum up new business by selling groceries online. She secured a $100,000 forgivable loan under the U.S. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and another $150,000 loan under a federal program usually used for natural disasters. She expected the money to get her through just a few months of hardship. But the hardships are dragging on. "Ive applied for all the grants and loans, I have maxed out my credit card, used my company's reserves, spent my savings," she said. Colt now fears she may have to shutter her business permanently. Many small businesses nationwide are reaching similar breaking points in an economy with the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression. Small firms have survived the pandemic so far with a mix of government aid, forbearance on debt and rent and creativity in selling to an increasingly homebound and financially distressed populace. As the first wave of U.S. aid runs short - and landlords and lenders lose patience - lawmakers are in tense negotiations over a new round of stimulus, which could include more money for small business. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Most firms have already run out of the money they secured from the $600 billion Paycheck Protection Program, according to a survey released this week from the National Federation of Independent Business, a leading trade group for small U.S. firms. The federation also found in early July that 23% of respondents expected to be out of business within six months unless economic conditions change.. Bill Phelan - who tracks small business borrowing for credit reporting firm Equifax Inc. - says defaults are up sharply to about 2.7% of small business debt. By next year, his models are predicting a rise to 5% or 6%. (For a graphic on business default trends, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2CVqyzZ ) Story continues Defaults peaked at 6.35% in 2009, during the Great Recession, Phelan's data shows. Then, U.S. government stimulus totaled less than $1 trillion - compared with $3 trillion so far since the pandemic hit. "The forbearance and the PPP have helped out a ton, but they cant go on forever," he said. Without a vaccine to fight new waves of infection, Phelan expects double-digit rates of default in hard-hit sectors including hospitality, food service, and retail. Business owners like Colt are hard-pressed to stay open without piling up more debt - with no guarantees of success. "Is it worth taking on more debt, if your business cant survive?" she asked. SURVIVAL STRUGGLE Colt, whose mother and grandmother immigrated from the Dominican Republic, moved her kitchen in May to a cheaper space in industrial West Oakland. Her previous landlord initially had been understanding but soon started demanding payments she could no longer afford. The new business she's cobbled together isn't enough. Sales are a third of her pre-pandemic projections. So now she's talking to accountants and lawyers about how to shut down her business - while praying it never comes to that. Similar dramas are playing out nationwide, especially in states where surges of infection are forcing local officials to tighten restrictions on businesses. Worried consumers are also choosing to stay home and spend less, data from JP Morgan credit-card purchases show. That's making business owners take a hard look at shutting down for good, said Ari Takata-Vasquez, who leads the Oakland Indy Alliance, a group of about 500 small firms in Northern California, including Colt's. "Three weeks ago I noticed a shift in energy," Takata-Vasquez said. "A lot more people seem to have closure on the table." Some 44% of members surveyed recently have only enough money to operate for three months or less, Takata-Vasquez says. To help forestall a rash of failures, the Oakland organization this week launched a campaign to raise $4 million from donors to finance grants to local firms, with priority given to businesses owned by immigrants and people of color. Business owners who brave the economic conditions still face the ever-present threat of a health-related shutdown. Colt closed her catering operation for two weeks in May, when a worker called in with a fever, to allow her staff to get tested and wait for results. The tests did not find coronavirus. Farley's East cafe, which used to sell lunches and lattes to Oakland's downtown office workers, has now burned through its PPP funds and gets by through a contract with a nonprofit organization that buys meals from restaurants and distributes them to those in need. Co-owner Chris Hillyard says the cafe's long-term viability depends on office buildings reopening - an outcome looking unlikely anytime soon as California leads U.S. states in COVID-19 infections and area schools won't reopen until the surge subsides. "We're hanging on," Hillyard says. WHAT NEXT? Thousands of miles away in Florida, toy importer Basic Fun Inc says sales are rising sharply as big retailers including Walmart Inc and Target Corp return to more normal operation. But chief executive Jay Foreman doesn't have the $10 million he needs to buy the merchandise to meet that demand. In Bentonville, Arkansas, Holly Thomas has lost money since February on her printing and shipping company, a family business started by her father three decades ago. She's been paying her five employees, including herself, thanks in large part to a PPP loan of about $55,000. She's trying not to dip into the additional $150,000 she's borrowed from the federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Revenue for this year through July 24 is down 35% compared from last year. She gave up some storage space to reduce her rent costs by a third, but her health insurance expenses increased by 8% in April. At the current pace, she expects to be out of funds by October or November. And then what? She worked previously in the film and music industries, and worries it could be hard to find a job in any industry with millions of people unemployed. "A lot of people are facing that same question - what do I do next?" she said. "I know I'm going to be competing with so many people for just a handful of available jobs." (Reporting by Ann Saphir and Jonnelle Marte; Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh and Tim Aeppel; Editing by Dan Burns and Brian Thevenot) QUITO, Ecuador, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Contrarian Capital Management ("Contrarian") and GMO Emerging Country Debt Fund, GMO Emerging Country debt Investment Fund plc and GMO Emerging Country Debt (UCITS) Fund (collectively, "GMO") filed a federal securities class action against the Republic of Ecuador (the "Republic" or "Ecuador") in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking a preliminary injunction against the Republic in relation to the Republic's solicitation of consents from eligible holders of its bonds and the related invitation to exchange their eligible bonds for a package of new securities to be issued by the Republic, dated July 20, 2020 (the "Invitation to Exchange"). The Republic believes that the legal action initiated by Contrarian and GMO has no merit. Ecuador's market Invitation to Exchange is the outcome of a good faith negotiation with representatives of institutions holding close to 50% of the Republic's 10 series of outstanding series of bonds, with maturities ranging from 2022 to 2030, for a total principal amount outstanding of approximately US$17.4 billion (the "Eligible Bonds"). Pursuant to the agreements and understandings reached on July 6th with a group of bondholders that, as of today, represent more than 53% of the outstanding principal amount of Ecuador's bonds and holding more than or close to 50% of the outstanding principal in almost all series of Eligible Bonds, Ecuador announced its Invitation to Exchange the Eligible Bonds into 3 new series of bonds with maturities in 2030, 2035 and 2040. The Republic therefore disagrees with the contention by Contrarian and GMO, which together hold a small minority of the total outstanding principal amount of the Eligible Bonds, that the Invitation to Exchange is "coercive". Contrarian and GMO's claims are not supported by the terms of indentures under which the outstanding bonds were issued. In fact, their assertion that effectively every holder must agree is inconsistent with the collective action clauses that were agreed to and documented in the indentures, which are expressly intended to allow the Republic to restructure its debt with the consent of a substantial percentage of the holders. The Republic followed international best practices and guidelines including when considering the use of the collective action clauses set forth in its indentures, and remained committed to a market friendly restructuring and to maintaining a cooperative and amicable dialogue with its bondholders in spite of all uncertainties created by the COVID-19 crisis. Contrarian and GMO's demands further conflict with Ecuador's realities, as the country that has suffered the most from the COVID-19 crisis in Latin America. In addition to the health crisis, the Republic has also experienced the impact of the abrupt fall in commodity prices, which in turn resulted in substantial cuts in current and capital spending to withstand the loss in income but is still left with a significant financing gaps for the near future. Ecuador is expected to suffer a contraction of 11% of GDP this year according to the latest IMF estimates. The injuries to the Republic of this action are economic and social in nature. Such legal action could further delay the economic recovery from an unprecedented economic and health crisis. In short, Contrarian and GMO seek to interfere with the decision of a majority of Ecuador's investors, seeking to extract debt service from the Republic of Ecuador above and beyond what was negotiated in good faith with a majority of and its largest creditors through legal proceedings and delaying tactics. The Invitation to Exchange has received overwhelming support both formally through the Ad Hoc Group (representing over 53% of almost all of the bonds) and informally through constructive feedback received from so far more than 10% of bondholders outside the Ad Hoc Group. Ecuador's restructuring proposal has also been visibly welcomed by the international community, including the IMF, the UN, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. The Republic will vigorously oppose this attempt to derail this necessary transformative transaction. If allowed to proceed, such a legal action would threaten to harm the Republic and its citizens, and would create a dangerous and damaging precedent for other emerging markets sovereigns. SOURCE The Republic of Ecuador The only thing more annoying than having a period every month is having to act like it's not happening. This is, unfortunately, a fact of being female. For as long as the uterus has shed its lining, women have been made to feel ashamed for involuntarily bleeding once a month. Read More Ive heard all the stories from my girl friends: the spot of blood left on the toilet seat of a new boyfriends bathroom, the most reliable way to smuggle a tampon into the office bathroom - purse, palm, sleeve, or waistband are the solid methods. Then theres the male shop assistants giving a funny look when we arrive at the checkout with a box of super-plus night-time pads. And even if weve made great strides in accepting our periods as grown women, most of us hide all the paraphernalia associated with menstruating. Case in point: the fact that complaints about a television advertisement for a brand of tampons has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI). Get em up there girls! This was the tagline of the Tampax advertisement. Yes, it was slightly uncomfortable. But then again, so is the topic it was talking about - the fact that far too many women don't insert their tampons far enough into their vaginas and walk around all day feeling sore. Finally, here was an ad teaching girls and women how to properly insert a tampon on Irish television and its been banned. ASAI Chief Executive, Orla Twomey, said in the last four-and-a-half years there have been only seven adverts that have had 60 or more complaints. The ASAI said: "Some complainants considered it to be offensive and inappropriate to talk about such a sensitive topic in the manner portrayed and that the content had been over-descriptive, inappropriately expressed and with excessive detail." I say, grow up Ireland. In 1978, Gloria Steinem wrote a satirical essay about what would happen if men menstruated. Periods would be celebrated - even praised. Cramps would already have a cure and bleeding an average of five days a month would be a symbol of strength. Its so true. I first got my period when I was 12, and it wasnt until the ripe old age of 25 or so that it even dawned on me to not be ashamed of menstruating. I dont think an ad telling us how to use a tampon was ever going to solve all this. But in 2020 we shouldn't have to act like periods are some taboo demon ritual. Information about periods and options for managing them - cup, sponge, pad, tampon - should be widely available. Obviously, Im not saying that we all have to go around yelling about our bleeding vagina to whoever will listen. But equally we need to be so careful about passing shameful attitudes on to our daughters. We need to teach them that periods are just part of life, no big deal, nothing to be ashamed about. If all women do that, maybe we can totally end the shame in one generation. Please, please, stop concealing your period from the men in your life too. Make him do the walk of shame to buy your box of pads every once in a while. Mould your son into the man who will buy tampons without shame. For now, let's all grab some tampons and a few paracetamol and make period pride a thing. Our bodies arent gross or disgusting or shameful. Our bodies arent wrong. There's nothing to hide. Theres nothing to be embarrassed about and we should be allowed to have sanitary products advertised to us. Period. Nepalese authorities have insisted that Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, Lipulekh in Uttarakhands Pithoragarh district fall under Nepals territory where their citizens can move in and said that no hindrances should be put in their movement by Indian authorities. Nepalese authorities claimed that they wrote the letter after officials on the Indian side raised the matter of illegal entry of Nepalese citizens into the Indian territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Gunji under the sub-division of Pithoragarh through a communique. The letter of July 28 written by Darchula district administration of Nepal is said to be in reply to a letter purportedly sent by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Dharchula sub-division of Pithoragarh in which he had apprised his Nepalese counterparts to look into the illegal entry of Nepalese citizens into the Indian territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Gunji under the sub-division of Pithoragarh. The letter from the Nepalese stated that the movement of Nepalese people in those areas (disputed areas) is natural. No hindrances should be put in their movement by Indian authorities. Hindustan Times has copies of both the letters. Tek Singh Kunwar, assistant chief district officer of Neoals Darchula district said after Indian officials raised the issue of illegal movement of our people in Kalapani, Gunji and Limpiyadhura and asked us to stop it, we immediately apprised our higher authorities in Kathmandu on this and later wrote a letter from our side two days ago as per their directions. In the letter written on the official letterhead of Home Ministry, Government of Nepal which also carries the name of the Darchula District administration office, Kunwar stated that As per the Treaty of Sugauli signed between Nepal and erstwhile British East India Company in 1815, the areas east to Kali (Mahakali) river which includes Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, Lipulekh, Gunji, Nabi and Kuti fall under Nepals territory. Hence, the movement of Nepalese people in those areas is natural. No hindrances should be put in their movement by Indian authorities. The Treaty of Sugauli between the British and Nepal was signed in December 1815 and ratified in March 1816. It defined river Kali as the western border of Nepal. India asserts that the river begins in Kalapani as this is where all its tributaries merge, but Nepal claims that the river begins from Lipulekh Pass. Kunwar said as per the new map released by our government, these areas fall under Nepals territory. However, as far as the question of our people going there is not possible because of the existing lockdown. There is a battalion of Nepals armed forces deployed near it in our area who are also carrying out the survey work for construction of a road in our Tinker village near Lipulekh. Indian officials might have got to know about it only, said Kunwar. Meanwhile, AK Shukla sub divisional magistrate of Dharchula in Pithoragarh district denied writing any letter to the Nepalese authorities. I have not written any sort of letter to them, said Shukla when contacted on the issue. District magistrate Pithoragarh Vijay Jogdande also said he was not aware of any letter sent by Nepalese officials. Relations between India and Nepal have soured recently after the former inaugurated a road connecting Dharchula to Lipulekh near border with the Tibet Autonomous Region in China on May 8 to facilitate pilgrims going to Kailash Mansarovar. Following the development, Nepals Parliament on June 18 passed a constitutional amendment under which it unanimously voted to endorse the new political map that shows the areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, tested positive for coronavirus right after previously refusing to wear a mask. Gohmert's test came before he was supposed to board Air Force One with President Donald Trump as Trump travels to West Texas. Gohmert, 66, tweeted out a statement after his diagnosis became public, saying he had tested positive for COVID-19 in both a rapid test and nasal swab test at the White House earlier today. Gohmert used a widely-condemned phrase when referring to the virus in his video statement. "I'm asymptomatic, I don't have any of the symptoms listed as part of COVID-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus," he said. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Harris County ZIP codes with the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases Gohmert also pushed back against reports saying that he was admonished for not wearing a mask during Tuesday's judiciary hearings where Attorney General William Barr testified for nearly six hours. "Look, I've worn a mask more the last week or two than I have in the whole last four months," Gohmert said. "I was wearing my mask at the judiciary hearing." "But it is interesting, and I don't know about everybody, but when I have a mask on, I'm moving it to make it comfortable and I can't help but wonder if that puts some germs in the mask," Gohmert continued. "Anyway, who knows." Gohmert has reportedly been walking around the Capitol without a mask, telling CNN he was being tested regularly for COVID-19 and did not feel the need to wear one. "I don't have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I've never had it. But if I get it, you'll never see me without a mask," Gohmert told CNN last month. After he tested positive, Gohmert reportedly returned to Capitol Hill to inform his staff "in person" that he had contracted coronavirus, ABC News reporter Katherine Faulders tweeted. Faulders said on Twitter that Gohmert was wearing a mask when he spoke to his staff. Gohmert says he will isolate for 10 days after his diagnosis. PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Harmony Biosciences ("Harmony"), a private pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatment options for people living with rare, neurological diseases, announced today that the company is a recipient of Life Sciences Pennsylvania's (LSPA) 2019 Patient Impact Award. Harmony was selected as an honoree based on the company's continued efforts to support patients living with narcolepsy. "At Harmony, patients are at the heart of everything we do. It is an honor to be recognized by LSPA for our work to contribute to the health and wellbeing of people living with narcolepsy," said Cate McCanless, Vice President of External Affairs at Harmony. "We are proud to be recognized as a company that is making a difference in the lives of patients through our continued focus on scientific innovation, advocacy, and patient education." LSPA's Patient Impact Award recognizes a medicine, therapy, device, company, or organization with operations in Pennsylvania that made a significant contribution to the quality of healthcare for patients in 2019. The award was presented during LSPA's 2020 Annual Awards Program, a broadcast documentary focusing on healthcare successes in 2019 and the efforts of the life sciences community in the fight against COVID-19. About Narcolepsy Narcolepsy is a rare, chronic, debilitating neurologic disorder of sleep-wake state instability that impacts up to 200,000 Americans and is primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and cataplexy its two cardinal symptoms along with other manifestations of REM sleep dysregulation, which intrude into wakefulness. EDS is the inability to stay awake and alert during the day and is the symptom that is present in all people living with narcolepsy. In most patients, narcolepsy is caused by the loss of hypocretin, a neuropeptide in the brain that supports sleep-wake state stability. This disorder affects men and women equally, with typical symptom onset in adolescence or young adulthood; however, it can take up to a decade to be properly diagnosed. About Harmony Biosciences Harmony Biosciences is a private pharmaceutical company headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The company was established in October 2017 by Paragon Biosciences, LLC www.paragonbiosci.com with a vision to provide novel treatment options for people living with rare, neurological diseases, with a focus on people living with narcolepsy. For more information on Harmony Biosciences, visit www.harmonybiosciences.com. About Life Sciences Pennsylvania Life Sciences Pennsylvania (LSPA) is the trade association for the Commonwealth's life sciences community. Founded in 1989, LSPA works to ensure Pennsylvania has a business and public policy climate that unites and incentivizes all facets of the state's diverse life sciences economy. LSPA represents biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, research, and investment entities, along with myriad service providers who support the industry. Together, we unify Pennsylvania's innovators to make the Commonwealth a global life sciences leader. Harmony Biosciences Media Contact: Nancy Leone 215-891-6046 [email protected] SOURCE Harmony Biosciences The statue Authority of Law on the steps of the Supreme Court overlooks the U.S. Capitol on June 15, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Arizona Asks Supreme Court to Uphold Election Laws Arizona has filed papers with the Supreme Court in an effort to fight off Democratic Party efforts to relax electoral integrity measures and throw open the state to ballot-harvesting and out-of-precinct voting. The case is cited as Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (DNC). Mark Brnovich is the states Republican attorney general. Prohibiting unlimited third-party ballot harvesting is a commonsense means of protecting the secret ballot and preventing undue influence, voter fraud, ballot tampering, and voter intimidation, Brnovich wrote in court documents. The Supreme Court needs to hear the case because only it can clarify this growing area of law, which is vital to American democracy, Brnovich wrote on Twitter on July 28. The DNC has strategically filed a raft of lawsuits in battleground states in the hope of changing state voting rules in time for the elections in November. Arizona, like other states, has adopted rules to promote the order and integrity of its elections. One provision is an out-of-precinct policy, which doesnt count provisional ballots cast in person on Election Day outside of the voters designated precinct. Another is a ballot-collection law, known as H.B. 2023, that permits only specific persons such as family and household members, caregivers, mail carriers, and election officials to handle another persons completed early ballot. Most states require voters to vote in their own precincts, and around 20 states limit ballot collection, according to court documents. A U.S. district court upheld Arizonas provisions, which were challenged under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court but then at the en banc stage reversed, against the recommendations of the federal government. The provisions regarding ballot-harvesting and out-of-precinct voting were ruled racially discriminatory and therefore unconstitutional by the appeals court. For over a century, Arizona has repeatedly targeted its American Indian, Hispanic, and African American citizens, limiting or eliminating their ability to vote and to participate in the political process, the appeals court wrote. Minority populations, who lean Democratic, have been disproportionately harmed in recent elections by the two Arizona policies, the court wrote. The effort to revive the policies is supported by Republicans, including Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and a group of U.S. senators, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who say they are needed to prevent cheating and disorder in the electoral system. In a brief, Brnovich denounced Democrats, saying they boldly propose that the invalidation of two prevalent, commonsense state election provisions does not warrant review by the high court. Marc Elias of the high-powered Democratic law firm Perkins Coie is listed as counsel of record for the DNC in the Supreme Court docket. Elias has a long history of successfully challenging electoral integrity programs in court. His online biography cites three of his cases in which courts struck down voter-ID laws in Missouri, Iowa, and North Carolina. Elias wrote on the Democracy Docket website on May 24 that he is involved in litigating 16 cases in 13 states with more coming soon. In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, Elias argues that the Republican litigants are misinterpreting the law, and he questioned the legal standing of the states attorney general to represent Arizona in the appeal. This case presents a poor vehicle for certiorari review, and the Court should deny the Petitions, Elias wrote. Elias is also a major figure in the Russiagate conspiracy, aimed to overturn the result of the previous presidential election. A lawyer who represented the DNC and Hillary Clintons campaign in the 2016 election cycle, Elias hired Fusion GPS in April 2016 to conduct opposition research against then-candidate Trump, The Washington Post previously reported. That research effort culminated in the salacious, discredited 35-page dossier written by former British spy Christopher Steele that purported to tie Trump to the Russian government. The various DNC lawsuits aim to enshrine what Elias calls the Four Pillars to safeguarding voting rights with vote by mail, a legal template endorsed by left-of-center activists including former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who called the pillars the gold standard. Those pillars require that with voting-by-mail, postage must be free or prepaid by the government, ballots mailed on or before Election Day must count, signature matching laws need to be reformed to protect voters, and community organizations should be permitted to help collect and deliver voted, sealed ballots. Language implementing the pillars has been included in the $3 trillion proposed Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act that the House passed May 15, as well as in the proposed VoteSafe Act and the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act. Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder leaves the federal courthouse after an initial hearing following charges against him and four others alleging a $60 million bribery scheme, in Columbus, Ohio, on July 21, 2020. (Jay LaPrete/AP Photo) Ohio House Speaker Facing Bribery Charges Gets Removed From Leadership Position The Ohio House leader accused of heading a $60 million money laundering scheme was voted out of his position on Thursday. Larry Householder, a Republican, was removed as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. The unanimous 90-9 vote came with nine members, including Householder, absent, local news outlets reported. Householder is still a representative. It was clear that Mr. Householder is unable to effectively lead the House, House GOP leadership said in a statement to news outlets after the vote. This is an opportunity to move the House forward and continue our work to move Ohio forward. It is our hope that the Ohio House will soon elect a new Speaker to lead this institution. House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, a Democrat, said the charges Householder faces meant he could no longer serve as House speaker. His removal is the first step toward restoring public trust, which for the second time in three years has been eroded by Republican leadership that sees itself as above the law, she said in a statement. Sykes and other Democrats hope Republicans quickly choose their next leader so the legislature can do its job. They also want Republicans to hold a separate vote removing him from his role as representative. Ohio State Rep. Bob Cupp answers questions from the media in Columbus, Ohio, on July 30, 2020. (Farnoush Amiri/AP Photo) State Rep. Bill Seitz, a Republican, told the Columbus Post-Dispatch Republicans wouldnt hold a vote on replacing Householder until one candidate garners support from at least 50 members of the GOP caucus. State Reps. Bob Cupp and Jim Butler are believed to be the frontrunners. Householder and four others, including former Ohio Republican Party chair Matthew Borges, were charged last week for allegedly orchestrating a money laundering and bribery scheme that included passing a billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout. These allegations are bribery, pure and simple. This was a quid pro quo; this was a pay-to-play, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeViller told reporters at a press briefing announcing the charges. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said after the charges were filed that he supports repealing the bailout law. DeVillers office announced Thursday that a federal grand jury indicted Householder and the other defendants. Householder received more than $400,000 in personal benefits as a result of payments to Generation Now, a nonprofit that he secretly controlled, according to court filings. He allegedly received funds to settle a personal lawsuit, money to pay for upkeep of a residence in Florida, and funds to pay off thousands of dollars of credit card debt. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The Chattanooga Zoo has expanded its animal collection once again and welcomes blue duikers to the Makazi ya Twiga exhibit area. This new species is being housed in one of the indoor habitat spaces inside the newly constructed giraffe barn. The Makazi ya Twiga area of the zoo now houses giraffes and blue duikers, with more African species to be added as more phases of this project are complete. Through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, the Chattanooga Zoo has acquired two blue duikers, one male and one female, as a recommended breeding pair. The SSP is a population management and conservation program created by the AZA to ultimately enhance the preservation of threatened species in the wild by monitoring the placement, breeding, and propagation of these selected species within AZA-accredited institutions. The male, Branch - age 6, came to the zoo from the Kansas City Zoo in Kansas City, Mo., and the female, Poppy - age 1, came from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Md. The pair arrived at the zoo about a month ago and have been acclimating to their new home and caregivers. We are excited to continue to grow and diversify our animal collection with this new species," said Dardenelle Long, Chattanooga Zoo CEO and president. The addition of our adorable blue duikers is indicative of our commitment to provide an engaging experience to help connect our visitors with our animals. The blue duiker is a small antelope species that inhabits a variety of forests and woodlands throughout central, eastern, and southern Africa. Blue duikers spend most of their time foraging for fruits and plants to eat on the forest floor. Duikers get their name from the Dutch word for diver referring to their tendency to dive into dense underbrush and hide when they feel threatened. According to the IUCN Red List, blue duikers are classified as least concern but are threatened in the wild by hunters and natural predators. The Zoos blue duikers are now in their habitat and are viewable by the public. As a reminder, the Zoo has new guidelines for visitors in response to the current pandemic. As directed and mandated by the Hamilton County Health Department, all guests ages 12+ are required to wear a face mask when entering the Zoo, in indoor spaces, during zoo experiences and activities, and outdoors when unable to substantially maintain appropriate social distancing from others. Please see Hamilton Countys mandate for more information and for a list of exemptions. For more information on the Zoos current COVID-19 guidelines, please visit the Zoos website. Rating Action: Moody's affirms CMGC and MCC's Baa1 issuer ratings; outlook stable Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 Hong Kong, July 30, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has affirmed the Baa1 issuer ratings of China Metallurgical Group Corporation (CMGC) and its key subsidiary, Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC). In addition, Moody's has affirmed the Baa1 backed senior unsecured ratings and the Baa2 backed subordinate rating on the bonds issued by MCC Holding (Hong Kong) Corporation Limited and guaranteed by MCC. The outlook on the ratings remains stable. "The ratings affirmation reflects our expectation that CMGC will maintain a stable business profile, grow its revenues, and contain its capital expenditure and debt growth over the next 12 to 18 months," says Chenyi Lu, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer. RATINGS RATIONALE CMGC's Baa1 issuer rating reflects its standalone credit profile and a three-notch uplift based on Moody's expectation that CMGC will continue to receive strong support from the Government of China (A1 stable) through its parent, China Minmetals Corporation (Baa1 stable), if times of need. Moody's support assessment reflects (1) CMGC's status as a core subsidiary of China Minmetals, accounting for 51%, 56% and 45% of total assets, revenue and adjusted EBITDA respectively at the end of 2019, (2) the integral and important role that CMGC plays in the engineering and construction (E&C) businesses of China Minmetals, which are strategically important to the Chinese government; and (3) the government's strong ability to provide support, as reflected in its A1 rating. CMGC's standalone credit profile reflects the company's (1) long track record, strong market position and large operating scale in the Chinese E&C sector, particularly in the construction of steel plants; (2) expansion into non-metallurgical construction, which helps reduce its reliance on the matured metallurgical construction sector; and (3) good access to domestic banks and capital market financing. Story continues However, CMGC's standalone credit profile is constrained by (1) its exposure to the cyclical nature of property development and steel industries; and (2) the execution and financial risks associated with its large E&C and overseas mining projects. CMGC recorded 15.9% growth in revenue in the first quarter of 2020 and 21.9% growth in new orders in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, despite the temporary disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The company's order backlog/revenues was 2.8x at end of 2019, providing good visibility for its expected revenues over the next two years. Moody's expects the company to register 5% and 8% revenue growth in 2020 and 2021 respectively. That said, the company's EBITDA margins will decrease to around 6.8% in 2020-21 from 7.1% in 2019, as it will gain more construction orders from infrastructure projects, which typically have lower margins than the company's metallurgical construction and engineering services. But Moody's expects the company's adjusted debt/EBITDA will be maintained at around 5.5x in 2020-21, supported by company's prudence in containing its capital expenditure at around RMB5 billion per annum and in maintaining its adjusted debt at around RMB136 billion. Such level of leverage supports the company's standalone credit profile. MCC's Baa1 issuer rating reflects its standalone credit strength and a three-notch uplift reflecting Moody's expectation that the company will receive strong support from its parent, CMGC, in times of stress. The credit profiles of MCC and CMGC are closely linked, given that MCC is the key operating subsidiary of the group, accounting for over 97% of CMGC's assets and revenues at the end of 2019. CMGC and MCC's issuer ratings also take into account the following environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. CMGC's resource development segment has elevated environmental risks. They include pollution from mining and smelting, management of soil, water and waste, and natural and man-made disasters such as tailing dam failures and pit wall collapses. Nevertheless, CMGC's mining businesses are small in scale and have a track record of compliance with relevant regulations. In terms of governance risk, Moody's has considered (1) CMGC's 100% indirect ownership by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission under the State Council of China, which supervises the company's operations and financials; and (2) the fact that both CMGC and MCC have exercised prudence in managing their debt leverage by limiting investments in BOT/PPP projects. The stable outlook on CMGC reflects Moody's expectation that (1) the company's credit metrics will be maintained at levels appropriate for its standalone credit profile; and (2) its important role in China's metallurgical and construction sectors, and the Chinese government's ability to support the company through its parent, will remain intact. The stable outlook on MCC mirrors that of CMGC. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS Moody's could upgrade the ratings if CMGC's standalone credit profile improves and its parent, China Minmetals, is upgraded. CMGC's standalone credit profile could improve if it achieves steady revenue growth, stable profitability and debt reductions, such that the company's adjusted debt/EBITDA falls below 4.5-5.0x on a sustained basis. An upgrade of CMGC's rating will trigger an upgrade of MCC's rating. Moody's could downgrade CMGC's rating if the company's standalone credit profile weakens or its parent, China Minmetals, is downgraded. CMGC's standalone credit profile could weaken because of a material deterioration in its business or financial profile. Credit metrics indicative of a weakening standalone profile include a fall in its order backlog, lower profitability or an increase in debt, such that the company's adjusted debt/EBITDA stays above 6.0x-6.5x on sustained basis. A downgrade of CMGC will trigger a downgrade of MCC's rating. The principal methodology used in these ratings was Construction Industry published in March 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1061454. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. China Metallurgical Group Corporation (CMGC) is engaged in the business of engineering and construction, equipment manufacturing, property development and resources development. Headquartered in Beijing, CMGC is 100% owned by China Minmetals Corporation, which is in turn fully owned by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission under the State Council of China. In 2019, CMGC reported total revenue of RMB339 billion and total assets of RMB471 billion. Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC) is the key subsidiary of CMGC. MCC accounted of 99% and 97% of CMGC's adjusted EBITDA and assets in 2019. MCC is one of the largest E&C companies in China, and the market leader in the construction of domestic steel plants. As of July 2020, MCC was 49.18% owned by CMGC. The local market analyst for these ratings is Jin Wu, +86 (212) 057-4021 . 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. 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Unless noted in the Regulatory Disclosures as a Non-Participating Entity, the rated entities are participating and the rated entities or their agent(s) generally provide 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. 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By Express News Service South Asias first borderless digital film festival, Indus Valley International Film Festival, featuring films from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan besides India, is scheduled from August 1 to 9. The nine days will include screening films, workshops, master classes, music concerts and interactive sessions with film directors and actors. Organised by the South Asia Forum for Art & Creative Heritage (SAFACH), this is a free event and requires just a registration online. The festival will open with Patakha, a film on two feuding sisters directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and close with Nandita Das film Manto, on the life of the legendary writer Saadat Hasan Manto. Another interesting film is Jhalki directed by Brahmanand Singh. Apart from fulllength feature films, the festival will also include short films. The South Asian region shares a combined cultural and historical legacy, and cinema is an important medium of expressing our continuously evolving artistic traditions. South Asian art, music and folk traditions are interconnected and they get evolved further through communicating with each other, says Harsh Narayan, Founder, and Creative Director, Indus Valley International Film Festival, explaining the idea behind holding the festival. So, I believe, a popular platform like this, connecting cinema and art practitioners, production houses, studios and creative professionals will immensely benefit the creative economy of South Asia, he adds. One important panel discussion you must attend is the one on Traditional Arts and Filmmaking in South Asia. It will help you understand connectivity and continuity of traditional arts with the modern style of filmmaking in South Asian context, informs Narayan. There is a selection of films from Indias neighbours: Bangladeshi films Nolok, Maya the Lost Mother, Qasida of Dhaka (documentary) and Mala Bhabi; internationally-acclaimed Dying Candle from Nepal; Thanha Rathi Ranga from Sri Lanka; and Moor and Motorcycle Girl from Pakistan. A documentary directed by acclaimed theatre director (Ajoka Theatre, Lahore), Shahid Nadeem, titled Pakistans Best Kept Secrets will also be screened. Important workshops and master classes include a workshop on Fiction and Documentary Filmmaking by director, author and producer Brahmanand S Singh, a masterclass on Theatre Direction & Acting by Shahid Nadeem and the one on the fat-evolving art form, Truck Art, by Karachi-based Haider Ali. Among the online live music concerts at the festival, the highlight is the one by Kamal Sabri titled Sufi Rock. To register, check: https:// www.indusvalley.digital/ 30.07.2020 LISTEN The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implemented EU REACH project- Resilience Against Climate Change, in close collaboration with private sector actors, public partners and community leadership, undertook a community outreach tree planting exercise in each of its 18 baseline communities in the Upper West and Savannah regions of Ghana. A team from REACH, led by a Technical Advisor, Prosper Wie, distributed and planted the seedlings in each community. This was warmly received by the Chiefs on behalf of their respective communities. Each community received between 1000 and 1500 seedling depending on the size of the community, with each house receiving five seedlings comprising three fruit trees (Cashew, Mango, Citrus) and two shady trees. In his remarks at a brief handing over in Sampina in the Nadowli- Kaleo district of the Upper West Region, Finance and Administration Manager, Anselm Kofi Taabazuing stated that the REACH project takes keen interest in safeguarding the environment and making it a safe place for its inhabitants. The habit of cutting down trees must be strongly discouraged, and this can also be possible if all of us take interest in protecting our immediate environment. These seedlings you see today, if you take proper care of it, in the next 2 to 3 years the entire community reaps the benefits. The project will be happy to see all the seedlings grow so well into trees. All we require of you is to take proper care of it. These trees will not only benefit the current generation but generations to come he said. The Paramount Chief of Sampina, Naa Walter Kanubana Kporo II, expressed the communitys appreciation to the REACH project for the gesture and pledged the communitys full commitment and support for the project. He further indicated that his community would take full responsibility of the seedlings. He said with my background as a retired forester, I am passionate about tree planting. I know the benefits of trees to mankind. I will ensure that every house takes care of the trees. A total of 22,000 seedlings were distributed and planted in all the 18 communities within the six (6) pilot districts of the project. These districts comprise of five from the Upper West Region - Nadowli/Kaleo, Lawra, Jirapa, Sisaala East, Wa West, and one district from the Savannah region: namely Sawla -Tuna -Kalba. The tree planting exercise sought to increase the communities climate awareness and resilience, enhance the nutritional requirement at the household level and beautify their respective environments. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Automotive Aftermarket Market: ASEAN Industry Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 A recent market study published by FMI on the Automotive Aftermarket market includes the ASEAN industry analysis of 2015-2019 & opportunity assessment for 2020-2030, and delivers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. Our analysts have conducted thorough research on the historical as well as current growth parameters of the market to obtain growth prospects with maximum precision. Automotive Aftermarket Market: Segmentation By Category Parts Tires Batteries Filters Starters and Alternators Lighting Exhaust components Spark plugs Lubricants Collision body Wear and Tear Parts Accessories Interior Exterior Services General automotive repair Automotive transmission and others By Vehicle Type Passenger Cars Light Commercial Vehicles Heavy Commercial Vehicles By Country Malaysia Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Singapore Thailand Rest of ASEAN For more insights into the Market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-as-661 Report Chapters Chapter 01 Executive Summary The report initiates with the executive summary of the Automotive Aftermarket, which includes a summary of the key findings and statistics of the market. It also includes the demand & supply-side trends pertaining to the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market. Chapter 02 Market Overview In this chapter, readers can find the definition and a detailed taxonomy of the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market, which will help them understand the basic information about the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market. Along with this, comprehensive information about the Automotive Aftermarket and its properties are provided in this section. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help readers understand the scope of the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market report. Chapter 03 Key Market Trends The ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market report provides key market trends that are expected to significantly impact the market growth during the forecast period. Detailed industry trends are provided in this section. Chapter 04 Key Success Factors This section includes the factors that have emerged as key successful factors and strategies adopted by key market participants. Chapter 05 ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket Market Demand (in Value or Size in US$ Mn) Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This section explains the ASEAN market value analysis and forecast for the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market for the forecast period of 2020-2030. This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the historical ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market, along with an opportunity analysis for the future. Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year, and incremental $ opportunity for the forecast period. Chapter 06 Market Background This chapter explains key macro-economic factors that are expected to influence the growth of the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market over the forecast period. Along with the macroeconomic factors, this section also highlights the value chain, supply chain, forecast factors, and value chain analysis for the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market. Chapter 07 ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Category Based on the category, the Automotive Aftermarket market is segmented into parts, accessories, and services. In this chapter, readers can find information about the key trends and developments in the Automotive Aftermarket market and market attractiveness analysis based on the category. Chapter 08 ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Vehicle Type This chapter provides details about the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market based on the Vehicle Type and has been classified into Passenger Cars, Light Commercial Vehicles, and Heavy Commercial Vehicles. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on the Vehicle Type. Chapter 09 ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Country This chapter explains how the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market will grow across various geographic regions such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Rest of ASEAN. Chapter 10 Malaysia Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the Malaysia Automotive Aftermarket market. Readers can also find the regional trends, and market growth based on the vehicle type in Malaysia. Chapter 11 Indonesia Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This chapter provides the growth scenario of the Automotive Aftermarket market in Indonesia. Along with this, an assessment of the market across target segments has been provided. Chapter 12 Philippines Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 Important growth prospects of the Automotive Aftermarket market based on category and vehicle type in Philippines are included in this chapter. Chapter 13 Singapore Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This chapter highlights the growth of the Automotive Aftermarket market in Singapore. This section also help readers understand the key factors that are responsible for the growth of the Automotive Aftermarket market in Singapore. Chapter 14 Vietnam Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about the growth parameters of Vietnam Automotive Aftermarket market during the forecast period of 2020-2030. Chapter 15 Thailand Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This chapter provides information about how the Automotive Aftermarket market will grow in Thailand during the forecast period of 2020-2030. Chapter 16 Rest of ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 This chapter provides the growth scenario of the Automotive Aftermarket in Rest of ASEAN countries by category and vehicle type. Chapter 17 Market Structure Analysis In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about the tier analysis and market concentration of key players in the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market, along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio. For Information On The Research Approach Used In The Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-as-661 Chapter 18 Competition Analysis In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the prominent stakeholders in the Automotive Aftermarket market, along with a detailed information about each company, which includes the company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Denso Corporation, Delphi Technologies PLC, HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA, Mazda Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Renault SA, ACDelco, Faurecia SA, Magneti Marelli SpA, Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd., and Bridgestone Corporation, among others. Chapter 19 Assumptions and Acronyms This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provides a base to the information and statistics included in the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market report. Chapter 20 Research Methodology This chapter help readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions as well as important qualitative and quantitative information about the ASEAN Automotive Aftermarket market. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:39:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Aerial photo taken on June 21, 2018 shows morning view of the Lujiazui area in Pudong of Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Ren Long) BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday presided over and addressed a symposium for soliciting opinions and suggestions on the current economic situation and economic work in the second half of the year from non-CPC personages. Xi underscored the correct understanding of the current economic situation and in-depth research, calling for greater efforts to comprehensively deepen reform, and actively tackle various difficulties in development and risks, challenges and enormous pressure in various sectors. Such efforts are meant to build a broad consensus, pool powerful strength to advance reform and development, and overcome various risks and challenges, he said. "We have strong determination, firm will and solid national strength to deal with these challenges. We have sufficient confidence, ability and wisdom to overcome all kinds of risks and tests. No country or individual can stop the historical pace of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Xi said. The symposium was attended by Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Li reviewed China's economic work in the first half of the year and introduced the CPC Central Committee's considerations for economic work in the second half of the year. Heads of the central committees of eight non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, as well as a representative of personages without party affiliations, made their respective speeches, agreeing with the CPC Central Committee's analysis of the current economic situation and considerations for economic work in the second half of the year. Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows a ship loading cargo at a container dock in Tangshan City, north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao) They also gave suggestions on the economy, which, Xi said, were well-targeted and would be seriously considered by the CPC Central Committee. "From the beginning of this year, we have been faced with an unexpected, severe test," Xi said. The COVID-19 epidemic is a major, fast-spreading public health emergency with the widest range of infection and the greatest difficulty to prevent and control since the founding of the New China, and has created an unprecedented impact on China's economic and social development, Xi said. Xi appreciated the non-CPC personages for their work on resolutely implementing the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and guiding people to devote themselves to medical assistance, scientific research, donations and work resumption. He also praised their offers of advice, and their significant contributions in winning the war of the people against the epidemic. Xi stressed that as the epidemic prevention and control in China has become stable and the economic operation has basically recovered, China in the second half the year should take advantage of the favorable situation and consolidate the achievements to make up for the losses in the first half. He called for adherence to the underlying principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and sticking to new development philosophies. He urged better coordination between regular epidemic prevention and control, and efforts related to economic and social development. Sticking to the supply-side structural reform as the main line and firmly grasping the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand, China shall vigorously protect and spur the vitality of market entities, he said. Efforts should be made to ensure stability on the six fronts and security in the six areas, fully implement macroeconomic policies to produce the desired results, and improve the stability and competitiveness of China's industrial chains and supply chains, he noted. He called for greater efforts to push forward the reform and opening-up, promote high-quality economic development, do a good job in ensuring people's livelihoods and flood relief, maintain social stability, and strive to achieve this year's economic and social development goals. Xi said he hoped all non-CPC personages would view the difficulties and challenges in economic development in a comprehensive, dialectical and developmental perspective, focus on the key tasks, give full play to their respective advantages, and properly handle challenges from home and abroad. - Kenya's COVID-19 caseload is inching closer to the 20,000 mark after 788 more people tested positive - Nairobi was leading in the number of infections with 487, Kiambu followed with 86 while Nakuru was the third highest with 34 - The Ministry of Health also asked Kenyans to ensure they are eating healthy foods to build immunity against the virus Kenya has recorded 788 new cases of coronavirus pushing the national tally to 19,913. The new infections were identified after 5,521 samples were tested in the last 24 hours pushing the cumulative samples tested since the pandemic rocked Kenya to 295,280. READ ALSO: Anyang' Nyong'o's son Junior marries longtime lover Wanja Wahoro Rashid Aman announced 788 new cases of coronavirus. Photo: MOH. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Analinda boma: Francis Atwoli gushes over beautiful wife Mary Kilobi Speaking at Afya House on Thursday, July 30, Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman said 785 of the cases were Kenyans while three were foreigners. "Amongst the 788 new cases, 475 are males, while 313 are females. The youngest is one year old while the oldest is 89 years old," Aman said. READ ALSO: Heartbroken dad breaks down after finding out he is not son's biological father At the same time, 100 patients recovered from the disease where 92 were discharged from the hospital and eight were from the home-based care system. On a sad note, 14 patients lost their lives to the disease bring the total number of fatalities to 325. READ ALSO: Funny video of young boy telling his mother to calm down as she disciplines him goes viral On the distribution of cases, Nairobi was leading with 487 cases, Kiambu (86), Nakuru (34), Kajiado (26), Mombasa (25), Machakos (21), Busia (20), Narok (14), Bomet (9). The CAS also asked Kenyans to focus on eating healthy foods that will improve their immunity and also avoid refined foods. "Taking a health diet, that included a variety of different food groups builds immunity, prevents diseases and maintains good health," he said. 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. Ford Kenya troubles: Ford Kenya SG accused Watangula of being egocentric and incompetent. | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:40:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio via video link on July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to forge greater synergy between its new infrastructure initiative and "Fast Italy" to unlock more cooperation potential in digital technologies, ICT, infrastructure, port construction and third-market cooperation, which has the potential to serve as a model of mutually beneficial cooperation for others. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks while holding talks with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio via video link on Wednesday. Wang said that since the start of COVID-19, China and Italy have supported each other and worked together to fight the virus. Such cooperation has deepened the relations and traditional friendship between the two countries and set a good example of solidarity and partnership for the international community. Wang commended Italy's political decision to support and participate in Belt and Road cooperation, which has opened up new prospects and injected fresh impetus into bilateral cooperation across the board. New cooperation opportunities will continue to emerge in the post-COVID-19 era, Wang said. Under the current circumstances, the two sides should send out a positive message of China and the EU standing together against global challenges and advancing multilateralization to instill more stability and positive energy into the UN-centered international system, Wang said. Hailing China's support for the global anti-epidemic fight, Di Maio said Italy stands ready to serve as a bridge between the two sides for deepening strategic cooperation and strengthening coordination on international affairs. Enditem WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are under increasing pressure from lawmakers to boost testing for the coronavirus in the Capitol, an idea they have so far rejected because of concerns about the availability of tests across the country. Despite the unusual nature of work in the Capitol lawmakers fly in and out weekly, from 50 states, and attend votes and hearings together the two leaders have maintained that they will not institute a testing program for members, staff or the hundreds of other people who work in the complex. The lack of tracking was highlighted this week when a GOP lawmaker, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, found out he had contracted the virus. He was tested only because he had been scheduled to travel with President Donald Trump. Fearing Gohmerts frequent refusal to wear a mask could have caused other members and staff to become infected, Pelosi and Capitol officials quickly issued broad new mask requirements for the House. But the speaker maintained there would be no comprehensive testing for now, citing a lack of supplies, the logistics of regularly testing hundreds of people and the fact that others across the country dont have the same access. Its the members of Congress and support staff and thats very many people, Pelosi told CNNs Anderson Cooper. We cant say, well, as members, we should get tested but the other people shouldnt. The dilemma for Congress is similar to the one facing workplaces and schools as they struggle to reopen. Lawmakers and staff during the summer have been wearing masks, keeping their distance, cleaning surfaces, limiting crowds and working from their homes when possible. But its difficult if not impossible to fully protect against the coronavirus without a robust system of testing and tracing, and theres a lack of infrastructure nationwide to make it happen. Gohmerts positive test prompted immediate concerns across the Capitol as he had voted, walked the hallways and attended two hearings on Tuesday, often without a mask. One of the hearings was with Attorney General Willam Barr, who immediately took a test that came back negative, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman. At least three of Gohmerts colleagues said they would quarantine because they interacted with him. But it did not move the speaker on testing. Pelosi said they would need more equipment to test everyone in the Capitol and the results would take days to come back, making them almost useless. They would also need personal protective equipment for those administering the tests that she said should go to health care providers and teachers. Pelosi and McConnell cited those front-line workers when they rejected Trumps offer earlier this year to send rapid tests for lawmakers to the Capitol. The White House uses the rapid testing daily for anyone who will be in proximity to the president, which is how Gohmert found out he was infected. Congress wants to keep directing resources to the front-line facilities where they can do the most good the most quickly, Pelosi and McConnell said jointly in a May statement, thanking Trump for his offer but turning him down. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has pressured Pelosi to accept Trumps offer, writing in a letter Thursday the failure to test has created unnecessary risk and confusion for members, staff, press and all employees of the House. McCarthy said at a news conference Thursday that he had spoken to the White House, and Trumps testing offer was still on the table. Later in the day, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters that he thinks McConnell and Pelosi should accept it, especially because members of Congress are in the presidential line of succession. I do think that in the continuity of government that most Americans would understand why you would test members of Congress and their staff on a more regular basis than others who could go home and self quarantine, Meadows said. McConnell has also faced pressure from fellow Republicans to boost testing. On Wednesday, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Senate Rules Committee Chair Roy Blunt of Missouri and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham of South Carolina all said they think there should be more robust testing around the complex. Blunt said he was pushing McConnell to reconsider. He argued that they could prioritize testing for senators who had travelled to Washington from other areas, and test other members and staff on a less frequent basis. I think particularly for members of Congress who are going back-and-forth, they represent sort of the perfect petri dish for how you spread a disease, Blunt said. You send 535 people out to 535 different locations, on about 1,000 different airplanes, and bring them back and see what happens. Still, there appears to be less urgency in the Senate, where there are fewer lawmakers, office space is more spread out and most are regularly wearing masks. One notable exception is McConnells Kentucky colleague, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a doctor who says he doesnt need to wear a mask because he previously tested positive for the virus. The science is uncertain on that point. McConnell told PBS NewsHour that just about every one of my members is wearing a mask and he didnt see a need for new mask mandates in the Senate because were getting compliance in the old-fashioned way, everybodys doing it. On testing, some senators said they understood McConnell and Pelosis concerns about special treatment. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said hed be fine with increased testing as long as it didnt take away from the needs of the general population. We shouldnt have access to testing thats any cheaper or faster than anybody else, Rubio said. Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland agreed. Lets expand access to rapid testing on Capitol Hill, but also throughout the country, Van Hollen said. That needs to be the goal. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Padmananda Rama, Michael Balsamo and Alan Fram contributed to this report. Sudanese asylum-seeker Mahamoud, 33, photographed near the Zeitoun shelter in Zarsis, Tunisia, in December 2019. He used smugglers to enter Libya, where he was captured by militias and sold several times. UNHCR/John Wessels With COVID-19 increasing needs and vulnerabilities of refugees and internally displaced and stateless people, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is concerned that the impacts of the pandemic are also heightening their risks to trafficking and exploitation. Enforced measures to control the pandemic and worsening socio-economic conditions are having serious implications for those forcibly displaced. Those now faced with lost livelihoods and abject poverty can be targets for traffickers that are unscrupulously exploiting and profiteering from their vulnerabilities, said UNHCRs Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Gillian Triggs. Trafficking, a crime in which a person is tricked or trapped into a situation of exploitation for another persons private gain or profit, can take various forms, from sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, organ removal, forced recruitment into armed groups, forced marriages and forced begging among others. While data on trafficking is difficult to come by owing to the hidden nature of the crime, global estimates indicate that millions of people are trafficked worldwide. Away from home and with varying accessibilities to essential services and social protection networks in host countries, refugees and internally displaced people are among those most at risk, said Triggs. COVID-19-related impacts ranging from movement restrictions to the closure or reduced availability of essential help and support services may confine many victims, limiting their ability to escape or seek help. Ongoing conflict and displacement also continue to add to the risk of refugees resorting to desperate and dangerous journeys in search of safety, falling prey to criminal smuggling networks. Joining the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in observing the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons today, UNHCR is urging more support for trafficking prevention and response efforts. We need to ramp up efforts to protect those at risk, provide support to victims and to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, said Triggs. Governments and humanitarian actors need to work together to ensure that programs to assist victims of trafficking are available and accessible to displaced people, and that victims of trafficking who may be in need of international protection are able to access asylum. Globally, UNHCR is engaged in trafficking prevention and response activities for refugee, displaced and stateless people. For more information on this topic, please contact: Polycarp Constant Lecorgne. A beautiful name, isnt it, particularly when said with the proper French accent? Thats how Edward Ball first heard the name of his great-great-grandfather, a White French Creole whose story is chronicled in a provocative and painful new book, Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy. His mother called Lecorgne Our Klansman, and now Ball has pursued his ancestors life story through Civil War and Reconstruction-era Louisiana. What emerges is a harrowing reckoning with one familys past, as well as a nations past in miniature. Ball is no stranger to difficult truths. His first book, Slaves in the Family, won the 1998 National Book Award. It tells the story of my fathers family in South Carolina, who were major slaveholders who enslaved close to 4,000 people over 170 years, he said, speaking from his home in Connecticut. When I wrote that book, I told the story of 10 families we once enslaved, and I did experience some ostracism from family in Charleston. His New Orleans family Ball lived here during his teens and attended St. Martin Episcopal School was more accepting of this new work. I dont think anybody in the family wanted the story of our Klansman to be a piece for public discussion, but none tried to stop me from telling it," Ball said. The eruption of violence with the death of Trayvon Martin and the 2015 massacre at Charleston's Mother Emmanuel AME church spurred Balls efforts. It seemed a moment where White supremacy was showing its violent face, the right time for a family story about whiteness and its presence in all of us. Book Discussion What: Edward Ball appears in a virtual discussion with geographer Dr. Lydia-Pelot Hobbs, sponsored by Garden District Book Shop, New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, and A Studio in the Woods When: 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 Register: Free, but register at gardendistrictbookshop.com Polycarp Constant Lecorgne (1832-1886) was a simple man, Ball says, a ships carpenter, a father of five who lived off Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans' Faubourg Bouligny. He was a man not particularly good with money who saw his family fortunes steadily decline. Earlier Lecorgnes had a tenuous foothold in the plantation elite, and owned slaves, Ball said. By the mid-1850s, however, they were working people: carpenters, laborers, schoolteachers. Ball dug into the era's newspapers and state archives to learn about the time. He also pored over family memoirs, journals and notes he inherited after the death of his aunt, Maud. Polycarp Lecorgne was a member of the White League, and according to family history, took part in violence against New Orleans' Black population. As Ball's aunt put it, "the only difference between the White League and the Ku Klux (Klan) was that the League was not secret." (The expression "Ku Klux" did not appear in the local press until March 1868.) Lecorgne was part of one of the last Confederate units to surrender anywhere in the South. Like many Southerners, Ball said, he was filled with rage at the Emancipation Act, the passage of the first Civil Rights act, and even more so when Black families moved into most of the houses on his block. But in family lore, Lecorgne was referred to as a "redeemer" who "fought to put the state of Louisiana back into white hands." As a volunteer firefighter, he found fellowship with men who were part of the massacre at Mechanics Hall in New Orleans July 30, 1866, in which White firemen and police killed dozens of Black demonstrators who were marching for universal suffrage. No white sheets were in evidence then, just blue badges or ribbons in buttonholes or white handkerchiefs identifying the conspirators in a murderous rampage that triggered Radical Reconstruction. In 1873, after a group of armed white men tried to take over the 7th Precinct of the Metropolitan Police, Lecorgne was indicted on a charge of treason against the U.S. government and for breach of the Ku Klux Klan Act. Family legend also has it that Lecorgne had his "head split open" at the Battle of Canal Street, considered the largest Ku Klux Klan action of any during Reconstruction. As the family slid down the class totem pole, resentment of African Americans grew proportionately, Ball believes. "Constant lost a lot of money investing in the Confederacy during the war," Ball said. "Just as it is today, some of the fuel of White aggression derives direction from ... the loss of status White people feel. Thats what the story is about how all this became the tinder for the violence that permeated this mans life. And just as he did in "Slaves in the Family," he interviews Black or Black Creole survivors of that violence, telling their family stories of pride in ancestors' acts of heroism. Life of a Klansman is a story very much of this moment. It takes the reader back to a time when New Orleans was a city of epidemics, including cholera and yellow fever. Lecorgne himself died of malaria. The book reveals the roots of systemic racism in its portrait of the era's newspapers, police and fire departments and other civic institutions. The book is part memoir, as Ball reckons with his own intense feelings of disgust and shame over the actions of his ancestor, particularly the brutal murders that took place during the Mechanics Institute riots, which he calls "the atrocity." As policemen shot and wounded people, one witness said that the firemen would then club them to death. Im trying to take ownership of this narrative instead of deflecting attention from it, Ball said. A common feeling we Whites have about acts of persecution directed at Black people is, It doesnt involve me. ...My family suffered, too." But, as Ball writes, I know the honest way to regard race violence is this: American history is full of it. It is pandemic. The United States is founded in racial violence. It is within the core of our national identity. New Orleans is a glorious city, said Ball, citing the famous music, food and culture. "But it is also a place where some of the factories of White supremacy were housed and where the thing itself was perfected. Less well known is its reputation as a place where whiteness was developed into a refined substance that could be reinforced by violence. Global coronavirus cases have surged past 17million after a rise of one million in the space of just four days. The hard-hit trio of India, Brazil and the United States are leading the relentless advance with more than 100,000 new cases per day between them. Brazil and India both set new records today while the South American country is moving ever closer to the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths. Global daily cases are nearing 300,000 with cases also surging in South Africa and countries such as Spain and Australia facing a second wave of the disease. Global daily cases are nearing 300,000 with cases also surging in South Africa and countries such as Spain and Australia facing a second wave of the disease Global coronavirus cases have surged past 17million after a rise of one million in the space of just four days A woman wearing a mask is transferred from a care home in Melbourne as Australia battles a second spike in coronavirus cases in the state of Victoria The Johns Hopkins University tally showed a total of 17,039,160 cases on Thursday morning along with 667,218 deaths. According to the Hopkins figures, the 17million mark was reached last night just four days after the 16million threshold was crossed on June 25. The previous million cases also took just four days, as the pandemic continues to accelerate around the world. It was May 20 when the five-million mark was reached, nearly five months after the virus was first detected, but the next five million cases took only 39 more days. The jump from 10million to 15million took only another 24 days, and the figure has now leaped to 17million in barely a week. The Hopkins tally recorded nearly 290,000 new cases yesterday, of which India, Brazil and the United States contributed more than half between them. India today saw more than 50,000 new cases in a day for the first time, bringing the total to nearly 1.6million in a country that has seen nearly 35,000 deaths. Elsewhere, the Australian state of Victoria saw a record 723 new cases on Thursday despite a second lockdown in Melbourne. Europe is also bracing for a second wave, with Spain facing new travel restrictions after a sharp increase in cases. German officials have voiced fears of a second wave after a 'concerning' rise in cases, while France has also seen a week-on-week increase in new infections. 'Clusters are emerging, we have warning signs from certain hospitals that have seen a trend of increasing admission,' French health minister Olivier Veran said, adding: 'We are testing a lot more.' A healthcare worker tends to a patient wearing a mask in the Covid Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas The EU is due today to update its list of countries approved for travel to the European bloc, which it reviews every two weeks. The United States was not on the list and is not expected to be included as cases continue to spiral out of control. States in the South and West are being particularly hard-hit - especially Florida, where more than 6,300 people have died. The EU's safe list does include Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The bloc is expected to announce that Algeria is being removed from the list after a resurgence of coronavirus in the North African nation. At the other end of the continent, South Africa is now frequently recording more than 10,000 cases per day with a total case load of 471,123. Brazil also wants visitors back, and on Wednesday reopened travel to foreigners arriving by plane, hoping to revive its ravaged tourism industry. The South American nation last night announced a record 69,074 new cases, taking its total past 2.5million in the largest outbreak after the United States. The death toll is now above 90,000 after another 1,595 fatalities were added to the tally on Wednesday night. Brazil closed its air borders to non-residents on March 30, at a time when the virus was just taking hold in South America. A woman is moved to an ambulance outside the Hospital Regional da Asa Norta-HRAN in Brazil, where deaths from coronavirus are nearing 100,000 As a whole, Latin America's biggest economy is facing a record contraction of 9.1 per cent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The blizzard of alarming data continued too in east Asia, with China seeing a three-month high of 101 new virus cases on Wednesday because of a localized outbreak in the northern port city of Dalian. Officials blamed contaminated packaging on imported seafood - similar reasons to the ones that have been offered to explain previous Chinese outbreaks. Further south, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam warned the financial hub was facing a 'large-scale community outbreak' that could lead to a 'collapse of our hospital system'. All residents in the densely packed city of 7.5million are under orders to wear masks outdoors and restaurants can only serve takeaway meals, in a blow for diners during the city's hot and humid summer. 'It's so hot outside now, 10 minutes after I start work, my shirt is all sweaty,' a construction worker said. While some labour in the heat to make a living, others have been inspired to take action for their communities. One Indian businessman has converted his office into an 85-bed facility to provide free treatment for the poor. Kadar Shaikh spent 20 days in a private clinic being treated for the virus last month and was horrified by the bill. 'How could poor people afford such treatment?' the property developer told AFP. 'So I decided to do something and contribute in the fight against the deadly virus.' A new mother whose life was saved after a rare form of cancer was detected during a pregnancy scan has urged people to seek medical attention if they have concerns despite coronavirus. Rachel Bailey, 28, was 21 weeks pregnant in January this year when she noticed she was bleeding. Ms Bailey, who lives in Southwark and runs a dog walking business, immediately headed to nearby St Thomas Hospital for an emergency check-up. While it was a relief to find her baby was healthy, one scan showed the entrepreneur had a previously undetected grapefruit-sized tumour on one of her kidneys. An MRI and biopsy showed the six-centimetre tumour was malignant and needed removing to save the expectant mothers life. Due to the pregnancy scan, it had been caught in the early stages and was operable. Mr Challacombe and Rachel at the hospital with new baby Phoenix / Guys' and St Thomas' NHS Trust Ms Bailey, who gave birth naturally to healthy 4lb 4oz baby daughter Phoenix in March, said: Im very lucky I was pregnant, otherwise I wouldnt have known about the tumour. I have always wanted a family and I waited so long to get pregnant. Phoenix has been a blessing. As the growing tumour had been found in its early stages, surgeons at Guys and St Thomas were able to perform robotic keyhole surgery to remove both the tumour and part of Ms Baileys kidney in order to stop the cancers spread just two weeks after Phoenix was born. By the time they operated, the tumour had already grown to nine centimetres. Medical experts have warned they are expecting substantial increases in the number of avoidable cancer deaths as a result of diagnostic delays due to the pandemic. NHS England figures showed A&E attendances were down from 2.2 million in May 2019 to 1.3 million in May this year a drop of 42 per cent. And while hospitals around the country have reported rises in attendance rates for both A&E and routine check-ups since lockdown restrictions eased, attendance figures are significantly lower than the same period last year. As everything happened at the height of the coronavirus outbreak, the new mother had to self-isolate before returning to hospital for the operation. Within 25 hours, she was back home and able to breastfeed her newborn surrounded by family. The new mother was home with baby Phoenix just 25 hours after undergoing keyhole surgery / Rachel Bailey She urged others not to miss out on the chance to get vital medical attention as a result of the pandemic, saying: My scans and investigations found my tumour early, which meant I could have surgery and I have recovered quickly. Although coronavirus is still around, hospitals are safe and open. If you have any symptoms youre concerned about, please get them checked out. Mr Ben Challacombe, the consultant urological surgeon at Guys and St Thomas who operated on Rachel, said: Rachels situation is rare. I have done over 1,000 robot kidney operations and only had one other similar case. If Rachel hadnt been pregnant, her tumour may not have been spotted until later when the outcome could have been different. It may be that her baby saved her life. The NHS team will keep a close eye on Ms Bailey over the coming years, but said they are confident they removed the tumour and she is not set to have radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Mr Challacombe added: It was a very complicated operation as the tumour had grown much bigger than you would have expected in that time. It was one of the biggest partial removals I have done without removing the whole kidney. Baby Phoenix at one week old, pre-operation, and at one month old / Rachel Bailey We knew she wanted to be with her baby so we did everything we could to get her home as soon as possible. Its been a very positive outcome for Rachel and she and Phoenix are doing really well. The procedure was a collaboration with Guys and St Thomas and HCAs London Bridge Hospital, which runs private healthcare on the top four floors of the Cancer Centre. During lockdown, the centre was kept as a Covid-free site, to treat around 800 NHS cancer patients in a safe environment. Janene Madden, CEO of London Bridge Hospital, said: Uniting across healthcare has never been more important. And the collaboration between Guys and St Thomas and London Bridge Hospital has meant time-critical cancer treatment for patients like Rachel has continued safely during this extremely challenging time. Guys and St Thomas has three da Vinci robotic surgery systems and carries out around 800 robotic operations a year more than any other NHS trust in the UK. July 29, 2020--(BRONX, NY)--Britta Will, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine and of cell biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has won a 2020 Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research. Dr. Will is one of seven New York City area-based scientists to receive the prestigious award, which provides $600,000 over three years for innovative basic science cancer research. Dr. Will's award will help fund her studies on the mechanisms that create and sustain cancer stem cells-a unique and therapy-resistant population of cancer cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), two age-related and largely incurable blood cancers. Watch video of Dr. Britta Will describing her cancer research. "I'm very excited and honored that the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance selected me for this award," Dr. Will said. "The prize will boost my lab's efforts to make scientific advances that can help us better understand these cancers and work toward developing drugs that can benefit patients. With every publication, with every piece of data we put out there, we increase the knowledge and our ability to help patients. Being able to work on this every day is a real privilege." When people have AML or MDS, a small population of cancerous blood stem cells, called leukemic stem cells (LSCs), resists chemotherapy and causes the cancers to relapse. Dr. Will plans to investigate how iron influences LSCs. Specifically, she will study iron regulatory pathways, key processes that determine how cells acquire and use this essential nutrient. In research involving mouse models of myeloid leukemia and human LSCs, she will determine whether limiting the cells' access to iron can slow or prevent cancer growth. Results could lead to new drugs that could limit iron availability and make cancer stem cells more susceptible to chemotherapy. Dr. Will noted that the prize specifically supports early-stage research that is impossible to get funded through traditional grants. "The Pershing Square Sohn Alliance's mission stresses that no one should be afraid to start something new and out-of-the-box," said Dr. Will, whose lab includes four postdoctoral researchers, a Ph.D. student, and several technicians. "This award enables us to step out of our comfort zone. It's also a great encouragement that provides an ecosystem for younger trainees on these projects to develop their careers." "This is a well-deserved honor for Dr. Will," said Roman Perez-Soler, M.D. , chief of medical oncology at Einstein and chair of oncology at Montefiore Health System. "Her creative and bold research earned her this award and we look forward to her continued success and scientific discoveries." Dr. Will is the second Einstein faculty member to win the Pershing Square Sohn prize; in 2015, the Alliance awarded the honor to Evripidis Gavathiotis, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and of medicine. ### About Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2019-20 academic year, Einstein is home to 724 M.D. students, 158 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program , and 265 postdoctoral research fellows . The College of Medicine has more than 1,800 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2019, Einstein received more than $178 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit http://www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube. New Delhi, July 30 : Teachers of Delhi government schools will now be able to enhance their skills in the English language with the help of the US Embassy. The Delhi Government has launched an online professional development programme for English teachers in government schools in partnership with the Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the US Embassy. About 550 teachers of Delhi government schools have joined this 8-week online Professional Development for English Teachers (PDET) programme conducted jointly by the Delhi Government and the US Embassy. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, "We have given high priority to English as a language in the government schools of Delhi. While we have engaged renowned agencies to conduct Spoken English Classes for our students which benefited nearly 65,000 students, we believe that giving new opportunities to our teachers to acquire global perspective and skills to teach English is a more sustainable approach." This course exposes teachers around the world to the English language teaching resources offered by the Office of English Language Programs at the US Department of State. It is designed for in-service teachers interested in improving their instructional practices. Participants will read and utilize many teaching resources offered by the American English website, the English Teaching Forum magazine and the Monster Book of Teaching Activities. The programme is for middle and secondary grades teachers but the government is also exploring having a similar programme for primary teachers as well. While explaining the features of the course, Sisodia pointed out that "This course provides practical ideas for the English language classroom. Emphasis is on scaffolding students, critical thinking and use of techniques like storytelling, drama, games and music. It will not only enhance children's ability to learn new language but also raise their confidence." Thirty Mentor Teachers of Delhi will act as the course facilitators under the guidance of two English language specialists -- Sara Bolton and Lisa Morgon -- to guide, support and give constructive feedback throughout the course to the participating teachers. Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Total SE were saved from what many feared would be the worst quarter ever for the oil and gas industry, thanks to their mammoth trading operations. Investors had already been warned that the coronavirus pandemic hammered almost all parts of the energy giants businesses -- from forecourts, to upstream, to the long-term value of assets. But that was offset by gains from buying and selling oil, the companies said on Thursday. Their traders, about whom little is ever revealed to the wider world, delivered strong profits, both companies said. In keeping with tradition, Shell and Total didnt disclose exactly how much money their trading operations made, but hinted that they were able to exploit extreme price volatility during Aprils record supply glut. WRITE-DOWN: Total takes $8 billion write-down on carbon-heavy oil assets This quarter, trading shows what a unique capability it is, Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said in a Bloomberg television interview. Taking advantage of all sorts of arbitrages that opened up in unusual parts of the world, and working with this tremendous live market information gave Shell an advantage, he said. Surprise Profit Shells adjusted net income was $638 million in the second quarter, down 82% from the same period a year earlier but far better than the average analyst estimate of a $664 million loss. Total posted a surprise profit of $126 million, compared with expectations for a loss of $443 million. Those figures exclude tens of billions of dollars of writedowns on the value of the two companys assets resulting from the slump in oil and gas prices, which had already been disclosed to investors. Shells B shares fell 0.3% to 1,178.4 pence as of 8:52 a.m. in London. Total rose 0.9% to 32.74 euros in Paris. Although better known for their oil fields, refineries and filling stations, Shell, Total and also BP Plc run huge in-house oil trading businesses that can handle more than 25 million barrels a day of crude and products, dwarfing independent commodity trading houses such as Glencore Plc and Trafigura Group. Those operations were deployed in full force during the second quarter when a combination of slumping demand due to Covid-19 lockdowns and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia meant the oil market was deep in a price structure called contango. FUEL FIX: Our energy news. Your inbox. A perfect combination. The contango trade consists of filling up onshore storage or oil tankers with cheap crude and simultaneously selling it on the forward market at higher prices. Thats easy money for any trader with access to the logistics and infrastructure of a major oil company. Van Beurden singled out contango trades in Brent crude, the international benchmark, and many other crude streams as a source of trading profits. He said Shell never discloses how much money its traders make, but there were clues in its quarterly statement. Its refining and trading business delivered adjusted net income of $1.5 billion between April and June, more than 20 times larger than the same period of last year. Considering that the part of Shells business that actually manufactures fuel suffered one of its worst-ever quarters, with low margins and sales volumes, its possible that the bulk of those earnings came from trading. Total endured similar conditions with gas prices dropping to historic lows and refining margins collapsing due to weak demand, said CEO Patrick Pouyanne. Yet the company still made a profit thanks to the outperformance of trading. The contango also helped the trading division of Norways Equinor ASA, which is much smaller than Shells, to make a record $1 billion gain in the second quarter. Not every major oil company was able to avoid the expected loss. Italian oil giant Eni SpA, which also published earnings on Thursday, lost 714 million euros ($839 million) and announced a dividend cut. Shell already slashed its payout in the first quarter, while Total has maintained its dividend. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. OKLAHOMA CITY - OU Medicine Enterprise Chief Quality Officer Dale Bratzler answered questions Wednesday regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in infections in Oklahoma and the effects of mask mandates. The Oklahoma State Health Department reported 848 new positive cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections to 34,623 since the start of the pandemic. The state also reported 14 additional deaths on Wednesday, pushing Oklahomas total to 523. Bratzler started off his Q&A session by giving a breakdown of recent testing results. Pace is honored to be able to tell the rich and multifaceted stories for these leading brands. It is through client collaboration and creative excellence that this work won awards and also generated outstanding results, says Gordon Locke, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Pace. Pace, the largest independently owned brand storytelling agency in North America, received 11 awards at the 14th annual Hermes Creative Awards competition in several categories, spanning Print Media, Digital Marketing Campaigns and Interactive/Social Media. The campaigns, including work with Walmart, BB&T now Truist, Southwest: The Magazine, Interstate Batteries, Syngenta and Pace, share ways in which these brands are helping to make the world a better placefrom financing life-changing adventures to promoting conservation efforts to supporting inclusion in the automotive industry. Pace is honored to be able to tell the rich and multifaceted stories for these leading brands. It is through client collaboration and creative excellence that this work won awards and also generated outstanding results, says Gordon Locke, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Pace. Hermes Creative Awards is one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world. Winners range in size from individuals to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies. Hermes Creative Awards honors the messengers and creators of the information revolution. Armed with their imaginations and computers, Hermes winners bring their ideas to life through traditional and digital platforms. Each year, competition judges evaluate the creative industrys best publications; branding collateral; websites; videos; and advertising, marketing and communication programs. Pace was named a winner in the following categories: BB&T now TRUIST Life-Changing Decisions Electronic, Social & Interactive Media | Video Creativity | Editing | Platinum Public Relations & Communications | Strategic Programs | Product Launch | Platinum INTERSTATE BATTERIES Shop Talk Public Relations & Communications | Strategic Programs | Digital Marketing Campaign | Gold PACE, SPCA of Greensboro, NC Puppython Nonprofit | Pro Bono | Platinum SOUTHWEST MAGAZINE Staying Alive March 2018 Print Media | Design | Publication Cover | Gold SOUTHWEST MAGAZINE Picture This in A Song January 2018 Print Media | Design | Publication Cover | Gold Print Media | Design | Publication Interior | Honorable Mention SYNGENTA Thrive Magazine Fire & Rain Q2 2019 Print Media | Design | Illustration/Graphic Design | Honorable Mention SYNGENTA Thrive Magazine Conserving Soil Q2 2019 Print Media | Design | Infographic | Platinum SYSCO FOODIE MAGAZINE Beef Print Media | Design | Publication Interior | Gold WALMART NYX Electronic, Social & Interactive Media | Video | Internal Communication | Gold Pace Pace is a marketing agency specializing in integrated brand storytelling that moves audiences to action. We deliver results by continually creating better customer and employee experiences for our clients. We use dedicated, nimble and diverse talent to work as an extension of your team. Pace delivers amazing creative using a unique combination of audience-first, data-driven thinking, smart strategies, and advanced technologies. Our 3,000-square-foot in-house studio honors Paces culture of helping brands redefine what is possible through amazing creative work with flawless delivery that brings stories to life. Pace has offices and key client hubs across the U.S., working globally and locally. For more information, please visit paceco.com, Twitter or LinkedIn. Media Contact: Candice Thomas, 336.383.5768, Candice.Thomas@paceco.com Lord Sheikh, who has accepted substantial damages from the publisher of the MailOnline over highly defamatory allegations about his attendance at a conference on Palestinian rights, which was also attended by Jeremy Corbyn (Handout/PA) A Conservative peer has accepted substantial damages from the publisher of the MailOnline over highly defamatory allegations about his attendance at a conference on Palestinian rights, which was also attended by Jeremy Corbyn. Lord Sheikh, 79, sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for libel over an August 2018 article which accused him of attending Corbyns hate conference after years of rubbing shoulders with Islamists, hate preachers and Holocaust deniers. The Tory peer later confirmed he had attended the conference in Tunisia in 2014 at which Mr Corbyn was pictured at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Palestinian Martyrs Cemetery in Tunis but insisted the focus was on the Arab Spring, affecting the whole of the Middle East and North Africa. The High Court heard on Thursday that Lord Sheikh had been invited to speak at the 2014 Tunisian conference, held a short time after hostilities between Israel and Gaza had resulted in over 2,000 deaths. The peers solicitor Callum Galbraith told the court that, in his speech, Lord Sheikh advocated, consistent with UK Government policy, that to achieve a lasting peace, a two-state solution should provide for security for the state of Israel and respect for the rights of the Palestinian people. Mr Galbraith told Mr Justice Warby that his client played no part in the wreath-laying ceremony, which was not part of the conference agenda, and he was not even aware of it until media reports surfaced in 2018. He added that Lord Sheikh found the article which reported that two Tory MPs had called for an investigation into his presence at the hate-filled event and featured the notorious image of Jihadi John wearing a balaclava, pointing a knife towards the camera deeply distressing. Mr Galbraith also said that a complaint to the Conservative Party by Robert Halfon and Zac Goldsmith over Lord Sheikhs attendance at the conference was unequivocally dismissed. ANL now accepts the very serious allegations which it published are untrue and has undertaken not to repeat them, Mr Galbraith said. He added that the publisher has also agreed to pay a substantial sum of damages to the claimant and his legal costs. Gervase de Wilde, for ANL, told the court: The defendant through me offers its sincere apologies to the claimant for the distress, embarrassment and upset caused to him by the publication of the article. The defendant accepts there was and is no truth in the allegations advanced in the article and is happy to set the record straight and apologise to the claimant. In a statement, Lord Sheikh said: Both before and since I entered the House of Lords, I have consistently sought to promote inter-racial and inter-faith understanding, tolerance and respect. I am a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism and I have always spoken out against anti-Semitism. To find myself accused by a newspaper of the very conduct which I have always opposed was profoundly hurtful. I am delighted to have been able to finally clear my name from these shocking and unfounded allegations. Phuket lifeguards issue rip current warning after Russian man, Thai woman rescued PHUKET: LIfeguards at Nai Harn Beach after urging people to swim only where red-yellow flags have been posted and lifeguards are on patrol after a Russian man and his female Thai friend were rescued from a dangerous rip current at the beach yesterday (July 29). tourismmarineSafetyRussian By Kiattikul Chumanee Thursday 30 July 2020, 03:59PM The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The Russian man and his Thai female friend were both rescued from the water at Nai harn Beach yesterday (July 30). Photo: Phuket Naiharn Surf Lifesaving Club The couple were rescued at about 11am yesterday, Nai Harn chief lifeguard Chula Nontree told The Phuket News. I saw the couple swimming in the water. The woman seemed to be not good at swimming and was caught by a rip current, he said. The man tried to help her, and then they were together dragged around 200m away from the beach, he added. Lifeguards were dispatched and brought the two back to shore by paddleboard, Mr Chula explained. The man looked exhausted, so we gave him first aid by providing him oxygen to assist his breathing. The woman was also very tired, but she seemed to be in better condition than the man, he said. They both seemed to have recovered well and we did not have them taken to hospital, he added. Every day we set red-yellow flags to mark where it is safe to swim, and red flags marking where it is dangerous to enter the water, Mr Chula said. Please enter the water only in the areas between the yellow-red flags, and follow lifeguards suggestions, he added. In the first five months of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an estimated loss of $320 billion in the global tourism revenue, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people, said the United Nations on Tuesday, July 28. In a statement, the Madrid-based World Tourism Organisation said that the gross revenue loss between January and May is "more than three times the loss during the Global Financial Crisis of 2009". It added that the lockdown restrictions, put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, have shattered the travel sector with international tourist arrivals plummeting about 56 percent. READ: UK Travel Ban On Spain Strikes New Blow To Tourism Industry Latest data from #UNWTO barometer shows that during the January-May period: 56% tourism arrivals 300 million tourist US$320 billion in international tourism receipts Find more: https://t.co/U6pgoDPGf7 pic.twitter.com/et43N1XhEP World Tourism Organization (@UNWTO) July 28, 2020 READ: Tourism, Diplomacy Facing Pushback As Virus Caseloads Surge Millions of livelihoods at risk The UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili is reported to have said that the latest figure highlights the importance of restarting tourism as soon as it is safe to do so. He added that the sudden drop in international tourism puts millions of livelihoods at risk. Tourism is ready to restart in a safe and responsible way! That's exactly what SG @pololikashvili saw first hand at a conference with Spanish Minister of Tourism @marotoreyes, @F_armengol and @AMatumatu on the measures #Ibiza is taking to #RestartTourism. pic.twitter.com/st1ItAKUz2 World Tourism Organization (@UNWTO) July 28, 2020 While some countries have started to ease border restrictions and reopen for international tourists, the UN body warned the sector faced serious "downside risks" such as a resurgence of the virus that could trigger new lockdowns, travel restrictions, and border shutdowns in "most destinations". The UN body has said that the international tourist arrivals could drop as much as 60 to 80 percent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As per the latest edition of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, "the near-complete lockdown imposed in response to the pandemic led to a 98 percent fall in international tourist numbers in May when compared to 2019. The barometer also shows a 56% year-on-year drop in tourist arrivals between January and May. This translates into a fall of 300 million tourists and US$320 billion lost in international tourism receipts." The UNWTO has asserted that governments across the world have a dual responsibility of prioritise public health as well as protecting jobs and businesses. The UN Tourism body called for a spirit of cooperation and solidarity in response to the shared challenge of COVID-19 and urged countries from making unilateral decisions that may undermine global trust and confidence. Image: Unsplash/Nick Karvounis READ: Surveys Suggest Majority Of Japanese Reject Govt's Tourism Campaign READ: Rising Virus Totals Force Rethink Of Bars, Schools, Tourism The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to transfer the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's case to the CBI. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said that the police should be allowed to do its job and there is no reason why the investigations should be given to the CBI at this stage. "What's this...give it to CBI or do something? This happened in Mumbai. Let the police do its job," the bench told the lawyer appearing for two PIL petitioners in the case. The lawyer pointed out Rajput was a bright mind and he even went to NASA for training. He added Rajput also sent children to NASA. The CJI retorted: "Look, this has nothing to do with whether someone is a good man or a bad man." The court also pointed out that since this happened in Mumbai, the petitioners should rather go to Bombay High Court if they have anything "concrete" to say. The PIL by Patna-resident Alka Priya and one more had demanded a CBI probe into the matter, citing alleged deficiencies of the probe by the Mumbai Police. They had also said enough time has gone and now a central agency must be roped in for conducting a free and fair probe. CLEVELAND, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SECOND-QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS: Total revenue increases 0.6% Same-unit revenue down 1.4% EPS from continuing operations increases 30.0% Adjusted EBITDA increases 24.7% FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTS: Total revenue increases 1.8% Same-unit revenue down 0.1% EPS from continuing operations increases 8.2% Adjusted EBITDA increases 7.4% CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) (the "Company") today announced second-quarter and first-half results for the period ended June 30, 2020. For the 2020 second quarter, CBIZ recorded revenue of $236.9 million, an increase of $1.4 million, or 0.6%, over the $235.5 million reported in 2019. Same-unit revenue for the quarter decreased by $3.2 million, or 1.4%, compared with the same period a year ago. Revenue from acquisitions, net of divestitures, contributed $4.6 million, or 2.0%, to revenue growth in the second quarter 2020. Income from continuing operations was $21.5 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, in the 2020 second quarter, compared with $16.6 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $35.9 million, compared with $28.8 million for the second quarter of 2019. For the first half of 2020, CBIZ recorded revenue of $514.4 million, an increase of $8.9 million, or 1.8%, over the $505.5 million recorded for the first half of 2019. Same-unit revenue decreased by $0.9 million, or 0.1%, compared with the same period a year ago. Revenue from acquisitions, net of divestitures, contributed $9.8 million, or 1.9%, to revenue growth in the first six months. Income from continuing operations was $58.3 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, in the first half of 2020, compared with $54.2 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, for the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA was $92.9 million, compared with $86.5 million in 2019. At June 30, 2020, the balance outstanding on the Company's $400 million credit facility was $120 million. During the second quarter, the Company repaid the full $210 million that, as a precautionary measure to preserve financial flexibility, was borrowed on March 25, 2020, which resulted in a debt balance, net of cash held, of $166.1 million at the end of the first quarter. With $120 million outstanding at June 30, 2020, the unused financing capacity was approximately $270 million. Jerry Grisko, CBIZ President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "After a strong 2019 and good momentum at the start of the year, the recurring nature of our core essential services served us well throughout the second quarter. We are extremely pleased to report growth in revenue, income from continuing operations, and earnings per share in this exceptionally challenging business environment. We have carefully managed our liquidity and took swift actions to control discretionary expenditures which contributed to our strong financial performance in the second quarter. We also experienced lower CBIZ employee health care benefits costs that contributed about one-half of the increase in earnings per share from $0.30 to $0.39 in the second quarter." "I'm enormously proud of how our team is responding to these challenging circumstances. We demonstrated value to our clients in new ways and experienced a tremendous response to our digital outreach and thought leadership as we actively sought to help our clients assess their businesses and access a wide range of relief programs. As we enter the second half of the year, our focus will continue to be the health and safety of our team members, supporting our clients in a challenging economic climate, protecting the liquidity of our business and pursuing acquisitions and other opportunities to invest in the long-term growth of the business," concluded Grisko. Conference Call CBIZ will host a conference call at 11:00 a.m. (ET) today to discuss its results. The call will be webcast live for the media and the public, and can be accessed at www.cbiz.com. Shareholders and analysts who would like to participate in the call can register at http://dpregister.com/10146606 to receive the dial-in number and unique personal identification number. Participants may register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. A replay of the webcast will be made available approximately two hours following the call on the Company's website at www.cbiz.com . For those without internet access, a replay of the call will also be available starting at approximately 1:00 p.m. (ET), July 30, through 5:00 p.m. (ET), August 6, 2020. The toll-free dial-in number for the replay is 1-877-344-7529. If you are listening from outside the United States, dial 1-412-317-0088. The access code for the replay is 10146606. About CBIZ CBIZ, Inc. is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 offices in 31 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com. Forward-Looking Statements Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business and operations and those of our clients; the Company's ability to adequately manage and sustain its growth; the Company's dependence on the current trend of outsourcing business services; the Company's dependence on the services of its CEO and other key employees; competitive pricing pressures; general business and economic conditions; and changes in governmental regulation and tax laws affecting the Company's insurance business or its business services operations. A more detailed description of such risks and uncertainties may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 AND 2019 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data) THREE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 % 2019 % Revenue $ 236,943 100.0 % $ 235,498 100.0 % Operating expenses (1) 209,016 88.2 % 198,148 84.1 % Gross margin 27,927 11.8 % 37,350 15.9 % Corporate general and administrative expenses (1) 11,160 4.7 % 10,566 4.5 % Operating income 16,767 7.1 % 26,784 11.4 % Other income (expense): Interest expense (2,074) -0.9 % (1,587) -0.7 % Gain on sale of operations, net 57 0.0 % 50 0.0 % Other income (expense), net (1) (2) 13,336 5.6 % (3,311) -1.4 % Total other income (expense), net 11,319 4.8 % (4,848) -2.1 % Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 28,086 11.9 % 21,936 9.3 % Income tax expense 6,607 5,322 Income from continuing operations 21,479 9.1 % 16,614 7.1 % Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax (11) (22) Net income $ 21,468 9.1 % $ 16,592 7.0 % Diluted earnings per share: Continuing operations $ 0.39 $ 0.30 Discontinued operations - - Net income $ 0.39 $ 0.30 Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding 55,116 55,495 Other data from continuing operations: Adjusted EBITDA (3) $ 35,890 $ 28,790 (1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" ($12.2 million expense in 2020 and $3.0 million income in 2019, or 5.2% and 1.3% of revenue, respectively) and "Corporate general and administrative expenses" ($1.5 million expense in 2020 and $0.3 million income in 2019, respectively, or 0.6% and 0.1% of revenue, respectively) and are directly offset by deferred compensation income or expense in "Other income (expense), net" ($13.7 million income in 2020 and $3.4 million expense in 2019, or 5.8% and 1.4% of revenue, respectively). The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense". (2) Included in "Other income (expense), net" for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, is expense of $0.5 million and $0.1 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions. (3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors. CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 AND 2019 (In thousands, except percentages and per share data) SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 % 2019 % Revenue $ 514,398 100.0 % $ 505,496 100.0 % Operating expenses (1) 408,843 79.5 % 413,644 81.8 % Gross margin 105,555 20.5 % 91,852 18.2 % Corporate general and administrative expenses (1) 21,649 4.2 % 22,246 4.4 % Operating income 83,906 16.3 % 69,606 13.8 % Other (expense) income: Interest expense (3,193) -0.6 % (2,988) -0.6 % Gain on sale of operations, net 152 0.0 % 547 0.1 % Other (expense) income, net (1) (2) (2,464) -0.5 % 5,949 1.2 % Total other (expense) income, net (5,505) -1.1 % 3,508 0.7 % Income from continuing operations before income tax expense 78,401 15.2 % 73,114 14.5 % Income tax expense 20,060 18,935 Income from continuing operations 58,341 11.3 % 54,179 10.7 % Loss from operations of discontinued businesses, net of tax (25) (118) Net income $ 58,316 11.3 % $ 54,061 10.7 % Diluted earnings per share: Continuing operations $ 1.05 $ 0.97 Discontinued operations - - Net income $ 1.05 $ 0.97 Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding 55,515 55,701 Other data from continuing operations: Adjusted EBITDA (3) $ 92,933 $ 86,531 (1) CBIZ sponsors a deferred compensation plan, under which a CBIZ employee's compensation deferral is held in a rabbi trust and invested accordingly as directed by the employee. Income and expenses related to the deferred compensation plan are included in "Operating expenses" ($2.6 million income in 2020 and $5.2 million expense in 2019, or 0.5% and 1.0% of revenue, respectively) and "Corporate general and administrative expenses" ($0.3 million income in 2020 and $0.5 million expense in 2019, or 0.1% and 0.1% of revenue for 2020 and 2019, respectively) and are directly offset by deferred compensation income or expense in "Other (expense) income, net" ($2.9 million expense in 2020 and $5.7 million income in 2019, or 0.6% and 1.1% of revenue, respectively). The deferred compensation plan has no impact on "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense". (2) Included in "Other (expense) income, net" for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, is income of $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, related to net changes in the fair value of contingent consideration related to CBIZ's prior acquisitions. (3) Refer to the financial highlights tables for a reconciliation of Non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest GAAP financial measure, and for additional information as to the usefulness of the Non-GAAP financial measures to shareholders and investors. CBIZ, INC. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (UNAUDITED) (In thousands) SELECT SEGMENT DATA THREE MONTHS ENDED SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, JUNE 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Revenue Financial Services $ 154,083 $ 154,373 $ 342,860 $ 339,517 Benefits and Insurance Services 73,940 72,127 153,552 148,382 National Practices 8,920 8,998 17,986 17,597 Total $ 236,943 $ 235,498 $ 514,398 $ 505,496 Gross Margin Financial Services $ 26,666 $ 26,215 $ 76,845 $ 76,901 Benefits and Insurance Services 12,657 11,052 27,046 25,936 National Practices 930 794 1,713 1,393 Operating expenses - unallocated (1): Other (94) (3,719) (2,617) (7,168) Deferred compensation (12,232) 3,008 2,568 (5,210) Total $ 27,927 $ 37,350 $ 105,555 $ 91,852 (1) Represents operating expenses not directly allocated to individual businesses, including stock-based compensation, consolidation and integration charges, and certain advertising expenses. "Operating expenses - unallocated" also include gains or losses attributable to the assets held in a rabbi trust associated with the Company's deferred compensation plan. These gains or losses do not impact "Income from continuing operations before income tax expense" as they are directly offset by the same adjustment to "Other income (expense), net" in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Net gains/losses recognized from adjustments to the fair value of the assets held in the rabbi trust are recorded as compensation expense in "Operating expenses" and "Corporate, general and administrative expense," and offset in "Other income (expense), net". CBIZ, INC. SELECT CASH FLOW DATA (In thousands) SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 2019 Net income $ 58,316 $ 54,061 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization expense 11,491 10,976 Bad debt expense, net of recoveries 3,234 1,506 Adjustments to contingent earnout liability (155) (193) Stock-based compensation expense 4,280 3,399 Other noncash adjustments (312) 72 Net income, after adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities 76,854 69,821 Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and divestitures (21,286) (50,122) Operating cash flows provided by continuing operations 55,568 19,699 Operating cash used in discontinued operations (45) (119) Net cash provided by operating activities 55,523 19,580 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 12,807 (10,879) Net cash used in financing activities (70,560) (42,076) Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (2,230) $ (33,375) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year 146,505 130,554 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year $ 144,275 $ 97,179 Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to the consolidated balance sheet: Cash and cash equivalents $ 9,620 $ 2,628 Restricted Cash 42,411 30,126 Cash equivalents included in funds held for clients 92,244 64,425 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 144,275 $ 97,179 CBIZ, INC. SELECT FINANCIAL DATA AND RATIOS (In thousands) JUNE 30, DECEMBER 31, 2020 2019 Cash and cash equivalents $ 9,620 $ 567 Restricted cash 42,411 29,595 Accounts receivable, net 267,198 222,031 Current assets before funds held for clients 341,701 276,518 Funds held for clients 130,473 179,502 Goodwill and other intangible assets, net 661,180 654,671 Total assets $ 1,427,608 $ 1,400,774 Current liabilities before client fund obligations $ 203,357 $ 186,906 Client fund obligations 129,942 179,020 Total long-term debt 119,013 104,333 Total liabilities $ 732,388 $ 741,536 Treasury stock $ (566,762) $ (535,693) Total stockholders' equity $ 695,220 $ 659,238 Debt to equity 17.3 % 16.0 % Days sales outstanding (DSO) - continuing operations (1) 87 75 Shares outstanding 54,655 55,419 Basic weighted average common shares outstanding 54,356 54,299 Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding 55,515 55,895 (1) DSO is provided for continuing operations and represents accounts receivable, net, at the end of the period, divided by trailing twelve month daily revenue. The Company has included DSO data because such data is commonly used as a performance measure by analysts and investors and as a measure of the Company's ability to collect on receivables in a timely manner. DSO should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance under GAAP. DSO at June 30, 2019 was 90. CBIZ, INC. GAAP RECONCILIATION Income from Continuing Operations to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (1) (In thousands) THREE MONTHS ENDED SIX MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, JUNE 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Income from continuing operations $ 21,479 $ 16,614 $ 58,341 $ 54,179 Interest expense 2,074 1,587 3,193 2,988 Income tax expense 6,607 5,322 20,060 18,935 Gain on sale of operations, net (57) (50) (152) (547) Depreciation 2,357 1,859 4,640 4,017 Amortization 3,430 3,458 6,851 6,959 Adjusted EBITDA $ 35,890 $ 28,790 $ 92,933 $ 86,531 (1) CBIZ reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. This table reconciles Non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest GAAP financial measure, "Income from continuing operations". Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by GAAP and should not be regarded as an alternative or replacement to any measurement of performance or cash flow under GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA is commonly used by the Company, its shareholders and debt holders to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operational results and to provide an additional measure with respect to the Company's ability to meet future debt obligations. SOURCE CBIZ, Inc. Related Links http://www.cbiz.com Rotimi Amaechi Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation has warned the house of representatives committee on treaties and agreements against continuing the probe on loan agreement between Nigeria and China. The Minister who noted that the federal government requested $500 million from the Chinese government to finance some rail projects across the country particularly in the south-east, asked for suspension of the probe till the loan is secured. Amaechi averred that some sections of the country will suffer if China refuses to give Nigeria loan to complete ongoing projects. He Said; I have said here to the house, and it is a pity that Im saying it in public, this government, outside Nigeria, they are sensitive to what you say. Nobody is stopping you from your investigation and no government from outside Nigeria can stop you from doing it. We are saying that Nigeria has applied for three loans already. For Port HarcourtMaiduguri (eastern rail line), the minister of finance told me that she was stopped and told that the next borrowing plan would not be approved unless you get Port Harcourt-Maiduguri. Port Harcourt-Maiduguri goes through the south-east and the north-east. The only south-south town is Port Harcourt. We are about to apply for a loan. They will not grant that loan. Then you summoned us back to the House to ask why we are constructing LagosKano and we are not constructing Port Harcourt-Maiduguri. Can we be allowed to get this loan? Then you can summon us, not to start what you are doing and the whole process will then be stopped. My fear is that at the end of the day, some sections of this country will suffer if they stop giving us loans; two projects that will suffer: the first one is Lagos-Ibadan (rail line), we have not finished disbursement. We are asking for a loan to commence work from Ibadan to Kano. The day they (China) say the government is not supporting the loans you people are taking, we are no longer giving you, that is the end of the project. The economy of this country can only be propelled by transportation. We dont mind this investigation but can we please shift it to December or January when we would have possibly taken these loans. Once we get these loans, chairman, turn me upside down, I will answer you.There are rumblings up there in China and there are loans we have asked for. If your government is not in agreement with this, dont forget that there are all sorts of allegations against China here and there we can stop. The moment it is stopped, the following things will happen Lagos-Ibadan is not completed. For the past few days, Nigerians have lamented the poor online banking services experienced even as Sallah commences. Just like during every other holiday, a lot of transactions take place, ranging from transfer of money to relatives, payment for shopping or even withdrawal to have cash at hand. But there have been complaints from customers of various commercial banks on the hassle they go through accessing banking services especially through USSD codes, Mobile apps, and even Point of Sale System (PoS). Since the advent of smartphones, a lot of Nigerians have made mobile app banking their preferred online digital platform for making financial transactions. Complaints Asides from the complaints lodged by users on various banking platforms and on official Twitter handles of some banks, some bank users spoke with PREMIUM TIMES. Olamide Ishola, a store owner in Lagos, explained how frustrated payment has been for her over the week. She said her First Bank POS machine declines payment and debits the account owners while transfers done through mobile app and USSD code rarely get to her account on time. Generally, for some days now this is what we have been facing, coupled with the Ileya festival. I still have pending N72,000 from different customers since yesterday and the customers were debited but I have not been credited, she said. Also, a designer in Ibadan, Olatunji Harry, said he was really frustrated yesterday when he could not access his Stanbic IBTC mobile banking app and POS kept declining his ATM card. READ ALSO: Someone at the mechanic workshop said I was facing difficulty in accessing my app because I have not upgraded the app, he advised I did. After upgrade, I was still unable to access it, it kept loading and even the POS I tried to use debited me while declining me. The only people that were able to get cash from the POS were the ones that were able to transfer to the agents account. ATM/POS was completely useless, he said. Deborah Ejemeka narrated how she was also debited twice without the other party being credited on Wednesday. I ordered for food and they brought it with POS. My GTB ATM card was declined thrice and I was debited twice and it has not been reversed. I also tried using the USSD code when my app refused to open, it kept giving me an error message, she said. Complaints galore Meanwhile, bank customers have taken to their banks official twitter handles to lodge their various complaints. I was debited yesterday trying to pay bills with my mobile app and the transaction wasnt successful, Im yet to be refunded, why? a user tweeted at Access Bank. This is not getting funny at all. I called severally yesterday and I was told the compliance officer needs to reply a particular mail. I need quick action this morning do I can purchase and deliver the car to the owner please for Gods sake Haba what kind of bank is this another tweeted at Polaris bank. Useless bank ever. Complained about my unsuccessful transaction that I was debited. U responded by telling me to provide my details which I did. Since then no word from u again.. Who does that? This is the most useless bank ever. tweeted at FCMB. Comments like these were seen on the official twitter accounts of UBA, Ecobank, Zenith, Fidelity, Standard Chartered, Sterling, Union, and Wema banks. Attempts made to get comments from these banks through their official social media accounts were unsuccessful as none of them replied. Also, the spokespersons of the mentioned banks all refused to pick calls and reply to messages sent to them on the matter. Complaint Commission responds Responding to PREMIUM TIMES, the Director, Surveillance & Enforcement, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Shamm Kolo, said the commission is aware of the issue. He urged consumers to be vigilant and report to their service providers immediately they notice any discrepancy. He advised the affected consumers to escalate the complaint to the commission, using our mobile app on either Google or iOS App store if the service provider fails to act. Advertisements If we receive any complaint in that respect, we would handle it in line with our complaint redress protocol, he said. In order not to put undue pressure on online banking facilities, we recently wrote to all banks in the country, including CBN, on the need to ensure customer comfort and satisfaction while complying with the PTF protocols and guidelines during this COVID-19 period. Issues raised in our correspondence included easy access to the bank for seamless transactions, the comfort of customers while waiting, improvement in ATM services with enough cash availability, and improvement in online customer service. Next week, we plan to engage CBN on the issue of closure of branches by many of the banks, thus forcing unacceptable clusters of consumers in the few branches that are open, he said. Area voters will cast their ballots Tuesday to select one of two candidates seeking election to the position of St. Francois County sheriff. Voters will have a choice between Republican Incumbent Dan Bullock and Republican Challenger Ryan Miller. The winner of the race will not face an opponent in November. Each candidate shared some background information about themselves to give voters as much information as they may need to make their decision. Dan Bullock Bullock is seeking re-election and has been serving as the St. Francois County sheriff since he was first elected in 1993. Bullock is 66 years old. He was born and raised in Bonne Terre by the late Jim and Wanda Bullock, along with four brothers and one sister. Lifelong residents of St. Francois County, Bullock and his wife, Marie, share two sons, two daughters, 10 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Bullocks law enforcement career has spanned 39 years. Over nearly four decades, Bullock has worked as a sergeant and a chief deputy for St. Francois County as well as a Bismarck police sergeant. He also served as the police chief for the Bismarck and Esther Police Departments. Bullock has served as the countys sheriff for 28 years and holds the distinction of being the longest-running St. Francois County sheriff since 1823. Along with his years of on the job experience, Bullock has completed thousands of hours of specialized and general law enforcement training in all facets of law. He is a certified federal firearms instructor and participates in yearly continuing law enforcement education. Just after he was first elected as sheriff in 1993, Bullocks department addressed a serious drug problem in St. Francois County. A large group calling themselves the 5 W Club was dealing drugs openly on the streets in the county. We worked very closely with federal, state, and municipal law enforcement breaking the back of this gang and sending the ring leaders to prison for a very long period of time, Bullock recalled. Many are still serving time. Among many other crime control efforts, Bullock helped establish and served on an executive board called Operation Ram-Jet targeting street-level drugs in a 27-county area throughout Southeast Missouri. Bullock has been active in charity events for members of the community throughout his career and formed an annual program that has helped provide a better Christmas to thousands of area children since its inception 27 years ago. We have established a Shop with a Cop program that has grown to the largest in the state helping underprivileged children that otherwise would not have Christmas, said Bullock. It may be the largest in the nation. In his years of serving as sheriff, Bullock said he had adapted the sheriffs department to changing times. I led the way to build a state-of-the-art sheriffs office and detention facility, launching St. Francois County law enforcement into the 21st century, Bullock said. The facility was paid off early, at which point the sales tax was rolled back. Bullock helped to bring an accredited law enforcement academy to Mineral Area College, giving local men and women the opportunity to enter the law enforcement field close to home at an affordable tuition. He has sat on the advisory board of the law enforcement academy ever since. Other educational endeavors in which Bullock has played a part include making the D.A.R.E. Program available in all St. Francois County schools other than Farmington, which has its own D.A.R.E. Program. Bullock was a member of the executive board that established the Mineral Area Drug Task Force that provides overt and covert drug operations in all of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C area. Since its formation, thousands of drug labs, users, and dealers have been taken down through the cooperative efforts of the drug task force. He was involved in bringing enhanced 911 and centralized dispatch to St. Francois County while sitting on the executive board and serving as head of operations. In the past, he has also held the position of Emergency Management director for St. Francois County and helped to procure more than $5 million in equipment and personnel grants for the county from the state and the federal government. He instituted a program that entertains residents of area senior centers and nursing homes with live music from his band The Sheriff and the Deputies. The program also provides a liaison between the senior citizens and the sheriffs department. In addition to his volunteer work with area seniors, Bullock is a long-time sponsor of Relay for Life. Every year, Bullock participates in several other community-based activities intended to prevent or reduce crime in the area. We have taken a proactive approach to law enforcement in St. Francois County trying to educate the public through neighborhood watch programs, gun safety, child fingerprinting, senior citizens, and Explorer Scouts, hopefully preventing some crimes before they happen, Bullock said of efforts to make communities safer. Through a competitive grant process, we have taken advantage of the Missouri Sheriffs Methamphetamine Relief Team program (MOSMART) and have been awarded as being one of the top five counties in the state taking down meth labs. The sheriff detailed some of his work with state agencies and legislators, some of which have impacted the entire state. I served as a zone leader for the Missouri State Sheriffs Association and was a liaison from seven counties to Jefferson City, providing information on new and existing legislation that affects the office of sheriff and law enforcement throughout the state, Bullock said. "I also served on Missouris Board of Homeland Security and helped to secure tens of thousands of dollars of equipment. Bullock helped establish a Major Case Squad for St. Francois County, cities, and surrounding counties. He also serves as a major case squad board member. Bullock is a member of several organizations including, the Missouri Sheriffs Association; National Rifle Association (NRA) Endorsement; Masonic Lodge #154 AF & AM; Second Amendment Foundation; National Sheriffs Association; First Baptist Church of Bonne Terre; Civil War Trust Organization; Mineral Area Legislative Labor Club; NRA Institute for Legislative Action; American Battlefield Trust; and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He is also a charter member of Republican Presidential Task Force. Bullock has received many awards throughout his time serving St. Francois County. Some of the accolades for which he has been recognized include the Decade of Support Award from the Mineral Area Legislative Labor Club; the Professionalism Award from the City of Bismarck; the Elite Service Award from Dockins Radio Group; the 110% Award from KREI/KTJJ; Relay for Lifes Leading by Example Award; the Onward, Outward, Upward Award from Mineral Area Law Enforcement Academy; the VFWs Meritorious and Distinguished Service Awards; and the Humanitarian Award, the Justice Award, and the American Renaissance Award from SGI USA. The sheriff has also received the Missouri House Resolution for Operation Kid Care, Missouri Senate Resolution for Solving Cold Case Murder, as well as numerous other letters of thanks and recognition. He was honored by the Ninth Expeditionary Bomb Squadron during Operation Enduring Freedom and received the Commanders Certificate of Appreciation from Veterans of Foreign Wars. Ryan Miller Miller is 32 years old and lives in Farmington. He has several family members who also live in Farmington, including his mother, father, stepmother, and sister. Miller was raised in Farmington and attended the Farmington R7 School District. He graduated in 2006 and later attended Mineral Area College, where he majored in Criminal Justice. In 2010, he enrolled in the Mineral Area College Police Academy and graduated the following year as valedictorian of his class. Miller was hired in 2011 as a detention officer by the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriffs Office, where he served for one year. In 2012, he was offered a position as a patrol officer with the Farmington Police Department. I accepted the position and eventually became a member of the Crisis Intervention Team, a role I was quite passionate about, said Miller. I resigned as an officer in 2018 to pursue a career in the private sector in Information Technology. Miller accepted a position in 2019 with the newly-elected St. Francois County prosecutor, where he is currently employed as the offices investigator. Being a police officer gave me a unique perspective into the issues facing our county, Miller said. I was motivated to become a police officer to give back to the community that helped raise me and to contribute as a citizen. After developing a solid skill set through my experience, I felt it was an appropriate time to offer my skills, vision, and ideas to the community to take us into the next era of policing, said Miller on his reasons for seeking the office. Times are changing, and to make sure we have an effective sheriffs department that provides the best quality service and protects citizens from increased liability, we must adapt to these changes. My experience as an officer is comprehensive, Miller explained. I have seen and worked for a model agency when it comes to running a detention center. My experience with the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriffs Office left a distinct impression on me, and I could clearly see why it is such a highly regarded and sought-after department to work for by officers, Miller noted. That experience, combined with my time on patrol with the Farmington Police Department, helped me understand just how important it is that we pay close attention to how we do things as a government entity. "Attention to detail, laws, and regulations is the foundation for continued success. Lastly, my experience in the prosecuting attorneys office has given me perspective on what needs to be done to ensure an effective prosecution from the start of an investigation, he said. Sharing that perspective and experience with other officers and deputies can help us build a better working relationship among other agencies and put together the best cases we can for the citizens of St. Francois County. In regard to goals and objectives he wants to achieve if elected as the county sheriff, Miller said he would like to see a comprehensive policies and procedures manual adopted for the sheriffs office. This kind of thing is so crucial to guiding deputies on what is expected of them, setting a baseline for what the sheriffs office does and does not do, protects us from liability lawsuits, and sets the standard of what a modern and professional agency should look like, said Miller. Secondly, I would like to work within our budget and seek available grant funding to provide the necessary equipment for our deputies and to pay them a competitive wage in relation to other nearby agencies. Currently, deputies must supply their own firearms and purchase some of their own gear, Miller said. This, compounded with a starting wage of $14.42 an hour makes it very difficult for our county to attract and keep quality deputies that our citizens deserve. Miller said if elected, he would like to ensure the sheriffs department secures a new contract with the United States Marshals Service to house federal inmates. With the recent bond rules issued by the Missouri Supreme Court in July 2019, our jail is under capacity, he said. We can use the space we have already paid precious tax dollars to generate revenue for the county. Prior to dissolving our agreement with the USMS to house federal detainees, our county received over $500,000 in funds for providing this service, explained Miller. You can do a whole lot with half a million dollars a year, and it comes at no cost to taxpayers here in St. Francois County. Miller described the approaches he would take as sheriff in communicating with members of the community. I think that since we live in the social media age and are clearly seeing an increased interest in how government operates, I would like to emphasize more community engagement through social media like Facebook, town hall meetings, and other methods to connect with citizens on what is important in their community, said Miller. The sheriff and the deputies are few in a county of nearly 70,000 citizens, so it is doubly important for us to seek them out and find out what issues they feel are most important and what we can do to problem-solve together. Law enforcement is a community effort, Miller summarized. As Sir Robert Peele, the father of modern policing, once said, The police are the public and the public are the police. Goals such as these are common ground, and we can accomplish them together here in St. Francois County. Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com Love 9 Funny 8 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 4 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The chief minister chaired a meeting of elected representative and took stock of the local administration's response to the pandemic so far Pune: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said collective efforts were needed to bring down the COVID-19 death rate in Pune city and asked elected representatives to work as a "link" between citizens and the government in the ongoing fight against coronavirus. Terming the mortality rate of COVID-19 in the city a challenge, Thackeray said there is a need to work collectively to bring it down. "During our fight against the COVID-19, elected representatives should work as a link between citizens and the government," he added. The emphasis should be on strengthening the healthcare system and better coordination, the chief minister said. He said while fighting the "first wave" of the infection in the state, there is a need to take utmost care and not become complacent. Thackeray was in Pune to review the COVID-19 situation in district, which has recorded more than 78,000 cases so far and seen a spurt in infections in recent weeks. He recognised the need to increase bed capacity in Pune, where more than 1,800 people have died so far due to the viral disease. He chaired a meeting of elected representatives, including MP and MLAs, and took stock of the COVID-19 situation and the local administration's response to the pandemic so far. This was Thackeray's first visit to Pune since the COVID-19 outbreak more than four months ago. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray, ministers Dilip Walse-Patil, Dattatray Bharne, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, Kothrud MLA and state BJP president Chandrakant Patil and other elected members from Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad were present at the meeting. The chief minister since there is no curative drug or vaccine available as of now for COVID-19, emphasis should on strengthening the existing health system. Under the prevailing situation, better coordination between administration, elected representatives and people becomes imperative to tackle the health crisis, he said. The chief minister assured that there was enough stock of ventilators, PPE kits and N-95 masks in the state. "We have given financial help to municipal corporations and we will continue to support the civic bodies during the fight against the virus," said Thackeray. Thackeray said said a task force is being set up in every district to stem the spread of the viral disease, which has infected more than 4 lakh people in Maharashtra so far. The CM said he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the supply of ventilators, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits and and N-95 masks to the state even after the existing deadline of September. He said though relaxations in lockdown are being given on the basis of coronavirus cases, strict measures are being imposed in containment zones. "There is a need to increase beds in hospitals in Pune and the civic body should take a lead in this regard," the chief minister said. "The municipal corporations of Pune, Aurangabad and Nashik should work towards increasing beds in hospitals and the state government will provide all the required financial help," he assured. "The administration should create awareness among people and encourage them to use masks and follow social distancing norms," Thackeray said. Thackeray asked the district administration to ensure patients are not deprived of treatment. Talking about jumbo facilities being set up in the city for COVID-19 patients, Thackeray said the work on them should be expedited. He asked the authorities to keep the online bed management system updated and provide real-time information to people. The chief minister said as far patients from slum areas are concerned, emphasis should be given on institutional quarantine instead of home isolation. Thackeray said oxygen cylinder-equipped ambulances should be kept ready for critical patients. Ajit Pawar, who is also Pune district guardian minister, asked officials to keep an eye on charges levied by private hospitals and instructed the administration to ensure there is no shortage of ICU beds. He sought financial aid for the Pune Municipal Corporation. Earlier, BJP leader Patil, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said elected representatives cutting across parties in one voice emphasised on the need of ramping up medical facilities in terms of arranging more oxygenated and ICU beds in city hospitals. NKWENE Over E15 million has been distributed to most deserving emaSwati through the NDMA cash-based transfer relief fund in the past five days. NDMA is an acronym for National Disaster Management Agency. According to NDMA Programmes Director Victor Mahlalela, the second phase of payments was running smoothly, adding that there were fewer challenges this time around when compared to the first phase distribution exercise. Mahlalela said before they began issuing payments, they instructed the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) they were working with to visit constituencies and validate the information of beneficiaries, which greatly assisted them. He stated that the funds were paid through the E45 million donation made by the Kirsh Foundation and a balance of E30 million remained. Hope Mahlalela expressed hope that they would have exhausted the distribution of the funds in the second phase by Friday. Constituencies which received the money yesterday included Nkwene and Ludzeludze, among others. To date, Mahlalela said 13 659 households, under 14 constituences, have benefited from the fund. The constituencies include; Hhukwini, LaMgabhi, Lomahasha, Ludzeludze, Madlangampisi, Mangcongco, Maphalaleni, Mhlume, Ngudzeni, Nhlambeni, Nkilongo, Nkomiyahlaba, Nkwene, Shiselweni I and Zombodze Emuva. He said last Monday, they were able to pay a total of six constituencies and almost half of the countrys constituencies had been covered. Mahlalela said they hoped that by the end of this week, they would have covered almost all the constituencies they were targeting to reach through the cash-based transfer programme. He noted that they had completed payments for Phase-One and had started were paying out under Phase Two. Mahlalela acknowledged that they were dealing with challenges of few individuals who still had not received the first payment but had almost covered 57 000 households under Phase One. He further explained that they were able to overcome most of the challenges when issuing the second phase payments. There were very few instances where an individual was not paid and mostly due to information that did not correspond, explained Mahlalela. Representative of the Kirsh Foundation in the kingdom, George Lys, said having contributed so much money for food relief in the country, which was close to E90 million, they wanted to find out if it benefitted the people, especially those who were severely impoverished and had no other means of survival. Ascertain Lys said they decided to join NDMA, a partner they were working with, to ascertain what was happening on the ground. We also wanted to hear from the authorities at the constituencies and further meet the people to understand how they were using the cash, Lys said. He stated that they would be reporting back to the Kirsh family on the findings, whether the funds were being properly spent. This, he said, would give the family confidence to release more funds in the event that Eswatini would require more funding to assist in food relief issues. It has been a privilege for me to come and witness what is happening on the ground, he said during the distribution exercise. Lys said he was impressed with what he had seen and the stories he heard from the beneficiaries themselves on how they spent the money. Summing it up, Lys said it was a job well done by NDMA and the NGOs they were collaborating with. He said they noted that some households were falling off the net but they could not reach out to all of them as there were not enough funds. Also, he noted that they were spending about E5 million assisting random people who sought their assistance. He said some of these people included church groups. Lys cleared the air on the issue of the funds, which he said were sourced from Kirshs businesses outside the country. He stated that there was information that the funds were sourced from Kirshs local businesses, which he said was not true. Lys said the funds which were generated in the country were directed to projects that uplifted the lives of emaSwati, including Inhlanyelo Fund and also installing high speed internet in schools, among others. A man wearing a face mask on a London bus. (Getty) coronavirus Face masks have become a source of tension for a significant number of people as their usage has soared in recent months, a survey has found. The report found 10% of respondents think face masks are bad for your health and 13% think they are just a way for the government to control the population. Since face coverings became mandatory in shops on 24 July in England there has been a significant increase in mask-wearing - from 19% in April up to 70% in recent weeks. The survey found 81% of people believe masks help reduce the spread of coronavirus, with 9% thinking they do not. The report came from a survey of 2,237 UK residents aged 16-75, by Kings College London in partnership with Ipsos MORI. Young people, those who think theyve had coronavirus and those who believe the virus is a low risk, were all more likely to believe masks were bad for their health. Around a quarter of those who say they get a great deal or fair amount of their information about COVID-19 from social media say wearing a mask is bad for your health. Graph from an Ipsos MORI and King's College London survey showing attitudes towards the safety of wearing a face mask. (King's College London) Graph from an Ipsos MORI and King's College London survey showing if people believe the requirement to wear a face mask is a way for the government to control us. (King's College London) Similar trends were found when respondents were asked if mask usage was just a tool by the government to control the population, with one in eight believing this was the case, rising to one in five among 16-24s. The belief was highest among Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups, with a quarter believing masks were a tool to control the population. The biggest indicator as to whether a respondent believes the government are using masks to control people, is if they use social media to get their news. Read More: UK government accused of blaming Europe for spike in cases Why is the government insisting no one knew about asymptomatic spread of COVID-19? How lockdown rules around shielding for at-risk people will change on 1 August 34% of those who use WhatsApp as their main source of information think face masks are a way for the Government to exert control, as do 30% of respondents who rely on YouTube for news and information. Story continues Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at Kings College London, said: The large majority of the public have now come round to the idea of wearing face masks a rapid change in both behaviour and belief, given how recently ago they seemed like an extreme measure and there was such uncertainty over their effectiveness in advice from Government and elsewhere. But face masks are also proving a source of tension for a significant minority. One in eight survey respondents say theyve been involved in either confrontations or reports to the authorities about not wearing them and, while this is a minority of the UK population, it is equivalent to around six million people. The evidence around whether wearing a face mask helps to control the spread of the virus is inconclusive. The virus spreads through tiny water droplets that mainly come from coughing, sneezing, and talking. Dr Antonio Lazzarino from University College London previously said people will continue to touch their face with potentially-contaminated hands. Therefore, instead of helping us contain the virus, face coverings may just help the virus spread across the world, he said. Professor Trish Greenhalgh from the University of Oxford said, The science on this is clear: COVID-19 is most commonly transmitted by droplets emitted when we cough, sneeze, shout, sing and even just breathe in close proximity to others. We cant stay behind our front doors forever, and nobody wants a second wave of COVID-19, so covering our faces will become the new normal in public places, workplaces, and on public transport. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends people should wear a face mask in public when social distancing is not possible. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wearing a face mask during a visit to the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust in London. (AP) There is no evidence face masks are bad for your health or that the government is using them to control the population. The number of people wearing face masks has increased significantly in recent weeks, with an increase from 38% on 20-22 May to 70% on 17-20 July. Levels of face mask-wearing were high among all demographics and locations. Highest usage of face masks is in Scotland, at 86%, where coverings became mandatory in shops on 10 July. The study found 81% of the population believe masks help fight the virus, with only 9% disagreeing. Results are similar across all demographics. The major outlier was among people who think the virus is a low risk to the population, with 17% of them believing masks didnt help. Wearing a mask indoors in public spaces, including shops, banks and supermarkets became mandatory in England on 24 July, with failure to do so potentially leading to a 100 fine. The only people exempt from wearing them are children under the age of 11 and people with certain disabilities and health conditions. Masks are not required in pubs, gyms, and restaurants, although staff will be wearing them and customers should attempt social distancing wherever possible. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter July 29, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - NEWARK, N.J. Robert Kabir Luma was 18 when he found himself in the wrong car with the wrong people. He would pay for that misjudgment with 16 years and 54 days of his life, locked away for a crime he did not participate in and did not know was going to take place. Released from prison, he was tossed onto the street, without financial resources and, because of fines and fees imposed on him by the court system, $7,000 of debt. He ended up broke in a homeless shelter in Newark, populated with others who could not afford a place to live, addicts and the mentally ill. The shelter was filthy, infested with lice and bedbugs. You have to chain your food up in the refrigerator, he said, wearing a worn, ripped sweatshirt, when I met him at the Newark train station. Theres a chain on the door. Theres no stove. Theres one microwave that is on its way out. It stinks. Im trying to stay positive. Kabir his nickname means big in Arabic and was given to him in prison because of his powerful 6-foot-2-inch, 270-pound frame lives in the netherworld of Americas criminal caste system. He is branded for life as a felon, although he was locked away for a crime that in most other countries would have seen him serve a tiny sentence or no sentence at all. He is denied public assistance, food stamps, public housing, the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury, the ability to collect Social Security for the 40-hours a week he worked in prison, barred from obtaining hundreds of professional licenses, burdened with old fees, fines and court costs he cannot pay, as well as losing the right to be free from employment discrimination because of his record. Kabir is one of Americas tens of millions of second-class citizens, most of whom are poor people of color, who have been stripped of basic civil and human rights and are subject to legalized discrimination for life. One-third of all black men in America are classified as ex-felons. Kabir, through no fault of his own, unless being poor and black is a fault, lives trapped in a social hell from which there is almost no escape. This social hell fuels the street protests around the country as much as the outrage over indiscriminate murders by police an average of three a day and police violence. It is a hell visited on nearly all of those trapped in what Malcom X called our internal colonies. This hell was constructed by corporate billionaires and their lackeys in the two major political parties who betrayed the working class and working poor to strip communities of jobs and social services, rewrite laws and tax codes to amass staggering fortunes and consolidate their political and economic power at the expense of the citizenry. While they were fleecing the country, these billionaires, along with the politicians they bought and owned, including Joe Biden, methodically built brutal mechanisms of social control, expanding the prison population from 200,000 in 1970 to 2.3 million today and transforming police into lethal paramilitary forces of internal occupation. Kabir is one victim, but he is one victim too many. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter I met Kabir in 2013 in a college credit class I taught through Rutgers University in East Jersey State Prison. A devoted listener to the Pacifica Station in New York City, WBAI, he had heard me on the station and told his friends they should take my class. The class, which because of Kabir attracted the most talented writers in the prison, wrote a play called Caged that was put on by Trentons Passage Theater in May 2018. The play was sold out nearly every night, filled with audience members who knew too intimately the pain of mass incarceration. It was published this year by Haymarket Books. It is the story of the cages, the invisible ones on the streets, and the very real ones in prison, that define their lives. Kabirs sweet and gentle disposition and self-deprecating, infectious sense of humor made him beloved in the prison. Life had dealt him a bum hand, but nothing seemed capable of denting his good nature, empathy and compassion. He loves animals. One of his saddest childhood experiences, he told me, came when he was not allowed to visit a farm with his class because he had ringworm. He dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. But the social hell of urban America is the great destroyer of dreams. It batters and assaults the children of the poor. It teaches them that their dreams, and finally they themselves, are worthless. They go to bed hungry. They live with fear. They lose their fathers, brothers and sisters to mass incarceration and at times their mothers. They see friends and relatives killed. They are repeatedly evicted from their dwellings; the sociologist Matthew Desmond estimates that 2.3 million evictions were filed in 2016 a rate of four every minute. One in four families spend 70 percent of their income on rent. A medical emergency, the loss of a job or a reduction in hours, car repairs, funeral expenses, fines and tickets and there is financial catastrophe. They are hounded by creditors, payday lenders and collection agencies, and often forced to declare bankruptcy. This social hell is relentless. It wears them down. It makes them angry and bitter. It drives them to hopelessness and despair. The message sent to them by the dysfunctional schools, the decrepit housing projects, the mercenary financial institutions, gang violence, instability and ever-present police abuse is that they are human refuse. That Kabir and my students can retain their integrity and humanity under this assault, that they can daily defy this hell to make something of their lives, that they are the first to reach out to others with compassion and concern, make them some of the most remarkable and admirable people I have ever known. Kabir he refers to his legal name, Robert Luma, as his slave name was raised by his mother in Newark. He only met his father, who was from Haiti and spoke little English, three times. Kabir does not speak Creole. They could barely communicate. His father died in Haiti while Kabir was in prison. Kabir was the middle of three children. The family lived on the first floor of a house at Peabody Place, a few blocks from the Passaic River. His great-aunt, who had adopted his mother, and who he refers to as his grandmother, lived on the second floor with her husband. His grand-uncles pension and savings provided for the family. But by the time of his mothers generation, well-paying jobs that came with benefits and pensions, and with them stability and dignity, were gone. That was one of my gripes against my mother. Damn, if you cant save me, and my fathers not around, who the hell gonna save me? There were difficulties. His mother, who often left him in the care of his grandmother, cycled through boyfriends, some of whom were abusive. That was one of my gripes against my mother, he said. Damn, if you cant save me, and my fathers not around, who the hell gonna save me? He was teased and bullied when he was small because of his tattered second-hand clothes. Sensitive and introspective, the bullying shattered his childhood. It made it hard to pay attention. He would grow up to be big and strong, aided by his passion for weightlifting, but the awkward silences that punctuate his stories of bullying show that the pain is still there. Catastrophe struck in fifth grade when his great-uncle, who assumed the role of his grandfather, died. Stability evaporated. They lost their home. They moved to a dilapidated house on Hudson Street. On the night they moved in, it caught fire. They lost everything. They moved back to squat in their old house with nothing. The family eventually moved to North Park Street in East Orange. Life became a series of sudden evictions and moves. He was shipped from school to school. The family squatted in abandoned houses without electricity that were also homes to drug dealers and addicts. It killed my spirit to live, he said. I used to contemplate suicide. I felt I had no haven. Everywhere I go, there was some type of abuse. Even at home, there was no peace. Why be here? Whats the point of being here? My family life is in disarray. No father. My mother is ignoring me. The other family members we do have, theyre not really present. Our structure was so damaged, theres no help from my aunt or uncle. We were all mixed up, living in our own world. I felt I had no haven. Everywhere I go, there was some type of abuse. Even at home, there was no peace. Why be here? Whats the point of being here? One day, when Kabir was eight or nine, a man was speaking to his mother on the porch. Another man pulled up in a car and started shooting at the man speaking with his mom. The man with the gun chased his victim into the house. My little brother is in the tub naked, Kabir said. Im in the living room next to the hallway. My grandmother is upstairs. He starts shooting. I run, get my little brother. He gets out the tub naked. We haul out the back and run next door. My mother was in the hallway pleading for them to stop. It was one of those things. I cant feel safe in my own dwelling. His schooling effectively ended in the eighth grade. He began smoking weed, being disruptive, being a clown. He was very depressed. He drank most of the night and slept most of the day. I hustled a little bit, selling drugs, he said. I was never good at that. I was not patient. Im idle-minded. Im more of a philosopher. I have a heart for people. Im not a street person, even though I was in the streets. Three months after he turned 18, he was arrested. It was his first arrest. He was in a car with three older men. The older men decided to rob Ol Man Charlie, who ran a convenience store. The older men went into the store. He remained behind in the car listening to the song Wanksta, by rapper 50 Cent. They got this spooked face. They said, Man, I had to kill Charlie. He was reaching. Mu told me to hit him. They come back to the car, he remembered. They got this spooked face. They said, Man, I had to kill Charlie. He was reaching. Mu told me to hit him. In my head, it didnt even seem real. I didnt witness it. It was like they were telling me a story. I couldnt fathom it. Even though I knew they were going into the store to rob him. Im in a daze. We continue to ride around in this car. They hoppin out robbing people. They dont stop. At the same time, I feel like Im stuck. If I leave, there could be repercussions. The police brought him in for questioning. He was taken to a room that had contents from the crime scene, including the gun used to kill Charlie. He tried to be as vague as possible, but he didnt want to lie. Now theres a room full of these motherfuckers, he said. There had to be seven of them. This old, fat white dude. He had blotches on his skin. Like he smoked too much. As soon as he walks in, he just smacked the shit out of me. Hes fat and tall. He slapped me good time. Pow! He said, This shit dont make no sense. You need to tell us what the fuck is going on. In my head, I felt so guilty about the whole ordeal. He slaps the shit out of me. Pow! It was the first time I was arrested for anything. I just come out and tell them what happened. They do the ballistics, eventually it comes back a match. The gun was used for that crime that killed Charlie. They start collecting people. One of the last people were my two [co-defendants]. I felt guilty as hell. Someones life was taken behind this shit. I felt guilty as hell, he said. Someones life was taken behind this shit. If I were intelligent, I would have known this was the cost of robbing somebody. You got the power of life or death in your hands. I snitched, rolled over. The guilt was more than anything. They eventually started grabbing people. I got charged with felony murder. A homicide in the act of committing a robbery. Even though I never left the car. I never had a weapon discharged. But the law charges everyone there equally. He spent three-and-a-half years in the county jail before being sentenced and going to prison. My strongest asset is that I have a connection to people, he said. At times, I can be a little depressed because its overwhelming. I felt like I never got out of poverty. You know what I mean? If it wasnt my upbringing, it was prison. Now Im spit back out as an adult. I never really achieved anything I feel a grown man should have. I cant drive. I was never taught to drive. I went away at 18. I dont have my own place. Im 35. If it aint a room, its the shelter. When you meet people of affluence, some people with money, how they look at you. You can almost pierce their eyes and read their mind. You know, when people feel like theyre above you. You know when youre treated wrong, whether its in school, whether its in a store, or in a certain neighborhood where they feel like you dont belong. And then, youre constantly fed these lily-white dreams on TV, knowing this is the farthest thing from our reality. Then we look at black reality its like they make mockery out of it. Its either overly funny so its desensitized. Or, its not even true. The pandemic created an urgent need for frontline workers, those desperate enough to work for low wages and accept being expendable. Kabir, a few weeks ago, was able to get a job in a supermarket. On the days he has to be at work at 6:00 am he walks over a mile of the 2.3 miles from where he is living to the supermarket because of the erratic bus service at that hour in Newark. It is dark when he sets out. He walks past the unhoused, which sometimes include children, sleeping on the street, the handfuls of prostitutes trying to scare up a few clients, and the junkies passed out, propped up against buildings. This is his America. It is our America. And our shame. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East Bureau Chief and Balkan Bureau Chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor, and NPR. He wrote a weekly column for the progressive website Truthdig for 14 years until he was fired along with all of the editorial staff in March 2020. [Hedges and the staff had gone on strike earlier in the month to protest the publishers attempt to fire the Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer, demand an end to a series of unfair labor practices and the right to form a union.] He is the host of the Emmy Award-nominated RT America show On Contact. [Chris writes a regular original column for Scheerpost twice a month. Click here to sign up for email alerts.] - - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. A report released this week by the Trump administrations coronavirus task force warns that 21 states are now in the red zone and need to take aggressive steps to slow the spread of COVID-19. That sounds serious. But according to new, comprehensive national guidelines from a network of research, policy and public-health experts convened by Harvard Universitys Global Health Institute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, the latest federal report probably isnt serious enough. Why? Because the steps it recommends may be too weak to suppress the virus, and the threshold at which it recommends them may be too high. The Trump task force, for instance, doesnt advise authorities to issue stay-at-home orders anywhere. But if the Harvard experts had their way, 13 states would lock down right now. Another 22 would be considering lockdowns. CDC The White House task force and the Harvard researchers are relying on the same data. Theyre using similar color-coded risk charts. They even share a goal: to provide clear metrics that will help communities determine the severity of the outbreak they are responding to, as the Harvard initiative puts it, then offer broad guidance on the intensity of control efforts needed based on these COVID risk levels. Yet Harvard and the Trump task force arrive at very different conclusions about how communities should be responding. This difference underscores the ongoing inconsistency of Americas efforts to combat COVID-19. It also raises the question of whether Americans will look back on unheeded recommendations such as Harvards with regret this fall, when colder weather, increased indoor activity and, in many places, a return to in-person schooling compound the risk of a second wave of infection especially if dozens of states remain in the so-called red zone. The public needs clear and consistent information about COVID risk levels in different jurisdictions for personal decision-making, and policy-makers need clear and consistent visibility that permits differentiating policy across jurisdictions, said Danielle Allen, director of Harvards Safra Center. We also collectively need to keep focused on what should be our main target: a path to near zero case incidence. Story continues Harvard and the Trump task force define the red zone differently, but both base their color-coded risk levels on a key metric: the seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. The seven-day average part is important because it smooths out daily fluctuations due to reporting. The new daily cases part is important because it offers a current snapshot of the scale of the outbreak. And the per 100,000 people part is important because it ensures that this scale is consistent across jurisdictions. Basically, the seven-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people is just a simple way to track how much virus is circulating in a particular population. The Trump task force has three risk levels: red, yellow, green. Any area reporting a total of more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people between July 18 and July 24 thats an average of 14.3 per day is in the red zone. Any area reporting a total of between 10 and 100 new cases per 100,000 people over the same period for an average of 1.43 to 14.3 per day is in the yellow zone. And any area reporting fewer than 10 new cases over the same period is in the green zone. (The percentage of local tests coming back positive factors in as well.) The Harvard team, meanwhile, has four risk levels. Red is any place that averaged more than 25 new daily cases per 100,000 people over the last seven days. Orange is between 10 and 25. Yellow is between one and 10. And green is fewer than one. In short, the two groups categorize states in different ways. But thats only a superficial difference. The real difference is what theyre telling residents and authorities to do when cases reach a certain threshold in their area. Lets say that threshold is 14.3 new daily cases per 100,000 people the Trump task forces red zone. According to the feds, residents in this red zone should wear a mask at all times outside the home and maintain physical distance and reduce your public interactions and activities to 25 percent of your normal activity. At the same time, public officials should close bars and gyms and create outdoor dining opportunities with pedestrian areas, limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer and ensure that all business retailers and personal services require masks and can safely social distance. But nowhere does the Trump task force say that public officials in a red zone should require residents to stay at home. In contrast, the Harvard group says that at the red level, jurisdictions have reached a tipping point for uncontrolled spread and will require the use of stay-at-home orders and/or advisories to mitigate the disease. Right now, that would mean 13 of the Trump task forces 21 red-zone states returning to lockdown: Florida (with a staggering 48.1 new daily cases per 100,000 people), Louisiana (46.2), Mississippi (43.5), Alabama (39.1), Arizona (36.6), Tennessee (34.1), Georgia (33.8), Nevada (33.0), South Carolina (30.1), Texas (27.9), Idaho (27.5), Arkansas (26.4) and Oklahoma (25.6). A member of the medical staff treats a patient who is wearing a helmet-based ventilator in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on Tuesday. (Go Nakamura/Getty Images) The other eight task force red-zone states California (23.5), Missouri (22.0), North Dakota (18.2), North Carolina (18.1), Utah (17.9), Iowa (16.3), Wisconsin (15.7) and Kansas (14.2) would fall into Harvards orange zone. So do an additional 14 states, including several such as New Mexico (15.6), Nebraska (15.1) and Maryland (14.6) that seem to be getting worse fast. In the orange zone, Harvard says, community spread has accelerated to dangerous levels and stay-at-home orders are advised (unless viral testing and contact tracing capacity are sufficiently robust). If implemented, the Harvard framework wouldnt necessarily force entire states to stay at home. In fact, the group has produced a county-by-county COVID-19 risk map and argues that policy decisions about which strategies of disease response are best for a jurisdiction should be made by looking at both the local level and the state picture and considering the dynamic relationship between them. In Ohio, for instance, that might mean issuing a stay-at-home order in Mercer County (33.7 new daily cases per 100,000), but not across the state as a whole (11.0). In on-the-cusp California (23.5), it might mean holding off statewide but requiring residents of orange-zone Los Angeles County (24.2) to stay at home because they are surrounded by four red-zone counties: Kern (91.6), Riverside (30.1), San Bernardino (33.0) and Ventura (27.7). Nationwide, however, it would mean putting targeted lockdowns back on the table, followed by dramatically expanded testing and tracing. Thats a solution the Trump task force has shied away from, even as it acknowledges the severity of a pandemic that has infected at least 4.4 million Americans, killed 150,000 and now, after a brief late-spring plateau, propelled more than 40 percent of U.S. states into its self-described red zone. In recent days, case growth in some of those states has started to stabilize, or even decline. That has led Trump to declare, as he did earlier this week, that a lot of governors should be opening up states that theyre not opening up. But the point the Harvard group is making is that even if spread is slowing, theres still too much virus circulating to ease up now. The goal should be suppression, they say: striving for zero cases instead of just somewhat mitigating the current spread. A suppression strategy is the most efficient path toward a restored economy without future lockdowns, the Harvard team explained. Successful suppression efforts can work relatively fast to restore jurisdictions to near-zero case incidence in a matter of 1-2 months. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, echoed this advice in a new interview with Wired. Asked why the US has done so poorly in suppressing this pandemic compared with other rich countries, Fauci highlighted the importance of locking down in full force. Other, certainly Asian countries, and certainly the European Union, when they so-called locked down shut down, shelter in place, whatever you want to call it they did it to about 95 percent of their countries, he said. Some countries got hit badly, but once they locked down and turned things around, they came down to a very low baseline down to tens or hundreds of new cases a day, not thousands. They came down and they stayed down. Now, in the United States, when we shut down, even though it was a stress and a strain for a lot of people, we only did it to the tune of about 50 percent of the country shutting down, Fauci continued. Our curve goes up and starts to come down. But we never came down to a reasonable baseline. We came down to about 20,000 new infections per day, and we stayed at that level for several weeks in a row. Then we started to open up getting America back to normal and started to see the cases go from 20,000 a day to 30,000, 40,000. We even hit that one point last week of 70,000 new cases a day. In other words, if we want to suppress COVID-19 to the level that would actually make a full reopening safe if we want the whole country to be in the yellow zone, heading toward green then the path were currently on wont get us there before a vaccine arrives. Instead, we may spend the rest of the summer making the same mistake we made in the spring and setting ourselves up for a very rough fall. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 14:23:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SEOUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in's approval rating gained this week, making the first rebound in 10 weeks, a weekly poll showed Thursday. According to the Realmeter survey, support for Moon rose 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 45.6 percent this week. It marked the first turnaround since the third week of May. The negative assessment on Moon's conduct of state affairs slipped 2.1 percentage points to 50.1 percent. Support for Moon's ruling Democratic Party added 0.4 percentage points to 37.9 percent this week. The main conservative opposition United Future Party garnered 32.6 percent of approval score this week, up 0.9 percentage points from a week earlier. It was followed by the minor progressive Justice Party with 4.5 percent of support, the center-left Open Democratic Party with 3.9 percent, and the centrist People's Party with 3.4 percent. The results were based on a survey of 1,511 voters conducted from Monday to Wednesday. It had plus and minus 2.5 percentage points in margin of error with a 95 percent confidence level. Enditem NEW HAVEN A total of 266 formerly homeless individuals who were in hotels as a safer place than shelters during the coronavirus pandemic now are in permanent housing, according to the mayor. Earlier in the summer, Dr. Mehul Dalal, who heads the Community Services Administration, reported that the state Department of Housing and local partners, particularly Columbus House, had found housing for more than 100 homeless individuals who had been staying in hotels rather than congregate housing to help protect them from the virus and limit the spread of COVID-19. Dalal at that time said the goal was to house 170 more by the end of summer. Mayor Justin Elicker Wednesday said that 90 homeless individuals remain in a hotel. Elicker, who spoke online to update news on the pandemic and more, said finding homes for the 266 individuals is a huge feat and kudos to our partners that have been working very hard to identify permanent housing. Two-hundred and sixty-six people is a lot of people and even outside of COVID-19, that is a significant challenge. There is a lot of evidence that shows that congregate settings for the vast number of people is not the most successful way to end homelessness. Getting them into some kind of permanent housing can help them address many, many other issues as well, Elicker said. Dalal has said partners led by Columbus House and the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network worked to get individuals into housing. Dalal has said the networks work with the state Department of Housing, which is funneling state and federal CARES Act funds, approved by Congress to mitigate the economic fallout of the pandemic, to the housing effort. The Coordinated Access Networks program allows the various agencies that provide services to people experiencing homelessness to coordinate efforts, including standardized assessment and referrals, according to the network. Dalal said the network and the state started working in a furious pace on the housing initiative as soon as the hotels began providing temporary shelter. To assist homeless individuals during the pandemic, the city use Hill Regional Career High School for homeless residents who needed medical monitoring after being hospitalized for the coronavirus. The site was closed in June, with extensive cleaning undertaken by the city. A total of 15 people had been treated there. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577 Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute is scheduled to make the first coronavirus vaccine ever in Russia. It has been revealed that in less than two weeks, Russia will be the first country to have a vaccine to the global pandemic. As several countries battle a surge in coronavirus cases, Russia has planned to be the first in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine by August 10, in less than two weeks, CNN reported. Referring to 1957 launch of the worlds first satellite by the Soviet Union, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russias sovereign wealth fund, was quoted as saying, It is a Sputnik moment. Russias sovereign wealth fund is financing vaccine research. Americans were surprised when they heard Sputniks beeping. It is the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first, he added. The CNN reported that Russia is planning for approval of the vaccine by August 10, which has been created by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute. It will be approved for public use, with frontline healthcare workers getting it first, Russia reportedly said. As per reports, the Russian vaccine is yet to complete its second phase while some vaccines being researched worldwide are already in the third phase of trials. The Russian Defense Ministry has reportedly said that the soldiers have participated in volunteering in the human trials.Alexander Ginsburg, the director of the project, was quoted as saying that he has already injected himself with the vaccine. This past Sunday, Russias Sechenov University announced that it had successfully completed clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Russias Defense Ministrys Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Alexander Lukashev, the director of Sechenovs Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases, told Sputnik that the trials had established the vaccines safety on human health. This was only the first stage of trials to test [the vaccines] safety on human health. One has to understand that it is far from being the end of trials, those will continue. But it was encouraging and made it clear that Russia has the necessary technological potential, Schelkanov said. According to the virologist, a biological preparation has to go a long way with several phases of trials before it can begin industrially produced as a ready vaccine in quantities enough to cater for an entire population. The soonest we will launch the industrial production is in the fall, only if all phases of trials go perfectly well. But making forecasts is inappropriate. In biotechnology, it is a rare phenomenon for everything to go perfectly, Schelkanov said. According to the World Health Organizations protocols, a vaccine has to go through three phases of studies to be approved for large-scale production. DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EnerCom, Inc. is pleased to announce that the one-on-one meeting request process for The Oil & Gas Conference is now open. Qualified members of the investment community are invited to request meetings with management teams from the conference's lineup. Meetings will take virtually August 17th to the 19th as companies present in The Oil & Gas Conference. The lineup for the 25th Anniversary of The Oil and Gas Conference as of July 29th, 2020, is available below. EnerCom will continue to announce more companies as they are added to their lineup. You can check the most up-to-date agenda by clicking here. Register now to secure your virtual attendance: www.theoilandgasconference.com The company lineup as of July 29th, 2020, for The Oil & Gas Conference, taking place August 17th to the 19th includes: Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. AEGIS Energy Risk Ajax Analytics Apache Corporation Barclays Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, LLC Baytex Energy Corporation Bonanza Creek Energy BTU Analytics CAC Specialty Canacol Energy Ltd. Cimarex Energy Co. Cleargistix, LLC Comstock Resources Core Laboratories Data Gumbo DistributionNOW (DNOW) Earthstone Energy Eni SpA Enverus GeoPark Goodrich Petroleum Great Western Petroleum Haynes and Boone Infrastructure Networks Inc. (INET) Locus Bio-Energy Solutions Lonestar Resources MKM Partners Noble Royalties Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. NuVista Energy Ltd. Penn Virginia Corporation Port of Corpus Christi Preng & Associates ResFrac Corporation Ring Energy Rystad Energy SCFCan, Inc. Seven Generations Energy Ltd SM Energy Spartan Delta Corp. Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp. Sundance Energy Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd U.S. Energy Ubiterra University of Denver Vaquero Midstream Health and Safety: EnerCom remains focused on the health and safety of our attendees, presenters, sponsors and staff. As such, this year's conference will be held primarily in a digital format which will ensure the safety of everyone involved in the event. Conference Details: The Oil & Gas Conference 25 offers investment professionals the opportunity to listen to senior management teams in the oil and gas industry present operational and financial strategies and to gain exposure to important energy topics affecting the global oil and gas industry. Public and Private Company Presenters: The 2020 edition of EnerCom's The Oil & Gas Conference will feature public and private oil and gas companies with operations around the world including the U.S. shale basins, the Gulf of Mexico and Canada. A list of presenting companies will be provided on the conference website at a future date and updated periodically. Additional Speakers: Global energy industry leaders, economists, market strategists, government officials and other energy experts will provide their insights on global commodities markets, ESG policy and reporting, exports of crude oil and natural gas, frac sand supply and logistics, and capital sources for energy development. Who Attends the Conference: More than 2,000 institutional, private equity and hedge fund investors, energy research analysts, retail brokers, trust officers, high net worth investors, investment bankers and energy industry professionals gather for the conference. One-on-One Meetings: EnerCom works in advance with presenting company management teams to arrange one-on-one meetings with the attending institutional investors and research analysts at the conference venue. Traditionally, EnerCom arranged and managed more than 2,000 one-on-one meeting requests. Registered buy- and sell-side attendees will be able to schedule meetings with presenting management teams in-person and online as appropriate. How to Register: Investment professionals and oil and gas companies can register for the event through the conference website. EnerCom History and Sponsors: EnerCom ( Ener gy Com munications) has a rich history of working with clients to differentiate and deliver targeted messages to investors. EnerCom, Inc. founded The Oil & Gas Conference in 1996 with this goal in mind. Global sponsors of EnerCom's conferences are Netherland, Sewell & Associates; and Moss Adams, LLP. Additional sponsors of The Oil & Gas Conference 25 include Enverus; CAC Specialty; Haynes and Boone, LLP; PNC; and Bank of America. About EnerCom, Inc. Since 1994 EnerCom, Inc. has developed into a nationally recognized management consultancy advising oil and gas industry clients on corporate strategy, asset valuations, investor relations, media relations, external communications and visual communications design. EnerCom produces and publishes numerous data products and external communications tools for public energy companies and oil and gas investors including: ESG consulting and reporting peer group company valuations that are specific to the oil and gas industry; corporate annual reports, oil and gas company websites, custom stratigraphic and subsurface illustrations; company investor presentations; and Oil & Gas 360 - an online daily industry news portal. Headquartered in Denver, with senior consultants in Texas, EnerCom uses the team approach for delivering its wide range of services to public and private companies, large and small, operating in the global exploration and production, OilService, capital markets, and associated advanced-technology industries. EnerCom's professionals have more than 170 years of industry and business experience and a proven track record of success. For more information about EnerCom and its services, please visit http://www.enercominc.com/ or call +1 303-296-8834. About Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. (NSAI) was founded in 1961 to provide the highest quality engineering and geological consulting to the petroleum industry. Today they are recognized as the worldwide leader of petroleum property analysis to industry and financial organizations and government agencies. With offices in Dallas and Houston, NSAI provides a complete range of geological, geophysical, petrophysical, and engineering services and has the technical experience and ability to perform these services in any of the onshore and offshore oil and gas producing areas of the world. They provide reserves reports and audits, acquisition and divestiture evaluations, simulation studies, exploration resources assessments, equity determinations, and management and advisory services. For a complete list of services or to learn more about Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. please visit www.netherlandsewell.com For more information about NSAI, call C.H. (Scott) Rees, Chief Executive Officer, at 214-969-5401 or send an email to [email protected]. About Moss Adams LLP Moss Adams is a fully integrated professional services firm dedicated to assisting clients with growing, managing, and protecting prosperity. With more than 3,200 professionals and staff across more than 25 locations in the West and beyond, we work with many of the world's most innovative companies and leaders. Our strength in the middle market enables us to advise clients at all intervals of developmentfrom start-up, to rapid growth and expansion, to transition. For more information, please contact Joe Blice, Partner, National Practice Leader, Oil & Gas, CPA. [email protected], 972.687.7818. Moss Adams LLP provides details at mossadams.com/industries/oil-and-gas About Enverus In 1999, Enverus was founded as Drillinginfo, a groundbreaking provider of reliable oil & gas data, when the industry was on the brink of a digital revolutiona revolution that we would eventually fuel. Over the years, we grew exponentially through product innovation, market expansion, and acquisitions. Today, we are the energy industry's leading data, insights, and software company, helping customers outpace their competition and influence their respective industries. For more information, visit https://www.enverus.com About CAC Specialty CAC Specialty is an employee owned risk solutions company of seasoned and proactive industry leaders, operating as a nimble and collaborative partner who puts you and your business first. With a knowledge-driven approach informed by industry data and decades of honed instinct, CAC brings an innovative vision to insurance broking and merchant banking by providing solutions to solve your risk challenges from the simple to the previously unsolvable. Backed by a $40B AUM asset manager and not constrained by traditional risk transfer thinking, CAC can expand the range of risk transfer through access to private debt and alternative pools of risk capital. Read CAC's most recent insights here, and for more information contact Brad Elliott, Senior Vice President and Team Lead. About Haynes and Boone Haynes and Boone, LLP is an energy focused corporate law firm that provides a full spectrum of legal services and solutions to clients across the oil and gas industry, including the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. Our team of more than 100 energy lawyers and landmen has been helping operators, lenders and private equity firms complete some of the largest financings and M&A transactions in recent years. With more than 575 lawyers in offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the nation's most recommended law firms by general counsel for client service according to BTI Consulting Group's "Most Recommended Law Firms 2019" report. For more information, please visit www.haynesboone.com. About PNC For more than 160 years, we have been committed to providing our clients with great service and powerful financial expertise to help them meet their financial goals. We are proud of our longstanding history of supporting not only our customers but also our communities, employees and shareholders. For more information, please visit www.pnc.com. Bank of America Whether expanding a local business in the US, raising capital in Singapore or hedging currencies in Frankfurt, Bank of America Merrill Lynch understands the challenges our clients face in the US and around the world. We use the full resources of our company to help them achieve their goals. Our solutions span the complete range of advisory, capital raising, banking, treasury, as well as liquidity, sales and trading, and research capabilities. Our Global Banking & Markets division serves mid- to large-sized companies, corporations and institutions. It comprises Business Banking, Global Commercial Banking, Global Corporate & Investment Banking and Global Markets. Aligned with these client-facing groups are Global Capital Markets, Global Research, Global Transaction Services and Wholesale Credit. For more information, please visit www.bankofamerica.com. Preng & Associates Preng & Associates is the world's leading executive search firm totally dedicated to the energy industry. Over our 40 years, we have assisted more than 750 management teams and boards in 75 countries and conducted over 3,700 engagements. Our mission continues to be helping companies and boards identify and attract talent around the world that will impact shareholder value. Rystad Energy Rystad Energy is an independent energy research and business intelligence company providing data, tools, analytics and consultancy services to the global energy industry. Our products and services cover energy fundamentals and the global and regional upstream, oilfield services and renewable energy industries, tailored to analysts, managers and executives alike. We are headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices across the globe. For more information, please visit www.rystadenergy.com. SOURCE EnerCom, Inc. Related Links http://www.enercominc.com A cross Whitehall on almost a daily basis there are meetings (or more recently Zoom calls) to plan so-called HILPs: High Impact Low Probability events. This category embraces everything from terror attacks and amenity failures to flooding and pandemics. In October 2016 NHS England carried out a simulation codenamed Cygnus to prepare for a virus outbreak (although the operation assumed that the pathogen in question would resemble swine flu, which is a rather different beast to Covid-19). According to one senior figure who has been involved in many such meetings: The key with HILPs is that the further you get from the initial disaster or crisis, the less useful your original planning becomes. Anyone can draw up a document for Week One or Two. But Week 30? To put it another way: if one were to stand back from the whiteboard describing the operational steps that have been taken since national lockdown on March 23, the decision tree would resemble a crazy scrawl by a group of toddlers. What began as a relatively straightforward, nationwide, legally enforced regime has now disaggregated into thousands of micro-options, unforeseeable tangents and looming prospects. What no minister or official has ever prepared for is precisely what is now happening: not a second wave, exactly, but the mutation of the original crisis into a multiplicity of challenges. As Margaret Harris, spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation, said on Tuesday: Its going to be one big wave. But it will also be a dizzyingly complex horizon of crests and troughs, requiring us to brace ourselves constantly for the next impact. Nobody has prepared for what is now happening: the mutation of the crisis into a multiplicity of challenges Consider how much more complex the management of the pandemic is becoming with each passing day: mindful of the spike in Spanish infections, the Government is now increasing the self-isolation period for those with symptoms from seven to 10 days. On Saturday, a two-week quarantine was imposed on all travellers from Spain a measure described by the Spanish prime minister as unjust. Even as the Treasury prepares for Rishi Sunaks autumn Budget, the sluggish return of office workers many of whom may not resume their old commuting patterns until next year, if at all is dampening economic recovery in city centres. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research warned the Chancellor this week that the furlough scheme, due to be phased out by the end of October, should be extended to the middle of next year to limit the expected increase in unemployment and the longer-lasting consequences of economic downturn known as scarring. Having tested the nations supply chains to the limit, furthermore, the virus is still threatening our logistic resilience. As the Commons international trade committee said this week, the Government must prepare for renewed pressure, especially upon stocks of pharmaceuticals. It is, as the committees chairman, Angus MacNeil, observed, a task of intimidating complexity and seeing it through will require political dexterity. As July ends, our experience of the virus is now patchy, localised, and exasperating in its stop-go character. Oldham has resumed tougher restrictions after 119 cases were reported in the seven days to July 25. There have been long queues for testing in the Staffordshire town of Stone after a spike in infections was linked to a single pub. What does all this amount to? Not a list, but a map. This is the new landscape of our lives. Human nature craves linear narratives with a beginning, middle and end, but coronavirus is not going to oblige us in this respect. What we called the first wave may be subsiding, but as the WHO warns it is an error of analysis to divide the effects of the pandemic into discrete waves. What started as a lethal intrusion and comprehensive disruption is gradually becoming a way of life. Loading.... That distinction requires a fresh nimbleness of those who govern us, and even deeper reserves of patience and adaptability of the already exhausted public. For the foreseeable future, those who crave a tidy end in sight or a resumption of business as usual face only bitter disappointment. This is how we live now. STORY LINK Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) Exchange Rate Rises as US Growth Falls to Record Lows GBP/USD Exchange Rate Edges Higher as US Economy Continues to Suffer Pound (GBP) Rises as Hopes of UK-EU Trade Talk Progress Boosts Appetite for Sterling GBP/USD Forecast: Could Improving US Consumer Confidence Buoy the Greenback on Friday? Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate rose by 0.5% today, with the pairing currently fluctuating around $1.305.The US Dollar (USD) has continued to struggle following yesterdays dovish statement from the US Federal Reserve which underlined fears for Americas rising Covid-19 cases and its effect on the US economy.Fed policymakers said:Following sharp declines, economic activity and employment have picked up somewhat in recent months but remain well below their levels at the beginning of the year.Today also saw these fears confirmed, with the latest US GDP figure for July falling from -5% to -32.9%. However, this was revised up from -34.1%, leaving some Greenbackinvestors hopeful that Americas economy could potentially recover in the months ahead.The US Dollar (USD) suffered from todays soaring US Continuing Jobless Claims figure for July, which rose above forecasts to 17.018 million. As a result, USD investors have become more concerned that rising unemployment could drag down the worlds largest economy.The Pound (GBP) edged higher on the US Dollar (USD) today on renewed hopes that Downing Street could be taking more proactive steps in UK-EU post-Brexit trade negotiations.This follows comments from Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Trade, which indicated that Downing Street had only fully engaged on contentious issues in the last week or two.However, Hogan hinted at a sense of urgency from Downing Street, saying:I think there is now a realisation by people in the negotiating side of UK that time is running out. The British business has started to be more vocal, privately and publicly, in relation to the importance of reaching a deal.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged Britons not to delude themselves into thinking that the coronavirus pandemic is over. As a result, GBP investors have remained cautious as the UK continues to face rising cases of the Covid-19 virus.Mr Johnson said:[T]he most important thing we can do to stop a really damaging scond wave, which would have real, real consequences - not just medical, but for the economy - is everybody continue to observe social distancing guidelines, to wash your hands and to wear a mask on public transport or in shops. And the most important thing we need to do is get the test if you have symptoms.US Dollar (USD) investors will be looking ahead to tomorrows release of the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for July. Any improvement in Americas economic outlook could prove USD-positive.The US Dollar (USD) could also rise if US-China trade tensions escalate. As a result, investors would once again seek out the safe-haven Greenback as fears grow over the global economys ability to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.The GBP/USD exchange rate, meanwhile, will continue to be driven by Brexit factors. Consequently, we could see the Pound (GBP) continue to rise if hopes of a UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal grow. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: American Dollar Forecasts Pound Dollar Forecasts Bengaluru, July 30 : The Karnataka government directed municipal corporations in cities and towns across the southern state to provide all medical facilities to their healthcare warriors engaged in containing the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Thursday. "As poura-karmikas (civic workers) are doing yeoman service to control the spread of covid pandemic, city corporations and town municipalities across the state should be given personal protection equipment (PPE), gloves, gum boots, masks and sanitisers for the safety of their health," said state health commissioner A.K. Pandey here. The health status of each civic worker will be monitored regularly using thermal scanners and pulse oximetres on a daily basis by the supervisory staff at ward level. "In a civic worker reports being unwell, a swab test should be taken through RT-PCR or rapid antigen test and shifted to a designated hospital if the result is positive," said Pandey. In the event of death during the pandemic, the civic staff will be entitled to benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana or the state government's insurance scheme. There are an estimated 25,000 civic workers across the state, including regular and on contract. According to the health department's bulletin, the state has 67,448 active cases out of 1,12504 positive cases reported till Wednesday, after 42,901 were discharged, while 2,147 succumbed to the infection till date since March 9, with Bengaluru accounting for about 60 of the cases. I read the article about the Signal Mountain town manager Boyd Veal proclaiming that Mr. C.E. James was a blatant racist and wants to have his statue removed with a look of incredible disbelief on my face. If you look hard enough you can find racism in anything. So much so that the word has lost any real meaning in today's world. As Mr. Jones notes in his piece today, that was just standard practice in that period. My deed states I cannot operate a house of ill repute. It's just the way business was done back then. Was it right? No, but now you are going to rewrite history once again because someone may be offended? Signal Mountain was developed by some old racist white guy, we really don't know who he was. What are we going to call James Boulevard now? Old White Man Boulevard? And while we're at it, let's not forget the James Building downtown. Obviously Andy Berke hasn't thought of that yet. It's ridiculous. And by the way, Mr. James died in 1925, 95 years ago. I remember back when the statue was at a narrow pull-off on Signal Mountain Boulevard on the side of the mountain and the city moved it to its present location so it would be easier to get to and named it James Park. And now you're just going to do away with it because of the cancel culture nonsense that seems to be taking over. Here's some advice for you, Mr. Veal. Concentrate on being a good city manager and not a wannabe social justice warrior as you apparently are aspiring to be. Of course, I will be called a racist now for having the audacity to express my opinion on this. Dennis Wooden * * * I have seen multiple comments and messages from our city and county officials which seem to demonize you if you're in support of a social group, political party or religious organization. If you're White, go to church, vote Republican or don't support BLM or other social identity which is an activist, you're a racist. Why is that? Do we have to be labeled something that is false? Lies? My father would often say, "Look at the log coming out of your eye before you start looking at tooth picks (if you can) from other persons' eyes." So in response, I'm working on the logs in my own eyes before casting judgement on others and hope you do the same. Tim Bittenbender * * * What happened 100 years ago has nothing to do with today. Times were different, people were different. Get a grip on today, the past cannot be changed. Sam Lewallen Jr. Arizona Republican Rep. David Schweikert reached a deal announced Thursday to end a longstanding House Ethics Committee investigation by admitting to 11 rules violations, accepting a reprimand, and agreeing to pay a $50,000 fine. The committee found substantial evidence of violations by the five-term congressman stretching from 2010 into 2018. Those violations include undisclosed loans and campaign contributions; misuse of campaign funds for personal purposes; improper spending by his office; and an environment where office staffers were pressured to do political work. The deal caps an investigation that has cast a shadow over Schweikerts political career since late 2017, when allegations of misspending first surfaced. In a statement, Grace White, a spokeswoman for Schweikert, said he wanted to move ahead and didn't address the substantive issues in the probe. "We are pleased the Committee has issued their report and we can move forward from this chapter. As noted in the review, all issues have been resolved and Congressman Schweikert will continue working hard for Arizonas 6th District," she said. In his response to the Ethics Committee, Schweikert acknowledged there were problems. I bear ultimate responsibility for ensuring that my congressional office and my campaign adhere to both the letter and spirit of the wide array of laws, rules, and regulations that govern our important work, he told the committee. But Schweikert stalled in cooperating with the committees probe and was untruthful at times, the panel noted. Rep. David Schweikert speaks during an Arizona Republican Party meeting at Church for the Nations in Phoenix on Jan. 25, 2020. Schweikerts testimony lacked candor at times. In taking issue with the (committees) questioning strategy, Representative Schweikert attempts to shift his responsibility to provide truthful and candid testimony, according to the report that accompanied Schweikerts deal with the committee. More: Ohio speaker Householder indicted in federal bribery case; title stripped in 90-0 vote More: U.S. economy contracted record 32.9% in Q2 amid state shutdowns, COVID-19 contagion fears Story continues For nearly two years, Schweikert maintained the matter under investigation was little more than a bookkeeping dispute. After the separate Office of Congressional Ethics, which helps screen potential cases for the Ethics Committee, revealed its investigative findings against Schweikert's longtime former chief of staff, Oliver Schwab, in June 2019, Schweikert political adviser Chris Baker shifted tone. He acknowledged serious problems had existed and said Schweikerts trust in Schwab was grossly misplaced. The committee's new report comes as Schweikert has struggled to mount a financially viable reelection campaign while Democrats have four candidates vying to challenge him in November. One of them, Hiral Tipirneni, has $1 million more than Schweikerts cash-strapped campaign. Entering July, only one House incumbent, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, had a larger cash deficit than Schweikert would if Tipirneni wins Tuesdays Democratic primary. Report undercuts image The report deals another blow to Schweikert, whose Scottsdale-based congressional district is historically safe ground for the GOP. But the Republican-leaning district is the kind of suburban, relatively well-educated location that has drifted toward Democrats, especially in the Trump era. Schweikert has struggled to raise money throughout the current campaign. For Schweikert, a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, the allegations of misspending hit directly at the heart of his political persona as a budget and finance expert. More: Trump floats delaying election over mail-in voting, legal experts say that power rests with Congress Ethics case snowballed The Schweikert probe began with the Office of Congressional Ethics, which investigates potential cases and refers them to the Ethics Committee. That investigation amassed a troubling paper trail involving Schwab that implicated Schweikert, too. Unlike OCE, the Ethics Committee has subpoena power and was able to burrow in even deeper. In August 2018, OCEs board found it had substantial reason to believe Schweikert may have received improper gifts, omitted key details from his required personal and campaign financial disclosures and paid staff out of line for the work they actually did. In June 2019, after OCE publicly released the evidence it gathered against Schwab, Schweikerts campaign acknowledged there were problems and that his trust in Schwab was grossly misplaced. By then, the Ethics Committee had extended its investigation against him, and Democrats had promised a tougher battle for his seat. Campaign finance reports throughout the current cycle have underscored that. In three of the four quarters during the past year, Schweikerts campaign spent more than it took in, a telltale sign of distress. Losing, winning, surviving Schweikerts up-and-down congressional history includes debt-larded losses in 1994 and 2008 before he toppled former U.S. Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., in the tea party-fueled wave election of 2010. Schweikert could not rest on his laurels with that victory because the states political lines were redrawn beginning with the 2012 elections. To remain in office under the redrawn district lines, Schweikert had to defeat fellow GOP freshman U.S. Rep. Ben Quayle, the son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, in a 2012 primary. He won, but the victory came at a high price. Campaign mailers raised questions of Quayles sexuality and a story in Politico citing unnamed sources said Quayle was among dozens of members of Congress who frolicked in the Sea of Galilee during a 2011 trip to Israel. Schweikert maintained he had not impugned Quayle the way many interpreted it, but to many Republicans, he had crossed a line. At the same time, Schweikert had also weakened the political hand of then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, by voting against certain budget measures, among other acts of rebellion. After the 2012 elections, GOP leaders booted Schweikert and three other House Republicans from their committees. Schweikert, who lost a seat on the House Financial Services Committee, said at the time that the purge targeted the more outspoken conservatives and there is retribution for voting your conscience now. Whatever the reason, Schweikert was back on that committee after the 2014 elections and promoted to the Ways and Means Committee after the 2016 elections. By then, Schweikert was a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of activist conservatives who helped drive Boehner into retirement in 2015. Even so, Schweikert rarely bucked his party's leaders and was seen as a bridge to the partys often-unruly right flank. A tougher road ahead At the beginning of the Trump administration, Schweikert reliably stuck with his partys two signature legislative efforts: the failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the successful passage of sweeping tax cuts that largely benefited corporations. Even with the cloud of the ethics investigation newly underway, Schweikert won a fifth term in 2018 by defeating Democrat Anita Malik by 10 percentage points. In three prior runs in the same district, Schweikert won by an average of 27 points. Reach the reporter Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @ronaldjhansen. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Schweikert, Arizona Republican, admits 11 ethics violations, fined EDMONTONAlbertas police watchdog has cleared three Mounties who fatally shot a man armed with a pistol that turned out to be a pellet gun. Strathcona County RCMP officers fired on the 40-year-old Sherwood Park man after he pointed the gun at them on March 4, 2018. He had called 911 saying he was having hallucinations and that he had stabbed himself in the neck multiple times. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says the Mounties yelled at the man to drop the weapon, but when he began to advance on them and raised the gun to nearly chest level, they shot him. Investigators say the officers were dealing with an armed man who was not complying with repeated commands. ASIRT Executive Director Susan Hughson says the evidence does not provide reasonable grounds, nor even reasonable suspicion, to believe that any of the three officers committed a Criminal Code offence. If the person acting unlawfully objectively appears to be pointing a gun and to have the immediate ability to use it, officers are lawfully entitled to respond with lethal force, ASIRT wrote in a release Wednesday. The name of the man who was killed was not released. (CTV Edmonton) Read more about: Former president Barack Obama slammed the Senate filibuster as a Jim Crown relic and urged lawmakers to back statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, during a speech at the memorial service for Georgia congressman John Lewis. Obama made the comments while calling for the passage of a Democrat-sponsored bill, known as the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, to restore a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That provision required certain states and jurisdictions to receive federal approval before implementing changes to voter registration, redistricting, and other laws pertaining to elections. The provision was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013 in a 5-4 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote at the time that the laws formula for where federal intervention was necessary was based on 40-year-old facts having no logical relationship to the present day. Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching to make it even better, Obama said at the memorial service. In addition to making voter registration automatic and declaring election day a national holiday, Obama called for guaranteeing that each American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C., and in Puerto Rico. Democrats have long pushed to give the two areas, both with a solid majority of Democratic voters, statehood and formal representation. Republicans have warned against the move, with Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) arguing in June that granting statehood to Washington, D.C., would grant city Democrats unusual prominence in foreign affairs. Obama went on by saying, If all of this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then thats what we should do. Obama himself used the filibuster in 2006 during his tenure as senator from Illinois in an attempt to block the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. More from National Review Decision was taken at the Congress Legislature Party meeting at the Fairmont hotel in Jaipur, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying since 13 July Congress MLAs huddled in a hotel here for the last fortnight will continue to camp together till the Rajasthan Assembly meets on August 14, a party leader said Thursday. This was discussed at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held at the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying since the 13 July. "All legislators will remain united and stay together till 14 August," Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi said after the CLP meeting chaired by Gehlot. After rebuffing a Cabinet proposal three times, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday agreed to convene a session of the Vidhan Sabha on 14 August. Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot are locked in a tussle for power in the state. Altogether, there are 107 Congress MLAs in the 200-member assembly, but Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs have openly defied a party whip. At one point, Pilot claimed that 30 Congress MLAs were with him. But the Gehlot camp claims that with the support of independents and allies it has the majority support in the House. The Congress numbers include six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs who merged as a group with the ruling party after the 2018 assembly polls. The merger is now being challenged in the high court by the BSP and a BJP MLA. The BJP has 72 MLAs in the House. While saying that the loyalist MLAs will stay together till the session begins, Joshi did not clarify whether they will continue at the same hotel. "It will be decided where to stay," he told reporters. But he ruled out any location outside the state. Joshi said the minister will take care of their departments during this period, adding that they have been going to the Secretariat. Before the CLP meeting a core group discussed the Gehlot group's strategy. The 19 MLAs in the rival Sachin Pilot camp are also said to be camping together at hotels in Guragon near Delhi. The Gehlot camp had indicated that it may seek a vote of confidence when the House meets, but refused to specifically state that this is a part of the session's agenda. By PTI JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday indicated that he will seek a confidence vote when the assembly convenes next fortnight and claimed that the money offered to the MLAs to switch sides had increased sharply ahead of the session. "The floor test will happen; we are going to the assembly. The BAC decides this," he told reporters, referring to the assembly's business advisory committee. He said the House will also discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the state's economy after the lockdown. Gehlot accused Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati of acting at the behest of the BJP, referring to her party's petition in the high court challenging the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress last year. The chief minister claimed that MLAs have been getting calls after Governor Kalraj Mishra agreed Wednesday night to convene a session from August 14. Gehlot said earlier the 'rate' was Rs 10 crore as the first instalment and Rs 15 crore as the second. "Now, it is being asked how much do you want? This means that the rate has increased. Everyone knows who is doing the horse-trading," he said. Gehlot is trying to save his government after Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs rebelled. The Congress has accused the BJP of being behind the "conspiracy" to topple the state government. The chief minister said the rebels who have not accepted money should return to the party-fold. "I am not aware who all have taken the first instalment among those who had left. It is possible that some might not have taken it. I want them to come back," he said. He said everyone is aware of the intentions of the dissidents. "They won elections on Congress tickets and their first duty is to stand with the government. They don't realise what people are thinking about them in their constituencies, and they will come to know that later," he said. "Why are they playing in the lap of the BJP," he asked. Gehlot said if the dissident MLAs had any complaints, they should have gone to the AICC office, instead of keeping away. He said BSP chief Mayawati's complaint about last year's merger of six BSP MLAs with that of his party was unjustified, since the entire group in the assembly switched sides. "It was not about two MLAs. All six MLAs merged, and according to their own conscience," Gehlot said. He alleged that she was giving statements at the behest of the BJP because she is afraid of the party that is misusing the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department against everyone. The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday issued notices to the assembly Speaker, secretary and the six MLAs over the BSP's petition. Gehlot said the dissident Congress MLAs are at Manesar in Gurgaon and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan police is unable to reach them. He claimed that Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's name had cropped up in the "conspiracy" against his government. The chief minister said the SOG has started an investigation against him in a cooperative credit society scam, but the minister is yet to resign. He said the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should give up their 'intention' of toppling the elected government and instead try to save lives from coronavirus. "The state and the Centre should together work on this but, unfortunately, their priority is to topple governments," he alleged. "People will not forgive the BJP for the situation they have created. We will not spare them and completely expose them in the state and the country," he said. Gehlot said the BJP "conspiracy" to topple his government will not succeed and it will complete its five-year term. Including the 19 dissidents, the Congress has 11 MLAs in the 200-member assembly. The BJP has 72. Mount Greylock School Committee Denies OML Violation Updated on Thursday at 7:05 to reflect the fact that only six School Committee members attended the July 13 meeting. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee on Tuesday said it did not violate the Open Meeting Law in the run-up to the departure of former Superintendent Kimberley Grady. In a statement through the district counsel, the committee claims that member Al Terranova "misspoke" at a July 13 meeting when he appeared to reveal that the School Committee had previously decided on a course for replacing Grady while she was still under contract. The three-page letter from Westfield attorney Adam Dupere says the School Committee's discussions in closed-door meetings on June 3, June 17, June 25 and July 1 "were within the stated purpose of the executive session," namely to discuss strategy relative to the district's negotiations with Grady on a contract extension. That contention is at odds with Terranova's statement in the 13th minute of a meeting available for viewing on the school's YouTube channel. "I thought at our last meeting, that the decision was we were going to hire an interim superintendent from now until June 30 [2021] and then, on July 1 [2021], get a full-time, three-year committed superintendent," Terranova said at the July 13 meeting. At no point prior to that meeting had the School Committee discussed replacing Grady, let alone a timetable to do so, in an open meeting. The only meetings Terranova could have been referring to were the four executive sessions held in June and July, the last on July 1. Robert Putnam was hired as interim on July 5 and it was announced Grady was on medical leave; Grady confirmed she had resigned on July 11. "The School Committee asserts that Al Terranova misspoke when he may have stated that a decision was made by the School Committee with regard to a decision to select a particular short-term superintendent, or a full search process for a permanent superintendent," Dupere wrote. "The Committee acknowledges that in response to the statement by Mr. Terranova, it would have been helpful to observers if the Committee had clarified Mr. Terranova's statement was not accurate, as no such decision or decisions had been made by the Committee." Leaving aside the fact that Dupere mischaracterizes the events of July 13 with the phrase "may have stated," belief in the School Committee's version of events requires voters to accept several premises: 1. Terranova invented an imaginary conversation among committee members out of whole cloth, right down to stating specific dates. 2. The other six five members of the School Committee present chose to ignore this particular, detailed assertion of an inaccuracy; Regina DiLego was not present at the July 13 meeting. 3. The School Committee conducted four closed-door meetings over the course of a month, consuming 2 1/2 hours of its time to "negotiate with itself," since Chair Christina Conry has confirmed that then-Superintendent Grady was neither invited to nor attended those executive session meetings. 4. The School Committee was derelict in its duty when it failed to engage in an annual evaluation process, as it is required to do by law and as Grady encouraged the committee to pursue on a couple of occasions in public meetings during the spring. On June 18, Grady emailed the School Committee asking members when they would be reviewing evidence she had compiled for the evaluation, saying, "I haven't heard from anyone but would like to have this done." Less than an hour later, School Committee member Steven Miller replied, "the school committee is formally requesting to move [the evaluation] back one month." The iBerkshires.com editorial staff, with a combined several decades of experience covering municipal government, contends the explanation is much simpler: The School Committee discussed a plan to replace Grady, as Terranova revealed on July 13, and it chose not to undertake an evaluation process because it did not intend to renew Grady's contract. Dupere's email, which appears to have been generated from the School Committee's deliberation in a July 24 executive session , is problematic for at least two other reasons. In the second sentence of the reply, Dupere claims, "you allege that School Committee member Al Terranova violated the Open Meeting Law ... ." While Terranova is a member of the School Committee and, as such, accused of the same violation as the rest of the panel, he was not singled out in the complaint. Likewise, his statement of July 13 was not the alleged violation, as Dupere implies. Rather, Terranova's statement of July 13 was what brought the potential violation to light. Secondly, Dupere emphasizes the legitimacy of Grady's medical leave, the stated reason for the appointment of an interim superintendent on July 6, and cites "privacy concerns" for not being able to provide more details. iBerkshires.com never alleged that Grady did not have medical issues. It does contend that those issues coincided with a previously decided path by the School Committee, which already was considering not offering her a contract renewal and may have made that decision before she began her medical leave, some time after her participation in a meeting of the district's Parent Advisory Council on June 24. The School Committee -- through its lawyer -- made no attempt to substantiate its claims about the June and July executive sessions. It did not, for example, provide contemporaneous notes, minutes or recordings of those sessions, as sought in iBerkshires.com's complaint. If the "negotiation" deliberations were for an employee no longer with the district, iBerkshires believes there would be no reason to keep them private, as revealing them could not affect the district's bargaining position. In a separate action, on July 13 iBerkshires.com filed a request under the commonwealth's public records act for all notes, minutes and communications related to the executive sessions of June and July as well any recordings, if available. On Friday, July 24, Putnam replied that that request was denied because the notes and/or minutes from those meetings would include "personnel and medical files or information; also any other materials or data relating to a specifically named individual, the disclosure of which may constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." That response from the interim superintendent, on its face, is at odds with the School Committee's claim about the nature of the closed-door meetings. If, as the School Committee claims, the meetings were solely to conduct "strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel," it is difficult to see how those strategies would have involved information about "medical files," as the interim superintendent states. And if, as the district implies in its July 24 response, the executive sessions were related to "other materials or data" involving Grady's job performance, the proper purpose of executive session would have been, "to discuss the professional competence of the Superintendent and complaints or charges." That was the purpose the School Committee utilized in 2016 for an executive session that ended in the departure of then-Superintendent Douglas Dias. On Tuesday, July 28, iBerkshires.com filed a second Open Meeting Law violation complaint against the School Committee in less than a month. This time, the news site is alleging that the committee's July 24 executive session for the stated purpose of discussing the committee's response to an Open Meeting Law complaint was held in violation of the Open Meeting Law itself. MGRSD: Open Meeting Law Complaint Response by iBerkshires.com on Scribd Election 2020 Myanmars NLD Unveils Election Candidate Lineup With More Women, Muslims The NLD holds its second party congress in Yangon in June 2018. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy YANGONThe ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) on Thursday unveiled its candidate list for the upcoming election. The lineup consists largely of the partys sitting lawmakers and current chief ministers, but also includes more women than in 2015 and two Muslim candidates. Myanmar will hold a general election on Nov. 8. With less than three months to go before the election, the party announced its list of candidates on Thursday afternoon, right after finalizing its selections. Of the more than 1,000 candidates listed by the party, 80 percent are sitting lawmakers who won parliamentary seats in the previous general election held in 2015. The NLD won a sweeping victory in 2015, defeating the then ruling, military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and taking office in 2016. In a video message to the selected candidates, NLD Chairwoman Daw Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledged on Thursday that there were few new faces on the list of candidates. Based on the lessons it has learned since the 1990 election, she said, the party prioritized loyalty and experience when selecting candidates. We look at the applicants loyalty to the partys policies, she said. We pay special attention to those who will faithfully support the aspiration of democratic federalism and who will walk along with us [in the long term]. Party Vice Chairman Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said on Thursday that 20 percent of sitting NLD lawmakers who had performed poorly in Parliament and had not adhered strictly to party discipline and implementing party policies were excluded from the candidate list. All current state and regional chief ministers except Yangons U Phyo Min Thein were re-selected to run in the election. U Phyo Min Thein has previously said he wont run in the election due to poor health. Many NLD chief ministers including U Phyo Min Thein, Kayah State Chief Minister L Phaung Sho and Bago Region Chief Minister U Win Thein have disappointed the public by getting involved in controversial activities and failing to fully perform their duties over the past four years. Whats new? The NLD will be fielding more women candidates in the upcoming poll than in previous elections. Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said Thursday that women account for 20 percent of the partys candidatesup from about 13 percent in 2015. The NLD will also field at least two Muslim candidates. The Muslim candidates included in Thursdays list, Daw Win Mya Mya and Ko Sithu Maung, are both former political prisoners. They will contest in Mandalay and Yangon regions. The party didnt pick any Muslim candidates in the election in 2015. In ethnic areas, the party has prioritized local ethnic candidates, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung said. He added that farmers accounted for 12 percent of the NLDs candidates in Novembers general election. The Union Election Commission has called for candidate registrations to be submitted from July 20 to Aug. 7. Myanmar currently has 96 registered political parties. They will vie for a total of 1,171 seats that are up for grabs in both houses of the Union Parliament and in the state and regional legislatures. Note: This story was updated on July 24, 2020. You may also like these stories: Politicians in Myanmars Rakhine Must Stop Fighting Each Other: Independent Candidate Karen Parties Coordinate Campaigns to Maximize Votes in Myanmar Election KAMPALA, Uganda - A man who pleaded guilty to killing a beloved mountain gorilla in a popular national park has been sentenced to 11 years in prison over wildlife offences, the Uganda Wildlife Authority said Thursday. The male gorilla named Rafiki had been reported missing on June 1, and authorities with the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park announced later the next day that they had found the animals body. A gorilla advocacy group said an autopsy revealed that Rafiki appeared to have been killed by a spear. An arrest was made on June 4, and authorities said the man was in possession of several hunting items, including a spear and snares. He told investigators that he killed the gorilla in self-defence. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a veterinarian who heads the Conservation Through Public Health group, said there were no signs Rafiki tried to attack the man. She said its more likely the man came across the gorilla while out hunting for smaller game. He may have got scared, because he has never been that close to a gorilla, she said. Bashir Hangi, a spokesman for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, said he hoped the sentence would be a deterrent. This should serve as an example to others, to know that the law is biting, Hangi said. Wildlife belongs to each and everyone of us. Around 1,000 mountain gorillas live in protected areas in Congo, Uganda and Rwanda, serving as a critical source of tourism revenue for those countries. A gorilla tracking permit costs up to $600 in Uganda, and thousands of tourists pay each year. A similar permit costs upward of $1,000 in Rwanda. Those funds are essential to protecting the animals because authorities can use some of them to invest in anti-poaching activities and help local communities. But tourist numbers have plateaued amid the coronavirus pandemic, raising concerns about how to protect vulnerable animals such as the endangered mountain gorillas. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:56:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- With the global pandemic still unfolding, it remains uncertain how its final impact will be on the world economy. But for China, there is little doubt about how to respond to the forthcoming challenges. Just like it has worked on China's past economic miracles, reform will continue to be the country's firm answer to a world of change and the key to post-epidemic growth, according to repeated calls from the country's leadership. China will rely on reforms to tackle changing situations and open up new prospects, while encouraging exploration in key spheres, according to a recent meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform. A symposium with entrepreneurs last week stressed the need to foster new advantages for future development in the face of an external environment characterized by rising protectionism, global economic downturn, and a shrinking international market. While reform has been a remedy for Chinese policymakers to solve fundamental problems, the epidemic will accelerate such a process as it exposed weak links in the country's economic development, analysts say. NON-STOP REFORM In China, where reform and opening-up have been driving the country's economic growth for over 40 years, the pace of reform never ceased even at a difficult time of the epidemic outbreak. A review of China's major reform moves in the past six months reveals clues to the country's endeavor to foster new opportunities amid challenges, and seek deeper involvement in the global economy. Two overarching plans unveiled in April and May - one on the market-based allocation of resources, and the other on improving the socialist market economy - both centered on protecting the market's role in the Chinese economy to nurture the growth of both domestic and foreign-funded companies alike. The master plan on building the southern island province of Hainan into a globally influential free trade port, released in early June, showed China experimenting with further opening-up measures in areas including trade, investment, logistics, financial services, personnel travel, and taxation on a par with the most advanced free trade ports worldwide, with many of the policy details hammered out within a month. In late June, China shortened the negative list for foreign investment again, slashing the number of sectors that are off-limits for foreign investors to 33, down from 40 in the 2019 version. As a result of these persistent endeavors, a World Bank report released this week said China's recent acceleration in business reforms has helped the country become the top reformer among large economies in the 2005-2020 period. The high-level leadership and ownership of the reform agenda, as well as strong enforcement of the reform agenda and accountability for results, were among the key drivers of China's success, according to the report. KEY SECTORS TO LOOK AT At the latest meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform, plans were outlined to reform sectors ranging from state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the rural homestead system, to the integrated development of new-generation information technology and the manufacturing industry. The meeting, which approved a three-year action plan for SOE reform, underlined efforts to optimize the layout and structure of the state-owned economy to make it more competitive, innovative, controllable, influential, and more able to withstand risks. Li Xunlei, chief economist of Zhongtai Securities, said in a research note that one of the focal points of China's future reform is to improve the relations between the government, enterprises, and the household sectors. With regards to the enterprise sector, Li expects the SOEs and banks to make further interest concessions to private firms and non-financial enterprises respectively, citing an example that in 2019, the SOEs handed over more profits to support China's 2-trillion-yuan (about 286 billion U.S. dollars) tax and fee reductions. Meanwhile, Liu Shijin, an economist with the China Development Research Foundation, has called for deepening reforms in the rural land system, as well as in spatial planning and the allocation of public resources to let the market play a decisive role in the allocation of resources. Wang Yiming, former deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, also underscored the need to push forward supply-side reforms so that the production factors would flow to sectors with better efficiencies. Wang said innovation will be another highly-contested area in the post-epidemic era, especially those concerning the digital economy, which demonstrated strong resilience against the virus impact in past months. New industries, such as big data and artificial intelligence, are likely to redefine global labor distribution and comparative advantages, and extend a broad and extensive influence on people's lives and work, he said. The more difficulties and challenges China faces, the greater attention should be paid to deepening reform, Wang said, noting that the epidemic shall serve as a "window of opportunity" to push reform in key areas and solve structural and institutional problems. Enditem Former Bachelor star Sarah Mae Amey is recovering after having her botched breast implants removed last week. The Gold Coast florist, who appeared on Tim Robards' season in 2013, had discovered last month that her left implant had 'ruptured' more than a decade after undergoing a breast augmentation in Thailand. After several weeks of social media silence, she revealed on Thursday that she was exhausted and 'in so much pain' a week after her corrective surgery. Road to recovery: Former Bachelor star Sarah Mae Amey (pictured) is recovering after having her botched breast implants removed last week She told her Instagram followers: 'I've got nothing in me. I'm still in so much pain. I'm just really emotional now. I just wasn't expecting the pain and recovery to be this bad.' Sarah Mae explained that she was comforting herself by watching YouTube videos of other women with similar experiences of breast implant complications. Her latest surgery involved removing the ruptured implant, followed by a breast lift and removing then reattaching the nipples so they do not sit too low on the chest. 'If you choose to have this done also, be prepared, it's f**king hectic. This combined with a really bad rupture clean-out,' she added. 'I was not prepared for this pain extent at all!' Shock diagnosis: The Gold Coast florist had discovered last month that her left implant had 'ruptured' more than a decade after undergoing a breast augmentation in Thailand What is breast implant illness? Breast implant illness (BII) is a term used by women who have breast implants and who self-identify and describe a variety of symptoms they feel are directly connected to their saline or silicone, textured or smooth breast implants. The symptoms include (but not limited to) fatigue, chest pain, hair loss, headaches, chills, photosensitivity, chronic pain, rash, body odor, anxiety, brain fog, sleep disturbance, depression, neurologic issues and hormonal issues. However, there is no definitive epidemiological evidence to support a direct link between breast implants and any specific disease process. Advertisement Sarah Mae also shared a special thank-you to her partner, Matt Flugge, and her cousin Cara for assisting her while in recovery. 'Thank you to my darlings Cara and Matt for showering me, washing my hair, cooking for me,' she said. She also advised women facing similar corrective surgery that they 'will need a lot of assistance. Lean on those around you.' Surgery: After several weeks of social media silence, she revealed on Thursday that she was exhausted and 'in so much pain' a week after her corrective surgery What happens when breast implants rupture? All types of breast implants have the potential to tear. This is known as a rupture. When a saline implant ruptures (or its valve fails) the saline quickly leaks out and is absorbed by the body, leaving the breast looking deflated in a matter of days. It is less obvious to identify when a silicone implant ruptures, as the gel takes much longer to ooze out of the rupture than saline. The silicone is not absorbed, and can therefore spread to other parts of the body. The body may react to the silicone implant rupture by forming scar tissue, sometimes causing a distortion of the breast's shape. Advertisement Extensive: Her latest surgery involved removing the ruptured implant, followed by a breast lift and removing then reattaching the nipples so they do not sit too low on the chest Sarah's advice comes after she revealed last month that doctors had identified an 'extensive, massive rupture' in her left implant. She later admitted she was struggling to cope with the fact that she will be left with extensive scarring following the explant procedure. 'I had my first hysterical cry yesterday about what they will look like afterwards with the scars,' she wrote on Instagram Stories. 'But then I pulled myself together and remembered they are just boobs. They don't define me.' Sarah Mae said that she'd decided not to get new implants because it wasn't 'worth the risk' of having another rupture. (She did end up having a breast lift, however.) Taking no chances: Sarah Mae said last month that she'd decided not to get new implants because it wasn't 'worth the risk' of having another rupture. She did have a breast lift, however Sarah Mae believes she has been suffering from breast implant illness, a term used by women who self-identify symptoms they feel are directly connected to breast implants, since her initial surgery in Thailand. 'I am connecting all of the dots and feeling like this could potentially be the cause of so many of my health issues because my body is so inflamed,' she said last month, adding that she started having 'strange health issues' after getting implants at 19. She cited a variety of health issues over the years, including blood clots, dizzy spells, endometriosis, an appendix removal, food intolerances, breathing issues and inflammation of the rib cage. Health issues: Sarah Mae believes she has been suffering from breast implant illness, a term used by women who self-identify symptoms they feel are directly connected to breast implants, since her initial surgery in Thailand when she was 19 years old Sarah Mae also urged her fans to get their breast implants checked regularly. 'I was experiencing stabbing pains in my left boob quite a while ago and I just left it,' she admitted. As a result of her inaction, Sarah Mae's rupture became 'quite dangerous'. 'Don't get your boobs done in Thailand, basically,' she concluded. 'I thought it was a great idea as a young and naive 19-year-old.' EMPIRE, MICH. -- Anyone around the world can access real-time information about water conditions at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and even see video of whats happening beneath the waters surface thanks to a yellow buoy bobbing out in Good Harbor Bay. As part of a collaborative monitoring and research project, the buoy shares wave height, wind speed and direction, air and water temperatures, humidity, and other data, updated every half hour. BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A company of the 74th Group Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Wednesday was honored with the title of "role model of the times" in recognition of its outstanding service. The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee announced the decision through an online release ceremony. The heroic unit, known as the "hard-boned sixth company," fought 161 battles in wars, including the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese People's War of Liberation, and the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. The company has won the first-class merit citation eight times. China's Ministry of National Defense conferred the honorary title of "hard-boned sixth company" to the unit in 1964. The 93rd founding anniversary of the PLA will fall on Aug. 1. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 13:03:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), at an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency after being elected to a second term, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua) BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will focus on shared development, make bold innovations, create the best practices and stay open and inclusive in its future development, the bank's president has said. The bank will always stick to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits as it seeks future expansion, Jin Liqun, who has just been elected to a second term as the AIIB president, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. He pledged that the AIIB will become a new platform that promotes development for all its members and facilitates the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Jin was elected as the inaugural president of the AIIB for a term of five years when the China-proposed multilateral bank started operation in 2016. In the past four years, the number of AIIB members has grown from the initial 57 to 103. This expansion is the best proof of the international recognition of the AIIB, as well as China's credibility as its largest shareholder and the country proposing its establishment, he said. As of July 29, the AIIB has approved 87 projects, covering 24 economies with a total investment of 19.6 billion U.S. dollars. The bank has maintained sound cooperation with a number of multilateral development banks including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, and is now able to provide loans in 13 local currencies for its members, according to Jin. Looking ahead, Jin said the AIIB is aiming at 10 billion dollars in annual loan volume by 2025, 50 percent of which shall serve to finance projects tackling climate change, while by 2030, 25 to 30 percent of its loans will go to cross-border connectivity projects. The bank will focus on nurturing new technologies to cope with climate change and work to leverage more private investment, he said. "The door of the AIIB is always open to countries that acknowledge and follow its charter," said Jin, adding that the bank hires talent from non-member countries such as the United States and Japan as well. "The AIIB has been working closely with U.S. financial institutions," he said, citing the Bank of New York Mellon and Goldman Sachs as examples. To support the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the AIIB set up an emergency fund of 10 billion dollars in April this year, which was later expanded to 13 billion dollars, according to Jin. Jin also praised China's economic performance in the first half of the year, saying it has been "impressive" from a global perspective thanks to the country's timely and solid efforts in epidemic prevention and control. Despite uncertainties and instabilities in the global economy, China may still maintain economic growth in the second half of the year and sound economic performance for the whole year, he said. said on Thursday that it will resume flight operations to from the UK next month. According to a statement by the British High Commission in Islamabad, the airline said it would start direct flights three times a week to and from Heathrow Airport and Islamabad. The first flight will land in Islamabad on August 14, and will be taking extra precautionary measures for the safety of its crew and passengers. "Today's announcement is another important step in reconnecting the trade ties and people-to-people ties between the UK and Pakistan, said the embassy. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, passengers will be required to wear masks and will have access to hand sanitisers during the flight. Crew members will wear masks during the flight. There are also extra measures in place at airports to ensure travellers stay safe. British High Commissioner Dr Christian Turner CMG said this the resumption of the direct flights is a big boost for the hundreds of thousands of travellers who travel regularly between the two countries. "I'd like to thank the Government of Pakistan, and my team in who have worked hard to deliver this welcome news, said the high commissioner. Moran Birger, Head of Sales, Asia Pacific and the Middle East at British Airways, said: We are pleased to once again provide a service between and the UK. We know many of our customers in both countries have been waiting to be reunited with friends and family. We look forward to welcoming them back onboard. British Airways direct flights restarted in June 2019, more than 10 years after a hotel bombing in Islamabad in 2008 which killed more than 50 people. Earlier, the flights were discontinued due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Pakistan's scandal-hit national carrier last month announced to discontinue its operation to Europe after the EU's aviation safety agency banned its flights for six months over safety concerns. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A gang of five migrants used a dingy to reach Kent this morning before taking selfies and laying back to sunbathe on the coastline as police spoke to them. The group, who wrecked their inflatable boat before swimming ashore, arrived from Calais just off St Margaret's At Cliffe near Dover in the early hours. They were seen lying back in the sun while border force officials dealt with them at the sea front just before 6am. The five were among a series of boats who appeared throughout the morning, all stopped by police on shore. An eyewitness told MailOnline: 'They got near the shoreline, dumped the boat and swam the rest of the way. Police got them straight away, they didn't try to run off, they must have been tired. Two of the group were seen taking a picture of themselves to send to family back home One of the group took time to sunbathe while Border Force officials went to the scene A girl believed to be aged just three was rescued from another boat out at sea later in the day Border officials with migrants taken from one of the 13 boats that crossed the channel 'Two of them took selfies before police took the phone taken from them.' They went on: 'The dingy just drifted off into the sea. By the time border force got there it had been floating in the water for an hour.' The men were all handed face masks by police. Just yards away the migrants' wet clothes could be seen drying on the seafront railings. The five did not try to run off after getting to land and sat calmly after being caught Officials handed the group face masks when they arrived and will take them to centres later The nationality of the five is not currently known. They were just one boat of a series of 14 that arrived during the morning, with police and Border Force officers intercepting the passengers on land. One young girl among one of the illegal vessels looked as if she could be no older than three years old. All of the adults will be now processed by immigration officers who will interview them and discover if they are claiming asylum. If they do, checks will be made as to their history. MailOnline revealed in April none of them will be tested for coronavirus by officials. Home Office rules state doctors and nurses will examine them for any symptoms of Covid-19 instead of taking official swabs. Anyone showing symptoms will be isolated, including those in detention centres, where special isolation areas have been set up, the Home Office has confirmed. A spokesperson said at the time the policy was in line with guidance from Public Health England. One migrant stripped off to try and dry his clothes on the seafront ahead of beach huts Soon others in the five-strong group followed suit to dry their clothes in the morning sun Police guarded the five migrants on the sea front until Border Force arrived to process them They said: 'All individuals were brought to Dover and, in line with established processes, will be assessed to establish whether there are any medical requirements. 'All will be transferred to immigration officials. They will be interviewed and their cases will be dealt with in line with the immigration rules, transferring to detention where appropriate. 'In line with Public Health England guidance, Border Force and all operational staff have the relevant personal protective equipment available to them.' Earlier this month on July 12 a daily record of 180 migrants successfully travelled through the English Channel to the UK. Home Secretary Priti Patel, centre, and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin in Calais More than 220 that day had been intercepted by French authorities as they had tried to set off. Home Secretary Priti Patel has been taking the problem so seriously she had travelled to Calais to speak with the French interior minister Gerald Darmanin. They are creating a Franco-British intelligence cell to help tackle the growing problem. Ms Patel said: 'Despite all of the action taken by law enforcement to date - intercepting the boats, making arrests, returning people to France and putting the criminals responsible behind bars - the numbers continue to increase. 'I have signed an agreement with the French to create a joint intelligence cell which will crack down on the gangs behind this vile people-smuggling operation and impressed on my French counterpart the need to stop these illegal crossings for the benefit of both our countries. 'This is the start of a new operational approach with the newly-appointed French interior minister.' Kerry Stokes Seven West Media has secured a deal with its banks that will seek to provide more financial certainty to the debt-ridden business. Seven had been trying to renegotiate its $750 million debt facility for months as large falls in advertising spending caused by the coronavirus pandemic put additional pressure on the companys profits. Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes and chief executive James Warburton. Credit:James Alcock The broadcasting and publishing company told the ASX on Thursday it had extended the period of time required to repay $450 million of its $750 million debt facility until the second half of the 2022 financial year and that it had substituted banking convenants - conditions set out for a loan - until 2021. Seven said it will also be able to use $250 million of the facility immediately, which will help it adjust to weak advertising market conditions. The company reported net debt of $541.5 million at its half-year results. However, the renegotiated deal has come at a price. Under the revised terms, Seven will have to bear increased costs and pay upfront fees. The debt has been renegotiated under a 'general security deed', which typically allows a lender to have access to assets in exchange for the loan. A Seven spokesman confirmed Mr Stokes had not secured the debt, but did not provide further detail on who had provided a guarantee. Federal officers deploy tear gas and crowd-control munitions at demonstrators in Portland, Ore., on Tuesday. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that the Trump administration had agreed to a "phased withdrawal" of federal agents whose deployment protecting the U.S. courthouse downtown has been a flashpoint for weeks of unrest and sometimes violent clashes. These federal officers have acted as an occupying force, refused accountability and brought violence and strife to our community, the governor said. After discussions with the vice president and administration officials this week, the federal government has agreed to my demand and will withdraw these officers from Portland," Brown said, adding that the withdrawal would begin Thursday. "They will also clean up the courthouse, removing the graffiti. The announcement appeared to signify a quick retreat from earlier statements that the Trump administration was considering reinforcing the presence of federal agents on the ground here. But U.S. officials stressed that the agents' removal would be gradual, limited in scope and would be conditional on guarantees of security at federal installations, notably the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, the site of recent protests. Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that although federal agents would leave the downtown area, they would remain in Oregons largest city until the agency is assured that the Hatfield federal courthouse and other federal properties will no longer be attacked and that the seat of justice in Portland will remain secure. Wolf reiterated that point when he told Fox News that the withdrawal would not be immediate. We are not leaving Portland until we are assured that that courthouse is safe and secure, Wolf said. Well continue to keep law enforcement officers in the area to make sure that that courthouse is secure at the end of the day. In a letter to Wolf and Atty. Gen. William Barr on Wednesday, 15 senators called reports that federal agents were using excessive force on protests and members of the media disturbing, and called on the agency to honor state and local officials' wishes. Story continues Administration officials have claimed that federal forces are necessary to protect federal property in Portland. But this does not justify the use of excessive force or the detention of protesters without probable cause by agents who refuse to identify themselves. These tactics are not consistent with our Constitution or the rule of law, the senators wrote. Meantime, President Trump who wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that Portland "would be burned and beaten to the ground" if federal agents had not been deployed said that the withdrawal was conditional upon local authorities having imposed sufficient security in the area. "You hear all sorts of reports about us leaving. Were not leaving until theyve secured their city," Trump told reporters in Washington, labeling the protesters "anarchists and agitators," a description rejected by Oregon officials. "We told the governor, we told the mayor, 'Secure your city,'" Even with talk of drawing down federal forces in Portland, Trump during a visit Wednesday to Midland, Texas, renewed his threat to send National Guard troops to Portland and elsewhere. If they dont solve that problem locally very soon, were going to send in the National Guard and get it solved very quickly, just like we did in Minneapolis and just like we will do in other places, he said. Theyll either solve that problem or well send in the National Guard. The divergent comments left some doubt about when the agents would actually leave downtown Portland, where protesters have been clashing nightly with federal authorities. The ambiguity also left it unclear whether the development was a clear victory for protesters and Oregon officials who have pushed for a removal of federal agents. While many protesters view the announcement as a victory, some said they plan to continue street rallies until officials meet their demands for racial justice. Daily protests have been ongoing here for more than two months since the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police. As part of the deal reached, Oregon State Police will be deployed in the city to back the Portland Police Bureau. Protesters have accused the bureau of using excessive amounts of tear gas and other crowd-control munitions before the arrival of federal agents in early July. Outside the federal courthouse Wednesday, supporters of the demonstrations were generally hesitant to declare a triumph, but expressed relief at the news that federal agents would be leaving. Its premature to call it a victory, but its good news, if its true, said Robert Atkinson, a retired lawyer who stood in a park across the street with a hand-made sign declaring: Feds Go Home. Everyone in Portland wants them out, Atkinson said. The daytime scene was calm outside the courthouse, defaced with graffiti and protected by a metal fence and concrete barriers, frequent targets of nighttime protesters. A crane lifted more barriers into place along the building's exterior. Workers were covering second-floor windows with sheets of plywood, in apparent anticipation of more clashes. Its better if they bring in state police, said Hans Fraungruber, 39, a former schoolteacher who carried a placard with a blue peace sign. At least they will be more accountable, and represent the will of the people of Oregon. Arya Morman, an activist and president of Rooted Black Inc., a consulting agency that focuses on Black health equity, education, economics and social justice, said that while Wednesdays announcement marks a step in the right direction for some Black protesters, she and others plan to continue showing up at the federal courthouse until authorities address the underlying issues of racial inequalities that sparked the unrest. We can expect that there will be an increase of demands by protesters because of the harm that has been done to peoples mental health and physical health by federal agents, Morman said. In recent weeks, tensions have escalated between protesters and federal agents who were protecting the courthouse. The nightly standoffs usually begin when federal agents emerge from the courthouse after a handful of protesters set off fireworks, ignite fires or throw bottles over the fence that lines the perimeter of the courthouse building. By early morning hours, with protests mounting, federal agents usually deploy large amounts of tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Several protesters have been injured in recent weeks. At times, the federal agents have ventured well beyond the perimeter of the federal courthouse to disperse the crowds. I have grown increasingly concerned at the nightly confrontations between local community members and federal officers," Brown said. "We need to recognize that the protests in Portland are not solely about the federal presence. They started before federal agents descended on our city and they will likely continue after they leave." Morman said the removal of federal agents will be an opportunity for Black activists to identify those who were protesting only against the presence of the agents and others who were there to amplify Black voices. We will be able to single out organizations that werent there for Black Lives Matter movement and who instead co-opted the movement, Morman said. We will know who those people are who were there to just protest the federal agents, because they will be leaving and won't be at the courthouse anymore. Teressa Raiford, executive director of Dont Shoot Portland, a Black-led social justice and advocacy nonprofit, echoed similar sentiments, and said the removal of federal agents will allow Black activists to redirect the time and energy needed to address inequities such as racial discrimination and police brutality in Portland. This doesnt stop just because the federal agents are leaving, Raiford said. 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ReloQuest can track employees, provide direct communication, access real-time data, and real-time reports, provide self-service options to mobile employees, and can prove to be a lifeline in a crisis situation." Learn how to avoid common DoC mistakes. Download the Duty of Care document; please use this link: https://bit.ly/2BhfTid . About ReloQuest ReloQuest is a business travel solution for companies and employees to search, compare, and book corporate apartments and hotels worldwide. As the largest marketplace of furnished accommodations and hotels in over 162 Countries, ReloQuest compares global accommodations based on individual needs and allows travelers to select the best options. The technology is a single-source solution. It's comprehensive yet simple to use. Instantly receive options at the most competitive rates with 100% transparency, real-time data metrics, substantial cost reduction, direct communication with live 24/7/365 support, and 80 % increased efficiency. Contact: Jeana Giordano [email protected] SOURCE ReloQuest, Inc. Related Links http://reloquest.com/ Ahead of the auspicious occasion of 'Rakshabandahan', Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Pakistani sister Qamar Mohsin Shaikh sent him sacred thread (rakhi) by post. She also prayed for his good health and longevity. She had been tying 'rakhi' on PM Modi's wrist for the last 25 years. Speaking to Zee News she said, "I will definitely go to Delhi if PM Modi's call comes. He is a very simple man and works a lot." She added that two of her Pakistani sisters also want to tie the sacred thread to PM Modi. Shaikh also said, "My husband and son love PM Modi very much." In 2019, before meeting PM Modi for tying the sacred thread on his wrist, she said that she has a 'surprise' for him and expressed happiness for the once-in-a-year occasion to meet the Prime Minister. "I will present him with a painting made by my husband," she had said. Shaikh had hailed the Centre's move to criminalise the practice of instant triple talaq. "I get the opportunity to tie 'rakhi' to elder brother once every year, I'm happy. I pray that the next five years go so well for him that the whole world recognises the positive decisions he made," she had said. It may be recalled that Shaikh is a Pakistani national who came to India after marriage. Lauding the Centre's move to bring a law against instant triple talaq, she had said, "There is no provision of instant triple talaq in the Quran and Islam. No other than him could have taken this step (formation of law). He has done a very good job in the interests of Muslim women." On March 11, just as the coronavirus pandemic was descending upon New York, Gonzalo Casals was appointed commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs for New York City by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Formerly executive director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Artand a veteran of Friends of the High Line and El Museo del Barriothe Buenos Airesborn, Queens-based civic leader brings a new sense of activism to the position. More than four months into the COVID crisis, Casals shares with AD his plans for greater inclusivity and diversity in New Yorks cultural lifeand his vision for civic culture in a post-COVID world. AD: How has the pandemicwith its restrictions on social gatherings, dire economic consequences, and toll on minority communitiesimpacted your vision for the tasks that lie ahead? Gonzalo Casals: In situations like this, my background as an architect comes in handy. We are trained to define a problem and then design a solution. Considering the times we are living in, there is a sense of urgency and direction that calls for a complete rethinking of the way we do things. Its a moment to ask not just What do we do? but How do we do it? AD: So what needs to be done? GC: The work ahead involves a rethink of existing systems with an emphasis on racial, economic, environmental, and social justice. We must help arts and cultural organizations strive to be more representative of the histories and perspectives of BIPOC communities. How do we do that? By increasing the diversity of folks with access to the decision making. The emphasis should not only be on the outcomesexhibitions, programs, contentbut also in the process: organizational culture, labor practices, participatory collective leadership, et cetera. AD: What is your role in all of this? GC: We want to prioritize our role not only as a public funderwe are the largest municipal funder of art and culture in the U.S.but also as an advocate for arts and culture in society, and as a platform for the exchange of expertise. The solutions to the problems we are facing cannot be solved simply by throwing more funds at the issues. These are times that call for collective leadership, where we come together to redefine our priorities, where we create the spaces for participatory problem-solving strategies, and slow down and be more thoughtful in the way we use resources. Story continues Photo: Kyle Johnson AD: As Black Lives Matter becomes a global movement, what is your approach to creating more inclusive institutions in specific New York City neighborhoods? GC: It starts by understanding culture in its broadest, most encompassing definition. If you expand the definition of culture from something that is created and experienced by a select fewexhibitions, performances, publicationsto the idea that experiencing and participating in the creation of your own culture is a basic human right, then you have not only opened up the entry points to culture making and consuming, but you have shifted the idea of expertise. AD: There is increased thinking that culture directly correlates with improved quality of life. How so? GC: A few years ago, New York City and a few local foundations engaged the Social Impact of the Arts Project (SIAP), based out of the University of Pennsylvania, to study the impact of cultural activity on communities. The report, released in 2017, found that cultural assets correlate with improved public health, public safety, and education outcomes in all communities, and especially in low-income areas. So when were advocating for everyone to be included in cultural activity, were also advocating for peoples right to live in healthy communities. AD: The recent conversation about historic monuments has made it impossible to continue ignoring the traumatic legacies of slavery and colonialism in our midst; why is this work important? GC: From calls for removal of Confederate monuments to the creation of public art spelling out Black Lives Matter on streets across America, people are consciously engaging with the power of symbols in public spaces. The speed and spontaneity in which the removal of monuments and creation of new symbols speaks to the expectation from protesters to see urgent and concrete actions. But we cant let the symbolic changesremoving public artworks, installing new onesstand in for systemic changes. It has to be both. Photo: Abel Macias AD: Major cultural institutions have been closed for months; when will we return to normal? GC: No one should be waiting for things to return to normal. The old normal was failing so many people, particularly low-income people and people of color. We need to work toward a new normal that doesnt write these people off, one that includes them as equals. AD: How will your office tackle this? GC: By putting diversity, equity, and inclusion at the top of the agenda in every conversation we have, and at the root of every decision we make. When we make decisions as a funder, how will we using these tools to support those who need it most, to center marginalized voices? The protest movement sparked by the killing of George Floyd has seen these conversations and actions move forward at a hugely accelerated rate. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Plans for a 40m Chinese beef plant in Offaly, backed by former Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen, has been refused Government support. The Farming Independent first reported on the proposed development at the site of Banagher Chilling, which was previously used as an abattoir, last August after a planning notice for the project appeared in the local media. Local TD Barry Cowen has been a key backer of the plan having over the past 12 to 18 months worked with investors led by a Hong Kong national and an investment company to identify a site to progress a planning application for a meat processing plant at Banagher, Co. Offaly. Once up and running, it is expected that the plant will process up to 140 cattle per day, primarily for export to China. He has said the project offers a unique and welcome opportunity to create jobs in Offaly and provide direct access and routes to markets in Asia and increased competition in the beef industry, raising the potential to improve prices for producers, thus helping to boost incomes for farm families. However, Mr Cowen has now claimed that the investors backing the plan have been refused access by the Government to the immigrant investor programme which incentives foreign investment into Ireland and is open to applicants who invest more than 1m. He said a Government Committee set up to evaluate the proposed project deemed it not an appropriate project for approval. "The committee concluded the project does not align with Government policy on the beef processing industry, having regard to the fact it is not currently policy to pursue the development of additional plants where there is no established deficit in capacity." Cowen said he was dismayed that the decision and that beef and suckler farmers crave new markets and greater competition in the processing sector. He also claims to have seen documentation pertaining to this case from officials in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and from the Chinese embassy and Bord Bia. "Bord Bia says, for example, that this proposal is particularly opportune given that Ireland became the first European country to gain access to China earlier in 2018. "I might have been the Minister for agriculture for only 17 days but one would hardly need a green certificate to recognise this conclusion in no way reflects the Irish farming sector's understanding of Government policy which has, for example, over the past ten years sought to open Asian markets, which this plant and project would exclusively supply. "How then can a 40m project, which has the approval of the State's planning authority, the co-operation of Offaly County Council, the support of the community in the region, the backing of beef farmers, the support of Bord Bia and the support of the Chinese Embassy, be subject to disapproval by an evaluation committee that oversees this scheme?", he said. Cowen is demanding to know who is on this evaluation committee, who supplied the reports that it sought and what was contained in them. He also asked if they can be made public by the committee so they can be investigated further. He also asked for clarification around where it is stated in Government policy there is no deficit in capacity. "We need these answers and we need them fast if we are to secure and proceed with the realisation of 250 jobs in construction and 150 jobs in the plant's operation. "This investment is priceless and I am seeking resolution and approval of applications. South Korea, Iran to hold talks on expanding humanitarian trade ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 29 July 2020 / 13:19 Tehran (ISNA) - South Korea was set to hold virtual talks with Iran later Wednesday about expanding humanitarian trade like medicine exports, following the first such shipment to Tehran in May. The discussion will focus on how to match Iran's demand for medicine and medical equipment with what South Korean exporters can offer, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a release. Lee Seong-ho, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, will lead the South Korean side comprised of officials from other ministries and trade agencies. Among the Iranian officials attending the meeting will be Mohammad Reza Shannehsaz, head of Iran's Food and Drug Administration, and its central bank officials. In May, Iranian Foreign Ministry had said that preliminary steps were taken to set up a channel to allow Iran to use its funds in South Korea to buy humanitarian goods. Weeks later South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Seoul was sending $500,000 worth of medicine to Iran, Yonhap reported. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OTTAWAThe proposal for WE Charity to run a massive government program didnt sit well with Justin Trudeau. But despite misgivings that included his familys ties to the Toronto-based organization, the prime minister ultimately took part in his governments decision to approve the plan that exploded into a conflict-of-interest controversy and ended up killing the program. In a rare, high-stakes appearance at a parliamentary committee on Thursday, Trudeau faced an onslaught of questions over how his Liberal minority government decided to award a $544-million grant program for student volunteers to the charity that has paid tens of thousands of dollars to members of the prime ministers family. That was one reason Trudeau said he pushed back against the recommendation from the public service to outsource the program to WE when he was first briefed about the plan shortly before a cabinet meeting on May 8 three days after the charity started working on the program. Trudeau was concerned enough to pull the recommendation from the cabinet agenda that day, he said, and asked for further due diligence before his government approved the plan to outsource the program to WE, which it did on May 22. But when he first heard of the proposal, Trudeau said he still hoped a government agency would deliver the program and knew the selection of WE Charity would be closely scrutinized because of his familys ties to the organization. I knew there would be questions asked because of the links to my family, he told the committee by video Thursday. Trudeaus admission that he expected questions around perceptions over awarding the program to WE comes after Ian Shugart, the top public servant in the federal government, told the same committee on July 21 that the issue of a potential conflict of interest in this case was not raised during the process. Trudeau has appeared at several WE events; his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, is a WE ambassador and has been paid thousands of dollars for expenses to appear at the organizations events. The prime ministers mother and brother also received a combined $282,000 between 2016 and 2020 for their work with WE. The prime minister said Thursday that the ethics commissioner cleared his wife to volunteer with WE and receive payments for her expenses when working with the organization. He added that he knew of the work his mother and brother did for WE, but was not aware of how much they had been paid. He also said he didnt know Finance Minister Bill Morneau travelled with WE in 2017 with the organization covering some expenses. The ethics commissioners office declined to confirm whether it cleared Gregoire Trudeaus arrangement with WE, stating by email that discussions with office holders about the conflict of interest law are confidential. But in the end, Trudeau said he understood the recommendation because of the need for urgency in the context of the pandemic as well as the limited capacity of the civil service branch he envisioned delivering the program, the Canada Service Corps meant that WE Charity was the only entity that could pull off the grant initiative this summer. He also said he concluded there is no way his family would directly benefit from awarding the grant program to WE. I did not intervene to make this recommendation happen, he added. WE Charity received no preferential treatment not from me, not from anyone else. Katie Telford, Trudeaus chief of staff, also testified on Thursday that she shared some misgivings about how the public would perceive the WE Charity deal, and agreed that they should punt it from the May 8 agenda. Like Trudeau, she said that was the first time she heard the recommendation to outsource the program to WE Charity. But she acknowledged one staff member of the Prime Ministers Office had discussed the proposal with the organization on May 5, the same day the governments COVID-19 cabinet committee endorsed the plan. By May 22, Telford said the choice was clear: the civil service had concluded if they did not outsource the grant program to WE, there would have been no program at all for student volunteers this summer. This was not a choice between different organizations to deliver the program, she said. This was a choice between going forward with the program or not. Opposition members on the committee challenged the prime ministers account and questioned how he could have approved the outsourcing plan even if he had concerns about how his familys connections to WE would be perceived. How could you possibly have believed that it was appropriate for you to approve a nearly half-billion (dollar) grant to a group that only 60 days earlier was paying for sumptuous travels for immediate members of your family? asked Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre. NDP MP Charlie Angus charged that Trudeau overlooked an obvious conflict of interest and has tarnished the governments efforts to help Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you recognize what youve done here, and the damage that has been done to all of us trying to reassure Canadians? he said. In questioning Telford, Conservative MP Michael Cooper asked, since Trudeau and his chief of staff were concerned about a perceived conflict of interest by awarding the program to WE, whether the prime minister approached the ethics commissioner to discuss it. Telford did not answer the question, but said her office already had a very complete description of Gregoire Trudeaus work with WE, which was already cleared by the commissioner. You were concerned about peoples perceptions, Cooper said. Its inexplicable why you would not advise, or why (Trudeau) would not have taken it upon himself to go to the ethics commissioner. The controversy over the program grew over the past month, as new information about ties between WE and the families of Trudeau and Morneau trickled out in extensive and relentless media coverage. WE told the Star in late June that Gregoire Trudeau was never paid an honorarium for her involvement with the charity. But WE co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger have since confirmed the organization paid more than $25,000 to cover her expenses for appearing at WE events. It was also revealed that Morneaus daughter works for WE, and the finance minister admitted during his own testimony this month that he had to repay $41,366 to the organization for trips that he and his family took with the organization to Ecuador and Kenya in 2017. The confession led to an expansion of the ethics commissioners investigation into Morneau which will, as of Wednesday, include additional sections of the federal conflict of interest act. Trudeau and Morneau have also apologized for participating in the May 22 cabinet decision to award the student grant contract to WE, instead of sitting out to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Mario Dion, the House of Commons ethics commissioner, has opened separate investigations into whether the Liberal politicians broke the Commons conflict of interest law. Trudeau has already been found guilty of breaking that law twice as prime minister, and is now being investigated for a third time. In her testimony, Telford said the Liberal government tried to properly scrutinize the WE proposal from the public service in the rapid-fire environment of its COVID-19 crisis response. But she admitted more could have been done to avoid the subsequent controversy. While we did ask many questions to make this program a success, we could have done better, we could have done more, we could have added another layer of scrutiny to avoid any perception of favouritism, she said. NORWALK Two people were seriously injured in a four-car crash that took down three utility poles and caused one vehicle to burst into flames Thursday afternoon, fire officials said. The crash happened around noon Thursday near the entrance to Shop Rite at 360 Connecticut Ave. The accident closed Connecticut Avenue between Scribner Avenue and Rampart Road, officials said. Hungary supports the idea of developing a new law on national minorities in Ukraine after holding appropriate consultations with representatives of national minorities, Ambassador of Hungary to Ukraine Istvan Ijgyarto has said. "The second thing that Mr.Bodnar [Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar] mentioned is the development of a new legislation. We are absolutely in favor of the legislation. I should recall you that the very controversial law on ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as a national language contains serious block, which was basically 'transplanted' from the law on education, its well-known seventh article, which refers to minorities," Ijgyarto told Interfax-Ukraine. Thus, the diplomat commented on Bodnar's opinion that "ensuring the rights of national minorities in education can be carried out in the context of private schools, as well as improving Ukrainian legislation within implementing one of the recommendations of the Venice Commission, namely, the development of a new law on national minorities." According to Ijgyarto, "if the Ukrainian side intends to have a number of laws that would protect the rights of minorities, this is more than satisfactory for us." "In order to avoid the problems that were with the law on education, on secondary education and the law on language, if there are consultations with representatives of minorities and an international organization before the adoption of this law, we will absolutely in favor of a normal legislative act," the ambassador said. He also noted the idea of creating private schools in Ukraine for representatives of national minorities. "We are talking about 72 educational institutions attended by the Hungarian national minority. Every of them should be private? It means that the Ukrainian state wants to get rid of responsibility and put it in private system. Why? Are Hungarians in Ukraine no longer taxpayers, and for minorities should there be private education, private health care, private pensions, everything private?" he said. He also said that Hungary is already making a contribution to many educational institutions in Zakarpattia for Hungarians. "We are not against any ideas, but they should discuss this. That is why we were in favor of the discussions," the ambassador said. Charles Taylor Appoints Marine Claims Team Charles Taylor has appointed a new global operations manager and four marine surveyors to its Marine Technical Services division. They will operate from Charles Taylor offices in New York, Boston, Savannah and San Francisco. Lillian Aquilia was hired as operations manager. She will responsible for the coordination and instruction of surveyor assignments on behalf of underwriters, the London-based professional services firm said in a press release. The U.S. expansion is a critical building block that reinforces our commitment to creating a unified, global marine surveying structure to support maritime clients and their assets worldwide, stated Oliver Hutchings, managing director of Charles Taylor Marine. Charles Taylor Marine also appointed: John Poulson, who has 40 years experience in marine engineering, surveying, consulting, claims and loss prevention. As a senior manager, Poulson has held various leadership roles for the coordination and oversight of global marine surveying and consulting operations, quality control and dispute resolution, the company said. He is a chartered engineer with a Master of Science degree from the University of Portsmouth. Sean Murphy, a chartered engineer and naval architect with seven years of consulting experience in maritime and engineering matters focused on mitigating incident risk. He holds a Bachelors degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Webb Institute and a Masters degree in Engineering Management from Duke University. Glenn Walker, a master mariner and marine surveyor with 25 years dedicated to the U.S. Merchant Marine and yachting industry for commercial, government and private vessels. His expertise encompasses project and personnel management, crew mentoring and vessel operations. Peter Poulson, is a marine engineer and surveyor overseeing surveying and consulting services for a cross-section of instructing principals. He has extensive passenger vessel experience in the Antarctic with CMI, Inc. and on ultra-deep water drilling ships. A senior technical director will also join the team in the United Kingdom, effective Friday, Charles Taylor said. Sodoro Law Firm Appoints 2 Attorneys The Sodoro + Mooney + Lenaghan law firm, based in Omaha, Nebraska, announced the appointment of Betsy S. Seeba-Walters and Steven V. Golej. Both specialize in high-exposure insurance claims. Seeba-Walters has spent more than a decade litigating both civil and criminal cases in multiple jurisdictions across Nebraska, Iowa and Florida, the firm said. As a former criminal prosecutor and in-house insurance defense counsel, she has litigated various serious criminal felonies and civil negligence cases, having tried over 38 cases to jury. Golej specializes in workers compensation matters and general liability cases. Before joining the Sodoro firm, he worked for major insurance companies where he handled litigated matters for commercial auto, trucking and general liability. Managing Partner Patrick Sodoro said the appointments will deepen the law firms pool of legal wisdom. They both have robust expertise working in-house for insurance carriers that will aid in our ability to win complex high-exposure cases, he said in a press release. SCA Appoints Compliance Expert SCA Appraisal has appointed Jose Hermida to lead a new team that will help insurance carrier clients cope with Department of Insurance re-inspections and regulatory compliance. Hermida has worked for the Burbank, Calif.-based SCA for more than 20 years, SCA President Tim Davis said in a press release. The regulatory requirements in some states is becoming ever more complex and compliance is critical for our clients, Davis said. The establishment of a dedicated unit ensures that compliance. Being able to meet the unique needs of our clients in specifically-regulated markets with the DOI program further illustrates our evolution from an independent appraisal company to an integrated appraisal company. Clients will have three program options within the DOI program, SCA said. Specific vehicles can be assigned for re-inspection. A selection of vehicles can be made by SCA based on geography and claim count. Or, clients can opt for a fully-managed program that uses rental car logs to identify re-inspection opportunities in order to meet compliance. In all cases SCA provides the necessary re-inspections and supplemental reporting. Colonial Claims Appoints CEO Colonial Claims, an independent adjusting shop based in Dunedin, Fla, has appointed John Cerasuolo as chief executive officer. Cerasuolo will serve alongside founder Doug Branham, who will continue his involvement as chairman. Cerasuolo was previously CEO of ADS Security, a US electronic security business. At ADS, he restructured the company, secured rapid revenue growth, increased customer retention, and made multiple successful acquisitions, Colonial Claims said in a press release. This is a time of real change within our industry, and for the world of loss adjusting, Branham said in a prepared statement. Johns experience in growing companies and leading technological evolution is what both Colonial and our profession need. I am very pleased John chose to lead the company and help our customer-first team raise the bar for property adjusting. New VP Appointed for Crawford Contractor Connection Crawford & Co. has appointed Greg Fleming as vice president of product development and quality assurance for its Crawford Contractor Connection program. Fleming will report to Contractor Connection program President Lance Malcolm, the Atlanta-based claims services company said in a press release. Fleming has more than 28 years of property and casualty claims experience, Crawford said. He previously worked at USAA, where he held several senior claims leadership, marketing and sales executive positions, during his 18-year tenure. Prior to his position at USAA, Greg served as a branch manager at Crawford. Fleming earned his Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation in 2014. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Education. Gordon Murray is an automotive legend. He designed many successful Formula One cars for Brabham and McLaren, as well as the iconic McLaren F1. So its natural to be excited about his upcoming supercar, the T.50. A spiritual successor to the F1, the T.50 is described bu Murray as "the gratest road-car V-12 ever made." Its not yet ready to go into production, but Murray unleashed a video of the V-12 engine on the dyno and it sounds incredible. The short video posted on Instagram shows the engine revving up to 8,000 rpm. Thats not exactly impressive from a V-12 thats supposed to go into a supercar, but Murray plans to take it all the way to 12,100 rpm. Still, it already sounds amazing and by the time it will get beyond 10,000 rpm it should sounds like a classic Formula One V-12 engine. At 12,100 rpm, this V-12 will also become the highest-revving engine of any production car. Gordon Murray V-12 on the Dyno The V-12 engine is being developed in partnership with Cosworth Gordon Murray is working together with Cosworth on this new V-12. The British firm has built some of the greatest Formula One engines, but also created engines for iconic road cars, such as the Ford Sierra RS and Escort RS, some Audi RS cars, and the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3. Murray's V-12 is a 3.9-liter, naturally aspirated unit with a narrow 65-degree cylinder bank, dry sump lubrication, and a mild-hybrid setup with a 48-volt starter-generator. The engine is said to generate around 650 horsepower, with an extra 50 horses available from the hybrid setup. The mill is 100% percent bespoke and doesnt share any parts with other Cosworth engines. Although 650 horsepower might not sound like a lot in an era when supercars generate in excess of 800 horsepower, the T.50 will be extremely light. Murray aims for a curb weight of only 2,160 pounds, almost 400 pounds lighter than the McLaren F1 and more than 800 pounds lighter than a modern hypercar like the McLaren Senna. When will the Gordon Murray T.50 hit the road? The company says that the T.50 will launch on August 4, 2020, but were probably looking at a drivable prototype. A production model might be unveiled sometime in 2021, with deliveries to start in 2022. Gordon Murray plans to build 100 units and pricing is said to start from around 2 million (about $2.6 million). ARLINGTON, Texas, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With everything going on in America amid the pandemic, many people are finding it nearly impossible to get the home services they need with so many businesses not working. Everything from getting work done on interior furnishings to getting a house painted seems nearly impossible with what is going on right now. Thankfully, there are still a few companies like Pro Brush Painting that are doing their hardest to work for their loyal customers so that their homes are in the best shape possible and looking great. For those looking for the best remodeling contractor in Arlington, TX, look no further than Pro Brush Painting and remodeling. They are among the best options in the area for any painting and remodeling needs. Even as many people are still unable to go back to work, this company is committed to getting the job done right with every customer. Their dedicated team will work around the clock to make sure every job is done to the highest standard demanded. What makes this company so great is that they use their 10 years of experience to get homeowners the quality work they need at a price that is hard to argue with. When looking for a kitchen & bathroom remodeling company, homeowners need to be certain that they are getting the right team for the job. Especially at a time like now where so many companies are just looking to make some quick money, getting the right contractor is more important than ever before. At Pro Brush, they have a wide array of services available that are all designed to make the interior of any home look brand new. Alongside their excellent interior remodeling skills, Pro Brush is also one of the best options for a painter in Arlington, TX. They do everything from painting houses to making decks look brand new for customers all around the region. Their attention to detail and care for their work is evident with every job and their many happy customers speak to their abilities many times over. Their services include: Residential painting Cabinet refurnishing Remodeling services Deck and fence staining Garage floor coatings Commercial painting options Fence remodeling And so much more About Pro Brush Painting: With their wide array of service and great track record, Pro Brush is able to address the needs of any home job. They can renovate cabinets, remodel your bathroom, and paint the house without even thinking twice about it. With such a wide array of services available, they are the perfect team to call up for a number of projects as they are already familiar with the property. Media Contact: Pro Brush Painting (817) 789-5441 [email protected] https://probrushpainting.net/ Related Links Here are some of our residential services Garage floor coatings SOURCE Pro Brush Painting (CNN) -- The British government is investing 170,000 ($221,780) in a company that throws sex parties. Killing Kittens, which organizes women-led adult parties in London and New York, said Wednesday that it has secured the investment from the UK government's Future Fund, which is designed to help startups survive the coronavirus pandemic. "I never envisaged Boris as a sleeping partner," said the company's CEO Emma Sayle, referring to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "Killing Kittens has arrived on the digital scene and we're now pioneering the fastest-growing adult social network in the world," she added. Sayle founded Killing Kittens in 2005, organizing members-only masked parties in exclusive venues with a focus on "the pursuit of female pleasure," according to its website. It now has 180,000 members in 12 countries and recorded a 330% increase in traffic to its website during coronavirus lockdowns. The pandemic forced the company to move all its events and workshops online, accelerating existing plans to enter the sex tech industry a fast-growing sector that encompasses products and businesses focused on enhancing sexual experiences. The bulk of the UK government funds will be spent on marketing and product innovation, including a dating app. Killing Kittens wants to compete against dating apps such as Match.com and Bumble, which have also seen an uptick in demand during coronavirus, and has plans to launch a digital advertising platform for lingerie and sex toy companies, Sayle said. "Sex tech is one of the few industries that will come away from 2020 in a much better position," said Bryony Cole, the founder of Sextech School, which teaches entrepreneurs and investors about the market. "In particular dating apps, sex toys and porn are booming during the pandemic. We are searching online for more intimacy or ways to entertain ourselves," she told CNN Business. Organizers of CES, one of the world's biggest tech trade shows, estimated roughly a dozen sex tech companies presented innovations at this year's event in Las Vegas in January. One of these companies was Dame, a self-described sexual wellness company, which said Wednesday that its sales have more than doubled in the first half compared with a year ago. The company made headlines last year when it sued the New York City transit system after it rejected Dame's ads. Killing Kittens, which says it is valued at 11.5 million ($14.9 million) based on previous funding rounds, recently raised 170,000 ($221,780) on crowd-funding platform Seedrs. Those proceeds were matched by the Future Fund, which provides loans of between 125,000 ($162,000) and 5 million ($6.5 million) to companies, subject to at least match funding from private investors. More than 800 businesses have accessed the fund since its launch in May, with nearly 513 million ($664.9 million) in loans approved, according to figures from the UK Treasury. Stem & Glory, a vegan restaurant, is another of the recipients, according to the company's website. This story was first published on CNN.com, "The British government is investing in a sex party startup" NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for over 10,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced that Talisker Resources Ltd. ("Talisker" or the "Company") (CSE: TSK;OTCQX: TSKFF), a Canadian junior resource company with mining properties in British Columbia, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Talisker upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market. Talisker begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "TSKFF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors. Terry Harbort, President & CEO of Talisker stated, "We are pleased to have qualified to trade on the OTCQX Market. We anticipate that the wider visibility to the investment community will broaden our shareholder base and strengthen shareholder value." About Talisker Resources Ltd. Talisker Resources Ltd is a junior resource company in British Columbia. Talisker's projects include the Bralorne Gold Complex, an advanced stage project with exploration potential from a historical high-grade gold producing mine as well as its Spences Bridge Project where the Company holds approximately 85% of the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt and several other early-stage Greenfields projects. About OTC Markets Group Inc. OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 10,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors. To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com. OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Subscribe to the OTC Markets RSS Feed Media Contact: OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected] SOURCE OTC Markets Group Inc. Related Links http://www.otcmarkets.com N ancy Pelosi has ordered face masks to be worn on the House of Representatives floor from today after a Republican congressman tested positive for coronavirus. The Democratic House Speaker said failure to wear a mask in the chamber is a serious breach of decorum which could result in members being ejected. Members can remove them to speak. Its a sign of respect for the health, safety and well-being of others present in the chamber and in surrounding areas, she said. Texas Representative Louie Gohmert, an outspoken opponent of wearing masks, tested positive just before he was scheduled to travel to his home state with President Donald Trump. The 66-year-old conservative told a Texas news station he tested positive before boarding Air Force One and planned to self-quarantine. He said he had been wearing a mask more recently and suggested that is how he might have caught the virus. I cant help but wonder if my keeping a mask on and keeping it in place, that if I might have put some germs or some of the virus on to the mask and breathed it in I dont know, he said. He is at least the 10th member of Congress known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Florida, one of the US states worst hit by the coronavirus, was today closing its testing centres as Tropical Storm Isaias heads towards the coast. The state has reported more than 450,000 infections and about 6,300 deaths from the virus, with Miami accounting for a quarter of all of the cases. Meanwhile Australia today reported a surge in infections, with the hard-hit state of Victoria recording a record 723 new cases. Victorias premier Daniel Andrews said wearing face coverings would become compulsory for the whole state from next week. Masks have so far been mandatory only in Melbourne and a neighbouring district for the past week. Officials have said sick people breaking isolation rules or not getting tested in time was leading to continued spread despite lockdown measures. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters: Weve got to be careful not to slip into some idea that theres some golden immunity that Australia has in relation to this virus. The pandemic is surging across much of Asia, including India, where more than 52,000 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours, its highest single-day figure, taking the countrys total to almost 1.6 million. China, where the virus was first detected in December, has seen more than 100 confirmed infections for the first time in more than three months. Japan is lifting its ban on the re-entry of some foreign residents next week, despite also experiencing a spike in cases. Travel restrictions have left about 90,000 foreign nationals with residence permits stuck outside the country. Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google were grilled during the US Congressional hearing on Wednesday. Democrats and Republican members lashed out at the four chief executives Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai, stating that the companies wielded market power to crush competitors, amass high profits and gather data. The six-hour hearing saw lawmakers criticising the tech sector, adding that it had become too powerful and threatened rivals, consumers and even democracy. Rep. David N Cicilline, chairman of the antitrust panel aimed to explore if the companies' influence and status came through non-competitive means. Amazon CEO Bezos, Apple CEO Cook, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg and Google CEO Pichai took the stand to defend their businesses. Rep. Jerrold Nadler one of the top lawmakers confronted Zuckerberg with a 2012 message where the Facebook CEO said he sought to buy Instagram as he feared that it would "meaningfully hurt" the company, stated a report in The Washington Post. "Mergers and acquisitions that buy off potential competitive threats violate the antitrust laws. In your own words, you purchased Instagram to neutralize a competitive threat," said Nadler. At that point, Instagram was a rival social media platform and was not acquired by Facebook. Amazon was scrutinised over allegations that it misled the committee by stating that it does not tap data from third-party sellers to boost sales of its own products. Rep. Pramila Jayapal however produced public reports to the contrary. Bezos, who delivered his first testimony to Congress said, "What I can tell you is we have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business. But I can't guarantee you that policy has never been violated." Google was accused of stealing restaurant reviews from Yelp and threatening to delist the platform when it pointed out. Cicilline also accused the search giant of monitoring web traffic to keep competitive threats in check. Pichai disputed the claim and said, "Today, we support 1.4 million small businesses supporting over $385 billion in their core economic activity. We see many businesses thrive, particularly even during the pandemic." Cook who faced fewer questions was interrogated about Apple's handling of the App Store. More uncomfortable questions were thrown at the CEOs over privacy risk and polices online content. All of the four executives stressed on their contributions to the US economy. While Amazon called itself one of the most popular consumer brands, Apple spoke about its popular ecosystem of apps and high-end phones. Facebook said it stood for free expression and speech, while Google pointed out its role in finding information and businesses. Also read: Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple CEOs accused of abusing market power in Congressional hearing Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:05:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan scientists on Thursday warned that COVID-19 cases in the country could surge out of proportion if the public continues to relax in implementing preventive measures against the virus. The country this week and last week registered its first two COVID-19 deaths, and the scientists warn that more infections and death cases are likely to be registered if social distancing, wearing of face masks and hand hygiene is not practiced. "We are not yet at the worst but the worst has started," Misaki Wayengera, head of the Ministerial Scientific Advisory Committee on COVID-19 told reporters at a news conference called by the ministry of health to update the country on efforts to combat the virus. "There has been a lot of laxity in the public, we are really joking with our lives. Let's take this thing seriously, let's put on masks," Henry Kajumbura, a microbiologist who attended the presser warned. "As these deaths come up, none of us is safe, we are sure more deaths are going to occur," Denis Byarugaba, another microbiologist also warned. Ruth Aceng, minister of health, said that one confirmed case, if not attended to early, can spread the virus so fast, infecting thousands of people. "We are not implementing the measures, if we don't go back to seriousness, we are going to see many more cases and many more deaths," Aceng said. She warned that if the cases blow out of proportion, the health facilities and workers would be overwhelmed, which may lead to some deaths. As of July 29, Uganda had a tally of 1,147 cases of COVID-19, 1,028 recoveries and 2 deaths, according to the ministry of health figures. The warning by the scientists comes at a time when the country is easing the COVID-19 lockdown measures to curb the spread of the disease. Public and private transport resumed as well as some shopping malls reopened for business. The country's border entry points remain closed to incoming and outgoing travelers although cross border cargo transport is open. Yonas Woldemariam, World Health Organization country representative to Uganda said that evidence from other countries has shown that easing of lockdown restrictions has led to a surge in the infections. Woldemariam noted that countries face a difficult situation of deciding whether to open up or impose tough restrictions. Countries that have imposed tough lockdown measures have had their economies negatively impacted. Byarugaba said Uganda may need to go into a situation where the COVID-19 prevention measures are strictly adhered to. He said while the ministry of health has played its part by sensitizing the public, enforcement agencies must play their part. "We might get into the next stage to ensure enforcement is strong, to ensure that the public is safe," Byarugaba said. The scientists are concerned about the situation in the capital city Kampala especially in the shopping areas where there are large crowds without protection. In other parts of the country, political activities have started as the country prepares for next year's polls, but people are not taking COVID-19 preventive measures. Aceng said, starting Friday, government will distribute over 6.7 million face masks in the Kampala metropolitan area and the surrounding districts of Wakiso and Mukono. She said government in its nationwide program has so far distributed 8.2 million face masks to 27 districts across the country. The minister urged all health workers in the country to treat all acute respiratory tract infections or symptoms, including pneumonia cases with high-index suspicion. "Heath facilities are also urged to make swift decisions and referral of patients with signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to reduce avoidable deaths. Failure to identify symptomatic cases is a danger to the health care workers, their families and patients," Aceng said. Enditem VANCOUVER, WA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Adaptive Ad Systems, Inc. (OTC PINK:AATV), today provides an update of the state of the cable advertising sector relevant to its impact on Adaptive's expected performance. Adaptive provides Dynamic Digital Ad Insertion (DDAI) via its streaming media hardware and proprietary processing software for all U.S. cable TV markets. Despite occasional news stories about continued TV "cord-cutting," the latest statistics provided by Yahoo Cable Network News demonstrates a significant increase in viewership for cable TV news networks from Fox News to CNN. Supported by millions of Americans across the country remaining at home, viewers handed all three major cable news networks big ratings rewards in the second quarter of 2020. According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News secured 1.95 million total average viewers per day in Q2. MSNBC was in second place with 1.21 million and CNN brought in 1.19 million. All three cable networks had their highest-rated quarters in history. These improvements were dominated by the advertiser-coveted news demographic of 25 to 54, with big increases for Fox News with an average of 366,000 total-day demo viewers. CNN increased it viewership most significantly with 335,000 average total-day demo viewers, which was an increase of 150% over Q2 2019. MSNBC's total-day demo viewers averaged 193,000. CNN was also number one in the demo during dayside for the first time in cable news in 19 years. Revenue generated by cable providers consistently increased between 2010 and 2017, and was $85.5 Billion in 2018, with most of the revenue ($55.08 Billion) created through advertising. Though "cord cutting" is generally expected to continue on traditional cable TV platforms, industry revenues from 2011 to 2020 have only decreased slightly, with projected revenues expected to reach $82 Billion in 2020. Adaptive Ad Systems has already solidly positioned itself in a high-value market sector of the cable TV market that has been historically less impacted by cord cutting. Furthermore, Adaptive is developing products and services that will broaden the Company's presence within the television industry. The Company believes this will balance general trends in major markets and continue to increase Adaptive revenue. Story continues CEO J. Michael Heil states: "As we reported in our last release, beginning in May, advertisers began to test strategic media buys to evaluate the impact of advertising while "shelter in place" rules and guidelines were active. In June, our revenue growth accelerated again, reflecting the advertisers' regained confidence in regional ad spending as consumers showed resilience and parts of the country began to re-open to one degree or another. The increasing cable viewer time, as reported by the Yahoo Cable Network News, increases our advertisement value. Accordingly, we currently anticipate at least a 20 percent increase in third quarter 2020 revenue over the same period in 2019." With Adaptive's proprietary technology and software, the Company is well-positioned to take advantage of the ratings and viewer increases for the cable TV networks with its digital ad insertion network. After having established itself solidly in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, the Company has now expanded its services into Tier 1 markets, currently serving over 75 designated market areas in over 40 States across the U.S. ABOUT ADAPTIVE Adaptive Ad Systems Inc. is a digital media and video communications company that, together with its subsidiaries and manufactures, develops and deploys Dynamic Digital Ad Insertion (DDAI) and video streaming media hardware and proprietary processing software for the Cable TV, Satellite and IPTV markets. The Company initially targeted the often-over-looked 2nd and 3rd tier US markets and now additionally serves many Tier 1 markets. Adaptive exclusively sells all available advertising space in each market it has contracted, while maintaining complete technology ownership. Currently, the Company's technology and business model allows it to dynamically serve over 75 designated marketing areas in over 40 states. Adaptive also provides broadband and cable TV services in some niche major markets. For additional information, please visit: www.aatv.co. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, financial projections, statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for current and future operations, the development, regulatory approvals and commercialization of the Company's products, or any of the Company's proposed services, systems, services, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, partnerships or acquisitions. Such forward-looking statements are not meant to predict or guarantee actual results and performance and actual events or results may differ considerably. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any projections may include, without limitation, delays in the Company's development of its products and services, the inability to obtain additional financing, the impact of significant new or changing government regulation on the industry, existing or increased competition, results of arbitration and litigation, stock volatility and illiquidity, and the Company's general failure to effectively implement the Company's business plans or strategies. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. Adaptive Ad Systems, Inc. 4400 NE 77th Avenue Suite 275 Vancouver, Washington 98662 310-321-4958 info@aatv.co www.aatv.co StockWatchIndex San Diego, California 442-287-8059 info@stockwatchindex.com www.stockwatchindex.com www.swiresearch.com SOURCE: Adaptive Ad Systems, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599547/Adaptives-Digital-Ad-Insertion-Service-Benefits-from-Cable-News-Networks-Record-Ratings Mayor London Breed is including a $15 million financial lifeline for the San Francisco Unified School District in her upcoming budget proposal, money intended to help prevent layoffs and other cuts in the face of a $22 million budget shortfall largely attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. The money will come out of the citys general fund. Breed must submit a balanced budget to the Board of Supervisors one that closes the citys own $1.5 billion shortfall by Saturday. Budgets for the city and the school district are independent of one another, a dynamic that highlights urgency of the bailout from the city. The city is stepping in to help the school district through this challenging time, because we need to do everything we can to ensure that our students dont fall further behind, Breed said. Wednesdays announcement comes less than a week after the city said it planned to set up learning hubs to provide assistance to up to 6,000 low-income children who may struggle with distance learning. The school districts budget woes predate the pandemic. The district had to confront a $57 million shortfall last spring. For years, the school district spent millions more than it brought in in revenue and made up the difference with reserves, which have since run dry. Back in February, SFUSD Superintendent Vincent Matthews said, We have to plan now for the worst-case scenario. While the state budget currently provides schools with some one-time funding, it will not be enough to cover the costs related to the pandemic, city officials said, including added technology needs, personal protective equipment, extra cleaning and health screening. The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the districts budget crisis, as tens of millions in state funding have withered away. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. We greatly appreciate this budgetary support from Mayor Breed, which will provide much-needed fiscal relief as our school community ramps up for a challenging year, Matthews said. The SFUSD Board of Education on Tuesday approved the plan for resuming instruction next month, one that included resorting to distance learning for weeks, if not months, followed by a limited return to in-person instruction, with no more than a third of the districts 53,000 schoolchildren allowed back on any given day. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa On Thursday, President Donald Trump raised the U.S. publics collective blood pressure with a tweet blasting mail-in voting as FRAUDULENT and suggesting that the country should Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote. Trump cant actually cancel or move Election Day, at least not on his own, but this certainly appears to be an attempt to undermine public faith in the vote as his poll numbers continue to sag. Expressing any concern about safely voting was an opportunistic change of tune for a president who has resolutely downplayed the risks of the coronavirus and insisted that businesses and schools return to normal operation. Unlike authoritarian leaders like Hungarys Viktor Orban and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, Trump has not (yet) used the virus to justify a crackdown on dissent. (Immigration policy is another story.) But by threatening to delay the vote on public health grounds, he is, perhaps unwittingly, borrowing from a now well-established international playbook. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Citing fears of a coronavirus resurgence, Hong Kongs Beijing-backed authorities are currently threatening to delay Sept. 6 legislative elections in which the pro-democracy camp, galvanized by public opposition to a controversial national security law, are poised to win a landslide. Twelve of Hong Kongs most prominent opposition leaders were also barred from running under the new law. Bolivias interim government also announced last week that its general election, which was already pushed from May to September, will now be delayed another month to Oct. 18. There is indeed a legitimate concern for peoples healthBolivia has one of the highest COVID mortality rates in the worldbut the country has been in a political crisis since the overthrow of President Evo Morales in November, and further delays could be devastating for its fragile democracy. (A recent study has cast doubt on the international accusations from last fall that Morales, a socialist, engaged in election fraud, the state justification for the coup that put the current right-wing interim government in power.) Advertisement Advertisement Ethiopian lawmakers in June also voted to postpone that countrys election, originally scheduled for August, for at least nine months. This will extend Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds mandate for at least a year, a disappointment for those who hoped the Nobel Prizewinning reformer was moving his country toward full democracy after years of single-party rule. Advertisement Its worth noting that other countries, including South Korea and (after a delay) Poland, have managed to hold relatively safe elections during the pandemic. The election delays are not the only worrisome sign. More than six months since the pandemic began, the global situation for democracy is as bad as anyone could have feared. In the Philippines, Duterte, after winning broad emergency powers for himself, has employed the same tactics he used to wage his brutal drug warmass arrests and extrajudicial violenceto tackle COVID: He has publicly told police and the military to shoot those who defy lockdown orders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Egypt, at least 10 doctors and 10 journalists have been arrested for publicly criticizing the countrys coronavirus response, and more have been arrested for spreading fake news. In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduros government has arrested hundreds of political prisoners this year, according to rights groups, many of them also critics of the countrys disastrous coronavirus response. The situation is dire, to be sure, but one pessimistic prediction from the early days of the pandemic has not come to pass: The virus has not kept people off the streets. In fact, particularly since outdoor marches where most people wear masks dont appear to be a major factor in spreading the coronavirus, more people seem to be protesting around the world than ever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The protests against racism and police brutality that spontaneously erupted in dozens of countries after the George Floyd killing were the most obvious manifestation of pandemic-era dissent. But they werent alone. There were large protests against Belarus longtime strongman president (and COVID denier-turned-patient), Aleksandr Lukashenko, after opposition candidates were barred from this months controversial election. The far east of Russia has emerged as an unexpected hotbed of resistance to Vladimir Putins rule. Anti-government protesters have returned to the streets in Lebanon amid the countrys dire economic collapse. And public gatherings, though much smaller than last year, continue in Hong Kong despite the stepped up threat of arrest under the new national security law. The coronavirus gave governments around the world a pretext to undermine democracy, but the public corruption and incompetence it revealed also gave citizens yet another reason to fight for it. Its very possible that what could happen is we have a classroom, whole grade levels or even an entire school go into quarantine, depending on how many students and staff have COVID and who they have been in contact with, Olson said. Pune: Pune Police on Friday seized cash worth Rs 1.12 crore, all in banned denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from a businessman here. According to Lashkar Police Station, the businessman, Bharat Shah, wanted to convert his alleged unaccounted money through some agents at 25 per cent commission. We received a tip-off that Shah was planning to meet some people on MG Road on Friday morning to convert the cash, said a police inspector, attached to Lashkar Police station. Subsequently a trap was laid and Shah was detained for questioning. We recovered 22,444 demonetised notes of Rs 500 denomination and 28 demonetised notes of Rs 1000 denomination from him, the police official said . Though Shah is claiming that the cash seized from him are his savings, we suspect that it is unaccounted money, which he wanted to convert, said the officer. Police said no case has been registered against Shah but Income Tax department has been notified about the seized notes. On Wednesday, crime branch officials had seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.11-crore in old notes from a property broker, who too wanted to convert it into white through some agents here. READ FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 Trend: Members and co-chairman (coordinator) of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group of the National Assembly (Parliament) of Pakistan strongly condemned Armenia's latest attack on Azerbaijan, Trend reports on July 30. The former Vice-Speaker of Pakistans National Assembly, Co-Chairman of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group, MP Murtuza Abbasi, sent letter to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Pakistan, expressing his countrys support to Azerbaijan, which was subjected to Armenian aggression during this difficult period of COVID-19 global pandemic. "As co-chairman of the Pakistan-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group, on behalf of the group members, I strongly condemn the latest provocative attack by Armenia on the armed forces of Azerbaijan. We, the people of Pakistan, stand in solidarity with Azerbaijan on the issue of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and condemn the gross violation of the ceasefire by the units of the armed forces of Armenia on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, as a result of which the armed forces and civilians of Azerbaijan died and were injured, the letter said. We always support Azerbaijan in the issue of the illegal occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a serious threat to regional peace and security and must be resolved in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. 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. Following the UK Governments guidance that foodservice outlets keep a temporary record of visitors for a period of 21 days, the countrys foodservice businesses are looking for innovative ways to allure consumers back and make them feel safe enough to offer their personal, sensitive data. The UK lockdown has unsurprisingly been damaging to the pubs and bars and the restaurant industry, and GlobalDatas COVID-19 adjusted forecasts expect the pub and bar sector to fall from an expected baseline value of 26.3bn to a slowdown 16.3bn by the end of 2020, representing an overall loss of 10.1bn. At the same time, the restaurant sector is expected to fall from an expected baseline value of 32.9 billion to a slowdown 25.2 billion by the end of 2020. Although the government guidance is non-mandatory, it is important for the operators to have a robust system in place to adapt to any guidance changes, considering that a second wave is almost imminent. This can impose further financial strain, and cause increased anxiety among customers. Elena Mogos, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData Food service outlets in the UK need to be careful, as there have already been examples of privacy breaches abroad. For example, some New Zealand customers complained of receiving unwanted marketing emails after visiting foodservice outlets. This pushed the New Zealand Government to reiterate to the hospitality sector that it needs to use the contact tracing details only for COVID-19 purposes. With warnings from health officials that a second wave of infections is on its way, and with many consumers worried about their privacy, foodservice businesses need to find ways to make visitors feel welcome, safe, and decrease their worry of data breaches or violations of their privacy. One solution is using contactless payment, and ensuring customers order in advance, by using a mobile app where they can input their personal details. Elena Mogos On one hand, according to a survey by GlobalData, 54% of UK consumers agree that they will pay for products or services only with cards or using their mobile phone, instead of cash. This offers foodservice outlets an opportunity to invest in contactless payment solutions, and, therefore, gather consumer information as advised. On the other hand, according to the same survey, 44% of UK respondents said that they will continue dining at home instead of going to the restaurant in the new normal world too. Therefore, foodservice outlets must find innovative ways to encourage these consumers to come back and enjoy going out again. Established in 1994, Tata Asset Management Ltd is the investment manager for Tata Mutual Fund. It is among the oldest and most trusted fund houses in India, with an investor base of over 20 lakh (as on January 31, 2020). Tata Mutual Fund takes pride in managing the investments of the common man right from childhood to retirement. It offers a wide choice of funds for every need across the entire risk return spectrum. These include equity funds, hybrid funds and fixed income funds. With some cheer in the stock market the sentiments of the investors have gone up and more investors are coming forward to invest in the mutual fund markets. Even during the lockdown, the company was actively engaged with business partners and customers. New campaigns were released every two weeks to keep the brand top of mind and stay connected with the audience with a lot of emphasis on the digital front. Digital has helped the company penetrate further to the interiors of the country, as mutual fund still needs to reach the hinterland of India. With aspirations and progress in living happening in the rural sector, the company sees more investors entering the mutual fund market. In conversation with Adgully, MVS Murthy, Head-Marketing & Digital, Tata Asset Management, gives an overview of the BFSI market, specifically Mutual Funds, during the COVID-19 period. Murthy also speaks about keeping Brand Tata Mutual Fund relevant through various channels during this period, use of AI/ML and increasing move towards digital. The stock markets have partially revived. Have you seen the investor sentiments going up on the Mutual fund investments? How does the road ahead look like? What is going to be your long-term strategy for Tata Mutual Fund? The markets are holding up, but to say it has revived is too early, given the impact of the pandemic on multiple sectors. Having said so, if it holds on a steady upward trajectory, it would mean that we have adapted or factored the loss of revenue in some sectors and are optimistic of the existing stack and of the Indian economy as a whole. I guess a cataclysmic event of this scale can make us more circumspect. Even a well-set batsman can get a few rattling overs in the middle of a strong innings. Must see it through before opening arms and playing in full glory. The investors are worried is a very relative thing to say, depending on who you are speaking too. There are definitely new investors and fresh funds coming in. As an industry we are under-penetrated and digital can help us probe deeper parts of the country, which has common aspirations for progress and good living. Those who have invested must be seeing returns blurry. Its only time before the fog clears. Keep driving, carefully. Our approach is simply this, everyone is affected, everyone will eventually get out if it, let us not stop the good habits because of a few bad days. Those investors stopping investments will surely miss the bus as things turn around. Anyone who feels 3 months is long term enough to take a call, isnt getting the core of Mutual Fund Investing 3-5 years horizon at the very least, disciplined investing and now adding more to the investment ticket size since all discretionary expenses are cut down. As a fund house, our CIO and Investment team is focussed on GARP Growth At Reasonable Prices as an approach and our funds like the Tata Short Term Bond, Tata Treasury Advantage and some equity funds too are attractive for investors. What is the strategy that you are adopting to stay connected with your audience and what kind of message is being delivered? In these confusing and delirious times, we are following the adage of not erring by under-communicating. Our Investor Education series, Fund-centric campaigns to garner investments, channel-usage campaigns, new initiatives to increase use of voice as a form of engagement have all been on a roll without any slowing of intent or execution speed. In fact, we launched our second series of Ishq Bhi Risk Bhi, an investor education initiative and Mind Over Markets, a podcast featuring our CIO, Rahul Singh. We have tried to be the part and play the part by demonstrating our ability to keep it Business As Usual, with enough guidance on caution being given to our investors. How are you staying engaged with your customers and business partners during these times? More importantly, how do you keep your business partners motivated? Our engagement with our Business Partners has only deepened over the last 18 months. What began 6 quarters back is bearing fruit now through solid inflows coming from the top channel partners and banking partners. We have launched many innovative solutions to help them bridge the chasm of lack of physical meetings due to the pandemic. Product and Channel Innovation like TMFLink an ARN embedded transaction enabler, POST a digital delivery channel for daily updates on views, fund performance, marketing initiatives, perspectives from experts who have studied and analysed different kinds of global crisis not just financially, sharing of fund manager views through live broadcasts, digital co-branding support to increase reach, etc. The list itself is an interview! (laughs) My personal view is that we have been very progressive and forward thinking when it comes to providing support for a non-physical business model. It is our contribution in a way to effect digital transformation of their business and the industry. Much needs to be done and we are cognizant of it. We have transformed as soon has we have sensed a need for building strong foundations for a post-pandemic world. There are a few Mutual Fund brands that have launched some IPO recently. Are there any plans or are there any new MF schemes from TMF that are planned or in the pipeline? No, none that I am aware of. And we wish them a strong IPO, it is good for our industry. Customer centricity is important for every financial brand. How are the customer grievances managed flawlessly? Also, how is the helpline team attending to customers during these times due to social distancing and lockdown? Trust is a default expectation from our Brand, and we are deeply conscious of the responsibility that we have. All our Customer Support Channels are running full capacity as per the guidelines issued for conducting workplaces during COVID. To strengthen customer support, we launched Mr Simple, our AI/ ML powered BOT. We made its services available on our website, our Whatsapp channel and it is learning every day. An average query gets resolved in 40 seconds and it has an ISAT (Intelligence Satisfaction) score of 92 per cent this is peak efficiency, assuming some interactions may have a neutral response and those with a negative score, is something the BOT is unaware of but learns on the go, so there is no repeat of the error. To keep your customers engaged you must be active on digital media. Are you noticing enough traction in terms of clicks and are people investing in your funds in these times? Our website traffic is peaking over the last 3 months, this is largely driven by the fact that we have opened up many more ports of investor interaction. We have not only increased the number of digital touch points to communicate, but are also facilitating different ports to invest you can invest through our BOT as well. We encourage you to try it. There is a whole crop of new investors and fresh funds coming in, at least into the Tata Mutual Fund Ecosystem. The fresh purchases have been on the rise in the last 3 months, we have seen both y-o-y and q-o-q growth across AUM, count of SIPs, new users added across all our marketing centric initiatives. In the month of June, we were amongst the top 5 Funds for continued in-flows. Any new campaigns planned to stay engaged with your audience? Will your media strategy be to stay focussed only on digital or you will be leveraging some of the traditional media to reach smaller towns? We are launching a new campaign every 2 weeks, testing and scaling it. In a hyper-conversational world, brands need to have a variety of conversations at the same time and all the time. At any point in time, we have a 3X3 matrix for our communication, covering the type and the channels of purchase. We have always been a digital first brand and it is working well for us, even across smaller towns in the country. Pre-COVID-19 we were visible in the outdoor medium for a long time, there is a pause now and hopefully not an indefinite one. Much as everyone, we, too, are looking forward to our brand being seen from far and beyond. Two weeks ago, grocer Trader Joes said it would change some of its packaging labels because some people found them to be racist. Now, Trader Joes is saying some of those packaging labels will stay because, Recently we have heard from many customers reaffirming that these name variations are largely viewed in exactly the way they were intendedas an attempt to have fun with our product marketing. We continue our ongoing evaluation, and those products that resonate with our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves. Trader Joes also said, we do not take action based on petitions. An online petition earlier this month demanded that Trader Joes remove racist branding and packaging from its stores. The grocery chain labels some of its ethnic foods with modifications of Joe that belies a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes. For example, Trader Mings is used to brand the chains Chinese food, Arabian Joe brands Middle Eastern foods, Trader Jose brands Mexican foods, Trader Giottos is for Italian food, and Trader Joe San brands their Japanese cuisine. On July 24, the grocer gave a statement saying they wanted to clarify our approach to product naming and said it disagrees that any of these labels are racist. We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members. If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action. Decades ago, our Buying Team started using product names, like Trader Giottos, Trader Joses, Trader Mings, etc. We thought thenand still dothat this naming of products could be fun and show appreciation for other cultures. For example, we named our Mexican beer Trader Jose Premium and a couple guacamole products are called Avocados Number in a kitschy reference to a mathematical theory. These products have been really popular with our customers, including some budding mathematicians. We constantly reevaluate what we are doing to ensure it makes sense for our business and aligns with customers expectations. A couple years ago we asked our Buying Team to review all our products to see if we needed to update any older packages, and also see if the associated brands developed years ago needed to be refreshed. We found that some of the older names or products just werent connecting or selling very well; so, they were discontinued. Its kind of what we do. Recently we have heard from many customers reaffirming that these name variations are largely viewed in exactly the way they were intended as an attempt to have fun with our product marketing. We continue our ongoing evaluation, and those products that resonate with our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves. Trader Joes has been a unique, fun and neighborly place to shop for over 50 years. We look forward to taking care of our wonderful customers for many future decades. The company did not say which labels would be retained. In Pennsylvania there are Trader Joes stores in Ardmore, Jenkintown, Media, North Wales, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College and Wayne. READ MORE Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted Sunday of nearing deployment of nuclear-tipped hypersonic missiles with his Navy, upping the ante in a three-way arms race with the U.S. and China to develop super-fast missiles that can penetrate any existing defensive system. At the annual naval parade in St. Petersburg, Putin did not detail specifically when hypersonic missiles would be deployed, but the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the weapons are in the final stages of testing. Read Next: Goldfein Departs: On a Future Bomber, Female Pilots and Surviving a Shootdown "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," Putin said. China has also made significant advances in hypersonics, according to Dr. Mark Lewis, director of Defense Research and Engineering for Modernization at the Defense Department. Last October, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided at a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. During the parade, a purported vehicle-mounted DF-17 hypersonic nuclear missile was displayed. At a June 30 Hudson Institute discussion, Lewis said both China and Russia have taken advantage of a lull in U.S. modernization to make advances in what he called the "game changer" technology of hypersonics. "I'm often accused of saying speed is the new stealth," he said, stressing the need for more focus and investment on hypersonics. Stealth properties make bombers and fighters difficult to track, but hypersonic missiles traveling at speeds well in excess of Mach 5 mean that "you see me a little bit too late to do anything," Lewis said. The advantage of hypersonic missiles is usually "thought of only as speed," he explained, adding that it's actually speed plus the ability to change trajectory, giving the missiles the capability of "penetrating from long ranges with tremendous resilience." Story continues There is little time to react and that, combined with a less predictable trajectory, make hypersonic missiles "a class of weapons system which, frankly, is hard to counter," Lewis said. The U.S. once had a formidable lead in hypersonics technology, he added, but let that lead slip away. "There was an element of hubris to it. We were so far ahead," Lewis said. "We did their homework for [China and Russia]. We developed it. Then, we kind of took our foot off the gas. We didn't listen to our own advice. Now, we're in a situation where we're truly in a three-way race." As a result, China "hasn't been shy" about showing off its advances in hypersonics. "That has been eye-opening," he said. On at least three occasions in recent months, President Donald Trump has made reference to U.S. development of what he called a "super-duper missile" that can travel up to 17 times Mach and hit targets with extreme precision. At the June 13 West Point commencement ceremony, Trump touted overall U.S. investment in national defense. "We are building new ships, bombers, jet fighters and helicopters by the hundreds; new tanks, military satellites, rockets and missiles; even a hypersonic missile that goes 17 times faster than the fastest missile currently available in the world and can hit a target 1,000 miles away within 14 inches from center point," he said. In March, the Defense Department announced the successful test of a common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) jointly executed by the Army and Navy in a launch from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii. The C-HGB flew at unspecified hypersonic speeds and successfully hit a designated impact area, according to the DoD. "Today, we validated our design and are now ready to move to the next phase toward fielding a hypersonic strike capability,'' said Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs. In his remarks at the Hudson Institute, Lewis said fielding of hypersonic weapons by the U.S. is years away but added, "Our competitors should have no doubt we're moving in a big way. Our goal is to deliver at scale in the mid-2020s." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Navy, Army Flight Test a Common Hypersonic Weapon Glide Body A soldier at an intelligence command near Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total number of infections reported in barracks to 77, the defense ministry said Thursday. The master sergeant, based in Seongnam, was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Wednesday, according to officials. Some 20 other service members who had contact with the patient have all tested negative so far. The military has restricted troops' movement from the base and put those who had contact with the confirmed patient into isolation, they said. The total number of service members in quarantine stands at 451, and the military has put another 1,890 in quarantine as a preventive measure. Nationwide, South Korea reported 18 new cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, raising the total caseload to 14,269. (Yonhap) Big Oil will be in focus this week and next with the so-called supermajors reporting. Below we highlight what to expect from four such firms. For the three-month period ending Jun 30, 2020, WTI prices averaged around $28 per barrel compared to nearly $60 in the year-ago period as coronavirus induced a massive slump in oil demand amid a supply glut. While things started getting bad toward the end of the first quarter, the full impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the oil price slump may only have been felt in the April-June period when crude plunged into negative territory briefly. From upstream (exploration and production) to downstream (refining and distribution), no subset of the Big Oils much-celebrated, integrated business model has been immune to the coronavirus-induced downturn. The price slump will greatly impact the results of their upstream unit for obvious reasons. At the same time, the downstream numbers will be dragged down by lower utilization due to collapse in consumption for jet fuel and gasoline. To put it simply, all of this does not bode well for the upcoming earnings season. ExxonMobil XOM, one of the world's largest publicly traded oil producers, is set to report earnings on Friday. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate is a loss of 63 cents, which has been revised 3.1% upward in the last 7 days. In the second quarter of 2019, EPS came in at 73 cents. As far as earnings surprises are concerned, the Irving, TX-based company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters and missed in the other, delivering earnings surprise of 307.95%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ExxonMobil's revenues is $36.1 billion, indicating a decline of 47.8% year over year. Amid the fierce commodity price downturn, ExxonMobils upstream segment result the primary contributor to its earnings is expected to take a hit of $2.1-$2.5 billion due to a fall in liquids prices. It will likely bear an additional $400-$600 million brunt of declining gas prices. For the units U.S. arm, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter 2020 is pegged at a loss of $1 billion. In the prior-year quarter, with the arm has reported a profit of $335 million. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the segments international business for the second quarter is pegged at a loss of $465 million. A year ago, the business generated profit of $2.9 billion. Adding to its woes, ExxonMobils worldwide production is likely to have declined from the year-ago period owing to the virus outbreak. Further, the company sees profits from the refining business to take a hit of $700-$900 million due to lower margins. Chevron CVX, another U.S. oil and gas biggie, will also be reporting on Friday, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate pointing toward a loss of 85 cents. A year ago, EPS came in at $2.27. Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for bottom line moved 8.6% north over the past 7 days. As far as earnings surprises are concerned, this San Ramon, CA-based company boasts an excellent record, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four reports, the average beat being 35.39%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues, meanwhile, is $20.5 billion, suggesting a 47.3% decline year over year. Confirming its integrated structure, the Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company generated 51% of its 2019 earnings from its upstream unit and 49% from its downstream unit. For the to-be-reported quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the upstream segment is pegged at a loss of $1.2 billion, indicating a significant deterioration from the prior-year quarters profit of $3.5 billion. Further, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the refining arm is pegged at a loss of $157 million. The business line had generated earnings of $729 million in the second quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, Chevron is likely to have experienced a decline in volumes as it is slashing production in the Permian Basin. As a proof of this, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter production is pegged at 2,926 MBOE/d, indicating a decrease of 5.1% from a year ago. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A: This European major is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings on Thursday. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is a loss of 31 cents per share revised 6.9% downward in the last 7 days. In the year-ago quarter, the company had reported profit of 86 cents. Over the trailing four quarters, the company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate on two occasions and missed in the other two, the surprise being 7.13%, on average. The Hague, Netherlands-based global energy company has already envisioned its post-tax impairment charges between $15 billion and $22 billion for the second quarter. This hefty write-down is anticipated because of the coronavirus outbreak due to which demand deceleration wiped billions off the oil and natural gas asset value. Management projects second-quarter 2020 upstream production between 2,300 and 2,400 MBOE/d. The year-ago production level was 2,656 thousand MBOE/d. The Integrated Gas units production is forecast in the 880-910 MBOE/d band. However, in the year-earlier period, Shell had produced 927 MBOE/d. Further, Shell estimates second-quarter oil product sales in the band of 3,500-4,500 thousand barrels per day, indicating a 46.8% decrease from the year-earlier quarter thanks to a COVID-19-led dramatic drop in demand. BP plc BP: This London-based company is set to report earnings on Tuesday. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is of loss of 99 cents per share. The company had reported earnings of 83 cents per share a year earlier. BP beat earnings estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed in the other earnings surprise being 8.39%, on average. Revenues are expected to fall sharply as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $42.2 billion, suggesting 42.7% decline year over year. BP has estimated a write-off of up to $17.5 billion from its asset value, following the downward revision of its long-term oil and gas prices. Regarding its upstream segment, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $3.2 billion, indicating a decline of 47.5% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter production is pegged at 2,438 MBOE/d, indicating a 7.1% decrease from the year-ago reported figure. The consensus estmate for downstream segment revenues is at $38.9 billion, indicating a 41% fall year over year. Moreover, the pandemic is likely to have hurt the integrated firms refinery throughputs in the second quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same is pegged at 1,486 thousand barrels per day, suggesting a 7% decline from the June quarter of 2019. Story continues Today's Best Stocks from Zacks Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market-beating strategies? From 2017 through 2019, while the S&P 500 gained an impressive +53.6%, five of our strategies returned +65.8%, +97.1%, +118.0%, +175.7% and even +186.7%. This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. From 2000 2019, while the S&P averaged +6.0% per year, our top strategies averaged up to +54.7% per year. See their latest picks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS.A) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Turkey's parliament approves law regulating social media Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 8:43 AM The Turkish parliament has passed a law that imposes new requirements on social media companies with more than 1 million daily users and orders their local representatives to address government concerns over content. The bill was ratified on Wednesday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its coalition partner Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) supported it during parliamentary debates, which had begun a day earlier. Under the new legislation, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter would have to ensure they have representatives in Turkey. If the representative is a real entity, not a legal one, it has to be a Turkish citizen. They would also have 48 hours to comply with Turkish court orders for the removal of certain offensive content or face heavy fines, the blocking of their advertisements or have bandwidth slashed by up to 90 percent. The new law further asks social networks to store users' data within the country. Administrative fines for the providers that fail to meet obligations would be raised from the current 10,000 -100,000 Turkish lira ($1,500 - $15,000) to 1-10 million lira ($146,165 - $1,461,650). Speaking before the bill's passage, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the draft law "would give the state powerful tools for asserting even more control over the media landscape." Turkish government officials, however, underline the need for a measure regulating social media, citing technology companies' failure to take action against criminal activity such as sexual abuse, illegal gambling, fraud and support for terrorism. Turkish Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin rejected speculations that the new legislation would lead to censorship and emphasized that it aims to establish commercial and legal ties with the social media platforms. Meanwhile, Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's director of communications, said social media giants should not be able to "uncontrollably make profits in our country and continue their operations immune to any tax obligations." The Turkish president has repeatedly complained that "immoral acts" online in recent years stem from lack of regulations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Police forces hired more than 4,000 extra officers in the first eight months of the Government's recruitment drive to sign up 20,000 more over the next three years. The overall provisional headcount of officers in England and Wales is now 133,131, according to Home Office figures to the end of June that were released today. This includes 4,336 officers hired as part of the 20,000 pledge, the quarterly progress report said, with 89,950 applications to join a police force received since the campaign launched in October. The figures mean that the Government is on target to meet Boris Johnson's aim of recruiting 20,000 additional police officers in the next three years to undo previous Tory number cuts. He launched a public sector recruitment drive this morning, urging the public to consider careers in the police, nursing, teaching and the probation service. Mr Johnson said: 'We have seen more clearly than ever the heroic efforts of our public workers during this pandemic. The overall provisional headcount of officers in England and Wales is now 133,131, according to Home Office figures to the end of June that were released today. This includes 4,336 officers hired as part of the 20,000 pledge' Mr Johnson launched a public sector recruitment drive this morning, urging the public to consider careers in the police, nursing, teaching and the probation service He and Home Secretary Priti Patel met police dogToby during a visit to North Yorkshire Police headquarters in Northallerton 'The fantastic teachers, police officers and NHS workers truly are the pride of the nation and embody the spirit of public duty that every one of us can aspire towards. 'Together, we are on a mission to build back better - protect our NHS, make our streets safer, educate the next generation and unleash Britain's potential.' Police officers were given a 2.5 per cent pay rise under plans announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this month. But shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: 'It feels pretty rich for the Prime Minister to talk of valuing the public sector when the Covid-19 crisis has shown just how starkly his Government has let down our NHS and social care workers. 'Let's not forget that the reason the Prime Minister needs to launch a recruitment drive is because Conservative governments have cut our public services to the bone. 'If the Government is serious about attracting people to work in the public sector then he needs to show that he values those who already do, giving them the equipment they need and the pay talks they deserve.' Overall, 9,327 officers have joined forces since November, with the new recruits from the campaign being on top of those hired to fill existing vacancies or as part of other job adverts. Boris Johnson vowed to swell the police service to more than 140,000 officers by mid-2022 if he was elected Prime Minister. Police officer numbers in England and Wales have fallen by more than 20,000 since 2009, with a reduction from 144,353 to 122,395 in 2018. All the figures gathered are provisional. The Home Office pledged to provide 750 million to support the 43 forces to recruit up to 6,000 new officers by the end of 2020/21 as part of the first phase of the roll-out. This funding would cover all associated costs, including training and kit. When the recruitment drive was announced, some police chiefs called on the Government to make sure forces received their fair share of resources. The three forces with the highest recruitment target for the first year are the Metropolitan Police (1,369), West Midlands (366) and Greater Manchester (347). Other forces due to receive a big boost in their numbers this financial year include West Yorkshire (256), Merseyside (200), Northumbria (185) and Thames Valley (183). Those to receive the lowest numbers of new recruits in the first year are Warwickshire (41), Dyfed-Powys (42) and City of London (44). MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) International press organizations and the United States government have condemned intimidation and threats against Nicaraguan journalists. Gerall Chavez, an independent Nicaraguan journalist living in exile in Costa Rica since 2018, said last weekend that he and his family in Nicaragua had received graphic threats. He was threatened again Wednesday and has begun receiving phone calls, he said. Chavez has been threatened before, but said he believes this intensification is the result of his recent reporting on several hundred Nicaraguans stuck at the border with Costa Rica. The Nicaraguan government has refused to let them return without paying for COVID-19 tests, which the migrants say they cant afford. The Nicaraguan government does not like you saying the truth, but I only do my job, Chavez said. Meanwhile, Anibal Toruno, director of Radio Dario in the western Nicaragua city of Leon, said his station suffered hours of intimidation by paramilitaries and police. He said their station was surrounded Saturday by police wearing masks and that vehicles belonging to station employees were towed. Intimidation of the press has increased since anti-government protests began in April 2018. What began as demonstrations against changes to the social security system expanded into a general movement against President Daniel Ortegas government. Michael Kozak, the U.S. State Departments acting assistant secretary of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said via Twitter Wednesday, We condemn the Ortega regimes latest efforts to intimidate Nicaraguan independent media in Leon and elsewhere. Nicaraguas brave journalists have shown that they will continue to tell the ugly truths that the regime so desperately wants to hide. Chavez said an anonymous letter and thumb drive containing an animated video that depicted his decapitation were delivered to his familys home in El Rosario, south of Managua. Chavez reports for the online outlet Nicaragua Actual. Story continues Nicaragua police had not commented on the threats. PEN Internationals Nicaragua branch, as well as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the threats. It is unacceptable that, even after being forced into exile, journalist Gerall Chavez continues to be threatened for his work, and that now his family in Nicaragua is being targeted as well, said CPJ Central and South America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick. Edison Lanza, special rapporteur for freedom of expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said via Twitter, the state clearly knows the risk that the journalist and his family face. They have an international obligation to investigate and protect. Huawei Corporate Senior Vice President and Director of the Board Catherine Chen delivers a keynote speech at the online Better World Summit 2020, on July 29. / Courtesy of Huawei By Kim Jae-heun Huawei Corporate Senior Vice President and Director of the Board Catherine Chen urged telecom regulators across many nations and industries to work together to address the shared challenges that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We need to create a more inclusive future for all," Chen said during her keynote speech on Thursday at the online Better World Summit 2020 held by Huawei from Shenzhen, China. The Better World Summit was held for four days from July 27 to 30, gathering mobile carriers, analysts, industry partners and press from around the world. They included representatives from the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), the South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, Thailand's Office of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) and the Germany Association of the Internet Industry (ECO). These speakers were joined by several thousand online attendees from more than 80 countries to explore how industry policy can promote development of the digital economy, facilitate economic recovery and build a better future. Information technology has advanced rapidly over the past 30 years, making people's lives and work much easier. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed though that digital infrastructure has not kept pace with technological developments, said Chen. According to the ITU, over half of the world's population still does not have internet access nor access to other digital technologies. As economies across countries slow, governments grow increasingly concerned with economic recovery strategies. "We envision a more connected, intelligent and innovative future. Above all else, we must ensure this is an inclusive, sustainable and better future by all, for all," Chen said. As more countries and regions successfully implement infection control measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, economic activity in certain countries has begun to return to normal. Multiple governments have launched a variety of stimulus plans, and ICT invariably has held a key place in these plans. In China, the New Infrastructure plan has set aside over $140 billion to be invested in 5G alone over the next five years. This is expected to grow China's digital economy by more than $2 trillion and boost domestic economic recovery. The EU has also announced a 1.1-trillion-euro package to enhance economic recovery. "To revive the economy, we need top-down designs, as well as bottom-up creativity and vitality," Chen said. "Supporting government policies coupled with active digital transformation across the industry will bring the benefits of digital technology to all industries, boost their efficiency and restore growth." Referencing a recent World Bank report on the widening gap between the fast-growing global digital economy and a lack of digital skills, Chen went on to say, "Huawei is continuing with its flagship Seeds for the Future program. This program was launched in 2008, and is designed to develop local ICT talent. So far, this program has benefited more than 30,000 students from over 400 universities in 108 countries and regions." She added, "Due to the pandemic, Huawei is moving the program online and opening it up to more outstanding students than ever before. As more industries adopt digital technologies, they will drive the United Nation's 2030 Strategic Development Goals, especially those related to climate change." B urmese cuisine has been a rising foodie trend in London over the past decade - and thats largely thanks to the supper clubs bringing the evocative fare to our tables. Emily Chung and Amy Chung, aka The Rangoon Sisters, have been hosting a Burmese supper club bi-monthly in London since they returned from a heritage trip to Burma in 2012. We felt at home [in Burma], even though wed never been there before, Emily tells the Standard. All that we knew about it was what we'd heard from mum, and doing the supper club was a way of expressing our love for our heritage. We also wanted to spread knowledge and the love for the cuisine, which until now hasnt been too well known and it's not in the mainstream so much. We just really wanted to get it out there and for people to see how delicious it can be. The Rangoon Sisters was, pre-pandemic, one of Londons go-to supper clubs. Guardian food critic Grace Dent labelled the pairs mohinga soup as the best thing she ate in 2017, calling it joyous. Profits from the supper club go to a variety of charities, and so far the sisters have raised over 10,000. It's been so much more than we ever thought it would become, Amy says. We never really planned to do a supper club but having some amazing feedback from that first event, it kept us going and kept us wanting to do more and more and we've been really lucky that they've been so successful. While the in-person supper clubs are currently on pause (the sisters will be hosting some on Zoom in the coming months), they have just released a new cookbook, The Rangoon Sisters (out today, buy it here) for home cooks to recreate the magic themselves. It [writing a cookbook] seemed like such a big thing. You know, we didn't think that we would ever do it but I guess when we were approached to do it, of course we couldn't say no, Amy says. We already knew that people enjoyed the food so we're hoping that more people can experience Burmese food and enjoy sharing with their family and friends. It wasn't something that was planned, but it's an amazing opportunity so we had to take it." The sisters' family is from the south of Burma, near the sea in Dawei. We do like to use things which are a bit shrimpy like shrimp paste, they do a lot of manufacturing of shrimp paste especially where our family is from, Emily adds, saying that the book is also full of alternative suggestions to get that salty umami flavours. Emily and Amys grandparents eventually moved from Dawei to Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon), which is where their mum was born, so the recipes are a mix of both regions. [Burmese cooking] really is a huge variety of different things, there are regional variations of it as well, but for us what it means is a big spread of dishes on a big table, Emily says. It could be things like curry, lots of onions and garlic, slow-cooked, really flavoursome. Not super hot spicy, but kind of delicate flavours, and then you would have vegetable side dishes and lots of salads. The salads could be meat or veg or carb-based with lots of textures and things like lime and chilli and usually crispy, crunchy textures like peanuts or fried noodles." Nothing is beyond the skills of any home cook. One of the main aims for the sisters, they say, was to make the recipes accessible for all types of cooks. We've tried to do is make the recipes really doable, for all levels of home cooks. If you're really experienced, you'll be fine equally if you're wanting to try something different. Nothing is beyond the skills of any home cook. Writing the book has been a two-year process on top of their regular day jobs (both in the medical field: Emily is a Consultant in Sexual health and HIV, while Amy is a Registrar in Psychiatry), Amy says it was a project they could both do together'. We had a whole list of recipes already that we've been using for years at the supper club. So we sort of made a list of those in addition to some extras as well, Amy explains. Writing them up was probably the greater challenge to be honest, because often a lot of these recipes are from our mum or grandma and there's no such thing as writing them down. It's about watching and putting a little bit of this and a little bit of that into the pan and sometimes not even knowing what exactly went into that dish. Amys favourite recipe is the ohn no khauk swe - the chicken coconut noodles (you can see the recipe below). Its just absolute comfort food, its that dish that you want when you come in at the end of a hard day. Its got egg noodles and you have this really rich coconut chicken curry thats poured on top as well as condiments. You have an egg, you have lime for sourness, chilli for a bit more spice and then you get some crispy deep fried noodles on the top for a bit of texture. Its just absolutely delicious and the go-to dish for me, I think when I'm looking for something comforting. For Emily it's harder to pick a favourite, but she's been loving the summery salads recently. I think its a good example of how you can find things in your fridge and mix up a Burmese salad. If youve got leftover chicken or if you've got other leftovers you can mix it together with raw cabbage, garlic oil, chilli, lime, and we use a bit of toasted gram flour which kind of creates a bit of nuttiness to the salad and brings it all together. You can add some crispy fried shallots. The textures should be soft and crispy, with a bit of heat and a bit of sourness, its really great for summer. Newbies to Burmese cooking need to be quite happy with onion', they say. The recipes are packed with them. Theres loads of onions and you're going to be frying them slowly over a long time and it's going to be worth it. Amy adds that the good thing about Burmese food is that its all about personal taste. We all like different spices and different levels of sourness. I think its also important to just have a bit of fun with this food. Its something to be enjoyed, something fun to experiment with. Ohn no khauk swe (coconut chicken noodles) Serves 6 The Rangoon Sisters Ingredients 5 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower or peanut), plus extra for browning the chicken 5 medium onions, chopped 10 garlic cloves, peeled 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled 8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, chopped into 3cm pieces 2 tbsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 tsp chilli powder 100g creamed coconut (the solid block type), or 200ml coconut milk would work 2 tbsp gram flour, toasted (see page 203) 600ml chicken stock 23 tbsp fish sauce 400ml cold water To serve 6 nests (450500g) dried chow mein or egg noodles, cooked 3 limes, cut into wedges 6 hard-boiled eggs, cut in half Coriander leaves 4 shallots, thinly sliced 1 batch of crispy fried rice noodles (see page 155) Chilli flakes or chilli oil Fish sauce Method Heat the oil in a large casserole dish set over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook slowly, turning down the heat to low-medium and stirring every 45 minutes until softened and starting to lightly brown in colour and become oily but not crispy this should take about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, crush the garlic cloves and ginger to a paste using a pestle and mortar, or blitz in a food processor. Once the onions are ready, add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for 2 minutes to release the gorgeous flavours. Add a splash more oil, then brown the chicken pieces with the onion/garlic/ginger mix. Add the spices and creamed coconut, breaking it up into smaller pieces as you stir it should melt. Stir in the toasted gram flour, followed by the chicken stock, fish sauce and the cold water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer, uncovered, over a low, gentle heat for about 30 minutes. If the broth is too thick, add some water. Serve hot on a bed of cooked egg noodles. Add a squeeze of lime juice and top with boiled eggs and the remaining garnishes in little bowls for everyone to help themselves to. Storage notes: This chicken curry can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. This recipe is an extract from The Rangoon Sisters by Emily and Amy Chung (Ebury Press, 20) is out now. Buy it here. The makers of a new test say that you can use a simple swab to find out in 48 hours if any surface is contaminated with the virus that causes COVID-19. NBC News investigative and consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen got an exclusive look on TODAY Thursday at a product that could help businesses and schools identify what surfaces may contain SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and determine if someone may be shedding the virus in that area. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. Health experts say the primary mode of transmission for COVID-19 is through inhaling respiratory droplets from someone who is sick. Contaminated surfaces are not the main cause of coronavirus spreading, but testing the surfaces could provide more information about whether people infected with COVID-19 have been inside a school or business even if they're not showing symptoms. This test kit by the San Francisco-based company Phylagen allows people to swab surfaces for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. (TODAY) Nguyen used the swabs from the San Francisco-based company Phylagen, which sells them in a 10-pack for $400, and collected samples from around New York City. She took swabs from frequently-touched surfaces like handrails, elevator buttons and door handles, and tested surfaces in high-traffic areas like a subway station, coffee shop, public restroom and grocery store. Using the product entails dipping a swab in the company's solution and then swabbing any surface you want to test. You then snap the top of the swab off in a sample tube and send it to the company's laboratory. Nguyen also wore gloves and long sleeves to make sure the samples did not get contaminated. NBC News producers also took swabs in four other states, including California and Florida, where cases have dramatically risen in the last month. The results, which were returned 48 hours after shipping the samples, found that Florida had by far the highest level of positive results. Nearly 20% of the samples taken in Miami were positive. Swabs of an elevator, a garbage chute handle, an ATM and a restaurant tablecloth came back positive for the new coronavirus. Story continues NBC News' Vicky Nguyen swabbed a number of public areas in various states. (TODAY) The samples taken from New York returned two positive hits from a grocery cart handle and a self-serve bread bin. All the swabs from Pennsylvania and New Jersey came back negative, and swabs from a gas pump, bus seat handle and an elevator button in an office building in California also came back negative. Overall, 6% of the samples taken at indoor locations came back positive, which is within the 5% to 20% range predicted by Phylagen for that type of surface testing. "It's reassuring to know that some of our prevention measures are working," Dr. Tista Ghosh, an epidemiologist and former chief medical officer of Colorado's state health department, told Nguyen on TODAY. "And that we're not seeing coronavirus in places like the mail or on certain public restrooms. While I'm definitely surprised by that, I think that's good news." The test isn't designed to replace cleaning surfaces, but instead can be used as a tool to tell whether someone in that space is sick and shedding virus. However, just knowing the positive result may not tell the whole story. "The limitations are that you really don't know how much of the virus is there," Ghosh said. "And you don't know if it's dead or alive. So you don't know if it can actually infect somebody or not." Dr. Jessica Green, a co-founder of Phylagen and indoor microbiology expert, says the tests are useful because regularly swabbing areas and seeing a spike in positive hits could particularly let indoor places like schools and businesses know that people there are infected even if they're not showing symptoms. "This type of test could be used in schools, in nursing homes, hotels, restaurants, industrial manufacturing environments, theme parks," Green said. Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - Some hotels selected by Rwandan officials to house all international passengers on arrival in Kigali will be offering special packages to its clients during all 7-day mandatory quarantine, an authoritative source disclosed on Thursday to PANA in Kigali COLUMBUS, Ohio The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has changed course on its ban of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as coronavirus treatments following the governors urging to do so. Beginning Thursday, pharmacies, clinics and other medical institutions were to be prohibited from dispensing or selling the drugs to treat COVID-19, according to regulations issued by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy. They could still be used in clinical trials, said Cameron McNamee, director of policy and communications for the board. That regulation change has since been pulled back by the board though. Instead, the board now plans to re-examine the issue with the assistance of the State Medical Board of Ohio, clinical experts, and other stakeholders to determine its next steps, according to an announcement. The boards shift came after Republican Gov. Mike DeWine asked the state pharmacy board on Thursday morning to rescind its plan to ban hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as treatments for the virus. 'America's Frontline Doctors': May be real doctors, but experts say they don't know what they're talking about DeWine says treatment should be doctor-patient decision DeWine said the decision of how to treat COVID-19 should instead be between patients and their doctors. The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts, DeWine said in a prepared statement. Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio has reached a critical juncture in its battle against coronavirus infections as cases spike in Ohio due to spread of the disease. Hydroxychloroquine has been touted by President Donald Trump despite medical studies showing the drug to be ineffective at treating the disease. The drug may also cause serious cardiac side effects, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Ohio speaker Householder indicted in federal bribery case: Title stripped in 90-0 vote The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in mid-June revoked an emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine that had allowed it to be used to treat COVID-19 patients. Despite the FDAs revocation and until now, it could technically still be used for off-label treatment of the virus in Ohio, McNamee said. Story continues Basically, its a patient safety issue, McNamee said on Wednesday before DeWines request and the boards subsequent reversal. Were looking at the best science to determine whats best for the patients of Ohio. Under the regulation, pharmacists in Ohio found to be selling or dispensing the drug to treat COVID-19 could have faced disciplinary action ranging anywhere from a warning or fine to a temporary suspension of their license. That action would have depended on the situation, McNamee said Wednesday. The long and short of it is, we want people to focus on what works, such as social distancing and mask use, McNamee said. We ultimately want to make sure people are being safe and not exposing themselves to drugs that have shown not to be effective in treating COVID-19. The boards original move to ban the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 came as misinformation continued to spread about it. As recently as this week, Trump has promoted the drug and said he took it as a preventative measure. McNamee said the boards initial decision had nothing to do with Trumps continued endorsement of hydroxychloroquine. State purchased $600,000 worth of drug in April This isnt the first time the state pharmacy board has stepped in to regulate the use of the drug during the pandemic. In March, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy cracked down on doctors who were hoarding hydroxychloroquine for themselves, family and friends in case it was needed. At that time, the board implemented restrictions that said the drug could be prescribed only for those who had tested positive for COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine is typically used to treat malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that causes fever, chills and influenza-like symptoms, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drug is also used to treat conditions that cause inflammation, such as lupus and forms of arthritis. In the early days of the pandemic, the Ohio Department of Health stockpiled the drug in case it turned out to be a good treatment. The state purchased more than 2 million hydroxychloroquine pills for $602,629 on April 9, Melanie Amato, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Health, said via email in June. On April 20, Capital Wholesale Drug in Columbus donated 2 million hydroxychloroquine pills worth about $680,000 from drug maker Prasco, which is based in Mason, Ohio. The amount of pills stockpiled by the state is equivalent to nearly two years worth of prescriptions that the state typically would use for its managed-care programs, according to data provided by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The company that donated the 2 million pills is taking them back, Amato said via email Wednesday. The ones we purchased we are still looking at options at donating them to foundations that can use them to treat lupus and malaria. Contributing: Rick Rouan and Lucas Sullivan, Columbus Dispatch Follow reporter Max Filby on Twitter: @MaxFilby At-home testing? FDA opens door to rapid, at-home testing for COVID-19 Study: Heart damage found in coronavirus patients months after recovering from COVID-19 This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio pharmacy board flips hydroxychloroquine ban after DeWine request NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised Spain for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. Announcement of the Spanish government decision came in a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo and Isaac Benzaquen, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE). Calvo pointed out during the meeting that Spain unconditionally condemns antisemitism and "the Spanish State endorses" the IHRA definition. The working definition was adopted unanimously by the IHRA's 31 member states in 2016. The European Parliament endorsed it in 2018, and last December the Council of the European Union adopted a declaration calling on Member States that had not yet done so to adopt the IHRA working definition. To date, with Spain, it has been endorsed by 23 European countries. The IHRA definition is based on the 2005 European Monitoring Centre (EUMC) Working Definition. It offers a clear and comprehensive description of antisemitism in its various forms, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial, and, of particular note, antisemitism as it relates to Israel. For many years, AJC worked closely with the EUMC to develop the working definition, and has advocated for its adoption at the institutional, national and popular levels. FCJE is an AJC international partner. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org Peel Region police are appealing to the public in hopes of finding witnesses after a shooting took place at a Brampton Airbnb rental property. Police said that just before 6 a.m. Monday, they received a 911 call about shots fired outside a residence on Julian Drive. On scene, officers found three victims with gunshot wounds. A fourth person also suffered injuries that werent gun related. A 28-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were taken to a trauma centre while two other men, aged 30 and 32, were taken to local hospital. All injuries are considered non-life-threatening. Police said that the residence was an Airbnb rental property being used for a large party. Prior to the shooting on Monday, police and by-law officers attended the property twice over the weekend due to noise complaints. In both cases, bylaw officers laid charges under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and the citys noise bylaw. The party was broken up on both occasions. Police are looking for anyone with information or who might have dash cam video footage from the area where the incident occurred. Anyone with information can call investigations at 21 Division at 905-453-2121 ext. 2133. Sabrina Gamrot is a reporter with the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach her via email: sgamrot@mississauga.net Read more about: A Nevada-based debt buyer will forgive about $298,000 in loan debt accrued by Massachusetts students, as part of a settlement reached with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healeys office. The debts, financed by Troy Capital LLC, were accrued in connection with purchases from a for-profit company that offered online study guides and education services, officials announced Thursday. Troy Capital will discharge about $298,000 in loan debt Massachusetts students made in connection with purchases from a for-profit company that offered online study guides and education services, officials announced Thursday. Healey said Troy Capital will discharge the loans students used to finance expensive and ineffective online study materials and educational services from The College Network, Inc., which provided the online services. Troy Capital will also provide approximately $70,600 to the state to provide additional refunds to certain borrowers, Healeys office said in a statement, adding that Troy Capital will request the removal of any negative loan information from the students credit reports. Between January 2010 and May 2016, The College Network misled students, indicating its educational materials would help students pass equivalency exams and earn college credit in fields like nursing and healthcare administration. The companys salespeople often arranged for students to obtain financing from certain credit unions. In some instances, the credit unions sold the loans to other entities, the attorney generals office said. Troy Capital, a debt buyer, purchased a portfolio of these loans. Healeys office will contact individuals eligible for relief under the settlement. Borrowers who are misled by for-profit education companies should not be buried in debt because of high cost, low quality education services, Healey said. With this settlement, Massachusetts students who were harmed will receive the relief they need. The attorney generals office previously reached settlements with credit unions We Florida Financial and Southeast Financial Credit Union, which extended credit to The College Networks consumers, as well as MSW Capital, another debt buyer that purchased a portfolio of The College Network Loans. As of Thursday, Healeys office has secured more than $1.7 million in loan relief for Massachusetts consumers of The College Network. The College Network became insolvent and was administratively dissolved in 2017, the statement said. Anyone with questions about the settlement or complaints about The College Network is asked to contact the Attorney Generals Student Loan Assistance Unit at 1-888-830-6277 or file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/studentloans. She jetted off to France for a summer break with her pals earlier this week. And Kimberley Garner slipped into a low scoop navy swimsuit on Wednesday as she posed for a photoshoot on the beach in St. Tropez. The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, showed off her enviably long legs in the one-piece from her own eponymous swimwear brand. Kimberley Garner slipped into a low scoop navy swimsuit on Wednesday as she posed for a photoshoot in St. Tropez Kimberley's swimsuit featured a high rise design and a silver circle emblem with the logo of her brand. Her cleavage and derriere were accentuated in the one-piece due its revealing cut. Kimberley complemented the look with a blue silk striped hair-tie, blue Chanel body bag and donned a pair of black shades. Legs for days: The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, showed off her enviably long legs in the one-piece from her own eponymous swimwear brand Racy: Kimberley's swimsuit featured a high rise design and a silver circle emblem with the logo of her brand Busty: Her cleavage and derriere were accentuated in the one-piece due its revealing cut She accentuated her bronzed tan with a polished make-up look. The television personality appeared in her element as she posed with a white linen shirt hanging loosely around her arms before posing with an Irish red setter. Kimberley and the photographer then headed to the beach where she lay down on the rocks and waded through the sea. Fashion maven: Kimberley complemented the look with a blue silk striped hair-tie, blue Chanel body bag and donned a pair of black shades Writhing around: Kimberley and the photographer then headed to the beach where she lay down on the rocks Dedication: Kimberley headed to the photoshoot after working out at her hotel earlier that morning The swimsuit featured corset detailing on the bust which highlighted Kimberley's cleavage. The blonde bombshell wore her locks wet and posed in white Gucci loafers and used a straw bag, sunglasses and two baguettes as props. Kimberley headed to St. Tropez after enjoying an overnight stay in Cannes. Kimberley usually splits her time between London and Miami, often jetting over to America to model her latest swimwear collection. She's got style: The television personality appeared in her element as she posed with a white linen shirt hanging loosely around her arms Dog lover: The television personality posed with an Irish red setter who looked more keen to go swimming than take pictures Posing up a storm: Kimberley put her best foot forward as she gazed into the camera Business woman: Kimberley appeared briefly in Made In Chelsea before going on to launch her own swimwear range Jet-setter: The star jetted out to France earlier this week to shoot her latest swimwear collection Sultry display: The television personality rested her hands on her hips as she posed barefoot on the rocks Golden girl: Kimberley accentuated her bronzed tan with a polished make-up look Back in May, the television personality revealed she had cancelled a secret wedding and ended a long-term relationship last summer. The swimwear designer admitted she came close to exchanging vows almost a year ago, before backing out. She wrote: 'I keep my love life a secret. But why not tell u a little. Almost got married last summer. Making a splash: The blonde beauty looked tanned and toned as she splashed through the sea Say cheese! Kimberley was joined by her photographer who made sure she got her perfect Instagram shot Wow: Earlier in the day Kimberley slipped into a plunging white swimsuit Peachy: The former Made In Chelsea star put on a cheeky display as she posed with her back to the camera 'I decided not to. Been single and dating since. Its great. 'I have grown so much, this past few months to myself has been amazing. Stronger and happier than ever. 'Want to reassure you whatever stage your in, enjoy it, make your decisions for YOU. Dont stay in a relationship you dont want to be in. Flaunting her figure: Kimberley also posed in this busty white bikini Lady in red: The former reality star also modelled a red-one piece in the French Riviera 'Whats to come, what you dont know around the corner, is very, very exciting.' The post comes several months after Kimberley revealed she had split with her former boyfriend. Speaking to MailOnline in September, she confirmed: 'I ended the relationship recently. It was a really wonderful three years and we are still good friends today.' Investigators said that while pretending to be Rebecca Lattimore, Cooper sometimes persuaded the targeted women to send nude photos by first sending them nude images of a female. None of the women engaged in sex acts with Cooper. Some blocked him from their online accounts. Two of them had their boyfriends intervene, according to court papers. One of the boyfriends said he confronted Cooper about the photos, pinned Cooper down on a paved parking lot and said, Give me one reason why I shouldnt mess you up. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Every Thursday, SFGATE will report on the most recent estimations for R0 the base reproduction number of the coronavirus in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. Using several different models, the state makes estimations for R0 in each county on its California COVID Assessment Tool (CalCAT) website. For an explainer on what R0 means and how it is calculated, click here. The number of Bay Area counties where the state projects increased spread of COVID-19 has fallen from six to four in the past week. The giant Boise-based agribusiness J.R. Simplot Company has agreed to pay $775,000 to resolve allegations it violated federal waste and community-protection laws at its phosphoric acid and fertilizer plant outside Rock Springs. Simplot representatives signed a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice on July 9 in which they agreed to pay injunctive relief and civil penalties to resolve a suit brought by the federal agency. Simplot illegally placed hazardous material in a waste pile of calcium sulfate byproducts known as a phosphogypsum stack system, the government claims. At... The tear gassings and the incidents that happened on Lee Circle, incidents that happened on various nights of the demonstrations, have caused significant and substantial harm to some of our residents, Lynch said Tuesday in introducing the paper before the public safety committee, which neither she nor Jones sit on. It was evident to me, having been on the frontlines myself, talking to both police officers and participants of the demonstrations, that we were not adequately training our police officers on how to properly use these non-lethal forces. When we put our police officers in a line, in a heightened posture, even with peaceful demonstrators and protestors, it is nine times out of 10 a recipe for disaster that ends in a heightened response, she said. I know that this is only one step toward helping us move the conversation to proper use. Smith agreed that more training, particularly for higher-ranking members of his command staff, was needed to make the decision on the ground when and how these chemicals and other measures are used. NEET 2020: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Central government and the Medical Council of India (MCI) on a plea seeking directions to hold National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam centres in Gulf countries. The plea, filed by parents of nearly 4,000 NEET (undergraduate) candidates, sought to alternatively postpone the examination until the COVID-19 pandemic normalises. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao issued notice to the Centre and the MCI to sought their responses on the pleas. The parents of these candidates, who reside in Doha, Qatar, Oman, and UAE, have approached the apex court challenging the Kerala High Court June 30 order which had dismissed their plea. In their appeal against the Kerala High Court order, the general secretary of Kerala Muslim Culture Centre in Qatar, Abdul Azeez said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) had the capability and willingness to open exam centres in Gulf countries as they had been doing so for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The petition contended that the NTA has said it would open examination centres abroad only if the MCI approved the proposal. The MCI, in its communication dated May 21, informed that the online test for NEET is not possible, the plea in apex court stated. During these exceptional circumstances, the MCI and the Union government need to be flexible so as to facilitate these students to sit for NEET, the plea said. It said most students had registered with Indian embassies in Qatar, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia to travel to India on Vande Bharat mission flights and appear in the examination for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in medical colleges, however, they could not get seats on the flights as priority was given to other categories of passengers stuck abroad. Read full release Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2020) - Progressive Care Inc. (OTCQB: RXMD) ("Progressive Care" or the "Company"), a personalized healthcare services and technology company, is excited to announce the expansion of the Company's PharmCo branded pharmacy operations and presence in the Orlando metropolitan area. The Company is moving out of its current Orlando pharmacy location, which is a 700 square-foot mini-pharmacy operating under the "Five Star" brand designation, to a 3,700 square-foot full-size pharmacy that will open under the PharmCo brand designation. Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqMMH0Xdif4 The Company is also very pleased to report that this move, which represents an expansion in property size of more than 400%, will not increase monthly lease costs. Once completed, the move will allow for a dramatic expansion in the services and products offered in the Orlando market, including the full scope of PharmCo pharmacy goods and services, as well as therapy management, patient management, cost management services, and rapid-results testing services (COVID-19 IgG/IgM) as authorized by the FDA under its Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") guidelines for conducting SARS-CoV-2 antibody presence and COVID-19 infection diagnosis testing. The inclusion of future testing at this new location represents the Company's continued expansion in that service area. As noted in its release dated July 14, Progressive Care expanded its antibody testing regional footprint to include Palm Beach County earlier this week. Today's announcement indicates further expansion of that coverage zone, which now also includes Orange County. The Company's antibody testing service has been met with extremely strong demand at its Dade location, depleting testing kit inventories through sales to health providers and on-site test administrations. In response to both this surge in demand and the expansion in regional coverage, the Company has ordered a large new supply of antibody testing kits for sale and administration across South Florida with Orange County coming on shortly. "This move will create access to a wider base of customers, patients, and providers, and will provide much-needed room to grow for years to come," remarked S. Parikh Mars, CEO of Progressive Care. "Both the small size and limited location surroundings of our Five Star location have been constraining our ability to grow in the dynamic Orlando market. In addition, the shift in brand designation to our widely recognized PharmCo brand will drive expanded market share potential and allow us to tap the huge potential we see in this market." Management notes that the new location offers an ideal context for a large full-service pharmacy presence. Not only is the space much larger and better suited to a high volume of business, but the surrounding area features four major clinical healthcare provider operations within a direct view of the new storefront. In addition, because its pharmacy operations at the Five Star location have been situated inside a specific clinic, the Company believes relocating into a larger stand-alone space will create a much wider marketing opportunity, allowing PharmCo to target area providers far more effectively. Progressive Care is committed to providing Florida residents, businesses, and healthcare providers with the resources necessary to successfully navigate this challenging healthcare environment. The Company looks forward to helping Orlando in its fight against the COVID-19 health crisis through access to PharmCo's antibody testing services. "We have established leadership in contactless delivery of pharmacy services and access to rapid-results antibody testing in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in recent months," continued Mars. "We are grateful for the opportunity to extend the scope of that commitment to our valued patients, providers, and residents in the Orlando metropolitan area." For more information about Progressive Care, please visit the Company's website progressivecareus.com Connect and stay in touch with us on social media: Progressive Care Inc. https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveCareUS/ https://twitter.com/ProgressCareUS PharmCoRx https://www.facebook.com/pharmcorx/ https://twitter.com/PharmCoRx ClearMetrX https://www.clearmetrx.com/ https://www.facebook.com/clearmetrx/ Story continues Carlos Rangel carlosr@pharmcorx.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60719 Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush have arrived at Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay tribute to civil rights icon John Lewis as Barack Obama plans to deliver a eulogy. After the coffin was carried into the Atlanta church on Thursday morning, the service began with a moment of silence as more than 500 churches across the country rang bells 80 times to honour the late congressman, who died at the age of 80. While past presidents were expected to feature in the funeral, Donald Trump has indicated that he wouldn't be attending. Reverend Raphael Warnock invoked the current president as he welcomed mourners to the spiritual home of Mr Lewis, saying they were summoned to honour the civil rights hero as "some in high office" are much better at division than vision. "In a moment when there is so much political cynicism and narcissism that masquerades as patriotism, here lies a true American patriot who risked his life and limb for the hope and the promise of democracy," Mr Warnock said. Mr Warnock added that while they had come to say farewell to a friend, these difficult days made grieving more challenging. "At a time we would find comfort embracing one another, love compels us to socially distance from one another," he said. Mr Bush had mourners in hysterics as he recounted Lewis' first non-violent protest of refusing to eat his own "flock" of chickens, who he baptised, married and preached to. "Every morning he would rise before the sun to attend the flock of chickens. He love those chickens," Mr Bush said. "He's been called an American saint, a believer willing to give up everything. Even life itself to bear witness to the truth that drove him all his life. That we could build a world of peace and justice and harmony and love." Mr Clinton said that for a fellow that got his start speaking to chickens, Mr Lewis had a pretty finely organised, orchestrated and deeply deserved send-off. "I think it's important that all of us who love him remember that he was after all, a human being. A man like all other humans born with strengths that he made the most of when many don't," Mr Clinton said. "Born with weaknesses that he worked hard to beat down when many can't. But still a person. It made him more interesting, and it made him in my mind even greater." Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, held back tears and she remembered the night their friend, mentor and colleague died. "When John Lewis served with us he wanted us to see the civil rights movement and the rest through his eyes. He told us so many stories, he taught us so much and he took us to Selma," she said. "He wanted us to see how important it was to understand the spirit of non-violence." She said that while it hadn't rained on his last night at the Capitol as thousands of people showed up to pay their respects, a double rainbow appeared over Mr Lewis's casket. "We waved goodbye when he started to leave us. He was telling us. He was telling us. I'm home in heaven. I'm home in heaven. We always he knew he was on the side of the angels and now he's with them," she said. Reverend James Lawson said that all the stories about Mr Lewis preaching to his chickens as a young boy were a sign that something else was happening to him in those early years, where he saw the malignancy of racism in Troy, Alabama. "That formed in him a sensibility that he had to do something about it," Mr Lawson said. "He did not know what that was but he was convinced that he was called, indeed to do whatever he could do, get in good trouble, but stop the horror that so many folk lived through and in in this country in that part of the 20th century." Mr Obama is expected to deliver a eulogy shortly, but in the meantime a letter from Jimmy Carter was read out by Reverend Warnock. "Throughout his remarkable life John has been a blessing to countless people and we are proud to be among those who's lives he has touched," Mr Carter said in the letter. "We Georgians know him as our neighbour, friend and representative. His enormous contributions will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come." Reverend James Lawson added more context to Mr Bush's stories of Mr Lewis preaching to his chickens as a young boy, saying it was a sign that something else was happening in those early years. "John saw the malignancy of racism in Troy Alabama," Mr Lawson said. "That formed in him a sensibility that he had to do something about it." Mr Lawson continued: "He did not know what that was but he was convinced that he was called, indeed to do whatever he could do, get in good trouble, but stop the horror that so many folks lived through and in in this country in that part of the 20th century." White Supremacy Shaped American Christianity, Researcher Says By Carol Kuruvilla July 29, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, comes from a line of white American Christians that stretches back before the Revolutionary War. His ancestors werent large plantation owners or Confederate generals, or as far as he knows active members of the Ku Klux Klan. For much of his life, Jones believed the unremarkable nature of his familys background meant that white supremacy wasnt a part of their history. But hes recently started to tell a different kind of story one that acknowledges that white privilege shaped his familys sojourn on American soil. His ancestors were wealthy enough to own slaves, Jones said. The family settled in Georgia on land the government seized from indigenous Creek and Cherokee people. They became Southern Baptists, part of a denomination founded in 1845 on the belief that it was perfectly moral for Christians to be slave owners. Decades later, after Joness great-grandfather was killed in a clay mining accident, co-workers allegedly killed an innocent Black worker in retaliation. Jones still remembers how satisfied his great-uncle appeared while retelling that story, as if this arbitrary and unjustified act of racial violence helped balance the scales after a white mans death. It wouldnt be hard for many white Christians to find examples of white supremacys claims on their own familys trees, Jones said. But white Christians image of themselves and their religion has been warped by what Jones calls white-supremacy-induced amnesia. Jones wrestles with that amnesia in his new book, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. He argues that white Christians from evangelicals in the South to mainline Protestants in the Midwest to Catholics in the Northeast werent just complacent onlookers while political leaders debated what to do about slavery, segregation and discrimination. White supremacist theology played a key role in shaping the American church from the very beginning, influencing not just the way denominations formed but also white Christians theology about salvation itself. HuffPost spoke with Jones about his book earlier in July. Just as his own family history would be incomplete without acknowledging the influences of white supremacy, Jones said its impossible to talk about American Christianity without recognising that racism helped shape the church. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter How did your own eyes open to the ways that white Christianity and white supremacy are entangled? I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. I was deeply immersed in white Southern Baptist evangelical culture. I was that kid who was always at church, four to five times a week. I have a degree from a Southern Baptist college, and I have a Master of Divinity degree from a Southern Baptist seminary. But it wasnt until I was in grad school in my 30s that I really began to examine the history of my denominations direct ties to slavery. Along with that, in my day job as CEO of PRRI, were repeatedly confronted with public opinion data that suggests white Christians really have a blind spot in seeing racial injustice and particularly structural racism. So it was a combination of really reckoning with my own familys history, together with seeing patterns in the data that just made it so clear that this is not a story of some distant past, but this is very much still in the DNA of white Christianity today. So what is the story that white Christians tell themselves about the churchs relationship to white supremacy? They tell themselves that their version of Christianity is Gods means of bringing salvation to the lost world. That they are the embodiment of everything that is good about America, that they are pillars of the community. But that story doesnt stand up to very much scrutiny. Along with the good that white Christian churches have done building hospitals, orphanages and other civic institutions they have also pronounced the blessings of God on slavery. They were the main legitimisers of a massive resistance to civil rights and have very consistently been on the wrong side of those issues. You can certainly point to the abolitionist movement and say, yes, that has Christian roots. But the bigger picture is that there were many, many more white Christians resisting desegregation than were on the abolitionists side of things. The legacy of this the proof in the pudding is what public opinion looks like today. White Christians evangelicals, mainline Protestants and Catholics are 30% more likely than religiously unaffiliated whites to say the Confederate flag is more a symbol of Southern pride than a symbol of racism. If you ask whether the killings of Black men by police are isolated incidents or part of a pattern, white Christians are twice as likely as religiously unaffiliated whites to say these are isolated instances. They have a very difficult time connecting the dots and seeing the structural justice issues at stake. You spend some time in the book explaining that white mainline Protestants and white Catholics were also complicit in white supremacy. Why did you feel that it was important to point that out? Its important not to dismiss this as a question of Southern culture. In the book, I developed a racism index, a broad index of 50 different racial attitude questions. I put those into a statistical model that controlled for things like Southern regionalism, Republican identity, education level, all kinds of things that could be driving these attitudes that have nothing to do with Christian identity. Even when I controlled for all of those things, white Christian identity in itself is directly connected to racist attitudes. Some of this data gets dismissed by white Christians who say those numbers are muddied because they include people who just claim to be Christian but never darken the door of a church. But the data refutes that quite soundly. In fact, among white Christians overall, theres a positive relationship between their religious identity and holding more racist views. Perhaps most disturbing is that among white evangelicals, the relationship between holding racist views and white Christian identity is actually stronger among more frequent church attenders. That ought to be a cause for a deep soul-searching among white Christians overall and among white evangelicals in particular. How do you think racism helped shape white American Christians theology about salvation? I think its helpful to go back and imagine what early church history in the U.S. looked like in the colonies. There was this sense that white people were Gods chosen instruments to civilise the U.S. and the world. It would not be unusual for white slave owners to bring enslaved people to church with them on Sunday morning. Whites would sit in the front and enslaved people would sit in the back. That context certainly shapes the way Christian theology and practices form. Youre not going to preach a lot of liberation, freedom and equality from the pulpit. Youre going to preach more about obedience to the master and fulfilling your roles, those kinds of things. I think that fundamentally distorted American white Christianity from the beginning. One of the ways this happened is that salvation became this very hyper-individualised concept. So it becomes about a persons individual relationship to God through Jesus, and its very much about personal morality and piety. It was this very privatised and cordoned off way of thinking about spirituality and Christianity. This developed by necessity and by design, as a way of thinking about salvation that would be consistent with a world that was already committed to the idea of white supremacy. Id like to get your thoughts on how white supremacy influenced how white Christians think about the purpose of government. In my ownreporting, Ive seen white evangelical Christians express the idea that, when it comes to issues such as immigration and policing, its the governments God-given duty to keep the country safe, while its individual Christians duty to be charitable and care for the poor. Do you think this way of thinking has racist roots? I do think whenever white Christians declare or draw lines between what is biblical and what is political, I would look for white supremacy to be at work. This kind of boundary drawing is a way of delegitimising certain kinds of claims and privileging other kinds of claims. One of the most prominent recent examples is from the 1960s, when the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other African American ministers were using churches as places for civil rights organising. Jerry Falwell Sr. came out and said that this was not a legitimate thing for a pastor to be doing, that pastors should only be preaching the gospel from the pulpit, that these kinds of organising things are political and shouldnt be the concern of the church. Not too many years later, Falwell suddenly changed his mind. The one thing that really made him change his tune on this was that Bob Jones University, an evangelical university, was threatened with losing its federal funding because it didnt allow interracial relationships. Evangelicals at the time were making very explicit claims defending the separation of races, and all of a sudden, that was a biblical issue. What is biblical, what is political, often tends to be driven by self-interest. In the case of white Christian churches, I think its always appropriate to ask, What kind of interest is that? Is it an interest that is privileging the position of white Americans over Americans of colour? And if it is, then its a straightforwardly white supremacist interest thats being reflected in those distinctions. here still seems to be a lot of scepticism and resistance in white Christian spaces to words such as social justice, white privilege and systemic racism. At the same time, over the past few weeks, Ive seen evangelicalnews sites emphasising reconciliation, forgiveness, people coming together. Where do you think that comes from? The easiest thing for white Christians to reach for is reconciliation. While I think thats a laudable goal, if its reached for too quickly, I think its actually disingenuous. Too often, the formula for white Christians is white apology or lament plus Black forgiveness equals reconciliation. Whats missing in that equation is any conversation about justice and repair. If youre a white Christian, heading straight for reconciliation is the quickest way to protect the status quo without doing the hard work and without really dealing with the past. Its surprising to me in some ways because if theres anything I heard and that white Christian churches emphasise is this idea of repentance. But repentance, in the biblical sense of the word, is never just about apology. Its about making things right. I think the real test of authenticity for white Christians who want to lament this past is whether theyre willing to walk through the valley of repair and justice in order to get to that destination of reconciliation or whether they want to skip that part of the journey. How do you think white Christian churches have responded to George Floyds death and the Black Lives Matter protests? Do you think the message is sticking, or are you seeing more evidence of what you call in the book the white Christian shuffle? I called it the white Christian shuffle because there does tend to be this one step forward, two steps back movement. Particularly at moments like this one, where theres a high social expectation that something will be said, something will be done, the question is whether its something authentic or something to just check the box and move on. In my home state of Mississippi, the legislature finally voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the state flag. Before that happened, the Mississippi Baptist Convention had a press conference and actually called on the legislature to do that. Now thats a pretty big deal. But in my view, we cant pretend well get on the right side of the battles around symbols without dealing with the way white Christians built white supremacy into their theology and for so many years used Christian theology as a way to legitimize the worldview that put those monuments up in the first place. What do you think it would it look like if white Christians began reckoning with that theology? Part of what I hope the book will do is help white Christians tell a truer story about themselves. If its an older church, the questions are pretty obvious: Where were we on the issue of civil rights? Where were we on the integration of our own congregation? Where are we now on the issue of mass incarceration? Even for newer congregations that are predominantly white, its worth interrogating things as simple as, Are we in an all-white suburb, and if so, why? Has there been a conversation about police killings of African Americans or about Black Lives Matter that isnt just about the dangers of rioting but actually about the pain that African Americans are feeling at this moment? The second step after that reflection is to ask, How can we be in community with African Americans and other people of colour in our communities? How can we be allies on issues of racial justice? Those conversations themselves will begin to challenge some of the ways in which white Christian theology has blinded white Christians to these issues. A defensive reaction is a real temptation for white Christians at the moment. One of the biggest moves white Christians could make is to try to find some deep sense of humility and to listen and resist the urge to rebut and defend and to try to take in the witness that our African American brothers and sisters are trying to bring to white Christians. This interview was condensed and edited for clarity. - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. CAIRO - Egypts president has approved new legal amendments that further exclude any serious competitors from elections and give the military greater control over civilian affairs, a leading rights group said on Thursday. The amendments, published earlier this week in the countrys official gazette, bar retired military officers from running for presidential, parliamentary or local elections without permission from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Current military officers had already been prohibited from running in elections or joining political groups. The amendments also empower the minister of defence to appoint military advisors to governors in Egypts 27 provinces. This is clearly a move by (President Abdel Fattah) el-Sissi and his government to restrict the kind of opponents they or their allies would face in any elections, Hussein Baoumi, Amnesty Internationals Egypt researcher, told The Associated Press. In other cases we have seen more direct repression, like handing down convictions that bar candidates from running over a number of years. The government denies allegations that the law aims to further stamp out opposition. The amendment says its necessary to put controls on military personnel after the end of their service, especially regarding their right to share information entrusted to them during their tenure. El-Sissis approval of the laws comes just weeks after Egypt announced it will hold Senate elections in August for the first time since the dissolution of Parliaments lower chamber in 2014, training a spotlight on government management of popular votes. El-Sissi has sought to stifle nearly all criticism since coming to power in 2013. As defence minister he led the militarys removal of the countrys first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, amid nationwide protests against his rule. In the years since, security forces have jailed Islamist political opponents, journalists and secular activists, including many of those behind the 2011 uprising. Critics are frequently detained on dubious charges of supporting the Brotherhood now banned as a terrorist organization. Prominent retired army generals, who command respect from the government and Egyptian public, have proved more difficult to crush. Still, the two army officers who sought to challenge el-Sissi in the 2018 presidential election were pushed out of the race. Former chief-of-staff Sami Annan was arrested shortly after he announced his intention to run. Ahmed Shafik, a former Air Force general who nearly won the countrys first democratic election in 2012, withdrew his bid under murky circumstances. El-Sissi won re-election with 97% of the vote. The government wants to prevent what happened with Anan and Shafik from happening again, said Baoumi. Those kinds of arrests are more costly politically, its bad publicity, they cant just convict former high-ranking officers of terrorism. Egypts House of Representatives, which is packed with supporters of el-Sissi, first approved the draft law in early July. The appointment of military advisors to each governor nationwide comes as the Egyptian military seeks to further enshrine its dominance over key aspects of civilian administration and economy, added Baoumi. The Egyptian military supervises massive infrastructural projects and has built a vast economic empire that includes food, mineral water and land reclamation companies. The amendment says that scores of new military advisors will be tasked with conducting field visits, representing the defence ministry and following up on the provision of public services to achieve development goals in each province. Read more about: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday hit out at the Centre over its "wrong" policies, alleging that they have proved "disastrous" for the nation. He shared on Twitter a post by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking the Narendra Modi government over issues like demonetisation and GST. "PM Modi ji's wrong policies have proved disastrous for the nation. As RahulGandhi ji pointed out, be it noteban, GST implementation, mismanagement during corona or sinking economy and as a result job loss, there is overall gloom. Fear of 10 crore job losses is shocking," Gehlot tweeted. Rolls-Royce is hoping to raise up to 1.5billion by selling new shares after the coronavirus outbreak triggered a slump in global air travel. The engine-maker will offer stock at a reduced price to existing investors in September, according to reports. A bumper fundraising has been rumoured for some time and the company has said on several occasions it is reviewing all options to secure more cash. It is now in talks with banks BNP Paribas, Morgan Stanley and Jefferies about the share sale. Slump: Boss Warren East has described the pandemic as its 'darkest hour' since it went bust back in the 1970s Boss Warren East has described the pandemic as its 'darkest hour' since it went bust back in the 1970s. Although Rolls makes engines, it earns money from maintaining them and its profits depend on the number of hours they fly. The disruption to flights has rocked the balance sheet and the company is cutting 9,000 of its 52,000 employees in a huge overhaul to save cash. Production cuts in the coming years at the likes of Boeing and Airbus, its major customers, will also be a blow. It is also thought to be looking to sell its Spanish aerospace arm ITP Aero, which makes parts for the Eurofighter Typhoon jet, for around 1billion. Asking investors for more cash could be easier than taking on new debt, as two of the three major credit ratings agencies have given it 'junk' status, which will make more difficult and expensive to borrow money. Shares in the group, which have fallen by almost two-thirds this year, closed 3.6 per cent lower, down 9.5p, to 253.1p last night. Shock and anger quickly spread online Tuesday as video posted on social media showed a group of armed men in street clothes snatching a young protester off the street and trundling her into an unmarked van during a peaceful demonstration against police violence in New York City. While the men refused to identify themselves at the scene of the kidnapping, the New York Police Department (NYPD) later identified them as members of the police forces plainclothes Warrant Squad. Outrage over Tuesdays incident was compounded by its similarity to the snatch and grab detentions carried out in recent weeks by federal paramilitary police in Portland, Oregon. In that city, a tactical wing of Customs and Border Protection known as BORTAC, sent in by President Trump to crack down on protests near the federal courthouse, has been seizing protesters, throwing them into unmarked vans and taking them to secret locations where they are subject to questioning for hours on end. The element of terror and intimidation is enhanced by the fact that the victims do not know who has picked them up or where they are being held. Image Credit: Screencapture from video @MichelleLhooq / Twitter All such actions violate the US Constitutions First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly and its Fourth Amendment ban on arbitrary searches or seizures. They also run counter to the requirement that arrests be based on probable cause. The NYPD played down the unconstitutional arrest, claiming the Warrant Squad routinely uses unmarked vehicles to effectively locate wanted suspects. But it is clear that the abduction of 18-year-old Nikki Stone was intended to send a signal to demonstrators, as well as the Trump administration, that the New York police are more than capable of cracking down on protests without direct federal intervention. Trump has repeatedly threatened to deploy federal forces to Democratic-controlled cities throughout the country, including New York, to suppress demonstrations that have continued since the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25. There have been reports of federal police in Detroit and other cities. Nikki Stone is a homeless youth who has been participating in protests throughout the city. The authorities have justified her chilling arrestwhich bystanders took to be a kidnappingwith allegations of vandalism, including spray painting the lenses of police cameras around City Hall Park. She was released from police custody early Wednesday and charged with several counts of graffiti painting and criminal mischief. The citys Democratic mayor, Bill de Blasio, responded to the arrest by upholding the right of non-uniformed, unidentified NYPD officers to grab peaceful protesters off the street, while mildly criticizing the timing of the arrest. This is not Portland, he said. I want to emphasize what you see on that video are NYPD officers, federal agencies are not involved! I think it was the wrong time and place to effectuate that arrest. I want to affirm very clearly, no one is allowed to damage police property. If you damage property it will lead to consequences. As with Trumps attempted coup on June 1, the Democratic Party has downplayed the authoritarian and fascistic character of Trumps deployment of paramilitary federal forces, dismissing it is an electoral ploy to raise flagging poll numbers. At the same time they argue that they are capable of suppressing protests in the cities they control with heavily armed local police, bolstered when necessary by National Guard troops under the command of state governors. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, gave a speech Tuesday in which he endorsed the prosecution of anarchists and arsonists and insisted that he would be better equipped to suppress popular anger by coordinating with local police forces. The Democrats have made clear that they are willing to collaborate with the Trump administration in suppressing protests as long as they retain a measure of control. This isnt about law and order, Biden said of Trumps crackdown, its about a political strategy to revive a failing campaign. Every instinct Trump has is to add fuel to the fire. Thats the last thing, the last thing we need. We need leadership to calm the water and lower the temperature. Thats how we will restore peace in the streets. On Wednesday, Oregons Democratic governor, Kate Brown, announced via Twitter that an agreement had been reached in negotiations with the White House for the Oregon State Police to take over policing the area around the federal court house. Federal police, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, are set to begin a phased withdrawal from the city, while other agents from the Department of Homeland Security will remain inside the courthouse. CBP forces deployed last week to Seattle, Washington will also leave that city, following lobbying by Democratic Mayor Jenny Durkan and Governor Jay Inslee, also a Democrat. 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, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said in a statement announcing the agreement. Oregon State Police will coordinate with Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers to ensure all federal facilities remain protected and secure. Wolf added, President Trump has also made it clear that this Administration is ready and willing to partner with state and local law enforcement to protect every Americanand you see that commitment in Portland with this plan. The Department and this Administration will also continue to fulfill its solemn obligation to uphold federal law across the country. While the Trump administration appears to have backed off for now on the deployment of federal forces against protesters in Portland and Seattle, the Justice Department is moving forward with an expansion of Operation Legend, an anti-violence initiative involving the deployment of nearly 100 officers from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency and other federal police agencies to Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Hundreds of agents have already been welcomed by Democratic mayors in Kansas City, Chicago and Albuquerque, with the assurance that the agents will aid in the arrest of those deemed chronic violent criminals by Attorney General William Barr. Campaigners in Poland with obituaries of women who fell victim to domestic violence (AP/Czarek Sokolowski) Polands prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said he is asking his countrys top constitutional court to study Europes Istanbul Convention against domestic violence before his government decides whether to exit the pact. Polands government has described the treaty as ideologically tainted and Mr Morawiecki has said the convention raised serious doubts, indicating he was leaning toward exiting the convention. The Istanbul Convention an initiative of the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organisation is billed as a key international treaty to combat violence against women and domestic violence. 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. Expand Close Protesters taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (AP/Czarek Sokolowski) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Protesters taking part in a rally against Polish government plans to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention (AP/Czarek Sokolowski) Polands previous liberal government ratified it in 2015. Critics of the convention say that it is not in line with Polands legal system, wrongly identifies the sources of violence against women and fails to provide effective tools for fighting domestic violence. The government also believes the convention wrongly links religion to violence, and Mr Morawiecki insisted that Polands own legislation already offers strong protection to domestic violence victims. Mr Morawiecki said he has asked the Constitutional Tribunal to check the translation into Polish of gender. The word is sensitive to the conservative ruling Law and Justice party, which often sees it as representative of LGBT rights and a threat to Polands Roman Catholic family values. The convention, which came into force in 2014, has been signed by 45 European countries and the European Union, but 10 countries including the UK, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have yet to ratify it. Many Poles have protested Polands desire to withdraw from the treaty and Council of Europe leaders have said such a move would be highly regrettable and a major step backwards in the protection of women against violence in Europe. It was not clear when a final decision could be expected. SIOUX CITY Tyson Foods plans to launch regular, weekly testing of its workforce, as part of a stepped-up effort to avert spread of the virus, like the outbreaks that sickened thousands of employees and idled or slowed production at several of the companys area meat plants this spring. As part of an expanded monitoring program it will announce Thursday morning, Tyson also will hire nearly 200 nurses and administrative support personnel to support the 400 people that are now part of the companys health services team. The expanded roster of nurses will conduct the on-site tests and assist with care management, coordinating treatment for employees who contract the respiratory disease. To support the increased staffing strategy, Tyson also will create a chief medical officer position at the corporate level. Four company representatives shared details of Tysons new monitoring initiative with a Journal reporter during a Zoom meeting Wednesday. This is a very proactive way for us to do our best to stay ahead of this virus, rather than what weve experienced in the recent past, Hector Gonzalez, Tysons senior vice president for human resources, told The Journal. In the initial stages of the pandemic, Tyson and other meatpackers struggled to contain the virus in plants, where workers traditionally work side by side in production lines and often share crowded locker rooms and cafeteria and rides to work. Tyson already has tested around 40,000 workers, or nearly a third of its workforce. Of its 122,000 employees, less than 1 percent, or about 1,200, are active COVID-19 cases, according to the company. The company conducted mass testing at several plants where large-scale outbreaks occurred, including its flagship beef plant in Dakota City, just across the border from Sioux City. By far the metro areas largest employer, the plant temporarily shut down in early May after nearly 790 of the 4,500 workers and contractors tested positive for the virus. Tyson also temporarily idled several other plants, including pork facilities in Storm Lake, Columbus Junction, Perry and Waterloo, Iowa, and Madison, Nebraska, after hundreds of workers were infected. Under its expanded monitoring approach, the company will test thousands of workers each week across all of its 140 facilities. That will be ongoing all the time, Tyson senior vice president Scott Brooks, who leads the companys COVID testing efforts, told The Journal. As we expand this, were going to be touching even those facilities where we dont know if we have any cases, he said. So its going to be a significant expansion. While its not logistically possible to test all workers every week, the monitoring program will provide a sample of the workforce, Brooks said. Workers with no symptoms may be selected for testing based on an algorithm-based selection process that considers various scientific data. The number tested each week will be dynamic and adjusted based on factors, such as the number of positive cases involving plant workers and the community. Other information also will factor into the weekly testing process, said Dr. Daniel Castillo, chief medical officer for Matrix Medical, a private clinic services company Tyson retained this year to conduct on-site screenings. There are some people, because of their nature of the work, who might interact more with others. So that data would trigger that algorithm to identify those folks to be tested perhaps more often, Castillo said. Its continuously learning and updating based on up-to-date data, who needs to be tested, how often and whats the baseline testing rate. Castillo praised Tyson for its forward-thinking approach to mitigating the risk of the virus. I do believe that this is something other organizations will look to adapt, he said. I expect that well be hearing a lot more of these type of approaches from other companies. Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers, the largest union representing Tyson hourly workers, urged other industry employers to follow Tysons lead and take immediate action to expand COVID monitoring as we work to flatten the curve. Shweta Singh Kirti, sister of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has come forward to demand justice for her brother in a new Instagram post. She has urged people to stand united for truth. Sharing a picture on Instagram she wrote, Lets stand united, lets stand together for the truth! #Indiaforsushant #Godpleasehelpus #Seekingstrengthandunity. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shweta Singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirti) on Jul 29, 2020 at 3:50pm PDT On Wednesday morning, she had shared another Instagram post accompanied by a picture of Sushant's portrait in their Patna home. "If truth doesn't matter, nothing ever will! #justiceforsushantsinghrajput," she wrote alongside the image. The posts come after their father K.K. Singh filed an FIR at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna a few days back, accusing six people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty, for abetment to suicide. According to IANS, Shweta also finds mention in the FIR, which mentions at one point: "Sushant called his sister and told her that Rhea threatened him to show certain medical receipts to the media in order to prove that he was mad. After that no one would offer him work." Meanwhile, Sushant's sister Shweta has also reacted to the Ankita Lokhande's post. The actress, who once dated the late actor, on Wednesday, shared a cryptic post on her social media that read "Truth Wins." "God is always with the truth," Shweta commented on Ankita's post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ankita Lokhande (@lokhandeankita) on Jul 28, 2020 at 11:53pm PDT Read: Sushant Singh Rajput's Sister Shweta Leaves Comment On Ankita Lokhande's 'Truth Wins' Post Also, actress Rhea Chakraborty on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the probe by the Bihar police on the FIR filed against her by Sushant Singh Rajput's father for allegedly abetting the suicide of his actor son. She also sought transfer of the FIR of Sushant's father from Patna to Mumbai, as a four-member Bihar Police team arrived in Mumbai to probe the abetment to suicide case registered against her and six others. WESTERVILLE, Ohio, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Once each year, Ohio Living's chefs from all over the state converge on Columbus to battle blade to blade, spoon to spoon, in a fight to determine who can craft the best overall culinary creations. This year, COVID-19 didn't keep them from the fight it just went virtual, with chefs competing on plate presentation. "Our culinary professionals enjoy the art of designing beautiful plated entrees," said John Andrews, Division Director of Culinary and Nutrition Services for Ohio Living. "Now that take-out is customary due to the pandemic, our chefs and cooks have had to suppress some of their creative drive for designing beautiful plates in favor of packing up to-go orders." This competition meant they didn't have to give up their creativity cold-turkey. Chefs from eight Ohio Living communities competed in this unique online contest sponsored by Butterball Foodservice. Chef teams at each campus received a mystery basket of approximately three Butterball items to use in three dishes. Plates were photographed and shared with judges who graded them on plate presentation. First place was awarded to Ohio Living Breckenridge Village Grace Woods team for dishes including Maple Glazed Donuts with Turkey Bacon, Turkey Spinach Lasagna, and Turkey Street Tacos. Winners received cash awards and American Express gift cards from Butterball Foodservice. "I was inspired to partner with Butterball because turkey is a great item to feature on our menus given its popularity and stability in price and availability during this time," said Andrews. Other partners that brought this initiative to life include Key Impact food brokers and Waypoint. The Winners: First Place: Ohio Living Breckenridge Village Grace Woods Second Place (tie): Ohio Living Mount Pleasant & Breckenridge Village North Third Place: Ohio Living Cape May Honorable Mention: Ohio Living Rockynol See photos at https://bit.ly/OLCulinaryPhotos. Headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, Ohio Living is one of the nation's largest not-for-profit, multi-site aging services organizations. Since 1922, Ohio Living has defined the highest standards of quality of life for adults through its 12 life plan communities and Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice, serving 50 Ohio counties. The Ohio Living Foundation raises several million dollars annually to support charity care, special programs, capital expansion and endowment. CONTACT: Melissa Dardinger, Corporate Manager of Public Relations, Ohio Living 614.888.7800 [email protected] SOURCE Ohio Living Related Links https://www.ohioliving.org Civeo (NYSE:CVEO) Q2 2020 Earnings Call , 11:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, and welcome to the Civeo Corporation second-quarter 2020 earnings call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Regan Nielsen, senior director of corporate development and investor relations. Please go ahead, sir. Regan Nielsen -- Senior Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations Thank you, and welcome to Civeo's second-quarter 2020 earnings conference call. Today, our call will be led by Bradley Dodson, Civeo's president and chief executive officer; and Carolyn Stone, Civeo's senior vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer. Before we begin, we would like to caution listeners regarding forward-looking statements. To the extent that our remarks today contain information other than historical information, please note that we're relying on the safe harbor protections afforded by federal law. Any such remarks should be read in the context of the many factors that affect our business, including risks disclosed in our Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings. I will now turn the call over to Bradley. Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Regan, and thank you all for joining us today on our second-quarter earnings call. We sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. The format for today's call will be to briefly review the second-quarter performance before updating you on what we see in our business today and providing an outlook for the balance of the year. Let me start by saying at Civeo, the safety and well-being of our employees, guests and contractors is our top priority. As we continue to monitor the virus in Canada, Australia and the U.S., we are continuing to adhere to the policies and procedures that are designed to ensure the health and safety of everyone at our locations. We'll remain -- we remain in continuous dialogue with all key stakeholders for the duration of the pandemic, and we extend our profound gratitude to our employees, guests, customers and vendors for their continued vigilance as we work together through this difficult time. There are two key takeaways from our call today. First is the resiliency and diversification of our business. Our second-quarter results demonstrate the resiliency of our business model and the benefits of our diversified exposure to multiple geographies and multiple end markets. Although our second-quarter performance benefited from a few onetime items, the Australian and Canadian segments both performed much better than we initially expected and particularly in light of the market environment. Secondly, our safe operations and our business model delivered differentiated financial results in this market. These differentiated financial results support our financial focus, which has not changed: drive free cash flow and reduce our debt. We generated 25 million of free cash flow in the second quarter and reduced our total debt outstanding by 15 million. We also reduced our leverage ratio to 2.34 times as of June 30th, down from 2.54 times at March 31st. And importantly, we expect to remain in compliance with our financial covenants for the rest of the year and going into 2021. We also expect to remain free cash flow positive for the remainder of 2020, and our full-year guidance will demonstrate this. I'll now provide a brief summary of our performance for the quarter and a business update as we continue to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic and the cross currents in the global commodities market. Carolyn will then provide a financial and segment-level review, and I'll conclude with some directional commentary on our expectations for the third quarter. We'll talk about the guidance for the full year before we move into the question-and-answer portion of the call. Our team performed exceedingly well under rapidly evolving circumstances during the second quarter. Civeo's second-quarter results were punctuated by a 44% year-over-year increase in Australian segment's adjusted EBITDA and some recovery in our Canadian occupancy during -- throughout the quarter. On a consolidated basis, we generated revenues of $114.7 million, adjusted EBITDA of 28.1 million and 25.1 million of free cash flow. Turning to our balance sheet. Our leverage ratio, again, declined to three -- 2.3 times, and maintaining a healthy balance sheet and liquidity profile will continue to be our top priority for 2020 as we execute on our strategic objectives. Let me take a moment to provide a business update across the segments. Our business in Canada produced encouraging second-quarter results, given the oil and gas price volatility and disruptions to operations from the pandemic, both of which drove room nights down meaningfully from our first-quarter levels. LNG activity at our Sitka Lodge began to ramp up toward the end of the second quarter and was better than we anticipated. And we have seen some turnaround activity beginning late in the second quarter in our oil sands locations. As Carolyn will discuss in more detail momentarily, the Q2 Canadian adjusted EBITDA benefited from $7.8 million of onetime items but still markedly outperformed our expectations that we had at the end of the first quarter on an operational level. In Australia, the market fundamentals have been remarkably resilient. The pandemic has been minimally disruptive to occupancy and customer spending. Metallurgical coal prices appear to be stabilizing in the 100 to $120 per metric ton, and our customer occupancy levels in the Bowen Basin continue to be strong. Iron ore prices have performed extremely well, underpinned by global supply disruptions, which have more than offset transitory demand deferral. Our Action Catering team continued to deliver outstanding results in the second quarter as we execute on the recently -- on recent contract awards tied to iron ore activity. Conditions in our U.S. business continue to be extraordinarily challenging due to the collapse in E&P drilling and completion spending. Our West Permian and Killdeer lodges, along with our well side services business, have been particularly hit hard in recent months. As we mentioned on our last earnings call, we have confronted these realities by closing and consolidating facilities to control costs, particularly in the northern U.S. basins. Our playbook for today's unpredictable environment is consistent with the approach that has enabled us to successfully navigate challenging conditions in the past. Our priorities are to keep our employees and guests safe, maximize free cash flow generation, reduce debt, preserve financial flexibility and reduce costs without compromising service quality. With that, I'll turn it over to Carolyn. Carolyn Stone -- Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Thank you, Bradley, and thank you all for joining us this morning. Today, we reported total revenues in the second quarter of $114.7 million, with net income on a GAAP basis of 6.1 million or $0.03 per diluted share. Net income includes 4.7 million of income associated with the settlement of a representation on warranty claim related to the Noralta acquisition. During the second quarter, we generated adjusted EBITDA of 28.1 million, operating cash flow of 24.5 million and free cash flow of 25.1 million. Let's now turn to the second-quarter results for our three segments. I'll begin with a review of the Canadian segment performance compared to their performance a year ago in the second quarter of 2019. Revenue from our Canadian segment was $53 million as compared to revenues of $78.1 million in the second quarter of 2019. Adjusted EBITDA in Canada was $15.3 million, a decrease from 16.3 million in the second quarter of 2019. Revenues and adjusted EBITDA for the quarter were both negatively impacted by a year-over-year decrease in billed rooms related to reduced customer activity due to the decline in oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjusted EBITDA was also impacted by COVID-19-related increases in operating costs of $1.9 million in the second quarter of this year. However, the effect of these items on adjusted EBITDA was muted by 6.2 million of other income related to proceeds from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, or CEWS, as well as a $1.7 million gain from the sale of a portion of our assets at our Henday Lodge. During the second quarter, billed rooms in our Canadian lodges totaled 410,000, down year over year from 740,000 for the same quarter of last year. This decline was related to significantly lower customer activity as discussed earlier due to the decline in oil prices and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our daily room rate for the Canadian segment in U.S. dollars was $96, up 8% year over year. Turning to Australia. During the second quarter, we recorded revenues of 57.1 million, up from $31 million in the second quarter of 2019. Adjusted EBITDA was 18.8 million, also up from 13 million during the same period of 2019. These results, which represent a 96% year over year top line increase on a constant currency basis, were positively impacted by the acquisition of Action Catering, as well as increased occupancy in our Bowen Basin villages while slightly offset by approximately $600,000 of net COVID-19 operating costs in the second quarter and the weakening of the Australian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar. Billed rooms in the quarter were 502,000, up 21% from 416,000 in the second quarter of 2019, largely due to continued improvement in net coal activity across the Bowen Basin. The average daily rate for our Australian villages in U.S. dollars decreased to $70 in the second quarter from $74 in the same quarter last year as a result of the weakened Australian dollar. Moving to the U.S. Revenues for the second quarter were 4.6 million as compared to 13.1 million in the second quarter of 2019. The U.S. segment saw a negative adjusted EBITDA of 1.4 million in the second quarter, down from adjusted EBITDA of 2.6 million during the same period last year. These year-over-year declines were primarily due to broadly lower drilling and completion activity due to lower oil prices, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Turning to capital expenditures. On a consolidated basis, capital expenditures were $1.2 million in the second quarter, down from $11.5 million in the second quarter of 2019 due to the completion of our Sitka Lodge expansion in 2019. Our total debt outstanding on June 30th was 299.5 million, which was 15.3 million lower than March 31 balance. The decrease consisted of 28 million in debt payments during the quarter from cash flow generated by the business but partially offset by an unfavorable foreign currency translation impact of $12.7 million. As Bradley mentioned, our leverage ratio was reduced to 2.34 times as of June 30th compared to 2.54 times as of March 31st. And as of June 30th, 2020, we had total liquidity of approximately $166.2 million, which consists of 158.9 million available under our revolving credit facilities and 7.3 million of cash on hand. Due to the positive outcome of our second-quarter results, as well as changes in our forecast for the second half of 2020, we believe that we will remain in compliance with our leverage ratio covenants in our credit agreement without the need to obtain covenant relief as previously discussed in our first-quarter 2020 Form 10-Q. Bradley will now provide some closing commentary and discuss our outlook for the remainder of the year, along with reinstated guidance. Bradley? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Carolyn. We'll go through each of the segments, and then I'll summarize what we're thinking about for the full year of 2020. In Canada, the outlook for the remainder of 2020 is stabilizing. Although customers continue to limit their employee headcounts to essential personnel, we are anticipating modestly higher occupancy in the third quarter from second-quarter levels. The third quarter started off with improved occupancy in Canada due to oil sands turnaround activity, and occupancy at our Sitka Lodge is also a source of modest sequential improvement in the third quarter as room nights should be up relative to the second quarter. But Sitka's occupancy will be subject to social distancing and related headcount constraints. All of the above should translate into a roughly 10% increase in occupancy in the third quarter from the second quarter. Regarding the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy program, the government of Canada recently indicated its continued support of this program through the end of the year. We currently expect to apply in the third and fourth quarters of 2020, and we should qualify and expect to receive some subsidies in the second half of the year. However, we have not included any of the forecasted proceeds from the CEWS in our full-year guidance. But due to the CEWS proceeds and a gain on sale in Q2, we are currently estimating sequentially reduced EBITDA in the Canadian business in the third quarter despite increased billed rooms. The outlook for the Australian business in the third quarter is very constructive. As the economic and supply chain impacts the steel production received in China and India, demand for seaborne metallurgical coal imports should recover modestly as 2020 progresses. Iron ore supply disruption due to worsening pandemic in Brazil should benefit Australia with a healthy price environment, and strong customer activity could still pay higher export volumes. We did experience strong occupancy overperformance beyond customer take-or-pay minimums in the second quarter, and those are not guaranteed to continue in the second half. Because of this, we are currently expecting modestly lower billed rooms in the third quarter of 2020 relative to the second quarter. We're not expecting any large customer projects to kick off in 2020. We continue to track potential greenfield growth projects as we look into 2021 in Australia. The prognosis for the remainder of 2020 in our U.S. segment is very challenging. Oil prices have stabilized well above the Q2 lows, but the U.S. E&P sector is continuing widespread financial distress and demand for investors for heightened capital austerity. Therefore, we are not expecting a recovery in our U.S. business in the second half. As we noted on the first-quarter call, our team has grown accustomed to dealing with subdued customer spending in the U.S. business, and our focus will continue to be on controlling costs and adjusting our footprint to match activity. Despite the continued economic disruptions across key end markets, we feel we are now in a position to again provide full-year 2020 revenue and EBITDA guidance. We expect our full-year 2020 revenues to be in the range of 476 million to 486 million and adjusted EBITDA in the range of 80 million to 85 million. In addition, we're maintaining our full-year 2020 capital expenditure guidance of approximately $15 million. We will provide further updates on these figures during our third-quarter earnings call. And please note that this guidance is based on our expectations as of today and assumes no material changes in the current macroeconomic environment or in commodity prices, global commodity demand levels or conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses thereto. Our plan to navigate this extraordinary and rapidly changing environment is to consistently apply the strategic playbook that has gotten us through periods of uncertainty in the past. To that end, our mandate remains as follows: we prioritize the safety and well-being of our guests, employees and vendors. We will manage our cost structure accordingly as we look at an evolving occupancy outlook. We'll continue to enhance our best-in-class hospitality offerings, and we'll allocate capital prudently to maximize free cash flow generation and reduce debt. Before we proceed to the Q&A section, I'd like to call out the extraordinary efforts of our global team of employees at Civeo. We responded to an unprecedented set of challenges in the recent months with selflessness, devotion and unwavering professionalism. Our solid financial results in the second quarter under exceptional circumstances only tell part of the story. The work that you put in behind the scenes to keep our customers, fellow employees and contractors safe, healthy and comfortable was amazing. On behalf of the entire Civeo management team and the board of directors, thank you for all that you do. With that, we're happy to take questions. Questions & Answers: Operator [Operator instructions] Our first question today comes from Stephen Gengaro of Stifel. Please go ahead. Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Thanks, and good morning everybody. The -- so when I look at the guidance that you gave for the second half of the year on the EBITDA side, it's clearly better than where I think we were and where the consensus was after a really good second quarter, but the second half looks better. When you look at the second half and I think about free cash flow generation, what are the puts and takes? And how does working capital -- how do you think working capital acts in the second half of the year? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer We should remain, as I mentioned, we should remain free cash flow positive. We can have some working capital shift kind of Q2 to Q3, particularly around -- we have our insurance renewals for the entire program, both cash flow and financial and property. And we also have property tax payments that are due, primarily in Canada. So there may be some use of working or working capital will be a cash outflow in the third quarter. I'd say on balance, it might be a slight outflow in the second half, but it's less than $5 million, I would say, in total. Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst OK. And then you -- in a better spot here, obviously, from an EBITDA perspective, the leverage ratio has come down a bit. When you are having conversations now with the banks, and it doesn't appear you need any amendments, does that -- how does it change the conversation or does it when you're talking about extensions or redoing the bank agreements going forward? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn, do you want to tackle that? Carolyn Stone -- Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Sure. Thanks, Bradley. Stephen, well, as you can imagine, as you alluded to, despite the fact that we don't think we need covenant relief and we don't intend to pursue covenant relief at this point, we do have a maturity coming up in November of 2021. So we will be working with our bank group over the next few months to address that maturity. And I'm not sure that it changes the conversation significantly other than the fact, obviously, it's better for all of us that we are looking at having lower leverage over the current term, as well as the potential -- any potential extension. So we have a very supportive bank group and we fully expect to support us as we enter into those discussions in -- over the course of the next few months. Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst OK. Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer And I'll just add to that that Carolyn and her team are in -- as you can imagine, there's some uncertainty in a lot of conversations with the banks, not necessarily weekly, but very often. And so our lenders have seen the progression of the forecast. So obviously, we're moving in the right direction. Being free cash flow positive is differentiating among many oilfield service credits that they have in their portfolio. Continue to reduce aggregate leverage is also a positive. So they're fully informed. They're fully aware that -- of our situation. And generally, our story has played out better than we initially expected. And the cash flow generation profile of the business, I think, is obviously important to the lenders. Operator [Operator instructions] Our next question comes from Kurt Hallead of RBC. Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Good morning. Just on the guidance, Bradley, just want to get a little bit more clarity on it. In your reference on the guidance, you said that the EBITDA numbers do not include any additional benefit from the Canadian dynamic, Canadian benefit dynamic. In the second quarter, your EBITDA -- adjusted EBITDA number did include, as you mentioned, over $7 million of kind of onetime items. So I guess my frame of argument here is when you look at the full year EBITDA, does that $80-plus million of EBITDA include that onetime benefit in the second quarter? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer It does. So we reported 20.3 million of adjusted EBITDA in Q1. And then you're right, we had 28.1 million of adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter. So that 48.4 million would be the first half number that would go into the 80 to 85 for the full year. Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst OK. And then it would appear to me there's going to be a substantial drop-off in Canadian EBITDA in the back half of the year. Probably having to run less than 5 million a quarter to kind of keep you in the range of that 80 and 85 million. So I just wanted to just try to kind of make sure I was understanding the progression correctly. Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer OK. Well, so in the Canadian EBITDA in the second quarter, we had the 7 million plus, let's call it, 8 million of onetime items. So you take those out of the 15.3 million, about $8 million of EBITDA in Canada in the second quarter at an operational level. And while that's -- that's significantly higher than what we were thinking 90 days ago. So what happened in the second quarter, occupancy at the Sitka Lodge was materially better than we were anticipating. And as we talked about a little bit in our prepared comments, we saw the turnaround activity start to kick in, in June primarily, and that will continue into the third quarter. So implicit in the guidance for Canada is essentially flat EBITDA from there for the rest of the year, both third quarter and the fourth quarter. So I don't think that's herculean in terms of an assumption. I think there are probably some opportunities. As I mentioned, we should get some CEWS proceeds. So the reported adjusted EBITDA should be better. And should we see occupancy, particularly on the turnarounds, extend longer, we could have some upside there. So I think five is too low. Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst OK. I appreciate that additional info. Just one last thing. So you mentioned that you expect to be free cash flow positive during the course of the second half of the year. And also just want to make sure I heard you expect still to spend -- have capital spending, about $15 million on a full-year basis? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer That's right. We've got a handful of projects, particularly in Australia, in order -- as we see occupancy continue to stay strong there that we need to put some money to work there. That's the biggest piece of it. We'll have a little bit of capex in the second half for Canada as it relates to the coastal gasoline pipeline and our mobile camp work that we're doing to support that. Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Got you. And any plan for that cash flow to continue to reduce debt? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer That's right. Yes, we need to continue to move the aggregate leverage lower and continue to delever the company. Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Right, I appreciate that color. Thank you. Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator Our next question comes from Stephen Gengaro of Stifel. Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Thanks. Just two quick follow-ups. One is on the Australian side, I know Australia has, clearly had a good trend in the second quarter as well. Can you give us an update, just any more details on how that plays out in the back half of the year? And it seems like just from the breakout in the press release that the Action acquisition showed a really nice improvement in the second quarter. Can you add some color there? Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Sure. I was very pleased with the -- on the base business in terms of the room nights in Australia and our villages there. I was very pleased with the performance there. We're being conservative in our second half guidance for Australia. We had -- a couple of things happened. We had customers taking more rooms above and beyond the take-or-pay minimums. We also had, in conjunction with that, some billed but unused rooms. We're assuming that as they tried to control availability there, and so we're being conservative in terms of our margins for the second half in Australia. I think there could be upside on that. But I think it's -- one of the things is, we could see margins come in a little bit if the rooms are occupied. So I think Australia's doing very well. I think one risk that we've got to continue to watch, the pandemic impact in Australia is not on the same scale as what we're seeing in other countries, particularly the U.S., in Texas, on its own. And so we need to see the COVID impact continue to be minimal. We've not had any reported cases at any of our locations there, knock on wood, and that could really impact occupancy if they were to see an outbreak there. I think the government has done a very good job in containing things. I don't think that's likely, but it certainly is a risk to the profitability of that business in the second half. Action's done exceedingly well. Again, this is a catering business we bought in July of last year with predominant operations in Western Australia, serving the iron ore markets there. We've seen customer occupancy still above our initial expectations in the first half, and we expect that to continue in the second half. The team has done a very good job in both winning new work and renewing contracts. So our expectations for that business are double what we budgeted for the year. And the team has done a very good job, and it's largely on volume and contract rewards. Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Great. That's helpful color. Thank you. Operator As there are no further questions at this time, I would like to hand the call back to Mr. Dodson for any additional or closing remarks. Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Kevin. Thank you all for joining the call today. I hope you all remain -- stay safe and healthy as we continue to work through this as a country and a globe. And we look forward to speaking to you on the third-quarter call. Operator [Operator signoff] Duration: 39 minutes Call participants: Regan Nielsen -- Senior Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations Bradley Dodson -- President and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Stone -- Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Stephen Gengaro -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Kurt Hallead -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst More CVEO analysis All earnings call transcripts Stephanie Ng previously told the Central Criminal Court the boy had destroyed her life The scene in Dun Laoghaire where the teenager slashed his victims neck with a knife before leaving her for dead A teenager who tried to murder a woman he met on a dating app will serve a further two years' detention before his 11-year sentence is reviewed, following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The Court of Appeal yesterday increased the teenager's sentence review date to seven years, after finding that the original five-year term was too lenient. President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham delivered judgment, saying that a review of the sentence took place at too early a stage. Outlining the court's decision, Mr Justice Birmingham said that increasing the sentence beyond 11 years would not be appropriate having regard to the significant mitigating factors in the case. Lured The now 17-year-old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was originally sentenced by Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court to 11 years' detention with a review to commence after five years on January 1, 2023. The attempted murderer has been in custody since December 26, 2017, after he lured Stephanie Ng to an isolated area at the Sea Front, Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire. After pleading guilty to her attempted murder, the teenager received his sentence in November last year. The DPP successfully sought a review of the teenager's sentence on the grounds that it was "unduly lenient", arguing that a review of the 11-year sentence after a five-year period was too early. The Court of Appeal found that the element of planning and premeditation meant that, "even as attempted murders go", the offence had to be seen as being at the high end of the spectrum. The boy's father apologised on Tuesday to the victim Ms Ng before the three-judge panel and said: "There is no excuse for the terrible actions our son carried out that day." The man told the Court of Appeal that he regretted his son not being hospitalised or being given the correct medication at an earlier stage. The father said the attack was not unpredictable and his son had previously attempted suicide "to avoid attacking people". The teenager met his 25-year-old victim on the Whisper social media app, where he had pretended to be 19. The boy was just 15 years old when he tried to kill Ms Ng during their first face-to-face meeting on December 23, 2017, after suggesting they take a selfie by the water's edge in Dun Laoghaire. There, he grabbed her from behind and choked her to unconsciousness before slashing her neck with a knife. His victim previously gave evidence in March 2019 of taking what she thought was her last breath, as the teenager tried to "choke the life" out of her before leaving her for dead. Through tears, she told the Central Criminal Court that the boy had "destroyed" her life. Mr Justice George Birmingham previously granted the boy's wish to have a physical hearing yesterday as opposed to the remote hearings taking place as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. The boy was accompanied to court by two members of staff from Oberstown Children Detention Campus and his two parents sat in the body of the courtroom. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal found that the sentence imposed on the teenager was too lenient. Mr Justice Birmingham highlighted that the sentencing judge, Mr Justice White, had been exceptionally careful and conscientious when constructing the boy's sentence. Two Buffalo men were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. If convicted on the charge, Juan Padua, 32, and Michael Vasquez, 24, both face a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. Prosecutors said the U.S. Postal Inspection Service intercepted a parcel shipped from Puerto Rico addressed to Padua. The box was turned over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Office in Buffalo. On July 22, investigators executed a federal search warrant on the parcel, which contained toys, coloring books, paper plates, napkins and a slime box. The slime box allegedly contained a large, white, brick-like substance composed of a loosely packed white powder. Field tests indicated the presence of both cocaine and fentanyl, prosecutors said. President Trump speaks at a 2019 rally in Fayetteville, N.C. (Gerry Broome / Associated Press) Once again, President Trump has shown his ignorance of the Constitution and federal law in raising the question on Twitter of whether the November presidential election should be delayed. To be clear, President Trump has absolutely no legal authority to do this. The date for the election is set by federal statute and can be changed only by Congress. But that didnt stop Trump from tweeting on Thursday morning, With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? The president, who is significantly down in the polls, clearly does not want the election to be held in November, and its hard not to interpret his tweet as a blatant, if desperate, attempt to stay in office past the end of his term. Thankfully, the Constitution gives him no way to do this. The Constitution explicitly gives to Congress the power to set the date for national elections. For the first half-century of American history, each state set its own election date and balloting for the presidential election stretched out over six months. In 1845, Congress set a national date for the election the Tuesday after the first Monday in November and that is when it has been ever since. In theory, Congress could choose to change this date, as well as the date set for the electoral college to choose the president. But it is unimaginable that the House of Representatives would pass such a bill this year and I doubt even the Republican-controlled Senate would agree to such an unprecedented effort to manipulate the electoral process. Moreover, the 20th Amendment to the Constitution established that the presidents term ends on Jan. 20 at noon. If at that time a president and vice president have not yet been chosen by the electoral college, the speaker of the House of Representatives becomes president. My guess is that President Trump has not considered that delaying the election for a significant amount of time would mean Nancy Pelosi becoming president. Story continues Still, the Trump tweet has fueled concern that he will do everything he can to remain in office, no matter what the outcome of the election. While its possible that Trump, who likes to stir the pot, may just have been baiting his opponents, its also possible that he is genuinely considering extreme measures to avoid defeat and remain in office. With his constant claims of voter fraud, it seems clear that he is at least laying the groundwork for challenging poll results if he is defeated. In a recent interview with Chris Wallace, the president refused to say that he would accept the results of the election. Since Trump lacks the power to postpone an election, the question of what he would do if defeated is a crucial one. If the electoral college declares Joe Biden the winner, Trump might well be convinced to leave office. Every incumbent who has been denied reelection from 1800, when John Adams lost, through 1992 when George H.W. Bush was defeated has accepted the judgment of the voters and the electoral college. There are certainly countries in the world where leaders have refused to leave office, but never the United States. If Trump nonetheless chooses to try to stay in office, it will then be for the courts to declare Biden president. Certainly Bush vs. Gore, 20 years ago, raises concerns that election disputes might be resolved by the Supreme Court in a partisan way. But a blatant attempt by Trump to deny election results would almost certainly be rejected, even by a court with a majority of its justices appointed by Republican presidents. Of course, there is then the possibility that Trump might ignore both the electoral college and the Supreme Court and still try to remain president. I like to think that is highly unlikely. But if it happens, then we will be like so many countries in the world where it will come down to who controls the military. Some people fear that the country could erupt in a civil war, with right-wing militias taking to the streets on behalf of Trump and others fighting back. At that point our constitutional democracy would be over. It all seems unthinkable. But no form of government has lasted forever. Democracies in other country have vanished, even in recent years. An end to democracy as a result of this election seems unlikely. But Trumps Thursday tweet is unprecedented, and we have to take it seriously in case the president truly intends to lead us down a dangerous path. As several key Republican leaders have already done, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals must all loudly condemn the idea of postponing the election as antithetical to the most basic aspects of a democratic society. Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law and a contributing writer to Opinion. A sailor who arrived in Incheon port aboard a Russian cargo ship has tested positive for coronavirus, health officials said Wednesday. In Busan port, meanwhile, 12 more COVID-19 infections were detected aboard the Russian vessel Petr1, which was put under quarantine after 32 out of 94 crew tested positive. With the surge, 34 out of 48 new cases of coronavirus in Korea on Tuesday were foreigners. Some 37,821 ships are expected to dock in Korean ports in the second half of this year, and 1,581 are fishing vessels or reefer cargo ships that will require Korean port workers to offload cargo and come into contact with foreign crew. Through direct and indirect contact with Russian crew on Petr1, 12 Koreans have already tested positive including repair workers and their family members. To paraphrase what a winemaker friend once told me, The art of winemaking is to harness a wines complex components into a seamless, harmonious expression where none dominates the other. Yet, it is only through a respect for the science behind winemaking that this goal can be achieved. Although wines have been produced globally for millennia, the term winemaker is relatively new and used primarily in the New World with no direct translation to most European languages. In the Old World, winemaking has been considered a part of the overall process from vineyard to bottle and not merely the influence of a specific individual in the winery. In France, the closest terms related to winemaker are maitre de chai (e.g. cellar master) or chef de cave as he is known in Champagne. Both are meant to convey the concept that this person is the head of a team making wine and not just an individual solely responsible for the cellar or process. In the New World, the concept of the team leader seems to have morphed into an individuals role as a winemaker despite the historical connotation. Although a winemakers role is often compared to a chefs, I have long observed a distinct difference since the winemaker is solely dependent on the grape as the base ingredient, whereas a chef has a far broader ingredient selection at his disposal for each preparation. A chef is truly a creator sourcing many individual ingredients and skillfully blending them to fashion a dish that until the final moment, may have existed only in his imagination. A winemaker on the other hand, is dependent on the fruit of the vine as the base ingredient and must rely on enthusiasm, experience, technique and vision to shepherd the fruit, with all its nuances. from vine to bottle. Coming from a scientific background myself, Ive always appreciated the intricate and subtle ways science and art two seemingly disparate values can meld into the creation of wine. While the lines may often seem blurred, the basic elements are always there. I decided to delve into this a bit further through the eyes of several highly respected and talented professionals who have honed their skills on somewhat different paths. Randle Johnson is the owner/winemaker for Calafia Cellars and also winemaker for Artezin and The Hess Collection as well as consulting winemaker for Colome and Amalaya in Argentina. Counting both hemispheres, he has participated in 61 harvests and gained a wealth of experience encompassing all aspects in the vineyard and winery with numerous varieties, terroirs and growing areas. Randle is involved with all vineyard and growing decisions and says, Wine is made in the vineyard so decisions made there are very impactful to the final wine. He appreciates the team effort in the winery especially when it comes to tastings and blending but feels, Its the team leaders (i.e. winemakers) decisions that breaks all tie votes. The conditions in the Salta Provence of Argentina (Colome in particular) exhibited some similarities to Mt. Veeder and Hess (elevation, cool weather and aspect). Yet, there is also a striking difference with Saltas extremely dry/arid climate and only 4 inches annual rainfall. His biggest learning experience came with exposure to vines growing on their native rootstock in Argentina (due to the vineyards isolation, phylloxera is not a problem) rather than on grafted rootstock so common here and elsewhere. He found that, Vines on their native rootstock were balanced, have minimal growing issues, yielded a respectable crop and produced outstanding wines. Randles experience with many under-the-radar and heritage varieties has always been a fulfilling venture. But he does say, They require an extra measure of vision, persistence, perseverance and persuasion. Having enjoyed many of these wines over the years, I can only say thank you for the extra effort! Ana Diogo-Draper is director of winemaking for Artesa (the U.S extension of Spains Raventos Codorniu group) in Carneros and has the advantage of having worked in both the New and Old Worlds. She graduated from the University of Evora in Portugal with a degree in agricultural engineering and always knew she wanted a career in agriculture. Then she took a class in winemaking and connected with her professors passion on the subject saying, I was hooked from Day 1. Ana worked in Portugal for a time and then decided on an internship in Napa. I loved all the possibilities that existed for women in California, so different from my experiences in Portugal. During this time, she also began to appreciate the higher level of collaboration between California winemakers than those in Europe along with increased levels of experimentation. During her five-month internship, she fell in love with California and missed Napa terribly when she returned to Portugal to finish her thesis. The following year, Ana eagerly accepted an invitation to return to Napa, thinking it would be for year or so. But once here, I never left. Ana is responsible for managing all production crews, working on grower relations, managing the estate vineyard and is in charge of all harvest logistics. In short, shes responsible for all winemaking (both still and sparkling) from vineyard to bottle. Harvest is her favorite time of year. I love the alchemy of it, the overwhelming range of possibilities and when I just need inspiration, I love [going] into the vineyards, assessing what the vintage might look like and daydreaming with anticipation about the vintage ahead. Ana sees herself in the Old World model of a team player and is careful to point out the importance of her role as part of that team. You can be an amazing winemaker, but if you cant inspire and motivate your team, you will never be able to achieve what you envision for your wines. Scott Harvey is owner/winemaker for Scott Harvey Wines in Amador. As a European trained winemaker, he began his career in 1979 and is considered (among other accomplishments) a king-pin in establishing Amador County in the Sierra foothills as an internationally respected growing area. Scott appreciates varietal diversity and takes pride in producing wines that, Tell the story of variety, place and vintage. He is thankful that, California has so many wonderful wine flavors with the different areas, varieties and climates that an excited winemaker can have so much fun. Passion is a key component in Scotts methodology and suggests that A good winemaker has to be in love with making wine If this excitement does not exist, he or she will have a hard time creating a product that will sell. He also sees the advantage of reaching out to the consumer with hopes that his excitement is further transmitted to them by the wines he produces. Scott expressed an interesting view on the roles played by art and science in winemaking. Science demonstrates the winemaking teams application of lessons learned and knowledge gained over thousands of years and quantified in many respects by Louis Pasteur with his work on fermentation science. While art showcases the winemakers ability to trap the entire story of the grapes journey from vine to wine as expressed in the glass for us to enjoy. A great part of a wines allure is the challenge in accurately separating the influences of art and science, for at every step both are intertwined in the decision making process. Beneath each manifestation of art and spirit lies an influence of science. Watch it now: A wine lovers guide to beating the heat Share your experiences with other readers by commenting on this article with an e-mail to me at allenbalik@savorlifethroughwine.com. Allen Balik, a Napa resident, has been a wine collector, consultant, author, fundraiser and enthusiast for more than 35 years. By Muhammad Mustafizur Rahaman and Robert D. Eldridge, KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2020 - 11:10 | All, World, Coronavirus Migration has been one of the defining features of the still young 21st Century. It has led to economic and social development for many people and countries. In 2019, there were 272 million international migrants, accounting for 3.5 percent of the global population. In Qatar, where one of the authors works, migrant laborers account for almost 94 percent of the total workforce. In Japan, where the other author lives and works, the percentage of foreign workers, although still low comparatively, has been steadily increasing amid the larger population decline. There have also been downsides to migration, for the workers themselves and the sometimes harsh conditions in which they live, as well as the social, economic and political disruption caused in the host countries. This commentary explores a new facet of the migration issue -- the impact of COVID-19 on migrants' lives. As readers know, millions of jobs are being lost worldwide monthly as a result of the pandemic. Quite often it is the migrant workers, who were barely surviving before, that have lost the most. The floor has literally fallen out for most of them. It is vital that their basic needs -- health, food and shelter more than anything, as well as educational opportunities for their children -- are met. The obligation to do so is rooted in numerous international conventions and instruments. The 1975 Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provision) Convention, the 1990 International Convention of the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and the Members of Their Families, and the 2008 Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organization are the cornerstones of protecting the fundamental rights of migrant workers. In 2016, the United Nations adopted the "Global Compact for Migration," which provided a set of principles to govern migration effectively and humanely. Protecting the rights of migrants remains the core of the vision of the International Organization for Migration regarding the Compact. The forceful termination of work for migrants suddenly in times of disaster, be it man-made or natural, is unjustified on humanitarian grounds and is against the principles in the aforementioned provisions and instruments. To address the crisis of COVID-19, governments around the world have been adopting a mixture of measures including the reallocation of resources for revitalizing the economy and business, health care support, subsidies for food and housing, universal basic income or other social safety nets, etc. The United Kingdom, for example, undertook a coronavirus job retention scheme and provided grant funding for some categories of business. Qatar is providing health care support to everyone irrespective of nationality and immigration status -- both documented and undocumented. The New York State Legislature passed a bill to provide rent vouchers for tenants who have lost income due to the pandemic. In Japan, foreign residents have also been eligible to receive a one-time 100,000 yen coronavirus payment per person, alongside their Japanese neighbors. While these measures are not enough to be sure, it is also true that many countries have not been able to be even this generous toward the foreigners within them. Places of employment also have a role, especially at this time. Modern governance is based on the view that serving people is the shared responsibility of both the public and private sector. In the past, as is today, when governments find themselves incapacitated, it is increasingly businesses that fill the void. Corporations, thus, cannot overlook their responsibility for ensuring the social protection of migrants. One way in which companies can address this problem is through the exercise or expansion of corporate social responsibility, a concept popularized during the past half-century. Due to COVID-19, many businesses are incurring huge losses making it difficult to retain their workers and thus to participate in CSR, whereas some businesses are booming now. In any case, CSR is not separate but should be an integral part of the thinking of these businesses. Unemployment leads to the loss of income if no new job is found quickly. With no purchasing power, these workers in many cases lose the ability to pay for food, housing and health care. Not only does a humanitarian crisis emerge, but so does a financial crisis for businesses trying to sell these products in a stagnant economy. Workers are the pillars of an organization and its production and efficiency. Investing for their betterment is also the core of CSR. Workers who have worked for a long time in an organization have gained expertise and thus become a precious human resource for the organization. Therefore, it is in the interest of such businesses to retain these workers. Morale across the board drops significantly if any are let go. For financing their salaries and other benefits, companies can take out a loan from the government for a minimal rate or even zero interest. In this way, they can share some of the responsibility of ensuring social protection of the workers and migrants. Most importantly, it is time to change their profit-at-all-costs mentality. In a capitalist economy, economic profit maximization lies at the core of business whereas serving social needs lies at the periphery. If businesses stick to this philosophy, not only will it be difficult for them to serve workers and migrants, but they may end up eating themselves in the process. Neither Strategic CSR nor the highest level of CSR called creating shared value, not to mention traditional CSR, seem to be suitable to address this problem. Companies must put the maximization of society at the core of business. The role and responsibilities of International Donors should also not be overlooked. Some of them declared their willingness to provide funds to needy developing countries, and Bangladesh is one of those hoping to work with them. The ILO and IOM should also come forward to help migrants. While ILO works to protect the rights of workers, IOM focuses on providing practical solutions to migration problems. In the current situation, creating a fund at the national and international levels under the purview of ILO and IOM would be one way to solve migrants' problems. Migrants, especially low-salaried ones, without rights in a particular country would have to go home after losing their jobs but would struggle to survive and educate their children. Due to interruption of regular flights and the concern over infections, repatriation has emerged as a big problem for destination countries. The scarce capacity of medical facilities and medicine in the home countries prevented them from welcoming home the migrant workers eminently. This has led to protests by these unfortunate migrants in their host countries, posing a threat to public safety as well as to future migration to the host country. The retention of migrants' jobs, as the reader can see, is thus a necessary condition for peace and development. One way through which migrants' jobs can be retained is by providing necessary funds to the migrants' host organizations who are willing to receive such funds. Similarly, a Local Consultative Group could be created in the country of origin with the participation of competent ministries -- in the case of Bangladesh, for example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates and Overseas Employment, ILO and IOM. The LCG can disburse funds to companies and workers through the respective country's embassies. "No-one left behind" is the ethical imperative of the new development agenda named the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." Therefore, migrants, especially low-skilled and poorly paid workers, should be given priority. In the absence of proper initiatives to ensure social protection of migrants, the economic consequences of COVID-19 have pushed them into extreme poverty. It is the shared responsibility of governments, corporations and international development partners to help rescue migrants from the dangerous situation they find themselves in. (Muhammad Mustafizur Rahaman serves as a counsellor at the Bangladesh Embassy, Doha. He earned his doctorate at Osaka University and was a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science at Kyoto University. Robert D. Eldridge serves as the director for North Asia at the Global Risk Mitigation Foundation.) Herman Cain, a former presidential hopeful who was once considered by President Donald Trump for the Federal Reserve, has died after being hospitalized with the coronavirus. He was 74. Cain's death was announced Thursday on his website by Dan Calabrese, who edits the site and had previously written about his colleague's diagnosis. "Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away," Calabrese said in the blog post. "We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he'd have a full recovery." Cain was among the highest-profile public figures in the United States to have died from Covid-19. Less than two weeks before receiving his diagnosis, Cain attended Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which had been staged despite concerns about mass gatherings during the pandemic. Cain, a stage 4 cancer survivor, tweeted a photograph of himself at Trump's rally showing him surrounded by other attendees, none of whom appeared to be wearing masks or other protective gear. Cain TWEET June 20 A July 2 statement from Cain's social media accounts announcing his hospitalization said, "There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus." The Trump campaign said after Cain's diagnosis that he had not met with the president at the Tulsa rally. The campaign said that all attendees at the event had their temperatures checked upon entry, and that masks and hand sanitizer were handed out but not required to use. Before the event, the campaign revealed that six members of the team involved in the rally preparations had tested positive for the virus and had been quarantined. Trump later Thursday tweeted his condolences for Cain and his family. "My friend Herman Cain, a Powerful Voice of Freedom and all that is good, passed away this morning," the president wrote. "Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me. He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend." Trump TWEETS At a Thursday evening press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic, Trump added that Cain "was a very special person, I got know him very well. And unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus." White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had earlier tweeted that Cain "embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit." McEnany tweet Cain had been hospitalized in Atlanta on July 1, two days after being told he had tested positive for Covid-19, according to his social media. He did not require a respirator and was "awake and alert" when he checked in to the hospital, the statement said. "Please join with us in praying for Mr. Cain, and for everyone who has contracted the coronavirus as well as their families," it said. Cain had been a business executive and board chairman of a branch of Kansas City's Federal Reserve Bank before moving into Republican politics and eventually becoming a presidential candidate and a favorite of the conservative tea party faction. Last year, Trump briefly considered picking Cain as his nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board. Cain remained a vocal supporter of Trump's after his nomination was withdrawn. A former CEO of the restaurant chain Godfather's Pizza, Cain became a player in Republican politics as an economic advisor to Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign before briefly launching his own bid in 2000. In the 2012 GOP presidential primary season, Cain gained outsized media coverage with his catchy "9-9-9" economic plan to replace much of the federal tax code with a 9% business transactions tax, a 9% personal income tax and a 9% sales tax. Critics called the plan "dubious" and impractical. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who would clinch the GOP nomination in 2012, tweeted Thursday that he was saddened to hear of Cain's passing. Romney TWEET Cain suspended that campaign in December 2011 following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, ranging back to his time as chief executive of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Cain denied the allegations. After his hospitalization, Cain's social media accounts occasionally provided vague updates on his condition. A message on July 5 said he was "making progress" and that "more encouraging news" was expected to come soon. Two days later, Cain's Twitter account said "doctors are trying to make sure his oxygen levels are right." On July 10, another tweet said Cain himself described his status as "cruise control," because "the progress is slow but his breathing is getting stronger every day. Make no mistake: He is improving!" Cain TWEET July 5 making progress Cain TWEET July 7 oxygen levels Cain TWEET July 10 Cruise Control The most recent update came Monday, when Cain's social media revealed that he was "being treated with oxygen for his lungs" nearly a month after entering the hospital. "He really is getting better, which means it is working," the update said. Calabrese repeatedly declined CNBC's requests for additional information on Cain's condition throughout his struggle with the virus. "We're not saying anything else beyond what we've posted on social media," Calabrese said in a July 7 email. "That's Herman's and Gloria's wish so I appreciate you respecting it." In addition to his wife Gloria Etchison, survivors include his two children, Melanie and Vincent, Calabrese said. CNBC's Marty Steinberg contributed to this report. Border guard forces and agencies in cities and provinces are strictly monitoring travel through border gates to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Border guards in Tay Ninh Province on duty for COVID-19 prevention and control. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tan The Border Guard Command has set up eight task forces to oversee disease prevention and control at border areas such as Lang Son and Lai Chau. The command has increased the number of border guards at the front lines at main border gates. At border gates in the northern province of Lang Son, for instance, 103 guards have been added. After the Tet holiday, tents were set up along border guard stations to prevent illegal entry, and more than 100 people connected to illegal entries have been detained. Colonel Nguyen Xuan Thuy, deputy head of the Border Guard Force in Lai Chau Province, said that travel through the auxiliary border crossings in the province is under strict control. The province has 64 teams to patrol along the 273-kilometre border, and has also worked with health officials to transport people who have crossed border areas to quarantine areas. Border guards in Quang Ninh Province have set up 74 sites and eight mobile teams with a total of 495 soldiers on duty day and night at the provinces main border roads. Police, local authorities and agencies, especially in the border districts of Hai Ha and Binh Lieu, and Mong Cai City, are working together to tighten control along the border. They also have strengthened management of workers on ships that arrive at ports in the province. At Tay Ninh Provinces border gates and trails, border guards have strict patrols and will fine violators who try to illegally help people travel through border trails, said Colonel Le Van Vy, deputy head of Border Guard Force, in the province. They are also checking COVID-19 prevention and control methods to correct any shortcomings, and are preparing preventive equipment and means to respond quickly for prevention and control. People travelling through border gates and trails are required to fill out health declaration forms and stay in quarantine under the Governments requirements. The vice chairman of Kien Giang Province Peoples Committee, Lam Minh Thanh, has instructed police and relevant forces to assist the patrol and control of COVID-19 at border gates. The Border Guard Command in the Mekong Delta province must strictly control cross-border activities via trails or rivers, he said. As many as 1,598 teams with 9,398 guards and other relevant forces are patrolling and controlling travel at border gates and trails throughout the country. They have detained 4,360 people who have illegally crossed through border gates and trails, and have quarantined all of them. Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defence, said that besides strict control at border gates and patrols, border guards should inform people about preventive measures against COVID-19 and the punishment for illegal crossings through border gates and trails. Border guards have carried out procedures for entry to Vietnam for 137,877 people and for 119, 235 people departing Vietnam. VNS Border guards keep people safe from coronavirus Living without electricity in a remote area isn't easy, but it's part of the job for some soldiers. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALXN posted better-than-expected results for the second quarter of 2020 and raised its revenue and adjusted earnings guidancefor 2020. The second-quarter adjusted earnings of $3.11 per share comfortably beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.55 and grew from $2.64 in the year-ago quarter. Moreover, revenues rose 20.1% year over year to $1.44 billion in the reported quarter and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.27 billion. The negative impact of foreign currency on total revenues was 1%, inclusive of hedging activities. Revenues were driven by higher sales of Ultomiris, Strensiq and Kanuma. Shares of Alexion have lost 3.2% in the year so far against the industrys growth of 5.1%. Revenues in Detail Soliris (approved for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria [PNH], atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome [aHUS] and generalized myasthenia gravis [gMG]) sales were down5.4% year over year to $975.5million in the reported quarter. Long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, Ultomiris approved for the treatment of adult patients with PNH and aHUS, generated sales of $251.1 million compared with $54.2 million in the year-ago quarter,representing a 363% increase.The company achieved its goal of establishing Ultomiris as a new standard of care in PNH, with more than 70% patient conversion from Soliris in the United States. Strensiq revenues were $184.3 million (up 30% year over year). Kanuma contributed $33.6 million (up 28% year over year) to quarterly revenues. In June, the European Commission approved Ultomiris for adults and children with aHUS. Cost Summary Adjusted research and development (R&D) expenses increased to $204.6 million from $148.7 million in the year-ago quarter. Adjusted selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $253.6 million, down from $255.8 million in the year-ago quarter. 2020 Guidance Alexion increased total revenues and adjusted earnings per share guidance and reducedthe operating margin guidance. Story continues The company now expects adjusted earnings per share of $10.65-$10.95 (previous guidance:$10.45-$10.75). The company now projects revenues of $5.50-$5.60 billion (previous guidance: $5.23-$5.33 million). Combined revenues from Soliris and Ultomiris are now estimated at $4.73-$4.76 billion (previous guidance: $4.49-$4.57 billion). Pipeline Update Alexion plans to initiate a phase II/III study in children and adolescents with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) in the second half of 2020. An application for approval of Ultomiris in aHUS is under review in Japan. A phase III study of Ultomiris in children and adolescents with aHUS is underway Applications for approval of Ultomiris100mg/mL formulation are under review in the EU and the United States. The FDA has set an action date of Oct 11, 2020. This higher concentration formulation is designed to reduce infusion time by more than 50% to approximately 45 minutes. Alexion plans to file for regulatory approval of this formulation in Japan in the third quarter of 2020. Recent Developments In July 2020, Alexion announced the completion of its acquisition of Portola. The acquisition added Andexxa [coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo] to the company's commercial and development portfolios. Andexxa has conditional approval in the United States and the EU (marketed as Ondexxya in the EU) for the reversal of anticoagulation in patients experiencing life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding who are treated with rivaroxaban or apixaban. Our Take Alexions second-quarter results were strong despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The company continues to take proactive measures designed to mitigate the risk of potential interruptions in supply and/or access to patients' customary site-of-care locations. The company also witnessed accelerated conversion from Soliris to Ultomiris. Alexions efforts to diversify its portfolio through prudent acquisitions are encouraging. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Alexion currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Emergent BioSolutions Inc. EBS, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. BMRN and Applied Therapeutics Inc. APLT, all carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Emergents earnings per share estimates have increased from $3.14 to $4.23 for 2020 and from $3.35 to $4.63 for 2021 in the past 60 days. BioMarins earnings per share estimates have increased from $1.51 to $1.57 for 2020 and from $2.46 to $2.80 for 2021 in the past 60 days. Applied Therapeutics earnings per share estimates have increased from 46 cents to 47 cents for 2021 in the past 60 days. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Quote 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) : Free Stock Analysis Report BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (EBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Applied Therapeutics Inc. (APLT) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research OAK LAWN, IL If there is a photograph that exists in which Renee Isadore isnt smiling, Linda Vahl cant locate it. In every picture, no matter the setting, Isadores ever-present smile is beaming, portraying a happiness that friends like Vahl cant soon forget. Isadore, who worked as a nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, was born to help people and to do anything that would allow her smile to find its way onto the faces of others. She was the type of person, friends recall, that never seemed to have a bad day no matter what was happening around her. Yet, in the two years since Isadore was murdered while sitting in her car in the PF Chang's restaurant parking lot in Orland Park just a month before her 44th birthday, it is her smile and gentle spirit that seem to live on, finding its way into everyday moments others might consider coincidence, but, that her friends and fellow nurses know to be anything but happenstance. Oh, thats Renee, one of her nursing colleagues, Nicole Kahney-Dobrovolny said of the regular reminders like butterfly sightings that remind friend of Isadores presence to this day. "Shes always with us. Isadore, a former Mt. Greenwood resident, would have turned 46 on Thursday and so, as they have for the previous two years including initially just a month after Isadores tragic death a group of her friends will carry out Isadores mission of good deeds, using her birthday to honor their friend, knowing it is Isadore that remains the strongest bond that weaves them together. A memorial plaque honors Renee Isadore's memory at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn (Photo courtesy of Linda Vahl) This year, a group of 14 friends and loved ones, including Isadores husband, Eddie, will visit places like the Ronald McDonald House in Oak Lawn, the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League, the Courage Program in Oak Lawn and he Guildhaus halfway house for men in Blue Island to promote kindness and goodness while asking nothing in return. Just because. She would have been one of the first people, if she were still here and if this happened to somebody else that was tragically left behind, I know for a fact she would sign up and say, how can I help?, said Vahl, who graduated from Reavis High School in 1992 with Isadore. Story continues So when we all get together, we all find comfort in doing these things. The effort to honor Isadore began in July 2018, when two of her fellow nurses at Christ Medical Center, Kahney-Dobrovolny and Liezel Cabras, organized the first day of goodness in Isadores memory. Thursdays day of service will mark the third time the group has traveled to various agencies around the community as a way of carrying on Isadore's legacy of helping others. Athough the day always brings back difficult memories of the summer night Isadore was tragically killed, it also provides the opportunity for the group that now serves the community to celebrate Isador in their own way. She was just so giving to everyone and she always made everyones day better, said Kahney-Dobrovolny, who has worked at Christ Medical Center for the past 21 years. So we just knew we had to do something that she would do for someone else. Renee Isadore was the common bond that linked her fellow nurses, many of whom work in different units of Christ Medical Center. (Photo courtesy of Linda Vahl). Like Vahl, Isadores colleagues at Christ Hospital remember her as someone who was constantly cheerful and who always attempted to what she could to help others. Margie Sheerin, who has worked as a charge nurse in Oak Lawn for 35 years, said Isadore was always the type to fill in when needed even if it meant her putting in extra hours. She always strived to treat patients as if they were family members, often sitting bedside holding someones hand and constantly using her smile and warm personality to brighten the day of others. So when it comes to the acts of kindness that are now being done in Isadores honor, Sheerin knows her former colleague would approve. I think Renee would be so honored because she was such a giving person, Sheerin said. If it was someone else, she would be the first one to jump right in and say, let me help. The band of Good Samaritans carries out their acts of kindness while many wear matching hot pink T-shirts that include the image of Isadors beloved Hello Kitty with a halo to honor their friends memory. Although they ask nothing in return, donations have been made to a scholarship at Saint Xavier University in Beverly, where Isadore graduated from the schools nursing program in 2006. The scholarship, which goes to a current Saint Xavier nursing student was established by Isadore's husband, a Chicago police officer, and Vahl, Isadore's best friend, in 2018. While Vahl didnt previously have a link to the Christ Hospital nurses before Isadores death, she has connected with the collection of first responders with Isadore serving as the common bond that brings the group together for good each July 30th. Renee Isadore's memory is lived out with an annual day of service on her birthday, (Photo courtesy of Linda Vahl) I think it speaks to the person Renee was, Vahl said. We all can almost meet each other and act like weve known each other our whole lives.I dont know if that would be the case with just anybody, but I think Renee was special in that way. She brought people together and we all see the goodness in her so we all see the goodness in each other and we have this bond. By the end of each day of service the group completes, there is a sense of joy that overtakes those who participate in the effort to remember Isadore. Although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic may limit how much direct contact the group will be able to have at their various stops on Thursday, their joy will not be dampened as they continue to help others in the way they know Isadore would appreciate as her memory lives on. And does her smile - now on the faces of those who choose to remember Isadore by celebrating her gentleness and loving care to others. Her (birthday) isnt in vain because her being in the world really meant something," Vahl said. "Shes relevant in the world even though she hasnt taken any breaths for the past two years. Her spirit lives on and this is a testament to it because we wouldnt be doing this if she wasnt a phenomenal person and a phenomenal human being. This article originally appeared on the Oak Lawn Patch Oprah Winfrey has penned a powerful column demanding justice for Breonna Taylor and honouring her memory in the September edition of O, the Oprah Magazine, which features Taylor on the cover. On Thursday, O published Winfreys essay explaining the decision not to feature Winfrey on the cover of her magazine for the first time in 20 years. The moving piece also quotes Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, as she continues to seek consequences for the police officers involved in her daughters shooting. I think about Breonna Taylor often, Winfrey wrote. She was the same age as the two daughter-girls from my school in South Africa whove been quarantining with Stedman and me since March. In all their conversations I feel the promise of possibilities. Their whole lives shine with the light of hopefulness. That was taken away from Breonna in such a horrifying manner. Winfrey is one of several entertainment luminaries including Beyonce, Solange, Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe, Kerry Washington and many more who have used their elevated platforms to call for action after Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment by officers using a no-knock search warrant. Winfreys column also noted that only one of the three cops, Hankison, has been fired from the police force in the wake of Taylors killing. Los Angeles Times MTV VMAs announce nominees and a couple of quarantine awards Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga lead nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards with nine each, followed by Billie Eilish and Canadas The Weekend, with six nominations apiece. Eilish, The Weeknd and Gaga are competing for Video of the Year against Eminem, Taylor Swift and Future, featuring Drake. The Weeknd is also up for Artist of the Year, Best R&B, Best Cinematography, Direction and Editing for Blinding Lights. Fellow Torontonian Drake is nominated in four categories, including Best Collaboration and Best Hip-Hop with Future for Life Is Good and a new category Best Music Video From Home for Toosie Slide. In the latter category, hes up against 5 Seconds of Summer, blink-182, John Legend, twenty one pilots and Grande in a collaboration with fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, who is also nominated for Artist of the Year, Best Pop and Best Collaboration. Another new category, Best Quarantine Performance, features Legend, Gaga, Chloe & Halle, CNCO, DJ D-Nice and Post Malone. The VMAs will air live Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. Debra Yeo Ashley Judd can sue Harvey Weinstein for sexual harassment Harvey Weinsteins legal woes continue. On Wednesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision, ruling that actress Ashley Judd can go forward with a sexual harassment claim against the disgraced movie producer. One of the first actresses to speak out publicly against Weinstein, Judd claimed that in 1998, the once powerful Hollywood figure lured her to his room at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, where he made unwanted advances, including asking her to watch him shower and attempting to give her a massage. In April 2018, Judd sued Weinstein, claiming that he sabotaged her career after she rejected his overtures, including costing her an opportunity to work in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy a claim confirmed by director Peter Jackson. In September, a federal judge struck down Judds sexual harassment claim against Weinstein, saying Californias sexual harassment law didnt apply because she was not an employee and did not have a professional relationship with Weinstein. But the 9th Circuit panel found that the lower court erred, saying there was an inherent power imbalance, and that Weinstein was uniquely situated to exercise coercion or leverage over Judd by virtue of his professional position and influence as a top producer in Hollywood. Los Angeles Times After almost a decade of work, Philip Roth biography to be released In fall 2012, Philip Roth, as the willing subject of one of the most anticipated literary biographies in recent memory, joked that he had surrendered power over his own life to author Blake Bailey. Baileys Philip Roth: The Biography is coming out April 6, 2021, W.W. Norton & Company announced Thursday. Its 880 pages predate not just Roths death in 2018, at age 85, but Roths retirement from public writing after 2010 and the involvement of Bailey. Roths novels include American Pastoral, Portnoys Complaint and many other works of classic, contentious fiction, and his dystopian The Plot Against America, about a fascist U.S. presidency in the 1940s, was adapted into an HBO series that aired this year. He had been thinking of a book about his life since the 1990s, originally asking University of Connecticut professor Ross Miller to be his biographer. But Roth and Miller parted ways in 2009. At the suggestion of fellow literary biographer James Atlas, Bailey got in touch with Roth. Bailey began working on the biography in 2012 and received broad access to Roth, to his friends and to Roths private papers, including a 295-page rebuttal to an unflattering memoir written by ex-wife Claire Bloom, that will otherwise be destroyed or sealed until 2050. Haiti - Storm Isaias : Report of 2:00 pm, Haiti is preparing At 2 p.m., the center of tropical storm Isaias was located at 18.9 degrees north latitude, and 69.8 degrees west longitude, or 45 km northeast of Santo Domingo and 267 km south east of Cap-Haitien. Isaias is moving northwest at nearly 20 mph (31 km/h). According to forecasts, Isaias will continue to move over Hispaniola this evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 95 km/h with higher gusts. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 310 miles (500 km) mainly north of the center. Tropical storm conditions will continue to spread to parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the warning zone. Compared to the dangerous sea conditions in northern Haiti, the Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH) in conjunction with Hydro-Meteorological of Haiti (UHM), announces the temporary ban on all cabotage operations on the northern coastal regions and the Gulf of Gonave. According to the current trajectory, the northern departments of Haiti should be the most affected by the heavy rains. Brigadiers and municipal Civil Protection committees are also mobilized to help the population. Jerry Chandler, the Director General of the Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) is currently in the North of Haiti to strengthen the departmental coordinations to give a better response to the passage of the Tropical storm Isaias. SL/ HaitiLibre Subscriber content preview NEW YORK (AP) An attorney for J.C. Penney Co. told a bankruptcy judge Wednesday that the retailer is going forward with a sale of its business and expects the deal to be completed by the fall. The potential sale comes as Plano, Texas-based Penney is looking at three bidders, which are looking at buying the company as a going concern. The bidders weren't identified. . . . Announcement: Moody's withdraws ratings for five funds managed by Patagonia Inversora S.A.S.G.F.C.I. Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 Buenos Aires City, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Latin America Agente de Calificacion de Riesgo S.A. has today withdrawn the ratings of five bond funds managed by Patagonia Inversora S.A.S.G.F.C.I. (Patagonia). The funds are withdrawn as follows: - Lombard Renta Fija en Dolares: global scale bond fund rating of Caa-bf and national scale bond fund rating of Baa-bf.ar. - Lombard Renta en Pesos FCI: global scale bond fund rating of Caa-bf and national scale bond fund rating of Ba-bf.ar. - Lombard Capital FCI: global scale bond fund rating of Caa-bf and national scale bond fund rating of B-bf.ar. - Lombard Abierto Plus FCI: global scale bond fund rating of Caa-bf and national scale bond fund rating of B-bf.ar. - Lombard Renta Fija FCI: global scale bond fund rating of Ca-bf and national scale bond fund rating of Ca-bf.ar. RATINGS RATIONALE Moody's has decided to withdraw the ratings for its own business reasons. Please refer to the Moody's Latin America Agente de Calificacion de Riesgo Policy for Withdrawal of Credit Ratings, available on its website, www.moodys.com.ar. Patagonia is a medium-size Argentinian asset manager with 4% market share. As of June 2020, Patagonia had assets under management of approximately ARS 33.1 billion. The principal Rating Procedure Manual used in assigning these ratings was the Procedures Manual for Rating Fixed Income Mutual Funds published in June 2017 registered with the CNV -- Comision Nacional de Valores in Argentina. Please see the Manuales de Procedimientos page on www.moodys.com.ar for a copy of this document. These ratings have been assigned through processes that are consistent with those employed for the assignment of ratings of similar securities or entities by other affiliates of Moody's Latin America Agente de Calificacion de Riesgo in other jurisdictions under the methodology Moody's Bond Fund Rating Methodology published in May 2013 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_152088. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. Story continues Moody's National Scale Credit Ratings (NSRs) are intended as relative measures of creditworthiness among debt issues and issuers within a country, enabling market participants to better differentiate relative risks. NSRs differ from Moody's global scale credit ratings in that they are not globally comparable with the full universe of Moody's rated entities, but only with NSRs for other rated debt issues and issuers within the same country. NSRs are designated by a ".nn" country modifier signifying the relevant country, as in ".za" for South Africa. For further information on Moody's approach to national scale credit ratings, please refer to Moody's Credit rating Methodology published in May 2016 entitled "Mapping National Scale Ratings from Global Scale Ratings". While NSRs have no inherent absolute meaning in terms of default risk or expected loss, a historical probability of default consistent with a given NSR can be inferred from the GSR to which it maps back at that particular point in time. For information on the historical default rates associated with different global scale rating categories over different investment horizons, please see https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1216309. Please see www.moodys.com.ar for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. This publication does not announce a credit rating action. 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New Delhi, July 30 : The AYUSH Ministry has claimed that there has been decline in the incidence trendline for COVID-19 among the users of 'Ayuraksha kit' as compared to trends of general population in the national capital. As per the ministry "positive feedback is being reported from the personnel with decreased anxiety levels, feeling of general well-being and reduction in minor symptoms like cold and cough". A prophylactic programme 'AYURAKSHA' is being run for 80,000 Delhi Police personnel under the directions of Ministry of AYUSH, and Delhi Police, being the frontline warriors of COVID-19, are being given 'Ayuraksha kit' for boosting the immunity and increasing quality of life against COVID 19. "The Ayraksha kit contains Sanshamani Vati (prepared from Giloy), AYUSH kadha and Anu Taila for nasal application," the Ministry said. Till date 1,58,454 'Ayuraksha kits' have been distributed in two phases with overall compliance of more than 90 per cent, said the ministry, adding feedback of the Delhi police personnel is being analysed with the help of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and positive feedback is being received. National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) has capped the number of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions that payment apps such as Google Pay and PhonePe and their partner banks can execute, in attempt to limit the damage to the payments ecosystem in case one of their systems collapses, two people directly aware of the development said. A decision on this was taken earlier this month but the rules on capping of market share will apply retrospectively from April 1, the people said on condition of anonymity. NPCI first proposed the plan to limit the number or value of transactions in August last year. It then said that payment apps will hit the limit if they exceed 50% of all UPI transactions in the first year of the implementation of the rules, 40% in the second year and 33% from third year onwards. NPCI will trigger warnings to payment apps and sponsor banks if they near the threshold. In case of a breach of the mandated threshold, NPCI will start penalising payment firms and banks, and ask them to stop onboarding new customers with immediate effect. NPCI did not respond to Mints queries. NPCI has explained that this is undertaken as a part of ensuring risk management review across products, and the impact of market capping will be discussed with each firm. Execution details will also be discussed with them in detail, said one of the two people cited, who didnt want to be named. This move is expected to hurt payment apps such as Google Pay, which commands a 42% market share, and Flipkart-owned PhonePe, which has a 35% share, the most. It is also likely to influence WhatsApps payment offering, which has been running pilots for over two years and is awaiting approval from the RBI. UPI is a completely open and interoperable ecosystem by design. There is no barrier to entry to new entrants at all. New players are still entering every day. So why penalise consumers by forcing them to use anything but the best apps/service providers available at any time? said Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO, PhonePe. Though nobody is near the 50% market share range now, the real challenge will start from next year when the limit is reduced to 40%, Nigam added. NPCI is also expected to give payments apps three months to comply with the rules, starting July. Market capping got triggered even further after the YES Bank moratorium in March, which caused outages on the UPI infrastructure. NPCI came in with the understanding that by capping market share, the risk of outages due to one player being too large can be mitigated. But in reality, it is counterproductive to the UPI ecosystem and will hit players which are spending on behalf of NPCI to increase the penetration of UPI, said a senior executive of a payment firm, who didnt want to be named. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON SPRINGFIELD Vested Interest in K9s Inc., a Taunton nonprofit that raises money for protective gear for police dogs, is donating a bulletproof vest to the Springfield police. The vest will be worn by Walker, one of nine dogs that are part of the police K-9 unit. He is partnered with Officer John Ruyffelaert and has been in service since last year, working with the various C3 Units. Im a big supporter of our K9 unit and just want to keep them safe, said Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood. Vested Interest in K9s has been a great partner over the years and we hope to continue this relationship. With the donation, all nine dogs employed by Springfield police have protective body armor, said spokesman Ryan Walsh. The vests cost between $1,700 and $2,280. Weighing between 4 and 5 pounds, the vests are custom-fitted and designed to protect the dogs from gunfire and knives. Since 2009, Vested Interest in K9s has provided nearly 4,000 vests, valued at nearly $7 million, to police K-9 units across the county. The money is raised through private and corporate donations. Funding for Walkers vest was donated by Gregory Phillips of Andover. There are an estimated 30,000 dogs employed by local, state and federal law enforcement in the United States. K-9 teams are commonly employed for area searches, narcotics investigations, and are often sent first into buildings to root out any suspects hiding inside. This can put them in considerable danger if the person hiding decides to fight. Hours before the announcement, one of the K-9 teams, Officer Kelly Diederich and her dog Moe, thwarted a burglary in progress at the Pride station at 700 State St., police said. Just after midnight, Deiderich spotted broken glass on a door at the station and suspected someone was inside. She was about to send Moe inside when the suspect, Joveth Berdecia, a 42-year-old homeless man, surrendered, police said. He is charged with breaking and entering. This would open the way for a fresh and potentially career-derailing trial on charges that could see Salvini, a senator, serve up to 15 years in jail Italy's Senate votes Thursday on whether far-right chief Matteo Salvini should be stripped of his parliamentary immunity to be tried for a second time for allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea. This would open the way for a fresh and potentially career-derailing trial on charges that could see Salvini, a senator, serve up to 15 years in jail. "If anyone thinks the are going to scare me with a politically-motivated trial, you've got the wrong man," Salvini told the senate ahead of the vote. The head of the anti-immigrant League party is already set to stand trial in a separate but similar case. Prosecutors in the Sicilian city of Palermo accuse Salvini of abusing his powers as then-interior minister in August 2019 to illegally prevent more than 80 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean from disembarking from the Open Arms charity ship. Ministers cannot be tried for actions taken while in office unless their parliamentary immunity is revoked by the Senate. The vote is expected at around 1600 GMT. "Defending Italy is not a crime. I am proud of it, I would do it again, and I will do it again," Salvini said on Wednesday. He has insisted the decision to stop the migrants from getting off the ship until a deal was brokered with EU countries to take them in was reached collectively within the government. That is the same defence Salvini is using in the other trial, in which he is accused of blocking migrants from disembarking from the Italian "Gregoretti" coast guard boat last July. In February, the Senate voted to strip him of his parliamentary immunity in that case. The preliminary hearing has been postponed thrice due to the coronavirus pandemic, and is now scheduled to take place in Sicily on October 3. - 'The limelight' - Political analyst Franco Pavoncello said a go-ahead from the Senate on the Open Arms trial would "certainly have an impact on Salvini", whose popularity has dropped since the coronavirus pandemic swept through Italy. Salvini, 47, says Italy's over two-month lockdown hit him and his party hard, as he had to put an end to his frequent rallies up and down the country and his famous beachside selfie sessions. A Demopolis poll this week found that the League has dropped over 11 points in a year, from holding 37 percent of voting intentions to 25.4 percent today. "At the moment Salvini generates little media interest. The decision to strip him of his immunity would re-open the case and could whip up media attention," Pavoncello told AFP. "Those who vote to send him to trial in a bid to create political problems for him could end up giving him the limelight instead." He warned, however, that while Salvini may make temporary gains, "a trial could be difficult for him in the long term, for the charges are serious". Salvini is currently in opposition but is determined to become prime minister. Although the League may be slipping down the polls, it is still the most popular party in Italy and its leader expects to do well at the next elections. A conviction, however, could throw a serious spanner in the works. Search Keywords: Short link: NEWTOWN Extremist Alex Jones is appealing to the nations highest court after sanctions for his profanity-laden call-to-war against his enemies behind the Sandy Hook defamation lawsuit were upheld by Connecticut Supreme Court. The Connecticut (Supreme) Courts ruling is both shocking in its cavalier disregard of core first amendment jurisprudence, and deeply troubling as a precedent that extends the trial court's power to police the speech of litigants even when those litigants are neither before the court, nor engaged in litigation proceedings, reads a motion Jones attorney filed Tuesday with the states highest court. Jones, the host of the Texas-based internet show Infowars, is referring to a decision last week by Connecticut Supreme Court to deny his appeal and uphold sanctions levied against Jones in trial court for saying to Sandy Hook families lawyers during a 2019 broadcast, If you want blood, youve got it. Blood on the streets, man Jones, who replaced his high-profile attorney Norm Pattis shortly before the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling, rehired Pattis to make Jones appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Pattis confirmed on Thursday. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Jones appeal when it is filed. As of Thursday, in fact, the Connecticut Supreme Court was yet to rule on whether to grant Jones request for a stay in his Connecticut case while Jones prepares his appeal to the nations highest court. But the trial court judge who originally slapped Jones with sanctions in 2019 has postponed activity in the case until the Connecticut Supreme Court rules on Jones request for a stay. Jones is being sued in Texas and Connecticut by families that lost loved ones in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre for calling the tragedy staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors with inside job written all over it. Jones attorneys have argued in court that Jones no longer believes that Connecticuts worst crime was faked, and that Jones has the right to be wrong. Chris Mattei, one of the families attorneys at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder who Jones singled out in his 2019 rant, called Jones appeal a stunt. Mr. Jones has sought to delay justice at every turn because he knows he will have nowhere to hide when this case goes before a jury, Mattei said on Thursday. But, that day will come. The Sandy Hook families will make sure of that. At stake for Jones is the ability to pursue what he considers a key line of defense - that he is protected from liability for his free speech under a 2017 Connecticut statute designed to keep frivolous lawsuits from chilling peoples First Amendment rights. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis took that option away from Jones when she hit him with sanctions last summer, after Jones went on his Infowars show with Pattis, claiming someone had embedded child pornography in Jones emails that were turned over to Sandy Hook families as part of the pretrial discovery process. Transcripts from Jones June 14, 2019, broadcast quote Jones singling out Mattei and the firm of Koskoff & Koskoff run by Senator Murphy and Senator Blumenthal. Later in the broadcast, according to the transcript in court documents, Jones said: And so, if they want war - you know, its not a threat. Its like an AC/DC song. If you want blood, youve got it. Blood on the streets, man ... . Pattis in his motion on Monday argues that Jones rant did not cross the threshold of a threat. The Connecticut (Supreme) Court did not find that Mr. Jones speech satisfied the requirements of the true threat, incitement or fighting words doctrines, Pattis writes. Instead, the Court held that out-of-court utterances posed a threat to the administration of justice. Pattis has 90 days to make Jones case to the U.S. Supreme Court. rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342 Press Release July 30, 2020 Statement of Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri in Celebration of Eid'l Adha 30 July 2020 I join our Islamic brothers in the commemoration of Eid'l Adha most especially in the Bangsamoro as well as in numerous Islamic communities nationwide. The National Government will consistently support the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as they execute their mandates. As of now, they have drafted three of the most important documents of a full-fledged government: the Administrative, Civil Service and Local Government Codes. Likewise, they already adopted a three-year Bangsamoro Development Plan for 2020 to 2022 prioritizing infrastructure projects such as airports to boost the economy such as tourism, protection of forest resources, land acquisition for government agencies & shelter. At the crosshairs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bangsamoro adopted measures such as blended learning methods, cash assistance to civil servants such as teachers, building hundreds of isolation centers, implementing a region-wide anti-polio vaccination campaign, attending to Locally-Stranded Individuals returning to the Bangsamoro and relocating Internally Displaced Persons. I also echo the appeals of our Muslim brothers to the National Government to speed up the rehabilitation of Marawi since its 5-month siege in 2017 which affected 98% of its population. The same appeal is heard from displaced families in the 2013 Zamboanga siege. Reconstruction is never easy as the BARMM and other Local Governments has had to build from the ground. However, there is optimism because our Muslim countrymen are united and the National Government commit to deliver the promises in the Bangsamoro Organic Law. The BOL had just turned two years last Sunday July 26 following closely at the cusp of the grand pilgrimage culmination or, Eid'l Adha. After Thane and Kalyan, the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has also decided to investigate complaints against private hospitals treating Covid-19 patients in the city. As per the civic body, four private hospitals are under scrutiny for overcharging and other irregularities. Since there are several complaints of overcharging and denial of admission, we have initiated probes into the hospitals. As of now, four hospitals are under scrutiny, said Yuvraj Badhane, public relations officer, UMC. The civic body is checking 108 bills of these four hospitals, for irregularities and charges over the rates set by the state government to treat Covid patients. As per UMC, six private hospitals in the city have been permitted to treat Covid patients. We have formed a committee to look into the complaints against these hospitals. Once the scrutiny is completed, we will serve a show-cause notice, and action will be taken after receiving their explanation. Also, we will ask the hospitals to return the overcharged amount, if any, to the patients, said Badhane. On Tuesday, the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) had cancelled the Covid status, and suspended the registration of A and G Hospital in Kalyan, as it overcharged 9.36 lakh from Covid patients, and did not follow directions of the civic body on bed availability and other treatment procedures. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All buildings in Nairobi are to be repainted in accordance with Public Health Act Cap 242 Section 118 (b), the Nairobi Metropolitan Services(NMS) has ordered. NMS Director General Maj. Gen. Mohammed Badi said owners of buildings in the city have 60 days to comply with the directive, failure to which action will be taken. Badi said colors to be applied shall be as originally approved and any changes to the same must be approved by NMS. Upon expiry of this notice, those not compliant shall be liable to prosecution under relevant sections of the Public Health Act, he said. At the same time, the NMS invited applications for those who are interested in enhancing aesthetic conditions of streets, building frontages, pavements, walkways and green areas. The project will involve repairing, refurbishing and reconstructing pavements and walkways within the Central Business District, Upper Hill, Westlands, Ngara and all sub-counties. Maj. Gen. Badi said the NMS also intends to roll out beautification of all roundabouts, road medians, open recreational spaces and all other greenery areas. Individuals, building owners, organisations or companies have been invited to partner with NMS in implementing the activities to apply to the office of the DG, NMS. All design specifications shall also be provided by the same office, the notice read. Interested members of the public have been advised to apply to the office of the Director-General within 14 days. Figure 1: Auger drilling and geochemical sampling results at Segilola Auger drilling and geochemical sampling results at Segilola NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thor Explorations Ltd. (TSX VENTURE: THX) (Thor or the Company) is pleased to announce initial results from the recent comprehensive auger drilling program carried out on the Segilola Gold Project mining licence. This program has delineated a large area of anomalous gold geochemistry located to the east of the Segilola mineralised structure all within 700 metres of the Segilola open pit deposit. The results align with earlier stream sediment and soil anomalies and are further confirmed by rock chip samples and quartz veining exposed by the exploration team. Segun Lawson, President & CEO, stated: The results of this program are encouraging with good indication of mineralisation in near proximity to the open pit. Drilling commences on these targets next week, as per the previously announced Q3 drilling program, to assess the zones for economic viability. Importantly, the results of the program illustrate the appropriateness of our current exploration approach and the rigour being applied by our exploration team. I look forward to extending the auger program to the anomalies identified during our regional stream sediment program on our exploration licenses. Target Generation Thor has received the results from 900 auger drilling soil geochemical samples collected in the near-mine area around the Segilola gold deposit. This area is part of a larger survey area comprising 1,600 sample sites. Samples are collected at 20-25m spaced locations along 50-100m spaced lines from an average depth of 1.6m. This survey has been complimented with stream sediment and rock chip sampling. The results from these surveys have returned numerous anomalous gold values within a large area measuring 3.3km along strike and up to 700m wide, located to the east of the Segilola mineralised structure and referred to as the eastern gold target zone (Figure 1). Story continues Significant results include: Several parallel trends with auger soil geochemistry of up to 1,888 ppb Au (1.9 g/t Au) Stream sediment values of up to 1.96 g/t Au Rock chip sample of 1.55 g/t Au The auger soil geochemistry data suggest that several anomalous trends are developed in NNE-trending zone that is parallel to the structure that hosts the Segilola gold deposit. Thor has a comprehensive reverse circulation (RC) drilling program planned to test these targets. Drilling is scheduled to commence in August 2020. Thor has implemented an on-going exploration program to locate satellite gold deposits around the main Segilola resource and operating centre. Figure 1 is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c3b564d-5cf5-47f2-b8c4-bbe844bcbe62 Background The high grade Segilola gold deposit is located on the major regional shear zone that extends for several hundred kilometres through the gold-bearing Ilesha schist belt (structural corridor) of Nigeria. Thors exploration tenure comprises nine explorations licences. Together with the mining lease over the Segilola Gold Deposit Thors total exploration tenure amounts to 912 square kilometres. Qualified Person The above information has been prepared under the supervision of Alfred Gillman (Fellow AusIMM, CP), who is designated as a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approves the content of this news release. He has also reviewed QA/QC, sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information. Further details can be found on the Companys website: www.thorexpl.com About Thor Thor Explorations Ltd. is a Canadian mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties located in Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Thor holds a 100% interest in the Segilola Gold Project located in Osun State of Nigeria and a 70% interest in the Douta Gold Project located in south-eastern Senegal. Thor also holds a 49% interest in the Bongui and Legue gold permits located in Hounde greenstone belt, south west Burkina Faso. Thor trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol THX. THOR EXPLORATIONS LTD. Segun Lawson President & CEO Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase securities. The securities to be offered in the offering have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the benefit or account of, a U.S. person, except pursuant to an available exemption from such registration requirements. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes forward looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, and is subject to important risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Companys ability to fully finance the Project, to bring the Project into operation or to produce gold from the Project, and the use of the proceeds. The words may, could, should, would, suspect, outlook, believe, anticipate, estimate, expect, intend, plan, target and similar words and expressions are used to identify forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this news release describes the Companys expectations as of the date of this news release and accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date.While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time. https://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ti?nf=NzMzNzE2NSMyNDI1OTc2IzIwOTA1NzE= CONTACT: For further information please contact: Thor Explorations Ltd Email: info@thorexpl.com Fig House Communications (Investor Relations) Tel: +1 416 822 6483 Email: info@thorexpl.com Blytheweigh Camilla Horsfall / Megan Ray / Rachael Brooks Tel: +44 207 138 3203 A month after announcing the formation of a nodal agency Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for commercialisation of space activities in the country, the department of space has detailed its structure, roles and responsibilities. The single-window agency will permit and oversee activities by private sector right from building launch vehicles and satellites to launching it. The agency will also monitor the usage of the data generated by the private spacecrafts and rolling out of any space-based services, according to the document. So far, the industry participation in space activities was limited mainly to building parts for the ISRO missions. However, these included 500 medium and small-scale enterprises, public sector undertaking and private industries. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), this has created jobs for around 45,000 people in the country and has matured the Indian industry in manufacturing motor cases, engines, satellite production and rocket motor building to the level of exporting indigenous technologies. IN-SPACe will be another vertical under the department that will enable private players to carry out space activities. To do so, definitely some systems, like appropriate policies, are required. The Space Activities Bill should comprise this. We are already working on it we are trying to modify some existing policies to suit the entry of private players. Some of the activities can be started without the Bill. By then, the Bill will also come in and the picture will come together. But for space launched by the private sector, yes, the Bill would be required, ISRO chairman and secretary of department of space Dr K Sivan had said during the announcement last month. Other sectors such as defence production, telecom, materials, chemicals, and precision engineering have also benefitted from these collaborations. For a complete end-to-end mission developing the spacecraft, launch vehicle and launching a mission is infrastructure needed to carry out extensive research and development, integration and testing, and launch port (India has only one space-port in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh). These facilities are capital intensive and take time to establish. IN-SPACe will create a mechanism for sharing the already existing infrastructure in ISRO with the private players. It will also enable the private sector to create temporary infrastructure within Department of Space establishments. The technology, expertise and facilities will be offered to private players either free or at reasonable cost, according to the document. IN-SPACe will also be the nodal agency for approval of any other space-related infrastructure to be built. The newly created agency will have a chairman, technical experts for space activities, safety considerations, legal and strategic experts, and member of the industry and academia. The body will also have members from the prime ministers officer and from the ministry of external affairs. The decision of IN-SPACe shall be final and binding on all stakeholders, including ISRO. The body will also have a monitoring directorate that will have oversight over space activities till the completion of the missions as per IN-SPACe decisions. It shall report back to the agency for corrective actions needed. Any disputes will be resolved by IN-SPACe and department of space. As per the document released by the department of space, the unresolved disputes will be resolved by an appellate body. As an interim measure, utilization of TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) is suggested. The private sector participation will not be limited to established technologies and ISRO will open up new technology challenges to the industry. The shortlisted proposals will be promoted for part funding by the government. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anonna Dutt Anonna Dutt is a health reporter at Hindustan Times. She reports on Delhi governments health policies, hospitals in Delhi, and health-related feature stories. ...view detail WERDOHL (dpa-AFX) - German rail technology company VOSSLOH (VOSSF.PK) reported a first-half net loss of 9.6 million or 0.58 per share compared to a loss of 23.4 million or 1.58 per share last year. Sales revenues for the period declined to 393.2 million from 437.1 million generated in the prior year period, substantially impaired by COVID-19, particularly during the second quarter. Vossloh continues to expect fiscal 2020 sales to be between 900 million and 1 billion. Due to the potential sales shifts, the company said it assumes sales would be at the lower end of the expected range. 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. Russia is planning to become the first country in the world to produce a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the world since early this year. A research institute based in Moscow is planning to register its vaccine candidate by mid-August. Coronavirus vaccine soon? The Head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, said the coronavirus vaccine hopeful has undergone two phases of testing and is expected to be registered with the Health Ministry by August 14, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The RDIF is coordinating with the Gamaleya Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology and Sistema, a Russian conglomerate, to develop and produce its coronavirus vaccine candidate. Dmitriev stated they have rigorous procedures to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the product and noted they would be following all of them. He also confidently stated he previously injected himself with the vaccine. The development of the vaccine went through tests on several volunteer soldiers and is one of two coronavirus vaccine candidates being put through late-stage trials in Russia. The registration of a drug is the most crucial part to verify its safety and effectiveness before it is made available for medical use. The process used by Russia is similar to the approval required from the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. Despite the plans to register the vaccine in August, Russia has not provided evidence of its claim that the injection is safe and effective to use. Also Read: Study Suggest Humans Weakening COVID-19 Virus by Mutation, But Virus is Fighting Back Gamaleya Institute officials were not available to comment about the vaccine candidate. Sistema stated it would become involved with the manufacture of the vaccine once it was fully registered and prepared for mass production. According to CNN, critics said the country's aggressive push to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus is brought by mounting pressure from the Kremlin which focused on branding Russia as a scientific force to be reckoned with. Difficulties of development Although dozens of coronavirus vaccines are being tested around the world, some of which are entering late-stage trials, many experts are cautioning that there remains much more research to be done before the treatments can be approved. A few vaccine candidates have entered their Phase 3 trials while Russia is still on its Phase 2 tests. Developers of the treatment are targeting completion of the development by August 3 and begin their Phase 3 testings while vaccinating medical workers in the meantime. Taking a similar approach to other global scientific establishments, Russia's scientists stated their vaccine candidate was able to reach late-stage trials quickly due to being a modified version of a previous treatment that is used to cure other diseases. The most notable of the vaccine development companies is Moderna, whose efforts are being supported by the United States government and had recently begun Phase 3 testings, use a vaccine it had developed for MERS as its base for the coronavirus version. While the procedure had accelerated the process, US and European regulators are requiring the company to comply with the full safety and efficacy tests of the vaccine. Related Article: Dogs Can Accurately Sniff Coronavirus in Saliva and Secretions @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) Pakistani troops opened fire on Thursday during a rally by minority Pashtun laborers demanding the reopening of a border crossing with Afghanistan, killing at least three people and wounding 13, human rights activists said. The police denied that and said the protesters attacked a checkpoint at the Chaman border crossing. The demonstrators mainly workers from the Pashtun minority trying to get to Afghanistan for work had rallied near the crossing, demanding authorities lift the months-long closure of the border related to measures meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Witnesses say gunshots were heard when protesters tried to cross the border by force and torched a makeshift facility set up there to quarantine COVID-19 patients. After the initial border closure in March, the crossing reopened during daylight hours but remained closed for wage laborers who travel to Afghanistan by day and return home by the evening. Footage taken by Pashtun activists and released on social media shows smoke at the border crossing and people in hospital beds in the town of Chaman. According to police, the protesters, backed by the Pashtun Protection Movement, known for its criticism of the Pakistani army, stormed a border checkpoint. Farhatullah Babar, a prominent Pakistani activist, demanded an investigation. Mohammad Akhlaq, a local police official, said after protesters set fire to the quarantine facility, troops wielding batons pushed back protesters. Gunshots were heard amid the chaos The provincial home minister, Mir Ziaullah Longove, told a news conference after the incident that the police did not open fire at the protesters, and insisted instead that there had been armed men among the rally who opened fire toward the troops. So far, Pakistan has reported more than 277,000 cases of the new coronavirus and 5,924 deaths, including 32 in the past 24 hours. SEATTLE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of some of the most memorable ships in Holland America Line's nearly 150-year history, the premium cruise line is changing the name of its newbuild from Ryndam to Rotterdam and designating it the new flagship of the fleet. The seventh ship to bear this historic name, Rotterdam will be delivered one year to the date on July 30, 2021, pushed back slightly from its original delivery of May 2021 due to the global health situation. Click to Tweet: [email protected] changes newbuild name to iconic Rotterdam; new flagship and 7th ship to bear the moniker for the #cruise line to be delivered in July 2021. When Rotterdam is delivered from Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Italy, it will spend the summer exploring Northern Europe and the Baltic on roundtrip cruises from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Guests and travel advisors with clients who were booked on the ship's Premiere Voyage in May and itineraries through July 30 are being contacted with rebooking options. "The first ship for Holland America Line was the original Rotterdam, the company was headquartered in the city of Rotterdam for many years, and the name has been a hallmark throughout our history since 1872 so clearly the name is powerful and symbolic," said Gus Antorcha, Holland America Line's president. "With the current Rotterdam leaving the company, we knew we had a unique opportunity to embrace the name as our new flagship and carry on the tradition of having a Rotterdam in our fleet. Seven is a lucky number, and we know she's going to bring a lot of joy to our guests as she travels across the globe." The History of the Name Rotterdam Holland America Line's first ship was Rotterdam, which sailed its maiden voyage from the Netherlands to New York Oct. 15, 1872, and led to the founding of the company on April 18, 1873. Rotterdam II was built in 1878 for British Ship Owners Co. and purchased by Holland America Line in 1886. Rotterdam III came along in 1897 and was with the company until 1906. The fourth Rotterdam joined the fleet in 1908 and also served as a troop carrier when World War I ended. Following the war it made regular cruises from New York to the Mediterranean. Rotterdam V, also known as "The Grande Dame," set sail in 1959 and began sailing transatlantic crossings with two classes of service. It later converted to a one-class ship in 1969. She sailed with Holland America Line for 38 years until 1997, including several Grand World Voyages, and currently is a hotel and museum in the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam VI, the most recent to cruise for Holland America Line, was introduced in 1997 and the first ship in the R Class. Inaugural Season to Explore Mediterranean, Baltic and Norway Cruising aboard Rotterdam VII begins Aug. 1 with the ship's seven-day Premiere Voyage departing from Trieste, Italy, to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, with port calls throughout the Adriatic Sea and southern Italy. The ship sails Aug. 8 from Civitavecchia on a 14-day cruise through the western Mediterranean and on to Amsterdam. From Aug. 22 through Oct. 10, the ship will sail roundtrip from Amsterdam on three seven-day itineraries to Norway, one 14-day to the Baltic and one 14-day to Norway, Iceland and the British Isles. A trans-Atlantic completes the inaugural Europe season with a 14-day voyage from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To accommodate guests booked on cancelled itineraries of Ryndam from May through July, Nieuw Statendam cruise itineraries also will see some changes to match up as much as possible with former Ryndam sailings. "Guests and travel advisors will be notified today of this news and coming changes to current itineraries," added Antorcha. "We ask everyone, though, to please bear with us just a few weeks for all of the details as we rebuild itineraries and put the finishing touches on several desirable alternatives. We will follow up with specific details very soon so everyone knows their options." Guests booked on the originally scheduled Premiere Voyage will be rebooked on the Premier Sailing for Rotterdam, departing August 1, and will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit. All other guests who were booked on impacted Ryndam or Nieuw Statendam cruises will be automatically rebooked to a similar future cruise date during the summer at the same fare paid. Guests will receive a $100 per person shipboard credit for cruises 10 days or less and $250 per person for itineraries of 12 days or more. Guests are asked to wait until they receive updated booking confirmations in the next several weeks before contacting Holland America Line for additional changes to the booking. About Rotterdam VII The third in the Pinnacle Class series, Rotterdam will carry 2,668 guests, measure 99,500 tons and feature highly successful amenities and innovations introduced with her sister ships, including the 270-degree surround screen World Stage, Rudi's Sel de Mer and Grand Dutch Cafe. Delivering the best of everything, Rotterdam celebrates live music with an exclusive collection of world-class performances each night - from Lincoln Center Stage and B.B. King's Blues Club to Rolling Stone Rock Room and Billboard Onboard. Throughout the ship, Rotterdam also will showcase Holland America Line hallmarks that drive one of the highest guest repeat rates in the industry: exquisite cuisine guided by eight of the world's leading chefs; gracious, award-winning service; and superbly appointed staterooms and suites, including family and single accommodations. Rotterdam is the 17th ship constructed for Holland America Line by Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which most recently built Nieuw Statendam. Naming details have not been finalized and will be announced later. For more information about Holland America Line, contact a travel advisor or call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com. Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com. About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)] Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon more than 70 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits more than 470 ports in 98 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, is under construction and will join the fleet in July 2021. The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs. In light of COVID-19, Holland America Line is currently assessing enhanced health and safety protocols and how they may impact future cruises. Actual offerings may vary from what is displayed. Stay updated on current Travel Advisories and Health & Safety protocols. SOURCE Holland America Line Related Links http://www.hollandamerica.com Experts say the situation of coronavirus infections in Tokyo is serious as the virus has spread to all generations and through diverse routes. The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday held a meeting with the infectious disease experts to assess the situation. They agreed to maintain the highest level of alert on the four-tier scale for the capital for the third week in a row. Tokyo reported a new daily record of 367 cases on Thursday. The meeting heard that the daily average of new infections during the week through Wednesday was 258.1, or 10 percent higher than the previous week. The number of untraceable cases was 154 a day, up nearly 30 percent. Until recently, most cases were people in their 20s and 30s, but the experts said the infections have now spread to all age brackets. They noted that places of transmission have become more diverse, and include bars, homes and workplaces. They said an increasing number of people apparently contracted the virus while dining or drinking with others. They advise people to avoid parties and drinking in groups to curb new infections. On the availability of medical services, it was reported that 1,106 people were hospitalized for the virus as of Wednesday, up about 20 percent from a week earlier. Twenty-two people were in serious condition. The number has been on the rise, mainly among middle-aged and elderly people. The experts agreed that the medical system appears to be in need of strengthening -- the second highest level on the four-tier scale. They said that unlike the first wave of infections, the number of new cases has been gradually increasing for a long time. They added that medical professionals are under continued strain, with no end in sight anytime soon. Entertaining the crowd with a mix of songs, stories and games, Lang, China's badminton Olympic champion Cai Yun, and the popular Queen of Nine-ball Pan Xiaoting also guest-starred on the show. The trio reminisced about the games they played during their childhood, starting from the 80s all the way to the 2000s, and also showcased their skills through sport and music challenges. When recalling his childhood in the 90s, Lang played one of his initiation-phase favorites, Etude Op. 10, No. 5 in G major by Frederic Chopin, wowing the online audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7RC6BNfHOc&feature=youtu.be This isn't the first livestream hosted by Lang, as his last livestream, also on Kuaishou, was a Valentine special held earlier this year in honor of supporting efforts against COVID-19. Hosted by Kuaishou, Lang's livestream attracted mainstream success, with over 3 million tuning in and participating through the comments and gifts. The popularity of such shows has shown that the shift in momentum to livestream apps such as Kuaishou is here to stay. With more crossover content such as Lang's show, Kuaishou is pioneering a new wave of viral content to make livestreaming more prevalent in popular culture. "By uniting fanbases and fostering more communication, Kuaishou aims to build resilient communities across genres and backgrounds," said Yan Qiang, senior vice-president of Kuaishou. About Kuaishou Technology Kuaishou Technology develops content sharing platforms and makes content production, distribution and consumption fast and easy. Our content recommendation system is built on a deep understanding of our users and the content being shared on our platforms every day. Our flagship product, Kuaishou, is China's leading short video sharing and social networking platform that enables users to capture the unique and memorable moments of their everyday lives, and to interact with followers in real-time. Our technology offers users a highly personalized experience and encourages members from all communities to create and discover interesting and dynamic content. Founded in 2011, Kuaishou Technology is headquartered in Beijing with more than 10,000 employees and offices in China, the United States, India and Brazil. Our notable investors include DCM Ventures, Morningside Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, Tencent and Baidu. For more information, please visit www.kuaishou.com. March 2011 GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs October 2013 GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform - Kuaishou GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform - Kuaishou January 2015 Kuaishou's DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million Kuaishou's DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million September 2017 Kuaishou's total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million Kuaishou's total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million December 2017 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 100 million June 2018 Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community May 2019 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 200 million Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 200 million March 2020 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 300 million Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 300 million July 2020 Kuaishou's Livestream DAU surpassed 170 million To download Kuaishou, click here. For more information contact: Zhang Chuanshi +86-134-8881-8382 [email protected] SOURCE Kuaishou Technology Related Links http://www.kuaishou.com Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on July 30, 2020. (Photo/mod.gov.cn) BEIJING, July 30 -- China has expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the false content about China in the latest Defense White Paper issued by the Japanese government on July 14, and lodged solemn representations to Japan, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday. Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang said that Japans latest Defense White Paper has ignored facts, made irresponsible remarks about Chinas national defense and military building, and exaggerated the so-called military threat of China. Furthermore, it distorted and discredited China on issues such as South China Sea, East China Sea and anti-pandemic fight, and talked a lot of nonsense on the Taiwan question. Ren stressed that, at present, China-Japan relations have been in a critical period of improvement and development. China urges the Japanese side to learn from history, look into the future, stop making false statements, and follow the strategic consensus reached by the leaders of two states as a guide. He added that, Japan should work with Chinese side towards the same goal, and jointly promote the construction of a constructive bilateral security relationship, enhance mutual political and security trust, safeguard regional peace and stability, and promote the continuous improvement and development of China-Japan relations. This follows and announcement from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month that empty shops could be turned into homes, cafes or offices without planning permission in order to "revive the high street". Here in Ireland, similar legislation was introduced in 2018 to allow vacant shops and the premises above them to be converted to residential properties without the need for planning permission. In July, John Lewis announced that eight of their UK stores, which closed in March due to Covid-19 lockdown measures, would not reopen. The shops set to close are located in prime areas where housing is needed to meet demand, including Birmingham, Croydon and Watford. Dame Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, told employees that the group is also considering closing some of their supermarkets. Advertisement Dame Sharon said the group is exploring opportunities to venture into private rented housing with third parties as it looks to repurpose and potentially reduce its shop portfolio. We expect to see continued rebalancing of stores, opening new ones where we see strong customer demand and potentially closing others where demand wanes. Our existing stores will be updated to meet customers expectations. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Would you still buy an electric car if you knew you wouldnt be able to resell it in the future? Thats the latest hurdle potential buyers are contending with, and its bound to become a big driver of demand. The expenses of owning an electric vehicle have always stood in the way of mass adoption, even in China, which has an extensive subsidy program. Starting from the cost of the battery to how far a charge will take drivers, not to mention the shortage of points where they can plug in, theres a lot to grapple with before green cars can overtake those powered by internal combustion engines. Much of the anxiety stems from batteries the price, technology, density, and where to charge them. Manufacturers have worked for years to bring down the price on a per kilowatt-hour basis. Technology has improved, with different materials helping cars run longer and further, thus needing less charge. The chemistry has become more stable. In May, for instance, Svolt Energy Technology Co., owned by the parent of Chinas Great Wall Motor Co., launched the worlds first battery that doesnt use the controversial yet once-essential cobalt. It costs less than the mainstream competition and has higher density, meaning more energy is packed into the same volume. So the good news is, battery prices are dropping, down to 1.1 yuan ($0.13) per watt-hour in 2019 from 2.1 yuan per watt-hour in 2016. That also means that the cost of electric vehicles is coming down (though the good ones still arent that affordable), since batteries typically account for 50% to 60% of their value.But therein lies the trap: As the technology evolves and drives prices of new vehicles lower, existing owners are taking a disproportionate beating in the secondhand market. The average resale value of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids is less than 40% of the original purchase price, versus 50% to 70% on conventional cars. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts note that consumer concerns about the quality and reliability of old batteries appear to weigh on used cars prices. That doesnt really help make the case for current new buyers, either. Story continues Then there are underlying demand trends. Sales of all cars were falling even before Covid-19. The market for batteries has been inching lower across the U.S., China and Europe. Installations fell around 30% in June from the previous year in the worlds largest auto market, China. Driven by regulatory pressures, vehicle manufacturers are tying up with and taking big stakes in battery makers to push forward ways to make greener cars. But confidence to buy them hasnt picked up in most countries, despite subsidies in some shape or form to encourage sales. Meanwhile, the auto market in China is maturing and that has changed preferences, too. Post-pandemic, the last thing consumers will want to buy is an asset that depreciates faster and is more expensive than its main competition, in this case, cars with internal combustion engines. Buying behavior in China shows as much: Purchases are being delayed until automakers drop their prices for electric cars below 300,000 yuan to qualify for the governments rebate program. Its unclear whether Beijing can shore up vehicle demand via subsidies in a big way as it has in the past, though some local authorities have extended rebates and tax incentives to boost short-term sales in recent months. The central government is trying a different tack, announcing a Green Mobility Initiative to push for electric buses in public infrastructure. Growth in batteries has been driven less by passenger cars than by installation in buses. In the Covid-19 era, its less clear if consumers (those with a choice) will want to hop on public buses to commute. There is, of course, the Tesla Inc. caveat. Elon Musks company has a resale program that gives buyers a bit of assurance that someone will buy their cars in the future. But most companies cant afford that, especially as they try to make electric vehicles more affordable while their margins are shrinking. Buying an electric car is a lot tougher than it sounds, and will stay that way until consumers can justify the hole in their wallets. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Anjani Trivedi is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies in Asia. She previously worked for the Wall Street Journal. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Russian authorities have taken all necessary measures for preventing further escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, Aleksey Zaytsev, an official at the Russian foreign ministry said during a weekly briefing. ''Russia was greatly concerned to hear about the border escalation between two our friendly countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we are confident that the long-lasting Karabakh conflict, as well as any other conflict should be solved exclusively peacefully through diplomatic talks. Our position is shared also by the other OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries the USA and France, as well as the UN, the CIS and other international organizations', ARMENPRESS reports Zaytsev as saying. According to him the Russian authorities have taken all the necessary measures for preventing future escalation. Zaytsev reminded that Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov held telephone conversation with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts. ''We are ready to continue efforts for establishing political dialogue between Yerevan and Baku'', he said. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:06:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUDAPEST, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government has decided to maintain the restriction on mass events attended by more than 500 people after Aug. 15, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister's Office, said here on Thursday. "Our goal is to curb the second wave of the epidemic so that the school year can start normally on Sept. 1," Gulyas said at a weekly press briefing. Most of the restrictions that were introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus have already been lifted in Hungary. Gulyas stressed that the government understood the negative impact of this decision on local music industry, and it was willing to help. "The government will provide 5.3 billion forints (18 million U.S. dollars) in support to the professionals of the music industry, which is in a difficult situation due to the coronavirus epidemic," Gulyas said. He also called on Hungarian citizens to respect the social distancing rules and the regulations on wearing masks. According to official figures, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary stood at 4,484 on Thursday, with 3,346 recoveries and 596 fatalities. (1 U.S. dollar = 294.42 Hungarian forints) Enditem The former head of Sichuan Coal Industry Group Ltd. Liability Co. is being investigated for corruption, as the provinces leading miner moves through a court-led bankruptcy reorganization after defaulting on more than 1 billion yuan ($143 million) in debt over the last four years. The provinces two main anti-graft watchdogs jointly announced the action on Tuesday, saying Jing was being investigated for serious breaches of discipline, a phrase synonymous with corruption. In Jings absence, General Manager Liu Wanbo will temporarily assume responsibility for the companys day-to-day operations. The development makes Jing the second high-level official to come under investigation at the money-losing coal miner. Last September, its former deputy Communist Party secretary also came under investigation and was stripped of his party membership and position in April. Such investigations have become commonplace under a years-long anti-corruption campaign that has become a signature effort of President Xi Jinping. The campaign has been mostly focused in government agencies and state-owned enterprises, and also encourages officials to shun extravagance and adopt frugal habits. The Sichuan Coal case is also noteworthy because the company has struggled for years and is currently going through a court-led bankruptcy organization initiated by its creditors. One of those, the Sichuan Commercial Investment Group Ltd. Liability Co., holds 207 million yuan worth of past-due debt when it was among the group requesting the bankruptcy reorganization back in June. At a meeting of the companys high-level officials on Wednesday, Liu Wanbo emphasized it was important to craft the legally-supervised reorganization plan in a timely manner, with the goal of completing and executing it by the end of the year. If the subject of Jings investigation doesnt involve matters related to the bankruptcy, then the reorganization shouldnt be affected by his corruption probe, Cheng Jiuyu, an attorney at the Zwlawyer law firm, told Caixin. But if the probe involves major assets and other company management in ways that could have affected the companys financial situation, then a bankruptcy process using criminal proceedings might have to be launched, he said. But in practice, because bankruptcy reorganization involves a wide range of interests, and also involves a large number of employees, management will normally move the bankruptcy reorganization process forward, he said. A native of East Chinas Jiangsu province, Jing, 57, spent most of his working career in Sichuan, much of that in the city of Panzhihua, including tenure as one of the citys deputy mayors. He joined Sichuan Coal when the company was set up in 2005 through the merger of various local state-owned coal-producing entities, and became the companys chairman and party secretary at the end of 2013. The company has struggled for most of the time under his leadership, partly due to excess capacity in Chinas coal industry that Beijing is currently trying to control through closure of smaller, less efficient players. In putting the company into bankruptcy, a court in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu determined Sichuan Coal lacked the ability to repay its debts, but that the company still had value in continuing as an operating entity. At its 2020 annual work review meeting, Jing had expressed hope that the company could return to profitability through a reorganization of its debt, assets and businesses. Among larger miners producers that were relatively better able to weather the industrys prolonged downturn, Sichuan Coal was hit harder than most due to the provinces complex geology that makes extracting its coal more costly. As a result, the company went from reporting a modest 24 million yuan loss in 2012 to a 1.62 billion yuan loss in 2016. As the Beijing program to eliminate excess production took effect and coal prices firmed, Sichuan Coal was able to return to profitability in 2017 and 2018. But it slipped back into losses last year and the first quarter of 2020, with losses of 552 million yuan in the former and 415 million yuan in the latter. As its finances deteriorated, the company first defaulted on a super short-term 1 billion yuan note in 2016, and has made numerous other defaults since then. Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com) Supplier News 30 July 2020 Newly-released data from SiteMinder, the global hotel industry's leading guest acquisition platform, today reveals that hotel bookings throughout Spain rose more than 1000 percent over the two months leading into the summer, after dropping to 5.03 percent of 2019 levels on 27 April - their lowest level since COVID-19 paralysed the country's travel sector in March. According to the SiteMinder World Hotel Index, hotel reservations in Spain have returned to more than 55 percent of 2019 volumes and, until the introduction of quarantine measures in the UK this past week, had remained above the global average since mid-June. Outpacing Italy (42 percent YoY) and Morocco (29 percent YoY), Spain's strong performance has been led by domestic travellers, who have made more than two-thirds of all hotel reservations over the last three months and will comprise more than 65 percent of all hotel guest arrivals in August. "Despite the impact of the current pandemic, the Spanish public continues to rally behind their country's critical tourism industry and has been pivotal in creating the steady hotel booking numbers that we see today. As we discovered in our recent Changing Traveller Report, more than nine-in-ten locals plan to travel domestically before the end of 2021 and, in light of how their worlds have changed this year, the current summer may have been their most-awaited yet," says Sara Padrosa, Country Manager for Spain at SiteMinder. The bounce back of hotel bookings in cities such as Valencia (57 percent YoY) and Malaga (57 percent YoY), in particular, displays a desire among tourists to enjoy a coastal holiday. However, the ongoing presence of the coronavirus currently impedes a complete recovery for the country's hotel sector. Tightened travel restrictions have resulted in booking volumes within Barcelona contracting from 42 percent of 2019 levels to 26 percent, while hotel reservations in Madrid have hovered around 30 percent YoY since early July, as the capital braces for new measures to avoid a second wave of coronavirus. The SiteMinder World Hotel Index is the leading indicator of hotel reservation and guest arrival trends around the world. Refreshed daily, its data is sourced from the bookings of SiteMinder's 35,000 customers, through more than 400 hotel booking channels. About SiteMinder In an age of rising choice and accessibility for curious travellers, SiteMinder exists to liberate hoteliers with technology that makes a world of difference. SiteMinder is the global hotel industry's leading guest acquisition platform, ranked among technology pioneers for its smart and simple solutions that put hotels everywhere their guests are, at every stage of their journey. It's this central role that has earned SiteMinder the trust of more than 35,000 hotels, across 160 countries, to generate in excess of 100 million reservations worth over US$35 billion in revenue for hotels each year. For more information, visit www.siteminder.com. Former Union Cabinet Minister and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has been actively pressing for a CBI probe in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. Earlier, he had penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the same. Recently, the PM acknowledged his letter for a CBI probe into Sushant's demise. Sushant Case Subramanian Swamy ; Tweet | FilmiBeat Amid this, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh stated that there won't be a CBI investigation in Sushant's death case as the Mumbai Police is currently investigating the matter. Now, Subramanian Swamy has shared a 26-point evidence list, in which he has explained why he thinks the Bollywood actor was murdered. {photo-feature} ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Father's Lawyer Says Somebody In Mumbai Police Is Helping Rhea Chakraborty ALSO READ: Sushant's Father's Lawyer Reveals The Reason Behind The Delay In Filing FIR With Patna Police Oh, fair food the good, the fried and the refreshing. While a lot of the fixings are available at Scotts Bluff County Fair such as lemonade, ribbon fries, corn dogs, burgers, funnel cake many vendors stayed home due to the global outbreak of coronavirus. With the cancellation of the Nebraska State Fair, Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the scaling back of state fairs in South Dakota and Colorado because of the public health concern meant that many vendors took a hit. Most vendors at the fair said they anticipated making between 50-70% less than usual this year. Lincoln-based Geoff Clark and wife Elaine own a franchise of the flash-frozen ice cream Dippin Dots. Geoff Clark said they were grateful the fair in Scotts Bluff County was still on. This year, all our fairs were canceled except Scotts Bluff, so we were glad to have one, he said. The Clarks have sent the truck out to the county fair in Scotts Bluff since 1996, and have made a career traveling to fairs and festivals from May until the end of September. He said in Lincoln, theyve been adapting to the losses by renting out a spot to sell by the roadside, which helped some. As President Trump and some lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), debate whether or not additional federal support is necessary to manage the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, I encourage them to spend just one day with Pennsylvania workers and their families before they make up their mind. They will learn, quickly, that we need more assistance. And we need it now. The workers I am proud to represent are under enormous pressure as they risk exposure to this disease every day. Our union has lost 7 members to COVID-19 and 832 members have tested positive. Thousands of Pennsylvania workers who are all taxpayers as well who continue to work in the midst of this pandemic need greater access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Workers in food and meat processing facilities need stronger enforcement of new safety guidelines and workplace policies that reflect the unique challenges that COVID-19 poses. Our union also represents essential workers in nursing homes, as well as grocery store and pharmacy clerks, risk being exposed every day. They deserve stronger protections, and hazard pay. This is a public health crisis and an economic crisis. Our states unemployment rate stands at 12.9 percent and approximately 51,000 Pennsylvanians are filing unemployment claims each week that is roughly the entire population of Harrisburg. Some of our workers and their family members have lost their jobs. If Sen. Toomey or any other lawmakers were to visit an Unemployment Compensation office for just an hour, they would see that these families need the U.S. Senate and President Trump to extend the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, which provides Americans forced out of work by the pandemic an additional $600 a week in assistance. That program is scheduled to expire at the end of July. This assistance is critical for low-wage workers, who have been hit especially hard by this pandemic. There is no doubt that this program, as well as many other provisions will help workers and families of color. It is important to note that African American unemployment more than doubled in April alone. Extending this supplement will help our nation begin to address the economic inequalities that disadvantage Black Americans. Every Pennsylvanian has a vested interested in this legislation. Our state closed the 2019-20 budget year on July 1 with a $3.2 billion shortfall and the states Independent Fiscal Office is projecting a $4.8 billion loss in state revenue in the next year. Local governments are grappling with significant revenue losses as well. In addition, school districts could face local revenue shortfalls of $1 billion in the next fiscal year. The debate over whether students can or should return to classrooms is raging, but under any circumstance, our public schools need to be ready to teach our kids this fall and that requires funding. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or HEROES Act. Pennsylvanians need the Senate follow suit. This legislation would provide another round of $1,200 checks to American adults and children. The legislation also provides funding for hazard pay, paid sick and family medical leave, childcare support, OSHA protections, and funding for (PPE). The HEROES Act would also provide $875 billion in state and local aid ($500 billion for states and $375 billion for local governments), $90 billion in education assistance, and an increase in federal Medicaid funding. The Act also contains provisions to protect nursing home residents and workers, a critical consideration given that our state is home to more than 2.2 million residents who are 65 and over - fifth highest among all states. This provision is essential for our members. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey supports this legislation. Sen. Toomey is skeptical that additional cash payments to Americans are necessary or effective. President Trump has been quick to come to the aid of banks and his wealthy backers, he has not yet developed a national strategy to protect workers. The 35,000 members I am proud to represent have stepped up and continue to punch the clock throughout this crisis. They are hardworking taxpayers who deserve leadership in Washington D.C. Sen. Toomey needs to show he is more than Trumps lackey. Sen. Toomey needs to lead. Wendell W. Young IV is President of UFCW Local 1776 Keystone State and a member of the CLEAR Coalition. For more information, please visit www.ufcw1776.org. Two Russian oligarchs have been able to bypass U.S. sanctions barring them from U.S. financial systems by taking advantage of lax laws governing high-priced art purchases in the United States, according to a congressional report released on July 29 following a two-year investigation. The report details how investigators traced more than $18 million in art purchases at U.S. auction houses and private sales back to three shell companies linked to Russian brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg. The secret nature of high-value art sales in which buyers often remain anonymous has given the Rotenbergs access to the U.S. economy despite sanctions imposed against them after Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea, the report found. The Rotenbergs, who are close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, made a fortune through contracts related to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Their U.S. assets were frozen in March 2014 under sanctions designed to punish Putin and his close associates over the annexation of Crimea. The sanctions also barred U.S. companies from doing business with them. The report, issued by the U.S. Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said the Rotenbergs found a way to bypass the sanctions by moving money through shell companies and investing it in the high-value art. The shell companies moved at least $91 million through the U.S. financial system after the sanctions were imposed, the report found. U.S. auction houses acknowledged that they never ask for the identity of the buyer in purchases made by an intermediary, the report found. The report called this a loophole that exempts art sales from financial safeguards aimed at stopping money laundering. "It is alarming and completely unacceptable that common sense regulations designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism do not apply if someone is purchasing a multimillion-dollar piece of art, said Senator Tom Carper (Democrat-Delaware), the committees top Democrat. The investigation found that the Rotenbergs attempted to conceal the activity by hiding behind Moscow-based art adviser and dealer Gregory Baltser, a naturalized U.S. citizen. Baltsers attorneys categorically denied the allegations, writing in a statement quoted by Politico that neither Baltser nor his agency has ever, at any time, represented or transacted in any way with Boris or Arkady Rotenberg. The Rotenbergs could not be reached for comment, according to the Associated Press and Politico. The New York Times quoted a representative of the Rotenbergs as saying they had never circumvented sanctions. There are now calls for legislative remedies that would end the secretive nature of art purchases, including an amendment to the Bank Secrecy Act to add businesses handling transactions involving high-value art. The Rotenbergs are the only sanctioned individuals the panel says it could confidently determine were benefiting from U.S. art sales, but they are likely only the tip of the iceberg, the report said. The report also points to new anti-money laundering rules the European Union adopted for expensive art deals requiring the verification of the identity of the buyer and seller in transactions over $10,000. With reporting by AP, Politico, and The New York Times Hundreds of Israeli Jews visited the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem on July 30, marking the fast day of Tisha BAv. According to Jewish tradition, both Jerusalem Temples located on the site were destroyed on the same date, years apart. Regulations at the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, prevent Jews from praying there while visiting. Thus, police detained 13 Jewish worshipers for defying the rules and lying on the ground in prayer and mourning. Another 10 Jewish visitors were detained today and taken out of the compound for similar reasons. Jews are allowed to ascend the Temple Mount compound during two times slots a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Police reports read that about 800 Jewish visitors entered the site in the morning hours, in groups of 20 that were admitted every few minutes. A few hundred more visited the site during the early afternoon slot, though no exact number was communicated. According to some reports, Jews and Muslims clashed in the old city of Jerusalem, but apparently no one was injured. On the morning of July 29, a group of 14 Temple Mount activists petitioned the Supreme Court for Jews to be allowed to pray at the site. The petitioners targeted Public Security Minister Amir Ohana and the Jerusalem District Police, claiming that the reasons behind the decision preventing Jewish prayer are political and diplomatic, not security related. The court rejected the petition. Over the years, several serious incidents have taken place near and at the Temple Mount compound, including the 2017 terror attack outside the site and the October 2000 events that followed the visit of then-Likud leader Ariel Sharon. Hundreds of Jews arrived last night to the Western Wall Plaza for the Tisha BAv prayer and the reading of the book of Eicha. Last week, the Ministry of Health announced that 10,000 could come to the plaza for the prayer, but with the coronavirus cases increasing, that number was reduced to 1,000, in keeping with social distancing rules. A large crowd arrived more than the 1,000 authorized and hundreds of worshipers stormed through the security barriers placed by police to limit their number. Several right-wing politicians arrived for the prayer, including Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and pro-settler Yamina leader Naftali Bennett. Talks between the Afghan government and the hard-line Islamist Taliban movement finally appear to be on the horizon after the two sides announced a brief cease-fire during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha this week. But it is unclear whether they can overcome the immediate problems of reconciling differences over prisoner releases, extending the cease-fire, and resentment over relentless violence since the Taliban signed an initial peace agreement with the United States in February. The agreement outlined a roadmap in which American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan in return for Taliban guarantees. The Taliban and supporters of the current Afghan political system, formally called the Islamic Republic, are expected to decide on a shared future political system before the U.S. withdrawal is complete next year. The Afghan government and Taliban have reportedly reached an agreement over the release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad toured the region in an apparent bid to revive the stalled Afghan peace process. The Taliban have freed some 800 Afghan soldiers in return for the release of 4,000 Taliban fighters by the government. But there is no sign that the Taliban are ready to relinquish their push to recreate the Islamic Emirate, the formal name of their 1990s regime that attracted Afghan opposition and international condemnation for harsh implementation of what the movement called Islamic Sharia law. The Afghan government, civil society, and leaders and factions supporting the republican system also want to preserve the gains of the past two decades, which saw a new pluralistic Afghan political system take hold despite Taliban violence, corruption, declining international aid, and continued interference by Afghanistans neighbors. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, said the group is now ready to move ahead with the peace process, offering a timeline that could get the ball rolling on talks. The Islamic Emirate is ready to release all remaining prisoners of the other side before the eve of Eid al-Adha provided they release our prisoners as per our list already delivered to them, he wrote on July 23. Intra-Afghan negotiations will begin immediately after Eid. On July 28 Zabihullah Mujahid, another Taliban spokesman, announced a three-day cease-fire during Eid al-Adha, which begins on July 31. He wrote on Twitter that in order for our people to spend the three days of Eid in confidence and happiness, all fighters are instructed not to carry out any operations during this period. Taliban leader Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, however, was vague about exactly what his movement will offer Kabul and what they will demand, indicating instead that the movement still sees itself as absolved of any commitments or responsibilities. Domestic parties should immediately remove all obstacles obstructing intra-Afghan dialogue and give priority to the greater interests of our homeland over division of smaller interests, he said in a July 28 statement issued on the Taliban website, so that the Afghans may jointly eliminate all internal and potential causes of war and conflict, restore peace to our homeland and reach an understanding among themselves over future Islamic government. The recent announcements have stirred mixed feelings among Afghans as they hope for peace but question the Talibans ability to keep their promises. Under Ashraf Ghanis presidency, the Afghan government has emphasized the preservation of republican values and the achievements of the past 19 years in the fields of democracy, human rights, and womens rights repeatedly stating that these issues are all part of the governments red line of non-negotiable values. "If the Taliban continue fighting, the Afghan peace process will face serious challenges," Ghani said earlier this month. "Unfortunately, the current level of violence is higher compared to last year." The Afghan leader said that some 3,560 Afghan soldiers have been killed and 6,781 wounded in Taliban attacks since the signing of the U.S.-Taliban deal in February. On July 28, Ghani urged the Taliban to agree to a "permanent and comprehensive cease-fire" during impending peace talks. But Mullah Fazel, a former top Taliban military commander and current senior negotiator, indicated in March that re-establishing the Islamic Emirate remains a top priority. The amir or leader of [a future government] will be ours. There will be an Islamic Emirate, and there will be a system based on Sharia [Islamic law], he told Taliban fighters and supporters in Pakistans southwestern province of Balochistan, which has served as a Taliban sanctuary after they were routed from Afghanistan in late 2001. Fazel maintains that the new Islamic Emirate will be more inclusive. Unlike in the past, not all [officials] will come from among the ulema or the Taliban, he said. The Taliban or the Islamic Emirate will never become part of the Kabul government, but we can grant them [some individuals] a ministry or some other post. Khairullah Shinwari, a political activist who has met and talked with Taliban leaders recently, says the Taliban are willing to cooperate with the Afghan government. They will accept any political system agreed upon in the negotiations between the Afghans as long as it does not conflict with the religious and traditional values of Afghans, he said. The question, however, is whether any middle ground between the two sides can be found. Ali Yavar Adeli, an expert at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, says an agreement can only come from a sustained discourse built upon the foundation of achievements and progress. We need to continue these talks because our values have not been easily achieved, he said. The key issue is to preserve the achievements that go back to the fundamental rights of people, and to continue to bring about peace, a basic desire for all Afghan people, said Aminullah Habibi, another Kabul-based analyst. Those fundamental rights include women's rights, a large topic of concern for those who don't wish to re-imagine life under Taliban rule. Azra Asghari, a Germany-based womens rights activist, doubts the Taliban have changed their views concerning women. I dont think the Taliban are paying attention to social activities and women's rights, she said. The Taliban determine womens rights based on outdated traditions, which is not acceptable in this new age. In the runup to the long-awaited talks, many questions remain unanswered. On one side of the negotiating table, supporters of the Islamic Republic appear ready to reach an agreed settlement and participate in talks if it means being one step closer to peace in the country. But whether the Taliban are prepared to end their violent campaign and compromise on their political ideals remains to be seen. Phelps County now records a total of 31 cases, Kearney County, 21 and Franklin County 8. Throughout the Two Rivers district there have been a total of 1,307 cases with 1,099 of those no longer being symptomatic. The districts risk dial has moved from between moderate and elevated into the elevated category. Two Rivers Emergency Response Coordinator Chris Fankhauser said the health department staff has several theories as to why cases are spiking again and are investigating. She said since the state relaxed the directed health measures and entered phase three on June 22 people have become more lax in the use of face masks and handwashing. People are also tired and frustrated by the continued restrictions, she said. Summer is also a difficult time to keep people isolated for one another, Fankhauser said, people like to gather with family, friends and community during this time of the year. Fankhauser said she hopes people will, dig back in, and be vigilant about hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing. As schools begin to gear up for reopening, a concern in the health department is they will have to close down after only a week of being open due to the virus. LAFAYETTE, Calif. July 29, 2020 $1.5 billion $822 million $3.16 Sam Hazen the United States Sara Heath Thomas Lee Boston Kevin Fleming Lafayette, California /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Across the industry, hospitals have experienced alarming damage to their financial health because of the COVID-19 crisis. According to analysis published recently by Kaufman Hall titled, "The Effect of COVID-19 on Hospital Financial Health", before the pandemic the median operating margin for hospitals in America was a "very modest 3.5%" with many hospitals operating at negative margins.The report goes on to point out that, "When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, hospitals had to stop all but the most urgent non-COVID care. The result was a dramatic slowdown in volume of patients and in revenue, while expenses remained high." This is borne out by the experience of HCA Healthcare, one of the largest for-profit healthcare systems in the country. HCA employs Loyale Patient Financial Manager as its patient financial engagement platform enterprise-wide.During its second quarter earnings call for 2020, executives at HCA reported that revenues declined(13.8%) compared to the same period last year. The worst month of the quarter was April, which showed a decline in patient admissions of 28%. With sequential improvement in admissions for the remainder of the period, admissions for the entire quarter were down 12.8%.However, in what may be the exception that proves the industry's rule, HCA Healthcare reported strong overall financial performance for the second quarter of 2020. Like many healthcare providers across the country, HCA benefited financially from CARES Act stimulus payments, pointing out that for the quarterhad been received to help offset the reduced revenue and higher costs associated with the pandemic. As a result of HCA's vigorous cost cutting efforts (down 11%), increases in admissions and care acuity and federal payments, HCA reported diluted earnings ofper share, up 40% compared to last year.Significantly, HCA executives and the authors of the above-mentioned Kaufman Hall analysis continue to be uncertain about the future. The analyst report posits two broad scenarios for the COVID-19 crisis. The first, more optimistic scenario assumes a slow but steady decrease in COVID-19 cases. The second, less optimistic scenario anticipates periodic surges in COVID-19 cases. These two scenarios were given a 40 percent and 60 percent weighting respectively, but the recent surge in cases suggests conclusively that the latter is indeed coming to pass. This scenario, predictably, brings with it much more troublesome financial probabilities.According to the report, "Across the industry, COVID-19 is expected to drive median hospital margins from positive to negative." Noting that, "Funding from the CARES Act is mitigating the impact to a certain degree. Median margins are forecast to drop to -3 percent in the second quarter of 2020; however, those margins would have been -15 percent without CARES Act funding." Kaufman Hall's forecast shows that, "without further government support, margins could sink to -7 percent in the second half of 2020 an unsustainable level for America's hospitals." The range, depending on the longer-term severity of the pandemic, calls for median margins of -1 percent to -11 percent, with half of America's hospitals operating at negative margins.In summary, the financial condition of America's hospitals in the wake of the COVID-19 public health crisis is poor and the future uncertain. HCA Healthcare CEO,acknowledged that, "we believe it is too early for us to make any conclusive statements about the future or provide any guidance for the rest of the year," and went on to point out the many headwinds facing HCA and the rest of the industry. "As we manage the company through these remarkable times, we are mindful of our mission as well as the many uncertainties that remain with respect to the broader recovery of the economy, uninsured levels, government regulations, state budgets and the resurgence and duration of COVID-19."How Healthcare Will Rebound from the COVID-19 CrisisFor hospitals in, financial recovery and longer-term success will depend on the successful execution of strategies (like HCA's) to reduce operating costs, improve efficiencies, sustain high-quality clinical care and respond to the rapidly changing expectations of consumers - their patients. Post-COVID, patients will hold the key to provider success in an expanding universe of care providers. Innovation stimulated by the crisis has already forged the path forward in the clinical dimension of care. Now the rest of the patient experience must follow - especially the patient financial experience. Fortunately, in our experience these adaptations can be completed in just months with, immediate payback in cost reductions, along with the added benefit of increased patient satisfaction.Most of the innovation we've witnessed during the COVID-19 crisis has focused on the clinical dimension of the patient's experience. In an article published this spring, following the peak (at the time) of the pandemic crisis in the U.S., titled, "How Will COVID-19 Change Patient Experience, Healthcare Delivery?", authorof PatientEngagementHIT, shared the observations of, MD, a primary care physician at Brigham & Women's Hospital inand the chief medical officer for Press Ganey. Dr. Lee is among the many clinicians who, despite the dire circumstances, are witnessing "an evolution in the patient experience that will redefine healthcare in the future."When the pandemic was declared a national emergency, a frenzy of healthcare industry activity ensued, much of it focused on supply chain matters related to testing and personal protective equipment (PPE). Just as significant has been an explosion in the use of telehealth and other digital health services, and the rapidly accelerated innovation of the health IT field, which, according to the article, included "health information exchanges and Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) vendors promising better data interoperability." According to Dr. Lee, "The pace of change has been staggering and challenging, exactly what the doctor ordered."Dr. Lee envisions several lasting outcomes for the healthcare industry as a result of the COVID-19 experience. He has staunchly advocated for an adjusted healthcare delivery model based on patient segmentation. "If there's ever a situation where one size does not fit all, it is this." From a clinical perspective, that may mean sending non-COVID patients to other facilities or departments. More generally, it allows "clinicians to more specifically zero in on the needs of different types of patients."The same principle must apply across the entire patient experience. At the conclusion of his interview, Dr. Lee said that, "now healthcare is reframing what it means to take good care of people. In the time of coronavirus, that means telemedicine to keep healthy patients out of the office or foregoing a blood test or x-ray that isn't absolutely essential, because moving a patient means exposing more people." He went on to say that, "Care is getting better because of this. And it's because we have been thinking about nothing except meeting people's needs. And then the payment system will evolve to support good care."Dr. Lee's concluding statement about the payment system is too important to overlook, because it has a meaningful impact on patient decisions about their care and provider performance. We and others have written extensively on the financial barriers to care for many Americans. These barriers existed for years before the COVID-19 crisis, and the crisis has made a desperate situation worse. Patients now represent a growing portion of hospital revenue, whether that revenue comes in the form of out-of-pocket payments for high deductibles, copayments and/or by directing their insurer's payment to the in- or out-of- network provider they have chosen. Regrettably, millions of Americans have now lost their employer-sponsored healthcare coverage due to COVID-19 related job losses. This critical source of hospital revenue is more at risk now than ever before.In no uncertain terms, the ability for a hospital to engage financially with their patients will ultimately be just as important as their ability to engage clinically. Here, as in the clinical dimension, digitally powered solutions and patient segmentation will matter. Just as people need care that's suited to their personal circumstances, they also need administrative and financial solutions that encourage them to seek, and pay for, their care without the anxiety associated with affording it.In the clinical dimension of care, we've seen that telehealth and the rapid improvement of interoperability enabled by healthcare exchanges and EHR companies have enabled millions of Americans to access care while improving their experiences. These digital capabilities, by their very structure, deliver hospitals the reduced costs and improved efficiencies they'll need. But to recover financially from the COVID-19 crisis and achieve long-term success, the same digital strategies must be widened to include the patient financial experience. In the end, we believe healthcare's post-Covid-19 new normal will be a better place - for hospitals and for the people they care for. We at Loyale are privileged to play a part.is the CEO of Loyale Healthcare.About Loyale HealthcareLoyale Patient Financial Manager is a comprehensive patient financial engagement technology platform leveraging a suite of configurable solution components including predictive analytics, intelligent workflows, multiple patient financing vehicles, communications, payments, digital front doors and other key capabilities.Loyale Healthcare is committed to a mission of turning patient responsibility into lasting loyalty for its healthcare provider customers. Based in, Loyale and its leadership team bring 27 years of expertise delivering leading financial engagement solutions for complex business environments. Loyale currently serves approximately 12,000 healthcare providers across 48 states. Loyale is proud to have an enterprise-level strategic partnership with Parallon which includes the deployment of Loyale's industry leading technology at all HCA hospitals and Physician Groups.SOURCE Loyale Healthcare After the existence of the assessment became public, White House officials defended their months of inaction by falsely suggesting that no one credited the intelligence or deemed the CIA assessment worthy of sharing with Trump. Since the disclosure, no new National Security Council interagency meetings on the topic have been scheduled, one official said, adding that officials who were alarmed about the bounties intelligence and the lack of response have essentially given up because the White Houses narrative has made it politically impossible to reverse course and treat the intelligence as a serious matter. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 15:43:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Astronomical Society (CAS) has recently released recommended Chinese names of 811 Mars terrain features on its website, following the country's first Mars exploration mission. To facilitate scientific research and science popularization, the CAS invited experts to translate the Mars terrain terms issued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) before July 15, 2020 into Chinese. The translations were reviewed and approved by a special committee for astronomical terms affiliated to the CAS and the China National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technologies. Since the 17th century when the telescope was invented, astronomers have been observing Mars and systematically named its surface albedo features. The naming of the topographical features on the planets within the solar system was undertaken by the IAU after it was founded in 1919. The National Astronomical Data Center has provided images of the 811 terrain features on its website, which users can search through using both the features' Chinese and English names. Enditem BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least five people near a Syrian border town controlled by Turkish-backed forces on Thursday, Turkey's Anadolu Agency and the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, said. A parked truck exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance of Tel Halef village, west of the town of Ras Al Ain on the Turkish-Syrian border, killing at least five and wounding 12 others, said Anadolu BEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least five people near a Syrian border town controlled by Turkish-backed forces on Thursday, Turkey's Anadolu Agency and the Syrian Observatory, a war monitor, said. A parked truck exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance of Tel Halef village, west of the town of Ras Al Ain on the Turkish-Syrian border, killing at least five and wounding 12 others, said Anadolu. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people were killed and 15 wounded. Anadolu said local security forces were examining the possibility that fighters from the Syrian Kurdish YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist group, may have carried out the attack. Turkey, which is allied with some rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seized control of the town last year in an offensive to push back YPG fighters. (Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Hugh Lawson) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Under the company's new mid-term plan, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has strategized how will they be able to capitalize on producing more cars, reducing costs, as well as exporting more vehicles within the ASEAN market. For the Philippines, they want MMPC to start producing and export light commercial vehicles for ASEAN countries. Now, after MMPC has achieved its 200,000th unit production milestone for the L300, the company is preparing to exporting light commercial vehicles to other ASEAN markets. Now while Mitsubishi did not exactly state as to what LCV will be exported, MMPC announced that they are currently finalizing the plans to begin exporting the L300 to other ASEAN markets. We are committed to further grow and expand the business of Mitsubishi Motors in the Philippines. We are in the process of finalizing our plans to export L300 to other ASEAN countries, which makes us the only automotive manufacturer in the Philippines to export vehicles. We will work even harder to enhance MMPC plants competitiveness and quality so that we can make L300 a trusted model in ASEAN, said Takao Kato, CEO of MMC. With the L300 set to be offered outside the Philippines, could this also mean that the factory might also produce other Mitsubishi and Nissan vehicles? Two months ago, Nissan announced that they are looking to build the Navara and Terra at MMPC's factory in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Should that come to fruition, Nissan's two best-selling models may join the L300, Mirage, and Mirage G4 as locally-built models. As Mitsubishi focuses more on development in the ASEAN region, the company projects that the Philippines will be able to have a total sales volume of 80,000 units by the fiscal year 2022. Not only that, but Mitsubishi is also looking at increasing its market share in the country from 16% to 17.8% within the next 2 years. Combined with the planned exportation of the L300 soon, and it looks like MMPC could be on its way as the next production hub in the ASEAN region. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Azerbaijanis compactly populating Marneuli district of Georgia held a rally for supporting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in front of the Georgian Azerbaijanis Integration Center, according to the State Committee for Work with Diaspora. The rally was opened from a minute of silence to honor the memory of the Azerbaijani servicemen who died martyrs in the battles as a result of the recent provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in the Tovuz district direction of the Azerbaijani state border. Then, Georgian political, public, religious figures of Azerbaijani origin spoke before the rally participants and stressed the importance of liberating the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and Georgia, calling on the world community and international organizations to take decisive steps in this direction. The participants held posters and banners with "Karabakh is Azerbaijan!", "Justice for Khojaly!", "We honor the memory of martyrs" and other slogans. CALGARY - The CEO of TC Energy Corp. says the company will begin moving more oil from Western Canada into the United States by next year under a new U.S. presidential permit for the existing Keystone pipeline system. The permit quietly issued on Wednesday by the Trump administration allows capacity on Keystone to increase by 170,000 barrels per day to about 760,000 bpd, filling a gap as TC Energys expansion Keystone XL project faces delays due to ongoing court battles. We are very pleased with yesterdays decision by President Trump to sign a new presidential permit for the base Keystone system, said TC Energy CEO Russ Girling on a conference call Thursday to discuss second-quarter results. The new permit will allow us to respond to market demand and to fully utilize the Keystone system to safely deliver additional crude oil from Canada to the refining centres in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast. The new permit will allow the Calgary-based company to proceed by next year with some 50,000 barrels per day of added service, which received shipper support in a process in June 2019, Girling added. The 50,000 bpd can be achieved by adding drag reducing agents to the oil to improve the flow efficiency of the existing pipeline without any major capital investments, said Bevin Wirzba, senior vice-president for liquids pipelines, on the call. Using the rest of the increased capacity could involve more spending, he said, adding pursuing those projects would follow an assessment of shipper demand. The additional capacity is likely to be welcomed in Alberta. The province limits oil production through quotas introduced in early 2019 to avoid price discounts that widened as output growth mainly from the oilsands outpaced growth in pipeline capacity. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage also welcomed the new U.S. permit. This decision sets the stage to significantly increase the capacity of the existing, base Keystone system, she said in a news release late Wednesday. This is excellent news for Canadas energy sector, and hard-working people and families on both sides of the border who benefit from continued North American energy security and interdependence. TC Energy announced March 31 it would go ahead with the US$8-billion Keystone XL project after the Alberta government agreed to invest C$1.5 billion and provide a loan guarantee to jump start the work. Keystone XL is facing a court challenge in the U.S. that questions the validity of its presidential permit while also dealing with a court decision that blocked a key environmental permit that allowed the pipeline to cross rivers and streams. Construction is continuing in the U.S. on the 1,947-kilometre project, Girling said Thursday, with a revised schedule that focuses the work on areas where permits are in hand. The expansion is to carry 830,000 bpd of crude per day from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., to connect with other pipelines. The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he would cancel the Keystone XL permit if he wins in the November presidential election. TC Energy said it earned $1.3 billion or $1.36 per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, up from $1.1 billion or $1.21 per share a year earlier. The results included an after-tax gain of $408 million related to the sale of a 65 per cent equity interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. and an incremental after-tax loss of $80 million due to Ontario natural gas-fired power plant assets sold in April. Adjusted profits decreased 6.6 per cent to $863 million or 92 cents per share, in line with analyst forecasts, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. That compared with $924 million or $1 per share in adjusted earnings in the second quarter of 2019. Revenues dropped 8.4 per cent to $3.09 billion of revenues from $3.37 billion in the prior year. TC Energy said its assets have been largely unimpacted by COVID-19 with flows and utilization levels remaining in line with historical and seasonal norms and largely insulated from short-term volatility of commodity prices. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP) Read more about: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Thursday reported a consolidated profit of Rs 13,248 crore for the first quarter of the ongoing financial year with Jio's average revenue per user (ARPU) growth of 7.4% quarter on quarter at Rs 140.3 per subscriber per month. "The severe demand destruction due to global lockdowns impacted our hydrocarbons business but the flexibility in our operations enabled us to operate at near normal levels and deliver industry leading results," said Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani. "Our consumer facing businesses became the life-line for individuals and businesses with our Retail and Jio teams working hard to ensure millions got essential goods and services through the lockdown," he added. The consolidated profit during June quarter 2020 increased 102.4% sequentially and the year-on-year increase was 30.6%. The consolidated profit in March quarter 2020 stood at Rs 6,348 crore and Rs 10,141 crore in the corresponding period of last year. In the March quarter, the company had reported an exceptional loss of Rs 4,267 crore due to a fall in oil prices. The profit before the exceptional item was at Rs 10,813 crore. Reliance's consolidated revenue for the quarter stood at Rs 1,00,929 crore compared to Rs 1,51,461 crore QoQ and Rs 1,74,087 crore year-on-year. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) came in at Rs 16,875 crore in June quarter against Rs 21,782 crore in previous quarter while margin at 19.1% in June quarter expanded sharply from 16% in March quarter, beating Street expectations. Ambani said Reliance Industries completed the largest fund raise in Indian Corporate history in this quarter. "I thank the millions of individual investors who supported our Rights Issue and welcome all our new partners to an exciting new phase of growth at Reliance, he said. RIL's digital unit Jio Platforms, which raised Rs 1,52,056 crore during the quarter under review from some of the worlds top tech investors led by Facebook, was one of the few companies to have grown during the coronavirus lockdown. With the fund raising from stake sale in Jio Platforms, Rights issue of Rs 53,124 crore and stake sale to BP in petro-retail joint venture, Reliance achieved its net debt free target in June 2020, which is well ahead of its timeline March 31, 2021. Reliance Industries said that post completion of these investments, it would hold 66.48% equity stake in Jio Platform on a fully diluted basis. "Of the total investment, Jio Platform Limited has already received Rs 1,15,694 crore as subscription amount from ten investors. Rs 22,981 crore will be retained at Jio Platform to drive future growth," it added. Reliance Jio, the wholly owned subsidiary of billionaire Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, has reported a profit at Rs 2,520 crore for the June quarter 2020, rising 8.1% over Rs 2,331 crore in March quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the June quarter at Rs 140.3 per subscriber per month grew by 7.4% compared to Rs 130.6 in previous quarter. It was much higher than street expectations. Jio's revenue in June quarter increased 11.6% sequentially to Rs 16,557 crore, and EBITDA surged 17.4% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 7,281 crore and margin jumped 220 bps QoQ to 44 percent during the quarter, which all came in above analysts expectations. RIL is now one of the 50 most valued companies globally with a market capitalisation of Rs 13.92 lakh crore at its record high price. Promoters' shareholding stood at 50.37% in the June quarter up from 50.07% in the March quarter, while foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) raised their stake to 24.72% from 24.05% in the same period. Disclaimer: News18.com is part of Network18 Media & Investment Limited which is owned by Reliance Industries Limited. (@ChaudhryMAli88) TIRASPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st July, 2020) Foreign policy chiefs of Moldova and its breakaway Transnistria region have held talks where they signaled readiness to hold another round of 5+2 format reconciliation talks involving international mediators, the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Thursday. The talks were held via video conferencing between Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Cristina Lesnic and Transnistrian Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev. "The sides have confirmed their principled readiness to arrange for another meeting of the [Permanent Conference on Political Issues in the Framework of the Negotiation Process on the Transdniestrian Settlement, more commonly referred to as the 5+2 talks] in the nearest future," the press release read. The 5+2 format of Transnistrian peace talks was established in 2005. It includes the two conflict parties - Chisinau and Tiraspol, three mediators - Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and two observers - the European Union and the United States. Transnistria, a region with a predominantly Russian and Ukrainian ethnic population, seceded from the Soviet Republic of Moldova in 1990, fearing its possible unification with Romania. The secession led to an armed conflict that ended in a ceasefire in July 1992, albeit the diplomatic strife remains unresolved. Moldova insists on offering the region an autonomy status while Transnistria wants international recognition. WASHINGTON (AP) Congress has awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest honor, to surviving crew members of the USS Indianapolis, the ship that delivered key components of the first nuclear bomb and was later sunk by Japan during World War II. The ship, with 1,195 personnel aboard, delivered enriched uranium and other parts of the atomic bomb Little Boy" that was later dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945. Four days after delivering its top secret cargo, the ship was sunk by Japanese torpedoes on July 30, 1945. Of nearly 900 men who went into the Philippine Sea, just 316 survived before being rescued nearly five days later. The death toll of 879 was the largest single disaster at sea in U.S. Navy history. Survivors were stranded in the open ocean with few lifeboats and almost no food or water, enduring severe burns, dehydration and shark attacks. "In an instant, her crew went from fighting the battles without to fighting the battles within,'' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of a host of congressional and Navy leaders who spoke at Thursday's virtual ceremony honoring the eight surviving crew members on the 75th anniversary of the sinking. The Gold Medal was awarded to the ship's entire crew, living and dead, and will be displayed at the Indiana War Memorial Museum in Indianapolis. After the sinking, the crew fought to stay alert, to look after each other literally to hold on for dear life,'' said McConnell, R-Ky. He and other speakers were shown on video because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Those who perished in the water gave our nation the ultimate sacrifice ... but the true legacy of the Indianapolis was secured before those torpedoes struck,'' McConnell said. "Her crew turned the tide of the war. So to her crew members who are still standing watch: Your Congress and your nation say thank you.'' Retired Navy Capt. William Toti, who led a nuclear submarine named in honor of the Indianapolis, said the Gold Medal honors the crew's accomplishments not the fact that the ship was sunk. Story continues The medal recognizes a fighting ship's crew, one that helped end the most terrible war this world has ever known,'' Toti said. He called the crew members among the best the United States Navy has to offer.'' None of the crew members would call himself a hero, Toti added, "but they would all say they served in a crew of heroes.'' Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite addressed the surviving crew members directly, saying All Americans owe you a forever debt of gratitude. Braithwaite called the sinking one of the darkest chapters in our Naval history'' and said, We can never forget the astounding grit and bravery shown by those who lived to tell the tale or "the important lessons our Navy learned from that tragedy.'' The crew members epitomized the Navy's ethos of service above self, Braithwaite said. "Your service, your sacrifice embodied the core tenets of our Navy: honor, courage and commitment. We the Navy salute you and thank you for your service. Bravo Zulu shipmates.'' Beaches that had been crowded with summer vacationers in Da Nang earlier this month fell silent on Wednesday as the central Vietnamese city reinstated enhanced social distancing measures to curb the second wave of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks. Da Nang recorded Vietnams first community-based COVID-19 case after 99 days on Saturday. The coastal tourist city has since logged 34 cases of community infection in total, becoming a new epicenter of the respiratory disease in the Southeast Asian country. The government decided to reinstate enhanced social distancing in Da Nang for at least 15 days from Tuesday, similar to measures enforced nationwide in early April, when Vietnam was at the peak of the pandemic. Authorities in the coastal city have banned crowded events, shuttered non-essential services, and stopped receiving domestic tourists to prevent the virus from spreading. A video shows empty beaches in Da Nang City, Vietnam, July 29, 2020. Video: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre On the second day of social distancing on Wednesday, no one was spotted on the spectacular beaches stretching the two districts of Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son in Da Nang. In order to enforce the social distancing measures, the management board of Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nangs tourism beaches has fenced off all entrances to local beaches with barrier tapes, prohibiting both locals and visitors from entering. The management board also deployed officers to regularly patrol the beaches and remind violators to obey social distancing rules. Da Nang authorities were previously forced to cancel the Da Nang Fantasticity Festival 2020, planned to take place at the end of July, due to the return of COVID-19 community cases. Since Saturday, 43 new community-based infections have been confirmed in Vietnam, including 34 in Da Nang. The Southeast Asian countrys COVID-19 tally was at 459 on Thursday, including 276 imported cases quarantined immediately after arrival. Ninety patients remain under treatment for the disease in Vietnam, with no casualties reported to date. In this aerial photo, no one can be spotted on a beach in Da Nang City, Vietnam during a period of enhanced social distancing to curb the latest wave of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), July 29, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre An aerial photo shows a line of empty beach sofas along a beach in Da Nang City, Vietnam, July 29, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre Three coracles sit on an empty beach in Da Nang City, Vietnam, July 29, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre Three coconut trees stand on an empty beach in Da Nang City, Vietnam, July 29, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre Tourists crowd a beach in Da Nang City, Vietnam before enhanced social distancing measures were put in place from July 28, 2020. Photo: Tan Luc / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The Pennsylvania Utility Commission should continue its moratorium on utility shutdowns during the pandemic, and state leaders should offer more relief, writes Emma Horst-Martz of PennPIRG. Read more Even for people who havent contracted COVID-19 or havent lost someone they loved the pandemic has upended their lives. We all know someone whos lost their job. Parents are working in overdrive to keep their children occupied at home, or to find care for the kids if they have to go to work. Every decision to go outside is fraught with trepidation. One important policy that hasnt been getting much attention, and is saving many Pennsylvanians from additional worry, is the moratorium on utility shutoffs. Put in place in the pandemics early months, this has been a crucial protection as many Pennsylvanians struggle to find jobs, put food on their table, and keep their families healthy. In fact, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission found that without the moratorium, more than 790,000 customers and 45,000 businesses across the state would qualify to have one or more of their utilities shut off, with the number rising every day. This is affecting people in every county, across rural and urban communities. In March, as shutdowns were beginning, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission passed protections so that companies cannot shut off customers water, gas, heat, electricity, and telecommunications services even if they cannot pay their monthly bills due to the pandemic. If the moratorium were lifted today without critical steps to protect consumers, all of those households and businesses could lose their utility services. Right now, the moratorium is continuing even though the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, representing the utilities, has fought to end it. A shutoff would have devastating consequences. Imagine not having electricity to run a fan or air-conditioner during the sweltering heat wave battering Pennsylvania. Or not being able to run your refrigerator and keep the food from spoiling because the electricity was shut off. Or trying to work from home, but not being able to run your computer or charge your phone. The list of problems could go on and on, but the takeaway is clear: losing power, water, and communication with the outside world would compound the existing challenges presented by the pandemic. Fortunately, there is a short-term and a more long-term solution. First, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission should not lift the moratorium. It has already resisted two attempts to do so, with a tie vote saving consumers from shutoffs in July. Second, leaders in the Pennsylvania legislature can act during their next session to take just a small portion of the funds allocated to the state from the federal stimulus in the CARES Act and use it to cover these outstanding utility bills for customers who are at risk of shutoffs. This will take consumers out of arrears, and make sure that utility companies are paid for the services theyve been providing. This is exactly the type of solution the CARES Act funding was meant for. It is supposed to help states address temporary problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic. More Pennsylvanians than usual are unable to pay utility bills, so we should use the funding to protect them. Our state leaders in Harrisburg must vote to allocate the $150 million to utilities so that nearly a million people can get through this difficult time without worrying that their services will be shut off. Everyone should be focused on keeping each other healthy, and to do that we need those basic services. Without them, we will see more suffering and likely lose even more lives. Emma Horst-Martz is a campaign associate for PennPIRG, the statewide consumer organization protecting Pennsylvanians health, safety, and well-being from special interests. The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. Chandigarh, July 30 : With the main opposition AAP announcing statewide protests against the decision to sell 'donated' plasma to private hospitals, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said it would be provided free of cost to all the Covid patients who need it. An official statement quoting Singh said he has directed authorities to strictly ensure Covid patients are not charged for plasma therapy and that nobody is allowed to buy or sell plasma. The Chief Minister also appealed to the recovered patients to come forward to save the lives of others. He urged the Deputy Commissioners and health department officials, during a Covid management virtual review meeting, to motivate such patients to donate plasma. Currently, there are around 10,000 recovered virus patients in the state, he said, adding that his government's priority was to save each and every life in Punjab. Contrary to the Chief Minister, state AAP president Bhagwant Mann said the party would not allow the government to sell the adonated' plasma to private hospitals for Rs 20,000 per unit. "We strongly oppose the open aloot' by the government allowing sale of adonated' plasma at a price. We will hold peaceful and symbolic protests against this decision on Friday all across Punjab, strictly observing the essential safety corona stipulations," Mann said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister asked the Health Department to expedite setting up of two new plasma banks at Amritsar and Faridkot towns to supplement the one already operational in Patiala. He was informed by Minister O.P. Soni that the approvals for the new banks had already been received and tenders were being floated for procurement of equipment. Expressing concern over the increasing number of cases in the state, Amarinder Singh also asked Health Minister Balbir Sidhu to send a viable proposal for earmarking 10 beds in all district hospitals for treatment and care of mild or minor cases of infection. The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday vacated an earlier ruling by the court to dismiss the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn. A majority of judges on the Circuit Court agreed to an en banc rehearing of the case against Flynn, meaning that all eleven of the courts judges will oversee the case. BREAKING: DC Circuit Court vacates panel's order that the trial judge dismiss Michael Flynn's criminal charges. Full court will rehear the case pic.twitter.com/gsiIrV2LnP John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) July 30, 2020 Previously, a panel of three Circuit Court judges voted 2-1 to order D.C. District Court judge Emmett Sullivan to dismiss the case against Flynn. Sullivan then filed an appeal to the Circuit Court for an en banc hearing. The Circuit Court scheduled oral arguments before the judges for August 11. Flynn in 2017 pleaded guilty on one count of lying to the FBI as part of the agencys Russia investigation. However, Flynn has since reversed that plea, and the Justice Department dropped its charges against Flynn in May of this year. The Government is not persuaded that the January 24, 2017 interview [that led to Flynns guilty plea] was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis and therefore does not believe that Mr. Flynns statements were material even if untrue, the DOJ said in its decision. More from National Review The Placerville city logo, with its Gold Rush-era "lynching tree" (City of Placerville) As night follows day, cries of historical erasure go up across the land when pro-Confederacy monuments come down. The complaints are almost always wrong. Most of the toppled statues, markers and symbols of the Confederacy are modern examples of Jim Crow propaganda, not memorials to honor heroic events of the grisly Civil War. Confederate monuments typically rewrite the past, sugarcoating truth. Yelling Save history! is just a way to cover bias with a respectable veneer of erudition. Night immediately followed day recently in little Placerville, Calif., when a push to change the graphic design of the municipal logo ended up before the City Council. This time Confederate sympathies were not at issue. Instead, a loosely related matter of vigilante killing was. Placervilles town logo features a lynching tree. It might seem odd for a small town, population about 11,000, to proudly identify itself with a history of lynching especially when tourism is a primary driver of the local economy. But the image of a rope noose dangling from the limb of a mighty oak stands out on the city emblem. The current Placerville city logo, left, and a proposed version of the logo without the noose dangling from a tree. (City of Placerville) The idea for removing the controversial noose from the drawing was first brought to the City Council in June, then discussed in a July 14 Zoom meeting complete with an hour of public comment, pro-noose and anti-. Money didnt seem to be the issue, since a redesign was estimated to cost only about $5,350 for labor and fees. But the council punted. A vote to postpone a decision until next year, after pandemic restraints on in-person debate are lifted, passed 4 to 1. Letter writers to the Mountain Democrat, the local newspaper that reported the testy meeting, immediately yelped. Lets not erase our history, insisted one. Erasure of the lynching tree represents a liberal force trying to remove history, cried another. Please do not remove the history of our town, begged a third, while a fourth contended that Old Hangtown is just a historical statement. Story continues Old Hangtown is what Placerville got nicknamed before it was much more than an improvised 19th century mining camp set up next to a modest creek. It sits barely 10 miles from the spot where James W. Marshall stumbled on some glittery metal flakes at the water-powered sawmill owned by his boss, German-born Swiss immigrant John Sutter. The burg was instrumental in the epochal California Gold Rush that kicked off in 1848. Historical image of James Marshall standing in front of Sutter's sawmill in Coloma, Calif., where he discovered gold. (Library of Congress) That history is nothing to be sneezed at. Placerville became a distribution center in a supply chain that saw billions mined from the Gold Rush fields in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento (not much is left). Californias non-Indigenous population zoomed from about 800 to more than 100,000 by the end of the next year. Just 20 short months after the first gold strike, the Golden State joined the Union. The stampede of new arrivals led to a national transformation in ways improvised, planned, sometimes unwanted and often unexpected. In the process, a thousand yarns were spun elaborate tales of phenomenal good fortune, dashed hopes and bloody mayhem. Each Gold Rush story seems to have spawned another and another, multiplying like "Star Trek" Tribbles. History easily blurs into myth and legend, and sorting among them is perilous. But wild and lawless treasure-hunting surely ignited the Hangtown nickname a violent place where they hang em first and question em later, as a cheery local saying goes. One credible story had a trio of desperadoes getting caught after robbing the sleeping owner of a gambling parlor of his gold-dust stash and threatening his life. He may have been murdered (accounts vary). A makeshift judge and jury were convened on the spot and the trio was convicted, sentenced to death and promptly strung up from a massive oak tree at a place next door known as Elstners hay yard. The lynchings kept coming. Three other scoundrels were hanged for horse-stealing, another for holding up a hapless miner in his cabin. Irish Dick one Richard Crone, lately from New Orleans was hanged for using his trusty Bowie knife to separate a gamblers beating heart from his chest after an insult at the card table. A mob lynched five for rolling a visiting Mexican gambler maybe Placervilles first instance of civic concern over imperiling the tourist trade. The graphic design of the Placerville logo springs from all this. The picture tells a very simple tale. A rope frame encircles a flatly painted, cartoon-like image in which a bearded miner pans for gold in the foreground, his crouched body ethereally framed by a puffy white cloud floating in a clear blue sky. That big oak tree dangling a noose stands behind him, like a distant sentinel. Prominent rustic lettering names the city of Placerville, which ditched the Old Hangtown nickname in 1854. The date and canceled name are modestly represented on the logo. Originally the town had just been called Old Dry Diggins, an informal reference to the method for surface-mining minerals in the absence of water; but that history is omitted from the logo. Hangtown's emergence shifted the vernacular, issuing an unsubtle warning to potential thugs. Soon, a thorny predicament surfaced. The ballyhooed practice of lynching proved to be less than useful for a growing village that hankered to replace Coloma, dusty site of Sutters Mill, as the seat of booming El Dorado County. Hangtown had a nasty image problem. Rampant extra-legal killing doesnt quite square with an establishment desire for civic power. To make a credible appeal to gain governing authority, residents needed to shake off a sordid reputation for vigilante justice. The town postmaster, apparently urged on by local churches and a busy temperance league, is said to have sought something a bit more dignified. Thus was Placerville born. Placer mining, which is a method of sifting mineral deposits from a stream bed, fit the tasteful makeover bill. Within four years of the spectacular Sutters Mill find, an official new moniker was in place. Todays disputed municipal logo essentially pictures a name change: Lawless Hangtown is on the far horizon, off in the background, and hardworking Placerville takes pride of place up front. Who designed the logo, and when, I cannot say. City officials told me they are not quite sure how long it has been in use perhaps since early in the 20th century, certainly before 1970 and the artists name is apparently lost. But it is easy to see why many people today would be offended by a visual salute to vigilante justice, which is more accurately described as mob rule. In particular, the offense of a lynching tree grows stark in the era of Black Lives Matter, when the nation is finally wrestling with a pervasive legacy of white supremacy. (As the Botswana-born, former L.A.-based artist Meleko Mokgosi recently put it, America does not simply have a race problem, America is a race problem.) Between post-Civil War Reconstruction and World War II, more than 4,400 racial terror lynchings took place across the United States. The logo cant help but conjure those vicious crimes. That horrific vigilante history might be separate from earlier events in Placerville, but Californias Gold Rush is hardly immune from the grim specter of racial brutality. Sutter himself enslaved hundreds of Indigenous people as a free source of labor. Some among them led Marshall to the gold, which he euphemistically discovered. Rape was one ghastly tool of Sutters coercion, as he assembled what an observer described as a harem of American Indian women and girls. In the year of the Hangtown name-change, the new states fledgling Supreme Court added Chinese people to the exclusionary list of Black and Indigenous people already forbidden in local ordinances from testifying against whites in legal proceedings. Thomas Nast, the brilliant editorial cartoonist, working later in Harpers Weekly self-styled Journal of Civilization, as its banner read mocked the California courts decision in People v. Hall. Juxtaposing caricatured figures representing the American South and West, Nasts pen dripped acid. In essence, he wrote, the ruling claimed that The poor barbarians cant understand our civilized Republican form of government. So what is Placerville to do now with the dicey bit of prominent local lynching history on its municipal logo? Heres a suggestion: Take a cue from the solution to the image problem that first gave the town its name. Dont erase the lynching tree, cut it down. Redesign the graphic so that the oak, its offending limb and the dangling noose sprawl on the ground, while the chopped stump is left behind. That is, after all, what really happened. An artist's rendering of what Christopher Knight's suggested change to Placerville's city logo might look like. (Peter Hoey / For The Times) In 1853, the townsfolk did cut down the big oak tree in Elstners hay yard, where all those convenient mob executions had taken place. Ending the practice of lynching was essential to spiffing up the reputation of the soon-to-be newly named Placerville. Four years later the California legislature chose the scrappy town to be the El Dorado County seat. The image rehab succeeded. Thats the story a smartly redesigned logo could tell a success story of forsaking something barbaric in favor of something civilized. The current logo misses the key point, making it just bad history. The lynching trees stump still exists, too, hiding in plain sight. A bronze plaque installed out front of a former saloon built on the site of Elstners hay yard explains, The stump of the tree is under this building. Since 1934 the 80th anniversary of the citys name-change the humble stump has been State Historical Landmark No. 141, marked with a sign on what is now Main Street. In the pit of the Great Depression, honoring the stupendous riches of the Gold Rush legacy gave hope. For Placervilles long history, the stump matters most, not the noose. Time to bring it into the light. So scrap the dangling noose on the town logo and cut down the tree. Repeal a civic memorial to mob rule and replace it with a commemoration of civilized progress. Thats authentic Golden State history. Who could possibly object? Herd immunity against Covid-19 in India is likely to be achieved only in pockets given the many socio-economic groups in the country and may be short-lived rather than long-lasting, say scientists as sero-surveillance data from New Delhi and Mumbai raise hopes of community protection' from the disease. Herd immunity occurs when a large number of people, usually 70 to 90 per cent, become immune to a contagious disease after being infected to it. But there are many grey areas clouding the issue as far as the novel coronavirus is concerned with no consensus on when herd immunity ... As he begged police to stop using a Taser on him on a supermarket's floor, Lionel Morris's cries echoed through the produce section of the store in Conway, Ark., for six-and-a-half minutes. Morris had run from officers on Feb. 4 and then placed one officer in a chokehold and tried topulled out a knife, according to police, after the supermarket had reported him for removing a drone from its packaging. But as an officer had his knee on the 39-year-old's back inside Harps Food Store, Morris, handcuffed and lying face down, repeatedly offered a succinct and familiar plea: "I can't breathe." "If you can talk, you can breathe. Chill out," replied the officer, according to body-cam footage released by the Conway Police Department on Wednesday. "We got an ambulance. "Minutes later, Morris was "pulseless and unresponsive" when medical personnel arrived. He was pronounced dead while being transported to the hospital. On Wednesday, the officers involved in Morris's death were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Arkansas State Police and prosecutors. That decision came the same day that police released edited body-cam and security footage that illustrated a chaotic incident in which Morris seemingly made clear repeatedly that he was in medical distress. The story was first reported by KTVH. "After a thorough review, the prosecutor determined there was no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing by the Conway Police Department or the Conway police officers involved in this unfortunate incident," Conway Police Chief William Tapley said in a recorded statement. The medical examiner concluded that Morris died of "methamphetamine intoxication with a combination of exertion, struggle, restraint and conducted electrical weapon deployment," according to a letter from prosecuting attorney Carol Crews. To explain his death in custody, Tapley pointed to the toxicology report's findings that Morris had substances including methamphetamine, morphine, amphetamine, opiates and cannabinoids in his system. "The level of drugs Mr. Morris had in his system and the strain he exerted while struggling with police ultimately contributed to his death," he said. The February remarks from the Conway officer preceded similar comments made by Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes in late May. In response to Floyd's pleas of "I can't breathe," Chauvin, who is charged with murder in Floyd's death, said, "Takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to say that." Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said Wednesday that he had ordered the body-cam footage of at least eight officers to be released to the public. The mayor said he instructed Tapley to place some of the officers involved in the incident on paid leave until the department's ongoing internal investigation has concluded. It's unclear how many officers have been placed on leave. "Upon my review of the footage from the scene, I observed some things that were concerning to me," Castleberry said in a recorded statement. "While the police department has my full support, there are some behaviors that must change." At 4:25 p.m. on Feb. 4, police received a call about an alleged shoplifting in progress at a Harps Food Store. When police made contact with Brandy Arnold and Morris - who had given the officers a fake name - the cops found a drone that had been removed from its packaging, Tapley said. While Arnold was arrested without resistance, Morris began to sprint down the aisle, sparking a police footrace through the supermarket. More News Florida man charged after detaining Black teen biking to basketball practice As police caught Morris in the produce section of the store, they demanded that he submit to arrest nearly 40 times during the six-and-a-half-minute struggle, Tapley said. Police used a Taser on Morris "multiple times," including when he was on the ground. One officer acknowledged punching Morris two to four times in the back and elbow "in an attempt to gain compliance," according to KTVH. "Give me your f------ hands!" one of the cops said to Morris, threatening to break his wrists. Morris repeatedly told police he was in medical distress. "Oh my God, oh my God! Please help me, please!" he yelled. "Help me please! Somebody help me!" At one point during the struggle, Tapley said Morris reached for a knife clipped to his pocket, and that an officer gained control of it and threw it to a "safe location." It is unclear in the edited video released Wednesday when the knife appeared or when it was tossed. Sometime during that conflict, Morris allegedly placed an officer in a chokehold, Tapley said. It was only when additional officers were called in that police were able to subdue Morris. In addition to the officers placing their knees and feet on Morris's back, body-cam footage shows at least one officer pressing both hands against his head and neck as he's on the ground. Throughout the incident, Morris told police that he feared something was wrong with his heart, and implored the officers to call an ambulance. The officers had made a call for emergency medical services for Morris before he was arrested, Tapley said. While police say that Morris was put into a recovery position once he started vomiting, that is not shown in the footage. At the time of the incident, police said Morris reportedly stopped breathing sometime after he was handcuffed, reported the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In his statement Wednesday, Tapley suggested that the Conway Police Department could improve its policy in cases such as Morris's, but did not specify how. "We as the Conway police department, and the city of Conway, offer our deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers to the Morris family," Tapley said. International SOS and Singapore company Energy Drilling Management have announced a successful pilot of the ICC AOKpass mobile app. The use of the app provides trusted recognition of individuals Covid-19 compliance status from Singapore to Thailand. Following the pilot launch of ICC AOKpass in May, Energy Drilling worked with International SOS to test the app for a 10 strong crew needing to travel aboard an oil rig vessel to conduct drilling services for their client, PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP). All 10 personnel were screened with a PCR swab test and the results were verified by a doctor. Their medical results were saved on the crews individual AOKpass app and sent to the client in Thailand ahead of their journey. Using these results, International SOS worked with Energy Drilling and PTTEP to facilitate a smooth entry to the Songkhla Port Authority when they arrived in Thailand. The request was approved with ease as it provided the assurance to the authorities that the medical test results were from an accredited source and have been authenticated via the AOKpass app. Once fully deployed, users can download the ICC AOKpass app to their mobile device and use it to securely store an authenticated digital copy of their Covid-19 compliance status certificate, as provided by their consulting medical professional. To address privacy concerns, data entered into ICC AOKpass remains localised at all times within the users app and does not rely on centralised data records or external systems. Hardcopy certificates issued by medical professionals, are digitised, authenticated and then made available for efficient verification by employers, authorities or any other third parties with no transfer or external storage of the underlying personal health information. Thus far, the app has proved invaluable in ensuring the health and safety of our workforce and enabling business productivity during the trip, said Alex Maroske, Head of Quality, Health, Safety, Environment at Energy Drilling. Using blockchain to secure and verify the data, as well as the ability to control and carry around your own health records is a breakthrough and will be a major enabler in allowing businesses to return to work. Marcus Chew, CEO Energy Drilling, commented: Participating in the pilot demonstrates Energy Drilling as a company which is at the forefront of using digital technology to solve current issues facing the world of travelling for business. Juliana Gim, Managing Director of International SOS Singapore, believes the pilot project is an exciting look at how travel can resume against the backdrop of Covid-19. The successful pilot of ICC AOKpass with Energy Drilling is encouraging as it marks an important step in our journey and the aim of implementing a trusted and standardised global system to facilitate the return to work across many industries. In time, we hope that this will see widespread adoption to facilitate a fast, safe and secure return to work. Dorjee Sun, AOKpass Co-founder & CEO of Perlin, said: Currently, there lacks a common technical standard for Digital Health Passports, which creates inefficiency as travellers will have to navigate many different processes and unnecessary duplication to have their health status verified. In contrast, the ICC AOKpass is an easy-to-use mobile app using a common global standard that can be deployed and used anywhere in the world today. It can adapt to the rules of any given country and allows users to instantly verify their Covid-19 compliance status anytime, anywhere. Tradearabia News Service One person diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland has died, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre has confirmed. There has now been a total of 1,763 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland. The HPSC has been notified of 85 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 26,027 confirmed cases in Ireland. Of the cases notified today; 53 cases are men / 32 are women 68% are under 45 years of age 26 cases are located in Kildare, 18 in Dublin, 11 in Clare, nine in Laois, seven in Limerick, four in Meath and the remainder are spread across seven other counties. 39% of todays cases are associated with close contacts of a confirmed case Half are associated with outbreaks The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. The National Public Health Emergency Team met today to review Irelands response and preparedness to Covid-19. "Todays figures demonstrate how quickly Covid-19 can remerge in our country," said Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer. We are now at a crucial point in our response to Covid-19. Over the coming days it is vital that everyone continues to avoid large crowds, physically distance, wear face coverings where appropriate and wash hands regularly. "Covid-19 is extremely infectious and no one is immune. Follow public health advice and stay vigilant. Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said the public needs to be "really careful". "Over a two-day period Ireland moved from a relatively stable epidemiology to a significant pattern connected to outbreaks," he said. "We now need to be really careful and adhere to public health advice so we do not further spread the virus. We must remain vigilant to the disease if we are to control it at this point." The new French minister for Europe Clement Beaune has said No Deal Brexit is better than a bad deal and France will not be 'intimidated' in upcoming talks. 'We will not accept a deal at any price,' he told France Inter radio in his first public comments on Brexit since his appointment on Sunday. 'Better no deal at all than a bad deal,' he said while adding that a deal was nevertheless the best outcome for all concerned. He said France would be 'intransigent' on fishing, and will not be 'intimidated' by Britain in the negotiation 'game'. 'Let's not kid ourselves, if there is no deal, it will be a difficult issue,' he added. 'We'll have to organise a response for sectors like fisheries. Support our fishermen financially. We're not there yet.' Britain and the European Union clashed last week over the chances of securing a free trade agreement, with Brussels deeming it 'unlikely' but London holding out hope one could be reached in September. French Junior Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune speaks during a session of Questions to the government, on July 28, 2020, at the National Assembly in Paris Boris Johnson was in Orkney earlier this month to support the UK fishing industry France is one of the coastal states that has pushed hardest for EU fishermen to keep the right to fish in British waters after a transition period ends at the end of this year. Before becoming Europe minister, Beaune served as President Emmanuel Macron's Europe adviser. A self-described anglophile, he has advised Macron on Brexit negotiations since the 2016 referendum. The French negotiator lashed out at representatives from Lithuania and Hungary last week, who said that the coastal fishing issue should not stand in the way of a deal. Beaune's comments yesterday contrast those of EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who has tried to compromise between the UK's hardline stance on taking back its waters come January 1 and European fishermen being able to continue fishing where they have in the past. EU negotiators believe they will be able to strike a deal with the UK. 'It's a big ask for the EU and it's not such a big give for the UK, because in the end, it's access to waters for access to markets,' an EU source told the Telegraph. 'You can't eat fish in the morning, the evening and the night.' One source said member states are worried that the EU may decide to hit the UK with sanctions if it decided to restrict access for European fishing. Another added that once Brexit happens, the UK won't be able to fish its waters as much as it is currently. Mr Barnier has set a new date of 31 October for a deal to be prepared for the UK to leave on 1 January. Mr Barnier used a press conference earlier this month to warn that the EU would not accept a deal that resulted in the 'partial destruction' of the EU fishing industry, but would continue with talks to 'the last moment' However, earlier this month Barnier blasted the UK as he warned a trade deal is 'unlikely' before the end of the year. He lashed out at Britain over its hardline position on fishing rights in territorial waters after the transition period ends on December 31 as talks ended without breakthrough in London. Mr Barnier used a press conference to warn that the EU would not accept a deal that resulted in the 'partial destruction' of the EU fishing industry, but would continue with talks to 'the last moment'. 'By its current refusal to commit to conditions of open and fair competition and to a balanced agreement on fisheries, the UK makes a trade agreement - at this point - unlikely,' Mr Barnier said. Speaking after this week's round of negotiations in London, Barnier said there been no progress at all on the question of ensuring fairness on state aid. 'The time for answers is quickly running out,' he told a news conference, referring to the five months left before the end of Britain's transition period since it formally left the EU at the end of January. 'If we do not reach an agreement on our future partnership there will be more friction.' UK negotiator David Frost admitted 'considerable gaps' remain between the two sides but help out hope for a deal to be struck after some concession in other areas of conflict. But he confirmed the two sides remained at loggerheads over fishing rights in UK waters and the 'level playing field' on standards. The 78-year-old man was driving onto the right shoulder of the tollway entrance ramp at 1:08 p.m. when he hit the rear end of a semi truck parked there, according to a preliminary police investigation. DGAP-Ad-hoc: Dexus Finance Pty Limited / Key word(s): Real Estate Dexus Finance Pty Limited: Dexus secures future trading profits while growing DALT 30-Jul-2020 / 08:19 CET/CEST Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Dexus (ASX:DXS) ASX release 30 July 2020 Dexus secures future trading profits while growing Dexus Australian Logistics Trust (DALT) Dexus today announced that it has entered into agreements to sell a high quality portfolio of industrial assets to the Dexus Australia Logistics Trust (DALT or the Fund), while at the same time contracting future trading profits for Dexus in FY21 and FY22. The portfolio comprises five high quality industrial assets in Truganina, VIC and a high quality industrial business park in Botany, NSW including: - 47-53 Foundation Drive, Truganina VIC - 380 Doherty's Road, Truganina VIC - 7 Custom Place, Truganina VIC1 - 9 Custom Place, Truganina VIC2 - 58 Foundation Road, Truganina VIC - 11 Lord Street, Botany NSW (Lakes Business Park South) The Truganina assets comprise newly developed premium grade facilities located within Dexus's Foundation at Truganina industrial estate, located 18 kilometres west from the Melbourne CBD with convenient access to the Princes and West Gate Freeway, Western Ring Road and the Deer Park Bypass. Lakes Business Park South is strategically located in Botany, 12 kilometres south-east from the Sydney CBD with immediate connections to Sydney Airport and Port Botany, together with easy freeway access via the Eastern Distributor. The portfolio is 91% occupied with a WALE of 7.4 years and has been contracted to be sold to DALT at a price of $269.4 million3 representing a passing yield of 5.3%. For DALT, in which Dexus has an interest, this acquisition enables access to a portfolio of properties off-market, while delivering on its active acquisition and development mandate. When combined with the DALT acquisitions of two high quality assets at Greenacre, NSW and Mickleham, VIC which were announced to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on 7 July 2020, this portfolio will increase the size of the Fund by circa $445 million. Dexus has exchanged contracts to sell the first tranche of the portfolio in October 2020 and entered into put and call option arrangements to sell the second tranche in mid-20214. Details relating to the properties are included in the Appendix. Deborah Coakley, Executive General Manager, Funds Management said: "These acquisitions continue to build on the Dexus Australian Logistics Trust's strategy to acquire high quality and well leased assets that deliver favourable total returns." Dexus retains management and an ownership interest in the assets via its interest in DALT. Darren Steinberg, CEO of Dexus said: "We are pleased to have been able to retain exposure to these quality industrial assets via our interest in the Dexus Australian Logistics Trust, while contracting trading profits for Dexus investors. We have leveraged our extensive market knowledge, development and leasing capabilities and track record to successfully deliver these projects. Since 2010, we have developed and leased 47 industrial development projects across 784,000 square metres in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane." For Dexus, this transaction is consistent with the strategy for these trading assets which was to develop, lease and sell for a trading profit. The sale is expected to contribute circa $35 million in trading profits pre-tax over FY21 and FY22 (in the event the options are exercised), with further trading profits that could be realised, subject to favourable leasing outcomes being achieved. Dexus has also exercised its put option in relation to the sale of its remaining 25% interest in 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney for $157.5 million, originally announced to the ASX on 9 August 2019. This sale will contribute circa $34 million in trading profits pre-tax in FY21. The sale of the North Shore Health Hub, Stage 1 currently under development at 12 Frederick Street, St Leonards and originally announced on 2 September 2019, will also contribute to trading profits in FY21. Further details relating to trading profits will be provided at Dexus's Annual Results to be released to the ASX on Wednesday 19 August 2020. Appendix 47-53 Foundation Drive, Truganina VIC (Tranche 1) The property comprises two office/warehouse facilities across 33,637 square metres on two adjoining lots totalling 56,180 square metres and adjacent to existing DALT properties. The property is leased to Secon Freight Logistics and has a weighted average lease expiry by income of 6 years. The facility design includes single direction truck flow movements, LED daylight harvest lighting, centralised pumps and tanks, 99kW solar array for each facility and harvested rainwater for landscaping irrigation. 380 Doherty's Road, Truganina VIC (Tranche 1) The property comprises a new office/warehouse facility across 9,180 square metres on a 1.49 hectare site and is adjacent to existing DALT properties. The property is leased to Primary Flooring Pty Ltd and has weighted average lease expiry by income of 6.3 years. The facility benefits from single direction truck flow with super canopies for all weather loading protection, integrated corporate office, harvested rain water for landscaping irrigation, 99kW solar array and LED daylight harvest lighting. 7 Custom Place, Truganina VIC (Tranche 2) The property comprises a new purpose-built banana and avocado ripening facility across 7,280 square metres on a 2.07 hectare site and is adjacent to existing DALT properties. The warehouse is fully temperature controlled and leased to Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd with a weighted average lease expiry by income of 15 years. The facility also includes a 600kW extensive solar array for operational cost savings. 9 Custom Place, Truganina VIC (Tranche 2) The property comprises two new separate office/warehouse facilities across 26,610 square metre and 18,810 square metres on a 7.78 hectare site and is adjacent to existing DALT properties. The properties are leased to AS Colour and eStore Logistics and have a weighted average lease expiry by income of 10 years, with staged practical completion of the facilities scheduled for July and October 2020. The facilities are designed with single direction truck movements and extended super canopies providing all weather loading protection. The facilities benefit from high internal clearance of 14.6 metres and point loading at 8 tonne as well as 99kW solar arrays, LED daylight harvest lighting and harvested rainwater for landscaping irrigation. 58 Foundation Road, Truganina VIC (Tranche 2) The property comprises a new office/warehouse facility across 8,350 square metres, on a 1.37 hectare site and is adjacent to existing DALT properties. The property is leased to Speciality Packaging Group Pty Ltd and has a weighted average lease expiry by income of 7 years. The facility is designed with single direction truck flow movements, large circa 35 metre wide hardstands with super canopies for all weather loading protection, LED daylight harvest lighting, 99kW solar array, and harvested rainwater for landscaping irrigation. 11 Lord Street, Botany NSW (Lakes Business Park South) (50% in Tranche 1 and 50% in Tranche 2) The property comprises a newly redeveloped 30-unit business park across 18,786 square metres and three buildings, on a 2.98 hectare site and is located adjacent to an existing DALT property. The property is leased to various tenants including Glassons, Medlab, Fedex and Sunbeam Corporation and has a weighted average lease expiry by income of 3.5 years. Authorised by Brett Cameron, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Dexus Funds Management Limited. 1. Council changed address from 12A Felstead Drive, Truganina VIC. 2. Council changed address from 12B & 12C Felstead Drive, Truganina VIC. 3. 100% sales price. 4. Completion of Lakes Business Park South is subject to conditions precedent. Dexus is not aware of any reasons why these conditions will not be satisfied. For further information please contact: 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. 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. 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. Visitors at the museum. 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. A 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. 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. 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. VNS A leader of the Afenifere group, Ayorinde Fasanmi, has been confirmed dead after a brief illness. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that Mr Fasanmi, a member of the House of Representatives in the First Republic and senator in the Second Republic, died on Wednesday evening at the age of 94. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Old Western Nigeria Housing Corporation in the old western region. He was National President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in 1977, and Senator between 1979 and 1983. He was earlier elected to the House of Representatives in 1954. He also served with the National Constitutional Conference Commission in 1994, as a member. During the fourth Republic, Mr Fasanmi served as the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Alliance for Democracy. With his passage, the number of senators who served Nigeria between October 1979 and October 1983 who are still alive has been further depleted. Among those believed to still be around are Cornelius Adebayo (Kwara), George Hookwap (Plateau), David Oke (Ondo), Banji Akintoye (Ondo), Kunle Oyero (Ogun) and Joseph Wayas (Cross River), who was Senate President of that era. The Osun State government in a condolence message signed by its commissioner for information, Funke Egbemode, said his passage was confirmed by his first son, Obafemi Fasanmi, on behalf of the family. He made enviable and remarkable contributions to his profession, to the socio-political development of Yorubaland, and to the nation at large. Baba Fasanmi was a leader who demonstrated his love for our great country in many laudable ways; but more heart-warming was how he showed optimal concern for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged, and how he held leaders accountable on their promises of good governance. We also recognise how much Osogbo, and Osun State as a whole meant to Pa. Fasanmi, who was transferred to Osogbo as a Pharmacist in 1951, and he chose to live here till he took his last breath. His Alekuwodo residence became a make-shift Secretariat for a number of causes and movements of national relevance. The State Government of Osun appreciates all he accomplished in his lifetime, especially as a pivotal force in the socio-cultural and political bolstering of the Yoruba, Mrs Egbemode said. Meaningful profitability improvement; T2G ramping up Resilient revenue: 1,053 million reported; 2.0% LFL decrease due to Q2 demand slowdown Strong increase in Adjusted EBITDA: 126 million (+13%) and Adj. EBITDA margin: 12.0% (+199 bps), reflecting significant gross margin improvement due to lower raw material costs and ongoing delivery of T2G despite lower volume, COVID-19 disruptions and costs, as well as strong currency headwinds T2G delivered 49 million of gross value creation at constant currencies in H1 2020 Adjusted EPS up 34% to 0.61 on the back of higher operating profit Positive free cash flow generation and further decrease in leverage US expansion strategy advances: Greenfield project launched, feminine care acquisition completed in July Regulatory News: Ontex Group NV (BSE:ONTEX) (Euronext Brussels: ONTEX) today announced its results for the three months and six months ending June 30, 2020. Thierry Navarre, Ontex CEO, commented: "Ontex delivered a meaningful improvement in H1 operating performance amid the exceptional context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an unprecedented surge and subsequent unwinding of demand, as well as extreme currency headwinds. While lower market demand weighs on our sales, we generated a substantial improvement in profitability, from gross margin to net profit, on the back of strong delivery from our T2G plan. I want to thank Ontex's staff across the group and all our business partners, who are working tirelessly to ensure we supply daily-use personal hygiene products to our consumers and customers. While addressing current challenges, we invested to drive future growth, as attested by our recent announcement of a new manufacturing facility and the feminine care acquisition, both in the US. In an environment that remains uncertain, we will continue all efforts to protect our people, improve operations, and enhance profitability and cash generation." Key Financials for H1 2020 and Q2 2020 Six Months Second Quarter in million, except per share data 2020 2019 % Change 2020 2019 % Change LFL Revenue 1,091.7 1,114.3 -2.0% 508.5 568.1 -10.5% Reported Revenue 1,053.4 1,114.3 -5.5% 479.2 568.1 -15.6% Adjusted EBITDA at constant currencies 157.7 111.0 +42.0% 79.2 58.1 +36.4% Adjusted EBITDA Margin at constant currencies 14.4% 10.0% +448 bps 15.6% 10.2% +536 bps Adjusted EBITDA 125.9 111.0 +13.4% 59.9 58.1 +3.1% Adj. EBITDA Margin 12.0% 10.0% +199 bps 12.5% 10.2% +228 bps Six Months in million, except per share data 2020 2019 % Change Free Cash Flow 28.7 52.1 -44.9% Net Debt 853.4 898.7 -5.0% Net Debt LTM Adj. EBITDA 3.28x 3.71x -0.43x Adj. profit/(loss) for the period 49.2 36.5 +34.8% Adjusted EPS 0.61 0.45 +34.4% Non-recurring income and expenses (10.8) (39.6) -72.7% Profit/(Loss) for the period 41.1 8.4 n. m. Basic EPS 0.51 0.10 n. m. N.M.: not meaningful Notes which apply to this document Unless otherwise indicated, all comments in this document on changes in revenue are on a like-for-like basis (at constant currencies). Definitions of Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) in this document can be found in section 6.16 of the Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements. Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this press release may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures. Improved operating profitability in H1 2020 Solid profitability in a challenging environment LFL revenue decreased 2.0% in H1 2020, as strong growth at the end of Q1 was followed by a slowdown in market demand particulary in April and May, with sequential improvement in June. Despite lower volume, we grew gross profit and gross margin meangingfully thanks to T2G initiatives and lower raw material indices. This strong gross profit improvement underpinned Adjusted EBITDA growth of 13.4% to 125.9 milllion, yielding an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 12.0%. At constant currencies, Adjusted EBITDA grew 42.0% to 157.7 milllion, and the related margin was 14.4%. Adjusted EPS was up 34% at reported currencies. Positive free cash flow generation and improved leverage The Group's focus on cash generation resulted in free cash flow of 29 million in H1 2020, which reflects rigorous working capital and capex management, and comes on top of the 110 million free cash flow generated in FY 2019. Net debt at end June 2020 of 853 million (or 718 million excluding IFRS 16 Leases) decreased by 8 million versus end of December 2019, and by 18 million versus end of March 2020, while factoring at the end of H1 2020 stood at 157 million, down 4 million vs. end-2019. As a consequence of stronger Last Twelve Months Adjusted EBITDA and lower net debt at end of period, reported leverage improved to 3.28x from 3.51x at end-December 2019. Transform to Grow (T2G) Progress Report Despite the execution challenges raised by the pandemic, we delivered through T2G 49 million of gross gains to Adjusted EBITDA at constant currencies in H1 2020 We made good progress in several areas: The operational workstreams delivered 57 million of gross gains at constant currencies in H1 2020 versus the same period last year of which c. 80% was generated from procurement initiatives, excluding any benefit from lower raw material indices. To achieve these gains we have been reinforcing our procurement, production engineering and management resources that are supporting our operational transformation. Whereas we are ahead of our targets in procurement, achieving our efficiency and cost improvement ambitions in manufacturing and supply chain requires a further enhancement of our skills, processes and systems, and therefore is taking more time and efforts than initially anticipated. In a very difficult market context, the commercial workstreams are not yet delivering the expected benefits. We continued to invest in sales and marketing to support Ontex brands and upgrade our commercial capabilities. Price/mix improved in the first half but did not fully offset the volume shortfall due to lower market demand. Altogether, sales and marketing investments and the unfavorable volume/price/mix had a 8 million negative impact on the T2G gross gains for the first half. COVID-19 has impacted the ability to implement certain T2G initiatives, in particular those related to enhanced customer value propositions and product mix optimization. This is due to adjusted priorities by customers and Ontex in the unprecedented demand environment in H1 2020, restrictions on travel, access to production lines for innovation and saving projects, and postponed joint business development initiatives with customers and suppliers. Actions are being taken to ensure these initiatives get back on track. Overall, taking into account the achievements to date and the delays mentioned above, we are on track to deliver the announced improvement objectives by 2021, while remaining within the foreseen budget of 85 million for one-off costs across 2019 2021. Also, in line with our last update on the subject, Group capital expenditure for 2020 and 2021 including T2G-specific projects, will not exceed 5% of sales. This is a decrease versus our initial plan, reflecting the in-depth review and optimization of our total capital expenditure program carried out in the last 12 months. Operating in the COVID-19 environment The personal hygiene market in Europe experienced an unforeseen surge in demand towards the end of Q1 with category revenue up double-digit in March, followed by double-digit decreases in April and May. The decrease in demand for the tracked channels was impacted by: customers and consumers using their stock of products after stockpiling lower personal hygiene consumption due to restricted consumer mobility lower store traffic due to lockdown-related closures and consumer health and safety concerns postponement of promotions and new product launches by retailers higher online sales Low visibility on demand put significant pressure on personal hygiene players to satisfy customers and consumers. The entire Ontex organization rapidly mobilized to address these challenges. We incurred c. 8 million in COVID-19 related expenditures in H1 2020, mainly including extra compensation, disinfection and enhanced cleaning of our operations, protective equipment and additional transportation costs for our products. These costs have been recognized as recurring expenses in the income statement of the period. All measures to protect our employees, ensure continuity of our operations and enhance profitability and cash generation remain in force. Current prospects for Q3 2020 Considering the persisting uncertainties related to the pandemic and its impacts on our business, in particular on the evolution of demand in our markets, we are not in a position to provide projections for the balance of 2020. In this challenging context, we remain focused on supporting our customers and improving our operating performance. The fluff pulp index has increased sequentially (in US Dollars) since early this year, which will have a limited impact on our purchasing prices. The most recent indices for oil-based derivatives show sequential increases following downwards trends earlier in Q2. However, these indices remain below the levels of prior year. At current rates, we expect the year-on-year negative impact of currency depreciations on reported revenue and Adjusted EBITDA in Q3 to be similar to the impacts reported in Q2. Operational Review: Categories Six Months Second Quarter in million 2020 2019 % as reported % at LFL 2020 2019 % as reported % at LFL Ontex Reported Revenue 1,053.4 1,114.3 -5.5% -2.0% 479.2 568.1 -15.6% -10.5% Babycare 589.7 648.9 -9.1% -5.1% 261.3 337.5 -22.6% -16.5% Adult Incontinence 338.4 345.2 -2.0% +0.9% 161.3 171.5 -5.9% -1.8% Femcare 111.0 106.3 +4.3% +5.3% 49.0 52.2 -6.0% -4.5% Other 14.4 13.9 +3.8% +12.7% 7.5 6.9 +9.0% +20.7% H1 2020 Babycare category revenue was down 5.1% compared with a year ago. Category sales have been strongly impacted in the second quarter as they slowed after the surge recorded in March as lockdown measures were implemented. They also reflect lower consumption patterns as consumers were largely confined throughout the quarter. The Adult Incontinence (Adult Inco) category posted a 0.9% revenue increase in H1 2020. Adult Inco sales were up 4.5% in retail channels, with solid growth in the first quarter followed by lower market demand in Q2. Sales in institutional channels decreased as the result of the temporary suspension of a contract in our Healthcare Division, for which shipments have resumed in the second quarter. Feminine Care revenue in H1 2020 ended up 5.3% above the same period last year on the back of a strong start to the year. Organic cotton tampons continued to exhibit solid growth in AMEAA. Operational Review: Divisions Six Months Second Quarter in million 2020 2019 % as reported % at LFL 2020 2019 % as reported % at LFL Ontex Reported Revenue 1,053.4 1,114.3 -5.5% -2.0% 479.2 568.1 -15.6% -10.5% Europe 442.0 469.1 -5.8% -4.7% 191.9 235.4 -18.5% -17.0% AMEAA 393.6 422.7 -6.9% +0.9% 180.1 223.2 -19.3% -7.8% Healthcare 217.9 222.4 -2.0% -2.0% 107.2 109.4 -2.0% -1.8% 1 2019 revenue in AMEAA and Healthcare has been adjusted due to a shift of customer responsibility between these Divisions effective January 1, 2020, which has no impact on total Ontex revenue. Details can be found in annex. Europe Europe Division revenue in H1 2020 decreased 4.7% on the back of a strong surge in demand in March, followed by lower sales during Q2 essentially reflecting the market trends for personal hygiene products as described on page 3. The expected decrease in demand in April (disclosed in the Q1 Trading Update) was followed by a weaker-than-expected May, while June showed a slight sequential improvement as lockdown measures eased in most countries. In light of exceptional demand volatility, the commercial teams are working closely with our large customer base to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential, daily-use hygiene products. Americas, Middle East, Africa and Asia (AMEAA) H1 2020 revenue in the AMEAA Division increased 0.9% on a strong comparable base in the same period of 2019. Similarly to Europe, the commercial environment was impacted by the spread of the pandemic during most of H1. This underpinned the strong start to the year including some stockpiling ahead of lockdown measures, followed by a slowdown in demand throughout Q2 across all geographies, explained by the unwinding of the Q1 stockpiling, confinement measures and store closures. Sales in the Americas were up in H1 versus a year ago, led by growth in Brazil despite store closures for several weeks in Q2, and in the US where stores remained open albeit with less customer traffic. The solid positioning of our local brands helped our business in Mexico contain the impact of lower demand in most retail channels in Q2. Revenue in MEAA was down versus last year as many markets were impacted in the second quarter by the pandemic and related health measures, which reduced consumer access to shops and limited commercial activities. Healthcare Revenue in our Healthcare Division was down 2.0% in H1 2020, demonstrating a good degree of resilience in a challenging environment, including the temporary closure of some sales channels in the second quarter, such as hygiene and babycare shops. Excluding the temporary suspension of an institutional contract, H1 2020 Healthcare revenue was higher than in the first half of 2019, in part thanks to continued progress in self-pay and e-commerce channels. The aforementioned institutional contract resumed in April and achieved full run-rate in June. In addition, sales in home delivery channels were solidly ahead. FINANCIAL REVIEW Selected Financial Information First Half in million 2020 2019 Ontex Reported Revenue 1,053.4 1,114.3 -5.5% Cost of sales 736.2) 820.3) -10.2% Gross profit 317.2 294.0 +7.9% Operating expenses 191.3) 183.0) +4.6% Adjusted EBITDA 125.9 111.0 +13.4% Non-recurring income and expenses 10.8) 39.6) -72.7% EBITDA 115.1 71.5 +61.1% Depreciation and amortization 43.4) 42.4) +2.3% Operating profit 71.7 29.1 +146.7% Net finance cost 16.2) 17.8) -9.2% Income tax expense 14.4) 2.9) n.m. Adjusted profit for the period 49.2 36.5 +34.8% Adjusted Basic EPS 0.61 0.45 +34.4% Profit for the period 41.1 8.4 n.m. Basic EPS 0.51 0.10 n.m. Free Cash Flow (post-tax) 28.7 52.1 -44.9% Of which change in WC 10.4) 43.2 n.m. Of which Capex 45.2) 39.6) +14.1% Of which repayment of lease liabilities 13.7) 13.3) +2.9% n.m. not meaningful Gross profit H1 2020 gross profit was 317.2 million, an increase of +7.9% compared with the same period last year. Gross profit was positively impacted by material savings and efficiencies generated from T2G initiatives as they continued to ramp up, and also benefited from lower raw material indices. These positive effects more than outweighed the impacts of lower revenue, the steep depreciation of several functional currencies versus the euro, and additional, unplanned COVID-19 related expenses. We also invested in engineering capabilities to accelerate our manufacturing transformation as part of T2G. Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 30.1% in H1 2020, up 373 basis points versus prior year. Adjusted EBITDA Adjusted EBITDA reached 125.9 million in H1 2020, 13.4% above a year ago, resulting in an adjusted EBITDA margin of 12.0%, up 199 basis points. The solid improvement in adjusted EBITDA reflected higher gross profit, and allowed for ongoing investment in marketing to support our brands (albeit adjusted to lower demand in Q2), in R&D to enhance innovation, as well as in IT to support the manufacturing transformation and our digital initiatives. At constant currencies, Adjusted EBITDA was 157.7 million in H1 2020, up 42.0% year-on-year and the related margin was 14.4%, +448 basis points. Non-recurring income and expenses Non-recurring expenses were 10.8 million in H1 2020, a decrease of 72.7% year-on-year. The majority of these charges were related to restructuring expenses as part of the implementation of the T2G program. The cash flow impact of non-recurring expenses was -23.0 million in H1 2020, due to timing differences between expense recognition, for which an important amount was recorded in 2019 linked to the start of many T2G initiatives, and cash out which is planned to be more evenly spread over the T2G program period of 2019 to 2021, as previously disclosed. Due to rigorous control of expenses and cash outlays, for the full year 2020we now expect non-recurring expenses recognized in the income statement at 30 million to 35 million [previously: 35 million to 40 million], of which 15 million to 20 million [previously: 25 million to 30 million] related to the implementation of T2G. The forecast cash-outs related to non-recurring items ranges from 35 million to 40 million [previously: 45 million to 50 million], of which 25 million to 30 million [previously: 35 million to 40 million] related to the T2G implementation. Foreign Exchange Nearly all of the main functional currencies in which we do business weakened versus the euro in H1 2020, resulting in negative impacts on both revenue and Adjusted EBITDA. The impact on Group revenue was -38.3 million, primarily attributable to a depreciation of the Brazilian Real, Mexican Peso, and to a lesser extent the Turkish Lira, Polish Zloty and Russian Ruble, versus the euro. The evolution of these currencies against the euro also explain most of the -31.7 million impact on Adjusted EBITDA in the first half of 2020. Net Finance Cost The net finance cost in H1 2020 was 16.2 million, a decrease of 9.2% compared with the same period last year. This is fully explained by the impact on our net financial debt of movements in foreign exchange rates versus the euro. Income Tax Expense H1 2020 income tax expense was 14.4 million, yielding an effective tax rate of 25.9%, in-line with the rate in the first half of 2019. Working Capital Working capital as a percentage of LTM revenue was 8.1%*, reflecting a solid underlying performance in line with the 9.5% achieved a year ago, as well as the favorable impact of the depreciation of several of our functional currencies versus the euro. Higher inventories at the end of June were driven by an increase in finished goods compared with the low level at end-December 2019, due to lower Q2 sales and raw material stockbuild to ensure production continuity during the pandemic. Trade receivables and trade payables remained under tightly management, confirming the structural, T2G-driven improvements. Capital expenditure H1 2020 capital expenditure including T2G-specific capex was 45.2 million, higher than a year ago due to different phasing over the full year. Capital expenditure for the full year is currently forecasted at 5% of revenue, including T2G-specific investments. Free Cash Flow (post-tax) Free cash flow (post-tax) was 28.7 million in H1 2020, net of 25.0 million in T2G-specific cash outflows (for one-off expenses and capital expenditure). Free cash flow generation was due to solid EBITDA, and ongoing tight management of working capital and capex. excluding monetization through factoring lines: 157 million at end-June 2020, 171 million at end-June 2019 Corporate information The above press release and related financial information of Ontex Group NV for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 was authorized for issue in accordance with a resolution of the Board on July 29, 2020. CONFERENCE CALL Management will host a presentation for investors and analysts on July 30, 2020 at 9:00am CET/8:00am UK. A copy of the presentation slides will be available at http://www.ontexglobal.com/ If you would like to participate in the conference call, please dial-in 5 to 10 minutes prior using the details below: Belgium +32 (0)2 404 0659 France +33 (0)1 70 72 25 50 Germany +49 (0)69 2222 25574 United Kingdom +44 (0)330 336 9125 United States +1 323-794-2093 Confirmation Code: 8372767 FINANCIAL CALENDAR H1 2020 July 30, 2020 Q3 2020 November 4, 2020 FY 2020 February 24, 2021 2020 Structure 2019 Ontex Reported Revenue in million Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group 546.2 568.1 574.4 592.6 2,281.3 Europe 233.7 235.4 238.0 249.7 956.9 AMEAA 199.5 223.2 225.1 235.1 882.9 Healthcare 113.0 109.4 111.3 107.8 441.6 % at LFL Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group -1.5% -1.1% 0.2% -1.4% -1.0% Europe -6.7% -10.0% -6.0% -2.8% -6.4% AMEAA 5.7% 10.0% 7.1% 0.4% 5.6% Healthcare -2.0% -0.1% 1.3% -2.0% -0.7% % as reported Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group -2.1% -0.6% 1.4% -0.6% -0.5% Europe -7.6% -10.0% -5.6% -1.7% -6.3% AMEAA 5.0% 11.2% 10.0% 1.1% 6.7% Healthcare -1.7% 0.1% 1.2% -1.4% -0.5% 2019 Structure 2019 Ontex Reported Revenue in million Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group 546.2 568.1 574.4 592.6 2,281.3 Europe 233.7 235.4 238.0 249.7 956.9 AMEAA 201.6 225.7 226.8 237.8 891.9 Healthcare 110.9 107.0 109.6 105.1 432.5 % at LFL Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group -1.5% -1.1% 0.2% -1.4% -1.0% Europe -6.7% -10.0% -6.0% -2.8% -6.4% AMEAA 5.7% 10.4% 6.6% 0.5% 5.6% Healthcare -2.1% -1.0% 2.1% -2.2% -0.8% % as reported Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY Ontex Group -2.1% -0.6% 1.4% -0.6% -0.5% Europe -7.6% -10.0% -5.6% -1.7% -6.3% AMEAA 5.1% 11.7% 9.5% 1.3% 6.7% Healthcare -2.0% -1.0% 2.0% -1.7% -0.7% DISCLAIMER This report may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements regarding or based upon our management's current intentions, beliefs or expectations relating to, among other things, Ontex's future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies or developments in the industry in which we operate. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied thereby. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. Forward-looking statements contained in this report regarding trends or current activities should not be taken as a report that such trends or activities will continue in the future. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. The information contained in this report is subject to change without notice. No re-report or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, reasonableness or completeness of the information contained herein and no reliance should be placed on it. In most of the tables of this report, amounts are shown in million for reasons of transparency. This may give rise to rounding differences in the tables presented in the report. This report has been prepared in Dutch and translated into English. In the case of discrepancies between the two versions, the Dutch version will prevail. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729006114/en/ Contacts: Investors Philip Ludwig +32 53 333 730 Philip.ludwig@ontexglobal.com Press Gaelle Vilatte +32 53 333 708 Gaelle.vilatte@ontexglobal.com Until now, the heavy lifting for carrying Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic has been done by the federal government and its showing. Since mid-March. Ottawa has burned through an eye-popping $230 billion not only to keep people safe and healthy but to ensure that hard-pressed workers, employers, businesses and students stay financially afloat. But with the end of this pandemic nowhere in sight and the national debt headed for an all-time high of $1.2 trillion, more of that emergency heavy lifting will have to be done by provinces like Ontario. And thats why the $4 billion in pandemic aid that the federal and Ontario governments pledged to Ontarios municipalities this week is so significant. This cash infusion is essential for cities, regions, counties, towns and townships that have bled revenue during this pandemic. While roughly half of the $4 billion will go to homeless shelters, womens shelters, food banks and public health, the remaining $2 billion will keep public transit running. Just as important as meeting these needs is the fact that the Doug Ford government is coming through with more than half of the $4 billion. With so many other pandemic-related bills staring Ontarians in the face, their provincial governments new-found largesse should be the shape of things to come. The need in this particular instance was dire. Both the federal and Ontario governments deserve credit for realizing what was required and joining forces to meet it. Both recognized that while social service and public health costs had soared for local governments in the pandemic, their user fees and tax revenues took a dive. Without this weeks bailout, municipal governments across Ontario would have had to slash services and raise taxes at a time when people urgently require those services and many taxpayers are struggling to pay their bills. Although $4 billion sounds like a lot, it wont be enough for the municipalities in the long term. Remember it has to be divided among 444 municipal governments. Toronto alone hopes for $1.3 million to fill the hole in its budget. Given these budgetary demands, we believe the money pledged this week is only the first instalment in meeting municipal needs. Lets hope Ontario is ready to up its ante. To date, its pandemic response has been far more modest than Ottawas. The Ontario governments actual increase in public spending to deal with COVID-19 amounted to just $4.5 billion out of a $160-billion budget. And compared to the $343-billion deficit Ottawa expects this year, Ontarios predicted deficit of $41 billion appears far more manageable. Frugality is sometimes a virtue. But as we move out of the economic lockdown, the Ontario government will have to provide billions of dollars more not only for municipalities but to reopen schools, bolster daycare and fix its broken long-term-care system. These are all, by the way, primarily responsibilities for the provincial, not federal, government. So, too, are municipal governments, which is why Premier Ford shouldnt resent paying most of this weeks aid package. That said, if Ford is looking to relieve the provinces treasury, he should finally release the review of eight regional governments he received and filed away last year, without ever making it public. While municipal governments will need more cash from the province, regions such as Waterloo and Niagara could surely find cost-saving recommendations in that report. Smarter spending, not just higher spending, should be on Fords to-do list. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says hes pushed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to pick Sen. Tammy Duckworth as his running mate, arguing that she would highlight President Trumps successful attempts to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. Trump ran away from service at a time when the country needed him, Pritzker, a Democrat, said during a wide-ranging interview with Yahoo News Skullduggery podcast. Biden has said he will announce his selection next week, and Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, is among a handful of women he is said to be most seriously considering for the job. Duckworth is a combat veteran who lost her legs and some mobility in her right arm in 2004 after a helicopter she was flying in Iraq was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Trump, meanwhile, was excused from military service in the 1960s after a doctor diagnosed him as having bone spurs in his heels. I had a doctor that gave me a letter a very strong letter on the heels, Trump told the New York Times in 2016. A war hero would make a terrific vice president of the United States, Pritzker said. I think that she not only has proven herself to be a great legislator, but also she will show up Donald Trump as someone who ran away from service at a time when the country needed him, and hes not somebody that stands up for the military. He runs away. Pritzker, a former entrepreneur and Hyatt Hotels heir who spent a large chunk of his personal fortune to get elected, also told Yahoo News he will not tolerate federal agents descending on Chicago to disturb citizens who are peacefully protesting. For several weeks, federal law enforcement agents have battled protesters in Portland, Ore., although the operation now appears to be winding down. Trump has suggested he would send federal agents to other cities that have seen protests against police violence, including Chicago. Last month the president blasted Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for not doing enough to control the citys rampant gun violence. Murders have surged in Chicago this year, with 414 killings compared with 275 by this time last year. On May 31, 18 people were killed in a single 24-hour period, breaking modern records in a city that has long contended with violent crime. Story continues Pritzker said federal agents are now arriving in Chicago, but only to work with the police on violent crime investigations and not to control protests. Were always on alert and deeply concerned that President Trump will try to do in Chicago what he has done in Portland, Pritzker said. Sending those Federal Protective Service troops to really cause mayhem where there didnt need to be any that was a deep concern of mine, and I expressed it loudly and often before we saw any agents arrive. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. (Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Pritzker said the federal investigators in Chicago are working with the local office of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He added that plans were made several weeks ago for them to assist with violent crime investigations. But he said he is planning to continue to monitor their work in the city because frankly, every day I wake up concerned that the federal government, that Donald Trump will turn it into Portland. We need to take the temperature down, and putting out secret police forces that people dont know where they came from or what theyre doing there, that doesnt help at all, Pritzker continued. There were protests that were very important for people to hear around the racial inequities that exist in our society, and I think people of all stripes, political stripes and otherwise, have come to understand that we must address that now. That is not something that needs to be put down by police. Pritzker also commented on Illinois state House Speaker and Democratic Party Chair Michael Madigan, who was recently implicated in a bribery scheme by federal officials. Madigan has not been charged with a crime but has been publicly linked by prosecutors to a scandal involving an energy utility. A growing number of Democratic lawmakers in Illinois have called on Madigan to resign, though Pritzker has so far only said Madigan should leave office if the allegations prove true. Asked about his position, he elaborated, calling the allegations serious. Lets start with the fact that this massive utility has committed massive infractions, Pritzker said. Theyve been found guilty, essentially. Theyve pled guilty, and in the process of that, all kinds of things are coming to light, and we need answers to those questions, because there hasnt been any direct indictment. Theres an implication, absolutely, about a number of people in there. We need to know much, much more. But the truth is that we have a real problem here. There is no doubt about it. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: While the process of extracting plasma itself is simple, doctors say that it is the screening of donors, testing and filling up of numerous forms that takes time. Ruchika Chitravanshi & Sohini Das look at challenges involved in plasma therapy. IMAGE: A medical staff showing collected Plasma during the inauguration of Plasma Bank for the treatment of COVID 19 patients, in Noida. Photograph: ANI Photo As his mother-in-law, a Covid-19 patient, started developing breathlessness, Gurugram-based management professional Sumit Singh (name changed) sent out an SOS on social media to find a plasma donor. It took him two days to find an eligible donor to get two units of plasma, one from Delhi Plasma Bank and the other from a Pitampura blood bank. While one asked for a replacement donation, the other charged Rs 18,000 for a single unit of plasma. Plasma therapy can only start if your test reports are positive and my mother-in-laws tests came negative twice before we tried another lab... Many people are apprehensive about donating plasma... Thankfully, my mother-in-law responded to the therapy and is now out of critical care, Singh said. While Singh was lucky when a neighbours friend came to his rescue, the huge demand for blood plasma ever since it became an off-label treatment has far exceeded the present supply. The phone does not stop ringing. We are constantly getting requests for plasma... We are trying our best to meet the demand and providing plasma on a replacement basis, said Dr Meenu Bajpai, transfusion medicine specialist at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences where Delhis first plasma bank has been started. From Hollywood actor Tom Hanks to minister in Delhi government Atishi Marlena, many personalities have donated plasma after they recovered from Covid-19, thereby setting an example. The hardest part is to find the right donor for the patient and overall to maintain a donor bank, said Dr Sandeep Dewan, director and head of the department, critical care medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute. Dewan said hospitals including his were now maintaining a database of all Covid patients they have treated so that they can reach out to them when the need arises. We are keeping a record of the name, address and blood group of Covid patients we are treating. Max Hospitals, which as part of the plasma therapy trials had enrolled 50 patients, went on to treat almost 200 more after the treatment became off label, outside the purview of the study. Though the hospital does not have a plasma bank, it keeps a few units for its own patients for emergency use. We have to be very alert to assess that a patient may become a candidate for plasma therapy and tell the family a day or two in advance that it (plasma) might be required and it may make sense to start looking for plasma, said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director, Max Healthcare. IMAGE: AAP leader Atishi Marlena who recovered from COVID-19 donates plasma at ILBS hospital, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo Situation has improved, Budhiraja said, after Delhi started the plasma bank. Besides sending them requisitions for plasma, we also consult and provide them with potential donors who could act as a replacement for the plasma, he added. In Kerala, some doctors are using a WhatsApp group of coronavirus patients. The group was created when cases were rising and it helped mobilise people for donating plasma. Recovered patients can give plasma after a month of recovery. Among women, only those who have never given birth can donate plasma. Medical experts say that the blood plasma of women who have given birth has antibodies which can cause the risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury. Doctors also said that getting a donor is getting easier than before. The number of donations per day in Delhi Plasma Bank have doubled to over 50 in the last few weeks. While the process of extracting plasma itself is simple, doctors say that it is the screening of donors, testing and filling up of numerous forms that takes time. The process itself involves collection of blood through an equipment called cell separator. The separator starts separating the various components of the blood. Out of this, the plasma is collected in a separate bag, and the rest of the blood goes back to the donor, said Dr Harpreet Kaur, who is in charge of the blood bank at Aakash Healthcare. This process of plasma collection costs around Rs 10,000-11,000 which includes blood screening charges. For the convalescent plasma therapy, a standard dose of 200 ml has been decided. Around 410 ml of blood is collected and that gives two 200 ml bags (units) of plasma. Plasma therapy, though not entirely new, is also not an established standard of care, according to medical experts. The body tries to counteract an infection by forming antibodies and white blood cells. Someone who has had this infection would have antibodies and may also have the white blood cells in the plasma. If that plasma is transfused into another sick person, those antibodies may help fight the infection, Dr H S Chhabra, medical director of Indian Spinal Injuries Center, said. Plasma is usually given once to any patient. However, doctors claim that in some severely sick patients it has also been given a second time within a period of 48-72 hours after the first dose of plasma. "Today's donation, one of many, brings people together to help others who are in critical need during a time of uncertainty and hardship. We are so grateful to work with community leaders, food banks and organizations who also care about helping to make a difference and provide families with healthy food," said Bob Unanue, President of Goya Foods. The food will be distributed through local food banks, churches, community centers, soup kitchens, and outreach programs that are in urgent need. "Food donations, like today's generous contribution from Goya, are needed now more than ever, as New Jersey is projected to see a shocking 56% increase in food insecurity due to the pandemic," said Carlos Rodriguez, President & CEO of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. "CFBNJ is grateful to all of its partners from every sector of society, whose support has enabled us to meet the unprecedented need as we work to prevail in the fight against hunger and build a healthier future for all." Through Goya Gives, a global program committed to promoting the overall well-being of communities through social responsibility, environmental initiatives, and company values, Goya supports each year nearly 300 charitable endeavors, scholarships, and events. In times of desperate need, Goya has always been at the forefront of disaster and humanitarian relief efforts, providing millions of pounds of food worldwide. At the start of the pandemic, the company donated an additional 500,000 pounds of food and 20,000 protective masks to health care providers. During Hurricane Maria Goya donated over 1 million pounds of food to the people of Puerto Rico, in addition to the starving people of Venezuela during governmental unrest, to the people of Haiti during the earthquake, and at home during Superstorm Sandy, and Hurricanes Isaac, Harvey, and Irene. Since 1936, giving back is the heart of Goya and has always been a part of the company's DNA. To learn more about Goya Gives, please visit: www.goya.com About Goya Foods Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com. For more information, contact: Natalie J. Maniscalco 845.659.6506 / [email protected] SOURCE Goya Foods, Inc. Related Links http://www.goya.com Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Assistant Service Operations Officer / Service Operations Officer in Sub Custody team wygaso z dniem 2020-08-28 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Nordea Bank Abp SA Oddzia w Polsce Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to: oferta zozona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z naszej bazy zleceniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc zgoszen zleceniodawca zmodyfikowa tresc ogoszenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych nieprawidowy adres WWW ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Administracja biurowa, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Administracja biurowa Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Assistant Service Operations Officer / Service Operations Officer in Sub Custody team, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Assistant Service Operations Officer / Service Operations Officer in Sub Custody team Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: odz, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca odz Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne propozycje, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Thursday he too is summoning Malaysia's ambassador, in an apparent tit for tat after his Malaysian counterpart publicly called him out for asserting Manila's territorial claim over Sabah. This came hours after Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein invited Philippine envoy Charles Jose to explain Locsin's tweet that "Sabah is not in Malaysia." The two regional allies have long kept the decades-old dispute in the back burner so the officials' public spat is a rare occurrence. Locsin criticized Malaysia for seeking the explanation of the Filipino diplomat over his own "factual statement." "Malaysia tried to derail the Arbitral Award... They are always trying to sneak in an attempt to implicitly abandon our claim. But I warned our diplomats. Never," he wrote in one of a series of tweets. He was referring to an international arbitral tribunal decision in 2016 that largely favored the Philippines in its dispute with China in the South China Sea, where Malaysia also has territorial claims. Malaysia's top envoy warned Locsin's statement will affect the bilateral ties between the two countries, continuing to insist that Sabah "is and will always be part of Malaysia." Unfazed by the warning, Locsin said the Philippines will continue to assert its rights over Sabah the same way the country upheld its claim over the West Philippine Sea. "We have and continue to assert our rights in the Spratlys/WPS. I am doing that with regard to Sabah. There have been repeated attempts to sell that claim but no Philippine president has succumbed," he said. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque upheld the Philippines' claim, but said he believes the dispute will not affect the two countries' ties. "It has not affected it in the recent years and we will continue to have healthy bilateral relations with Malaysia despite the issue of Sabah," he said in a media briefing. Malaysia has considered Sabah its territory since it became part of the Malaysian federation in 1963. Kuala Lumpur maintains the United Nations and the international community have recognized Sabah as part of Malaysia. Manila, however, insists that Sabah was merely on lease to Malaysia by the Sultanate of Sulu, which has ceded sovereignty over the area to the Philippines. The Sultanate signed a January 22, 1878 lease agreement with the now defunct private firm British North Borneo Company over a part of Sabah, which Malaysia absorbed after the British colonizers left. Malaysia has been paying what it considers cession money of RM5,300 a year to the heirs of the Sulu Sultante until it stopped payments in 2013. The Philippines has never relinquished its claims to Sabah and considers Malaysia's payments to the sultan's heirs as rent. The two neighbors are founding members of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose bedrock principles include cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes. As an aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, tenants are negotiating on their rentals and many landlords face the prospect of reduced rental income. While the incidence of renegotiation is lower in mid-segment properties and higher in luxury homes, the supply of rental homes has increased, and many property owners may face the prospect of lower rental income. In a market where tenants have the leeway to bargain, property owners need to go the extra mile to attract tenants at good rentals. This helps them to let out their property faster while also justifying higher rental asks. Topping up the property to attract tenants The onus is now less on location and more on how much tenants can do with their rented homes. To attract new tenants faster and command higher rentals than others, a landlord will need to make a one-time investment and go that critical extra mile to earn good rentals. This has always been true, but especially so in these 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 Shortlist 4-5 critical must-haves in a post-pandemic rented home, focusing not only on cheery interiors but also home office equipment and other critical WFH features. The appeal should be both practical and psychological - for instance, air conditioning is not merely comfort but a feature associated with a work-enabling office atmosphere. A fast internet connection and WiFi router, and a work decent desk and executive office chair, strike the right psychological chord for the same reason. If a tenant perceives that the property ticks all the critical boxes of a work-from-home environment, more than half the battle for more attractive rentals is already won. Apart from cosmetic enhancements, features which make work and recreation a matter of ease and convenience are in demand. Tenants should not need to invest in such features themselves. This will attract both families and working singles who have hit the town with little more than their personal belongings. Choosing this property over others should be a veritable no-brainer. While some tenants, especially working singles, prefer fully-furnished rental homes, families may have their own furniture and be on the lookout for semi-furnished units. The rental difference between semi-furnished and fully-furnished properties can be anywhere between 10 to 20 percent. To evaluate, the landlord must factor in aspects such as the kind of tenants that patronize the area, the functions of the location, project type, etc. A seasoned broker will be able to advise on whether the highest demand in this area is for furnished or semi-furnished apartments. Co-living has been increasing in popularity in Indian cities largely due to the millennial workforce. While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted this segment too, co-living may pick up pace faster than the normal rental format. This is because an increasing number of people currently living in paying guest arrangements will prefer to shift to co-living now. This business model operates on the fundamental where a company/start-up - such as OYO Life, Colive, etc. acts as a go-between for property owners and tenants. Different start-ups have different business models. To be noted co-living players will only consider independent houses for such adoption it is not an option for single owned flats, as housing societies will not allow it. If an independent house ticks the right boxes and a co-living firm is operational in the area, letting it out as a co-living unit may be an option. If it is, the landlord needs to factor in the different business models such companies follow. For instance, a landlord who earns a fixed monthly income from a co-living partner may have less to worry than when the arrangement is on a revenue-sharing model. This needs to be considered before partnering with any co-living start-up In the current scenario, it may take more than top-up facilities to attract tenants. Various factors such as demand and supply of rental housing in the location may be at play. The landlord may need to decide between waiting for the desired rent or letting the property out quicker on lower rent. Here is a simple calculation to determine the loss/gain factor: Assuming that the normal yearly rental income at a monthly rental of Rs 20,000 amounts to Rs 2.40 lakh per year. If the landlord decided to reduce the rent by 10 percent to enable faster letting out, the annual income will now be Rs 2.16 lakh. If the landlord decides to wait for the desired rent - even for just two months rather than reduce the rent, the property remains unused for these two months and the yearly rental income (minus two vacant months) would be Rs 2 lakh. This amounts to almost Rs 16,000 less. In the latter case, it is better to give a discount rather remain rigid. Moreover, when the market situation improves and rentals rise again, the landlord can hike the rent once the lease agreement comes up for renewal. For now, the immediate need for landlords is to maintain rental cash flows. The good news is that the market will improve eventually - perhaps sooner than later. They've been dating for just over seven months, and Liam Hemsworth and Gabriella Brooks continue to be inseparable. The couple enjoyed a romantic pub lunch in Lennox Head, on the far north New South Wales coast, on Wednesday. Sitting side by side at a bench table on an enclosed balcony, the 30-year-old actor and his model girlfriend chatted intimately. Still going strong: Liam Hemsworth enjoyed a leisurely lunch date with his girlfriend, Gabriella Brooks, at a pub in Lennox Head on Wednesday After finishing their meal, the causally-dressed pair stood up to leave. Liam opted for navy shorts, which he paired with a mustard-coloured knit jumper. He also wore tortoiseshell sunglasses with gold arms, and displayed a scruffy lockdown beard. Lunch date: They've been dating for just over seven months, and Liam and Gabriella continue to be inseparable Getting close: Sitting side by side at a bench table on an enclosed balcony, the 30-year-old actor and his model girlfriend chatted intimately Casual cool: Liam opted for navy shorts, which he paired with a mustard-coloured knit jumper. Meanwhile, Gabriella wore black bike shorts and an oversized white sweatshirt Meanwhile, Gabriella, 24, opted for a pair of black bike shorts, which she wore with an oversized white sweatshirt. Her sandy-blonde hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and a black hair scrunchie was wrapped around one of her wrists. She also carried a small black handbag during their lunch date. Lockdown love: The couple have been holing up together on the far north NSW coast amid the coronavirus pandemic Meet the parents: Liam and Gabriella were first spotted together in mid-December, when they went out for lunch in Byron Bay with the actor's parents, Craig and Leonie Heading home: After finishing their meal, the causally-dressed pair stood up to leave The couple have been holing up together on the far north NSW coast amid the coronavirus pandemic. Liam's older brother Chris Hemsworth, 36, is based in Byron Bay, about 20km north of Lennox Head. Liam and Gabriella were first spotted together in mid-December, when they went out for lunch in Byron Bay with the actor's parents, Craig and Leonie. It's the second relationship for Liam since he split from pop star Miley Cyrus in August last year, after less than eight months of marriage. Divorcee: It's the second relationship for Liam since he split from pop star Miley Cyrus in August last year, after less than eight months of marriage Relaxed: 'He feels more at home with Gabriella than he did with Miley and feels like he can be his complete self without any drama,' a source told Us Weekly in March In October, he was spotted kissing Australian actress Maddison Brown, 23, in New York, but their relationship proved to be short-lived. 'He feels more at home with Gabriella than he did with Miley and feels like he can be his complete self without any drama,' a source told Us Weekly in March. They added: 'Gabriella helped Liam boost his confidence and played an encouraging role in his life after his split with Miley. Quarantine chic: The Australian actor wore tortoiseshell sunglasses with gold arms, and showed off a scruffy lockdown beard True love: According to a report by People back in January, Liam's relationship with Gabriella was 'serious' from early on 'They are very happy together and it's comfortable and easy.' According to a report by People in January, Liam's relationship with Gabriella was 'serious' from early on. 'They have spent a lot of time in Australia together,' said a source. 'Gabriella has met Liam's siblings and his parents.' Happy place: The couple reportedly share many of the same interests, and Liam has apparently 'been in a great mood' since hooking up with the model at the end of last year Comfortable: 'Liam feels comfortable with Gabriella. His family approves of her and really likes her, which is very important to him,' a source told Us Weekly The couple reportedly share many of the same interests, and Liam has apparently 'been in a great mood' since hooking up with the model at the end of last year. According to a report by Us Weekly in December, the Isn't It Romantic star was 'happy to be moving on' following his turbulent split from Miley, 27. 'Liam feels comfortable with Gabriella. His family approves of her and really likes her, which is very important to him,' a source told the publication at the time. A former Nigerian attorney-general and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, has given the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister o... A former Nigerian attorney-general and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, has given the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, seven days ultimatum to retract alleged defamatory statements made against him. Mr Adoke issued the ultimatum on Wednesday through his lawyers led by Paul Erokoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The alleged defamatory statements were made at the ongoing hearing of the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) arbitration case in England. Mr Adoke also asked Mr Malami to tender a public apology for making statements which he knew to be untrue and defamatory against his person. Mr Erokoro said Mr Malamis statements were not true and have negatively affected Mr Adokes image because the court proceedings were on live television in Nigeria and on social media around the world. In the statement, Mr Malami had accused Mr Adoke of having a hand in the failed P&ID agreement, receiving kickback from the deal through former petroleum minister, Dan Etete, and also single-handedly selecting a legal team to represent Nigeria at the arbitration. Our client is astounded by your failure to inform the English court that under Nigerian law, any person charged with or accused of a crime MUST be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the letter said. Rather, you pronounced our client guilty, even when you were fully aware that his trial had not even commenced. The Attorney-Generals oath of office includes an undertaking to protect and defend the Nigerian Constitution. The constitutional right to fair trial is severely breached when the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria urges the court of a foreign jurisdiction to regard and even pronounce a Nigerian guilty of an offence without a trial. It was your unfortunate and wrongful pronouncement of guilt on our client that emboldened the FRNs counsel in England to tell the whole world that our client is corrupt. This has done incalculable harm to our clients name, reputation and standing in society. Our client will suffer even more harm if the English Court, misled by your evidence, makes an adverse finding against our client. It is for this, among other reasons that the first duty of the Attorney-General and indeed all counsel, is to the Court, the letter read in part. Mr Adoke noted that he became Attorney-General of the Federation on April 6, 2010, while the negotiations for the gas project had been on from 2009, adding that he only became aware of the P&ID matter when the Ministry of Petroleum Resources requested in 2013 that he appoint an arbitrator as well as counsel. The letter reads in part: Our client finds it remarkable that you found no fault in the appointment of the arbitrator but found fault with the appointment of counsel, even though the two appointments followed the same process. For this reason, our client is forced to conclude that your vilification of his name is merely a case of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Our client asserts that even though he appointed Mr. Shasore as counsel, Mr. Shasores legal fees were paid by the administration of President Buhari, long after our client had left office, a fact well known to you. It is also on record that our client was not involved in any of the negotiations with P&ID for settlement, which all took place under your watch. The initial proposal for settlement was delivered to President Jonathan. The President referred the matter to our client for his advice. Our client advised the President to leave the matter to the in-coming administration, since the Presidents tenure was ending in 8 days. You also conceal these facts from the court even though the records have been in your office all along. If our client had been part of any corrupt scheme with P&ID as you claimed in your evidence, surely our client would have jumped at the chance to give P&ID a favourable settlement. Mr Adoke argued that the final award was issued in July 2015, months after he had left office. Your evidence was therefore unfair and uncharitable to our client because you are aware that all the attempts at settlement with P&ID took place under your tenure as Attorney-General, a fact you freely admitted in your witness statements, he added. Mr Adoke argued further that when the government requested information from some banks in the United States Government on all bank accounts owned by former President Goodluck Jonathan and others, it was discovered that he has no foreign account.\ He, therefore, called on the minister within the next seven days on receipt of his letter to take necessary steps to correct the misleading and false statements against him. Our client demands that you retract the false evidence that you gave to the English Court, regarding him and apologise for the harm done to his name, he said. Mr Adoke also demanded that Mr Malami should instruct his counsel in England to desist from repeating the allegations of corruption and other defamatory imputations broadcast about him. In the 1990s, a few talk show hosts ruled the daytime TV roost. Sally Jessy Raphael was among those with a 19-year talk show career and over 10,000 guests. During her prime celebrity news days, Raphael endured an excruciating three-week period in which she lost one child and nearly lost another. Sally Jessy Raphaels son was in an accident Sally Jessy Raphael | Jim Lord/Getty Images RELATED: The Staggering Net Worth of the Richest TV Hosts in America, Revealed In 1992 nine years into her illustrious career Sally Jessy Raphael awoke in the night to a knock on the door. Officers informed the talk show host that her 19-year-old adopted son and the youngest of eight children , J.J. Raphael, was taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York after crashing his car into a tree. The vehicle fell down a ravine near the family home near Montrose, NY in the hours before. Police told Raphael a rescue crew spent 45 minutes cutting her son and two other passengers out of the wreckage. All three critically injured passengers did wear a seatbelt, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Raphaels son had broken ribs as remained in a coma for six days before undergoing a 7-hour surgery to insert pins into broken limbs and to wire a broken jaw. In all, he needed 56 stitches to his face alone. Soon after, J.J. Raphael woke up with an excellent prognosis. She missed just one taping of The Sally Jessy Raphael Show. Just three weeks later, tragedy struck again. This time, Raphaels daytime talk show was on an indefinite break. Raphaels daughter died 3 weeks later Sally Jessy Raphael and Allison Vladimir | Robin Platzer/Twin Images/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images RELATED: Jennifer Aniston Met With These Talk Show Hosts to Prepare for The Morning Show Just as Raphael and her family put their lives back together, tragedy struck again. Raphaels producer and friend, Burt Dubrow, called to relay the heartbreaking news received from an inn manager. Her 33-year-old daughter, Allison Vladimir, was found dead in the house behind the Isaac Stover House bed-and-breakfast that Raphael purchased. Vladimir and her boyfriend, Robert Ascott, were staying at the inn for the weekend. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Ascott called 911 stating he couldnt awake Vladimir. An ambulance took her to Doylestown Hospital after resuscitation efforts failed. She was pronounced dead a short time later from respiratory failure after consuming alcohol and small doses of prescription and non-prescription drugs, The Morning Call reported. There is no evidence that Ms. Vladimir intended to take her own life, Coroner Thomas Rosko said at the time. Individually, any one of these medications would not have been enough to kill a person. He added the drugs a combination of prescribed and over the counter drugs for back pain and alcohol consumed was enough to cause respiratory arrest. The Sally Jessy Raphael Show was suspended indefinitely and the funeral was a private affair. Vladimir was the oldest of Raphaels two daughters from a previous marriage. How is Raphael doing today? When I married Karl, he was 5 years my senior. Somehow, over 60 years, my Peter Pan husband has remained forever young and handsome! Happy 90th birthday to the love of my life so glad we can finally be together with loved ones to celebrate your amazing life! pic.twitter.com/pgmqddg7Bh Sally Jessy Raphael (@SJRaphael) June 3, 2020 RELATED: You Wont Believe How Much the Highest-Paid Radio Show Hosts Make Every Year Though Raphael didnt disclose why her show was cancelled at the time, she later revealed it was likely because she told her producers she had cancer. All they needed was a 60-year-old that might have cancer. I was stupid enough to tell them, she told Daily Mail UK in 2019. She noted having regret about not pushing back, adding they absolutely betrayed her. 18 years since her last taping, Raphael and her second husband of nearly 60 years, Karl Soderlund. She revealed via social media that shes been the primary caretaker for him since he was diagnosed with Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Raphaels talk show days are far behind her, but the memories of all she experienced remain. US to pull about 12,000 troops from Germany, half to stay in Europe Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 7:51 PM The US says it will withdraw about 12,000 of its troops from Germany and place them in other European countries to counter Russia. Unveiled on Wednesday by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaking from Pentagon, the plan has provoking bipartisan opposition in Congress and widespread dismay among other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). According to Esper, the number of US troops in Germany would be reduced by around 11,900, from some 36,000 to 24,000, which is even more than the 9,500 announced last month. This comes as critics maintain that the plan will cost billions of dollars for the US and will weaken the country's position in Europe vis a vis Russia. "The plan outlined by the administration today to remove thousands of US troops from Germany is a grave error," US Republican Senator Mitt Romney said in a statement on Wednesday. "It is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression," he added. Meanwhile, Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee and an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned on Wednesday that Trump's plan "will weaken the (NATO) alliance." However, US President Donald Trump defended the move, calling it as a punishment for Germany over failing to meet NATO's defense spending target. "We spend a lot of money on Germany, they take advantage of us on trade and they take advantage on the military, so we're reducing the force," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. "They're there to protect Europe, they're there to protect Germany, and Germany is supposed to pay for it," he added. "We don't want to be responsible anymore." The move is the latest twist in relations between Berlin and Washington, which have been strained since Trump announced his plan for withdrawal last month. From the beginning of his presidency, Trump has pressed Germany to raise NATO spending and accused Berlin of being a "captive" of Russia due to its energy reliance. About 17,000 US civilian employees support US troops in Germany. It is believed Washington also has nuclear warheads there. Since World War II, the US military has considered Germany to be one of its most strategic locations overseas, and it serves as a critical logistics hub for troop movements. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ashley Giles stole from NHS staff as they battled to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. (SWNS) A burglar who raided hospital lockers as NHS staff battled to save lives at the height of the coronavirus pandemic has been jailed. Ashley Giles, 25, was confronted by a health care worker who had just finished a 12-hour shift after he had broken into four lockers, Leeds Crown Court heard. The woman approached Giles and asked him what he was doing after realising he wasnt a member of staff at St James Hospital in Leeds. Giles told the woman he had been reading a newspaper before quickly walking away. After he left, the staff member went back into the room and found her locker had been forced open and her handbag was missing. After she alerted security officers, Giles was chased out of the hospital and managed to escape. Ashley Giles stole from staff at St James Hospital in Leeds. (Wikipedia) But the defendants hat fell from his head during the pursuit, which contained his DNA and led to his arrest. Giles, from Leeds, was jailed for 32 months on Wednesday after earlier pleading guilty to burglary. Judge Robin Mairs, sentencing, told the defendant key workers needed to be protected from "predatory burglars" like him. MORE: Young people could be spreading coronavirus amid fears of second wave Judge Mairs said: "At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a health assistant finished her 12-hour shift and went to the locker room. "She was obviously exhausted and wanting to make her way home. "She was confronted by you. You had gone in there to steal. "To steal from those members of the community who were sacrificing themselves to work for the greater good of the community. Ashley Giles was jailed for 32 months at Leeds Crown Court. (Wikipedia) The judge added: "Those who work in the vulnerable settings of our hospitals deserve and will have the protection of our courts. "They need protection from predatory burglars such as you." Stephen Welford, mitigating, said Giles committed the offence when he was homeless and needed money to fund his class A drug addiction. MORE: Police release images of racist assault suspects with their faces removed Giles was interviewed about the offence and said he was under the influence of heroin and cocaine at the time and could not recall much about the incident. Story continues The court heard he has criminal convictions dating back to the age of 11 and had previously served jail terms in the past for burglary. Giles also served a 12-week prison sentence earlier this year for assaulting an emergency worker. Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 18:02:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe recorded 62 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Wednesday, bringing the country's total cases to 2,879 and the death toll to 41. The country also recorded a significant number of recoveries at 283, raising the total number of recoveries from 604 to 887. The country has been recording a sharp increase in locally transmitted infections, and out of the 62 new cases, 50 are local cases while 12 are citizens who returned from South Africa. Cumulatively, local cases now stand at 1,837 compared to 1,042 imported cases. In an update, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said the death is of a 32-year-old woman from Manicaland Province. The country has done a total of 126,708 COVID-19 tests to date. Enditem Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! Update: It appears most Redmi Note 9 owners are unable to download the update after receiving it, which is likley an issue from Xiaomi's servers. Thankfully, there's an easy fix. Simply use a VPN and download the update. See more here. ------------------ Exactly a week ago, Xiaomi sent out the MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 9 in its home country of China. The company has now expanded the rollout, however, and has begun seeding the global beta stable MIUI 12 update to owners of the Redmi Note 9. Thorny Issue The issue of abortion is a thorny one. Passions run high on both sides of the debate. The tensions underscoring this issue continue to make the morality and legality of abortion a matter of fervent national and global debate. There are understandable emotions and justifications that each side can advance for why abortion is wrong or, on the other hand, why it should be legal and State-supported. Much has been said and written about the sanctity of life, as well as the sanctity of a womans body and her right to choose without State interference. We hear stories of women who have been raped or who have felt unable to support a child either physically, psychologically or given their existing resources. These women have shared how abortions have changed their lives. Some regret it. Some say they believe they made the best decision. In 2019, 40 million babies were aborted. A figure that is staggering. 40 million lives lost. And 40 million women who will never be the same. What do we do? Where does all of this leave Christians? How do we know where to stand on the topic? Understand that it is an issue Christians cannot ignore. Souls are in jeopardy. God cares about every child aborted. Psalm chapter 139 verse 13 says that God knitted us in our mothers wombs. He knew us even before then (Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5). Every life has a purpose. God has a plan for every life and loves every human being, even those who are killed before birth. Children are a heritage from God (Psalm 127 verse 3). He made humans in his image (Genesis chapter 1 verse 27). Chances are you know a woman who has made the choice to abort her baby. Or maybe you have struggled with, and made the difficult choice to have an abortion. Many women wrestle with the guilt and shame of this in secret and silence and this has driven a wedge between them and God and has affected their relationship with Him. Here are some suggestions we can consider doing: Abortion takes a huge emotional toll on a woman, although the effects may not manifest until 10-15 years later. Ask the senior pastors of your church about establishing a support group for women who have committed abortion to help them deal with the resulting post-traumatic stress disorder. Counsellors need to have the training and compassion to lovingly help women through the aftermath of an abortion. Dont harden your heart or think this isnt my problem. Pray for both the aborted babies and the women. A study has shown that babies being aborted feel tremendous pain. And rather than painting the women as evil, understand that, like all of us, they are affected by sin. This sinful choice doesnt have to define them. Once they repent and seek Gods forgiveness they can become advocates for the pro-life movement. God requires us to have compassion (Isaiah chapter 49 verse 15) that is His nature and the heart attitude He wants us to have. Give your time and resources to pro-life organisations. In Barbados where I live, there is a group called Unborn Justice who helps women who decide to keep their babies. Organisations such as these welcome donations from Christians all over the world. Find out about similar charities in your area or country. Get political. Let your voice be heard by your government. Governments across the world are facing the crisis of declining birth rates which will mean an aging population in a few years. Population growth is critical to the world economy. It means more workers to build homes and produce goods, more consumers to buy things and spark innovation, and more citizens to pay taxes and attract trade. Part of preventing population decline is encouraging women not to abort their babies. The issue of population grown is a controversial one since one has to also consider food security. Planned sustainable development requires policymakers to focus on human resources as well as physical resources. Be prayerful about what God would have you do. Your actions matter. You can make a difference. Although the issue of abortion is overwhelming, its not debilitating. Dont feel helpless. One life is enough to change the world. And one life that you can save is worth it. Joshua Wong, submitting his papers for election to the legislative council in Hong Kong, has now been barred from standing - Paul Yeung/Bloomberg Hong Kong yesterday banned 12 pro-democracy campaigners from standing in forthcoming elections to the citys parliament as China stoked tensions by re-iterating its threat to refuse up to three million residents eligible for British travel documents the right to leave. Carrie Lams Hong Kong administration, operating under Chinese rule, said the campaigners could not genuinely uphold the former UK colonys mini-constitution because they oppose the imposition of Beijings draconian national security law. Those barred include Joshua Wong, founder of the now disbanded Demosisto Party, and Lester Shum. It came as Liu Xiaoming, Chinas ambassador to the UK, re-affirmed that China was considering not recognising the British National (Overseas) passport. Up to three million Hong Kong residents are eligible for the document, and Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, has promised holding one would pave the way for residency in the UK. Beijing imposed new legislation a month ago to introduce possible life sentences for secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign collusion. The move threatens the one country, two systems approach agreed when Britain handed control of Hong Kong back to China in 1997. Mr Raabs made the residency offer after new laws came into force. He later indefinitely suspended Britains extradition treaty with Hong Kong, and instituted an arms ban. Ms Lam is suspected of wanting to cancel Septembers elections to the legislative council. On Wednesday, she raised the prospect of postponing them because of s second wave of coronavirus, which, she said, threatened to overwhelm the territorys hospitals. Pro-democracy candidates, like Nathan Law, have previously been stopped taking up their seats in the council, but only after they have been elected. Mr Law is now in exile in London, opening up a new front in the pro-democracy strategy. Story continues Mr Wong, a close ally of Mr Law, issued a defiant response. Im a bit surprised how they disqualified candidates without any notification. The Hong Kong legislature should not be the place to gather Beijing loyalists, but, right now, the pro-Beijing camp are just trying all their ways and tactics, hoping to kick us out from the election. But no matter what happens, I still have faith and trust in Hong Kong people. He shared on twitter an 18-page long letter from electoral officer Alice Choi, who said his resignation from Demosisto was to avoid being caught under the newly passed national security law. Mr Wong said: The excuse they use is that I describe the national security law as a draconian law, which shows that I do not support this sweeping law. Dennis Kwok, another banned candidate, said: They try to drive fear and oppression into our hearts and for this, we must not let them succeed. Do not give up. The Hong Kong authorities said in a statement: There is no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community. More candidates may be banned. Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming gestures during his news conference in London when he appeared to blame the US for the poor state of China-UK relations - Simon Dawson/Reuters In London, Mr Liu confirmed Beijing would be reviewing whether to allow Hong Kong residents to travel on the BNO passport. Chinas foreign ministry had signalled that move last week. It would effectively maroon the passport holders. Mr Liu blamed the dire state of China-UK relations firmly on Boris Johnsons government. But he suggested the US had orchestrated the British approach, and pointed out Donald Trump was electioneering ahead of Novembers presidential poll. China have been stung by the furore over Hong Kong, the revocation of Huaweis involvement in the new 5G network deal, and criticism over human rights abuses against the Uighur Muslims. Mr Liu devoted much of his press conference to justify Chinese action in Xinjiang. Mr Liu said of Britain: "We threaten nobody. We just let you know the consequences. People regard some of my remarks as threatening words. I think they quote my remarks out of context. "But, if you do not want to be our partners and our friends, you want to treat China as a hostile country, you will pay the price. That means you will loose the benefits of treating China as opportunities, as friends. And you will bear the consequences of treating China as a hostile country." BERKELEY (BCN) A day after a Black church in Berkeley put up a Black Lives Matter sign, someone tried to burn down the church, church leaders said Thursday. Police said officers and firefighters went at 12:43 a.m. Wednesday to the Way Christian Center at 1305 University Ave. after someone reported a fire. A person had set a plastic trash bin on fire in the rear parking lot of the church, according to police. The Black Lives Matter sign, which was on the front of the church, was not damaged. "The fire was going up the building," said the Rev. Michael McBride, who has worked against police brutality, registered people to vote and spoken out against white supremacy for decades. He wondered whether the sign irritated the suspect, and he called the fire an act of racial terror. Someone saw a person standing over the fire. The person left the area walking east on University Avenue in a tan poncho/jacket with reflective material, police said. Officers searched for the suspect, who remains at large. "Regardless of the intentions of the suspect, we will not be silenced or intimidated," McBride said in a statement. "Were it not for an alert and courageous neighbor, my entire church could have been burned to the ground." Police spokesman Officer Byron White said police are looking whether the fire was a hate crime. Police added extra patrols overnight, White said. He said the church has been in the community for years. "This is important to us," White said. Church leaders are also upset about the way city officials handled the arson. The church leaders said police did not call the pastor or an elder, but only left a card under the front door. "For decades, church fires were used as a means of terrorizing Black clergy and the Black community," McBride said. "I guess in Berkeley, it's not something worthy of special attention by law enforcement officials." White said Police Chief Andrew Greenwood reached out to the church on Wednesday, but White didn't know exactly when that was. Neither the chief nor Mayor Jesse Arreguin was at a news briefing Thursday morning at the church, the people who attended said. "How long will our houses of worship burn?" McBride said. "The Way Church is not deterred," he said. "We will repair the damage," he said. "We will hire security." Berkeley police are asking anyone who has more information about the arson to call the Police Department's property crime unit at (510) 981-5737. 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. South Korea said it is investigating suspected safety issues with vehicles made by U.S. automaker Tesla Inc, which is competing strongly with Hyundai Motor Co in the South Korean electric vehicle market. Braking and steering systems including the Autopilot function were part of the investigation, a transport ministry official said. The ministry declined to elaborate but South Korean media said Tesla's Model 3 was under investigation, and the probe might take anywhere from six months to a year. Tesla would cooperate with the investigation, an official at its South Korean unit said. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board last year cited driver errors and Teslas Autopilot design as the probable cause of a January 2018 crash of a Model S in California. Also Watch: In Hyundai's home market, Tesla had its best month in June, with its Model 3 beating Hyundais Kona EV, as well as premium models from BMW and Audi. Suspended Arkansas Professor Faces 42 Counts of Wire Fraud Over Ties with China A Malaysian-born professor was indicted by a federal grand jury in Arkansas on multiple charges of passport and wire fraud, mostly connected to his failure to disclose ties to China and Chinese companies. Simon Saw-Teong Ang, 63, was a professor and researcher at the University of Arkansas (UA) beginning in 1988. Ang was also director of the universitys High Density Electronics Center. He was arrested in May on wire fraud and subsequently suspended by UA without pay. Ang was indicted on 42 accounts of wire fraud and two counts of passport fraud, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said. This is a hallmark of Chinas targeting of research and academic collaborations within the United States in order to obtain U.S. technology illegally, said U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, in a DOJ press release issued on July 29. The 44-count indictment, returned on July 28, revealed wire fraud charges covering Angs activities from June 9, 2013 until May 8 this year. The wire fraud charges for the alleged transmission of Angs individual grant payments received from NASA and the United States Air Force (USAF). Ang defrauded UA, NASA, and USAF by omitting references to talent plan awards, money, and property given to him by Beijing, and his affiliation, employment, and ownership of various companies in China on his research proposals sent to NASA and USAF, according to prosecutors. He also omitted these references when filing his annual conflict of interest forms required by UA. For years, Chinas central authorities and regional governments have all rolled out talent recruitment programs, targeting promising overseas Chinese and foreigners in science and technology fields, in an effort to fulfill Beijings ambition for global tech dominance. The Thousand Talents Plan has especially come under close scrutiny by U.S. officials in recent years. Rolled out by Beijing in 2008, it has recruited over 7,000 scientists and researchers from around the world as of 2017, according to a 2019 Senate report. According to the indictment, Ang was selected as a national distinguished expert under the Thousand Talents Plan. But it is unclear whether he received funding from the plan. In 2018, Ang was one of 20 recipients of the Qilu Friendship Award, according to the indictment. The provincial government in eastern Chinas Shandong Province established the Qilu award in 1993 for foreign experts who made valuable contributions to the provinces economy and society. According to Chinese state-run media, 518 foreigners received the award as of December 2019. Ang was also affiliated with multiple Chinese companies. From 2012 to 2016, he was the chief technology officer for Gande Electronic Technology, which manufactures lighting control and design products. In 2019, he was the chief technology officer for Binzhou Maotong Dianzi Keji Corporation, which makes hydrogen fuel cell vehicle control systems. At one point, Ang instructed his researchers at UA to conduct research and work on behalf of Chinese companies he was affiliated with, despite the fact that these researchers were being paid by UA and U.S. government agencies, according to the indictment. Ang was also accused of making false statements on a passport renewal application on Aug. 5, 2019. According to the indictment, he falsely claimed that he was not known by any other names aside from Simon Saw-Teong Ang. According to the indictment, Ang is also known as Hong Sizhong. According to the Associated Press, Ang is free on a $200,000 bond. Ang faces a statutory maximum punishment of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and 10 years in prison for each passport fraud count. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Thursday announced the extension of the deadline for filing of returns in a number of tax categories. It said this is in the spirit of the festivities and further to earlier measures rolled out by the Service in support of taxpayers against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a statement by the services spokesperson, Abdullahi Ahmad, the disclosure was made in a public notice signed by the Executive Chairman, FIRS, Muhammad Nami. The service said it was granting a one-week extension from July 31 deadline for companies with December accounting year-end to file their Year 2020 annual Income Tax Returns. The public notice read in parts: The Management of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) wishes to felicitate with Nigerians on this occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration. We thank the Almighty God for sparing our lives to witness yet another Sallah festival especially in this year that has been very difficult for individuals and businesses. Nonetheless, the Service will continue to identify with the challenges of the times, which the taxpayers are going through. In furtherance of this, and, in addition to a number of COVID-19 palliatives already in place, as well as in the spirit of this Eid celebration, we hereby grant a further one-week extension from the 31st July 2020 deadline for Companies with December accounting year-end to file their Year 2020 annual Income Tax Returns. The notice added: For the purpose of clarity, companies that fall within this category will not be penalized for late submission, if they file their Year 2020 Income Tax Returns within the grace period, that is, 1st August 2020 to 7th August 2020 as herein granted. READ ALSO: In a similar vein, the one-week grace period is extended to regular monthly obligations that become due at the end of July 2020, for example, Petroleum Profits Tax installmental Payment, Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax Returns. FIRS will continue to respond proactively to the realities of these times, towards easing the burden of our esteemed taxpayers. Happy Eid -el-Kabir. The FIRS has come under criticisms lately after announcing the introduction of a new tax on house rents. Many Nigerians have accused it of insensitivity amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, governments elsewhere have offered reliefs to citizens. Ngaba, the main town of a Tibetan-populated region of western Chinas Sichuan province, has been the scene of repeated self-immolations and other protests in recent years by scores of monks, former monks, and other Tibetans calling for Tibetan freedom, language rights, and the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. In the just-released book Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town, Los Angeles Times staff writer and former Beijing correspondent Barbara Demick looks at Ngabas history since 1958 and life in the town in the present day in portraits drawn from interviews with Tibetan residents of Ngaba and former Ngaba residents now living in exile in India. Here, in an edited interview, Tenzin Dickyi of Radio Free Asias Tibetan Service speaks with Demick about her new book: RFA: What was the inspiration for the title of your book? A: The title refers to an episode in the 1930s when the Red Army came through Ngaba. They were very ill-equipped, and they started looting Tibetan homes and monasteries. And in the monasteries they started eating tormas [offering cakes taken from the altars]. The Chinese soldiers later wrote in their memoirs that they felt like they were eating the Buddha. And it was a sign of disrespect, of destroying Tibetan culturesometimes deliberately, and sometimes just out of selfishness. And so this seemed symbolic of a lot of what happened in that region. Q: How long did it take for you to write this book, and how challenging was it for you? A: It took a long time, and it involved a very high degree of difficulty. I began to think about writing this book when I was in Beijing in 2007. And I think I started working on it in earnest in 2013. There were some unusual challenges with the book. For one thing, it was very hard to go to Ngaba, although its not in the Tibet Autonomous Region, so you dont need a special permit to travel there. There were often checkpoints to try to keep out people like me, journalists, and it was very difficult for a foreigner even to check into a hotel in Ngaba. It was always a sort of sensitive town. I went in on three separate occasions. On one trip I stayed in the region for about a week, and went in and out, but it was always difficult going in. And I think what was hardest was the language. The first time I went in, I went with a Tibetan friend who helped with the translation. But I felt afterwards that it was putting her at too much risk. And actually on later trips I traveled with both a Chinese driver and a Chinese translator, which obviously wasnt perfect, but the reason for that was they wouldnt get into trouble. As your listeners know, for a Tibetan to be working with an American reporter is very risky. So I felt that if I went with somebody who was Chinese and was registered with my office, that they wouldnt get in that much trouble. That was really challenging, because a lot of the people I interviewed didnt speak Chinese, or didnt speak Chinese very well, so there were a lot of logistical complications in reporting about Ngaba. I was able to do interviews elsewhere in the region. I did a lot of interviews in Golog, and I did a lot of interviews in India, as youll see when you read the book. Most of the major people in the book are now living in India, or were living in India, because for the kind of books I do you need continued access to people. You need hours and hours and hours of interviews and a very good translator. Q: In the book you said you were able to make three trips into Ngaba while researching or writing. On a personal level, did you get any threats or feel in danger from the Chinese Communist Party government? A: I didnt personally. The thing to keep in mind was that I was a foreign correspondent based in Beijing. I had a legal visa. I had a press card. So I did not feel personally in danger. But I felt that I could be getting other people in troublethe people who spoke with me, or the people who worked with me. Thats always been the case for foreign correspondents. And I would say that traveling to Ngaba was legal. There was nothing in it that was prohibited by law, and we were very careful not to violate any Chinese laws. I went to Lhasa a few years ago as a tourist, and I did not write anything therenot a wordbecause I was on a tourist trip, and that was not allowed. And the same was true in Ngaba: I didnt violate any laws. I traveled discreetly. I wore a large hat and I wore a mask as a lot of people do there, because of the sun and because its a bit dusty. But I never wore a disguise. I didnt sneak in in a truck. Everything was legal. I didnt feel personally in danger. Q: In the book when you were doing research and interviewing lots of people, what surprised you the most? A: I was surprised by the extent of Tibetans love for the Dalai Lama. I knew about this, but I was surprised by the way that it was so heartfelt by everybody of different political persuasions, even by some young Tibetans I met who were not religious and who were critical of the exile government. Even if people had disagreements, there was that connection with the Dalai Lama. I think it surprised me how strong it was. I dont think I had understood that before. Q: These were people both in exile and in Tibet? A: Both. Some of the people I met in exile, especially in Dharamsala, were quite critical. Theyre not happy with elements of the exile government. I think there are a lot of people from Amdo and Kham who feel like they arent adequately represented. There were all sorts of complaints. But the reverence and love was so strong, and I think I hadnt expected it to be as powerful. I think that surprised me a bit. Q: I want to talk a bit about the timing of the release of this book. We all know that China is under strong scrutiny for whats happening because of COVID-19 and many other issues like Hong Kong and Taiwan and Xinjiang. So do you think the release of this book adds to all this pressure now on the Chinese government? A: The release of the book, the timing, was sort of coincidental. It was honestly supposed to come out earlier, and there were just logistical publishing reasons that it didnt. But I do think that Tibetans have been forgotten in the last year or two. Theres been a lot of focus on the Uyghurs, and more recently on Hong Kong, and I think people should not be forgetting the Tibetans. Despite the threat of a global pandemic and winter weather chilling the bones of punters, Perths late-night underground bar scene is experiencing a renaissance that one hospitality heavyweight describes as the best winter I have seen for years. And as the shock of not being able to enjoy a drink in a stylish bar still lingers, Perths city slickers have doubled down on the quality of their after-work tipple. 'Definitely not a normal winter': People are filling Varnish to phase 4 capacity in Perth's CBD. Andy Freeman, owner of CBD haunts Varnish, Caballitos and Goody Two's, said he now loved living in the most isolated city in the world. "It used to be a nightmare but today weve got the best seat in the house," he said. An electrician who suffered a heart attack at work was asked by his boss to continue his shift, a tribunal heard. Rob Craggs has now been awarded a 12,000 payout after his employers failed to contact him for six months while he was off work recovering. The father was working on site for Tyne and Wear-based BMS Electrical Services when he had a heart attack. He asked to go to hospital but his boss, Ian Derbyshire, 'indicated he would prefer it if he finished his shift first', Mr Craggs told the tribunal. Rob Craggs suffered a heart attack when working on a site near Sunderland for BMS Electrical Services, but was told by his boss to continue his shift (file photo) Mr Derbyshire said he did not remember saying that. A few hours later another director at the company, William Storey, visited the hospital and gave Mr Craggs money. The tribunal heard Mr Craggs believed it was 'hush money' because the company had tried to stop him going to hospital straight away. Mr Storey strongly denied this and during Mr Craggs' evidence stood up and and called his former employee a 'lying b******'. Following the heart attack, Mr Craggs developed depression and anxiety. He was unable to walk down the street without stopping frequently and was scared of driving alone in case he had another heart attack. The electrician has been awarded 12,095 in compensation for disability discrimination after his employers failed to contact him for six months while he was recovering (file photo) He was off work for eight months but the tribunal heard that during his recovery Mr Craggs' bosses never tried to contact him apart from the initial visit. He eventually resigned after getting in an argument where he was told GPs give out sick notes for people to sit and 'play games on the computer'. At the hearing, the panel said his employers 'were under a duty of care as his employer to look after his welfare'. Mr Craggs' complaint of breach of working time regulations and disability discrimination on the basis of unfavourable treatment were well-founded but his claim of unfair dismissal was dismissed. At a remedy hearing, Mr Craggs was awarded 12,095 in compensation for disability discrimination. Actor Swara Bhasker has reacted to her contemporary Kangana Ranauts recent comments against her, in which she described Swara (and Taapsee Pannu) as a B-grade actor. Swara said that she wasnt entirely surprised by Kanganas choice of words. She told CNN News18 in an interview, It didnt entirely come as a surprise. Kangana has adopted a certain tone in talking about those who dont agree with what she is saying on a particular point. I wasnt necessarily surprised by that. She added, I was a little taken aback that she should drag us into a sort of needless debate and name-calling on a public platform, on national television. Its fine. People have the right to say what they feel like. Im a democratic person and I will defend her right to exercise her freedom of expression. Kangana had said in an earlier interview with Republic TV, What I want to convey through this interview is... for me, I have only to lose here... because I know tomorrow they will get some 20 needy outsiders like Taapsee Pannu or Swara Bhasker who will get up and say, Oh! Only Kangana has problems with nepotism. We love Karan Johar. If you love Karan Johar, why are you both B-grade actresses? You are both better looking than Alia Bhatt and Ananya (Panday). You both are better actresses. Why dont you get work? Your whole existence is proof of nepotism. What are you telling me about how happy you are with the industry? Also read: Swara Bhasker reports tweet by Kangana Ranauts team for using racist slur, says you should too As an explanation, Kangana later told The Times of India, So I want them to know. When Swara says that Im Sonam Kapoors best friend, thats not how the world perceives her. No! No matter how much Taapsee Pannu says that everybody loves her, and she has gotten equal opportunities, no! People do not perceive her as somebody who is an equal to an Alia Bhatt or Ananya Panday. No! So thats what I try to convey that no matter how much you try and fit in, you are not fitting in. If you are not seeing it, let me show you in their world, you are still B-grade. I have been through those galis, I know where it goes! So thats what I try to convey to them. If you think you are fitting in and now you have also become insiders, no, youre not. Swara on Wednesday reported a tweet posted by Kanganas team, in which theyd allegedly used a racist slur. Swara wrote, Ive reported this tweet for using a racist slur. Tweeple, you should too. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Amid growing anti-Chinese sentiments in the US, a top Republican senator has introduced a legislation in the Congress requiring online retailers like Amazon to disclose products made in China. The bill, introduced on Wednesday, stipulates that online retailers legibly state on a noticeable place on their webpage if a product or a major component of that product originated in China, or if the product was manufactured or assembled in that country. American consumers deserve to know if a product they purchase online is made in China before they buy it, particularly now as we continue to suffer from the fallout of a pandemic that Beijing unleashed on the world, Senator Martha McSally said. China works every day to subvert American interests and supplant the United States as the world's dominant power, she said. The bill requires transparency from online retailers like Amazon, so that consumers are not misled about the origin of any products made in China, McSally said. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show The bill would amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to require online retailers to disclose the origin of articles that come from China. The bill defines online retailers as any person that sells, through an online marketplace or e-commerce platform and requires them to legibly state on a conspicuous place on the webpage if the article originated in China, if any major component of the article originated in China, if the article was manufactured in China and if the article was assembled in China. Tensions have been rising between the US and China for some time. President Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China's imposition of a controversial new security law on Hong Kong. Washington has been critical of Beijing's crackdown on its Uygur Muslims in the restive Xinjiang province. China on Monday took control of the US consulate in Chengdu in retaliation to America's move to shut down the Chinese diplomatic mission in Houston, as the ties between the world's two largest economies reached an all-time low. Tiger populations in five countries are making a comeback but the endangered species still faces major threats such as poaching, conservation group WWF and the Indian government said. India, home to 70 percent of the big cat's global population, is among 13 countries that pledged a decade ago to boost feline numbers. "From an historic population low in 2010, tigers are finally making a remarkable comeback in much of South Asia, Russia and China," WWF Tigers Alive Initiative head Stuart Chapman said in a statement to mark World Tiger Day on Wednesday. Chapman said population increases in Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Russia were "great news" for other threatened species in their habitat, as well as for millions of people dependent on such ecosystems. But tigers were still under threat from poaching and habitat destruction, while the wild animal populations had fragmented, which increases the risk of inbreeding, the WWF said. "This has reached critical levels in much of Southeast Asia, where a snaring crisis is decimating wildlife, including tigers and their prey," the group said. In a report released earlier this month, the WWF found that there were more than 12 million snares threatening wildlife in the protected areas in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. India released its status report on tigers Tuesday, which detailed the steps taken to conserve the big cats. The report warned that although the population had grown, many of India's tiger reserves and protected areas were within larger regions used for "ecologically unsustainable" purposes such as mining. "Many tiger populations are confined within small protected areas and some have habitat corridors that permit tiger movement between them," the report added. But many of the corridor habitats were not protected areas and also at risk due to human activity and development, it said. The census, carried out between 2018-19, was also included in the Guinness World Records earlier this month for being the largest-ever camera-trap wildlife survey. Camera traps were deployed at more than 28,000 locations across 381,400 square kilometres (147,000 square miles) -- about the size of Japan -- of forested habitats in 20 Indian states. The government's survey results, released last year, found that India had 2,967 tigers in the wild, compared to 1,411 when the first nationwide survey was conducted in 2006. It showed the population had grown six percent a year between 2006 and 2018. 2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers Watch: Passengers in the nick of time as car gets washed away in overflowing water in AP India oi-Madhuri Adnal Bengaluru, July 30: In a video which has gone viral, one can see that a car proceeding from Kadapa to Bijapur in Karnataka, got washed away at a culvert near Rajapuram in Anantapur district on Thursday. However, the passengers who were travelling in the car had a miraculous escape as the water flow was shallow after 100 meters. The stream overflowed after continuous downpour for two days in the district. The youth, identified as Rakesh and Yousuf in their '30s, were travelling in the car and following a RTC bus between Gooty and Guntakal around 8.40 a.m. The bus suddenly stopped even as their vehicle crossed mid-way into the stream. Heavy rains in north karnataka is leading to over flowing streams. A car with two people was washed away as they tried to follow a bus. Locals managed to save them. Incident from gutti. pic.twitter.com/wSMWPAfyLD Deepak Bopanna (@dpkBopanna) July 30, 2020 With water gushing out of the stream with force, the car floated and got washed away to about 100 meters. According to reports, since the place was shallow the car was not wholly submerged and the duo managed to get out of the vehicle. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News Meanwhile, locals rushed to rescue them to safety. Constable who was in car transporting gangster Vikas Dubey from Ujjain tests positive for COVID-19 India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy falls over Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the next three-four days. Satellite pictures (this Wednesday) showed rain clouds spreading out over Chennai, Tirupathi, Bengaluru, Vellore, Mysuru, Salem, Puducherry, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Nagapattinam, Madurai and Tirunelveli across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with rains lashing some parts of the region. CLEVELAND, Ohio Tizziana Baldenebro, the newly appointed director of Spaces gallery in Cleveland, was named by her parents after Titian, one of the great Old Masters of the Italian Renaissance. But shes also a front-line participant in the growing art world movement to upend traditional hierarchies in a quest for racial and social justice, a movement that has rocked the Akron Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and other institutions across the country. John MacArthur says church is 'protesting lies, deception for the sake of the truth' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastor John MacArthur of Californias Grace Community Church defended his decision to hold in-person services despite the state-mandated closure of churches, saying his congregation is protesting lies and deception for the sake of the truth. On Tuesday, MacArthur appeared on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" to explain why his Sun Valley, California-based church decided to reopen just two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom indefinitely closed churches and other businesses in more than 30 of the state's 58 counties as part of its response to the coronavirus. We are the original protesters, MacArthur told Carlson. We go back 500 years to the Protestant Reformation. We are still protesting lies and deception for the sake of the truth. According to MacArthur, in choosing to reopen, Grace Community Church operated under the Constitution's protection of religious freedom. First of all and foremost, it is a First Amendment right, MacArthur said. This is the United States of America and the government cannot intrude into worship. We stand on that amendment. The pastor also cited the low risk of death from COVID in California as a key reason his church opened its doors. The second thing that makes this so sensible is that in the state of California there are 40 million people, 8,500 of them have died with COVID. That is .002 (percent), MacArthur said. So in California, you have a 99.99 percent chance to survive COVID. So why would you shut down the entire state? he asked. Particularly when people are frightened and sometimes terrified that they are going to die. Shut down the church where most of the intense relationships in our society exist in the life of the church? Its multigenerational. We have had 21 weeks with no ministry to a thousand little children, to a thousand university students, to junior high students, to high school students to senior adults. MacArthur pointed to the difficulties of pastoring in the midst of a lockdown, explaining, Weve had no funerals. No weddings. I cant go to the hospital. Ive had to go on the phone to talk to dying people at the hospital. The pastor said that he finally started preaching to an empty auditorium, and after three weeks, congregants slowly began returning to church. People, without us saying anything, started coming back. They didnt buy the narrative, MacArthur said. They kept coming back, and last Sunday, 3,000 of them came back and they rejoiced. They hugged each other and they didnt wear masks and they sang songs. They understand the reality of it. I havent had to say anything. MacArthur then directed Carlson to a statement he wrote to the congregation on Friday, which he said affirms why this is right and critical for our society. Government officials have no right to interfere in ecclesiastical matters in a way that undermines or disregards the God-given authority of pastors and elders, MacArthur wrote, in part. The pastor said the government is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community. God has not granted civic rulers authority over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church, he continued. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. The church does not have the right to meddle in the affairs of individual families and ignore parental authority. Parents do not have authority to manage civil matters while circumventing government officials. On July 13, 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. Californias restrictions for indoor religious gatherings include a ban on singing, as chanting and singing "negate the risk-reduction achieved through six feet of physical distancing," according to health officials. Places of worship must therefore discontinue indoor singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower, the state guideline says. At least three churches in California have already sued the state for banning singing and chanting in places of worship, calling it an unconstitutional abuse of power. The United States is no longer a world leader, and the Republican Party has lost its soul. Over the years (really going all the way back to the Civil War where two of my great, great-grandfathers were line officers in Mr. Lincolns Army), I unapologetically considered myself a true Republican. I attended Republican rallies (which back in those days were not particularly well attended in the South), but we discussed balancing the budget, minding our own business, a strong defense, expanding the economy, and we were concerned the democrats would steal another election. I was a true believer. In my law office, you will see autographed portraits of Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Bush, and oh yes, I even have a portrait of Richard Nixon whom I thought was one of the greatest Geo political strategists in the last 100 years. I repeat I was a true believer. Over the years, I have heard the phrase elections matter. I now understand the meaning of this phrase. Simply stated, in the past three and a half years, under Donald Trumps presidency, the United States is no longer a world leader, the world is a more dangerous place, we got nothing for this giveaway and the Republican party sits mute. Every day, under the Trump administration, there is an absolute embarrassment. I understand when I write Letters to the Editor, I am supposed to limit the size of my content; however, let me just hit a few high spots: I could say much more---this being only the tip of the iceberg. 1. Befuddled & Discouraged: The military and the Pentagon are absolutely befuddled by Trumps conduct. In the past month, 15 former generals publicly have expressed disapproval or lack of confidence in Trump. I was in the Army once. The thought of bad-mouthing superiors did not happen. Repeatedly, there have been expressions of lack of confidence and questioning his understanding of The Constitution, concerns about his mental stability and most important openly questioning his integrity. Abandoning our Syrian allies was immoral causing the deaths of thousands of faithful allies and solders. There seems to be no plan or vision whatsoever from the United Stated. This should astound every citizen. 2. Department of State: The Department of State is discouraged and in absolute disarray. I have read the Department of State does not have all jobs filled. Americas allies despair as Trump abandons Americas leadership role and nothing was gained. America has no foreign policy. 3. The Economy and the 1.5 Trillion-Dollar Deficit: For several years, Trump has been talking about the great economy and this is the greatest economy the world has ever known, and he takes all the credit. This statement is untrue! There is absolutely no mention of the fact that prior to the coronavirus we continued to run a 1.5 trillion-dollar a year deficit. I have never known of running a giant deficit when the economy is doing well. It has never been done this way. When I was young, we went to Republican rallies and talked about how the Democrats were running up such a big deficit. The Republican Party now says absolutely nothing. 4. Paris Accord: Trump says climate change is a hoax I totally disagree. When every major teaching institution in the entire world that has addressed the climate issue says that global warming is a serious problem, not to mention NASA says it is a problem--- How in the world can reasonable people ignore these warnings? The Republican Party says absolutely nothing. We are doing our children a giant disservice. I cannot overstate the risk we are placing on our children. 5. Immigration Problem: The immigration problem is an absolute mess. There is no happy solution to this issue which has been around for decades. Many people came to America for safety. Trump wants to deport children and young adults whose parents brought them to America when they were children. Many of these children who were brought here by their parents, decades ago, can barely speak their native language if they can speak it at all. To send them back to some foreign country would be a death sentence. The Republican Party says absolutely nothing, and the calloused disregard is immoral. I remind the readers that everybody has a coming to America story. 6. White Collar Districts in America: The white-collar districts in America are rapidly trending Democratic. Young people, college-educated white women, our former South American constituency are all starting to trend Democratic. 7. Black Vote: The black, American vote has absolutely become calcified as Democratic. I know this will come as a great surprise, but many of our black citizens are conservative. They are not a bunch of potted plants. The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln. The Republican Party says nothing. The Republican party has lost its soul. 8. Giulianis Incoherency Drunkenness: Several months ago, Trumps lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, comes on National Television making allegations. Not only was he incoherent, but I thought he was drunk. Andrew Cuomo even looks embarrassed The Republican Party sits back and says nothing, acting like he is a brilliant lawyer! 9. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un: These two men have absolutely pimped the President of the United States in foreign affairs. The United States of America now has the reputation that we will cut and run and not back our word. Simply stated (among other embarrassments), that is what our allies think. I am embarrassed!! America was the nation that saved the world three times in the last 100 years. To say the United States has lost its direction and no longer a world leader is an understatement. 10. Trump on TV: Trump gets on television and referred to himself as the chosen one. One would have thought he confused himself with Abraham, King David, or the Apostle Paul. If Barack Obama had made such a statement, the Republican Party would have gone bat-shit crazy. As tolerant as my mother was with me, I would have never gotten away with such a sacrilege. 11. Americas Clean Air & Tariffs: Trump boasted that America has the cleanest air, China will pay tariffs and Mexico will pay for the wall. These statements are preposterous! The Republican Party sits mute. 12. Divisive: Trump has a pattern of trying to turn us against one another or against another group, making baseless accusations and engendering divisive hatred of others. He does nothing to try to bring us together. He would rather sow hatred. I am of the opinion, in the long arc of history, this might be Trumps greatest blunder. 13. CIA & Foreign State Officials Thoughts on Trump: Uniformly, the heads of the CIA and foreign state officials think Trump is crazy, unpredictable, not to mention, dangerous and unstable with no coherent plan. The Republican Party and our Republican leaders (other than Mitt Romney and the former Senator John McCain) say absolutely nothing. Read John Boltons book. Folks, if only 10 percent of the book is true and the rest total fiction, I shake with fear. I am of the opinion Boltons book is not fiction. 14. Impeachment A Hoax: Trump says impeachment was a hoax. That is simply untrue as a matter of law. Trump asked a foreign government to criminally investigate a political opponent involving a criminal matter for his own shameless benefit. It is apparent that Trump was tying foreign aid to oppose Russia as part if not all the deal. Folks, I have been practicing law for 44 years. I can spot a shakedown when I see one. The impeachment was absolutely no hoax. 15. Speech Regarding John Dingle: Trump gave a speech and said that John Dingle (deceased), who was a former United States Congressman and Civil Rights Leader, is looking up from Hell. I was offended. This statement was craven beyond shameless. 16. Speech Bullying Greta Thunderburg: Trump gave a speech bullying Greta Thunderburg, the little girl expressing concerns about global warming. I learned a long time ago, you keep your hands off the children. In my opinion, not only was this a lack of class, but if Trump had a brain in his head, he would invite the young lady to the White House. I learned long ago you keep your hands off the children. 17. Interference with the 2016 Election: Trump accused Ukraine for interfering with the 2016 election. He said, Putin told him (of all people not to believe). Not only can you not believe such a statement, but the reality is that every intelligence agency in the United States Government says that Russia was involved, and they are still involved in our elections. The embarrassment is that the Republican Party says absolutely nothing. And by the way, for academic integrity, the Ukrainians have been fighting Russia and the United States has given the Ukrainian government support. 18. No Moral Character: Christianity Today, a magazine started by none other than Billy Graham said that Trump should be removed from office indicating no moral character. The Republican Party says nothing, but, as we all know, the Republican Party is the Christian party. 19. Iranian Disaster: Trump pulled the United States from the Iranian Nuclear Deal. Simply stated, the world is a far more dangerous place because of his actions. Once again, absolutely no Plan B and the Republican Party says nothing! This might turn out to be the most dangerous mistake ever made by a President. 20. The Republican Party: The Republican Party is no longer the party of principle, but the party of Trump totally robbed of any ideological center. Howard Baker, George H.W. Bush, Everette Dirksen, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford would turn over in their graves. The Republican Party says nothing. I believe Trump will damage the Republican Party far beyond what happened after Watergate. 21. Belittling Immigrants: Trump viciously belittles immigrants. I gently point out two of Trumps string of wives are non-American. I remind each of you, everybody has a Coming to America story. 22. Nancy Pelosi: Nancy Pelosi absolutely rubbed Trumps nose in the mud, particularly when she said, All roads lead to Putin. Since 1945, the Republican Party is the party that stood up against Russia. Nothing has benefited world stability and benefited this country more than standing up against Russia for the past 75 years. The Republican Party says absolutely nothing (except for Mitt Romney and the late John McCain!) I cannot help but suspect (and I believe) Russia has something on Trump. 23. Lies, Accusations, Bullying, etc.: Trump has issued a long string of outright lies, mischaracterizations, bullying, and smears. He starts off accusing Obama of not being an American. If that doesnt beat the band, he has accused Senator Ted Cruzs father of being involved in the Kennedy assassination. Recently, Trump has accused a CNN reporter for being involved in a murder --- no whopper is too big. Does the Republican Party or the administration have any shame? 24. Doing Nothing & Blaming Everyone But Himself: Prior to the coronavirus, the United States was enjoying the fruits of a tremendous economic recovery. Trump did nothing for infrastructure; did nothing for the 23-trillion-dollar deficit, did nothing about climate change, and blames the coronavirus on everyone but himself. The deficit will go out the ceiling because of the coronavirus. If the deficit is not addressed our children will ultimately live in a Banana Republic. The Republican Party sits mute! The Republican Party has lost its soul. 25. The Coronavirus: Speaking of the coronavirus, clearly in January, February and March 2020, Trump and his administration were missing in action. Now, Trump blames everything on his predecessors (not to mention Hillary Clinton) and says he was not warned. I can say with absolute certainty Trump was warned. When Graham Swafford, from Jasper, Tennessee, knows about the potential for viruses, dont say there was no warning. The coronavirus has been a complete disaster, and Trump has lied about and mishandled everything. I repeat everything! By the way, poor Hillary is blamed on so much I have almost become sympathetic. 26. Trumps Previous Secretary: Trumps previous press secretary never had a press conference. Why doesnt the Republican Party explain no press conferences. If Obama gave no press conferences, the Republican Party would have gone apoplectic. 27. The Verge of War: Last Summer, the United States was on the verge of a war with Iran. The Republican Party says absolutely nothing! In my opinion we dont know how close we came. 28. Lies vs. Truth: Trump would rather tell a lie even when the truth helps him. A few months ago, the United States droned/killed an Iranian general. Trump had absolutely no proof of a clear and imminent danger which is required for an American President to go out and assassinate some individual. Here is the tragedy: The general that was killed (Qasem Soleimani) was a murderous thug that had killed Americans before and was planning additional mischief. All Trump had to say was that he had a murderous thug in his crosshairs, the guy was planning to kill additional American servicemen and he unapologetically pulled the trigger, there being no time to get Congressional approval. America, not to mention most of the world, would have applauded his character. There was no need to lie. 29. Michael Flynn: Here is another unforgettable friend of Trump. Remember Michael Flynn? The guy that stood up at the last Republican convention and referring to Hillary, screamed Lock her up? At the time Flynn made these comments, I knew this will come back to haunt him and it sure did. Flynn went on to become the National Security Advisor for a few days and then gets indicted for lies about his contacts with (yes you guessed it) Trumps friend, Russia. Michael Flynn then pleads guilty. Then, out of the wild blue, the Department of Justice dismissed the charges. Folks, he had already plead guilty! This gets more unbelievable. Twenty-five hundred former United States attorneys signed a petition of disapproval. Over the years, I have practiced criminal law in the United States Federal Court. I did well in law school. I have never even heard of dismissing a case in either state or federal courts after someone has already entered a guilty plea. I repeat never. 30. Roger Stone: If all of this doesnt beat the band, Trump has a buddy named Roger Stone who was convicted of perjury by a jury. I repeat by a jury. The United States Attorneys filed a sentencing brief which is pretty much standard operating procedure and then the Trump Administration got involved in trying to get the sentence reduced. All the United States district attorneys involved in the case simply resigned (they quit their jobs) as U.S. Attorneys in indignation and contempt for the unheard-of interference. I have never heard of quitting such a job. Now, tell me why people should not question the uniform administration of criminal justice and equal treatment in America. The Republican Party says absolutely nothing! Folks this is a big deal. Equal justice for all is a cornerstone of our democracy. I cannot express how big a deal this is. And when you watch recent protests ----you dont need to wonder why some think the United States does not have equal justice. 31. Authority: Trump stands up in a press conference and says he has complete authority to do pretty much what he wants to do. Trump has a complete misunderstanding of the United States Constitution. 32. Laughing at the President: Trump pulls out of the Paris Accord, the World Health Organization, the Iranian Nuclear Deal, for all practical purposes, NATO. Three months ago, at a NATO conference in Europe the cameras were scanning Justin Trudeau of Canada, Angela Merkel of Germany, the Prime Minister of France, and they were laughing at the President of the United States of America. For all the boys that went over there in World War II and saved the world, not to mention, saved Europe, you cannot tell me they are not outraged, and the Republican Party says absolutely nothing!! Folks, the United States of America is no longer a world leader. Nothing has benefited the stability of the world more than NATO and the fact that the United States of America has been a world leader and stood up against Russia. I am beyond embarrassed --- I am frightened. 33. World Health Organization: Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization, then cut the United States worldwide staff and ignored the pandemic coronavirus until March 2020. Why would the United States withdraw from the World Health Organization in the middle of the greatest health crisis since 1918? During the Trump years the United States, for no discernable reason (or benefit whatsoever), has abandoned its leadership position in the world. Do not tell me the world is not a more dangerous place. The Republican Party is shamelessly mute. 34. Nancy Pelosi: Trump tries to belittle Nancy Pelosi calling her Nervous Nancy an inherently dumb person. Nancy Pelosi has cleaned Trumps clock and continues to clean Trumps clock with predictable regularity. I am embarrassed by the fact that my Democratic friends have repeatedly asked me Where is the Republican Party? About all I can say is: Thank God for Nancy! The Republican Party is and remains missing in action! And by the way, if any of you run into Nancy, tell her she has a great admiring friend in Jasper, Tennessee. 35. Press Conferences: Trumps staff has tried to keep him from press conferences. His former third communications director simply did not give press conferences at all. Last month, Trump gave a press conference and indicated that injecting oneself with a disinfectant or ultraviolet ray might cure the coronavirus. Not to be outdone, he then says, Hydroxychloroquine might cure the coronavirus why not try it. There can be no harm. With no medical authority in the entire world, Trump made these reckless not to mention dangerous representations. The Republican Party, whom I have supported for over 60 years, says absolutely nothing about such inaccurate, not to mention, dangerous comments! There is no medical source in the world that would even remotely support such a suggestion that injecting oneself with Lysol might solve the problem. And again, the Republican Party says absolutely nothing! 36. Medical Care: At one time Trump announced that America will have a beautiful medical plan. There is no health care plan on the horizon and quite frankly he never had a plan. Then last week the Trump Administration filed suit in Federal Court to do away with Obama Care, which would take 20 million people off medical benefits in the middle of a health crisis. Would the Republican Party please attempt to explain this?? I could go on and on. The reality is that every day, there is a holy cow embarrassment which will destroy the Republican Party. A couple of weeks ago, the coronavirus reached record levels. Over 140,000 people have died. Over 3 million people have been infected. Then I read that the Russians put a bounty on American Troops in Afghanistan. As a former officer in the United States Army, words cannot express my outrage. I wonder how the parents of a child in a combat infantry platoon in Afghanistan feels when the Commander in Chief allows such to happen and does nothing or sort of pleads ignorance. If this is not treason beyond a doubt it is malfeasance by any standards in the world. If a cabinet member or a member of the administration tells the truth, if for no other reason than to avoid criminal perjury, he subjects himself to being fired (just ask Col Vindman who I point out for academic accuracy was a Purple Heart winner and was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge.) Simply stated, I could go on forever., I am saddened by the fact that the Republican Party (the Party of Lincoln) has lost its soul saying absolutely nothing and the United States of America, who has saved the world three times in the last 100 years, is no longer a world leader. H. Graham Swafford, Jr. Marion County, Tn. * * * Thank You, Thank You Mr. Swafford for your article. You laid out enough discrepancies in the Trumps administration that maybe someone will finally listen to the facts. I also have tried to get people to see the horrible person this man is in articles I have previously written, maybe not as long as yours, but I tried. I am amazed at how many people vehemently deny how this egotistical narcissist's ways are wrong and just say "He tells it like it is." It only proves to me that they will go along with anyone if they are a Republican. That's fine, I don't have a problem with the Republican party at all and, like you, I remember how it used to be even in the Reagan years. Sometimes I fear some people would vote for Satan if he was a Republican and just say "maybe he is not as bad of a guy as we thought he was." I am embarrassed as you are of this president and ashamed at what America looks like now in the world view. Your article has brought to the forefront the things that this man has done that hurts our standing in the world and here at home. But, even with your article new things happen everyday so you can't cover them all unless you just have a daily running commentary. As of today he is pulling 12,000 troops from Germany, a country he says does not pay their share of dues to countries that pay even less. Mr. Putin will be very proud of him to get those mean old troops away from his border. How's everyone liking the nightly coronavirus briefings where there is no doctor anywhere and even his VP Pence who was put in charge is nowhere to be seen. And, oh yeah, the doctor who he trusts and posted the video of who said we have a cure, no masks needed. All you have to do is take hydroxychloroquine {hard word to spell} and you're cured and to prove it Trump took it for 14 days and he is fine. He never had the coronavirus in the first place but it works according to that doctor. So she is so smart that maybe we should take heed that she says Wiccans can impregnate ladies through an astral path and she has proof. A woman came to her church service and sat on the front row and she knows exactly what seat and began screaming and swelling right there and then and had the baby before the church service was over. Trump needs to get rid of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx (amateurs) and let this lady lead the task force. I mean he took her advice and it worked for him. Clifton W, Duggan Dayton, Tn. * * * As a conservative Republican, I reject Mr. Swaffords absurd opinion and allegations. Period. Joey Blevins CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is considering recommending that schools keep classrooms closed this fall. Would that mean all Cuyahoga schools will start back to school remotely? Were discussing the possibilities on This Week in the CLE. Listen online here. Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour coronavirus news podcast, with editors Jane Kahoun, Kris Wernowsky and me, answering all sorts of questions from the news. 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) How surprised was the U.S. Secret Service, which provides security for presidential debates, to hear that Cleveland would host one in September? They had no idea. And now they have to scramble to devise a detailed security plan ahead of the Sept. 29 event. 2) What is Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts beef with how Ohio House Republicans plan to oust Larry Householder as their House Speaker? Yost says in his offices opinion, the Ohio Constitution requires the state legislature to pass a new law to remove a House speaker from their job, requiring a majority vote from the Ohio Senate and Gov. Mike DeWines signature. 3) Does the Cuyahoga County Board of Health and schools want to stop schools from having in-person classes when schools resume? Shaker Heights School Superintendent Dr. David Glasner is planning for virtual education for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year -- the first suburban Cuyahoga County district to make the move. And the Cuyahoga County Board of Health is considering recommending all Cuyahoga school districts make the same choice. 4) How long have the two biker gangs involved in a fight and killing in Valley View of the weekend been fighting with each other across the nation? The groups, two of the largest motorcycle gangs in the country, have been fighting since the early 1970s in Southern California. 5) Who is Kevin Black and why does he think he should replace Larry Household in the Ohio House? Black is a financial adviser and military veteran who serves on the Licking County GOP central and executive committees. He lost to Householder in the 2018 primary. 6) How many people in Cuyahoga County have applied for emergency rent help because of how the coronavirus has wiped out their finances? As of Wednesday morning, 3,070 people in the county submitted applications for the program. The total amount of rent relief sought by Clevelanders so far is $2.3 million, while renters in communities outside the city limits sought about $2.7 million. 7) How many federal agents is Washington sending to Cleveland to help reduce this years big jump in shootings and killings? Cleveland will get 25 federal agents over the next several months. Nearly $10 million in federal money also will go toward hiring 30 Cleveland police officers and seven state officers. 8) How much money are Ohios libraries getting from the federal government to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic? Ohios 251 public library systems will get a total of $18.3 million in federal CARES Act money to help offset unanticipated costs of sanitizing their buildings, and buying supplies like hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, thermometers, face shields and plexiglas shields to keep workers and patrons safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Want more? You can find all our past episodes here. Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here. If you use Stitcher, we are here. RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here. On Google Podcasts, we are here. On PodParadise, find us here. And on PlayerFM, we are here. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State has elected a new State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party, headed by Udo Ekpenyong. The election, which was held on Thursday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, was attended by 3,845 delegates. During the election, Harrison Ekpo was elected as the new state Secretary, while Borono Bassey got the post of the Publicity Secretary of the party. Mr Ekpenyong, a former political adviser to former Governor Victor Attah, until his election, was the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Governor Udom Emmanuel, at the occasion, said the party was challenged to do more for the growth of the state in addition to its numerous achievements. Mr Emmanuel commended the efforts of the outgoing SEC in repositioning the party and enthroning peace in the affairs of the party. He said God has always given the PDP direction and victory in all elections it had contested. He said the PDP in the state had remained a model of party politics and political democracy in the country. In his acceptance speech, Mr Ekpenyong attributed his election to God and promised to be focused and determined to consolidate on the gains made and take the party to greater heights. The new chairman thanked the outgoing SEC for laying a good foundation for the new executive and promised political inclusion and consultation. Together, we make a solemn promise not to let the party down, and to work closely with the leader of the party, Mr Udom Emmanuel, he said. Earlier in his valedictory speech, the outgoing chairman, Paul Ekpo, applauded the cooperation of party faithful. He said that his tenure witnessed the institutionalisation of internal democracy within the party and repositioned the party as an instrument for attaining electoral victories. We used persuasion to create harmony and peaceful co-existence within, while we wielded the rod against those who sought to divide us through the employment of selfish schemes. The task of constantly maintaining that delicate balance was herculean but it paid off greatly, he said. Earlier in a remark, the chairman of the Congress Committee and former Deputy Governor of Abia State, Eric Nwakamma, commended the cooperation and level of organisation in the party in the state. He tasked elected officers to give maximum cooperation to the leader of the party in the state. (NAN) Ireland-based Dawn Meats has taken full control of its UK joint venture with NI meat processor Dunbia, that was jointly established in 2017. Dawn Meats, based in Waterford, has taken control of County Tyrone-based Dunbia's 12 meat plants across the UK. It follows the retirement of Jim Dobson, who co-founded Dunbia with his brother Jack in 1976. Dunbia became one of the largest private firms in Northern Ireland, exporting to a total 36 countries. Dawn Meats said in a statement: The business in the UK will continue to trade under the Dunbia brand, offering customers regionally sourced solutions for both beef and lamb from 12 facilities across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland." Dunbia's Jim Dobson added: The creation of the joint venture with Dawn Meats ensured the business would continue to grow as a leading quality meat supplier in the UK market. I want to thank all the team that has worked on the integration, and I feel confident that they are well-placed to build on all our past achievements together." The merger will mean Dawn Meats now processes around one million cattle and three million sheep annually in both the UK and Ireland. It will now employ over 7,000 staff and and work with over 30,000 suppliers, according to the Irish meat processor. Tiger King star Jeff Lowe is entering a legal battle with Peta over the sale of a Joe Exotic Halloween costume. Fans of the Netflix documentary series can get their hands on a Joe Exotic Tiger Killer Costume, which is being sold by the animal rights charity. The costume is available for pre-order for $159.99 (about 123) and features a blonde mullet wig and moustache, a plush pouncing tiger, an orange jumpsuit with the word King of Tiger King replaced with Killer and a set of prison bars. On 21 July, Lowe, who took control of Exotics zoo when he went to jail, sent the group a cease and desist. The letter, seen by The Hollywood Reporter, states that the costume takes advantage of unauthorised proprietary rights to the Joe Exotic and Tiger King names, which are owned by Lowe. It continues: Petas unauthorised use has damaged and adversely impacted by clients proprietary interests. In response, the charity called the claims absurd and argued that parody constituted fair comment under the First Amendment in the US constitution. We suggest Mr. Lowe focus instead on his serious legal problems in Nevada, Oklahoma and elsewhere, including the numerous recent federal Animal Welfare Act violations perpetrated against endangered big cats at his greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, they wrote. Exotic is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for attempting to have animal rights activist Carole Baskin murdered, as well as 17 counts of animal abuse. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up The rivalry between Exotic and Baskin was the subject of Netflixs documentary series Tiger King, which was a huge hit for the streaming service when it was released in March. A judge has ordered that all radio call recordings from the police raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor be released to her family as part of a wrongful death suit filed against the city of Louisville. Taylor, a 26-year-old EMT, was shot dead at her apartment on Springfield Avenue on March 13, during a botched no-knock search warrant served on the property. Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman made the ruling Wednesday after an attorney for the family argued that a closer review of the recordings could help clarify details in the case. Attorneys for the city had argued that the family's lawyers were engaging in a 'fishing expedition'. But family attorney Sam Aguiar said there has been confusion over which officers actually participated in the raid and whether body camera footage of the incident exists. Taylor, a 26-yearr-old EMT, was shot dead at her apartment on Springfield Avenue on March 13, during a botched, no-knock search warrant served on the property A judge ordered Wednesday that all radio call recordings related to the police raid that led to the death of Taylor be released to her family as part of a wrongful death suit filed against the city of Louisville. Pictured are bullet holes left from when cops entered the apartment Taylor was asleep at the residence she shared with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when officers burst into their home just before 1am. Louisville police claim they identified themselves before using a battering ram to enter Taylor's home, where she and her boyfriend were in bed. Taylor's neighbors and her family dispute this. They said police never identified themselves, and that Walker, who was legally allowed to carry a firearm, shot at the cops thinking that he was being robbed. Police responded with gunfire, killing Taylor, who suffered eight gunshot wounds. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there and no drugs were found. Taylor (pictured) at the time she was shot dead shared her residence with her current boyfriend Kenneth Walker Walker was arrested and charged with first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer after Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg during the raid. The charges were later dropped. Mattingly was with officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove during the raid. Hankison, 44, was later fired after it was found he violated department policies by 'blindly' firing 10 rounds into Taylor's home during the incident. The two other cops have been placed on administrative reassignment. The family's lawsuit names all three cops involved. Court filings show that attorneys for the family believe there were cops who participated in the raid who were not identified by the city, and who should have been outfitted with body cameras, WDRB reported. 'We've identified a few officers that were at least supposed to be on scene that always wear body cameras,' Aguiar said in court on Wednesday. Attorneys for the defense fired back that that the family's attorneys were engaging in a 'fishing expedition'. Former cop Brett Hankison (right) was fired for the fatal shooting of Taylor after it was found he violated department policies by 'blindly' firing 10 rounds into the woman's home during the incident Pictured is the broken door jam from Taylor's apartment after police executed their no-knock search warrant on the residence 'If we can narrow the focus, I think we will be fine,' Assistant Jefferson County Attorney Peter Ervin told McDonald-Burkman on behalf of the city. The judge disagreed the request was asking for too much and said the family could have access to recordings going as far back as four hours before the raid and until 3.pm the next day when the shooting scene was cleared. Attention on the death of Taylor, a black woman, heightened after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. The black 46-year-old father of five died during an arrest after a white police officer pressed his knee against the man's neck for close to nine minutes. Former cop Derek Chauvin lost his job after the slaying and has been charged with Floyd's murder. The death of Floyd also triggered protests across the US and calls from the Black Lives Matter movement for an end to police brutality and systematic racism. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Jesus is one of Israels own. He was born in Israel. He lived in Israel. And on Passover in Israel (Nisan 14), Jesus gave His life on the cross for the sins of the world. He resurrected in Israel. He ascended to Heaven from Israel. His first followers were descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And He is returning to Israel to establish His Kingdom. A Christian is a follower of Jesus the Messiah of Israel, the promised Davidic King of Israel who is the Savior of the world! As a generation witnessing ongoing attempts to discredit, devalue, dismantle and destroy Israel, we need to answer the question: What is a Christians relationship and responsibility to Israel? Heres a short-list: 1. A Christian is a Bible believer who stands on the Biblical promise that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people, and that in fulfillment of the prophetic Scriptures God is behind Israels regathering in the land of Israel after nearly 2,000 years of dispersion. God keeps His promises and cannot cancel His character. Standing with Israel today means standing with the unfolding plan of God in Israels existence. Zionism is the belief that Jews have a right to a national home in Israel! Those who try to destroy Israel are in opposition to the very purposes of God (1 Chron. 16:17-18; Ez. 26:24; Romans 9:1-5; Joel 3). 2. A genuine Christian fights against the ignorance and madness of anti-Semitism. There is no greater friend of sinners, of man, or of Israel than Jesus. Yet tragically, history attests of unspeakable acts that have been done against Jews by those who have worn a mask of Christianity. Genuine Bible-believing Christians denounce these acts! (Zechariah 2:8; Duet. 7:7-9a) 3. At the heart of the Christian faith is the belief in the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31, which was promised to Israel and inaugurated by the death of Jesus on the Cross. This New Covenant is celebrated and remembered today in what is known as Communion. The Hebrew word for New Covenant is brith Hadasha from which the phrase New Testament comes. What is the meaning of the New Covenant that Jesus inaugurated by His death on the cross? The answer is a dynamic five-fold promise: That the law will be internalized in the hearts of believers (1 Corinthians 3:16); there is forgiveness of sins available to all who believe (Hebrews 8:12); Israel will be reconciled to God, just as He promised to Abraham (Romans 11:25ff); all of humanity will know the Lord (Jeremiah 31:34); the Jewish people will be preserved throughout the ages (Jeremiah 31:3537). [1] At a Passover Seder with His disciples just before His crucifixion, Jesus took the striped and pierced unleavened bread known as the bread of affliction (symbolizing the sobering cost of redemption and the new beginning out of enslavement in Egypt) in His hands and said with revelatory authority over the divine calendar and Jewish tradition, This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Then Jesus took the third cup in the Passover meal, known as the Cup of Redemption or Deliverance saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you (Lk. 22:19-20). To participate in Communion is to engage in a Christ-centric covenant affirmation of the New Covenant with all of its benefits. And, therefore, at the heart of a Christians faith is the belief in the redemptive plan of God from eternity past to eternity future. A plan promised to, and unfolding through, Israel and the Messiah of Israel. A plan that the nations are invited into! Paul said For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death till He comes (1 Cor. 11:26). 4. Jesus is coming back to Israel and to a Jewish Jerusalem! (Matt. 23:37-39) In the context of the Passover Seder prior to His crucifixion, Jesus said, Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God (Mark 12:25). In other words, at His second coming when Jesus sits on the throne of David in Jerusalem and establishes the Kingdom of God while restoring planet earth to wholeness with Israel at the center, the Jesus and Passover connection will continue in the celebration of its divine completion (Ez. 45:21). 5. A Christian believes in the whole Bible and the prophetic significance of the biblical calendar from Passover, which prophetically speaks of Jesus death, to Tabernacles, which prophetically speaks of the final in-gathering of the nations of the world. Therefore, the Christian faith sprang forth from the Hebrew Scriptures and from the city of Jerusalem not Rome. A Christian believes in the whole Bible and calls both Jews and Christians back to the study of the Holy Scriptures (Zech. 14:16-19; Rev. 7:9; Lev. 23:40). 6. A Christians highest expression of blessing Israel and the Jewish people is demonstrating unconditional love toward Jews and helping Jewish friends (as well as the rest of the world) to know and believe in the hope and salvation of the Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus, one of Israels own. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16). Paul wrote this verse in the present tense which means that if the gospel is still the power of God for salvation and is still for everyone who believes, then the gospel is still to the Jew first. It is important to note that the term first does not merely speak of sequence, but priority. [2] In fact, Peter when speaking to a first-century Jewish audience in Jerusalem, underscored an eschatological link to Jewish evangelism by saying, Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:19-21). This coincides with Jesus saying, For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matt. 23:39). And Revelation 1:7 reads, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. The reality is, before the world sees Him, Jerusalem will turn to Him! (Zech. 12:10) And so all Israel will be saved... (Romans 11:26). You can see then that there is a great spiritual battle over Jewish evangelism that we need to be aware of. Because, if Jerusalem will not see Him until she welcomes Him back, then no eye will see Him until Jerusalem receives Him! [3] 7. A Christian believes that the Lord is a covenant maker and a covenant keeper. Israel is called Gods Firstborn and are recipients of Gods covenant with their fathers (Romans. 11:28; Ex. 4:22). God is fully committed to Israel with His covenantal love. One day there will be national repentance in Israel, an awakening and resurrection through Messiah Jesus, and all Israel shall be saved. The salvation of Israel means the return of Jesus, the resurrection of the righteous, the revival of the Church, and the restoration of the earth. [4] Scott Volk, founder and director of Together For Israel, summarizes, The Bible tells us that without Israels spiritual resurrection, Gods plan will not be accomplished; and Jesus will not return. That alone should compel the global Church to bless Israel. Paul made this clear to Gentile churches. He urged them to pray for Israels salvation, to proclaim the truth about Israel, to provide for Israel, and to provoke Israel to jealousy. [5] Let us pray for Israels salvation in Jesus, as Paul prayed, Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved (Rom. 10:1). Let us pray for Jerusalems peace. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you (Ps. 122:6). Let us pray that Jerusalem will become the praise of all the earth. And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Is. 62:6-7). Let us pray for Jewish believers on the front lines in Israel who are the faithful remnant of Israel and support them. (Mt. 9:36-23; Rom. 11:5; Rom. 15:25-27). Let us pray for an outpouring of Gods Holy Spirit in these last days. I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced (Zech. 12:10). Let us provoke our Jewish friends to jealously in the genius plan of the heavenly Father in His Son the Messiah the Lord Jesus, just as Paul said, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:11) Let us be unashamed of the Gospel like the Apostle Paul, and declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jew and Gentile! The time to favor Israel is upon us. [1] Dr. Mitch Glaser online blog https://drmitchglaser.wordpress.com/2019/03/19/passover-and-the-new-covenant/ [2] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, second rev. F. W. Gingrich and F. W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979), 726; Wilhelm Michaelis, proton, in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968), 6:869. [3] Michael L. Brown, Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the Church and the Jewish People, revised & expanded ed. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2019), 226. [4] Ibid, pg. 223. [5] Scott Volk, Jesus was not a Christian, Burning Ones Publishing, Pg. 157 President of Together for Israel https://togetherforisrael.org/ CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Three Hightower advisory businesses, The Bahnsen Group of Newport Beach, Calif., Fairport Wealth/Luma Wealth Advisors of Cleveland, Ohio and VWG Wealth Management of Vienna, Va. have been included on the 2020 FT 300, an annual list of the top 300 registered investment advisors (RIAs) in the United States compiled by the Financial Times. "It comes as no surprise to see these three wealth management businesses honored by the Financial Times," said Bob Oros, Hightower CEO. "The Bahnsen Group, Fairport Wealth/Luma Wealth Advisors and VWG Wealth Management work tirelessly every day to provide their clients with thoughtful, holistic advice to help them achieve their financial dreams. We are incredibly proud to have them in the Hightower community and congratulate them on this achievement." Hightower offers independent-minded advisory businesses a capital-rich partner and customizable suite of services designed to help accelerate both organic and inorganic growth. In addition to capital, Hightower provides an advanced, integrated advisor platform including technology, compliance, accounting, payroll, human resources, investment research/due diligence and marketing services. Advisory groups that partner with Hightower also gain access to business development consulting and education, leadership and team development, economies of scale, deep industry relationships and a supportive advisor community. The Financial Times' formula for grading FT 300 applicants takes into consideration the RIA's AUM, asset growth, the company's age, industry certifications of key employees, SEC compliance record and online accessibility. To view the full list, visit: https://www.ft.com/content/6a45556e-6c21-4770-bc94-468fee0de563 About Hightower: Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower's capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their vision of "well-th. rebalanced." Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., the firm operates as a registered investment advisor (RIA). Learn more about Hightower's collaborative business model at www.hightoweradvisors.com. Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC member FINRA/SIPC. Hightower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment advisor. Media Contact: Patty Buchanan JConnelly (973) 567-9415 [email protected] SOURCE Hightower Related Links http://www.hightoweradvisors.com Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the size of the state's public health unit before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March, despite top bureaucrats warning last year it was the nation's worst-resourced infection control team. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Thursday that Victoria had only 14 contact tracers in March, despite health officials revealing that even doubling the staff "would still see Victoria as the least resourced state". Premier Daniel Andrews said he was satisfied with the size of the public health team before the pandemic took hold. Credit:Getty Images The warnings in May last year came from bureaucrats in Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton's public health team. Professor Sutton did not appear at the daily government briefing on Thursday, the first briefing he had missed in several weeks. In Thursday's daily coronavirus update, Mr Andrews and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos spoke to the media without Professor Sutton or his deputy, Annaliese van Diemen, and announced Victoria had recorded its worst day of the pandemic with 723 cases and 13 deaths. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More FMCG company Dabur India on July 30 reported a net profit of Rs 341.8 crore for the quarter ended June 2020, registering a 5.9 percent YoY decline as lockdown dented its business during the quarter. Revenue from operations for the quarter stood at Rs 1,980 crore, down 12.9 percent, compared to Rs 2,273.3 crore reported in the corresponding period last year. Domestic volume declined by 9.7 percent for April-June period 2020, but was ahead of the average of estimates of analysts polled by CNBC-TV18 which was pegged at 14-15 percent decline. "Domestic FMCG business saw a decline of 6.9 percent due to the lockdown in April and international Business saw a decline of 21.6 percent, as a result, overall volume declined by 9.7 percent," said Dabur in its BSE filing. Healthcare business grew by 29.2 percent YoY to Rs 532 crore, but home & personal care segment registered a 14.9 percent decline YoY at Rs 679 crore and foods division saw 34.4 percent fall at Rs 203 crore in June quarter 2020, company added. On the international business front, it said MENA was impacted by COVID and macroeconomic headwinds with Egypt reporting a decline of 26.1 percent YoY, but Hobby had a strong quarter, growing by 33.5 percent and Namaste's US business reported strong 12.3 percent growth. "While Nepal business saw a decline of 53 percent on account of curfews in the country, Bangladesh saw a growth of 14 percent YoY," it added. Find All Earnings Related News Here The operating performance of the company also beat analysts' expectations. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 9 percent year-on-year to Rs 416.6 crore and margin rose 90 bps YoY to 21 percent, which both were ahead of CNBC-TV18 poll estimates of Rs 398 crore and 20.1 percent respectively for the quarter. The stock price was down just 0.09 percent at Rs 489.45 on the BSE at the time of publishing this copy. Jeremy Boyer Executive editor Jeremy Boyer is the executive editor of The Citizen. He started at The Citizen as news editor in 2004, and was promoted his current position in 2006. Follow Jeremy Boyer Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Earlier this month, a nonprofit organization that advocates for transparency in local governments in New York state issued an interesting report about a small review it conducted. The New York Coalition For Open Government looked at 20 town and city websites across the state to see how well they kept the public informed about meetings conducted in June. The city of Auburn was among the municipalities on the coalition's list, and it earned a solid grade of B. This meant Auburn fulfilled three out of four criteria the coalition used for its evaluation. Those four criteria were as follows: posting all meeting documents online prior to meetings; livestreaming meetings on the website; posting video and/or audio of meetings after they are completed; posting meeting minutes online prior to the start of the government board's next meeting. Auburn fell short with the minutes posting, which was by far the most common deficiency area the coalition found. It reported that Auburn's June 18 and June 25 city council minutes had not been posted on the meeting minutes page of the city website as of July 8. A draft of the June 18 minutes did appear on the July 9 meeting agenda. Of the 20 municipalities reviewed, Auburn was one of 11 to get a B. Two earned a C and one received a D. Thankfully, there were no F grades. Unfortunately, only three got an A: Geneva, Plattsburgh and Rotterdam. To get the city's thoughts, I reached out to Chuck Mason, the city clerk who oversees the city's website posting efforts, and he emailed the following observations: "I certainly agree with the importance of keeping in line with the Open Meetings Law and we do our best here at the City to keep our website updated. We have had lapses before and it is usually as simple as I forgot to post them, or better yet, forgot to hit save once I posted them. I do know that for City Council meetings we post the video recordings of the meeting almost always within an hour after the meeting is completed. Minutes sometimes do take longer to compile and I believe the two-week requirement in the Open Meetings Law is a reasonable amount of time. "One twist on things during the COVID pandemic is that when the Governor's executive orders allowed the meetings to be closed to public attendance (mid-March through July 6), one requirement was to provide transcripts of the meetings within a reasonable amount of time. My take on that was because it was a requirement of the executive order I incorporated the transcriptions into the meeting minutes and that took longer to compile but the two-week window was still a reasonable window of time." I appreciate Chuck Mason's thoughts. I've said this before, but it's worth repeating: the city's website is unquestionably among the most robust in the Cayuga County area when it comes to posting key government records. There's room for improvement on the Auburn site, but I'd be delighted if most of the towns and villages in our coverage area had Auburn's level of record posting. The truth is, most of them are downright atrocious. Even with many of the towns and villages getting the ability to tie into the county's revamped website a couple of years ago, many of them have totally neglected the agendas and meeting minutes sections. I encourage everyone who lives in a Cayuga County town or village to check their sites and see how easy it is to find out what happened at recent meetings and what will be discussed at the next meeting. If you can't find a satisfactory answer, get in touch with your supervisor, mayor and clerk. Ask them to do better. There's also an opportunity for a push from the state Legislature when it comes to meeting minutes. The New York Coalition For Open Government cited the results of its spot check in calling for an Open Meetings Law change that would require minutes be posted in a timely manner on the government entity's website. "Without a legal mandate in place, seventy percent of local governments studied are not making information regarding their actions available in a timely manner," it said in a press release. "It does not make sense in todays electronic age that New York requires live streaming meetings, posting recordings of meetings but does not mandate the posting of meeting minutes." Executive editor Jeremy Boyers column appears Thursdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A court in Amritsar on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to six of the seven accused, including former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhus close aide Saurabh Madan alias Mithu Madan, in the 2018 Dussehra train tragedy case. The special investigation team (SIT) of the Government Railway Police (GRP), formed to fix responsibility for the tragedy, had filed a chargesheet against seven organisers of the event before duty magistrate Harpreet Singh on June 6. In the chargesheet, the SIT has named Dussehra committee office-bearers Mithu Madan, Rahul Kalyan, Deepak Kumar, Karan Bhandari, Kabal Singh, Deepak Gupta and Bhupinder Singh as accused under Sections 304-A, 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code. Mithu is son of a Congress councilor. All the accused, barring Rahul Kalyan, had filed for bail application. The matter was heard in the court of judicial magistrate (first class) Rajan Aneja. It was expected that the accused would get bail easily as the SIT submitted the chargesheet before making their arrests. Even the charges were diluted in the chargesheet. Filing of the weak chargesheet has helped the accused secure the bail, said Verka, said advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO). The SIT had filed the chargesheet without arresting the accused, and by removing Section 304 (imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine) of the IPC against them. The court has fixed the next date of the hearing on September 3. On October 19, 2018, a speeding train mowed down 61 persons and injured more than 100 people who had gathered for Dussehra celebrations at Dhobi Ghat near Jaura Phatak in Amritsar. The magisterial inquiry conducted by Jalandhar divisional commissioner B Purushartha on the orders of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had held the event organisers accountable for various acts of omission and commission that led to the tragedy. The gradual undermining of democratic rules during an economic crisis and a public health catastrophe could leave Latin America primed for slower growth and an increase in corruption and human rights abuses Caracas, Venezuela: Postponed elections. Sidelined courts. A persecuted Opposition. As the coronavirus pandemic tears through Latin America and the Caribbean, killing more than 180,000 and destroying the livelihoods of tens of millions in the region, it is also undermining democratic norms that were already under strain. Leaders ranging from the Centre-Right to the Far-Left have used the crisis as justification to extend their time in office, weaken oversight of government actions and silence critics actions that under different circumstances would be described as authoritarian and anti-democratic but are now being billed as lifesaving measures to curb the spread of the disease. The gradual undermining of democratic rules during an economic crisis and a public health catastrophe could leave Latin America primed for slower growth and an increase in corruption and human rights abuses, experts warned. This is particularly true in places where political rights and accountability were already in steep decline. Its not a matter of left or right; its a general decline of democracy across the region, said Alessandra Pinna, a Latin America researcher at Freedom House, an independent Washington-based research organisation that measures global political liberties. There are now five Latin American and Caribbean nations with recent democratic histories Venezuela, Nicaragua, Guyana, Bolivia and Haiti where governments werent chosen in free and fair elections or have overstayed their time in office. That is the highest number since the late 1980s, when the Cold War receded and several countries in the grip of civil war or military dictatorships transitioned to peace and democracy. Most of those leaders were already bending the rules of democracy to stay in power before the pandemic but seized on emergency conditions created by the spread of the virus to strengthen their position. President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela has detained or conducted home raids against dozens of journalists, social activists and opposition leaders for questioning the governments dubious coronavirus figures. In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega released thousands of inmates because of the threat posed by the virus but kept political prisoners behind bars, while in Guyana, a lockdown thwarted protests against the governments attempt to stay in power despite having lost an election. In Bolivia, a caretaker government has used the pandemic to postpone elections, tap into emergency aid to bolster its electoral campaign and threaten to ban the main opposition candidate from running. And in the island nation of St Kitts and Nevis, the government imposed a strict lockdown on its 50,000 people during the campaign for general elections in June, hampering opposition efforts to meet voters while also keeping international election observers from travelling to the country. It was the first time in recent history that a host country withdrew its invitation to the Organisation of American States, a regional group that promotes democracy, to observe elections. The loss of public trust in governments in Latin America is not new, but the erosion of democratic norms in the pandemic arrived at a time when the regions economic growth and social progress were already unraveling, leaving many uncertain about the ability of democratic leaders to solve entrenched problems such as inequality, crime and corruption. By 2018, only one in four people in Latin America said they were satisfied with democracy the lowest number since Latinobarometro, a regional polling company, began asking that question 25 years ago. Discontent with the political establishment led to a wave of populist victories in recent years, including those of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, who is on the far-right, and President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico, who is on the left. It also led to mass street protests in several Latin American countries last year. The pandemic, hitting during this time of political upheaval, has plunged the region into the deepest recession in its history, exacerbating weaknesses in health and welfare systems and highlighting the ways in which many leaders are unable to meet public demands. All the things that Latin Americans have already been clamouring for greater equality, better services have been dramatically worsened by the pandemic, said Cynthia Arnson, Latin America program director at the Wilson Centre, a think-tank in Washington. The economic pain is dramatic, and its putting additional strain on the already weak institutions. It has also put a strain on the regions struggling health care systems. Latin America has become a global hot spot for the virus, with Brazil, Mexico and Peru among the 10 nations with the highest numbers of deaths. And according to the United Nations, about 16 million people in Latin America are expected to fall into extreme poverty this year, reversing nearly all of the gains made by the region this century. Adding to those challenges, democracy in Latin America has also lost a champion in the United States, which had played an important role in promoting democracy after the end of the Cold War by financing good governance programs and calling out authoritarian abuses. Under President Donald Trump, the United States has mostly focussed regional policy on opposing left-wing autocrats in Venezuela and Cuba and curbing immigration, making aid to Central American nations, among the regions poorest, contingent on cooperating with the administration on immigration. The Trump administration also refrained from commenting when Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, ignored Supreme Court rulings and used the military to crack down on quarantine violators during the pandemic. US support for democracy initiatives in Latin America fell by almost half last year to $326 million, according to preliminary figures compiled by the US Agency for International Development. In the last few years we have not only abandoned our role as a democratising force in Latin America and the world, but we have promoted negative forces, said Orlando Perez, a political scientist at the University of North Texas. Our policy is now: Youre on your own America first. In the few democratic strongholds in Latin America, such as Uruguay and Costa Rica, leaders responded to the pandemic with efficiency and transparency, bolstering public trust in the government. In the Dominican Republic and Suriname, incumbent presidents recently bowed out of power after losing elections that were held despite the pandemic. In many instances, judges and civil servants have resisted the attacks on democratic institutions during the pandemic, said Javier Corrales, a professor of Latin American studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. The defenders of liberal democracy in Latin America are not defeated, Corrales said. Its not an open terrain for would-be authoritarians. Yet in most Latin American nations, the coronavirus accelerated an existing democratic decline by exposing the weakness and corruption of governments in the face of the catastrophe. When confronted with an existential threat, countries that did not already have deep democratic systems are choosing tactics that help leaders consolidate their power, said John Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the US Naval Academy in Maryland. The political tensions gripping the region during the pandemic could be just the beginning of a longer wave of unrest and authoritarianism, said Thomas Carothers, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It will drag the region down into poorer economic performance, he said. It also means poorer treatment of human beings, their dignity and rights. Anatoly Kurmanaev c.2020 The New York Times Company With new treatments and testing expected in the next year, countries could take steps to hasten delivery to Alzheimer's patients The first disease-modifying Alzheimer's disease treatments are on the horizon, but health systems in the United States and Europe would have to take a number of steps to ensure they are ready to provide those treatments to the millions of people who need them, according to two USC reports presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Soeren Mattke, a USC research professor of economics at the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, assessed the hurdles to providing these treatments to people with Alzheimer's disease in the United States, as well as in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. "As the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, even the most sophisticated healthcare systems can be overwhelmed by sudden surges in the demand for services," Mattke wrote. "The arrival of a disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer's disease may result in a similar scenario, in which current health system capacity is insufficient to cope with the expected influx of patients who will seek diagnosis and treatment." He and co-author Mo Wang, a research assistant at USC Dornsife, found that the countries have various gaps in their healthcare systems that, if unaddressed, make it difficult for many patients to access treatments once they have been approved for use. Mattke, a physician and health services researcher who directs the CESR Center for Improving Chronic Disease Care, focused on problems in the countries' healthcare systems, as well as in their capacity and their capabilities to deliver treatment. While these countries' systems differ in many ways, they have some problems in common, including a lack of funding for memory testing that would help identify people who have Alzheimer's disease and, with the exception of Germany, a shortage of specialists trained in cognitive testing. Mattke gathered the information for the reports by conducting 30 expert interviews and examining multiple databases, research published in peer-reviewed journals and technical reports. Some of the health system barriers likely to impede access to treatment include: Funding: While all countries have or are in the process of developing national dementia strategies, none have devoted funding to implement the recommendations. Further, several diagnostic tests that are part of the patient journey are not or not fully covered by health systems. It is assumed, but by no means guaranteed, that the approval of a treatment would lead to coverage of the necessary tests. Workforce: Primary care physicians in all countries remain reluctant to assess cognitive function, because of incompatibility with their workflows, lack of training and tools, and a perceived lack of therapeutic consequences. Dementia specialists are in short supply in all countries, leading to lengthy wait times in the diagnostic process. The United States has 8.8 such specialists per 100,000 people and France has the fewest in the group with 6.5 per 100,000. While Germany leads the pack with 24 specialists per 100,000 people, incentives are lacking for those clinicians to increase patient volume. see more patients. Technology: Countries have limited capacity to conduct PET brain scans to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. Not even the United States, with five PET scanners per 1 million people, would have sufficient capacity and many patients in rural areas would face geographic obstacles. Countries like France, Germany and Spain have only about two scanners per 1 million people and the U.K. only 0.5. While these findings point to a need to devote additional resources to memory care, engage primary care physicians in case finding and triage and leverage scarce dementia specialists' time more effectively, there are encouraging initiatives in all six countries. A simple blood test for Alzheimer's disease could become available soon, which would greatly improve the diagnostic process. diagnostics. France has set up a national network of memory clinics for routine care and for research. Germany introduced an annual comprehensive geriatric assessment including cognitive decline. Italy launched a program, the "Interceptor Project," to track patients with early stage Alzheimer's disease with the objective that doctors could identify patients at risk of faster progression. In Spain, an expert group formed a group to conduct regional assessment of system readiness for memory care and provide recommendations. The U.K. initiated an accreditation scheme to standardize memory services. In the U.S., Project ECHO is experimenting with telehealth models to empower primary care clinicians to provide memory care. "Alzheimer's disease poses a unique challenge because so many different clinicians and planners must work together to prepare for the advent of a disease-modifying treatment," Mattke said. "A concerted effort of stakeholders will be needed to raise awareness for this challenge and work on solutions. Unlike in the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still time for healthcare systems to prepare. But, the work needs to start now." ### The work was funded by a contract from Roche, known as Genentech in the United States, a company that is developing blood-based assays and disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease, to the University of Southern California. The sponsor had no role in the design of the study, interpretation of the findings and decision to submit the data for presentation at AAIC. A former Philippine congressman and religious cult leader was arrested Thursday over his wife's killing and corrupt practices, police said, ending a years-long manhunt. Ruben Ecleo, 60, was head of a group called the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association when his wife's remains were found in a bin bag at the bottom of a ravine on the central island of Cebu in 2002. He was arrested months later in a police raid on his home on the island of Dinagat, during which 17 people were killed. Ecleo was bailed in 2004 and won a House of Representatives seat in 2010 -- held up as an example of an infamous culture of impunity in the country, where the rich and powerful are rarely held to account. In 2012, a year after he stopped attending the trial, a Cebu court convicted him of parricide and sentenced him to 30 years in prison. Manila police described Ecleo as the "#1 Top Most Wanted Person" in the Philippines. A police report said he was arrested Thursday at a gated housing enclave in the northern city of Angeles, where he had been living under another name. His driver was also detained for trying to obstruct Ecleo's arrest, police added. In 2006, another court convicted Ecleo of corruption committed when he was a town mayor in Dinagat in the early 1990s. Police said they used an arrest warrant issued over the graft case to detain Ecleo after a lengthy stake-out. Ecleo became leader of his religious group, which claims millions of adherents, after the 1987 death of his namesake father, who had founded the group in 1965. If all goes well, the rover will descend to the Martian surface on February 18, 2021, in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror, in which the craft goes from 12,000 miles per hour to a complete stop. It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones to send sound and images back to Earth. New York: A US judge on Wednesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell's last-ditch effort to keep a potentially damaging deposition from becoming public, as the jailed British socialite defends herself against criminal charges that she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls. US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's argument that her arrest on July 2 and indictment were "compelling" reasons to continue sealing her April 2016 deposition, and a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser. Details of Ghislaine Maxwell's life are set to be revealed after a court decision. Credit:Getty Images The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Maxwell filed a notice of appeal less than an hour after Preska ruled. US-based Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, which has most of its workforce in India, reported a 29 percent year-on -year fall in profit at $361 million for the April-June quarter as the coronavirus outbreak and ransomware attack hit revenue. The companys clocked a profit of $509 million in the same period last year. The company, which is based in Teaneck in New Jersey, reported a 3.4 percent year-on-year decline in revenues to $4 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. About two lakh of its 2.8 lakh employees are based out of India. Revenue across our business segments was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ransomware attack, primarily in the month of April, the company said in a statement. 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 Except healthcare, other businesses such as financial services, products and resources and communications and media and technology declined. Revenue and bookings improved sequentially through May and June, with increased client demand in areas such as cloud and enterprise application services, IT modernization and digital engineering, the statement added. More high level layoffs The quarter also saw another high level exit. Chief Financial Officer Karen McLoughlin is stepping down and Jan Siegmund will take over as CFO from September 1. McLoughlin will remain in an advisory role till the end of the year. This follows the exits of Ramkumar Ramamoorthy, Cognizant India head, and Pradeep Shilige, Global Delivery Head. Fit for growth plan Under its Fit for Growth Plan updates, which aims to cut cost and optimise the operating model, the companys headcount fell by 10,000. Of the 15,000 employees targeted under the plan, 5,000 were reskilled and others let go off, going by the companys statement. Cognizant has spent $170-200 million, which includes employee severance packages. Early this month, Moneycontrol reported that the company was laying off its bench resources and the numbers could be high. In the content moderation business, which the company exited in 2019, the head count fell 4,500 and had an annualised revenue loss of $225 million. FY20 outlook The company expects revenue to be in the range of $16.4-16.7 billion, or a decline on a constant currency basis of 2 - 0.5 percent. Starting August, the company will roll out a new strategy to accelerate digital focus in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Brian Humphries said during the earnings call. According to Humphries, the pandemic has single-handedly accelerated the shift to digital, creating enormous opportunities. Cognizant intend to capture this, he added. The strategy, Cognizant Agenda, was intended to execute the same by accelerating digital, optimise core business and reskilling employees, the CEO said. MONTREAL - Gildan Activewear Inc. missed expectations as it reported a large second-quarter loss after sales plunged 71 per cent amid widespread closures of customer stores because of COVID-19. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Gildan Activewear Inc. president and CEO Glenn Chamandy poses for a photograph following the apparel manufacturer's annual meeting Thursday, February 5, 2015 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson MONTREAL - Gildan Activewear Inc. missed expectations as it reported a large second-quarter loss after sales plunged 71 per cent amid widespread closures of customer stores because of COVID-19. The Montreal-based company, reporting in U.S. dollars, says it lost $249.7 million or $1.26 per diluted share, compared with a profit of $99.7 million or 49 cents per share a year earlier. The results included $224 million of charges, including $131 million that were COVID-related and $93 million for initiatives to simplify its offering and cut costs. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Excluding one-time items, the adjusted net loss was $196.6 million or 99 cents per share, down from a net income of $115 million or 56 cents per share in the prior year's quarter. Revenues for the three months ended June 28 were $229.7 million, compared with $801.6 million in the second quarter of 2019. Gildan was expected to report 41 cents per share in adjusted losses on $241.4 million in revenues, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. "Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we maintained a strong focus on our key priorities, including the health and safety of our employees and the long-term positioning of our business," stated CEO Glenn Chamandy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:GIL) The naval aviation units of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army conducts routine exercises in the South China Sea. [Photo/mod.gov.cn] The naval aviation units of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army conducted routine exercises in the South China Sea that improved pilots' combat techniques and overall all-weather fighting capability of the units, a military spokesman said on Thursday. The units trained planes such as H-6G and H-6J bombers, as well as other new war planes, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense. The "high-intensity exercises" were conducted in the South China Sea, featuring drills such as taking off during day and night settings, long distance assault, and attacking maritime surface targets, he told a regular news briefing. "The drills have met training expectations," he said, adding the exercises are planned drills in this year's training schedule. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, right, inspects police vehicles as he visits the Belarusian Interior Ministry special forces base in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for Aug. 9, 2020. (Nikolai Petrov/AP Photo) Belarus Detains Dozens of Russians as Election Tensions Rise MINSK, BelarusBelarusian authorities said Wednesday they have detained dozens of Russian private military contractors days before Belarus presidential vote, a sign of escalating tensions between the two neighbors. Belarus authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who is seeking a sixth term in office in the Aug. 9 vote, has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to force Belarus to abandon its post-Soviet independence. Throughout his 26-year rule, the 65-year-old Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and political support but has fiercely resisted Moscows efforts to gain control over Belarus economic assets. The arrest of dozens of Russians accused of planning to destabilize Belarus amid the election campaign pushes political tensions between the countries to a new high. Some observers see the move as a campaign stunt by Lukashenko. Belarus state news agency BelTA said that 32 members of Russias Wagner private military company were detained overnight at a sanitarium outside Minsk by a SWAT team from the Belarusian State Security Committee, still known by its Soviet-era name KGB. Another person was detained in the countrys south, said the BelTA, which published a list of the detained Russians. Yulia Goncharova, the spokeswoman for Belarus top investigative agency, the Investigative Committee, confirmed the detentions but refrained from further comment. The Russian Embassy in Belarus had no immediate comment on the report, saying it hadnt received official information about the detentions from the Belarusian authorities. BelTA said that Belarusian law enforcement agencies were acting on a tip that over 200 militants had arrived in Belarus on a mission to destabilize the country during the election campaign. Alexander Alesin, an independent Minsk-based military expert, said that Belarus long has provided a transit corridor for sensitive Russian operations abroad. The Russians have used Belarus to deploy special troops to other countries for many years, Alesin said. The Belarusian security agencies knew all about it and until recently they offered help and assistance to the Russians. The Wagner company, linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who has been indicted by the United States for meddling in the 2016 presidential election, has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to Syria and Libya. Alesin asserted that the detentions appear to be part of Lukashenkos efforts to mobilize support before the vote. The authorities are using Wagner members to scare people before the vote by inventing a thriller about Russian militants, Alesin argued. The footage of the detentions looks silly: If the 33 Wagner people were indeed planning to stage riots they wouldnt have worn combat fatigues and T-shirts with the word Russia and stayed all in one place. He added that the Belarusian leader may also have wanted to vent his anger with the Kremlin: With the detentions, Lukashenko also wants to show Russia its place as relations with the Kremlin have worsened after Russia sharply cut its subsidies. Lukashenko, the former state farm director, has ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5-million with an iron hand, cracking down on dissent and free media and extending his rule through votes the West has criticized as rigged. The Belarusian leader is expected to easily win reelection on Aug. 9 despite a wave of opposition protests fueled by public fatigue with his rule and a painful economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Belarusian Interior Ministry special forces take part in crowd dispersing training session during the Belarus President Alexander Lukashenkos visit at their base in Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The presidential election in Belarus is scheduled for Aug. 9, 2020. (Nikolai Petrov/AP Photo) The World Bank has forecast that the Belarusian economy will shrink by at least 4 percent this year, the largest decline in a quarter-century. Belarus election officials barred the presidents two main challengers from appearing on the ballot. One of the challengers, Viktor Babariko, the former head of a major Russia-controlled bank, has been jailed on money laundering and tax evasion charges. Another, Valery Tsepkalo, a former ambassador to the United States and the founder of a thriving high-tech development park, was denied registration after authorities invalidated some of the signatures he had collected to qualify. Valery Tsepkalo, a former ambassador to the United States and founder of a successful hi-tech park, speaks during his interview with the Associated Press near Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, with St. Basils Cathedral and Spasskaya Tower in the background. Valery Tsepkalo who fled to Russia after being denied a ballot spot in next months presidential election says he may not be able to return home if President Alexander Lukashenko wins another term. He fled to Russia last week and said he had received tips that his arrest was imminent. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo) Tsepkalo fled to Russia with his children after receiving a warning that his arrest was imminent and the authorities were planning to strip him of his parental rights and take his children away. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of jailed opposition blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, is the only opposition candidate to have been allowed on the ballot. By Yuras Karmanau Babcock Student Involved In S3x Tape Scandals Girl Gets International Scholarship Expelled student of Babcock University who went viral last year after a leaked s3x tape, has been offered an international scholarship. If you recall, the student was expelled by the management of the school after a video showing her and an ex-student of the school having s3x surfaced on the internet. According to a Nigerian medical doctor, Dr Ola Brown who took interest in the case after her expulsion from Babcock University, her scholarship in a foreign country has been fully paid. He took to Twitter to break the news, which served as a follow up to an update he made on the student in June. He Wrote; Just made her scholarship payment. She will be travelling out to study in the next few months. Future head of the IMF/World Bank loading by Gods grace In the previous month, Dr Ola had written on the progress the lady has been making since some Nigerians came to her rescue. He disclosed that since her expulsion from the school, she has improved drastically, both academically and psychologically. He wrote at the time: I know not many people will care, but there are some people that followed the story of Babcock girl I am so proud of the progress she is making academically/psychologically/ spiritually Hoping she will become one of the worlds best finance gurus/economists Everytime she calls she has some new insight about the wonderful world of finance/accounting/economics. She is smart, passionate & focused. She reads widely and deeply. She understands complex topics easily. I see her at the IMF/AFDB or some other global finance institution She will NOT be defined by the manner in which her privacy was violated by someone she trusted. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Jose Freire Interian was walking his dog near his Key West home when a neighbour began recording him on her cellphone. Hours later, police came knocking on his door with an arrest warrant and whisked Freire and his wife to the county jail. The charge: violating quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. As a national debate swirls over masks and self-quarantines, communities are grappling over how aggressively they should enforce myriad rules meant to control the spread of the novel strain of coronavirus, which has now infected more than 460,000 in Florida and killed nearly 6,600 of its residents. Its a national debate up until the health department tells you to quarantine, and then theres no more debate, Key West City Manager Greg Veliz said Thursday. If the law allows someone to be arrested for violating a quarantine order and they continue to thumb their nose at the law yeah, they should be arrested, Veliz said. Intense debate over masks, business closures and social distancing have raged since the start of the outbreak. Arrests have been rare, but there have been occasional flare ups. In May, a Kentucky woman infected with the virus was arrested while shopping for groceries. Authorities accused her of wanton endangerment and criminal mischief. That same month, a coronavirus patient was chased down and arrested in Nashville after being placed under quarantine by public health officials. In Hawaii last month, 21 travellers were arrested for breaking the states mandatory 14-day quarantine. None tested positive for the coronavirus. Veliz said the Florida couple was arrested Wednesday after police received a complaint and a video showing a possible violation of a quarantine order imposed by state public health officials against the couple. The Keys, a chain of islands fanning westward from Floridas southern tip, had been closed to tourists and other nonresidents for two months in the spring to keep the virus from spreading. It reopened to visitors in June. In Florida, a national hot spot for the outbreak, public health officials have urged people to wear masks and keep their distance. But they also have the authority to order those who are infected to self-quarantine. State officials said Freire Interian and his wife, Yohana Gonzalez, 26, learned they were infected with the virus on July 15, after being tested five days earlier. They were advised to wear face masks at home, a three bedroom house the couple shares with at least three other tenants. And they were required to self-isolate for at least 14 days. But the Florida Department of Health determined them to present an immediate danger of harm to others when it was notified that the couple had gone to the grocery story on July 20 while possible still infected. A day later, the agency issued a mandatory quarantine order against the couple. Police said they received video footage Wednesday showing a possible violation of that order and asked a judge to issue arrest warrants. Freire Interian and Gonzalez, who were released Thursday after posting bail, expressed disbelief over the misdemeanour charges. They speculated that the arrests were the result of a soured relationship with another tenant. I didnt do anything. I was just walking my dog, said Freire Interian, 24, who said his pet needed to relieve herself. Its not as if I left the house to go shopping. While he was walking his dog, he said, he was being recorded by one of his neighbours. Later in the afternoon, police arrived. They knocked on the door real loud. I opened the door. They told me Come on, and I asked them, Why? I was in shock, Freire Interian said. Why am I getting arrested for? It was unfair. Michael Morley, a law professor at Florida State University, said government officials may have compelling reasons to more aggressively enforce public health rules, including requiring people to wear masks in public places as is required by some jurisdictions, including Key West. To the extent that theres any debate, its not really a constitutional and statutory debate. Its more of a policy debate whether the public health risk is sufficient to warrant a crackdown on those violating public health laws, Morley said. Any general deterrence is always one goal of law enforcement, he said, noting that the arrests could encourage other people to comply with the law. The Key West couple is expected to face a judge on Aug. 10. ___ Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. The new National Education Policy (NEP), approved by the government, has been welcomed by ministers, other political leaders and academicians. They welcome the transformative restructuring in the education sector and say that the NEP will bring new opportunities for students. Under National Education Policy 2020, cash-rich content will be reduced to its core essentials, and make space for critical thinking, holistic, enquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based, and analysis-based learning, said Union HRD minister Ramesh Pohkriyal Nishank. The NEP also renamed the HRD (human resource development) ministry as the education ministry. Welcome PM @NarendraModi jis decision to approve National Education Policy, paving way for vibrant, accessible, equitable & quality education. Ensuring a bright future for leaders of tomorrow, #NEP2020 encourages & nurtures each childs unique talent, tweeted Union minister Piyush Goyal. Welcome PM @NarendraModi ji's decision to approve National Education Policy, paving way for vibrant, accessible, equitable & quality education. Ensuring a bright future for leaders of tomorrow, #NEP2020 encourages & nurtures each child's unique talent. https://t.co/4AVjBhuPHd pic.twitter.com/aS7Sn018Vo Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 29, 2020 Union minister Smriti Irani, who handled the HRD portfolio in BJP governments previous tenure, called the NEP a transformative restructuring of education in India. Grateful to PM @narendramodi Ji & Cabinet for approving National Education Policy 2020 - a transformative restructuring of Education in India encompassing every stage of learning from early education to higher education with greater emphasis on technology & digitisation, she tweeted. Grateful to PM @narendramodi Ji & Cabinet for approving National Education Policy 2020 - a transformative restructuring of Education in India encompassing every stage of learning from early education to higher education with greater emphasis on technology & digitisation. #NEP2020 Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) July 29, 2020 Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Chandrababu Naidu hailed the emphasis on mother tongue or regional language as medium of instruction in the new policy. I welcome the approval of National Education Policy 2020 by the Union Cabinet chaired by @narendramodi Ji. I am sure that this reform will boost the education sector and pave way for our youth to compete with the best from across the world, he said on Twitter. Also Read | Over 2 crore children will be brought back to schools, says HRD secretary Amit Khare The policy emphasizes mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction until Grade 5 which is certainly a welcome move. This is crucial for children to develop critical thinking & literacy skills leading to better academic performance, Naidu further tweeted. Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Professor Najma Akhtar said the students will be able to pursue education with greater flexibility in a seamless learning-environment. The NEP is groundbreaking! The higher education in India will now be holistic and multidisciplinary with a shared focus on Science, Arts and Humanities, said Akhtar. Also Read | Highlights of National Education Policy 2020 The policy is based on the recommendations of a committee chaired by former Isro chief K Kasturirangan. The government said that it was after 34 years that Indias education policy was being overhauled. While the last policy was announced in 1992, it was essentially a rehash of a 1986 one. The family of Alexander Kareem, who was killed in a case of mistaken identity, is begging the public to not view his death as 'just another black boy who's been shot'. In a heartfelt eulogy to her brother, Khafi Kareem, 30, said she and her brothers 'would have taken the bullet for him', after Mr Kareem was shot dead in the street in Askew Road, Shepherd's Bush, west London, on June 8. Police said Mr Kareem, 20, was killed as he left a convenience store in a case of mistaken identity shortly after 12.30am. Khafi Kareem, 30, pictured with her mother Victoria Oloniluyi, spoke about her brother Alexander Kareem at his funeral in west London yesterday Ms Kareem, left, said: ''To anybody who's seen this (in the news) and is thinking this is just another black boy who's been shot by violence, I want to tell you that is not the case. Alex's life mattered, he had a future ahead of him, he's not just another black boy. He had a family, he had friends, this is real' Alexander Kareem, 20, pictured, was not the intended victim of the gunman and was murdered in a case of mistaken identity Speaking after his funeral, Miss Kareem said: 'To anybody who's seen this (in the news) and is thinking this is just another black boy who's been shot by violence, I want to tell you that is not the case. 'Alex's life mattered, he had a future ahead of him, he's not just another black boy. 'He had a family, he had friends, this is real.' Around 30 people attended the funeral service at the Church of the Holy Ghost and St Stephen in Shepherd's Bush on Wednesday, and dozens more paid their respects at the burial in Margravine Cemetery in Hammersmith. Miss Kareem, who works as a police officer, added: 'There are real lives that have been impacted, real people who are broken. 'There are so many people who have turned up today and we are here for justice. 'I am begging whoever knows anything please find it in your heart to come forward. 'I feel bad that we've had to bury Alex and his killers are still not found, can he really rest in peace when his killers are roaming around?' Mr Kareem's friends and family gathered at his funeral service at the Church of the Holy Ghost and St Stephens The youngest of four siblings, Mr Kareem was described as 'brainy and intelligent', and a computer whizz who enjoyed coding and playing the video game Fortnite The youngest of four siblings, Mr Kareem was described as 'brainy and intelligent', and a computer whizz who enjoyed coding and playing the video game Fortnite. He was about to embark on a new chapter of his life by starting university in September to study computer science. Miss Kareem said: 'My mum named him after Alexander the Great, because, even though he's the youngest, my mum always knew this is where greatness was going to come from in our family. 'He's really funny and always energetic, he was just becoming a man, looking after himself and giving back to us as a family. 'And most importantly he was innocent, he had nothing to do with the horrid, horrible lifestyle that took him away, he had nothing to do with that.' Mr Kareem is survived by his mother Victoria Oloniluyi, sister Khafi, and brothers Henry, 29, and Kabir Kareem, 26. Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting the reference CAD224/08June, or to remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or online. More than two dozen residents were displaced when an apartment building on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City caught fire early Thursday morning, authorities said. Jersey City firefighters responded to 1716 Kennedy Blvd., in the Greenville neighborhood, just after 3 a.m. and saw a working fire in the two stories of residential units located above Vincents, the pizzeria and deli on the ground floor, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said. All 28 residents of the building were evacuated safely as the blaze went to a third alarm. Firefighters quickly put out the fire and averted the spread of the blaze to nearby buildings. Firefighters returned to the scene at 10 a.m. when workers boarding up windows found some wood smoldering inside the building. (L-R) Malaysia's Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, alongside Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong and Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung SCREENSHOT: PMO Facebook page SINGAPORE After three delays and more than a year, Singapore and Malaysia officially relaunched the Johor Bahru Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link in a signing ceremony at the Causeway on Thursday morning (30 July). In a joint statement, the two countries said they had agreed on the following key changes to the project: The RTS Link will be a standalone Light Rail Transit (LRT) System, instead of leveraging the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. The RTS Links capacity remains unchanged at up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction. The RTS Link will no longer use the existing TEL Mandai Depot. Instead, a new depot will be constructed in Wadi Hana, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Both governments will separately appoint an infrastructure company (InfraCo) to fund, build, own, maintain and renew the civil infrastructure and stations in its territory up to the international boundary. Malaysia has changed its InfraCo from Prasarana Malaysia Berhad to Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn. Bhd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn. Bhd. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) remains as Singapores InfraCo. The targeted passenger service commencement date will be deferred from end-2024 to end-2026. The RTS Link will continue to feature co-location of customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities, so that passengers undergo CIQ clearance only once at their point of departure. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the RTS Link stations will be well integrated with the local transport networks in each country. The successful resumption of the RTS Link Project underscores the deep and enduring bilateral relationship between both countries, said the two countries. According to media reports, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted after the ceremony that the project had been delayed because of the political changes and transitions in Malaysia, partly because of projects, partly because of COVID-19. Story continues Nevertheless, the RTS Link is a constructive, valuable project, said Lee, as it will make commuting easier. When asked about the status of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, Lee said that both countries are still in discussions on the matter. In May, the project was delayed till the end of the year. A long delay The RTS Link Project has been suspended since 1 April 2019 at Malaysias request, with the third and final extension announced in May 2020. Set to connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru to Woodlands, the RTS Link fell behind schedule due to Malaysias repeated delays in confirming its joint venture partner. In May last year, both countries signed an agreement to suspend the RTS project for six months, with Malaysia bearing the abortive costs of suspending the project amounting to some $600,000. The suspension was extended from 31 October to 30 April, before this current extension. The signing ceremony took place at the international boundary line on the Causeway due to prevailing COVID-19 restrictions on border crossings. It was witnessed by Lee and his Malaysian counterpart Muhyiddin Yassin. It was the first time that the two men had met in person since the latter came to power in March, when the Perikatan Nasional coalition seized the reins of government after Mahathir Mohamads resignation as PM. Other officials from both countries were also present, including Transport Ministers Ong Ye Kung and Wee Ka Siong, as well as Ongs predecessor Khaw Boon Wan. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Related stories: Singapore and Malaysia to choose unique venue to mark restart of RTS project: Khaw Boon Wan Yahoo Poll: Is the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link a must? Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the relations with Mauritius are expected to grow much further in the years to come. Prime Minister Modi said the relationship between the two countries derives momentum from the past, and looks to the future as well. Asserting that Mauritius is the heart of Indias development partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the ties between New Delhi and Port Louis are destined to soar even higher in the coming years. Speaking at the inauguration of Supreme Court building in Mauritius, Prime Minister Modi said that the two countries friendship draws strength from the past and also and looks toward the future. It was in Mauritius that I had first spoken about Indias vision of SAGAR Security and Growth for All in the Region. This is because Mauritius is at the heart of Indias approach to the Indian Ocean region. I want to add that Mauritius is also at the heart of Indias approach to development partnership, the Prime Minister said during the virtual event. The spirit of Mauritius is inspiring and our partnership is destined to soar higher in the coming years long live India Mauritius friendship, he further said. Praising Mauritius, the Prime Minister said the country has built its success through hard work and innovation and India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius. With Mauritius, we share not only the waters of the Indian Ocean but also a common heritage of kinship, culture and language. Our friendship draws strength from the past and also looks towards the future. India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius. Mauritius has built its success through hard work and innovation, he said in the presence of his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth. The new Supreme Court building was completed with Indian assistance as part of New Delhis thrust on cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean region. Prime Minister Modi said the new Supreme Court building is a symbol of cooperation and shared values between the two countries. Today we celebrate yet another landmark in the special friendship between India and Mauritius. The new Supreme Court building in Port Louis is a symbol of our cooperation and our shared values, he said. Jugnauth, who spoke before Prime Minister Modi, thanked him for demonstrating once again that Mauritius is very close to his heart.I heartily thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for demonstrating once again that Mauritius is very close to his heart. I seize this opportunity to convey our solidarity to you, government and people of India in these trying times, he said. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the courts building symbolises the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries. The court structure construction is one of the five projects under the USD 353 million Special Economic Package (SEP) extended by India in 2016. The project has been completed within schedule and below expected cost. The building is spread over an area of more than 4,700 sq m with over 10 floors and has a built-up area of around 25,000 sq m. The building flaunts a modern design and green features with a focus on thermal and sound insulation and high energy efficiency. The new building will house all divisions and offices of the Supreme Court of Mauritius. Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to turn and not enter the Gulf of Mexico, hurricane forecasters said Thursday. The center of the storm is expected to head up the east coast of Florida and continue up the eastern seaboard all the way to Maryland. Forecasters do not expect it to be a threat to Louisiana. Isaias is one of two systems the National Hurricane Center was tracking Thursday morning. The other is off the west coast of Africa. Here's what to know as of 10 a.m. from the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service. Where is Isaias? As of 10 a.m., Tropical Storm Isaias was about 50 miles southwest of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and about 165 miles southeast of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. It was moving northwest at 20 mph and is expected to slow down slightly over the next few days, forecasters said. On the forecast track, the center will move over Hispaniola Thursday and near the southeastern Bahamas Thursday night and early Friday. Isaias is forecast to be near the central Bahamas Friday night and approach the northwest Bahamas or southern Florida Friday night and Saturday. Forecasters said the track will likely be adjusted after Isaias moves north of Hispaniola. Will it reach Louisiana? No direct impacts are expected for southeast Louisiana, forecasters with National Weather Service in Slidell said Wednesday night. They said a trough -- an elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure -- is expected to be over the region and could be a good thing for Louisiana regarding the storm's path. The trough could help steer the storm east and away from the Gulf, forecasters said. They reminded residents that it is still hurricane season and it is a good time to review your hurricane plans. Will it strengthen? Tropical Storm Isaias has sustained winds near 60 mph and forecasters think it will strengthen to 70 mph by the weekend when it is near the coast of Florida. Tropical storms have sustained winds of 39-73 mph. But, the National Hurricane Center on Thursday cautioned that the intensity forecast is "quite tricky." "It is possible that a new center will re-form along the northern coast of Hispaniola as the system interacts with high terrain of that island later today or tonight," said Senior Hurricane Specialist Daniel Brown in a 10 a.m. forecast discussion. Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up Some models have Isaias as a hurricane as it nears the U.S., but the National Hurricane Center forecasters said they are staying on the conservative side, "given the large amount of uncertainty." Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 310 miles from the center. Watches and warnings in effect Isaias was causing life-threatening flash flooding and high winds over Puerto Rico on Thursday morning. Residents in Cuba and the Florida peninsula should monitor the progress of this system, forecasters said. A tropical storm warning is in effect for: Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra U.S. Virgin Islands Dominican Republic entire southern and northern coastlines North coast of Haiti from Le Mole St Nicholas east to the northern border with the Dominican Republic Turks and Caicos Islands Southeastern Bahamas including the Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, the Inaguas, Mayaguana and the Ragged Islands Central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador A tropical storm watch is in effect for: Northwestern Bahamas including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahamas Island and Bimini What else to know? Along with Tropical Storm Isaias, the National Hurricane Center on Thursday morning was tracking a disturbance off the west coast of Africa. As of 7 a.m., a broad area of low pressure was a few hundred miles southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands. Some development is possible during the next day or two before environmental conditions because unfavorable, forecasters said. It has a 20% chance (low) of developing into a tropical depression within 48 hours. No other storms are expected to develop within five days in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean or the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said. The Atlantic hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Read the full 10 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The next one is due at 1 p.m. Reporter Mark Schleifstein contributed to this story. President Donald Trump was caught on speakerphone asking for assurance from a top GOP lawmaker that a Virginia military base would remain named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The New York Times obtained audio of a Wednesday night call between Trump and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, as the Oklahoma Republican put a conversation with the president on speaker as he dined at a Capitol Hill restaurant. 'We're gonna keep the name of Robert E. Lee?' Trump asked Inhofe, who despite the speaker function had his ear pressed to the phone. 'Just trust me, I'll make it happen,' Inhofe replied. President Donald Trump was caught on speakerphone Wednesday night conversing with Sen. Jim Inhofe who was eating at a Capitol Hill restaurant. Trump was asking for assurance from Inhofe that a military base would remain named after Robert E. Lee Sen. Jim Inhofe told President Donald Trump that he would 'make it happen,' though it's still unclear if Inhofe, a conferee during Conference Committee discussions, would be able to strip the amendment out of the Defense package, as the bill overwhelmingly passed both houses According to The New York Times, Sen. Jim Inhofe was eating at the Capitol Hill Italian restaurant Trattoria Alberto's and put the president on speakerphone, though still held the device up to his ear. Several neighboring tables heard the conversation Virginia's Fort Lee is named after one of the best known figures of the Civil War era, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who President Abraham Lincoln asked to lead the Union Army and defected to lead the southern troops instead On Friday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Sen. Jim Inhofe who had assured him that the amendment to rename military bases named for Confederates wouldn't remain in the Defense bill, despite it being passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress The president had tweeted Friday that Inhofe had told him that the 10 military bases named after Confederate figures would not be renamed. 'I spoke to the highly respected (Chairman) Senator Jim Inhofe, 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 mores!),' Trump wrote. 'Like me, Jim is not a believer in "Cancel Culture."' During Inhofe's dinnertime call, referenced 'cancel culture' again and told the lawmaker that people 'want to be able to go back to life' referring to the current cultural reckoning with an expletive, the Times reported. Trump also could be heard boasting about how well his Friday tweet performed. The senator was eating at Trattoria Alberto, a Capitol Hill Italian restaurant popular with Republicans. 'I had about 95,000 positive retweets on that. Thats a lot,' Trump could be heard saying. The tweet currently has 34,500 retweets, but was like 134,200 times. Trump tweeted a day after the Republican-led Senate had passed the $740.5 billion defense spending bill that included an amendment proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren to rename the bases still named for Confederate fighters. The Senate bill had strong bipartisan support and passed 86-14. The bill's companion in the House also passed and includes a provision to rename bases like North Carolina's Fort Bragg, but gives the Defense Department a deadline of a year, instead of the three-year period outlined in the Senate amendment. The provision to rename the bases could be pulled out in Conference Committee and Inhofe is one of the conferees, but with the measure's broad bipartisan support that's unlikely. Trump first dramatically came out against the renaming of military bases that are named for Confederate figures on June 10, tweeting out a statement and then having White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany hand it out to reporters and read it aloud. 'These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,' Trump tweeted. 'The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars.' 'Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations,' Trump said. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had told Politico he was 'open' to renaming the 10 bases named for Confederate figures. Defense Secretary Mark Esper also supported the conversation. The Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer, and the subsequent 'Black Lives Matter' protests, motivated McCarthy's change of heart, one Army official told Politico. The events 'made us start looking at ourselves and the things that we do and how that is communicated to the force as well as the American people,' the source said. Confederate statues, among other things, have been targeted for removal because the south seceded from the United States to keep black Americans enslaved. But Trump has shown no evolution on the issue and instead staked his re-election prospects of taking that side on the culture war. Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the amendment during a closed-door session on June 11 and with the help of some of her Republican colleagues it passed. The vote was done by voice, so there was no record of which senators voted for it. Trump caught wind of the move, but only after it had happened. 'Seriously failed presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren, just introduced an Amendment on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars,' Trump wrote. 'Hopefully our great Republican Senators wont fall for this!' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, taunted Trump about his threat. 'I dare President Trump to veto the bill over Confederate base naming. It's in the bill. It has bipartisan support. It will stay in the bill,' Schumer said. As the bill worked its way from committee to the full Senate, Trump vowed to veto the legislation late last month. 'I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!' Trump tweeted on June 30. Both bills passed with veto-proof majorities. Rating: 2.0 /5 Star Cast: vidyut jammwal, amit sadh, vijay varma, shruti haasan, Director: tigmanshu dhulia Available On: ZEE5 Duration: 130 minutes Language: Hindi Story: Yaara follows the Chaukdi Gang which includes Vidyut Jammwal, Amit Sadh, Vijay Varma, and Kenny Basumatary. This gang of four once ruled with drug smuggling, gun-running and looting racket, however, they are nabbed by the police during the Naxal movement. After serving their time in jail, they head their own different paths to escape their past and start a new life. Review: Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, Yaara is about friendship, love, crime and even some historic moments in India from the 1950s to 1990s. The film follows Vidyut Jammwal as Phagun and Amit Sadh as Mitwa from their childhood to the end, and beyond their friendship. Based on 2011 French crime drama Les Lyonnais (A Gang Story) the film, in the beginning, has the audience believing in an epic saga, which by the third act loses it footing and wraps up with a quick ending. Phagun and Mitwa met when the latter was adopted by Phagun's father. The duo sticks together all through childhood, their first crime and even as they move on to better things in life. They also meet two more kids just as carefree and bold as them. With Rizwan (Vijay Varma) and Bahadur (Kenny Basumatary), they become the Chaukdi Gang. Well into adulthood, the gang of four continues to stick together, hanging out dancing and singing in remote areas near Nepal's border when they are not committing crimes and running a racket. While they have faith in each other against all odds, more bodies will keep dropping until none are left. Yaara Follows The Chaukdi Gang From The 1950s To 1990s The film often shifts between decades to give a glimpse of what happened in the lives of the Chaukdi Gang. The first half of the film is all fun and games as the quirky characters find their ways into their life of crime, but the plot soon falters as the story begins to focus on the historical relevance of the time. In an effort to present the little details, the screenplay fails to focus on the characters and their development. The haphazard editing of the film does not help its cause either. While it takes a few turns that feel aimless, Dhulia manages to redirect the plot towards the end. Vidyut Jammwal As Phagun Jammwal takes the most screen time and makes the best of it with some great action scenes as well as his chemistry as part of the foursome. Amit Sadh makes for a good character full of quirky energy and later full of regret. Vijay Varma and Kenny do their best with what little they are offered, similarly, Shruti manages her best even with an inconsistent character arc. Despite all this, Yaara still has some enjoyable moments as the story attempts to present the meaning in 'Circle Of Life'. Yaara Is Available On ZEE5 Overall, Yaara has a few moments that restore your faith in the film and its characters. The Chaukdi Gang has much more to offer but the plot only scratches the surface during the 130 minutes run time. Yaara Trailer: Vidyut Jammwal, Amit Sadh, Shruti Haasan's Crime Drama Is An Ode To Friendship Yaara Twitter Review: Did Vidyut Jammwal And Amit Sadh Woo Their Fans With Their Performances? Editors note: A bailout in March this year by an SBI-led consortium has given Yes Bank another chance to get back to business. In the April-June quarter, the bank received the much-needed survival capital through a follow on public offer. In a multi-part series, Moneycontrol will look at the journey of private sector lender so far and the challenges ahead. Read the first part here. Heres the second part: Bad loans are normal in the business of banking. Some borrowers do not pay back to their lenders for various reasons. In an economic downturn, the number of such borrowers tend to increase. But in the case of Yes Bank, the addition of non-performing assets (NPAs) was largely the making of Rana Kapoors mismanagement and greed for big money. Kapoor nearly destroyed the institution he built to please the unholy corporate nexus. At the end of it, everything collapsed like a pack of cards. His strategy was to charge very high upfront free on corporate loans which worked in good times but backfired in bad times, said a banking industry official, who worked for a Mumbai-based bank, who didnt want to be named. Kapoors Worli residence, Samudra Mahal, took up the role of Yes Banks high value credit operations centre at one point. Those who were given bagful of money by Kapoor included DHFL, Anil Ambani Group, Essel, Vodafone and IL&FS. These firms later topped the chart of stressed borrowers of Yes. Banker-corporate nexus In some cases Kapoor gave loans to shady promoters merrily in return of favours. One big example is Yes Bank loans to Wadhawans. The bank gave two separate loans to companies linked to Wadhawans. The first was a Rs 3700 crore loan in April 2018and another Rs 750 crore to Belief Realty (BRPL), one of the firms owned by DHFL promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan and their family members. This was taken for the Bandra Reclamation Project for SRA Re-development. But the whole amount was siphoned off by Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan through their shell companies and it was never used for the declared purpose. The entire amount was transferred to DHFL without making any investment in Bandra Reclamation Project for which the loan had been originally sanctioned, according to Enforcement Directorate, who investigated the case. In return, the ED said, Wadhawans paid a kickback of Rs 600 crore to Kapoor and his family members as loan from DHFL to DoIT Urban Ventures, one of the companies owned by the family of Rana Kapoor. Kapoors daughters are 100 percent shareholders in DoIT through MCPL. But, this is just one example where Kapoor flouted rules to give large corporate loans. There are more such deals that the investigators have identified. Majority of these loans became NPAs later. While all these problematic loans were bound to backfire to Yes Bank in later years in the form of NPAs, what irked the RBI was divergence in the bad loan figures reported and what was found out by the RBI inspection team. The RBI identified major NPA divergence in Yes Bank starting 2017-18. But it acted only towards the end of year 2018 by denying an extension to Kapoor and putting an RBI nominee on the board. In hindsight, if the RBI had done its job of identifying problems in the bank much earlier and clamped down on the lender, Yes Bank would have still needed a bailout but the cost of the exercise would have been much lower than what it is deemed now. Everyone knows how this bailout happened. I doubt if they (bank consortium) had any option to say no to participate in the Yes Bank reconstruction scheme, said another senior banking industry official who too requested not to be named. New team, new challenge After the bail-out, things have changed. A new management is in place. Yes Bank has got the backing of State Bank of India and other lenders. The RBI has offered special liquidity facilities for Yes. Survival capital has finally come, deposits have grown on a quarter-on-quarter basis and asset quality levels have remained stable in the June quarter, mainly due to moratorium scheme. The bad loan levels have stabilized with gross Gross NPAs as at end June, 17.3 per cent a tad higher than 16.8 per cent in the previous quarter. This is also because the loanbook has shrunk Q-O-Q. In absolute terms, the GNPAs have declined to Rs 32703 crore from Rs 32878 crore in the previous quarter. What is the NPA situation now? It is too early to say that the bank is out of danger. Out of the Gross NPAs of Rs 32702 crore, Rs 31426 crore is corporate NPAs as on June 30, while retail and SME contributes only Rs 455 crore and Rs380 crore. This apart, Yes Bank has a non-fund based exposure of NPA accounts is Rs 1635 crore. The bank still has a corporate heavy loan book. Out of its total loan book of Rs 1.64 lakh crore, about 56 per cent of the book or Rs 92631 crore is still corporate loans while retail book is still only about 23 per cent. The high reliance on wholesale loans continue to pose challenges to the bank. The new management under Prashant Kumar, a former SBI executive, has begun efforts to address these problems. Aggressive recovery process is on. The bank on 22 July took possession of Reliance Centre, the headquarters of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) in Mumbai for defaulting Rs 2892 crore loan. The bank has reportedly taken possession of the over 21,000 sq ft headquarters in Santacruz, Mumbai and also two floors in Nagin Mahal in South Mumbai. The possession of the building took place as on July 22 under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act (SARFESI). It's race against time Yes Bank will have to speed up recoveries and cut down toxic assets if it needs to survive. Nearly two third of its loan book and almost entire NPAs are still risky corporate loans. Even of 10 per cent of the book goes bad, the amount of provisions required will wipe out a good chunk of its survival capital. Covid-19 poses an added challenge. Post the Rs 14,000 crore FPO, the mandatory capital ratios have improved for the bank to comply with the RBI norms. But, there are lot of assumptions that needs to come true for Yes Bank to survive. The portion of moratorium loans on its books is about 25 per cent as at end June. There is no clarity on howmuch bad loans will emerge from this chunk once the moratorium period is over. The total chunk of stressed loans on Yes Banks book includes restructured assets, bad loans and non-fund based exposure. Of the total GNPAs, about 96 per cent is in corporate loans. Asset quality will remain a big concern for Yes Bank going ahead as well. There is still very high amount of corporate NPAs. The Bank will survive but there will be major challenges ahead, said Jaikishan Parmar, analyst at Angel Broking. Solving Yes Banks NPA puzzle will be a daunting task for Kumar and his team, especially in the wake of Covid-19 and a slowing economic situation. Follow our entire series on the Yes Bank Saga here All students and staff at the school where a COVID-infected teenager worked after lying her way into Queensland have been forced into mandatory quarantine. Olivia Winnie Muranga arrived in Queensland after travelling to Melbourne last week and returned straight to work at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of Brisbane, before developing coronavirus symptoms. The 19-year-old worked for two days at the school, potentially exposing hundreds of staff and students to the deadly respiratory infection after Queensland had all but stamped out community transmission. Students and staff from the campus were told on Thursday they must quarantine at home amid fears of a potential second outbreak in the Sunshine State. Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 Ms Muranga works as a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge (pictured), which is functioning as a coronavirus testing facility Ms Muranga, along with her friend Diana Lasu, reportedly made false declarations on their border paperwork to enter Queensland. On Wednesday night they were fined $4,000 each - along with a travel buddy still waiting on her results - after living the high life around Brisbane for eight days. 'There is a low risk that a student of a staff member could have been exposed to COVID-19,' a letter from Queensland Health detailing the quarantine procedure read. 'Public Health will contact all families (from the school) as soon as possible.' The duo then passed the virus on to a 22-year-old close contact, who worked at a PCYC after school care connected to Chatswood Hills State School. Contact tracing is now underway to see who else the women could have come into contact with. Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 People line up to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College There are fears the could have sparked a second outbreak of COVID-19 in Queensland after they visited 11 venues in total upon returning from Victoria. Ms Muranga dined at a Thai restaurant in Springfield on Sunday and a Southbank cocktail bar on Monday. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the 19-year-olds, who between them visited 11 venues in Brisbane while infected. Ms Lasu (pictured) and Ms Muranga have both been fined $4,000 each along with a travel buddy still waiting on her results Authorities will probe how the women were able to travel from Melbourne to Brisbane despite the border closure, and whether they used fake names and contact details on their declaration passes. Investigators will also probe whether the pair were at party during their stay in Melbourne which was attended by about 20 people. The gathering was broken up by police, who issued fines totalling $30,000. Shopping centres, restaurants, a school, and a church they visited will shut while authorities scramble to conduct contact tracing. Scores of the women's contacts will be forced to isolate, and aged care facilities in the Metro South Health region will re-enter lockdown. The incident prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce all Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the state from Saturday. 'There will be a thorough police investigation here but now we have to act as a community and in the areas where the chief health officer says need to be closed, will be closed and I urge people in those areas when that list goes out later on today to please ensure that if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested,' she said. Queensland residents returning will have to isolate in a hotel for 14 days at their own expense. Parklands Christian College was forced to close on Wednesday after the infected cleaner worked onsite. Pictured: people queue at the coronavirus testing facility in the college People line up in their cars and on foot to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College on Wednesday Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young called the pair 'reckless' and said she was 'very disappointed'. The teens travelled on flights VA 863 and VA 977. Queensland Health contact tracers are identifying close contacts from those flights. Health Minister Steven Miles said there was a large amount of contact tracing that needed to be done with the community as well. 'These young women have gone about their business within the communities that they live in and so there will be a large amount of contact tracing to be done, largely within it the Logan and Springfield areas, including shopping malls, restaurants and a church.' One of the women attended the Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Sunday where she dined at the Peak Thai restaurant about 6.30pm. There are now eight actives cases left in Queensland following three new cases on Wednesday. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced all Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the state from Saturday Police Operatives attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have arrested thirty-five (35) suspects across the country for their active involvement and participation in series of kidnapping, armed robbery and other heinous crimes across the country. The arrest is sequel to the unrelenting efforts by the Force to rid the country of heinous criminals and to get justice for victims of these crimes. Notable among the arrests is a criminally minded pastor, Adetokumbo Adenopo m 52years, Founder and General Overseer of New Life Ministry, Lukosi, in Shagamu Area of Ogun State and three other members of his criminal gang namely; Chigozie Williams 22years, native of Umuahia North, Abia State, Ugoji Linus 30years, native of Ezinifite in Imo State and Emmanuel Chris Ani, 27years, native of Aniri in Enugu State, all responsible for the kidnap for ransom of one Jonathan Ekpo m 35years from Benue State. Curiously, the pastor told the Police operatives that he embarked on the crime for the expansion of his church and charity works. The victim, an employee of a logistic company was kidnapped on 17th July, 2020 while on official duty to deliver goods in Shagamu, Ogun State. The victim was kept in an underground cabin inside the Pastors church building in Ogijo town, Ogun State by his abductors who demanded the payment of twenty million naira ransom as condition for his release. He was subsequently rescued unhurt nine days after and reunited with his family by the Police. Similarly, the Police also arrested one Udodiri Bright aka Ability m 30years old, native of Osuachara Village, Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo state and three others, Ekwuru Shadrack aka Escobar m 26years native of Arondizuogu village in Okigwe LGA of Imo state, Chimerie Igwe aka 4real m 30years old, native of Umucheke Village in Orlu LGA of Imo State and Chibuike Sunday, 28years old from Arondizuogu of Imo State. They were arrested on the 5th of July, 2020 for the abduction and killing of a Nigerian US Soldier, Chuks Okebata who came into Nigeria for holidays in his home town, Okigwe, Imo State in 2017. The suspects who are one of the foremost kidnapping groups terrorizing the South Eastern part of the country were arrested 31 months after, following intensive manhunt by the Police team. The Police team also arrested a 9-man trans-boundary armed robbery and car snatching syndicate led by one Yakubu Hayatu, 30years from Borno State. Members of the gang include; Adamu Awalu, 28years from Kano State, Abdulrahman Yakubu, 23years from Zaria, Yususf Adamu, 22years from Zaria, Kamal Japhet, 22years from Katsina, Abubakar Samaila, 20years from Zaria, Muhammadu Abdulahi, 20years from Zaria, Yahaya Mohammed, 18years from Kaduna State, Ibrahim Abubakar, 21years from Kwara. Investigations reveal that the syndicate has snatched over thirty exotic cars at gun point and killed two Policemen. They use anti-tracker devices to evade arrest and deliver the vehicles to one Alhaji Garba in Maradi, Niger Republic. Eighteen vehicles have so far been recovered by the Police team. The team is working with the INTERPOL to apprehend Alhaji Garba and to recover the remaining vehicles. Exhibits recovered include: 4 Ak47 Rifles, 1 FMC rifle, 1 Pump Action Gun, 2 double barrel guns, 1 Beretta pistol, 4 AK47 Magazine, 6 cartridges, 378 Rounds of live Ammunition, 1 Network Jammer (anti-tracker device), Others. While noting that the suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigations, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni assures that the battle against criminal elements in the country is a continuous one. DCP FRANK MBA FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER FORCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA World Trade Organization members on Wednesday created a dispute panel to rule on a complaint by South Korea against Japan over restrictions on exports to Korea of products used in semiconductors, mobile phone displays and television displays. Tokyo said it was deeply disappointed by the move from Seoul. In what was largely a formality under WTO rules, its Dispute Settlement Body assented to the request from South Korea despite Japanese claims that the export restrictions are needed for national security. The showdown involves two stalwart U.S. allies and has prompted the Trump administration to try to ease the rising economic and political tensions. The move sets off what is likely to be months of preparations and discussions before a decision is reached. But even then, Japan could play the clock and appeal any decision against it to the WTOs top arbitrators the Appellate Body which is no longer taking new cases because the United States has blocked appointments to it. The standoff erupted last July when Japan slapped export controls on fluorinated polyimide, resist polymers, and hydrogen fluoride products and related technologies when destined for South Korea. The products are used in the manufacturing of screens and computer chips and are key inputs for a potent electronics industry in South Korea, home to mobile-phone heavyweight Samsung. Japan says the exports present a security risk, citing unspecified concerns over South Koreas export controls on sensitive materials that could also be used for military purposes. Seoul insists that Japans move has political overtones and has led to increased scrutiny, higher costs, unnecessary delays and disruptions to global supply chains among other fallout. The Japanese government said Wednesday it was deeply disappointed that Korea has chosen to request an establishment of a panel, and insisted in a statement that it has granted and will grant export licenses for applications on the three items once confirmed that the goods and related technologies are exported for civil use. The two sides differ sharply on whether Japans export restrictions abide by WTO agreements. In Koreas view, Japans export restrictions on the three products and their related technologies constitute a politically-motivated, disguised restriction on trade, the South Korean government said in a note provided to The Associated Press. South Korea had paused its WTO action in November, when it decided to keep a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan that it previously threatened to end over conflicts stemming from wartime history and trade. Japan in return agreed to resume talks aimed at settling the dispute, but South Korea said no progress was made and pressed on with the challenge leading to Wednesdays decision. Read more about: She and other advocates of abortion rights argued that decisions about whether and how to do an abortion should be left to doctors and women, guided by their families and their faith. We arent truly free unless we can make decisions about our own lives, our own bodies, Hunt said. Some senators took a third position, saying they supported the goal of LB 814 but not the specifics of the measure. Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue questioned why the bill would ban the use of forceps to remove pieces of a fetus but allow the use of suction. She also questioned why it would give a husband the right to sue a doctor who violated the ban but would not give the same right to an unmarried father. The abortion procedure banned by LB 814 is used from Week 13 through Week 24 of a womans pregnancy. The ban would apply when clamps, forceps or similar instruments are used to remove pieces of a viable fetus. The ban would not apply if suction is used to remove pieces of a fetus. It also would not apply if the fetus was dead before being removed. On Wednesday, Representative David Cicilline, Democrat of Rhode Island and chairman of the House Judiciary Committees antitrust subcommittee, opened a half-virtual hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power with a combative opening statement: Our founders would not bow before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy. That set the tone for the hours of sharp questioning of four of the wealthiest people on the planet: Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Sundar Pichai of Google and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, whose companies have a combined market value roughly equivalent to the G.D.P. of Japan. Given the history of Silicon Valleys relationship with Washington, the intensity and precision of some subcommittee members questions were remarkable. It is a sign that significant tech regulation may be closer than we think. Despite its techno-libertarian image, the tech industry has had close political ties for decades and remarkable success in getting what it wants. Feb. 25, 1933 July 17, 2020 FORT ANN Barbara Marie (Mesec) Hall, 87, of Fort Ann passed away Friday July 17, 2020 at her home in Fort Ann with family members present. Barbara was born on February 25, 1933 in St. Marys Maternity Hospital, Syracuse. She was the daughter of Marie Lottie (Mesec) Nedeau. In later life she received her GED. She had a love for music and learned to play the saxophone. Barbara retired from C.R. Bard, Inc. with over 30 years of service. Upon retirement she worked as a home health aide until age 79. Barbara enriched the lives of all the clients that she had the privilege to care for. Her life was dedicated to her family and helping others. She spent her summers providing transportation for her children and the other children to Little League/Middle League Practices and games. She cooked meals for the less fortunate and fed many of the children in the neighborhood. In later years she became a member of the Fort Ann Rotary Club. Barbara enjoyed traveling with her long time friend, Della Smith, she traveled numerous times to Maine, she loved the ocean. Her and Della also traveled to Hawaii. She visited Nashville, Tennessee Disneyland, Florida, and took a cruise from Seattle, Washington to Alaska. She enjoyed watching the birds feed out the window and loved all of the dogs she had over the years. Susie, Cindy, Cassie, Princess, Benny, Duke, and Cheyenne. Each came into her life at a special time. In the end there was Mittens the Kitten, a baby kitten that was found in her back yard that she nourished and cared for. In the end Mittens gave her countless hours of joy. She is survived by Samuel J. Hall; son, Daniel M. Hall and his with Kathy; sons, Brian J. Hall, Daniel Hall and his wife Brianna, Chad Hall, Matthew Hall and his wife Erica; Grandsons, Abby Mowka and her fiance Scott Way, Melissa Kenyon and her husband Kevin; Granddaughters, Beverly Sears and her husband Don; sister, Orville Nedeau and his wife Carol; and numerous great-grandchildren and a nephew, Nathan. She loved them all dearly. Barbara was predeceased by her husband, Malvin L. Hall; Baby Janet (died at birth) daughter; Timothy W. Hall; son, Marie Lottie Nedeau; mother, Orville Nedeau; stepfather and Gayle Anne (Lundy) Hall; beloved daughter-in-law, (bride of Samuel J. Hall). The family would like to thank High Peaks Hospice; Hudson Headwaters Nurse Practitioners, Denise Richard and Mary Sterns; special care givers, Eileen Reid and June Gaulin; a special friend, Penny Underwood, who provided Barbara with spiritual counseling through the reading and discussion of scriptures; the ladies and members of the West Fort Ann Methodist Church; and a special thank you to the Fort Ann Rescue Squad for all the years of professional emergency care that they provided Barbara throughout the years. Funeral services and burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday August 22, 2020 at Brown Cemetery, Tripoli Road in Fort Ann. Please wear a mask and practice social distancing. In lieu of flowers Barbara requested that donations be made to the Fort Ann Rescue Squad P.O. Box 237, Fort Ann, NY 12827. A thank you to all the friends and neighbors who have offered their condolences and support during our period of grieving. Arrangements under the care of the Mason Funeral Home, Fort Ann, NY 12827. Advertisement A further 38 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in Britain today, bringing the total number of the confirmed deaths during the pandemic to 45,999. The Department of Health figures released today revealed 38 died from the virus in England while Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales reported no new deaths. It was also announced that another 846 across the UK had tested positive for the life-threatening virus, which is up from the 763 recorded yesterday. The latest death toll is lower than yesterday when 78 deaths were recorded in Britain and is also down from last Thursday when 53 deaths were recorded. The all-settings death figures - which covers deaths in care homes, hospitals and the wider community across the home nations - were published on the Department of Health's daily coronavirus report. The figures, which bring the total number of UK coronavirus cases to 302,301, come after official statistics today revealed that daily infections have risen by 12 per cent in a week with the rolling average hitting a four-week high. It also comes amid growing fears of another outbreak in Britain, with the Prime Minister today urging the public not to 'delude themselves' into thinking the current crisis is over. Boris Johnson pointed to evidence that infections are 'bubbling up' in 30 different areas. Matt Hancock today claimed a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' and pledged to take action to stop another coronavirus catastrophe in the UK. But ministers have been urged to calm down over the threat, with top scientists admitting it is unlikely the virus will ever be eradicated and calling on Britain to 'learn to live' with it to avoid any further damage to the economy amid fears the UK is on track to suffer its worst recession in 300 years. It comes as startling figures today revealed England suffered the highest level of excess deaths in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the London borough of Brent was the worst-hit area of the UK. In other coronavirus developments in Britain today: Ministers confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days up from the current seven-day self-isolation period; Boris Johnson is set to be add more countries to the UK quarantine list tomorrow; Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty want tougher border controls immediately after figures show 1,300 people with Covid-19 entered the UK at the start of the pandemic; Leicester's lockdown will be reviewed today 48 hours earlier than expected as official statistics show the city's coronavirus infection rate has halved in a fortnight; Holiday giant Tui is closing 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the UK's biggest tour operator announced; Up to 21,000 people have died because of unintended consequences of lockdown many due to a lack of access to healthcare, according to a shocking study. ENGLAND SUFFERED THE MOST EXCESS DEATHS IN EUROPE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic, new figures revealed today. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. While other countries had higher spikes in excess deaths between February and June, England had the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate - meaning it had the highest level of excess deaths overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes, but they can be used as evidence of how severe coronavirus outbreaks have been - because not all deaths caused by the virus are recorded by authorities. It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths, called 'peaks', suggesting they faced the hardest hits on the continent. Bergamo, one of the first places in Europe to go into lockdown, had the highest peak in excess mortality. It saw 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis, in the week ending 17 April. Advertisement Department of Health chiefs yesterday announced another 763 people tested positive for the virus, taking the rolling seven-day average to 726. In comparison, the rate was 697 the day before, 638 last Wednesday and has been on the up for a fortnight amid fears of a resurgence. Government statistics show the official size of the UK's outbreak now stands at 300,692. But the actual size of the outbreak is estimated to be in the millions, based on antibody testing data. The deaths data does not represent how many Covid-19 patients died within the last 24 hours it is only how many fatalities have been reported and registered with the authorities. And the figure does not always match updates provided by the home nations. Department of Health officials work off a different time cut-off, meaning daily updates from Scotland and Northern Ireland are out of sync. The count announced by NHS England every afternoon, which only takes into account deaths in hospitals, does not match up with the DH figures because they work off a different recording system. For instance, some deaths announced by NHS England bosses will have already been counted by the Department of Health, which records fatalities 'as soon as they are available'. Around 66 people are succumbing to the illness each day, on average. But the fatality curve is no longer flattening as quickly as it was, with the rate having barely changed in the past 10 days. It can take infected patients several weeks to die, meaning any spike in deaths won't be immediately apparent in government figures. Startling figures today revealed England suffered the highest level of excess deaths in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic amid growing fears of a second wave. Government statisticians created an interactive map of the excess mortality rate for every region in the UK, with data showing the London borough of Brent was the worst-hit area of the UK. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths more people dying than average from all causes out of 21 European countries, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all among the nine nations that saw deaths soar above typical levels. While England did not have the highest peak mortality, it did have the longest continuous period of excess mortality of any country compared, resulting in England having the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole. The dotted line represents the five-year average, the navy line shows the trend for under 65s, while the green line is for over-65s It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths. The first 11 authorities with the highest excess peaks were all in Italy and Spain during March, with Bergamo reaching 847.7 per cent MATT HANCOCK DENIES STOKING PANIC AFTER WARNING A SECOND WAVE WAS 'STARTING TO ROLL ACROSS EUROPE' Matt Hancock today denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' towards Britain and declared there was a 'real danger' of the UK being struck by a spike in cases. Ministers today confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days, in line with World Health Organization guidance up from the current seven-day self-isolation period because 'evidence has strengthened'. It came hours after it emerged that Boris Johnson who fears a second wave could strike Britain within a fortnight told his SAGE advisers and cabinet ministers that he 'needs to act fast' and is expected to ramp up quarantine measures at home and abroad within days. Today BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isnt a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Britain announced another 763 new coronavirus cases yesterday, up 14 per cent in a week but way below the 5,000 new cases per day that were being recorded at the high of the outbreak. Cambridge University academics believe outbreaks are getting bigger in the stay-cation hotspots of the South West and South East of England but are only slightly worse. Advertisement Other countries had higher 'peaks' in excess deaths between February and June but England endured the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate meaning it had the highest excess death rate overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes and not only the coronavirus. But they can be used as evidence of how severe Covid-19 outbreaks have been because in the UK, for example, not everyone who died of the virus in the darkest days of the crisis was tested due to a lack of swabbing capacity. Spain and Italy suffered the largest 'peaks' in excess deaths, suggesting they faced the toughest weeks out of all the nations in the continent. Bergamo, in the hardest-hit Lombardy region of Italy, saw a staggering 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis in the week ending 17 April. Birmingham was the British city with the highest peak excess mortality, at 249.7 per cent in the same week, followed by London (226.7) and Manchester (198.4). It comes as Matt Hancock today denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' towards Britain and declared there was a 'real danger' of the UK being struck by a spike in cases. Ministers today confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days, in line with World Health Organization guidance up from the current seven-day self-isolation period because 'evidence has strengthened'. It came hours after it emerged that Boris Johnson who fears a second wave could strike Britain within a fortnight told his SAGE advisers and cabinet ministers that he 'needs to act fast' and is expected to ramp up quarantine measures at home and abroad within days. Today BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. 'We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isnt a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' ARE CASES ON THE UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for a fortnight but deaths have barely changed and hospital admissions are still flat, according to official figures. Department of Health statistics show 726 people are testing positive for the life-threatening virus each day, on average. It is 33 per cent higher than the average of 546 recorded exactly three weeks ago, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. But the number of Brits being diagnosed with Covid-19 is much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being recorded each day during the height of the crisis but this is likely to be a massive under-estimate due to a lack of testing. Fewer than 20,000 people were getting swabbed for the virus on a daily basis in April. Now more than 100,000 tests are being processed each day. The number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. Hospital admissions another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 100 people are still being admitted in England each day. However, scientists from King's College London believe cases could still be on the rise. Data from a symptom-tracking app the team runs estimates 2,110 people are being struck down with the virus each day in the UK up from 1,884 last week. But the academics believe the outbreak is stable. Testing figures do not show the true number of people infected because many people catch the virus but never test positive for it, either because they don't realise they are sick, because they couldn't get a test, or because their result was wrong. Advertisement Two top scientists today said that banning foreign travel could eliminate Covid-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter and Professor Neil Pearce believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. 'With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing Covid-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' Professor Hunter, of Oxford University, and Professor Pearce, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'If we want to avoid a November nightmare and have a relatively normal Christmas, a push for elimination gives us the best chance. 'Is elimination achievable? We think it is though it would require major changes to the British governments current thinking.' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. However, the virus had turned into a new strain which could effect young and healthy people. Experts now fear that coronavirus could see a similar 'W curve' as the Spanish flu - meaning there would be three major spikes in deaths. Modelling from Cambridge University suggests the R rate (left) has barely changed in London and now stands at 0.92, after dropping to below 0.5 after the lockdown was introduced. The team also believes cases (right) are on the decline and have not yet to spike upwards in the capital. The first blue line is March 23, when lockdown was introduced. The second blue line is May 11, when the government released its Covid-19 recovery strategy. The red line is July 24, the last day of modelling The coronavirus R rate in the Midlands (left) is much lower than it was in June, according to the Cambridge team. Cases (right) are also still declining but at a much slower rate than they were The R rate in the East of England (left) now stands at 0.88, but has barely changed throughout July. The number of daily cases (right) is also still on a downward trend, according to the academics The R rate (left) is also estimated to have risen to above one in the South West, the region home to Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. The team estimated there were 160 new infections across the region on July 24 up from 136 on July 4 However, the R rate appears to have risen above one in the South East (right) and cases (right) are starting to float upwards from an estimated 669 infections on July 6 to 758 on July 24 With both the governor and chief minister of Rajasthan finally agreeing on a date when the Assembly will be convened August 14 the 100 or so MLAs of Congress and its allies are likely to end up living through the political crisis in the state in a huddle for a month. In what has been branded as a uniquely Indian political phenomenon, resort politics the practice by a party of shifting all its lawmakers at one or more places to avoid them from being poached by a political rival Rajasthan is likely to end up creating a record irrespective of which party finally takes control. It was on July 13 that the Congress had shifted its MLAs to Jaipur's Fairmont Hotel alleging a ploy by the BJP to topple the government by breaking away its lawmakers. Addressing the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held on Thursday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot told the MLAs that they would have to stay at the Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur till August 14. During this time they would only be going to secretariat to attend to official work. Over the next fortnight, the MLAs, who have already been living through a kind of social isolation over the past two-and-a-half weeks, are likely to miss out on Bakr-Eid, Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami. Fairmont Hotel is where Rajasthan is going to be run from, for the next fortnight at least. The impasse between Gehlot and Governor Kalraj Mishra was finally over when the latter agreed to the fourth request made by the CM to convene the Assembly. Talking to the media on Thursday, Gehlot said that the delay in allowing a session, where Gehlot is likely to call for a floor test in a bid to prove his majority, was to allow horse trading of MLAs to continue. He said that unlimited money was being offered to his MLAs in return for their leaving the Congress. He alleged that as soon as the date of convening the Assembly was decided, sky-high offers were being made to his MLAs. "After the assembly session was announced last night, the rates of horse trading have increased. Earlier, the first instalment was of Rs 10 crore and second was of Rs 15 crore. Now it has become unlimited and all know who is doing horse trading," Gehlot told reporters. Although he did not specify whether he will conduct a floor test in the Assembly when it convenes on August 14 or take up any other official business, he said that it would be decided by the state cabinet. Responding to a question on his reaction on the conduct of rebel MLAs, who, led by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, are camping in a different hotel, he said that those who have not accepted money should return to the party on whose symbol they fought and won Assembly elections. The chief minister also took potshots at Union Cabinet Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, saying that despite his name allegedly featuring in controversial tapes, he still had not resigned from the cabinet. Gehlot said he had spoken to the Prime Minister about the political upheaval in Rajasthan. Responding to a question about the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) approaching the high court challenging the merger of its state unit, along with six of its MLAs, into the Congress, he said that since the entire state unit had merged with his party, Mayawati did not have a case. He also alleged that she was working at the behest of the BJP. Meanwhile, the governor said in an interview on Thursday that the Constitution is supreme for him and refuted allegations that he had acted under the Central government's pressure in the political tussle. "The Constitution is supreme for a governor. There is no pressure on me," he said when asked about the Congress' charge against him. Mayor Garcetti Announces Progress Made under Community Safety Partnership in LAPD; Captain Emada Tingirides Appointed Deputy Chief of CSP Bureau Captain Emada Tingirides Appointed Deputy Chief of CSP Bureau Newly appointed Deputy Chief of CSP, Captain Emada Tingirides (File Photo) ADVERTISEMENT As of July 27, the metrics of COVID-19 are showing a steady plateau; according to the Mayor of Los Angeles, the curve is heading in the right direction. On Monday, the county reported 2,039 new cases. This brings the total diagnosed reports to 176,028. There were 905 of those cases found in the city of L.A.; there were an additional count of 17 deaths. In summary, there are 4,375 fallen Angelenos. A dual sword has been flailing in the air. As the city fights for control over COVID-19, there is also a call for action to respond to the social inequities among public safety. Garcetti stressed the co-ownership of protection from both local legislation and the community they represent. He shared the progress of the Community Safety Partnership Bureau in the Los Angeles Police Department. This bureau makes CSP both a program and a philosophy, Mayor Garcetti stated. The program cultivated a set of procedures that hold the body of the organization accountable to maintaining a civil approach to policing. Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti (File Photo) Two weeks ago, the police commission passed nation leading reforms around use of force. They are set in place to create total compliance with Eight Cant Wait. Gang reduction and Youth development programs have been expanded over 50%; the mayor described this new step in policing as community driven. LAPD is being renovated in all aspects; recruitment and training, tactics and strategy, police culture improvement, in addition to having a wider perspective of known inequities that live among the division of resources. LAPD Captain Emada Tingirides has been appointed to Deputy Chief over the Community Safety Partnership. Chief Michel Moore announced the appointment and described it as one the most critical decisions he has made for the future of the department, he said. In making that appointment, in choosing her for this critical moment, it wasnt that she was the face of CSP since inception, it wasnt that she grew up in the Watts Community, both these circumstances are true but you only need to spend a few moments with her to understand her empathy. Future Chief Deputy Tingirides said in response to her new role, This is not a LAPD program, this is a community program. This is about understanding the cultures of the community and adjusting how we work in response to conflict within communities. She spoke directly about the fragility of the overall police system; Tingirides emphasized a major pillar of CSP is forgiveness. ADVERTISEMENT The mayor explained they are integrating the Community Safety Partnership Bureau with the foundation of the Los Angeles Police Department. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson joined the course of celebration of the transitions happening within LAPD. He shared testimony of what the CSP program has done within his district that included reducing the shootings, homicides, all without increasing arrests or the intended increase of clashes between community and police. Harris-Dawson stated, I, for one, will say, this is the only systematic way Ive seen where you can do policing in communities like South Los Angeles, where the community feels like the police department works on their behalf. Ninth District Councilmember Curren Price added that Los Angeles is re-envisioning public safety, the protection and service to the city is priority. We are living through a pivotal time in our history and the landscape of our community is changing right before our eyes. Price said he has seen, firsthand, the positive affects the community-driven protection model has played in the Ninth District. Friday, July 24, the Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti shared the latest updates regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Two weeks ago, the mayor stressed the concern in current statistics, reflecting a spike in positive cases, hospitalization, and death rate in Los Angeles. Mayor Garcetti disclosed on Friday that the message remains the same, coronavirus is creeping up to levels that may trigger another mandated Stay at Home Order. Garcetti stressed the importance of taking back control and stopping the spread of the virus. Every Angeleno is being held accountable for the next moves that will be in place. He stated that public health conditions remain in a fragile condition. It has been reported that California has more positive cases than any other state. The mayor, however, clarified California is home to more people than any other state. The six measurements that determine the severity of COVID-19 in Los Angeles are updated and reviewed to review the measurements, track new cases, new deaths, test positivity, hospitalization, PPE equipment access, and acute care bed capacity. Garcetti disclosed that four out of six are heading in the right direction. The transmission has come down to representing people who are infected and are spreading the virus to less than 1% of their close contacts. In comparison to the past weeks positive average rate of 13%, it is now down to roughly 11%. Hospitalizations are at an all-time high, reflecting the greatest fluctuation than any other time of the pandemic. The Los Angeles Health Department reported 1,949 new cases on Friday, bringing the total within L.A. to 168,757. 730 of those positive reports were in the City of Los Angeles. There were 44 additional deaths reported on Wednesday, bringing the total of fatal cases to 4,300. COVID-19 is now impacting demographics from all age groups. Exercise extreme caution, please The mayor stated, If you think you been exposed, ask your doctor for a test first, or get tested at a CVS, community health center, or any of the city, county, and state sites According to the press release, the CSP Bureau will bring the 10 CSP sites under single command and integrate aspects of the model, including its training curriculum, across LAPD operations. Mayor Garcetti stated, Today we take a major step forward in our work to reimagine policing in Los Angeles and strengthen the human bonds that are essential to public safety, he said. Every Angeleno deserves to feel secure, not only in the parks and streets of their neighborhoods, but in the presence of people in uniform and expanding CSP will help to make that possible. (Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc. went ahead with its acquisition of video-doorbell maker Ring to grab market share in a promising area of consumer technology despite some security and compliance concerns about the startup, according to documents made public on Wednesday. Four months before Amazon sealed the $839 million deal in April 2018, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos had recommended buying the company. My view here is that were buying market position -- not technology, Bezos said in an email released by Congressional investigators looking at market power in big tech. And that market position and momentum is very valuable. Ring has helped give Amazon a foothold in home-security services and the market for smart cameras, expanding the reach of Alexa, the voice assistant Amazon has worked to position at the center of the internet-connected home. The purchase also brought the company a string of negative headlines around privacy concerns and cybersecurity flubs, including reporting that employees passed around unencrypted consumer video, and a series of instances in which people reported strangers taking control of their Ring cameras, including speaking to children inside their homes. Amazon disclosed in January that Ring had fired at least four employees for improperly seeking access to customer data in the last four years. Spokespeople for Ring and Amazon didnt immediately respond to emails and a voicemail seeking comment on the new documents, which offer a detailed inside look at Amazons examination of a potential acquisition target. An Amazon executive performing due diligence raised concerns about the risks of leaving Ring to operate largely as a standalone entity under Amazon ownership. Those concerns, which flagged compliance and security standards at the startup that were below Amazons, seemed to preview headlines about sometimes lax cybersecurity protocols at Ring, according to emails disclosed as part of an antitrust investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. The antitrust subcommittee of the Congressional panel held a hearing Wednesday where Bezos was questioned along with the CEOs of Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. Story continues Rob Stites, who works on supply chain operations at Amazons Lab126 hardware development center, said a review of Rings manufacturing processes turned up no red flags. An executive in Amazons corporate development group, Nick Komorous, said the team was suggesting a hands-off approach should it acquire Ring. Our current integration hypothesis is to do the minimum amount of work to ensure that Darwins products are reliable and safe, he wrote in an email, using an apparent code name for the startup. So, the goal would be to keep Darwin as independent as possible under the principle of doing no harm and not slowing them down. In one lengthy message, sent to Amazon devices chief Dave Limp and other executives, Stites aired concerns that a potential deal may bring hiccups in integration, citing struggles fellow tech giants Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc. faced after purchasing Nest Labs and Beats Electronics. We know that they have limited to no activity around compliance and CSR validation, Stites wrote, referring to Ring. CSR likely refers to corporate social responsibility, a term that in manufacturing contexts can mean corporate review to make sure products dont contain conflict minerals and that contract manufacturers follow local labor law. Another area where Ring might have to change under Amazons umbrella: security. I would be shocked if they didnt need major work in this area to meet our expectations, Stites wrote. He suggested integrating Ring into Amazons operations to a greater degree than the company planned at the time. Ring founder and Chief Executive Jamie Siminoff has said hes a frequent traveler to Amazon headquarters in Seattle, but that his Southern California-based company operates largely independently. I am strongly convinced that ignoring all of these areas will just result in a slow and painful migration over time in response to problems, Stites said in a November 2017 email. He recommended Amazon work to replicate Rings technology, which he said lacked a secret sauce, instead of shelling out for an expensive acquisition. I think we could easily replicate all of their hardware to be better, operate in a more secure and robust infrastructure, for a LOT less than the cost of buying them, he said. Amazons assessment of Ring also had some upbeat comments, the documents show. Stites said that his team had a positive assessment overall. In the early meetings at least we dont think they are broken, he wrote. In a separate email earlier in Amazons pursuit of Ring, another executive wrote that the startup was doing something right given happy customers and high growth rate. He suggested it may be worth paying for market position, as its hard to catch the leader. In December 2017, Limp would present Bezos with three options: buy the company, participate in a planned funding round, or do nothing and keep an eye on the startup. In a reply a couple of hours later, Amazons founder was definitive: Id buy it right now, Bezos wrote. 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. New England Journal of Medicine published data showing that hydroxychloroquine is no better than placebo pills at preventing illness from the COVID-19 coronavirus. Stella Immanuel, a doctor backed by President Trump, continues promoting it as a "cure." Read more When the leader of the free world promotes a quack who states that gynecological problems are caused by sex with demons, you know the free world is in big, big trouble. What else can you say when President Trump touts Dr. Stella Immanuel, who claims spirit husbands and spirit wives visit humans in their dreams, and cause fibroids and impotence? Trump retweeted a video in which Immanuel insists that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19 and says masks are not needed. Never mind that this dangerous fakery has been repeatedly rebuffed by medical studies and Trumps own advisers, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. Trump found the spirits doctor very impressive. Even when queried about Immanuels bizarre theories Trump doubled down. I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her (italics mine), he told reporters. Of course, Immanuels Fire Power Ministries sermons are readily available on YouTube. Buoyed by Trump tweets, her ravings about the DNA of space aliens were flooding social media and cable news by the time the president claimed ignorance. The Stella Immanuel saga is not just another sick Trump joke we can ignore because there have been so many. No other president in our lifetime (or perhaps ever) would have praised a fraudster who claimed demon sperm was infecting our medicine. A president who promotes quacks is himself a purveyor of quackery. READ MORE: Europeans are sending kids back to school. Why can't we? I Trudy Rubin This madness illustrates how far Trump is removed from reality - and how dangerous he is to Americas national security should he win a second term. I stress national security because so much has been written about the threat that Trump redux would present to our democratic institutions. But its also important to confront how four more Trump years would undermine countrys safety and security as well as its global standing as he promotes fraudsters at home and abroad. Here are three examples of the dangers Trump quackery would pose. First, dealing with the pandemic. By January, Trumps willful refusal to devise a national strategy for containing the virus probably means the situation will be worse than at present. If Trump is reelected there will be no prospect of any international cooperation to deal with this, just a presidential effort to change the subject, says Thomas Wright, director of the Brookings Institutions Center on the United States and Europe. Even if advances are made with potential vaccines, Trumps open disdain for science has emboldened anti-vaxxers, and encouraged many to believe in crank therapies like a hydroxychloroquine cure. If America got embroiled in vaccine wars as it has in mask wars, virus outbreaks would continue. Moreover, Trumps America First approach might lead him to try to hoard or buy up vaccine, while rebuffing vital international cooperation to help distribute it at affordable prices. The next two years will be crucial for international cooperation in vaccine distribution, dealing with hot spots and economic recovery, Wright told me. Trump would be super nationalistic, which would have more lasting consequences. Unless a vaccine receives worldwide distribution, the global economy wont recover, global travel will be constrained, and the disease will continue to migrate. Second, dealing with post COVID-19 geopolitics. Trumps hold on reality in dealing with allies is as lacking as when he promotes medical hucksters. We have a president who looks up to a [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin and [Brazilian President Jair] Bolsonaro, while he cant stand British, French, and German leaders, says Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.), who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Indeed, Trump has ordered the reduction of U.S. troops based in Germany from 36,000 to 24,000 because he thinks German defense spending is too low. But moving the troops will cost more than keeping them there, and demonstrates Trumps disdain for his democratic partners. The plan is a slap in the face at a friend and ally and a gift to Russia, Sen. Mitt Romney (R., Utah) told reporters. Trumps estimation of who are Americas friends and who are foes is as limited as his grasp of Stella Immanuels skills. READ MORE: COVID-19 inspires new conspiracy theories from Plandemic to Bill Gates to Obamagate | Trudy Rubin Third, leaving America alone at a time when international cooperation is more vital than ever. Not only will Trump likely quit NATO if he wins in 2020, but he has threatened to bring troops home from South Korea. Just as he is blustering about a new Cold War with China, he is wrecking the alliances America needs to contain potential Chinese aggression under Xi Jinping. And Trump is abandoning vital international cooperation in dealing with climate change or future pandemics, convinced that he alone has the smarts to deal with global problems. Indeed, his mystical belief in his own greatness is as deluded as the fantasies of Stella Immanuel. His enthusiasm for her may reflect his appreciation for a fellow fantasist. Or his frequent embrace of conspiracy theorists. But Trumps delusions are far more dangerous to U.S. security than those of a charlatan denouncing demon sperm. Trudy Rubin will be on vacation until Aug. 17. John the Baptizer, the forerunner, the voice crying in the wilderness, the one making ready the way of the Lord, the one making the Lords paths straight, started his ministry this way: Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:1-2, NASU) Jesus, the Promised One, the Christ, the Messiah, the Holy One of God, when He heard that John the Baptizer was imprisoned, started His ministry this way: From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17 NASU) Surely you see the common theme. As Jesus ministered in Galilee, He denounced the cities where no repentance occurred. He declared an extremely unfavorable outcome for them in the judgment to come. Jesus sent out the twelve disciples in pairs to minister in His name. Mark 6:12 records their ministry,. (NASU) In the Pentecost sermon of Peter, the first from the disciples following the Ascension of Jesus, Peter declared the hearers of the sermon to be guilty of crucifying Jesus. Acts 2:37-38 records the dialogue that followed:(NASU) Surely you see the common theme continuing. In the middle of a long series of teachings on diverse topics, in Luke 12-13, Jesus emphasized this theme of repentance in a way that I think speaks directly to me and the confused, chaotic culture around me. Luke 13:1-5 states, Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. "Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (NASU) In a few short lines, the Creator of the Universe and Master Teacher said twice, I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. If you do not believe that repentance is important, I am not sure how to convince you. Jesus referred to two well-known incidents: some Galileans killed by Pilate while offering sacrifices and innocent bystanders killed in an accident. His point seems to be that those who are seemingly innocent still die and those who are seemingly righteous still die. He then pointed out the obvious: death was coming for His hearers and by implication death is coming for me and you. Just as important, if I die without having repented of my sin and placing my faith in Christ alone for salvation, I will face eternity receiving justice. I am so glad that as a free gift, God has taken justice from me and given me the gift of repentance. The ability to repent is a blessed gift from God. God has replaced justice with forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Will you turn away from your sin and thus at the same time turn toward God (repent)? Will you trust in God, accepting His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and Lordship? Otherwise you will perish and take of all eternity to do so. CAIRO - When Turkeys president signed a security deal last year to back one of the sides in Libyas civil war, another agreement was waiting to be signed by his new proteges the same day: a memorandum redrawing the two countries maritime borders. In Recep Tayyip Erdogans memo, Turkey and Libya lay claim to large areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the potential natural gas deposits under it. The deal achieved a longtime goal of Turkey finding a partner to back its claims. Officials in Libyas U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, have disclosed for the first time to The Associated Press the deliberations that resulted in Turkey becoming a major broker in the war, opposite Russia. They describe the relationship as necessary, and say Turkeys foray into the conflict goes hand-in-hand with its economic designs. Several officials say their side entered the deals with Turkey reluctantly, late last year, believing they had no choice. They desperately needed an ally as their opponent in the war, Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter, bore down on Tripoli with his forces, strengthened by Russian, Emirati and Egyptian backing. It was like a give-and-take game, said one official in Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Sarrajs office. They took advantage of our weakness at the time. He and other officials spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety in a country largely ruled by an array of militias. In the end, Turkey sent troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries and other military support that helped pro-Sarraj forces repel Hifters assault this spring, preventing the collapse of the Tripoli-based administration and shifting the tide of the war. But Ankaras role is just one side of how outside powers are exploiting and fueling the civil war in the oil-rich North African nation. Russia has sent weapons, air defence systems and mercenaries to Libyas front lines to back Hifters offensive, launched last year and aimed at capturing Tripoli. That help has continued even after Hifters withdrawal, though Russia has denied any role in the Libyan conflict. The interventions are deepening a civil war born after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Hifter controls eastern and southern Libya. Sarrajs government controls Tripoli and its surroundings, in the west. Erdogan has only acknowledged sending high-level advisers to help pro-Sarraj forces. In reality, Ankara deployed a few hundred troops and an estimated 3,500-3,800 Syrian mercenaries over the first quarter of the year, a Pentagon report last week said. Turkey also sent weapons, military equipment and air defence systems. Sarrajs office didnt answer several calls seeking comment on the relationship with Turkey. One Libyan official acknowledged to the AP the Tripoli governments full reliance on Turkey. However, we would not have reached this point if not for Hifters offensive, he said. The officials said Turkey pushed the government for over a year to approve the maritime deal, but Sarraj resisted. In part, he felt he did not have the authority to strike international agreements, being head of a transitional government. He may have also been wary of making Mediterranean claims certain to be rejected by the Europeans. It was a relentless pressure, one official said, adding that Islamists inside Sarrajs administration also wielded influence in support of Ankara. Turkey was the only country that promised support, and we agreed only after all other doors were closed. The security and maritime deals were signed in late November. Under the accord, Libya and Turkey claim adjoining parts of the Mediterranean and exploration rights there. Greece disputes the deal, considering the waters part of its continental shelf. The EU said it violates international law and poses a threat to stability. Turkey has long wanted to alter the old boundaries and its drive gained urgency as Egypt, Israel and Cyprus moved to exploit newly discovered natural gas fields in their waters. We are tearing up maps of the East Mediterranean that were drawn up to imprison us on the mainland, Erdogan deputy Fuat Oktay said. Turkeys moves, particularly its claim on Greek waters, have heightened tensions between the two NATO members that openly clashed 46 years ago in the conflict over Cyprus. The maritime claims give Turkey pressure points to apply against other nations around the Eastern Mediterranean, said Oded Berkowitz, an Israeli security analyst who specializes in the Libyan conflict. It can aim to block Egypt, Israel and Cyprus from directly exporting natural gas to Europe and to influence migrant trafficking. Turkey has long had interests in Libya, mainly construction and energy projects. It has also been pressing for new business opportunities and recouping losses sustained since Ghadafi was pushed from power. The Turkish Contractors Association estimated that in 2011, just after the countrys popular uprising, Turkish companies had more than $18 billion in contracts in Libya. Many of those were lost in the ensuing chaos and war. In June, a Turkish delegation including the foreign and finance ministers, met Tripoli officials and presented bills for $2 billion owed to Turkish firms, another official said. Tripoli agreed to pay back that and $1.7 billion in other debts and compensation for machinery and equipment lost in the war, he said. The agreement still needs final approval from Sarraj. Libyan officials have said Turkey is building a naval base as part of Misratas port and a base at the al-Waitya air base in the desert southwest of Tripoli. A Turkish government official told the AP that the issue of bases is not on the agenda. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, Turkish and pro-Sarraj forces are preparing an operation to retake the coastal city of Sirte and the inland Jufra air base, which Hifters ally Egypt has said would prompt it to deploy troops to Libya. But its only a part of the bigger picture, said Jalel Harchaoui, a research fellow specializing in Libyan affairs at the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations. Control over that territory isnt so much about Libyas oil itself as its about the natural gas under the Mediterranean Sea, he said. ___ Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report. Read more about: NISKAYUNA The future card game table and golf pool table were nestled among a variety of boating accessories inside the showroom of the Boat House on the banks of Mohawk River on the edge of town. The two tables, a few inches apart, are symbols of the transition in the life of septuagenarians Bud and Sally Halsey, who next month, after 40 years in business, will close up shop on Aug. 31 though he said they will remain open on limited basis until all the stock is sold. This will be our recreational room, said Bud Halsey Thursday, adding he plans to add a bumper pool table to the room. "To me this was a hobby, but I turned it into a profession giving lessons and selling boats." They also rented out canoes and kayaks. Bud said his wife, who grew up a mile apart from him in Defreestville , has already penned a goodbye poem inviting people to stop by that will soon be posted on the Boat Houses website. The couple have been married 42 years. We welcome friends and old customers to come by, he added. Thats exactly what John Miller, who lives up the road from the shop, did Thursday afternoon. He has patronized the store before and recalled purchasing a second-hand Mad River canoe from someone a few years ago that he told the couple he suspects was bought at the Boat House. I drove by the other day and saw the sign and said well, lemme stop in for the heck of it, he said. Sally Halsey, 71, said the wider availability of boats at smaller retail establishments as well as big box stores, plus the technological advances hurt business. She said she'll miss interacting with customers, but along the way there were memorable moments. Like the customer who bought a square stern kayak with plans to paddle out to the Great Lakes and then after that to the Mississippi River. They never did hear back from him. There was the tour guide from Canada who landed his sea plane in the Mohawk, ran in and purchased a 13-foot Grumman canoe from the Boat House, strapped onto his aircraft, and flew off. The Halseys will continue to live upstairs on the premises, which features four bedrooms, until Sally retires from her nursing job. Bud Halsey said they are not interested in selling right now after entertaining the idea a few years back when they werent really ready to call it quits but would have unloaded the place for $250,000 with about $30,000 in inventory. Bud Halsey recalled buying the shop when he was 33. Based on his reading of history books, it was built around 1899, from the previous owner who announced to he and other rowers of his intentions to sell the business. Bud, who retired in 1980 from research and development at General Electric, and his wife, a teacher, purchased the place, which was actually owned by well-known TV news anchor, Ernie Tetrault. The couple became his tenants. Four years later, Tetrault sold the Boat House for $43,000 to the husband and wife at the end of 1984, said Bud. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. She wasnt an avid paddler but she became one, we both learned the ropes canoes were big and then kayaks came later, he recalled. To supplement their income, Bud, now 73, said he started giving sculling lessons at $35 an hour. He boasts of having given 1,000 sculling lessons over a 20-year span with the logs to prove it and that two of his three children earned national medals in rowing as teens. Bud points overhead to one of his prized possessions, an antique 32-foot elite single, circa 1890 next to more modern boat, both handing upside down from the ceiling. He reminisces about the days long ago when he and his wife were regulars at boat shows, showcasing their best inventory and building up their clientele in places like Saratoga County and area malls. For a 10-day show, you see thousands of people, and most of them have been by this store, he said. They go to Proctors, they come down to Schenectady, they know where you are, but they didnt realize what it was. For 20 years, they operated an outlet store fun by a tenant from Budd Halsey's childhood home. He said business was pretty good until he suffered a stroke in 2003 and had to focus on his health and recovery. At 55, he had to learn how to walk again as part of a grueling rehab. The couple have three adult children and three grandchildren. Today, the inventory in the shop includes life jackets, paddles, roof racks, and a variety of other accessories as well as three canoes out back that are also available for sale. Its been life, you can romanticize it, but its been hard work, she said. Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Ziraat Bank Uzbekistan JSC Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 London, 30 July 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Ziraat Bank Uzbekistan JSC and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Key rating considerations are summarized below. Ziraat Bank Uzbekistan JSC (ZBU's) B3 long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings incorporate its b3 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) and Moody's assessment of a high probability of support from the bank's sole shareholder, T.C. Ziraat Bankasi A.S. (B2, caa1). This support assumption does not result in ZBU's ratings uplift because T.C. Ziraat Bankasi A.S.' BCA is lower than that of ZBU. ZBU's BCA reflects the bank's strong loss absorption capacity, supported by solid capital buffer and good recurring income generation. These strengths are counterbalanced by ZBU's small size and limited business diversification, its high single-name credit concentration, high exposure to foreign currency loans and the still material reliance on interbank funding, including funding provided by Ziraat group. Furthermore, ZBU's BCA is constrained by the slow economic growth in Uzbekistan this year worsened by the global spread of the coronavirus which will exert pressure on the bank's asset quality and bottom-line profitability. Story continues This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period. The principal methodology used for this review was Banks Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology. 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Mayawati Lucknow: BSP President Mayawati on Thursday said the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was getting "murkier" by the day, and favoured a CBI probe into the matter to ensure justice for the bereaved family. Mayawati also said that the Maharashtra government should be serious about conducting the probe in the case. Advertisement Mayawati tweet "The case of death of young actor of Bihar origin Sushant Singh Rajput is getting murkier following new facts emerging every day and his father filing an FIR with Patna police. Now it would be better if the case was investigated by the CBI instead of Maharashtra and Bihar police," the BSP leader said in a tweet. On the basis of a complaint lodged by the deceased actor's father, an FIR was lodged against actress Rhea Chakraborty and six others on July 25 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Advertisement Mayawati tweet Mayawati further said, "Because of the different stance taken by Congress leaders of Maharashtra and Bihar in Sushant Rajput incident, it seems that their real purpose is to first fulfil their political interests... Maharashtra government should be serious". As most of the world either orders or recommends the use of face masks, with even US president Donald Trump seen wearing one, Nordic nations are the remaining holdouts. In supermarkets, on buses, and along the streets of capitals -- such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and Reykjavik -- face masks are a rare sight, worn only by a small minority, many of who are tourists. According to a recent survey by YouGov, only five to 10 percent of respondents in the Nordic countries said they used a mask in public settings, a figure that has remained stable since the start of the crisis in March. At the same time, the corresponding figures have risen to between 70 and 80 percent for most of the other 20 countries polled, including India and the United States. "I have the impression that if the government doesn't say clearly 'we advise you to wear a mask', nobody will," 21-year-old French student Camille Fornaroli told AFP, adding she was shocked to see how rare masks were in Stockholm. - Following recommendations - Birgitta Wedel, a 63-year-old pensioner, told AFP she would have preferred if Sweden's authorities recommended masks, at least on public transport. But she added that she would keep going without one unless there was a shift in official policy. "If they don't... I will not wear it because nobody else does," Wedel said. Marten Sporrong, a 50-year-old businessman, also said he would follow government recommendations: "If they tell us we don't need masks, we won't wear them". Sweden has received global attention for its softer approach to curbing the spread of the virus which, coupled with a relatively higher death toll, has led to the region's largest country being shunned by its neighbours. But when it comes to masks, the Nordic nations look staunchly united. "Except for Sweden, there are very few cases in those countries," KK Cheng, an epidemiologist at the University of Birmingham's Institute of Applied Health Research told AFP. "So I don't blame them for not doing it, as long as they have reasonable social distancing and contact tracing is done properly," Cheng added. Asked Tuesday what might change his mind on recommending the use of face masks, Sweden's chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said he was still waiting for "some form of proof that they are effective". - 'Stubborn' - For Cheng, such logic is questionable. "I think it's wrong, it's irresponsible and it's stubborn," the epidemiologist said. "If he's wrong, it costs life. If I'm wrong, what harm does it do?" After the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its guidance, Danish health officials began cautiously recommending using masks in early July -- such as when going to the hospital for a test or when you are coming back from a risk area. "Face covers don't make sense in the current situation, where we have a consistently very low level of infection," Soren Brostrom, director of the Danish Health Authority, told broadcaster DR on Tuesday. "But could it make sense in the long-term, when we bump into each other on public transport and other situations? That is of course something that we will evaluate," Brostrom added. Similarly, in Norway and Finland, although there is "no opposition in principle," masks are deemed an unnecessary precaution while the spread is low. "It may be something that will have to be considered in the near future if the contamination increases," Are Stuwitz Berg, a doctor with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, told AFP. Mika Salminen, director of Health Security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, told broadcaster YLE the issue would likely resurface "when people begin to return from holidays to a greater extent, and of course if the epidemic situation changes radically." On Thursday however, one Nordic country broke slightly from the mold. Iceland -- which like its neighbours have so far sworn off masks -- announced that it would start requiring their use on public transport, domestic flights, ferries and in hairdressing salons. Haiti - Agriculture : Signature of 2 cooperation agreements with the Swiss Confederation On Wednesday July 29, Patrix Severe the Minister of Agriculture and Fabrizo Porreti, Deputy Resident Director of Humanitarian Aid for Swiss Cooperation in Central America via the Swiss Embassy in Haiti signed two agreements aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector in Haiti. The first concerns "The Territorial Governance Program of Cocoa and Yam Agroforestry Sectors in the Great South of Haiti" (PROFISUD) which aims to contribute to the strengthening of inclusive governance and to the increase in productivity and profitability of the agroforestry value chains for the benefit of all actors in the agricultural sector. The second agreement concerns the "Support Program for Inclusive Agricultural Governance in Haiti" (PAGAI) aims to strengthen the participation of women and men from family farms in the governance of the agricultural sector at the local level and improve the economic performance of their farms. Both programs promise to focus on improving productivity, quality and the targeted agroforestry value chain. In his intervention Fabrizo Porreti, declared "[...] this choice to support Haitian farmers testifies to Switzerland's willingness to rely on the potential of its partners for endogenous, sustainable, participatory and inclusive development. This priority has been renewed in the intervention strategies that were defined in 2014 and 2018, and the results are satisfactory to say the least, although much remains to be done." Minister Severe talks about introducing innovations to traditional know-how through close support and training programs. To achieve this, he promises "I will do everything to ensure that these projects contribute to the strengthening of the agricultural sector" before thanking the Swiss people for their generosity towards the Haitian people. HL/ HaitiLibre Shares of Resolute Forest Products Inc. surged as much as 48 per cent Thursday after the lumber, pulp and paper producer beat analyst profit expectations in the second quarter despite a 19 per cent decrease in revenues. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Shares of Resolute Forest Products Inc. surged as much as 48 per cent Thursday after the lumber, pulp and paper producer beat analyst profit expectations in the second quarter despite a 19 per cent decrease in revenues. The Montreal-based company's stock peaked at $6.06, the highest level since January, and were up $1.39 or 33.9 per cent at $5.49 in midday trading. The Resolute Forest Products logo is shown in a handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO Resolute said strong lumber sales and a housing market recovery boosted the company this spring, despite an economic downturn that slashed paper shipments by 27 per cent. In the face of fear that the housing market would crater to levels seen in 2008 and 2009, it seems people are still spending money on their houses amid stay-at-home orders, chief executive Yves Laflamme told The Canadian Press. Not only are houses being built, but they are being remodelled, said Laflamme. In the environment of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest surprise we've had so far in our company ... is certainly lumber, said Laflamme. People are not travelling anymore and they're just spending their money on the repair and remodelling of their houses; building decking and spending time at home. So, I think it's a good surprise for the whole lumber industry, including Resolute Forest Products. ... The question is how long is spending going to last? Excluding one-time items, the companys adjusted loss was $22 million or 25 cents per share during the quarter, a narrower loss than the 30 cents per share expected by Refinitiv estimates and compared with a 12 cents per share adjusted profit a year ago. Revenue, however, was US$612 million, softer than the $628 million forecast by analysts. Unadjusted, second-quarter net income was US$6 million, or seven cents per diluted share, for the three months ending on June 30. Thats down from US$25 million, or 27 cents per diluted share, on sales of US$755 million in the second quarter of 2019. Diminishing demand for paper at commercial printers and newspapers contributed to the year-on-year drop in sales, said the company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars. While the company has anticipated declines of 10 per cent to 15 per cent in the paper industry each year owing largely to the decline of newspapers and magazines this year has been more drastic, said Laflamme. At the end of April, the company temporarily laid off more than 1,000 workers mainly in Quebec because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but executives said the company may soon qualify for some government wage subsidies. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Still, Laflamme said that with several paper machines down, there are still hundreds of workers locally and in the head office who are waiting to see how much business comes back. Government subsidies are not expected to make a huge impact on that, Laflamme said. We feel that some of [the paper demand] is going to come back, like advertising, with stores being pretty quiet. But we don't think all of it is going to be back, said Laflamme. A spike in demand for tissue early in the COVID-19 pandemic sent prices higher but shipments lower, amid drained inventory. In the tissue market, sales remain strong for at-home items such as toilet paper, although aside from hospitals, corporate sales are more muddled, said Laflamme. The companys quarterly results also noted that it has been focused on paying down debt and integrating newly acquired plants. The company owns or operates about 40 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, and its products are sold in about 70 countries. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:RFP) It is at times difficult to remember that it is only five months since Covid-19 reached Ireland and transformed how we live our lives. That initial fear which gripped society as a previously unknown virus became centrestage was very real and probably appropriate at the time. It was that very fear which allowed society to take on board the unprecedented measures necessary to contain the virus and it was the efforts of the community at large which proved so vital in this regard and will be called upon in the future. The simple measures hand hygiene, cough etiquette and social distancing are as important today as they were at the outset perhaps even more so as society opens up. The virus in July 2020 is the very same virus as in March 2020 with the same potential to bring significant health issues to the vulnerable and indeed to many persons who have no such vulnerability. We are learning more about the virus how it is transmitted how it affects persons in different ways how best to manage the control of its spread. It was always going to be a learning experience with changes to guidance from Public Health as more information became available - tweaking the advice in an evolving situation. The initial advice of hand hygiene, etc, remains, whilst the wearing of face coverings has become mandatory in public transport, with guidance that masks should be worn in closed environments shops, offices, health care facilities. There is some reluctance in some quarters in this regard but as this becomes more commonplace such resistance should abate. The advice recommended is to protect the community at large limit the spread of the virus and allow the community to work in the safest environment possible. It was Mayor Cuomo in New York who coined the phrase - it is not about me it is about we - the welfare of the community trumps the individual's right to endanger others. Covid-19 has forced changes as to how we live our lives in ways we could not have imagined six months ago and this is testament to the resilience of the Irish people. Businesses have had to make significant alterations to their premises to allow social distancing - resulting in reduced capacity to conduct business. It is important that we support local business to reward this resilience and to maintain the social fabric of our community. The delivery of health care has had to undergo significant changes packed waiting rooms in GP surgeries are a thing of the past and this requires significant management. Capacity to see patients has been significantly reduced purely due to the additional time required to facilitate such changes. With Autumn coming children mixing as they return to school - this will be significantly challenged. A winter Flu vaccine programme is hugely important this year to limit the spread of viral illnesses in the community - with plans afoot to deliver flu vaccine to the two to 12 age groups this year - something which has been ongoing in different jurisdictions for some time. One of the biggest challenges to society will be the return to school of over one million school children who have been out of school since March. Return to school for these children is a vital component in the return to normality but certainly is a challenge. This is an issue which is currently being debated and measures necessary are currently being explained. No doubt the teaching fraternity, the children and their parents will rise to rise to the challenge - it is remarkable how quickly a new norm becomes commonplace. Measures to deal with the virus are moving apace with significant progress in the development of a vaccine reported and potential treatments being developed albeit in their infancy. The simple measures of hand hygiene, cough etiquette, face covering and social distancing will remain as the core measures we as a community can use to limit the spread of this virus. It is the community effort which will eventually win this battle. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed a government-owned gas supply company to pay 64 lakh in compensation to the family of a girl who had died due to a gas leak in January 2015 in central Kolkata. Now the world knows that my daughter Sumantika Banerjee was a victim of gas leak and didnt die of drug abuse, Debasis Banerjee, the victims father, said in a telephone conversation from Jalpaiguri district in north Bengal. Senior environment lawyers said that even though the NGT had earlier slapped fines amounting to crores of rupees on companies for polluting the environment, it is a rare case that a company has been asked to pay a huge amount of compensation to an individual victim who had died of gas leak. The bench of justice SP Wangdi and expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal, in a 50-page judgment on Wednesday, directed the Greater Calcutta Gas Supply Corporation Limited to pay the victims father Rs64 lakh within one month. Senior officers of the GCGSCL refused to comment on the NGTs judgement. The 21-year-old victim, Sumantika Banerjee, was pursuing masters in physics from the then Presidency College and was staying with three other women in a house in central Kolkata, as a paying guest. Her family was in Jalpaiguri district in north Bengal. On January 4, Banerjee and a roommate, Subarna Lama, were found in an unconscious state in their room. The two were rushed to the hospital, where Banerjee was declared dead. Lama survived. The other two roommates were not present at that time. Soon after the incident, some media had reported that my daughter might have died of drug abuse. By the time the actual news broke that my daughter died of gas leak and not drug abuse, the damage had been done. Neighbours and colleagues were looking down upon me as if we were the culprits. It was then that I decided to move court and fight it out, said Debasis Banerjee, father of Sumantika. Police investigation and viscera report later revealed that the Sumantika died of inhaling coal gas. The gas leaked from a cracked pipeline laid down by the gas company just behind the window of the room where she was found dead. In 2016 the victims family moved the NGT seeking compensation for the death of Banerjee As the death was caused by coal gas, which contains carbon monoxide and methane, it comes under schedule of the manufacture, storage and import of hazardous chemical rules, 1989. Thats why we moved the NGT as it was well under the purview of the Environment Protection Act of 1986. The plea of the gas company that the case comes under the purview of the consumer dispute redressal forum was rejected by the court as Banerjee was not a consumer and the gas was not leaked from any pipelines in any consumers house, said Somnath Roy Chowdhury, Banerjees lawyer. The case went on for four years and the bench gave the judgement through a video conference on Wednesday. I cant say that am happy. I cant be happy as I have lost my daughter. No amount of compensation can bring her back. I am only satisfied that now the world knows that my daughter was not a drug addict and that she died because of gas leak, Banerjee told over phone from Jalpaiguri. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ZUG, Switzerland, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitcoin Association, the Switzerland-based global industry organization that advances Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), has named Patrick Prinz, CFA as its new Europe & Operations Manager. Working out of the Association's headquarters in "Crypto Valley" Zug, Switzerland, Prinz will serve two roles advance the business growth of Bitcoin SV throughout Europe and support the operational needs of the organization globally. Bitcoin Association supports Bitcoin SV because it is the only blockchain protocol adhering to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto's original design and vision for Bitcoin to become a peer-to-peer electronic cash system and global data ledger for enterprise. The Bitcoin SV ecosystem has rapidly grown to over 428 known Bitcoin SV projects and ventures worldwide. Developers and businesses are discovering the value of the Bitcoin blockchain when it massively scales a public ledger capable of huge transaction volumes, micropayments, greater data capacity, smart contracts, tokenization, and many advanced applications. A true believer in this Satoshi Vision for Bitcoin, Prinz has a strong background in financial services and strategy consulting. Most recently, he worked as a senior investment advisor for a global asset management group. Prinz advised on emerging technologies, and discovered the benefits of having a single, massively scalable, public, auditable ledger for storing any type of data and allowing value transfer at a micropayment level only possible using the Bitcoin SV blockchain. Previously, Prinz was a consultant at a leading strategy consulting firm acting as advisor to international banks on how to incorporate complex regulatory requirements and adapt business models to industry paradigm shifts. He began his career in corporate and investment banking, working at Deutsche Bank and Citi. Prinz holds a Master of Science degree in Banking and Finance and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business Administration. Speaking on his appointment, Prinz said: "Bitcoin SV is finally fulfilling the potential that initially excited me about Bitcoin many years ago to achieve efficiencies as the single public data ledger and micropayment system for the world. As I was puzzled by the fact that innovation and development were not happening on BTC, I did my own extensive research and realized that Satoshi Nakamoto's original design and the Bitcoin white paper always had the answers to achieve a massively scalable global public blockchain. With scaling comes efficiency, and with efficiency come innovation and entrepreneurship which is all happening on Bitcoin SV with the emergence of completely new business models powered by microtransactions and the immutable public ledger that Bitcoin is. I am thrilled to join Bitcoin Association to work with businesses and entrepreneurs to educate them on the transformative power which Bitcoin SV brings to the world." Jimmy Nguyen, Founding President of Bitcoin Association, commented: "With Patrick's addition, we welcome to our team another high-caliber professional with international business experience. Patrick will play a vital role in operational management as we grow our headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. He will also be a strong business voice for Bitcoin SV across Europe with his financial services knowledge, effective communication skills, and passionate belief in Bitcoin's true power." Patrick's hire is the latest step in the global expansion of Bitcoin Association. He joins two other regional business managers - Lise Li (China) and Ella Qiang (Southeast Asia, based in Singapore) - all with considerable experience in both Bitcoin and business. Additional team members come from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, and New Zealand. The staff is further supported by Bitcoin Association Global Ambassadors in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Panama, Russia and CIS region, the Scandinavia region, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and the United States. About Bitcoin Association Bitcoin Association is the Switzerland-based global industry organization which advances the Bitcoin SV digital currency and blockchain. Trading as BSV, Bitcoin SV (Satoshi Vision) is the original Bitcoin protocol created by Dr. Craig S. Wright. The Association brings together enterprises, start-up ventures, developers, merchants, exchanges, service providers, blockchain transaction processors (miners), and others in the Bitcoin SV ecosystem to advance the growth of Bitcoin commerce. The Association seeks to build a regulation-friendly ecosystem that fosters lawful conduct while encouraging technology innovation. To hear from Bitcoin SV industry leaders, attend or watch the CoinGeek Live conference September 30-October 2, 2020. It will be a hybrid live + virtual event, with live venues in New York, USA and London, UK. SOURCE Bitcoin Association Aldi will create 1,200 jobs in the UK this year as it continues to open stores. The German discount supermarket business plans to open an average of one shop a week between now and Christmas. Boost: The German discount supermarket business plans to open an average of one shop a week between now and Christmas The retailer, which has more than 890 stores and around 35,000 UK staff, has already created 2,800 permanent jobs this year after demand for groceries rocketed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Sandhurst, Bristol and Edinburgh are among the areas where shops will open as it continues towards its target of operating 1,200 stores by 2025. The chain saw sales increase by 13 per cent over the 12 weeks to July 12, according to figures from Kantar. Parking on a college campus is traditionally tricky with growing enrollments taxing the infrastructure. Fortunately for those around the University of Alabama campus, the number of spaces has increased in recent years to more than 24,000. That contributed to fewer parking tickets in recent years -- down from nearly 55,000 in 2012-13 to a little under 38,000 in 2018-19. Chris DEsposito, the executive director of transportation services at UA, took some time recently to discuss the parking dynamic on campus. The parking ticket numbers were part of that but there were a few other frequently asked questions on the matter. A few answers: How will COVID-19 impact transportation services? Of course, this is the question of the year as it relates to any aspect of society that once seemed so simple. With parking and transportation, the buses are impacted the most. The Crimson Ride buses will be limited to 15 riders at a time to follow social distancing standards, DEsposito said. That means the 40 stops typically made on the nine different routes will be limited. Using the northeast campus lot as an example, DEsposito said they will be running buses straight to the Gorgas Library stop and back all day. That lot has 1,500 spaces and two pickup locations. Were going to have the same number of routes, DEsposito said, but were going to back and forth to the largest parking areas as fast as possible. The return-to-campus document released in June from UA only specified masks would be required on buses and they would undergo increased cleaning daily. How are permit prices determined? The price of student parking permits has not changed in three years. The new Tutwiler deck is open to residential students willing to pay an extra $100 on the $345 base cost. Reserved spots are $660 or $760 in the Tutwiler deck. Permits are based on the expected expenses for that year and past historical use, DEsposito said. Were not a funded department. We are a totally self-sustained so parking pays for all the salaries, facilities. We also provide buses for Crimson Ride. We purchased two buses for them a year. We spend a $1 million a year in paving so we take all that money and come up with the estimated permit sales we had previous years. Whats the most common complaint about parking? D'Esposito laughed when asked this one. The answer came easily. Theyll say theres not enough parking but on any given day, our capacity on campus is about 60-65 percent, DEsposito said. Only time its not that is the first couple of weeks of school when we get up to about 90-95 percent capacity. I always tell people theres plenty of parking. What we dont have is convenient parking. The parking deck (left) opened in 2018 next to the new Tutwiler dorm, which is currently under construction. There were 24,425 parking spaces available during the 2018-19 school year. Thats up nearly 2,000 from two years earlier. If youre a student who has an afternoon class and say your zone is southeast commuter, well instead of parking to southeast zone close to where you want to be, you might be in the back in the southeast commuter zone and youd have to walk a little bit longer so thats what generates the perception theres not enough parking, DEsposito said. Theres plenty of parking. How many people are actively writing the tickets? The aforementioned ticket writers are a small but efficient team. There is a total of 14 people on the job with nine working at a time. We put our parking enforcement staff in zones on campus and they patrol areas randomly, DEsposito said. No quotas, nothing like that. Whats the deal with wheel boots? In the biz, theyre just called wheel locks. They will appear on your vehicle if youve picked up three unpaid violations for failing to register it with the school. There is a $100 fee for removing the boot on top of having to pay each of the outstanding tickets ($25 apiece). Thats how the school is able to get some of those previously uncollectable fines from the failure to register violations. By October, DEsposito said, individuals start getting their third citation outstanding and we catch up to them. He estimates 40-50 boots are utilized in an average month. What about faculty and staff permits? DEsposito said between 79 and 83 percent of faculty and staff members have permits. A regular faculty-staff permit is $345 for the full year, prorated by the month if purchased after August. A reserved space is $660 or $680 for one by the Rose Administrative building. Perimeter or handicap passes of $240 for both students and faculty/staff. How many permits are sold relative to the number of parking spaces? The numbers DEsposito provided for the last three years of data available. Year Spaces Permits sold 2016-17 22,551 21,327 2017-18 22,800 20,453 2018-19 24,425 21,782 Which tickets are most commonly written and how much do they cost? DEsposito also had a breakdown for the commonly written tickets on the Alabama campus. -- 40-45 percent for failure to register the vehicle with the university ($25). -- 20-25 percent for parking out of your zone ($50) -- 10-15 percent for improper parking which includes a number of possible situations. It includes parking in a handicap space ($250 first offense, $500 second offense). -- 1-5 percent for improper affix permit, meaning the permit was not properly displayed. ($25). -- 1-5 percent for time limit violations ($25). -- 0-5 percent for miscellaneous violations like parking in a motorcycle space ($25). The least-expensive ticket is for using an improper deck exit. It comes with a $10 fine. Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Russia was the main exporter of fruits to Turkmenistan from January through May 2020, Trend reports, citing the Eurasian Economic Commissions statistics. The total volume of grapes exported to Turkmenistan from Russia is 3,155 kilograms for a total amount of $2,256. In addition, the total volume of various fresh fruits exported to Turkmenistan from Russia is 5,180 kilograms for a total amount of $1,720. According to statistics, in addition to fresh fruit, Russia exported 9,944 kilograms of dried fruits, for a total amount of $14,360 to Turkmenistan. During the same period, 203,063 kilograms of apples, pears and quinces were exported to Turkmenistan not only from Russia, but also from Kazakhstan for a total amount of $62,117. Kazakhstan's share of the total amount of exported apples, pears and quinces to Turkmenistan was $15,405, while Russia's share was $46,711. The Eurasian Economic Commission report said Russia also exported 35 cattle livestock to Turkmenistan for the amount of $49,980 from January through May 2020. In addition to cattle livestock, Russia exported 550 sheep and goats worth $46,000 in the reporting period. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Note: The Express-News is suspending traditional restaurant reviews until restaurant dining rooms fully reopen. If smoke were medicine, pollos asados would cure us all. Marinated bone-in chicken, grilled over charcoal and chopped to order, its a backyard barbecue in somebody elses backyard. And San Antonios backyard has grown since I counted down the citys Top 10 pollos asados two summers ago. The two best from that year Pollos Asados Los Nortenos and Al Carbon Pollos Asados have added second locations on the Northeast Side. Pollos Asados Don Jose opened another brick-and-mortar shop on Blanco Road. And theyre joined by newcomers Pollos Asados El Gordo in Shearer Hills and Pollos Asados de Sinaloa on the South Side. Even in a pandemic, San Antonians have a strong appetite for charcoal chicken slathered with achiote paste and spices and served family-style with rice, beans, tortillas, grilled onions and roasted jalapenos. This isnt a ranked list, just five great places for pollos asados. Good luck getting the orange glow off your fingers. On ExpressNews.com: 10 great San Antonio fruterias with mangonadas, raspas, aguas frescas and chamoy galore Mike Sutter /Staff Al Carbon Pollos Asados If you need a reminder that times are different, just look down. Cartoon chicken feet all over the restaurant remind you to keep your social distance. Then look up. Theres a thermometer mounted at eye level just inside the door to take your temperature. And now Im picturing Christopher Walken from the cowbell skit on Saturday Night Live: Ive got a fever. And the only prescription is more pollos asados. Al Carbons had two years to hone its skills at this original location on Culebra Road. The second one opened in September last year on Nacogdoches Road. In that time, theyve settled into a consistent formula of moist chicken with a good balance of salt, charred skin and tangy marinade. The chops all over the place, so you wont get nice, tidy pieces. But tidys not what were looking for, right? A whole chicken costs $14 with rice, tortillas and trimmings. Add charro beans for $1.25. 547 Culebra Road, 210-737-7400; 13835 Nacogdoches Road, 210-686-9027; Facebook: @ALCARBONPOLLOSASADOS. Dine-in, curbside, takeout and third-party delivery available. Mike Sutter /Staff Pollos Asados de Sinaloa I didnt pick this Mission District newcomer because its so close to the mangonadas and fruit cups at Fruteria La Mission, but thats a nice side benefit. And you might need it to cool down the heat. The most country style of all the shops in this report, Sinaloa likes its chicken spicy and painted with all the colors of the grill, from the alabaster breast meat to the fire-blackened skin and all the shades of orange and brown in-between. A whole chicken costs $17 with rice, tortillas, beans, grilled sausage and trimmings. For now, Sinaloas only doing curbside service. But to make up for it, theyre throwing something extra in the box. Some days it might be an extra half-chicken, or a half-pound of carne asada, or a baked potato stuffed with bacon and cheese. Its a gamble where everybody wins. 6020 S. Flores St., 210-370-2591, Facebook: Pollos Asados de Sinaloa. Only curbside service available. Mike Sutter /Staff Pollos Asados Don Jose A sweeping archway sign at this strip center on Blanco Road for years proclaimed Blanco Cafe. Now Don Jose rules the archway with chicken that radiates charcoal flavor through skin that takes turns being crispy and moist, painted with warm chile spice that doesnt lean as hard on the radioactive achiote orange. My first encounter with Don Jose was a trailer on the South Side, with chicken that kept things fresh and simple. That carries through to this brick-and-mortar, with the same sweet and tangy green salsa that adds all the sparkle youll need. A whole chicken costs $14.50 with rice, tortillas and trimmings. Add charro beans for $1.79. 5525 Blanco Road, 210-474-6971, more locations on Facebook: Pollos Asados Don Jose. Dine-in, curbside and takeout available; no delivery. Mike Sutter /Staff Pollos Asados El Gordo A big morning order from a school wiped out El Gordo before lunch, and so it was a 30-minute wait for pollos asados. But it was so worth the wait for some of the juiciest chicken in this report, so deftly caramelized and painted with marinade that youd never know it happened on the fly. The little things count here. Like free chips and salsa for dine-in customers and beans with as much sausage, bacon and chicharrones as beans. You can taste chicken stock in the rice, and youll go back and forth between which of the four salsas is your favorite. It was a tie between the smoky chile de arbol and the big floral green sauce. A whole chicken costs $15.95 with rice, tortillas and trimmings. Add charro beans for $1.25. 7553 McCullough Ave., 210-670-7283, pollosasadoselgordo.com. Dine-in, curbside, takeout and free delivery available in a 15-minute radius as well as through third-party apps. On ExpressNews.com: 5 San Antonio Mexican restaurants with great enchiladas to comfort you in these coronavirus times Mike Sutter /Staff Pollos Asados Los Nortenos When the second location of Los Nortenos opened near Rackspace July 22, owner Frank Garcia already had face masks with his own logo printed on them. The staff was decked out in shirts with Mas Green Sauce on the back. He was ready to roll. Except the sign guy backed out. Didnt matter. The place still got mobbed the way theyve been mobbing the original East Side location for more almost 15 years. Los Nortenos grills the kind of pollos asados that defines the genre. That achiote twang, that textbook char, that rough chop, that enigmatic green sauce. Its all done just right, just about every time. A whole chicken costs $14.59 with rice, tortillas and trimmings. Add charro beans for $1.50. 4822 Walzem Road, 210-481-4168; 4642 Rigsby Ave., 210-648-3303; Facebook: @polloslosnortenos. Dine-in, curbside, takeout and third-party delivery available. Mike Sutter is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Mike, become a subscriber. msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking Burma Myanmar Naga Separatists NSCN-K Expel Three Accused of Splitting From Group Niki Sumi, one of the trio expelled from National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang on July 29, 2020. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), an ethnic Naga separatist group based in Sagaing Region, in northwest Myanmar, expelled three senior members on Wednesday for contempt against the council, after the trio announced they had split from the group. The Naga separatist group currently refer to themselves as NSCN, but are also known as NSCN-K (Khaplang) in Myanmar. It is currently led by Yung Aung, who is the nephew of the late NSCN-K founder SS Khaplang. The NSCN formed a Government of the Peoples Republic of Nagaland (GPRN), which administers areas under the control of the NSCN/GPRN. The move came a day after the three announced they had split from the NSCN and renounced Yung Aung as their leader. The NSCN-K said in a statement on Wednesday that it had expelled Lieutenant General Niki Sumi, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Naga Army; Lieutenant General Nyemlang Konyak, General Staff Officer-1 of the Naga Army; and Starson Iamkang, a former minister on the council. Starson Iamkang is often referred to as Starson Kilonser (Kilonser means minister in the Naga language.) It said they were expelled for organizing illegal meetings without authorization from the party, failing to report to the council headquarters despite repeated callings, heavy misappropriation of party funds and encouraging and spreading isms and divisive policies within the party. Lt-Gen Niki Sumi is on the most-wanted list of Indias National Investigation Agency, which is offering a reward of 1 million rupees (about 18.2 million kyats) for information on his location. Today, due to the above reasons, their expulsion becomes a necessity to save the party and our national struggle from further destruction, NSCN-Ks Ministry of Information and Publicity said in the July 29 statement. It said any party members conniving with the expelled officials would automatically have their party membership terminated. Major Chue Hlaing Thong, a spokesman for the NSCN/GPRN, told The Irrawaddy that the three failed to communicate with the central council and misused funds collected in India amounting to over 20 million Indian rupees (about 364.3 million kyats). He added the three conducted meetings without a mandate from the council and dismissed repeated warnings to stop. The NSCN-Ks headquarters in Taga, in Sagaings Naga Self-Administered Zone, was raided by the Myanmar military in January 2019. Since then the NSCN-Ks members have moved to the border region where different Naga groups are based. The NSCN-K members are not yet able to return to Taga as the Myanmar military still occupies the area, Maj. Chue Hlaing Thong said. Some NSCN-K members were arrested and charged with helping Kathae/Meitei and Assam rebels against India with training and shelter. The military accused the group of violating the bilateral ceasefire it signed with the Sagaing regional government in 2012. The military detained 11 NSCN-K members, including those leading the peace negotiations with the Myanmar government, and charged them but released them. Soon after the release, the NSCN-K last November expelled a group of members, accusing them of continuous effort to propagate and encourage the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), which is completely against the political principles of the party. The NSCN-K has said it doesnt want to sign the NCArather it seeks an independent Nagaland overlapping India and Myanmar for the Naga of both countries. NSCN-K has seen factions split away each year since its founder SS-Khaplang died in June 2017. In 2018, NSCN-K split into two factions, one led by its impeached chairman, Khango Konyak, who is of Indian origin, and the other by Yung Aung. Ethnic Naga live in both Myanmar and India, and numerous factions have been led by various leaders based in both countries. All of the Naga tribes are with us, sharing our efforts to achieve independence. In the meantime, we dont discriminate between east or west Naga, [referring to Naga living in Myanmar and India]. While we are trying to reach our goal of an independent Nagaland, [the three who were expelled] are doing anti-party activities, creating dissension and sharing divisive policies based on isms, which is tribalism and nationalism, the spokesman said. Apart from its name, NSCN-K, the NSCN group and its leaders are not well known to the Myanmar public, though they took part in peace negotiations under the previous government led by then President U Thein Sein. The two Naga army generals Niki Sumi and Nyemlang Konyak, and minister Starson Iamkang, were not among the peace delegations that have met with the Myanmar government in the past. Note: This story has been updated to correct Major Chue Hlaing Thongs rank and to remove a photograph showing non-Naga personnel. You may also like these stories: Myanmars Remote Naga SAZ Has Only Two Doctors for Its 130,000 Residents Western Myanmars Remote Naga Area Braces for COVID-19 Mahmoud Dicko, the driving force behind anti-govt protests, says solution could be found without president quitting. Mahmoud Dicko, the influential Muslim leader seen as the driving force behind Malis protest movement, has said the countrys political crisis could be resolved without the president stepping down, offering a more moderate solution than other opposition leaders. For weeks, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been locked in a tense standoff with a disparate opposition alliance that has staged mass demonstrations calling for his resignation amid growing anger over perceived corruption, alleged electoral malpractice and a worsening security situation. The crisis has raised concerns around further instability in a country at the heart of the fight against armed groups in West Africas Sahel region, prompting mediation efforts by regional leaders that have so far been unsuccessful. 200728092617451 On Wednesday, opposition leaders under the umbrella of the M5-RFP or June 5 Movement, reiterated calls for Keitas resignation, again rejecting a compromise floated by the West African regional group ECOWAS. But in an interview with Reuters news agency on Wednesday, Dicko, who has led the protests even though he is not a coalition member, took a softer line. I think we can find a solution without going as far as the resignation of the president. Aside from his resignation, there are lots of things that can be done, he said. Asked if he would be satisfied by the replacement of Prime Minister Boubou Cisse, who has been heavily criticised for his handling of the protests, Dicko said that change by itself would not resolve the crisis but could be part of a compromise. Imam Mahmoud Dicko wears a protective mask as he arrives to address his supporters as they hold a mass protest demanding the resignation of Malis President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita [File: Matthieu Rosier/Reuters] In recent weeks, Dickos speeches denouncing Keitas governance have electrified protesters, and allies and detractors alike see him as the galvanising force behind the demonstrations. Yet some of the presidents allies think he is open to compromise and believe the protests would collapse without him. Despite his divergences with other protest leaders, Dicko denied there were tensions within the opposition. There is no division. There is only a movement in which there are democrats who know that their differences are a strength, he said. August 3 Although dissatisfaction over the countrys economic woes, corruption and worsening security situation has been simmering for a while, the spark for the current crisis was a decision by the Constitutional Court in April to overturn the results of parliamentary polls for 31 seats, in a move that saw candidates with Keitas party get re-elected. The protests turned violent earlier this month when three days of clashes between security forces and protesters left at least 11 people dead. Earlier this week, the opposition coalition formally rejected a plan proposed by West African leaders for ending the political crisis. The ECOWAS plan recommended that the 31 members of parliament whose elections were contested step down and that by-elections be held. It also called for the creation of a government of national unity that would include members of M5-RFP and said there should be an inquiry on the deaths earlier this month. But the coalition said the proposals did not correspond to the expectations and aspirations of the people of Mali, demanding the resignation of Mr Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his regime more than ever. According to the alliance, protests will restart on August 3 if their demands are not met. America's F-22 Raptor stealth fighter was designed for combat in Europe but is now being used in the Asia-Pacific, according to a top Chinese aircraft designer, who says the different conditions will limit its capabilities there. Yang Wei, general designer of China's first stealth fighter the J-20, said the twin-engine F-22s could face the same challenges in the region as the F-4 fighter-bombers the Pentagon sent to the Vietnam war between 1965 and 1973. "The complex environment and political constraints in Vietnam caused the F-4 to almost fail to show its high-speed performance and over-the-horizon combat capabilities," Yang wrote in a paper published in Chinese aeronautics journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica last month. He said the F-22, a tactical fighter inspired by the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union, was designed for battle in Europe and could face similar problems now that it had been deployed in the Asia-Pacific. The J-20, China's first stealth fighter, went into service in 2017. Photo: Xinhua alt=The J-20, China's first stealth fighter, went into service in 2017. Photo: Xinhua Yang did not draw any comparisons between America's F-22 and China's J-20 - both fifth-generation, twin-engine heavy fighter jets and of a similar size. But military experts said his remarks indicated that the J-20 Weilong, or Powerful Dragon, was clearly seen as China's answer to the F-22. Comparing the two, Song Zhongping, a military commentator in Hong Kong, said the J-20's biggest advantage was that it was developed later, meaning its designers could learn from the F-22 - including how to fix shortcomings, and what type of new technologies could be used to optimise the aircraft. "The F-22 was originally designed for combat with the former Soviet Union, or today's Russia, in Europe, but now the Raptor's main opponent is the [People's Liberation Army] in the Asia-Pacific," Song said. Story continues "China's J-20 was inspired by the F-22's deployment. The Chinese aircraft designers used the Raptor as a rival and the F-35 [stealth multi-role fighter] as a tactical opponent to help them to come up with a more practical and capable fighter jet." Both the F-22 and the J-20 have a ceiling of 20km (12.4 miles) and a maximum speed of over Mach 2 (2,470km per hour, or 1,535mph) - faster than the speed of sound. The F-22 has a comparatively shorter range - with a combat radius of 800km (497 miles), while the J-20's large internal fuel tank can sustain a longer combat radius of 1,100km (684 miles). But Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming noted that the J-20, which entered service in 2017, had yet to be put to the test in a real combat situation. Andrei Chang, founder of influential military magazine Kanwa Asian Defence, said that in contrast, the F-22's combat capabilities had been seen, most recently last year when the stealth fighters were sent to Qatar as tensions rose with Iran. "The operation of the F-22 has been perfected since it joined the US military in 2005. The Raptor has taken part in countless actual combat situations around the globe, including in the Middle East, Singapore and Okinawa in the Pacific," Chang said. A military source close to the PLA believed the J-20 could counter the F-22 in a one-on-one combat situation, but said far fewer of the fighter jets had been made compared to America's Raptors. "At the moment China has about 60 J-20s - just one-third of the total number of F-22s," said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "Now the US has deployed hundreds of F-35s to the region, so it's an even bigger threat to China," he added. With F-22s being deployed to the Asia-Pacific region - and as relations worsen with Washington, including over the disputed South China Sea - Beijing has stepped up development of its new stealth fighter. Mass production of the J-20B began earlier this month. 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. Four Plead to Voter Fraud Scheme on Skid Row Four men have admitted their role in a scheme where money and cigarettes were offered to homeless people on Skid Row in exchange for false and forged signatures on ballot petitions and voter registration forms, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office announced today. Richard Howard (dob 1/12/56) and Louis Thomas Wise (dob 8/4/82) pleaded no contest Friday to one felony count each of subscribing a fictitious name, or the name of another to an initiative petition and registration of a fictitious person. Christopher Joseph Williams (dob 5/2/79) and Nickey Demelvin Huntley (dob 9/2/74) each pleaded no contest to one felony count of circulating an initiative or petition containing false, forged or fictitious names. Howard was immediately sentenced to a suspended sentence of three years in state prison and three years of formal probation. A suspended sentence may be imposed if a defendant violates the terms of his/her probation. ADVERTISEMENT Wise was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 16 months in state prison and three years of formal probation. Williams and Huntley were sentenced to three years of formal probation. In February, codefendant Norman Hall (dob 11/1/57) pleaded guilty to one felony count of circulating a petition with false, forged or fictitious names. He was immediately sentenced to one year in county jail, placed on formal probation for three years and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Deputy District Attorney Marian Thompson of the Public Integrity Division is prosecuting the case. The four remaining defendants face various charges including use of false names on a petition and voter fraud. The defendants were charged with soliciting hundreds of false and/or forged signatures on state ballot petitions and voter registration forms by offering homeless people $1 and/or cigarettes for their participation. ADVERTISEMENT The indictment indicates the crimes occurred during the 2016 and 2018 election cycles. Three of the remaining defendants are scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on September 1 in Department 108 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Jakara Fati Mardis (dob 5/17/83) is at large. Case BA475943 was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office. About the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation. Her staff of nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members is dedicated to protecting our community through the fair and ethical pursuit of justice and the safeguarding of crime victims rights. Home Just In Nepal deported 671 foreigners in one year Kathmandu, July 30 Nepal deported 671 foreigners last year (in 2019), informs the Department of Immigration. Of them, 578 were expelled from the country on the charge of overstaying whereas 93 faced other charges. Most of those overstaying their visas in Nepal are Chinese, the department says, adding 415 Chinese nationals were deported from Nepal on the charge. The United States and North Korea follow China on the list, with 23 and 17 cases respectively. In this period, 19 Iranians were deported for possessing fake passports and/or visas whereas three Nigerians were also deported on the same charge. Two Bangladeshis, three Sri Lankans, one Kazakhstani, and one Tajikistani also faced the same charge. The department informs other charges that the foreigners in Nepal faced to get deported are sexual abuse, banking offence, living without passport and visa, drug smuggling, foreign currency use, fraud, and illegal call bypassing. Nepal had issued tourist visas for one million and 997,191 foreigners in 2019, the highest number in the countrys tourism history. Numerous critics, including some former Trump administration officials, have said Trumps self-acknowledged personal affinity for Putin has undercut U.S. efforts to both counter Russian aggression and enlist allies to join its cause. They have pointed to Trumps refusal to accept intelligence findings that Russia tried to help him win election in 2016, the presidents willingness to praise Putin, and his efforts to condition vital military assistance to Ukraine on a political favor. Additional U.S. troops could also be sent to Poland once an agreement, currently under discussion, is finalized, or even to the Balkans. In all, the moves will reduce the number of U.S. troops in Germany from about 36,000 to about 24,000 and cost the U.S. several billion dollars, defense officials said. The U.S. will also relocate U.S. European Command (EUCOM) headquarters, along with U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, from Stuttgart to Belgium. In addition, 2,500 U.S. airmen who had been scheduled to deploy to Germany from an airbase in Britain will now stay in Britain. Under the plan laid out by the Pentagon, 5,600 U.S. troops will be redeployed from Germany to other NATO allies, including Belgium and Italy. Another 6,400 will return to the United States, though most of the forces will then embark on what the Pentagon is describing as "continuous rotations" to the Black Sea region. Germany, like other NATO members, has pledged to increase its spending on defense to at least 2 percent of the county's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). And while that percentage has been increasing, Germany still fell short of the mark in 2019, spending 1.38 percent of its GDP, or about $55 billion, on defense. "We don't want to be the suckers anymore," Trump said, adding "other NATO countries also" could see U.S. troops leave if they do not increase defense spending. But even as Esper and other key U.S. military officials defended the redeployments as strategic, Trump told reporters at the White House that the partial U.S. pullout from Germany, expected to begin in the next several weeks, came down to money. "We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bill," Trump said Wednesday. "It's very simple: They're delinquent." "These changes will achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia, strengthening NATO, reassuring allies and improving U.S. strategic flexibility," U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters Wednesday, denying the changes were meant to punish Germany. "This is something we want to do. We feel very good about [it]," Esper added. "We want to get there as quickly as possible." U.S. defense officials announced the redeployment Wednesday, saying it was the result of a monthslong evaluation of the country's military posture worldwide meant to enhance Washington's ability to both deter and respond to threats from major powers such as Russia and China. The United States is pulling almost 12,000 troops from Germany, unleashing a torrent of criticism against U.S. President Donald Trump, both at home and abroad, even as senior U.S. and NATO officials defended the move as a strategic necessity. Criticism of U.S. Redeployment Reaction to the moves from U.S. lawmakers and from German officials was swift and critical. "Instead of strengthening NATO, the troop withdrawal will weaken the alliance," Norbert Roettgen, a senior ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the chairman of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. "The effectiveness of the U.S. military is not increased but reduced, especially with a view to Russia and ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East," he said. The prime minister of the German state of Bavaria called the move regrettable. "This puts a burden on the German-American relationship," Markus Soeder said, expressing hope the decision to pull out troops might be reversed if Trump loses in the upcoming U.S. election. Several key U.S. lawmakers, likewise, did not hold back in their criticism. Mitt Romney, a Republican senator who has frequently been at odds with Trump, called the partial pullout "a grave error." "It is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer," Romney wrote on Twitter, adding the decision "is a gift to Russia." Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, slammed the move in a statement, saying it "will ultimately weaken U.S. efforts to counter Kremlin aggression in Europe." "Champagne must be flowing freely this evening at the Kremlin," Menendez added. Even U.S. lawmakers who often side with Trump offered only measured support for the plan. "While some of the proposed moves clearly have merit, other aspects such as an arbitrary limit to the number of troops stationed in certain countries -- remain troubling," Republican Mac Thornberry, the outgoing chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. Prior to Wednesday's announcement, multiple European officials had said if the U.S. were to pull troops from Germany, they should at least be stationed elsewhere in Europe. Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, who earlier this month offered to host U.S. forces set to leave Germany, said punishing Germany was not in NATO's interest. "A presence in Germany is vital for global security," he said. "If the relationship is sour, it's not good for anybody." Moving U.S. Troops, Headquarters Despite such concerns, NATO leadership Wednesday defended the U.S. decision, saying in a statement that the plan "underlines the continued commitment by the United States to NATO and to European security." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said that the U.S. had consulted closely with NATO allies ahead of the announcement. At the same time, top U.S. defense officials said they have been in contact with the U.S. State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to help facilitate the changes. "It requires diplomacy," Defense Secretary Esper told reporters. "I had a good conversation last week with the German defense minister," he added. "We will obviously be engaging the defense ministry in the coming days and weeks with more detail." Those details could also include plans for relocating U.S. Africa Command headquarters, currently based with U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, though Esper and other U.S. defense officials said they have yet to formulate any concrete plans. There are also questions about how soon the plan to redeploy U.S. troops from Germany can be put into effect. While U.S. defense officials Wednesday said the changes would start taking place in the next several weeks, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Republican Jim Inhofe, said in a statement last week after being briefed that although the overall plan "is sound... it is clear to me that this concept that will take months to plan, and years to execute." There are also concerns about the cost benefit of moving key military headquarters. "If I were still working in the Senate I think key questions would be how much is it going to cost to do to make these investments in Belgium and where else could that money be better spent," said Bradley Bowman, a former adviser to members of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, now with the Washington-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "We confront so many serious threats from Moscow and from Beijing, not to mention Pyongyang and Tehran and terrorism, I think the burden of proof is on anyone who suggests that we should spend the next defense dollar doing military construction in Belgium for a headquarters that is doing quite well in Germany," he said. Bruno Lete, an analyst with the German Marshall Fund, warned if the plan goes through, there will be other costs, as well. "Germany has been traditionally and is still a very important hub for U.S. operations in North Africa and the Middle East," he told VOA. "There are important logistical centers there, command and control centers. If you reduce personnel from these hubs, basically your response time will be slower." Covid-19 is not just a public health crisis, its also a major environmental issue. Scientists have already linked coronavirus, along with a host of other deadly diseases, to human destruction of wildlife and land. While the pandemic has gravely impacted the fashion industry and many others, all of these issues are deeply intertwined. The pervasive exploitation of human labour, land grabs, widespread pollution, drought and more are what got us here. The fissures in the system seem to get deeper each day, revealing the industrys already broken bits: big box brands refuse to pay garment workers who already navigate low wages, poor working conditions, hunger, and sickness; small and big businesses are being forced to down shutters; some are filing for bankruptcy while others cling on by cutting hundreds of jobs. Countless lives are being lost while our economy is tanking, taking the fashion industry along with it. This month fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg announced the closure of 18 of her 19 stores. According to the New York Times, over 60 per cent of the corporate and retail staff in the United States, Britain and France were laid off with creditors complaining about unpaid bills. Reportedly the DVF brand, like many contemporary fashion companies, had been navigating business challenges for some time already but the pandemic pushed the brand over the edge. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated her government allocated Lodhi Estate house on Thursday, a day before the deadline for the eviction notice issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, officials aware of the development confirmed. Gandhi on July 1 was asked to vacate her bungalow, 35 Lodhi Estate in Delhi, within a month on the ground that she is ineligible for the entitlement, as she no longer enjoys the security cover of the Special Protection Group (SPG). She will be residing in a temporary accommodation until a more permanent accommodation in Delhi rented by her is ready for use, Congress said in a statement on Thursday. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra handed over the possession of 35 Lodhi Estate, previously allotted to her on Security Grounds, to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) today. JE of CPWD Shri. P Senthil Kumar in the presence of Shri. Vikas Rana, CE (NDZ-I) CPWD, Shri. Yogesh Kumar Kardam, AE (PAWD-I, CPWD), Shri. Manoj Kumar Chauhan, AE, CPWD Services, Shri B.S. Rana, JE (PAWD-I, CPWD) accepted the keys to the bungalow on behalf of the CPWD after a full inspection establishing that the house was handed over in good condition. They have issued her a Vacation Report for the premises on behalf of the CPWD, Congress said in a statement on Thursday. Hindustan Times has reviewed a copy of the vacation report issued on Thursday. The department of estate confirmed the development to HT. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs did not comment on the matter when contacted by HT. Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also passed on to the CPWD and the Directorate of Estates, a full inventory of privately installed fittings, fixtures etc. She has paid all electricity, water and previous dues and is awaiting the final assessment for the licence fee of the month of July from the Directorate of Estates due to her on the 31st July to close all accounts with reference to the allotment and subsequent cancellation of the lease of the government bungalow, Congress said. She was allotted the Lodhi Estate bungalow on February 21, 1997, as an SPG protectee. Priyanka Gandhi on July 14 had rubbished claims that she had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an extension of the tenure beyond August 1. This is FAKE NEWS. I have not made any such request to the government. As per the eviction letter handed to me on July 1, I will be vacating the government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate by August 1, she had tweeted. Urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri had alleged that a powerful Congress leader had requested him to let her stay on at 35 Lodhi Estate on July 4, three days after the eviction notice was served on her. Facts speak for themselves! A powerful Congress leader with much clout in the party called me on July 4 at 12.05 pm to request that 35, Lodhi Estate be allotted to another Congress MP so that Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra can stay on. Lets not sensationalise everything please, Puri had tweeted. In the order issued by the department of estate, the ministry had stated that any stay longer than August 1, the government order said, will attract damage charges and penal rent as per rules. Hours after the notice was served to her on July 1, she paid off all her pending dues, amounting to Rs 3,46,677, until June 30, the ministry had said. Upon withdrawal of SPG protection and grant of Z+ security cover my ministry of home affairs, which does not have provision for allotment/retention of government accommodation on security grounds to you, the allotment of Type 6B house No 35, Lodhi estate is cancelled, the notice had said. The allotment of Central government bungalows is done through the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Rules, 2017, of the directorate of estates. The ministry has already allotted the bungalow to Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Rajya Sabha member and party spokesperson, Anil Baluni. Officials familiar with the development told HT that the ministry has allotted the type 6B bungalow to Baluni. Talked to Mr Anil Baluni and his wife today. I pray to God for his good health and happiness. I give my best wishes to them for the new house and hope that they too get as much happiness in the house as I and my family got, Gandhi had tweeted on Monday. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A court has already ruled to remand the detainee in custody. A member of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation has been detained in the Russia-occupied city of Sevastopol on charges of "high treason on favor of Ukraine." "The Federal Security Service in Sevastopol detained a serviceman of the Black Sea Fleet, who was collecting and transferring to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine information constituting a state secret," the Russian FSB's press center told UNIAN. Read alsoFSB detains Ukrainian citizen in Russia-occupied Crimea "The FSB opened a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (high treason)," it said. A court has already ruled to remand the detainee in custody. WILMINGTON, Del. and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilmington Trust, a leader in corporate and institutional trust services, announces it has been appointed security trustee for Irish-based Nordic Aviation Capital ("NAC"), as part of the NAC's landmark US$6 billion debt restructuring, pursuant to a solvent scheme of arrangement sanctioned by the Irish High (Commercial) Court on 21 July 2020 following overwhelming creditor approval. The transaction allows NAC to standstill on and defer principal and interest payments on its debt for the next 6 to 12 months, amid the serious impact on the aviation industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As security trustee, Wilmington Trust will hold security in respect of a pool of 236 aircraft supporting various NAC debt facilities. "We're proud to have helped ensure a successful transaction that will allow NAC flexibility with its lenders during this unprecedented time," said Jean-Christophe Schroeder, Senior Vice President, Wilmington Trust. "Our appointment as security trustee highlights our continued leadership in loan agency services, particularly in the aviation industry." NAC is the industry's leading regional aircraft lessor serving approximately 75 airline customers in over 50 countries. NAC's current fleet of almost 500 aircraft includes ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Dash 8, CRJ900/1000, Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jet family aircraft. Wilmington Trust worked with Watson Farley & Williams as legal counsel on the appointment. The team supporting the transaction includes Elaine Lockhart, European Head of Agency; Caroline Magee, Managing Director Sales; Chris Hurford, Vice President; and Keith Reader, Vice President. Wilmington Trust is a leading provider of services to the loan market, including independent loan agency services, for some of the largest and most complex restructurings in the U.S. and Europe. Taking a non-lender role, the firm acts as a neutral, impartial agent on new originations and successor appointments. Its tenured staff, combined with its financial stability and quality of service make Wilmington Trust the agent of choice for banks, funds, debt advisors, and lawyers in need of an independent agent. Wilmington Trust is backed by the strength and stability of its parent company, M&T Bank, with $124.6 billion in balance sheet assets as of March 31, 2020. To learn more about Wilmington Trust's loan agency capabilities, visit the firm's Loan Agency Services webpage. ABOUT WILMINGTON TRUST Wilmington Trust, N.A. provides Corporate and Institutional Services including institutional trust, agency, asset management, retirement plan, agency, asset management, and administrative services for clients worldwide who use capital markets financing structures. Wilmington Trust provides direct trust, custody, and fiduciary services for retirement plans, companies, foundations, organizations and financial institutions. Wilmington Trust also provides Wealth Advisory services with a wide array of personal trust, financial planning, fiduciary, asset management, and family office solutions designed to help high-net-worth individuals and families grow, preserve, and transfer wealth. Wilmington Trust maintains offices throughout the United States and internationally in London, Paris, Dublin, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.WilmingtonTrust.com. MEDIA CONTACTS: Maya Dillon, Head of Communications, Wilmington Trust (212) 415-0557 Paul Merchan, Peppercomm (212) 931-6172 Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark. M&T Bank Corporation's European subsidiaries (Wilmington Trust (UK) Limited, Wilmington Trust (London) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (London) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (Dublin) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (Frankfurt) GmbH and Wilmington Trust SAS) provide international corporate and institutional services. M&T Bank Corporation's US subsidiaries [Wilmington Trust Company (operating in Delaware only) Wilmington Trust, N.A., M&T Bank and certain other US affiliates] provide various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services, including trustee, custodial, agency, investment management, and other services. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC. Not all services are available in all jurisdictions. SOURCE Wilmington Trust Related Links http://www.WilmingtonTrust.com (Photo : Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay) NASA is preparing Mars rover Perseverance for its launch. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is preparing its Mars rover, Perseverance, for its launch this Thursday, July 30, for its $2.4 billion mission to the Red Planet where it will seek to find ancient life. Preparation for Launch According to Reuters, the six-wheeled robot is also tasked with deploying a mini helicopter weighing four pounds (1.8 kilograms) called Ingenuity that will help test powered flight in Martian skies as well as for exploration. This will be the first time a man-made aircraft will fly in a new world. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in an interview that he can imagine a future wherein NASA would be able to send a robot on the planet that could deploy dozens of different helicopters that can help scientists on Earth explore it. The mission, which is the agency's ninth trek to Mars, is set to launch at 7:50 a.m. EST (1150 GMT) from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The car-sized Mars rover will be launching from the Boeing Lockhead (BA.N) (LMT.N) atop the Atlas 5 rocket, which is a joint venture with the United Launch Alliance. Read Also: Scientists Bring 100-Million-Year-Old Microbes Back to Life Boosting Hopes in Reviving Mars' Dormant Organisms Finding Life in Mars Perseverance is expected to reach Mars in February 2021, with people behind the robot planning its landing on a Martian crater called Jezero that is 820 feet deep that scientists believe is a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago. Experts believe this area holds potential traces of microbial Martian life. "This is unlike any robot that we've sent to Mars before because it has the purpose of astrobiology," Bridenstine said in an interview with the news outlet. "We are trying to find evidence of ancient life on another world." In order to find ancient Martian life, Perseverance will be collecting rock samples from the surface of the red planet, according to NASA Planetary Science Division director, Lori Glaze, in an interview with Al Jazeera. Future Mars Mission The robot will then enclose them in cigar-shaped capsules and then leave them scattered on the planet where a "fetch" rover will be retrieving them in the future. Nevertheless, the said rover is still being conceptualized by scientists over at NASA. The fetch rover will then launch the capsules back into space where they would link to a spacecraft that will come home around 2031, a decade after Perseverance officially began its search on Mars. "We know that we're going to make discoveries with the Mars Perseverance rover that are going to make us ask a whole lot more questions, just like every previous discovery," the NASA official further said. Besides Perseverance, the US space agency has also sent out Sojourner in 1997, which is the first Mars rover. Spirit and Opportunity came next, helping scientists map out the Martian landscape and enabled them to discover past water formations. NASA has also sent out three landers, namely, Pathfinder, InSight, and Phoenix. Anyone who wants to witness the launch of Mars rover Perseverance can do so via a live stream from NASA's official website for the mission. Read Also: NASA Confirm 'Rare' Asteroid Discovery of Students Warning About Near-Earth Object Passing in the Future This article is owned by TechTimes. Written by: Nhx Tingson 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. First, do no harm, Hippocrates advised the doctors of ancient Greece in his famous oath. Unfortunately, lawmakers need not take that oath. Thus we are poised to witness both houses of the state Legislature enact a bill to impose a 2.5 percent tax on health insurance - with the goal of making such insurance more affordable. But wouldnt such a tax raise the cost of health insurance? Thats what the Murphy administration argued last year when premiums rose by as much as 19 percent. Back then, the Division of Banking and Insurance made a point of blaming part of the rise on what was then a 2.75 percent federal tax on the plans. Then Congress canceled that tax as of Jan. 1 of next year. But the state will still receive the same subsidy for those who must purchase insurance on the Obamacare exchanges, which cover those with income up to 400 percent of the federal poverty line. Thats good news for the approximately 1.7 million New Jerseyans who would no longer have to pay the federal tax. But the new state tax is still needed, said state Sen. Joe Vitale, a Middlesex County Democrat who takes the lead on health issues for his party. The funding would provide revenue to further lower the cost of insurance for those buying it on the exchanges, Vitale said. Meanwhile the new funding would also permit the state to put more money into the reinsurance program, which covers extraordinary costs for those in conventional health insurance plans. Those in the exchanges will receive a greater subsidy that will lower the cost of their policies, Vitale said. The others will see lower premiums because the reinsurance program pays for extraordinary health care costs. But the state is still stuck with a remnant of Obamacare that didnt make a lot of sense in the first place, according to one leading economist in the field of health insurance. I emailed Mark V. Pauly of the University of Pennsylvania to ask for his opinion of the proposal now before the Legislature. They want to tax insurance for middle-class people to subsidize it for low-income people? he replied. It would be much fairer to tax the income of higher income people than to tax their insurance, since spending on insurance does not grow that rapidly with income. When I bounced that off Vitale, he said the economist had a good point in the abstract. But the reality is that the funding would have to come out of the budget and we barely have enough money to keep the lights on. Meanwhile the health insurance companies are flush with cash, Vitale said, because of the recent suspension of elective treatments due to the coronavirus crisis. Right now the industry is spending a million dollars flying banner planes over the beach, he said. The banner in question reads, Stop the New Tax on Health Insurance. It lists the website of the state chapter of a national group of employers and insurers called Stop the Health Insurance Tax. The line the group is pushing seems to have worked in all but a few states. At a hearing on the bill Tuesday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo said he supported the tax when it was applied on the federal level. But now that its been repealed, he said he would abstain on the bill imposing a tax on the state level. This is gonna put, I believe, just Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey with this, the Bergen County Democrat said. I really believe all states should be equal across the board. The Democrats had enough votes to get the bill out of committee despite the chairmans absention. It is expected to pass both houses Thursday and go to the governor for his signature. But Sarlo cautioned his fellow Democrats that it would be wise to defer a decision until after the November elections. We should wait and see how things turn out, Sarlo said, We have a major election in the next few months and Im sure there will be changes. Thats a safe bet regardless of who wins. If Joe Biden unseats President Trump, Biden can be expected to move the issue back to the federal level, where funding is easier to come by. If Trump wins, he can be expected to continue dismantling Obamacare. Either way, the Republicans can be expected to exploit a new tax in state elections next year. Declan OScanlon of Monmouth County gave a preview. Only in Trenton can we claim to make something less expensive by making it more expensive, OScanlon said. Perhaps the Democrats have a plan to make this all work out. But as that old doctor in the birthplace of democracy said 2,400 years ago, sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): The Parliamentary standing committee for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has called a meeting on Wednesday over the issue of international marriage rights. The two earlier meetings had been postponed due to quorum not being fulfilled, and members of the committee demanding discussions on the border issues with China, and Nepal, among other issues. The members had also flagged the issue of holding virtual meetings. Earlier this week, job losses due to COVID-19 and the need to boost startups were among the issues that figured in a meeting of a Parliamentary panel on commerce held on Monday. The meeting of the Standing Committee on Commerce on 'Attracting investment in the post-COVID economy, challenges and opportunities for India' was attended by senior officials of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. (ANI) Although he declined to name the gang, Lopez said he believes those responsible are the same people who threatened him in May 2017 when he said no innocent lives were lost here, after a shooting that killed Daniel Cordova, who police said had gang affiliations and then two others were killed when two masked gunmen opened fire with a rifle on a group congregating at Cordovas makeshift memorial. Regulatory News: Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) announces that its 58% owned affiliate Total Gabon has signed an agreement with Perenco to divest its interests in seven mature non-operated offshore fields, along with its interests and operatorship in the Cap Lopez oil terminal. The transaction remains subject to approval by the Gabonese authorities. The price to be paid by Perenco will be between $290 million and $350 million, depending on future Brent prices. The production divested by Total Gabon amounted to approximately 8,000 SEC barrels of oil per day in 2019. "This transaction demonstrates our ability to high grade Total E&P's portfolio by monetizing mature fields with high breakeven point," commented Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration Production at Total. "We remain fully committed to Gabon through our operated production clusters at Anguille-Mandji and Torpille-Baudroie-Merou, where we continue to maximize value for all stakeholders." List of assets included in the transaction Area Field Total Gabon's Interests Total Gabon's interest after the transaction Operator Grondin Grondin 65.275% 0% Perenco Oil Gas Gabon Gonelle 65.275% 0% Barbier 65.275% 0% Mandaros 65.275% 0% Torpille Girelle 65.275% 0% Pageau 65.275% 0% Hylia 37.5% 0% Cap Lopez oil terminal 100% 0% Total Gabon About Total Gabon Total has been operating in Gabon for more than 90 years and is a major player in the country's upstream and downstream businesses. In 2019, Total Gabon's SEC production came to around 33,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. About Total Total is a broad energy company that produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major. Cautionary Note This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TOTAL SE directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TOTAL SE has no liability for their acts or omissions. In this document, the terms "Total", "Total Group" and Group are sometimes used for convenience. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TOTAL SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729006157/en/ Contacts: Total Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 l presse@total.com l @TotalPress Investor Relations: +44 (0)207 719 7962 l ir@total.com India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent China not strategic threat to India: Chinese Ambassador India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, July 31: China is not a strategic threat to India, said Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said on Thursday, stressing that Beijing was committed to peaceful development and asked India to avoid "whirlpool of suspicion and confrontation". Addressing a webinar on India-China relations more than a month after armed clashes along the border in Ladakh, Weidong said an "invisible virus", a reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, is a bigger threat than China. Chinese and Australian envoys to India spar over South China Sea Priyanka Gandhi moves out of Lodhi estate bungalow before Centre's deadline | Oneindia News "To move China-India relations forward, I believe that we need to straighten our views on several key issues. First, China is committed to peaceful development, and is not a "strategic threat" to India," he said in a tweet after the webinar. "Invisible virus rather than China is the threat. It is short-sighted & harmful to deny long history of peaceful co-existence between China & India & portray our friendly neighbour for thousands of years as opponent & strategic threat due to temporary differences & difficulties," he added. China has firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests. We have never been aggressive & pursued own development at expense of other countries. "Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, & Xizang affairs are totally China's internal affairs & bear on China's sovereignty & security. While China doesn't interfere in other country's internal affairs, it allows no external interference & never trades its core interests either," the envoy tweeted. Its been very difficult communicating with Chicago Public Schools and not having the fullness of their plan, Davis Gates said. This is just the beginning. We are encouraged by parent voices, but we would like to take it one step further. We believe we should have open bargaining, that parents and the community should be at the table too. Australian Man Allegedly Robs Coles Express With a Samurai Sword A man has allegedly robbed a western Sydney Coles Express petrol station on July 29, wielding a samurai sword. Police alleged the man entered the service station in the early hours of the morning, around 3 am, and approached the counter inside the service station on Parramatta Road in Lidcombe. He allegedly proceeded to produce a samurai sword from under his shirt and threatened a staff member with harm unless he was given money from the register. The staff member complied and handed over an unknown amount. It is alleged that upon receiving the money, the suspect ran out of the service station to a parked vehicle, leaving the scene of the alleged crime. The male staff member was not hurt during the ordeal, and detectives from the Auburn Police Area Command are appealing for anyone with any information to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Teenager Arrested for Armed Robberies The robbery comes after New South Wales State Crime Commands Robbery and Serious Crime Squad established Strike Force Nyrang to investigate a string of armed robberies at service stations in Sandgate, Williamtown, and Wallsend. According to NSW police on July 28, Strike Force Nyrang officers arrested and charged a 36-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy for a string of armed robberies and the attempted break and enters of two liquor stores in Medowie and Elermore Vale. The arrests came after police arrested and charged the teenager with the alleged armed robbery of the service station at Newcastle Road, Wallsend on June 1. Following further inquiries, police detectives re-arrested the 14-year-old, along with the 36-year-old man. The teenager was charged with additional offences, including three counts of aggravated break and enter and steal in company, three counts of robbery whilst armed with an offensive weapon and attempted aggravated break, enter and steal. The 36-year-old man was charged with two counts of robbery whilst armed with an offensive weapon, two counts of attempted aggravated break, enter and steal in company, and one count of aggravated break, enter and steal. The pair, who are known to each other, were both refused bail and appeared in the Childrens Court and the Raymond Terrace Court on July 29. Harare (AFP) - The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday sought $250 million in extra funding for a "rapidly expanding emergency operation" in Zimbabwe where it said nearly two-thirds of the population will face hunger by year's end. The WFP warned that aid is needed now to prevent a humanitarian "catastrophe" resulting from the combined impact of a drought, a dire economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. The southern African country has been hit by a poor harvest, while galloping inflation has rendered basic goods out of reach for most people. The coronavirus outbreak has only exacerbated the country's dire economic and hunger crises. The number of recorded cases in Zimbabwe has climbed to 2,879 including 41 deaths. The WFP projected that some 8.6 million people, "a staggering 60 percent of the population", will require food aid due to the "combined effects of drought, economic recession and the pandemic", it said in a statement. Government last week reinforced a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, which WFP said "has precipitated massive joblessness in urban areas, while rural hunger is accelerating because now unemployed migrants are returning to their villages and the absence of the vital remittances they provided is more keenly felt". "Many Zimbabwean families are suffering the ravages of acute hunger, and their plight will get worse before it gets better," warned Lola Castro, WFP's regional director for Southern Africa. "We need the international community to step up now to help us prevent a potential humanitarian catastrophe," she said. Inflation, hovering above 700 percent, has left most of the country's 14.4 million inhabitants unable to afford basics, including the staple corn meal, whose price doubled last month. (Newser) Former US Marine Trevor Reed drank too much vodka at a farewell party in Moscow last summer. Now, he might not be saying farewell to the country until 2029. A Russian court sentenced the Texan to nine years in prison Thursday for allegedly attacking a police officer, just short of the maximum sentence prosecutors had asked for, NBC News reports. Reed, 29, says he has no memory of the events that led to the charge. He spent the summer of 2019 in Moscow, visiting his Russian girlfriend and learning the language. According to a website set up by his family, Reed was encouraged to drink numerous toasts at the party and "became nauseated and wanted to get out of the vehicle" while sharing a ride home with his girlfriend and other partygoers. story continues below After he "started running around near a busy boulevard late at night," one of his girlfriend's co-workers called police and left the scene, the family says. Police say they arrested him as he argued with two womenand while being transported to the police station, he attacked the driver, hit another officer, and caused the car to swerve. He was charged with "using violence to endanger the life or health of a government official performing his duties." Reed's family, however, says video evidence shows the car didn't swerve, the Washington Post reports. His girlfriend says she was following the police carand observed that not only did it not swerve, Reed was asleep in the back seat. In his trial's closing arguments Wednesday, Reed, who has been in custody since the August 2019 incident, said he refused to plead guilty to a crime he didn't commit. (Read more Russia stories.) Sandra Snyder Schoellkopf, executive vice president of marketing and business development at Snyder Corp., told the Buffalo Place board of directors Wednesday that the hotel would reopen Sept. 1. But Walter said that's not "written in stone." "It's certainly a goal of mine, but I can't say," Walter said. "Theres a lot of moving parts that have to be worked out before we can actually open it. Its an important piece of the community. Theres a lot of employees that Im certainly very concerned about, and the goal is to make sure we do everything we can to keep this asset and the folks that work there an ongoing operation." It is uncertain what name the hotel would carry. That's because Hyatt Hotels Corp. is now free to withdraw from operating and managing the Hyatt Regency, after the hotel's owner failed to comply with terms set by Supreme Court Justice Emilio Colaiacovo as a condition for a preliminary injunction blocking Hyatt's move to end its management agreement for the property. The hotel chain announced in May that it would end its affiliation and management agreement with Snyder's Genesee Hotel Properties LLC, which had been in effect since 1982. The coronavirus pandemic might have left many restaurants empty, but one establishment in Tokyo is relying on some model customers to enforce social distancing: life-like mannequins keeping diners from getting too close. Masato Takemine's Chinese restaurant looks busy even as many businesses in the city deal with a dearth of clientele, with ladies in ornate Chinese-style dresses and a girl in a kimono among those seated at his tables. But the 16 customers are actually mannequins he has placed randomly at tables to keep diners from getting too close. "At first I removed some of the tables to have more space in between, but it then looked so lonely, as if the restaurant was under renovation," Takemine told AFP. "With these mannequins, the restaurant looks busy from the outside, and I can make sure customers are distancing themselves. "It's also fun, giving us a jolly feeling," he giggled. While Japan has avoided the devastating tolls since in places hit hardest by the coronavirus, many restaurants shut their doors during a state of emergency and even after it was lifted in May, the industry has seen customers shun eating out. Takemine's restaurant Kirin Saikan in downtown Tokyo reopened in late May but sees about half the number the customers it did before the virus, he said. Among those returning was 51-year-old Tetsuya Kimura, who said he was startled when he walked through the entrance curtains for the first time after the reopening and saw the mannequins. "These dolls look so real that I need some time to get used to them," he said, tucking into a bowl of noodles at a table he was sharing with a child mannequin. Takeichi Otomo, 82, another frequent customer at the restaurant, said he struggled to not look too shocked at the beginning. "I still get startled when I come here," he said with a straight face. "This is a crazy idea!" While the mannequins keep the restaurant from feeling too empty, Takemine said he often thinks with longing about when his customers could visit with family and friends and enjoy carefree laughs and chats over platters to share. "I don't think we can go back to those times for many months," he said. "I am just hoping we will return to normal while creating an environment where people can eat and drink safely." KABUL (Reuters) - At least 18 people, including Afghan security forces personnel, were killed in a suspected car-bombing in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, hours before a three-day ceasefire was to begin in the country for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, officials said. The ceasefire, announced by the Taliban, comes at a time violence has risen across the war-torn country as U.S.-brokered peace talks between the militant group and an Afghan government-mandated committee await the completion of a prisoner exchange between the two sides. The Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing in a statement from spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The explosion targeted Afghan security forces in Pul-e-Alan, the capital of the eastern province of Logar and civilian casualties are also feared, according to Shahpoor Ahmadzai, the spokesman for the provincial police. He added it was unclear whether it was a car or suicide bombing, but that security forces had gathered for duty in the city to prepare for security measures for Eid al-Fitr, which will be celebrated in Afghanistan on Friday. The head of the province's council, Hasib Stanekkzai, told Reuters it was a car-bombing and put the toll at 18 dead and 22 injured. Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February, 3,560 Afghan security forces personnel have been killed in attacks by militants, according to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report this week that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed in the first six months of the year, mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and the Taliban. U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul on Wednesday to discuss the need to keep violence down by all sides after the ceasefire and the completion of the prisoner exchange, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi in Kabul and Ahmad Sultan in Nangarhar; Writing by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Mark Potter) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:49:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Tourists shop at a duty-free wristwatch store in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Aug. 1, 2020. China's island province of Hainan has recorded 2.22 billion yuan (about 317.45 million U.S. dollars) in duty-free shopping by tourists from July 1 to 27, up 234.19 percent from the same period last year, the General Administration of Customs said Thursday. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu) BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China's island province of Hainan has recorded 2.22 billion yuan (about 317.45 million U.S. dollars) in duty-free shopping by tourists from July 1 to 27, up 234.19 percent from the same period last year, the General Administration of Customs said Thursday. During the period, about 281,000 tourists visited the island, up 42.71 percent year on year. Starting from July 1, Hainan has increased its annual tax-free shopping quota from 30,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan per person each year. The range of duty-free goods has also expanded, growing from 38 categories to 45, while the previous tax-free limit of 8,000 yuan for a single product has been lifted. China released a master plan in early June on building the southern island province into a globally influential free trade port. Enditem Prince George's County in Maryland is targeting large parties at private homes and considering rolling back permitted activities after a recent rise in coronavirus cases. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, said Thursday that new cases in the county began to rise after the July 4 holiday weekend, driven in large part by family gatherings and parties. Leaders across the Washington region have taken actions in recent days to slow an increase in infections that started earlier this month. Prince George's recorded 581 new cases the week of June 28 to July 4, compared to 909 new cases the week of July 12 to July 18, according to county data. Hospitalizations have also increased, as has the test positivity rate, which is 5.8%. "Covid is still in our community, and it is still spreading," Alsobrooks said in a news conference. "We have to be very, very vigilant. We are still very much on the line." Echoing numbers Republican Gov. Larry Hogan cited a day earlier, Alsobrooks said contact tracing statewide shows 44% of new infections are among people who have been at family gatherings and 23% report having been at a house party. She said she is working with county Health Officer Ernest Carter to determine if restrictions need to be rolled back, but said she does not believe such actions are necessary. But she warned that residents need to remain vigilant to avoid additional restrictions. Alsobrooks said compliance teams have visited more than 200 businesses countywide to ensure they are following guidelines on masks and social distancing. She said one business, a marshal arts facility that was not practicing social distancing, was shut down. She also said that at least one private home - the Broadwater mansion in Upper Marlboro - has been barred from having parties after complaints from neighbors that hundreds were gathering at pool parties. "No more parties with hundreds of people in attendance," she said, warning that those who violate an order barring gatherings of more than 100 people could be charged with a misdemeanor. The police department said in a statement that officers were twice called to the mansion this past weekend and dispersed large crowds. The estate is owned by former state Sen. Tommie Broadwater, who wasn't immediately available to comment. Hogan on Wednesday expanded Maryland's mandate for face coverings, requiring residents older than 5 to wear masks while indoors in public spaces and outdoors when social distancing is not possible. He also warned against travel to states with high levels of novel coronavirus infections, ordering residents to be tested and quarantine until they receive results. D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a similar mask mandate last week and a more strict travel advisory that requires self-quarantining after arrival from 27 states. In Virginia, officials on Tuesday pulled back on some activities that previously were allowed in the hard-hit Hampton Roads area. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam announced early closing times for restaurants while limiting the capacity for indoor dining, among other restrictions. D.C., Maryland and Virginia reported 1,861 new cases Thursday, bringing the region's total number of cases to 188,138 since the start of the pandemic. The District reported 58 new cases and no deaths, Maryland reported 892 cases and 10 deaths, while Virginia reported 911 new cases and 16 deaths. The region's number of infections has increased since the start of July. The seven-day average of new cases in Maryland, Virginia and the District has hovered near 2,000 in recent days, near the average through much of May during the pandemic's peak. Hospitalizations also have risen in the region, with 2,029 patients in hospitals Thursday for coronavirus-related complications, up from a low of 1,283 earlier this month. The regional death toll has declined despite the rise in cases. The pandemic continues to take an economic toll, with Labor Department figures released Thursday showing residents of D.C., Virginia and Maryland filed 61,112 new jobless claims for the week ending July 25. That's up from 58,241 a week earlier. Maryland and D.C. saw slight drops in the number of unemployment claims while that number increased in Virginia. Marylanders filed 11,974 claims and District residents filed 2,614. Virginia included the bulk of the region's claims with 46,524 new filings. More than 1.5 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in the greater Washington region since the start of the pandemic. Nationally, the economy has shrunk dramatically in recent months, marking the biggest decline in more than seven decades. The analysts might have been a bit too bullish on Edison International (NYSE:EIX), given that the company fell short of expectations when it released its second-quarter results last week. It wasn't a great result overall - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at US$3.0b, statutory earnings missed forecasts by an incredible 27%, coming in at just US$0.85 per share. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year. Check out our latest analysis for Edison International Following the latest results, Edison International's eleven analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$13.2b in 2020. This would be an okay 5.7% improvement in sales compared to the last 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are predicted to surge 40% to US$4.32. Before this earnings report, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of US$13.2b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$4.22 in 2020. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates. There's been no major changes to the consensus price target of US$67.82, suggesting that the improved earnings per share outlook is not enough to have a long-term positive impact on the stock's valuation. That's not the only conclusion we can draw from this data however, as some investors also like to consider the spread in estimates when evaluating analyst price targets. There are some variant perceptions on Edison International, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$86.00 and the most bearish at US$58.00 per share. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Edison International shareholders. Story continues These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Edison International's past performance and to peers in the same industry. It's clear from the latest estimates that Edison International's rate of growth is expected to accelerate meaningfully, with the forecast 5.7% revenue growth noticeably faster than its historical growth of 1.4%p.a. over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to grow their revenue at 3.2% per year. Factoring in the forecast acceleration in revenue, it's pretty clear that Edison International is expected to grow much faster than its 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 Edison International following these results. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - and our data suggests that revenues are expected to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. 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. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Edison International going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.. And what about risks? Every company has them, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Edison International (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about. 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. Shelby Township officials are making it easier to connect with both River Bends Park and the Macomb-Orchard Trail bike trail after approving plans for a local connector. The Board of Trustees approved a plan to use existing sidewalks and trails to connect River Bends Park, located near 22 Mile Road and Shelby Road, to the Macomb-Orchard Trail, roughly four to five miles to the northwest. The connector will also link users to the statewide Iron-Belle Trail, which runs more than 2,000 miles from Belle Isle in Detroit to the far western tip of the Upper Peninsula. Trustee Lisa Casali, who sits on the township sidewalk committee, presented the plan to the board. She said the original trail, which was decided on years ago, was planned in 14 segments with three complete and the remaining sections set to cost about $12 million. But is was determined that the challenges and costs were too high. The county suggested rerouting up out of River Bends Park, up Ryan Road over to 23 Mile Road connecting to Gene Shepherd Park on to the Clinton River Trail, Casali said. At that point, we decided that the county will continue with the major spine of the Iron Belle Trail with an estimated time frame of five to eight years and a cost of $10-12 million. And the township came up with an alternative plan involving the local connector. The connector will cost $160,000, mainly for engineering, sidewalk improvements, signage and striping, and will use existing sidewalks and paths. It will exit River Bends Park to the north, head east on 22 Mile Road, north on Shelby Road, connect with Mound Road north and then west on 24 Mile Road. The Macomb-Orchard Trail connects with 24 Mile Road between Shelby Road and Dequindre. While the township is funding the local connector with a combination of capital improvement funds and monies from its sidewalk budget, Macomb County is working on the major spine with a planned path from River Bends Park, north up Ryan Road and west on 23 Mile Road. This local trail is needed because the main spine of Iron Belle through Shelby Township is very costly and wouldnt be created for years, Casali said. We wanted to offer a connector to trails within the year. Casali admitted it seems more practical to use Shelby Road to connect to 24 Mile Road rather than Mound, but the trustee said Shelby is a busier road, and Mound is a quieter, safer alternative. In addition, there currently is no sidewalk for a section of Shelby Road north of its intersection with Mound. A portion of it was done in 2019, Casali said, with the remainder out for bid and expected to be completed in September or October. Plans also call for sidewalk to be added from Mound to Shelby and into the park from 24 Mile Road. Further north, there is no sidewalk on the south side of 24 Mile Road between Mound and Shelby roads, although there is a sidewalk on the north side. When a sidewalk is installed on the south side of 24 Mile Road, path users will not have to cross 24 Mile Road to head west to the Macomb-Orchard Trail. That sidewalk is expected to be finished in 2021. In addition to staking out a local route on the Iron Belle Trail, the local connector directly opens up River Bends Park, Gene Shepherd Park, the Macomb Orchard Trail and Stony Creek Metropark to more township residents. With the local connector, we can complete, in one year at a cost much less to the township, a connection to River Bends Park to the Clinton River Trail and connect many residents to the Macomb Orchard Trail to Gene Shepherd Park right from their homes, Casali said. Now, residents dont need a bike rack on their car and drive to a parking lot to access our parks; 4,500 homes and 15,000 residents can now access our new local connector to River Bends Park, and 7,350 homes and 24,300 residents will have access to the Iron Belle Trail from their home. Throne of King Ghezo, Abomey, Dahomey, Republique du Benin, now in Musee du Quai Branly, Paris, France. 30.07.2020 LISTEN The French government examined on 15 July, a draft law(projet de loi) which would authorize the government to restitute to Benin 26 artefacts that are in the Musee du quai Branly- Jacques Chirac and to Senegal, the sword and scabbard of El Haji Omar Saidou Tall, a Muslim leader and founder of the Toucouleur Empire who fought the French colonialists in the 1850s. (1) The sword of Omar Tall which was kept at the Musee de lArmee, Paris, has been already sent to Senegal which displays it at the new Museum of Black Civilizations, Dakar. The new law would simply confirm legally the transfer of full ownership rights in the sword to Senegal. Readers may recall that various articles pointed out in the past that the main obstacle to French restitution of looted African artefacts was the existence of a rule in French law that prevented the transfer of objects that are in the State domain, the so-called law against alienability. Most of the looted artefacts are in the State domain as administered by the museums which are all public institutions. A transfer of rights in such artefacts would be against current French law. The Sarr-Savoy report recommended a modification of the law. (2) This is what the proposed legislation aims at. The draft law goes now to parliament for approval. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe symbolically handing over to Senegalese President Macky Sall the sword of Omar Saidou Tall, who led resistance against the French in 1857-1859. Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe symbolically handing over to Senegalese President Macky Sall the sword and scabbard of Omar Saidou Tall, who led resistance against the French in 1857-1859. This new draft law constitutes an exception to the general principle of inalienability. The proposal builds on precedents set by the cases of the transfer of the mummified body of Saartjie Bartman in 2002 to South Africa, the Maori skulls in 2010 to New Zealand, and the return of the Korean manuscripts in 2011 to South Korea. (3) Macron Promises To Return African Artefacts In French Museums: A New Era In African-European Relationships Or A Mirage? Royal statues, Dahomey, Republic of Benin, now in Musee du quai Branly, Paris, France. Left, King Glele, half-lion, half- man. Centre, King Ghezo, half-bird, half-man. Right, King Behanzin, half-shark, half-man. With this new proposed law, President Macron will be fulfilling the historic promise he made at Ouagadougou in 2018: I cannot accept that a large part of cultural heritage from several African countries is in France. There are historical explanations for that, but there are no valid justifications that are durable and unconditional. African heritage cannot just be in European private collections and museums. African heritage must be highlighted in Paris, but also in Dakar, in Lagos, in Cotonou. In the next five years, I want the conditions to be met for the temporary or permanent restitution of African heritage to Africa. This will be one of my priorities. (4) The exception to the rule of inalienability has been made to implement the promise of the president and in the context of the international cooperation agreements between France and its former French African colonies. The restitution would have to be made within a year after the entry into force of the new law. French army enters Abomey,1893 By the new draft law, Macron not only fulfils a promise but also gives the lie to those who were complaining that a year had passed since the Sarr-Savoy report was presented to Macron and yet nothing had happened. There were those who declared that the France was dragging its feet on restitution. To our surprise many seem to have expected restitution to be effected as soon as the ground-breaking report by Sarr-Savoy was presented to the French president. We had to write on time factor on matters of restitution explaining, inter alia, that France and Benin have agreed to postpone the restitution until 2021 when the new museum in Abomey would be ready. (5) The way then is open to further restitution of looted African artefacts in France. The nature of this new draft law and the precise language used in the text suggest that it authorizes only the mentioned objects, 26 Benin objects and the sword of Omar to be restituted. This would mean that every restitution would have to be specifically designated in the law unless later judicial interpretation reads the text as general authorization to the government to restitute African artefacts that were collected under similar circumstances as those of the 26 Benin artefacts and the sword of Omar. We doubt whether such an interpretation would be legitimate. The report of the government on the proposed law to the Conseil dEtat stated clearly, that this is a limited derogation from the general principle of inalienability for transfer of the named artefacts to Benin and to Senegal. (6) This new law is a specific derogation from the general rule on inalienability which is not questioned and remains applicable. But can France, pays de la liberte, egalite, fraternite afford to continue holding illegally the artefacts of African peoples who were subjugated by France in the colonial era? Can co-operation with the African peoples be fully achieved when Africans bear a grudge against France for still holding on to objects looted in the colonial period? Can France deny to Cote dIvoire what it has given to Benin and Senegal? Can France refuse Ghana what it has given to Senegal? France would have to examine seriously a rule that prohibits transferring objects from the national domain even if the objects were stolen or mistakenly entered as State property. Either the French courts interpret the new law as applicable to all African States that can establish that their artefacts were stolen in the same or similar circumstances as those of Benin or a new general exception to the rule of inalienability would have to be made for looted African artefacts. Thus, restitution of African artefacts still has a long way to go despite the presence of this historic exception to the general rule of inalienability of State property. Face pendant, Baule, Cote d'Ivoire, now in Musee du quai Branly, Paris, France. Face pendant Baule, Cote dIvoire, now in Musee du quai Branly, Paris, France. It is encouraging that France will be returning few objects to Benin and Senegal as an exception to the rule against alienation, but should this exception not be general so that the other looted African artefacts could be returned soon? France cannot go on forever pleading the obstacle of the rule against alienation which is purely an internal rule and thus not binding on other States. African peoples cannot be frustrated by an internal rule of the former colonial State. It is up to the State concerned to find a way out of laws preventing implementation of an international or moral duty. The French rule cannot bind the African peoples. Accumulated frustration in the end may result in unexpected behaviour such as occurred recently when some young Africans decided to seize, in colonial style, an African artefact with the intention of returning it to Africa. (7) Felwine Sarr, Senegal, and Benedicte Savoy, France, in the courtyard of College de France, Paris, where they prepared their famous ground-breaking report on restitution of African cultural heritage,2018. Africa is forever grateful. Felwine Sarr, Senegal, and Benedicte Savoy, France, in the courtyard of College de France, Paris, where they prepared their famous ground-breaking report on restitution of African cultural heritage,2018. Africa is forever grateful. In a note accompanying the draft law, it is explained that no norm of international law binding on internal law is applicable to the artefacts in question. The UNESCO Convention of 1970 is declared not applicable to the artefacts in question it being non-retroactive. What is not mentioned in the avis of the Conseil dEtat is that: 1.Withholding the artefacts of the African countries is against numerous UNESCO/ United Nations resolutions that have been passed since 1972 urging Member States to return looted artefacts to their countries of origin. (8) 2. Continued withholding of looted artefacts constitute violation of human rights of the African peoples as provided for in several instruments-Convention on Human Rights, Convention on Human Rights of Indigenous peoples. (9) 3. Retention of looted artefacts is contrary to resolutions of various conferences such as United Nations Conference on Return of Cultural Property,1958 and against the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums. What has to be considered in this matter is also the fact that looting or stealing the property of others has always been considered as morally wrong and there is a corresponding obligation to return such objects in due course. Can France, pays de la liberte, egalite, fraternite afford to continue holding illegally the artefacts of African peoples who were subjugated by France in the colonial era? Can co-operation with the African peoples be fully achieved when Africans bear a grudge against France for still holding on to objects looted in the colonial period? Can France deny to Cote dIvoire what it has given to Benin and Senegal? Can France refuse Ghana what it has given to Senegal? Royal Seat of the Kingdom of Dahomey, now in m Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac President Macron must be praised for not only exposing the underlying injustice in Europeans holding on to looted African artefacts but for taking concrete steps to make such restitution possible in France. This act is in itself a revolutionary gesture. Governments and museums in United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and others have not gone far in restitution despite the recent flurry of expressions of solidarity with African and Black peoples by Western museums in the wake of protests by the Black Lives Matters movement. (10) These expressions of sympathy and solidarity only helped to increase resentment of Africans and persons of African descendants against the museums that seem to have forgotten the close and inherent relationship between colonialism, racism, and the museums that keep African artefacts that were looted during the colonial era. The Arts Council England has given out a contract for the preparation of rules for handling colonial artefacts that should be presented in this autumn. But even before the report has been completed, those making the report have already declared their report would not change UK governments position on restitution. (11) This is a very curious attitude. Normally, we would expect the report to be completed before any such assessment is made by the government or the institution that gave out the contract. But here we have the opinion of those making the study even before their work is finished. The British Museum and other British museums, within the framework of the Benin Dialogue Group, have declared their willingness to offer short-term loans of the Benin artefacts to Nigeria. (12) Door of the Royal Palace at Abomey, looted by General Dodds in 1892 One good news from the United Kingdom is the recent report, Return of the Icons by AFFORD (African Foundation for Development)which advocates the restitution of looted African artefacts in the United Kingdom. I was particularly pleased to read, in connection with a survey, that Diaspora respondents were overwhelmingly(approximately80%of all respondents) in favour of the return of stolen African artefacts and human remains to their countries and communities of origin.(13) This should put an end to all temptations on the part of the holders of looted African artefacts to try to argue explicitly or implicitly that the presence of an African diaspora in their countries somehow justifies or necessitates the holding of looted African artefacts in their museums. They insinuate that they need these objects in order to teach the African diaspora about the culture of their forebears. Neil MacGregor and James Cuno sometimes veered in this direction. Fortunately, the African diaspora sees easily through the tactics involved here and insists that the artefacts be returned to where they were stolen. With regard to restitution of African artefacts in United Kingdom, we must recall the valiant efforts of Bernie Grant, Labour Member of Parliament, who repeatedly brought the issue of the Benin artefacts to the attention of the British Parliament and received unconvincing answers such as those still being presented by the holders of looted artefacts. The exchange of letters of Bernie Grant and museum directors makes useful and interesting reading. (14) Toyin Agbetu and the Pan-African NGO Ligali had similar exchange of letters with Neil MacGregor concerning the Benin artefacts. (15) Also noteworthy was the march from the Africa House Kingsway to the British Museum organized by Agbetu and Ligali that unsettled a few spirits at the British Museum. The presence of so many Africans at the same time in the museum seemed to disturb officials of the museum. Belgium has now set up a group comprised of parliamentarians and representatives of the African diaspora in Belgium to study the issues of restitution and make recommendations. Debates in Belgium were so acrimonious that King Philippe refused to attend the inaugural opening of the renovated Africa Museum. (16) Despite an agreement on main principles regarding restitution of looted colonial artefacts by the culture ministers of the German Federal States, not much progress has been made regarding effective restitution.(17) Humboldt Forum, the $700m museum in Berlin that has postponed its opening to 2021 is still determined to display looted African artefacts and shows no inclination to restitution of looted African art. The recent rethinking of many museums on slavery, colonialism and slavery has not affected the managers of the controversial museum. On the contrary, they have placed a golden Christian cross on the building. (18) In the Netherlands, the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (NMVW) which comprises the Amsterdam Tropenmuseum, Museum Volkenkunde, Leiden and the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, issued a set of rules entitled Return of Cultural Objects: Principles and Process Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen. These rules are intended to govern procedure by which requests for return of colonial objects can be submitted. So far, no concrete restitutions of African artefacts have been effected. (19) Funerary Crown, Dahomey, Benin, now in Musee du Quai Branly, Paris Funerary Crown, Dahomey, Republic of Benin, now in Musee du Quai Branly,-Jacques Chirac, Paris. In Portugal, the debate on restitution of African artefacts has not really started and when the Parliamentarian, Joacine Katar Moreira raised the issue in the National Assembly in Lisbon, she was heavily criticised and subjected to racist attacks from right-wing elements. The motion she tabled was that the patrimony of the former colonies now in Portuguese museums and national archives should be identified, reclaimed and restituted to their countries of origin. (20) Other European countries such as Italy, Ireland, Sweden, and Norway have not shown any readiness to solve the problem of holding looted African artefacts and yet they do possess African artefacts of dubious provenance. It can be said that, on the whole, Europeans have not yet completely accepted that looting of artefacts of others is wrong and that after 100 years of illegal detention, these artefacts should be returned to their owners in Africa without pre-conditions. They still hold on to ill-gotten objects and talk without shame about loans of the looted artefacts to their owners. They seem to believe they have a God-given right and duty to supervise and control Africans in their use of their resources and their artefacts. It is this racist believe that makes every discussion on restitution a difficult task. The socialization of most Western museum officials make it difficult for them to understand racism and its effects on its victims. Throne of Glele, Dahomey, Republic of Benin, now in Musee du Quai Branly, Paris ,France. France has adopted a better position but still has to do more to ensure quicker restitution. Above all, there should not be any unnecessary delay due to French internal law or the need to study the artefacts. Returning a sword back to Senegal is praiseworthy but what about the other 2276 Senegalese artefacts that are still in the Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac? Would it be necessary to pass a new law for each of the 70,000 looted African objects said to be in the Musee? And what about the rest of the 3157 Benin artefacts that are still in the Musee du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac? How long will it take to return even a tenth of these artefacts? (21) At a time of awakening of many persons to the evils of slavery and colonialism and the damages caused by racism, we would expect Western States and their museums to undertake seriously to return looted African artefacts. France has taken a first necessary legal step, however inadequate. Those in Britain and elsewhere who complain that existing legislations prevent them from restituting undoubtedly looted objects should finally start instituting a process that will lead to modification of old laws so that they might be able to do what is right. They cannot go on for another hundred years blaming the state of the law without at least asking their legislatures to modify the inhibiting laws. Statue feminine, bois dur, or, laiton, corail, perles de verre, noix de coco, fibres vegetales, coton, 44 cm, Cote d'Ivoire, region des Lagunes, style Female statue, Attie Cote dIvoire, now in Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, France. France, Britain, Germany, Holland, and other Western States, steal our cultural artefacts and after 100 years, agree to talk about these precious objects. Yet the arguments presented to justify their holding of our looted artefacts are the same old and weak excuses that cannot erase the initial wrongdoing which involved violent destruction of Africans lives and property for which there has so far not been any compensation. What do these States understand by friendship? Friends that refuse to say sorry for their mistakes and still carry on with arrogance and a superiority complex that rejects any possibility of wrongdoing after massacres and genocides recorded by their own historians. At the basis of all this is the belief in their inherent superiority bolstered by the so-called Enlightenment that actually provided the philosophical basis for the racism that continues to be our major problem. An innocent bystander hearing a debate on restitution may be forgiven for thinking that Queen-mother Idia was an Anglo-Saxon queen and that Nefertiti was a Teutonic goddess from Berlin that Africans, for some unknown reason, are asking the Europeans to lend them. Europeans appear as owners and Africans as beggars. The true histories of the violent acquisitions by invading Western armies and the destruction of African cities, for example, Benin City, Kumasi and Maqdala are seldom fully told even by scholars who pretend to be friends of Africa. 12112018124525 1j041q5ccw image003 Among the impressive African objects in the Pavillon des Sessions is this sculpture of Gou, God of war, that the French looted in 1892 from the former French colony, Dahomey, now Republic of Benin. African States and organizations must finally impress on Western States and institutions that the quest for the restitution of looted African artefacts is an essential element of our Independence that cannot be regarded as complete until a large part of the artefacts are back home; that they are serious about this quest and intend to use all possible means to resolve this issue which has been pending for more than a hundred years. The recent African Union establishment of a committee of Heads of States to speed up the return of cultural assets should show some results soon. (22) Above all, we hope the African States will finally send written requests for the restitution of their looted artefacts to France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and other Western States. Kwame Opoku. Behanzin ,king of Dahomey, sent into exile in Martinique in 1894 by the French colonialists. NOTES. 1.https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/content/download/16943/168527/version/2/file/ei_micx2004812L_cm_15.07.2020.pdf https://www.artforum.com/news/france-takes-legal-steps-toward-restitution-of-african-objects-83593 https://apnews.com/7f421d0fcc23d986e37c60971f99bbf0 France looks at law for returning colonial-era artifacts - The ... www.washingtonpost.com museums 2020/07/16 https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/french-cabinet-approves-law-allowing-restitutions-to-benin-and-senegal 2. http://restitutionreport2018.com/sarr_savoy_en.pdf 3. Ibid. See also http://restitutionreport2018.com/sarr_savoy_en.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Baartman https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16695330#:~:text=French%20authorities%20have%20returned%2020,of%20campaigning%20from%20New%20Zealand. http://www.elginism.com/similar-cases/the-korean-royal-manuscripts-return/20120130/3937/ 4. https://www.pambazuka.org/pan-africanism/macgregor%E2%80%99s-defence-humboldt-forum-post-ouagadougou-shadow-boxing 5. Why France is dragging its feet to repatriate looted African artworks https://www.theafricareport.com/23025/why-france-is-dragging-its-feet-to-repatriate-looted-afri https://www.theartnewspaper.com/comment/one-year-after-sarr-savoy-where-are-we-on-colonial-restitution One year after the Sarr-Savoy report, France has lost its momentum in the restitution debate al.uk.com/one-year-after-the-sarr-savoy-report-france-has-lost-its-momentum-in-the-restitution- Some Have Waited For 100 Years; Others Are Tired After Few Months: Time in Restitution Matters, https://www.modernghana.com/news/968851/some-have-waited-for-100-years-others-are-tired.html 6. par une derogation limitee, encadree et circonstanciee au principe dinalienabilite des collections publiques francaises, qui nest ainsi pas remis en cause, le transfert de propriete de ces uvres a la Republique du Benin ainsi que, dans les memes termes, dun sabre avec fourreau appartenant egalement aux collections nationales a la Republique du Senegal. Avis de Conseil dEtat 7. Activists Try to Steal African Artifact from Quai Branly Museum ...www.artnews.com art-news news quai-branly-prot... 8. It is absolutely amazing how Western States have refused systematically since 1972 to pay attention to the resolutions of the United Nations/UNESCO requesting Member States to return looted artefacts to their countries of origin. They should not be surprised that if they choose to be deaf in this area, other States may also choose to be deaf in other areas. Resolution 3026 A (XXVII) of 18 December 1972 Resolution 3148 (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973 Resolution 3187 (XXVIII) of 18 December 1973 Resolution 3391 (XXX) of 19 November 1975 Resolution 31/40 of 30 November 1976 Resolution 32/18 of 11 November 1977 Resolution 33/50 of 14 December 1978 Resolution 34/64 of 29 November 1979 Resolutions 35/127 and 35/128 of 11 December 1980 Resolution 36/64 of 27 November 1981 Resolution 38/34 of 25 November 1983 Resolution 40/19 of 21 November 1985 Resolution 42/7 of 22 October 1987 Resolution 44/18 of 6 November 1989 Resolution 46/10 of 22 October 1991 Resolution 48/15 of 2 November 1993 Resolution 50/56 of 11 December 1995 Resolution 52/24 of 25 November 1997 Resolution 54/190 of 17 December 1999 Resolution 56/97 of 14 December 2001 Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003 by the Security Council of the UN concerning Iraq Resolution 58/17 of 3 December 2003 Resolution 61/52 of 4 December 2006 Resolution 64/78 of 7 December 2009 Resolution A.67/L.34 of 5 December 2012 Resolution A/RES/70/76 of 9 December 2015 Resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly about ... www.unesco.org/.../culture/...cultural-property/resolutions-adopted. 9. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right,6 December 1966. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,13 September 2007. 10. British Museum Supports Aims and Objectives of Black Lives Matter? The Height of Hypocrisy! https://www.modernghana.com/news/1009442/british-museum-supports-aims-and-objectives-of.html 11.Even English Institutions Are Discussing Restitution: Effects OF Sarr-Savoy Report? https://www.modernghana.com/news/980840/even-english-institutions-are-discussing-restituti.html 12. Benin Dialogue Group Removes Restitution of Benin Artefacts From Its Agenda https://www.modernghana.com/news/924239/benin-dialogue-group-removes-restitution-of-benin.html 13. AFFORD publishes guiding documents in Return of the Icons campaign https://www.afford-uk.org/afford-publishes-guiding-documents-in-return-of-the-icons-campaign/14. Benin Bronzes Campaign Files | The Bernie Grant Archive https://berniegrantarchive.org.uk/category/african-reparations-movement-records/benin-bronzes-campaign-files/ n The exchange of letters between Bernie Grant and Julian Spalding, Director of Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Glasgow can be found also in Peju Layiwola, Benin 1897.com Art and the Restitution Question, Wy Art Editions, 2019 15. On the continuing British inability or unwillingness to restitute artefacts one may gain by looking at an NGO such as Ligali and its activities to advance the cause of the African peoples. Here is a note from the homepage of Ligali. The WalkIncludes restored uncensored footage On 27 March 2007, a Pan Africanist named Toyin Agbetu challenged the British Government, Monarchy and Church as they gathered to hold a religious celebration for the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in Westminster Abbey, England. The ritual, which made no mention of the Haitian Revolution, the Middle Passage and the African freedom fighters that ended Britains system of transatlantic and colonial enslavement focused on the acts of parliamentarian William Wilberforce. Watch the restored uncensored footage of what happened that day and afterwards when the African community in Britain stood beside him - from his arrest and incarceration to the eventual dropping of all criminal charges. Their journey took them from Westminster Abbey, outside Downing Street, the National Portrait Gallery, Africa House and eventually to the belongings of their Ancestors still illegally held captive in the British Museum. This is the story of their walk 16. Will Belgium Hear the Call for Restitution of Looted African Artefact? https://www.modernghana.com/news/898611/will-belgium-hear-the-call-for-restitution-of-loot.html 17. Culture ministers from 16 German states agree to repatriate https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/culture-ministers-from-16-german-states https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ministers-all-16-german-states-agree-move-forwa 18. Golden Cross on Humboldt Forum: Arrogance, Stubbornness, Provocation and Defiance https://www.modernghana.com/author/KwameOpoku 19. Are Dutch Museums Really Moving Ahead In Restitution of .Looted Artefacts? https://www.modernghana.com/news/926797/are-dutch-museums-really-moving-ahead-in-restituti.html 20., Will Portugal be the last former colonialist State to restitute looted African artefacts? https://www.modernghana.com/news/986892/will-portugal-be-the-last-former-colonialist-state.html 21. See Annex I for a list of number of looted African artefacts in Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac. 22. See Annex II for a recent African Union press release on restitution. ANNEX. I LISTS OF AFRICAN ARTEFACTS IN FRANCE,MUSEE DU QUAI BRANLY-JACQUES CHIRAC( Published in Sarr-Savoy Report on Restitution) ANNEX II AFRICAN UNION PRESS RELEASE ON RESTITUTION On the sidelines of the 33rd Assembly of the African Union held in Addis Ababa, twelve Heads of State solemnly accepted the invitation of His Excellency Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of the Republic of Mali, African Union leader for Arts, Culture and Heritage to act as co-champions. Upon his designation as African Union Leader for Arts, Culture and Heritage, His Excellency the President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, found it appropriate to establish a presidential level structure to carry out his mission. Thus, he invited twelve Heads of State to join him in a Council of the Peers. The twelve Heads of State, from the five regions of the continent, are: President of Cape Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca. President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo. President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. President of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso. President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi. Kingdom of Morocco, His Majesty Mohamed VI. President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi. President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. President of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Mrs Sahle-Work Zewde . President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. President of Namibia, Hage Geingob. The mandate of the Council is to formulate strategic orientations and to ensure that these orientations are taken into account in the activities of the African Union (AU). The members of this Council are also expected to play the role of leadership, advocacy and facilitation at the sub-regional level. At the inaugural meeting of the Council, the twelve Heads of State committed themselves to give a pride of place to culture, arts and heritage. In that framework, they adopted a draft resolution that will tabled with a view to declaring 2021 as the year of culture: In addition, the twelve co-leaders commit themselves to: advocate for the ratification of the Charter for the African Cultural Renaissance. gather political and financial commitment of the member States for the African World Heritage Fund. promote culture as a tool for peace- building. develop creative industries generating economic development and outreach. preserve and develop African languages as a vehicle of communication, knowledge and culture; and speed up the return of cultural assets. On all these subjects, the countries will work together with the relevant organs of the African Union and according to a principle of subsidiarity. For further information please contact: Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission | Tel: +251911361185 | E-mail: [email protected] | www.au.int |Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Directorate of Information and Communications | African Union Commission | Tel: Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Ext: 2573| E-mail: [email protected] | www.au.int |Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: [email protected] I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube PressRelease,10 February 2020. Musee des Civilisations Noires, Dakar, Senegal. . 12112018124525 otkvn0y442 image005 Ato ceremony, Kingdom of Dahomey, Republic of Benin, displayed at Musee du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, France. HARWELL, UK (30 July 2020) The Faraday Institution has selected its first six Industry Fellowships in an innovative new programme to strengthen ties between battery researchers working in industry and academia. Each fellowship will enable academics and industrialists to undertake a mutually beneficial, electrochemical energy storage research project that aims to solve a critical industrial problem and that has the potential for near- and longer-term benefit to the wider UK battery industry. The funding to be provided by the Faraday Institution in this first round of industry fellowships totals 270,000, with the projects lasting between 6 and 24 months. "This is the Faraday Institution's latest initiative to deliver application-inspired battery research as part of our mission to accelerate breakthroughs in energy storage technologies." said Ian Ellerington, Head of Technology Transfer at the Faraday Institution. "The programme joins our Entrepreneurial Fellowships, Industry Sprints and our main research projects, all targeted at achieving industry-defined goals." Introducing the Fellowships: Coventry University will work with CB2Tech - a spin-out from Prof. Clare Grey's group at the University of Cambridge - to demonstrate the high-power potential of niobium tungsten oxides in prototype lithium-ion battery cells of standard commercial sizes. These new anode materials show potential in improving fast charging capabilities without reducing battery lifetime. Imperial College London will work with Ilika Technologies to deploy its physics-based battery modelling expertise, including that developed within the Faraday Institution Multi-scale Modelling project, to help Ilika's cell developers optimise and develop larger format solid-state batteries. Cranfield University will work with Delta Motorsport to explore potential applications of artificial intelligence to develop novel temperature prediction techniques that improve the performance of battery thermal management systems, bringing possible benefits to battery performance and lifespan. The University of Sheffield will work with PV3 Technologies to develop processes to control particle morphology and size for next-generation high-nickel cathode materials in a continuous manufacturing process, as part of a long-term aim of maximising battery performance and reducing manufacturing costs. The University of Sussex will work with CDO2, a business incubator and centre for research commercialisation, to characterise and understand the capability of a newly developed device based on quantum magnetometer technology that could potentially be used to improve the prediction of state-of-health and state-of-charge on-board electric vehicles. The University of Strathclyde will also work with CDO2 to design a micro-electrochemical system (MEMS) fabrication process for a new type of magnetometer to enable its miniaturisation and potential use as a low-cost sensor in battery management systems, helping to estimate state-of-charge and -health and to detect faults early. Ian Ellerington continues, "We are particularly pleased that four of the successful applicants are new to the Faraday Institution programme: Coventry University, Cranfield University, University of Sussex and the University of Strathclyde." Each fellowship will enable a university researcher to work in an industry setting, or a scientist employed in industry to work on a project within a university department. The projects will begin at an appropriate time as laboratories reopen after the enforced lockdown period. Three of the six projects will enable early career academics to gain valuable career development experience in industry. The personal and corporate links established by the fellows are likely to seed longer-term collaborations between the two sectors. ### Applications for future Industry Fellowships remain open: Application form. Guidelines. Contact for applications: Craig Chapling. For more information on the Faraday Institution, visit http://www.faraday.ac.uk and follow @FaradayInst on twitter. President Donald Trump said one-time Republican presidential candidate 'passed away from the China virus' Thursday as he offered a tribute at the start of a coronavirus briefing. Trump used the term which critics say is racist as he called Cain 'a very special person' hours after the 74-year-old's death was announced. The president did not address Cain's final days which started with him being taken to the hospital suffering from the virus nine days after going to the disastrous Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and speaking out against wearing masks. 'I begin by expressing our sadness at the passing of a wonderful man,' Trump said. 'He was a very special person. Unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus. 'We send out prayers to Herman's great wife, Gloria. And I have to say, America grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans that had their lives taken by this horrible, invisible enemy.' Cain, a cancer survivor, left his widow and daughter Melanie and son Victor. He has spent almost a month in the hospital before his death. President Donald Trump (left) shared this photo with Herman Cain (right) on Twitter Thursday, calling him a 'great friend.' Cain's website and employer announced Thursday morning that Cain had died of COVID-19. He tested positive nine days after going to Trump's Tulsa rally Trump said he called the family of the late Cain. Last spring Trump had nominated Cain to be a member of the Federal Reserve's board of governors, but Senate Republicans tanked the choice. The image is likely from a Situation Room meeting during this time Trump had earlier tweeted a tribute calling him 'an American patriot and a great friend,' adding: 'Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest in Peace!' Trump also shared a photo of the two men together in what looks to be the White House's Situation Room. Cain had been called to the Situation Room during the spring of 2019 when he was being considered for a spot on the Federal Reserve's board of governors. Senate Republicans had balked at the idea, essentially dooming Cain's nomination. Among the issues which were raised when his name was floated were accusations of sexual harassment, and the long-time mistress who doomed his presidential cmapaign in 2011 saying she would testify at his confirmation hearing. His complete lack of experience as an economist was also highlighted. More recently Cain had taken a position at Newsmax, which reported both his hospitalization for COVID-19 and his death Thursday morning. The news was also posted on his personal website. Cain had been in an Atlanta-area hospital for breathing issues for almost a month. He had attended Trump's disastrous June 20th rally in Tulsa, where eight members of the advance team tested positive for the coronavirus and the campaign staff had to self-isolate afterward in case of infection. He tested positive for the virus nine days later. Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had tweeted about Cain's life. 'Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit,' she wrote. 'Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.' Herman Cain, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, joined Newsmax recently and the media organization reported his death Thursday. Cain had been on a ventilator at an Atlanta-area hospital and was admitted on July 1 Herman Cain died of COVID-19. He attended President Trump's June 20th rally in Tulsa, where he tweeted the above photo Few attendees wore masks or socially distanced at President Donald Trump's Tulsa, Oklahoma rally Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany sent out a tweet saying Hermain Cain 'embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit' On July 1, the same day Herman Cain was taken by ambulance to the hospital as his breathing worsened, he put out a tweet complimenting South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for not making social distancing and mask-wearing mandatory at Trump's July 3 appearance in her state Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt was seated near Hermain Cain at the June 20 rally in Tulsa. Stitt previously announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 HERMAN CAIN'S FINAL DAYS June 20: Herman Cain attend's President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally and posts a photo of himself not wearing a mask June 29: Cain tests positive for COVID-19 July 1: Cain is taken to the hospital by ambulance for COVID-19 July 1: Cain tweets in appreciation that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem isn't forcing mask-wearing at Trump's Mt. Rushmore speech July 27: Aides tweet that he is being treated with 'oxygen for his lungs' but 'his other organs and systems are strong' July 30: Cain dies of COVID-19 Advertisement At age 74, Cain was in the high-risk group for the virus because of his age. He's also a cancer survivor - in 2006, Cain had a diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer, which also had spread to his liver. He tweeted a photo of himself in the stands with the words: 'Heres just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonights rally! Having a fantastic time!' His staff said in a statement there is 'no way to know for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus.' Cain had traveled to multiple cities in June, Newsmax reported. As well as announcing his death, Cain's staff deleted a tweet sent on the day he entered hospital praising South Dakota for not mandating masks at Trump's Mt. Rushmore address before July 4, and saying: 'PEOPLE ARE FED UP!' He tested positive on June 29 and was hospitalized on July 1. Cain was not wearing a mask nor following social distancing protocols in the photo from the Tulsa event. He was seated near Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had previously announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Rally attendees had to sign off on legal language promising not to sue the Trump campaign if they contracted COVID-19. The rally, which only had 6,200 attendees in an event space that could hold 19,000 - did not turn into the campaign comeback the Trump team had hoped for. The president came under fire for holding a rally as coronavirus cases were rising in Oklahoma and several states as the reopening process picked up. Few attendees wore masks or socially distanced. Local health officials on the ground cautioned against the rally and a group of businesses sued to stop it - a legal move that failed. Herman Cain is photographed at a campaign rally - complete with 'Yes We Cain' signs in the background - in Nashua, New Hampshire in November 2011 Herman Cain (center right) stands alongside some of the other 2012 GOP hopefuls including Texas Gov. Rick Perry (left), now Sen. Mitt Romney (center left) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (right) Hermain Cain was chosen to deliver Tea Party Express' response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in January 2012. He spoke at the National Press Club in Washington The major candidates for the 2012 GOP nomination included (from left): Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, now Sen. Mitt Romney, Hermain Cain, Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Ron Paul and Gov. Jon Huntsman Herman Cain (center), who died at age 74, debates in November 2011 alongside now Sen. Mitt Romney (left) and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right), formerly President Donald Trump's secretary of Energy Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is captured campaigning during the 2012 election cycle in Cookeville, Tennessee After pulling out of the 2012 GOP primary before any votes were cast, Hermain Cain remained involved in Republican Party politics. Here he's appearing at teh 2014 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana Trump postponed it by one day when it was originally scheduled for Juneteenth, the day that slavery officially ended in the U.S. For weeks, Black Lives Matter protests had been taking place around the country after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer. Having the rally in Tulsa was also controversial, because the city had one of the worst race riots in the country in 1921. That anniversary had just passed on May 31. Additionally, an outdoor speech the president was scheduled to give for those who couldn't make it into the BOK Center, where the rally took place, was canceled when he was in route to Tulsa because the expected overflow crowds never materialized. The Trump campaign bragged they had given away 1 million tickets but many of those were online tricksters, who signed up for the free tickets but had no intention of attending. Trump was reportedly furious when he saw the sea of empty blue seats waiting for him that night although the White House denied any anger on his part. And he was criticized for using the racist phrase 'Kung flu' when talking about COVID-19. He also said he ordered less testing once he heard cases were on the rise - a statement White House officials later rushed to say was a joke. Additionally, the Washington Post reported that videos and photos emerged showing that before the rally, workers removed thousands of 'Do Not Sit Here, Please!' stickers from seats in the BOK Center that were intended to mark recommended distances between attendees. President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally ended up being a disaster instead of the campaign comeback it was designed to be Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, ran for the 2012 presidential nomination. His catchy 9-9-9 tax plan and strong debate performances made him a serious contender. But, in November 2011, he faced allegations of sexual misconduct all which he denied and suspended his campaign in December. Cain had been accused by two women of sexual harassment when he served as CEO of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. Later two more women came forward. Cain acknowledged that the restaurant organization made financial settlements to the complainants but denied any wrong doing. But his campaign was not able to recover from the scandal. In April 2019, Trump considered Cain for an appointment to the Federal Reserve Board but he withdrew himself from consideration after several Republican senators said they would not vote for his confirmation. Cain's death comes two days after the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent conservative group known for its young star Charlie Kirk, died of COVID-19 complications. Co-founder Bill Montgomery died at age 80, according to Politico. MICHIGAN With the coronavirus pandemic still raging across Michigan, absentee voting and voting by mail has become more prominent this election cycle. As such, the Michigan Secretary of State has put out guidelines for how to register for absentee and early voting for those who choose not to participate in in-person voting this year, including the upcoming primary election on Aug. 4. In this years primary election, there will be five candidates total running for the Michigan 10th congressional districts Democratic and Republican party nominations, and two candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Michigans 84th district for the state legislature. Michigan residents can register to vote up until Election Day, though since it is within two weeks of that day, they must register in person at a city or township clerks office. In order to obtain an absentee ballot, voters must submit a request to their local clerk by one of the following ways: Apply online for an online absentee voter ballot at www.michigan.gov/vote with a valid Michigan drivers license or other identification. Download and complete an absentee voter ballot or write out a request for an absent voter ballot and sign it. For those who have registered for early voting, the ballots mailed to your home must be returned to the clerks office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots will not be counted if the signature on the outside of the return envelope does not match the signature on file. As this is a primary election, voters must choose whether to vote for candidates for either the Republican or Democratic primaries. Voters trying to vote in both primaries will not have their votes counted. The state of Michigan has said that voting by mail is secure and that forging someones signature on an application and submitting it to receive a ballot is prosecuted as a felony. Michigan clerks are instructed to contact voters without delay if there is an issue with their ballot. In-person voting will be available in every jurisdiction and will be in accordance with social distancing and safety protocols to ensure the safety of voters and election workers. People can find their polling place or clerks office and whether their ballot has been received at www.michigan.gov/vote. More election-related material can be found at www.michigan.gov/sos. We read a lot about the lack of sufficient testing facilities, test result turnaround, and contact tracing, but it didnt feel real to me until I had to test it out for myself. Our family was just beginning a new routine that had a sense of normalcy. Our 7-year-old was at camp and our 3-year-old at day care. Drop-off was different and everyone was wearing masks, but mom and dad got to focus on work while the kids were enjoying playtime with friends, after nearly four months of rarely leaving the house and being together all hours of the day and night. You know what Im talking about. So, imagine how deflating it was to wake up with a sinus headache, a tight chest, and 10 sneezes in a row. Was it a cold, the flu, the coronavirus? Right now, how would we know? I kept the boys home and set out to get tested for COVID. I went to the nearest drive-thru, no prescription test facility. It was quick with a swab stuck way in the back of my nose, but the real pain was the lab which was backed up for 5-7 business days. That would mean Id have to put life on hold for a full week, and worry. Id have to ask the sitter whod come one afternoon last week to get tested, and Id need to tell the kids programs. My kids would need to get tested to get back in, in either case. Obviously, that was too long to wait. Later that day, I went to a local urgent care for another COVID test that came with a maddening 7-10 day result estimate. Without same day results, I had to start the information cascade. For the next three days, quarantine felt real in a new way. I set up telehealth appointments for the kids who were put on a wait list for Greenwich Hospital. Stamford Hospital requires prescriptions, so we would have had to go additional doctors for ourselves. On the fifth day, we found an urgent care in Stamford, known to have the rapid test. We put our family on a wait list at 9 a.m.; No. 45 with an approximate wait time of five hours. At 4 p.m., we called to check in. We were squeezed in as the last patients of the day; we all got our noses swabbed and received our negative results in just a few minutes. It was a relief, but also a reality check. I had to go unwind that cascade. Yes, testing will make it possible for us to open for business and get back to school and life. But, for five days, I was out of work. On the honor system, I kept my healthy kids home, and many around town were on high alert, unnecessarily. Eight days later, I got both negative results from the first day. If the tests had been positive there was plenty of time to infect others and the contact tracing would be irrelevant. Connecticut has been one the most successful states in getting the coronavirus under control, due in large part to effective governance. Were living the benefits here in Greenwich. But it is very clear why testing must be well-coordinated, easy to access, low to no cost, and instant. It is time to make the connections were less than 100 days out from an election where no Republican should get your votes; the party near and far undermines our health care systems and has supported the worlds worst leader in the combat of the coronavirus. Vote them all out so we can get back to our lives, safely. Lorelei OHagan is a Cos Cob resident. PITTSFIELD A Pittsfield man found not guilty by reason of insanity in a first-degree murder trial was ordered by the court to serve 100 years in a mental health facility. Based on an initial placement recommendation report provided by McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield and written victim impact statements provided by the victims family, Judge Frank McCartney ruled during a court appearance last week that David M. Sampley, 65, is in need of mental health service on an in-patient basis in a secure setting, according to court records. Sampley was ordered into the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services for treatment. McCartney found Sampley not guilty of all charges by reason of insanity during a June 5 stipulated bench trial. Sampley originally was arrested on charges of domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery and aggravated criminal sexual assault in connection with the June 2018 death of Sharon K. Welch, 61, of Pittsfield. Sampleys attorneys provided testimony from Springfield-based psychologist Terry Killian saying it was reasonable to conclude that Sampley was insane and not able to appreciate the criminality of the actions of which he was accused. There also was support for declaring Sampley insane from the victims family. According to police and court records, Welch was strangled, a sock had been forced into her mouth, she had been walked on, and she was sexually assaulted. Welch was found unresponsive when Pittsfield police and Pike County sheriffs deputies responded to a June 4, 2018, domestic-disturbance call. She later died at Illini Community Hospital. The maximum sentence for the most serious charge of which Sampley was acquitted first-degree murder is 100 years. Sampley was credited for 781 days served since his arrest. The Department of Human Services is authorized to grant unsupervised grounds privileges and supervised off-grounds privileges to Sampley at the discretion of the facility director. The department must submit 90-day progress reports to the court. Sampley is being held at McFarland Mental Health Center for treatment. Brussels, July 30 : The European Commission said that it has signed a 63 million-euro contract with American pharmaceutical company Gilead to secure doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, for the treatment of COVID-19. The Commission said in a statement on Wednesday that batches of Veklury will be made available to the EU member states and the UK from early August, reports Xinhua news agency. The distribution will be coordinated by the European Commission. Remdesivir was the first medicine authorized at the EU level for treatment of COVID-19 after the European Commission fast-tracked the request for authorization earlier this month. At the time, media reported that the US had locked down all the production for July and 90 per cent of it for August and September. But EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides was upbeat about the drug reaching Europe. "In recent weeks, the Commission has been working tirelessly with Gilead to reach an agreement to ensure that stocks of the first treatment authorized against COVID-19 are delivered to the EU," she said in the statement. Kyriakides said the contract, funded by the Commission's Emergency Support Instrument, was signed on Tuesday, and thus would enable the provision of the medicine for the treatment of around 30,000 European patients presenting severe COVID-19 symptoms, helping cover the current needs. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control will be involved in the allocation at the EU level to ensure fair distribution. The Commission said it was preparing a joint procurement for more supplies of the medicine for the period of October onwards. Remdesivir is a treatment against COVID-19 for adults and adolescents as from age 12 with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen. Its producer Gilead must submit the final reports of the Remdesivir studies by December as part of the conditions to move from a conditional marketing authorization to a full marketing authorization. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Despite the resources devoted to preventing sexual assault in the military, significant shortfalls and oversights are leaving troops vulnerable, Defense Department officials and outside advocates testified to the House Armed Services subcommittee on Military Personnel on Wednesday. During the hearing, several panelists drew attention to shortcomings in the military's sexual crime prevention efforts. Read Next: Air Force Special Operations Approves First Beard, Turban Waiver for Sikh Airman In the wake of the Vanessa Guillen case, six personnel from U.S. Army Forces Command's Office of Inspector General, augmented by a trainer from the service's Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program and a special victim's counsel from the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, conducted an inspection of the SHARP program and command climate at Fort Hood, Texas, on June 27, said Col. Patrick Wempe, Command Inspector General at FORSCOM. The base visit concluded July 3. According to an anonymous written survey of more than 225 soldiers at Fort Hood, a majority said they would report if they had been sexually harassed, and nearly all said their leaders take reports of sexual harassment and assault seriously. "The level of trust in their leadership was high -- 94 percent, based on the survey," Wempe said. "The willingness to report both assault and harassment were 84 percent and 87 percent, respectively." Troublingly, as cited by USA Today and other outlets, the survey found that more than one-third of female Fort Hood soldiers who took the survey reported experiencing sexual harassment. Wempe said sexual crime victims are concerned about how they will be perceived by others, which is "one of those various reasons that victims indicated they would not report" incidents. Dr. Nate Galbreath, deputy director of the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), called for sophisticated training for SHARP officers to learn to assist sexual harassment victims in a respectful way. All soldiers receive basic SHARP training within 14 days of joining the military, according to Galbreath. "In addition," he said, "we've taken a number of different efforts since May 2019 to ensure junior leaders and first-line supervisors will have the skills to be able to address this behavior." In light of statistics showing the prevalence of sexual harassment, Galbreath acknowledged that service members are not getting the education they need about unacceptable behavior, despite the SHARP training they undergo when they join the Army. The service announced July 10 it would commence a broader, independent review of "command climate and culture" at Fort Hood. On Thursday, the Army named the five civilian experts who will undertake the review, and said they will assess "historical data and conduct interviews with military members, civilians and members of the local community." Guillen, 20, was last seen April 22 in a parking lot at Hood. Her body was found June 30 at the Leon River in Bell County, Texas, according to U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. The suspect, Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, took his own life July 1 after police confronted him in Killeen, Texas. Another civilian suspect was arrested and charged with helping Robinson dismember Guillen's body, officials said. "Fort Hood is becoming a hot spot," said Lucy Del Gaudio, an Army veteran and activist at the grass-roots effort seeking justice for Guillen. "Twenty-three soldiers have died or been found dead in Fort Hood this year, which begs for question." Del Gaudio called for the Army to set up gender-specific conversations for soldiers who report sexual harassment and assault in the military community. "It should be an independent party practice when it comes to survey initiation." "Fear of retaliation, as expressed by Spc. Guillen to her family regarding her own sexual harassment, remains a driver for a majority of military sexual trauma survivors to remain silent," said Melissa Bryant, an Army veteran and part of the grass-roots movement. "The latest data shows 64% of women who reported sexual harassment face retaliation," she added, "and 66% of retaliation reports alleged that retaliators were in the reporters' chain [of command]." Bryant urged Congress to consider legislative amendments related to changing the report chain within the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act She called for "allowing removal of bias in the chain of command and taking it to a special prosecutor to be able to have impartiality, investigations, and prosecutions of sex crimes in the military." "Service members everywhere have bravely raised their voices to demand accountability to call out their perpetrators and demand change now," said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., chairwoman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on Military Personnel. "Sexual harassment, sexual assault and retaliation are never acceptable." Related: Soldier Vanessa Guillen's Murder Now a Rallying Cry for Lawmakers Yet the vast fleet is in international waters, outside a maritime border around the Galapagos and also outside coastal waters off Ecuador, which controls the archipelago. That means the fleet, one of the biggest seen in years off South Americas Pacific coast, is likely to fish with minimal monitoring until its holds are full. Atlanta, GA, July 30, 2020 Breckenridge Insurance Group welcomes Sheree Davis to the company as a senior vice president, program director. Davis has more than 30 years of insurance industry experience with significant operations, underwriting and management skills. She will be leading the start-up of a General Agency operation and launch of a non-standard auto insurance program in Texas and reporting to Dennis DiCapua, president of the Blue River Underwriters program division. For the past six years, Davis was vice president of underwriting and operations for Apollo Managing General Agency having established the many varied processes and systems to support their growth. Prior to Apollo, she held a similar position with Newport General Agency which was acquired by AmWINS. Her additional underwriting leadership roles were at Harbor Insurance Managers and North American Managing General Agency. She also worked for Tri-Star Insurance Agency and American Hallmark Insurance Company early in her career. Im looking forward to collaborating with Sheree again as weve had great success working together in the past, stated DiCapua. With the resources and relationships of Breckenridge to kickstart this new program and our investment in the latest technology for non-standard auto product delivery, were well positioned to offer agents something integral to their business he added. Davis commented, I am excited to develop a new non-standard auto program as part of the Breckenridge team. My longstanding commitment to underwriting best practices, knowledge of operations and experience with this technology-driven distribution model, are being put to immediate use. Davis can be reached at sdavis@breckgen.com or 940.367.0898. BLUE RIVER UNDERWRITERS is a national program administrator with managing general underwriting and managing general agent authority for several programs with top-rated international carriers. The team partners with select retail and wholesale insurance agents to deliver industry and risk insights and solutions for diverse insureds from Roofing Contractors to Outdoor entities. Blue River Underwriters continues to build its reputation for quality coverage, competitive rates, and unparalleled service with ten offices nationwide and is a part of the Breckenridge Insurance Group. BRECKENRIDGE INSURANCE GROUP, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is an international specialty wholesale insurance broker, program manager, managing general agent (MGA) and insurance services provider. The company offers access to diverse range of commercial insurance and financial services products to businesses and professional services firms in a variety of industries. The company serves independent insurance agents, brokers, and financial institutions nationally by way of Blue River Underwriters, OSC, Breckenridge Insurance Services brokerage and contract binding, and Southeastern Underwriters, Inc. For more information, please visit WWW.BRECKGRP.COM or call 855.728.8822. CA Insurance License #0G13592 Media Contact: Caren Henry 267.961.8252 chenry@breckgrp.com Topics Agencies Underwriting Insurance Wholesale BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German specialty chemicals company Covestro (CVVTF.PK, COVTY.PK), at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, proposed a dividend of 1.20 euros a share, only half of the originally planned 2.40 euros. Further, the company said it expects savings of 130 million euros with actions for sustainably improving efficiency through 'Perspective' program. In its short-term cost-saving program that was bolstered in the course of the corona crisis, the company now expects to reduce costs by an additional 300 million euros instead of the 200 million euros that had planned originally. The company also said it will invest 700 million euros in the current fiscal year. That is about 200 million euros less than originally intended. In Germany, following agreement with employee representatives, the company is adjusting salaries of all employees and at the same time shorten working hours. This applies for six months through the end of November In Germany, Covestro shares were trading at 34.92 euros, down 1.80 percent. 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. Four members of the Kumasi Club, a 93-year-old social club in the Ashanti regional capital, narrowly escaped custodial sentence after they were convicted of contempt by a High Court in Kumasi. The four - Kwame Brenyah, Norman Owusu Barnie, Charles Asabere and Henry Asumadu - were sentenced to two weeks imprisonment each upon their conviction. However, upon an immediate application for a review of the custodial sentence by counsel for the respondents, Mr Asante Krobea, the court presided over by Justice Ali Baba Abature reviewed the sentence to a fine of GH6,000 each or in default, they would go to jail for two weeks. The four were found to be in contempt of the court for going ahead to hold a meeting of the club while there was a case pending before the court disputing the eligibility of the convicts as club leaders. The Kumasi Club, formerly known as the European Club, draws its membership from highly trained professionals living in the Ashanti Region. In his application for the review of the sentence, Mr Krobea told the court that one of the convicts was incapacitated while another was also very advanced in age. Counsel said with the increased rate of the coronavirus infection, it would not be good to impose a custodial sentence on the convicts and therefore prayed the court to review the sentence to a fine. Even though the applicants lawyer, Mr. Justice Abdulai opposed the application for review of the sentence and rather prayed the court to increase it, Justice Abature acquiesced to the application by lawyer for the convicts and accordingly reviewed the custodial sentence to a fine. In March, this year, the chairman of the Kumasi Club and three others applied to the High Court to cite the convicts for contempt of the court when they failed to wait for the outcome of a pending case at the high court, challenging them as directors of the club and went ahead to hold a meeting to remove the applicants as directors of the club. Aside from this case, the applicants also averred that they filed a motion of injunction to stop them from going ahead with the said meeting and to await the outcome of the substantive case. In his ruling, Justice Abature noted that the main objective of the offence of contempt of the court, was to protect the dignity of the court. It is in the general interest of members of the community that the authority vested in the court to protect them is not trampled upon. Any act which therefore seeks to emasculate the authority of the court should not be countenanced. The members of the community must at all times have confidence and hope in the authority of the court to deliver justice, he said. He explained that contempt of court was to prevent unjustified interference in the authority of the court. It is not to protect the dignity of any individual but the overall dignity of the justice delivery machinery, he said. Justice Abature added: Thus, by the respondents having knowledge of pending action to stop them from getting involved in the administration of the Kumasi Club as directors pending the outcome of the substantive matter between them and the applicants on the affairs of the club at the High Court, but still went ahead to hold a meeting when there is a pending litigation about that very act, amounts to contempt of the court hearing the litigation at hand. 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. Featured Video It's time to wrap things up for the night - thanks very much for reading along today. It's been another tough day of news, especially for Victoria. Today in a nutshell: - It's been the worst day of the pandemic for Victoria. Thirteen more families are grieving the death of their relative this evening, while there was a staggering 723 new positive cases in the state. The grim result smashes the previous record of 532 infections announced on Monday. It is also now the state's deadliest day, overtaking the previous peak of 10. - New restrictions were announced for regional Victoria. From 11.59pm on Thursday six new local government areas will no longer be able to host any visitors in their homes. In another significant announcement, face coverings outside the home will also be mandatory for all Victorians from midnight on Sunday. - In NSW, several venues affected by COVID-19 in Crows Nest, Marrickville and Surry Hills have been linked to clusters as six mysterious cases remain under investigation in NSW. The state confirmed 18 new cases on Thursday morning with a third of those not yet linked to known clusters. -In Queensland, police accused a trio of women who triggered a health emergency in south-east Queensland of illegally hosting a party in Melbourne's CBD that resulted in two arrests and $30,000 worth of fines. This is Rachael Dexter signing off. As always, if you appreciate our COVID-19 coverage and are an avid reader of the blog, please consider taking out a subscription to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald to support what we do. Stay safe, look after one another - and goodnight. Ghanas COVID-19 case count has risen to 35,501. This was after 359 new cases have been recorded. The death toll has also risen to 182 after seven more deaths since the last update. The active cases of the virus stand at 3,223 with 32,090 persons recovering or being discharged. The new cases were reported from 41 districts in 10 regions. The Eastern Region Recorded the highest number of new cases with 112. The Greater Accra Region and Central Region followed with 68 and 64 cases respectively The cases were reported on July 28, 2020, from samples taken between July 16 and July 27. The Ghana Health Service said the latest update affirmed a positive outlook for the management of the virus. Whatever we are doing, particularly the adherence to the protocol, of which ware seeing some improvement, must continue, and we hope with that, we should be able to bring the numbers down, the Services Director-General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said during a press briefing. Over 390,000 tests have been conducted for the virus. ---citinewsroom Bolivia recorded a 10 percent increase in coca cultivation in 2019 as compared to the previous year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Wednesday. That amounted to an increase from 23,100 hectares to 25,500 devoted to the crop, a primary ingredient in cocaine but which is also used to make tea or is chewed raw in several Andean countries. Bolivia is the third largest producer of cocaine in the world after Colombia and Peru, according to the UNODC. The data was compiled from satellite imagery and information collected on the ground. One of the main coca producing areas of Bolivia is in the central Cochabamba department, a bastion of peasant support for exiled former president Evo Morales, whom the current government blamed for the increase. "The government of Morales created policies to encourage illegal coca production," said Interior Minister Arturo Murillo. UNODC said it has detected "the presence of coca plantations in six of the 22 nationally protected areas" in Bolivia, where the harvesting of coca is prohibited. In Bolivia it is legal to chew coca leaves and use them to make tea or in religious Andean rituals. Morales passed a law in 2017 that almost doubled the legal area allowed for coca cultivation from 12,000 to 22,000 hectares. The European Union, which financed the report, expressed its "concern" that Bolivia has in recent years broken the trend since 2011 of reducing the size of its plantations. Bolivian anti-narcotics police officers prepare to incinerate cocaine at La Rinconada, on the outskirts of La Paz, in December 2019 -- the country reported a 10 percent increase in coca cultivation in 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 29, 2020 - Denver, CO - Fin Sol Group is issuing the following statement today: The Founder of Private Money Authority (PMA), and its Founder Nate Marshall, is now under investigation by the police for his alleged role in a fraud scheme. The charges being pursued include investment fraud, theft, and SEC violations. According to Westminster Police department Nate Marshall was charged with a rental scam in MONTREAL, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) Representatives of the media are invited to attend CAE's 2020 annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually on Wednesday, August 12, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Management will review the activities of fiscal year 2020 and present the financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 ended June 30, 2020. Marc Parent, President and CEO will also discuss prospects for the current fiscal year. Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Chief Financial Officer What: CAE's FY2020 Virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders When: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 Annual meeting: 11:00 a.m. ET On-site and by appointment only: Media availability and media tour: 12:00 p.m. ET Please send us an email at [email protected]. Where: The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held via a live webcast available at cae.com/investors/. Webcast: The webcast will be archived following the event. FY2021 first quarter financial results and conference call CAE will also release its fiscal year 2021 first quarter financial results on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. A conference call will be held at 1:30 p.m. ET to provide analysts and institutional investors with a review of CAE's performance and outlook. Management will participate in this call intended for financial analysts, institutional investors and the media. Please note that the media will have the opportunity to ask questions immediately following the analysts' question period. Who: Marc Parent, President and Chief Executive Officer Sonya Branco, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Arnovitz, Vice President Strategy and Investor Relations What: CAE's FY2021 Q1 financial results and conference call When: Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - 1:30 p.m. ET Webcast: The conference call will be audio Webcast live for the public and will also be archived for 90 days following the event at www.cae.com/investors/. Conference call: Country Phone number North America 1-877-586-3392 Canada +1-416-981-9024 Australia 1800702315 Belgium 080077657 France 0800919393 Germany 08001816101 Netherlands 08000222280 Singapore 8001012594 United Kingdom 08004960381 Instant replay (available three hours after the call ends for 48 hours): +1-800-558-5253 or +1-416-626-4100 - Access code: 21966139# About CAE CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to help define global training standards with our innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defense force readiness and enhance patient safety. We have the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 10,500 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, we train more than 220,000 civil and defence crewmembers, including more than 135,000 pilots, and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide. www.cae.com Follow us on Twitter @CAE_Inc SOURCE CAE INC. Related Links http://www.cae.com/ Women receiving standard treatment in New York City for ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers are not at increased risk of being hospitalized for or dying from COVID-19 due to their cancer, a new study shows. The researchers found that neither having cancer nor receiving treatment for it, which can come with its own toxicities, worsened COVID-19 disease outcomes. Led by researchers at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center and NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study showed that 121 women, ages 51 to 63, who were receiving standard treatments for such malignancies and who contracted the pandemic coronavirus had similar rates of hospitalization and death as those who only had COVID-19. Publishing in the journal Cancer online July 31, the study showed that 54 percent of the women (66 of 121) required hospitalization and among these, 25 percent (17 of 66) died, for an overall death rate of 14 percent. This is comparable to the results of another study, which showed a 21 percent death rate among all 5,700 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the city, who were mostly male (60 percent) and at greater risk of the disease, researchers say. Having late-stage gynecologic cancer, cancer surgery, or high-dose chemotherapy also did not increase a woman's risk of dying from COVID-19. Importantly, the work also found that 75 percent of gynecologic cancer patients with COVID-19 had a mild form of the disease and recovered from their infection. "Our study should be reassuring for women with gynecologic cancers who are worried that having cancer increases their risk of becoming seriously ill if they go to the hospital because of COVID-19," says study lead investigator Olivia Lara, MD, an oncology fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Perlmutter. These patients already contend with increased inflammation and imbalanced immune systems that, in theory, coronavirus infection could make worse. "Women with gynecologic cancers have the same risk factors for dying from COVID-19 as women without these cancers," says study senior investigator Bhavana Pothuri, MD, MS, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Perlmutter. These shared risk factors, she says, which overall double women's risk of dying from COVID-19, are being African-American or having two or more underlying health conditions, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. As part of the study, researchers reviewed the medical records of women treated for both COVID-19 and gynecologic cancer at area hospitals between March 1 and April 22, 2020. These included NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYC Health + Hospitals Bellevue Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and the Montefiore Medical System. Another study finding was that a small number (eight of 121) of participants receiving immunotherapy, drugs that harness the immune system to attack cancer cells, were three times more likely to die than women who were receiving standard radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, or a combination of these therapies. However, Pothuri cautions that the number of women receiving immunotherapy was not large enough to lead to any firm recommendations about clinical care. (or to result in any firm conclusions about clinical care) Pothuri says the team has plans to analyze patient records for further insights into any factors that might lessen the impact of these underlying risk factors for COVID-19 on women with cancer, including how best to communicate with local community groups. For now, Pothuri says, women should definitely not put off screening, diagnosis, or treatment of new cancers out of any additional fear they have about the risks from COVID-19. "The basic rules of cancer care have not changed during the pandemic," she says. "Early detection, screening, and care lead to more people surviving what remains a leading cause of death among American women." ### Funding support for the study was provided by participating hospitals. Pothuri has participated in other research projects sponsored by various manufacturers of cancer drugs and has also served on advisory boards to Tesaro, now part of GlaxoSmithKline; Astrazeneca; Merck; Genentech, now part of the Roche Group; Clovis Oncology, and Eisai. All of these arrangements are being managed in accordance with the policies and practices of NYU Langone. Besides Lara and Pothuri, other NYU Langone researchers involved in the study are Maria Smith, BS; Megan Sutter, PhD; and Julia Fehniger, MD. Additional research support was provided by study co-investigators Roisin O'Cearbhaill, MD; and Justin Jee, MD, PhD, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Anne Knisely, MD; and Jason Wright, MD, at Columbia University; Jennifer McEachron, MD; and Yi-Chun Lee, MD, at the State University of New York; and Sara Isani, MD; and Lisa Gabor, MD, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Media Inquiries: David March 212-404-3528 david.march@nyulangone.org The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in collaboration with officials of the Federal Government has saved Nigeria from losing a whooping sum of $125 million to an alleged international syndicate led by one Messrs. Ramirez and Mr Jose Salazar Tinajero and their company Samano Sa De Cv. The refusal of the NNPC to stop federal government from paying the huge sum was contained in a letter by Counsel to the NNPC, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN of Afe Babalola and Co. In the letter dated July 30 and addressed to Gboyega Oyewole SAN, the NNPC denied the claim that information was provided to the Corporation or the federal government which led to the identification and recovery of 48 million barrels of stolen Nigerian Bonny Light Crude Oil stored in Peoples Republic of China. Stating the background, Ogunwumiju, noted that Samano had contacted officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria sometime in 2015 with information in respect of 48 Million Barrels of Nigerian Bonny Light Crude Oil allegedly stolen from Nigeria and stored in various ports and terminals in the Peoples Republic of China. SAMANO offered to purchase the alleged stolen crude upon its recovery. Even though its claim was difficult to believe given the stern procedures underpinning crude oil handling and export operations, the Federal Government in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) set out to verify these claims and requested for evidence to that effect, which was never provided by SOMANO. Notwithstanding the failure to provide evidence to support its claims, relevant officials of the Government were mandated to proceed to China to verify the claims of the existence of the said stolen Nigerian Crude Oil . The lawyer added that the said delegation discovered that the SAMANOs claim was false and baseless. Consequently, the Government severed communications with the syndicate. Miffed by this, Messrs. Ramirez and Mr Jose Salazar Tinajero, acting as agents of SAMANO, resorted to the blackmail and intimidation of key officials of the Government and the NNPC threatening to make public the fact that the said 48 million barrels of stolen Nigerian Crude Oil in China had been recovered, sold and the proceeds therefrom looted by some government officials and the NNPC when it was aware that this was untrue. READ ALSO: They also demanded $125,000,000:00 (One Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Dollars) from said government officials, which was conveniently and rightfully ignored. Thereafter, NNPC reported this case of attempted blackmail to the Department of State Security and the Nigeria Police Force. They, upon investigation, discovered that SAMANO and its agents were international fraudsters. NNPC lawyer further stated that Ramirez, for instance, was indicted by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas as the mastermind of a scheme leading to the loss of several millions of dollars through various mail and wire frauds between 2010 and 2013. In fact, there is a warrant for Mr Ramirezs arrest and extradition to the United States to face criminal justice on account of the said fraud schemes. Mr. Jose Salazar Tinajero, a co-conspirator, has been in and out of jail in South America due to the involvement of SAMANO in elaborate smuggling and money laundering scams. Mr Ramirez is also facing two separate and unconnected criminal charges at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in Charge No: FCT/HC/CR/147/2016 and the Federal High Court, Lagos in Charge No: ID/2763/2016. Both charges were preferred against Mr Ramirez by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for economic and financial crimes. The said Mr. Ramirez and his cohorts have since been charged to several courts in Nigeria for criminal offences ranging from fraud, forgery, extortion, blackmail, conspiracy, etc. The charge which relates to the attempt to fleece the Federal Government and NNPC is Charge No.: FCT/HC/BU/CR/134/2019 between the Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Marco Antonio Ramirez & 4 Others pending before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. Ogunwumiju stated that, Accordingly, it is our clients position that your client is not entitled to the payment of five percent of the value of the allegedly stolen crude or any amount whatsoever as compensation for information it purportedly gave to the Federal Republic of Nigeria in respect of the said stolen crude stored in the Peoples Republic of China. Our clients furthers posits that your clients claims are not only unfounded but frivolous and of no consequence. With utmost respect, your clients claims are a contribution of gold digging scheme involving local and cross border fraudsters aimed at blackmailing and extorting money from out client and Federal Republic of Nigeria. Based on the foregoing, our client is unable to accede to and hereby rejects your clients demand that the NNPC and Federal Government pay to its five percent of the value of the purported stolen crude or any amount whatsoever as compensation for the false information it gave to the Federal Government in this matter. While denying your clients claims in its entirety, we have our client firm instruction to demand that your clients issue withing seven days of the date of your receipt of this correspondence, a written unequivocal retraction of these allegations which your clients know to be false, baseless and unfounded, failing which we will explore all legal remedies to enforce our client right to seek redress against your client in both civil and crimila actions arising from its attempt at harrasing, intimidating, blackmailing and defrauding out clients and officials. Advertisements Xinhua News Agency, a state-run outlet of the People's Republic of China, reported on July 25 that "Over 150 U.S. experts urge decision makers to shut down country before starting over." Beijing would love to see its strategic rival the United States shut down again and is happy to promote those who share its goal. For its part, China claims to be the first major economy to return to growth since the pandemic started. Despite being the origin of the coronavirus, it has simply declared victory and gotten back to work. These larger issues that have been left out of the equation when so-called experts have focused narrowly on COVID-19 and taken no responsibility for the wider, more costly consequences of their mandates. That is why health officials should be in only an advisory role, among those from the many other fields that reflect human activity. The power to make decisions that affect the entire county, state, or nation must be in the hands of those who understand that their duty is to look at the bigger picture and assay the total costs of their actions. Consider the sensationalism when the number of official coronavirus cases topped 4 million. First, put that number into perspective. There are over 200 million adult Americans, so the official infection rate of this allegedly highly contagious disease over six months is only 2 percent of the adult population. And for this, we threw more than 10 percent of the workforce into unemployment at the peak of shutdowns in late April. The negative multiplier effects have plunged the country into a recession, when, before the virus scare, we were setting new records in an economic boom. Our response has been disproportionate in the extreme. Despite some recovery, there are still some 14 million people claiming unemployment benefits based on the pandemic. And the huge debts, business failures, pent up violence, and lost output will long haunt us. Those are just the economic costs; the social costs are even higher. I know only one person who has gotten the Wuhan flu. It was not pleasant, and she missed over a week of work but quickly recovered. Her real concern is that she might be laid off. She says unemployment would do her much more harm than the flu, an assessment most people would make. We should be trying to minimize collateral damage from the pandemic, not harming as many people as possible. About 150,000 people have died from causes associated with the virus. While double the normal toll from the other strains of flu we suffer every year, the low mortality rate is about the same for those infected. COVID-19 is not the plague. We are so used to flu season that even though flu shots are readily available (and often free), less than half of adults bother to get them. The Wuhan flu is worse because it is new, but not so much worse as to warrant the panic that has gripped us with such widespread disruption. It is not the Spanish Flu, which killed 650,000 Americans a century ago, when our population was less than half what it is today. Yet we have no collective memory of that epidemic because we did not allow it to shut down society. We took it in stride, and history marched on. Every death is a personal tragedy whatever the cause, but policymakers must consider the country as a going concern upon which we all depend. The aim must be to overcome adversity, not give in to it. We must accept that the flu will run its course. The measures imposed have had little effect even on slowing it down, though its natural pace has not been that swift despite media alarms about "surges" and "hot spots." Those who are particularly vulnerable should take precautions, but the rest of us need to get back to normal. Acting as if we were all ill when in fact hardly any of us is is not prudent; it is debilitating. The paranoia of masks and social distancing makes everyone we encounter seem like a threat. The cancelation of sporting events, concerts, movies, weddings, conventions, funerals, and celebrations have broken our collective bonds and weakened our cohesion as a people. Again, the costs are way out of proportion to the alleged benefits, which have proven illusionary at best. Those mostly Democratic governors and mayors who are keeping their productive citizens in bondage while allowing destructive mobs to run wild are presenting a dystopian future that is truly appalling. Cue Mad Max. The Chinese regime (and other foes) are no doubt encouraged by seeing the most sophisticated people in the world so easily stampeded by irrational fear that they rip their society apart. This is the fever we need to bring down. It is time to recover our spirit, to get back to work, back to school, and back to life. These are the keys to recovering from the pandemic and healing the disaffection of our people. William R. Hawkins is a widely published author and activist with a long career in academics, think-tanks, and national government. Image credit: Pixabay public domain. By Christopher Bing and Marisa Taylor WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese government-linked hackers targeted biotech company Moderna Inc , a U.S.-based coronavirus vaccine research developer, this year in a bid to steal data, according to a U.S. security official tracking Chinese hacking. China on Friday rejected the accusation that hackers linked to it had targeted Moderna. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department made public an indictment of two Chinese nationals accused of spying on the United States, including three unnamed U.S.-based targets involved in medical research to fight the novel coronavirus. The indictment said the Chinese hackers "conducted reconnaissance" against the computer network of a Massachusetts biotech firm known to be working on a coronavirus vaccine in January. Moderna, which is based in Massachusetts and announced its COVID-19 vaccine candidate in January, confirmed to Reuters that the company had been in contact with the FBI and was made aware of the suspected "information reconnaissance activities" by the hacking group mentioned in last week's indictment. Reconnaissance activities can include a range of actions, including probing public websites for vulnerabilities to scouting out important accounts after entering a network, cybersecurity experts say. Moderna remains highly vigilant to potential cybersecurity threats, maintaining an internal team, external support services and good working relationships with outside authorities to continuously assess threats and protect our valuable information, said company spokesman Ray Jordan, declining to provide further detail. The U.S. security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declined to disclose the identities of companies targeted by Chinese hackers. Moderna's vaccine candidate is one of the earliest and biggest bets by the Trump administration to fight the pandemic. Story continues The federal government is supporting development of the company's vaccine with nearly half a billion dollars and helping Moderna launch a clinical trial of up to 30,000 people beginning this month. China is also racing to develop a vaccine, bringing together its state, military and private sectors to combat a disease that has killed more than 660,000 people worldwide. 'BASELESS' The July 7 indictment alleges that the two Chinese hackers, identified as Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, conducted a decade-long hacking spree that most recently included the targeting of COVID-19 medical research groups. Prosecutors said Li and Dong acted as contractors for China's Ministry of State Security, a state intelligence agency. Messages left with several accounts registered under Lis digital alias, oro0lxy, were not returned. Contact details for Dong were not available. China has consistently denied any role in hacking and its foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing, Wang Wenbin, rejected as "baseless" the accusation that hackers linked to the government had targeted Moderna. China leads the world in the development of a coronavirus vaccine and it is more worried that other countries using hackers to steal its technology, he said. "We absolutely do not nor need to engage in theft to achieve this leading position," Wang said. The two other unidentified medical research companies mentioned in the Justice Department indictment are described as biotech companies based in California and Maryland. Prosecutors said the hackers searched for vulnerabilities and conducted reconnaissance against them. The court filing describes the California firm as working on antiviral drug research and suggested the Maryland company had publicly announced efforts to develop a vaccine in January. Two companies that could match those descriptions: Gilead Sciences Inc and Novavax Inc . Gilead spokesperson Chris Ridley said the firm does not comment on cybersecurity matters. Novavax would not comment on specific cyber security activities but said: Our cyber security team has been alerted to the alleged foreign threats identified in the news. A security consultant familiar with multiple hacking investigations involving premier biotech firms over the last year said Chinese groups believed to be broadly associated with Chinas Ministry of State security are one of the primary forces targeting COVID-19 research, globally. This matches the description of the indicted hackers, as ministry contractors. (Reporting by Christopher Bing and Marisa Taylor; Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Chris Sanders and Lisa Shumaker) The three accused were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in the purported purchase of hand-held thermal imagers. The case stemmed from 'Operation Westend' sting aired by news portal Tehelka in January 2001 A Delhi court Thursday awarded 4-year jail term to ex-Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley and two others for corruption in a 2000-01 case related to a purported defence deal saying they "compromised the entire defence system of the country." Special CBI judge Virender Bhat also awarded 4-year jail term to Jaitley's former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and Major General (rtd) S P Murgai in the case, Murgai's advocate Vikram Panwar said. There should be zero tolerance towards corruption in defence procurement deals as these have direct bearing upon an independence and sovereignty of our country, the court said, adding that the crime committed by the convicts was of "highest degree". The court, in an in camera proceeding, imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on all three convicts and directed them to surrender before it till 5 PM on Thursday itself. The order was stayed by the Delhi High Court later in the day. Jaitley, represented through senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and PP Malhotra, challenged the July 21 order of the trial court convicting her in the case. The three accused were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in the purported purchase of hand-held thermal imagers. The case stemmed from 'Operation Westend' sting aired by news portal Tehelka in January 2001. The trial court said the convicts were no laymen but persons of status and means, and had not committed the crime due to any ignorance or lack of knowledge or under any duress. "On the contrary, the crime was committed by them in pursuance to a well hatched conspiracy and upon due deliberations with each other," the court said, terming the crime as "very serious" and "having grave ramifications so far as the defence of our country is concerned." The convicts took money from the representative of a fictitious firm without bothering to ascertain whether the firm was actually in operation and whether the product of the said firm sought to be inducted in the Indian Army was worth it, the court observed. It noted that they chose to remain blindfolded on all the vital aspects of the concerned product of the fictitious firm only with a view to get some monetary enrichment. "By their act, they compromised the entire defence system of the country. It is a crime with very wide and huge repercussion for the entire nation and thus cannot be dealt with leniently." "For their petty gains, the convicts sought to assist the induction of a product of an unknown fictitious company into the Indian Army, which if done, would have made the Army immensely vulnerable and handicapped in the wake of an enemy attack. The very existence of our country would have come under threat," the court said, adding that it was no less than an attack on the independence of our country. The convicts do not deserve any mercy, "they deserve harshest sentence," the court said, adding that any kind of mercy would be mockery of justice and sure to excite the fury of the society at large. "The virus of corruption which has engulfed the entire fabric of our society, is becoming a major obstacle in the growth and development of our nation. In a democratic system, when the public offices and public institutions are misused for private advantage, they loose their legitimacy," it said. The court said the corruption not only corrodes the social fabric of the society but also depletes the national wealth and undermines people's trust in the political system, in its institutions and in the public servants. The court held that all the three accused, along with Surender Kumar Surekha (who later turned approver), were party to the criminal conspiracy that took place around December 2000 and January 2001 at Delhi. The court observed that while Jaitley accepted illegal gratification of Rs 2 lakh from Mathew Samuel, a representative of fictional company Westend International, Murgai received Rs 20,000. All the three accused - Jaitley, Pacherwal and Murgai - were convicted of the offence of conspiracy (Section 120-B IPC read with Section 9 (Taking gratification, for exercise of personal influence with public servant) of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The court held that it is "proved beyond doubt that in the meeting in the hotel room on 25 December, 2000 Surekha and Murgai assured their assistance to Samuel in procuring letter of evaluation for the product of his company from the Ministry of Defence and also to arrange a meeting between him and accused Jaya Jaitley who would provide political cover to them in this regard". Accordingly, Pacherwal arranged the said meeting for December 28, 2000. He too was present in the said meeting in the room of Jaitley along with Surekha, Samuel and Murgai, the court observed. The court said: "In that meeting, which took place in the official residence of the then Union Minister for Defence, George Fernandes, Samuel was introduced to Jaitly as a businessman whose company intends to enter the market of defence procurement. "Samuel offered the sum of Rs 2 lakh to Jaitley who instructed him to handover the money to Pacherwal and accordingly, the money was received by accused Pacherwal knowing that it was bribe money. "In lieu thereof, Jaitley assured Samuel that in case the product of his company is not considered, she would intervene by making a request to ''Sahib'' (purportedly the Defence Minister Mr. George Fernandes) to send a word to the concerned officer in this regard". Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) adjusts his mask during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on, July 27, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo) Senate Republicans Oppose Trumps Idea of Possible Election Delay Top Senate Republicans said the November presidential election will not be delayed after President Donald Trump floated the idea. Never in the history of the Congress, through wars, depressions, and the Civil War have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time and well find a way to do that again this November 3rd, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who regularly diverges from the president, said in an interview with WNKY. The senator agreed that the Nov. 3 election date is set in stone. Well cope with whatever the situation is and have the election on November 3rd as already scheduled, he added. Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the third-ranking GOP senator, also came out against delaying the election. Were going to vote on Election Day, and in the lead up to Election Day it will be a secure election, Barrasso said during an appearance on Fox Business. No, were not going to delay the election. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs-up as he walks from Marine One as he returns to the White House from Texas, in Washington on July 29, 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo) Trumps suggestion pointed to widespread mail-in voting, which some experts say is ripe for election fraud. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? the president wrote Thursday morning on Twitter, his favored social media platform. Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters on Capitol Hill that delaying the election is not a particularly good idea. Concerns about mail-in voting are valid, he said, but delaying the election isnt the way to deal with them. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was among those urging Trump to revise his statement about the election date. Hes proposing an indefinite delay, leaving him in power indefinitely. Thats the essence of dictatorship. And the president ought to immediately, and I say immediately, recast whatever he said and say he wants the election go forward on time, he told reporters. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on July 21, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images) Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, chimed in on Twitter, writing that there would be no delay. It will be held on November 3rd, as planned and required by law, he said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wouldnt make a legal judgement on the fly when asked whether Trump has the authority to delay the election. Questioned by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Pompeo said, In the end, the Department of Justice and others will make that legal determination. We all should want want to make sure we have an election, he continued, adding, It should happen lawfully. Kaine then asserted that a president cannot delay an election. The date of the election is established by Congress. It was established in 1845. There is no ability for a president to delay an election, he said. And I dont think its that hard a question or lead to any equivocation by somebody who is fourth in line of succession to be president of the United States. Republicans Russ Jennings and Marcia King are on the Aug. 4 primary ballot for Leoni Township Treasurer. The winner faces Democrat Connie Gibson in November. LEONI TWP., MI Two Republicans are running for Leoni Township treasurer in the Aug. 4 primary election. Russ Jennings and Marcia King seek a spot on the November ballot to face Democrat Connie Gibson for the four-year term. MLive Media Group has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to readers ahead of 2020 elections. Each candidate was given a list of questions relevant to the office for which they are campaigning. The voter guide can be accessed at vote411.org. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered an endorsement. The league never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. Here is how each candidate responded to the questions. Describe your qualifications and experience for this office and explain your reasons for running. How would you be an asset? Jennings: I have owned and operated several small businesses. I have been a landlord of multiple rental properties for many years. I have experience within these businesses and properties in bookkeeping, accounts receivable, accounts payable and budget management. I have been extensively involved in township, county and state government, by being a member of several boards and committees that help provide support for local government. I have been in attendance of most township board meetings for the past several years. Putting me in a position of knowledge of most township issues. With my extensive involvement in local government and knowledge of most issues. I believe i have the ability to look at all sides of a issue. I feel I have the ability to address, study and unite people on the decisions required to move the township forward. King: I have 35 years of work experience in accounting. My experience in Accounts Payable includes entering and paying invoices. My experience for Accounts Receivable includes receiving checks, making bank deposits, managing customer invoices, and balancing monthly accounts. I also have experience with monthly treasurers report. I have also worked with Employee Health Insurance and Life Insurance. i also have experience with 401(k) plans.I was a member of American Business Women Association (ABWA) - Apollo Chapter for ten years. I was treasurer of this chapter for two years, vice president for one year & president for two years.My reasons for running for Treasurer are to help our township to grow and to unite the people of Leoni. I would like to see the board come together as a whole unit. I know that I have the experience to help make this happen. Due to our current circumstances, what are the most important challenges facing our community, and how do you propose to address them? Jennings: I feel we need to continue investing into our sewer treatment facility and its infrastructure. The settlement of the S.R.I. litigation and continued negotiation of a Regional sewer authority. We are in the process of updating our master plan. I believe a strong master plan is a road map to future growth of our community. I feel with my current term on the Jackson County planning commission. That this experience can assist in this process. King: Important challenges facing Leoni Township are the wastewater treatment plant and the SRI. Its time to finally solve these issues. I will be working with the board and the residents of Leoni to make this happen. Read more Jackson County election coverage: Two Democrats compete for spot on ballot for Leoni Township supervisor Three Republican contenders seek win in August primary race for Jackson County sheriff Four vying to be judge in Jacksons 12th District Court Two Jackson County Democrats vying for spot on November ballot in 65th District House race Shooting at helicopters that are on or near the ground, such as the two incidents in Helmand Province this year, is a tactic that has been used often by insurgent groups during the conflict in Syria. Afghanistans defense ministry said in a statement soon after the attack this week that the Black Hawk had crashed due to technical issues while it was attempting to land. In the days since, security officials admitted privately that the aircraft was attacked. One senior Afghan security official said it was near certain that the helicopter had been hit by an anti-tank missile, but an investigating team was sent to the Kajaki district on Tuesday to explore further. A second senior official said he was unaware of this kind of weapon being deployed against aircraft in Afghanistan beyond the two incidents in Helmand Province this year. Based on what I heard from locals, the helicopter was shot by the Taliban, said Attaullah Afghan, the head of the provincial council in Helmand. The Taliban have got new weapons that they can use against helicopters when its on the ground a kind of rocket attached to long wire used against tanks and helicopters. A similar weapon was used against another aircraft that had landed in Kajaki. While Iranian officials have acknowledged their diplomatic channels with the Taliban, they have repeatedly rejected accusations in recent years of providing material support to the group. They say they support the Afghan government in resisting the Talibans quest for a return of their Islamic Emirate, which was hostile to neighboring Iran. What is important is that we believe in preserving the current constitution and the political system, we support the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the government, Abbas Araghchi, Irans deputy foreign minister, said in a recent interview with the Afghan channel ToloNews. Unlike other countries, we havent come to give weapons or money to the Taliban. In January, after a U.S. drone strike in Iraq killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a top Iranian military officer, many Afghan officials, including the countrys president, Ashraf Ghani, were worried that Iran would use its reach in Afghanistans messy battlefield to retaliate against the Americans and intensify the Afghan conflict. Around the time of Mr. Ghanis inauguration in March, a series of rocket attacks similar to those launched by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq seemed to amplify the officials concerns. One hit an area around the presidential palace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met heads of top private and public sector banks and non-bank lenders on Wednesday and urged them to scale up lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agriculture amid the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In a video conference that lasted for over three hours, lenders presented a wish-list to the prime minister, in which they expressed their need to raise capital and fast-track digital lending and the need for the government to implement reforms on agriculture and housing, an official familiar with the development said on the condition of anonymity. It was a feedback-taking session with the prime minister. He told banks and financial institutions to continue to focus on economic revival. Banks have been assured support from the government, another official said. On Tuesday, a statement from the Prime Ministers Office said subjects of discussion would include credit products and efficient models for delivery, financial empowerment through technology, prudential practices for stability and sustainability of the financial sector. Top officials from the finance ministry, including financial services secretary Debashish Panda, heads of State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of Baroda, among others, were part of the meeting. Since March, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the finance ministry have announced a slew of measures to help businesses tide over the Covid-19 crisis. However, a sustained rise in infections, and a partial lockdown in some states have continued to put businesses and lenders under pressure, with most of them expecting a second round of stimulus from the government. Banks, particularly, may come under immense pressure. Last week, the central bank said non-performing assets are expected to rise to a 20-year high to 12.5% of total advances by March 2021. RBI warned that if the economic conditions worsen further, this may soar to 14.7% under the very severely stressed scenario. Anuja contributed to the story. The PLC Secretary-General (SG) was always defending Ghana until they grasped him with a wrong hand. Mr. Divine Odonkor, the Secretary-General of the Peoples' Liberation Council of Western Togoland had always been vehemently admonishing Western Togolanders to abide by International laws and the laws of Ghana in order to rebuild Western Togoland into a noble State living in harmony with Ghana. He is now facing a challenge with the nasty side of the laws of Ghana. CAN HE STILL INSIST THAT PEOPLE SHOULD OBEY THE LAW HOWEVER OPPRESSIVE IT MAY BE? This very law that stands in conflict with the International law has now put the S.G. into the dilemma of abandoning his policy of Citizens Diplomacy and Negotiated Approach to solving the 63-year-old Western Togoland-Ghana misunderstanding that has been exponentially expanding since Ghana's independence in 1957. According to the interpretation of Ghanas law enforcement agencies, Clause 1 and 2 of the S.M.C. Decree 20 specifically prohibits the use of the name Western Togoland no matter whatever one does with it. It is for this reason that the PLC was put on Security Alert since last year when the S.G. told Western Togoland freedom fighting groups to do away with all forms of craving to form a government by skipping over the necessary steps. At the World Wildlife Day Celebration last year (2019), the S.G made an appeal to the Peoples of Western Togoland to grant the PLC the free and prior informed consent to facilitate the process of guiding the evolution of Western Togoland through the various stages on the Western Togoland Restoration Roadmap in order to establish a constitutionally elected government which alone has the locus to appoint a competent authority to negotiate for any meaningful relation between Western Togoland and any country. He assured the various groups seeking to govern Western Togoland that the PLC is an NGO even after Western Togoland becomes self-ruling. He then cautioned that it is dangerous to form a government prior to writing a constitution to be endorsed by the peoples because that constitution will definitely be tailored to benefit the ruler. He told the participants that the laws of Ghana do not forbid people from making their own bylaws and therefore they must proceed constitutionally. Since then security operatives had been trailing him through varied means. Although he has always been aware of their tricks the S.G. is confident that the genuineness will be understood by even those who hide their intentions. He always insisted that due to the interconnectedness of the Peoples of Western Togoland and Ghana, everything possible must be done by both parties to regularize the UNION that brought them together so that they can together serve as a beacon light for other nations. Despite his confidence in PLC's advocacy for good governance to yield a prize of nobility for Western Togoland and Ghana, Mr. Divine Odonkor must now be surprised to feel the pangs of a law contorted to intimidate a people who voted to be in union with Ghana. According to the opinion of the PLC, it is only an agreement between constitutionally elected governments of Western Togoland and Ghana that can effectively form a long-lasting harmonious union which is already a natural demand on the people. Well, the question remains that, if Ghana does not accept the peaceful path proposed by the PLC, and if the PLC should stop educating the people to eschew violence and proceed constitutionally, WHAT COGENT ALTERNATIVE HAS GHANA THEN TO OFFER? We leave it to the consciences of Ghanaians. Thank you. PLC Communication team. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - PDL BioPharma, Inc. (PDLI) announced Thursday the signing of a definitive agreement for the sale of 100% of the outstanding stock in its wholly owned subsidiaries Noden Pharma DAC and Noden USA to Stanley Capital for up to $48.25 million in cash. After taking into account the expected adjustments for transaction expenses, indebtedness and working capital, payments to PDL are expected to be approximately $12.0 million in connection with the closing of the transaction. The agreement provides for an additional $33 million to be paid to PDL in twelve equal quarterly installments from January 2021 to October 2023. The agreement also provides PDL with the potential for two additional contingent payments totaling $3.25 million. The transaction is expected to close in August 2020 and is subject to certain customary closing conditions. The acquisition of Noden is the culmination of years of thematic research into the specialty pharmaceuticals sector, which identified the company as a strong buy and build platform. 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. Steve Fisher and Eric Mo Mott, two veteran off-highway industry executives, have joined the Palmer Johnson Family of companies. Between Steve and Mo, they will have oversight of financial and strategic initiatives. Steve will be focusing on developing Palmer Johnsons RECON Equipment Centers and Hamilton Engine while Mo will serve as CFO for the Palmer Johnson family of Companies. With over 35 years of global business experience at Caterpillar, Steve Fisher joined Palmer Johnson in June 2020 as Senior Growth Advisor. An expert in strategic planning, business development and M&A, Steve served as VP of CATs Large Power Systems Division, VP of CAT Reman and as Director of CATs M&A and Strategic Planning division. He is excited to help Palmer Johnson grow through building relations with existing vendors, fostering relationships between equipment OEMs and PJs RECON business, as well as expanding Hamilton Engines reach in the marketplace. Steve will continue in his current role on the Board of Directors of Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. and as an advisor on Palmer Johnsons advisory board, where he has served four years. Eric Mott also recently joined Palmer Johnson Enterprises as Chief Financial Officer. Hes a Madison native and has a BBA from UW-Madison and an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago. Mott has 30 years of business experience focused on strategic, financial, operational and people management in diverse industries and corporate structures. Previously he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Diesel Forward, Inc., the largest distributor of aftermarket diesel engine fuel systems and technical components in the U.S. John Bean Technologies Corporation (NYSE:JBT) investors will be delighted, with the company turning in some strong numbers with its latest results. It was overall a positive result, with revenues beating expectations by 3.8% to hit US$412m. John Bean Technologies also reported a statutory profit of US$1.01, which was an impressive 42% above what the analysts had forecast. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year. See our latest analysis for John Bean Technologies Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus, from the nine analysts covering John Bean Technologies, is for revenues of US$1.71b in 2020, which would reflect a chunky 10% reduction in John Bean Technologies' sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to sink 15% to US$3.66 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$1.70b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.34 in 2020. So the consensus seems to have become somewhat more optimistic on John Bean Technologies' earnings potential following these results. The analysts have been lifting their price targets on the back of the earnings upgrade, with the consensus price target rising 6.5% to US$95.63. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. The most optimistic John Bean Technologies analyst has a price target of US$110 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$65.00. 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. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 10%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 14% 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 7.5% annually for the foreseeable future. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - John Bean Technologies is expected to lag the wider industry. The Bottom Line The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around John Bean Technologies' earnings potential next year. Fortunately, the analysts also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, suggesting sales are tracking in line with expectations - although our data does suggest that John Bean Technologies' revenues 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 in mind, we wouldn't be too quick to come to a conclusion on John Bean Technologies. Long-term earnings power is much more important than next year's profits. We have forecasts for John Bean Technologies going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. You still need to take note of risks, for example - John Bean Technologies has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of. 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 latest Advertising Association/ WARC Expenditure Report shows UK ad spend is predicted to fall 15.6% year-on-year in 2020 to 21.4 billion, which is a slight improvement on the drop of 16.7% forecast in April. The data demonstrate the deep impact that COVID-19 continues to have on advertising and the wider UK economy. New figures for Q1 2020 show total ad spend rose 2.9% year-on-year to reach 6.4 billion, just as the COVID-19 crisis was beginning to take hold. This contrasts with the 39.0% decline estimated for Q2. The 1.1pp improvement in the outlook this year, from -16.7% to -15.6%, is linked to the estimated impact of recent measures announced by the Government to stimulate consumer spending. However, with high unemployment levels expected well into next year, alongside the possibility of a second COVID-19 wave this winter, year-on-year growth is not expected before Q2 2021. Growth is then anticipated to be substantial, with total 2021 ad spend forecast to be 16.6% higher than 2020 this assumes a successful vaccine will be in place. Despite this growth, total 2021 ad spend is still predicted to be lower than the 2019 figure of 25.3 billion, meaning pre-COVID-19 levels of ad spend will not be seen until 2022 at the earliest. The data show online and digital formats performing strongly in Q1 2020 search and online display grew by 10.1% and 11.8%, respectively, while video on demand (VOD) recorded growth of 11.3% and online national news brands saw a rise of 14.2%. However, these are all expected to see a significant fall in Q2 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown. The biggest falls are predicted to be for cinema with a 100% decline and out of home with a 70.4% decline. These media are both forecast to record some of the largest gains in 2021, with digital out of home (DOOH) seeing a rise of 38.7% and cinema witnessing the highest increase of all formats at 79.6%. The stark figures reinforce the Advertising Associations call for a tax incentive scheme for advertising and marketing services, with the aim of stimulating investment and encouraging advertisers to continue, or return to, advertising. Such a plan would also encourage companies that do not currently advertise, typically SMEs, to invest in advertising and act as a stimulus for the wider economy. Industry Speak Keith Weed, President, Advertising Association, commented, It is vital that our industry continues to do all it can to support the recovery, most pertinently by joining the Enjoy Summer Safely coalition to help mainstream essential public health messages. It has been incredibly impressive to see how our industry has so quickly rallied together to carry public health campaigns and other initiatives to inform and assist people across the country. Philippa Brown, Chair, Advertising Association & CEO, PHD, added here, These figures point to light at the end of the tunnel, which will come as a welcome relief to companies and colleagues across the advertising and media industries. While the focus remains on returning our economy to growth, it is also important we keep focus on the social recovery too and what this means for our industry around such issues as climate change and building a truly inclusive workforce, areas central to the Advertising Association's work over the coming months. Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association, commented, Todays figures show that the outlook for UK advertising remains fragile, with a significant decline forecast for the rest of the year, before welcome growth in 2021. This forecast demonstrates the need for Government to continue working with the advertising industry to boost confidence in the economy and among consumers. This can be achieved through initiatives such as our tax credits scheme for advertising, but also by ensuring we have a regulatory environment that is open and fair, to ensure businesses have the confidence to invest. This means avoiding increased rules and regulations, such as those proposed for HFSS advertising, that will weigh on the much-anticipated recovery we hope to see next year. James McDonald, Head of Data Content, WARC, commented, First quarter metrics were softer than had been anticipated going into lockdown, but we believe the second quarter will represent the nadir. With unemployment expected to remain well above pre-pandemic levels into next year, and the possibility of a second virus wave during the winter, no growth in total ad spend is forecast until Q2 2021. Our cautious optimism that investment will rebound from April 2021 is rooted, in part, in a belief that a new normal will then have been established, borne by a successful vaccination programme. Under these circumstances, we feel the UK's ad industry can attain a full recovery during 2021 as a whole, though total market value will still be down on 2019s peak. "(The government) will push for measures to lengthen the stay permits for foreign labourers and temporarily allow them to work in farming villages and so forth," the Prime Minister said during a meeting. Seoul, July 29 (IANS) South Korea will seek ways to extend stay permits for foreign workers here in a bid to relieve labour shortages in farming and other areas in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Wednesday. Chung cited labour shortages reported in farming villages as one of the reasons for the envisioned measures, Yonhap news agency reported. "In view of COVID-19, farming areas are facing severe labour shortages ahead of the upcoming harvest season," he noted. The PM said many foreign workers are now unable to return home, despite their expired stay permits, due to their home countries' lockdown or cancellation of flights. If those workers' stay permits are extended, they can get seasonal jobs or work in farming houses, Chung said. South Korea also plans to step up quarantine measures on sailors coming from Russia and other countries that are in Seoul's list of nations subject to tougher quarantine, the Prime Minister also said. South Korea has so far reported nearly 90 imported cases tied to Russian ships docked in the country since June. It has placed six countries -- Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Uzbekistan -- on the list of such high-risk countries in an effort to contain imported cases. --IANS sdr/ UPDATE (7/31): 970 new Pa. COVID-19 cases; Wolf wont close schools; no Lehigh Valley virus deaths for 5th straight day With 860 new positives, coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania topped 111,000 on Thursday. The total case count now stands at 111,078, according to the daily report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The deaths of 16 more residents pushed the Pa. COVID-19 death toll to 7,176. (Cant see the map? Click here.) Locally, no new COVID-19 deaths were reported in the Lehigh Valley for the fourth straight day, though the local case rate shows a slight upward trend. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania may pilot a contact-tracing app in the coming weeks, part of the effort to notify people who may have been exposed to the pandemic virus. Your Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for July 30, 2020. Pa. coronavirus outbreak The rise in Pennsylvanias case rate slowed on Wednesday. The seven-day average of new cases has been climbing since mid-June and was nearing 1,000 a rate not seen since May. The rate took a slight downturn on Thursday, dropping to 960 daily cases on average over the last week, down from 975 the day before. The last seven days have seen four days with fewer than 900 new cases (and three with more than 1,000). (Cant see the chart? Click here.) The seven-day rate shows trends over time, however, so the next several days will determine if this dip is the start of a new trend or just an anomaly. In Thursdays daily case counts, Pennsylvanias largest cities once again led the state. Pittsburghs Allegheny County had 132 new cases; Philadelphia had 127. The next closest was Lancaster County with 74. The health department estimates that 75% of Pennsylvanias coronavirus patients have recovered so far. Young adults are comprising a larger percentage of cases in recent weeks, but residents 65 and older still represent the majority of hospitalizations and deaths. Nursing home resents account for about 17% of Pennsylvanias cases but 68% of COVID-19 deaths. COVID-19 testing has increased overall, but so has Pennsylvanias rate of positive tests. Lower rates show that testing is capturing the full spread of the virus in a community. High positivity rates indicate that only the sickest people are being tested. Pennsylvanias positivity rate is 6.1%. The World Health Organization recommends a rate of 5% or less when considering economic reopening. At least 756 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized from the pandemic, up from a post-peak low of 589 early this month. About 2,800 were hospitalized at the peak in April. (Cant see the chart? Click here.) The rate of COVID-19 deaths in Pennsylvania continues on an overall decline since May. In the last week, on average, 14 residents a day died from the coronavirus. MORE: How to understand Pa. COVID-19 data with interactive charts Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley has had no coronavirus-related death for four days in a row, a streak not seen here since March, according to state-level data. With 30 new cases reported Thursday, the Valley now totals 8,611 cases and 624 deaths. That breaks down to: 4,795 cases and 335 deaths in Lehigh County , an increase of 20 cases from the prior day. 3,816 cases and 289 deaths in Northampton County , an increase of 10 cases. (Cant see the chart? Click here.) While the number of new cases is down from Wednesdays combined 68 the Lehigh Valleys most new cases since June the local case rate is slowly creeping upward. Over the last seven days, Lehigh County is averaging 27 new cases a day and Northampton has 19. That is up from a week ago, when Lehigh was averaging 16 and Northampton 12. (Cant see the table? Click here.) Pa. may pilot contact-tracing app A contact-tracing app pilot project in Pennsylvania could go live in the coming weeks as part of an effort to more quickly contain coronavirus outbreaks by notifying people who may have been exposed, a health department official said Wednesday at a state hearing, the Associated Press reports. The state Department of Health is seeking to introduce a mobile app and a $1.9 million contract with software developer NearForm Ltd of Ireland to deploy and maintain it. The app is based on smartphone technology developed by Apple and Google. It is designed to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus. It relies on Bluetooth wireless technology to detect when someone who downloaded the app has spent time near another app user who later tests positive for the virus. The identity of app users will be protected by encryption and anonymous identifier beacons that change frequently, the companies have said. NearForms app is already operational in Ireland, where its COVID Tracker app had more than 1 million downloads about 20% of the population of Ireland and over a quarter of its smartphone users within 36 hours of the July 7 launch, according to NearForm. MORE: See the full story here. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. The Philippine Navy (PN) held a simple send-off ceremony at Alava Wharf, SBMA, Zambales on July 29, 2020, for its contingent that will participate in the worlds premier and largest joint and combined naval exercise dubbed as Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020 (RIMPAC20) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Philippine Navy (PN) held a simple send-off ceremony at Alava Wharf, SBMA, Zambales on July 29, 2020, for its contingent that will participate in the worlds premier and largest joint and combined naval exercise dubbed as Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020 (RIMPAC20) in Honolulu, Hawaii. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link Send-off ceremony at Alava Wharf, SBMA, Zambales on July 29, 2020 for its contingent that will participate in the worlds premier and largest joint and combined naval exercise dubbed as Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020 (RIMPAC20) in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Picture source: Philippine Navy) The participating Naval Task Group (NTG) 80.5 is onboard the newly-commissioned BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) with an embarked AW109 naval helicopter. NTG 80.5 is led by FF150's commanding officer, Capt. Jerry Garrido Jr. as the concurrent contingent commander, and complemented by the surface, services and support components. BRP Jose Rizal is the PN's first warship in the inventory that is equipped with multi-dimensional warfare capabilities. Through RIMPAC20, our Navy will be able to simulate and test the capabilities of this newly acquired platform. This will provide FF150 a venue to test the proficiency of personnel as they integrate in a wider range of operations. Rimpac 2019. (Picture source: US Navy) RIMPAC exercise will run from August 17 to 31 2020. It is a United States-led naval exercise hosted by the US Navys Pacific Fleet and held biennially. It is geared towards building trust and partnership with other navies, understanding the capabilities of other navies and enhancing interoperability. RIMPAC 2020 will involve 23 ships, including a submarine, and aircraft. Participating countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and the United States. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday agreed to a deal to defuse weeks of clashes in the US city of Portland with the withdrawal of federal forces whose presence enraged protesters, but the timing remained in dispute. Oregon Governor Kate Brown said the forces -- whose deployment was seen by many as part of Trump's law-and-order strategy for re-election -- would begin their phased pullout on Thursday. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf indicated, however, that the officers will withdraw only if there are guarantees that local police can ensure the federal courthouse will be secured. Trump's administration earlier this month sent the federal tactical teams, many wearing combat-like gear, to intervene in the western city after weeks of protests against racism and police brutality saw windows broken and graffiti scrawled on the federal courthouse and other buildings. But their deployment only served to inflame the situation, especially following video footage of protesters being snatched off the street by federal forces and put into unmarked cars. "After my discussions with (Vice President Mike) Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland," Brown tweeted Wednesday. "They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland." In his statement, Wolf said he and Brown had "agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers." "That plan includes a robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland," he said. But Wolf set no timeline for a pullout, stressing that the "current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland" would remain until being assured that federal properties "will no longer be attacked" in the city. Protesters on the streets of Portland on Wednesday night were sceptical that the withdrawal would proceed. "I don't think the Feds are going to leave, and if they do, the movement continues," said 23-year-old Constantine, one of around 2,000 people gathered outside the city's Federal Court building. Federal law enforcement officers later fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Despite Wolf's announcement, Trump doubled down on the need for federal intervention in the city, threatening to send in the National Guard if the violence continued and calling the protesters anarchists. "I told my people a little while ago, if they don't solve that problem locally very soon, we're going to send in the National Guard and get it solved very quickly," he told an energy conference in Texas. "They want to solve their problem. They've got a very short time to do it. But they'll either solve that problem or we'll send in the National Guard," he added. In parallel with the contested crackdown in Portland, the administration has sent federal agents to supplement local law enforcement in several US cities facing a rise in gun crime such as Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque -- compounding public anger over the situation in Portland. Wednesday's announcement on Portland came as Trump's administration said it was expanding the controversial "surge" of federal agents to three more US cities -- Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. In a statement, Barr said all three Democratic-run cities "have seen disturbing increases in violent crime, particularly homicides." As part of so-called "Operation Legend," just under 100 agents will head to the three Great Lakes cities, according to the Justice Department. The announcement on Portland came a day after officials in neighbouring Washington state said that federal police sent to the city of Seattle last week had left the area. Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler welcomed the withdrawal of the officers from his city, tweeting Wednesday that their presence had sown fear in the community. "Federal agents nearly killed a demonstrator, and their presence has led to increased violence and vandalism in our downtown core," he said. "The Governor and I agree: Oregon resources, expertise, and values are sufficient to manage Oregon issues," he added. "We have consistently communicated our focus on delivering business results while ensuring we have a positive social impact and the Spotlight is an opportunity to reflect on how we have achieved this over the past year," said Mark Smucker, President and CEO, The J. M. Smucker Company. "In addition to celebrating the great work of our employees and partners, the Spotlight is also a reminder of the high expectations we have for ourselves in serving all constituents, expectations we have met throughout the COVID-19 pandemic." Stories featured in this year's Company Spotlight include: Our Values Driven Approach to Continuous Improvement: Hear Chief Executive Officer Mark Smucker describe the Company's unique approach to getting better each day. Hear Chief Executive Officer describe the Company's unique approach to getting better each day. Aligning Financial Discipline and Strategy: Learn how Chief Financial Officer Tucker Marshall and Chief Strategy and International Officer Amy Held view the important intersection between financial discipline and corporate strategy. Learn how Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy and International Officer view the important intersection between financial discipline and corporate strategy. Reinvigorating Our Cat Food Business : Hear Pet Food and Pet Snacks General Manager Rob Ferguson discuss how the Company's strategy of investing in its cat food brands has delivered strong results. : Hear Pet Food and Pet Snacks General Manager discuss how the Company's strategy of investing in its cat food brands has delivered strong results. Investing in the Long-Term Viability of Our Business and Planet : Listen to Smucker sustainability leaders, Julia Sabin and Rebecca Ott , discuss the Company's strategy for establishing its recently announced packaging goals and how Smucker is approaching its next set of environmental sustainability objectives. : Listen to Smucker sustainability leaders, and , discuss the Company's strategy for establishing its recently announced packaging goals and how Smucker is approaching its next set of environmental sustainability objectives. Growing the Dunkin' Brand At Home: Discover how the Smucker and Dunkin' partnership has helped the at-home coffee brand become a leader in its segment as told by Smucker Coffee General Manager Joe Stanziano and Coffee Marketing Lead Tina Meyer-Hawkes. Discover how the Smucker and Dunkin' partnership has helped the at-home coffee brand become a leader in its segment as told by Smucker Coffee General Manager and Coffee Marketing Lead Tina Meyer-Hawkes. Evolving to Meet Employee Needs: Hear Chief People and Administrative Officer Jill Penrose discuss the steps Smucker has taken to enhance its employee support measures to better fit employee needs. Hear Chief People and Administrative Officer discuss the steps Smucker has taken to enhance its employee support measures to better fit employee needs. Making America's Favorite Sandwich Even More Popular: Discover how the Company continues to consistently grow the Smucker's Uncrustables brand by double digits from Consumer Foods General Manager Tina Floyd . Discover how the Company continues to consistently grow the brand by double digits from Consumer Foods General Manager . Supporting Our Communities When They Need Us Most: Listen to Executive Director of Community Engagement & Philanthropy Tamara Fynan discuss how the Company's approach to community relations has positioned Smucker to provide quick and meaningful support during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Listen to Executive Director of Community Engagement & Philanthropy discuss how the Company's approach to community relations has positioned Smucker to provide quick and meaningful support during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Improving Coffee Sustainability From Farm to Cup : Learn about the efforts Smucker has taken to create a more sustainable coffee business across the entire value chain from key members of the Company's Coffee Leadership Team. Those interested in learning about additional Company initiatives are encouraged to review its fiscal year 2020 Annual Report and Inside Smucker blog, as well as the upcoming fiscal year 2021 Q1 earnings announcement on August 25, 2020, and 2020 Corporate Impact Report, which will be published this fall. About The J. M. Smucker Company Inspired by more than 120 years of business success and five generations of family leadership, The J. M. Smucker Company makes food that people and pets love. The Company's portfolio of 40+ brands, which are found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants, include iconic products consumers have always loved such as Folgers, Jif and Milk-Bone plus new favorites like Cafe Bustelo, Smucker's Uncrustables and Rachael Ray Nutrish. Over the past two decades, the Company has grown rapidly by thoughtfully acquiring leading and emerging brands, while ensuring the business has a positive impact on its 7,000+ employees, the communities it is a part of and the planet. For more information about The J. M. Smucker Company, visit jmsmucker.com. The J. M. Smucker Company is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein, except for the following, which are used under license: Dunkin' and Dunkin Donuts are trademarks of DD IP Holder LLC, and Rachael Ray is a trademark of Ray Marks II LLC. The Dunkin' and Dunkin Donuts brands are licensed to The J. M. Smucker Company for packaged coffee products sold in retail channels such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores and drug stores. This information does not pertain to products for sale in Dunkin' restaurants. SOURCE The J. M. Smucker Company Related Links http://www.jmsmucker.com The best place to see the night sky is the highest dome on the Antarctic Plateau the coldest-known place on Earth, where the stars appear to 'twinkle' the least. Dome A, or 'Argus' located in the centre of East Antarctica at an elevation of 13,428 feet above sea level experiences temperatures as low as -144F. Researchers from Australia and China designed, built and set up a small telescope system on the ice dome where atmospheric turbulence is low. This turbulence which causes light to bend as it makes the final leg of its journey to the ground is what makes stars appear to twinkle when seen from Earth. The best place to stargaze is the highest dome on the Antarctic Plateau the coldest-known place on Earth, where stars 'twinkle' the least. Pictured, the Antarctic night sky (stock image) Researchers from Australia and China designed, built and set up a small telescope system, pictured, on the ice dome where atmospheric turbulence is low 'After a decade of indirect evidence and theoretical reasoning, we finally have direct observational proof of the extraordinarily good conditions at Dome A,' said paper author and astronomer Michael Ashley of the University of New South Wales. 'Dome A is the highest point in the central plateau region of Antarctica, and the atmosphere is extremely stable here, much more so than anywhere else on Earth.' 'The result is that the twinkling of the stars is greatly reduced, and the star images are much sharper and brighter.' The researchers placed their telescope system the KunLun Differential Image Motion Monitor, which has a 25 centimetre (5.9 inch) aperture on a 26 foot-high platform above the dome's surface. This raises the telescopes above the steep temperature gradients found near the surface of the ice, as well as atmospheric eddies both of which can interfere with star gazing efforts. Turbulent eddies build up when wind moves across changing topographies like hills, mountains and valleys, Professor Ashley said. 'This causes the atmospheric turbulence which bends the starlight around so by the time it hits the ground, it's all over the place and you get these blurry images,' he explained. Dome A, or 'Argus' located in the centre of East Antarctica at an elevation of 13,428 feet above sea experiences temperatures as low as -144F. Pictured, the summit of Dome A Dome A, however, features a plateau that is flat for many hundreds of miles in every direction, meaning that it's atmosphere is comparatively stable. 'There is this very slow wind that blows across the plateau which is so smooth that it doesn't generate much turbulence,' Professor Ashley explained. 'What little turbulence there is we see restricted to a very low 'boundary layer' the area between the ice and the rest of the atmosphere. 'We measured the boundary layer thickness at Dome A using a radar technique about a decade ago and it's about 14 meters, on average, but it fluctuates it goes down to almost nothing, and it goes up to maybe 30 metres.' The researchers placed their telescope system, pictured which has a 25 centimetre (5.9 inch) aperture on a 26 feet-high platform above the surface of Dome A By placing the KunLun Differential Image Motion Monitor atop a 26 feet-high tower, the team found that it sits above the boundary layer around a third of the time. In fact, the system which takes one photograph of the sky every minute took 45,930 images from above the boundary layer between April 11August 4 2019. According to Professor Ashley, however, proving that Dome A provided the best spot on Earth for stargazing was no simple feat. 'It was very difficult because the observations have to be made in mid-winter with no humans present,' he added. Accordingly, the infrastructure used the power supply, computers and satellite communications all had to be 'managed by remote control', he said. During winter, the Antarctic latitudes offer far longer nights providing continuous windows for stargazing that allow for more throughout observations. One might ask if the atmosphere is such an obstacle to clear astronomical measurements why scientists bother with ground-based telescopes when we have the capacity to put observatories into orbit, like the Hubble Space Telescope. 'Satellites are a lot more expensive were talking maybe factors of 10100 times the cost,' Professor Ashley explained 'Another advantage of making Earth-based observations is you can always add the latest technology to your telescope on the ground whereas in space, everything is delayed.' Furthermore, he added, 'you can't easily use a lot of modern integrated circuits because they're not radiation hardened. So you end up with space lagging the technology on the ground by 10 years or more.' Dome A, or 'Argus' located in the centre of East Antarctica at an elevation of 13,428 feet above sea level experiences temperatures as low as -144F With their initial study complete, the researchers are now considering how else the astronomical potential of Dome A might be best put to use. 'Dome A is a superb site for astronomical observations, and we should make every effort to participate in an international project to put a large telescope there to take advantage of the conditions,' Professor Ashley said. 'With Antarctica being so close to Australia, it is a tremendous opportunity.' The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature. Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area. 9 a.m.: The latest Houston, Texas numbers From Tuesday to Wednesday, the number of new COVID-19 cases increased by 9,124 cases to 415,870 cases statewide, marking the 14th highest day for new cases since the pandemic began, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. Texas reported 327 new deaths and is now at 6,376 total. This marks the second-highest day for newly reported deaths. The Houston region saw a 2.05 percent increase in new cases and is now at 98,565 cases total. Harris County saw a 2.17 percent increase and is now at 69,126 cases total. An additional 80 deaths were reported in the region, bringing the death count up to 1,570. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Houston doctor behind hydroxychloroquine drug video was sued in Louisiana womans death Declines were seen in the state's rolling average for new cases, which is now at 7,667.1, and the positive test rate, which is now at 12.55 percent. After several days of the Department of State Health Services reporting incomplete hospitalization numbers due to a transition in reporting to comply with new federal requirements, the state on Wednesday removed its note about incomplete hospitalization data. As of Wednesday night, there were 9,595 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 across the state. A new investigation from the Houston Chronicle offers a look inside the pandemic's emotional and physical toll on Houstons health care workers. Read more here. NOTE: The numbers included in this report represent a one-day change in data from Tuesday, July 28 through Wednesday, July 29. It is still unclear how many of the state's new cases can be attributed to jail inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The Houston Chronicle's analysis of COVID-19 case data now includes probable and pending cases. This change is based on interviews with multiple public health officials and epidemiologists, as well as in line with CDC guidelines on reporting. DSHS is now using death certificate data for its counts of COVID deaths, leading some Texas counties to have dramatically higher counts than others and some counties to have higher numbers than state figures. rebecca.hennes@chron.com A group of N.J. small business owners said theyd love to rehire the employees they were forced to furlough due to the coronavirus pandemic. The problem is they have no work to offer them. And, they say, the extra federal unemployment insurance benefits scheduled to run out Friday are essential to keeping their workers above water until they can return to their jobs. Everybody who works for me has been anxious to come back to work and glad to come back to work, said Kelly Conklin, co-founder of Kenilworth-based Foley Waite, a 14-person architectural woodworking firm. People want to come back to work. This extended benefit is how theyre going to be able to come back to work. The picture painted by New Jersey business owners on a Zoom call held by the small-business group Main Street Alliance contrasts with the views of Senate Republicans, who want to slash the federal payments by two-thirds under the contention that the unemployment benefits now are so generous that they encouraging workers to stay home rather than return to their jobs. Weve already heard from small-business owners who had troubling reopening because it would be financially irrational for their employees to come back, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the Senate floor Wednesday. Under the $1 trillion Senate GOP stimulus package, the extra federal payments would be cut to $200 from $600 until state unemployment offices can rejigger their systems to pay out 70% of a recipients salary. The Senate proposal was released Monday, more than two months after House Democrats passed a $3 trillion measure. One New Jersey small-business owner, Cliff Simms of Great Jones Books in South Pennington and Labyrinth Books in Princeton, said the extended unemployment benefits were a boon to his business, not a hindrance. These are very necessary to give employees security at a time when they desperately need it and to reduce all the social and economic hardships that come with this pandemic, Simms said. For small business owners, its a great thing because it gives us the flexibility to hire, rehire, labor based on the needs of the business as it comes back. Two independent studies, one by economist Ernie Tedeschi and one by Yale University, both found that the extra payments do not discourage workers from reclaiming their jobs. Its a false notion, Simms said. Thats really all it is. Its a talking point for an ideology but not a really the actuality of what workers face in America today. In addition to unemployment insurance, the differences between the Senate Republican and House Democratic bills are so vast that President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday raised the possibility of just passing a short-term extension of the unemployment benefits and a federal moratorium on evictions, and leave the rest to a later date. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. The herd immunity level is far away for the Indian population and it can only be achieved through immunisation by vaccines, a top health ministry official said on Thursday and added that reaching this threshold believed to be crucial for the Covid-19 outbreak to end in any other manner will exact too high a cost. The official also hinted that India is looking at a multilateral, WHO-led mechanism to secure Covid vaccines and the country is yet to begin direct discussions with any of the developers that are leading the development race. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage For a large country like India, herd immunity cannot be a strategic choice or a strategic option... It will come at too high a cost and can be done only through immunisations via vaccination, said Rajesh Bhushan, the officer on special duty, health ministry, during a briefing on Thursday. The march of an infectious disease such as Covid-19 can be halted only when there is a large enough proportion of the population that is immune to it a threshold known as herd immunity. Besides a vaccine, which is yet to be approved, the only way people become immune is if they have had the disease and recovered. Government has not signed an agreement with any vaccine manufacturing company. There are multiple stakeholders within and outside government and ministry of health has started actively engaging with such stakeholders. Its too premature to comment on supply and distribution of vaccine at this stage but whenever it comes it has to be deployed on a much larger scale than the existing vaccines, said Bhushan. Bhushan also said the question on who would get the vaccine first was still under deliberation at the health ministry. World over, there are roughly 25 vaccines in human trial phases including two from India. Three vaccine candidates one each from US, UK and China are largely regarded as the frontrunners since they are now at advanced stages of experiments among people. Several countries have entered into commercial deals with the UK candidates developer AstraZeneca and the US candidates Moderna. India is in touch with global multilateral organisations such as GAVI, CEPI, WHO etc. to see how it can be made accessible for people in India, said Bhushan. GAVI (Gavi-The Vaccine Alliance) and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) have partnered with WHO and several of the vaccine developers to help pool resources for the production, acquisition of distribution of any potential Covid-19 vaccine, with fair access being one of the factors that they will keep in mind. The two Indian vaccine candidates are Bharat Biotechs Covaxin and Zydus Cadilas ZyCov-D, both in phase I/II human trials for determining its safety and dosage. About 141 vaccine candidates globally are in the pre-clinical stage, which means these are into research stages or in pre-clinical trials where animal experiments are taking place to generate toxicity data. The virus strain isolated for Bharat Biotechs Covaxin was isolated at the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) in Pune, and transferred to the company. It received central drugs controllers approval for early human trials on June 29. Zydus Cadilas vaccine candidate is called ZyCov-D, a DNA plasmid vaccine that received drug controllers approval for early human trials on July 2. The candidate was developed indigenously at the companys Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and uses DNA to train the body to recognise parts of Sars-Cov-2 and build an immune response. Experts said vaccine is the most cost-effective way to achieve immunity against an infectious disease. The vaccine will be ultimate to check the disease spread but we dont know when an effective vaccine will be available for use even though all our efforts are being directed towards making it happen as soon as possible. A good vaccine is the most cost-effective way of preventing a disease, said Dr Amita Jain, head, microbiology department, KGMU, Lucknow. Till the time a vaccine comes, Covid-19 appropriate behaviour such as wearing a mask, maintaining physical distancing, and maintaining hand hygiene, etc, will work the best, Bhushan said at the briefing. As the Covid-19 outbreak turned into a pandemic, epidemiologists around the world said countries would need to use a combination of suppression (not letting the virus spread) and mitigation (focussing on helping infected people and letting the virus spread in a limited manner to allow immunity to build up) strategies till a vaccine is developed. For India, the second part has been deemed as not feasible since the country has fewer hospitals per person than developed countries which raises the possibility of health services being overwhelmed. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON YEREVAN. The meeting between the MPs of the majority My Step faction in the National Assembly (NA) and Vahram Avetisyan, the Constitutional Court (CC) judge candidate nominated by the government of Armenia, is taking place Thursday at the headquarters of the ruling Civil Contract Party. To note, after the constitutional amendments, there will be three vacancies for judges in the Constitutional Court, for which the government, the President, and the General Assembly of Judges shall nominate candidatesand in order. And the NA shall elect these judges. At present, solely the government has nominated a candidate. Once the Constitutional Court is complemented with three new judges, all the judges of this court shall elect from among themselves the president Constitutional Court. Prince Andrew has broken cover as Ghislaine Maxwell made an 11th-hour bid to prevent documents laying bare her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the sex lives of her rich and powerful friends being published today. The Duke of York was in his Bentley with his bodyguard as he drove out of the gates of Windsor Castle this morning where he has been keeping a low profile at his lodge in the grounds of his mother the Queen's estate. His rare public appearance came amid more legal drama in the US involving his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in a New York jail accused of helping groom girls for abuse by Epstein. Maxwell has made a last minute challenge to prevent documents laying bare her personal relationship with the billionaire paedophile being made public arguing they could expose 'intrusive' details about her own sex life. They were due to be unsealed today - but this has been delayed until Monday pending the result of her application to the Second Circuit Court in New York. Prince Andrew drives himself out of Windsor Castle in his Bentley as his friend Ghislaine Maxwell launched a new legal bid to keep bombshell evidence about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein being made public The Duke of Andrew was followed out of the gates by a security team in a Range Rover and had a bodyguard next to him in the passenger seat Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London and the Duke of York is in a war of words with the US authorities and the royal insists he is willing to speak to them about Jeffrey Epstein The papers will include depositions from Ghislaine Maxwell which could explain her alleged role in Epsteins sex trafficking operation. They are also expected to shed light on the powerful men accused of having sex with his victims. How Duke of York's annual meetings with Epstein including after he was sent to jail caused Prince Andrew decades of trouble Here is a timeline of the duke's relationship with Epstein. - 1999 Andrew first meets Epstein, reportedly introduced through his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell. Andrew welcomes Epstein to the Queen's private Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire. Andrew later says he sees Epstein 'infrequently', adding 'probably no more than only once or twice a year'. - 2000 Andrew and Ms Maxwell are seen on holiday with Epstein at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein and Ms Maxwell attend a party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen to mark Andrew's 40th birthday, the Princess Royal's 50th, the Queen Mother's 100th and Princess Margaret's 70th. - 2001 Virginia Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew 'three times, including one orgy', with the first encounter allegedly taking place in Ms Maxwell's London townhouse. Ms Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew on two more occasions, at Epstein's New York home and at an 'orgy' on his private island in the Caribbean. - 2008 Epstein admits prostituting minors and is sentenced to 18 months in prison. - 2010 Epstein is released from jail. Andrew is photographed with the disgraced Epstein in New York's Central Park. Footage emerges years later, reportedly shot on December 6 2010, showing him inside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, from where he is seen looking out from a large door of the property waving a woman goodbye after Epstein leaves to get into a chauffeur-driven car. - 2011 The duke quits his role as UK trade envoy after the fallout from the Central Park photos. - 2015 Buckingham Palace denies Andrew has committed any impropriety after he is named in US court documents related to Epstein. A woman, later named in reports as Ms Roberts, alleges in papers filed in Florida that she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, which is under the age of consent in the state. In April the claims against Andrew are struck from US civil court records following a federal judge's ruling. - 2019 Newly released legal documents show that Johanna Sjoberg, another alleged Epstein victim, claimed Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace said the allegations are 'categorically untrue'. Epstein is found dead in his jail cell on August 10, having killed himself after being charged with sex trafficking. Later that month a pilot on Epstein's private jet claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with the financier and Ms Roberts. On November 16, the prince gave a 'disastrous' BBC interview in which he spoke about his friendship with Epstein and addressed allegations of his own sexual conduct. The duke denied he slept with Virginia Roberts, one of Epstein's victims, on three separate occasions, twice while she was underage, saying one encounter in 2001 did not happen as he spent the day with his daughter Princess Beatrice, taking her to Pizza Express in Woking for a party. The same alleged sexual liaison, which the American said began with the royal sweating heavily as they danced at London nightclub Tramp, was factually wrong as the duke said he had a medical condition at the time which meant he did not sweat. He cast doubt on the authenticity of a picture that appears to show Andrew with his arm around the waist of Miss Roberts, when a teenager. 2020 Ghislaine Maxwell is arrested in New Hampshire as pressure grows on Andrew to speak to the FBI. Advertisement They relate to evidence Maxwell gave as part of a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit filed against her in 2015 by Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts, who also claims to have had sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 in 2001. Judge Loretta Preska last week ordered the unsealing of a vast tranche of documents relating to the billionaire paedophile today - Maxwell wants to block the bombshell court documents emerging. Meanwhile Prince Andrew is involved in a war of words with the US authorities over whether he will assist their inquiries into the sex crimes of his paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein, who hanged himself in a New York jail cell last summer. Ms Maxwell was arrested on July 2 after a raid on her remote mansion in New Hampshire and is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn after being charged with child sex trafficking and perjury. Epstein's 'sex slave' Virginia Roberts claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to have sex with Andrew three times when she was 17. US Attorney General Bill Barr said earlier this year that Andrew must speak to the FBI and his team 'definitely' want to interview him. He said: 'The department wants to talk to Prince Andrew. That's why the Southern District has been making efforts to communicate with him. We've made it clear that we'd like to communicate with him'. A source close to Prince Andrew previously told DailyMail.com that he was 'bewildered' by the ongoing claims that he wasn't cooperating, and says his team tried to reach prosecutors several times. Speaking to ABC News Mr Barr said the government had Maxwell's security 'locked up' to ensure she would neither be able to kill herself or be harmed, Barr answered firmly: 'Yes. We have asked them to tell us specifically the protocols they're following and we have a number of redundant systems to monitor the situation.' He added that he was 'livid' when Epstein killed himself and that he wanted to see him brought to justice. 'I was livid obviously. I believed very strongly in that case and I was very proud of the work done by the department, the Southern District on that case, and as you recall, after he committed suicide, I said that I was confident that we would continue to pursue this case vigorously and continue to pursue anyone who was complicit in it. I was very happy we were able to get Ms Maxwell,' he said. Prince Andrew has seen his legal team 'ghosted' by US prosecutors as they claim to have made repeated offers of help in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Sources close to the Duke of York's legal team say they have contacted Department of Justice representatives in the US on a number of occasions since they were first contacted at the beginning of the year. Andrew, 60, whose close friend Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested and accused of assisting Epstein's abuse of minors by helping to recruit and groom underage victims, was described as 'bewildered' by the US prosecutors claims of non co-operation. The informed source said they had been in touch with the DOJ once Geoffrey Berman was replaced as US attorney for the Southern District of New York by Audrey Strauss. Ms Strauss was appointed on June 22 after Mr Berman was 'fired' by Donald Trump. The initial contact was made at the turn of the year when the DOJ confirmed that the Duke of York was being represented by legal firm Blackfords. Once contact had been established, the Duke's team offered co-operation and asked for a framework as to how the US wished to proceed, but there was no reply. The source said his team feel they have 'effectively been ghosted.' Judge Preska said that 80 documents due to be unsealed in the US - run to hundreds of pages. They will also include communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 when Virginia Roberts made explosive allegations about them in court papers. In the papers Roberts claimed that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 at Epsteins command. The Duke of York strenuously denies these charges. The case is separate from the current criminal proceedings against Maxwell, 58, who is accused of procuring girls as young as 14 for Epstein to abuse. The British socialite, who is the daughter of disgraced newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell, has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial next year. The case that was ruled on last night was originally brought by Miss Roberts, now a 36-year-old mother of three who lives in Australia and goes by her married name Virginia Giuffre. She sued Maxwell in 2015 and claimed that she defamed her by calling her a liar for saying she recruited her nto a sex trafficking ring for politically connected and financially powerful people. Ghislaine Maxwell has today filed a last-minute attempt to stop the unsealing of bombshell court documents that could expose 'invasive' details about her sex life Maxwell's lawyers argued the depositions were confidential and under a protective order, and federal prosecutors in her sex trafficking case wrongfully got a hold of the documents and used them to form some of the charges against her The upcoming release of the unsealed documents could include details about Maxwells sex life that her lawyers have previously tried to stop from being released, relating to a seven-hour, 418-page deposition Maxwell gave, which her legal team said was extremely personal, confidential The case was settled in 2017 for an undisclosed sum but media organizations sued for documents in the case to be made public. Judge Loretta Preska ruled last week that 80 documents - which will run to hundreds of pages - should be made public by Thursday. This has been delayed to Monday pending an appeal During the hearing at Manhattans federal court, Judge Preska said that Maxwells right to privacy was outweighed by the need for the documents to become public. She went through the dozens of documents which included depositions by Miss Roberts and various legal papers. The contents however could be explosive and may contain fresh evidence against the wealthy elite who socialised with Epstein. The documents could include details about Maxwells sex life which her lawyers have previously tried to stop being released. They relate to a seven-hour, 418-page deposition Maxwell gave which her lawyers said was extremely personal, confidential. Maxwells lawyers have called the deposition a series of (efforts) to compel Ms Maxwell to answer intrusive questions about her sex life. After the ruling Maxwells lawyer Laura Menninger asked for a two week delay in the unsealing so that they could file an appeal against the ruling with the Second Circuit in New York. Miss Menninger said: There have been some significant changes with respect to my clients positions and perhaps known to everyone listening to this, while we were speaking about a potential ongoing criminal investigation (before), since that time Miss Maxwell has been indicted and a trial has been scheduled. Now we are in a vastly different position and have grave concerns about our clients ability to receive a fair trial given the intense media scrutiny around anything that is unsealed. Miss Roberts lawyer Sigrid McCawley said she wanted the documents made public as swiftly as possible. Judge Preska said that if the Second Circuit had not ruled within a week then the files should be made public. The lawsuit to release the documents was originally filed by Miami Herald and their reporter Julie Brown, whose series on Epstein called Perversion of Justice in 2018 put renewed focus on the case and led to his arrest last July. As a result there are thousands of pages of documents which are being released on a rolling basis. Each time a persons name comes up they are notified and given the chance to make objections to their name becoming public. There were two John Does in this latest batch but they did not make any complaints when approached, according to court filings. Epstein victims are fearful that sex tapes and photographs featuring them being abused could be described as part of the unsealed evidence and eventually shown in court during Maxwell's criminal trial, DailyMail.com can disclose. Pictured: Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts The Second Circuit had already ordered 2,000 pages of documents to be made public and they were released last August, the day before Epstein killed himself. The documents included the unpublished manuscript of a memoir from Miss Roberts which detailed her years of abuse by him. There were depositions from Epsteins pilots, his former associates and flight logs showing him traveling the globe with his victims and famous people like Bill Clinton. Among those who have taken an interest in the defamation case are lawyers for a John Doe who appears to be somebody who will be featured in the documents. On the same day Maxwell was dealt another blow when the judge overseeing her criminal case refused her request to gag the FBI, prosecutors and victims lawyers. Judge Alison Nathan said that Maxwell could still get a fair trial but warned she would not hesitate to take appropriate action if anyone stepped out of line. A Dublin man accused of falsely imprisoning and assaulting a Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) director from Co Fermanagh has failed in a bid to have the charges against him dismissed. Alan O'Brien (39), with an address at Shelmalier Road, Dublin 3, is charged with false imprisonment and assault causing serious harm to Kevin Lunney in Co Cavan on September 17, 2019. Mr O'Brien yesterday applied to the non-jury court to dismiss the two charges. Mr Lunney, a father-of-six, was abducted close to his Derrylin home on the evening of September 17. The businessman's leg was broken, he was doused in bleach and the letters 'QIH' were carved into his chest before he was dumped on a roadside in Co Cavan. Bernard Condon SC, for Mr O'Brien, told the court that his client was making the application under Section 4E of the Criminal Justice Act 1999. A Section 4E application is for the dismissal of a charge against an accused. The three-judge court heard submissions from Mr Condon, and Sean Guerin SC made submissions for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr Justice Paul Coffey, presiding, sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge Gerard Griffin, said what was at issue was whether there was a sufficient case to put the accused on trial and whether a "prima facie" case had been made out by the prosecution. Mr Justice Coffey said the non-jury court was satisfied that there was a sufficient case to put Mr O'Brien on trial for the offences. He was remanded until January 11, 2021, when his trial is expected to take place alongside his three other co-accused. The co-accused are Luke O'Reilly (66), from Mullahoran Lower, Kilcogy, Co Cavan; Darren Redmond (25), from Caledon Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, and another man who cannot be named for legal reasons. They are also accused of the same offences. The permit will be valid from July 31 to August 31 this year. Ukrainian citizens are once again allowed to cross into Bulgaria without a mandatory coronavirus test and 14-day quarantine upon arrival, the Ukrainian Embassy in Bulgaria reports. "On July 30, Decision No. RD-01-443 of the Ministry of Health was updated, according to which, starting from July 31 to August 31 of this year, citizens of Ukraine are allowed to enter the territory of Bulgaria without the need to provide a document proving a negative COVID-19 PCR test and without needing to go through a 14-day quarantine," the report says. Read alsoUkrainians banned from entering Montenegro by car As UNIAN reported, on July 28 it became known that Ukrainians from July 30 will be able to get to Bulgaria only with a negative PCR test for COVID-19. Prior to that, from July 16, Ukrainian citizens had been allowed to enter Bulgaria without passing a coronavirus test and undergoing a 14-day quarantine. (Natural News) Just like what is now happening to Natural News and Brighteon, both of which are completely banned from Facebook and Twitter, Breitbart News is no longer showing up in Googles search results due to blatant Big Tech censorship in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. While Google has been censoring Breitbart in various ways since at least 2016, greatly limiting its search visibility, the tech giant has taken things a step further in recent days by pretty much blocking the domain entirely, even when users specifically search for the word Breitbart. According to the news outlet, searches for Breitbart that occurred on April 4, 2016, Breitbart ranked in the top 10 search positions for 355 different key search terms. As of July 20, 2020, however, Breitbart now ranks in the top 10 search positions for only one search term. On April 4, 2016, Breitbart also ranked in the top 100 search positions for 16,820 different key search terms. But now, as of July 20, 2020, Breitbart only ranks in the top 10 search positions for 55 search terms. All in all, Google is now limiting the search visibility for Breitbart by up to 99.7 percent, which has resulted in organic Google search traffic to Breitbart, which is measured by the number of unique visitors, plummeting by upwards of 63 percent compared to the first half of 2016. In essence, Google has ensured that Breitbart is virtually eliminated from all search results for news, including queries that specifically seek out Breitbart content. This means that Google users will be presented with other news instead, presumably from a left-wing perspective. Google is specifically not allowing users to find Breitbart articles about Joe Biden A pair of graphs compiled using data from the SISTRIX Visibility Index reveal precipitous declines in Breitbarts search visibility thanks to Google interference. The first decline occurred shortly after, and in direct response to, the unfavorable results of the 2016 presidential election. The second occurred in July of 2019. And the third and most recent decline became noticeable in May of this year, which is no coincidence seeing as how this is an election year. Not only does typing Breitbart into the Google search bar no longer bring up any Breitbart content, but Google also appears to have specifically censored any Breitbart content associated with Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden. Breitbart search results for Joe Biden and other Biden-related search terms have gone to zero, writes Allum Bokhari. Even if you specifically search for Breitbart News headlines, you are unlikely to find them in Google search. And when he says zero, he actually means zero. Google does not want anyone pulling up anything negative about Biden that might in any way hurt his chances of winning the election and superseding President Donald Trump, whom Google desperately wants to unseat. On May 1, Google searches for Joe Biden generated approximately 30,000 impressions (views, used as a metric for advertisers) for Breitbart links, Bokhari goes on to explain. After May 5, both impressions and clicks went to zero. Breitbart News was able to have a conversation with a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert who has worked 25 years in the industry about what Google has done, and this person revealed that he has never before seen anything like this. Ive never experienced such a wholesale removal of rank and visibility on specific concepts on a site as I have seen being applied to Breitbart, this expert revealed. Removal is the key, not dropping in rank, which would be an organic devaluing. These ranks are just simply gone, overnight, while other topics have been untouched. The sheer fact that there are thousands of pages of Breitbart content that reference Biden that were ranking before May 6, that now have no rank or impressions on search is a sign of manipulation, not algorithmic devaluing, he added. For more related news about Big Tech censorship, be sure to check out Censorship.news. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:55:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close COPENHAGEN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Denmark can expect to be hit by a second COVID-19 wave this September, according to findings presented in a press release by the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) on Thursday. Based on simulations using a scientific method of calculation rooted in the methods of particle physics and developed in association with colleagues from the University of Lyons in France, the SDU projected that around the 35th to 37th weeks of this year, Denmark risks being hit by a new wave of COVID-19 infections as strong as the first that hit the country in the spring. However, the simulations also predicted that the coronavirus should subside after approximately two weeks. "Our simulation shows that we will face a similar number of infected as in the spring if we take the same precautions of social distancing and introduce the same restrictions as during the first wave. If we do not do that, we risk even more infections," said Francesco Sannino, professor of theoretical physics at the SDU. The simulations could also predict the development of COVID-19 in Denmark and other European countries for the rest of 2020. The researchers have found that the coronavirus will peak in Denmark in the 38th to 40th weeks of this year and then begin to fade around the 40th to 42nd weeks, providing precautions and restrictions are the same as in the first wave. The simulation is based on COVID-19 data from around the world and especially from the first wave. It relies on the number of infected people, including the so-called "dark number" -- those who are not registered. Countries included in the model are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. "Our model can be used by states, companies, citizens and the financial market to prepare and implement necessary local and global measures before the next wave hits," said Professor Sannino. A premise of the model is that there is no so-called "herd immunity," when so many people become immune to the disease that it cannot spread as rapidly, or at all. The predictions come as Danish Crown, a company dealing primarily in processing of pork and beef, has been hit with an unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 in one of its slaughterhouses in Denmark, which employs 900 workers. On Tuesday, at one of the company's slaughterhouses in Ringsted, 67 kilometers southwest of Copenhagen, three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the company and it immediately followed government guidelines to contain the virus. However, the number of infected had increased sharply to 16 and on Thursday doubled to 32. "The new cases of infection are contact persons for people who were found infected earlier in the week, but it is of course serious," Jens Hansen, press manager at Danish Crown, said on Thursday. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Denmark has risen by 91 within the last 24 hours to 13,725. The number of deaths increased by one to 615 in the same period, according to the Statens Serum Institut's daily update issued on Thursday. Enditem The Sino-British Economic Cooperation and Innovation Development Conference was launched by Peoples Daily Online UK branch on July 29, 2020. Though Sino-UK relations are now facing unprecedented challenges due to the latters interference in Chinas domestic affairs, and bilateral trade has been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two nations future cooperation in multiple areas shows promising prospects, said experts and business leaders from both nations at a round table conference, but also warned that the UKs miscalculation towards China should be rectified to ensure healthy and stable bilateral ties. Bringing together prominent business leaders and experts from both China and the UK, the Sino-British Economic Cooperation and Innovation Development Conference, an international gathering aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in the trade, culture and science fields between China and the UK amid the COVID-19 pandemic launched by Peoples Daily Online UK branch, was held on July 29, 2020, with experts noting that the conference serves as a timely guideline for future cooperation between the two nations. When it comes to economic cooperation, China and the UK complement each other in many areas. Although the pandemic and the recent difficulties hindering Sino-British ties have cast a shadow on future cooperation between the two nations, bilateral trade remains strong and is a pillar of Sino-UK ties, said Zhao Qiang, deputy editor-in-chief of Peoples Daily Online, who further noted that it is important to promote the two nations trade and innovation cooperation at such a crucial stage. Echoing Zhao, Wei Jianguo, former vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce and Vice President of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, noted that though Sino-UK relations are now facing unprecedented obstacles, prospects for the two nations friendship and relations between the two peoples remain optimistic, while trade and innovation cooperation are vital for the two nations relations. According to Wei, future cooperation between the two nations should follow three steps. The first is to strengthen the two nations already sound people-to-people friendship and promote bilateral trade. The second step would be finding more areas for cooperation, with a focus on trade, as well as science and technology cooperation. He noted that the UK may use the upcoming China International Import Expo as a platform to introduce more British companies to the Chinese market. And the third step would be using financial cooperation as a breakthrough to further promote cooperation in multiple areas, especially in the cultural, tourism and education fields, added Wei. Sino-UK relations are now facing obstacles due to the latters recent interference in Hong Kong affairs, as well as its decision to stop UK telecoms networks buying new Huawei 5G kit. Wei noted that the UKs three miscalculations are the major reason why Sino-UK relations are on their current bumpy road. Following in the footsteps of US unilateralism and hegemonism, the UK has questioned Chinas ability to lead global economic revival and misjudged the post-pandemic international situation. Some UK politicians still hold a Cold War mentality towards China, and misjudged Chinas determination to develop peacefully. Following Brexit, the UKs discord with China, its third misjudgment of its own future development, will further dent its international trade. Tom Simpson, China Chief Representative at CBBC Company, stressed that UK-China trade relations have grown significantly in the last decade, and 2019 was a record year with 26.4 billion worth of goods exported to China, representing 7.% of UKs total goods exports. He further noted that foreign direct investment from China received by the UK between 2000 and 2018 was more than double the level of Chinese investment received by any other European country. I could go on giving examples as there are so many, but I think the message is already clear: the economic, trade, and innovation collaboration between our two countries is already very strong, and with continued support will only continue to flourish, said the British business leader. The UK is an important partner for China. It is already bad that the UK has withdrawn from the European Union. It would be even more devastating for the UKs economy if it tries to sever its ties with China, said Jin Xu, former minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and President of the China Association of International Trade. Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:41:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman wearing face mask walks on the street in Temara, Morocco, July 30, 2020. Morocco on Thursday reported 1,046 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day increase so far, taking the total number of infections in the country to 23,259. (Photo by Chadi/Xinhua) RABAT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Morocco on Thursday reported 1,046 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day increase so far, taking the total number of infections in the country to 23,259. The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 17,511 after 186 new ones were added, while the death toll rose to 346 with 12 new fatalities, said Abdelkrim Meziane Belfkih, head of the department of epidemic diseases at the Ministry of Health, at a press briefing. China has helped Morocco in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. A batch of medical supplies donated by the government of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was transported on June 8 to Casablanca-Settat in Morocco. On May 14, China Development Bank sent a batch of donation, including respirators and medical protective masks, to help Morocco fight the COVID-19 pandemic. China's Guizhou Province also donated 15,000 surgical gloves, 20,000 medical masks and 2,000 protective suits to help protect Moroccan medical workers fighting the pandemic. Enditem Jeanne Johns became the CEO of Incitec Pivot Limited (ASX:IPL) in 2017, 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 assess whether Incitec Pivot pays its CEO appropriately, considering recent earnings growth and total shareholder returns. Check out our latest analysis for Incitec Pivot How Does Total Compensation For Jeanne Johns Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? According to our data, Incitec Pivot Limited has a market capitalization of AU$3.7b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth AU$3.2m over the year to September 2019. Notably, that's a decrease of 17% over the year before. We note that the salary portion, which stands at AU$1.63m constitutes the majority of total compensation received by the CEO. In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations ranging from AU$2.8b to AU$8.9b, the reported median CEO total compensation was AU$3.2m. This suggests that Incitec Pivot remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average. Moreover, Jeanne Johns also holds AU$1.1m worth of Incitec Pivot stock directly under their own name. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary AU$1.6m AU$1.4m 51% Other AU$1.6m AU$2.5m 49% Total Compensation AU$3.2m AU$3.9m 100% Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 69% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 31% of the pie. Incitec Pivot sets aside a smaller share of compensation for salary, in comparison to the overall industry. If salary is the major component in total compensation, it suggests that the CEO receives a higher fixed proportion of the total compensation, regardless of performance. Incitec Pivot Limited's Growth Incitec Pivot Limited has reduced its earnings per share by 9.6% a year over the last three years. It achieved revenue growth of 2.7% over the last year. Story continues The decline in earnings is a bit concerning. And the modest revenue growth over 12 months isn't much comfort against the reduced earnings per share. So given this relatively weak performance, shareholders would probably not want to see high compensation for the CEO. Historical performance can sometimes be a good indicator on what's coming up next but if you want to peer into the company's future you might be interested in this free visualization of analyst forecasts. Has Incitec Pivot Limited Been A Good Investment? With a three year total loss of 39% for the shareholders, Incitec Pivot Limited would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. Therefore, it might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously. In Summary... As previously discussed, Jeanne is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. On the other hand, earnings growth and total shareholder return have been negative for the last three years. We'd stop short of saying compensation is inappropriate, but we would understand if shareholders had questions regarding a future raise. CEO compensation is an important area to keep your eyes on, but we've also need to pay attention to other attributes of the company. That's why we did our research, and identified 3 warning signs for Incitec Pivot (of which 1 is potentially serious!) that you should know about in order to have a holistic understanding of the stock. Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity 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. GRAND RAPIDS, MI UFP Industries is pushing back against campaign mailers targeting former employee and current congressional candidate Republican state Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, arguing that the mailers make untruthful and damaging claims about the company. The mailers were sent to Grand Rapids area voters by a Colorado-based super PAC, Fix Congress Now! Education Minister Norma Foley is refusing to budge on calls for her to intervene in a row of the withdrawal of school transport for students. Bus services have been pulled for a number of schools in Dublin, in what is set to be a major blow to thousands of pupils. The move will mean large numbers of parents will have to drive their children unless they pay private bus operators more than 1,000 per child to drop them off. Dublin Bus has written to principals in several schools telling them it is suspending the services. Read More Rise TD Paul Murphy raised the issue in the Dail, calling for the services to be reinstated. But Ms Foley has replied to him in a letter stating that the school transport scheme is managed by Dublin Bus on behalf of her department. She wrote: Dublin Bus has confirmed that the services referred to were operated by private operators on their behalf and that following a review of the services it was decided not to extend contracts for the new school year. The minister added that Dublin Bus has written to the affected schools explaining the rationale for cancelling the services. She said that in most cases there were alternative routes available. Schools in Sutton, Tallaght, Templeogue and Greenhills have been told the public-transport service will not be in place when schools reopen. Nineteen schools are affected, the bus company confirmed. The services were contracted out by Dublin Bus to private operators, but ceased in March when schools were closed due to Covid-19. Read More One mother explained how she was paying 250 a year per child to have her children picked up from a train and taken to a school in Sutton. Lynn McDonnell, of Donabate, said the school had been told by Dublin Bus that it was no longer offering the public transport service. A private operator is offering to fill the void, but the cost will be 1,050 a year per child. Ms McDonnell has two children in Santa Sabina Dominican College, which means the family is facing a bill of 2,100. The money has to be paid upfront and the cost will not change even if the children are allowed to attend school for only one or two days a week due to the virus. Using existing bus services will leave them at least 3km away from the school. Ms McDonnell said she was now faced with the prospect of driving her children from Donabate to Sutton, despite the congestion and environmental damage this would cause. Letters sent by the head of operations at Dublin Bus, Donal Keating, to a number of schools state that the transport firm will not be renewing the school bus contract for the next school term. Blamed for this is low usage on some contracted buses, alternative options in existing bus networks, and the BusConnects network redesign. (Newser) The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google were sworn in remotely Wednesday for a historic antitrust hearing before House lawmakers. Rep. David Cicilline, chairman of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, used his opening statement to accuse the tech giants of damaging the economy through excessive dominance, the New York Times reports. "Any single action by one of these companies can affect hundreds of millions of us in profound and lasting ways, the Democrat said. "Simply put: They have too much power." He called the CEOs the "emperors of the new economy." Some highlights: Google "abused its power." Cicilline's first target was Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the Washington Post reports. He accused Google of using stolen information to crush rivals. "The evidence seems very clear to me: As Google became the gateway to the Internet, it began to abuse its power," Cicilline said. "It used its surveillance over Web traffic to begin to identify competitive threats and crush them. It has dampened innovation and new business growth, and it has dramatically increased the price of accessing users on the Internet, virtually ensuring that any business that wants to be found on the Web must pay Google a tax." story continues below Facebook's Instagram acquisition "illegal." Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler grilled Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook's acquisition of Instagram in 2012, saying internal emails about acquiring rivals told a "very disturbing story," TechCrunch reports. He said the buy was exactly the kind of action antitrust laws are supposed to prevent, and asked: "If this was an illegal merger at the time of the transaction, why shouldn't Instagram now be broken off into a separate company?" Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler grilled Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook's acquisition of Instagram in 2012, saying internal emails about acquiring rivals told a "very disturbing story," TechCrunch reports. He said the buy was exactly the kind of action antitrust laws are supposed to prevent, and asked: "If this was an illegal merger at the time of the transaction, why shouldn't Instagram now be broken off into a separate company?" "Inconclusive" answers from Bezos . Politico reports that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who was making his first-ever appearance before Congress, did not face a question for the first two hoursand delivered an "inconclusive" answer when asked whether the company had used data from third-party sellers to launch its own products. He said Amazon has a policy against it, but he couldn't guarantee it has not been violated. . Politico reports that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who was making his first-ever appearance before Congress, did not face a question for the first two hoursand delivered an "inconclusive" answer when asked whether the company had used data from third-party sellers to launch its own products. He said Amazon has a policy against it, but he couldn't guarantee it has not been violated. Zuckerberg was "joking" about buying Google . Zuckerberg told Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse that an email in which he mentioned buying Google "sounds like a joke." Neguse countered that Facebook's market share is "no joke," the Guardian reports. "Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, are the most now downloaded apps of the last decade, and your company, sir owns them all," he said. "We have a word for that, and that word is 'monopoly.'" . Zuckerberg told Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse that an email in which he mentioned buying Google "sounds like a joke." Neguse countered that Facebook's market share is "no joke," the Guardian reports. "Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, are the most now downloaded apps of the last decade, and your company, sir owns them all," he said. "We have a word for that, and that word is 'monopoly.'" "Big tech is out to get conservatives." Republican lawmakers at the hearing largely focused on allegations of anti-conservative bias at the tech giants, the Hill reports. "I'll just cut to the chase, Big Tech is out to get conservatives," Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said in his opening remarks. "That's not a hunch, that's not a suspicion, that's a fact." Republican lawmakers at the hearing largely focused on allegations of anti-conservative bias at the tech giants, the Hill reports. "I'll just cut to the chase, Big Tech is out to get conservatives," Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said in his opening remarks. "That's not a hunch, that's not a suspicion, that's a fact." Bezos defends diaper sales . Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon called out Bezos for driving up the price of diapers online by acquiring Diapers.com in 2010 and shutting it down. The Amazon CEO responded that there are still many other places to buy diapers, NBC News reports. . Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon called out Bezos for driving up the price of diapers online by acquiring Diapers.com in 2010 and shutting it down. The Amazon CEO responded that there are still many other places to buy diapers, NBC News reports. Cook grilled on app development . Apple CEO Tim Cook argued that the company's App Store rules are "applied equally to every developer," but lawmakers used some of the more than 1.3 million documents obtained in their antitrust investigation against him, the Times reports. After Cook told Democratic rep. Hank Johnson said he didn't know if the Chinese search firm Baidu received special treatment, the committee produced emails from 2014 in which Cook told Baidu's chief executive he was on the "app review fast track." . Apple CEO Tim Cook argued that the company's App Store rules are "applied equally to every developer," but lawmakers used some of the more than 1.3 million documents obtained in their antitrust investigation against him, the Times reports. After Cook told Democratic rep. Hank Johnson said he didn't know if the Chinese search firm Baidu received special treatment, the committee produced emails from 2014 in which Cook told Baidu's chief executive he was on the "app review fast track." Tech hiccups. The Post notes that even the CEOs of the world's biggest tech companies had some issues with teleconferencing, which was conducted via Cisco's Webex rather than products by the companies at hand. While the audio quality was clear, all four CEOs, especially Zuckerberg, experienced audio delays that caused their words to be out of synch with their lips. (Read more tech companies stories.) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung, Chair of Vietnams ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), granted an interview to the media for the countrys 25th anniversary of ASEAN membership on the important benefits that Vietnam has enjoyed from the ASEAN Community and how it intends to contribute to the association. Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung. VNA/VNS Photo Vietnams joining of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the right, astute decision by the Party and the State, marking a significant milestone in our international integration. What are your reflections on the past 25 years weve been in ASEAN? The past 25 years have seen major changes and transformation in both Vietnam and ASEAN. At its inception, the bloc was created out of confrontations and distrust in the region, but now ASEAN has become an organisation linking a successful, dynamic region with economic potentials ranking fifth in the world that is attracting attention and cooperation from the international community. Vietnam in this period has also transitioned from an oudated, centralised economy into a country with medium income level, and an open market economy that is integrating deeply into regional and global structures. From its very first tentative steps, Vietnam has become an active, proactive, and responsible member of ASEAN, which works with other member countries to address emerging challenges and contribute to the settlement of strategic issues related to peace, development, and prosperity of the bloc; which in turn, elevate the profile of ASEAN as well as Vietnam in the region and in the world. Over the past 25 years, what do you consider the important benefits that Vietnam has gained from participating in ASEAN? Becoming a member of ASEAN has brought about great benefits to Vietnam in various fields, which can be grouped into three main points: First of all, the ASEAN membership facilitates Vietnams fast and sustainable growth: ASEAN avails us of a peaceful and stable environment for our countrys development; ASEAN helps Vietnam expand partnerships with more countries and territories in the world, especially major and important partners; and ASEAN helps us broaden our market, attract more resources from outside for our development; and enables our deeper integration to the region and the world. Secondly, ASEAN membership has given us support in enhancing our capacity: In attempting to be more in line with ASEAN and the worlds steps, Vietnam has carried out reforms and bettered our institutions towards regional and international standards. Vietnam has also boosted the capacity and skills of its bureaucrats and officials in all sectors and agencies, especially in terms of multilateral foreign affairs. Thirdly, becoming an ASEAN member has certainly raised the position and role that Vietnam plays on the world stage, while helping the country become more confident to join more international playgrounds. Vietnam has become an active member of not only ASEAN but also the international community. From mere participation, Vietnam has gotten to a point where it is firm and confident enough to engage in international integration, making practical contributions to global affairs. In the last 25 years, what notable contributions has Vietnam made to the mutual efforts in building the ASEAN Community? Vietnam has made significant contributions to the building of the ASEAN Community. Firstly, as a middle-level country in the region with population and area ranking third and fourth in Southeast Asia, Vietnams participation in ASEAN has helped this organisation grow in strength, scope and structure, enabling ASEAN to become a strong organisation, putting an end to distrust, divisions and hostile confrontations and opening up a new period of development, peace, and cooperation. Secondly, Vietnam has actively participated in and contributed to the forging of ASEAN's development directions and major policies, including the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and related master plans, including the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Initiative (IAI), among others. Thirdly, Vietnam has made positive and responsible contributions to the implementation of ASEAN common decisions. We have fully and extensively participated and implemented cooperative activities across political-security, socio-cultural and economy fields; as well as presiding over relevant events as per members duties. Vietnam is one of the countries with high rates of implementation of ASEAN's economic integration programmes and measures. Overcoming the initial unfamiliarity, in just three years after joining ASEAN in 1995, Vietnam successfully organised the 6th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in December 1998, after that, we have successfully carried out the role of ASEAN Chair in 2010, building an important premise for the current ASEAN Chairmanship this year. In addition, we have also contributed to the formation, consolidation and advancement of institutions established and led by ASEAN. Among the most notable contributions are the decision to expand the East Asia Summit (EAS) to admit the US and Russia, the first holding of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+), and successful campaigning to become ASEAN representative to attend the G20 Summit held in South Korea and Canada. What do you consider the important factors in the development and success of ASEAN? ASEAN is a diverse community in terms of ethnic groups, cultures, levels of development, political institutions, but ASEAN is still considered a successful regional organisation. First of all, ASEAN's success can be attributed to the ASEAN Way, which embraces consensus and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and maintaining mutual respect for each other; taking firm, appropriate steps and ensuring equality of interests and responsibilities of member countries, ensuring that all members feel included and comfortable in the decision-making process where no voice is left out. The second factor that makes for a successful ASEAN is its geostrategic and geo-economic factors. Located in an important geostrategic position, being right in the centre of a large area connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans, ASEAN has always been an important position in international relations and closely linked to the benefits of great powers in the world. With its 650-million-strong population, the ASEAN region is a highly potential market with a dynamic economy and a global economic bright spot. By 2050, ASEAN is expected to become the fourth largest economy in the world. The third factor is ASEAN's aspirations and endeavours to build a neutral and peaceful region where countries with different political systems, development level, cultures and religions can still cooperate, ensuring security, stability and maintaining economic growth. Another fundamental factor in the successes of ASEAN is that it managed to create mechanisms and playgrounds in the region that attract the attention and active participation of countries, especially major powers, contributing to the construction and shaping of regional structures. An increasing number of external partners are looking forward to establishing partnerships with ASEAN and joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). Could you tell us about the development orientation of ASEAN until 2025 and the following years, and what role will Vietnam play in this process? After five decades, ASEAN has made its mark as a successful regional organisation. Against the backdrops of fast-changing and unpredictable developments in the region and the world, ASEAN must succeed in building a cohesive, self-resilient and strong community. To this end, the grouping needs to enhance intra-bloc connections through mutual interests, improving and consolidating existing cooperation foundations and institutional frameworks. How can ASEAN engender a conducive environment for countries to grow even better, get even closer, or better adapt to changes especially ones brought forth by the strategic competition between major powers in the world, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution? This is precisely what Vietnam wants to convey in its theme and priorities Cohesive and Responsive for its chairmanship year 2020. Also equally important is that ASEAN needs to reinforce and promote its central role in the region. A united and unanimous ASEAN is a decisive factor that will help the association maintain its key role in the region and a balanced, mutually beneficial relationship with its partners. The development orientation for ASEAN in the near future is very much aligned with Vietnams policies. ASEAN has always been one of the top priorities in Vietnams foreign policy. Enjoying the benefits that the ASEAN Community brings, Vietnam will continue to proactively propose initiatives and orientations to contribute to efforts in building the Community. A strong and self-resilient ASEAN Community will provide a firm backing for Vietnam to weather and overcome increasingly difficult waves of challenges in the future. VNS Building ASEAN Community remains top priority: Senior ASEAN officials Successfully building the ASEAN Community continues to be a top priority of the bloc despite the difficulties and challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Barack Obama said he supported ending the Senates filibuster rule if thats what it takes to pass voting rights legislation, as he delivered a powerful eulogy for the late Congressman John Lewis. In a rousing speech in Atlanta on Thursday, Mr Obama, the first black president in US history, advocated for several reforms to make it easier for Americans to vote, including: Making Election Day a federal holiday; Restoring voting rights to former prison inmates; Automatically registering people to vote when they turn 18; Full enfranchisement for the citizens of Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, which currently lack statehood and thus representation in Congress. If all of this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then thats what we should do, Mr Obama said. The 44th president paid tribute to Mr Lewis's contribution to the civil rights battles of the 1960s, particularly the march over the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, during which Mr Lewis was badly beaten. But Mr Obama said that although times had changed over the intervening 60 years and notorious politicians of the period were no longer in power, the challenges facing African Americans were just as real. He said: "Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes, police officers kneeling on the necks of black Americans. "George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting." The Senate filibuster is a longtime chamber rule that effectively requires 60 senators to pass any legislation instead of the simple majority outlined in the Constitution. The rule has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades as a check on majority mob rule in the Senate, which American historians and lawmakers are fond of heralding as the worlds greatest deliberative body. But Democrats have increasingly signalled their openness to ditching the rule if they regain a Senate majority after the 2020 election and if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden beats Donald Trump. Even Mr Biden has indicated he may support doing away with the 60-vote threshold. Its going to depend on how obstreperous [Senate Republicans] become if they become the minority party, Mr Biden said earlier this month, the New York Times reported. Mr Biden, who spent 35 years in the Senate representing Delaware before becoming vice president in 2009, has historically supported the filibuster as a way to gather bipartisan consensus on legislation and force cooperation between the two parties. He expressed optimism that he and Senate Republicans could still negotiate legislation in good faith without doing away with the filibuster. John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Show all 12 1 /12 John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta A woman signs a banner with a picture of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis outside Ebenezer Baptist Church before his memorial service in Atlanta, Georgia REUTERS John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Mourners gather outside of the Ebenezer Baptist Church during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis Getty Images John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Former President Barack Obama, addresses the service during the funeral for the late civil rights hero John Lewis AP John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Members of the joint services military honour guard carry the casket of John Lewis into the Ebenezer Baptist Church on July 30, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia Getty Images John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Former president Bill Clinton speaks at the funeral of John Lewis in Atlanta, Georgia AP John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta A woman holds flowers outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church during the memorial service of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis in Atlanta, Georgia REUTERS John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Samuel Lewis, brother of John Lewis, attends the funeral service for the late congressman at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta AP John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta An Atlanta Police officer outside before the start of the Celebration of Life Service for civil rights leader and Democratic Representative from Georgia John Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia EPA John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Jenifer Holiday sings "Only What You Do For Christ Will Last" during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis AP John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Former President George W. Bush speaks during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis AP John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at the funeral of civil rights hero John Lewis at the Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia REUTERS John Lewis funeral held in Atlanta Stacey Abrams, Democratic activist and founder of Fair Fight, a voting rights group, at the funeral of civil rights hero John Lewis in Atlanta, Georgia via REUTERS But I think youre going to just have to take a look at it, he said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed never to axe the filibuster rule so long as he is in power. On legislation ... the Senates treasured tradition is not efficiency but deliberation, the Kentucky Republican wrote in an op-ed for the Times last summer. One of the bodys central purposes is making new laws earn broader support than what is required for a bare majority in the House, Mr McConnell wrote, arguing that while the legislative filibuster does not appear in the Constitutions text, it is central to the order the Constitution sets forth and is in line with what Americas founding fathers would have wanted. Mr Obama has complained about the filibuster before, but had never called for its outright abandonment. The former presidents moving speech about Mr Lewis was a salute to his role as a leading black voice for civil and voting rights over the last 60 years. Mr Lewis was one of 13 original Freedom Riders who rode buses in integrated pairings through the US South in the 1960s, when many had laws prohibiting blacks and whites from sitting next to each other. He attended lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee, during the student movement there, and he was one of the main organisers of the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famed I Have a Dream speech. Barack Obama hails John Lewis as a 'founding father' of a better America America was built by John Lewises. He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals, Mr Obama said on Thursday. And some day when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union, whether its years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America. Mr Obama was one of three former presidents to speak at Mr Lewis's funeral, along with George W Bush and Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter, the only other surviving former US president, is 95 years old and no longer travels but sent a tribute to the civil rights hero. Others attending the service included some of those tipped as possible vice-presidential picks for Mr Biden, including California senator Kamala Harris, voting rights activist Stacey Abrams and the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Attorneys representing former Wawa employees are seeking court approval of a $21.6 million payment to settle allegations that the company improperly divested participants in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan beginning in 2015, robbing them of future dividends of highly valuable private Wawa stock. The proposed settlement, which is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, would provide an additional $500 per-share payment to approximately 10,000 class members who say they were forced to liquidate their shares under 2014 and 2015 amendments to the plan. The class consists of ESOP participants who had account balances of more than $5,000 when they terminated employment and whose accounts were liquidated on or after September 12, 2015, and on or before December 31, 2019. Four class representatives would also each receive $25,000 payments and counsel representing the class may apply for up to 20 percent of the settlement amount, as well as up to $175,000 for costs associated with bringing suit, under the plan submitted to the court July 9. The proposal comes on the heels of a similar $25 million settlement reached in 2018 that benefitted approximately 1,260 former Wawa employees. Those employees are excluded from the class that would be served under this proposal. The complaint in the current case alleges Wawa forced ESOP participants to sell their shares back to the company at undervalued prices following a conversion from a C-Corporation to an S-Corporation. The valuations conducted by an outside firm allegedly failed to take several pricing factors into account, including Wawas new tax status following that conversion and marketability of the private shares, which are not traded on an exchange. The complaint additionally claims Wawa told ESOP members that the shares were needed to accommodate new hires, when there were tens of thousands of shares available for that purpose and the stock that former employees cashed in were retired anyway. Prior to the 2015 buyout, the complaint notes the ESOP held approximately 44.1% of Wawa while the Wood family owned approximately 47.2 percent. The Wood family ownership had increased to 50.2 percent by 2018 as a result of continued liquidation of the class members shares, according to the complaint. The ESOPs stock holdings as of October 13, 2017, were valued at more than $1.7 billion and constituted 41 percent of Wawa as of the complaints filing. Wawa stock prices between December 2009 and April 2018 more than quadrupled, according to the complaint, from $2,296 to $10,419. Wawa stock was valued at $7,381 in September 2015, when the divestitures began, according to the complaint. The proposed settlement notes that a potential recovery was higher up to $77 million for the fair market value claims asserted by the class and up to $120 million for two subclasses who say they should have been able to hold onto their Wawa stock until age 68 but the plaintiffs faced various obstacles in litigation, including a substantial risk that the Third Circuit Court of Appeals could reverse the district courts class certification order at least in part and the potential that the court might side with the defendants on share valuation issues. A joint statement put out by attorneys from Feinberg, Jackson, Worthman & Wasow LLP and Block & Leviton LLP, representing the plaintiffs, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, representing the defendants, indicates the settlement proceeds will be allocated pursuant to a court-approved formula to the ESOP accounts of participants whose Wawa stock was sold in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Class members will receive formal notice about the details of the settlement and how to receive proceeds, and will be given an opportunity to comment, according to the release. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said in the release that it constituted a fair and reasonable resolution of the claims, while attorneys for Wawa indicated they reached the settlement to prevent further legal costs, disruptions and uncertainty caused by the case. The proposed settlement resolves all pending claims on the class members with no admission of wrongdoing or further liability, according to the release. Speaking at a conference, the cardinal criticised the invisibility of Christians in school textbooks. Culture can represent a barrier to the barbarism of the Islamic State group and other extremisms. Art and history are a peoples "living memory" and represent more wealth than oil. Leading figures of various ethnic and religious backgrounds should make a joint statement to that end. Baghdad (AsiaNews) Iraqs Christian cultural, historical and artistic heritage should be preserved "like the Islamic heritage, said Chaldean Patriarch Card Louis Raphael Sako. It "saddens me not to find any reference to this heritage, to our contribution to the nations civilisation, in its school books, he added. Via video link, the cardinal spoke yesterday to the Second Conference on Conservation of the world heritage in crisis areas (29-30 July), promoted by the Iraqi National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, in collaboration with Al-Mustansiriya University. In his address, the patriarch noted that a peoples cultural heritage is its living memory" and greatest "treasure" because "it not only contributed to building its past, but also to its present". In Iraq, he went on to say, "we must prepare educational curricula for our students" to teach "education, respect and acceptance of others, their life and diversity. Such openness is fundamental to "preserve ones heritage and dismantle" radical ideology, like that promoted by the Islamic State (IS) group which destroyed monuments, treasures and historical places in Nimrod, Hatra and Mosul. Since the days when he was archbishop of Kirkuk, Card Sako has spoken out against the dangers that threaten Iraqs cultural heritage, a "universal good" to be safeguarded like the countrys archaeological heritage, which alone is worth "more than oil". Such a task falls on all Iraqis, not only Christians, something that he mentioned at the 2016 conference on Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage in conflict areas, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which brought together heads of state and government, Islamic and Christian clerics, historians, archaeologists, as well as cultural experts and activists. For Card Sako, a countrys cultural heritage does not belong to a single class, ethnic group or religion, but is a "universal good" and source of "wealth for all humanity". It is more important than oil because it is "immortal and does not run out" if properly preserved. "The Christian heritage is a human legacy and an integral part of Iraqis heritage, and includes monasteries and churches, places like the 1st century church in Kochi (Tell Kuchi, 35 km south-west of Baghdad), plus sculptures, icons and manuscripts. "Christians welcomed Muslims in the 7th century and contributed to the construction of Islamic culture, especially during the era of the Abbasid caliphate in the 'House of Wisdom', with their doctors, translators and architects" who built many mosques and buildings of great value that still stand today. For the cardinal, "This heritage must be cared for, maintained, and displayed in schools and universities; it must also include references to Shias, Sunnis, Christians, Yazidis, Sabaeans and Mandaeans. To this end, he would like to see a joint statement on the matter. This is vital technology for delivery distribution. Its mind boggling to think that there are 31 million plus possible route combinations for a single 11 stop route. xkzero, leading developer of mobile sales and delivery applications for ERP, announced the availability of integrated Route Optimization capabilities for its flagship sales and delivery platform, xkzero Mobile Commerce (XMC). Route Optimization improves the already extensive mobile sales, delivery, and intelligence capabilities of xkzero Mobile Commerce by integrating flexible route planning features to the system. The new features enable users to define delivery routes based on multiple factors, including lowest mileage, customer preferred delivery times, and more. It allows for routes to be dispatched from multiple sites and can optimize up to 125 stops per route. A unique capability allows routes to optionally be reoptimizedin real timeby drivers on their mobile devices. Key information is available to customer service personnel as well as drivers, including estimated arrival times (ETA) and delivery status. Virtually every company we talk to is looking for a better way to create their ideal delivery routes and improve the customer experience, said xkzero co-founder Paul Ziliak. Route Optimization for XMC provides just thatand its seamlessly integrated into our powerful sales and delivery system for ERP. Ziliak continued, This is vital technology for delivery distribution. Its mind boggling to think that there are 31 million plus possible route combinations for a single 11 stop route. By simply enabling Route Optimization technology in xkzero Mobile Commerce, businesses will be able to minimize labor, have fewer missed stops, lower their fuel costs and have happier customers. About xkzero Mobile Commerce: xkzero Mobile Commerce (also known as XMC) is an ERP-integrated platform for manufacturers and distributors that provides mobile delivery, mobile sales and mobile business intelligence though secure and easy to use web and mobile applications. The platform is an ideal fit for businesses that deliver to customers using their own fleet of vehicles. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) and other B2B wholesalers use xkzero Mobile Commerce to grow market share, control costs, and command greater customer loyalty by automating processes related to mobile delivery and route selling. XMC is engineered specifically for leading ERP systems - Sage X3, Sage 100 and Acumatica - The Cloud ERP. See more at https://www.xkzero.com/mobile-commerce About xkzero: xkzero is a Chicago-based software developer and consulting company specializing in ERP systems for small and mid-market B2B businesses. xkzero is known for its market-leading technology and know-how for manufacturing (both process and discrete), and delivery distribution. Maritime cyber attacks increase by 900% in three years Cyber-attacks on the maritime industrys operational technology (OT) systems have increased by 900% over the last three years with the number of reported incidents set to reach record volumes by year end. Addressing port and terminal operators during an online forum last week, Robert Rizika, Naval Domes Boston-based Head of North American Operations, explained that in 2017 there were 50 significant OT hacks reported, increasing to 120 in 2018 and more than 310 last year. He said this year is looking like it will end with more than 500 major cyber security breaches, with substantially more going unreported. Speaking during the 2020 Port Security Seminar & Expo, a week-long virtual conference organised by the American Association of Port Authorities, Rizika said that since NotPetya the virus that resulted in a US$300 million loss for Maersk attacks are increasing at an alarming rate. Recalling recent attacks, he told delegates that in 2018 the first ports were affected, with Barcelona, then San Diego falling under attack. Australian shipbuilder Austal was hit and the attack on COSCO took down half of the shipowners US network. He said this year a US-based gas pipeline operator and shipping company MSC have been hit by malware, of which the latter incident shut down the shipowners Geneva HQ for five days. A US-based cargo facilitys operating systems were infected with the Ryuk ransomware, and last month the OT systems at Irans Shahid Rajee port were hacked, restricting all infrastructure movements, creating a massive back log. Reports of this attack have gone some way in raising public awareness of the potential wider impact of cyber threats on ports around the world. Intelligence from Iran, along with digital satellite imagery, showed the Iranian port in a state of flux for several days. Dozens of cargo ships and oil tankers waiting to offload, while long queues of trucks formed at the entrance to the port stretching for miles, according to Naval Dome. Emphasising the economic impact and ripple effect of a cyber-attack on port infrastructures, Rizika revealed that a report published by Lloyds of London indicated that if 15 Asian ports were hacked financial losses would be more than US$110 billion, a significant amount of which would not be recovered through insurance policies, as OT system hacks are not covered. Going on to explain which parts of the OT system the network connecting RTGs, STS cranes, traffic control and vessel berthing systems, cargo handling and safety and security systems, etc., are under threat, Rizika said all of them. Unlike the IT infrastructure, there is no dashboard for the OT network allowing operators to see the health of all connected systems. Operators rarely know if an attack has taken place, invariably writing up any anomaly as a system error, system failure, or requiring restart. They dont know how to describe something unfamiliar to them. Systems are being attacked but they are not logged as such and, subsequently, the IT network gets infected, Rizika explained. What is interesting is that many operators believe they have this protected with traditional cyber security, but the fire walls and software protecting the IT side, do not protect individual systems on the OT network, he said. An example would be the installation of an antivirus system on a vessel bridge navigation system (ECDIS) or, alternatively, a positioning system in a floating rig DP (Dynamic Positioning), or on one of the dock cranes on the pier side of the port. The antivirus system would very quickly turn out to be non-essential, impairing and inhibiting system performance. Antivirus systems are simply irrelevant in places where the attacker is anonymous and discreet, he said. Operational networks, in contrast to information networks, are measured by their performance level. Their operation cannot be disconnected and stopped. An emergency state in these systems can usually only be identified following a strike and they will be irreparable and irreversible. Where OT networks are thought to be protected, Rizika said they are often inadequate and based on industrial computerised system, operating in a permanent state of disconnection from the network or, alternatively, connected to port systems and the equipment manufacturers offices overseas via RF radio communication (wi-fi) or a cellular network (via SIM). Hackers can access the cranes, they can access the storage systems, they can penetrate the core operational systems either through cellular connections, wi-fi, and USB sticks. They can penetrate these systems directly. Rizika said that as the maritime industry moves towards greater digitalisation and increases the use of networked, autonomous systems, moving more equipment and technologies online, more vulnerabilities, more loopholes, will be created. There will be a whole series of new cyber security openings through which people can attack if systems are not properly protected. If just one piece of this meticulously-managed operation goes down it will create unprecedented backlog and impact global trade, disrupting operations and infrastructure for weeks if not months, costing tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues. Naval Dome also predicts that cyber criminals, terrorists and rogue states will at some point begin holding the environment to ransom. One area we see becoming a major issue is cyber-induced environmental pollution. Think about it: you have all these ships in ports, hackers can easily over-ride systems and valves to initiate leaks and dump hazardous materials, ballast water, fuel oil, etc., Rizika warned. Offering advice on the first steps port operators need to take to protect their OT systems, he said a deep understanding of the differences between the two spaces is vital. There is a disconnect between IT and OT security. There is no real segregation between the networks. People can come in on the OT side and penetrate the IT side. We are actually seeing this now. Successful IT network hacks have their origins in initial penetration of the OT system. In a pre-recorded message broadcast during Naval Domes presentation, Rear Admiral (Retd) Shiko Zana, the CEO of Ashdod Port, said: We have become more aware of the growing cyber threat to OT systems. Naval Dome has a unique cyber defence solution capable of protecting against both internal and external cyber attack vectors. The solution provides protection for OT systems. The country's biggest airline IndiGo reported net losses of Rs 2,844 crore in the first quarter of FY21. The low-cost carrier also reported 92 per cent drop in revenues which are on expected lines since it didn't operate commercial flights for 55 days in the 91-day period. IndiGo recently became the first carrier to lay off 10 per cent of its staff owing to tough market conditions. At the earnings call, IndiGo's CEO Ronojoy Dutta said that the fare caps are hurting the airline. How? For instance, when the government allowed the airlines to fly domestically in May, it had set the seven fare bands (depending on flight duration) under which airlines were supposed to take future bookings. In addition, 40 per cent seats were to be sold below the mid-point in each band. Initially, it didn't bother airlines as much since this rule was supposed to last till August 24. However, these rules were extended till November 24 last week which has made carriers like IndiGo furious. These rules essentially affect airlines in two ways. First, they put a cap on the amount of capacity that airlines can put out. Though there has been some relaxation on that front - from earlier 33 per cent to 45 per cent - the bigger question for airlines like IndiGo is that whether it will be relaxed further or not. ALSO READ: IndiGo Q1 results: Airline posts Rs 2,844 crore loss as coronavirus hits operations In the recent call, IndiGo has given its investors capacity guidance of 60-70 per cent for October-to-December period. It's likely that IndiGo might be flying at lower capacities if government doesn't allow more easing. That's where the problem for IndiGo really exacerbates. Why? With about 30 per cent capacity in air, IndiGo's cost-economics have gone for a toss. The airline has daily cash burn of Rs 30 crore on the fixed costs side. The variable costs are in addition to this. With low capacity, the airline is not able to cover its higher costs. If it stays so for a long period - let's say till November 24 - the airline might have to take a plenty of harsh decisions. The other big issues for IndiGo with government regulations are the price bands, and a series of lockdowns announced by various state governments in the past one week. For instance, flight operations at Kolkata airport will remain suspended for seven days in August. Parts of Lucknow were under lockdown recently after UP registered eight-fold jump in COVID-19 cases in a month. Then, Bihar has imposed 16-day lockdown starting August 1. "[The first] 20-22 days of July were strong. Then it became news-dependent. The virus has been spiking. Forward bookings react strongly to [the lockdowns in states]. In the last 7-8 days, there has been sporadic lockdowns in different cities," said Dutta. ALSO READ: IndiGo's layoffs and salary cuts to trigger 20% job losses across industry But Dutta is particularly upset with the fare bands. IndiGo wants them to be removed as quickly as possible because the LCC is not able to manage its revenues well. "So many things are affected by it. Our morning fares should be so different from afternoon fares. Our out of Ranchi fares should be different from incoming fares into Ranchi. In the afternoon, let me put a low fare. In the morning, let me put high fares. We would like to be able to leverage those changes. By opening it up, let people experiment with it. Let's not have someone dictate what the fares should be," he said. Dutta also thinks that by having a flexibility to play around with fares, the airline can attract a lot of low-end passenger traffic. For IndiGo, in the pre-COVID period, the traffic break-up was evenly divided between corporate and leisure. But now, the corporate travel has literally come to a halt. Travellers are mostly flying for emergency, medical or shifting purposes. "Corporate travel is going down, so we are going to lose customers at the top end. However, we gain a lot of customers at the bottom end. India has 140 million passengers a year [travelling] by air. It has 1.6 billion passengers [travelling] by train (just the top two classes). I think there will be a lot of substitution into airlines from trains because of safety and the cost of flying is coming down," Dutta said. But for that to happen, the airlines need flexibility to match the fares of trains which is kind of prohibited under the current scheme of things. ALSO READ: IndiGo to hold board meeting on July 30 to consider raising funds via equity, debt SPOKANE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2020 / Goldrich Mining Company (OTC PINK:GRMC) ("Goldrich" or the "Company) announces it has commissioned Global Resources Engineering ("GRE") of Denver, Colorado to complete a mining plan and Initial Assessment for the Company's Chandalar Mine. According to the new amendments adopted by the SEC to modernize the property disclosure requirements for mining registrants, the preparation of the Initial Assessment will allow Goldrich to disclose inferred, indicated and measured resources. William Schara, CEO of Goldrich, notes, "Prior to the new amendments adopted by the SEC, Goldrich was not allowed to disclose resources. The new disclosure rules now allow us to disclose the resources we have discovered at Chandalar and give us the same advantage as companies who can disclose resources in other jurisdictions such as Canada or Australia." Subject to the findings of the Initial Assessment, Goldrich will decide if a Preliminary Feasibility Study should also be prepared for the Chandalar Mine. A Preliminary Feasibility Study would allow Goldrich to disclose any reserves of the Chandalar Mine. About Goldrich Mining Goldrich Mining (OTC PINK:GRMC) is a U.S. based resource company focused on developing the Chandalar gold district in Alaska, USA. The Company controls a land package spanning 23,000 acres of highly prospective gold targets and historic mines. Goldrich is focused on building shareholder value by monetizing placer assets, generating non-dilutive funds, and working towards building a lode gold mine at Chandalar in addition to the existing placer gold mine already producing on site. For additional information regarding Goldrich Mining Company or this news release, contact Mr. William Schara via telephone at (509) 768-4468 or info@goldrichmining.com. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements concern use of proceeds and potential exercise of the warrants. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Story continues Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, budgets, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "should" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. 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, including, without limitation: risks related to our ability to continue as a going concern being in doubt; risks related to our history of losses; risks related to our outstanding gold forward sales contracts and notes; risks related to need to raise additional capital to fund our exploration and, if warranted, development and production programs; risks related to our property not having any proven or probable reserves; risks related to our limited history of commercial production; risks related to operating a mine; risks related to accurately forecasting production; risks related to our dependence on a single property - the Chandalar property; risks related to climate and location restricting our exploration and, if warranted, development and production activities; risks related to our mineralization estimates being based on limited drilling data; risks related to our exploration activities not being commercially successful; risks related to actual capital costs, production or economic return being different than projected; risks related to our joint venture arrangements; risks related to mineral exploration; risks related to increased costs; risks related to a shortage of equipment and supplies; risks related to fluctuations in gold prices; risks related to title to our properties being defective; risks related to title to our properties being subject to claims; risks related to estimates of mineralized material; risks related to government regulation; risks related to environmental laws and regulation; risks related to land reclamation requirements; risks related to future legislation regarding mining laws; risks related to future legislation regarding climate change; risks related to our lack of insurance coverage for all risks; risks related to competition in the mining industry; risks related to our dependence on key personnel; risks related to our executive offices not dedicating 100% of their time to our company; risks related to potential conflicts of interest with our directors and executive officers; risks related to market conditions; and risks related to our shares of common stock. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking statements. Some of the important risks and uncertainties that could affect forward-looking statements are discussed in the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We disclaim any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events, except as required by law. SOURCE: Goldrich Mining Company View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599366/Goldrich-Mining-Commissions-Mining-Plan-and-Initial-Assessment-for-Chandalar-Mine Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images PORTLANDWith roughly two-dozen federal officers in riot gear marching towards her, Demetria Hester linked arms with two other mothers in yellow shirts. Hands up! she chanted. Dont shoot! responded the crowd, warily watching a line of federal agents coming towards them from behind a cloud of tear gas and smoke from munition fire. Though the number of protesters in downtown Portland had dwindled to about 100 shortly after midnight Thursday, the number of federal agents out on the streets was larger than ever. Hours after Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced the gradual removal of federal law enforcement officers from Portland, more than 200 of those officers were clashing with protesters outside the federal courthouse, using tear gas to clear the surrounding streets. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and President Donald Trump had disputed the governors announcement, the former tweeting that federal officers would remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. And if the scene in Portland early Thursday morning was any indication, the unrest there isnt close to finished. The line of federal agents, holding shields and riot shotguns, shoved a wall of protesters back from the front of the courthouse. Then came the tear gas, lobbed into the crowd by U.S. Marshals and officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. Its Spooky Right Now: Inside the Creepy Federal Crackdown on Portland Protesters Protesters frantically dodged the flying thick metal canisters and backed away from the rising smoke. With her hands still in the air, Hester pulled down a respirator mask over her mouth. Hands up! she kept chanting through her mask, and then slid on a pair of goggles. Dont shoot! came the crowds reply, muffled by the sting of tear gas and the sound of jostled bodies. After tackling and arresting a protester, federal officers continued throwing tear gas into the crowd to clear the area. Her bloodshot eyes tearing up, Hester backed away from the heavy volley of teargas and munitions, coughing into her respirator. Story continues We werent doing anything wrong, she told The Daily Beast between coughs. We were just peacefully protesting. Indeed, before officers closed in, Hester and the other demonstrators standing in front of the courthouse had been peacefully chanting. George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Black Lives Matter. Earlier in the night, however, a small number of protesters had become violent: shining lasers at officers faces and chucking fireworks at the federal courthouse. Now it appeared police officers were targeting specific people for arrest, and tear gassing anyone else in the way. Another demonstrator dressed in yellowthe designated color of the so-called Wall of Moms, a group of mothers focused on defending Black lives from police brutalityoffered Hester a moist towelette to rub across her stinging eyes. Though Hester came out Wednesday night to protest police brutality alongside other yellow-shirted moms, the 45-year-old mother of two and grandmother of three has been active in the Black Lives Matter movement since May 2017. It was then Hester was assaulted by convicted killer Jeremy Christian the day before he killed two men on a Portland commuter train following a racist tirade. In her testimony, Hester said she interrupted Christian as he was screaming about minorities, after which he hit her in the face with a bottle, badly bruising her right eye. The next day, Christian directed another racist tirade at a small group of young girls, and fatally stabbed two men who interfered. The trial ended late last month with a sentence of life in prison without parole. It was really after that trial that I started coming down here, Hester said of the protest site, where a final burst of intense clashes were coming to an end. 1202363783 Demetria Hester speaks to the media while holding her daughters outside the courthouse after Jeremy Christian was found guilty of first-degree murder on February 21, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Photo by JOHN RUDOFF/AFP via Getty Images Hester and a few other mothers asked me where my car was and insisted on walking me there, because thats what moms do. Hester, alongside several other Black activist mothers, has helped take charge of the Wall of Moms alongside a group called Moms United for Black Lives after the formers original founder was accused of anti-blackness. Amid the chaos on the street, Hester recounted the day she was attacked by Christian, when she approached an officer with the Portland Police Bureau and pointed her attacker out. Christian was not arrested. That white supremacist got special treatment from the police. Thats not acceptable, she said, pausing to spit out the taste of tear gas. And thats what were here fighting for today. So even if the feds did pull out of her city, it was hard to imagine activists like Hester would be satisfied. It wont make a difference if they leave or stay, Hester said, referring to the federal officers. It all comes down to white privilege in this country. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. COLONIE Florida is a favorite destination for Capital Region vacationers, with families historically flocking there even in summer, when low prices and school breaks allow for trips to Disney World, the beaches and countless other spots. But this year, it looks like New Yorkers headed for attractions like Disney World will have to stare at the Magic Kingdom from their hotel windows if they arent willing to self-quarantine for two weeks. With New York one of three Tri-State COVID-19 hot spots, the state of Florida months ago said that anyone going there from here, Connecticut or New Jersey would have to quarantine themselves for 14 days before going out in public. That means vacationers are supposed to stay in their hotels, or in their grandparents or parents homes for two weeks before sampling the tourist destinations. As a result, few people are traveling to places like Orlando right now, said Jean Gagnon, president of Plaza Travel agency in Latham. We normally have a lot of families that would go to Disney World in the summer, said Gagnon. Thats stopped, she explained, adding that Theyve all postponed until another time. And while Disney World has re-opened on a limited basis, many of the hotels in the area are closed, or offering reduced numbers of rooms to maintain social distancing. The extent to which people are actually quarantining themselves in the Sunshine State, however, remains an open question after checking with officials there and with travelers who have recently been to Florida. I was bombarded, Iris Ramos of Schenectady said of the text messages on her cell phone from the state of Florida reminding her of safety and quarantine rules when she was there for the past few weeks, visiting her daughter. Ramos had just returned to the Albany International Airport on Wednesday. Like others who flew from Albany to Orlando, Ramos had to fill out a contact and information sheet on arrival in Florida so authorities there could make sure she was quarantined. Tara Edwards had a different story. They are moving about freely, she said of her daughter and their friends when they were in Orlando to see Edwards mom, who lives there. Edwards, who was waiting to pick up a friend of her daughter's, said they had been going out to dinner with no problem. More for you On the scene: Albany travelers just beat quarantine deadline Likewise, Scarlett DeWitt of Glens Falls was hoping to visit the theme parks and other sites after she competes in an upcoming beauty pageant and model search event. She was preparing to board a flight from Albany to Orlando early Wednesday evening. They already have their tickets and everything, she said of her pageant competitors. Down there its like a free-for-all from what Ive heard, she said, adding she doesnt believe shell be locked up for 14 days. Problems with social distancing have plagued the Sunshine State from the start of the pandemic, with numerous reports of mostly young beachgoers ignoring calls to remain six feet apart and wear masks. And the recent rise of COVID-19 cases in Florida prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June to impose a 14-day quarantine on people coming from the Sunshine State to New York. The governors of New Jersey and Connecticut also imposed a Florida quarantine. The epidemic has grown nationally even as numbers have leveled off in New York, which was one of the first states to see to be hit hard by the virus and therefore imposed some of the most stringent precautions early on. As of Wednesday, visitors from a total of 34 states to New York had to quarantine upon arrival. The latest additions were Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Floridas quarantine order on New York travelers, which started in March, is backed up by a penalty of 60 days in jail or a $500 fine. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. It wasnt clear, however, how many people, if any, have been arrested or fined for violating the quarantine. Several calls and emails to state and local officials in Florida were not returned. But the Florida Department of Transportation said it has just now deactivated the screening at airports in order to redeploy screeners for other jobs. Floridas quarantine order remains in place though, and it doesnt differentiate between the various regions in New York. For many New Yorkers, the term Tri-State region refers to the suburbs of New York City in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. But Floridas order referring to the Tri-State region of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York means all of those states. Thats prompted comments on forums like Facebook travel pages by people from places like Buffalo or Rochester who note they are closer to Toronto, Canada than New York City. By the same token New Yorks quarantine order doesnt differentiate between someone arriving from, say Miami or Pensacola, Fla., on the other side of the state. States included in New Yorks quarantine order are added or removed based on a seven-day rolling average of positive COVID-19 tests in excess of 10 percent, or on positive cases exceeding 10 per 100,000 residents, according to the New York state Health Department website. Violating the New York quarantine can lead to a $2,000 fine and up to $10,000 on second offenses. Officials though, agree that enforcement of the fines would be difficult at best. New Yorkers returning from a JetBlue flight from Orlando on Wednesday were met by Department o f Health workers who gave them information and contact sheets to fill out as they got off their plane. Ive already gotten two calls from the state Health Department, Ramos said just a few minutes after her flight landed. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU A former mayor with a paedophile conviction for sex offences against four young boys has been jailed for 16 months after changing his name to stand in local elections. John Beirne, the former mayor of St Helens, Merseyside, was jailed today after he changed his name and applied to run for election to Wigan Borough Council. Greater Manchester Police said Beirne, 59, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Liverpool Crown Court in June 2017 after admitting historic sexual offences against boys aged between eight and 12. The former mayor of St Helens, Merseyside, John Beirne, (pictured in an undated photograph at an urban beach) was jailed for 16 months after changing his name to stand for election following conviction for sexual offences against young boys The former UKIP and Lib Dem councillor, was placed on the sex offender's register after admitting he sexually abused the boys in the 1970s and 1980s. If a person breaks the conditions of their suspended sentence they can be sent to prison and Beirne changing his name resulted in him being jailed for 16 months as per his original sentence. In March 2019, while subject to conditions of the sex offenders' register, Beirne requested his name on the electoral roll be changed to John Blondel, police said. Later that month he applied to run for election as an independent councillor in Wigan and signed as John Blondel to confirm he was not disqualified to run - despite his sentence barring him from standing as a councillor. The former mayor of St Helens, Merseyside, John Beirne, was jailed for 16 months after changing his name to stand for election following conviction for sexual offences against young boys Council officials contacted police after discovering his real name. The 59-year-old, of School Way, Pemberton, who had not contacted police to notify them of a name change, answered 'no comment' when interviewed by officers. In 2017 the Liverpool Echo reported Beirne had indecently assaulted one boy in a bedroom by touch his naked genitalia and thrust his naked genitalia against his in a shed. He also admitted doing the same to another boy on a grass area, making another touch him and vice versa. Bierne was convicted of assault four young boys in the 1970s and 80s at Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) in 2017 A fourth child was made to touch his genitalia and allow Bierne to touch them in a shed. Other accusations were also made but were not heard in court. Speaking about Bierne's latest court appearance, Detective Sergeant Rob Catmore said: 'Had John Beirne continued to abide by the terms of his original sentence he could have avoided jail. 'But with only a matter of months left to serve he took the decision to change his name and attempt to re-enter politics. 'I hope today's result sends a clear message to other offenders who think they can flout the terms of a suspended sentence. 'You might have avoided incarceration but you have still been found guilty of an offence and must abide by the clear terms and conditions imposed on you, or you will face further action.' STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Uber is providing free meals and rides to the brave healthcare workers keeping us healthy during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On Thursday, Uber and the Mayors Fund to Advance New York City announced that they had partnered to provide $750,000 worth of free meals and rides to nearly 6,000 residents and fellows across the NYC Health + Hospitals system. On behalf of our amazing, brave workforce, we would like to thank Uber and the Mayors Fund to Advance NYC for coming together to deliver much needed free rides to our essential employees providing lifesaving care at the peak of the pandemic, said NYC Health + Hospital CEO and President Dr. Mitchell Katz. Through the partnership, the NYC Health + Hospitals, in conjunction with the Mayors Fund, committed nearly $600,000 in meal credits, while Uber will supply $175,000 in free rides, with all meal credits and free rides provided directly to the healthcare workers. As part of the program, all residents and fellows at the citys 11 public hospitals receive an Uber Eats for Business profile where they can expense up to $100 worth of meals to NYC Health + Hospitals. *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** Uber has also donated $30 worth of free rides to all residents and fellows which can be used anywhere throughout the five boroughs. New York Citys healthcare heroes have guided this city through some of its most difficult moments in recent memory, and they are still doing the tireless work of protecting New Yorkers day in and day out, said Toya Williford, executive director of the Mayors Fund to Advance New York City. It is an honor to partner with Uber and NYC H+H to show our appreciation for the ongoing sacrifices of our healthcare workers across the city with meals and rides. This isnt Ubers first time donating meals and rides to New York Citys frontline workers. The company previously donated $750,000 in ride credits and nearly 15,000 meals to local healthcare workers and first responders. In late April, Uber partnered with state Sen. Diane Savino (D-North Shore) to donate 5,000 free rides to Staten Island healthcare workers, providing $25 round-trip ride codes to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton and other organizations that represent doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. Our healthcare workers are heroes, and we are honored to partner with the Mayors Fund, and NYC Health + Hospitals, to help support their incredible efforts. We know there is more we can do, and we stand ready to support New York City, and New Yorkers, however we can, said Danielle Sheriden, head of U.S. operations for Uber. ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT CHANGE, SECOND QUARTER 2020 PRODUCTION RESULTS AND REVISED 2020 GUIDANCE (In US Dollars unless otherwise stated) TORONTO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Superior Gold Inc. ("Superior Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV: SGI) announces that effective at the close of business on July 31, 2020, Christopher Bradbrook will step down as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bradbrook was the founder of the Company and has been President and CEO since its formation in 2017. Mr. Bradbrook will also tender his resignation as a Director of the Company. Tamara Brown, an Independent Director of the Company since 2017, will assume the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective at the close of business on July 31, 2020. Ms. Brown brings over 25 years of mining industry and capital markets experience including in senior leadership roles. Of particular importance is Ms. Brown's experience with leading corporate development activities and participating in strategic review processes. Following recent discussions, the Company's Board of Directors has established a Special Committee and formally initiated a strategic review process to explore and evaluate a broad range of potential alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. The alternatives could include, but are not limited to, a potential sale or merger of the Company, a joint venture, the addition of a new strategic shareholder or other various financing alternatives. The Special Committee will also initiate a search to find a permanent CEO; and the Compensation and Nominating Committee will undergo a search for a new independent director to fill the vacancy from Mr. Bradbrook's departure. The Special Committee will be comprised of Independent Directors Mark Wellings, Chairman and Rene Marion, Audit Committee Chair. In connection with Ms. Brown's appointment as Interim CEO, the Company will grant an aggregate of 1,000,000 stock options to Ms. Brown at an exercise price to be determined in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and consistent with the Company's Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan. Mark Wellings, Chairman of Superior Gold, stated, "The Board is committed to driving value for shareholders and we have implemented the necessary changes in order to conduct a robust and thorough strategic review process. The ultimate value of the Plutonic Gold mine may be achieved by being part of a larger portfolio with a stronger balance sheet to better capitalize the current operations and fully explore its prospective land package. Tamara is well experienced to assist us through this process and in addition, as an Australian citizen, can more easily travel to site during the current COVID-19 ("COVID") travel restrictions. I would like to thank Chris Bradbrook for all his efforts in founding Superior Gold and building it to this point. We would not have had this valuable gold mining asset if it wasn't for Chris' perseverance several years ago when gold assets weren't fashionable. We wish him well in his future endeavours." "I am pleased to step in and assist Superior Gold as we explore all alternatives to maximize value for our shareholders. I believe the Plutonic Gold mine's existing mineral reserves and resources, established infrastructure and surrounding land package in a world class mining jurisdiction have inherent value well beyond what is currently reflected in our share price. I am committed to leading Superior Gold until we have a clear path towards unlocking that value or appoint a permanent CEO capable of delivering on our vision," said Tamara Brown, Independent Director and incoming Interim CEO. There can be no assurance that the strategic review process will result in any transaction. The Company does not intend to comment further unless the Board of Directors of the Company has approved a specific course of action or the Company has determined further disclosure is appropriate. SECOND QUARTER PRODUCTION DETAILS Production details are summarized in the table below. Operating Parameters1 Three month period ended June 30, 2020 Six month period ended June 30, 2020 Stope material mined (Tonnes) 182,895 304,036 Stope grade mined (g Au/t) 2.41 2.78 Development material mined (Tonnes) 66,779 128,027 Development grade mined (g Au/t) 1.54 1.93 Surface material milled (Tonnes)2 159,167 335,098 Surface material grade (g Au/t)2 0.28 0.35 Total material milled (Tonnes) 394,012 795,861 Grade milled (g Au/t) 1.42 1.56 Gold recovery (%) 84% 83% Gold Produced (ounces) 15,177 31,528 Gold Sold (ounces) 15,536 32,386 Preliminary Total Cash Cost ($/oz)3 1,426 1,356 Preliminary All-In Sustaining Cash Cost ($/oz)3 1,547 1,479 Cash Balance ($ Million) 15.6 15.6 1 Numbers may not add due to rounding. 2 Surface material milled in Q220 and H220 are primarily the processing of low-grade stockpile. 3 This is a Non-IFRS measure. Refer to Non-IFRS measures section of the Company's prior MD&A's for a description of these measures. Production in the second quarter of 2020 came in below internal budgets. Although the stope grade remained below the reserve grade, we believe the underground physicals of the operations are performing at the highest level since the Company acquired the asset, where the stope tonnage mined increased by 51% relative to the first quarter of 2020. As the health and safety of our employees and contractors is of paramount importance, the Company continues to adhere to the measures that have been put in place to mitigate the threat of COVID as described in the press release dated March 19, 2020. To date, there have been no incidences of infection from COVID at either the operations or corporate offices. However, the restrictions of the COVID protocols impacted the Company advancing its open pit plan, which will be deferred pending COVID restrictions easing. Revised 2020 Guidance The Company now anticipates production of between 60,000 and 70,000 ounces of gold in 2020. As part of a review of the underground operations, the Company has refocused its efforts on a cost reduction program that targets higher grade stopes while improving productivity. The Company is pleased to report that the initiatives underway are starting to achieve positive results as subsequent to the end of the quarter, the stope grade has increased, averaging over 3 g Au/t to date for the third quarter. Looking beyond 2020, the Company remains committed to executing on its five-year Life of Mine plan and remains encouraged about the longer-term potential of the Plutonic Gold operations where the Company's most recent Mineral Reserve and Resource estimate (refer to the press release dated July 21, 2020) continues to illustrate a large mineralized system that represents significant future opportunities. 2020 Guidance Original Revised Production (oz of Gold) 80,000 - 90,000 60,000 - 70,000 Cash Costs ($/oz)1 $975 - $1,075 $1,250 - $1,350 All In Sustaining Costs ($/oz)1 $1,075 - $1,175 $1,350 - $1,450 Notes: 1 This is a Non-IFRS measure. Refer to Non-IFRS measures section of the Company's prior MD&A's for a description of these measures. Qualified Person Scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Keith Boyle, P.Eng., Chief Operating Officer of the Company, who is a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). Mr. Boyle is not independent of the Company within the meaning of NI 43-101. About Superior Gold Superior Gold is a Canadian based gold producer that owns 100% of the Plutonic Gold operations located in Western Australia. The Plutonic Gold operations include the Plutonic underground gold mine and central mill, the Hermes open pit projects and an interest in the Bryah Basin joint venture. Superior Gold is focused on expanding production at the Plutonic Gold operations and building an intermediate gold producer with superior returns for shareholders. Forward Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that is intended to be covered by the safe harbours created by those laws. "Forward-looking information" includes statements that use forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "potential" or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein includes, without limitation, information related to: (i) the Company's plans to carry out a strategic review process, the potential outcome of such process and the intended maximization of shareholder value that the Company believes may result from such process; and (ii) Ms. Brown's appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer and the Company's ability to take advantage of her experience in corporate development activities and strategic review processes. By identifying such information in this manner, the Company is alerting the reader that such information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management at the date the statements are made. Furthermore, such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. See "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 15, 2017 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for a discussion of these risks. In addition, The Company is exposed to outbreaks or threats of outbreaks of viruses, other infectious diseases or other similar health threats, including the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") outbreak, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company by causing operational and supply chain delays and disruptions, labour shortages, shutdowns, the inability to sell gold, capital markets volatility or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. The Company cannot accurately predict what effects these conditions will have on the Plutonic Gold Operations or the financial results of the Company, including uncertainties relating to travel restrictions to the Plutonic Gold Operations or otherwise and business closures that have been or may be imposed by governments. If an outbreak or threat of an outbreak of a virus or other infectious disease or other public health emergency occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company cautions that there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information as no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, and if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE Superior Gold Related Links https://www.superior-gold.com/ Constellis to provide security operations for the Department of Defense (DOD) at Kuwaits Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring Herndon, Virginia, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellis, a leading provider of essential risk management and mission support services to government and commercial clients worldwide, announced today that the company was awarded a four-year (base plus three option years) task order, to begin July 2020. The task order is part of the DODs Security Support Services (SSS) IDIQ out of the Army Contracting Command at Rock Island. Work will be performed by Constellis company Triple Canopy. The new award for security services comes after nine years of Triple Canopys continued success assisting the DOD and Area Support Group (ASG) in Kuwait and throughout the region. Triple Canopys work in Kuwait has included support services such as police administration, law enforcement, access control, static and roving security, security force supervision, support for security and force protection technological equipment, IDS monitors, desk sergeants/staff, training for security forces and other security-related functions associated with the protection of U.S. Army installations, materials, property, and personnel. We are very pleased to be part of this new contract after nearly a decade of providing essential operations in Kuwait, said Tim Reardon, CEO of Constellis. It is important work, and were proud to continue supporting the DODs programs in the region. About Constellis Constellis protects critical priorities safely and efficiently around the world. Operating in 30 countries and based in the Washington D.C. area, our 22,000 Constellis employees bring unparalleled dedication and passion for creating a safer world and upholding the highest standards of compliance, quality and integrity. As a leading global provider of risk management, security, humanitarian, training and operational support services, Constelliss forward-thinking solutions include a range of synergistic services, including background investigations, social intelligence tools, advanced training, logistics and life support, UAS and K9 services, and crisis response and mitigation. Constellis is fiercely committed to the success of our customers and other partners. Story continues CONTACT: +1 866-996-3599 mediarelations@constellis.com Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. Less than two weeks before he was diagnosed with Covid-19, Cain had attended Trumps election rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where many on the US presidents campaign staff had tested positive for the infection. Also, Brazils first lady and a fifth member of President Jair Bolsonaros cabinet have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. Science and technology minister Marcos Pontes wrote on Twitter that he tested positive after experiencing flu-like symptoms and headache. The 57-year-old is now in isolation. The presidencys press office said in a statement later that Michelle Bolsonaro, 38, also tested positive. The president said on Saturday that hes recovered from Covid-19. President Trump has ordered public schools in the United States to re-open this fall, during a dangerous pandemic that is getting worse every day due in large part to the federal governments bungled response to this crisis. Trumps demand leads me to pose questions that I believe all Americans should ponder, especially Americans who have children or grandchildren in school, or have friends or family members who work in our nations schools. As a Republican former Member of Congress who served on the Education and Labor Committee --and a onetime school board member I helped shape public education policies. My goal was to equip children to learn in a safe, healthy environment. Are we headed in the right direction? Regardless of your view on school re-openings, take a look at these questions and decide. Do you trust the Trump Administration to protect our children during the pandemic? Our countrys covid-19 caseload is 50 times worse than in other developed countries, representing an epic failure of preparedness by the federal government. The Education Department does not have a detailed plan for how schools should safely reopen, nor is it prepared to provide expenses necessary in making schools safe. Do you trust Senate Republicans to keep our children safe when these senators dont even pretend to protect them from other childhood stressors, like gun violence or climate change? Whenever Americas children fall victim to mass murder by gun, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans offer thoughts and prayers. They refuse to consider House-passed common-sense legislation that could begin to stem this violence. Climate change is a looming danger for young people, yet the Republican Party denigrates science and science teachers -- by its active denial of this growing threat. Is reopening of schools being pursued in the same careless manner as the reopening of states? Without any national plan or coordination, Trump pushed governors to reopen before public health officials agreed it was safe. Now these states are suffering the highest infection rates. CDC Director Robert Redfield says that this fall and winter are going to probably be one of the most difficult times that we experienced in American public health. Yet full speed ahead on forcing kids back to school! Do you trust Senate Republicans to strengthen our nations public schools in this time of crisis? Theyve consistently cut funding for public education, and during the pandemic, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos even figured out how to favor private schools with taxpayer dollars! They have given subsidies to fossil-fuel (anti-climate) industries that are ten times greater than federal education spending! Which is more important: providing adequate funding for Americas schools and childcare programs during this pandemic, or cutting the capital gains tax for millionaires? Trumps National Economic Council director, Larry Kudlow indicated Trump is more concerned about making sure the next stimulus package has another capital-gains tax cut than funding for schools. Will Senate Republicans again back Trump, or stand up for our children? Do Republicans these days know that special-needs students require specially organized services? These could prove doubly challenging during a government-mandated reopening of schools when other students should be treated equally. The bottom line is that states and local communities, with financial support from the federal government, need to control reopenings as local situations allow. As a member of Republicans for Integrity, I have been outraged at the Republican response to the pandemic. Republicans seem more concerned about money and power than the health and survival of our people. Arent our childrens lives more important? Its our children who should be playing make-believe not Republican politicians who want to sweep this crisis under the rug. ------------------------------ Peter Smith is a Republican former Member of Congress who served on the House Education and Labor Committee. He was founder of the Community College of Vermont and California State University Monterey Bay. He is a member of Republicans for Integrity, a group of Republican former Members of the House and Senate who place people before partisan politics. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:08:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Defense Ministry said on Thursday that six PKK/YPG members were "neutralized" in northern Iraq and northern Syria. Three PKK members, identified through surveillance and reconnaissance, were neutralized by an air operation by Turkish forces in the Avasin-Basyan region in northern Iraq, the ministry said in a statement, stressing that the operation will continue. In a separate statement made by the ministry, three other PKK/YPG fighters, who were preparing to attack the area of Operation Peace Spring in Syria, were also neutralized. The term "neutralized" was used by the Turkish authorities to imply the extremist in question surrendered or was captured or killed. Turkey sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria in order to create a YPG-free zone along its border within the neighboring country. The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for over 30 years, which has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people. Enditem SPRINGFIELD Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin said Thursday that a tweet by President Donald Trump that suggests delaying the 2020 election is bogus and ridiculous. Galvin criticized Trumps tweet following a press conference in Springfield announcing the start of a door-to-door campaign to help get more residents to fill out their 2020 Census forms. Trump said on Twitter Thursday morning that mail-in voting, which is being allowed in Massachusetts and some other states, would lead to the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA, Trump said. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? This is bogus, this is Trump bogus, Galvin said. Just like he said when he lost New Hampshire last time, he claimed that busloads of people from Massachusetts had gone up and taken New Hampshire. Its not true. So its bogus. Trump is seeking to discredit voting by mail, Galvin said, when that option is an urgent necessity during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for elderly voters who are especially vulnerable to infection. The idea that somehow voting by mail is somehow undermining the integrity of the election is ridiculous, Galvin said. He (Trump) votes by mail, Galvin said. He wants to distinguish between voting absentee, which hes done for years, and voting as these people will do simply by early voting by mail. There is no difference. Illegal voting is punishable by state and federal laws, and the state takes the integrity of the election very seriously, Galvin said. Please be assured if my office catches anybody trying to game the system in any way, we will refer it for prosecution and we will pursue it, Galvin said. The Embassy of Vietnam in Spain on July 28 presented a decision to appoint a Spanish national, Pau Guardans Cambo, as Vietnams Honorary Consul in Barcelona, in charge of Catalonia and the Northeast of Spain, for the 2020-2023 term. The Embassy of Vietnam in Spain on July 28 presents a decision to appoint Pau Guardans Cambo as Vietnams Honorary Consul in Barcelona for the 2020-2023 term. Congratulating the newly-appointed Honorary Consul, Vietnamese Ambassador to Spain Hoang Xuan Hai expressed his confidence that with his personal prestige and experience, Cambo will help protect the legitimate rights and interests of the State and people of Vietnam living in those areas and guide them in abiding by local laws. Hai also expected the new Honorary Consul to coordinate with the embassy to support cultural and social activities arranged by Vietnamese people and to facilitate them in strengthening ties with their homeland. He further noted that the appointment aims to foster relations between Vietnam and Barcelona as well as Catalonia in trade, economics, investment, education, culture, and tourism, contributing to the development of the two countries strategic partnership. Cambo, for his part, said he is honoured to take on the new mission. He pledged to closely work with the embassy to facilitate Spanish companies seeking business opportunities in Vietnam and making the most of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (IPA). Pau Guardans Cambo was born in 1965 and is co-founder, chairman, and CEO of luxury lifestyle hotel brand Unico Hotels in Spain./. VNA Advertisement Britain is braced for its hottest day of the year so far today, as temperatures could reach 35C (95F). The blistering heat is set to sweep much of central and southern England, and temperatures will be only slightly cooler elsewhere. But those eager for a Friday-night barbecue should prepare for the worst as thunderstorms could roll in, drenching parts of the south of England this afternoon. Sunseekers were already enjoying the warm-up yesterday as many flocked to the South Coast with temperatures peaking at 29.6C (85.3F). Beaches everywhere were packed. Thousands descended on resorts from Cornwall to sunspots such as Lyme Regis in Dorset and Camber Sands in East Sussex as they soaked up the heat mirroring scenes in May and early June as lockdown restrictions were eased. The sea at Woolacombe in Devon was busy with surfers as families crowded on to the popular beach. Many coastal favourites around the country are now reportedly fully booked until the end of September as trippers opt for staycations rather than risking foreign travel. A survey by MailOnline asked 20 of the top campsites in Cornwall and 15 in Dorset if they had any space for two adults to stay a week from today. Not one had a spare lodge, pitch or campervan space. In other places prices have soared, with one four-star hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, costing almost 350 a night. The current warm spell is due to a plume of warm air being drawn north from France and Spain. Beachgoers have been urged to take precautions, including wearing sun cream and hats, as levels of ultraviolet radiation are predicted to be high. It comes as: Spain is still trying to persuade the UK Government to put some Spanish regions on its safe travel list; Matt Hancock denied stoking Covid panic after he warned of a second wave of cases 'rolling across Europe'; Travel firm Tui said it was closing 166 high street stores in UK and Ireland as travel firms continue to struggle. Six women relax on folding chairs as they soaked up the sun on Bournemouth Beach on Thursday. Today is set to be the hottest day of the year so far Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies. The beach is packed with sunbathers and families Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Crowds clog up Lyme Regis in Dorset in similar scenes to May and the start of June before the weather turned wet across the UK Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies People take the day off to enjoy a swim in the sea and to sunbathe on the sand as the weather hots up in Camber, East Sussex Sunbathers soak up the stunning weather in Brighton this morning as the sit in deck chairs on the beach and take pictures together Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Crowds clog up Lyme Regis in Dorset in similar scenes to May and the start of June before the weather turned wet across the UK The car parks are packed with vehicles as holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies People sunbathing in Wandworth Park, London on Thursday as Britain endures a mini-heatwave with temperatures hitting 84F Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour A caravan with occupants parked at the side of the road in Ramsgate, Kent on Thursday as Britain endures another mini-heatwave The 500 mile-wide 'Spanish plume' blowing to Britain from Spain as Britain enjoyed mini-heatwave with 84F sizzler on Thursday Travel giant Tui closes 166 High Street stores in UK and Ireland in move that could hit 900 workers as jobs bloodbath continues Holiday giant Tui is closing 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the UK's biggest tour operator has announced. The decision was made following changes in customer behaviour as a result of the pandemic, the firm said in a statement, with the Anglo-German company calling COVID-19 the 'greatest crisis' the airline industry has ever faced. It announced it would cut 8,000 roles worldwide after posting losses of 747million in 2020 compared to 255million in the same period last year. Tui said that it would seek to move 70 per cent of the 900 staff affected by the closures to homeworking sales and services roles, and it would aim to relocate other employees in the remaining high street stores. Advertisement But the heatwave, which will bring temperatures similar to those expected in Ibiza or the Costa del Sol, is not due to last long as cooler conditions will move in through tomorrow and Sunday. Andy Page from the Met Office said: The bulk of England and Wales will have dry, very warm and sunny weather to end the week with Friday likely to be the hottest day of the year so far for the UK. A few thunderstorms are possible later on Friday and then a cold front moves eastwards by Saturday. The warmest day of the year so far was June 25 with 33.4C (92.1F) recorded at Heathrow. The hottest places today will be in London and in parts of the South East, which could see 35C (95F). But even Leeds and Manchester are set to reach 31C (88F), while 26C (79F) is expected in Newcastle upon Tyne and West Wales. But tomorrow, temperatures are expected to reach only 25C (77F) in London and East Anglia. Further west and north, temperatures are unlikely to exceed 22C (72F). A mixture of sunny spells and scattered showers is expected on Sunday. And for the first ten days of August, the Met Office predicts that the unsettled conditions will continue. The UK average temperature for this month is currently on course to be just 13.9C (57F) - one degree less than the 1981-2010 long-term average of 15.2C (59.3F), it said. The cool temperatures and wet weather are due to low pressure systems and weather fronts coming through, as well as 'unseasonal' winds - gusts of up to 50mph were recorded on Monday. The UK has already surpassed 100 per cent of the average monthly rainfall and only experienced two thirds (66 per cent) of the expected sunshine for an average July - a total of 113.4 hours, Met Office figures show. In recent years, the average July temperature has exceeded the average, hitting 16.4C (61.5F) and 17.2C (63F) in 2019 and 2018 respectively, it said. Meanwhile Jane Pendlebury, executive director of the Hospitality Professionals Association, a hotel industry association, said a UK staycation could be a favourable option for holidaymakers. She said: 'Of course, the threat of regional outbreaks is real, but the restrictions imposed won't be as impactful - with returning home from within the UK far easier than doing so from abroad. Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Crowds clog up Lyme Regis in Dorset in similar scenes to May and the start of June before the weather turned wet across the UK Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Britons have returned to the beaches (pictured at Lyme Regis in Dorset, this morning) as the sun came out and temperatures rocketed Swimmers enjoy a dip on Thursday morning at Lyme Regis in Dorset as temperatures hit 84F on Thurday ahead of a summer scorcher on Friday Sunbathers put up small tents to shelter from the searing heat on Thursday as others take to the warmer waters in Lyme Regis, Dorset Sun-seekers flock to the seafront in Brighton as Britain endures another mini-heatwave as temperatures hit 84F on Thursday The car parks are packed with vehicles as holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Sun-seekers and holidaymakers have gone camping at Porth Beach Holiday Park in Cornwall on Thursday ahead of a hot weekend Sun-seekers and holidaymakers have gone camping at Porth Beach Holiday Park in Cornwall on Thursday ahead of a hot weekend Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour People sunbathing in Wandsworth Park, London on Thursday as Britain endures a mini-heatwave with temperatures hitting 84F A woman sunbathing on Putney riverside, London on Thursday as Britain endures a mini-heatwave with temperatures hitting 84F A man takes his rowing boat out on the River Thames in London as Britain endures a mini-heatwave as temperatures hit 84F A man stretches on a bench during a sunny start to the day at Wimbledon Common in south west London as temperatures rise Barnaby Eastburn, two, pretends to drive a Massey Ferguson tractor at the Stoke Farm sunflower field in Hayling Island, Hampshire Best friends Georgia Baker (in yellow), 10, and Freya Beswick, also 10, enjoy the stunning sea of sunflowers near the village of Bloxworth, Dorset The sun creeps over the horizon in Glastonbury, Somerset, this morning, lighting up the rolling hills surrounding the famous town A lighthouse stands guard as the sun looms over the horizon at Roker Harbour in Sunderland on a sunny Thursday morning This stunning shot shows the sun riseing at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, as the Met Office said Friday may be the hottest day of the year so The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle in the North East is lit up by the sun as it rises on Thursday morning ahead of more sunshine throughout the day 'Whilst we can't necessarily offer the same weather as the Balearics or the Canaries, what we can do is offer exceptional hospitality - albeit with necessary precautions in place.' Tour operator TUI has taken the blanket decision to cancel all its planned holidays to mainland Spain until August 9. Meanwhile, British campsites and holiday home operators, such as Sykes Cottages, have enjoyed a surge in bookings. Sykes' chief executive Graham Donoghue told the BBC: 'News of Spain's travel restrictions at the weekend resulted in a 53 percent year-on-year rise in bookings. We're also seeing a steady stream of bookings for holidays in 2021 too.' The Whitbread group, which owns the Premier Inn hotel chain, said it had seen strong demand in summer bookings for hotel rooms in tourist hotspots since the beginning of July. The exclusive department store Fortnum and Mason is even offering a dedicated 'perfect staycation' package - including a picnic basket, champagne and tea, of course. But even if more Britons decide to stay put this year, it is unlikely to make up the shortfall for the tourism sector, which is pleading with the government for help to weather the crisis. The London Eye in the centre of the capital and is due to reopen to the public on August 1 is pictured in the sunshine this morning Sunrise at the River Stour in Christchurch, Dorset, this morning with a stunning cloud formation rising up above moored boats Two people walk over a hill as the sun rises at Chesterton Windmill in Chesterton, Warwickshire, on Thursday morning VisitBritain, British tourism's lobbying body, estimates that the number of foreign tourists could fall by as much as 60 percent this year due to the pandemic. The Labour opposition has already warned of an unemployment crisis, with rates rising faster than the national average in the English regions most dependent on tourism such as Cornwall (south-west), Yorkshire (north) and the Lake District (north-west). Destinations popular with foreign tourists, such as Bath, southwest England, are also struggling to draw in the crowds. The sight of a few tourists milling around the city's famous Roman Baths is in stark contrast to the usual throng that packs out the city, which normally welcomes around six million visitors a year. 'It's not even a quarter of the business that we usually get. I'd say it's like two to three percent,' Marcus Barnes said as he cleaned the front of his souvenir shop. The local authorities have introduced new measures, such as limiting the size of groups visiting the city, in an attempt to woo potential holidaymakers. Stephen Bird from the city council, said: 'We think that if we can...have fewer people coming but staying longer, putting more into the local economy, actually getting more out of their visit, then that will be a more sustainable model for the future.' The few intrepid tourists spotted on the streets seemed reassured. Cieran Fowley, who lives in London, said: 'You're starting to see the sanitisation at hotels, the social distancing, so all in all I feel comfortable.' Cornwall is FULL! No campsites are available in the most popular areas of Britain's staycation hotspot this week - with some booked up until the end of SEPTEMBER None of the top 20 campsites in Cornwall have any availability for a week's stay for two adults from Friday Parks and campsites across Britain are seeing a boom in bookings as Britons give up on planning trips abroad Haven, Butlin's, Center Parcs and Hoseasons are being inundated while cottage bookings are being swept up Officials in St Ives, famed for narrow streets, introduce a 'keep to the left' policy amid soaring visitor numbers Campsites across Cornwall are fully booked up until the end of September as Britons head for a staycation with tens of thousands of foreign holidays on hold amid fears over a second wave of coronavirus. Not a single pitch, campervan space or lodge at any of the top 20 campsites in the county are available for a week's stay for two adults from Friday, as people flock to the South West of England to enjoy a summer break. MailOnline surveyed the 20 best campsites in Cornwall according to campsites.co.uk and found the likes of Little Trevothan Camping & Caravan Park in Helston and Polruan Holidays in Fowey are full until the end of August. Others such as Trethem Mill Touring Park in Truro are fully booked until the end of September - but are having to run at reduced capacity of about 50 per cent to ensure they follow social distancing requirements. Further sites in the likes of Newquay, St Austell, Par, Looe, St Columb Major, Padstow, Whitecross, Mevagissey, Redruth, Bude, Perranporth, Camelford, Marazion and Bude are also fully booked for at least the next week. It comes as parks and campsites across Britain seen a boom in bookings as Britons give up on planning trips abroad, with Haven, Butlin's, Center Parcs and Hoseasons being inundated - and cottage bookings swept up. Surfers and holiday makers pack into the waters on the beach at Polzeath in Cornwall yesterday as temperatures start to rise The Waterside Holiday Park in Paignton, Devon, pictured yesterday, is among the sites which are experiencing high demand Motorhomes on a busy stretch of coastline at Leysdown on the Isle Of Sheppey in Kent yesterday afternoon Children, their parents and grandparents play in the sunshine at Elmhurst Caravan Park on the Isle of Sheppey yesterday Meanwhile officials in St Ives, famed for its narrow streets, have introduced a 'keep to the left' policy in an attempt to ensure everyone can keep to the one-metre plus distance currently advised amid soaring visitor numbers. Car parks in the area are reaching capacity, and people are packing on to the town's popular beach and into cafes surrounding it. Guests have been advised to wear a facemask and to avoid cramming into smaller shops. Staycation beauty spots are being 'blighted by vandals and litter' By Alan Shields, Sarah Ward and Ellie Forbes for the Scottish Daily Mail Beauty spots are being blighted by litter louts and vandals, politicians have warned. Tory MSP Murdo Fraser is calling for a police crackdown on the problems as people flock to the countryside. The most recent incidents have seen yobs damage trees, vandalise ancient ruins and leave tons of rubbish behind. One of the most iconic sites affected in recent weeks was the recently restored sign at John o' Groats, which was snapped off by visitors swinging on it. Mr Fraser, 54, a keen wild camper, said he ensures that he leaves no trace of his stays on Munro-bagging trips. Writing in The Scotsman, he said: 'With the closure of many official campsites due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on overseas travel, it is perhaps no surprise we have seen a surge in this activity in recent weeks. 'But that is no excuse for some of the behaviour we are witnessing. There is no one simple solution to this problem. It will require agencies to work together to identify offenders and hold them accountable.' Among incidents at heritage sites during lockdown, six people have been caught carrying out illegal metal detecting, and a report was made of somebody digging at the Callanish Standing Stones on Lewis. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said no serious damage was done but archaeology could have been disturbed. It also said it was 'horrified' the Castlelaw Hill Iron Age fort near Penicuik, Midlothian, had been used as a toilet. Meanwhile, a petition is calling for a 'congestion charge' for camper vans on the 516-mile North Coast 500 route. In a matter of days, more than 3,700 people joined a Facebook group documenting problems. Local MP Jamie Stone said: 'The Scottish Government need to know the full force of our concerns.' The North Highland Initiative developed the route five years ago. Chairman David Whiteford said: 'NHI will continue working to help deliver a responsible balance between economic recovery and public safety.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Ministers are aware of a number of incidents of littering, anti-social behaviour and damage to our natural environment and are clear this behaviour is completely unacceptable and disrespectful to local communities.' He added that on-the-spot fines could be issued for littering and anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, urinating and public drunkenness. Advertisement Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, admitted earlier this week that some locals were still 'nervous' about the sudden rush of tourists, but said on the whole 'everyone is sticking to social distancing rules'. He told the Daily Mail: 'Generally everybody is quite happy. For local people it obviously feels a lot busier but by and large everyone is sticking to the distancing rules. 'Some of the historic towns like St Ives and Padstow have been close to capacity with people walking the streets. So again we're reminding people to consider going to other places and to be mindful that they do get busy. 'We have put into place a one way system and it's sort of adhered to but I'm afraid people can be a bit forgetful on holiday. I think for some of the locals even two metres, it's only six foot, so even if you're compliant with that distancing it can feel quite busy. 'So what we would say to people of a more nervous disposition is think about that and be prepared to go somewhere a little bit quieter - there will be times when it does feel a little busy. 'There is still nervousness from locals. There's still that shock. Places like St Ives in the winter they're a ghost town. I think by and large locals do feel that people are doing their best to stick by the rules and they know that we need it for the thousands of jobs. 'So for the vast majority it's probably best summed up that we need the tourism so we're going to have to accept it. In an ideal world they would prefer to have Cornwall to themselves. There are still some who are very nervous.' The collapse in foreign holidays has presented an massive opportunity for UK tourism by boosting the demand for staycations, after hotels, campsites and restaurants were allowed to reopen from lockdown on July 4. Business is now booming, and the Government's announcement on Sunday that those travelling from Spain now need to self-isolate for 14 days following a spike in cases has further boosted prospects. With the threat of other countries joining the list as cases rise across Europe, many are considering staycations in Britain rather than risk having to self-isolate for two weeks, particularly those who cannot work from home. Jane Pendlebury, executive director of hotel industry association the Hospitality Professionals Association, told AFP: 'A UK staycation...carries much less disruptive risk,' 'Of course, the threat of regional outbreaks is real, but the restrictions imposed won't be as impactful - with returning home from within the UK far easier than doing so from abroad. 'Whilst we can't necessarily offer the same weather as the Balearics or the Canaries, what we can do is offer exceptional hospitality - albeit with necessary precautions in place,' she added. Tour operator TUI has taken the blanket decision to cancel all its planned holidays to mainland Spain until August 9. Meanwhile, British campsites and holiday home operators have enjoyed a surge in bookings. Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Cottages, told the BBC: 'News of Spain's travel restrictions at the weekend resulted in a 53 percent year-on-year rise in bookings. We're also seeing a steady stream of bookings for holidays in 2021 too.' The Whitbread group, which owns the Premier Inn hotel chain, said it had seen strong demand in summer bookings for hotel rooms in tourist hotspots since the beginning of July. The Ramslade Caravan and Motorhome Club near Paignton in Devon is pictured yesterday amid the UK staycations boom Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks yesterday during a visit to the Gyllyngvase Beach Cafe in Falmouth, Cornwall Visitors wearing face masks walk around the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth on Monday after it reopened The exclusive department store Fortnum and Mason is even offering a dedicated 'perfect staycation' package - including a picnic basket, champagne and tea, of course. Quarantine measures 'could be extended to other countries' Grant Shapps arrives at his Hertfordshire home yesterday Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said he 'cannot rule out' that other countries could be included under the UK's quarantine measures. Mr Shapps made the comment to reporters as he returned to the UK having cut short a family holiday to Spain. It follows the UK Government's decision to require travellers from the country to isolate for 14 days on their return to the UK following a rise in Covid-19 cases. He said: 'We absolutely have to act the moment we get the information and that's exactly what happened with Spain as we saw and as we've seen over the weekend where there was over 6,100 cases - the highest since the peak in March over there. 'It was the right thing to do and it's why the whole of the UK did (it) at the same time. I can't therefore rule out other countries having to go into the quarantine as well.' Mr Shapps said he could understand the frustrations of those impacted by the measures, although he insisted that it was 'essential' that the Government acted when it did. He said: 'I very much understand (the frustrations), it obviously had an impact on me and my family and I'm very, very sorry and upset for the thousands of Brits who are either away or perhaps even haven't managed to go away this summer as well to Spain. 'But it's absolutely essential we acted when we did, it's why all four nations of the United Kingdom acted together and the figures since have turned out to justify that action. We have to, I think, have a clear message and make sure that we act by adding entire countries to that list for the time being.' The Transport Secretary also explained that the exclusion of certain Spanish islands from the measures taken by the UK Government had been considered. He said: 'We did have a look at whether certain islands could be included (on the list) and not others. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, was very clear with us that he was concerned about the data, we'd seen how the data had come very fast forward in Spain in 20, 48 hours, it had gone up by 75 per cent. 'It had doubled in just a few days. He was concerned to see what was happening in the islands and that's why we make it a whole-country approach in these things.' Advertisement But even if more Britons decide to stay put this year, it is unlikely to make up the shortfall for the tourism sector, which is pleading with the government for help to weather the crisis. VisitBritain, British tourism's lobbying body, estimates that the number of foreign tourists could fall by as much as 60 per cent this year due to the pandemic. Labour has already warned of an unemployment crisis, with rates rising faster than the national average in the English regions most dependent on tourism such as Cornwall, Yorkshire and the Lake District. Destinations popular with foreign tourists, such as Bath, are also struggling to draw in the crowds. The sight of a few tourists milling around the city's famous Roman Baths is in stark contrast to the usual throng that packs out the city, which normally welcomes around six million visitors a year. 'It's not even a quarter of the business that we usually get. I'd say it's like two to three percent,' Marcus Barnes told AFP as he cleaned the front of his souvenir shop. The local authorities have introduced new measures, such as limiting the size of groups visiting the city, in an attempt to woo potential holidaymakers. 'We think that if we can...have fewer people coming but staying longer, putting more into the local economy, actually getting more out of their visit, then that will be a more sustainable model for the future,' said Stephen Bird from the city council. The few intrepid tourists spotted on the streets seemed reassured. 'You're starting to see the sanitisation at hotels, the social distancing, so all in all I feel comfortable,' said Cieran Fowley, who lives in London. The website Pitchup.com, which sends 800,000 people a year to 2,000 UK campsites, says bookings are double last year's level. Some sites and parks are already taking strong bookings up to summer next year, throwing a lifeline to the industry. However, certain businesses are hiking prices by as much as 50 per cent for 2021 to try to make up for the money lost during the lockdown. The appeal of a British holiday has been boosted by a Government decision to slash VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for the hospitality industry. As a result, Haven, Butlin's and Center Parcs have cut prices on new bookings by more than 10 per cent for the summer. The rush has put a huge strain on holiday companies. There is evidence of double bookings, resulting in trips being cancelled at the last minute. Haven said bookings at its 36 parks had soared by 96 per cent year-on-year. Its sister brand Butlin's also claims to be doing a roaring trade. Hoseasons has had to recruit extra phone staff to cope with the huge demand. Pitchup.com took its highest ever bookings on a single day on Sunday 6,100, representing around 18,000 people. It was double the number for any single day last year. Founder of the booking platform Dan Yates said there had been a clear switch to staycations. He said the new controls on travel to Spain, which include quarantine on return, were probably the 'final nail in the coffin' for foreign holidays. He added: 'British holidaymakers are unlikely to take the risk of not being able to work when they return which has likely been the catalyst for the surge in UK bookings.' Brits face paying through the nose for a staycation after foreign holidays are ruined: Campsites charge 150 a night and it's 200 for a three-star hotel as prices rocket by 50 per cent Britain's cottages, hotels and holiday sites are seeing a rush in bookings as people give up on travelling abroad amid quarantine fears and opt for a staycation instead. Families are booking up dates for UK holidays in 2021 despite the cost of some stays going up by 50 per cent as operators try to recoup some of their lockdown losses. Those hoping for a last-minute stay in a holiday hotspot this weekend will find campsites for 150 a night or 200 a night for three-star hotels as demand soars. One four-star hotel on the beach in Newquay, Cornwall, comes in at nearly 350 a night, while a one-bedroom cottage in the Cotswolds will set you back 280 a night. Demand will also be boosted by rising temperatures over the next few days, with Friday expected to be the hottest day of the year so far. Slots at campsites, B&Bs and cottages across Britain are also running out because holidays postponed during the lockdown are now being rebooked for next year. A family room at the three-star Best Western Livermead Cliff Hotel in Devon costs 440 for two nights this weekend as demand surges for hotels and cottages amid the staycations boom It comes as the UK Government advised against all but essential travel to Spain after the emergence of a second wave of coronavirus in parts of the country. Charles Millward, the owner of Staycation Holidays, told The Times: 'People should be worried about finding availability next year. What can I do if I've booked a holiday to Spain? Can I get a refund on my flights? Airlines are refusing to cancel flights to Spain despite the Government advising against all but essential travel. The move puts hundreds of thousands of British families in limbo and at risk of losing thousands of pounds. It also puts the airline industry at odds with the UK Government by 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 following the collapse of air travel, have snubbed the Government and continue to offer the flights. This means families will potentially lose their holidays and their money. People could ignore the Government and take their flights. But they would have to quarantine for 14 days when they get back and their travel insurance may be void. Alternatively, they could cancel their trip without any guarantee of a refund. Can I switch my flight date or change destination? British Airways and easyJet have suggested they will offer vouchers for future flights, rather than a refund, for those who cancel. Ryanair has refused to offer anything. It even suggested people who changed their flights could incur charges of up to 95 per person. What if I have booked a package holiday? If you booked a package holiday which cannot go ahead as planned, you are entitled to a refund and it should be returned within 14 days. However, a number of airlines have not cancelled flights and some tour operators are also doing the same - this means you might not get a refund without a fight. Companies will be expected to cancel package holidays to Spain and its islands and offer refunds. An estimated 1.8m bookings will be affected. Tui has suspended all holidays to Spain up to and including August 9. It said customers travelling 'will be able to cancel or amend holidays and will be able to receive a full refund or the option to rebook their holiday with a booking incentive and our customer service team will proactively email these customers'. Jet2 and Tui have cancelled trips up to certain dates in August. Kuoni, even though it is not cancelling trips, is offering refunds or rebookings at a later date. Will I be able to cancel a direct hotel booking? If you have booked directly with a hotel it is unlikely that they will let you cancel without abiding by their cancellation charges. You could try appealing to their goodwill and there is certainly no harm in asking. They may for instance let you move to a later date. If you have booked through a third-party website like Booking.com, Expedia or Lastminute, you may find that the cancellation terms are more generous, depending on what sort of reservation you made. If it is not offering either option, contact your travel insurer to see if you can claim on your policy instead. Will my insurance cover it? Only Nationwide's FlexPlus travel insurance, which comes with its 13-a-month current account, covers trips cancelled because Foreign Office advice changed after a booking was made - while it also covers a trip being cut short because of a local lockdown. Other policies from the likes of Trailfinders, Nationwide, Axa, All Clear, Coverwise and Insure For will cover coronavirus-related cancellations, but not because of a change in government travel restrictions. The Civil Aviation Authority said there was nothing it could do to ensure those with a flight-only booking got a refund. It suggested they claim money back from a travel insurance policy, but most insurers have clauses that reject any claims linked to coronavirus. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has 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 FCO 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. What if my trip isn't cancelled but I want to cancel it? If your trip isn't cancelled, contact your travel provider in the first instance to see if they are offering refunds, or again, a change of date. If they are not, you may have to swallow the cost of cancelling your holiday and then fighting to get a refund through your insurance, credit card provider through Section 75 or a chargeback, offered by some banks. While most tour providers still haven't shown their hand, it is thought likely most will cancel holidays given the Government advice. What should I do if I am already in Spain? People currently on holiday in Spain have been encouraged to follow the local rules, return home as normal and check the FCO's 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 and return as normal. What if I am going on holiday elsewhere? The FCO continues to advise against non-essential international travel except to the countries and territories on its exemption list. But local government minister Simon Clarke said the reality is that holidaymakers travelling abroad during the coronavirus outbreak will have to accept there is a 'degree of uncertainty'. He said people going on holiday should understand that they may be asked to self-isolate on their return and the Government must reserve the right to keep the British public safe. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said anyone making travel arrangements needs to recognise the restrictions that may be placed upon them by the Government on their return to the UK. What will happen when I get back from Spain? If you're returning to the UK from Spain you will need to provide your journey and contact details and self-isolate for 14 days. This may drop to 10 days soon. You may be fined up to 100 if you refuse to provide your contact details or more if you break this rule more than once. You may also be fined up to 1,000 if you refuse to self-isolate, or you could face further action. Will my employer pay me if I have to quarantine? This will depend on your employer and their rules. If, for example, you can still work from home, there should - in theory - be no problem with you quarantining. However, you are not automatically entitled to statutory sick pay from your employer if you have to quarantine after coming back off holiday, according to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Some employers will offer sick pay either statutory or a higher level, depending on their policy. It could be that if your employer is unable to offer you sick pay, you could take annual leave to avoid missing out on any payment, although this may not be possible if you do not have enough left to take. However, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said no worker following quarantine guidance should be penalised by employers, including by being put on to sick pay. Advertisement 'A lot of dates are already taken because they will have been moved from this year - one of our properties only has three weekends free next year from March until September. 'In general our properties will increase in price next year by 20 per cent to recoup the cost owners lost during the lockdown. 'One property we're booking for next year has gone up by 50 per cent. I think that will happen more and more as owners have lost thousands of pounds and need it back.' Up to 14million Britons are expected to go on a UK holiday before children go back to school in September, giving the country's economy a 3.7billion boost. Havens said bookings at its 36 parks are up 96 per cent year-on-year, while demand for caravan sites is up 140 per cent in Devon and bookings are surging at Butlins. UK holiday agent Hoseasons said it has employed extra telesales staff to cope with extra demand with bookings made for the next year up by a third on normal levels. Its cottage break bookings are up 223 per cent over the last month compared to the same period in 2019, while call volumes are at more than ten times the normal level. Writer and broadcaster Sally Jones, who lives in Warwick, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I do think it's totally bonkers to encourage people to go abroad at the moment when we don't know which countries are going to be shut down, where we're going to have quarantine coming back from, say, Croatia or France. 'There's wonderful, wonderful places in England. I think most people don't really know their own country that well.' She added: 'Why not go and explore places like, say, Scotland or the beaches of Northumberland? 'There are these incredible places in England most of us have never been there.' British campsites have also seen a boom in bookings as people give up on foreign trips. The website Pitchup.com, which sends 800,000 people a year to 2,000 UK campsites, said bookings on Sunday were double last year's high for a single day. It took some 6,100 bookings, representing around 18,000 people, which was up by 20 per cent on the previous Sunday. Founder of the booking platform, Dan Yates, said there is a clear switch to staycations. He said: 'For many who were just starting to consider booking a trip abroad this is probably the nail in the coffin, with the change in regulations fundamentally damaging consumer confidence to travel overseas. 'The tightened financial climate means British holidaymakers are unlikely to take the risk of not being able to work when they return which has likely been the catalyst for this weekend's surge in UK bookings.' The website also offers bookings to campsites across Europe. Mr Yates said: 'The tourism and hospitality sector has been decimated by Covid and our Spanish site owners are in uproar. 'They believe a more localised approach which focuses on quarantine in the specific regions which have been affected by the Covid peaks would have been a more appropriate and effective response by the UK government. 'This is, however, good news for domestic campsites and caravan parks as thousands will substitute a UK holiday for their usual one abroad.' Mr Yates said: 'The ever changing guidance is likely to cause mass confusion and concern amongst Brits, with many likely to elect to play it safe and staying closer to home this year.' Airbnb has said that on bookings made on the weekend of June 27/28, more than 70 per cent were staycations. A spokesman said: 'Staycations are great for Brits who want to explore beyond their own four walls again, but also for the hospitality industry and Airbnb hosts who depend on the income from listing on our platform. 'We've seen a significant spike in demand as travel becomes a reality again, with our trending destinations showing people are keen to explore the many interesting towns and rural areas the nation has to offer, providing a welcome boost to local businesses.' Speaking about going abroad, Guy Anker from MoneySavingExpert told The Times: 'People who booked a holiday or took out insurance after mid-March are not going to be covered by a local lockdown or the decision to change travel advice. 'My advice would be, do not spend any money at the moment that you can't afford to lose, or where flexibility is not written into your airline ticket or hotel booking.' Meanwhile Boris Johnson has indicated that quarantine restrictions could be imposed on further European countries if a 'second wave' of coronavirus hits the continent. The Prime Minister already faces a diplomatic row with Spain after warning against all but essential travel to the country - and its resort islands - and insisting that travellers arriving in the UK from there spend a fortnight in quarantine due to an increase in cases. But he defended the move and insisted the Government would not hesitate to act if flare-ups of coronavirus occurred in other destinations. 'I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic,' the Prime Minister warned. With holidaymakers already facing uncertainty over trips abroad this summer, Mr Johnson indicated further action could be considered by the Government. 'It's vital that when people are coming back from abroad, if they are coming back from a place where I'm afraid there is another outbreak, they must go into quarantine,' he said. 'That's why we have taken the action that we have and we will continue, throughout the summer, to take such action where it is necessary.' Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the restrictions on travel to the country as an 'error'. He pointed out that the upsurge in coronavirus cases is focused in two regions, Catalonia and Aragon, adding: 'In most of Spain, the incidence is very much inferior to even the numbers registered in the United Kingdom.' Madrid had been urging the UK to exclude the Canaries and Balearics - which include popular tourist resorts on Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca - from its quarantine requirements. But instead, official travel advice was tightened to bring the islands in line with the Spanish mainland. The move has dealt a further blow to the travel industry, which was already reeling after the lockdown. Mr Johnson said it was up to individuals to decide whether they wanted to take the risk of travelling in the present circumstances. 'These are decisions for families, for individuals, about where they want to go,' he said. The decision to impose quarantine restrictions was made after England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty reportedly told ministers that 10 Britons who tested positive for coronavirus after July 1 had reported visiting Spain in the 14 days before their test. Mr Johnson said: 'I'm afraid if we do see signs of a second wave in other countries, it is really our job, our duty, to act swiftly and decisively to stop ... travellers coming back from those places seeding the disease here in the UK.' Britons make up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies heavily on tourism, and Madrid has said the UK Government gave it no warning that the quarantine move was coming over the weekend. Travel firm Tui UK cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) updated travel advice. Tui's decision runs from Tuesday July 28 up to and including Friday July 31. Holidays to Spain's mainland were already cancelled from Sunday July 26 up to and including Sunday August 9. A camp rental in the Cornish countryside in Truro will cost 366 for two nights this weekend A two-night stay this weekend at another campsite in Chiddingly, East Sussex, will cost 332 The company said: 'The UK Government must work closely with the travel industry as this level of uncertainty and confusion is damaging for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a well-deserved break.' Jet2 has suspended flights and holidays to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza up to and including August 9, after the Government changed its advice on travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands. The company had already suspended flights and holidays to mainland Spain until August 16, and yesterday evening advised customers due to travel to the Balearic and Canary Islands on Tuesday not to go to the airport. 'Where customers are affected by any programme changes, we have been repeatedly recognised for how we have been looking after customers, offering the option to rebook with no admin fee, a Refund Credit Note or a full cash refund, and we will be contacting customers to discuss these options,' Jet2 said. 'We will also be contacting customers who are currently in these destinations to advise them of their options regarding flying back to the UK, so we urge customers not to contact us. Rooms at this beach hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, this weekend will cost 685 for two nights For customers who are due to travel to these destinations after the dates given above, we will provide an additional update once we receive more information from the Government. 'What we need now is clarity and consistency from the Government. We understand that this is a fast-moving situation, however the information we are receiving is contradictory and often comes with little or no notice. 'We want to provide customers, who work hard and save hard for their well-deserved holidays, with timely information and we need this from the Government. We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.' Labour said the Government must abandon its one-size-fits-all approach and introduce sectoral support for struggling businesses to ensure that public health measures such as the change in quarantine rules for people returning from Spain do not lead to mass job losses. Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: 'The Government's handling of this issue has been nothing short of chaotic.' A triple room at the Clachaig Inn in the Highlands this weekend will cost 439 for two nights Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'The Prime Minister is right... to warn that some countries face the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus. 'However, it is extremely worrying that he has not acknowledged or acted upon the risk of a second wave here in the UK. 'Yesterday, I met with families who had lost loved ones due to Covid-19. Many just want the Prime Minister to start an independent inquiry immediately, so that the Government does not make the same mistakes that cost so many lives earlier this year. 'Back in March, as the coronavirus wreaked havoc across Spain and Italy, Boris Johnson acted too slowly. 'The UK was not immune and it still is not. That is why the Prime Minister must take immediate action and begin an independent inquiry, so that we have learned the lessons should there be a second wave of the virus.' The Daily Telegraph reported that quarantine for people arriving from Spain or other countries with high coronavirus levels could be cut to 10 days under plans being looked at by ministers. A one-bedroom home in Woodmancote in the Chilterns costs 573 for two nights this weekend Returned travellers would need to quarantine for eight days before being tested, and then only remain in quarantine for another two days should they test negative. The paper reports the Government is also considering instructing everyone who has returned from Spain since July 23 to get tested. Mr Johnson said: 'We are always looking at ways in which we can mitigate the impact of the quarantine, try to help people, try to make sure that the science is working to help travellers and holidaymakers.' In better news for travellers, five more countries were added to the quarantine exemption list on Tuesday - Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Issuing advice to those concerned about holidays in Spain, Brian Brown of Defaqto said: 'If you are in Spain now your insurance will cover you as normal. This will include curtailment and medical claims. However, it will not include curtailment if you just want to come home early. 'You won't however have any compensation from your travel insurer for any enforced quarantine on your return to the UK. If you are on your way to Spain right now by car you might also have problems. 'If you enter Spain after the FCO advised you not to, then you will have no cover at all, including medical insurance. 'So, if you are driving through France to Spain, you should turn around and come home, or find somewhere else to have your holiday.' He added that those who have a booking to Spain but can't now travel because the FCO has advised against it, should first go to the travel provider. Mr Brown continued: 'Airlines and package operators will likely cancel the flight/holiday. You should ask them for a refund, or to transfer your holiday to another destination or time. 'If you can't get refunds, for instance if you booked your accommodation directly with the hotel, your travel insurance might pay out, but only if the policy covers you for change of government advice and you booked the holiday and bought the insurance before the FCO changed its advice. 'You will need to check your insurance policy wording. 'If you are planning to travel somewhere else, where the FCO currently says you can go, but now don't want to take the risk then no travel insurance policy will cover you for cancellation. Disinclination to travel is not an insured peril.' It comes after one of the country's most popular holidays seemed to be struggling with the onslaught of guests. Swathes of people have descended on St Ives, Cornwall - famed for its narrow streets - seemingly struggling to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Car parks in the area are reaching capacity, and people are packing on to the town's popular beach and into cafes and restaurants surrounding it. Officials in St Ives have introduced a 'keep to the left' policy in an attempt to ensure everyone can keep to the one-metre plus distance currently advised. Guests in the town have also been advised to wear a face mask and to avoid cramming into smaller shops. And in an effort to further reduce congestion in St Ives, access for most vehicles has been restricted between 10am and 6pm. Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, admitted some locals were still 'nervous' about the sudden rush of tourists. In spite of that, he added that on the whole 'everyone is sticking to social distancing rules' despite some of the historic towns being 'close to capacity'. New Delhi, July 30 : Agitated with the sudden termination from jobs, the contractual workers of Centre-run Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) and associated hospitals hit the streets on Thursday. Under the banner of All India Central Council of Trade Unions, dozens of aggrieved protesters gathered outside the LHMC, a dedicated Covid-19 facility, and protested against the hospital administration. They said that over 75 of the Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) at the hospital had been "illegally" asked to leave from August onwards. Besides, they also leveled extortion charges against the coterie of intermediaries, including the hospital officials. According to them, the contractual workers are being demanded to pay a hefty sum of money to secure their jobs. Veenita, 35, (name changed) claimed that the workers were threatened following which many used up their savings to meet the extortion demands. "Those who budged to the extortion demand were able to save jobs," she said. The workers also claimed that the demand for cash went as high as Rs 80,000. "We don't even receive the minimum wages. How would we be able to pay such a hefty sum," asked Vijay Kumar (name changed). Many of the workers have been employed since 2015 as MTS staff who were engaged in patient care duties and maintaining medical wards, including those with Covid-19 patients. The MTS employees usually help out with patient management, starting from dressing them to moving them from one ward to the other and sometimes disposing of used protective gear. Third-party contractors hire them. However, usually, their period of employment keeps getting revised. The current contractor of these workers is Jai Balaji Security Services. According to the claims, as many 200 workers, out of the total 275 contract staff at the LHMC, have succumbed to the pressure and accepted the alleged demand for money. These employees have not been asked to leave, the workers added. IANS tried to contact the contractor, but the calls went unanswered. Multiple calls to Sonu Kumar, Deputy Director (Administration) at LHMC, also went unanswered. The workers also claimed that they had been asked for money in the exchange of job security twice in the last five months. They said that similar demand was made in February as well, which most of them obliged. "We had no option. We were desperate. Now we have understood that this demand will keep increasing if we keep on accepting," added Vinneta. Surya Prakash, state secretary of AICCTU who spearheaded Thursday's protest, said that termination of these workers was illegal. "The job of these workers is perennial in nature, and they can't be replaced at one's wishes," he said. Prakash also referred to a 2015 order of the Delhi High Court judgment, according to which principal employers are restrained from replacing one contractual employee with another in such cases. Prakash also said that the core of the problem lay in the hiring policy. A new contractor is hired every six months, which brings in new workers as part of the MTS Staff. This lacuna gives space to illegal activities like favoritism and extortion. Meanwhile, the All India Kamgar Union, along with 35 of the MTS staff, has filed a petition against removing these workers in the Delhi High Court. The matter is listed for hearing on Friday before the court of Justice Pratibha M Singh. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 30 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Greece amounted to $719.1 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $534.7 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of Greece in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover was 2.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.4 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Greece amounted to $712 million over the period from January through May 2020, compared to $527.8 million during the same period of 2019. Greeces share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to 2.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.4 percent during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans import from Greece amounted to $7.1 million over the reporting period compared to $6.9 million during the same period of 2019. Greeces total share in Kazakhstans import was 0.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is flat compared to 0.1 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $34.9 billion over the period from Jan. through May 2020 which indicates a decrease from $37.5 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export amounted to $22.3 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($23.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $12.6 billion ($13.9 billion). --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh President Muhammadu Buhari has joined Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, in mourning the passing of Ayorinde Fasanmi, describing his death as a big loss to the nation. Mr Buhari, in a message by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Thursday, condoled with the people, governments of Osun and Ekiti, family members, friends and associates of the elder statesman. He acknowledged that Mr Fasanmi was a member of both the House of Representatives and the Senate where he distinguished himself politically. The president said the elder statesman always stood for the truth, especially on issues related to the uplifting of the downtrodden. Mr Buhari affirmed that Mr Fasanmis wise counsels borne out of humility, deep reflection, diligent studies and experience, would be sorely missed by governments at different levels. The president stated that the late elder statesman, regularly and willingly listened to leaders, and always had good advice on the way going forward. Mr Buhari said, as an ardent follower and prodigy of the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, the fearless and consistent Afenifere leader lived to serve his people and the nation. He maintained that the progressive ideals that late Mr Fasanmi projected, impacted greatly and provided a road map on development at state and federal levels. Mr Buhari noted, the efforts of Fasanmi in the founding and sustenance of Nigerias democracy will be remembered, and posterity will be glad for his great sacrifices. The president prayed that the Almighty God would receive the soul of the departed leader and comfort his family. The death of Mr Fasanmi was confirmed on July 25 in a statement signed by one of his children, Folabi Fasanmi, who said the nonagenarian died peacefully on July 22 in Osogbo, Osun. In the same vein, the Leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the South West on Thursday described the death of Mr Fasanmi, as a huge loss to the Progressives family in Nigeria. The South West Zonal Publicity Secretary of APC, Karounwi Oladapo, said this in a statement on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti. Mr Oladapo said Mr Fasanmi, one of the foremost elder statesmen, was a very honest and consistent Politician, who never flirted from one political ideology to the other. Senator Ayo Fasanmi kept faith and loyalty with the Chief Obafemi Awolowo led Progressive Parties: Action Group (AG), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and lately, the All Progressives Congress (APC). He never deviated from his commitment to the Social Democratic Principles and Progressive ideals until he breathed his last, on Wednesday, July 29. He championed the tenets of Afenifere Socio-Political Organisation, a Pan Yoruba group of West Africa Nigeria in its original form, as espoused by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group of the first Republic. He never had anything to do with the Conservatives and reactionary elements in the Nigeria Political Space, he said. The party noted that Senator Fasanmi played a pivotal role during Mr Buharis re-election campaign bid in 2019. Faaanmi received, campaigned and made powerful speeches in support of President Buhari at the Ekiti Parapo Pavilion, Ado Ekiti, at an advanced age of 93. This was very unique and remarkable, Mr Oladapo added. The South West APC Leaders, therefore, urged the federal government to name a National monument after Mr Fasanmi, in recognition of his innumerable contributions to democracy, good governance and national development. Mr Fasanmi was a member, Federal House of Representatives under the Action Group of the First Republic and a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the Second Republic, between 1979 to 1983. Advertisements The party condoled with the family of Mr Fasanmi and the good people of Ekiti. (NAN) Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell on Wednesday expressed concern over Beijing's action in South China Sea that "could provoke escalation". "We remain deeply concerned by actions in South China Sea that are destabilising and could provoke escalation," he said. "On July 23, Australia lodged a note with the UN Secretary General refuting Chinas unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea. It rejects Chinas claim to historic rights and internal waters, its assertion of certain maritime zones, and its contention there is wide international recognition of its South China Sea sovereignty claims." Australia has joined the United States in stating that China's claims in the South China Sea do not comply with international law. The US this month rejected China's claims to offshore resources in most of the South China Sea, drawing criticism from China which said the US position raised tension in the region. Australia, in its declaration filed at the United Nations, said it too rejected Chinas maritime claims around contested islands in the South China Sea as being inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. China claims 90% of the potentially energy-rich waters but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it. About $3 trillion worth of trade passes through the waterway each year. China has built bases atop atolls in the region but says its intentions are peaceful. Australia has long advocated for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and for all claimants to resolve their differences in compliance with international laws. BERLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CANDIS, the platform for automated accounting and payment processes, raised 12M in a financing round led by Viola Ventures and Rabo Frontier Ventures, the investment arm of Rabobank. Existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Point Nine Capital, Speedinvest, the main incubator of Commerzbank and 42CAP also participated. CANDIS intends to use the capital to continue the development of its machine learning engine and to fuel growth and expansion within Europe. The company is executing on its goal of becoming the European market leader for automated financial processes for SMBs. As of today, the company's software automates more than 80% of all classic accounting processes and facilitates efficient collaboration with tax accounting firms across Europe. CANDIS automates manual bookkeeping, accounting processes and B2B payments for mid-market companies with machine learning. The software automatically collects bookkeeping documents from various sources, classifies and authenticates the data, generates approval processes and real-time-insights and payments for accounts payables. Thousands of companies and their tax advisors already benefit from CANDIS' unique technology in Germany. "SMBs in Central Europe have a void when it comes to efficient and effective accounting and financial processes," says Omry Ben David, Partner at Viola Ventures. "CANDIS is well positioned to become the go-to platform in Europe for the automation of bookkeeping, accounting and payment processes, as well as for the provision of financial insights and benchmarks. This comprehensive suite will undoubtedly deliver better SMB compliance, decision making and growth." Since the last financing round at the end of 2018, CANDIS' business has grown by 500%. Christian Ritosek, co-founder and managing director of CANDIS, says: "Our machine-learning based technology disrupts a whole industry, in which the majority of tasks are still very manual. The pattern recognition engine automates accounting workflows and empowers companies with real-time data and insights to make better financial decisions." "It is great to add CANDIS to our portfolio as they have been able to create a leading position in a competitive market. We've been following CANDIS for a longer period of time and we consider their distribution strategy combined with their product to be a very strong proposition for both SMEs and accountants. Together with Viola, Lightspeed and the existing investors we are very keen to be working with the team and to support them in realizing their growth ambitions," says Jeroen van Doornik, Managing Partner at Rabo Frontier Ventures. About Candis GmbH The software company CANDIS was founded in 2015 by Christopher Becker and Christian Ritosek with the goal to automate manual bookkeeping processes with intelligent software. Eliminating manual data entry and reconciliation, bookkeeping and accounting departments of companies become up to 5 times more efficient. https://www.candis.io/en/home Twitter: https://twitter.com/candis_io Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CandisDeutschland/ About Viola Ventures Viola Ventures is the early-stage arm of Viola, Israel's leading tech-focused investment group, with over $3B AUM. Founded in 2000, Viola Ventures empowers early stage start-ups to become global leaders. The fund manages over $1B and has backed some of Israel's unicorns such as Payoneer, ironSource Lightricks, Redis Labs, Pagaya. https://www.viola-group.com/ About Rabo Frontier Ventures RFV is a 150 million investment fund of Rabobank, focusing globally on innovative Fintech and Agtech companies. RFV aims to invest directly in the early growth stage (series B) of companies that are disrupting or influencing the current business of Rabobank and indirect in leading general tech funds such as Holtzbrinck, Northzone, Speedinvest and Valar Ventures. https://rabofrontierventures.com/ SOURCE CANDIS Despite a lack of fresh demand or support for the Pound, the British Pound to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate has seen an impressive surge in demand today. Various factors in th global outlook, largely around the coronavirus pandemic, have continued to weigh heavily on market trade sentiment and the Canadian Dollar. Still, there is possibility that the Canadian Dollar could see a rebound in demand tomorrow if the days key Canadian data impresses. Last weeks GBP/CAD advance from 1.7062 to 1.7168 was fairly solid, a gain of over a cent. However, this weeks movement has been even more solidly bullish. Due to broad weakness in the Canadian Dollar, GBP/CAD has been trending with a solid upside bias since markets opened on Monday. Not only that, but the pair has gained a huge three cents already. At the time of writing on Thursday afternoon, GBP/CAD trended near a high of 1.7489. This was the best level for the pair in over two months, since the beginning of May. However, despite the pairs strong performance today, market demand for the Pound has not been particularly supported. Investors are buying the British currency due largely to weakness in major rival currencies. In fact, Britains own outlook remains filled with broad uncertainties. Britains handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been criticised for months. The nations signs of recovery are still highly mixed. Sterling is, however, benefitting from expectations that Britains coronavirus outlook is more optimistic than the US outlook. Concerns over the UK governments handling of Brexit negotiations also weigh heavily. UK-EU talks saw no notable developments over the past month, despite it initially being seen as a key month for negotiations. According to Thu Lan Nguyen, Senior FX Strategist at Commerzbank, the Pounds advances may also be limited: Overall the Pound remains the underperformer in the G10 space so I would expect at some point that we see a little bit of a correction from time to time, but generally it has been quite weak, Canadian Dollar (CAD) Exchange Rates Slump on Oil Prices and US Economic Concerns The Canadian Dollar has been one of the worst performing major currencies over the past week. Investors have been selling the currency due to numerous factors, largely revolving around global coronavirus developments. Fears of a second wave of global coronavirus infections continue to intensify. These have been a large part of this weeks oil price losses, amid fears that a post-pandemic rebound in oil demand is still a ways off. As oil is Canadas biggest export, the Canadian Dollar has been hit by expectations for lasting weakness in the oil outlook. On top of weaker oil prices though, the Canadian Dollar is also being hit by US economic concerns. The Federal Reserve took a more dovish stance on US monetary policy, signalling that further loosening is likely in the coming months. On top of this, the latest US growth rate data was even weaker than expected. The data indicated to economists that the chances of a v-shaped recovery are slim. As the US and Canadian economies have a close relationship, this weakened CAD as well. GBP/CAD Exchange Rate Forecast: Canadian Growth Report Ahead After being driven by market risk-sentiment and trade developments throughout the week, the Canadian Dollar could finally see some solid domestic support tomorrow. Fridays American session will see the publication of Canadas May Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate report. Following a dire April, growth is expected to rebound around 3.5% in May. If Canadas May growth data beats forecasts, it could boost market hopes that Canadas economy is weathering the coronavirus pandemic. This could bolster Canadian Dollar demand and help push GBP/CAD down from its 2-month highs. On the other hand though, GBP/CAD may only see further gains if tomorrows Canadian data disappoints investors. This would lead to fresh concerns about the resilience of Canadas economy. As for the Pound, its potential for gains is limited due to the coronavirus and Brexit issues weighing on Britains outlook. Looking ahead, the Pound to Canadian Dollar exchange rate may only be able to see more sustained advances if UK data continues to impress investors, or if there are any Brexit developments in August. Anasis 2, a communications satellite for Korea, is launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Florida, July 20. / UPI-Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo A newly revised missile guidelines agreement between South Korea and the United States will contribute to a smoother transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean military forces from Washington to Seoul, according to diplomatic experts, Thursday. However, they denied speculation that the new deal has to do with the U.S.'s policy to get Korea to pay more for the cost of maintaining the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in return, or to use its missile capabilities to help contain China amid growing diplomatic disputes between Washington and Beijing. On Tuesday, Cheong Wa Dae announced that the allies agreed to lift a decades-long restriction on South Korea's use of solid fuel for its space launch vehicles, adding that this would help advance the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. U.S. Naval War College professor Terence Roehrig said this change will have an impact on the transfer of wartime OPCON. "One of the concerns was that South Korea lacked some of the intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities to meet the conditions-based requirements for wartime OPCON transfer. The ability to put its own military intelligence satellites in orbit will be an important boost for ROK capabilities and will reduce ROK dependency on the United States for these systems," Roehrig told The Korea Times. The allies have been working on the conditions-based OPCON transfer, with the Moon Jae-in administration seeking to retake this by 2022. Korea regained peacetime OPCON in 1994. Bruce Klingner, a former CIA analyst and North Korea watcher at the Heritage Foundation, echoed Roehrig's view. "One of the conditions for the transition of wartime OPCON from the United Nations Command to South Korea requires Seoul to improve its offensive capabilities against North Korea," he told The Korea Times. "This new missile agreement may be to facilitate OPCON transition by enabling more robust South Korean military capabilities." In the wake of the lifting of the ban, there is speculation that it was part of negotiations over the special measures agreement (SMA), which determines how much South Korea pays toward the cost of stationing the USFK here. SMA talks have stalled since last September due to U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for a sharp increase in Korea's share. But diplomatic experts generally disagreed with such speculation. "I don't see that this is driven by anything the U.S. is seeking. This comes from the South Koreans and their desire to use cheaper solid fuel rockets, and in the long term to develop solid fuel technology for other uses," Daniel Sneider, an expert on Korean and Japanese foreign policy at Stanford University, told The Korea Times. "The range limits agreement remains in place, which is more important from the U.S. perspective. I don't know of any connection to the cost sharing negotiations and I hesitate to ascribe any coherence to U.S. policy these days." Klingner also said, "While there is a tendency to seek linkage of issues, this may simply be a continuation of previous U.S. decisions to allow South Korea to incrementally improve its missile capabilities beyond previous agreements." "Several years ago, Washington allowed Seoul to move beyond Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) restrictions to allow South Korean missiles with larger payloads and longer range. That agreement was subsequently revised to allow greater South Korean capabilities," he added. According to Roehrig, the U.S. has agreed to several changes, with it becoming more and more difficult for it to oppose South Korea's requests for these changes. "Most recently, the Obama administration agreed to increase the maximum range of missiles from 300 kilometers to 800 kilometers, allowing South Korean missiles to reach all areas of the North. In 2017, the Trump administration agreed to remove entirely the previous payload limit of 500 kilograms but kept the 800-kilometer-range limit. The new agreement to allow solid fuel for space launches is another piece to this story," he said. Roehrig raised doubts about speculation that the U.S. could deter a rising China through Korea's improved missile capabilities. "In my view, the suggestion that South Korea's missile capabilities will help contain China is a stretch. If the U.S. hopes this will be the result, there will be disappointment," he said. "South Korea's missile capabilities will have little impact on China's policies and actions." Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 12:48:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Wednesday night that European Union's (EU) conclusions and measures in response to the enactment of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was a wrong decision. The EU's intention to provide Hong Kong residents with more relaxed asylum, migration and residency policy on the pretext of the enactment of the national security law in Hong Kong "is a blatant interference in the affairs of the HKSAR," and "such moves are deeply regretted," a spokesman for the HKSAR government said. "The export restrictions on sensitive equipment and technologies proposed to be imposed by the EU on Hong Kong are based on groundless allegations," the spokesman said, adding that the HKSAR government urged the EU to stop such political manipulation which is not in the interests of Hong Kong residents and EU partners. "We will continue to identify suitable suppliers for procurement as needed," he said. The spokesman said that currently, the HKSAR has signed agreements on surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) with seven EU member states, including the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal. The HKSAR has all along upheld the principle of mutual assistance and reciprocity to carry out law enforcement cooperation with other members of the international community in accordance with the law with a view to fighting crime. "We object to any attempt of politicizing juridical cooperation, which damages the good basis of cooperation established between the two sides over the years and deviates from the purpose of juridical cooperation in safeguarding justice and the rule of law," he said. Hong Kong and EU member states maintain close economic and trade relations, and have been nurturing bilateral cultural and technological co-operation in recent years. In 2019, there were more than 2,300 companies in Hong Kong with parent companies in the EU, an increase of 7.5 percent from 2017, the spokesman said. According to EU statistics, the total merchandise trade between the EU and Hong Kong amounted to 48 billion euros, with the EU enjoying a trade surplus of 25.4 billion euros over Hong Kong. In addition, over 29,000 EU nationals live in Hong Kong and a number of European chambers of commerce have been operating here for many years, the spokesman added. "The HKSAR government calls on EU member states to adopt a pragmatic and rational attitude, and refrain from adopting measures that will adversely affect the long-standing mutually beneficial relations between Hong Kong and the EU," the spokesman said. "We reiterate that the HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under 'one country, two systems' and comes directly under the Central People's Government. "Matters relating to the HKSAR remain our country's internal affair. No other state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in such internal affairs," the spokesman said. The spokesman said it was the legitimate right and duty of every state to safeguard its national security. "The national security law is entirely constitutional, lawful, rational and reasonable as national security falls squarely under the purview of the central authorities and since, after some 23 years, the HKSAR has yet to fulfil its constitutional obligations to enact local legislation to safeguard national security." Enditem Advertisement "In particular we note that that the BAME community experience elevated risk of infection and in some cases lack access to adequate PPE, or frequently reuse equipment."Researchers say their study not only shows the importance of adequate availability and use of PPE, but also the crucial need for additional strategies to protect healthcare workers, such as ensuring correct application and removal of PPE and avoiding reuse which was associated with increased risk.Differences were also noted in PPE adequacy according to race and ethnicity, with non- Hispanic white health-care workers more frequently reporting reuse of or inadequate access to PPE, even after adjusting for exposure to patients with COVID-19.Joint first author Dr Mark Graham from King's College London said: "The work is important in the context of the widely reported higher death rates amongst healthcare workers from BAME backgrounds. Hopefully a better understanding of the factors contributing to these disparities will inform efforts to better protect workers."Dr Claire Steves, lead clinical researcher from King's College London said: "I'm very pleased we have now introduced masks and social distancing where possible for all interactions in hospitals - to protect ourselves and the population we serve. We need to ensure this is reinforced and sustained throughout the health service - including in health care settings outside hospitals, for example in care homes."Additional protective strategies are equally as important, such as implementing social distancing among healthcare staff. Stricter protocols for socialising among healthcare staff also need to be considered."Source: Eurekalert TRENTON Delayed but not denied. That was Mayor Reed Guscioras message at Thursdays groundbreaking ceremony for a 72-unit affordable housing complex being constructed on Race Street, next to the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, in the capital citys North Ward. The $32 million Patriot Village II project, delayed over myriad issues including a funding gap, is expected to be completed next fall by RPM Development, a firm that specializes in rehabbing abandoned and vacant properties. City dignitaries and project leaders gathered for a news conference a day after President Donald Trump, faltering in the polls, attempted to appeal to white, suburban voters by telling them theyd no longer be bothered by low-income housing in their neighborhoods. This project had stalled for 14 years, Gusciora said. Since taking office, the Gusciora administration has worked to unfreeze millions in Community Development Block Grant funding that is partially being used to offset a funding gap for the housing project. The Gusciora administration received the green light in April to kick in $800,000 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) monies for the project, officials said. Once finished, the Patriot Village II project will have 11 one-bedroom units, 42 two-bedroom units and 19 three-bedroom units, all featuring stainless steel appliances, open floor plans and laundry facilities on each floor. Some of the housing will be reserved for homeless Trentonian, with veterans prioritized, officials said. We are very pleased to start construction on this ambitious project, and we look forward to having a positive impact on the neighborhood for many years to come, Michael Knab, RPM senior vice president of development, said in a statement. The project is financed largely by Bank of America, and a $1.3 million Federal Home Loan Bank of New Yorks Affordable Housing Program. Over the years, the developer faced numerous stumbling blocks in making the affordable-housing complex a reality. Officials said they had trouble receiving local approvals, and they also have to negotiate an Obama-era rules change that prioritized interspersing low-income housing in suburban communities. The Trump administration replaced the Obama-era fair housing rule with its own rule, called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice, according to MSNBC. The Obama rule required local governments receiving federal funds for housing and development to root out biased practices, the outlet reported. But Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson suggested Obama-era rule was complicated and ineffective. proved to be complicated, costly and ineffective. Concentrating low-income housing in small geographical pockets, many of them urban cities, has had deleterious effects on poor residents, MSNBC reported, citing studies. The Obama-era rule sought to lessen those disparities and improve middle-class integration by building affordable housing in middle- and upper-class neighborhoods. Trump has staunchly opposed the Obama-era rule. I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood, Trump tweeted Wednesday, as a campaign tactic to try to drum up flagging support from suburban voters by stoking fear that their neighborhoods will be overtaken by low-income residents. North Ward councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson, who did not attend the groundbreaking ceremony, said in a statement that the housing will be an economic boon for the district. This project will increase spending at nearby restaurants and businesses in the North Ward, she said. We want to build a sense of pride in being a Trentonian. Thats why our community clamored for years to get a project like this one started. West Bengal: Flaws exposed in the Moyna aquaculture model by Gurvinder Singh July 30,2020 | Source: The Fish Site Pradip Das is a fisherman from Moyna. The 50-year-old transformed his 150 acres of rice paddies into ponds for fish cultivation six years ago after hearing positive reports about the Moyna production model, a system that was named after his village. He thought the switch would help him to increase his income and sustain his family but now says that the fish farming system has not been as effective as was projected by the local administration and state government. Fish farming used to be done in small water bodies along with the paddy cultivation in Moyna. But increasing losses in paddy due to floods every year forced farmers to switch over to fish farming, which was a more profitable affair, says Pradip. What is the Moyna model? The farmers living in Moyna have been combining fish farming with paddy cultivation for several decades. They utilised the small water bodies in the agricultural fields for growing indigenous species like tangra (black catfish), chital (clown knifefish) and tilapia. However, by the late 1990s they realised that fish farming brought them five times more profit than rice paddies. The farmers then began organised rice/fish cultivation, where some quantities of Indian major carp and exotic carp fingerlings were released, followed by the application of supplementary fish feeds, which started producing better results and more profits. Slowly, large number of farmers began to switch over to fish farming and started digging out their paddy fields so they could hold more fish. The system soon spread to all 11 villages in the Moyna community block, covering an estimated area of 7,500 hectares under 200 farms locally called as Khope, each ranging from 25 acres to 400 acres,. The Khope are then leased by a novel system, by which the owners, around 50-60 agricultural farmers, form a committee and the water body is then leased to the highest bidder for three to five years. The water bodies are dried, ploughed with tractors and then lime is applied, says Abhishek Das, fishery extension officer for the Moyna development block. They are then filled with fresh water from a canal. Farmers then release 50g-100g fingerlings into the water at a density of 15,000-30,000 per hectare. The harvesting starts once the fish reach 500g, normally after three to four months. The fish are generally given organic feed such as rice bran. The farmers do not use many water conditioners or medicines. The buyers directly reach the village to buy fish, he explains. The Moyna model was typically adopted for water bodies of a minimum of 5 hectares and the river water was channelled into ponds for fish cultivation. West Bengal decides to implement the model in other districts Early success in Moyna made the West Bengal government decided to roll out the model as the states largest fisheries hub in 2017. The aim was not only to boost the aquaculture production sector but to also cut down the quantity of fish that Bengal imported from other states. The government decided to bring water from the River Rupnarayan, which is located around 10km away from Moyna. According to state government officials, the 7,000 hectares under the system have the potential to produce 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes of fish annually if the farming is carried out year-round rather than the seven to eight months it is currently restricted to, due to water issues. Describing the model as highly successful, the West Bengal government decided to replicate the model in other districts, but due to the lack of such large expanses of water in other places they had to make do with smaller bodies even 2 hectare water bodies were used. Farmers express unhappiness with the administration Despite the much-hyped Moyna model earning accolades from the government, many of those using it paint a different picture; farmers claim that administrative ignorance and unfulfilled promises are leading to them losing money. Over 150,000 farmers are involved in fishing in the Moyna block, spread across an area of 147km sq. The total area for fish production is around 7,000 hectares, while the remaining 500 hectares are used for prawn cultivation (fish cultivation is done in 4,465 ponds while prawn are cultivated in 929 ponds). The total fish production in the Moyna area stands at around 84,000 tonnes, the bulk of it taking place between April and October, with an average production of around 12 tonnes per hectare. Some of the fish species that are cultured here include bhetki/barramundi (Lates calcarifer), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambica), magur (Clarias batrachus) and Indian minor carp (Labeo bata). Farmers say that they are facing tough times, despite the governments prase for the Moyna model. The government had assured us a year-round supply of fresh water by pipeline from the River Rupnarayan. But the project is still to be implemented. As a result, fields close to the river get water while others face water shortages that prevent us from fish farming year-round, says Pradip, whose fields are located far from the river. Farmers have also complained about diseases in the water. We face a severe shortage of water because of the lack of adequate water supply from the river, says Amit Pramanik, 42, a fish farmer in Moyna. The same water where fingerlings are released is transferred to other ponds. It affects the quality of water, leading to the spread of severe diseases in fish. I had to incur severe losses in the past two years because of the antibiotics in the water that killed huge amount of fish. We have now resorted to using organic feed like rice bran. No one from the administration has ever approached us to understand the situation. We are forced to fend for ourselves. Reduced quality Farmers complain that the use of chicken waste, coupled with the overexploitation of groundwater, has wreaked havoc with production. Several farmers used chicken waste as food for the fish for several years, which reduced the quality of the fish taste. The fish no longer taste the same as before, says Sanjay Das, 27, a local fish farmer. The uncontrolled use of groundwater in farming and transportation of live fish has created severe water shortages. Fish were supplied to other parts of Bengal and even to the neighbouring states of Bihar and Jharkhand in packed containers with fresh water. But the depleting groundwater level has forced the government to put a ban on the use of submersible pumps for drawing groundwater, which has affected our business. We have been trying to create awareness of the use of organic feed supplement for fish farming, says Sk Najimuddin, development officer of Zelence, a startup selling organic fish feeds to the farmers, but it is very difficult to convince the farmers because they have been using the inorganic feed for a long time, as it is cheaper. But the excessive use of antibiotics and anti-parasite agents is not only harmful to the fish but also for human consumption. Apart from connecting Moyna with fresh river water, farmers demand that the government should set up a fully fledged laboratory and training centre for the fish farming community. They are also pressing for a chilling plant for fish storage and making ice available for fish transportation, as well as the extension of bank credit on favourable terms. The banks do not give loans to the farmers, as there are quite large number of defaulters. Besides, several youths have entered the trade which has led to an increase in competition. The marketing system needs an improvement for better connection between buyers and sellers, points out Tuhin Hait, 47, a fish farmer in Moyna. Conceding that farmers have been facing some issues, Das said their problems are being looked after by the government: The water pipeline connection has been delayed due to the lockdown in the pandemic. It will resume soon. The farmers are being told to use organic feed for the fish but constant use of leather waste for the past several years has affected the fish quality and water. The use of groundwater has been stopped because of its severe shortage. ROME - A court in the Italian coastal city of Ancona convicted six young men Thursday over a 2018 nightclub stampede that killed five teens aged 14-16 and a mother who had accompanied her daughter to a rap concert. The defendants were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and received sentences ranging from 10 years and five months to 12 years and three months in prison, Corriere della Sera and Sky TG24 TV reported from Ancona. The defendants, most of whom are in their early 20s, opted for a fast-track trial held behind closed doors. Within 90 days the court must issue a written explanation of why it decided as it did. Prosecutors had alleged that the defendants sprayed an irritating substance in the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub in the town of Corinaldo, in the central Marche region, crowded with young teens awaiting a popular rappers performance. They contended the defendants wanted to distract the concert-goers so they could steal jewelry, handbags and wallets. Videos taken outside the concert venue showed scores of young teens rushing through a door and surging toward a low railing near the exit, which then collapsed. Some 60 people were injured. Separately, prosecutors are investigating 17 persons, including the owners and managers of the nightclub, on suspicion that the venue was heavily overcrowded. Paolo Curi, whose wife, Eleonora Girolimini, was killed after accompanying their 11-year-old daughter to the event, said that after Thursdays verdict he was awaiting that second trial. I was inside (the nightclub), you were sensing that it was 200% unsafe, it was unbelievably overcrowded, and the tragedy could have been sparked by a canister (of irritating spray), by a fight, by anything, Corriere della Sera quoted him as saying. TrustYou, the world's largest guest feedback platform, has launched the exclusive hotel Relief Pack to support hoteliers in their mission to prioritise cleanliness and turn it into a key strength. The Relief Pack includes two exciting new features of the TrustYou platform: the Trusted Cleanliness badge and the Public Health review category. As part of their new Recovery Race campaign focused on Covid-19 recovery resources, training, and expert guidelines, the company now launches product features that leverage todays most important hotel amenities: cleanliness and safety. TrustYous exclusive Trusted Cleanliness badge is available for any hotels who pass a thorough assessment survey, proving their adherence to the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitation. Once the assessment is passed, the badge can be embedded on the hotels website where visitors can see the hotels commitment to cleanliness, reinforced by TrustYou. Along with the Trusted Cleanliness badge, the company also launches new review analytics for the category of Public Health. The new category captures guests sentiments around Covid-19, including cleanliness standards and new technologies, sanitisation, health and safety measures, and personal protective equipment. These insights will show hoteliers exactly what their guests think about the Covid-19 measures taken by the hotel, what they need in order to feel secure, and what they expect from their hotel stay. Like all the other review categories TrustYou offers, Public Health uses the companys best-in-class semantic analysis, which measures and analyzes the sentiments in keywords from hundreds of thousands of guest reviews from around the web. In the current travel scene, it is expected that hotel guests will pay more attention than ever to the safety and cleanliness measures taken by the hotel, said Benjamin Jost, TrustYous Co-Founder and CEO. As a feedback company, we understand the needs of travellers and want to help hoteliers meet them in the easiest and most efficient way possible. Through our Relief Pack, we ensure that hoteliers can publicly display their commitment to high cleanliness standards, in order to attract travelers and ensure a feeling of trust and safety. At the same time, the new Public Health category provides hoteliers the opportunity to truly understand new guest expectations, and to adjust their health and safety measures accordingly, to maintain good occupancy rates. The TrustYou Relief Pack is now available for both pre-existing and new customers. - TradeArabia News Service MIAMI, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- When a company is known for raising the bar on design and innovation, nothing is exempt from the mantra of continuous improvementnot even the company's own name. That's why Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is now known by a new moniker: Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL). "The name is simpler, fresher and more modern. It's also more descriptiveRoyal Caribbean Group sounds like a parent company name, reflective of our growth and evolution since we last updated our identity more than 20 years ago," said Royal Caribbean Group chairman and CEO Richard Fain. The company's flagship cruise line brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Azamara, TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises are all now proud members of Royal Caribbean Group. Royal Caribbean Group's logo has also been updated. The company's iconic crown and anchor emblem has been sharpened and made more symmetrical, and now resides inside a circle at all times. The Royal Caribbean Group identity was designed by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. About Royal Caribbean Group Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) is the operating business name for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Royal Caribbean Group is the owner of four global cruise vacation brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea and Azamara. Royal Caribbean Group is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Together, our brands operate 63 ships with an additional 16 on order as of July 10, 2020. Learn more at www.rclcorporate.com or www.rclinvestor.com. SOURCE Royal Caribbean Group Related Links http://www.rclcorporate.com Major economic indicators have been showing steady signs of recovery in East China, while efforts have been made to navigate the unprecedented difficulties encountered during the COVID-19 outbreak in the first half. Jiangsu province's first-half GDP increased 0.9 percent year-on-year to 4.67 trillion yuan ($666 billion), a value only behind that of Guangdong province. While agriculture and services both reported growth during the first six months, the secondary industry only shed a slight 0.2 percent year-on-year in terms of decreased value-added growth. Information technology and finance were the major growth engines in Jiangsu in the first half, with their respective year-on-year value-added growth standing at 13.6 percent and 7.9 percent. Officials from the Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Statistics said the positive half-year results did not come easy as Jiangsu's GDP declined by 5 percent from a year earlier during the first quarter. The continued rebound of economic indicators can be largely attributed to the rise of emerging industries and the improving supply and demand situation. Zhejiang province saw its first-half GDP climb 0.5 percent year-on-year to 2.9 trillion yuan. The high-quality output in GDP growth was one highlight, said the provincial statistics bureau. Value-added growth in the digital-based manufacturing sector grew 9.5 percent year-on-year during the first six months. The high-tech services sector and scientific services sector both reported double-digit growth. Continued efforts have been made to optimize the province's economic structure. Enterprise investment in technology upgrades rose 6.3 percent year-on-year. The province's total expenditure on research and development also increased 8 percent from a year earlier. Pan Yigang, chief researcher at the Zhejiang Development and Planning Institute, said that market entities usually demonstrate strong resilience amid uncertainty. They are able to soon find new management methods to adjust to new environments and face new challenges. As services and consumption are two major pillars of Zhejiang's economic development, the full-year economic outlook will be more stable once industries, investment and exports further improve, Pan said. Anhui province's GDP reached 1.75 trillion yuan in the first half, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier. The growth rate also outperformed the national GDP growth of1.6 percent in the first half. The agricultural sector reported the most significant annual growth rate of 1.2 percent during the first half. Xiao Zhiying, spokeswoman of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Statistics, said that emerging industries had provided the most impetus during the first half. Value-added growth of strategic emerging industries rose 8 percent year-on-year, while online retail sales surged 38.7 percent. While Shanghai's GDP growth dropped by 2.6 percent year-on-year during the first six months, the decline contracted by 4.1 percentage points compared to first quarter data, mainly offset by positive GDP growth in the second quarter, said the municipal government during a July 21 meeting. The city's total fixed-asset investment increased 6.7 percent during the first six months, among which manufacturing sector investment maintained a double-digit growth for 10 consecutive quarters. While the growth rate of foreign investment was as high as 13.9 percent in the first half of 2019, the number climbed another 5.4 percent during the first six months of this year despite the contagion. The financial sector was one major driver of Shanghai's economic growth, with a 7.4 percent value-added growth from a year earlier. Shanghai's Mayor Gong Zheng said the city's economic development has returned to the right track, with major economic indicators showing positive results. More efforts should be made in the second half to help the recovery of companies' production, boost domestic demand, stabilize overseas market demand as well as deepen reform and opening-up so that Shanghai can play a better role as a strategic link between domestic and international markets, Gong said. People walk in the Hennessy Road in south China's Hong Kong, July 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu) The European Union (EU) should respect China's position and actions on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here on Wednesday. The spokesperson made the remarks in response to media report that the EU issued a series of measures Tuesday against China's national security legislation for Hong Kong, including restrictions on the export of sensitive technology and equipment to Hong Kong. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news briefing that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs, which no foreign country or organization has the right to interfere with. The relevant measures adopted by the EU violated the basic principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs in international relations. China is firmly opposed to this and has lodged an official complaint with the EU, Wang said. He said the formulation and implementation of the law on safeguarding national security in the HKSAR was to make up for the long-term legal loopholes in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. It aims to improve the rule of law in Hong Kong, ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems" on the track of the rule of law. Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows the Wan Chai of south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) "It is fully consistent with the relevant provisions of the Chinese Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR, and it is conducive to not only the long-term stability and prosperity of Hong Kong but also safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of all foreign enterprises and personnel in Hong Kong," Wang said. He said as the EU claimed to have interests and concerns in Hong Kong and hoped to see its prosperity and stability, it should work in this direction with practical actions, rather than unilaterally introducing the so-called countermeasures to affect Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. "We urge Europe to earnestly respect China's position and actions on national security issues in Hong Kong, stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any way, do more to support the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and focus on maintaining the healthy development of China-EU relations," the spokesperson said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returns from a break during a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2020. (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images) US Pushing Back Against Chinese Influence at UN, Pompeo Says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to counter Beijings expanding influence at international organizations, as part of the United States multi-front campaign against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which he described as the central threat of our times. Pompeo said theres been at least a 15-year-long-slide in U.S. influence in the United Nations (U.N.) system, which has coincided with the CCPs growing sway. Chinese officials currently lead four of the 15 U.N. specialized agencies. The Chinese regime has also worked to increase its presence at key U.N. bodies to advance its own interests, according to an April report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. We are sadly inadequately represented at every level in these international organizations, Pompeo said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on July 30. But the administration has been pushing back against Beijings actions, he said, citing its recent success in ensuring that a Chinese candidate wasnt elected to lead the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Wang Binying was defeated by Singaporean Daren Tang, who was backed by the United States and many other Western nations, by a vote of 28 to 55. The Chinese thought they had a fast-track to that, Pompeo said. We put up a good candidate. And we crushed them. It was an amazing diplomatic effort. Pompeo says the State Department will create a permanent team to focus on leadership elections at U.N. agencies, and also to raise efforts to secure U.S. representation at these bodies. He also defended the administrations decision to formally withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this year over its handling of the pandemic and its relationship with the Chinese regime. Washington has repeatedly criticized the health agency for its deference to Beijing and for aiding the regime in its coverup of the CCP virus during the initial outbreak. He said U.S. efforts over the years to depoliticize the WHO havent been successful. Each time we got reforms, there was no capacity to make that a science-based organization, and not a political one, Pompeo said. The secretary said the tide is turning against the CCP on the world stage, as the United States works to build a global alliance targeting the regimes hostile actions. Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP, Pompeo said. He said a growing number of countries are rejecting Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from their 5G networks, denouncing the regime over its tightening grip over Hong Kong, and stepping up maritime maneuvers in the South China Sea in response to Beijings military aggressions. Were asking every sovereign country to pick between freedom and tyranny, he said. They all know that the United States is the country that they want to be alongside. They all know that freedom, and our values system, and the rule of law, and property rights, the protection of these unalienable rights, is central to their country. And its why I think the tide is turning around the world. Pompeos comments come amid heightened tensions between the United States and China. Last week, the United States ordered the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, with Pompeo describing the outpost as a den of spies. Beijing forced the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu to shut down in retaliation. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The summers third and final mission to Mars featuring NASAs most elaborate life-hunting rover is on the verge of liftoff. The rover Perseverance will follow Chinas rover-orbiter combo and a United Arab Emirates orbiter, both launched last week. It will take the spacecraft seven months to reach Mars after traveling 300 million miles. Once on the surface, Perseverance will scrounge for evidence of past microscopic life in an ancient lakebed, and gather the most promising rock samples for future pickup. NASA is teaming up with the European Space Agency to return the samples to Earth around 2031. This unprecedented effort will involve multiple launches and spacecraft and cost more than $8 billion. We dont know if life existed there or not. But we do know that Mars at one point in its history was habitable, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said on the eve of launch. The U.S. remains the only country to land successfully at Mars. If all goes well next February, Perseverance will become the ninth U.S. spacecraft to operate on the Martian surface. First things first, though: Good flying weather is forecast for United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket. The Denver-based rocket maker and its heritage companies have launched all of NASAs Mars missions, beginning with the Mariners in 1964. ULA chief executive Tory Bruno said Perseverance is arguably the most sophisticated and most exciting of all the Mars missions. We are literally chomping at the bit to take this nuclear-powered dune buggy out to Mars, he said earlier this week. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices. Sensata Technologies Holding plc (NYSE:ST) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 2.9% to US$40.01 in the week after its latest quarterly results. Revenues were in line with expectations, at US$577m, while statutory losses ballooned to US$0.27 per share. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year. View our latest analysis for Sensata Technologies Holding After the latest results, the consensus from Sensata Technologies Holding's 18 analysts is for revenues of US$2.82b in 2020, which would reflect a noticeable 7.6% decline in sales compared to the last year of performance. Statutory earnings per share are forecast to plummet 51% to US$0.28 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$2.80b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$0.46 in 2020. So there's definitely been a decline in sentiment after the latest results, noting the large cut to new EPS forecasts. It might be a surprise to learn that the consensus price target was broadly unchanged at US$45.60, with the analysts clearly implying that the forecast decline in earnings is not expected to have much of an impact on valuation. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Sensata Technologies Holding at US$55.00 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$39.00. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Sensata Technologies Holding shareholders. Story continues Of course, another way to look at these forecasts is to place them into context against the industry itself. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast revenue decline of 7.6%, a significant reduction from annual growth of 3.2% 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 5.4% annually for the foreseeable future. It's pretty clear that Sensata Technologies Holding's revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry. The Bottom Line The most important thing to take away is that the analysts downgraded their earnings per share estimates, showing that there has been a clear decline in sentiment 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. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates. 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 Sensata Technologies Holding analysts - going out to 2022, and you can see them free on our platform here. Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Sensata Technologies Holding (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable) you should be aware of. 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. With the massive DEFUND THE WALL street mural approved by Laredo City Council this week, the No Border Wall Coalition is hoping to send a message to a national audience and to Washington, D.C.: that the way communities along the U.S.-Mexico border are perceived and therefore funded needs to be examined and altered. The Department of Homeland Security is working toward constructing the border wall through 69 miles of mostly private property in Webb and Zapata counties. A construction contract for 14 of those miles has been award for $275 million, about $20 million per mile. The No Border Wall Coalition called up various entities around Laredo to ask what the equivalent of one mile of border wall could afford: full tuition, fees, room and board for 1,600 TAMIU students, or a level II major trauma center for 3.3 years, for example. This work became about really exploring not just the deep needs in Laredo, but beginning to imagine beautiful, big things that we could have if the governments priorities and funding were different, and really put our needs first, said Tricia Cortez, member of the coalition and executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center. Detractors of the mural project have bemoaned the expense of taxpayer dollars, but the installation will be entirely paid for by the coalition and executed by volunteers, said No Border Wall Coalition member Karen Gaytan. She said it should cost between $5,000 and $10,000 and be completed by the end of August. The No Border Wall Coalition was inspired by calls to defund the police and Black Lives Matter murals in cities across the country. Some of these murals have been vandalized, but Gaytan said it isnt a major worry. It is one of our concerns, but what we most hope people remember is that this is a message of hope, she said. The wall is a massive project that strips away Laredoans property rights, constitutional rights and federal protections, Cortez said. It steals land and it destroys public spaces. It destroys neighborhoods and it blocks us off from something so fundamental to Laredo, which is the river, she said. ... We really wanted people to understand at a national level what this wall means here. I see Laredo and the border as the staging grounds for this very far-right ideology coming out of D.C. And the wall is the ultimate symbol of (that). Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com By Donald Kirk WASHINGTON The mayhem on the streets of some American cities may be more shocking to foreign TV watchers than to Americans. No other nation would permit such nonsense to go on for days on end. Where else would duly elected metropolitan mayors defend the trouble-makers as merely exercising their constitutional rights? Oh sure, the right to protest, as enshrined in the American constitution, may be more highly prized in the U.S. than in many other countries. Urban protest American-style, though, turns to violence that goes on and on with the blessing of significant, maybe predominant, sectors of the ruling elite, meaning members of Congress, state governors and lesser lights, all to the delight of prestigious news organizations. President Donald Trump and his henchmen, they say, are to blame for sending in "storm troopers" and "the gestapo," for bullying poor people as they exercise their right to free speech. The way federal forces from the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have sought to defend federal buildings in Portland, Seattle and elsewhere invites comparisons to Korea. During the Candlelit Revolution of 2016 that brought about the downfall of Park Geun-hye's presidency, tens of thousands of police swarmed all over central Seoul and other cities. The hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who turned out almost nightly were loud and boisterous but proud to be peaceful. They posed no threat to stores and shops, many of which stayed open. Similarly, the same police made sure that the rightists waving American and South Korean flags, protesting the presidency of Moon Jae-in after the "snap election" of May 2017, stayed in line. No, Korean protesters were not always so disciplined. I remember very well the demonstrations during the late 1980s. The death of a student leader after having been arrested and tortured was critical in precipitating the movement that reached a crescendo in June 1987. Huge crowds engulfed central Seoul, forcing President Chun Doo-hwan to agree to a "democracy Constitution" and presidential elections every five years. Even so, another student died after being hit in the head by a tear-gas grenade. Nor did the protests stop with the election of Chun's military sidekick, Roh Tae-woo, as president in December 1987. I saw students throwing Molotov cocktails at rows of armored policemen before the Seoul Summer Olympics in September 1988. Tear gas hung heavy in the air, forcing demonstrators and onlookers like me to look for cover. I however did not see protesters in Korea engage in looting. There were no instances of mobs of vandals breaking into stores, hammering open ATM machines, ripping off everything in sight, notably drugs and liquor. Nor do I recall any assaults on courthouses. Certain political figures, whatever their sympathies and aspirations, were not seen nodding approvingly as demonstrators declared entire areas as "free zones." The violence in American cities was fueled initially by a single incident, the killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd by a rogue policeman who clamped a knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he said, "I can't breathe," and then, dying, pleaded for his mother. Now, as more episodes of police killings have surfaced, the words "Defund the police" are a battle cry. Rising crime rates in cities torn apart by violence underscore the need for disciplined, highly trained police men and women everywhere. Cops have become targets in a movement that will have been a success only if it results in police reforms. Some commentators, though, are saying that Trump loves the protests, that they will garner him votes in the presidential election in November. Trump is sure to profit, so they say, while millions of Americans recoil at the violence they see on TV and computer screens and the assaults against law officers, whether from local police departments or federal agencies. That's a pretty facile conspiracy theory that doesn't have that much truth in it. Like it or not, the federal government has to take charge if politicians, eager to enhance their popularity and dead set against Trump, cynically support protests that turn violent and destructive. Not just hundreds but thousands of police reinforcements will need to be deployed. As in Korea, the job of the police should be to stop violence, vandalism, mindless attacks on property and institutions. Maybe Americans should look to the Korean example for lessons in the ability of an overwhelming police presence to keep the peace without repressing the right of people to gather by the thousands in often quite loud political protest. ) writes from Seoul as well as Washington. Donald Kirk ( www.donaldkirk.com In this article GOOGL Google parent-company Alphabet beat expectations for its second quarter earnings Thursday, but marked its first quarterly year-over-year revenue decline in company history as the coronavirus pandemic slowed economic growth and advertisers pulled back spending during the quarter. The company's stock barely moved after hours. Here's how it did against Refinitiv consensus estimates: EPS: $10.13 (non-GAAP), vs. $8.21 estimated. $10.13 (non-GAAP), vs. $8.21 estimated. Revenue: $38.30 billion vs. $37.37 billion estimated. $38.30 billion vs. $37.37 billion estimated. YouTube advertising revenue: $3.81 billion vs. $3.78 billion, according to StreetAccount estimates $3.81 billion vs. $3.78 billion, according to StreetAccount estimates Google Cloud revenue: $3.01 billion vs. $3.06 billion, as per StreetAccount $3.01 billion vs. $3.06 billion, as per StreetAccount Traffic acquisition costs (TAC): $6.69 billion vs. $6.67 billion, as per StreetAccount The company's board also authorized the company to repurchase up to $28 billion of its Class C shares. Alphabet's second quarter revenue dropped 2% from the same period a year ago. The bulk of the company's revenue comes from advertising. CFO Ruth Porat said on an earnings call that consumers returned to more "commercial" search queries toward the end of the quarter, and advertisers began increasing their search spending, so search revenue ended the quarter about even from last year. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards However, she cautioned that it's hard to gauge whether those trends will continue. "We believe it is premature to gauge the durability of recent trends, given the obvious uncertainty of the global macro environment," she said. As a result of the customer pullbacks amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the general maturing ad market, Alphabet itself cut marketing spending by half and instituted hiring freezes for the second half of the year in anticipation of a slowdown, CNBC reported. Around that time, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said Google would be pulling back on some of its investments for the rest of the year amid the Covid-19 crisis, starting with hiring. Analysts also peppered execs with question about future growth opportunities, given the slowdown in advertising growth. Pichai briefly pointed to newer businesses he sees longterm growth in such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, as well as YouTube and shopping. Google's "other revenue," which includes hardware like its Pixel phones, came in at $5.12 billion, compared to $4.08 billion in the same quarter a year ago. The civic dissolution of Minneapolis proceeds apace under one-party rule. Its essentially Democrats all the way down, with an occasional Green Party or Legal Marijuana Now member thrown in for good measure. The Minneapolis police have gone into a defensive crouch, and who can blame them? They have precisely no support among the political class. The abdication of the Star Tribune plays its own part in the civic dissolution. The editors of the paper do not to have a clue, and that is the charitable interpretation. In reverential tones the New York Times fills the reportorial void in Where George Floyd Was Killed: Solemn by Day, Violent by Night. Subhead: Two months after the killing of Mr. Floyd, a South Minneapolis neighborhood remains a police-free zone. Thanks to the Times, we learn that Minneapolis now features a four-block area around the spot where George Floyd died in which criminals run free after dark, apparently in tribute to Floyd himself. Law-abiding citizens residing in the no-go zone are of course terrified. One of these days the Star Tribune will get right on the story. Wipro announced that Metro Bank, a large UK based retail and commercial bank, has awarded a multi-year contract to deliver and transform Testing and Environment Management Services. As part of this partnership, Wipro will leverage its Digital and Quality Engineering capabilities to drive transformation through automation, service virtualisation and DevSecOps enablement. This will help Metro Bank achieve its objectives around cost, pace and quality of operations and further differentiate them from other high street banks. Wipro will accelerate the bank's digital journey through its marquee offerings, Virtual Automation Engineer, IntelliAssureTM and Digital Rig. In addition, Wipro has been chosen as one of the preferred partners to deliver Business-IT services across Metro Bank functions. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alloy Metals and Tubes International, Inc. has been named the exclusive North American distributor for Poseidon Deepwater Solutions Triton Valve Line, according to Poseidon and Buckskin, LLC. Poseidon Deepwater Solutions is committed to enhancing drilling and production activities through efficiency and simplicity in the design of their products. Their technically superior products utilize Triton Core Technology and will redefine what is considered a new valve standard of performance and reliability. Triton Core Technology is a patented and trademarked application of sealing technologies using an internal pneumatic or hydraulic pressure instead of external mechanical pressure. Mike J Mahaney President - Business Development, said, PDS is very pleased to partner with Alloy Metals and Tubes International and Buckskin, LLC, to expand our reach and our goal of diversification. Early on we knew this meant finding a distribution partner that had a strong sales and marketing network, but just as importantly, a partner with an impeccable reputation for providing added value and solutions to their clients. Along with Buckskins market knowledge, they allow us to cross into industries outside the Oil and Gas sector and expand within it. From our perspective, we look at AMTI and Buckskin as extensions of Poseidon Deepwater Solutions. John H. Griffin, President of Buckskin, LLC added, This is a great team, and we are proud to be a part of bringing Triton Core Technology to the market. Our three companies are aligned in creating a service culture, understanding and delivering to customers needs, and growing profitably. AMTI President, Curtis R. Kates, explained, We are very excited to introduce this game-changing technology to the markets we serve. The Poseidon Deepwater Solutions team clearly understands what valve users need, and have created a product line that works better, longer and is safer The Triton Valve line will enhance our product offerings to allow us to bring more value to the industry. For more information on: Alloy Metals and Tubes International visit LinkedIn and YouTube or visit http://www.alloy-metals.com. Poseidon Deepwater Solutions visit http://www.poseidondeepwatersolutions.com Advertisement The Court of appeal Lagos on 29th June 2020 nullified the judgment of Abang J. convicting and sentencing Nnamdi Okoye and Ikechukwu Ezeogwum to prison terms saying that the entire proceeding was a nullity. The Appellants Messrs Nnamdi Okoye and Ikechukwu Ezeogwum were initially arraigned in Charge Number FHC/L/225C/2009 before Sani J of the Federal High Court Lagos. Plea of the defendants were taken on proposed amended charge attached as an exhibit NPF1 in the motion for amendment. Sani, J. was later transferred to Sokoto and the case file was then reassigned to Abang, J. who commenced trial afresh on 18th May 2010 but without any valid charge before the honourable court. Hon Justice Abang did not also take the plea of the accused persons at all and proceedings continued to judgment. On 13th December 2018 when Judgment of the court was to be delivered, Honourable Justice Abang was caught up with fundamental multiple errors in the proceedings of the court as raised by counsel to the defendants, D. O. Obiorah of Odinaka Obiorah and Associates in their final written address to the court. Abang, J. then stood down the judgment and then took the plea of the accused persons. The Honourable Court against objection of the defendants counsel delivered courts judgment, found the defendants guilty, convicted them and sentenced them about 14 times jail term above the term prescribed by law. Dissatisfied, each defendant filed a notice of appeal to Court of Appeal Lagos Division ASPER Appeal Number CA/LAG/192/2019 and CA/LAG/192/2019 respectively. Appellants in their said respective appeals to Court of Appeal Lagos against the judgment of Abang, J. through their lawyer D. O. Obiorah of Odinaka Obiorah and Associates contended that the proceedings of Abang, J. from the 18th May 2010 to 13th day of December 2018 was a nullity having failed to comply to or meet with the mandatory requirement of Section 215 of Criminal Procedure Act. They contended also that there was no valid trial in the lower court upon which the appellants were found guilty, sentenced and imprisoned. The Appellants urged the Appellate Court to allow their appeal, set aside the Judgment, conviction sentencing and all orders contained in the judgment of Abang, J. It was the defendants further plea to the Appellate Court to make an order discharging the respective Appellant and or acquitting each of them if the appeal is determined in the alternative argument proffered. The Appeals were heard by three justices of Court of Appeal Lagos Division Coaram: Ikyegh, Ogakwu and Tobi on the 27th May 2020. In their unanimous judgment delivered on the 29th day of June 2020, the learned Justices of Court of Appeal Lagos Division declared the proceeding before Abang a nullity; set aside the judgment of the lower court embodying the conviction and sentence of each Appellant; declined to order a fresh trial and made further order that the Appellants be released from the correctional facility where they were being held forthwith for reasons that there was no formal charge before the lower court for the joint trial of the two defendants and no plea was taken. The Appellate Court in its judgment found that the matter was reassigned to Abang, J. on 18th May 2010. That when the matter first came up before Abang J, the prosecuting counsel informed the lower court that the matter was a reassigned matter and that it was for trial. The Appellate Court interpolated at this stage to state that it is the duty of the trial judge to ensure compliance with the stipulations of Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Act. It held that the trial judge is dominis litis and ought to be in charge of the proceedings before him. The Appellate Court find needless, the strictures which the lower court heaped on the Appellants counsel in the judgment, for having misled and tricked the court to proceed to hearing when plea had not been taken. Court of appeal held that the court is the master the master of its records. They held that upon the prosecuting counsel applying for a date for trial, the court as master of its records ought to have ascertained if indeed the necessary preliminaries to commencement of hearing had been satisfied. On Honourable Justice Aabangs explanation in the proceedings of 13th December 2018 where it stated that it was through inadvertence that it adjourned the matter for hearing when it first came up before it. Appellate Court contrasted this assertion with seeming volte face the lower court in the judgment delivered on the same day, denounced and berated the Appellants counsel for having misled it as a result of which plea was not taken before hearing commenced in the matter. The appellate court stated that one would have expected the lower court to eat the humble pie as opposed to blaming counsel for its failure to be the master of its records. On issue of compliance to section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Act, the Appellate court found the lower court on the date of judgment took plea of the defendants for the first time and ordered that all that had been done in the case was properly done. They held that the order seems to be a retrospective order of compliance with Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Act. It is their opinion that there cannot be such an order of retrospective compliance. That the proceedings before the lower court are caught by the execrable consequences of non-compliance with Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Act and the attendant infringement of the right of fair hearing under Section 36(6) of the 1999 Constitution. It was a nullity. It is as though there was never a trial and judgment. The conviction of the Appellant must be set aside. On sentencing the accused persons, the Appellate court restated that the punishment for the substantive offence is six months imprisonment as set out in the proposed amended Charge or at most two years imprisonment. It was a wrong exercise of discretion, tainted with illegality for the lower court to have imposed a sentence for conspiracy which is greater than the punishment for the substantive offence and which it actually imposed for the substantive offence. They maintained that in the circumstances, the term of imprisonment imposed upon the Appellant upon his conviction for conspiracy is excessive and this court must interfere with the said wrong exercise of discretion by the lower court since it is tainted with illegality. Being a nullity, it is as though there has not been a trial and that the Appellant has not been convicted. They held that the appeal is meritorious and should be allowed. In their own words; the trial of the Appellant having been declared a nullity, the judgment of the lower court embodying the conviction and sentence of the Appellant is hereby set aside. For the reasons already stated, I decline to order a fresh trial. The Appellant is hereby discharged and he is to be, forthwith, released from the correctional facility where he is currently being held. In a initiative for law enforcement, NZ Police have collaborated with ESR in trialling the Lumi Drug Scan service. The drug screening service can test for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. Acting Assistant Commissioner: Investigations Superintendent Mike Johnson, says they know the devastating and ongoing impact that harmful drugs such as methamphetamine have on communities. "We also know how these drugs are often linked to organised criminal groups who prey on some of our most vulnerable members of society. The current drug-testing processes have limitations and as technology continuously improves, we need to look at ways to improve the tools available to frontline staff to ensure they are better informed at the scene and therefore able to make the best possible decisions in real-time. It was a frontline officer who asked for a tool like the Lumi Drug Scan (Lumi) as currently our officers rely on the circumstances presented to them combined with their experience to guide their decision making." The Lumi service uses science to support our people at jobs, says Johnson. The current drug field testing kits used by police (NIK) has some disadvantages. Other drug testing machines currently available are extremely costly and lack portability, so its not possible for frontline staff to use them while out attending incidents. One of the biggest advantages of the Lumi Drug Scan service is that, unlike the current field testing kit, the device can screen through packaging, meaning that our officers will not have to open the bags of drugs they seize to test them and wont be at risk of being exposed to the substances inside the package." ESR Forensic Research and Development Project Manager Dion Sheppard says leading-edge and reliable science is critical in giving frontline police new tools to carry out their job safely and efficiently. Our forensic scientists have developed a real-time drug screening service that utilises machine learning models enabling police to screen suspected illicit drug samples in the field. ESR and police have taken a collaborative approach on this project, which we hope will ultimately have a positive impact on the wellbeing of our communities, says Dion. The results from the Lumi Drug Screen service will not be evidential and drugs screened will still need to be sent to ESR for a full chemical analysis if required for Court. However its hoped the real-time information provided by the service will better inform our officers at the scene. Acting Assistant Commissioner: Investigations Mike Johnson says a number of devices will be trialled for six months across Tamaki Makaurau, in Canterbury and Central Districts. Rating Action: Moody's assigns Aa1 to McLennan County, TX's Ser. 2020 GOLT bonds Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 New York, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aa1 rating to McLennan County, TX's $14.5 million General Obligation Bonds, Series 2020. Moody's maintains a Aa1 issuer rating and Aa1 on the county's outstanding general obligation limited tax (GOLT) debt. RATINGS RATIONALE The Aa1 GOLT rating reflects the county's large and stable tax base, which is anchored by institutions of higher education and healthcare, and healthy reserve position supported by conservative budgeting and a commitment to maintain reserves. The rating further incorporates McLennan's below average income indices, and manageable direct debt and pension burdens. The lack of distinction between the Aa1 on the county's GOLT debt and the Aa1 issuer rating is based on the county's ample taxing headroom over 14 times GOLT debt service. This offsets the inability of the county to override the statutory cap and the lack of a full faith credit pledge. 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 McLennan County given its healthy liquidity and reserves relative to its size of operations. 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 McLennan County changes, we will update the rating and/or outlook at that time. RATING OUTLOOK Moody's generally does not assign outlooks to local governments with this amount of debt outstanding FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATING - Significant tax base expansion - Improvement in resident wealth levels Story continues FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING - Sustained tax base contraction - Trend of operating deficits that narrows reserves - Material increase to the debt burden LEGAL SECURITY The bonds are secured by an annual ad valorem tax levied against all taxable property in the county within the limits prescribed by law. Texas counties are limited to a tax rate of $8.00 per $1,000 of assessed value (AV) for all purposes, including debt service. McLennan County's total tax rate is well below the limit at $4.85 per $1,000 of AV. The bonds are secured by state statute. USE OF PROCEEDS Proceeds of the obligations will be used for various zoo facilities improvements. PROFILE McLennan County, TX is located between the Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin metropolitan areas and is anchored by Baylor University. The county seat is Waco, TX. The county's population is around 245,000. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in this rating was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in July 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1230443. 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. 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Mitra was among the most firebrand Congress leaders of the 1960s and 1970s and played a crucial role in the fight against the Naxals in Kolkata Kolkata: West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra has died due to heart and kidney-related ailments at a city hospital. He was 78. Mitra, who was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata with kidney ailments 17 days ago, passed away at around 1.30 am on Thursday following a cardiac arrest, the hospital sources told PTI. He had tested negative for COVID-19, they said. "He was admitted to the hospital due to kidney and heart ailments," a family member said, confirming the news of the Congress leader's death. Mitra, a veteran Congress leader and former Lok Sabha MP, is survived by his wife and son. WBPCC President Somen Mitra has breathed his last, a short while ago. As we struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, all our prayers and thoughts are with Dadas family. May his soul rest in peace pic.twitter.com/lkDW8Q8f3q WB Youth Congress (@IYCWestBengal) July 29, 2020 A stalwart in Bengal politics, Mitra's political career began during the tumultuous 1960s as a student leader and spanned over five decades. After being baptized in politics as a student leader in 1967, when Bengal had its first non-Congress government, Mitra, through his organisational and oratory skills, quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the most popular leaders of the party along with late union minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi. Mentored by Congress stalwarts such as ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Mitra's first brush with electoral politics came in 1972 when he became the youngest MLA in the West Bengal Assembly from the Sealdah seat at the age of 26. Except 1977, Mitra continued to win the Sealdah Assembly segment, which now ceases to exist after delimitation, for six consecutive terms from 1982-2006. Commonly known as Chhorda (younger brother), Mitra was one of the most firebrand politicians of the 1960s and '70s and played a crucial role in the fight against the Naxals in Kolkata during that period. He was considered as "favourite" of the Congress high command, who enjoyed an excellent rapport with the Gandhi family. But that did not stop him from defeating Congress president Sonia Gandhi's handpicked candidate DP Roy during the 2000 Rajya Sabha poll by pitting a rival candidate. Mitra, who went on to become three-time president of the Congress' West Bengal unit from 1992-1996, 1996-1998 and then again from September 2018, was instrumental in clocking the best tally of 82 seats against the Left Front in the 1996 assembly polls. OTTAWA - A timeline of events regarding the Canada Student Service Grant program, based on public documents, events and statements from cabinet ministers, government officials, and WE Charity: March 6, 2020: WE Charity staff prepare a concept paper on service learning for public servants at Employment and Social Development Canada. April 5: Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk over the phone about how to help students whose summer job and volunteer opportunities were vanishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Department officials are tasked with considering options the next morning. April 7: Small Business Minister Mary Ng and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger have an introductory phone call in which Ng asks WE to send what it calls a pre-established proposal to help young people launch businesses. April 7 or 8: Morneaus office contacts the WE organization, among other groups, to get their input on potential programs. Morneau says the call was on April 7 while WE says it was April 8. April 9: WE Charity sends the unsolicited proposal for a youth business program to Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, Ng, Morneau and Trudeaus office. The price tag is between $6 million and $14 million to provide digital programming and $500 grants, plus incentive funds, for 8,000 students. April 16: ESDC officials mention WE in the context of the student program in an email discussion with Finance officials. April 18: Morneaus officials raise the idea of partnering with a non-profit, or for-profit group to administer the program. (ESDC officials suggest the same day that WE might be an option.) Morneau said it was the first time he was involved in any talk about WE and the grant program. April 19: Wernick contacts Craig Kielburger. WE says the call was to discuss launching a youth service program in the summer and that Wernick asks Kielburger to develop a proposal to fulfil that objective. During the call, Wernick learns of the April 9 proposal for a youth business program and Kielburger agrees to send both proposals. April 20: Morneaus office contacts WE to ask about its ability to deliver a volunteer program. An officials record of the call notes WE Charity will re-work their 10-week summer program proposal to fully meet the policy objective of national service and increase their current placements of 8,000 to double. April 21: Morneau approves going with an outside organization to run the volunteer program, but no specific group is chosen. April 22: Trudeau announces a $9-billion package of student aid, including the outline of a volunteer program paying students up to $5,000 toward education costs, based on the number of hours they volunteer. WE sends Wernick an updated proposal to reflect the announcement. The message is forwarded to Chagger, Ng and Morneau. April 26: Morneau speaks with WE co-founder Craig Kielburger, but told the finance committee neither of them talked about the Canada Student Service Grant program. Craig Kielburger later tells the committee he only brought up the youth business proposal, not the grant program. April 27: Volunteer Canada, a charity that promotes volunteering and helps organizations use volunteers well, meets Chagger and raises concerns about paying students hourly rates below minimum wage and calling it volunteering. May 4: WE sends a third proposal to ESDC, this time with more details and specific to the grant program. Finance official Michelle Kovacevic, who was working on the program, told the finance committee she received it May 7. May 5: Chagger goes to a special COVID-19 cabinet committee with the recommendation to go with WE for the program. Morneau isnt at the meeting. May 22: Cabinet, including Trudeau and Morneau, approved handing the reins of the program to WE. May 23: The public service officially begins negotiating a contribution agreement with WE, which would have paid up to $43.5 million in fees to the group. May 25 to June 3: In a series of meetings with Volunteer Canada, WE suggests the target for placements through the program had gone from 20,000 to 100,000. June 12: WE co-founder Marc Kielburger says in a video chat with youth leaders that he heard from Trudeaus office about getting involved in the volunteer program the day after it was announced by the prime minister. He later backtracks, saying the contact came the week of April 26 from Wernick, and not the PMO. June 23: WE Charity Foundation signs a contribution agreement with the federal government. WE signatories include Scott Baker, named as president of the one-year-old foundation and executive director of WE Charity, and chief financial officer Victor Li. Chagger signs for the government. June 25: Trudeau unveils more details about student aid. A government release notes that WE will administer the student-volunteer program. June 26: Facing questions about WE, Trudeau says the non-partisan public service made the recommendation, and the government accepted it: As the public service dug into it, they came back with only one organization that was capable of networking and organizing and delivering this program on the scale that we needed it, and that was the WE program. July 3: Citing the ongoing controversy, WE and the Liberals announce a parting of ways and the federal government takes control of the program. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion tells Conservative and NDP ethics critics in separate letters he will examine Trudeaus role in the awarding of the agreement because of the prime ministers close ties to the group. July 9: WE says it has paid Trudeaus mother Margaret about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020. His brother Alexandre was been paid $32,000 for eight events, and Trudeaus wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau received $1,400 in 2012 for a single appearance. The organization says Trudeau himself has never been paid by the charity or its for-profit arm. July 13: Trudeau apologizes for not recusing himself from discussions about WE over his familys longtime involvement with the organization. Morneau also issues an apology. July 16: Dion says he will investigate Morneaus actions in the affair. Chagger testifies at the finance committee, saying Trudeaus office didnt direct her to go with WE. July 21: Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council, tells the Commons finance committee there is no evidence to suggest Trudeau spoke with WE before the organization was awarded the deal to run the student-volunteer program. July 22: Morneau tells the finance committee he just repaid over $41,000 to WE for travel expenses the organization footed for the minister and his family. The Opposition Conservatives call for Morneau to resign. Trudeaus office says he and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, have agreed to testify before the committee with a date and time to be set. The House of Commons ethics committee also calls on Trudeau to testify, and votes to seek copies of records for Trudeau and his familys speaking appearances dating back years. Six opposition members outvote five Liberals to have that committee start its own investigation. July 23: Conservatives and New Democrats ask Dion to launch a new probe of Morneau over his travel expenses. July 27: A copy of the contribution agreement with WE Charity Foundation is filed with the finance committee. It lays out the details of the program, including a provision for a maximum contribution of $543.53 million $500 million for grants, and $43.53 million to WE. July 28: Craig and Marc Kielburger testify over four hours of sometimes testy interactions with MPs on the finance committee. The co-founders of WE Charity say their history and experience, not ties to Liberal cabinet ministers, landed the group the deal to run the volunteer program. They add they would have never agreed to take part in the program had they known it could jeopardize the work the WE organization has done over 25 years. They also say WE estimated the cost of the program to be between $200 million and $300 million. July 29: The Conservatives call on federal ethics czar Mario Dion to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother, wife and brother. Dion sends letters to the Tories and NDP saying he is expanding his probe of Morneau to look into the $41,000 in WE-sponsored travel. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2020. Read more about: Engages Debra Struhsacker as Permitting and Government Relations Consultant RENO, Nev., July 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NuLegacy Gold Corporation (TSXV: NUG; OTCQB: NULG.F) provides updates on the permitting and exploration progress on its flagship 108 sq. km Red Hill property located in Nevadas Cortez trend, which is host to multiple large high-grade Carlin-type gold deposits in one of the worlds premier gold mining jurisdictions. Permitting Update: In June of this year NuLegacy successfully acquired 44 pre-approved Greater Sage-Grouse conservation credits in order to fully satisfy NuLegacys compensatory mitigation obligations for its US$500,000 modified Plan of Operations (POP) over the Red Hill project as noted in our news release of June 16, 2020. NuLegacys CEO, Albert Matter, comments We are pleased to be the first exploration company to work with the States Sagebrush Ecosystem Program to purchase credits from the Nevada Conservation Credit System. This transaction demonstrates our commitment to conserving Nevadas wildlife. Permitting for NuLegacys modified POP at Red Hill is on schedule with the submission of the new environmental baseline studies to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed during July (view June 16, 2020 news release). https://nulegacygold.com/news/news-releases/nulegacy-gold-provides-update-on-permitting-program/ Pending BLMs approval, NuLegacy plans to drill three to five deep holes in the most developed targets this fall (with a mid-October 2020 start) before winter shut down, with the balance of the initial 16 hole US$3.5 million program scheduled to start up in the spring of 2021. NuLegacy has retained Ms. Debra Struhsacker, a well-known hard-rock mining policy expert and permitting and government relations consultant, to assist in completing the modification of the POP and securing the BLMs approval, anticipated for mid-September 2020. We are delighted to add Ms. Struhsacker to our professional team, said NuLegacy CEO, Albert Matter. Debra has a proven track record of effectively advocating for her clients and the mining industry and successfully securing project permits for exploration and mining projects in Nevada and elsewhere. Debras addition to our team provides immediate in-house environmental permitting capability allowing Mark Bradley, our VP, Exploration to pivot his focus entirely onto the planned drilling program in the target rich Rift Anticline. Story continues Geo-modeling update: NuLegacy has completed its preliminary structural model for the Rift Anticline targeting utilizing the results of recent drill holes (see February 8, 2020 news release), and the data from the numerous CSAMT (Controlled Source Audio-frequency Magnetotellurics) and gravity surveys focusing on known mineralized controlling structures (i.e. Long Fault). NuLegacy has identified three high-priority targets in the northern half of the Rift Anticline and three additional targets extending to the south along the anticline trend covering approximately 4.5 km (and open on both ends) with an indicated width varying from 700 to 1,450 meters. Detailed drill plans are being developed for the initial 16 deep hole drill program (US$ 3.5 million) to comprehensively test the targets, commencing with the more developed northern targets. Mark Bradley, NuLegacys Vice-President, Exploration comments, The new structural model for the Rift Anticline is a powerful exploration tool, allowing us to prioritize our initial drilling efforts within the large (5-6 sq. km) Rift Anticline target area and optimize the chances for early discovery. Dr. Roger Steininger, a Director of NuLegacy, is a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG 7417) and the qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, responsible for approving the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. The trend is our friend NuLegacy Gold is focused on confirming high-grade Carlin-style gold deposits on its premier 108 sq. km (42 sq. mile) district scale Red Hill Property in the Cortez gold trend of Nevada. The Red Hill Property is located on trend and adjacentI to the three, multi-million ounce Carlin-type gold deposits (the Pipeline, Cortez Hills and Goldrush deposits) that are amongst Barrick Golds and the worlds largest, lowest cost and politically safest gold minesII. I The similarity and proximity of these deposits in the Cortez Trend including Goldrush is not necessarily indicative of the gold mineralization in NuLegacys Red Hill Property. II As extracted from Barricks Q4-2013 and Q1-2014 reports. As reported by Barrick, the Goldrush resource contains 8,557,000 indicated ounces of gold within 25.78 million tonnes grading ~10.57 g/t and 1,650,000 inferred ounces within 5.6 million tonnes grading ~9.0 g/t. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF NULEGACY GOLD CORPORATION. Albert J. Matter Chief Executive Officer & Director Tel: +1 (604) 639-3640 Email: albert@nuggold.com For more information about NuLegacy visit: www.nulegacygold.com or www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information: This news release contains forward-looking information and statements under applicable securities laws, which information and/or statements relate to future events or future performance (including, but not limited to, the prospective nature of the Rift Anticline target, the proposed exploration, drilling and permitting programs thereon and the timing, cost and likelihood of success thereof) and reflect managements current expectations and beliefs based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information and statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, actual results of exploration activities, unanticipated geological, stratigraphic and structural formations, environmental risks, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, the availability of financing, market conditions, future prices for gold, changes in personnel and other risks in the mining industry. There are no known resources or reserves in the Red Hill Property, any proposed exploration programs are exploratory searches for commercial bodies of ore and the presence of gold resources on properties adjacent or near the Red Hill Property including Goldrush is not necessarily indicative of the gold mineralization on the Red Hill Property. There is also uncertainty about the spread of COVID-19 and the impact it will have on the Companys operations, personnel, supply chains, ability to access mineral properties, procure exploration equipment, rigs, contractors and other personnel on a timely basis or at all and economic activity in general. All the forward-looking information and statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information and statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law. 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. Illinois has reported a gradual increase in COVID-19 cases over the past month, and last week Chicago tightened restrictions on bars and gyms so some jobs that came back may be gone again. Other businesses are determining its not worth it to operate in the current environment. The historic Berghoff Restaurant this week said it is closing temporarily amid a lack of customers downtown, and the Wendella Water Taxi has closed until next season because its anti-virus measures arent feasible on its boats. In a TikTok video, Gabrielle Pettway said that 'Blue Lives Matter' rhetoric was "insensitive" and "distasteful." @xogabriellexo/TikTok In the wake of George Floyd's death, Gabrielle Pettway made a TikTok video condemning 'Blue Lives Matter' rhetoric, calling the phrase "distasteful" and "racist." The video is making waves online and even made its way to local news, as Pettway's father is the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Alabama. Pettway says she made the video to show that despite her affiliation with law enforcement, she's not "blind to the racism within the criminal justice system." While Pettway received some criticism for the video, she says she stands by her statements and she has the support of her family. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. When George Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25, Gabrielle Pettway felt compelled to speak out against police brutality. The 23-year-old from Alabama, like many outraged social media users, decided to voice her concerns on TikTok so she made a video explaining why she believes that 'Blue Lives Matter' rhetoric is damaging. ('Blue Lives Matter' is a countermovement to Black Lives Matter, centering police as victims rather than Black people). The since-deleted clip resurfaced on Facebook this week and is receiving viral attention, as Pettway's father, Mark Pettway, is the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Alabama. In the video, Pettway said that despite her affiliation with law enforcement and her understanding of the dangers of the job, she took issue with the deluge of 'Blue Lives Matter' messaging following Floyd's death. Related: Historians, activists speak about removing statues "My dad is the sheriff of the largest county in the state of Alabama. It's scary at times we've gotten death threats before but I'm still not gonna sit up here and say 'Blue Lives Matter,'" she explained. "Because it's undermining the racism and corruption built into the whole blue system." Pettway went on to encourage viewers with family in law enforcement to demand accountability from their loved ones who could play a role in ending police brutality. Story continues "What kind of conversations are y'all having with your brothers, moms, dads whoever's in law enforcement to hold them accountable and make sure they're part of the solution and not the problem?" she said. Pettway added that she sees a difference between the choice to enter a dangerous profession and the inherent danger of being Black in America. "They might be risking their lives every time they go to work, but at the same time, they chose that. Black people are risking their lives just by being Black," she said. "If you feel like there's nothing wrong with saying 'Blue Lives Matter,' you're privileged. It's inconsiderate, it's insensitive, it's distasteful, and it's racist." Her statements made waves with some members of law enforcement. "To me, it's just really disappointing that a daughter would say that when her dad has walked the streets, and faced the danger, and depended on his big brothers to support him and back him up," David McAnally, a former investigator with the sheriff's office, told WVTM. Pettway told Insider that she initially made the video to signal to her friends and family that she was aware of rampant police brutality and wouldn't stand for injustice. While she deleted the original clip to protect her father from professional repercussions, she says the sudden attention on her video has reinforced her view and emboldened her to speak out. "I realized that what I said wasn't wrong it made people uncomfortable, but what I said, I stand by it," she said. Pettway's immediate family has supported her desire to speak out. "We have discussed it and they have made it very clear that they have my back. My Dad was like, 'You are your own person. You're allowed to express your opinion,' and he's gonna stand by me," she said. "My family hasn't tried to silence me. They've been really supportive of me and that I'm grateful for that." After Pettway's video made its way to local news, she took to Facebook to stand by her beliefs. "My position as the daughter of a sheriff has not made me blind to the racism within the criminal justice system, but rather magnified it," she wrote in the post. "I can be proud of my dad's accomplishments and still recognize that we have work to do." Ultimately, Pettway says she hopes viewers understand that demanding more from law enforcement does not negate her support for officers or her respect for the sacrifices of the job. "I have law enforcement officers in my family so I really, really do care. But my form of caring shows up as accountability," she said. "I think showing support without accountability is only enabling police brutality. But showing support with accountability is actually going to help people grow." The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Read more: A teenager on TikTok said her Tourette Syndrome makes her shout anti-police slogans like 'ACAB' A Michigan GOP candidate's daughter begged voters online not to vote for her father he blamed the disagreement on her 'liberal university' Teens on TikTok are exposing a generational rift between parents and kids over how they treat Black Lives Matter protests Read the original article on Insider Former Minister of Science and Technology, Sam Momah, is dead. The Major General reportedly died on Wednesday afternoon after suffering from diabetes complications. The ex-official celebrated his 77th birthday on July 6, launching his 13th book which he titled: Restructuring to save Nigeria from post-oil disintegration. The one- time Adjutant General and Commander, Training and Doctrine Command was also the pioneer Director of the National War College. President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday sent his heartfelt condolences to the family of the former Minister. In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina, Mr Buhari described Mr Momah as a former administrator, engineer and officer, who distinguished himself in academics and greatly improved the intellectual capacity of the military. He said the former military administrator lived a memorable life, serving the country and humanity with all his God-given gifts. Mr Buhari added that Mr Momah distinguished himself in academics and greatly improved the intellectual capacity of the military. The president urged family members, friends and associates to find solace in the huge investments of Momah in people and institutions. He said these include the strategic roles he played in enhancing Nigerias educational system as Director of National War College, member of the Governing Council of the University of Jos, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Fellow, Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Uwana. The president noted that, as a former Chief Administrator and Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army, Momah served the army meritoriously, attracting many honours. President Buhari prayed for the repose of his soul. Spotted by antiques expert called to their home as they were having a clear out A matching pair of rare Chinese vases that an unsuspecting couple had on their mantelpiece for decades have sold at auction for 324,000. The porcelain wall vases were spotted by an antiques expert who had been called to the vendors' home as they were having a clear-out ahead of a house move. The couple inherited them in about 1950 and they had sat above their fireplace ever since. The specialist identified the 8ins tall pieces as dating from the reign of Emperor Qianlong in 18th century China and told them they could be worth 30,000. A matching pair of rare Chinese vases that an unsuspecting couple had on the mantelpiece of their west London for decades have sold at auction for 324,000 But matching pairs of Chinese vases from this period are rarely offered on the market and interest in them took off. The bidding started at 20,000, but it immediately jumped to 100,000 and then took 15 minutes to climb to the final bid of 260,000. An agent in the room acting for a wealthy Chinese collector eventually saw off competition from eight other bidders. With fees and premiums added on the total price paid was 324,500. Mr Forrest said: 'It was a tremendous privilege to sell this pair of porcelain wall vases made in the imperial kilns during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. The specialist identified the 8ins tall pieces as dating from the reign of Emperor Qianlong in 18th century China and told them they could be worth 30,000 'Emperor Qianlong was arguably one of the greatest collectors of art and these vases, likely to have been commissioned by him, reflect this through their complex potting, impeccable painted decoration in enamels, and the inscription of an ancient poem. 'The couple who consigned the vases were of course delighted when they heard the result. 'They were so pleased that we spotted the vases among the contents of their house in west London. 'They were in the process of downsizing and disposing of most of their possessions and had never looked at them closely enough to appreciate their true worth. 'I was told that they had been furnishing a mantelpiece for many years and the vases may or may not have made the cut to be moved to their new house. 'Like many inherited objects, one attaches a certain degree of sentimental value but may not appreciate their true value. 'We have been truly privileged to be custodians of these wonderful objects, and thanks to a hugely successful sale, we have found them a new home.' The 8in tall vases are finely decorated with lotus blooms connected by twisting scrolls, symbolising purity, on a ruby body. An Imperial poem composed by Emperor Qianlong is inscribed on each. He composed the poem in 1758 to express his delight in seeing a wall vase filled with a flower hanging inside of his sedan chair on the way to a hunting trip. There are 320 Qianlong wall vases recorded in the Palace Museum of Beijing collections, and about 138 of them are inscribed with poems by the emperor. After OnePlus 8 Pro, now the Nord faces screen tinting issues. Users report of green, purple or yellow tint in low brightness level in the bottom half of the display. OnePlus says it's a hardware issue. Some early buyers of the OnePlus Nord are complaining of green, purple or yellow screen tints. As per 9to5Google, users on the official OnePlus forum and Reddit are reporting of these colour tints at low brightness levels. As per the report, the early adopters of the Nord have been complaining about multiple display issues. One of the most common ones is the tinting. Nord users report when the display brightness dips below 25%, the darker portions of the display exhibit colour casts or coloured tinting towards the lower half. In its statement to 9to5Google, OnePlus states, "under specific circumstances of low brightness, slight discolouration may occur due to the properties of the AMOLED display this is characteristic of all OLED displays, and the degree of discolouration will vary depending on other properties of the display. This is not a quality issue and will not affect daily usage or the durability of the screen. OnePlus will continue to look into cutting-edge display technologies and strive to deliver the best user experience possible." While it's true that it's a trait of OLED panels and can't be avoided, but it can also be possible that these users are facing a higher degree of tinting that is more prominent. But as of now, Nord users will have to live with it. OnePlus Nord display issues: It's not the first time The OnePlus Nord isn't the only handset from the company that is facing display issues. Quite recently, some OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro users also reported similar tinting issues that were later addressed through OTA update. The company confirmed that it's a hardware issue and a common one for AMOLED panels. But then there was another report of a black-crush problem, which is characterized by blocks of different shades of black when a pure black image is displayed on the screen. OnePlus later issued an official statement on the OnePlus Reddit forums, confirming that the black crush issue is a hardware problem and cannot be fixed via a software update. The company is giving consumers three options if they face this issue on their devices; repair, refund or replacement. OnePlus users are not alone; many other OEMs get to see complaints from their early users, but it's OnePlus has a consistency. Looking at the past, we can see flickering screen issue, battery issues, black bar issue, and others. OnePlus is usually quick at addressing these issues through its community forum but having such serious faults in newly released models is not something that can be ignored, especially when the company explicitly calls it a key feature. We were at the OnePlus image lab in Taiwan last year, where the company's co-founder Carl Pei was gathering feedback on the OnePlus 7-series camera from a bunch of Indian journalists and reviewers including me. A fellow journalist asked Carl "what's the point of releasing a smartphone with tons of issues and fix it later?". He had a fair point. Why can't the company release the phone after a proper QA testing rather than handing over faulty devices to the early adopters? Don't forget these guys are the ones who had high expectations and pre-booked the handset without even knowing its price. Having teething issues at launch is very common across OEMs, but faulty displays are not that common. I am not sure where the gap is in OnePlus' case, but it creates an image as if the company is either rushing the production and not spending resources on Quality Testing or both. With OnePlus' re-entry into the sub 30K or $500 price segment with the OnePlus Nord, people now have an affordable option to own an OnePlus smartphone that promises to retain the user experience it is known for. In a price-sensitive yet huge market like India, phones like the OnePlus Nord manage to defy the norms. All of that is great, but a product should function as it is intended when it reaches the customer. LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthfully, an enterprise healthcare solutions provider, today announced expansion of operations in Australia. A wholly-owned subsidiary based in Brisbane, Healthfully Australia Pty Ltd, supports clients of the company's integrated consumer health platform. The organization's director, Simon Hepburn, is an experienced business development executive who will pursue growth across the continent both directly and through partnerships with technology and services companies. A reseller arrangement has been reached with Health by Design, a fully integrated workplace health and safety programs company, which has already secured customer commitments for Healthfully's COVID-19 offerings. Greg McLoughlin, Managing Director, noted, "Healthfully's offering is a good solution for many of our clients and is built on a strong platform foundation. Health by Design is pleased to be helping promote Healthfully throughout Australia." Healthfully's comprehensive platform simplifies the healthcare experience for patients, providers, families, and the community. The technology is designed to exceed the capabilities of existing patient engagement tools by delivering together collaboration, support, and rewards. Healthfully helps hospitals and health systems address multiple touch points in the patient journey, overcoming obstacles in the process and enhancing satisfaction. Healthfully also recently introduced two solutions based on its platform to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic. TeleVideo+ provides much-needed support for medical practices that leverage telehealth for patient care. Healthfully @ Work combines management tools, employee/student apps, and access to health services to provide the necessary testing, tracking, prevention education, and ongoing support to inspire confidence in back-to-work/back-to-school programs. "Our platform offers many benefits for the Australian healthcare system," noted Paul Viskovich, CEO of Healthfully. "Our expansion in the country is timely, especially with our COVID-19 response offerings." "Healthfully is a global company," added Simon Hepburn. "We've already generated considerable interest in Australia and are working on a number of alliances in addition to our Health by Design partnership." For more information, please visit https://healthfully.io. About Healthfully Healthfully unifies access, support, and rewards to optimize consumer health, providing enterprise organizations with a white-labeled, digital health experience platform to empower consumers on their health and wellness journey. The platform blends compelling and valuable functions, intelligence, and content for patients, consumers, and communities, creating a great patient experience and helping achieve the goals of value-based care and population health management. Learn more at www.healthfully.io and LinkedIn: Healthfully About Health by Design For over 25 years, Health by Design has provided industry-leading, fully integrated workplace health and safety programs. Health by Design works across a variety of industry sectors, with a focus on sustainable behavioural change and total population engagement across diverse workforce cultures and work environments. Health by Design programs cover numerous risk areas ranging from high performance to injury risk, general health, mental health and safety. Unlike many workplace health initiatives, Health By Design programs, services and materials are designed to engage the total workforce population. The Health By Design team has helped organisations throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Media Contacts: Simon Hepburn Healthfully Australia [email protected] Related Images healthfully.png Healthfully Logo SOURCE Healthfully Inc Related Links https://healthfully.io WASHINGTON President Trumps nomination of a retired general with a history of inflammatory comments to serve in the Pentagons top policy job was abruptly postponed on Thursday, as senators from both sides of the aisle indicated an unwillingness to back Anthony J. Tata, a novelist and Fox News commentator. Half an hour before Mr. Tatas hearing was set to begin, Senator James M. Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who serves as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, announced that he was delaying it. There are many Democrats and Republicans who didnt know enough about Anthony Tata to consider him for a very significant position at this time, Mr. Inhofe said in a statement. We didnt get the required documentation in time; some documents, which we normally get before a hearing, didnt arrive until yesterday. Mr. Inhofe said he talked to Mr. Trump on Wednesday night and told him that were simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldnt serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed. A federal judge late Wednesday rejected an attempt by lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of being a sex trafficker and alleged madam for Jeffrey Epstein, to block the unsealing and release of potentially embarrassing documents from a settled defamation suit. Hours before the start of their scheduled unsealing on Thursday morning, Maxwells lawyers filed a motion to reconsider before U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska, challenging her July 23 decision to order the unsealing and release of documents in a 2015 civil lawsuit that included a deposition given by Maxwell in the case brought by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. Less than three hours later, Preska denied it, citing eleventh-hour request for reconsideration. She allowed Maxwells attorneys two days to seek a stay from an appeals court on two key depositions but otherwise ordered the unsealing of other documents to begin Thursday, tied to long-standing litigation by the Miami Herald and social media personality Michael Cernovich. Maxwells lawyers formally appealed the unsealing of the deposition materials and Preskas denial of her motion for reconsideration to the Appeals Court for the Second Circuit. We recognize that a reconsideration motion is an extraordinary request, but we suggest it is appropriate under the circumstances, wrote Ty Gee, a Maxwell attorney, in what proved an unsuccessful effort. There are new facts since Ms. Maxwell lodged her objections to the unsealing of the transcript of her deposition, and there is a need to correct clear error or prevent manifest injustice relating to the unsealing of the transcript. At issue is a transcript of Maxwells deposition, which Gee alleged ended up in the hands of government lawyers who used it to bring the charges against Maxwell. Gee accused Giuffres lawyers of sharing the deposition with the government, which they said would be in violation of an agreed-on protective order, and doing so merits the commencement of contempt proceedings. Story continues The motion also suggested that Maxwells team could try to get criminal perjury charges thrown out against her in a separate criminal case. Maxwell was arrested July 2 at a secluded New Hampshire mansion and charged with four counts of sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of perjury related to statements she made in the civil suit brought by Giuffre. In his nine-page filing, Gee presented no proof that any lawyer improperly shared the deposition with government prosecutors or that it had been used improperly in formulating charges against Maxwell. Giuffres attorneys have acknowledged that a deposition from the Maxwell lawsuit ended up in the hands of new lawyers representing Giuffre in her lawsuit and counter-suit involving Harvard professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz. Judge Preska had earlier ordered that the records in possession of the new lawyers be destroyed. But if either set of lawyers turned over the depositions in response to a federal grand jury subpoena, it wouldnt necessarily constitute a violation of the protective order, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor. They stopped them from voluntarily doing it, they didnt stop them from involuntarily doing it, he said. The fact that Maxwells lawyers are raising the issue could suggest that they will try to get Maxwells perjury charges thrown out. Attorneys representing the Miami Herald in its effort to unseal documents as part of its Perversion of Justice series urged Preska to stand firm. We oppose Maxwells baseless request for reconsideration. Judge Preskas decision to unseal the documents was well-reasoned, and this request by Maxwell is just another delay tactic to avoid release of documents, said Christine Walz, an attorney in Washington, D.C., for Holland & Knight LLP. Maxwells lawyers also sought blockage from release of documents involving J.Doe 1, one of the numerous people who gave statements and depositions in the civil suit that was settled. Adding another new wrinkle, Giuffres lawyers argued to Preska that Maxwells team had requested that broad swaths of material should be redacted and proposed submitting its own redacted versions for release, rather than a mutually agreed upon version of the documents. The prosecution of Maxwell in the Southern District of New York and the defamation-case documents have become tabloid fodder, closely watched across the globe because the alleged madam and Epstein were friends to Hollywood A-listers, British royalty and American politicians, including Bill Clinton and Donald J. Trump. The documents ordered unsealed by Preska pertain to the process of discovery, where lawyers from each side can ask detailed questions of witnesses from the other side ahead of a trial. Preska held last week that the presumption of public access to the documents far outweighed any rights to avoid embarrassment or annoyance claimed by Maxwell. Meanwhile, negotiations over a protective order between Maxwells attorneys and federal prosecutors in her criminal case broke down earlier this week. Maxwells lawyers have asked for an order placing restrictions on what the federal government and witnesses can do with the governments discovery materials, which would largely be drawn from the Federal Bureau of Investigation documents from its investigation into Epstein for sex crimes culminating in his extraordinarily lenient 2008 plea deal. They also want to allow Maxwells team to publicly name alleged victims of Epstein and Maxwell who have publicly come forward, regardless of whether they are purported victims in the criminal case against her. Normally alleged victims of sexual battery are not publicly identified in court cases. Federal prosecutors have strongly objected to Maxwells requests. Permitting defense counsel to publicly identify witnesses who have not identified themselves on the record in this case risks subjecting witnesses to harassment and intimidation, with no conceivable benefit to the defense other than perhaps discouraging witnesses from cooperating with the Government, prosecutors wrote. Weinstein, the former federal prosecutor, said in an interview that the request by Maxwells team suggests that the lawyers could be trying to sway public opinion by releasing the names of alleged victims. I think thats contrary to the way that lawyers practice in any court room, he said. Youre supposed to play your case to the jury. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State has rejected the creation of 39 new political wards by the State Independent Electoral Commission, saying that it has no powers to do so. A statement by the partys State Publicity Secretary, Nkeruwem Enyongekere, in Uyo Thursday, described the exercise as dubious, illegal and unilateral and urged Akwa Ibom people to disregard it. He said that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowered only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create wards. The APC spokesman cited the Supreme Courts nullification of similar wards creation in Cross River to buttress the partys position. In line with the resolution of the State Working Committee issued at its meeting of July 28, 2020. The All Progressives Congress, Akwa Ibom State chapter, rejects in totality the dubious, unilateral and illegal creation of 39 electoral wards in the state by Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission as announced by its Chairman, Mr Ikoiwak on Sunday, July 26, 2020. The party, therefore, calls on Akwa Ibom people to disregard this illegality, as the state has no such powers to create electoral wards. The Constitution of the Federal Government of Nigeria vests the power of creating wards only in the Independent National Electoral Commission. The nullification of similar wards creation by the Supreme Court when it happened in Cross River State attests to our current position, he said. He expressed surprise that such an important issue of wards creation was not part of the agenda during the stakeholders meeting convened by AKISIEC on July 17 to discuss the upcoming local government election. He argued that even if the state was vested with such power to create electoral wards, it was unconstitutional for the state electoral umpire to create wards in total exclusion of political parties, stakeholders and communities in the state. During the stakeholders meeting in which all other political parties including APC were in attendance to discuss the upcoming 2020 local government elections in the state, the creation of additional electoral wards in the state was not mentioned at all for discussion. The non-inclusion of that on the agenda by the AKISIEC for deliberations exposes the sinister motives of the AKISIEC and PDP led government. With the upcoming Local Government Elections just around the corner, this impromptu creation of wards amounts to shifting the goal posts in the middle of the match and it is absolutely not acceptable to APC in Akwa Ibom State, he said. The party spokesman said that APC as a party would use every constitutional means at its disposal to ensure that the illegality does not stand. (NAN) Coronavirus-infected passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship were mistakenly allowed to disembark after Australian Border Force officers confused their test results. The passengers wrongly allowed to leave the ship when it docked at Sydney's Circular Quay on March 19 included 13 who officials had confined to their cabins with the fever. Border Force officials reportedly believed the passengers had tested negative for COVID-19 when they had actually only returned a negative result for the flu. Cruise ship passengers disembark from the Princess Cruises owned Ruby Princess at Circular Quay on March 19. ABF command only noticed the error more than 30 hours after passengers were allowed to disembark, ABC News reported. The ship was eventually linked to more than 660 COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths. An email exchange between an inspector for the force and ABF NSW Commander Danielle Yannopoulos details the moment officials realised the mistake had been made. The revelation follows NSW Health admitting it made several mistakes in relation to the disembarkation of the Ruby Princess. Gail Furness SC - counsel appearing for the state's health department - acknowledged in her closing statement earlier this month there were a number of factors which led to the ship being deemed low risk despite transmission of COVID-19 occurring on board. One such factor was the 'imperfect' risk assessment form, created by NSW Health to coincide with their cruise ship protocols draft document on February 19. A border force official misread this document which detailed negative flu test results - confusing the results for negative COVID-19 tests Another factor was the expert public health panel not noting the change of Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines on March 10 to include travellers from any overseas countries as potential COVID-19 suspect cases. This panel was responsible for authorising the low risk rating, which meant no one from NSW Health boarded the ship when it arrived on March 19 and 2700 passengers were allowed to freely disembark. 'There were two related mistakes. The first was the form wasn't accurate and the fact of the form not being accurate fed into the thinking of the panellists,' Ms Furness said. Pictured: The Ruby Princess departing Port Kembla in Wollongong, south of Sydney on April 23 Ruby Princess passengers and their families are also taking legal action over the deadly outbreak on the ill-fated cruise ship. Shine Lawyers last Friday announced a class action against Carnival Plc and Princess Cruise Lines Ltd over their handling of COVID-19 cases on the ship, which disembarked in Sydney on March 19. The law firm is seeking compensation through the federal court on behalf of passengers and their families. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (July 29) accused India, China and Russia of failing to take care of their air, asserting that America always takes care of its air. Trump, in his address on energy and the Permian Basin in Midland, said that he decided to withdraw from the one-sided, energy-destroying Paris climate accord which would have made the US a non-competitive nation. President Trump also slammed the Democrats saying that by imposing these punishing restrictions the Washington radical-left, crazy Democrats would send countless American jobs, factories, industries to China and other countries which are not taking care of their air. They want us to take care of our air, but China doesnt take care of its air. In all fairness, India doesnt take care of its air. Russia doesnt take care of its air. But we do. Not on my watch, its not going to happen I can tell you that. Because as long as Im President, we will always put America first. Its very simple, he said. For years and years, we put other countries first, and we now put America first. As we have seen in cities and towns across our nation, its not just Texas oil that the radical Democrats want to destroy; they want to destroy our country, he said. President Trump also claimed that such radical Democrats are not patriot at all. "Theres no respect for the American way of life. There is no way of life ever in history thats been like the great American way of life. There is no respect, but there is by you, and there is by 95 per cent of our people. Our people love our country, and our people love our anthem and they love our flag, Trump noted. The US president also said that under former president Barack Obama's leadership Americas energy industry was facing relentless attack. But the day I took the oath of office, we ended the war on American energy and we stopped the far-left assault on American energy workers, he said. According to the projection by the Global Carbon Project published in December, 2018. India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. The top four emitters in 2017 were China (27 per cent), the US (15 per cent), the European Union (10 per cent) and India (7 per cent). President Donald Trump holds up a permit for energy development after signing it during a visit to the Double Eagle Development oil rig, in Midland, Texas, on July 29, 2020. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo) Trump Announces LNG Export Term Extension to 2050, Praises US Energy Independence Also signs four permits to approve pipeline, railway infrastructure at US border President Donald Trump announced on July 29 that export term limits for liquified natural gas (LNG) to non-free trade agreement countries have been extended through 2050. Trump also signed four presidential permits to approve pipeline and railway infrastructure at the border. The U.S. Department of Energys final policy statement allows LNG exports to be extended through 2050, Trump announced at Double Eagle Development, a shale oil and gas company in Midland, Texas. The policy change is a shift from the current protocol of granting 20-year export terms, the energy department noted in a statement. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, who accompanied Trump to Texas, said the move is among several measures the energy department has taken to support U.S. LNG exports. Just this year, LNG exports from the United States will reduce our trade deficit by over $10 billion. Furthermore, LNG exports in the United States are providing tens of thousands of jobs and have led to the investment of billions of dollars in infrastructure, Brouillette said in a statement. This administration is following through on our commitment to make U.S. LNGa long-term, reliable, cleaner-burning energy sourceavailable to the world. Trump also signed four presidential permits that approve various infrastructure at the countrys border, as part of efforts to promote U.S. energy independence. I will sign four critical permits, granting approval to vital pipeline and railway infrastructure on our nations border. Thats a big deal, he said ahead of the signing. This will include two permits allowing the export of Texas crude to Mexicoa giant victory for the workers of this state that youve been after for many years. President Donald Trump waves to supporters after delivering remarks about American energy production during a visit to the Double Eagle Development oil rig, in Midland, Texas, on July 29, 2020. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo) The presidential permits authorize: The Kansas City Southern Railway Company to construct, connect, operate, and maintain railway bridge facilities at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico The Transcanada Keystone pipeline, L.P., to operate and maintain existing pipeline facilities at the international boundary between the United States and Canada Nustar Logistics, L.P., to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico Nustar Logistics, L.P., to operate and maintain existing pipeline facilities at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico The U.S. oil and gas industry faces a pandemic-driven economic downturn and global oversupply that briefly drove oil prices into negative territory this spring. Prices have rebounded to around $40 a barrel, still below what some producers need to break even. Trumps tax and regulation cuts have increased U.S. production of oil and natural gas. Under the Trump administration, the United States became the worlds top producer of oil and maintained its position as the top global producer of natural gas. The country in 2019 became a net exporter of petroleum (crude oil and refined) products for the first time since 1949, and is on its fourth consecutive year as a net exporter of natural gas. For the first time in nearly 70 years, we have become a net energy exporter, Trump said, to applause. And the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas on the face of the Earth. The president praised Americas energy independence. It took a long time to be independent. And as long as Im your president, we will never let anyone put American energy out of business, which is what theyd like to do, Trump told the crowd. We will never again be reliant on hostile foreign suppliers. We will defend your jobs, and we will defend the Lone Star State. I love this state. And we will defend Americas newfound energy independence. The White House said in a statement that energy dominance means more affordable utilities and gas prices for families, more jobs for American workers, and less reliance on unstable foreign energy sources. The Associated Press contributed to this report. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Straying away from initial hopes that coronavirus (COVID-19) was seasonal, a World Health Organization (WHO) officials said that cold and flu season doesnt apply to the virus. During a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, WHO spokeswoman Dr. Margaret Harris encouraged people to stop thinking about COVID-19 as a seasonal virus, Reuters reported. People are still thinking about seasons,' Harris said. What we all need to get our heads around is this is a new virus and... this one is behaving differently. Summer is a problem, she added. This virus likes all weather. Harris explained that, despite the sudden uptick, the pandemic is still only in its first wave. Its going to be one big wave,' she said. " Its going to go up and down a bit. The best thing is to flatten it and turn it into just something lapping at your feet. While COVID-19 is not seasonal, there is potential for additional strain on international health systems due to the virus coinciding with the typical flu season. If you have an increase in a respiratory illness when you already have a very high burden of respiratory illness, that puts even more pressure on the health system, she said. Reuters reported that Harris encourages vaccinations against the flu. A vaccination for COVID-19 has yet to be discovered and approved. ** CLICK HERE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ** United States President Donald Trump on Thursday called for delaying the 2020 presidential election, citing possible mail-in voting fraud. This is the first time Trump has floated a "delay" to November's presidential election as he made unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of federal elections -- the Tuesday after the first Monday in November -- are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. The Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021, presidential inauguration. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not absentee voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," Trump said in a tweet. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" he said. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states with all-mail votes. Five states already rely exclusively on mail-in ballots and they say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor doesn't disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that all forms of voter fraud are rare, including absentee balloting. Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on November's election and the expected surge in mail-in and absentee voting as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has called remote voting options the "biggest risk" to his reelection. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the GOP. Last month, Trump told supporters in Arizona, "This will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country." (With inputs from AP) Poway, California--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2020) - Solar Integrated Roofing Corporation (OTC Pink: SIRC), a leading integrated solar and roofing installation company in Southern California provides a Shareholder Letter from David Massey, CEO: Dear Shareholders, I write to you today to share with you my immense gratitude and excitement. First, I would like to thank you, our loyal shareholders, for buckling down and weathering the storm of these past several months. The trials and tribulations we have suffered together throughout this year were due to a breach on behalf of a former officer. This negligence has been rectified and we have completely severed ties with this individual. We have all spent far too long with the Caveat Emptor designation hanging over our heads. Having the CE removed was a lengthy and expensive process, with many moving pieces and various factors involved. However, I felt it was a worthwhile and completely necessary endeavor, as I am confident in our ability to grow a highly profitable and successful business. Rest assured that the indiscretions of past officers do not represent the standards by which Solar Integrated Roofing lives by. We began our transition by appointing Ms. Angela Smoley as our new CFO. Ms. Smoley has more than 15 years of experience working as a CFO and she brings a wealth of knowledge, ability, and talent to SIRC. With our new management team in place and the CE removed, our dedicated shareholders can look forward to additional updates in the very near future. We are confident our current developments will begin to rebuild the type of shareholder value that you expect and deserve and our updates will speak for themselves. I have listened closely to and shared in your every frustration through these trying times. Please allow me the opportunity now to set my plans into action and restore shareholder value, as we are now finally able to see all of our efforts come to fruition. I look forward to embarking on this journey together. Story continues Thank You, David Massey CEO Solar Integrated Roofing Inc. About Solar Integrated Roofing Corporation Solar Integrated Roofing Corporationis an integrated solar and roofing installation company specializing in commercial and residential properties. For more information, please visit: www.solarintegratedroofingcorp.com. Forward-Looking Statements: Any statements made in this press release which are not historical facts contain certain forward-looking statements; as such term is defined in the Private Security Litigation Reform Act of 1995, concerning potential developments affecting the business, prospects, financial condition and other aspects of the company to which this release pertains. The actual results of the specific items described in this release, and the company's operations generally, may differ materially from what is projected in such forward-looking statements. Although such statements are based upon the best judgments of management of the company as of the date of this release, significant deviations in magnitude, timing and other factors may result from business risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the company's dependence on third parties, general market and economic conditions, technical factors, the availability of outside capital, receipt of revenues and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the company. The company disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in any forward-looking statement. This press release shall not be deemed a general solicitation. Contact info: SOLAR INTEGRATED ROOFING CORPORATION 1475 N. Cuyamaca St. El Cajon, CA 92020 www.solarintegratedroofingcorp.com Phone: (858) 437 5330 dmassey@sircfamily.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60826 Some lessons will be prerecorded, while others are live using a blended approach that officials said will be more robust than instruction in the spring. English language learners and students with special needs are slated to get support, along with those who need extra help in core areas of reading and math. KAMPALA The Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development USAID, have jointly lauded efforts of the successful conclusion of the USAID/Uganda Health Supply Chain activity, implemented by management sciences for health. The six year activity, focused improving the overall health of the Ugandan people, has seen achievements including uninterrupted access to medicines and medical supplies. In statement, USAID says while 65 percent of the health facilities in Uganda had tuberculosis medicines available in 2015, as a result of the program, by 2020, 83 percent carried these life-saving drugs, helping the majority of Ugandans suffering from TB get treatment and lead healthier and more productive lives. The U.S. government who is the single largest donor to Ugandas health sector, contributes 32 percent of total health spending in Uganda every year and accounting for 76 percent of all foreign contributions to Ugandas health sector. Through USAID, the United States has invested approximately $39 million over six years for a reliable system to manage the supply chain for essential medicines and medical supplies. Through the support of the American people, the program has significantly improved the quality of life of Ugandans, including people living with HIV/AIDS and those suffering from malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases, as well as improved maternal, child and adolescent health, said USAID Mission Director, Richard Nelson. The program has made a long-lasting impact on Ugandas health sector by creating an environment that enhanced regulation, oversight, and monitoring of the medical supply chain system. Between 2014 and 2020, the number of health facilities with the must-have essential medicines and supplies increased from 65 percent to 81 percent. In addition, 1,537 public health staff were trained in inventory management and supportive supervision, improving accountability and management. Support to the Ministry of Healths Pharmacy Department ensured that 1.25 million (84%) of Ugandans living with HIV received uninterrupted medicine and treatment. The activity also strengthened the nations preparedness for outbreaks and epidemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it provided emergency response support and developed a web-based tool that allowed rapid and focused medicine distribution. While the current activity is closing, USAIDs critical support for Ugandas health supply chain will continue under a new award. Related Kanye Wests presidential campaign was short-lived - at least in Massachusetts. The rapper, music producer and fashion mogul will not appear on the presidential ballot this fall in Massachusetts after failing to receiving the proper number of signatures, the secretary of states office told the Associated Press. The deadline to submit the 5,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot was Tuesday. No one representing West even took out nomination papers, Galvin spokeswoman Debra OMalley told the AP. The nomination papers are required to include the candidates name, the name of a vice presidential candidate and 11 Massachusetts electors. West, who once backed President Donald Trump, announced earlier this month he would run for president in 2020. We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States, the 43-year-old rapper tweeted, adding the hashtag 2020VISION. We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States ! #2020VISION ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020 Billionaire Elon Musk took to Twitter less than 10 minutes after West posted his announcement to pledge his full support for the superstars candidacy. Kim Kardashian West, who is married to the musician, also posted to social media shortly after her husbands announcement. She retweeted the rappers statement, adding a U.S. flag emoji. However, last week, Kardashian West asked the public on Instagram to show compassion and empathy toward her husband, who has publicly spoken about his bipolar diagnosis. West had teased a presidential bid before. He previously announced he would run in 2020 but later said he would postpone his candidacy to 2024. When I run for president in 2024, we wouldve created so many jobs that Im not going to run, Im going to walk, West said at an event this past November, the Associated Press reported. Related Content: NEW YORK An attorney for J.C. Penney Co. told a bankruptcy judge Wednesday that the retailer is going forward with a sale of its business and expects the deal to be completed by the fall. The potential sale comes as Plano, Texas-based Penney is looking at three bidders, which are looking at buying the company as a going concern. The bidders werent identified. During an address in bankruptcy court, Joshua Sussberg, an attorney at Kirkland & Ellis, lambasted an article published earlier this week by The New York Post that reported a $1.75 billion bid by private equity firm Sycamore Partners to buy Penney and merge with another struggling chain Belk Inc.. He called the report ill-informed. We are moving forward with a sales process, Sussberg said. We are hopeful. A spokesperson at Sycamore Partners declined to comment. The 118-year-old company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in mid-May, marking the biggest retailer to buckle under the financial fallout from the coronavirus. Penney said in mid-July that it plans to cut 1,000 of its roughly 85,000 jobs as it tries to fight its way out of bankruptcy protection. Penney said last month it had identified 154 stores for closure in the first phase of a restructuring to shrink its footprint. As part of its bankruptcy reorganization, J.C. Penney has said it plans to permanently close nearly a third of its 846 stores in the next two years. That would leave it with just over 600 locations. Penney, which reopened its stores starting in May, said that the locations off the mall are faring better than the ones at mall locations. But sales and customer traffic have become more challenging with the recent COVID-19 resurgence in certain states. _____ Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio Consolidated sales: 196.1m (up 7.5% at constant exchange rates) Net income Group share: 15.1m (7.7% of sales) Regulatory News: At its meeting on July 29, 2020, the Vetoquinol S.A. (Paris:VETO) Board of Directors reviewed the Group results and approved the first half 2020 financial statements. The auditors have completed their audit of the financial statements and will shortly issue their report thereon. Vetoquinol H1 2020 sales amounted to 196.1 million, up from 183.8 million in H1 2019, up 6.7% as reported and up 6.2% like-for-like. Changes in exchange rates had a negative impact of 0.8% on business in the first half, mainly due to the BRICS currencies and more specifically the sharp decline in the Brazilian real, partly offset by the US dollar. H1 2020 KEY FIGURES Total sales 196.1m +7.5% at constant exchange rates Total Essentials sales 99.2m +10.7% at constant exchange rates EBIT before depreciation of acquired assets 28.0m Net income Group share 15.1m (up 2.1m) Net cash 91.3m Sales growth in the first half of 2020 was driven by Essentials products, which posted organic growth of10.7%. Essentials products accounted for 50.6% of Vetoquinol's sales in the first half of 2020, up from 49.4% in H1 2019. Sales of companion animal products came to 114.0 million and accounted for 58.1% of total Vetoquinol sales, up 6.8% at constant exchange rates. Sales of livestock products came to 82.1 million, up 8.5% at constant exchange rates. The purchase of Clarion Biociencias in Brazil on April 15, 2019 contributed 2.5m to H1 2020 growth. At constant exchange rates, all of the Vetoquinol Group's strategic territories posted growth in the first half: the Americas recorded an increase of 6.5%, while growth of 4.6% in Europe was mainly driven by France and Spain. Asia-Pacific and export territories posted growth of 18.7%, driven by the launch of Essential Boarbetter in China, offset by a decline in sales in India due to the challenges presented by the health crisis. The Vetoquinol Group posted Q2 2020 sales of 92.7m, stable compared to the reported figure Q2 2019, with organic growth of 1.9%. Europe and the Americas fell 3.3% and 9.5% respectively, as reported. Sales in Brazil and the US also declined in the second quarter, reflecting the impact of Covid-19. Asia-Pacific remains on an upward trajectory, posting solid growth of 31.7% driven by export markets and China. The gross margin on purchases came to 72.2%, up 2.8 percentage points compared to H1 2019 (69.4%) due to an increase in production in the first half of 2020 compared to usual levels, and a favorable 2019 comparison reference. External expenses fell 2.5m, primarily due to a decrease in costs relating to Covid-19 (reduction in marketing and advertising costs, travel expenses, etc.). Personnel expenses rose 6.5% (4m), due to a change in consolidation scope (creation of a subsidiary in New Zealand and acquisition of Clarion in Brazil), an increase in wages and the provision for profit-sharing and incentive schemes. EBIT before depreciation of acquired assets, a new Vetoquinol Group performance indicator, amounted to 28.0m in the first half of 2020, up from 19.2m in the same period in 2019, resulting in a 4 points increase. Depreciation of acquired assets amounted to 3.7m, compared to 1.3m in H1 2019. H1 2020 depreciation includes a 2.2m depreciation charge as from April 15, 2019 on fixed assets, a consequence of the purchase price allocation of Clarion. Vetoquinol Group's EBIT rose to 24.4m, up from 17.9m in H1 2019. In H1 2020, Vetoquinol recorded a net 1.4m non-recurring expenses related to goodwill impairment of the FarmVet Systems CGU (2.2m), partially offset by a reduction in liabilities owed to minority shareholders, (non-recurring income of 0.8m). The apparent tax rate was 33.8% (vs 27.6% in H1 2019) due to the negative effects recorded in the first half of 2020, primarily due to an adjustment on India tax carried forward losses, and a reversal of FarmVet Systems deferred tax assets as well as country mix effect. The increase of this tax rate combined with the growth of the EBIT before tax triggers an additional 2.7m income tax charge. Vetoquinol posted an 11.8m increase in EBITDA year-on-year in the first half at 38.0m, resulting from the increase in sales and gross margin, as well as a reduction in expenses during Covid-19. H1 2020 EBITDA expressed as a percentage of sales amounted to 19.4% versus 14.3% in H1 2019. After non-recurring expenses, Vetoquinol net income amounted to 15.1m, up from 13.0m in H1 2019. Total Group net cash stood at 91.3m at June 30, 2020. Vetoquinol is backed by a sound financial structure to further its growth strategy and has the funds to pursue its targets for acquisitions and development, as well as to face the impact of the Covid-19 health crisis. The Vetoquinol Group was free of financial debt as of June 30, 2020. Covid-19 The Group has ensured its staff stay healthy and safe, while delivering on its production, distribution and service commitments. The Vetoquinol Group has also introduced a number of measures as issued by the World Health Organization and governments in countries where it operates. The Group will continue to keep its stakeholders regularly informed of how Covid-19 developments impact its business. Acquisition of Profender and Drontal The acquisition in Europe and the United Kingdom of these two de-wormers for cats and dogs is expected to be finalized on Monday August 3, following the acquisition of Bayer's animal health division by Elanco Animal Health. Vetoquinol CEO Matthieu Frechin said: "The performances recorded in the first half of 2020 reflect the merits of our development strategy, which is based on a balance between our strategic territories and concentrating our efforts on our portfolio of Essentials products. Since the lockdown at the start of the year, our top priority has been to ensure the health and safety of our staff. Our teams are hard at work supporting our vet and breeder customers, ensuring that the most hygienic conditions possible are in place wherever we operate. This unprecedented health crisis has also highlighted the agility and flexibility of our laboratory. Our portfolio of Essentials products, solid financial structure and expert teams are what will ensure we overcome this challenging period. Finally, we are delighted to be finalizing the acquisition of Profender and Drontal next week, which is entirely in line with our strategy." The analyst presentation is scheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2020 and its recording will be available on the Company's website. Next update: Q3 2020 sales, October 15, 2020 after market close About Vetoquinol Vetoquinol is a leading global animal health company that supplies drugs and non-medicinal products for the livestock (cattle and pigs) and pet (dogs and cats) markets. As an independent pure player, Vetoquinol designs, develops and sells veterinary drugs and non-medicinal products in Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific region. Since its foundation in 1933, Vetoquinol has pursued a strategy combining innovation with geographical diversification. The Group's hybrid growth is driven by the reinforcement of its product portfolio coupled with acquisitions in high potential growth markets. At June 30th 2020, Vetoquinol employs 2,401 people. Vetoquinol has been listed on Euronext Paris since 2006 (symbol: VETO). For further information, go to: www.vetoquinol.com ANNEX Summary income statement m 06/30/2020 06/30/2019 Change Total sales of which Essentials 196.1 99.2 183.8 89.9 +6.7% +10.3% EBIT before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions % of total sales 28.0 14.3% 19.2 10.4% +46.1% Net income Group share % of total sales 15.1 7.7% 13.0 7.1% +15.8% EBITDA % of total sales 38.0 19.4% 26.2 14.3% +44.9% Calculation of EBITDA m 06/30/2020 06/30/2019 Net income before equity method 14.8 12.8 Income tax expense 7.6 4.9 Net financial income/(expense) 0.5 0.3 Provisions recorded under non-recurring operating income and expenses 2.1 (0.2) Provisions and write-backs 0.3 (0.3) Depreciation 10.2 6.7 Depreciation IFRS 2.4 2.1 EBITDA 38.0 26.2 ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Vetoquinol Group management considers that these indicators, which are not defined by IFRS, provide additional information that is relevant for shareholders seeking to analyze underlying trends and Group performance and financial position. They are used by management for performance analysis. Essentials products: The products referred to as "Essentials" comprise veterinary drugs and non-medical products sold by the Vetoquinol Group. They are existing or potential market-leading products designed to meet the daily requirements of vets in the companion animal or livestock sector. They are intended for sale worldwide and their scale effect improves their economic performance. Constant exchange rates: Application of the previous period's exchange rates to the current financial year, all other things remaining equal. Like-for-like growth: Year-on-year sales growth in terms of volume and/or price at constant exchange rates. EBIT before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions: This KPI isolates the non-cash impact of amortization charges which result from merger and acquisitions operations. Net cash: Cash and cash equivalents less bank overdrafts and borrowings, pursuant to IFRS 16. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005743/en/ Contacts: VETOQUINOL Investor Relations Fanny Toillon Tel.: +33 (0)3 84 62 59 88 relations.investisseurs@vetoquinol.com KEIMA Communication Investor and Media Relations Emmanuel Dovergne Tel.: +33 (0)1 56 43 44 63 emmanuel.dovergne@keima.fr WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 30: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wears a cloth mask to cover her mouth and nose to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol April 30, 2020 in Washington, DC. While she and Democratic House leaders are not going to reconvene next week due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said committee chairs are working on the next piece of economic rescue legislation. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Mere days before a key federal programme for the millions of Americans rendered jobless by the coronavirus pandemic expires on Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have ratcheted up their combative rhetoric to full volume. The personal attacks were particularly brutal on Wednesday as the two leaders appeared as far apart as ever from a deal to stimulate the economy, buttress the health care system, and help get American children safely back to school this fall. Republicans have offered $1trn in assistance on top of the $2.7trn Congress authorised over four separate deals this spring. Democrats want something in the neighbourhood of $4trn. Mr McConnell accused Ms Pelosi of adopting a completely unhinged position on unemployment relief, arguing that the current federal programme which pays unemployed Americans $600 per week on top of whatever their states give them in benefits has produced a situation where millions of people are making more from unemployment benefits than they were at their jobs. That system has incentivised people to stay home and keep collecting government checks instead of returning to work, Mr McConnell said, quoting some Democratic officials, such as Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who have expressed similar concerns. The majority leader savaged Ms Pelosis opposition to a stopgap bill to renew the programme with modifications before it expires on Friday. Democrats are only interested in passing a comprehensive bill, they have said, an apparent strategy to maintain negotiating leverage for the final package to include more money for states and cities, election security, infrastructure projects such as universal broadband internet access, and several other projects Republicans have been reluctant to support in previous Covid-19 bills. No money for schools, no money for households, no second round of the [small business paycheck protection programme], no more money for hospitals or testing, nothing at all unless we continue to pay people more not to work, Mr McConnell said, attempting to capture Ms Pelosis negotiating position. Story continues The speaker, however, was equally scathing in her criticism of Mr McConnell. At a press conference introducing a new child care bill on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi implied that Mr McConnell and Republicans insistence on getting children back to school in-person so their parents can work means they dont care about childrens exposure to Covid-19. In the Bible, theres a saying: Suffer, little children, and come unto me. The Republicans in Congress give new meaning to that phrase. Suffer, little children seems to be something they can tolerate, the speaker said, citing a quote from Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew. A giraffe and a zebra At a meeting between principal negotiators from each party and the White House on Wednesday, Ms Pelosi likened brokering a deal between Democrats and Republicans to attempting to breed a giraffe and a flamingo. "They're both at a zoo. A dumb person may think they could mate for offspring. A smart person knows that's impossible. That's our bills. They're unable to mate," Ms Pelosi said, Politico has reported. Even the usually-optimistic Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who has served as a go-between for Ms Pelosi and Mr McConnell on previous legislation authorising more than $2.7trn in aid for the pandemic response had to admit the path to a deal by Fridays deadline is narrow. As of now, were very far apart, Mr Mnuchin told reporters on Wednesday. One of the few proposals both parties seem to agree on is issuing another round of $1,200 direct payments to Americans, though they must still work out the details of who will qualify and how much extra cash families will receive for each child. House Democrats passed a sweeping $3trn coronavirus package in May that would send another round of $1,200 cheques to each American and provide an additional $1,200 for each child in a households tax filing, up from $500 for each child from the first round of checks this spring. That 1,800-page behemoth also includes, among several other proposals, billions of additional dollars for state and local governments to respond to Covid-19-related issues. Mr Trump told reporters he was opposed to big bailout money for cities and states. Its a shame to reward badly run radical left Democrats with all of this money theyre looking for, he said. Those comments echo previous statements from Mr McConnell, who has pooh-poohed the idea of continuing to subsidise the coronavirus response efforts of states whose budgets were in shambles before the pandemic due to financial mismanagement by their local governments. Democrats have dismissed that argument as disingenuously political. States have never asked for bailouts to erase their pre-coronavirus deficits, but rather to cover the costs of their Covid-19 responses. Trickle-down frustrations Party leaders frustrations over the legislative stalemate and sabre-rattling have trickled down to rank-and-file members. When a reporter asked Ms Pelosi at the press conference for child care about Mr McConnells insistence that the next bill must shield businesses and health and education systems from liability lawsuits related to Covid-19, California Congresswoman Linda Sanchez stepped in with a sharp reprimand. I get so tired of everybody wanting to talk about deals and red lines and not talk about what is relevant to the majority of families in this country, Ms Sanchez said, stabbing her right forefinger into the podium in frustration and imploring someone to ask a question about the child care bill. Im sorry for the outburst, but it makes me so angry, she said pounding her fist as she vacated the microphone. Read more Zuckerberg defends Twitter's ban of Trump Jr over 'harmful' post Trump says he 'never discussed' Russian bounties on troops with Putin Trump says he did not ask Putin about Russian 'bounties'- follow live Kavanaugh urged Supreme Court to avoid rulings on abortion, Trump docs CNN host says Trump loyalist owes broadcaster an apology NEW HAVEN - Christopher Calhoun was sentenced Wednesday without his participation in the courtroom to serve 45 years in prison for killing Isaiah Gantt at the Church Street South housing project in 2011. Calhouns attorney, Tara Knight, strenuously objected to the hearing going forward after she learned that state Judicial Branch marshals would not be allowed to bring Calhoun to New Haven Superior Court from prison because of the Judicial Branchs coronavirus concerns. The event marked the first sentencing in a slaying case in that courthouse since the virus led to stringent restrictions on court proceedings in March. The confusion and disagreements surrounding the sentencing reflected concerns about the new procedures. Calhoun was found guilty on a murder charge in February. Calhoun was given the option of participating via a camera feed from prison, where he has been incarcerated since being arrested in July 2018. But he refused to do so, saying it was his right to be in the courtroom for his sentencing. Calhouns father, James Calhoun, who waited in a corridor outside the courtroom for more than an hour while Knight and prosecutors conferred with Superior Court Judge Jon M. Alander, said the rest of the family didnt appear because they had been told the sentencing was canceled. James Calhoun said when he spoke with his son about the video camera option, He said, No, Im not doing that. He wanted to be here and he wanted his family to be here. I dont want him to be sentenced and nobodys around, James Calhoun said. Theyve got to postpone it. He wants the support of his family. But when Knight made this argument during the opening minutes of the hearing, Alander said: Through the video he could fully participate. He could see and hear everything that occurred and he could communicate to the court. But Knight said, My client wishes to be present in court. He has not waived his right to be here. He had no idea he wouldnt be transported to court today. I learned about it only because his father called me. Knight said she had been unable to communicate with Calhoun and was being denied the ability to confer with him at the sentencing, which meant she could not properly represent him. Hes completely in the dark as to what is happening. I object to going forward, she said. Knight also told Alander that Calhoun had intended to read a statement at the hearing. But Senior Assistant States Attorney Seth Garbarsky told Alander that Calhoun had in fact waived his right to participate. Im told he wont come out of his cell, Garbarsky said. Alander said, Normally, Id grant a continuance. But the members of the victims family are here to be heard. Also, this sentencing has been delayed many months because of COVID-19. I dont want to delay it further. Alander said prisoners arent being transported in order to limit the threat of COVID, particularly in prison. Knight then moved for a new trial, stating the jurys verdict in February came despite a lack of forensic evidence and the use of prosecution witnesses who wanted to get something in exchange for testifying. But Garbarsky noted the 12 jurors had found the witnesses to be credible. Assistant States Attorney Reid Durham said the testimony was corroborated by evidence such as cellphone records and the autopsy report. Alander agreed with the prosecutors and denied Knights motion. Durham called the shooting of Gantt, 23, on April 20, 2011 a cold-blooded murder rooted in greed. The defendant was operating a drug business and the victim was selling drugs in the same area. Durham said that after the two men argued over their turf, Calhoun shot him in cowardly fashion in the back, then fired twice more into his body. He left Mr. Gantt dead on the ground. Several members of Gantts family read statements in court or had them read aloud by Victim Services Advocate Christie Ciancola. Gantts son, King Gantt, said: Im sad because I dont remember anything about him because I was only one-and-a-half when he was murdered. He is just gone and there is nothing I can do about it no matter how much I cry or wish for him to be here. The victims brother, Ezra Gantt, said, My brother had a good heart. He would give the shirt off his back for someone. He said Calhoun deserved the maximum punishment (the sentencing range was 25 to 60 years). You do the crime, you must do the time. So pack your bags and get ready for a long field trip, because you earned it. Alander said that while pondering the appropriate sentence he took into consideration the fact Calhoun was just 19 at the time of the murder. But he added that the defendant intentionally and heartlessly took the life of another human being. Alander said Gantts death did not have to happen and it should not have happened. The life of a young man was violently taken for no good reason. Contact Randall Beach at randall.beach@hearstmediact.com Tai is a key figure in Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement and was convicted on public nuisance charges last year due to his leading role in the 2014 Umbrella Movement sit-in street protests. Tai was sentenced to 16 months in prison, however he was released on bail while he appealed the conviction. HKU has faced widespread calls from its pro-Beijing members to dismiss Tai after his involvement in pro-democracy activism, but supporters argued that doing so would undermine academic freedom and debate. The decision to terminate my appointment was made not by the University of Hong Kong but by an authority beyond the University through its agents. Academic staff in educational institutions in Hong Kong are no longer free to make controversial statements to the general public about politically or socially controversial matters, Benny Tai said in a Facebook post. The IFJ said: Academia and freedom of expression in Hong Kong are interconnected and the dismissal of Benny Tai sets a worrisome precedent for the future of expression and democracy. The IFJ calls on Hong Kong authorities to drop the existing charges against Benny Tai and for HKU to reinstate him immediately. Syracuse, N.Y. A woman in her 90s who had underlying health problems has died of Covid-19, Onondaga County officials reported today. Her death makes a total of 197 fatalities in the county associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Onondaga County has 15 new cases of Covid-19 since Wednesday, bringing the total to 3,327 since March, officials said. Of the new cases, eight were attributed to community spread; two were blamed on travel from other states (Florida and Idaho); two occurred in senior living facilities (among residents or staff); one occurred in a household with a previous infection; and two remained under investigation. There are 28 coronavirus patients in local hospitals, three less than Wednesday. Four patients are in intensive care. Eleven patients are awaiting discharge to nursing homes, pending a negative test result, county officials said. There are currently 155 active cases of Covid-19 in Onondaga, up eight since Wednesday. Overall, the number of active cases has declined from a peak of 941 on June 8. According to the state Department of Health, an average of 0.9% of people tested in Onondaga County were positive for the virus during the seven days ending Wednesday. Thats about half the infection rate compared with one month ago. Regions that have infection rates below 5% will be allowed by state officials to send kids back to school in September. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources How is your school reopening? See Central New York school district coronavirus plans Coronavirus under control in CNY, but vacation travel, college reopenings pose a threat Theyve waited months. Now 3 popular CNY diners face challenges in reopening amid pandemic Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com News tips? Contact reporter Tim Knauss of syracuse.com/The Post-Standard: email | Twitter | | 315-470-3023 Eid-ul-Adha is likely to be a low-key affair in most southern states in view of the steep surge in Covid-19 cases. In Telangana, it will be celebrated on August 1 but in Kerala and parts of Karnataka, Eid it will be on Friday (July 31). In Telangana, the government has said that there will be no mass congregation prayers nor will there be open slaughtering of cattle, goats, and sheep for distribution of meat among the poor, which is an integral part of the festival. Muslims normally sacrifice an animal on Eid-ul-Adha. In Karnataka too the government has said that only 50 people would be allowed at a time in mosques for prayers and there will be no mass congregations due to the pandemic. The historic Mecca Masjid near Charminar in the old city of Hyderabad will not open for the general public to offer Eid namaz. It was a similar case for Eid-ul-Fitr on May 24 due to Covid-19 pandemic. Maulana Hafeez Mohd Rizwan Qureshi, Imam of Mecca Masjid said the mosque would not be opened for namaz because of the alarming situation prevailing in Hyderabad. In fact, even after the lifting of the lockdown for places of worship, we have not been allowing the general public regular as well as Friday prayers. Only five persons are being allowed for prayers every Friday, he said. The Maulana appealed to the people to visit mosques in their respective areas and attend the prayers following guidelines like social distancing and wearing masks. Stay at your homes after prayers, he said. Telangana State Wakf Board chairman Mohd Saleem said no congregations for mass prayers would be allowed in any Eidgahs across Telangana for Eid-ul-Adha on August 1. Namaz-e-Eid will not be held at Eidgah or the open grounds which see large congregations of Muslims. We shall, however, allow prayers in local mosques for a limited number of people, he said. The Wakf Board chairman said not more than 50 people should offer prayers at each mosque, that too by following the social distancing norms and other precautions to contain the possible spread of the virus. If necessary, the prayers may be held twice during the day to allow more worshippers, Saleem said. The mosque committees have been asked to advise senior citizens and children below 10 years not to come to mosques for Eid prayers. Those suffering from cold, fever, cough and comorbidities like diabetes and blood pressure have also been urged to pray at home. The Wakf Board also advised imams to keep their Eid sermons brief. The authorities have also imposed restrictions on sale of cattle, sheep or goats in view of the possibility of spread of Covid-19 at the markets. The Telangana high court on Thursday directed the municipal authorities to see that the slaughtering of cattle, sheep or goats should be done only according to the prescribed norms and there shall be no indiscriminate slaughtering of animals, including camels. The high court pointed out that there were reports of diseases being spread through meat as well. We know how coronavirus has spread from bat meat in China. So, we need to take all precautions, the court observed. The municipal authorities have appealed to the people to avoid visiting public places to buy sheep or goats and instead avail the facility provided by officials in every town by earmarking a place on the outskirts for sale and purchase of the animals. For slaughtering, they should visit the slaughterhouses instead of doing it in public places, a GHMC official said. In Kerala, Muslim religious leaders during a video conference with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week pledged support to the state governments fight against the pandemic and decided to limit Eid celebrations this time. The maximum number of devotees at a time in all mosques in Kerala on Friday will be limited to 100 and respective mahal committees will keep an eye on them. There wont be mass prayers at public places and Covid tests will be conducted on those who are involved in animal sacrifices. Religious leaders said there will be no mass slaughtering of animals and their number will be limited just for the sake of ritual and asked believers to go by the protocol of the government. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and the CM greeted people on the eve of Edi-ul-Adha which will be celebrated on Friday in Kerala. Bakrid which glorifies sacrifice and eternal faith in the almighty inspires us to remain united through love, compassion, and mutual support, both in our daily lives and in our fight against the Covid-19, Khan said in his greetings. No one can lawfully embark on any type of protest action unless they notify the Commissio BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jul. 30 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Finland amounted to $84.3 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $93.6 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of Finland in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover was 0.2 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is flat year-on-year compared to 0.2 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Finland amounted to $32.6 million over the period from January through May 2020, compared to $33 million during the same period of 2019. Finlands share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to less than 0.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is flat compared to 0.1 percent during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans import from Finland amounted to $51.6 million over the reporting period compared to $60.6 million during the same period of 2019. Finlands total share in Kazakhstans import was 0.4 percent during the reporting period of 2020 which is compared to 0.4 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $34.9 billion over the period from Jan. through May 2020 which indicates a decrease from $37.5 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export amounted to $22.3 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($23.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $12.6 billion ($13.9 billion). --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh TEL AVIV, Israel and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Buildots , the company bringing AI to construction, today announced that it had secured $16 million in funding to leverage the power of AI to track, analyze and provide actionable data for construction project teams. The $3 million seed and $13 million series A rounds were led by TLV Partners with the participation of Innogy Ventures, Tidhar Construction Group, Ziv Aviram, co-founder of Mobileye & OrCam, Magma Ventures head Zvika Limon, serial entrepreneurs Benny Schnaider & Avigdor Willenz, and Gil Geva, chairman of Tidhar. Large projects still rely on tedious manual record-taking by project managers who often keep track of hundreds of thousands of tasks and the progress of dozens of contractors. Productivity in the construction industry has plateaued with researchers estimating that 98 percent of megaprojects suffer cost overruns of more than 30 percent and 77 percent are at least 40 percent late. Buildots uses hardhat-mounted cameras to capture imaging of every detail of an ongoing project during regular site walks. The data is then automatically compared to the design model - an electricity socket installed even a few inches from where it should be is visible in the dashboard along with a photo - allowing mistakes or omissions to be corrected immediately at a fraction of what it could cost to rectify them weeks or months later. "In the short time since we started rolling out our product, the immense value it brings to the industry has become clear," said Roy Danon, CEO of Buildots. "Any efficient process must have proper controls in place, but till now, automatic process control has been impossible to implement in construction. Thanks to the latest advancements in the fields of AI and computer vision, we've been able to bring modern systems that are ubiquitous in other industries, to construction." The Automated Process Management solution created by Buildots compares the collected data with the project's design & schedule and provides essential tools for general contractors and developers to track their projects and make better decisions. The dashboard displays the percentage of the project completed broken down by each trade while also consolidating and allowing for the easy tracking of the loose ends that need to be completed. These functionalities, and others, integrate with existing construction management tools. The UK and Israel-based company was founded in 2018 by Roy Danon, Aviv Leibovici, and Yakir Sundry. All three graduated from 'Talpiot', the creative engine of the Israeli Defense Forces and its most prestigious unit. The company has grown to 35 top developers, engineers, researchers and business professionals. They count among their clients two of the ten largest construction companies in Europe, as well as the largest Israeli construction firm. Buildots also has plans to make their product available to the US market in the coming year. "Since founding the company, we have managed to prove both technical feasibility and product-market fit, by deploying the product on large-scale construction projects and showing huge returns for our customers," explained co-founder Roy Danon. "This new funding round is a great sign of confidence by existing and new investors, and will be used to scale and improve our product, and expand to new regions." "Buildots have been able to solve a challenge that for many seemed unconquerable, delivering huge potential for changing the way we complete our projects," said Gil Geva, chairman of Tidhar Construction Group. "The combination of an ambitious vision, great team and strong execution abilities quickly led us from being a customer to joining as an investor to take part in their journey." "Analysts have identified a $1.6 trillion opportunity to close the construction productivity gap," said Shahar Tzafrir, managing partner at TLV Partners. "The team at Buildots has been able to produce a solution that will help close that gap by bringing automation and control to construction, assisting managers to complete projects on time and within budget." Media Contact Lazer Cohen [email protected] 347-753-8256 SOURCE Buildots Related Links https://buildots.com/ Syracuse, N.Y. Restaurants of all kinds have faced challenges with reopening during the coronavirus pandemic, but traditional diners have a different set of obstacles to overcome. Many diners are small, with shared counters where customers atop bar stools bump elbows while dipping buttered toast into runny egg yolks, washed down with a bottomless cup of coffee. How do you properly social distance in such tight quarters? Diners dont make a lot of money on each customer $10 per check is average but survive on quick turnover and moving a lot of customers through each day. With restaurants operating at half capacity, it will be hard to serve enough customers. Three owners of local diners Market Diner, Carls Kountry Kitchen and Rustons Diner talked with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard recently about these challenges and how they are trying to cope as they prepare to reopen after being closed for more than four months. Market Diner The Market Diner, 2100 Park Street in Syracuse.Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse. Market Diner owner Tony Imbesi spent three weeks visiting other diners. Not for breakfast, but for business. Imbesi checked out their parking lots to see what kind of crowds the diners were drawing, to see when the right time would be to reopen his diner. Restaurant dining rooms across the state closed on March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Market Diner initially offered takeout and delivery, but after only three days, Imbesi closed the restaurant. The diner, located at 2100 Park St., has remained closed since. Imbesi originally announced on Facebook that he planned to reopen on July 6, but between the work that had to be done to make the diner as safe as possible and what he saw as a struggle for other diners to get enough customers to make it worthwhile, he pushed back the reopening. The business didnt warrant opening my doors, Imbesi said. The diner is now slated to reopen Monday. Carls Kountry Kitchen 13 Carl's Kountry Kitchen readies to reopen Sona Barletta waited as long as she could. Barletta has owned Carls Kountry Kitchen, located at 2300 Teall Ave. in Lyncourt, since 2012. She received a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan in April that helped pay the bills and keep the business afloat. But she has a mortgage to pay and employees no longer buoyed by the extra $600 in weekly benefits from the CARES Act that need to return to work. So today, Carls will reopen. Her staff, who had all worked full time, will return to part-time duty and be allowed to make up some of the difference in state unemployment benefits. Everyone is trying to wing it, Barletta said. Who knows what the best decision to make is? Rustons Diner Ruston's Diner, 6407 Rock Cut Road, Jamesville.Kathe Harrington Bruce Heaney has owned Rustons Diner, located at 6407 Rock Cut Road in Jamesville, for the last 18 years. He echoed a similar sentiment. Hes reopening his doors on Saturday, after closing immediately when dining rooms were shuttered in March. Several of his staff members have lung problems, including a manager who recently battled lung cancer, so the decision to close was easy. The money wasnt worth their life, he said. Some employees told Heaney that due to their own health concerns, they dont feel comfortable returning to work just yet. Heaney can deal with that because with the 90-seat diner reduced to a capacity of 45, there simply isnt a need yet to bring back the entire staff. But there are bills to pay and the rest of his staff, despite the inherent risks, want to return to work. They miss the diner, especially the customers. Its almost like Cheers, he said. For some regulars, Rustons was home, Heaney said. In recent years, Heaney had backed away from the full time, day-to-day grind of the diner and spent more time behind the scenes. But now, he cant afford not to work. So when the diner reopens on Saturday, hell be in the kitchen. He plans on working four days a week. Hes worried if the diner can be profitable with a 50% capacity cap. Heaneys brother is part-owner of three steakhouses in Pennsylvania. When the state had a similar 50% capacity cap, two of the three steakhouses were losing money. Only one was breaking even. But its only gotten worse. On July 15, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf upped the restrictions to only 25% capacity, in response to a surge in Covid-19 cases. You just have no idea, he said. 21 Syracuse diners dormant from COVID-19 virus At Rustons, the bar stools at the counter are gone, as are several tables. Heaney also designated a new area for waitstaff only where they can sit, take off their mask and take a break. All three owners used the closure as an opportunity to spruce up their restaurants. The dining rooms have a fresh coat of paint, repairs were done and the diners were given a deep cleaning. Heaney took the time to add a second TV and Wi-Fi. Barletta and Imbesi are taking similar steps in anticipation of their respective reopenings. Both are erecting plexiglass barriers. At the Market Diner, the barrier will be at the register near the main entrance. When Carls Kountry Kitchen reopens, diners will no longer go to the register to pay. Instead, waitstaff will handle payment at each table. All three diners will use paper disposable menus. Barletta also installed removable custom-made barriers at the two horseshoe-shaped counters, as well as fixed barriers extending from the back of each booth. Physical barriers are required between different parties whenever social distancing is not possible. The barriers cost around $1,000 to make. Will it be worth it? The owners said the average check at their diners is around $10 per person. That low price point works if you can serve a lot of customers each day. Imbesi expects to do one-third of what his usual business was before the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, the Market Diner served around 3,500 to 4,000 people a week. He might do 1,000 meals before 2 p.m. on a Saturday if its busy at the adjacent Central New York Regional Market. Now? If we do 1,200 people a week, Ill be happy, he said. The diners capacity has been reduced from 180 to 90 seats. All three owners are being cautious. They pledged to sanitize their restaurants as much as possible because they worry what a resurgence in coronavirus cases in Central New York would mean for restaurants in the area. Im not bringing this disease back to my 6 year old with asthma, Imbesi said. The Market Diner will be open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on weekends from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. The diner is temporarily suspending its dinner service as part of a few tweaks to the menu. Carls Kountry Kitchen will be open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Rustons Diner will be open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Jacob Pucci writes on food, restaurants and all things gastronomic across Central New York. Contact him by email at jpucci@syracuse.com. Sema4, a Stamford, Conn.-based patient-centered health intelligence company, raised $121m in Series C financing. Funds managed by BlackRock led the round at a post-money valuation of over $1 billion. Additional new investors include Deerfield Management Company and Moore Strategic Ventures. Each of the investors from first round of external funding participated in this second round, including Blackstone, Section 32, Oak HC/FT, Decheng, and Connecticut Innovations. As part of this deal, Andrew Elbardissi, MD Partner at Deerfield, has joined Sema4s board of directors. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and its business reach. Spun out of the Mount Sinai Health System in June 2017 by Eric Schadt, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Sema4 is a patient-centered health intelligence company building dynamic models of human health and defining optimal, individualized health trajectories, starting in the areas of reproductive health and oncology. Centrellis, its health intelligence platform, enables the company to generate a complete understanding of disease and wellness and to provide science-driven solutions to the most pressing medical needs. Sema4 recently launched Sema4 Signal, a family of products and services providing data-driven precision oncology solutions. FinSMEs 30/07/2020 Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexicos jobless rate has hit its highest level in decades during the coronavirus pandemic, causing the states unemployment trust fund to be steadily drawn down over the past four months. In response, state Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley this week requested up to $285 million from the U.S. Labor Department to make sure the fund does not dry up over the next three months. We just want to make sure the details are being taken care of so that people can be absolutely sure they can get their benefits, McCamley said Wednesday. He said he expects the request will be approved, because at least 13 other states, including Texas and Colorado, have already received approval for similar aid. The balance of New Mexicos unemployment fund dipped from $465 million as of mid-March to $112.7 million last week, according to Department of Workforce Solutions data. Thats because New Mexico, like other states, has seen a tsunami of jobless benefit claims related to the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly among the leisure and hospitality industries. More than 10% of the states labor force filed initial unemployment claims during a period of about one month shortly after the pandemic began, as state-ordered closures of businesses not deemed to be essential led to widespread employee layoffs and furloughs. While the states unemployment rate has gone down since April, it was still at 8.3% as of last month well above the 4.9% rate of a year earlier. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in April there was an obvious math problem, with more money going out to claimants than coming into the fund, but she vowed her administration would not allow the fund to be depleted. The request for federal funds technically known as repayable advances would keep money in the trust fund at least through October, McCamley said. Under the request, the state would receive up to $35 million in August, and as much as $125 million in both September and October. Any money the state gets will have to be repaid. McCamley said a decision would be made by September whether to request additional federal funds. In addition, McCamley said a working group that includes business representatives will study possible structural changes to the fund in the coming months. That could lead to proposed legislation being drafted for the 2021 legislative session, which starts in January. Rob Black, the president and CEO of the New Mexico Association of Commerce and Industry, said the request for federal funds did not come as a surprise. But he said some businesses could face higher payments into the fund next year as the state faces repayment of the federal loan. The concern is it becomes a tax on employers, and it becomes much more difficult to bring back employees, Black told the Journal. Currently, money is paid into the fund by employers based on a complicated formula that includes total taxable payroll, jobless benefits incurred and a contribution level set by the state. Among all states, New Mexico was at the middle of the pack going into this year when it came to having enough unemployment funds to weather a recession, according to a Tax Foundation report. Meanwhile, McCamley said, his agency has added more staffers to its call center and improved its online unemployment site. Those changes were made after the surge in claims left some applicants frustrated after repeated attempts and countless hours spent trying to access the states system. While McCamley acknowledged the system still is not perfect, he said the agency has paid 93% of those eligible for unemployment benefits and distributed $1.5 billion a figure that includes expanded federal jobless benefits since the pandemic started. New Mexicans need to know that theyre OK, and were doing everything were supposed to be doing to make sure they will continue getting the benefits they need to get through these times, he said. An extra $600 per week in federal unemployment benefits expires at the end of this week, but it could be at least partially extended if a new congressional stimulus bill is approved. Since the husband and wife training duo of Lauren and Shane Tritton arrived in the United States this spring, their stable has been on a tear. The stable has won 10 of its first 35 starts, including a 4-for-17 start at Yonkers Raceway. Of the 12 horses the Trittons brought over from Australia, none have adapted quicker or been more consistent than My Ruebe Star, who brings a four-race win streak to the $33,000 filly and mare open handicap Thursday night (July 30). The horses have done pretty well, Shane said. Were still learning and were still trying to work out the changes between training in Australia and here, but were trying to mold it as we go. The horses have been getting better; we knew theyd get better as we went because we are still trying to work out exactly where to race them and where they needed to be. [My Ruebe Star] has been the horse thats acclimatized the quickest. She looks a million dollars and she adapted to the way were training here better than the rest. Were pretty happy with her and hopefully she can keep the ball rolling, Shane said. Theres a couple of little things there that you need to adjust and some horses pick up on it quicker than others. Shes been one that you can just tell by looking at her, shes dappled up and shes full of beans. I knew shed keep getting better, we just dont know where that will end up. My Ruebe Star is a six-year-old New Zealand-bred daughter of Falcon Seelster that is out of the New York Motoring mare Zenola Star. After showing promise in New Zealand for breeder and co-owner Mike Siemelink, My Ruebe Star was exported to Australia in May 2019 and joined Trittons ranks. My Ruebe Star won on debut for her new connections with Lauren in the sulky in a $14,280 overnight at Menangle on June 22, 2019. My Ruebe Star racked up another five wins through the end of February 2020, as she climbed the class ladder. She also finished fourth in the Group 3 Garrards New Years Gift Final at Menangle on January 11, in which winner Bright Energy was clocked in 1:50.1. The guy that owned her in New Zealand sent her over to us just to see how shed shape up at Menangle and she came to us almost a maiden and she raced right through her grades at Menangle, Tritton said. She was probably a season shy of going to the top. She ran fourth in a 1:50.1 mile back home a month before we came over. She was just starting to break into some of the better mares races and then we shut her down to bring her over here. Among My Ruebe Stars best attributes is her gait. Tritton knew she would fit the American style of racing and the half-mile track at Yonkers Raceway, he just needed to persuade the owners, who had their eyes on stakes races in Australia and breeding her later on. Shes certainly a horse we were desperate to bring, Tritton said. It took a bit of convincing of the owners to bring her over. Once we explained that she should do well here, they were happy enough to give us a crack with her and now theyre obviously pretty happy with the decision. We know she cant keep winning forever, but shes certainly got the qualities to take out a big race if she can get the right run. We just knew that with her gait, she would suit the tracks here and shes probably fitting them better than we could have imagined, Tritton continued. We think shes only going to get better with a season of racing under her belt here. She really hasnt taken any harm out of the runs shes had so far, so hopefully shes still got a bit in the tank and she can keep stepping up. My Ruebe Star qualified a runner-up at the Goshen Historic Track on June 4 before making her first stateside start in a $10,000 Meadowlands Racetrack overnight on June 12, becoming the first pari-mutuel starter and winner for 'Team Tritton' in America. My Ruebe Star took a lifetime mark of 1:50.1 while repeating a week later. She was a little bit fresh and needed to get that race start underway, Tritton said. First two starts, she came through really well at the Meadowlands and we wanted to get her to Yonkers as soon as we could because we knew she was so good-gaited that shed have a bit of an advantage there over most horses. Once we got her there, shes come through those runs brilliantly and it hasnt really taken much of a toll on her. Tritton moved My Ruebe Star to Yonkers on July 9, where she overcame Post 8 in a $17,250 overnight. In the tile, she rode a pocket trip behind favourite Feelin Red Hot and utilized a :27 final quarter to glide past the pacesetter in the stretch for her third consecutive win. In her latest start at 'the Hilltop' on July 16, My Ruebe Star went gate-to-wire in 1:52.3 in a $20,250 overnight to make it four in a row. My Ruebe Star drew Post 7 in an open draw in this weeks distaff feature and is 8-1 on the morning line with regular driver Jordan Stratton. Snobbytown, twice a winner and once the runner-up in this class in her last three starts for George Brennan and Ron Burke, is the 3-2 morning line favourite after having drawn the inside. The field also includes Imprincessgemma, whose lone win this season came in the filly and mare open handicap on February 14 and who has since finished second in this class three times, including twice behind Snobbytown in her last three starts for the Bongiornos. She drew Post 8 and is 6-1 on the morning line. Monica Gallagher, Lispatty, Kaitlyn, Robyn Camden, and Diamondtoothgertie complete the field. Its a tough draw this week and we know these are the best mares going around Yonkers at the moment, so its going to be tough, Tritton said. We just know that shes good enough to mix it with them. When she gets the right run, shell certainly be good enough to stick her nose out, thats for sure. Although My Ruebe Star has raced on or near the lead in all of her stateside starts thus far, Tritton says she can also come from off the pace. While the tactics are up to Stratton, Tritton would not be surprised to see My Ruebe Star leaving the gate again this week. Its tough, I look at a race and tell (Jordan) we should lead and he says, no, you wont lead this week, theres too much speed. I dont know the races good enough, so I kind of leave it up to him. I think hell still go forward, but at end of the day, whatever he decides is going to be fine. You have to drive a race within its means and give yourself the best chance to be at the finish. At home, you can come from the back of the field and get into the finish, Tritton continued. Its a bit harder to do that here unless they go really hard up front. But shes got really good gate speed. Shes probably better from behind, but its harder to win from behind, so shell probably have to use her gate speed more often than not. Jordan said the best she ever went was [on July 9] when he could just sit on her and you obviously need a bit of luck when you do that, but he said thats probably the best she felt hitting the line. This is the toughest race weve been in since weve been here and were just happy to have a horse whos good enough to be in there and hopefully we can get a bit of luck. Yonkers Raceways revised schedule features live harness racing Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, Friday nights. First post time is at 7:12 p.m. (SOA of NY) For seven years, nothing has been known about the fate of founder of the Mar Musa community, who disappeared in Raqqa on 29 July 2013. Card Zenari notes that the clergyman, like many of the missing, was as "card" to be played in the Syrian power game. Prisoners must be freed or the families must be informed. Some good will is needed. Damascus (AsiaNews) Seven years ago, Fr Paolo DallOglio, founder of the community of Deir Mar Musa al-Habashio in northern Syria, about 80 kilometres from Damascus, went missing. The fate of the Jesuit priest, originally from Rome (Italy) remains a mystery. Every now and then a few rumours are heard, said Card Mario Zenari, apostolic nuncio in Syria, speaking to AsiaNews. In recent years everything has been tried but, inevitably, everything has been covered up. Nothing has been left out; there is nothing to let us to say any concrete about his fate, whether he is alive or dead. On too many occasions, stories about him have surfaced, but none has ever proved credible. The last reliable information leads to Raqqa, the former stronghold of the "Caliphate" in Syria. A compelling figure in Islamic-Christian interfaith dialogue, Fr Dall'Oglio went missing over night between 28 and 29 July 2013 after he went to the headquarters of the Islamic State (IS) in Raqqa, one of the groups strongholds. He wanted to defend dialogue and exchange, as well as ask for the release of several hostages held by the jihadi group. Ever since that night, reports of his death and sightings have multiplied without much evidence, interspersed with long periods of silence. In the past, some media have reported that he was still alive, but with nothing concrete to go on. So far, the most credible information comes from a former IS member, according to whom Fr Dall'Oglio was tortured and killed a few days after he was detained. Other sources have confirmed this version of events, but even in this case there is no material evidence. "According to United Nations figures, about 100,000 people have gone missing in Syria without leaving a trace, said Card Zenari. The UN special envoy Geir Pedersen, like his predecessor Staffan de Mistura, addressed the Security Council on several occasions, stressing that this humanitarian question must be supported and reliable answers must be provided. For the prelate "the parties responsible" for the abductions must "make show some good will" and provide credible information. Prisoners, the missing "must be freed or the families must be informed. I repeat, there are almost 100,000 missing and each family has the right to know what happened to their loved one. This applies to Fr Dall'Oglio, as well as to the two Orthodox metropolitans and the other two young priests. Unfortunately, we have nothing so far. Last year, the US Department of Justice offered a reward of up to five million dollars for anyone who could provide useful information on missing clerics: Fr Maher Mahfouz, a Greek Orthodox priest; Syrian Orthodox Archbishop Gregorios Ibrahim; Greek Orthodox Archbishop Boulos Yazigi; and Michael Kayyal, an Armenian Catholic priest. However, nothing new has emerged and their fate remains shrouded in mystery. Kidnapping victims "should not be freed one at a time; if a group no longer has them, it should say what happened". As for the reasons behind abductions, the cardinal thinks that it was to "get exchange material for other prisoners. These people were taken to play this card, whether religious dignitaries, Christians, or high-ranking military officers. In all probability, Fr. Paolo was a card to play in Syrias complicated power game. Many of us are swapping the traditional vacation for the daycation for obvious reasons. A long, leisurely drive in the country to a serene setting might be just what we need. Better yet, if that setting looks like something from Architectural Digest and includes a riveting glass of wine and bowl of delicious pasta, it wont feel like plan B. Im talking about The Old Third tucked in Prince Edward County. This Ontario winery two and a half hours east of Toronto is a restored 1860s barn owned by Bruno Francois and his partner Jens Korberg. We actually met online about 20 years ago when I still lived in Sweden, says Korberg with a warmth in his voice at the memory. We met on ICQ, which was a big thing before MSN Messenger. ICQ had this random chat button that would pick anyone in the world who happened to be online guys or girls. It was completely random. So one time I clicked random chat and Bruno popped up. We just started talking. Five months later I moved to Toronto. Its actually quite insane, but it worked. Weve been together ever since. Korberg and Francois lived in Toronto together for five years before deciding to ditch city life and buy a winery. Or more precisely, buy a piece of land where the old barn sits, plant vines and start one from the ground up. The winery is on Closson Road in Hillier, but locals used to call it The Old Third. Now, 15 years later, that barn is beautiful and business is booming. It sprawls 4,200 square feet, rises three storeys and lures you in with lots of lounging nooks, a tasting bar and a new pasta bar called Quattro Amici. Outside, lots of well-spaced, rustic-chic tables dot the property. Its where you want to be. But not just for the setting. For the wine. The Old Third produces small amounts of very good Normandy-style, vintage-dated cider, which is apple wine. This bone-dry bubbly has more in common with a sparkling Chardonnay than the sweet stuff youd drink by the pint at a pub. It is delicate, sparkling and complex. And ageworthy. The 2016 Golden Russet Cuvee Yquelon sparkling cider sells at the winery for $3 per tasting, $10 per glass or $30 per bottle. This apple wine shines a deep straw colour, is shot through with delicate effervescence, and exudes gentle aromas of crisp apple as well as lemon zest, rich butterscotch and a top-note of white flowers. The attack is bright and steely, entering like a beam of light with great precision. Then it broadens slowly with wispy suggestions of white peach, cool steel and brine all dry, crisp and cool. The length is long, calling to mind pronounced flavours of toasty croissant, toffee and nutmeg as well as a fluttery note of white flowers found on the nose. Such lovely complexity. The bubbles are tiny, the texture glossy-cool and the pleasure immense. Score: 94 This delicious cider drinks like a fine wine. And it will improve becoming more restrained, elegant and complex with time. So its worth buying a few bottles and tucking them away. The fruit for Golden Russet Cuvee Yquelon comes from a single estate, an Ontario apple orchard just outside of Prince Edward County. It is hand-sorted and pressed. The juice is fermented, unfiltered and bottled. Then it undergoes a second fermentation in bottle before being disgorged and corked. The result is what winemaker Francois calls real cider. I make real cider because it was a family tradition, says Francois. I use Golden Russets: the monarch of all apples. I buy the whole crop and let it express its terroir. That apple is the perfect canvas. Francois is a software architect turned winemaker whose grandfather made cider in Normandy, France. Korberg is a talented interior designer who transformed the winery from an old barn into todays welcoming space with genius touches like lining the whole structure with Tyvek building wrap. This lining isnt noticeable but lets the light and the breeze through the wooden-slatted exterior while keeping the moisture out, so sitting inside feels airy and open. Complementing this rustic setting are gorgeously furnished seating areas. Right now, Prince Edward County is in Stage 3 of reopening and The Old Third is taking all the right steps to support the safety of employees and patrons. Masks are mandatory inside except when tasting. Hand sanitizer is available at the door. And theres a six-person limit for tastings and lunch. While Stage 3 allows for indoor dining, the winery reserves indoors for wine and cider tasting or lounging with a nice glass in one of the cushy enclaves. Pasta can be enjoyed outside where there is seating for up to 72, including tables with cloths and centrepieces under a pretty white tent. As well as the Normandy-style cider, you can sample The Old Thirds 2018 Riesling, which is off-dry and unfiltered ($3 tasting, $12 glass $42 bottle). This white wine is pale straw in colour and brims with bright stone fruit and lime, with a touch of salinity, a kiss of sweetness and racy acidity that leaves the palate scraped clean. Score: 88 Its a simple menu, simple food, but we make our own pasta, make our own cheese for the pasta like mozzarella and ricotta, says Korberg. And real truffles. We use real truffles, Francois adds, saying he plans to use them in the pasta special July 31 to Aug. 2. When I revisited for this story, I had the tagliatelle with homemade pesto and it was delicious with a glass of the 2016 Golden Russet Cuvee Yquelon. The Old Third built a name for itself with its red wines over the years. They now have a cult-like following. I remember swooning over a barrel sample of the Pinot Noir in 2010, the year the winery opened. And the legacy lives on. The 2015 library samples I tasted with Francois for this story were ethereal but are of course sold out. Right now, the entire 2019 vintage of the winerys red wine is sold out, despite still being in barrel. It includes the 2019 Cabernet Franc and the 2019 Pinot Noir. And it was sold through its futures program. These wines are made entirely from fruit grown on the winerys estate. The next release of red wine will be in 2021. The Old Third wines are only available at the winery. There are no online buying options, but that seems to make these wines all the more special. Its worth the drive. For hours and location, check theoldthird.com Hyderabad: All the pensioners under Employees Pension Scheme and Employees Family Pension Scheme have been asked to submit Jeevan Pramaan-Aadhar based online digital life certificate at the MEE-SEVA centres/CSCs in Telangana before December 31. It is not necessary to compulsorily visit Employees Provident Fund Organisation Offices for this purpose and this arrangement has been made for the convenience of pensioners, Regional PF Commissioner (Hyderabad Region) MSKVV Satyanarayana said in a release. The pensioners were asked to carry Aadhar card, bank account passbook/statement, Pension Payment Order Number, and mobile phone (for getting OTP). The pensioners were advised to submit the digital life certificate before December 31 to enable PF office to update the life certificates and release pension for 2017, the release said. The app TikTok has been repeatedly making headlines as governments around the world consider take action against the video platform. Donald Trump has said the app will be banned in the United States on 12 November. TikToks partnership with a US corporation, most likely Oracle, could save it in the country, but details about such decisions remain unclear. Such decisions are being made for a number of reasons, including border conflicts with the Indian government and anti-Chinese sentiment from the United States. Concerns have also been raised about the Chinese government's approach to data and privacy, both with regards to its own citizens and the potential to collect information from foreign citizens. For the average person such decisions are confusing, especially because of the unclear relationship between TikTok (which does not exist in China), its Chinese parent company ByteDance, and the Chinese government. What is TikTok? TikTok is a viral video app. The app lets users record 15-second short form video, and has become popular among young people. The app reportedly has over one billion active users, 100 million of which come from the United States. TikTok was launched in international markets in 2017, and hit the United States when it merged with lip-syncing app Musical.ly in 2018. Who is TikTok owned by? TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. The company itself was headed by former Disney executive Kevin Mayer, but he has since left the company during this controversy. TikTok says that its data is kept in the United States with backup servers in Singapore and does not keep data in China. What data does TikTok collect? According to TikToks privacy policy, the company collects a range of personal information including but not limited to: Registration information, such as age, username and password, language, and email or phone number Profile information, such as name, social media account information, and profile image User-generated content Payment information It also collects information from users linked social networks as well as technological data including IP address, browsing history, and location data, as well as information from third-party platforms linked to it such as Facebook friends. In comparison to other social media sites, TikTok has been more open about how its algorithm works and how it uses this collected data to recommend content on the main feed of the app. Amazon tells employees to delete TikTok - video explainer What is Douyin? Douyin, however, is the version of TikTok that is available in China. The app has the same logo as TikTok, as well as the same interface, functions, and content. It was launched in 2016 in China, and has more features than TikTok. This includes more mundane additions, such as the ability to buy products in videos, but also more concerning ones, such as reportedly using facial recognition to ensure that users outside of China cannot stream on the app. TikTok has said that it does not remove videos at the behest of the Chinese government. According to its transparency report, the countries that have most requested videos be removed are the United States and India. However, it is unclear if the same can be said of Douyin. Douyin would not comment. A report from 2019 revealed that TikTok did indeed censor videos that the Chinese government did not approve of, including those that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong, according to internal documents. Bytedance said such documents were retired in May 2019, and that such guidelines did not reference specific countries or issues. Why is it being banned? President Trump signed an executive order which requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores. Such action will be taken on 12 November, unless a deal is struck. Downloading the app will be illegal, according to the order from the US Department of Commerce. People who already have the app installed will still be able to use it as normal after 12 November. However, they will not be able to download new updates, which could quickly mean the apps functionality will break since developers will not be able to fix bugs or make changes. After 12 November, it will be illegal in the US not only to distribute TikTok through app stores but also to provide the underlying internet infrastructure that powers it, or to allow its code to be accessible. That would effectively amount to a complete ban, with users unable to access the app at all. The app's founder has claimed that the real goal of the US government is a "ban" on the app because it is "difficult to have a thoughtful and nuanced conversation about complex situations" such as China. TikTok has been at risk of being banned for months, as the Trump administration has expressed concerns about the apps relationship to the Chinese government. A Republican senator banned staff from using the app in March, and following that staff from both the DNC and RNC have warned staff against using the app. TikToks US general manager, Vanessa Pappas, commented that TikTok will remain in the US. We are here for the long run. Continue to share your voice here and lets stand for TikTok, she said in a video. Millions of Americans who use TikTok every day, bringing their creativity and joy into our daily lives. Weve heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. Were not planning on going anywhere" she added. The justification behind such a ban is vague but is rooted in anti-China sentiment that has been exacerbated by the recent political actions of the Chinese government, as well as China's approach to privacy and data. TikTok's privacy policy says that the company reserves the right to share user information with other members of its corporate group. This includes its parent company Bytedance, which could then theoretically share user data with Beijing, according to research from Protonmail. Chinas National Intelligence Law from 2017 requires organisations and citizens to support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work, and although Chinese companies have said they would not comply with such action, experts reportedly believe they would not have a choice. Currently, the Chinese government is in conflict with protestors in Hong Kong due to a new law that banning secessionist activities and subversion of the Chinese state. The Chinese government is also in conflict with India over border tensions which led to 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, being banned in India. PUBG and 117 other mostly Chinese-owned apps have also been banned in India. The Indian government said that some of the apps had been found to be stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India, but did not make any specific allegations. TikTok has denied such claims, and said it would leave Hong Kong. The app was recently found to be copying clipboard data from iOS devices without user knowledge. That said other apps, including LinkedIn, PUBG Mobile (the app for the Player Unknown BattleGrounds video game), and The New York Times app, were also copying clipboard data from iOS devices without user knowledge. Mike Pompeo: US to consider banning TikTok and other Chinese apps What is likely to happen? TikTok will seemingly either be banned from the United States, despite questions raised about the legality of such an option. TikTok recently announced a new data centre in Ireland, following reports that it is moving its global headquarters to London. It appears as if the app will become partnered with Oracle, rather than buying the apps US operations entirely. Experts have said that the move doesnt make any sense. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is unusual among tech executives for his public support of President Trump. Microsoft was seen as the favourite to purchase the viral video app, in partnership with Walmart, but has since said that Bytedance declined its offer. Bytedance let us know today they would not be selling TikToks US operations to Microsoft. We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikToks users, while protecting national security interests, Microsoft said in its statement. Walmart will reportedly still look to purchase a stake in the company. Donald Trump said yesterday that his administration had spoken to Walmart and Oracle about a possible deal, but that there had been no substantial change in the situation. "We're making a decision. We spoke today to Walmart, Oracle. I guess Microsoft is still involved," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a visit to Wisconsin. "We'll make a decision, but nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon." Twitter has also reportedly looked into buying TikTok. Recently, a consortium of companies that includes Google's parent organisation Alphabet has looked into buying a minority, non-voting stake in TikTok, according to Bloomberg, but apparently that "effort has fizzled in recent days." If TikTok separates as an American company, that doesnt help us, because its going to be worse were going to have to give China billions of dollars for the privilege of having TikTok operate on US soil, said White House adviser Peter Navarro The US government could legally sever TikTok from its parent company Bytedance, as it has done in the past with other Chinese companies. In 2019, the US government demanded Beijing Kunlun Tech to relinquish their control of Grindr. However, such action would be politically troubling because unlike Huawei, which has been charged with of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets, the allegations against TikTok are not as obvious. These Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether its TikTok or WeChat are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with Fox News. It could be their facial recognition pattern. It could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who theyre connected to. These are true national security issues. From August 1 clinically vulnerable people will no longer need to follow shielding advice. (AP) Millions of clinically vulnerable people in England will no longer need to follow shielding advice from 1 August after the next round of lockdown easing comes into effect. At the start of the pandemic, around 2.2 million people with serious health conditions were told to stay indoors as much as possible to protect themselves from coronavirus. At-risk people received letters from the government in the middle of March, asking them to shield themselves from the virus because of their medical history. As restrictions have slowly eased across the country, the advice for this group of people stayed the same until 6 July, and will now mostly come to an end from August. The government has indicated they will quickly move to reintroduce the guidance if the country sees a spike in cases. Boris Johnson said on Thursday that 10-30 places were seeing increases in coronavirus. Heres everything you need to know about the changes in guidance for at-risk people. Whats going to change? From 1 August, the government is pausing the advice for clinically at-risk people and said they will reactivate it the country sees an increase in cases. Social distancing sign in London (AP) Shielding people will be able to return to work, go to the shop and participate in the rest of society for the first time since lockdown began, as long as they practice social distancing. Children who are clinically vulnerable will be allowed to go to school when term begins. The advice remains "stay at home as much as you can and continue to take precautions when you do go out". The government has emphasised that the risk from the virus is still present and has asked the clinically vulnerable and the people they associate with to be as careful as possible. What changed on 6 July? People who have been shielding havent been required to social distance from people in their own household since 6 July. They were also allowed to meet up with up to five friends, and people who qualify to form a support bubble were allowed to do so. Story continues People who have been shielding have been allowed to meet up for five friends outdoors since July 6. (Getty) Support bubbles are for people who live on their own, or with a child under the age of 18, to couple with another household and treat the two homes as if they are the same. The government also changed the advice to say vulnerable people can return to work if they cannot work from home. Employers must ensure that their safety is accounted for and social distancing at their workplace can take place. Whats going to end? Special provisions have been in place to support shielding people since the start of the pandemic. Free food parcels, medicine, and extra care for shielded people will stop on 1 August. However, the government has said vulnerable people can rely on NHS Volunteer Responders to help deliver food and medicine if they need it. Several supermarkets are also continuing to offer priority online delivery slots for clinically at-risk people The special ability to claim statutory sick pay because a person a vulnerable person is shielding even if they dont have symptoms is also being removed, bringing rules into line with the rest of the population. What about people in care homes? Care providers are being asked to develop their own safety regime with consultation from their residents to ensure all necessary precautions are being taken. The government has issued separate advice for care homes to ensure their safety is prioritised. Staff are also being asked to follow social distancing measures and to wear protective equipment when around residents. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter If, as seems likely at the time of writing, my friend Sachin Pilot parts ways with the Congress party, it would hardly be a novelty. Starting shortly after Independence, when the venerable Acharya JB Kripalani split to form his own party in 1952, the Congress has experienced over 70 such splits. But the severe decline of the party in recent years has left it incapable of surviving many more. Contrary to allegations of external interference, the partys leadership has demonstrably been its own worst enemy. A well-known definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. As the Congress collapses all around him, its heir apparent continues his unrelenting criticism and disrespect of every single thing that Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi says or does. That strategy has been deployed for years now, and all it has achieved is earn its proponent a reputation for lack of political acumen, and understanding of history, and of voters. This attitude that if Modi says or does something, it is inherently bad and must be opposed at all costs is irrational. It is also no longer exhibited by other political opponents of PM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and they have a better recent track record than the Congress. The most prominent example of that is the Delhi chief minister (CM), Arvind Kejriwal, who abandoned his earlier blind opposition to PM a couple of years ago after registering that voters did not resonate with it, and that it was costing Aam Aadmi Party dearly. Since then, though, of course, he continues to be a bitter political opponent, his stand is much more nuanced, especially on issues of national security such as Balakot and the clash with China. There are many other political leaders, far more successful than the Congress scion, who have similarly adjusted their party line. They sensibly avoid criticising national security choices, but also carefully avoid picking fights on other topics where the Modi government is perceived to have performed well and earned voter appreciation. The classic example of this is the now grand old man of Odisha politics, CM Naveen Patnaik, who, in the past six years, has shrewdly avoided clashing with PM on most national issues, while bitterly opposing the BJP on local issues. The lack of course correction for strategies that have repeatedly failed is one of several reasons for the Congress decimation. Frustrated Congress leaders privately say that this obduracy contributed to the partys dismal performance in the last years general elections. While it was clear that a particular derogatory slogan against PM was not only not working, but boomeranging, the then Congress president nevertheless insisted on doubling down on it, even accusing reluctant colleagues of cowardice. There is an even more fundamental reason behind the Congress collapse: Any organisation that deliberately suppresses talent, will sooner or later pay dearly for it. It is no secret that my young friends now abandoning the Congress were repeatedly denied their due. Though the high commands last remaining loyalists contest this, claiming that they had all achieved positions over the years, the fact remains that they are more popular and capable than others who continue to lord over them in the party. Of course, the Congress is not the only party that deliberately suppresses its talent for feudal reasons; it just has the longest record of this and has suffered the most damage from it. Several regional parties that emulated its transition to family fiefdoms are now showing signs of the same atrophy. On the other hand, one of the biggest contributors to the BJPs rise over the decades is its ingrained culture of actively nurturing talent. There seems to be a feeble attempt within the Congress to rectify some other longstanding blunders, as with the recent commemoration of late PM PV Narasimha Raos centenary. But it is simply too little, too late. The downplaying of its non-family former leaders has become part of the partys DNA since the 1950s. This attempted fix was like applying a band-aid for stage-4 cancer. I am occasionally confronted by some with the argument, but a healthy democracy needs a strong opposition. Some others argue that an overly strong opposition more concerned with power and privilege, rather than development and national security, has far more costs than benefits for the system. Be that as it may, it is hardly reasonable to expect other parties to be apathetic to the self-destruction of a formerly Grand Old Party. It is but natural that political opponents would try to occupy the space thus created. Neither can it be considered the role of a governing party to set right an opposition one collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions. That role rightly belongs to civil society. But many in civil society actively colluded with the feudalisation of the Congress. Some did it for the power, pelf and patronage they received. Others just condoned and tolerated its decay into irrelevance out of a fear of change. A principled, robust Opposition is an asset in a democracy. That can, and should be, supported by all stakeholders. But it will not come about by trying to bring back to life something that died a long time ago. Baijayant Jay Panda is the national vice-president, BJP The views expressed are personal Iran still has enough loyal (to Iran) Iraqi militias to be a threat to the Iraqi government. Most Iraqi politicians and voters want less Iranian influence. Iran wants fewer foreign troops in Iraq. That is a point of contention because Iraqis realize the foreign troops offer some assurance that Western and Arab states would actively assist Iraq if Iran sought to take control via a civil war or invasion. Civil war is the more likely option, but only in an emergency, such as Iraq appearing to succeed in disbanding all the pro-Iran militias. Iran has ordered its associates in Iraq to try terror, as in kidnapping and assassination, to extract cooperation from Iraqi officials. Iran also ordered its militiamen to fire on protestors who were protesting corruption or Iran. In response to that the prime minister officially announced that the security forces had orders to not shoot at protestors but to use force against anyone who is harming protestors. Iran was not mentioned but this announcement made it clear that anyone shooting at protestors was working for Iran. Same with the growing number of kidnappings and assassinations. Some of these are the work of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) but a growing number are carried out by pro-Iran Iraqis. If the victim has been speaking out against Iran and the perpetrator wasnt an Islamic terrorist then Iran was probably responsible. Worse still is the fact that Iranian influence inside Iraq has waned since the American airstrike in January that killed Quds commander Qassem Soleimani, along with the commander of the Iraqi Katab Hezbollah and several other key Iran-backed Iraqi militia leaders. Iranian influence was already declining rapidly in 2019 and Soleimani was seen as a major factor in slowing that decline. Soleimani was an exceptional leader and Iran was unable to replace him with anyone of similar capabilities, stature and influence. This was made worse by the growing Iranian financial crises. This was demonstrated when Esmail Ghaani, the new Quds commander, made his first visit to Iraq and he, like Soleimani, crossed the border with impunity. Things went downhill from there. Iraqi supporters of Iran expected Esmail Ghaani to bring lots of cash for Iraqi commanders, to reinforce the alliance with and obedience to Iran. Ghaani didnt have any cash and passed out some cheap jewelry. Ghaani went back to Iran and reported that he had made progress. That turned out to be overly optimistic because they next time he tried to cross the into Iraq, he was stopped by border guards and told he, specifically him, had to apply for a visa first. Once Ghaani got back into Iraq he found that the reports of declining PMF morale and evaporating support for Iran were true. Again, Ghaani did not have any cash to pass around to encourage his followers. Iraqis are also aware of similar anti-Iran sentiments in Lebanon, which provided trainers and advisors to create the Iraqi Katab Hezbollah, which is openly accused of working for Iran to achieve Iranian control over Iraq. Growing popular anger in Iran against the religious dictatorship there also sends a message to Iraqis that even Iranians dont trust or like the Iranian government. Both Iranians and Iraqis are defying the Iranian government thugs in both countries and tearing down or defacing posters and billboards promoting the Iranian government and its policies. The Iraqi government does not back off on its resistance to Iranian control keeps applying economic and other pressure on PMF militias to act like they are Iraqi, not agents of Iran. Reduced support for Iran within the PMF crippled the recent Iranian attack plan against American forces in Iraq. This effort began in October and has included over 40 attacks so far. Few of these efforts did any damage and caused even fewer caused casualties. General Soleimani was trying to fix that when the American got to him in January. Iran expected the death of Soleimani would trigger more anti-American anger among Iraqis. Didnt happen. Most Iraqis saw Soleimani as more of a threat than the Americans. Iran was next door and forever threatening. The Americans were far away and had left once before, in 2011, and had to be asked to return in 2014 to deal with the ISIL invasion. The Americans are again eager to leave, the Iranians are not. Most Iranians want less money spent on subverting Iraq and more spent on building the Iranian economy and raising the standard of living. That is not a priority with the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) and its Quds Force that specializes in destabilizing other countries, like Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Creeping Covid19 Crisis Back in April Iraq had 1,621 covid19 cases and 83 dead. That was 41 cases per million population and two dead per million. Three months later and its 2,900 cases per million and 114 dead per million. Iraqi medical experts know a lot of covid19 infections and deaths are still going unreported and often unnoticed. The virus mainly kills the elderly and anyone with existing medical problems. A covid19 death can easily be mistaken for pneumonia or just an already very sick patient dying of their non-covid19 illness. Known covid19 infections and deaths are mainly an urban thing and Iraq has several large cities where the virus has settled in. Covid19 experience throughout the region varies. In Iran there have been 3,531 cases per million people and 194 deaths per million. The Iranian official data is bogus and the true death rates are more than four times higher. Covid19 has become a major crisis in Iran. In Turkey its 2,723 cases and 67 deaths per million. In Kuwait it is 15,409 and 104. In Saudi Arabia it is 7,806 and 81. In the UAE it is 6,006 and 35. Identified cases are not as important as confirmed deaths. That is a true indication of how far the virus has spread. It is also now known that for most of the population covid19 is no more of a than a bad strain of influenza, like the one that came along as recently as 2018 and not as fatal as flu strains that showed up in the late 1950s and 60s. Where covid19 does the most damage is among those already seriously ill with something else. This means many of the elderly. Protect the most vulnerable and you limit the covid19 death rate enormously. Wealthier nations have better medical care and larger populations of older people who are being treated, but not cured, of many afflictions that covid19 can turn into a fatal condition. Most of the covid19 deaths so far have been among the most vulnerable, not the general population. Among the large industrialized nations with good public health, several have suffered over 500 deaths per million so far. These include Britain (677), Spain (608), Italy (581) and Sweden (567). Sweden was notable because they did not impose any restrictions on Swedes but did report the status of the disease and who to keep isolated (the already ill plus the elderly). Sweden did not shut down its economy. Several industrialized nations have done much better, like Germany (110), Canada (236) and the United States (465). Even the death data from industrialized nations is not entirely accurate because not all suspected covid19 deaths are checked for the presence of the virus. Hospitals in industrialized nations find a lot of sickly people showing up claiming to have covid19 but turn out not to have it. They have something similar or nothing at all. Its a common reaction during well publicized epidemics. Even during the annual influenza season hospitals and doctors are visited by a lot of people who think they have the flu but dont. These are complex diseases in more ways than most people know or will admit. July 29, 2020: In the northwest, across the border in Syria (Deir Ezzor province) Iran backed Iraqi Katab Hezbollah have been seen operating 20 kilometers from the Iraq border. The Iraqi government forbids Iraqi militias from operating in Syria without government permission. Iran is increasingly flaunting this rule. July 27, 2020: In the north (Saladin, or Salahuddin, Province) two explosions at an army base 85 kilometers north of Baghdad that also hosted some U.S. troops was the result of four rockets fired at the base and two of them landing inside the base. Back in March a similar attack killed three foreign soldiers. July 26, 2020: Turkish airstrikes and ground attacks in northern Iraq continue. Turkey has been crossing the border for over a decade. The cause is the PKK, an organization of Turkish separatist Kurds fighting to create an autonomous Kurdish region in eastern Turkey. Iraqi Kurds tolerate the PKK presence in remote areas of the north, and sometimes in populated areas where the PKK helped with the fight against ISIL. The ISIL threat faded several years ago and now PKK presence anywhere in the north is considered a target for Turkish airstrikes or raids by Turkish troops. The current Turkish campaign began in June 16 and is still active, more so than any previous campaign against PKK activity in northern Iraq. Turkey has established about 30 temporary bases on the Iraqi side of the border indicating that Turkish ground forces, which have already advanced as far as 40 kilometers inside Iraq, will be in Iraq for a while. The Turks consider the current operation a continuation of a smaller cross border offensive that began at the end of May. Turkish warplanes, armed UAVs and artillery hit over 700 targets in a combat zone extending from border areas of Dohuk province (on the Syrian border) to Hakurk, the mountainous region where the borders of Iraq, Turkey and Iran meet. There were also airstrikes against a refugee camp outside Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish north. Iran cooperated in this operation by attacking PKK and local Iranian Kurd separatists found inside Iran opposite the Iraqi Hakurk region. The Iraqi Kurds asked the PKK to get out of Iraq. For a long time, the Iraqi Kurds had tolerated the PKK presence with the understanding that the PKK would not be violent inside Iraq and would stay away from Iraqi Arab and Kurd population centers. Over the last decade the PKK has increasingly violated that understanding and the Turkish attacks have become more frequent and intense. Iraqi Kurds will not go to war with the Turkish Kurds but now the PKK accuses Iraqi Kurds of supplying the Turks with information about where PKK camps are. There is no proof of that but more damage is done to the PKK-Iraqi Kurd relationship. The Arab world has noticed that Turkey is actively fighting Arabs in Libya, Syria and Iraq and ready to get involved elsewhere as well. Centuries of Turkish rule over Arabs ended a century ago when the Western allies defeated the Ottoman Empire. The Turks are determined to keep their own separatists and Arab Islamic terrorists under control in or near Turkey, no matter what the cost. July 25, 2020: Oil exports for June were 2.8 million BPD (Barrels Per Day) at $34 per barrel. Exports were down 12 percent from May. Oil income has been down sharply in 2020 because of the covid19 generated global recession. This drop in income has forced the government to consider going after the massive, blatant and longstanding corruption at border crossings where corrupt officials or local tribal militias take control of collecting the various fees that must be paid by those entering the country. The government loses about $10 billion a year to this theft. With oil prices stuck at around $30 a barrel Iraq called on Arab Gulf oil states to give or lend Iraq billions of dollars to keep their government operating. Any financial help from other Arab oil states is unlikely because all of them are suffering budget deficits. Iraq is more dependent on oil income than any other Gulf nation. Because of lower oil prices and lower oil demand the Iraqi GDP is expected to shrink at least ten percent in 2020. The monthly government payroll is $4.5 billion and so far this year oil income has only been able to cover a third of that. The 2020 government budget is $135 billion but taxes, mainly on oil income, are less than $90 billion. The shortfall must be obtained elsewhere. The Arab Oil states are willing to help, but only if Iraq can reduce the Iranian operations in Iraq and control the corruption. Most Iraqis agree with both of these demands but there are doubts that the current Iraqi politicians can deliver. Despite a year of violent anti-corruption protests and national (parliamentary) elections that have most politicians denouncing corruption, not much has changed. Its not that Arab states cannot reduce corruption because several Gulf states have. The UAE is now less corrupt than Israel and Saudi Arabia is carrying out reforms. So why not Iraq? Unless the Iraqi politicians can demonstrate real change, the Arb oil states are reluctant to provide the emergency cash. If Iraq cannot get the loans it will not be able to pay salaries and pensions that a fifth of the population depends on. Most of the salary and pension payments are actually bonuses or adjustments. A lot of this is bribes and outright theft. So how the government actually makes the cuts, if no loans are obtained, will reveal how serious the current politicians are about reducing corruption. Another problem with the reduced income is that it makes it difficult to do anything about the growing electricity shortage. Decades of corruption in the construction and management of power plants. This is a very volatile issue with all Iraqis. Jobs and working/living conditions depend on there being a steady and sufficient supply of electricity. There is neither and this creates anger in the workplace and at home. The unreliable electricity supply also cripples other essential utilities like water supply and sanitation. July 24, 2020: South of Baghdad four rockets landed in a base used by foreign troops. That ends tomorrow as the Besmaya base is turned over to the Iraqi Army. The rockets damaged some buildings but there were no casualties. July 23, 2020: In Baghdad security forces found, seized and disarmed a quadcopter armed with a two kg (4.4 pound) bomb. This quadcopter was modified to release the bomb on command and return to be equipped with another bomb. Outside Baghdad the airport resumed operations after being closed since March because of covid19. Commercial flights will resume on August 1st. Until then there will be charter and other special flights. July 22, 2020: In the south a pro-Iran militia took credit for an attack on a convoy transporting equipment from Kuwait to an American base near Baghdad. Two roadside bombs were used but the explosions only damaged some trucks. July 19, 2020: In Baghdad two rockets landed in the Green Zone but there was no damage except to some vegetation. July 15, 2020: The U.S. led TFTC (Terrorist Financing Targeting Center) and key members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) detected and identified the components of the ISIL financial network and are now cooperating on destroying that network and detecting and going after replacement networks. TFTC has been around since 2017 when it was established as a joint American-Saudi effort to detect and take down terrorist financial networks, especially those used by ISIL and Iran. There are still a lot of individual Arabs, including some very wealthy ones, who support Islamic terrorism and some even support Iran. But the majority of Gulf Arabs are hostile to ISIL and Iran and TFTC uses American knowledge of and influence over the international banking system along with the Gulf Arab knowledge and role in local or international Moslem banking systems to detect and go over ISIL and Iranian cash movements. For a long time, a weakness of Western efforts to disrupt financial networks used by Islamic terrorists was the inability to obtain detailed information about this separate Islamic banking system that had been around for centuries and had few links with the current Western dominated international banking system. It was known that billions of dollars a year seemingly disappeared into this ancient Islamic money transfer system and ended up elsewhere, often to finance Islamic terrorist operations. Before TFTC Western investigators could do some damage to the this less formal banking system and came to realize that the center of this system was in the Persian Gulf, where oil-rich Arab states, plus non-Arab Iran generated a lot of the cash for both traditional and Islamic banking systems and provided major transfer points between the two. The Arabs are mainly concerned with disrupting Iranian cash movements but everyone can agree on hurting ISIL finances because ISIL is literally at war with all Moslems and non-Moslems. ISIL got a lot (over $100 million) of cash out of their collapsing Syrian-Iraq Islamic State by 2017. Access to that cash is a major reason why ISIL is still so active. Remove a lot of the cash for a long time and ISIL activity will diminish as well. Currently most remaining ISIL activity is in rural areas of eastern Syria and northern Iraq. How effective the recent TFTC action is will make itself manifest In Syria and Iraq by the end of the year. July 11, 2020: In the south a pro-Iran militia took credit for an attack on a convoy transporting equipment from Kuwait to an American base near Baghdad. Several vehicles being transported were set on fire. The fire was put out as the attackers fled. In the northwest, across the border in eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) an airstrike, apparently Israeli, hit a convoy of Iranian mercenaries in Syrian Army uniforms. At least 35 men were killed including two officers. Deir Ezzor is now a key link in a land route from Iran, via Iraq to Lebanon. Deir Ezzor is also where Iran bases most of its mercenaries and a growing number of them are Iraqis. July 4, 2020: In eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) near the Iraq border and the Al Bukamal crossing into Iraq, Russian troops took control of a Syrian oilfield by surrounding it with combat vehicles and demanding that the Syrian security force leave. The Syrians did so and the Russians later brought in their own Syrian mercenaries to guard the oilfield. June 28, 2020: In the northwest, across the border in eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) two airstrikes, apparently Israeli, hit Iranian targets near the Al Bukamal crossing into Iraq. Structures and vehicles were damaged or destroyed and about ten Iranians or Iranian mercenaries. In the aftermath of these two attacks Iran ordered the remaining troops in the camps bombed to temporarily leave their camps and move to the countryside, dispersed into small groups living in the open. Many of the Iranian controlled gunmen passing through here are Iraqis. My family stopped wiping down all our groceries to "disinfect" them a couple months ago, mostly because of hygiene exhaustion. Then in May, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention clarified its own Web page about how COVID-19 spreads to state that "based on data from lab studies on COVID-19 and what we know about similar respiratory diseases, it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this isn't thought to be the main way the virus spreads." Even so, there is no shortage of "hygiene theater," activities that might make people feel better but, according to microbiologist Emanuel Goldman's article in medical journal The Lancet, don't have much to do with how COVID-19 is actually transmitted. (Wear a fucking mask.) Derek Thompson writes in The Atlantic: Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will be among those attending the funeral service for John Lewis where former President Barack Obama will eulogize the late congressman. Lewis will be laid to rest on Thursday following a funeral service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta - marking an end to a six-day memorial. Sources told CNN Clinton and Bush are also expected to participate at the ceremony for the civil rights icon who had been lying in state since Monday. President Trump, meanwhile, has no plans to attend the funeral. Former President Obama will deliver a eulogy at John Lewis's funeral in Atlanta on Thursday. Lewis was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (right) in 2011 Lewis's body has been lying in state since Monday. He is the first African American to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda since Rosa Parks President Donald Trump does not plans to attend the late congressman's funeral and did not pay his respects at the Dome of the Capitol this week It comes after Trump said he would not visit the body of Lewis who had been 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,' Trump told reporters at the White House before he left for North Carolina on Monday. Lewis died on July 17 of pancreatic cancer at age 80 however, Trump did not address the congressman's death until the following day. 'Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family,' he tweeted. Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement, had been battling the cancer since December and died after receiving hospice care in Atlanta. Lewis kept up the fight for civil rights and human rights until the very end of his life, inspiring others with calls to make 'Good Trouble.' He was known to have a strong relationship with President Obama, who awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. On Wednesday, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle paid their respects at the Capitol Rotunda one last time before Lewis's body was flown to Atlanta. Trump's absence was another break in convention for a president who has broken so many norms, and one that underscored his separation from much of Washington society, along with his dismal relationship with Democrats on Capitol Hill - especially members of color. Trump had long harbored resentments toward Lewis. Former President Bill Clinton is expected to participate at the funeral service on Thursday Lewis was known to have a strong relationship with President Obama. Above he is pictured at the dedication of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016 with the Obamas and George and Laura Bush A spokeswoman for Lewis brushed off any talk of politics when asked whether the Lewis family had any communication with the White House about whether Trump should attend, calling it 'irrelevant.' 'I would say that this is not a political event,' said Brenda Jones, the congressman's longtime spokeswoman. 'It's our time to pay respect to a man who did a great deal for this country. And that's all we want it to be.' Jones added that 'people can pay their respect in a lot of different ways. ... He has that right. Let him to do what he wants to do. And I'm sure that John Lewis would be supportive of it.' Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi blew a kiss toward the flag-draped casket of Rep. John Lewis on Monday in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The Senate and House leaders paid their respects together, from left to right: Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Texas, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La Lewis's body was later moved to the steps on the Capitol's east side for a public viewing The White House did not respond to questions about why the president did not attend. However Trump's off-the-cuff declaration Monday afternoon that he wouldn't go caught some White House aides off guard, according to two administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose private conversations. While the chances of Trump going were always slim, there had been preliminary conversations in the West Wing about Trump potentially making a visit on Tuesday. Trump had previously expressed a reluctance to publicly mourn Lewis because he remained angry about the congressman's past criticisms. While the president's lingering grudge played a role, White House officials also are leery of sending Trump places he isn't wanted and weren't sure what kind of reception he would have received. After viewing the inaugural Young Latina Talks, I knew that we had to bring it to New Jersey. These young women need to understand the importance of sharing their stories with people." Held last September in Chicagos suburbs, Young Latina Talks inspired local Hispanic women ages 15 to 25 to share their stories of forging their own paths to success in front of a worldwide audience. Its overwhelming popularity and positive response has led this engaging event to do an East Coast edition for the very first time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Young Latina Talks East Coast edition will be a Facebook Live virtual event held from 12 to 2 p.m. EST Saturday, Sept. 12. Twelve young Latinas will inspire, motivate and elevate audiences around the world. Information can be found on the YoungLATINATalks Facebook page. The event was created as an extension of Todays Inspired Latina (TIL), an internationally acclaimed book series highlighting the success stories of Latinas. Jacqueline S. Ruiz, TILs creator, explained how the event was an idea from Elizabeth Colon-Rivera, a TIL author, who suggested that young Latinas do a Latina Talks event of their own after participating in one. Elizabeths idea resonated with me because I know in my heart that there are many young Latinas who want to share their stories to help others like themselves, Ruiz said. In our inaugural event, 12 of these ladies candidly expressed what it was like to come to the United States, to sometimes be the first of their families to attend college and to share family situations that are not always the best. Their stories touched our hearts and Im very excited to have joined forces with TIL author Claudia Vazquez from Elevink, as a strategic partner in bringing this powerful event to New Jersey. Vazquez was excited to be a partner in this first-ever event to the East Coast region. After viewing the inaugural Young Latina Talks, I knew that we had to bring it to New Jersey, Vazquez said. These young women need to understand the importance of sharing their stories with people. Their stories say to audiences that theyre not alone in achieving their successes and overcoming their struggles. After an application process, potential speakers were invited to participate. Those participants will also vie for a $1,000 Amazing Young Latina Scholarship. This scholarship will be used to help with college expenses. Ruiz kindly thanks the following businesses that are partnering for this special event: Platinum Sponsor: Unilever Silver Sponsors: Cien + Easy Consulting Latina Surge Capturing Beauty Photography KPMG Hispanic Latino PNC Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Bronze Sponsor: Mercedes Consulting and Services, LLC Senator Teresa Ruiz Sigo Cuba Bakery Arias-Hillard Family LUPE Fund Inc. Partners: Elevink Bellas Fashionistas Univision 41 Prospanica HISPA ALPFA Mexican Alliance of New Jersey Latino Networks Coalition Yoshida Academy Yoshida Consulting Ruiz hopes that the public will come and support these Latinas presenters. These women are our next generation and their stories will make a difference to every one who hears them, she said. It is my honor to give them this platform. To register for this event, visit https://bit.ly/YoungLatinaTalksTix. Todays Inspired Latina 6 Books: 152 Authors: 1 Common Dream Todays Inspired Latina is an award-winning book series of inspiration and hope, a poignant collection of personal stories that will activate your passion. The series is the largest collection of stories in a book anthology series in the world with 152 to date in six volumes. Volumes seven and eight will be published in 2020 for more than 200 Hispanic female authors. These are success stories that need to be told, to motivate our community for generations to come. By overcoming language barriers, self-doubts and other obstacles in their way, these strong Latinas are a great example of how inspiration and perseverance can lead you to happiness and success in business and life. Its a positive, empowering read for anyone sitting on a dream and thinking it cant come true. Todays Inspired Latina shows that it can! For more information, visit: http://todayslatina.com. ### Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Businesses and stakeholders in the tourism industry are assured to receive all-out support from the government as the sector slowly reopens, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said. According to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the DOT continues to outline plans of action and protocols at every tourism destination in the country to ensure the safety of all stakeholders, especially in premier tourist locations like Palawan, Boracay, Bohol, Davao, and Baguio City. The secretary assured the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) on Wednesday that the department has been making sure that health and safety protocols are in place. This is in line with President Rodrigo Dutertes call on Filipinos to travel locally to boost the economy, as he said during his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday. READ: Duterte asks Congress to pass bill creating Boracay Island Development Authority The DOT has also partnered with the TCP to further promote local tourism. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will also provide loans and technical assistance to help develop and manage the countrys tourist attractions. It is expected that Samsung Unpacked will launch a trio of Android-powered gadgets next week. Google and Samsung are two of the largest tech companies in the world, and according to a recent report, both tech giants are now negotiating a major deal that would provide Google a more prominent place in Samsung smartphones.If this major deal between Google and Samsung goes down, the upcoming, and even the existing Samsung smartphones would see that Googles Assistant is getting priority over Bixby, Samsungs own virtual assistant. The report was published by Bloomberg , and talks about this deal will give Googles Assistant more prominence as opposed to Samsungs Bixby.Samsung is the largest smartphone manufacturer across the globe, and it is the leading smartphone manufacturing company in the United States. The South Korean company ships all smartphones with the Google-owned Android operating system. Samsung sold nearly 300 million mobiles in 2019. The new deal will promote Google Assistant and Google Play Store for applications on Samsung devices and will provide Google with more daily access to Samsung consumers. It means that Bixby would be less integrated on Samsungs own smartphones, and the move will be capitulation for South Korean smartphone manufacturing company.However, the drop in smartphones demand due to the pandemic has intensified Samsungs need for profit. According to some reports published back in the year 2018, Google paid Apple $9 billion in 2018 to remain the default search engine in Apples Safari browser.Samsung has been trying to develop an eco-system in which Samsungs own applications and services are promoted since the company launched its own app store, Galaxy Apps Store, and recently, its voice assistant, Bixby.In the new deal, Samsungs Bixby could still be offered as an option if some users want to use it. In an email, Googles spokesman wrote to Bloomberg that like all other Android smartphone manufacturers, Samsung is free to develop its app store as well as digital assistants. While Samsung notes that the company closely operates with Google as well as other partners to offer the best smartphone experiences to its customers.The IDC researcher suggests that Samsung shipped 58 million phones during Q1 of this year. These deal talks are happening amid antitrust investigations into the United States internet giant, Google. Its Play Store is one of the many Googles services at the center of this scrutiny, and this deal may provide Google more power over app developers as Google and Apple widely control how developers users.Photo: Zana Latif / UnsplashRead next: Google is working on a shortcut for Google Lens in the Google apps search bar Miramar Police Department via TwitterBy CHRISTINA CARREGA, ABC News (HOLLYWOOD, Fla.) -- The vehicle last driven by a mother whose toddler was found abandoned in a Miramar, Florida, parking lot has been recovered about 15 miles away from there. Leila Cavett, 21, was reported missing after her toddler, Kamdyn, was found wandering by himself on Sunday morning. Miramar police on Wednesday evening turned over Cavett's disappearance case to the Hollywood Police Department. Police in Miramar aggressively searched to identify the child by sharing his photograph on social media and with news outlets. The child's relatives in Jasper, Alabama, about 12 hours away, were alerted on Monday. Police also circulated photographs of a white Chevy 3500 that Cavett reportedly was last seen driving. The truck was found in the parking lot of a Walmart near Hollywood Boulevard and U.S. 441, ABC affiliate WPLG reported on Wednesday night. "At this time, the Hollywood Police Department has initiated a missing person investigation and continues their efforts to locate Leila Cavett," Officer Christian Lata, the public information officer with Hollywood Police Department, said in a statement. This morning, detectives met with Leila Cavetts family. As the search for the missing mother continues, we request anyone who has seen her or has information on her whereabouts contact @crimestoppers2 at 954-493-TIPS. Calls can be made anonymously. #MiramarPD #FindLeila #Missing Miramar Police (@MiramarPD) July 28, 2020 Cavett's grandmother traveled from Tennessee and told the station she's concerned her granddaughter has been kidnapped. "She would've never left her baby, never," Carol Ferdinand said. "That's my granddaughter, I know her." Kamdyn remains in the custody of a foster family, officials confirmed to ABC News on Thursday. ChildNet, Florida's department of children services, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Detectives are asking anyone who may have information on this missing person to call the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 (HELP) or 954-967-4411. Tipsters can email or text to hollywoodpdtips@hollywoodfl.org. Information also can be given to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 (TIPS) or at www.browardcrimestoppers.org. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Niagara Regional Police are again stepping in to try to de-escalate rising tensions between horse-drawn carriage businesses and an animal rights group in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Since 2017, At War for Animals Niagara has been protesting the operation of horse-drawn carriages in the town, which have mainly been used in the Queen and King streets area. In recent weeks, the animal rights group protests have been met with counter-protesters who are in support of the businesses. In a press release police said the NRP will remain neutral to maintain public peace and safety, and that the two opposing groups are expressing their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to lawfully assemble peacefully and protest. The situation is continuously monitored, and police have reported no incidents of violence and have not laid any charges. Police have received many reports and calls for service and have conducted investigations resulting in cautions. Police have also reviewed applicable case law and have sought legal counsel from the office of the local Crown attorney. On July 20, police held a closed session meeting with Niagara-on-the-Lake town councillors regarding the situation. In 2018 and 2019, police helped negotiate two good faith protest guidelines. Neither were legally binding, but a framework was established for peaceful protest and behaviour. The 2019 protocol went unsigned by some of the parties involved. Our officers will continue to do their duty as it relates to all parties involved in the ongoing dispute over animal rights and the carriage businesses in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said Insp. James McCaffery. We will maintain our neutrality and continue to manage the situation using discretion, education and where required, enforcement. In hopes of ensuring the matter does not escalate, police have publicly requested that all sides enter meaningful discussions and negotiations that will address the core issues of the dispute and find some resolution agreeable to both sides, the community and visitors. This story was originally published by High Country News and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. On July 22, Congress passed the biggest public lands spending bill in half a century. The bipartisan bill, called the Great American Outdoors Act, puts nearly $10 billion toward repairing public lands infrastructure, such as outdated buildings and dysfunctional water systems in national parks. It also guarantees that Congress will spend the $900 million it collects each year through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, or LWCF. The legislation boosts access to nature, funds city parks, and will pay for a significant chunk of the massive maintenance backlog on public lands in the U.S. Advertisement But it all comes at a cost to the climate. To pay the bills hefty price tag, Congress is tapping revenue from the fossil fuel industry. Though the new law has been cheered by conservation groups, it fails to address either the modern crisis of climate change or the impacts of the Wests growing recreation and tourism economy on wildlife. In this way, the Outdoors Act exposes the gaps between conservation and climate activism, while providing a grim reminder of the complicated entanglements of energy, economics, climateand now, a pandemic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The biggest windfall from the Great American Outdoors Actup to $6.5 billion over five yearswill go to the National Park Service. National parks are public lands top tourist attraction, having received more than 327 million visits in 2019 alone, but dwindling annual funding has left the agency with about $12 billion in overdue projects. These projects include everything from a $100 million pipeline to bring water to visitors and communities on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to routine campground and trail maintenance. Advertisement Advertisement The money will also benefit gateway communities in the West. A National Park Service analysis projects that the new legislation will create an additional 100,000 jobs over the next five years, on top of the 340,500 jobs the parks already support in nearby towns. For many places reeling from the pandemics economic toll on tourism, such as Whitefish, Montana, a gateway community to Glacier National Park, the bill will be a shot in the arm. Glacier has more than $100 million in overdue projects, and the infusion of money will bring new jobs after a dismal tourist season. The impacts also stretch beyond immediate job gains because of the way access to recreation drives economic growth in the rural West. Communities that have more protected lands nearby generally grow faster and have higher income levels, said Mark Haggerty, who researches rural economies for Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit think tank in Montana. That growth is driven by both tourism and new arrivals looking to live closer to the outdoors. Residents and businesses want to be close to public lands, Haggerty said. Recreational amenities can attract high-wage jobs. Advertisement Federal public lands arent the only places that will benefit from the bill. Since 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has paid for a variety of outdoor projects around the country with taxes and royalty payments from oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The Outdoors Act obliges the LCWF to spend the entire $900 million it collects each year, something thats happened only twice in the past 50-plus years. Advertisement Advertisement Rising recreation comes at a cost for critters. With full LWCF funding, more money will be flowing from federal coffers to local projects. In urban areas, like the South Park neighborhood in Seattle, the fund recently paid for new playground equipment and a spray zone at a local park. Out in the country, the program typically finances projects to protect habitat and improve public access, as at Tenderfoot Creek in Montana, where the fund paid for more than 8,000 acres to be transferred from private to public ownership by 2015. Advertisement Advertisement But rising recreation comes at a cost for critters. Recent studies have shown that it poses a serious threat to the very wildlife that draws people to backcountry trails. In Vail, Colorado, a town built around access to nature and outdoor sports, local elk herds have been in precipitous decline, a phenomenon biologists attribute to more people tromping through the woods. In Idaho, snowmobilers and federal land managers are battling over whether to reroute the machines to save wolverines. And a recent review by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found that vulnerable species can be pushed to extinction by expanding human activity on public lands. Advertisement Advertisement Supporters of the Outdoors Act see securing LWCF funding as vital for conservation. Its the best and virtually only tool for protecting land for wildlife, said Tracy Stone-Manning, associate vice president of the National Wildlife Federations public lands program. But that doesnt mean that recreations impacts are being ignored, Stone-Manning said: We need to protect open spaces, then we need to get smart about managing the impact of recreation on wildlife. Advertisement Even as many rural Western communities grapple with an economic future tied to recreation, the Outdoors Act underlines the enduring legacy of American dependence on fossil fuels. The $9.5 billion set aside for the public lands maintenance backlog will come from revenue paid by private companies that produce energyfrom both fossil and renewable sourceson federal lands and waters. At first glance, this appears to be a shift away from the LWCFs funding model, which depends solely on offshore oil and gas income. But for now at least, most of the money will still come from fossil fuel production: In 2019, for example, federal offshore wind energy generated just over $410 million in revenue, a drop in the bucket compared with the nearly $9 billion from fossil fuels on federal land and waters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reliance on oil production to pay for parks ignores the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to preserve a livable climate. You have to give kudos to the Republicans for shifting the conversation so far to the right that the premise has been agreed to that we should fund conservation with the destruction of the Earth, said Brett Hartl, government affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity. Because they depend on the oil and gas industry, the LWCF and park maintenance are vulnerable should the U.S. transition away from fossil fuels or if production drops for another reason, like the current pandemic. (Compared with the same time period in 2019, onshore oil and gas royalty receipts dropped 53 percent, and offshore royalties by 84 percent, in April 2020.) The arrangement also provides rhetorical cover for energy executives. These programs underscore the need to continue safe development of domestic offshore energy reserves, said American Petroleum Institute vice president Lem Smith in a press release cheering the Senate passage of the bill. Policies that end or limit production in federal waters would put these essential conservation funds in doubt. Advertisement Even as Congress relies on the fossil fuel industry to pay for conservation projects, legislative frameworks that recognize the climate and extinction crises are intertwined are emerging. Recently proposed initiatives, like the roadmap for climate action put forward by the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and the Senates 30 by 30 resolution (a Senate push to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and oceans by 2030) tie climate action to land and wildlife conservation. And proposals for different funding models for conservation, including a backpack tax on outdoor apparel and equipment that would shift some conservation costs to recreationists, have been proposed for decades. Advertisement Advertisement All of these plans are a far cry from the bill currently being celebrated as a major win for conservation and public lands. We need to be sure were not pretending our work is done; this money is not a panacea for reaching conservation goals, said Kate Kelly, director of public lands for the Center for American Progress and an Obama-era Interior Department senior adviser, who supports the bill. The funding model needs to be reexamined and reimagined. Moving forward, addressing climate change and biodiversity loss requires acknowledging that the crises are inextricable. The climate and conservation communities havent always coordinated, and that needs to change, Kelly said. Theyre two sides of the same coin. (Photo : Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS ) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks via video conference during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on "Online Platforms and Market Power", in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS) Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks via video conference during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on "Online Platforms and Market Power", in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : U.S. House Judiciary Committee via REUTERS) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies remotely via videoconference during a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in this screengrab made from video as the committee meets on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : U.S. House Judiciary Committee via REUTERS) Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies remotely via videoconference during a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in this screengrab made from video as the committee meets on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. (Photo : U.S. House Judiciary Committee via REUTERS) Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos testifies remotely by videoconference during a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in this screengrab made from video as the committee meets on Capitol Hill, in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2020. The House Antitrust Subcommittee grilled the CEOs of four of the country's five most valuable companies for nearly six hours on Wednesday, July 29, to probe about the companies' alleged anti-competitive and antitrust behavior. The hearing is the culmination of the congress' months of investigation about the market dominance of tech companies. It has been watched across the globe as numerous media outlets have streamed it. Except for Microsoft, the CEOs of Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, and Apple joined the virtual hearing held via video conference while most of the committee members were present in Congress. Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., has reminded them repeatedly to wear masks and to observe social distancing to avoid the spread of coronavirus. In a rare scene, four of the richest men in the world were interrogated by the members of the congress. The world's richest man, Amazon's Jeff Bezos had a wall of shelves as background. Apple CEO Tim Cook sat in front of a low row of greenhouse plants while Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke with a plain white wall. While he has the least net-worth among the four, Google's Sundar Pichai looked elegant and composed in his charcoal suit and tie as he sat behind an office desk. "Our founders would not bow before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy," the Congress' antitrust panel Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) said. Over a year ago, he initiated an investigation to probe whether these four most influential companies used potentially anti-competitive means to reach their status. Read also: Antitrust Hearing with Bezos, Cook, Zuckerberg, Pichai Tentatively Postponed on August 3: Here's Why Tech Times noted some important issues raised Lawmakers came armed with massive amounts of documents and hours of interviews, including some private messages of Silicon Valley's elites. They claimed some tech industry players had become too powerful by threatening competition, consumers, and even democracy. Here are some issues raised noted by Tech Times and how the tech CEOs' responded: On China's stealing from U.S. companies On Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.)'s question: "Do you believe the Chinese government steals technology from U.S. companies?" The three tech CEOs walked around the question while Zuckerberg addressed it saying "I think it's well documented." Other lawmakers also raised concerns about Chinese ties with their questions particularly targeted Google's Pichai. On ad share and child exploitation Addressing the lawmakers' concern about Google's dominance in the ad market, Pichai said he is "not exactly familiar" about how much of the ad exchange market that Google controls. However, the CEO noted that Google is "a popular choice." Pichai also said his company is "investing rigorously" on child safety amid concerns that YouTube has improperly gathered children's personal information. "This is an area we take it very seriously. I am a parent, too," Pichai said. Meanwhile, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) also asked Pichai about YouTube buyout negotiations in 2006, but Pichai noted it was before he became CEO in 2015. Read also: YouTube Is Fighting Its Extremist, Child Exploitation Problem With Over 10,000 Content Police Officers On Screen Time dispute and commission policies Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) noted that Apple's removal of the kids tracking apps occurred at the same time Screen Time was launched. Cook defended the company's decision to remove the apps used by parents to track their kids because the apps "placed kids' data at risk." He also said they were concerned about the children's safety since the apps used "mobile device management," which companies use for tracking employees. However, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) questioned the timing as Apple "stifles the innovation," which "is fundamentally unfair." McBath questioned how Apple's Phil Schiller's promotion of the Screen Time app amid complaints about the removal of other apps. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee head Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) accused Cook of profiteering by charging commissions on companies that went digital amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, Cook denied the accusation and claims Apple is working with companies to find a solution. Nadler also accused Apple of changing its commission policies to extract more revenue from developers, citing the email app Hey as an example. Similarly, Cook denied changing its policies, although Apple may have incurred mistakes due to the high volume of apps submitted to the App store. Read also: Apple Continues to Blocks the Hey App Despite Increasing 'Apple Tax' Opposition On digital surveillance against rivals Facebook's tools that helped the company uses to monitor competitions were questioned by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.). Johnson claimed that Facebook's purchase of an Israeli security app called Onavo Protect led to its acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. Zuckerberg responded there were many reasons for acquiring WhatsApp and he said shut down Onavo's access to monitor fast-growing companies after acquiring it. On pandemic profiteering Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) asked Bezos about Amazon's decision to delay shipment of nonessential products in March and asked if they made Amazon devices such as Fire TV, Echo speakers, and Ring doorbell categorized as essential. Bezos said he had no playbook for this and they moved very quickly while demands "went through the roof." "He added that they "had to make a lot of decisions very rapidly" as their goal was to deliver essential products to customers while keeping their employees safe. "We were not focused on profitability at that time," Bezos added. After five and a half hours of the probe, Pichai took the most scrutiny while Cook got the least. Meanwhile, Cicilline accused the companies during his closing statement for monopolizing the market. "These companies... all have monopoly power," he said adding that their market control allows them to quash their competition "and expand their own power." He also proposed to have regulations across all companies. Watch the hearing by clicking on this link: Bezos, Zuckerberg, Cook and Pichai testify before House Read also: Amazon Sales in 2020 Are Skyrocketing Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, But Warehouse Workers' Safety at Risk? This article is owned by TechTimes. To learn more, visit https://www.techtimes.com/ Written by: CJ Robles 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard shot up a dummy US aircraft carrier as target practice in the Strait of Hormuz. They fired missiles that were launched from a helicopter at the mock carrier on Tuesday. The fake carrier was towed by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in the firing area that is used for training in war games and military drills. It is indicative of the tensions between Tehran and Washington, according to US Today. US aware of the unprovoked attack The simulated attack was shown on Iranian State TV is part of the Great Prophet 14 exercise conducted by Iranian forces. Commandoes disembarked from a helicopter on the Nimitz class carrier replica, which is the type of carrier deployed by the US in the Persian Gulf. Around the fake carrier, the other ships are circling the larger vessel. Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said in an email that the navy was aware of the Iranian exercise that was an attack on still carrier dummy, according to Reuters. She added that the exercise had no significant impact on the operations of the coalition, or the commercial activity in the Hormuz Strait and its waters. But the Al Udeid Air Base and Al Dhafra Air Base military bases in the United Arab Emirates were on red alert against the threat of missile attacks in the equipment and personnel. The missiles were in the Southern Arabian Gulf, which is part of the military activity. Capt. Bill Urban of the Central Command, said that safe practices and resilience of all the members of the coalition is the main concern. The United States considers the missiles fired as wayward and irresponsible. Especially close to areas that are frequented by ships in the gulf. Also read: US Navy Warns Foreign Ships in Persian Gulf to Keep Distance or Face the Consequences Not the first incident In 2015, Iran did a similar activity, that the Iranian Navy sank a dummy US carrier. The Strait of Hormuz is where 20% of the crude oil passes through, a choke point in the Persian Gulf. Since 2018, Iran and the US have been at odds with increasing tensions too. It was President Donald Trump who pulled back the US from the 2015 nuke deal that include six of the nuclear capable countries. Sanctions were levied on Tehran that lessen oil exports and affected Iran's economy, according to New York Times. Last year, President Trump put the blame on terroristic attacks on oil tankers. Recently, both nations were at the edge with the murder of a top Iranian general with drone strike last January in Baghdad. Iran got back with ballistic missiles that targeted U.S and coalition forces in Iraq. Coronavirus concerns have kept the U.S. and Iran from each other for month, but the tension resumed with an extension with a United Nations arms sale restriction. The embargo will end in October 2020 that increases chances of confrontation. Iran was angered by an American fighter plane (F-15) that checked out a commercial airliner that was flying over Syria. State media of Iran said that the U.S. Jet fighter flew dangerously that bothered the passengers inside. The Pentagon stated that it was not flying prescribed for commercial flight path. Iranian have been hit by unknown accidents that has caused serious accidents at facilities that are important to them. Reasons given were mistakes by personnel, sabotage and other factors like intentional hacking as well. Related article: Trump Orders Navy to Destroy Iranian Vessels Which Threatens US, Iran Says They'll Crush Them @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. With less than 100 days for the presidential elections, a group of seven top Republican senators has expressed concern over the Chinese social media app and its potential use by China to influence the polls. The senators -- in a letter to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf -- said that the has rightly taken steps to maintain the security and integrity of the We write to raise concerns about TikTok, the Chinese social-media service, which could enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to engage in influence operations against the United States, including operations designed to interfere with our elections, senators Thom Tillis, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott said on Wednesday. As President Donald Trump stated in the executive order in September 2018, "the proliferation of digital devices and internet-based communications has created significant vulnerabilities and magnified the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference. The administration has acted decisively on this threat by forcing media outlets controlled by hostile state actors like Russia and China to register as foreign agents, imposing sanctions on foreign officials who attempted to meddle in the American elections and issuing repeated warnings about efforts by hostile foreign powers to interfere in upcoming elections, they wrote. Noting that has become a popular forum for Americans, particularly younger Americans to engage in political conversations, the senators wrote that they are greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes. TikTok is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, and the majority of the company's engineering and development resources are based in China. ByteDance regularly modifies TikTok content to satisfy the CCP censorship rules, they said. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that ByteDance employees based in China set TikTok's content standards and issued commands to remove TikTok content they deemed "subversive or controversial. In November 2019, TikTok locked the account of an American teenager who posted a video critical of the CCP's horrific crimes against the Uighur people in China. TikTok only reversed this act of censorship and unlocked the young woman's account after a public outcry, they said. Alleging that the CCP devotes significant resources to conduct information operations overseas, they said that Beijing exploits the openness of Western democracies and social-media platforms to propagate the party's preferred narratives. The CCP conducts these influence operations by coopting traditional media outlets, spending tens of millions of dollars to purchase space in major US newspapers for propaganda by state-owned outlets like China Daily, and working to ensure Chinese state television channels like CGTN dominate Chinese-language media overseas, they alleged. The CCP also manipulates overseas political discussions on Chinese-owned social media platforms like WeChat. Chinese government officials increasingly use Western social-media companies, including those banned in China, to flood global social media with propaganda and misinformation, the Senators added. Seeking re-election for his second consecutive term, Trump is pitted against Democratic presidential nominee in November 3 presidential elections. Most of the opinion polls shows that Biden is several points ahead of Trump. (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.) OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Ocean Springs Mayor Shea Dobson has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, he told The Mississippi Press Thursdsay. Dobson, 34, said he is only experiencing mild symptoms, including an occasional cough and low-grade fever, but is otherwise feeling ok. Its just been mild symptoms -- some mucus, a bit of a period cough, slight fever, he said. I dont feel too terrible. Im one of the lucky ones, obviously. Although unconfirmed, Dobson is believed to be the first elected city official in Jackson County to have contracted the virus. As the mayor, one would suspect Dobson had been exposed to the virus through his duties, which often call for him to be out in public. Ironically, that was not the case. Dobson explained that a friend, coming out of a long-term relationship, has been staying with him while the friend finds a new place to live. Monday of last week (July 20), he started feeling bad, so Tuesday he and I both got tested and then went under self-quarantine, Dobson said. His (test) came back positive and, a day or two later, mine came back negative, but they told me to remain under quarantine since I had obviously been in close contact with him. A couple of days later, however, Dobson said he began experiencing a slight fever and that continued throughout the weekend. It was only here and there and I would take some ibuprofen and it would go away, he said. Nevertheless, because the fever lingered, Dobson opted to get tested again this past Monday. He said he contacted an executive with Singing River Health System who set up a test for Dobson. They called me Tuesday and told me it came back positive, he said. Since first going under self-imposed quarantine on July 21, Dobson has been keeping up with as much City business as possible from home, via email and phone. Mayor Pro Tem Rickey Authement is handling any City business requiring a signature. If its something that can wait, well wait. If not, Rickey can handle it, he said. The aldermen are helping me out and the staff is very capable. Theyre not reaching out to me for every little thing, but they know Im here and can respond if needed. Dobson said since his symptoms first materialized on July 23, he has been advised to remain under quarantine until Aug. 6. He said if his symptoms improve, hell likely get tested on Aug. 5. Ill probably get tested the day before to get it in the system, depending on what my systems are, he said. If it seems Im improving like I have been Ill probably take the test middle of next week. Now that hes experienced COVID-19 himself, Dobson was asked if he has a message for his constituents. I want to encourage everyone to wear masks. Obviously, for me I got it within my own household, so regardless how diligent you are in protecting yourself, sometimes its just going to get you. You just have to pray and hope youre one of the lucky ones. If you do get it, follow the CDC guidelines, follow what your healthcare provided is telling you. Stay under quarantine, be responsible, do the right thing. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 29, 2020) joined a meeting with heads of banks and NBFCs, urging the banks to introspect to ensure bankable proposals do not suffer from lack of credit. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss and deliberate a roadmap and vision for the future. Each bank needs to introspect and take a relook at its practices to ensure stable credit growth. Banks should not treat all proposals with the same yardstick and need to distinguish and identify bankable proposals and to ensure that they get access to funding on their merit and dont suffer in the name of past NPAs, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said in a statement after Wednesdays meeting. The meeting comes in the wake of banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) seeking additional liquidity for lower rated companies. It was emphasised that the government is firmly behind the banking system. The government is ready to take any steps necessary to support it and promote its growth, the statement said. Banks should adopt fintech like centralised data platforms, digital documentation and collaborative use of information to move towards digital acquisition of customers. This will help increase credit penetration, increase ease for customers, lower costs for banks and also reduce frauds, the PMO statement said. Since March, multiple agencies, including the San Antonio Police Department, have been enforcing city orders put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, resulting in thousands of complaints. To date, multiple city departments have received nearly 10,000 calls since March 18, when the fourth declaration of public health emergency went into effect. Of those calls, 105 citations were issued to a variety of businesses for not following protocol. On June 22, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff's order mandating businesses to require masks went into effect. Gov. Greg Abbott followed with his own mask order for Texas on July 3. Information on daily calls is reported daily and is accessible to the public via the city's website. While most responding officers have found businesses to be in compliance or only issues warnings, on some occasions citations were handed out. Since June 22, 10 San Antonio restaurants - ranging from chains to small businesses - have been cited for not following the mandates, according to the log. Most of the calls were made in response to the misuse or lack of face masks. Wolff's updated executive order, which mandates commercial businesses to require masks at a minimum as part of their policy, went into effect on July 15 and lasts through Aug. 12, unless he chooses to extend, modify or terminate it early. The county order is in accordance with Gov. Abbott's statewide order, which requires all Texans to wear a mask in counties with more than 20 cases. Guidance on the Bexar County website says businesses should be following both local and state orders. The county is also providing assistance to business owners by offering downloadable policy template and resources to supply their establishments with masks. The county website also says enforcement by issuing citations or assessing fines is a "last resort." Below are the restaurants that have received citations since June 22, according to the Enforcement of Public Health Emergency Declaration report. " " How did Karen end up as the universal name for the angry, white woman? HowStuffWorks Anyone who spends more than 10 minutes on social media will run into her, or at least a reference to her: Karen. It's become a shorthand for an entitled, selfish, thoughtless white woman. While the name often refers to a stereotype, sometimes it refers to a specific person. In May 2020, for instance, a woman dubbed the "Central Park Karen" called the police pretending to be threatened by a Black man after the man asked her to leash her dog in an area of the park where leashes are required. The entire episode was caught on video. But where did the term come from? And why Karen? Advertisement Possible Karen Origins There are a few suspects for why we use the name Karen. First is Amanda Seyfried's character from the 2004 movie "Mean Girls" who asks Lindsay Lohan's character Cady Heron "So if you're from Africa, why are you white?" Mean girl Gretchen Weiners responds with the meme-friendly retort, "Oh my god, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white." There was also a Dane Cook routine in 2005 about "the friend nobody likes," and her name was Karen. In December 2017, a subreddit called "F***YouKaren" appeared, where the poster obsessed over his ex. Thousands of people found his rants funny and followed along, eventually sharing Karen memes they'd created or found. A quick search of Twitter shows that by April 2018, people were regularly calling out Karen for her questionable potato salad recipe. Word about her potato salad even reached Wakanda. Advertisement Wherefore Karen? Cleve Evans, a professor who studies the history of names at Bellevue University, told writer Aja Romano at Vox that names have been used in this way for ages. "They are just another linguistic item that's possible to be associated with a particular group because of the perception that it's common among that group." Evans also pointed out that the name "Karen" is a Danish form of "Katherine." That name derives from the Greek "Aikaterine," which is sometimes confused with the Greek word for "purity." People using Karen on social media probably didn't dig deeply enough to make that particularly ironic mistake. Before Karen, there was Becky, whose cluelessness reigned from the 1990s into the 2000s, from Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" to Beyonce's "Sorry." In April 2018, "BBQ Becky" called the police because Black people were using a charcoal grill in a park. But the modern Karen is more than clueless. As NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates put it on NPR's Code Switch, she is "aware there will be consequences if she summons help and those consequences will fall most harshly on Black people, usually Black men." Cases like these have changed the Karen stereotype from being someone who demands to see the manager to someone who calls the cops. Having harsh blond highlights is now the least of Karen's many issues. Now That's Taking Action Supervisor Shamann Walton of San Francisco has introduced the "CAREN Act," short for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. The ordinance would make it unlawful to call 911 for fabricated, racially biased emergency reports in the city. Similar legislation is being considered by the states of California and New York. VANCOUVEROttawa has announced new mandatory restrictions on Americans driving through Canada to get to Alaska, amid a litany of complaints from Canadians concerned about COVID-19 transmission. Travellers must now attach a hang tag to their rearview mirror for the duration of their trip to or from Alaska, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in a Thursday statement. Foreign nationals will be required to take the most direct route to Alaska, avoid all parks, leisure sites and tourism activities, and report to a CBSA station to confirm their exit from Canada. The new rules will come into effect Friday. B.C. Premier John Horgan has repeatedly said Americans travelling through the province on their way to Alaska or returning home should not linger while COVID-19 cases continue rising in the United States. Early this month, Horgan said he had heard concerns that Americans have stopped at Vancouver hotels and in stores on Vancouver Island instead of heading straight to their destination, putting local residents at risk. B.C. has kept its infection rates low and the provinces progress should not be lost to queue jumpers as outbreaks of COVID-19 have increased in many states, he said. In recent weeks, public anger in Canada has mounted against drivers with American or out-of-province licence plates. Reports have surfaced across the country of incidents of people being harassed by locals, ostensibly worried that someone might bring the virus into their community or break the rules and protocols officials have put in place. On Monday, Horgan went as far as to suggest that those with non.-B.C. plates take the bus rather than risk getting harassed. Meanwhile, Alaska health officials said Sunday the state experienced a record number of newly confirmed coronavirus cases, with 231 cases. It was the first day the state had experienced more than 200 new confirmed cases in a day. The state Department of Health and Social Services said 186 of the new cases involved Alaska residents and 45 involved non-residents, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Failure to comply with border restrictions could lead to as much as $750,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of as long as six months. If a traveller causes a risk of imminent death or serious bodily harm to another person while willfully or recklessly contravening (the Quarantine Act) or the regulations, they could be liable for as much as $1,000,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of as long as three years, the CBSA said. All drivers will also receive a Public Health Agency of Canada document advising them to wear a mask, use drive-thrus for food, pay at the pump at gas stations, remain in their vehicle as much as possible and physically distance from others at all times. With files from the Associated Press and The Canadian Press Joanna Chiu is a Vancouver-based reporter covering both Canada-China relations and current affairs on the West Coast for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @joannachiu Read more about: SANAA, Yemen (AP) Yemens Houthi rebels on Thursday freed six prominent members of the Bahai religious minority whose years-long incarceration on charges of espionage and heresy had drawn worldwide condemnation, their lawyer said. The release of the six came four months after the Shiite Houthis, who control most of northern Yemen and the capital, Sanaa, announced they had commuted the death sentence of Bahai leader Hamed bin Haydara and ordered his release, as well as that of the other five detainees. The six men were flown out of Yemen to Ethiopia late on Thursday, said bin Haydaras wife, Alham. Today we feel joy after so much suffering, she told The Associated Press over the phone, adding that she and her daughters were threatened and harassed by anonymous callers over the years of her husband's detention. She now lives in Luxembourg with the children. The sentence was unjust and the charges baseless, she added. Houthi judicial officials said the Bahais were required to leave Yemen as a condition of their release. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Bin Haydara was arrested in 2013 by the government of President Mansour Abed Rabbo Hadi, before the Iran-backed Houthis came to power. After the Houthis overran Sanaa, forcing Hadi to flee and igniting a civil war with a Saudi-led military coalition, bin Haydara was transferred to a Houthi prison where he languished until Thursday. A Houthi court sentenced him to death in 2018, prompting sharp criticism from human rights groups that decried the verdict as a sign of the Iran-backed Houthis systematic repression of religious minorities. The Bahai have been particularly vulnerable to persecution and pressure to convert to Islam by the Houthis who consider Bahaism heresy for its belief in a 19th-century Persian prophet and his revelation that departs from traditional teachings of Shiite Islam. The other five Bahai members were arrested in 2017. Throughout their years in prison, all were tortured, barred from seeing their lawyers, denied access to medical care and placed in solitary confinement, according to the Bahai International Community. Bin Haydara was blindfolded, beaten, electrocuted and forced to confess to being a destroyer of Islam and spy for Israel, the community reported. He was sentenced to a public execution for his religious beliefs. Their release followed months of international pressure this spring from the United Nations and rights groups, as the coronavirus pandemic surged across war-torn Yemen, raising fears of unchecked contagion in crowded Houthi prisons. We welcome the releases today yet remain gravely concerned, said Diane Alai, a representative of the Bahai International Community. Bahais must be able like all Yemenis to practice their faith safely and freely. Association of Authors Representatives (AAR) and Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA) have written an open letter protesting the way Reed Exhibitions handled refunds to those who canceled their attendance at the London Book Fair due to the global pandemic. Agents who canceled their tables prior to the fair's ultimate, formal cancellation announcement had no money returned. Those who canceled after the official announcement were offered 60% back or could carry over 100% of the cost of their table to next year's fair. In contrast, the Bologna Book Fair, which initially moved its fair from March to May, offered a 100% refund, provided the request was made by a set deadline. Numerous North American agents and publishers had canceled their plans to attend LBF in late winter as the pandemic began to be more acutely felt around the world, including in the U.K. and U.S. The LBF was canceled about a week before it was set to open. A spokesperson for the agents said they decided to write the letter after an effort to find a "fair solution" to LBF's cancellation policy were "rebuffed." The letter from the agents reads in its entirety: "Earlier this year, Reed Exhibitions decided to penalize agencies which cancelled their London Book Fair tables prior to the Fair's ultimate formal cancellation. We feel it is tone deaf for LBF to inflict a financial penalty on North American agents who responsibly notified LBF as soon as they realized that it would be impossible to attend the fair owing to the global pandemic. As the Association of Authors Representatives (AAR), we have tried to work this out privately with calls and letters from individuals as well as leaders of our organization. However we have seen no movement whatsoever on Reed's part. We now need to make it clear publicly that we strongly disapprove of their silence and what we see as overly punitive actions. Although the timing of each situation was unique and presented different challenges, we are mindful that other major international book fairs, which also had to modify and/or cancel events, have been far more accommodating and sympathetic to foreign attendees. The international publishing community is one that values long term relationships. The dissonant response of the London Book Fair promises to be deeply damaging to their relationship with the North American agenting community and demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the long term effects this will have on loyal attendees choosing to go to future fairs. We, along with members of The Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA), urge the London Book Fair /Reed to reconsider its position, and come to a new more equitable decision on these policies." The letter was signed by: The AAR International Committee Jennifer Weltz, JVNLA, Inc. Chris Lotts, The Lotts Agency, Ltd., emeritus Lara Allen, The Lotts Agency, Ltd Cheryl Pientka, Nancy Yost Literary Agency Soumeya Roberts, HG Literary Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary Agency Sarah Perillo, Curtis Brown, Ltd. Katie Kotchman, Don Congdon Associates, Inc. Kent Wolf, Neon Literary Agency Sandy Hodgman, Hodgman Literary Diana Finch, Diana Finch Literary Agency - Committee Head Cheryl Pientka, Nancy Yost Literary Agency AAR members Brian DeFiore, DeFiore and Company Albert Longden, Albert T. Longden Associates Cynthia Cannell, Cynthia Cannell Literary Agency Farley Chase, Chase Literary Agency Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency Anne Borchardt, Georges Borchardt, Inc. Valerie Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc. John Hawkins & Associates, Inc. Laura Gross, Laura Gross Literary Agency Tonda Martin, The Martin Agency Janis A Donnaud, Janis A Donnaud & Associates Dr. Uwe Stender, Triada US Literary Agency Gina Maccoby, Gina Maccoby Literary Agency Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary Agency PACLA members A man who was shot on the property of a Metairie motel on Veterans Boulevard died from his injuries Wednesday night, according to an update from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. UPDATE: 23-year-old man identified as victim in fatal shooting at Metairie motel Wednesday evening Deputies said the unidentified man was taken to University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. More than an hour later, JPSO sent out a release that said the man died at the hospital. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up He was shot at least three times, twice in his back and once in the arm. The shooting occurred at the address of the Evergreen Plaza Inn around 6 p.m., according to law enforcement. Authorities have not released any information yet on possible suspects or a motive. Anyone with information on the homicide is asked to call the JPSO Homicide Section at 504-364-5300 or contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111. Stay with NOLA.com for more updates. China launches campaign to improve "self-media" management - Xinhua | English.news.cn The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday launched a nationwide campaign on improving the management of the country's "self-media." Aiming to facilitate the healthy and orderly development of "self-media," the three-month campaign will focus on carrying out multi-level and classified management of "self-media" accounts on their 13 major platforms, including WeChat and Weibo, according to the administration. The administration will also make efforts to improve the code of conduct for "self-media" accounts in terms of their posts and operations, enhance its technological capacity in managing cyberspace, and establish a stimulative mechanism to encourage the subjects of "self-media" to produce high-quality content. Despite accomplishments in cleaning up the "self-media" environment in recent years, false or misleading information, spam, and other illicit content posted by certain "self-media" accounts could still be seen, which requires better basic management of these platforms, the administration said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:11:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday welcomed the announcement by the Afghan government and the Taliban of a cease-fire to enable the Afghan people to celebrate Eid al-Adha in peace. The secretary-general urged all parties concerned to seize this opportunity and embrace an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. Only a peaceful settlement can bring an end to the suffering in Afghanistan, said Farhan Haq, Guterres' deputy spokesman, in a statement. Guterres reiterated the urgency of a lasting cease-fire for addressing the COVID-19 emergency and underlined the readiness of the United Nations to provide any assistance that the parties may require, said the statement. Enditem HANGZHOU, China, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hikvision, an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency, has released its financial results for the first half of 2020. During the period, Hikvision generated a revenue of RMB 24.27 billion with a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 1.45%, and net profits attributable to shareholders of the company was RMB 4.62 billion, reflecting a YoY growth of 9.66%. Hikvision's revenue in overseas markets achieved solid growth, amounting to RMB 7.54 billion, with a YoY growth of 8.63%. Having encountered unusual global social and economic conditions in the first half of 2020, Hikvision adapted its operations and succeeded in making technological innovations meet customers' needs, which helped to overcome challenges and keep development steady. Hikvision will continuously work closely with its partners to maintain stable operations, create value for customers, and build more safety, efficiency and sustainability for communities around the world. For the full 2020 H1 financial report, please visit here. About Hikvision Hikvision is an IoT solution provider with video as its core competency. Featuring an extensive and highly skilled R&D workforce, Hikvision manufactures a full suite of comprehensive products and solutions for a broad range of vertical markets. In addition to the security industry, Hikvision extends its reach to smart home tech, industrial automation, and automotive electronics industries to achieve its long-term vision. Hikvision products also provide powerful business intelligence for end users, which can enable more efficient operations and greater commercial success. Committed to the utmost quality and safety of its products, Hikvision encourages partners to take advantage of the many cybersecurity resources Hikvision offers, including the Hikvision Cybersecurity Centre. For more information, please visit us at www.hikvision.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221782/Hikvision_2020_H1_Financial_Results.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221783/Hikvision_2020_H1_Financial_Results.jpg Three Georgia inmates are being praised by the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office after saving a deputys life. We are deeply appreciative to these three inmates for the courage, determination and kindness they displayed, the GCSO said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. The inmates noticed the deputy appeared to be feeling poorly while carrying out his security procedures in the housing unit, the statement said. When he returned to his seat at the deputy desk, the deputy lost consciousness and fell onto the concrete floor where he split his head open, the GCSO said. Three Gwinnett County inmates called out to a deputy who had fallen unconscious and then provided aid when he opened their cells, the Gwinnett County Sheriffs Office said. (Courtesy of Gwinnett Co. Sheriffs Office) The inmates in rooms close enough to see him fall began pounding on their doors, and soon the entire unit was calling out for the unconscious deputy. The deputy later said he did not realize he had fallen unconscious, according to the statement, but upon hearing the noise woke and rose to his feet to open cell doors, believing it was an inmate who needed help. He lost consciousness again, and the inmates rushed to render aid, said the GCSO. The deputy survived and is recovering at home. The GCSO thanked the inmates for using the opportunity to help the deputy. These inmates came to his aid because our deputy, like most law enforcement officers, treats people with the dignity they deserve. These inmates had no obligation whatsoever to render aid to a bleeding, vulnerable deputy, but they didnt hesitate, the statement said. Many people have strong opinions about law enforcement officers and criminals, but this incident clearly illustrates the potential goodness found in both. CNN Wire contributed to this report. Reading, PA (19601) Today Cloudy with morning snow ending, then windy and turning colder with falling temps and some afternoon clearing. A coating to 1-2" of snow expected in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Wind chills near or below zero later at night. A poacher who confessed to killing a rare silverback gorilla in Uganda in June was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Thursday, on charges of illegally entering a protected area and killing a gorilla, among other charges, authorities said. The silverback, known as Rafiki, was the leader of a group of more than a dozen gorillas known as the Nkuringo troop, which has been popular with visitors to Ugandas Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for decades. The nearly 80,000 acre UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to nearly half of the worlds mountain gorillas and has long drawn tourists from around the world hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare species. We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife, Sam Mwandha, Uganda Wildlife Authoritys executive director, said in a statement released Thursday. If one person kills wildlife, we all lose. Rafiki was believed to be about 25 years old when he went missing on June 1. His body was found the next day and four poachers were arrested a short time later. Leitrim hoteliers have expressed serious concerns about the stimulus package announced by the Government which does not go far enough to support Irish tourism and safeguard the livelihoods of the 270,000 employed by the industry - including the 1,100 jobs supported locally by tourism in Leitrim. Michael Yates, Chair of the Leitrim, Sligo and Roscommon Branch of the Irish Hotels Federation states: We are disappointed that the Government failed to deliver a reduction in tourism VAT. This is a missed opportunity given how highly effective the previous reduced VAT rate was in promoting increased employment. We now have a higher rate of VAT than 30 other European countries with which we compete. This is untenable from a competitiveness point of view and puts us at a serious disadvantage, particularly when considering our nearest neighbours Northern Ireland and Britain now have a tourism VAT rate of 5%. We will be engaging further with the Government on this critical issues as part of the October National Economic Plan, he said. While measures to stimulate consumer demand are welcome, we have serious doubts about how effective the Stay and Spend tax credit scheme will be in stimulating consumer demand. It seems overly cumbersome and convoluted, and we are urgently seeking further clarification from the Government on how the measure will operate. Mr Yates acknowledged the measures announced to address liquidity and investment as vital for the survival of many tourism businesses. However, these do not go far enough to secure the long-term stability of the industry. Commenting on the Employment Wage Support Scheme, he said: The new wage support scheme is welcome and will help hospitality businesses to keep their teams together until tourism and the overseas market recovers. The inclusion of seasonal workers and new hires is especially important. Other measures such as the rates waiver and reopening grants could give businesses much needed breathing space as they work to stabilise their businesses for the future and we look forward to seeing the details there. There is a concern that the rates waiver does not go far enough and we hope that this is addressed as part of the National Economic Plan in line with what is being done in the UK. We also welcome the additional supports being put in place for training which is hugely important as we build capability and our skills base for the future. Time and again, tourism has proven itself as a successful engine for economic growth. Over 90,000 jobs were created following the last recession with tourism supporting almost 270,000 jobs before the current crisis. Hotels and guesthouses not only provide local employment opportunities, they buy local services, source locally produced food and provide a vital infrastructure in support of local business and communities so the ramifications will be felt far and wide. Outstanding challenges for our sector include the requirement for an urgent review of the Governments current travel restrictions, which are putting tourism jobs further at risk. We are calling for the green list to be extended in line with the approach taken by our European partners. This should be supported by a comprehensive testing regime for visitors from countries not on the list. In addition, clarity is required for the reopening of the remaining facilities in hotels and guesthouses including the size of indoor gatherings, which should be linked to the capacity of venues. Hotels and guesthouses have been open over three weeks and have demonstrated safe practice across all aspects of their businesses through the adoption of guidelines and training endorsed by the HSE, HSA, HPSC and the FSAI, he concluded. Meanwhile, Joe Dolan, Managing Director, The Bush Hotel, said he concurs with Mr Yates and said that the devil is in the detail. He said that things are OK at the moment. Leitrim hoteliers are very resilient and will hunt for every bit of business out there, he said. Mr Dolan said the recently launched Leitrim Tourism video ThisIsLeitrim has been a huge success. The unique video campaign has had about 100,000 hits on YouTube and is now going international to target the Leitrim diaspora all over the world. He is hopeful the benefits of that campaign will be felt in the industry locally. Buoyed by an enthusiastic audience gathered inside a tent at Double Eagle Energys drilling rig in Midland County, President Donald Trump sought to buoy his standing with Texas and the energy industry. During his 16th visit to Texas since he took office and his first to West Texas, the president announced he was taking another bold action by signing four permits for pipeline and railroad infrastructure along the Texas border that will allow for Texas crude to be exported to Mexico. Its something that has been sought for many years and we got it done, the president said. Trump praised the hard-working men and women of Double Eagle and the rest of the energy industry for making the nation the No. 1 energy superpower anywhere in the world and thanked Double Eagle founders Cody Campbell and John Sellers, who serve as co-chief executive officers, for hosting the gathering. RELATED: Supporters line up to catch glimpse of Air Force One In introducing Trump, Campbell said the president is a great advocate of the industry. He knows the industry supports countless jobs, Campbell said. He stands shoulder to shoulder with us to oppose those on the radical left who are against the industry. Trump told the gathering that as long as he is in office, the nation would remain the top oil-and-natural gas producer in the world. Im here to celebrate the incredible achievement of the industry and to oppose the radical left who want to tear down the industry and make the U.S. subservient to foreign energy, he said. Im here to defend your jobs. Im here to defend the Lone Star State; I love this state. The president listed the actions he has taken to boost the energy industry, including approving soon after taking office the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, opening acreage in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to exploration and opening public lands to exploration. Just recently, he said, he extended until 2050 the authority to export liquefied natural gas. He said that since he took office, Permian Basin oil and natural gas production has more than doubled, while at the same time the nations air pollution is down. We will never cease being the leader in protecting our environment, he said. Under my administration, the U.S. will have the cleanest air and the cleanest water. And because of his proactive policies, jobs from countries with lower environmental standards like China are coming back to the U.S., Trump said. Reporters Notebook: Trump's visit to Midland When crude oil prices crashed this spring, I got Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut 10 million barrels of production per day, he said. I got OPEC-plus and Mexico to agree to cuts. So, were OK now, were back. We were close to losing a powerful industry but now were back and were going to keep expanding. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico, OPEC-plus all came together to save the industry. This action stabilized word oil prices that were in freefall and saved the industry. He warned of efforts by the far left to demolish the energy industry and the U.S. economy by banning hydraulic fracturing, banning oil and gas leases on federal lands and ultimately ending the use of fossil fuels. Calls for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, which he said is impossible, would render homes valueless and end the use of natural gas. Their agenda, he said, would end U.S. prosperity, eliminate millions of jobs and turn the U.S. into another Venezuela, which once was one of the richest countries in South America with its large oil and gas reserves but now doesnt have any water, food or medicine, he said. Tell Washington politicians who want to abolish energy: Dont mess with Texas, he said, concluding, I will never let Texas down. Nasa is about to head to Mars, sending its best rover yet to look for signs of ancient alien life. The launch window is due to open today, 30 July, and mission controllers must take advantage of the relatively brief time they have or be forced to delay the launch for two years. Everything is said to be on schedule for the launch, with Nasa engineers having tested everything possible and the United Launch Alliance the partnership between Lockheed Martin and Boeing that built the rocket indicating that everything is running as it should be. The rocket is expected to launch at 7.50am local eastern time in Florida, where the rocket will take off from a launchpad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. That time is 12.50pm in the UK. Each of the launch windows runs for two hours, with opportunities every five minutes. As such, if the rocket does not take off by 9.50am local time, mission controllers will be forced to push the launch back. But they will not be able to push back the launch too far. The rocket has a broader launch period of about three weeks, which ends on 15 August. If mission controllers miss that launch period, the rocket will be unable to go at all. Instead, it will have to wait for more than two years until the planets align again to allow for a launch. It's that relatively brief planetary alignment that has made this the "Summer of Mars", as the UAE and China also took advantage to launch their missions to the planet. The European Space Agency and Roscosmos had also planned to send their Rosalind Franklin rover, but missed their schedule and have been forced to wait until 2022. The chance that Nasa will miss its chance today is low, however. Official forecasts give a 20 per cent chance of "violating weather constraints" or bad conditions with the main worries being clouds above the launchpad. The launch can be watched live on a variety of platforms. Information on those can be found here. 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 see Nasa look for evidence of ancient alien life on the Martian surface. A full round-up of how it will do that can be found here. The Independent will be liveblogging the whole launch. You can find our up-to-the-minute coverage here. New Delhi, July 30 : How do you punish a country which doesnt regret unleashing a global pandemic, takes pride in the repression of religious and ethnic minorities at home, and is disturbing world peace with its nefarious expansionist designs? You give it the charge of a UN human rights panel. How do you reward someone who has ignored a country's brutalities, gross abuses of human rights and instead praised its aggressive expansionist projects? You appoint the person to monitor free speech in the world. Shocking but true-this is exactly what the United Nations has done in the past few months while the world has been busy tackling a pandemic. Quietly and shrewdly, China has climbed to the top of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) panel; it is now calling the shots, including picking the world body's human rights investigators. Jiang Duan, Minister at the Permanent Mission of China, to the Human Rights Council's Consultative Group from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, had earlier this year justified the repression of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. A few weeks after being elected to the council, Jiang was appointed as the head of the five-nation panel which appoints independent human rights experts under the special procedure of the UNHRC. "Allowing China's oppressive and inhumane regime to choose the world investigators on freedom of speech, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances is like making a pyromaniac into the town fire chief. "It's absurd and immoral for the UN to allow China's oppressive government a key role in selecting officials who shape international human rights standards and report on violations worldwide," Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights organization based in Geneva that closely monitors the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, and a leader in speaking out at the UN for victims in China, had said immediately after Jiang's appointment. The UN Special Procedures had been one of the few elements of the UN's human rights machinery that has been substantially raising the Uyghur crisis and holding China accountable for its crimes against humanity. Quite obviously, the disappointment in the Uyghur community was also on the expected lines. "We have already been witnessing China's growing influence and attempts to undermine human rights in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Despite the fact that China has been committing crimes against humanity against Uyghurs for over three years, the UN Human Rights Council has not been able to debate this topic or take any meaningful action. "China, along with a group of authoritarian states have been targeting the human rights council, forming a coalition to collectively attack human rights. The Chinese government is consistently acting against the founding principles of the UN and is wielding its power and influence to undermine human rights and silence criticism of its human rights record," commented Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC). However, the criticism has hardly bothered China. It continues to influence the selection of UN human rights mandate-holders known as special procedures, who investigate, monitor, and publicly report on either specific country situations, or on thematic issues in all parts of the world, such as freedom of speech and religion. Last week, China picked Bangladesh-born attorney Irene Khan, a former secretary general of Amnesty International, as the UNHRC spokesperson on free speech. Experts have alleged that Khan, who will be taking up the position in a few days from now, was chosen as she has showered praise for the Chinese regime in the past, especially on its Belt and Road Initiative. 2015: Amnesty International complains that expert won appointment to U.N. Human Rights Council by illicit aid of country on 5-nation vetting panel. 2020: Amnesty's ex-chief Irene Khan-a China admirer-wins appointment as UNHRC free speech expert after China chairs vetting panel. pic.twitter.com/FUjv95grbF - Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) on July 22 shared the above information. Aesop, the great Greek storyteller, once said "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." China's story at the UN is pretty similar - a totalitarian, brutal dictatorship picking human rights investigators is as silly as it can get. (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Preeja Prasad By Express News Service BENGALURU: The pandemic seems to have thrown cold water on the plans of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to expand its fleet. It was all set to purchase 1,500 diesel buses at a cost of Rs 600 crore. But the Covid-targeted measures pushed the transport utility into a financial crisis, and the funds for the new vehicles will be diverted to pay the salaries of its staffers, sources said. The corporation is now set for three months in terms of salaries. The funds are said to be diverted after September as the procurement is now on hold, sources said.The state government had released Rs 426 crore for June and July. Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi had also said that the state government released Rs 961 crore for all the state transport undertakings and this will suffice till September. The BMTC board had approved the procurement of the BS-VI diesel buses after approval from the state government. BS-VI emission norms had come into effect in the country from April 1.The state government was to provide Rs 100 crore per annum for seven years in the form of loan subsidy to BMTC for acquiring the new buses. The corporation operates only 1,500 to 2,000 buses and the new buses were needed to match the current population of the city. Thomson now has Android TVs from 32-inch all the way up to 75-inch The 75-inch TV which is their largest offering in the Android TV lineup is priced at Rs 99,999. Thomson recently launched their OATH range of Android TVs bringing with them 4K resolution and support for HDR. You can read more about those TVs here. Today Thomson has announced a new lineup of TVs starting at Rs 10,999. These TVs also run on Android TV and are available ins screen sizes ranging from 32 to 55-inch. Thomson has also added a 75-inch TV to its OATH lineup. Excited about the brands expansion, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd., (SPPL) and India Brand Licensee, Thomson TV, said; Our mission is to maximize the value addition of manufacturing Android TV in the next 5 years in India, we are proud to start our partnership with Google. PATH 9A and 9R series have been completely developed and tested in India; this is the beginning of the vocal for local Android TV. All our customers should feel honoured while buying this tv, as its completely developed and tested under make in India initiative. Google has just announced they will invest 10 billion dollars in India, this will assist the Android TV ecosystem as well. With this launch, we expect to gain our market share by 7% by the end of 2021-22." Thomson Path 9A and 9R TVs specifications and features Thomsons Path lineup of TVs is divided into two ranges - 9A and 9R. Put simply, the 9A has HD ready and FHD TVs while the 9R has 4K TVs. Lets take a look at the TVs in detail. The 9A has 4 TVs - 32-inch HD Path, 32-inch HD bezel-less, 40-inch FHD and 43-inch FHD. The 9R, on the other hand, has 43-inch 4K Path, 50-inch 4K Path, and 55-inch 4K Path. The entire 9A and 9R series from Thomson run on Android TV 9 out of the box giving users access to the Play Store, Chromecast built-in and streaming services. They also have an IPS panel giving it wide viewing angles. The 9R TVs which have a 4K resolution also support HDR. Under the hood, the TVs are powered by a quad-core 1GHz CPU and Mali quad-core GPU. According to the press release, remote features dedicated hotkeys for your preferred apps (Sony Liv, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube). You can even use your voice to navigate through, as the remote is equipped with Google Assistant. Thomson Path 9A and 9R TVs Price and Availability The Thomson 9A and 9R series will be available on Flipkart starting August 6. Coming to the price, of the 9A series, the 32-inch HD Path is priced at Rs 10,999, 32-inch HD bezel-less is priced at Rs 11,499, 40-inch FHD and 43-inch FHD are priced at Rs 16,499 and Rs 19,999 respectively. The 9R series, on the other hand, has the 43-inch 4K Path at Rs 21,999, 50-inch 4K Path at Rs 25,999, and 55-inch 4K Path at Rs 29,999. Thomson OATH Pro TVs specifications and features Moving to the OATH series, Thomson previously launched a 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes. Today the company has added a 50-inch and 75-inch screen size option to the portfolio. The 50 and 75-inch TVs have the same features as the TVs launched earlier. They bring with them support for 4K and HDR including Dolby Vision. They also support 2.4GHz Wi-Fi only and not the 5GHz band. For a wired connection, all three TVs support ethernet connectivity. The TV has a refresh rate of 60Hz. Under the hood, all three screen sizes have a quad-core processor coupled with the Mali-450 GPU. The TVs come with 8GB storage for you to download and store apps. Coming to audio, all three screen sizes support DTS TruSurround, Dolby digital plus and have two 15W speakers giving you a total sound output of 30W. The remote control that accompanies the TV comes with a Google Assistant button and voice controls. The remote control comes with dedicated hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Google Play Store. Users can also bring up the Google Assistant from the convenience of the remote control. Thomson OATH Pro TVs price and availability The 50 and 75-inch Thomson OATH TVs will be available starting August 6 on Flipkart and will be priced at Rs 28,999 and Rs 99,999 respectively. LA CROSSE Kwik Trip announced Wednesday it plans to purchase Madison-based Stop-N-Go Convenience Centers and its 36 stores in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The move comes three years to the month since La Crosse-based Kwik Trip announced it had agreed to purchase the Madison-based PDQ chain of convenience stores, which included 23 stores and 11 more elsewhere in Wisconsin. The nearest one in this area is located at 896 Wells St. in Lake Geneva. Both Kwik Trip and Stop-N-Go are family owned. The transaction is scheduled to be completed in early December. The acquisition is expected to add to staffing at the 120-acre Kwik Trip corporate campus on the north side of La Crosse, which produces and packages fresh food that is shipped daily to its stores in the three-state region. Although there are no estimates about the number of jobs that could be added, John McHugh, Kwik Trips director of public relations, said: Servicing 30 plus additional stores from our support center requires more staffing in many areas of our company; everything from IT to inventory auditors, to marketing people to trainers. Kwik Trip announced that it plans to continue to operate many of the acquired stores under the existing Stop-N-Go banner, while some of the larger stores will be remodeled and rebranded as Kwik Trip. When selecting the right buyer, it was important for us that the Stop-N-Go brand be continued. All of us at Stop-N-Go have a great deal of pride and sense of accomplishment because our efforts built a brand worthy of continuing under the new ownership of Kwik Trip, said Andrew Bowman, CEO and owner of Stop-N-Go. Companies heritage Stop-N-Go was founded in 1963 by Duane and Olympia Bowman and has become a leading convenience store brand in southern Wisconsin. It has 261 employees, including 238 who work in its retail operation. A Kwik Trip spokesman said: We hope to retain as many of them as possible and some members of our HR team have already begun that process this week. Stop-N-Go has a reputation of treating their employees very well. That philosophy mirrors Kwik Trips approach so it will be a good culture fit. Kwik Trip, founded in 1965 in Eau Claire, is one of the largest independently held convenience store chains in the United States. Today, Kwik Trip owns and operates more than 700 stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa and employs more than 27,000 employees. One of the employee benefits at Kwik Trip is the Zietlow familys commitment to share 40% of the companys pre-tax profits with coworkers. Kwik Trip continues to focus on food, value-priced commodities, clean facilities and outstanding customer service. Kwik Trip announced it has no plans to close any Kwik Trip store as part of the acquisition process. As of 18 months ago, Kwik Trip had more than 2,318 employees working on the corporate campus in La Crosse. Kwik Trip has been undergoing a $300 million investment that includes expansion of the corporate campus to increase production capacity, including a $112 million largely automated bakery that opened in 2019. Work continued Wednesday on part of the campus expansion an expanded commissary. The investment was aided by $21 million in state income tax credits awarded in November 2017 that included creation of 300 jobs in La Crosse during five years. A state audit showed that Kwik Trip had created 171 by the end of September 208. In 2018, Kwik Trip received the Chain of the Year award from the Convenience Store Decisions trade magazine for being designated as a superior retailer and innovator. Kwik Trip also won the award in 2004. When selecting the right buyer, it was important for us that the Stop-N-Go brand be continued. All of us at Stop-N-Go have a great deal of pride and sense of accomplishment because our efforts built a brand worthy of continuing under the new ownership of Kwik Trip. Andrew Bowman, CEO and owner of Stop-N-Go. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 UK car makers continue to endure a torrid period with production of new vehicles halving in June, with the ongoing toll of the coronavirus on the sector already costing 11,000 jobs in 2020, the trade body said today. Vehicles manufacturing is down 43 per cent in the first six months of the year, with the crisis still restricting some factories from reopening. The UK is now on course to produce just over 880,000 new cars this year - a decline of a third compared to 2019 and the lowest output since 1957. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders boss, Mike Hawes, described the latest manufacturing report as 'grim reading' and said the long-term future of the UK car-making industry now 'depends on securing a good deal' as part of Brexit negotiations. Manufacturing slump continues: Car productions fell by a half in June as the UK automotive industry looks set to be on course for the lowest output in 63 years Official figures released by the SMMT today show that just 56,594 cars were built in UK factories last month. In June 2019, the output was 109,226 Official stats released on Thursday show that just 56,594 new cars were built in UK vehicle plants last month. Output is down from 119,226 units in June 2019 - a decline of 48.2 per cent. That's despite most car manufacturing sites in the country operating throughout the month, with some returning as early as 4 May. Rolls-Royce was the first brand to return, shortly followed by Aston Martin and Bentley at the beginning of May, while Jaguar Land Rover restarted its Solihull vehicle plant and Wolverhampton engine factory simultaneously on 18 May. However, some manufacturers are still yet to raise their shutters. While June marked a vast improvement on April and May, when only a combined 5,511 cars were built, the performance has officially rounded off the worst first six months for UK car production since 1954 Outputs were down by half in June despite most UK car production facilities operating throughout the month. Bentley in Crewe (pictured) has been building vehicles since 11 May Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's biggest car producer, has opened some of its sites, though others remain closed until next month and it has recently announced more job losses JLR - which is Britain's biggest car producer - hasn't restart operations at some of its other plants, including Castle Bromwich where DHL supply staff have been told they will not be returning as part of 2,200 job cuts across the business. Nissan's Sunderland site - the largest single car production facility in the country - only restarted its assembly lines on 9 June while French bosses of Vauxhall have recently confirmed that Astra production at the Ellesmere Port factory will resume from 17 August - a full five months after it closed at the start of the pandemic. The SMMT said slowed production was also caused by the limitations presented by factories having to implement strict social-distancing measures. This includes smaller workforces, regular and extended machinery clean-down times and spaced-out assembly lines, all of which have caused a drag on productivity. Strict social distancing measures put in place following the Covid-19 pandemic has limited production, says the industry's trade body. That's because businesses are restricting their workforce volumes Manufacturing has also been slowed by the requirement to regular and extended machinery clean-down times and workers having to regularly sanitise to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Weak demand across global markets was also cited as restricting output. Manufacturing for the domestic market was down by 63.8 per cent, though - more worryingly - production for export fell by a substantial 45 per cent. UK's first car battery gigafactory takes a stride forward Could this be the home of the UK's first battery gigafactory? The St Athan site in Wales The UK's first car-battery gigafactory is scheduled to open in 2023, potentially providing hundreds of new jobs in Wales. Manufacturer Britishvolt this week announced that the renowned Italian design house Pininfarina will build the UK's first large-scale battery gigaplant at the former RAF base of Bro Tathan - the same location of Aston Martin's newest factory where the DBX SUV is being built. Pininfarina is most recognised for iconic car design - penning the likes of the Ferrari Daytona and Testarossa - but has more recently expanded into the field of architecture. A 2.7-million-square-foot plant is to be drawn up. It will have an annual lithium-ion battery production capacity of up to 35GWh, putting it on a par with Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada, USA, says Britishvolt bosses. No details on investment for the plant have been announced, but it will include government funding. Orral Nadjari, founder at Britishvolt, said: 'We are honoured to collaborate with world-renowned design powerhouse Pininfarina, to create our landmark gigaplant. 'Britishvolt's aim to become the world's first zero carbon battery manufacturer aligns perfectly with Pininfarina's expertise in creating green, high tech and innovative environments. 'With carefully selected sustainable materials that take into account the entire building's life cycle, Pininfarina's appreciation of social impact is what drew us to this partnership. 'Their balance between pioneering design and understanding of local culture, is one Britishvolt is proud to take forward.' Silvio Pietro Angori, CEO at Pininfarina, added: 'We are proud to collaborate with Britishvolt on such an ambitious project, thus contributing towards creating the UK's largest battery manufacturing facility, and advancing the evolution of e-mobility. 'Our focus has always been on combining timeless design with social and environmental sustainability, both in automotive design and architecture. Sustainable design is no longer an option to consider down the line, it's a necessary commitment to create social and economic value for future generations.' The latter figures is a huge hammer blow to the sector, with nine in 10 new cars produced in the UK being built to order for overseas markets - many of which had their coronavirus lockdowns eased ahead England. While June marked a vast improvement on April and May, when only a combined 5,511 cars were built, the performance has officially rounded off the worst first six monthsof a year for UK car production since 1954. Just 381,357 motors have been built since January, a decline of 42.8 per cent, representing a loss of 285,164 units. As a consequence of the crisis, at least 11,349 job cuts have already been announced across the industry, including manufacturing, supply chain and retail, the SMMT said. Furthermore, new analysis suggests car production losses could total 1.46 million units by 2025 worth just over 40 billion if no free trade agreement is in place by the end of 2020, forcing the sector to trade on World Trade Organisation terms with full tariffs applied - pushing up the price of an average car imported into the UK from EU nations by 1,500. Mr Hawes said it is now of 'critical importance' for the government to strike an EU-UK free-trade agreement for the sector. The SMMT ceo added: 'These figures are yet more grim reading for the industry and its workforce, and reveal the difficulties all automotive businesses face as they try to restart while tackling sectoral challenges like no other. 'Recovery is difficult for all companies, but automotive is unique in facing immense technological shifts, business uncertainty and a fundamental change to trading conditions while dealing with coronavirus. 'Our factories were once set to make two million cars in 2020 but could now produce less than half that number, a result of the devastating effects of the pandemic on top of already challenging market conditions and years of Brexit uncertainty. 'This industry has demonstrated its inherent competitiveness and global excellence over the past decade. Its long-term future now depends on securing a good deal and a long-term strategy that supports an industry on which so many thousands of jobs across the country depend.' The latest independent production outlook commissioned by SMMT, and also released today, now expects just over 880,000 cars to be produced in the UK this year down by a third on 2019 outputs and 30 per cent less than anticipated in January, ahead of the pandemic striking the economy. If the trade body's estimations are correct, the UK automotive sector would have its lowest total manufacturing output since 1957. The analysis also suggests that without a positive trade agreement with the EU, and the industry trading on WTO terms with 10 per cent tariffs, output could stay around the 800,000 mark or less to 2025. If an tariff-free agreement can be found, car volumes would recover to pre-crisis levels of 1.2 million units within the next few years and the potential for further long-term growth after that, it claimed. Commenting on the June results and estimated total UK vehicle production in 2020, Peter Barnes, head of automotive at global legal business, DWF, said: 'The coronavirus pandemic caps a perfect storm for the UK car industry which has been facing falling investments and uncertainty since the 2016 vote to leave the EU. 'The future now depends on securing a good deal. Positive news in respect of treatments and vaccines for coronavirus will assist a quicker recovery from a global economic downturn, and it will no doubt boost consumer confidence and purchasing power when they are available.' Constitution supreme for me, there is no pressure: Rajasthan Governor India pti-PTI New Delhi, July 30: "The Constitution is supreme for me," Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said on Thursday, and refuted allegations that he had acted under the Central government''s pressure in the political tussle. The Governor also asked the Gehlot government to make all efforts to check the spread of coronavirus and focus on development work in the state. In an interview to PTI, Mishra, who on Wednesday agreed with the state Cabinet's proposal to call an assembly session from August 14, said he has always directed the state government to follow constitutional provisions in sending its request for convening a session. Priyanka Gandhi moves out of Lodhi estate bungalow before Centre's deadline | Oneindia News Rajasthan crisis: Ashok Gehlot says 'horse-trading rates are up as House session dates announced' He had asked the state Cabinet to follow the 21-day notice requirement to call a session while turning down its earlier three proposals before finally agreeing to call the session. "The Constitution is supreme for a governor. There is no pressure on me," he said when asked about the Congress' charge against him. Mishra, who was one of the senior most BJP leaders and a former union minister before being made governor, also expressed his anguish at the protests by Congress legislators inside Raj Bhawan, saying this was not an "appropriate" behavior against somebody holding a constitutional post. He also rejected any comparison between the protests by Congress MLAs and the one by BJP lawmakers, including him, in Uttar Pradesh in 1995 against then state governor, saying UP agitation was held outside Raj Bhawan and it did not violate any decorum. The BJP MLAs had then protested against the infamous 'guest house' incident in which BSP supremo Mayawati was allegedly attacked by some people at the behest of Samajwadi Party leadership. Asked about his expectations from the Rajasthan government, Mishra said it should speed up development work and work out a strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19. "The state government should take care of the common man. Attempts should be continuously made to spread awareness among the masses to curb the global pandemic. An atmosphere should be created that people should not fear (the disease). All out efforts should be made to check the pandemic," he said. With most of the ruling Congress MLAs being put up in a five-star hotel in Jaipur to deal with the political crisis following a revolt by former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18-odd MLAs loyal to him, the BJP has accused the state government of not taking adequate measures to deal with the pandemic, and other issues facing the state. The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to poach its MLAs in league with party dissidents to allegedly topple the Gehlot-led government. The BJP has denied the charge and termed the political crisis an outcome of internal feud in the Congress. New venues in Crows Nest, Cabramatta and Surry Hills have been linked to COVID-19 clusters as six mysterious cases remain under investigation in NSW. The state confirmed 18 new cases on Thursday morning, with a third of those not yet linked to known clusters. Two of Queensland's three new cases have links to Sydney's Potts Point cluster. Fitness First in St Leonards underwent deep cleaning after a COVID-19 case linked to The Apollo restaurant attended the gym. Credit:Louie Douvis Victoria and the country recorded its worst day of the pandemic on Thursday, with 744 new cases nationally. Victoria Health confirmed on Thursday night a man in his 50s had died, taking the national death toll to 190. Victoria on Thursday morning reported 723 new cases and 13 deaths. Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said Thursday's numbers were "a new unfortunate record". Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 10:20:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong police said on late Wednesday that they had arrested four people on suspicion of breach of the national security law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force arrested three males and one female on Wednesday afternoon in different districts including Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Sha Tin, Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the National Security Department told a media briefing Wednesday night. The four people, aged between 16 and 21 and claiming to be students, were arrested on suspicion of violating Article 20 and 21 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, Li said. Intelligence and investigation showed that a group recently announced on social media the establishment of an organization advocating "Hong Kong independence," and incited others to join them, he added. This is the first law enforcement operation launched by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force in accordance with the national security law in Hong Kong. The national security law in Hong Kong clearly defines offences endangering national security, the Hong Kong police pointed out, urging people not to defy the law and emphasizing that those who commit relevant crimes online will also be held liable. The police did not disclose the identity of the arrested. Local media said one of them is Tony Chung Hon-lam, the former convener of a student organization advocating "Hong Kong independence." Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 11:40:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Thursday morning confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19, all of which are in the community, bringing the total cases in the country to 459. Vietnam's central city of Da Nang, which has seen several community cases since July 25, reported eight new infections including local citizens, according to the ministry. Another case was found in the capital city Hanoi, who is a 76-year-old man that recently traveled to Da Nang. On Wednesday night, Hanoi authorities imposed a lockdown on the alley where the man lived and surrounding areas in an effort to control the outbreak, Vietnam News Agency reported. Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has ordered a ban on all crowded gatherings and festivals, and the closure of bars and nightclubs effective from midnight Wednesday. A total of 369 patients in Vietnam have totally recovered from the disease with zero deaths as of Thursday morning, while there are over 81,500 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, said the health ministry. Enditem Rep. Ted Yoho at the hearing Smart Competition: Adapting U.S. Strategy Toward China at 40 Years in Washington on May 8, 2019. (Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times) Rep. Ted Yoho Introduces Bill Authorizing US Military Force in Event of China-Taiwan Invasion Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would authorize the United States to use military force if China were to invade Taiwan. In a news release on July 29, Yoho said the legislation (pdf), named the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, addresses a number of aggressive actions taken by the Chinese communist regime towards Taiwan. It also comes in response to escalating tensions caused by Beijing in Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and on the Sino-Indian border. Given these provocations, it has become clear that the Chinese Communist Party is rapidly moving to realize its territorial ambitions without regard for international condemnation or backlash, the release states. Today, I introduced the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act to provide strategic clarity in our defense relationship with #Taiwan. This bill sets down a clear red line for #China that the future of Taiwan must be decided by peaceful means. https://t.co/DeOP43MMDw Ted Yoho (@RepTedYoho) July 29, 2020 The Chinese regime considers Taiwan a part of its territory, despite the self-ruled island having its own political system, military, and economy. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long threatened to use military force to claim Taiwan as its own. It has also proposed unifying the island with the mainland under a one country, two systems framework such as that implemented in Hong Konga system now in question since Beijings recent imposition of a national security law that rights groups say has violated the former British colonys autonomy. The framework is firmly opposed by both Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wens Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the more Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party (KMT). Among a number of measures, the bill would establish a limited defensive authorization for President Donald Trump to use military force to secure and protect Taiwan against an armed attack from China. It also requires China to renounce the use or threat of military force in its relationship with Taiwan. Announcement of the legislation comes just days after Taiwans foreign minister said China is sending military planes near the island with increasing frequency in what appears to be a stepping up of its threat to use force. Such flights are more frequent than reported in the media and have become virtually a daily occurrence, Taiwans Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu told reporters last week. Along with Chinese military exercises simulating an attack on Taiwan, the flights by China are a major concern for Taiwans government, Wu said. What it is doing now is unceasingly preparing to use force to resolve the Taiwan problem, Wu said. Wu said China appeared to have grown in confidence following its crackdown on opposition voices in Hong Kong, facilitated by the CCPs enactment of a sweeping security law. The U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity towards Taiwan, initially implemented to avoid provoking Beijing to attack Taiwan and encourage peaceful relations, has clearly failed, congressman Yoho said in a statement announcing the introduction of the bill. The PLAs [Peoples Liberation Army] dramatic military buildup and increased provocations in the Taiwan Strait, along with blatant threats from the CCP, make their intentions toward Taiwan abundantly clear, he added. The United States must act immediately to establish a clear red line over Taiwan that must not be crossed by China. As a vibrant democracy with nearly 24 million people, the U.S. is obligated to stand strong in support of Taiwan and encourage a return to peaceful relations between Taiwan and China. #Taiwan is a beacon of freedom, democracy & human rights. @RepTedYohos Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act defends this achievement, & is a vote of #US confidence in the country & the people. We thank the @HouseForeign member for his friendship & support. https://t.co/uGVyavJbTG https://t.co/s1AdIEKg7r Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) (@MOFA_Taiwan) July 30, 2020 Taiwans foreign ministry welcomed news of the legislation in a statement on Twitter. #Taiwan is a beacon of freedom, democracy & human rights. @RepTedYohos Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act defends this achievement, & is a vote of #US confidence in the country & the people. We thank the @HouseForeign member for his friendship & support, it said. Cathy He and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Online Programs & Courses Personal education through innovation. A personalized education is a big part of the William & Mary experience. Whether you're online or on campus, William & Mary offers small class sizes taught by award-winning faculty. Learn about our unique undergraduate opportunities for the summer, and fully online degree programs and certificates from our graduate schools. Undergraduate Summer Opportunities William & Mary offers an expanding variety of online summer courses across our curriculum. From Greek civilization to computer science to Africana studies, online summer courses offer W&M students the flexibility to take W&M courses remotely. The W&M Washington Center also offers hybrid summer courses with three-credit classes running over the course of five weeks mostly online classwork with five consecutive evening sessions in D.C. Online summer coursesHybrid summer courses in D.C. Raymond A. Mason School of Business The Business School's Center for Online Learning currently offers four fully online programs, an Online MBA, Online Masters in Business Analytics, Online Masters in Marketing and Online Masters in Finance, and an Online Foundations in Business Analytics Certificate. Join our network of success and engage with top-tier faculty using our innovative, easy-to-use digital learning platform. New classes start in fall, spring and summer. Online programs from the business school William & Mary School of Education The school of education offers a number of online and hybrid degree programs, allowing working professionals to attain graduate degrees in education and counseling while continuing to work full-time and without relocating to Williamsburg. In educational leadership, the school offers a hybrid master's degree in K-12 leadership as well as an Executive Ed.D. in Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership with concentrations in gifted administration, higher education administration, international school leadership and K-12 administration. In teacher preparation, an online M.A.Ed. and three certificates are offered in ESL/bilingual and special education. Finally, the Online Master of Education in Counseling offers concentrations in clinical mental health counseling, school counseling, and military and veterans counseling. Online programs from the School of education William & Mary Law School's Military & Veteran's Health Certificate Faculty of the Law Schools Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic offer a self-paced, fully online program geared toward veterans, attorneys, veteran service officers, transitional personnel, family members and caregivers. Successful completion of the program will lead to a non-degree Certificate in Military and Veterans Health, Policy and Advocacy (MVHPA). Several sessions are offered throughout the year. Online MVHPA Certificate from the Law School The Hill More than two-thirds of voters questioned in a new survey said the U.S. is on the wrong track one year after President Biden was sworn in.According to the Morning Consult-Politico poll, 68 percent of respondents said that the country is going down the wrong path, while only 32 percent said the U.S. is heading in the right direction.Additionally, 41 percent said they approve of the job Biden is doing in the Oval Office and 56 percent disapprove.... By Joey Roulette (Reuters) - NASA is set to launch an ambitious mission to Mars on Thursday with the liftoff of its next-generation Perseverance rover, a six-wheeled robot tasked with deploying a mini helicopter, testing out equipment for future human missions and searching for traces of past Martian life. The $2.4 billion mission, slated for liftoff at 7:50 a.m. ET (1150 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral, is planned as the U.S. space agency's ninth trek to the Martian surface. The United Arab Emirates and China separately this month launched probes to Mars in displays of their own technological prowess and ambition. Launching atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance, the car-sized Perseverance rover is expected to reach Mars next February. It is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists believe could hold traces of potential past microbial Martian life. "This is unlike any robot that we've sent to Mars before because it has the purpose of astrobiology," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Reuters in an interview. "We are trying to find evidence of ancient life on another world." The rover will attempt for the first time to bring Martian rock samples back to Earth, collecting materials in cigar-sized capsules and leaving them scattered on the surface for retrieval by a future "fetch" rover. That conceptual rover is expected to launch the samples back into space to link up with other spacecraft for an eventual Earth homecoming around 2031. Also aboard Perseverance is a four-pound (1.8 kg) autonomous helicopter called Ingenuity that is due to test powered flight on Mars for the first time. Bridenstine said he can imagine a day when NASA places a robot on Mars that can deploy perhaps a dozen different helicopters for exploration. Since NASA's first Mars rover Sojourner landed in 1997, the agency has sent two others - Spirit and Opportunity - that have revealed the geology of vast Martian plains and found evidence of past water formations, among other discoveries. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. Story continues "We know that we're going to make discoveries with the Mars Perseverance rover that are going to make us ask a whole lot more questions, just like every previous discovery," Bridenstine told Reuters. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under its Artemis program, which envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the bigger leap to Mars. Perseverance will carry out an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planet's surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. "There's a lot of things that we need to be able to develop and discover," Bridenstine said, "so that when we get to Mars we can actually survive for long periods of time." One of the most complex maneuvers in Perseverance's journey will be what mission engineers call the "seven minutes of terror," when the robot endures extreme heat and speeds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, deploying a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to gently touch down on the planet's surface. (Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) India, by contrast, managed to squeeze out growth in the first three months and then plummeted 51% in the June quarter as the nation went into a prolonged lockdown, according to data from Counterpoint Research. And in the U.S, a 21% drop from the previous year worsened to a fall of 25%, matching the general consistency of economic malaise since the start of the crisis. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 30, 2020 | MURRAY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 30, 2020 | 06:12 PM | MURRAY While some local health departments reported fewer cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, Calloway County reported its highest one-day total of cases since the pandemic began. The Calloway County Health Department reported 11 new cases of the virus on Thursday. The total number of confirmed cases for Calloway County is now at 168, with 131 cases fully recovered, 32 isolated at home, two hospitalized, and three deaths. The Pennyrile District Health Department confirmed eight new cases on Thursday, including one in Caldwell County, four in Crittenden County, two in Lyon County, and one in Trigg County. The patients range in age from 20 months to 80 years old. Seven of the patients are isolating at home. One patient, a 47-year old man from Caldwell County is hospitalized. The Marshall County Health Department announced four new cases of COVID-19. The new patients include one man and one woman in their 20s, and two men in their 50s. The total number of positive cases in Marshall County is now 121. Of those cases, 96 have fully recovered and three deaths have been reported. The Southern Seven Health Department reported just one new case of the virus, a woman in her 20s from Massac County. No new cases were reported in the other six counties found in the southernmost region of Illinois, for a cumulative total of 495 cases and 18 deaths since the start of the pandemic. We estimate that these financial settlements, combined with already submitted BI (business interruption) claims, will amount to over 650 million rand and will provide settlement for half of the customers with the infectious disease extension, Old Mutual said in a statement. However, Ryan Woolley of Insurance Claims Africa, which represents about 600 small firms on the matter, told Reuters that businesses were likely to end up with much less than they were owed. Six hundred and fifty million (650 million) South African rand is equivalent to about US$39 million. London: The Wikipedia entry for Meghan Markle was altered days before her relationship with Prince Harry was made public to remove a television game show appearance and change her occupation from model to humanitarian. A reference to her work as a model on the US version of Deal or No Deal TV show was scrubbed from Wikipedia late at night on October 9 2016, three weeks before it was disclosed she was dating the prince. In a separate edit 10 minutes later, her occupation was changed from "actress, fashion model and "spokesmodel" to "actress, activist, humanitarian". The edit, timed at 10.48pm, drastically altered her entry to include a new section under the heading "Humanitarian work" that included a visit to Rwanda for a water charity, work with "the United Nations Women" and a visit to Afghanistan in 2014. It also added that she was "founder of The TIG", her lifestyle blog at the time. Meghan the Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday. Credit:AP Wikipedia is meticulous at charting changes to entries and the ones on October 9 were made by an anonymous user giving only an IP computer address. The same user made a further, minor change three minutes later. An internet database search links the IP address to a public relations company in Los Angeles. The London Telegraph did the investigation but could find no evidence that the company ever represented the no Duchess of Sussex. (Newser) The New York Times is out with a story on former President Obama's private remarks about his successor during fundraising events for Joe Biden. The upshot is that Obama is far more critical of President Trump in private than he is in public, but two issues in particular appear to worry Obama more than anything else. During an event Tuesday with George Clooney, somebody asked the former president what keeps him awake at night. His response: worries about voter suppression and Trump challenging the legitimacy of the November election. (The report came out before Trump publicly floated the idea Thursday of delaying the vote.) story continues below The story also notes that at these events, Obama has accused Trump of pushing "nativist, racist, sexist" fears among his base of supporters. Obama also called out Trump for referring to the coronavirus as the "Chinese virus" or "kung flu," adding "that still shocks and pisses me off." Asked for comment, Obama's office didn't dispute the negative comments but didn't elaborate, either. Meanwhile, the president turned up on the first episode of his wife's new podcast Wednesday, notes USA Today. Referring to anxiety over the pandemic and racial injustice, he said: "[There's] this sense of what we've been doing isn't working the way it should. And now I think you have this big contest of competing ideas." (Read more Barack Obama stories.) President Donald Trump said Wednesday that U.S. troops are withdrawing from Germany for the "simple" reason that the Germans failed to pay their bills, not over the strategic concerns cited by Defense Secretary Mark Esper. "It's very simple. They're delinquent," Trump said at the White House before leaving on a campaign trip to Texas. Read Next: Senators Demand 'Immediate Action' After Explosive Report on Navy Sex Trafficking Scandal Germany failed to meet its obligation to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, he said, "so we're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills." However, Trump said he might reconsider the withdrawal he ordered in June "if they start paying their bills." The president's remarks appeared to undercut Esper, who at an earlier Pentagon briefing posed the withdrawal of 11,900 U.S. troops from Germany as part of a plan long underway to implement the National Defense Strategy by creating a leaner and more agile force in Europe better able to deter Russia. The initial response in Germany was cautious and suggested an expectation that the policy might change depending on the outcome of the November elections in the U.S. "Unfortunately, this puts a burden on the German-American relationship," Minister President of Bavaria Markus Soder told Deutsche Welle, the German broadcast service. "We are now waiting to see if the decision will last," Soder said in a pointed reference to the possibility that Trump might lose in November. In a Twitter post, Wolfgang Ischinger, the former German ambassador to the U.S., called the withdrawal "bad news" for the NATO alliance in that "it sends the wrong signal of U.S. disengagement to Moscow." Reaction to the withdrawal broke down along the usual lines among Trump supporters and opponents on Capitol Hill and in the ranks of retired military members. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, the former commander of U.S. Army Europe, said on Twitter, "This is a very bad strategic move for the US. Pulling troops out of Germany hurts us much more than it hurts our allies." However, retired Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, a senior fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank, called the withdrawal "a welcome first step to a necessary and overdue reduction of U.S. forces on the continent." Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a staunch Trump supporter, said in a statement last week that he had been briefed on the basics of the withdrawal and backed the proposal. But he noted that "this concept will take months to plan, and years to execute." But Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, the ranking committee member, called the plan "a self-inflicted wound by President Trump against American interests." In a statement, Reed said the plan is of the type that former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "was able to stand up to in the past, but this administration seems to be unraveling under the strain of the pandemic." On the House side, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued a cautious statement, saying, "Some of the proposed moves clearly have merit. It is essential that we consult closely with our NATO allies on any changes." -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Nearly 12,000 US Troops Will Pull Out of Germany at Cost of Billions, SecDef Says Jamie Doran has officially started legal proceedings against Channel 10 and Warner Bros. over his unfair portrayal on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Less than 24 hours after Channel 10 issued a statement implying that Jamie's legal threat wasn't serious, the former firefighter has hired a defamation lawyer to represent him. He has recruited Sydney lawyer Keith Redenbach, a partner of Redenbach Lee, who represented Married At First Sight star Nasser Sultan in his case against The Daily Telegraph two years ago. It's on! Jamie Doran (pictured) has officially started legal proceedings against Channel 10 and Warner Bros. over his unfair portrayal on The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise A source close to Jamie told Daily Mail Australia: 'Channel 10 came out with a statement basically saying Jamie was bluffing. 'Now he has lawyered up. He wants to take a stand for all future reality stars who are bullied and slandered on national TV.' Mr Redenbach made headlines in 2018 when he helped win Nasser Sultan an undisclosed financial settlement from The Daily Telegraph. The newspaper had falsely claimed that Nasser had 'gatecrashed an A-list event' in Sydney when he had actually been invited as a special guest. Fighting talk: Less than 24 hours after Channel 10 issued a statement implying that Jamie was bluffing, the former firefighter has hired a defamation lawyer to represent him Right man for the job: He has recruited lawyer Keith Redenbach, a partner of Redenbach Lee, who represented Nasser Sultan (pictured) in his case against The Daily Telegraph in 2018 It comes after Jamie announced on Wednesday morning that he was taking legal action over his negative portrayal in the Channel 10 dating franchise. 'This is not the news I wanted to post, but I feel I owe this to at least my family, friends, and also fans of The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise,' he wrote on Instagram. 'After lengthy consideration, I've decided to begin legal proceedings against Network 10 and Warner Bros. Australia. 'I'm not going to comment on this any further for the time being and would appreciate it if people would respect my privacy.' 'Proceedings': It comes after Jamie announced on Wednesday morning that he was taking legal action over his negative portrayal in the Channel 10 dating franchise At the time, a Channel 10 spokesperson dismissed the legal threat in a brief statement, saying that Jamie had not in fact engaged lawyers to act on his behalf against the broadcaster and production company. 'Network 10 has not received any papers regarding this claim,' a representative said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jamie Doran and Keith Redenbach for comment. 'We haven't received any papers regarding this claim': At the time, a Channel 10 spokesperson dismissed the legal threat in a statement, saying that Jamie had not in fact engaged lawyers to act on his behalf against the network and Warner Bros. Pictured with Brittney Weldon (left) Dispute: A source close to Jamie told News Corp on Thursday: 'He's been made to look weird, like a complete idiot. That's why he's so upset' Jamie has been portrayed as a 'stage-five clinger' on Bachelor in Paradise so far this season, and received a similar edit on The Bachelorette last year. Some viewers have complained on Twitter that producers seem to be going out of their way to make him look 'emotionally unstable'. A source close to Jamie told News Corp on Thursday: 'He's been made to look weird, like a complete idiot. That's why he's so upset.' A developers attempt to move forward with plans for a controversial townhome complex in the River Road neighborhood was stymied again Wednesday. MNO Partners has been trying to build the project at 335 Trail St. for more than two years. The latest designs show 23 units across six two- and three-story buildings. A motion to approve a waiver request was narrowly denied by the citys Historic and Design Review Commission. Five commissioners voted to approve it, but the motion required six affirmative votes to pass. The panel previously denied a waiver in June. MNO partner David Morin expressed frustration with the process and a lack of guidance on designs. Were looking for clear guidance and recommendations that are grounded in reality and will result in a realistic project, he said. We want to work with the commission. We hope to come back. He said substantial changes have been made to the project based on the feedback so far. On ExpressNews.com: Waiver request for River Road townhomes falls short at San Antonios historic review commission Some River Road residents disagreed. In written or recorded comments submitted to the panel Wednesday, they said MNO has not made major alterations to its plans and reiterated concerns about the developments scale and density and emergency vehicle access. Why are we going through this exercise again? This project has not substantively changed, David Schmidt wrote to the panel. Others wrote in to say they supported the project because it would add more housing to the area and is a good use of the property. I believe that the new development respects the history of the area, enhances this section of the neighborhood, and will be a wonderful asset for San Antonio, Blair Davis wrote. I am excited about the prospect of new families living near Brackenridge Park and enjoying the rich cultural amenities the neighborhood offers. Some commissioners said the project had improved but expressed concerns about changes and residents ongoing concerns. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox A proposal by MNO received conceptual approval with stipulations in January 2019 but an application for a certificate of appropriateness later was denied. In December, the commission OKd, with stipulations, a design that included 24 units, but it was denied on appeal to the Board of Adjustment in February. Under the citys Unified Development Code, the developer must wait a year after the boards denial to submit new plans unless it receives a waiver. MNO revised its designs, which included reducing the number of units, lowering the height of some buildings, eliminating front-loading garages facing Trail Street and preserving a heritage oak. The developers latest application also included updates to a parking plan and minor changes to street-facing elevations of two buildings, commission documents show. On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: New Alamo Heights-area office building getting a sleek, glassy look In a letter MNO partner Frank Navarro said he recently mailed to Mayor Ron Nirenberg, local City Council members and Gov. Greg Abbott, he expressed concerns about the vague and subjective process with the commission. After receiving conceptual approval, Navarro wrote, he and Morin poured our lifes savings and the majority of the money we raised from friends and family into finalizing a design for the final green light from the panel. They expected to make adjustments to some of the details but were astonished and concerned when commissioners raised concerns about the scale of the project at that point in the process, and had to raise more funds from relatives and friends for redesigns, Navarro wrote. He also wrote that the neighborhood simply doesnt want to see a development in an area that has been vacant for so long and will stop at nothing to prevent it. madison.iszler@express-news.net Calif. senate committee kills bill to fund trans hormones, breast and genital amputation for minors Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A California bill that would have given millions in state funds to pay for experimental medications and surgical procedures for gender-transitioning both teenagers and adults has been killed in committee Tuesday. The Senate Health Committee announced Tuesday that AB 2218, the Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund, would not be considered for the remainder of the year. The bill would have funded experimental treatments such as drugs that block normal puberty in gender-confused minors, prescriptions for opposite-sex hormones, and surgical procedures that amputate breasts and genitals, and remove reproductive organs such as the uterus and ovaries. The bill originally asked for $15 million to start the fund, but that figure was later scrubbed from the text of the proposal. AB 2218 had previously passed in the Assembly, the lower chamber, mostly on party lines with little debate. Dr. Richard Pan, who chairs the Senate committee, revealed that the controversial measure would not be heard in their final committee hearing. The people of California spoke, and the Senate Health Committee listened, said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller, in a press release sent to The Christian Post on Tuesday. Children and young adults with gender dysphoria deserve true compassion. We are grateful that California lawmakers chose not to fund mutilating surgeries and sterilizing hormones that cause irreversible damage. Keller added in a follow-up email to CP on Wednesday that they are cautiously optimistic about the recent action by the senators. "Despite an aggressive smear campaign against those who even question transgender ideology, more and more brave people are refusing to be silenced," he said. "Even unconventional allies like author J.K. Rowling are finding the collateral damage of transgenderism impossible to ignore. We pray California legislators will continue to see the dangers of condemning children and young adults who struggle with gender dysphoria to a lifetime of sterility and artificial hormones. The California Family Council was among several groups that reached out to the nine members of the Senate committee to discuss the irreversible damage done to bodies that have been mutilated by such surgeries. Some of the CFC activists also distributed copies of journalist Abigail Shrier's new book,Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, which was released last month. Shrier's work investigates the myriad harms young girls are experiencing as a result of rapid-onset gender dysphoria, a peer contagion that often results in many teenaged girls taking testosterone and undergoing double mastectomies. Demand for double mastectomies among girls who self-identify as transgender has risen significantly in recent years along with the ascendency of transgender politics. Dr. Quentin Van Meter, an Atlanta-based board-certified pediatric endocrinologist, who CP interviewed in December 2018 about the harms of Lupron when used as a puberty blocker in gender dysphoric children, testified against the bill in the state Assembly earlier this year. The doctor told legislators during the hearing that children who are prescribed cross-sex hormones for gender confusion have significant mental health issues that continue even after hormone use. He also warned that the state would be sued in the coming years for funding such treatments since they cause sterility, destroy healthy tissue, and lead to other permanent damage. Riders will be required to use locking mechanisms on scooters to secure them to fixed objects such as bike racks or street signs at the end of trips. The lock mandate is aimed at reducing clutter on sidewalks, especially for people who have visual impairments or disabilities who need clear pathways, one of several problems reported with the initial pilot. DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi authorities on Thursday released six Baha'i faith members from prison, where United Nations human rights experts said they had been held as prisoners of conscience because of their beliefs, a Houthi official and Baha'i sources said. The Baha'i International Community group welcomed the releases and called for the men's assets to be returned, for all charges against Baha'is in Yemen to be dropped and for Baha'is to live in Yemen without persecution. Baha'i community sources told Reuters the men had been taken by plane from the Houthi-held capital Sanaa with the intention of being taken eventually outside Yemen. In 2018, Houthi authorities brought charges against around 20 members of the faith, which regards its 19th-century founder as a prophet. Muslim countries, including Iran where the sect originated, consider it an heretical offshoot of Islam. Hussein al-Azzi, the Houthi deputy foreign minister, said the six men were released in the hope that "this noble stance would be met with more commitment and respect for the law and with observance of the general order of Yemeni society," without adding further details. In March the head of the Houthi political office ordered the release of the six men, but they remained in detention. One of the released men, Hamed bin Haydara had been given a death sentence. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted the internationally recognised Yemeni government from power in Sanaa in late 2014, after which a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to try to restore the government. The Houthis, who control the major urban centres, say their revolution is against corruption. The war has pushed millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine and 80% of the population relies on humanitarian aid. The president is floating the idea of delaying the election. Yes, this is real. Donald Trump is suggesting that the election be delayed. Here's the tweet: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? The "???" at the end really sells it. Again, Trump is making totally unsupported claims that mail-in voting is a form of fraud. Also, he has no power to delay the election. The decision to delay an election would be up to Congress. The date of the presidential election is established by 3 U.S.C. 1. This is not something the president has the authority to change. BTW It's weird that Trump has talked on the phone with Russian president for life Vladimir Putin about once every two weeks this year. Right? Isn't that curious? And we have no idea what they really talk about, or what counsel Putin's giving him. Just weird. A street vendor has died after being bitten by a venomous snake while selling his medicinal wine at a Chinese market. The unnamed trader was using the dangerous animal to prove that his liquid folk remedy could cure reptile wounds, reported local media. The man was said to have collapsed to the ground immediately after the snake, reportedly to be a king cobra, suddenly stung his ear during the demonstration. A street vendor has died after he was bitten by a venomous snake while selling his medicinal wine at a Chinese market in the city of Laibin, China's southern province Guangxi He was pronounced dead later by doctors who arrived on the scene to rescue the patient, according to Chinese media. The incident occurred at a local market yesterday in Laibin of China's southern province Guangxi. The vendor had been selling the medicinal wine at the trading hub for some time, locals told reporters. The man had claimed that his liquid remedies could cure snake venom and often used the deadly reptile as a demonstration, according to Guangxi Television. Footage released by local media shows the trader promoting the medicinal wine while holding the slithering snake on one hand and a chicken on the other hand before the incident occurred Footage released by local media shows the trader promoting his products while holding a slithering snake on one hand and a chicken on the other hand. The trader was reportedly trying to make the snake bite the bird when the reptile abruptly attacked him on Wednesday noon. The man immediately collapsed to the ground after being bitten while horrified onlookers rushed to call an ambulance. Another clip shows a group of medics conducting an emergency rescue on the vendor while being surrounded by dozens of bystanders. One of the medical workers said that the vendor had already stopped breathing and lost his heartbeat when the ambulance arrived. The picture shows the man being rescued by medics He was pronounced dead by the doctors later after all treatment failed. One of the medical workers said that the vendor had already stopped breathing and lost his heartbeat when the ambulance arrived. He told Pear Video: 'He already had no breathing or heartbeat when we arrived. We carried out the rescue for over two hours, but we didn't see him breathing again.' It is believed that the snake has been seized by the authorities while local police have launched an investigation to look into the incident. Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE: CNI) expects to spend roughly a half-billion dollars on infrastructure improvements across its U.S. network. So far, CN has announced approximately $520 million in capital expenditures across eight states. "We take our essential role in the North American economy seriously and these investments ... are a key part of our strategy to support growth," said Derek Taylor, vice president for CN's eastern region. Here are the projects and funding announced by CN over the last week: Minnesota CN expects to invest $25 million in the state. The work will include replacing more than 10 miles of rail; installing over 4,700 new railroad ties; rebuilding 10 road crossing surfaces; and conducting maintenance on docks, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure. CN has invested more than $175 million in Minnesota's infrastructure in the past five years. The railway operates 46 route miles in the state. CN considers Minnesota the "home" of the railway's iron ore supply chain, with taconite pellets from the Minnesota Iron Range mines traveling to CN's docks in Duluth and Two Harbors. From there, the pellets are loaded onto Great Lakes ships for transport to the lower Great Lakes, CN said. The railway also operates an intermodal terminal in Duluth, a rail classification yard and railcar/locomotive repair shop in Proctor, a yard near the Two Harbors iron ore dock, and the Duluth iron ore dock. Tennessee CN plans to spend $30 million in Tennessee this year. It has invested more than $205 million in the past five years in the state. Funding will go to replace 7 miles of rail, install over 25,000 new railroad ties, rebuild 17 road crossing surfaces and conduct infrastructure maintenance work. CN operates 173 route miles in the state, which CN calls its "gateway to the South." Assets include the yard in Memphis, which serves as a major handling point and hub for CN's U.S. operations south of Chicago. The yard is one of two hump yards in the U.S., and it serves as an interchange with four other Class I railroads, CN said. Memphis is also the location of a railcar/locomotive repair shop and an intermodal terminal at Frank Pigeon Industrial Park. CN also serves an "industrial core" in Memphis known as President's Island. Story continues Illinois CN plans to spend $165 million on infrastructure projects in Illinois, including the renewal of the Chicago St. Charles Airline Bridge and various maintenance projects. The railway has spent more than $1.3 billion in the state in the past five years. CN operates 1,253 route miles in the state. CN's U.S. headquarters and a training center are located in Homewood, a Chicago suburb. Iowa CN is investing $35 million in Iowa in 2020. It has spent more than $200 million in assets in the state in the past five years. The railway operates 574 route miles in Iowa. Maintenance projects this year include the installation of over 95,000 new railroad ties and the rebuild of 19 road crossing surfaces, among other maintenance work. CN operates its subsidiary, the Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, in Iowa. The subsidiary's footprint spans from the Missouri River in the west to the Mississippi River in the east. Commodities shipped include food, machinery, electrical equipment, chemical products and primary metals, among other products. CN also ships ethanol volumes, with ethanol plants located between Dubuque and Sioux City and Council Bluffs. Mississippi CN expects to spend $50 million in Mississippi. It has spent more than $365 million in the state in the past five years. The railway plans to replace 12 miles of rail, install over 125,000 new railroad ties, rebuild 31 road crossing surfaces and conduct other maintenance work. CN operates 575 route miles in Mississippi. CN's operations in Mississippi include a rail yard in Jackson, which serves "as a hub for petroleum headed to the western part of the Magnolia State, coal moving east to Alabama, grain shipping south to the Gulf Coast for export and chemical products headed north to the Midwest," CN said. CN also has an intermodal terminal in Jackson as well as an automotive distribution facility serving the Nissan assembly plant in Canton. Louisiana CN plans to spend $60 million in Louisiana this year. It has invested more than $280 million in the past five years in the state. Capital projects include a multiyear plan to rebuild the McComb Spilway Bridge. CN also plans to replace 6 miles of rail, install over 20,000 new railroad ties, rebuild 21 road crossing surfaces and conduct other maintenance work. CN operates 227 route miles in the state. CN's infrastructure in Louisiana includes yards in Baton Rouge, Geismar and Harrahan. The Harrahan Yard, also known as the Mays Yard, has interchange ability with five other Class I railroads. CN also has an intermodal facility in New Orleans, and it has access to the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal and the Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal. CN's major yards are in Baton Rouge, Geismar and Harrahan (Mays Yard) outside of New Orleans. At Mays Yard, CN connects to the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, which links the city's six Class I railroads. CN also has an intermodal facility in New Orleans. The Port of New Orleans has an intermodal terminal adjacent to its Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, providing on-dock access for all rail shipments. The Mississippi River Intermodal Terminal is a modern, efficient transfer terminal, offering on-dock access and helping to grow CN's container volumes. Michigan CN expects to spend $55 million in Michigan in 2020. Projects include replacing approximately 5 miles of rail, installing over 105,000 new railroad ties, rebuilding 24 road crossing surfaces and conducting infrastructure maintenance. CN operates 904 route miles in Michigan. The railway has invested more than $610 million in the state in the past five years. In the Lower Peninsula, CN has rail yards in Battle Creek, Flint and Port Huron in Flat Rock, while rail yards in the Upper Peninsula include those in Escanaba and Gladstone. Wisconsin CN expects to invest $100 million in Wisconsin to support projects such as a new auto compound in New Richmond and infrastructure and vessel maintenance. CN plans to replace more than 9 miles of rail, install over 60,000 new railroad ties, rebuild 48 road crossing surfaces and conduct infrastructure maintenance. The railway operates 1,428 route miles in Wisconsin. CN has intermodal terminals in Chippewa Falls and Arcadia. It has invested approximately $970 million in the state in the past five years. Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Joanna Marsh. Related articles: CN eyes intermodal opportunities to boost 2H 2020 Coronavirus pandemic wracks CN's second-quarter profit CN announces capital plans for Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick See more from Benzinga 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. The Spanish Health Ministry reported on Wednesday that 1,153 coronavirus cases had been detected in the previous 24 hours. This is the highest figure since May 1, when Spaniards were confined to their homes and daily walks and exercise were still not allowed. The new infections reported on Wednesday were concentrated in three regions: Aragon (424), Catalonia (211) and Madrid (199). But the incidence of the coronavirus in the past seven days has increased in almost all of Spains 17 regions: Navarre, with 73 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, has the highest rate, followed by Catalonia (66.1 cases per 100,000), Basque Country (38.5) and Madrid (21.3). Madrid has seen a particularly large spike in infections, especially among young people, reports Isabel Valdes. Contagion among people between 10 and 19 years of age increased sevenfold in the last 15 days, rising from 16 to 117. Coronavirus tests are now done on 95% of people with symptoms, compared to less than 50% at the beginning of May In Murcia, the incidence of Covid-19 in the last seven days is more than 20 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while in Valencia and La Rioja the figure is over 10. The incidence is lowest in Spains exclave cities in North Africa, Melilla (0) and Ceuta (1.1), followed by the Canary Islands (2.4) and Asturias (3.1). We are clearly in a second wave, what we have to see now is whether it is bigger or smaller [than the first], says Rafael M. Orti Lucas, the president of the Spanish Association of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene (Sempsph). But it is difficult to compare the current figures with the data that was reported during the lockdown period. Before May 25, the Spanish Health Ministry informed about all coronavirus cases reported by regional authorities the day before, regardless of when they had actually been diagnosed. Now, only infections diagnosed in the last 24 hours are announced. If the ministry had used the previous methodology, it would have reported 2,031 daily cases on Wednesday. Spains diagnostic capacity has also greatly improved since the days of confinement. At the beginning of May, tests were being done on less than half of those with coronavirus symptoms, and between 5% and 10% were coming back positive. Now, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry, tests are carried out on 95% of people with symptoms and the positivity rate is only 1.2%. This is a sign that transmission has fallen, said Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, on Monday. A group of young people in Madrid, where coronavirus cases in the 10-to-19 age bracket have risen sevenfold. David Exposito The average age of coronavirus patients has also dropped, falling from around 60 during lockdown, to 40 for men and 43 for women. According to experts, this is due to several factors, such as seniors being more protected now, and the fact that more asymptomatic cases are being detected thanks to contact tracing. Very few asymptomatic infections were recorded before, but now they represent more than half of all cases. Three months ago, the situation was very different. Most tested people had serious cases of Covid-19, which is more common among senior patients. The fall in the average age of coronavirus cases has meant that there have been fewer hospital and intensive care (ICU) admissions. On May 1, Spain recorded 732 hospitalizations, 84 ICU admissions and 281 deaths. On July 29, there were 427 hospital admissions, 21 people in ICU and nine deaths recorded in the past seven days the Health Ministry no longer provides daily data on these figures. This equates to a daily average of 61, three and a little more than one, respectively. However, it is important to handle these figures with care. Although there has been no spike in coronavirus deaths, the number of hospital admissions has been steadily rising since mid-June, when it reached a record low of fewer than 100 in a week (an average of 14 a day). The fall in the average age of coronavirus cases has meant that there have been fewer hospital and intensive care admissions The pressure on hospitals is far from what it was during the peak months of the coronavirus crisis, but in specific regions like Aragon, contingency plans are being prepared in case there is a surge of hospitalizations. Several regions have introduced other measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. In Catalonia, for instance, regional authorities called on residents in affected areas to remain at home and avoid all non-essential travel, while in Aragon, four comarcas an administrative area in parts of Spain were moved back to Phase 2 of the central governments deescalation plan. The president of Sempsph, Orti Lucas, believes it is too soon to tell whether these measures have worked, given the lapse between infection and the onset of symptoms. The data is always behind, we will have to wait 10 to 14 days, he says. Fernando Rodriguez Artalejo, a professor of epidemiology at Madrids Autonomous University, says that strict confinement measures have been proven to curb contagion, but agrees that it is less clear whether the current, more relaxed restrictions will have any effect. The latest figures from the Health Ministry puts the total number of hospitalizations at 126,690 and the death toll at 28,441. But experts agree that the number of victims is much higher, given that many people died without being tested for Covid-19, meaning they were left out of the official count. Based on the excess death reports from the Carlos III health institute, data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) and figures from regional health authorities, EL PAIS has calculated that the death toll is likely to be closer to 45,000. English version by Melissa Kitson. John and Sarah Fairfax after fourteen years of hard work in growing their business in Leamington, England, stood in the place that was Johns printing business and Sarahs bookshop, bankrupt. Unable to continue. Not because of bad management or lack of sales or business but for printing and revealing the malpractice of a local dodgy lawyer W. C. Empson in the Leamington Courier newspaper. The newspaper owned by John Fairfax. In return, John was faced with a lawsuit. Empson took John to court twice over the matter, and twice John won, but all he received for his trouble was a mountain of legal bills, worth more than his home and his Printing and Newspaper businesses combined. Now it was all laid waste due to one mans spite. In those days there was not the practice that those found guilty should pay court costs and lawyers expenses. John and Sarahs friends rallied around them and resolved to do what they could to raise the money needed. They were touched by their friends kindness, but John would not give up his self-respect and become dependent on his friends charity. And so, the decision was made: John would become bankrupt and start from scratch. John desired a wider, freer atmosphere where he might build. So, with only 10 in his pocket, John, Sarah, and their young children arrived in Sydney, Australia, on the 26th September 1838 after an arduous sea-voyage. Life in Sydney was difficult for the Fairfax family. Their fourth child, born during the sea voyage, died only a few months after their arrival. Their circumstances began to improve when John was appointed as the Librarian in charge of the Australian Subscription Library in 1839. Among his friends was local news reporter, Charlie Kemp. After many evening discussions with Charlie they had a goal to acquire the Sydney newspaper, The Herald. The Heralds proprietor, Frederick Stokes, was willing to sell - for the staggering sum of 10,000 pounds. Confident they would make a success of the venture, Fairfax and Kemp sought financial backing from their friends, including Welsh-born merchant David Jones. David Jones of David Jones Department store fame and John Fairfax were deacons together in the influential Pitt St Congregational Church in Sydney. John and Charles John and Charlie poured their energies into building up the newly named Sydney Morning Herald according to their principles, that the news must be plainly and succinctly stated without prejudice, without colour, without malice, without scandal. Motivated by their Christian beliefs, they committed to set an example in partnership for all Sydney to learn from, no cross words or bitter thoughts. They would do their utmost for the improvement and growth of the Colony . . . fight hard for those things which should be brought about . . . and when wrong, admit it. Their principles were put to the test in the financial Depression of the early 1840s. John and Charlie weathered the storm by keeping their own wages to a minimum so that their staff, even on reduced wages, fared better than their counterparts at other newspapers. John would become known throughout his life for his generosity and kindness to his staff. As an employer he was not only respected but really loved by all who were in any way connected to him... the best proof of their esteem was the record of long service of his employees. 1 By the end of the 1840s, the Sydney Morning Herald was well established with a circulation of over 3000 and over 60 staff. John and Charlie were in a strong financial position and had paid for the business in full. However, with all this success he did not forget those who stood by him and Sarah in those dark days of bankruptcy. In 1852 when John and his family returned to Leamington, England for a family reunion and to purchase much needed printing machinery in London. With deep satisfaction, John pulled a small black notebook from his pocket, a book he had cherished for nearly 14 years. It contained the details of all the people he had owed money to prior to bankruptcy. He wrote to each person and enclosed payment of the sum- with interest. Johns grandson later said, The letters he received in reply, expressing surprise, gratitude and admiration, were the most prized records of his lifetime. Upon Johns return Upon Johns return to Sydney a year later, the Sydney Morning Heralds circulation had doubled, making it the third largest newspaper in the British Empire. Charlie Kemp sold his share of the business to John, who brought his sons into the company. His family and the generations to come would remain in control of the company for nearly 150 years. He also served on the Council of Education, as a Director of the A.M.P Society, the Sydney Fire Insurance Company, the Australian Joint Stock Bank, the Australian Gas Light Company and was President of Sydneys Y.M.C.A. He was also a Senior Deacon of the Pitt Street Congregational Church and gave his time and energy to the church throughout his entire life. Following his death on 16 June 1877, the Church laid a plaque in his honour. It read, He was one of the first deacons of this church. Devout, industrious, affectionate, public-spirited, he was useful in the church, trusted in business, beloved in his family, and honoured for his labours. John Fairfax lived his life as a man who put his Christian beliefs into action and, in doing so, left a legacy that profoundly shaped Australian Society. Once home to the Fairfax newspaper empire and the prestigious bank of New South Wales, the Radisson Blu (see photo at left) now welcomes business travellers and vacationing guests from all over the world. Written by Karen Schneider for the DIDUNO Network Quotes taken from J. F. Fairfax (1941), the John Fairfax Story, John Fairfax and Sons Pro-lifer on mission to paint Baby Lives Matter in front of Planned Parenthood clinics across US Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A pro-life activist painted a blue and pink mural displaying the phrase Baby Lives Matter in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, D.C., over the weekend and plans to paint more murals across the country. This mural is the latest effort of the Baby Lives Matter movement, which began two weeks ago after artist and pro-life activist Tayler Hansen spent seven hours painting a Baby Lives Matter mural on the street in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Baby Lives Matter movement began not long after Black Lives Matter murals were allowed to be painted on the streets of major cities across the United States. After Hansen painted the Baby Lives Matter mural on the street in front of the largest Planned Parenthood clinic in the nation's capital, he explained the rationale behind the movement. [Ten] unarmed Black Americans were killed by police in 2019. They have murals all around the country. Almost 400,000 innocent babies were murdered by Planned Parenthood in 2019. Its about damn time they get a mural too. #BabyLivesMatter, Hansen proclaimed in a tweet on Sunday. 10 unarmed Black Americans were killed by police in 2019 They have murals all around the country Almost 400,000 innocent babies were murdered by Planned Parenthood in 2019 Its about damn time they get a mural too.#BabyLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/jbsjrMdGDv Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) July 26, 2020 Hansen told KUTV in Salt Lake City that he used paint that would only last up to 10 days and can easily be washed off the street. Hansen explained on social media that the mural he painted in Salt Lake City didnt even last 10 days because it was vandalized within 24 hours. In a July 18 post on Twitter, Hansen said: The mural has already been desecrated and erased to an extent. Nonetheless, he declared, THIS IS NOT OVER! The mural has already been desecrated and erased to an extent.. THIS IS NOT OVER! Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) July 18, 2020 Hansen has established a GoFundMe page to collect funds so he can travel across the country to pro-abortion organizations and paint 'BABY LIVES MATTER' in front of their buildings. According to the fundraising page, each mural will cost about $7,000 when costs for supplies, travel, lodging, logistics, and "potentially legal funds" are taken into account. The fundraiser urges donors to offer recommendations for where Tayler should go next. Hansen said he funded the initial Baby Lives Matter mural in Salt Lake City by using a considerable portion of his life savings. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser has raised $7,900 of its goal of $10,000. Prominent conservatives have taken notice of Hansens efforts, including Donald Trump Jr. and Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA. Kirk re-tweeted a video of the Baby Lives Matter mural in Washington that was first posted by Benny Johnson, his colleague at Turning Point USA. The activist asked pro-life Twitter users to retweet if they think the mural "should go up in front of EVERY Planned Parenthood abortion factory in America! RT if this should go up in front of EVERY Planned Parenthood abortion factory in America! pic.twitter.com/VnCCShDPFt Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 26, 2020 For now, Hansen has a much more modest goal: the creation of 10 Baby Lives Matter murals. He hopes the murals will help raise awareness for the pro-life movement. In 2019, Abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide. Almost 43 million children were denied the most basic right of all: life," Hansen said in a video posted to Twitter on July 17 that has over 272,300 views as of Tuesday afternoon. "[That] is why I felt inclined to demonstrate a true peaceful protest dedicated to those abandoned without a voice." We know that the internet is a pretty dangerous place, particularly if you arent careful about your financial data. It becomes even simpler and easier to execute a scam if it is linked to a popular app or service that you may use, and millions more around the world. This time around, the name being used is Netflix, the most popular video streaming platform globally. The scam is using Netflixs brand recognition and is copying the visual effects rather well (admittedly, as you can see in the image above and below) to get login credentials, billing details and credit card details of unsuspecting users. Cloud office security platform Armorblox details how this Netflix scam works. Basically, it will start with you getting a mail from what seems like the authentic Netflix. The mail would usually say that there is a problem with your billing details and your Netflix subscription will pause if you dont click on the link in the mail and correct this. It is quite easy to fall for it, click on the link and be taken to a website that looks eerily like the original Netflix website. There is even a captcha stage, which would make everything seem very authentic. You will be asked to login with your Netflix account, enter your credit card details and your billing information. Once the scammers have this information, they helpfully redirect you to the actual Netflix websiteand you are absolutely in the dark that youve just been scammed. Big time. Unlike spray-and-pray email fraud attempts, this email was expressly created and sent to trigger the required response. The email title was Notice of Verification Failure, which isnt exactly how a Netflix email sounds but still robotic enough for readers to assume that it came from Netflix Support. The email language and topic was intended to induce urgency owing to its punitive nature (cancellation of the Netflix subscription). The call to action - Click here to update your information - is simple and effective. The email claims that the readers subscription will be cancelled if they dont update their details within 24 hours, furthering the sense of urgency, says Armorblox. Scammers are using all the tricks in the book and some more to really make you share your financial details, including credit card details. You must refrain from clicking on links sent to you via emails, and always pay attention to the sender of the emailthe spellings and the full senders email address. That is usually a giveaway that something is amiss, and it isnt genuine. Secondly, even if you click on the link in the email, do notice the complete web address in the address bar on the top of the web browser, before sharing any informationthat is another giveaway. And if everything still looks genuine, there is no harm in logging in on the actual website or app in question and checking for yourself if what is being said in the email is actually true or not. The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Thursday defended before the Supreme Court, its circular whereby all the universities across the country were asked to wrap up the final term examinations before September 30. All universities/institutions obligated to conduct terminal semester/ final year exam by the end of September 2020, UGC said in its affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on a batch of pleas challenging UGCs July 6 circular and seeking cancellation of final term exams. The UGC, in its affidavit, stuck to its circular and submitted that it has taken into account the evolving situation of COVID-19 and sufficient time has been given to conduct the exams. Moreover, universities have been given sufficient flexibility to conduct exam via online, offline or hybrid modes, the affidavit said. In case a student is unable to appear for the exam, they would be given a chance to appear at a specially conducted exam at a later date so that the student is not put to any inconvenience or disadvantage, it added. It further submitted that the decision of states like Maharashtra and Delhi to either cancel exams for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students and/or to graduate them and confer degrees without appearing for final exams is plainly contrary to the UGC guidelines. Such a decision directly affects the standards of higher education in the country and will be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of higher education reserved exclusively for the parliament under Entry 66 of List I of Schedule VII of the Constitution of India, the affidavit submitted while urging the top court to dismiss the pleas. It said that final year exams are important as learning is a dynamic process where the only way to figure out what students know is by seeking evidence of their knowledge. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday. Earlier, the top court had sought UGCs response on the petition challenging its July 6 circular for concluding the final term examinations before September 30, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. One petition filed by as many as 31 students from different universities across India, urged that the exams should be canceled and the results of such students should be calculated on the basis of their internal assessment or past performance. Another petition on the issue, filed in the apex court by final year law student Yash Dubey, also sought cancellation of UGC-mandated final year exams. Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray has also moved the apex court on behalf of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena, against the mandated final year exams in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases. As per the UGC, universities were approached to inform the status of the conduct of examinations and responses received from 818 universities (121 deemed universities, 291 private universities, 51 central universities, and 355 state universities). Of the 818 universities, 603 have either conducted the examination or are planning to conduct. Meanwhile, 209 others have already conducted examination (on-line/off-line), 394 are planning to conduct examination (on-line/off-line/blended mode) in August or September. (Bloomberg) -- Eastman Kodak Co. is getting another shot at redemption. The 131-year-old company that once dominated the market for photographic film and made an ill-fated foray into cryptocurrencies is pivoting again. This time, Kodak plans to make ingredients for generic drugs, aided by a $765 million U.S. government loan, the first fruits of a Trump Administration program aimed at bolstering American drug-making capabilities in the age of Covid-19. News of the arrangement fueled a rally of as much as 2,760% for Kodak stock this week, with legions of day traders snapping up shares through the Robinhood Markets Inc.s trading app. The stock was up 14% Thursday at 11:05 a.m. in New York to $37.67. But some financial analysts and economic development experts greeted the proposal with skepticism. Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2012 after getting lapped by rivals in digital photography and failing to make good on an earlier multibillion-dollar acquisition of a pharmaceutical company. It also has little to show for the planned introduction of a cryptocurrency two years ago. Why, then, would the government pick Kodak to spearhead efforts to reinvigorate a pharmaceutical production supply chain in the U.S.? We are puzzled by the Trump Administrations decision, analysts at SVB Leerink wrote in a research note. In particular, we find it puzzling why generic pharmaceutical companies who have the capabilities and know-how for this have not yet been awarded such contracts. Production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for generics is a Herculean task, they wrote. Ami Fadia, a senior analyst at SVB Leerink, said Kodak is not even on the list of companies she would have envisioned for such a loan. One of the drugs Kodak would manufacture materials for is hydroxychloroquine, the controversial antimalarial drug touted by President Donald Trump in the treatment of the coronavirus. Trump administration officials and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lauded the planned loan, administered by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation under the auspices of the Defense Production Act. Its going to be the renaissance of the great state of New York as an industrial power, Peter Navarro, President Trumps trade adviser, said in a Tuesday interview with Fox Business. And its going to give the people of our country some assurance that when push comes to shove in pandemics like this we wont see what were seeing right now is over 75 countries restricting the sale of pharmaceuticals, or something, to us, like face masks. Story continues Cuomo said the arrangement would result in the creation of 300 jobs. Kodak has a long storied history in New York State, and weve been working with them to develop an even brighter future, he said in a video presentation. Plans for the loan got underway soon after May 14, when Trump signed an executive order calling for the expansion of the domestic production of strategic resources needed to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak, or to strengthen any relevant domestic supply chains. Navarro said in the Fox Business interview that one of his staff, Christopher Abbott, a recent graduate of American University, identified Kodak as a prospect. Navarros office then brought Kodak to the attention of Adam Boehler, a former health care entrepreneur who heads the International Development Finance Corporation, Boehler said in an interview. From there, DFC reviewed Kodaks application, with Trump and Navarro keenly tracking progress, according to David Glaccum, who oversees the domestic investment effort. Navarros office didnt return a request for comment. The camera company officially filed an application for the new program in mid-June, Glaccum said. The group began to review the application with assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense. They provide us with questions on the technical sides, Glaccum said. Were finance folks, so we really rely on our interagency colleagues. The DFC saw two strengths to the deal: One, it believes that Kodak already has the equipment to produce the drug materials. Currently, 1%-3% of Kodaks revenue comes from manufacturing materials for drugs. The second thing is they had an advanced purchase order lined up, Boehler said. He and Glaccum declined to identify the company that agreed to purchase drug materials. Kodak said it has a letter of intent for the deal. In an interview Thursday with Bloomberg TV, Boehler said the deal would make the U.S. less dependent on foreign countries for drug production. Were going to make Americans safer and we are going to make money for the American taxpayer, not lose it. While the DFC and Kodak have signed a letter of interest, the group hasnt finalized the loan terms and said it wont disclose them. I think its priced like a commercial loan would be to the extent they could get one, Glaccum said. Kodaks Executive Chairman James Continenza said in an interview with CNBC hes confident the loan will go through. One of our core competencies has always been chemistry, for over 100 years weve been doing chemistry, Continenza said. We realized we could do more. The government realized they could do more. They kind of reached out, and we found a path that makes a lot of sense for the American public to help bring the pharmaceutical protections back to America. Continenza and board member Philippe Katz bought Kodak shares in June. Continenza bought almost 47,000 shares, while Katz bought 10,000 shares in two separate transactions. David Bullwinkle, the companys CFO, purchased almost 2,900 shares in May. Kodak said Continenzas purchases are a continuation of ongoing, regular investments in Kodak and are in full compliance with regulatory guidelines for investment activity. News of the planned loan leaked Monday through at least one local publication, RochesterFirst.com, which later deleted the story and an associated tweet. The same day, 1.65 million Kodak shares changed hands, compared with just under 75,000 shares on Friday. This wouldnt be Kodaks first attempt at pharmaceuticals. Kodak entered the business in 1988 with the acquisition of Sterling Drug Inc. for $5.1 billion. The deal had a similar rationale: Kodak would apply its expertise in chemicals to pharmaceuticals. For Kodak shareowners, the merger will accelerate our entry into the $110 billion-plus worldwide pharmaceutical industry, Colby Chandler, Kodak chairman and chief executive said at the time. And it will provide us with attractive long-term sales and earnings potential. Six years later, Kodak sold the business unit in two pieces for about $500 million less than it paid. Kodak filed for bankruptcy almost a decade ago after moving too slowly to embrace digital photography; it also worked on a small nuclear reactor for decades in a basement on its corporate campus. In 2018, during a period of cryptocurrency mania, Kodak announced that, with a partner, it would release a digital currency, the KodakCoin. The announcement sent the stock price soaring. Quickly one-third of Kodaks shares were held by short-sellers, Bloomberg reported at the time. The cryptocurrency was later declared a failure. Adding to concerns about Kodaks prospects are questions around the talent pool in and near Rochester, said Prashant Yadav, an expert in medical and pharmaceutical supply chains and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. Other successful medical ingredients companies have been built in places where theres greater expertise, he said. He also wondered why the U.S. government is prioritizing making drug ingredients rather than investing in Covid-19 testing production. Yadav asked, What else could have happened with the money? (Updates with comments from International Development Finance Corporation in 14th 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. (CNN) The US is moving forward with President Donald Trump's plan to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, a decision that has attracted bipartisan congressional opposition and roiled key allies who see the move as a blow to NATO. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper acknowledged the plan will cost billions to execute when he formally announced the decision on Wednesday from the Pentagon. US defense officials said it will take years to relocate the troops. The plan to pull US troops from the long-time NATO ally has been met with broad bipartisan opposition amid concerns that it will weaken the US military's position vis a vis Russia, however the Trump Administration has decided to proceed with the move. Trump defended the decision Wednesday, saying the troop drawdown was taking place because Berlin was not spending the NATO target of 2% of its GDP on defense and because Germany was taking "advantage" of the US. "We spend a lot of money on Germany, they take advantage of us on trade and they take advantage on the military, so we're reducing the force," he told reporters at the White House. Esper in crisis management mode amid turmoil of Trump's reelection campaign "They're there to protect Europe, they're there to protect Germany, and Germany is supposed to pay for it," Trump added. "We don't want to be responsible anymore." Defense officials, however, said Wednesday that the decision on where to house the US troops leaving Germany was not influenced by whether the new host country was meeting the 2% target. In fact, Belgium and Italy, the two countries that will be receiving US troops from Germany, spend an even a smaller percentage on defense than Berlin does. Approximately 11,900 US troops, a mix of Army and Air Force units, will be removed from Germany to meet Trump's mandated cap of 25,000 US forces in Germany, according to a senior US defense official, a number higher than the figure of 9,500 that was used when the reduction was first announced. "The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany, from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000, in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth," Esper told reporters, referring to US European Command which oversees US military forces on the continent. Officials said the discrepancy was due to the fact that following a review it was found that there were slightly more US troops permanently assigned to Germany, about 36,000, than originally planned for. Of the troops leaving Germany some 5,400 will be "staying in Europe," the official said. The remaining 6,400 forces and their families will be returned to the US and will in time redeploy to Europe. Defense officials said this will cost billions of dollars as new military construction will likely be required both in Europe and the US to house the additional troops. Republican Sen. Mitt Romney slammed the decision Wednesday, calling the plan "a grave error" and "a gift to Russia." "The Administration's plan to remove thousands of U.S. troops from Germany is a grave error. It is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression," he tweeted shortly after Esper's announcement. "It is a gift to Russia coming at a time when we just have learned of its support for the Taliban and reports of bounties on killing American troops. The move may temporarily play well in domestic politics, but its consequences will be lasting and harmful to American interests," Romney added. Key command centers being moved Key US command centers will also be repositioned as part of the move, Esper and top military leaders confirmed Wednesday. Gen. Tod Wolters, the commander of US European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the US would be moving EUCOM headquarters from Germany to Belgium as part of an effort to co-locate the command with the NATO military command headquarters that is based there, and that Africa Command headquarters may be moving to a location to be determined as well. "We also intend to reposition three brigade-size headquarters, an air defense artillery battalion, and an engineering battalion to Belgium from Germany, and two smaller support and contracting organizations to Italy," Wolters told reporters at the Pentagon. Wolters further specified that a F-16 fighter squadron would be moved from Germany to Italy, and that they anticipated moving two battalions from Germany to Italy as well. The defense official confirmed that the repositioning will take "months to plan and years to execute," a timeline first revealed earlier this month by the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Jim Inhofe who had been briefed on the plan. The timeline suggests that the plan could be reversed should Trump lose the election in November. Defense officials say that the German Defense Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, had been briefed on the planned drawdown as well as key members of Congress. Defense officials said that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had directed that the repositioning seek to enhance deterrence against Russia, strengthen NATO, and support families of US service members. Trump said he directed the move because he believes Germany doesn't spend enough on defense However Trump, who directed the move, said he did so because of Berlin's failure to meet the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defense, spending only about 1.38%. "One of the only countries that hasn't agreed to pay what they're supposed to pay (on NATO) is Germany. So, I said until they pay, we're removing our soldiers, a number of our soldiers, by about half. Then when we get down to about 25,000, we'll see where we're going," Trump said last month. But Italy spends only about 1.22% of its GDP on defense spending, while Belgium spends about 0.93% of its GDP on defense, ranking near the bottom among NATO members. While Germany's national leadership has been largely silent on the troop cuts, local leaders representing the states where US troops are housed recently wrote to members of the US Congress asking them to help reverse the decision. ''We plead for this profound partnership to continue and for US forces to remain at their locations in Europe and Germany," the leaders of the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria wrote. "We therefore ask you to support us as we strive not to sever the bond of friendship but to strengthen it, and to secure the U.S. presence in Germany and Europe in the future," the letter added. This story was first published on CNN.com "US to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany in move that will cost billions and take years" On July 20, 1999, the Chinese regime launched a sweeping campaign to eradicate the spiritual discipline, Falun Gong. Then-Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin deemed the meditation practicewhich had 70 million to 100 million adherents by 1999a threat to the Partys authority. Those who refused to give up their faith were sent to detention facilities, where they were brutally tortured; thousands have perished. The Chinese regime also initiated a propaganda campaign to vilify the adherents and spread hatred against the practice. What is Falun Gong? Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline rooted with gentle, slow-moving exercises, and moral values based on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, was first introduced in China in 1992. The meditation practice was embraced by people from all walks of life. Chinese authorities initially exalted the practice for its benefits to citizens physical and mental health. The founder of the practice, Li Hongzhi, received a number of government awards for his contributions to society. But then-Party leader Jiang Zemin saw Falun Gongs enormous popularity as a threat to the regimes atheist ideology and led him to fear losing absolute control, observers said. By 1999, the number of adherents had exceeded the Partys total membership, with top officials and their family members counted among them. In July 1999, Jiang launched a nationwide campaign to suppress Falun Gong, mobilizing the entire countrys security apparatus to locate and detain practitioners, despite objections from within the Party. Jiang established an extralegal, Gestapo-like secret police force called the 610 Office, expressly to carry out the persecution. Eva Fu China Reporter Follow Eva Fu is a New York-based writer for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S.-China relations, religious freedom, and human rights. Contact Eva at eva.fu@epochtimes.com Frank Fang journalist Follow Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers news in China and Taiwan. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan. The U.S. reportedly sent secret warnings to Russia threatening to take action if Moscow offered cash to the Taliban in exchange for killing American troops - despite Trump dismissing reports of the bounties as 'fake news.' The Defense Department has been in 'serious' talks with Moscow over claims that a Russian military intelligence unit offered payments - running as high as $100,000 -and weapons for every U.S. or allied soldier the Taliban killed in Afghanistan, The Daily Beast reported, citing anonymous sources. Two senior officials told the website the warnings were issued in June, when the New York Times published a report claiming U.S. intelligence found evidence of the bounties which had been included in Trump's presidential daily briefing in February. Moscow allegedly denied the reports during communications with the U.S., a source said. President Donald Trump said in an interview conducted Tuesday that he did not bring up Moscow paying the Taliban to kill U.S. troops n Afghanistan during his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday Trump and Putin have met on several occasions and the president frequently touts his close relationship and phone calls with his Russian counterpart The alleged warnings contradict Trump's recent comments on the reports, which he has repeatedly cast doubt on and has dismissed as unconfirmed or fake. In an interview recorded Tuesday he said he did not bring up Moscow putting a bounty on American troops during his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'We don't talk about what we discussed, but we had plenty of discussion,' Trump told 'Axios on HBO,' before revealing: 'I have never discussed it with him.' A clip of the talk was released Wednesday morning, and the full interview with the president will air Monday night. When pushed on why he did not confront Putin during Thursday's phone call, the president said, 'That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly that's an issue that many people said was fake news.' When asked Wednesday morning at the White House if he is confident that Russia did not actually place bounties on American soldiers, Trump deflected but acknowledged he would be 'very angry' if it turned out to be true. 'I don't I told you, I certainly read about it, and since then, I've talked about it,' Trump said. 'Colin Powell says it's not true. Other people say it's not true.' Reports emerged in June of the alleged Russian bounty on American troops, but Trump says the information 'never reached my desk' because 'many people said was fake news' and U.S. intelligence 'didn't think it was real' 'We don't talk about what we discussed, but we had plenty of discussion,' Trump told 'Axios on HBO,' before revealing: 'I have never discussed it with him' 'If it were true, I'd be very angry about it,' Trump said. 'I don't know why they'd be doing it. But if you tell me they're doing it, I will certainly take that under consideration.' 'We know that the Russians are involved,' then the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson accused in 2018, claiming the Kremlin was providing money and arms to the terrorist group. Trump said he was not aware of the general's comments, adding that no evidence or intelligence of the alleged bounty ever 'reached my desk.' The White House said the president was never briefed on the matter, claiming the intelligence was inconclusive, and Trump reiterated in the interview that U.S. intelligence 'didn't think it was real.' But several media outlets' follow-up reports on the issue said it was included in the presidential daily briefing, but insist Trump didn't read it. 'They like to say I don't read, I read a lot,' Trump told Axios of his intelligence briefings. Trump, a Republican who has sought to cultivate warmer relations with Moscow, has said he was not briefed on the matter before it emerged in news media in late June. He has called the reports a hoax and frequently casts doubt on them. The president has met with his Russian counterpart six times and often touts their relationship. The two have also spoken on the phone nearly two dozen times since Trump took office. Trump's skepticism of the reports have been contradicted by four U.S. and European sources and by its inclusion in a widely read CIA report in May. Democrats in Congress have accused Trump of not taking intelligence information concerning soldiers' deaths seriously enough. The U.S. Defense Department reportedly sent warnings to Russia following reports that it had placed bounties on American troops in Afghanistan The issue has also been made into an election issue, with presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden and other Democrats taking aim at the president for his handling of the issue. Biden accused Trump of 'dereliction of duty,' admitting that he isn't sure if the president was briefed on the alleged bounty. His other theory is that he 'was briefed and nothing was done about this.' Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs, has maintained a running tally of the days Trump has not challenged Putin on the matter. Duckworth is one of the many women Biden has considered as a potential running mate. White House officials have struggled to explain the Trump administration's response to the bounty reports, but have not commented on their substance. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has said Trump was not verbally briefed on the intelligence because his CIA briefer concluded the reports were uncorroborated. A 24-year-old LSE law graduate begged her friend 'Don't leave me here' as she lay dying after she fled from a burning car and fell 40ft from a flyover. Azra Kemal, 24, was on her way home from a night out with friends and was in the car with a 31-year-old male friend when the engine in her car suddenly burst into flames. An inquest today heard how Ms Kemal fell through a 10ft-wide void between two carriageways on a road bridge while trying to flag down passing vehicles for help after the freak accident on the northbound A21 near Tonbridge, Kent. Azra Kemal, 24, died after falling through a 10ft-wide void between carriageways on a road bridge The accident happened around 2.30am on Thursday on a two span bridge - known as the Medway Viaduct But it is understood the London School of Economics graduate climbed over the barriers in darkness thinking there was a central reservation in between the carriageways and fell. The inquest was opened today by coroner Alan Blundson at County Hall in Maidstone, Kent, who gave her cause of death as multiple severe injuries. The single graduate of Whetstone, North London, was identified by police who were called to the scene shortly after 2.30am on Thursday, July 16. Mr Blunsdon said the occupants escaped after the vehicle caught fire by 'unknown means' before 'witnesses travelling past saw two people on the carriageway approaching the central reservation.'. Azra then clambered over the central reservation and fell an approximate 40ft drop off the Medway Viaduct to the Haysden Country Park below. An off-duty nurse saw the car and called paramedics who attended but Azra was pronounced dead at 3.20am. The coroner added: 'She died in situ after medical intervention.' Mr Blunsdon adjourned the inquest until 10.30am on November 12 at County Hall, Maidstone. Azra's mother Nevres Kemal, 56, spoke the day after her daughter's death at her home in Whetstone, north London. Ms Kemal was the whistleblower social worker who exposed failings in Haringey Council's childcare system months before Baby P died in 2007. Ms Kemal climbed over the barriers thinking that there was a central reservation between the carriageways before falling to her death Speaking about her daughter's death, she said: 'There is no life in the home. She was really and truly the air that I breathe. That is all I live for, for her. 'I am in total shock. I do not know what to say. She had friends from North, South, East and West. She did not have postcodes. She bridged that gap. She came good. 'She was such a giver, she was so bright and feisty. What I have heard from all her friends is that Azra would give love and try to help. 'She was no angel but she had that quality. There was no judgemental bone in her body. 'She was my world. I can't cry anymore. She doted on me and I doted on her. She was a beautiful soul. She always used to say: 'I am an old soul'.' Azra's mother Nevres Kemal (pictured in 2008) revealed that her home felt empty without her only child Ms Kemal told how police came round to break the news hours after Azra's death. She added: 'Two police officers came to the door and I knew, and they said her name, I said her name, and they told me of her demise. 'She was driving along the A21 with friends in the car. They were swapping drivers. She rang about 2.30am to tell me something, that she was coming back. 'I came downstairs and I knew she was not coming home and I could not ring her back. 'There was a fault with the car and it started to smoke. They got out of the car and moved away from the car. Then it exploded. 'They were trying to wave people down and also they crossed the central reservation. 'She climbed up and there was no concrete. This reservation was not there. It was pitch black so she has fallen 40 feet to the earth. She was still alive. The guy jumped down and could not see her. 'She said 'Don't leave me here'. Fortunately an off-duty nurse was passing and saw the car and she called the paramedics. 'The accident happened at 2.34am and she was pronounced dead at 3.20am. Her last words were 'Please don't let me die'.' Sky News's Home Editor Jason Farrell also paid tribute to Azra, who had helped set up interviews for him with reporting on county lines drug issues, earlier this month. The Medway Viaduct (pictured at the scene) has one bridge for south-bound traffic and a separate second bridge for London-bound traffic around 10ft apart Despite an off-duty nurse passing at the time who called for paramedics and the best efforts of her friends to save her, she was pronounced dead at 3.20pm Mr Farrell said on the Sky News website: 'She was smart, sassy and she knew people on the street because, like her mother, it seemed to be her mission in life to help those less fortunate than herself in her community. 'She agreed to help me because she wanted people to understand why kids fell into gangs and county lines drug dealing. 'I'll do it - but you gotta tell it right J,' she insisted. 'She was phenomenal and what she helped create was an insight into a world the public never gets to see. 'It was Azra who opened the door into that world with her empathy, charm and dogged persuasiveness. 'Azra was unique, irreplaceable, taken in a flash.' Sky News's Home Editor Jason Farrell also paid tribute to Azra who helped set up interviews with county lines drug dealers. Mr Farrell said on the Sky News website: 'She was smart, sassy and she knew people on the street because, like her mother, it seemed to be her mission in life to help those less fortunate than herself in her community. 'She agreed to help me because she wanted people to understand why kids fell into gangs and county lines drug dealing. 'I'll do it - but you gotta tell it right J,' she insisted. 'She was phenomenal and what she helped create was an insight into a world the public never gets to see. 'It was Azra who opened the door into that world with her empathy, charm and dogged persuasiveness. 'Azra was unique, irreplaceable, taken in a flash.' Tens of thousands of Britons may have wrongly been told they were free of Covid-19 because of the DIY tests the government uses, a study suggests. Researchers analysed the accuracy of self-collected nasal swabs, like the ones that have been used for months at drive-through test centres and sent out in the post across the UK. They were rolled out in No 10's drive to drastically ramp up capacity and swab 100,000 people a day. They were compared to nasopharyngeal swabs which are conducted by medics and are inserted so deep into the nose they can make people gag, their eyes water or even trigger nosebleeds and saliva tests. Scientists found only 70 of 86 people with Covid-19 were picked up by nasal swabs, which only need to be gently swilled around the nostril. Nasopharyngeal swabs and saliva tests were not perfect either but did detect more cases 80 and 81, respectively. Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the All-Parliamentary Party Group on coronavirus, called the results 'alarming' and warned that cases could be 'slipping through the cracks'. She told MailOnline a 'properly functioning' test and trace system is vital to stop a second wave of Covid-19, which ministers fear could be on its way to Britain within a fortnight. More than 11million tests have been conducted across the UK, and at least half are estimated to have been self-swabs. Number 10 was heavily criticised for its lacklustre testing programme in the early days of the crisis, with fewer than 10,000 people still getting swabbed each day by the end of March. Matt Hancock pledged to increase capacity to reach 100,000 by the start of May, and ministers signed deals with firms to supply self-testing kits. Professionally-done nasopharyngeal tests are known to be uncomfortable because the swab must go so far back into the person's nose (Pictured: A man getting tested in Surabaya, Indonesia) Public Health England instructions for taking a DIY home test kit Although the researchers admitted it is not a huge amount of 'wrong' results and that the results were not statistically significant, experts have repeatedly warned that any missed case can have consequences. If a person who is positive for Covid-19 receives a false negative result, they will not self-isolate and may spread the virus to other people. The findings could apply to the nasal swabs provided by the government. But the study did not compare throat swabs which patients in Britain are also asked to take themselves. The tests people take themselves at drive-through centres or in the comfort of their own home are far less invasive than nasopharyngeal swabs what is considered the gold standard by scientists. In the kit, there are instructions to use a swab around the back of the throat as well as the nostril. This can make people feel sick or tickle, but the swab is not pushed deep inside the nostril to reach the nose 'floor' as it would be with nasopharyngeal swabs. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SWAB TESTS FOR COVID-19? Nasopharyngeal swabs are used to detect respiratory viruses, such as the flu and the new coronavirus. It is the preferred choice for SARS-CoV-2 testing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It involves inserting a long, flexible cotton bud into the nostril and along the nose 'floor'. This is supposed to be done slowly so that it is comfortable. The aim is to reach the posterior nasopharynx, a cavity made up of muscle and connective tissue, covered in cells and mucous that are similar to the nose. It continues down into the throat. The swab is rotated several times in order to get enough cells. The sample is then sent to a lab, where it will be tested to determine if the patients cells are infected with the virus. The coronavirus is a RNA virus, which means it uses ribonucleic acid as its genetic material. A process called reverse transcription is needed to transcribe the RNA into readable DNA. A swab sample doesn't collect much RNA in one go, therefore a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to rapidly make billions of copies so it can be analysed. The DNA is dyed a fluorescent colour, which glows if the coronavirus is present, confirming a diagnosis. Anterior nasal swabs, which are read in the laboratory using the same methods described above, can be carried out by the patient and use a shorter cotton swab. The swab only needs to enter the nose to a depth of roughly one centimetre before being rubbed around the nostril wall. It is less likely to make the patient feel sick or to produce a gagging or coughing reflex. Experts say they have less contact with the mucous membranes, which are areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Advertisement Experts say anterior nasal swabs have less contact with the mucous membranes, which are areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Instructions given to Britons shipped the postal tests say: 'No force is needed and you do not have to push far into your nostril.' One benefit is that because they are less invasive, they are unlikely to make a patient cough meaning that healthcare workers are less likely to be exposed to the virus. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said the study findings 'certainly suggest these DIY tests are not as good and miss a proportion'. He claimed around 10 per cent of coronavirus tests that would have been spotted by the nasopharyngeal swabs test would be missed by the at-home test. But Professor Hunter told MailOnline the study does not prove the tests are useless and called for larger trials of the swabs currently being used in the UK. He said: 'This study is fairly small and it needs to be repeated using a larger number of tests, preferably in the UK, before we draw reliable conclusions.' Ms Moran said: 'This alarming research suggests many cases of coronavirus are slipping through the cracks. 'The government must reassure the public about the effectiveness of its testing strategy. 'A properly functioning Test and Trace system is vital if we are to keep coronavirus under control and prevent a second wave.' The study, not yet published in a medical journal or peer-reviewed by fellow experts, was carried out across hospitals in Utah. At a drive-thru test center, 354 people took all three Covid-19 tests; they were instructed to swab both nostrils, spit into a tube, and then had a nasopharyngeal swab taken by a medic. Some 268 people received a negative result across the board. Eighty-six people got a positive result either from one, two, or three or the tests. No singular test produced 86 results, proving that no test is able to always detect the coronavirus. Sixty-six patients had SARS-CoV-2 detected in all three tests, meaning they undoubtedly had the virus. But 13 were detected in only two tests, and seven patients got a positive result from one test. It means that, had any of these 20 patients had a singular test, their result may have returned as negative. The seven who tested positively from one test were made up of two nasopharyngeal swabs and five saliva tests meaning the nasal swabs did not pick up the virus on their own at any point. The results broke down how many results were given by each testing method, to find that anterior nasal swabs gave a positive result the least amount of times. A member of the armed forces tests an NHS worker for Covid-19 at a testing facility at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort A medical worker takes a swab at a drive-in coronavirus testing facility at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort in south west London How nasopharyngeal swabs are conducted: Paediatric nurse practitioner Jessica Peck shared a diagram of how the coronavirus test is carried out on Twitter and said: 'This is how far back we have to put the swab to test you for #COVID19z. You might want to follow medical recommendations and #StayAtHome' How coronavirus self-tests are conducted: They require the patient to put the swab into the back of their throat and then a short way into their nostril to try and pick up the viruses, which live in the airways HOW MANY SELF-TESTS ARE CARRIED OUT? Number 10 was heavily criticised for its lacklustre testing programme in the early days of the crisis, with fewer than 10,000 people still getting swabbed each day by the end of March. Ministers then pledged to dramatically increase capacity to reach 100,000 by the start of May, roping in laboratories in the battle to control the outbreak and signing deals with firms to supply self-testing kits. Matt Hancock was accused of blatantly fiddling the figures to hit his much-vaunted target. Labour said officials had 'moved the goalposts to hit their own arbitrary target'. The head of the testing programme, Professor John Newton, confirmed around 40,000 of the total were kits that have been mailed out and not yet returned. During the height of the crisis, many drive-through centres were left deserted despite thousands of Brits still getting tested for the virus. Health bosses don't breakdown exactly how many tests carried out each day are self-swabs, despite having been asked numerous times by MailOnline. However, NHS Test and Trace statistics today showed at least a fifth of all tests carried out in England are the self tests, which require Brits to swab their own throat and nostril. Some 556,000 tests carried out since the start of June have been ones sent out in the post. Only 3 per cent of people get these results back within 24 hours. The Department of Health has previously told MailOnline that tests at drive-through centres are designed to be self-swab. Statistics show 725,000 swabs have been carried out at such sites in the past two months. Advertisement The differences in results 'did not reach statistical significance' because the numbers are so small, the paper on medRxiv said. However, the researchers wrote: 'Relying on anterior nasal swabs alone could have missed infection in 10 to 11 patients compared with nasopharyngeal swabs or saliva, respectively. 'Missed Covid-19 cases have major clinical implications affecting isolation decisions for symptomatic 111 patients and are a lost opportunity for contact tracing.' When the researchers cross-referenced the tests with each other, they found 'excellent agreement'. This means that, in most cases, the tests produced the same result - either negative or positive. Results showed if a nasopharyngeal swab was taken alongside an anterior swab then the results were the same 86.3 per cent of the time. If a a nasopharyngeal swab was taken alongside a straight saliva test, there was a 93.8 per cent chance the results were accurate. The researchers said that the highest number of cases would be detected when combining nasopharyngeal swabs with a saliva test. The researchers noted: 'Nasopharyngeal swabs have historically been considered the reference method for respiratory virus detection. 'In addition, anterior nasal swabs are used routinely for influenza nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). 'Recurrent shortages of swabs and personal protective equipment (PPE), however, have prompted evaluation of alternatives to NPS including the use of patient self-collected ANS and saliva.' The Department of Health and Social Care refuted the findings, saying the evidence shows self-tests are 'just as effective'. A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Instructions on how to perform these types of tests are included wherever individuals are asked to undertake self-swabbing.' Number 10 was heavily criticised for its lacklustre testing programme in the early days of the crisis, with fewer than 10,000 people still getting swabbed each day by the end of March. Ministers then pledged to dramatically increase capacity to reach 100,000 by the start of May, roping in laboratories in the battle to control the outbreak. The Government has launched a new test and trace campaign after figures revealed that a third of British contacts have gone missing. Figures from the Government show that numbers of people being referred to the tracing system has steadily declined since May SELF-SWABS FOR COVID-19 DO WORK, STUDY SHOWS Despite the concerns, scientific studies have suggested that self-swab testing actually is accurate enough to diagnose viruses. A study by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles said self-tests showed 'comparable sensitivity' when trying to diagnose Covid-19. This shows that both professionally done swabs and ones that people did themselves picked up about the same proportion of positive cases. That study, published online on April 15, was done on 45 people, of whom 29 were definitely infected with the coronavirus and had already been diagnosed. It found that the supervised self-collection tests detected 26 of those 29 patients, while unsupervised self-collection only found 19 out 29 (66 per cent). Meanwhile the tests done by medical professionals successfully found 23 out of 29 positive cases. In conclusion the scientists said: 'Supervised self-collected oral fluid and nasal swab specimens performed similarly to, if not better than clinician-collected nasopharyngeal swab specimens for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection.' Another study of generic infections in the airways found nasopharyngeal swabs were better performing than just a nasal swab. Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland tested the two types on 230 children with chest infections. They found that using both methods together - the deep nose and the nostril wipe - successfully detected 73 per cent of cases. The nasopharyngeal swab on its own found 19 per cent of cases, while just a nasal swab found only seven per cent. Their research was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Advertisement Matt Hancock was accused of blatantly fiddling the figures to hit his much-vaunted target. Labour said officials had 'moved the goalposts to hit their own arbitrary target'. The head of the testing programme, Professor John Newton, confirmed around 40,000 of the total were kits that have been mailed out and not yet returned. Officials signed deals with firms to produce kits that could be sent in the post, allowing for Britons to take their own swabs. During the height of the crisis, many drive-through centres were left deserted despite thousands of Brits still getting tested for the virus. Health bosses don't breakdown exactly how many tests carried out each day are self-swabs, despite having been asked numerous times by MailOnline. However, NHS Test and Trace statistics today showed at least a fifth of all tests carried out in England are the self tests, which require Brits to swab their own throat and nostril. Some 556,000 tests carried out since the start of June have been ones sent out in the post. Only 3 per cent of people get these results back within 24 hours. The Department of Health has previously told MailOnline that tests at drive-through centres are designed to be self-swab. Statistics show 725,000 swabs have been carried out at such sites in the past two months. Scientists first warned about self-tests being less accurate in June after Britain began started to ramp up its swabbing capacity at the end of April. Dr Andrew Preston, an infectious lung disease expert at the University of Bath, told MailOnline that shallower swabs in the nose and mouth were not as good. He said: 'It's clear the deeper into the nasopharynx, the better it is picking up the virus.' Dr Preston added: 'I work a lot with whooping cough, and we tilt the person's head right back. 'We consider it an unsuccessful swab unless the eyes water. We see real, real issues with the sensitivity of the swab if swabbing in nose.' In a clear warning about how self-tests could miss the infection, he said: 'The further back you go, the more chance you've got of getting the virus.' Even nasopharyngeal swab tests carried out by professionals are estimated to be inaccurate in up to 30 per cent of cases due to variations in how medics carry them out. This is based on scientists' estimations, because the Department of Health will not release data about the false negative rates of its tests. In the week of July 16-22, some 4,242 contacts in England were given to the NHS for tracing purposes. Some 81 per cent of contacts reached were able to give details of one or more contacts MINISTERS LAUNCH NEW TEST AND TRACE DRIVE - AND PLEDGE TO SWAB UP TO 500,000 PEOPLE A DAY THIS WINTER The Government will launch a new NHS Test and Trace public health campaign in a desperate bid to improve the lagging system after it emerged a third of contacts are still being missed. A TV advert that will air tonight will tell Britons that if they test positive for Covid-19, they must hand over details of people they have come into contact with. Restaurants, pubs, salons and gyms will now be supported by contact tracers to log their customers' details so they can be contacted easier. It comes after figures today showed in the week of July 16-22, some 4,242 people infected with coronavirus in England were referred to the programme. But just 2,809 (77 per cent) agreed to provide details of people they had come into close contact with recently, meaning thousands of potential patients went missed. A total of 646 with the virus could not be reached at all by the tracers, who phone, text and email someone up to 10 times a day to get hold of them. As part of the new public health blitz, the NHS will now encourage everyone to get a free test as soon as they get symptoms previously the advice was to only apply for a swab if you had 'persistent flu-like symptoms'. Ministers have today also pledged to increase the UK's coronavirus testing capacity to 500,000 per day before winter, amid fears thousands of people with coughs and colds caused by other infections will take up most of the space. Advertisement It is not clear how inaccurate self-swabs are, even though they are being carried out more than 60,000 times a day in the UK. Professor Jon Deeks, a biostatistics expert at the University of Birmingham, said: 'A single negative test result doesn't exclude the disease.' It is believed that nasopharyngeal swabs are more reliable because they are better at picking up traces of a virus. They go much deeper into the nasopharynx, a cavity in the airway which connects to the throat. Medics get a sample from along the 'floor' of the nose near the mucous membranes areas of thin tissue inside the airways where most of the coronaviruses live. Claire Cox, an intensive care outreach nurse working in Brighton, said in May that using the correct technique was crucial. In a blog on Patient Safety Learning, she wrote: 'Simply swabbing the inside of the nasal passage is not deep enough to verify that the virus is present.' These swabs have become notorious for being uncomfortable because they require an extra-long cotton bud to be forced into the back of the nostril and rotated. They can make people gag, make their eyes water or even trigger nosebleeds but they are considered the most accurate way of diagnosing Covid-19. It comes as the Government today launched a new NHS Test and Trace public health campaign in a desperate bid to improve the lagging system after it emerged a third of contacts are still being missed. A TV advert that will air tonight will tell Britons that if they test positive for Covid-19, they must hand over details of people they have come into contact with. Restaurants, pubs, salons and gyms will now be supported by contact tracers to log their customers' details so they can be contacted easier. It comes after figures today showed in the week of July 16-22, some 4,242 people infected with coronavirus in England were referred to the programme. But just 2,809 (77 per cent) agreed to provide details of people they had come into close contact with recently, meaning thousands of potential patients went missed. A total of 646 with the virus could not be reached at all by the tracers, who phone, text and email someone up to 10 times a day to get hold of them. As part of the new public health blitz, the NHS will now encourage everyone to get a free test as soon as they get symptoms previously the advice was to only apply for a swab if you had 'persistent flu-like symptoms'. Ministers have today also pledged to increase the UK's coronavirus testing capacity to 500,000 per day before winter, amid fears thousands of people with coughs and colds caused by other infections will take up most of the space. Boeing deliveries of new airliners a critical source of cash for the Chicago-based company are down 71% this year. Boeing Co on Wednesday reported a $2.4bn loss for the second quarter due to the grounding of its troubled 737 Max jet and continuing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic that has gutted air travel. The reality is the pandemics impact on the aviation sector continues to be severe, CEO David Calhoun told analysts. This pressure on our commercial customers means they are delaying jet purchases, slowing deliveries, deferring elective maintenance, retiring older aircraft and reducing spend all of which affects our business and, ultimately, our bottom line. Calhoun said it will take around three years to return to 2019 passenger levels. On Tuesday, the International Air Transport Association said air travel will not recover to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024, a year longer than its previous forecast, as the United States and other countries continue to struggle to contain the coronavirus. A severe contraction in air travel in the wake of the pandemic has pushed major airlines to the brink of bankruptcy, compelling many of them to defer aircraft deliveries a critical source of cash for Boeing. The International Air Transport Association said air travel will not recover to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024 [File: Chris OMeara/The Associated Press] So far this year, Boeing deliveries of new airliners are down 71 percent. The company recorded 59 orders but 382 cancellations, mostly for the beleaguered Max, which remains grounded after two crashes killed 346 people. Another 323 orders, also mostly for Max planes, were removed from Boeings backlog because of uncertainty about the deals going through. The 737 MAX grounding has cost the planemaker some $20bn, forced out executives, halted production and hobbled its supply chain, with criminal and US congressional investigations and lawsuits still ongoing. Boeing also announced it is slashing production on its wide-bodied jet programmes. It is reducing 787 production to six jets a month in 2021 a third rate drop from a year ago, when it was producing the Dreamliners at a record monthly rate of 14 planes. It is also reducing again the combined production rate of the 777 and 777X jets to two planes per month in 2021, while delaying the 777Xs entry into service by up to a year. And Boeing confirmed on Wednesday that the last 747, the iconic hump-topped jumbo jet that democratised global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft, would roll out of its Seattle-area factory in around two years. The second quarter would have been worse for Boeing if not for its defence and space business, which depends on contracts with governments and has been largely insulated from the pandemic. Revenue in that business was flat compared with a year ago. Still, the company has been forced to lay off thousands of workers, cut spending, suspend its dividend. It also issued $25 in new debt on the private market, which avoided the need to take coronavirus relief money from the federal government this spring. Apple Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri suggested during the company's fiscal third-quarter 2020 earnings call on Thursday that new iPhones may not launch in September as they typically do. "As you know, the last year we started selling new iPhones in late September. This year, we project supply to be available a few weeks later," Maestri said on the call. Apple wasn't immediately available to comment on whether this means all new iPhones will be delayed or just certain models. Apple is expected to announce multiple models of iPhone 12 in varying sizes and shapes, like it did with the iPhone 11 last year. Maestri didn't expand on the topic, but Apple sometimes announces new iPhones in September and then sells them later. In 2017, for example, Apple announced the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. While the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale in September, the iPhone X wasn't released until November. Qualcomm suggested the delay was possible. In its earnings report earlier this week, Qualcomm said that it expects 5G handset shipments will be 15% lower year over year in the quarter ending in September due to an unnamed customer delaying a "global 5G flagship phone launch." Apple's new iPhones are expected to support 5G networks. The Wall Street Journal said in April that mass production for new iPhones had been pushed back "about a month." Susquehanna said in January that Apple's decision to create its own antenna modules would delay the fastest 5G iPhone into December or January. Bank of America said in March the 5G iPhone could be delayed due to the coronavirus. JPMorgan said Apple's new iPhone could be delayed one to two months. And Nikkei Asian Review said in March that Apple was considering delaying its iPhone launch by "months" because of issues related to consumer demand during and after the Covid-19 epidemic. TF International Securities' Ming Chi Kuo, a top Apple analyst, said in April that he believes Apple's 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch iPhones will enter mass production in September but that the larger 6.7-inch model wouldn't be mass produced until October. CNBC's Jordan Novet contributed to this report. A fresh plea was Thursday filed in the Supreme Court seeking re-constitution of the inquiry commission set up to probe into the killing of gangster in police encounter by removing former apex court judge Justice B S Chauhan as the Chairman along with two other members. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde had on July 28 dismissed an earlier application seeking removal of two other members of the inquiry commission and had said that it would not allow the petitioner to cast aspersions. In the fresh application, advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay has sought re-constitution of the inquiry commission and substituting its members - Justice (retd) Chauhan, former high court judge Justice (retd) Shashi Kant Agarwal and retired Director General of Police K L Gupta with other former judges of the apex court and retired DGPs. Besides this, the plea has also sought re-constitution of the special investigating team (SIT), set up by the government to look into the crimes committed by the gangster and alleged collusion between Dubey, police and politicians. The inquiry commission will also probe the killing of eight policemen allegedly by the Dubey gang and the subsequent encounter of the gangster and five of his purported associates. The apex court had on July 22 approved the government's draft notification for appointing Justice (retd) Chauhan as the chairman of the three-member inquiry commission. Eight policemen, including DSP Devendra Mishra, who were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops shortly after midnight on July 3. Dubey was killed in an encounter in the morning of July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhauti area, the police had said. Prior to Dubey's encounter, five of his alleged associated were killed in separate encounters. On July 22, the apex court had directed that the inquiry commission should start functioning within a week and the probe be concluded within two months. The apex court had passed the order last week while hearing a batch of petitions which have sought court-monitored probe into encounters of Dubey and five of his alleged associates. Some of the pleas have also sought probe into the killing of eight policemen on July 3. The Uttar Pradesh government, in an affidavit filed earlier in the apex court in the matter, had said that the police party escorting Dubey from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur had to "fire back in self-defence" as he had tried to escape and was killed. (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.) "As a food retailer, we already have very high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place including the cleaning of high touchpoint areas. "Customers and team members should be assured they can continue to safely shop and work at our Crows Nest supermarket." Fort Street High School was closed on Thursday as NSW Health investigated a suspected case. Credit:Steven Siewert NSW Health has also revealed that testing of sewage at a NSW ski-field has identified the presence of COVID-19. In western Sydney, the Thai Rock Wetherill Park outbreak swelled to 89 with four new cases, and the funeral gatherings outbreak grew to 20 after two further cases were added to that tally. With the growing number of cases in parts of NSW, including Potts Point and Wetherill Park, NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty asked people who either lived in or had visited the areas in the past two weeks to get tested if they have any symptoms "at all". "Even the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat," he said. The positive case in an inmate from Parklea Correctional Centre is the first case in a NSW correctional facility. Credit:Janie Barrett Two more cases have been confirmed at Catholic schools in Sydney's west, after a student from Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Bossley Park and a student at Freeman Catholic College in Bonnyrigg tested positive. The schools were due to reopen on Wednesday but remain closed, and additional contact tracing is also under way. Both students have been in isolation since the weekend. Loading Those schools were closed last week for deep cleaning after a case was reported at each school in students from the same family. The cases are linked to the Wetherill Park cluster. In Petersham, Fort Street High School has been closed due to a suspected case of COVID-19. The person is being retested and the results will be confirmed later on Thursday. Everlearn Childcare Centre in Prestons, in south-west Sydney, is also closed after a possible case in a child who attended the centre while possibly infectious. The childs test results are pending and contact tracing is under way. In Sydney's north-west, Parklea Correctional Centre has been placed in lockdown after an inmate tested positive. The inmate arrived on July 26 after he was refused bail for driving offences. He had recently arrived in NSW from Victoria and had been in isolation at the facility. "Preliminary contact tracing with staff and inmates has confirmed the inmate has not had any close contacts in custody, on being transported, or at Parklea CC since his arrival, in accordance with the isolation protocols," a Corrective Services NSW spokesperson said. The inmate was transferred to the NSW Corrective Services COVID-19 hospital at Silverwater upon returning a positive test. "The inmate has been asymptomatic throughout, and an investigation is ongoing," Dr McAnulty said. The area in which the inmate was in isolation at Parklea was being forensically cleaned and his family were being notified, the spokesperson said. It is the first case of COVID-19 among staff or inmates in NSW's correctional facilities. Ski-field sewage test finds COVID-19, but no cases identified Samples from sewage at Perisher taken on July 22 returned a positive result for COVID-19, NSW Health has revealed, but no cases have been confirmed in the area. Dr McAnulty said further analysis was needed to determine how significant that result was. The virus particles could have come from someone who previously had the illness, as the virus can "shed" from peoples systems up to four weeks after they become sick, he said. "While no cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Perisher or Thredbo to date, its important that anyone who has been in this area get tested if they have even the mildest of symptoms," Dr McAnulty said. A spokesman for the Southern NSW Local Health District said it was a "timely reminder" for locals and visitors in the region to remain vigilant about social distancing and hygiene. Loading There are testing clinics at Perisher, Jindabyne, Cooma and Thredbo, he said. The waste-water testing is part of a recently launched research program, with NSW Health testing sewage for traces of COVID-19 across the state. Apollo cluster linked to Queensland As four cases linked to that restaurant were confirmed in NSW on Thursday morning, two of Queensland's three new cases also have links to the restaurant. Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said two of the state's three new cases were in a couple who returned recently to Brisbane from Sydney and had eaten at The Apollo. Dr Young said they decided to quarantine in their home even though it was not yet mandatory. "Really reconsider if you need to go anywhere in NSW, and particularly dont go to Greater Sydney," Dr Young said. NSW Health recommends anyone who dined at The Apollo between Wednesday July 22 and Sunday July 26 should self-isolate and get tested even if they do not have symptoms. From 1am on Saturday, all residents of Greater Sydney will be banned from entering Queensland. Drugs for cancer comprised over 40 per cent of AstraZeneca's revenue in the last six months, with sales jumping 28 per cent to $5.3billion. AstraZeneca is also at the heart of a race to find a viable jab for Covid-19, and is currently working with the University of Oxford on clinical trials for the potential AZD1222 coronavirus vaccine, the results of which are expected in the next few months. On Wednesday, UK Government ministers signed a multi-million pound deal with pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur for 60million doses of another potential Covid-19 vaccine. Number 10 has now secured four different types of experimental coronavirus jabs, giving the UK access to a total of 250million doses enough to allow everyone in Britain to have four each, if they work. Bottom line: Drugs for cancer comprised over 40 per cent of AstraZeneca's revenue in the last year Scientists have yet to trial GSK/Sanofi's vaccine on humans and studies to prove it works won't begin until September. Other contenders purchased by the Government have already shown signs of promise in tests. On the Covid-19 vaccine front, AstraZeneca said today: 'Late-stage trials are currently underway in the UK, Brazil and South Africa and are due to start in the US. 'These trials will determine how well the vaccine will protect from the Covid-19 disease and measure safety and immune responses in different age ranges, at various doses.' FTSE 100-listed AstraZeneca, which will not initially benefit financially from any Covid-19 vaccine it helps create, has kept its dividend unchanged as first-half sales and earnings rose faster than expected thanks to continued strong performances from sales of new medicines. Sales of cardiovascular, renal and metabolism medicines grew 8 per cent to $2.3billion, while respiratory and immunology rose 5 per cent to $2.7billion. Sales of new medicines across the company rose by 42 per cent to $6.4billion, representing around half of its total revenue of $12.6billon, which grew 12 per cent in the first half. In a separate announcement published today, AstraZeneca revealed that US regulators had given its drug called Tagrisso 'breakthrough therapy designation' for the treatment of patients with mutated lung cancer. AstraZeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot said he was also pleased with the group's 71 per cent growth in emerging markets and the success of new medicines. He added: 'Looking ahead, while we continue to anticipate variations in quarterly performance, the continuation of our strategy makes us confident about the future.' The group's interim dividend of $0.90 per share remained unchanged, as was its full-year guidance. The firm's share price has performed strongly this morning and is currently up 2.9 per cent to 8,865.00p, while a year ago the share price was hovering around the 7,128.00p mark. Spotlight: Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been thrust into the spotlight during the pandemic Race is on: Companies are racing to help the world get an effective jab for Covid-19 Adam Vettese, an analyst at eToro, said: 'AstraZeneca is the enviable position of looking like it will emerge much stronger from the coronavirus crisis than it went in, something few firms are able to say. 'In fact, since the start of lockdown, Astra has risen to become the UK's most valuable company after its shares soared by an incredible 28%, growth matched only by a small selection of companies such as the runaway US tech scene.' He added: 'Perhaps the biggest worry for Astra shareholders is that a rival beats them to the punch and brings out a vaccine that works before they do. But even if that did happen, the strength of its existing range means Astra remains an attractive option for investors.' Meanwhile, Helal Miah, an analyst at The Share Centre, said AstraZeneca's latest results were 'exceptionally good.' He added: 'With new drugs representing 50% of sales, this is a demonstration of Pascal Soriot's success in focussing on R&D spending after he took over at a time when the business was seeing earnings being hammered by generic competition to off-patent drugs. We're moving on from a period where the Group's results were dominated by falling sales due to generic competition, to a period of growth and rewards of past R&D investing. 'These are overall a very good set of numbers and with the dividend continued in an income-starved world, it's no surprise shares reacted positively, up 2% at the open on a day when the rest of the market is down close to 1%. 'Investors will also be keeping a close eye on the Group's progress with its promising vaccine for the coronavirus that it has been working on with the University of Oxford something which is financially unrewarding, but the company must be congratulated for prioritising an equitable supply of the vaccine throughout the world at no profit during the pandemic.' The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, has condemned the fresh violence in Southern Kaduna. MACBANs spok... The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, has condemned the fresh violence in Southern Kaduna. MACBANs spokesman, Ibrahim Bayero Zango, said the renewed killings in Southern Kaduna should be blamed on Zango Kataf youths. Zango urged the Governor Nasir El-Rufai government to ensure it identified and dealt with those behind the violence. In a statement he signed, Zango lamented that bloodthirsty youths of Zango Kataf allegedly waylaid some Fulani herdsmen on intentional routes. He condemned what he called the viciousness and inhuman killings and destruction of property of innocent nomads that took place in some parts Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, particularly in some villages of Atyap Chiefdom. The question that requires to be answered is the relationship between the farmland in dispute and the crisis, which caused the killings of innocent Fulani nomads in the areas mentioned above by the Kataf youth in which two innocent Fulani nomads were killed at Ungwan Gaiya near the palace of the Chief of Kataf in the house of Alhaji Jae, who has been leaving in the area for almost a century. The two men that were killed are Abdullahi Jae and Pate Jae who were in their early thirties. Another two young men with an elderly woman were killed at Ungwan Juju. Four others were killed at Gora Sagwaza and one person was killed at Matai. We also condemned the barbaric acts of the Kataf youths, who waylayed and killed some Fulani nomads, who were passing by through the International Cattle Routes, which cross the areas on their ways to Bauchi State. Their cattle and other belongings were destroyed or stolen by the blood-thirsty Kataf youths. The number of those that were killed and the sheep are yet to be confirmed. EU lawmakers concerned bin Salman may kill ex-rival in Saudi jail Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 5:51 AM The largest bloc at the European Parliament says it has concerns that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may attempt to kill his predecessor and onetime rival, Mohammed bin Nayef, in custody. In a statement, the European People's Party (EPP) called for the immediate disclosure of the fate of bin Nayef and his protection from murder by the heir to the Saudi throne, the Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster reported on Tuesday. The group said it has obtained evidence suggesting that bin Nayef's health condition has deteriorated in Saudi jail. The EPP described bin Nayef's continued detention as a source of concern for Europe, urging bin Salman to refrain from eliminating his critics and political rivals. Bin Salman became Saudi Arabia's crown prince on the back of a 2017 palace coup that ousted bin Nayef. Since his ouster, bin Nayef has effectively been under house arrest and prevented from leaving the kingdom. In March, he was arrested as part of a renewed purge of royal family members over an alleged coup attempt to unseat King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his son. The Washington Post revealed earlier this month that bin Salman was preparing a set of corruption and disloyalty charges against bin Nayef to demand a $15-billion settlement from the detained prince. Meanwhile, just last week a campaign was launched on Twitter, with users posting thousands of tweets all of which blamed bin Nayef and his long-time aide for wide-spread corruption, in an apparent bid to discredit him ahead of a possible indictment. Some reports predict that bin Salman the kingdom's de facto leader will ascend to the throne before the 2020 US presidential election amid uncertainty over the health condition of his hospitalized 84-year-old father. Nabeel Nowairah, an independent researcher of the Persian Gulf Arab states, told Asia Times newspaper recently that the Saudi crown prince would take control of the kingdom by the end of the year. "Almost everyone is in detention, the important guys," he said. "Bin Nayef himself is in detention they're all not allowed to leave. And there are dozens of princes who are not allowed to travel outside the country and whose movement is monitored. I think everything is under control at the moment." Bin Salman is the architect of Saudi Arabia's bloody war on Yemen and the prime suspect in the brutal killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CALGARY, Alberta, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardinal Energy Ltd. ("Cardinal" or the "Company") (TSX: CJ) is pleased to announce its operating and financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. Selected financial and operating information is shown below and should be read in conjunction with Cardinal's unaudited condensed interim financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended June 30, 2020 which are available at www.sedar.com and on our website at www.cardinalenergy.ca . FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2020 Cardinal had second quarter positive free cash flow(1) due to reduced capital expenditures and cost saving initiatives leading to a $7.1 million reduction in net debt(1) over the prior quarter; Reduced our net operating costs(1) to $14.81/boe which was a $15 million decrease or 39% over the prior quarter due to reduced compensation costs, lower power costs and reduced well reactivation activity; Reduced our general and administrative costs ("G&A") by 40% over the prior quarter resulting in G&A costs of $1.87/boe ; and Favorable risk management program hedging over 60% of our remaining anticipated 2020 oil production at attractive prices. (1) See non-GAAP measures ($ 000's except shares, per share and operating amounts) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, 2020 2019 % Chg 2020 2019 % Chg Financial Petroleum and natural gas revenue 31,711 106,166 (70) 95,184 200,216 (52) Cash flow from operating activities (10,276) 35,923 n/m 11,765 63,429 (81) Adjusted funds flow (1) 2,065 35,736 (94) 17,013 65,375 (74) per share basic and diluted $ 0.02 $0.31 (94) $ 0.15 $0.56 (73) Loss (27,546) (3,099) n/m (478,490) (19,605) n/m per share basic and diluted $ (0.24) $(0.03) n/m $ (4.22) $(0.17) n/m Development capital expenditures (1) 776 17,041 (95) 22,558 28,193 (20) Other capital expenditures 280 625 (55) 639 1,057 (40) Total capital expenditures 1,056 17,666 (94) 23,197 29,250 (21) Common shares, net of treasury shares (000s) 113,382 115,203 (2) 113,382 115,203 (2) Dividends declared - 3,606 n/m 3,511 7,225 (51) per share - $0.03 n/m 0.03 0.06 (50) Net bank debt (1) 222,218 204,627 9 222,218 204,627 9 Net debt (1) 266,669 249,627 7 266,669 249,627 7 Net debt to adjusted funds flow ratio (1) 3.6 2.5 44 3.6 2.5 44 Total payout ratio (1) 38% 58% (34) 153% 54% 183 Operating Average daily production Light oil (bbl/d) 7,117 8,043 (12) 7,454 8,144 (8) Medium/heavy oil (bbl/d) 7,134 8,954 (20) 8,217 8,749 (6) NGL (bbl/d) 772 939 (18) 804 952 (16) Natural gas (mcf/d) 12,873 15,906 (19) 13,620 15,918 (14) Total (boe/d) 17,169 20,587 (17) 18,745 20,498 (9) Netback ($/boe) (1) Petroleum and natural gas revenue $ 20.30 $56.67 (64) $ 27.90 $53.97 (48) Royalties 2.59 8.97 (71) 4.20 8.18 (49) Net operating expenses(1) 14.81 20.28 (27) 17.94 21.44 (16) Transportation expenses 0.24 0.49 (51) 0.28 0.34 (18) Netback(1) $ 2.66 $26.93 (90) $ 5.48 $24.01 (77) Realized gain (loss) on commodity contracts 2.12 (4.03) n/m 3.38 (2.43) n/m Netback after risk management contracts (1) $ 4.78 $22.90 (79) $ 8.86 $21.58 (59) Interest and other 1.58 1.82 (13) 1.59 1.82 (13) G&A 1.87 2.02 (7) 2.29 2.14 7 Adjusted funds flow netback (1) $ 1.33 $19.06 (93) $ 4.98 $17.62 (72) (1) See non-GAAP measures SECOND QUARTER OVERVIEW Cardinal's second quarter 2020 was focused on financial sustainability as we weathered one of the most challenging periods in the oil and gas industry's history. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was far reaching across all industries globally. In response to the crisis, Cardinal immediately ceased all non-essential capital activity late in the first quarter resulting in the Company spending $1.1 million of capital expenditures in the second quarter. We began to systematically shut-in approximately 25% of our production to minimize losses from the severe drop in oil pricing. As oil prices stabilized in June, we began to restart shut-in production. Currently, approximately 10% to 15% of our production remains shut-in awaiting higher oil prices. A disciplined capital program combined with substantial cost reduction initiatives and an oil price recovery in June allowed the Company to be free cash flow positive in the second quarter, and when combined with a foreign exchange adjustment, we decreased our net debt by $7.1 million over the first quarter 2020 to $222.2 million. The majority of Cardinal's second quarter 2020 capital program was focused on our enhanced oil recovery process at Midale, Saskatchewan with our CO 2 injection program. In response to the low oil prices caused by the pandemic, Cardinal reduced our non-essential well servicing and labour costs which resulted in a 28% decrease in our field operating costs per bbl compared to the first quarter in 2020. Our power generation initiatives which were completed throughout 2019 and early 2020 assisted in reducing our corporate power costs by $2.7 million ($0.66/boe) over the same period in 2019. The result of these proactive initiatives resulted in Cardinal reducing our total net operating costs by 39% or $15 million over the first quarter of 2020. Corporately, during the second quarter of 2020, Cardinal reduced our Board, executive and employee salaries by 20%, ceased our bonus program and reduced our employee savings plan contributions which, combined with the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") program and other initiatives, resulted in a 40% reduction in our corporate G&A costs compared to the first quarter of 2020. Cardinal has been proactively taking advantage of available government subsidy programs with our service company partners. On our behalf, service companies have submitted a significant number of applications for abandonment and reclamation work on Cardinals wells and leases in the Period 1 of the Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program ("SRP") and Phase 1 of the Saskatchewan Accelerated Site Closure Program ("ASCP"). Some of this work has been approved to date and work in the field has been initiated. Further approvals are expected in the near term, as are further applications in future program periods and phases. Cardinal will continue to be an active participant in the government programs. From a risk management perspective, for the remainder of 2020, Cardinal has hedged an average of 9,083 bbl/d of West Texas Intermediate ("WTI") oil at an approximate average price of CAD$52/bbl. In addition, we have WTI collars locking in a floor of CAD$50/bbl on 1,000 bbl/d for the remainder of 2020. We have started our 2021 hedging program with an average 1,833 bbl/d of WTI hedged for the year at an average minimum price of CAD$55/bbl. Cardinal continues to work through its credit facility renewal process with our syndicate of banks. The reduction in commodity prices has impacted our projected future cash flows and has re-emphasized our goals of reducing our overall debt levels. We have received approval from the syndicate to further extend the revolving period and re-determination date to August 5, 2020 for the lenders to attain required internal approvals. We continue to work through applications for federal liquidity support programs. Currently, Cardinal is drawn approximately $204 million on its credit facility and with the low decline nature of our asset base we expect our future adjusted funds flow will be sufficient to support our capital program and continue with our debt reduction strategy. OUTLOOK The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in how it has affected the global economy. The Canadian oil and gas industry has faced numerous challenges over the past number of years however we believe the past few months have negatively impacted our industry more than any other. Cardinal's focus through this pandemic and economic crisis remains the health and safety of our employees and service providers, and managing our liquidity through disciplined efficient operation of our assets, production and costs. This has been evidenced in the second quarter of 2020 in which we had positive free cash flow and reduced net debt levels over the prior quarter. Our focus for the second half of 2020 will be on retaining our long term stability. The fluctuations in commodity prices this year, from a high of over WTI US$60/bbl to a low that saw negative prices have reinforced some key business tenets. Increased stability through longer term product hedging and reduced financial dependence on our credit facility are and will be the core focus for the future. Cardinal is fortunate to have a low decline sustainable production base that can withstand the short-term pricing shocks without materially impacting our reserve base. Our capital program for the last half of 2020 has been reduced to $8.5 million. With a large percentage of our production hedged for the remainder of the year, we expect to make significant reductions in our overall net debt levels in 2020. Cardinal will continue to manage our assets with a long-term sustainability view and continue to look for ways to reduce our costs without sacrificing the safety of our employees or the integrity of our asset base and infrastructure. Cardinal's top tier low decline rate will support the Company's oil production and we will bring back on production of shut-in wells when the re-activation economics justify it. We are seeing positive signs as oil prices have stabilized and we continue to lock-in prices that support longer term production initiatives. We will continue to navigate through these challenging times by acting quickly to implement change and reduce costs. We thank our Board for their continued guidance, our employees for their dedication and hard work and our shareholders and stakeholders for their perseverance and support during this challenging time. Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to Cardinal's plans and other aspects of Cardinal's anticipated future operations, management focus, objectives, strategies, financial, operating and production results. Forward-looking information typically uses words such as "anticipate", "believe", "project", "expect", "goal", "plan", "intend", "may", "would", "could" or "will" or similar words suggesting future outcomes, events or performance. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date thereof and are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements relating to: our business strategies, plans and objectives, 2020 anticipated production , our risk management program, our focus and plans during the pandemic and economic crisis, the Company's 2020 capital budget and plans, decline rates, plans to participate in government programs and future approvals, plans to reduce overall debt levels, expectations that future adjusted funds flow will be sufficient to support our capital program and debt reduction plan, the renewal of our credit facility and level of liquidity, plans to retain long-term stability, our Environmental, Safety and Governance mandate and plans to operate our assets in a responsible and environmentally sensitive manner. Forward-looking statements regarding Cardinal are based on certain key expectations and assumptions of Cardinal concerning anticipated financial performance, business prospects, strategies, regulatory developments, future production, the impact (and the duration thereof) that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on (i) the demand for crude oil, NGLs and natural gas, (ii) our supply chain, including our ability to obtain the equipment and services we require, and (iii) our ability to produce, transport and/or sell our crude oil, NGLs and natural gas; the ability of OPEC+ nations and other major producers of crude oil to reduce crude oil production and thereby arrest and reverse the steep decline in world crude oil prices; future production rates, current and future commodity prices and exchange rates, applicable royalty rates, tax laws, future well production rates and reserve volumes, future operating costs, the performance of existing and future wells, the success of our exploration and development activities, the sufficiency and timing of budgeted capital expenditures in carrying out planned activities, the timing and success of our cost cutting initiatives, the availability and cost of labor and services, the impact of competition, conditions in general economic and financial markets, availability of drilling and related equipment, effects of regulation by governmental agencies, the renewal of our credit facility and level of liquidity and our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms which are subject to change based on commodity prices, market conditions and drilling success and potential timing delays. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Cardinal's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, general economic conditions; volatility in market prices for crude oil and natural gas; industry conditions; our and ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, currency fluctuations; imprecision of reserve estimates; liabilities inherent in crude oil and natural gas operations; environmental risks; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions and exploration and development programs; competition from other producers; the lack of availability of qualified personnel, drilling rigs or other services; changes in income tax laws or changes in royalty rates and incentive programs relating to the oil and gas industry; and hazards such as fire, explosion, blowouts, and spills, each of which could result in substantial damage to wells, production facilities, other property and the environment or in personal injury. Management has included the forward-looking statements above and a summary of assumptions and risks related to forward-looking statements provided in this press release in order to provide readers with a more complete perspective on Cardinal's future operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Cardinal's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that Cardinal will derive there from. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and Cardinal disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. Supplemental Information Regarding Product Types This press release includes references to 2019 and 2020 production. The Company discloses crude oil production based on the pricing index that the oil is priced off of. The following table is intended to provide the product type composition as defined by NI 51-101. Light/Medium Crude Oil Heavy Oil NGL Conventional Natural Gas Total (boe/d) Q2/20 57% 27% 4% 12% 17,169 Q2/19 54% 29% 5% 13% 20,587 1H/20 57% 27% 4% 12% 18,745 1H/19 54% 28% 5% 13% 20,498 Advisory Regarding Oil and Gas Information Where applicable, oil equivalent amounts have been calculated using a conversion rate of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil. Boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Utilizing a conversion ratio at 6 Mcf: 1 Bbl may be misleading as an indication of value. Non-GAAP measures This press release contains the terms "development capital expenditures", "adjusted funds flow", "adjusted funds flow per basic share", "adjusted funds flow per diluted share", "free cash flow", "net debt", "net debt to adjusted funds flow ratio", "net operating expenses", "netback", "netback after risk management contracts" and "adjusted funds flow netback" which do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS" or, alternatively, "GAAP") and therefore may not be comparable with the calculation of similar measures by other companies. Cardinal uses adjusted funds flow, adjusted funds flow per basic and diluted share, free cash flow and net debt to adjusted funds flow ratio to analyze operating performance and assess leverage. Cardinal feels these benchmarks are a key measure of profitability and overall sustainability for the Company. Adjusted funds flow is not intended to represent operating profits nor should it be viewed as an alternative to cash flow provided by operating activities, net earnings or other measures of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP. As shown below, adjusted funds flow is calculated as cash flows from operating activities adjusted for changes in non-cash working capital, decommissioning expenditures and transaction costs. Development capital expenditures represents expenditures on property, plant and equipment (excluding capitalized G&A, other assets and acquisitions). Free cash flow represents adjusted funds flow less dividends and development capital. The term "net debt" is not recognized under GAAP and as shown below, is calculated as bank debt plus the principal amount of convertible unsecured subordinated debentures ("convertible debentures") and current liabilities less current assets (adjusted for the fair value of financial instruments, the current portion of lease liabilities, the current portion of the decommissioning obligation and the current portion of the liability component of convertible debentures). Net debt is used by management to analyze the financial position, liquidity and leverage of Cardinal. Net debt is used by management to analyze the financial position, liquidity and leverage of Cardinal. Net debt to adjusted funds flow ratio is calculated as net debt divided by the trailing 12 months adjusted funds flow. Net operating expenses is calculated as operating expense less processing and other revenue primarily generated by processing third party volumes at processing facilities where the Company has an ownership interest, and can be expressed on a per boe basis. As the Companys principal business is not that of a midstream entity, management believes this is a useful supplemental measure to reflect the true cash outlay at its processing facilities by utilizing spare capacity through processing third party volumes. Netback is calculated on a boe basis and is determined by deducting royalties, transportation costs and net operating expenses from petroleum and natural gas revenue. Netback after risk management contracts includes realized gains or losses on commodity contracts in the period on a boe basis. Adjusted funds flow netback is calculated as netback after risk management and also includes interest and other costs and G&A costs on a boe basis. Netback, netback after risk management contracts and adjusted funds flow netback are utilized by Cardinal to better analyze the operating performance of our petroleum and natural gas assets taking into account our risk management program, interest and G&A costs against prior periods. Three months ended June 30, 2020 June 30, 2019 Cash flow from operating activities (10,276) 35,923 Change in non-cash working capital 11,798 (1,685) Funds flow 1,522 34,238 Decommissioning expenditures 543 1,498 Adjusted funds flow 2,065 27,085 As at June 30, 2020 June 30, 2019 Bank debt 217,206 195,468 Principal amount of Convertible Debentures 44,451 45,000 Working capital deficiency (1) 5,012 9,159 Net debt 266,669 249,627 (1) Includes current assets less current liabilities excluding the fair value of financial instruments, current decommissioning obligation, current lease liabilities, current bank debt and the current portion of the liability component of convertible debentures. Oil and Gas Metrics The term "boe" or barrels of oil equivalent may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent (6 Mcf: 1 bbl) is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Additionally, given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil, as compared to natural gas, is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1; utilizing a conversion ratio of 6:1 may be misleading as an indication of value. About Cardinal Energy Ltd. One of Cardinal's goals is to continually improve our Environmental, Safety and Governance mandate and operate our assets in a responsible and environmentally sensitive manner. As part of this mandate, Cardinal injects and conserves more carbon than it directly emits making us one of the few Canadian energy companies to have a negative carbon footprint. Cardinal is a Canadian oil focused company with operations focused on low decline light, medium and heavy quality oil in Western Canada. New Delhi, July 30 : The University Grants Commission (UGC) has told the Supreme Court that it is not possible to alter its July 6 guidelines mandating universities across India to conduct their final year examination by September end. The UGC informed the court that the expert committee, headed by Prof R.C. Kuhad, submitted a report recommending that terminal semester examinations should be conducted by universities/institutions by the end of September. This report was deliberated and approved by the UGC in a meeting held on July 6. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had also permitted the schedule of exams by universities and institutions. "It is submitted that the UGC has issued such guidelines to protect the academic future of students across the country which will be irreparably damaged if their final year/terminal examinations are not held, while also keeping in mind their health and safety," said the academic regulator in its affidavit. The 50-page affidavit said that the final year/terminal semester examinations are important because the "learning process is a dynamic interaction where the only way to figure out what students know is to seek evidence of their knowledge and to evaluate it". The UGC contended that guidelines issued on July 6 adequately account for the evolving situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, as they provide sufficient time till the end of September to conduct the exams and give sufficient flexibility to institutions to conduct exams through online, offline or blended route. It also added that in case, students are unable to appear, then they would be given a chance of a specially-conducted exam at a later date. Emphasising that the academic evaluation of terminal semester/final year students is a very important milestone in any education system, it insisted on non-interference of courts on these policy matters. It is well-settled that courts of law do not ordinarily intervene in academic decisions and policies involving standard and quality of education, the UGC said. It also criticised the decision of certain state governments (Maharashtra and Delhi) to either cancel the final year exam for UG/PG students and to graduate such students and confer degrees without appearing for the exams. "Such a decision directly affects the standard of higher education in the country and will be an encroachment of legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of education that is exclusively reserved for Parliament," said the affidavit. The UGC urged the top court to dismiss the batch of pleas opposing July 6 guidelines, with the lead petition in the matter being a plea filed by 31 students from Indian universities across the country. Other pleas include one by the Shiv Sena's youth wing, the Yuva Sena, headed by Maharashtra minister Aditya Thackeray. After teetering near the states thresholds for coronavirus cases and hospitalizations for more than two weeks, San Mateo finally joined the Bay Areas other eight counties on the California watch list Wednesday and now faces further business restrictions if it remains on that list another two days. If that comes to pass, barbershops and salons, gyms, malls, nonessential offices and places of worship will have to close completely or shift to outdoor-only operations by 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Its so heartbreaking. Its going to take us so many years to recover, said Cheryl Angeles, president and CEO of the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce. Its very sad for the business community. I just hate to see them being bounced up and down, up and down, up and down. Angeles said a number of business owners have told her that if the county endures another long shutdown, they will die on the vine. Rahsaan Carty is wondering if his business will be one of those. His Team Rahsaan Fitness, a 1,900-square-foot boutique gym in Redwood City that specializes in classes and personal training, does not have available outdoor space to operate. Its just nonsense, man. Here we go again, Carty said. I dont know what to do anymore. I went through this the first time for 90 days. It becomes a money pit at some point. I still havent made up for the first 90 days. San Mateo has been a case study as the first Bay Area county to reopen businesses after the mid-March shelter-in-place order and the last to be shuttered. As in the 37 other of Californias 58 counties on the watch list, conditions in San Mateo will now be closely monitored, and the state public health officer could take further action if progress isnt made. It was widely believed that San Mateo would be added to the watch list shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered new restrictions for businesses July 13, but the county avoided it for 16 days with a strong campaign. The county lined Highway 101 with billboards prompting people to stay at home when possible, and maintain distance from others when going out. San Mateo also changed its public health dashboard to show coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that were from out-of-county residents. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Its clear that COVID-19 continues to spread in our community and in the Bay Area. Its vital that we all do everything we can wearing face coverings, washing our hands and avoiding gatherings to slow and eventually stop the spread, San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy said. These individual actions can make a huge difference. But even some of the most stringent protocols werent able to keep the county off the list and its businesses safe from closure. Carty said he spent about $10,000 changing his marketing strategy, upgrading the HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters in his gym, separating equipment and increasing sanitation. Angeles had a hair appointment Wednesday evening at a salon that makes customers wait in their cars and then serves only one masked client at a time. Business owners are being as responsible as they can, she said, but I think there are some people out there who are still not taking this seriously. Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron To the editor, Bob Hortons July 26 article, Back to School? Not so fast, which advocates for school closure in Connecticut until January 2021 is one-sided in its reporting. Mr. Horton bases his argument on a recent South Korean study that points to children as the source of COVID-19 transmission in households. First, Mr. Horton does not cite the acknowledged limitations of the study. The researchers at the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention state, Our observation has several limitations including that detected cases could have resulted from exposure outside the household. Second, Mr. Horton makes the incorrect inference that the potential spread of COVID-19 by children in households where close family interactions are the norm directly translates to a high risk of COVID-19 infections among teachers at schools where the protocols will require mask wearing, social distancing and perhaps teaching behind a Plexiglas barrier. The main point is that personal interactions at schools will have a far higher standard of safety versus family settings upon which the South Korean study is based. Importantly, Mr. Hortons article fails to provide balance to the school opening debate by omitting any reference to the just published article by professors at Harvards School of Public Health, Listen to science and reopen the schools. The article advocates for school reopening citing two main findings: The first: School closures may be among the least effective of (measures used to halt the spread of COVID-19). A study of county rates of COVID across the United States from earlier this year found no evidence that school closures influenced the growth rate in COVID infections. And, the second finding that, two international studies similarly found large reductions in COVID spread from social distancing policies in general, but no significant effect from school closures on their own. If we correctly consider the facts about COVID-19 transmissions well find a way to reopen our schools safely this fall the benefits of which accrue to deserving students, parents and the country as a whole. Brad Radulovacki is a Representative Town Meeting member from District 11. The views in this letter are his own and do not represent those of the RTM or any of its committees. Close Donald Trump on delaying the election and mail-in voting: It will be the 'most inaccurate and fraudulent in history' Donald Trump has threatened Portland protesters with "very strong offensive force" as the federal government and residents continue to clash in the liberal city. The president warned he might send the National Guard to stop the "terrorists" in the city. In Albuquerque, meanwhile, activists vowed to meet federal agents with peaceful protests and civil disobedience as Trump said the government's response would expand to more cities, including Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee. This comes as White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has slammed China for delaying Hong Kong elections, even though that is what Mr Trump suggested on Twitter for the United States' own presidential election. Mr Trump refused to back down from his controversial suggestion that November's election be postponed despite an outcry among his fellow Republicans, insisting "I don't want to see a crooked election", as he continues to claim mail-in voting - a likely necessity given the coronavirus outbreak - is vulnerable to fraud. Dr Anthony Fauci testified before lawmakers about the Trump administration's coronavirus response, with the president praising a line of questioning from Republican Jim Jordan. The infectious disease expert was asked he wouldn't make a recommendation on the virus spreading at protests after while he was quick to make recommendations about baseball. The CDC is forecasting 173,000 deaths by mid-August. Democrats and Republicans are expected to meet on Saturday to discuss the next coronavirus relief package after Trump tweeted criticism at Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for failing to reach an agreement by Friday. Activist Marley Dias is pictured here as a part of a national Old Navy social campaign, "We are We." Read more Marley Dias may be 15 years old, but her work ethic could rival anyones. In 2015, when she was 11, all the books that her fifth-grade class read were centered on white male protagonists. It was frustrating for me because I knew that there were so many other books out there, said Dias, who was born in Philly and now lives in West Orange, N.J. Of course, being an avid reader and having access through my parents in my home library, she said, she was aware of the experiences of girls that looked like me Black girls and others. So Dias decided to start a book drive to collect 1,000 books where Black girls were the main character. She named it #1000BlackGirlBooks. Since then, she has surpassed her own goal and has collected over 12,000 books. She has also written a book of her own, Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! In 2018, she was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The same year, she spoke at the United State of Women Summit alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Now, Dias is part of an advertising campaign for Old Navy called We Are We. The campaign, which is airing digitally and on television, is designed to celebrate diversity and features five activists from across the country. The Inquirer talked with the young activist about how her moms intentional parenting prepared her to take on the world, other role models for her bravery, and the power of teenagers opinions. Dias said that the Old Navy campaigns intention aligns with her work in diversity and inclusion. Having differences and being unique is something that we should value, rather than hide, she said. The retail brand has drawn criticism for two racial incidents last summer, one in Philadelphia where two Old Navy employees said a store brought in white workers from other locations for a taping of Queer Eye and in Canada where an Ontario store was accused of racially profiling a shopper. Old Navy has denied any racist intent in Philadelphia and apologized to the Canadian shopper. An Old Navy spokesperson said We are We is part of the brands ongoing pledge for equality and that we know we have room to grow. We want everyone in our stores to feel welcome and respected. Dias was not available to respond immediately to a request for comment on those situations as the new campaign launches. This interview has been edited and condensed. Whos been most influential in your journey to working in activism? My mom. It has to be my mom. My mom encouraged me from such a young age to be observant and to be critical and socially aware whether thats me talking about me not liking my school lunches or talking about why this is a girl toy and thats a boy toy. A lot of the time, she has really important discussions with me. I get asked often how did I know there was a lack of diversity, but it was through my moms intentional parenting and really understanding that me seeing myself would increase my confidence and increase my love of reading. Given the social unrest weve seen over the last few months regarding racism and police brutality, what is the importance of having younger voices being heard? I think the younger voice is really becoming a part of the conversation for not being fearful of spreading the truth. I think that we obviously dont know as much as other people, but we are learning every single day. We have individual experiences that are important to conversations, and we can combine that with information from adults and learn from that and create something beautiful. If we have a mix of both adults and kids in these conversations, we can understand what research is telling us about whats happening to girls, but also how girls feel about the ways in which theyre treated. How would you suggest other people your age become involved in their communities? I think that researching, reading articles, and having opinions is the first step. I think a lot of kids feel neutral toward issues. They dont have anything theyre passionate about, they dont think beyond the issues that affect their own lives. So its understanding that there are things that are happening in communities that you may not be subjected to that still hurt a lot of people. Just understanding and becoming informed about just your small portion of the world is really important. If you start small and you start to care about the people you exist with every day, you can grow to care about larger communities. In an article you wrote for Elle magazine last week, you said, In order for us to be the change we wish to see in the world, we must see ourselves first in fact and in fiction. Could you explain what you meant by in fact and in fiction. When I say, see ourselves I mean to identify and understand our possibility. I think for a lot of people, whether you may recognize it or not, you didnt know you could be something until you could see it. I did see people like Angela Davis. I did see people like Shirley Chisholm. I saw people that, although their missions and goals were different from mine, the core of their work was about being brave, being yourself, and affirming messages about who you are. But when I say, in fact, its about understanding the history of people who have gone beyond and stretched the limits of what people were believed to do and be capable of. And in fiction, I mean essentially what I do with the work of collecting books seeing that there are possibilities of Black girls being alien fighters from outer space, being a paleontologist that discovered the first dinosaur. What do you think is the worlds biggest wound? I think the worlds biggest wound, at large or maybe just one of them, is ignorance. A lot of us just dont learn enough of what we need to know about other people. And I can say, even within myself, Im not always cognizant of the ways in which I have privilege over other people. 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Students in Staten Island schools will have the choice of returning to class through a hybrid model for in-person learning a few days a week and remote learning the rest of the week, or choose full-time remote learning. Including four imported cases reported today, Singapore has a total of 51,809 coronavirus recorded till date The woman, who is a Singapore citizen, had arrived in Singapore from India on July 17. (Representational Image: AFP) Singapore: A 36-year-old woman, who returned from India, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore, the ministry of health said, as the number of coronavirus infections rose to 51,809. Singapore on Wednesday reported three imported COVID-19 cases, including the woman. They were placed under stay-home notice. The woman, who is a Singapore citizen, had arrived in Singapore from India on July 17. Singapore on Thursday reported 278 new COVID-19 cases. "Three of the cases reported on Thursday were foreigners on work passes here while one was a Singaporean," said the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary update. Today's cases take the national tally to 51,809. There are also four imported cases on Thursday who had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore. With 205 patients discharged on Wednesday, 46,098 patients have fully recovered from the disease, according to the MOH. Singapore so far has reported 27 deaths from COVID-19 complications. The coming evolution of cities and public spaces Communities will win if they stay true to themselves. By JOAN INSEL and MICHAEL LEE CallisonRTKL Insel Lee How we live, work and play is undergoing fundamental change. At the personal level, everyday routines have been upended. We are dealing with issues and situations that are new to us. In many cases, we are being acutely reminded of things we perhaps took for granted. At the civic level, well, where do we even begin? Public health and safety. The economy. Transportation. The school system. The list goes on and on. The future of cities and public spaces will bring us challenges as well as many opportunities. One big challenge will be keeping our downtown corridor vibrant as the role of the office undergoes dramatic evaluation. How can we make downtown appealing to the new remote workforce? We must first start by looking at how people were, and are, changing. The coronavirus accelerated many facets of peoples attitudes and behaviors that were already in place prior to the pandemic: increased focus on self-care, enrichment and well being; self-discovery and learning; quality over quantity driving purchase decisions; and technology to keep us connected to family, our social networks and our co-workers when we cant be there in person. However, we are social beings and nothing will ever replace our desire and need to engage face-to-face. Some things will gradually return to normal while others, perhaps, will not. We do know that we will need to reimagine the typical urban experience for whatever the new normal will be, and empathy to peoples rational and emotional needs will be paramount. Communities will win if they stay true to themselves. Be real. Be authentic. Be people-centric. Photo by David Madison [enlarge] CallisonRTKL reimagined Ballston Quarter, a 1980s-era mall in Arlington, Virginia, creating an open-air lifestyle center with a welcoming tiered plaza surrounded by restaurants and leading to a food court. Just how might the urban environment that we have come to know and expect evolve? Design considerations revolve around how cities have helped create spaces for fulfillment of basic human needs: commerce, government administration, worship, and social interaction, but now there is a new baseline of expectations that needs to be addressed. Transportation is one of the key considerations when re-imaging the future of the public realm. Cities around the world and in the U.S. are looking to car-free streets as part of the recovery. New York City has closed 40 miles of streets across the boroughs to cars to make more space for pedestrians and bicyclists. Biking and walking are attractive in a pandemic theyre resilient, reliable, affordable and they even allow for social distancing. Without cars, streets have more open space to be used for outdoor dining zones, pop-up events and artistic interventions. Even before the pandemic, cities like Milan, Paris and London had created car-free zones and flexible streets that were used as social spaces not just a way to get from one place to another. Street life will be seen as more than just retail storefronts. We often think of downtown street life as primarily a retail-centric environment, but there are other uses and services that contribute to the health and vitality of our sidewalks. Outdoor dining is a vital part of the equation, and now more than ever restaurants and bars are turning to dining outdoors to make customers feel safe. Cities are re-evaluating their sidewalk rules and codes, so as to expand outdoor seating capacity. Artistic and creative public seating zones and clusters can provide places for respite and relaxation. Walk-up windows for food or personal services provide convenience as well as social distancing and should be considered as part of the street environment. Curbside pick-up zones for restaurants and retail have exploded under the lockdown and will continue in our gradual re-opening. Long before the pandemic, retailers such as Nordstrom were using curbside pickup and drop-off as a way to offer their customers convenience and flexibility. This trend will continue to increase as restaurants, bars and other personal services see the benefits for their customers. Cities will need to manage the curbside zone as pickup/drop-offs will compete with rideshare, transit stops, delivery zones and street parking. Public spaces will also evolve. Thoughtful landscaping, art and environmental graphics can be used to help enliven public parks and plazas while providing for adequate social spacing. The city of New York painted graphic white circles in Domino Park to encourage the public to stay safely apart. Photo by CallisonRTKL/David Whitcomb [enlarge] In a Cleveland suburb, CallisonRTKL designed Pinecrest, a vibrant, community-friendly environment that offers shopping, dining and leisure activities. Flexibility and adaptability are also important when considering how public paces can evolve. Modular and mobile structures should be considered when planning public spaces. One example, Boxpark (in the UK) used refitted shipping containers to create the worlds first pop-up mall, fusing the concepts of modern street food side-by-side with local and global brands, creating a unique shopping and dining destination. Structures of this nature could be used for a wide range of programs like dining, art shows, farmers markets and public speaking events. As we move forward, urban public spaces will be driven as much by the informal experience as the formal space. They must allow for user curation and adapt to changing consumer needs. Lively public spaces are the connective tissue that bring cities to life and make them more human. Life under, after and beyond the curve is and will be change-management on steroids for all of us. But history has proven we are a resilient lot, individually and collectively. Our success, once again, will rest on our ability to adapt, adopt and evolve. For us, the evolution is already well underway. Joan Insel is a vice president in CallisonRTKLs Seattle office. Her diverse background in architecture and graphic design brings a unique perspective to her projects. Michael Lee is a vice president in CallisonRTKLs Seattle office. His expertise lies in creative placemaking and designing successful commercial environments. Other Stories: 1 Many places. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security accused violent anarchists of doxxing dozens of federal law enforcement officers in Portland during protests that followed the May death of a Black man in police custody, George Floyd. The agency said it had replaced the officers name tags with badge numbers to help avert the risk. Hong Kong saw a lot related to the pro-democracy protests: nearly 5,000 complaints about doxxing and other types of harassment since June 2019, the citys privacy commissioner said early this year. About a third of the attacks targeted the police. At least 200 people seen as supporting the protests also were doxxed by an anonymous website. U.S. senators fell victim to the practice during hearings for then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In general, though, women and minorities are more likely to experience serious harassment online, including doxxing. The tactic was employed by online mobs to harass women who spoke out against sexism in video game culture during the Gamergate controversy of 2014. Advertisement A new community spirit fostered across Britain during the coronavirus lockdown which saw people get to know neighbours better and acts of kindness from strangers is now starting to fray, a report claimed today. Britons were brought together in the first weeks after lockdown on March 23 both within their communities and nationally following the divisions created by Brexit, according to the study by think tank British Future. Clap for Carers, which saw people applaud the NHS from their doorsteps every Thursday at 8pm, also played a major role in community spirit with nearly seven in ten people taking part by the time it ended on May 28. But the study found feelings of a strong sense of unity had begun to dissipate by mid-May amid a perception that some groups - including young people and those living in cities - were not observing social distancing rules. It was also emerging that different sectors of society were experiencing the pandemic very differently, with older people more vulnerable from a health perspective, but younger people more at risk from an economic downturn. The study also revealed: Some 60% of Britons agreed in March that 'the UK had never felt so divided', but this fell to 45% by June; Public trust in the Government's handling of the crisis fell after Dominic Cummings was seen to break rules; Young people were seen as less willing to observe lockdown an observation made by people of all ages; Support for Black Lives Matter was 'tempered by concerns about public health and violence on the protests'; Britain was united by support for the NHS and VE Day celebrations in early May marking the 75th anniversary; Younger people and the less wealthy were less likely to say that people get on well together locally. NHS staff and members of the public take part in Clap for Our Carers on Hollywood Road in Chelsea, West London, on May 28 Local residents of Stourbridge in the West Midlands clap and bang tables in support of the NHS and carers on May 28 People living on a street in Northampton applaud in support of NHS and other key workers on May 21 The report was carried out on behalf of the Together campaign, which includes the NHS, charities and media groups and is now launching a national public consultation on how to tackle new community divisions. Some 60 per cent of Britons agreed in March that 'the UK had never felt so divided in my lifetime', but this fell to 45 per cent by June. In Scotland, where perceptions of divisions were higher, it dropped from 70 to 60 per cent. Another source of division observed for the first time in May was a divergence of policy between the Westminster government and the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Public trust in the Government's handling of the crisis fell after the Prime Minister's adviser Dominic Cummings was seen to break lockdown rules by travelling 260 miles with his family to his parents' farm in County Durham. The report, which was released this morning following a survey of 2,000 adults by ICM, said participants became notably angrier when describing politicians in later discussion groups and in diary entries. Some 60 per cent of Britons agreed in March that 'the UK had never felt so divided', but this fell to 45 per cent by June The report found younger people and the less wealthy were less likely to say that people get on well together locally The perception that the UK was less divided was most strongly felt by over-65s, with 72% agreeing that 'the public's response to the coronavirus crisis has shown the unity of our society more than its divides', compared with 46% of 18 to 24-year-olds It said: 'After the first weeks of lockdown, long-standing divisions came to the fore in the discussions, albeit with these views seen through the lens of Covid-19. Brexit was seen as the most divisive issue affecting the UK. 'Divisions between the rich and poor also concerned participants in all of the discussions, with many people feeling that the Covid-19 crisis would have a disproportionate impact on the poorest in society. 'Intergenerational division was also a prominent issue in the discussions. Young people were perceived as less willing to observe lockdown an observation made by people of all ages. 'Covid-19 has amplified intergenerational divisions as younger and older experience the health and economic impacts of the crisis differently.' The study also found that two issues stood out as both dividing and uniting people social media and the Black Lives Matter protests around the world following the death of George Floyd on May 20 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Researchers asked what brings people together, with 67 per cent citing sporting events, 62 per cent saying volunteering in the local community and 66 per cent referring to local groups and societies Feeling 'part of something' was a sentiment that increased during lockdown at both a local and national level The survey supports the high salience of wealth divides as an issue of public concern, both before and during lockdown Mr Floyd died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, and the study found there was condemnation of what happened and broad support for action to tackle inequality and racial prejudice in the UK. However the report added that this was 'contingent support, tempered by concerns about public health and violence on the protests' following chaotic scenes in London which saw dozens of police officers injured. On social media, it said: 'While technology had helped connect people during lockdown, higher levels of digital exclusion among older people was a new aspect of intergenerational division that came to light during this crisis.' The survey also revealed that Britain was united by support for the NHS and VE Day celebrations in early May marking the 75th anniversary of the end of fighting against Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Researchers asked what brings people together, with 67 per cent citing sporting events, 62 per cent saying volunteering in the local community and 66 per cent referring to local groups and societies. The report added: 'While the EU referendum has polarised society to some extent, both the survey and the discussions highlighted people's confidence that we still have much in common.' A group of residents of Arrael Street in Abertillery, South Wales, share cakes following Clap For Carers on May 14 Members of the public and NHS workers take part in the Clap for Carers outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on May 14 A family clap in support of the NHS and carers on May 28 in front of a sign outside their home in Stourbridge, West Midlands It said people's friendship groups often extend to those who have different political views to their own, with less than four in ten people in both March and June saying 'my friends mostly have similar political views to me'. People were also generally confident about relations in their local community, with three-quarters saying that people from different backgrounds generally got on well or very well in their local community. This was significantly more than the three in five who felt that people got on well or very well across the UK as a whole. But younger people and the less wealthy were less likely to say that people get on well together locally. In March, 83 per cent of those aged 65 or over said that people of different backgrounds generally got on well in their local communities, compared with 69 per cent of 18-24s. In the same March survey, 58 per cent of those aged 65 or older said they felt certain that their neighbours would help them if they became ill with coronavirus, compared with 24 per cent of 18-24s. The researchers said: 'An explanation for these differences and the greater confidence that older people have in their neighbours may lie in older people's greater sense of connection to the place where they live.' Police clash with protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Westminster on June 7 in memory of George Floyd People gather in Trafalgar Square in London after marching through the capital following a BLM rally in Hyde Park on June 20 People taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest outside the US Embassy in London in memory of George Floyd on June 7 They added that divisions between rich and poor was a dominant theme in all discussions, with people feeling that the crisis would 'disproportionally impact on the lives of poorer people'. The report said: 'Some people felt that neighbourliness and community spirit was weaker in areas of high deprivation. It was felt that those in power needed to address wealth divides, but also recognise that more work was needed to bring people together in urban areas with a more transient population.' It concluded: 'As we emerge from lockdown, a question that is being posed by both policy makers and the public is whether we can sustain this positive change in how people connect with each other. 'The discussions we have had with members of the public during lockdown have shown that they are up for the challenge. There was a strong desire among those we met to preserve the collective memories of kindness and community spirit.' Writing in the report, the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, said: 'We are entering a period of deep economic uncertainty, one that will heighten existing inequalities and strain our society further still. 'We must start to disagree better: Recognising and respecting our differences while remembering our common humanity and citizenship, with all the mutual obligations these demand of us.' A social media page rating Australia's 'sexiest' real estate agents has bewildered some of the contenders, who are not sure how they made the cut. The 'carefully curated' Instagram page - australias_sexiest_agents - was launched last week to pay tribute to the glamours of the real estate world. Some of the genetically-blessed include BadgerFox Projects' Julian Starr, McGrath Estate Agents' Nicole Cameron and Louisa Dickson of Sydney Sotheby's Realty, who was noted as a 'million dollar listing' by one commenter. While others are mostly pictured in suits and devilishly smiling at the camera, images of women take a cheekier turn - with some photographed in barely-there bikinis, just like Louisa Dickson of Sydney Sotheby's Realty (pictured) The page's admin also lists potential candidates (pictured) on its story - promoting users to vote on whether or not an agent 'qualifies' The anonymous administrator of the page, of Melbourne's southeast, told Daily Mail Australia he was 'very surprised by the amount of agents submitting their own application to feature'. The 27-year-old, who is also a real estate agent, said he was 'struggling' to keep up with more than 100 applications so far. 'Some don't meet the Greek Adonis criteria so I let our followers decide if they're 'hot enough' to feature,' he said. The 'carefully curated' Instagram page (pictured) has racked up more than 700 followers since launching on July 21, and features the gods and goddesses of the real estate world 'I made the account to attract a certain amount of followers, gain traction and then out of nowhere gradually post my colleagues. 'I like to stir the pot - it's important for the team ... It's important to laugh, especially throughout times like this.' While the men are mostly pictured in professional wear, the images of the female agents took a cheekier turn - with some photographed in barely-there bikinis. Melbourne Real Estate's Talisa Paris (pictured), 25, is one of the glamorous women pictured on the 'sexiest' real estate instagram page Belle Real Estate Sydenham's Louis Sarrou (pictured) was listed on the page as well, with many commenting fire and heart-eye emojis in the comment section Among those was Melbourne Real Estate's Talisa Paris, 25, who was invited to be featured on the page. 'People often see real estate agents as being overconfident or egotistical, but I think it's pretty funny to have people they're calling 'Australia's sexiest agents' all in one place,' she told realestate.com.au. White Double Bay agent Warren Ginsberg, however, blamed his hairdresser for sending in the photo that saw him included on the page. White Double Bay agent Warren Ginsberg (pictured), however, blamed his hairdresser for being featured on the page by sending in a photo as a 'joke' 'Everyone seems to be having a bit of a laugh about it,' he said. Ray White TRG's Gavin Rubinstein, on the other hand, told realestate.com.au he had 'no idea' how he got on there. The caption for Mr Rubinstein's photo read: 'What he lacks in height, Gavin Rubinstein makes up for in the art of self-promotion. Tasked with selling Sydney's most luxurious properties in the richest market, Gavin isn't afraid to indulge in his wins. From Instagram posts to his funding his own documentary series, Gavin wants you to know that he's on top.' The page's admin also lists potential candidates on its story - promoting users to vote on whether or not an agent 'qualifies'. Ray White Bondi Junction's Giorgia Zanarini (pictured) was also featured on the page - receiving a 10/10 in hotness and one Instagram user commenting 'she can lease me a house any day' '1. DM your agent, 2. send me a photo, 3. send me his insta ... if she/he polls yes 50% + they get to feature,' the rules read on the page's story. Fans are also leaving a rating out of 10 in the comments section. Belle Property's Josh Noor scored highly with a 10 out of 10 rating as well as Ray White's Ethan Yearby from New Zealand. The caption on Mr Noor's post read: 'This guy is so hot, people spill their cups of McDonald's coffee on their laps to cool off.' QUITO, Ecuador - Some call it a floating city, a flotilla of 260 mostly Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos archipelago that is stirring diplomatic tension and raising worries about the threat to sharks, manta rays and other vulnerable species in waters around the UNESCO world heritage site. Yet the vast fleet is in international waters, outside a maritime border around the Galapagos and also outside coastal waters off Ecuador, which controls the archipelago. That means the fleet, one of the biggest seen in years off South Americas Pacific coast, is likely to fish with minimal monitoring until its holds are full. The Chinese fleet is very close to the edge of the exclusive economic zone around the Galapagos, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) from the archipelago, said its governor, Norman Wray. He said that, because of overfishing in recent years, what were seeing is that each time fewer species return to the Galapagos. Luis Villanueva, an officer with the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, said Thursday that it was possible, though unproven, that long fishing lines from the Chinese vessels could be drifting into the exclusive economic zone. The fleet is a huge logistical undertaking, with storage and supply vessels that allow it to stay at sea for long periods. The fleet has drawn the attention of the United States, whose relationship with China is fraught on many fronts. The U.S. National Security Council tweeted that the U.S. stands with Ecuador against any aggression directed toward their economic and environmental sovereignty. China maintains that it is a responsible fishing nation with a zero tolerance policy toward illegal fishing. The Chinese Embassy in Quito said in a July 23 statement that China respects Ecuadors measures to protect the environment and preserve marine resources. China had ascertained and confirmed with Ecuadors navy that all the Chinese fishing vessels are operating legally and dont represent any threat for anyone, the embassy said. Despite the Chinese statement, Ecuador has expressed concern through diplomatic channels and its navy is on alert for any incursion into Ecuadorian waters. In 2017, 20 crew members of a Chinese boat were jailed after Ecuador seized the vessel in the marine reserve of the Galapagos and discovered large numbers of sharks on board. Ecuadors foreign minister, Luis Gallegos, said the fishing fleet includes Liberian- and Panamanian-flagged boats, and that Ecuador seeks deeper co-ordination with Colombia, Panama, Peru and Chile on protecting the eastern tropical Pacific. Chinas distant-water fishing fleet is the biggest in the world and comprises a total of about 17,000 vessels, with about 1,000 of those registered in other countries, according to a June report by ODI, a London-based research group. The fleets vessel ownership is highly fragmented among many small companies and it is unclear whether the Chinese government has a clear picture of its complex control structure, the report said. It said other countries are involved in the worlds overfishing crisis but that China is the most significant factor. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in June that about one-third of fish stocks are being fished at biologically unsustainable levels. Luis Suarez, vice-president and executive director of Conservation International in Ecuador, said there are suspicions, so far unconfirmed, that the Chinese fleet is being aided by South American associates because it is so far from home. For example, they could be selling it fuel, he said. Villanueva said fishing pressure around the Galapagos will only increase as climate change warms oceans and creates a more abundant catch around the archipelago in comparison to other regions. More and more fleets will be interested in that area, he said. ___ Torchia reported from Mexico City. Hospital de La Florida, Santiago, Chile Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK Clinica Alemana, Santiago, Chile Ferreccio, Catterina, Allan H. Smith, Viviana Duran, Teresa Barlaro, Hugo Benitez, Rodrigo Valdes, Juan Jose Aguirre et al. "Case-control study of arsenic in drinking water and kidney cancer in uniquely exposed Northern Chile." American journal of epidemiology 178, no. 5 (2013): 813-818. Fernandez, Mario I., J. Francisco Lopez, Bruno Vivaldi, and Fernando Coz. "Long-term impact of arsenic in drinking water on bladder cancer health care and mortality rates 20 years after end of exposure." The Journal of urology 187, no. 3 (2012): 856-861. Antofagasta is located in the Atacama Desert, one of the aridest regions worldwide. Sources of water for consumption are scarce and originate from underground aquifers, leaching arsenic and other minerals as they flow downslope through the Andes Mountains. Until the 1950s, drinking water in the region met criteria considered acceptable for those times. However, in 1958, the waters of the Toconce river were captured using a 300 km piping system in order to satisfy the increasing demands of drinking water in this flourishing mining region. The latter caused an abrupt increase in mean arsenic concentrations in drinking water from around 90 to about 900 mg/L, exposing the population to levels up to 17 times higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) at that time. Unfortunately, the need to support population and economic growth made the authorities to overlook potential risks related to arsenic exposure. Efforts to reduce arsenic started only over 10 years later. In 1970, a water treatment plant with adequate technology was installed, leading to significant drops in arsenic concentrations. Thereafter, a series of changes incorporating new cleaner sources up in the Andes and the modernization of the water supply network led to sustained reductions on arsenic levels, reaching WHO recommended levels by 1990.Meanwhile, chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water led to a series of health-related problems, including increases in infant mortality, skin lesions, nervous system disorders, respiratory diseases, and myocardial infarction; along with lung, bladder and nonmelanoma skin cancers.What makes the scenario of Antofagasta's exposure to arsenic unique is the single source of drinking water for the whole region, where arsenic concentrations have been systematically measured since the 1950s. The entire population was exposed to known arsenic concentrations for a known period. In contrast, in other exposed regions (e.g. Taiwan), water comes from multiple wells with high variations on arsenic concentrations. This fact makes Antofagasta an ideal scenario to assess the risks of exposure to arsenic using non-experimental studies. In our research, we used an ecological approach, being case-control and cohort studies other options to investigate this association.The association of arsenic and bladder cancer has been well studied, establishing a clear dose-dependent risk profile. The relation with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is less clear, as many studies have included UTUC along with renal cell cancer (RCC). Consequently, two different entities with entirely different etiologies and behaviors were considered as one, diluting the magnitude of the effect of arsenic in UTUC. In fact, by selecting only UTUC cases and separating them from RCC, Ferrechio et al.showed a significant increase in incidence while our study showed a significant increase in specific mortality. Interestingly, the magnitude of this association is much stronger than for bladder cancer. However, the reason remains unclear.We also provided evidence that health care needs related to UTUC are significantly higher in this region than in the rest of the country, which is also true for bladder cancer.Based on the above facts, we believe that arsenic-exposed subjects in Antofagasta are an ideal target to develop strategies for early detection of urothelial carcinoma, especially considering all of the required resources for treatment and follow-up of these diseases.Antofagasta region drinking water networkWritten by: Jose Francisco Lopez, MS, MD, Mario I. Fernandez, MDReferences: A Tennessee state senator has been charged with stealing more than $600,000 in federal grant money and using it to pay for campaign events and personal expenses, including her wedding, honeymoon and subsequent divorce, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The senator, Katrina Robinson, 39, faces counts of theft and embezzlement involving government programs and wire fraud, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The money in question was intended to fund a nurse training program at a vocational school run by Ms. Robinson, but instead was siphoned off to add to her salary, help fund her other businesses and pay personal expenses, among other things, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. In addition to serving as a state senator, Ms. Robinson, a Memphis Democrat elected in 2018 who represents Shelby County, is director of the Healthcare Institute, a for-profit college that provides training programs for certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist and licensed practical nursing. Ms. Robinson, a registered nurse, founded the school in 2015, according to its website. Having access to a wealth of oil-market data should give Shell a nose for when trading counterparties cant afford to negotiate too hard, and a feeling for the state of supply in all corners of the market. Its that kind of expertise that lies behind the success of trading houses such as Glencore Plc. It translates into the ability to be a price maker in trades, rather than a price taker. Shells results suggest it has more of this capability than the market envisaged. Lee Teng-hui, who as president of Taiwan led its transformation from an island in the grip of authoritarian rule to one of Asias most vibrant and prosperous democracies, died on Thursday in Taipei, the capital. He was 97. The office of Taiwans president, Tsai Ing-wen, announced the death, at Taipei Veterans Hospital. News reports said the cause was septic shock and multiple organ failure. Mr. Lees insistence that Taiwan be treated as a sovereign state angered the Chinese government in Beijing, which considered Taiwan part of its territory and pushed for its unification with the mainland under Communist rule. His stance posed a political quandary for the United States as it sought to improve relations with Beijing while dissuading it from taking military action to press its claims over the island. As president from 1988 to 2000 the first to be elected by popular vote in Taiwan Mr. Lee never backed down from disputes with the mainland, and he continued to be a thorn in its side well into his later years. In 2018 he called, unsuccessfully, for a referendum on declaring the countrys name to be Taiwan, not the Republic of China, as it is formally known a move that would have paved the way for sovereignty. For the first time in the magazine's history, O, The Oprah Magazine will not face its namesake on the cover. Instead, the 66-year-old mogul has stepped aside to give the spot to Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old woman who was killed by plainclothes police officers who stormed into her Louisville home in the middle of the night with a no-knock warrant on March 13. In her editor's letter, Oprah said that she and her magazine staff gave Breonna the September cover in an effort to 'use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice.' Front and center: Breonna Taylor covers the September issue of O, The Oprah Magazine Spotlight: In her editor's letter, Oprah said that she and her magazine staff gave Breonna the cover in an effort to 'use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice' Change: This marks the first time in the magazine's 20 years that Oprah hasn't posed for the cover The new issue hits newsstands August 11 and features an image of Breonna created by 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin. 'What I know for sure: We cant be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine,' Oprah wrote in her What I Know For Sure column. She said that Breonna who loved cars, chicken, hot sauce, and music, and who was saving to buy a house was just like her. 'Breonna Taylor had plans. Breonna Taylor had dreams,' she wrote. 'They all died with her the night five bullets shattered her body and her future. 'I think about Breonna Taylor often. She was the same age as the two daughter-girls from my school in South Africa whove been quarantining with Stedman and me since March. 'In all their conversations I feel the promise of possibilities. Their whole lives shine with the light of hopefulness. 'That was taken away from Breonna in such a horrifying manner. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem.' Oprah revealed that she'd spoken to Breonna's mother, Tamika Palmer, who was having 'a particularly bad day dealing with the loss and the grief of knowing that her daughter is gone forever.' 'Those of you whove lost loved ones know that the pain comes in waves and that any little thing can trigger it. A song. A scent. A word. A thought,' she wrote. Tragedy: Breonna, 26, was killed by plainclothes police officers who stormed into her Louisville home in the middle of the night with a no-knock warrant on March 13 'Breonna Taylor had plans. Breonna Taylor had dreams,' Oprah wrote. 'They all died with her the night five bullets shattered her body and her future' Controversy: The three officers involved (from left, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove) have not been charged in the shooting despite protests 'The day I called, Ms. Palmer was dealing with the emotion of it all. She told me, I cant stop seeing her face. Her smile. Its what I miss most about her. I still cant grasp the concept of her being gone. It feels so surreal. Im still waiting for her to come through the door."' Not only does O, The Oprah Magazine highlight the tragedy of Breonna's death, Oprah also stresses the fact that there has been no justice. 'As I write this, in early July, just one of the three officers involved has been dismissed from the police force,' she added, referring to Brett Hankison, who has not faced any charges. 'This officer blindly fired ten rounds from his gun, some of which went into the adjoining apartment.' 'The other two officers still have their jobs,' she added, referring to Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, who were only placed on administrative leave and have also not faced charges. 'What Ms. Palmer cannot understand is this: The fact that no one has been charged. It was so reckless. They did all of this for nothing, and she lost her life.' Oprah encourages readers to sign the Change.org and Color of Change petitions to demand justice from Kentucky officials; call Kentucky's attorney general, mayor, governor, and the public integrity unit of the Louisville Metro Police Department to demand the officers involved be fired and charged, and visit StandWithBre.com. She also urges donations to the Louisville Community Bail Fund and the use of the #SayHerName hashtag on social media. The former talk show host added that she feels a particular connection to other women spotlighted in the #SayHerName campaign, which raises awareness of the Black women, girls, and femmes who have died by police violence or while in custody. 'I have a collection of property ledgers from former plantations. Names, ages, and prices of people, listed along with cattle, shoes, wagons, and all other earthly possessions. The ledgers are framed in my library,' she explained. Artist: The new issue hits newsstands August 11 and features an image of Breonna created by 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin 'I am so happy to play a small part in this long-overdue, world-changing narrative on racial injustice and police brutality,' Alexis said Call to action: Oprah encourages readers to sign the Change.org and Color of Change petitions to demand justice from Kentucky officials, among other acts Poignant: Janelle Washington, a Black papercut artist, also created work for the issue: a silhouette of Breonna with 89 names highlighted by the #SayHerName campaign 'When in need of fortification in times of crisis or challenge, and sometimes just to remind myself where Ive come from, I read them aloud. I feel a kinship. 'As a great-great-granddaughter of enslaved people, I know that in a different era my name would have been in someones ledger. Those ledgers come to mind when I see the names of Black women who were killed by police. 'Breonna Taylor and too many others like her. I see the names, I think of the ledgers, I feel the connection down the generations: the refusal to value Black womens lives. And I feel a personal connection. Because I am these women. These women are me. The issue also includes an interview with artist Alexis Franklin, who created the cover portrait. 'I am so happy to play a small part in this long-overdue, world-changing narrative on racial injustice and police brutality,' she said. 'The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that.' She said that 'so many things were going through my mind' while creating the cover. 'Every stroke was building a person: each eyelash, each wisp of hair, the shine on her lips, the highlight on her cheek. 'I had that season when I chose to shut down my feelings around the killing of unarmed Black people because I couldnt take living day to day in such a state of awareness,' she went on. 'Now I was as up close and personal as I could ever get to this woman and, consequently, to this very real problem. I felt a new level of determination and pressure to get it right, but I tried not to let that affect me' Chat: In the new issue, Oprah, pictured on the cover of the July/August 2020 edition of O, talks about speaking to Breonna's mother, Tamika Palmer History: Winfrey's magazine, published by Hearst, in April celebrated its 20th birthday Way back when: Oprah is seen on the cover of the September 2001 issue of O Magazine, which has been published since 2000 by Hearst Magazines Janelle Washington, a Black papercut artist, also created work for the issue: a silhouette of Breonna with 89 names highlighted by the #SayHerName campaign. The groundbreaking issue is being released amid reports that the monthly will cease printing after its December 2020 issue. The staff of O: The Oprah Magazine, which was created by Winfrey and Hearst Communications, was informed of the decision on Friday, Business of Fashion reported. The magazine has a paid print circulation of 2.2 million and an audience of 10 million, meaning that each copy of the magazine was read by around five people on average, Hearst claims. While most magazines saw a decline in sales around 2009, O's circulation gained about five per cent, according to the Associated Press. O also has a large black subscriber base compared to most publications. Black subscribers represent 35 per cent of O's readers. The magazine is second only to Essence Magazine in terms of the diversity of its readership, beating BuzzFeed, Instyle, Refinry29, and sister publication Elle, according to the magazine's promotional material. Rating Action: Moody's appends limited default (LD) to ASP MCS Acquisition Corp's Ca-PD PDR and affirms all other ratings Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 New York, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") affirmed the Probability of Default Rating (PDR) of ASP MCS Acquisition Corp. (ASP) and appended a limited default designation following the company's missed interest payment on its first lien term loan. Moody's also affirmed the existing ratings of the company, including the Ca Corporate Family Rating and the Ca rating on its senior secured credit facility. The outlook is stable. The rating action reflects Moody's expectation that ASP's weak liquidity, low profitability, and untenable capital structure will lead to a restructuring. The Ca-PD/LD designation follows ASP's failure to make the interest payment on June 15, 2020 required under its senior secured first lien term loan. ASP subsequently entered into a forbearance agreement with its first lien lenders. The affirmation of the ratings reflects Moody's expectation of significant losses on debt claims given the strong probability of a restructuring due to the company's weak liquidity, high debt leverage and unsustainable capital structure. The following rating actions were taken: Affirmations: ..Issuer: ASP MCS Acquisition Corp. Probability of Default Rating affirmed to Ca-PD / appended LD from Ca-PD .... Corporate Family Rating, Affirmed Ca ....Gtd Senior Secured 1st Lien Revolving Credit Facility, Affirmed Ca (LGD3) ....Gtd Senior Secured 1st Lien Term Loan, Affirmed Ca (LGD3) Outlook Actions: ..Issuer: ASP MCS Acquisition Corp. ....Outlook, Remains Stable RATINGS RATIONALE ASP MCS Acquisitions Corp's Ca CFR reflects elevated leverage, weak liquidity and profitability, and the lack of free cash flow generation. While the company does not have any near-term maturities, we view its capital structure as untenable. A restructuring of its capital structure is more likely given the lack of operating cash flow to service its debt, as 2020 forecasted interest coverage and adjusted debt to EBITDA are less than 1.0x and near 14.0x, respectively. Story continues Moody's also takes into consideration the counter-cyclical nature of distressed property inspection services business and ASP's longstanding relationships with customers. ASP also encompasses an integrated platform with local inspectors/contractors, who provide preservation services for distressed residential properties in the US. The stable outlook reflects Moody's view that recovery prospects are appropriately captured in the current ratings. ASP's liquidity profile is weak due to low profitability and ongoing negative free cash flow. At December 31, 2019, ASP had $5.5 million in cash and full availability under its $35 million revolving credit facility. However, any borrowing under the revolver would be limited to 30% as Moody's does not believe the company would be in compliance with the springing leverage covenant of 6.95x. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS The ratings could be upgraded if: ** Improvement in the cash flow and liquidity profile ** Operating fundamentals improve ** The company addresses its high debt and interest cost burden The rating could be downgraded if: ** The company is unable to improve its liquidity profile ** The probability of restructuring or the expectation of creditor losses increases ** Inability to amend the credit facility leverage covenant, refinance or extend maturities 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. Headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, ASP MCS Acquisition Corp., primarily provides property inspection and preservation services on behalf of lenders and loan servers for homes with defaulted mortgage loans. The company is owned by affiliates of American Securities LLC, a private equity group. 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. 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. Scott Manduca Vice President - Senior Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. 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Regulatory News: Under the liquidity contract granted to Kepler Cheuvreux, Teleperformance SE (Paris:TEP) made, on this day, an additional contribution in cash of 10,000,000 (ten million euros). This additional contribution does not have the effect of increasing the assets allocated to the implementation of the liquidity agreement beyond the limit set for highly liquid equity securities by AMF Decision 2018-01 of July 2, 2018 introducing liquidity agreements on equity securities as permitted market practice. It is reminded that, as at the half-yearly statement of June 30, 2020, the following assets were booked to the liquidity account: 3,001 shares, - 9,455,165.14 ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE GROUP Teleperformance (TEP ISIN: FR0000051807 Reuters: TEPRF.PA Bloomberg: TEP FP), a leading global group in digitally integrated business services, serves as a strategic partner to the world's largest companies in many industries. It offers a One Office support services model combining three wide, high-value solution families: customer experience management, back-office services and business process knowledge services. These end-to-end digital solutions guarantee successful customer interaction and optimized business processes, anchored in a unique, comprehensive high tech, high touch approach. The Group's 331,000 employees, based in 80 countries, support billions of connections every year in over 265 languages and 170 markets, in a shared commitment to excellence as part of the "Simpler, Faster, Safer" process. This mission is supported by the use of reliable, flexible, intelligent technological solutions and compliance with the industry's highest security and quality standards, based on Corporate Social Responsibility excellence. In 2019, Teleperformance reported consolidated revenue of 5,355 million (US$ 6 billion, based on 1 $1.12) and net profit of 400 million. Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: CAC 40, CAC Support Services, STOXX 600, S&P Europe 350 and MSCI Global Standard. In the area of corporate social responsibility, Teleperformance shares have been included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index since 2015, the FTSE4Good index since 2018 and also the Ethibel Sustainability Excellence Europe index (confirmed in 2019). For more information: www.teleperformance.com Follow us on Twitter: @teleperformance View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005863/en/ Contacts: Teleperformance SE Michael Cohen arrives back at home after being released from prison during the outbreak of the COVID-19, in New York City, on May 21, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters) Michael Cohen Allowed to Write Book Under New Home Confinement Agreement President Donald Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen is allowed to write his book, speak to the media, and use social media during the remainder of his sentence in home confinement, according to a new agreement filed on Thursday. The agreement between Cohen and federal prosecutors did not contain restrictions on the former lawyers free speech but requires him to abide by home confinement conditions such as returning to the residential reentry center at least twice a week, not to consume alcoholic beverages, not to own or drive a vehicle without authorization, and remain at his place of residence. There shall be no specific media provision governing Petitioners home confinement, according to the agreement (pdf), which still requires approval by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Hellerstein previously ordered the parties to negotiate a media provision that is consistent with the First Amendment but yet serve the purposes of confinement after Cohen sued Attorney General William Barr and other officials for placing him back in custody. He accused the federal government in his lawsuit that he was sent back to prison in retaliation for writing a book that criticized Trump. Cohen was released to home confinement in May over concerns of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons. But he was imprisoned again on July 9 because he refused the conditions of his home confinement, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) told The Epoch Times in a statement at the time. Days before being taken back into custody, Cohen was seen eating at Le Bilboquet, a restaurant in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Photographs published by the New York Post showed the attorney at a table with two women, including his wife, and another man. Jeffrey Levine, Cohens lawyer, defended the evening at the time, telling the newspaper that Cohen did not violate any of the terms and conditions of his release and any assertion or suggestion to the contrary would be wholly inaccurate and untrue. In an order on July 23, Hellerstein required the federal government to release Cohen, who was placed in solitary confinement, from a federal prison in upstate New York. The judge sided with the claim that his rearrest was retaliatory in nature. I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory and its retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book, Hellerstein said at Thursdays hearing. While in furlough, Cohen made public statements on Twitter on July 2 that he was finalizing a book about his decade-long experience working as Trumps lawyer. They said a few days later on July 9, when Cohen visited the U.S. Probation Office in downtown Manhattan in order to transition from furlough to home confinement, federal officials asked him to sign an agreement that prevented him from engaging with the media or prohibited him from posting on social media. Cohen told the officials that signing the agreement would block him from working on his book and also asked for clarification on what the condition entailed, his lawyers said. He also asked whether the language of the condition could be adjusted in order to better reflect the stated purpose of the condition, which is to avoid glamorizing or bringing publicity to [Mr. Cohens] status as a sentenced inmate serving a custodial term in the community, his lawyers claimed. They stated that they would then send [the] inquiry regarding the language of the Prior Restraint Provision up the chain of command for a decision, the lawsuit stated. Instead, three United States Marshals arrived with handcuffs and shackles and placed them on Mr. Cohen in order to remand him back to prison. Cohen is currently serving a three-year sentence for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. Washington: The chief executives of four of the world's biggest technology firms - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - have faced a day of hostile questioning in the US Congress as politicians accused them of using their market power to crush competitors and distort the political debate. The world's richest person - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos - made his first appearance before Congress and was forced to defend his company against claims it seeks to beat competitors "like a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle". The chief executives faced near-constant criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, but for different reasons and with Democrats showing far more willingness to use competition laws to forcibly break up the tech giants. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos testified before Congress for the first time. Credit:AP "Simply put: they have too much power," David Cicilline, the Democratic subcommittee chairman, said of the four tech companies. By May 27, a mere 48 hours after George Floyd died, hugely destructive riots started in Minneapolis. The riots quickly spread to other Democrat-run cities in America. The leftist establishment, whether in politics or the media, initially cheered it on. The establishment has stopped cheering, though, for it realizes that Americans don't like civil unrest. A new narrative is developing, one that tries to cast blame on white supremacists, rather than black and white Marxists. Several cities have seen violence and property destruction for weeks now. Whether in Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, or D.C., people ostensibly protesting to improve black lives have been torching cars and buildings, looting stores, tearing down monuments, assaulting police officers, blocking roads, dragging drivers out of cars, and murdering people. What helped drive the violence is the synergy of Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Antifa is an anarcho-Marxist umbrella organization that encourages violence aimed at destroying America from the inside to rebuild it as a utopian Marxist community. These people have the brainpower of chickens, but they have a feral intelligence for violence and a recklessness (perhaps drug- or alcohol-fueled?) that makes them quite dangerous. The result of this synergy is an unwieldy conglomeration of college-educated Marxist blacks who dream of revolution; inner-city black troublemakers along for the ride; mostly white Antifa activists who yearn for violence; and highly neurotic, college-educated white people, who play out their hysterical psychodrama of guilt and redemption. Only one sixth of the protesters have been black, and 46% have been white. Up until recently, the leftist establishment narrative has said that the rioters are righteous people anxious to correct America's four-hundred-year-long orgy of racist sinfulness. The riots, we were told, were "mostly peaceful," and the rioters, we were assured, were good people answering to a higher calling. To put leftist claims in context, the following video shows the results of the first three days of rioting in Minneapolis. It looks as if the city, to make its many Somalia-born residents feel more at home, had the place remodeled to look like Mogadishu at the height of its civil war: It's recently occurred to the left, which thought economic collapse and civil unrest were a winning formula for the election, that Americans aren't particularly happy seeing screaming mobs attack federal courthouses, loot stores, or drag drivers from cars, nor do they want to see a world without police. The left, therefore, claimed that the violence in Portland, which dated back to the end of May, was all the fault of federal police officers who showed up at the beginning of July. Leftists have now created another storyline to discharge responsibility for the chaos: it's all the fault of white supremacists. Police are providing the information behind this narrative, but one suspects they'll do anything to get BLM off their backs. In Richmond, Virginia, police are claiming that white supremacists started the weekend riots to frame Black Lives Matter. Andy Ngo, however, pointed out that at least one of those white supremacists is a communist activist, while several others are not white: Police say the violent Richmond riots were instigated by white supremacists. Madeleine Conger, aka "Molly Conger" or @socialistdogmom, a 30-year-old from Charlottesville, was arrested & charged. Conger is a communist activist & writer. pic.twitter.com/jrRaHjhnFL Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2020 Lila-Jad Koumtakoun, 22, & Elsi Del Pino, 25, were arrested & charged at the Richmond, Va. antifa/BLM riot. Koumtakoun is accused of using a false ID to try and fool police. pic.twitter.com/ZEZLgiwLTk Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2020 Emily Anderson, 21, was arrested & charged with rioting at the Richmond, Va. antifa/BLM riot. Jack Glass, 24, was charged with felony riot with a weapon. pic.twitter.com/YixBEw2DAS Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2020 Dexter Superville, 21, was charged w/rioting & possession with intent to deliver crack cocaine. Mekdas Charles, 21, arrested & charged w/tresspassing. @RichmondPolice say the violence at the Richmond, Va. antifa/BLM riot was instigated by "white supremacists." pic.twitter.com/BSk3OmhzIg Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) July 28, 2020 Meanwhile, multiple media outlets report that Minneapolis police believe that the first act of violence in that city a white, masked man in black, carrying an umbrella, who systematically smashed store windows is a known white supremacist. That may well be true, although it doesn't excuse any of the violence BLM, Antifa, and fellow travelers committed. Moral people are not inspired to loot or burn when someone else smashes windows, no matter his race or motive. Moreover, there is some evidence that the man had a black friend, which makes it less likely that he's a white supremacist. Of course, given this crazy mixed-up racial world in which we live, it's possible that white people are black (and why not, if men can be women and vice versa?). "I'm more black than you...", says the white liberal. White supremacy is when you believe you get to dictate how black people think.pic.twitter.com/Y8Wu9rEV1z Hotep Jesus (@HotepJesus) July 29, 2020 By the time the left is done with reframing the riots, the only people who will have acted over the past few weeks will have been black-hating whites. Or perhaps Dave Chappelle's black white supremacist will have been behind it all. Image: Facebook screen grab. DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medchart, a North-American medical records retrieval service, and the nation's largest local association of plaintiffs' attorneys, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA), have announced a new Member Benefit partnership. Through the agreement, all of the nearly 4000-strong members of CAALA will have the opportunity to benefit from a preferential lifetime discount on the Medchart service. Medchart simplifies and modernizes medical records retrieval for personal injury, mass tort and class action attorneys through a streamlined HIPAA-compliant electronic process. Consumer attorneys protect people from unsafe products, unsafe medicine, unfair business practices and unscrupulous, negligent corporate conduct. CAALA is one of the leading associations and voices for consumer attorneys in California and in the country. Through its education and training programs, CAALA is committed to fostering within its membership the highest standards of quality legal representation and ethical conduct. As an association of attorneys who solely represent the interests of consumers, CAALA is a powerful advocate for victim's rights and equal access to justice. "Medchart is proud to partner with CAALA, one of the leading organizations nationally for the plaintiff bar, for its Member Benefit program," said Anand Ablack, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at Medchart. "Now more than ever, attorneys are looking for ways to move effectively to cloud-based, paperless, virtual-office environments. Medchart's online platform and fully digital workflow provide a ready solution for attorneys. Through our new agreement, we are excited to provide this benefit to the CAALA membership, helping attorneys who use medical records as part of their practice make a seamless digital transition, ensure business continuity, and gain significant practice efficiencies." All current CAALA members who want to take advantage of the Member Benefit discount of 10% off Medchart fees can access the following link: https://www.medchart.com/caala. MEDCHART Medchart digitizes the exchange of health information and improves transfer speed, data quality, and business insights through artificial intelligence and machine learning. The company provides cloud-based medical record solutions across North America with purpose-built solutions for personal injury and mass tort attorneys. THE CONSUMER ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES: The Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) is the nation's largest local association of plaintiffs' attorneys, with over 3,000 attorney and law-office-staff members. The roots of the association were in the Lawyers Roundtable, a group of plaintiff civil attorneys who began meeting informally in 1949. The association began in 1950 and was for many years called the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Association (LATLA). Members of CAALA subscribe to the highest standards of quality legal representation and ethical conduct. As an organization, CAALA educates, connects, assists and advocates for its members. CAALA's member magazine, The Advocate, is the most widely circulated trial-bar publication in the country. MEDIA CONTACTS: Alex Hrynkiewicz, Head of Growth Medchart [email protected] Stuart Zanville Executive Director, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) [email protected] Related Images image1.png Related Links Member Benefit Page SOURCE Medchart Subscriber content preview TACOMA (AP) A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld the fraud conviction of former Washington state Auditor Troy Kelley. Kelley was convicted of several felonies, including possession of stolen property, lying under oath and tax fraud, in connection with a business he ran more than a decade ago, before he was elected state auditor in 2012. He was sentenced in 2018 to a year in prison. . . . Vanessa Guillen's family is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday over the new "#IAmVanessaGuillen" bill, a measure aiming to help sexual harassment victims. Guillen's family lawyer and author of the bill, Natalie Khawam, told Fox News that she does not know one person in the world "that doesn't think that this is the greatest thing on Earth." The proposed bill would allow service members to report sexual harassment without going through their chain of command. This allows the victims to report mistreatment claims to a toll-free 800 number. Khawam said it would be the first in a series of events to support the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill. Vanessa Guillen's Case Guillen went missing in April after she was beaten to death by a fellow enlisted service Aaron Robison. He was assisted with his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, according to investigations. Guillen's remains were found near Fort Hood on June 30. Robinson then killed himself as investigators closed in on him. Aguilar has been charged for reportedly helping Robison dispose of Guillen's body. Guillen's family said she had told them that she was being sexually harassed but did not file a report. The Army did not confirm the claims. "(Vanessa) felt so unsafe that going to them [her chain of command] to make any kind of report that she shared with her family and her friends, any kind of report, she knew that she may receive harassment or retaliation," Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, was quoted in a report. Garcia said that Vanessa's story is not new, adding that it is time to put a stop on this. "Cover-ups" Khawam said there are "cover-ups" taking place at Fort Hood. Khawam said some of the questions are what happened and how did this happen. She also said what kind of securities the soldiers have. She said that there are cover-ups that are happening as no one is giving true answers, correct answers, and accurate answers. Khawam said they are dumbfounded how this could happen on a U.S. base. Aguilar pleaded not guilty to the charges for her alleged participation in the crime. He tried deleting her Google accounts and fleeing the country, Khawam said. When asked if Guillen's family will get answers, Khawam said she absolutely thinks so. "Our president loves our troops, he loves our military, and he loves our veterans, and I believe that we are going to work together, and we're going to find an answer here to help everybody," Khawam said. Sexual Assault in The U.S. Army In a 2019 report, the number of sexual assault cases and suicides in the Army was on the rise. The rise in sexual assault is highlighted in the 17-24-year-old age range, meaning those are the age bracket of soldiers relatively new to the Army. According to the Army Times, the sexual assault rate among women in the Army rose from 4.4 percent in 2016 to 5.8 percent in 2018. The sexual assault rate for men rose from 0.6 percent to 0.7 percent. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that experts had noted a strong connection between the health of a command climate and the sexual harassment occurrences. Check these out: Fort Hood Shooting Trial Verdict: Nidal Hasan Guilty on 13 Counts of Murder In 2009 Massacre Army Offers $15,000 Reward in Search of Missing Ft. Hood Soldier Vanessa Guillen Hispanic Group Asks Latinas Not to Join the Military After Vanessa Guillen's Death Jordan Tuesday lambasted Azerbaijan following accusations that Amman has provided weaponry to Armenia amid border clashes between the two former Soviet republics. The Middle East country, Anadolu news agency reports, summoned Azerbaijan Ambassador Rasim Rzayev in protest. The move came a day after the kingdoms envoy to Baku, Sami Abdullah Ghosheh, was summoned for scolding. Monday, Azerbaijan deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov complained to Ghosheh about the alleged arms delivery to Armenia arguing that the news spread about the sale of arms by Jordan to Armenia caused concern among the wide Azerbaijani public, the Turkish news agency reports. Amman on Wednesday said the sale of weapons might have been made by private companies that bought weapons from Jordanian defense industries. Azerbaijan and Armenia have been embroiled in a military border conflict. Armenia violated a cease-fire July 12 and attacked Azerbaijani border positions in the northwestern Tovuz district. Azerbaijan repelled the attack but lost 12 soldiers, including high-ranking officers. Both countries have been since haggling over Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan that Armenia has been illegally occupying since 1991 after a military aggression. Students from a school plunged into lockdown by a coronavirus scare went on a trip to Queensland's state parliament. A worker at the YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside Hours School Care tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday. About 90 students from Chatswood Hills State School, where the care facility is run, toured Queensland Parliament on the same day. The school was forced to lock down on Thursday after the worker's test results came back positive. Chatswood Hills State School (pictured) that was plunged into lockdown by a coronavirus scare on Thursday There is a chance, however remote, that students from that school have come into contact with the women, Speaker Curtis Pitt says. Cleaners have since swept the building and a deep clean took place in any area the students may have visited included the bathrooms. Parliamentary staff who had direct contact with the tour have been told to take leave, not attend the precinct and get tested for COVID-19. 'We have not received any information from Queensland Health that any student on the tour has tested positive,' the Speaker said. 'It is only a very remote possibility that any transmission could have taken place.' 'However the parliamentary service have taken these steps to ensure the safety of people who work on the precinct and people who visit it.' About 90 students from the school toured Queensland Parliament (pictured) the day before it was shut down This comes after all students and staff at a school where a COVID-infected teenager worked after lying her way into Queensland were been forced into mandatory quarantine. Olivia Winnie Muranga arrived in Queensland after travelling to Melbourne last week and returned straight to work at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of Brisbane, before developing coronavirus symptoms. The 19-year-old worked for two days at the school, potentially exposing hundreds of staff and students to the deadly respiratory infection after Queensland had all but stamped out community transmission. Ms Muranga, along with her friend Diana Lasu, reportedly made false declarations on their border paperwork to enter Queensland. On Wednesday night they were fined $4,000 each - along with a travel buddy still waiting on her results - after living the high life around Brisbane for eight days. Regional 3 AR jawans killed in joint militant attack in Manipur Correspondent IMPHAL, JUL 30 | Publish Date: 7/30/2020 11:59:45 AM IST At least three jawans of Assam Rifles were killed and five others wounded in an ambush carried out by rebels in the restive state of Manipur on Wednesday night, official sources here said on Thursday. The ambush was laid by a joint team of Manipur Naga Peoples Front (MNPF), Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF) and United Liberation Front of Asom Independent (ULFA-I), according to a joint statement of the three rebel groups. It was reported that the joint team laid the ambush to a column of 4 Assam Rifles on area domination at Khongtal village in Manipurs Chandel district bordering Myanmar Wednesday night, around 8.30 p.m., close to the Indo-Myanmar border. The rebels attacked the jawans by detonating an improvised explosive device (IED) first and then opened fired at troopers with sophisticated arms. The sources said that the three AR personnel were killed on the spot. The deceased were later identified as Havildar (general duty) Pranay Kalita (No. 412160), rifleman Ratan Salam (Rfn no. 5009574) and rifleman Methna Konyak (Rfn no. 5005839). Three rebel groups while owning up the ambush, in a joint statement, claimed that four troopers were killed and many others wounded in the attack. Wednesdays ambush was the second attack on 4 Assam Rifles based in Khongtal village. Kehinde Qasim Yusuf, an Australian biomedical engineer who teaches at a university in Medina, was among the few selected to take part in the hajj after submitting an application online. He normally travels during the summer back to Australia to see his children, but due to travel restrictions he remained in the kingdom and decided to make the most of his time by applying for the hajj. A year after a bust of 19th-century educationist and social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was vandalised in Kolkata during a poll rally led by Amit Shah, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday raised the issue to target the Union home minister after he paid homage to Vidyasagar on his death anniversary. I bow to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar ji on his punyatithi. A distinguished social reformer and one of the pillars of Bengal Renaissance, who played a major role towards women empowerment. His relentless efforts eradicated many social evils and made Widows Remarriage Act possible, Shah tweeted on Wednesday. Chief minister Mamata Banerjees nephew and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee took on Shah on Twitter. Also read: West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra dies, cremation today; leaders pay tribute Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great social reformer who still stands tall as an inspiration for secular, free-thinking society. Ironic how @AmitShah ji had scant regard for Vidyasagar's values when his men vandalised the latter's bust. Please drop this facade of petty tokenism! https://t.co/9hDynW6i9y Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) July 29, 2020 Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a great social reformer who still stands tall as an inspiration for secular, free-thinking society. Ironic how @AmitShah ji had scant regard for Vidyasagars values when his men vandalised the latters bust. Please drop this facade of petty tokenism! tweeted Banerjee who heads the TMCs youth wing. He also quoted Shahs tweet. The TMC too targeted Shah in a tweet written in Bengali. CM Mamata Banerjee, however, did not join the war. Tribute to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, social reformer and educationist, on his death anniversary. He is one of the tallest figures of the Bengal Renaissance. His contribution in womens education and legalising widow-remarriage is undeniable, she tweeted. Vidyasagars bust was vandalised inside Vidyasagar College in central Kolkata during a Lok Sabha campaign rally led by Shah in May 2019. The TMC alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party workers stormed into the college and damaged the bust. The opposition party alleged that TMC workers damaged the bust and attacked the rally by pelting stones from the college and adjacent buildings. This became a raging issue in the Lok Sabha polls but the BJP managed to win 18 of the states 42 seats, marking its best-ever performance in Bengal. Though police started an investigation, the real culprits are yet to be named by the government. It is the states responsibility to probe the incident. The government has failed there. Mamata Banerjee never showed respect to the great sons of Bengal. She only used their names for political gain, Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh told the media on Wednesday afternoon. This is the second time the vandalism issue has been raised by the TMC in less than a month. In the second week of July, a BJP worker was arrested in Purulia district in connection with the breaking of a statue of Kanhu Murmu, one of the four leaders of the 1855 Santhal rebellion against the British and local landlords. The incident triggered political tension. The alleged vandalism on July 7 took place at the village of Sandhya Rani Tudu, a TMC tribal leader and minister of state for backward classes welfare. The village is located in the Manbazar assembly constituency that Tudu represents. @BJP4Bengal has sworn to attack and destroy every grain of Bengals cultural heritage. First, they vandalized Vidyasagars statue and now they have vandalized the statue of revered tribal hero Kanho Murmu in Purulia. We strongly condemn such acts of iconoclasm, TMC tweeted after the incident. The BJP has alleged that the vandalism in Purulia is a conspiracy to malign it as TMC is fast losing ground in the states tribal belts before the 2021 assembly polls. The BJP won the Lok Sabha seats of Purulia, Bishnupur and Midnapore where tribals constitute a sizeable section of the vote bank because local people have lost faith in the TMC, said Khagen Murmu, BJP Lok Sabha member from the Malda North seat and president of the partys scheduled tribe front in Bengal. LONDON - Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca repeated its promise not to profit from a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic as it reported it was on track with late-stage trials for the treatment. Such promises were boosted by strong sales across its range of treatments during lockdown. Sales jumped by 14% to $12.6 billion in the first six months of 2020 and were helped by strong trading in new medicines, as well as cancer and respiratory medication. Despite the good earnings, CEO Pascal Soriot said he remained cautious amid the uncertainty of the pandemic. If we have learned one thing with this virus, it is that it is unpredictable, he said. And so we need to remain cautious. He said the supply chain was on track to make 2 billion doses of the vaccine at a few dollars a dose. It also concluded three more deals for distribution should the vaccine work. We felt, there (is) a time in life when companies need to step up and make a contribution, he said, adding that a vaccine needed to be accessible to as many people as possible. This is the kind of time in history when ... humankind is really threatened as a whole, he said. The cost of making the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University, is expected to be offset by funding from the governments. AstraZeneca has struck a number of deals around the world to supply the experimental COVID-19 vaccine, which has shown promise in early testing. The Anglo-Swedish company recently completed agreements with the United States, Britain, the European Union, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a public-private-charitable partnership based in Norway, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, another public-private partnership headquartered in Geneva. It has also reached a licensing agreement with Serum Institute of India to supply low-and-middle-income countries and agreements with R-Pharm in Russia and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd in the Republic of Korea to manufacture and export for other global markets. We want to cover the whole world, Soriot said, so everyone can get access to this vaccine. STAMFORD Teachers in Stamford have criticized the city for not asking them for their take on school reopenings. On Thursday, they made their voices heard during a car caravan protest, one of over two dozen across the state. The parade of vehicles was organized by the Connecticut Education Association and AFT Connecticut to bring attention to the safety of teachers, as well as call for equitable funding for when school returns. Diane Phanos, president of the Stamford Education Association teachers union, said the keyword for a return to school buildings is safely. She added, Were not saying we dont want to return to school. Were saying we need to make sure we follow CDC precautions. In a press release, Phanos called for more funding for schools trying to implement safety protocols and warned that when students return they will have increased needs due to learning loss, trauma from the pandemic, and time away from school and will need additional resources and supports. Many Stamford teachers have been critical of the districts administration for not sending out a survey asking teachers for their feelings on the upcoming school year, while a 22-question survey was sent to parents. Superintendent Tamu Lucero has repeatedly defended the decision, saying that the survey was sent to parents to gauge how many would send their children back to class, since they have the choice of continuing distance learning. Teachers, however, do not have the same flexibility. It seems disingenuous to ask if a teacher plans to return to school, Lucero previously said. Returning to school is an option for students, not for staff. The administration has encouraged teachers with high risk health conditions to contact the districts human resources office. Because of the outcry over the lack of a survey, the teachers union released its own teacher survey, which had a Thursday night deadline. Phanos said she planned on sharing the results of that survey with Lucero on Friday morning. Bettina Vaccaro, a third grade teacher at Julia A. Stark Elementary School and a director on the executive board of the SEA, was one of many teachers to take part in the Thursday protest. She reiterated that classrooms need to be safe for teachers to return. The message today is for open communication, for the science to dictate the safe opening and that we dont feel that we should be the guinea pigs going back or that children should be guinea pigs, she said. She said she was relieved to hear Gov. Ned Lamont say this week that a full return to schools was unlikely. Lamont predicted schools would likely use a hybrid model, which would include a mix of in-class teaching and remote learning. Under the preliminary Stamford hybrid model, students would be in school buildings twice a week while learning online the rest of the time. Board of Representatives member John Zelinsky was also at the rally Thursday, standing outside Ferguson Library to cheer on teachers. He said he supports educators and that teachers should have been sent a survey about reopening. I hope the public and the parents will support the teachers and hopefully the administration will change their mind and send out a survey and get their impression of it, he said. Theyre on the firing line. We should make sure they are safe when they go back to school. ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Tuesday that there were signs of a "second wave" of coronavirus infections emerging in Europe, triggering concerns that there may be a return to the dark days of March and April when the virus was spreading uncontrolled across the continent. But while it was undoubtedly the case that there had been an uptick in cases in some countries - including Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg - experts were divided about whether this spike in infections really constituted a "second wave". Much of the debate goes back to the term itself, which is ill-defined. It has become a shorthand for any resurgence in infections, whether a localised outbreak, national crisis, or a continent-wide spike. But "second wave" was also disputed thanks to its roots in describing influenza outbreaks, said Dr Tom Frieden, who served as director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention under Barack Obama's presidency in the US. He said the phrase "implies that this [virus] will act as the flu acts", with seasonal peaks and troughs and relatively rapid mutations. "We don't know that - it might, but it might not." The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned against "thinking about seasons". WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a virtual briefing this week: "What we all need to get our heads around is that this is a new virus and this one is behaving differently." She added that the virus was instead unfolding in "one big wave" - a trend that was evident from a global perspective. It is now six months since the WHO declared an international health emergency - and the pandemic is accelerating. Globally, cases doubled in the past six weeks. So it was not surprising that countries were seeing an upturn in cases as they tried to return to some semblance of normality, said Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe. He said that the first wave had never really stopped. In Europe this trend was pronounced, with 36 countries seeing an increase in infections based on a seven-day rolling average, compared with the week prior. Many were creeping up only marginally from a very low base, including Greece and Norway, where the rate remained below three per million people. But among the 10 countries with rates of daily new cases above 40 per million, nine were experiencing rises, including Luxembourg and Romania. Analysis by 'The Daily Telegraph' of the Government Response Stringency Index, published by the Blavatnik School at Oxford University, suggested those countries that had the most relaxed lockdown restrictions were seeing more pronounced surges. It also showed that spikes in Europe occurred approximately two months after governments first began significantly easing lockdown measures. Spain's surge began around 50 days after the country's first major drop in its lockdown stringency score, while Belgium's began just more than 60 days later. Professor Jose Vazquez-Boland, chairman of Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh, said: "What we are facing is a comeback of community transmission after removing the lockdown measures. We have to be clear that the efficacy of lockdowns is only temporary. "There will be a resurgence of new cases every time social restriction measures are lifted." While headlines focused on a resurgence of cases in Spain, other parts of Europe were also on a worrying trajectory. In Luxembourg and Croatia, where the average stringency index over the past fortnight had been under 30 out of 100, there were significant increases in Covid infections. In the UK and Portugal, where the government response over the past two weeks averaged 64 and 70 respectively, there had not yet been a significant rise in the infection rate, although cases were beginning to climb again across Britain - from 8.6 to 10.2 in the space of two weeks. ( Daily Telegraph, London) Human challenge trials (HCT) to test Covid-19 vaccines are not necessary at this time as randomised controlled trials are quite feasible owing to the high incidence of the infectious disease, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the US. HCTs involve intentionally injecting a human trial participant with an infectious disease organism. Faucis comments come in the backdrop of the Oxford Universitys plans to consider using HCT to speed up the vaccine trials. The recently published results of their Phase I trial showed that the vaccine did not lead to major adverse reactions and also produced neutralising antibodies in some measure. Fauci said that an expert consultation was carried out on this issue in the US and it was concluded that such studies were not necessary at this time. The full impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection is not yet fully understood and we dont have highly effective therapies that are available to cure individuals who are infected in the challenge studies. These factors have led us to conclude that human challenge trials are not essential nor are they ethically justified at the present time, Fauci said. The veteran infectious disease expert who is leading the fight against Covid-19 pandemic in the United States spoke on the issue at a special online symposium organised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Science and Ethics of vaccine. Fauci said that the continuing high incidence of the infectious disease, though concerning from a public health standpoint, has made randomised control trials feasible. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that this organism may be close wild-type and pathogenic, adapted and/or attenuated from wild-type with less or no pathogenicity, or genetically modified on some manner. Phase-III clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate had begun late May, and besides testing it on 10,000 people in the United Kingdom, the Universitys team has also tied up with organisations in Brazil and South Africa for Phase-IIII trials. Dr Adrial Hill, director of the Jenner Institute and professor of human genetics at the University of Oxford made a case for using HCTs in a complementary role and raised a question on the reluctance to use it at ICMRs symposium. They (HCTs) are not sufficient unto themselves; they need the safety data before you can license it. Given that there are 19 infectious diseases where people in modern era in recent years have been infecting others safely, and the track of all those diseases we see, there have been no issues. Then why are we so reluctant to do this in Covid-19? Hill said. The most controversial is if we can treat these people, is there a pre-emptive therapy. Now you have Remdemsivir; you have Interferon-Beta, convalescent plasma. I would recommend people consider both approaches in parallel. The second one is massively quicker and less expensive than the first and will add information to your vaccine, Hill added. Historically, HCTs have been used for small pox, cholera, influenza and typhoid. However, critics have argued that unlike Covid-19, many of these diseases had an alternative therapy available to save people from dying. Partnerships With India Earlier in his brief talk, Fauci said that NIAID, National Institute of Health, ICMR and Department of Biotechnology have partnered for more than 30 years on the Indo-US vaccine action plan (VAP). Three weeks ago the VAP convened an expert advisory committee to review Covid-19 vaccine research and development in India. Eleven vaccines were reviewed by a panel of experts who provided recommendations for how these candidates might be further developed and assessed. We look forward to continue this involvement and supporting these vaccines R&D efforts, Fauci said. Hill, too, highlighted that India is among nine countries where the Oxford University has engaged with vaccine manufacturers. The University has tied up with Pune-based Serum Institute of India to produce millions of doses of its prospective vaccine. However, the Indian government clarified on Thursday that it has not entered into agreements with any vaccine manufacturers yet. GSF Mortgage Corporation has been awarded the Top Midsize Workplaces 2020 honor, and the Direction honor by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization including, alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. In times of great change, it is more important than ever to maintain a connection among employees, said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward based on real-time insights into what works best for your organization. The Top Workplaces program can be that positive outcome your company can rally around in the coming months to celebrate leadership and the importance of maintaining an employee-focused culture, even during challenging times. From group activities like holiday dress-up days and online digital events to a flexible work/life balance, GSF Mortgage Corporation promotes a team orientated, family-friendly culture. GSF Mortgage Corporations goal is to ensure that all team members are actively engaged, informed, and feel recognized for their efforts. We consider ourselves, almost at all times, a work in progress, said Chad Jampedro, President, GSF Mortgage Corporation. Thats why weve created a work environment where employees feel they have a voice and are able to see their ideas implemented. GSF Mortgage Corporation is proud to be awarded the Top Midsize Workplaces Award and the special award for Direction. About GSF Mortgage Corporation GSF Mortgage Corporation is an established and experienced direct mortgage lender with over 25 years of lending experience. GSF Mortgage Corporation delivers on the promise of excellence through streamlined customer service and by leveraging the latest technology in mortgage financing. GSF Mortgage Corporation provides a complete set of home loan options including, purchase, refinance, renovation, and new construction financing. Visit GSF Mortgage Corporation at http://www.gogsf.com. About Energage Energage offers a fully unified SaaS platform, plus support and professional services, to help organizations recruit and retain the right talent. As a B-Corporation founding member, Energage has committed itself to the purpose of making the world a better place to work together. Based on 14 years of culture research, the engine behind 51 Top Workplaces programs across the country, and data gathered from over 20 million employees at 60,000 organizations, Energage has isolated the 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any business, and developed the tools and expertise to help organizations measure, shape and showcase their unique culture to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. For more information, please visit energage.com. Follow us on Twitter @teamenergage and Facebook and LinkedIn @energage. By The Saker Intro: not a pretty picture July 29, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Lets begin with a disclaimer: in this article, I will assume that there will be a US Presidential election in the Fall. Right now, it appears to be likely that this election will take place (there appear to be no legal way to cancel or delay it), but this is by no means certain (see here for a machine translated and very interesting article by one Russian analyst, who predicts a diarchy after the election). Right now, the state of the US society is both extremely worried (and for good reason) and potentially explosive. It is impossible to predict what a well-executed false flag attack could do to the US. There is also the possibility of either a natural disaster (hurricane, earthquake, etc.) or even an unnatural one (considering the condition of the US infrastructure, this is almost inevitable) which could precipitate some kind of state of emergency or martial law to protect the people. Finally, though at this point in time I dont see this as very likely, there is always the possibility of a coup of some kind, maybe a government of national unity with the participation of both parties which, as Noam Chomsky correctly points out, are basically only two factions of what could be called the Business Party. There might come a point when they decide to drop this pretense too (just look at how many other pretenses the US ruling elites have dropped in the last decade or so). Alexander Solzhenitsyn used to explain that all governments can be placed on a continuum ranging from, on one end, states whose power is based on their authority to, on the other end, states whose authority is based on their power. In the real world, most states are somewhere between these two extremes. But it is quite obvious that the US polity currently has gone very far down the states whose authority is based on their power path and to speak of any kind of moral authority of US politicians is really a joke. The (probable) upcoming choice between Donald grab them by the pussy Trump and Joe creepy uncle Biden will make this joke even more laughable. Right now, the most powerful force in the US political system must be the financial sector. And, of course, there are many other powerful interest groups (MIC, Israel Lobby, the CIA and the ridiculously bloated Intel community, Big Pharma, the US Gulag, the corporate media, Oil, etc.) who all combine their efforts (just like a vector does in mathematics) to produce a resulting vector which we call US policies. That is in theory. In practice, you have several competing policies vying for power and influence, both on the domestic and on international front. Often these policies are mutually exclusive. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Last, but certainly not least, the level of corruption in the US is at least as bad as, say, in the Ukraine or in Liberia, but rather than being on the street and petty cash level, the corruption in the US is counted in billions of dollars. All in all, not a pretty sight (see here for a good analysis of the decline of US power). Yet the US remains a nuclear power and still has a lot of political influence worldwide and thus this is not a country anyone can ignore. Including Russia. A quick look at Russia Before looking into Russian options in relation to the US, we need to take a quick look at how Russia has been faring this year. The short of it would be: not too well. The Russian economy has shrunk by about 10% and the small businesses have been devastated by the combined effects of 1) the economic policies of the Russian government and Central Bank, and 2) the devastating economic impact of the COVID19 pandemic, and 3) the full-spectrum efforts of the West, mostly by the Anglosphere, to strangle Russia economically. Politically, the Putin regime is still popular, but there is a sense that it is getting stale and that most Russians would prefer to see more dynamic and proactive policies aimed, not only to help the Russian mega-corporations, but also to help the regular people. Many Russians definitely have a sense that the little guy is being completely ignored by fat cats in power and this resentment will probably grow until and unless Putin decides to finally get rid of all the Atlantic Integrationists aka the Washington consensus types which are still well represented in the Russian ruling circles, including the government. So far, Putin has remained faithful to his policy of compromises and small steps, but this might change in the future as the level of frustration in the general population is likely to only grow with time. That is not to say that the Kremlin is not trying. Several of the recent constitutional amendments adopted in a national vote had a strongly expressed social and patriotic character and they absolutely horrified the liberal 5th columnists who tried their best two 1) call for a boycott, and 2) denounce thousands of (almost entirely) imaginary violations of the proper voting procedures, and to 3) de-legitimize the outcome by declaring the election a fraud. None of that worked: the participation was high, very few actual violations were established (and those that were, had no impact on the outcome anyway) and most Russians accepted that this outcome was the result of the will of the people. Furthermore, Putin has made public the Russian strategic goals for 2030 ,which are heavily focused on improving the living and life conditions of average Russians (for details, see here ). It is impossible to predict what will happen next, but the most likely scenario is that Russia has several, shall we say, bumpy years ahead, both on the domestic and on the international front. What can Russia reasonably hope for? This is really the key question: in the best of situations, what can Russia really hope for in the next elections? I would argue that there is really very little which Russia can hope for, if only because the russophobic hysteria started by the Democrats to defeat Trump has now apparently been completely endorsed by the Trump administration and the all the members of Congress. As for the imperial propaganda machine, it now manages to simultaneously declare that Russia tried to steal COVID vaccine secrets from the West AND that Russian elites were given a secret COVID vaccine this Spring. As for the US Dems, they are already announcing that the Russians are spreading disinformation about Biden . Talk about PRE-traumatic stress disorder (to use the phrase coined by my friend Gilad Atzmon) Although I have no way of knowing what is really taking place in the delusional minds of US politicians, I am strongly suspecting that the latest hysteria about Russia stealing COV19 vaccine secrets is probably triggered by the conclusion of the US intel community that Russia will have a vaccine ready before the US does. This is, of course, something absolutely unthinkable for US politicians who, (sort of) logically conclude that if these Russkies got a vaccine first, they *must* have stolen it from us or something similar (see here for a good analysis of this). And if the Chinese get there first, same response. After all, who in the US legacy media would ever even mention that Russian or Chinese researchers might be ahead of their US colleagues? Nobody, of course. I would argue that this mantric Russia-bashing is something which will not change in the foreseeable future. For one thing, since the imperial ruling elites have clearly lost control of the situation, they really have no other option left than to blame it all on some external agent. The terrorist threat has lost a lot of traction over the past years, the Muslim threat is too politically incorrect to openly blame it all on Islam, as for the other boogeymen which US Americans like to scare themselves at night with (immigrants, drug dealers, sex offenders, domestic terrorists, etc.) they simply cannot be blamed for stuff like a crashing economy. But Russia, and China, can. In fact, ever since the (self-evidently ridiculous) Skripal case the collective West has proven that it simply does not have the spine to say no, or even maybe, to any thesis energetically pushed forward by the AngloZionist propaganda machine. Thus no matter how self-evidently silly the imperial propaganda is, the people in the West have been conditioned (literally) to accept any nonsense as highly likely as long as it is proclaimed with enough gravitas by politicians and their legacy ziomedia. As for the leaders of the EU, we already know that they will endorse any idiocy coming out of Washington or London in the name of solidarity. Truth be told, most Russian politicians (with the notable exception of the official Kremlin court jester, Zhirinovskii) and analysts never saw Trump as a potential ally or friend. The Kremlin was especially cautious, which leads me to believe that the Russian intelligence analysts did a very good job evaluating Trumps psyche and they quickly figured out that he was no better than any other US politician. Right now, I know of no Russian analyst who would predict that relations between the US and Russia will improve in the foreseeable future. If anything, most are clearly saying that guys, we better get used to this (accusations, sanctions, accusations, sanctions, etc. etc. etc.). Furthermore, it is pretty obvious to the Russians that while Crimea and MH17 were the pretexts for western sanctions against Russia, they were not the real cause. The real cause of the Wests hatred for Russia is as simple as it is old: Russia cannot be conquered, subdued, subverted or destroyed. Theyve been at it for close to 1,000 years and they still are at it. In fact, each time they fail to crush Russia, their russophobia increases to even higher levels (phobia both in the sense of fear and in the sense of hatred). Simply put there is nothing which Russia can expect from the upcoming election. Nothing at all. Still, that does not mean that things are not better than 4 or 8 years ago. Lets look at what changed. The big difference between now and then What did Trumps election give to the world? I would say four years for Russia to fully prepare for what might be coming next. I would argue that since at least Russia and the AngloZionist Empire have been at war since at least 2013, when Russia foiled the US plan to attack Syria under the pretext that it was highly likely that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against civilians (in reality, a textbook case of a false flag organized by the Brits), This means that Russia and the Empire have been at war since at least 2013, for no less than seven years (something which Russian 6th columnists and Neo-Marxists try very hard to ignore). True, at least until now, this was has been 80% informational, 15% economic and only 5% kinetic, but this is a real existential war of survival for both sides: only one side will walk away from this struggle. The other one will simply disappear (not as a nation or a people, but as a polity; a regime). The Kremlin fully understood that and it embarked on a huge reform and modernization of the Russian armed forces in three distinct ways: A general reform of the Russian armed forces which had to be modernized by about 80%. This part of the reform is now practically complete. A specific reform to prepare the western and southern military districts for a major conventional war against the united West (as always in Russian history) which would involve the First Guards Tank Army and the Russian Airborne Forces. The development of bleeding-edge weapons systems with no equivalent in the West and which cannot be countered or defeated; these weapons have had an especially dramatic impact upon First Strike Stability and upon naval operations. While some US politicians understood what was going on (I think of Ron Paul, see here ), most did not. They were so brainwashed by the US propaganda that they were sure that no matter what, USA! USA! USA!. Alas for them, the reality was quite different. Russian officials, by the way, have confirmed that Russia was preparing for war . Heck, the reforms were so profound and far reaching, that it would have been impossible for the Russians to hide what they were doing (see here for details; also please see Andrei Martyanovs excellent primer on the new Russian Navy here ). While no country is ever truly prepared for war, I would argue that by 2020 the Russians had reached their goals and that now Russia is fully prepared to handle any conflict the West might throw at her, ranging from a small border incident somewhere in Central Asia to a full-scaled war against the US/NATO in Europe. Folks in the West are now slowly waking up to this new reality (I mentioned some of that here ), but it is too late. In purely military terms, Russia has now created such a qualitative gap with the West that the still existing quantitative gap is not sufficient to guarantee a US/NATO victory. Now some western politicians are starting to seriously freak out (see this lady , for example), but most Europeans are coming to terms with two truly horrible realities: Russia is much stronger than Europe and, even much worse, Russia will never attack first (which is a major cause of frustration for western russophobes) As for the obvious solution to this problem, having friendly relations with Russia is simply unthinkable for those who made their entire careers peddling the Soviet (and now Russian) threat to the world. But Russia is changing, albeit maybe too slowly (at least for my taste). As I mentioned last week, a number of Polish, Ukrainian and Baltic politicians have declared that the Zapad2020 military maneuvers which are supposed to take place in southern Russia and the Caucasus could be used to prepare an attack on the West (see here for a rather typical example of this nonsense). In the past, the Kremlin would only have made a public statement ridiculing this nonsense, but this time around Putin did something different. Right after he saw the reaction of these politicians, Putin ordered a major and UNSCHEDULED military readiness exercise which involved no less than 150,000 troops, 400 aircraft & 100 ships ! The message here was clear: Yes, we are much more powerful than you are and No, we are not apologizing for our strength anymore And, just to make sure that the message is clear, the Russians also tested the readiness of the Russian Airborne Forces units near the city of Riazan, see for yourself: This response is, I think, the correct one. Frankly, nobody in the West is listening to what the Kremlin has to say, so what is the point of making more statements which in the future will be ignored equally as they have been in the past. If anything, the slow realization that Russia is more powerful than NATO would be most helpful in gently prodding EU politicians to change their tune and return back to reality. Check out this recent video of Sarah Wagenknecht, a leading politician of the German Left and see for yourself: The example of Sahra Wagenknecht is interesting, because she is from Germany, one of the countries of northern Europe; traditionally, northern European powers have been much more anti-Russian than southern Europeans, so it is encouraging to see that the anti-Putin and anti-Russia hysteria is not always being endorsed by everybody. But if things are very slowly getting better in the EU, in the bad old US of A things are only getting worse. Even the Republicans are now fully on board the Russia-hating float (right behind a gay pride one I suppose) and they are now contributing their own insanity to the cause, as this article entitled Congressional Republicans: Russia should be designated state sponsor of terror shows (designating Russia as a terrorist state is an old idea of the Dems, by the way). Russian options for the Fall In truth, Russia does not have any particularly good options towards the US. Both parties are now fully united in their rabid hatred of Russia (and China too, of course). Furthermore, while there are many well-funded and virulently anti-Russian organizations in the US (Neo-cons, Papists, Poles, Masons, Ukrainians, Balts, Ashkenazi Jews, etc.), Russian organizations in the US like this one , have very little influence or even relevance. However, as the chaos continues to worsen inside the US and as US politicians continue to alienate pretty much the entire planet, Russia does have a perfect opportunity to weaken the US grip on Europe. The beauty in the current dynamic is that Russia does not have to do anything at all (nevermind anything covert or illegal) to help the anti-EU and anti-US forces in Europe: All she needs to do is to continuously hammer in the following simple message: the US is sinking do you really want to go down with it?. There are many opportunities to deliver that message. The current US/Polish efforts to prevent the EU from enjoying cheap Russian gas might well be the best example of what we could call European suicide politics, but there are many, many more. Truth be told, neither the US nor the EU are a top priority for Russia, at least not in economic terms. The moral credibility of the West in general can certainly be described as dead and long gone. As for the West military might, it is only a concern to the degree that western politicians might be tempted to believe their own propaganda about their military forces being the best in the history of the galaxy. This is why Russia regularly engages in large surprise exercises: to prove to the West that the Russian military is fully ready for anything the West might try. As for the constant move of more and more US/NATO forces closer to the borders of Russia, they are offensive in political terms, but in military terms, getting closer to Russia only means that Russia will have more options to destroy you. Forward deployment is really a thing of the past, at least against Russia. With time, however, and as the US federal center loses even more of its control of the country, the Kremlin might be well-advised to try to open some venues for popular diplomacy, especially with less hostile US states. The weakening of the Executive Branch has already resulted in US governors playing an increasingly important international role and while this is not, strictly speaking, legal (only the federal government has the right to engage in foreign policy), the fact is that this has been going on for years already. Another possible partner inside the US for Russian firms would be US corporations (especially now that they are hurting badly). Finally, I think that the Kremlin ought to try to open channels of communication with the various small political forces in the US which are clearly not buying into the official propaganda: libertarians, (true) liberals and progressives, paleo-conservatives. What we are witnessing before our eyes is the collapse of the US federal center. This is a dangerous and highly unstable moment in our history. But from this crisis opportunities will arise. The best thing Russia can do now is to simply remain very careful and vigilant and wait for new forces to appear on the US political scene. - " Source " - Post your comment below See also UK 'Russia report' fear-mongers about meddling yet finds no evidence The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. A future coronavirus vaccine might need to be administered every 12 months, the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca warned Thursday. The British firm is just one company working on a potential coronavirus vaccine. It said Thursday that late-stage trials are taking place in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa and will soon start in the United States as well. These tests are aimed at verifying how the immune system responds to the vaccine. Earlier this month, its vaccine, which is being developed by Oxford University, produced a "promising" immune response in large, early-stage human trials. Because of the unpredictability of Covid-19, the pharmaceutical firm raised the possibility that more than one shot might be needed in the future, if their work does prove successful. "What we know is that most companies are targeting two injections for the initial vaccination and then our own assumption based on what we know from the technology we use with SARS 1 is that the immunity could last 12 months maybe 18 months," Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe." "But the truth is that we don't know, this virus is very unpredictable," he added. The company has reached deals to distribute its potential Covid-19 vaccine in different parts of the world. In June, for instance, it reached an agreement with Europe's Inclusive Vaccines Alliance, supported by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, to supply up to 400 million doses. It's aiming to produce 2 billion in total, including 400 million doses for the U.S. and U.K. and 1 billion for low- and middle-income countries. "We have set up supply chains independently from each other," Soriot told CNBC, reaffirming a commitment to provide their work all over the world. "If it does work, we will be able to start supplying the vaccine in October, November and our goal is to supply everyone around the world at the same time," he said. AstraZeneca reported Thursday higher revenues and product sales during the second quarter of the year. The firm registered growth in every single therapeutic area as well as geographic region. Shares were trading 2% higher in the early morning session on the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index. CALGARYA judge has granted bail to an Alberta man facing four terrorism charges. The charges against Hussein Sobhe Borhot, 34, of Calgary include participation in activity of a terrorism group and commission of an offence for a terrorist group. Provincial court Judge Anne Brown released Borhot on a number of strict conditions, including that he wear an ankle tracking device that his family must pay for. The RCMP will supervise his release. He must notify the police force of any changes to his name, address, phone number or work and must remain in Alberta. He cannot apply for a passport or travel documents and is banned from having any firearms, ammunition or explosives. Police allege the accused travelled to Syria between May 2013 and June 2014 to join Islamic State militants. They believe the group trained him for the purpose of enhancing its ability and that Borhot knowingly committed the offence of kidnapping while working with the militants. All the evidence presented during the bail hearing is covered by a publication ban. Borhot was not in court Thursday, but was on the telephone from the Calgary Remand Centre. His next court date is Sept. 14. Alberta RCMPs Integrated National Enforcement Team laid the charges against the 34-year-old last week. The Mounties have indicated an investigation continues and further charges and arrests are a possibility. A federal report on extremism last year said some 190 people with connections to Canada were suspected of terrorist activity abroad and about 60 had returned. The Islamic State group took over territory in Iraq and Syria and implemented a harsh form of Islamic law. The United Nations has accused the group of crimes against humanity, including mass executions, abducting women and girls to use as sex slaves and using child soldiers. Read more about: Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan resigned as party whip before she voted against the Government on legislation which only extended the rent freeze and eviction ban for those impacted by Covid-19. Ms Hourigan voted in favour of a Labour Party amendment which would have extended the legislation to all tenants. Junior minister Joe OBrien also broke ranks with coalition colleagues and abstained from the main vote on the governments own Bill. Ms Hourigan confirmed to Independent.ie she resigned as whip before the vote and wrote to her executive council to tell them of her decision. The Dublin Central TD plans to stay in the party but said it is up to the parliamentary party to decide the next step. Speaking to Independent.ie, Ms Hourigan said: "I have significant concerns as to the impact of this legislation on levels of homelessness across the State. "I do not believe it takes into account the scale of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to keep people safe in their homes. Eviction due to sale is directly in conflict with Green Party policy and so I am unable to support this bill," she added. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs were furious over the lack of support from their Green colleagues. A senior Fine Gael source said: "We all thought she'd make it as far as the Budget. "They're all mad for the place to end now tonight," the source added. A Cabinet minister said: "Not good, particularly not a minister of state refusing to support government legislation." Housing Minister Darragh OBrien rushed legislation through the Dail which will extend the rent freeze and eviction ban until January 2021 but only for those who self-declare they have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Mr OBrien previously promised to extend the rent freeze until at least October but U-turned on this once he was appointed minister. This is the first time Ms Hourigan, who opposed entering into government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, voted against the Government. The Dublin Central TD is a founding member of a Green Party affiliate group, Just Transition Groups, who have spoken out against the Government since they were formed. Junior Minister Joe OBrien this evening explained his decision to abstain from the Dail vote. He said on Twitter: The issue of homelessness is an extremely important one for me. Ive worked in the area, Ive been a whistleblower in the area, I have friends who work in the NGOs and I feel we need to do everything we can to tackle it. Im elected in part to be a legislator. I wasnt convinced that this piece of legislation was the best we could have done in what are, to be fair, unusual circumstances. This was mainly due to its extremely rushed nature. I had read enough and heard enough to make it clear to me that it could have been stronger in terms of preventing and reducing homelessness. The issue here was not dedicating sufficient time to a piece of legislation that could have profound consequences on people's lives, he said. The Dublin Fingal TD added: I knew my vote was not going to defeat the Bill but I felt I also had to give a signal that how it was done was not good enough. A South Down councillor has hit out at the appearance of a poster in support of Omagh Bomber Liam Campbell calling for his extradition to be stopped. Alan Lewis called on Sinn Fein to "show leadership" and help get the poster taken down. Campbell was found liable in a civil court for the Omagh bomb in August 1998, which claimed the lives of 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured 220 others. The Dundalk man is wanted in Lithuania over allegations he was part of an operation to buy guns and bombs for the Real IRA. Dublin's High Court ordered his extradition earlier this month. A poster in support of Campbell has appeared in Drumaness. "Stop the extradition of Liam Campbell," it reads along with emblems of the Republican Network for Unity. Councillor Alan Lewis said he was shocked but not surprised over the banner's appearance. He said: "On August 15, the world watched in horror as cameras caught the aftermath of the Omagh bomb, the sheer carnage and devastating loss of life. "The bomb was claimed by dissident republicans the Real IRA a group opposed to the peace process and supposedly opposed to Sinn Fein. Where are Sinn Fein today? "Those opposing extradition refer to the human rights of Liam Campbell but pay no regard to the rights of the 29 people and two unborn children who were murdered on the streets of Omagh in 1998. The mask of equality slip when republicans circle the wagons to protect one of their own. Those who erected this banner are guilty of shameful opportunistic blind support for terrorism. When it suits them republicans sing Europes praises, Lithuania is a European country, Im sure Mr Campbell will be well looked after, better treated than any victim of the IRA. The sheer hypocrisy of these people sickens and disgusts me. Just who do these people think they are? Wasters with their placards and banners, nothing to offer the community but hate and division. Sad pathetic individuals. "Sinn Fein tell us they are leaders of the republican community, complicit or turning a blind eye? Show some leadership, get this sickening banner removed." Earlier this month Fermanagh and Omagh District Council policy and resource committee passed a motion opposing his extradition with the support of Sinn Fein and the SDLP, however, this was later overturned at the full council meeting. Those councillors in favour of the motion argued they had human rights concerns over Campbell's extradition and also asked Taoiseach Michael Martin to intervene. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood apologised for his partys actions while Sinn Fein appeared split on the matter in the full council vote. The matter is subject to a complaint to the Local Government Commissioner for Standards. A Derry councillor has signalled his intention to lodge a similar motion in support of Campbell at Derry and Strabane District Council. Councillor Lewis's comments have been put to Sinn Fein for comment. Exxon is expected to report a $2.63bn second-quarter loss in first back-to-back quarterly losses in at least 36 years. Exxon Mobil Corp is preparing deep spending and job cuts, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters news agency, as the energy giant fights to preserve an 8 percent shareholder dividend with a multi-billion-dollar quarterly loss looming. It was unclear how extensive the cuts will be. The largest United States oil company slashed this years budget by 30 percent in April, but Chief Executive Darren Woodss turnaround through rebounding demand and increased asset sales have not panned out and losses are climbing. On Friday, Exxon is expected to report a $2.63bn second-quarter loss, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, on sharply lower prices and weaker production, the first back-to-back quarterly losses in at least 36 years. Shares are down 35 percent so far this year as the coronavirus pandemic has crushed fuel demand. The latest cost cuts are needed to preserve the companys nearly $15bn annual payout to shareholders in the face of rising losses, the sources said. Exxon will not generate enough cash from production operations to cover this years dividend, analysts have said. It borrowed $18bn earlier this year to bolster cash. Woods so far this year held to the view that oil, natural gas and petrochemicals demand would rebound following an historic crash that saw global consumption fall by roughly one-third and US prices plunge into negative territory in April. Rivals BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell and Total have slashed up to $45bn in the combined value of their oil and gas properties. Meanwhile, Exxons 2019 plan to raise $15bn by 2021 through asset sales has gotten off to a slow start, fizzling this year due to lacklustre demand from potential buyers. With energy prices expected to remain lacklustre for years, Woods has turned to spending and staff cuts, and a business restructuring to salvage the payout. Rival Chevron Corp has stood out as producing enough cash from operations to cover its dividend. Even if it does retain its full dividend this year, a cut is a real possibility in 2021, given the outlook for oil, said Jennifer Rowland, an analyst with Edward Jones. There is only so much Exxon can continue to lean on its balance sheet before they start to jeopardise the payout, Rowland said. An Exxon sign is seen at a gas station in the Chicago suburb of Norridge, Illinois, US [File: Jim Young/Reuters] The dividend, which yields about 8 percent at Wednesdays closing price of $44.03 a share, is sacrosanct at Exxon, which until this year raised the payout annually for 37 years. Its market value, however, has dropped by half since Woods took over in January 2017. Exxon has no plans for layoffs due to the pandemic and no percentage targets to reduce its workforce through this years employee reviews, said spokesman Casey Norton. We are continually monitoring market conditions and our deep portfolio has flexibility to adjust our plans, Norton said. Still, Exxon late last year changed its employee review system, internally referred to as forced ranking. The revision could increase the number of workers who land in the bottom category to between 8 percent and 10 percent up from 3 percent last year. Those in the bottom category can either strive to meet their managers performance goals or leave with 90 days pay, a person familiar with the matter said. The ranking applies only to its professional staff. It has 74,900 employees worldwide. In April, Exxon slashed this years capital spending budget to $23bn, down $10bn from the start of the year and to the lowest in four years. At the time, Woods said he could further revise spending this year or next. Prior to the pandemic, Woods had said investments in new fields, new and expanded chemical and refining operations would revive Exxons earnings and production. In early 2019, he predicted investments in production and refining could produce a $4bn increase in earnings this year over last and reach up to $21.5bn by 2025 at $40 a barrel oil, slightly below the current price. Woods also set a target to bring in $15bn from asset sales between 2019 through 2021. Last year, the sales brought in nearly $3.7bn but proceeds this year are only $86m. It has fallen a bit behind schedule but there have been reports there are several packages out, said Cowen analyst Jason Gabelman, who expects Exxon to reiterate the asset sale target on Friday. Wall Street will watch for new capital and operating expense cuts and other available levers to defend the dividend, Gabelman said. In the year since the abrogation of Jammu & Kashmir's special status, a younger generation of young militants has come to the fore. (DC Photo: H U Naqash) Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmirs separatist camp has been in a state of stagnation since August 5 last year when the central government cancelled the states special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories. While the mainstream political leaders have been by and large silent, even the key faces in the separatist camp, whose writ once raast sections of the Muslim population in the Kashmir Valley, have failed to play any predictable or even customary role in Kashmiri politics during the past one year. This has put the entire separatist camp in disarray and left its supporters dispirited and bewildered. Weeks after the New Delhi moved in on J&K last year, it was widely rumoured in the Valley and beyond that some of the separatist leaders who had been detained signed bonds to secure their release. As also reported by sections of the media, the detainees, mostly politicians from both mainstream and separatist camps, were offered a release by New Delhi on the condition that they signed a bond agreeing to cease political activities. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmirs chief Muslim cleric and chairman of one faction of the Hurriyat Conference, whose name figured in these reports, was quick to deny that he had taken oath not to indulge in any political activity. He claimed that apart from putting him under house detention, the authorities had severed his phone and internet connections, making him incapable of communicating with people. Even after the lapse of one year, the separatist leadership remains in the doldrums, unable to guide their supporters on the issues they once used to insist were a matter of life and death for Kashmir and its people. They issue occasional guarded statements but one swallow does not a spring make. In June, separatist patriarch Syed Ali Shah Geelani quit his faction of the Hurriyat Conference. The move is seen by many as escapism. But sources close to the nonagenarian leader said that his hanging up his boots had more to do with his being sidelined in decision-making and underhand disparagement of his role within the amalgam. Geelani, in an open letter, claimed that his repeated requests to meet up for evolving a strategy to face up to the post-5 August 2019 situation were not conceded by his close aides. He also spoke of financial irregularities within the amalgam and, if the sources are to be believed, some of his colleagues were hobnobbing with the government authorities of which he wanted to steer clear of before they could bring disrepute to him and undo his sacrifices. The Modi 2.0 government came face to face with several formidable adversaries in J&K, one of them being separatists. In its first line of attack, almost the entire Jamaat-e-Islami's J&K leadership was jailed. Soon the right-wing party was banned by the Union Home Ministry for five years after declaring it an unlawful association. Then the sword was raised against other prominent separatist parties and their leaders like JKLF and its chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik to make the vocal section of the separatist camp completely inactive. Most of them were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charges of money laundering and are currently lodged in Tihar jail. Simultaneously, the military campaign against militants was toughened and made widespread. As per official statistics, more than 250 militants including a couple of dozen commanders have been killed since August 5 2020. While the security forces see these killings a major achievement, the BJP government at the Centre insists it has broken the Kashmir jinx and kept its promise of eliminating militancy in the erstwhile state. Syed Salauddin, chief of formidable militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, recently admitted to the militants suffering heavy losses and the situation not being good at all. Independent watchers, however, say the Modi governments brutal policies towards J&K have, on the one hand, only decimated the pro-India constituency in the politically sensitive Valley, and, on the other, provoked the rise of a young generation with a die-hard attitude. To handle it might not be an easy task. The not-so-good human rights situation in J&K has already prompted various international organizations and, also some countries other than Pakistan, to call for corrective measures. To the editor: In 1959, I was a naive college student, taking a course on the fascist and communist movements of the 1920s and 1930s. It was brilliantly taught by a Czech Jew still impaired by wounds suffered in the underground struggle against Nazism, and later driven into exile by communists he described as red fascists. I vividly recall my disbelief then at how Italians, witnesses to 2,000 years of history and steeped in Catholic Christianity, could fall in thrall to an obvious buffoon like Mussolini. And how could Germans, among the best educated and most cultured people on earth, steeped in Protestant Christianity, have succumbed so totally to the transparent and grotesque world view of Hitlerism? Volumes have been written trying to explain the historical dynamics that make masses of people putty in the hands of elected demagogues. This enduring human weakness still haunts me. I confess to gnawing doubts about the human capacity for altruism and correction. The conscience, alas, tends to be situational. And so is memory. Now I am an octogenarian and, to my utter dismay, I see the rise of aggrieved populist and nationalist regimes about the world. They threaten the liberalist international order that sprang victoriously from the ruin of two world wars; forces now fueled by deep-seated impatience with, and resentment of, the constitutions and institutions of both democracy and capitalism. Men are being elected to high office (i.e. Putin, Erdogan, Orban, Modi, Bolsonaro, Trump) who scheme to undermine free elections and free markets, and impose authoritarian rule. Even renown democracies are falling victim. Almost half of American voters elected a president who openly favors tyrants, refers to the free press as enemies of the people, calls the FBI and the CIA scum, dismisses desperate migrants as terrorists and violates the political independence of the courts. A man known to be a reckless, self-absorbed outlier with a jaundiced view of the rule of law, of restraint and common decency. The 12 years of Nazi power and 74 years of Soviet power should weigh heavily on our considerations of politics now. All that horrific history began with the systematic sowing of precise and relentless lies, or to use more current parlance, disinformation and misinformation. The feelings and emotions of the moment must not be allowed to take precedence over reason, verifiable evidence and the truth. Post-truth smells a lot like pre-fascist. Timothy Snyder, a respected historian of totalitarianism, opines that the shadows of the past presses on every moment of our lives whether we realize it or not. It has been demonstrated too many times that whole peoples can live quite serenely in the vortex of untruth and cruelty, and later claim they didnt see a thing wrong. People can live awash in lies. In politics, there is no excuse for being deceived. The stakes are just too high. Richard Nelson Jacksonville Company receives special use permit for additional Illinois retail location Mission South Chicago will reopen with a rededication rally on Friday, July 31 at 9AM CT PHOENIX, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company") continues to focus its efforts in the Illinois market and is pleased to announce that its Mission dispensary located in Chicago's South Chicago neighborhood will re-open to patients and customers on July 31, 2020. The store was temporarily closed on May 31st as the result of looting in the wake of the recent protests and unrest in Chicago. Previously known as Mission South Shore, the dispensary will be renamed Mission South Chicago upon reopening as a dedication to the local community that has embraced and supported the retail location since its opening as a medical dispensary in 2017. Mission South Chicago, located at 8554 S. Commercial Ave., is the only cannabis retail store on the city's Southeast Side. "The reopening of Mission is not only a pivotal moment for our company but also the South Chicago community which has been incredibly generous in their support during this rebuilding process. South Chicago has long been overlooked and underserved and it was important for us to demonstrate that we are fully committed to being a contributing member of the community, and a part of the ongoing economic development in the neighborhood," said 4Front and Mission President Kris Krane. "It is a testament to the drive and dedication of our staff that we are able to reopen our doors so quickly. We are grateful to serve this community and will not be deterred as we push forward in our mission to build a unique and inspiring place for our neighbors as the headquarters for all things cannabis." As part of the reopening, Mission South Chicago will be holding a rededication rally at the store beginning on Friday July 31st at 9 a.m. CT featuring community members and local officials. Speakers at the event will include: State Representative Kelly Cassidy (IL-14) (IL-14) State Representative Kam Buckner (IL-26) (IL-26) State Senator Robert Peters (IL-13) (IL-13) Chicago Deputy Mayor Paul Stewart Deputy Mayor Gabriel Mendoza , Vice President of Operations of Mission South Chicago Following the rally, Mission South Chicago will officially reopen its doors to patients and customers at 10 a.m. CT. Illinois Expansion Update In addition to this reopening, 4Front is pleased to announce that it received its special use permit on July 22nd for an additional retail location in Calumet City, Illinois. The Company has submitted building plans to local officials and expects to break ground in the coming weeks, with the goal of opening its second Illinois retail location in Q4 2020. To receive company updates and be added to the email distribution list please sign up here. About 4Front Ventures Corp. 4Front (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) is a national multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, with a market advantage in mass-produced, low-cost quality branded cannabis products. 4Front manufactures and distributes a portfolio of over 25 cannabis brands including Marmas, Crystal Clear, Funky Monkey, Pebbles, and the Pure Ratios wellness collection, distributed through retail outlets and their chain of strategically positioned Mission branded dispensaries. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, 4Front has operations in Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Michigan and Washington state. From plant genetics to the cannabis retail experience, 4Front's team applies expertise across the entire cannabis value chain. For more information, visit 4Front's website www.4frontventures.com. 4Front Investor Contacts Andrew Thut, Chief Investment Officer [email protected] 602-633-3067 Phil Carlson / Elizabeth Barker [email protected] 212-896-1233 / 212-896-1203 4Front Media Contacts Anne Donohoe / Nick Opich KCSA Strategic Communications [email protected] / [email protected] 212-896-1265 / 212-896-1206 This news release was prepared by management of 4Front Ventures, which takes full responsibility for its contents. The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Forward Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in 4Front Ventures' periodic filings with securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements related to future developments and the business and operations of 4Front Ventures, developments with respect to legislative developments in the United States, expectations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, future revenue or Adjusted EBITDA expectations, statements regarding when or if any contemplated or in-progress transactions will close or if/when required regulatory approvals are attained, and other statements regarding future developments of the business. The closing of the transactions described in this news release, including the divesture of Pennsylvania and Maryland assets and the sale of convertible debt, is subject to customary conditions and there can be no guarantee that such transactions will close. Although 4Front Ventures has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including, but not limited to: dependence on obtaining regulatory approvals; investing in target companies or projects which have limited or no operating history and are engaged in activities currently considered illegal under U.S. federal laws; change in laws; limited operating history; reliance on management; requirements for additional financing; competition; hindering market growth and state adoption due to inconsistent public opinion and perception of the medical-use and adult-use marijuana industry and; regulatory or political change. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. 4Front Ventures disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and 4Front Ventures does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein. SOURCE 4Front Related Links 4frontventures.com Jaska is the daughter of Reyess former UTA professor, Dr. Patrick Jaska, and offers another take on the pandemics future. I believe as we move forward amidst the pandemic, business professionals will need to be better advocates for enhancing the current supply-chain processes based on the current climate of COVID-19, she said. The focus will need to be on the end customers to ensure they feel healthy, safe and satisfied when shopping virtually or in-person. Reyes still goes to stores to research and observe trends. He not only plans to implement those findings when Baylor resumes classes, but he has been using some of it since spring break when the classes shifted online. I always finish my semesters covering how to manage crises because we live in a world of uncertainty, so now Im doing even more of that to prepare my students for what they will face in the workplace and how best to react. The professor believes the U.S. supply chain is about 90% back, but said that some areas will never be 100%, like non-groceries, because items like hand sanitizer and masks are being sent to the commercial side instead of retail. Can we predict the next pandemic or problem? No, he said. Can we learn from all this? Most definitely yes because the general prediction is that well have a second wave this fall. Well definitely be better prepared to respond more appropriately, probably not a home run, but in this case, getting on base is good. I cant breathe. Those were the words uttered by Eric Garner, George Floyd and Cornelius Fredericks, a 16-year-old living in Lakeside Academy youth facility in Michigan after his mother died and his father was sent to prison. Like Garner and Floyd, Fredericks died for a minor infraction. On April 29, he threw food at or to another child in the cafeteria. When approached by staff, he threw more food. This was enough to cause staff members to now throw Fredericks to the ground and restrain him. In all, seven adults piled on top of this boy two on his torso for about 12 minutes. A nurse at the facility stood by, watching but did nothing to intervene. For much of the 18-minute video, Fredericks appears to be unconscious. His pleas of I cant breathe were ignored. He went into cardiac arrest and died on May 1 in a hospital. It was also discovered Fredericks tested positive for COVID-19, a disease that affects the respiratory system. Garner, Floyd and now Fredericks are just a few of the cases where a Black American told those restraining him he couldnt breathe and those pleas were ignored. There are countless more that we never hear about. The New York Times recently found at least 70 people have died in the last decade after saying, I cant breathe. The ages range from 19 to 65, and their occupations range from chemical engineer, real estate agent, meat salesman, church drummer, registered nurse, doctor and active-duty soldier. Their murders happened in cities across America. According to The New York Times, more than half were Black. Conventional wisdom says if you can say, I cant breathe, youre lying because you have enough breath to talk. Ive heard and read this many times over. In fact, a sign at the Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio, said just that as late as 2018 six years after an inmate died in 2012 because his cries of being unable to breathe were ignored. Robert Richardsons family sued and Montgomery County, Ohio, settled the lawsuit for $3.5 million. Richardsons crime: failing to show up for a child support hearing. The idea that if you can talk you can breathe is faulty, according to Dr. Carl Wigren. While you can muster up enough breath to speak, you may not be able to get enough oxygen in your lungs to actually, well, breathe. If youve ever seen someone suffer from an asthma attack, you soon realize they are getting some air but not enough, which is why the inhaler is needed quickly. They may be able to tell you theyre having trouble breathing, but its clear theyre in distress. Its scary. Im no medical expert, but I imagine those who said I cant breathe were terrified because they knew they couldnt breathe properly. The fact is most of us arent medical professionals and dont know whats happening inside a persons body. Police officers say they hear any number of complaints from those being arrested or restrained such as the handcuffs are too tight or the person is cold or hot, etc. Im sure the complaints become easy to ignore in the cacophony of an arrest, causing one to be desensitized, but saying you cant breathe should be taken seriously especially if youre kneeling on someones neck or torso. Seven adults held Fredericks down. Seven. Why did it take so many to hold one young man down? At one point, one man is just holding Fredericks ankle. Its as if he just had to do something so he found one spot not already taken. Well, he did something, all right. He helped kill a teenage boy. So far, three people have been charged. All should be. The facility lost its contract with the state and license to operate and there were numerous complaints about the facility before the murder of Fredericks. Its obvious from watching the video, the youth at the facility are used to seeing adults manhandle their peers. No one seemed fazed. Some of the youth moved the tables out of the way. Like Breonna Taylor, the death of Cornelius Fredericks took months to come to light. While my heart breaks each and every time an unarmed Black American dies at the hands of the state, I truly believe that it is up to those of us still living to make sure their deaths arent in vain. We cant sit idly by. We have to keep demanding accountability from a system that uses our tax dollars. Thats being patriotic. By the way, today would be a good day to arrest those responsible for killing Breonna Taylor. Oil: A floating production storage and offloading vessel used by Tullow being built at a Singapore shipyard Shares in Tullow Oil were down over 4pc yesterday following news it expects to report impairments and exploration write-offs of up to $1.7bn (1.4bn) for the first half of the year. This is due to lower near-term oil price forecasts and a downward revision in the group's long-term oil price assumption to $60 a barrel from $65 per barrel. Revenue for the first half of 2020 is predicted to be around $700m, with a realised oil price of $52 a barrel, according to a trading update from the exploration company. At June 30, net debt is expected to be circa $3bn and liquidity headroom and free cash will be around $500m. Full year free cash flow is forecast to break even at the current oil price forward curve, the group said. CEO Rahul Dhir said he was "confident" that Tullow can be turned into a "competitive and successful business once again". "Despite the challenging external environment in the first half of the year, Tullow has performed well, delivering production in line with forecast, agreeing the sale of the Ugandan assets and re-shaping the group's structure and cost base," Mr Dhir said. In the first half of this year the group's working interest production averaged 77,700 barrels of oil per day, which was in line with expectations. Capital and decommissioning expenditure guidance for the year remains unchanged at around $300m. You are here: World Flash Russian warships have begun large-scale drills in the Black Sea, the country's defense ministry said Wednesday on the heels of U.S.-led exercises in the same region. Accompanied by warplanes and helicopters, over 20 ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including a frigate, small missile ships and large landing vessels, are participating in the drills, the ministry said. The troops will undergo training in naval combat, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-sabotage defense. The Russian drills come shortly after the Ukrainian-U.S. naval exercises Sea Breeze 2020 ended on Monday in the Black Sea. The week-long exercises involved some 2,000 servicemen and over 20 ships and aircraft from eight countries, namely Ukraine, the United States, Bulgaria, Georgia, Spain, Norway, Romania and Turkey. The annual exercises have been held in Ukraine since 1997 as part of the Partnership for Peace program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) today highlighted that its video presentation scheduled for tomorrow to detail the company's strategic financing partnership with RevoltTOKEN enjoys being timed with a market that is very receptive to investment in electric vehicle ventures. Electric SUV maker Li, just announced raising $1.1 billion. The share price of KANDI (KNDI) rocketed after announcing the launch of affordable electric vehicles. Tesla (TSLA), Nikola (NIKLA), Workhorse (WKHS), Nio (NIO) and Rivian all continue to make headlines, to name just a few of the electric vehicle ventures capturing investor interest. ALYI's video presentation is scheduled Friday, July 31, 2020 to provide comprehensive details on the partnership with RevoltTOKEN. The presentation will include a sneak peak into additional details on the ReVolt Electric Motorcycle. RevoltTOKEN's has entered into a $25 million investment commitment to ALYI as part of a RevoltTOKEN planned initial cryptocurrency offering intended to raise $100 million for an overall investment into ALYI's $300 million electric mobility initiative in Africa. ALYI recently published a comprehensive narrative presentation on its strategy with RevoltTOKEN. The narrative presentation can be viewed at: ALYI and RevoltTOKEN Ignite $300M African Electric Vehicle Production and Marketing Campaign To learn more about RevoltTOKEN, visit www.RevoltTOKEN.com. For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's latest developments, please visit: http://www.alternetsystemsinc.com. Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact: Randell Torno [email protected] +1-800-713-0297 SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc. Related Links https://www.alternetsystemsinc.com Everybody wins when it comes to corporate social responsibility Corporate. Social. Responsibility. Three words that, each on their own, are perfectly intelligible but, until recently, when placed together as a phrase became like something from a Lewis Carroll poem: nonsense. Corporate social responsibility as a phrase has been as oxymoronic as gourmet cheese in a can, wise lycra fashion choices or must-see reality TV. Today, however, corporate social responsibility (CSR) not only makes perfect sense, it is imperative to our way forward as a society. What is it? In truth, corporate social responsibility is about engaging with reality, the reality of the nature of a corporation. Dr Attracta Lagan is a leading Australian business ethicist who has advised boards and CEOs in both the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Lagan says, Businesses have powerful impacts, social and environmental, beyond financial results, and must design their organisations to deliver better societal social and ecological effects. In fact, this has now become embedded in new reporting guidelines for all publicly listed companies called ESG reporting environmental, social and governance. The underlying principle of corporate social responsibility is the recognition that organisations must focus on stakeholders, as much as or more than they focus on shareholders. Stakeholders are the employees of the business, the clients of the business, the suppliers of the business, and the overall environment in which the business operates. That environment is not just the natural environment but also the social environment in which the business functions. An organisation that is socially responsible will have a positive social impact by holding at its core aims of inclusive and sustainable growth. In essence corporate social responsibility is about the balancing of purpose and profit. CSR isnt necessarily easy. It requires seeing the organisation as an ecosystem that operates within a wider ecosystem, which means it is at the centre of a complex web of relationships. To fulfil that role responsibly the organisation needs to be open, honest and willing to change. Sandja Brugmann is a sustainable business and communication strategist and thought leader based in Denmark. She is the founder and managing partner of the Passion Institute. According to Brugmann, If you look at the old business model, the purpose of business is to make profit for its shareholders. The new model of business is to benefit all stakeholders. In case you are thinking this might just be fringe thinking, consider the Business Roundtable in the US. This gathering of CEOs from the major corporations has periodically issued Principles of Corporate Governance. Each version of those principles since 1997 has put the shareholder at the centre of business until 2019. In August 2019 a Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation issued by the Business Roundtable was signed by CEOs from the likes of Apple, Walmart, Amazon and JP Morgan Chase & Co. It said, With todays announcement the new Statement supersedes previous standards and outlines a modern standard for corporate responsibility. Major employers are investing in their workers and communities because they know it is the only way to be successful over the long term It affirms the essential role corporations can play in improving our society when CEOs are truly committed to meeting the needs of all stakeholders. This is an immensely encouraging step, but what took them so long? The greedy past If the principles of corporate social responsibility are transparency, care for employees and concern for society and the environment, it leaves you asking the question as to why CSR hasnt always been at the centre of business practice? Dr Ioannis Ioannou is Associate Professor of Business Strategy at London Business School and holds a BA from Yale and a PhD from Harvard. Iannous research has found that in the early 1990s investment analysts thought that responsible companies were significantly destroying shareholder wealth and would recommend selling shares in those companies. The belief at the time was that companies acted responsibly at the expense of economic returns. By contrast, Ioannou has found that today, companies with a superior focus on sustainability have better access to finance. The reason for this is that investment analysts recognise that organisations that are ethically driven are more transparent and have more stable relationships with their stakeholders. Like it or loathe it, corporations have no choice but to get on board with CSR lest they be left spluttering in the wake, because that social ship has well and truly sailed. As Brugmann observes, You can be at the forefront leading this change or you can be anywhere along the spectrum, but you need to be moving in the direction of corporate social responsibility or you are going to be out of business pretty quickly. The choice we must make In 2019 HSBCs Made for the Future report surveyed 2500 organisations and found that 69 per cent would be making their manufacturing more sustainable, 66 per cent would be improving internal practices and 63 per cent would be updating buildings and equipment. Organisations realise that sustainability and social responsibility must become their focus and there are some very good reasons why. A new world A world without sustainable business is an unsustainable world because, based on research released from the University of Amsterdam in 2018, businesses make up 71 of the worlds 100 largest economies. The research compared revenue and found that the top nine revenue-raising entities were countries, but coming in at number 10 was Walmart, and 70 of the remaining 90 positions were filled by corporations. Based on this you could argue that the effects of business are becoming potentially more far-reaching than that of governments. We have an inversion happening: where countless Western governments have been trying to treat their country simply as a market-driven business, now business must see itself as a societal influencer. For business its not just about the deal any more, its about getting real. It works At a very basic, primal level, CSR is essential because companies that implement it do better. A 2011 study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research and published by the Harvard Economic Review found that corporations that adopt environmental and social polices outperform those that do not in the long term. Lagan points out, Consumers want to identify with CSR companies because by doing so they can become part of their story and the tribe they belong to. This principle can be appreciated best if we look at a case study such as that of US-based manufacturer of upmarket outdoor clothing, Patagonia. Patagonia prides itself on producing quality clothing and also having a focus on environmental sustainability. Perhaps its most famous effort has been an advertising campaign which featured one of its bestselling fleece tops under the heading Dont Buy This Jacket. The ad talked about the cost to the environment of buying the jacket and asked consumers to reconsider before buying the product and instead choose a used Patagonia product. Patagonia has sent environmentally sound trucks across the US inviting consumers to sell used Patagonia clothing back to the company. Additionally, Patagonia uses organic fair trade materials and solar energy at its company headquarters, and is one of the founders of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. Despite asking consumers not to buy its bestselling jacket in 2011, revenues grew by 30 per cent to US$534 million in 2012 and in 2018 reached about US$1 billion. Clearly, Patagonia is a corporation with a purpose beyond profit, and consumers have resonated with that purpose. Having said all of this, if a company is only employing corporate social responsibility because it knows it will ultimately generate a return for shareholders, then that comes under the heading of enlightened self-interest and it will be too one-dimensional in its application to drive stakeholder engagement. If, as a company, your purpose is only created with a view to increasing profits for shareholders then youve missed the point and your results will show it. People power Twenty twenty is very firmly the age of the internet and social media. This means that any company can be exposed at any time if it engages in unethical practices. There doesnt have to be an investigative journalist or a deep-throat whistleblower involved. Consumers can voice dissatisfaction and hold a flame to the feet of any organisation that acts to harm society or the environment. Companies cannot get away with acting irresponsibly in the digital age. Equally, employees have expectations of their employer too. According to Lagan, Price Waterhouse Coopers Workforce of the Future report has found that 88 per cent of millennials want to work for an employer whose values reflect their own and it is this generation that will comprise three quarters of the worlds workforce by 2025. As a Gen Xer this writer can confirm that it isnt just the millennials who want to work in a values-driven environment. As we enter the 2020s there is an overwhelming pressure from the workforce for purpose-driven organisations, and old business is sure to wither on the vine. Implementing CSR CSR is an inevitable part of present and future business and there are three keys to unlocking it: purpose, leadership and membership. The power of purpose The real key to CSR is to have a purpose beyond profit for your business. A good business these days is made up of people who are gathered together around a common goal, observes Brugmann. If that is more than making profit, if that is really a deeper purpose, then your employees will be engaged and you will create a culture that is attracting the best talent. Apple makes technology, but its purpose is to Think Differently. According to Lagan, This aspirational purpose speaks to our social needs and serves as a call to action enabling Apple to create value for both its employees and its customers. Brugmann points to the Danish firm Grundfos which makes water pumps, but its purpose is to create sustainable and safe infrastructure so that everyone has access to clean water. To this end Grundfos has partnered with C40 in the City Solutions Platform involving mayors from around the world collaborating on how to create sustainable cities. Its one thing to have a purpose, but how do you make that purpose part of the everyday life of your organisation? Lagan says, Once youve articulated your purpose be prepared to talk about it daily, link all significant decisions to it and reward behaviour that aligns with it while also ensuring consequences for the sort of behaviours that might undermine your purpose. If its not in evidence every day as a source of continual inspiration to organisation members, it will inspire cynicism rather than trust. The leader Business leaders, especially the CEO, play a crucial role in implementing CSR in a business. Lagan observes, What leaders do is the loudest message about what is important in any organisation. Brugmann agrees, The vision holder is the CEO. The CEO has to carry a deep sense of purpose and has to inspire the rest of the company to engage and see and feel and understand that purpose. When you have a CEO that can do that, the whole organisation works towards that purpose. When that happens, you have a culture that becomes magnetising, meaning that you draw customers, partnerships, opportunities and collaborations to you because you stand so clearly for your values. The members To be handed a social licence, corporations must be trusted by stakeholders. In turn, for stakeholders to trust it, an organisation must proactively listen to the stakeholders. The voice of stakeholders must be built into the processes of the organisation. Ultimately an organisation is the sum of its parts, and the members of an organisation determine its relationship to stakeholders because they are where interactions take place. According to Lagan, Organisations are collections of people gathered together to achieve a common purpose. The success of that purpose depends on every individual playing their part. Employees, for example, are the biggest ambassadors for their organisations; what they say and do shapes how other people perceive the organisation and how they do their jobs contributes to the quality, or not, of its products and services. It is this interdependency that is the ethical dimension of business, and everyone shares in that ethical accountability to some extent. The face of corporate social responsibility If CSR is a necessary and achievable goal, it is worth considering what a corporation that practises it will look like. As far as its employees go, a responsible corporation will be what Harvard researcher Robert Keegan describes as a deliberately developmental organisation (DDO). A DDO is based on the idea that organisations will prosper when they are deeply aligned with peoples strongest motive, which is to grow. This is about more than training sessions or once-a-year retreats where you play paintball and storytelling games. It is about creating an organisational culture in which support of peoples ongoing development is woven into the daily fabric of working life and is visible in the companys daily routines. The result is a work environment where people can overcome their own internal barriers to change, transcend their blind spots and see errors and weaknesses as wonderful opportunities for personal growth. As far as its decision-making goes, a business focused on CSR will make every decision regarding stakeholders based on its core values. As Brugmann says, As a business you have to see the implications of all your actions, that means where you allocate budgets, how you communicate with your employees, how teams operate together, and what kind of partners you sign on in your supply chain. The short-term benefits of CSR are seen in outcomes for the planet, happier employees and contented suppliers. In the long term though, CSR yields brand loyalty from consumers. The endgame of corporate social responsibility is that business will be an integral part of the solution to things like climate change and social inequality. Organisations will be purpose-driven and will seek to be the best they can be for the sake of their entire environment, their clients and their employees. As a result, they will prosper, but that prosperity wont be their why it will be a consequence of their why. We are at a point in human history with the impact of COVID-19 where we are examining the old structures that have been laid bare. Through the rise and rise of corporate social responsibility we have the capacity to build a future prosperity that is both shared and enduring. You vote for the world we live in via the organisations you support. Cast your vote wisely. To read a digital issue of WellBeing, visit Zinio, Magzter, Pocketmags, Apple app store or Google Play. The family of Kingsley Tariuwa, a 33-year-old man arrested by officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Port Harcourt, has cried out for help over his unlawful detention for more than seven months. Mr Tariuwa, a heavy duty truck driver with the Nigeria Ports Authority, Port Harcourt, was arrested on January 5 at a popular night club, Boss Lounge, in Port Harcourt and has since not been seen by his family members. His elder brother, Ezekiel Tariuwa, narrated the ordeal the family has gone through since the arrest. My brother was arrested since January, we do not know why he was arrested and we have not set our eyes on him since that time. We visited Dan Daura, the then Commissioner Of Police, Rivers State Command, wrote several petitions and also obtained an order of release from the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, but he wasnt released, neither did they allow us to see him, he told PREMIUM TIMES. Mr Tariuwa had a five-months-old baby when he was arrested and the baby has turned one year, with his wife left to bear the trauma of not having her husband around. Kingsley Tariuwas Arrest A civil society group, Rule of Law And Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), highlighted the incidents surrounding Mr Tariuwas arrest in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of RULAAC, said the centre received information about human rights atrocity by operatives of SARS on the arrest of the victim. In the letter titled Enforced Disappearance and Refusal to Comply With a Court Order to Produce a Citizen Arrested by SARS Since January 2020, RULAAC described the events surrounding the arrest of Mr Tariuwa as tragic. Mr Tariuwa was arrested alongside two others and the officers who arrested him have been unable to account for his whereabouts. RULAAC was informed that the SARS operatives arrived at Boss Lounge at about 8 p.m on January 5, 2020 and were cleared by a Police Mobile Officer identified as Elisha Hassan who was in charge of security at the lounge on the day Tariuwa Kingsley was arrested. Another person who was also at the lounge on that day and witnessed the arrrest by the SARS operatives, and who recognised Tariuwa Kingsley and knows his family quickly alerted his brother about his arrest. The group said the drivers brother immediately called his phone number from around 9 p.m, and it rang many times but no one picked the call. He continued to call until about 11:30 p.m. when someone eventually picked the call and he could only hear voices at the background which he believed were the voices of the SARS officers and he heard one of them saying in Pidgin English Shae una say una finish school, make una write una statement. Abi na we go write statement for una And the SARS officer was saying that repeatedly until the call cut off without him being able to speak to his brother or anyone in particular. Till date, his missing brothers phone has remained switched off, the letter stated. SARS deny arrest Ezekiel, the elder brother of the victim, said after many failed attempts to get the police to produce his brother, he went back to the mobile police officer, Elisha Hassan, that cleared the SARS operatives to make the arrest. The officer called one of the SARS operatives and told him that the relations of the boys they arrested were with him and demanding his whereabouts, he said. Unknown to the SARS officer that the phone was on loudspeaker, he responded; Forget them. Dem don come our station today, but commander tell them say no be we arrest the boys. In fact we don travel those boys, shae u understand, we don clear them, no where e reach, nothing go happen. The SARS officer was identified as Francis Nwankwo and the family thereafter wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State in January, demanding the release of their brother. The victims brother explained that the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) and all parties, including the management of the Boss Lounge and operatives from SARS, were called for questioning but SARS operatives did not turn up. He said the matter was later escalated to the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the Police and a tracking number; CRU100371 was given for their case. Each time you call police complaint response unit, they keep saying the case is under investigation, that we should be patient. Seeing that we were not getting any result from the police, the family decided to approach the court. A high court in Rivers State gave an order on the police to release their captive pending hearing on the suit. SARS was served but till date they ignored the court orders, he said. Advertisements When PREMIUM TIMES called Nmandi Omoni, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, he said he was informed of the case and the family needs to come to the legal department of the command. Since they said the former Commissioner was aware and he is no longer here, they need to start the process again. They should come to the legal department with the court papers to process the matter, he said. Devastated family The elder brother of the victim told PREMIUM TIMES that the family was in distress as a result of the matter. Our father, Robinson Tariuwa is 75 years now, has developed high blood pressure because of the incident and he is deteriorating on a daily basis. My mum is 67 years old now, she is seriously sick because she cries virtually everyday and the matter is getting worse, he said. When PREMIUM TIMES spoke to the 25-year-old wife of the victim, Favour Tariuwa, she said life has been difficult for her since the arrest of her husband. I am not doing anything for now, my baby that was five months when he was arrested is now a year, she said. The family called on the Inspector-General of Police to order an investigation into the matter and see to the release of their brother. RULAAC also called on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that the case is investigated with a view to identifying all the SARS operatives responsible for the arrest and disappearance of the victim. They must be made to account for him as well as face the full legal consequences of their unlawful, discreditable and unprofessional conduct. The victim must also be accorded the full remedies and reparations as provided by law, RULAAC wrote. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Masked pilgrims arrived Thursday at Mount Arafat, a desert hill near Islams holiest site, to pray and repent on the most important day of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The global coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over every aspect of this years pilgrimage, which last year drew 2.5 million Muslims from across the world to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago. Only a very limited number of pilgrims were allowed to take part in the hajj amid numerous restrictions to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus. The Saudi government has not released a final figure on the number of hajj pilgrims this year, but has said anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 would be taking part. All of this years pilgrims are either residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. In past years, a sea of pilgrims dressed in white terrycloth garments would start to gather at Mount Arafat, or hill of mercy as its known, before dawn and remain there until nightfall, spending the day in deep contemplation and worship. It is common to see pilgrims with tears streaming down their faces, their hands raised in worship on the slopes of the rocky hill where the Prophet Muhammad called for equality and unity among Muslims. The sliver of pilgrims performing the hajj this year arrived at Mount Arafat before noon by bus on Thursday. They are travelling in small groups of 20, following strict guidelines around social distancing, have undergone tests for the COVID-19 disease and were in quarantine before the hajj. Kehinde Qasim Yusuf, an Australian biomedical engineer who teaches at a university in Medina, was among the few selected to take part in the hajj after submitting an application online. He normally travels during the summer back to Australia to see his children, but due to travel restrictions he remained in the kingdom and decided to make the most of his time by applying for the hajj. Honestly, I just applied and stayed optimistic. I feel so fortunate to be selected since theres no guarantee, Yusuf said as he arrived in the Arafat area. Like other pilgrims whove spoken with The Associated Press, Yusuf said the pilgrimage has been well-planned and well-organized by the Saudi government, which has covered all expenses for travel, accommodation, meals and health care for pilgrims on this hajj. Although he isnt facing massive crowds and traffic along hajj routes, Yusuf said this years hajj isnt without its own challenges of being in self-isolation and separated from loved ones. This years hajj also comes with huge sacrifice, as well, on the mental side, he said. Unlike in past years, pilgrims are not allowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with other Muslims from around the world, all considered equal in Islam before God, seeking mercy, blessings, good health, bounty and healing. Pilgrims are wearing wristbands provided by the Saudi Health Ministry that are connected to their phones and monitor their movements to ensure physical distancing. International media were not allowed to cover the hajj from Mecca as was customary in past years. Instead, state-run Saudi TV has carried a live broadcast of some parts of the hajj, including Thursdays arrival of pilgrims to Namira Mosque in Arafat where a sermon will be delivered. After spending the day in prayer on Mount Arafat, pilgrims will head toward an area called Muzdalifa, about 5.5 miles (9 kilometres) west of Mount Arafat. In Muzdalifa, pilgrims rest and traditionally pick up pebbles that will be used for a symbolic stoning of the devil and casting away of evil. This year, however, the pebbles have been prepackaged and sterilized. The final ritual takes place over three to four days in Mina, an area about 12 miles (20 kilometres) east of Mecca. The final days of hajj coincide with Eid al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's dialogue with renowned Bangladeshi economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will be aired on his YouTube channel on Friday in which they will be seen discussing ideas that could re-shape the post pandemic world and delving into limitations of adopting a western economic model, the party said. In the latest episode of conversations that the Congress leader has been holding on the coronavirus pandemic, Gandhi and the Grameen Bank founder will challenge the wisdom of pushing millions to migrate to urban areas, and examine the role of technology in fuelling an economic revolution in rural areas, it said. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the world over, the coronavirus pandemic has exposed serious fault lines in societies and the glaring inequalities that aggravated the crisis. "Even as conventional economic wisdom draws criticism, there is a growing global movement calling for alternative models of development, especially in developing countries," he said in a statement. "The pandemic provides a window of opportunity to fundamentally reimagine the future we want and push bold decisions in that direction," Surjewala said. Giving a preview of the conversation, he said Gandhi and Yunus will be seen discussing the big bold ideas that could re-shape the post pandemic world. "They delve into limitations of adopting a western economic model and call for a new vision that leverages on the strength of our rural economy and the informal sector," he said. "One of the pioneers of microlending, Muhammad Yunus shares valuable lessons on financial empowerment and what it takes to support micro-entrepreneurs among some of the most vulnerable social groups around the world," Surjewala said, giving a peek into the discussion that will be aired on Gandhi's YouTube channel on Thursday morning. Gandhi's last conversation was with four Indian nurses working in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and India during which they shared their experience of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of his dialogues with various experts, Gandhi has spoken to leading global economists Raghuram Rajan and Abhijit Banerjee, internationally renowned epidemiologist Johann Giesceke, global public health expert Ashish Jha, Indian industrialist Rajiv Bajaj, and former US diplomat Nicholas Burns. Affordable housing in Peterborough is not affordable to all income categories, says a Peterborough developer who has seen a steady increase of people looking for homes in the city. Paul Bennett, owner of Ashburnham Realty, said he doesnt like using the word affordable when referring to housing because it might not necessarily reflect the price some people can afford. I dont really like the word affordable because I can appreciate what is defined as affordable is not affordable for everyone, he said. I always want to make sure we are creating one whole development I would call an achievable rent building based at lower than market rent, even at that, that is not affordable for everyone. Amit Sofer, founder and president of the TVM Group, which is currently constructing condos in the former St. Josephs hospital building in East City, said he is conscious of the real necessity for housing for people who cannot afford the affordable options. I am also aware there is a real need for additional housing options for persons who are not in the affordable marketplace, Sofer said. Average income has stagnated in the Peterborough area. In 2018, according to Statistics Canada, the average median gross personal income was $34,170, which equates to about $16.42 per hour based on a 40-hour work week, and after income taxes is roughly $27,585 at a 19.72 per cent tax rate. In November, the United Way of Peterborough and District pegged the living wage for someone working in the city of Peterborough at $17.63 an hour. This was based on a household of four people, two parents and two children, with both parents working full time. Single room rents in the city of Peterborough range from $550 to $1,000 per month, while one-bedroom apartments range from about $1,000 to over $1,800 and two- to three-bedroom apartments and houses come in at about $1,100 to about $2,500 per month in listings on kijiji.com. Bennett said he believes affordability is a completely different conversation when it comes to being able to find a long-term rental suitable for the needs. I always believe it is important to say affordability is a very different conversation, he said. We are in a high demand area and we dont have a ton of supply yet and that really skews rent, as little supply and high demand equals higher rents. Dan Hennessey, a local homelessness activist, said there needs to be more rent subsidies in the city because many people are having issues finding a safe place to live. What they say is affordable housing is not affordable to most, he said, Affordable housing is 85 per cent of market and the average bachelor apartment is $750 a month. Peterborough is behind when it comes to affordable housing and Hennessey believes governments need to ensure actual affordable housing, not just in name only. Peterborough is so far behind the times with housing affordability, he said. The government needs to get back to geared-to-income housing. Coun. Keith Riel, co-chair of housing and chair of social services for the city, said developers will tell you theyre building affordable housing in the city, but when they charge $1,500 or $2,000 a month not everyone can afford that. A portion of anything built should be geared-to-income housing, not affordable housing, geared-to-income housing and the word affordability has changed to geared-to-income housing, Riel said. He said there is a difference between the two terms, geared-to-income is based off of a portion of what a persons income is. I think the rule is only 30 per cent of your income should be spent on housing, Riel said. People are well above that it could be 60 or 70 per cent of their income is spent on keeping them housed. Riel said every year the city spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on rent subsidies and supplements to keep people housed. This is on top of the housing units the city already has for geared-to-income individuals. The person might only be able to afford $400, well there has to be a makeup of $600, the rent for the apartment doesnt change, he said, it is keeping within the market, but the people living there would not be able to afford that rent, so we have a program of rent supplements Sofer said some municipalities are doing nothing when it comes to affordable housing and it is creating issues elsewhere. There are a lot of cities that dont offer the affordable component and that creates societal issues that are very protracted or magnified, Sofer said. Peterborough while there is always a need for more affordable housing and continually looking for it, Peterborough has done a very good job at providing affordable housing. Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic she is moving forward on a plan she and Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien announced last year to create 2,000 affordable housing units in the area. Federal funding is forthcoming for several projects in the area, working with community partners, but they havent been announced yet due to the pandemic. There are multiple federal investments for affordable housing projects in Peterborough that are forthcoming and would have been made public already if not for the health risks created by COVID-19, Monsef said. I continue to work with local partners to ensure everyone is on board with pushing forward on the actions that will achieve meeting our communitys housing needs. Therrien said while 2,000 units is an ambitious goal, the community should set a goal like that to try to achieve for itself. By approving new units and transitioning existing units to affordable housing, the city continues to work towards the goals set out in our housing and homelessness plan, Therrien said. Hospital dismisses rumors of former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui's death Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 12:39:20 A Taipei hospital has dismissed rumors claiming that former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui has died after he choked while drinking milk in February, saying he is still under treatment. Rumors of Lee's death began circulating on Tuesday, and were fueled by media reports that Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and her deputy Lai Ching-te had called off their original plans and visited Lee in hospital. The Taipei Veterans General Hospital said on Wednesday that Lee is not in ideal health, but he is under treatment, and is not as bad as some have speculated, local media reported. Taiwan media reported that Lee's office has ordered the hospital not to reveal Lee's information, and the hospital itself also said it is not able to disclose patients' private details. Local media reported that Lee is in a coma and his health condition is "not good." As Lee's health has been deteriorating, rumors about his death have repeatedly flared up in recent years. The 98-year-old former leader was admitted to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in early February after choking while drinking a glass of milk. At the time, there were rumors that Lee had died and that he had contracted the coronavirus. The hospital later diagnosed him with pneumonia, but his condition has since been described as "stable." In late February, rumors circulated that Lee had died from the virus, after someone fabricated a screenshot of an announcement of Lee's death at a Taiwan heath authority news conference. The rumor was later refuted. In March, rumors emerged again claiming that Lee was brain dead, which Lee's office later confirmed to be false. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on July 30, 2020 2020/07/30 CCTV: We have noted the recent frequent interactions between China and the EU. Yesterday, Vice Premier Han Zheng held a video meeting with Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans of the European Commission. The day before yesterday, Vice Premier Liu He and Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis of the European Commission co-chaired the eighth China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue. What do you think of the results of these two events? Are the recent intensive high-level exchanges between China and the EU intended to send a signal to the outside world? Wang Wenbin: Indeed, there have been very frequent high-level exchanges between China and the EU recently. Vice Premier Han Zheng held a video conference with Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, and Vice Premier Liu He co-chaired the eighth China-EU High-level Economic and Trade Dialogue with Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. They reached a lot of consensus and outcomes on advancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and green development. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held phone calls and video meetings with the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy, and the 31st round of negotiations on China-EU Bilateral Investment Agreement has made positive progress. These intensive and in-depth exchanges demonstrate the political determination and capacity of the two sides to actively implement the important consensus reached at the 22nd China-EU Summit. They also demonstrate that China-EU relations are about partnership and cooperation in essence. What China and Europe support, oppose and work together on as two major forces, markets and civilizations is of global significance. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the EU have supported and helped each other in the spirit of overcoming difficulties with solidarity, and maintained close exchanges and cooperation. Looking ahead, a series of important high-level exchanges and more cooperation projects are to be expected and advanced. China is ready to work with the EU in line with the principles of mutual respect and seeking common ground while shelving differences, maintain close communication and coordination, and jointly promote the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, for the benefit of post-COVID-19 global peace, development and prosperity. Kyodo News: If the postponed Tokyo Olympics do not go ahead next year due to COVID-19, then it will most likely trigger a knock-on effect on the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, said International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound in an earlier interview with Reuters. The Beijing Olympics could be further complicated by a number of political showdowns, he also said. I wonder if you have a comment? Wang Wenbin: Earlier on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Japanese government and Tokyo Organizing Committee made the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games, showing their responsible attitude towards the health and safety of athletes, participants and all mankind. China will continue supporting Japan in hosting the Olympic Games and hope the Tokyo Games will be held as scheduled. As to the 2022 Winter Olympics, preparation work on all fronts is progressing as planned, which has been commended by various sides including the IOC. We will continue close cooperation with the IOC regarding preparatory work for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Phoenix TV: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced on July 29 that the United States plans to reduce the number of troops stationed in Germany from 36,000 to 24,000. "The repositioning of our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic and positive shift," Esper said. President Trump told the press that the US is "reducing the force because they're not paying their bills"; if Germany starts to pay, he may reconsider. Does China have a comment? Wang Wenbin: This is between the US and Germany. We have no comment. AFP: The US Ambassador to Brazil has warned that Brazil will face consequences if it picks Huawei to develop its 5G network. Do you have any comment on this? Wang Wenbin: You mentioned the remarks by US Ambassador to Brazil. That reminds me of what Secretary Pompeo and some other American politicians have been doing. They have been pressuring other countries to exclude Huawei. Their allegations about the Chinese company have no factual basis at all. The US claims that Huawei threatens US national security. But let's take a look at the facts. Over the past 30 years, Huawei has developed over 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions, having 228 Fortune 500 companies as clients and serving more than three billion people all over the world. Not a single cybersecurity incident like those revealed by Edward Snowden or WikiLeaks has there been. Not a single tapping or surveillance operation like PRISM, Equation Group or ECHELON has there been. And not a single country has produced evidence of any backdoors in Huawei products. The US claims to be a defender of democracy and freedoms, but what we have seen is some American politicians including Pompeo incessantly pressuring other countries, making uninvited comments about their 5G development and openly coercing them into following its own will. This is hegemony in full display. The US keeps talking about fairness and reciprocity, but what does it do? When other countries' businesses have a competitive edge, American politicians would make up excuses and resort to state power to suppress them. They would go to any length for this, violating market economy and fair competition principles the US always claims to champion, breaking international trade rules, even hurting the interests of US consumers and businesses. The real reason behind Pompeo's animosity towards Chinese companies has nothing to do with national security or democracy, freedoms, fairness or reciprocity. It's just because they are Chinese companies and also front runners in their lines of business. Pompeo has been claiming that by excluding Huawei, countries are joining the ranks of "clean countries". The so-called "clean countries" he has been touting is nothing but a code name of double standards. We hope all countries will commit to uphold a fair, just, open and non-discriminatory business environment and reject nationality discrimination in global scientific cooperation as firmly as they reject racism. Beijing Youth Daily: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi spoke on the phone yesterday and discussed bilateral exchange and cooperation in the next phase and in the post-COVID-19 era. Can you give us more details on that? Wang Wenbin: On July 29, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. The two sides had in-depth exchange of views and reached consensus on bilateral relations, exchange and cooperation in various fields. There's a press release issued by the Chinese side, and here I'd like to stress the following two points. First, despite the severe challenges brought by the pandemic, China-Japan economic and trade cooperation still yielded good results thanks to concerted efforts by both sides. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade reached nearly $150 billion, and Japan's investment in China stood at around $2 billion, basically the same volume as that of the same period in 2019. These notable results demonstrate the deep foundation, strong resilience and enormous potential in China-Japan relations. Second, both sides stressed the importance to keep up dialogue and communication at various levels and in various fields. Since COVID-19 broke out, as neighbors with traditional friendship, China and Japan have been in communication on anti-epidemic cooperation with mutual support. The two sides agree to maintain closer communication and coordination and further facilitate the restoration of bilateral people-to-people exchange. It will help the two countries resume work and production, maintain the steady operation of industrial and supply chains, and contribute to economic recovery in the region. In the post-COVID-19 era, we hope both sides can jointly keep the bilateral relationship moving in the correct direction, enhance cooperation in fighting the virus, boosting economic recovery and upholding regional peace and stability, deal with regional and international challenges together, and inject new impetus into the development of China-Japan relations. AFP: The Indian Defense Minister has said that those who want to threaten India's territorial integrity should be worried about new fighter jets bought by India from France. And observers are calling it a veiled warning to China. Do you have any comment on this? Wang Wenbin: We hope remarks from the Indian side will be conducive to peace and stability in the region. China Review News: Former US senior diplomat Charles Freeman said in a recent interview that US Secretary of State Pompeo's latest speech on China runs entirely contrary to history and realities. He said that overall the US engagement policy with China was "brilliant" and helped keep the peace. He noted that Pompeo's speech served domestic political agenda instead of foreign policy goals. Pompeo also has ambitions to run for president himself. Do you have any comment on this interview? Wang Wenbin: We noted there has been a lot of doubt and criticism on Pompeo's speech raised by veteran US politicians, American experts and the media, which clearly shows that denying the progress in China-US relations and instigating ideological confrontation gains little support. For nearly half a century, China-US exchange and cooperation has been expanding and deepening, bringing tangible benefits to people in both countries and beyond. This is a visible fact that cannot be erased. The China-US relationship bears on the well-being of Chinese and American people as well as world peace and stability. It shouldn't fall prey to the manipulation of certain people and political forces as they seek selfish gains. AFP: The US government is about to complete its national security review of TikTok. Does China have any expectations for the outcomes of the review? Wang Wenbin: The Chinese government always asks Chinese companies to observe laws and regulations when doing business with foreign countries. Without any evidence, the US is threatening a Chinese company based on presumption of guilt, revealing its hypocrisy in so-called "upholding fairness and freedoms." This is in violation of the WTO principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination, and it doesn't serve the interests of the American people and companies. Governments and media of some countries have emphasized that there shouldn't be any "double standard" when it comes to social media. China's software and apps meet people's need and market demand, provide diversified choices, and help social media markets in all countries grow in a sound manner. We call on some in the US to heed the voices from the international community, provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory market environment for entities of all countries including China, and stop politicizing trade and economic issues. This concerns the image and credibility of the US. By Robert Gavin | Times Union, Albany Cohoes, N.Y. 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 McKowns 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 officers 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. Summer vacation is a great time for students to unwind, but it can also result in them losing some of the academic skills they so carefully gained during the previous school year. This is known as summer learning loss, and on average, students lose two to three months of knowledge. Thanks to current school closures related to COVID-19, its quite possible that summer learning loss will be more significant than ever. A recent whitepaper by the Northwest Evaluation Association projects there will be major academic impacts on students due to closures related to COVID-19, with students losing six to nine months in English and language arts and a years worth of knowledge in mathematics. Fortunately, there are already systems in place to combat summer learning loss, and the combined efforts of students, parents and teachers will ensure that students get up to speed quickly when students return to school in the fall - regardless if your school is opening up in person or you will be engaged in virtual learning. A typical school year begins with students doing a recap of what they learned the previous year. This helps teachers learn just how much knowledge students have lost over the summer and determine the necessary action plan to get everyone up to speed. Some schools employ the use of standardized assessments to help them gauge how much knowledge students retained over the summer. Either way, teachers get a good handle of what kids know and, from there, teachers can figure out what they should teach and how fast they should pace it. Finding the correct starting point for all students will be more important than ever this fall. This summer, parents and students can take a variety of steps to ensure children stay as up-to-date with knowledge as possible in reading, mathematics and more before they return to school. The easiest subject to stay on top of is reading. There are many ways for kids to practice reading, both on their own and with their parents. For one, children should read anything they can get their hands on, whether its a novel or a magazine or a comic book. All reading is worthwhile. Parents who have younger children can read them bedtime stories. Students of all ages can take advantage of free online books from their local libraries. Either way, the more kids read, the better they will get. The same is true for writing. Reading and writing feed into each other and practicing one elevates skills in the other, so children should be encouraged to write as much as they can. In fact, this is the perfect time for them to start a journal or even a video blog, which requires them to write scripts and notes. We are all living through a historic moment, and this is a great opportunity for kids to document how the events of 2020 have affected their lives. This is also a great opportunity to incorporate social studies skills into the day. We are not just learning history - we are making it. To supplement history knowledge, there are plenty of resources online. The Smithsonian Institution, for example, offers children of all ages a plethora of activities, coloring sheets and other learning opportunities in a variety of subjects on their website. Then theres mathematics. Most students can stay on top of their math skills through workbooks, which can be purchased through Random House. Flashcards are an excellent tool for younger students who are still learning basic math. If its financially possible, engaging the help of a virtual tutor can also be hugely beneficial. In terms of science lessons, there are a variety of creative ways for kids to stay engaged. They can go on mini scavenger hunts in their backyards or, social distancing guidelines permitting, any grassy or wooded areas by their homes, and take photos of the insects, plants and animals they see and study them. Even cooking a meal is a great opportunity for parents to incorporate a science lesson. Regardless of the subject, students will benefit tremendously just by being engaged with the material. If children do something as simple as read while sitting under a tree, that alone is hugely valuable. And as for students who were academically behind before COVID-19? Now is a great time to invest and catch up to their peers. Getting students up to speed after COVID-19 will require a great deal of creativity, patience and trial and error, but no one should feel discouraged. Everyone understands this is an unprecedented time, and no one is going to think badly of children for not excelling at this moment. School districts are already preparing for how to handle student progress come fall, so its okay for parents to take some of that worry off of their plates. In the grand scheme of things, completing a few months of home-based learning should not set students back too dramatically. By working together, teachers, students and parents can make up for lost time and combat extended summer learning loss. By Emily Levitt, the Vice President of Education for Sylvan Learning. ABOUT SYLVAN LEARNING, LLC With more than 40 years of experience and more than 750 points of presence throughout North America, Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of personal learning for students in grades K-12. Sylvan is transforming how students learn, inspiring them to succeed in school and in life. Sylvans proven tutoring approach blends amazing teachers with SylvanSync technology on the iPad for an engaging learning experience. Sylvan also leads the way with Sylvan EDGESTEM and accelerated courses and Sylvan Prep college and test prep courses. Sylvan supports families through every stage of the academic journey. For more information, visit http://www.SylvanLearning.com or SylvanLearning.com/blog. (July 30, 2020) -- BioMedSA, the non-profit corporation founded in 2005 to promote and grow San Antonio's leading industry, healthcare and bioscience, will present its 2020 BioMedSA Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience to Dr. Rena Bizios, the Lutcher Brown Endowed Chair in the UTSA Department of Biomedical Engineering. Bizios is a globally recognized educator and researcher who has made pioneering contributions to biomedical engineering curricula as well as groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of cell-material interactions at the tissue/implant interface with applications in implant biomaterials, tissue engineering and tissue regeneration. A chemical and biomedical engineer by training, Bizios joined the faculty at UTSA in 2006 and has focused her research on cellular and tissue engineering, tissue regeneration, biomaterials (including nanostructured biomaterials) and biocompatibility. Her discoveries have contributed to the development of biomaterials for implants and have established principles that are applied today in multiple medical devices used to promote tissue regeneration. Her research into cell and protein interactions with nanostructured materials has led to the development of various applications for nanomaterials, ranging from drug delivery to promoting specific biological responses. "Through decades of teaching and research, Dr. Bizios has helped shape the field of biomedical engineering," said Dr. Bernard Arulanandam, UTSA vice president for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise, who nominated Bizios for the award. "At the same time, her work in the laboratory has demystified cell-material interactions, improving the way clinicians treat patients today in medical and dental settings." Bizios has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed papers, has given many presentations at national and international scientific and engineering conferences and has co-edited one book regarding the tissue-biomaterial interface. Notably, she co-authored "An Introduction to Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions," the first textbook addressing biocompatibility aspects of implant materials and medical devices. This textbook has become a standard and is used around the world for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses by several biomedical engineering programs in the United States and abroad. Bizios is also a co-inventor on four issued patents. "Rena Bizios is a pioneer in biomedical engineering," said JoAnn Browning, dean of the UTSA College of Engineering. "Her commitment in the classroom and in the laboratory has prepared generations of students to pursue successful careers and leadership roles in biomedical engineering." UTSA alumna Marissa Wechsler '15 became enticed in biomedical engineering after a chance interview with Bizios. While an undergraduate at UTSA, Wechsler worked in Bizios' Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory for more than four years through the university's Maximizing Access to Research Careers - Undergraduate Student Training for Academic Research (MARC-U*STAR) Program. She also completed Bizios' Biocompatibility of Materials course as a part of the UTSA undergraduate curriculum in biomedical engineering and was the first UTSA engineering student to receive the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Since graduating from UTSA, Wechsler has received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 and today is a successful postdoctoral research associate at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In Spring 2021, she will join the UTSA faculty. "I wish I could share in words how much Dr. Bizios has helped me grow personally and professionally," said Wechsler. "She introduced me to a field, education and career I never knew existed. Her guidance and support has led me to many opportunities. I am truly grateful for the time she took to mentor me as an undergraduate student which led to me to identify a career path which I felt was personalized directly for me." Bizios has also been recognized by her peers for her contributions to education and her research accomplishments. Her numerous awards include the Rensselaer Alumni Association Teaching Award, Clemson Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Literature (Society for Biomaterials), Distinguished Scientist Award (Houston Society for Engineering in Medicine and Biology), Women's Initiatives Mentorship Excellence Award (American Institute of Chemical Engineers), Founders Award (Society for Biomaterials), Theo C. Pilkington Outstanding Educator Award (American Society for Engineering Education, Biomedical Engineering Division), Amber Award (UTSA Ambassadors), election as a charter member of the UTSA Academy of Distinguished Researchers, AIMBE Excellence in STEM Education Award (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering) and Excellence in Biomaterials Science Award (Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation). Bizios is a Fellow of five professional societies: the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is also member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, the Academy of Athens, Greece, and the National Academy of Inventors. She received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1979), her M.S. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (1971) and her B.S. (Cum Laude) in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (1968). "It is clear that Rena Bizios has made an enormous impact on the field of biomedical engineering," noted BioMedSA President Heather Hanson. "Her research has opened the door for numerous medical applications that improve patient care. Furthermore, as a female researcher and educator who started her career when women simply were not widely seen in the field of biomedical engineering, she has been an influential leader and inspirational mentor for her students." Bizios added, "I am honored to receive this recognition, especially coming from BioMedSA and San Antonio, the city that I call home. I am humbled to be included as an honoree in this group of prestigious recipients." The BioMedSA Award for Innovation in Healthcare and Bioscience celebrates local and national innovators in the healthcare and bioscience field, including patient care, education, research and development, leadership, public policy and medical technology. Bizios will accept the award at a virtual celebration event on Sept. 17, 2020. ### OTTAWA The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission sent its president to Manitoba in February to placate anger from a local First Nation over the decommissioning of a Whiteshell facility, according to internal documents. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission sent its president to Manitoba in February to placate anger from a local First Nation over the decommissioning of a Whiteshell facility, according to internal documents. "CNSCs conduct in this matter is disrespectful, colonial and inexcusable," reads an internal letter the Free Press obtained through a freedom-of-information request. The federal regulator is reviewing a plan to bury nuclear waste at the site of the former research centre, owned by the firm Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. The plant is at Pinawa, which is 113 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Sagkeeng First Nation, the closest reserve to the site, says the location is sacred. In filings, it has argued that nuclear facilities that close most often send waste to a more remote location to be buried, save for emergency situations. While Canada has strict protocols for offloading radioactive fuel, there is no federal policy for managing non-fuel waste such as parts, attracting the ire of activists. A scathing letter sent on behalf of Sagkeeng says the consultation process falls short of other federal regulators, and has early deadlines. "You have rejected each and very request without any substantive engagement or consultation. Instead you have unilaterally imposed your own framework, which bears no resemblance to Sagkeengs requests," reads the Jan. 29 letter. "There is no public emergency requiring these materials to be cemented in place in Sagkeeng territory for all time." The letter threatened legal action, which would delay plans to fully decommission the site in 2024. It also called on the federal Liberals to have the Natural Resources department intervene, instead of the independent regulator. The band says putting the waste "in situ" (burying it on the site in concrete) introduces the risk of thousands of years of contamination near the Winnipeg River, and claims CNL hasnt adequately looked at other options. In filings, the CNL says its dedicated to a safe remediation of the site. In any case, CNSC sent its president, Rumina Velshi, to Manitoba this February to hear about the concerns and understand if local bands felt the consultation period was adequate. A lawyer for Sagkeeng said that visit seems to have sparked progress, despite ongoing concerns. "The relationship between Sagkeeng and CNSC has improved quite considerably," said Corey Shefman. "Theyve really started thinking outside the box, in terms of Indigenous consultation." CNSC itself said it feels the visit has helped guide its process. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "We recognize that Indigenous peoples may have concerns with regard to the nuclear sector, and that it is important to seek opportunities to work together in ensuring the safe and effective regulation of nuclear energy and materials," wrote spokeswoman Isabelle Roy. "The CNSC will continue to work with each Indigenous group to address their concerns, comments and priorities throughout the environmental assessment and regulatory review process." The internal records also show that local bands want to use traditional ceremony "to help CNL solve the issue of waste management on their traditional territories." It also mentions that some bands asked to visit Indigenous groups in Saskatchewan and Ottawa who have had nuclear sites remediated on their territory. CNSC said Wednesday the idea is on the table, but hasnt been confirmed; it might occur virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca MELBOURNE, Australia - Australias coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, will make masks compulsory statewide after reporting a record 723 new cases on Thursday. Masks have been mandatory in the state capital, Melbourne, and a neighbouring semi-rural district for the past week. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said the measure will be extended starting Sunday. Residents around the city of Geelong will not be allowed to have visitors in their homes from late Thursday. The 723 new cases and a daily record 13 deaths exceeded the previous record of 532 cases on Monday. These numbers today are a reflection of increased cases in aged care, Andrews said, referring to new infections in Melbournes nursing homes. Melbourne and neighbouring Mitchell Shire are halfway through a six-week shutdown, which Andrews said could be extended. He said extending mandatory masks and banning visitors to homes are meant to keep the infection rate low in regional centres. We need to jealously guard those low numbers, Andrews said. As challenging as this is, it is within our control, Andrews said. All of us, as proud Victorians, if we follow the rules, if we play our part, then we can defeat this. We can drive these numbers down. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the weekslong lockdown was not giving the desired results. He said the additional restrictions, while necessary, will come at an impact to the economy. But equally not containing these outbreaks will have that effect also, he said. In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region: India reported more than 50,000 cases for the first time in 24 hours on Thursday, taking the national total to 1,583,792. The number of recoveries from the coronavirus also crossed 1 million as the recovery rate of 64.4% continues to improve. The Health Ministry reported another 775 deaths, driving total fatalities to 34,968. India has the worlds third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil. The reported deaths in India, however, mark a far lower fatality rate at 2.23% than in the other two countries. China on Thursday reported another 105 confirmed cases of COVID-19, almost all of them in Xinjiang. The northwestern region accounted for 96 of the cases, with five others in the northeastern province of Liaoning and one in Beijing. The remaining three were brought by Chinese travellers from overseas. While China has largely contained the virus in other parts of the country, the Xinjiang outbreak centred on the regional capital and largest city of Urumqi continues to grow with 96 new cases. Authorities have locked down some residential communities in the city, restricted public transit and ordered widespread testing. Hong Kong is also struggling to contain its latest outbreak, with more than 100 new cases reported Thursday. China is stepping up testing for COVID-19 in an attempt to get a handle on new outbreaks that have defied the countrys considerable success in containing the coronavirus that was first detected in the central city of Wuhan late last year. In the northeastern city of Dalian, authorities issued a open letter urging all 5.6 million residents to get tested following consecutive days of new cases. As of midnight Wednesday, samples had been collected from more than 4 million people, and a second round of tests is being launched in high-risk areas. Extensive testing has also been carried out in Urumqi, where more than 100 specialists from the Centers for Disease Control are investigating the outbreak. Leading epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan also urged tests to be carried out on every one of Hong Kongs 7.5 million residents following a new wave of infections that is adding around 100 new cases per day. The citys Hospital Authority says its planning to adapt an exhibition centre into a community treatment facility. Vietnam on Thursday reported nine more cases of COVID-19, as the first outbreak in over three months spread to cities while authorities say they cannot trace its source. The Health Ministry said eight of the new infections are from hot spot Da Nang, while the other case was confirmed in Hanoi in a man who returned from the coastal city. The outbreak has spread to five other cities and provinces with 43 cases reported since the weekend. Dak Lak province is the latest to reimpose social distancing, close down nonessential services and ban public gatherings of more than 20 people. Da Nang neighbours Quang Nam and Quang Ngai have closed their beaches and limited businesses. Meanwhile, Hanoi cancelled public events, closed bars and clubs and plans to mass test some 21,000 people returning from Da Nang. Sri Lankan authorities have decided to reopen schools on Aug. 10, nearly five months after they were shut because of the coronavirus. The Education Ministry said Thursday that all public and government-approved private schools will resume with social distancing measures. Students in grades 5, 10, 11, 12 and 13 will attend school every day because of the need to prepare for government examinations. Students in grades 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 will attend one day per week, while those in grades 4 and 9 will attend two days a week. This arrangement will continue until Oct. 9, when school holidays begin. The reopening comes as health authorities announced that the coronavirus is now under control in Sri Lanka except for two clusters. The country has reported 2,811 cases, including 11 deaths. ___ Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak More than 18,000 new websites with the Irish marker were registered in the April-June quarter as Covid-19 lockdowns shut most hospitality firms and retail shops nationwide. The firm, IE Domain Registry, said it had never experienced such demand before in its 20-year history. (stock photo) Small firms are taking Irish web addresses at record levels to promote new online sales channels, according to the firm that manages web domains bearing the suffix 'ie'. More than 18,000 new websites with the Irish marker were registered in the April-June quarter as Covid-19 lockdowns shut most hospitality firms and retail shops nationwide. The firm, IE Domain Registry, said it had never experienced such demand before in its 20-year history. Registration of new websites totalled 4,532 in April, 7,008 in May and 6,544 in June. That represented nearly 56pc growth from the same quarter a year ago and 36pc growth from the previous quarter. "This digital expansion suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent," said IE Domain Registry CEO David Curtin. For the entire first half of 2020, more than a third of new website addresses were for small firms, nearly a quarter for self-employed workers, and 40pc for individuals. Government bodies, schools and other community groups, including clubs and bands, constituted the rest. "Having an online presence means that these businesses can stay in contact with their customers, build on their relationships, and, most important of all, continue to sell to them through an online store, click-and-collect service or voucher booking system," Mr Curtin said. The Dun Laoghaire-based firm also broke down the use of 'ie' addresses by Ireland's 220 Oireachtas TDs and senators. It found that all six Social Democrats used the domain, 71pc of Labour Party representatives, 57pc for Fine Gael, 56pc for the Greens, 52pc for Fianna Fail and just 26pc for Sinn Fein. The 'ie' domain now is used on 50.7pc of all websites hosted on the island of Ireland. Others include 'com' (32.6pc), 'uk' (8pc) and 'eu' and 'net' (both on 2.3pc). Sports & Recreation By Ls Cohen Published: July 30 2020 Pandemic has prompted a surge in watercraft purchases this summer. On Wednesday, officials from South Shore towns and villages gathered at a press conference to highlight the dangers that inexperienced boaters are creating on the waters around Long Island. Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said that this summer is worse than it's ever been before as far as boat safety. Unfortunately, the majority of accidents are due to inexperience and alcohol, said Carpenter. She wanted boaters not to get behind the wheel of a personal watercraft like a jet ski or a boat unless they have had training. Its only fair to yourself and everybody else thats out there on the waters, she added. Recently there has been a spate of tragedies on the water. A recent boating accident claimed the life of a 24 year-old Lindenhurst resident, a jet ski accident resulted in two deaths in the Bronx, and a Fire Island Ferry had to rescue six passengers from a capsized motorboat off of the shores of Fire Island on Sunday evening. A panel of local officials are calling for the publics awareness of the newly enacted Briannas Law, urging operators of motorboats and personal watercraft to obtain a boating safety certificate. According to New York State, all operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, will need a boating safety certificate by January 1, 2025. Because the pandemic has kept people close to home, they have been looking for things to do locally and spending their vacation funds buying recreational boats, jet skis, paddleboards and backyard pools. The result, officials warn, is a lack of experience and increase in safety concerns. Supervisor Carpenter was joined by Babylon Village Mayor, Ralph Scordino; Town of Babylon Councilmen, Terence McSweeney and DuWayne Gregory, and General Manager, Director of Operations, Fire Island Ferries, Dave Anderson. Everyone who has a boat, a personal watercraft, should be taking the Coast Guard course for boating, said Babylon Village Mayor, Ralph Scordino at the Wednesday press conference. Babylon Town Councilman, Terence McSweeney, highlighted the need for backyard pool awareness as well. Not only do you have to keep an eye out when on the water, but also in your backyards, he said. If you are lucky enough to have a pool and have children, you must be advised to know that drowning is a silent event! Dont assume you will hear a child who is in trouble in the water. He implored parents to learn CPR and pay attention when kids are in the pool. Nine out of 10 drowning deaths happen when a caregiver is supervising, but not paying attention. Assign or designate a water watcher, said McSweeney. Dave Anderson, General Manager, Director of Operations, Fire Island Ferries said awareness will help reduce tragedy on the water. We want you to be responsible, he said. Because if everybodys responsible, the death rate will plummet, and thats where we would like to be. Is there light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel? In Ireland and across Europe the numbers of new Covid cases in recent days and weeks remain at a fraction of those recorded last March and April. There have been fresh outbreaks in some places across the continent, but only a handful of places have come close to recording the numbers of cases of last spring. This is despite an end to lockdown and a cautious re-opening across the continent. So far so good, by and large. Even more encouraging is what really matters in a pandemic - the number of deaths. Across the continent fatalities from the disease have fallen precipitously, according to figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. From a peak in April when daily deaths in the thousands were taking place, they have declined by well over 90pc. Ireland is following a similar path to the rest of our continent, with a much reduced number of cases and mercifully few deaths. Another reason for hope is the weakening relationship between the number of new cases and the number of deaths - and that's happening not only in Europe, but across most of the world. Like so much about coronavirus, there are no certainties around why this is happening. Some medics postulate that the virus may have mutated and become less lethal to humans. Another explanation for this worldwide phenomenon is a greater focus on protecting those who are really vulnerable - the elderly and those with underlying conditions. Yet another reason could be because medics are getting better at treating the disease as they understand it better. But whatever the reason for fewer deaths relative to the number of cases, there is no denying how marked the trend has been. What's happening in the United States may be the best example to illustrate this, as that country has been one of the few across the world to experience a full-blown second wave. Up to mid-June the number of new cases recorded each day across the US had been stable for well over a month. Since then cases have soared, and are now three times higher than six weeks ago. There's no doubt that some of that increase is accounted for by increased testing - the US is now conducting more tests per head of population than almost any other country. But even accounting for this nobody denies that the disease has spread fast, particularly in the south and west of the country. The (relatively) good news is that despite so many new cases over the past six weeks, there has been only a modest uptick in Covid fatalities, and the number of people dying each day remains far below last April when pictures of New York's inundated hospitals haunted viewers of news bulletins around the planet. None of this means the world is in any way out of the Covid woods. A vaccine is still months away. More personal interaction, including in schools, will inevitably lead to more localised spikes. And how the virus interacts with the coming winter's usual flu is probably the biggest question of all. The nights of next January could be very dark in more ways than one. Among the reasons they will be grim is the economy. The impact of the virus and the measures taken to contain it will be felt for a decade, and possibly more. As of now, we are not even half a year into the crisis. The response of governments across the world to the slump has been unprecedented. Ireland's surge in government spending has been similar to its rich world peers in magnitude. Last week's 'July stimulus' package essentially tweaked and extended many of the supports that had already been put in place. One could quibble with some of the measures, such as the always insane 'help to buy' home purchase scheme, but the main role of government now is to try to generate more economic activity in as many ways as possible. The on-going spending splurge will go some way to boosting demand. Whether it will be enough, nobody knows. The economic outlook has probably never been as uncertain in living memory. One thing that is certain is that last week's agreement on a European Union Recovery Fund will have much less impact on the bloc's economy than governments' actions have had on national economies since the crisis hit. The centre-piece of the deal is the 750bn that the European Commission will be allowed to borrow. More than half of this cash will be handed over to the 27 member governments, and will not have to be paid back. This might seem like a lot of money, but in reality it is not, particularly when spread over a number of years, as is planned. To see how modest it is in the grand scheme of things consider that over the past five months the European Central Bank has printed more money in its pandemic programme than the 390bn that will be distributed by Brussels over years in new grants. The Recovery Fund will have an impact, but only at the margins. Better news from an Irish perspective came this week. New figures published on Tuesday showed that the amount of stuff purchased from the nation's retailers in June surpassed the pre-Covid months. After a dramatic and historic collapse in retail sales during March and April, a perfect V-shaped rebound occurred in May and June. That consumers had the willingness and the wherewithal to spend more or less as much they had been doing before the virus hit gives reason to hope that we are not at the beginning of the 21st century's rerun of the Great Depression. She has campaigned for payment of a pension to those most severely injured during the Troubles. That was stalled following a Stormont dispute over whether former paramilitaries should be eligible. The DUP and Sinn Fein are at loggerheads over the definition of a victim. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said the pension for the badly injured should be funded by Stormont. Relatives of some victims of non conflict-related violence have said Northern Ireland should have a commission representing all victims of crime. A woman, who does not want her name mentioned, on Wednesday accused a police officer identified as Peter Ebah, attached to Saakpenwaa... A woman, who does not want her name mentioned, on Wednesday accused a police officer identified as Peter Ebah, attached to Saakpenwaa Police Division in the Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State of detaining and raping her in a guest house after she was arrested for not wearing a nose mask. The victim, a widow and mother of two, disclosed that she was taken away from a bus she was traveling in from Bori, Khana LGA, to Port Harcourt, around 6.30pm on Tuesday. The victim added that the police officer, after detaining her at the checkpoint for hours, put her in the police van and began to drive around under the pretext of taking her to the station, adding that they ended up at a guest house. The victim said she cooperated after the policeman threatened her. She said, After a while, they took me to a guest house, where one of them, Inspector Peter Ebah, from Sakpenwa Police station raped and threatened to kill me if I misbehaved and held me there till this (Wednesday) morning. In the morning, he asked me to give him my account number so that he would transfer N2,000 into it. I played along and gave him the account number because I didnt know what he would do to me if I had refused. Tresmaine Grimes After an extensive nationwide search that included candidates from across the country, Pace University today announced the appointment of Tresmaine R. Grimes, PhD, as dean of the Dyson School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. In appointing Grimes in a dual role of serving as the new dean of its largest school and the School of Education, President Marvin Krislov cited the native New Yorkers impressive background in higher education; her steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives; and her commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout her career. Dean Grimes is a student-focused leader with strong commitments to research, scholarship, and student success, said Pace President Marvin Krislov. A first-generation college student passionate about supporting other first-gen students and a dedicated mentor to generations of students and colleagues, she has the vision to guide Dyson College and the School of Education into a strong future. Grimes was born in Brooklyn and raised in Manhattan. She was the first generation in her family to earn a college degree after a high school guidance counselor saw potential and encouraged her to apply to college. She excelled on campus and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University with a double-major in Afro-American Studies and Psychology. She then pursued her studies at The New School for Social Research where she received a Master of Arts in Psychology, and later earned a Master of Philosophy and doctorate in Developmental Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Grimes rise in higher education is equally as impressive: Her career began at South Carolina State University as a member of the Psychology and Sociology Department. During her nine-year tenure at SC State, Grimes served as chair of the department for four years. In 2000, she joined the faculty of Iona College as an adjunct professor of psychology, and worked her way to become a tenured associate professor of psychology. Seven years later, Grimes was promoted to Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Iona College, a position she held eight years. After Iona, she went to Bloomfield College where she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faculty and a psychology professor for four years. In joining the leadership at Pace University, Grimes said shes excited to fulfill its mission of Opportunitas, and to guide students along a path to academic, professional, and personal success. She looks forward to mentoring students and faculty alike so that they can think, learn, grow, and adapt in a constantly changing global marketplace. Education provides us with an opportunity to move beyond our own boundaries and, at times, our self-imposed limitations, Grimes said. Ive had so many opportunities in education and beyond because someone saw something in me. As an educator, I believe its my responsibility to open doors for others and encourage people to appreciate the process of learning. Im so excited to be joining the Pace community. Grimes noted that she was impressed with Paces top ranking among four year universities in upward economic mobility among four-year private universities, according to a study conducted by Harvard Universitys Opportunity Insights, a distinction that is an integral part of the universitys mission and academic DNA, she said. Dean Grimes understands all too well that higher education provides life-changing opportunities and is a driver of social mobility, said Vanya Quinones, provost, Pace University. She knows this from experience and has seen it in the thousands of lives she has influenced as an educator. Shes the right fit for our students and faculty and we couldnt be happier that shes joined us. During her career, Grimes has been particularly dedicated to issues of mental health. In 2004, she was part of a delegation of American mental health professionals that traveled to South Africa to exchange ideas with mental health professionals in that nation. The primary focus of the trip was to study the impact of apartheid-related trauma, sexual assault, and HIV/AIDS on the mental health status of the South African population. Grimes has also served as a grant reviewer for the Department of Health and Human Services and for several faith-based funding initiatives. Over the years, Grimes has received many awards and recognitions. She was the recipient of the South Carolina Psychological Association Teacher of the Year Award in 1998 and 1999 and was nominated for Teacher of the Year at South Carolina State University in 1996. She is especially pleased that several of her psychology students have gone on to earn doctorates in psychology and related fields. She considers this her contribution to the effort to increase the number of ethnic minority psychologists and mental health professionals in the United States. In addition to her active professional life, Grimes is a pastor and the founder of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to provide education to prevent domestic violence in faith-based communities. She and her husband, Clarence, are the parents of two adult children and have two grandchildren. They live in New Rochelle, NY. About Dyson College: Pace Universitys liberal arts college, Dyson College offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices. http://www.pace.edu/dyson About Pace University Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard Universitys Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and a Law School in White Plains. http://www.pace.edu Harry and William fell out, when Duke of Sussex branded older brother a 'snob' Prince Harry took offence when his 'snobby' brother cautioned him not to rush into marrying Meghan Markle. Harry took offence when William told him: 'Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.' Harry is said to have considered the choice of the words 'this girl' to be condescending. 'In those last two words, 'this girl', Harry heard the tone of snobbishness that was anathema to his approach to the world,' claims the book. 'During his ten-year career in the military, outside the Royal bubble, he had learnt not to make snap judgments about people based on their accent, education, ethnicity, class or profession.' Prince Harry took offence when his 'snobby' brother cautioned him not to rush into marrying Meghan Markle. Pictured: The brothers with Meghan Markle and Kate Middle at Westminster Abbey in 2018 Meghan was disappointed Kate never reached out Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle never became friends - while the Duchess of Sussex was 'disappointed' she never reached out to her or visited. The Duchesses 'struggled to move past distance politeness' and had 'nothing in common other than the fact that they lived at Kensington Palace', according to the authors of Finding Freedom. In one particularly awkward encounter when Meghan was dating Harry, Kate went alone in her Range Rover on a shopping trip - despite the fact Meghan was also going to the same street. The lack of any friendship between the pair was confirmed in 2018 when the Sussexes announced they wanted to base their family at Windsor. Despite this frostiness, Meghan felt hurt at newspaper stories of the 'duelling duchesses' and was angry at the failure of the palace press office to correct them. Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle never became friends - while the Duchess of Sussex was 'disappointed' she never reached out to her or visited. The pair are pictured at Wimbledon together in 2018 Courtiers branded Meghan Markle a 'showgirl with lots of baggage' and said 'there's something about her I don't trust' A courtier in the Royal Household has said 'there is something I don't trust' about Meghan Markle, the book claims. The book, Finding Freedom, claims as soon as Meghan was introduced to members of the Royal Household, tensions emerged. One source claimed: 'She comes with a lot of baggage.' Another suggested: There's just something about her I don't trust.' Another described Meghan as 'Harry's showgirl Harry was convinced he was going to marry Meghan after the second date The biography describes in detail the couple's first date in Soho, London, which went so well that Meghan later confided in a friend: 'Do I sound crazy when I say this could have legs?'. Before arriving in the capital she had also told a confidant that she'd be happy for 'a nice English gentleman to flirt with' while promoting Suits in Britain. During that first date at London's Dean Street Townhouse the couple spent three hours in conversation, Harry drinking beer and Meghan sipping martinis. Harry was said to be 'in a trance' and had told himself: 'I've got to up my game here' when trying to impress the LA-born actress. The book says: 'Meghan had enough dating experience to know a charmer when she saw one, and Harry was obviously not at all that' - adding the couple were 'immediately obsessed' with each other and bonded over their joint 'passions for wanting to make change for good'. The biography describes in detail the couple's first date in Soho, London, which went so well that Meghan later confided in a friend: 'Do I sound crazy when I say this could have legs?'. The couple are pictured in March According to one friend quoted in the book, Harry and Meghan 'chatted a lot' but the evening, like the night before, ended chastely, with Harry returning to Kensington Palace despite their 'electric chemistry'. Describing how they flirted throughout, the authors said: 'A touch of an arm here, direct eye contact there.' The pair had now met just twice but Harry already knew 'they would be together at that point', a friend said, adding of Meghan: 'She was ticking every box fast.' Meghan, who was in London visiting, documented much of her trip on social media. The night out was so successful the second date the following night at the same venue where they are said to have sneaked in via a side door, hidden from view by a delivery truck bringing in produce and fresh fish from Billingsgate Market. Prince Harry was the first to say 'I love you' in his relationship with Meghan Markle, with friends revealing the couple were 'immediately obsessed' with each other. They are pictured in March this year One trusted waiter was asked to serve them the entire evening to keep it private. According to one friend quoted in the book, Harry and Meghan chatted a lot but the evening, like the night before, ended chastely, with Harry returning to Kensington Palace despite their electric chemistry. Describing how they flirted throughout, the authors said: A touch of an arm here, direct eye contact there. The pair had now met just twice but Harry already knew they would be together at that point, a friend said, adding of Meghan: She was ticking every box fast. Meghan, who was in London visiting, documented much of her trip on social media. Harry was the first to say 'I love you' Prince Harry was the first to say 'I love you' in his relationship with Meghan Markle, with friends revealing the couple were 'immediately obsessed' with each other. Meghan's necklace controversy Meghan Markle was left 'frustrated and emotional' after a palace aide 'scolded' her for wearing a necklace with the initials H and M before she and Prince Harry were engaged, according to Finding Freedom. The former Suits star, 38, was spotted wearing the personalised 184 14 karat gold chain by Los Angeles-based designer Maya Brenner - believed to have been a gift from the prince - while out shopping in Toronto in December 2016. The bold move was seen as an early indication of the seriousness of their relationship - a month after the news of their love affair emerged. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex later announced their engagement in November 2017. The former Suits star, 38, was spotted wearing the personalised chain - believed to have been a gift from the prince - while out shopping in Toronto According to a source close to the couple, following the publication of the images Meghan received a dressing down from a palace aide. 'She was advised that wearing such a necklace only served to encourage the photographers to keep pursuing such images and new headlines,' they said. Prince Harry was 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, 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. 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. Meghan is pictured with the Queen in June 2018 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. Harry 'ditched an old friend for criticising Meghan' The Duke of Sussex was so 'incandescent' with rage at the racist abuse Meghan Markle received after their relationship went public that he ditched an old friend for gossiping about her. Harry was shocked at the reception given to his new girlfriend by his social circle and the wider public, according to Finding Freedom. He was especially concerned about the ugliness of racism...both unconscious and intentional. Charles didn't know about Harry's press statement Before they were engaged, Harry gave a bombshell statement from Kensington Palace condemning the press while confirming Harry's new girlfriend. But it's release coincided with Prince Charles' tour in the Middle East, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall having arrived in Bahrain to meet the country's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. The palace decided to go ahead with the statement, much of it drafted by Harry himself. Before they were engaged, Harry gave a bombshell statement from Kensington Palace condemning the press while confirming Harry's new girlfriend, upsetting Charles who didn't know about the statement until 20 minutes before. Pictured: Prince Harry and Prince William walk behind Charles, and the Queen at Westminster Abbey. Also pictured: Duchesses of Cornwall (front), Cambridge (middle) and Sussex (back) His father only learnt of the statement 20 minutes before it was released and, unsurprisingly, it soon dominated the news cycle. Prince Charles and his team were left crushed and disappointed, though Charles also understood the intervention was a necessary one. However, the episode only served to prove that Harry felt the need to prioritise the woman he loved over duty to the royal family. Harry had a secret Instagram account Harry used the username SpikeyMau5, inspired by Canadian DJ Deadmau5, before freezing the account after his relationship with the former Suits star emerged in October 2016. The private Instagram profile had a mouse-shaped helmet for a picture - but piqued attention from Meghan's legions of fans when she became just one of two people following it four years ago just after the couple had a blind date at Dean Street Townhouse in Soho. The 'Spikey' element of its name came from the code word used by Scotland Yard officers guarding the Duke of Sussex 24/7. Harry and Meghan's 1500 a night camping trip Six weeks after their first date, Harry took Meghan to Botswana where the pair stayed in 1,500-a-night tents. A friend is quoted as saying: She came back smiling and just completely spellbound. Meghans phone was also said to be full of photos, including selfies of her and Harry. Ive never felt that safe that close to someone in such a short amount of time, she reportedly told a friend. They continued their relationship in secret with Harry flying out to Canada to spend time with her. But the authors said that ever since the couples trip to Africa, their romance had been on a fast track. Technically the getaway was just their third date but by then, they were each already dancing around the idea that this just may be a for ever thing, a friend said. The biography also claims: - The only thing parents, students and teachers will know for sure when Manitoba schools reopen in September is that whatever plan is chosen to get kids back in the classroom, it could change drastically overnight. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The only thing parents, students and teachers will know for sure when Manitoba schools reopen in September is that whatever plan is chosen to get kids back in the classroom, it could change drastically overnight. Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen is expected to announce details this week on how schools will reopen, including what steps will be taken to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, which forced the province to shut schools in March. Reopening schools is probably the single biggest (and most complicated) part of the provinces reopening plan, not only because it involves children, but also because of the sheer number of students, teachers and staff returning to school at the same time. The potential for widespread transmission of the disease is great. Most schools across North American have been empty since mid-March. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press files) But the alternative keeping schools closed is not an option. Kids have to get back to school for a whole host of economic and social reasons, not the least of which is preserving their mental health and ensuring they can get on with their studies. Online learning has worked for some students during the shutdown. But its no substitute for in-person schooling. The province laid out three scenarios last month that all school divisions were asked to plan for. The first was to return to school under near-normal conditions. That would only happen if case numbers and test positivity rates were low enough to allow that level of intermingling among students and teachers. The second scenario, if cases continued to rise, would be a blend of in-school and home studies. And a third, worst-case scenario would involve very limited in-school instruction. There would have to be "moderate to widespread transmission" of the disease for that to happen, according to the provinces draft reopening plan. Each school division will have the month of August to plan for whatever option the province chooses this week. There will be variations on how each school proceeds. But measures such as limiting contact between individual classes, staggering timetables (so not all students are in halls or lunchrooms at the same time), and minimizing areas where students can congregate will be some of the features of in-person schooling under COVID-19. Kahakai Elementary School Principal James Denight demonstrates what a social distancing classroom with desk shields will look like for the upcoming school year, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Is this something the Manitoba government has planned? (Laura Ruminski / West Hawaii Today files) Protocols will be needed to determine what actions should be taken if theres an outbreak at a school. Some students and staff, including those with underlying health conditions, may have to continue to learn or work from home. Parents will be told when they can drop off their kids at school (busing will be limited) so not everyone arrives at the same time. And parents will be told to keep their kids home if they have even a hint of illness. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. No matter what plan is chosen, school officials will also have to be prepared to change course if theres an outbreak in a school or community (or provincewide) that makes it unsafe for kids to attend class in person. That could happen very quickly. "In-class learning may be increased or suspended on short notice in response to changing public health advice," the provinces draft plan says. In other words, its going to be one day at a time. What may work in the first few days or weeks of the school year could change quickly. The biggest challenge for the province and school divisions will be to convince parents their school is safe enough to send their kids. That wont be easy, considering the fear many have about the virus and the uncertainty around its effect on children. There will be no such thing as a no-risk school environment. There will be transmission of the virus no matter what measures are taken. The key will be to limit it and protect the most vulnerable. People have to understand that, as the province reopens the economy. Its unrealistic to expect otherwise. The province also has to make it clear how much transmission of the virus its willing to accept before it changes course and scales back in-person schooling. A single case, for example, wouldnt likely result in the closure of an entire school. But at what point would a school have to close? Parents should know that beforehand. That level of openness and transparency is critical if the province wants parents to have confidence in the approach taken. Edwin Clark, elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has responded to the comment by Mamman Daura, President M... Edwin Clark, elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has responded to the comment by Mamman Daura, President Muhammadu Buharis older nephew, on zoning the presidency. Daura, in an interview, had said competence, rather than zoning, should be prioritised for government positions. However, while featuring as a guest on Democracy Today, a programme on AIT which aired on Wednesday, Clark countered Dauras stance on zoning. According to the elder statesman, Daura shouldnt have a say in such matters as zoning, as he didnt have much experience in politics. Im not surprised at the principle statement by Mamman Daura. He has no political background; he hasnt held any office in this country; he doesnt belong to any political party, so he has not got any political experience, Clark said. The main fact that he is permanently a resident in Aso Rock as adviser to his uncle is not enough for him to make irresponsible statement that could jeopardise the unity of this country. To jettison zoning is looking for chaotic situation in this country and there will be no one Nigeria, united Nigeria because no one will be a slave to the others. Clark maintained that any move to reject zoning would not reflect positively on ensuring unity in the country. I met him (Daura) for the first time in my life, now he has a privilege of residing permanently in Aso Rock, being the leader of the cabal, being the man who is advising. What is he advising? he asked. No one prevents him from being a nephew to his uncle, Muhammadu Buhari, from advising him on family matters. He has no right to stay permanently without any official appointment in Aso Rock and thereby having the privilege of enjoying the government activities. Now he doesnt want rotation to continue. Let me say this: nobody is a fool; whos fooling who in this country? Every region in this country has people with reputation, capable, intelligent and are today wasting away because some people what to be the overlord of this country. So, if we want to have a united Nigeria and practise true democracy, there must be a rotation of the presidency between the north and south. Who are they now to say that they are rejecting rotation in the favour of competence? Are they more competent than any other Nigerian in one place? The solution is that when Buhari leaves, let the rotation go to the south as recommended by the national conference. We must have a united Nigeria based on equality, otherwise there will be no Nigeria. 'The pressure to expand the council of ministers will come from states where the BJP has formed a government after ousting the Congress,' predicts A K Bhattacharya. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Midi with members of his Cabinet after they were sworn in on May 31, 2019. Photograph: ANI Photo In his second term as prime minister, Narendra Damodardas Modi has been a little more restrained as far as reshuffling or expanding his council of ministers is concerned. This may be because since March, he has been preoccupied with the tasks of tackling the pandemic. But the fact is there has been no major ministerial reshuffle or expansion of the Union council of ministers in the Modi government's second term even after 14 months since its formation. When he was first sworn in as prime minister in May 2014, the size of his ministry was relatively small at just 45 ministers -- 23 Cabinet ministers and 22 ministers of state including those with independent charge. By November 2014, Modi inducted 21 more ministers into his government and raised the strength to 66. Twenty months later, in July 2016, he appointed over a dozen more ministers and the strength of the council was well above 70. In contrast, Modi began his second innings at the end of May 2019 with 57 members in the Union council of ministers. There was expectation that the size of the council would be expanded soon just as it was done in 2014. But no such reshuffle or expansion has taken place so far, barring just one change in November 2019. Arvind Sawant quit the Union Cabinet after his party, the Shiv Sena, broke off its relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra over the formation of the state government. That actually reduced the size of the council of ministers to 56. Sawant's ministry -- Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises -- was handed over to Prakash Javadekar, who already had two other ministries under him -- Information & Broadcasting and Environment, Forest and Climate Change. At the Centre, there are 52 ministries and two departments. The two departments, looking after space and atomic energy, are under the prime minister's direct supervision. Modi is also in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. That leaves 51 ministries to be looked after by the council of ministers. But in Modi's second term, there are only 23 Cabinet ministers and nine ministers of state with independent charge. Twenty four ministers of state do not have an independent charge. The unusual feature of this government is that as many as five Cabinet ministers are in charge of as many as three ministries each. Five more Cabinet ministers handle two ministries each. There are only 13 ministers, who handle a ministry each. Of the nine ministers of state with independent charge, as many as four ministers look after two ministries each and the remaining five are entrusted with one ministry each. If the Modi government could do with fewer ministers in the last 14 months, the obvious question that arises is, why there should be any need for any expansion of the council of ministers? Governance has not really suffered because of fewer ministers. The much-hyped goal of maximum governance through minimum government seems to have been achieved at least at the top rung of the administration by entrusting the responsibility of about 63 per cent of the total number of ministries with just 14 ministers. Critics may worry about the concentration of power in a smaller number of ministers, but that is a different debate. The next step here upon should be to restructure these ministries by merging or restructuring them to ensure there is synergy and correlation among the different ministries being looked after by each of these ministers. For instance, there is no reason why Steel as a ministry should be handled by one minister while Coal and Mines should have another Cabinet minister or why Commerce and Industry, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises should be handled by three different Cabinet ministers. A logical next step for the government would be to keep the strength of the council of ministers at the current level, since governance has not really been worse than when there were more ministers, and restructure as well as reallocate them in a manner that the exercise brings greater cohesion, harmony and synergy. The chances of this happening, however, are very remote. For many years, ministry formation has not been just about governance, but more crucially about political management. Far more important than governance is to ensure how different states get necessary representation in the council, how different alliance partners of a coalition are looked after and how the presence of different castes and communities in the council is ensured. Pressure from the alliance partners to include their members in the council may not be difficult to resist. There are 30-odd partners of the National Democratic Alliance, but none of them wields a strong influence on the BJP, whose dominance in the coalition is almost complete. The real pressure to expand the council of ministers will come from the states, where the BJP has already formed its own government after ousting the Congress by winning over loyalties and may do so again in another state. In short, the Modi government may not be able to keep its council of ministers as lean as it has kept in the last 14 months. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Madrid, Spain Thu, July 30, 2020 08:30 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a629d5 2 Sports Sevilla,La-Liga,soccer,COVID-19-test,coronavirus-testing,soccer-club,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection Free A member of Sevilla's first-team squad has tested positive for COVID-19, the club said Wednesday while announcing it was suspending training pending the result of further tests. The Spanish side are due to face Roma in Germany next week in a single-leg fixture in the last 16 of the Europa League. Sevilla said the case was discovered following tests conducted by the club on Sunday, and the player concerned is "asymptomatic, in good health and is isolated at home". In a statement, Sevilla added they had "temporarily suspended the team's training sessions and carried out disinfection tasks in the facilities". The club has carried out two further rounds of tests on the rest of the squad and staff following the initial case. "In the first one, all the tests carried out have been negative. The results of the second tests, which have been carried out today, will be known this Thursday morning," Sevilla said. The team plans to return to training on Thursday with individual sessions if all results from the second batch of tests come back negative. The latter stages of the Europa League will be completed with a straight knockout mini-tournament in Germany, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The competition was suspended in March. The final will be played in Cologne on August 21. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played as one-off ties with Cologne, Duisburg, Duesseldorf and Gelsenkirchen all hosting games. Before that, all last-16 ties must be completed. Only six of the eight first-leg matches were played in March. The other two ties -- Inter v Getafe and Sevilla v Roma -- will be decided as one-off matches on neutral ground in Germany. Addressing North Korean veterans on Monday, Kim Jong Un appeared to draw a line under his nuclear weapons diplomacy with President Trump, Washington Examiner writes in the article Did Kim Jong Un just bury Trump's nuclear diplomacy? Kim did so by suggesting that his nuclear weapons program is no longer up for negotiation. As the Workers Party of Korea chairman put it, "War is an armed clash, which can be unleashed only against a weak one. None can now make little of us. We will not allow others to look down upon us, and, if they do so, make them pay dearly. Thanks to our reliable and effective self-defense nuclear deterrence, the word 'war' would no longer exist on this land, and the security and future of our state will be guaranteed forever." That final line "guaranteed forever" is noteworthy. As with all his public addresses, Kim knows this speech will be carefully assessed by foreign intelligence services. The political analysts at the CIA's Korean Mission Center, for example, will consider Kim's comments in the context of other intelligence reporting on his thinking and that of his inner circle. Attention to Kim's ever-shifting inner circle is a powerful reflection of his attitude toward the U.S. negotiating track in any one moment. And with the inner circle presently centered around Kim Yong Chol's uber-hardliner faction, Kim's rhetoric here should raise eyebrows. Kim's explicit linkage of the "future of our state" as being "guaranteed forever" by "nuclear deterrence" would seem to preclude any surrendering of his nuclear weapons. Yes, Kim's surrender of those weapons was always highly unlikely. But there have been previous indications to suggest that Kim might give up his long-range ballistic missiles and commit to some kind of nuclear safeguarding program. This new rhetoric's emphasis toward escalation does not exist in a vacuum. While the North Korean leader has not yet returned to intercontinental ballistic missile tests, he has secretly advanced his missile program. This development has centered on missile targeting and telemetry and the reentry vehicles that carry nuclear warheads to their targets. Kim might even have sought to confirm U.S. intelligence reporting on these improvements with his Monday description of the nuclear program as "reliable and effective." Put simply, Kim's next intercontinental missile test is likely to show marked proficiency improvement over the last test in 2017. There's another reason to think the U.S.-North Korean nuclear diplomacy is heading in a negative direction: the rapidly escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington. China's Xi Jinping is likely to believe that his manipulation of the North Korean nuclear crisis offers a means of pressuring Trump in the run-up to November's presidential election. Because of the very public profile Trump has given his treatment of this issue, any new escalation from Kim will create political complications for the president. Of course, a Chinese move to encourage North Korean escalation also carries risks. If identified by the United States, it would risk the imposition of even greater U.S. pressure on China. Were Xi to want Joe Biden elected come November, escalation might also risk Trump benefiting from a rallying around the flag effect. But the possibility of Chinese interference toward escalation cannot be discounted. For one, China is now openly flouting United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang. In short, Kim's rhetoric and the current political environment don't suggest smooth diplomatic waters ahead. Vu Ngoc Anh poses for a picture after conquering Fansipan, the highest peak in the Indochinese Peninsula. Photo courtesy of Anh. Vu Ngoc Anh did not let osteogenesis imperfecta stop him from traveling to 42 localities across Vietnam and 10 Asian countries. When visiting Phong Nha-Ke Bang caves in northern Quang Binh Province in April, wheelchair-bound Anh threw caution to the wind and proceeded across the increasingly ragged terrain on his knees. No one would ever have thought the 33-year-old osteogenesis imperfecta patient to be as passionate about exploring new lands and cultures, regardless of method or obstacles. Once, he even embarked on a trans-Vietnam journey using savings accumulated over five years. "Bound to a wheelchair all your life, the only desire you experience is to get up, run, walk and look at life from a completely different angle. Though my legs are weak, my dreams are powerful," he maintained. In February 2016, on his knees, Anh scaled 600 steps to the top of Fansipan, the highest peak in the Indochinese Peninsula, in northern Lai Chau Province "A capable person could leisurely climb 600 stone steps to reach the top. But you can image the challenge of doing so on your knees," he said. During the journey, he received lots of strange looks from passersby, alongside some encouragement, one stranger calling out, "Only 10 more steps ahead, don't give up brother!" Anh en route to conquering Mount Fansipan. Photo courtesy of Anh. When he finally reached "the Roof of Indochina," Anh was drenched in sweat, the fabric of his jeans worn away, his skin swollen and red. Brimming with joy, he told himself: "This is wonderful! Thanks to my hard work and people's encouragement, I made it to the top." "I often considered quitting, but I kept my determination strong. When others went fast, I slowed my pace and tread carefully. I wanted to rely on myself alone to fully enjoy the experience." On another occasion, while visiting the eastern most part of Vietnam, Anh tried to traverse a bumpy 2.5 km route through a forest. "I had to rest a total 30 minutes along the way, wrapping grass around my knees to reduce the wear and pain," he said. Over time, the ardent adventurer has explored the country's most northern province of Ha Giang, central Khanh Hoa Province, southern Ca Mau Province, northern Dien Bien Province, besides visiting Thailand, South Korea, and Japan, among others. After setting foot in 42 Vietnamese localities and 10 Asian countries, Anh decided to temporally halt his travels at the end of 2016 and return to Hanoi to care for his sick father. Only in April this year did he resume his quest, heading straight to Phong Nha-Ke Bang. 200 bad breaks Anh sitting next to his wheelchair. Photo courtesy of Anh. "There is a saying that you will succeed in something if you spend over 10,000 hours on it. So, I managed to beat my fear of broken bones," he joked. At eight months old, he broke a hand and a leg for the first time. Since then, his bones have broken nearly 200 times. At 21, he asked his parents to let him move from northern Hai Phong City to Hanoi. At first, they did not agree, but later gave in on the condition he call home twice or thrice a day and his father would check up on him every few weeks. In his 10 years living in the capital, Anh has worked repairing phones and computers to doing graphic design. Recently, he opened his own company focused on shipping goods from the U.S. to Vietnam. Anh next plans to conquer the northwestern region of Vietnam, while continuing his focus on a charity project providing wheelchairs to those with disabilities. In Uttarakhands Udham Singh Nagar district, the arrested accused are turning out to be one of the prime carriers of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, much to the inconvenience of the police personnel. In two separate cases, two arrested accused have tested Covid-19 positive in the past week, leading to the quarantine of at least 15 police personnel. On Tuesday evening, an alleged drug dealer (26), who was busted at Jaspur in the district, tested Covid-19 positive, leading to the quarantine of 15 police personnel, including an inspector, an official said. The accused was apprehended with contraband on Tuesday evening. Later, he tested Covid-19 positive, said Rajesh Bhatt, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Kashipur. Eight police personnel, who came in direct contact with the accused, are under institutional quarantine at a hotel-turned-Covid Care Centre in Kashipur. While seven others have quarantined themselves at the police station itself, Bhatt added. Last Thursday, a youth (23), a resident of Transit Camp, Rudrapur, was nabbed at Rampur border for allegedly eloping with a minor girl from the same colony. He also tested Covid-19 positive and was later quarantined by the police, the official said. Daleep Singh Kunwar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Udham Singh Nagar, had a word of caution for the police personnel. Police personnel has been urged to take precautionary measures such as wearing masks, gloves, etc, while interacting with criminals and wanted persons, the SSP said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 05:10:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Christoph Heusgen, Germany's permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks at a press encounter at the UN headquarters in New York, on July 30, 2020. In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's intention to attend this year's General Assembly General Debate in person, Christoph Heusgen said on Thursday that it makes no sense for world leaders to be physically present given the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua/Xie E) UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's intention to attend this year's General Assembly General Debate in person, a German diplomat said on Thursday that it makes no sense for world leaders to be physically present given the COVID-19 pandemic. "We have been looking at developments in the United States on COVID. We have been looking at the situation in New York. And we know what the high-level week means when you have 190 delegations coming into the city," said Christoph Heusgen, Germany's permanent representative to the United Nations. "Taking into consideration the prognostics for September, we believe that it doesn't really make sense to have a high-level week, to have the General Assembly, where you have leaders attending," he told a press encounter at the end of his country's Security Council presidency for the month of July. Heusgen confirmed that there are no plans in Germany for either Chancellor Angela Merkel or Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to fly to New York for the General Assembly high-level week. "We have to be careful. We must not endanger people by coming with a big delegation here. And therefore we agreed to the proposal to have the leaders present their speeches in a virtual way." U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, said Thursday that Trump hopes to address the UN General Assembly in person in September. A UN spokesman said Trump's presence at the General Assembly is a matter to be coordinated by the United Nations and the United States. "I don't want to speculate on what the future will hold. As you know, the (UN) Secretariat will be in touch, basically through the Office of the President of the General Assembly, with the member states on their representation," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a virtual press briefing. "We have made clear to all member states the need to keep the delegations' numbers low. There is an absolute upper limit of how many people we can safely accommodate, and all member states have been made aware of that. How they will adjust is a matter ultimately of discussion between the member states and the United Nations." UN member states agreed last week on special measures for the upcoming high-level week, which allow one, at most two, New York-based representatives per delegation in the General Assembly Hall. According to the decision adopted by the General Assembly on July 22, dignitaries of member states will not be in New York. Instead, each member state can submit a pre-recorded statement of its leaders, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall. "We trust and expect that all member states will abide by the need to keep the numbers low, and we'll see what they do in terms of their preparations," said Haq. "We will be in touch with all the member states to make sure that the arrangements are appropriate. And we'll need to make sure, again, that we remain within limited numbers so that we can practice social distancing and have safe conditions for everyone who comes into the building." Enditem PM Modi (India Government Press Information Bureau via AP) Even as Ayodhya readies itself for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's August 5 visit to the city to attend the 'bhoomi pujan' for the Ram temple, the prime minister may also launch postal stamps on a symbolic model of the temple and the Ramayana while there, The Indian Express reported. "If things go as planned, then postal stamps will also be launched on August 5. One of these stamps is likely to be on a symbolic model of Ram Temple and another on scenes depicting the significance of Ram in other countries," YP Singh, the Director of Ayodhya Research Institute, told the newspaper. However, coming as it does amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has appealed to 'Ram bhakts' to "not be anxious to reach Ayodhya on August 5." Singh said that in order to depict the cultural presence of Ram "across the world", the Ayodhya Research Institute is preparing big posters and cut-outs of symbols of Ram Lila from different countries. These would be put up on the route to the Ram temple site, he said. Apart from that, Singh told the newspaper that preparations are on to ensure non-stop recitation of Ram Charitra Manas at 25 different locations on the 4.5 km route from Saket Degree College, where the PM's chopper will land, to the Ram temple site. However, even as the preparations are on for a grand scale 'bhumi poojan' at Ayodhya, the trust has appealed to people to watch the live telecast of the event on television and light lamps at their homes to mark the occasion instead of rushing to the site considering the pandemic situation. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh police and Sashastra Seema Bal have been put on high alert in the districts bordering Nepal ahead of the prime minister's visit to Ayodhya, Independence Day and the coming festival season, a senior official said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Prospective drivers can resume some of their efforts toward getting a license, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. Driving schools licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles can resume pre-licensing courses remotely, via socially distant apps like Zoom and Skype, according to a media release from the governors office. According to the media release, licensed schools with more than one instructor do not need to seek approval from the DMV before instituting the pre-licensing courses, commonly known as the five-hour course. As we continue establishing a new normal, its important to be flexible in how we administer certain services, including the process for getting a drivers license, Cuomo said. The pre-licensing course is critical for New Yorkers to learn how to drive safely, and allowing driving schools to teach this course remotely will allow courses to resume without risking the health and safety of those participating. The move comes less than a week after Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, told reporters that the state was looking at taking the course virtual. Normally, students can take the course through the DMV or though a high school or college class, according to the DMVs website. Students will still need to meet other requirements before being issued a license. Students must pre-register and present their learners permit to the schools, which are responsible for issuing the course certificates as well as abiding by social distancing mandates. According to the media release, any questions or concerns should be directed to the DMV Driving School Unit at DriverTrainingProgram@dmv.ny.gov or (518) 473-7174. DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Technological innovation is woven into the operational culture of Accruit. In October 2000, Accruit became the first QI to complete a 1031 exchange via the Internet. It was a groundbreaking approach that paved the way for further innovation. Leveraging technology to simplify the 1031 exchange process, Exchange ManagerSM offers a paperless workflow, tracking transactions in real time while also maintaining security standards required to protect 1031 exchange details. Architected with proven technology from Fortune 100 companies, the software is hosted in a redundant and fault-tolerant cloud data center, ensuring 24/7/365 availability. Data is encrypted and continuously backed up; access to the application is secured behind a robust web application firewall. "Technology, expertise, flexibility, and the ability to scale with our operations was key when selecting the QI for our Company," says Patrick Esper, CAO of Home Partners. "Accruit's ability to integrate their platform with our process and evolve as our needs have change while ensuring our 1031 transactions are properly managed has been pivotal to our growth strategy." "Accruit's ability to build custom technology sets them apart from other QIs," says President & CEO Brent Abrahm. This latest release expands the complete online workflow by launching functionality and tighter integrations with channel partners, high-volume clients, and tax advisors. Other features include integrating intake forms with third party back-end systems and communicating instantaneously with deal information. Personal service is central to the Accruit experience. Exchange Manager handles the administrative burden of exchanges which provides Accruit representatives and subject matter experts time and flexibility to address a clients' unique needs. About Accruit Accruit is a Qualified Intermediary that facilitates all types of 1031 exchangesforward, reverse and improvementnationwide. The Accruit team has over 100 years' collective experience with thousands of exchanges, from the simplest to the most complex. Accruit's proprietary technology aids in providing an experience that leaves clients confident that their exchanges are safe and secure, every time. SOURCE Accruit, LLC Even in the hazy, flag-waving days surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attack on the United States, there was something about Americas rush to create a massive state apparatus called the Department of Homeland Security that made some peoples skin crawl and not just the usual patchouli-scented, granola-sated leftist suspects. The word homeland is a strange word, George W. Bushs Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told staffers in a memo after some floated the idea of combining federal functions around immigration, customs, domestic intelligence, and law enforcement into one vast department even before 9/11. Homeland Defense sounds more German than American. The USA had functioned just fine for 226 years without a Department of Homeland Security, and the decision to create DHS was never cast in stone. Even the hawkish Bush administration wasnt sure it was needed politically, the pressure came from centrist Democrats like former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman eager to show their post-9/11 cojones. Yet once planted in the ground, DHS has grown wildly like choking, invasive kudzu, causing even the libertarian, Koch-Brothers-funded Cato Institute to call it wasteful and declare Americans are not safer. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter Donald Rumsfeld was very wrong about many, many things remember the WMD east and west and south and north of Baghdad? but his qualms about a homeland-security state on U.S. soil were right on the money. The bureaucratic waste and the nations failure to confront its real threats from stronger hurricanes to a global pandemic have been bad enough. But the real risk of creating a state-security force was that it would follow the beaten-down jackbooted pathway of every state security force before it and get turned against the American people. It would be trite and arguably wrong to label as unthinkable the scenes out of Portland, Ore., over the last several weeks involving unbadged and anonymous federal agents hiding behind their dark visors and layers of camouflage. They fire choking tear gas at protesters demanding racial justice, or just-barely-less-than-lethal rubber bullets that can fracture skulls. Meanwhile their comrades take activists off the streets in unmarked vans, or arrest them so a judge can order them to avoid protests and thus surrender their First Amendment rights. These DHS agents from militarized units within Customs and Border Patrol or Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) have become a kind of secret police accountable only to President Trump, some 3,000 miles away, and his appointed lackey now running DHS even as public officials in Oregon have begged them to leave. Now the first wave of serious-but-threat-obsessed Republicans who initially ran Homeland Security for Bush 43 claims to be shocked by the nightly footage out of Portland. It would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to a unilateral, uninvited intervention into one of my cities, Tom Ridge, the former Pennsylvania governor who was Bushs initial DHS Secretary, told a radio interviewer. The Afghanistan-style blowback of a U.S. government agency waging war on American people was never the idea! It never is ... at first. This is an experiment that has failed and needs to be radically rethought, Elizabeth Goitein told me. She is co-director of the liberty and national security program at the Brennan Center for Justice and coauthor of an article last week urging Congress not to mostly write DHS a blank check in its current spending bill but to insist on major reforms, as well as the naming of a permanent secretary after acting chiefs for the last 15 months. Those of us who warned about a Portland-style scenario in flag-pinned days of the early 2000s were called alarmists, cranks, dirty [bleeping] hippies and much worse. The November 2002 vote to consolidate 22 federal agencies into the massive, now-240,000-employee DHS passed the Senate 90-9, as few listened to then-Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold a seer on rising authoritarianism whod be booted from office for Russia-friendly kook Ron Johnson warn we were weakening protections against unwarranted government intrusion into the lives of ordinary Americans. To be sure, the 3,000 deaths on 9/11 exposed flaws that required a major tune-up. The CIA and the FBI didnt talk to each other, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) was caught flat-footed, and airport security then close to nonexistent needed the overhaul thats been a bumpy success in the 19 years since. But the massive changes wrought by DHS largely in response to an international terrorism threat that now seems greatly diminished were just part of a broader homeland security mind-set. It saw every problem in America, from desperate refugees on the border to marginalized people demanding jobs and justice, as a nail to be jackhammered by a harsh, militaristic response, powered by armored personnel carriers (APCs) and private prison cells. Just as Feingold tried to warn us, the homeland-security state began spying on everyday Americans from Day One, first demanding to see your library card and moving up to bulk collection of your emails, enabled by fear-inspired bills like the Patriot Act that seem impossible to get rid of once theyre on the books. READ MORE: Trumps made-for-TV fascism in Portland wont get him reelected. It may get someone killed. | Will Bunch The panic-stricken notion that al-Qaeda would throw America a curveball by attacking some remote town in Idaho or the Pumpkin Festival in Keene, N.H., which obtained one of the Pentagons surplus APCs, was the spark that led to the rise of the militarized warrior cop wielding those spare weapons of war. Im pretty sure it was Chekhov who advised writers never to introduce body armor or rubber bullets in Act One unless someones going to use them in Act Three even if Act Three is Americans marching against systemic racism. The surge of new, young recruits who signed up to become Border Patrol or ICE agents in post-9/11 America found there werent that many al-Qaeda terror plots to thwart but they fostered an authoritarian culture that found other outlets (no group more enthusiastically backed Trumps 2016 election than the union representing Border Patrol agents) and shared a distrust of immigrants, liberals, and dissent. Theyve been saying this quiet part out loud for years, and its getting louder in the George Floyd era. Trumps Pentagon is now training soldiers to see protesters and journalists as adversaries. At DHS, it was inevitable that 77 local fusion centers that were supposed to help federal, state and local officials cooperate on terrorism would increasingly monitor legitimate dissent like antiwar activists, Occupy Wall Street, or Black Lives Matter. Or that 15 cities including Philadelphia would ask the feds for help spying on protests with its high-powered drones. For everyday, Americans who werent paying attention as the frog of free speech sat in this pot of boiling water, Trumps immigration crackdown at the southern border should have been the alarm whistle. Again, there were voices back in 2002 that tried to warn us about the militarized, punitive regime that would be created with the formation of ICE, and with viewing immigration not as a social issue but a national security threat. Goitein told me that some mission creep seemed inevitable with DHS, but the arrival of a president without respect for the rule of law has taken things to todays current dark place. Customs and Border Patrol he has let them off the leash, although theres a culture there thats predisposed to Trumps strongman approach. Bill Ong Hing, now a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, testified back in 2002 against putting ICE under DHS and says today that Congress created a monster that conflates immigration and terrorism. Now that monster is putting peaceful protest and legitimate dissent under that same umbrella and this approach is bleeding down to the local cop on the beat. This week, we saw armed, shorts-wearing plainclothes New York City detectives mimic the feds in Portland by taking a suspect accused of property damage, shoving her into an unmarked Kia van, and driving off. At the same time, about 100 local police departments in Wisconsin are refusing to provide security for the drastically downsized Democratic convention in Milwaukee because theyre terrified the city will not allow them to deploy tear gas. Enough already! America had muddled through much of its glorious history without tear gas, or camouflaged robocops or a massive, now out-of-control Department of Homeland Security. If Joe Biden can hold onto his lead and become Americas 46th president in January, with a more progressive Congress, they must begin the serious work of dismantling one of Americas first great mistakes of the 21st Century. DHS should be abolished its component parts rethought, then rebuilt from scratch not only because the department is wasteful, inefficient, and ineffective against actual threats, but because well be tearing down a neo-fascist mind-set that slowly corrupted America society until it crawled fully formed from the sewers near a Portland courthouse. It would help in that mission if our policy leaders began to think deeper and realize that DHS wasnt only one spectacularly bad idea, but symbolic of a militaristic society that can find the directions to send armed forces to Iraq and then to El Paso and finally Portland yet utterly lacks a moral compass. Yes, even deluded Donald Rumsfeld got one thing right: Homeland Security was a dumb concept that sounded worse in the original German. READ MORE: SIGN UP: The Will Bunch Newsletter Credible compiled a list of 20 U.S. metro areas where homes are selling the fastest, using data from Zillow and ranking homes according to the average number of days they were listed before there was a pending sale in December 2020, the most recent month in which data was available for all metros. Archaeologists have solved one of Stonehenges greatest mysteries the precise source of the world-famous prehistoric temples largest stones. A new scientific breakthrough has, for the first time, allowed geologists to pinpoint almost exactly where Stonehenges giant stone uprights and lintels came from. Up until now, all that archaeologists knew with reasonable certainty was that the stones (a type of rock known as sarsen) had been brought in around 2500BC by the great temples Neolithic builders from the Marlborough Downs or immediately adjacent areas a 75 sq miles area, 15-25 miles north of Stonehenge. But now scientists from the University of Brighton have traced the stones to a small very specific two sq mile part of that range of hills a patch of woodland just south of the village of Lockeridge, Wiltshire. In prehistoric and indeed later times, that area (now known as West Woods) seems to have been strewn with particularly large sarsen boulders, geochemically identical to those used to build Stonehenge. Recent detailed examination of the West Woods area by Reading University archaeologist, Katy Whitaker, suggests that the builders of Stonehenge probably chose it as their source of stone because of the exceptional sizes and relative flatness of many of its sarsen boulders. New archaeological research about the site has revealed that even 1200 years before Stonehenge was built, the West Woods areas great sarsen slabs were used to construct a massive local prehistoric tomb. Now that the source of Stonehenges great stones has finally been identified, archaeological attention is likely to turn to discovering the precise route used by the monuments prehistoric builders to move the giant 20-40tn stones from West Woods to Stonehenge (a distance of around 15 miles). There are two main options an eastern route down the Wiltshire Avon Valley and a western route across Salisbury Plain. The western option would have involved a short segment where they would have had to haul the boulders up a 14 per cent gradient for around 300m. But the eastern option would probably have involved hauling the giant stones (around 80 of them) for at least six miles along a river valley through relatively dense woodland and scrub. It would almost certainly not have been possible to use a raft on that river (the Wiltshire Avon) because the width of raft required to transport such large boulders would almost certainly have been much greater than the width of the river itself. A large sarsen stone at West Woods, the probable source of Stonehenges rocks (Historic England/University of Reading) (Katy Whitaker (Historic England/University of Reading)) On the balance of probabilities, its perhaps more likely that the builders of Stonehenge opted for the western route, despite the need to haul the stones up a hill. That route would have taken them south from West Woods across the southern part of the Marlborough Downs and down a very steep hill into the Vale of Pewsey. They would then have taken what was perhaps an already ancient trackway past (or indeed through) a huge prehistoric ritual and ceremonial complex (at Marden) across the river Avon and then up onto Salisbury Plain. It was that ascent onto Salisbury Plain, which involved the only moderately steep part of the journey (the 14 per cent gradient). Then they would have crossed the relatively flat and unforested plain to Stonehenge itself. If they did opt for this, on balance easier, western route, then the fact that they (and their massive stones) would have passed by or through the Marden ritual complex is potentially significant. In architectural terms, Stonehenge was destined to be the most impressive religious complex in Neolithic Britain but Marden may well have been the biggest. Archaeological investigations over recent years (led by archaeologist, Dr Jim Leary, now of the University of York) have revealed that the Marden complex consisted of three great monuments a vast 500m diameter banked enclosure north of the River Avon, a huge roughly 20m tall, 70m diameter ceremonial mound in the centre of that enclosure and another banked enclosure, south of the river, surrounded by a 100m diameter circle of massive 1m diameter wooden obelisks. Return of the core from Stone 58 at Stonehenge to English Heritage in 2018 (English Heritage) (Juliet Brain (English Heritage)) Having discovered the source of the giant stones of Stonehenge, archaeologists may soon be in in a position to make another potentially significant discovery about more than 100 fragments of sarsen stone found at Marden. In deploying the same scientific techniques used to pinpoint the source of the Stonehenge sarsens, scientists may ultimately be able to discover where the Marden fragments came from. Detailed preliminary examination of those enigmatic fragments will begin later this year. Those fragments appear to have been gathered together in the Marden ritual complex at around the same time that the Stonehenge sarsens may have been passing through that monument. So if it were ultimately to turn out that the Marden fragments came from West Woods, then it is conceivable that those fragments may have been removed from Stonehenge-bound sarsen boulders potentially to shape them (and thus reduce their weight) prior to their ascent onto Salisbury Plain. David Nash, from the University of Brighton, analysing the sarsen core extracted from Stone 58 (English Heritage) (Sam Frost (English Heritage)) Sarsen stone, the type of rock used to build Stonehenge and Avebury stone circle, may well have been regarded as profoundly mysterious by prehistoric people because they normally only occur as loose or semi-buried boulders, completely unconnected to any bedrock. Indeed, the bedrock in the Marlborough Downs is chalk so the presence (back in the Neolithic) of hundreds of thousands of often huge boulders composed of an obviously totally different type of stone (sometimes even arranged in straight lines across the landscape) would have been seen by prehistoric people as unusual. Worldwide, anomalous stones have often been regarded by many cultures as spiritually and physically interchangeable with humans sometimes with a belief that particular stones contained the souls, spirits or even the transformed mortal remains of the dead. The belief was widespread, occurring on virtually every continent. It is likely therefore that the builders of Stonehenge, Avebury and other stone circles perceived sarsen in both practical construction terms and also in more spiritual ones. In geological terms, sarsen is just a very hard sandstone. It was formed around 50 million years ago when fresh groundwater gradually deposited additional silica while flowing through sand deposits. In some places, that silica then acted as a natural glue to bind trillions of sand grains together, thus forming solid rock. Drilling work at Stonehenge in 1958 during which cores of sarsen stone were extracted from Stone 58 (Robin Phillips) When later erosion subsequently removed the surrounding unglued (ie loose) sand, all that was left were the sarsen boulders. Because the chemicals in the original sand varied from locality to locality, modern scientists have now been able to develop a way of producing very accurate chemical fingerprints for sarsen stones from different locations. The system has been developed by University of Brighton geomorphologist and geographer, Professor David Nash. He has now used it to solve the mystery of where Stonehenges sarsens came from. Its the first time that sarsen fingerprinting has been used to solve a major archaeological puzzle. The new British Academy funded research is being published today by the American on-line free-access journal Science Advances. It has been really exciting to harness 21st-century science to understand the Neolithic past, and finally answer a question that archaeologists have been debating for centuries, said Professor Nash. We can now say, when sourcing the sarsens, the overriding objective was size, said English Heritage senior properties historian Susan Greaney. The builders of Stonehenge wanted the biggest, most substantial stones they could find, she added. As well as the giant sarsen stones, Stonehenge also has a significant number of much smaller stones (the so-called bluestones). Over the years, scientists have succeeded in demonstrating that those smaller (2-3tn) standing stones were brought by Stonehenges builders from southwest Wales. Professor Nash was able to analyse the Stonehenge sarsens because a core extracted from one of the monuments giant stones during repair work in the 1950s (and taken to America by one of the engineers involved in that work) was returned to English Heritage last year. SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today financial results for the second quarter of 2020. All per-share results are presented on a fully-diluted share and unit basis. Highlights Reported net income available to common stockholders of $0.20 per share in 2Q20, compared to $0.15 in 2Q19 per share in 2Q20, compared to in 2Q19 Reported FFO per share of $1.49 in 2Q20, compared to $1.53 in 2Q19 in 2Q20, compared to in 2Q19 Reported core FFO per share of $1.54 in 2Q20, compared to $1.64 in 2Q19 in 2Q20, compared to in 2Q19 Signed total bookings during 2Q20 expected to generate $144 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a $12 million contribution from interconnection of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a contribution from interconnection Raised 2020 core FFO per share outlook from $5.90 - $6.10 to $6.00 - $6.10 Financial Results Digital Realty reported revenues for the second quarter of 2020 of $993 million, a 21% increase from the previous quarter and a 24% increase from the same quarter last year. The company delivered second quarter of 2020 net income of $76 million, and net income available to common stockholders of $54 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, compared to $0.90 per diluted share in the previous quarter and $0.15 per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Digital Realty generated second quarter of 2020 adjusted EBITDA of $559 million, a 16% increase from the previous quarter and a 17% increase over the same quarter last year. The company reported second quarter of 2020 funds from operations of $415 million, or $1.49 per share, compared to $0.91 per share in the previous quarter and $1.53 per share in the same quarter last year. Excluding certain items that do not represent core expenses or revenue streams, Digital Realty delivered second quarter of 2020 core FFO per share of $1.54, a 1% increase from $1.53 per share in the previous quarter, and a 6% decrease from $1.64 per share in the same quarter last year. Leasing Activity In the second quarter, Digital Realty signed total bookings expected to generate $144 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue, including a $12 million contribution from interconnection and an $18 million contribution from the combination with Interxion, which was completed on March 12, 2020. "I'm incredibly proud of the way the Digital Realty team has come together during the difficult circumstances of the past several months to maintain steadfast support for our customers around the world, prioritizing health and safety while maintaining service levels," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "We continued to seed investments to support our customers' future growth across the Americas, APAC and EMEA, while delivering record current-period bookings, demonstrating the power of our global platform as well as the resiliency of our business. Looking ahead, we are well positioned to continue to deliver sustainable growth for customers, shareholders and employees, into the second half of 2020 and beyond." The weighted-average lag between leases signed during the second quarter of 2020 and the contractual commencement date was seven months. In addition to new leases signed, Digital Realty also signed renewal leases representing $169 million of annualized GAAP rental revenue during the quarter. Rental rates on renewal leases signed during the second quarter of 2020 rolled down 2.8% on a cash basis and up 7.2% on a GAAP basis. New leases signed during the second quarter of 2020 are summarized by region as follows: Annualized GAAP Base Rent GAAP Base Rent GAAP Base Rent The Americas (in thousands) Square Feet per Square Foot Megawatts per Kilowatt 0-1 MW $11,645 59,770 $195 4.5 $214 > 1 MW 78,711 668,092 118 70.6 93 Other (1) 17,376 532,078 33 Total $107,733 1,259,940 $86 75.1 $100 Europe (2) 0-1 MW $9,898 40,469 $245 3.2 $260 > 1 MW 11,237 111,474 101 9.6 98 Other (1) 108 927 116 Total $21,243 152,870 $139 12.8 $138 Asia Pacific (2) 0-1 MW $617 2,891 $213 0.2 $266 > 1 MW 2,433 10,024 243 1.2 167 Other (1) Total $3,050 12,915 $236 1.4 $180 All Regions (2) 0-1 MW $22,160 103,130 $215 7.9 $234 > 1 MW 92,382 789,590 117 81.4 95 Other (1) 17,484 533,005 33 Total $132,026 1,425,725 $93 89.3 $107 Interconnection $11,775 N/A N/A N/A N/A Grand Total $143,800 1,425,725 $93 89.3 $107 Note: Totals may not foot due to rounding differences. (1) Other includes Powered Base Building shell capacity as well as storage and office space within fully improved data center facilities. (2) Based on quarterly average exchange rates during the three months ended June 30, 2020. Investment Activity During the second quarter of 2020, Interxion, a leading European provider of carrier- and cloud-neutral colocation data center solutions and a Digital Realty company, acquired a 3.6-acre land parcel in Madrid, Spain for approximately 33 million, or $37 million. The land parcel is less than one kilometer from Interxion's existing campus in Madrid. Upon completion, the new facility is expected to support up to 34 megawatts of critical IT capacity and will encompass more than 375,000 square feet. Commencement of development will be subject to market demand, and delivery will be phased to meet future customer growth requirements. Subsequent to quarter-end, Interxion acquired the freehold to the land under its Hanauer Landstrae campus in Frankfurt for 185 million, or approximately $209 million. The site includes nine Interxion data centers previously subject to leasehold agreements with approximately nine years of remaining lease term, along with Interxion's German headquarters office as well as several buildings currently leased to other customers. Interxion now owns the freehold to all 15 data centers on its Frankfurt campus. Separately, Interxion reached an agreement to acquire an expansion parcel within approximately one kilometre of the Hanauer Landstrae campus for 177 million, or approximately $200 million. The expansion parcel totals 107,000 square metres that will support the development of up to 180 megawatts of additional IT capacity and will be fully connected to the existing campus. The purchase is expected to close in two stages, with final transfer of ownership in early 2021. Subsequent to quarter-end, Digital Realty closed on the sale of a property in Gronigen, the Netherlands for 20 million, or $22 million. The property is expected to generate 2020 cash net operating income of approximately 1.3 million, or $1.5 million, representing a 6.7% cap rate. Balance Sheet Digital Realty completed the following financing transactions during the second quarter of 2020. In mid-June, Digital Realty closed an offering of 500 million, or approximately $565 million , of 1.250% Euro-denominated notes due 2031. , of 1.250% Euro-denominated notes due 2031. Likewise in mid-June, Digital Realty liquidated a portion of its stake in Megaport with the sale of 7.7 million shares at a weighted average price of A$13.36 generating gross proceeds of A$103 million , or approximately $70 million . generating gross proceeds of , or approximately . During the second quarter of 2020, Digital Realty issued 4.5 million shares of common stock under the company's at-the-market equity offering program at a weighted average price of $142.43 per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately $645 million . per share, generating gross proceeds of approximately . Subsequent to quarter-end, Digital Realty announced its intent to redeem all $300 million of its outstanding 3.625% notes due 2022 as well as all $500 million of its outstanding 3.950% notes due 2022. Digital Realty had approximately $12.4 billion of total debt outstanding as of June 30, 2020, comprised of $12.1 billion of unsecured debt and approximately $0.2 billion of secured debt. At the end of the second quarter of 2020, net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA was 5.7x, debt plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value was 26.0% and fixed charge coverage was 4.6x. Pro forma for settlement of the $1 billion forward equity offering, net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA was 5.2x and fixed charge coverage was 4.9x. COVID-19 Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, Digital Realty's data centers around the world have remained fully operational in accordance with business continuity and pandemic response plans, prioritizing the health and safety of employees, customers and partners while ensuring service levels are maintained. Digital Realty data centers have been deemed essential operations, allowing for critical personnel to remain in place and continue to provide services and support for customers. Construction activity has been somewhat delayed in a few markets due to government restrictions in certain locations and/or limited availability of labor. In some instances, these delays have impacted scheduled delivery dates. We are monitoring the situation closely and remain in frequent communication with customers, contractors and suppliers. We have proactively managed our supply chain, and we believe we have acquired the vast majority of the equipment needed to complete our 2020 development activities. We believe we have ample liquidity to fund our business needs, given the $1 billion available upon physical settlement of the forward equity offering as well as the $505 million of cash on the balance sheet and $2.5 billion of availability under our global revolving credit facilities as of June 30, 2020. While we have not experienced any significant business disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic to date, we cannot predict what impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have on our future financial condition, results of operations or cash flows due to numerous uncertainties. 2020 Outlook Digital Realty raised its 2020 core FFO per share outlook from $5.90-$6.10 to $6.00-$6.10. The assumptions underlying the outlook are summarized in the following table. As of As of Top-Line and Cost Structure May 7, 2020 July 30, 2020 Total revenue $3.725 - $3.825 billion $3.775 - $3.825 billion Net non-cash rent adjustments (1) ($20 - $30 million) ($20 - $30 million) Adjusted EBITDA $2.075 - $2.125 billion $2.100 - $2.125 billion G&A $320 - $330 million $320 - $330 million Internal Growth Rental rates on renewal leases Cash basis Down low single-digits Down low single-digits GAAP basis Unchanged Unchanged Year-end portfolio occupancy (2) 85.0% - 86.0% 85.0% - 86.0% "Same-capital" cash NOI growth (3) (2.5%) - (3.5%) (2.5%) - (3.5%) Foreign Exchange Rates U.S. Dollar / Pound Sterling $1.20 - $1.25 $1.20 - $1.25 U.S. Dollar / Euro $1.05 - $1.10 $1.05 - $1.15 External Growth Dispositions Dollar volume $0.6 - $1.0 billion $0.6 - $1.0 billion Cap rate 0.0% - 12.0% 0.0% - 12.0% Development CapEx (4) $1.9 - $2.2 billion $1.9 - $2.2 billion Average stabilized yields 9.0% - 15.0% 9.0% - 15.0% Enhancements and other non-recurring CapEx (5) $5 - $10 million $5 - $10 million Recurring CapEx + capitalized leasing costs (6) $220 - $230 million $220 - $230 million Balance Sheet Long-term debt issuance Dollar amount $1.9 billion $2.5 billion Pricing 1.00% 1.00% - 1.25% Timing Early 2020 Early-to-mid 2020 Net income per diluted share $1.60 - $1.75 $1.20 - $1.25 Real estate depreciation and (gain) / loss on sale $3.50 - $3.50 $3.90 - $3.90 Funds From Operations / share (NAREIT-Defined) $5.10 - $5.25 $5.10 - $5.15 Non-core expenses and revenue streams $0.80 - $0.85 $0.90 - $0.95 Core Funds From Operations / share $5.90 - $6.10 $6.00 - $6.10 Foreign currency translation adjustments $0.05 - $0.15 $0.05 - $0.15 Constant-Currency Core FFO / share $5.95 - $6.25 $6.05 - $6.25 (1) Net non-cash rent adjustments represent the sum of straight-line rental revenue and straight-line rent expense, as well as the amortization of above- and below-market leases (i.e., ASC 805 adjustments). (2) Reflects inclusion of the Interxion portfolio, which was approximately 75% occupied as of June 30, 2020. (3) The "same-capital" pool includes properties owned as of December 31, 2018 with less than 5% of total rentable square feet under development. It also excludes properties that were undergoing, or were expected to undergo, development activities in 20192020, properties classified as held for sale, and properties sold or contributed to joint ventures for all periods presented. (4) Includes land acquisitions. (5) Other non-recurring CapEx represents costs incurred to enhance the capacity or marketability of operating properties, such as network fiber initiatives and software development costs. (6) Recurring CapEx represents non-incremental improvements required to maintain current revenues, including second-generation tenant improvements and leasing commissions. Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including FFO, core FFO and Adjusted EBITDA. A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to FFO, a reconciliation from FFO to core FFO, and definitions of FFO and core FFO are included as an attachment to this document. A reconciliation from U.S. GAAP net income available to common stockholders to Adjusted EBITDA, a definition of Adjusted EBITDA and definitions of net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA, debt-plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value, cash NOI, and fixed charge coverage ratio are included as an attachment to this document. Investor Conference Call Prior to Digital Realty's investor conference call at 5:30 p.m. EDT / 2:30 p.m. PDT on July 30, 2020, a presentation will be posted to the Investors section of the company's website at https://investor.digitalrealty.com/. The presentation is designed to accompany the discussion of the company's second quarter 2020 financial results and operating performance. The conference call will feature Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein and Chief Financial Officer Andrew P. Power. To participate in the live call, investors are invited to dial (888) 317-6003 (for domestic callers) or (412) 317-6061 (for international callers) and reference the conference ID# 0396071 at least five minutes prior to start time. A live webcast of the call will be available via the Investors section of Digital Realty's website at https://investor.digitalrealty.com/. Telephone and webcast replays will be available after the call until August 30, 2020. The telephone replay can be accessed by dialing (877) 344-7529 (for domestic callers) or (412) 317-0088 (for international callers) and providing the conference ID# 10145667. The webcast replay can be accessed on Digital Realty's website. About Digital Realty Digital Realty supports the data center, colocation and interconnection strategies of customers across the Americas, EMEA and APAC, ranging from cloud and information technology services, communications and social networking to financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare and consumer products. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact Information Andrew P. Power Chief Financial Officer Digital Realty (415) 7386500 John J. Stewart / Jim Huseby Investor Relations Digital Realty (415) 7386500 Consolidated Quarterly Statements of Operations Financial Supplement Unaudited and Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data Second Quarter 2020 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Rental revenues $698,041 $579,774 $549,733 $564,975 $565,925 $1,277,815 $1,151,349 Tenant reimbursements - Utilities 141,576 113,520 107,518 114,719 106,409 255,096 208,978 Tenant reimbursements - Other 62,630 56,943 59,641 57,466 62,820 119,573 118,688 Interconnection & other 85,428 69,835 65,576 65,312 64,232 155,263 132,400 Fee income 4,353 2,452 4,814 3,994 925 6,805 2,845 Other 967 813 181 486 1,780 1,051 Total Operating Revenues $992,995 $823,337 $787,463 $806,466 $800,797 $1,816,332 $1,615,311 Utilities $160,173 $129,526 $125,127 $132,565 $123,398 $289,698 $247,732 Rental property operating 172,474 136,182 129,034 126,866 128,634 308,656 259,254 Property taxes 45,071 42,123 42,541 38,255 41,482 87,194 78,797 Insurance 3,370 3,547 3,055 3,103 3,441 6,917 6,432 Depreciation & amortization 349,165 291,457 275,008 286,718 290,562 640,622 602,048 General & administration 90,649 62,266 53,540 49,862 52,318 152,915 104,294 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses 3,642 1,272 1,130 123 665 4,914 2,148 Transaction and integration expenses 15,618 56,801 17,106 4,115 4,210 72,419 6,704 Impairment of investments in real estate 5,351 Other expenses 22 114 1,989 92 7,115 136 12,037 Total Operating Expenses $840,184 $723,288 $648,530 $641,699 $651,825 $1,563,471 $1,324,797 Operating Income $152,811 $100,049 $138,933 $164,767 $148,972 $252,861 $290,514 Equity in (loss) earnings of unconsolidated joint ventures (7,632) (78,996) 11,157 (19,269) 6,962 (86,628) 16,180 Gain on sale / deconsolidation 304,801 267,651 304,801 67,497 Interest and other income (expense), net 22,163 (3,542) 10,734 16,842 16,980 18,621 38,424 Interest (expense) (79,874) (85,800) (80,880) (84,574) (86,051) (165,674) (187,603) Income tax benefit (expense) (11,490) (7,182) 1,731 (4,826) (4,634) (18,672) (8,900) Loss from early extinguishment of debt (632) (5,366) (20,905) (632) (33,791) Net Income $75,978 $228,698 $349,326 $67,574 $61,324 $304,677 $182,321 Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (1,147) (4,684) (13,042) (1,077) (1,156) (5,831) (5,341) Net Income Attributable to Digital Realty Trust, Inc. $74,831 $224,014 $336,284 $66,497 $60,168 $298,846 $176,980 Preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends (21,155) (21,155) (20,707) (16,670) (16,670) (42,310) (37,613) Issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock (11,760) (11,760) Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $53,676 $202,859 $315,577 $49,827 $31,738 $256,536 $127,607 Weighted-average shares outstanding - basic 267,569,823 222,163,324 208,776,355 208,421,470 208,284,407 244,866,574 208,048,207 Weighted-average shares outstanding - diluted 270,744,408 224,474,295 210,286,278 209,801,771 209,435,572 247,576,014 208,894,294 Weighted-average fully diluted shares and units 278,719,109 232,753,630 218,901,078 218,755,597 218,497,318 255,704,473 218,039,658 Net income per share - basic $0.20 $0.91 $1.51 $0.24 $0.15 $1.05 $0.61 Net income per share - diluted $0.20 $0.90 $1.50 $0.24 $0.15 $1.04 $0.61 Funds From Operations and Core Funds From Operations Financial Supplement Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Per Share Data Second Quarter 2020 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Reconciliation of Net Income to Funds From Operations (FFO) 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $53,676 $202,859 $315,577 $49,827 $31,738 $256,535 $127,607 Adjustments: Non-controlling interest operating partnership 1,400 7,800 13,100 2,300 1,400 9,200 5,700 Real estate related depreciation & amortization (1) 342,334 286,517 271,371 283,090 286,915 628,851 594,779 Unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization 17,123 19,923 21,631 13,612 13,623 37,046 17,474 (Gain) on real estate transactions - (304,801) (267,651) - - (304,801) - Impairment of investments in real estate - - - - - - 5,351 Funds From Operations $414,533 $212,298 $354,028 $348,829 $333,676 $626,831 $750,911 Funds From Operations - diluted $414,533 $212,298 $354,028 $348,829 $333,676 $626,831 $750,911 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - basic 275,545 230,443 217,391 217,375 217,346 252,995 217,194 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (2) 278,719 232,754 218,901 218,756 218,497 255,704 218,040 Funds From Operations per share - basic $1.50 $0.92 $1.63 $1.60 $1.54 $2.48 $3.46 Funds From Operations per share - diluted (2) $1.49 $0.91 $1.62 $1.59 $1.53 $2.45 $3.44 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Reconciliation of FFO to Core FFO 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Funds From Operations - diluted $414,533 $212,298 $354,028 $348,829 $333,676 $626,831 $750,911 Termination fees and other non-core revenues (3) (21,908) (2,425) (5,634) (16,792) (16,826) (24,333) (31,271) Transaction and integration expenses 15,618 56,801 17,106 4,115 4,210 72,419 6,704 Loss from early extinguishment of debt - 632 - 5,366 20,905 632 33,791 Issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock - - - - 11,760 - 11,760 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses (4) 3,642 1,272 1,130 123 665 4,914 2,148 (Gain) / Loss on FX revaluation 17,526 81,288 (10,422) 23,136 (4,251) 98,814 5,353 (Gain) on contribution to unconsolidated JV, net of related tax - - - - - - (58,497) Other non-core expense adjustments 22 5,509 (1,511) 92 7,115 5,531 12,037 Core Funds From Operations - diluted $429,433 $355,375 $354,697 $364,869 $357,254 $784,808 $732,936 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (2) 278,719 232,754 218,901 218,756 218,497 255,704 218,040 Core Funds From Operations per share - diluted (2) $1.54 $1.53 $1.62 $1.67 $1.64 $3.07 $3.36 (1) Real Estate Related Depreciation & Amortization Three Months Ended Six Months Ended 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Depreciation & amortization per income statement $349,165 $291,457 $275,008 $286,718 $290,562 640,622 602,048 Non-real estate depreciation (6,831) (4,940) (3,637) (3,628) (3,647) (11,771) (7,269) Real Estate Related Depreciation & Amortization $342,334 $286,517 $271,371 $283,090 $286,915 $628,851 $594,779 (2) For all periods presented, we have excluded the effect of dilutive series C, series G, series H, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, that may be converted into common stock upon the occurrence of specified change in control transactions as described in the articles supplementary governing the series C, series G, series H, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, which we consider highly improbable. See above for calculations of diluted FFO and the share count detail section that follows the reconciliation of core FFO to AFFO for calculations of weighted average common stock and units outstanding. For definitions and discussion of FFO and core FFO, see the definition section. (3) Includes lease termination fees and certain other adjustments that are not core to our business. (4) Relates to severance and other charges related to the departure of company executives and integration-related severance. Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO) Financial Supplement Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Per Share Data Second Quarter 2020 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Reconciliation of Core FFO to AFFO 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Core FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders $429,433 $355,375 $354,697 $364,869 $357,254 $784,808 $732,936 Adjustments: Non-real estate depreciation 6,831 4,940 3,637 3,628 3,647 11,771 7,269 Amortization of deferred financing costs 3,661 4,260 3,064 2,900 2,905 7,921 7,398 Amortization of debt discount/premium 1,011 943 612 466 515 1,954 1,275 Non-cash stock-based compensation expense 15,060 12,153 8,937 8,906 9,468 27,213 17,060 Straight-line rental revenue (10,928) (15,404) (13,994) (12,764) (13,033) (26,332) (29,013) Straight-line rental expense 7,373 1,460 (342) (209) 318 8,833 1,552 Above- and below-market rent amortization 3,794 3,294 4,109 2,824 3,954 7,088 10,163 Deferred tax expense (150) (792) (998) (1,418) (979) (942) (16,376) Leasing compensation & internal lease commissions (1) 1,739 2,793 3,646 3,254 4,025 4,532 7,606 Recurring capital expenditures (2) (38,796) (34,677) (54,731) (48,408) (39,515) (73,473) (77,574) AFFO available to common stockholders and unitholders (3) $419,028 $334,345 $308,637 $324,048 $328,559 $753,373 $662,296 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - basic 275,545 230,443 217,391 217,375 217,346 252,995 217,194 Weighted-average shares and units outstanding - diluted (4) 278,719 232,754 218,901 218,756 218,497 255,704 218,040 AFFO per share - diluted (4) $1.50 $1.44 $1.41 $1.48 $1.50 $2.95 $3.04 Dividends per share and common unit $1.12 $1.12 $1.08 $1.08 $1.08 $2.24 $2.16 Diluted AFFO Payout Ratio 74.5% 78.0% 76.6% 72.9% 71.8% 76.0% 71.1% Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Share Count Detail 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Weighted Average Common Stock and Units Outstanding 275,545 230,443 217,391 217,375 217,346 252,995 217,194 Add: Effect of dilutive securities 3,174 2,311 1,510 1,381 1,151 2,709 846 Weighted Avg. Common Stock and Units Outstanding - diluted 278,719 232,754 218,901 218,756 218,497 255,704 218,040 (1) The company adopted ASC 842 in the first quarter of 2019. (2) Recurring capital expenditures represent non-incremental building improvements required to maintain current revenues, including second-generation tenant improvements and external leasing commissions. Recurring capital expenditures do not include acquisition costs contemplated when underwriting the purchase of a building, costs which are incurred to bring a building up to Digital Realty's operating standards, or internal leasing commissions. (3) For a definition and discussion of AFFO, see the definitions section. For a reconciliation of net income available to common stockholders to FFO and core FFO, see above. (4) For all periods presented, we have excluded the effect of dilutive series C, series G, series H, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, that may be converted into common stock upon the occurrence of specified change in control transactions as described in the articles supplementary governing the series C, series G, series H, series I, series J, series K and series L preferred stock, as applicable, which we consider highly improbable. See above for calculations of diluted FFO available to common stockholders and unitholders and for calculations of weighted average common stock and units outstanding. Consolidated Balance Sheets Financial Supplement Unaudited and in Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data Second Quarter 2020 30-Jun-20 31-March-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 Assets Investments in real estate: Real estate $20,843,273 $20,477,290 $16,886,592 $16,407,080 $17,324,416 Construction in progress 2,514,324 2,204,869 1,732,555 1,647,130 1,685,056 Land held for future development 175,209 137,447 147,597 150,265 152,368 Investments in real estate $23,532,806 $22,819,606 $18,766,744 $18,204,475 $19,161,840 Accumulated depreciation and amortization (4,945,534) (4,694,713) (4,536,169) (4,298,629) (4,312,357) Net Investments in Properties $18,587,272 $18,124,893 $14,230,575 $13,905,846 $14,849,483 Investment in unconsolidated joint ventures 1,033,235 1,064,009 1,287,109 1,035,861 979,350 Net Investments in Real Estate $19,620,507 $19,188,902 $15,517,684 $14,941,707 $15,828,833 Cash and cash equivalents $505,174 $246,480 $89,817 $7,190 $33,536 Accounts and other receivables (1) 542,750 527,699 305,501 304,712 320,938 Deferred rent 496,684 484,179 478,744 471,516 491,486 Customer relationship value, deferred leasing costs & other intangibles, net 3,128,140 3,500,588 2,195,324 2,245,017 2,499,564 Acquired above-market leases, net 57,535 66,033 74,815 84,315 94,474 Goodwill 7,791,522 7,466,046 3,363,070 3,338,168 3,353,538 Assets associated with real estate held for sale 10,981 229,934 967,527 Operating lease right-of-use assets (2) 1,375,427 1,364,621 628,681 634,085 648,952 Other assets 333,916 268,752 184,561 178,528 158,770 Total Assets $33,862,636 $33,113,300 $23,068,131 $23,172,765 $23,430,091 Liabilities and Equity Global unsecured revolving credit facilities $64,492 $603,101 $234,105 $1,833,512 $1,417,675 Unsecured term loans 799,550 771,425 810,219 796,232 807,922 Unsecured senior notes, net of discount 11,268,753 10,637,006 8,973,190 8,189,138 8,511,656 Secured debt, net of premiums 238,826 239,800 104,934 105,153 105,325 Operating lease liabilities (2) 1,451,152 1,431,292 693,539 699,381 714,256 Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities 1,828,288 1,732,318 1,007,761 938,740 984,812 Accrued dividends and distributions 234,620 Acquired below-market leases 139,851 145,208 148,774 153,422 183,832 Security deposits and prepaid rent 348,253 336,583 208,724 203,708 213,549 Liabilities associated with assets held for sale 238 2,700 23,534 Total Liabilities $16,139,403 $15,896,733 $12,418,566 $12,942,820 $12,939,027 Redeemable non-controlling interests - operating partnership 40,584 40,027 41,465 19,090 17,344 Equity Preferred Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 110,000,000 shares authorized: Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock (3) $219,250 $219,250 $219,250 $219,250 $219,250 Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (4) 241,468 241,468 241,468 241,468 241,468 Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (5) 242,012 242,012 242,012 242,012 242,012 Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (6) 193,540 193,540 193,540 193,540 193,540 Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (7) 203,264 203,264 203,264 203,264 203,264 Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (8) 334,886 334,886 334,886 Common Stock: $0.01 par value per share, 392,000,000 shares authorized (9) 2,670 2,622 2,073 2,069 2,067 Additional paid-in capital 19,292,311 18,606,766 11,577,320 11,540,980 11,511,519 Dividends in excess of earnings (3,386,525) (3,139,350) (3,046,579) (3,136,668) (2,961,307) Accumulated other comprehensive (loss), net (358,349) (444,222) (87,922) (68,625) (89,588) Total Stockholders' Equity $16,984,527 $16,460,236 $9,879,312 $9,437,290 $9,562,225 Noncontrolling Interests Noncontrolling interest in operating partnership $633,831 $656,266 $708,163 $732,314 $756,050 Noncontrolling interest in consolidated joint ventures 64,291 60,038 20,625 41,251 155,445 Total Noncontrolling Interests $698,122 $716,304 $728,788 $773,565 $911,495 Total Equity $17,682,649 $17,176,540 $10,608,100 $10,210,855 $10,473,720 Total Liabilities and Equity $33,862,636 $33,113,300 $23,068,131 $23,172,765 $23,430,091 (1) Net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $18,264 and $13,753 as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (2) Adoption of the new lease accounting standard required that we adjust the consolidated balance sheet to include the recognition of additional right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases. See our quarterly report on Form 10Q filed on May 10, 2019 for additional information. (3) Series C Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, 6.625%, $201,250 and $201,250 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 8,050,000 and 8,050,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (4) Series G Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.875%, $250,000 and $250,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 10,000,000 and 10,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (5) Series I Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 6.350%, $250,000 and $250,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 10,000,000 and 10,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (6) Series J Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.250%, $200,000 and $200,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 8,000,000 and 8,000,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (7) Series K Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.850%, $210,000 and $210,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 8,400,000 and 8,400,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (8) Series L Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, 5.200%, $345,000 and $345,000 liquidation preference, respectively ($25.00 per share), 13,800,000 and 13,800,000 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. (9) Common Stock: 268,399,073 and 208,900,758 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Reconciliation of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization and Financial Ratios Financial Supplement Unaudited and Dollars in Thousands Second Quarter 2020 Three Months Ended Reconciliation of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA) (1) 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 Net Income Available to Common Stockholders $53,676 $202,859 $315,577 $49,827 $31,738 Interest 79,874 85,800 80,880 84,574 86,051 Loss from early extinguishment of debt 632 5,366 20,905 Income tax (benefit) expense 11,490 7,182 (1,731) 4,826 4,634 Depreciation & amortization 349,165 291,457 275,008 286,718 290,562 EBITDA $494,205 $587,930 $669,734 $431,311 $433,890 Unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization 17,123 19,923 21,631 13,612 13,623 Unconsolidated JV interest expense and tax expense 9,203 9,944 13,553 10,816 10,277 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses 3,642 1,272 1,130 123 665 Transaction and integration expenses 15,618 56,801 17,106 4,115 4,210 (Gain) on sale / deconsolidation (304,801) (267,651) Other non-core adjustments, net (3,404) 85,185 (13,886) 6,436 (13,476) Non-controlling interests 1,147 4,684 13,042 1,077 1,156 Preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends 21,155 21,155 20,707 16,670 16,670 Issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock 11,760 Adjusted EBITDA $558,690 $482,093 $475,366 $484,160 $478,775 (1) For definitions and discussion of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, see the definitions section. Three Months Ended Financial Ratios 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 31-Dec-19 30-Sep-19 30-Jun-19 Total GAAP interest expense $79,874 $85,800 $80,880 $84,574 $86,051 Capitalized interest 13,133 10,480 9,877 9,936 9,493 Change in accrued interest and other non-cash amounts (38,478) 24,321 (30,564) 8,490 (20,656) Cash Interest Expense (2) $54,529 $120,601 $60,193 $103,000 $74,888 Scheduled debt principal payments 57 125 210 163 159 Preferred dividends 21,155 21,155 20,707 16,670 16,670 Total Fixed Charges (3) $114,219 $117,560 $111,674 $111,343 $112,373 Coverage Interest coverage ratio (4) 5.6x 4.6x 4.7x 4.7x 4.6x Cash interest coverage ratio (5) 9.1x 3.7x 6.7x 4.3x 5.8x Fixed charge coverage ratio (6) 4.6x 3.8x 3.9x 4.0x 4.0x Cash fixed charge coverage ratio (7) 6.8x 3.2x 5.2x 3.8x 4.8x Leverage Debt to total enterprise value (8) (9) 23.3% 23.8% 26.9% 27.1% 28.8% Debt plus preferred stock to total enterprise value (10) 26.0% 26.6% 30.8% 29.9% 31.8% Pre-tax income to interest expense (11) 2.0x 3.7x 5.3x 1.8x 1.7x Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA (12) 5.7x 6.6x 5.7x 6.0x 6.0x (2) Cash interest expense is interest expense less amortization of debt discount and deferred financing fees and includes interest that we capitalized. We consider cash interest expense to be a useful measure of interest as it excludes non cash-based interest expense. (3) Fixed charges consist of GAAP interest expense, capitalized interest, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends. (4) Adjusted EBITDA divided by GAAP interest expense plus capitalized interest (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture interest expense). (5) Adjusted EBITDA divided by cash interest expense (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture interest expense). (6) Adjusted EBITDA divided by fixed charges (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture fixed charges). (7) Adjusted EBITDA divided by the sum of cash interest expense, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends (including our pro rata share of unconsolidated joint venture fixed charges). (8) Mortgage debt and other loans divided by market value of equity plus debt plus preferred stock. (9) Total enterprise value defined as market value of common equity plus debt plus preferred stock. See page 7 for definition of market value of common equity. (10) Same as (8), except numerator includes preferred stock. (11) Calculated as net income plus interest expense divided by GAAP interest expense. (12) Calculated as total debt at balance sheet carrying value (see page 6), plus capital lease obligations, plus Digital Realty's share of joint venture debt, less cash and cash equivalents divided by the product of Adjusted EBITDA (inclusive of our share of joint venture EBITDA), multiplied by four. Management Statements on Non-GAAP Measures Financial Supplement Unaudited Second Quarter 2020 Definitions Funds From Operations (FFO) : We calculate funds from operations, or FFO, in accordance with the standards established by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or Nareit, in the Nareit Funds From Operations White Paper - 2018 Restatement. FFO represents net income (loss) (computed in accordance with GAAP), excluding gains (or losses) from real estate transactions, impairment of investment in real estate, real estate related depreciation and amortization (excluding amortization of deferred financing costs), unconsolidated JV real estate related depreciation & amortization, non-controlling interests in operating partnership and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. Management uses FFO as a supplemental performance measure because, in excluding real estate related depreciation and amortization and gains and losses from property dispositions and after adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in occupancy rates, rental rates and operating costs. We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the performance of REITs, FFO will be used by investors as a basis to compare our operating performance with that of other REITs. However, because FFO excludes depreciation and amortization and captures neither the changes in the value of our data centers that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our data centers, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of FFO as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may not calculate FFO in accordance with the NAREIT definition and, accordingly, our FFO may not be comparable to other REITs' FFO. FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance. Core Funds from Operations (Core FFO) : We present core funds from operations, or core FFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, in excluding certain items that do not reflect core revenue or expense streams, it provides a performance measure that, when compared year over year, captures trends in our core business operating performance. We calculate core FFO by adding to or subtracting from FFO (i) termination fees and other non-core revenues, (ii) transaction and integration expenses, (iii) loss from early extinguishment of debt, (iv) issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock, (v) severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, (vi) gain/loss on FX revaluation, (vii) gain on contribution to unconsolidated joint venture, net of related tax, and (viii) other non-core expense adjustments. Because certain of these adjustments have a real economic impact on our financial condition and results from operations, the utility of core FFO as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate core FFO differently than we do and accordingly, our core FFO may not be comparable to other REITs' core FFO. Core FFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance. Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO) : We present adjusted funds from operations, or AFFO, as a supplemental operating measure because, when compared year over year, it assesses our ability to fund dividend and distribution requirements from our operating activities. We also believe that, as a widely recognized measure of the operations of REITs, AFFO will be used by investors as a basis to assess our ability to fund dividend payments in comparison to other REITs, including on a per share and unit basis. We calculate AFFO by adding to or subtracting from core FFO (i) non-real estate depreciation, (ii) amortization of deferred financing costs, (iii) amortization of debt discount/premium, (iv) non-cash stock-based compensation expense, (v) straight-line rental revenue, (vi) straight-line rental expense, (vii) above- and below-market rent amortization, (viii) deferred tax expense, (ix) leasing compensation and internal lease commissions, and (x) recurring capital expenditures. Other REITs may calculate AFFO differently than we do and accordingly, our AFFO may not be comparable to other REITs' AFFO. AFFO should be considered only as a supplement to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA : We believe that earnings before interest, loss from early extinguishment of debt, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below), are useful supplemental performance measures because they allow investors to view our performance without the impact of non-cash depreciation and amortization or the cost of debt and, with respect to Adjusted EBITDA, unconsolidated joint venture real estate related depreciation & amortization, unconsolidated joint venture interest expense and tax, severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction and integration expenses, gain on sale / deconsolidation, other non-core adjustments, net, non-controlling interests, preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends, and issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock. Adjusted EBITDA is EBITDA excluding unconsolidated joint venture real estate related depreciation & amortization, unconsolidated joint venture interest expense and tax, severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses, transaction and integration expenses, gain on sale / deconsolidation, other non-core adjustments, net, non-controlling interests, preferred stock dividends, including undeclared dividends, and issuance costs associated with redeemed preferred stock. In addition, we believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of REITs. Because EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are calculated before recurring cash charges including interest expense and income taxes, exclude capitalized costs, such as leasing commissions, and are not adjusted for capital expenditures or other recurring cash requirements of our business, their utility as a measure of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do and, accordingly, our EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other REITs' EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. Accordingly, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of our financial performance. Net Operating Income (NOI) and Cash NOI : Net operating income, or NOI, represents rental revenue, tenant reimbursement revenue and interconnection revenue less utilities expense, rental property operating expenses, property taxes and insurance expenses (as reflected in the statement of operations). NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measurement of operating performance of the company's rental portfolio. Cash NOI is NOI less straight-line rents and above- and below-market rent amortization. Cash NOI is commonly used by stockholders, company management and industry analysts as a measure of property operating performance on a cash basis. However, because NOI and cash NOI exclude depreciation and amortization and capture neither the changes in the value of our data centers that result from use or market conditions, nor the level of capital expenditures and capitalized leasing commissions necessary to maintain the operating performance of our data centers, all of which have real economic effect and could materially impact our results from operations, the utility of NOI and cash NOI as measures of our performance is limited. Other REITs may calculate NOI and cash NOI differently than we do and, accordingly, our NOI and cash NOI may not be comparable to other REITs' NOI and cash NOI. NOI and cash NOI should be considered only as supplements to net income computed in accordance with GAAP as measures of our performance. Additional Definitions Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA ratio is calculated using total debt at balance sheet carrying value, plus capital lease obligations, plus our share of JV debt, less unrestricted cash and cash equivalents divided by the product of Adjusted EBITDA (inclusive of our share of JV EBITDA) multiplied by four. Debt-plus-preferred-to-total enterprise value is mortgage debt and other loans plus preferred stock divided by mortgage debt and other loans plus the liquidation value of preferred stock and the market value of outstanding Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock and Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units, assuming the redemption of Digital Realty Trust, L.P. units for shares of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. common stock. Fixed charge coverage ratio is Adjusted EBITDA divided by the sum of GAAP interest expense, capitalized interest, scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends. For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2020, GAAP interest expense was $80 million, capitalized interest was $13 million and scheduled debt principal payments and preferred dividends was $21 million. Reconciliation of Net Operating Income (NOI) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended (in thousands) 30-Jun-20 31-Mar-20 30-Jun-19 30-Jun-20 30-Jun-19 Operating income $152,811 $100,049 $148,972 $252,861 $290,514 Fee income (4,353) (2,452) (925) (6,805) (2,845) Other income (967) (813) (486) (1,780) (1,051) Depreciation and amortization 349,165 291,457 290,562 640,622 602,048 General and administrative 90,649 62,266 52,318 152,915 104,294 Severance, equity acceleration, and legal expenses 3,642 1,272 665 4,914 2,148 Transaction expenses 15,618 56,801 4,210 72,419 6,704 Impairment in investments in real estate 5,351 Other expenses 22 114 7,115 136 12,037 Net Operating Income $606,587 $508,694 $502,431 $1,115,282 $1,019,200 Cash Net Operating Income (Cash NOI) Net Operating Income $606,587 $508,694 $502,431 $1,115,282 $1,019,200 Straight-line rental revenue (10,713) (13,392) (14,978) (24,105) (29,536) Straight-line rental expense 7,296 1,496 397 8,791 1,573 Above- and below-market rent amortization 3,794 3,294 3,954 7,087 10,163 Cash Net Operating Income $606,964 $500,092 $491,804 $1,107,055 $1,001,400 Forward-Looking Statements Financial Supplement Second Quarter 2020 This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to: expected physical settlement of the forward sale agreements and use of proceeds from any such settlement, our expected investment and expansion activity, our joint ventures, supply and demand for data center and colocation space, our acquisition and disposition activity, pricing and net effective leasing economics, market dynamics and data center fundamentals, our strategic priorities, rent from leases that have been signed but have not yet commenced and other contracted rent to be received in future periods, rental rates on future leases, lag between signing and commencement, cap rates and yields, investment activity, the company's FFO, core FFO and net income, 2020 outlook and underlying assumptions, information related to trends, our strategy and plans, leasing expectations, weighted average lease terms, the exercise of lease extensions, lease expirations, debt maturities, annualized rent at expiration of leases, the effect new leases and increases in rental rates will have on our rental revenue, our credit ratings, construction and development activity and plans, projected construction costs, estimated yields on investment, expected occupancy, expected square footage and IT load capacity upon completion of development projects, 2020 backlog NOI, NAV components, and other forward-looking financial data. Such statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions made based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are not guarantees of future performance and may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: reduced demand for data centers or decreases in information technology spending; increased competition or available supply of data center space; decreased rental rates, increased operating costs or increased vacancy rates; the suitability of our data centers and data center infrastructure, delays or disruptions in connectivity or availability of power, or failures or breaches of our physical and information security infrastructure or services; our dependence upon significant customers, bankruptcy or insolvency of a major customer or a significant number of smaller customers, or defaults on or non-renewal of leases by customers; our ability to attract and retain customers; breaches of our obligations or restrictions under our contracts with our customers; our inability to successfully develop and lease new properties and development space, and delays or unexpected costs in development of properties; the impact of current global and local economic, credit and market conditions; our inability to retain data center space that we lease or sublease from third parties; information security and data privacy breaches; difficulty managing an international business and acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions and unfamiliar metropolitan areas; our failure to realize the intended benefits from, or disruptions to our plans and operations or unknown or contingent liabilities related to, our recent acquisitions; our failure to successfully integrate and operate acquired or developed properties or businesses; difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions; risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of such investments; risks associated with using debt to fund our business activities, including re-financing and interest rate risks, our failure to repay debt when due, adverse changes in our credit ratings or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan facilities and agreements; our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing, and our dependence on external sources of capital; financial market fluctuations and changes in foreign currency exchange rates; adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to, including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges and goodwill and other intangible asset impairment charges; our inability to manage our growth effectively; losses in excess of our insurance coverage; our inability to attract and retain talent; impact on our operations and on the operations of our customers, suppliers and business partners during a pandemic, such as COVID-19; environmental liabilities, risks related to natural disasters and our inability to achieve our sustainability goals; our inability to comply with rules and regulations applicable to our company; Digital Realty Trust, Inc.'s failure to maintain its status as a REIT for federal income tax purposes; Digital Realty Trust, L.P.'s failure to qualify as a partnership for federal income tax purposes; restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities; changes in local, state, federal and international laws and regulations, including related to taxation, real estate and zoning laws, and increases in real property tax rates; and the impact of any financial, accounting, legal or regulatory issues or litigation that may affect us. The risks included here are not exhaustive, and additional factors could adversely affect our business and financial performance. Several additional material risks are discussed in our annual report on Form 10K for the year ended December 31, 2019, our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those risks continue to be relevant to our performance and financial condition. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Digital Realty, Digital Realty Trust, the Digital Realty logo, Turn-Key Flex and Powered Base Building are registered trademarks and service marks of Digital Realty Trust, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. SOURCE Digital Realty About 78 markets together with lorry parks, public toilets, and other public places were on Tuesday disinfected and fumigated in the Volta Region. The exercise followed a huge clean-up operation last Monday by Dansworld International Services International Limited (DISL), in collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in the markets and public places of the region. Speaking at the launch at the Ho Central Market in the Volta regional capital, Ho, the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, explained that the exercise, which constituted phase two of the national disinfection and fumigation, was part of control measures by the central government to tackle the new coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in the country. He intimated that the central government through the MLGRD was committed to winning the battle against the COVID-19. According to him, the Volta Region was equally doing its bid to control the virus. Against this backdrop, Dr Yao Letsa appealed to the people in the region to always endeavour to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols. However, he indicated that it was difficult ensuring social/physical distancing, especially in the markets, albeit the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) were doing the best. "We are also trying to enforce the wearing of nose masks across the region, all as part of efforts to control the spread of the virus in the Volta Region," the minister intoned. He used the opportunity to lap praises upon the security agencies, comprising the military, police, fire service, prisons and the immigration service, for their supportive roles in the war against COVID-19 in the region. For his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dansworld International Services Limited, Mr Bernard Danso Ntow, described his outfit's partnership with Zoomlion as excellent. "Our partnership with Zoomlion is the first of its kind and so far its been excellent," he said. According to him, their scope of work which will span three days, involved fumigating, disinfecting and huge clean-up operation in the markets and public places. While describing the phase two of the exercise as good, he, however, indicated that they will improve upon it in the second phase. Mr Danso Ntow, therefore, advised particularly the market women to observe the COVID-19 preventive protocols. "Yes disinfection against the virus is good, but my advice to our market women is that they should continue to observe all the WHO prescribed COVID-19 safety protocols," he advised. The exercise started at 7:30 a.m., at the Ho Central Market with DISL using atomisers, foggers and Knapsack sprayers to disinfect the market, with drones carrying out the fumigation bit. Public places that benefited from the exercise included the Assembly Mall, Intercity STC Terminal, Matse Ola Station Sokode Station, all in Ho, among others. It would be recalled that the central government through the MLGRD in March, this year, engaged Zoomlion Ghana Limited to disinfect all the markets across the country to help control the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Long story short, many Houstonians miss the good H-town watering holes with an unstuffy vibe. But since they're shut down, it's time to reinvent Houston bar life in the pandemic. Houston's hip downtown spot, The Cottonmouth Club, has decided to do just that. Ever resilient, the crew at the Cottonmouth has come up with a"virtual bar" concept, "digital bar experiences," and Quarantine Picnic Packs, slated to roll out on August 1st. "Necessity is the mother of invention. Every bar is trying to figure out its own way to survive," The Cottonmouth Club owner, Michael Neff said. "In essence, we have to shut down to help protect the safety of Houstonians. The economic implications are way bigger than most people consider." MASKS, ANOTHER SHUTDOWN: It weighs on your brain, Houston bartender says Neff said that he's now transformed The Cottonmouth Club into a digital experience. "We've created digital structures that have helped us stay alive for another week or another month. What I'm doing right now is starting a virtual bar," Neff said. "It's now turning into a national conversation. In its best form, it's enough to help keep staff relatively stable for a certain amount of time." Bartender Stacy Gouty added that the bar is also launching the Cottonmouth Quarantine Quickstop -- featuring signature cocktail concoctions, and Quarantine Picnic Packs that will be introduced on August 1st. The Picnic Packs will include beverages for two, perfect for a day in the park, at the beach or a nice staycation in the backyard. "We're trying to give this the best shot," Gouty said. "Leaning into that and doubling down, doing what we can--so that when can reopen, we can do that more seamlessly." "I would like to be hopeful. I can't predict anything. We're taking it day by day. With all the pessimism that has happened during the quarantine, I'm pretty happy with our spot right now," Gouty said. "I would call it a slight optimism going forward. To get to a point where we want it to be, without it weighing down and making it too heavy." Gouty added that the experience has challenged all of the crew to keep pushing forward. "This has pushed us, challenged us. We've pushed ourselves. It's sink or swim," Gouty said, "But it's important to move forward. Put your head on straight, do what you can, and not only advocate for yourself but also advocate for others who do not have a voice." alison.medley@chron.com I remember the debates when it was unveiled; initially there was great fanfare but it very quickly devolved into a much-publicised controversy, attracting huge public and media debate. It became a staple on the front pages of Melbournes newspapers for six months or so. Its rare that art actually makes the front pages, and it kept cartoonists employed for months. Ron Robertson-Swanns Vault has a rich and wonderful but chequered backstory. It started life as a newly commissioned sculpture for the City Square in 1980: a confident, formally complex marker of place, open and embracing of audience. Robertson-Swann was a highly regarded contemporary artist who had trained under and alongside leading international figures including Anthony Caro and the studio of Henry Moore, and his proposal was representative of art at the time and late-modernist sculpture of the 1970s. Max Delany, artistic director/ and CEO of ACCA. Credit:Chris Hopkins There were various demonstrations for and against Vault, including a public rally in August 1980 to "Save Our Sculpture". It became a political issue too, and was very much the fall guy for opposing factions on Melbourne City Council. The Builders Labourers Federation (BLF) imposed a green ban, and refused to relocate the work, and said if it was moved they would stop work on the Queen Victoria Market site. At the time the BLF was involved in green bans to save cultural heritage exemplified by Jack Mundey in Sydney, who died recently that was the tenor of the times. They were acting in defence of the artist, who was getting short shrift and treated in a desultory way. Vault is like a weathervane for the way people express views about the shape of the city, our values as a community and our vision for the future. The sculpture, along with the artist, was treated shabbily at the time; it was in situ for less than a year in the City Square. Summarily, one night it was dismantled and relocated to what was a derelict part of the city then, Batman Park on the Yarra, where it sat forlornly for years. It was only with the development of Crown Casino that it suddenly found itself at the centre of the action again. As well as being symbolic of different ideologies of art and culture, its been widely influential and the subject of numerous homages. The architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall designed a scale model of Vault in the interior of RMITs Storey Hall. Several tram stops in the CBD, designed by the City of Melbourne design team, reference it in the yellow origami-style bases. Angela Brennan wrote a fabulous poem about it, and it has featured more recently in a film by Eugenia Lim. Theres a great book about it by Geoffrey Wallis, called Peril in the Square. For me, that is one of the great things about Vault, it shows the ways that communities form around certain works of art. It has had changing fortunes and speaks of our transition from a conservative, less tolerant city to a vibrant metropolis that welcomes diverse cultures. It also suggests that works of art are not fixed in their meaning or significance. House lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously voted to take another pass at infusing additional cash into financially strapped community hospitals, a key feature of a health care bill that collapsed two years ago when House and Senate Democrats could not reach agreement by a July 31 deadline. The last couple of bills that weve worked on here in the House have not gotten across the finish line, the main sticking point being money -- how do you spread the money out, who gets what, who pays, who are the net payers, who are the net gains, Majority Leader Ron Mariano said on the House floor Tuesday night. This year, Mariano said, the House would try something a little different, by building on a step Gov. Charlie Baker took earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to buoy the states hospitals. He added a 7 percent surcharge on MassHealth bills to hospitals that are community hospitals which are 60 percent public payers, and he added a 20 percent surcharge to COVID-related diseases in the same hospitals, Mariano said. Were going to try that approach and I think its a much cleaner and easier way to fund helping our community hospitals. After the Houses Wednesday evening vote, the bills next stop is likely to be a conference committee, where three senators and three representatives will negotiate over two competing bills. Both the House and Senate bills aim to build on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and make a commitment to telehealth access, though their particulars differ. The House bill (H 4888) would require insurers to cover telehealth visits for primary care and chronic disease management at the same rate as in-person service for one year. Behavioral telehealth services, over both phone and video, would be covered at the same rate as in-person care permanently, under the House bill. The bill the Senate passed unanimously on June 25 requires insurers to reimburse providers at the same rate for telehealth as they would for in-person care for the next two years. The Senate bill (S 2796) also includes protections against surprise out-of-network charges -- it tasks the Health Policy Commission and the Division of Insurance with determining a default rate for out-of-network charges, to take effect in 2021 -- and expands scope of practice for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric nurse mental health specialists, allowing them to practice independently as long as they meet certain education and training standards. The citizens across the commonwealth are really hurting, and theres uncertainty, and I think theyre really depending on us to reform our health care system, Sen. Cindy Friedman, the Senate chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, said in an interview last week. Mariano said the House bill extends a Baker emergency order on out-of-network billing for a year, and addresses scope of practices for nurse practitioners, who he said are the first line of defense.Introducing their bill on the House floor Tuesday night, Mariano and Rep. Dan Cullinane, the acting House chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, both described it as taking a measured step. Responsible government is not about who can be the boldest or who gets credit for making the fastest change, no matter how good it may sound or how desirable the ultimate or aspirational goal may be, Cullinane said. There are moments when responsible government is about slowing down, about being surgical, making key tweaks at difficult times and then making sure we got it right. Still confronting a global pandemic while facing budget shortfalls of billions, this is a moment to be surgical. After the Senate passed its bill in late June, Senate President Karen Spilka struck a note of urgency around the measures it contained and said she hoped the Senates prescription drug and behavioral health bills would continue to move forward in the legislative process. When it comes to making telehealth services permanently accessible, ending surprise billing and expanding scope of practice, let me be clear: we cannot wait, Spilka said in a statement. We have learned a lot about how to deliver accessible health care during the global pandemic, and we can and should implement these changes now. Before passing the bill Wednesday, the House shot down a Rep. Christopher Hendricks amendment that would have created a rebuttable legal presumption for certain medical workers who contracted COVID-19. As the law currently stands, medical personnel can file workers compensation claims related to COVID-19, but unfortunately have the burden of showing that the COVID-19 diagnosis was a result of their job, Hendricks said. This will allow workers comp insurers to deny claims entirely, because while it is obvious that these diagnoses are the result of being on the front lines during this pandemic, it is also impossible to show where that COVID-19 molecule was actually ingested, the New Bedford Democrat said. In short, this threshold is far too high for these workers, and we as legislators owe them to ease that burden. The amendment failed on a 62-94 vote, and Cullinane said the idea needed additional vetting. Chris Van Buskirk contributed reporting. Turkey is keen to cooperate with Italy through joint investment and production, the Turkish trade minister said on Thursday, Anadolu agency reports. "Turkey gives priority to high value-added production, exports, medium-high technology investments and digital economy," Ruhsar Pekcan said at a videoconference with Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi Di Maio ahead of Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). Among the topics of discussion were bilateral economic and trade ties, transportation and logistics, construction and consultancy services, protectionist measures on the import of the EU's steel products, and the update of the Customs Union agreement. Noting that Italy is the fourth largest export market of Turkey, Pekcan said the trade volume between the two countries fell 20.7% to $7.5 billion in the first half due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We will continue to support all kind of private sector initiatives between the two countries," Pekcan noted. Di Maio also stressed the great potential of Turkish and Italian business people for cooperation in other countries. Nearly 200 Chinese-Candians gather in front of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to protest Beijings coverup of the virus outbreak and calling for the end of communist rule in China, on July 27, 2020. (NTD Television) Chinese-Canadians Call for Democracy in China and End of Communist Rule at Rally in Toronto Nearly 200 Chinese-Canadians protested in front of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto on July 27, calling for the truth behind Beijings coverup of the virus outbreak and for the end of communist rule in China, ushering in an era of democracy. The event was organized by Himalaya Canada, who told The Epoch Times in a statement that the aim was to show our support for the people of Hong Kong, to condemn the Chinese Communist Partys coverup and mishandling of COVID-19, and to declare that there is no place for the CCP in this world. A Himalaya Canada spokesman who goes by the name Halley said the intent of the demonstration was to tell the world that Chinese people dont equal the CCP, and that the Party doesnt speak for all Chinese people. Event spokesperson Halley is interviewed by NTD Television. (NTD Television) We all know that CCP is an illegitimate regime. All Chinese people are against it, Halley told NTD Television. The CCP controls the power, but only through the barrel of a gun. The Chinese people cant vote for their leaders, so theres no democracy. Theres no rule of law inside China. Halley said he first came to Canada to study, then stayed to work, and now he is a new immigrant. Three years ago he joined the Whistleblowers Movement led by Chinese fugitive billionaire Miles Guo and former White House adviser Steve Bannon, both of whom announced the establishment of the New Federal State of China on June 4, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The Whistleblowers Movement was founded three years ago to expose the illegitimacy and true evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party and its deceptions, according to a flyer handed out at the July 27 protest. We need to give Chinese people democracy, rule of law, and freedom, Halley said. Among the protesters holding banners saying Take Down CCP, CCP Lies, Canadians Die and New Federal State of China, Mark Evans, a Caucasian, easily stood out in the crowd. Evans told NTD that he attended the protest because the Chinese people are a part of us and we need to support them, and they need freedom. They need freedom of speech, freedom of religion. They need human rights, he said. Mark Evans is interviewed by NTD Television. (NTD Television) Evans said Canada should stand with its democratic allies when facing the Chinese communist regime. The Canadian Government needs to stand beside Pompeo in the United States, and Australia, and England, and many other countries in the world. But our government has been too weak. We need them to stand up and say enough is enough and stand up for Canadian sovereignty and stand up [Michael] Spavor and [Michael] Kovrig who are in jail in China, he said. They need to stand up and fight against the CCP now that everyone else is doing it. I think what the United States did in Houston [by closing the Chinese Consulate] was incredibly brave and it sets a new relationship with the world and China. Canada has to do the same. Kate Wen, who moved to Canada nearly 30 years ago, told NTD her parents were persecuted in the Cultural Revolution and this was her first time to join a protest and speak out for herself. China has been developing its economy, [but] no money has been used for taking care of peoples old age, medical care, education. Theres been no improvement [in these areas] during the communist regimes 70-year rule. Can it continue like this? she said. Immigrant Mai Melli said that under CCP rule values have become distorted, adding that she hopes the Chinese people will become more and more clear on the true nature of the CCP. We have to make a change now so we can have a future. Furthermore, generations and generations will be poisoned [by communism]. I dont want to see my family and friends in China continue to be poisoned in this way, as well as our next generation. Massachusetts officials are reviewing the states guidance on public gathering sizes in light of recent parties and groups that are tied to clusters of COVID-19 infections in parts of the state, Gov. Charlie Baker said. Baker, speaking from a news conference in Andover, said state officials are talking the limits on public gatherings. The governors executive order limits indoor gatherings to 25 people in an indoor space and 100 people in enclosed, outdoor areas. The Republican governor also said the problems come down to human behavior rather than the sheer size of public gatherings. The bigger issue is not so much the nature of the size of some of these gatherings, especially the private ones that are going on in backyards and places like that, he said. The bigger issue is, honestly, the behavior generally at those, which is not socially distant, no masks and in some respects a lack of respect for how this virus works. I know I sound like an old, an old man talking to my children when I say this, he added, but a big part of this is about the decisions and behaviors of all of us as individuals. Parties across the country, including some on Cape Cod, have come under scrutiny as tinderboxes for COVID-19 transmissions at a time when officials are urging the public to continue wearing masks and social distancing. In Chatham, officials say a July 12 house party is linked to 13 COVID-19 cases, the Cape Cod Times reported. Barnstable County reported 20 new coronavirus cases earlier this week. Eight Falmouth lifeguards tested positive for the virus last week, reportedly after attending a party with other beach department staff members. Large gatherings outside of the Cape have also gotten attention. A widely circulated photo of a cruise ship packed with passengers on the Boston Harbor led to a cease and desist order against Bay State Cruise Company earlier this week. The company said it was abiding by the gathering restrictions, arguing the middle deck is a semi-enclosed space that can have up to 100 people and the top deck is an outdoor area that should not have capacity restrictions. An executive order quarantining certain out-of-state travelers entering Massachusetts takes effect Saturday. Out-of-state visitors from all but eight states will have to quarantine for 14 days or take a COVID-19 test within the first 72 hours, or else face a fine of $500 a day. The order also applies to Massachusetts residents returning from out of state with some exceptions. Related Content: By Cynthia Fernandez of Spotlight PA and Julia Shanahan for Spotlight PA Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News and other news organizations across Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG One day after Pennsylvanias top health official forcefully denounced transphobic attacks against her, a Republican lawmaker co-opted her call for acceptance to address hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community. Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County released a statement Wednesday that mimicked remarks Health Secretary Rachel Levine made in response to recent demonstrations of harassment against her. Diamond has been one of the loudest opponents of Levines order requiring most people, barring a health issue, to wear a mask while in public. Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against unmasked individuals and specifically individuals like myself who are outspoken about it, Diamond wrote on official House letterhead. The sentence, like many in his statement, pulled directly from Levines own remarks on discrimination and harassment against the LGBTQ community. As the face of Pennsylvanias coronavirus response, Levine has been repeatedly ridiculed and attacked on social media and, at times, in public for being transgender. Diamond denied he was mocking Levine, though in a text message to Spotlight PA he falsely equated being transgender to a lifestyle choice. When asked if he was comparing discrimination against transgender people to the treatment of people who choose not to wear a mask, Diamond said he just thought it was ironic. The release accurately speaks to those who have attacked, maligned, and threatened me, as well as others, since I first questioned the ridiculous mask policy months ago, Diamond said. Her policy allows for exceptions that apply to a lot of people, yet all we hear is you MUST wear a mask. Asked about Diamonds statement, Levine said Thursday it represented another example of harassment against LGBTQ individuals. Never mind using my words as a comment on me, she said during a press briefing in Lancaster. Really, what I worry about is the other LGBTQ individuals in the commonwealth who regularly face intolerance and harassment and sometimes overt violence. Gov. Tom Wolf again defended Levine and called on the House to formally reprimand Diamond over what he called a thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community. To equate any disrespect for those not wearing masks to the decades of disrespect, threats, and violence against our LGBTQ community goes far beyond the hallmarks of a decent society, Wolf said in a statement. For these actions to come from a legislator elected to fairly represent all his constituents is simply unforgivable. April Hutcheson, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, also called on Republican leaders to take aggressive action right now to show Pennsylvania that this is not acceptable behavior from our elected officials. In separate statements, spokespeople for House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre) said discrimination in any form is wrong. Rep. Diamonds letter is his own statement, Mike Straub, a spokesperson for Cutler, said. We will continue to work to rebuild and restore Pennsylvania to the benefit of all of our commonwealths residents. Jason Gottesman, a spokesperson for Benninghoff, said, All members of the House of Representatives both Republican and Democrat are elected individually and have the tools to communicate individually without carrying the endorsement of any one caucus or the whole House. Discrimination in any form is wrong and we continue to encourage all members to communicate professionally and courteously, he continued. Diamond, first elected in 2014, has seen his profile grow since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic among people who oppose Wolfs handling of the public-health crisis and dont want to cooperate with the statewide universal masking order. In March, he sponsored a resolution to terminate Wolfs disaster declaration, which was advanced by Republican leaders and passed by GOP lawmakers and a handful of Democrats. Wolf argued he was within his constitutional rights to approve or veto the resolution, a dispute that ended up in the state Supreme Court. The justices ruled in Wolfs favor. Diamond has also introduced a resolution urging Levine to resign from her position as health secretary, in part, because she removed her mother from a personal care home as coronavirus cases peaked in long-term care facilities. Levine said she did so at her mothers request. The lawmaker has also generally refused to wear face coverings while in the Capitol, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls universal mask wearing one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus. In a July 12 blog post, Diamond called into doubt the use of masks and social distancing, saying the effects of self-isolation are cruel and inhumane. He said face coverings inhibit face-to-face communication and social distancing guidelines reinforce the idea that people are in a constant state of danger. Diamond did not offer any medical or public-health driven arguments against the use of masks and social distancing in his blog post. Diamond has also claimed that universal masking is dehumanizing to children, and recently shared a meme that stated, A masked child is an abused child. Hutcheson, the health department spokesperson, said every public health expert worldwide agrees that in the absence of a vaccine, wearing a mask, social distancing and washing your hands are the best tools for preventing COVID-19 from killing thousands of Pennsylvanians. This is about saving lives. It is not about infringing on anyones freedom, it is truly about saving lives, she said. If a simple piece of cloth over your face can do that, then we need it. Editors note: This story was updated to include comment from Dr. Rachel Levine. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were killed after valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, will be inscribed on the National War Memorial here, officials said on Thursday. They said the process for inscribing the names of the Army personnel on the memorial may take a few months. Chinese and Indian troops clashed in Galwan Valley for several hours on the night of June 15 in their deadliest brawl in the last five decades. Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among the Indian Army personnel killed in the clash. The incident significantly escalated the border tension in eastern Ladakh with India calling it "a premeditated and planned action by China" The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley. China has not disclosed the number of casualties its troops suffered. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. During a visit to Lukung forward post in eastern Ladakh on July 17, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh personally conveyed his appreciation and compliments to the troops from the Bihar regiment for displaying exemplary grit and courage in fighting the Chinese troops. In his address to the soldiers, the defence minister said the Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash not only showed exemplary courage in safeguarding the border but also protected the pride of 130 crore Indians. Last month, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane awarded 'Commendation Cards' to five soldiers for their bravery in dealing with Chinese troops during the Galwan Valley clash as well as confronting rival soldiers in Pangong Tso in May. Former US leader Barack Obama launched his sharpest attack to date on President Donald Trump on Thursday, condemning the use of federal agents against protesters and attempts at voter suppression. "Today we witness with our own eyes, police officers kneeling on the necks of black Americans," Obama said in a fiery eulogy at the emotional funeral service in Atlanta of civil rights leader John Lewis. "We can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators," the former president said. Obama did not mention Trump by name but he was clearly referencing moves by the Republican president, who used troops to clear protestors from Lafayette Square outside the White House and sent federal agents to put down demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. Obama also took a jab at alleged Republican attempts to suppress the minority vote and Trump's repeated attacks on mail-in voting less than 100 days ahead of the November contest against Democrat Joe Biden. "Even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election that's going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don't get sick," he said. Trump launched another broadside on Thursday against mail-in voting, which is expected to play a prominent role in November's election because of the coronavirus outbreak. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," Trump said. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" - 'Continue his cause' - Paying tribute to Lewis, who died on July 17 at the age of 80, Obama said the congressman's lifelong fight for African-Americans' civil rights had paved the way for him to become America's first black president. Lewis, a 17-term Democratic congressman from Georgia, did "everything he could to preserve this democracy and as long as we have breath in our bodies, we have to continue his cause," Obama said. "As long as young people are protesting in the streets hoping real change takes hold, I'm hopeful," he said. "But we can't casually abandon them at the ballot box. Not when few elections have been as urgent on so many levels as this one." Lewis' funeral service was also attended by former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Former president Jimmy Carter, 95, was unable to attend but sent a letter which was read out to the mourners in the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr served as pastor in the 1960s. "His enormous contributions will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come," Carter wrote. Bush, a Republican, said he had his "differences" with Lewis, a Democratic stalwart, but "we live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis." "He believed in humanity and he believed in America," Bush said. In his tribute, Clinton referenced a column that Lewis wrote to be published in The New York Times on the day of his funeral service. "Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe," Lewis wrote. "So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide." "It is so fitting that on the day of his service he leaves us our marching orders," Clinton said. "I suggest we salute, suit up and march on." Before Thursday's funeral, Lewis' body lay in state at the US Capitol, a rarely bestowed honor, so Americans could pay their final respects. On Sunday, a lone caisson carried Lewis' body across the Alabama bridge where in 1965 a policeman fractured his skull during a protest that helped forge his reputation as a fearless civil rights leader. Lewis' death came in a year during which "Black Lives Matter" protests against police brutality have brought thousands onto US streets, underscoring the still-raw depths of the country's racial history. Lewis grew up in the Alabama city of Troy. His parents were sharecroppers, and he once worked in a cotton field. While attending segregated schools, Lewis was inspired by the peaceful protests of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King. Former US President Barack Obama directed sharp criticism at President Donald Trump during a eulogy for the late civil rights leader John Lewis Mourners outside the EbenezerBaptistChurch during the funeral service for John Lewis Former president Bill Clinton at the funeral service of John Lewis A military honor guard carries the casket of John Lewis More than a month after officials in San Antonio and Bexar County first made masks mandatory in virtually every setting, few people or businesses have been cited for flouting the mandate, records show. Since the requirement took effect June 22, San Antonio has issued 110 warnings for violations of its mask order and 29 citations. Thats out of 3,793 calls made by police and code enforcement officers charged with making sure residents and businesses are abiding by coronavirus restrictions since the mask order went into effect 1,719 specifically for masks and face coverings. For much of the pandemic, officials have shied away from fining those who disobey restrictions put in place to try to reduce COVID-19 opting instead to persuade residents to fall in line voluntarily. On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases That extends to the mask orders that County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Ron Nirenberg put in place in June. They would rather residents wear masks and face coverings on their own and businesses require customers and employees to do so than fine anyone. Getting control of this pandemic is not going to rely on enforcement if were to be successful, Nirenberg said. Its going to be on the fact that people have really understood and trusted the guidance and advice of our medical professionals. Still, there are times when enforcement or at least the threat of it is necessary, officials said. Recently, Wolff asked Sheriff Javier Salazar to step up citing those who are in violation. Exact figures at the county level werent available Thursday. But Salazar said earlier this month that deputies had visited more than 2,200 businesses to make sure they were in compliance with the orders. Deputies began issuing citations about three weeks ago and had issued 12 as of July 17. Generally, Wolff and Nirenberg said, people and businesses have complied with the orders which in turn has helped slow the spread of the disease. None of this works without the public buying into it, Wolff said. Theres going to be some people that refuse to wear it. They dont care if we fine them. They dont care. Theyre just not going to do it, some of them. Restrictions at the state level, the ongoing politicization of masks and many cases arising from household gatherings, not public places such as stores and restaurants, make ramping up local enforcement more difficult, officials said. On ExpressNews.com: Travelers, employees must wear masks at San Antonio airport Gov. Greg Abbott has often chided local officials for not enforcing those orders, especially when they seek additional authority from him to put in new restrictions. Theyve had, for a month now almost, the ability to enforce the mask order, Abbott said Tuesday in Corpus Christi. And yet I have yet to see a location anywhere in the entire state of Texas that has actually stepped up and enforced the statewide mask order. In turn, Wolff and Nirenberg blame Abbotts statewide mask mandate put in place July 2 when the states case numbers, deaths and hospitalizations began to surge for making it more difficult to fine people found out in public without face coverings. Abbotts order requires cities and counties to issue warnings to first-time violators instead of tickets, which makes it virtually impossible for cities to do what the governor is asking, Nirenberg said. Im not at all surprised given the way the states order is written that there are a lot of calls, a lot of warnings, but fewer citations just because the order itself handcuffs enforcement unless theres an egregious violation, Nirenberg said. Abbotts office did not return an email requesting comment. Even if there are hurdles to enforcing the mask orders, they should remain in place to remind people they need to wear masks until it becomes an ingrained behavior and peer pressure takes hold, said Jason Rosenfeld, assistant director of global health at UT Health San Antonio. This is a tool that were going to have to use, Rosenfeld said. I think if theres no mandate, then well continue to have half of our society or maybe less that wears the mask and half that doesnt. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio garage owner doesnt believe in wearing mask Americans have increasingly embraced mask wearing. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults say they wear masks every time they leave home, according to a recent NBC News poll. But partisan divide over the issue remains, though it is narrowing. An overwhelming majority of Democrats, 97 percent, say they wear masks most of the time when theyre out and about, the poll said compared with 70 percent of Republicans. Republicans have had to give ground on masks in recent weeks as the virus showed no signs of abating, raising the prospect of long-term economic damage and a whopping defeat at the November ballot box. Until last week, President Donald Trump had mocked the idea of wearing a mask. That was before sinking poll numbers and rising cases and deaths led him to change his tune. There are still kind of partisan fissures in mask wearing and always will be, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. But for the most part, the gap has narrowed, which is good for Texas. To whatever degree that Greg Abbott gets credit for allowing that to happen, his change of mind is part of the reason. Joshua Fechter is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Joshua, become a subscriber. jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports South Korean steelmakers were able to book bulk scrap cargoes from Japan at low prices over the past week, although offers for United States-origin deep-sea material continued to jump, sources told Fastmarkets. Three cargoes of Japanese H2-grade scrap have been bought by a South Korean steelmaker at 26,000 ($248) per tonne cfr over the past week, which would be equivalent to 24,000 per tonne fob, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday July 30. This was despite Japanese exporters raising their offer prices to 27,500-28,000 per tonne cfr South Korea, due to solid demand in Vietnam and Taiwan over the week. Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel scrap H2, Japan origin import, cfr main port South Korea, was 26,000-26,500 per tonne on Thursday, widening upward from 26,000 per tonne last week. South Korea was able to obtain lower prices for Japanese scrap than Vietnam because certain Japanese exporters only operate smaller vessels that can carry a few thousand tonnes of steel scrap, and are only of use on the short-sea voyage to South Korea - and in some cases, to Taiwan. Suppliers in Japan still want to sell at increased prices, but their offers are too high, one South Korean mill source told Fastmarkets. The stronger Japanese yen has raised US dollar-denominated prices over the past week, making Japanese scrap less competitive in markets such as Taiwan and Vietnam. But this has not affected trade to South Korea, because prices there are denominated in yen. The US dollar price is increasing but, from a suppliers viewpoint, that has not changed anything, the mill source said. With Japanese sellers reluctant to price themselves out of the market by raising their yen sales prices even higher at this stage, the mill source said that he thought the current situation could be a good time to buy Japanese scrap. A second South Korean mill source said that the Korean local market has slowly started to improve, but that market conditions were unlikely to show significant improvement until the final quarter of 2020. Deep-sea demand remains low While deals for H2-grade material have still been possible at 26,000 per tonne cfr South Korea, despite the higher offer prices from Japan, the appetite for deep-sea cargoes has sunk over recent weeks. With offers for deep-sea HMS 1&2 (80:20) from the US West Coast rising to $285 per tonne cfr Vietnam, and at $300-305 per tonne cfr Bangladesh, sellers would probably need to target $280 per tonne cfr South Korea for similar material. But West Coast sellers have abstained from making offers to South Korea over the past week, sources said. Mill sources told Fastmarkets that prices of $260-265 per tonne cfr South Korea for an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap may be workable, but this would be noticeably below sellers expectations. Japanese exporters told Fastmarkets that prices of $270-275 per tonne cfr South Korea should also be possible for deep-sea deals, given the higher prices that South Korea would now need to pay for any fresh Japanese cargoes. Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20), deep-sea origin import, cfr South Korea, rose to $265-275 per tonne cfr on Thursday, up by $5 per tonne from $260-270 per tonne cfr last week. Advertisement By The Associated Press Jul. 30, 2020 | ATLANTA By The Associated Press Jul. 30, 2020 | 12:44 PM | ATLANTA Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cains Twitter account Thursday announced the death. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. Its not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, read an article posted on the Twitter account. White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany tweeted on Thursday that Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith, McEnany added. Cain, who had hoped to become the first Black politician to win the GOP nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed President Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Cain said he could not remember Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone, but polls conducted in the weeks afterward showed his popularity slipping considerably. Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and up-by-the-bootstraps life story to many tea party supporters and other conservatives. He first ventured into national politics in 1994 when he publicly challenged President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, on his proposal to force employers to buy health insurance for their employees. For many, many businesses like mine, the cost of your plan is simply a cost that will cause us to eliminate jobs, Cain told Clinton. What will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate? Afterward, the restaurant industry used Cain as a spokesman as it campaigned against Clintons plan, which ultimately failed. Cain served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. After moving back to his native Georgia, he ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2004. He lost to Rep. Johnny Isakson in the primary. Less than two years later, Cain was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his colon that had spread to his liver. He recovered and later credited God with persuading him to run for president after Obama, a Democrat, took office in early 2009. Thats when I prayed and prayed and prayed," Cain told an audience of young Republicans in Atlanta. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. Youve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure? Cain projected a self-confident image that at times bordered on arrogance. He referred to himself in the third person, and his motivations speaking company was named T.H.E. New Voice Inc. The acronym stood for The Hermanator Experience. Cain's run for the presidency was unlikely considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, his father worked three jobs as a janitor, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically Black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the U.S. Navy. While it was a good job, Cain said his ambitions were in the corporate world. He wanted to be president of something ... somewhere, he later wrote. He worked first for Coca-Cola, became a vice president with Pillsbury, then was appointed to run its struggling Burger King unit in the Philadelphia area. His success prompted Pillsbury officials to ask Cain to take over its floundering Godfathers Pizza chain. Cain said he returned the franchise to profitability. The centerpiece of Cains presidential campaign was his 9-9-9 plan, which would have replaced the current tax code with a 9% tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. Cain said the plans simplicity would stimulate the economy by giving investors certainty. If 10% is good enough for God, 9% ought to be good enough for the federal government, he told crowds. Numerous Republican politicians, party activists and conservative political commentators mourned Cain's death on social media Thursday. Romney tweeted, Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Cain was a fierce advocate for conservative principles across the board," while Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, referring to Cain as one of his closest friends, remarked that Herman ... lived the American dream and aspired to share his success with others. Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. Is there serious racism in this country? Is the Congressional Black Caucus racist? Black Miss America? National Society of Black Engineers? Society of Black Academic Surgeons? National Association for the Advancement of Colored People? Black Heritage Museum? Black Issues in Higher Education? Black National Anthem? Would the word "White" in place of "Black" in these groups be considered racist? I sincerely believe that most whites would prefer to treat all persons the same, but the race card shows itself every day. I am sure that slavery was a big part of the decision to secede from the union, but laws preventing southern agriculture states from trading with England and France were a deciding factor to withdraw from the union. Not one of my four grandfathers who served in the Confederate Army owned a slave, and I doubt that they ever thought that they were fighting to preserve slavery in the South. Let's just try and get along and quit destroying the greatest nation on earth. CLINE S. HALL CHECK Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) wears a face covering during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on June 29, 2020. (Michael Reynolds/Pool/AFP via Getty Images) Rep. Gohmert to Take Hydroxychloroquine After Testing Positive for COVID-19 Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) plans on starting a course of hydroxychloroquine after testing positive for COVID-19. My doctor and I are all in, Gohmert said Wednesday during an appearance from quarantine on Fox Newss Hannity. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. It has been found to have some success against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, according to some researchers, particularly when used in conjunction with zinc and azithromycin, an antibiotic. Others say it has no effect. Gohmert said a close doctor friend messaged him and told the lawmaker that he was recently diagnosed with COVID-19. The doctor began a hydroxychloroquine regimen, Gohmert said. Gohmert plans on taking hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and azithromycin, also known as Z-Pak. That will start just in the next day or two, the lawmaker said. An arrangement of hydroxychloroquine pills is seen in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 6, 2020. (John Locher/AP Photo) Gohmert isnt sure how he contracted the new disease but speculated in a video message that it may have been from his mask. I have a mask on, Im moving it to make it comfortable, and I cant help but wonder if that puts some germs in the mask, he said. The Texan tested positive twice for COVID-19 after arriving at the White House Wednesday morning. He was scheduled to fly with President Donald Trump to Texas. Everybody who comes into contact with the president is tested. After Gohmerts diagnosis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced she was requiring masks be worn inside the House, threatening lawmakers who break the rule with ejection from the premises. Attorney General William Barr, meanwhile, was going to be tested for COVID-19 because he faced questioning by the House Judiciary Committee, which Gohmert sits on, this week. The Texas Republican appears to be the 10th member of Congress to test positive for or presumed to be positive for the virus. A number of White House workers have tested positive, including Katie Miller, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and national security adviser Robert OBrien. Janita Kan and Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, apparently hinting at China's expansionist agenda, called for mutual security and growth in Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and said Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach in the region. He said this during the inauguration of the new Supreme Court building of Mauritius through video conferencing on Thursday. He also congratulated Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and the country's people for effective COVID-19 pandemic management. "I am happy that India was able to support this effort through timely supplies of medicines and sharing of experiences," the PM said. He said the inauguration day marked another landmark in the special friendship between India and Mauritius. "The new Supreme Court Building in Port Louis is a symbol of our cooperation and our shared values," the PM said. He said both the countries respect their independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems. "This impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of this respect," he added. The PM also expressed happiness over the progress made in the recently inaugurated landmark Metro project and a new state-of-the-art hospital in the country. Talking about India's vision of 'SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region', the PM said Mauritius was at the heart of India's approach to the Indian Ocean region. "History has taught us that in the name of development partnerships, nations were forced into dependence partnerships. It gave rise to colonial and imperial rule. It gave rise to global power blocks," said the PM. The PM said India is making development partnerships that are marked by "Respect; Diversity; Care for the future and Sustainable development". "For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions" PM Modi said. If India is honoured to help in the Parliament building in Afghanistan, it is also proud to be associated in the making of the Mahatma Gandhi Convention Centre in Niger, he said. He added that India not only shares the waters of the Indian Ocean with Mauritius but also a common heritage of kinship, culture and language. Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth also thanked the PM for India's support, in a message in Hindi: "Shri Modi ji, hamara desh, hamari janta aapke samarthan ke liye abhari hai. (Mr Modiji, our country and our citizen are thankful for your support)." The PM's remarks on the Indian Ocean Region could be viewed against China's actions in the region. The country, in the recent past, has been involved in exploration and anti-piracy activities in the region. Moreover, it's also involved in various maritime projects with countries like Shri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius. Its unfounded claim on the South China Sea has also irked many nations including the United States and Japan. Also read: Infographic: Breaking The Digital Wall of China Kept apart from her husband Joshua since March and six months pregnant with their first child, Ashley Bishop had a plan to see him. Driving to West Seneca, N.Y., outside Buffalo, where he lives, from Thorold where she lives was impossible though its only a 60-km ride. The Canada-U.S. land border has been closed to all but commercial and essential traffic since March 21 because of COVID-19. But travel by plane is allowed. So she would fly. In late June, Bishop boarded a plane in Toronto. With no direct flight to Buffalo available, she flew 765 kilometres to Philadelphia, then caught a connecting flight to take her 625 kilometres northwest to Buffalo. She stayed 15 days, did the same flight in reverse to come home July 6 (with a layover in Chicago instead of Philadelphia), then had to self-isolate in Thorold for two weeks. It makes no sense to her, either for some reason they dont want me to cross the border in the safety of my own car, yet its OK for a pregnant woman to mingle among hundreds of others on the plane and at two airports. But thats what it took to reunite. She and Joshua are among numerous families across Canada kept apart by the closed border. Bishop is a member of a Facebook support group and says there are hundreds of others in the same position. They understand why the border has to be closed. Bishop works in public health care. She knows. But, she says, there should be provisions so its easier for immediate families to see each other. Most of us just want to express that we just want families to be able to reunite, because its beginning to be too much, she says. People having babies and they dont get to meet the dad, or (children involved in custody agreements) that cant stay with their dad. The Bishops, who are both 37, always knew the border would be a problem when they married two years ago. But, they figured, when she was issued a visa she would move permanently to West Seneca. In the meantime they would stay in touch via Facetime and visit on weekends. After all, how hard could it be? Now they ask, how much worse can it get? Joshua works at a food distribution centre for a major retailer and cant get the time off to come to Canada to visit Bishop. Unlike Canada, the U.S. doesnt require visitors to self-isolate for two weeks while they are there. Its a recommendation, not a rule. Even so, Bishop burned up her time off visiting him and then self-isolating later at home in Canada. And any time Joshua does have, she says, they want to save for when the baby is born. As unpredictable as a babys birth date can be, they hope Joshua can be here with her when it happens. With the border closed at least until Aug. 21 and likely longer than that were just accepting the fact that he probably wont be there for the childs birth in October, Bishop says. Its all been pretty stressful, she says, especially being pregnant. A lot of emotions, a lot of heartaches. You just kind of want it all to be over, but youre also in fear of what may or may not come. On the U.S. side, Buffalo-area congressmen Brian Higgins, a Democrat, and Republican Elise Stefanik have written to the American and Canadian governments to immediately craft a comprehensive framework for phased reopening of the border. It should account for varied circumstances in different regions, their letter said, with interim measures to restore the social bond that unites our two nations. On this side of the border, Niagara Centre Liberal MP Vance Badawey said protocols at the border remain strict. Asked about possible easing of restrictions, such as a shorter self-quarantine for people coming back to Canada, he said thats not something anyone should expect. I dont see that in the immediate future, Badawey said, adding he has sympathy for families hurt by the border closure. He said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made clear health in our communities is our number one priority. When the border might reopen, he said, is all up to the data we receive. Well be through this when we have a vaccine. Thats not what another Niagara resident, Michelle Davidson of Port Colborne, wants to hear. She hasnt seen her partner, Jake Landers, since February. Nor has their 20-month-old son, Roland John, whom they affectionately call RJ. Jake lives in North Canton, Ohio, about 30 kilometres south of Akron, and could travel to Canada under current border restrictions, since he is an immediate family member. But the cost of having to take 14 days off from his job working with HVAC systems to self-isolate is too great. The two-week isolation period is something Michelle wishes could be eased as governments on both sides negotiate a plan. But after reaching out directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus office, she said it was made clear Canada wont allow that at the moment. Due to COVID-19 she is laid off from her job with a Wainfleet-based window and door company. Like Ashley Bishop, Davidson belongs to a number of Facebook groups where international parents and partners share their stories about being separated by the border. Families are being torn apart because they cant see each other and dont see an end in sight, she said, adding she is bothered the government has not laid out plans for a phased reopening of border crossings. If Jake were to visit his family in Port Colborne, she said, he would follow the rules by not making any stops on his way here from Ohio, nor would he on the way back. She fears that in Canada, Jake with his Ohio licence plates might be targeted by people spreading hate toward Americans spotted here during the pandemic. There have been reports of similar incidents happening elsewhere. It scares me for when he is able to come here. People will harass him, she said. Jake has missed out on a lot during the months he and the baby have been kept apart. RJ is growing up. Hes learned to walk and speak in the time his dads not been around, Davidson said. Protesters in Las Vegas, Nevada, took to the streets on July 29 to demonstrate against the mandatory use of face masks. Video of the protest, filmed from a passing vehicle, shows demonstrators holding placards that read No masks and honk if you hate masks. The man driving the passing vehicle can be heard abusing the protesters. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak introduced the compulsory wearing of face coverings in public on July 24. Credit: @Kevin702 via Storyful Editor's Note: With so much market volatility, stay on top of daily news! Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news and expert opinions. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Gold prices are moderately down in early U.S. trading Thursday, with silver prices sharply lower. These are normal corrective price pullbacks in still-strong uptrends on the charts. Once again, look for bulls to step in to buy the dips and do some bargain hunting. August gold futures were last down $8.20 an ounce at $1,945.20. September Comex silver prices were last down $0.956 at $23.38 an ounce. The marketplace Thursday morning got its first look at second-quarter U.S. gross domestic product and it was not at all pretty, coming in at down a stunning 32.9% from the first quarter. Analysts had forecast 1Q GDP to be down just shy of 35% from the first quarter. Todays number is the worst quarterly GDP reading since it began being recorded in 1947, and beats the previous quarterly downturn by three-fold. Earlier today Germany released its 2Q GDP and it came in at -10.1% from 1Q and down 11.7%, year-on-year. Those numbers were the worst on record, dating back 50 years. Global stock markets were mostly lower in overnight trading. The U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward lower openings when the New York day session begins. Market participants are in a gloomier mood Thursday. The Covid-19 pandemic death toll in the U.S. has climbed above 150,000 and the anticipated second wave of infections appears to be a foregone conclusion at this point. U.S. traders and investors are also focused on some somber comments made by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday afternoon, at his press conference following the FOMC meeting that saw no change in U.S. monetary policy. It looks like the data are pointing to a slowing pace of the recovery, said Powell, citing evidence of a pullback by consumers and a slowdown in the rehiring of furloughed workers, particularly by small businesses. Todays 12,000 rise in U.S. jobless claims from last weeks number corroborates a weakening of the economic recovery process. U.S. stock indexes had been supported recently by corporate earnings reports that have generally beat market expectations. Meantime, the U.S. Congress is nowhere close to agreeing on a new stimulus package for Americans, heading into their August recess. The important outside markets today see Nymex crude oil prices weaker and trading around $40.65 a barrel. The U.S. dollar index is a bit higher today after hitting a nearly two-year low on Wednesday. The yield on the benchmark U.S. Treasury 10-year note is currently trading around the 0.55% level. Other U.S. economic data due for release Thursday includes the weekly jobless claims report, expected to show a figure of around 1.5 million new claims in the latest week. Technically, the gold bulls have the strong overall near-term technical advantage. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in August futures above solid resistance at $2,000.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,880.00. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,965.10 and then at this weeks record high of $1,974.90. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,936.40 and then at $1,900.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 9.5 September silver futures bulls have the strong overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at this weeks high of $26.275 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $24.00 and then at the overnight high of $24.58. Next support is seen at the overnight low of $23.10 and then at this weeks low of $22.46. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0. 2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning -- 4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS. We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover. We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come. Two teams of astronomers have made a compelling case in the 33-year-old mystery surrounding Supernova 1987A. Based on observations of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and a theoretical follow-up study, the scientists provide new insight for the argument that a neutron star is hiding deep inside the remains of the exploded star. This would be the youngest neutron star known to date. Ever since astronomers witnessed one of the brightest explosions of a star in the night sky, creating Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A), they have been searching for a compact object that should have formed in the leftovers from the blast. Because particles known as neutrinos were detected on Earth on the day of the explosion (23 February 1987), astronomers expected that a neutron star had formed in the collapsed center of the star. But when scientists could not find any evidence for that star, they started to wonder whether it subsequently collapsed into a black hole instead. For decades the scientific community has been eagerly awaiting a signal from this object that has been hiding behind a very thick cloud of dust. The "blob" Recently, observations from the ALMA radio telescope provided the first indication of the missing neutron star after the explosion. Extremely high-resolution images revealed a hot "blob" in the dusty core of SN 1987A, which is brighter than its surroundings and matches the suspected location of the neutron star. "We were very surprised to see this warm blob made by a thick cloud of dust in the supernova remnant," said Mikako Matsuura from Cardiff University and a member of the team that found the blob with ALMA. "There has to be something in the cloud that has heated up the dust and which makes it shine. That's why we suggested that there is a neutron star hiding inside the dust cloud." Even though Matsuura and her team were excited about this result, they wondered about the brightness of the blob. "We thought that the neutron star might be too bright to exist, but then Dany Page and his team published a study that indicated that the neutron star can indeed be this bright because it is so very young," said Matsuura. Dany Page is an astrophysicist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who has been studying SN 1987A from the start. "I was halfway through my PhD when the supernova happened," he said, "it was one of the biggest events in my life that made me change the course of my career to try to solve this mystery. It was like a modern holy grail." The theoretical study by Page and his team, published today in The Astrophysical Journal, strongly supports the suggestion made by the ALMA team that a neutron star is powering the dust blob. "In spite of the supreme complexity of a supernova explosion and the extreme conditions reigning in the interior of a neutron star, the detection of a warm blob of dust is a confirmation of several predictions," Page explained. These predictions were the location and the temperature of the neutron star. According to supernova computer models, the explosion has "kicked away" the neutron star from its birthplace with a speed of hundreds of kilometers per second (tens of times faster than the fastest rocket). The blob is exactly at the place where astronomers think the neutron star would be today. And the temperature of the neutron star, which was predicted to be around 5 million degrees Celsius, provides enough energy to explain the brightness of the blob. Not a pulsar or a black hole Contrary to common expectations, the neutron star is likely not a pulsar. "A pulsar's power depends on how fast it spins and on its magnetic field strength, both of which would need to have very finely tuned values to match the observations," said Page, "while the thermal energy emitted by the hot surface of the young neutron star naturally fits the data." "The neutron star behaves exactly like we expected," added James Lattimer of Stony Brook University in New York, and a member of Page's research team. Lattimer has also followed SN 1987A closely, having published prior to SN 1987A predictions of a supernova's neutrino signal that subsequently matched the observations. "Those neutrinos suggested that a black hole never formed, and moreover it seems difficult for a black hole to explain the observed brightness of the blob. We compared all possibilities and concluded that a hot neutron star is the most likely explanation." This neutron star is a 25 km wide, extremely hot ball of ultra-dense matter. A teaspoon of its material would weigh more than all the buildings within New York City combined. Because it can only be 33 years old, it would be the youngest neutron star ever found. The second youngest neutron star that we know of is located in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A and is 330 years old. Only a direct picture of the neutron star would give definite proof that it exists, but for that astronomers may need to wait a few more decades until the dust and gas in the supernova remnant become more transparent. Detailed ALMA images Even though many telescopes have made images of SN 1987A, none of them have been able to observe its core with such high precision as ALMA. Earlier (3-D) observations with ALMA already showed the types of molecules found in the supernova remnant and confirmed that it produced massive amounts of dust. "This discovery builds upon years of ALMA observations, showing the core of the supernova in more and more detail thanks to the continuing improvements to the telescope and data processing," said Remy Indebetouw of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the University of Virginia, who has been a part of the ALMA imaging team. ### This research is presented in two papers: ALMA observation of the "blob": "High Angular Resolution ALMA Images of Dust and Molecules in the SN 1987A Ejecta", by P. Cigan et al., The Astrophysical Journal. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab4b46 Theoretical study favoring a neutron star: "NS 1987A in SN 1987A", by D. Page et al., The Astrophysical Journal. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ab93c2 The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA. Eight people in Da Nang and one in Hanoi have tested positive for the coronavirus, with four linked to the countrys largest hotspot Da Nang Hospital. Among the eight new patients in Da Nang, numbered 451 to 458, one is a female nurse aged 36 at Da Nang Hospital in the eponymous city. Two others, a woman aged 56 and a man aged 52, are patients at the hospital while a 65-year-old woman is a family member taking care of a patient there. The Hanoi patient is a man 76 years of age who lives in Tay Ho District. He traveled to Da Nang around three weeks ago. On July 21, he came to the Da Nang Hospital C for a health check for having fast heart beats. Four days later, he returned to Hanoi. On Wednesday, his samples were taken following a mass testing applied to all people who have visited Da Nang. The test turned out positive. With the new nine patients, Vietnam has recorded 43 locally transmitted coronavirus cases since the pandemic resurfaced in the community last Saturday. Of these, Da Nang has detected 34 cases, while others have been reported in nearby Quang Nam and Quang Ngai Provinces, the Central Highlands Dak Lak Provinces, Hanoi, and HCMC. Da Nang Hospital alone is now related to at least 28 patients. By Thursday morning, the nation has recorded 459 cases, 90 are active after 369 have recovered. More than 669,000 have died of Covid-19 around the world. ANN ARBOR, MI With students slowly returning to Ann Arbor to attend classes at the University of Michigan, concerns are being aired regarding how police will handle what typically comes with them -- parties. The university announced in June it would offer in-person classes when its fall semester begins on Aug. 31, heightening concerns that students may host ill-advised parties and social gathering despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Theres a lot of questions out there as far as once the students start returning and you see a lot on social media with the fraternities having their parties and a lot of people outside, Police Oversight Commission Vice-Chairwoman Frances Todoro-Hargreaves said at a July 21 commission meeting. But in a photograph, it could look like theres 200 people and theres actually only 20. So the question is (for mask enforcement) will police be going to those things or things like that? University of Michigan will offer in-person classes for fall semester Gov. Gretchen Whitmers Executive Order 2020-147 went into effect July 13 and requires businesses to refuse entry to those not wearing masks unless they fall under exemptions in the law. Businesses failing to do so may have their licenses suspended by the state while individuals not in compliance face a misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine. Mask requirements existed prior to July 13, but refusal to wear one wasnt a punishable crime until this month. Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox has addressed local enforcement concerns stating, while he hopes for voluntary compliance, the department will focus on education first much like how it did at the start of the pandemic and only issue citations for special circumstances. Traditionally, with non-police issues, we try to educate on how they can stay safe and everyone else can stay safe, Cox said. We do have the ability, obviously, to write a safety citation in the executive order, but that would be reserved obviously for somebody who clearly doesnt care about the well being of the public or anyone else. After the announcement of the executive order, leaders from each public safety agency within Washtenaw County met to discuss and align response protocols and decided on the following four procedures: Upon calling 911, dispatch will relay the complaint to your local police agency Each agency will determine the severity of the violation and respond appropriately Initial response will focus on education in order to gain compliance with the order The intent is not to arrest, but appropriate action will be taken if necessary While all aspects of the executive order are to be followed and law enforcement is interested in violations, we are asking callers to be mindful of the limited law enforcement resources available to respond to all calls at this time, Ann Arbor Deputy Chief Amiee Metzer said. We ask that you focus on behaviors that pose serious risk to public safety and that may exacerbate community spread. Police hope incoming students will follow the example set by their predecessors at the start of the pandemic in March when all St. Patricks Day festivities were canceled after Whitmers then order prohibiting events and gatherings of 50 people or more. The students abide: No arrests or citations amid event ban on St. Patricks Day at UM, MSU The Ann Arbor Police department made no arrests and found no code violations during the March 17 holiday, with police afterward thanking residents for abiding the then new mandate. As students prepare to return to campus now, Nicole Banks, University of Michigan assistant dean of students and interim director of fraternity and sorority life, said all four fraternity and sorority councils on campus are working with their chapters to continue the prohibition of large social events. No more registering, no more expectation for support to have large events, Banks said. Its just not going to be permitted. Banks added that most of the national headquarters of the fraternal organizations are discouraging any events that will exceed public health guidelines in different locales. She also said AAPD has been responsive to the work of students self-governance in making sure their policies are more transparent and accessible for students as they prepare for the fall semester. More on MLive: Reopening schools depends on how people behave, Michigans Dr. Khaldun says Ann Arbor Public Schools spends $4.2M on technology to aid virtual learning Albion College students being tested for coronavirus throughout year, will monitor health with app The controversial doctor praised by Trump for touting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for coronavirus was once sued for malpractice when a patient died with a meth needle in her arm, it was been revealed. Dr. Stella Immanuel has faced criticism from health experts after she promoted the malaria drug as cure on the basis of claims that 350 patients she treated with it didn't die. The doctor has also said that cysts, fibroids and some other conditions can be caused by having sex with demons, that McDonald's and Pokemon promote witchcraft, that alien DNA is used in medical treatments, and that half-human 'reptilians' work in the US government. On Wednesday it emerged that the family of one of Dr. Immanuel's patients filed a lawsuit claiming her negligence resulted in the death of Leslie Norvell, who had complained about a methamphetamine needle that broke off in her arm. Dr. Stella Grace Immanuel (right) was sued for malpractice after the death of a patient in Louisiana in February 2019. The family of Leslie Norvell (left) claims she died after Immanuel failed to look into removing a meth needle that broke off in her arm that caused a fatal infection The family was unable to serve Immanuel with the lawsuit because they didn't know she left the Sabine Medical Center (pictured) to work in Texas, the third worst affected state by COVID-19 According to the lawsuit, Norvell went to the Sabine Medical Center where Immanuel and was given medication but no attempt was made to remove the needle fragment that had broken off inside her arm. The lawsuit also claims that Immanuel and another doctor who prescribed Norvell the medication failed to take a closer look at her arm or alert authorities. The suit states that Norvell went home after visiting Immanuel but ended up going to a hospital hours later to have the needle fragment removed because she was in so much pain. A flesh-eating infection in her arm allegedly caused her death six days later in February 2019. Police were unable to serve the doctor with the lawsuit in April because she no longer worked at the medical facility. They had no idea she had moved to Texas where she has since become notorious for claiming hydroxychloroquine is a valid coronavirus treatment despite global trials suggesting otherwise. Dr. Immanuel who is 55 years old and was born in Cameroon now works at the Rehoboth Medical Center but someone who answered the phone told the Houston Chronicle that she was out of town on Wednesday. The doctor has since gone viral in a video claiming the coronavirus pandemic can be stopped in 30 days with the use of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine WHY STUDIES DON'T BACK HYDROXY Scores of large, credible controlled studies including the 1,542-patient RECOVERY study in the UK and an NIH study, have found the drug offered no benefit, compared to patients who were only given supportive care, like oxygen. On the heels of the RECOVERY study, the WHO cancelled the hydroxychloroquine arm of its international SOLIDARITY trial of multiple potential coronavirus treatments on June 17. It came just days after the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. The agency had also previously posted a warning that the drug may cause dangerous heart arrhythmias. On July 2, researchers from Henry Ford Health System published a study on hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus that caught the White House's eye. The study's main finding was that death rates were 50 percent lower among patients who were treated with the controversial malaria drug. But the Detroit study was done in a manner far flung from the FDA's 'gold standard' for conclusive research. Research to determine whether a drug works is typically done as what's called a randomized controlled trial. In this type of study, patients are assigned to either get the drug being tested, or a placebo. Neither doctors nor patients know who got which until the study ends. The Detroit study was neither randomized, nor controlled. It was observational, meaning researchers simply compared data on 2,541 COVID-19 patients who got all manner of treatments. These types of studies are usually used to decide which drugs should undergo 'gold standard' testing, not which ones should be the gold standard of treatment. In the simplest sense, those who got hydroxychloroquine were less likely to die - but they were also more likely to receive steroids, drugs which many studies suggest do work to combat the inflammation that kills many coronavirus sufferers. Advertisement The doctor who went to college in Nigeria and completed a residency in New York City has claimed that the anti-malarial drug would stop the COVID-19 in 30 days. 'I'm kind of used to these medications,' Immanuel said in the video. 'When they started saying it was dangerous, I was like, what? Because we give it to babies, pregnant women, elderly people. Everybody takes it. Hydroxychloroquine works.' 'You don't need masks. There is a cure. You don't need people to be locked down,' the doctor also said, against the advice of global health experts. In February, officials like the US surgeon general urged Americans not to stockpile masks because they were needed by medical personnel and might not be effective in everyday situations. Public health officials then told people to wear masks when it became apparent that the virus could spread among people showing no symptoms. Yet Trump remained reluctant to use a mask, mocked his rival Joe Biden for wearing one and suggested people might be covering their faces just to hurt him politically. He did an abrupt about-face this month, claiming that he had always supported masks - then later retweeted Immanuel's video against masks. US federal regulators last month revoked their authorization of the drug as an emergency treatment amid growing evidence it does not work, and can have deadly side effects. Even if it was effective, it would not negate the need for masks and other measures to contain the outbreak. Twitter and Facebook began removing the video of Immanuel's speech on Monday for violating policies on COVID-19 misinformation, but it had already been seen more than 20 million times. Facebook has also removed some groups for mask skeptics due to false claims about mask safety. Unmasking America!, which had nearly 10,000 members - but others remain. However, Dr. Immanuel's video message has been shared on social media by President Trump and his son Donald Jr. The American leader has said he's a 'big fan' of Dr. Immanuel. 'I was very impressed with her and other doctors that stood with her,' Trump told reporters Wednesday before traveling to Texas. 'I think she made sense, but I know nothing about her.' As of Thursday there were more than 4.5 million coronavirus cases in the US and 153,314 lives have been recorded as lost due to the growing pandemic. By comparison, more than half a million people have died in the rest of the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 2.2million people have recovered from COVID-19. After failing to enforce strict social distancing measures while other states suffered earlier in the pandemic, which was announced in March, Texas is now the third worst affected behind California and Florida. There were 418,995 cases and 6,193 deaths as of Thursday. Data shows 252,064 people have recovered from the disease. LONDON (Reuters) - A Saudi court has sentenced a Yemeni blogger to 10 months in prison, a fine of 10,000 riyals ($2,600) and deportation for a social media post supporting equal rights for people in same sex relationships, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group said Mohamad al-Bokari fled Yemen in June 2019 and was living as an undocumented migrant in Saudi Arabia when he was arrested on April 8 for a Twitter video that drew online condemnation from Saudis and calls for his arrest. In the video, seen by Reuters, Bokari was asked by one of his Twitter followers for his view of same-sex relations, to which he replied, "Everyone has rights and should be able to practice them freely, including gay people." In a statement to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya confirming Bokari's arrest, the spokesman for Riyadh's police department said in April that the video contained "sexual references" which "violate public order and morals". Bokari was charged with violating public morality, "promoting homosexuality online" and "imitating women," said HRW, adding it showed authorities discriminated against Bokari for his "perceived sexual orientation and gender expression." A Reuters request for comment to Saudi Arabia's government media office went unanswered. Bokari was sentenced on July 20 and has 30 days from that date to appeal. Saudi Arabia has no codified legal system and no laws regarding sexual orientation or gender identity. Judges have convicted people for "immorality", having sexual relations outside of marriage, and homosexual sex. (Reporting by Raya Jalabi, Editing by William Maclean) Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - As the world marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons with the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has asked the anti-trafficking community to "evolve and adapt" to the pandemic The restrictions include travel bans and asset freeze. The EU Council on Thursday, July 30, decided to impose restrictive measures against four Russian nationals and the Main Center of Special Technologies with the Main Intelligence Department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff (commonly known as the GRU) for a number of cyberattacks. In general, restrictive measures were imposed against "six individuals and three entities responsible for or involved in various cyber-attacks", the EU Council's press service reports. These include the attempted cyber-attack against the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and those publicly known as "WannaCry", "NotPetya", and "Operation Cloud Hopper". The sanctions imposed include a travel ban and an asset freeze. In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to those listed. Sanctions are one of the options available in the EUs cyber diplomacy toolbox to prevent, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities directed against the EU or its member states, and this is the first time the EU has used this tool. Read alsoData leak from Cloudflare service poses no threat to government portals SBU The legal framework for targeted restrictive measures against cyberattacks was adopted in May 2019 and recently renewed. In recent years, the EU has scaled up its resilience and its ability to prevent, discourage, deter and respond to cyber threats and malicious cyber activities in order to safeguard European security and interests. In June 2017, the EU stepped up its response by establishing a Framework for a Joint EU Diplomatic Response to Malicious Cyber Activities (the "cyber diplomacy toolbox"). The framework allows the EU and its member states to use all CFSP measures, including restrictive measures if necessary, to prevent, discourage, deter and respond to malicious cyber activities targeting the integrity and security of the EU and its member states. Targeted restrictive measures have a deterrent and dissuasive effect and should be distinguished from attribution of responsibility to a third state. She was made the first member of the Women's Indian Association, and was subsequently nominated to the Madras Legislative Council. How dare you call them fallen sisters. The man falls before the woman falls. The men are always older and know what they are doing. Without male chastity, female chastity is not possible. All laws should be equal to men and women and both should be equally responsible, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy legendary medical practitioner, social reformer and legislator from Pudukottai in erstwhile Madras Presidency thundered, after a highly placed speaker commended her work for her "fallen sisters", or Devadasis, at an event to felicitate her. This followed the passing of the 1930 bill for 'prevention of dedication of young girls as Devadasis' by the Madras Presidency on 5 December 1947. Decades later, a well-known intellectual said in a speech: Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, herself a Devadasi, went abroad, and because of that felt ashamed of the system, and with a stroke of pen rendered all these illegal". Where was the legality, is the question. The Devadasi system was nurtured by upper-class men who wanted to have their cake and eat it too. In the system, young women were made to undergo a religious ritual at a pre-pubescent age, and subsequently marked as a potential concubine. This ritual and the acceptance of the 'concubine' status qualified the girl for learning music and dance, and performing in public spaces. Either a patron would choose her, or one would be chosen for her by her mother. This male benefactor would then be granted access to her art, which she would subsequently pass on to her children. However, he would not give her rights to his name or inheritance. If the patron did not have a male heir with his legal wife, but begot one with a Devadasi, the child would still not be granted legal rights to cremate his biological father on the occasion of his death. He would have to remain only his mother's son, and would be forced to pursue the art even if he lacked interest or talent in the field. Similarly, Devadasis also practised adopting young girls as daughters in the absence of a female child, in order to pass on their craft and keep the profession alive, irrespective of the girl being interested or skilled in the craft. Their femininity was a burden they had to bear. A renowned academic had once mocked lawyer and activist E Krishna Iyer for not wanting to include a 'Javali' (musical composition on love) in which the woman teases her man, claiming that she is yet to be satisfied in performances. One wonders if the Javali would have been accepted in the context of 'freedom of female sexuality' had it actually been written by a woman instead of Kshetragna, the prolific Telugu poet. Also, one imagines if a dancer would have been brave enough to perform it for a large, young audience, such as a mens college, instead of at a private salon, where the predominantly male audience would be connoisseurs. Articles and books abound on the dauntless spirit of the Devadasi women, their sexual freedom, and the influence they held in society. But the exploitation of these women hardly finds mention. Annam, a dasi in 1842, had her pottu tied at the age of ten and she, according to records, was entitled to one kalam paddy every month, and one-and-a-half handfuls of cooked rice a day," writes Davesh Soneji in Unfinished Gestures: Devadasis, Memory and Modernity in South India. Therefore, one can surmise that the Pottukattuthal ceremony was a 'transaction that secured a girl's commitment to local economies of land and guaranteed her sexual and aesthetic labor'. Writer Samhita Arni has stumbled upon an important revelation in her research on the Tamil epic Silappadhikkaram (probably written around the end of the Sangam period in 2nd century AD). According to Arni, the story of Kannagi and her husband Kovalan, who fell for the court dancer Madhavi, could be based on a real woman named Kannagi, whose story has been written in Purananuru by Kapilar and Paranar. Kannagi was grief-stricken because her husband, the chieftain Vel Pakan, had been enticed by the charms of a dancing girl. Dancing girls were feared and envied in the Sangam Age too, thereby offering a counter-narrative for the theory that the British stigmatised them. There was envy for the education the women could avail, besides the public gaze on them while they performed. The fear was rooted in the thought that one's son or husband might succumb to the charms of these women. They were also appeased and invited to rituals at homes to ward off the evil eye, and to bless the mangalsutra at marriage ceremonies on account of being Nityasumangalis, or immune to widowhood, as they were not compelled to marry. In this light, the ascent of Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy changed the reality of Devadasis and women across the country forever. When Narayanaswamy, the Brahmin principal of Maharajas College in Pudukkottai decided to marry Chandramal, a Devadasi, and bring her home, his family ostracised him. Muthulakshmi, their first daughter born on 30 July 1886, grew up to be close to her maternal cousins, who also belonged to the Devadasi tradition. Muthulakshmi was enrolled at a local thinnai, or a school run out of a portico. When she decided to study further, young boys ran behind the bullock cart she travelled in, screaming that a "Devaradial" (Devadasi in Tamil) is going to school. Soon after, all hell broke loose in Pudukkottai, which back then, only had a high school for boys. Some parents threatened to withdraw their sons from the school, stating that the presence of a girl born to a Devadasi would corrupt their minds, even after a curtain was drawn between the three girls and 40 boys in the class. A teacher decided to resign as well. But the Maharaja of Pudukkottai went on to support Muthulakshmi and gave her a handsome scholarship of Rs 150 when she expressed her desire to study medicine in Madras. The Madras Medical College was shocked when she opted for surgery, as girls were considered faint-hearted and unable to withstand the sight of blood. Muthulakshmi, however, was adamant, and at the end of her four years, the white principal of the college was found running in the corridor of the institute, screaming with a piece of paper in his hands: The first girl student for surgery has scored 100 percent in surgery! Even as a student, Muthulakshmi would attend lectures at the theosophical society. She had also witnessed her 13-year-old cousin die at childbirth. While studying medicine, she would put her cousin's baby to sleep on her thighs, consequently making up her mind that she would work to end the system of dedication of young girls as Devadasis, and remove the stigma attached to them. She was made the first member of the Women's Indian Association, and was subsequently nominated to the Madras Legislative Council. Besides initiating the bill to pass a law against dedicating Devadasis to Hindu temples, which, according to her, dehumanised young girls and ultimately pushed them into prostitution she also fought for abolishing the practice of hiring wet nurses for babies born into upper-class families, and helped Sister Subbulakshmi in her struggle for widow remarriage and education. She even rallied for raising the marriageable age for girls to 16, and for the voting rights of women. While she was arguing for the bill, three young girls came and knocked on her door. They told her they were running away from being dedicated to temples, and wanted to know what other options they had. She hosted them at her house, and tried admitting them to hostels. The hostels, however, were ruled by caste, while the schools rejected the girls. Finally in 1931, she decided to open 'Avvai Home' in Chennai, named after the ancient Tamil poet who advised kings. The institute admitted older girls too, who could work in the hostel and study for three hours. A nursing institute, teacher training programme, courses on carpentry, handicrafts, home science, among others, were taught to make young girls vocationally equipped for jobs, while they pursued dance and music on the sides if they wished to. Thousands of poor women, including many from the Devadasi community, graduated from the institute, and thrived in the anonymity granted by the bill. Those who desired to learn music and dance learnt them too. Expectedly, upper-caste and upper-class men put up stiff resistance to her proposition of increasing the legally marriageable age for women, and abolition of the Devadasi system. She had to argue with the likes of S Satyamurthy, acclaimed for his rhetoric, and the erudite C Rajagopalachari. After 17 long years of struggle, the bill became an act. Her husband Dr Sundara Reddy supported her at home, and the story of their marriage also makes for an interesting read. When she saw her younger sister die of cancer, Muthulakshmi decided to specialise in cancer treatment. She flew to London on a limited budget with her sons, and came back to establish the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai, which has now gone on to attain legendary status. On the occasion of her 134th birth anniversary, some of her poignant words come to mind: Any art and culture worth surviving will certainly hold its own against all times and against all conditions. Our attempt should be to free it from its ugly associations and the incrustations of ages which now keeps it dim and repulsive to many so that the divine art may be learned and practiced by all. Then only Indias art, the rich legacy of ages will shine brighter and will command the respect and admiration of the world" a rather succinct word of advice in the prevailing times. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The countrys response to the COVID-19 pandemic seems to lack a sense of urgency, Senator Nancy Binay said Thursday as she cited the proactive approaches of neighboring nations to contain the virus. Speaking to CNN Philippines, Binay expressed alarm over the continued rise in COVID-19 infections in the country, noting some of our Asian neighbors have been faring better during the health crisis. When they opened up, Hong Kong was able to flatten their curve Sa atin, baliktad di ba? Kung kailan pataas nang pataas yung bilang, pabukas tayo nang pabukas sa ating ekonomiya, Binay said in an interview with The Source. Apart from Hong Kong, Binay also cited the policy of Vietnam, particularly when its government moved to evacuate tourists from popular resort city Da Nang after three residents tested positive for coronavirus. So kumbaga very proactive yung approach nila, eh tayo parang walang ganoong sense of urgency parang you dont see that sense of urgency, you dont feel that need to do something on how we can fight this problem, the senator said, adding it may be good for the government to pattern measures with the best practices of other model countries. [Translation: When they opened up (economy), Hong Kong was able to flatten their curve. But here its the opposite. The higher cases we record, the more we open up our economy. In other words, their approach is proactive, but here, its like we dont have a sense of urgency.] Binay added officials can also look into further strengthening information dissemination during this time, in a bid to reach and help more sectors regarding the safety protocols. Tighter quarantine measures While Metro Manila officials have suggested that the capital region remain under general community quarantine on August 1, Binay personally thinks tighter lockdown measures are needed to contain the spread of the disease. At the moment, feeling ko kailangan muna natin maghigpit, hanggang hindi lumuluwag ang mga healthcare facilities natin. Baka we need to scale down a little bit, Binay said, but later clarified that she was not for a total lockdown. [Translation: At the moment, I feel like we need to have a stricter quarantine, until our hospital capacity improves. Maybe we need to scale down a little bit.] Despite the continuous rise in COVID-19 cases, quarantine policies in majority of the country were eased in June in a bid to restart the economy and help crisis-affected workers. To date, the Philippines has logged over 85,000 cases of the viral disease. New Delhi: Bringing respite to the Income Tax filers, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Wednesday (July 29) extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from July 31, 2020 to September 30, 2020 due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. "In view of the constraints due to the Covid pandemic & to further ease compliances for taxpayers, CBDT extends the due date for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) from 31st July, 2020 to 30th September, 2020," the Income Tax Department said in a tweet. In view of the constraints due to the Covid pandemic & to further ease compliances for taxpayers, CBDT extends the due dt for filing of Income Tax Returns for FY 2018-19(AY 2019-20) from 31st July, 2020 to 30th September, 2020,vide Notification in S.O. 2512(E) dt 29th July, 2020. pic.twitter.com/Wlzvf8S83x Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) July 29, 2020 The CBDT has also said that an individual can also file a revised ITR for FY2018-19 within this deadline. It is to be noted that this is the third extension given by the Centre to taxpayers to file both original and revised tax returns for 2018-19 fiscal. In March, the Centre had extended the due date from March 31 to June 30 due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Later in June, the date was again extended by a month till July 31. Who needs to file revised income tax return? Revised return can be filed online under Section 139(5) of the Income Tax Act. If a person after furnishing the Income Tax Return finds any mistake, omission or any wrong statement then he/she is liable for a revised ITR filing. It can be mistake in the name spelling, bank account number etc. The revised IT return should be filed within prescribed time limit. How to file revised income tax return? As per IT rules, in the ITR utility, choose the 'Section' as 'Revised return under section 139(5)' and 'Filing type' as 'Revised'. Enter the 'Acknowledgement Number' and 'Date of filing' of the Original Return filed. IT department has made it mandatory to enter a 15 digit Acknowledgement Number while filing the revised return online. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (front, centre) hosts businesspeople from the Republic of Korea (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception on July 29 in Hanoi for groups and businesses from the Republic of Korea (RoK) that are investing in Vietnam. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government supports and creates the best possible conditions for domestic and foreign investors, including those from the RoK, to expand their operations. Vietnam recorded positive growth in the first half of 2020 despite the impact of COVID-19, thanks to the efforts of the Government, ministries, localities, the business community, and the people, he said. Vietnams engagement in free trade agreements is a solid premise for RoK enterprises to make long-term investment in the country, he added. The Vietnamese Government is willing to receive constructive opinions from RoK investors to further improve the local business environment, he affirmed. RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh Wan spoke highly of the management and direction of the Vietnamese Government and the Prime Minister as well as the solidarity of the Vietnamese people in the fight against COVID-19. He suggested measures to boost the two countries relations, particular increasing exchanges, while ensuring disease prevention measures are in place and followed. The ambassador said he and RoK businesses will spare no effort to contribute to Vietnams economy. RoK groups and enterprises at the meeting hailed the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in preventing the spread of COVID-19 as well as the countrys socio-economic development achievements in recent years. PM Phuc affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue accompanying businesses and spare no efforts to further improve the investment climate to make it more stable, friendly, open, and transparent. He said Vietnam wants to attract more investors from the RoK with high-quality projects applying advanced technologies in the future. Vietnam encourages the two sides' businesses to expand cooperation activities such as conducting research and developing production, he added. Vang Seo Xoa (L) and Phung The Anh are being investigated for bringing Chinese illegally into Vietnam via Lao Cai Province. Photo courtesy of Lao Cai border guards. Three men in southern Tay Ninh Province and two in northern Lao Cai Province have been arrested for helping Chinese nationals illegally enter Vietnam. In the first hours of Thursday, police and customs officers in Ben Cau District of Tay Ninh, which borders Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia, arrested three Vietnamese males helping eight Chinese nationals illegally enter Cambodia in two cars. The three Vietnamese are Nguyen Minh Tuan Anh, 24, a resident in HCMC, Nguyen Thanh Tuan, 38 and Do Quoc Tien, 27, who reside in Tay Ninh. The three said they were helping the Chinese travel from HCMC's District 2 to Cambodia. On Wednesday, border police in Lao Cai, neighboring China, launched an investigation after forces at Lao Cai International Border Gate arrested four Chinese men entering Vietnam illegally on July 16. During questioning, the four men, aged between 25 and 28, said they had been helped by two Vietnamese men to enter Lao Cai the previous day. Their plan was to travel south to HCMC to work at a garment factory. Accordingly, police arrested Phung The Anh, 26 and Vang Seo Xoa, 31. Both residents in Lao Cai. Xoa told police he lives next to the border and usually travels to China to buy fertilizer and trade agricultural products, helping him build connections with several Chinese. Most recently, a Chinese man contacted him to help Chinese nationals illegally enter Vietnam at the price of 500 yuan ($71) each. For payment, the man attached cash onto rocks and threw them across a stream for Xoa to collect. Anh used to work as a hotel driver in Lao Cai and met many Chinese, some of whom later asked him to help transport compatriots to HCMC. Anh and Xoa collaborated in transporting the four Chinese men on July 16, with Xoa bringing them to Lao Cai while Anh in charge of bringing them to HCMC by a rented car. Police busted the operation just as Xoa and the Chinese men reached Lao Cai at around 1 a.m. Vietnam is dealing with a new wave of mysterious Covid-19 infections caused by community transmission, alongside a surge in cases whereby Chinese have illegally broken into the country, violating national protocols on pandemic prevention. To curb the spread of Covid-19, Vietnam has banned entry by foreign nationals since March 22 with exceptions and conditions, including 14-day quarantine on arrival. HCMC announced Wednesday it had found 11 illegal Chinese immigrants at an apartment building in Binh Thanh District. Authorities have since sent them all to a quarantine camp. On Monday, police in northern Lang Son Province, which also borders China, handed over 16 Chinese nationals to Chinese police after finding them illegally entering Vietnam two days earlier. Lang Son police have detained two local women for helping nine Chinese nationals enter Vietnam illegally. Last Saturday, a Chinese man was arrested for his involvement in a ring smuggling Chinese nationals into Da Nang and neighboring Quang Nam Province. Authorities have found 73 Chinese nationals illegally entering both places over the past few days. NASAs Perseverance rover is headed to Mars, the third spacecraft to head that way this month. Perseverance, a robotic wheeled vehicle designed to look for signs of past life on Mars, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday at 7:50 a.m. Eastern time. The launch was pushed back a couple of weeks by a series of technical delays and overcame challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, which required many of its engineers to work from home. The rovers destination is a crater, Jezero, which was once a lake in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Scientists believe it is a promising location where signs of ancient Martian life could be preserved if life ever existed on Mars. The Atlas 5 rocket lofted the spacecraft away from Earth and on a trajectory to arrive at Mars in six-and-a-half months. It follows Julys earlier launches by the United Arab Emirates and China. While Perseverance is last to leave, all three missions should arrive at the red planet at about the same time, in February. EDMONTONParks across the province are facing the same overcrowding and environmental damage as seen in a west-central Alberta wilderness area, says Environment Minister Jason Nixon. The situation taking place west of Rocky Mountain House and Sundre is no different than what were seeing all across the province, Nixon said Wednesday. He wouldnt commit to an immediate increase in facilities or enforcement for the Bighorn backcountry, despite concerns raised by his own department. Thats a go-ahead for the people who are causing the problems, said New Democrat environment critic Marlin Schmidt. The minister has effectively given them the green light to keep doing that kind of thing. Earlier this week, The Canadian Press reported on a provincial committee that oversees the Bighorn, a vast section of mostly unserviced backcountry once considered for a park. The committees report and interviews with local people described an area swarmed by tens of thousands of campers who cut trees, strew garbage and trespass. The report described usage levels as insane. It said garbage and human feces litter the landscape, despite large dumpsters installed by one community. Area First Nations said they can no longer hunt or gather plants. Sacred sites have been disturbed. Volunteer search-and-rescue services said demand has increased manyfold. The report said firepits pock the bush and campers shoot firearms along power cutlines. Campers set up for the weekend, leave everything and return five days later. Enforcement in the area is limited to two rangers and an RCMP detachment more than 100 kilometres away. The report said rangers are having a difficult time with people who are wound pretty tight. Nixon said every provincial park and recreation area is busy as Albertans look for a safe way to enjoy a summer with their families. What is taking place in that location in the eastern slopes is exactly what we have taking place all across the province because of COVID. Well continue to do our best to manage that. The government has provided help with garbage collection, he added. Additional enforcement, bathrooms and parking pads will have to wait. We continue to work closely with the conservation officer enforcement division in Alberta Environment and Parks, as well as with our partners in (Alberta) Justice, with Fish and Wildlife and the RCMP, Nixon said. Well continue to move forward through our North Saskatchewan regional planning process in that area, which will result in some infrastructure investment to deal with some of the concerns. Schmidt said Albertans need better enforcement and facilities now in order to be able to enjoy their landscape. (You should) build the infrastructure that encourages good behaviour. You need things like outhouses and garbage bins. He noted the previous NDP government had planned a wildland park in the Bighorn area. We would have started (building) last summer. Given the pandemic, we would have stepped up investment in this kind of recreational infrastructure all across the province. This shows how high the demand is for parks. Nixon did not provide a timeline for when his government would start putting facilities in to the Bighorn. The planning he referred to has been going on for a decade. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 09:27:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong is part of the People's Republic of China, and China as a sovereign state has the right to introduce laws to safeguard its national interests, an Afghan political analyst has said. "Interference by any power to the domestic affairs of any country is a breach of international law that could affect global peace and stability," Nazari Pariani, also a China expert, said in a recent interview with Xinhua. "In my opinion, the introduction of the national security law for Hong Kong would definitely safeguard the interests of Hong Kong and further stabilizes 'one country, two systems' in the region," he said. According to the analyst, the principle of "one country, two systems," which has been applied in Hong Kong and Macao for years, demonstrates a democratic system with Chinese characteristics that ensures peace, security and development in the country. The expert also observed that any objection by the United States, Britain or any other country to the national security legislation for Hong Kong is "blatant interference to China's internal affairs." "Hong Kong is part of China and China knows better than any other country to deal with the situation in the region to take it towards peace, development and prosperity," he noted, saying that recent violent demonstrations in Hong Kong were mostly due to foreign interference in an attempt to destabilize the region. Additionally, the analyst said that the United States does not want to see the fast economic development of China, which is why it launched the so-called "trade war" and took other actions against China to contain its development and global advantage in various fields, including the Belt and Road Initiative that promotes connectivity among countries. "Strained relations between Washington and Beijing have fueled diplomatic rows as China's consulate was shut down in Houston and the U.S. consulate was closed in Chengdu city recently," the observer added. Enditem China will ensure policy support for the economy in the second half, in the face of a "severe and complex" economic situation, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party said on Thursday. China's monetary policy will be more flexible and targeted and its fiscal policy will be more proactive, state media reported after a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping. A stronger-than-expected rebound in activity in the second quarter has reduced the urgency for further action from the People's Bank of China (PBOC) following unprecedented emergency ... The death toll for environmental activists and environmental defenders reached 212 last year, equivalent to more than four deaths a week. (Photo : Pixabay) The death toll for environmental activists and environmental defenders reached 212 last year, equivalent to more than four deaths a week. The report was from Global Witness, an international NGO that works for preventing extractive industries from infringing on human rights. It also indicated that the figure, which had a significant spike since 2018, makes 2019 the deadliest year for environmental activists standing up for land and water resources from mining, agribusiness, and fossil fuel interest. Global Witness also said that the figure could be higher, as some cases go undocumented. Colombia is the deadliest country in 2019 had 64 killings from 24 in 2018. The next was the Philippines, with 43 killings, while Brazil had 24. In Brazil, 90 percent of the killings were in the Amazon Region. Honduras also recorded a dramatic increase in killings from four in 2018 to 14 in 2019. Europe had two recorded killings in Romania for a case related to illegal logging. Africa recorded seven deaths, but verifying cases in the region remain a challenge. Read: Indian Environmental Activist Afroz Shah Detained for Helping Migrants The Environmental Defenders The victims, however, are not limited to activists. It also includes community members, scientists, and even journalists. Two journalists, Maraden Sianipar and Maratua Siregar, were found dead near a palm oil plantation in Indonesia on October 30 and 31 last year. The victims were reportedly mediating a land dispute between residents and palm oil companies. Kazakhstan wildlife ranger Yerlan Nurghaliev was killed protecting saiga (Saiga tatarica), a critically endangered antelope. He was severely beaten by poachers and later succumbed to the injuries. Turkish scientist Bulent Sik was jailed last year for publishing the results of a study that the toxic pollution in western Turkey poses cancer risks. Interestingly, the government commissioned him to do the research-the same government that arrested him. In Iran, conservationists were convicted for collaborating with the US, an enemy state while protecting the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus). According to the report, governments worldwide like the US, Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines are using the COVID-19 pandemic to "implement draconian measures to control citizens and roll back hard-fought environmental regulations." In Cambodia, extractive companies bulldozed indigenous lands while people are on lockdown orders. Meanwhile, two indigenous leaders, Omar and Ernesto Guasiruma, were killed at their homes' comfort while isolating because of the pandemic. Among those injured in the attack were their relatives. READ: Remembering India in 2016: How Global Parli and an Entire Community Survived a Drought Lethal Issues The mining issue was the deadliest sector, where 50 fatalities were reported last year. Agribusiness was the leading cause of the attack in Asia, 90 percent of which happened in the Philippines. Logging-related issues claimed 24 lives. The majority of campaigners were threatened by arrests, lawsuits, threats, and violent attacks, with indigenous people inexplicably affected. The report also revealed that 40 % of the environmental defenders were indigenous peoples. Although the female defenders represented 10 % of the fatalities last year, women defenders are subjected to another harassment; women face smear campaign using sexist or sexual content and sexual violence. According to Rachel Cox, a campaigner at Global Witness, "Agribusiness and oil, gas and mining have been consistently the biggest drivers of attacks against land and environmental defenders -- and they are also the industries pushing us further into runaway climate change through deforestation and increasing carbon emissions." READ NEXT: The Cost of Slowing Deforestation to Prevent the Next Pandemic The scale of economic devastation from the pandemic was laid bare on Thursday as Western economies recorded historic slumps, just as resurgent caseloads forced many countries into agonising new trade-offs between health and financial stability. Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 17 million people worldwide. The WHO warned Thursday that young people are "not invincible" and were helping to drive resurgences in many places that had largely curbed the disease. "Spikes of cases in some countries are being driven in part by younger people letting down their guard during the northern hemisphere summer," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. COVID-19 has killed more than 668,000 people and is forcing governments into a persistent balancing act between saving lives and preventing economic devastation. Nowhere is that challenge more evident than the world's hardest-hit nation -- also the world's biggest economy -- with the United States posting a second-quarter loss of 9.5 percent compared with the same period a year ago, the worst figure on record. If that trajectory carried through the entire year, its economy would collapse by nearly a third (32.9 percent), the data showed. Historic contractions were additionally recorded in Germany (10.1 percent), Belgium (12.2 percent), Austria (10.7 percent) and Mexico (17 percent). Across the globe, companies were also taking a hit with Volkswagen, oil producer Shell, UK bank Lloyds and Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic all reporting huge losses. With travel down to a trickle, aerospace giant Airbus said it burned through more than 12 billion euros in cash in the first half of the year, with a net loss of 1.9 billion euros ($1.4 billion) and plans to cut production by 40 percent. But several Big Tech firms delivered better-than-expected results Thursday, underscoring growing consumer reliance on giants like Amazon during the pandemic as well as their extraordinary economic power. Apple profits rose eight percent to $11.2 billion, Amazon meanwhile said profits nearly doubled to $5.2 billion and Facebook said its profits doubled to $5.2 billion compared with the same period last year. Global daily cases are now approaching the 300,000 mark, with the curve showing no sign of flattening -- it took just 100 hours for one million new cases to be recorded. The US counted 1,379 new deaths in the 24 hours before 8:30 pm Thursday (0030 GMT Friday), plus another 72,238 new infections. And the country also recorded another grim milestone: the death of Buddy, the first US pet dog to test positive for the virus. The seven-year-old German shepherd died after suffering from difficulty breathing and other symptoms for several months. In Japan, Tokyo's governor called for restaurants, bars and karaoke parlours to shut earlier as the capital reported a record number of new infections. Sweden, whose controversial softer approach to curbing coronavirus has received worldwide attention, said it would encourage people to keep working from home into next year where possible, as the country passed 80,000 recorded cases. And Mexico became the world's third hardest-hit country in terms of deaths as it notched more than 46,000 fatalities, according to a tally maintained by AFP. - Island resurgences - Two island countries that were early poster children for containing the virus offered warnings against complacency on Thursday. In Australia, there were 723 positive tests in the southeastern state of Victoria alone, well beyond the previous nationwide record of 549 cases set on Monday. And Iceland recorded its first hospitalisation since mid-May, as well as 31 new cases, forcing the government to reimpose social distancing and masks, and limit the size of gatherings to 100. Hong Kong, which was also initially lauded for its coronavirus response, is struggling to balance fears of a third wave among its 7.5 million residents, which authorities fear could cripple the healthcare system, against anger at new restrictions. Just a day after restaurants were banned from serving customers indoors, the decision was reversed following a torrent of online criticism over images of mostly blue-collar workers forced to eat on pavements and in parks -- and even inside public toilets to escape a torrential downpour. South Africa faces a similar dilemma and pushed back its nighttime curfew by an hour to 10 pm to help the devastated restaurant sector, despite a recent surge in cases. Ivory Coast however bucked the trend, announcing that bars, nightclubs and cinemas would reopen on Friday. The EU meanwhile carried out its fortnightly update to its list of safe countries. US travellers are still barred and Algeria was removed after a spike in cases. The safe list currently consists of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay -- and would also include China if Beijing reciprocated. burs-er/dl/caw/bfm A volunteer gestures instructions to a driver at a COVID-19 test site on July 30, 2020 in the Panoramic City neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, where cases continue to spike VW was one of the global companies reporting the impact of the pandemic on its results A cleaning worker wearing personal protective equipment disinfects a public tranport van in Mexico City, on July 30, 2020 World toll of coronavirus infections and deaths Australia is struggling with a surge in cases A coalition of education groups have told Congress that the new coronavirus aid package introduced by Senate Republicans needs a big overhaul, and that the federal government shouldnt condition federal relief money on schools holding in-person classes. The Thursday letter from organizations representing big urban school districts, teachers unions, local education officials, and others says lawmakers need to abandon the approach to K-12 in the HEALS Act, introduced by Senate Republicans on Monday. Instead, they say, the House and Senate should provide schools more money, allow schools to access all the aid regardless of their plans for face-to-face classes, fund more internet access for students, and leave out any language authorizing money for private school choice. The bill misses the mark and falls far short of the needs facing our nations schools, which our groups have been clear to repeatedly communicate and highlight, says the letter to congressional leaders sent by the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, Council of the Great City Schools, AASA, the School Superintendents Association, and several others. The letter also serves as a reminder that negotiations over new COVID relief, which have already been acrimonious, could get uglier still in the coming days. The Senate has a recess scheduled from Aug. 10 to Sept. 7, and while several senators would likely prefer to be campaigning during that time rather than be stuck in Washington, its not a sure thing that a new aid bill will be done before then. The HEALS Act provides K-12 schools with $70 billion; two-thirds of that funding must go to schools with some sort of plan to open buildings for the 2020-21 school year and hold in-person classes. The legislation would allow for hybrid plans, but schools that hold remote-only classes would not be eligible for this portion of the aid. The remaining one-third would go to schools regardless of their reopening plans. Both public and private schools would be eligible for the $70 billion aid. In addition, the HEALS Act would provide certain protections from legal liability for schools, but doesnt include any relief for state and local governments, which could leave many schools in a deep hole as their budgets get cut. And while it authorizes a one-time school choice program to support private school scholarships during the pandemic, the HEALS Act does not provide federal funding for it. (HEALS stands for Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protections, and Schools.) However, Senate Democrats have slammed the proposals from the GOP, especially plans to condition education aid on schools reopening their doors, before the HEALS Act was officially released. They said the public pressure from the Trump administrationwhich negotiated extensively with Senate Republicans about the HEALS Actfor schools to resume face-to-face instruction next year has been heavy-handed and disregards safety for students and school staff. In their letter to Capitol Hill, the groups stress that the $70 billion is less than half of what many organizations have called for in additional K-12 virus relief. They also say in the next aid bill that Congress should do the following: Remove any conditions on federal coronavirus relief related to whether schools physically reopen. Provide $4 billion to the Federal Communications Commissions E-Rate program to help provide more students internet access and improve remote learning. Ditch the HEALS Act language authorizing federal money for private school choice. Clarify that equitable services funded by coronavirus relief should support disadvantaged private school students, and not private school students in general. (More on that issue here .) Read the full letter here: Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . A Russian man is taking a bank to court for forcing him to pay interest on a loan he never asked for, after fraudsters used his stolen smartphone to take out the pre-approved loan in his name. Vladimir Volokhovich, from Moscow, has been making news headlines in his home country of Russia after finding himself right in the middle of an unusual scandal. Volokhovich is being asked by the Russian branch of Alpha Bank to pay up a pre-approved loan taken up by fraudsters in his name, using his stolen mobile phone. Not only did the scammers manage to transfer part of the funds to their accounts, but the interest on the loan Vladimir never asked for is adding up every day. The bank, however, refuses to cancel the loan, claiming that Vladimir should have reported his smartphone as stolen sooner. Photo: Pexels/Pixabay I lost my mobile phone, on which the Alfa-Bank application was installed, Vladimir Volokhovich told Russian radio Kommersant FM. Due to a number of circumstances, I could not immediately block access to any of my apps, since I didnt have Internet access for 24 hours after losing it. Later, I received information from a colleague that my phone had been found, and that the person who found it would call the next day so I could meet them to pick it up. As it turned out, this was a trick designed to buy time and allow the scammers to get a loan in the amount of 1.5 million rubles ($20,000) , issued using a simple electronic signature, Volokhovich added. They managed to withdraw 140 thousand rubles ($1,900) to their accounts, before the bank blocked transfers. The question is not even so much about the lost amount, although it is also important, but about the fact that I did not take this loan. The loan interest is very high. If within five years you pay off a loan of 1.5 million rubles, then the interest alone is 300 thousand ($4,000). Vladimir filed an application asking for the loan to be canceled, because he was the victim of a scam, but it was rejected by Alpha Bank because he failed to report his smartphone as stolen and block his SIM card. the financial institution claims that it cannot protect clients from loss or theft of a smartphone, and that it is their duty to notify the bank immediately so it can block all access. Photo: Tumisu If the bank was not notified in advance, in fact, the risk of adverse consequences can be easily assigned by the court to the victim, Anton Bakulin, a member of the Moscow lawyers board, told Kommersant FM. Speaking with 360TV, Vladimir Volokhovich also took issue with how easily the loan was approved. All fraudsters had to do was ask for a pre-approved loan and confirm with an electronic signature (a code sent via SMS) in the Alpha Bank app. Did I ask for the loan, sign the papers, did I show up in person? How could you give a stranger a loan in my name? Is it legal? The document the loan agreement is signed by electronic signature, the victim complained. Photo: Quincy Creative Alexey Izotov, a member of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market, told 360TV that pre-approved loans are meant to reduce contact between clients and bank employees, and are considered as a facility for clients. He doesnt believe they should be limited because of fraud cases like Vladimirs, but admits that it is necessary to legislatively combine modern digital technologies with old paper-based procedures in order to minimize risks for Russians. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Talisker Resources Ltd. ("Talisker" or the "Company") (CSE:TSK)(OTCQX:TSKFF) is pleased to announce that the Company has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Talisker shares will begin trading today on the OTCQX under the symbol "TSKFF". The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors. Terry Harbort, President & CEO of Talisker stated, "We are pleased to have qualified to trade on the OTCQX Market which we anticipate will provide Talisker with wider visibility to the investment community to broaden our shareholder base and strengthen shareholder value." About Talisker Resources Ltd. Talisker (taliskerresources.com) is a junior resource company involved in the exploration of gold projects in British Columbia, Canada. Talisker's projects include the Bralorne Gold Complex, an advanced stage project with significant exploration potential from a historical high-grade producing gold mine as well as its Spences Bridge Project where the Company holds ~85% of the emerging Spences Bridge Gold Belt and several other early stage Greenfields projects. With its properties comprising 291,339 hectares over 322 claims, six leases and 181 crown grant claims, Talisker is a dominant exploration player in the south-central British Columbia. The Company is well funded to advance its aggressive systematic exploration program at its projects. For further information please contact: Terry Harbort, Chief Executive Officer or terry.harbort@taliskerresources.com +1 416 361 2808 Carrie Howes, Director, Investor Relations carrie.howes@taliskerresources.com +1 416 837 0075 Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. SOURCE: Talisker Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599571/Talisker-Begins-Trading-on-the-OTCQX-Market Failing to arrest the surge of Covid-19 cases, the Bihar government on Thursday decided to extend lockdown till August 16. The state government had reimposed lockdown from July 16 till July 31. Bihar has reported 48,001 Covid-19 cases to date, including 2,082 on Thursday. In fact from July 25 till July 30, cases have jumped from 36,314 to 48,001. A notification issued by the state home department said that restrictions will remain in force in State headquarter, district headquarter, sub-divisonal headquarter, blocks and all municipal areas in the state of Bihar with effect from August 1 till August 16. No public transport would be allowed to ply in areas falling under fresh lockdown norms, but there would be no bar on construction activities, state officials said. Also read: Indias Covid-19 recovery now over 64%, 16 states have higher rates Air and rail travel have been allowed to continue and offices, banks, and other offices would function with minimal staff strength, they added. Restaurants would not be allowed to operate, except for takeaway and home deliveries. Thursdays order said that all offices of the Government of India and the State Government and their autonomous/subordinate offices and public corporations shall work with 50% of staff. Exemptions have been made for defence, central armed police forces, treasury, public utilities (including Petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG), power generation and transmission units, etc., which can work with full strength. All commercial and private establishments will be allowed to function normally with exceptions of shopping malls, restaurants while restaurants/ dhabas/eateries will be allowed to open with home delivery / take away services only. Shops and markets will also be allowed to operate subject to restrictions imposed by district administration. Medical shops, grocery shops, and other essential services would remain open like the previous lockdown norms. Last month, a three-member Central team, which visited Patna and Gaya on a two-day trip , had warned the state government that the very low testing ratio, as compared to the national average, might impact its case fatality rate (CFR) of the viral outbreak. Philadelphia's NAACP president Rodney Muhammad, a prominent civil rights figure and local Nation of Islam leader, is facing mounting calls to resign after he shared an anti-Semitic meme on Facebook. Muhammad sparked outrage last week when he posted the meme which featured photos of Ice Cube, DeSean Jackson and Nick Cannon - all of whom have been criticized recently for making anti-Semitic comments - over of a drawing of a yarmulke-wearing man using his hand to crush a group of people. The image was accompanied by a quote wrongly attributed to the philosopher Francois Voltaire which read: 'To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.' Philadelphia's Jewish leaders demanded Muhammad's resignation over the weekend, and on Monday he issued a statement explaining that he hadn't realized the anti-Semitic connotations. But his explanation did little to subdue the outrage, as Pennsylvania's Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro have now joined the calls for Muhammad to step down as NAACP president. Philadelphia's NAACP President Rodney Muhammad, a prominent civil rights figure and local Nation of Islam leader, is facing calls to resign after he posted an anti-Semitic meme online Muhammad posted the meme (pictured) on Facebook last week. It features photos of Ice Cube, DeSean Jackson and Nick Cannon - all of whom have been criticized recently for making anti-Semitic comments - over of a drawing of a yarmulke-wearing man using his hand to crush a group of people. The quote is wrongly attributed to philosopher Francois Voltaire Muhammad on Monday said that he deleted the meme after he learned that the images it contained had previously been distributed by white supremacists. 'I later learned that not only was the quote I used misattributed to the philosopher Francois Voltaire, but in fact, the quote and image had been used previously by white supremacists,' he wrote in a statement late Monday night. 'I immediately removed both the quote and the offensive images. It was never my intention to offend anyone or cause any hurt. 'I stand with all members of the Jewish faith in the fight for social justice, and I intend to use this opportunity for thoughtful conversations with both the Black and Jewish communities.' Muhammad has not returned media requests for comment this week but did speak briefly to local news outlet BillyPenn on Friday. 'To be real honest with you, I didn't even pay attention to the picture,' he said. The real source of the quote on the meme is Kevin Strom, an American neo-Nazi, Holocaust denier and white supremacist who was convicted on child pornography charges in 2008. DeSean Jackson, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, was included in the meme after he was accused of anti-Semitism earlier this month when he shared quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler on Instagram. Actor and rapper Ice Cube faced similar accusations last month after he posted a series of tweets that contained 'creepy symbols and images' implying Jews were responsible for the oppression of blacks. Comedian Nick Cannon was also struck by a scandal in June after he made anti-Semitic and anti-white comments on his podcast. Jackson and Cannon apologized for their posts and comments, while Ice Cube did not. Muhammad explained on Monday that he was unaware of the meme's anti-Semitic message when he first shared it and said he deleted it after he learned that the images it contained had previously been distributed by white supremacists Several city leaders have said Muhammad's initial decision to post the meme called his leadership into question during a time when the NAACP's mission is vital as the US sees an unprecedented wave of anti-racism activism. The NAACP's national office has not yet publicly commented on the controversy within its Philadelphia chapter. The Jewish Federation of Philadelphia first issued a statement calling for the NAACP to remove Muhammad on Friday. Several city leaders have said Muhammad's initial decision to post the meme called his leadership into question during a time when the NAACP's mission is vital as the US sees an unprecedented wave of anti-racism activism. It doubled down on that demand in another statement on Tuesday, in which it rejected Muhammad's reasoning and decried the fact that he didn't apologize. 'Mr. Muhammad's statement regarding his anti-Semitic Facebook post is utterly insufficient,' the organization wrote. 'Given the chance to apologize for his actions, he declined to do so.' Gov Wolf condemned Muhammad's 'vile' meme on Twitter, writing: 'Sharing this type of racist content is unacceptableespecially from a civic leader. 'I'm joining the call for Minister Muhammad to resign. Hate has no place in Pennsylvania.' AG Shapiro offered an even more scathing statement, tweeting: 'As soon I learned about Rodney Muhammad's post I reached out to him directly to understand what happened and ask for a sincere apology. His response to me was offensive and we are all still waiting for that apology. 'He has undermined the progress we need to make together to combat anti-Semitism and structural racism that has been baked into our society through generations. 'That is just one reason why I join so many Black leaders in calling on Rodney Muhammad to resign as President of the Philadelphia NAACP. The NAACP is a crucial civil rights organization that deserves better than Rodney Muhammad.' Pennsylvania Gov Tom Wolf joined calls for Muhammad's resignation in a tweet on Tuesday Pennsylvania Attorney General also called for Muhammad's resignation and said that he reached out to the NAACP president for an explanation but was unhappy with the response Pennsylvania State Sen Anthony Williams argued that Muhammad no longer deserves to represent the NAACP. 'The NAACP and any other organization that claims it's concerned and wraps its arms around humanity and dignity for all people has to acquire a standard of its leaders,' he said. 'And that standard can not allow for a slip of the tongue, a mistake of a thought, but most importantly, publicly posturing around racism and anti-Semitism.' 'The meme was insulting, not just to Jews, not just to African-Americans, but anyone who fights in this country for what the standard is supposed to be,' Williams added. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney stopped short of demanding Muhammad's removal and instead called for him to apologize. 'I share the outrage of Philadelphia's Jewish community to this offensive message, and I am extremely disappointed that Minister Muhammad saw fit to post it,' Kenney said in a statement. 'It perpetuates vile anti-Semitic rhetoric, and it compounds the hurt caused by DeSean Jackson's earlier post, for which Jackson has appropriately apologized. 'Our city and nation need healing and unity now, not the sort of division and hatred that this post creates. 'I call on Minister Muhammad to apologize to our Jewish community and to all those who fight every day for religious and racial tolerance. 'I know Minister Muhammad to be a bridge builder, and I hope he is up to the task of rebuilding the bridges that his unfortunate post has now damaged.' (Natural News) Attorney General Bill Barr is considering opening a Justice Department investigation into whether or not Mark Zuckerberg broke US law by using materially false statements under oath while testifying before Congress just two years ago. Zuckerberg has been stifling conservative viewpoints and natural health information for years. Now all of his anti-conservative bias is coming to light, and theres no scurrying away this time for Mr. Fakebook. Anything pro-Trump, pro-gun, pro-patriotism is being shot down (pun intended), banned, censored, deleted, and erased from all current events in order to feed a Leftist-Communist narrative. Google recently eliminated all of the searches for articles regarding the dementia-ridden Joe Biden on Breitbart. The ratings for those searches went to zero overnight, thanks to Google, who didnt approve of Breitbart news containing intelligent discussions and conservative viewpoints on covid, riots, domestic terrorism, or experimental vaccines. Google tried its best to help Hillary win 2016, but failed. They hid all of the negative news about her for months leading up to the election, but exacerbated negative coverage (fake news especially) of Donald Trump. The ratings and SEO crippling was obvious to anyone with an IQ over 120 who hasnt watched CNN in more than a year. Zuckerberg about to sink like the Titanic, while Trumps about to win by same electoral college landslide, despite Google and Fakebook bans When it comes to content moderation issues, Fakebooks Mark Zuckerberg takes the cake. He claims theres no editorial manipulation at all, but Project Veritas investigated Facebook and found that an overwhelming majority of whats censored and banned by Fakebooks AI (artificial intelligence/algorithms/web crawlers) was Pro-Trump, Republican based, or just conservative ideals for our country. Busted. Now even more Americans will realize the polls are fake, Biden is senile, and Trump is a businessman whos taking care of our economy and protecting the constitution. Florida Rep Matt Gaetz penned a letter this week to AG Bill Barr encouraging use of Project Veritas hidden camera footage to prove Facebooks guilt, using whistleblowers who literally worked as Facebook content moderators and who outright stated they regularly delete posts with pro-right speech. Any confusion there Mr. Fakebook? If Zuckerberg is found guilty he could do time in prison. Wont that be a site for sore eyes. We could only wonder if his cell mates might censor his speech while serving hard time. Only time will tell. Are you politically disoriented? No more posting ever again for you on Fakebook! Are you wondering why the term peaceful protest seems to suddenly include burning federal buildings, assaulting police officers, and beating people to death on the streets? Your business is now unlisted, banned, and deleted from Google and the world wide web. Sorry. Do you think you have a cure for covid, one with no side effects thats also inexpensive? No YouTube for you ever again! You are banned from all social media for thinking too much and sharing science-backed research that bucks the mainstream narrative. Sorry, the page youre looking for doesnt exist. Zuckerberg repeatedly violating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Facebook labels nearly all intelligent conservative viewpoints and nearly everything that is political as hate speech, including anytime Trump defends himself against personal attacks, fake news and fake dossiers. Theres no good faith to be found in the random censoring of all things Right, and its been more than obvious ever since Trump announced he was running for President. Heck, nobody ever called him a racist or white supremacist before that. The irony is priceless. Now Zuckerbergs Fakebook Titanic is taking in water fast, and there are some huge icebergs straight ahead, and the biggest one is called Bill Barr. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg is calling for no more police in America. Great. A filthy rich frat boy with a billion-dollar-high-schooler-online-yearbook wants total chaos for America, and Congress finally caught him lying under oath. Jail time ahead. Wonder how long he will last before he gets Epsteined, along with George Soros and Jack Dorsey. Keep hiring snakes to do your dirty work and eventually theyll turn on you too, all you rich pompous White dudes who claim to back Black peoples rights while paying for domestic terrorism (the irony is that theyve got mostly white people committing all the violence). Time to raid Zuckerbergs home at 4am with a heavily-armed swat team like they did to Roger Stone, and hall Mr. Fakebook out of his mansion in his Scooby-Doo pajamas, and off to maximum security prison you go, ego boy. What else would you like for our country, no prisons? How about no borders? What about no spoiled rich white boys? Should these censorship demons get doxxed themselves? What will Antifa and BLM do with THAT information? Care to tour Mr. Fakebooks $7 million dollar home? This has been a public service announcement from NaturalNews.com. Stay tuned to Pandemic.news for updates on all that Fakebook and Google are censoring that you need to know to be happy, safe, healthy and wealthy. Sources for this article include: DailyMail.co.uk Pandemic.news TruthWiki.org NaturalNews.com July 29, 2020 News By C. Todd Lopez , DOD News Defense.gov DOD Proposes Removing More Than 11,000 Troops From Germany The United States will bring some American service members home from their forward stationed assignments in Germany, while other service members will move to other locations in Europe to improve the commitment to NATO and the defense of Europe, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said, adding that the proposed changes are firmly in line with the National Defense Strategy. The plan is for U.S. European Command to reposition 11,900 personnel who are currently stationed in Germany to other locations, Esper said during a news conference today at the Pentagon. The move will reduce the number of U.S. military personnel in Germany from about 36,000 to 24,000. Repositioning could begin in weeks, he said, adding that with 24,000 American service members, Germany would still host the highest number of U.S. troops of any nation in NATO. About 5,600 service members being moved out of Germany will stay within Europe. They will be moved to other NATO nations, Esper said. An additional 6,400 personnel will return to the United States, though Esper said this will not mean less support of NATO allies, because instead of having permanently stationed forces in Germany, other military units will begin rotational deployments farther east on the continent in more strategic locations, such as near the Black Sea region. "Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously as possible consistent with the principles I set forth from the beginning, particularly being fair to, and taking care of our service members and their families," the secretary said. "We could see some moves begin within weeks. Others will take longer. As anyone can see, the repositioning of our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic and positive shift, wholly in line with the NDS and consistent with other adjustments the United States has made within NATO in previous times." Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, spelled out some of the specific movements planned for forces in Europe. The Eucom headquarters and the associated U.S. Special Operations Command-Europe headquarters, for example, would move from Germany to Mons, Belgium, where they would be located with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. "This will improve the speed and clarity of our decision-making and promote greater operational alignment," Wolters said, adding that a similar relocation could happen for U.S. Africa Command headquarters and the associated U.S. Special Operations Command-Africa, though no new location has been determined. Wolters also said Eucom intends to reposition three brigade-sized headquarters, an air defense artillery battalion, and an engineering battalion to Belgium from Germany, as well as move two smaller support and contracting organizations to Italy. He said the 52nd Civil Engineering Squadron, an Air Force unit, could be one of the first to move. The plan is to put that unit in Italy. Eucom also proposes relocating an F-16 fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing to Italy. Esper said the move will put those units closer to the Black Sea region, better enabling them to support NATO in the southeast. "The proposal to reposition forces back to [the United States], ... with respect to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, will allow those units to regain maximum U.S. at-home-station readiness and more effectively support global contingencies while still maintaining a keen focus on Europe," Wolters said. There are also plans to rotate forward the lead element of the Army's 5th Corps headquarters to Poland, Esper said, contingent on Warsaw signing a defense cooperation agreement. There may also be other opportunities to move additional forces into Poland and the Baltics, the general said. "This rebalance, consistent with the NDS, will align NATO and Eucom capabilities, better distribute forces across Europe and increase the use of rotational forces, thus bolstering our commitment to Europe," said Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It enhances deterrence and improves operational flexibility. Repositioning our forces and making consolidations will provide General Wolters, as the commander, increased ability to dynamically employ his force. This effort will increase opportunities to partner with and strengthen our bond with allies and partners in the region. It will also require additional planning and consultation with our allies." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address CSU Dominguez Hills to Receive Mayme Agnew Clayton Collection of African American History and Culture California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) signed a historic agreement with the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum (MCLM) board of directors to house the Mayme A. Clayton Collection of African American History and Culture on campus in the Gerth Archives and Special Collections. The university intends to begin immediately cataloguing and archiving the collection so that it is more visible and accessible to the public. The collection contains more than 2 million rare books, films, documents, photographs, artifacts, and works of art related to the history and culture of African Americans in the United States, with a significant focus on Southern California and the American West. It had been housed since 2006 in the former Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse in Culver City. CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham said, Anchoring the collection at the CSUDH campus is a profound statement regarding the ability of a community entity to entrust a valued family heirloom to an institution of higher education. We are honored to announce this historic partnership, and look forward to collaborating with the MCLM board of directors to provide the public one of the most important collections of materials by and about Americans of African descent, continued Parham. Owing to the social justice roots of the campus and its demographic makeup, we believe that there could be no better place or steward for the collection than this university. The MCLM was originally founded by Mayme Agnew Clayton, Ph.D., (1923-2006) in 1975 as the Western States Black Research Center, which she had set up as a library for local residents in a renovated three-room garage at the rear of her home in the Los Angeles community of West Adams. Claytona university librarian, collector, and historianamassed the collection over 40 years. Clayton was prescient in her view of the importance of collecting and preserving African American history and culture. At a young age, she recognized how critical the contributions of African Americans were in forming the tapestry of what would become American history, says MCLM Interim Executive Director Steven Fisher. However, she also understood that these stories and records were vulnerable to being lost, destroyed, or retold in a way that did not attribute the appropriate credits to where they belonged. In times like now, when we are reminded that Black lives can still be easily marginalized and under-valued, we are also reminded of the work of organizations that seek to preserve this information and inform the public of these histories, and seek to educate in a comprehensive and truthful way, Fisher added. CSUDH and MCLM both believe in the power of education and its transformative ability to inspire and change trajectories in life. Our partnership will only enhance what we would have been able to accomplish alone to the benefit of everyone. ADVERTISEMENT Parham envisions CSUDH as a model urban university where the issues of race and culture become topics of critical discourse and analysis. Among the other collections at CSUDH highlighting the cultural heritage of African Americans, elevating the visibility of this collection will be an important institutional anchor that helps to crystallize our vision, and enables the MCLM to more broadly share the critical knowledge and lessons contained within, Parham said. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas was a champion for the preservation of the collection by facilitating and supporting the agreement with CSUDH. This collection of African American history and culture is a vital thread in the fabric of Los Angeles County and our nation as whole, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. With Cal State Dominguez Hills serving as a responsible steward for the collection, future generations will be able to know the joy, excitement and inspiration of seeing these artifacts and learning from them, he added. I cannot think of a better way to honor Dr. Mayme Claytons vision and legacywho I had the pleasure of knowingthan to return her collection to their university roots. Commenting on the importance of this collection, CSUDHs University Library Dean Stephanie Brasley explained, The Mayme A. Clayton Collection is particularly noteworthy in this current climate. When individuals have access to materials that invite them to challenge their biases and assumptions and enables them to enhance their knowledge base about people of different cultures, the collection then serves as an empowering community asset. (Natural News) Eastman Kodak has been granted a $765 million Defense Production Act loan in order to help the United States bring drug manufacturing back to its own shores and away from China. The loan is expected to create 350 American jobs in Rochester New York, where they will manufacture the ingredients for essential pharmaceutical drugs like hydroxychloroquine that are currently largely imported. Kodak will be manufacturing a range of ingredients that are in chronic national shortage and will eventually make as much as a quarter of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for non-biologic, non-antibacterial, generic pharmaceuticals. Right now, roughly 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients that are imported into the U.S. come from China and India. That percentage is even higher when it comes to some popular over-the-counter painkillers 95 percent of the ibuprofen and 70 percent of the acetaminophen that is imported to the U.S. comes from China. This deal marks the first time a company has been given a Defense Production Act loan to help bring manufacturing back into the country. It also means that Kodak is poised to become a major Big Pharma drug manufacturer. Kodak Chief Executive Jim Continenza said that they expect the production of drug ingredients to make up as much as 40 percent of their overall business, adding that he views the firm as being on a path to becoming an arsenal of medicine. He added that their existing infrastructure should help them get started on their new endeavor quickly. Bringing drug manufacturing back into the U.S. in a big way could have an impact on the American economy, particularly the working class, not to mention all of the important benefits to be gained from ending the countrys reliance on foreign countries for essential medications. Its believed that if all drug manufacturing were reshored, it would add more than 800,000 jobs to the American economy. This effect is even felt outside of manufacturing as every manufacturing job in the country supports a further 7.4 American jobs in other industries. Continenza said he believes it could take as much as four years for the Kodak pharmaceuticals to reach large-scale production. President Trump called the deal one of the most important ones in the history of the American pharmaceutical industries, calling Kodak a great American company. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro said: Its about America losing its pharmaceutical supply chains to the sweatshops, pollution havens, and tax havens around the world that cheat America out of its pharmaceutical independence. Kodak joins Fujifilm in shifting focus from photography to pharmaceuticals The Eastman Kodak company was founded in 1888 by George Eastman and was a big name in the photography industry until the late 1990s, when people started to move toward digital photography. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012 and changed their focus to printing and professional services for businesses. Four years ago, they started to make drug ingredients, and the new loan will see them expanding production at their Minnesota and New York facilities. At their peak, they had more than 145,000 employees; these days, their workforce numbers roughly 5,000. After the announcement, shares of Kodak climbed by more than 60 percent. Kodak isnt the only photography company to make the transition into drug making. Fujifilm is in the process of working on a COVID-19 vaccine that is expected to begin human trials soon. Health care and materials solutions accounted for 43 percent of the Japanese firms total revenue in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic has taught us just how dangerous Americas dependence on imported pharmaceuticals can be. While natural treatments are always preferable, theres no denying that getting medications from the U.S. is far better than getting them from China. Sources for this article include: Breitbart.com BBC.com Afghan Government: Over 3,500 Troops Killed Since US-Taliban Agreement By Roshan Noorzai July 29, 2020 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Tuesday that more than 3,500 Afghan security forces have been killed since the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in February. The announcement came as the Afghan government and the Taliban on the same day declared a three-day cease-fire coinciding with the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday on Friday. "Our hope is this Eid brings all Afghans together in understanding & mutual respect and one step closer to a sustainable peace," said U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in a tweet Tuesday. Speaking at the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul, Ghani said about 3,560 Afghan national defense and security forces (ANDSF) were killed and 6,780 more wounded in Taliban attacks between February 29, when the U.S.-Taliban agreement was signed, and July 21. "The Taliban, however, have carried a full-scale offensive against the ANDSF, the people and the government of Afghanistan," Ghani said. "What kind of peace dividend is this? What does it say about intentions?" He said about 775 civilians were killed and 1,609 were injured during that timeline. The Afghan government in the past has refrained from releasing the exact number of casualties from clashes with the Taliban. Ghani, however, said that in late 2018, more than 28,500 security forces had been killed since 2015. Afghan forces have sustained an increase in the number of casualties since late 2014 when the U.S. and the U.S.-led coalition ended their combat mission in Afghanistan and withdrew most of their troops. The U.S. has since decreased its troops to 9,800, and the coalition focused on advising, training and assisting the Afghan security forces. Civilian casualties According to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), about 1,280 civilians were killed and 2,176 wounded in violence across Afghanistan during the first six months of 2020. In a report published Monday, UNAMA said that civilian casualties in the country were the lowest since 2012. It added that civilian casualties have dropped by 13% compared with the first six months of 2019. Stephanie Case, head of Civilian Protection and Child Protection at UNAMA, told VOA's Afghanistan service that the decrease in civilian causalities was due to a reduction in NATO forces operations and a fall in Islamic State attacks. "Civilian casualties attributed to the two main parties to the conflict that are supposed to be at the negotiating table the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban have not decreased," Case said. "We're continuing to see concerning trends coming from those two parties." The Taliban have rejected the UNAMA report, which attributed 43% of the casualties to the group and 23% to the Afghan government. In a statement on its website, the group questioned the objectivity of the report, saying its findings "were based on information provided by Kabul administration security organs and failed to establish actual cases of civilian casualties." UNAMA, however, has insisted that the report was impartial. "We have no vested interest in blaming one side over another. Our interest lies squarely with the well-being of the Afghan population and with the victims," Case told VOA. Cease-fire and talks U.S. and Afghan officials have in the past warned that continued violence by the Taliban remains a major obstacle toward a lasting peace in Afghanistan. The U.S. has called on both sides to refrain from escalating violence, expedite the release of prisoners and start intra-Afghan talks. "The violence is too high. The UNAMA report talks about civilian casualties. We all know that as long as the violence level goes high, people who are going to pay are civilians. So, the violence needs to come down so we have an opportunity for a sustainable peace pathway," Scott Miller, commander of NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, told reporters Tuesday. Disagreement on a prisoner swap has been another key obstacle ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations. In the U.S.-Taliban deal, the Afghan government is expected to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Taliban freeing 1,000 Afghan forces. The Afghan government previously rejected releasing 600 Taliban, saying they were "too dangerous." However, Ghani on Tuesday said his government would release the remaining Taliban to facilitate the peace talks. "With this action, we look forward to the start of direct negotiations with the Taliban in a week's time," he said. VOA's Afghanistan service contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ayodhya, July 30 : Ayodhya is ready for the biggest change in its modern history and in this moment of change, it is getting the support of every section of society. The reason behind this is that this change will open new avenues of development and progress for people from all walks of life. Ayodhya will emerge prominently on the tourism map of India and it will provide means of employment and development for the people of every religion and section. This change has also been imbibed by the Muslim society as it will incorporate Ayodhya into the mainstream of development. Babri Masjid's litigant Iqbal Ansari said "I am very happy to have a temple in Ayodhya. There has been mutual harmony and no discrimination with anyone from the beginning. The temple will boost positive sentiment. The means of new employment will increase. The way many plans have been prepared here it seems that Ayodhya will also have a lot of industries. Building a temple is like writing a new chapter of development for us." Besides, religious leaders, common people are also seeing the development as positive. Shohrat Ali, a taxi driver by profession, is hopeful about the development. He said that the construction of the temple in Ayodhya is a matter of great pleasure as Ayodhya will be known internationally. "After the temple is built, people will get opportunities for livelihood. We live here from the beginning and celebrate with laughter and joy. Mohammed Farid Qureshi, a social worker in Ayodhya, said that once the matter was settled the city and district will develop. "Everyone will benefit without discrimination. Tourists will come to visit the Ram temple. This will provide employment to the people. Our city has been famous for its 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb'. We have been living together without any problem. Only outsiders have caused a ruckus here." Akbar Ali of Ayodhya said that crowds will increase here after the temple is built. "So there will be more options for people's livelihood. At the same time, social gatherings will also increase among people. People will also be rid of the riots they have been experiencing since years. Moreover, this temple construction will spread Ayodhya's name throughout the world. The court has given its decision in favour of the temple and everyone will have to accept it." Businessman Karim said "there are many small jobs here whether it is about making 'Khadau' or stitching the Lord Ram's clothes or preparing flower garlands for the Gods, our Muslim brothers also do all such works. It is obvious when the temple will be built, visitors will come. This will bring development, hotels will be developed, youth will get employment. Now, there is no space for any quarrels. The temple construction is a matter of great happiness." On the other hand, Muslim women Shabana, Rehana, and Gulnaz Bano have also expressed happiness about the construction of the temple. They have prepared hand-made 'rakhis' and want to offer it to Lord Ram on Raksha Bandhan. These women said that "we celebrate every festival together. We have also sent 'rakhis' to the Prime Minister and Chief Minister by post." (Vivek Tripathi can be reached at vivek.t@ians.in) The world is racing to find a cure for coroanvirus. Close to 200 COVID-19 vaccines are in currently being developed and some three dozen are at various stages of human testing. In the midst of this race, some people, including dozens of scientists, are creating a DIY coronavirus vaccine with no proof of its effectiveness against the Sars-Cov-2 virus. But is it safe? Twitter/@PrestonWEstep MIT Technology Review reported that the group calling itself the Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative, or Radvac, did not seek authorisation from the US FDA before designing or spraying the vaccine up their own noses. The core group was formed by American biologist Preston Estep who was ready to guide an independent COVID vaccine project. Estep, a scientist who has a PhD in genetics from Harvard, said he was alarmed by the government's timeline of producing a vaccine in 12-18 months. He wondered whether they could privately come up with their own using readily-available ingredients. We established a core group, most of them [from] my go-to posse for citizen science, though we have never done anything quite like this, says Estep, also a cofounder of Veritas Genetics, a DNA sequencing company. According to the report, the scientists have volunteered as lab rats for a do-it-yourself inoculation against the coronavirus and say its their only chance to become immune without waiting a year or more for a vaccine to be formally approved. George Church, the celebrity geneticist at Harvard University is one of the few who took the DIY vaccine and the doses were dropped in his mailbox and he mixed the ingredients himself. Church believes the DIY coronavirus vaccine is extremely safe. I think we are at a much bigger risk from COVID considering how many ways you can get it, and how highly variable the consequences are, said Church, who says he has not stepped outside of his house in five months. RADVAC group carefully studied and analyzed the vaccine reports of SERS and MERS, which are illness caused by coronaviruses. After this, they decided to make a subunit vaccine with a simple formula, which could be made with easily available materials. They used peptides (fragments of the protein present in the novel coronavirus) and mixed it with chitosans (a sugar that is obtained from the hard outer skeleton of shellfish) to administer the vaccine. The subunit vaccine is supposed to be squirted up the nose as it is a nasal vaccine. According to MIT Technology Review, Radvac - formed in March - launched its project without seeking approval from FDA or any ethics board and distributed vaccine materials to dozens in their social circles. While the FDA did not immediately respond to questions from MIT Technology Review about the legality of the vaccine trial, the report added that the independent researchers might be stepping onto thin legal ice. Estep argued that the FDA cant stop participants from the trial as they mix and administer the vaccine themselves, without paying the group any fees in exchange. Image For Representation/Twitter If you are just making it and taking it yourself, the FDA cant stop you, said Estep. According to MIT Technology Review,the Radvac group has offered the vaccine to a widening circle of friends and colleagues, inviting them to mix the ingredients and self-administer the nasal vaccine. The group published their vaccine recipe in a white paper with extensive disclaimers, including that anyone using the groups materials should take full responsibility and must be at least 18 years old based in the US. The white paper also stated that Radvac vaccine also contains chitosan, a substance found in the shells of crustaceans such as shrimp. Before designing their nasal vaccine, the group examined reports of vaccines against SARS and MERS, two other diseases caused by coronaviruses. While the celebrated geneticist George Church of the Harvard University took the nasal vaccine developed by Estep in the month of July, the jury is still not out on its safety and efficacy against the novel coronavirus. technologyreview.com Esteps DIY nasal vaccine has met its fair share of sceptics and critics who believe that a nasal subunit vaccine is not potent enough to induce a desired immune system response to battle the novel coronavirus. As of now, the Radvac group does not know whether its DIY nasal vaccine is effective in producing protective antibodies in the body or not. Estep maintains that the subunit vaccine is a way to potentially provide multiple layers of protection against the virus (in addition to social distancing and wearing masks) and not the ultimate solution. The group of researchers have been working in a lab in Boston to try to come up with a safe, effective vaccine like hundreds of others around the world. They have not yet published results or explained whether any of the volunteers ever tested positive for COVID-19. All Inputs TOI/ MIT Technology Review Disclaimer: The information mentioned in the article is based on facts available in public domain. Indiatimes does not endorse any medication or vaccine for COVID-19. Any course of treatment should only be followed after consulting a medical expert. The UPSEE 2020 exam was earlier scheduled to be held on 2 August, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has reopened the registration process for Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Examination (UPSEE) 2020. Candidates can apply for the entrance exam till 5 August at upsee.nic.in. Earlier, the last date to apply for the UPSEE 2020 was 31 May. It was later extended till 29 July, except for M Tech, March, MURP, MPharm and MDes courses. According to a report by Jagran Josh, the examination is scheduled to be held on 20 September. It will be conducted in the online proctored mode. The admit card for UPSEE 2020 will be released soon on the official website. The exam was earlier scheduled to be held on 2 August, but it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report by Careers 360, the university will hold the exams for the MTech, MDes, MArch, and MPharma programmes will also be held in the online proctored mode on 11 August. The total duration of the exam will be three hours, from 11 am to 1 pm. Here is how you can apply for UPSEE 2020 1. Visit the official website of the Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Examination at https://upsee.nic.in/WebInfo/Public/View.aspx?page=1 2. Click on the registration link available on the homepage 3. Fill and submit the online application form 4. Submit the application fee and finalize your application Candidates who qualify the entrance examination will be called for counseling. The seat allotment process is being conducted via online mode and candidates can select their preferred institute and branch/course. The allotment lists along with letters are released on the website. In 2019, close to 1,38,280 candidates had applied for UPSEE. The entrance examination is conducted to fill up engineering seats in government and private colleges of Uttar Pradesh. Photo: pixabay The B.C. government has no desire to see anyone buying gas-powered vehicles in 20 years. The province announced Thursday (July 30) its implemented new rules to ensure all vehicle sales will be for zero-emission rides by 2040. Those zero-emission vehicles include battery electric, hydrogen fuel-cell electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The regulations follow the May 2019 passing of the Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Act in B.C. The ZEV Act requires automakers to reach annual electric vehicle (EV) sales of 10% of light-duty vehicles by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. EV sales accounted for 9% of light-duty vehicle sales in B.C., according to Clean Energy Canada. Waitlists are still too common for British Columbians who wish to get their hands on an electric car, Merran Smith, executive director of Clean Energy Canada, said in a statement. These laws will help supply keep pace with demand, while sending a clear signal to the market that B.C. is a place that wants their cars. The province currently offers rebates worth between $1,500 to $3,000, depending on the vehicle, for EVs costing less than $55,000. Thats down from last year when rebates were worth up to $6,000 for vehicles costing up to $77,000. The federal government, meanwhile, offers up to $5,000 in rebates for EVs under $45,000. If a B.C. owner of an older car is eligible, they can also get a rebate from the provincial Scrap-It program amounting to $6,000. That means some British Columbians can qualify for incentives of up to $14,000 for the increasingly popular vehicles. In 2018, Clean Energy Canada contacted B.C.s 322 dealerships that qualify for the governments rebate program and found that 40% had EVs available to purchase on their lots. If you want an electric vehicle in this province, you should be able to drive one home from the lot, same as any car, Smith said. B.C.s plans for the 100% EV target put it in the same position as Quebec and 10 U.S. states. Meanwhile, the province also announced Thursday it was increasing rebates for e-bikes. Drivers who trade in a vehicle to scrap are now eligible of a rebate of $1,050 towards the purchase of a new e-bike compared with the previous $850 rebate. Victoria is providing $1,000 of the rebate, while participating retailers are providing the remaining $50. The province is also launching a one-year pilot program offering $1,700 rebates to business owners who purchase a cargo e-bike for deliveries. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday said he will take up the matter of a CBI inquiry into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and claimed to have obtained the consent of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in this regard. The Rajya Sabha member, known for his legal activism, made the disclosure on his official Twitter handle, a day after the actor's father lodged a police complaint against Rajput's rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, accusing them of abetting the actor's suicide. "I spoke to Nitish Kumar on phone. I praised the Patna police and the free hand he has given for the FIR and a thorough investigation. "Since now there are two probes, I will initiate (sic) for a CBI probe. He said he has no objection but wants justice done for Sushant and culprits caught," Swamy tweeted. I spoke on phone to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. I praised Patna Police & free hand he has given for the thorough investigation& the FIR. Since now there are two probes, I will initiate for a CBI probe. He said he has no objection but wants justice done for Sushant and culprits caught Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) July 29, 2020 He also lambasted the Mumbai police for having "not got beyond inquest under Section 174 of CrPC" and alleged that the failure to lodge a criminal case "reveals the possible mindset of Mumbai police". However, the Congress which is a coalition partner in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra, asserted that the visiting Patna police team will get all possible cooperation in the western metropolis. It said law enforcers from both the places were working in tandem to ensure speedy justice in the case. AICC spokesman and in-charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil said in a statement that he has received "assurances from the Maharashtra chief minister, besides our state president and cabinet minister Bala Saheb Thorat and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh", among others, that "full cooperation will be extended to the visiting police team and relevant information will be freely exchanged". Gohil also said the Maharashtra government was "very serious" about the case and the police there would like to make full use of any inputs brought by the Patna police. "I will also urge the JD(U)-BJP government in Bihar to set up a hospital named after the young actor who ended his life at such a young age. It would serve as a memorial, he added. Meanwhile, reports in a section of the media said the Patna police team got in touch with actress Ankita Lokhande, who dated Rajput for over six years till 2016. AST Private Company Solutions (PCS) today announced a strategic partnership with leading global legal services firm Tapestry Compliance, based in the UK. Astrella capitalization (cap) table and ownership data management clients will now be able to benefit from the preferred partnership, providing access to the OnTap database for an additional fee. Astrella is a transformative technology supporting unlisted companies worldwide to track their ownership data and provide access to shareholders and employees. The SaaS solution brings together innovative private blockchain technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, and is built with an API-based ecosystem supporting leading partners like Tapestry Compliance. The OnTap database provides 24/7 access to key legal and tax information in over 140+ countries to help companies operate their global employee share plans, as well as useful resources and training materials. "Unlisted companies are growing quickly internationally and need just as much support as much larger, listed firms," said Janet Cooper, Founder of Tapestry Compliance. "We recognize Astrella's clients need access to economical information quickly. Our OnTap system provides growing companies with the information they need enabling them to understand the challenges and requirements to operate as an international company." Adds AST PCS President Carine Schneider, "I've worked with Janet, Bob and their team for years and know they provide practical and helpful advice in setting up global stock plans for large and small companies. Working with a team with such extensive experience is a benefit to all Astrella client companies. With access to the OnTap database, companies can quickly understand their legal and tax requirements before hiring employees in new countries. Should a company need further help in any location, the Tapestry team is able to provide that support." About Tapestry Compliance Tapestry brings together experience and expertise to provide insight-driven global solutions. Tapestry was founded in 2011 by Janet Cooper OBE and Bob Grayson. Janet was a partner at Linklaters law firm for over 20 years and the global head of the employee share plans department. Bob is a former in-house counsel at Shell, managing global compliance for 100,000+ employees. The firm brings together the expertise of a London law firm and the practicalities of managing major global projects. Tapestry is working with some of the largest global companies in the world, advising on their international incentives, share plans and new incentives, and dealing with their global compliance. For more information, visit: www.tapestrycompliance.com About AST Private Company Solutions, Inc. Founded in 2019, AST PCS is an affiliate of AST and is focused on serving private companies worldwide. Astrella, a cloud-based SaaS solution, allows private companies to manage their ownership data, including the cap table and employee equity plans and to connect directly with related service providers to support efficient workflow, and provide access to investors, advisors and employees. For more information, visit astrella.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005029/en/ Contacts: Lorna Parkin Tapestry Compliance Limited +44 (0)747 964 6403 Lorna.Parkin@Tapestrycompliance.com Heather Dopson AST PCS +1-650-272-4560 hdopson@astfinancial.com Oregon man caught in Lyon County with $760,000 of marijuana OTTAWA - The latest developments on July 30, 2020, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, appear before the House of Commons finance committee about the Liberal government's aborted deal with WE Charity to run a student-volunteer program. (All times Eastern.) Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Co-founders Craig (left) and Marc Kielburger introduce Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau as they appear at the WE Day celebrations in Ottawa, Tuesday November 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - The latest developments on July 30, 2020, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, appear before the House of Commons finance committee about the Liberal government's aborted deal with WE Charity to run a student-volunteer program. (All times Eastern.) 6:45 p.m. The House of Commons finance committee is wrapping up more than three hours of testimony as part of its probe of the government's aborted deal with WE to run a student-volunteer program. Opposition Conservatives on the committee are raising questions about new details unveiled during the meeting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his chief of staff Katie Telford told the committee that they were first made aware of WE's involvement in the Canada Student Service Grant on May 8 and sent it back to the public service for more review. Conservatives on the committee are wondering why the prime minister didn't previously mention this piece of information. Opposition members are also seeking specifics on which staff members in the Prime Minister's Office dealt with the WE organization and copies of cabinet documents related to the WE decision. 6 p.m. Katie Telford says the Prime Minister's Office will work with the federal ethics commissioner to make improvements and take any advice Mario Dion has on how to limit potential conflicts. The top aide to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tells MPs on the finance committee that the government needs to be careful and cognizant of even the perception of favouritism in federal decisions. Dion has launched probes of Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau over their roles in awarding WE the administration of the Canada Student Service Grant program. 5:45 p.m. A WE Charity proposal for a youth entrepreneurship program landed in the Prime Minister's Office in late April, but was quickly rejected. The prime minister's chief of staff, Katie Telford, says the proposal was annex nine of a briefing package that arrived on April 20 ahead of a meeting the next day. The proposal was to help some 8,000 youth open their own businesses and receive grants for taking part in a series of digital seminars at a cost of up to $14 million. Telford says the government declined to follow through on the proposal because it seemed like something better suited for an economic recovery. Telford says she didn't know that Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his family took part in WE-sponsored travel when the government was considering having the charity run the student-volunteer program. She also says no one in the Prime Minister's Office was involved in negotiating the now-aborted agreement that would have paid WE Charity up to $43.5 million in an administrative fee. Pressed by opposition MPs on the House of Commons finance committee about her connection to WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, Telford says the last time she spoke with either was at a Toronto event in December 2017. 5:15 p.m. The prime minister's chief of staff says the only way the Canada Student Service Grant program could be delivered this summer was by having an outside organization like WE run it. Katie Telford tells the House of Commons finance committee that the public service made that point during multiple briefings with the Prime Minister's Office. Previously, the committee heard the opposite from the head of the Public Service Alliance of Canada who argued public servants could have delivered the program. Facing questions about a potential conflict of interest for Trudeau, Telford notes the ethics commissioner had previously cleared Sophie Gregoire Trudeau's work with WE Charity. Telford says she only knew that one of Finance Minister Bill Morneau's daughters spoke at WE events about her book on refugee girls, but not of another daughter who works in an administrative arm of the organization. As for her own past involvement with the charity, Telford says neither she nor her family members have been compensated by the organization. 5 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's top aide says the government could have added an additional layer of scrutiny to the decision-making on WE Charity and the Canada Student Service Grant program. Chief of staff Katie Telford tells the House of Commons finance committee that in hindsight, the government could have done multiple things that would have saved the student-volunteer program. The opposition parties have argued that WE was given an inside track to administer the pandemic-aid program. Telford also says one of the policy staff in the Prime Minister's Office spoke to WE in early May as part of routine stakeholder consultation, but directed the charity to officials at Employment and Social Development Canada. She believes the conversation took place on May 5, which would be the same date a cabinet committee first heard about WE's involvement in the student-volunteer program. Telford says neither she nor the prime minister learned that WE was recommended to administer the granting program until May 8. 4:40 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just wrapped up a 90-minute appearance before the House of Commons finance committee. Left unanswered as Trudeau finished his testimony is how the Liberals will use the money budgeted for the student-volunteer program that the prime minister suggests won't be spent this summer. The program carries a budget of $912 million, but officials and WE Charity itself estimated spending would be far lower. He says the volunteer program was another way to promote youth service and the Liberals will continue to look for opportunities to do that. He says decisions were being made on a condensed timeline with programs that would otherwise have taken months to create being pulled together in weeks. The committee is now to hear from Trudeau's top aide, chief of staff Katie Telford. Trudeau told the committee neither he nor Telford knew about WE's involvement with the student volunteer program until May 8, and both decided cabinet needed more information from the public service before making a final call. 4:30 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the choice facing cabinet ministers in May was whether or not to have the Canada Student Service Grant program. He is arguing before the House of Commons finance committee that it wasn't a decision about whether to have WE Charity run the program. The prime minister says the public service believed the student-volunteer program would have been impossible to deliver without the WE organization's involvement. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre says Trudeau should stop pinning things on the public service when it was cabinet that made spending decisions. He calls on Trudeau to take personal responsibility for providing WE a deal that paid it $43.5 million to administer up to $500 million in grants. 4:10 p.m. The lights apparently have gone out on Liberal MP Wayne Easter. Easter, the chairman of the House of Commons finance committee, disappears from the virtual meeting for a few minutes when the power goes out at his office on Prince Edward Island. Liberals on the committee move to suspend the meeting, but things move on and Easter eventually returns to the screen. The moment breaks up a tense back-and-forth between Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Poilievre presses the prime minister to say how much WE Charity has paid in speaking fees or expenses for members of Trudeau's family. They begin speaking over one another with Trudeau asking Poilievre on more than one occasion if he can answer the Opposition critic's questions. 4:00 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the country won't know whether going with WE Charity to run the Canada Student Service Grant program was the right decision. He says that's because the organization backed out of running the volunteer program. Trudeau is seemingly taking the blame for that decision, by saying the outcome partly resulted from his taking part in discussions despite his family's involvement with WE. Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett asks Trudeau which cabinet minister he plans to fire over the WE controversy, prompting the prime minister to say he has confidence in his cabinet. 3:55 p.m. New Democrat Charlie Angus says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is giving an impression the laws governing politicians do not apply to him. The longtime ethics critic says Trudeau has twice been found in violation of conflict-of-interest rules first for a family trip he took to the Aga Khan's private island, and then during the SNC-Lavalin affair. Angus says there has been a damage in trust with federal politicians because Trudeau didn't recuse himself when the government considered WE for the Canada Student Service Grant program. Trudeau says it was the public service that made the decision to go with WE and he was not involved in that. The two end on a testy note as they speak over one another, with the prime minister reaching the halfway mark of his 90-minute testimony at the House of Commons finance committee. 3:45 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says students volunteering this summer won't be getting any payments or recognition for those hours this summer. His comments at the House of Commons finance committee suggest the student-volunteer program is effectively dead. The prime minister says his government will look at other ways to support and increase young people volunteering across the country. Trudeau didn't say what happens to the $912 million budgeted for the program, which officials expected to actually cost $543 million in grants and an administration fee to the WE organization. Trudeau says he should have recused himself from cabinet discussions about the Canada Student Service Grant. Trudeau says he was aware of some of Finance Minister Bill Morneau's familial ties to WE, but not that he travelled with WE or that one of his daughters worked for the organization. The federal ethics commissioner is investigation Morneau for not recusing himself during discussions about the charity's involvement with the student program, as well as $41,000 in WE-sponsored travel expenses for family trips in 2017 that the finance minister paid back last week. 3:30 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he understands how his family's involvement with WE Charity could be perceived as having an influence over the organization's involvement in the student-volunteer program. He says the perception and concern helps to explain why he sent the proposal back to the public service before a final cabinet decision in late May. Trudeau says WE Charity didn't receive any preferential treatment when it came to having the organization administer the Canada Student Service Grant. WE has paid speaking fees and covered travel expenses to the tune of about $500,000 for Trudeau's mother and brother, much of it since he became prime minister in late 2015. More recently, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau had her WE-sponsored travel to the U.K. in March cleared by the federal ethics commissioner, the prime minister says. When asked if he's friends with WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, Trudeau says he has not seen the brothers outside of public events like WE Day. 3:19 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canada Student Service Grant is now unlikely to be part of the $9-billion student aid program Ottawa is rolling out this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his opening remarks to the House of Commons finance committee today, the prime minister says he first learned about the proposal to have WE Charity run the student-volunteer program May 8. That was days after a group of cabinet ministers first heard about the need to let the charity run the program and hours before a cabinet meeting. Trudeau says this was not the way things were supposed to go. The prime minister says he wanted more questions to be answered before cabinet made a final call and so he pulled the item from that day's cabinet agenda. The public service, he says, came back on May 21 to reaffirm their decision that WE was the only organization that could run the student-volunteer program. Trudeau had been scheduled to speak with the committee for one hour, but will now spend an additional 30 minutes answering questions from MPs. 1:05 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff Katie Telford is now scheduled to testify for two hours, instead of one, at the House of Commons finance committee this afternoon. Trudeau is still scheduled to appear for one hour. On Wednesday evening, opposition MPs on the finance committee had voted to ask Trudeau to appear for at least three hours and Telford for at least two. 11:15 a.m. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to come clean about the events surrounding his government's decision to award WE Charity a deal to run a student-volunteer program. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Conservative leader says he expects Trudeau to explain why a program touted as having a $912-million budget was to spend far less, and why no other organization could have run the effort. Speaking in Regina, he laid out the timeline of events that led to the Liberals' handing WE the reins of a program aimed at giving grants to students whose summer work dried up due to the pandemic. He adds there are unanswered questions about whether anyone in the Prime Minister's Office spoke with WE to give the organization an inside track. Trudeau is set to testify this afternoon at the House of Commons finance committee for one hour, although the opposition parties want him to speak for three. Scheer says he hopes Trudeau provides direct answers and not talking points to run out the clock on his appearance, and that he stays for the full three hours. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Influenza Vaccine Market Research Report by Age Group (Adolescent Vaccination, Adult Vaccination, and Infant Vaccination), by Vaccine Type (Inactivated, Live Attenuated, and Recombinant), by Administration Rout, by Distribution Channel - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941012/?utm_source=PRN The Global Influenza Vaccine Market is expected to grow from USD 5,563.37 Million in 2019 to USD 7,321.79 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.68%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Influenza Vaccine to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Age Group, the Influenza Vaccine Market studied across Adolescent Vaccination, Adult Vaccination, and Infant Vaccination. Based on Vaccine Type, the Influenza Vaccine Market studied across Inactivated, Live Attenuated, and Recombinant. Based on Administration Rout, the Influenza Vaccine Market studied across Intramuscular and Intranasal. Based on Distribution Channel, the Influenza Vaccine Market studied across Hospital & Clinic, Medical Office, Retail Pharmacy, and Urgent Care Unit. Based on Geography, the Influenza Vaccine Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Influenza Vaccine Market including Abbott Biologicals B.V., AstraZeneca, BioDiem, BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Daiichi-Sankyo, Emergent BioSolutions, Fluart Innovative Vaccines Kft., GAMMA VACCINES PTY LTD., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Merck & Co., Inc., Mylan N.V., Pfizer Inc., Sanofi S.A., Seqirus GmbH, and Serum Institute of India Private Limited. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Influenza Vaccine 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 the market 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 Influenza Vaccine Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Influenza Vaccine Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Influenza Vaccine Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Influenza Vaccine Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Influenza Vaccine Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Influenza Vaccine Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941012/?utm_source=PRN About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1-339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links www.reportlinker.com SANTIAGO, July 19 (Reuters) - Chilean government officials presented a plan on Sunday to gradually relax lockdown restrictions after the coronavirus infection rate improved in some regions of the country. The plan, called "Step by Step," includes five stages that range from total quarantine to advanced opening and will be applied according to epidemiological criteria, the capacity of the healthcare system and the ability to trace cases, officials said. "These five weeks of improvement allow us to start a new stage today ... This plan, which will be step by step, cautiously, prudently, will be applied gradually and flexibly," said President Sebastian Pinera in the announcement, adding that 12 regions in the country had improved in recent weeks. Much of the population of the world's largest copper producer, including in the capital Santiago, remains under lockdown as Chile works to control the spread of the virus, currently at 330,000 confirmed cases and more than 8,500 deaths. The government did not specify when Santiago or the mining regions in the north of the country would move into a gradual reopening. Since the start of the pandemic in early March, Chile's government has imposed various measures to stem the spread of the virus, including border closures, a shut-down of trade and non-essential services, and a total quarantine for older adults. (Reporting by Fabian Cambero; writing by Cassandra Garrison Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) Post Dunkin Mocha Latte cereal is supposed to taste like real coffee. Dunkin' has unveiled a new breakfast food options that might give you an added kick in the morning. Through a collaboration with Post, the doughnut chain has announced two new types of cereal inspired by popular caffeinated beverages: There's the Caramel Macchiato flavor of crunchy cereal, and there's a Mocha Latte option. But what also sets them apart from the rest of the cereals in the aisle is that the two companies have infused actual caffeine. "Coffee and cereal are the ultimate breakfast go-tos, ranking as the top two most consumed items to help people start their day," said Josh Jans, brand manager of cereal partnerships at Post Consumer Brands in a statement. "Getting the flavor right on our new cereals was a top priority, and we think we've nailed the rich, smooth and creamy taste." Road trip! Americans are converting more used school buses into tiny homes Check your couch cushions: One Chick-fil-A offers free food voucher if you exchange coins Post Dunkin Mocha Latte cereal Post Dunkin' Caramel Macchiato cereal has caramel-swirled marshmallows to mimic the taste of the layered iced coffee beverage. Post Dunkin' Mocha Latte cereal has a chocolatey flavor with latte-swirled marshmallows to taste like an espresso. Both kinds of cereal contain small amounts of caffeine, equal to roughly one-tenth of a cup of coffee, the companies said. And both are set to hit grocery stores nationwide in August. There's a store locator on Post's website where you can find the cereal near you once it's available. Post Dunkin Caramel Macchiato cereal It's not the first time Post has cross-marketed by collaborating with other companies to create all-new cereal options. The company previously joined forces with Hostess to release cereal that tastes like Hunny Buns and Twinkies. Follow Dalvin Brown on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dunkin' and Post released coffee-flavored cereals with caffeine Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 14:45:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Nepal has opened Mt. Qomolangma and other Himalayan peaks from Thursday after a shutdown that had lasted for four and a half months, according to a Tourism Department official. All spring season expeditions that usually last from March to May were suspended following fears of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The Nepali government halted the issuance of climbing permits for expeditions and canceled already issued permits for the spring season 2020 on March 13. "The mountains are now open for mountaineers and the department has started issuing climbing permits starting today (Thursday)," said Mira Acharya, director at the Department of Tourism (DoT). The country has opened 414 peaks for mountaineering purposes. In line with the relaxation on economic activities, the government has allowed hotels, restaurants, trekking and mountaineering services to resume operations from Thursday. Nepal bags more than 4 million U.S. dollars as royalty from climbers annually. The DoT collects 5,500 U.S. dollars as climbing permit fee for Mt. Qomolangma's normal route and 5,000 U.S. dollars for the other route from foreigners during autumn. The disruption of mountaineering is likely to hamper the country's economy. As the country is gearing up to resume international flights, it is expecting tourists for the autumn season. "The quarantine modality is still under discussion because of which we are unable to project the flow of climbers into the country," Acharya told Xinhua on Thursday. Enditem Senate report examines impact welfare programs have on 'demise of the 2-parent home' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Republicans on the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee recently released a report on The Demise of the Happy Two-Parent Home, which points to federal welfare programs as a possible contributing factor to the decline in marriage. The problem isnt just that federal welfare spending enables women to choose govt programs over a husband, it is that the eligibility requirements force women to choose. In many cases if a woman gets married, they lose these benefits!!! Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who is chairman of the committee, commented on Twitter last week. The report examines the state of family stability in the United States and describes policy approaches to ensure that more children are raised by two happily married parents. Researchers have well established that children raised by married parents do better on a wide array of outcomes, the report reads. They have stronger relationships with their parents, particularly with their fathers. They are also much less likely to experience physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. They have better health, exhibit less aggression, are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior, have greater educational attainment, and earn more as adults. They are also far less likely to live in poverty. The report compares the state of family stability in the 1960s, at the dawn of the sexual revolution, to family stability in 2019. In 1962, 71% of women between the ages of 15 and 44 were married. That figure dropped to 42% in 2019. The declining marriage rate has not led to a corresponding decline in childbirths. Instead, the percentage of children born to unmarried mothers has increased dramatically. In 1960, only 5% of American children were born to unmarried mothers. In 2019, the share of American children born to unwed mothers stood at 40%. An explosion in the number of unmarried mothers was accompanied by a sharp increase in cohabitation, where unmarried couples live together as partners. Before 1970, less than 1% of couples living together were unmarried. In 2019, cohabiting couples comprise one out of every eight couples that live together. Studies have shown that cohabitation is no substitute for a committed marriage. While unmarried mothers are often cohabiting with the father of their child at the time of the childs birth, cohabiting relationships are far less stable than marriages, the report explains. In a 2007 study researchers found that 50 percent of children born to cohabiting parents experienced a maternal partnership transition by their third birthday, compared to just 13 percent of children in married-parent households. The rise in illegitimate births, combined with the increase in the divorce rate, has caused the proportion of children living without one or both parents to double from 15% in 1970 to 30% in 2019. When examining possible reasons for the decline in marriage and the rise of illegitimacy, the report points to the expansion of the public safety net as a contributing factor that has been unduly neglected in the discussion. While noting that much work remains in sorting out and apportioning blame for the decline in family stability, the report argues that most welfare programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and lower-income Americans penalize marriage. Public anti-poverty programs often exacerbated the problem of family instability by making single parenthood a more viable option and by discouraging marriage among those receiving benefits, the report states. A safety net marginally reduces the costs of single parenthood, nonmarital childbearing, and divorce. It also can create a significant tax on marriage because the addition of a spouse with income typically reduces safety net benefits, and if he has only modest earnings or unsteady employment, the trade-off may not be worthwhile. It further reads: Through the safety net alone, a single mother can achieve about two-thirds of the standard of living she could get from marrying a sole breadwinner at that compensation level. The safety net would put her about one-third higher, with no additional income, than the 10th percentile of male compensation. At the margin, more women are able to substitute federal benefits for the income a husband would have provided them in the past, the report adds. The report also examines the marriageable man hypothesis which rests on the premise that men must meet some economic threshold that makes them marriageable to women as a possible cause in increasing family instability. According to that hypothesis, fewer men have surpassed that bar over time. But the report rejects that hypothesis as it notes that hourly pay is as high as ever and mens after-tax annual compensation is higher today compared to 50 years ago. The evidence, then, suggests that men are no less marriageable by the most straightforward metrics than they ever were, the document contends. Offering suggestions on strengthening family stability, the committee breaks it down into four broad categories: messaging, social programs, financial incentives, and other policies. It suggests the implementation of public or private media campaigns designed to advance the goal of family stability. As examples, the report cites a 2013 New York City public education campaign highlighting the consequences of teenage pregnancy and then-Senator Barack Obamas speech on Fathers Day 2008 stressing the importance of present fathers. Theres also a need to create and promote social programs to help people develop the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare for, build, and maintain healthy marriages and families, the report notes. It cites the Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Initiative, which teaches couples about improving conflict resolution skills, co-parenting strategies, relationship satisfaction, marital commitment, and other outcomes. As for financial incentives, the committee suggests safety net reforms to reduce marriage penalties and providing additional tax benefits for married couples, such as expanding the Child Tax Credit, which reduces tax liability for parents, for married couples. While the report ultimately rejects the marriageable man hypothesis, it says that efforts to improve economic opportunities could help people meet their expectations regarding work and marriage, could make men more attractive as potential partners and fathers, and thus may lead to greater family stability. Changing the course of family stability will likely require substantial effort, given the magnitude of the challenge in many American communities today and the pervasiveness of the decline, the report acknowledges. Ranbir Kapoor made his debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya in 2007 along with Sonam Kapoor. While, he gave us films like Sanju, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Barfi, and many more that made us fall in love with him and also proved that he is a stellar actor. Some of his films proved otherwise! While there are some films that the audience wants to re-watch again and again, there are a few that we cannot tolerate watching even once. Even a brilliant actor like Ranbir Kapoor couldnt save these films from failing at the box-office. So, here is a list of Ranbir Kapoor films that didnt work on the box-office and disappointed the audience big-time: Jagga Jasoos The film starred Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in the lead role. The film was a musical that very few people understood and liked watching. The Anurag Basu directorial didnt perform well at the box-office and failed miserably. Besharam The films storyline was a complete disaster that none of us could bear watching. Even Ranbir acting couldnt save the film from failing at box-office and left the audience unimpressed. A lot of us still wonder- why did he sign the film in the first place. Bombay Velvet The film starred the best actors of Bollywood including Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma but the film couldnt fulfil the expectations of the audience and was declared a disaster at the box-office. The movie was made at a huge budget of more than 120 crores but could only recover around 44 crores. Rocket Singh The film revolves around the story of a below-average student who becomes a salesman. He joins an organization and goofs up in an early deal that makes his boss ridicule him in front of his colleagues. The film tanked at the box-office big time and couldnt impress the audience. Saawariya The film was helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and was the debut film of Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor. The film released along with SRK and Deepika Padukones Om Shanti Om and failed to live up to the expectations of the audience. In the spring of 2018, Shelly Robinson came down with a case of the flu serious enough to send her to the emergency room. The lady was like, Your insurance is no good, she told me, and I was like, What do you mean my insurance is no good? Theyve been taking money out of my paycheck. But Robinson, a certified nursing assistant at Lancaster Care and Rehab in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, operated by Skyline Healthcare, ended up having to pay the $3,500 out of pocket. She didnt know at the time that her issue at the hospital would become the subject of a federal class-action lawsuit alleging fraud, theft and other illicit conduct by a multimillionaire in the business of flipping nursing homes for profit. Robinson reported the problem to her union representative, Chris Sloat, who was fielding various complaints from Robinsons colleagues and staffers at other Skyline facilities including a pregnant woman who found out she had no insurance right before giving birth. At a facility in Rosemont, the elevator went unrepaired for weeks so staff carried patients, food, supplies and trash up and down the stairs. For other staffers, dental bills began to pile up. Some couldnt afford to stay at their jobs. These kinds of things were happening in dozens of Skyline facilities all over the country. In 2015 New Jersey-based Skyline Healthcare LLC, owned by Joseph Schwartz, began gobbling up nursing homes, amassing enough facilities to provide them with an estimated several hundred million dollars a year of taxpayer money in the form of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Just two years later, they were managing at least 100, including the 120-bed facility Robinson worked at. Then Skyline effectively disappeared overnight, leaving staff to wonder why food vendors were no longer being paid, why their paychecks were bouncing, why the lights werent on. Nine facilities in Pennsylvania were similarly abandoned, along with dozens more in other states including South Dakota, Kansas and Massachusetts. They actually just left. We didnt even know they were gone, Robinson said. Story continues On average, nursing home workers make $19,000 a year, and many rely on second jobs or food stamps to get by. The thing that is still sad is these people are low-paid to begin with, Sloat, an administrative organizer with SEIU Healthcare of Pennsylvania, the largest healthcare union in the state, said about staffers cheated out of pay and benefits by Skyline. And now the debt that they have, people coming after them for bills, is just mind-blowing. And they dont have the money. Theres still this residual effect from everything [Schwartz] has done. The collapsing of Skyline was a foreboding of disasters to come a sign of how a cycle of buying and selling had opened the precarious industry up to fraudsters who could amass a string of facilities, suck the money out of them, and then run off, leaving residents and staff without much recourse. The case was an unheeded warning that the industry was insufficiently regulated and absolutely unprepared to withstand any new crisis that might come along. But Covid-19 came anyway. On Easter weekend, the pandemic struck a remaining Skyline facility in New Jersey, as if to prove a point. An anonymous tip brought police to Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center where they discovered the bodies of 17 residents piled into the facilitys tiny four-person morgue. Local news reported that Louis Schwartz, the son of Joseph Schwartz and the vice-president of mergers and acquisitions for Skyline, was a 50% owner of the facility. According to Skilled Nursing News, as of July, 2019 Skyline still retained an ownership stake in more than 50 nursing homes. Flipping, or the buying and selling of nursing homes with the purpose of turning a quick profit, is exceedingly common. Once dominated by individual, family-owned non-profits, over the past few decades the industry has experienced the penetration of for-profit corporate ownership leading to an increase in facility sales and contributing to the overall uptick in closures across the US more than 550 nursing homes (out of a total of 15,600) have closed since June 2015. While that wave of closures has not affected Pennsylvania just yet, nursing homes in the state inhabit an extremely volatile market, according to Zach Schamberg, the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents the nursing home industry. There are a total of 700 facilities in the state. In just the past three years, there have been 100 nursing home sales, changes of ownership, or reorganizations, he told me, a rate that has doubled between 2007 and 2017. According to industry advocates like Schamberg, the increased number of sales is due to the costs of care rising about 2.5% a year while Medicaid reimbursements do not. So do the math, Shamberg said. But patient advocates, who acknowledge the stagnation of reimbursement rates, strongly deny that increasing those rates alone will solve the industrys problems. Rather, studies have shown, when Medicare and Medicaid rates increase, care quality often doesnt. In an already fraught industry embattled by a variety of problems particularly those that directly affect residents care, like eviction of Medicaid patients, lack of regulation, chronic understaffing, and poor infection control massive fraud cases are as shocking as they are common. Families were shocked by not just the neglect but the blatant lack of communication about their loved ones status Philip Esformes, whose string of nursing homes stretched from Illinois to Florida, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last September for paying doctors to refer patients to his facilities and for taking taxpayer money that he never applied to residents care. His indictment included money laundering, receiving healthcare kickbacks, bribery conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Esformes, who owned multiple homes and drove around Miami Beach in a Ferrari, amassed $1.3bn in Medicare and Medicaid money. The case reached court several years after reporting by dogged journalists at the Chicago Tribune, David Jackson and Mario Ariza. In a 2016 documentary about the case, Jackson states, the scope of the schemes is staggering. HCR ManorCare, a national chain of facilities, collapsed after investment from private-equity firm the Carlyle Group. Within four years, ManorCare sold most of the buildings its facilities operated in for $6.1bn, funneling the profit to shareholders. ManorCare continued operation of the facilities but became strapped with monthly rent payments they couldnt make. With $7.1bn in debt, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. The elusive multimillionaire Joseph Schwartz, owner of Skyline, has become, to thousands of elders, their families and their caregivers, the face of all that is wrong with the American nursing home industry. When Schwartz abandoned dozens of facilities, starting in 2017, residents were left sitting in their own feces, unfed and unbathed. Whatever staff remained, like Shelly Robinson, were left to buy food for elders and to pay the facilitys utility bills. Sometimes, as employees, we purchased snacks for our residents so they had snacks, Robinson told me. In some cases, state governments stepped in to care for the abandoned residents, overseeing operations until a buyer could be found for the facility. Families were shocked by not just the neglect but the blatant lack of communication about their loved ones status. It seems like they had a plan to go in there for two or three years, bleed the nursing homes and then just bail out, Thomas Pasternack, the owner of Walsh Pharmacy in Fall River, Massachusetts, told southcasttoday.com after three Skyline facilities left him with $200,000 of unpaid bills. When they left Lancaster Care and Rehabilitation, Skyline refused to pay staff for any of the time off they had accrued. Skyline said they werent paying us for our sick time or vacation time, Robinson told me. It was actually our time that we accrued through working, but they said they werent going to pay us. Pennsylvania does not require that staff and residents of a facility be notified of a change of ownership for the first 30 days. When staff are finally informed of the sale, they must scramble to negotiate livable salaries and benefits with the new owner. The incremental erosion of wages and benefits increases the precarity of staff and their families but it also jeopardizes the health of residents who suffer from short staffing and staff members who can hardly pay their own bills. The Covid-19 pandemic has escalated the repercussions of mismanagement, fraud and the lack of regulations. The grim Easter Sunday discovery at Andover Subacute in New Jersey, the states largest licensed facility, was not the end of unnecessary deaths there. By mid-June, at least 70 residents and staff members had died in the facility, where nearly 550 residents lived. Still, states all across the country, like New York, are moving to provide immunity from Covid-19 litigation to nursing homes. Last month, 250 patient advocacy organizations wrote a letter asking legislators to not provide immunity to the nations facilities. The letter states: Essentially, the only mechanism available for a nursing home resident to hold facilities responsible for substandard care is judicial recourse. By removing this safety net, nursing homes will have little to no oversight. The industrys volatility has not been easy for vulnerable residents and staff. Ive been working in that building for nine years, Shelly Robinson told me. Since I have been there its been bought and sold and bought and sold. When she started, the facility was called Golden Living Care, but the Texas-based company sold the operations of 36 facilities, including Robinsons, after a lawsuit in 2015, but they kept the real estate. Thats when Skyline became Robinsons boss and Golden Livings tenant. Robinson works the night shift there. Her teenagers have busy lives but her beloved dog, Prince Brixx, is waiting for her each morning when she gets home. These days she worries about Covid-19. But she loves her residents. If I dont show up and the next person dont show up, then who takes care of them? she said. When I ask Robinson, a veteran of the industry shes worked in nursing facilities for more than 30 years and joined SEIU in 1993 what needs to be done to correct course, she tells me: Stop making money the bottom line and care for our elders. They are people and they have lives and families and you cant just put a dollar sign on their head. This story was supported by the journalism nonprofit the Economic Hardship Reporting Project RENO, Nevada, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Election Integrity Project, Nevada (EIPNv) sent notice on July 24 to Nevada's Secretary of State (SOS) regarding possible failures by the state to comply with federal and state voter list maintenance laws. EIPNv's report, based on its analysis of Nevada's official voter registration file of July 18, 2020, alleges the following violations: There are 41,040 registrants in Nevada with no apparent registration updates or voting activity since November 2, 2010 or prior. 3,331 have not voted in 16 or more years and 22,151 have records indicating they have NEVER voted, yet they remain in "Active" status. Though they have likely moved away or died, all 41,040 will be mailed ballots for November should the state decide to mail ballots to all "Active" registrants . with no apparent registration updates or voting activity since or prior. 3,331 have not voted in 16 or more years and 22,151 have records indicating they have NEVER voted, yet they remain in "Active" status. . There are 1,289 registrants who appear to be registered twice. Of these, 1,226 will each be mailed two ballots under an all-mail election scenario. This includes 849 with two Active registrations each plus 377 with two Inactive Clark County registrations, should the county mail ballots to Inactives as it did in the June primary. EIPNv's report documents five duplicated registrants whose data suggests they each voted twice by mail in June after receiving two ballots each in the mail. This includes 849 with two Active registrations each plus 377 with two Inactive Clark County registrations, should the county mail ballots to Inactives as it did in the June primary. EIPNv's report documents after receiving two ballots each in the mail. There are 74 registrants whose birthdates indicate they are 105+ years old and likely deceased. 40 of the likely deceased are Active status and will be mailed ballots under an all-mail plan. Should Clark County mail ballots to Inactive-status registrants, an additional 14,327 Inactive registrants in the county will be mailed ballots, though they have not updated or voted in a decade or more and are likely eligible for cancellation. "Federal law requires the state to maintain voter lists free of those who have died or relocated and to remove duplicated registrations," said EIPNv representative Sharron Angle. "This is especially critical under all-mail voting. Unless ineligible registrations are removed, thousands of unclaimed ballots could go into circulation and increase the risk of unlawful voting. Mailing two or more ballots each to duplicated registrants allows-- even 'invites' --voters to vote twice". SOURCE Election Integrity Project, Nevada LLC if only we all could have the self confidence of a mediocre white man Reply Parent Thread Link the yts are at it again Reply Thread Link uhhhhhh Reply Thread Link Parasite and shut up. Reply Thread Link he talks like roma was the first non-english movie that ever did well at the oscars. Reply Thread Link La Vita e Bella chi? Reply Parent Thread Link I mean in recent Oscar history it was surprising, considering that it was from a streaming platform which the Oscar don't like it certainly was an accomplishment. But considering Parasite was helped to its win by Netflix is just stupid and he needs to shut up with that. I'm fine with him bringing attention to the fact that the Oscars ignore Foreign Language films for the bigger categories all the time though. Edited at 2020-08-02 05:29 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link This is a dumb headline. He just says that foreign language films are usually not rewarded at the Oscars, which is true. And it is surprising that after Roma another foreign language film won. Netflix didn't pave the way though. Reply Thread Link The kind of person who tells you they knew about Korean films before anybody else. Reply Thread Link oh of course it can't really be about how well-written and well-executed the movie is that it was recognized for how good it was because it wasn't in english and you paved the way for that!!!! Reply Thread Link also since google won't give me an easy answer- does anyone know if any non-european foreign language film has won best picture? I don't know Oscars history very well and the only I can think of is The Artist but people rich whites when other whites can speak french, so.. Reply Parent Thread Link Had a few nominated but never won. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I googled because I was curious and it looks like Parasite is the only foreign language film to win best picture. Otherwise the only nominees that aren't European/aren't part English are Roma and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). This info is from Wikipedia though lol. Reply Parent Thread Link No foreign-language film has won other than Parasite, even from a European country. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Sounds about white Reply Thread Link Now Open 30 July 2020 IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) celebrates the official opening of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City today. Located in Chao Tian Men Square of downtown Chongqing, China, InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City is part of the iconic Raffles City complex - a new modern landmark. Auspiciously located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, the state-of-the-art high-rise hotel is close to famed local attractions such as Jiefangbei and Hongyadong. The hotel occupies the top floors of one of the tallest towers, as well as part of The Crystal, an iconic skybridge 300 metres in length, connecting the top of four skyscrapers at the height of 42nd floor. Guests can enjoy majestic views on this fully-glazed observation deck, experiencing the InterContinental life with a unique perspective of both the urban skyline in the city and verdant hills beyond. World-renowned architect Moshe Safdie and his team drew inspiration from the region's unique terrain and culture to create an image of powerful sails with the eight skyscrapers of Raffles City Chongqing. Inspired by yacht staterooms, this one-of-a-kind hotel boasts 380 luxury rooms and suites from the 44th to 65th floor that offer panoramic views and floor-to-ceiling windows. To reenergise or unwind, guests can immerse themselves in the 25m infinity pool or visit the fitness centre on the 43rd floor. Jing Dining Room & Bar is the hotel's signature restaurant, serving a unique blend of Cantonese cuisine and Chongqing's local specialties with unparalleled creativity. Drinks can be taken at The Maven or at Horizon, the lobby lounge, sitting high at an altitude of 250 metres is dotted with trees and green plants, creating an ambience of a forest in the clouds. Amid the rising tensions in the border between China and India, the two countries are attempting to out-build each other by structuring along the highly-disputed Himalayan border. Continuing border disputes India's new road to a high-altitude forward airbase is allegedly one of the main reasons for clashes with Chinese troops last month that caused the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese military troops. The road stretches for 255 kilometers and is named the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road and goes through several mountain passes up to the highest airstrip located more than 5,000 meters above sea level in the region of Ladakh. According to BBC, the road was finished last year after more than 20 years of construction. It could potentially allow India to increase the mobility of its troops and equipment during a conflict. The clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley on June 15 gave way to heightened tensions between the two countries that threatened a much bigger dispute. The two nuclear powers never agreed on the exact position of the border that stretches for 3,500 kilometers. The armies of the two nations, which are considered to be two of the largest in the world, frequently met across the Himalayan border. Both India and China have continuously reinforced the border with finances and workforce to aid in the construction of roads, rail links, and airfields along the region's Line of Actual Control (LAC) which is the de-facto boundary that separates the two countries. Also Read: Deadly Border Encounters Engulf China-India Himalayan Border as Beijing Continues International Conquest Several constructions by India, including the DSDBO road, have seemingly caught the attention of China. However, the Asian giant has been more focused on building its own structures for several years. The two nations both treat each other's developments along the disputed border as a tactical move to gain an advantage over the other. Whenever a new project is announced, tensions between them would rise. A repeat of the past In 2017, China attempted to extend one of its border roads near a tri-junction located between India, China, and Bhutan which caused a stand-off between military troops at Doklam plateau located east of Ladakh. The recent tense border disputes between India and China have been raging on for 13 weeks which surpassed the Doklam plateau's stand-off that lasted for 72 days, as reported by the South China Morning Post. The two countries have conducted nine rounds of diplomatic and military talks to calm tensions at the border. The talks included two meetings where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked with India Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Wang's discussions with India's National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval. On Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, said that two militaries' disengagement in some parts of the border has been completed but suggested the entire dispute was far from over. Wang noted that the two countries were working together and had been heading towards a path of developing calm and peaceful situations, noting that both India and China will continue discussing at the military level to decide on what to do next. Related Article: Pressure Mounting on US as China, Iran Moves Closer to Trade and Military Partnership @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tobias Financial Advisors, a fee-only personalized wealth management firm, is pleased to announce it has been named to the 2020 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. The list recognizes top independent RIA firms from across the U.S. This is the seventh annual FT 300 list, produced independently by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times. Ignites Research provides business intelligence on investment management. RIA firms applied for consideration, having met a minimum set of criteria. Applicants were then graded on six factors: assets under management (AUM); AUM growth rate; years in existence; advanced industry credentials of the firms advisers; online accessibility; and compliance records. There are no fees or other considerations required of RIAs that apply for the FT 300. The final FT 300 represents an impressive cohort of elite RIA firms, as the median AUM of this years group is $1.9 billion. The FT 300 Top RIAs represent 39 different states and Washington, D.C. The FT 300 is one in a series of rankings of top advisers by the Financial Times, including the FT 401 (DC retirement plan advisers) and the FT 400 (broker-dealer advisers). View the full 2020 FT 300 list: https://www.ft.com/reports/300-top-investment-advisers Tobias Financial Advisors, established in 1980, provides personalized wealth management and financial planning services to a select group of clients. It is a boutique firm that keeps in close touch with its clients, where all investment advisor representatives are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professionals. It is also a founding member of the Institute for the Fiduciary Standard. http://www.tobiasfinancial.com ### Media Contact: Lauren Hong Out & About Communications media@outandaboutcomm.com (619) 564-8584 TACOMA, Wash., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sound Physicians is honored to share that three of the top five hospitals on the Best Hospitals of America list are Sound Physicians' partners John Peter Smith Hospital Health Network (JPS) in Fort Worth, TX; Ascension Seton Northwest Hospital in Austin, TX; and Mercy HealthWest Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. The Best Hospitals of America list reflects a ranking system developed by the Lown Institute, in partnership with the Washington Monthly, using a new methodology that takes a fresh approach to assess our nation's hospital outcomes. The Lown Institute, a nonpartisan health care think tank, created the Best Hospitals for America ranking using data drawn from the Lown Institute Hospitals Index that measures how well hospitals care for their patients and gauges the contributions hospitals make to the country and their communities. The Lown Institute Index shows how nearly 3,300 U.S. hospitals compare on 42 performance indicators; the measures fall under three categories: Civic Leadership - assesses a commitment to equity, inclusion, and community health; Value of Care - measures the use of unnecessary services; Patient Outcomes - evaluates patient safety, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. "We strive to improve quality and lower the cost of care for patients in the communities we serve, and I am proud Sound partners with three of the top five hospitals in the country who are being acknowledged for the value they provide," said Robert Bessler, MD, Founder and CEO, Sound Physicians. "We believe it's a reflection on our deep investments in our people and processes that drive reproducible outcomes for our patients and hospital partners." Sound provides both hospital medicine and physician advisory services at JPS, who tops the Best Hospital list, delivering care for over 50% of the patients. At Ascension Seton Northwest Hospital, Sound provides both hospital medicine and telemedicine services delivering care for over 90% of the patients. And at Mercy Health West Hospital, Sound provides hospital medicine services delivering care for 75% of the patients. For the full ranking of more than 3,200 hospitals, see the Lown Institute Hospitals Index at www.LownHospitalsIndex.org. About Sound Physicians Sound Physicians is a leading healthcare organization with a proven track record of improving quality, satisfaction, and financial performance for its partners nationwide. Sound combines a high-performance model with engaged clinicians to drive predictable and repeatable improvements in quality and cost across the acute episode of care through emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, anesthesia, telemedicine, physician advisory services, and value-based care. This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com. SOURCE Sound Physicians Just days after Victorian Labor Premier Daniel Andrews and health authorities suggested that a peak had been reached in the states COVID-19 surge, a record 723 infections and 13 deaths have been announced, in the worst 24-hour period since the pandemic began. On Monday, when they revealed 532 confirmed cases in the state, Andrews and chief health officer Brett Sutton claimed modelling indicated that the height of infections had been reached. Tuesdays tally of 384 cases and yesterdays 295 were proclaimed by officials and the corporate media as signs that the worst of the crisis was likely over. The phrase cautiously optimistic was repeated ad nauseam. Todays grim figures brand these assertions as exercises in wishful thinking and public deception. Because the official response to the crisis, at the state and federal level, is shrouded in secrecy, the erroneous modelling that was touted cannot be subjected to scrutiny by independent medical experts or the public. It is increasingly clear, however, that authorities have lost any control over the spread of the pandemic almost three weeks since limited lockdown measures were introduced in metropolitan Melbourne, the current epicentre. On July 10, when those restrictions, mostly covering social gatherings and individual movements, came into effect, 288 new cases were announced. At that point, this was by far the highest number of daily infections in any state. A month earlier, on June 9, just two infections across the country had been confirmed. Todays tally has surpassed all previous daily infection totals by almost 200 cases. The official attempts to downplay the scale of the crisis over the past days have served a definite political purpose. They have been aimed at damping-down mounting demands for the shutdown of non-essential workplaces and schools from medical experts, health staff and growing sections of the working class, because of the impact that such measures would have on corporate profits. This week, Julian Rait, Victorian president of the Australian Medical Association, called for the imposition of a harder lockdown centering on workplace closures. Doctors took to the media to anonymously advocate similar measures, warning that unless they were immediately implemented, weekly hospital admissions in Melbourne could surpass 700 and overwhelm the system. Meat workers at a JBS plant in Melbournes west, where cases had been detected a fortnight ago, briefly walked off the job on Tuesday morning to demand safe conditions, while the Australian Principals Association called for the immediate closure of all Melbourne schools. Some 35 cleaners employed by Spotless in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong did not go to work yesterday, apparently over fears of infection after at least two cases were detected. The company immediately responded by taking them to the Fair Work Commission, the pro-business industrial tribunal. In a similar vein, Andrews, with the support of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has rejected demands for school and workplace shutdowns. Today, he only announced an extension of mandated mask wearing across the state, and stricter rules on nursing home visits in regional areas. The premier has blamed ordinary people for the surge in workplace infections, which account for up to 80 percent of cases since May. He has claimed, without providing any evidence, that workers have been going to their places of employment while symptomatic. In reality, the deaths and infections are the direct consequences of the pro-business reopening of the economy and back-to-work campaign prosecuted by all governments since May. The escalation of the crisis is directly linked to decades of cuts to the public healthcare system. Yesterday, the Age reported that when the pandemic struck Australia in March, the Victorian health department responsible for tracing communicable diseases had only 14 staff members, just six of whom were fully-qualified physicians, in a state with 6.4 million people. As a result of funding reductions enforced by the Labor government, the number of Victorian public health officials covering communicable diseases had decreased by nine in the eighteen months prior to the pandemic. In May, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services warned that a doubling of current staff numbers would still see Victoria as the least resourced state in terms of staff undertaking public health officer duties. Accompanying calls for funding increases were rejected. The revelations go some way to explaining why the vast majority of new cases in Victoria are reported as being under investigation and of unknown origin. The state government claims that there are 2,000 new staff supporting the miniscule public health department, but they are composed of inexperienced recruits and military personnel who have not been trained to deal with an unprecedented public health emergency. With todays increase, there are more than 5,000 active cases in the state. Of those, well over 3,000 are classified as being under investigation, meaning that the authorities do not know how they were acquired. As of Tuesday, 2,500 infections had been in that category for more than 48 hours. Some 900 of those had been confirmed more than a week earlier. This means that in practice, the extent of the spread is a mystery. Authorities have also given up on any attempt to test all close contacts of confirmed infections. There have been 20,000 fewer tests in Brimbank, the local government area with the fastest rise of infections in Melbourne, than in inner-city areas with half the number of cases. Nurses at a COVID-19 testing site in Melbourne (Credit (at)JoanWil85024201 Twitter) The breakdown of testing and contact-tracing, and the precarious conditions of low-paid casual workers have come together to create a catastrophe in the aged-care sector, where at least ten of todays deaths occurred. Prior to this morning, there were outbreaks at 87 Victorian facilities, the majority of them in Melbourne. Some 46 fatalities, or half of the states death toll, had been among residents. Since the pandemic began, at least 474 residents and 419 staff have been struck by the disease. The spread has accelerated, as a result of casual staff being forced to work in multiple facilities. Just one in five at homes operated by private corporations had completed a training module on the use of protective equipment early last month. St Basils, among the worst affected in Melbourne, was taken over by federal authorities last week because there were no longer enough healthy staff to operate the facility. Residents then reported inadequate food and the incorrect provision of medication. At least one relative was not informed that his father was gravely ill a couple of days before he passed away. Another family spent days trying to establish the whereabouts of their elderly mother after seeing from the outside of St Basils that her room was empty. Some private operators have been accused of blocking public health inspections for several weeks. Today, Australian Medical Assistance Team personnel, including military offices, have been deployed to Victorian aged-care homes. This continues a growing domestic use of the army during the pandemic, and is the outcome of the gutting of healthcare and the privatisation of care homes. Most residents who are infected are still not being moved to hospitals, despite being at a severe risk of succumbing to the disease. This has sparked fears that the healthy and the ill are not being isolated from one another. The decision not to hospitalise the elderly victims likely indicates that the Victorian hospital system simply does not have the capacity to do so. Meanwhile, double-digit infections are continuing to be reported each day in the neighbouring state of New South Wales (NSW). Confirmed cases have also emerged in at least half a dozen schools. Professor Mary-Louise McLaws, an epidemiologist and adviser to the World Health Organisation, warned yesterday that NSW was also on the cusp of losing control over the pandemic. Noting that the state had recorded at least 154 new cases over the previous fortnight, McLaws wrote: My analysis of the data suggests when cases reach 100 over 14 days the red zonethen an outbreak becomes very difficult to control. This happened in Victoria on June 18, before cases skyrocketed and a second lockdown was called. Cases are also being reported in Queensland, where community transmission was previously eliminated. Individuals who allegedly breached travel restrictions are being publicly-vilified and threatened with six months imprisonment. In reality, the reopening of Queenslands borders, when coronavirus cases were rapidly rising in other states, was a criminal decision guaranteed to result in new infections and taken solely on the basis of corporate profit interests. (Newser) Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded for the city in Iraq. The Middle East is in the midst of a heat wave, and on Wednesday, Baghdad hit its second-highest temperature ever: 124 degrees. The previous record, set in July 2015, was 123.8, the Washington Post reports. Other locations in Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia and Lebanon broke heat records this week as well, and Syria's capital tied its record. story continues below Two protesters were killed by security forces in Baghdad Monday in demonstrations against worsening power cuts amid the heat wave, leading to a lack of electricity, Reuters reports. Many residents have been relying on generators to power their homes after the state electrical grid failed, the Week reports. (Read more Baghdad stories.) Advertisement A group of Siberian tigers chased a helpless bird during a vicious hunt to capture their prey in China, spectacular photographs show. The incredible pictures show the fierce group of tigers leap into the air to dig their paws into the prey and prove who is king of the hunt. The breathtaking moment was captured on July 29, which is International Tiger Day, an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. The Siberian tigers live at the Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre in Harbin, China. The centre is the world's largest Siberian tiger breeding base and is home to more than 1,000 tigers. Siberian tigers are native to the Russian Far East and Northeast China but are classed as an endangered species, with a stable population. Incredible photographs show a group of Siberian tigers in China chasing a bird in a dedicated fight to win the prey during feeding The breathtaking pictures were captured on July 29 which is also International Tiger Day, an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation The group of fierce Siberian tigers live at the Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre in Harbin, China Hengdaohezi Feline Breeding Centre is the world's largest Siberian tiger breeding base and is home to more than 1,000 tigers Siberian tigers are native to the Russian Far East and Northeast China but are also classed as an endangered species, with a stable population She and other advocates of abortion rights argued that decisions about whether and how to do an abortion should be left to doctors and women, guided by their families and their faith. We arent truly free unless we can make decisions about our own lives, our own bodies, Hunt said. Some senators took a third position, saying they supported the goal of LB 814 but not the specifics of the measure. Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue questioned why the bill would ban the use of forceps to remove pieces of a fetus but allow the use of suction. She also questioned why it would give a husband the right to sue a doctor who violated the ban but would not give the same right to an unmarried father. The abortion procedure banned by LB 814 is used from Week 13 through Week 24 of a womans pregnancy. The ban would apply when clamps, forceps or similar instruments are used to remove pieces of a viable fetus. The ban would not apply if suction is used to remove pieces of a fetus. It also would not apply if the fetus was dead before being removed. Under the bill it would be a Class IV felony, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, for a doctor to perform such an abortion. The bill also would allow a doctor to be sued for performing the procedure. The woman having such an abortion could not be charged. Submit Your News We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form The new National Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday seeks to entirely overhaul the system through various reforms. Let's face it. For years, India's higher education system has been a mess. With its inherent complexity combined with the presence of a number of regulators (each with its own policies and standards), it can be a challenge to navigate for students and their parents. Worse, India's education system, especially at the higher level, is in a dismal state. Indeed, a 2019 report found that only one of 10 Indians complete their graduation and even fewer finish their post-graduate and research-based courses such as MPhil and PhD. Nearly 11% Indians hold a graduation degree. Of this, in rural areas the number was staggeringly low at six percent, while in urban areas it was higher at 22%, the report stated. The new National Education Policy (NEP) approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday seeks to entirely overhaul the system through various reforms: A single regulator to oversee higher education; no more MPhil courses before PhD; fixed fees for public and private institutions; students can choose between three and four-year undergraduate courses; multiple entry and exit points in degree courses. It also aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education including vocational education from 26.3 percent in 2018 to 50 percent by 2035 and aims to add 3.5 crore new seats to higher education institutions. One regulator to rule all Goodbye University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will act as a single regulator for higher education (barring medical and legal colleges). The HECI will itself be split into four independent verticals: National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulating institutions, General Education Council (GEC) for setting standards for institutions, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding institutions, and National Accreditation Council( NAC) for accreditation of institutions. The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Veterinary Council of India (VCI), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Council of Architecture (CoA), National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) will act as Professional Standard Setting Bodies (PSSBs) and common entrance exams for universities and colleges will be conducted by the National Testing Agency. Flexibility for students The NEP envisages broad-based, multi-disciplinary, holistic undergraduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. Which means? More flexibility for students, including off-ramps in various courses, to allow them to take their academic journey at their own pace. A student who completes four years of study in a course will receive a Bachelor's Degree with research, a Bachelor's Degree for three years of study, an Advanced Diploma for finishing two years and a Diploma for completing a year of study. Students will also be able to avail of an Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) which will digitally store academic credits from different institutions so that these can be transferred and counted towards the final degree earned. This means they can also take a gap year or return to their studies after a few years. Also, MPhil will be discontinued. Students who wish to pursue their PhDs can do so after their Master's Degree. More choice for students, fees capped One reason so few pursue higher education? Higher expenses. And many who are also pursuing their education have been troubled by the spectre of fee hikes. New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University for example, where students have had to shell out as much as Rs 62,000 for a single room after a fee hike, saw protests and even exams boycotted. Common standards will be set for public and private HEIs. Fees will be fixed so that nothing extra can be charged beyond the set cap. Which hopefully will avoid such flare-ups in the future. Private Higher Education Institutions will also be encouraged to offer more scholarships to students. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Measures such as online courses and digital repositories, funding for research, improved student services, credit-based recognition of MOOCs, will be taken to ensure distance learning is at par with the highest quality in-class programmes. More autonomy for colleges As per the new policy, the system of affiliation will be phased out over 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism for granting graded autonomy to colleges, through a transparent system of graded accreditation, will be established. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an autonomous degree-granting college, or a constituent college of a university. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards. Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, to be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country. Standalone technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities will aim to become multi-disciplinary institutions. College teachers at Indian universities, which have been grappling with faculty shortages, are set to get some measure of relief. A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior or retired faculty who would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring, professional support to university and college teachers. A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree. Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs). With inputs from PTI NEW YORK, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP, a national class action and shareholders' rights law firm with offices in New York, California and Georgia, announces an investigation of Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE: FICO) ("Fair Isaac Corp.," or the "Company"). If you own Fair Isaac Corp. shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website: http://www.weisslawllp.com/fair-isaac-corporation / Or please contact: Joshua Rubin, Esq. WeissLaw LLP 1500 Broadway, 16th Floor New York, NY 10036 (212) 682-3025 (888) 593-4771 [email protected] The investigation focuses on possible breaches of fiduciary duty and violations of the Federal securities laws by Fair Isaac Corp.'s Board of Directors. Notably, the U.S. Department of Justice recently initiated an investigation into the Company's operations in connection with potential violations of Federal Antitrust laws. WeissLaw is investigating whether Fair Isaac Corp.'s Board breached its fiduciary duties to the Company and its shareholders by failing to implement and maintain an adequate system of internal controls and by failing to exercise sufficient oversight over the Company's operations. WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information) please email us at [email protected] SOURCE WeissLaw LLP Related Links http://weisslawllp.com WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Shares of Volkswagen Group were losing around 7 percent in German trading after the automaker reported Thursday a loss in its second quarter compared to prior year's profit with sharply lower deliveries. Going ahead, the company anticipates fiscal 2020 operating result, before and including special items, to be severely lower than in previous year. Volkswagen also projects annual sales revenue and deliveries to fall significantly below the previous year's level as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Frank Witter, member of the Group Board of Management responsible for Finance and IT, said, 'Due to the positive trend exhibited in our business over the past few weeks and the introduction of numerous attractive models, we look cautiously optimistic to the second half of the year.' The company noted that the recovery of the markets continued in July, and expects its deliveries in this month to be lower than last year, albeit only single-digit percentage wise. The markets are expected to continue to recover overall in the second half of the year. Further, at the Annual General Meeting on September 30, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board will now propose a dividend of 4.80 euros per ordinary share and 4.86 euros per preferred share. The company's previously announced dividend for the 2019 fiscal year was 6.50 euros per ordinary share and 6.56 euros per preferred share. For the second quarter, loss was 1.54 billion euros, compared to profit of 4.12 billion euros a year ago. Loss before tax was 2.03 billion euros, compared to profit before tax of 5.49 billion euros in the previous year. Operating result before special items was negative 1.71 billion euros, compared to positive 5.13 billion euros last year, due to lower unit sales caused by the sharp fall in customer demand. Group sales revenue decreased 37 percent to 41.08 billion euros from the prior year's 65.19 billion euros. Deliveries to customers fell 31.6 percent to 1.89 million vehicles from 2.76 million vehicles last year. Vehicle sales dropped 34.7 percent from last year to 1.80 million units. Production was 1.67 million units, down 39.8 percent. In Germany, Volkswagen shares were trading at 127.88 euros, down 7.09 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Wade is a respected expert with broad experience in financial and housing policy issues, Johnson said, touting Wades previous work as Acting Federal Housing Commissioner and Assistant Secretary for Housing. Its experience Johnson feels will allow her to swiftly start to address the important issues facing the housing finance system. Wade will be heading FHA at a particularly dicey time. At the time of her nomination, COVID-19 was still a looming threat. It has since rampaged across the U.S. economy, and its effects on homeowners is still undetermined. Wade referenced the challenges in a May 5 nomination hearing. If confirmed, I will commit to do everything I can as FHA Commissioner to help the country emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic healthier, stronger, and with a more prosperous economy, she told the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. During the hearing, Wade said the lessons she learned during the Great Recession have prepared her for dealing with todays crisis. I learned that during times like these, it is important to make sure assistance quickly reaches those in need and that we maximize the effectiveness of every Federal dollar, she said shortly before outlining her three priorities for FHA: protecting current FHA homeowners and assisted renters manage the COVID-19 crisis, ensuring FHA has proper staffing and resources in place, and monitoring risk to taxpayers of losses stemming from COVID-19. Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Harare, Zimbabwe The MDC Alliance Youth Assembly is calling upon members of the armed forces to join tomorrows nationwide protests. Although the government has deemed the much anticipated nationwide protests as illegal, the protests will go ahead as envisaged by the Poverty Liberty Movement. It is public knowledge that you, our esteemed members of the police force and the army are earning peanuts. Let it be known to you that your situation is not natural but a deliberate creation of an evil system that is corrupt. - Advertisement - We know that most of you are young people who joined the uniformed forces for the love of the country and to serve your people. Moreso, we also understand that besides serving your country, you deserve food on your table for the upkeep of your families. We want to make it clear that we feel your pain and abuse at the hands of a corrupt regime. It is against this background that you as young people must stand with the people on 31 July. Let us speak the same language with the people against corruption and be on the right side of history, said Stephen Chuma, national spokesperson of the MDC Alliance Youth Assembly. Like this: Like Loading... LAS VEGAS Stephen Thomas Parshall, aka Kiwi, 35, of Las Vegas who was charged last month with violations of federal and state law for conspiracy to cause destruction during protests in Las Vegas, and possession of an unregistered destructive device (specifically, an improvised incendiary device commonly known as a Molotov cocktail) was charged earlier today by a separate criminal complaint with one count of sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse of the FBI, and Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Parshalls initial appearance in federal court on the new criminal complaint has not yet been scheduled. According to court documents, Parshall was arrested on May 30, 2020. Law enforcement had learned of Parshalls alleged participation in a conspiracy to cause destruction during protests that evening in Las Vegas, and of his alleged membership in the Boogaloo movement, a term used by extremists to signify a coming civil war and/or collapse of society. When law enforcement officers executed search warrants after the arrest, they located 10 images of child pornography, as well as numerous images of child erotica, on Parshalls cellular phone The minimum statutory penalty for the offense of sexual exploitation of children is 15 years in prison, and the maximum statutory penalty is 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The minimum and maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The case was investigated by the FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bianca Pucci is prosecuting the case. If you have information regarding possible child sexual exploitation, please make a report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or by making a report at www.cybertipline.com. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys Offices and the Department of Justices Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Air transport 2021, November Published: 30 July 2020 Number of passengers at Finnish airports decreased by 96 per cent in June 2020 Altogether 100,712 passengers flew through Finnish airports in June 2020, which was 96 per cent lower than one year before. However, the number of passengers more than doubled compared with the number of passengers in May 2020. There were 82,054 passengers at Helsinki Airport and a total of 18,658 passengers at other domestic airports in June 2020. Helsinki Airport accounted for 81 per cent of all passengers at domestic airports. In June 2020 the number of passengers at Helsinki Airport decreased by 96 per cent and the combined number of passengers at other Finnish airports went down by 94 per cent compared to June 2019. Sixty-eight per cent of the passengers were from international flights and 32 per cent from domestic flights. Of the passengers at Helsinki Airport, 81 per cent were from international flights. Ninety-five per cent of the passengers at Helsinki Airport flew on scheduled flights and five per cent on chartered flights. At the other domestic airports, one per cent of the passengers flew on chartered flights. Number of passengers at Finnish airports in January to June 2020 In the January to June period of 2020 altogether 5.1 million passengers flew through Finnish airports, which was 61 per cent lower than one year before. Seventy-one per cent of the passengers were from international flights and 29 per cent from domestic flights. There were 4.0 million passengers at Helsinki Airport and a total of 1.1 million passengers at other domestic airports. Helsinki Airport accounted for 79 per cent of all passengers at domestic airports. In the January to June period of 2020 air freight and mail transports amounted to 70,056 tonnes in total, and 97 per cent of the tonnes were transported through Helsinki Airport. Ninety-nine per cent of the tonnes were transported between Finland and foreign countries. Altogether 38,622 tonnes of the goods were outgoing and 31,434 tonnes were incoming. Source: Transport and Tourism, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Sami Lahtinen 029 551 3207, Matti Kokkonen 029 551 3770, sami.lahtinen@stat.fi Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (165.6 kB) Updated 30.07.20020 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Air transport [e-publication]. ISSN=2670-1847. June 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 20.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ilma/2020/06/ilma_2020_06_2020-07-30_tie_001_en.html VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Renaissance Gold Inc. (TSXV:REN)(OTCQB:RNSGF) ("RenGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") with a private US Company on its South Roberts Project in Eureka County, Nevada. RenGold will transfer 100% interest in the South Roberts property in exchange for a 1% net smelter return royalty (NSR) interest on any future production from the "SR" claims and a 0.5% NSR interest on any future production from the "RW" claims (Figure 1). South Roberts Property The South Roberts Project, Eureka County, Nevada lies on the Battle Mountain-Eureka trend of world class gold deposits, approximately 10 km. to the southeast of McEwen Mining's Gold Bar Mine (Figure 1). The project targets concealed Carlin-type gold mineralization occurring along major crustal structures and hosted in favorable lower-plate carbonate stratigraphy. The project has been explored in two prior earn-in agreements with McEwen Mining (NYSE;TSX.V:MUX) and S2 Resources Ltd. (ASX:S2R). Both former partners explored the property with geophysics and drilling, and collectively completed 4 reverse circulation and 5 core holes. Drilling encountered collapse breccia textures, decalcification and minor silicification with anomalous arsenic, antimony, mercury and gold in upper plate siliciclastic rocks and at the unconformity between the Mississippian Webb Fm. and the Devonian Devils Gate Limestone, a favorable host horizon at the Rain deposit on the Carlin Trend and the nearby Afgan deposit. These results may represent a distal signature of Carlin-type mineralization on this contact. The most favorable Devonian host stratigraphy has not been adequately drill tested, and provides an opportunity for a world class discovery. Qualified Person All technical data disclosed in this press release has been verified by RenGold's Qualified Person, Robert Felder, M.Sc. and Certified Professional Geologist (#11012) as recognized by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG). About Renaissance Gold Inc. Renaissance Gold Inc. is a western US focused prospect generator utilizing a joint venture business model. On June 10, 2020, the Company announced a merger-of-equals combination with Evrim Resources Inc. to form a new exploration and royalty business named Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen"). Orogen will focus on project generation as has been the history of both Renaissance and Evrim but with a renewed focus on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisition. Underpinning Orogen's royalty portfolio is the Ermitano West gold deposit in Sonora, Mexico (2% NSR) being developed by First Majestic Silver Corp. and planned to be in production in 2021, and the Silicon gold project (1% NSR) in Nevada, USA, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti NA. The transaction is expected to close around August 18, 2020, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. Shareholders are reminded to vote their securities in advance of the Company's upcoming special meeting on August 12, 2020. By: Robert Felder, President & CEO For further information, contact: Robert Felder 775-337-1545 or bfelder@rengold.com Ronald Parratt 775-337-1545 or rparratt@rengold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "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 Renaissance Gold Inc. 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 forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Renaissance Gold Inc's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Renaissance Gold Inc. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. SOURCE: Renaissance Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599560/Renaissance-Gold-Generates-New-Royalty-on-Its-South-Roberts-Project-in-Nevada Kerala: Vigil stepped up off Kozhikode against illegal entry of migrant fishers July 30,2020 | Source: The Hindu Checking squads of the coastal police, Marine Enforcement and Coast Guard have heightened their vigil off Kozhikode to prevent the illegal entry of migrant fishers into the district without proper health screening. Along with the squads, the Kozhikode Corporation too is keeping vigil in the area as about 13 fishermen from Colachel, who came to the city recently, were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Corporation is also planning to propose a temporary ban on the entry of migrant fishers, with the support of the district administration. According to the Corporation authorities, more fishers are likely to return to the district with the end of trawling ban on July 31. Though most of them are likely to depend on road and rail services to reach the district, there are chances of misusing fishing boats or trawlers to reach harbours, they said. However, Fisheries Department officials ruled out such a possibility as there was tight surveillance off the coast. Special squads and local harbour management committees would continue checking even after the trawling ban, they said. Meanwhile, leaders of fishermen associations and boat owners groups said trawling boat operators could not survive without the support of migrant fishers from States like West Bengal, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Instead of a total ban, there should be effective measures on the part of the authorities to screen all such workers at the time of arrival and ensure our safety, they said. Hong Kong LegCo election postponement urged Global Times By Yang Sheng and Bai Yunyi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 21:13:40 Social environment would be fairer, safer next year: analysts As Hong Kong is facing the third wave of a serious COVID-19 epidemic, many local social organizations and residents have urged the HKSAR government to postpone the Legislative Council (LegCo) election, scheduled for September. Experts and local politicians said that if the decision were made, it would be "reasonable, rational and legitimate." Hong Kong media, including TVB News and hk01, reported that the HKSAR government has already submitted the proposal to postpone the election to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, as the decision would impact the constitutional arrangement, so the decision must be made by the top national legislature. As the four-year term for the current LegCo lawmakers ends in September, the HKSAR government will also recommend that the NPC Standing Committee extend the terms of the current LegCo to avoid a "one year vacuum period" of the HKSAR legislature due to the special situation that Hong Kong is being confronted with. Since the third wave of the epidemic hit Hong Kong earlier in July, and as the situation gets increasingly serious and unlikely to be put under control anytime soon, many local and overseas social organizations consisting of Hong Kong residents and politicians have urged the Hong Kong government to consider postponing the LegCo election, including former president of the LegCo Jasper Tsang Yok-sing and Tam Yiu Chung, a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee. Social organizations like the Silk Road Institute, a Hong Kong-based think tank, and Politihk Social Strategic also urged for the postponement as the Hong Kong government and the electoral affairs commission are unable to guarantee public health safety. Prioritizing public health Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, a LegCo lawmaker, who also submitted a letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam suggesting to postpone the election, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the government needs to be responsible for public health, because during an election, it is impossible to guarantee social distancing, in a time when restaurants in the city are not even allowing more than two people to sit around one table. Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong affairs at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the concerns are reasonable, and Hong Kong is not the only city in the entire world to postpone elections. The mainland has postponed the two sessions, the most important annual political events, earlier this year due to the epidemic. Russia has moved its constitutional referendum from March to July. Sixteen states in the US postponed presidential primaries for the same reason. The UK also postponed local and mayoral elections in England for a year to May 2021. Some Western media and Hong Kong opposition politicians are trying to misinterpret the motive of the postponement, saying that the government is "afraid of another failure like [the one in] November 2019," referring to the district council elections of the HKSAR that the opposition overwhelmingly won. Li said these people ignore the dangers of the coronavirus, and they don't care about public health, but are only interested in building momentum based on the radical atmosphere of the 2019 turmoil. This is how they won the district council elections last year, which was unfair for the pro-establishment camp and the society. Tian Feilong, a legal expert on Hong Kong affairs at Beihang University in Beijing, said that waiting one more year is necessary, as the Hong Kong epidemic situation is serious, and scientists also predicted that a new wave will come and hit not only Hong Kong but the world in the fall or winter this year. When the Hong Kong government and the local public health authority have no idea about how long it would take to control the epidemic situation, "public health should always be the priority, and it's much more important than an election," Tian said. The HKSAR government news website said on Tuesday that Hong Kong has 106 new cases in a day, and 98 of them are local cases. The latest data released by the government website on Wednesday showed that Hong Kong has 2,885 confirmed cases. Ho said if current LegCo lawmakers have one more year to prepare, they can "recoup the loss of time caused by the riots and violence in 2019, and the epidemic situation in 2020," to restore public order and recover the economy, and also push the national security legislation under the Basic Law, also known as Article 23. Ho noted that in one year the Hong Kong people would be able to vote for the lawmakers under a safe, fair, peaceful and rational environment. Tian said that after the 2019 turmoil, and with the COVID-19 epidemic and US sanctions, Hong Kong society has been harmed deeply, and the public will is wavering and even getting nervous, cynical and irrational. "So, the society is unable to elect a rational and responsible LegCo under such an environment," Tian noted. Tian said that if the HKSAR government wants to postpone the election, they can find legal basis in the Emergency Regulations Ordinance and Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, and this regulation will not be limited by the Legislative Council Ordinance. Another way is to submit a proposal to the NPC Standing Committee, and the decision made by the top national legislature will not face judicial review from Hong Kong courts, Tian said. Fairness matters Apart from the public health issue, fairness is also an important factor that the government and the national legislature must consider, Hong Kong politicians and organizations said. Lawmaker Chan Kin-por, chairman of the HKSAR LegCo Finance Committee, told the Global Times on Tuesday, "In September, if the epidemic situation remains serious, many residents would not go out to vote, and then the election would not be fair. These are the factors that the government and electoral affairs commission must take into consideration." Chan added that the opposition parties will surely oppose the decision because they know that hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents will return from overseas and the mainland to vote. And if the epidemic situation remains uncontrolled, these voters will be quarantined or they will even choose not to come back and vote. This is truly unfair for the pro-establishment camp. "The opposition cares about only their political goal and totally ignores public health and fairness of the election," he said. Lau Siu-kai, vice president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times that "if opposition candidates are really confident in winning the election, and most residents don't support the postponement, why would they be angry now? They should be happy, as they can win more seats next year if the people really support their ideas." Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Youth Association, an organization consisting of Hong Kong youth working and doing businesses in the mainland and other countries to seek opportunities for Hong Kong youth in the Greater Bay Area, said in a statement on Wednesday it is urging the postponement because hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents who live outside Hong Kong are unable to return to Hong Kong and vote, and even if some of them come back, they have to be quarantined for 14 days due to the epidemic situation. Augus Ng, executive president of the association, told the Global Times on Wednesday that after the epidemic situation erupted earlier this month, many Hong Kong residents, including many members of his association, left Hong Kong for other countries and the mainland cities, especially Shenzhen, and "most of them are unlikely to return due to the ongoing epidemic situation, but it doesn't mean they don't want to vote." "If the election pushes through in September, their legitimate rights to vote will be denied, so it's unfair," he said. The Silk Road Institute also said on July 20 that after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, that foreign forces are continuing to use their proxies in Hong Kong to incite conflicts between local residents and mainland people, or create fear in society toward the central government by misinterpreting the new law through misinformation, according to the think tank's facebook account. "This is no different from interfering in the LegCo election. Law enforcement agencies still need time to investigate the relevant cases." But the negative impact on the election has already formed. In the short term, the fairness and justice for the election are unlikely to be fixed, and the illegal "primaries" earlier this month have already made the election unfair, the think tank said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hills & Trails have designed the packaging for a 300mg CBD tincture manufactured in downtown Biddeford by Casco Bay Hemp. The fundraiser is designed around introducing the benefits of CBD to new and veteran consumers, to help educate and inform the public about a plant mired with a negative stigmatism. 100% of the profits will be donated to the Biddeford Food Bank. "We wanted to help our local community somehow during this health crisis. Through the use of our businesses and social media channels, we hope that we can help educate our community on the benefits of hemp and cannabinoids while simultaneously raising money to support the many families in need right now in our community." The fundraiser will be held Sunday, August 9th, 2020 at Run of the Mill Public House and Brewery at 100 Main St, Saco, ME 04072 at 1:00 pm. Donations will be collected for the Biddeford Food Bank at the event and at Hills & Trails located at 140 Main St. Biddeford, ME 04005. Event Page https://www.facebook.com/events/290473992391372/ www.cascobayhemp.com www.hillsandtrails.co SOURCE Casco Bay Hemp Related Links www.cascobayhemp.com ALBANY Of 49 new cases of novel coronavirus confirmed since Tuesday in the greater Capital Region, 20 were in Albany County, including three that were traced back to a massive July 4 party in Albany, county officials said. The party, which drew over 200 college-age people throughout the holiday weekend, is now the source of at least 43 separate infections within the community, according to County Executive Dan McCoy. The party occurred in a part of the city favored by students living off-campus and local officials fear the situation could be repeated on a weekly basis once colleges resume classes in the coming weeks. This party was July 4 and here we are all these days later outside the 14-day (incubation) window and were up to 43 people, he said. And theres probably a lot more from that party were not aware of because there will be some people that wont come forward. County officials appealed to partygoers last week to come forward and get tested, even if they were feeling no symptoms, as the virus is known for asymptomatic spread. Some of them did, McCoy said Wednesday. I dont agree with what these kids did, but theyre doing the right thing now so I applaud them for doing the right thing, he said. McCoy also reported Wednesday that there have been two more virus-related deaths in the county. The victims were residents of St. Peters Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Albany. One was in his 80s and the other was in his 90s. Both had underlying health conditions, McCoy said. At least three other residents of the home have died after becoming infected with the virus this month, a spokeswoman for the facility said late last week. At least 32 residents and eight employees from the home have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, according to figures provided by the county on Friday. Five residents and three employees were believed to still have the virus as of Friday. The recent deaths bring the countys known death toll from the virus to 126. To the 124 families, my prayers and condolences go out to you and to the two new families, my prayers and condolences go out to you, McCoy said. Its a tough time. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Of the other new cases recorded in the county overnight: six had no clear source of transmission, five were health care workers, four had close contact to people who had the virus, and two were people who traveled out of state into areas they shouldnt have gone into, McCoy said. As of Wednesday, there were 84 active cases of the virus in the county up two from Tuesday. Three of those people are now hospitalized. Also on Wednesday: Police have arrested a man in connection with a fire set at the Democratic Party Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, last week. Officials announced on Wednesday that they had arrested 29-year-old Matthew Egler on arson charges that morning. Authorities allege that Mr Egler set fire to the Democratic party headquarters in Downtown Phoenix after midnight on Friday 24 July. The blaze that was set caused substantial damage to the building, according to police. In a press release, Phoenix Police Department attached a video of the crime taking place. The footage shows flames erupt from the building as a person walks away from the scene and gets into a parked car. There were no injuries and no one was inside the building at the time of the fire, KPNX reported. It wasnt immediately clear if Mr Egler had legal representation or when he is scheduled to appear in court. He was arrested and booked on one count of Arson of an Occupied Structure, police said. Arizona Democratic Party Chair Felecia Rotellini issued a statement following the arrest with Maricopa County Democratic Party Chair Steven Slugocki. We are deeply saddened and shocked by todays news, but appreciate the swift action by law enforcement to ensure that the suspect is in custody, Ms Rotellini said. This is a time for all Arizona Democrats to come together as friends and family. This unfortunate incident will not distract or deter us from achieving the goals we set in 2016. We remain committed to our mission to elect Democrats in November. The party also took to Twitter to reassure followers that they were unfettered by the setback, posting an image of a damaged room with flags that are largely undamaged. The flags are still standing and so are we. Were ready to turn this state blue, they wrote. Campaigners are keeping a close eye on Arizonas political landscape in the run-up to Novembers presidential election as the state, which has historically been a safe Republican seat, will be crucial in the race for the White House and the Senate. Democrat nominee Joe Biden currently holds a 5-point lead over President Donald Trump in the area, according to a new NBC News and Marist poll. However, Mr Trumps supporters are said to be more enthusiastic than his rivals, according to the survey. The opposition also seemingly holds a strong advantage in the key Senate competition, with the broadcaster reporting that Democratic candidate Mark Kelly holds a 12 point lead over Republican Senator Martha McSally in the same poll. With 11 electoral votes in play, the 2020 battle for the White House goes through the Sunbelt, Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, told the outlet. Democrats also have a potential Senate gain given Mr Kellys wide lead over Ms McSally, Mr Miringoff added. The appointment of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Somu Veerraju as president of BJP Andhra Pradesh unit is believed to be part of a well-laid out strategy of the saffron party to emerge as a powerful political force in the state. The BJP, in 2019 failed to win a single Lok Sabha or state assembly seat and got just 0.84 of the total vote share, is aiming at replacing the Telugu Desam Party as a potential alternative to the ruling YSR Congress Party in the next four years. It is for this reason that the party is learnt to have chosen Veerraju as the state BJP president. Unlike his predecessor Kanna Lakshminarayana, who defected to the BJP after enjoying several positions in the Congress party till 2014, Veerraju is a hardcore loyalist of the party with strong Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh background. He has been with the party for quite a long time, holding several positions in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, later in the state BJP and in the national council of the party. Importantly Veerraju has been the hardest critic of the TDP, with which the BJP had an alliance in the 2014 elections. Politically, I have been opposing TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu because he had not allowed the BJP to grow independently in Andhra Pradesh, before or after the bifurcation, he said. He pointed out that it was Naidu who always benefited from the BJP by forging an alliance to suit his partys interests. He had allied with the BJP in 1999 elections to take advantage of the image of Vajpayee in the post-Kargil war scenario. He conveniently dumped the BJP after losing the elections in 2004. He again returned to the BJP fold after realising that there was a Narendra Modi wave in the country, Veerraju told a local television channel after taking over as the state BJP president on Tuesday. In the 2019 elections, the TDP faced a humiliating defeat winning only 23 seats in the 175-member state assembly and only three out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The TDP party has been facing a series of desertions since then three of its MLAs and a large number of powerful party leaders defected to the YSRCP, while three of his Rajya Sabha members switched loyalties to the BJP. Many others are also said to be looking towards greener pastures. That is precisely why the BJP sees an opportunity to grow independently in Andhra. While the YSRCP is too powerful, the TDP is weakening gradually. Naidu is ageing and one does not know whether he will have the energy to defeat the YSRCP in 2024. And there is no second rung leadership in the TDP. So, the BJP is hoping to fill the vacuum with the support of Jana Sena Party floated by actor Pawan Kalyan, political analyst S Rama Krishna said. Second, like Lakshminarayana, Veerraju also represents Kapu community, a powerful and politically strong caste group in the state. Since Pawan Kalyan is also from the same community, the BJP wants to consolidate this Kapu vote bank which accounts for nearly 15.2 per cent of the population in the state. As the YSRCP led by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is going all out to decimate the TDP, we may see a largescale exodus of the TDP leaders and cadre into the BJP. At the same time, the BJP will aggressively take up the fight on issues concerning the people so that it would be seen as a powerful opposition party, Rama Krishna said. A man "used his car as a weapon" when pursuing a Go Safe driver for 16km on country roads almost two years ago, a judge has said. Judge Brian OCallaghan made his comment at Ennis Circuit Court today after viewing CCTV footage showing Shane Malone (31) overtaking and pulling across the Go Safe speed camera van twice, forcing Go Safe driver, Michael Whelan to stop and take evasive action. The CCTV footage first shows Mr Malone, formerly of Derronan, Derrainy, Whitegate, get out of his car at Cregg, Whitegate and slap and kick six times the parked Go Safe van at 4.40pm on September 30th 2018. State Solicitor for Clare, Ms Aisling Casey stated that Mr Malone told Go Safe driver, Michael Whelan to open the door and "you're a big f**king man in the van". Ms Casey said that Mr Whelan was in fear and fled the scene in his Go Safe van. The footage shows Mr Malones Peugeot 306 in pursuit and gaining on Mr Whelan before he overtakes the Go Safe van and pulls across the vehicle, forcing it to stop on a country road. Mr Whelan reversed the van and went in the opposite direction before Mr Malone caught up with and pulled across in front of the Go Safe van again on Whitegate villages main street. Mr Malone then got out of his car and could be seen walking towards the van before Mr Whelan drove past Mr Malone. Mr Malone continued his pursuit before eventually abandoning the chase. Judge O'Callaghan said that Mr Malone "harassed" Mr Whelan. The judge described Mr Malones behaviour as "crazy" and called his conduct "appalling". After viewing the CCTV footage, Judge OCallaghan said: "Mr Malone could be up for harassment, for endangerment to not only the Go Safe man but other road users. He could have been hit with the most serious offences. He is a lucky man." Judge OCallaghan added: "Fair dues to Mr Whelan for still being at work." In his victim impact statement read out to court, Mr Whelan said: "I feared for my life and the life of other drivers and pedestrians." Mr Whelan told the court that Mr Malone "put me through 25 minutes of a very frightening experience". Mr Whelan stated that Mr Malone "chased me at a dangerous speed and I feared that he would run me off the road". Mr Whelan stated that on two occasions during Mr Malones pursuit, he had to stop the van "and he also attacked the van by kicking it and hitting it and shouting abuse at me". Mr Whelan continued to say that he feared that Mr Malone "would get into the van. He was extremely aggressive". He stated: "Since that day, I am not the same person I was when I joined Go Safe. Hopefully, someday, I might be able to move past this very traumatic experience and again become the confident person I once was." Mr Malone was in court appealing the severity of a cumulative 12 month prison term imposed on him last October at Ennis District Court for the Go Safe incident that included criminal damage and assault convictions and other offences. Mr Malone has pleaded guilty to all six offences where jail terms were imposed. Concerning the other incident, Ms Casey stated that Mr Malone also gave chase in his Peugeot at speed to a local man, Aidan Hickey on January 14 2019 when Mr Hickey was driving home to Mountshannon. Ms Casey stated that Mr Malone overtook and reversed into Mr Hickeys car but caused no damage. Ms Casey said that when Mr Hickey arrived home he saw Mr Malones car parked outside his home and Mr Malone assaulted Mr Hickey in the driveway of his home. Ms Casey stated Mr Hickey knocked out a tooth of Mr Malones mouth when trying to defend himself as Mr Malone kept coming at him. Ms Casey said that Mr Malone told Mr Hickey "youre a dead man". Asked by Judge O'Callaghan did Mr Malone have any previous involvement with Mr Hickey, Garda Iomar McClearn told the court there was "an altercation on a GAA pitch after a match 10 years before that according to Mr Hickey". Ms Casey stated that Mr Malone has no previous convictions. She stated that at Garda interview, he did admit to kicking the Go Safe van and "sang while the notes of the interview were being called over to him and he refused to sign the interview". Ms Casey said that Mr Malone spent seven years in Australia but is now living away from east Clare and is living in the west Clare village of Carrigaholt. Counsel for Mr Malone, Patrick Barriscale BL stated at Garda interview, Mr Malone stated: "Im very sorry to have kicked the van and done what I done. My anger was down to life problems." He told Gardai: "Im very sorry for my actions. I deeply regret it. I will work to control my anger from now on." Mr Barriscale stated that Mr Malone "behaved appallingly" and "is throwing himself on the mercy of the court". Judge OCallaghan stated that before he would impose sentence, he required a Probation Report on Mr Malone. Judge OCallaghan stated that Mr Malone "has no explanation for what occurred and it would be wrong of this court not to find out if is there another issue we need to address before somebody else receives his wrath". Judge OCallaghan told Mr Malone that he was lucky that he wasnt remanding him in custody but remanded him on bail to Ennis Circuit Court to October 29. Open namaz in Gurgaon blocked: Protester say they are making volley ball court Despite summons, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma fails to appear at Gurugram court India oi-Madhuri Adnal Gurugram, July 26: Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma failed to appear at the Gurugram court on Thursday after the company's former employee alleged that he was fired for objecting censorship and fake news on company's applications. On July 20, based on a former employee's complaint, the Gurugram court had ordered Alibaba founder Jack Ma to appear in the court on July 29. However, the case was postponed for Thursday. The case is filed in Gurugram district court and Civil Judge Sonia Sheokand has issued a summons for Alibaba, Jack Ma and about a dozen others, and has asked them to appear on July 29, as per reports. The judge has also sought written responses from the company, Reuters reported. Alibaba, Jack Ma summoned by Gurugram court on former employee's complaint Alibaba Group set for 'big challenge' as Jack Ma steps down as chairman Parmar, who was an employee of the UC Web office in Gurugram until October 2017, is seeking $268,000 in damages, according to court documents. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News "We are 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," UC India stated in a statement. ''The lawsuit also contains a "sensitive words list" with key words in Hindi and English like "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,'' Reuters reported. Last month, the Home Ministry had banned 59 Chinese mobile apps including UC News, UC Browser amidst border tensions between the two countries. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, July 30, 2020, 15:54 [IST] A Louisiana couple faces child cruelty charges after police say they locked a 14-year-old in his bedroom for months. Kari Barber, 30, and Cassidy Dunn, 39, were arrested on Wednesday shortly after the teen escaped their home and ran to a neighbors house for help, according to a Shreveport Police Department news release. The neighbor, whos unnamed, was concerned by the childs appearance and called police. Officers responded to Barber and Dunns home for a wellness check and during their investigation learned the boy had been locked in his room since March, police said. The boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Doctors said he was extremely malnourished, according to police. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home and took the two women into custody, charging them both with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and false imprisonment, according to the release. The incident remains under investigation. ! 109939870 > Completing remediation of the Carlsbad Brine Well by filling the northern portion of the cavity could cost an additional $10 to $16 million, said the Bureau Chief of the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division Jim Griswold at a special meeting Wednesday of the Carlsbad Brine Well Remediation Authority. They estimated an additional cost of ranging from $10.9 to $16.7 million and the additional amount of time required would range between 50 to 107 additional days of injection, he said. Griswold said crews encountered a large cavity during the back-fill work, even as the current budget for the project hovers around $3 million. The work to remediate the former I&W Brine Well site south of Carlsbad where U.S. Highways 285 and 62/180 converge would also require and additional 168,000 cubic yards of sand. MORE: Sonar imaging may reveal how much of Carlsbad Brine Well must be filled The original budget for remediation was estimated at $43 million and was funded through state and local funds. Sarah Cottrell Propst, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (ENMRD) cabinet secretary, said the cost estimates from Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions from Albuquerque come at a bad time for state government. We know the state is in a terrible budget situation right now. We need to know much more precisely what number were aiming for so we can correctly come up with strategies to find that money, she said. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Carlsbad Current-Argus. Cottrell Propst said multiple money options, including federal grants, should not be ruled out. There is discussion in the U.S. Congress about some additional funding for some states for oil and gas reclamation work. If that materializes that could either be in whole or in part a potential source, because this is the mother of all reclamation projects. So thats a possibility, she said. MORE: Sand filling work at Carlsbad Brine Well site getting close to finish line John Heaton, a designee from the city of Carlsbad on the authority, said the city of Carlsbad and Eddy County may not have the funds to offset the cost to the state. I think its going to be difficult for the city or county to put anymore into this project due to their reduced revenue. I think that puts them in a very difficult position, he said. Griswold said sand injection work was suspended July 24 and around 100,000 cubic yards of sand has been deployed. MORE: Eddy County OKs $800K more for Brine Well | Carlsbad Council OKs $2M Today (Wednesday) the sonar logging subcontractor is beginning another survey to gain additional information on the volume and configuration of the northern void, Griswold said. Cottrell Propst said once ENMRD has the new sonar information an exact cost would be forthcoming. My plan is to have a meeting with some of the smart budget folks in the state and see what ideas they have for how to put this together, she said. MORE: U.S. 285 holding up during Brine Well work Cottrell Propst said no further work was needed in the southern portion of the Brine Well. Remediation has stabilized the southern end. Were in a much better position than we were a year ago, she said. Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Millions more needed to complete Carlsbad Brine Well remediation ___ (c)2020 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Residents of Katy are one step closer to better flood mitigation after Mondays city council meeting. At the July 27 meeting, city council unanimously voted to award a $3,777,954 contract to Fused Industries, LLC for the improvement to the drainage channel on Patna Drive in the Riceland Terrace subdivision. The Patna Drive drainage improvement project will address better rainwater conveyance from Morton Road through Caloro Street. Notes from a meeting with Ralph Saldana and Stephen Wilcox with Costello Engineering, the firm responsible for the project surveying, state that the project will convert the residential road to a crowned concrete road with a curb and gutter. MORE NEWS FROM THE CITY OF KATY: City of Katy earns Superior water rating for 32nd straight year The road is currently asphalt with open ditches. The improvements will also include adding larger storm sewers and additional curb inlets in accordance with new 100-year flood guidelines. The new construction will also lower the street approximately 1.2 feet, funnelling water flow away from residences. Wilcox explained that the goal is to raise the yard elevation above the street and to funnel the water south. All of this is to address a low spot which doesn't have outflow in a large rain event, Saldana explained. MORE BY CLAIRE GOODMAN: Mattress Mack opens new free, public trade school The project is expected to begin in August with a completion date of April or May of 2022. The funding for the project is allocated from the voter-approved 2018 Flood Control Bond. claire.goodman@chron.com Odessa Police Department A 47-year-old man was arrested in connection to a murder that occurred Tuesday night in south Odessa, according to a press release. Marcus Dwain McDavid has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony; unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a third-degree felony; and assault family violence with a previous conviction, a third-degree felony. The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to go really big on July 31 and August 1 to celebrate the first year anniversary of the historic passage of Muslim Women's Right Protection Bill, which abolished triple talaq or instant talaq. This was passed by Parliament on July 31 last year and received assent of the President the next day. Thereby, calling this a massive move to ensure gender equality. This event is being celebrated as Muslim Women's Right Day or Muslim Mahila Adhikar Divas. The BJP has been saying that this day marked the rejection of the regressive law adopted by the previous governments, citing the 1985 Shah Bano case and how a vote bank instrumental in the Rajiv Gandhi government ensured justice was denied to Shah Bano despite a Supreme Court ruling which was reversed by the then government. Right from the mandal level, smaller meetings would be organised through video conferencing to connect Muslim women to talk about their experience pre and post the passage of this law. Mahila morchas of the party would also appeal to women to come forth and reject this colonial practice openly, which is now a binding law. Union ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Smriti Irani and Ravi Shankar Prasad would connect with women across the country through video conferencing from the party headquarters on Friday. Also the party has put out a series of videos where women speak about the benefit of doing away with such a regressive practice. The hashtag being used is #ThankYouModiBhaijaan to project PM Modi as a great unifier and someone who took a bold, courageous step to ensure equal rights to Muslim women. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told CNN News18, "Many years went in vain as nobody was able to ensure justice for these women. It requires a huge amount of sensitivity and massive political will to take such a step. Our leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indeed done that." Naqvi added, "This indeed has broken many barriers and helped the cause of gender equality in a big, big way." According to the figures available with the government, the number of cases of instant talaq reported since 1985 have come down by at least 83% in the last one year. A densely populated state like Uttar Pradesh, which had reported 63,400 cases before August last year, reported only 281 cases post August 2019. Bihar till last year had reported 38,617 triple talaq cases, but has now only 49 cases since then. Telangana and Andhra had close to 41,300 cases before the Bill was passed and as the first anniversary of the Bill draws close, only 203 cases are now reported. As many as 51,800 cases till 2019 in West Bengal where the figure now stands at 208. Triple Talaq, also known as Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, was passed by Parliament on July 30 to make instant Triple Talaq a criminal offence and provides for a jail term of three years if a Muslim man gives an instant talaq to his wife. The Triple Talaq Bill was first introduced by the Modi government in December 2017. A vehemently opposed Bill, it failed to clear the Upper house where the govrnment had poor strength. The Supreme Court verdict of 2017 had declared talaq-e-biddat, commonly referred to as instant triple talaq, unconstitutional. This prompted the government to bring it as an Ordinance & a Bill that was last promulgated on February 21, 2019. Islamic countries like Pakistan, UAE and Bangladesh had banned this anarchy many years ago. With his poll numbers sagging in a campaign season circumscribed by the coronavirus, its easy to forget how intoxicating Donald Trumps political rise was to certain people. In 2015 and 2016, Trump broke many of the unwritten rules about where and how a candidate campaigns, and what a candidate can say and do. Normal candidates and the bulk of the media, even the conservative media, treated his campaign as a joke every step of the way. As he continued to rise, he exposed the weakness of the norms that had built up around American presidential campaigns over decades. He proved that you could succeed while insulting the media and all the recent nominees and presidents of the party you were running to lead, attacking veterans and the war-wounded, and questioning a federal judges decision based on his ethnicity. He proved that you didnt need a stump speech that had been worked on by 30 consultants; you could just riff and test slogans and catchphrases live on CNN. He defied the laws of political physics and paid no price for it. Depending on if you were a supporter or an opponent, he inspired excitement or dread that anything might happen next. Its no wonder than that Trump consistently attracted coalitions of people who felt excluded by the political status quo. Some of those people were just oddballs and cranks. Some of them were extremists or haters. They produced elaborate theories about why Trumps movement was larger than one man, why it was a hinge moment in history. For those driven mad by Americas foreign policy and spying, Trump was an implacable foe of the blob and the Deep State. For people looking for a sign from heaven, Trump was a potential new Constantine. For others he was an escape from hundreds of years of misbegotten liberal theories of politics. For racists, he was a harbinger of white-identitarianism on the march worth a Sieg Heil or two. These were the esoteric cases for Trumpism, and theyve run aground on the beach of Trumps actual presidency. Story continues As he approaches the end of his first and maybe only term, Trump has changed very little about Americas foreign policy. Hes shifted some troops and materiel from NATO and domestic attitudes toward China have grown more hawkish on his watch. But the latter development was mostly a result of Chinese malfeasance and may have happened without him. The racists no longer care about Trump. They wanted his campaign to be the beginning of larger and larger escalations of white hostility. But the demographic trajectory of the country is unchanged from before. Trump lost interest in a big beautiful wall, and his erstwhile white-nationalist fans now despise Trump. The religious dreamers have to contend with a Trumpified Supreme Court whose idea of textual interpretation holds out the Lyndon Baines Johnson administration as the champion of transgender rights in employment. They hoped Trump would be a tool of God who made the whole nation Christian; instead, he may very well make the Republican Party more secular. In retrospect, it seems ridiculous that anyone put their faith in a president as weak as Trump, who cant even turn infrastructure week into infrastructure projects, to alter the course of history. And many of those who did have recognized as much, and moved on to other pursuits or grudges. But for those leftover, esoteric Trumpism has degenerated from the speculative and crankish to the outright quackery of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which in an odd way tackles the problem of Trumps weakness head-on. The basic theory is that down is up, stupid is smart, and weakness is strength. The president may look like someone who doesnt control his mouth or the White House, but QAnon have an answer for that: Hes actually deliberate, purposeful, even masterful in exposing and stopping the corrupt ring of pedophiles, Deep Staters, and other malefactors that controls the world. I dont want to make light of this, exactly. Though conspiracy theories are often pursued by their enthusiasts as a harmless distraction and escape from real life, they can be dangerous, occasionally addling minds in a way that leads a man to, say, take a rifle into a pizza shop. But theres something sad about QAnon followers, too: Those who have clung to a stubborn faith in Trump look set to soon find that he has abandoned them in a world he hardly changed a world said faith has led them to believe is run with impunity by an omnipotent, ultra-competent cabal of kiddie-diddlers. Then again, thats the pattern of cults, isnt it? A revelation of truth from on high will set you free; a Gnostic secret, known only to adepts, will make the world into a prison. A Haven for the Sane If you think there should be a corner of our journalistic and intellectual life that defends right reason and is an alternative to the unhinged mainstream media, and if you have been alarmed at the sound of the American mind slamming shut at so many institutions recently, please lend National Review your support. SUPPORT NR TODAY More from National Review BENZIE COUNTY The Benzie County Sheriff's Office has released the name of the family whose property was damaged and garage set ablaze. The victim is Wayne Webber of the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation. "As most community members know, Wayne and Joan have been tremendously generous to the residents of Benzie County and throughout the Northwest Michigan area," read a press release sent from the sheriff's office on July 30. Since 2009 the Webbers have donated thousands of coats, hats, gloves, socks and boots to the children of Benzie County elementary schools. In 2013, a new facility was built and equipped with computers for the Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville. That same year, the Webber Heart Center was donated at Munson Medical Center, supplying dedicated cardiac care facilities for area residents. In addition, the Webber Foundation donated an 80 slice CT scanner to Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital in Frankfort. In 2015, the public recreational ball fields in Thompsonville were rebuilt, along with a new playground and new concession stand. Also, The Webber Barn was built and dedicated in Buckley at the Old Engine Club to house the snow engine and supply an area for the demonstration of primitive farm equipment. The Webbers host the annual Fall Festival in Thompsonville each year. The Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation provides annual support to BACN (Benzie Area Christian Neighbors), which provide a food pantry and much more to the community. Most recently the foundation has supported the Mobile Dental Van in Benzie County which provides dental services to children in the region. "This family has been one of our communitys biggest supporters and now it is our turn to help them," the newsrelease said. The incident happened around 10:15 p.m. on July 4 on South Carmean Road. Benzie County 911 received a call about a home invasion and a structure fire. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, a family member pulled up in a vehicle and began walking toward a detached garage when they saw the suspect come out of the residence. An argument ensued and the family member entered the residence to call law enforcement. The family member observed damage to the inside of the residence, and a short time later, saw that the detached garage was engulfed in flames. Evidence collected at the scene was consistent with arson. The sheriff's office is looking for a white male in his late 50s or 60s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a stocky build, unshaven or with a short beard. The damages to the residence and garage are estimated to be in excess of $270,000. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction. Anybody with any information is encouraged to call the Benzie County Central Dispatch at (231) 882-4487. Bigwigs from the Oil/Energy sector like ExxonMobil XOM and Chevron CVX are yet to report second-quarter earnings results. Before going into details, we need to analyze the extent of impact coronavirus has had on the sector. Oil Price Recovers Partially Despite Coronavirus Since April-end, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has improved more than 239% through the June quarter owing to partial recovery in fuel demand with the easing of lockdown measures. The recovered commodity pricing scenario is likely to have given some support to upstream businesses. However, as compared to the year-ago quarter, the price of the commodity has declined sharply owing to the pandemic. Notably, for the month of April, May and June of 2020, average West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude prices were recorded at $16.55 per barrel, $28.56 and $38.31, respectively, per data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The figures are considerably lower than the respective $63.86, $60.83 and $54.66 a year ago per EIAs data. The price of natural gas also fell year over year. Per EIA, for the month of April, May and June of 2020, average natural gas prices were recorded at $1.74 per million Btu, $1.75 and $1.63, respectively. The figures are considerably lower than the respective prices of $2.65, $2.64 and $2.40 a year ago per EIAs data. What Does it Mean for Energy Majors? The partial recovery of oil price in Q2 is likely to have lent some support to the upstream business. But if we look at the year-ago picture, the considerable decline in oil and gas prices are likely to have hurt the upstream operations of energy majors. The midstream business, is however, relatively less likely to get affected by the coronavirus-induced oil price volatility. This is because the midstream assets are being booked by shippers for the long term to transport liquids and refined products. Notably, the refining operations are also likely to have been affected by the pandemic since global demand for refined products took a considerable hit compared to the year-ago quarter. However, a partial resumption of economic activity and thus some recovery in fuel demand since more people got back to work, especially in the months of May and June, are likely to have favored the downstream business partially. Story continues Key Releases Given the backdrop of coronavirus-induced energy business in the second quarter, lets take a glance at how four energy players are placed ahead of their second-quarter results slated for release on Jul 31. Our proprietary model indicates that a company needs to have the right combination of two key ingredients a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to increase the odds of an earnings beat. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Exxon Mobil Corporation is set to report results before the opening bell. In the last-reported quarter, the leading integrated energy company reported earnings of 53 cents per share that beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 4 cents, thanks to growth in production volumes from the prolific Permian and Guyana oil resources. Notably, ExxonMobil beat earnings in three of the past four quarters, the average surprise being 307.9%, as shown in the chart below. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for the to-be-reported quarter is pegged at a loss of 63 cents per share on revenues of $36.1 billion. This indicates a year-over-year earnings and revenue decline of 186.3% and 47.8%, respectively. Exxon Mobil Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Exxon Mobil Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Exxon Mobil Corporation price-eps-surprise | Exxon Mobil Corporation Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for ExxonMobil this time around as it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3. Chevron Corporation is scheduled to release results before the opening bell. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for this leading integrated energy players to-be-reported quarters loss is pegged at 93 cents per share while the same for revenues stands at $20.5 billion. This indicates a year-over-year earnings and revenue decline of 141% and 47.3%, respectively. Chevron Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Chevron Corporation Price and EPS Surprise Chevron Corporation price-eps-surprise | Chevron Corporation Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Chevron this time around as it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #1. Phillips 66 PSX is scheduled to release results before the opening bell. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for its to-be-reported quarters loss is pegged at 99 cents per share and the same for revenues stands at $14.9 billion. This indicates year-over-year earnings and revenue decline of 132.8% and 47.7%, respectively. Phillips 66 Price and EPS Surprise Phillips 66 Price and EPS Surprise Phillips 66 price-eps-surprise | Phillips 66 Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Phillips 66 this time around as it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #4. Imperial Oil Limited IMO is scheduled to release results before the opening bell. The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for its to-be-reported quarters loss is pegged at 69 cents per share and the same for revenues stands at $3.1 billion. This indicates year-over-year earnings and revenue decline of 204.6% and 55.4%, respectively. Imperial Oil Limited Price and EPS Surprise Imperial Oil Limited Price and EPS Surprise Imperial Oil Limited price-eps-surprise | Imperial Oil Limited Quote Our proven model does conclusively predict an earnings beat for Imperial Oil this time around as it has an Earnings ESP of +0.73% and a Zacks Rank #3. 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Imperial Oil Limited (IMO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Phillips 66 (PSX) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday federal intervention was needed to calm ongoing protests in Portland, Oregon. Barr pushed back against congressional Democrats accusations he has placed loyalty to President Trump ahead of upholding the rule of law. OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau said he initially pushed back when he learned the public service had chosen WE Charity to run the Canada Student Service Grant, knowing his familys connections with the organization would lead to significant scrutiny. WE Charity received no preferential treatment, not from me, not from anyone else. The public service recommended WE Charity, and I did absolutely nothing to influence that recommendation, Trudeau said Thursday. When I learned that WE charity was recommended, I pushed back. Trudeau has long-standing ties to the WE organization and several of his relatives his wife, brother and mothers have been paid to appear at its events. In a rare prime ministerial appearance before the House of Commons finance committee Thursday, Trudeau said both he and his chief of staff, Katie Telford, first learned that WE Charity had been selected to run the grant program on May 8, mere hours before a cabinet meeting where it was to be discussed. That was days after a group of other ministers first heard about the need to let the charity run the program. Trudeau said he wanted more due diligence done on the plan before it went to cabinet for approval, so he pulled the item from that days cabinet agenda. I wanted to make sure all the Is were dotted and all the Ts were crossed, he said, because of the connections with my family. Trudeau said he had originally expected the Canada Service Corps to deliver the program, which would have given grants to students and graduates for volunteering to help with lost job opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdown. However, the public service advised the Canada Service Corps, a youth volunteer service program created by the Liberals in 2018, was unable to scale up fast enough to deliver the emergency grant program in time to help students affected by the struggling economy this year. Thats why the public service came back on May 21 to reaffirm its recommendation that WE was the only organization that could run the student-volunteer program, Trudeau said. In effect, they said that if we wanted this program to happen, it could only be with WE Charity, Trudeau said. The choice was not between providers, it was between going ahead with WE Charity to deliver the program or not going ahead with the program at all. He also stressed he never spoke with WE co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger at any point through the approval process, and when he learned of the public services recommendation to contract WE, he knew the public would have questions about his familys ties to the organization. That was the point at which he should have recused himself from the decision on the contract, Trudeau said. After cabinet approved the WE deal on May 22, additional oversight measures were recommended by staff in the Prime Ministers Office for the dispersal of the approved funding, he said. Trudeau agreed and a process was implemented mandating Youth Minister Bardish Chagger to provide a written update to the president of the Treasury Board on the grant program each time funds were disbursed. WE has since backed out of the deal, citing the political controversy. The Canada Student Service Grant is now unlikely to be part of the $9-billion student aid program Ottawa is rolling out this summer, Trudeau said. Getting young people to serve has been a goal of mine well before I ever got into politics, so I deeply regret how this has unfolded. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre had a few tense back-and-forth exchanges, pressing the prime minister to say how much WE Charity has paid in speaking fees or expenses for members of Trudeaus family. WE has previously confirmed that Trudeaus mother, Margaret Trudeau, was paid about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020 and his brother Alexandre has been paid $32,000 for eight events. The Kielburger brothers testified Tuesday that Trudeaus wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has participated in seven WE Days and received an average of $3,618 for each event, to cover her expenses. That works out to $25,326 in total. Trudeau acknowledged his familys involvement with WE, and stressed that his wifes unpaid work with WE on a podcast on mental wellness, as well as expenses covered by the organization, had been cleared by the ethics commissioner. The Conservatives have called on federal ethics watchdog Mario Dion to widen his probe of Trudeau to include these expenses. On Wednesday, Dion sent letters to Conservative and NDP MPs saying he is widening his investigations Finance Minister Bill Morneau over trips he and his family participated in that were sponsored by the WE organization. Morneau told the Commons finance committee last week he had freshly repaid WE Charity more than $41,000 in expenses for trips his family took in 2017 to see and take part in some of the organizations humanitarian work. Trudeau said he didnt know Morneau had travelled with WE or that one of his daughters worked there. Appearing after Trudeau, Telford told the committee she too regrets the way this program was handled, and has reflected many times how they could have added more levels of scrutiny. We could have done more, Telford said. Were not perfect but we are committed to doing more. Regulatory News: Mediawan (Paris:MDW) announces today the opening of the public tender offer for Mediawan's shares and warrants initiated by BidCo Breteuil (the "Offer"), following the compliance decision of the Autorite des marches financiers ("AMF") on the Offer published on July 28, 2020. As from July 30, 2020, Mediawan's shareholders and warrant holders will be able to tender their Mediawan securities to the Offer. The Offer represents a significant premium for shareholders and warrant holders The Offer will be carried out at a price of 12 euros per share, i.e. a premium of 42.3% over Mediawan's closing price on June 19, 2020 (last trading day prior to the announcement of the Offer) and of 58.1% over the volume-weighted average price over the three months preceding that same date. The price of 0.65 per warrant represents a premium of 180.2% over Mediawan's closing price on June 19, 2020 (last trading day prior to the announcement of the Offer) and of 311.9% over the volume-weighted average price over the three months preceding that date. A fair Offer unanimously recommended by the Supervisory Board of Mediawan, which was subject to a fairness opinion by an independent expert On July 10, 2020, the Supervisory Board of Mediawan stated by an unanimous decision of its members taking part in the vote that the Offer is in the interests of the Company, its shareholders, warrant holders, and employees and issued a reasoned opinion, recommending Mediawan's shareholders and warrant holders to tender their securities to the Offer. This reasoned opinion was issued notably on the basis of the independent expert's report (provided by Associes en Evaluation et Expertise Financiere, represented by Ms Sonia Bonnet-Bernard), which states that the Offer price is fair from a financial standpoint for Mediawan's shareholders and warrant holders. The conclusion of the independent expert's report specifies that the price offered at 12 per share shows a premium compared to all the valuation methods used and that the price offered at 0.65 per warrant is at the high-end of the warrant's estimated value range. Timetable The closing date and timetable of the Offer will be published by the AMF as soon as the approvals of French, German and Austrian competition authorities are obtained. At this stage, the last authorization is expected to be obtained by September 21, 2020. Availability of documents relating to the Offer BidCo Breteuil's offer document and Mediawan's response document, as approved by the AMF on July 28, 2020, under visa no. 20-372 and visa no. 20-373 respectively, as well as documents relating notably to legal, financial and accounting information of each company, filed with the AMF on July 28, 2020, and published on July 29, 2020 are available on the websites of the AMF (www.amf-france.org) and Mediawan (www.mediawan.com). Mediawan's shareholders and warrant holders who wish to obtain more information on the terms and conditions of the Offer may visit the section dedicated to the Offer on Mediawan's website (https://www.mediawan.com/en/our-investorspublic-offer Disclaimer: This press release is not an offer to purchase securities. This press release was prepared for informational purpose only. It is not an offer to the public. The diffusion of this press release, the Offer and its acceptance may be subject to specific regulations or restrictions in certain countries. The Offer is not made for persons subject to such restrictions, neither directly nor indirectly, and may not be accepted in any way from a country where the Offer would be subject to such restrictions. This press release is not for diffusion in these countries. Consequently, persons in possession of this press release shall inquire about potential applicable local restrictions and comply with them. Mediawan and BidCo Breteuil exclude all liability in the event of any breach of the applicable legal restrictions by any person. About Mediawan mediawan.com Created in late 2015 by Pierre-Antoine Capton, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse, Mediawan soon became one of the main independent European studios producing premium content. Mediawan brings together best-in-class talents in audiovisual creation by operating on the entire value chain: production of drama, documentary and animated original content (Mediawan Originals and Mediawan Animation), distribution of audiovisual content (Mediawan Rights), and publishing of channels and digital services (Mediawan Thematics). Mediawan currently gathers 30 production labels. Eligible to PEA-PME ISIN code: FR0013247137/Ticker: MDW View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729006136/en/ Contacts: Victoire GRUX +33 6 04 52 16 55 vgrux@mediawan.eu By Siti Rahil, KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2020 - 20:23 | World, All Long wary of political change, Singaporeans now appear more willing to embrace the opposition. That has brought the winds of change to Singapore politics, which has been dominated by one party for six decades. "I think Singapore is (moving) into a new dawn of political development," Leong Mun Wai, a politician from the newly launched opposition Progress Singapore Party, said after a July 10 general election showed a big decline in voter support for the long-ruling People's Action Party. Related coverage: Singaporeans urged to take local holidays to boost tourism amid virus "The voters, both young and old, are willing to vote against the PAP, we can see that the fear factor in Singapore is declining," said Leong, who ran in the election as part of a team of Progress Singapore Party candidates that nearly toppled their PAP opponents by winning 48 percent of the votes. The ruling party, headed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, retained power, but its share of votes sharply fell from nearly 70 percent in the previous election in 2015 to 61 percent, one of the lowest levels of support it has received. For the first time, the opposition wrested two multi-seat constituencies, which are more difficult to win than single-seat districts, with the Workers' Party bagging its second. That has increased the party's seats from six to 10 in the 93-seat parliament -- the highest number of parliamentary seats to be won by the opposition since independence in 1965. As a result, the government designated Pritam Singh, secretary general of the Workers' Party, as the country's first-ever official Leader of the Opposition in parliament, with privileges and resources to function in the parliamentary position. "The election has shown a strong desire amongst 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," Lee said at the swearing-in ceremony this week. "We have to give expression to it, and evolve our political system to accommodate it," Lee said. There had long been a perception among the public that Singapore cannot survive without the PAP, which has been credited for its economic success and social stability. The perception, or a fear of the opposition for some voters, did not help the opposition at the ballot box. There was also a fear of government retribution. Despite a promise of secrecy in voting, rumors have festered for decades that ballot papers had numbers that could be traced back to voters, some of whom might be treated unfairly by the government later. In the past, some PAP leaders had also threatened voters that the housing estate in constituencies that did not vote for the PAP would be relegated to the back of the line for government-sponsored renovations. The so-called fear factor, which helped to keep the PAP in power for decades, appears no longer as potent as it used to be. When the recent election results showed the Workers' Party gaining more seats, people in Workers' Party-held wards came out to celebrate on the streets, a big difference from the past when most Singaporeans had a deeply entrenched phobia of getting into trouble by openly supporting the opposition. "I notice the fear factor is being reduced now, and there is less of a concern that if they vote for the opposition, this country is going to collapse," Progress Singapore Party leader Tan Cheng Bock said at a news conference after the election. Gilbert Goh, a counselor and social activist who helps retrenched workers, said people are also seething with anger at the perceived income inequality between foreign professionals and Singaporeans. Goh said he has personally seen many cases of Singaporean professionals who have been dismissed from companies that hired foreigners, and that the situation is getting worse. "Why are citizens struggling when foreigners get jobs, (why do) they live in a condo with swimming pools while we live in (public housing)," Goh said, explaining the sense of inequality that has driven more Singaporeans to support the opposition. Goh himself contested in the recent election as an opposition candidate. "We don't need so much foreign talent, younger people cannot get jobs, and some become Grab drivers," he said, adding that the government is "sacrificing locals by bringing foreign talent." In their election campaign this year, opposition parties called for a tightening of employment passes issued to foreign professionals and a review of free trade deals with other countries, particularly with India, a major source of such professionals in the city-state. And there was the premier's estranged younger brother, Lee Hsien Yang, who, by lending support to the opposition -- notably by joining the Progress Singapore Party -- helped allay a lingering fear about voting for the opposition. "Lee Hsien Yang gave courage to voters that they can love the country and still go for the opposition," Goh said. With voters now getting bolder, opposition candidates are feeling optimistic that the PAP's share of votes would fall below 60 percent in the next general election as the battle for their support intensifies. "Clearly, the political landscape in Singapore is becoming more competitive," said Eugene Tan, a law professor at the Singapore Management University. But he added that even if the PAP's share of votes falls further, and even if it loses more seats, the party is still likely to win most of the seats in parliament. The Tamil Nadu plus one results 2020 is expected to be announced on July 31 at 9.30 am, said the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE). The examination was held in March. The announcement regarding the Tamil Nadu plus one result has also been made by Tamil Nadu's school education minister KA Sengottaian through social media. The students who appeared for the Tamil Nadu plus one exam 2020 will be able to check their scorecard at the official websites-www.tnresults.nic.in, www.dge1.tn.nic.in or www.dge2.tn.nic.in. They should follow the steps given below to check their TN Plus One Results 2020: 1. Students should first visit the official website -www.tnresults.nic.in 2. A link for plus one result will appear on the homepage 3. Students should now submit their details like roll number to log in 4. Now, they can view their result on the home screen 5. The students should carefully check their scorecard and down their result for future reference The students will also be able to get their TN +1 Result 2020 results through SMS on their registered mobile numbers. According to reports, the Directorate of Government Examinations will also declare the result for plus two students who appeared for the final re-exam on July 27. More than 8 lakh students registered for TN plus one examination conducted from March 4 to March 23, but the exam slated for March 26 was cancelled in view of the coronavirus lockdown. Life Became Unstable. Faith is Taking the First Step My life became unstable but was moving to a possible direction. My son and I moved to a college town in the US. Traveling overseas, my life was always going to have challenges. When I made through one, another one was going to come along. From 2003 to 2005, it was a fluctuating period in my life. My son and I lived in Canada, and my husband was in the US. Then, we moved to the US, and my husband stuck in Canada due to the visa problem. We tried our best to get together. Unfortunately, We dramatically shifted place. This separation lasted years. Life became more difficult for me living in the US than in Canada. Except for keeping an eye on my work and another one on taking care of my son, I had to do hard work for shopping. The shopping was a major task because There was no public transportation and even no taxi. I felt along not because I didnt have people around me but because I could not rely on them. I felt a heavy burden lying on my shoulder and realized: Sometimes we need someone to simply be there. Not to fix anything or to do anything in particular, but just let us feel that we are cared for and supported. (www.stevemaraboli.com). The culture of the USA was completely different from the one where I grew up. That difference made me feel the life became tougher. I talked to my professor about my feelings. He and his wife invited us to attend their church for Sunday worship. That was the first time I participated in a church for worship rather than learning English. I was not a Christian and didnt know about the background of religion. Sitting in the hall and listening to a pastors sermon, my mind was random. I could not understand the pasters speech. Every weekend, I visited that church, I felt nervous, upset, and anxious. That might be a big culture shock attacking to me. I remembered that he and his wife brought a Bible and came to my apartment. For comforting me, they shared a scripture about Josephs experience. Joseph had been sold to Egypt as a slave for fourteen years. In Egypt, Joseph became a house servant to a rich, high-ranking Egyptian. Once upon a time, he was framed by a lady and put in jail. During his stay in Egypt, there were to be seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine. Joseph had advised the Pharaoh on how to prepare for the famine and, as a result gained the favor of the Pharaoh who promoted him to Prime Minister. My professor used Josephs story to indicate that God was powerful. God brought me to the USA, and he would bring my husband there soon. The couple prayed for my family reunion with all their hearts. Their prayer indeed was a sweet consoler. However, I was still confused. At that time, it was hard for me to understand God, Joseph, and prayer. I thought those just a tale. Until one day, my husband came to town and my family reunited. My professor said, God answered the prayer. God brought your family together. For me, this experience seemed to be the first step toward trusting God, even though I didnt see the whole journey. Professor Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the prestigious university, questioned why the review was taking so long and claimed it should be a 'straightforward' fix Pressure is mounting on ministers to speed up an official review into the way coronavirus deaths are calculated amid claims the daily counts were being inflated. Matt Hancock announced 10 days ago than an 'urgent' review was being carried out into how Public Health England was counting deaths. It emerged that the Government agency was classing people as Covid-19 victims if they died of any cause any time after testing positive for Covid-19 even if they were hit by a bus months after beating the life-threatening infection. Experts today demanded the 'unacceptable' inaccuracies were straightened out to paint a clearer picture about how devastating the crisis really was in the UK. The statistical flaw was uncovered by Oxford University's Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr Yoon Loke, from the University of East Anglia, who believe more than a thousand people have had their deaths wrongly attributed to the disease. Professor Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the prestigious university, questioned why the review was taking so long and claimed it should be a 'straightforward' fix. He added: 'It has been over ten days since the government said it was looking into the issue of reporting of deaths and we have not yet heard an answer. 'The reasons for this delay are not clear, but it should be straightforward to report the number of deaths of those who died with an active infection in the last 28 days.' Professor Carl Heneghan and Dr Yoon Loke's analysis shows that 'all settings' deaths (red bar) remain very high in England even as hospital deaths (blue bar) - which the Office for National Statistics says should make up two thirds of the total - have plummeted The Department of Health and Social Care could not provide an update on the review or give a rough time frame for when it would be published. A spokesperson added: 'The Health Secretary has asked Public Health England to conduct an urgent review into the reporting of deaths statistics, aimed at providing greater clarity on the number of fatalities related to Covid-19 as we move past the peak of the virus.' Professor Heneghan and Dr Loke were the first to sound the alarm about the flaw on July 16. The Department of Health has paused its daily publications about Covid-19 deaths until the review has been carried out. But updates are still provided by Public Health England, which says it has changed the way it counts fatalities. The Office for National Statistics also records Covid-19 deaths, and is considered the most reliable. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE REALLY DIED OF THE CORONAVIRUS? Department of Health: 45,961 Department of Health's latest death count for all settings stands at 45,961. The daily data does not represent how many Covid-19 patients died within the last 24 hours it is only how many fatalities have been reported and registered with the authorities. It also only takes into account patients who tested positive for the virus, as opposed to deaths suspected to be down to the coronavirus. National statistical bodies: 56,483 Data compiled by the statistical bodies of each of the home nations show 56,483 people died of either confirmed or suspected Covid-19 across the UK by mid-July. The Office for National Statistics yesterday confirmed that 51,366 people in England and Wales died with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 by July 17. The number of coronavirus deaths was 824 by the same day in Northern Ireland, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). National Records Scotland which collects statistics north of the border said 4,193 people had died across the country by July 19. Their tallies are always 10 days behind the Department of Health (DH) because they wait until as many fatalities as possible for each date have been counted, to avoid having to revise their statistics. Advertisement Its calculations are based on death certificates with Covid-19 as a suspected contributor. Whereas the Government's statistics only include those who have tested positive for the virus. Many people missed out on tests at the start of the crisis while ministers struggled to ramp up swabbing capacity. This week, the ONS report showed that 295 Covid-19 deaths were registered in England and Wales in the week to July 17. Of these, 192 actually occurred that week, while others happened in the weeks before and reporting had been delayed. But Public Health England reported 447 deaths in the same week, based on people who had received a positive Covid-19 test result. In England alone, ONS data reported 284 deaths - but PHE recorded 442 deaths in the same week - a 56 per cent increase. In Wales, ONS data reported 11 deaths involving Covid-19, but the government figure shows five deaths were reported, which is 45 per cent fewer. While ONS data suggests daily deaths have dropped to below 40, the PHE count suggests they are still over 60. Sometimes daily counts from the government can still exceed 100. This, the professors say, is 'in stark contrast to the more reassuring recovery' being seen in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 'where there are days with no Covid-associated deaths whatsoever'. And NHS England is reporting under 20 deaths in its hospitals every day, which includes both positive Covid-19 patients and suspected. 'The inaccuracies in these data sets are unacceptable,' Professor Heneghan said. 'Some of the deaths in week 29 [between July 11 and 17] have occurred in individuals who may not have an active infection.' Professor Heneghan added: 'We should be focusing on the data that matters: admissions to hospital; critical care bed occupancy and the deaths from active infection to guide our current responses. 'Overall the numbers of registered deaths are highly reassuring and show that the current risks from Covid are very low.' There are currently 1,277 patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19, 94 of whom are on a ventilator. Only 70 people were admitted on July 27 - the most recent update, PHE figures show, and they were all in England and Wales. Dr Loke warned that PHE's method for death counting is 'not a good way of collecting data' and the agency 'chose a quick and easy technique'. The way PHE counts victims on a daily basis works by it combing through records of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past to see if they have died. If they have, their death is automatically added to the coronavirus count. It means that if, for example, somebody tested positive in April but recovered and was then hit by a bus in July, they would still be counted as a Covid-19 victim. Dr Loke pointed out that unless PHE changes its system, all 292,000 people who have tested positive so far will be added to the Covid-19 death toll when they eventually die. And the daily death tolls may not hit zero 'for months to come' because of a long tail of elderly people who beat Covid-19 but will die of other causes, Dr Loke added. Many people, mainly in the older age group, are being discharged from hospitals or recovering from the Covid-19, but they clearly may die of other illnesses in the near future - which could be counted as a coronavirus death. Dr Loke said: 'By this PHE definition, no-one with Covid in England is allowed to ever recover from their illness.' The pharmacologist, who published his findings in a blog post, said the bizarre way of recording deaths is why there are such wide variations in daily figures. For the duration on the pandemic, DHSC officials have said the drastically lower figure on a Monday is due to a lag in reporting over the weekend. But Dr Loke and colleagues are not convinced this is the reason for the fluctuations in daily death figures. Dr Loke said: 'It seems that PHE regularly looks for people on the NHS database who have ever tested positive, and simply checks to see if they are still alive or not. 'PHE does not appear to consider how long ago the Covid-19 test result was, nor whether the person has been successfully treated in hospital and discharged to the community. 'Anyone who has tested Covid-19 positive but subsequently died at a later date of any cause will be included on the PHE Covid-19 death figures... even if they had a heart attack or were run over by a bus three months later.' It is currently impossible to know how many of the deaths announced by the Department of Health were not actually caused directly by Covid-19. The 'statistical flaw' should not drastically affect the total number of deaths - currently at 45,961. But it does mean the ongoing death toll appears worse than the reality, experts say. Dr Loke told MailOnline: 'This is a very serious issue for public confidence. 'When you go onto social media you will see hundreds of posts from rightly anxious people who are petrified at the seemingly relentless, unyielding daily death toll in England. The public are scared. 'The public are asking questions about why England is doing so badly, when actually the truth is that the healthcare professionals in NHS are doing a great job in ensuring thousands of Covid survivors. The statistics here are misleading the public.' U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told lawmakers that the United States intends to impose sanctions on firms that continue to help Russia build a natural-gas pipeline to Europe as he sought to dispel concerns about Washingtons commitment to halt the controversial project. "We will do everything we can to make sure that that pipeline doesn't threaten Europe," Pompeo told a senate hearing on July 30, adding: "We want Europe to have real, secure, stable, safe energy resources that cannot be turned off in the event Russia wants to." Pompeo told the panel that the United States has already been in touch with some companies working on Nord Stream 2 about the risks they face if they dont halt their activities. The State Department and Treasury Department "have made very clear in our conversations with those who have equipment there the expressed threat that is posed to them for continuing to work on completion of the pipeline," he said. The United States opposes the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would run under the Baltic Sea and double Russia's direct natural gas exports to Germany while bypassing Ukraine. Washington claims the pipeline would increase Europes dependence on Russian gas while also hurting Ukraine, which stands to lose billions of dollars in gas-transit fees. 'Frustrations' With Germany Work on the nearly $11 billion project, which is more than 90 percent complete, was halted in December after the United States passed a law that imposed sanctions on vessels laying the pipeline, forcing Swiss-based AllSeas to pull out. Russian vessels are now seeking to finish the project, but they require help from international companies such as insurers and ports, which Pompeo has now threatened to sanction. Pompeo earlier in the month announced that he was removing guidelines from a 2017 Congressional bill that exempted the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from sanctions amid signs that Russia was taking steps to complete the project. During the July 30 hearing, Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) said he had discussed Nord Stream 2 in "considerable depth" with President Donald Trump a day earlier during their trip to Western Texas, a major energy producing region. Texas potentially benefits from the continued delay of Nord Stream 2 as it opens the possibility of more U.S. liquefied-natural-gas exports to Europe. Russia has accused the United States of using energy sanctions as a "weapon" to open up new markets for its oil and gas industry. Cruz said Trump expressed "frustrations" with the leadership of Germany, which continues to support the Nord Stream 2 project. U.S.-German relations have suffered under Trump, who recently announced he would be pulling about 12,500 troops from the country. Portland police cleared an entrenched encampment at Lownsdale Square across the street from the federal courthouse in downtown early Thursday at the request of Oregon State Police, who are set to assume control of the scene of nightly protests that have roiled the city. The Portland Police Bureau said the city park and neighboring Chapman Square, as well as the sidewalks surrounding them, will remain closed. The sweep will provide city staff with a safe environment to do repairs and much needed renovation, said Police Chief Chuck Lovell. Mayor Ted Wheeler said the move was part of the plan for federal officers to leave the protection of the courthouse to state troopers. This morning, @PortlandPolice will be working with Portland Parks & Recreation, the @multcoso, and outreach workers to clear Lownsdale Park. This is at the request of @ORStatePolice as part of the plan for federal officers to leave our community. Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) July 30, 2020 A woman who was in Lownsdale Square said police used loudspeakers to tell people to get going. Officers advised people that they had 10 minutes to pack up or face arrest or non-lethal force. They came out in force and moved through the park, said the woman, 34, who declined to give her name and said she is from out of town. She said some people were up and making a brisket breakfast. Sergio Lazo, 32, of Portland said a squad car pulled up around 5:30 a.m. and announced that the park was closed immediately. Some were awake and eating, Lazo said, others were still sleeping. People literally got up and started stumbling out of the park, he said. There was no resistance. The people just moved out. The parks have been the staging grounds for nightly clashes with federal officers from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Services and Customs and Border Patrol agents. Thousands have gathered nightly at a fence erected around the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, with peaceful protests followed by people setting fires, lighting fireworks and throwing rocks and other objects at the courthouse and federal officers. The officers routinely use tear gas and impact munitions to disperse the crowds and face numerous lawsuits for causing injuries. Their presence and tactics have been roundly criticized by the governor and mayor. The demonstrations against racism and police violence have lasted more than two months, but they attracted international attention in early July after the Trump administration sent more than 100 federal officers to quell clashes with police, a move that only inflamed tensions and increased the numbers who gather each night. On Wednesday, Gov. Kate Brown announced she had reached an understanding with the administration that state troopers would take over protection of the courthouse, paving the way for federal officers to leave town. On Thursday morning, Portland police cordoned off both squares with police tape as park rangers collected tents, tarps and supplies that had been left behind. They packed much of the debris -- concentrated in Lownsdale Square -- into trash bags and loaded it onto waiting trucks. Uniformed federal officers looked on from the portico of the courthouse, still separated by the fence that had been the flashpoint at protests hours earlier. Clearing of Lownsdale Sq well underway amid the morning commute. Portland police stationed at corners of the park. pic.twitter.com/c83JDLhcVz Noelle Crombie (@noellecrombie) July 30, 2020 Roughly 40 to 50 people were cleared from the area. Police said they made two arrests while they closed the park for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Despite the sweep, Lazo didnt think the closure of the parks would stop the momentum of the protests. People will come back. This is not stopping the movement. This is not stopping the protests, he said. This is not stopping anything. Reporter Maxine Bernstein contributed to this report. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale -- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion market size is expected to reach USD 7.3 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of10.3% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The key drivers of the market include increasing number of diabetes population coupled with technological advancement in the field of diabetes care. According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the total number of diabetic population is expected to grow by 51.0% from 463.0 million in 2019 to 700.0 million in 2045. Rising health expenditure and growing awareness about preventive care is expected to boost market growth. According to the IDF, the estimated total global health expenditure to diabetes was USD 760.0 billion and is projected to grow to USD 845.0 billion by 2045. Furthermore, rising government initiatives to spread the awareness about diabetes is propelling the adoption of advanced diabetes management devices. Australian government launched Australian National Diabetes Strategy 2016 to 2020. The strategy aims to trace country's national response to this epidemic and inform how existing limited healthcare can be better targeted across all level of government. Key suggestions from the report: North America accounted for the largest share in 2019 owing to favorable reimbursement policies, presence of key players, and frequent product launches Asia Pacific is expected to see robust growth during the forecast period owing to presence of large diabetic population By product, tethered pumps dominated the market owing to availability of products By patient type, type 1 patients account for the largest share owing wide usage of insulin pumps By end use, the hospitals segment dominated the market in 2019 and the homecare segment is expected to grow at a fastest pace The market is highly competitive owing to continuous technological advancement and many innovative product launches. Read 110 page research report with ToC on "Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Tethered, Patch), By Patient Type, By End Use (Hospitals, Homecare, Laboratories), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/continuous-subcutaneous-insulin-infusion-market Increasing number of product launches and advent of artificial intelligence in the market is boosting the growth. Many startups are transforming CSII therapy. These companies are taking initiatives to lessen the burden of diabetes with help of AI technology. They are leveraging technological advancement to improve market solutions like integrated insulin pumps, non-invasive insulin delivery systems, and closed-loop artificial pancreases. Grand View Research has segmented the global continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion market on the basis of product type, patient type, end use, and region: Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Product Type Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Patch Pumps Basal Bolus Basal and bolus Tethered Pumps Insulin reservoir and Cartridges Insulin set insertion devices battery Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Patient Type Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Type 1 Type 2 Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion End-use Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) Hospitals Home care Laboratories Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Regional Outlook (Volume, Units; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027) North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. Germany France Italy Spain Czech Republic Russia Poland Turkey Switzerland Asia Pacific Japan China India Australia South Korea Vietnam Philippines Malaysia Indonesia Thailand Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Colombia Chile Middle East & Africa (MEA) & (MEA) South Africa Saudi Arabia UAE Oman Egypt List of Key Players of Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion Market Medtronic Inc. Tandem Diabetes Care CeQur F Hoffmann-La Roche Insulet Corporation Ypsomed Sooil Development Cellenovo IValeritas Inc. Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research: Insulin Delivery Devices Market - One of the foremost factors contributing to the growth of the market is the surging number of diabetics due to aging, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyles. One of the foremost factors contributing to the growth of the market is the surging number of diabetics due to aging, obesity, and unhealthy lifestyles. Intravenous Infusion Pump Market - Intravenous infusion pumps are used to administer medications, and nutritional fluids into the circulatory system through veins in controlled amounts. Intravenous infusion pumps are used to administer medications, and nutritional fluids into the circulatory system through veins in controlled amounts. Vaccine Delivery Devices Market - Growing immunization programs & their increasing coverage, growing research in the field of vaccination are some of the key factors that can be attributed to the growth of the market. Gain access to Grand View Compass, our BI enabled intuitive market research database of 10,000+ reports About Grand View Research Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead. Contact: Sherry James Corporate Sales Specialist, USA Grand View Research, Inc. Phone: +1-415-349-0058 Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519 Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg The Supreme Court yesterday struck out a case referred to it by an Accra High Court which is hearing an appeal by the Senior Minister and four others in the $1million Kroll and Associates Limited surcharge case. This was after the Office of the Auditor General had expressed satisfaction with the records presented by Kroll and Associates Limited as proof of work done which was a subject of controversy between the Senior Minister and the Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo. Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo and four officials from the Ministry of Finance, namely Michael Ayesu, Abraham Kofi Tawiah, Eva Asselba Mends, and Patrick Nom, had filed an appeal in court challenging the decision of Mr. Domelevo to disallow and surcharge them following accusation that they authorized payment of $1 million to Kroll and Associates for no work done. During the hearing of the case at the High Court, the report presented by Kroll and Associates for proof of work became a bone of contention and lawyers for the firm contested that the document was of security nature and per the terms of their agreement with the appointing authority, they could not disclose the content of the document. Yaw Oppong, counsel for the Senior Minister, subsequently made a copy of the document available to the High Court and told the court that at the time Mr. Domelevo had disallowed and surcharged the Senior Minister and the others, they had written to inform him that the documents were available and he could inspect them. Due to the nature of the document bordering on national security as pushed by counsel for the Senior Minister, the High Court referred the matter to the Supreme Court for direction as to whether those documents could be disclosed. Counsel had earlier informed the Supreme Court yesterday that at the time the High Court referred the matter to the Supreme Court, they had made a copy of the document available to the High Court. He also told the panel that a copy of the document was available in the Senior Minister's office and Mr. Domelevo could come by and have a look at documents covering work done to warrant the payment to Kroll and Associates. The court, upon agreement between the parties in the matter, ordered that the Auditor-General should go to the Senior Minister's office to assess the documents. However, Mr. Domelevo was subsequently directed by the President to proceed on his 167 days accumulated leave. Yesterday, in the presence of Mr. Domelevo, the Ag Auditor General confirmed at the Supreme Court, through counsel for the Auditor General Odikro Nyame, that a team of auditors from the Office of the Auditor-General inspected documents in the Senior Minister's office confirming work done for payment to Kroll and that they were satisfied. The seven-member panel of the court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse subsequently struck out the reference from the High Court. The parties are, therefore, going back to the High Court for further direction in the substantive case. The latest revelation rubbishes earlier spurious claims that the acting Auditor-General 'cleared' Mr. Osafo-Maafo in the Kroll case immediately Mr. Domelevo was made to proceed on leave. ---Daily Guide Meghan Cohorst, a spokeswoman for Unite Here, a union that represents workers at Flying Food Fare and Gate Gourmet, said that even before the layoffs, airline catering jobs were among the worst paid and the workers the worst treated in the industry. Employees of the companies typically make less than $15 an hour, with the lowest paid earning less an hourly wage of less than $9. The work typically involves preparing food to be served on airplanes in large industrial kitchens near airports, sometimes working in rooms chilled to keep food fresh, Cohorst said. But it was taken down after three days by Network Rail due to 'political nature' A 1,200 poster was paid for and put up by campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull Network Rail has removed an 'I love JK Rowling' poster from Edinburgh Waverley station for being 'too political' in the wake of the author's trans comments. The 1,200 design was paid for and put up by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who has campaigned against the reform of gender recognition laws, on Monday. But the poster was taken down by the railway owner's Scotland wing for going against their 'code of acceptance' which 'does not allow advertising that is likely to support or promote one view point over another'. It comes after the Harry Potter author expressed deep concerns about transgender activism in an essay last month, in which she described being a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault. The poster, which reads 'I love JK Rowling'. It cost 1,200 and was paid for and erected by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who has campaigned against the reform of gender recognition laws In response to a tweet, Network Rail Scotland posted: 'This advert is no longer being displayed of Edinburgh Waverley. 'The poster in question is against our code of acceptance for advertising in our stations owing to its political nature. 'We do not allow advertising that is likely to support or promote one viewpoint over another.' Speaking on her YouTube channel earlier this week, Ms Keen-Minshull announced she had put up a billboard at the station and said she was 'very pleased with it'. JK Rowling, pictured above, expressed deep concerns about transgender activism in an essay last month Ms Rowling, 54, had first clashed with gender activists after appearing to like a post on Twitter saying that trans women are men in dresses, which she said was an accident. Then last year she faced backlash after defending a female researcher who was fired for claiming that men cannot change into women. Last month, she made a jibe at an article titled Creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate. She tweeted: Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Harry Potter film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint issued statements in support of transgender people, pointedly not backing Miss Rowling. A handful of staff at publishers Hachette involved in her new childrens book, The Ickabog, also staged a rebellion. The Blair Partnership has said it could not compromise on the fundamental freedom of allowing authors the right to express their thoughts and beliefs. The tweet from Network Rail Scotland, in which the railway owner said the poster went against their 'code of acceptance' for advertising in train stations The writer stood by her tweet as she later insisted: 'If sex isnt real, theres no same-sex attraction. 'If sex isnt real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isnt hate to speak the truth.' The media personality seemingly denied claims of transphobia as she insisted she 'respects every trans person's right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.' Rowling joined Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Noam Chomsky and Martin Amis to sign an open letter defending free speech earlier this month. Rasika Dugal has gained popularity in the web space, with shows such as Mirzapur, Delhi Crime and Out of Love. This week, she is set for yet another digital release, Rajesh Krishnans Lootcase, which will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on July 31. In an interview with Hindustan Times, she talked about exploring the comedy genre and why the existence of groups in Bollywood is not necessarily a product of privilege. Lootcase is Rasikas first film in the comedy space and she says that it was a welcome departure from the emotionally immersive experience of Delhi Crime, based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape. I was shooting for Delhi Crime and that is the time when the makers of Lootcase got in touch with me and sent me the script. Even though I didnt realise it consciously at that time, I was really seeking something lighthearted after the emotionally immersive experience that Delhi Crime had been, she says. Rasika says Lootcase has a very unique and quirky sense of humour. Not only were the lines and situations funny, but also the screenplay directions. Rajesh and the writer Kapil (Sawant) had written even the directions on the screenplay with so much humour that it was quite a laugh-out-loud read. Once I signed the film, I realised that in my little basket of variety, I think this was the only thing that was remaining - working on something in the comic space, she says. Lootcase was snubbed during the virtual press conference to announce Disney+ Hotstars new line-up and Rasikas co-star Kunal Kemmu expressed his disappointment in a thinly-veiled tweet. Izzat aur pyaar maanga nahi kamaya jaata hai. Koi na de toh usse hum chhote nahi hote. Bas maidaan khelne ke liye barabar de do chhalaang hum bhi oonchi laga sakte hai (Respect and love can never be asked for, only earned. If someone doesnt give it to you, it doesnt make you a smaller person. Just give us an equal playing field, well show you how high we can leap), he had written. Rasika says she totally resonated with Kunals tweet and that he was very graceful with his response. When asked about the inequalities that exist in the film industry and the lack of an equal playing field as pointed out by him, she says that a level playing field is something that everyone must aspire for. However, she adds that she is not always in the know of why someone gets selected for a film over someone else. I am not privy to all the information of what happens when someone gets accepted or rejected for a role. I am not sure what inequalities are at play at that particular time, whether it is the outcome of a healthy competition or not. That is something that is very difficult to understand in any situation. Most of the time, actors are not privy to this information, she says. Also read | Irrfan Khans son Babil: I dont want to be judged by my religion, I am a human being Rasika, who has made it on her own without any connections, also talks about the existence of groups in the film industry. She says that groups exist in every profession and are not necessarily a display of the power dynamic. In any profession, there will be people who will huddle together. It is not necessary that they huddle together because they are all privileged or because they have a certain kind of privilege that the others dont. They might huddle together because they like working with each other, their sensibilities match, the kind of style they have or whatever else the reason might be. Groups form for a variety of reasons and people feel a sense of comfort to work within them. For any creative process or environment, it is important for everyone to break out of these groups and work in different set-ups where they can expand their experiences. Thats what I believe in. But there is a certain logic and a certain rationality to want to work with the people you are always comfortable working with also, she says. On being asked if a movie mafia exists to sabotage the careers of outsiders, she says that she has personally not experienced any such thing. She adds, I also think they are not all the same conversations. I think the conversation on nepotism, the conversation on stars vs actors is different from the conversation on insiders vs outsiders, different from the conversation on mental health, different from the conversation on sabotage, different from the conversation on favouritism. These are all different conversations. All of us have to be a little mindful of how we are engaging in these conversations. Rasika also says that her experiences are not necessarily indicative of the absolute truth. All of us are called upon very often in this age of social media to give our opinion on things. I feel that all of us have a certain ideology that we ascribe to and there is almost a need and a wish to belong to a certain camp. Because we are asked to speak about something, we are not necessarily an expert on the matter and we should be mindful of this when we ask and respond to any question. I am sharing my experience with you which might be entirely just my experience, it might not be indicative of what is going on. What I am commenting on today is based on my experiences and it might not be the absolute truth, she says. Follow @htshowbiz for more A man accused of murdering two women whose remains were discovered in a freezer is a sex offender with a "violent" and "controlling" past with young girls, a court has heard. Zahid Younis, 35, is on trial for the murder of Hungarian national Henriett Szucs and mother-of-three Mihrican Mustafa, who were discovered by police in a flat in Canning Town, east London, on April 27 last year. Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC told Southwark Crown Court on Thursday that Younis, of Vandome Close, Canning Town, was a registered sex offender who had a complex history of offending. Mr Penny told the jury of the defendants previous relationship with a 17-year-old girl in 2001 when he was the same age who had given birth to his child. Mihrican Mustafa, aged 38, has been identified as one of the women found in a freezer in Canning Town / Met Police During their relationship the defendant became extremely violent and overbearing towards (her), Mr Penny said. He would wait outside her house, and escort her everywhere. Looking back, (she) can see that he was controlling her. The court heard Younis had threatened to take their child to Pakistan and that the mother thought that he would kill her. The two women were found dead in Vandome Close / PA Mr Penny detailed another relationship in which Younis married a 14-year-old girl in 2004 in an Islamic ceremony, and she became pregnant with his child the following year. He added: The defendant was very controlling, wanting (her) around her all the time, and refusing to let her go home on occasion. During that period in her childhood he would often hit her, with his hands and whatever objects were laying around, and throughout the period of their relationship his behaviour towards her was controlling and abusive. Younis was arrested in 2005 and pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual activity with a child and an offence of common assault. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison and placed on the sex offenders register. Mr Penny said Younis began dating another 17-year-old girl in 2007 who had recently lost her father, and was in a vulnerable emotional state at the time she met the defendant. Police outside Vandome Close in east London / PA The prosecutor told the jury that the defendant began beating her, adding: The violence began with slaps, which escalated into punches, and then punches and kicks. They would leave large bruises. He threatened (her) that he would harm her family, and set their house on fire, if she ever told anyone what he was doing. He continued: He made (her) wear a burka when her mother and sister visited, to cover the bruises she had all over her body. Younis was arrested and later pleaded guilty to two offences of wounding and one offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in July 2008, and sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison. At the opening of the trial on Wednesday, the court heard Ms Szucs and Ms Mustafa, both in their 30s, had been subjected to very significant violence, and that they were known to have associated with Younis in the weeks leading up to their disappearances. Younis denies two counts of murder. Additional reporting by PA Media President Ilham Aliyev visited Sheki region on July 29 where he inaugurated a number of new projects. First, Azerbaijani President inaugurated a Gohmug-Baltali- Babaratma-Garadagli-Gubula-Dashuz highway, after the reconstruction. Saleh Mammadov, chairman of the State Highway Agency of Azerbaijan, informed the head of state that the fourth class technical road with the length of 33 kilometers has two lanes. The Gohmug-Baltali-Babaratma-Garadagli-Gudula-Dashuz highway, reconstructed by a relevant decree signed by the President of Azerbaijan last year, connects 6 settlements with a population of 11,000 people. A 59-meter long and 7.4-meter wide reinforced concrete bridge across the Ayrichay River has been repaired at the 17th km of the highway. President was also informed of the Shirinbulag highway construction project, which is separated from 134 kilometers of Garamaram-Ismayilli Sheki highway in Sheki region. It was noted the length of this road connecting 5 settlements with the population of 4000 people is 28.1 km. Moreover, president inaugurated a modular hospital complex for the treatment of coronavirus infected people. The Head of State was informed that, as with other modular hospital complexes, the necessary conditions have been created to receive and treat coronavirus infected patients with moderate symptoms. The installation of these complexes near the region central hospitals will ensure unified management and medical coordination. On the other hand, this opens up a wide range of opportunities to provide coronavirus patients with the necessary medical services. It was noted that a three-storey hospital of 3,000 square metres had 100 wards and 200 beds. The hospital is equipped with a centralized oxygen generation system. A special ventilation system installed here transmits air to the cells after cleaning by means of a ventilation device. It should be noted that the modular auxiliary buildings of the hospital were installed on a simple concrete foundation in a short time and can be moved and used for other purposes if necessary. After familiarization with the hospital, President Ilham Aliyev met with doctors, and addressed the meeting. Speech of President Ilham Aliyev - Modular hospitals are opening in four cities of our country today. This is a very significant event. One of them is in Shaki and the others in Gobustan, Ismayilli and Gabala. So in one day we are receiving an additional 800 beds and creating additional opportunities in the fight against coronavirus. About three months ago, I signed an order on the acquisition of modular hospitals. I said that 10 hospitals should be delivered to our country in a short time. Nine of them are ready now and the tenth hospital will probably be commissioned in August. Thus, the program will be fully executed. To date, we have opened five hospitals, and as a result of the operation of 10 hospitals, we will have an additional 2,000 beds. This is of particular importance because coronavirus is currently assuming greater proportions in Azerbaijan and around the world. Hundreds of people fall ill in Azerbaijan every day. Under such circumstances, a lack of beds could create huge problems that we see in some developed countries. The healthcare system of even developed countries cannot cope with this. Taking this into account, we are trying to quickly resolve these issues and are on the way to achieving this. I should also say that the issue of delivery to our country of six more modular-type hospitals with 200 beds each is being resolved. They will also be delivered shortly. In parallel, a hospital of the Ministry of Emergency Situations with 800 beds has already been opened. A second hospital with 1,300 beds will also be opened. So we will have 2,100 beds there. A fund of 2,000 beds is already available. This makes up 4,100 beds. As a result of the operation of six additional modular-type hospitals, we will have an approximate capacity of 6,000 beds. Of course, if these issues were not resolved, we could face major problems related to the coronavirus today. I should note that coronavirus patients are currently receiving treatment in 46 hospitals in our country. Forty-one of these hospitals were built or overhauled and equipped with modern facilities over the past 16 years. Just imagine that if we had not done this work in good time, our possibilities would be very limited today. Several years ago, opposite this modular hospital, a large hospital with about 200 beds was opened in Shaki. Modern hospitals are functioning or will begin to function within a year in all our cities. We have created the infrastructure of our healthcare system. This hospital also has an intensive care unit, artificial lung ventilation equipment has been delivered. As you know, major funds have been allocated to effectively combat the coronavirus. They are being spent on equipment, medicines and other issues. I have said that as much funds will be allocated as it is necessary for people to recover as soon as possible, so that we could come out of this difficult situation with small losses. Before the pandemic, we had only six laboratories in the country. This was probably enough for the normal regime. But a total of 700,000 tests have been conducted in Azerbaijan to date. In terms of the number of tests per capita, we are one of the leading places in the world. As a result of the large-scale implementation of these tests, we identify patients and treat them. As a result of operational measures taken, the number of laboratories has now reached 31 today. We plan to increase the number of these laboratories to 45. This issue is also being resolved. The bed capacity is being increased and patients with coronavirus are being treated in the most modern hospitals, including our best hospital Yeni Klinik. There are currently 360 patients there. As you know, the operation of this clinic is organized in stages. Notice that if this clinic had not been established and if 41 other hospitals where coronavirus patients are being treated now had not been built, then we would be faced with a very difficult situation today. This shows once again that we must do everything on time. The program on the construction of new hospitals and the overhaul of the old ones, which is an integral part of the state program on the socioeconomic development of the regions, has been practically implemented in full. Even before the pandemic people were already saying that it would bring great benefits. Because before the pandemic, we were conducting a program of medical examination of the population every year. This program covers five million people. Five million people are screened using the opportunities created by the state and are immediately treated if a disease is detected. This is why our life expectancy is increasing. Even the most complex operations are carried out in Azerbaijan today. In a word, by mobilizing all the possibilities in a short time, we are demonstrating even greater readiness in the fight against COVID. No country is ready for this, not a single one. In particular, both we and the whole world saw the situation in developed countries in the early days of the pandemic. The most developed countries were unable to provide the necessary medical services related to this disease. And this is probably natural because no-one was ready for this. Therefore, our main goal was to properly organize all the mobilization work in a short time, create the necessary infrastructure, provide the material and technical resources in order to come out of the pandemic with minimal losses. Laboratories, hospitals and other major organizational issues were resolved, including logistical ones. At the same time, specific steps were taken to improve the financial situation of doctors. The salaries of doctors providing services to COVID patients have been increased three to five times. One of the most important and serious problems is the shortage of doctors because the number of our doctors is designed for normal operation. Therefore, the sharp increase in the number of patients certainly revealed this problem as well. We found a way out of this situation by inviting foreign doctors to Azerbaijan. Of course, the country must be able to organize and finance all these issues. Therefore, at present, there are doctors from several foreign countries in Azerbaijan. They provide services to the sick. I believe that if necessary, we can apply this practice in the future too. All necessary steps are being taken to combat the pandemic. In a short time, our country even began the production of medical masks, disinfectants and overalls for doctors. We did not have the production of all this before, and we did not need it either. Of course, countries dont have to produce all the consumable goods, but we saw that it was difficult to deliver some equipment and supplies from abroad. Sometimes the signed contracts were not executed, the money was paid but we still could not deliver the necessary equipment, especially at the initial stage of the pandemic when there was a lot of anxiety in the world. As a result of all this work, we have kept the disease under control since the first days. From the very beginning, both the citizens of Azerbaijan and the World Health Organization highly appreciated our work. I still receive letters of gratitude as people note that the Azerbaijani state promptly organized all this work and protects peoples health. The position of international organizations is also positive. The World Health Organization has described our work as exemplary. I believe that our policy of relaxation measures at the beginning of May was correct because the dynamics associated with the disease was positive at the time. There were more recovering people than those getting infected. Therefore, we went for mitigation because we knew that people were worried about this. People were deprived of their usual way of life. Therefore, we went for mitigation. But what did they see? We saw that the number of patients immediately began to grow. The positive dynamics was disrupted and we re-entered a phase of negative dynamics. So re-tightening was inevitable. Tough restrictive measures were introduced again. About a month after the start of these measures, we are observing positive dynamics again. For more than two weeks now, the number of people who have recovered in our country has been exceeding that of the infected. This is a positive trend. We all want the quarantine regime to end as soon as possible, so that we can return to our usual way of life as soon as possible. But we also see that even with the slightest mitigation the disease immediately begins to gain momentum, starts to spread rapidly and endanger people's lives. This disease knows no age. Everyone is at risk the elderly, middle-aged and young people. At first, it was believed that it was more dangerous for the elderly and that young people do not particularly suffer from it. But notice that young people, middle-aged people and healthy people are dying today. It was believed that people suffering from chronic diseases were at risk. This is true. But absolutely healthy people and athletes get sick as well, and seriously sick. Therefore, research on this disease is still a matter of the future. I believe that scientists still do not know the exact origins of this disease. Various theories are being put forward. I would not like to talk about it as I am not an expert. But the fact is that after the full identification of the origins and causes of the disease, it will probably become easier to treat it. Of course, we must know that we will have to come to terms with this situation until the vaccine is developed. We should also know that although the situation is under control doctors are well aware of this coronavirus has not disappeared and will not disappear. We will have to live with this virus. Therefore, the moments that have been added to our traditional way of life must remain in force for a certain time: keeping a distance, personal hygiene and, of course, responsibility. I believe that by joint efforts we will get out of this situation with low losses. Let me say again: as a result of the work done so far, the situation is fully under control. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to fight the disease. Having overcome all the economic hardships, we will resolve the main issue. Today, our results for six months, as is the case in all other countries, are not very positive. The economy is in decline. It is not particularly large though 2.7 percent, but we had great plans for this year. Despite this, not a single social project will be cut. On the contrary, so much money has been spent and will continue to be spent on fighting the disease and on improving the financial situation of people suffering from the disease. Hundreds of thousands of people are covered by the material support program from the state. We have to increase expenditures and it is necessary to revise budget spending because the attraction of additional funding for these purposes will be inevitable. These funds, of course, were not budgeted for. Therefore, a change will probably be introduced to the budget, and I think that this is the right step because the primary issue for us at present is the health of people and their lives. Of course, along with the efforts of the state, a lot also depends on the activities of doctors, their role is crucial. You are always in contact with patients, risking your health and life. Unfortunately, the number of deaths among doctors is growing. We can get out of this situation only through joint efforts the responsibility of state bodies, the professionalism of doctors, their loyalty to their oath and the responsibility of citizens. We must get out of this situation through collective efforts. I am sure that it will be the case. I wish you success. Take good care of the patients. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Try not to get sick. I wish you good health and success. Once again, I congratulate you! President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much! I also sincerely congratulate you on the holy Eid al-Adha. Let me say that you are absolutely right. I have always paid attention to the city of Shaki. This is my tenth visit to Shaki, which is an indicator in itself. In recent years, a lot has been done in the field of both the implementation of infrastructure projects in the city of Shaki and the restoration of its historical monuments. Having arrived here, I once again familiarized myself with the work done. I see that most of the infrastructure projects have been implemented here, the level of gasification has reached about 80 percent and the supply of electricity is normal. We once built a modular power plant in Shaki. The road facilities are being updated. Both rural roads and the Shaki-Gakh-Balakan road meet the highest standards now. I will sign an instruction to take into account the reconstruction of the Shaki-Oguz road in the state program, so that this work can be completed soon. Tourism projects are being implemented. Numerous hotels have been built. Of course, tourism cannot develop without the infrastructure. Opposite this modular hospital, there is a wonderful central city hospital, the Olympic center, the ASAN xidmt center and other facilities. Of course, the inclusion of the city center together with the Palace of Shaki Khans in the UNESCO World Heritage List last year is a historic event. This is another great victory for Azerbaijan. The Maiden Tower, Icherisheher, Gobustan and Shaki this is no coincidence. Of course, the factors you mentioned have played the key role. But in parallel, as a result of the introduction of Shaki to the world and an increase in the number of visitors coming here, the city is better known all over the world. The expert commission, of course, took into account all these factors. Shaki does deserve to be included in the World Heritage List. This is yet another great victory for us, the victory of the entire Azerbaijani people. Therefore, all the necessary steps will continue to be taken. I know that one of the problems is associated with city school number 7, which was built in 1925. An order will be signed on the reconstruction of this school, the laying of the road and other issues. In other words, it is impossible to list all the work done. Most importantly, we are approaching this systematically social infrastructure, schools, agriculture, industrial potential and, of course, the development of tourism. The tourism sector was hit hard by the pandemic. We had excellent development in this area. More than 3 million tourists visited our country last year. Tourists alone spent about $2 billion in our country, which has benefited tens of thousands of people working in the tourism sector. We expected 3.5 million tourists this year. But at present, tourism, as elsewhere, is practically at zero level. Therefore, it is necessary to give priority to domestic tourism because no-one knows when the pandemic will end. After it is over, the recovery of the tourism sector will take some time because people will be afraid of travel. Therefore, given that a certain percentage of Shaki's development is associated with tourism, we will certainly take this factor into account. However, you can rest assured that the development of the city of Shaki and Shaki District will continue to be in the spotlight and issues of concern to the people will be resolved. One of them is the drinking water project. Unfortunately, this project has been dragging on too long; it should have been completed long ago. I am told that 55 percent of the project has been completed. I hope that it will be fully completed in the near future. As you know, this project is funded by international financial institutions, and one of the reasons for the delay is precisely this the negotiations took a long time. But I know that this is a very important project and, as I have already noted, a significant part of it has been implemented, the necessary funds will also be allocated for the implementation of the remaining part. I am sure that all other issues will be successfully resolved because our country has excellent prospects. We have already created a stable economy, the citizens of Azerbaijan did not even feel the fall in the oil price. In this difficult situation, we are allocating major funds to fight the pandemic. As I said, additions must be made to the state budget and corrections must be made. Additional expenses will be attracted so that people live better, so that our country increases its power and develops even more. Once again, I congratulate you and wish you success. Thank you. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The Winnipeg Police Service failed to notify the Independent Investigation Unit after allegations surfaced that an off-duty officer with a history of misconduct complaints seriously injured an Indigenous suspect, a Free Press investigation has determined. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Winnipeg Police Service failed to notify the Independent Investigation Unit after allegations surfaced that an off-duty officer with a history of misconduct complaints seriously injured an Indigenous suspect, a Free Press investigation has determined. The IIU has been kept in the dark about the incident for five months, with civilian director Zane Tessler confirming this week the WPS made no report to his agency. In response to inquiries from the Free Press, Tessler said he had no information on the case. Under the Police Services Act, law enforcement must notify the IIU of any incident where the actions or inactions of a police officerwhether on- or off-dutyresults in death, serious injury, or where there is evidence to suggest an officer engaged in unlawful conduct. Patrol Sgt. Jeffrey Norman, a 22-year veteran with the WPS, was not on shift and not in uniform on the evening of Feb. 23, 2020 when he followed suspected shoplifters from a Dakota Street liquor store to a residential area. KEN GIGLIOTTI / FREE PRESS FILES Neither the WPS news release, nor the Crown attorney mentioned Jeffrey Norman was allegedly armed with a baton while off-duty and knocked a 19-year-old Indigenous man unconscious prior to his arrest. In a confrontation with the suspects, Norman was allegedly attacked with a tire iron and a bottle of liquor, which led to him being hospitalized for a concussion and a sprained wrist. But neither the WPS news release about the incident, nor the Crown attorneys characterization of it during a bail hearing for one of three accused, mentioned Norman was allegedly armed with a baton while off-duty and knocked a 19-year-old Indigenous man unconscious prior to his arrest. Those allegations only emerged two days later when the man appeared on video in front of a bail-court judge with stitches across his forehead and scabs on his face and ear. According to information on the IIU's website, a "serious injury" is defined by the Police Services Act as, among other things, "lacerations that require admission to a hospital on an in-patient basis." "Having been struck in the face with this baton, he blacked out and the next thing he remembers is waking up in a pool of his own blood," the mans defence lawyer, Mitchell Enright, said at the Feb. 25 bail hearing. "Theres a lot of questions and concerns I have about this incident. What seems clear is that (Patrol Sgt.) Norman felt that (my client) participated in a liquor-store theft, decided to detain him, some sort of incident followed in which all parties, being (Patrol Sgt.) Norman and (my client) sustained injuries." Theres a lot of questions and concerns I have about this incident. What seems clear is that (Patrol Sgt.) Norman felt that (my client) participated in a liquorstore theft, decided to detain him, some sort of incident followed in which all parties, being (Patrol Sgt.) Norman and (my client) sustained injuries. Defence lawyer Mitchell Enright Agreeing to release the man, who has no criminal record, provincial court Judge Stacy Cawley noted his "obvious injuries." "There clearly is something more to the story that will have to be fleshed out at the trial of the matter," the judge said. "I will say, though, the obvious is that these are very serious allegations, and I noted that the injuries suffered by the complainant, (Patrol Sgt.) Norman, appear to be serious." There was no publication ban on the bail hearing. WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES Since joining the WPS in the 1990s, Norman has been accused in civil lawsuits of destroying photos and videos, wrongful arrests, beating and threatening suspects, and unnecessarily discharging his Taser. In total, hes been sued, individually and with other officers, at least eight times in Manitoba since 2005. The Free Press submitted requests to interview Norman to both the WPS and his union, the Winnipeg Police Association. Those interview requests were denied. A request to interview WPS Chief Danny Smyth was also denied. The Free Press also submitted written questions to the WPS. In response, the WPS sent a statement from Smyth which did not address the submitted questions. This is not the first time questions have been raised about the WPS's lack of cooperation with the IIU. Following an eight-month investigation in 2018, the Free Press published a four-part series detailing a pattern of disappearing complaints, skirted investigations, institutional pushback, disputes over jurisdiction and interference among officers identified in criminal probes. In April 2019, the IIU took the extraordinary step of taking the WPS to court after it repeatedly tried, and failed, to get the force to turn over internal documents it said were necessary for an investigation into the July 2018 in-custody death of 34-year-old Matthew Richards Fosseneuve. The WPS news release issued on Feb. 24 on the incident involving Norman and the alleged liquor thieves made no mention of injuries to any of the suspects. The WPS did not respond to written questions on why no notification to the IIU was made. "Generally speaking, the police would be the ones to notify us. They would receive the complaint," Tessler said. "We have had occasions where counsel for an accused person or a suspect has contacted our office and we do a bit of follow up on that, but no one's contacted us either on behalf of the individual nor have the police contacted us." We have had occasions where counsel for an accused person or a suspect has contacted our office and we do a bit of follow up on that, but no one's contacted us either on behalf of the individual nor have the police contacted us. IIU civilian director Zane Tessler A trial date for the now-20-year-old man has not yet been set. He's charged with assault against a peace officer, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, resisting arrest and theft under $5,000. He and the two other suspects are accused of stealing $630 worth of liquor -- 20 bottles. Since joining the WPS following a stint with the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1990s, Norman has been accused in civil lawsuits of destroying photos and videos, wrongful arrests, beating and threatening suspects, and unnecessarily discharging his Taser. In total, hes been sued, individually and with other officers, at least eight times in Manitoba since 2005. A request to interview Winnipeg Police Association president Maurice Sabourin was declined. Instead, he provided a written statement, which did not address any of the allegations against Norman, including the Feb. 23 incident. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "It would not be appropriate for us to speak to legal matters involving a specific individual, but I can tell you that, from a general perspective, if any of our members has been found liable in a civil or criminal court case, that information would be readily available on the public record," Sabourin wrote. "Furthermore, if any of our members has been convicted of an offence related to LERA, that would also be on the public record. As for the existence of civil litigation claims against one of our members, context is important." The recent allegations against Norman came to light after the May 25 slaying of George Floyd, 46, by Minneapolis police and increased scrutiny of officers and calls to defund law enforcement agencies. Floyds death sparked widespread outrage and resulted in a wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations sweeping across the continent, including in Winnipeg. katie.may@freepress.mb.ca ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Ryan Thorpe Reporter Ryan Thorpe likes the pace of daily news, the feeling of a broadsheet in his hands and the stress of never-ending deadlines hanging over his head. Read full biography Web-based surveillance of the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) during the first 11 weeks of the outbreak (Dec 31, 2019, to March 10, 2020), reveals that three-quarters (75/99) of affected countries outside mainland China reported their first COVID-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected country--with almost two-thirds of these first cases linked to travel to Italy (27%), China (22%), or Iran (11%), according to new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. "Our findings suggest that travel from just a few countries with substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission may have seeded additional outbreaks around the world before the characterisation of COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020", says Dr Fatimah Dawood from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, who co-led the research. The study is the first of its kind to use publicly available global case data to describe travel exposure and case cluster characteristics among early COVID-19 cases in different countries. However, the authors caution that given almost all cases in the analysis were reported in middle-income and high-income countries from Asia and Europe (due to late detection in other regions), they were unable to draw a complete picture of COVID-19's early global epidemiology. In this study, researchers examined publicly available online reports from national ministries of health and other government agency websites, social media feeds, and press releases on a daily basis to identify newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported between Dec 31, 2019, and March 10, 2020 (ie, during the prepandemic period, corresponding to weeks 1-11 of the outbreak). Countries with at least one case were classified as affected. Early cases were defined as the first 100 cases reported in each country, and later cases as those after the first 100 cases. The researchers analyzed travel history for the first case reported in each country outside mainland China, case characteristics (eg, age, sex, exposure), and cluster frequencies and sizes. During the first 11 weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak, 32,459 COVID-19 cases were identified from 99 countries and locations outside mainland China (figure 1). The analysis found that travel history of the first reported case in each affected country varied by world region (figure 3 and infographic). Travel to Italy was linked with half (3/6 cases) of the first-reported cases in Africa, and over a third (36%, 16/45) in Europe and the Americas (38%, 5/13). Travel to mainland China accounted for 83% (10/12) of the first-reported cases in the Western Pacific and over half (57%, 4/7) in Southeast Asia. Seven (44%) first-reported cases in the Eastern Mediterranean region had a history of travel to Iran. Among 1,200 cases from 68 countries with age or sex information available [2], 874 (73%) were early cases, with an average age of 51 years. Just 3% of cases (25/762 with age information available) occurred in children younger than 18 years. In total, 2% (21/1,200) of early cases occurred in health-care workers. During the prepandemic period, 101 clusters involving 386 cases were identified in 29 countries (table 3). Household transmission was reported in three-quarters (76/101) of clusters, with an average of 2.6 cases in each cluster. By contrast, the 11 clusters related to community gatherings (ie, tour groups, faith-based groups, and dinner parties; average 14.2 cases per cluster), and the 14 clusters reported in non-health-care occupational settings (average 4.3 cases per cluster), tended to be larger--supporting a possible role for physical distancing in slowing the spread of COVID-19, researchers say. Four large clusters in our analysis, and large outbreaks reported elsewhere, have been linked with transmission in faith-based settings, highlighting the need to partner with faith-based organisations when designing and implementing community mitigation efforts. Six healthcare-associated clusters were also identified, underscoring the need for strict infection prevention and control practices and monitoring health-care workers for signs of illness." Philip Ricks, Study Co-author, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The analysis also highlights the relatively late detection of COVID-19 in Africa, with only 6 out of 46 (13%) countries studied in the region reporting cases by the time WHO characterised the outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. T his compares with a third (13/35) of countries in the Americas and the majority of countries in Europe (45/54, 83%), Eastern Mediterranean (16/23, 70%), and Southeast Asia (7/11, 64%). "The epidemiology of COVID-19 in low-income countries and in Africa could differ, as reported in previous influenza pandemics, and accurate data from these settings will be needed to assess the full global effect of the COVID-19 pandemic", says Dawood. [1] The authors note some important limitations of their study, including that the analysis of case characteristics was limited to only 4% (1,200/32,459) of global confirmed cases that had sufficient information about a case's age or sex; and publicly available data varied in completeness, which could have resulted in some case characteristics going undetected. They also note that the first confirmed case in each country might not have been the first true case of infection in some countries, since early case detection efforts varied substantially. stratovolcan 799 m/ 2,621 ftIles Ryukyu (Japan), 29.64N / 129.72E(4 sur 5)2004 (Oct) - ongoing: intermittent strombolian-type activitySince 1949: essentially continuous activity2000 (Dec) - Jul 2004 (Jul): strombolian activity, 1999 (Jan-Feb, June), 1996 (Dec) - 1997 (Apr), 1949-96, 1940, 1938, 1934 (?), 1925, 1921-22, 1915 (?), 1914 (?), 1889, 1885, 1884, 1877, 1813-14 (sub-plinian Bunka eruption), around 1600 AD (large explosive eruption)explosive, strombolian If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online: JMA reported that nighttime incandescence at Suwanosejima's Ontake Crater was occasionally visible during 17-24 July. An explosion at 2247 on 22 July generated a gray plume that rose as high as 1.2 km above the crater rim and ejected large rocks as far as 300 m from the crater. The Tokyo VAAC reported that during 25-27 July ash plumes rose to 1.8-2.7 km (6,000-9,000 ft) a.s.l. (1-1.9 km above the crater rim) and drifted NW, N, NE. ... According to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) another explosive eruption of the volcano occurred atEmissions of gas and steam plumes with ash content roseabove the crater and drifted NW. ... JMA reported that nighttime incandescence at Suwanosejima's Ontake Crater was occasionally visible during 24-31 July. Occasional eruptive events were recorded. An explosion at 1200 on 27 July generated a gray plume that rose as high as 2 km above the crater rim. ... : Places libres / : Depart garanti / : Quelques places disponibles / : Groupe ferme Depuis 2005, VolcanoDiscovery propose des voyages en petits groupes, des randonnees et du trekking, ainsi que des expeditions pour voir des volcans actuellement en activite, des voyages photographiques dans de nombreuses regions d'activite volcanique a travers le monde. We travel to volcanic areas worldwide: from Greece and Italy, Iceland, to Hawai'i, Japan, Indonesia, Vanuatu. We even offer a Round-The-World tour to volcanoes. See which volcanoes are erupting at the moment! Probably more than you think... Do you know which is the biggest volcano in the world? Support us - Help us upgrade our services! Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Earthquake archive from 1900 onwards Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: LONDON For thousands of years, Britain's Stonehenge has held tight to many of its secrets. Now, scientists say in a study published Wednesday they have uncovered one: The origin of many of the stones that make up the mysterious prehistoric stone circle thought to date from 2,500 BC. Image: Stonehenge (David Nash) The monument erected during the late Neolithic period is a popular tourist attraction in southern England and one of the countrys most famous sights. But despite its popularity, much is still not known about the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Researchers from the University of Brighton analyzed the 52 large stones known as sarsens that make up the main circle and inner horseshoe of the monument, and concluded that all but two shared a common origin. The scientists then compared the core of one of the sarsens drilled in 1958 during conservation work with data on sarsens from around the United Kingdom and determined that they originated about 15 miles to the north in West Woods, Wiltshire. The research released in the journal Science Advances was only made possible after the core was returned to the U.K. from Florida by a representative of the company that carried out the work over 60 years ago. Archaeologists and geologists have been debating where the sarsen stones used to build Stonehenge came from for more than four centuries, lead researcher David Nash, a professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton, said. This significant new data will help explain more of how the monument was constructed and, perhaps, offer insights into the routes by which the 20- to 30-ton stones were transported, he added. Scientists have been trying to unlock the mysteries of Stonehenge since the Middle Ages, with the first known excavation at the site taking place in the 1620s. In 2015, researchers concluded that the smaller stones that make up the monument known as bluestones were quarried a remarkable 180 miles away in western Wales. Story continues Although one fewer question now remains, experts are still unsure who built and used Stonehenge, and why they chose to locate it where they did. This research provides a fantastic leap forward in our knowledge about Stonehenge, as we can finally answer the question of where the iconic sarsen stones were brought from, said Susan Greaney, a senior historian at English Heritage, the charity which looks after Stonehenge. She added that the return of the core from Florida was crucial, as it allowed the researchers to undertake a small amount of destructive sampling. But despite the research team discovering the origin of 50 of the 52 sarsen stones, the ancient wonder continues to hold the secret of the other two. We still dont know where two of the 52 remaining sarsens at the monument came from, Nash said. There remain mysteries to solve. The full bench of a federal appeals court in Washington has agreed to consider whether a lower-court judge should be forced to dismiss a felony charge against Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to Donald Trump. The announcement Thursday from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is a setback for Flynn, who scored an unexpected victory on the issue last month, when a smaller panel of that court voted, 2-1, to order U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the governments motion to drop the prosecution. The appeals court said it will sit en banc to hear arguments in the case on Aug. 11. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to a felony charge of lying to FBI agents investigating Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. The former Defense Intelligence Agency chief reaffirmed his guilt in 2018, but has since sought to rescind his plea an effort that eventually won the backing of the Justice Department, which moved earlier this year to abandon the case, citing alleged FBI misconduct. But DOJs decision sparked an outpouring of complaints that Attorney General William Barr was seeking to undermine the prosecution of a close Trump ally, and Sullivan rejected efforts to immediately dispose of the matter, instead appointing an outside adviser to determine whether the court has leeway to consider alternatives. Sullivan had scheduled a hearing on the matter for earlier this month but postponed it after the split three-judge appeals court panel ruled that he had overstepped his authority. The decision to hear the case en banc is good news for Sullivan. He took the unusual and perhaps unprecedented step of seeking full-court review after the initial ruling authored by Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee left many criminal justice experts and even some former judges puzzled. Courts are loath to issue so-called mandamus decisions forcing lower-court judges to take specific actions, like dismissing a case when it isnt a last resort, and Sullivan repeatedly emphasized that he hadnt ruled one way or the other on Flynns effort to end the case against him. Story continues The appeals courts one-page order announcing the en banc rehearing did not explain in detail why the full court had agreed to take up the case, but the order asked the parties to address at the August arguments whether Flynn has no other adequate means to attain the relief he is seeking. That could be a sign that one or more judges believe Flynn and the government should pursue their complaints about Sullivans plans for handling the dismissal motion with Sullivan, at least in the first instance, before seeking aid from the appeals court. The courts order also indicates that the judges hearing the case en banc will include seven Democratic appointees and three Republican appointees. One of the courts judges Trump appointee Greg Katsas bowed out as he has in other disputes involving special counsel Robert Muellers office, which launched the Flynn prosecution. The decision to take the case en banc required the approval of a majority of the courts active, unrecused judges, but no tally was released. The decision also complicates matters for Trump, who has indicated he intends to bring Flynn back into his political orbit, perhaps as a campaign surrogate or even an adviser. A mid-August hearing means a decision likely wouldnt be reached until late summer or even the fall, with the election nearing. And if the appeals court backs Sullivan, he could wind up holding a high-profile hearing about the case in the weeks leading up to the November vote. In the meantime, the felony charge against Flynn is still pending. President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the death of Afeniferes leader Pa Ayo Fasanmi. In a condolence message issued on Thursby his Special on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari described the death of the Yoruba leader as a great loss to Nigeria He said, President Muhammadu Buhari joins Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, in mourning the passing of Pa Ayorinde Fasanmi, describing his death as a big loss to the nation. The President condoles with people and government of Osun and Ekiti States, family members, friends and associates of the elder statesman, who served as a legislator in both House of Representatives and Senate and distinguished himself politically by always standing for the truth, especially on issues related to the uplifting of the downtrodden. President Buhari affirms that Chief Fasanmis wise counsels borne out of humility, deep reflection, diligent studies and experience will be sorely missed by governments at different levels, as he regularly and willingly listened to leaders, and always had a good advice on going forward. As an ardent follower and prodigy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the President believes the fearless and consistent leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation lived to serve his people and the nation, and the progressive ideals that he projected impacted greatly and provided a road map on development at state and federal levels. President Buhari notes, with commendation, that the efforts of Chief Fasanmi in the founding and sustenance of Nigerias democracy will be remembered, and posterity will be glad for his great sacrifices. The President prays that the Almighty God will receive the soul of the departed leader, and comfort his family. Pa Fasanmi a second Republic Senator and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, died on Wednesday night in Osogbo at the age of 94. His death was announced on Thursday by his son, Folabi, who explained that his father had passed on peaceful in Osogbo. Pa Fasanmi until his death was a leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere (Ilosiwaju Yoruba) and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to a meeting and exchange of agreements in New Delhi on May 1, 2017. (PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images) China and India Compete in Relations With Turkey and Iran Following on the bloody Galwan border incident on June 15 in which Chinese and Indian soldiers died, China and India appear to be recalibrating their relationship in multiple ways. In the Middle East, China has recently supplanted India in relations with Turkey and Iran. Around the same time that tensions reached a peak following the Galwan incident, Iran finalized a 25-year strategic partnership deal with China worth $400 billion. A month later, Iran decided to end a 2016 deal with India for a rail project linking its Chabahar port with Afghanistan, citing a funding delay from India. During this time of pandemic, Turkey, a key player in the Middle East and the land bridge between the Middle East and Europe, has increasingly looked to the Chinese regime for investments and foreign currency reserves. The two countries had signed a $1 billion currency swap arrangement in 2019, and in June, Turkey used $400 million of this funding facility extended by Chinas Central bank. The country is also an important component of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative connecting Eurasia. Indias relationship with Turkey has also deteriorated in recent months because of Ankara siding with Pakistan against India over the disputed region of Kashmir. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a visit to Pakistan in February, had compared the situation in Kashmir with that of the people of Turkey during World War I and had guaranteed support to Pakistans stand on the matter. The Indian government was quick to criticize Erdogan for it in an official press release. These remarks reflect neither an understanding of history nor of the conduct of diplomacy. They distort events of the past to advance a narrow-minded view of the present. India made a strong demarche with the Turkish Government, the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Experts say these developments and relationships are deals of convenience and cant strategically constrain the United States in the region and will also not stop the positive and constructive role India is set to play in the region. Manjari Singh, associate fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies, told The Epoch Times over the phone from New Delhi that the emerging geopolitical situation in the Middle East involving India and China is based on multiple factors. It is a need-based arrangement and interest-driven one, wherein economics, investments, and trade are guiding factors. Today, every country engages with every other country based on their interests. No relation is based on a single factor. This is a similar situation, she said, adding that Chinas growing influence in the Arab countries is more of a concern for India than for others in the region. James Carafano, an expert in national security and foreign policy at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, told The Epoch Times in an email that Indias relationships in the region are beyond Iran, and it remains to be seen how Indias strategic partnership with the United States in the Indo-Pacific has impacted its status in the Middle East. India has made a strategic shift to expand its relations in the region beyond the prism of its dealing with Iran. The U.S. sees this as positive, and supports and encourages. India can only play a positive and constructive role, Carafano said. Irans President Hassan Rouhani (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) walk as they attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Bishkek on June 14, 2019. (VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP via Getty Images) India Versus China in Iran The deterioration of the IndiaIran relationship is widely said in the Indian media to be due to India delaying funding for a rail project that linked Irans Chabahar port to Afghanistan. Chabahar is a strategic port for India that connects it with Central Asia and Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan, and it lies in a free-trade zone. India signed a deal with Iran to build a railway from the port to Zahedan, near Afghanistan, in May 2016 and invested $500 million when the projects first phase was inaugurated in December 2017. However, the Iranian government decided to leave India behind and instead invest $400 million from the Iranian National Development Fund, according to the Indian media outlet Scroll. The Iranian government expressed in a missive its disappointment to the Indian government about the delay of funds, silently accusing it of fearing sanctions by the United States, according to the International Railway Journal. No third partys measures or restrictive policies such as unjust unilateral sanctions should be allowed to hamper the historical cordial relations between India and Iran, said the Iranian government. The U.S. government had provided a waiver of sanctions for the project. But the Iranian government has found it difficult to find equipment suppliers, and potential partners have feared being targeted by U.S. officials, reported Indian national newspaper The Hindu. Confusion persisted in the media on the matter, as later, the Iran Railways head Saeed Rasouli called for a review with India of the project and said the news that India was being excluded was the work of vested interests, according to a message on Twitter by the Embassy of India in Tehran. Carafano said that Iran would be a loser if it struck India out of the deal because India would bring more business and real growth. Esra Serim, a Turkish analyst based in France, told The Epoch Times in an email that the railway project is Irans tool of accession and presence in Afghanistan, and Indias presence in the war-torn country could be seen as a challenge by both Iran and Pakistan. She believes Irans behavior has China behind it. In actual fact, China never wanted India to be in this critical/geostrategic project, Serim said. Singh said that Irans relationship with China shouldnt be equated with Indias relationship with Iran because the IndiaIran relationship is more comprehensive and it is civilizational rather than circumstantial. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for a meeting at Hyderabad house in New Delhi on February 17, 2018. (MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images) India Versus China in Turkey Serim said that Turkey has started to get closer to China and started to be estranged from the rest of the world, particularly from the European Union and the United States. As a natural consequence, Ankara is turning to China for investments, trade, and foreign currency reserves as well as the rich countries in the Middle East such as Qatar, said Serim. She emphasized, however, that Turkeys relations with India have deteriorated because of Turkeys stand on Kashmir. Interestingly, Ankara has still been staying silent on the Turkic Muslim Uyghurs native to Chinas Xinjiang region despite the similarity of the Muslim community situation in Kashmir. This shows us that Chinas rising power in the Middle East is of no small matter, she said. Carafano believes that both Iran and Turkey have sided with Pakistan over Kashmir for different reasons. Neither likely have any impact on Kashmir. Singh said Chinas investments in Turkey are again circumstantial and a matter of convenience and saving some money. China is known to be using its own facilities, human resource, and labor when it comes to projects and investments overseas. This is a known fact. In that context, dealing in a currency swap arrangement is not surprising, plus if you look at the exchange rates, both Lira and Yuan are of the same value and cheaper than a dollar, Singh said, adding that both currencies are valued at 0.14 U.S. dollars. Therefore, even though for China this must be beyond economics, but for Turkey, it is again about convenience and saving some bucks, she said. Singh mentioned that, like the $1 billion currency swap arrangement between Turkey and China signed last year, India promised a $2.3 billion deal to Turkey in 2019 involving the production of five fleet support vessels. The deal was paused in October 2019 due to Turkeys increasingly close relationships with Pakistan and due to cost reasons, but later, the Indian government reaffirmed it and signed the contract in February. However, after much consideration and a strong statement released by New Delhi rejecting all references made on Kashmir by Turkey and Pakistan, India went ahead with the formal contract this year, she said. Megachurch pastor John Ortberg allowed volunteer attracted to minors to work with children, church reveals Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment John Ortberg, senior pastor of the nearly 4,000-member Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California, exhibited poor judgment when he knowingly allowed a volunteer who confessed to having an attraction to minors to work with children, church elders said. Ortberg is now undergoing a period of restoration. In an email that was sent to church members on Jan. 21 and shared with The Christian Post by the church, Beth Seabolt, chair of the congregations elder board, said Ortberg was asked to go on personal leave from the church on Nov. 22, 2019, while an investigation of concerns raised by a third party was conducted. In July of 2018, a person serving in the Menlo Church community came to John and shared in confidence an unwanted thought pattern of attraction to minors. The person assured to Johns satisfaction that the person had not acted on the attraction and sought Johns support. John believed the person and provided prayers and referrals for counseling, Seabolt said in the email. Despite the confession, however, Ortberg failed to take the required steps to prevent the person from volunteering with minors at the Menlo Park campus and did not consult anyone else at Menlo Church about the situation, the elder boards chair said. She noted that as soon as the church was made aware of the concern about the volunteer, they informed their denomination and brought in an independent investigator but did not find any misconduct in the Menlo Church community. My statement on Menlo Church and my father; I won't be reading replies to this but I'm grateful to the friends and chosen family who have helped Grace and me through the last few months. pic.twitter.com/elT9I7v9u6 Daniel M. Lavery (@daniel_m_lavery) February 2, 2020 Nevertheless, the investigation showed John exhibited poor judgment that was inconsistent with his responsibilities as Senior Pastor, Seabolt said. John fully understands the Boards concerns regarding his handling of this situation. John is saddened by the potential risk he now realizes he brought on the Menlo community and wholly agrees that he did not handle this matter consistent with his responsibilities to Menlo Church and the Boards expectations of him. He deeply apologizes for his action and decisions, and is committed to the safety and integrity of our community and to ensuring that such a situation does not arise again. She further noted that Ortberg returned to work on Jan. 24 and is currently undergoing a restoration process with limited public engagement. John will only be working internally with staff and the Board during this interim period, focusing on his restoration plan and seeking to rebuild trust. We hope for his return to the pulpit in the near future, if approved by the Board after closely monitoring Johns progress, Seabolt said. In a statement posted to Twitter, Daniel Lavery, a trans-identified woman who is Ortberg's estranged daughter, revealed that it was Lavery who reported the Menlo leader because the church member who has since been removed from their volunteer role had confessed to having "obsessive sexual feelings about young children" for years and had intentionally sought out "unsupervised" positions where they could volunteer with children, including during overnight travel. Ortberg, Lavery said, had continually encouraged this person in their unsupervised work with children." "I have no firsthand knowledge of any criminal activity, and I have real compassion for anyone trying to treat sexual compulsions with accountability and oversight," Lavery noted. "But the situation they had created was risky, unsafe and unsustainable." In 2018, as an investigation of multiple sexual misconduct allegations by several women against Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of the multi-campus Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois was underway, Ortberg was among several critics who argued that the probe was "poorly designed" and exposed the women to "grave risks." Menlo elders assured the congregation that all of their volunteers go through a "rigorous screening process" that includes a background check and the requirement of having attended the church for at least six months. The church also does not allow an adult volunteer to be alone with a child. You are here: China Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend a ceremony marking the completion and launching of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System scheduled for Friday at the Great Hall of the People. China Media Group will live broadcast the event, which will start at 10:30 a.m. Beijing time. Japan is bracing for a surge in the number of coronavirus infection after fresh cases exceeded the 1,000 mark for the first time, a week after the start of a national travel campaign to revive the tourism industry. Tokyo confirmed at least 365 cases of coronavirus infection on Thursday, commercial broadcaster Fuji Television said. That compares with a record 366 cases on July 23. Japan had 1,264 new cases on Wednesday, according to national broadcaster NHK, surpassing the previous record of 981, with infections spreading rapidly not only in Tokyo, but also in other regions, including remote islands. ALSO READ: Take a virtual trip to see the blooming Sakura in Japan this Spring Northern Japans Iwate prefecture, which had been the last-remaining prefecture free from coronavirus infection, had its first cases on Wednesday, while the southern island of Okinawa had 44 infections, hitting a record for the third day in a row. Prime Minister Shinzo Abes government launched a national travel campaign, dubbed Go To Travel, on July 22 that aimed to revive a battered tourism industry despite a resurgence in coronavirus infection. Norio Sugaya, a member of the World Health Organizations influenza panel, said the campaign is ill-timed. Im all for supporting the tourism industry ... But we should not do that when infection is resurgent. The virus spreads as people move. This is clearly a mistake, Sugaya said. Doctors will soon be signalling the red light, Sugaya added. Hospitals will soon be filled, so will ICUs (intensive care units). ALSO READ: Explore beach lovers paradise in Japans Kamakura Tokyo plans to urge shorter operating hours for restaurants and karaoke parlours next month to tackle a recent spike in coronavirus infections, the Nikkei business daily said. The metropolitan government is considering a compensation of 200,000 yen ($1,900) to stores that comply with its request to close at 10 p.m. during the period from Monday until Aug. 31, it said. ($1=105.0200 yen) (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter TDT | Manama Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) secretary-general Dr Mustafa Al Sayed signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mattar Jewellers board chairman Ibrahim Mattar, to design and create jewellery with natural Bahraini pearls known internationally for their quality and beauty. Under the agreement, a portion of the productions proceeds will be allocated to educate the RHFs children and to contribute to the education of Bahraini orphans, within the educational care provided by the foundation. Dr Al Sayed expressed appreciation to Mattar for the societal partnership and the outstanding contribution to providing education for the foundations children. He stressed that Mattar Jewellers has always and readily provided care and assistance, in the service of Bahraini families. Dr Al Sayed expressed hope that other companies would emulate their example and cooperate in humanitarian work. Mattar said he was pleased to cooperate with the RHF on a 100 per cent Bahraini product that has a close connection to the Kingdom, the country of distinctive natural pearls. This is a golden opportunity as we have been allowed by the foundation to participate, even with a simple thing, in the education of children, Mattar said. It is our good fortune that our cooperation is launched during these auspicious days ahead of Eid Al Adha. A former police officer who lied about his past convictions to get a job in a vape shop is facing jail. Lee Rackham, 44, applied for a job in a vape shop, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, in July 2019. Rackham was jailed for three years in 2014 for sexually assaulting four vulnerable women while he was in uniform and working for Humberside Police. Lee Rackham, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and one of breaching a SHPO and now faces a possible jail sentence He was locked-up for five years in 2009 for attempting to rape a woman. Rackham was made to sign the Sex Offenders' Register as part of his sentences, NCJ Media reported. However, Rackham failed to declare his previous convictions despite being asked in the interview, South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court heard. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which banned him from working unsupervised with lone women. Rackham, of Annitsford, near Cramlington, Northumberland, worked with a lone woman in the vape shop 'on a number of occasions' in September of the same year. He pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and one of breaching a SHPO and now faces a possible jail sentence. Jame Long, prosecuting, said that the offences in 2014 pre-dated the 2009 convictions. The company boss later told the police, if he had known about Rackham's previous convictions, he would not have hired him. Mr Long said that the defendant worked with a female colleague 'certainly some of the time'. He added: 'There was a store room at the back of the store, a shared toilet and a stock room and, in that area, one would be hidden from public view.' Paul Donoghue, defending, said the defendant had hoped not to work alone with the female and hadn't intended to. Rackham failed to declare his previous convictions despite being asked in the interview, South East Northumberland Magistrates' Court (pictured) heard He added that Rackham was attempting to move on and make a life for himself and found himself 'in an almost impossible situation'. He said: 'The fraud, he accepts he was asked if he had previous convictions. Heknew that, if he said yes and they were sexual assaults and misconduct in a public office offences, he may well not have bothered applying. 'Having failed a number of times, he decided not to disclose them.' Mr Donoghue said Rackham was found out because of his honesty about his new job with his offender manager. Rackham was released from prison in 2012 and changed his name to Kershaw. In 2014, he was questioned by the police following four allegations which were made against him dating back to 2008. The court in 2014 was told that Rackham sexually assaulted the women at home after using his uniform and police car to gain their trust. Magistrates committed Rackham to Newcastle Crown Court for sentence after deeming their powers insufficient to finalise the case. Rackham was released on unconditional bail to next appear there on August 26. Statewide All information from the Iowa Department of Public Health, except where noted. (In parentheses: Change from yesterday.) Cases of coronavirus: 43,778 (+582) The total number of people who have ever tested positive for active novel coronavirus infection since testing began March 8, 2020. Average number of cases per day: 384 (+36) As of yesterday, over a seven-day average. Percent change in cases over 14 days: -13.6% (-0.2%). National average: 4.0% (-2.4%). (Info: KFF.org) Rate of spread: 1.01 (no change) The average number of people who currently become infected by an infectious person. Over 1.0 means the virus will spread, and below 1.0 means it has stopped spreading. (Info: Rt.live) Positive testing rate on previous day: 8.6% (+1.9%) As of May 12, the World Health Organization recommends a positive testing rate of less than 5% or lower for at least 14 days before a state loosens disease restrictions. Deaths: 854 (+15) The total number of people whose deaths were attributable to the novel coronavirus since IDPH began tracking such deaths March 8, 2020. Average number of deaths per day: 3.7 (+0.6) As of yesterday, over a seven-day average. Fatality rate: 2.0% (no change). National average: 3.4% (no change). The percentage of deaths out of the total number of infected. (Info: KFF.org) National ranking in cases per capita: 20th (no change) (Info: KFF.org) National ranking in deaths per capita: 25th (no change) (Info: KFF.org) Recoveries: 31,741 (+545) As of June 30, IDPH now classifies anyone not hospitalized or deceased after 28 days to be recovered. Recovery rate: 72.5% (+0.3%) Positive serology tests: 2,735 (+10) The number of people with no current infection who tested positive for antibodies of the novel coronavirus. Number of current infections: 11,183 (+22) The number of cases minus the number of recoveries and deaths. Percent currently infected of total infections: 24.0% (-0.3%) The number of current infections out of the number of total infections plus serology positive cases. Total population of state currently infected: 0.4% (no change) The total number of current infections divided by the state population estimate of 3,155,100. Total population of state ever infected: 1.5% (no change) Based on U.S. Census population estimate of Iowa of 3,155,100, combining total cases and serology positive cases. Hospitalized patients with COVID-19: 237 (-9) Hospitalized in NE Iowa (RMCC Region 6): 52 (-4) Patients admitted in last 24 hours: 33 (+10) Last 24 hours in NE Iowa: 7 (+2) Hospitalized in intensive care units: 76 (no change) In ICU in NE Iowa: 14 (-1) Hospitalized on a ventilator: 31 (-1) On ventilator in NE Iowa: 2 (no change) Long-term care facility outbreaks: 22 (+1) An outbreak is added when a facility has three or more residents test positive, and removed when no new cases appear. Deaths attributable to long-term care facility outbreaks: 465 (+6). Percentage of total deaths: 54.5% (-0.2%) By county in Courier coverage area Black Hawk County: Cases: 2,923 (+25) Recoveries: 2,181 (+38) Number currently infected: 680 (-13) Percent currently infected of total infections: 18.8% (-0.5%) Deaths: 62 (no change) Fatality rate: 2.1% (no change) Serology positive: 697 (+3) Total population currently infected: 0.5% (no change) Total population ever infected: 2.7% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 20.3 (-1.4) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0.1 (no change) Reported cases by sex: Male: 54.8% Female: 45.2% Reported cases by age: 0-17: 4.9% 18-40: 53.4% 41-60: 30.5% 61-80: 9.1% 80+: 2.2% Reported cases by race: Asian: 10.8% Black: 25.3% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 2.2% White: 61.7% Reported cases by ethnicity: Hispanic/Latinx: 16.3% Non-Hispanic: 83.7% Hospitalization rate: 4.3% Bremer County: Cases: 175 (+5) Recoveries: 88 (+4) Number currently infected: 80 (+1) Percent currently infected of total infections: 44.2% (-0.7%) Deaths: 7 (no change) Fatality rate: 4.0% (-0.1%) Serology positive: 6 (no change) Total population currently infected: 0.3% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.7% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 3.4 (-0.4) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Buchanan County: Cases: 95 (no change) Recoveries: 53 (+2) Number currently infected: 41 (-2) Percent currently infected of total infections: 41.4% (-2.0%) Deaths: 1 (no change) Fatality rate: 1.1% (no change) Serology positive: 4 (no change) Total population currently infected: 0.2% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.5% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 2.4 (-0.7) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Butler County: Cases: 102 (+2) Recoveries: 83 (+2) Number currently infected: 17 (no change) Percent currently infected of total infections: 16.0% (-0.4%) Deaths: 2 (no change) Fatality rate: 2.0% (no change) Serology positive: 4 (no change) Total population currently infected: 0.1% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.7% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 2 (-0.1) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Fayette County: Cases: 75 (+3) Recoveries: 40 (+5) Number currently infected: 35 (-2) Percent currently infected of total infections: 40.7% (-3.9%) Deaths: 0 Fatality rate: 0% Serology positive: 11 (+2) Total population currently infected: 0.2% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.4% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 1.1 (+0.1) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Floyd County: Cases: 101 (+3) Recoveries: 73 (+3) Number currently infected: 26 (no change) Percent currently infected of total infections: 24.1% (-0.7%) Deaths: 2 (no change) Fatality rate: 2.0% (no change) Serology positive: 7 (no change) Total population currently infected: 0.2% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.7% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 0.7 (+0.3) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Grundy County: Cases: 70 (+3) Recoveries: 35 (no change) Number currently infected: 34 (+3) Percent currently infected of total infections: 45.3% (+2.2%) Deaths: 1 (no change) Fatality rate: 1.4% (-0.1%) Serology positive: 5 (no change) Total population currently infected: 0.3% (no change) Total population ever infected: 0.6% (no change) Average cases per day (7-day average): 1.3 (no change) Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change) Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. July 29, 2020 Transcript Department of Defense Senior Leaders Brief Reporters on European Force Posture Secretary Of Defense Mark T. Esper; Joint Chiefs Of Staff Vice Chairman General John Hyten; General Tod Wolters, Commander, U.S. European Command, And Supreme Allied Commander Europe SECRETARY OF DEFENSE MARK T. ESPER: Okay, good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Since being sworn into office more than a year ago, I have been consistent in stating that my top priority would be implementing the National Defense Strategy. Over the past year, we've done just that. If you look at my recent message to the Joint Force regarding the progress we've made, you will see very clearly how far we have moved over our three lines of effort, which include the first line of effort, building more lethal force, and the second line of effort, strengthen alliances, as well as our 10 subordinate goals. One important initiative to advance the NDS has been to conduct a review of all the combatant commands to ensure a focus on NDS priorities. This includes optimizing our force presence worldwide; directing our time, money, and manpower toward our highest priorities; implementing our immediate response force, contingency response force, and dynamic force employment enhanced readiness concepts; and moving toward greater use of rotational forces from the United States to enhance our strategic flexibility and operational unpredictability, as we've done over the past few months with our bomber task forces. We are pursuing several other initiatives under this rubric as well. There are currently more than a half-dozen combatant command reviews underway, beginning with U.S. Africa Command, which began late last year, and the most recent being U.S. Space Command. Today, we want to update you on the status of our U.S. European Command review, which was accelerated with the president's decision in early June to reduce our footprint in Germany, and our plans to reposition our forces in Europe to be better-situated for great power competition. It is important to note that in NATO's 71-year history the size, composition and disposition of U.S. forces in Europe has changed many times. Sometimes this has been a result of changes in the threat, sometimes because of other changes in the international environment, and sometimes simply because the borders between NATO countries and Russia have shifted as new allies have joined. As we've entered a new era of great power competition, we are now at another one of those inflection points in NATO's history, and I'm confident the alliance will be all the better and stronger for it. Since June, EUCOM has done excellent work in developing a plan that achieves the president's objective and meets the following five principles that I gave General Wolters as he and his staff began their planning: first, enhanced deterrence of Russia; second, strengthen NATO; third, reassure allies; fourth, improve U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility; and fifth, take care of our service members and their families in the process. The president approved the EUCOM plan in late June, we briefed key members of Congress last week, and the team and I spoke with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg and directly-affected allies over the past few days. As we share the plan with you, I want to note that this plan is subject to, and likely will change to some degree as it evolves over time. The current EUCOM plan will reposition approximately 11,900 military personnel from Germany, from roughly 36,000 down to 24,000, in a manner that will strengthen NATO, enhance the deterrence of Russia, and meet the other principles I set forth. Of the 11,900, nearly 5,600 service members will -- will be repositioned within NATO countries, and approximately 6,400 will return to the United States, though many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe. The broad strokes of these moves are as follows. First, various United States headquarters will be consolidated in locations in Europe outside of Germany, including in some cases, co-locating at the same locations as their NATO counterparts in Belgium and Italy. This will strengthen NATO and improve the operational efficiency and readiness of over 2,000 service members in these headquarters. Second, the nearly 4,500 members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will return to the United States as other Stryker units begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region, giving us a more enduring presence to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATO's southeastern flank. Third, the 2,500 airmen based in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, who are responsible for aerial refueling and special operations, and who had been scheduled to rebase to Germany, will remain in the United Kingdom, thus ensuring the uninterrupted readiness and responsiveness of these units. Fourth, a fighter squadron and elements of a fighter wing will be repositioned to Italy, moving them closer to the Black Sea region and better capable of conducting dynamic force employments and rotational deployments to NATO's southeastern flank. In addition to these moves and the rotational forces announced by President Trump and Polish President Duda in 2019, we also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army's newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw signs a defense cooperation agreement and burden-sharing deal, as previously pledged. There are or may be other opportunities as well to move additional forces into Poland and the Baltics. Our aim is to implement these moves as expeditiously -- as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the principles I set forth from the beginning, particularly being fair to and taking care of our service members and their families. We could see some moves begin within weeks, others will take longer. As anyone could see, the repositioning of our forces in Europe constitutes a major strategic and positive shift wholly in line with the NDS and consistent with other adjustments the United States had made within NATO in previous times. These changes will achieve the core principles of enhancing U.S. and NATO deterrence of Russia, strengthening NATO, reassuring allies, and improving U.S. strategic flexibility and EUCOM operational flexibility. And of course, at all times, we will prioritize our most importance resource: our service members and their families. No moves will take place without thorough communication with our people, continued engagement with Congress, and consultation with our allies. Thank you, and I will now turn it over to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hyten, and then EUCOM Commander General Wolters. GENERAL JOHN HYTEN: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Good morning, everyone, and thanks for being here today. Looking back at history, NATO was established more than 70 years ago by 12 countries who signed the North Atlantic Treaty right here in Washington. France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands comprised the eastern flank. As other nations joined NATO, the eastern flank shifted to Germany, and has continued to expand further into Eastern Europe, now with 30 countries in NATO. So another rebalance is essential. One of our primary missions is to prevent another great power war, and to maintain great power peace. The National Defense Strategy, the NDS, guides our efforts to adapt the force, and the EUCOM plan optimizes our force posture in Europe as we seek to deter malign actors there. This rebalance consistent with the NDS will align NATO and EUCOM capabilities, better distribute forces across Europe, and increase the use of rotational forces, thus bolstering our commitment to Europe. It enhances deterrence and improves operational flexibility. Repositioning our forces and making consolidations will provide General Wolters, as the commander, increased ability to dynamically employ his force. This effort will increase opportunities to partner with and strengthen our bond with allies and partners in the region. It will also require additional planning and consultation with our allies. And let me emphasize that point. We have been and we will remain transparent and collaborative as planning and execution moves forward. I had the opportunity, as the secretary just mentioned, to speak with a number of my military counterparts over the last week to preview the force posture changes in Europe that we've outlined. Every day, our allies and partners join us in defending freedom, deterring war, and maintaining the rules which underwrite a free and open international order. This strategic posture realignment in Europe, and other actions INDOPACOM is taking as well, should send a clear, unmistakable message to our competitors: the joint force is committed to acting as opportunities arise to counter malign activities, and we remain positioned to deter military aggression against the U.S. and its -- and our allies. While we hope that Russia and China will engage in more productive and cooperative behavior in the future, we are posturing our forces to deter aggression and counter their malign influence. So the secretary highlighted many of the details. I won't go into those, but I want to take a brief moment to just touch on the impact to our force and our families. For almost 40 years, I've watched our people and our families sacrifice for this country. It's remarkable what they've done and what they continue to do, and I believe that's the greatest advantage that we as the United States of America have. It's our people in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Marines, and our families. The people we have to do this mission are most incredible. We're going to work closely and communicate frequent -- frequently with each of the services on implementing the changes that we move forward, and most importantly, we want to ensure stability for the service members and their families. Service members will be informed of re-stationing decisions well in advance in order to prepare themselves and their families for any moves. The safety and well-being of our service members and their families remains our top priority. And finally, we'll continue to work closely with the Congress, and they will be consulted on any movements of units back to the United States, as well as repositioning in Europe. So I want to close by thanking all our servicemen and women. I want to recognize each and every one of them who are in this fight. The readiness of our military is strong. We're capable. We're ready, no matter what the threat. No one doubts the readiness of the United States military to respond and defend the American people if required, and our allies. With that, I'll turn it over to General Wolters, whose staff led the effort to develop the plan you heard the secretary describe. We'll lead further detailed discussions, as well as planning and implementation in the future. Over to you, General Wolters. GENERAL TOD WOLTERS: Thank you, Secretary Esper, and thank you, Vice Chairman Hyten. Good morning and good afternoon to all of you from our headquarters here in Mons, Belgium. Our U.S. EUCOM strategy demands ever-increasing speed in all endeavors, and ever-improving posture. We focus on actions inside and outside our area of responsibility, and vigilance with respect to great power competition is an absolute imperative. As was discussed, this realignment allows us to favorably deter against Russia, assist NATO, strengthen the alliance, improve Secretary Esper's strategic flexibility and improve EUCOM's operational flexibility, all the while keeping a close eye on the care and feeding of our families. As Secretary Esper highlighted, the current plan proposes the repositioning of headquarters at the combatant command, component command and lower levels. Repositioning U.S. EUCOM headquarters and its component, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe from Germany to Belgium co-locates these organizations with SHAPE headquarters. This will improve the speed and clarity of our decision-making and promote greater operational alignment. Also, there is the potential to reposition U.S. AFRICOM headquarters and its component, U.S. Special Operations Command Africa to a location to be determined. We also intend to reposition three brigade-sized headquarters, an air defense artillery battalion and an engineering battalion to Belgium from Germany, and two smaller support and contracting organizations to Italy. Pending further planning and refinement, we anticipate the 52nd Civil Engineering Squadron could move soonest, at a time to be determined, from Germany to Italy. And as Secretary Esper pointed out, we will propose repositioning an F-16 fighter squadron, its aircraft, its pilots and its jet mechanics from Germany to Italy. We also anticipate the repositioning of two battalions from Germany to Italy to reunite with their parent brigade headquarters, a move that will enhance unity of command. The proposal to reposition forces back to CONUS, as the secretary mentioned with respect to the 2nd Cav Regiment, will allow those units to regain maximum U.S. at-home-station readiness and more effectively support global contingencies, while still maintaining a keen focus on Europe. The forces repositioned within Europe will better promote and better perform comprehensive defense and shared response. This is in alignment with NATO's new military strategy, the first strategy document for the military in over six decades. These efforts all increase our opportunity to generate greater peace in Europe and enhance the U.S.'s effectiveness in great power competition. We look forward to taking your questions. STAFF: All right, so we'll go to the phones first, Lita Baldor. I'd just ask everybody to keep it to one question today so we can get through some people. If not, I'll be forced to reclaim my time. So Lita Baldor. (Laughter.) Q: Hi. Thanks. One question for -- just requesting a few details. How much -- Mr. Secretary, about how much do you think this will cost? How -- what -- how many troops do you think can get moved more quickly? You -- you mentioned some might be able to be moved within weeks. How many of those do you think could be moved within weeks? And could you just give a little bit more detail on those coming home? Where would they come home to? Thank you. SEC. ESPER: Okay, I think that's about three questions, but I'll -- I'll take a quick swag at them. Clearly, the costs right now are estimates. It'll -- it'll take a several billion dollars, I'd say, single digits, but that -- that'll be spread out over time, obviously. But we need to refine that. That's where a lot of this work will come in in terms of fine-tuning it. Where the units will go into the States, that's going to be a -- a matter of consultation, of course, with Congress. It'll be a service responsibility to determine where they should go to enhance the readiness, to make sure we have adequate housing and childcare and hospital care and all that for families. So that'll be a process that'll be undertaken by the -- by the services. And with regard to how quickly units will move, like I said, I'll just say a matter of weeks. It requires diplomacy. We've been in touch with State Department, working close with them. They -- they -- they feel very strongly that this is a positive move, as well. I've spoken to Secretary Pompeo, so we need to rely in -- in -- in good degree on their diplomatic efforts, as well. But this is something we want to do, we feel very good about. We think it meets all the principles and objectives I outlined, so we want to get there as quickly as possible because of the importance it has to the alliance and to deterring Russia. STAFF: (inaudible) I'm sorry. Moving back to domestically. SEC. ESPER: Yeah, the services will handle the domestic piece, so that will take some time. STAFF: Okay. Lena? Q: I'm Lena Klimkeit from the German Press Agency, GPA. As you can imagine, it's from great importance for Germany, what you're announcing today, so I would like to -- to ask for the specific sites which are affected by the reduction of troops. If you could name the exact locations, that would be great. SEC. ESPER: Yeah, I'm going to -- I can, but I'm going to turn this over to General Wolters to answer because he can give you more comprehensive answer. General Wolters, did you hear the question? GEN. WOLTERS: I did, Secretary. And if I could, with respect to the sites of the EUCOM headquarters, as -- as you well know, they currently reside, the headquarters, at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart. And we anticipate -- again, with more refinement required -- to ultimately shift that headquarters into Mons, Belgium, co-located with SHAPE headquarters. Corresponding with the EUCOM headquarters movement is the Special Operations Command Europe headquarters movement, also in Stuttgart, to Mons, Belgium, located at the same site. And we have proposals with AFRICOM. And as I mentioned in my opening comments, those discussions have a long ways to go, lots of refinement in front of us and sites to be determined. And there are other smaller headquarters in much lower numbers that were part of my discussion that also can be located in Belgium at Chievres complex, it's an aviation complex that we work in and out of. It's approximately 25 kilometers away from Mons, Belgium. And we anticipate, pending further refinement, to move some smaller headquarters to that location. Thank you. SEC. ESPER: I'll just add that probably the area most affected would be the Stuttgart area, and I had a good conversation last week with the German defense minister and laid out some of these in detail. We'll obviously be engaging the defense ministry in the coming days and weeks with more detail. STAFF: All right, Nancy? Q: I had one clarification question, if I could, and then a broader one. You mentioned cost being in the single-digit billions over a period of time. Over what period of time? Because I imagine there'll be costs associated with having rotational forces. So if you could give us a better understanding of that, and if it comes out of reprogramming, where those costs would come from? And then, broadly speaking, can you help us understand. You talked a lot about the goal of deterring Russia. Why, from your perspective, is having forces -- the one combat brigade, the 2nd Cav, out of Europe a better form of deterrence than having them in Europe, closer to theater? SEC. ESPER: Yeah, so I'm going to -- I'll answer both, but then I'm going to turn to General Wolters to let him answer in a little bit more detail. So you're right. In terms of cost, it's going to be a range of things. It'll be O&M, it'll be MILCON, you know, it'll be the PCS transfers. But of course, you know, you have some gains too, if you're not moving families back and forth to Germany, you have savings on that end. So it's going to take a lot of hard work by our comptrollers, by our financial people to work through that, which is why it's going to take some time. But I think our rough measures -- what I told you, based on historical precedent, if you will. And again, I'll let General Wolters take that answer -- answer your next question. And I will say this much, the deployment of rotational forces from the United States, we have observed, whether it's the ABCTs going from the United States to Korea or the ABC to Poland or the Bomber Task Force, we are finding that they are deploying at a much higher level of readiness. And while they are deployed, they are -- they are able to sustain a much more fixed focus on their mission and their capabilities. And they -- and, third, they can provide a more enduring presence. So I'll let General Wolters speak to this to update you. During my time, when I served in Europe, we would deploy for three, four, five, six, seven weeks at a time, but then we came home. In this case, what you'll have is a more enduring presence because we will deploy from the United States and able to keep a -- units, in this case a Stryker brigade, if you will, or elements of it, in the Black Sea region in a more enduring way, more focused on the mission and not -- not constrained, if you will, with knowing that the families are back in Germany. So it gives us a lot more flexibility in that regard, to do that. Plus, we can deploy other type units if we need to as well. So, General Wolters, over to you to follow up on those two issues. GEN. WOLTERS: Thank you, Secretary. And you're exactly right with respect to the flexibility that it affords us. And in -- in the discussion about repositioning forces in a comprehensive fashion, I mentioned in my opening comments that NATO just approved its military strategy and its concept, and it talks about all domains, all regions, from a comprehensive perspective. With the rotational set that Secretary Esper described, and with us having the opportunity, given this realignment, to reach out to the southeastern flank in Europe, we'll now be able to rotate units in perpetuity in multiple locations, to include potentially Poland, to include the northeast in the vicinity of the Baltics, to include the southeast in the vicinity of the Black Sea. And, on occasion, back into Germany. And the flexibility that this affords us certainly complicates a potential enemy against us and it dramatically improves our operational capability to more effectively deter and defend. Thank you. SEC. ESPER: Talk anything further on the cost piece? GEN. HYTEN: I'll -- I'll just real quick -- SEC. ESPER: General Hyten? Okay. GEN. HYTEN: -- jump in on the cost piece. The -- the secretary said single-digit billions, but those are rough estimates. The -- what we have right now is really a concept, a concept that we've shared with our allies, shared with the Congress, and we've shared inside the department fairly widely. We now have to turn it into plans. As you turn it into plans, we have a very structured process involving the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary, and the combatant commands and the services, to make sure we understand what those are. Then we'll lay in the costs. But we're starting moving right away, with forces moving right away because we need to actually reach out to the potential locations where these forces are going to move, make sure we understand what is there, what can be there, and then turn those into real cost estimates. And then work with the Congress to get the resources. Some of those resources can be handled in year of execution, some will be handled out years, especially military construction, which will clearly have to be handled in the out years. STAFF: Tom Bowman? Q: Mr. Secretary, you say this is about strategy, but the president has clearly said this is about his grudge with Germany. Just a few weeks ago, he said, "Germany's been delinquent, of billions of dollars. This is for years, so we're removing a number down to" -- putting that number down to 25,000 soldiers. He's linking this to Germany's lack of payments to NATO. So how do you reconcile that? You're saying it's about strategy, he's saying it's about basically sticking it to Germany. SEC. ESPER: We began this process actually several months ago, when I gave EUCOM direction to begin looking at ways by which we can improve our force disposition in Germany, our composition of -- I'm sorry, not Germany. In NATO. Our composition, our size of our forces. He knew it was coming too because I announced it as soon as my hearing last -- last year, also. So the combatant commanders know that we're doing these reviews. We gave specific guidance months before that to begin this process. And what the president did with his directive in early June, was to accelerate that process. When you step back and you look at what's happened -- right? -- what you'll see is, we are still retaining a little more than 24,000 troops in Germany, which is still a lot, and I think still more than any other country in Europe. And then you look at what we're moving. What we're doing is, we're moving the forces -- to answer your strategy question -- we're moving forces out of central Europe -- Germany, where they had been since the Cold War, since I first traveled there in the early 1980s, and we're now moving -- we're following, in many ways, the boundary east, where our newest allies are. So into the Black Sea region, we talked about additional forces into Poland, and I think there are opportunities to put forces into the Baltics. That's why it's a strategic laydown that enhances deterrence, strengthens the allies, reassures them. We've gotten very positive feedback from several of the countries I mentioned this morning with regard to this move. And so overall, I think it is -- again, it meets all those objectives. Q: I understand what you're saying, but your boss is saying it's about Germany being delinquent. He said nothing about strategy. SEC. ESPER: I'm telling you that this is going to accomplish what the president said with regard to getting us down to a lower numbers in Europe, and it meets those other objectives I outlined with regard to the strategic piece, the principles, assuring the allies, and taking care of our service members and families. STAFF: All right, we're going to go to the phones. Jung Eun Li, from Dong-A Libo? Q: Hi, thank you for the briefing. About the reduction plan of the U.S. troops in Germany, there are some speculations that some of the troops evacuating in Germany could be redeployed to the Indo-Pacific area later to respond to the Chinese military threat. So do you have such a plan? Can you elaborate more on the redeployment and assessing plan of the troops from Germany? SEC. ESPER: Well, in all things, they could be. But because I want to -- I want to enhance my strategic flexibility, right? That was principle number four, if you will. But right now, there are no plans to do so. We're going to eventually take a look, as we get to the INDOPACOM review, and look at how we can enhance our, again, strategic flexibility, our operational flexibility, if you will, and several of those other principles I outlined as we head into the INDOPACOM review. But right now, there are no plans to do that. The plan is to begin these rotations back to Europe in a way that, again, enhances my strategic flexibility. But maybe more importantly, enhances General Wolters' operational flexibility to deploy them in a more enduring way, where he needs to in the theater -- could be this -- we're talking about the southeastern flank, but it could be up into the northeastern flank -- to accomplish the objectives that he's outlined, that I've outlined as -- as part of our planning. STAFF: All right, we're going to go to the phones for one more from Luis Martinez? Q: Hi, sir, thank you very much for this briefing. Going back to Tom Bowman's question, President Trump on the South Lawn has once again restated that really this is more about Germany's payments, or that its GDP payments are not amounting to what he would like. And so he says that everybody should be at 4 percent, and he said that Germany has only paid 1 percent. And he called them being delinquent. And so how can you reconcile -- I know that this process has been going on for quite some time, but is it safe to say it was accelerated by the president's opinion that Germany is not doing enough with regards to its GDP payments? SEC. ESPER: Well, first of all, I'd say to President Trump's credit, under his leadership, we have -- we've seen an increase in defense spending by NATO. I think it's over $130 billion over a few years. We have seen a few more countries join -- I'll call the 2 percent club. And that is, countries who have lived up to their Wales commitment -- I think it goes back to 2016 under the previous administration -- to contribute more to NATO's collective defense. Let's be clear, I think Germany is the wealthiest country in Europe. Germany can and should pay more to its defense. It should certainly meet the 2 percent standard and, I would argue, go above and beyond that. And I've said that very publicly, I've said that very privately to my counterparts as well, about the importance of NATO, any alliance, sharing the burden so that we can all deter Russia and avoid peace in Europe [editor's note. Secretary Esper intended to say "avoid conflict in Europe"]. And, again, the president's directive in June accelerated that, and I think we are -- we are excited about where we're going and what it will mean in terms of our ability to enhance deterrence, strengthen the alliance in the process. STAFF: All right, guys, thank you very much. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/2292996/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Every summer for the last 13 years I have been very privileged to travel to the Philippines and work with the children of the Badjao tribe. They are the most beautiful people you could meet. Full of fun, respect, and curiosity about the world they live in. Last year, as part of a cultural exchange, I brought three members of the tribe, Judy, Jackie, and Danilo to live with my family for five weeks. It was such a special time, watching my children and the Badjao embrace each other completely free from any barriers we adults might have. My children would wake at 5am and watch the Badjao as they prepared rice for their morning meal. It was fascinating to observe the difference between the two worlds. They couldnt comprehend the convenience of our world. In fact, the first day they arrived I found the three of them sitting in front of the washing machine, staring at it. They had never seen anything like it before. When I explained what it was and showed them the dishwasher they turned to me and asked but what does your wife do? The cultural differences were never so glaring than at that moment. Most Sundays I wake to hear my daughters talking loudly to their Badjao friends on Facebook messenger, asking questions about how they have been, telling them all about their own lives in Dublin and watching as the Badjao go out on skiffs for the day to catch their dinner. It has been the greatest learning of my life, working with the people of the Badjao tribe and it has really expanded my childrens concept of themselves and the world they live in. When I think about education and the importance of good education, I know those five weeks were more important for their development and sense of stewardship than any class could possibly teach them. I believe there is something magical about that tribe and how they live. They are only interested in family and love. There is no word in their dialect for suicide. And when you watch them interact with their ecology you see there is something special in that dynamic. A sense of harmony. Togetherness. Like they understand something about the environment that we dont. Read More Learner Dad: Our two spent an hour running in and out of the waves in the rain This is Ocean Week, and I thought it would be a nice idea to write about the Badjao because they have such a unique relationship with the ocean. Like any seafaring people, they rely on the ocean to survive. Of course, we all rely on the ocean to survive but we dont think like that because we have so many food sources. The ocean makes up 70% of the world's surface, and it is crucial for our survival on this planet. Oceans serve as an important barrier to global warming. It acts almost like a sponge, soaking up roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humans produce from their activity on the planet, such as factories and power plants, etc. This is hugely significant to our way of life on this planet, as the oceans function to regulate the heat of the planet. However, in recent times marine ecosystems have come under threat, due to plastic waste. We have seen the pictures of plastic pollution on our beaches and the impact that is having on marine life. So, we have all become more aware of the need to use compostable products. What better piece of data do we need than the ocean temperature rising, to tell us that we must start, in a very serious and deliberate way, to change our habits while we can. In family therapy we are always looking at feedback loops and what they are communicating to us in relation to the issue that the family is dealing with. Feedback is such an important part of understanding systems. We are receiving very clear feedback from our oceans that we need to look at how we are living. Our blue planet is suffering and clearly telling us that it is suffering, but are we listening? Living through a pandemic gives you an insight into what it would be like to live through global ecological collapse. We know that this particular virus will be dealt with when a vaccine is produced. We do not have such assurances about our climate and oceans. The light of hope is that we start to work in a collective meaningful way. This is the only approach to any imminent threat that jeopardises our existence on this planet. But the rhetoric coming from some of our world leaders gives us less reason to be hopeful. When I think about the Badjao and analyse their relationship with the ocean I see that they understand that all life comes from it and it is sacred and must be protected. We must start to think like the Badjao and protect our oceans. The first wildlife trip turned surreal for a Pune-based photographer who ended up clicking a semi melanistic leopard after a two-hour-long wait at Maharashtras Tadoba Reserve. Abhishek Pagnis, a Pune-based photographer spoke to ANI about his experience of clicking the wild cat which went viral on the web. It was my first ever wildlife trip where we were looking mostly for tigers. We started looking for leopard on our last day of safari after having enough sighting of tigers, said Pagnis. He shared that he had to wait for around two hours to get the perfect shot, which was taken around 5 pm in June. It's a melanistic leopard, which we call black panther. We had around 20 minutes of sighting, after waiting for over 2 hours. It was clicked in Maharashtra's Tadoba Reserve at around 5 pm in June: Abhishek Pagnis, a photographer from Pune who shot the viral black panther photo pic.twitter.com/RPOY6wJ7Ir ANI (@ANI) July 29, 2020 Speaking more about the experience, Pagnis said that before the leopard was sighted, he heard some alarming calls of the animals, including deers and langurs. The leopard was behind the bushes drinking water. We had 20 minutes of decent sighting followed by almost 15 minutes of very good sighting for photography, he added. In another incident earlier, a photograph of a black panther had created a stir on social media. Reacting to it, Pagnis said, That was a melanistic leopard, which is also known as a black panther and it was clicked in Karnatakas Kabini forest. However, who I captured was a semi melanistic leopard which is different from the other. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Three of the convicted appeared with visible bruises on their faces in a televised confession on Nov. 26, 2013, five days after the police officers killing and before their trial even began in blatant disregard of their right not to incriminate themselves, the group said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:57:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Thursday decided to extend the working hours to 1:00 a.m. local time every day for all economic sectors during Eid al-Adha, and the decision will be implemented from Thursday. Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade Tariq Hammouri said in a statement the decision was taken in coordination with the private sector to enable the public to buy their needs during the festival, and the curfew on movement will start from 2:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. Also the same day, Jordan's Health Ministry said four cases of coronavirus were reported in the country, increasing the tally to 1,191. The ministry added that 23 persons recovered, increasing the overall number of recoveries to 1,072. China has supported Jordan's fight against the pandemic. On May 31, China donated a batch of medical supplies to Jordan to help combat the coronavirus. Enditem Advertisement NASA's Perseverance rover went dark just a few hours after its successful launch to Mars, but officials established telemetry lock with the rover after reworking their ground systems. Matt Wallace, NASA's deputy project manager, said: 'All signs point to good health.' 'Perseverance's signal is extremely strong, and a bit overwhelming for the Deep Space Network's sensitive receiver.' NASA officials confirmed that the signal loss was due to the rover entering safe mode as a result of unexpected cold temperatures hitting the craft as it traveled through deep space. 'An interplanetary launch is fast-paced and dynamic, so a spacecraft is designed to put itself in safe mode if its onboard computer perceives conditions are not within its preset parameters,' NASA officials wrote in the statement. 'Right now, the Mars 2020 mission is completing a full health assessment on the spacecraft and is working to return the spacecraft to a nominal configuration for its journey to Mars.' The issue arose about an hour after Perseverance sent an acquisition signal back to Earth, providing communication with NASA and officially marking the start of interplanetary travel. Perseverance took off from Cape Canaveral Florida aboard a United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket at 7:50am ET to embark on its 314 million mile journey to Mars NASA hit a bump just a few hours after launching its Perseverance rover to Mars - it lost the craft's signal in deep space. However, the American space agency announced it established telemetry lock with the rover and should be able to verify the systems condition shortly NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein shared the communication problem during a post launch conference: 'The space craft right now is in deep space, it is a good distance from the Earth, but it is not the distance that we would normally be receiving from using the deep space network.' 'What this does it puts us in a position where the carrier wave, we have a strong signal, but we haven't been able to lock on to the modulator of that signal to receive the data.' 'This is not unusual, everything is going according to plan. We do need to find tune our receiving stations on the ground to capture that receiving signal and lock on. 'But I think we are in great shape.' Perseverance took off from Cape Canaveral Florida aboard a United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket at 7:50am ET to embark on its 314 million mile journey to Mars. The six-wheeled vehicle, which is the same size as a large car, is also accompanied by an autonomous four pound (1.8kg) helicopter called Ingenuity which will study Mars's atmosphere. Pictured, the moment the Atlas rocket launched from Cape Canaveral exactly on time. It will now go through space and arrive at Mars in February Pictured, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Perseverance sent an acquisition signal back to Earth that established communication with NASA and informed the ground team it is officially on the way to Mars The rover is due to land on February 18, 2021 at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake which was home to water 3.5 billion years ago. It will drill into Mars and collect geological specimens that will be cached across the planet and retrieved by a follow up mission around 2031. The initial launch date was July 17 and it was pushed back three times for various reasons before the agency settled on today as an ideal opportunity to launch. Ideal weather conditions saw the launch go off without a hitch. 'The public wants to see the US and our international partners do stunning things and we have a history of doing amazing things in the most challenging times,' Bridenstine said shortly before take-off. 'This is no different. We can only go to Mars once every 26 months when literally the planets are aligned and. if we missed this launch window, it would cost us half a billion dollars to store this vehicle for the next two years.' An hour after launch, the spacecraft carrying Perseverance and Ingenuity successfully separated from the Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur upper stage. Pictured is the acquisition signal sent to NASA on Earth from Perseverance Lift-off! The rocket launched exactly on time at 7:50am local time due to clear skies and no weather issues NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will be able to study, analyze and even collect samples of rock and soil from the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life. It also has a weather station, surface radar and panoramic camera onboard The mission's name was originally Mars 2020 but was renamed with the moniker Perseverance, following a contest that invited children to choose the official name. This title is increasingly apt and has taken on added meaning in the last few months, according to NASA officials, who say COVID-19 presented new hurdles. NASA has been gearing up for this mission for years and over the past few months it was looking grim for the American space agency. The coronavirus pandemic meant NASA scientists had to work in smaller teams, with some working from home, to meet the strict launch window deadline. Thursday's control room looked very different from previous launches - staff were wearing masks and sat spaced out to abide by social distancing policies. The virus also kept hundreds of scientists and other employees home during the historic launch. An hour after launch, the spacecraft carrying Perseverance and Ingenuity successfully separated from the Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur upper stage Crowds watched the NASA launch atCherie Down Park in Cape Canaveral, Florida, which gave them a great view of the event The original scheduled launch day was July 17, but due to ground system equipment problems involving a faulty crane the team pushed it to July 20 and then again to July 22. The push to July 30 was 'due to launch vehicle processing delays in preparation for spacecraft mate operations,' after an issue arose with a liquid oxygen sensor during a dress rehearsal for the launch, NASA said. Had today's launch been pushed back, NASA would have only had two weeks before Mars and Earth are no longer aligned in a way that makes the mission possible, meaning the launch would have been postponed until 2022. 'This is the ninth time we've landed on Mars, so we do have experience with it,' Bridenstine said yesterday. 'This is the first time in history where we're going to Mars with an explicit mission to find life on another world ancient life on Mars.' The view from the ground at Cape Canaveral as the NASA rocket carrying Perseverance launches into space and obscures the early morning sun in Florida NASA has sent its Perseverance rover to Mars (pictured is a model of the robot). The six-wheeled vehicle is currently at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as it waits to for its 314 million mile journey to the Red Planet Pictured, the flightpath of Perseverance. This illustration shows how the rover will reach the red planet and each TCM is a trajectory correction maneuvers where NASA will tweak the flight path to ensure the mission is on course The rover stands seven feet tall, is nine feet wide, weighs 2,260 pounds and relies on Curiosity's blueprint but has been tailored to be adept at collecting geological samples. It is powered by a nuclear battery which consists of 10.6 pounds of plutonium in a container roughly the size of a bucket. The plutonium provides 2,000 watts of thermal power and will last for around 14 years. Perseverance will hunt for 'biosignatures' of past microbial life and the rock samples will be picked up by another mission in 2026. The rover will drill into the dusty surface and gather material into titanium, germ free tubes that will be placed in the vehicle's belly there are a total of 43 tubes to fill. NASA aims to gather at least 20 samples with a variety of material that can be brought back to Earth for further analysis. NASA has teamed up with the European Space Agency for the follow up mission that would send two or more spacecraft in 2026. 'In 2026, we're going to launch a mission from Earth to Mars to go pick up those samples and bring them back to Earth,' Bridenstine said. 'For the first time in history, we're doing a Mars sample return mission.' To do this, a secondary goal of Perseverance is to investigate if materials found on Mars can be utilized to facilitate return missions. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stands next to a replica of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover during a press conference ahead of the launch Only eight missions have been able to descend to Mars, a feat that has been described as 'seven minutes of terror.' If the rover is able to make a successful landing, it will travel to Jezero Crater, which scientists speculate was once home to a lake 3.5 billion years ago This task is called the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) and is preparing for human exploration of Mars. One MOXIE goal is to conduct an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into rocket fuel. NASA is also looking ahead to future crewed missions to Mars and will use Perseverance's in-built laboratory features to see if breathable oxygen can be created from natural Martian resources. Once the first pieces of Mars land on Earth, which is expected to happen in 2031, scientists will cut the slabs into thin sheets of rock in order to determine if individual microbial cells are hiding in the samples. Perseverance is also fitted with other instruments, including advanced cameras, radar, and a laser. The rover will use its high-powered laser, called SuperCam, at the top of its mast to shoot high-energy pulses capable of vaporizing rocks up to 20 feet away. The laser beam heats the target to 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to transform the solid rock into plasma that can be imaged by a camera for further analysis. This instrument will help researchers identify minerals that are beyond the reach of the rover's robotic arm or in areas too steep for the rover to go. Although the rover is very similar in design to Curiosity, it has a new array of sensors and equipment, including, for the first time, microphones. These will record what the entry, descent and landing sounds like, as well as revealing any noises on the surface of Mars. NASA has sent a number of orbiters to Mars, which allowed them to find Perseverance's target the 28-mile Jezero Crater (pictured) The prized rover is not making the journey alone it will be accompanied by a helicopter named Ingenuity. NASA is comparing this mission 'to the Wright brothers moment,' as it will be the first time in history an aerial vehicle has flown on another world History of NASA landing on Mars The Red Planet's surface has been visited by eight NASA spacecraft and Perseverance the ninth will be the first that involves gathering samples to bring back to Earth. NASA says the mission will also demonstrate key technologies to help prepare for future robotic and human exploration possibly within a decade. The first landers to arrive on the Red Planet were Viking 1 and Viking 2, which landed in 1976 to look for signs of life. Although the technologies provided new insight of the Martian surface, they failed to uncover evidence of life. NASA's first Mars rover, Sojourner, landed in 1997. The agency has sent three others - Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity - since then. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. Advertisement One of the most complex maneuvers in Perseverance's journey will be what mission engineers call the 'seven minutes of terror'. This is when the robot endures extreme heat and velocity as it descends through the Martian atmosphere before landing. It will deploy a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to slow its approach and hopefully gently touch down on the planet's surface. It is the latest launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China. The recent spate of launches to Mars is because astronomers are keen to take advantage of a rare alignment in the orbits of Earth and Mars which makes the red planet relatively close and accessible for a period of a few weeks. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under a program that envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the more ambitious crewed journey to Mars. Matt Wallace, the Mars 2020 mission's deputy project manager at JPL, said: 'We're doing transformative science.' 'Really, for the first time, we're looking for signs of life on another planet, and for the first time we're going to collect samples that we hope will be part of the first sample return from another planet.' The Jezero crater has been identified as an ideal landing site because of what astronomers have found out about its past. The massive crater is said to have flowed with water and is littered with carbonates and hydrated silica. Carbonates located in the crater's inner rim have been found to survive in fossils on Earth for billions of years and hydrated silica was discovered in the delta that is known for its ability to preserve biosignatures. NASA is sending the Ingenuity helicopter along for the ride alongside Perseverance and it is tasked with investigating Mars's atmosphere. The copter will fly at an altitude that is similar to 100,000 feet on Earth, allowing it to gather geology data in areas the rover is unable to travel. This exceptional height is made possible due to the thin atmosphere on Mars, which is just 1/1,000 as thick as Earth's. Its two levels of blades will rotate in opposite directions at up to 2,400 rpm. This will be the first time a terrestrial helicopter has not only flown at such altitudes, but also the first time it will take flight on another planet. 'Since the Wright brothers first took to the skies of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, December 17, 1903, first flights have been important milestones in the life of any vehicle designed for air travel,' NASA said in a statement. Speaking at Wednesday's press conference, Bridenstine said: 'Ingenuity is going to transform how we think about exploring worlds in the future.' ONE thing weve learned this year is that global pandemics have a big effect on teaching and learning. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion ONE thing weve learned this year is that global pandemics have a big effect on teaching and learning. In mid-March, regular kindergarten-to-Grade-12 classes across Canada were suspended and instruction moved online. While schools in some provinces partially reopened in June, this doesnt mean things are back to normal. Students gained limited access to schools in order to meet with teachers and complete assessments but regular in-class instruction in most provinces wont resume until the fall. However, some politicians apparently want fall classes to be suspended as well. For example, Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew recently posted a tweet asking why the Manitoba government was planning to resume regular classes in schools this fall when colleges and universities were putting their courses online. The answer is obvious: kindergarten-to-Grade-12 students arent university students. Theres a world of a difference between a first-year university student taking a biology course and a Grade 1 student learning how to read. Anyone who works with children in school would know this. Students learn best when they develop strong personal connections with their teachers. The only reason emergency remote learning wasnt a disaster this spring was because teachers could lean heavily on the relationships they had built with students over the course of a school year. Fortunately, the best scientific evidence now indicates school-age children are less likely to contract COVID-19 or develop serious complications from the virus than anyone else. If its safe for children to visit grocery stores and hang out in malls, it should be safe for them to attend school. Its a lot more feasible to finish a school year using remote learning than it would be to start a school year this way. The same is true of hybrid measures such as staggered school days in which students attend school on a rotating basis and do the remainder of their learning at home. Not only would this be a logistical nightmare for schools, its effectiveness would be limited. Thats because physical distancing measures at school are more symbolic than anything else. Kids will come into contact with each other during the school day no matter what rules we put in place. Fortunately, the best scientific evidence now indicates school-age children are less likely to contract COVID-19 or develop serious complications from the virus than anyone else. If its safe for children to visit grocery stores and hang out in malls, it should be safe for them to attend school. Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. In addition, we need to stop dwelling on worst-case scenarios and instead look at the local context. In most areas of the nation, the active COVID-19 caseload remains exceptionally low. The whole point of physical distancing restrictions was to flatten the curve so our hospitals dont become overwhelmed with critically ill patients. So far, that goal has been achieved. Even so, COVID-19 isnt going away soon. Most experts say it will be at least a year, and probably much longer, before a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. Obviously, students need to get back to regular classes a whole lot sooner than that. While we want to keep students safe, its important to recognize that safe doesnt mean zero risk. Everything we do in life involves some level of risk. There has never been a time in history when schools have been completely risk-free. Canadian students have missed out on enough learning this year. By the time fall arrives, lets hope students are back in regular classes. Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher, a research fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and author of A Sage on the Stage: Common Sense Reflections on Teaching and Learning. Troy Media An Ohio family struggling to break through the financial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic got an unexpected surprise from their landlord. Wes Moberly, who was laid off over two months ago from his IT job, failed to pay the rent for June and July. When the financially broke father of 5-year-old twins saw the landlord knocking on the door, he thought his family was in some trouble. Im worried about borrowing money from people to get my phone line turned back on, worrying about when my internet is going to get disconnected because then I cant even do freelance work, or, if I get a job, I wont be able to do that, Moberly told WKRC-TV. Struggling to provide for his family with his almost depleted savings, Moberly was left with almost no money to pay the rent on time. Unaware of the financial bottleneck the Moberly family was stuck in, landlord Ellery Lewis visited them to find out why they missed paying the rent for two months in a row. They always pay their rent on time. They paid in May, and then June came and then July and I had not heard from them, Lewis told the outlet. Lewis then came up with an on-the-spot brilliant act of generosity after learning of the Moberly familys hardships: he not only allowed the family to live in his house for free but also gave them $100 in cash. [Moberly] has two daughters, Lewis said. I happen to have two daughters as well, so I put myself in his shoes, and if I was in his shoes, I would want someone to do the same for me. The unexpected gesture of kindness brought much-needed relief to the Moberly family. The generosity came at the right time for the struggling family as Moberly said he had zero dollars left at that point. [N]ow that we dont have to worry about that for the time being, thats just a mountain of stress off my shoulders, Moberly said. Meanwhile, the Hamilton County commissioners have announced a rent-relief program for families who lost income due to the COVID-19 crisis (pdf). The county is spending $3.5 million of federal CARES Act funding to support people with their rent and utility payments. Under the program, the county will pay up to three months rent and utility payments, with a maximum of $2,500 for households at or below 80 percent of the area median income, Commission President Denise Driehaus said during a press conference. Lewiss selfless act provided them the assurance and hope during the trying times. The generous landlord told the media outlet that he has other tenets too who are struggling to put together the money to pay off their rent. He said he is working on plans to help ease their burden during this pandemic. Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you, Lewis said. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday claimed that actor Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered and provided several probable evidences along with his remarks to support the theory. Taking to Twitter, Swamy tweeted a photo which noted 26 evidences which either support the suicide theory or the the murder theory. In Swamy's photo, 24 out of the 26 evidences pointed towards Sushant being murdered. Why I think Sushanth Singh Rajput was murdered pic.twitter.com/GROSgMYYwE Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) July 30, 2020 While Sushant's reported struggle with depression and his non-existence on social media pointed towards the suicide theory, Swamy noted that the location, length of ligature mark, mark on the neck not matching with the cloth used, various marks on the body, CCTV outage, missing room duplicate key, manager Disha Salian's suicide, changing SIM card, no financial crisis, servant changing statement, among other things pointed towards the murder theory. Swamy's tweet came just a day after Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh denied a CBI probe into the matter. Moreover, Swamy reiterated his demand for a CBI probe into the case, adding that if Bihar Police want to investigate then CBI will have to be called in as two state police's cannot investigate a case separately. Earlier, the maverick BJP MP had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a CBI probe into the matter. In his letter, Swamy had alleged that big names in Bollywood were trying to cover up the death of the Dil Bechara actor. Sushant was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai on June 15. Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati,too, demanded a CBI probe into the death. Mayawati tweeted on Thursday: "The case of death of young actor of Bihar origin Sushant Singh Rajput is getting murkier following new facts emerging every day and his father filing an FIR with Patna police. Now it would be better if the case was investigated by the CBI instead of Maharashtra and Bihar police." This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education , Ben Goong. File photo According to The PUNCH, the Federal Government on Wednesday says this years National Common Entrance Examination organised by the National Examination Council will hold on October 17. This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong. In the statement titled, FG Rolls Out Schedule For National Examination, the ministry added that the Basic Education Certificate Examinations for JSS 3 pupils also organised by NECO would commence effective August 24 and end September 7. The PUNCH had earlier reported that FG asked all graduating pupils in the country to resume August 4 while announcing that this years West African Senior School Certificate Examination would commence on August 17. Details later The department's handling of the roads resurfacing tender has been criticised A Stormont department committed a "manifest error" in the tendering competition for multi-million pound deals to resurface Northern Ireland's roads, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Horner also identified a lack of transparency in a process where one firm was awarded more contracts than it had the resources to carry out. In a critical assessment, he found no satisfactory explanation for the lack of any minutes from a meeting about the procurement exercise. The verdict came in a legal action by civil engineering company Northstone (NI) Ltd. Northstone is suing the former Department for Regional Development (DRD) over its handling of a tendering competition for public road resurfacing. Proceedings centre on eight contracts awarded in 2015 to carry out work across Northern Ireland, with a total estimated annual value of up to 52million. The object of the exercise was to find the most economically advantageous tender for each contract, based on a criteria where price was weighted at 70% and quality 30%. Instructions provided for bidding firms set out how successful operators were expected to have enough skilled and available resources to work at more than one location. Multiple tender submissions also had to include separate and complete packages for each contract. A marking system was used to evaluate the quality of bids. Operators able to demonstrate excellent equipment and resources would score five out of five. Northstone was ranked first in one of the eight contracts it tendered for, coming second or third in all the rest. Another firm who bid for seven contacts obtained top ranking in six. The court heard that company was awarded five out of five responses despite identical submissions and duplicating personnel and plant for each competition. This apparently meant it could provide site engineers for four contracts at most. A meeting involving departmental officials to discuss multiple awards was held in September 1015, but no minutes were provided. Mr Justice Horner said he had difficulty understanding why no record of any discussion about the issue of duplication in the six contracts was available. "This is a telling omission," he said. "If minutes had been taken and lost I would have expected to be told this in no uncertain terms. "The other alternative explanations are that there are minutes but that as these undermine DRD's defence they have not been disclosed. "Alternatively, the decision to keep no minutes was a deliberate one because DRD was fearful of creating a hostage to fortune. "Neither of these explanations reflect well on DRD." The court was told the Department - and the Northern Ireland Civil Service in Northern Ireland - had no policy for when meetings should be recorded. If correct, the judge stressed, plans need to be drawn up. "The DRD should be accountable to the tax payer and its decision should be transparent and lawful," he said. "The records of its meetings, especially where they relate to the award of contracts worth millions of pounds, should be accurately minuted as a matter of course. "In this instance I was offered no explanation other than it was informal meeting. I do not accept that this an adequate or acceptable explanation." Ultimately, the firm which achieved top-ranking for six of the contracts withdrew from two of them. According to the judge it never intended to be successful in all tenders, and was probably as surprised as the Department at the outcome of the competitions. That company's actions "spared the DRD its blushes", allowing the resurfacing awards to be announced. Northstone is seeking damages if it can prove the Department acted unlawfully in the awards to other contractors. But at this stage Mr Justice Horner was only dealing with any flaws in the marking process, and an alleged breach of equal treatment in resolving concerns about a capacity to perform multiple contracts. He ruled that the Department should have been alert to the rival firm's inability to perform more than four contracts. Competition rules were found to be "opaque, imprecise, equivocal and lacking in detail". A company won six out out of the seven contracts bid for with identical tenders, the judge pointed out, but only had the resources for four. "There was a manifest error made by the DRD in giving... a mark of excellence in two answers in three contracts," the judge held. The department then permitted it to withdraw from two of them before the awards were made. "The treatment of the unsuccessful runners-up was unequal and discriminatory," he added. With the firm able to select which contracts it would carry out, Mr Justice Horner said the treatment of unsuccessful runners-up had been discriminatory. He concluded: "There was a lack of transparency, unequal treatment and breach of the principle of non-discrimination." MPs have accused the government of being detached from reality after it prioritised premium food retailers like Marks & Spencer and Waitrose over discount chains for inclusion in its free school meal voucher programme. The Commons Environment and Food Committee said the system, designed to ensure children from low income families were fed while schools were closed for the pandemic, was set up with commendable speed in response to the pandemic. But they criticised the design of the scheme, which meant the vouchers initially could not be used at supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl or local corner shops, but could be spent at M&S and Waitrose where the vouchers would buy significant less. MPs accepted that some teething problems were inevitable with the scheme, but said they were disappointed at the apparent lack of willingness to quickly adapt the scheme in response to the issues that emerged. The system has been beset by significant problems, ultimately leading to about a third of children experiencing greater food insecurity in the first month, they said in a report released on Thursday after taking evidence from food poverty experts. A particular problem was the governments immediate reliance on the larger retailers to participate in the scheme, with discounters and convenience stores excluded for technical reasons, even when they were able to offer workable voucher schemes which would have helped more children. There was a need for closer collaboration on the part of both government and retailers. The government did not sufficiently consider the realities of where families dependent on free school meals were most likely to shop for food. Although more retailers were added to the scheme, we consider that this took too long. The MPs are calling on the government to appoint a minister to food security and consult on whether a right to food should be enshrined in legislation. And they said the food insecurity situation exacerbated by the pandemic was likely to get worse before it got better. Stephanie Wood, CEO of the charity School Food Matters, told the committee in evidence that lots of people are really angry that DfE has defaulted to the big six supermarkets, two of which are really irrelevant when it comes to families on low income: Marks & Sparks and Waitrose. The Childrens Food Campaign and School Food Matters had told the committee that many lower income families are likely to shop at Aldi, Lidl, Co-op or chains of independent/convenience stores. Other problems included the fact that few of the retailers on the scheme allowed vouchers to be redeemed online, but those that did often had a significant minimum spend, making them prohibitively expensive for families with stretched budgets. After a significant delay Aldi, McColls, Iceland and the Company Shop group eventually joined the scheme. Coronavirus: The global gap in education Show all 12 1 /12 Coronavirus: The global gap in education Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Paddy Dowling/EAA Coronavirus: The global gap in education Photos Paddy Dowling/EAA Neil Parish, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, said: The lockdown may have eased, but problems with food security are far from over. Food banks and other food redistribution organisations have reacted heroically to a shocking spike in demand for food aid, but this problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. It is therefore essential that the government appoints a new minister for food security who will stop this issue falling between the cracks. The governments actions to lock-down the country and close businesses were necessary, but they had huge impacts on the food sector and on food security. Defras response once the crisis hit was commendable, but despite warnings from other countries, it seemed as though the government was constantly playing catch-up in trying to support the food industry during this crisis. The pandemic also highlighted our reliance on key workers, and I unreservedly thank those in the food supply chain whose work kept the nation fed throughout the crisis. In the future, the government will need to communicate better with the public. The voucher scheme for free school meals failed to recognise where families using them were likely to shop and encouraging everyone to shop online, when supermarkets had warned they would struggle to meet demand, set the scene for public frustration. We want the government to learn lessons for the future. Government says it worked hard to ensure as many supermarkets as possible could be part of the scheme. A government spokesperson said: As we have seen in recent months, the UK has a large, diverse and highly resilient food supply chain which is able to cope with unprecedented pressures. During this time the government has worked closely with the food industry to prepare for a range of scenarios and has invested record levels of funding to help people get the food they need. Our Covid-19 taskforce has also brought together expertise across government to tackle the extraordinary circumstances of this pandemic and ensure those most vulnerable in our society are protected. Largest Online Job Site in Greece Primed to Continue to Support Employers and Job Seekers CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global HR technology leader CareerBuilder announced today that it has sold its ownership of online job board kariera.gr to a group of local Greek investors, including Mr. Theofilos Vasileiadis, a talent acquisition industry veteran and serial entrepreneur. Originally acquired by CareerBuilder in 2007 from its founders, Vasileiadis and Mr. Fanis Rigas, kariera.gr is the largest job site in Greece and has operated in the job market since 1997. CareerBuilder retained the kariera.gr brand name due to its strength and recognition in the marketplace and the site will again continue to operate as kariera.gr under the new ownership. Through an on-going partnership agreement, kariera.gr will continue to offer a range of CareerBuilder services to clients including custom career sites, Talent Network, CBAT and Social Referral. "Kariera.gr has experienced significant growth while under CareerBuilder's leadership, showing a 42% increase in revenue over the last decade and a 15% increase in total number of clients in the last two years alone," commented Mary Delaney, President of International, CareerBuilder. "This was a unique situation in having an original owner approach us to reacquire kariera.gr with an interest to have this brand once again be Greek owned. We were able to structure a unique partnership agreement where kariera.gr clients will continue to have access to CareerBuilder software solutions. Given Vasileiadis' excitement to continue the forward momentum, his knowledge of the local market and experience in this space, in combination with an excellent team of local leaders, we feel confident that the transition of ownership will be smooth for our clients. The industry-leading customer service and performance they have come to expect from kariera.gr will undoubtedly be maintained." "Kariera.gr bears the history of almost 25 years of hard work from the founding team and the exceptional professionals who work there, and this was the driving force behind my initiative to approach CareerBuilder regarding a desire to regain ownership of the company. The investment and growth the site has experienced over the last 13 years have only furthered its position as a market leader. I am excited by the opportunity our team will have as we continue to support companies and job seekers in Greece and play a role in supporting the growth of our local economy," commented Theofilos Vasileiadis. CareerBuilder's growth has been driven by the organization's commitment to providing innovative, best-in-class solutions that connect job seekers with meaningful employment and help employers find quality candidates to quickly fill positions and build a strong talent pipeline. In addition to being the largest online job site in the country, kariera.gr is known for Career Days, the biggest career fair in Athens and Salonica that has been hosted annually since 1998; Developers Day, the largest annual recruitment fair for the IT sector that launched in 2010; an annual survey that details job seeking trends, "Career & Gen Y", that launched in 2014 in partnership with Athens University of Economics & Business; and its awarding-winning Coding School that combines education, networking and specialization in new technologies within the labor market, launched in 2016. CareerBuilder will continue to maintain international operations, with talent acquisition and software solutions being provided in the USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, Vietnam, India, Singapore and Australia. PJT Partners is serving as financial advisor to CareerBuilder. About CareerBuilder CareerBuilder is a global technology company that provides end-to-end talent acquisition solutions to help employers find, hire and onboard great talent, and helps job seekers build new skills and progressive careers as the modern world of work changes. An industry disruptor for nearly 25 years, CareerBuilder is the only company that offers both software and services to cover every step of the Hello To Hire process, enabling its customers to free up valuable resources across their HR tech supply chain to drive their business forward. CareerBuilder operates in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia and is the largest provider of AI-powered hiring solutions serving the majority of the Fortune 500 across five specialized markets. CareerBuilder is majority-owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. For more information, visit CareerBuilder.com for a great candidate experience and hiring.careerbuilder.com to learn more about our solutions for employers. Media Contact Steph Rosenblum CareerBuilder@5WPR.com 646.843.1822 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/816249/CareerBuilder_Logo.jpg Orange County's Board of Education voted 4-0 to file a lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen schools closed by mandate. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) The Orange County Board of Education doubled down on its battle with California Gov. Gavin Newsoms coronavirus school closure orders, voting to sue the governor in an effort to open campuses across high-risk counties. Law firm Tyler & Bursch, which is currently suing Newsom over another coronavirus rule temporarily banning singing in churches, announced Wednesday it would represent the county board pro bono. The decision to sue during a closed session vote Tuesday night comes after the board approved recommendations on July 13 calling for Orange County schools to teach students in person and suggested guidelines against students wearing masks and social distancing. Four days later, Newsom issued new rules mandating that schools in counties being monitored by the state for high COVID-19 spread remain closed, including those in Orange County. The lawsuit decision was criticized as a political stunt by Orange County Supt. Al Mijares, who oversees the countys separate Department of Education. I am disappointed by this latest legal action, but not surprised, Mijares said in a Wednesday statement. This lawsuit continues the pattern of a highly litigious board majority that seems to have no qualms about diverting time, energy and financial resources from students and programs to satisfy their own ideological interests. Jesse Melgar, spokesperson for the governor, said Newsom's decisions during the pandemic are driven by science. "Courts have repeatedly upheld the governors emergency authority to issue orders protecting public health in the face of this devastating virus," Melgar said. "We are confident that will again be the case here. Despite the board votes, the county education department will promote the governors school closure orders, said Nichole Pichardo, department spokesperson. She pointed out that neither the board's decision to file suit nor its recommendation to return children to schools without masks or social distancing sets policy for many school districts overseen by the board and Department of Education. Story continues The board majoritys recommendations are not binding in any way. Local school boards will play a role that is paramount to reopening the countys 600 campuses safely and responsibly. They will work with their superintendents, staff and families to evaluate guidance and implement plans specific to their districts based on the needs of their schools and communities, she said. Tyler & Bursch attorneys Robert Tyler and Jennifer Bursch suggested the impending lawsuit would argue that school closures violate Californias Constitution by disproportionately harming marginalized children. California children have a constitutional right to both an education and equal protection under the law. The governor denied them these rights and did so without adequately considering the disparate impact these restrictions would have on the disadvantaged, Bursch said. Tyler said the ban will cause tens of thousands of kids to fall through the cracks and, in many cases, will be harmed for life. Across California, the coronavirus is disproportionately infecting and killing Black and Latino people. The boards fifth member, Beckie Gomez, was absent from the meeting. Gomez was the only member to vote against the boards controversial school reopening recommendations earlier in the month. Law firm spokesperson Desare Ferraro said board members who voted to file suit were not taking questions about their decision but shared their written statements. Member Tim Shaw argued the districts many Spanish speaking parents may struggle to help students engaging with English materials if schools arent in session. Lisa Sparks said not returning to school would take a toll on students mental health. Board President Ken Williams and Vice President Mari Barke cited community discussion, data review and consultation with experts to justify their votes, apparently referencing the controversial white paper the board published to recommend schools reopen in person, which was attached to the bottom of the release. A board statement said the paper summarizes experts testimony on the best and most efficacious ways to consider as we move toward reopening schools from a June panel discussion. Some of the experts cited have denied or downplayed their contributions to the report. The Voice of OC reported that Dr. Steven Abelowitz, former pediatric chair at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, said he was not involved in writing or preparing the paper, asked that his name be removed and expressed support for masks and social distancing. Chapman professor Joel Kotkin, also cited, told The Times he "had no idea about" the "white paper" until his wife showed him an article that mentioned it. "I was shocked by the lack of precautions and no alternative for parents who understandably might not want to send their kids to school," Kotkin said. Two more experts cited Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner and health director Dr. Clayton Chau said in a joint statement that they did not write, edit, or review the 'white paper' the Orange County Board of Education brought forward. In the letter, Wagner and Chau showed support for the Department of Educations plan, which aligned with the California Department of Public Health and stressed the importance of social distancing and face coverings when schools are able to offer in-person classes. Abelowitz and Chau did not immediately respond to comment Wednesday. Wagner offered support for in-person classes in a written statement. The science says young children should be in school and teachers, like other essential workers, can implement protective measures, Wagner said. We can create hygiene protocols for individual schools rather than insisting on a top down, one-size-fits-all approach that the state currently dictates. Tyler & Bursch will bring the lawsuit with Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a nonprofit law firm that Tyler & Bursch supports financially and legally. Ferraro said the firm expects to file the lawsuit next week, but added that it is unclear how long the suit will take to pass through the court system because of coronavirus slowdowns. (CNN) The Perseverance rover and its Ingenuity helicopter are finally on the journey to Mars. The spacecraft carrying the rover and helicopter successfully launched to Mars Thursday morning aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7:50 a.m. ET. The team in the control center at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirmed they received the spacecraft's signal shortly after 9 a.m. ET. "This signifies that JPL's deep space network has locked on to the spacecraft, which is on its journey to Mars," said Omar Baez, launch manager at NASA's Launch Services Program. During a press conference after the launch, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine shared the news that teams were working to configure the ground stations of the Deep Space Network to match the spacecraft's signal after a slight issue this morning. But it's a familiar issue for previous missions heading to Mars, like Curiosity's launch during 2011. But Matt Wallace, deputy project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, shared during the presser that the team had managed to lock on to the spacecraft's telemetry and "will start to get information very soon. All the indications we have are that the spacecraft is just fine," he said. The Deep Space Network is designed to communicate with spacecraft that are at a great distance from Earth, like the Voyager probes, which are tens of billions of miles away. As the spacecraft gets further away from Earth, the reception at the radio signals at the ground stations will improve. The Perseverance Twitter account, managed by NASA's social team, shared, "I am healthy and on my way to Mars, but may be too loud for the antennas on Earth while I'm so close. Ground stations are working to match my signal strength so that I can communicate clearly with my team." Bridenstine also tweeted, "We had a good launch this morning, we're right on course for Mars and signal from @NASAPersevere is strong. We are working to configure the ground stations to match the strength of the spacecraft signal. This scenario is one we've worked through in the past with other missions." The spacecraft will receive a "full health assessment" when the information from it is returned. It briefly entered safe mode and part of it was a little colder than expected as it traveled through Earth's shadow, Wallace said. Students Alex Mather and Vaneeza Rupani, who named the rover and its accompanying helicopter during two national contests earlier this year, were present for the launch. The control center at JPL in Pasadena, California did experience some earthquake activity ahead of the launch this morning, but it did not impact the launch. "With the launch of Perseverance, we begin another historic mission of exploration," Bridenstine said. "This amazing explorer's journey has already required the very best from all of us to get it to launch through these challenging times. Now we can look forward to its incredible science and to bringing samples of Mars home even as we advance human missions to the Red Planet. As a mission, as an agency, and as a country, we will persevere." After traveling through space for about seven months, Perseverance is scheduled to land at Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18, 2021. The Mars 2020 mission launch occurs after nearly a decade of hard work and planning by thousands of engineers, scientists and specialists at NASA centers across the country and their commercial partners. During the final stages of mission preparation, teams had to manage the difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic. "I really just cannot say enough about how incredible this team was," said Michael Watkins, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "They really knuckled down and completed this on schedule and we are ready to go. NASA really came together as a family and really it's just been a surprisingly smooth experience given all the troubles with Covid." As many at NASA have said, the rover truly lives up to its name. It's one of three missions, including China's Tianwen-1 (which is carrying a rover) and United Arab Emirates' Hope Probe, that will have launched to Mars this summer. That's because opportunities to launch to Mars occur every 26 months when the Earth and Mars are in alignment on the same side of the sun, allowing for shorter trip times and less fuel. Perseverance is carrying the names of 11 million people who submitted to NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign, as well as a plaque honoring global health care workers amid the pandemic -- and some celestially inspiring art. It's NASA's ninth mission to land on the red planet and its fifth rover. Perseverance's design and new capabilities build on lessons learned from previous rovers. This rover is designed to act as an astrobiologist, studying an intriguing site on Mars for signs of ancient life. A second "brain" on the rover will help Perseverance to land in what would have been an impossible site before, strewn with hazards and obstacles. This Terrain Relative Navigation instrument will help Perseverance autonomously determine the safest place to land itself. Once on the surface of Mars, that computer will help the rover to "think while driving." The rover will use a suite of new scientific instruments to explore Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient lake and river delta on Mars. The lake existed between 3.5 billion and 4 billion years ago when Mars was wetter, warmer and habitable. Perseverance will search for signs of ancient microbial life that may have once existed on Mars during this time. It will collect and cache samples of rock cores and soil to be retrieved and returned to Earth by future planned missions. They will be the first Martian samples, apart from Martian meteorites, to be returned to Earth. The samples are expected back on Earth by 2031 at the earliest, due to the complicated nature of the missions that will need to retrieve the samples before sending them back to Earth. But once the samples have returned, the true quest to understand if life once existed on Mars could finally have an answer. The rover isn't traveling alone. Along for the ride is Ingenuity, the first helicopter that will fly on another planet, which will conduct as many as five test flights in the thin Martian atmosphere. If successful, this lightweight technology demonstration could lead to similar designs that are deployed as scouts on future missions. Perseverance promises to be an exciting two-year mission that will provide new perspectives of Mars. The rover has 23 cameras, some of which will be active during its harrowing entry, descent and landing. Many of these cameras are color, while some have new zoom capabilities and can even capture video. The rover will also be able to "hear" Mars for the first time and is carrying two microphones to share the sounds of the red planet and even itself as the rover's wheels crunch across the rocky surface. And Perseverance will even test technology that could be used to assist future human missions to Mars, including an oxygen generator, a spacesuit material experiment and instruments that can help to better understand the dust, climate and environment on Mars. "This mission is special for a lot of reasons," Wallace said. "We're doing transformative science and looking for signs of life on another planet, among a lot of other firsts." This story was first published on CNN.com "Mars launch: NASA sends Perseverance rover to space." Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:57:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TIRANA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Albanian parliament approved here on Thursday amendments to Articles 64 and 68 of the country's constitution that enable elections with open lists of candidates and remove the right of political parties to compete in elections through coalitions. The vote in the 140-seat parliament was 106 in favour and 10 against. Addressing the assembly, Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the amendments, saying that the vote "means being on the right side of history and strengthening democracy in the country." In a message addressed to the international community, Rama said that the Albanian parliament and government are sovereign entities, and that it is up to Albania to choose to change its constitution and electoral system without the involvement of anyone else. "Our friends and partners must hear that this is a decision of the Albanian parliament and it's up to us what we do with the electoral system. It is a decision that we do not have to share either with the American ambassador or the European Union ambassador," Rama said. Reacting to Thursday's vote, President Ilir Meta called the approval of the amendments "unconstitutional and unacceptable." "The violent change of the constitution killed the consensual agreements of Jan. 14 and June 5, which enabled an inclusive process and outcome, blowing therefore established trust between the parties, social peace and the European integration process of Albania," Meta said. "The president...will always be on duty protecting the constitution, the unalienable rights and will of citizens to take their destiny in their hands," Meta added. Earlier, representatives of the international community in Albania had warned that discussions about the proposed constitutional amendments must be inclusive. The main opposition Democratic Party and other opposition parties, whose MPs have resigned from their seats since the beginning of 2019, have strongly opposed the proposed amendments, arguing that the Socialist majority was making a unilateral decision. The previous electoral system in Albania was a proportional regional one with closed candidate lists. Enditem Louie Gohmert Eric Holder asparagus AP Rep. Louie Gohmert suggested he contracted the coronavirus because he wore a face mask, even though he's regularly refused to wear a mask. "When I have a mask on, I'm moving it to make it comfortable, and I can't help but wonder if that put some germs in the mask," Gohmert said. Gohmert was regularly seen not wearing a mask or social distancing from staffers and colleagues while on the House floor and in and around the Capitol. He tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, suggested he contracted the coronavirus because he wore a face mask, despite the fact that he's refused to wear a mask while not social distancing from others around the Capitol. "When I have a mask on, I'm moving it to make it comfortable, and I can't help but wonder if that put some germs in the mask," Gohmert said in a video he posted on social media announcing his positive test results. Gohmert was regularly seen not wearing a mask or social distancing from staffers and colleagues while on the House floor and in and around the Capitol. He tested positive for the virus at the White House on Wednesday. Overwhelming scientific evidence has shown that face masks significantly reduce the chance of a person spreading or being infected by the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci and other public-health and infectious-disease experts have repeatedly stressed that all Americans should wear masks when they cannot social distance and when they're in indoor places outside the home. Gohmert has defended not wearing a mask even when he's not able to socially distance. In an interview with CNN last month, he said he'd regularly wear a face covering only if he contracted the virus. Story continues "I don't have the coronavirus. Turns out, as of yesterday, I've never had it," he said. "But if I get it, you'll never see me without a mask." Politico reported on Wednesday that a Gohmert aide said the congressman required his entire staff to work in person from his congressional office and suggested that Gohmert "berated" staffers for wearing masks. The 66-year-old congressman was planning to fly to Texas on Wednesday morning with President Donald Trump but tested positive twice during a screening beforehand at the White House. Gohmert informed his congressional staff of his diagnosis during an in-person meeting on Wednesday morning, Politico's Jake Sherman said on Twitter. Read the original article on Business Insider However, I want to emphasize to this writer that it is wrong for people to kill anybody whether green, black, white or brown. I dont know if the writer is aware of all the protests in the Black community by ministers, politicians, civic groups and others about these shootings in the community. I dont know the skin color of the writer or his political persuasion, but all I can think of is him being ignorant of what goes on in other communities besides his. All that Blacks were protesting for is equal treatment of the law as enshrined in the Constitution and nothing more or less. I think if the writer had gone through some of the horrible things that happened to people, he wouldnt think this way. Just two days after 24 legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were named to head various boards and corporations run by the Karnataka government, there is mounting speculation that changes are in the offing for the saffron party-led government, including a cabinet expansion and reshuffle. Eight term legislator and ministerial aspirant Umesh Katti, speaking to reporters in Chikkodi on Wednesday, said that the time is not far off when he and G H Thippa Reddy would-be ministers. Thippa Reddy is a BJP MLA from Chitradurga and was amongst the 24 nominated to head various boards and corporations. He had, however, rejected the offer to head the Devraj Urs Backward Classes Corporation saying the offer was an insult to him as he was a senior MLA and a ministerial aspirant. Subsequently, four names, including him, that had been announced were withdrawn by the government. Katti hinted that he and Thippa Reddy would be amongst those who would join the cabinet during the upcoming reshuffle. It is the prerogative of the CM to decide on the cabinet. I am confident that both Thippa Reddy and I, who are senior MLAs, will be in the cabinet shortly. Also read: HD Kumaraswamys Rajasthan comment sparks Twitter war with Congress Meanwhile, a couple of cabinet ministers in the Yediyurappa ministry rushed to Delhi to meet the leaders of the BJP high command. Deputy CM Lakshman Savadi, who is camping in Delhi for the last three days, speaking to reporters said that he was not an aspirant for the CMs post and Yediyurappa would continue in that position for the next three years. He also claimed that he was not in the national capital to lobby for any position but to meet union ministers regarding pending works of his department. Savadi handles the transport portfolio. Shashikalla Jolle, minister of women and child development also rushed to Delhi to meet party leaders. Several loyalist MLAs of the party are also upset at being offered insignificant and non-lucrative chairmanships of boards and corporations while defectors from Congress and JDS have been made ministers. Apart from Thippa Reddy, Mudigere MLA MP Kumaraswamy too had publicly expressed his unhappiness. Kumaraswamy refused to become the Chairman of Karnataka Marketing and Consulting Agencies Ltd saying he does not want the position and had even boycotted the first expansion of the Yediyurappa cabinet after being denied a berth. A senior cabinet minister speaking to HT on condition of anonymity said, Four to six minister may be dropped and others were given an opportunity. Talk of the CM himself being replaced is all hogwash. At least immediately it will not happen. Noted political analyst professor Harish Ramaswamy said that the BJP in Karnataka had a task on its hands in finding a successor to Yediyurappa as well as in keeping MLAs who have been with the party for a long time happy. To form the government, the defectors were rewarded with ministerships and now there is a backlash from the loyalists. The party has to do a delicate balancing act even as in the mid to long term it has to find a successor to replace Yediyurappa. An Idaho music teacher has lost her job after saying Boise's 'white supremacist hater a**' mayor should 'get laid by BLM members' in a Facebook post. Rita Soltesz worked her last day at the Idaho Fine Arts Academy and Eagle Middle School Friday after commenting on a news story about Lauren McLean on July 18. Replying to an article about McLean's criticism of white supremacists who attended a Black Lives Matter protest, Soltesz wrote: 'Her white supremacist hater a** needs to get laid! by BLM members. Should be group activity and make it go viral! I'm still deciding if they should wear masks during the activity.' Her Facebook post was seen by district officials and parents and school officials confirmed the district would be taking 'immediate action'. Rita Soltesz, left, worked her last day at the Idaho Fine Arts Academy and Eagle Middle School Friday after commenting on a news story about Lauren McLean, right, on July 18 Replying to an article about McLean's criticism of white supremacists who attended a Black Lives Matter protest, Soltesz wrote: 'Her white supremacist hater a** needs to get laid! by BLM members. Should be group activity and make it go viral! I'm still deciding if they should wear masks during the activity' It is not known if Soltesz was fired or if she resigned. A decision was made July 24. Her bio and details had already been removed the district website last week. West Ada School District spokesman Eric Exline said: 'We have received a number of emails from concerned parents and we share their concerns. The statements in the post don't reflect the values of the West Ada School District.' The article Soltesz engaged with was referencing a move to remove McLean from her position as mayor. IFAA Secretary Cynthia Anderson told KTVB: 'My heart dropped when I saw this. This is not what we represent and will not stand for it.' IFAA Principal Christian Housel added: 'The Facebook post by one of IFAAs staff does not reflect the values of our school or the West Ada School District.' The Chief Executive of the Ketu South Municipal Assembly, Elliot Edem Agbenowu says claims that the Volta Regional Minister, Archibald Letsa visited the municipality on Wednesday in the company of dozens of military officers to intimidate registrants in the ongoing voter registration exercise are pure lies. Speaking on Eyewitness News, he said Mr. Letsa was instead in the company of some top security officials within the municipality and some members of the Regional Security Council. On Tuesday [July 29, 2020] there were claims on social media that several armed military personnel had been brought into the municipality which shares a border with Togo by the Regional Minister as part of efforts to discourage residents who have consistently voted for the opposition National Democratic Congress ( NDC ) in national elections from registering for their voters ID card. The claims came with photos that showed some armed military personnel at an open field which served as a registration centre. Other social media posts said the Minister came with a convoy of dozens of 44 vehicles occupied mostly by the security personnel. Reacting to the claims the MCE said, that cannot be true. It is not possible. The MCE, Elliot Agbenowu told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News that the Minister was not on any planned mission to deploy armed personnel in the municipality. He said the Minister visited with just about seven vehicles which were occupied by members of the Regional Security Council. The Regional Minister came with some REGSEC members. He came with the Regional Immigration Commander and National Security Liaison officer and some members of the media. He also came with members of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council. Over here it was my Divisional Commander and the Crime Officer who are able to join the tour. It was a surprise visit even to me. It wasnt anything that was planned for me to even arrange the security council for the minister to address. He came, got the briefing and decided to just go and look at a few [registrationccentres].It was about 7 vehicles [he was with], he said. Registration process Commenting on the ongoing voter registration exercise in the municipality, Elliot Agbenowu said while the process was generally smooth and peaceful, there were a few registration centres where some incidents were reported. He [Regional Minister] was so much impressed about how things are moving except the few places we went where there seemed to be some challenges. ---citinewsroom Gov Tech in a Pandemic The Big Budget Battle Right now, being in local government IT means two things: The work has suddenly taken on a greater urgency, and funding for that work is in danger.In many ways, technology has been at the center of local governments response to the pandemic. Testing has been sped up by moving paper forms online . Help centers for critical services have been scaled up to epic proportions. E-signatures, digital services and telework tech have created a pathway for people to interact with public servants in ways that used to be possible only in a physical office space.But, like the rest of government, IT shops rely on revenue from things like property taxes, sales taxes and parking fees in order to run. And elected officials are sounding the alarm that much of that funding has rapidly disappeared as the global pandemic has forced people indoors.The National Association of Counties is forecasting $202 billion in budget impacts a combination of revenue loss and increased spending through the end of the 2021 fiscal year, while the National League of Cities is projecting $360 billion in revenue loss to municipalities in the next three years. Both report, based on surveys, that most local governments have already implemented budget cuts.Weve already implemented three phases of cuts out of our five-phase plan, said Arlington, Texas, Mayor Jeff Williams on a recent NLC press call. The next two phases are more drastic, (we would) do more furloughs and layoffs. This is a key time many of the cities across America are looking at their budgets right now and planning for their fiscal year, which runs from October through September.Where does that leave local government IT departments?Theyre waiting to find out.We, at least in San Antonio, are holding our own, at least from an IT budget perspective were not asking for more, and were not cutting back necessarily, said Craig Hopkins, San Antonios CIO. Were trying to hold our current investment both on the op ex and capital side as best we can.But hes waiting to see whether that request is met. In Montgomery County, Md., CIO Gail Roper is also waiting to see how the budget picture shapes up.We will have to be very careful about procurement, probably staffing, but we know nothing concrete yet, she said. Were just preparing.Roper and Hopkins have been busy finding creative ways to rapidly respond to the needs of their respective governments. Both have found success with flexible options that can be deployed by many types of public employee in many contexts. Roper, for example, counts a low-code digital signature solution as one of her departments biggest successes for Montgomery County.It is a tool that provides forms, digital signatures and a payment method. Weve deployed that and actually it has proven valuable because with the low-code types of applications our staff has been able to pick it up, so were seeing staff persons, non-technical staff persons, be able to develop forms that they need to have filled out for various reasons with very little interaction with the IT organization, she said.Both have expanded existing telework systems to accommodate many more users, and both are still supporting most of the people who went remote.Within eight days we went from 200 people logging into our network on a daily basis to 2,800 people logging into our network, Hopkins said.In recent years, Hopkins said he has focused on shifting the IT departments approach from one focused on specific department projects to platforms that can work across the enterprise. Thats paid off during the pandemic. One big example is with San Antonios contact center technology, which has capabilities such as soft phones and texting as opposed to connecting physical telephone lines that allow the department to add many more call-takers quickly.I would say contact centers, for the most part, have probably been the greatest value, because the ability to spin up a new contact center for utility assistance, housing assistance, homelessness, the health department, all of those maybe had a phone line, a direct phone line in the past, he said. But we were able to spin all of them up very quickly into contact centers, anywhere from a 10-agent contact center to one (where) we have almost a few hundred agents.Some have speculated that the importance of that kind of work could insulate IT departments from the kinds of budget cuts other departments are seeing, if not from project and hiring delays. After all, if government needs to cut costs and run more efficiently, technology can help make it happen.Theres also the ongoing fight for federal assistance to consider. By all accounts, the CARES Act relief package passed at the end of March has supported technology work. Hopkins said it has helped to extend San Antonio schools Internet networks to low-income areas to support distance learning. On two recent conference calls from NACo and NLC, local elected officials talked about funding from that legislation supporting COVID-specific work in their IT departments.But the CARES Act sent most of the funding to state governments , and local officials complained that the rigidity of the law prevented them from using it more quickly and effectively.Yes, states have received funding intended for cities, but allocating money to states does little to meet the needs of the cities themselves, said Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley on the NLC call. Of the $4.5 billion allocated in Ohio in CARES Act funds, for example, less than half of that will ever make its way to cities, and to date were looking at 8% that has made its way down.As Congress debates the next big relief package, NLC and NACo are calling for more funding for local governments, for it to be direct and flexible but local aid has become something of a political battle between the House and Senate , leaving many to wonder how theyre going to make steep cuts.And while the shape of the countrys economic recovery is uncertain, nobody is expecting the budget hits to be confined to just one fiscal year.In fact, in many places it could be worse in the coming fiscal year. Thats because many cities and counties, smarting from the last recession and buoyed by years of plenty, had been setting aside money in rainy day funds for years.Right now, theyre blowing through those in order to prop up current fiscal year budgets. So next year, those funds will likely be depleted for a lot of localities.Balancing our books this year, nearly $100 million out of $600 million will not be there, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said on the NLC call. Fortunately we ran operational surpluses in the past six years, but we will spend it all this year just to make payroll. What will that mean for the years [ahead]? Cuts.How can local government CIOs plan ahead in that kind of environment?For some, the answer is that planning simply wont happen very far in advance. Theyll just have to do the most they can with whats available.Dude, the whole worlds different, Hopkins said. You know, all I can do is laugh about it right now because I dont know what lifes going to look like a year from now. And Im okay with that, because we just have to adjust. The days of five-year budget plans are gone forever. You cant even do three-year budget plans. So well do the best we can, from a budget perspective, to look forward. Advertisement Rita Ora was joined by new boyfriend Romain Gavras on Wednesday as the couple sailed the Mediterranean with friends during their current stay in Ibiza. The pair are in the midst of their first post-lockdown holiday on the Balearic party island after making the most of relaxed travel restrictions in July, shortly before Spain recorded a worrying spike in coronavirus infections. And they were in high spirits as they frolicked in the water after boarding a small boat for a picturesque cruise close to Ibiza's stunning coastline. In good company: Rita Ora was joined by new boyfriend Romain Gavras on Thursday as the couple sailed the Mediterranean with friends during their current stay in Ibiza Sporting a strapless lilac bikini top and hot pink bottoms, Rita, 29, showed off her toned physique as they set off on their boat ride with an extended group of friends. Joining his new girlfriend, Romain 39, stripped down to a pair of black beach shorts while preparing to leap into the water from the boat's stern. Despite being surrounded by pals the pair appeared to only have eyes for each other, with the music video producer enjoying some light hearted fun with the singer by pushing her into the water as she prepared for a dive Good times: The pair are in the midst of their first post-lockdown holiday on the Balearic party island after making the most of relaxed travel restrictions in July Upbeat: The pair were in high spirits as they washed themselves off after swimming in the ocean on Wednesday Quite a crowd: Rita and Romain were accompanied by a group of friends during their appearance on the Spanish island Following his girlfriend into the Med, Romain was seen wrapping his arms around her as they enjoyed a brief, intimate moment before making their way back to the boat. With temperatures continuing to soar across Spain and its surrounding islands Rita eventually opted to go topless, with the singer pulling her bikini top down as she stood on the stern while Romain looked on from the water. The pair eventually made the most of Ibiza's welcoming climate by stretching out on the boat's upper deck for a tranquil sunbathing session. Make way: Romain clambered back onto the boat's stern after leaping into the water for a refreshing dip Looking good: Sporting a strapless lilac bikini top and hot pink bottoms, Rita showed off her toned physique as they set off on their boat ride with an extended group of friends Close: The pair were inseparable as they relaxed with their extended group of friends in Ibiza on Wednesday She's pleased: Rita showed no sign of being bothered by the prospect of a 14-day quarantine upon her return to the UK Getting read: The singer prepared to dive into the water as Romain looked on The trip comes after Rita was spotted with Romain for the first time over the weekend. The new couple were pictured arriving back at her London home in the early hours of Saturday morning after a night of partying. Rita enjoyed a night out at The Little Yellow Door club in Notting Hill, London, on Friday night to celebrate pal Anda Vlasaku's 30th birthday. Revealing: Rita appeared to consider going topless as she prepared to join her new boyfriend in the water Here we go: Rita spread her arms wide while preparing to launch her self into the Mediterranean Banter: However the graceful dive was ruined after Romain surprised the singer by unceremoniously pushing her into the water Face to face: The music video director gazed lovingly at Rita as they swam together on Wednesday I've got you: Romain was seen wrapping his arms around the singer as they frolicked in the ocean Plenty to talk about: The pair chatted after finally making their way back towards the boat The duo are said to have left the 30th gathering for a house party in north London where they partied until 6:30am before returning to Rita's home at 7am. Speaking to The Sun, friends insisted Rita was involved with the filmmaker after she was pictured enjoying a boozy night out with business tycoon Faton Gashi. A source said: 'Rita was hitting the town with friends including Faton. But she's in a serious thing with Romain and properly loved up. It's the first time she's been serious with someone in ages.' He's behind you: Romain gave Rita a lift as she prepared to climb aboard following their swim Washing off: Two female friends washed the saltwater off their bodies as the couple made their way onto the boat That's it: Rita showed off her bottom while making her way out of the Mediterranean Fun: The singer executed a graceful dive into the water, without interference from Romain, later that day She's a natural: Rita arched her body as she dived into the Med during her latest day out in Ibiza on Wednesday In she goes: The Hot Right Now singer barely made a splash as she cut through the water Rita's previous boyfriends include Calvin Harris, Andrew Garfield, Rob Kardashian, musician Andrew Watt and Ricky Hil - the son of fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. The star has spent lockdown working on new music while also enjoying time with her friends in the countryside. But while she may have been living in luxury, Rita was left bereft as she was unable to see her mother Vera - with the pair reuniting earlier this month in the capital. Vera, 56, who lives in London, returned to the NHS frontline to work in psychiatric health amid the coronavirus crisis. That's better: Rita eventually made the most of Ibiza's welcoming climate by stretching out on the boat's upper deck for a tranquil sunbathing session Girl in the middle: The singer sandwiched herself between two pals as she topped up her tan on Wednesday Don't mind me: Taking to Instagram, Rita showed off her physique in a strapless bikini top and matching bottoms while striking a series of sultry poses aboard her rented yacht Good times: Rita ensured her summer break wasn't clouded by thoughts of an inevitable return to the UK as she let her hair down in Ibiza on Wednesday Aiera, the leading U.S. investor events access and monitoring intelligence platform, today announced a global partnership with SCRIPTS Asia, the worlds leading provider of Asian Pacific investor event coverage and transcription services. Aiera users will now have first-to-market access to more than 2,200 financial event transcripts across nearly 1,000 Asian market equities, on which Aieras one-click access, multicast streaming, and advanced monitoring features can now be applied. Access to earnings and other investor events across Asia Pacific has long been much more restrictive than here in the U.S., said Ken Sena, CEO and Co-Founder of Aiera, and SCRIPTS Asia has created the worlds largest body of company transcriptions and translations in the region, all through exclusive access. This new partnership will offer SCRIPTS Asia and Aiera users earlier access to audio and raw transcription (both local and translated), while the fully-corrected SCRIPTS Asia transcriptions are being prepared. This will help mutual customers more quickly monitor these events based on topic, theme, specific company or product mention, and more. Aieras one-click event access and advanced monitors allow investors to cover more events and cover them more intelligently, said Erik Abbott, Founder and CEO of SCRIPTS Asia. We are excited to have our industry-leading coverage of Asia Pacific investor events now available through Aiera which will allow for a better monitoring and awareness of whats happening in the region. Aieras partnership with SCRIPTS Asia follows its launch last week of Aieracast, a new tool that enables financial analysts to access, stream, and search multiple earnings calls simultaneously. The Aieracast launch builds on Aieras leadership and growth success in offering expanded coverage of live transcriptions with milliseconds of delay in addition to configurable dashboards that allow users to easily screen for management references, set alerts, run comparisons, and discover datasets that further ones research process. About SCRIPTS Asia SCRIPTS Asia is the leading source of event coverage in Asia Pacific, with exclusive permission to attend domestic investor events in the region, and from those events produces complete English and local language transcripts for global distribution. SCRIPTS Asia covers earnings result meetings, analyst briefings, shareholder meetings, major product releases and special situation events. In 2019, SCRIPTS Asia will attend in-person more than 1,700 investor events across Asia Pacific. For our global clients, English documents are available within 24hrs of the release of our local language transcripts via our direct feed services or our channel partners worldwide. SCRIPTS Asia was founded in 2017, with offices in the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore (2020). Please visit our website at http://www.scriptsasia.com for further information. About Aiera Aiera's event access and monitoring intelligence platform makes earnings season (and every event in between) better, through live transcription, topic monitoring, sentiment analysis, and discovery tooling. Powered by an advanced language processing engine, which consumes 30,000+ financial events annually across 10,000+ global equities, Aiera makes accessing earnings calls, corporate events, regulatory filings, and related information a breeze while streamlining the process of setting alerts, running comparisons, and discovering data sets curated by Aiera's in-house research team. Aiera is backed by Flybridge Capital Partners, Fin Venture Capital, Macquarie Group, Citi Markets FinTech Investments, and Franklin Templeton. Media Contact: Adam Gerber Rally Point (on behalf of Aiera) adam.gerber@rallypointms.com 973 902 1679 By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia is to set up a U.S.-funded military fuel reserve in the city of Darwin, authorities said on Thursday, a show of stronger co-operation between the allies who both face increasing tension with China. The chief minister of Australia's Northern Territory, of which Darwin is the capital, confirmed the plan was part of a wider agreement between the allies to boost defence ties following high-level talks in Washington. "What I am allowed to say is it will be thumpingly large, but the U.S. government will be spending the money to see it built," said a spokeswoman for the chief minister, Michael Gunner. The agreement "recognises the Territory as one of the nation's most strategically important defence locations ... and we stand ready to do more", the spokeswoman said. Darwin, an isolated city of 130,000 people, is closer to some Asian capitals than to the Australian capital of Canberra. The city has hosted a contingent of 1,250 U.S. Marines since 2011, under former President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia following China's increased assertiveness in the region. A 2015 decision to grant a 99-year lease over the city's port to China's Landbridge Group Co, meanwhile, raised some eyebrows in the United States, which objects to China's extensive claims in the South China Sea. Jian Zhang, a Chinese foreign policy expert at University of New South Wales, said the fuel reserve facility in Australia would be useful for the United States in the event of any conflict with China. "Australia, as an alternative place for stockpiles of equipment and fuel reserves, is quite logical because the U.S. bases in southeast Asia and the U.S. bases in northeast Asia are most likely to be affected," Jian said. (Reporting by Byron Kaye with additional reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Robert Birsel) A new study shows that Indigenous territories represent around 45% of all the remaining wilderness areas in the Amazon, comprising an area of three times the surface of Germany. At a time when the Amazon forests face unprecedented pressures, overcoming divergences and aligning the goals of wilderness defenders and Indigenous peoples is paramount to avoid further environmental degradation. "In this paper we show that supporting Indigenous peoples' rights is in the interest of the conservation agenda," explains Dr. Alvaro Fernandez-Llamazares, the first author of the study, from the University of Helsinki. "The future of a substantial proportion of the Amazon's biodiversity depends largely on coordinated action to support and strengthen Indigenous peoples' rights across the entire region." The authors argue that the convergence of the agendas and priorities of both wilderness-centred conservationists and Indigenous peoples is more important than ever, as some of the government in the region have started to trample over commitments towards globally agreed goals on both the environment and Indigenous peoples' rights. "There is no doubt that the Amazon is at a crossroads in its social-ecological history," adds Dr. Fernandez-Llamazares. "Rollbacks on environmental protections and Indigenous Peoples rights across the entire region are opening up vast natural areas to new external pressures." All these macroeconomic and political forces are being felt in both wilderness areas and Indigenous Peoples territories. However, disputes on whether conserving wilderness should come at the expense of Indigenous peoples rights undermine potential for collaborative conservation. Minimal forest loss on Indigenous territories across the Amazon The study underscored the substantial role of Indigenous territories in buffering against deforestation through advanced geospatial analyses based on available satellite data. These lands account for less than 15% of all the forest loss occurring within the Amazon's last wilderness frontiers. This is largely evidenced throughout the southern rim of the Amazon, where Indigenous territories represent the only islands of biological and cultural diversity in the larger landscape. "The concept of wilderness has a contentious history across much of the Global South, as it is based on the assumption that humans have inherently negative impacts on nature," highlights Prof. Eduardo S. Brondizio, a researcher from Indiana University Bloomington and senior author of the study. "Yet, the Amazon is a classic example of how long-term interactions between Indigenous peoples and forests can be linked to positive environmental outcomes. We have known for decades that a significant portion of the region's supposedly pristine forests are in fact cultural forests,"he notes. "Indigenous peoples, and also other traditional communities, show that it is possible to successfully combine forest conservation, management and agroforestry systems." In view of this, the authors call for a more socially inclusive notion of wilderness in order to align the agendas and priorities of both wilderness-focused conservationists and Indigenous peoples against a new wave of frontier expansion. WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) cautions everyone to be wary of unsourced information or opinion masquerading as public health advice during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. ACEP urges the public to be circumspect of bold claims or instant cures made on social media or circulating among friends. Instead, seek information supported by data and endorsed by leading health and medical expert entities like ACEP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or others. "A troubling number of purported experts are sharing false and dangerous information that runs counter to the public health and safety guidelines endorsed by ACEP and the nation's leading medical and public health entities," said William Jaquis, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP. "This kind of misinformation can not only be harmful to individuals, but it hinders our nation's efforts to get the pandemic under control." There is currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19. Researchers and scientists are continuously learning more about the virus and how to treat it, and their expert guidance is updated accordingly. Anyone can spread COVID-19, even those who do not suspect they are infected. The CDC states that 40 percent of positive cases occur with people who show no symptoms (asymptomatic) but can still spread the virus. That does not mean the virus is "harmless." The long-term effects of carrying the virus are still being studied. Meanwhile, cases are surging in most states and tests are in short supply as demands on hospital beds and resources approach or exceed capacity. Whether your community is experiencing a surge or not, you can be assured that the emergency department is the best place to be if you think you are having a medical emergency. Emergency physicians are ready and able to care for you anytime and are specially trained to keep you safe even in the midst of a pandemic. Information evolves and sound scientific reasoning can change as new information comes to light. As you consult with your health care provider or local health authorities, look for information backed by data and supported by consensus. Heeding unsubstantiated advice opens you to avoidable health risks. Without a cure, smart personal choices and safe behaviors are the best defense against spreading COVID-19 and overwhelming our health care system. "There are still many questions about COVID-19 but we know these three simple steps offer the best protection that we have until a vaccine is developed; cover your face, wash your hands frequently and practice social distancing," said Dr. Jaquis. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 39,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.acep.org and www.emergencyphysicians.org. SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Related Links http://www.acep.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 05:06:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Legal experts have made clear that President Donald Trump has no authority to delay the presidential election as the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date. WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Bipartisan lawmakers pushed back at U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday after he raised the possibility of delaying the election in November. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threw cold water on the idea directly. "Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time," McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, told a local TV station in response. "We'll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3," he said. "We'll cope with whatever the situation is and have the election on Nov. 3 as already scheduled." In a tweet on Thursday morning, Trump claimed that 2020, with mail-in voting, will be "the most inaccurate & fraudulent election in history." "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," he continued. "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 28, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Legal experts have made clear that Trump has no authority to delay the presidential election as the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to set the date. "Trump's tweet is wrong and dangerous," said Elie Honig, a CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor. "The President has no legal power to delay the election. The Constitution gives the power to set election date to *Congress,* which has done so through legislation," Honig tweeted. "Only Congress -- majority votes of both Senate and House -- can change it." In addition to McConnell, a growing number of Republicans also spoke against Trump's suggestion, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president. A South Carolina Republican, Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill that he believes it wouldn't be a good idea to postpone the election. "I have concerns about mail-in ballots being the exclusive way to cast votes but I don't believe we should delay the elections," he said. "In South Carolina, we had a very large primary in June and were able to do it in person. I think we can be able to safely vote in person in November." U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 9, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives and the top congressional Democrat, expressed her opposition by tweeting out a section of the Constitution. "The Congress may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day of which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States," the section reads. On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of trying to divert attention from the administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has led to nearly 4.5 million infections and more than 151,000 deaths in the United States amid an economic recession. "President Trump, the election will be in November, on November 3rd, and you will not change it," the New York Democrat said. "Stop diverting attention." U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (2nd R) walks by the Senate Chamber during Day 2 of the Senate impeachment trial on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, on Jan. 22, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) Trump has frequently alleged that mail-in voting would lead to widespread fraud, as most states have expanded access to the practice due to the pandemic. In another tweet on Thursday, Trump called mail-in voting "a catastrophic disaster," while claiming that "there's no accurate count!" The latest allegation against mail-in voting from Trump came as national polls have showed him falling behind his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in the 2020 race. Biden led Trump 49.9 percent to 41.6 percent as of Thursday afternoon in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls. Meanwhile, polls in key battleground states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona, also showed that Biden is ahead of Trump by at least several points. Trump, however, has repeatedly called polls showing him trailing Biden "fake" and touted what has been called "silent majority" supporting his presidency and re-election. In April, Biden warned that Trump would be thinking of delaying the election. "Mark my words: I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow; come up with some rationale why it can't be held," Biden said. At that time, the Trump campaign dismissed Biden's accusation as "the incoherent, conspiracy theory ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality." Meeting Space to Hire in Cape Town CBD CAN BE USED FOR Meetings, hearings, workshops, discussions, training, workspace, events, presentations, demonstrations, brainstorming, strategic planning, Cape Town based space etc. SIZE Seats 18 comfortably around 3 round tables of 6 each. Room configuration is flexible Can hire in additional chairs if required FEATURES Air-conditioning Flat screen monitor Data projector available to rent (extra) Wi-Fi Flipchart stands & rails Variable lighting Comfortable, modern, stylish seating Standard set-up: round tables; other options available, i.e. school room or board room CATERING STANDARD PACKAGE - R23 per person Arrival, Morning & Afternoon refreshments - includes: water/tea/coffee/biscuits TREAT PACKAGE - R40 to R50 per person Arrival, Morning & Afternoon refreshments - includes: water/tea/coffee/juice/biscuits/pastries/muffins/table sweets LUNCH PACKAGE - R25 per person Standard Package plus in-room lunch, including ordering take aways, cutlery, crockery & cleaning (actual take away food order cost not included) NOTE Conveniently Located on Myciti bus route - close to bus stops for a number of routes No parking available on premises Street parking available in area and Kloof Lifestyle Centre is 2 blocks away with undercover pay parking AVAILABILITY Monday to Friday from 07h00 till 17h00 (not open on weekends or evenings) COST Full Day: R 1 250.00 - 8 hours Half Day: R 895.00 - 4 hours ADDRESS 11-on-Buiten, Buitensingel Street, Cape Town (in i-fix building). Located near trendy Kloof & Long Street in the middle of Cape Town CBD Company name : Experience Worx Contact name : Monique Pillay Telephone number : +27 21 422 0335 Email address : monique@experienceworx.co.za Web address : www.experienceworx.co.za The NCP chief assured that despite BJPs efforts, the MVA government is stable and will complete its five years Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that BJPs claim of not being interested in bringing down the MVA government is a lie. (PTI Photo) Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has reiterated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. However, he made it clear that there is no threat to the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. In an interview given to a channel, the veteran politician said that BJPs claim of not being interested in bringing down the MVA government is a lie. Devendra Fadnavis says we dont want to disturb or destabilise this government in Maharashtra. But it is a lie. All efforts are on to destabilise the state government, he said. The todays leadership of BJP is not able to digest that they are without power in some states. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM, he never did this. But todays leadership cannot digest that any state is not with their ideology. Hence the attempts are on to topple these governments, said Pawar. The NCP chief assured that despite BJPs efforts, the MVA government is stable and will complete its five years. I want to tell one thing very clearly, there is no problem with the government. Ideologically, we are different but we have come together for the welfare of Maharashtra, he said. He mocked the BJP for the various deadlines being set for the fall of MVA government. Ever since the government has been formed, I have been hearing about various deadlines. Initially they said the government would last till May. Then the revised deadline was July. Now it has become September. It is good that they are extending this deadline, he said. Pawar also denied BJPs claim that the NCP had approached them for government formation in Maharashtra. By Sukanya Roy, TwoCircles.net Tenkasi: In the late hours of 22 July, at about 11 pm, Kadayam Forest officials stormed into the house of a 75-year-old farmer, Anaikarai Muthu, living in Vakaikulam village of Tamil Nadu. They picked him up without a memo for arrest, and allegedly tortured him at the Sivasailam Forest Office. Two hours later, his family received news that he had passed away. Support TwoCircles The proceedings of this case, so far, reek of a deliberate cover-up. The Judicial Magistrate of Ambasamudram, along with the police, have subsequently aided the Forest Division in successfully skirting the consequences of this unethical and criminal violation of a poor mans rights and dignity. Anaikarai Muthu hailed from the Pallar community which is a sub-category within Scheduled Castes and has historically been an agrarian group. He owned a modest three-acre land patta on the periphery of the Kadayam forest range. Groundnuts, yam and brinjal were its main cropping produce. Wild animals such as pigs and boars often destroy the crops in such areas. The loss of a good yearly harvest can be a huge blow to farmers struggling to pay off debt and meet farming costs. To keep these animals out, some farmers erect a fence around their land. On 22 July, the Kadayam Forest Office reportedly received an anonymous tip that Muthu was stealing electricity to power his fence. Two officers, Nellai Nayagam and Murugaswamy, along with four volunteers of the Friends of Police accosted Anaikarai in his house, and forcibly took him to their office, without giving him time to even wear his shirt. The Friends of Police are a group of people who can at best be called the eyes and ears of the police, while in reality being constituted around the dangerous core tenets of public vigilantism and community policing. While Muthu was in custody, the Forest Officers beat him brutally. Eye-witnesses report seeing eighteen distinct injuries on his body. An hour later, Anaikarais family got a call from the forest office asking them to bring a shirt for him, as he was feeling unwell. Anaikarais son, A Natarajan was headed to the office, when somewhere midway, he saw a Sumo parked on the side of the road. Inside it, he saw his father unconscious, flanked by two Forest guards. They were taking him to the Kadayam Hospital, where the doctors further referred him to a hospital at Tenkasi. Anaikarai Muthu was declared dead when he was brought into the Tenkasi Government Hospital. Speaking to TwoCircles.net, DSP Tenkasi, Gokulakrishnan, commented, In custody deaths, while the officers are sometimes responsible for the killing, often people die of natural causes too. Anaikarai Muthu was very old, the shock of the arrest might have been enough to kill him. Explaining the course of official action further, he said, The magistrate will give a request for inquisition and post-mortem. The concerned forest officials, doctors, and relatives will all be summoned to make their case and then a report will be prepared about this case. Local human rights organisations, however, narrate contrasting facts. They say that the Judicial Magistrate, Karthikeyan K.M, ordered a post-mortem of Muthus body. The magistrate later alleged that rowdy demands were made by the family, as the reason for the same. He obtained the necessary signatures, from three of the deceaseds children, assuring them that the post-mortem would be done in their presence the next day. However, it was done clandestinely in the dead of the night, by two assistant doctors, at Tirunelveli Medical College. Adv. S. Mohan, Associate Director of Peoples Watch, informed TwoCircles.net, There were no senior forensic experts or family members present, as is legally mandated in the case of encounter killings and lockup deaths. Mohan belongs from the Pallar community himself. He further commented, After the post-mortem was done, the officials dug a pit in the ground to bury his body and installed tube lights for the purpose. In the morning, confused locals brought this event to our notice. This is a clear move to destroy any evidence that might implicate the officials who tortured him. The deceaseds son, A. Natarajan told TwoCircles.net that, Torture is the reason for his death, and added, We want this to be (treated as) a murder case. The officers should be suspended. The FIR filed by him has been registered under Section 176 (1A) (i), on 23 July, at Alwakurichi Police Station. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has offered 10 lakh compensation and a government job for one member of the deceased Anaikarais family. Vasanthi, 29, his youngest daughter, told local media on July 27 that their quest is for justice, and compensation cannot be a substitute for that. The family of the deceased, along with human rights groups demand the case to be registered under Section 302 (murder) and thorough inquiries to be conducted by the High Court and the State Human Rights Commission, and suspension of the concerned forest officials who tortured Muthu to death. A writ petition has also been filed on behalf of the deceaseds wife Palammal, by the Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party fighting for the rights of the Pallar people or Devendrakula Vellalar. Shanmuga Sudhakar, the state spokesperson for TMMK, said, The petition demands a CB and CID enquiry in this matter. His body must be sent for post-mortem again. Anaikarai Muthu was a poor farmer, protecting his land. He was treated harshly for a crime he did not even commit. If he had stolen electricity for his fence, where is the complaint from the electricity board? He has been farming for decades here. Its not as if he was a known criminal. Adv. Mohan corroborates this suspicion regarding the inhumanity meted out to Anaikarai Muthu. He asks, What was the need of taking him to the Forest Office in the middle of the night, without informing his family or giving him time to even wear a shirt, torturing him inhumanely, and then trying to bury his body after a hasty post-mortem? Sudhakar highlights the irony of the officers brutality, saying, The duty of the Forest Officials is to protect animals and plants, not to kill a man. It seems for them, the value of human life is lesser than that of wild animals. The writ petition was heard in Madras High Court on July 28, where Justice R. Pongiappan condemned the authorities of Tirunelveli Medical College, for conducting the post-mortem at night, citing a previous judgement given by the HC instructing all hospitals to not conduct post-mortem after 4 pm. Speaking to TwoCircles.net. Adv. I Pandian, director of WITNESS, a group concerned with human rights violations of Dalits and other marginalized people in Tamil Nadu, says, The number of police atrocities in Tamil Nadu is increasing. State and National Human Rights Commissions cannot help but take note of this. The rate of custodial murder, encounter killings, and police violence against Dalits and minorities in Tamil Nadu is very high. But most of these cases are not adequately reported. We will not tolerate this silence. The United States failed to recognize the coronavirus threat from Europe in time, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has said. Since the country's COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the United States has reported over 4.4 million confirmed cases and over 150,000 deaths. "The introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening," Redfield said in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday. "By the time we realized (the) Europe threat and shut down travel to Europe, there was probably already two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe," he said. The U.S. government closed off travel with China on Feb. 2, while flights with Europe were not cut off until March 13, by which time 26 cases had been confirmed in New York City. Sequences of the earliest SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens in New York City resembled those circulating in Europe, according to a CDC report released in mid-July. Press Release July 30, 2020 Bong Go's office continues to provide aid to fire victims in four cities under strict health protocols; distributes bicycles to promote sustainable mode of transportation amid pandemic Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go continues to help those who are in need of assistance while strictly observing proper health and safety protocols amid the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the country. The Senator, through his office, distributed aid on Thursday, July 23, to 26 families who were affected by the fire incident that ravaged properties and had one casualty in Astek Block 3 in San Joaquin, Pasig City. His staff provided immediate relief, such as food and financial assistance. The team also distributed face masks and medicines and gave away bicycles to select beneficiaries. The distribution of assistance by the Senator's team strictly followed health and safety protocols imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Senator also took the initiative to provide fire victims a healthier and sustainable mode of transportation---bicycles. Go has earlier expressed his support for using bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation, especially at a time when public transportation is limited in many places in the country. In his speech on the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Futures Thinking held on July 16, Go said, "I have strongly been advocating for the use of bicycles these days. Matagal ko na rin pong hinihikayat ang ating mga kababayan na gumamit nalang po ng bisikleta para sa kanilang pang-araw araw na commute." He added, "And, in fact, doon po sa mga nasunugan, tinatanong ko sila, hirap po sila... they're having a hard time po sa transportation in going to their respective na trabaho po nila, so sabi ko, I encourage them to use bicycles. Minsan po namimigay po ako ng bisikleta sa kanila." The same set of assistance was also provided to the fire victims in earlier fire visits. His office personnel visited Bernsite Sitio Lambac 2 of Brgy. San Juan in Taytay, Rizal on July 22 wherein 72 families received help after a fire incident last July 18. Earlier, the team also went to Brgy. San Pascual in Obando, Bulacan on July 18 where thirteen families comprised of 52 individuals benefitted, and Brgy. 649 Gasangan Area in Baseco Compound, Manila on July 21 with 143 families, composed of 549 individuals, left homeless were provided. Government agencies also provided aid to the fire victims, particularly the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Trade and Industry. Local government officials were also present in each visit. "Walang tinitingnang oras o panahon ang pagtulong sa kapwa, lalong lalo na sa panahon ng pandemyang ito. Lagi kong sinasabi noon na kahit maging Senador man ako, kahit anong oras at pagkakataon, kapag kailangan ako ng aking mga kababayan, tutulong agad ako," Go said. "Kahit ngayon na may kinakaharap na krisis, mas dapat pa nating dagdagan ang ating tulong sa kapwa lalo na ang mga nawalan ng bahay," the Senator added. The Senator previously urged the national government to also provide proper face masks for the poor and to those who cannot afford. Go also urged the government to enforce a stronger face mask-wearing policy in the country. "Let us make this a discipline among all Filipinos as we continue our fight to stop the spread of COVID-19. I am urging the government to use its resources to provide face masks, especially to the poor. Importante po ang mga mahihirap na 'di makabili ng mask, ito ang gawan nila ng paraan," he mentioned in his previous statements. Go also said that government must prioritize buying locally-made masks to save jobs, and provide it to those who cannot afford to buy their own masks to help save lives. "Tulungan rin nating makaahon ang mga lokal na industriya, tulad ng mga mananahi at mga nagbebenta ng raw materials na magagamit sa paggawa ng face masks. Kung mapapalakas natin ang local production ng face masks, mabibigyan natin ng livelihood ang mga tao, lalo na yung mga nawalan ng trabaho, at mas mapoprotektahan natin ang ating mga kababayan mula sa sakit," he earlier said. Meanwhile, the Senator reiterated again the need to pass the Senate Bill 204 or the Fire Protection Modernization Bill to institutionalize the modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection. "Masakit ang mawalan ng bahay at mahal sa buhay. Ako po mismo ay saksi sa hinagpis na nararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan na biktima ng mga sunog. Buwan-buwan, bago ang pandemya, ilang insidente ng sunog ang aking binibisita sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa upang makapagbigay ng tulong sa mga kababayan nating nabiktima nito," Go said. US authorities give necessary assurances for operation of SHTA humanitarian channel ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 29 July 2020 / 12:42 Tehran (ISNA) The first Iran and Switzerland deal via humanitarian channel went through. For discussing SHTA and further details, we'd asked Nadine Mathys for a commentary. Nadine Mathys is media spokesperson in Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO. Asking about the details of this transaction, Mathys said, "We would like to inform you that the first transaction by a Swiss pharmaceutical company has been completed within the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA). The shipment was for a cancer drug used to treat iron overload caused by repeated blood transfusions". "Furthermore, we would like to emphasize that the operationalization of the SHTA is progressing and that a number of companies have already been approved, more companies will follow. Further transactions should be carried out shortly," SECO spokesperson said, adding that, "In addition, the SHTA needs regular transfers of Iranian funds from abroad for its functioning. The relevant authorities in the USA have given assurances within the SHTA that they will support such transfers. We are in talks with the USA and other partners on this matter. However, we cannot provide information on individual transfers." Is it possible for other countries to use this channel too? According to Mathys, only companies based in Switzerland (headquarters or a subsidiary) that supply agricultural commodities, food, medicines or medical devices to Iran can take part in the SHTA. "Participation is voluntary and depends on the willingness of the company to share the necessary information with SECO. SECO decides which companies may participate in the SHTA." Mathys said, "There are no plans to extend the SHTA to companies from third countries with no connection to Switzerland. SECO has no legal means to enforce obligations towards foreign companies resulting from participation in the SHTA". End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address (Photo : pixabay) Tacos are like the king of handheld street foods for Americans. With over 4.5 billion tacos consumed every year in the US, it is their favourite Mexican staple. Tacos have been around since 18th century and currently, it is impossible to spot a major city that doesn't boast at least a couple of Mexican-inspired restaurants. How did Tacos get its name? Some say the name 'Taco' was derived from the word 'plug' which is related to dynamites used in mines. The gunpowder used in this dynamite was tightly wrapped in the paper just like the modern-day tacos while some say the name comes from the Aztec word 'tlahco' which implied 'in the middle' similar to how food is placed in the middle of tortillas. The popularity of Tacos in the US: Though the majority of the tacos you find in the US are Americanized with lots of cheese and non-authentic toppings, there a handful of authentic Mexican restaurants serving good, old-fashioned tacos. Looking for the best tacos in your city? The stream of choices available can make it overwhelming for you to find the best tacos near you. Visit the website of PriceListo to find great deals on Tacos. The website lists reliable pricing information for thousands of businesses. You can find the list of all restaurants serving Tacos along with their menu and price listing. Taco Bell prices are always budget friendly and fast foodies love going there. Please place an order with them to taste the best Tacos in the city. Want to know more about Taco Bell? Taco Bell is a chain of fast-food restaurants based in America. With over 6500 restaurants, most of which are situated in the US, the restaurant chain serves over 2 billion taco-lovers every year. Check out the extent of Taco Bell's popularity. It began as a small drive-in: Glen Bell opened a hot dog stand in San Bernardino during 1946 and a couple of years later he opened a hamburger stand Bell's Hamburgers and Hotdogs in San Bernardino. By early 1952 he opened a taco stand Taco-Tia which featured 19-cent Tacos which grew immensely popular and within 5 years they were spread across 100 locations. Taco Bell hotel: Taco Bell opened their first Taco-bell themed hotel 'The Bell' in Palm Springs in 2019. Just 2 minutes after they opened booking online, the rooms got sold out. Tie the knot at their Las Vegas location: Yes, you and your loved one could have a Taco Bell wedding! The Las Vegas Cantina Chapel located at the second floor of Taco Bell Cantina restaurant is a taco-themed wedding venue that can accommodate 25 guests. Best sauce: Taco-Bell features an amazing range of sauces. The Fire sauce was the hottest option until spicy Diablo came into the picture. The Mild sauce is the tamest when it comes to spice levels yet adds a great flavour to your taco. Delightful options for vegans: Taco Bell has the reputation of being the first American fast-food company to offer American Vegetarian Association-approved menu. 41 ingredients in their menu are exclusively vegan with which you can create an endless combination of tacos. Scholarships: Taco Bell Foundation funds the Live Mas Foundation which awards $6 million in scholarships to applicants with passion and a pioneering spirit. Unlike traditional scholarships that get based on grades, they award a scholarship to innovate and creative aspirants. Spread across the globe: Currently, Taco Bell is available across 31 countries including Japan, Philippines, Korea, and the UK. Though they tried to open one in Mexico, they failed in their attempt. Air-dropped deliveries to Alaska: Since Bethel didn't have Taco Bell outlets, the company used helicopters to airdrop for the 10000 Doritos Locos Tacos during 2012 for taco-lovers. They are the reason we have Taco emoji: During 2013 Taco Bell launched a Change.org campaign and created a frenzy in twitter to include tacos as an emoji. They even launched a new online store featuring T-shirts supporting the campaign and ended up getting over 30,000 signatures for their petition. Tacos have been the main staple in Mexico even before Europeans migrated to Mexico. Back then, people residing near the lake regions in Mexico used to catch fish and place them in between corn tacos. The Al Pastor tacos available have Lebanese influence from the 1800s and the preparation method is similar to that of Shawarma. Ordering Tacos for the first time? Read through the available taco options: If you want to try the authentic tacos try corn tortilla tacos. This version of tacos gained popularity in the US and Canada during the early 20th century. Other popular choices are Flour tortilla for a Tex-Mex style, hard-style if you like it crunchy or sans taco if you'd want to have it light. If you want to try the authentic tacos try corn tortilla tacos. This version of tacos gained popularity in the US and Canada during the early 20th century. Other popular choices are Flour tortilla for a Tex-Mex style, hard-style if you like it crunchy or sans taco if you'd want to have it light. Enquire about quantity: Before placing an order find out how many tacos come with your order. When you are ordering as a group, make sure everyone gets accounted. You can use the excess ones for breakfast the next day. Before placing an order find out how many tacos come with your order. When you are ordering as a group, make sure everyone gets accounted. You can use the excess ones for breakfast the next day. Request to have the toppings on the sides: Avoid soggy tacos by asking for the toppings on the side so that you stay in control of the toppings included in your taco and your taco stays fresh too. Avoid soggy tacos by asking for the toppings on the side so that you stay in control of the toppings included in your taco and your taco stays fresh too. Take the time to plate your delivered tacos: After your tacos arrive, remove them from the takeout container and plate them for a great taco eating experience. After your tacos arrive, remove them from the takeout container and plate them for a great taco eating experience. Split your tortillas for double fun: Many tacos come with two layers of tortilla in which case you can separate both, split the fillings between both and enjoy an extra taco. Many tacos come with two layers of tortilla in which case you can separate both, split the fillings between both and enjoy an extra taco. Stray away from your regular order: There are several ingredients letting restaurants create their signature tacos. Step out from your comfort zone and try tasting different ones once in while you order. You may find a new favourite. Mexican cuisine stands second in the list of popular menu types amongst Americans. Mexican food has grown in phenomenal popularity over the past decade with Tacos being the most-preferred Mexican food item. Find out what the hype is all about. Customize the toppings and gorge on lip-smacking tacos. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. For the first time in 20 years, Oprah Winfrey will not be on the cover of her O, The Oprah Magazine. Instead, she gives Breonna Taylor that honor. The September cover pays tribute to 26-year-old Taylor, who was fatally shot by police when they stormed into her Louisville, Kentucky, home as she slept on March 13. She was shot eight times. No one has been charged in her death. The magazine cover image was created by self-trained 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin. In Oprahs What I Know For Sure Column, she writes about the decision to honor Breonnas memory on the magazines cover: What I know for sure: We cant be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine. I cry for justice in her name, she said. Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the protests that erupted around the world, Winfrey and the O team began discussions about how the magazine could help raise awareness of police brutality against Black Americans. Across the world, people have posted photos and the phrase, Breonna Taylor. Say her name, on social media to demand justice be served in her case. Alexis Franklin, who created the cover portrait of Breonna, said: I am so happy to play a small part in this long-overdue, world-changing narrative on racial injustice and police brutality, Alexis Franklin said. The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that. On CBS Morning News, Winfrey said that if it werent for the COVID-19 pandemic, shed be out protesting, too. This week, the magazine also announced that it will be moving to a digital-focused format after 20 years as a print magazine. The December 2020 issue will be the last regular monthly print edition. O is a Hearst Magazine, which is owned by the same company, the Hearst Corp., as the Houston Chronicle. Im proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years, Winfrey said in a release. I look forward to the next step in our evolution. Hailed as cohesive and productive during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the national cabinet has been struggling to retain the co-operative working relationship more recently especially since Victorias dangerous second wave took hold. With a record 723 cases and 13 deaths in Victoria on Thursday, state and federal premiers are increasingly tetchy with each other about who is to blame for the rise in cases and what needs to be done. Thankfully, they have mostly refrained from direct personal attacks but there have been plenty of hostile background briefings of journalists and oblique criticism of each others policies. The federal government privately expressed frustration with Victorias reluctance to accept help from the Australian Defence Force for the task of manning checkpoints and overseeing tracing the contacts of the more than 5000 active cases in the state. Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the same point indirectly this week by singling out the system of contact tracing in NSW for praise without mentioning Victoria. By Online Desk Three personnel from 4 Assam Rifles unit lost their lives and four were injured in an ambush by terrorists from the local group People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Chandel district of Manipur near the border with Myanmar, sources said. According to ANI, the terrorists first carried out an IED blast and then fired at the security personnel. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area which is about 100 km from Imphal, sources added. Deeply grieved by the terrorist attack in the beautiful state of Manipur, which i had the privilege of visiting recently. The martyrdom of 3 brave Indian jawans will not be in vain, they will be avenged. The northeast's recent development & turnaround is succeeding & won't stop. Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) July 30, 2020 (This is a developing story, inputs from ANI) Pakistan on Thursday said it has seen reports that India has acquired Rafale jets from France which could be modified to carry nuclear weapons. India received the first batch of five Rafale jets on Wednesday, nearly four years after it inked an inter governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft. The IAF received the Rafale jets 23 years after it imported Sukhoi-30 Ks from Russia in 1997. The arrival of Rafale jets will make the IAF much stronger to deter any security challenge facing India and those seeking to threaten the country's territorial integrity should be worried about its new capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday. "We have seen reports of recent acquisition of Rafale jets by Indian Air Force," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said at her weekly press briefing here. "It is disturbing to note that India continues to amass military capabilities beyond its genuine security requirement," she said. "Transfer of advanced systems, where there is an open intention of conversion into nuclear delivery platforms, calls into question the commitment of international suppliers to non-proliferation commitments," she said. "While remaining opposed to any arms race in South Asia, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to these developments and remains confident of its ability to thwart any ill-considered act of aggression," she added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) - Members of militant groups AlterMidya and Pinoy Weekly asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday to look into the alleged illegal confiscation of copies of their publications on Sunday. They cited violation of press freedom, red-tagging, surveillance, and illegal search and seizure by government agencies and state security agents. We are calling on your good office to conduct investigation on these incidents and hold accountable those who will be found guilty of violating our right to publish and the peoples right to access our media outfits, the complaint read. Police last weekend supposedly seized copies of Pinoy Weekly stored in a house in Pandi, Bulacan.It was identifed as the office of militant group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or Kadamay. Pinoy Weekly editor-in-chief Kenneth Guda said this was not the first time police officers confiscated copies of their newspaper. Kadamay member Marilou Iligan said the cops forced her to unlock the doors of the house where the newspapers were stored. The CHR does not have prosecuting powers. It can only issue recommendations. PNP Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa, earlier said Pinoy Weekly should proceed to the PNP Internal Affairs Service, which can investigate the cops involved. Gov. Phil Murphy, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association, was named a co-chair of the Democratic National Convention even though he wont be in the city where its taking place. Murphy was the only governor and only New Jerseyan named to a convention leadership position Monday. He joined two potential vice-presidential candidates, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, as well as U.S. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Rep. Tony Cardenas of California as co-chairs. Murphys role as a co-chair will be to work with the national party and presumptive presidential nominee Joe Bidens campaign to ensure that the convention runs smoothly, represent the event to media outlets and act as a lead surrogate to help deliver the partys message, said Philip Swibinski, a spokesman for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, was named chair. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the convention first was postponed to August from July. Now it largely will take place remotely rather than in the host city, with delegates told to stay home, and Murphy said Monday he wont be going to Milwaukee. Im not going to Milwaukee, he said. I can say that definitively, at least as of everything I know right now. Besides being a place for state Democrats to gather every four years, the national convention serves as a chance for the party to showcase its strongest 2020 candidates and its rising stars. The last two Democratic presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, first gained national attention at a convention, and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., brought delegates to their feet four years ago when he addressed the delegates. But little of that will take place this year. Heres the slimmed down schedule: Monday, Aug. 17: Opening ceremonies Committee reports (credentials, rules and platform) Select speakers Tuesday. Aug. 18: Keynote address Nominating and seconding speeches for presidential nomination Roll call vote for president Wednesday, Aug. 19: Nomination of vice president Vice presidential nominees acceptance speech Thursday, Aug. 20: Presidential nominees acceptance speech Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Flipkart and Nokia have launched the third Nokia branded Smart TV in India after the 55-inch and 43-inch models. The 65-inch 4K Ultra HD TV has narrow bezels offering infinity-edge viewing experience. It has intelligent dimming, wide color gamut and Dolby Vision. The TV has built-in 24 watt speakers on the bottom with DTS TruSurround, Dolby Audio and audio optimizations from JBL for deep bass. It runs Android 9.0 with support for Google Assistant, Chromecast in-built and lets you download more apps via Googles Android Play Store. Nokia 65-inch Smart TV specifications 65-inch (3840 2160 pixels) display with 178-degree viewing angle, 480 nits brightness, 1100:1 (Static) contrast ratio, Dolby Vision, Intelligent Dimming 1 GHz PureX quad-core Cortex A53 processor, Mali 450MP4 GPU 2.25GB RAM, 16GB storage Android TV 9.0 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, 3x HDMI, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0, Ethernet 24w Bottom-firing speakers, Sound by JBL, Dolby Audio, DTS Trusurround The 65-inch Nokia Smart TV is priced at Rs. 64,999 and will go on sale on Flipkart starting from August 6th. A 3.5-foot long juvenile whale was found beached in Ocean Shores. It died from what appears to be blunt force trauma despite its being in good nutritional condition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. NOAA spokesperson Micheal Milstein ruled the death to blunt force trauma consistent with a ship strike. More information on the death of the young humpback whale will be released next week. Earlier this month, a humpback whale struck by a state ferry in Puget Sound. But the whale has not been found yet. READ: Sperm Whale Trapped in Fishing Net: A Struggle for Rescuers Humpback Whale Struck by a Ferry Earlier in July, a humpback whale was reportedly struck by a state ferry, although the animal has not been found yet. A pair of a whale was spotted on Monday: a more massive whale and a smaller whale. According to witnesses, they saw an animal surface directly in front of the ferry M/V Tokitae approaching a terminal. The smaller whale appeared disoriented and then sunk beneath the surface. Bart Rulon of the Puget Sound Express said they have not since the smaller whale since. A search team from NOAA was dispatched on Tuesday, a day after the incident, but it did not continue until Wednesday. Washington State Ferries is investigating the incident. Crew and passengers said that they did not notice the imminent strike and were unaware of any event. According to NOAA, they could not locate the smaller whale, but the more massive whale was spotted on Monday night. READ ALSO: Hong Kong's Rare Pink Dolphins at Higher Risk of Disappearing A gash in the whale's flesh and scuff marks in the side was spotted. The photos used to determine the whale shark's injuries were new and were not present when it was placed on July 4 and 5. Dana Warr of Washington State Ferries said that the state investigation on the incident is still ongoing. NOAA deems that the animal was struck. The whale seems to have appeared right under the bow, which the crew on the bridge might not have noticed. Christopher Hanke, the captain of Sarasota, a whale sight-seeing boat, said he earlier spotted a pair of humpback whales in the ferry dock, so he alerted the nearby ferries, which then acknowledged the call but may have been too late. He added that the ferry followed its system: the fleet was alerted of the whale's presence, and Tokitae began slowing down. However, ferries take longer distances to stop compared to smaller craft. Warr said it often takes hundreds of feet to slow down from cruising speed. He further explained that The captain must have been looking way out in front, not ten feet in front of the boat. He must have stopped too late already. Second Ferry Stroke Incidence In May 2019, a ferry struck and killed a juvenile whale in Elliot Bay. The whale emerged right in front of the boat and was hit and was then spotted bleeding nearby. At that time, a Washington State Ferries captain explained that they had difficulty predicting the whale's movement. The last similar incident recorded was 30 to 40 years ago. Warr said that two incidences of boats hitting whales in a year is very unfortunate and rare. READ NEXT: Wild Dolphins Apparently Have a Range of Personalities Mike Pence at a coronavirus vaccine roundtable in Miami, Florida: EPA US vice president Mike Pence met this week with doctors featured in a viral video containing misinformation about the coronavirus, it has emerged. The meeting took place just as the doctors video, which was shared by both the president and his son, was removed by social media platforms on the grounds that it contained misleading information. The group, calling itself Americas Frontline Doctors, posted the video on Monday. In it, they appear wearing white medical coats on the steps of the Supreme Court, taking turns to speak into a microphone at which they falsely claim that masks do not help control Covid-19 and that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine can cure the disease. One of the doctors, Simone Gold, tweeted that she and her comrades met with Vice President Mike Pence to request the administrations assistance in empowering doctors to prescribe hydroxychloroquine without political obstruction. Along with the controversial medication, she wrote: We also discussed the recent censorship of doctors on social media platforms. James Todaro, another doctor at the meeting, said the group was doing everything to restore the power of medicine back to doctors and that Doctors everywhere should be able to prescribe Hydroxychloroquine without repercussions or obstruction. Hydroxychloroquine, which has been repeatedly promoted by the president and other right-wing figures, has not been proven effective against Covid-19. The FDA withdrew the drug in June, and the World Health Organisation has advised against its use. The video featuring the doctors false claims was seen by millions of people before it was removed from Twitter, Facebook and YouTube this week. Donald Trump Jr.s Twitter account was suspended for 12 hours after he shared it; the presidents remained active, but the tweets featuring the video were removed. He defended the video after it was removed, saying it featured very respected doctors. According to CNN, the most notorious of the doctors featured in the Supreme Court video was not present at the meeting. Stella Immanuel has become a viral sensation for her outlandish ideas, which extend well beyond hydroxychloroquine. Among other things, she has attributed various conditions to demons who have sex with women while they sleep, and claimed that alien DNA is secretly being used in medical treatments. Mr Pence initially took a leading role in the White Houses pandemic response. He was tapped by Mr Trump to head up the administrations coronavirus task force, and became a fixture at the presidents freewheeling daily briefings before they were stopped at the end of April. However, the task force has been sidelined in recent months, with periodic reports it may be wound up as the administration tries to shift responsibility for resurgent outbreaks away from the White House and onto individual states. More than half of parents incurred extra costs this year due to children not being in school during lockdown and the majority are worried about schools reopening, according to a new survey. Nearly three-quarters of parents said they received insufficient information on schools returning and were left in the dark about what the new school day will look like. The survey of 1,765 parents - which was conducted in early July before the Government's roadmap to schools reopening was published - also found that a significant number are not paying bills and are taking out loans to cover back-to-school costs. While the basic cost of sending a child to school has decreased slightly for primary school children in 2020, 41pc of parents are still struggling. The average annual cost of sending a child to primary school is between 330 and 365, while it costs on average 735 to cover the needs of a first-year student in secondary school. As schools have now been given the go-ahead to open at the end of August, parents admit they are worried about what the 'new normal' will be like. Over a fifth of secondary school parents said they would prefer for their children not to go back as they fear them contracting coronavirus. Students were also surveyed as part of the research by children's charity Barnardos. Some said they found it difficult learning from home, while others said they are anxious about going back to school. "I'm absolutely scared. Going into sixth year during a pandemic like this is the most stressful thing a child can go through," one pupil said. Another student said: "I can't wait, but I am worried because I missed so much and I am doing the Junior Cert this year. We also don't have good wifi so I found it very hard to do my work." A large proportion of secondary school parents (48pc) also found it difficult to manage technology for online learning. Nearly all parents believe it is important for their children's emotional and physical well-being that they go back to school. Suzanne Connolly, CEO of Barnardos, said: "Children and young people told us they missed their friends and many missed their teachers too. Some were excited about the return to school, while others worried whether they would be safe, would they pass the virus on to loved ones, or how would social distancing work. "Some also worried about the impact on their learning and exams." Parents struggled to balance work and home-schooling, according to the survey. BDP GO will seamlessly provide instant freight quotes and bookings for customers A self-service digital platform influenced by the expressed desires and expectations of customers, BDP GO was designed to enhance and streamline the overall booking process to customers across the globe. A self-service digital platform influenced by the expressed desires and expectations of customers, BDP GO was designed to enhance and streamline the overall booking process to customers across the globe. Philadelphia, PA, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BDP International (BDP), a leading privately owned global logistics and transportation solutions company, has announced the launch of BDP GO: a new self-service platform that connects users to instant freight quotes and bookings. After a highly successful beta testing launch earlier in the year, the platform is now live. The new platform is ideal for companies who seek greater control of and simplicity within the entire shipping experience. Customers have the ability to manage the ever-evolving complexities of cargo movement while maintaining a complete view of total landed cost. As the expectations and needs of BDPs customers shift with varying micro and macroeconomic forces at play, the demand for self-service capabilities has never been more apparent, noted Chief Commercial Officer, Lance Malesh. Our customers seek simplicity, transparency, and innovative methods for the prompt execution of their high velocity shipments. BDP GO provides a single source platform to deliver on these emerging expectations while enhancing and streamlining the overall booking experience. BDP GO users can: Obtain global rates and instant quotes through a quotation engine, 24/7 Compare door-to-door rates for clear and upfront pricing suited for business specifications Secure Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) bookings with a single click Receive instant booking confirmation and all applicable documentation Track and trace cargo movement in real time through every milestone of the shipment cycle Improve process efficiency and increase bottom line savings For more information, visit https://www.bdpinternational.com/go. Story continues About BDP International Headquartered in Philadelphia, BDP International is a leading privately held global logistics and transportation services company based in the U.S. The company serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide and provides a range of services, including ocean, air and ground transportation; lead logistics process analysis, design and management; export freight forwarding; import customs clearance and regulatory compliance; project logistics; warehousing, consolidation and distribution; and its web-based BDP Smart Suite of shipping transaction/tracking management and visibility applications. For more, visit www.bdpinternational.com. Attachment CONTACT: Elizabeth Reidenbach SWBR 7173682025 elizabeth.reidenbach@swbrinc.com ATLANTAStuck working at home for months, many metro Atlanta residents are eager to get back to the office. They just dont want to spend as much time there as they did before the coronavirus pandemic. Thats one takeaway from a series of surveys and interviews conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission during the first peak of the pandemic and released this week. The surveys of workers and their employers show telework has become a way of life for many residents. And it may remain that way long after the pandemic is just a bad memory. Many employees say theyre saving money and time by not commuting, and theyre experiencing less stress because theyre not stuck in traffic. Some employers say telework has made their employees more not less productive. And executives of some of the regions largest companies say more of their employees will work at home in the future. That would be just fine with Teri Noble. The Lithonia resident, who works at the DeKalb County School Districts central office, has worked at home two to three days a week since schools switched to digital learning in March. Though she misses her colleagues, Noble said shes still productive at work and has more time to take care of her own needs because shes not rushing off to the office. I think the new normal is going to be a combination of going in (to the office) and working from home, she said. I think weve all gotten used to it. We can make this work. The regional commissions survey results are the latest evidence that telework is becoming more popular with companies and their employees. In February, a commission survey found that 41 per cent of metro Atlanta commuters telework at least occasionally nearly double the share who said they did in 2007. That was before the pandemic. Roz Tucker, the managing director of the ARCs Georgia Commute Options program, said telework at many companies has been an informal arrangement and often depended on managers attitudes. She said employers werent certain their employees would actually work at home. And even if they were open to the idea, many companies lacked formal policies that would have made expectations for telework clear. Those concerns were pushed aside in March when COVID-19 cases began roiling metro Atlanta workplaces. Many schools and businesses shuttered even before Gov. Brian Kemp formally ordered Georgians to shelter in place in April. Tucker said many companies found telework to be the only way to keep their businesses viable. Georgia Commute Options helps metro Atlanta residents find alternatives to driving solo to work from transit and carpooling to working at home. And it helps companies establish policies and programs to encourage such alternatives. The pandemic proved to be a natural telework experiment. To gauge its success, in April the ARC surveyed nearly 3,000 metro Atlanta residents about their work arrangements. They included employees, managers and executives of more than 100 local employers. The ARC also interviewed executives at a dozen of the regions largest companies, including Coca-Cola, Cox Enterprises (the owner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Georgia Power, Primerica and State Farm. And it surveyed an additional 4,000 people who participated in the Georgia Commute Options programs. Among its findings: Commuters reported working from home an average of 4.6 days a week in April, up from 0.8 days a week before the pandemic. The majority of those surveyed wanted to return to the office part time but work from home more than they did before the pandemic. On average, they wanted to work at home 2.5 days a week. Nearly 70 per cent of employers surveyed said more of their employees will work from home in the future, and 23 per cent said more will work from home on a full-time basis. One in five said they may reduce the physical size of their workplaces as a result. Respondents also reported the personal benefits and challenges of working at home. Among the benefits cited: saving money and reduced stress from not commuting, having more time to spend with family and sleeping more. Among the challenges: struggling to unplug from work, anxiety about the health of their company and distractions from kids and pets. Yulanda Rawls of Roswell used to commute to a telecommunications job in Alpharetta. She wanted to work from home at times, but her employer wouldnt allow it. Then the pandemic struck, and many employees had to work from home. Rawls said shes more relaxed because shes not just rushing from one day to another, and her 12-year-old twin daughters get to see what Mom does every day. She said her job in tech support was not affected all you need is power and an internet connection. If being in your house makes you less productive, its because you really dont like your job, she said. I like my job. Not everyone enjoys working at home. Suzanne Minarcine of Macon has been teaching her business courses online at Wesleyan College in recent months. She misses her colleagues, and she said the line between her work and personal life has blurred. I want to walk away from my office at 4 oclock or 5 oclock, Minarcine said. I want to walk away and come home and be a human, instead of, Oh, I can grade one more paper. The survey results suggest more employees may experience the blurring of work and home life in the future. Far more respondents said they were more productive than less productive working at home. And employers have noticed. How do you know when theyre working at the office? Its because of the work they produce, said Tucker, the head of Georgia Commute Options. You can be in the office and not working, too. Its based on the output and the outcomes. The ARC plans to follow up with more surveys in August. Tucker said the results should shed more light on how teleworking has unfolded in recent months and how companies plan to integrate it into their plans for 2021 and beyond. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nina Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 07:34 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5e065 1 City COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,PSBB,PSBB-Masa-Transisi,PSBB-transisi Free Jakarta has yet to decide whether to extend its transitional period of COVID-19 restrictions despite having continuously hit new records in daily numbers of new infections ever since curbs began to be eased. The city's large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), currently described as a "transitional" phase with the gradual reopening of several essential services, was supposed to end on Thursday after the Jakarta administration extended the period for two weeks from July 16. Deputy Jakarta governor Ahmad Riza Patria, however, said the city administration was still undecided. As of Tuesday, authorities were still evaluating the transitional PSBB policy and reviewing future options, he said. If the evaluation results were good, Ahmad said Jakarta would end the policy to enter what he dubbed a period of safe, healthy and productive social life where residents could co-exist with the coronavirus. "If the transmission rate still remains high like now, it's very likely that we'll extend the transitional PSBB for the third time," Ahmad said, adding that the city administration would continue limiting maximum capacities to 50 percent in public places, offices and on transportation. "If the situation gets worse, it's not impossible that we will restore [the previously stricter] PSBB," he added. Read also: Muslims in Jakartas 33 red zones should avoid Idul Adha mass prayers Jakarta has seen a rising number of daily new COVID-19 cases following the city's decision to gradually relax restrictions and reopen businesses and offices under health protocols from June 4. On Wednesday, the capital recorded 584 new confirmed cases, its highest one-day spike since the first confirmed cases were detected in the city in March. The citys previous daily highs include 467 new cases on Monday, 441 on July 21, 404 on July 12, 395 on July 11 and 344 on July 8. As of Wednesday, Jakarta had recorded 19,885 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 795 fatalities and 12,373 recoveries. Ahmad said the city administration still awaited reports on the latest positivity rate -- the number of people who test positive divided by the total number tested -- as well as the data on COVID-19's basic reproduction number (R0) and daily reproduction number (Rt) in Jakarta to determine future measures. Jakartas weekly positivity rate had consistently been below 5 percent since the beginning of June, in line with one of the World Health Organizations requirements for regions seeking to enter the so-called new normal. However, the city's positivity rate has recently recorded a rise as the rate on Saturday was recorded at 7.1 percent and 9.6 percent on Sunday, with a weekly average of 5.7 percent last week. Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died after battling the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cain's Twitter account announced the death on Thursday morning, US time. It was not clear when or where Cain was infected with the virus, but he learned of his diagnosis on June 29, nine days after attending President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He spent most of July in an Atlanta hospital. Herman Cain was hospitalised with coronavirus earlier this month. Credit:AP The former pizza company executive had been an outspoken backer of the President and was named by the campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. The Pediatric Cardiology Echo Lab at Childrens Hospital at Erlanger has earned a three-year reaccreditation from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.Officials said, "This latest accreditation awarded to Childrens Hospital at Erlanger Pediatric Echo Lab demonstrates the facilitys ongoing commitment to providing quality patient care in echocardiography. Accreditation by the IAC indicates that they have undergone an intensive application and review process and are found to be in compliance with the published standards demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care.A detailed self-evaluation followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation process enables both the critical operational and technical components of the facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports."IAC accreditation is a seal of approval that parents can rely on as an indicator of consistent quality care and a dedication to continuous improvement. The training and experience of the sonographer performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics all contribute to a positive patient outcome and IAC accreditation."Being accredited by the IAC shows our continued commitment to quality and improvement, which translates to better care for our patients, said Dr. Wesley Davis, chief of Pediatric Cardiology at Childrens Hospital at Erlanger. It puts our pediatric echocardiography lab in the same category as bigger institutions, such as Vanderbilt and Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. We are the only accredited pediatric echo lab in the region."Childrens Hospital continues to be the only accredited pediatric cardiology echo lab in the region. An echocardiogram is a noninvasive ultrasound study used to evaluate heart structures and function. According to IAC, each year more than 35,000 infants in the United States are born with congenital heart defects, making it the most common type of birth defect. Diagnosis and treatment has improved over the past few decades, allowing almost all affected children to not only grow into adulthood, but thrive," officials said.To learn more about Pediatric Cardiology at Childrens Hospital at Erlanger, visit childrensaterlanger.org. The Rajasthan high court on Thursday issued notices to the Speaker of the state assembly, secretary of assembly secretariat and six MLAs who contested elections on Bahujan Samaj Party tickets and then merged with the Congress last year. The court issued the notices while hearing a petition filed by the BSP against the merger of the MLAs into the Congress which is the ruling party in Rajasthan. The arguments took place on the maintainability of the petition after which show cause notices were to the Speaker of the assembly, secretary of the assembly secretariat and six MLAs. During arguments, examples from the previous Supreme Court rulings were cited, said Dinesh Kumar Garg, counsel for BSP. They have to submit their replies by August 11 which is the next date of hearing, Garg said. The six BSP members of Rajasthan legislative assembly (MLAs) who had merged with the Ashok Gehlotled Congress government are Sandeep Yadav, Tijara MLA, Wajib Ali (Nagar), Deepchand Kheria (Kishangarh Bas), LakhanMeena (Karauli), and Rajendra Gudha (Udaipurwati). The petition is being heard by single-judge bench of justice Mahendra Kumar Goyal. Garg told the bench that the merger was unconstitutional. The BSP did not merge with the party neither at the national level nor state level. As per law, parties merge, not legislators. The BSP had earlier issued a whip to the six MLAs to vote against the Ashok Gehlot government in any proceedings of the House, including a no-confidence motion. A session of the assembly has been convened on August 14. Also, these six MLAs did not submit their resignations and so the whip was issued by the national secretary of BSP. Hence, they are liable to be disqualified under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India, said Garg. On Wednesday, BJP legislator Madan Dilawar had also filed two petitions in the high court requesting disqualification of the BSP lawmakers. Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has condemned the lynching of 90-year-old Akua Denteh at Kafaba in the Savannah Region. King Teiko Tsuru II has also called for expedited justice for the nonagenarian, who was lynched following claims she was a witch. I join the many horrified Ghanaians to condemn this act of intolerance and call for justice and appropriate sanctions against all the perpetrators of this inhuman act. I do hope that this heart-breaking act will never be repeated in any part of this peace-loving country of ours, he said in a statement. The King of Accra also called on the government to close down all witch camps established in parts of the country. I further call on the Government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organizations and everyone born of a woman, to use this unfortunate incident as an eye-opener and work jointly towards ending all forms of inhumane and obnoxious practices against girls and women, as well as all forms of Gender-based violence in this Country, Ga Mantse added in his statement. He also extended his condolences to the family of Akua Denteh. The lynching incident has been condemned by many Ghanaians and civil society organisations who have called on the police to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book. Arrests made so far Police have so far arrested five suspects believed to have taken part in the lynching of Akua Denteh. The arrests were made by a special team of police personnel dispatched from Accra. The five are expected to be arraigned within the week. The Savannah Regional Police Command had earlier arrested the Chief of Kafaba , Zackaria Yahaya, over the incident. Read King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II full statement below: KING TACKIE TEIKO TSURU II, DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR AKUA DENTEH King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse, has noted with grave concern the brutal torture and murder of Madam Akua Denteh, a 90-year-old mother and grandmother. In a video that has gone viral, this 90-year-old woman of Madam Akua Denteh was seen being publicly and brutally flogged by other women, on the unfounded allegation that she is a witch. I join the many horrified Ghanaians to condemn this act of intolerance and call for justice and appropriate sanctions against all the perpetrators of this inhuman act. I do hope that this heart-breaking act will never be repeated in any part of this peace loving country of ours. Ghana has moved on in its democratic dispensation. Laws have been passed and International conventions on human and women's rights have been signed. These must be enforced to the letter, to bring positive changes to our traditional, customary, as well as religious practices, not only for girls and women but also for our boys and men. I recognize that it is the women who have always been in the forefront in the fight, and continue to fight for the betterment of us all. They have played pivotal roles in the organization and maintenance of our homes and communities. They are to be worshipped and protected and not brutalized, murdered and branded as witches. I call on the Government to close down all witch camps. I also call on the security agencies to expedite efforts to arrest all the perpetrators speedily and bring them before the courts to face trial. Justice must be done and fast as a deterrent to those who are carrying on similar brutal acts against girls and women. I know they can. I further call on the Government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organizations and everyone born of a woman, to use this unfortunate incident as an eye opener and work jointly towards ending all forms of inhuman and obnoxious practices against girls and women, as well as all forms of Gender-based violence in this Country. As it was in the times of My Great, Great, Grandfather King Tackie Tawiah I, I will condemn in no uncertain terms, and speak out against acts that are de-humanizing and ensure that the path to our future, is embedded in fundamental Human Rights for all Finally, I will like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the children and family of the Late Madam Akua Denteh and to all the women of Ghana. May her soul rest in peace. And to Our Muslim Brothers And Sisters, Happy Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). May the divine blessings of Allah bring you hope, faith and joy on this occasion of Eid al-Adha . Lets together ensure that the Safety Protocols On the Covid 19 Are Adhered To. #Womenslivesmatter#. King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II ---citinewsroom Australian Ninja Warrior has pulled ahead of Farmer Wants A Wife in the television ratings war. According to a report by Mumbrella on Wednesday, Channel Nine's Australian Ninja Warrior pulled in 1.040 million metro viewers during its premiere episode on Sunday. In comparison, Channel Seven's Farmer Wants A Wife, which also premiered on Sunday, attracted 908,000 metro viewers. Taking the lead: Australian Ninja Warrior (pictured) has pulled ahead of Farmer Wants A Wife in the television ratings war Both shows came in ahead of Network 10's Bachelor In Paradise, which only managed to pull in 434,000 metro viewers. Furthermore, Farmer Wants A Wife seems to have an older demographic, with Ninja Warrior and Bachelor In Paradise each attracting 191,000 viewers aged 16 to 39. By contrast, Farmer Wants A Wife only attracted 163,000 viewers in this key advertising demographic. Crunching numbers: Channel Seven's Farmer Wants A Wife, which also premiered on Sunday, attracted 908,000 metro viewers But Farmer Wants A Wife pulled in more regional viewers, boosting their average audience size to 1.4million. With the addition of regional viewers, Australian Ninja Warrior had an average audience of 1.376million viewers during its all-important premiere episode. Both networks seemed overwhelming happy with the early ratings results. Surging ahead: According to a report by Mumbrella on Wednesday, Channel Nine's Australian Ninja Warrior pulled in 1.040million metro viewers during its premiere episode on Sunday 'It's clear that Australians have fallen in love with Farmer Wants A Wife...' Seven's programming director Angus Ross told Mumbrella. 'We're excited about continuing to share this much-loved show with our audiences over the next few weeks.' Added Nine's program director Hamish Turner: 'The sentiment on social media has been positive... We look forward to seeing the show continue its ratings momentum in the weeks to come.' Concarlo Holdings LLC, has today announced that US Patent 10,702,570 was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 07, 2020, marking the latest step in Concarlos journey to commercialize revolutionary medicines for metastatic breast cancer. The patent, for which Concarlo is the exclusive licensee, covers IpY, a novel therapeutic peptide that addresses drug-resistant breast cancer by targeting a unique cellular pathway p27Kip1. The Downstate Biotechnology Incubator, New York, home to Concarlos headquarters Concarlo has also announced that a new provisional patent application has been filed for modified versions of the therapeutic peptide that are believed to exhibit enhanced bioavailability. Concarlo is a Brooklyn-based biotechnology innovator dedicated to developing sophisticated, targeted therapies and diagnostics in the oncology space. The IpY technology is the first to address the high incidence of drug-refractory disease that develops with currently available CDK4 inhibitor (CDK4i) treatments. Such a solution has the potential to drastically increase overall survival of breast cancer patients. With more than 40,000 deaths due to metastatic breast cancer estimated for this year alone in the US, there is a pressing need to bring newer, more effective therapeutics to market. The recent introduction of CDK4i drugs, a class of medicines that directly targets the CDK4/6 pathway implicated in many malignancies, has had a significant impact on the way in which the disease is managed. However, such therapeutics are associated with patients transitioning to a treatment-resistant form of the condition, despite initial extended periods of remission. Backed by more than 20 years of research and development expertise, Concarlo has developed IpY and a companion diagnostic, ApY, to effectively overcome the issue of CDK4i resistance and roll out a more targeted treatment approach for optimized patient outcomes. Despite the clinical efficacy of CDK4 inhibitors, were seeing that primary or secondary resistance to therapy is presenting a significant challenge to overall survival. With the IpY technology and its unique mechanism of action, were effectively targeting CDK4 while simultaneously inhibiting another target CDK2 which has been found to be a key molecular player in the development of drug resistance. In doing so, we are the first company to successfully address the CDK4i resistance issue to provide long-term durable tumor arrest. Combined with its highly specific targeting and low toxicity profile, the positive impact of this drug on the breast cancer treatment landscape is hard to understate. Dr. Dominique Bridon, Chief Development Officer at Concarlo Concarlo was formed in 2016 and is supported by a team of internationally renowned experts forming its Scientific Advisory Board. To date, the company has raised more than $3.1 million to support the development, improvement, and commercialization of its IpY and ApY technologies to bring a precision medicine approach to breast cancer management. The newly issued patent for IpY and the provisional patent application for modified versions of the peptide are the first key milestones in Concarlos plan to build an extensive patent estate to maintain market exclusivity for its clinically relevant therapeutics. By PTI LONDON: A rare late ninth century stone statue of Lord Shiva, which was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday. The stone Nataraj/Natesha murti, in "chatura pose with jatamakuta and trinetra" and almost four-feet-tall, is a rare depiction of Lord Shiva in the Prathihara style. It was stolen in February 1998 from Ghateshwar Temple in Baroli, Rajasthan. In 2003, it came to light that the statue had been smuggled out to the UK. "When this information was received in London, the UK authorities were contacted and with their support the matter was pursued with the private collector, who was in possession of the idol in London. He voluntarily returned the idol to the Indian High Commission in the UK in 2005," said the High Commission of India in the UK. In August 2017, a team of ASI experts visited the India House and examined the idol, which took pride of place inside the building's main lobby. The experts confirmed that it is the same statue that was stolen from Ghateshwar Temple. An official Indian government communique said that in line with the government of India's renewed impetus to protecting India's cultural heritage and showcasing it to the world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with India's law enforcement agencies have been actively pursuing investigations and restitution of stolen and smuggled Indian antiquities. As a result, antiquities and idols have been returned to India from various countries, including the US, Australia, France and Germany. The High Commission of India (HCI) in London said it has also been playing a leading role in the successful restitutions and repatriations of India's cultural heritage. "HCI is presently working with various law enforcement agencies to trace, seize and retrieve stolen artefacts. HCI is working on many such cases at present. We are confident that in coming days, in partnership with the ASI, government of India, state and central authorities as well as UK law enforcement agencies and independent experts, we will be successful in returning more items of our cultural heritage to India," a statement said. Some examples of restitution from the UK include the Bramha-Brahmani sculpture, which was stolen from India and returned to the ASI in 2017. It has found a prominent resting place at Purana Quila Museum in New Delhi, in the gallery curated by the ASI. On August 15, 2018, a 12th century bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restored to the Indian High Commission by London's Metropolitan Police and then handed over to the Indian government last year. Riga City, Latvia -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2020 -- The Bitcoin core network today runs on the proof of work algorithm. It leaves the network open to the 51% attack, also it is costly to mine and harmful for the environment. The PoW mechanism has also been a hindrance to scalability. However, numerous innovations are trying to deal with the issues, facing the Bitcoin network while preserving certain unique aspects of the original concept. For instance, the 21 million tokens supply along with the proven code-base that has been improved over a decade is worth preserving. The Bitcoin Proof of Stake coin reserves the strongest aspect of the Bitcoin network with a flexible proof of stake algorithm. It presents a new paradigm in the utility of crypto. The Bitcoin PoS coin preserves everything that Bitcoin has while bringing new development to the blockchain technology. Driving Mass Adoption When Satoshi Nakamoto launched Bitcoin about a decade ago, his goal was mass adoption of crypto that would replace the current financial system. However, that goal has not been achieved. Many crypto projects in existence today have numerous issues that prevent mass adoption. The Bitcoin PoS project aims to advance Satoshi Nakamoto's vision of a decentralized financial network that is independent of centralized control. Bitcoin Proof of Stake is designed to be scalable and easy to use. The goal is to give access to banking services to billions of people globally. To achieve this, Bitcoin PoS aims to be a coin for ordinary retail payments. About the Proof of Stake Mechanism The Bitcoin network is secured using a proof of work mechanism. However, the PoW mechanism is energy-intensive and requires expensive mining rigs to secure. The proof of stake mechanism wants to replace how consensus is achieved. Instead of using PoW, the staker that generates a block has to provide proof that they have access to a given number of coins. Generating the block will entail the sending of coins to oneself, which proves ownership. The amount of coins needed for staking is determined via a difficulty adjustment model that is similar to the PoW mechanism. The goal is to ensure an approximate constant block time. Just like PoW, the block generation process will result in rewards via a transaction fee and supply model. Bitcoin PoS Deals with the Bitcoin Centralization Problems The Bitcoin network appears perfect to its proponents. However, it has a problem with centralization. The high cost of power and the expensive mining rigs means that only a few select companies can afford to mine the BTC network. The result is that only those with access to cheap power can secure the network. Today, most of those miners are located in China, which has led to a high concentration of mining power in one region. In effect, Chinese miners control the Bitcoin network. It was not the vision of decentralization that Satoshi Nakamoto had in mind. To make the issue worse, the places where the cost of power is low also have highly authoritarian systems of government. Another issue is that in nations where the cost of power is high do not recognize BTC mining as a business. Thus, miners do not get access to subsidized power. It has led to the proliferation of mining cartels with some companies controlling as much as 5% of the mining power. For retail miners, the only solution is to join mining pools, which effectively control all of the mining power of BTC. As a result, BTC is highly centralized in the current setup and it will only continue being centralized in the future. Bitcoin PoS Solves the Issue One of the issues that Bitcoin Proof of Stake solves is the cost of power. The proof of stake mechanism cuts the cost of power by 99%. As a result, it ensures that it will difficult from any entity to monopolize the network. The result is that Bitcoin PoS is achieving the vision of Satoshi Nakamoto. The Current State of Bitcoin PoS While Bitcoin Proof of Stake uses a proof of stake mechanism, the Bitcoin PoS still keeps up with upgrades to the Bitcoin network. Any upgrade made by the developers is added to the Bitcoin PoS blockchain. Today, the coin is tradable on crypto exchanges; it has a market price of USD 89.07 according to data on CoinMarketCap. It has a market cap of $308,995,384 and it is ranked at 40 by market cap in the world but actual raking on coinmarketcap.com is 205 because of their raking systems. New listings on different platforms and exchanges will come. About Cryptoshib Criptoshib tries to keep crypto enthusiasts updated with the latest happenings and stories from the crypto world. We try to post stories about projects and people of the crypto and blockchain communities from around the world. Media Contact https://cryptoshib.com/bitcoin-proof-of-stake-bitcoinpos-bps/ Member of the pro-democracy political organization Demosisto and disqualified lawmaker Nathan Law speaks to reporters in Hong Kong on June 19, 2020. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) International Legislators Condemn the Disqualifying of Hong Kong Democratic Candidates A group of international lawmakers issued a statement on Thursday condemning the Hong Kong governments decision to disqualify democratic candidates. The statement was signed by 68 lawmakers from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) representing eight European countries and the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The decision to disqualify democratic candidates and the anticipated delay to Septembers Legislative Council elections represent unacceptable obstructions to the democratic process in Hong Kong and raise further concerns about the erosion of rights and freedoms in the city, the statement read. After the widely condemned imposition of the National Security Law, these actions further curtail of Hong Kongs way of life and will exacerbate existing grievances in the city at the time of increased tension. We urge the international community to meet this further diminution of Hong Kongs rights and freedoms with a proportionate response. The Hong Kong government earlier disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in Hong Kongs upcoming Legislative Council election, including prominent activist Joshua Wong. In a separate statement, the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also condemned the disqualification of the candidates. It is clear they have been disqualified because of their political views, undermining the integrity of One Country, Two Systems and the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Joint Declaration and Hong Kongs Basic Law, he said. The Hong Kong authorities must uphold their commitments to the people of Hong Kong. In a separate letter to the Foreign Secretary, some UK members of IPAC called for identifying Hong Kong officials who are responsible for the dramatic decline in the citys autonomy and adding them to the Magnitsky sanctions list, which is surely justified in the case of Carrie Lam, who bears responsibility for clear and significant breaches of Hong Kongs treaty obligations. Yinyin Liao and Kat Piper contributed to this report For weeks, it was unclear how Oregon leaders could defuse the increasingly violent standoff between federal officers and protesters in downtown Portland and convince Homeland Security officers to leave. Gov. Kate Browns administration says that proved relatively easy in the end because the Trump administration was clearly looking for a way out. Trump administration officials did not demand any concessions or pledges from Brown before they agreed officers would depart, Browns chief of staff Nik Blosser told The Oregonian/OregonLive Wednesday. Theyre not gonna walk in and say, We screwed up, Blosser said. But every action they took in the last week implied that, that they needed a different strategy. With Portland police prohibited since July 22 from coordinating with federal officers, officers from Homeland Security and Customs and Border Control faced an increasingly dangerous situation. They know every time they step out of the building, let alone step into the street, they get in trouble and they know that just strategically, the city of Portland wont even talk to them because of their actions, Blosser said. Meanwhile the protests grew larger and increasingly focused on Oregonians opposition to federal law enforcement tactics. President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday he wasnt giving up on his law-and-order push focused on Democrat-led cities. But in a separate tweet he appeared to be trying out a new election year talking point to stir up racist fears of affordable housing. Similarly, the interim head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rejected the idea that the administration was changing course on its operation to quell protests in U.S. cities. The governor reached out, is what changed, Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in a telephone call Wednesday with reporters. Federal law enforcement officers began a phased withdrawal from Portland Thursday with Oregon State Police troopers stepping in to safeguard the downtown federal courthouse. But exactly how the federal back-down will unfold remains to be seen, given that shortly after the governors announcement Wolf told reporters federal officers would remain in the city until we are assured that the courthouse and other federal facilities will no longer be attacked nightly and set afire. The withdrawal talks, which started late last week, gave Brown a moment in the spotlight and left city of Portland officials including Mayor Ted Wheeler out-of-the-loop until Tuesday. Blosser said officials in Browns office notified city officials and sought their input as soon as it was clear the Trump administration was interested. All high-ranking Oregon Democrats, in Congress, at the Capitol and in Portland City Hall, have publicly attacked Trump, not only for the federal crackdown on Portland protests but on a variety of issues going back years. Nonetheless, Blosser said, that was not an impediment in discussions. Federal and state officials started to discuss the drawdown within hours of a federal judges order temporarily barring federal officers from using force, threats and dispersal orders against journalists and legal observers documenting the protests and law enforcement response. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon, who is married to Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, rejected the federal governments argument that federal officers shooting journalists and legal observers with impact munitions in the back, neck and legs were unintended consequences of crowd control. Simon further said individual federal officers or supervisors could be held liable if they intentionally disregard his ruling. When wrongdoing is underway, officials have great incentive to blindfold the eyes of the Fourth Estate, Simon wrote. The free press is the guardian of the public interest, and the judiciary is the guardian of the press. Just a day earlier, Wheeler grabbed national media attention when he attended the nightly protest in front of the federal courthouse and was subjected to tear gas. In an interview the next morning on CNN, Wheeler accused Trump of using these federal forces as his own personal militia and creating the chaos in Democratically controlled cities so ironically he can point to the chaos and then say, Look those Democratically controlled cities are in chaos and I and only I can stop the chaos. In a phone call with reporters Wednesday, Wolf attributed the agreement to withdraw federal officers from Portland to an about-face by Oregons governor and insisted he and Attorney General William Barr are in no way backing away from their stance that it is appropriate to deploy federal officers to Portland protests. The governor made that decision finally around day 57 (of the protests), decided to be a partner and reached out to us to offer Oregon State Police, Wolf said. Why that did not happen on day 10 I do not know Im glad that she changed her mind. Oregon is a blue state, with Democrats in all but one of the five statewide elected offices, holding six of seven seats in Congress and leading the states largest city government. Political leaders at all levels lambasted the president over his response to the Black Lives Matter movement long before he dispatched federal officers in early July with the stated purpose of quelling the by then dwindling protests centered at Portlands local Justice Center and federal courthouse. During her 2018 re-election campaign, Brown frequently cast herself as running against Trump rather than her actual opponent, Republican state Rep. Knute Buehler whod distanced himself from the president. In recent months the governor has gone after Trump repeatedly for mishandling the coronavirus crisis. Two weeks ago, while Wolf was in the city, Wheeler said on Twitter that he wouldnt have met with Wolf even if hed been asked. Brown has repeatedly accused the Trump administration of political theater in recent weeks but did not say she would refuse a meeting with them. Though the governor has sided with Wheeler and city officials in calling for federal officers to leave the city, she was absent from daily public pleas by city leaders in recent weeks to end violence during demonstrations. She made infrequent comments about police actions at the protests. On Wednesday in her statement announcing the deal with federal authorities, Brown said she was concerned about the nightly confrontations between the Portland community and federal officers. We need to recognize that the protests in Portland are not solely about the federal presence, she said. They started before federal agents descended on our city and they will likely continue after they leave. City officials werent directly involved in the negotiations to have federal officers leave Portland despite Wheeler and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty publicly asking to be on Monday. We were in heavy conversation by that time ... but the city didnt know that, Blosser said. Thomas Wheatley, the governors interim director of communications, said Browns rapport with Vice President Mike Pence, whom she initially reached out to on July 23, helped get the talks going. Pence holds regular phone calls with governors about the national response to COVID-19, and Wheatley and Blosser described Browns relationship with Trumps No. 2 as cordial. During a news conference with the mayors of Seattle, Albuquerque, Oakland and Philadelphia about a half-hour after the Portland phased withdrawal announcement, Wheeler said federal authorities only spoke directly with the governors office and then information was relayed back to the city. He said Brown administration officials looped the city in beginning Tuesday morning and he's pleased "we've reclaimed Portland or will soon." In the meantime, we would do well to remember that this movement is not about the legal right of federal law enforcement to operate in our cities, Wheeler said. Its about the urgent and necessary work of criminal justice, racial justice and policing reform. Brown and Portland leaders disjointed efforts to end the federal law enforcement presence suggest there has been little change since March when the governor and mayor were clearly at odds in a press conference over the states coronavirus response. Wheeler pressured Brown to issue a mandatory statewide stay-home order, threatening to enact a citywide ban if the governor didnt act. Officials floundered through the briefing, with Wheeler saying an order was forthcoming and Brown stepping in to correct him that she wasnt working on such an order. On Wednesday, it was evident the state had not filled in city officials on details of the plan. Sonia Schmanski, one of Wheelers deputy chiefs of staff said she didnt know how many state troopers would be coming to the city and that Gov. Brown never told city officials specifically why she chose to step in. I think it was becoming clear to everybody that the situation on the ground here was unsustainable and that state resources were going to be a necessary part of the agreement with the feds to leave, Schmanski said. When asked if city officials were concerned that they werent directly part of the negotiation table, she said, Were just glad theres a deal. Hardestys staff did not respond to a request for comment about the federal withdrawal Wednesday and Commissioner Chloe Eudalys office declined to comment. Commissioner Amanda Fritz said in a statement that she appreciates the work of Gov. Kate Brown, Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Hardesty in finding the way forward. Fritz said she is cautiously optimistic regarding the federal withdrawal and looks forward to a return to focusing on necessary reforms in public safety and police accountability, centering Black, Indigenous and People of Color community leaders. Hillary Borrud | hborrud@oregonian.com | 503-294-4034 | @hborrud -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. As many as 40 students who have tested positive for coronavirus were among the 1.94 lakh students appearing for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test, which began on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said. Taking a cue from the SSLC examination and the pre- university examination conducted by the Department of Public Instruction, the Karnataka government decided to proceed with the CET for PUC students. The two-day examinations on Thursday and Friday are being conducted at the 497 centres across Karnataka, the Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the higher education portfolio, said after visiting a few of the examination centres. He also said of the 1.94 lakh students enrolled for the test, 40,200 are appearing in Bengaluru at 83 centres. He said 40 students writing the exam are infected by the coronavirus including 12 in Bengaluru. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the COVID- 19 infected persons to appear for the exam. They were brought to the examination centres and dropped back to their respective places in the departments ambulance, the Deputy Chief Minister said. Separate sitting arrangements have been made for these students. As a precautionary measures, usage of masks and sanitisers have been made mandatory. To maintain social distancing, a maximum of 24 students are allowed in one exam hall, he said. We are abiding by the guidelines issued by the High Court. Masks, sanitisers and social distancing are mandatory for the students. There are no shortcomings in the arrangements by the government. Students can happily appear for the exam, he added. He also said this year the counselling for the allotment of seats will be entirely done online. Meanwhile, at Government Dental College at Ballari, an invigilator appeared in personal protection equipment covering himself completely. Five COVID infected students, who appeared for the exam, expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements made in the college. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked for a copy of the FIR registered against actress Rhea Chakraborty and some others in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, from the Bihar Police, officials said on Thursday. The agency will study the police FIR to assess if it merits a probe under money laundering. Sushant Singh Rajputs father Krishna Kumar Singh has alleged in his complaint to the Bihar Police that there was a transaction of Rs 15 crore from one of the accounts of his son. The agency has written to the Bihar Police for a copy of the complaint since it is looking into the case for a potential probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). If the case merits an investigation, the ED, will probe if anyone used the actors income for money laundering and creating illegal assets. ALSO READ | Sushant Singh Rajputs kin file caveat in SC, seek hearing on Rheas plea to transfer probe to Mumbai On Tuesday, the actors father had lodged an FIR against Chakraborty, her family members and six others on charges of alleged abetment to suicide. The Bihar Police lodged a case under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide). The Supreme Court, earlier on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking transfer of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajputs death from Mumbai police to the CBI. ALSO READ | Mayawati wades into row over Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Congress is her target A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that the Mumbai Police should be allowed to complete the investigation and if something was found, then a plea should be filed before the Bombay High Court. The actress had moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a stay on the investigation by the Bihar Police on the FIR filed against her by Sushant Singh Rajputs father for allegedly abetting the suicide of his son. The Mumbai Police is already investigating the actors death. (Newser) Heart disease led to the death of retired TV host Regis Philbin last week at age 88. Officials in a Connecticut medical examiner's office said the cause of death was "myocardial infarction due to coronary artery disease and hypertension," per USA Today. Philbin's family had cited natural causes in announcing his death. The longtime TV personality was buried after a private funeral Wednesday in Indiana at his alma mater, per the South Bend Tribune. "He is now resting in peace at Notre Dame," a university spokesman said. story continues below The 1953 graduate raised money for South Bend and university needs over the years, including $2.75 million for the Philbin Studio Theatre on campus. "Regis regaled millions on air through the years, oftentimes sharing a passionate love for his alma mater with viewers," the school's president said this week. "He will be remembered at Notre Dame for his unfailing support for the university and its mission." (Letterman had high praise for Philbin.) Gurugram Police after initial investigations have stumbled upon the names of three more pharmacists who helped in the alleged smuggling of Covid-19 and cancer treatment medicines to Iraq by four interpreters, who were nabbed on Tuesday. Police said they were also investigating if the arrested suspects had links with certain hospitals. Senior police officials associated with the investigation said on Thursday that the role of some hospitals had come under scanner after vials and injections of remdesivir an experimental drug administered to Covid-19 patients in emergency situations were recovered in two raids this week. Investigators said that since remdesivir is directly supplied from manufacturing companies to the hospitals and there are no stockists of the drug, individuals associated with certain hospitals, local pharmacies and their nexus, in procuring and supplying medicines illegally to the arrested suspects, is being probed. The four Iraqi suspects arrested on Tuesday worked as interpreters at private hospitals and allegedly had connections with distributors of pharmaceutical products. Aman Yadav, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Sadar, said, The suspects have named three more pharmacists, who were allegedly involved in procuring and supplying injections to them. We have also received leads to suggest links with hospitals and an investigation to probe those links has been initiated. There could be other stakeholders involved . The investigation is now focused on making more arrests for which raids are being conducted. On Wednesday night, the police had arrested a pharmacist, identified as Pardeep, who runs a medical store in Jharsa sector 38, for allegedly supplying remdesivir injections to the Iraqi suspects. Eighty four vials of Remdesivir, which the pharmacist had hidden in a room adjacent to a tubewell in his village near Pataudi, were recovered after a raid by police and officials of drug control department. Police said during questioning, Pardeep had named a Delhi-based supplier, from whom he had purchased the injections for Rs 15,000 per vial and then sold it to an Iraqi interpreter for Rs 18,000 per vial, without an invoice. The Iraqis had paid him Rs 15 lakh for supplying 84 remdesivir injections, which were supposed to be smuggled to Iraq through medical tourism patients. In Iraq, a vial of remdesivir, which costs Rs 5400 in India, is sold for Rs 1 lakh. A police official privy to the investigation, requesting anonymity, said, Based on inputs given by the pharmacist, a team had conducted a raid late on Wednesday night to trace the alleged supplier of remdesivir, but he was not found at the location shared by the accused. Police said that two of the Iraqi suspects had earlier claimed that they had sourced some of the medicines from Kolkata, but in sustained questioning, they did not reveal any contacts or location of their supplier. The suspects have not shared any specific location in Kolkata and have only mentioned names of a contact in Kolkata and one in the city, who was their supplier for the past six months, said another police officer. Meanwhile, the pharmacist, Pardeep, was produced in a district court on Thursday and remanded to police custody for two days. Two Iraqi suspects arrested from sector 57 are currently in police custody till Saturday, while other two Iraqi nationals were remanded to two more days of police custody. On Tuesday, the police had arrested four Iraqi nationals in two separate raids from sector 47 and sector 57 after the drug control department had received a tip-off. Forty eight vials of Remdesivir, 55 strips of Fabiflu (Favipiravir) and 18 packs of Lopikast the three drugs used in the treatment of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus among a large cache of antibiotics, antacids, anti-allergic and other cancer treatment medicines were recovered in the raid. One SUV and Rs 74.55 lakh cash was also seized. Police probe has found that the suspects had been smuggling medicines to Iraq for at least two years and since the pandemic, they had started dealing primarily in drugs used to treat Covid-19 which were in short supply and sold at exorbitant prices in Iraq. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global electric vehicles market is anticipated to reach USD 912 billion by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. Electric vehicles are one of the fastest growing mode of transport which have adopted smart technologies. It constitutes of electric buses, cars, trucks, and electric bikes. The market is maturing at a fast rate due to increasing demand, initiatives to expand electric vehicle charging stations, and diverse vehicle models. Large number of consumers have become more familiar with these technologies and the trend is spreading fast across the world economies. Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-market Government initiatives to accelerate the shift of their nations vehicle fleet from combustion to electric drive has led to rapid growth in the sale of the electric vehicles. Some of the actions undertaken in 2018 by the federal and state regulators in this regard include Evolve NY (an electric vehicle expansion initiative in New York), funding opportunities for advanced electric vehicle projects by the U.S. Department of Energy, and rebate programs for EV charging stations in Ohio, U.S. Oil dependence benefits, climate change, and clean air are the most crucial factors for different governments across the world to promote the electric vehicles among consumers. Apart from these factors, one another significant parameter includes economic benefits from manufacturing of the future electric car industry. The automobile manufacturing hubs such as the United States, Germany, and Japan will have much to lose if they do not support the transition to electric vehicles. Electric vehicle sales & production has witnessed a tremendously rapid growth due to numerous advanced technological developments. The manufacturing companies have undertaken R&D concerning the design, range, and maintenance of these vehicles. In 2017 ten big companies (Tesla, BAIC, BMW, Volkswagen, Toyota, and five others) had more than 50,000 in annual sales as compared to five such companies in 2016. Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-market/request-for-sample Asia is the most popular region for the growth of electronic vehicles with China as the most significant global player. Other Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan along with China have been major battery providers. Increase demand from India for the electric vehicles has also contributed towards the growth of this regional market. However, the global industry is also subjected to some restraints such as high product price. Electric vehicles are highly priced and are not affordable by each consumer, especially in the countries with lower economic growth. Moreover, the maintenance of the electric bikes is costly and requires frequent charging and changing of batteries. Some battery related issues also include lead emissions from few batteries and the energy storage systems, are some of the factors restraining the market growth. The global electric vehicle industry constitutes of many international and domestics players. Some of the key players include Volkswagen Group, Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, BAIC Corporation, General Motors, Ford, and Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi. Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-vehicles-ev-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. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com All Doris Fields knew about her father was he was Jamaican and he wasnt present in her life. With Fields mother unwilling to talk about him, she was left in the dark. She joined the Indiana African American Genealogy Group (IAAGG) shortly after its formation in 1999 with an interest in tracing her roots. I did a DNA test in 2011, and put it on Ancestry.com, she said. I was getting hits, you know, but only third and fourth cousins. Without her fathers correct name and lacking additional information, she didnt have enough to connect the dots. Years later, however, she finally had a breakthrough that changed her life forever. I got a note in February of 2019 from someone who claimed to be my half sibling. When I saw it, I thought, Oh my God. This is big, Fields said. I called Charles Barker, president of IAAGG, to tell him about what Id found. He said, Girl, you done found your daddy. Since then, shes visited her half siblings who live in London. To her relief, they accepted her with open arms. Like Fields, Charles Vaughn, vice president of IAAGG, felt that the organization was a helping hand in discovering his long-lost family members. Retiring after 41 years in the corporate world, he joined IAAGG in 2018. He decided it was time to pursue the genealogy journey hed always wanted to embark on. My two brothers and I were raised by our mom. I really didnt know my dad, or his family at all, Vaughn said. After conducting extensive research, he was able to organize the first-ever Vaughn family reunion in the summer of 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. He described the family get-together as extremely rewarding. The way Vaughn sees it, he couldnt have done it without the support of IAAGG. To date, the organization has 110 members, but he predicts that number will rise to over 150 before the end of the year. Many of our members are resources themselves, and experts in genealogy, he said. We have monthly meetings where we discuss various topics that relate to genealogy. Nichelle M. Hayes, one of IAAGGs genealogy experts, said the initial research process is no easy feat. In fact, shes been on her research journey for over 25 years. A lot of your research becomes I dont know this or I cant find that. And then you spend years trying to find the answer to that question, she noted. Hayes, who never knew much about her paternal side of the family, came to some tough realizations after her father died. I didnt know the exact day of my grandmothers death, nor did I know where she died or was buried, said Hayes. That literally probably took me 20 years to figure that out. Although many dont know where to start retracing their history, Hayes has a simple piece of advice: Start with yourself and then expand outwards. Write down all the info that you know about yourself. Then write what you know about your parents, grandparents and so on, she added. Dont be that ancestor that cant be found in 72 years when they crack open this years 2020 census. Contact newsroom intern Mikaili Azziz at 317-924-5143. Follow her on Twitter @mikailiazziz. Genealogy Conference The Indiana African American Genealogy Group (IAAGG) will host a virtual conference. What: Helping You Tell Your Familys Story When: Sept. 19 Where: Online. Register at iaagg.org For more information, or to start your genealogy journey, visit iaagg.org. old photograph of woman, genealogygisele The organization that runs New York's Bronx Zoo has issued an apology over its racist past, including when it caged an African man in the monkey house for three days in 1906. The apology came Wednesday after the Wildlife Conservation Society, or WCS, had begun digging into the zoo's past for an upcoming 125th anniversary, and in light of George Floyd's killing. 'In the name of equality, transparency, and accountability, we must confront our organization's historic role in promoting racial injustice as we advance our mission to save wildlife and wild places,' WCS officials said in a released statement. The officials cited specific instances of 'unconscionable racial intolerance,' including the treatment of Ota Benga, a young man from the Mbuti people of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Benga, who stood at 4-feet, 8-inches, was put on display in a cage in the monkey house for several days in September 1906. As a decorative custom of his tribe in the Congo, Ota's teeth had been filed into sharp points, a feature the zoo used to promote him as a wild man. A sign was hung over the cage that read, 'The Missing Link.' The organization that runs the Bronx Zoo issued an apology over its racist past, including when an African man named Ota Benga (pictured) was caged in the monkey house in 1906 As a decorative custom of his tribe in the Congo, Ota's teeth had been filed into sharp points, a feature the zoo used to promote him as a wild man. A sign was hung over the cage that read, 'The Missing Link.' A baby chimp sat at the bottom of the enclosure, a single companion to the boy. The New York Times reported at the time that visitors had come to see the 'the wild man from Africa'. 'They chased him about the grounds all day, howling, jeering, and yelling. Some of them poked him in the ribs, others tripped him up, all laughed at him', the report read. Benga was brought to America in 1904, when showman anthropologist William McGee conceived the idea of a human zoo, to be held in St Louis. McGee's grandson, Phillips Verner, returned with Benga and five other Mbuti, after a trip to the African jungle. The six were sent to St Louis by rail, where they became McGee's most important exhibits, the centerpiece of the St Louis World Fair, and were feted by society and academics alike. Outa Benga, a Central African man, was caged in the Bronx Zoo's monkey house (pictured) for several days in September 1906 Five of the Mbuti then returned to Africa, but Benga was brought to New York with Verner, where he was provided accommodation in a spare room at the American Museum of Natural History. Soon, however, he came to the attention of William Hornaday, a conservationist and director of the Bronx Zoo. Zoo founder Madison Grant (pictured) offered to take charge of Benga, who initially believed he would be looking after the Bronx Zoo's elephants Hornaday and zoo founder Madison Grant offered to take charge of Benga, who initially believed he would be looking after the Bronx Zoo's elephants. In fact, he was going to be put on public display as a living example of 'racial inferiority', and viewed by as many as 40,000 people a day. Ota endured the gawking only so long before pleading with zookeepers to remove him from view Immediately, the monkey house exhibition prompted criticism, and Black clergymen, outraged at the obvious racism, were able to close down the exhibit three days later. WCS who issued the apology Wednesday noted that outrage from the ministers 'brought the disgraceful incident to an end.' Benga later went from the zoo to an orphanage in Brooklyn and then to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he worked in a tobacco factory. He died by suicide in 1916, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Lynchburg. The monkey house was permanently closed in 2012. An online petition has been started to pressure the zoo to create a memorial plaque and have it placed in the very same place Benga was held in captivity. 'After all, it is their responsibility,' the online petition posted by the Ota Benga Memorial Group reads. The Ota Benga Memorial Group wants to have a plaque erected where the African man was 'held in captivity. The cover page from the group's website is pictured The organization's website describes it as a 'student-led, student-run, and student-oriented group'. The petition has been up for at least 8 months, but so far only has 347 supporters. Its goal is to reach 10,000. 'This was an atrocity and needs to be shared nationwide if not worldwide. I have brought my own child to the Bronx Zoo and I've grown up going there myself and had no knowledge of this. His family deserves justice and, at the very least, some type of reparations,' wrote supporter Theresa L. of New York in a post made Thursday, a day after the WCS apology was made. A petition to pressure the Bronx Zoo (pictured) to create a memorial for Ota Benga has a goal of attracting 10,000 supporters The Wildlife Conservation Society officials also apologized for the 'eugenics-based, pseudoscientific racism' promoted by Grant and another founder, Henry Fairfield Osborn Sr. Eugenics, a movement promoting selective human breeding to weed out characteristics seen as undesirable, had many adherents in the early decades of the 20th century and was influential in shaping Nazi policies. Excerpts from Bronx Zoo founder Madison Grant's book 'The Passing of the Great Race' were included in a defense exhibit for one of the defendants in the Nuremberg trials Excerpts from Grant's book 'The Passing of the Great Race' were included in a defense exhibit for one of the defendants in the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, zoo officials said. 'We deeply regret that many people and generations have been hurt by these actions or by our failure previously to publicly condemn and denounce them,' the officials said in the statement, The New York Times reported. Grant had set out to promote 'scientific racism', and was known to speak of 'purity of type', and the survival of the white master race. In 1930, after his book was translated into German, he received a letter from Adolf Hitler, who at the time was still an aspiring politician. Hitler wrote in the letter, 'your book is my bible'. He would go on to employ 'scientific racism' as the foundation for the Third Reich, giving a veneer of academic grounding to the horrors of the Holocaust. As during the Vietnam War in the next decade, the other side shrewdly perceived that Americans in particular are impatient people. We tend strongly, instinctively to place a premium on quick over careful action, decisive over deliberate decision and quarterly over annual or longer-term financial returns. Moreover, true Communist ideologues view themselves as agents of inevitable history. Patience is encouraged, reinforced by the quality of some cultures to take a long-term, collective strategic view. Kanpur, July 30 : Gopal Saini, a close aide of slain gangster Vikas Dubey, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, surrendered before a special court in Kanpur Dehat, a government counsel said. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Kanpur Police were on the lookout for Gopal Saini since July 3 after eight policemen were ambushed and killed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Vikas Dubey. District Government Counsel (criminal) Raju Porwal said that Saini, accused in the killing of eight policemen, surrendered before the special court (UP dacoity-affected area) at Maati in Kanpur Dehat. Saini's advocate had moved an application for his surrender before the court. Superintendent of Police (rural), Brajesh Srivastava confirmed that Saini has surrendered before the court in Kanpur Dehat. "We have decided to move an application before the court requesting for his police custody so that he can be questioned properly and information about other members of Vikas Dubey's gang who are still evading arrest can be obtained," he said. Initially, a cash reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for Saini's arrest but it was later increased to Rs 1 lakh, the police officer said. Vikas Dubey was shot dead in an encounter on the outskirts of Kanpur on July 10. Earlier, five members of the Vikas Dubey gang were killed in separate encounters. UPDATED AT 2:45 P.M. JULY 30 In a surprise announcement, Utica Community Schools Superintendent Christine Johns, the top administrator in Michigans second-largest school district for 14 years, has notified district officials she will be retiring in early autumn. Johns, who has spent 32 years in public education, notified the Board of Education on Wednesday night of her pending departure. I have enjoyed collaborating with the Board of Education to advocate for students and teachers, address student achievement, implement new programs and curriculum, overcome budget challenges, and pass bond issues and millages, Johns said in a prepared statement. Together, over the past fourteen years, we have profoundly impacted the children and families of our community. Officials said in a news release that with a school culture focused on educational excellence and an experienced leadership team, the district is well-positioned to continue to positively move forward and that plans for the coming school year are in the final stages of development. I was not expecting this, board President Robert Ross said Thursday of Johns decision to retire. Im sorry to see her go. The way she framed it, this was an opportunity that occurred right now and she needed to capitalize on it, Ross told The Macomb Daily, adding that Johns husband proposed travel and visiting family. The board is very happy for her, and were happy for us because shes done a fantastic job for us for 14 years. Johns was unavailable for comment Thursday. Reflecting on her 14 years in the Utica Community Schools, Johns said in the prepared statement released Wednesday night: I am proud of our teachers, support staff and administrators for their commitment to meet the needs of our students. Utica Community Schools is fortunate to have talented, caring and passionate educators. It gives me great satisfaction to know that UCS will continue to have a positive impact on our community. Johns last day on the job has not been determined, but Ross said the school board will work with her on a transition. In the short term, that will involve identifying someone to serve as interim superintendent. That decision will come at an upcoming regular board meeting open to the public, possibly as soon as Aug. 10. The board also expects to conduct some committee meetings to draft a list of required experience and qualities that board members will desire in seeking a replacement for Johns and to launch a search for a new superintendent of the district of almost 27,000 students. Thus far, no schedule for that process has been set. This job is 24/7. It never stops. It is definitely a high-pressure environment, which she thrives on, Ross said. All of her time shes been focused on children and the needs of kids. The Utica Community Schools district includes the city of Utica, Shelby Township, northern Sterling Heights and parts of western Macomb Township. One of Dr. Johns great strengths is her ability to create strong and competent leadership teams, Ross said earlier. She has empowered leaders at all levels within the district creating momentum that will continue for years to come. In the meantime, the board will continue to review and approve school implementation plans created by the leadership team for the 2020-21 school year, Ross said. Ross praised the dedication and commitment that he said Johns has had for all students in Utica Community Schools. He highlighted several achievements during her tenure including: * Implemented Policy 6000 Excellence, Equity and Access * Changed and implemented full day kindergarten and expanded academic opportunities such as Advanced Placement, the Gene L. Klida Academy for International Studies, the Utica Center for Science and Industry, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), and Stevenson MADE. * Improved student literacy and math performance, and a graduation rate of 94.2 percent * Established the Superintendents Student Advisory Council & annual Academic Blitz * Secured over $14 million in public and private funding for innovative programs * Enhanced technology infrastructure and digital resources * Implemented new social media tools, student information and automated calling systems to effectively inform and communicate with parents and community. * Repeatedly balancing budgets and received highest positive audit results for 14 consecutive years, including eight consecutive years of Certificate of Excellence Award by Association of School Business Officials International for transparency and budget reporting. * Recognized by College Board as AP District of the Year, and by the White House for Future Ready Schools and Michigan Department of Education as a Project Reimagine District leading innovation and reform. All four of the districts high schools have been named Best STEM Schools for 2020 by Newsweek Magazine. Ross credited Johns for fostering positive working relationships with local municipalities and local civic groups, and partnering with Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars and UCS Foundation for Educational Excellence to provide scholarships. At times, Johns has had a contentious relationship with the union representing the districts 1,450 educators. Last year, members of the Utica Education Association picketed outside board meetings and schools over the lack of a new contract. In November, the UEA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Michigan Employment Relations Commissioner against the district, claiming multiple violations of the Michigan Public Employment Relations Act. UEA President Liza Parkinson said at the time she believed the district bargaining team had not been given authorization to make decisions at the bargaining table. Whenever we make changes in a proposal, its apparent they cant respond until they speak to the superintendent, Parkinson said last fall. The length of time between a proposal and the district response is excessive. We can make decisions quickly, because we are invested by our members and they are not. Parkinson at the time also said she believed Johns had the power to help reach a contract settlement. I believe we are only bargaining with one person, and she is not at the table, Parkinson said. The union and the board began contract negotiations in March 2019, and the collective bargaining agreement expired three months later, as teachers sought to regain wages lost due to step freezes and givebacks that the UEA claimed have resulted in $65 million in wage losses for its members. Last January, union members soundly rejected what was described as a final contract offer from the district. They said Johns used faulty math and deception in the districts presentation of its proposal to the public. The union took issue with Johns claims there will be significant declines in UCS student enrollment over the next five years and objected to what it terms a misleading claim that UEA teachers are the highest paid in the state. The real problem for the superintendent is that she has been fiscally irresponsible, Parkinson said last February. We have taken substantial cuts over the past 10 years so this district can be financially stable for our students. The two sides eventually reached an accord on a 3-year contract which was approved by the Board of Education in May. The Macomb Daily left a message for Parkinson Thursday morning, seeking comment on Johns retirement announcement. Johns has been honored at local, state and national levels for innovation and effective leadership. Her honors include eSchool News National Tech Savvy Superintendent of the Year, the Macomb Hall of Fame, the Peoples Choice Award from Leadership Macomb and she was selected one of Michigans 100 Most Influential Women by Crains Detroit Business. The magazine has also selected her as one of 35 Notable Women in Educational Leadership. TDT | Manama Bahrain has commended the sincere efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to reactivate the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council, noting the mechanism to be followed for its implementation proposed by Saudi and the response it has received from both parties. The Kingdom of Bahrain notes that this initiative reflects the Saudi keenness to unite the Yemeni people and ensure Yemens security, stability and territorial integrity, read a statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its support for all the tireless efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to reach a lasting political solution that preserves security and stability for Yemen, in accordance with the Gulf Initiative and its Executive Mechanism, the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue and Security Council Resolution 2216. The Kingdom of Bahrain also reiterates its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia in its strategic role to protect the security and stability of the region. Advertisement Katie Price has been forced to employ 24-hour live-in security guards after a spate of break ins at her 1.3million 'mucky mansion'. In aerial photographs of her expansive property in West Sussex, the two security guards' cars can be seen parked up alongside the former glamour model's pink Beetle. A representative for Katie, 42, told MailOnline: 'Katie has, on the advice of police, upped her security measures.' Not taking any chances: Katie Price, 42, has been forced to employ 24h live-in security guards after a spate of break ins at her 1.3million mucky mansion (Pictured May 2019) The mother-of-five is currently living in a rented 4,250 per month six-bedroom property in Surrey, just minutes away from ex-husband Peter Andre's home while her dilapidated 'mucky mansion' is renovated The TV personality vowed to increase security after a neighbour witnessed three men on her private property last week. A source told MailOnline: 'Katie as a result of the recent invasion on her property is ramping up security to maintain a 24 hour surveillance on her house. 'It was quite clear that these people were not lost or indeed ramblers and were there with intent to raid Katie's property. Safety first: In photographs of her expansive property, the two security guards' cars can be seen parked up alongside the former glamour models' pink Beetle Police advice: Katie Price's representatives told MailOnline: 'Katie has, on the advice of police, upped her security measures.' Drastic measures: The TV personality vowed to increase security after a neighbour witnessed three men on her private property last week 'The neighbours are also close friends of Katie's and raised the alarm.' The latest break in came just weeks after thieves broke into her home in Sussex, stealing her I'm A Celebrity rucksack and leaning the shower head over the ceiling which caused the bathroom to flood and the ceiling to collapse. Katie told The Sun at the time: 'I've already contacted police and told them all this. Securing the perimeter: A source told MailOnline: 'Katie as a result of the recent invasion on her property is ramping up security to maintain a 24 hour surveillance on her house' Countryside setting: 'It was quite clear that these people were not lost or indeed ramblers and were there with intent to raid Katie's property' Close neighbours: 'The neighbours are also close friends of Katie's and raised the alarm' 'I've got someone going to my house to put a padlock on the bottom of the field gate, it looks like people are wrecking my property to go in again.' According to the publication, a neighbour saw three men emerge from a black BMW. The neighbour reported shouting at one of them to get off private property, only for them to reply they were looking for a toilet. Wasteland: Rubble sits to the side of Katie's mucky mansion in Sussex Surrounded: High hedges and trees surround the property, with a long drive leading up to the house where two vehicles were seen parked next to Katie's pink car Close proximity: Although Katie's home offers her the tranquility of the countryside, she has neighbours who live close by The break-in is the latest in a string of set-backs for the reality star, who previously spoke about the first batch of break-ins, which happened only weeks ago, on her YouTube channel. She explained: 'My neighbour Helen checked the property last week. 'In the evening someone went into my bathroom upstairs took the shower head off and put it over the bath, turned it on knowing no-one would be here and it's all leaked and the whole ceiling collapsed. They didn't steal nothing. Signage: Signs at the gate to her mucky mansion, read: 'Private property. Keep out!' Stunning: The former glamour model's private residence sits out in the Sussex countryside Work to do: The mother-of-five isn't living in the property, which is currently undergoing major repairs and renovations 'Then the next night she came in and said 'Kate they've come again, they've ransacked your house'. 'All they've stolen is my I'm A Celebrity bag which is a bit odd. Yeah I hate this house, even standing here gives me anxiety. I hate this house.' Katie then went on to walk around the property expressing her surprise at how they didn't steal certain valuable items. Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria (2nd L) and Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command, Air Marshal B Suresh (R) along with the IAF pilots of the first five Rafale combat aircraft after arriving from France at the Air Force Station, in Ambala, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, which was resurrected on Sept 10, 2019. Photo: PTI. NEW DELHI (PTI): The Rafale jets, known globally as one the most potent strategic platforms with unmatched capability in carrying out a variety of roles, will significantly bolster India's air combat capabilities when it is facing hostile neighbours like Pakistan and China, defence experts said on Wednesday. The timing of induction of the 4.5 generation combat jets assumed significance as it came in the midst of India's tense border row with China, they said. They said the Rafales could be a game-changer for India after all the 36 jets join the Indian Air Force as no aircraft in possession of any country in the neighbourhood will be able to match their superior kinematic performance and powerful electronic warfare systems. The Rafale jet, which is often compared with the US' stealth F-35 aircraft and F-22, is able to carry out all combat aviation missions like air superiority and air defence, close air support, in-depth strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship strikes and nuclear deterrence at varied speed limits of up to 1.8 Mach. The aircraft proved its unmatched capabilities in air combat missions in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria in the last few years. India is the fourth country to have the strategic platform after France, Egypt and Qatar. The Rafale, manufactured by French defence giant Dassault Aviation, entered service with the French Navy in 2004 and with the French Air Force in 2006. According to Dassault Aviation, the aircraft has a whopping 30,000 flight hours in operations. In comparison to F-35, experts said the Rafale jet is more agile as it has long-endurance to fly at a higher speed while carrying a range of weapons for a longer period of time. However, the F-35 scores much ahead of Rafales in terms of on board avionics and electronic warfare systems. "It is one of the finest combat aircraft available in the global market. It is much more advanced and lethal then the current fighter aircraft available with China. It is definitely a boost to India's defence preparedness. The timing of the arrival of the jets is perfect," said defence expert De Laxman Behera. When asked about China's fighter jet J-20, he said it cannot be compared with Rafale as the French manufactured jet is much more potent than the Chinese aircraft. Former Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (retd) Fali Homi Major too echoed Dr Behera's observations. "There was no comparison between Rafale and the J-20s. The world does not know about the J-20s. The Rafale jets will give the IAF superior air dominance capability," the former IAF chief told PTI. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. The Indian Air Force is also in the process of procuring a new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to integrate with the Rafale jets. The Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran. The missile was originally designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy. "India will have unmatched air power in the region when it has all the 36 Rafale aircraft. It will be a game changer for India" said Dr Behera, who is a leading expert at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. He said both Pakistan and China must have taken note of induction of the fighter jets. The government on Monday said that the delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed by the end of 2021. India on Wednesday received its first batch of new multirole combat fighter aircraft in nearly two decades with the arrival of five Rafale jets. The NDA government had inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation after a nearly seven-year exercise to procure 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force did not fructify during the UPA regime. The emergency acquisition was made primarily to check the depleting combat capability of the IAF as the number of its fighter squadrons had come down to a worrying 31 against the authorised strength of at least 42. The fleet, comprising three single seater and two twin seater aircraft, is being inducted into the IAF as part of its Ambala-based No 17 Squadron, also known as the ''Golden Arrows''. Victims and witnesses remain "fundamentally unaware" of their rights to information, support and protection within the criminal justice system, a new report has found. The Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland report said while there had been improvement in recent years, services to assist victims and witnesses are still not being consistently delivered to a quality standard. The CJI examined the journey of the victim or witness from when a crime is committed through to the contact they have with organisations such as the PSNI and Public Prosecution Service (PPS). Inspectors also examined services provided by the NI Courts and Tribunals Service, Probation Board, Prison Service and Youth Justice Agency. They identified too much focus by organisations on statistics, meeting targets and independence, and insufficient emphasis on personal experiences which often had a lifelong impact on the victim, their families and those closest to them. There was also lack of knowledge and confusion among victims around the help and support they could get from the criminal justice system, with some questioning why they had not been provided with greater levels of support. Jacqui Durkin, chief inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland, said: "Each victim and witness in the criminal justice system has their own personal journey and individual needs. "They need to be listened to and they need to believe they have been heard. "Providing services and support tailored to their requirements goes hand in hand with ensuring that victims and witnesses get the personal help they need, so they are better supported to give their evidence and contribute to the often long process to bring offenders to justice." The CJI made 16 recommendations including an undertaking by the Department of Justice to deliver an effective communications strategy to raise awareness of the Victim and Witness Charters and how victim and witness services can be accessed easily. Better training for PSNI officers and VWCU staff was also recommended, along with improved partnerships between the criminal justice system and Victim Support NI. The chief inspector also highlighted that delays to court hearings and trials because of the Covid-19 pandemic could be problematic and said it is vital victims and witnesses were kept informed and engaged "to enable them to give their evidence and support prosecutions". Justice Minister Naomi Long said she is committed to working with criminal justice partners to further improve outcomes for victims and witnesses on their journey through the system. Mrs Long said her department is in the process of setting up a ministerially commissioned reference group to advise on the potential remit of a general Victims of Crime Commissioner for Northern Ireland. "The group will include representatives from key organisations who can speak on behalf of victims and criminal justice organisations responsible for providing information and support to victims as they move through the criminal justice system," she added. The 2020 racing season got underway at Batavia Downs on Wednesday (July 29), with only owners on hand to watch the action. But absent a crowd and the usual fanfare, the horses showed up and took full advantage of a lightning fast track. A pair of $10,000 Open events headlined the card, and the winners of each took a new seasonal mark for their efforts. In the Open I Trot, Il Mago (Jim Morrill Jr.) proved he was the best on the grounds this week after making every step from gate to wire a winning one. Morrill shot Il Mago off the gate and to the front, and the race could have been called at that point. Trotting like a loose horse on the point, Il Mago went quarters of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:26 while extending his lead at each station. With only Chuckabuck (Drew Monti) remotely close, Il Mago was up by 3-1/2 lengths at the top of the stretch and rolled home in front by 4-1/4 in 1:56.3. It was the third win in the last four starts at three different tracks for the classy Il Mago ($2.80), who now has 49 career wins and $869,373 in earnings. The son of Kadabra and Northern Style is owned by Mike Torcello and trained by Gerry Sarama. The Fillies and Mares Open I was also contested, and Julios Girl (Dave McNeight III) upset the apple cart for the second straight week. HP Sissy (Morrill) left best and Lady London (Ray Fisher Jr.) followed while the rest of the field followed in post position order. After HP Sissy got to the half in :56.3, McNeight pulled Julios Girl first-over entering the third turn and started the outside grind toward the leader. After a quarter mile in the breeze, Julios Girl got even with HP Sissy at the top of the stretch and then paced clear down the lane to win by a length in 1:54.2, holding off a late rush from Protect Blue Chip (Billy Davis Jr.) and Gias Surreal (John Cummings Jr.) in the process. After returning $33.60 in victory last week, Julios Girl blew up the tote board again in her seventh win of the year and rewarded her backers with $35.20 this week at Batavia. Julios Girl is owned by William Emmons and is trained by Jim Clouser Jr. Jim Morrill Jr. Had the hot hand in the bike on opening night, scoring a grand slam during the evening. Besides the already mentioned Il Mago, Morrill also won with Lyra (1:55.2, $4.90), Leaderofthepack (1:59.4, $4.00) and Edom Up Blue Boy (1:58.4, $2.30). Dave McNeight III and Billy Davis Jr. also had productive nights, getting three wins each on the card. Trainers Gerry Sarama and Jim Clouser Jr. led all conditioners with two wins apiece. Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday (July 31), with post time at 5 p.m. (Batavia Downs) Kolkata: The Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) on Friday said currency note shortage will continue for another four to five months even if the countrys all four currency press facilities work at optimum capacity. According to them, the cash scarcity spilling over to next week will make people more impatient when receiving and withdrawing salary will become difficult. Cash shortage will continue even if the four currency note printing presses run at their optimum capacity. It will take four to five months to restore normalcy in cash supply, bank employees union BEFI general secretary P K Biswas said. Biswas alleged that some customers have vandalised bank property in some of branches of public sector banks and halted banking operations due to cash shortage post-demonetisation. As on March this year, there were 15,707 million pieces of old Rs 500 notes and 6,326 million pieces of Rs 1,000 notes in circulation, the union said. The situation can turn worse in a week or so if the customers face difficulties in withdrawing their salaries from banks and ATMs, BEFI said. It said printing ink and dice for new denomination notes have reached the Salboni printing facility in West Bengal, but when the actual printing will start is yet to be known. Also Read: RBI admits anomalies in new Rs 500 notes, says both notes valid, nothing to worry Also Read: All notes exchange stopped from today, Rs 1,000 notes can only be deposited in banks, old Rs 500 note can be used for exempted services till Dec 15 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Muneef Khan By Express News Service BENGALURU: After the release of their debut album Joro (Fever) in 2019, city-based Nepali folk fusion rock outfit Gauley Bhai is out with the video of Simrayo, a song from the 10-track album. Formed in 2017, the current line-up features Veecheet Dhakal (violin, vocals), Siddhant Mani Chettri (guitar, vocals), Anudwatt Dhakal (bass guitar, vocals) originally from Kalimpong and Joe Panicker, from Calicut. Directed the Ekta Mittal, the video revolves around two free souls, living in their own worlds, guided by free will and love, and is a provocation to a world that is afraid to let lovers be. "It is about a sense of wanting and yearning in life, often we playfully experience it in love - giving into impulse and desire," says Mittal. She says the video tries to stay true to the spirit of Simrayo a wild shrub that grows under springs in Kalimpong. "It is inspired by Simrayos wild nature, taste and fragrance as seen in the daring spirit of lovers," adds Mittal. The sets, animation and post-production was done by Sharanya Ramesh, a stop motion animation filmmaker, with Amarjit Khalsa lending some interesting puppeteering skills to the video as well. While their debut album was an exploration of love, longing, memory and identity, the members share that the album emerged from the in-between space that migration often leaves you in. "The lyrical imagery and the sound borrows from where we grew up three of us in Kalimpong, and Joe, our drummer, in Calicut. We've all been in Bangalore for the last 10-12 years, and this is where Gauley Bhai was born," says Veecheet. The album also reflects their experiences in the city and has a distinctly urban sound, while also borrowing from the memory of home, and a feeling of loss and longing. Portraying an infectious blend of folk fusion rock, the songwriting is seemingly inspired by the Nepali language but the members assert that it isnt the complete case. "We wouldnt say that it borrows heavily from the language only. All four of us are committed to singing and writing in regional languages," says Chettri, adding that the grooves and rhythms are influenced by aspects of Nepali folk, South Indian percussive elements as well as genres like blues and rock. "In the lyrics and vocal style, it is influenced by the way the language is colloquially and locally spoken in Kalimpong, rather than the language in its classical sense," adds Anudwatt. The lyrics have been penned by Veecheet but the music is composed by the band together. While they have already worked on a video for Morau, in the pipeline are videos for Thupari Udi and Sangalanga Dooby. "Our tour in Nepal got cut short. But the lockdown has made time for a few other projects weve got our studio space up and running for live recordings," says Panicker, adding that they hope to complete their second album by the end of the year. Hamari Bahu Silk cast and crew are facing a lot of problems as the producers haven't cleared their pending dues. Many of them are out of work due to the pandemic and are struggling to make ends meet. The actors had approached CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes' Association) and the local police for help. They had also staged a protest outside Devyani Rale's residence, who is one of the producers of the show. But to no avail. As per TOI report, a few cast and crew members turned up at Shiv Sena Bhavan, Dadar to discuss their plight with some party officials. When Zaan Khan, who played the lead in the show, was asked about the same, he refused to comment about it. But the actor said that he has no money left and added that he will be forced to take a drastic step, if the producers do not clear the dues. Zaan told the leading daily, "We worked on the show for almost a year and got paid for just a month. We have pleaded with the producers (Devyani, Jyoti Gupta and Sudhanshu Tripathi) and tried to get our dues cleared, but in vain. We now plan to stage another protest outside Devyani's new residence, where she shifted some time ago. There are people who don't have money to buy essentials." He revealed that he sold all that he could, including one of the two cars he had and has spent all his savings during the lockdown and also helped his unit members. He further added, "I shot for a commercial recently, but how long will that money last? Now, I don't have money left to pay the rent. My parents are insisting that I return to my hometown, Bhopal. I came to Mumbai to fulfil my dream of becoming an actor, but if things don't improve, I will have to go back. I will be forced to take a drastic step if the producers don't clear our dues." Also Read: Saath Nibhana Saathiya's Vandana Vithlani Suffers Financial Crisis; Sells Rakhis To Make Money Also Read: Hamari Bahu Silk's Zaan Khan Leads Protest Outside Producer's Building Over Non-Payment Of Dues Trump is master of distraction, deflection To The Eagle: The confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths in America are 4.4 million and 150 thousand. The highest infection and death rate in the world. Trumps response to the pandemic? He blames China to deflect criticism for not taking the Covid-19 threat seriously back in January and February, when he was first warned about the pandemic and when we had time to prepare for its eventual arrival in America. Theres the commutation of Roger Stones (friend of Donald Trump) sentence that observers believe was arranged to keep Roger Stone quiet about Trumps Russian connection. Theres the discovery that Vladimir Putin (Russia) has been paying a bounty for the killing of American soldiers in Afghanistan and that Trump has done nothing to stop it. Theres the ongoing legal fight over Trumps tax returns and financial records. The same tax returns that Trump promised to release in 2016 after the IRS audit had ended. Theres John Boltons book The Room Where it Happened where Bolton describes Trumps incompetence and stupidity, and Mary Trumps book Too Much but Never Enough where Trump is described as having a narcissistic and psychopathic personality disorder. And theres the thousands of lies and misleading statements Trump has told since being president. But what political issue is receiving the most media coverage besides the pandemic? Law and order. Crime in the streets. And the Portland, Oregon protests. Folks, its called distraction and deflection, and Trump is a master at changing the subject and blaming everyone else for his mistakes! Americans are becoming infected and dying of Covid-19 at an alarming rate, caused largely by Trumps indifference; but a large share of our attention is being directed to the protests in Portland. The justice department has dropped charges against Michael Flynn despite the fact that Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, and Trump has purchased Roger Stones silence by commuting his prison sentence; but were talking about violent protest and vandalism. When Trump introduced Federal militarized police in Portland, Oregon without the consent of local Portland officials, he deliberately inflamed the passion of protesters which provoked the confrontation that is now playing out. As the protests got louder and more violent the conversation in the media has shifted away from Trumps failings as president, to Trumps preferred topic law and order. Distraction and deflection. Fred Lehr Grays River Union Minister has written a letter to Railway Minister, for a grand inauguration of 82-Km Haridaspur- Paradip Rail line in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on a suitable date. The Paradip-Haridaspur new rail Line project has recently reached its final stage of completion and was scheduled to be inaugurated in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Pradhan stated in the letter. In the letter, Pradhan wrote, "This 82 KM rail link between Paradip and Haridaspur, passing through Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada and Jajpur districts, has been one of the most widely anticipated railway lines in the state since the sanctioning of the project in 1996 and laying of its foundation stone in 1999, under the leadership of former Prime Minister, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This rail line represents the fulfilled aspirations of the people of the region and will be a harbinger of economic prosperity for the region." Over the years, many public representatives including Members of Parliament from Odisha showed keen interest in the project and had appealed to the Ministry of Railways for completion of the new line in my presence, he added. "After various delays in the previous governments, it was accorded high priority status by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and its implementation monitored at the highest level through the PMO's PRAGATI project review platform. It only goes to show the commitment of Prime Minister Modi towards the development of Odisha and his sensitivity towards the sentiments and aspirations of the people Odisha," stated Pradhan. The Paradip-Haridaspur new rail line connecting Paradip with Odisha's heartland will be a monumental pathway for the development of the state. It will reduce the disaster between Daitari and Banspani iron ore belt and Paradip port by half, he added. It will also serve the important mining belts of Jajpur and Keonjhar. "The Paradip-Haridaspur new rain line will provide a strategic advantage to India's prime steel hub at Kalinganagar and its many associated downstream industries, comprehensively unlocking the massive potential for development in Eastern India envisioned under Prime Minister Purvodaya vision," Union Minister Pradhan wrote. A passenger train service is a long-standing demand of the people of Kendrapada. If passenger service starts on this line, it will lead to the commencement of the first passenger train services in Kendrapada district, fulfilling the aspiration of the people of Kendrapara, Pradhan further stated in the letter. "Keeping in mind the historic importance of the Paradip-Haridaspur new rail line project for the development of Odisha and eastern India, Prime Minister's commitment and drive to realise the vision of Purvodaya and the affection people of Odisha have for him, I would request you to solicit the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik for a grand inauguration of the project on a suitable date," he 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.) The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of US State Department on Thursday condoled the death of an American citizen Tahir Hussain who was killed inside a courtroom in Pakistan on Wednesday. The department urged PM Imran Khan-led 'Naya' Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a "shameful tragedy" from happening again. 'Take immediate action' We extend our condolences to the family of Tahir Naseem, the American citizen who was killed today inside a courtroom in Pakistan. We urge Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again. State_SCA (@State_SCA) July 30, 2020 Tahir Ahmad Naseem, an elderly man from the minority Ahmadi community, facing trial for blasphemy, was shot dead on in front of the judge in a local court situated in a high-security zone in Pakistan's Peshawar city, police said. He was arrested two years ago on blasphemy charges and died on the spot in the court of Additional Session Judge Shaukatullah Khan, they said. The court is situated in a high-security zone in the cantonment area where the provincial assembly building, the Peshawar High Court, chief minister's secretariat and Governor House are also situated. Security at the main gate and inside the judicial complex is also high. It was not clear how the armed attacker managed to get into the court amid tight security. Police arrests the killer The police arrested the killer, identified as Khalid Khan, from the courtroom. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, with even unproven allegations often prompting mob violence. READ | Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook CEOs face US Congress on competition, antitrust laws Anyone convicted, or even just accused, of insulting Islam, risks a violent and bloody death at the hands of vigilantes. Rights groups have said the blasphemy laws are routinely abused to seek vengeance and settle personal scores. There had been a number of incidents in different parts of Pakistan in which members of the Ahmadi community were targeted by religious zealots in the past. READ | 'Over 1 lakh vacancies advertised,1.9 lakh job-seekers registered on job portal': Kejriwal Pakistan's Parliament in 1974 declared the Ahmadi community as non-Muslims. A decade later, they were banned from calling themselves Muslims. They are banned from preaching and from travelling to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. Many members of the minority communities in Pakistan - the Ahmadis, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs were charged with draconian blasphemy law. Many of them are languishing in jails on the false charges of disrespecting the Quran. READ | Amazon CEO opines on 'cancel culture'; calls social media a 'nuance-destruction machine' READ | 'Why I think Sushant Singh Rajput was murdered': Subramanian Swamy cites 24-point evidence (With agency inputs) Florida is one of several states in the Southeast where wind energy is virtually nonexistent, which is one reason wind farms have not been an economically viable energy source in the region. But a new study from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering shows how upcoming technological advances could make wind energy a hot commodity in the Sunshine State. Sean Martin, a researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from Florida State University, is working with an interdisciplinary team of scientists to examine wind resource characteristics at nine different locations in Florida. Their analysis will help the wind industry and policymakers know how viable wind energy production using developing technologies could be. Sean Martin, a researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Their work was published in the journal Applied Energy. "With advances in turbine technology, taller towers, larger rotor diameter and new control systems, we will be able to provide low-cost wind power to low-wind regions, such as Florida and the Southeast," Martin said. "The increased hub heights and taller turbines can take advantage of greater wind speeds that occur higher up to harvest more wind power." Compared to states like Texas or Iowa, the wind in Florida is not something wind farms can profitably capture at the moment. Wind speeds are slower because of increased surface friction and turbulence caused by buildings, trees and other obstructions. Most utility-scale turbines installed in the United States are west of the Mississippi River, where more favorable wind speeds, greater than 13 miles per hour, are prevalent. But using new tools that can capture wind energy at higher elevations, where wind speeds are faster, might make wind energy feasible. Arda Vanli, associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering So how tall are these turbines? The average height of most existing on-shore turbines from the ground to the top of the blades is more than 380 feet, similar to a 32-story building. The new, taller turbines are almost twice the height at 660 feet, close to the height of a 55-story building, and are the kind of wind turbines that will be most useful in Florida. Martin is collaborating with Arda Vanli, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, and Sungmoon Jung, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. "I don't think anybody can predict the timing for wind energy," Jung said. "We almost had it a few years ago. There was a private company that proposed a wind farm in Florida, but the company withdrew the plan because the technology at the time was not economical enough. I hope we will see wind energy in the future as technology improves." Sungmoon Jung, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering One of the things the researchers are looking at is the capacity of wind turbines to operate at different sites. Wind speed varies, so turbines must be able to spin at different velocities. Researchers want to know what percentage of time in a year that the turbine can operate at full capacity. In general, turbines that generate at least 30 percent of their total capacity are more economical for utility-scale wind power. The data will be able to predict the best areas in Florida to place the new turbines based on their ability to produce wind energy at specific sites. "The key is finding and identifying characteristic patterns in the wind data," Martin said. "Once we establish the patterns, the data can assist in site selection and can improve energy estimation measures to help industry and policymakers make decisions on where wind farms are most profitable." There are other factors the researchers must consider when choosing a site for a wind farm. Safety for birds, noise from rotors and the fact that some people may find wind turbines unsightly are all considerations. When including some of these elements with wind speed data, the scientists found that the best locations for wind farms appear to be in rural areas of northwest, central and southern Florida. "Site selection is an important decision, especially in low-wind power areas," Vanli said. "Transporting huge wind turbines to these locations is a significant investment and having good data can eventually determine whether the investment will be successful or not." Wind energy is gaining significant attention both from academia and in industry. New, affordable methods for generating renewable energy are on the horizon. Wind farms could be viable in Florida within this decade, and turbines even taller than the ones used for this research could be more prevalent in the future. "The real question is whether factors such as public perception, acceptance and environmental factors will prevent this resource from being developed," Martin said. "We hope the research will add additional renewables to the U.S. energy portfolio and can offset our reliance on a single fuel source, adding energy security to meet a growing need." ### Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:42:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- An armed clash between two groups on Thursday left at least 10 people dead and another injured in Upper Dir district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media and police said. District police officer Mian Naseeb Jan told media that the incident took place when a group of armed gunmen opened fire at their opponents in Cheeragalai area of the district, leaving 10 people dead on the spot. The gunmen opened fire after their opponents returned from a funeral prayer, and then escaped from the site. Local police and rescue teams reached the site and shifted the bodies and the injured to a nearby hospital. Police has launched an investigation into the incident and has started conducting raids to arrest the killers. Local media quoting locals reported the two groups were on serious differences over the ownership of forestland. Earlier in the month, at least nine people, including women and children, were shot dead in a land dispute in Rawalpindi, a neighboring district of the country's capital Islamabad. Enditem The indictment accuses Maxwell of lying in depositions she gave in 2016. When asked about these activities by a lawyer for one of Epsteins alleged victims, she denied any knowledge of him engaging in sex acts with minors, the indictment says. When asked if Epstein had a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages, Maxwell replied, I dont know what youre talking about, the indictment says. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:14:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Thursday expressed serious concerns over India's induction of Rafale fighter jets imported from France into the Indian Air Force and said it could lead to an arms race in South Asia. A batch of five Rafale jets reached at Indian air force station Ambala in the northern state of Haryana on Wednesday. The five aircraft is the first tranche of the 36 planes bought by India from France. "We have seen reports of recent acquisition of Rafale jets by Indian Air Force. According to some former senior Indian officials and several international publications, these Rafale jets have dual-capable systems that can also be modified as nuclear weapon delivery platforms," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said. "It is well known that India continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal both in terms of type and number of delivery systems. In addition to this, India has nuclearized the Indian Ocean and continues to increase the readiness of its arsenal," Farooqui said at her weekly press briefing in Islamabad. She said it is disturbing to note that India continues to amass military capabilities beyond its genuine security requirement, adding that according to credible and reputable international research institutes, India is now the second largest arms importer in the world. The spokesperson said Pakistan has been consistently highlighting the risks of massive Indian arms buildup as well as their offensive security doctrine and force postures, which are adversely affecting the strategic stability in South Asia. "Transfer of advanced systems, where there is an open intention of conversion into nuclear delivery platforms, calls into question the commitment of international suppliers to non-proliferation commitments," she said, urging the world community to dissuade India from its disproportionate arms buildup which could also lead to an arms race in South Asia. "On Pakistan's part, we remain open to consideration of measures for crisis management, risk reduction, and strategic restraint. While remaining opposed to any arms race in South Asia, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to these developments, and remain confident of its ability to thwart any ill-considered act of aggression," Farooqui said. Enditem Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma Mumbai: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli on Thursday announced that they have pledged their support to the people of flood ravaged Assam and Bihar. In a statement, Anushka and Virat said they are supporting three organisations involved in relief work -- Action Aid India, Rapid Response and Goonj. Advertisement Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma"While our country is in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, people in Assam and Bihar are also suffering due to the devastating floods that have affected so many lives and livelihood. "While we continue to pray for the people in Assam & Bihar, Virat and I have also pledged to help those in need by supporting these three organisations (Action Aid India, Rapid Response and Goonj) that have been doing credible work in flood relief & welfare," the couple said in their respective social media handles. Anushka and Virat also called upon their fans to help the people of these two states. Advertisement Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma "If this resonates with you, please reach out to support these states through these organisations," they added. In Assam, 133 people have lost their lives in the deluge and landslides triggered by the floods. Twenty-six people have died due to landslides and 107 due to flood-related incidents. Advertisement The situation in Bihar worsened on Wednesday with the death toll rising to 11 and nearly 40 lakh people being affected by the deluge. Mesut Ozil will stay at Arsenal this summer with his agent revealing that the midfielder is keen to see out his contract at the Emirates Stadium. The 31-year-old, who is contracted at Arsenal until 2021, has not played a single minute since the restart but has no intention of looking for a new club. Ozil is on a whopping 350,000-a-week salary at Arsenal - making him one of the Premier League's highest paid players - but he has been used sparingly this season and managed just one goal. Mesut Ozil has not played a single minute for Arsenal since the Premier League restart The 31-year-old midfielder has a year left on his Arsenal contract and is willing to see it out MESUT OZIL'S CAREER STATS AT ARSENAL Games: 254 Goals: 44 Assists: 77 Advertisement The official word from Arsenal regarding Ozil's omission in recent months is that he has been struggling with a back injury but there are doubts as to whether Mikel Arteta has the player in his first-team plans. There had been some expectation that Ozil could be offloaded this summer if Arsenal could find a suitable buyer but the midfielder's agent has now ruled out the possibility of him leaving before his deal runs out. 'I don't think Mesut will leave before the summer of 2021,' Erkut Sogut told Fanatik. 'He's got an ongoing contract that hasn't changed. He will stay with Arsenal.' Sogut did however confirm that Ozil will likely leave the Gunners next summer once he becomes a free agent. He added: 'When his deal is up, I estimate there is a ninety percent chance he will leave Arsenal. 'Maybe Asia, America, Turkey? Who knows.' There are doubts as to whether Ozil features in boss Mikel Arteta's first-team plans Ozil's agent Erkut Sogut said he'll stay this summer but then will leave for either Turkey or MLS Fenerbahce have previously been linked with Ozil but have always been priced out of a move for him. Last month, reports surfaced claiming that Fenerbahce chief Kemal Danabas was considering launching a crowdfunding campaign where fans could donate money to help fund their move for Ozil. It is understood that Ozil's preference would be to sign for a team in the Turkish top-flight or the MLS next summer. Kanye West's petition to appear on New Jersey's ballot as a presidential candidate fails to pass legal muster because signatures are incomplete, and in some cases appear written with very similar handwriting, according to a formal complaint filed with the state Wednesday. Election law attorney Scott Salmon, a registered Democrat, filed the objection with the state Division of Elections after reviewing the more than 1,300 signatures the rapper had submitted. New Jersey requires presidential candidates to get 800 signatures to appear on the ballot, but Salmon said in an interview that he counted more than 600 that were in some way defective. The petition shows that a number of signatures appear nearly identical, including lower-case i's dotted with a small circle. Some signatures lack complete addresses. West's spokesperson directed questions to what appeared to be a campaign email address. A message seeking comment was sent to that address. The Division of Elections did not respond to an emailed message seeking a response. The status of the rapper and fashion designer's presidential campaign and whether he is truly seeking the White House remains a question. Kim Kardashian West last week asked for empathy for her husband and said he is bipolar. Earlier this month in South Carolina, Kanye West delivered an unconventional campaign introduction speech during which he proposed a $1 million payout to mothers and decried Harriet Tubman for her work on the Underground Railroad. Associated Press Tracy Morgan, wife to end marriage Tracy Morgan and his wife of five years are ending their marriage The actor-comedian's representative said in an emailed statement Wednesday that Morgan and Megan Wollover have filed for divorce. Morgan and Wollover married after the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member recovered from a 2014 highway crash. One man was killed in the crash that left Morgan and two friends seriously injured. Morgan and Wollover have a 7-year-old daughter. The comedian also has three adult sons from a previous marriage. Associated Press Answers sought after child found alone Three sisters drove from Alabama to South Florida to reunite with their 2-year-old nephew, who was found Sunday morning wandering alone in the parking lot of an apartment complex. They met with detectives at the Miramar Police Department in hopes of learning why little Kamdyn Cavett was alone and what happened to his 21-year-old mother, Leila Cavett. "We just want to know that my sister is OK," Gina Lewis told reporters Tuesday. "We're really not sure what's going on." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Cavett lives in Atlanta, while the rest of the family lives in Jasper, Alabama, which is northwest of Birmingham and some 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) from Miramar. The family said Cavett didn't have any known ties to South Florida. They're desperate for answers. The boy was spotted around 8 a.m. Sunday by Ebony Williams, who told police she had gone out for coffee and saw the child when she returned. When she realized the little boy, who was only wearing a T-shirt and a diaper, was alone she walked through the neighborhood searching for his parents. Then she called police. When Miramar police posted the boy's picture on social media, it went viral and his family spotted it online. Police said in a later post that they were searching for Leila Cavett, who was last seen driving a mid-to-late 90s white Chevy Silverado 3500, with a red tailgate and a "Baby on Board" sign on the passenger window. Cavett's family told reporters they last spoke to her about two weeks ago. Associated Press Black university in La. gets donation A historically Black university in Louisiana has received a $20 million donation from MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The gift is the largest private contribution in the school's history and part of hundreds of millions of dollars Scott announced that she had given away. Xavier University of Louisiana announced the gift on Tuesday, saying the donation will allow the school to expand scholarships and make needed investments to sustain their mission as the country's only Catholic and historically Black university. Associated Press July 30 : Till last year 30 July used to be a normal day, but this year it will be a special day for many people across the country, for if they are alive and are sitting peacefully at their home, it is because ONE MAN stood for them during the time of crisis. He is none other than Sonu Sood . Today is Sonu Sood's (now known as the 'Messiah for many') birthday and people all across the country are blessing him with birthday wishes. Known for his character roles, during the last five months the actor has proven that he is not a hero only in reel life but he is a hero in real life too. When thousands of migrant workers were struggling to go back to their homes during the lockdown, he came forward and gave his all to send them back safely to their respective homes. When people lost hope, he became their ray of hope. From donating PPE Kits and face shields to starting a helpline number, the actor worked selflessly to help the people of the country to face tough times like these. The name Sonu Sood has become synonymous to 'if you have a problem, he has a solution.' He has reinstalled people's faith in Humanity. From bringing Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan back home to now offering jobs to millions through the Pravasi Rojgar scheme, there is no stopping him. We wish the star a very Happy Birthday and we are sure he would receive blessings in abundance this year. May he be blessed with the best and he continues his service for humanity! BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 Trend: Azerbaijanis compactly populating Marneuli district of Georgia held a rally for supporting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in front of the Georgian Azerbaijanis Integration Center, Trend reports referring to the State Committee for Work with Diaspora. The rally was opened from a minute of silence to honor the memory of the Azerbaijani servicemen who died martyrs in the battles as a result of the recent provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in the Tovuz district direction of the Azerbaijani state border. Then, Georgian political, public, religious figures of Azerbaijani origin spoke before the rally participants and stressed the importance of liberating the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and Georgia, calling on the world community and international organizations to take decisive steps in this direction. The participants held posters and banners with "Karabakh is Azerbaijan!", "Justice for Khojaly!", "We honor the memory of martyrs" and other slogans. 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. In the morning, you check email. At noon, you browse social media and message friends. In the evening, you listen to music while shopping online. Around bedtime, you curl up with an e-book. For all of those activities, you probably used a product made or sold by Google, Amazon, Apple or Facebook. Theres no simple way to avoid those Big Four. Even if you subscribed to Spotify, you would probably still be using a Google Android phone, an Amazon speaker or an Apple iPhone to stream the music. Even if you deleted Facebook, you might still be using the Facebook-owned Instagram or ... For the past few months, Ellen DeGeneres and her namesake show have been under fire after several accusations of improper labor practice, toxic work culture, rudeness and more. To say that Ellen's career is over could be an understatement, especially now that "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is under internal investigation by WarnerMedia. The show has maintained a fun and charitable image for the past 17 years, but the recent revelations have shown that they are not living this kind of brand behind the camera and off-air. Now, people are wondering if this kind of toxic culture was brought by Ellen's attitude towards the staff and guest. Well, to help you weigh on that theory, let us take a look back at the most cringy and awkward interview in "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" history. The Risotto Ball Recipe with Nicole Kidman and Giada De Laurentiis In 2017, Ellen DeGeneres was caught in the middle of an awkward cooking show segment with Hollywood A-lister Nicole Kidman and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. While making a risotto ball, the chef called Kidman as the "woman who can't cook." Throughout the segment, it was evident that the two women did not get along really well. During the taste-test, the 53-year-old actress took a jab back at De Laurentiis by commenting that the finished product they cooked was a little tough. But surprisingly, Ellen -- who was supposed to mediate Kidman and De Laurentiis -- just spent the entire segment eating the food and letting her guests take a subtle jab at each other. Dakota Johnson Birthday Invitation Dakota Johnson's visit to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2019 went viral on social media after she surpassed an awkward moment when the famous host put her on the spot. It started when Ellen brought up Dakota's birthday party and called her out for not getting an invitation to the event. "How was the party? I wasn't invited," Ellen asked. The 30-year-old actress stood her ground that she extended an invitation, but Ellen did not show up to the party. "Actually no, that's not the truth, Ellen. You were invited. Last time I was on the show - last year - you gave me a bunch of s--- about not inviting you, but I didn't even know you wanted to be invited," Johnson said. "I didn't even know you liked me," she added. However, things get a little more awkward when Ellen emphasized that she did not get an invite, but Dakota challenged her to ask her staff and producer. It ended up Ellen giving an alibi that she was out of town. Michelle Obama Called Ellen "Annoying" In preparation for the First Lady's regular life as her husband finished his second term as U.S. President, Ellen took Michelle Obama to go shopping. But instead of having a fun-filled bonding experience, the former First Lady ended up calling Ellen "annoying" to her face. At first, Michelle just laughed along as Ellen opened unpaid products, but as the shopping went by, she was visibly irritated by the host's obnoxious behavior. Ellen's shenanigans inside the store led Obama to comment: "You should've freed some slaves. You know, you're really annoying. It's like taking a 3-year-old to the store." READ MORE: Blind Baltimore Superfan Dies at 14 -- Ravens, Orioles Mourn IMI Appoints Aaron Evans as Western US Regional Manager We believe its what sets us apart from many other manufacturers in our space: an in-field regional manager working in concert with everyone in the chain to effectively deliver unique solutions. Industrial Magnetics, Inc. (IMI), a premier manufacturer of magnetic products and systems for industrial applications, announces the appointment of Aaron Evans as regional manager for the companys Western US territory, which includes the great states and regions of Arizona, Utah, central and southern California, and southern Nevada. Aaron comes to IMI with an extensive background in industrial distribution, including 15 years as an account manager with Kaman Distribution. He has also held management positions at various hydraulic and power transmission distributors and completed a number of factory training and certifications with companies such as, Baldor Electric Motor, Timken Bearings and Drives Chain, and NIBA Belting Association. Dennis OLeary, IMIs Chief Business Development Officer, states, Until Aaron came on board, we had mostly managed the western USA from our HQ in Michigan. Were excited that our customers and channels partners there can now enjoy the benefit of face-to-face interaction with an IMI regional manager. We believe its what sets us apart from many other manufacturers in our space: an in-field regional manager working in concert with everyone in the chain to effectively deliver unique solutions. A graduate of Bremerton College and a US Navy veteran who traveled the world, Aaron currently resides in California with his wife and children where he spends his free time playing post-competitive Rugby and working with wood. Industrial Magnetics, Inc. is headquartered in Boyne City, MI and is in their 59th year of designing and manufacturing innovative permanent magnetic and electromagnetic devices to meet their customers specific requirements in magnetic separation, material handling, work-holding and automated or robotic applications. For more information, please visit the companys website at http://www.magnetics.com, or call 800.662.4638. Government has procured and distributed 100 buses to a number of Senior High Schools, with a further 250 on the way, in the ongoing fulfillment of President Akufo-Addos commitment not only to increase access, but also to ensure that complementary resources are provided to enable the delivery of quality education to Ghanaians. At a short but colourful ceremony on Thursday, July 30, 2020, Vice President Bawumia handed over the keys to the heads of the selected Senior High Schools, drawn from the North Eastern, Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Oti, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions, and charged them to ensure their proper use. In the interests of fairness, schools that received buses in 2016 are not included in the distribution list this year. This latest addition to the vehicular resources of the Ministry of Education comes after the handover, earlier in the year, of 365 out of a total of 840 Isuzu Double Cabin pickup trucks, which were distributed to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directorates of Education, as well as selected agencies under the Ministry of Education. As well, 493 out of a total 2,000 motorbikes to aid the work of circuit supervisors and to further enhance their supervisory roles in the education sector were also handed over earlier in the year. Many more vehicles are on the way, according to officials of the Ministry of Education. In brief remarks, Vice President Bawumia underscored President Akufo-Addos commitment to meeting the logistical and other needs of the education sector in order to produce well-rounded citizens. The President believes that the significant educational reforms that his government has rolled out since 2017 will come to naught if we do not provide the necessary logistical support for our schools to run effectively as they deliver their mandate for the Ghanaian child. Our schools have various challenges in the discharge of their administrative functions, and these vehicles, I am sure, will go a long way to help address some of these challenges. We are already addressing the issue of infrastructure, with massive infrastructure projects in all schools across country, with even more ongoing, in fulfilment of our pledge to make education accessible to all. The vehicles handed over to the schools and authorities had been fully paid for, Dr Bawumia emphasized. In the past, vehicles were procured by the Ministry of Education without any plan of how or when to pay for it. This often put a great deal of strain on vendors and left the Ministry wallowing in debt. I am happy to emphasize the point that these vehicles have been fully paid for. That is competence and good management. I commend the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for his stewardship at the Ministry. I also commend the Minister of Finance for his understanding and support. This government, Vice President Bawumia pledged, will continue to invest in the education of its citizens because it is the right thing to do. We will continue to invest in our frontline managers of our educational institutions. They are central to any education reform we seek to pursue, and we must equip them with the necessary tools to enhance their work. We will not relent on this commitment. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:54:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 1, 2020 shows submerged houses around Lake Naivasha in Naivasha, Kenya. (Xinhua/Robert Manyara) The East Africa region is facing an unprecedented triple food security threat caused by the combined effects of recent severe floods, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the upsurge of desert locusts, the United Nation Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said. ADDIS ABABA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The East Africa region is facing an unprecedented triple food security threat caused by the combined effects of recent severe floods, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the upsurge of desert locusts, the United Nation Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said. The FAO, in a joint position statement issued together with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on late Tuesday, stressed that "urgent action is required to prevent a major food crisis in Eastern Africa." It emphasized that there is an increased risk of below-average rains during the upcoming October to December season, which could further threaten food security and livelihoods across the region. According to FAO, even before these current challenges, Eastern Africa was considered among the most food insecure regions of the world, with nearly 28 million people in food insecurity crisis in 2019, or 20 percent of the total severely food insecure population across the world. It also stressed that an estimated 9 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, including 2 million facing severe acute malnutrition. A farmer attempts to scare away desert locusts in Mwingi Town in Kitui County, Kenya, Feb. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yu) The IGAD region is also one of the world's leading sources and hosts of internally displaced persons and refugees and asylum seekers who, due to limited livelihood opportunities and degraded coping mechanisms, are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition, according to the FAO. The UNHCR estimates that the region currently hosts about 8 million internally displaced persons and 4 million refugees and asylum seekers. "In this context of already high levels of food insecurity, the current triple threat facing vulnerable populations across Eastern Africa is expected to drive significant food security deteriorations in the absence of urgent action that protects lives and livelihoods, strengthens food systems, builds resilience across all vulnerable communities, and improves early warning systems and preparedness," the statement read. Between March and May 2020, heavy rainfall across the region resulted in widespread flooding and landslides across Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. According to IGAD, some 2.4 million people were affected, including 700,000 who were displaced and over 500 who were killed. This is in addition to previous flooding between October and December 2019, which affected 3.4 million people across the region, according to FAO. A South Sudanese farmer displays some of the produce she cultivated from a farm in Panker village, Eastern Lakes State, South Sudan, Jan 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) Forecasts of above-average rainfall between June and September 2020, particularly across western Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, Sudan, western Kenya, northern and central Uganda increases the risk of additional flooding during the next several months. Favorable weather and vegetation conditions across the Eastern African region in late 2019 to mid-2020 contributed to the worst desert locust upsurge in over 25 years, affecting all IGAD countries with varying levels of destruction to crops and pastureland. Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia are of the highest concern, with FAO indicating that up to 2.5 million people are becoming severely food insecure as a direct consequence of desert locust in the IGAD region. Following the first COVID-19 cases in the region in early 2020, governments imposed certain measures which, though necessary, have had food security and nutrition implications. As of July 22, the IGAD region has seen over 47,000 COVID-19 cases. "The resulting economic slowdown has led to significant declines in income levels for many vulnerable urban and rural cropping and pastoralist populations, compromising their access to food due to reduced purchasing power," it was noted. Labourers carry maize bags at a United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Yambio, South Sudan, March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) The FAO and its partners also stressed that COVID-19-inflicted movement restrictions and border lockdowns are also disrupting food logistics and supply chains, which in turn has reduced food availability and increased post-harvest losses in parts of the region. "Restrictions are impacting the movement and supply of agricultural inputs, including labor, fertilizers, pesticides and equipment, thus posing serious challenges to food production," the joint statement read. As of July 22, 2020, the additional humanitarian requirements, on top of government resources, for food security, nutrition and livelihood support are 3.4 billion U.S. dollars for seven IGAD member states that are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. "These requirements are just 33 percent funded, leaving a funding gap of 2.3 billion U.S. dollars, as per country-level humanitarian response plan, flash appeals, inter-sectoral COVID-19 response plans, and the global COVID-19 humanitarian response plan," according to the joint statement. "This requires urgent attention considering that many governments will likely face significant difficulties responding to this large-scale crisis on their own," it added. After its premier on Disney+Hotstar, Dil Bechara has received the biggest opening of all time, the OTT platform claimed in a tweet but did not provide any numbers. Disney+Hotstar had made the film free to watch for all users in the country. A film that will always be etched in the hearts of all Bollywood fans. Your love has made Dil Bechara the biggest movie opening. Ever. #DisneyPlusHotstar #Lovebreaksrecords#DilBechara #DisneyPlusHotstarMultiplex pic.twitter.com/dwrnmumjVd - Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) July 25, 2020 The film was watched by 95 million viewers in the first 24 hours of its release, Mid-Day quoted independent tracking firm Ormax Media as saying. According to the daily, a representative of the firm believes that these viewership figures can be compared to the massive viewership figures of the popular HBO show Game of Thrones. The firm did not provide any further data. "If one wants to, comparisons could be drawn between the viewership of Dil Bechara, and that of the much-acclaimed series Game of Thrones, and this was possible even though the latter had a pre-existing viewer-base, while the film did not. Then again, Hotstar promoted Dil Bechara from the onset, marketing its release date and time well in advance. Viewers showed up in unison to watch it," the representative told Mid-Day. Dil Bechara was the last movie shot by Sushant Singh Rajput before his suicide on June 14. As it was the actor's last film there was massive anticipation regarding the movie. After its release, the film has become the highest-rated Indian film on IMDb with a rating of 9.8 out of 10. In Dil Bechara, Sushant Singh Rajput plays Manny who is suffering from osteosarcoma while Sanjana Sanghi plays the role of Kizie Basu battling thyroid cancer. At present, the film is at the top position on IMDb in its 'Top Rated Indian Movies' list, moving past Kamal Haasan and R Madhavan's 2003 Tamil film Anbe Sivam. The trailer of the film was released on July 6 and it quickly became the most liked video within 24 hours of release. The trailer has been watched more than 70 million times. Also Read: West Bengal total lockdown: No flight operations at Kolkata airport for 7 days in August Also Read: Mauritius at heart of India's approach to Indian Ocean region, says PM Modi Advertisement China's Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydroelectric power station, is facing the highest flood pressure in years as the nation continues to battle a severe deluge crisis following the coronavirus outbreak. Raging floodwaters rushed into the dam's reservoir at a staggering 60,000 cubic metres per second on Monday after some people feared the huge lake could burst under strain. Earlier this month, the dam's operator admitted to state media that the 2.3-kilometre-long structure had 'shifted, leaked and become deformed' slightly, but ensured that it was functioning well and safe to use. The aerial picture shows the Three Gorges Dam discharging water in Yichang city, south China's Hubei province on July 27 Raging floodwaters rushed into the dam's reservoir at a staggering 60,000 cubic metres per second on the day, said Xinhua Chinese provinces along the down streams of the Yangtze River, including Hubei, Anhui and Jiangxi, have seen a large part of its land inundated by floodwaters this month. Pictured, floodwaters are discharged from the Three Gorges Dam on July 19 Chinese regions as far apart as Sichuan in the southwest and Fujian in the southeast have been at heightened risk of natural disasters since last month due to disastrous torrential rain. Provinces along the down streams of the Yangtze River, including Hubei, Anhui and Jiangxi, have seen a large part of its land inundated by floodwaters. Wuhan, which just fought the COVID-19 crisis, even saw the mighty waterway hanging over four metres above its street levels, leading residents to shore up dykes in a hurry. Online speculation soon emerged that Three Gorges Dam, standing 185 metres tall on the Yangtze, might crumble and even collapse under the pressure of flooding. A CGI video showing the potential consequences of the dam's total disintegration went viral on social media last week, stoking up more fears. The clip, produced by an unknown source, shows towns and cities in the lower reaches of the Yangtze quickly becoming submerged in the catastrophic scenario. Earlier this month, the dam's operator admitted to state media that the structure had 'shifted, leaked and become deformed ' This photo taken on July 19 shows a security guard looking at his phone while water is released from the Three Gorges Dam A handout satellite image available by the NASA shows water moving through the gates of the Three Gorges Dam on June 20 Beijing's state news agency Xinhua on July 27 affirmed the dam's safety to the public after the third flood of the year hit the vaunted complex the same day at a top speed of 60,000 cubic metres. In a bid to refute the online speculation, the outlet said that the dam had reduced the volume of the surge by 36.7 per cent and had more room to embrace even more deluge. Just nine days earlier, the second flood of the year pounded into the dam at the same maximum rate. Xinhua claimed that the water level of the dam's reservoir had fallen to 158.56 metres after the safe discharge. The figure is less than 17 metres from the reservoir's tested maximum reach of 175 metres. Officials stressed that the lake could receive a further 14.1billion cubic metres of floodwaters if necessary. Wuhan declared a red alert for flooding on July 17 after the former coronavirus ground zero had been battered by torrential downpours. The picture taken on July 13 shows a swimmer wading through water in a local park due to heavy rains in Wuhan Officials in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus emerged late last year, warned residents to take precautions as water levels fast approached their maximum guaranteed safety level. The picture taken on July 12 shows a group of residents looking at an inundated pavilion in the swollen Yangtze River in Wuhan as China has been battered by continuous downpours since June The central city of Wuhan and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Zhejiang declared red alerts as heavy rain swelled the city. This picture taken on July 11 shows a resident paddling near a flooded sculpture on the bank of the Yangtze River in Wuhan The port cities of Qingdao and Rizhao on the eastern coast were the latest to see record-breaking daily rainfall last Wednesday, and the provinces of Jiangxi and Anhui on the Yangtze river issued new red alerts early on Thursday. The Ministry of Water Resources said 93 rivers remained above warning levels, adding that the Three Gorges reservoir, China's biggest, will need to be closely monitored as incoming floodwaters surge. 'The current flood control situation remains severe and cannot be relaxed in any way,' it said. Regions throughout China have been ordering emergency evacuations as a result of landslides, burst riverbanks and mountain floods. China has vowed to take a scientific approach to manage floods and has made use of early warning systems as well as its dams and reservoirs to try to minimise the damage. More than 45million people have been affected since flood season began in June, with at least 142 people dead or missing. But the figure is lower than usual, state news agency Xinhua said last week. Direct economic damage, at just over 160billion yuan ($17.6billion), was also lower than the five-year average. However, experts say the heaviest rainfall in decades has exposed the country's overreliance on giant feats of engineering like the Three Gorges Dam, to regulate and utilise its water supplies. Mont Belvieu Police Department Authorities began battling an industrial fire Wednesday afternoon after an explosion at a facility in Mont Belvieu, according to police. The explosion took place at the Lone Star NGL facility located at 506 W. Winfree St. J et2 is asking hundreds of its customers in Spain to return to the UK early or risk having to make their own way home. Jet2 said that it has taken the decision to suspend flights and holidays to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza up to and including August 9. Flights to mainland Spain have already been cancelled and the company is operating empty outbound flights to pick customers up, until August 3. David Jones, who has been touring Spain for two weeks with his partner Helen Rickard, was informed by text that their return flight had been cancelled. Mr Jones said the company told him over the phone to make our own arrangements to get home if they did not want to accept a return flight a week early. The couple were due to fly home from Alicante on August 8, and have also had a backup return flight with easyJet cancelled with no alternatives offered. They have now had to buy a return flight via Ryanair. Mr Jones, from the West Midlands, said: I understand times are difficult. Its why we were prepared for quarantine and had an alternative flight in reserve. A young couple embraces as the sun sets in the Balearic Islands capital of Palma de Mallorca, Spain / AP Im very disappointed that both companies seem to play fast and loose with their legal obligations. A Jet2 spokesperson said: "We are operating empty outbound flights to pick up customers from these destinations up to and including 3 August, and we are contacting customers who are currently in these destinations to advise them of their options regarding flying back to the UK. "We appreciate that some of our package holiday customers were due to stay on holiday for longer than this and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Jet2 cancels all flights to mainland Spain "It is important to note that we are responding to a very fast-moving situation with updates coming from the government with little or no notice, and we have had to make decisions about our programme accordingly. We can assure these customers that we will be in touch with them to resolve any issues that they may have." It comes after the UK removed Spain from its safe countries list and the Foreign Office advised Brits against all but essential travel to Spain to a surge of coronavirus cases in the country. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said holidaymakers have been stuck in the middle of a tug of war between Government advice and travel company policies. The Government had said people on holiday in the Balearic and Canary Islands dont need to return early, but Jet2 has decided that they should," said Mr Boland. Jet2 must now urgently clarify whether this is a requirement or a choice, and make it clear to customers whose package holiday has been cancelled what their rights are to a partial refund for the remainder of their trip. The past week has seen utter confusion for holidaymakers. The Government needs to work more closely with the travel industry so that tour operators and airlines can better manage these changing requirements, and holidaymakers arent caught between following Government advice or potentially losing the money for their holiday. Additional reporting by PA Media. The best local coverage, unlimited Sign up for a digital subscription to The Press of Atlantic City now and take advantage of a great offer. She recently attended the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival in Sardinia. And on Thursday, Melissa George enjoyed a well-deserved break as she went on a shopping trip in Venice, Italy. The Paris-based Australian actress, 43, looked effortlessly chic in a white blouse and matching-coloured trousers as she waited for a water taxi. A vision in white! Australian actress Melissa George (pictured) looked effortlessly chic in a white blouse and trousers as she enjoyed a shopping trip in Venice, Italy on Thursday The Golden Globe nominee, who is known for her roles in Grey's Anatomy and Alias, completed her ensemble with brown sandals and held a shoulder bag. Melissa styled her brunette hair straight and wore black sunglasses to protect herself from the European sun. The former Home and Away star was spotted holding several shopping bags as she waited for a water taxi with two male companions. Style: The Paris-based Australian actress completed her ensemble with brown sandals Beauty: Melissa styled her brunette hair straight and wore black sunglasses to protect herself from Europe's summer sun Outing: She was spotted holding several shopping bags as she waited for a water taxi with two male companions Festival: Melissa recently attended the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival in Italy The sighting comes one day after she was seen enjoying a stroll around Burano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon, with two male friends. Melissa shares two children, sons Raphael, six, and Solal, four, with her ex-partner Jean-David Blanc, a French entrepreneur. The pair split in 2016 after five years together following an alleged domestic violence incident at their home in Paris. Adventure: After a few hours of shopping, Melissa and two male companions climbed into a water taxi Out and about: The sighting comes one day after she was seen enjoying a stroll around Burano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon, with two male friends Stroll: She was also spotted tenderly touching her tummy as she strolled around Venice on Tuesday They were both charged over the incident, and the businessman was ordered to pay Melissa 1,000 in damages, and she to pay him 1. Due to a custody arrangement, their children can't leave France with their mother without their father's consent, which means she is now based in Paris. Melissa was previously married to Chilean furniture designer and film director Claudio Dabed from 2000 to 2011. Motherhood: Melissa shares two children, sons Raphael, six, and Solal, four, with her ex-partner, French entrepreneur Jean-David Blanc Single? Notoriously-private Melissa hasn't revealed if she is in a relationship Boris Johnson has been photographed greeting a police officer by bumping elbows with him whilst neither of them were wearing a mask, in breach of social distancing guidelines. The prime minister met with police officers during a visit to North Yorkshire Police headquarters on Thursday. Speaking in the town of Northallerton, he urged Britons not to lose focus and to keep observing social distancing guidelines as the UK emerges out of the coronavirus lockdown. People are required to stay at least one metre apart to prevent further transmission of Covid-19, unless with members of one's own household. He also claimed a massive success in reducing the number of fatalities from coronavirus, but acknowledged that the virus was bubbling up in up to 30 parts of the country. Mr Johnson said there was concern that a resurgence of the virus was happening in some other European countries and the US. His comments came hours after figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed England has had the highest excess death rate in Europe. The length of Englands outbreak, combined with the fact it had one of the highest peak deaths of any country, resulted in the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole, said the ONS. The government updated its coronavirus guidance on Thursday, extending the self-isolation period for people with Covid-19 symptoms from seven to 10 days. No 10 has been approached for comment. Barrington Stage Company was all set to become a pandemic pioneer: the first theater in the United States to put on an indoor show featuring an Actors Equity performer since the coronavirus outbreak shuttered stages nationwide. But the organization, located in Pittsfield, Mass., has run into an unexpected roadblock: the state of Massachusetts, which has allowed museums to reopen and indoor dining to resume, is not permitting indoor theater. So Barringtons artistic director, Julianne Boyd, has made the difficult decision to move her production of Harry Clarke, a one-man show about an ingratiating con man, outdoors. Boyd had already removed many of the seats in her main theater, reconfigured the air conditioning system, redesigned the bathrooms, and reconceived the way patrons enter and exit the building. But now shes shifting gears and, with Equitys permission, planning to stage the play in a tent outdoors. On Dec. 1, 1969, Curtis W. Tarr turned a drum full of 366 blue lottery numbers inside the Commerce Department's auditorium in Washington, D.C. It seemed like the whole country was watching the bureaucrat. CBS even interrupted its nightly schedule to show what was about to happen. Tarr, director of the Selective Service System, was ready to pull out a lottery number at random and change thousands of American lives by forcing military-age males into service -- maybe even the war in Vietnam. In all, seven draft lotteries were held, the last in March 1975. But the lotteries applied only to men. When President Jimmy Carter revived the idea of a revised draft system in 1980, he recommended including women; however, Congress wasn't keen on the idea. In the latest episode of Military.com's Left of Boom podcast, Managing Editor Hope Hodge Seck talks about America's history with Selective Service -- and women registering for it -- with Joe Heck, a former Republican congressman from Nevada, physician and U.S. Army Reserve brigadier general. Heck is currently the chair of the National Commission on Military, National and Public service. He led the congressional commission that completed a multi-year study addressing whether the United States should have a draft system and if women should register for the first time ever. The 11-member bipartisan commission held hearings in 42 cities across more than 20 states over two years. It provided 49 recommendations in its review of the Selective Service process to "consider methods to increase participation in military, national, and public service to address national security and other public service needs of the nation." One of those recommendations is to amend the Military Selective Service Act -- first established in 1948 -- to include the registration of women. Anti-war groups have criticized the idea. But men's rights groups have challenged the male-only law in federal courts, and one judge ruled that excluding women is unconstitutional. When the Supreme Court took up the issue in 1981, it reasoned that excluding women was justified if they can't even serve in combat. Almost 30 years later, that justification is gone. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted to start conscripting women as early as 1945 because the U.S. military was experiencing a dire shortage of nurses. When FDR mentioned conscripting nurses in his State of the Union Address, they responded by enlisting -- making a draft unnecessary. After World War II, with the threat of war with Russia looming, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower publicly stated his belief in the need for a universal draft system. In a hearing before the House Committee on Armed Services in 1948, he said, "I am convinced that in another war they have got to be drafted just like men. I am convinced of that." Women were still not drafted for Korea or Vietnam, though some 120,000 of them served on active duty during the Korean War, according to the Korean War Legacy Foundation. A third of those were in health care positions, including frontline Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals. A further 11,000 women served in Vietnam, nearly all volunteers and most of them nurses, though they did fill other positions, such as doctors, intelligence officers, clerks, air traffic controllers and more. At least eight military women and 59 civilian women died in Vietnam. Women weren't officially allowed to serve in combat roles until December 2015, a full 34 years after the Supreme Court ruled that the Selective Service law was justified as long as they weren't allowed in combat. Five years later, Heck and his committee found they should register for the draft. "The recommendation was based on two broad, strategic imperatives," Heck told Seck. "The first was about standards. It should all be about standards." He was talking about the 71% of American males who are ineligible for military service due to everything from physical and mental health issues to criminal records. "It doesn't make sense to exclude 50% of the population when only 29% of the eligible population is qualified," Heck said. The second imperative that led to the commission's recommendation was about equality, especially equality in the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship, he added. "Every American enjoys rights that are enshrined in the Constitution," Heck said. "Therefore, every American should have the responsibility to defend those rights when endangered." This doesn't mean that women (or actually, anyone) could be called up for military service right away. The Selective Service System is responsible for maintaining records and data associated with those who are eligible to be drafted for service. To actually draft anyone, Congress would have to create legislation that would then have to be signed into law by the president. Tune in to new episodes of Military.com's Left of Boom podcast on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and Stitcher. Follow Hope Hodge Seck on Twitter @HopeSeck. -- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook. Want to Learn More About Military Life? Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for post-military careers or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. A shocking new report has revealed a significant security breach at the nation's largest nuclear power plant, after investigators were unable to determine who flew a swarm of drones over a reactor there two nights in a row. The drone incidents, which took place in late September at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating station in Arizona, were not widely reported until an extensive account published on Wednesday by The Drive. Months later, federal regulators seemingly remain baffled as to who flew the swarm of some half-dozen drones over the station's Unit 3 reactor two nights in a row -- and the incident raises questions about potential security weaknesses and legal loopholes that may mean the bizarre act was not explicitly illegal. It follows similarly mysterious, and likewise unsolved, sightings late last year of coordinated drone swarms in northeast Colorado and western Nebraska, an area with a high concentration of nuclear missile silos. Palo Verde's three nuclear reactors are seen in an aerial photo. Unit 3, where a drone swarm was spotted two nights in a row in September, is at the bottom right The duty officer at Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Headquarters Operations Center took this incident report on the September 29 incursion The Palo Verde nuclear plant sits in a rugged, isolated desert on the western outskirts of Phoenix, about 50 miles from downtown The drone incidents there first unfolded shortly before 9pm local time on September 29, 2019, when Daphne Rodriguez, an Acting Security Section Chief at the plant, called the duty officer at Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Headquarters Operations Center. NRC documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by researcher Douglas D. Johnson, and later shared with The Drive, show the incident report that was subsequently entered in the NRC's Security Information Database. The incident report says the drones were over two feet in diameter, with flashing red and white lights, and flying an estimated 200 to 300 feet above the nuclear plant. 'Officer noticed several drones (5 or 6) flying over the site. The drones are circling the 3 unit site inside and outside the Protected Area,' the incident report reads. 'It was reported the drones had spotlights on while approaching the site that they turned off when they entered the Security Owner Controlled Area. Drones were first noticed at 2050 MST and are still over the site as of 2147 MST. Security Posture was normal, which was changed to elevated when the drones were noticed,' the report read. The drones disappeared at around 10.30pm and were not spotted again that night, according to the incident report. Palo Verde Generating Station is the largest power plant in the United States by net generation A second incident report contains details of the subsequent incursion on September 30 The very next night, however, a security supervisor at the plant called the NRC's Intelligence Liaison and Threat Assessment Branch (ILTAB) to report another drone incursion over sensitive areas. A new incident report was created and updated as the September 30 situation progressed. According to the report, four drones were spotted at 8.51pm, nearly exactly the same time as the previous day, and remained in the area until around midnight. 'As occurred last night, the drones are flying in, through, and around the owner controlled area, the security owner controlled area, and the protected area. Also, as last night, the drones are described as large with red and white flashing lights. Spotlights have not been noted tonight,' the report read. 'LLEA [local law enforcement agency] surveyed the area and were unable to locate drones on the ground or anyone controlling the drones,' it continued. The licensee notified FAA (both Phoenix and Albuquerque), FBI, DHS, and the Maricopa [County, Arizona] Sheriff's Office. The licensee notified the NRC Resident lnspector. Palo Verde security officials also filed their own report on this second incident, which eventually made its way to NRC. 'The UAVs appeared to have been launching from behind the mountain range at the intersection of Southern Ave and 361 Ave just east of the plant,' the Palo Verde report states. 'Four UAVs were confirmed to have been spotted at one time flying northwest over Unit 1 and returning northeast over Unit 3.' One of Palo Verde's three reactor buildings is seen in a file photo. Behind the building is one of the cooling towers, and to the reactor's left is a cooling pond which supplies the steam The Palo Verde report states that Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the mountain range to the east of the site, but were unable to locate the drone operator or grounded drones. Incredibly, rather than alarm, the incidents appeared to provoke irritation at ILTAB over the repeated late-night phone calls to report the drone incursions. 'Our folks got calls last night at 2am, which is correct per the procedure,' Laura Pearson, ILTAB's chief, wrote September 30 email. 'However, I am wondering if there is a way to cut down on calls in the middle of the night for issues that ILTAB can't add value to,' Pearson continued. 'The call last night about drones is a good example-in the middle of the night, ILTAB can't really do anything about it anyway apart from say 'ok thanks' and handle it in the morning.' The released documents show that a temporary policy was put in place not make phone calls to ILTAB to report late-night drone incursions at Palo Verde specifically. Officials at Palo Verde, which is privately operated, coordinated with FAA, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to investigate the incidents. But when the incursions suddenly stopped, investigators appeared to be stumped, and had few clues to pursue. '[Palo Verde] Site security was unable to observe any identifying markings on the UAVs themselves or locate the operator(s), so I do not know how much additional investigation can be undertaken,' an Intelligence Specialist at the Response Coordination Branch for NRC's Region IV, whose name is redacted, wrote in one email. Other released emails reveal that officials were concerned that flying a drone over a nuclear plant is not technically illegal, raising questions about what would even be done if the drone operator were discovered. FAA regulations ban unmanned aircraft from flying lower than 400 feet over 'designated national security sensitive facilities,' which includes nuclear power plants. Arizona also has its own state law prohibiting drones from flying under 500 feet over any critical infrastructure, including power plants -- but it's not clear how high the drones in Palo Verde were flying. The Palo Verde nuclear power generating station in Maricopa County, west of Phoenix, is partially owned by Arizona Public Service Co By October 3, officials at Palo Verde had begun the process of getting the airspace over the plant designated as restricted through the FAA, offering stronger potential repercussions for an incursion. The Palo Verde plant also pursued installing a drone detection system described in one NRC email as 'Area Armor,' perhaps a misspelling of 'Aerial Armor,' a system that can track drones and locate their operators on the ground. It is unclear why the plant did not seek out more active countermeasures, which can disable drones that encroach on restricted areas. After the Palo Verde incidents, officials at ILTAB checked the incident database and found 57 drone-related incident reports since 2014, including the two at the Arizona plant. The older incidents included another one at at Palo Verde, which was also 'closed unresolved,' on December 21, 2017. NRC redacted information about all of these prior cases as 'non-responsive' to Douglas Johnson's FOIA request. Former President Barack Obama called for sweeping changes to voting laws on Thursday, including making Election Day a national holiday and implementing automatic voter registration, and he embraced eliminating the filibuster if necessary to enact those changes, calling the legislative tool a Jim Crow relic. In a 40-minute speech eulogizing Representative John Lewis, Mr. Obama drew parallels between the police violence that Mr. Lewis endured as a civil-rights leader in the 1960s and the recent wave of racial-justice protests and police clashes that have spread across the nation. Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans, Mr. Obama said, speaking from the same pulpit once used by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. The speech was the latest and most public example of how Mr. Obama, who had sought to avoid the political scrum early in his post-presidency, has turned his focus to the 2020 election with greater intensity, even as he races to finish writing a book. He helped bring about a swifter end to the Democratic primary; has raised more than $24 million since June for his former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee; and has lent his name to the partys and Mr. Bidens digital fund-raising and organizing efforts. Christian groups oppose new DHS policy denying new DACA applicants: 'Unconscionable' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Some Christian advocacy organizations have condemned the Trump administrations announcement that it will reject new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a plan to scrap the program last month. In a memo Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security stated that it will allow DACA recipients to renew their status after the high court ruled last month that the administration could not proceed with its plans to end the temporary program protecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought the U.S. illegally as minors. However, the memo, issued by Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, orders all new and pending initial applications to the program enacted in 2012 under the Obama administration be rejected. The program has allowed more than 700,000 immigrants to stay in the U.S. and authorized them to work in the country. Whatever the merits of these asserted reliance interests on the maintenance of the DACA policy, they are significantly lessened, if not entirely lacking, with regard to aliens who have never before received deferred action pursuant to the policy, Wolf wrote. The memo also explains that those reapplying for DACA authorization can only reapply for an authorization period of one year, rather than the two-year authorizations they had been given. In accordance with the Supreme Courts decision, I am determined to give careful consideration to whether the DACA policy should be maintained, rescinded, or modified, Wolf stated. In the meantime, given my serious concerns about the policy, I have determined that some changes should immediately be made to the policy to limit its scope in the interim. According to an administration official who spoke with Politico, the new policy allows the agency to conduct a comprehensive review of the program as well as assess the legality after the Supreme Court ruling. Some faith-based immigration advocacy organizations that for years have called for a legislative solution for Dreamers another term that describes those eligible for DACA protection are outraged by the announcement. They argue that many have no memory of their home countries since they were brought to the U.S. at an early age. While were grateful that the administration has not, at this point, again sought to terminate DACA, todays actions present new hardships for Dreamers, requiring a renewal application and accompanying fee on a more regular basis and seeking to prevent new applicants, said Scott Arbeiter, president of the National Association of Evangelicals humanitarian arm, World Relief. Furthermore, the memo makes clear that rescission is still ultimately quite possible, which means that hundreds of thousands of young people will continue to live with the fear that the government may ultimately mandate the loss of their jobs or even deport them to countries that they cannot even remember. According to Arbeiter, the harm would extend further to these young peoples families, including hundreds of thousands of young children of DACA recipient parents, and to their employers and churches. The Rev. John L. McCullough, president and CEO of Church World Service, a cooperative ministry of 37 Christian denominations and communions that serves as a refugee resettlement organization, argued in a statement that the DHS memo is a wrongful attempt by the administration to subvert the Supreme Courts ruling last month. According to McCullough, the order puts about 300,000 young people who do not have authorization under DACA under threat of deportation. Eliminating protection from deportation for DACA recipients is particularly cruel, especially during a global health crisis, McCullough said. The administrations actions are unconscionable and immoral. Both Church World Service and World Relief are calling on members of Congress to pass a permanent, legislative solution for those who do not have legal residency status. Were thankful that the House of Representatives has already taken action, passing the American Dream and Promise Act, on a bipartisan basis last year, World Relief CEO Tim Breene said in a statement. We urge the U.S. Senate to take up the bill, or similar legislation, as quickly as possible. In the 5-4 ruling last month, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal justices and wrote that the ruling does not decide whether DACA or its rescission are sound policies. Instead, the decision was rooted in whether the DHS complied with the procedural requirement that it provide a reasoned explanation for its action. The administration maintains that the DACA program goes above and beyond executive authority because it was enacted unilaterally by the Obama administration without an act of Congress. In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito argued that the ruling did not resolve the merit of the administrations plan to end DACA. Instead, it tells the Department of Homeland Security to go back and try again, Alito wrote. What this means is that the Federal Judiciary, without holding that DACA cannot be rescinded, has prevented that from occurring during an entire Presidential term. Our constitutional system is not supposed to work that way. Airlines have been accused of getting away with a slap on the wrist after brazenly breaking the law for months and denying holidaymakers millions of pounds in refunds. The aviation watchdog has named and shamed easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair as being among the worst airlines for cash refund delays. In some cases, passengers have been forced to wait as long as four months for their money back, an investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) revealed yesterday. Under EU law, airlines are supposed to offer customers a refund for cancelled flights within seven days. Yet the long-awaited review laid bare how major airlines had routinely refused to provide cash refunds and offered only vouchers or the option to rebook. The aviation watchdog has named and shamed easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair as being among the worst airlines for cash refund delays. Pictured: A man walks outside a deserted Manchester Airport yesterday Some had made it unduly difficult for passengers to contact them and request a refund. Others had failed to be clear about the customers legal right to a cash refund. But despite the serious failings, the CAA stopped short of launching the legal action it had threatened in May. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: The regulator is failing the consumers it is supposed to protect. The reality is that people are still owed millions of pounds in refunds, are facing financial and emotional turmoil, and continue to be fobbed off by a number of airlines who have been brazenly breaking the law for months. These airlines will now feel they can continue to behave terribly, having faced no penalty or sanction. It is obvious that the CAA does not have the right tools to take effective action against airlines that show disregard towards passengers and the law. The Government must use this opportunity to bring in much-needed reforms. The regulator launched a review of 18 airlines in May following an outcry over refund delays. Only three airlines American Airlines, Jet2 and United Airlines were found to be providing refunds promptly. Others including Aer Lingus, easyJet, Emirates, Ryanair, Tui and Virgin Atlantic were said to have sizeable backlogs of refund requests. At its worst, Virgin Atlantic was taking as long as 120 days to process claims, the regulator said. The airline has said it expected all claims made in August to be paid within 80 days, claims in September within 60 days and claims in October within 30 days. EasyJet and Emirates were found to be taking up to 90 days to process refunds, while Ryanair customers were waiting ten weeks or longer. EasyJet told the watchdog it has invested in extra staff and extended its call centre hours to meet a new target of 30 days. Emirates aims to reduce its wait time to 30 days by September. On July 3, Ryanair confirmed that 90 per cent of its backlog would be cleared by the end of today. But experts have slammed the budget airline for continuing to wriggle out of refund obligations by refusing to cancel flights to Spain despite ministers advising against all but essential travel. Tui had automatically issued customers with a credit note for the value of the flight. Passengers had to wait 28 days from receiving it to claim a cash refund, which would take a further 28 days to be processed. Ryanair planes are seen at Dublin Airport, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Dublin, Ireland, May 1, 2020 Tui has now stopped doing this and is offering a cash refund which will be paid within 14 days, on average. British Airways was found to have a relatively small backlog of refund requests, with most refunds paid within about 30 days. However, the CAA said passengers had been unable to contact the airline to request a refund, with calls terminated following a recorded message. British Airways told the watchdog it had made changes to ensure calls were no longer cut off. Martyn James, of complaints website Resolver, said: The CAA report confirms what the public have known for a long time that many airlines failed in their duty of care to their customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet they have been allowed to get away with just a slap on the wrist. The pandemic has demonstrated that many industries and travel in particular need the regulatory bodies to have far greater powers to enforce the law and good practice. And a single, empowered ombudsman for the whole industry is also desperately needed. CAA chief executive Richard Moriarty said: Although we have taken into account the serious operational challenges many airlines have faced, we have been clear that customers cannot be let down, and that airlines must pay refunds as soon as possible. There is still work to do. Should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made, we will not hesitate to take further action. Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 30 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 29,844 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,920 pence 25.02 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,890 pence 24.63 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,906 pence 24.84 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 30 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 11,393 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.85 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 24.80 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 24.83 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 30 July 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 26,166 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.95 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 24.75 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 24.78 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 36.11 USD 27.92 GBP which was calculated as of 28 July 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 194,349,403 Public Shares outstanding, or 200,323,710 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 16,607,347 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005943/en/ Contacts: Media Contact Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk Less than three weeks before its special use permit application goes back before the Orange County Planning Commission, the Mid-Atlantic Pyrotechnic Arts Guild (MAPAG) has amended its original request. In a letter to Orange County Planning Services Manager Sandra Thornton dated July 20, MAPAG President David Stoddard wrote, MAPAG has taken public comments into serious consideration and has offered amendments to the original SUP submittal. We propose to significantly reduce the number of days of permits we request and the fireworks activities on the property. We would also propose specific hours for fireworks activity. The amendments and modifications come after an initial appearance before the planning commission in May, followed by the receipt of approximately 150 submitted public commentsmost in opposition. Those speaking in favor of the application included several adjoining or adjacent land owners and many of the clubs members. Many comments cited excessive noise and the adverse impact fireworks testing and display, as well as unlimited club members and visitors would have on a quiet, rural property in the south-central part of the county. According to the county zoning ordinance, pyrotechnics testing and manufacturing on parcels 50 acres or larger are permitted with a special use permit. Following the overt opposition to its application, the applicantsincluding property owner Edward Hostetter of Texas and Stoddard of Marylandrequested an extension in order to retain an attorney and revise the clubs application. Ultimately, the commission deferred the public hearing from June until Thursday, Aug. 6. The commission plans to conduct an in-person public hearing at the Taylor Education Administration Complex meeting room with proper public health safety protocols, including limiting the number of participants inside the meeting room, pre-screening participants for COVID-19 symptoms and properly distancing all those in attendance. Thornton said Orange County Fire and EMS Chief Nathan Mort will coordinate COVID-19 precautions, including enforcing social distancing. MAPAG, a hobbyist club, seeks a special use permit to discharge fireworks during a series of long weekends on a 127-acre property on Woolfolk Lane. Since its formation in 2012, the group has requested more than 80 permits from county staff for each of its gatherings. In an effort to streamline the process, it met with the county staff in an effort to achieve a more efficient permitting process for club events. MAPAG is a nonprofit club with approximately 80 members who are interested in the artistry, chemistry and engineering of fireworks. In its amended application, the group proposes to limit its activities to no more than five weekends (Thursday through Sunday) scheduled for fireworks activities with no more than one per month. (There will be no fireworks activities in August, per the application.) The initial application called for up to seven weekends of activities. Testing of fireworksoriginally up to 280 hours worth in the seven-month windowis reduced to 30 hours in the amended application and would be limited to Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Fireworks displaysalso originally scheduled for up to 280 hourshave been reduced to 40 hours in the revised application. Fireworks displays in the amended application would be limited to Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m. In the amended application, the group notes its events would be capped at 100 people in attendance and there would be no public access to their events. Initially, there was no cap and the public would be invited to an open-house event at one of the scheduled events. The revised application also clarifies camping on the subject property as on-site overnight stays solely by members of the guilds and specifically excludes the general public. In its revised application, the guild also said it would limit fireworks salutes to four inches or less in any dimension rather than the five-inch salutes permitted under National Fire Protection Association code. In his letter to Thornton, Stoddard said the loudness of the four-inch salute is half that of the NFPA code-permitted five-inch salutes. In comments submitted in June to the planning commission, opposition to the project was nearly two-to-one against the special use permit, with most of those coming from Orange County residents. A handful of those supporting the proposed SUP were Orange County residents, while the balance were club members (many from out of state) and other fireworks advocates. Previously submitted public comments can be viewed at http://orangecountyva.gov/AgendaCenter/Planning-Commission-2. Thornton said new written comments submitted in advance of the public hearing will be read into the record, but the ones received prior to the legal ad published in last weeks Orange County Review will not be. However, she said planning commission members received all prior submitted comments. Written comments may be submitted in advance of the hearing to be included in the record. They can be sent by mail to Sandra Thornton, Orange County Planning Commission, 128 W. Main Street, Orange, VA 22960 or by email at sthornton@orangecountyva.gov. To be considered, written comments must be received by Monday, Aug. 3, at 5 p.m. The planning commission will make a recommendation on the special use permit to the board of supervisors which ultimately decides whether or not such a permit is approved, denied or approved with conditions. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. 100% Website morganlewis.com uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 380261 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 119259 bytes (116.46 kb uncompressed) and 20773 bytes (20.29 kb compressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-11-25, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd posted a quarterly loss for the first time in at least 15 years on Wednesday, as the country's largest automaker's production and sales were hit due to coronavirus lockdowns and supply chain disruptions. The New Delhi-headquartered company logged a net loss of 2.49 billion rupees ($33.30 million) for the three months ended June 30, compared with a profit of 14.36 billion rupees a year ago. Unit sales at the carmaker dropped 81% to 76,599 vehicles for the quarter ended June 30, from a year earlier, but Maruti said the numbers were not comparable as it had to suspend operations from March 22 when India went into a lockdown. More than half of office workers will carry on working from home despite lockdown restrictions set to ease, a survey has found. The Chartered Governance Institute and the Core Project interviewed 94 of Britain's largest employers and found that 52 per cent of them would continue to operate working from home. The survey of company secretaries across a range of sectors found that only 19 per cent of workers would be heading back to the office full time when the Government's 'work from home' guidance eases next week. More than half of workers will continue to work remotely despite restrictions being lifted next week, a survey by the Chartered Governance Institute and the Core Project has found Another 19 per cent would be going back part-time while the remaining 10 per cent specified another option. In a separate poll, which was carried out last month, the governing body found that just over a third of the respondents wanted to go back to the office - the same percentage as the number of those who wished to return. Peter Swabey, Policy and Research Director at The Chartered Governance Institute said: 'It is clear from the responses that many respondents will continue to work remotely for the time being, but envisage having more flexibility about where to work when they do return to the office. 'Many see the benefits to remote working, such as a reduced commute time and more time to spend with family. 'One respondent felt so strongly about the advantages of home working that they said they would look for another job if denied the opportunity to do so. 'However, not all respondents are wedded to the idea of home working. One respondent to this latest poll mentioned that there are adverse consequences, including difficulties in collaborating, lack of social or informal networking, as well as difficulties in trainin. 'There are also many other factors that organisations need to consider when looking at this issue, such as mental wellbeing and physical discomfort if people are working from home in conditions that are less ideal than they might be in the office.' A survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) found that 46 per cent of their 2,000 members did not expect to return to the office for the same number of days. Simon Culhane, CISI CEO said: 'These are truly challenging times for financial services business owners, firms and individuals working in our profession globally. 'Many firms have had an epiphany, including ourselves, as to the ease and benefits of working from home. 'Businesses are now re-evaluating what is the purpose of an office, with many focussing on using them primarily for creativity, collaboration and communication rather than a de facto place for work.' The figures come after, earlier this month, Boris Johnson urged Britons to 'get back into work' where possible when working restrictions come to an end in August. The PM suggested people should return to the office if it is 'safe' as he held an online Q&A session with members of the public on July 10. Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the UK to get back into the office from August 1 (file photo) Top firms employing 400,000 staff have only sent back about 40,000 to the workplace so far, after many switched to remote working during the virus crisis. Unilever, BT, Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline are among those who still have no immediate plans to do so, despite official guidance giving the all-clear from August 1. Google has said it will allow employees to work from home until at least next summer and investment firm JP Morgan has only brought back 15 per cent of staff which is expected to rise to more than 20 per cent when restrictions are lifted. Natwest has said that an estimated 50,000 of its employees will work from home into 2021 while HSBC confirmed most of its staff would work from home until at least September. Unite, the union, has also raised concerns about vulnerable workers returning to the office next week. The union pinpointed key issues such as mental health as people were fearful of returning to a work environment over which they had no control and concerns about disciplinary procedures for those too worried to return to work. Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: 'As we ease back into the workplace, we need to pay special attention to the concerns of those who have been 'shielding' these last five months. 'There is an arbitrary ring to the 1 August date and we question whether ministers have thought through all the implications as thousands of 'shielding' workers gingerly return to their place of employment. 'The pandemic has shown that trade unions are the last line of defence when it comes to protecting employment rights and maintaining health & safety standards. 'There has been insufficient time allowed by this announcement for many individuals to mentally adjust to the proposed physical return to work, often on possibly crowded public transport; let alone sorting out with their employer risks associated with travel and workplace assessment. 'It should not be forgotten that Covid-19 is still prevalent throughout the UK.' Gov. Tom Wolf released a statement Thursday in response to a social media post by a state representative, which parodies a statement from Secretary of Health Rachel Levine regarding transphobic attacks targeted at her. Wolf is calling on Republican House leaders to introduce a resolution immediately to censure state Rep. Russ Diamond. Levine on Tuesday had addressed recent transphobic attacks against her and others in the LGBTQ community. Diamond on Wednesday issued a statement using virtually the same language as Levines statement, but used those words to defend those who choose not to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Here is a link to Diamonds letter, which garnered much comment on his social media accounts. Abhorrent, disrespectful, dangerous. There are no words that adequately describe my disdain for the antics Rep. Diamond displayed in his latest missive, Wolf said in a press release today. Rep. Diamonds press release is nothing more than a thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community and the commonwealths Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman, and a nationally respected leader in public health, whose bravery and resolve in the face of constant attacks is laudable. Diamond, who represents part of Lebanon County, could not immediately be reached for comment. He told Spotlight PA that his statement was not mocking Levine. Wolf went on to say: Virtually no thinking person disputes mask-wearing as an effective means to stop the spread of COVID. Proud non-mask-wearers such as Rep. Diamond are not displaying their freedom, but rather their ignorance and lack of respect for themselves, their families, neighbors and communities when they dont wear a mask, and are likely leading to more spread of this dangerous virus. To equate any disrespect for those not wearing masks to the decades of disrespect, threats and violence against our LGBTQ community goes far beyond the hallmarks of a decent society. For these actions to come from a legislator elected to fairly represent all his constituents is simply unforgivable. Wolf added, We need the Republicans to stop spreading misinformation to the general public, and we badly need them to be more responsible and more responsive to the health and wellbeing of all Pennsylvanians. This dangerous, reckless behavior is not welcome in Pennsylvania. In Diamonds post, he uses language similar, and verbatim in some cases, to Levines statement. Where Levine says, I feel that I must personally respond to the multiple incidents of LGBTQ harassment and specifically transphobia directed at me that have been reported in the press, Diamond writes, I feel that I must personally respond to the multiple incidents of harassment and specifically hate and intolerance directed at me that have not necessarily been reported in the press, but are rampant across social media and the internet. When Levine says, It is only one month ago that the Supreme Court prohibited discrimination in the workplace due to sexual orientation and gender identity, Diamond says, It was only one month ago that the Department of Health promulgated a mask policy which specifically included exemptions for medical conditions that do not need to be documented. But unmasked individuals still are being denied access to public accommodations in places in Pennsylvania that are not honoring those exemptions. Both end saying I have no room in my heart for hatred and frankly I do not have time for intolerance, but the statements divert there, with Levine saying My heart is full with a burning desire to help people and my time is full with working towards protecting the public health of everyone in Pennsylvania from the impact of the global pandemic due to COVID-19 and Diamond saying My heart is full with a burning desire to help people and my time is full with working towards protecting the freedom and liberty of everyone in Pennsylvania from the impact of the governmental overreach in response to COVID-19. Diamond has been an outspoken critic of the Wolf administrations actions during the coronavirus pandemic. He was one of the featured speakers at a rally last week on the Capitol steps, where many took aim at the mask-wearing policy, saying it is an infringement of freedoms and an overstep of the governments powers. This story has been updated with Diamonds response. 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. "QuickStart Learning is on track to partner with top universities in the US to offer IT certification training via comprehensive, fast-tracked and job focused online bootcamps in the most in-demand disciplines of information technology", says Ed Sattar, CEO Quickstart Technologies. QuickStart, the award-winning IT workforce readiness and career development platform, announces partnership with some of the most well reputed universities in the US including James Madison University, Florida Atlantic University and Hofstra University to provide online IT bootcamp programs that feature in-demand, job focused training in various fields of Information Technology. Upon completion, students and professionals will be equipped with modern-day knowledge, skills and expertise to fill in the IT skills gap in five major fields; Cybersecurity, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Data Science and Data Analytics. With the online Bootcamps at these universities, individuals will be offered: University certificate of completion Job focused training in the fields of IT Job hunt support within 12 months of completion Free IT Consultancy Training upon successful completion Live sessions with industry experts as Mentors Practical projects and portfolio building Flexible class schedules Diverse and easy payment options Find complete bootcamp with the partnered universities here: QuickStart Bootcamps Following are the programs offered in the bootcamps and the necessary details you need to know: Cybersecurity Bootcamp A combination of theoretical and practical learning, this 28-week online program caters the growing need of information security experts. Candidates will be able to pass the top security certifications; CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CYSA+, CompTIA Network+, Ethical Hacking and CompTIA Pentest+; once they complete the bootcamp. All three universities are offering Cybersecurity bootcamp. Web Development Bootcamp This is also a 28-week online bootcamp training that will teach concepts and applicable skills to graduate as a Full Stack Web Developer. The skills aimed to deliver include HTML/CSS, JavaScript, React.JS, Node.JS, Express.JS, Python, jQuery, MySQL, Bootstrap, WordPress & many more. All three universities are offering Web Development Bootcamp. Cloud Computing Bootcamp This is a 16-week bootcamp that will prepare students for the most desired cloud certification exams including CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Cloud+, Azure Fundamentals, Linux for Beginners and Fundamentals of AWS. The program curriculum will prepare for each of these certifications individually, to ensure candidates can get certified and become readily accepted by the market. All three universities are offering Cloud computing bootcamp. Data Science Bootcamp With a 26-week long bootcamp, candidates will be prepared for the most desired data science skills and software expertise, including Machine Learning, Transact SQL, Power BI, Data Visualization, R Programming, Predictive Analysis, Azure HDInsights and more. About QuickStart: QuickStart is an Austin based Microsoft Gold Partner accredited by Cisco, NetApp, ITIL, CompTIA, and EC Council. The organization uses its proprietary learning methodology and workforce readiness platform (CLIPP) to transform IT teams. The platform maximizes IT workforce readiness by personalizing adaptive learning using AI and multi-modal to meet IT goals and objectives. Visit QuickStart Learning to explore the platform and get IT certification training to advance your career or up skill your teams to achieve organizational IT project goals. WATERLOO REGION Prepare to send your kids back to school, wearing a mask indoors from Grade 4 and up. Pandemic plans announced Thursday by the government call for face-to-face classroom schooling five days a week for all elementary students willing to attend, starting Sept. 8. But it will be different for masked students in local high schools. They will return to a mix of classroom and remote learning, on alternate days. In this region the plan is for five days in high school followed by five days at home, with classes restricted to 15 students to limit student-to-student contact. High school students may return later to full-time classroom instruction if deemed safe. Its a plan that puts the health and safety of our kids first, Premier Doug Ford said in unveiling the back-to-school plan. He said the plan is backed by science and health advice, and weighs COVID-19 health risks against the harm of closing schools, which has taken a toll on isolated schoolchildren. Our children belong in school, Ford said. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the disease has had a profound mental health impact on our kids. Ontario imposed no new limit on elementary class sizes after closing schools in March to limit disease. Schools will be asked to keep classes as small as possible, or close to the elementary average of almost 25. Based on medical advice to the government, masks will be optional for children in kindergarten to Grade 3. Hospitals and others have said benefits of masks for young children are weak, improper use carries risks, and it is impractical for a child to wear a mask all day long. Children from Grade 4 and up must wear non-medical or cloth masks while indoors in school, unless specially exempted. Medical masks and face shields will be provided to teachers and other school staff, who must wear masks unless medically exempted. Outdoor times such as recess may be used as a time for students to take a break from wearing masks. Schools will implement extra handwashing. Masks are required on school buses. The province pledged $309 million in extra funding to pay for more cleaning, to hire more custodians and 500 school nurses, to supply masks and other protective gear, and provide other supports. Remote learning will be made available for all students who do not want to return to classrooms. Teachers will be asked to also teach remotely. Students with special needs who cant study remotely will be allowed to attend school daily. Elementary schools will be asked to keep children apart as much as possible. Lecce said the idea is to keep students one metre apart. Physical distancing will be achieved in part by keeping classrooms together in recess and lunch, with one teacher where possible. Recesses, lunches and bathroom breaks may be staggered to keep classes apart. Classrooms may remove unnecessary furniture to create extra space. Desks will face forward rather than in groups or circles. Larger classes may relocate to larger spaces and schools may use gyms, libraries and other space. Specialized teachers such as French teachers will still be able to go into classrooms. But schools are to limit or prohibit visitors, including parents. Elementary students will not participate in standardized testing in the coming school year. Schools may adjust in other ways, such as implementing one-way hallways, revised exits and entries, and safety signage. In many communities with smaller high schools, high school students will return to full-time schooling in September. This does not include Waterloo Region, a more urban environment where schools tend to be bigger. Catholic and public high schools in this region have been preparing to adapt to a quadmester model in which students take two classes at a time over four quarters, studying in school and then at home. Schools will implement a system to monitor health, co-ordinated with the public health department. It mandates immediately separating anyone who shows COVID-19 symptoms from other students and staff. Persons testing positive must be cleared by public health before they can return to school. People testing negative may return if symptom-free for 24 hours. All students and staff must self-screen every day before attending school. A checklist will help parents do this. Mamoud Mohammed, 17, was fatally stabbed following a row in Moss Side Manchester A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed. Mamoud Mohammed (right) was pronounced dead at the scene after officers were called to a report of a disturbance on Henbury Street in Rusholme, Manchester, at about 7.15pm on Sunday, Greater Manchester Police said. It's alleged Mamoud also known as Momo to friends was chased, cornered and then attacked in an alleyway. On Wednesday, the force said a 16-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police say a group of males armed with weapons chased Mamoud and a group of his friends toward the alleyway. He became separated from his pals and was cornered at the mouth of the alleyway before being stabbed in the chest. Police and paramedics were called to a disturbance on Henbury Street, in Moss Side on Sunday evening. Mamoud, from Moss Side, died at the scene. Mamoud staggered into the alleyway but was attacked a second time, leaving him unconscious on the ground. His attackers fled and the teenager died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics who tried to revive him. A police spokesman said four boys, two aged 15 and two 17-year-olds, were previously arrested in connection with the incident but have since been released with no further action. Three of the boys who were initially arrested suffered minor injuries in the incident and a 16-year-old boy was found close to the scene with potentially life-changing injuries. Detective Inspector Benjamin Cottam said: 'The very nature of this incident has meant piecing together the exact circumstances is extremely complex and we are following a number of lines of inquiry in order to establish exactly who was involved in Mamoud's murder. 'As part of inquiries, we have now made a further arrest and I hope this action reiterates our commitment to seeking justice for Mamoud. 'I want to be absolutely clear that we will do all that we can to ensure those responsible for his tragic death face justice. 'I would still appeal directly to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and has any information that could assist us. Greater Manchester Police have launched a Major Incident Public Portal so that anyone with information in relation to this murder can also submit their information online 'We have now launched a Major Incident Public Portal so that anyone with information in relation to this murder can also submit their information online, anonymously if they wish. 'A family have lost their son and it's vitally important that people do the right thing and come forward. A 16-year-old teen has been arrested on suspicion of murder after Mamoud Mohammed was fatally stabbed during a fight in the Moss Side area of Manchester on Sunday 'Lastly, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Moss Side, who have rallied around each other over the past few days and have shown great resolve.' Anyone with information can contact police on 0161 856 9283, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Information can also be passed via the Major Incident Public Portal at mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP20A38-PO1. After more than five decades as a barber and more than 42 years at City Barber Shop in Downtown Bryan, Alton Nap Cole is hanging up the scissors. This is not like a job, Cole said, in between haircuts. This is like you go to a place and all your friends come to see you, and they pay you to come see you. The only time barbering has felt like a job, he said, was the week after the shop opened again after being shut down due to the coronavirus. He completed 127 haircuts the first day and 630 over the course of seven days. My record was 94 for a day, and I broke my record twice in three days, he said. If not for his wifes health and his back, Cole said, he would continue. Ive been married to it for 42 and a half years, he said, noting he took off a month for knee surgeries, 11 weeks for remodeling of the shop and time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, Cole said, he has seen customers from Dallas, Rockwell, Navasota, Bellville, Midland and Mentone. He has traveled to nursing homes, hospitals and funeral homes to cut hair and one time cut a corpses hair and the funeral directors hair the same night. WASHINGTON - For weeks, Rep. Louie Gohmert has defied expert advice on how to thwart the spread of the coronavirus. He was seen walking the halls of the Capitol without wearing a mask. He often did not maintain social distance. Then, on Wednesday came the bad news: Gohmert, R-Texas, tested by the White House in advance of a planned Air Force One flight with President Donald Trump, learned that he had become infected. But even as the conservative congressman vowed to avoid spreading it to others, he continued to ignore expert advice. He insisted on returning to the Capitol. And he used his platform to spread false information about the virus, saying those who test positive later become immune and suggesting that face masks make it more, not less, likely that one will become infected. "It is interesting, and I don't know about everybody, but when I have a mask on, I'm moving it to make it comfortable, and I can't help but wonder if that puts some germs in the mask," Gohmert said in a video that he appeared to record from his office. He added: "Keep your hands off your mask. But anyway, who knows. But now that I apparently have it, I will be very, very careful to make sure I don't give it to anybody else, and we'll see how it goes." By the end of the day Wednesday, Gohmert had emerged as a national model for exactly how experts say people should not behave during a pandemic. He was depicted by Democrats as a pariah who should leave the complex, where he sleeps at night in his office, to avoid further spread. And he was the inspiration for a new rule imposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to require members to wear masks on the House floor. "Louie Gohmert lives and sleeps in his Capitol Hill office," Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., said in a tweet. "Now that he's tested positive, he cannot be allowed to quarantine there. He's put Members and staff at enough risk already. I wish you well, @replouiegohmert. But you need to figure out a better option." The news of Gohmert's diagnosis reverberated on Capitol Hill, raising fresh questions about testing of lawmakers and protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic, and prompted the Justice Department to announce that Attorney General William Barr would be tested. Late Wednesday, the Justice Department said Barr tested negative. Gohmert, who has frequently walked about the Capitol without wearing a mask or maintaining social distance from others, was in proximity to the attorney general on Tuesday before a congressional hearing at the Capitol - and both were maskless. Pelosi announced that she was implementing a new order that will require all lawmakers to wear a mask while appearing on the chamber floor and is also considering other measures to more strictly enforce the wearing of masks across the Capitol complex. In the spring, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., rejected an offer from the Trump administration to get the sort of tests that are now routine at the White House, but Gohmert's diagnosis prompted senior lawmakers to reconsider their opposition on mandatory testing for members of Congress. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the Trump administration is standing by to help should leaders on Capitol Hill agree on a plan. News of Gohmert's diagnosis was first reported by Politico. Gohmert has made dubious claims about the novel coronavirus, mask-wearing and testing as Trump has worn a mask on just a few occasions and some other Republicans have been resistant to the practice, which has become highly politicized. In May, at a White House event with Trump, Gohmert said, "We had tests and nobody in here has the coronavirus unless it's somebody in the media. So the only reason we would wear masks is if we were trying to protect ourselves from you, in the media. And we're not scared of you." Gohmert has urged the Food and Drug Administration to approve hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that Trump has promoted as a treatment that doctors have said is ineffective against the virus, which causes the disease covid-19. In April, Gohmert also said that German hospitals were using a disinfectant powder in mist form to kill the virus for up to 14 days - a claim widely debunked by German health officials who said no such product was being used. Gohmert said he was in contact with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., one of the first of dozens of lawmakers to test positive for the virus. "Rand Paul was just texting me that the good news is that in 10 days or so, I should be fairly well immune," Gohmert declared. Public health experts remain uncertain about whether recovered covid-19 patients are actually immune to the disease, and there are reports of some patients testing positive months after they were first diagnosed. Even after his return to the Senate, Paul, an ophthalmologist, refused to wear a face mask, telling reporters, "I have immunity." It was not immediately clear in what location Gohmert was planning to self-isolate. His office did not respond to requests for comment. Gohmert is among the dozens of House members who sleep in their offices, according to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, and some of his colleagues voiced concern Wednesday that the lawmaker may continue to do so even after contracting the coronavirus. "Louie Gohmert lives and sleeps in his Capitol Hill office," Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., said in a tweet. "Now that he's tested positive, he cannot be allowed to quarantine there. He's put Members and staff at enough risk already. I wish you well, @replouiegohmert. But you need to figure out a better option." In the wake of Gohmert's announcement, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, announced that she is self-quarantining "out of an abundance of caution" because of recent close contact with the congressman. Granger was seated next to Gohmert on a flight from Texas to Washington on Sunday night, Sarah Flaim, a spokeswoman for the 77-year-old Granger, said in a statement. Because of the memorial services for the late congressman John Lewis, D-Ga., the full House has held only one roll call vote, at lunchtime Monday, over the past five days, so many lawmakers would not have been around Gohmert in recent days. Gohmert has typically worn a mask as required during House hearings, including during Tuesday's nearly six-hour testimony by Barr before the House Judiciary Committee. That session was held in a massive auditorium with lawmakers spaced out, and Gohmert appears to have adhered to the committee rules that one must wear a mask at all times unless it is his or her turn to speak. Soon after news of Gohmert's diagnosis, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., criticized Gohmert and other Republicans who have declined to wear a mask for "showing no personal responsibility or consideration for others." Hoyer said Gohmert's positive test should restart consideration for a mandatory testing program for all lawmakers, dozens of whom have been traveling back and forth this summer to states that are considered coronavirus hot spots, such as Texas. "This is a moment where we ought to discuss it again," Hoyer told reporters on a conference call, suggesting that he would discuss the matter with Pelosi and GOP leaders. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, told reporters Wednesday that he has renewed his push to require regular coronavirus testing for members of Congress who travel, as well as testing for staffers "every couple of weeks or a month." Ultimately, Blunt said, any proposal will need to garner the support of McConnell and the Capitol physician. "I think, particularly for members of Congress who are going back and forth, they represent sort of the perfect Petri dish for how you spread a disease - you know, send 535 people out to . . . 535 different locations on about 1,000 different airplanes and bring them back and see what happens," Blunt said. "It seems to me there's a better path forward." Meadows, too, said Wednesday that it would be "prudent" for congressional leaders to agree to institute testing for members of Congress. In a brief exchange with reporters, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., confirmed that he and Meadows discussed testing. He also blamed Pelosi for previously rejecting the Trump administration's offer to supply Capitol Hill with rapid coronavirus tests, even though McConnell joined the speaker in writing a joint letter in May declining the proposal. "Testing would be critical, because people can be here and have it and you would not know," said McCarthy, who referred to Gohmert as "Congressman Covid" before quickly correcting himself. McConnell's office declined to comment Wednesday on testing members of Congress. The two leaders have indicated that health professionals and others should get priority in testing. In Wednesday's video, Gohmert pushed back against the notion that he has been lax in wearing face coverings while on Capitol Hill. "Look, I've worn a mask more the last week or two than I have in the whole last four months. And I was wearing my mask at the Judiciary hearing," he said, adding that "a couple of the other guys weren't wearing the mask." The blowback from the Gohmert situation did not seem to faze some Republicans, who continued to bemoan the safety precautions in the House. During a House vote after the news of Gohmert, Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., walked off the House floor and complained about a possible new precaution: closing the chamber between roll call votes to wipe down and sanitize the seats. Lawmakers have been spacing out their votes to ensure social distancing, which means votes take much longer than usual. Cleaning everything in between, Duncan argued, would further slow things down. "This is crazy!" he said, predicting that zero members of Congress have caught the coronavirus on the floor. "How much is this costing the taxpayers?" His colleague tried to politely remind him about Gohmert. - - - The Washington Post's Rachael Bade, Meagan Flynn, Erica Werner and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report. . July 30 : Abhishek Bachchan, who is currently at the Nanavati hospital along with his father Amitabh Bachchan, battling COVID-19, hits back at a troll, who poked fun at the actors current situation. A Twitter user poked at Abhishek and wrote, Your father admitted in hospital... Ab kiske bharose baith ke khaoge? The Breathe: Into the Shadow actor was quick to reply to the troll in a lighter mood. , (currently, both of us are lying down and having food together at the hospital), the actor wrote. Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 29, 2020 After Abhisheks tweet, the Twitter user mellowed down and wrote, Get well soon sir... Har kisi ki kismat me let ke khana kaha... The actor replied to her again and tweeted I pray that you are never in a situation like ours and that you remain safe and healthy. Thank you for your wishes, maam. Get well soon sir... Har kisi ki kismat me let ke khana kaha... Parul Kaushik (@ParulGang) July 29, 2020 Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who returned home with daughter Aaradhya, after testing negative, shared a heartfelt note on her Instagram handle, thanking her fans who prayed for her and her familys heath. Aishwarya, Abhishek, and daughter Aaradhya and Amitabh Bachchan were diagnosed with Covid-19 earlier this month. Coronation Street and Emmerdale will return to six episodes per week from mid-September. ITV has confirmed the channel's soaps will be back at their 'normal pattern' after reducing output when the coronavirus pandemic first began. Both soaps suspended filming on March 22nd as a result of lockdown measures enforced in the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic, but by early June, filming had resumed, with new safety measures in place. Back to normal! Coronation Street and Emmerdale will return to six episodes per week from mid-September (pictured Coronation Street set) ITV said in a statement: 'We're very pleased to announce that Coronation Street and Emmerdale will resume airing the normal pattern of six episodes each week from mid-September.' The channel also praised the soaps' bosses as well as cast and crew members for their 'incredible work'. ITV said: 'This is testament to the incredible work that has been achieved in Manchester and Leeds by John Whiston, Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North for ITV Studios, and his dedicated and hard-working production teams, crews, writers and actors. 'Both shows continue to film safely whilst adhering to the health and safety guidelines issued by the film and TV industry.' Planning ahead: ITV has confirmed the channel's soaps will be back at their 'normal pattern' after reducing output when the coronavirus pandemic first began (pictured Emmerdale set) New normal: Both soaps suspended filming on March 22nd as a result of lockdown, but by early June, resumed with new safety measures in place (Pictured: Coronation Street filming) Both soaps suspended filming on March 22nd as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In mid-March, a show insider told The Mirror: 'The rationing of episodes is a sensible bet. But the bigger problems would come if they can't get people behind or in front of the camera to make new ones. 'If that was the case for an extended period they'd simply run out of episodes. That is an eventuality no one wants but is something that could happen.' In late May, Emmerdale announced they were cutting their weekly output to two episodes per week from June 8th, to air a series of special lockdown-themed shows, but have now returned to airing three times a week. Rationing: In late May, Emmerdale announced they were cutting their weekly output to two episodes per week from June 8th, but have since returned to airing three times a week Back in action: Coronation Street actors returned to set last month, with bosses confirming that filming would resume on Tuesday 9 June They also aired six special coronavirus episodes, which featured characters Cain and Aaron (Jeff Hordley and Danny Miller), Chas and Paddy (Lucy Pargeter and Dominic Brunt), Sam and Lydia (James Hooton and Karen Blick), Marlon, Al and Ellis (Mark Charnock, Michael Wildman and Aaron Anthony), Mandy and Vinny (Lisa Riley and Bradley Johnson), and Jimmy and Nicola (Nick Miles and Nicola Wheeler). The stars returned to the set for the socially distanced filming for the episodes, which told all about how the characters were coping during lockdown. What are the new rules? Talent and crew will be encouraged to bring their own cutlery to work, and there will be staggered lunch breaks There will be no more chauffeuring thespians around, with travel guidance stating that 'single occupancy vehicles' should be used where possible The guidelines also enforce as much outdoor filming as possible - but not in a public space Scenes that are required to shoot inside need to be in a 'large open space with good ventilation' and should 'avoid small rooms where possible' To avoid contact, touch-ups will be restricted and, if necessary, guided by make-up artists from afar For scenes requiring bustling backdrops, extras are being replaced with green screens, to avoid over-crowded sets Personal Protective Equipment won't be used unless 'filming in higher risk settings such as hospitals' Actors over a certain age are still thought to be advised not to return to work as of yet, although the guidelines are not explicit on this Advertisement Emmerdale became the first British soap to resume filming as it began a 'phased return' in May. Coronation Street actors returned to set last month, with bosses confirming that filming would resume on Tuesday 9 June. The new safety measures are in accordance with the recently issued TV production guidelines which will be observed whilst filming the top ITV soaps. In May, networks such as Sky, the BBC, ITV, ITN, Channel 4 and Channel 5, explained in a 15-page plan how they would get the cameras rolling, with sets enforcing rules such as bringing your own cutlery to work, banning extras, encouraging indoor production and minimal make-up assistance. Stars used to being taxied around, having lunch laid on and given a stylist are having to forgo such star treatment while social distancing is still being enforced. To avoid contact, make-up touch-ups are restricted and, if necessary, guided by make-up artists from afar. There are staggered lunch breaks and where someone brings their own kitchen utensils they are 'responsible for cleaning and ensuring they were identifiable'. There is no more chauffeuring actors around, with travel guidance stating that 'single occupancy vehicles' should be used where possible. The guidelines also enforce as much outdoor filming as possible - but not in a public space. Scenes that are required to shoot inside need to be in a 'large open space with good ventilation' and should 'avoid small rooms where possible'. For scenes requiring bustling backdrops, extras are being replaced with green screens, to avoid over-crowded sets. Personal Protective Equipment won't be used unless 'filming in higher risk settings such as hospitals'. When the guidelines were released in May, actors over a certain age were still thought to be advised not to return to work, although the guidelines are not explicit on this. Coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) recently reported results for its third quarter of fiscal 2020. As expected, it was a difficult quarter, with revenues down 38% to $4.2 billion. This reflects the impact of the pandemic, with the majority of the stores in the United States - Starbucks' most important market - closed at the start of the quarter. Today, 96% of the U.S. stores are open again. Globally, comparable store sales declined by 40%, with comps in the U.S. and China down 40% and 19%, respectively. The difference between comps and revenues was attributable to mid-single digit growth in units, with the company ending the quarter with 32,180 locations globally. The good news is that there's been a meaningful improvement in the comps over the past few months. At the trough in April, U.S. comps were down 65%. By quarter end, this had improved by roughly 50 points to -16%. In addition, for the 3,100 stores that were open throughout the entire quarter, comps have actually moved back into positive territory in July (+2%). Improving the trend has relied upon serving customers without them walking into a Starbucks and placing an order. As noted on the call, "Almost 90% of sales volume in the quarter flowed through the combination of drive-thru's and Mobile Order & Pay." Much like at Chipotle (CMG), Starbucks has benefited from its investments in digital. They are also helped by a strong brand and a large base of recurring customers, with more than 16 million Starbucks Rewards members in the U.S. at the end of the third quarter. In my mind, these are the seemingly small things that may nudge a consumer to place their next order with Starbucks as opposed to a local coffee shop. Simply put, it's easier. Starbucks is also making real estate decisions to further address the growing need for on-the-go consumption. For example, it will open 50 Starbucks Pickup locations over the next 12-18 months. For those reason, while the results are clearly challenged in the short-term, I think there's reason to believe that Starbucks will emerge from this crisis in a strong position relative to its competitors. Story continues As I noted last quarter, the vast majority of Starbucks locations in China were open at the end of the second quarter (albeit with modified schedules and limited cafe seating). Despite this, comps still declined by nearly 20% in the region. This points to a reality that I think we'll see in other parts of the world as well, and which is supported by the guidance given on the call. Just because stores reopen does not mean consumers will immediately return to the routines and spending habits that existed before Covid-19. As a result of the material sales deleverage experienced around the world, as well as the continuation of salary and benefits for some employees despite extensive store closures and temporary support to franchises through royalty relief, operating margins declined by more than 3,000 basis points to -13%. For the quarter, Starbucks reported a non-GAAP operating loss of $530 million compared to $1.25 billion in operating income in the year ago period. As I've noted in the past, the company's per share financial results have benefited in recent years from sizable share repurchases. As shown below, the company spent more than $19 billion on repurchases in the three years through the second quarter of fiscal 2020. The activity in the past twelve months continues to have an impact, with the diluted share count down by nearly 5% in the third quarter. However, between the combination of the pandemic and the aggressive capital returns in recent years, now Starbucks is a bit stretched; as a result, the company did not repurchase any shares in the third quarter, and is unlikely to do in a material way for a year or longer. To put this in context, Starbucks had roughly $12 billion in net debt at the end of the third quarter compared to a net cash position three years ago. As a result, they have much less financial flexibility than they had a few quarters ago. Conclusion At $77 per share, Starbucks trades at a high-20's multiple on trailing earnings. On 2020 earnings, which management has forecasted will be roughly $0.90 per share, the stock has a forward price-earnings ratio of more than 80 times. The issue for investors, as management discussed on the call, is that earnings will not return to their 2019 levels anytime soon. The company believes sales in China and the United States will not return to their previous levels until the first half of 2021. In addition, they expect profit margins to lag the recovery in sales by "about two quarters." Said differently, management does not expect the company's most important regions to return to their pre-Covid levels of profitability until the end of 2021. In addition, the tailwind from outsized capital returns will be nonexistent over that period as well. In my mind, that suggests the business may not exceed $3 per share in earnings until 2022, if not later. Relative to today's stock price, that does not strike me as a bargain - especially if you have doubts about the potential long-term impacts that may arise as a result of work from home trends and / or further headwinds from the pandemic. As management noted on the call, they are currently facing business pressure in China due to a resurgence of cases in Beijing. As always, I have no idea what the stock price will do in the short-term. I would love the opportunity to own this high-quality business at a more attractive price. For now, I don't think we're there. Disclosure: None Read more here: Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Chief Minister on Thursday hit out at the Centre over its "wrong" policies, alleging that they have proved "disastrous" for the nation. He shared on Twitter a post by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacking the government over issues like demonetisation and GST. "PM Modi ji's wrong policies have proved disastrous for the nation. As RahulGandhi ji pointed out, be it noteban, GST implementation, mismanagement during corona or sinking economy and as a result job loss, there is overall gloom. Fear of 10 crore job losses is shocking," Gehlot tweeted. (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 Korea Times and the Asia Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) will cohost their first essay contest on the theme: "Youth, Disarmament, and Peace in the Asia-Pacific Region." We invite Korean and international students (both graduate and undergraduate) to submit essays to the contest which aims to foster a new generation of young people committed to the examining nuclear issues. Applicants should submit their essays in English in about 800-1,000 words, as well as personal information including name, major area of study, year-level, email and phone number. All submissions will be placed in the same judging pool. The subject of the essay must be chosen from the following three topics: Topic 1 An analysis of the erosion of international nuclear governance devices such as the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) among others, and prescriptions to revive them Topic 2 The strategic nuclear rivalry between China and the U.S. as well as newly emerging patterns of a nuclear arms race in the Asia-Pacific region Topic 3 The North Korea nuclear problem involving an analysis of the current stalemate in negotiations with the United States as well as prescriptions to resolve this Deadline for submission: Oct. 31 (Saturday) Where to submit: apln@apln.network with the subject line "APLN-KT Essay Contest_NAME" Announcement of winners: November Prizes Winners of the contest will receive awards from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Korea Times president-publisher and the APLN chairman. They will receive a monetary prize and a certificate in addition to having their work published in the APLN and The Korea Times. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a sponsor of the event. VENTURA, Calif., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT Group Inc. (CIT) today announced that it has made a donation to the Ventura County Chapter of the NAACP, an organization dedicated to ensuring the educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons. The donation supports the chapter's scholarship program to advance educational equality, a community need identified by a customer of CIT's Southern California retail bank division as part of the company's Acts of Caring initiative. CIT's donation will provide approximately ten college and college-bound students with scholarships for the upcoming school year. The NAACP Ventura County Chapter has worked since 1954 to support NAACP programs and policies at the local level, building community engagement through ongoing initiatives in the areas of civil rights, social and economic development and education. "CIT's donation will support the next generation of Black students in their educational efforts," said Regina Hatcher-Crawford, president of NAACP Ventura County Chapter. "We fight every day to ensure equality for all people, including educational equality, and this donation invests in the future of our students." "As part of CIT's Acts of Caring initiative, we're listening to our customers and giving back to their communities in areas where support is needed most," said Heather Ellison, head of Retail Banking at CIT. "We are proud to support the advancement of educational equality in Ventura County, a community that many of our retail bank customers call home." CIT Acts of Caring As part of CIT's Acts of Caring program, the company invited customers to nominate a need in their hometown and share how the company could support those efforts on their behalf. Identified by a customer of CIT's Southern California retail bank division OneWest Bank, the Ventura County Chapter of the NAACP is one of ten projects nationwide that was selected to receive a donation from CIT this summer. The customer program follows a month-long social good project where CIT employees completed more than 3,000 Acts of Caring and dedicated nearly 5,000 hours in support of causes such as COVID-19 relief, addressing food insecurity, improving the environment and advancing social and economic justice. Learn more about CIT's Acts of Caring initiative at cit.com/ActsOfCaring. About the NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was established in 1909 and is the largest and most preeminent civil rights organization in the nation. Formed in New York City by white and black activists in response to the ongoing violence against Black Americans around the country, the mission of the NAACP is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all Americans. About CIT CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at cit.com/about. MEDIA RELATIONS: Susan Fitzpatrick 212-461-7806 [email protected] SOURCE CIT Group Inc. Related Links http://www.cit.com The Managing Director of Meker Africa, Cyril Mehanna has described Ghana as a fertile ground for business. According to him, his outfit has initiated moves to establish a factory in Ghana under the one district, one factory policy. He believes the establishment of a manufacturing plant under the one district, one factory policy would help it to grow in the country and be able to export to other markets including those in the West African sub-region. Mr. Cyril Mehanna was optimistic that the process would be completed as soon as possible because their wish is to open a factory in Ghana to improve the lives of Ghanaians. Speaking with the media at the companys showroom on the Spintex Road in Accra, Mr. Cyril Mehanna said the 50-year old Lebanese company had made a request to be part of the one district, one factory policy. Responding to a question about the Ghanaian market, Mr. Cyril Mehanna said the Ghanaian environment was serene for business and it had been good so far with people reacting very well and positively to their products explaining the products it offers had also positioned Merker in the market as the producers of affordable high earned kitchen products. Meker Africa is a leading Lebanese company specialized in manufacturing of kitchen furniture and fittings. READ ALSO : 1D1F: Meker Africa to establish a factory in Ghana Meker Africa works with processed wood and could offer a wide range of designs of quality and long-lasting products to suit the customers demands and can boast of experienced experts who design the products, fix the kitchen, and offer five years guarantee which had made it attractive to Ghanaians. The main materials used were imported from their 13,000 square metres factory in Lebanon where almost everything was produced with modern machine technology. It complete its works with raw and processed materials from Ghana such as stones, artistry, taps, and sinks. Source: Stephen Kwame Yeboah 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 100 Years Ago 1920: To stimulate interest in the Harding-Coolidge campaign, 50 prominent business men, representing every district in the city, have affected a permanent organization to be known as the Chester business Men Republican Club. Officers were elected and other matters were discussed pertaining to the coming campaign. Chester is a Republican city, but the new club wants to run up a great majority for standard bearers Senator Harding and Governor Coolidge at the November election. The club is non-partisan, including men who were lined up on both sides in the recent primary. 75 Years Ago 1945: Twenty-one children were treated at the accident room of Chester hospital this week-end for injuries sustained in falls and other accidents. Six-year-old Francis Carpenter, of 1142 Green St., Marcus Hook, was brought to the hospital at 8:30 p.m. Sunday with a concussion of the skull sustained in a fall from a first floor window. Eugene Greet, 21 months, of 621 Lloyd St., was treated an hour later after it was believed he swallowed a nail. 50 Years Ago 1970: Frank A. Snear Jr., 66, chairman of the Delaware County Republican Board of Supervisors (War Board) and a county commissioner, died about 3 p.m. Wednesday at Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia. Snear, who succeeded John J. McClure 50-year tenure as the county GOP leader following McClures 1965 death, had been troubled with a heart condition in recent years. He survived a massive heart attack a month after he assumed control of the Republican Party. Snear had attended a meeting of the War Board two days before his July 19 entry to the hospital. 25 Years Ago 1995: An overflow crowd of some 80 residents attended a meeting detailing the latest sketch stage plans for The Bluffs, an apartment complex of about 150 units, proposed for the majority of a 15-acre parcel between Sandy Bank Road and the Media By-Pass in Upper Providence Township. Planners were not required to take any action at last weeks meeting, but listened as attorney John Nilon presented his argument for use of the paper street called 6th Street and Evans Boulevard. Access to the property is a key issue concerning planners and neighbors alike. 10 Years Ago 2010: Chester City Council formally recognized the volunteers and officials that helped increase the citys census participation rate to 60 percent over 2000s 57 percent. Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr. specifically recognized Chester Community Complete Count Committee co-chairs John Shelton and Delores Shelton and Chester Complete Count Committee co-chairs Emily H. Harris and James Turner with plaques. COLIN AINSWORTH Press Release July 30, 2020 Gordon refiles measure creating investment hub in Central Luzon Sen. Richard Gordon has refiled a measure creating an investment and infrastructure hub in Central Luzon aimed at encouraging domestic and foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the region to cushion the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to the country's economy. Senate Bill No. 1549 seeks to create Regional Investment and Infrastructure Coordinating Hub (RICH) in Central Luzon, the same measure filed and passed during the 17thCongress but was vetoed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Noting that highly urbanized communities are extremely vulnerable to epidemics and other social problems, Gordon said the measure also seeks to decongest the National Capital Region. "The coronavirus pandemic has forced governments all over the world to freeze economic activity in order to control the spread of the virus and to prevent public health institutions from being overwhelmed," Gordon said in his explanatory note of the measure. "Although the full extent of the societal and economic trauma the coronavirus pandemic may cause is still unknown, the Philippine government must be proactive in adopting measures to mitigate its impact to our economy, and more importantly to the Filipino people," he added. Aside from decongesting Metro Manila and attracting investments, the creation of RICH is aimed at improving the quality of life by developing sustainable communities where residents live near their work, and where institutions such as schools and universities, hospitals, utilities, among others, are within close proximity. The government must also take advantage of the strategic infrastructures in Central Luzon as international transportation centers connecting the expansive areas in Luzon to attract FDIs, Gordon said. "Infrastructure already existing in the country, such as the interconnecting highways; railways in Luzon; seaports in Subic, Mariveles, Aurora, and Manila; and airports in Subic, Clark and Manila, when integrated and optimized effectively and efficiently, with vast idle lands nearby, when utilized gainfully by the Special Economic Zones shall accommodate the development of agriculture, industry, tourism, and other enterprises," he explained. The Central Luzon investment and infrastructure hub shall replace the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC) and could further strengthen the existing Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport (APECO), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). The measure seeks to provide incentives to enterprises that will register with the regional hub, such as a 100 percent income tax holiday for the first 10 years for entities that construct affordable housing with recreational facilities and schools. After the 10-year period, the entity will be entitled to a 5 percent special tax on gross income in lieu of all national and local taxes. Companies which would register in RICH may also avail of tax and duty-free imports of raw materials and capital equipment; export tax exemptions; and value-added tax zero-rating of local purchases, among others. Entities constructing new or renovating existing infrastructure will be entitled to a tax credit worth 30 percent of the expenses, but not to exceed P3 billion. New Delhi: The essence of celebrating the bond of friendship on a special day brings people together. The Friendship Day was first proposed in Paraguay back in 1958 as the International Friendship Day celebrating the essence of friendship. Different countries celebrate it on varied dates. July 30 was marked as the World Friendship Day in 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade. This was the first time the date was proposed. Then on April 27, 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared July 30 as official International Friendship Day. Looks like that has got the Twitterati confused as #FriendshipDay has been trending big time on the micro-blogging site. Today is international #friendshipday2020 Whereas India celebrates #FriendshipDay on 2 August i.e. first Sunday of August!! pic.twitter.com/JQ3yDNzr2F Manu (@Manu83427218) July 30, 2020 Making a thousand friends is not friendship .A friendship made with faith ,Maintaining to death is a true friendship Cheers to all my friends out there #FriendshipDay #FriendshipDay2020 pic.twitter.com/8IlbXceIfM Rajath (@Rajath_TM) July 30, 2020 To all Tweeps, Happy International Friendship day. I am blessed with the supporting people around , I wanna THANKYOU all for being helpful everytime#FriendshipDay pic.twitter.com/ciBQ2TqsFZ Vartika (@Vartika_zany) July 30, 2020 In many countries including India, the first Sunday of August is officially celebrated as the Friendship Day. Meanwhile, April 8 is marked as the Friendship Day in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. So, be it on July 30 or the age-old tradition of celebrating on first Sunday of August - all that matters is friendship and bonhomie, right? Here's wishing all the readers a very happy Friendship's Day! The mother of murdered police officer Constable Matthew Hunt has started a petition calling on the Government to decline parole eligibility for offenders convicted of killing a police officer. Diane Hunts petition requests the law change in memory of her son Matthew, 28, who was killed on duty during an armed incident in Massey on June 19. Matthew grew up in Orewa and was well-known on the Hibiscus Coast and in Warkworth. The petition states, My son lost his life whilst serving his country. If you truly believe what was said by numerous politicians after Matthews death, that police lives matter, passing this legislation should be done without delay. I believe our sentencing laws for murder do not adequately condemn the actions that result in the murder of police officers. A man has been charged with Constable Hunt's murder while a woman has been charged as an accessory to his murder. The petition can be signed online at: parliament.nz/en/petitions/sign/PET_99634 The petition closes on September 1. See next weeks Mahurangi Matters to read Mrs Hunts letter of thanks to the community. KYODO NEWS - Jul 31, 2020 - 19:30 | All, Japan, Coronavirus The Japanese government said Friday it will lift a ban on reselling face masks and disinfectant as suppliers have ramped up production enough to resolve a nationwide shortage spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Punishable with a prison sentence of up to one year or a 1 million yen ($9,500) fine, or both, the ban was imposed in a bid to deter scalpers. It is expected to be lifted in August, although the exact timing was not immediately clear. The government is also scrapping its plan to deliver an additional 80 million cloth masks to nursing homes and other high-risk facilities, health minister Katsunobu Kato said, amid criticism it was a waste of taxpayers' money. "Supply has increased significantly and consumers are no longer having difficulty buying (face masks and disinfectant)," Kato said at a press conference, adding the ban may be reinstated if deemed necessary. The ban was imposed on face masks in mid-March and disinfectant in late May through a revision to the law on "emergency measures for stabilizing the living conditions of the public," which was enacted in 1973 in response to panic-buying of daily necessities such as toilet paper during the oil crisis. The government has already provided 130 million cloth masks, dubbed "Abenomask," meaning Abe's mask and a play on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's signature "Abenomics" policy mix, to households nationwide. Another 60 million were due to be distributed through August to nursing homes, day-care centers and facilities caring for the disabled, and an additional 80 million were to be given out through September. That last batch of masks will now only be sent to facilities that ask for them, with the government stockpiling the remainder. Roughly 500,000 facilities are eligible to apply on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's website from next Wednesday. Opposition parties and members of the public have criticized the distribution of cloth masks, which are not as effective as surgical masks. Given that the distribution of all cloth masks, including those already given to households, was expected to cost taxpayers more than 50 billion yen, they said the funds could be better spent elsewhere as Japan scrambles to contain a resurgence in coronavirus cases. Some Japanese celebrities, including actress Kyoko Koizumi, also took to Twitter earlier this week to condemn the plan. On Friday, the Muslim community will be finding different ways to celebrate an annual holiday that usually calls for community gathering, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Muslim faith Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, commemorates the sacrifice that Ibrahim (Abraham) was willing to make when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son, Ismail (Ishmail). But at the last second, God stayed Ibrahims hand and commanded him to sacrifice an animal instead, like a goat or a sheep. The event also marks the end of Hajj (a five-day pilgrimage required by those who are financially and physically able to perform once in their lifetime), Rihabi Mohamed, Imam of The Woodlands Islamic Center, explained to the Courier in an email. The Hajj (pilgrimage) is believed to cleanse the soul of sins and instill a sense of equality, sisterhood and brotherhood. Thursday is the Hajj, and the festival begins Friday. In years past, millions would travel to the cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, but because of the pandemic, the pilgrimages will be limited. For the Festival of Sacrifice, the religious holiday is usually celebrated communally. Muslim communities would come together for a special prayer in the morning and the sacrifice of an animal like a sheep or a goat. The meat of the animal is then divided into thirds: one for your relatives and friends, one for your family, and one for the poor. This Eid will be mostly celebrated in homes with family members and in seclusion, but the Muslim community will be still together at heart. Mosques are arranging virtual (via Zoom) gatherings, prayers and sermons to connect with the communities, Rihabi wrote. Eid Al Adha gives Muslims a chance to reconnect with their faith through acts of worship, such as praying, sacrificing, charitable giving, as well as rekindling relationships with friends and family. This year, Rihabi is encouraging his congregation to celebrate at home, communicate with family and friends using technology like FaceTime and Zoom, and to adhere to the advice of local health authorities. Laura Tabaka converted to Islam right before COVID-19 began shutting things down, so most of her experience as a practicing Muslim has been from home. But she did get to spend some time in The Woodlands Islamic Center, meeting the Imam and the mosque community. For me, everything is a brand new experience, its nothing that Ive ever gotten to do and unfortunately I havent gotten to follow it traditionally because of COVID, Tabaka said. But the great thing is, is that I have such a great support system with my mosque and the brothers and sisters there. She has been practicing her religion at home for the most part but has connected to the local Muslim community online, taking classes, and joining Facebook groups. Her Eid al-Adha will be a celebration solitary one, as she is the only Muslim in her family. She plans to look into the possibility of an online celebration. For Mohamed Abdellatif and his wife Stacy, would usually go to their mosque in the morning to pray together, then gather with family and friends. When they can secure an animal in time they sacrifice it and divide the meat as the traditions of the holiday call for. Its definitely not going to be the same, well of course not get a chance to meet friends and gather with friends and eat some good food and all of that, Abdellatif said. But, well make up for it by doing that in our home. Well just be sitting here and cooking and doing it as one family here. Even with all the changes this year, Abdellatif said they will try to make the holiday as fun as possible. Charity is an important part of the holiday but safety comes first. If we have to do charity but theres a safety issue - if were putting people at risk or something - we dont really have to do it if were putting the lives of people at risk, he said. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com Tropical Storm Isaias has strengthened into a hurricane and is forecast to edge close to South Florida by the weekend. The storm upgraded late Thursday, just before midnight, with reported winds of 80mph, according to Hurricane Hunters, with the possibility of worsening as it swirls north. Isaias, which upgraded from a tropical storm sooner than anticipated, is now a Category 1 hurricane centered about 70 miles east-southeast of Great Inagua Island in the southeastern Bahamas moving at 18 mph. Tropical storm watches are in effect for parts of the Florida Peninsula, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. A watch means tropical storm conditions are possible on Saturday into the evening. The storm's center is inching away from Florida and is now forecast to be over 60 miles to the east of Cape Canaveral when it reaches the state. Meanwhile hurricane warnings have been issued in the Bahamas including Nassau, Freeport, and the Abacos Islands with hurricane conditions anticipated Friday into Saturday. At the moment the storms cone of uncertainty will see it brush Florida and continue on towards Connecticut and possibly New York. It'll likely reduce to a Tropical Storm again by the time it rises up the Eastern Seaboard. Tropical Storm Isaias strengthened into a hurricane late Thursday, just before midnight, and is forecast to edge close to South Florida by the weekend The storm's path has remained mostly the same and it will hit the Bahamas Friday into Saturday before nearing Florida late Saturday into Sunday People watch the open flood gates of the Carraizo dam after heavy rain from then-Tropical Storm Isaias overflowed the reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico on Thursday Fallen palm leaves littered the streets after whipping winds and heavy rain fell upon Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic on Thursday Workers guide a digger to remove a bamboo tree downed after Isaias affected the area in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on Thursday The flood gates of the Carraizo dam are seen open after heavy rain from Isaias, which hit the island as a Tropical Storm, overflowed the reservoir in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico on Thursday A woman pictured with a towel over her head to protect herself from the rain in Santo Domingo on Thursday This satellite image from the National Hurricane Center shows heavy rainfall over the Dominican Republic on Thursday as Tropical Storm Isaias passed over the island of Hispaniola Current storm predictions show Isaias passing just off New York's coast on Tuesday, though the path could change, forecasters say. 'There is a risk of impacts from winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge along portions of the U.S. East Coast beginning this weekend in Florida and spreading northward to the Carolinas and southern mid-Atlantic states early next week,' the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. On Thursday evening Isaias unleashed strong winds and bands of rain into the southeast Bahamas. Wind gusts over 50 mph have been measured in the Turks and Caicos late Thursday night, according to Weather.com. A deluge of rain continues to drench parts of Hispaniola, especially over the Dominican Republic. The storm unleashed small landslides and caused widespread flooding and power outages on Puerto Rico, still recovering from previous hurricanes and earthquakes, the the Dominican Republic over the course of the day Thursday. Now the Bahamas is bracing for the storm. 'These are especially difficult days,' Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told reporters Thursday. 'We need at this time the spirit of love and unity.' The storm could make landfall along the North Carolina coast by Monday, bringing with it heavy wind and a deluge of rain Hurricane Isaias' location above Hispaniola pictured just before midnight late Thursday As of midnight there are tropical storm watches in Florida, hurricane warnings in the Bahamas and tropical storm warnings in Hispaniola The storm's approach led Florida to close state-supported COVID-19 testing sites on Thursday at 5pm local time to keep indiviudals operating and attending the sites safe. The testing sites will remain closed until it is safe to reopen though officials anticipate all sites to be back open and running by August 5 at 8am at the latest. The threat of the hurricane only complicates the coronavirus crisis crippling Florida with its recent rise in infections. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said to CNN Thursday hes concerned about evacuating locals which could further spread the virus. Look, if we have a major hurricane here, then we're going to have to evacuate a number of people and then we're going to have to ... try to keep them separated as much as possible. Thats a concern, he said. 'When youre not testing is also a concern. But the greater danger, the immediate danger has to be taken care of first, and that's getting our people out of harm's way.' On Thursday Floridians headed to local grocery stores in hordes, emptying shelves as they stocked up on food and water preparing to bunker down for the storm. Isaias is the second hurricane of 2020. A firefighter using a machete cuts a tree that was knocked down by the wind and rain in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Thursday as the storm passed over View of a flooded street, after the passage of Tropical Storm Isaias, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday above Breaking - #Isaias has been upgraded to a category 1 hurricane earlier than forecasted. Maximum sustained winds are 80 mph. Further strengthening is possible. pic.twitter.com/Wwpliy3BMk Hurricane Tracker App (@hurrtrackerapp) July 31, 2020 However the path of the volatile storm remains uncertain as some forecast models show a weak storm hitting the southern coast of Florida and others show it hitting the east side of the state, moving towards the Carolinas. How the storm interacts with Hispaniola the Dominican Republic and Haiti will determine its intensities as it moves over mountains that could tear it apart. 'We should have a better idea of how strong Isaias will become near the US after reconnaissance aircraft sample the storm and after it passes Hispaniola later today,' the NHC said Thursday afternoon. In Puerto Rico Tropical Storm Isaias also toppled trees and some telephone and electrical cables across Puerto Rico. Especially hard hit was the territorys southern region, which still shakes daily. Santos Seda, mayor of the southwest coastal town of Guanica, told The Associated Press that he has received reports of downed trees and inundated neighborhoods where earthquake-damaged homes still stand. The storm left some 400,000 electricity clients without power across Puerto Rico, including hospitals that switched to generators, and left some 150,000 customers without water, according to government officials. 'The emotional state of people is deteriorating more every day,' he said. A man guides a tow truck under a downed power line in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico after Isaias hammered the area on Thursday Fire and rescue members cut the branches of a tree that fell under the heavy rain caused by the Isaias Storm in Santo Domingo on Thursday A man rides a motorcycle under pouring rain caused by the Isaias Storm in Santo Domingo Thursday The passing of the tropical storm Isaias leaves a missing person, 300,000 people without electricity and several roads cut in Puerto Rico, where, in addition, large areas of the capital and the south of the island were flooded. A person pictured trying to unclog a sewer in San Juan above The streets of San Juan were flooded with water on Thursday due to the storm Municipal employees check the condition of a street after the passage of the tropical storm Isaias, in San Juan, Puerto Rick on Thursday Young people walk in the rain in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Thursday Meanwhile, crews opened the gates of one dam that last month had such a low water level it led officials to cut service every other day for some 140,000 customers. Outages also were reported in the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands. Minor damage was reported elsewhere across Puerto Rico, where tens of thousands of people still use tarps as roofs over homes damaged by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Jose Pagan, a 22-year-old who lives in the eastern mountain town of Juncos, said his power went out before dawn. 'I didnt think it was going to be this strong,' he said of the storm, adding that his home is slightly flooded. 'Its a rather difficult experience because it reminds us of Maria.' More than 50 people sought shelter in Puerto Rico, said Gov. Wanda Vazquez, who urged those living near swollen rivers to find refuge and said officials rescued at least one family from rising waters. Many remained wary of shelters, however, given a spike in COVID-19 cases on the island. Coronavirus testing sites closed early on Thursday and will remain closed until August 5, officials anticipate, as the state prepares for a storm. A coronavirus testing center above in Miami on July 22 City of Hialeah employees loading up food and vegetables to hundreds of cars lined up for hours early during a drive-thru food distribution at the Goodlet Park in Hialeah, Florida as the coronavirus pandemic continues and South Florida braces for Isaias A line of cars wait at the entrance to a kosher food drive-thru distribution site, Wednesday, in Miami Locals in South Florida headed to stores on Thursday to stock up on food and water ahead of the storm Entire shelves were cleared out of essentials in South Florida as locals brace for Isaias A view of Florida shoppers stocking up on water above In the western town of Mayaguez, Alan Rivera, a 40-year-old engineer, said the street in front of his house turned into a flowing river something that didnt even happen during Hurricane Maria. He and his family planned to temporarily move in with his parents despite concerns about the coronavirus. 'We have to take the risk,' he said. 'Theres no other alternative.' U.S. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration in Puerto Rico as a result of the storm. Thursday afternoon the storm was located about 85 miles southeast of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic early Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving northwest at 20 mph and its center was forecast to move near the southeastern Bahamas by early Friday. Isaias was already toppling trees in the Dominican Republic as government workers in some impoverished neighborhoods used loudspeakers to urge people to evacuate ahead of the worst of the storm. Police also arrested a handful of surfers in the capital of Santo Domingo accused of violating government storm warnings. Tropical storm warnings were issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands and portions of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Bahamas. Isaias was expected to produce 4 to 8 inches of rain across Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and northern Haiti, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches. Abraxas Group LLC (Abraxas), a boutique advisory firm focused on supporting Middle Market companies in transition, is pleased to announce the addition of Brett Ladendorf in the role of Managing Director. Brett joins Abraxas Group with an impressive set of accomplishments and experience over his 15 years in finance. Most recently Brett led a strategic growth initiative at a Chicago-based business services company. Previously, as a as a member of a hedge fund, Brett developed expertise in investment strategies across the capital structure and worked with management teams to identify, refine, and implement opportunities for unlocking value. In a role as a commodity trader, Brett honed a deep understanding of market volatility and developed a skillset centered around risk management best practices. Brett began his career with roles in corporate finance in the telecommunications industry, and later in commercial banking as a credit analyst. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additionally, Bretts writings have appeared in Bloomberg Markets, Traders Magazine and The Financial Times. Regarding his decision to join Abraxas Group, Brett noted: Middle Market companies will have some challenging quarters ahead. Uncertainty will affect the way managers operate business lines, negotiate pricing, manage working capital, and approach strategic opportunities. At Abraxas, our role will be to see beyond the interruption while working to mitigate any immediate adverse circumstances. The opportunity is not limited to helping companies recover, but rather it extends to helping companies execute business transformations that will result in considerable value creation. Founded in 2015 by David Johnson (@TurnaroundDavid), Abraxas Group has adopted and refined a service delivery model in which a single professional assumes a C-level leadership role and drives a business transformation. This approach has generated stellar results across industries and ownership structures in the middle market. Manchester, July 30 : Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister has showered praise on current captain and centre-back Harry Maguire, saying his presence at the back is reassuring. England's Maguire didn't miss a single minute of his maiden league campaign at Old Trafford and became the first outfield player to achieve such an accolade since Pallister in the 1994/95 season. "I think he's (Maguire) terrific," Pallister said during the latest episode of MUTV Group Chat on manutd.com, the club's official website. "I think he's rightly got the captaincy; he's one of the talkers. "He's not the type of leader that Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane were, but I think he's got an assurance about him that the players respond to. "I think, for his first season, he's been terrific. He's comfortable on the ball, you saw it on Sunday (at Leicester City), getting his head to things when the balls are chucked into the box. He's dominant there and he's exactly the type of centre-back that Manchester United needed." He also spoke about Maguire's defensive partner, Victor Lindelof. "Lindelof has had a really good season as well," Gary suggested. "He's not as dominant as Harry, but I think he's complimented him. "He's got the hang of the Premier League: the physicality and the pace of it. I think he went from strength to strength." Manchester United finished third in the Premier League and will be part of the Champions League next season. Trader Joe's isn't removing branding that was labeled 'racist' in a recent petition, despite earlier saying they recognize names such as Trader Ming's and Trader Jose may have had the 'opposite' effect of the 'welcoming customer experience' they strive for. The petition was first launched in early July and has amassed more than 5,000 signatures, but after reports the company was rebranding the products, they have clarified that will not be the case. 'We disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions,' the brand wrote on its website. 'We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members. If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action.' Trader Joe's isn't removing brand names that were labeled 'racist' in a recent petition. A Pembroke Pines, Florida store is pictured The California-based grocer had at least six brands that used popular or common names from various other countries to sell products, including Mexican beer 'Trader Jose Premium' (left). Trader Joe's has Chinese-inspired salad and Thai noodles both under 'Trader Ming's' The California-based grocer had at least six brands that used popular or common names from various other countries to sell products. It named Mexican beer 'Trader Jose Premium', Chinese-inspired salad and Thai noodles both under 'Trader Ming's', Teriyaki sauce Trader Joe San and pizza imported from Italy goes under the label Trader Giotto's. In the petition, 17-year-old Briones Bedell argued that the grocery chain labels some of its 'ethnic foods with modifications of 'Joe' that belies a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes.' 'The Trader Joe's branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures - it presents 'Joe' as the default 'normal' and the other characters falling outside of it,' the petition continues. 'The common thread between all of these transgressions is the perpetuation of exoticism, the goal of which is not to appreciate other cultures, but to further other and distance them from the perceived 'normal.'' Trader Joe's said that in the past changes have been made based on sales. In the petition, 17-year-old Briones Bedell argued that the grocery chain labels some of its 'ethnic foods with modifications of 'Joe' that belies a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes' Trader Joe's said a couple of years ago the Buying Team reviewed products and got rid of what didn't resonate at the time. 'We found that some of the older names or products just weren't connecting or selling very well; so, they were discontinued,' the brand explained Recently the brand has been under scrutiny as other brands opt to change their names and imagery due to origins of racial stereotyping 'We constantly reevaluate what we are doing to ensure it makes sense for our business and aligns with customers' expectations,' the brand added in the message. 'A couple years ago we asked our Buying Team to review all our products to see if we needed to update any older packages, and also see if the associated brands developed years ago needed to be refreshed. 'We found that some of the older names or products just weren't connecting or selling very well; so, they were discontinued. It's kind of what we do.' Trader Joe's said in a statement last Friday that they think the decisions from their buying team from decades ago are still seen as 'fun and show appreciation for other cultures' in 2020. The grocery store chain has heard from many customers reaffirming that the name variations are 'largely viewed in exactly the way they were intended'. As the products still resonate will many customers they will remain on shelves. The company originally claimed that it had made the decision to stop selling under the alternative names before the petition. However they claimed they were still in the process of phasing out the labels. But last week the message was different and they said their customers like the tongue-in-cheek branding It was a U-turn for the brand which previously said in a statement that it had made the decision to stop selling under the alternative names before the petition came up. However they claimed they were still in the process of phasing out the labels. It was after other brands including Aunt Jemima's and Uncle Ben's admitted their racist roots and vowed to be more inclusive by changing their names and caricaturized associated imagery. Trader's Joe's initial response followed the petitioner saying, as stated on the company's website, that founder Joe Coulombe had been reading a book called White Shadows in the South Seas and had been to the Disneyland Jungle Trip ride when he come up with the design concept for Trader Joe's. The petition also claims that Trader Joe's founder Joe Coulombe, pictured in 1985, drew his inspiration for the stores from two racist sources; a book called White Shadows in the South Seas and the Disneyland Jungle Trip ride 'The book White Shadows in the South Seas is racist because it perpetuates the myth of the 'white god' and the 'noble savage' stereotypes,' the petition claims. 'It becomes even more racist in context because the founder of Trader Joe's said that he was inspired by this book in some way when creating his company, a book which shows traders' exotification of non-Western peoples turned into violent exploitation and destruction.' It adds that the Disney ride is also racist because 'it displays caricatures of non-Western peoples alongside exotic animals, as an attraction at a theme park to be gawked at'. It's not the first time Trader Joe's has been criticized for its approach to labeling. 'As is often the case in American workplaces, classrooms, and other environments, ethnic names are something to be mocked or not taken as seriously compared with their Anglophone counterparts,' a scathing review from Nylon said last year. In 2019, an article from food website The Kitchn slammed the company for only branding products as 'authentic' cuisine if they had their origins outside of Europe. Indian and Mexican dishes were branded as 'authentic' but European foods were not, it found. 'By marketing certain foods as 'authentic,' Trader Joe's is subtly supporting racist and colonial hierarchies which no one wants to see from 'your neighborhood grocery store',' it added. For year's Trader Joe's has been negatively linked to gentrification trends that have seen oppressed groups pushed out of neighborhoods made more appealing with the arrival of a store. Pictured, people stand in line outside Trader Joe's in Kips Bay as New York City on July 9 Gentrification has been at the forefront of discussions this past week as New York City-born President Trump vows to preserve the American Dream in suburbs One Wednesday he announced he has rescinded the affordable housing rule so people with lower incomes would not be able to move away from the city. Meanwhile the gentrification of low-income areas, often prompted by the arrival of desirable stores, remains an issue For year's Trader Joe's, like Whole Foods, has been negatively linked to gentrification trends. Reports from Bloomberg, Vice and The Atlantic have analyzed how with the arrival of new stores, non-oppressed populations have been encouraged move into the area. It has resulted in oppressed populations being priced out of neighborhoods. The trend prompted one neighborhood in Portland to say no to a Trader Joe's in 2014. Trader Joe's decision not to rename the items based on feedback from its clientele came the day after Trump's warning to 'Suburban Housewives of America' that his Democratic rival Joe Biden would 'destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream' by ending housing discrimination and making affordable housing more widespread. After saying he would 'preserve' their neighborhood and 'make it even better' last week, this Wednesday Trump tweeted to his followers that low-income households would no longer 'bother' privileged populations. 'I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,' Trump tweeted on Wednesday. 'Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!' Edmonton Food Bank City Councillor Bev Esslinger joins Rogers employees and mobile retail Pro On-the-Go team at Edmontons Food Bank as part of the Step Up to the Plate initiative. Employee volunteers are helping to organize, fill and distribute food hampers for Albertans in need. City Councillor Bev Esslinger joins Rogers employees and mobile retail Pro On-the-Go team at Edmontons Food Bank as part of the Step Up to the Plate initiative. Employee volunteers are helping to organize, fill and distribute food hampers for Albertans in need. Alberta food hampers will provide more than one million meals to support increased demand at food banks Rogers employees in Alberta volunteer to help organize, fill and distribute hampers EDMONTON, Alberta, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stepping up to help address food insecurity facing many Canadian families, Rogers Communications Step Up to the Plate initiative with Food Banks Canada has arrived in Alberta, delivering food hampers that will provide more than one million meals to local food banks. These hampers will help fill the plates of more than 56,000 Albertans across the province. Albertans are part of our extended family at Rogers, and when our family needs help, its our responsibility to step up and pitch in, through food donations, volunteering, and more, said Larry Goerzen, President of Alberta and Prairies, Rogers Communications. Rogers has a long legacy of supporting our communities and giving back. This is our 60th year as a company certainly a year like no other and we are here to roll up our sleeves and get to work so we can come through this together. The Step Up to the Plate initiative started in June at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, with Rogers employee volunteers and their families filling food hampers with non-perishable food items that provide an individual with a weeks worth of meals. Now, trucks loaded with hampers and pallets of food are on the move, destined for communities across Canada, where an unprecedented 8 million meals will be provided to Canadians when the initiative is completed this summer. On arrival in Alberta, local Rogers employee volunteers, including the mobile retail Pro On-the-Go team, are working with Edmontons Food Bank and the Calgary Food Bank to organize and prepare thousands of food hampers for distribution to those who need it most. Story continues This is an incredible initiative from Rogers, said Kaycee Madu, Minister of Municipal Affairs. At a time when so many families are struggling, the company is stepping up to assist our most vulnerable. Our government commends Rogers for all their hard work and community efforts in Alberta. As the country begins to reopen, the economic impact of the pandemic continues to be significant, affecting food insecurity and demand at food banks. According to Food Banks Canada, which supports over 3,000 food banks and community agencies from coast-to-coast-to-coast - including Edmontons Food Bank and the Calgary Food Bank many have been severely impacted by COVID-19, from decreased volunteers and donations to having to adapt their operations, making it more challenging to meet their clients needs. Prior to COVID-19, Edmontons Food Bank was seeing more people in need and experienced our highest numbers on record the first quarter of the year. The combined effect of the economic downturn and the pandemic, vulnerable Edmontonians are at a greater risk. We are fortunate to have Rogers commitment to help us serve our community, said Marjorie Bencz, CM, Executive Director, Edmontons Food Bank. Our doors will remain open and ensuring people have access to food together. "The COVID-19 pandemic has created even more challenges for vulnerable Calgarians, many of whom were already reeling from Alberta's economic downturn, said James McAra, President and CEO, Calgary Food Bank. This donation will help us feed thousands of clients and is a great example of Rogers commitment to the community. Step Up to the Plate is part of THE 60 PROJECT , a year-long initiative to mark Rogers 60th anniversary by giving back and building a stronger Canada from donations of time, money and fundraising support, to investing in Canada and the networks that keep Canadians connected. We are bringing this commitment to life by partnering with community organizations like Food Banks Canada, Womens Shelters Canada, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Pflag; investing in a 100% Canadian-based Customer Service team and in our networks to help Canadas economy thrive and grow; and connecting the next generation to education and the support they need to build a bright future. THE 60 PROJECT is about making hope possible, right here, in the Canadian communities we call home. And with Step Up to the Plate and other initiatives this year, our Rogers family all 25,000 strong, including here in Alberta will come together to give back an unprecedented 60,000 volunteer hours. With action, we will stand together with those who need us most, to ensure that all Canadians have an opportunity to move forward to discover a new normal that is better than the one that came before. About Rogers Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com . About Food Banks Canada Food Banks Canada provides national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast-to-coast-to-coast. For 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping Canadians living with food insecurity. Over 3,000 food banks and community agencies come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours who last year made 1.1 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Over the past 10 years, as a system weve sourced and shared over 1.4 billion pounds of food and Food Banks Canada shared nearly $70 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity while advocating for reducing the need for food banks. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit www.foodbankscanada.ca to learn more. Media Contacts Rogers media@rci.rogers.com 647-747-5118 Edmonton's Food Bank - Tamisan Bencz-Knight, Manager of Strategic Relationships & Partnerships, 780-918-6984 Calgary Food Bank Rachel Nadler, Internal Communications Coordinator, 403-807-0407 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e426a666-2df5-489b-af5b-b799be9d61d5 With less than 100 days for the presidential elections, a group of seven top Republican senators has expressed concern over the Chinese social media app TikTok and its potential use by China to influence the polls. The senators -- in a letter to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf -- said that the Trump administration has rightly taken steps to maintain the security and integrity of the US elections. We write to raise concerns about TikTok, the Chinese social-media service, which could enable the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to engage in influence operations against the United States, including operations designed to interfere with our elections, senators Thom Tillis, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott said on Wednesday. As President Donald Trump stated in the executive order in September 2018, "the proliferation of digital devices and internet-based communications has created significant vulnerabilities and magnified the scope and intensity of the threat of foreign interference. The administration has acted decisively on this threat by forcing media outlets controlled by hostile state actors like Russia and China to register as foreign agents, imposing sanctions on foreign officials who attempted to meddle in the American elections and issuing repeated warnings about efforts by hostile foreign powers to interfere in upcoming elections, they wrote. Noting that TikTok has become a popular forum for Americans, particularly younger Americans to engage in political conversations, the senators wrote that they are greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over TikTok to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes. TikTok is owned by the Chinese firm ByteDance, and the majority of the company's engineering and development resources are based in China. ByteDance regularly modifies TikTok content to satisfy the CCP censorship rules, they said. In 2019, the Washington Post reported that ByteDance employees based in China set TikTok's content standards and issued commands to remove TikTok content they deemed "subversive or controversial. In November 2019, TikTok locked the account of an American teenager who posted a video critical of the CCP's horrific crimes against the Uighur people in China. TikTok only reversed this act of censorship and unlocked the young woman's account after a public outcry, they said. Alleging that the CCP devotes significant resources to conduct information operations overseas, they said that Beijing exploits the openness of Western democracies and social-media platforms to propagate the party's preferred narratives. The CCP conducts these influence operations by co-opting traditional media outlets, spending tens of millions of dollars to purchase space in major US newspapers for propaganda by state-owned outlets like China Daily, and working to ensure Chinese state television channels like CGTN dominate Chinese-language media overseas, they alleged. The CCP also manipulates overseas political discussions on Chinese-owned social media platforms like WeChat. Chinese government officials increasingly use Western social-media companies, including those banned in China, to flood global social media with propaganda and misinformation, the Senators added. Seeking re-election for his second consecutive term, Trump is pitted against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in November 3 presidential elections. Most of the opinion polls shows that Biden is several points ahead of Trump. This baby owl rushes out even it is day time; the reason will leave you stunned Classmates shave off heads to make 8-year-old boy who lost all his hair confident Friendship Day 2021 Date: When is Friendship Day in 2021? How to Celebrate? Happy Friendship Day 2021: Wishes, quotes, SMS and whatsapp or FB status to share with your friends When is Friendship Day 2020? July 30 or August 2 India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 30: Friendship Day is also known as International Friendship Day is celebrated all over the world to cherish the bond of friendship in our lives. It is celebrated on July 30 in many parts of the world and in India it is celebrated on first Sunday of August. and this year it falls on August 2nd. The idea was proposed in the year 1958 in Paraguay, by the World Friendship Crusade. Varalakshmi Vratham 2020 date, significance, puja vidhi : All you need to know about Varalaxmi Vrat In 2011, the UN General Assembly, on April 27 declared July 30 as the 'International Friendship Day'. and is dedicated to all the amazing people without whom our lives would be incomplete. The UN's idea behind the International Day of Friendship was to inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News Meanwhile, another story regarding the history of International Friendship Day suggests that the day was first coined by Hallmark Greeting Cards founder Joyce Hall in 1930. The day was celebrated to cherish friendship and value the people in our lives. On the occasion, we bring to you top quotes on friendship by popular personalities: The old Kentucky Fried Chicken lot in the Riverina town of Deniliquin has seen better days. Colonel Sanders' face still adorns the windows of the building, but inside furniture is huddled, the drive-through screen is smashed and the garden is growing wild. It seems an unlikely shareholder address for a director of two proposed state significant developments for ethanol plants in nearby towns by an outfit one council has described as a leader in the design and manufacture of anaerobic biodigestion technology. The Kentucky Fried Chicken in Deniliquin has seen better days. Credit:Kate Geraghty Landowners say they are shocked at Murray River Council's decision to buy a lot from a Moama farmer at an unusually high price, before leasing it back to him at well below market rate, as part of a secretive plan to host the private endeavour by little-known company Murray River Energy. (TNS) Former University of Maine professor Ed Brazee co-founded a company called BoomerTECH Adventures in 2015 with the goal of helping Mainers from the baby-boom generation get more comfortable with the internet and using the latest technology.Little did he know that in March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic struck, his skills in teaching clients how to video chat or pay their bills online would become a crucial tool in helping people figure out how to navigate their new socially distant reality.It went from something where people could learn on their own time, to Oh boy, Id better figure this out right now, said Brazee, an Orono resident who retired in 2014 as a professor of education at UMaine. I think people have realized that this is how its going to be for a long time, and theyd need to learn how to do things online, and quickly.Brazee and his colleagues at BoomerTECH have spent the past four months working with people from all over the state, getting them accustomed to using Zoom, ordering groceries online, paying municipal bills, making telemedicine appointments and more.As more of life has shifted online during the pandemic, the struggle for many has been a lack of internet access or the lack of a computer or smartphone. Some 24,000 students, for example, were found this spring to lack the internet access they needed to participate in classes. As of 2017, 10.3 percent of Maine households or more than 55,000 didnt have a computer or smartphone, and 17.3 percent lacked an internet connection, according to U.S. Census Bureau data Brazee and his colleagues have been focused on the situation in which many older Mainers might find themselves, struggling not just with doing more online, but with knowing how to use the technology in the first place.One common problem Brazee has encountered was that seniors had laptops or desktop computers, but that the machines were too old to run programs such as Zoom. If they didnt have family or friends to help them, they often didnt know where to start in upgrading their devices especially in the first few months of the pandemic, when many stores were closed, Brazee said.Folks in this age bracket are the most vulnerable to the virus, so having a phone or a tablet might suddenly be their main connection to the outside world, he said. And for seniors in particular, if they didnt have that device in the first place, or they have an old, outdated one, that makes it that much more difficult.But faced with the necessity of doing more online, Brazee said, seniors have figured it out even when help wasnt immediately available, such as earlier in the pandemic, when Brazee and his team were overwhelmed by requests for help and couldnt respond to some questions immediately.People arent just throwing up their hands if they cant figure it out, he said.Its not only individuals who have had to rapidly adapt technologically during the pandemic. About 30 percent of Maines more than 400 cities and towns dont have websites, according to the Maine Municipal Association. But towns and cities quickly had to start offering more services, such as the ability to renew car registrations, make tax and utility payments and holding municipal meetings, online.Even in a city that offers a wide range of services online, such as Bangor, its still a struggle to encourage residents to use the services.There are still 7,000 overdue car registrations in Bangor as of this month, said City Manager Cathy Conlow, although residents have been able to renew their car registrations online for years. She remains concerned about those in Bangor who dont have reliable access to the internet especially seniors who have always done their city business in person.It worries me. How do we stay connected to our senior population when theres a big digital divide? Conlow said. The pandemic has really shown us where all the holes are. If you dont have the internet, its like not having electricity or sewer. Its not optional, at this point.With municipal meetings, town and city governments had to move them online, often to Zoom, almost overnight.It was almost a crisis, because right as we were stepping into town meeting season, we simply could not have people attend those in person, said Eric Conrad, director of communication and education services for the Maine Municipal Association. Not to mention the struggle to move council meetings online. It was a major transition to make, in not a lot of time.To that end, the Maine Municipal Association has held a number of trainings to help towns learn new technology, and it has encouraged towns that already have a robust online presence or a staff member who deals with I.T. to work with towns that do not.Smaller towns are learning from their larger counterparts, Conrad said.Once people overcome the technological hurdle, having town and city meetings online may actually increase citizen participation in government, rather than lessen it, said Conrad and Conlow. Bangor, for example, has seen an increase in public participation in Zoom meetings over the past month or two, and a significant increase in the number of people who watch meetings over Facebook, said Zeth Lundy, the citys public information officer.You might not be able to come to a council meeting in person, Conlow said. But you could tune into Zoom and participate from home. Thats a good thing.The same phenomenon might hold true for town meetings.You might only get 60 people at a town meeting sometimes, for whatever reason. But if you can attend virtually, you could have 400 people show up, Conrad said. There are some things coming out of this that might not be such a bad thing. Tamils in Sri Lanka is a significantly weakened community today the population is relatively small with reduced electoral strength, and its educational and economic performance are among the worst in the country. Following statement issued by the Global Tamil Forum The people of Sri Lanka are facing some crucial choices. The outcome of the Parliamentary Elections set for August 5, 2020, has the potential to determine the countrys course for decades. Democratic fundamentals and pluralist character of the state are at stake without exaggeration. The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) urges all citizens of Sri Lanka, including those from Tamil and Muslim communities, to view these elections with long-term perspective and exercise their franchise prudently and responsibly. Otherwise, the price of apathy could be too high. All Sri Lankan citizens: an opportunity to influence governance processes The authoritarian trajectory of the Rajapaksa Presidency is unambiguous Presidential rule through decrees and task forces, key civilian functions entrusted to serving and retired military officers (some of whom credibly implicated in serious human rights violations), an atmosphere of intimidation and fear leading to media self-censorship and silencing of civil society activists, and insecurity among the minority communities. It is in this atmosphere that Rajapaksas are seeking 2/3rd majority to change the constitution, in particular, to abolish the 19th Amendment. It is not difficult to contemplate where this will lead to executive power without checks and balances, marginalisation of Parliament and Judiciary, and key institutions made irrelevant. In such a quasi-democracy, rule of law and human rights will become expendable, and impunity will reign. The argument that a strong leader with unconstrained power is a must for development and prosperity is phony and self-serving. The last two attempts at constitution making (1972 and 1978), where the political parties that drove the process had 2/3rd majority, were disastrous, and their effects are still crippling the country. Democratic fundamentals and the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious character of the state were severely compromised to satisfy the power greed of the rulers. There is no indication that politics or statesmanship will be any different this time. In fact, if history is a guide, the outcome could be worse than what was achieved during the last two attempts. It is crucial, therefore, that all citizens should unite in denying the present rulers unfettered freedom for constitution making, rather ensure that only a widely consulted and compromised charter will be possible. While a functioning democracy with checks and balances are important for all citizens, it is so paramount for the minority communities. When the fangs of the majoritarian state unfairly target minority communities, even the theoretical possibility of legal recourse can be significant. So, it is vital that Tamil, Muslim and Christian communities study their electoral options and act wisely. Tamil community: need for honest reappraisal Eleven years after the end of war, re-evaluating political circumstances and electoral possibilities is a must for the Tamil community. Gaining a respectable and secure status in the country is still a dream and there are many disappointments to contend with no tangible outcomes on constitutional and accountability fronts, lack of momentum in returning to normalcy for the war-affected, and lingering concerns about protecting identity of the Tamil majority North-East. However, it is also undeniable that during the last five years there was notable relief for the Tamil people due to de-escalation of the military stranglehold in the North-East and people enjoyed some normalcy and freedom which included the right to memorialise the war-dead. How much of these could be lost due to the electoral outcomes is one important question to consider. The Tamil political leadership during the last decade has earned some positive marks on the national politics of the country its role in the 2018 constitutional crisis being one notable example. A far-sighted political approach has somewhat weakened the apprehensions and animosities existed between the Tamil and other communities. Further, the Tamil nationalistic politics in Sri Lanka is viewed in the major capitals of the world as a far more progressive one than what it used to be. These fundamental building blocks are crucial for future political settlements, and need to be further strengthened, not weakened, as Tamil struggle moves on. Tamils in Sri Lanka is a significantly weakened community today the population is relatively small with reduced electoral strength, and its educational and economic performance are among the worst in the country. Meeting political aspirations, though overwhelmingly the dominant issue for Tamils, is one of many objectives for the rest of the country. While the Tamil community should never take its eyes off from achieving political outcomes, it is no longer tenable that it be approached in a sequential manner, i.e. political resolution first, economic development later. It is crucial that the Tamil political leadership become more cognizant of this reality and take necessary initiatives in this direction. The Sri Lankan political leaderships intransigence in accommodating the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community, made the Tamils look to the international community and India, with hope and expectation. While this is an integral part of the Tamil political struggle and need to be strengthened and leveraged to the maximum, this cannot substitute an effective political and civil society engagement with all communities in the country. This, too, needs to be a factor when Tamils consider their political choices. Tamil votes: crucial choices The Tamil community face monumental challenges today. The Rajapaksas-led political movement does not have many parallels in Sri Lankas history. It relies entirely on Sinhala-Buddhist vote and highly insensitive to the concerns and aspirations of the minority communities. No commitment to accountability and reconciliation (withdrew from co-sponsorship of UNHRC resolution), increased militarisation of civil functions (military officers for every village in the North-East), and the appointment of all-Sinhala task force to preserve the historical heritage of Sri Lanka in the multi-ethnic Eastern Province are a few examples. More ominous is the possibility of losing some of the fundamental reforms such as power devolution under 13th Amendment and the parity status for Tamil language. A major economic contraction Sri Lanka is expected to undergo could lead to intensifying authoritarianism and militarisation, and in all likelihood the minority communities will be used as scapegoats for the wrong doings of the powerful. The period ahead will test the capability of the Tamil political leadership. Forming effective partnerships with the elected representatives from all minority communities and with those from the majority community with progressive views could be critical, so is fostering effective engagement strategies with the international community and India. If Rajapaksas are denied 2/3rd majority, such coalitions would be particularly powerful in preventing the constitution being amended on their own right. Perhaps the better strategy for the Tamil community could be protecting its hard-won gains, while exploring opportunities for furthering its community interests. So, what should the Tamil community do at this election? First and foremost, ensure that people appreciate the significance of this election and the power of their vote every vote matter. Second, no vote should be wasted on the multitude of independent groups and those representing country-wide parties, as these could only dilute the strength of the Tamil representation for future political engagements. Overly unrealistic agenda and an inward-looking insular political strategy is not the most suited in the present circumstances. The question for the Tamil voters is, among the parties that represent Tamil national interest, which party and candidates are the best suited to navigate Tamil politics through the turbulent times ahead. Appeal to vote Despite the fundamental weaknesses in Sri Lankas democracy, the country is often viewed favourably by the international community because it unfailingly conducts elections which are viewed largely as free and fair. In such circumstances, voting is fundamental and in fact the most powerful tool available to effect political, social and economic transformations in the country. The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) appeals to every citizen of Sri Lanka, and the Tamil people in particular, to cast their precious votes and cast it wisely, keeping the long-term interest of the country and their political, economic and democratic rights in mind. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An attorney representing a former student in a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges her client was sexually abused by Monsignor John Paddack in the principals office at Monsignor Farrell High School in the early 2000s. The former principal of the all-boys school in Oakwood was named in four new suits filed this week in Manhattan state Supreme Court by Jeff Anderson & Associates under the New York Child Victims Act. The law firm represents additional victims who allege that they were violated by the once-powerful prelate. MINSK -- Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the Belarusian capital for the largest opposition rally in the country since the start of the campaign ahead of a presidential election on August 9. The Vyasna human rights center said at least 63,000 supporters of registered presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya turned up for the demonstration in Minsk's Park of Peoples' Friendship on July 30, as President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has faced mounting public opposition in recent months 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 the election officials. At the rally in Minsk, which included performances by musicians and singers, Tsikhanouskaya said the opposition wanted "fair elections," not a revolution. "We are peaceful people and we want peaceful changes in our country," she said, as the crowd chanted slogans such as "Freedom!" The site is surrounded by a fence, while visitors have to pass through metal detectors manned by police. Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, is seeking a sixth term in the upcoming election. Tsikhanouskaya has said that she decided to take part in the poll after her husband, popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was jailed after he expressed his intention to run for presidency last month. The rally comes after Belarusian authorities linked Tsikhanouski and other jailed opposition politicians with a probe launched against 33 contractors from the private Russian military company Vagner, who were detained and allegedly wanted to destabilize the country ahead of the August presidential election. The Investigative Committee of Belarus said earlier on July 30 that Tsikhanouski was charged with "committing actions to incite social hatred and the assault of law enforcement officers." The statement added that Tsikhanouski, along with veteran opposition politician Mikalay Statkevich, who was also jailed in the runup to the polls, and several unnamed individuals, were charged with preparing mass disorder, a crime that may be punished by up to eight years in prison. "As a result of a check of operative information received from special services, 33 citizens of the Russian Federation, servicemen of the Vagner private military company... were detained on suspicion of committing the aforementioned crime," the statement added. Tsikhanouskaya rejected the new accusations against her husband. Addressing the rally in her support, she said: "No one will believe that these hitmen have been dispatched here specifically for the elections." Earlier in the day, security officials warned candidates in the upcoming presidential election to beware of possible "provocations" during the campaign as authorities opened a criminal probe into the 33 contractors from Vagner. Andrey Raukou, the chief of the Belarusian Security Council, said he met on July 30 with Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhey Cherachan, Hanna Kanapatskaya, Andrey Dzmitryyeu, and parliamentary Chairwoman Natallya Kachanava, who represented incumbent Alyaksandr Lukashenka, to inform the candidates about "additional security measures at public events." Raukou added that in addition to detaining 33 Russian citizens on July 29, "upwards of up to 200 militants" remain at large in Belarus and efforts to locate them continue as a probe was launched into what officials said were the "preparation of terrorist acts" in Belarus by the suspects. The Vagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organization believed to be run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an influential Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin. Its fighters have turned up in conflicts in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and Africa. Neighboring Ukraine said on July 30 that it was initiating an extradition request for some of the mercenaries, who it believes have fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on July 30 that it had separately summoned Russian Ambassador Dmitry Mezentsev and the acting head of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus, Petro Vrublevskiy, to discuss the situation. The ministry said the Russian ambassador has been asked for detailed explanations regarding the goals and other aspects of the arrival and stay in our country of this organized group of persons, many of whom have proven combat experience. Taking into account the confirmed information on the participation of a number of detainees in combat activities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine (against Ukrainian armed forces) as well as the Ukrainian origin and Ukrainian citizenship of some of them, Petro Vrublevskiy was asked to provide the relevant information for a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the reasons for their presence in Belarus, the ministry said. Moscow vehemently rejected Minsks claims, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing allegations that "organizations from Russia are sending some people to destabilize the situation in Belarus" as "nothing but insinuations." Ambassador Mezentsev said that the detained Russian men were transiting through Belarus and were en route to a "third country." According to Raukou, it is not known who exactly sent the militants as the investigation continues and the 33 Russian citizens are interrogated. Tsikhanouskaya told journalists after the meeting with Raukou that all events for her campaign will proceed as planned despite the warning. Belarusian authorities said they found the suspects at a health resort near Minsk overnight on July 29, after receiving information that more than 200 Russian military contractors had arrived days earlier in Belarus to "destabilize the situation in the country ahead of the election. Another suspect was detained in the south of the country, according to the BelTA news agency, which also published a list of the 33 Russian citizens, aged between 24 and 55, who had been apprehended. In 2018, the U.S. State Department blacklisted Vagner along with more than 30 other Russian companies and individuals with ties to military and intelligence agencies. Separately, Veranika Tsapkala, the wife of former potential presidential candidate Valer Tsapkala, who had to flee the country with their children for safety reasons, said on July 30 that her sister had been kidnapped by unknown individuals. Tsapkala said on July 30 that unknown individuals wearing civilian clothes "kidnapped" her sister in a parking lot in Minsk earlier in the day and took her away. Her whereabouts are currently unknown. Later, it turned out that her sister, Natallya Leanyuk, was briefly detained by police for questioning in a probe launched against Valer Tsapkala following a lawsuit filed by a Turkish businessman who accused him of bribery and insult. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condoled the passing away of party's West Bengal unit president Somen Mitra and said that he will be remembered with "love, fondness and respect". Mitra passed away at a Kolkata hospital early Thursday. He was 78. "All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect," Gandhi said in a tweet. Mitra passed away around 1.30 am following a cardiac arrest, the hospital sources said, adding that he had tested negative for COVID-19. He is survived by his wife and son. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to Twitter to express her grief and offered her condolence to the veteran leader's family. Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and @INCWestBengal president Somen Mitra. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers. Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 30, 2020 Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar also his expressed sadness over the leader's demise and said that the state will always recall his "sagacious contributions in public life". Saddened at the death of veteran Congress Leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray ALMIGHTY to bestow eternal on the departed soul. Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) July 30, 2020 A three-time president of the Congress West Bengal unit from 1992-1996, 1996-1998 and then again from September 2018, Mitra was a seven-term MLA from the Sealdah assembly constituency. The global Phase 2/3 study will enroll up to 270 patients with severe COVID-19 across 40 clinical sites; The study has been approved in the UK and Russia and is under review in Italy, Brazil and Mexico -- Enrollment in a parallel U.S. Phase 2 study in patients with severe COVID-19 is expected to be completed in August 2020 -- Emergency use applications planned for potential submission as early as Q4/2020 TEL AVIV, Israel and RALEIGH, N.C., July 30, 2020) ("RedHill" or the "Company"), a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has initiated a global Phase 2/3 clinical study evaluating opaganib (Yeliva, ABC294640)1 in patients hospitalized with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection (the cause of COVID-19) and pneumonia requiring treatment with supplemental oxygen. "We continue to rapidly advance the development program to evaluate the efficacy and safety of opaganib in patients suffering from severe COVID-19 following the encouraging results from patients treated under compassionate use," said Mark L. Levitt, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director at RedHill. "We quickly launched a Phase 2 study in the U.S. and are now expanding the program globally with a Phase 2/3 study to allow us to collect a broad and rigorous data set in a short amount of time. Opaganib has the potential to uniquely address COVID-19 via its dual mechanism of anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activities. We are excited at the prospects of this program which, if successful, is intended to support emergency use applications globally." The multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-arm, placebo-controlled Phase 2/3 study) is set to enroll up to 270 patients in up to 40 clinical sites across European, Latin American and other countries. Further expansion of the study to additional countries is planned. Subjects enrolled in the study will be randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either opaganib or placebo, along with standard-of-care therapy. The primary endpoint of the study is to evaluate the proportion of patients requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation by Day 14. An unblinded futility interim analysis will be conducted by an independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) when approximately 100 subjects have been evaluated for the primary endpoint. Enrollment is also ongoing for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical study with opaganib in the U.S.). This study is set to enroll up to 40 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring hospitalization and supplemental oxygen, with enrollment expected to be completed in August. This clinical trial is not powered for statistical significance. About Opaganib (ABC294640, Yeliva) Opaganib, a new chemical entity, is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered, sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor with anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activities, targeting multiple oncology, viral, inflammatory and gastrointestinal indications. By inhibiting SK2, opaganib impacts multiple cellular pathways which are associated with cancer growth, viral replication and pathological inflammation. Opaganib was originally developed by U.S.-based Apogee Biotechnology Corp. and completed multiple successful pre-clinical studies in oncology, inflammation, GI and radioprotection models, as well as a Phase 1 clinical study in cancer patients with advanced solid tumors. Opaganib received Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma and is being evaluated in a Phase 2a study in advanced cholangiocarcinoma and in a Phase 2 study in prostate cancer. Opaganib is also being evaluated for the treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). Results from the treatment of the first patients with severe COVID-19 with opaganib have recently been published2. Analysis of treatment outcomes in five patients with severe COVID-19 showed substantial benefit to patients treated with opaganib under compassionate use in both clinical outcomes and inflammatory markers as compared to a retrospective matched case-control group from the same hospital. All patients in the opaganib-treated group were discharged from hospital without requiring mechanical ventilation, whereas 33% of the matched case-control group required mechanical ventilation. Median time to weaning from high-flow nasal cannula was reduced to 10 days in the opaganib-treated group, as compared to 15 days in the matched case-control group. Pre-clinical data have demonstrated both anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activities of opaganib, with the potential to reduce lung inflammatory disorders, such as pneumonia, and mitigate pulmonary fibrotic damage. Several prior pre-clinical studies support the potential role of SK2 in the replication-transcription complex of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, similar to coronavirus, and its inhibition may potentially inhibit viral replication. Pre-clinical in vivo studies3 have demonstrated that opaganib decreased fatality rates from influenza virus infection and ameliorated Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced lung injury by reducing the levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. The development of opaganib has been supported by grants and contracts from U.S. federal and state government agencies awarded to Apogee Biotechnology Corp., including from the NCI, BARDA, the U.S. Department of Defense and the FDA Office of Orphan Products Development. About RedHill Biopharma RedHill Biopharma Ltd.) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on gastrointestinal diseases. RedHill promotes the gastrointestinal drugs, Movantik for opioid-induced constipation in adults4, Taliciafor the treatment of Helicobacter pylori . This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be preceded by the words "intends," "may," "will," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "predicts," "estimates," "aims," "believes," "hopes," "potential" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and cannot be predicted or quantified, and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risk that the clinical condition of the patients treated with opaganib will not continue to improve and may worsen, the risk that the U.S. Phase 2 clinical study evaluating opaganib will not be successful; the risk that the Company will not expand this study to a multinational study with sites in additional countries; the risk that other COVID-19 patients treated with opaganib will not show any clinical improvement; the risk that clinical trials with opaganib in Israel, the U.S., Italy, Russia, the UK, Brazil, Mexico or elsewhere for the treatment of COVID-19, if conducted at all, will not show any improvement in patients; the development risks of early-stage discovery efforts for a disease that is still little understood, including difficulty in assessing the efficacy of opaganib for the treatment of COVID-19, if at all; intense competition from other companies developing potential treatments and vaccines for COVID-19;the effect of a potential occurrence of patients suffering serious adverse events using opaganib under the compassionate use programs, as well as risks and uncertainties associated with (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of the Company's research, manufacturing, pre-clinical studies, clinical trials, and other therapeutic candidate development efforts, and the timing of the commercial launch of its commercial products and ones it may acquire or develop in the future; (ii) the Company's ability to advance its therapeutic candidates into clinical trials or to successfully complete its pre-clinical studies or clinical trials or the development of a commercial companion diagnostic for the detection of MAP; (iii) the extent and number and type of additional studies that the Company may be required to conduct and the Company's receipt of regulatory approvals for its therapeutic candidates, and the timing of other regulatory filings, approvals and feedback; (iv) the manufacturing, clinical development, commercialization, and market acceptance of the Company's therapeutic candidates and Talicia; (v) the Company's ability to successfully commercialize and promote Movantik, Talicia and Aemcolo; (vi) the Company's ability to establish and maintain corporate collaborations; (vii) the Company's ability to acquire products approved for marketing in the U.S. that achieve commercial success and build and sustain its own marketing and commercialization capabilities; (viii) the interpretation of the properties and characteristics of the Company's therapeutic candidates and the results obtained with its therapeutic candidates in research, pre-clinical studies or clinical trials; (ix) the implementation of the Company's business model, strategic plans for its business and therapeutic candidates; (x) the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its therapeutic candidates and commercial products and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; (xi) parties from whom the Company licenses its intellectual property defaulting in their obligations to the Company; (xii) estimates of the Company's expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; (xiii) the effect of patients suffering adverse experiences using investigative drugs under the Company's Expanded Access Program; and (xiv) competition from other companies and technologies within the Company's industry. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 4, 2020. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law. Company contact: Adi Frish Senior VP Business Development & Licensing RedHill Biopharma +972-54-6543-112 adi@redhillbio.com (mailto:adi@redhillbio.com) IR contact (U.S.): Timothy McCarthy, CFA, MBA Managing Director, Relationship Manager LifeSci Advisors, LLC +1-212-915-2564 tim@lifesciadvisors.com (mailto:tim@lifesciadvisors.com) WASHINGTON - Negotiations on a new coronavirus relief bill hit an impasse on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, leaving no clear path forward even as millions of Americans face a sudden drop in unemployment benefits and the economy teeters on the brink. A meeting between top White House officials and Democratic leaders ended with no agreement on extending emergency unemployment benefits that expire on Friday, or on reviving a moratorium on evictions that lapsed last week. That means about 20 million jobless Americans will lose $600 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits that Congress approved in March, which could send the economy reeling. After a day of meetings, all parties declared their differences all but irreconcilable. Democrats shot down the idea of a short-term fix for unemployment insurance and the eviction moratorium, which President Donald Trump had announced earlier Wednesday he would support. And the two parties remained far apart on a larger bill, with Democrats standing by their wide-ranging $3 trillion proposal even as Republicans struggled to coalesce around a $1 trillion bill released by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday. Each side said the other was to blame for the shortcoming. Paying the price will be the unemployed at a moment of deep uncertainty and fear, with coronavirus cases spiking and states pulling back on reopening as deaths near 150,000 in the U.S. The talks could get back on track in coming days, but the signs on Wednesday were not promising. "I don't know that there is another plan, other than: No deal," said White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. "Which will allow unemployment, enhanced unemployment, I might add, to expire. . . . No deal certainly becomes a greater possibility the longer these negotiations go." Meadows offered his dour assessment as he headed into his third straight day of meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at the Capitol. He was no more upbeat when he came out. "We are nowhere close to a deal," Meadows said. Democrats echoed his pessimistic assessment while putting the blame on Republicans. "Our Republican friends don't seem to come close to meeting the moment. . . . They've put us up against the wall. We have two cliffs, because they wouldn't negotiate for months," Schumer said. "They're tied in a total knot because of the disunity in their caucus, because of their inability to gather votes, because the president says one thing one day, he says another thing the other day," Schumer added. "We want to come back and keep talking to them. But they don't have anything to say." McConnell held out hope in an evening interview with PBS NewsHour, saying: "This is only Wednesday. So hope springs eternal that we'll reach some kind of agreement, either on a broad basis or a more narrow basis to avoid having an adverse impact on unemployment." Earlier Wednesday, Trump had called for a quick fix to address the unemployment benefits and eviction moratorium, saying other issues could wait. "The rest of it, we're so far apart, we don't care, we really don't care," Trump told reporters outside the White House, referring to divisions between the two parties. But Democrats called that approach inadequate. "We don't know why the Republicans come around here with a skinny bill, that does nothing to address really what's happening with the virus, and has a little of this and a little of that. We're not accepting that," Pelosi said. "We have to have the comprehensive full bill." McConnell has not embraced the piecemeal approach either, insisting that any bill must include a five-year liability shield for businesses, health-care providers and others - a non-starter for Democrats. More than 20 million Americans remain unemployed and have been receiving a $600 weekly emergency unemployment payment that Congress approved in March, on top of whatever benefit their state offers. That federal benefit runs out Friday. Democrats want to extend the extra jobless payment at its current level. The Senate GOP bill released Monday proposes cutting it to $200 weekly until states can phase in a new system that would aim to replace 70% of a worker's wages before unemployment. Underscoring the continued need, the head of the Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the rise of coronavirus cases since mid-June is weighing on the economy. "On balance, it looks like the data are pointing to a slowing in the pace of the recovery," Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during a news conference Wednesday. "I want to stress it's too early to say both how large that is and how sustained it will be." Powell said funding from the $2 trillion Cares Act passed in March was key to keeping people in their homes and jobs. He pointed to the success of the small-business Paycheck Protection Program for getting money directly to businesses that could not necessarily have been saved through a Fed lending program. "Lending is a particular tool, and we're using it very aggressively, but fiscal policy is essential here," Powell said. "As I've said, more will be needed from all of us, and I see Congress is negotiating now over a new package, and I think that's a good thing." But the negotiations are not going well. Democrats want to spend three times more than Republicans on the overall bill, expected to be Congress's last major coronavirus relief bill before the November elections. They also are insisting on a new round of state and local aid, which was excluded from the GOP bill. Some Republicans do not want to spend more money, and there are deep divisions over the $1 trillion bill McConnell released Monday, which proposes to send a new round of $1,200 stimulus checks to individual Americans and inject more money into the Paycheck Protection Program, among other provisions. McConnell said in his PBS interview that there are about 20 GOP senators who would prefer to take no additional action because of deficit concerns. A number of Republican senators signaled Wednesday they were open to some kind of short-term, stand-alone deal - but also said there was no clarity on what that might actually entail, or on much of anything at all. "There's no consensus on anything," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters twice after a closed-door lunch with Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He described this as "A normal part of the catharsis that goes with actually getting to the solution," while noting: "We're far away right now." McConnell is leaving negotiations with Democrats to Trump administration officials. The whole process has been overtaken by increasingly bitter partisanship, which was on display on the Senate floor Wednesday as McConnell and Schumer traded insults. McConnell accused Democrats of adopting a "completely unhinged position" in insisting on continuing the $600 weekly emergency unemployment benefits. Republicans say such generous payments act as a disincentive for people to return to the workforce since in many cases they can make more on unemployment. Referring to Pelosi, McConnell said, "She'll just refuse to legislate until the election and wish American families good luck dealing with the pandemic." Schumer denounced those comments in his own floor speech a short time later. "This absurd, nasty insinuation by the Republican leader doesn't pass the laugh test," Schumer said. As time runs out on the expanded jobless benefit, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, has started crafting an alternative unemployment insurance proposal, according to an official familiar with the draft. The plan would allow states to choose one of two options, the official said: either a jobless benefit supplement that amounts to 80% of the initial wage, or a sliding scale that would amount to an additional $500 per week in August, $400 per week in September and $300 per week in October. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a plan that was still being drafted. Trump's push for an extension of the eviction moratorium came even though the GOP legislation released by McConnell did not include it. The eviction moratorium provision, which was passed as part of the Cares Act in March, shielded 12 million renters nationwide from eviction - but it expired Friday. House Democrats have pushed for it to be extended. Larry Kudlow, the president's top economic adviser, suggested Sunday that the administration would back extending the moratorium. He then clarified Monday on Fox News that the administration was pushing an extension in forbearance for homeowners - allowing them to delay payments on their mortgages - but that the administration was still studying the eviction moratorium. That measure prevented renters from being evicted from properties with mortgages backed by the federal government. Trump also said Wednesday that he would continue to demand nearly $1.8 billion for a new FBI building at its present site, near his hotel in downtown Washington. McConnell and other Republicans have said they oppose inclusion of the FBI headquarters provision. "Then Republicans should go back to school and learn. They need a new building . . . and we can do it very easily," Trump said. Congress passed four bipartisan bills in March and April, injecting about $3 trillion into the economy as the coronavirus began its deadly and economically devastating march across the country. At the time lawmakers hoped the pandemic would die down; instead it's been spiking in many places. - - - The Washington Post's Rachel Siegel and Paul Kane contributed to this report When Kristy Hamilton was a middle schooler in the Spring Branch area Awty International School, she accidentally got kicked in the face with a track cleat. She was so inspired by her plastic surgeon Dr. Tue Dinh that she came back and shadowed him when she was in high school. Hamilton, who graduated from Baylor Medical School where Dinh was one of her professors is now a plastic surgeon at the newly opened Houston location of the Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic surgery where she has been working since July 1. Houston company acquired: Houston-based Drunk Elephant skin care sells for $845 million We have the best doctors and surgeons in the Texas Medical Center, Hamilton said of her experience. Incredible trauma experience at Ben Taub taking care of the underserved, learning how to do complex reconstruction at the top cancer center in the country at MD Anderson and then doing high-level aesthetic and reconstructive surgery at St. Lukes and Methodist, it was a privilege to be joined by these people. Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery has 16 locations in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio as well as the first location in Houston, where Hamilton works, which opened this past December and is located at 2132 Bissonnet St., Ste. 200. Dr. Chuma Chike-Obi, who was the chief resident in plastic surgery at Baylor Medical School when Hamilton was a medical student, reached out to Hamilton about joining. The doctor, who Hamilton considers a mentor, already worked at the practice. I felt very confident joining them because I trusted Dr. Chike-Obi and had heard great things about the group in general, Hamilton said. We were able to build this vision of a Houston office together, which is exactly what I wanted to do in practice for my patients. Help for doctors: Federal paycheck protection loans helped Houston doctors pay rent, save for expenses Hamilton is Westlakes first female plastic surgeon and the only one of the five current plastic surgeons who is female, although 26 of the groups total 32 dermatologists are female. Its a very cool thing; most of the patients in aesthetics are women, so I feel like I get to relate to them at that level, Hamilton said. There are incredible male plastic surgeons and female plastic surgeons, but its nice for a woman to have the option to choose if theyre more comfortable with a particular gender, so its an exciting time to be a female plastic surgeon in this town. Hamilton finds that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a great time to start a plastic surgery practice. Patients want to feel better, she said. Theyre excited to come in and do a little update for themselves at this time, whether thats because of Zoom meetings and staring at your face or just because you have some down time now where you can have a three-day recovery. Hamilton is excited to stay in Houston, where she grew up. She currently lives in Southside Place, down the street from where her parents live and where she grew up in West University, a short drive from the office as well as the Texas Medical Center. To learn more about the Westlake Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Houston location, go to https://www.westlakedermatology.com/dermatology-services-houston/ elliott.lapin@hearst.com They've been used as an educational toy for hundreds of years and are thought to develop skills such as hand-eye coordination and problem solving. But little has been known about how children learn to do jigsaw puzzles. Now, new research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) has put jigsaw puzzles to the test -- and found that children only learn to do them once they have reached a certain stage of development. The study, published today in the journal Child Development, reveals that three-year-olds use trial and error, but four-year olds are able to use information in the picture to complete the puzzles. The research team say this understanding is the foundation of drawing and painting. Lead researcher Dr Martin Doherty, from UEA's School of Psychology, said: "We looked at children's ability to do jigsaw puzzles. Surprisingly, there's virtually no research on this, despite the common assumption these are good educational toys. "We were interested in children's understanding of pictures as representations. Jigsaws require assembly of a picture, so if children understand how pictures work then they should be better at jigsaw puzzles." The team, which includes researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh Napier, West of Scotland and Warwick, worked with 169 children aged between three and five, to see how they put together different types of puzzles at different ages. advertisement Some of the children worked on traditional jigsaw puzzles with a picture, jigsaws with no picture, and picture-based puzzles made up of equal-sized rectangular pieces. Half of this group were given a picture guide showing what the completed image should look like. The researchers recorded how long it took the children to complete the puzzles and the number of times they attempted to join puzzle pieces. Another group of children were given a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing, and different options to fill the gap. The children were also tested on their level of representational understanding, including how well they understood other people's beliefs. The researchers argue that understanding the relationship between a belief and the part of the world it is about develops alongside understanding the relationship between a picture and what it is about. Dr Doherty said: "This is the first investigation of how children do jigsaw puzzles, and we were particularly interested in how they use their understanding of pictures to complete them. "We found that children who passed tests for representational understanding were able to complete picture jigsaws faster and more efficiently. In general, efficiency increased between the ages of three and five years. "The really unique thing about this study is that we are showing the age and stage of development at which children gain a fundamental understanding of the nature of pictures. "We think this lays a vital foundation for learning to draw and paint," he added. Georgias governor has withdrawn a request for an emergency order to block the states largest city from ordering people to wear masks in public or imposing other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic while a lawsuit on the matters is pending. Gov. Brian Kemp earlier this month sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the City Council. The Republican governor argues local leaders cannot impose measures that are more or less restrictive than those in his executive orders. The two sides met for court-ordered mediation Monday. Kemp spokesman Cody Hall announced Monday night that the governor wanted to continue productive, good faith negotiations. In a court filing Tuesday morning, lawyers for the state withdrew the request for an emergency order that was to be the subject of a hearing that day. In response, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jane Barwick canceled the hearing but ordered the two sides to continue mediation. Hall claimed a partial victory Monday as part of the justification for standing down from the emergency hearing, saying Bottoms had clarified previous confusing statements. The mayor retreated from misleading claims that the city was reverting to phase one by shuttering specific businesses and penalizing law-abiding business owners, Hall said in a statement. From the beginning, this overstep by the mayor was our foremost concern and the primary impetus behind the litigation, given the threat of economic harm and immediate backlash from Atlantas business community. Bottoms, a Democrat, had said those statements are recommendations, not legal orders, and that Kemp did not understand what she was doing. Atlanta is one of more than a dozen local jurisdictions in the state that has ordered people to wear face coverings in some public places in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Barwick last week ordered the two sides to attend mediation overseen by Senior Judge Cynthia Wright to try to resolve the issues in the case before the hearing that had been scheduled for Tuesday. In an executive order earlier this month, Kemp strongly encouraged people to wear face coverings to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but he did not mandate the wearing of masks. The order also suspends any local laws or rules that are more restrictive than his order, including local rules or ordinances requiring people to wear masks, even on public property or in public buildings. The lawsuit filed July 16 asks the judge to overturn Bottoms orders that are more restrictive than Kemps, block her from issuing any more such orders, instruct the City Council not to ratify Bottoms actions or adopt any ordinances inconsistent with Kemps orders, to prohibit Bottoms from making public statements asserting she has authority that exceeds Kemps, and to require city officials to enforce all provisions of Kemps existing orders. The governor filed a motion for emergency interlocutory injunction the following day, essentially asking the judge to order that all those requests take immediate effect while the lawsuit is pending. Tuesdays hearing was meant for her to hear arguments on that motion. In a court filing Monday, lawyers for the city argued that the lawsuit is barred by sovereign immunity, which says state and local governments cant be sued without their consent. The city has the right to take action to protect the public, and its mask mandate is not inconsistent with or preempted by the governors order, the citys filing argues. In the absence of state leadership on this issue, local governments have stepped in to protect their citizens, the citys filing says. The Georgia Municipal Association, which represents municipal governments throughout the state, as well as Democratic state lawmakers and several labor unions have filed briefs saying the governor has overstepped his authority by trying to limit additional measures taken by local governments to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Georgia LIVONIA, Mich., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CIGNEX Datamatics, a leading provider of digital transformation through open source, cloud and automation technology solutions, today announced that it has been named a Red Hat Ready Partner in North America. As part of Red Hat's partner ecosystem, CIGNEX Datamatics will act as a reseller to deliver industry leading open source and cloud computing solutions using Red Hat technologies to enhance the overall experience for customers. With enterprises facing increasing pressure to upgrade aging legacy systems while managing shrinking IT budgets, open source alternatives are gaining more importance than ever. CIGNEX Datamatics has over 20 years of experience in open source and can support services on industry-leading Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Through the Red Hat partner program, CIGNEX Datamatics will help extend the reach of Red Hat's product portfolio and provide customers with the necessary expertise to design, plan, and deploy solutions across cloud environments. "With a solid ecosystem of commercial open source technology partners, our presence in the open source community continues to grow rapidly. Our collaboration with Red Hat will further strengthen our capability to deliver the best-fit open source enterprise solutions to our clients," said Harish Ramachandran, CEO, CIGNEX Datamatics. "Partners are an important multiplier for Red Hat and play an key role in enabling customer success. We are excited to have CIGNEX Datamatics join our partner ecosystem and look forward to working with them to deliver open source solutions to clients," - Ernest Jones, Vice President of North American Partner Sales, Red Hat. Since 2000, CIGNEX Datamatics' focus on Open Source technologies has enabled them to deliver over 800 solutions to customers worldwide. Along with hosting multiple webinars, training events and seminars to educate and promote the benefits of Open Source Enterprise Solutions, they have authored 17 books on Open Source Technologies. More information on CIGNEX Datamatics' Red Hat expertise can be found here. About CIGNEX Datamatics (www.cignex.com) CIGNEX Datamatics, a subsidiary of Datamatics Global Services Ltd., is a Michigan based global consulting company offering solutions & services on Open Source, Cloud and Automation. Since 2000, CIGNEX Datamatics has been delivering enterprise class solutions built using leading platforms & tools, which can be integrated with existing systems to achieve unparalleled results. Red Hat and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. Media Contact Priyanka Sharma Head of Marketing CIGNEX Datamatics [email protected] +91-07967010345 SOURCE CIGNEX Datamatics Inc. India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent Disengagement process along LAC not yet complete: India slams China India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, July 30: India on Thursday slammed Beijing's claim of complete disengagement in most locations by the frontline border troops in Galwan, Gogra and Hot Spring areas in eastern Ladakh. "India and China agreed that early and complete disengagement of troops along Line of Actual Control and de-escalation from border areas, and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations," said a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs. China warns India against review of One China Policy This was also the agreement reached between the two Special Representatives, NSA and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in their conversation on 5th July. "There has been some progress made towards this objective but the disengagement process has as yet not been completed. The Senior Commanders of the two sides will be meeting in the near future to work out steps in this regard," the statement said. "As we have stated earlier, the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship. Therefore, we expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest as agreed to by the Special Representatives," it added. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News Earlier, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin had made the claim at a briefing in Beijing when he was asked whether the border troops from India and China have completed the disengagement from Galwan, Gogra and Hot Spring areas in eastern Ladakh. The reference to Pangong Tso, a major friction point, was conspicuously absent in the question asked by a reporter from China's official media. During the briefing, the spokesman noted that China and India have recently conducted "intensive communication through military and diplomatic channels." "Now the frontline border troops have completed disengagement in most locations and the situation on the ground is easing," Wang said. Both China and India commenced the disengagement process from July 6 following talks between Doval and Wang who are Special Representatives for the boundary question. The tension in eastern Ladakh escalated manifold after the violent clashes in the Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. As per US intelligence reports, the Chinese army suffered 35 casualties. At 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, a line begins outside a modest storefront near the subway station and extends down the avenue for about 10 hours straight. The line is overwhelmingly filled with Black people, elderly and young, parents and children, singles and couples, who come for the fried whiting, shrimp and clams as customers have been doing for 46 years. Famous Fish Market has been a staple of its historic neighborhood since 1974, and today the restaurants family- and Black-owned roots are rare in a place that has been deeply affected over the years by poverty, gentrification and, most recently, the pandemic, as well as the Black Lives Matter protests. But customers still show up, masks on, phones out, ready for what sometimes can be an hourlong wait for fresh seafood and French fries. Nearby fish markets have tried to achieve the popularity of Famous Fish Market, but have yet to draw the same long lines. A young man was shot dead and another fatally stabbed within just six hours as the toll from Londons bloodiest month of 2020 rose to 17. It takes the total number of homicide investigations opened so far this year to 76, and follows concern of an upsurge in street violence as lockdown is eased. Witnesses to the first killing, in Edmonton, saw a male in his mid-twenties chased and then shot in the chest at 9pm last night. He staggered about 50 yards and collapsed in Beaconsfield Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene an hour later. Andreas Papastylianou, 70, who lives nearby, said: His family arrived at the scene quickly. One was shouting, Thats my brother, let me see him. When the police said his brother had died, the man was banging his head on a wall. It was a terrible thing to see. He added: The neighbours and paramedics fought so hard to save him. The poor family were screaming and begging with the police to get to the body. A witness, 22, said: I heard two very loud gunshots. I looked out my window and saw a guy lain there. Within seconds neighbours were there. They were battling to save his life. A pensioner, whose flat overlooks the scene said: It was a lovely summers evening and the kids were out. I heard two loud shots. I looked out and mothers were running away with their children. "It was carnage. What is London coming too? Resident Joe Beranardes, 53, said: You do get problems around here with young people and drug selling. Its still a shock when something like this happens on your doorstep. Six hours later in Hounslow a man in his early thirties was stabbed to death in Clements Court housing estate off Green Lane. A person has been arrested. There have been 17 homicides so far in July, five in the last week, compared with nine in June and eight in May. Meanwhile Mohim Hussain, 40, was due to appear in court today charged with stabbing a police officer in the arm in Ashmore Road, West Kilburn, on Tuesday. His injuries were not life-threatening and he has been discharged from hospital. Hussain, of Ashmore Road, was charged with wounding with intent and possession of a knife or blade in a public place. He was due to appear at Westminster magistrates court. Anyone with information on either of the latest killings is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump met Thursday with the family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who disappeared from Fort Hood in April and whose remains were found earlier this month. Its an incredible story. Its a terrible story, Trump said to the family in the Oval Office. So were going to look into it very powerfully. We already have started, as you know, and well get to the bottom of it. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa. Well be in touch with you constantly. A funeral has not been held because Guillen was dismembered and relatives are awaiting her remains, the familys lawyer, Natalie Khawam, told Trump. If I can help you out with the funeral, Ill help you out, financially, Ill help you, Trump said. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen's mother Gloria Guillen, left, cries while meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on July 30, 2020, in Washington. Also Thursday, the Army named an independent panel of five experts to investigate whether personnel at Fort Hood and the surrounding community have allowed a climate of sexual harassment and discrimination to flourish. The independent review will be led by Chris Swecker, a lawyer and former assistant director of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. The Army has been under fire for its investigation into the disappearance and death of Guillen, 20. Days after she went missing, investigators had focused on Spc. Aaron Robinson as the primary suspect. It took two months to develop evidence to lock him up, and he fled before he could be detained and died by suicide. More: Ten weeks: A timeline of the search for Vanessa Guillen The Army is committed to taking care of our soldiers, civilians, families, and soldiers for life, and this independent review will explore the current command climate and culture at Fort Hood," Army Sec. Ryan McCarthy said in a statement. Guillens mother, Gloria Guillen, said she was angry to hear McCarthy say her daughter was not sexually harassed. She said she had spoken to her daughter about the harassment, but Gloria Guillen did not detail what her daughter said. Story continues Earlier this month, Army officials disclosed that Guillen may have been harassed in an unrelated matter to her disappearance and murder. That matter is under investigation. Protesters support the #IAmVanessaGuillen Bill -- named after Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who was murdered -- and march from the U.S. Capitol to the White House on July 30, 2020. Before meeting with Trump the family marched with supporters of the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill, which would allow active duty service members to file sexual harassment and assault claims to a third-party agency instead of their chain of command. #IAmVanessaGuillen: She was sexually assaulted at Fort Hood. Because of Guillen, she's sharing her story "My sister is gone, she's in a better place, but other survivors are here with their families ... her leadership needs to be held accountable," said Guillen's younger sister Lupe to marchers ahead of the rally. Groups from around the country attended the march, including members of the NoMas Movement, a community organization dedicated to combating military sexual assault. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, attended the march, writing on Twitter that "We cannot stop until Gloria Guillen and the rest of the Guillen family receive #JusticiaPorVanessaGuillen. Today it is about Vanessa Guillen and her legacy." No podemos parar hasta que Gloria Guillen y el resto de la familia Guillen reciban #JusticiaPorVanessaGuillen. Hoy se trata de Vanessa Guillen y su legado. pic.twitter.com/qaFDkeFOg6 Rep. Sylvia Garcia (@RepSylviaGarcia) July 30, 2020 U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, are sponsoring the bill. Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., a member of the Armed Services Committee, is preparing legislation to reform prosecution of sexual assault cases in the military. The measure would also direct the Government Accountability Office to examine the Pentagon's sexual harassment and assault prevention and response programs and its procedures for responding to missing troops. Speier held a hearing Wednesday on issues related to Guillen's case. More than one-third of women soldiers at Fort Hood have reported sexual harassment in a survey last month, Army officials told Speier's subcommittee on personnel on Wednesday. Contributing: Jason Lalljee, USA TODAY; Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vanessa Guillen's family meets with Trump, urges sexual assault reform The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over probe into the suspicious road accident death of famous violinist from Thiruvananthapuram - Balabhaskar and his one and a half year old daughter Tejashwini in September 2018, in which his father has alleged that there were links with gold smuggling racket. The agency has registered an FIR in the matter on Wednesday late night, seven months after it received a reference from Kerala government (in December 2019) to investigate the deaths. Balabhaskar, his wife Lakshmi and daughter Tejaswini were returning from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram on September 25, 2018 in their Innova car, which was being driver by their driver Arjun K Narayan, when the car hit a tree on NH-66. The daughter died on the spot while Balabhaskar died a week later in hospital. Lakshmi survived the incident. His father C C Unni wasnt convinced with Kerala police probe and alleged that the suspects in the case had connections with gold smuggling racket and that there were transactions in the account of Balabhaskar after his death. The DRI had also arrested few persons in 2018 in gold smuggling cases who knew Balabhaskar. The Centre issued a notification on June 12 this year for a CBI probe after which the FIR has been registered by the central agency. Several agencies including NIA, Customs and DRI are already investigating a larger conspiracy in Kerala gold smuggling scandal. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A federal appeals court will review a judge's attempt to examine the Justice Department's decision to drop its criminal case against Donald Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. The long-unusual saga got even more unusual on Thursday when the full US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit agreed to examine US District Judge Emmet Sullivan's appointment of a retired federal judge to look at how DOJ handled its case. Oral arguments are slated for 11 August. Mr Sullivan and Flynn's legal counsel have for months been involved in a complicated legal back-and-forth. Mr Trump had called for his former aide and friends to be cleared of all charges of lying about his contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign and Mr Trump's transition period in 2016 and early 2017. Attorney General William Barr ordered a review of the case in January before dropping the charges, saying the criminal case lacked "any legitimate investigative basis." Legal experts said that meant the AG determined even if Mr Flynn lied, those false statements did not amount to a crime. Mr Barr was accused during a contentious Tuesday hearing by Democratic House Judiciary Committee members of using his office to help Mr Trump's friends. He spent hours denying those allegations. The president has not resisted weighing in on his friend's case, long contending federal officials under former President Barack Obama came after Mr Flynn to punish him. He has said Mr Flynn was treated "unfairly," and never ruled out a pardon. In late April, he called the retired Army three-star general a "fine man." "I'm very happy about General Flynn. He was treated horribly," Mr Trump told reporters on 24 June after DOJ dropped the case. "He was treated very, very horribly by a group of very bad people, and I think you'll see things are going to start to come out. "But what happened to General Flynn should never happen again in our country. He was persecuted, and many other people were persecuted." Obama administration officials say they did not spy on the 2016 Trump campaign, and did not wrongfully investigate Mr Flynn. He's been exonerated, and I want to congratulate him. He's been through a lot. Bhubaneswar, July 30 : The Covid-19 death toll rose to 169 in Odisha as ten more people succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours, informed the Health Department on Thursday. While four deaths were reported from Ganjam district, two fatalities were recorded in Khurda, and one each in Rayagada, Sambalpur, Sundergarh and Nayagarh. The Covid-19 positive cases crossed 30,000-mark with the detection of 1,203 new cases in the last 24 hours, the health department said. The positive cases mounted to 30,378 in the state. Out of fresh cases, 758 are from quarantine centres while 445 are local contact cases. Hotspot Ganjam district reported the highest number of 250 cases followed by Khurda (220), Cuttack (97) and Sundargarh (74). The total active cases in the state jumped to 11,235 while recoveries stood at 18,938, the health department added. Police responded to an anonymous complaint on Friday after being told that a black male with an AR-15 rifle had grabbed a black female by her hair and dragged her into a silver sedan before leaving the area. The complainant said they followed the vehicle, which stopped and parked at 2011 Windsor St. Police went to that address and saw a vehicle matching the description with and two people inside. Jamar Hollingsworth, 25, was in the drivers seat. A woman was in the passenger seat, and an infant was in the rear seat. Police said they found a Ruger rifle, a Ruger pistol, and a Taurus pistol - all loaded. Police said they found marijuana inside of the vehicle as well. Police said they spoke with the woman, who was described as hesitant to provide information. She said an angry Hollingsworth came to her location and was not happy that she would not leave with him. She told police that Hollingsworth grabbed his rifle from his vehicle and forced her into the sedan. The victim did not provide any further information. Hollingsworth was then placed into custody and charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated domestic assault, possession of a firearm while in commission of a felony, reckless endangerment, and simple possession of marijuana. Our Constitution protects our right of free speech from interference by the federal, state, and local governments. But we have no such protection against interference by private multinational companies such as the social media giants Google, Facebook, and Twitter. It is time for Congress to act to regulate social media to allow free speech consistent with the First Amendment. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment also applies to state and local government units such cities, school districts, and others under the 14th Amendment, which incorporates all of the First, Second, Fourth, and Eighth, and most of the Fifth and Sixth, Amendments of the Bill of Rights. James Madison, who wrote most of our Constitution, did not believe we needed a Bill of Rights because the federal government was to be a government of limited powers. Fortunately, Thomas Jefferson and others, along with states that demanded further limitation on the powers of the federal government, persuaded Madison on a Bill of Rights. There is a historical progression to protect the right of free speech by the adoption of the Bill of Rights, and then the application of it to the states and local government units by the 14th Amendment. The next step to protect free speech is requiring private companies in the social media business not to discriminate against those posting, blogging, or commenting on social media. Censorship on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and others where these companies "moderate" posts made by their users has resulted in the removal of political statements, usually of conservative statements. This censorship has been covered in detail by Tucker Carlson, of Fox, on his top-rated nightly show. One solution to is to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in "public accommodations" based on race, religion, national origin, sex, or color, to add discrimination based on political and other views. Title II, which deals with public accommodations such as hotels and restaurants, can be amended to include discrimination by social media companies based on political statements. Today, the "public accommodations" should include social media because social media have become the marketplace of ideas, but they are controlled by several large, powerful companies, such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook, that have power over the content. Or Congress can pass a law to deal specifically with social media by requiring social media to allow unrestricted comments and posting. Let the people decide what they want to read. This would be more effective than removing the ban on most lawsuits against social media for content. It is expensive for private citizens to bring lawsuits. The purpose of such legislation is to ban social media companies from censoring views, opinions, articles, and other postings so that the First Amendment applies to social media. This will be viewed as further expansion of the powers of the federal government because it is an expansion. But the powers of the giant social media companies to dominate the culture and the marketplace for the exchange of ideas are enormous, and private citizens have no power to counteract them. How else to restrain the censorship by the giant, multinational social media companies? Democrats use the powers of the federal government to advance their agenda. Conservatives should use the power of the federal government to advance their agenda, especially when dealing with free speech. For example, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook removed on July 27, 2020 a video that had 17 million views of doctors discussing the effects of the coronavirus and the medical response. Facebook said: "We've removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19." Evidently, Facebook knows more about medicine than doctors who are treating patients with the China virus. The net effect of this is that social media can control the content of news and political views. Information should be put before the public for the public to decide. Medical experts often disagree on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of illnesses and diseases. The marketplace for ideas should be open to all, with no restrictions for news, articles, and views, except for the current restrictions on the First Amendment rights for violence and pornography. As a conservative, I am opposed in general to further government regulation, but who else can force Google, Facebook, and Twitter to allow us to express all opinions, views, and news? Nobel Peace Prize Winner and survivor of Islamic State (IS) captivity Nadia Murad will appear on "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" Thursday, providing the activist with an opportunity to bring her message on sexual violence and the Yazidi genocide to a new and larger audience. Murad is an activist and prominent member of Iraqs Yazidi community. In 2014, she and thousands of other women from the ethnoreligious group were captured by IS when its militants swept through northern Iraq. Murad spent several weeks in IS captivity, where she was subject to severe physical and sexual abuse before escaping. IS targeted Yazidis in particular in part due to their non-Islamic religious beliefs. The killing and enslaving of Yazidis by IS in Sinjar, Iraq, has been described as a genocide. Since fleeing IS, Murad has sought to highlight the plight of genocide and trafficking victims. Thousands of Yazidi, Turkmen, Christian and other women are still missing after being taken by IS. In 2018, Murad received a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts. Murad announced she would be on the show on her Twitter account today. She will discuss "my work to fight for human rights, end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and honor survivors on the 6th anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide, she said in the tweet. Noah has continued the shows success since taking over for longtime host Jon Stewart in 2015. The program received 74 million views a month online as of February. Murads appearance could therefore bring the plight of Yazidis to the attention of a new audience in the United States and around the world. "The Daily Show" focuses on US politics, but Noah sometimes discusses Middle Eastern news as it relates to the United States. Those who miss Murad on "The Daily Show" Thursday night will have more opportunities to see her appearance; episodes are uploaded onto the program's website the following day. (Photo : Andres Rodriguez from Pixabay) Here's how to spot the latest Netflix phishing scam. There's a new Netflix phishing scam that subscribers of the platform should be wary of as they could unknowingly leak their username, password, and other confidential data. Latest Netflix Phishing Scam In a report by Lifehacker, the phishing scam starts with a seemingly innocent email from "Netflix Support," saying that there is something wrong with their billing detail and that they need to confirm it or else their subscription will be canceled the following day. This kind of scam is quite alarming as cybercriminals tend to make the emails look legit at first glance. However, any email that tells you that your credit card service could not be charged for any service and asks you to confirm and input your bank details is a huge red flag, and it's important to double-check with the service you're using. When it comes to Netflix, the platform will cancel your subscription a month after your last payment. Additionally, phishing scams like these emails would also include links that people would simply click on, showing a seemingly legit website where they would input confidential data that phishers could easily get and either leak, sell, or use for their profit. Read Also: This Man Wants to Buy TikTok From China; Guess How Much it Costs? Beware of Red Flags According to the news outlet, after you click on the link from the email, it would direct you to a CAPTCHA page that is designed to look a lot like Netflix's own website, with its black background and red boxes. This move does not only help cybercriminals make the site look more legit, but also to help hide their shady activity from anti-malware software you have installed. But how would you know if you have received an email from a phishing scam? Most of these phishing scams have some telltale signs and they're pretty much made for people who don't look into details, so always pay attention to whatever site you're directed to, especially if they are asking for private details like your bank account number. Besides the first red flag, it is also essential to check the URL of the link you've clicked as it won't be hosted on any Netflix domain. How to Spot Phishing Scam Here are more of these signs that you should look out for: An email from a phishing scam would always have a sense of urgency, e.g., the Netflix scam would say your account will be canceled the next day, and so on. The email is about an issue that has never happened before throughout your use of that particular service. The sender does not come from the company's domain and emails would often look like these: "netflix@csupport.co" compared to "@netflix.com." You are asked to input more data compared to what you have provided when you initially signed up for the service, including your bank account details. If you receive this kind of email, it is best to check your Netflix account and see if there's anything wrong with it, or you can also call their customer support and verify the problem. Read Also: Mysterious Seeds Scam: Police Believed They Have Now Solved the Mystery Behind Bizarre Package From China This article is owned by TechTimes. Written by: Nhx Tingson 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 10:54:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Passengers board a RwandAir flight at Kigali International Airport in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, Aug. 1, 2020. While the central African nation announced the reopening of airports for commercial flights from Aug. 1, the Rwandan Cabinet decided to keep land borders closed, except for goods and cargo as well as returning Rwandan citizens and legal residents until the measures against COVID-19 are reviewed again after 15 days upon a health assessment, a statement on Cabinet decisions made at the meeting showed. (RwandAir/Handout via Xinhua) KIGALI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Rwandan Cabinet on Wednesday called on the public to limit unnecessary movements including visits to friends and family as the number of COVID-19 infections in Rwanda is approaching 2,000. The call was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, where it also reaffirmed the need for increased vigilance in implementing COVID-19 preventative measures. While the central African nation had announced the reopening of airports for commercial flights from Aug. 1, the Cabinet decided to keep land borders closed, except for goods and cargo as well as returning Rwandan citizens and legal residents until the measures against COVID-19 are reviewed again after 15 days upon a health assessment, a statement on Cabinet decisions made at the meeting showed. The Cabinet also maintained a curfew imposed since May 4, preventing people from going out from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time. On Thursday, the Rwandan Health Ministry reported 37 new cases and 31 recoveries, bringing the total number of infections and recoveries to 1,963 and 1,036 respectively. Rwanda is seeing new coronavirus cases because of free movement of people across the country, but the outbreak is under control, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare Tharcisse Mpunga told Xinhua last week. Currently, parts of Rwanda have been put back under lockdown after the government partially lifted a six-week nationwide lockdown on May 4. Enditem 3-kg bomb at Delhi flower market: Police yet to zero in on any suspect Delhi govt reduces VAT on diesel to fire up economy India oi-Deepika S New Delhi, July 30: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced a reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel from the existing 30 per cent to 16.75 per cent, saying the move will help propel Delhi's economy. The diesel price will be reduced by Rs 8.36 in Delhi due to the VAT cut, Kejriwal said in a virtual press briefing. He said there was a serious challenge of reviving the economy of Delhi but it will be achieved together with cooperation of people. Unlock 3: Hotels to open in Delhi, gyms uncertain Priyanka Gandhi moves out of Lodhi estate bungalow before Centre's deadline | Oneindia News The diesel price will now come down from Rs 82 a litre to Rs 73.64 a litre, he said and added that traders and industrialists in the city had demanded it. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Delhi Cabinet chaired by the chief minister. "The Delhi cabinet has decided that the VAT on diesel will be reduced to 16.75 per cent, which will be a huge relief to the people of Delhi. The diesel prices in Delhi will be reduced by Rs 8.36 per litre, which means that the diesel will now cost Rs 73.64 per litre instead of Rs 82 per litre," announced the CM. "The two crore people of Delhi have brought Corona under control. However, we need to ensure social distancing and wear masks, because if we become complacent, Corona might spike again. We now need to focus on how we can revive the economy of Delhi because many people have been affected due to shutting down of businesses and industries," Kejriwal said. "People of Delhi have accepted big challenges in the past and have overcome them. We will accept and win this economic challenge as well. A crucial decision was taken in a cabinet meeting that was held today, which I believe will be an important step in taking the economy forward," he added. Many industries, businessmen and traders were demanding a reduction in the prices of diesel, because the prices were affecting the budget of the people, and impacting the trade and businesses. "In the last one week, we have taken several measures to boost the economy of Delhi. On Monday, I had announced that the street vendors and hawkers in Delhi are facing many difficulties, and subsequently, the street vendors were allowed to operate their businesses in the city," he said. "We also started a job portal which acts as a platform between businessmen, traders and industrialists, whose factories and businesses were shut down due to migration of labour and people who want to work but they do not know where to find the right opportunities for them," Kejriwal further said. To bridge the gap between job providers and job seekers, we started a portal 'Rozgaar Bazaar'. We have received a massive response on the portal. "I am very happy that it has just been three to four days since we have started the job portal. Around 7577 companies have registered on the job portal, 2,04,785 jobs have been advertised here, and 3,22,865 job seekers have applied in the portal. I was watching on a TV channel that an owner of a jeans manufacturing unit said that he had a staff of 35 people in the unit, out of which only 3 are still working and the rest had left the job. He said that he was not finding manpower due to which he was not able to restart his manufacturing unit. He posted 35 job vacancies on the Delhi govt's job portal, and has received more than 190 calls who are ready to work in the unit. I believe that our economy will receive a major push," added the CM. CM Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to the traders, industrialists, and businessmen, to join hands in bringing the economy of Delhi back on track. He said, "I want to appeal to all the shopkeepers, traders, and industrialists to open their shops and industries, maintain social distancing, wear masks but restart their operations and work. In the coming days, I will be meeting many industrialists and traders through video conferencing on Zoom and will try to resolve any issues that they are facing." Tens of thousands of supporters of President Alexander Lukashenko's top election rival on Thursday rallied in the Belarusian capital Minsk despite an increasing crackdown on the opposition. The rally came as Belarus authorities accused top members of the opposition of collaborating with Russian fighters to destabilise the ex-Soviet country. Backers of political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a stay-at-home mother-of-two, packed a Minsk square in what appeared to be the largest opposition protest in the ex-Soviet country in a decade, an AFP journalist said. A sea of people waved flags and ballons emblazoned with the opposition's campaign symbols -- a victory sign, a clenched fist, and a heart. "Change!" read one of the placards. The human rights organisation Vyasna said at least 63,000 people had turned out. Earlier Thursday, Belarus investigators accused Tikhanovskaya's husband, blogger, Sergei Tikhanovsky, and another prominent critic, Mikola Statkevich, of working together with Russian mercenaries to plot mass unrest ahead of the August 9 election. Both Tikhanovsky and Statkevich were jailed in the run-up to the polls. The accusation that they were involved with Russian mercenaries was just the latest twist in an extraordinary election campaign in which the 65-year-old Lukashenko, who has dominated Belarus for nearly three decades, is seeking a sixth term in the face of rising anger over his rule. Belarusian authorities on Wednesday detained 33 Russian "militants" on a mission to destabilise the ex-Soviet country. The detentions sparked an apparent crisis in ties with ally Moscow which denied any involvement. Belarusian authorities say the detained men are members of the Wagner group, a shadowy military contractor reportedly controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin that promotes Moscow's interests in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. Addressing her supporters at the rally, Tikhanovskaya, 37, said authorities were "ruining" not only her husband's life but those of all political prisoners. "The situation involving the fighters is very scary," she said to shouts of "Freedom". - 'What revolution?' - She denied that the opposition was collaborating with the Russians to stage an uprising. "People, what revolution? We want honest elections," said Tikhanovskaya, who has emerged as Lukashenko's top rival after main would-be candidates were jailed. She questioned the timing of the arrests, saying Russian private contractors might have been transiting through Belarus for a long time. "I have a question: where was the security service before and why are they raising this issue right before the election?" Investigators opened a criminal case against "Tikhanovsky, Statkevich and 33 detained Russian citizens." "They acted together," spokesman Sergei Kabakovich told AFP. An Investigative Committee also said another criminal probe had been launched against Tikhanovsky for inciting "social hostility" and calling for violence against police. Tikhanovsky, 41, is a popular blogger, who has nicknamed Lukashenko the "cockroach". Statkevich, 63, challenged Lukashenko in a 2010 election and was sentenced to six years in prison afterwards. Lukashenko's top election rival, former banker Viktor Babaryko, has been accused of financial crimes and also jailed. Moscow denied any involvement. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said claims that "organisations from Russia are sending some people to destabilise the situation in Belarus" were "nothing but insinuations". The Russian foreign ministry said its nationals were transiting through Belarus because they worked for a Belarus company, adding that they were en route to Istanbul. Minsk's version of events "does not hold water," the statement said. "An attempt to make what happened look like foreign interference in the republic's affairs causes bewilderment, to put it mildly," Moscow said. Russia urged a halt to the fanning of tensions ahead of the election. - 'Regime change' - Moscow is Minsk's closest political and economic ally but relations have been strained for years. Lukashenko has been under increasing pressure to move closer to Russia but the Belarus leader has rejected the idea of outright unification. Some analysts suggested the arrest of the Russians gave Lukashenko an excuse to crack down harder on the opposition while others said Moscow might indeed be considering some action. Russian political analyst Tatyana Stanovaya said the Kremlin had not apparently given up on its unification plans. Stanovaya quipped that the Russian fighters might have arrived in Minsk to "monitor" the election. A sea of people waved flags and ballons emblazoned with the opposition's campaign symbols -- a victory sign, a clenched fist and a heart Backers of political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a stay-at-home mother-of-two, packed a Minsk square Addressing her supporters at the rally, Tikhanovskaya, 37, said authorities were "ruining" not only her husband's life but those of all political prisoners The rally came as Belarus authorities accused top members of the opposition of collaborating with Russianfighters to destabilise the ex-Soviet country The Senates exclusion of any election protection funding in the new COVID-19 stimulus bill is a disgrace to our democracy and the will of thousands of Americans who have already asked Congress to take action to protect our elections this fall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues blatant disregard for the safety of voters is appalling and forces Americans to choose between exercising their constitutional right to vote and safeguarding their health in this years elections. The GOP knows that many states and cities desperately need an additional $3.6 billion in funding to protect voters health and voice at the ballot box, which was proposed in the House-passed HEROES Act, yet they provided exactly $0 to do so. California is running out of time to protect our health and constitutional right to vote, and the Republican-controlled Senate is playing partisan politics with our democracy. Susan Stanger, Mill Valley Hope for a vaccine Concerning A shot in the arm (Editorial, July 29): The future promise of a coronavirus virus vaccine is in the hands of scientists. But until then, this nation is in the hands of a charlatan promoting a malaria drug cure, and an administration debasing infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.With more than 150,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19, lets remember the lives we have lost, and hope that a vaccine will soon be developed. Yvette Violanda, Daly City Respect for scientists With respect to the acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine when, and should, it become available: I would venture to say that there are many of us who do respect scientists and vaccines, and maybe even pharmaceutical companies, but will balk at anything espoused by the Trump administration prior to the November election. Helen Ogden, Pacific Grove (Monterrey County) Cause of protests Regarding Use of federal agents justified (Letters, July 28): The author seems to consider the destruction of federal buildings to be anarchy and the edge of civil war in cities where there are protests, but he doesnt seem to be aware that the cause was a murder, in plain sight, of a Black man by a police officer, who clearly felt he had the right to kill George Floyd for a possible counterfeit $20 bill. Are buildings more important than peoples lives? The danger of the authors suggestions are that we might be led to believe that the lives of people of color dont count, even though they have never had the same opportunities that whites in this country have had. Gretchen Hayes, Oakland A change on campus As someone with fond college memories from over a generation ago, Im sorry to read in Colleges: No roommates, no family move-in help under new housing rules (Front Page, July 29) that incoming university freshmen will not be able to build new relationships through typical activities like communal living and dining during this COVID-19 epidemic. And online classes will mean hours of learning in a bubble, as well. However, my message to those students in the Class of 2024 who are opting for some type of campus life experience in the fall of 2020 is this: Remember that the need for social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing is the most important way to show caring conduct and adult responsibility. Were all in this together. Marcus Finnerman, San Francisco Honor past heroes Regarding Presidents names may become history at schools (July 26): The column documenting the proposed school name changes describes the Orwellian Ministry of Truth from 1984. The concept, now in vogue, of denouncing the heroes of our past for their supposed sins is frightening. Our forebears were people of their time. Denouncing Thomas Jefferson for being a slave owner is ignoring his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, and his influence on the Northwest Ordinances which banned slavery north of the Ohio River. Jefferson knew slavery was wrong, but it was a practice in most all of the 13 colonies, and, had he been an abolitionist, he would never have held office. We should not be attempting to erase our history, but learning from it. Honoring our past heroes is one way to do so. James Earhart, San Francisco Thankful for artists Regarding Sketching a new landscape (Datebook, July 26): Thank you for bringing attention to the unique challenges and concerns facing performing artists. As the mother of two grown children who have worked very hard for many years to make a living in the arts, I have been lucky to know many young artists and have been so inspired by the gifts they share with us all. The pandemic has gone on longer than any of us had anticipated. Of all the things I miss, it is the arts I miss the most the solace, joy and inspiration that artists bring to their audiences. In my darkest moments, I imagine a huge party in my backyard. I will invite everyone I know. Music will be playing. We will be dancing and singing, hugging and kissing. We will hang masks that we no longer need around the yard like Tibetan prayer flags. They will be hung with gratitude and reverence and celebration. I envision the return of the arts in the same way. People will need what only artists can give. Beauty, truth, hope, joy and community. Art heals. To artists everywhere thank you and dont give up. We need you more than ever. Kristen Korkos, San Rafael Take time to explore Regarding Take a bridge year (Letters, July 27): I applaud the authors response to Gap year: Facing remote learning, some students delaying college (Front Page, July 23) encouraging a bridge year before college. Before retirement, I was a graduate student adviser and frequently encountered burned-out students requesting leaves of absence because they had never taken time off from school since kindergarten. College, and even graduate school, have too often become the expected paths for everyone without giving young people time to explore all their options and experience life beyond the classroom. Even pre-pandemic, taking time for exploration outside the academic setting can be extremely worthwhile. Erika Opper, San Francisco The HEELS Act So the GOPs latest coronavirus stimulus package, the ignominiously named HEALS Act (Health, Economic Assistance, Liability protection and Schools Act), will essentially cut unemployment benefits in half and offer another single payment check of up to $1,200 for the neediest families? And offer a completely inadequate set of financial aid to schools willing to open while a major health pandemic continues? This $1 trillion legislation, crafted by the political party that gave more than twice as much in tax cuts to corporations and already wealthy citizens, should actually be named to describe its authors: the HEELS Act. Mauguerite Hoffenhaller, San Jose Self-fulfilling ploy Our present government is being run by unvetted, acting heads and/or heavy donors to President Trumps 2016 and 2020 campaigns. Graft, bribery, lies and corruption abound. The U.S. postmaster general is a heavy Republican donor. How might his recent appointment to that position fulfill Trumps prophesy of election mail fraud? Might it be a self-fulfilling ploy? PHILADELPHIA - In 2005, U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow returned from work to find her husband and mother shot dead in the basement of her Chicago home. Investigators initially focused on a White Supremacist who had put out a hit on Lefkow. But the killer turned out to be someone else entirely: a homeless electrician who had lost a medical malpractice suit in her courtroom. He killed himself when police pulled him over a week later and found a list of enemy judges, including Lefkow, in his van. Lefkow was forced to relive her family tragedy this month when a struggling lawyer armed with a gun and a grudge opened fire at the home of another female judge U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in suburban New Jersey killing her 20-year-old son and critically wounding her husband. It seems to me its almost always men, with these obsessions. They act on on them in violent ways. And it ends up in (these) tragedies, Lefkow, 76, told The Associated Press. Both attacks, like others against judges, were carried out by men with a weapon and a vendetta. And in both, the assailants were not on law enforcements radar. But the latest case adds a dangerous new twist that authorities nationwide have struggled to thwart until its too late: the vast misogyny that proliferates online. Investigators have concluded that a Manhattan lawyer who seethed about women in obsessive online posts targeted Salas on July 19 and killed a rival lawyer in the mens rights movement in California a week earlier before killing himself in rural New York. Roy Den Hollander had a document with information about a dozen female judges from across the country half, including Salas, Latina with him when he was found dead, two people with knowledge of the investigation told the AP. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Den Hollanders anti-feminist screeds go back at least 20 years, when his divorce from a Russian woman he met during a work stint in the country led to years of court filings against her, her lawyer, her workplace and others. It was rage against women and it was palpable, said lawyer Nicholas J. Mundy, who represented Den Hollanders ex-wife. If they were successful or had any power over him, he just had a hatred for them, a deep hatred. He would seethe. In the years since, the 72-year-old spewed vitriol and sometimes violent imagery about women on his website deriding his late mother, his ex-wife, friends from childhood and feminazi judges in a nearly 2,000-page rant. The obsessive, unfiltered posts, discovered only after his shooting rampage, alarm those who believe law enforcement must do more to flag the dangerous combination of misogyny, guns and online abuse. Ive been very rattled, said New York lawyer Carrie Goldberg, who represented some of Harvey Weinsteins alleged sex assault victims, and has been the subject of frequent online harassment. There was so much public indication by this man of his hatred toward women, his love of guns, and his particularized angst toward Judge Salas. Yet the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects the nations approximately 2,700 federal judges, said they were not tracking Den Hollander. Marshals typically keep watch over judges in their courthouses. At home, where many have worked during COVID-19 quarantines, judges mostly rely on training and alarm systems installed after the Lefkow attack. Many judges are good at being security minded. But its not for everybody. And its tough to stay in that condition all the time. Guards go down, said John Muffler, a former U.S. Marshal who led the agencys National Center for Judicial Security. In the wake of the Salas attack, some federal judges and legal scholars interviewed by the AP called for the U.S. Marshals Service to spend more time monitoring such online hate speech. Thats complicated by both the expanse of the internet and the thorny question of when criticism protected by the First Amendment becomes a threat. The Marshals Service said it reviewed more than 1 million derogatory social media posts aimed at people it protects during the last fiscal year. However, feminist scholars and activists believe that misogynistic threats are overlooked and under-prosecuted because there are so many of them. This is a person whos been fantasizing about killing women for years, said Mary Anne Franks, a University of Miami law professor. If you have left a paper trail like this, you shouldnt be allowed to get a weapon. Den Hollanders dossier also included a female oncologist thought to have treated him for what he described in his posts as terminal cancer. The illness apparently led him to step down last year from a gender bias case he had pending before Salas, in which he challenged the U.S. militarys male-only draft registration requirement. Salas let the case proceed to trial but Den Hollander thought shed moved it along too slowly. Muffler believes the cancer diagnosis, if true, was likely the trigger for Den Hollander to act on his revenge fantasies. As with the assailant in the Lefkow case who had lost his home it was the final straw. Attacking a judge is their way of shifting control back to themselves, said Muffler, now a security consultant. While threats against federal judges are increasing, and number some 4,400 a year, physical attacks remain rare, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. But when it happens, Muffler said, its usually deadly. Lefkow thought of resigning after losing her loved ones, but she had a family to support, including two daughters still living at home. And the law, she realized, was her calling. It ripped the family apart, but you go forward. And do what you have to do, said Lefkow, who says she sent a letter expressing her condolences to Salas last week. I mean, its tragic for this family, she said. Losing your only child, thats the worst thing that can happen. Xi Jinping has hit America real hard with the coronavirus. With over 4.5 million total cases and 1,53,000 deaths (1,300 in the last 24 hours), the country is in disarray. The Communist Party of China is rejoicing and is blackmailing many nations to either toe Beijings line or starve for PPE, ventilators and other pandemic-related equipment, plus the vaccine under human trial in China. Whether Chinas vaccine can be trusted after its worldwide 'bioweapon attack' is questionable; it may cure Covid-19 but may have a Trojan virus based on the secret DNA research China is engaged in to induce slow death in human races other than the Han Chinese the best way to dominate the planet with total resources thereafter at Xi Jinpings disposal. But the pandemic is not the sole reason for the turmoil in the United States. The death of George Floyd after being arrested in Minneapolis and held down by a police officer, who had his knee on his neck while the latter pleaded he couldn't breathe, has led to protests in cities across the US and other parts of the world. Floyd is the latest Black American killed by police among such periodic killings by US police, like: 2014 - Eric Garner (July 17), Michael Brown (August 9) and Tamir Rice (November 22); 2015 - Walter Scott (April 4); 2016 - Alton Sterling (July 5) and Philando Castile (July 6); 2018 - Stephon Clark (March 18), and 2020 - Breonna Taylor (March 13). Violent protests are continuing in many cities of the US and there are reports of some protesters having been killed. With the US presidential election slated for November 4, the stage is set for the race for power where resorting to any and every means is fair. President Donald Trumps handling of the pandemic is under severe criticism. There is speculation that China and Russia may interfere with the election as they would not want Trump back for a second term, not to mention Iran and North Korea. Having come to power on native white American supremacy, Trump wanted military bases and installations to fly the Confederate flag. But Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued a de facto ban on displaying the flag at military installations around the world by saying, "The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect, and rejecting divisive symbols." The Confederate flag was flown by breakaway Southern states in the US that advocated continuation of slavery and lost the Civil War (1861-1865). The flag is offensive to Black Americans including those serving in the US military. With 96 days left for the presidential election, Trump appears largely trailing Joe Biden, even in Texas where college-educated voters supported Biden. Trump said on July 19 that he may not accept the results of the election in November. Responding in The Washington Post on July 27, American political scientist Brian Klaas wrote, President Trump is laying the groundwork to do something that no previous president has ever done: falsely claim that an election was fixed against him in order to discredit the vote. Such crises never happen in other functioning democracies. But they happen all the time in broken countries around the world. In contentious elections from Africa to Southeast Asia, incumbents who lose often refuse to accept defeat. Welcome to the club, America! As of now the presidential contest appears to be favouring the Democrats. With racial discord and rising unemployment, Trump himself says nobody likes him. There is also speculation that Trump may make a deal with his deputy Mike Pence to run for President instead of himself just as Nixon did with Ford, and Pence may give Biden a formidable challenge, being younger in age and acceptable to the moderates. If Biden and the Democrats win, where does that leave India? Interestingly, this question is being posed by Indian-Americans, not in India where more focus is on the upcoming Bihar elections and dissent within the Rajasthan government. Diplomacy entails influencing the decisions and conduct of foreign governments and officials through dialogue, negotiations and other means. It refers to international relations carried out through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to a full range of topical issues. But diplomacy can also be shortsighted, eat up one's identity and at times bereft of benefits. Trump was mesmerised with the 'Namaste Trump' event at Motera Stadium in Gujarat on February 24, 2020, where he said Americas economy is in the best-ever state today. But what galled the Democrats was the 'Howdy, Modi!' event at Houston in September 2019, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the clarion call of "Ab Ki Baar, Trump Sarkar". The event mixed diplomacy with politics, which many termed dangerous and more of an election rally for Trump. It is more than noticeable that Democrat Senators are overtly making anti-India statements, to the glee of the Pakistan lobby, which along with Pakistani journalists is rallying around them. Signals emanating from Indian-Americans who support India are like: India has to reach out to both sides (Republicans and Democrats). Blunders like cancelling the OCI Card of journalist Aatish Taseer because he wrote an article criticising Modi need to be avoided because the US is all about power to journalists and free speech. Blocking journalists does more harm than benefit. These guys work mostly with US Democrats whose rhetoric then changes. When folks like Sambit Patra are BJP spokesperson then hope is little for social harmony and diplomacy. Modi has to reinvent himself post the standoff with China. India is globally seen as a new world/US/Western friend; to strengthen that, Modi needs a new avatar. Modis advisors are fixated on Hinduism and Congress since both made them come to power. But now there is no worry about these with no opposition worth the name. So the rhetoric needs to cool off. It may be argued that America has no choice but to support India even if the Democrats come to power, with Chinas renewed, all-around aggression. But it is the degree of support that will matter. Besides, Trump set the precedent of reversing almost everything his predecessor supported the Paris Accord, Iran Nuclear Deal, Obamacare, you name it. Modi and his advisors need to adjust focus accordingly. (The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views are personal.) WASHINGTON The voice of Vanessa Guillens little sister Lupe echoed down the National Mall on Thursday as she demanded that Congress act after the death of her sister, a Fort Hood soldier who was killed after she told friends and family that she was being sexually harassed by a sergeant. This could have been prevented, Lupe Guillen told a crowd of more than 100 gathered near the Capitol. My sister never reported it why? Because she was afraid to. She was afraid of retaliation, of being judged every day. The Guillen family was in D.C. to rally support for legislation they say is badly needed to curb a scourge of sexual harassment and assault in the military. During the trip, they met with President Donald Trump at the White House, who said his administration was looking into the case very powerfully and vowed to support the legislation. You have our support and were working on it already as you know, Trump said. And we wont stop, and hopefully something very positive will come out in honor of your sister and your daughter. The 20-year-old Houston native was killed in April at the U.S. Army post in Fort Hood, sparking calls for reform. Army officials say Guillen never reported sexual harassment through official channels. Guillen, however, had told her mother that a sergeant had been harassing her, but that she wasnt going to file a complaint for fear her superiors would laugh or brush it off. VANESSA GUILLENS STORY: A vibrant life and a tragic death that sparked a movement While no bill has yet been filed in Congress, several lawmakers are working on legislation aimed at making it easier for soldiers to report harassment and assault and taking those claims out of the chain of command by standing up independent oversight. Women have the fear of filing a complaint when it has to go up the chain of command, because theres potential retribution, said U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat. They fear whether theyll be demoted, whether theyll be laughed at, whether theyll be taken seriously. But something out of the chain of command is just treated a lot, lot differently. The U.S. Army, meanwhile, announced on Thursday that it has appointed an independent panel to investigate the command climate and culture at Fort Hood and the surrounding military community. The five-person panel will be led by Chris Swecker, a former assistant director of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division. Also on the panel is Queta Rodriguez, a former director of veterans services for Bexar County and recent commissioners court candidate, who is now a regional director for FourBlock, a national nonprofit that helps veterans transition into civilian careers. The Army is committed to taking care of our soldiers, civilians, families and soldiers for life, Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said in a statement. A congressional hearing on Wednesday revealed that more than a third of women at Fort Hood surveyed by an Army inspector general said they have been sexually harassed. The inspector generals report says that two dozen of the women interviewed said they had been sexually harassed in the past year. It said that soldiers on the base voiced a lack of trust in the immediate chain of command to handle complaints and a lack of confidence in the reporting process, though it concluded the vast majority of soldiers there more than 85 percent felt comfortable reporting sexual harassment and assault to officials. Advocates say the problem reaches far beyond Fort Hood. We know all too well that harassment and assault are pervasive in our armed forces and we know that most military survivors and those who unfortunately dont survive we dont get these reports, and its because of retaliation, the fear of retaliation by commanders and cohorts for daring to speak up, said Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Womens Law Center, a national organization that advocates for sexual assault survivors. They believe that perpetrators will be shielded from facing any consequences and that cannot stand. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox While the inspector generals report found that the Fort Hood sexual harassment and assault prevention program met the Armys standards, Lupe Guillen said it clearly isnt working. Those SHARP classes that little PowerPoint that doesnt work, she said. I have all right to be mad, to be upset, she said. We keep demanding a congressional investigation where is it? Several members of Congress are working on legislation in response to Guillens death, including U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who chairs a House Armed Services subcommittee that held Wednesdays hearing. Among the key pieces of that legislation, which Speiers office says she plans to unveil in the coming days, is the creation of a new independent prosecutor to bring charges in cases of harassment and assault. The bill would also allow service members who were sexually harassed or assaulted to pursue monetary claims for negligence against the Department of Defense and it would require a comprehensive review of the militarys prevention and response programs and its procedures for responding to missing service members. For Vanessa, and for all those who have been failed as she was, we must make drastic, transformational change to ensure justice is served and the toxic rot that has eaten away at our armed forces and some of our best and brightest for far too long, Speier said in a statement. The Guillen familys attorney, Natalie Khawam, said she is working with U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, and Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaii Democrat, on a separate bill, as well. Khawam has called for establishing an independent commission similar to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that enforces civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. She said she also wants to see a hotline for reporting. Lets give it a hotline, she said. If there was a hotline available that says, Hey you could report this youre not only telling your girlfriends or your mom, youre actually reporting it to the hotline where no one knows that youre doing this, and that way youre protected. Khawam vowed to make anyone who doesnt support the legislation famous before a crowd of more than 100, who gathered on the National Mall and chanted Justice for Vanessa before marching toward the White House. During the meeting there, Trump acknowledged that the Guillen case is sadly probably not that unique. Its a terrible thing, Trump said. Ive seen statements about her from other people as you know and you dont get better statements about a person. I see statements about many people. I dont see statements like that. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa, he said. Trump also vowed to help with Vanessa Guillens funeral in Houston, saying he would make sure it happens soon, after being delayed by the ongoing investigation. If I can help you out with the funeral, Ill help you out, Trump said. Financially, Ill help you. If you need help, Ill help you out. Well make sure shes very respected. Lupe Guillen told the president that the way they treated Vanessa, they treated us: No transparency, no respect. Its a disgrace, she said. When you get sexually harassed, you have to report it to your line of command. Lupe Guillen had told the crowd on the mall earlier in the morning that she was not nervous to meet with the president, because this has to stop. I dont want to hear that another woman or another man was found dead at Fort Hood, she said. I dont want to hear that another woman or man was sex harassed, assaulted and raped. The Guillen family vowed to keep pushing until reforms are enacted. As long as you guys keep pushing along with us, were going to go a long way, and that way we can help all these military members both men and women, Mayra Guillen, Vanessas sister told the crowd. One person shouted in response: Were not stopping until we get justice. ben.wermund@chron.com With Gujarat reporting 1,144 COVID-19 cases in single-day, CM says situation better than in Kerala India oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P Ahmedabad, July 30: Gujarat reported 1,144 COVID-19 cases, taking the state tally to over 59,000 cases. State Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during a visit to Rajkot and Vadodara on Wednesday said that the state had fewer fresh cases than Kerala on Tuesday and ranked 12 in the total number of cases in the country. Speaking at a press conference in Rajkot, Rupani said, "I am happy to share that thanks to cooperation of people from all walks of life, we are controlling corona situation very well. Almost 50,000 cases are reported every day in India. Kerala, which had around 15 to 20 days ago, was claiming that corona had been controlled fully." India inches closer to overtake Brazil Covid-19 tally after single-day spike of 52,000 fresh cases Vijay Rupani was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Chief Secretary Anil Mukim and Principal Secretary Jayanti Ravi during his visit to Rajkot and Vadodara on Wednesday to take stock of coronavirus situation. For the first time, all 33 districts of the state reported cases in a single day and 10 new cases were recorded in persons who were from outside the state. Rupani also said that Gujarat, which used to report the second highest number of daily cases in the country after Maharashtra, has now managed to climb down to the 12th position. "At one point, the mortality rate in Gujarat was seven per cent, the highest in India. We managed to bring it down to four per cent. Our recovery rate has also climbed to 74 per cent, which is as good as one gets," said Rupani. COVID-19: India records 1 million recoveries in 150 days US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News While the number of fresh cases reported in Gujarat on Tuesday was lower than that in Kerala, the state tally in Gujarat is 58,159 with 2,393 deaths. Kerala had, however, reported total 20,894 cases and 67 deaths as of Tuesday. On July 29, Kerala dashboard reflected 903 new cases with one death. For the month of July, the state has not reported more than 5 deaths on any given day and have also seen nine days when not a single death was recorded. Meanwhile, Surat on Wednesday reported 291 cases and 11 deaths while Ahmedabad recorded 152 new cases and five deaths. The municipal corporation-area containing districts of Rajkot and Gandhinagar reported 80 and 50 new cases taking the respective district tallies to 1,600 and 1,400. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, July 30, 2020, 10:43 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:44:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Thursday by 129 cases to 4,334 while death toll went up by two to 57, the health ministry reported. Head of the Parliamentary Health Committee Assem Araji said Thursday that Lebanon is in a "very bad" situation and the cabinet needs to allocate more funds for the health sector to fight against COVID-19 and offer its services to all patients. "The finance minister has already allocated 100 billion Lebanese pounds (66 million U.S. dollars) for the sector but we are waiting for the sum of 450 billion Lebanese pounds which was approved by the parliament," he said. He also urged the cabinet to agree with the World Bank on subsidized loans to assist the health sector. The Lebanese cabinet agreed on Tuesday to adopt a new period of general mobilization from Aug. 3 to 30 as recommended by the Higher Defense Council. Lebanon has been fighting against COVID-19 since Feb. 21. The country has received several donations from different countries for the fight against COVID-19 including China which offered last month 17,500 masks, 1,500 protective gears, 1,320 goggles and 1,000 shoes covers to Lebanese public hospitals. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The Senates investigation into the alleged irregularities and fresh controversies hounding state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has been set for Tuesday, August 4, Senator Ping Lacson said Thursday. The Senate Committee of the Whole will formally open the probe at 9 a.m., Lacson said in a message to reporters. Lacson and Senate President Vicente Tito Sotto III on Monday filed Senate Resolution 475 which also calls for an inquiry into the allegations of incompetence and inefficiency at the agency that supposedly led to the controversial resignation of some of its officials, including anti-fraud legal officer Thorsson Montes Keith. Keith, in his resignation letter, had claimed widespread corruption and other anomalies in the PhilHealth system, including an unfair job promotion process. Officials and staff of the state health insurer including President and CEO Ricardo Morales denied such allegations. READ: Blessing in disguise? PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officers resignation opens door for Senate probe on alleged corruption, anomalies in the agency PACC probe results out soon Aside from the Senate, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission has also launched an investigation into the alleged anomalies of PhilHealth, with results expected to be released very soon, Commissioner Greco Belgica said. The PACC in May began to look into the agencys alleged overpricing of COVID-19 test kits upon President Rodrigo Dutertes orders. The chief executive has since directed a fresh probe on PhilHealth following Keiths resignation. The President knows best. However the President will not hesitate to ax anyone should investigations prove ones involvement in corruption in PhilHealth, the commissioner said in a statement. The Islamabad high court on Thursday constituted a two-member bench to hear a review petition filed by the Pakistan government in the case of Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav, according to the Pakistani media. The bench comprising Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah and his fellow judge Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb would take up the government plea on Monday, the Pakistani media, including the Geo News, reported. In a unilateral move, Pakistan filed the petition in the IHC on Jul 22, seeking appointment of a 'legal representative' for Jadhav. However, the main parties, including the government of India, were not consulted ahead of the filing of the application by the Ministry of Law and Justice under an ordinance which was enacted on May 20. Under the 'International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance 2020', which was enacted on May 20, a petition for the review of a military court's decision can be made to Islamabad High Court through an application within 60 days of its promulgation. The ordinance was approved by the parliament this week. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an 'effective review and reconsideration' of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. The Pakistan government, in the petition, has asked the IHC to appoint a legal representative for Jadhav so that Pakistan can fulfil its responsibility to see to the implementation of the ICJ's decision, local media reports said. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui last week said that the 'necessary steps' have been taken to implement the verdict of the ICJ. The Pakistan government has claimed that Jadhav refused to file a review petition or an application to reconsider the verdict. In New Delhi, External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava last week said Pakistan has once again exposed its 'farcical' approach by denying available legal remedies to Jadhav against his death sentence which is also in contravention of the ICJ verdict, and asserted that it will explore further options in the case. Srivastava said Pakistan has blocked all the avenues for an effective remedy available to India in the case, while noting that New Delhi has so far requested consular access to Jadhav for 12 times over the past one year. "The whole exercise of not providing documents related to the case even after repeated requests, not providing an unimpeded consular access and some reported unilateral action of approaching the High Court on part of Pakistan again exposes the farcical nature of Pakistan's approach," he said. The MEA spokesperson said Pakistan is not only in violation of the judgment of ICJ, but also of its own ordinance. Committed to protect Kulbhushan Jadhav's life: India Meanwhile, India on Thursday said it was committed to protecting the life of Jadhav. "We stand committed to protect the life of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav," external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at an online media briefing. He was replying to a batch of questions relating to the case including reports that Islamabad HC has constituted a bench to hear a review petition filed by the Pakistan government in the case. "We reserve our position in the matter which includes the right to avail of further remedies," Srivastava added. India has been attacking Pakistan for failing to provide it unhindered and unimpeded consular access to Jadhav as mandated in a judgment by the ICJ. Srivastava said Pakistan has blocked all the avenues for an effective remedy available for India in the case. A father is accused of raping his three young stepdaughters over a five year period. The 31-year-old Townsville man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 14 counts of rape and eight indecent treatment of a child offences. Police allege he started abusing his youngest stepdaughter when she was just six-years-old before he started with the other two girls, the Cairns Post reported. A Queensland man is accused of repeatedly raping his three stepdaughters starting with the youngest when she was just six-years-old (stock picture) The victims also allege their stepfather raped them in both Cairns and Townsville. Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles, of the Townsville Child Protection and Investigation Unit, said the alleged victims had come forward to report the crime. 'Unfortunately, like all of these matters it represents the ultimate breach of trust from a parental figure, with the victims being subject to lifelong impacts of abuse,' he said. Officers rushed to arrest the man given the direct relationship between him and his alleged victims who are now aged 11, 14 and 17-years-old. The man was due to appear before the Townsville Magistrates Court on Thursday morning. Detectives are also investigating other alleged offences. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for further comment. Juggling further education with financial responsibilities can be a tough task at best. Many students sacrifice their studies in pursuit of a pay packet, often choosing to work for ride-hailing taxi firms to make the most of their free time. Ha Minh Khoa (standing, on the left) and hi start-up team work on the development of the platform at their office in HCM City. Photo courtesy of Social Revolution JSC. But now, one company has developed a platform to help pair children with older students who can teach, putting the emphasis on affordable education. Instead of taking passengers from A to B, this new platform matches up students with pupils, allowing them to raise their income by becoming tutors. It will take advantage of knowledge of students and teachers while supplement additional source of income for them, Nguyen Ha Minh Thong, 25, the founder of Edubox Gia Su (Edubox Tutor). Normally, parents have to go to tutoring agencies to register for tutors. This takes time while there is no accurate assessment of the capacity of the tutor they will choose. The app works similar to existing ride-hailing apps like Grab and Uber. Students who have time to teach can register their personal details and pair up with parents who are looking for extra help teaching their children. Edubox, an educational technology platform, helps connect pupils with teachers in a model similar to the ride-hailing firms many of them are already working for. This allows students to be proactive in both their work and study while allowing parents find the right teachers for their budget. Its not just students who can benefit. Parents of younger children can also find tutors to help teach their kids. With this platform, parents only need to download the App and fill in the request and the system will automatically select tutors in accordance with the criteria that they [parents] desire. In addition, the app also helps find tutoring classes in the areas they live. Learners or their parents have opportunities to choose the most suitable tutor through the app and more importantly, through the assessments of students who have studied with the tutor. Tutors can connect directly with students and dont have to pay a deposit in advance. They can select the ones suitable to the time, location and skills while the number of classes are not limited. As peoples living condition has improved, they will focus more on the importance of a decent education for their children. Parents also dont want their children to fall behind in school, so often employ tutors to give extra lessons outside of the classroom. According to a HSBC report in 2017, Vietnamese parents place great importance on their childrens education with spending on education accounting for 47 per cent of the total household expenditure. One of the biggest advantages of Edubox Gia Su is the ability to negotiate price, Thong said. Thanks to this characteristic, people with medium income still find the right tutor. Previously, only children from well-off families enjoy private tutoring. In addition, the fact that the teaching could be held online and offline provides parents more choice. Co-founder Ha Minh Khoa said background checks are carried out to make sure the tutors have the right qualifications. All potential tutors have their certificates and learning record verified, he said. Only those with good record were qualified for the job. During the tutoring period, teachers who cant meet the demand will be sacked. Feedback of students and parents was also taken account on these cases. Nguyen Ha Minh Thong introduces Edubox app to a visitor at Vietnam Start-up Day 2019 in HCM City. Photo courtesy of HCM Youth Union Challenges As a newly-established start-up, Thong said the company faced many difficulties. He said: During the preparation for the product, I and Khoa [co-founder], had other jobs. We met at 8-9pm in the evening and worked online with programmer team for a year to have the first version of Edubox. We quit out jobs to focus on the Edubox project in March last year. Two months after that, the first version of Edubox was launched, marking the beginning of a journey filled with challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic was a typical example. The pandemic caused severe damage to Edubox as the tutoring had to be suspended during social distancing. Students were on long-term leave and they had to go home and parents were reluctant to allow strangers into their homes. That's why we have developed an online teaching platform to serve COVID and post-COVID periods when peoples habits changed dramatically, Thong said. Adaptation to natural disaster and social changes is what the company has chosen. The start-up has gradually overcome difficulties and gained initial success, he said. It was among top five most favourite projects voted by HCM City Innovation, Start-up and Entrepreneurship Week (WHISE 2019). Now, Edubox has 14,000 users, 10,000 tutors, 4,000 parents. He said the platform is not limited to people in HCM City but also available for those living across the country. Having used the platform for almost a year, Nguyen Tan Trung, 52, a chemistry teacher, said what he liked best was how easy it is to link with parents. The platform helps learners find tutors easily and they have more choice, he said, adding that learners received information after teachers/ tutors post an opening schedule of tuition sessions on the platform regardless of their distance. Whenever the learners have questions, they can ask for support from the teachers at any time, Trung said. Facebook user Quang Van Dinh commented on Eduboxs fanpage saying the app was very effective. It supports both tutors and parents based on their requests, he wrote. The commission that tutor has to pay is also less than other tutoring agencies. I hope the platform will develop further in the future. Thong said in the future, the company planned to launch a platform dedicated to online teaching with more advanced features than others available in the market. It is not necessary for teachers to rent premises, buy tables and chairs while they have tools that make online teaching like face-to-face method thanks to outstanding features including white board, dividing students into groups, recorded video and screen sharing, he said. In October, the company would launch a Q&A section in the platform. When a student is stuck with a question, a team of tutors will answer it immediately. One case that gave Thong particular satisfaction was when a severely paralysed 30-year-old needed someone to teach him writing skills. This job was not just about teaching but also tolerance and patience. At first I thought that hardly anyone would apply for the job, especially the students. However, he said, three students from medical universities have responded to the request. Then, a student from HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy had been chosen. I thought that the mans family would felt more secure when a student from medical university took the job and the student himself had the opportunity to practise what he has learnt, Thong said, adding that all staff of the company were glad for they have helped match the tutor and the learner. VNS Mai Hien How can private tutoring in Vietnam be better managed? The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has proposed listing private tutoring as a conditional business field, but experts think this will not be a good solution. Will private tutoring be considered a conditional business in Vietnam? The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has sent a dispatch to the National Assemblys Economics Committee and Ministry of Planning and Investment on adding private tutoring to the list of conditional business fields. NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IntSights, the threat intelligence company focused on enabling enterprises to Defend Forward, announced today the availability of a new application in the ServiceNow App Store that integrates the IntSights External Threat Protection (EPT) Suite and ServiceNow Security Incident Response. Organizations adopting new technologies as part of their digital transformation journey seek to reduce risk and improve defenses while maximizing their investment in existing security tools. However, the addition of new tools, enhanced defense mechanisms, and advanced technologies can, in some cases, negatively impact existing processes and workflows by adding cost and complexity. This integration allows Incident Response (IR) teams to seamlessly tap into real-time actionable intelligence, increasing the ROI of their existing security tools and workflows. Leveraging critical context, exactly when and where security and IR teams need it, practitioners can eliminate time-consuming security tasks and streamline workflows across vulnerability management, security operations, and third-party risk management. "Security teams can directly access IntSights alerts from within their ServiceNow tools and workflows, giving those on the front line vital real-time context for informed and prioritized incident response," noted Yaron Paryanty, VP of Product Management at IntSights. Using the IntSights app for ServiceNow, existing IntSights and ServiceNow customers can proactively select the specific alerts they want to view in their ServiceNow instance. These tailored alerts will automatically trigger new or existing workflows within ServiceNow. Enriched alerts are continuously imported from IntSights and converted into security incident tickets in the ServiceNow IR module. Learn more about how you can expand the value of existing security tools with contextual threat intelligence to make informed decisions on threat prioritization and mitigation. Read the IntSights + ServiceNow Solution Brief . The IntSights Threat Command for Security Incident Response and Threat Intelligence application is certified and available for immediate download in the ServiceNow App Store . About IntSights IntSights is revolutionizing cybersecurity operations with the industry's only all-in-one external threat protection platform designed to neutralize cyberattacks outside the wire. Our unique cyber reconnaissance capabilities enable continuous monitoring of an enterprise's external digital profile across the clear, deep, and dark web to identify emerging threats and orchestrate proactive response. Tailored threat intelligence that seamlessly integrates with security infrastructure for dynamic defense has made IntSights one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies in the world. IntSights has offices in Amsterdam, Boston, Dallas, New York, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo. To learn more, visit: intsights.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Media Contact: Jonathan Beaton IntSights 727-902-8412 [email protected] SOURCE IntSights Related Links https://www.intsights.com/ Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has held long-range precision strike drills on the Tibetan plateau bordering India and flown latest jet bombers over the South China Sea (SCS) amid ongoing border friction with New Delhi and rising tension with the US over disputes with littoral countries in SCS region, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday. The Tibet military region, which borders India and is under the western theatre command in-charge of the boundary with India, has taken part in drills testing the PLA troops and armaments long-range precision strikes, defence ministry spokesperson, Ren Guoqiang said at the ministry briefing on Thursday. The exercise tested PLAs artillery both at day and night, Ren said, according to reports on the briefing published in state media. Recently, the Tibet Military Region has organised multiple types of artillery, day and night fire strike drills and artillery fire assault drills in high altitude areas, mainly to test the troops long-range precision strikes and fire assault capabilities in a plateau environment, Ren said. The above exercises are part of the annual training plan and are not targeted at any specific country, Ren added without elaborating. The drills were held amid the ongoing border tension with India along the line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh even as both sides are involved in intensive negotiation to disengage troops and ease the situation. Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have been held between the two countries but the disengagement is yet to be completed. Separately, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin on Thursday sidestepped a question on Indian defence minister Rajnath Singhs statement that those who want to threaten Indias territorial integrity should be worried about new Rafale fighter jets bought by India from France. When asked to comment on it, Wang said: We hope the Indian sides relevant remarks will be conducive to regional peace and stability. Ren, the defence ministry spokesperson, also said Thursday that the PLAs naval aviation unit of the Southern Theatre Command conducted high-intensity exercises in the SCS with new bombers to improve pilots combat techniques and overall all-weather fighting capability of the units. The units trained planes such as H-6G and H-6J bombers, as well as other new war planes, Ren said The high-intensity exercises featured drills such as taking off during day and night settings, long distance assault, and attacking maritime surface targets, he said. China claims almost all of the energy-rich SCS, which is also a major trade route. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims. The US wants to portray itself as referee over the SCS issue but is actually the one that disturbs regional peace, destroys regional cooperation and sows discord among regional countries, Ren said, in response to a US State Department release that accused China of causing instability in the region by conducting military drills in the Xisha Islands. The US according to a Chinese academic 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. Last Sunday, an US anti-submarine warplane came within 100 km from Shanghai in eastern China, the closest that an American fighter aircraft has come close to the Chinese east coast shoreline in recent years. Children under five years old can transmit the novel coronavirus just as easily as older kids can, a new study suggests. Researchers found that although youngsters only develop a mild illness, they have viral loads in their noses up to 100 times greater than adults. The team, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, says the ability of younger children to spread COVID-19 has likely been under-recognized because most schools and daycares closed by late March due to the pandemic. A new study found children age five or younger had viral loads between 10-fold and 100-fold greater in their upper respiratory tract. Pictured: Paramedic Randy Lilly sits with a 10-month-old boy with fever while riding by ambulance to Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, April 4 This implies that young children can spread the virus just as easily as teenagers, despite only developing a mild illness For the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, the team collected nasopharyngeal swabs from inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and drivethrough t children at a pediatric tertiary medical center in Chicago. They looked at 145 patients who developed to moderate illness within one week of experiencing symptoms. Three groups were compared: children younger than age five, children between ages five and 17 years and adults from ages 18 to 65. Children kindergarten-age or younger had viral loads between 10-fold and 100-fold greater amount in their upper respiratory tract. 'We found that children under five with COVID-19 have a higher viral load than older children and adults, which may suggest greater transmission, as we see with respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV,' said lead author Dr Taylor Heald-Sargent, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Lurie Children's. 'This has important public health implications, especially during discussions on the safety of reopening schools and daycare.' Researchers say the findings suggest that children could potentially be drivers of virus spread in the general population. 'Our study was not designed to prove that younger children spread COVID-19 as much as adults, but it is a possibility,' said Heald-Sargent. 'We need to take that into account in efforts to reduce transmission as we continue to learn more about this virus.' The authors said this raises concerns because the behavioral habits of young children close together in school or daycare could lead to a serious spread. But some, including President Donald Trump, have been pushing for schools across the country to fully reopen for the fall semester. Trump called recommendations about school reopenings made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 'very tough and expensive guidelines' on Twitter earlier this month. He also threatened to cut funding if learning institutions do not fully reopen. However, public health experts have said that schools need to prepare with more than social distancing and masks but also by testing students and staff and, if someone tests positive, determining how long they quarantine for. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an outlier, calling for in-person classes in the fall, issuing a statement that says 'schools are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being.' Some countries have been successful such as Norway and Denmark but many, including South Korea, have had to close schools after reopening due to spikes in infections. The authors say inoculating children as soon as there is a vaccine will be key. 'In addition to public health implications, this population will be important for targeting immunization efforts as SARS-CoV-2 vaccines become available,' they wrote. First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on August 1, 1990 Two brothers were trapped yesterday when the roof of the historic Reservoir Service Station in Paddington, collapsed during heavy rain. The underground service station in Oxford Street was built into the original superstructure of the 1864 Paddington Reservoir, an integral part of Sydney's original water supply system. Its concrete roof was covered with turf to form part of the Walter Read Reserve. Aftermath The gaping hole that was once the roof of the service station. Credit:Robert Pearce Mr Peter Horeau, 46, who leases the site from South Sydney City Council, was drinking tea with his brother, Algernon, 34, in the service station office at about 9.30am when be heard "what sounded like a clap of thunder". Syrias recent elections for the Peoples Assembly and structure of government could provide a model for South African politics writes Reneva Fourie for The Syria Times. There is much that South Africa can learn from the Syrian electoral system, particularly as we amend our electoral law to be in line with the June 2020, Concourt ruling. They have a uni-cameral system; members of Parliament are directly elected; and the President is also directly elected by the people. While sanctions might be a severe economic deterrent; and COVID-19 a medical one; neither stopped Syrians from participating in their recent parliamentary elections. From the early hours of Sunday, Syrians ascended upon 7,400 polling stations to vote for their choice of candidates that will occupy what is called the Peoples Assembly. Syria has conducted elections regularly since 1970. This year, the parliamentary elections were shifted first from Apr. 13 to May 20, 2020, and then once more due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spread of the virus largely contained, elections by secret ballot, proceeded today. The necessary safety measures were applied as social distancing was enforced, and voters and electoral officials wore masks. Voters were spoilt for choice as 1,656 candidates availed themselves for the 250 seats. The canvassing process combined both traditional and new methods. Posters lined the streets, but in line with modernity, social media was the preferred tool of mobilisation, especially by those who could not afford posters. Beautifully designed e-posters detailing the qualities, experiences and aspirational commitments of candidates were broadly circulated on applications such as WhatsApp by supporters, and even the candidates themselves. Syria has a uni-cameral system i.e. there is just one house of Parliament, as opposed to South Africas National Assembly and National Council of Provinces. Candidates are representative of fifteen electoral districts, so there is no need for a provincial election. This is cost-effective, in that the number of MPs is significantly less than our 400; and there are no duplications of positions of power. For instance, there is only one Speaker as opposed to our having a Speaker and a Chairperson of the NCOP; there is only one Chief Whip; each committee only has one Chairperson etc. To ensure that Parliament prioritises the interests of the workers and the poor, Presidential Decree No. 76 of 2020, which set the initial date for the elections, also stated that at least 127 of the elected members should be from the worker and farmers sectors, with 123 from the other groups of the population. This is an important intervention as it prevents elite capture of the legislature and contributes to ensuring that the government indeed serves the most marginalised and vulnerable. While candidates were from political parties, many were independent. The electorate votes directly for the candidate, regardless of whether the person is representing a party, or is an independent similar to our ward councillor elections in local government. Syria holds separate Presidential elections, and the people vote directly for their President. It is particularly this aspect that speaks to the Concourt ruling of June 11, that our Electoral Act is unconstitutional in that it does not allow for independent candidates in the national and provincial elections, thereby limiting the rights of individuals as enshrined in the Constitution. The functions of the Peoples Assembly are the same as that of any Parliament, in that it endorses the President; processes legislation; ratifies treaties; and approves and monitors the budgets and programmes of the Executive, or Council of Ministers. The powers of Parliament are however more extensive than those of South Africa in that, while the President appoints the Council of Ministers, Parliament has the right to place a motion of no confidence either in an individual minister, or in the entire Executive. The motion of no confidence only requires the support of 20 percent of MPs to be considered and requires a simple majority to pass. This is fundamental as it empowers the people, through their representatives, to remove non-performing ministers. Just as Parliament endorses the candidate who wins the Presidential election, aspiring candidates must have the support of at least 35 MPs. Significantly, anyone over the age of 18, that can galvanise the necessary Parliamentary support, is able to contest for the position of President. While Parliamentary elections take place every four years, Presidential elections take place every seven years. South Africans are tired of wastage and incompetence. The required amendments to the Electoral Act give us an opportunity to deepen the efficacy of democracy in our country. Making our electoral processes less complicated; reducing the size of Parliament; enabling direct elections; and giving Parliament the powers to remove incompetent ministers might be just what we need. To quote former President Mandela, but applying it to the whole of government, The ANC must, at every stage, earn the title of leader of our people by its sensitivity to their aspirations and by responding to their needs and demands. The ANC will flourish or fail to the extent that the exploited and the oppressed see it as their movement, championing their rights and as the embodiment of their will. Strengthening our electoral system, even if it means tweaking the Constitution, including drawing on some lessons from Syria, is one way of honouring Madiba in this Mandela month. Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development and security. She currently resides in Syria. 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 furious mother is suing her ex-husband for allegedly letting their 16-year-old daughter get a tattoo without her consent. Teenager Casey Victory had a dreamcatcher inked onto her left calf at Picton Tattoos in south west Sydney on New Year's Eve last year. Minors are required written permission from a parent or guardian to get a piercing or tattoo under New South Wales law. When Nadene Rees, from Hilltop, discovered the tattoo she was furious and is no taking legal action against her ex-husband. Teenager Casey Victory had a dreamcatcher inked into her left calf at Picton Tattoos in south west Sydney on New Year's Eve last year. When Nadene Rees (pictured), from Hilltop, discovered the tattoo she was furious, taking legal action against her ex-husband Bradley Victory, 45, from Tahmoor is facing charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The truckie received a court summons three weeks ago after being contacted by police. Mr Victory said it wasn't law enforcement who were pressing charges, but rather his ex-wife. He pleaded not guilty to the charges after appearing at Picton Local Court on Tuesday. The teenager, now 17, was by her father's side throughout proceedings, defending him against the accusations. 'It's horrible Dad's done nothing wrong and it was my choice to get it done as well,' she told The Daily Telegraph. Ms Victory said the work was done with her father's consent, and part of the reason he said yes was because he has his own body modifications. 'Dad ummed and aahed about it Dad's like, ''I'm not going to be hypocritical'' he's got tattoos.' Bradley Victory (pictured), 45, from Tahmoor is facing charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm The dreamcatcher symbolises good luck in native American culture and the image had a significant meaning for the teenager at the time. '(He's) like ''well I can't really say no''. It's not a horrible tattoo, it's something little, something that has a meaning behind it. (I got it) to follow my dreams, to dream big,' she said. Documents tendered during court proceedings written by Mr Victory's lawyer Carolyn Shiels indicate the teenager has been estranged with her mother for three years. Her father, her mother and her paternal grandparents are all supposed to have equal shared parental responsibility for the teenager. But it's understood she has spent a large part of her life in her grandparents care. Barrister Stephen Lawrence expressed surprise over the unusual nature of the case, due to the father being sued rather than the actual tattoo artist. The case will return to court in September. Growing anti-China sentiments in India and the government ban on Chinese apps seems to have helped global companies more than those from India. According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, only one of the top three apps that gained from the ban on TikTok was Indian--Roposo. The other two were New York-based Dubsmash and short-video app Zili, which is owned by Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi. The number of installations of Zili app surged nearly threefold in the three weeks following the June-end ban on TikTok, rising to 8 million installs from about 3 million in the prior period. Installations of Chinese Snack Video rose to a lifetime high of 23.5 million downloads from India and ranked number one on Apples App Store here in the week of July 13. Both Zili and Snack Video may face bans in the future, according to recent reports, but they are fully operational in the country right now. A survey by influencer marketing firm, Influencer.in, found that most of the countrys influencers have been leaning towards Facebook-owned Instagram to distribute their content. The firm noted that while other platforms are being explored, current data suggest that Instagram has emerged a clear winner. Google-owned YouTube recently announced that there are now 2,500 creators on its platform who have over one million followers. The company, however, did not attribute the increase to the ban. The trend is in line with what experts had predicted after the 29 June ban on 59 apps by the Indian government including TikTok and zzz. Indian platforms like Chingari, Mitron etc. which gained from the ban, are too early in their lifecycle for influencers to really benefit from them. Meanwhile, Samsung gained market share in the smartphone space. Data from Counterpoint Research showed that the South Korean smartphone maker rose to the second spot in the smartphone market, with 26% market share /in the June quarter/; a sharp increase from the 16% market share it had in Q1 of this year. The company toppled Vivo for the second spot, which retained its 17% market share from the last quarter. Realme and Oppo, which are also Chinese phone makers, shed 3% market share each in the second quarter of the calendar year. Vivo, Oppo and Realme are all owned by Chinas BBK Electronics. The contribution of Chinese brands (to the smartphone market) fell to 72% in Q2 2020 from 81% in Q1 2020. This was mainly due to the mixture of stuttering supply for some major Chinese brands such as Oppo, Vivo and Realme, and growing anti-China sentiment that was compounded by stringent actions taken by the government to ban more than 50 apps of Chinese origin and delay the import of goods from China amid extra scrutiny, said Shilpi Jain, research analyst at Counterpoint. Samsung lost its lead in the smartphone market over a year ago, and hasnt been able to regain that spot since. Retailers had earlier predicted that anti-Chinese sentiments could benefit Samsung, which has also ramped up its product portfolio in the country during the quarter. The company launched four affordable smartphones under its M series during the quarter, capitalising on the pent-up demand and anti-China sentiments. Indian smartphone makers Micromax, Lava and Karbonn were expected to launch new smartphones soon, but they will have an uphill battle, having lost their place in the market to Chinese brands over the years. Global cos gain from anti-China tilt Kathmandu, July 30 Following the governments decision to reopen tourism businesses and activities after the end of the four-month-long lockdown, hotels and restaurants across the country have resumed their operation on Thursday. However, they are uncertain if they will make any profit anytime soon. Though the hotels have reopened, both domestic and air services are suspended till August 17 whereas long-route public transportation is also not in operation. Moreover, some places in the country have seen an increase in the new coronavirus infection cases, and people fear travelling. The government has barred hotels from hosting big events, parties, and celebrations. Accordingly, individual hotels can decide on their own regarding when to reopen, according to Hotel Association Nepal. Reopening a hotel does not mean that we have begun welcoming the guests today itself, a hotelier Yubaraj Shrestha, also a member of the association, It means we have reopened our offices. Now, we will start booking rooms. Now, the hoteliers will speed up preparations for their service once the tourist arrival resumes, Shrestha says. Further, it gives a message that we are open, he adds. Entrepreneurs hope it will still take a few more months for Nepal to get back to normal tourism activities. In previous years, Nepal used to host a lot of trekkers. Hence, a few trekkers could come here in October-November. The associations senior vice-president Binayak Shah says around 20 per cent of the bookings for the autumn have not cancelled yet. An 18-year-old Ottawa man is charged with a number of crimes after a pellet gun was fired during an argument in Niagara Falls main tourist area early Wednesday morning. The Niagara Regional Police casino patrol unit responded just after 1 a.m. to a shooting in the area of Clifton Hill and Victoria Avenue. Police investigation revealed two groups engaged in a verbal argument that turned physical, which led to a man drawing a replica gun from his waistband. He proceeded to discharge the gun in the direction of male who was struck by pellets. The victim was treated by Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics and taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Mohomad Zieneddine is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. Also arrested was Mohammad Mejri, 23, also of Ottawa. He is charged with assault. Both were held in custody, scheduled for bail hearings at the St. Catharines courthouse Thursday. An investigation remains ongoing by 2 District detectives. Anyone with information is asked by police to call 905-688-4111 ext. 2200. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:40:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of unemployed people in Germany in July went up by 57,000 to 2.91 million compared to last month, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) announced on Thursday. "The labor market is still under pressure because of the coronavirus pandemic, even though the German economy is on the path to recovery," said Daniel Terzenbach, regional director of BA. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 6.3 percent compared to the previous month. The number of unemployed people in Germany rose at the beginning of the summer break from June to July to the "usual extent," BA noted. The coronavirus-related rise had not continued this month for the time being. "The massive use of short-time work has prevented greater increases in unemployment and job losses," stressed Terzenbach. Around 190,000 people in Germany were registered for short-time work in July. BA noted that after the "massive increase" in March and April, the number continued to decline significantly. According to preliminary BA data, 6.70 million workers in Germany were paid short-time work compensation in May, after 6.10 million in April. The use of short-time work was "far above" the levels at the time of the financial crisis in 2009. The ifo Institute announced on Thursday that the number of companies with coronavirus-related short-time work in Germany was falling, "albeit slowly." In July, 42 percent of the German companies participating in the ifo business survey were still using short-time work. However, the figure had been 46 percent in June and even 53 percent in May. "Short-time work is being reduced only very gradually," said ifo labor market expert Sebastian Link on Thursday. Germany's manufacturing sector was still front-runner in July with 57 percent of companies reporting short-time work. Enditem MJP Wealth Advisors is pleased to announce it has been named to the 2020 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. This is the third consecutive year that MJP Wealth Advisors has appeared on the list, which recognizes top independent RIA firms from across the U.S. This is the seventh annual FT 300 list, produced independently by Ignites Research, a division of Money-Media, Inc., on behalf of the Financial Times. Ignites Research provides business intelligence on investment management. MJP Wealth Advisors is honored to be recognized as a Financial Times Top Registered Investment Advisor. This ranking is a measure of our growth, experience, and expertise, explained Brian Vendig, President and Managing Executive of MJP. Weve always taken a hands-on, personal approach to financial management, and this award is a testament to our commitment to client service and relationships over nearly 40 years in the business. RIA firms applied for consideration, having met a minimum set of criteria. Applicants were then graded on six factors: assets under management (AUM); AUM growth rate; years in existence; advanced industry credentials of the firms advisers; online accessibility; and compliance records. There are no fees or other considerations required of RIAs that apply for the FT 300. The final FT 300 represents an impressive cohort of elite RIA firms, as the median AUM of this years group is $1.9 billion. The FT 300 Top RIAs represent 39 different states and Washington, D.C. The FT 300 is one in a series of rankings of top advisers by the Financial Times, including the FT 401 (DC retirement plan advisers) and the FT 400 (broker-dealer advisers). Founded in 1981, MJP Wealth Advisors is an independent wealth management firm that creates customized, integrated investment strategies for financial growth, asset performance, wealth retention and wealth transfer. We are seasoned investment professionals who can understand and implement the big picture, in a client-focused firm that provides life cycle planning tailored to the needs of individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, please visit http://www.mjpwealthadvisors.com or call (860) 677-7755. Investment advisory and insurance services offered through MJP Associates, Inc. dba MJP Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through Arete Wealth Management, LLC, Member FINRA/NFA & SIPC. Congress leader and former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Thursday condoled the passing away of West Bengal party chief Somen Mitra and said that he will be remembered with love, fondness and respect. Gandhi took to Twitter and said that his love and support is with Mitras family and friends amid such time of difficulty. All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect, Gandhi said. Leaders and politicians from West Bengal and across the country also expressed sadness over Mitras demise. He was 78 and passed away at a hospital in Kolkata on Thursday. He was suffering from kidney and heart ailments. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was saddened to hear about the passing away of Mitra. Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and INC West Bengal president Somen Mitra, Banerjee said in a message. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers, she tweeted. Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said he was enormously benefitted by Mitras counsel on several occasions. Saddened at the death of veteran Congress Leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray ALMIGHTY to bestow eternal on the departed soul. Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) July 30, 2020 Saddened at the death of veteran Congress Leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray ALMIGHTY to bestow eternal on the departed soul, Dhankhar tweeted. All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect. pic.twitter.com/k1muPvycgT Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2020 WBPCC President Somen Mitra has breathed his last, a short while ago. As we struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, all our prayers and thoughts are with Dadas family. May his soul rest in peace, West Bengal Youth Congress said in a tweet. WBPCC President Somen Mitra has breathed his last, a short while ago. As we struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, all our prayers and thoughts are with Dadas family. May his soul rest in peace, it added. Panjab University is scheduled to begin the classes from 3 August for intermediate semesters for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Panjab University will not be conducting the intermediate semester exams for its affiliated colleges. The students of the university this year will be evaluated on the basis of a newly prepared module. According to a report by The Times of India, the module states that the result of undergraduate, pre-PhD as well as postgraduate exams will be prepared by combining the marks obtained in the internal assessment and previous semester exams. Both the sections will have 50 percent weightage. The module has been finalised by a special university panel that is headed by Navdeep Goyal. Panjab University is scheduled to begin the classes from 3 August for intermediate semesters for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The special committee further decided that five periods of up to 1 hour each will be held on one day. The faculty of colleges can decide which subject will be taught in which period. Students can clarify their doubts via WhatsApp or text messaging, or phone call from 3 to 4 pm. A report by Hindustan Times quoted Goyal saying that this year the Panjab University will not conduct any common entrance test for admission to the undergraduate courses. Students will be admitted on the basis of their Class 12 results. As admissions have already been delayed, members of the panel were of the opinion that instead of waiting, students should be given admission on basis of Class 12 results, the report quoted him as saying. Following the admission process in August, the online classes are expected to commence from 1 September. In order to make a decision regarding the promotion of University School of Open Learning (USOL) students, the USOL chairperson has been requested to send a proposal. The issue of conducting a physical exam for the final semester students of UG and PG courses will be dealt with in another meeting, reported Times Now. Mars is the darling of many planetary scientists, who continue to visit it through increasingly advanced robotic explorers. But dont forget that our planetary neighbour is adorned with two moons: puny Phobos, a lumpy mass 17 miles across; and diminutive Deimos, just 9 miles long. Their names in ancient Greek may mean "fear" and "dread," but the aesthetics of these Lilliputian space potatoes inspire anything but. They dont look anywhere near as interesting as the volcanic or icy-ocean moons of Jupiter and Saturn, nor is their desolation as extreme or diverse as Earths moon. But that hasnt stopped generations of planetary scientists from being eager to get a closer look at the ramshackle duo. The Soviet Union and, later, Russia have tried three times to reach Phobos, but software errors and launch disasters have doomed every attempt. U.S. scientists have tried and, so far, failed to convince the powers-that-be at NASA that a mission to the two moons will be worthwhile. The next great hope is Japan, which is aiming to launch a heist mission to Phobos in 2024 that will try to steal some of its rocks. Whats all the fuss about? For many, the desire to visit Phobos and Deimos was galvanized by their deeply mysterious nature. "Theyre super weird, confusing and interesting," said Abigail Fraeman, a planetary scientist studying Mars, Phobos and Deimos at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We dont know where the moons came from because they look like asteroids foreign to the red planet but behave like byproducts of Mars early, impact-laden history. And if that Japanese mission manages to grab some samples and decode the chemistry of the mangled moons, we might be able to discover their origins. In doing so, we wont just gain a better understanding of Mars ancient past. We will also be able to peer back in time to the chaos that shaped the early solar system. Much of what we know about Phobos and Deimos comes from serendipitous observations. Rovers on the surface, as well as mechanical eyes orbiting Mars, are sometimes in the right place to angle their cameras and snap shots of the two moons. Phobos, being larger and closer to Mars, can be seen in greater detail: a misshapen mess scarred by a large crater and multiple grooves that look like they were made by a cosmic cats claws. Remote observations of their surfaces havent revealed any standout mineral features or textures that could definitively detail the moons overall compositions and, ultimately, their origins, said Laura Kerber, the Mars Odyssey spacecrafts deputy project scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "They check all of the boxes that are consistent with them being these captured asteroids, said Fraeman rubbly patchworks that drifted too close to Mars long ago and became trapped in the planets orbit. But both moons orbit the equator in a neat-and-tidy circular fashion, which suggests they coalesced from a disk of debris that danced around a young Mars. Its difficult to capture an asteroid and have it wind up in this beautiful, symmetric, circular orbit, said Jeffrey Plaut, the project scientist for the Mars Odyssey mission. Mars, having one-tenth of Earths mass, has a relatively weak gravitational pull, so it seems improbable that it would be able to capture asteroids zipping by, said Tomohiro Usui, a robotic planetary exploration expert at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. But if they formed from a debris disk launched up from Mars after a colossal impact, Deimos should be orbiting closer to Mars than it is today. Reconciling their appearances with their orbits is difficult. "They just shouldnt exist," Fraeman said. "They dont make any sense." Cast as siblings, both moons may not even have the same origin story. In less than 100 million years, said Matija Cuk, a research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, Phobos will get so close to Mars that its gravity will tear the moon apart, transforming into a beautiful system of rings. It wont be the first time, some scientists say. Recent calculations suggest that Phobos was once 20 times more massive. But, as one hypothesis goes, it drifted toward Mars and shattered into ring material, much of it raining onto Mars. The remaining ring material clumped together into a new, smaller Phobos. This cycle has repeated several times over billions of years, with Phobos shrinking with every completed cycle. Although made of ancient matter, the Phobos we see today may have been assembled just 200 million years ago. If it were confirmed that Phobos is a haphazardly clumped-together mass, it would be a revelation, suggesting planets with rings are the norm for our solar system. Tiny Deimos, on the other hand, may have remained intact for 3.5 billion years. It is on track to eventually escape Mars entirely, Usui says, to wander elsewhere in the void. NASAs Perseverance rover, launching Thursday, is the first stage of a protracted series of missions to bring pristine samples of Mars back to Earth for study. Mars atmosphere, ancient volcanism and flowing water has eroded away many of the planets earliest rocks. But if Phobos is made of Martian flotsam from a massive impact shortly after the planets birth, then the moon has retained the earliest memories of Mars. Many theories suggest the terrestrial planets, including the Earth, formed dry, and water was delivered by icy meteorites that were scattered inward, Usui said. If the moons are captured asteroids, they are evidence of this process in action and their composition shows what materials were delivered to the early Earth. Meteors crashing into Mars could have coated Phobos in a fine layer of Martian dust sourced from all over the planet. This matter may be both very young and extremely old, and grabbing some of it will help scientists unpack how Mars may have progressed from a habitable world to an uninhabitable one, Usui said. With one successful (albeit problem-riddled) asteroid sample-return mission under its belt and another speeding back to Earth with more asteroid matter, the Japanese space agency has a fairly good track record at snatching up space rocks, Fraeman said. Hopes are understandably high for Japans Martian Moons eXploration, or MMX mission, which will arrive at Mars in 2025. Should it be successful, these huge planetary science questions may finally have clear answers. We will come to see not just Mars, but also Earth, in a new light. To me, thats really cool, Fraeman said. Portarlington on the Laois Offaly border ran out of drinking water last Saturday July 25 forcing hard pressed businesses to close their doors, and it could happen again. Two pubs who serve meals as well as hairdressers had to close, according to Cllr Aidan Mullins from the town. How can that happen? Can they get a rebate, it was their busiest day, they can't afford to shut, he said at Monday's council meeting. Laois County Council carry out water works on behalf of Irish Water and explained that the issue was basically not enough water for the large town. Before the issue happened at the weekend, Irish Water had lifted its conservation order. We received a works order last Wednesday on a loss of pressure. This is purely raw water supply, directly related to a lack of supply via the borewells. There was an upsurge of 150 cubic metres per day. The demand on Saturday is what gave rise to difficulties. It is obviously a serious issue in Portarlington which is very unfortunate for businesses, said Director of Services Simon Walton. There's a possibility it will happen again. The cause is the low level in the borewell. To solve this problem, you would be looking at additional boreholes. That is a capital investment, It is not part of Irish Water's current capital investment programme he said. The level of unaccounted water in Port is 20%. Nationally it is 40% so there is very little additional capacity to be found in Port from finding and fixing leaks, Mr Walton said. Our staff were out all over the weekend to get it back to normal. a lot of airblocks were remedied, he added. Cllr Tom Mulhall asked why rain had not solved the issue, but was told that borewells are slow to recover after a drought. The water cut follows a major disruption in Portlaoise last Wednesday, July 22 when a mains burst, cutting supply to 500 homes and businesses. Many towns in Laois remain at risk of supply loss including Portarlington, Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Ballyroan, Durrow, The Swan, Clonaslee, Borris in Ossory and Rathdowney. Irish Water gave the following statement about the water loss in Portarlington. "Safeguarding the water supply for homes and communities across the country is a critical priority for Irish Water. Due to recent drought conditions, raw water sources have been very low over the past two months. Thankfully over the past number of weeks there has been above average rainfall in many areas of the country which has resulted in the recovery of some of the surface water supplies that were in drought or at risk of drought. "However, many ground water sources, including the water supply schemes in Portarlington, remain critically low. There was a significant increase in demand on the Portarlington Water Supply Scheme over the weekend which exceeded supply. This resulted in water levels in the treated water reservoir falling to a point where some customers experienced a disruption to their water supply. This was communicated on our website and on social media. This disruption lasted from mid-morning Saturday with supply returning for some customers again late on Saturday evening. Supply to most customers was returned overnight, with some air locks causing local issues. "While handwashing remains a priority, we continue to appeal to customers to conserve water where possible," Irish Water said. For simple tips on how to conserve water, visit the Irish Water website at www.water.ie/conserve. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:12:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Lakshmana Saparamadu, the translator of the Chinese book "Prevention and Control of COVID-19," attends a launch ceremony of the book in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 30, 2020. The China-Sri Lanka Cooperation Studies Center of the Pathfinder Foundation together with the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka launched on Thursday the Sinhalese translation of the Chinese book "Prevention and Control of COVID-19" which outlines health and preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua/Tang Lu) COLOMBO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The China-Sri Lanka Cooperation Studies Center of the Pathfinder Foundation together with the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka launched on Thursday the Sinhalese translation of the Chinese book "Prevention and Control of COVID-19" which outlines health and preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The translated book was launched at the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka with copies handed over to Sri Lanka's Education Ministry and Health Ministry. The original Chinese version of the book is authored by Prof. Zhang Wenhong, a Chinese expert in infectious diseases. Dr. Lakshmi Somatunga, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health, speaking at the translated book launch said authorities were pleased to see the book translated in Sinhalese which would benefit a majority of Sri Lankans and it will serve as an effective tool to all those who read it. "During this global pandemic, China has shown the world on how to give others. We have to live with this pandemic for some time and because of this, universal safety precautions have been adapted. It is encouraging to see China's courage to face these challenges," Lakshmi said. Pathfinder Foundation Executive Director Lakshman Siriwardana said the book authored by Prof. Zhang and translated to Sinhala by Lakshmana Saparamadu includes many health practices and guidelines to the student and adult population. He said China and Sri Lanka have shared close ties since the early 1950s and said these relations will be the most critical for Sri Lanka in the future as many sectors in the island country had benefited from development projects funded by China in recent years. Charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka Hu Wei said the book will be very helpful for the general public as it gives a better understanding on what the world should do in fighting against the COVID-19. It provides comprehensive guidance to the public and will be beneficial for students as well, Hu said. "During the outbreak in China, we were deeply touched by our Sri Lankan friends because they showed the Chinese people their support in different ways," Hu said. He said China was trying its best to help Sri Lanka overcome the pandemic and would continue supporting the island country. Enditem The logo of Chinese company Huawei at its main U.K. offices on January 28, 2020. Huawei became the biggest smartphone player in the world in the second quarter for the first time, a new report by Canalys shows. The majority of sales came from China as its international business suffers due to U.S. sanctions. The Chinese vendor shipped 55.8 million devices, down 5% year on year, according to the research firm. Meanwhile, second place Samsung shipped 53.7 million smartphones, a 30% plunge versus the same period last year. It is the first time that Huawei has snagged the top spot for a single quarter, an ambition it has had for several years. But analysts cast doubt over whether this was sustainable given the fact Huawei's overseas markets outside of China took a hit as a result of U.S. sanctions against the company. Huawei sold over 70% of its smartphones in mainland China in the second quarter. Meanwhile, smartphone shipments in international markets plunged 27% year-on-year in the April to June quarter. In Europe, a key region for Huawei, the company's smartphone market share fell sharply to 16% in the second quarter versus 22% in the same period in 2019, according to Counterpoint Research. It is the third-largest smartphone maker in Europe behind Samsung and Apple, showing how Huawei's global position in the second quarter was built on efforts to expand its share in China, the world's second-largest economy. Given the massive population of China, success there often propels companies to a large "global" market share. "It will be hard for Huawei to maintain its lead in the long term," Mo Jia, analyst at Canalys, said in a press release. "Its major channel partners in key regions, such as Europe, are increasingly wary of ranging Huawei devices, taking on fewer models, and bringing in new brands to reduce risk." "Strength in China alone will not be enough to sustain Huawei at the top once the global economy starts to recover," he said. Last year, Huawei was placed on the U.S. Entity List, a blacklist which restricted its access to American technology. That meant Huawei could not use licensed Google Android on its latest flagship devices. The mom of a Kentucky teen whose 2010 disappearance made international headlines has broken down after a man was officially charged in connection to her daughter's death. Paige Johnson, 17, vanished after attending a house party in Covington in September 2010, but her skeletal remains were not discovered until March 25 of this year. On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Johnson's friend, Jacob Bumpass, 32, with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Bumpass pleaded not guilty to both charges during his arraignment hearing, and was subsequently released on $50,000 bail. He is due to return to court on August 10. Paige's mother, Donna Johnson, held a press conference where she sobbed as she spoke about Bumpass' charges. 'I filled up with so much joy when I found out that he was arrested because I've known from the very first day that he knew where she was and he wouldn't cooperate with us,' Donna stated, according to WKRC. 'He put us through so much pain,' she added. Donna Johnson (left) broke down in tears after Jacob Bumpass (right) was charged in relation to the death of her daughter, Paige Johnson. Bumpass has plead not guilty to tampering with a corpse and concealing evidence. He was released on bail Paige Johnson (pictured) vanished after attending a house party in Covington in September 2010, but her skeletal remains were not discovered until March 25 of this year Bumpass was the last person to see Paige alive after driving her home from the Covington party they both attended together. When police questioned Bumpass, who was 22 at the time, he told them he dropped her off at the intersection of 15th Street and Scott Boulevard in Covington, Kentucky. But investigators said phone records placed Bumpass across state lines, near East Fork State Park in neighboring Ohio. That discovery lead investigators to search for Paige in that area - however her body was not located at the time. The case then went cold until March of this year, when a passerby found human remains in a wooded area near Williamsburg Township, Ohio - close to East Fork State Park. Investigators used dental records to determine the remains belonged to Paige Johnson. When police questioned Bumpass, he told them he dropped Paige off at the intersection of 15th Street and Scott Boulevard in Covington, Kentucky. But investigators said phone records placed Bumpass across state lines, near East Fork State Park in neighboring Ohio 'He put us through so much pain': Paige's mom, Donna Johnson, sobbed as she spoke about Bumpass during a press conference Bumpass had not been named as a suspect in Paige's disappearance until Tuesday. He has been in and out jail on unrelated incidents, WLWT reports Bumpass had not been named as a suspect until Tuesday but had been questioned about Paige's disappearance. He has been in and out jail on unrelated incidents, WLWT reports. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said he hopes homicide charges will follow but a cause of death had not been determined. He added: 'We don't know if she was shot or stabbed or died of a drug overdose. So we're going to go with the charges we know prosecutors can convict on.' Paige's sister Brittany Haywood told cincinnati.com: 'I have known from the beginning who the guilty party was in my sister's disappearance. 'Right now I am in a complete state of euphoria knowing that Jacob Bumpass has been arrested and will finally have to answer for his actions after remaining silent for nearly 10 years.' At the time she vanished, Paige was the mother of a two-year-old girl. The daughter is now approaching her teens and lives with her grandfather. Kentuckys Covington police said Johnsons body was found near Williamsburg Township, Ohio, about 30 miles east of where she was last seen Starting Aug. 2, almost every Israeli will receive a coronavirus grant deposited directly into his or her bank account in several installments. The subsidies, conceived by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in complete contradiction to the position of the Finance Ministry and to his own economic worldview, are supposed to boost consumption by those affected by the coronavirus crisis and catalyze economic recovery. As usual, Netanyahu announced the measure in typical pompous style at a televised news conference he convened on July 15, incurring harsh criticism from almost every direction. Senior Finance Ministry officials reportedly tried to block the move, with arguments escalating to a real clash, according to some media leaks. Critics argued that an expenditure of 6 billion Israeli shekels ($1.76 billion) was irresponsible populism at the height of an unprecedented economic and budgetary crisis, but Netanyahu was more concerned about the growing protests against his handling of the crisis, even among his Likud voters. Critics pointed to the fact that grants as high as 3,000 shekels ($880) per family would be handed out to everyone, even those unaffected by the economic downturn and even billionaires, such as Shari Arison, rather than being used for more urgent needs, such as bolstering the health services or expanding aid to the self-employed and small businesses. Just hours after the grandiose announcement, private and media initiatives emerged to divert the grants from those who did not really need the money to those who did. Israelis pledged to donate tens of millions of shekels in grant money to the needy. Social media and WhatsApp groups were flooded with proposals for a just distribution of the money, and directors of high-tech firms urged their employees to donate all the state money they receive. In fact, a large swathe of the public sensed discomfort with the idea and many expressed mistrust of Netanyahus move despite its alleged goal of benefitting them. The public arguments intensified in the ensuing days, but Netanyahu refused to back off the idea. Instead, he instructed that additional allocations be provided for the plan, initially for those receiving income support from the state, and then, under pressure from his ultra-Orthodox government partners, for large families. The blueprint he originally presented capped the grant sum at three children per family, but the ultra-Orthodox parties identified an opportunity to benefit their voters who generally have more than three children. Even the seventh child in a family is hungry and he, too, should get lunch, thundered the veteran head of the Knesset Finance Committee ultra-Orthodox Moshe Gafni during a July 29 stormy plenum session. The pressure worked. Netanyahu, who cannot rule without the support of the ultra-Orthodox, caved in and added 500,000 shekels ($147,000) to the pot. The issue created an interesting alliance between the ultra-Orthodox and the Knesset members representing Israels 21% Arab minority, whose constituents also include large families. Even Netanyahus nemesis, the left-wing Meretz party, supported the plan as dovetailing with its quasi-socialist economic platform. The Knesset approved the funding on the evening of July 29, and the money that will start flowing on Aug. 2 will be added to the funds already being provided at an accelerated pace in the past two weeks to eligible recipients hard hit by the crisis. At Netanyahus instructions, an unprecedented decision was also made to extend unemployment benefits to one year the current cap is set at six months as well as the aid to the self-employed and other affected firms. These urgent measures by Netanyahu and his Finance Minister Israel Katz are meant to provide a measure of certainty for over 1 million Israelis hard hit by the crisis. However, Netanyahu critics, among them senior economists, argue that the measures would increase unemployment by providing a disincentive to return to work even once jobs are available. They also argue that the massive aid outflows are deepening the budgetary shortfall for which Israel will be paying for decades at the expense of future generations. Increasingly, Netanyahus actions completely defy his economic doctrine. In 2003, he served as finance minister during one of the states harshest economic crises generated by a combination of the second intifada and the global dot.com collapse. The resulting economic instability even raised concerns of a bank collapse. Netanyahu was quick to act, seeing the crisis as an opportunity to make his neo-liberal mark on the socialist-oriented economy that he held in such contempt. The 172-section recovery program, anchored in special legislation approved by the Knesset in May 2003, bore the unmistakable fingerprints of Netanyahus market economy approach. For disadvantaged Israelis, it was bad news. The social benefits they had enjoyed, including child supports and unemployment stipends, were slashed, with Netanyahu arguing that the move would encourage people to work and increase productivity. His 2-year tenure as finance minister is attributed with generating a structural economic revolution in the spirit of deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers and reducing state involvement in the economy, especially through privatization, reflecting the views he had formed over the years. From the contempt for socialism and left-wing Bolshevik politics that his father instilled in him, through his education in the United States and business management studies there, and his experience working at the Boston Consulting Group in his mid-20s. The Netanyahu of summer 2020, who worshipped for five decades at free market temples, is shifting direction, steering the economic ship of state toward the system that he had held in contempt his entire adult life. One can debate the effectiveness of his moves, or even consider that he may have seen the error of his previous capitalist ways, but the troubling element is the speed with which he adopted these measures under pressure of declining ratings. They seem to lack cohesion, even as the government has yet to present its 2020 budget for Knesset approval due to Netanyahus politically motivated insistence on approving a one-year budget rather than a two-year one. On July 29, 15 top economists, professors and former central bank governors wrote a harsh letter objecting to Netanyahus insistence on what amounts to a three-month budget, arguing that it would simply deepen public uncertainty. World markets will not understand such a move, which would create the impression that Israel lacks a budgetary framework and had lost direction, they stated. Taken together, these developments all cast into doubt the past decade of economic stability of which Netanyahu is so very proud. The new Ford Bronco SUV is already exceeding company expectations ahead of arriving in dealer showrooms next year. More than 150,000 reservations have been made for the upcoming two- or four-door SUV, far surpassing Ford Motor's initial expectations, according to executives. "That does exceed our optimistic expectations," Ford CFO Tim Stone told reporters Thursday when discussing the company's second-quarter earnings. "As a result, we're working really hard right now to increase our annual production." Those reservations are for two- and four-door Bronco models. They exclude a smaller, more domesticated vehicle called the Bronco Sport that's built more like a car than a truck. Ford unveiled the new Bronco and Bronco Sport on July 13 to great fanfare. The nameplate developed a strong fan base following the original two-door SUV being discontinued in 1996. Nigeria has evacuated 158 migrants from Niamey, Niger Republic who had been stranded as a result of the novel Coronavirus pandemic. According to a statement by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Thursday, the evacuees arrived at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at about 10 p.m via Air Peace on Wednesday. The commission said the European Union in Nigerian and the International Organization for Migration Nigeria (working with the Nigerian mission) paid for the flight and other logistics. However, one of the migrants, Aiahatu ABDULLAHI, could not make the flight as she was delivered of a baby Boy on 24th July. Mrs ABDULLAHI, her husband, the newborn child as well as three (3) of their other kids will remain in Niger until such a time when another trip is organized. Some few Nigerians were unable to make the flight cos they tested positive to Covid 19 All Evacuees tested Negative to Covid19 and are now on a 14 day SELF-ISOLATION as mandated by @NCDCgov, @Fmohnigeria and PTF on #COVID-19 @NigeriaGov @DigiCommsNG. In a reaction on Twitter, The Chairman of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa welcomed the stranded passengers. She said, We welcome home another set of stranded passengers . Gratitude to @IOM_Nigeria .@EUinNigeria for the flight and logistics And great co ordination by the Nigerian mission in Niger .All now on compulsory self isolation. A Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on Wednesday, "It came out briefly toward the end of the phone call. [Ardern] mentioned the incident, which was reported by local media there, and the president said the government will have the related ministry check the facts and deal with it." Global leaders often skirt around awkward subjects in friendly phone calls like Tuesday's, while lower-ranking officials get to deal with the prickly issues, so it was unusual for Ardern to mention it. The diplomat, identified by his surname Kim, is accused of behaving indecently toward a male local staff member at the Korean Embassy in Wellington in 2017. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday created an awkward moment for President Moon Jae-in when she mentioned sexual assault charges against a Korean diplomat in her country on the phone to him. But a diplomatic source said the Foreign Ministry should have taken the incident more seriously in the first place to spare Moon the embarrassment. The ministry has demurred citing "privacy issues," but sentiment in New Zealand is more censorious after Ardern lost her own immigration minister to a sex scandal, and there are rising calls for the diplomat to be extradited. New Zealand media recently dug up the case, saying that police there at the time hit a brick wall in their investigation because Seoul was unwilling to cooperate. News website Stuff on Wednesday said police "have told the complainant that extradition of Kim would not be possible without the diplomat being found guilty, and the case cannot be progressed further until Kim returns to New Zealand." The Foreign Ministry here has not commented further, though it apparently investigated the matter and only docked the diplomat's pay for a month. He is currently a consul general in the Philippines. Both ruling and opposition party lawmakers chided the ministry for mishandling the incident. Minjoo Party lawmaker Song Gab-seok said, "This is a serious matter that is tarnishing a diplomatic mission representing Korea. The easygoing attitude and response by the Foreign Ministry is deeply concerning." A total of 14 Foreign Ministry officials have been punished over sexual harassment issues since Moon took office in 2017. The New Zealand victim, meanwhile, has reported the allegations to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, which soon plans to announce the results of its own investigation. Yonhap Yonhap But even when they are able to leave, it will take months to replan. It took six months alone to get the paperwork approved and the mandated local guides hired for Libya, one of their few remaining nations. In early March, they were transiting through London en route to what would have been their 187th country and debating whether it was wise to go. Luckily we didnt have to make that decision. It was made for us, Sebova said. Hong Kong residents wanting to flee Communist China and expats in London have been increasingly looking up Australian property websites. Domain Group search data showed potential buyers from two areas of the world have been surging, even though overall interest from overseas has plunged during the coronavirus crisis. Searches from Hong Kong to buy real estate in Australia soared by 14.1 per cent during the past financial year, as interest in rental accommodation climbed by 4.1 per cent. Dr Nicola Powell, a senior research analyst with Domain, said China's new national security law had caused a spike in searches from Hong Kong. Searches from Hong Kong to buy real estate in Australia soared by 14.1 per cent during the past financial year compared with 2018-19, as interest in rental accommodation climbed by 4.1 per cent. Pictured are protesters in Hong demonstrating in July against China's new national security law 'The substantial increase in purchasing real estate could indicate expats seeking a return home as Hong Kong's political instability and the global health pandemic pushes many to reassess,' she said. The Australian government is also considering offering a safe haven to Hong Kong residents, after China's National People's Congress in May voted unanimously to impose anti-sedition laws on the former British colony. Interest has also surged in the United Kingdom, with Australian property searches for homes to buy rising by 6.7 per cent. Enquiries from the UK about renting grew by 11.3 per cent. Dr Powell put this down to Australians in England wanting to return. 'It's another country home to many expats who are now perhaps considering a move closer to loved ones,' she said. Hong Kong and the UK were the exception, with overall interest from overseas to buy a property in Australia falling by 5.1 per cent. Interest has also surged in the United Kingdom, with Australian property searches for homes to buy rising by 6.7 per cent. Enquiries from the UK about renting grew by 11.3 per cent. Domain senior research analyst Nicola Powell put this down to Australian expats (The Church nightclub in London, pictured) wanting to return home Foreign enquiries about signing a lease plunged 11.5 per cent. The Chinese, outside of Hong Kong, were particularly less keen on moving to Australia with enquiries to buy plummeting by 27 per cent as interest in renting fell 29.3 per cent. Americans were also less interested in moving to Australia with enquiries for buying real estate declining by 10.5 per cent as searches for rentals slipped by 15.3 per cent. Kiwis was less excited too about moving across the Tasman with interest in buying property falling by 4.2 per cent. Searches from New Zealand about renting in Australia dropped by 11.1 per cent. In the midst of the unprecedented challenges ahead, we are encouraged that our legislature continues to regard long term college savings as a priority for the future of Colorado. The Working Families College Savings Act, originally enacted in 2019, has been extended for ten years by the Colorado legislature. The bipartisan act provides an innovative resource for Colorado employers to boost their employees CollegeInvest 529 savings accounts. The original legislation ensured the program would continue through 2022; now with this extension the program will continue to boost the college savings of Colorado families through 2032. The plan offers a Colorado tax credit for employers who make contributions to CollegeInvest savings plans owned by their employees. The accounts can be used by any beneficiary including children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, even for the employees own higher education goals. The available tax credit is 20% of the amount contributed to a CollegeInvest 529 account, up to $2,500 per employee. Within that scope, employers will have the flexibility to design specific benefit strategies that best suit their business needs, and the needs of their employees. In the midst of the unprecedented challenges ahead, we are encouraged that our legislature continues to regard long term college savings as a priority for the future of Colorado, commented Angela Baier, chief executive officer for CollegeInvest. This program is a win-win for families and businesses throughout the state who are challenged by this new economic climate. With tools available from CollegeInvest, Colorado businesses and families can partner to actually put more money directly in the college savings accounts of hard-working families who are struggling to save as much as they can. Since the program launched in 2019, 152 Colorado employers have joined the program (most of which are small businesses, and many are industries with employees in the trades) helping hundreds of families boost their college savings accounts. Now more than ever, businesses are looking for impactful yet cost efficient ways to support their employees, added Baier. This is the kind of collaboration that will see us through the tough times, and on to a prosperous future. CollegeInvest is Colorados not-for-profit, completely self-sustaining State agency charged with helping Coloradans save for post-secondary education and reduce student loan debt, especially low and middle-income families. Based on the principle that saving for higher education is a vastly more effective strategy than borrowing, CollegeInvest is Colorados trusted resource in breaking down the financial barriers to attaining a postsecondary education, whether through community college, vocational training or a four-year university. Savings can be even be used for online learning. For more information and assistance with setting-up employer contributions, please contact the Employer Program team at CollegeInvest at 303-376-8804 or employerprogram@collegeinvest.org. Additional information can also be found on our website: https://www.collegeinvest.org/workingfamilies About CollegeInvest CollegeInvest is Colorados foremost resource designed specifically to help break down the financial barriers to attaining a higher education or vocational training. By providing expert information, easy-to-use planning tools, and an exceptionally diverse menu of tax advantaged college savings plans, CollegeInvest works to help Coloradans maximize their potential to save for college. CollegeInvest currently represents $9.4 billion in savings, and more than 375,000 accounts, the majority of which are held by Colorado residents. Money saved in a CollegeInvest 529 savings plan can be used at any public or private college, university, community college or vocational school, anywhere in the country. For more information, visit https://www.collegeinvest.org or call 1-800-448-2424, or contact your financial advisor. Important Considerations To learn about CollegeInvests 529 program, its objectives, risks, charges, expenses, limitations, restrictions and qualifications regarding the Plans benefits and potential tax advantages, please read and consider carefully the Program Disclosure Statements (PDS) available at http://www.collegeinvest.org before investing. Also, check with your or your beneficiarys home state to learn if it offers tax or other benefits for investing in its own plan. Administered and issued by CollegeInvest. CollegeInvest and the CollegeInvest logo are registered trademarks of CollegeInvest. Copyright 2020 CollegeInvest. William SlaweelRyam Romaine Wins Event #28: $1,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 6-Max ($110,673) July 30 2020 On Tuesday night, the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #28: $1,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 6-Max attracted 425 players who rebought 100 times. The 525-entry field resulted in a $498,750 prize pool, and after 12 hours of play, it was Connecticut's William SlaweelRyam Romaine coming out on top for $110,672.62 and his first gold bracelet It was a bit of redemption for Romaine, who earlier in the series finished runner-up to Michael miguelfiesta Lech in Event #13: $1,500 High Roller Freezeout, which was good for $110,979. Romaine went on to notch four smaller cashes before getting his hands on a gold bracelet here two weeks later. It wasnt the first time Romaine hit it big on WSOP.com; in fact, his lone gold ring came back in March 2019 when he won the WSOP Circuit WSOP.com $525 Main Event for $92,400. In the live realm, Romaine has $234,614 in tournament earnings including a career-best $142,215 for finishing 61st in last years WSOP Main Event. Follow all the latest from the WSOP - LIVE! There's still some events left as part of the WSOP.com portion of the WSOP Online. The PokerNews live reporting team is on top of all things WSOP. Don't miss a beat! FOLLOW HERE 2020 WSOP Online Event #28 Final Table Results Place Player Prize 1 William SlaweelRyam Romaine $110,673 2 Mark victb Ioli $68,478 3 Vasu kheescoopy Amarapu $45,287 4 Stephen Chippingggup Tyson $30,474 5 Kyle Ksparks740 Sparks $21,047 6 Gabriel NJ_FittyFish Ramos $14,813 After two-time bracelet winner Anthony heheh Zinno bubbled in 81st place, the march to the final table began in earnest. Among those to fall short but earn a payday were Brian tsarrast Rast (69th - $1,596), Eric circleball Baldwin (59th - $1,695.75), Ryan im.sorry Torgersen (38th - $2,144.62), Erica huckcheevers Lindgren (30th - $2,992.50), Ryan protential Laplante (22nd - $3,690.75), ESPN commentator Norman normanchad Chad (13th - $4,638.37), three-time bracelet winner Upeshka gomezhamburg De Silva (9th - $7,880.25), and final table bubble boy Ralph sosana Perry (7th - $10,673.25). Vasu kheescoopy Amarapu began the final table as the big stack but with the blinds up there the chips were flying. Gabriel NJ_FittyFish Ramos was the first to go after calling off a short stack with queen-ten-ten-nine and failing to get there against the ace-king-king-three of Romaine. Kyle Ksparks740 Sparks got his stack all in preflop against two players, which was whittled down to one on the run. Stephen Chippingggup Tyson had the nut low and a medium pair while Sparks had bottom pair. The latter failed to improve on the river and exited in fifth place. During four-handed play, Tyson got it in on the turn with the high while Romaine had the low. The latter rivered a straight to scoop, and just like that Tyson was gone in fourth place. Amarapu, who had qualified via a $100 satellite, got his stack in with both low and high draws against Romaines top pair, which ultimately held when a king completed the board on the river. That allowed Romaine to take 4.7 million into heads-up play against the 3.1 of Mark victb Ioli. It didnt take long for Romaine to whittle down his opponent, eventually leaving Ioli with crumbs after betting him off on the river. It was all over the very next hand. Click here to Follow PokerNews WSOP Live Updates Now 2020 Online WSOP Bracelet Winners The next tournament on the schedule Event #29: $2,000 NLH Deepstack will take place at 3 p.m. PDT on Wednesday. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will once again be reporting all the action, so be sure to tune in then to see who captures the next 2020 WSOP bracelet! The first step in getting set up to play on WSOP.com is to download the client. You can do so for both mobile (Android and iOS) and desktop (Windows 7 or higher and Mac OS X 10.6.8). To get the correct version of the client, use the links below: Download WSOP.com - NEVADA Download WSOP.com NEW JERSEY The PPP is what Im using to make sure my employees are taken care of, Melissa said. The program also provides a sense of confidence as continued spikes in the COVID-19 case count remain a threat to economic recovery and normalcy. If the PPP has paid my people, its a lot easier for me to pay my mortgage, the property taxes, and liquor license fees, Melissa said. With more than 42,000 PPP loan recipients across Nebraska, Melissas story is not unique. In Nebraska, 90% of PPP loans were for less than $150,000, and 72% went to businesses that file their taxes as individuals, not under the corporate income tax. Just like other temporary relief measures included in the CARES Act, its tax provisions were created to help those hard-hit by COVID-19. The restaurant and hospitality industry has been particularly impacted in this uncertain time, with its workforce shrinking by 28%. If Nebraska decouples from the CARES Acts tax relief provisions, it will mostly be small business owners like Melissa who will be impacted. Fortunately, no action is needed by the Nebraska Legislature for employers like Melissa to benefit from the CARES Acts tax provisions. Lawmakers in Lincoln merely need to avoid adding yet another disruptive change in a year that has been full of unwelcome changes. Adam Weinberg is the communications and outreach director at the Platte Institute. Sarah Curry is the policy director at the Platte Institute. In spite of the happy talk coming from Oklahoma's sitting politicians, tribal leaders and talking heads, the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in McGirt vs. Oklahoma must be considered our state's Brown vs. Board of Education, in that it stands to change everything. The court's finding of potentially five geographic tribal criminal jurisdictions results in a legal and law enforcement muddle which continually questions what is a crime and who is a criminal. The U. S. Supreme Court has now effectively partitioned our state between an eastern federal tribal territory and the remaining western state portion. The western portion land stripped from the tribes after the Civil War as punishment for their Confederate rebel alliances will remain state jurisdiction. Which begs too many questions to count: Will the western portion be solely responsible for joint state institutions? Will eastern tribal members be obliged to pay state taxes of any kind? As usual, the Supreme Court's decision has handed citizens another unfunded federal mandate that takes no account of the costs of its decree or on those people most affected. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Juarawee Kittisilpa (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand Thu, July 30, 2020 07:07 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5bd36 2 Environment tiger,Thailand,conservation,animals Free Camera traps in a forest in western Thailand have captured footage of tigers in an area for the first time in four years, a conservationist said, raising hopes over efforts to preserve the species in the Southeast Asian country. The video and photographs show three male tigers roaming at night, including at one point peering directly into one of the camera traps. "We are excited about this discovery," Kritsana Kaewplang, country director for conservation group Panthera in Thailand, said of the footage which was released on Global Tiger Day. There are estimated to about 160 Indochinese tigers left in the wild in Thailand. They are also found in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and southwestern China. The total population may only be around 350, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Globally there are estimated to be only about 3,900 tigers left in the wild, including the larger Bengal and Siberian tigers. Read also: Sumatran tiger cub born in Polish zoo Kritsana, who has been working with Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and other organisations, said the sightings mean Thailand is on the right track trying to preserve tigers and their prey. "The next important step for us is that we have to try and make the connecting routes of each forest area accommodating for them, in order for the tigers to roam safely," said Kritsana. A database of Thailand's tiger population showed two of the tigers had traveled from the northern part of the forest to the south, while the third had not been documented before, she said. Thailand is a well-known trafficking hub of illicit wildlife products and tigers continue to face the threat of poaching. Topics : tiger Thailand conservation animals By Akbar Mammadov The first stage of the Azerbaijani-Turkish joint large-scale tactical exercises have started, the Ministry of Defense reported on July 30. The ministry noted that according to the plan, the current situation is evaluated, combat missions are specified and the reconnaissance of the area is conducted in real conditions. After hearing the relevant reports, the tasks on the application of the troops involved in the drills are clarified in the area in accordance with the made decision. It should be noted that the Land and Air forces of the two countries will participate in the military exercises to be held in line with the agreement on military cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey, in accordance with the annual plan. 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. Thus, the personnel, armoured vehicles, artillery and mortars, combat and transport helicopters of the Air Forces, as well as air defence and anti-aircraft missile divisions of the two armies, will be involved in the military exercises. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz This is about a "subtle diplomatic game", Yermak believes. Chief of the Ukrainian President's Office, Andriy Yermak, confirmed to journalists the authenticity of the letter earlier sent by Deputy Chief of Russia's Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak, in which the Kremlin hinted at its intention to withdraw from Donbas talks. Yermak's response was published by the Novoye Vremya online outlet. "It is obvious that no one has any doubts that the negotiation process on the Donbas issue isn't easy. It is complex and viscous, but today it has seen quality reformatting. We've taken a proactive, tougher stance," Yermak says. "And the letter from Mr. Kozak, in my opinion, is more about a subtle diplomatic game, when one of the parties to the negotiations seeks to strengthen its position and seize the initiative," he noted. Read alsoUkraine's new chief negotiator at TCG in Minsk Kravchuk says ready to "go for compromises" to achieve peace Yermak is sure there is no point in talking about the termination of talks because it's already been "the fourth day of silence in Donbas, and this is a direct result of the TCG work in Minsk and the Normandy format". "We are in dialogue and we strive for results. The degree of negotiations may rise or fall, which is normal. This is diplomacy. And this is negotiation psychology. We need to understand this and calmly treat such letters and their interpretations," summed up Yermak. "The format of advisors is ineffective," a source in Moscow earlier told Reuters, commenting on Kozak's letter, without elaborating. "There is little meaning in it." As UNIAN reported earlier, Belarus and Ukraine agreed to strengthen border control in the wake of the recent detention outside Minsk of a group of militants with the Russian private military company Wagner. MarketWatch President Joe Biden defended his record on his campaign promises Wednesday, despite high inflation and a lack of progress for his Build Back Better plan, as well as other legislative setbacks. "I didn't overpromise," Biden said during a press conference that came at the one-year mark of his presidency. "I have probably outperformed what anybody thought would happen." Biden also hit Republicans over what he said was obstruction by them, saying he didn't anticipate there would be such a "stalwart Intel draws personnel consequences from the repeated delay of the 7-nm process: The Technology Systems Architecture and Client Group is restructured and its boss leaves Intel. A few days ago, on the occasion of the announcement of the results for the second quarter of 2020, Intel had to admit that the introduction of the 7-nm process would be postponed by another six months. It could now be 2023 before the process is used to manufacture its own CPUs. The company has now drawn the consequences in terms of personnel. The Technology Systems Architecture and Client Group (TSCG), which was previously headed by Murthy Renduchintala, will be divided into five areas of responsibility, whose respective heads report directly to CEO Bob Swan. Murthy Renduchintala will leave Intel on August 3. With this move, Intel is also making it clear in terms of personnel that the company is by no means taking the delays in process development lightly. It was said that Intel wants to outsource parts of the chip production to third party manufacturers in order to be able to deliver. According to Intel, the yield on the 7 nm level is one year behind the original plan. This could improve the chances for competitors in Asia. Immediately after Intel's announcement, TSMC's shares rose by 10 percent. On July 28, TSMC was ranked tenth among the most valuable companies in the world with a valuation of 432 billion dollars. Both TSMC and Samsung are already working on 5nm processes. TSMC is using them to manufacture, for example, the chips that will be used in the latest generation of 5G iPhones. TSMC has already announced its intention to ramp up the 3nm process technology in the second half of 2022. TSMC is investing $17 billion this year to expand capacity, Intel $15 billion this year, and Samsung plans to invest more than $107 billion in expanding logic ICs by 2030. Whether Intel will outsource more and more of its chip production will depend on whether a better cost structure can be achieved. Up to now, Intel has attached great importance to pushing ahead with production under its own responsibility, because the company was convinced that this was the only way to remain at the cutting edge of technology. This has proven to be the right decision over decades. But now Intel has fallen behind TSMC and Samsung by at least two years. According to Taiwan News, Intel has already reached an agreement with TSMC to have 6-nm chips manufactured at the world's largest foundry. Can Intel catch up with this lead? Or completely abandon the development of new processes over the next 5 to 10 years? Bob Swan had said that a pragmatic decision would simply be made based on which process technologies would provide the best performance for customers, whether it was in-house, foundry or a combination of both. Intel did not address these issues in the press release on the new structure and the managers who will lead the five departments in the future: In future, Technology Development will be headed by Dr. Ann Kelleher, who previously managed Intel's entire manufacturing operations. She will now be responsible for the development of 7-nm and 5-nm processes. Dr. Mike Mayberry, who previously headed Technology Development, will act in an advisory capacity during the transition period before retiring as planned at the end of the year after 36 years with Intel, including managing Intel Labs. The management of Manufacturing and Operation will be taken over by Keyvan Esfarjani, who previously managed the production of the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group (NSG). There he defined the strategy for the production of Intel's non-volatile memories and quickly expanded the production capacities. In his new role, he will be responsible for global production, ramping up new processes and expanding fab capacities. Intel is still looking for a suitable manager for design engineering. Until then, Josh Walden, who most recently headed the Intel Product Assurance and Security Group (IPAS), will lead this area. Raja Koduri will continue to head Architecture, Software and Graphics. He is responsible for driving Intel's architecture and software strategy and product portfolio in the graphics area. Nothing will change at the top of the supply chain either: Dr. Randhir Thakur will continue to report directly to Bob Swan as Supply Chain Officer. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government welcomed some of the suggestions made in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday, and sought clarity on the budgetary aspects for its implementation. State School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said provisions made in the policy like upgradation of infrastructure and vocational education for students at school level are positive reforms. However, adequate funding is required to achieve these goals. "A clarity on funding of different programmes would be essential for proper implementation of the policy," Dash said. He said that the State Government has made a provision of Rs 17,458 crore for School and Mass Education department, which is around 14 per cent of its total budget. "The Centre is also required to increase its funding in education sector," he said. However, the Minister made it clear that internationalisation of education suggested in the policy is not acceptable as foreign investment will lead to commercialisation of the sector. Odisha State Higher Education Council Vice Chairman Ashok Das said that the State was very clear on a few points including research grants and funding on which it may seek more clarifications. "We had suggested that state universities must be given priority in research funding as they cater to around 90 per cent students as compared to the national institutions," he said. Besides, it has to be specified where from states will get the funds to scale up infrastructure and improve the gross enrollment ratio in their educational institutions, he added. The NEP 2020 also got a thumbs up from academicians and parents. Utkal University Vice Chancellor Prof Soumendra Mohan Patnaik termed the NEP a student friendly policy and said that the flexible degree programmes for students in state universities will make them very competitive as it will be on par with the IITs and other national institutions. Central University of Odisha Vice Chancellor Prof I Ramabrahmam said the categorisation of universities into research intensive and teaching intensive universities under the NEP was necessary as a large number of institutions are burdened with application related matters that are adversely affecting their research and academic progress. Odisha welcomes NEP; seeks budget clarity "The provision of three or four years degree with multiple exit options, the programme of degree with research and discontinuation of MPhil to do PhD in the NEP will hugely benefit the students in their higher studies," said Ramadevi Womens University Vice Chancellor Prof Padmaja Mishra. Members of Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangh, a state-level parents body, said if the spending is not increased to at least 13.4 per cent of the GDP, it would take 30 years to implement NEP in its complete form and achieve the goals. The actor brother of a young woman shot to death in a Birmingham park mourned his sisters death in a heartfelt post on Instagram. Ryan Jamaal Swain, who stars in Pose, a television series about New York Citys Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming ballroom culture scene in the 1980s and 1990s, wrote this Wednesday about 24-year-old Raven Lynette Swain: Our hearts are broken. We are in shock and continue to search for answers. I am at a loss for words to describe the pain I feel in my heart over the loss of my baby sister, a beautiful soul taken too soon. Raven was a light: loving, full of joy and laughter, and much more to the many people who knew and loved her. We will praise every moment of life that we were blessed to share with her. We will seek justice and for the authorities to find who is responsible for this unspeakable act of violence. Ryan asked for privacy but said, Know that your big brother and family will always honor you. We will honor you by how we love. We will honor you by how we live. We will honor you with justice. We will forever say your name, Raven Lynette Swain. In the television drama, Ryan plays Damon, a gay teenager and aspiring classical dancer from Pennsylvania who is violently kicked out of his home when his parents learn his sexual orientation. Once he moves to New York and befriends Blanca, he soon pursues his modern dance dreams. Ryan grew up in Birmingham where he developed his dancing and acting skills in local companies like Alabama Dance Academy, Alabama Ballet, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Birmingham Childrens Theatre, and Virginia Samford Theatre. The show has just been renewed for a third season. Raven, who family members said was bright and had a heart of gold, Swain was found unresponsive in the drivers seat of her vehicle when South Precinct officers responded at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday to Underwood Park in the 1100 block of 26th Street South. Birmingham Sgt. Rod Mauldin said when officers arrived at the park, they found Swain in her vehicle, which was lodged in the foliage. She was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:48 p.m. Evidence in the park and parking lot indicated multiple shots had been fired, Mauldin said. Several shell casing markers were placed in the lot, which is not far from the Red Mountain Expressway overpass, about a block from The Nick bar. The rear of the park is behind the St. Vincents Hospital parking deck. At least one woman who lives nearby reported hearing the shots fired. Dozens of the victims family members and friends rushed to the scene. Right now our detectives are canvassing the area,' Mauldin said that night. We dont have many details of what took place. Someone in the area called 911, but Mauldin said he didnt know whether there was anybody else in the park at the time of the shooting. He said it was too soon to tell if anyone had been in the vehicle with the victim prior to the slaying. We dont know if this took place somewhere else and her vehicle came to a stop here or if it happened here,' Mauldin said. We are working hard but we need people to come forward with information. No arrests or updates have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. In recent weeks, some countries around the world have managed to slow down the spread of COVID-19 within their borders, and successfully eased their strict lockdown measures. Many others, however, experienced a second wave of infections and are still struggling to reduce the number of new coronavirus cases. Unfortunately, the occupied Palestinian territories are in the latter group. After imposing strict measures early on during the first wave of infections, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories appeared to have contained their outbreaks, with each reporting only a few dozen new cases a day in May. But an easing of restrictions has led to a steady uptick in cases since mid-June. This caused panic and confusion while the authorities rushed to come up with more effective methods to get the virus under control. However, stemming the spread of the coronavirus is particularly difficult in Palestine due to Israels military occupation and the resulting apartheid and economic devastation. The sharp deterioration in coordination between Israeli and Palestinian officials after Israel threatened to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank has made an already grave situation worse. The Palestinian Authoritys refusal to accept tax revenues from Israel due to its annexation plans meant that the public sector employees did not receive regular salaries since May, putting more strain on the local economy during the lockdown. The fractured administrative structure of the occupied West Bank where Area A is exclusively administered by the PA, Area B is administered by both the PA and Israel; and Area C is administered only by Israel has made it impossible for the Palestinian leadership to impose effective preventive measures. The PAs inability to fully access Areas B and C, which comprise almost 80 percent of the West Bank, has left it struggling to follow an all-inclusive coronavirus containment strategy. The recent rise in coronavirus cases in the occupied territories has largely been blamed on the continuation of weddings, funerals and other forms of mass gatherings as well as Palestinian labourers working in Israel. Recognising that it is powerless to officially impose any virus containment measures in areas under Israeli control, the PA has asked grassroots activists, influential families, clan and tribe leaders to help it raise awareness and prevent large gatherings. The situation in the West Bank city of Hebron, the area hardest hit by the second wave of infections, provides further proof of the occupations devastating effect on the PAs ability to contain the virus. The 1997 Hebron Protocol signed between Israel and the PA divided the city into two areas: H1 and H2. The H1 is controlled by the PA, but H2 is under Israeli military control. During the first wave of infections, the PA imposed a strict lockdown in H1, however, Israeli authorities did not follow the same strategy in H2. Thus, while some shops and venues were forcefully shut down, others, sometimes located on the opposite side of the same street, were allowed to continue with business as usual. This caused a lot of confusion and frustration for the residents of the city and exacerbated the spread of the virus. Furthermore, on July 21, at a time when the Palestinian Ministry of Health recorded daily increases averaging 400 cases across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, with 80 percent of active cases being recorded in Hebron, the Israeli authorities demolished a COVID-19 quarantine and testing centre in the city. Another testing centre in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan was raided and shut down by the authorities in mid-April. And as the Palestinian population was put under another strict lockdown in July, Israeli forces continued to conduct nightly raids on Palestinian areas, disregarding the severity of the crisis. Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities were raided multiple times throughout the month, with scores of Palestinian being arbitrarily arrested. On July 18, Israeli forces also conducted a night raid on the Al-Jalazon refugee camp, where more than 150 COVID-19 cases have been recorded and approximately 14,000 people are forced to live in close quarters with little possibility of social distancing. The camps youth and volunteers have been working hard to control the spread of the virus within the camp, but the Israeli raid and the resulting clashes and arrests brought their efforts to a halt. Palestinians in East Jerusalem have also been left vulnerable to the virus due to the activities and policies of Israeli authorities. In a July briefing paper, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Al-Haq and the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre highlighted how Israels discriminatory response to COVID-19 in East Jerusalem, coupled with long-standing failures to fulfil fundamental human rights, has compounded Palestinians susceptibility to the pandemic. In their joint briefing paper, the NGOs explained how Israeli policies led to long delays in opening testing centres for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, delays in the provision of quarantine facilities, harassment, arrests, and persecution of local volunteers distributing aid materials and foodstuffs, closures of community-led initiatives to contain COVID-19 and raise awareness as to the pandemic, and the initial failure even to provide data on the numbers and rate of infections in Palestinian communities as well as to issue information and guidance for the Arabic-speaking public. Most of the fears Palestinians had when the pandemic began in March were realised over the past few weeks. The virus had spread, uncontrolled, in heavily populated cities and towns. It had also hit vulnerable and overcrowded refugee camps all over the West Bank, where social distancing is not possible. Palestinians in the occupied territories are aware that their capabilities in the health sector are pale in comparison with those of more developed nations who had been devastated by the pandemic. This is why they fear the worst could be still to come. They are angry with the PA for failing to protect them from this deadly virus, but they are also aware that the Israeli occupation is making it almost impossible for the Palestinian leaders to manage the situation. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Because different countries have used different methods to calculate coronavirus deaths, many scientists consider excess mortality a more reliable way to measure the impact of the virus and to draw comparisons. Excess mortality would include not just fatalities that were directly related to covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, but also the deaths of people who were hesitant to seek care for serious conditions or who did not receive the usual level of care while the health system was focused on the pandemic. Panicked holidaymakers heading to Spain are turning to a specialist warzone travel insurer, typically used by those on dangerous assignments to countries renowned for kidnappings and murders, to try and obtain cover for their trip. Battleface says it has had a 'significant increase in enquiries and bookings' for policies covering Spain and all destinations in recent days, after the Government introduced new quarantine measures for those returning from the holiday hotspot and Foreign Commonwealth Office advice changed. The Kent-based firm, which usually covers people who need stronger insurance for heading to terrorist hotspots such as Africa and the Middle East, is now seeing an influx of families looking to cover trips to the Costa Del Sol and the like. However, despite providing cover for those who catch coronavirus abroad, it does not include cover in relation to Covid-19 expenses for trip cancellations, curtailment of a holiday or lockdowns. It also does not cover the medical expenses incurred from Covid-19 for those aged over 59. Protection: Warzone insurance covers customers who travel to dangerous places - not typically Spain (pictured: Mallorca) So-called 'warzone' insurance works very similarly to normal policies and will cover the policyholder for all of the same things including medical claims, baggage and cancellation, for example. The main difference is, however, they will also offer cover for those who catch coronavirus when heading abroad. Some are now turning to these specialist insurers to try and cover themselves when travelling to countries the FCO has recommended against heading to, due to the coronavirus outbreak. One of the main countries affected at the moment is Spain with many Britons already having their flights booked to travel to the country and its nearby islands. For those who still insist on continuing with their holidays, they will find it difficult to be insured by standard travel insurers. While it is possible to take out warzone insurance to cover holidaymakers heading to Spain, it can often be costlier than normal insurance, due to the increased risk. The insurers that offer this type of cover are also explicit in saying they are not encouraging customers to head to Spain when the FCO advises against it. But for those intent on travelling, despite the high risk, they can potentially cover themselves against the coronavirus by taking out the specialist insurance. Battleface is one of a number of specialist insurers currently offering cover for those who catch coronavirus abroad. It told This is Money that it has seen a marked increase in interest in the recent weeks. Sasha Gainullin, chief executive of Battleface, said: 'In recent days we have seen a significant increase in enquiries and bookings for policies to cover Spain and all destinations. 'Battleface travel insurance policies cover exactly the same as most travel insurance policies including medical and emergency expenses, hospital benefit, personal accident, baggage, personal money and passport and personal liability.' Its travel insurance policies have always provided coverage to destinations that are under FCO's 'all but essential travel to' advisory or any other governmental warning. People that head to these destinations are typically charity and humanitarian workers, healthcare professionals and journalists. Warzone insurance works similarly to normal policies - but it includes cover against catching the virus Battleface also said it wasn't as expensive as some might think to take out cover. It claimed that for a seven day holiday in Spain for two people aged 30 with no pre-existing medical conditions, the cost would be 38.06 including insurance premium tax. Although Battleface are quoting a relatively cheap price for cover, it still doesn't cover customers for cancellations. The cost will also vary from person to person, depending on their individual circumstances. Despite providing cover for medical expenses those who catch coronavirus abroad, there are also numerous exceptions, including the fact it won't cover anyone over 60. Nor will it cover you for cancellations, one of the main risks at the moment. The new Covid-19 cover is available on all policies purchased from 17 July 2020. Gainullin added: 'In regards to cancellation, curtailment or lockdown/quarantine expense coverage due to Covid-19, our policies do not provide cover for this and we do not plan to add this benefit in the near future.' Another firm, Warzonecover, added it has seen a large spike in enquiries in the past week from individuals travelling to Europe on holiday looking for travel insurance. It says that clients that initiated either individual or group personal accident policies prior to the pandemic are also covered for Covid-19 until expiry of their policies. Press Release July 29, 2020 Privilege Speech on Death Penalty for Drug Trafficking Mr. President, my esteemed colleagues in this August Chamber, good afternoon. I stand before you today to share my heartfelt sentiment on a topic that has been my personal advocacy since I won the Senate seat last May 2019. This is the legislative proposal to restore the death penalty for drug trafficking cases in the country. As a former military officer, law enforcement officer and Bureau of Corrections Chief, and now as a lawmaker, I cannot, and will never be, at peace as I continue to witness, with so much desolation, the sufferings of our countrymen and women in the hands of drug-crazed individuals. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who pushed for the reinstatement of death penalty since the start of his 2016 presidential campaign, reiterated this call in his State of the Nation Address in 2017. President Duterte underscored his request for Congress to "act on all pending legislations to reimpose the death penalty on heinous crimes --- especially on the trafficking of illegal drugs".[1] He again made his appeal on his 4th SONA last July 2019.[2] And in his penultimate SONA speech last July 27, the President reiterated the "swift passage of a law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002."[3] The punishment of death finds its legal anchor in the 1987 Constitution, under Article III, Section 19, Paragraph 1, which expressly provides: "Excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment inflicted. Neither shall death penalty be imposed, unless, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for it. Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua." Pursuant to this mandate, Republic Act 7659, otherwise known as "An Act to Impose the Death Penalty on Certain Heinous Crimes, amending for the Purpose the Revised Penal Laws, As Amended, Other Special Laws, and for Other Purposes" was approved on December 13, 1993. Under this law, particularly under its second whereas clause, crimes punishable by death are those that are "heinous for being grievous, odious and hateful offenses and which, by reason of their inherent or manifest wickedness, viciousness, atrocity and perversity are repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just, civilized and ordered society." Marami po ang nagtatanong: gaano kaepektibo ang pagpataw ng parusang kamatayan sa pagsugpo ng kriminalidad sa ating bansa? Napatunayan na ba na ang hatol ng parusang kamatayan ay magtatanim ng takot sa mga masasamang loob, kung kaya't bababa na ang insidente ng karumaldumal na krimen? Do we necessarily prove, through statistics and hard facts, that death penalty indeed, will deter the commission of heinous crimes in the future? For these questions, it is important to look back and reflect the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of People vs. Echagaray (G.R. No. 117472, 7 February 1997): "Article III, Section 19 (1) of the 1987 Constitution simply states that Congress, for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, may re-impose the death penalty. Nothing in the said provision imposes a requirement that for a death penalty bill to be valid, a positive manifestation in the form of a higher incidence of crime should first be perceived and statistically proven following the suspension of the death penalty. Neither does the said provision require that the death penalty be resorted to as a last recourse when all other criminal reforms have failed to abate criminality in society. It is immaterial and irrelevant that R.A. No. 7659 cites that there has been an 'alarming upsurge of such crimes,' for the same was never intended by said law to be the yardstick to determine the existence of compelling reasons involving heinous crimes. Fittingly, thus, what R.A. No. 7659 states is that 'the Congress, in the interest of justice, public order and rule of law, and the need to rationalize and harmonize the penal sanctions for heinous crimes, finds compelling reasons to impose the death penalty for said crimes.'" On 24 June 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9346, entitled "An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines". Section 1 of this law states: "The imposition of the penalty of death is hereby prohibited. Accordingly, Republic Act No. Eight Thousand One Hundred Seventy-Seven (R.A. No. 8177), otherwise known as the Act Designating Death by Lethal Injection, is hereby repealed. Republic Act No. Seven Thousand Six Hundred Fifty-Nine (R.A. No. 7659), otherwise known as the Death Penalty Law, and all other laws, executive orders and decrees, insofar as they impose the death penalty are hereby repealed or amended accordingly." On 20 September, 2006, the Philippines signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty, and ratified it on November 20, 2007. Under Article 1 of this Protocol, State Parties have agreed that: "1. No one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present Protocol shall be executed. 2. Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction." With the death penalty law archived in the annals of our legislative mills, and with the ratification of Second Optional Protocol, the country has witnessed the horrors of increasing trend of crime rates, particularly those that involve drug trafficking. According to a news article published in January 29, 2017, the Philippines saw a decrease in crime rate when the death penalty was imposed for heinous crimes in 1993. Crime rate decreased from 145.7 in 1993 to 98 in 1998.[4] Based on the official data from the Philippine National Police, there was a decreasing trend in the number of heinous crimes committed from the time the death penalty was restored in 1993 through RA 7659. Hence, the 17,166 heinous crimes recorded that year, this number drastically went down to 12,636 in 2005, a year before RA 9346, the Anti-Death Penalty Law, was enacted. If you can see on the graph Mr president, it is a declining trend. PNP statistics shows that from 12,080 heinous crimes committed in 2006, this number of cases horribly increased to 23,099 in 2016. That's the second graph, the trend is very much increasing. Nagpatuloy ang pananalasa ng karahasang dulot ng bawal na gamot sa ating bansa. Marahil sa pag iisip ng mga gumagamit ng droga, madaling lusutan ang krimen at posibleng bilhin ang hustisya. Habang ang buong bansa ay nagtitiis sa mga karumal dumal na krimen sa ating lipunan, dumarami pa ang mga insidente ng drug trafficking na patuloy na naghahasik ng kasamaan sa ating mamamayan. Idagdag pa natin dito ang aking personal na karanasan sa loob ng bilibid when I was the Director General of the Bureau of Corrections wherein ako ay sinabihan ng isang prominent na Chinese drug lord, convicted drug lord, na 'Sir kung gusto nyo talagang matakot kami na mag-traffic ng drugs sa Pilipinas ibalik nyo ang death penalty. Kaya namin paborito ang Pilipinas na bahain ng shabu dahil wala kayong death penalty dito at kahit na kami ay mahuli at kami ay makonbikto, pag kami'y nakakulong dito sa bilibid, kahit anong effort ninyo diyan na patayin ang signal, ubusin ang aming mga cellphone dito sa loob para wala kaming komunikasyon sa aming drug network sa labas, hindi pa rin yan uubra sir dahil hindi ninyo mababawal ang visitation rights. Dahil pag kami ay inyong pinigilan sa aming visitation rights, kami ay pupunta sa human rights because that is our basic human right - to be visited by our loved ones. So ang aming transaksyon sa iligal na droga ay hindi na dumadaan sa signal ng internet o ng cellphone kung hindi face to face contact na sa aming mga anak, sa aming mga asawa sa aming mahal sa buhay na pumupunta dito sa bilibid. So patuloy pa rin yung kanilang ginagawang drug transaction. And it was really observed that every time a big haul of drugs were confiscated anywhere in the Philippines, it traces back inside the bilibid. Pumupunta ako dito, pabalik dun. Ibig sabihin, sabi nga ng mga druglords doon - pag nandito na kami sa loob ng bilibid, di na kami takot mahuli dahil kami nahuli na. Hindi na kami takot na makulong, dahil kami ay nakakulong na. So they find bilibid a safe haven for the continuance of their drug trade. With the Anti-Death Penalty enforced, and with the country's international commitment through the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol, it may be interesting to analyze the corresponding actions taken by our Government in the midst of the current law and order situation in the country. Close scrutiny of the events reveals these facts: Congress continued to propose legislative measures reviving the death penalty law. There have been 29 death penalty bills filed in the House of Representatives since the 15th Congress with one Committee Report in the 17th Congress until the current Congress. On the other hand, there have been 24 death penalty bills in the Senate since 14th Congress, and several committee hearings conducted by the Committees on Justice and Human Rights and on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs during the 14th to the 17thCongress. Last year, our esteemed colleague, Senator Manny Pacquiao delivered a privilege speech on the revival of the capital punishment. In his said speech, the good gentleman from Sarangani called for the re-imposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes, particularly for drug trafficking. This is another positive indication that, at the very least, the need for rational and informed discourse on capital punishment is still alive, waiting to be deliberated on by this body. One therefore begins to ponder on the following questions: Are we, in Congress, precluded from deliberating the proposed measures on the revival of death penalty, in view of our international commitment under the Second Optional Protocol on ICCPR? If the Philippines is a signatory to the 2nd protocol, is it necessarily restrained from passing laws that would restore death penalty? If this is so, how do we reconcile our international obligations to observe this Protocol with our duty to abide by the constitutional mandate to provide or reimpose death penalty, "for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes"? If Congress decides to deliberate on the death penalty bills, and eventually, to pass them into law, is the Philippines compelled to withdraw its signature and ratification from the 2nd Optional Protocol? As we consider the answers to these questions, the country meanwhile continues to suffer from the effects of one of the grievous ills in our society, which is drug trafficking. Drug trafficking is a serious offense. The United Nations Office of Drug and Crime defines drug trafficking as 'a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws.'[5] Under Section 3, paragraph (R) of RA 9165, illegal trafficking is defined as: 'the illegal cultivation, culture, delivery, administration, dispensation, manufacture, sale, trading, transportation, distribution, importation, exportation and possession of any dangerous drug and/or controlled precursor and essential chemical.'[6] Recent cases of drug trafficking all over the country have demonstrated the callous conscience of drug offenders. On the morning of March 14, 2020, approximately 330 grams of shabu worth P5.2 million was confiscated in Davao City, resulting to the arrest of six individuals.[7] On May 19, 2020 - itong lahat, Mr. President, ay mga pangyayari during the pandemic - 11 Chinese nationals and 1 Filipina were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in Manila and Paranaque. The total amount of suspected shabu seized was 41 grams, with a street value of P278,000.[8] May 22, 2020 --- the PNP NCRPO Operatives and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group neutralized 2 drug suspects, recovering P81.6 million worth of illegal drugs. This was in Taguig City.[9] In Bohol, five individuals were arrested last May 25, 2020, and P40 million worth of suspected shabu was confiscated in separate buy-bust operations conducted by the Bohol PDEA.[10] The Philippine National Police raided a house in Marilao, Bulacan last June 4, 2020[11]. This police operation yielded 756 kilograms of suspected shabu, with an estimated value of P5.14 Billion from a Chinese National identified as Yuwen Cai, and 2 local constituents. The anti-narcotics operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency arrested a certain "Yusuf Sultan" during a buy-bust operations in Sta Rosa Laguna, where more than P3.4 million worth of suspected crystal meth or "shabu" was confiscated.[12] Were it not for the highly sensitive intelligence work of our PNP and the PDEA, and their close coordination with other law enforcement agencies, these voluminous drugs would have found their way to numerous drug crazed individuals, many of whom have derived an enormous amount of money by trading these illegal substances. And, as the vicious cycle of drug trade shows, buyers of these illegal drugs continue to plague the society by their obnoxious and atrocious acts, committed under the influence of prohibited drugs. Ito po ang paulit ulit na malungkot na kwento tungkol sa naidudulot ng droga sa ating mamamayan. Walang piniliping biktima ang taong lulong sa bawal na gamot. Kahit saan, at kahit kailan, walang sinasanto ang taong nasa impluwensya ng droga. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and in the middle of untold sufferings of our countrymen and women, these cruel and insensitive drug traffickers have continued their illegal trade among drug dealers and their salivating patrons. Isa lang po ang ibig sabihin nito: habang abala ang ating kapulisan sa pagpapatupad ng community quarantine protocols, sinamantala ito ng mga drug traffickers sa pagpasok ng malalaking volume ng illegal na droga. Mabuti na lamang at magagaling ang ating PNP at PDEA at nahuli ang mga ito. Mr. President, this Representation is aware of the country's obligation to fulfill its commitment to international treaties, conventions, and other agreements, including Protocols. However, this Representation seeks the kind indulgence of this August chamber to, at the very least, deliberate on the issue of death penalty in the country. Can we not objectively study the present crime scenarios, particularly those involving drug trafficking, its evil effects on our society and people? Is it not our corresponding constitutional duty as lawmakers to protect our people from the snares of criminality? Granted, there will be those who will say that the death penalty has not been proven to be a deterrent to the commission of heinous crimes and drug trafficking, but in response I say: let us not close our doors to the possibility of discussion. Let us enrich statistical data with reasoned discourse in the proper fora, for the victims of heinous crimes and drug abuse are surely more than just data. Hindi pa po ba sapat, Ginoong Pangulo, ang milyun-milyong halaga ng droga na umiikot sa bawat sulok ng ating bansa? Hindi pa ba sapat ang maraming buhay na nakitil at kinabukasan na naglaho dahil sa patuloy ng pag dami ng droga sa ating lipunan? The enjoyment of the right to life, as envisioned in the Second Optional Protocol and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is indeed important. But have we not considered that this right may only be fully exercised if and when the people are safe from all forms of dangers, including the evils of drugs? I lay down this concern before this body, with the fervent hope that all of us will heed the call of duty to put an end to the malady of drug trafficking vis-a-vis the death penalty. Let us begin the discussion on this important issue. Let us hear both sides of the arguments, whether for or against the re-imposition of the capital punishment in cases involving drug trafficking. Let our minds and hearts speak, so that in the end, we may rest in the knowledge that we have armored our people with sufficient shield against the abysmal effects of drug trafficking in the country. Thank you, Mr. President. ____________________ [1] Retrieved from: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/07/25/1721355/full-textdutertes-state-nation-address-2017 [2] Retrieved from: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/07/22/1936926/full-textdutertes-2019-sona-speech [3] Retrieved from: https://pcoo.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/0720200727-5THState -of-the-Nation-Address-of-Rodrigo-Roa-Duterte-President-of-the-Philippines-tothe-Congress-of-the-Philippine.pdf [4] Retrieved from: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/866273/looking-at-the-numbers-behinddeath-penalty. [5] Retrieved from: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/drug-trafficking/index.html [6] Retrieved from: https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2002/ra_9165_2002.html [7] Retrieved from: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1096635 [8] Retrieved from: https://philippineslifestyle.com/11-chinese-1-filipina-arrested-in-drugbuy-bust/ [9] Retrieved from: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1042776 [10] Retrieved from: https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/313201/p40m-worth-of-shabuconfiscated-from-buy-bust-operations-in-bohol. [11] "Police Seize P5.1B worth of shabu in Bulacan", JC Gotinga, published on June 5, 2020, https:www.rappler.com retrieved on 26 June 2020 [12] "PDEA bust chemist, accomplice; seizes over P3.4-M 'shabu' in Laguna; Consuelo Marquez, https:newsinfo.inquirer.net June 3, 2020, retrieved on June 26, 2020 Former President Barack Obama has never exactly been a political attack dog. For most of his presidency, he was far more about compromise than bluster. And since leaving office in 2017, he has tended to moderate his public statements about President Trump attacking him obliquely, if at all. But when journalists cameras are off, in lucrative private fund-raisers with donors, Obama has been letting loose on Trump, as our reporters Shane Goldmacher and Glenn Thrush detail in a new article. Obama has highlighted the numerous accusations of sexual assault leveled against Trump and warned of the presidents tendency to lean on nativist, racist, sexist fears, according to notes made from recordings of Obamas remarks, donors and others who have been on the calls. The combination of Obamas sought-after presence and his dire warnings about Trump appears to be paying off: Digital events he has participated in have raised $24 million for Joe Bidens campaign since the start of last month. During a conversation with J.B. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, Obama pointed to Trumps fixation on the preservation of Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag. Thats like his No. 1 priority, Obama said, adding that this gives you a sense of what this is about. Congress is getting its licks in before the August recess with a string of high-profile hearings, and yesterday the Big Tech bosses were in the hot seat. The heads of Amazon, Google, Apple and Facebook appeared before the House in the case of Jeff Bezos, Amazons chief executive, for the first time and faced tough questions from members of the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee about their increasingly firm grips on their areas of industry. As is often the case, the questions were more substantive than the responses, as the executives frequently wriggled out of answering or said they couldnt recall the documents and conversations mentioned. Nevertheless, multiple executives were asked about their use of data to steer traffic away from smaller competing businesses. Another topic that kept coming up: the tech giants practice of buying up smaller companies that pose a threat to their hold on consumers data and eyeballs. The subcommittee said it had amassed 1.3 million documents on the four tech giants over the course of a 13-month investigation into their dominance in the industry. Any single action by one of these companies can affect hundreds of millions of us in profound and lasting ways, Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the chairman of the antitrust subcommittee, said in his opening statement. Simply put: They have too much power. Also yesterday, the Trump administration asked the Federal Communications Commission to narrow its protections of internet platforms that take down content seen as politically inflammatory. Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly complained that tech companies too often target conservative content for removal. At the days antitrust hearings, Republican members of the House often veered away from the stated focus on monopolistic corporate practices, instead focusing their questions on instances of what they called anti-conservative bias in the companies decisions around censorship. Yesterday in this newsletter, our reporter Emily Cochrane described Trump as ever a businessman and real estate developer as she detailed his attempts to keep the F.B.I. headquarters near his hotel in downtown Washington. And in fact, Trumps personal approach to real estate development has been rearing its head in another way lately. In the 1970s, Trump and his father were sued by tenants for screening out Black renters at their housing developments; they eventually settled the suit without admitting wrongdoing. Last week, the administration moved to nullify an Obama-era rule aimed at fighting housing discrimination in suburbs. And on Twitter yesterday, the president restated the familiar argument that fair-housing legislation depresses housing prices as he boasted that he was protecting suburbanites and that they would no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood. It was the latest of many recent attempts to explicitly play up white racial anxieties as the presidential campaign enters its final months. Trump said yesterday that when he spoke to President Vladimir Putin of Russia last week, he didnt think it was worth the time to mention the Russian governments reported bounty payments to Taliban fighters. That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly, thats an issue that many people said was fake news, Trump told Axios. Evidence that Russia had offered payments to the Taliban in exchange for attacks on American troops was presented to Trump in February, but he has repeatedly refused to acknowledge having received that information. The Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed an order passed earlier in the day by the trial court sentencing former Samta Party leader Jaya Jaitly to four years imprisonment in connection with a corruption case dating back to 2001. A trial court on Thursday sentenced three people -- Jaitly, her erstwhile party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and retired Major General (retd) SP Murgai -- tor four-year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of 1 lakh on each of them while convicting them for criminal conspiracy and corruption. The court also directed them to surrender by 5 pm the same day. Even as Pacherwals counsel sought time for his client to surrender, Jaitly got relief from the HC. Later in the evening, the trial court also granted time to Murgai time till August 3 to surrender. Justice Suresh Kait suspended the sentence after Jaitly, through her counsel Aditya Vijay Kumar, moved the Delhi HC appealing the conviction and sentence. The case in qustion was registered on the basis of a sting, Operation West End, conducted by news portal tehelka.com in 2000, purportedly exposing alleged corruption in defence deals. The Central Bureau of Investigation submitted a charge sheet against Jaitly and others in 2006. According to the prosecution, Jaitly entered a criminal conspiracy with Murgai, Pacherwal and Surendra Kumar Surekha in 2001. She obtained 2 lakh as illegal gratification from one Mathews Samuel ( a representative of a fictitious firm MS International Westland, London), the agency said. In truth, Samuel was a journalist. On Thursday, while passing the order on sentence, the court said that in total disregard to the positions they were holding and their social status, they conspired with each other to assist Samuel in pushing its product Hand Held Thermal Imagers (HHTI) into the Indian Army by exercising personal influence upon the concerned officers in the Ministry of Defense, particularly the then Union Defense Minister George Fernandes. By their act, they compromised the entire defence system of the country. It is a crime with very wide and huge repercussion for the entire nation and thus cannot be dealt with leniently. For their petty gains, the convicts sought to assist the induction of a product of an unknown fictitious company into the Indian Army, which if done, would have made the Army immensely vulnerable and handicapped in the wake of an enemy attack. The very existence of our country would have come under threat. It was no less than an attack on the independence of our country, the court said. It added: In the opinion of this Court, there should be zero tolerance towards corruption in defence procurement deals as these have a direct bearing upon independence and sovereignty of our country. Hence, the crime which these convicts have committed is of highest degree. They certainly do not deserve any mercy. They deserve the harshest sentence. Showing any kind of mercy towards the convicts would be a mockery of justice and sure to excite the fury of the society at large, the judge said in its order. It said that the virus of corruption has engulfed the entire fabric of our society, is becoming a major obstacle in the growth and development of our nation. Reacting to the HC order, Jaitlys counsel Aditya Vijay Kumar said that it came as a relief that court stayed the sentence after it found merit in their position. Advocate Vikram Panwar, representing Murgai, said that he too would move to the Delhi High Court against the judgment and sentence. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sonu Sood's efforts to aid people across India during the coronavirus lockdown have been hailed by politicians and his colleagues in the film industry. Actor Sonu Sood is one of the most popular choices when it comes to playing the big-sized anti-hero on screen. But during the coronavirus crisis, he has come out as the real-life hero through his acts of kindness. From airlifting Indian students from foreign lands to organising buses for the migrant workers, he was there to provide a helping hand. On the occasion of his 47th birthday, Sood announced three lakh jobs for migrant labourers on the job portal Pravasi Rojgar that he had launched earlier this month. Here is a timeline of the initiatives Sonu Sood has taken during and after the coronavirus-induced lockdown. (Click here to follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak) Sonu Sood, File image Opens gates of his Juhu hotel When the nationwide lockdown started, Sood offered his hotel in Juhu for the stay of healthcare workers. Speaking to PTI, the actor had said it was an honour to be able to do his bit for the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff of our country who have been working day and night. I'm really happy to open the doors of my hotel to these real-time heroes, he had said. Shakti Annadanam In order to feed the hundreds of migrant labourers stuck in Mumbai, Sood had started the Shakti Annadanam initiative to feed 45,000 people daily. The campaign was named after his father Shakti Sagar Sood. After opening his hotel for health-care warriors, @Sonu_Sood starts a food drive 'Shakti Annadanam' under his father's name. Around 45,000 people across Mumbai are being fed everyday, under the drive. Let's all come together in the difficult times & help the needy. pic.twitter.com/GDhuRiQhzV Komal Nahta (@KomalNahta) April 11, 2020 Bus for migrant workers With several people stranded in cities and no transportation available, Sood arranged for several batches of inter-state buses to send migrants back home. The actor received permission from the state governments and arranged for the rides. He was also at the bus depot to wave the workers goodbye. Airlifted Odia girls from Kerala In May, the actor came to the rescue of nearly 200 girls who were stranded in Kerala. After receiving the news of their plight, he arranged a special aircraft and got permission to open the Kochi and Bhubaneswar airports. Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik tweeted about the initiative taken by Sood. Arranged flight for Assam migrants The actor and producer also arranged for an Air Asia flight to send 180 Assamese migrants back home after they were stranded in Mumbai due to the cyclone Nisarga. Brought home Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan The Happy New Year actor flew in thousands of medical students studying in Kyrgyzstan in July. He arranged for charter flights from the capital of the Central Asian nation Bishkek. Gifted tractor to Andhra family Recently, the actor provided a tractor to a family in Andhra Pradesh after he saw that the daughters had to ditch study to plough the field. Thank you so much sir for all the encouraging words. Your kindness will inspire everyone to come forward and help the needy. Under your guidance millions will find a way to achieve their dreams. Keep inspiring sir. I look forward meeting you soon. https://t.co/XruwFx1vy2 sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 26, 2020 Announces 3 lakh jobs on Pravasi Rojgar portal On his birthday, Sood posted two flyers of the employment application and shared that the jobs came with additional benefits like PF and ESI. It may not have been a safe situation for everybody involved. That is why its canceled, Hutchinson said Wednesday. Its very sad that it has to be canceled but that is the decision that has to be made in the best interest of everybody. For the first time since 2011, the government of Spain has announced new grants for historical memory projects, which include the exhumation of bodies from mass graves dating back to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). On Wednesday, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published a ministerial order regulating the 750,000 in subsidies that will be available for activities that were placed on hold when the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy, of the Popular Party (PP), withdrew funding. With that move, Rajoy in practice repealed the 2007 Historical Memory Law, which had been championed by his predecessor Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of the Socialist Party (PSOE). At the time of passage, the law was strongly opposed by the conservatives, as well as by some leftist parties that felt it did not go far enough. A grave in Alfacar (Granada) believed to hold the remains of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca. M.ZARZA (EL PAIS) Now, an administration led by the PSOE in partnership with the leftist Unidas Podemos is allocating new funds for exhumations and other historical memory activities. The executive said there will also be a specific support program for local governments, effective between 2021 and 2024, to help search for people who went missing during the dictatorial regime of Francisco Franco, who governed Spain from the end of the civil war until his death in 1975. One of the best-known cases is the poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, who was executed at the beginning of the war in Granada. There are still more than 1,200 mass graves left to open in Spain, according to a map available at the Justice Ministry. The grants will be formally announced in September, and around 400,000, representing 60% of the total budget, will be earmarked for the opening of mass graves and the exhumation of execution victims. Other grants will be available for symposiums and exhibitions on historical memory issues, and for projects that study and disseminate the documentary heritage of the Spanish Civil War and dictatorship. New law Members of the Franco family enter the Valley of the Fallen to attend the exhumation. Emilio Naranjo / POOL (EFE) The Pedro Sanchez administration is working on the draft of a new historical memory law that will include a DNA database and an official list of Civil War victims. The bill incorporates United Nations recommendations and insists on educational aspects, such as the need to teach about democratic memory at schools, said sources familiar with the draft legislation. Francisco Etxeberria, a forensic scientist who is advising the government and who has worked extensively on Civil War exhumations, has estimated that it might be possible to retrieve between 20,000 and 25,000 bodies from mass graves over a period of four to five years. The 2007 law offered grants but made victim associations responsible for the entire process of searching and digging up the graves. The United Nations criticized this privatization of the exhumation effort, and the Spanish government now wants to get government agencies involved in the process at all levels. The draft bill also contemplates sanctions for authorities who drag their feet on issues such as removing Francoist symbols from public spaces, and seeks to facilitate public access to documents relating to the war. There are also plans to turn the Valley of the Fallen, a state-run monument built by war prisoners and containing the remains of over 33,800 victims, into a place of memory. In October 2019, the body of Francisco Franco was moved from the Valley of the Fallen to a Madrid cemetery after 16 months of administrative and legal hurdles as Francos family fought the move. English version by Susana Urra. Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter spoke out publicly for years against the Turkish government, railing against Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- the Turkish president who imprisoned Kanters father for supporting Erdogans opponent. Finally, last month, Kanters father was released from Turkish prison after seven years behind bars. Wow! I could cry, Kanter tweeted at the time. Today I found out that 7 years after arresting my dad, taking him through a Kangaroo court and accusing him of being a criminal just because he is my dad. MY DAD HAS BEEN RELEASED! This is due to the pressure we have put on the Turkish regime. They no longer could keep him from his freedom because of the spotlight that we all put on this case! On Thursday, in an appearance on the Gino Time podcast, Kanter said that while his father has been released, he still cant travel or communicate with Kanter. The travel ban is on right now, (so) obviously he cant just come here in America and start living here, but the latest is right now were just waiting to see if the travel ban is lifted or not, Kanter said. It would be amazing to just see him here again, and just live in America. Hes going to be able to come to my games and everything. Its going to be very exciting. Kanter, who once compared Erdogan to Hitler, was issued a warrant for his arrest in Turkey in 2017. Since, he has been unapologetic speaking out against Erdogan. Unfortunately, that means Kanters father -- while freed from prison -- still hasnt been able to communicate with his son. I talk to my brother, Kanter said. They said hes doing good, hes very happy and feels very blessed to finally have his freedom again. I think its definitely a huge blessing to have him out. Kanter, who once told CNN that Erdogan has locked away tens of thousands of dissidents, still has no intention of quieting his calls for freedom and justice in Turkey. Im never careful, Kanter said on Gino Time. In any situation, I just speak my mind. People are asking me to keep it quiet until he gets here, but hes just one. Theres so many in jail right now, so Im going to keep talking about it, no matter what. Related content Boston Celtics Jaylen Brown: Im not going to be quiet about Breonna Taylor, voting, social issues Kemba Walker injury news: Boston Celtics guards knee is the strongest its been since he got here, Brad Stevens says Boston Celtics release photos of Black Lives Matter jerseys, including Jaylen Browns Liberation jersey & more (ANSA) - ROME, 29 LUG - The health ministry said Wednesday that Italy has registered 289 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. That is up from 212 new cases on Tuesday, although the number of swabs was almost 8,000 higher on Wednesday at 56,018. Only two regions did not register any new coronavirus cases, Umbria and Basilicata. The ministry said six COVID-19 sufferers have died here in the last 24 hours, compared to 12 on Tuesday. That takes Italy's coronavirus death toll up to 35,129. It said 12,616 people are currently known to be positive for the coronavirus in Italy, up by seven in a day. Most of those people, 11,847 (+27), are in isolation at home, while 731 (-18) are being treated in hospital and a further 38 (-2) are in intensive care. The number to have recovered from COVID-19 in Italy is up by 275 to 199,031. The total number of confirmed cases here, including the deceased, the recovered and the currently positive, stands at 246,776. (ANSA). Packages with seeds that appear to be from China. (Whitehouse Police Department Ohio) All 50 US States Warn About Unsolicited Seed Packages That Appear to Be From China All 50 U.S. states have issued warnings about unsolicited packages containing unknown seeds sent to random U.S. households from China. According to various photos shared by the state departments, people across the country have received packages that appear to have been processed by China Post, which operates the official postal service of China. Labels on the packages indicate there is jewelry inside, only to reveal clear packets of seeds. Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for Chinas foreign ministry, said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday that the labels appear to be forged and that China Post has asked the U.S. Postal Service to send such packages back to China for investigation. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Tuesday that its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) agency is working with the Department of Homeland Securitys Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and state departments of agriculture, to investigate the situation. USDA is currently collecting seed packages from recipients and will test their contents and determine if they contain anything that could be of concern to U.S. agriculture or the environment, the department announced. U.S. residents are advised to immediately report the unsolicited packages to their local agriculture departments and not dispose of or plant the seeds, over concerns that the packages containing invasive or harmful pests and weeds. Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from your state department of agriculture or APHIS contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant seeds from unknown origins, the USDA advised. There is no evidence to suggest the situation is something other than a brushing scam, the department also said. The scam involves people sending unsolicited items to a given U.S. address to qualify as a verified buyer, after which they pose as a customer with the same address to post positive but false product reviews to boost sales. To meet legal requirements, seeds that are imported into the United States must have a USDA Permit to Import Plants and Plant Products and a phytosanitary certificate (pdf). The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, which was among the first state departments to issue warnings about the situation, said that if people had already planted the seeds, they should pull up the plants, double-bag them, and put them in the trash. Its not a good idea to compost them, the agency said in an announcement. Canadas Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday also issued a warning to its citizens about unsolicited seeds, following similar reports from Canadians. The warnings from each U.S. state can be viewed below: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit ATLANTIC CITY A Burlington County man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after allegedly driving away from a traffic stop with heroin and cocaine, hitting two parked cars. At 2:15 p.m., Officers Christian Ivanov and Kevin Perez stopped a car at Florida and Arctic avenues after seeing the driver, Julian Hinton, 27, of Delanco, commit several traffic violations, police said in a news release. +2 Judge: NJ immigration directive doesn't violate federal law Cape May County officials are reviewing their options after a federal judge dismissed their As Ivanov and Perez walked up to the car, Hinton sped away, police said. Because he was driving so fast down Arctic Avenue, the officers lost sight of him. Hinton struck two cars and drove on the sidewalk on Arctic Avenue before turning onto Arkansas Avenue and then onto the Atlantic City Expressway, police said. He pulled over on the expressway because his car had an issue, then jumped the fence into the marsh. Officers found Hinton after searching the marsh and a wooded area, police said. UPDATE: Portion of Route 40 in Hamilton Township reopens after crash UPDATE: Police said the roadway has been cleared and reopened. Hinton had dropped a bag with 240 bags of heroin and more than 9 grams of cocaine, police said. He also had a suspended New Jersey drivers license and a warrant for his arrest. Sri Lanka's main Tamil party TNA will not be allowed to achieve through the election what the LTTE and its slain leader Velupillai Prabakaran failed to accomplish with the gun, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has said. Speaking at an election rally on Wednesday ahead of the August 5 parliamentary election, the prime minister said that his action to end the LTTE's over three decades-long violent campaign had freed the country from terrorism. "We will not allow the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to achieve their objectives," Rajapaksa said. The TNA will not be allowed to achieve through the election what the LTTE and its leader Prabakaran failed to achieve with the gun, he said. "Sinhalese in the south can go to the north and the Tamils in the north can travel anywhere," he said. Rajapaksa said the TNA had pacts with some political parties to fulfil their aims. "We will not allow that to happen," Rajapaksa said, in a veiled reference to the Opposition group led by the former leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa. His Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party had pledged to preserve the India-backed 13th amendment to the Constitution by granting power to the provincial councils. The 13th amendment that followed the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of July 1987 signed between then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Sri Lankan President J R Jayewardene envisaged the devolution of powers to the provinces in the midst of the island's bitter ethnic conflict. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment on the devolution of powers in "letter and spirit" and to fulfil the aspirations of the ethnic Tamils. However, the Tamils complain that the 13th amendment's due power to provinces had not been devolved even after more than 30 years. The TNA fights for 29 seats located in the north and east in the 225-member parliament. They have pledged to seek a federal solution in their struggle for self-determination. According to the government figures, over 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts including the three-decade separatist war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east which claimed at least 100,000 lives. The Tamils alleged that thousands were massacred during the final stages of the war that ended in 2009 when the government forces killed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Prabhakaran. The Sri Lankan Army denies the charge, claiming it as a humanitarian operation to rid the Tamils of LTTE's control. At the end of the civil war, the United Nations accused both sides of atrocities, especially during the conflict's final stages. International rights groups claim at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed in the final stages of the war, but the government has disputed the figures. LARGO, FL Following in the footsteps of abutting Hillsborough and Pasco counties, the Pinellas County School Board unanimously voted this week to push back the start of school two weeks due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Students will start school on Aug. 24 instead of Aug. 12. The decision came after teachers and parents protested opening up schools at a time when Pinellas County is experiencing a hike in coronavirus rates. Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Mike Grego recommended the delay "in an abundance of caution for the safety, health and well-being of students and staff." Nevertheless, 60 percent of families that responded to a survey said they won't be sending their students back to brick-and-mortar schools in August. Instead, they are opting for either e-learning (mypcsonline) provided by the student's school or Pinellas Virtual School. That number, however, is skewed by the fact that 40,000 families of the county's 104,000 public school students didn't respond to the survey by the July 27 deadline. That means these students will automatically be added to rolls at brick-and-mortar schools. Grego said the school district is still reaching out to those parents who did not respond. See what parents had to say during a town hall meeting July 22. Depending on what course the coronavirus takes, Grego reminded the board that the reopening plan isn't set in stone. The district was under the gun to submit a school reopening plan to the state for approval by July 31 to meet the Florida Department of Education's July 6 emergency order mandating that all school districts open brick-and-mortar schools at least five days a week in August to be eligible to receive state funding. "This document is based on what we know today," Grego said. "We're staying in close contact with the Florida Department of Health. If things continue to go in a downward trajectory, we're prepared to pivot and go virtual." Story continues Face masks will be required for both students and staff as well as social distancing. To learn more about the reopening plan, click here. See related stories: This article originally appeared on the Largo Patch (Newser) The European Union promised to reconsider where its money goes last year after 80 municipalities in Poland declared they were "free of LGBT ideology." That shoe began to fall this week when the EU rejected grants for six of the cities, Euronews reports, and clearly said why. "EU values and fundamental rights must be respected by member states and public authorities," the EU's equality commissioner tweeted. "This is why six town twinning applications involving Polish authorities that adopted 'LGBTI free zones' or 'family rights' resolutions were rejected." The names of the cities were not released. Eight other cities in Polandand another 119 applications in the EUwere awarded funding. The grants involve the Europe for Citizens project, which fosters debate on EU policies. story continues below Poland's government was not accepting of the decision. "We will not allow discrimination of Polish citizens and local governments by the European Union," the justice minister posted online. "The Union must respect the equality of all its citizens, who have the right to form their opinions and beliefs freely." The widespread actions in Poland were backed by local politicians from the ruling Conservative Law and Justice party. By now, per Balkan Insight, one-third of Poland has declared that those who aren't heterosexual and are otherwise not in conformity with the "natural family movement are not welcome. Residents of the village of Konskowola said earlier this month that EU pressure wouldn't change its policy. "Is this what European tolerance is about? I dont think so, one man said, per Reuters. "I cannot imagine we would yield to blackmail." (Read more Poland stories.) The July 6 directive by University Grants Commission (UGC) asking universities across the country to hold final year/ terminal semester examinations by the end of September is intended to protect the academic future of students which will be irreparably damaged if the examinations are not held, the UGC told the Supreme Court on Thursday. The UGC also submitted before the apex court that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the health and safety of students and courts should not normally intervene in academic decisions and policies concerning standards and quality of education. All universities/ institutions in the country are obligated to conduct terminal semester/ final year examination by the end of September 2020. The UGC took the decision to protect the academic future of students across the country while also keeping in mind their health and safety, the affidavit filed by UGC said. The affidavit was filed in response to a batch of petitions by several students and organizations challenging the July 6 guidelines issue by UGC to hold final year examinations by September. A COVID-19 positive student was one of the petitioners raising the demand for the exams to be cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shiv Senas youth wing Yuva Sena was also a petitioner before the Court. The petitioners have demanded the apex court to consider scrapping online/offline test and instead direct UGC to declare results by July 31 based on their past performance or internal assessment. The Supreme Court bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah had issued notice to UGC on Monday. The UGC had, on April 29, published guidelines for universities to follow regarding holding of examinations taking into account the Covid-19 situation. As per the same, examinations were to be held in July 2020. The guidelines were issued based on a report by an expert committee headed by Chairperson of Central University of Haryana, RC Kuhad. As per the guidelines, universities could conduct the examinations in online or offline mode and by ensuring adherence to social distancing guidelines. However, in view of the evolving situation of Covid-19 pandemic, the UGC, in June, requested the expert committee to revisit the guidelines. Based on the expert committees recommendations, fresh guidelines were then issued on July 6, directing holding of examinations by the end of September. Final year/ terminal semester examinations are important because the learning process of a dynamic interaction where the only way to figure out what the students know is to seek evidence of their knowledge. Academic evaluation of final year students is, therefore, a very important milestone in any education system, UGC said. The UGC directive adequately account for the evolving situation of Covid-19 pandemic because sufficient time is provided to conduct the examinations after following the prescribed procedures and protocols relating to Covid-19. It gives sufficient flexibility to universities to conduct exams online offline or blended (online and offline) mode and provide for examination through special chance for students who are unable to appear for the examinations by September 2020. Concerns of the petitioners have been more than adequately addressed by UGC, the affidavit added. - The three Somali officers had been arrested earlier but escaped from Dobley police station - Local security personnel got a tip-off from the public that they were hiding at Dagahaley refugee camp within the county - A multi-agency team was deployed at the camp and managed to arrest and recover three AK 47 firearms from the suspects A multi-agency team of detective drawn from different departments have arrested three Somali police officers hiding a refugee camp in Garissa county. The trio Bishar Gure Hassan, Arale Yussuf Mohammed and Hussein Ibrahim Abdullahi aged between 30 and 45 years were arrested on Thursday, July 30, 2020. READ ALSO: Anyang' Nyong'o's son Junior marries longtime lover Wanja Wahoro Police officers manning a station: Photo: NPS. Source: UGC READ ALSO: Analinda boma: Francis Atwoli gushes over beautiful wife Mary Kilobi It is reported that the three had been arrested earlier on but escaped from Dobley police station and were hiding at Dagahaley refugee camp. "Detectives drawn from Dagahaley, CIPU, Liboi, Dafur and Dobley acting on a tip off from members of the public, that there are three Somalia police officers who had escaped from Dobley Police station and were hiding at block A-11 of Dagahaley refugee camp," police said in a report. The security personnel further recovered three AK-47. READ ALSO: Andrea Pirlo becomes Juventus U23 manager shortly after retirement Daadab refugee camp in Garissa county .Photo: Kenya Red Cross. Source: UGC All suspects and firearms were booked and placed at Dagahaley police station as Kenyan officers launched investigations into the matter. The arrest of the trio came barely four months after President Uhuru Kenyatta warned Somalia government against pushing its internal conflicts into the Kenyan territory. A multi-agency team during a past security operation in Garissa. Photo: Sato Emanuel. Source: UGC Uhuru issued the warning after a fight broke out between rival Somali forces near the Kenya-Somalia border and spilled over to Mandera county. The battle left some Kenyan nationals injured and others rendered homeless after scampering for their safety. 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. Ford Kenya troubles: Ford Kenya SG accused Watangula of being egocentric and incompetent. | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Taylor Swifts latest album folklore took many fans by surprise. In the hours after the album came out, fans started to theorize what each of the songs could mean. It was quickly established that August, Cardigan, and Betty are about the same characters, but some fans noticed more. Did Swift create an entire album where every song is intertwined, telling one story? Taylor Swifts folklore album | Universal Music Taylor Swift shocked fans with folklore Less than a year after her seventh studio album Lover was released, Swifties got a pandemic surprise. Fans were shocked to learn of Swifts new album, folklore, when she announced it on July 23, 2020. Swift took to social media, writing: Most of the things I had planned this summer didnt end up happening, but there is something I hadnt planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise. Tonight at midnight, Ill be releasing my entire brand new album of songs Ive poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Swift wrote and recorded the album safely in isolation. Fortunately, she was still able to collaborate with artists like Bon Iver, Jack Antonoff, and the mysterious William Bowery. Many fans uncovered the love triangle in three of folklores songs A decent amount of fans have theorized three songs on the album tell the story of a teenage love triangle. When Swift announced folklore, she explained on Instagram how she let her imagination run wild in isolation. This album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness, she said in her caption. RELATED: Theres a Secret Teenage Love Triangle Story on Taylor Swifts folklore Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. Ive told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Following Swifts lead, fans have let their imaginations run wild. Many believe Betty, Cardigan, and August present a different perspective of the same romance. As one fan explained on Twitter, Cardigan tells Bettys point of view, August tells that of Inez, and Betty reveals James perspective. In a Livestream promoting the album, Swift confirmed how the songs are connected. These three songs explore a love triangle from all three peoples perspectives at different times in their lives, she said via YouTube the night folklore released. But now, some fans believe all of the songs on folklore tell the story of Betty and James. Is every song on folklore connected? Fans of Swift have widely discussed how Betty, Cardigan, and August are connected, but one fan believes every song on the album could tell a larger story. TAYLOR'S MIND IS LITERALLY UNMATCHED OMG pic.twitter.com/xPnykodnDV Luuh (@SwiftCamzz) July 25, 2020 RELATED: All Too Well Might Be Taylor Swifts Saddest Song; An Investigation Basically, I interpreted this album as a folk story about the history behind the last owner of [Taylor Swifts] Rhode Island house, as told in three parts, Reddit user tswiftconspiracist13 wrote. The story begins with the affair between a character named James and an unknown woman. Betty, James significant other, learns of the affair and ends their relationship, as told in Exile. In the second act, dubbed James Arc by this Reddit user, James realizes how badly he messed up. To escape his pain, he joins the army and dies in battle. When Betty learns of James death, she struggles to process the loss. Tswiftconspiracist13 calls the third act Aftermath, wherein Betty moves to Rhode Island and continues to grieve James loss. Its at this point in the story that Swifts life intertwines with Bettys. Invisible String references how [Taylor], Betty, [and] James are all unknowingly connected. This theory blew many fans minds, further proving how much of a talent Swift is to the music industry. (Newser) In the 1500s, a British antiquities expert examined Stonehenge's biggest slabs and said he knew where they came from. Now, more than four centuries later, scientists are saying that William Lambarde was right on the money, solving one of the world's great archaeological and geological mysteries. The New York Times explains that two types of stones make up the ancient monument: smaller bluestones that have already been tracked to the Preseli Hills in Wales, and the sandstone sarsens that are part of Stonehenge's large central horseshoe and have remained a head-scratcher. Now, thanks to a study in the Science Advances journal, scientists have pinpointed the original location of the sarsen megalithsthis time to West Woods, a forested area in Marlborough Downs about 15 miles north of Stonehenge. story continues below The researchers first used geochemical data to show 50 of the 52 remaining sarsens likely all came from the same source. They then compared the geochemical data of the unweathered inner core from Stone 58a piece drilled out in the '50s during repair work, taken home by a worker, and only last year returned to English Heritage, the charity running Stonehengeto the makeup of sarsens throughout southern Britain. West Woods emerged as "the most probable source area" for most of the megaliths. "MYSTERY SOLVED! ... (almost certainly)," English Heritage tweeted Wednesday. One other mystery remains: Two of the sarsens, Stone 26 and Stone 160, are outliers, coming from somewhere other than West Woods. "It has been really exciting to harness 21st-century science to ... finally answer a question that archaeologists have been debating for centuries," study lead author David Nash tells CNN. (Read more Stonehenge stories.) The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday issued the new Unlock 3.0 guidelines in which the weekend lockdown in the state will be extended through the month of August. The weekend lockdown in the state begins from 10pm on Fridays and ends at 5am on Mondays. Schools, colleges, coaching institutes will remain closed till August 31. Cinema halls, swimming polls, entertainment parks, bars, assembly halls will also remain shut. Yoga institutes and gyms have been allowed to open from August 5. The guidelines broadly follow the ones issued by the Centre on Wednesday. Although the risk for children contracting COVID-19 does exist, they tend to contract it at rates much lower than adults and their symptoms tend to be less severe, Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton said during the meeting. Less than 6% of all positive cases in Montana, he said, have been among those 19 and younger. Public comments taken at the beginning of the presentation centered on the concerns of parents and teachers about allowing in-person instruction. Those concerns included whether laptops would be provided for families opting for distanced learning, how classes like band would be organized to keep both children and instructors safe from the possible spread of the virus, and whether PPE would be readily available to both students and staff. I do not believe that there is a risk-free option," Felton said during the meeting. "We have to come to peace with the idea that were going to manage risk and mitigate risk. Were not going to eliminate risk." Karl Stefanovic and Pauline Hanson have led calls for two teenagers who lied about travelling to Melbourne before flying into Queensland to face jail time. The Today host said he was 'appalled' by Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu's extraordinary disregard for COVID-19 rules, as Victoria battles a deadly second wave of infections. The pair attended an illegal party in Melbourne, police allege, before making false declarations on their border paperwork to re-enter Queensland when they returned to Brisbane via Sydney last week. Both girls have since tested positive to the virus and have sparked fears of a fresh cluster south of Brisbane, forcing the premier to close the state's borders again. Because of an extreme act of selfishness, ignorance and idiocy, Queensland has a new COVID-19 cluster,' Senator Hanson wrote on Thursday. 'After all the good work we have done, seeing something like this makes me furious.' Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 'It is being reported that these two have each been fined $4000 but if the extent of their alleged crimes is true then this is nothing but a slap on the wrist,' Ms Hanson's Facebook rant continued. 'Through their extreme recklessness, these two have put our economy at risk, possibly costing us billions of dollars and endangered the health and lives of who knows how many innocent people. 'If everything that is alleged is true then a fine isn't enough they need to be facing prison. They need to be taught a lesson and a powerful message has to be sent.' Ms Lasu (pictured) and Ms Muranga are also accused of making false declarations on their border paperwork Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Thursday revealed 40 people have been caught lying to authorities while crossing the Queensland border. 'They went to extraordinary lengths to be deceitful, deceptive and quite frankly criminal in their behaviour,' Ms Carroll said. Stefanovic's comments echoed Ms Hanson, calling for the fine to either be quadrupled or for the teenagers to face prison time. The remarks came after he interviewed the daughter of a COVID-19 patient, and made an emotional reveal on Thursday that the woman has since died. Kathy Bourinaris' 77-year-old mum Fotini contracted coronavirus at St Basil's aged care home in Melbourne's north and died overnight. Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 'Some very sad news if you are just joining us to report that Kathy's mother has now passed away,' Stefanovic said on Thursday morning. 'Our hearts go out to Kathy, and her entire family. It is a heartbreaking reminder on why the whole country needs to take this pandemic seriously and abide by border and quarantine rules. 'It is for their sake. 'That is why this morning we are all appalled by the actions of these two teenagers. 19-year-old Olivia Winnie Maranga and Diana Lasso fined $4,000 after travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane via Sydney.' Queensland is now bracing itself for an outbreak, after three more people tested positive to COVID-19 on Thursday - two of whom were isolating after visiting a Sydney restaurant. A man delivers cleaning equipment to a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Parklands Christian College in Logan (pictured on Wednesday) Families are seen queuing to get coronavirus tests at a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Parklands Christian College in Logan (pictured on Wednesday) Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath has confirmed the pair would face court. One of the women has cooperated with Queensland authorities in contact tracing since she arrived back in the state, and any person who could have been exposed to the disease has been notified. The second woman is refusing to cooperate or share details of her travels over the course of the last week. 'I'm very worried about the second individual who has not been cooperative and has not shared where she's been, so we haven't been able to contact those venues,' Dr Young said. She could be subject to further charges if she refuses to assist in the investigation. Because of an extreme act of selfishness, ignorance and idiocy, Queensland has a new COVID-19 cluster,' Senator Pauline Hanson (pictured) wrote on Thursday The two women and one of their immediate family members are the first three cases of the virus in the community since May. On Wednesday, a 22-year-old woman who works at YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care and is known to Ms Muranga and Ms Lasu became the state's first community transmission of COVID-19 in two months. Victoria recorded 723 new coronavirus cases overnight with 13 more deaths on Thursday - the states highest single-day total since the start of the pandemic. Melbourne has seen the largest clusters of the respiratory virus, as the city reaches the halfway point of a six-week lockdown. The 19-year-old girls, from Logan and Park Ridge, returned from Melbourne, via Sydney, on July 21 and spent eight days in the community before testing positive. Ms Muranga is a cleaner at a school. They are understood to have gone to an illegal party in Melbourne, which is where they are believed to have contracted the virus. Today host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) said he was 'appalled' by Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu's extraordinary disregard for COVID-19 rules Families are seen queuing to get coronavirus tests at a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Parklands Christian College in Logan (pictured on Wednesday) Stefanovic said the pair's actions had greater ramifications beyond their fines, as Queensland moved to shut its border to Greater Sydney from Saturday. 'We will see now businesses struggling from Coolangatta all the way to Cairns,' he said. 'They will lose so much money, these borders shutting as a result of these two will cost not just the state economy in Queensland but the national economy. '$4,000. Let's amp it up people, let's make it 50 at least or jail time. 'It's worth it and why? To protect our most vulnerable.' Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was seething at the breach of COVID-19 protocols. 'I'm absolutely furious that this has happened,' Ms Palaszczuk said. 'We need people to tell the truth ... We do not want a second wave here. We do not want widespread community transmission. 'These two have been out in the community and hopefully it has not spread but time will tell.' The teens attended a dental practice, five restaurants and bars including two at Southbank, in six different suburbs including South Brisbane, Woodridge, Browns Plains and Sunnybank. Shopping centres, restaurants, a school and a church have been closed. Ba Ria-Vung Tau Factory Ceremony for the completion of the factory Showa Denko K.K., CSR & Corporate Communication Office, Tel: 81-3-5470-3235 TOKYO, July 30, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Showa Aluminum Can Corporation (SAC), a consolidated subsidiary of Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004), headquartered in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, had a ceremony on July 29 to celebrate the completion of its third base in Vietnam to produce aluminum cans. This new production base (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Factory) is in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, which is in the southern part of Vietnam.Ba Ria-Vung Tau Factory is the third production base of Hanacans Joint Stock Company (Hanacans), which is a consolidated Vietnamese subsidiary of SAC, and has production lines with a capacity to produce 1.3 billion can bodies per year*. In addition to the construction of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Factory, Hanacans is now installing an additional line to produce can ends in its Bac Ninh Factory located in the suburb of Hanoi (Bac Ninh Province)*.SAC acquired shares in Hanacans in May 2014, and continues to have Hanacans introduce SAC's leading production technologies and quality control system since then. Hanacans has been successfully increasing the sales of aluminum cans in northern and central parts of Vietnam. As a result of the completion of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Factory, Hanacans has established an aluminum can production system with three production bases that covers northern, central, and southern parts of Vietnam. Now Hanacans has a capacity to produce 3.3 billion can bodies and 3.3 billion can ends per year.The Showa Denko Group's Vision is to make itself a "KOSEIHA Company" (a group of KOSEIHA Businesses that can maintain profitability and stability at high levels over a long period). In Vietnam which extends north and south, the Showa Denko Group will enhance the value of customer's experience by making the most of its aluminum can production system that can quickly respond to the demand of the market, thereby expanding its business in Vietnam. Thus, the Showa Denko Group will establish a KOSEIHA Business in the rapidly growing Vietnamese market.*For detail, please refer to our news release announced on April 25, 2019, "Showa Aluminum Can to Establish Third Production Base in Vietnam and Expand Existing Can End Production Line." https://www.sdk.co.jp/english/news/2019/27539.htmlAbout Showa Denko K.K.Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.Source: Showa Denko K.K.Contact:Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved. WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the final day of the 2020 Virtual National Charter Schools Conference (NCSCvirtual). This year's conference theme, "Remote Learning, Reopening and Reimagining Schools" captures the spirit of innovation within the charter school movement, and the sector's commitment to do whatever it takes to ensure every student has access to a high-quality public school. Today's keynote speakers, former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), represent the bi-partisan support that charter schools have held for nearly three decades, and the across-aisle unity Americans are looking for in our public leaders. "Today's line-up of keynote speakers sends a clear message about the roots of charter schools, as well as our future. No matter where you sit geographically or politically, everyone must agree that increasing the number of high-quality public schools across America is a bi-partisan issue," said Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. "As Americans head to the polls this November, we must remember the needs of students have never been greater, and we need more political leaders on the left and the right like Governor Bush and Senator Booker, who will act on that reality." Senator Booker's commitment to make sure a student's destiny is not determined by their zip code was reinforced through his work to improve the Newark public education system. His passion for the work has left a lasting positive impact on the ability for parents across the nation to choose the best public school for their child. Senator Booker was a top contender in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary where he elevated public education as a critical part of his platform. Senator Booker will open today's conference. In the second keynote of the day, Stacey Childress, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund, will interview Governor Bush during a conversation titled, Reimagining the Future of Learning. Governor Bush served as the 43rd governor of the State of Florida from 1999 2007. He was most recently a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Governor Bush's passion for improving the quality of education for students across the country is demonstrated through his service as chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national nonprofit education advocacy organization he founded to reimagine education in America. To view the entire conference line-up and session offerings, visit the NCSCvirtual website. Remember to use #NCSCvirtual on Twitter and Instagram to share experiences and insights from the conference. Interested media should contact [email protected] for interviews with the National Alliance executive team. Next year's National Charter Schools Conference will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana from June 20 June 23, 2021. Early registration will open in December 2020. Media Contact: Shaelyn Macedonio, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools 202-750-2053 [email protected] SOURCE National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Related Links https://ncsc.publiccharters.org CENTENNIAL, Colo., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NioCorp Developments Ltd. ("NioCorp" or the "Company") (TSX: NB; OTCQX: NIOBF) is pleased to announce that its CEO and Executive Chairman Mark Smith will present to investors around the world on NioCorp's Elk Creek Superalloy Materials Project at the 22nd Annual Global Investment Conference, sponsored by New York City-based H.C. Wainwright & Co., during the week of September 14, 2020. The conference will be conducted virtually, and NioCorp's presentation will be webcast live. The exact date and time of the presentation, and the webcast details, will be announced when finalized by conference organizers. More information on the conference can be seen here: https://www.meetmax.com/sched/event_61861/conference_home.html Expected to participate are hundreds of private equity firms, venture capitalists, institutional investors, family funds, and individual investors. In addition to Mr. Smith's presentation, he and NioCorp's Vice President for External Affairs, Jim Sims, will be participating in one-on-one virtual meetings with investors over the several days of the conference. NioCorp $NB $NIOBF #Niobium #Scandium #ElkCreek #HCWainwright For More Information Contact Jim Sims, VP of External Affairs, NioCorp Developments Ltd., 720-639-4650, [email protected], https://www.niocorp.com About NioCorp NioCorp is developing a superalloy materials project in Southeast Nebraska that will produce Niobium, Scandium, and Titanium. Niobium is used to produce superalloys as well as High Strength, Low Alloy ("HSLA") steel, which is a lighter, stronger steel used in automotive, structural, and pipeline applications. Scandium is a superalloy material that can be combined with Aluminum to make alloys with increased strength and improved corrosion resistance. Scandium also is a critical component of advanced solid oxide fuel cells. Titanium is used in various superalloys and is a key component of pigments used in paper, paint and plastics and is also used for aerospace applications, armor and medical implants. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this new release may constitute forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's expectation that it will present at the Conference referenced and participate in discussions with individual investors. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause a change in such assumptions and the actual outcomes and estimates to be materially different from those estimated or anticipated future results, achievements or position expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause NioCorp's plans or prospects to change include risks related to the Company's ability to operate as a going concern; risks related to the Company's requirement of significant additional capital; changes in demand for and price of commodities (such as fuel and electricity) and currencies; changes in economic valuations of the Project, such as Net Present Value calculations, changes or disruptions in the securities markets; legislative, political or economic developments; the need to obtain permits and comply with laws and regulations and other regulatory requirements; the possibility that actual results of work may differ from projections/expectations or may not realize the perceived potential of NioCorp's projects; risks of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in development programs; operating or technical difficulties in connection with exploration, mining or development activities; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of reserves and resources; and the risks involved in the exploration, development and mining business and the risks set forth in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators at www.sedar.com and the SEC at www.sec.gov. NioCorp disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE NioCorp Developments Ltd. Related Links http://www.niocorp.com Cowboy and Preacher movie aims to help Christians understand importance of saving environment Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The filmmaker behind Cowboy and Preacher is hoping to make a compelling case for evangelical Christians to step up and take the lead in caring for the earth. Cowboy and Preacher is set to be released on DVD/VOD, Sept 15. The film follows Christian pastor, cowboy and environmentalist Tri Robinson as he journeys to discover why Evangelicals have abdicated their duty to be Gods stewards of this earth to the progressive left, the film synopsis reads. Robinson is the founding pastor of the Vineyard Boise. As a conservative Christian and a lifelong environmentalist, he offers seven Bible studies in the film which serves to show Christians why they are mandated to care for this earth. His passion for caring for the environment comes from his western lifestyle, living on his ranch in Idaho. In the film, Robinson shows how the environment is inseparably linked to God. The filmmakers believe that COVID-19 is also helping Christians and churches open their minds to helping the environment and getting back to nature. View the premiere of the trailer here: The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Post's interview with Cowboy and Preacher Director Will Fraser. Christian Post: Tell us a bit about "Cowboy and Preacher?" How did you get to know Tri Robinson? Fraser: I needed a subject for my film and so I searched for as many Christian environmentalists as I could. Tri Robinson was actually the first person I found. A Google search brought me to the Bill Moyers profile of Tri. I went through loads of other people but he always struck me as the best voice in this world, so I always came back to him. There are a lot of people who voice opinions but dont actually do anything. Actions speak louder than words (particularly with anything to do with Christianity). Tri has done so much and is someone who continues to do things, from big picture world changing things to fixing all the little things on his ranch. He inspires me. Some documentarians make films about people they want to dethrone. I make films about people I think are cool. Cowboy and Preacher has always to me been a great collaboration with Tri to communicate a shared vision. CP: Why do you feel that many Christians in America dismiss the call to care for the Earth? Fraser: Many Christians make decisions about the importance of the environment for political reasons, but Christianity should go far beyond and above politics. Many Christians put their trust in leaders who are not worthy of them, and therefore become, though I hate to use the phrase, useful idiots in broader and darker political strategies. While trust in itself is often a good thing, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and some of the ways in which Christians position themselves at the moment, even if for sometimes good reasons, are not going to lead to a good place. But conservatives can certainly bring environmental change. The most successful environmental legislation ever passed was the Montreal Protocol agreed in 1987 by conservative leaders such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. It phased out the use of CFCs, that were causing a hole in the ozone layer. These leaders identified a problem and solved it. Present day conservatives need to do the same thing. From a Christian perspective, the Great Commission from Jesus is to spread the Gospel. But if Christians deny the importance of the destruction of the environment and the human suffering that will result from this, people will be driven away from Christianity. In other words, many Christians today are inverting and undermining the Great Commission. Do they really want to do this? It is easier to be against something than for something. It is easier to ignore or deny a massive problem such as global warming when the solution will have to involve some big changes to the comfortable way things are at the moment. But the good news is that Christianity provides a source of infinite strength for people who want to face the reality of trying to do as Jesus would do in this world. CP: How did a filmmaker from the U.K. end up making a documentary about creation care in the U.S.? Fraser: As a teenager, I always wanted to be a filmmaker and the films I loved most at that time were westerns The Wild Bunch, Once Upon a Time in the West, "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid." I started writing scripts at school and made short films at university. As soon as I graduated, I started to make films professionally. TV documentaries were the least difficult place to start and I discovered that I loved making documentaries. My first doc was Soul Searching for the Blues (2001) that featured blues Hammond organ player Bruce Katz, made for various Canadian broadcasters. I was able to film in the Deep South. Ive long been fascinated by America, particularly the atmospheric hinterlands. While making the film, I met someone and the next year went to visit her in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I discovered that she lived in a strange but compelling community where the seven houses were entirely made out of recycled materials, such as forklift truck pallets for shingles, or beer cooler doors for windows, and even half-trailers sawn in half and appended to Appalachian gothic turrets. Everything had been built by a carpenter called Rollo whose philosophy was that we all have too much stuff and its killing the planet. He would say: Why work a job you dont like to earn money to buy things you dont need? I agree with that and made the film, Once Upon a Time in Knoxville. I thought it would change the world. Surely, everyone would be convinced by the need to scale down the economy to the point where it collapsed and life was totally basic and we could live in homes recycled out of all the rubbish our society has produced? Its a compelling concept for me, but that film didnt change the world, the reason being that it could only ever appeal to a small minority of extreme hippy environmentalists. The film preached to the choir. So I wanted to find out how to preach to the non-choir? I went back to the drawing board, intent on making a film that really could bring change, and realized that the audience I needed to reach were the people who didnt support any environmental action. The most influential of these people were Christians in America, who form a very powerful bloc. Cowboy and Preacher has been born out of my desire to reach this audience and the journey I have gone on as a result. CALGARY - Oil production and refining volumes at Husky Energy Inc. are gradually returning to normal after deep cutbacks earlier this year but the company is braced for a "bumpy" recovery, CEO Rob Peabody said Thursday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Husky Energy logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Alta., Friday, May 5, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - Oil production and refining volumes at Husky Energy Inc. are gradually returning to normal after deep cutbacks earlier this year but the company is braced for a "bumpy" recovery, CEO Rob Peabody said Thursday. The Calgary-based energy producer and refiner reported having curtailed about 80,000 barrels per day of mainly heavy oil output at the start of the second quarter as COVID-19-related shutdowns hit refined product demand, leading to lower utilization rates at its refineries. It now has about 30,000 bpd of oil off-line but plans to bring it back as market conditions allow, Peabody said on a conference call. "We are being cautious not to outstrip physical demand and continue to pace our throughput with our product liftings," he said. "We expect the path forward to be bumpy, and we'll continue to respond rapidly." Husky has the flexibility to reduce capital spending to between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion in 2021 from between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion this year, while maintaining its production base and refining capacity, Peabody said. Its 2020 capital budget had originally been set at $3.3 billion in December but was reduced through measures including delaying construction of the offshore West White Rose Project off Newfoundland. Husky, controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, owns a refinery in Lima, Ohio, and is a 50-50 partner with BP in a refinery in Toledo, Ohio. Those operations were about 60 per cent utilized in April and May, said Jeff Rinker, executive vice-president of downstream for Husky, but have bounced back since to between 80 and 90 per cent utilization. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Shares in the company dropped by as much as 5.3 per cent and were down 23 cents at $4.49 in Toronto as oil prices fell on Thursday. Husky reported a $304-million net loss in the three months ended June 30 as revenues plunged nearly 55 per cent to $2.38 billion. That compares with net income of $370 million on revenue of $5.24 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Total production fell 7.8 per cent to 247,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, from 268,000 boe/d a year earlier. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:HSE) Washington, July 30 : The US has planned to withdraw 11,900 military personnel from Germany, reducing American troops in the European country from some 36,000 to 24,000, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said. Among the US troops that would be withdrawn, about 5,600 will be repositioned to other NATO countries, while the rest will return to the US with some beginning rotational deployment back to Europe, the Pentagon chief told a news briefing on Wednesday. Some US forces currently stationed in Germany would be redeployed to Belgium and Italy, and others would begin continuous rotation in the Black Sea region, Xinhua news agency reported citing Esper as saying. "We also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army's newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw agrees to a Defense Cooperation Agreement and burden sharing details, as previously pledged," he said. Esper noted that the Pentagon seeks to implement its plans "as expeditiously as possible", adding that redeployment could begin within weeks. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that US allies are exploiting the country on defense spending. Criticizing Berlin's "delinquency" on military spending, Trump last month ordered the US military to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany. "Until they pay, we're removing our soldiers," he said. Dozens of House Republicans have voiced opposition to Trump's decision to reduce the country's military presence in Germany. The reposition announcement came as relations between Washington and Berlin have become strained. The two allies have been at odds with each other on Iran nuclear issues, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and defense burden-sharing, among other topics. By the end of 2020, the Turkish hotel operator Rixos Hotels expects to receive about 25,000 tourists from Ukraine in its two Egyptian hotels Rixos Premium Seagate and Rixos Sharm El Sheikh (both are located in Sharm el-Sheikh), Managing Director of Rixos hotels in Egypt Erkan Yildirim has told Interfax-Ukraine. "In 2019, Rixos received 50,000 Ukrainian tourists in Egypt. This year, we expect to reach a total of 25,000 Ukrainian guests. The annual increase in the share of Ukrainians having a rest here is more than 50%," he said. The Rixos Premium Seagate hotel has about 1,000 rooms, and Rixos Sharm El Sheikh has 660 rooms. In general, according to Yildirim, Rixos hotels receive 75,000 guests per year, thus the share of Ukrainians is about 30%, which is the largest indicator among all vacationers. Germany is in the second place, followed by Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.K. "We are monitoring the number of new bookings that come to us on a daily basis. We expect the situation to normalize from September-October. We expect a 60-70% occupancy rate in hotels in October," he added. According to the Rixos Premium Seagate hotel, due to the adaptation of the Rixos network to the new realities associated with the threat of the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, the hotel service has become more personal. In particular, the hotel operator has developed and implemented the Robs application, in which all hotel guests have the opportunity to order any service for free, ask to change the towels in the room, or order a car, and receive it promptly. Coral Travel tour operator said that after Egypt entered the "green zone" tourists are no longer required to undergo 14-day isolation upon returning from vacation. PHILADELPHIA, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that a shareholder class action lawsuit has been filed against Velocity Financial, Inc. ("Velocity") (NYSE: VEL) on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired shares of Velocity common stock in connection with or following the company's January 2020 initial public offering ("IPO") of stock. On or around January 16, 2020, Velocity commenced its IPO of common stock, selling over 8.3 million shares of stock to investors at $13.00 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $108 million. As alleged in the complaint, the offering materials filed with the SEC in connection with the IPO "were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact, omitted material facts necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading, and failed to make necessary disclosures required under the rules and regulations governing their preparation." Since the time of Velocity's IPO, shares of the company's common stock have significantly declined in value, and currently trade at less than $4.00 per share. Investors who purchased or acquired Velocity's shares in connection with or following the company's January 2020 IPO may, no later than September 28, 2020 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative in the action. Velocity stockholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.) at (888) 715 1740, or by email at [email protected], to discuss this action and their legal rights and options. Additional information may also be found at http://kaskelalaw.com/case/velocity-financial-inc/. Kaskela Law LLC represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com. CONTACT: D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. KASKELA LAW LLC 18 Campus Boulevard, Suite 100 Newtown Square, PA 19073 (484) 258 1585 (888) 715 1740 www.kaskelalaw.com [email protected] SOURCE Kaskela Law LLC Related Links http://www.kaskelalaw.com The politician has called for unity. Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk has agreed to lead Ukraine's delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) at the Minsk talks on Donbas. "Despite the fact that I have seen, gone through many things in my life, and I could have had a rest, but the time for the rest has not come yet. I've made a decision if I could, and I want this to do something to facilitate the peace [process] in Donbas, I will do it until my last breath. That's why I've agreed [to the president's proposal]," he said in a video message published on Thursday. Read alsoKravchuk may replace Kuchma at Minsk talks Zelensky According to Kravchuk, the latest Normandy Four meeting and preparations for the future one are taking place at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's initiative who "is not afraid of making unpopular decisions." Kravchuk also stressed the need to unite both within Ukraine and beyond its borders. "We must look for a way and get united," he added. As UNIAN reported earlier, on July 28, Leonid Kuchma concluded his mission as Ukraine's representative to the TCG at the Minsk talks on Donbas. Zelensky said several candidates were being considered for this position, including Kravchuk and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov. The stench of the CIA and its covert operations in oil-rich Libya has long followed General Khalifa Haftar. But now another intelligence organization is being tied to the controversial military officer as accusations of extensive dealings with the Mossad are being levied against him by an Israeli journalist, who claims that Haftar met with members of the Israeli outfit in Cairo from 2017 to 2019. It is not the first time Haftar has been linked to the apartheid state. In 2017, the General reportedly coordinated with the Israeli Defense Forces IDF to bomb military positions of the so-called Islamic State inside Libya. Two years earlier, in 2015, the Jerusalem Post published an account from an unnamed Arab newspaper asserting that Haftar planned to meet Israeli officials during a visit to the capital of Jordan and struck a deal with them to exchange oil and arms for help in his push for power. The latest claims of Haftars Israeli links also involve the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is said to have mediated the meetings between the commander of the Libyan National Army and two Israeli assets named by the anonymous source as Ackerman and Mizrachi. The source, in fact, dates Haftars connections to the Jewish state as far back as 2011 when the Israeli Air Force ostensibly coordinated with the Libyan strongman to target jihadist groups who had flooded the country in the wake of Gaddafis U.S.-sponsored murder. Adding to the intrigue are parallel claims that Iran Israels sworn enemy in the region has also been providing Haftar with military aid in his campaign to topple the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, running counter to official reports coming out of Iran declaring its support for the GNA. These accusations are coming from none other than the Israeli envoy to the UN, who accused Tehran of supplying advanced weapons systems to Haftar, calling it a grave violation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), which attempts to halt the supply, sale or transfer of arms from Iran. Allies in the desert Iran, for its part, denies these allegations. In a joint press conference held by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu last month, Zarif stated that Iran wanted to have a political solution to the Libyan crisis to end the civil war and both reiterated their support for the GNA. Iran contends that Haftars main allies, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are Irans enemies and it would, therefore, make no sense for them to support him in any way, as this would only increase the influence of the Gulf states in the region. But the turmoil in Libya coupled with its immense deposits of oil and strategic geopolitical significance make Haftar a magnet for a plethora of interests vying for some measure of influence over whichever faction ends up assuming control of the country. Indeed, there is practically no country with any precedent in Libya that has not been caught trying to gain Haftars favor or better. At the top of the list is the United States. When Haftar betrayed the man he had helped put in power back in 1969, it was in Langley, Virginia a stones throw away from CIA headquarters where Haftar resided for two decades, plotting the overthrow of the Brother Leader. So it is perhaps not too surprising that a man known to be an asset of the only superpower operating in the region would attract the favor of more than one suitor, in spite of any differences between them. Israels interest What is undeniable, however, is Israels burgeoning intention to build stronger alliances with Sunni states like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all of whom are strong supporters of General Haftar. In addition, Israel has historically cultivated relationships with African despots and helped execute coups throughout the continent. Both during the conflicts that bring them to power and once installed, these authoritarian regimes help to put Israel among the top ten arms dealers in the world. The more successful Israel is in currying favor with the Gulf states and its Arab partners, the less need there will be for any pretense to hide its role in the ongoing reconfiguration of the Middle East and Africa. In June, the deputy prime minister of the eastern Libya-based government, Abdul Salam al-Badri, was reported to have sought the support of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Libya has never and will never be enemies of Tel Aviv. For the moment, such open gestures of friendship with the apartheid state are still too distasteful to be uttered in public, and al-Badri was forced to deny the report after his remarks caused an uproar in Libya. Feature photo | Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar at the Parliament in Athens, Greece, January 17, 2020. Costas Baltas | Reuters Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close NEW YORK, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robin Hood, New York Citys largest poverty-fighting organization, has issued the following statement regarding the proposed HEALS Act pending before Congress on behalf of Chief Executive Officer, Wes Moore: Our nation is at a critical inflection point in the pandemic. The decisions Congress makes now will determine our nations road to recovery and the economic stability of generations to come. In New York City alone, unemployment is nearly 20 percent, 2 million are at risk of going hungry, and more than 20,000 lives have been lost due to COVID-19. The CARES Act, along with other state and local protections, including expanded unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, SNAP benefit increases, and the eviction moratorium have helped New Yorkers survive over the past five months. Under the HEALS Act as proposed, these protections would be significantly diminished. This proposal does not put Americans on a road to recovery; rather, it is a recipe for despair that omits many of the imperative relief support systems from the CARES Act that have kept people out of poverty. These changes will disproportionately endanger the lives of low-income workers, people of color, and immigrant workers and families. Until the virus has been contained and the economy recovered, Congress must act humanely and continue to provide substantial assistance to help people meet their food and housing needs, while also increasing federal funding for Medicaid to protect their access to healthcare." About Robin Hood Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City, with models that can work across the country. Robin Hood invests nearly $120 million annually to provide legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and more to families in poverty in New York City. Robin Hood tracks every program with rigorous metrics, and since Robin Hoods Board of Directors covers all overhead, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Learn more at www.robinhood.org. Story continues Contact: Press@robinhood.org By CorpGov Editorial Staff The COVID-19 pandemic is both a health and economic crisis for countries around the world. Communities are experiencing loss of lives, businesses, and lifestyles, challenging biopharmaceutical companies to urgently develop therapeutics and vaccines that address this crisis while remaining profitable. Companies are employing diverse strategies to cope with the economic challenges and deliver public health solutions. Listed here are seven biopharmaceutical companies working to navigate this pandemic in 2020. Gilead Sciences, Inc. United States Gilead, a biopharmaceutical giant focused on research and discovery of innovative drugs, has been given the spotlight in this crisis. This is primarily due to Remdesivir, an antiviral recognized as the most promising COVID-19 therapeutic, which was recently granted Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. The drug was granted orphan drug status in March, but Gilead requested for that status be removed following heavy criticism that it would result in massive tax benefits and a long patent period keeping genericscheaper and more accessible alternativesfrom becoming available. Gilead is building a consortium of manufacturing partners to ensure supply meets global demand through 2022. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. United States Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company that researches and develops drugs and has produced seven FDA-approved treatments. The company focuses on eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, pain and rare diseases. Regenerons first quarter earnings reflected a rise in net income to $624.6 million from last years $461.1 million, revenue rose 33% to $1.83 billion, and shares surged 44% for the year making it the best performing stock in the S&P 500 index for the period. Testing and scale up manufacturing of its REGN-COV2 antibody cocktail treatment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 is planned to start in June, with the goal of having hundreds of thousands of doses available by the end of August 2020. Story continues Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd South Korea Samsung Biologics a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) provides end-to-end product development services to biopharmaceutical companies. The company recently became South Koreas third-most-valuable company (first: Samsung Electronics and second: SK Hynix) following a lucrative partnership with Vir Biotechnology to develop a coronavirus antibody therapeutic. Samsung Biologics reported $169 million in revenue 65 percent on-year increase and posted an operating profit of $51 million in the first quarter of 2020. The companys growth in profits has accelerated the plan to build a fourth plant, which will add an estimated 200,000+ liters of cell culture capacity, totaling the CDMOs capacity to over 500,000 liters, which is forecasted to exceed that of Lonza Group and Boehringer Ingelheim. Drug developers across the globe are seeking Asian contract manufacturers for the production of therapeutics, opportunistically positioning Samsung Biologics to capitalize on its massive production capacity. Eli Lilly and Company United States Eli Lilly has responded to the crisis by supporting its community and patient population and by partnering with fellow biopharmaceutical companies to develop therapeutics for the coronavirus. For example, through its Lilly Foundation, it pledged $500,000 to the United Way of Central Indianas $16.5 million economic relief fund to help organizations that serve families and individuals affected by COVID-19. The company has supported its insulin-dependent diabetic population and those who have lost jobs or insurance plans detailing how they can switch to the appropriate generic medication or limit monthly prescription costs to avoid interruption to their supply of diabetes medication and to navigate this financially unstable time. Additionally, Eli Lilly has signed an agreement with Junshi Biosciences, a China-based biopharmaceutical firm, to jointly develop therapeutic antibodies to prevent and treat COVID-19. They expect to enter into clinical testing by July 2020. Novartis AG Switzerland Novartis is focused on testing drugs for alternative uses as COVID-19 treatments and giving back to the public in this time of crisis. It committed to donating 130 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to aid the global pandemic and donated $20 million in grants to support public health initiatives. The company is currently investigating, or planning to investigate, five drugs as a COVID-19 therapeutic: Hydroxychloroquine, Jakafi, Gleevec, Cosentyx, and Diovan. In partnership with Incyte, Novartis will test Jakafi (ruxolitinib) in a second phase 3 trial for COVID-19 patients on ventilators. Additionally, Novartis plans to launch a phase 3 trial assessing hydroxychloroquine previously championed by President Trump as a treatment for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Celltrion, Inc. South Korea Celltrion is a global biopharmaceutical company known for developing the worlds first biosimilar monoclonal antibody: Remsima. The company anticipates reaching sales of $288.45 million in the first quarter, up 59.7 percent from the previous year, and expanding its operating profit to $111 million. Remsima, used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and a series of other diseases, elevated Celltrions first-quarter earnings. Celltrion also debuted a subcutaneous version of Remsima in Europe earlier this year, which has increased availability of hospital space by enabling treatment outside the hospital setting. Currently, the company is developing an antibody test and two antiviral treatments for the novel coronavirus, with clinical trials planned to begin in July. Pfizer Inc. United States Pfizer has responded to the COVID-19 virus by collaborating with other biopharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and financially supporting medical and community initiatives. Additional company success is, unfortunately, a result of patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 experiencing pneumonia, leading to an increase in sales of Pfizers pneumonia vaccine Prevnar 13. Revenue will increase depending on the success of the companys collaboration with BioNTech for a COVID-19 vaccine, but the return on investment will not be seen in the near future due to lengthy development and approval pathways. Pfizer will also face competition from other biopharmaceutical giants with COVID-19 vaccines in the pipeline, such as Johnson and Johnson. Pfizer announced $40 million in financial aid for global medical and community needs. Additionally, Pfizer, along with Eli Lilly and Merck, allowed employees with medical and lab expertise to give by back volunteering with local healthcare systems. Biopharmaceutical companies are under pressure to show compassion and demonstrate transparency and innovation regarding drug development, patient challenges, and public health initiatives. The reputations of pharmaceutical companies are at risk and their response to the COVID-19 crisis will be scrutinized and not easily forgotten. Contact: www.CorpGov.com A blogger accused of publishing false information about Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangis COVID-19 status was Wednesday charged at the Milimani Law Courts. The prosecution said the accused, Isaac Kibet, knowingly publishing false information on Facebook and on the domain dailystar.co.ke between July 23 and 24 at an unknown location in the country. According to the charge sheet, the suspect wrote: Fred Matiangi is admitted at Aga Khan ICU battling Covid-19. The super CS is said to be among the 3CSs who contracted the deadly disease. He has been missing from President Uhuru Kenyattas key events. Various sources intimated to Daily Star that Matiangi was admitted at the facility after his health deteriorated at his home where he was under self-quarantine. Kibet denied the charges before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Benard Ochoi. Through his lawyer Collins Kiprono, the accused asked the court to release him on lenient bond terms saying he is from a humble background. The court heard that Kibet recently graduated from Kenyatta University and he is a poor journalist having not secured a job. Kiprono added that his client has a fixed abode, has cooperated with the investigating officers, and will not interfere with witnesses. Noting hard economic times due to Covid-19, kindly give my client lenient bail so that he can be able to attend court, Kiprono said. Magistrate Ochoi freed the blogger on Sh50,000 bail or Sh100,000 bond and ordered him not to mention the case on any social media platform. The case will be mentioned on August 12. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) Authorities are looking into nearly doubling COVID-19 tests this August. Testing czar and national task force deputy chief implementer Vince Dizon said Thursday that the target is to get 2 million people tested for the virus by end-August. Dizon added that the 1.4 million goal for July has been surpassed, with 94 laboratories now operational. Data from the Department of Health showed 1.33 million tested as of July 28. Up to 33,000 tests can also be done per day, he added, noting that the country is now second to South Korea among Asian nations in terms of tested members of the population. In a month, Dizon expects the Philippines to have tested the most number of people. The Philippines' population is twice as big as South Korea's. RELATED: Galvez: Do not compare PHs COVID-19 situation to other countries More people are now qualified for regular tests even without showing symptoms, such as waiters, tour guides, security guards, factory workers, and hotel receptionists under the state's free, expanded testing module. The government is also considering pooled testing, a strategy currently on pilot run, to substantially expand COVID-19 tests. Pool testing involves the use of an algorithm and grouping specimens together for testing, with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque saying that the swab samples of up to 10 people may be brought together in one reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kit. If the test comes out negative, it means all of them are virus-free. "Darating tayo sa punto na ang lahat ng gustong ma-test ay pwedeng ma-test kung matutuloy natin ang pooled testing [We will come to a point where anyone who wants to get tested can do so if we push through with pooled testing]," the Malacanang official said. Roque clarified that this was what he meant when he told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that Metro Manila will be a "living experiment," saying residents will be subject to this new method of COVID-19 tests. Instead, Metro Manila may be dubbed a "model" or "pilot" location. New Impartner Program Compliance Manager first out-of-the-box solution to automate partner tiering, compliance tracking, and tier status and benefit communication to partners A staggering 60 percent of channel leaders lack confidence partners are segmented into correct tiers; 78 percent of those worry they may be overpaying partners by 20 percent Nearly 72 percent of companies say compliance administration requires at least three people SALT LAKE CITY, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Impartner, the world's most-award winning, most complete channel management platform and Partner Relationship Management (PRM) provider today announced a new solution, Impartner Program Compliance Manager, which automates partner tiering and tracking of partners' progress in complying with tier and program criteria, solving what is widely ranked as a top issue for channel managers - program compliance - second only to deal registration. Once deployed, the solution automates updating partners on their program status, benefits and what is needed to get to the next level and also lets partners check their status in a "frequent flyer" style display. Until today, a lack of a true, out-of-the-box solution meant program compliance processes for most companies were plagued by heavy, complicated, irregular, generally manual administrative work, making communicating status to partners cumbersome and errors and overpayments a regular and wide-reaching occurrence. On average, a global program compliance study of channel professionals and strategists* showed the scope and scale of the problem: 81 percent of channel programs support multiple attainable tiers, levels or program types with different compliance metrics 72 percent have at least 3 employees who work on evaluating, calculating and determining tier compliance along with sharing that out to partners, with 21 percent reporting at least 6 employees working on compliance specifically 60 percent are not confident their partners are accurately segmented into the correct tiers Of the channel leaders not confident their partners are tiered properly, 78 percent said they may be overpaying their partners by up to 20 percent, with more than half of those estimating overpayments of up to $100,000 per quarter per quarter Because of the difficulty, 42 percent of vendors evaluate, calculate and determine partner tier placement or audit program compliance only once per year 53 percent present progress to partners in an ad hoc way and then, many only upon request by the partner "One of the biggest sources of channel friction comes from vendors and partners not being aligned with status and achievements directly affecting commissions and payments that are rife with errors and frustrating for everyone," said Gary Sabin, Impartner VP of product management. "With a check box, Impartner Program Compliance Manager instantly reduces the administrative burden of channel teams and improves the ROI of their programs by giving them everything they need to automatically tier partners, track partner progress in complying with tier and program requirements, and communicate their status, benefits and what they need to do to progress to the next level - one of the most important tools in motivating partners to move up and to the right." Following are the feature highlights of the new solution: A "What If," sandbox-style feature to try out various scenarios and evaluate the balance of how partners will distribute between tiers before rolling out to partners The ability to create, edit, delete, configure and manage tier structures (a set of requirements designated for certain partner levels and regions for a given timeframe) - all configurable by channel account managers with no coding required Auto promotion or demotion of partner accounts based on tier structure rules Dashboards to allow partners to see where they stand, what their benefits are, and what is required to move to the next level Native integration into Impartner's workflow engines, allowing vendors to drive precise communications around tier changes and updates Tiering and progress reports to show current payment status of program and tier requirements as well as tier history and per period snapshot data for all tracked partner program requirements Leading IT technology analyst Peter O'Neill issues a dire warning for companies with poor, error-filled program compliance management systems. "Partners' tolerance of vendors who are hard to do business with and have poor partner management processes such as compensation support, will find themselves rapidly and increasingly behind those with those with platforms that truly support partners through their complete (digital) business cycle - including in commission transactions," said O'Neill. "Our technologies have long solved for the No. 1 problem - channel conflict - with our customers reporting globally we reduce that by 80 percent. We couldn't be more excited to bring Program Compliance Manager to life, to tackle issue No. 2, which together with our recently announced Journey Builder, can help companies worldwide choreograph and motivate partners to follow the optimal, most profitable path for both the partner and the vendor," said Sabin. For a demo of Impartner's new Program Compliance Manager and the company's full suite of channel management technologies, click here. For qualified companies, Impartner can have organizations up and running with a free POC to see live how the Impartner's multi-award winning PRM solution can help accelerate channel performance by 32.3 percent. Request a POC here. About Impartner Impartner delivers the industry's most complete SaaS-based Channel Management Platform, helping companies worldwide manage their partner relationships and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. Impartner's flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) solution is the industry's most award-winning PRM technology and one of the industry's only turnkey solutions that can deploy a world-class Partner Portal in as few as 14 days. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit www.impartner.com, or in the United States call +1 801 501 7000, for EMEA general call +33 1 40 90 31 20 and for London call +44 0 20 3283 4465. Follow Impartner on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. *Based on an Impartner global study of channel managers and top channel strategists using the Qualtrics platform; results anonymized. Contact: Kerry Desberg Impartner +1 425-231-9529 Kerry.desberg@impartner.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1222035/Impartner_Program_Compliance_Manager.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/701684/Impartner_Logo.jpg Johnson & Johnson on Thursday kicked off US human safety trials for its COVID-19 vaccine after releasing details of a study in monkeys that showed its best-performing vaccine candidate offered strong protection in a single dose. When exposed to the virus, six out of six animals who got the candidate vaccine were completely protected from lung disease and five out of six were protected from infection as measured by the presence of virus in nasal swabs, according to the study published in the journal Nature. 'This gives us confidence that we can test a single-shot vaccine in this epidemic and learn whether it has a protective effect in humans,' Dr Paul Stoffels, J&J's chief scientific officer, told Reuters in a telephone interview. J&J joined the vaccine race late than other firms like Moderna and AstraZeneca but, so far, it's the only company testing a single-dose shot regimen. Just one dose of johnson & Johnson's experimental coronavirus vaccine protected five out of six monkeys from infection. On the heels of that data, the firm launched human safety trials The US government is backing J&J's vaccine effort with $456 million in funding as part of a spending spree aimed at speeding production of a vaccine to end the pandemic, which has infected millions and killed more than 660,000 people. Stoffels said prior tests of this type of vaccine in other diseases found that a second shot significantly increases protection. But in a pandemic a single-shot vaccine has a significant advantage, sidestepping a lot of the logistical issues involved in getting people to come back for their second dose. The company plans to take up the question of one or two doses in its phase 1 trial, which kicked off this week in the United States. Depending on those results, J&J plans to start large-scale, phase 3 testing with a single-shot regimen in the second half of September. Around the same time, the company will start a parallel phase 3 study testing a two-shot regimen of the vaccine, Stoffels said. J&J's vaccine uses a common cold virus known as adenovirus type 26 or Ad26 to ferry coronavirus proteins into cells in the body, causing the body to mount an immune defense against the virus. In the monkey study, scientists from J&J and Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center studied seven different potential vaccines in 32 animals and compared the results to 20 control animals who got placebo shots. Six weeks later, all of the animals were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. All 20 animals that received the placebo developed high levels of virus in their lungs and nasal swabs. In the best-performing candidate, which J&J selected for human testing, none of the animals had virus in their lungs and only one showed low levels of virus in nasal swabs. Lab tests showed they all had developed antibodies capable of neutralizing the virus after a single shot. 'This study shows that even just a single immunization with the Ad26 vaccine leads to neutralizing antibody responses and robust protection of monkeys against COVID-19,' said Dr Dan Barouch, a vaccine researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess who led the research in collaboration with J&aJ. Allison Mahoney with a photograph of her 7-year-old German Shepherd, Buddy, who died July 11 in Staten Island, New York. Buddy the German Shepherd has died. He was the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. After months of him being ill, his owners and vet made the difficult decision to euthanize him, according to an exclusive report by National Geographic. The beloved dog died July 11 in Staten Island, New York. Buddy first exhibited symptoms of the virus in mid-April, right before his seventh birthday. He was struggling to breathe, lost weight and became increasingly lethargic. After multiple visits to three different veterinarians, heart medications, steroids and other medical interventions, Buddy was tested for COVID-19 on May 15. But it wasnt until June 2 the New York City Department of Health called the Mahoney family to tell them that their dog had indeed contracted the virus. Video: Study shows multiplying dog age by 7 doesnt add up to age in human years You tell people that your dog was positive, and they look at you (as if you have) 10 heads, Allison Mahoney told National Geographic. On the morning of his death, Buddy was throwing up clotted blood in the kitchen. Vets discovered from blood work that he almost certainly had lymphoma and the family knew nothing could be done, according to the magazine. Buddys family and doctors were unable to confirm whether it was the lymphoma or the virus that ultimately took his life. The guidance from veterinary groups including the American Veterinary Medical Association has largely remained the same since early June: Pets do not appear to be easily infected with the coronavirus, and no evidence has been found to suggest that animals can transmit to the disease to humans. Exclusive: Buddy, the first dog in the U.S. diagnosed with the coronavirus has died. His family shared their frustrations and heartbreak with @natashadaly @NatGeo https://t.co/g51I2XwuEl pic.twitter.com/AtMthkn9R7 Rachael Bale (@Rachael_Bale) July 29, 2020 The U.S. Department of Agriculture has compiled a list of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in animals each time it is found in a new species. So far, more than two dozen animals have made the list. Story continues My pet was like my son, Allison Mahoney told National Geographic. When he was passing away in front of me, he had blood all over his paws. I cleaned him up before we drove to the vet and stayed with him in the back seat. I said: I will have your voice heard, for all our furry friends. Your voice will be heard, Buddy. The familys surviving dog, Duke, tested positive for antibodies but was never sick. The Mahoneys told National Geographic they hope to pick up Buddys ashes this week. For more on this story, visit natgeo.com. Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buddy, first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the US, has died TRUMBULL The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged schools in unprecedented ways, but interim Supt. Ralph Iassogna said he is confident that Trumbull students will receive the best education possible when they return to classes. Although new challenges surely lie ahead, if we continue to expend the same energy, effort and commitment as in the past, we will succeed in moving forward the established educational priorities we have emphasized, Iassogna wrote in the school systems reopening plan submitted to the state July 24. The reopening plan, as required by Gov. Ned Lamont and the state Department of Education, contains three different models: in-school learning, distance learning, and a combined hybrid model. Even as he submitted the plan, Iassogna said he recognized that the choices could not satisfy everyone. The plan was drafted by a committee consisting of dozens of school officials, parents, the town Health Department and fire marshals office and Durham School Services bus company representatives. As with all endeavors such as this, differing opinions will be promoted and not everyone will agree with its content, he wrote. The new reality is that Connecticut schools will look differently in September, but will strive to provide our students with a productive and meaningful learning opportunity and experience. The hybrid model would split student bodies into two groups, with one group in school Monday and Tuesday, the second in school Thursday and Friday, and Wednesday dedicated to teacher planning and a deep cleaning of the buildings. The two groups of students would participate in distance learning on the days they are not in school. The primary goal is a return to in-school learning. This will best provide for the students educational and emotional needs, according to the plan. While distance learning has provided the best possible alternative during school closures, there is no substitute for in-person instruction when it comes to the quality of students academic learning, Iassogna wrote. In-person school plays an equally important role in our ability to support students social-emotional needs, including their mental and physical health, and in mitigating the impacts of trauma. He added that distance learning also had affected families work schedules by disrupting child care routines. If students are to return to school, the cooperation of their families is crucial, he said. Families must check their children daily for COVID-19 symptoms, support the wearing of a mask or face covering and continue to follow state health guidelines at home. While in school, students will be required to wear masks or face coverings, maintain social distance while in the building and wash their hands frequently. Mask breaks will be provided throughout the day. Returning to school also would require greater efforts on the part of the staff, including separating and labeling instructional materials, twice daily disinfecting of bathrooms, establishing and following one-way traffic patterns in hallways, and more. Also, meal and bus service will vary depending on the states estimates of transmission risk. Assuming schools are open, teachers will inform the kitchen crews how many meals they need for their classroom, and the food will be delivered in individual bags. High school students will be allowed to eat in the cafeteria if social distancing rules are followed. Bus service could be among the largest problem areas, he said. If schools are open for traditional in-person instruction, buses can be run at full capacity with students required to wear a mask. Students also will be required to fill the bus from back to front, to minimize the number of students they must pass. But in the event that the schools are using a hybrid model because of elevated risk, parents would be asked to transport their children to school, reserving the bus for students with no other way of getting to their building. This is because the states every other seat, every other row guidelines for such a scenario would mean that buses that normally transport 72 students would only be able to carry 12. It is simply not feasible to have six buses on every route, according to the report. Even with the plans he outlined, Iassogna said the plan could be subject to change because of changes in the states assessment of risk or if a person is known to have been in the schools with COVID-19. Such a situation would likely require a shutdown of two to five days or more. Students demonstrating symptoms while at school would be quarantined in a room with separate ventilation until a parent could take them home. Despite all the challenges, though, Iassogna expressed optimism that the return to school could be successful. With adherence to the State of Connecticuts comprehensive set of critical health and safety requirements along with the Trumbull Public Schools commitment to a safe and appropriate education, we can bring our students, staff and families safely back to schooland keep them in school, Iassogna wrote. deng@trumbulltimes.com Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Journal Staff Writer Renters in New Mexico and across the country may face a sharp uptick in evictions in the next several months, as federal protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic begin to expire. A national moratorium on evictions for renters living in homes with federally backed mortgages that was included in the federal CARES Act expired last week, potentially putting millions of Americans at risk of losing their housing stability. While New Mexico retains a separate set of rules prohibiting renters from being evicted if they cant pay due to impacts from COVID-19 following a pair of state Supreme Court rulings in March tied to the outbreak of the virus, local experts are still concerned. Patrick Ortiz, director of asset management for the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, said the organization is preparing for a spike in evictions in August, after the federal unemployment enhancement and other programs enacted at the start of the pandemic end. Once the moratorium expires and unemployment expires, there is going to be an increase in evictions, Ortiz said. We just dont know how many. While the pandemic has shuttered businesses and caused record-setting unemployment, New Mexicos rental market has been largely unaffected so far. Ortiz said MFA set aside $3 million from its housing trust fund in May to help people pay their rent during the pandemic. Two months into the program, $2.9 million remains. It hasnt been used as much as we thought it would be, Ortiz said. One major factor has been the additional $600 per week in unemployment benefits provided by the federal government. Reilly White, an associate professor with the University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management, said the infusion of cash more than doubles the amount a New Mexico unemployment claimant can receive and has helped residents stay above water on housing payments. Thats a huge amount of money, and thats kept many of these families afloat, White said. However, there is trouble on the horizon for renters as the federal unemployment assistance is slated to expire at the end of July. A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said a higher percentage of New Mexico residents didnt make their recent housing payments than the rest of the country. Nick Sly, author of the report and executive at the Denver branch of the bank, said New Mexico saw a greater share of pullback in spending during the pandemic from low- and moderate-income households. New Mexico has a different pattern in its spending in most of the rest of the country, Sly said. While no one knows precisely how many New Mexicans would lose housing, White said the burden will fall heaviest on renters who were already struggling to make ends meet. Congress is still debating another coronavirus rescue package that would extend benefits or offer them at a lower rate. In the meantime, renters at properties monitored by MFA may seek rental assistance through the mortgage authoritys website. The state of New Mexico has also made a mix of resources available for renters through its website at www.newmexico.gov/i-need-assistance/. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 10:40:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's anti-China speech last week was a "psychotic rant" and ran contrary to historical facts, said a former U.S. senior diplomat. Charles Freeman, a former veteran diplomat who worked on multiple positions in the U.S. State Department, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Pompeo's speech served domestic political agenda and his own political ambition, instead of foreign policy goals. In a hostile speech at Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum last Thursday, Pompeo groundlessly slandered the domestic and foreign policies of Beijing and instigated "the free world" to stand up against China. The speech was part of a broad anti-China campaign, and the United States is reestablishing hostility against China "as outlined in Pompeo's psychotic rant of last Thursday," Freeman said. As evidenced by a series of similar hostile public remarks by National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General William Barr, Freeman said the U.S. "China policy is now made by notable anti-China elements, who will have agreed with the many falsehoods and distortions of Pompeo's rhetoric." Standing in front of Nixon's birthplace, Pompeo asserted that U.S. engagement policy with China, originated from former President Nixon and implemented by successive U.S. administrations, was a failure because it did not change China domestically. Such a claim was entirely against the history in the opinion of Freeman, who joined Nixon's path-breaking visit to China in 1972 as the principal interpreter. Nixon had "absolutely zero interest" in changing anything but influencing China's foreign policies, Freeman told Xinhua. "Those who don't understand what engagement achieved argue that it failed to change the Chinese political system, something it was never intended to do," Freeman emphasized. The engagement was also not designed to change China's economic system, he noted. "But it did fundamentally, which was good for China, the United States, and the world." "Overall, the maneuver was brilliant," he said. The U.S. engagement policy with China bolstered the global balance and helped keep the peace, and cooperation between Washington and Beijing in the 1980s contributed significantly to the end of the Cold War. "Apparently, Americans who don't see this are so nostalgic for the Cold War that they want to replicate it, this time with China," said Freeman. Freeman also told Xinhua that some Americans were so unsatisfied with China's achievement that "rather than addressing their own country's competitive weaknesses, they are attempting to knock China back into government-managed trade and underdevelopment." Those people imagined that "decoupling" would somehow restore the economic strengths America's ill-conceived policies have enfeebled, he said. Freeman, who was U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia in the late 1980s and later assistant secretary of defense, said Pompeo's speech was a domestic political speech rather than a foreign policy speech. "Pompeo's purpose was to make a play for that part of Trump's constituency. He plans to run for president himself," he said. Yorba Linda, where Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum located, is one of the most consistently Republican cities in Orange County, about 37 miles (about 59.5 km) southeast of downtown Los Angeles in California. Pompeo was born in Orange County. Enditem The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is reviewing its relationship with ME to WE and WE Charity days after the Catholic board announced it was doing the same. On Monday, the HWDSB said it did not have a partnership with ME to WE or a connection with the WE Charity and it had made no decisions about requiring schools to limit their ties to the organization, which is in a public crisis amid questions being raised about its lobbying practices and its labyrinth of enterprises which include for-profits. The Catholic board said Monday it was reviewing its relationship in light of recent information. In an email Thursday, HWDSB spokesperson Shawn McKillop confirmed the public board will follow suit, though he reiterated the board has no partnership agreement with WE. Direction is being given to schools to have no further participation with them until a review occurs, McKillop said. McKillop said that since 2015, 17 schools have raised approximately $20,000 for WE with some attending a WE event as part of a class trip. Fundraising practices are being reviewed as part of school reopening operations, McKillop said, noting the board aims to complete the review by the week of Aug. 24. McKillop added that between 2013 and 2016, the board spent $19,772 on WE-related speakers fees and on training and resource material from ME to WE Leadership Incorporated. The board also partnered with the organization in 2009 and 2010 to host a WE event in Hamilton. In a statement Monday, WE Charity says it proactively sent a letter to school boards on July 24, informing them partnerships are on pause. As our organizations mandate evolves, as program delivery changes, and given the unpredictable nature of media cycles and the undeterminable amount of time until this matter is fully addressed, we have decided that we would like to proactively pause the formal and public relationships between school boards and WE Charity, the letter to school boards stated. The ME to WE side of the WE operations is a for-profit social enterprise corporation controlled by Craig and Marc Kielburger, who co-founded WE. The brothers testified under oath in front of an all-party House of Commons finance committee Tuesday, saying their model is far from perfect and they see a need to streamline it. Ties to the WE charity exist at the post-secondary level in Hamilton, too. McMaster University has a WE-affiliated Free the Children (FTC) club, described on its website as a group raising awareness for FTC campaigns and projects (which) picks one project a year to raise funds for. Organizers did not respond to requests for comment Thursday but the McMaster Students Union, which oversees clubs, said the group proactively expressed concern to the union about recent developments and requested administrative support. Speaking generally, the unions clubs administrator, Jenna Courage, said the union can review, amend, or discipline clubs, based on evidence of violating clubs policy. Its not clear if the club violated any policies. University spokesperson Wade Hemsworth said he is not aware of any formal connections between McMaster and WE. Marc Kielburger gave a talk on campus several years ago. Mohawk College spokesperon Bill Steinburg said Craig Keilburger was a keynote speaker at a Mohawk-hosted community summit in 2015. Two members of the students association attended a ME to WE event last year. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks to mourners at a memorial service in the Oregon District held to recognize the victims of an early-morning mass shooting in the popular nightspot on Aug. 04, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Scott Olson/Getty Images) Ohio Pharmacy Board Reverses Ban on Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to reverse its new ban on hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 infections, and the Board withdrew the proposed rule. DeWine, a Republican, said in a statement that he believes, as does Dr. Steven Hahn, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that the matter of prescribing the drug is an individual health issue best settled between a doctor and a patient. Therefore, I am asking the @OhioRxBoard to halt their new rule prohibiting the selling or dispensing of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19, the governor said on Twitter. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy and @ohiomedboard should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts, DeWine added. Cameron McNamee, Director of Policy and Communications at the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, responded to an inquiry by The Epoch Times by providing the following statement: As a result of the feedback received by the medical and patient community and at the request of Governor DeWine, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has withdrawn proposed rule 4729:5-5-21 of the Administrative Code, the statement said, with reference to the rule (pdf). Therefore, prohibitions on the prescribing of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in Ohio for the treatment of COVID-19 will not take effect at this time. This will allow the Board to reexamine the issue with the assistance of the State Medical Board of Ohio, clinical experts, and other stakeholders to determine appropriate next steps, the statement added. DeWines request followed the Boards issuance of the new regulations on Wednesday, now on hold, prohibiting clinics and pharmacies from dispensing or selling the drug. The action also voided previous approvals of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for both treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Trump said at a press conference Tuesday that the drugs safety has been borne out by a long history of its use in treating malaria, lupus, and other conditions. He added that while the science around its use in treating COVID-19 is still unsettled, many people, including doctors, believe it is successful. But the issue has become distorted by politics, Trump added. Many doctors think it is extremely successfulthe hydroxychloroquinecoupled with the zinc and perhaps the azithromycin. But many doctors think its extremely good, and some people dont. Some peopleI think its become very political, the president said. The Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine in June, which let doctors prescribe the drug even though it was untested. Studies into the use of hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 continue around the world, with researchers looking at factors like timing, dosage, and its use in combination with other drugs. Indian researchers found the drug helps prevent infection from the CCP virus and doctors in Michigan claimed the drug lowered the death rate for COVID-19 patients. Critics of its use point to a growing body of research strongly suggesting it is not effective in treating COVID-19. A recent randomized trial on the use of the drug in outpatients with early, mild COVID-19 found that hydroxychloroquine did not substantially reduce symptom severity. The overwhelming, prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News on Tuesday. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said he plans on starting a course of hydroxychloroquine after testing positive for COVID-19. My doctor and I are all in, Gohmert said Wednesday on Fox Newss Hannity, participating remotely as he remains under quarantine. The primary use of hydroxychloroquine is as an anti-malarial also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Note: This article has been updated to reflect the statement from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy indicating a postponement of the new rule. Republicans have suggested decreasing the amount of unemployment aid from $600 a week to $200 a week, with state programs eventually replacing federal assistance. But Democrats say that is unacceptable when so many in the country are still out of work. "I want to make it clear that the $600 is something that ought to be in this bill," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters Wednesday. Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in late March to address business closures and historic unemployment numbers caused by shutdowns in the early days of the pandemic. CARES Act provisions that provided a $600 weekly boost to unemployment insurance for tens of millions of Americans who lost their jobs are due to expire this weekend. Congress appears unlikely to negotiate an extension of those benefits by their self-imposed deadline at the end of July. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows were again on Capitol Hill Wednesday for talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Both sides acknowledge they are far from agreement on a final figure for the aid. Republicans are proposing close to $1 trillion in the HEALS Act, while Democrats are using the $3 trillion HEROES Act passed earlier this year as their starting point in negotiations. The White House and U.S. lawmakers are rapidly running out of time to negotiate a second massive round of aid that would address the twin economic and health crises in the United States caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Mnuchin is proposing a short-term bill that would extend those benefits while allowing lawmakers to depart the Capitol for their traditional August recess in their home districts. But Pelosi has already rejected a "piecemeal" approach to the negotiations. Republican leadership is also facing significant disagreement from within the ranks of their own party, with some members concerned the government cannot continuously pour money into addressing the crisis while the national debt rises to nearly $25 trillion. After previously dismissing the Senate Republicans' proposal as "nearly irrelevant," President Donald Trump suggested to reporters Wednesday, "We ought to work on the eviction so that people don't get evicted. We work on the payment to the people, and the rest of it we're so far apart, we don't care. We really don't care. We want to take care of the people." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday the Republicans' proposal would provide "another round of cash for households -- more than $3,000 for an eligible family of four, with even more support for adult dependents. Another round of additional federal unemployment benefits, assistance which will otherwise simply expire. And another targeted round of the Paycheck Protection Program to prevent even more layoffs and keep paychecks coming to American workers." But House Democrats and some Senate Republicans have objected to unrelated provisions in the bill. Schumer Wednesday detailed Democrats' concerns that the proposals favor corporations over average Americans. "The Republican bill has a tax break for three-martini lunches, but no food assistance for hungry kids," he said. "There's $2 billion for a new FBI building whose location will increase the value of the Trump hotel, but no funding to help state and local governments retain teachers, firefighters, bus drivers and other public employees." Both the HEALS and HEROES proposals would provide varying levels of aid to assist with the reopening of schools and childcare centers when the school year is set to begin in the fall. McConnell has also said he would not bring any bill up for a vote on the Senate floor without provisions protecting schools and businesses from being sued if workers, customers or students contract the coronavirus. Hoyer told reporters that House Democrats will be on call next week if Senate Republicans and Democrats can reach an agreement and pass legislation. Once the Democratic-controlled House passes the new round of aid, it will head to Trump to be signed into law. NASAs next-generation Mars rover Perseverance blasted off from Floridas Cape Canaveral on Thursday atop an Atlas 5 rocket on a $2.4 billion mission to search for traces of potential past life on Earths planetary neighbour. The next-generation robotic rover - a car-sized six-wheeled scientific vehicle - also is scheduled to deploy a mini helicopter on Mars and test out equipment for future human missions to the fourth planet from the sun. It is expected to reach Mars next February. It soared into the sky under clear, sunny and warm conditions carried by an Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance. The launch took place after the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California where its mission engineers were located was rattled by an earthquake. This marked NASAs ninth journey to the Martian surface. Perseverance is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists suspect could bear evidence of potential past microbial life on Mars. Scientists have long debated whether Mars - once a much more hospitable place than it is today - ever harbored life. Water is considered a key ingredient for life, and the Mars billions of years ago had lots of it on the surface before the planet became a harsh and desolate outpost. One of the most complex maneuvers in Perseverances journey will be what mission engineers call the seven minutes of terror, when the robot endures extreme heat and speeds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, deploying a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to gently touch down on the planets surface. This was scheduled as the third launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China. The state from which the rover was launched, Florida, is currently one of the hot spots in the United States for the coronavirus pandemic. Aboard Perseverance is a four-pound (1.8 kg) autonomous helicopter named Ingenuity that is due to test powered flight on Mars for the first time. Since NASAs first Mars rover Sojourner landed in 1997, the agency has sent two others - Spirit and Opportunity - that have explored the geology of expansive Martian plains and detected signs of past water formations, among other discoveries. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under a program that envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the more ambitious crewed journey to Mars. Perseverance will conduct an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planets surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. The rover also is intended to help bring Martian rock samples back to Earth, collecting materials in cigar-sized capsules and leaving them in various spots on the surface for retrieval by a future fetch rover. That planned rover is expected to launch the samples back into space to link up with other spacecraft for an eventual Earth homecoming around 2031. (Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. Verification and registrar choice After we receive the payment and verify it, we will reach out via email to confirm which registrar you want the domain transferred to. We also provide a link to our tracking system, where you can communicate with us, check on the status of your transfer, view your invoice, and download your logo files. In most cases, if a domain is moved between accounts at a single registrar, the transfer is quick and usually completes within 48 hours. If a domain changes registrars (in other words, you would like to move it away from where it is currently registered), the transfer is slower. The total transfer time can then be anywhere from 48 hours to 7 days. BrandBucket has vetted and supports the following registrars: GoDaddy Namesilo Uniregistry NameCheap Google Domains Network Solutions Name.com Dynadot Amazon Route 53 123 Reg Gandi 2. We request the name from the seller. Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. South Africa: Citizens urged to report social relief corruption Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has called on members of the public to report any acts of corruption in relation to the distribution of governments COVID-19 social relief. The Minister said this when she made an executive statement to the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon. Her statement comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a coordinating centre that will bolster efforts aimed at investigating corruption in relation to social relief grants, procurement of personal protective equipment and distribution of food parcels. I hereby reiterate my unflinching commitment to this House, the President of South Africa, the taxpayer, and the nine state institutions that the President mandated to deal with the theft, abuse, misappropriation and mismanagement of the COVID-19 response funds. I immediately offer to assist the processes that are designed to investigate related misconduct by anyone whatsoever in the Department of Social Development and its entities. Furthermore, I encourage members of the public to report misconduct in the areas of, for instance, the distribution of food parcels, social relief grants, the procurement and overpricing of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and COVID-19-related medical supplies, etc, she said. Five million COVID-19 grant applicants paid to date Zulu said, meanwhile, that through the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the Social Development portfolio developed new grant administration and payment systems for the special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant for the unemployed. Under this, qualifying applicants will be receiving R350 of this grant per month over the six-month period that is ending in October. The COVID-19 social relief stimulus package that the portfolio innovated and will be administering until October alleviates the beneficiaries day-to-day challenges. To date, we have received 7.8 million COVID-19 SRD grant applications. The special COVID-19 SRD grant payments have duly been paid into the accounts of five million of these applicants. This number represents those that were found to be eligible and whose information has been verified by various databases, she said. Mitigating effects of COVID-19 Zulu said the department, its entities as well as the private sector and civil society partners are hard at work to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each and every South African, particularly the vulnerable. Together, we are the Social Development Portfolio. The portfolio approach has been particularly beneficial in the face of the unprecedented social development challenges that accompany the COVID-19 pandemic, where we needed to harness and improve resources and programmatic efficiencies and uncover and mobilise social innovations. The COVID-19 pandemic flung open our doors to learning. For this reason, we learn from one another as much as we learn from others. This is how we continue to improve our programmes. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. It's the nude that bothers Fabrice Fourmanoir. The way she's painted is "unsightly" and "vulgar," quite unlike the Polynesian women of his mind's eye. Nor does he like the way she's artificially inserted on the canvas, part of what he calls an "uninventive assemblage" with no coherent symbolism. Yet there she stands, hanging in a place of honor on a wall at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, in a painting titled "The Invocation," attributed to Paul Gauguin. But Fourmanoir's roving, inquisitorial eye doesn't stop there. He's similarly bothered by another painting, this one at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, titled "Women and a White Horse." Though it's labeled as a Gauguin, its signature is "very weak," he opines. And the background vegetation looks more like Tahiti than the Marquesas Islands, where Gauguin was living when he was supposed to have painted it. Fourmanoir isn't your average weekend art sleuth. The life and works of Gauguin have consumed him for many decades. These two paintings make him suspicious, so much so that questioning their integrity has become a personal crusade. He thinks they're impostors, and he won't rest until there's a full investigation. Born in Calais, France, Fourmanoir, 63, might once have been dismissed as a crackpot, a wannabe who would never be welcomed into the sophisticated enclave of art scholarship. But since January he's gained some standing in this forbidding world, after playing a leading role in a blush-inducing admission by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles that a Gauguin sculpture, purchased in 2002 for a reported $3 million to $5 million, is not actually by Gauguin. Now, even as some of the most renowned art scholars continue to look with withering skepticism at Fourmanoir's motives and his shaggy past, he plans to make the most of his newfound status. He has his sights set on paintings in several major museums. But his latest proclamations present another test of his credibility. Fourmanoir is rattling the gates not just of the most prestigious museums in Boston and Washington, but also the greater world of Gauguin scholarship, contending that almost all of the celebrated post-Impressionist's final works - as many as 13 paintings displayed at famous museums in such places as Prague, Jerusalem and Zurich - are clever fakes. Is Fourmanoir a grand illusionist or an art savant? A publicity hound or an earnest truth-seeker? Or is he a beguiling concoction of all those things? - - - Fourmanoir has been thinking and dreaming about Gauguin ever since he heard a story told to his grandfather by the French auctioneer Maurice Rheims. An old woman had stopped Rheims on the street in Paris and asked him to look at a painting wrapped in newspaper. It was a still life by Gauguin, which Rheims subsequently sold for what was then a record price. As a child, says Fourmanoir, "every time we saw Rheims, I asked him to tell me again and again this extraordinary" - and likely apocryphal - "story. He did it every time with the same emotion he had that 1956 day." It was this story, he says, that gave him "the wish to be an art treasure hunter and also a Gauguin connoisseur." Like Gauguin, who spent time in the French navy and merchant marines, Fourmanoir loves boats, and literature. When he was 18, inspired by the writings of Joseph Conrad and Herman Melville, Fourmanoir set off to sail the world for the better part of three decades. "I start like the first sentences of Melville in 'Moby Dick,' " he says, when asked to provide a short bio. "Call me Fabrice (Ishmael). Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - I was a ... young man smuggling Chinese porcelains, guns, and cigarettes between communist China and the Philippines with the Sulu Islands pirates and fascinated by the beauty of island girls. One day I discovered Tahiti which I knew before only by the paintings of Paul Gauguin and the books of Melville, (Robert Louis) Stevenson, (and Jack) London." Fourmanoir liked Tahiti enough to settle there, opening a small gallery and marrying three Polynesian women in succession. Over the years, his Gauguin obsession deepened. At a Paris auction in 1992, he bought a trove of Gauguin ephemera (letters, notes, drawings and photographs). This led to collaborations with a few Gauguin scholars, including Elizabeth C. Childs, who thanked Fourmanoir in her book "Vanishing Paradise: Art and Exoticism in Colonial Tahiti." Fourmanoir says he lost all of his money during the financial crisis of 2008-09, after which he divorced "my last Tahitian wife." - - - Gauguin, along with Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cezanne, is one of the three great Post-Impressionists and one of the best-known artists in history. On the rare occasions when his paintings come on the market, they can fetch tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet, today more than ever, Gauguin is a highly divisive figure. To his admirers, he was one of the last great romantic adventurers, a former stockbroker who sloughed off bourgeois conventions and voyaged across the world to live out a dream. He was, they say, a visionary artist who was determined to learn from other cultures, and who used his expanded awareness to make some of the most ambitious, original works of the modern era. To others, however, he was a scoundrel - a man who abandoned his wife and family, traveled to Polynesia and shamelessly stole creative ideas from cultures he barely knew. Worse, he exploited his colonial prestige to have sex with teenage girls in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands, inspiring a pernicious myth that fed into the blight of modern-day sex tourism. When he decided to travel to Tahiti, Gauguin had imagined himself living "free at last, with no money troubles" and able "to love, to sing, and to die." But in Tahiti and later in the Marquesas Islands, a remote section of French Polynesia, the artist was not free. After painting his masterpiece "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" in 1897, he tried to commit suicide. Four years later, he relocated to the Marquesas, where he built a two-story hut he dubbed the "Maison du Jouir" (House of Pleasure). There he was embroiled in squabbles with local authorities and ravaged by injury and illness. In his final months, after Vaeoho, his pregnant, 14-year-old Marquesan wife, had left him to await the baby's birth with her grandmother, Gauguin had serious eye problems, and the "Maison du Jouir" reeked so badly from the rot of his ulcerated leg that few could stand to be near him. Most scholars agree that by his death at 54, in May 1903, the artist was not in any state to be turning out masterpieces. His end was "truly pitiable," according to George Shackelford, who organized a 2003-04 exhibition about Gauguin in Tahiti. "I mean, he was really, really, really in extremis. ... That he was painting at all in the first months of 1903 is almost miraculous." And that's just it: Fourmanoir thinks Gauguin wasn't painting, which is why he believes all of the canvases attributed to him in 1903 are forgeries. He claims - sensationally - that the forgeries were commissioned by Gauguin's art dealer, Ambroise Vollard, who wanted to profit from a sudden surge in the demand for Gauguin's work. - - - "The Invocation" was accepted by the National Gallery of Art as a gift from John and Louise Booth of Michigan in 1976. When The Washington Post's art critic, Paul Richard, saw it displayed in the gallery in the company of other Gauguins, he described it as "the weakest picture in the room." "Its brushwork is clumsy, its colors muddy, its South Sea maidens crudely drawn," he wrote. Remarking on the painting's connection with other Gauguins, including "Women and a White Horse" and "Where Do We Come From?" (also at the MFA Boston), Richard noted that "uninventive forgers often assemble fakes from such half-familiar images." "Were 'Invocation' by another painter," he wrote, "its authenticity might be questioned." Fourmanoir has taken up where Richard left off. Of course, it is easier to cast doubt on the authenticity of paintings that are already weak. Art scholarship has traditionally been built on a model of mastery (on the artist's part) and connoisseurship (on the scholar's). You could tell something was by Jan Van Eyck or Leonardo da Vinci because it was demonstrably better than work by their imitators. But in the modern era, this model broke down as such artists as van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso tried to "unlearn" conventional ideas of virtuosity and skill, embracing new ways of painting that were often deliberately awkward or clumsy. Even in these new, mold-breaking modes, modern artists had good days and bad. But admirers of Gauguin don't like to admit that an artist capable of "Where Do We Come From?" was also capable of very ordinary paintings. So they are left with a choice: They can acknowledge that in 1903 Gauguin was sick, his powers waning. Or they can reach for an explanation that is both more dramatic and less injurious to the artist's reputation: The weak pictures must be fakes! Shackelford, a former department head at the MFA who is now senior deputy director at the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas, knows both "Invocation" and "Women and a White Horse" well. He feels positive about the latter painting: Despite "moments of ineptitude," he says, "there's a loveliness to the overall patterning of the colors." The museum itself, according to MFA spokeswoman Karen Frascona, has "confidence in the attribution of 'Women and a White Horse'" - although she notes that "we always remain open to new scholarly research about works in our care." As for "The Invocation," Shackelford says he once looked at it "very closely" in the company of NGA senior conservator Carol Christensen. "I came away from that telling them, 'Don't worry about this painting. It's correct.' And I also said, 'But it's not very good.'" In fact, he tells me, it's "really pathetic. But if you understand where it comes from" - a reference to Gauguin's circumstances in the final months of his life - "it's literally pathetic. The fact that the gallery doesn't cherish it (is one thing), but I hope that they don't doubt it." An emailed statement from the NGA, however, implies that some uncertainty persists: "We have looked hard at ... 'The Invocation,' discussing it with scholars and including it in research projects," wrote spokeswoman Anabeth Guthrie. Gauguin's late works, she continued, present particular challenges - he was often ill, and living in the Marquesas - and there are few reliable documents relating to his production there." - - - Talking to Fourmanoir about Gauguin, who was fond of alter-egos and pseudonyms and loved sowing confusion, can give you an uncanny, hall-of-mirrors feeling: one unreliable narrator telling a story about another. The self-described "iconoclast" and "adventurer" now resides in Sayulita, a small village in Mexico that is popular with surfers. He lives off savings and occasional sales of art works. When we speak over WhatsApp, he wears no shirt and moves about a large, open room with sunlight pouring in. Other Gauguin scholars have more resources, but Fourmanoir likes being unbeholden to museums or universities. It also helps, he believes, to have certain things in common with Gauguin, including his love of Tahitian women, which he says allows him to get inside Gauguin's "skin and mind." He believes his biggest asset is that - unlike almost every Gauguin specialist - he has lived in Tahiti and the Marquesas. "I know Polynesian," he says, "I know their culture, legends, language, philosophy, magic beliefs and their way of living." Still, Fourmanoir gets overexcited, and he can be prone to exaggeration. Aspects of his own biography, too, fall apart upon examination. He claims, for instance, to have co-owned the first draft, written in Gauguin's hand, of "Noa Noa," the artist's account of his life in Tahiti. He says they sold it to the Getty Research Institute for $2 million, but the manuscript was actually sold to the Getty by the Boston-based book dealer Ars Libri, for $132,000. When challenged on this, he attempts alternative explanations and eventually shrugs it off. Still, Fourmanoir's role in the Getty's painful decision to downgrade its sculpture - from Gauguin to "Unknown Maker" - has made it harder to ignore him. - - - No one had seen "Head With Horns" until 1997, when it emerged in an exhibition in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the South of France. Five years later, it was displayed at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Scott Schaefer, then a senior curator at the Getty, saw it and persuaded his employer to buy it. It was subsequently shown as a genuine Gauguin in exhibitions at Tate Modern in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. But a few people, including Fourmanoir, had been expressing doubts about it as early as 2003. Several things troubled Fourmanoir: the absence of a signature, the unusual pedestal, the sculpture's smooth surface. There was also a huge gap - almost a hundred years - in the sculpture's provenance (the documented history of its ownership). The experts Schaefer consulted before buying "Head With Horns" all vouched for its attribution, with good reason: Gauguin had pasted two photographs of the sculpture into his "Noa Noa" manuscript and made drawings and prints featuring the work. So its appearance in 1997 seemed like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. But in 2017, Fourmanoir drew the Getty's attention to a photograph of "Head With Horns" in an album at the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris. The album's owner, Jules Agostini, had clearly photographed the sculpture in the Marquesas Islands in 1894, a year before Gauguin and Agostini first met. The chance that Agostini owned a photograph of a work by Gauguin before they met seemed extremely remote. So, after widespread consultations, the Getty concluded that "Head With Horns" could not be by Gauguin. The museum had purchased the sculpture from New York's Wildenstein Gallery, an art dealer with a storied history that includes many well-publicized lawsuits. Wildenstein's independent offshoot, the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, is sponsoring the research and upcoming publication of the Gauguin catalogue raisonne, the comprehensive, annotated listing of all known works by the artist. One of the most authoritative voices supporting the attribution of "Head With Horns" to Gauguin was Rick Brettell, who was heading the catalogue raisonne project. Several people I spoke with believe the Wildensteins had a financial interest in the sale of "Head With Horns." Putting the Wildenstein Institute (a forerunner to the Wildenstein Plattner Institute) in charge of the catalogue raisonne, one scholar told me, was "a little like putting the fox in charge of the hen coop." Brettell is a former director of the Dallas Museum of Art and one of the world's foremost authorities on Impressionism and post-Impressionism. He has terminal cancer and declined to speak by phone. But in an email he sent me before being admitted to hospice, he said the revelations around the Agostini album haven't altered his opinion of the sculpture's authenticity. In a stinging rebuke, he wrote: "I am unpersuaded by the arguments of M. Fourmanoir and his followers at the Getty Museum that have allowed that distinguished museum to formally downgrade their great late sculpture. I am confident that, in the fullness of time, this work will be returned to Gauguin." In his email, Brettell, who has three degrees from Yale University, described Fourmanoir as "a very persuasive publicity seeker." Unfazed, Fourmanoir has turned his attention to the much broader claim that several great museums - not just the NGA and the MFA Boston, but also the National Gallery in Prague, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the E.G. Buhrle Foundation in Zurich - are displaying forged Gauguins. If he is right, he says, the credibility of Brettell and the Wildenstein Plattner Institute's catalogue raisonne will "collapse." - - - Many of Fourmanoir's quibbles with the Gauguins are speculative, as he freely admits. He believes that the female figures in "The Invocation," for instance, lack "the charisma" of Polynesian women, and that Gauguin wouldn't have painted the central figure - who is based on the most prominent figure in "Where Do We Come From?" - without a loin cloth and with pubic hair. He is certain, what's more, that Gauguin would not have painted the white cross in the background of both paintings, because he loathed the local bishop who had the cross erected and because, from the paintings' implied viewpoint, the cross would have been "hidden by big trees" in 1903. Observation-based claims of this kind often rest on questionable assumptions. (What counts as a "weak signature?" And was Gauguin only painting what he saw?) Yet they can be first steps in the discovery of forgeries, and Fourmanoir believes they reinforce his main argument: that both paintings have a suspicious, unexplained gap in their provenance. There is no record of Gauguin shipping the two paintings from the Marquesas to his dealer in Paris. And since they were not listed in the inventory of his home's contents after he died, Fourmanoir says they must be by someone else. June Hargrove, an internationally renowned expert in French art, thinks he could be right: "It may be just that straightforward," she says, adding that the lists "don't jibe, making it logical to conclude that the mysterious additions are fakes." But other scholars see holes. Caroline Boyle Turner - a specialist in Gauguin's final years in the Marquesas - speculates that the paintings might have been taken from Gauguin's studio by locals, or traded to other Europeans living on the islands, and made their way back to France from there. Gauguin might also have consigned them to sailors passing through. He was not a good record keeper, she notes, and his life was falling to pieces. "I think there are possibilities for things getting left off lists," says Shackelford. - - - Art historians and curators tend to be wary of getting tangled up in debates about attributions. But it's not always easy to stay above the fray. In 1997, the Art Institute of Chicago bought a ceramic sculpture called "The Faun" for an undisclosed sum, said to have been around $125,000. They believed it was by Gauguin, and its authenticity was backed by the Wildenstein Institute. The Chicago museum subsequently included "The Faun" in "Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South," widely regarded as one of the greatest exhibitions of the past half-century. But six years later, a brilliant forger named Shaun Greenhalgh was convicted of money laundering in connection with a forged sculpture that had been acquired by the British Museum. Allusions were made in the trial to other, untraced forgeries. The Art Newspaper's Martin Bailey (who was later one of the first to question the Getty's "Head With Horns") picked up on a reference to a sculpture sounding like "The Faun" and traced it to the Art Institute. "The Faun" was soon declared a forgery. Such incidents leave a stain, which is why many scholars are reluctant to raise awkward questions that might embarrass the institutions they depend on. Plus, where there's a suspected forgery, there's the potential of becoming entangled with criminals. Hargrove told me that years ago, when she was starting to raise questions about the authenticity of sculptures attributed to Auguste Rodin in a private collection, a colleague warned her off: "I don't want to find you floating face down in the Potomac," he said. - - - In April, in an hour-long demonstration over Zoom, Shackelford used his expert eye to show me similarities between the two Gauguin paintings in question and other paintings known to be authentic. He focused on physical details: Gauguin's distinctive parallel brushstrokes and the way he applied the ground layer of paint, leaving areas of raw canvas at the edges. "Now, Fabrice would say, 'Well, that's something the faker copied.' And he could be right. ... The faker could be working from the known pictures that had ... come from the Marquesas in the last shipment and he could be saying, 'I'm going to copy these in their every detail, including the kind of canvas they're on and the way the ground is prepared.' He might even have been able to use the very same pigments Gauguin used. But to me, everything about the way they're made leads me to believe they're by Gauguin." The day after I spoke with Shackelford, Fourmanoir gave me a 90-minute, online slide show addressing details in not only the NGA and MFA works, but also other problematic Gauguin paintings from 1903. He argued that the leaf in a work supposedly made in Tahiti is not from any Tahitian plant, that the thatching on a roof in another painting is not Tahitian-style and that the walls of a hut in another work are higher than they should be. - - - When you stand very close to a painting by an Impressionist or post-Impressionist, it is thrilling to see the individual brushstrokes, but you tend to lose sight of the bigger picture. In the same way, focusing on the details of Fourmanoir's claims can blind you to the magnitude of what he is claiming. The idea that Ambroise Vollard, the most important dealer in the history of modern art, might have commissioned forgeries is shocking. Vollard was close to the Impressionists Degas, Renoir and Cassatt, and played a leading role in the careers of Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse. And yet no scholar I spoke to seemed to think fraud was beyond him. Some artists felt Vollard exploited them. They used his name as a pun connected to "voleur," meaning "thief." (Matisse, who profoundly distrusted him, called him "Fifi voleur." The artist Emile Bernard called him "Vole-art.") Fourmanoir believes that when Gauguin died and a potentially lucrative romantic legend began taking hold, Vollard added to his dwindling stock by commissioning forgeries. "Vollard knew what he was doing," Fourmanoir says. To deceive people, he says, the dealer and his forger based the faked paintings on monotype drawings known to be authentic, "so if you pick up that the paintings correspond to these drawings you think they are authentic. So smart!" The only way to try to settle the issue, everyone agrees, is to subject the paintings to technical analysis. It wouldn't be difficult, or even expensive, according to Shackelford, and even though it might not be conclusive, it could produce information for or against the attribution. He explains: "Let's look at the canvas. Say there were an imperfect thread in 'Women and a White Horse' and with X-rays we could see that the same thread runs right across the middle of 'Contes Barbares' (a 1902 painting recognized as authentic). That would suggest that the two paintings were painted from the same bolt of cloth, which makes the chance that it was painted in Paris completely invalid - unless a forger got hold of some blank fabric that came from the Marquesas, which is unlikely. "Alternatively, you could look at the paint through XRF - X-ray fluorescence. This would produce a map of the elements - like cobalt or lead - that are present on the canvas." If you compared six paintings looking for anomalies and "they all ended up containing the same ingredients, with nothing that shouts out as being wrong, that would be pretty powerful evidence." If there were inconsistencies, he pointed out, that would raise a red flag. In news that delights Fourmanoir, Guthrie told me that the NGA has discussed subjecting the paintings to scientific analysis, believing it to be "the most effective way forward." She said the museum plans to resume those discussions "when the Gallery curatorial and conservation staff can come together again, in the near future." When I ask Fourmanoir whether he thinks he has embarrassed experts like Brettell and Schaefer he says: "For sure." "I am free," he adds. "I can say what I like. They cannot. The science will say I'm right. It's too bad for Rick because all his credibility will collapse." But Fourmanoir's own credibility - compromised by a penchant for fabrication and evasion - also is on the line. "All of (Fourmanoir's) idiosyncrasies don't necessarily mean that he is wrong," Shackelford says. "But they don't fill you with confidence that he is right, either." The criminal investigation department (CID) will investigate into illegal registration of agricultural property in the district. According to Haryana laws, for registration of agricultural land less than two kanals, its owners had to take a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the authorities before a sale. HT had earlier reported over 120 property registrations were carried out in Gurugram without an NOC from the department of town and country planning (DTCP) during a part of the Covid-19 induced lockdown period between April 20 and May 4 Officials privy to the CID investigation into the matter said that all registries carried out between April and July will be scrutinized by the departments CM Flying Squad. Inderjeet Yadav, deputy SP (CID) CM Flying Squad, Gurugram, said that they have sought details from the revenue department. Yadav said that the registrations carried out without NOC from DTCP are in hundreds in various tehsils of the district and these were carried out in unauthorised colonies mostly. These deeds allow the property dealers to sell plots in unauthorised areas and this also boosts illegal colonies, said Yadav. Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, Gurugram, had also confirmed last Friday that instances of registries in violation of norms had come up and disciplinary action would be taken against officials under civil services rules. Action will be taken against such officials, he had said, adding that a systemic solution will also be brought about by the state government to curb these malpractices. The new NBU governor says the Central Bank will remain independent. Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko told Reuters on Wednesday the government was fulfilling its commitments under a US$5 billion loan deal with the International Monetary Fund. Marchenko's comments, given via his press office, came after the IMF's representative to Ukraine declined to answer a question in an online discussion on whether the program remained on track, Reuters said. Read alsoUkraine's new chief banker: IMF remains key partner The shock resignation in July of Central Bank Governor Yakiv Smolii, who complained of political pressure, rattled investors and raised doubts over whether Ukraine could stick to the IMF deal, which is conditional on the central bank's independence. "Ukraine continues to fulfil its commitments under the IMF memorandum," Marchenko said. IMF Resident Representative in Ukraine Goesta Ljungman was asked whether the program was on track. "I will refrain from answering," Ljungman said. "We have a program with Ukraine. In that program, Ukraine has made a number of commitments." Smolii's successor Kyrylo Shevchenko has made reassuring noises to investors and the IMF about stability and keeping the central bank independent. But he has stressed the need to make loans cheaper for struggling businesses and consumers, which President Volodymyr Zelensky's government and lawmakers have also called for. Breonna Taylor is now the first person to cover O, The Oprah Magazine besides Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey, who has been featured on the cover of every issue of the magazine for 20 years, announced the Taylor cover Thursday. Taylor, a Black emergency room technician, was fatally shot in March by police in Louisville, Kentucky after they used a battering ram to enter her apartment after midnight, when she was sleeping. She was 26. She was just like me, Winfrey said in a tweet and the magazines story about why Taylor is on the September cover. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter. I think about Breonna Taylor often. Winfrey, 66, who spoke with Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, said the cover not only honors Taylors life, but also the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon. Born June 5 1993. Killed by police March 13 2020, the cover says. Her life matters. A Winfrey quote accompanies Taylors image: If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it. The cover image is a rendering of the selfie Taylor took that has been shared widely by protesters and celebrities who have been calling for the arrest of the police responsible for her death. As our nation confronts the abhorrent reality of police brutality against Black Americans, one thing is incumbent upon us all: to bear witness, Winfrey wrote as part of the magazines story about the cover. Digital artist Alexis Franklin, 24, worked on the covers portrait based on Taylors photo. O includes an animation showing how she created the image. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful, Franklin said in the story. It was critical for me to retain that. And there was a sparkle in Breonnas eyes a young Black woman posing in her Louisville EMS shirt, happy to be alive. How Oprah Magazine's Historic Breonna Taylor Cover Came to Life: The image was created by self-trained 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin. https://t.co/9B5VqbWlHU O The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) July 30, 2020 So many things were going through my mind, the artist continues. Breonnas life, mostly, and how it ended so abruptly and unnecessarily. The magazine asks readers to use the hashtag #SayHerName as well as sign petitions to demand justice for Taylor in Kentucky and call on state and police officials to demand officers are fired and charged with Taylors killing, and donate to the Louisville Community Bail Fund to help protesters. Brett Hankinson, one of the Louisville officers involved in Taylors death was fired in June for wantonly and blindly shooting 10 rounds into Taylors apartment as officers pursued a narcotics investigation with a no-knock warrant. The suspects did not live at that address and no drugs were found. Two other officers involved in Taylors death Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove are still employed. Taylor was with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, when the officers entered her home without warning. He fired his gun after they heard banging at the door. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping, Winfrey said in her story about the cover. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem. What I know for sure: We cant be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. 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 decision to abolish visa requirements for Chinese citizens for entry into Ukraine will not affect relations with other countries. "The formation and implementation of visa policy, including the introduction of visa / visa-free regimes for foreign nationals is a sovereign right of every state... There is no link between such a decision by Ukraine and the policy of other countries towards China. Accordingly, this decision cannot affect Ukraine's relations with other countries," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated in response to an inquiry from Radio Liberty. As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a temporary visa-free regime for Chinese citizens entering Ukraine for tourism purposes. From August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021, Chinese nationals can enter Ukraine and transit through Ukraine for tourism purposes with 30 days of permitted duration of stay in 180-day period. On July 21, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a visit to Europe that Washington wanted to form an international coalition to counter China's influence and accused Beijing of using the pandemic to advance its own interests. ol Authorities in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang have shut down all eateries as well as takeaway and food delivery services due to the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. From 1:00 pm Thursday, July 30, all businesses selling food and drinks in Da Nang, which is now the largest COVID-19 epicenter in Vietnam, will be shuttered, according to a decision by the municipal Peoples Committee. They are also banned from operating takeaway or delivery services. Stores that sell foodstuff and other essential items are still allowed to remain open. Construction works in the city are permitted to carry on during this period, but all workers must wear face masks and keep at least a two-meter distance from each other. The Da Nang administration requested district-level authorities to continue intensifying COVID-19 prevention and control measures, and promptly detect any community-based infection to react promptly with quarantine procedures. A store selling essentials and foodstuff remains open in Da Nang City, Vietnam. Photo: Doan Nhan / Tuoi Tre The central Vietnamese city has documented 34 locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases since Saturday. Nine other community-based cases have also been recorded in Quang Nam Province, Quang Ngai Province, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dak Lak Province. The government has decided to reinstate enhanced social distancing in Da Nang for at least 15 days from Tuesday, similar to measures enforced nationwide in early April, when Vietnam was at the peak of the pandemic. Authorities in the coastal city have banned crowded events, shuttered non-essential services, and stopped receiving domestic tourists to prevent the virus from spreading. Vietnams COVID-19 tally was at 459, with 369 having recovered as of Thursday afternoon, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Rome, Italy Thu, July 30, 2020 07:40 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5efd8 2 World Italy,state-of-emergency,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Italy's parliament on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to extend the country's state of emergency until October 15, allowing the government more flexibility to fight the lingering coronavirus pandemic. The state of emergency serves primarily to cut red tape and accelerate decision-making for the government when faced with disasters such as earthquakes, floods and other catastrophes. Italy was the first European country to be hit by the coronavirus crisis and a more than two-month lockdown dealt a severe blow the economy. The decree had been set to expire on July 31. Italy's Senate on Tuesday night gave its approval to extend the state of emergency, followed by the chamber of deputies on Wednesday, which voted 286 to 221 for the measure, with five abstentions. "Unfortunately, the pandemic today is not fully over, even though its effects are more contained and geographically limited," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Wednesday, assuring MPs that the extension did not necessarily mean new lockdowns. More then 35,000 people have died due to coronavirus in Italy, which has seen more than 246,000 infections. PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maarten is faced with a new and seemingly more severe outbreak of the Covid-19 respiratory virus. This time, however, more and more people and businesses are prepared and have already implemented safety measures to prevent infection and to minimize the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, a prevention and mitigation system is as strong as its weakest link. The key element of a successful safety management system is to create a culture whereby the entire society shares the same safety values, upholds the measures, and commits to individual responsibilities. Global successes, or failures, of safety management systems, are becoming clearer and clearer, whereby we have seen in the United States how inconsistent policies and messages (a broken chain), affects an entire society. In stark contrast to the latter, East Asian countries like Taiwan, have successfully stopped the spread of the virus. Their society proactively protects one another from disease and understand the value of the overall safety management system. It also helps that cultures in most Asian countries, are collectivist in orientation, and although the virus in Taiwan is under control and there are no signs of new community outbreaks, most people are still wearing facemasks in public. Their mentality is that society must protect each other, its not only to protect yourself but also to protect others in case you are carrying the virus. At the beginning of the outbreak health officials where against public use of facemasks, because scientists did not yet know how easily COVID-19 spreads between people without symptoms, and how long the virus can linger in the air. Further to that, there was a shortage of respiratory masks among health care workers, which caused a push back from health officials towards public use. Today, most scientists and health officials are emphasizing that we must wear masks if we want to save lives and the economy. The Director of the Center for Control and Disease and Prevention (CDC) has stated that if all wore face coverings for the next 12 weeks across the nation, this virus transmission would stop. The main reason facemasks are so effective is that it protects other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected and doesnt have symptoms, which happens about 80% of the time. Recent studies also indicate that wearing a mask also protects you as an individual. The less virus load you get in, the less sick you are likely to get, and you get what is called asymptomatic infection. In some cases, you may not have any symptoms at all or a very mildly. To mask or not to mask? PJIAEs Covid-19 prevention and Mitigation Taskforce is very clear about this question. Early facemask policies in many East-Asian countries curbed the spread of Covid-19 and saved many lives. Early in March, PJIAE committed to a $300k investment in upgrading its safety measures, protecting staff, the airport community, and Sint Maartens visitors. A considerable amount of investment has gone to different types of Facemasks. Today, it can be concluded as undoubtedly proven that Facemasks are the most effective personal protective equipment. PJIAE also made it mandatory that all airport users must wear a mask once entering the airport. PJIAE also received backing on the enforcement of this rule by formal instruction of the Minister VSA, Richard Panneflek, based on article 44 section 1 of the Public Health Ordinance (Lv0 Publieke Gezondheid AB 2016 no. 42), and further supports the Ministers decision to make it mandatory for persons to wear masks in public places. Other than the investments PJIAE made in Facemasks, PJIAE also trained all its staff and its airport community members with proper usage guidelines. It is important that everyone educate themselves on the importance of wearing Facemasks and how to use them. For those who are interested in the proper usage of Facemasks and other safety measures, as well as PJIAEs prevention and mitigation measures, please follow PJIAEs online. 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. Covid-19 patients likely not infectious beyond 9 days Covid-19 patients are unlikely to spread infectious virus particles beyond nine days after symptoms begin, even though virus is detectable in the nose and throat and stool for much longer, according to data compiled by UK researchers from 79 studies. RNA, the genetic material of the virus, was detectable in throat swabs for an average of 17 days from symptom onset, and for up to 83 days. But RNA itself is not infectious, lead researchers Muge Cevik and Antonia Ho told Reuters in an email. PCR tests that diagnose Covid-19 are so sensitive they can also detect non-viable genetic material, they explained. Studies that attempted to culture infectious virus were not successful beyond day 9, the researchers reported on medRxiv on Tuesday ahead of peer review. "Many studies agree patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection have very high viral load...in the first week of illness (and) seem to be most infectious from symptom onset to day 5," Cevik and Ho said. "This suggests many people by the time they are tested are already beyond their most infectious period," so those who suspect they may be ill should isolate themselves right away. People without symptoms are also likely most contagious soon after becoming infected, they said. Follow latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic here Survivors of severe Covid-19 face nerve, muscle problems Doctors expect that people with severe Covid-19 who survive weeks on a ventilator will face a well-documented condition called ICU-Acquired Weakness. The condition leaves long-term intensive care unit (ICU) patients with nerve degeneration, muscle wasting, and debilitating weakness. Doctors at one large UK hospital say a significant proportion of their ICU patients with Covid-19 also develop a nerve condition called "axonal mononeuritis multiplex," with severe pain, loss of sensation, and movement problems confined to isolated regions on their limbs. Of 69 patients with severe Covid-19 who were discharged from the ICU after spending an average of a month on mechanical ventilators, 11 (16%) had axonal mononeuritis multiplex. While nerve damage is well recognized as an occasional complication of intensive care, "our experience suggests that such deficits are common and frequently disabling in patients recovering from Covid-19," they wrote in a paper posted on Wednesday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. "Given that this complication is evident in a significant proportion of the patients...the rehabilitation burden globally could be substantial," they said. New T-cell data may point way to longer-lasting vaccines Researchers who examined immune cells from 35 New Jersey patients recovering from Covid-19 have discovered that 90% of their foreign invader-killing T cells aim for targets other than the spike protein on the surface of the virus - the current focus of many vaccines in development. This suggests "that second-generation vaccines will need to incorporate these targets to generate long-term immunity to Covid-19," Gavin MacBeath of TScan Therapeutics told Reuters. Killer T cells, also known as cytotoxic or CD8+ T cells, clear viral infections and appear necessary for long-term immunity to coronaviruses, he explained. His team also found that "patients' CD8+ T cells recognize the same, relatively small number of targets that are unique to the novel coronavirus and don't tend to mutate, paving the way for diagnostic tests that detect immunity based on T cells," MacBeath said. The findings were reported on Monday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. ] Beware of the reach of coronavirus "superspreaders" People with Covid-19 are unlikely to transmit the virus via exhaled droplets unless they are "superspreaders," researchers said in JAMA Network Open on Monday. But because there is no way for the average person to identify a superspreader, everyone should wear masks, they said. Researchers looked at data on the viral load in sputum and swab samples from coronavirus patients and available information on patterns of microdroplets exhaled and coughed by healthy individuals. They calculated that in a closed room about the size of a small office, most infected people would not put much virus into the air. But a person with a high viral load could put out a substantial amount of infectious material when simply breathing normally, they said. Emissions can be further boosted if such individuals are coughing, singing, shouting, and moreso when combining those activities with physical exercise, Michael Riediker of the Swiss Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health told Reuters. Emissions from a coughing superspreader even in well-ventilated rooms can result in airborne concentrations that bring along a serious risk of infection, he added. Washington: Leading Republican politicians have forcefully rejected US President Donald Trump's suggestion that the November 3 election may need to be delayed because of concerns about mail-in voting, insisting the election must go ahead as planned. Trump tweeted on Thursday morning, US time: "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP Later, speaking at the White House, Trump said he believed the election would be be "fraudulent", "fixed" and "rigged". "I don't want to have to wait for three months and then find out the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything," he said. Theres a time limit on this public health emergency, and the public health emergency that he declared has expired, Esenberg said. You cannot read the law to say that the time limit can be avoided by simply declaring a new one. Ryan Nilsestuen, Evers chief legal counsel, said the new public health emergency is in response to an entirely different situation than what the state faced in March, due in large part to rising positive cases of COVID-19 statewide. Were in a very different situation than we were before, Nilsestuen said. Out of control Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway endorsed the mask mandate, saying the pandemic is out of control in much of Wisconsin. She said Republican leaders in the Legislature have abdicated their responsibility to protect the public from illness and death. I hope that the courts will support this inexpensive, common-sense measure which has been proven to reduce the transmission rate, Rhodes-Conway said in a statement. There may be a decline in customer demand and prices as well as an increase in cancellation by buyers as a result of COVID-19 prompting real estate investors to assess the impact of the pandemic on their businesses before investing, stated a report. A decline in customer demand and prices is expected on account of the pandemic, not to mention the increase in cancellation by customers, the report titled Transaction Considerations Arising Due to Covid-19 has said. The risk of cancellations would be higher wherein customer equity is lower than the decline in the market value of the unit. There will be a major impact of deferment in cashflows from sold receivables due to delayed payment by customers, the report highlighted. Investors would also have to guard against elongated timelines for liquidation of unsold inventory. "Investors such as private equity funds who invest into real estate should factor in their business plan, the increased possibility of the slowdown in sales velocity and possible customer cancellations on the cash flows Kuldeep Tikkha Partner & National Leader Transaction Diligence, EY told Moneycontrol. 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 As far as working capital and cashflows are concerned, there may be a mismatch in monthly inflows and outflows and increased subvention costs. There is likely to be a funding gap in projected monthly cash inflows versus outflows. Given that the potential mismatch in monthly inflows and outflows is likely to go up as payment capacity of customers reduces due to liquidity issues faced by buyers on account of COVID-19, developers should commercially assess the sales velocity of unsold inventory and accordingly plan their cash flows, he said. There is also the risk of a potential increase in developers cash outflows under the subvention scheme. There would have to be a management plan in place to service accumulated interest and principal repayment at the end of the moratorium period, the report said. With regard to claims from vendors and customers, these too may also get delayed. Investors would have to take into account the ageing of vendor claims and liabilities and agree with contractual terms with respect to idle time claims. Barter arrangement, if any with vendors for settlement of claims/liabilities by the handover of units in the project. They would also have to keep a tab on the timelines committed, force majeure and customer right to interest claim under customer agreements for delays in handover of the units, the report said. Vendors may also ask for idle time claims on account of machinery and labour not being mobilized on the construction site, Tikkha said. PE investments in residential real estate amounted to 1,708 million dollars with 31 deals in 2019 and 224 million dollars for five deals in the first half of 2020, as per EY analysis. As far as commercial real estate is concerned, a weaker outlook for rentals and leasing activity, in general, is predicted. Long term space requirement by tenants may reduce and there may be an impact on mark-to-market premium, the report said. Investors would have to plan for changes in space requirements by key tenants due to increased work-from-home and higher area per person due to social distancing norms. It should be noted that some tenants have been adversely impacted by the pandemic especially industries such as aviation, tourism, travel. In-place rentals with market rentals and assess mark to market (MTM) potential on new leasing/releasing. Industries that may shift to India to de-risk the supply chain and time frame for the shift to happen. A tenant who is outside the lock-in period may renegotiate. There may also be an impact on revenue and Net Operating Income (NOI) or profits due to rent deferrals and deferment in escalation. Some tenants may enter into long-term renegotiations on lease terms. There may be a reduction in any visitor linked revenues such as the use of parking, restaurants and shopping. Revenues earned by investors is likely to get reduced in case tenants ask for lease cancellation or rent waivers. This may dent investors revenues. Investors would, therefore, have to keep in mind tenants requests for deferment/waiver during lockdown period or plan against legal notices, areas with tenants outside lock-in or leases nearing expiry, explained Tikkha. Investors would also have to assess the impact on the Common Area Maintenance (CAM) and other costs. There may be an increase in CAM cost due to regular sanitation and monitoring procedures, the report said. Investors may have to re-assess budgets with regard to additional costs due to sanitisation, changes in air filters, scanning of visitors and ability to pass these costs to tenants as also assess tenants willingness to absorb an increase in CAM cost post-COVID-19, the report added. As per EY analysis, PE investments in commercial real estate amounted to 4,418 million dollars for 34 deals in 2019 and about 96 million dollars in the first half of 2020 for five deals. - A Ghanaian internet fraudster has revealed he went to Benin and made KSh 280 million as a result - According to him, this happened back in 2009 when he pounced on a rich woman he wanted to take money from but the process proved futile - A traditional priest in Ghana recommended Benin to him after finding out that the task was beyond him A man who practises internet fraud in Ghana has revealed how he went to Benin in 2009 where he performed many black magic rituals and made KSh 280 million within a short amount of time. The man narrated the entire scary story in the snippet of an interview with GhOne TV seen by TUKO.co.ke. READ ALSO: 5 legendary radio personalities who have remained faithful to the trade The man also revealed that they used black magic to send the woman to her maker. Photo: Facebook/UGC Source: UGC READ ALSO: Am I supposed to be in the morgue for people to believe I have COVID-19? Jeff Koinange poses According to the man, whose name is withheld, he met a rich woman in 2009 who had a lot of money but did not want to give it out. To get a portion of the wealth, the man visited a traditional priest in Ghana who said the task was beyond his level and recommended he go to Benin. On the way to Benin, the commuters crossed two strange rivers to the site where only a special language was being spoken. There, the man narrating the story says he was informed the rich woman was part of a serious occult group and was a 'free-agent'. READ ALSO: Serge Aurier: Brother of Spurs star Christopher shot dead in France READ ALSO: Mwanamke Mkenya afariki dunia baada ya kugonjwa na lori Marekani According to the Benin priest, who appeared and disappeared at the shrine, the woman's occultic group was so strong that they needed to seek permission from India to be able to carry out the plot. Until permission was granted, the wealth-seeker was required to sleep in a coffin for a week. Subsequently, the rich woman was influenced to send KSh 280 million through a fraudulent deal after which she was spiritually eliminated so she would not take any revenge. The man confirmed she collapsed at the bank right after sending the money and that was how he got all his wealth. Waaaaah! Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. I married a man every woman wanted - Pastor Joan Chege | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Korea's national debt-to-GDP ratio is rising faster than during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 2008 global financial crisis, prompting urgent calls to buffer the country's fiscal health. The Korea Economic Research Institute in a report Wednesday warned that the country's debt is expected to rise W111.4 trillion on-year to W840.2 trillion this year based on government figures, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio up 5.4 percentage points to 43.5 percent. In 2023, the national debt is forecast to exceed W1,000 trillion and the ratio over 50 percent. Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of an FIR lodged against her in Patna to Mumbai, where probe in the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput is taking place. Republic TV on Thursday accessed the petition filed by Rhea and the following points were made: Rhea in her petition is seeking transfer of the investigation being conducted in Bihar to Mumbai. In her petition, she has said that she was in love with the late actor and claimed that she 'is in trauma after his death'. Rhea further also stated that the current case will come under the jurisdiction of Bandra Police Station, Mumbai. She has contended that Sushant's family should have registered FIR in Bandra Police Station. She has alleged that there is a serious apprehension that 'she will not be treated fairly' in the investigation conducted by Bihar Police. Rhea has also alleged that FIR filed against her is 'entirely misconceived' and that the case has been filed only to 'harass her'. In her petition, Rhea has also alleged that she has been 'victimized and trolled' on social media platforms with various threats. The move of Rhea filing a petition came a day after Rajput's father KK Singh lodged a police complaint in Patna against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, accusing them of abetting the actor's suicide. Advocate Satish Maneshinde, who is representing Chakraborty, said he has filed a petition in the apex court seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai. Ankita Lokhande breaks silence, tells Arnab 'Sushant couldn't be depressed' In her plea, Chakraborty has also sought a stay on the probe by Bihar Police on the FIR lodged by Rajput's father till disposal of her plea in the top court, the lawyer said. Earlier, in a Twitter post, the actress requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to initiate a CBI inquiry in the matter. The 34-year-old actor was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14. Sushant Singhs bank statement accessed, shows huge transactions for Rhea's expenses (with PTI inputs) Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the town of Amherst will require that people wear face coverings in its downtown starting Monday, news outlets reported. At an emergency meeting on July 27, the towns Board of Health approved an order requiring anyone above the age of 5 to sport a face covering while in what officials called the COVID-19 Required Face Covering and Mask Area, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. The area includes the Amherst Business Improvement District, and its boundaries are the University of Massachusetts to the north, Amherst College to the south, Lincoln Avenue to the west and Triangle Street to the east, according to the Gazettes report. Face coverings must be worn within the area, regardless of the distance between people, the Gazette reported. People will be first fined $50 for violating the offense. A $100 fine will be issued for a second offense, and violators will receive a $200 penalty for any further offenses, according to the newspaper. Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman told the Gazette the order is primarily about protecting public health, and fines will not be prioritized. City officials in Northampton, located less than 20 minutes away from Amherst, have taken a similar approach to try to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. In mid-May, the Hampshire County citys Health Department amended its face covering order to require that the people cover their faces when going to a variety of public spaces, such as Florence Center and downtown Northampton as well as all parks, bike paths and trails, like the Mass Central Rail Trail. Wearing face coverings has proven to be an effective measure in staving off transmission of the coronavirus, and in May, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an order requiring people to cover their faces in public spaces when social distancing is not possible. According to public health data, the town of Amherst has reported 107 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, while the state as a whole has confirmed more than 116,000. Related Content: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Wednesday from moving forward with plans to deny green cards or permanent citizenship to immigrants who have received Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers, even on a limited basis a wealth test that several states, led by New York, sued over during the coronavirus pandemic. The judge, George Daniels of the US District Court in Manhattan, granted a nationwide temporary injunction, suspending the eligibility requirements that were introduced last year and have drawn several legal challenges, including before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in January that the Trump administration could move forward with the plan, but that was before the pandemic. In the past, green card applicants who relied on social services as their primary means of financial support or were institutionalised could be denied permanent residency under what is known as the public charge rule. But fewer than 1 per cent of applicants were previously disqualified on public charge grounds. Donald Trump has sought an expansion of the requirements, but critics argued that they could have a chilling effect for legal immigrants who needed medical treatment or financial aid during the pandemic. Recommended White House prepares order banning undocumented immigrants from census Mr Daniels wrote that the policy fails to measure up to the gravity of this global pandemic that continues to threaten the lives and economic well-being of Americas residents. No person should hesitate to seek medical care, nor should they endure punishment or penalty if they seek temporary financial aid as a result of the pandemics impact, he added. It was the latest immigration clash between Democrats and the Trump administration, which was thwarted by the Supreme Court last month from ending a programme protecting about 700,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation. This month, the administration walked back a plan to strip visas from international students who took only online classes. This is a major victory to protect the health of our communities across New York and the entire nation, attorney general Letitia James of New York, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday night. The lawsuits plaintiffs included New York City, Connecticut and Vermont. Attorney general William Tong of Connecticut, a Democrat, said in an interview on Wednesday night that he expected the Trump administration to appeal the ruling. I dont think theres any doubt that the president plans to continue his war on immigrants as long as hes president, Mr Tong said. Mr Tong said that applicants for green cards or permanent citizenship would forgo trips to the doctor or applying for food stamps to avoid being penalised. This is a big win for the rule of law and for fairness and public health, he said. This is about how utterly unsafe and insane it is to try to deter people from seeking treatment for Covid or any other condition in the middle of a pandemic. New York Times Vietnams government said Wednesday it is stepping up measures against a sudden wave of coronavirus infections in the country. The latest outbreak came after 100 days without any reported cases of COVID-19. At the governments daily COVID-19 meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said The outbreak this time has a high risk of spreading to other big cities and provinces around Da Nang. Over the past five days, officials confirmed 34 new cases of infections coming from the popular beach city of Da Nang. They included an American who had been in Da Nang and his partner. The two are now hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City. A woman in the central highland area of Dak Lak also tested positive for the coronavirus. She had worked at Da Nang Hospital. In the capital city of Hanoi, health officials closed a restaurant for disinfection after a worker tested positive for the coronavirus. The man had recently returned from Da Nang. The government estimates that tens of thousands of tourists left Da Nang after the outbreak. They included 18,000 who returned to Ho Chi Minh City, the business center of the country. The government on Tuesday suspended all flights to and from Da Nang for 15 days. The prime minister told state-broadcaster VTV that Da Nang must go under strict lockdown and other popular cities had to be more watchful. With over 95 million people, Vietnam had managed to keep its coronavirus infections to about 450 cases. It did this with an aggressive program of quarantine and contact-tracing. Vietnam is the most populous country in the world to have recorded no deaths from the virus. And until now, the country reported no local infections for more than three months. The source of the new COVID-19 infection in Da Nang remains unclear. But Vietnamese scientists have said this strain of coronavirus appeared to be more infectious than the earlier one. They said it is similar to the one found in Bangladesh, Britain and Ireland. The government has not officially linked the new cases to illegal immigration. But Prime Minister Phuc has ordered police to restrict illegal entries. And state media on Sunday said police in Da Nang had arrested a 42-year-old Chinese man. He was suspected of smuggling people across the border from China. Adam McCarty is chief economist with Mekong Economics in Hanoi. He told VOA, It could be another outbreak, and its really sort of scared the Vietnamese, because they thought theyd gotten through it all, but as the rest of the world discovered, this thing spreads much quicker than you think. Jack Nguyen is a partner with the firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City. He said, Were hoping it doesnt spread out, because if it does, theyll do another lockdown, and its going to impact business hard. Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh and her family just canceled their planned vacation in Phu Quoc Island. She told the website VNExpress "I would rather lose the money than risk getting infected on a plane or at the airport. Even staying in Hanoi makes me nervous." Tay Bac, a popular travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City, said that over 20,000 Vietnamese have canceled their summer vacations, as of July 26. And some even canceled tours during the month of September. Im Jonathan Evans. Hai Do wrote this story for VOA Learning English with additional reporting from VOA, Reuters, Associated Press and VNExpress. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story outbreak n. the sudden appearance of an infectious disease or conflict test positive v. to have a medical test find evidence of a disease lockdown n. a situation in which people are told to stay in their homes for security reasons quarantine n. keeping a person apart from others in an effort to stop the spread of an infectious disease strain n. one of several kinds of closely related organisms smuggling n. to move people from one country to another illegally or secretly Taliban militants prepared by the Pakistan Army Special Service Unit in Jalalabad, Afghanistan are now contemplating attacks in several areas of India on the occasion of the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 and the beginning of the Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya. After failing to target the public in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Eid-ul-Fitr in May, Taliban terrorists who were trained by Pakistan Armys Special Service Group in Jalalabad, Afganistan are now planning attacks in some parts of India on the anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 and the occasion of commencement of the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. According to the latest intelligence input, which is a compilation of multiple information received in the last few weeks, terrorists have planned attacks on Independence Day (August 15) as well. After the detailed advisory by the Intelligence agency, security in Ayodhya, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir have been tightened. Advisory says that around 20 Taliban members were being trained by Pakistan Army, SSG in a location in Jalalabad, to undertake an attack in Jammu and Kashmir after Eid-ul-Fitr, possibly between May 26 and May 29, 2020, however, terrorists could not execute the attack due to adequate alertness of security forces. Also Read: Ram Lalla to don green attire with navratnas on bhoomi poojan day The input also says that Pakistan Army would facilitate the infiltration of 20-25 these trained cadres through International border/Line of Control (along J&K) and five to six such cadres through India-Nepal border. Security agencies have assessed that the attack would coincide to mark the anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 or during the Independence Day celebration on August 15. Terrorist attacks on the occasion of commencement of construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on August 5 also cannot be ruled out, they said. Terrorists are planning to carry out attacks on August 5 or 15, 2020 and keeping in view of sensitivity, troops have been asked to be more cautious and alert to thwart such incidents. According to officials, agencies concerned and police have been asked to keep strict vigil and coordinate as per the standard operating procedures. NEW HAVEN The COVID-19 pandemic turned a pro-union rally into a car caravan Wednesday, with more than 500 vehicles, honking and displaying signs, riding past Yale University President Peter Saloveys house on Wednesday. Union locals 34 and 35 are beginning contract talks with the university, and union and city leaders repeated the mantra, Yale, Step Up! and increase the number of union jobs as well as help New Haven homeowners and schools with higher financial contributions. The current contracts run until Jan. 23, 2022, but union leaders and community activists said they want to hear that Yale will support those who have kept the university running during the pandemic. I say its the largest car caravan in the land since COVID-19, shouted the Rev. Scott Marks of New Haven Rising. No backing up. Aint no stopping us now. Were going forward. ... The universitys austerity does not equal Yale, Respect New Haven. Marks and others said the pandemic has shown who the most vulnerable people are the Black and brown residents of neighborhoods such as Newhallville who have suffered the most cases and deaths, and who are a large part of Yales unionized workforce. He said COVID-19 has only increased the suffering of people who cannot support their families. Half of the Black population is unemployed. There is pain, Marks said. In addition to COVID, he said people of color suffer more from home foreclosures, asthma, childhood poverty and hunger, violence, absentee landlords and so much more. Yale can go a long way to alleviating those problems with good jobs, he said. Mayor Justin Elicker said, This COVID crisis has exposed what many of us already know, making a disproportionate impact on people of color, and it is time that we change the trajectory. Im going to tell you a number, and it is $3.8 billion what Yale spends every year on its operations. Meanwhile, our city is cutting 100 positions from the government, including programs that provide needed services to residents and to the citys school system. He said Yale must invest more in its host city. That means funding more guidance counselors, that means funding more librarians, that means funding job programs that can ensure that Black and brown residents are working to construct the Q House, Elicker said. It is time for Yale University to do their fair share and now is that time. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart issued a statement Wednesday in which she said, Yale is not proposing pay cuts for existing employees. It is important to note that Yales wage and benefit structures far exceed the market, even among higher education peers. We anticipate achieving a fair contract with Locals 34 and 35. She also said, Yale has paid its staff their full pay and benefits through the pandemic, including premium pay for those reporting to campus during the first two-and-a-half months. Yale has continued pay and benefits despite the fact that a significant number of union staff have not been fully deployed since mid-March, given the change in Yales academic, patient care, and other services caused by the pandemic. Yale has continued this commitment with the Yale community and New Havens interests in mind. Other speakers included state Sen. Gary Winfield, state Reps. Al Paolillo and Robyn Porter and Alder Richard Furlow, D-27, who said, Every resident in the city of New Haven deserves a quality of life where they work one job to provide for their families. Laurie Kennington, president of Local 34 Unite Here, which represents Yales clerical and technical workers, said, as cars rolled by on Hillhouse Avenue, I never thought I would be so happy to see gridlock like this. I understand we have essentially shut down the city of New Haven and formed a giant picket line around the campus of Yale University. Kennington said union members have been keeping these buildings clean, cleaner than ever. Youve been keeping the lights on. Others have kept computer systems running while working from home. Theres a lot of Zooming happening right now, she said. She added that you have to have some good jobs to keep things going. New Haven is a company town. Yale is that company. She said the city could not afford to keep soap in her childs school restroom when the pandemic hit in March. Thats because there is no money. Thats because Yale is not paying taxes. Yales academic property is tax exempt, but Peart said Yale pays $5 million on its non-academic properties and is the citys third-largest taxpayer. Yale Universitys $12 million voluntary payment in [fiscal 2020] to the City of New Haven was the highest from a university to a host city anywhere in the United States, Peart wrote. It represented a 44 percent increase from the payment that was made three years earlier. Tyisha Walker-Myers, president of the Board of Alders and chief steward of Local 35, representing service and maintenance workers, said, Its really simple for me in Local 35 We are the people who keep the university going, working in dining halls and as electricians and plumbers. She said if Yale doesnt hire more workers and invest more in the city, We will shut this whole city down. Im kind of getting sick and tired of people saying the unions are why the city is in bad fiscal shape. My constituents want jobs. We want to go all the way up the ladder. Were not part of your city; youre part of ours. Other speakers included Hyclis Williams, president of the school paraprofessionals union Local 3429 and Kiyana Flores, who will be a senior at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, who said New Haven Public Schools cannot continue in this tremendous deficit. Our options have run out. We need Yale to pay its fair share. Barbara Vereen, organizing director of Local 34, said, We live in a city that is in crisis. But one thing Im happy about is that I have a good union job, which has enabled her to put three sons through college. Im proud of generations of people who came before me to build a good union standard. It looks like Yale is using this crisis as an excuse to move us backwards. Reed Miller, a doctoral candidate in environmental engineering and a member of the coordinating committee of Local 33, said, Faculty diversity at Yale is abysmal. A mere 4 percent of tenure-track faculty are Black and a mere 3 percent are Hispanic. Only 25 percent are women, he said. He said Yale has put in place a hiring freeze on faculty and called on the university to reverse that freeze if it is to have any hope of meeting its diversity goals. Peart wrote that, while Yale has a $30.3 billion endowment, much of that money is restricted and the university has invested millions in New Haven through the Promise program for college-bound students and other ways. Through our Yale Community for New Haven Fund, we have awarded approximately 80 grants to date to local New Haven organizations, including funding over $600,000 to address local food insecurity, $250,000 to the New Haven Public School District for laptops and over $100,000 in PPE resources throughout New Haven, she said. She said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a $200 million negative impact to date for the university. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 Joe Biden has pledged to announce his long-awaited pick for running mate by the end of next week. During a press conference on Tuesday, the former VP said, Im going to have a choice in the first week in August, promising to let reporters know when I do. Earlier this year, Biden vowed his pick would be a woman, leaving political talking heads and commentators to opine on his field of choices. Democratic Senator Kamala Harris was quickly identified as a probable contender, though its been reported that not everyone in the Biden camp was pleased. Former Senator Chris Dodd, a member of Bidens vice presidential search committee, was reportedly concerned about Harris after she refused to apologise for embarrassing Biden on the first Democratic debate stage, righteously taking him to task for working with segregationists and landing on the wrong side of history on the issue of school bussing. She laughed and said, Thats politics. She had no remorse, Dodd allegedly said, as reported by Politico. And now a number of Bidens supporters and most influential donors are reportedly working to stop Harris from becoming vice president, too, arguing that she is too ambitious and will be solely focused on becoming president herself. Those clutching their pearls at the mere thought of a womans sincere motivation to ascend to a higher position of power seem to have no issue with Bidens unyielding aspiration to become president, no matter what. Biden has ran for president three times in 1988, 2008, and now and while he declined to run in 2016, not even eight years serving as vice president of the United States could assuage his desire to one day sit behind the Resolute Desk. And still, Biden has been branded a dedicated, life-long patriot, hellbent on securing the highest office in the land at the tender age of 77 not because hes blinded by ambition, were told, but because he feels a deep sense of duty to restore order to a crumbling nation. His twice-failed attempts to be elected president were not used as a sign he would attempt to siphon power from eventual President Barack Obama, either. In fact, per The New York Times, Biden was considered a political heavyweight with limited political horizons, and those around Obama assumed that would ensure loyalty and minimal drama. Experience is to a mans capability and potential for loyalty as that same experience is to a womans threatening presence and questionable motives. Of course, this is not the first time a woman who dares to exist in the political sphere has been labelled too ambitious. Fox News editor Chris Stirewalt said Senator Elizabeth Warren came off as too ambitious, too needy, too much during her 2020 presidential candidacy, adding that Warrens stench of need, the rapacious hunger, and the unshakeable thirst for votes reminded him of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In January of last year, noted anti-choice zealot Alexandra DeSanctis wrote an article titled The Opportunism of Kristen Gillibrand for the National Review, in which she labeled the Democratic senator nothing if not a shrewd, calculating politician. And Kimberly Ross, who is also anti-choice, wrote an opinion article for the Washington Examiner titled Stacey Abrams feels entitled to power, which is why she shouldnt get it in April of this year, arguing Abrams feels entitled to the vice presidency and is obsessively ambitious. In fact, numerous studies have shown that a womans likeability, be it in the boardroom or on the debate stage, isnt dependent on her success or acumen, but her ability to project warmth and make those around her feel comfortable. Americans know that the country as a whole would benefit greatly if more women were in positions of power. According to a 2018 Pew Research Center study, 69 percent of Americans say having more women in top positions in business and government would improve the quality of life at least somewhat for all Americans. The same survey found that the majority of Americans believe women in leadership positions do a better job of reaching compromises, standing up for what they believe in, and are better equipped to serve as role models for children. Biden seems to know it, too. An AP photographer captured the soon-to-be Democratic nominee for presidents handwritten notes as he took questions from reporters on Tuesday. At the very top was the name Kamala Harris, and underneath the senators name read: Do not hold grudges, Campaigned with me & Jill, Talented, Great help to campaign, Great respect for her. In theory, Americans like the idea of a woman in a leadership position, and the majority believe when given the opportunity, a woman will do a better job as a leader than a man. But in practice, we despise everything that is required of women in order to secure and hold those positions. Instead, we seem more than happy to simply dangle an empty seat at the decision-making table in front of women who aspire to more, proud to be a country where those positions exist for women, but dedicated to ensuring they remain either vacant or burdened by sexism and misogyny. Many still believe the mantra that behind every successful man is a woman, and they like it that way: a woman playing a supporting role to a mans career, just as she might once have done for her husband. It is impossible to know for sure who Biden will pick as his running mate prior to next weeks announcement. But if it is 77-year-old Biden who walks away from what is sure to be a contentious 2020 presidential election victorious, we should all hope nay, expect his right-hand woman to be prepared, dedicated, confident, knowledgeable, and ambitious enough to step into the weighted shoes of the president, should the need arise. The Congress Rajya Sabha MPs met on Thursday, in a meeting presided over by interim party president Sonia Gandhi who is completing her one-year term as the interim chief in August. The Rajya Sabha MPs demanded in the meeting that Rahul Gandhi should be brought back as party president to handle the political crisis. Sources said Rajiv Satav, PL Punia and Digvijaya Singh were the prominent members who demanded that Rahul should be brought back. Earlier this month, during a meeting with Lok Sabha MPs, a similar demand was raised in the presence of Rahul Gandhi. The meeting also discussed the Rajasthan political crisis and sources said that some leaders suggested that Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia should not have been given so much prominence. More grassroots-level leaders should be promoted in the party to quell defections and deceptions, they said. The party discussed the pandemic issue, Chinese transgressions and the new educational policy announced by the government on Wednesday. The Congress is gearing up for the parliament session expected to be convened next month. The party has been cornering the government on the issue of economic mismanagement, Chinese transgressions and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country . Shares in Glaxosmithkline fell after the British drugs giant warned that a drop in vaccinations during the coronavirus crisis could hurt profits. Lockdown made patients less likely to visit the doctor and get a jab for diseases such as shingles, hepatitis and meningitis, sending vaccine sales 29 per cent lower in the second quarter. If that continues, profits this year could fall by more than the 1 per cent-to-4 per cent already forecast. Looking for answers: Lockdown made patients less likely to visit the doctor and get a jab for diseases such as shingles, hepatitis and meningitis The warning came just hours after Glaxo and French partner Sanofi agreed to supply the UK with 60m doses of a potential Covid-19 jab. Despite the initial buzz from that deal rallying its shares, they fell 3.2 per cent, or 50.8p, to 1553.8p yesterday. The drop in vaccine sales to 1.1billion was below even the 1.3billion expected by financial analysts. Booming sales of Glaxo's shingles vaccine, shingrix, have been a persistent bright spot in recent years even as growing competition for older drugs has threatened to eat into its other sources of income. And while inoculation of children is now back to pre-Covid19 levels, adolescent and adult vaccination is not. Glaxo boss Emma Walmsley said: 'In the second quarter, with lockdown measures, we have seen an impact on people's willingness, or being able to access vaccines.' Asked about the price for the Covid jab in Britain, she said Glaxo did not expect to profit from the product. Overall, group turnover fell from 7.8billion to 7.6billion in the three months to June 30. That included a 5 per cent drop in sales of pharmaceuticals, after a rush of customers early in the pandemic used up its stockpiles of medicines. Consumer healthcare products were up by 25 per cent, and second-quarter profits rose from 1.3billion to 2.6billion. However, for the full year, earnings are expected to fall. Walmsley said the numbers overall showed Glaxo remained 'resilient'. The firm held its quarterly dividend at 19p per share. Odisha's COVID-19 tally surpassed 29,000 on Wednesday after 1,068 people tested positive for the virus, while the death toll rose to 159 with five more patients succumbing to the disease, a health department official said. The total number of patients in Odisha now stands at 29,175, he said. The five deaths, including three women, were reported from Ganjam, Balasore, Kandhamal, Malkangiri and Puri districts. A two-year-old girl from Bhadrak district also died but the cause of her death was congenital heart disease with cardiac failure, the official said. The state also registered the highest single-day recovery of 878 patients, taking the total number of people cured of the disease to 18,938 -- 64.91 per cent of the total caseload. The state now has 10,041 active cases. Of the fresh cases, 662 were detected at quarantine centres and the rest 406 were found through contact-tracing, he said. Ganjam, the worst-hit district, reported the highest 245 new cases, followed by Khurda (194), Sundargarh (112), Gajapati (88), Koraput (66) and Cuttack (61). Of the total fatalities, Ganjam district accounted for the highest 86 deaths, while 19 patients succumbed to the disease in Khurda and 11 in Cuttack. The remaining 43 deaths were reported from 14 other districts. Odisha conducted 10,750 tests on Tuesday, the official added. Meanwhile, Chief Minister during a video conference with Odisha MLAs said that the state government would use all its resources to save the lives of people during the pandemic. He appealed to the MLAs to take care of them as well as the frontline workers who have been working tirelessly for over 150 days. The chief minister said he is happy that three lawmakers infected with the novel have recovered. A senior MLA and former minister, Amar Prasad Satpathy, has been advised to go under home quarantine for 14 days after several of his office staff tested positive for COVID-19. "I and my family have been advised to put ourselves under isolation as we have come in contact with them at my residence," Satpathy said in a video message. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 tally in Bhubaneswar breached 2,500-mark with detection of 137 new cases in the last 24 hours, officials said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) To the Editor: Columbus murdered and enslaved natives of the Lesser Antilles, and was returned to Spain wearing chains. Historians have a clear claim of that. Here is another fact about Columbus: He never harmed anyone in North America, simply because he never came here. The descendants of the Iroquois Empire have no real grievance with Columbus, not even if Columbus had reached Florida. To assume this idea of harm is to assume that all the historical tribes of North America had some sort of cultural or political unification, of which they did not. They had no more continental unification than all the ethnic groups in Europe ever had. The Mongols led brutal 11th century invasions into what is now Poland and Eastern Europe, but it would be false for descendants of the English, as Europeans, to claim that the Mongols harmed them by invading land that is as far away from England as Central New York is from the Lesser Antilles. If local Native Americans want to assert a historically accurate claim of grievance, then they must point to the English and the French, but that has no bearing in an argument over a statue of an Italian. I have no dog in this fight, although Im opposed to the idea that statues have superstitious powers to prevent healing as imagined by Philip Arnold and Sandy Bigtree (Embrace democratic values. Remove iconic fascist memorials, July 15, 2020). In fact there is no historical or empirical evidence that a legacy of a statue, and what it represents, can stop any progressive legislative improvements and positive social change from happening. If someone would prove this cause and effect relationship, then I would sign the petition for removal. Removing every statue of Columbus in the world will not result in any observable results in eliminating racism. Statues are mere symbols, but they are not the hearts and minds of citizens, which is what really needs to change. Now there are steps that activists can take that have proven track records of results; run for office on a progressive platform and get everyone to vote. My point here is not to defend Columbus, but to declare that statues dont have any real power to do anything. Wringing your hands over a statue is a waste of political activism. Gary McDermott Chittenango Related: Italian-Americans dont need Columbus to claim our place here (Your letters) New Delhi: A 10th century Shiva statue, stolen more than 20 years ago from Ghateshwar temple in Rajasthan's Baroli, was sent back to India from the United Kingdom. The statue will be handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Indian high commissioner to UK Gaitri Issar Kumar said, "High Commission of India in London in collaboration with her majesty's government has been able to restore this priceless piece of art, national heritage back to our people". The stone statue was stolen in 1998 but was returned to Indian High Commission in London in 2005 after it emerged that it was smuggled out of India. The statue is four feet tall and depicts Lord Shiva in Chatura Nataraja pose. The Indian High Commission in a statement said, "We are confident that in coming days, in partnership with the ASI, GOI state and Central authorities as well as the UK law enforcement agencies and the independent experts, we will be successful in returning more items of our cultural heritage to India." The Indian mission in London has been able to bring back stolen Indian art from the UK. On 2019 Independence Day, two antiques--a 17th Century Bronze idol of Navanitha Krishna and a second-century limestone carved pillar motif was returned to the Indian High Commissioner by the Embassy of US. In 2018, a 12th Century Bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restituted to the Indian High Commissioner by the London Metropolitan Police. In 2017, the Bramha- Brahmani sculpture, stolen from the World heritage site Rani-Ki Vav, was returned to India from the UK. Nasa is sending a rover to Mars in the hope of finding evidence of alien life. The next-generation Perseverance rover will liftoff from Florida's Cape Canaveral before arriving at the red planet on Friday, where it look for traces of life that could once have been present on our nearest neighbour. The space agency's mission which has cost $2.4 billion will launch at 7.50am local eastern time, or 12.50pm in the UK. The car-sized six-wheeled robotic rover, which will launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance, also is scheduled to deploy a mini helicopter on Mars and test out equipment for future human missions to the fourth planet from the sun. The weather forecast from the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron put chances of an undisturbed liftoff at 80 percent, reporting a slim chance that thick clouds would form over the launchpad and delay the launch. "This is the ninth time we've landed on Mars, so we do have experience with it," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Perseverance is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists suspect could bear evidence of potential past microbial life on Mars. Scientists have long debated whether Mars - once a much more hospitable place than it is today - ever harbored life. One of the most complex manoeuvres in Perseverance's journey will be what mission engineers call the "seven minutes of terror," when the robot endures extreme heat and speeds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, deploying a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to gently touch down on the planet's surface. It is the latest launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China. Aboard Perseverance is a four-pound (1.8 kg) autonomous helicopter named Ingenuity that is due to test powered flight on Mars for the first time. 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 Since NASA's first Mars rover Sojourner landed in 1997, the agency has sent two others - Spirit and Opportunity - that have explored the geology of expansive Martian plains and detected signs of past water formations, among other discoveries. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under a program that envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the more ambitious crewed journey to Mars. Perseverance will conduct an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planet's surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. Additional reporting by Reuters UK Troops reach training milestone ahead of UN Peacekeeping deployment to Mali UK troops deploying to the United Nations Peacekeeping operation in Mali have reached a significant training milestone in preparation for their mission, which starts in December 2020. 29 July 2020 Over 14 days, soldiers from the Light Dragoons and 2 Royal Anglian joined together for the first time on Salisbury Plain to begin their mission specific training. It is the start on months of preparation where they will be honing skills around reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, patrols and medical evacuation. The unit will act as the Long-Range Reconnaissance Task Group to the UN peacekeeping operation MINUSMA. Part of their non-combat role will be to conduct patrols in Jackal vehicles to provide situational awareness and intelligence that will help the UN mission to protect civilians and progress towards a sustainable peace in Mali. Commander Officer of the Light Dragoons, Lt Col Thomas Robinson said: This exercise is part of an intensive training package. Over recent months we have been honing our specialist skills and now we have brought all aspects of the Task Group together to operate as a highly professional and effective peacekeeping force. This Pre-Deployment Training is the first time that the 250 strong Task Group have trained together. MOD Crown Copyright. Terrorist violence and conflict is sharply on the rise in Mali and the wider region. Marked by chronic poverty, instability, high levels of gender inequality, and one of the world's most vulnerable regions to the effects of climate change, the Sahel remains one of Africa's most fragile regions. The deployment also supports UK engagement in the Sahel under HMG's new strategic approach to Africa, which includes support and training to Commonwealth partners. We are bringing top-class British expertise to the areas of greatest need in UN peacekeeping missions. The new operation follows a successful three-year commitment to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, where British engineers and medics built and repaired much-needed hospitals and military bases. It also forms part of a wider offering in West Africa, where the UK is working with regional partners across defence, diplomacy and aid to contain the spread of instability from the Sahel to other parts of West Africa and the world. UK forces will conduct patrols in Jackal vehicles to provide situational awareness and intelligence that will help the UN mission to protect civilians. MOD Crown Copyright. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Allentown, PA (18103) Today Cloudy with morning snow ending, then windy and turning colder with falling temps and some afternoon clearing. A coating to 1-2" of snow expected in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Wind chills near or below zero later at night. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 07:44 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5ff51 1 Business PLN,profit,loss,Foreign-exchange,electricity Free State-owned electricity giant PLN continues to see its profit eroded by foreign exchange losses, according to the companys financial report. PLNs profit plummeted 96.5 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 251.6 billion (US$17.4 million) in the first half of the year, down from Rp 7.3 trillion in the same period last year. Indonesias sole electricity distributor booked Rp 139.8 trillion in revenue in the first half, a modest increase of 1.6 percent yoy, because power consumption growth was dampened by large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) to contain the coronavirus in many Indonesian cities as businesses shut down or halted operations. The fall in profit was largely caused by foreign exchange losses that cost the company Rp 7.8 trillion from January to June, due to the depreciation of the rupiah against the US dollar. Despite a significant recovery from its low of Rp 16,575 in March, the rupiah remained weaker than usual in the first half of the year, hovering just above Rp 14,000 against the greenback. PLN spokesman Agung Murdifi said on Tuesday night that the company had conducted cost-saving measures to cut its expenses. We have moved ahead with efficiency measures in operating expenses, particularly by cutting fuel use, he said in a statement. PLNs operating costs dropped 1.7 percent yoy to Rp 149.9 trillion in the first half of the year. The financial report shows that PLN slashed its fuel spending by 15.5 percent yoy to Rp 56 trillion in the January-to-June period, while its overall personnel expenses were down 19.8 percent as it cut employee incentives and bonuses by more than half. Agung added that the addition of 3.59 million new customers had also contributed to the companys revenue over the past six months, raising its customer base to 77.19 million. PLNs income also includes Rp 3.3 trillion in compensation from the government for a three-month COVID-19 electricity relief program kicked off in April to aid 31 million of Indonesias poorest households during the pandemic. The government still owes PLN Rp 1.9 trillion for executing the program. Read also: Jokowi announces free electricity, discounts for households hardest hit by COVID-19 impacts Meanwhile, the PLN workers union maintained that, despite the losses and the slashed employee budget, the company would not conduct any layoffs. Weve talked to the directors about PLNs transformation. There will be no layoffs, they said, PLN workers union head Abrar Ali told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Meanwhile, despite rising financial strain, the companys payments to independent power producers (IPPs) rose by 21 percent yoy to Rp 49.95 trillion in the first semester with new plants launching operations. PLNs spokesman said the company had added 1,285 megawatts worth of new power plants and 950,9 circuit kilometers of new power lines as of June. PLN guaranteed buying power for purchasing from IPP-owned coal plants to incentivize electrification, at the behest of the government. However, the incentive has become a burden for PLN, as the electricity company struggles to sell the electricity. PLNs obligation to buy minimum amounts of power from IPPs will become a major financial burden over the next five years, exceeding its own fuel spending by 2021, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) study. It is crucial that PLN and the government change their planning and management of Indonesias electricity system. IEEFA analyst Elrika Hamdi said on June 15. Read also: PLN books $2.8b loss in Q1 amid weakening rupiah With low power demand from businesses and industries, PLN has moved to boost consumption in the only segment that saw growth in the second quarter: the residential segment. The company launched a promotion campaign in mid-July to get more residential customers to raise their homes power limits. More than 50,000 customers had signed up for the promotional offer, the company said on July 23. Industries consumption tends to decline. If we gave them that promotion, it would not be too effective, said PLN customer management director Bob Saril on July 16 as quoted by kompas.com. The Maharashtra forest department has suggested the retention of 33 villages in the Western Ghats ranges of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts as a part of an eco-sensitive area (ESA). The forest department has highlighted the presence of tigers and the importance of connectivity of wildlife corridors. It is learnt that a formal communication has been sent to the state government. These villages in the Sahyadri-Konkan wildlife corridor are critically important and should be part of the ESA. It will improve the ecosystem and boost tiger conservation along with the conservation of its rich biodiversity. Deliberations are underway at the state level, said a senior state forest officer. While 25 of these 33 villages are located in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg talukas of Sindhudurg, the remaining villages are in Kolhapur district. Though some of these villages were included in the Western Ghats draft eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), the majority including the entire Dodamarg taluka where seven tigers were photographed from 2014 to 2019 was left out. The suggestion was shared by the forest department during a webinar organised on the occasion of International Tiger Day on Wednesday. The Bombay high court (HC) in 2013 and reiterated in 2018 had directed the state and Union environment ministry to ensure the corridor is protected as an ESZ. However, orders have not been complied with for the past seven years. During this time, 1,500 acres of forests have already been lost despite a ban on tree felling in the area. Most of Sindhudurgs forests are privately owned and such areas have been either sold or leased to mining companies making matters worse. The government needs to act immediately, said Stalin D, director, Vanashakti and one of the petitioners. Sumaira Abdulali, convener, Awaaz Foundation that filed the first petition in the matter said, There is a need to implement the existing court order directing the declaration of 52 villages in Dodamarg as part of the ESA. The suggestion comes at a time when the Karnataka forest department indicated that a male tiger (T-31), whose camera trap image was recorded in 2018 from Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), had travelled 300 km, covering 150 sq. km, and photographed multiple times at the Kali Tiger Reserve earlier this year. It indicates that though the corridor may be fragmented but its functional connectivity is intact, and efforts are needed to ensure it is protected from human-induced pressures, said Nitin Kakodkar, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Maharashtra. The details follow a day after a Centres report on the status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2018 highlighted low tiger density at STR due to fragmented corridor connectivity along the north Western Ghats all the way from Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka to Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Goa further to the recently designated Tillari Conservation Reserve in Sindhudurg district and further north to Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park encompassing STR. The report suggested that linear infrastructure projects, mining and allied development activities should be avoided and in case projects are of national importance, appropriate mitigation measures be implemented. If this was done, then tigers could steadily make their way to STR over the next 10 years. Sunil Limaye, additional principal chief conservator of the forest said, STR has an appropriate habitat, adequate connectivity, and is large enough (over 1,400sqkm) for conservation and translocation of tigers. Over the next year, we will be undertaking augmentation of the prey population followed by a proposal for translocation of tigers from the Vidarbha landscape. 25 villages of Dodamarg-Sawantwadi, their ecological significance List of villages: Kesari, Phansavde, Udeli, Dabhil- Nevli, Sarambale, Otavne, Gharpi, Asniye, Fukeri, Tamboli, Konshi, Bhalaval, Bhekurli, Kumbhavde, Khadpade, Talkat, Zolambi, Kolzhar, Shirwal, Kumbhral, Panturli, Bhike Konal, Kalane, Ugade, Padve Majgaon. Biodiversity at these villages: A rapid biodiversity assessment of the area had recorded 19 species of mammals, 12 species of amphibians, 71 species of birds, 60 species of butterflies, 2 species of damselflies, 16 species of reptiles, 4 species of scorpions, 4 species of spiders and 5 species of other invertebrates over six days. Whats at stake: Tiger corridor, villages, perennial rivers, waterfalls, streams, dense forests, swamps, wildlife in this landscape. Threats: Mining, red category industries, linear infrastructure projects, private forest areas, and tree felling. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON England suffered the longest period of excess deaths compared to any other country in Europe in the first half of 2020, according to newly released data. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that England had the second highest peak behind Spain but the highest overall excess mortality rates. Scientists say that excess mortality rates provide the best indication of the actual impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland saw a slightly lower increase in excess deaths from previous years, though still more than most other European countries. The UK as a whole registered the highest relative mortality rate for the week beginning 6 June the last week that was included in the ONS report. The gap between the UK and other countries may be even greater when more recent data is taken into consideration. The UK was one of the last of the badly hit countries in Europe to enter lockdown, and saw case rates and death rates begin to decline later than many of its neighbours. The ONS report stated: While England did not have the highest peak mortality, it did have the longest continuous period of excess mortality of any country compared, resulting in England having the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole. Responding to the figures, prime minister Boris Johnson claimed the reduction in deaths in the UK since the peak of the pandemic was a massive success. He said: We mourn every loss of life that weve had throughout the coronavirus epidemic. We really owe it to them to continue our work in driving the virus down. Data gathered by the ONS revealed that local areas of Italy and Spain suffered the highest excess mortality rates in Europe. Some local areas in northern Italy and central Spain had excess mortality levels as high as 847.7 per cent of the average (from 2015 to 2019), said Edwin Morgan from the ONS. While none of the four UK nations had a peak mortality rate as high as Spain or the worst-hit local areas of Spain and Italy, excess mortality was geographically widespread throughout the UK during the pandemic, whereas it was more geographically localised in most countries of western Europe. We made a trek to Canada in June of 2010 to meet with Elfiq Networks and spoke with JP Herbert who was the VP of Business Development. The company was one of the first entrants into SD-WAN, at the time they used the term load balancer. The company was just about to come out with a device with cellular capability. We also had a chance to meet with CEO Ghislain Lachapelle while we were there. Few people heard of Elfiq at the time and they eventually sold to Martello in 2018. Now, Adaptiv Networks has acquired the company from Martello. Our colleague Erik Linask explains why he thinks the deal makes sense. Yours Truly Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC speaks with Bernard Breton of Adaptiv Networks at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW 2019 in Ft. Lauderdale FL I decided to not take a defensive stance and go on the offensive instead, Breton said. Things were slowing down, so why not take advantage and accelerate our roadmap, do this acquisition, and come out of it as a much stronger team. Adaptiv has been steadily innovating and investing in growth and it is good to see the company is still doing so in a pandemic where there is so much change in the air. We agree with Erik that the acquisition makes sense and it makes Adaptiv an even more formidable force in SD-WAN and soon SASE. See the ONLY 5G, SD-WAN, Contact Center, Tech and Communications companies that matter at the ITEXPO #TECHSUPERSHOW. This Event has been called the BEST SHOW in 5 YEARS and the Best TECHNOLOGY EVENT of 2020. 2020 participants included: Amazon, Cisco, Google, IBM, ClearlyIP, Avaya, Vonage, 88, Comcast Business, BlueJeans, CoreDial, Dell, Edify, Epygi, FreeSWITCH, Fuze, Grandstream, Granite, Intrado, Frontier Business, Fujitsu, Jenne, West, Konftel, Intelisys, Martello, NetSapiens, OOMA, Oracle, OpenVox, Peerless Network, Phone Sentry, Phone.com, Poly, QuestBlue, RingByName, Sangoma, SingTel, SkySwitch, Spracht, Spectrum, Sprint, Tallac, Tech Data, Telarus, TCG, Teledynamics, Teli, Telinta, Telispire, Telstra, TransNexus, Unified Office, Vital PBX, VoIP Supply, Voxbone, VoIP.MS, Windstream, XCALY, XORCOM, Yealink, Yubox, and ZYCOO. Full List. Join 8K others with $25B+ in IT buying power who plan 2021 budgets! Including 3,500+ resellers! A unique experience with a collocated Future of Work Expo, SD-WAN Expo, and MSP Expo June 22-25, 2021, Miami, FL. Register now. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:42:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Thursday voiced firm opposition to the U.S. sending military personnel to China's Taiwan region for exercises and exchange. Such "deliberate and provocative" moves seriously violated basic norms of international relations and sent a wrong signal to separatist elements advocating "Taiwan independence," said Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. In doing so, the U.S. side has violated its political commitment to China, Ren said in response to a question at a regular press conference, warning the step had a severe negative impact on bilateral relations and military-to-military ties between China and the United States, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Ren noted that China has lodged solemn representations with the United States, urging Washington to immediately rectify its mistake, and halt official and military contacts of any form with Taiwan region. The U.S. side should honor its commitment to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and ensure that such incidents will not happen again, said Ren. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Ren said, stressing the future of Taiwan lies in national reunification and the well-being of Taiwan compatriots depends on national rejuvenation. Borrowing the strength of foreign influence will never succeed, Ren said. China has the resolve, full confidence, and sufficient capability to thwart any form of interference by external forces and separatist acts of "Taiwan independence," Ren noted. China will resolutely defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he said. Enditem More Diversified Organization, FFO Growth and Acquisitions Expected to Fuel Future Growth Old Bethpage New York, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Power REIT (NYSE AMEX: PW) (Power REIT or the Company) today provided a company update on its financial results for the period ended, June 30, 2020 and acquisition and capital raising activities as well as its organizational structure. HIGHLIGHTS Significantly grew net income and Core FFO in the second quarter driven by increases in rental income from newly acquired properties. Further progress on future acquisition transactions and sourcing non-dilutive capital sources. Further diversified its Board and Management team by adding Paula Poskon and Susan Hollander. FINANCIAL RESULTS AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES Net income available to common stockholders totaled approximately $410,000, for the three months ended June 30, 2020, or $0.21 per share compared with approximately $143,000, or $0.08 for the same period in 2019. Core Funds From Operations (Core FFO) totaled approximately $555,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared with approximately $256,000, or $0.14 per share for the same period in 2019. The Company is currently in various stages of negotiations on an active pipeline of acquisition opportunities that management believes could be highly accretive to Core FFO. In addition to its capital on hand, Power REIT is pursuing a variety of non-dilutive capital sources. More details regarding these transactions will be announced in due process. Commenting on the results and current initiatives, David Lesser, Chief Executive Officer stated, We are pleased to welcome Ms. Poskon to our Board and formalize the role of Ms. Hollander as Chief Accounting Officer. We continue to execute on the strategic business plan we put into place in the middle of 2019 focusing on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) real estate investments in the form of greenhouses. Since implementing this strategy, we have acquired 6 CEA properties for the cultivation of medical cannabis as well as the announcement of two expansion projects related to these assets. This activity has favorably impacted Core FFO which has grown from $0.14 in the second quarter of 2019 to $0.29 in the second quarter of 2020 which represents growth of approximately 107%. Mr. Lesser concluded, Second quarter 2020 FFO was in line with the guidance provided in our investor presentation. We are optimistic that we can outperform the guidance for our run-rate FFO guidance going forward. We have a significant acquisition pipeline that is in various stages of negotiations and are working on a capital plan that is intended to create significant shareholder value. This dynamic growth to our Core FFO is a function of the attractive yields we can achieve investing in CEA properties and Power REITs relatively small size. We hope to continue this dramatic growth and believe our shares represent a compelling investment opportunity based on the current multiple we trade at combined with the potential for outsized growth. INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES During the first half of 2020, the Company acquired four CEA real estate properties, aggregating approximately 101,000 square feet of green house and support space for the cultivation of medical cannabis. The total capital commitment related to these assets is $10 million. The assets have been acquired with attractive yields whereby Power REIT receives a full return of its investment over the first three years after an initial deferred rent period followed by an ongoing rental stream. The average yield based on straight-line rent for these acquisitions is in excess of 18%. Concurrent with these acquisitions, Power REIT has entered into triple-net leases that require each tenant to pay all property related expenses including maintenance, insurance and taxes. Each lease has a term of 20 years and provides two 5-year renewal options for the tenant with financial guarantees from affiliates of the tenant. The leases require each tenant to maintain a valid medical marijuana license and to operate in accordance with all municipal regulations in the state where they are located. PORTFOLIO The current portfolio is comprised of: 6 Controlled Environment Agriculture greenhouse facilities aggregating over 131,00 square feet; 7 solar farm ground leases totaling 601 acres; and 112 miles of railroad property POWER REITS INVESTMENT THESIS Power REIT believes agricultural production is ripe for technological transformation and the industry is in the early stages of an agricultural venture capital boom that, among other things, will shift food production for certain crops from traditional outdoor farms to Controlled Environment Agriculture plant factories. Since a significant portion of any given CEA enterprise is real estate, the Company has identified a unique opportunity to participate in the upward trend of indoor agriculture. CEA for Food CEA for food production is widely adopted in parts of Europe and is becoming an increasingly competitive alternative to traditional farming for a variety of reasons. CEA caters to consumer desires for sustainable and locally grown products. Locally grown indoor produce will have a longer shelf life as the plants are healthier and also travel shorter distances thereby reducing food waste. In addition, a controlled environment produces high-quality pesticide free products that eliminates seasonality and provides highly predictable output that can be used to simplify the supply chain to the grocers shelf. CEA for Cannabis Power REIT is focused on investing in the cultivation and production side of the cannabis industry through the ownership of real estate. As such it is not directly in the cannabis business and also not even indirectly involved with facilities that sell cannabis directly to consumers. By serving as a landlord, Power REIT believes it can generate attractive risk adjusted returns related to the fast-growing cannabis industry, which is anticipated to offer a safer approach than investing directly in cannabis operating businesses. POWER REITS STATEMENT ON SUSTAINABILITY Power REIT owns real estate related to infrastructure assets including properties for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA Facilities), Renewable Energy and Transportation. CEA Facilities, such as greenhouses, provide an extremely environmentally friendly solution, which consume approximately 70% less energy than indoor growing operations that do not benefit from free sunlight. CEA facilities use 90% less water than field grown plants, and all of Power REITs greenhouse properties operate without the use of pesticides and avoid agricultural runoff of fertilizers and pesticides. These facilities cultivate medical Cannabis, which has been recommended to help manage a myriad of medical symptoms, including seizures and spasms, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, arthritis, Parkinsons disease, and Alzheimers. Renewable Energy assets are comprised of land and infrastructure associated with utility scale solar farms. These projects produce power without the use of fossil fuels thereby lowering carbon emissions. The solar farms produce approximately 50,000,000 kWh of electricity annually which is enough to power approximately 4,600 home on a carbon free basis. Transportation assets are comprised of land associated with a railroad, an environmentally friendly mode of bulk transportation BOARD AND MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS During the first half of 2020, Power REIT enhanced and further diversified its Board and Management team. On July 28, 2020, the Board approved the appointment of Paula Poskon as a new independent Trustee. Ms. Poskon will serve as a financial expert and provide her 20+ years of real estate and capital markets expertise with a particular focus on real estate investment trusts. Ms. Poskon is the founder of STOV Advisory Services LLC (STOV) which offers consulting and advisory services to company executives and investors in the areas of real estate, capital markets, investor relations, and diversity and inclusion. Prior to forming STOV, Ms. Poskon was a Senior Vice President/Senior Real Estate Research Analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co., a full-service investment firm, having been hired to co-lead the launch of its real estate capital markets platform. Prior to that, Ms. Poskon was a Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst in Real Estate at Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., a wealth management, capital markets, asset management and private equity firm. Prior to that, Ms. Poskon held several positions at Lehman Brothers, a global financial services firm. Ms. Poskon was named No. 3 on The Wall Street Journals Best on the Street among real estate analysts for 2009 and No. 2 among real estate analysts for stock picking in 2011 by StarMine. She graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration in Finance with a concentration in Strategic Management. Ms. Poskon is a frequent speaker at real estate industry conferences. Ms. Poskon currently serves as a Trustee of Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc., having been elected by shareholders in 2019. On July 28, 2020, Susan Hollander was appointed to serve as Chief Accounting Officer of Power REIT. Ms. Hollander is responsible for strategic accounting, compliance and financial reporting functions including SEC and statutory filings. Ms. Hollander has been working with our CEO, David Lesser, since 2017 in various capacities across several entities and is increasingly focusing her efforts on Power REIT. Prior to that, Ms. Hollander was Controller at Boston Provident, LP, a long-short, multi asset hedge fund specializing in the financial services industry for over 22 years where she focused primarily on financial reporting, trading operations, fund accounting and performance reporting. Ms. Hollander has more than 30 years of accounting, finance and tax experience, primarily within the financial services/real estate industry. In addition, Ms. Hollander has public company reporting expertise. Ms. Hollander graduated from Binghamton University, State University of New York with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. ABOUT POWER REIT Power REIT is a real estate investment trust that owns real estate related to infrastructure assets including properties for Controlled Environment Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation. Power REIT is actively seeking to expand its real estate portfolio related to Controlled Environment Agriculture for the cultivation of food and cannabis. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Further details regarding Power REITs consolidated results of operations and financial condition for all current and previous reporting periods are contained in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be viewed at the Companys website at www.pwreit.com under the Investor Relations section, and in EDGAR on the SECs website, www.sec.gov . FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This document may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are those that predict or describe future events or trends and that do not relate solely to historical matters. You can usually identify forward-looking statements as containing the words believe, expect, will, anticipate, intend, estimate, would, should, project, plan, assume or other similar expressions, or negatives of those expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. All statements contained in this document regarding Power REITs future strategy, future operations, projected financial position, estimated future revenues, projected costs, future prospects, the future of Power REITs industries and results that might be obtained by pursuing managements current or future objectives are forward-looking statements. Over time, Power REITs actual results, performance, financial condition or achievements may differ from the anticipated results, performance, financial condition or achievements that are expressed or implied in Power REITs forward-looking statements, and such differences may be significant and materially adverse to Power REIT and its security holders. All forward-looking statements reflect Power REITs good-faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. Power REIT disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes, except to the extent required by law. For a further discussion of factors that could cause Power REITs future results or financial condition to differ materially from anything expressed or implied in its forward-looking statements, see the sections entitled Risk Factors in Power REITs registration statements and quarterly and annual reports as filed by Power REIT from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES This document contains supplemental financial measures that are not calculated pursuant to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including the measure identified by us as Core Funds From Operations Available to Common Shares (Core FFO). Management believes that Core FFO is a useful supplemental measure of the Companys operating performance. Management believes that alternative measures of performance, such as net income computed under GAAP, or Funds From Operations computed in accordance with the definition used by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), include certain financial items that are not indicative of the results provided by the Companys asset portfolio and inappropriately affect the comparability of the Companys period-over-period performance. These items include non-recurring expenses, such as those incurred in connection with litigation, one-time upfront acquisition expenses that are not capitalized under ASC-805 and certain non-cash expenses, including non-cash, stock-based compensation expense. Therefore, management uses Core FFO and defines it as net income excluding such items. Management believes that, for the foregoing reasons, these adjustments to net income are appropriate. The Company believes that Core FFO is a useful supplemental measure for the investing community to employ, including when comparing the Company to other REITs that disclose similarly adjusted FFO figures, and when analyzing changes in the Companys performance over time. Readers are cautioned that other REITs may use different adjustments to their GAAP financial measures than we do, and that as a result the Companys Core FFO may not be comparable to the FFO measures used by other REITs or to other non-GAAP or GAAP financial measures used by REITs or other companies. The GMC Hummer, slated to enter production next year, will challenge Tesla, Ford, and Jeep pickups. GMC GMC announced that it will reveal the revived Hummer nameplate this fall, with production to commence in 2021. The all-electric pickup will have 1,000 horsepower and be able to sprint from 0-60 mph in 3 seconds, GMC said. GMC also teased the Hummer SUV. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. "The world's first super truck ... is just the beginning." That's what GM said Wednesday is a short, LeBron James-narrated video teasing the forthcoming Hummer electric pickup truck and SUV. The revived Hummer GM killed the military-derived brand after its 2009 bankruptcy arrives this fall, as part of the automaker's GMC brand. The division said the 1,000-horsepower truck, with a staggering 11,500 pound-feet of torque and a promised 3-second sprint to 60 mph, will go into production in 2021. Catching a wave that was started last year with the Jeep Gladiator and extended this year with the reveal of Ford's all-new Bronco SUVs, GMC said that the Hummer's formidable off-road capabilities (along with removeable roof panels) would be part of its pitch to customers. Insider got a close look at the Hummer earlier this year, at a battery showcase that GM held for its new "Ultium" technology, but photos were prohibited, so for the time being, you'll have to content yourself with a silhouette. We can say the Hummer will be powerful and fast. Its "Adrenalin Mode" will presumably be the go-fast choice, leaving "Crab Mode" for rock crawling. GM is running two races with the Hummer: One, it's trying to beat the Tesla Cybertruck to market. Two, it's looking to grab some off-road thunder from the internal combustion-powered Gladiator and Bronco, as well as from startup Rivian's R1T electric pickup, due out next year. Come this fall, we and customers will have a better idea of how likely they are to come out ahead. Read the original article on Business Insider VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Noram Ventures Inc. ("Noram") (TSXV:NRM)(Frankfurt:N7R)(OTC PINK:NRVTF) is preparing to permit with the Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") in Nevada for a Fall drill program on the Zeus lithium claystone property. Noram plans on a two-stage drill program of 2500 meters in total, with 8-12 diamond drill holes in the early Fall, and 8-12 drill holes in late Fall. The deposit is within sub-horizontal claystones of the Mid-Miocene to Mid-Pliocene Esmeralda Formation, which is present at surface or under a thin alluvial cover. Previous drilling has outlined, at a 900 ppm lithium cut-off, 124 million tonnes at 1136 ppm lithium as indicated resources, and 77 million tonnes lithium at 1045 ppm lithium as inferred resources (0.75 and 0.43 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent - "LCE" , respectively; see Noram press release February 5, 2020, and Peek and Barrie, 2019 /1/). There are over two square kilometers of fertile ground yet to be drill-tested on the Zeus property. Noram management believes that this drilling will significantly expand the resource, as there is evidence for claystone at or near surface everywhere on the property. C. Tucker Barrie, President and CEO of Noram Ventures Inc., comments: "Drill testing the in thick, nearly horizontal strata of the Esmeralda Formation will be a straightforward exercise. So far, our deposit is 60 - 120 meters thick, and thickens to the east and south where much of the drilling will take place. In eastern Clayton Valley, there are known listric normal faults that step down toward the west, and this program should determine if these faults are significant on the property. Our drilling will allow us to produce an updated resource calculation with Measured, Indicated and Inferred resources. In addition, we are planning engineering and economic studies toward a Preliminary Economic Assessment in 2020 (PEA). We will also contract out studies on: 1) mineral processing and metallurgical testing; 2) pit design, schedule and mining, and 3) details about processing costs and economics. Story continues Regarding mineral processing, we aim to analyze pre-processing of the claystone material using hydrocyclones to separate non-lithium bearing material (e.g., quartz and feldspar sand and gravel) from the lithium-bearing clay minerals, as well as to conduct detailed testing with sulfuric acid at low and high concentrations, and with variable temperature. We believe there are alternative processes that may streamline the extraction and concentration of lithium once it is in a low pH solution, and we aim to incorporate such studies into the PEA." /1/ Peek, B. C. and Barrie, C. T., 2019, NI 43-101 Technical Report - Updated Resource Estimate, Zeus Projet, Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada, USA, 70 p. The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by C. Tucker Barrie, Ph.D., P. Geo. who is a Qualified Person with respect to Noram's Clayton Valley Lithium Project as defined under National Instrument 43-101. About Noram Ventures Inc. Noram Ventures Inc. (TSX - Venture: NRM / Frankfurt: N7R / OTCPINK: NRVTF) is a Canadian based junior exploration company, with a goal of developing lithium deposits and becoming a low - cost supplier. The Company's primary business focus since formation has been the exploration of mineral projects. Noram's long term strategy is to build a multi-national lithium minerals company to produce and sell lithium into the markets of Europe, North America and Asia. Please visit our web site for further information: www.noramventures.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS /s/ "C. Tucker Barrie, Ph.D., P. Geo." President and CEO Office: (604) 553-2279 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding, among other things, the completion transactions completed in the Agreement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, regulatory approval processes. Although Noram believes that the assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, including that all necessary regulatory approvals will be obtained in a timely manner, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Noram disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE: Noram Ventures Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599467/Noram-Initiates-Permitting-for-Fall-Drill-Program-on-Zeus-Lithium-Claystone-Property-Clayton-Valley-Nevada Ghislaine Maxwells lawyers have filed a desperate last-minute appeal to stop embarrassing confidential documents from being released - Getty Ghislaine Maxwell has lost a desperate last-minute appeal to stop embarrassing confidential documents from being released. US District Judge Loretta Preska confirmed her ruling that the files must be unsealed and released to the public, despite Ms Maxwells lawyers' extraordinary request for her to reconsider. The British socialite, 58, had tried to argue that the government wrongfully used depositions filed in her civil lawsuit to bring criminal charges. She is currently answering a number of suits brought by victims of associate Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier found dead in his prison cell last year. Her lawyers charged on Wednesday that prosecutors in a separate criminal case used confidential depositions she made in 2016 in the civil case that is now being consideration by Judge Preska. The defamation suit was filed in 2015 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleges she was abused by Epstein and pimped out to powerful figures including Prince Andrew, and confidentially settled in 2017. The Duke of York has denied all allegations. Prince Andrew smiling as he stands with his left arm around the waist of a young Virginia Roberts. It is alleged to have been taken in early 2001. Ghislaine Maxwell stands behind. - AKGS The depositions are Ms Maxwells only on-the-record account of her association with Epstein and his sex-trafficking ring. Her attorneys argue it was given under an expectation of confidentiality that had been agreed to by both sides in the dispute. Transcripts of the depositions were designated confidential and subject to a "Protective Order". However, they came to be in the hands of the US government, which used statements made by the heiress to charge her with perjury in an indictment filed last month. Parts of it were unsealed by a judge last year. In an April 2016 interview with Ms Giuffres lawyers, Ms Maxwell was asked: Did Jeffrey Epstein have a scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages? To which she answered: I dont know what youre talking about. During another deposition in July of the same year, Ms Maxwell said: I wasnt aware that he was having sexual activities with anyone when I was with him other than myself. Story continues Prosecutors at the Southern District of New York claim she was lying when she said she was not to be aware of Epsteins assaults on women and underage girls. This is a serious violation of the Protective Order, and merits the commencement of contempt proceedings, Ms Maxwells lawyers argued in documents filed at a Manhattan court on Wednesday. They accused Ms Giuffre of leaking the deposition, and "in conjunction with the government" setting a "perjury trap" for their client, whose six criminal counts include two for perjury. Ms Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. They also tried to claim that the trove of documents - which could expose fresh details about Ms Maxwell's sex life as well as her relation to powerful figures accused of taking part in the abuse of the late millionaire's victims - would result in substantial negative media publicity and speculation in an internet world." Judge Preska ordered that the release of documents relating to Ms Maxwell's deposition should be pushed back to Monday to give her legal team time to argue their case before the Court of Appeal. All other material in question should be unsealed, as planned, on Thursday. Legal experts said there was little precedent for the judge to rely on due to the complex interweaving of Ms Maxwells civil and criminal suits. Seoul, July 30 : Samsung on Thursday reported strong second quarter earnings on the back of robust demand for memory chips and appliances, as well as a one-off gain at its display panel business. Its net profit stood at 5.55 trillion won ($4.7 billion) in the April-June period, up 7.23 per cent from a year earlier, Samsung said in a regulatory filing. Samsung's operating profit jumped 23.5 per cent on-year to 8.15 trillion won in the second quarter of the year, but sales fell 5.6 per cent on-year to 52.97 trillion won over the cited period. Samsung's operating margin for the second quarter stood at 15.4 per cent, up from 11.6 per cent a year ago. Compared to the first quarter, its operating profit soared 26.3 per cent, while net profit rose 13.7 per cent. Sales declined 4.3 per cent The figures were in line with the earnings guidance announced earlier this month that beat the market consensus. Samsung said its upbeat performance was anchored by its device solutions (DS) division as demand for server chips from data centres remained solid with the pandemic-driven, stay-at-home trend. The second-quarter bottom line was also helped by one-time gains from its display panel (DP) business. Samsung did not disclose the exact amount of one-off profit, but industry insiders speculate it received more than $900 million from Apple Inc., which apparently failed to buy contracted volumes of Samsung Display Co.'s mobile display panels. Revenue from the semiconductor unit stood at 18.23 trillion won in the second quarter of the year, a 13.3 per cent increase from a year earlier. Its operating profit from the chip business nearly doubled to 5.43 trillion won from 3.4 trillion won a year ago. "The memory business saw robust demand for cloud applications related to remote working and online education as the impact from COVID-19 continued, while demand for mobile was relatively weak," Samsung said. Samsung said earnings for its system LSI business fell due to a drop in demand for mobile components. However, its foundry business achieved a record quarterly and half-yearly revenue as its customers' inventory buildups increased, reports Yonhap news agency. Samsung's display business returned to the black, thanks to one-time gains. It logged 6.72 trillion won in sales and an operating profit of 300 billion won. Its display business suffered an operating loss of 290 billion won in the first quarter. Samsung's IT & Mobile Communications (IM) division suffered a sales decline, but its performance was better than expected. The mobile business unit posted 20.75 trillion won in sales in the second quarter, down 19.7 per cent from a year earlier, but the unit's operating profit surged 25 per cent on-year to 1.95 trillion won. "Efficient cost management, including reductions of marketing expenses and offline promotions, helped deliver solid profits," the company said. Samsung's home appliance division, comprised of visual display and digital appliance businesses, chalked up sales of 10.17 trillion won, down 8.1 per cent from a year earlier, but operating profit climbed 2.8 percent on-year to 730 billion won. "Profit for the visual display business rose despite softness in sales as the company sought new sales opportunities online to overcome difficulties sparked by global lockdowns," the company said. "Seasonal demand for air conditioners on top of cost-effective marketing strategies also helped earnings." In the second quarter, Samsung said its capital expenditures reached 9.8 trillion won, which includes 8.6 trillion won spent on semiconductors and 0.8 trillion won on displays. Its total capital expenditure in the first half was tallied at 17.1 trillion won. The order from the court Thursday suggests that the judges are seeking a narrowly focused argument on the question of whether Flynn should have waited to appeal until after Sullivan rendered a decision. The court told lawyers on both sides to be prepared at oral argument to address whether Flynn had no other adequate means to attain the relief he sought from the appeals court. (TNS) Members of Congress were in rare bipartisan accord Wednesday in putting titans of Big Tech on the defensive about perceived abuses of their power, as the House antitrust subcommittee continued its year-old investigation of concentration across the digital realm.The chief executives of four of the most prominent technology companies in the world Googles Sundar Pichai, Amazons Jeff Bezos, Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg and Apples Tim Cook appeared remotely amid the pandemic and fielded questions about their business practices and market dominance. Though their companies represent new-age innovations including search engines, smartphones and social media the criticisms they faced recalled those lodged against late 19th-century industrial barons.Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., set the tone in harsh opening remarks. Many of the practices used by these companies have harmful economic effects. They discourage entrepreneurship, destroy jobs, hike costs and degrade quality. Simply put: They have too much power.Since June 2019, the House Judiciary Committees subcommittee on antitrust issues has been investigating the tech giants and the adequacy of existing antitrust laws to oversee them. Cicilline said the panel had received millions of pages of evidence from the four companies and conducted hundreds of hours of interviews. That research was on full display as subcommittee members repeatedly quoted from documents, including internal emails, to suggest the companies anti-competitive practices.Because these companies are so central to our modern life, their business practices and decisions have an outsized effect on our economy and our democracy. Any single action by one of these companies can affect hundreds of millions of us in profound and lasting ways, Cicilline said.Despite the differences between the companies, he said, the investigation had shown common patterns and competition problems among them, including bottlenecking distribution channels, using their digital platforms to surveil other firms, and abusing control over digital infrastructure. Cicilline said the subcommittee will publish a report and recommendations based on its investigations findings.The panel is one of several fronts on which the tech industry is battling against the prospect of government regulations, and its investigation comes amid other actions at the state and federal levels and overseas. Although the Judiciary Committee is one of the most polarized in the House, its members were united against Big Tech to a point.Subcommittee members occasionally deviated from the topic of antitrust concerns, touching on other politically contentious issues, including alleged foreign interference in U.S. elections and the companies contracts with the U.S. military and local police. Several Republicans, in particular, focused on complaints that Google and Facebook are biased against conservatives, and censor their sites and posts.As the hearing was about to get underway, President Donald Trump likewise lodged that allegation, which the companies deny. Were going to be watching the hearings today very closely, because there is no question that what the big tech companies are doing is very bad, Trump told reporters as he left for a fundraising trip to Texas. Aboard Air Force One, he repeated his displeasure in a tweet.The days uncommon accord between the parties broke at one point after Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the most combative conservatives in the House, repeatedly pressed Pichai, unsuccessfully, to admit that Google is seeking to help Democrats in 2020 just as Jordan said it favored them in 2016. The next questioner, Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania, began by saying to the CEOs, Id like to redirect your attention to antitrust law rather than fringe conspiracy theories. Jordan angrily objected.All four companies face complaints of monopolistic behavior, though the practices in dispute vary greatly.Facebook was criticized in particular for its acquisitions of other social media and messaging companies, including Instagram and WhatsApp.Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, cited Facebooks 2012 purchase of then-upstart Instagram, saying, Rather than compete with it, Facebook bought it. This is exactly the type of anti-competitive acquisition that the antitrust laws were designed to prevent.Nadler read from Zuckerbergs internal communications, among many the subcommittee got from Facebook, in which the CEO described Instagram as a threat that could be very disruptive to us.Zuckerberg defended the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, citing Facebooks innovations to each platforms infrastructure and features. He also reiterated past calls for more government regulation of the tech sector.The chiefs of Google and Amazon were grilled about their companies domineering roles in specific online marketplaces Google with its search engine and digital advertising services, and Amazon with its massive shopping platform, on which it also sells its own goods in competition with third-party retailers.Pichai argued that Google faces stiff competition in its ventures, which promotes innovation and drives down prices. But Cicilline contended that Googles business model is the problem.Emails show that over a decade ago, Google started to fear competition from certain websites, he said. Any traffic lost to other sites was a loss in revenue. One of Googles memos observed that certain websites were getting, and I quote, too much traffic. So Google decided to put an end to that.Bezos similarly came under fire during an exchange with Scanlon, who cited documents showing that Amazon sometimes sought to destroy rivals rather than outcompete them. For example, she said, in 2009 Amazon viewed online baby-care retailer Diapers.com as a competitor and sought to weaken the perceived threat.We saw one of your profit-and-loss statements, and it appears that in one month alone, Amazon was willing to bleed over $200 million in diaper profit losses to undercut the competitors prices, she said. The strategy worked, Scanlon added. Amazon bought out a struggling Diapers.com and then raised the price of diapers.Bezos said he didnt remember that at all and argued instead that Amazon generally matched competitors prices. He came under more scrutiny for allegations that Amazon poached the products of third-party vendors on its platform, with Cicilline describing a small-business owner who one day woke up and found that Amazon had started listing the exact same product, causing their sales to go to zero overnight.Cook was forced to defend Apples dual role in both selling hardware such as iPhones and operating the software marketplace for the devices. In May 2019, the Supreme Court cleared the way for lawsuits against Apple for compelling its users to buy apps through its App Store and taking a commission in the process.Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., pointed to Apples removal from the store of some third parties apps allowing customers to monitor their phone usage, and their childrens, after Apple introduced its Screen Time app in 2018. Cook defended the move, saying Apple was concerned about privacy and security issues on some apps but that other competitors products remain in the App Store.Theres vibrant competition for parental controls, he said, referring to a primary use of such apps.As concern has grown among Democrats and Republicans about the power and scale of the tech giants, the House Judiciary Committee has not been the only governmental body hinting at aggressive regulations of the industries.This year, the Federal Trade Commission issued orders to all four companies as well as Microsoft for information on their acquisitions of start-ups from 2010 to 2019, suggesting concern that the tech giants bought up potential competitors early to keep the playing field clear.Last summer the Department of Justice began another antitrust investigation, citing widespread concerns about reduced competition and innovation in the online search, social media, and some retail services sectors. And state attorneys general across the country also have opened joint investigations into potentially monopolistic behavior by Google and Facebook specifically. First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Wednesday launched the Young Africa Works partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) in Accra. In line with the governments Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda, the Young Africa Works project is expected to create 39,000 jobs (70 percent of which will be women) over a three-year period. It will target graduate youth, out-of-school youth, school dropouts, and women owned and led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In her keynote address at the launch, Mrs Akufo-Addo commended the Mastercard Foundation and the NBSSI for championing the initiative aimed at putting young people at work. According to the June 2020 Mundi Index, the youth represent 57 per cent of Ghanas total population. Mrs Akufo-Addo said from the statistics it was safe to conclude that young people were an important asset to the labour market and a significant driver of the national economy. Young people who are the forefront of change and innovation have the drive to make things happen. All they need is the space to excel, she said. Mrs Akufo-Addo was delighted that the partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the NBSSI would enable close to 40,000 young Ghanaians have access to dignified work across the country. The Young Africa Works project aligns with government's agenda for jobs initiative and will contribute significantly to putting our young people, the architects of Ghanas economic transformation, to work, she added. On her part, Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, the Executive Director NBSSI, emphasized the role of NBSSI In entrepreneurial and MSME development and how the Mastercard Foundation's Young Africa Works project would contribute significantly to facilitating the mandate. She said, "thanks to this initiative, the destinies of thousands of young Ghanaians would be fulfilled. Our vibrant youth, particularly young women who need a push to unearth and/or strengthen their entrepreneurial potential, can now dream again as we activate this project across the country effective today" The NBSSI and Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works partnership was solidified in December 2019 and falls under the NBSSIs Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Programme. It consists of three main interventions, including: Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) which aims to transform young people, especially young women into successful, creative and innovative entrepreneurs; Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (AZE) initiative, which is an apprenticeship and entrepreneurship programmes to equip young women and men to earn a sustainable income; and MSME Business Acceleration which is to fast-track the productivity and growth of MSMEs through networking, access to finance, and markets. Commenting on the partnership, Nathalie Akon Gabala, Mastercard Foundation's Regional Head for West, Central & North Africa said, We are delighted that our partnership with the NBSSI, under our Young Africa Works strategy, is going live across the country. It will enable young people to access dignified and fulfilling work and empower entrepreneurs to expand their operations. Our goal at the Foundation Is to catalyze action through partnerships that deliver sustainable outcomes. Mr Ishmael Ashitey, the Greater-Accra Regional Minister, who chaired the launch, commend the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and partners for the introduction of the three-year Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Program (YEEP) which seeks to unlock opportunities for youth employment in Ghana. Let us all with a tenacity of purpose be inspired by the efforts of NBSSI to help create a conducive environment for MSMEs to blossom and enhance Ghanas drive towards accelerated development and growth, he said. To enable access to all, the project will run across all 180 district offices of the NBSSI and accessible on their website. Similar launch events were held in Cape Coast, in the Central Region, and others planned for several regions in the country under the theme: Creating Dignified and Sustainable Work for Ghana's Young People." 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 For many of the thousands of Wyomingites dealing with mental health issues, prescription medications are essential in helping them control the symptoms of their disease and live a normal life. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wyoming opposes a change in federal policy on copay assistance that could make those life-altering medications more expensive. Its estimated that roughly 5,000 men and women in Wyoming suffer from schizophrenia and 10,000 are living with bipolar disorder, both mental health conditions that can be treated with prescription medications. Taken on an ongoing basis, those drugs can be expensive, especially for lower-income people or seniors living on a fixed retirement income. Drug manufacturers frequently offer copay assistance that helps reduce the out-of-pocket cost patients must pay at the pharmacy when they pick up their prescriptions. This assistance is especially valuable when it helps pay down the total amount a patient is responsible for each year, their annual out-of-pocket maximum. But now, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reversed copay assistance protections previously included in the 2020 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters (NBPP). Beginning in 2021, insurance companies would be given the option not to count copay assistance towards a patients out-of-pocket limit. With the green light to shift more costs onto patients, its likely that many insurers and PBMs will seize the chance to stop counting manufacturer assistance, giving them a short-term profit increase. The ability to limit the value of copay assistance to patients is an insurance benefit design called accumulator adjustment programs. By making it more difficult for patients to reach their out-of-pocket spending maximum, insurers can use this tactic to more or less get paid twice, once when they receive the value of the manufacturer assistance and then again when the patient is forced to pay the full price of a brand-name medication. Its essentially government-sanctioned double-dipping for insurance companies. Intentionally increasing the cost of daily medications could have serious impacts on the many people in Wyoming who depend on those drugs to stabilize their mental illness. Studies have directly linked higher out-of-pocket costs to reduced adherence to drug regimens, making it more likely that patients who cannot afford to follow their doctors recommendations will see their symptoms reappear or worsen. That may mean more trips to clinics, emergency rooms and hospitals, expensive outcomes that not only hurt patients but also increase costs for insurers, potentially wiping out the savings they realized by adopting the accumulator adjustment programs. Ultimately, this change is anti-patient and quite frankly, it could not come at a worse time. Our nation is still in the midst of a global pandemic and patients should not have to face additional financial barriers to receive the care they need. Congress should delay the policy change in the 2021 NBPP final rule until after this public health emergency has passed. A delay will allow time for policymakers to fully evaluate the consequences of the change and ensure that patient harm is minimized moving forward. Please join NAMI Wyoming in speaking out against accumulator adjustment programs. Amanda Jones is the executive director of National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Wyoming. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 No state advertises its green credentials more than California. That these policies often hurt the economy, driving up housing costs and narrowing opportunities for working-class people while not even doing much for the environment, has not discouraged the states environmental overlords. Consider the states insistence on electrifying transportation. Even as California reduces its reliable sources of power, notably nuclear and national gas, it is mandating a statewide shift to all-electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks starting in 2024, with the goal of reaching 100 percent of all new sales, wherever feasible, by 2045. On top of other electrification mandates for light-duty cars and buildings, the new truck rule will further increase the states demand for electricity and raise rates, already among the nations highest. Since 2011, electricity prices have increased five times as fast as the national average. In 2017 alone, they increased at three times the national rate. These policies have been devastating to poorer Californians, particularly in the less-temperate interior, where energy poverty has grown rapidly. Alternative energy sources like recycled natural gas and nuclear could lessen the pain, but the climate purists who dominate California policymaking find only wind and solar acceptable. Even some climate-change advocates caution that overreliance on intermittent, weather-dependent energy will push costs so high and lead to such massive land and environmental impacts that the public will turn against such policies. Time will tell. Tragedy at the Port The impact of forced electrification on working people, who have been rightfully praised for their critical and even heroic efforts during the pandemic can be glimpsed at Californias three major portsLos Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. International trade, including exports and imports, supports nearly 5 million California jobs, nearly one in four of the state total. Yet the new electrical truck mandate will threaten the competitive advantage of these ports, and the jobs of the tens of thousands of blue-collar Californians who work at them. Compared with very low-emission natural gas vehicles, large electric trucks are far more expensive, not yet readily available , and less capable of carrying loads for great distances, notes Weston Le Bar, CEO of the Harbor Trucking Association trade group. An electric truck, he notes, can cost four times that of a near-zero natural gas truck. The electric trucks can go at best 80 miles without stopping; a less expensive gas one can cover 500, greatly increasing efficiency. Challenges including a lack of electric-charging stations, notes Jack Khudikyan, principal owner of Compton-based MDB Transportation, also make such vehicles impractical for longer hauls. He estimates the cost of running an electric truck is as much as seven times as high per mile than a near-zero vehicle. The electric-truck mandateCalifornias latest in a series of green strictureswill work to the benefit of rival ports such as Houston, which make no such demands on haulers. Over the past five years, Californias ports have lost a substantial portion of their North American container-market share, dropping from 35.5% to 30.2%, as shippers take advantage of the greater capacity of the upgraded Panama Canal to reach more user-friendly ports on the Gulf Coast. Current volume numbers are down 30% from 2018 levels. Such losses could prove troubling in the future. Past experience shows that once supply chains are reroutedas they have been during escalating tensions with China and the ongoing pandemicthey are notoriously hard to reverse. East Coast ports lost out to California on Pacific trade in the past, for example. And California greens shouldnt delude themselves that the exodus to other ports will make any net difference in greenhouse-gas emissionsit will merely shift demand to new locations. The biggest losers in Californias green port policy are minority entrepreneurs and blue-collar workers. Most of the roughly 18,000 drivers working at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are Latino, while the 4,500 in Oakland include large contingents of Indian-Americans. Some 1,800 small and sole proprietors, who dominate the trade, have little wherewithal to absorb the huge costs associated with electric trucks, forcing them out of business, in favor of larger rivals. Regulation like this drives consolidation, Le Bar suggests. One of our biggest fears is that the entrepreneurial character of the business is being destroyedThe regulators dont care about the working class. The Chimera of Green Jobs Californias green regulators maintain that ever-stricter climate rules will have only a small impact on the economy, a contention that even some environmental economists, such as Harvards Robert Stavins, find dubious. Eager to mitigate concerns about higher costs associated with the states energy policy, California political elites, including billionaire Tom Steyer, have embraced the notion of green jobs. Its mostly wishful thinking. As a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report suggests, overreliance on renewables will continue to impose costs, including for massive new (and environmentally unfriendly) battery-storage capacity; it will also threaten reliability, particularly without energy from other sources, such as nuclear plants. Virtually every place that has tried to base its energy on a short-term shift to renewablesGermany, Demark, even resource-rich Australiahas experienced huge spikes in energy prices. In Europe, notes one recent study, reliance on renewables both reduces incomes and boosts rates of household poverty. High energy prices have proved disastrous for historically well-paying working-class California jobs in manufacturing, energy, and homebuilding. As the green regime has imposed ever-stricter regulations, a recent Chapman University report suggests, the state has fallen behind in creating high-wage jobs. Since 2008, California has created five times as many low-wage as high-wage jobs. It has lost 1.6 million above-average-paying jobs in the past decade, more than twice as many as any other state. This attrition reflects in part the torpor of the states industrial sector. Over the past decade, the Golden State has fallen into the bottom half of states in manufacturing-sector employment growth, ranking 44th last year; its industrial new-job creation has been negative. By contrast, competitors such as Nevada, Kentucky, Michigan, and Florida have seen gains. Even without adjusting for costs, notes The New York Times, no California metro ranks in the U.S. top ten in terms of well-paying blue-collar jobs, but fourVentura, Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Diegosit among the bottom ten. Green jobs, meanwhile, dont look likely to expand as many had predicted. Tesla, the states last big auto manufacturer and poster child for electric vehicles, has found state energy and regulatory policies too difficult to navigate. In 2014, Elon Musk chose to put his $5 billion Gigafactory in low-cost Nevada. Last week, he announced that the companys new $1.1 billion dollar SUV plant, employing over 5,000 people, will be built even farther away, outside Austin, Texas. Other fledgling firms entering the electric space may also be unlikely to produce new-generation vehicles in the Golden State. Tesla rival Rivian plans to build its products in Illinois, while General Motors has decided to set up its new electric-truck operation in Michigan. Negligible Gains, Tangible Pain Californias electrical fantasy is facing some pushback, even among Democrats. In response to the states new drive to prevent new natural gas hookups, 113 cities and the three most prominent ethnic chambers of commerceAfrican-American, Latino, and Asian-Pacifichave joined the State Chamber to change the electrical mandate. Bay Area restaurateurs, who prefer to cook with gas and are already struggling with existing regulatory mandates and pressures, have sued the state. These and other independent businesses are also among those hardest-hit economically by the coronavirus; Sacramentos electrification obsession further threatens their future. Perhaps the most dubious aspect of the all-electric policy can be summarized in a question: Where will the new juice come from? In 2018, California used about 285 million megawatt hours of electricity, but it imported over 30 percent90 million megawatt hoursfrom other locations. California is by far the nations largest net electrical-importing state. By 2050, state consultants estimate that electrification mandates, including those for trucks, will cause total demand to skyrocket to about 500 million megawatt hours. The California being forged by policies such as forced electrification is dystopiceven from a conservationist perspective. To accommodate massive new solar and wind facilities will require not only sacrificing blue-collar jobs but also essentially devastating some of the states great natural areas, notably the Mojave Desert. Nearly 70,000 acres of habitat of the endangered desert tortoise have been destroyed. Groups like The Nature Conservancy have estimated that by 2050, with the abandonment of fossil fuels and nuclear power, in tandem with greatly increased electrical demand, wind and solar facilities alone would cover from 1.6 million to 3.1 million acresa massive scale of new development considering that, in 2010, the Census Bureau estimated that Californias total urban, non-rural area amounted to 5.26 million acres. To avoid the blanketing of the states agricultural and nature areas, the lowest-cost options for installing and operating this massive expansion of energy development require covering large amounts of land in other states with new solar and wind facilities serving Californiaa strategy that, even if feasible, will likely prove controversial. If California elects to buildor is forced by uncooperative neighboring states to buildits new wind and solar capacity in-state, costs and land impacts will dramatically increase. In the end, sweeping electrification mandates can only intensify inequality in a state home to both the worlds richest corporations and the highest percentage of poor people. California already suffers the widest gap between middle- and upper-middle-income earners of any state. Its aggressive green policies seem certain to accelerate that trend. Rather than a sign of bold progressive change, the electrification mandate seems likely to consolidate further a new model of high-tech feudalismone that will offer opportunity for powerful regulators and renewable-energy firms but impose a harsher future on most other Californians. Joel Kotkin is the Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and executive director of the Urban Reform Institute. His new book, The Coming of Neo-Feudalism, is now out from Encounter. You can follow him on Twitter @joelkotkin. A woman farmer set herself ablaze to protest an anti-encroachment action taken by the administration in Dewas district, 153 kilometres west of Bhopal, as per police. Shabra Bi, 45, a resident of Atwas village under Satwas police station, about 55 kilometres from the district headquarters received 20% burns. She was referred to a hospital in Indore where her condition is stated to be stable, said police. The incident, which took place on Tuesday, came to light on Thursday after a video went viral on social media in which the woman is seen setting herself ablaze in front of a team of government personnel while a JCB machine is seen destroying the crop in her farm field. Former chief minister Kamal Nath tweeted the video, attacking CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and urging the government to conduct an investigation into the case. CM Chouhan is currently undergoing treatment for coronavirus in a hospital. A sister is setting herself afire under the rule of who calls himself Mama (maternal uncle). A hapless woman had to resort to setting herself on fire to protest her crop being destroyed with a JCB machine, Kamal Nath tweeted. The womans husband, Ramzan Khan, alleged that the authorities ignored their pleas to stop. A joint team of revenue and police departments came with a JCB machine and wanted to destroy our soybean crop. They refused to hear our pleas for not destroying the crop. We are very poor and solely depend upon this crop which was sown in 2 bigha land. The team of government personnel beat us up and pushed Shabra Bi. I dont know from where Shabra got kerosene and poured it on herself. Before we could understand what had happened she set herself afire, said Khan. However, Dewas superintendent of police (SP), Shivdayal Singh said, Shabra Bi and 10 other members of her family attacked the team of police and revenue departments personnel resulting in injuries to two patwaris, Kishor Chawre and Dileep Jat and a revenue inspector Rajendra Dhurve. The Satwas police station registered an FIR against Shabra Bi and 10 others under section 147 (rioting), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causes hurt to any person being a public servant in the discharge of his duty as such public servant,), 294 (using obscene language), 506 (criminal intimidation) and under a section SC/ST Act. The SP said, There was a complaint that Shabra bi and her family had encroached upon government land. The matter was settled in the revenue court last week and the revenue team had gone to the village to remove the encroachment with the help of police when Shabra Bi and her family members pelted stones and hurled abuses on the team. Later she set her dupatta afire that caused burn injuries to her. Six years after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, a Black teenager, in Ferguson, Mo., another investigation into the killing has come to the same conclusion as the first: The officer should not be charged. The officer, Darren Wilson, already had been cleared by a grand jury and a federal investigation months after the shooting in 2014. But Thursdays announcement by a new prosecutor, Wesley Bell, most likely marks the end of the legal saga in a case that started the global rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has led to some major shifts in American policing and forced a renewed conversation about racism. Can we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred? Mr. Bell, the top prosecutor in St. Louis County, said at a news conference. The answer to that is no. The killing of Mr. Brown led to intense protests in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, where scenes of smashed windows, burning buildings and upset protesters choking in tear gas were seared into the minds of Americans. There were similar demonstrations in several cities this year after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, although many of the nationwide rallies featured no vandalism or violence. An exquisite 9th century statue of Natesh Shiva stolen from the Ghateshwar temple in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan in February 1998 and recovered in London will be on its way to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday. Indian officials here said that British authorities were alerted in 2003 when it emerged that the statue had been smuggled into the United Kingdom. They interacted with a private collector, who had it in his possession and later voluntarily returned it to the Indian high commission in 2005. Since then the statue has been displayed prominently in India House. In August 2017 a team of the ASI experts examined the idol and confirmed that it is the same murti that was stolen from the Ghateshwar temple in Baroli village. The statues return to India is the latest in recent such priceless items recovered in the UK and handed over to the Indian mission, which has been working with British law enforcement authorities to trace, seize and retrieve several stolen artefacts. Recent items recovered and repatriated to India include a 17th century bronze idol of Navanitha Krishna and a 2nd century limestone carved pillar motif returned by the US embassy on August 15, 2019; a 12th century bronze statue of Buddha handed over by Scotland Yard on August 15, 2018; and a Bramha- Brahmani sculpture, which was stolen from the world heritage site Rani Ki Vav in Gujarat, returned to ASI in 2017. Bereaved Rakhine Families Attest to Rise in Deaths in Myanmar Army Custody 2020-07-29 -- In Myanmar's restive Rakhine state, civilian deaths in military custody have increased to at least 29 cases this year, with most of the victims ethnic Rakhine men detained and tortured for suspected connections to the rebel Arakan Army (AA), family members of the missing or dead told RFA. Rakhine state has been torn by conflict since nearly three years ago, when the Myanmar Army responded to an attack on border guard posts by a militant group with a scorched-earth campaign that drove 740,000 Rohingya Muslims across the nearby border to Bangladesh. Similar attacks on border posts in early 2019 by the AA, a group formed in 2009 with an estimated 8,000 fighters last year that seeks autonomy for ethnic Rakhines in the state, launched the Rakhine conflict, which has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands of civilians. At the end of April, RFA's Myanmar Service reported that the number of cases stood at 15 since the conflict between the AA and the military flared up in December 2018. Since April, the figure has almost doubled as the corpses of more detainees are discovered. Some of the deaths occurred after groups of villagers were rounded up en masse in army operations. Though many remain missing, those who have resurfaced say they were tortured, while others were discovered dead, with their bodies bearing signs of torture. On Feb. 29, a land mine detonated by the AA against government forces prompted those soldiers to open fire in Myaung Bway Chay village, in Mrauk-U township, and round up villagers. According to relatives of victims, village administrators and local civil society groups, the onslaught left 11 dead and 17 wounded. Among the dead was Maung Soe Lwin, a 47-year-old from Shwe Lan village, who was visiting Myaung Bway Chay at the time. Government troops asked him questions about his involvement with the AA and killed him, according to his son-in-law Aung Naing Htay, who hid in a latrine nearby. According Maung Soe Lwin's widow, his body was left buried in a shallow grave apparently dug by government troops. One outstretched hand was poking out. "We found a bullet wound and several dagger wounds. It seems like he was buried while he was still alive," the widow, May Chay, told RFA's Myanmar Service Thursday. She added that the family called the police to report what they suspected, but nobody answered. Instead, the son-in-law Aung Naing Htay was arrested on charges of violating the Anti-Terrorism Act and detained at the Mrauk-U district police station, where the army tortured him for four days, his wife Ngwe Na Chay said. "My husband is tall and strong, but after I saw him I could not recognize him. He had so many wounds all over his body and he said he could not breathe well," Ngwe Na Chay told RFA. Enquiry committee launched On July 12, the military announced that an enquiry committee would be formed in order to investigate the allegations of abuses by the government troops in Minbya, Kyauktaw, Rathaedaung and Mrauk-U townships, but it has yet to comment further on any progress in its investigations. On March 16, army troops detained 10 residents Tin Ma village in Kyauktaw Township. The body of one of them, Maung Win, was discovered two months later. The corpse was found in the Kaladan river, riddled with bullet wounds. The other nine are still missing. In mid-June, the mother of one of the missing, Nay Lin Oo, told a news conference, that she had spotted her son, who has hearing and speech impairments, at a military camp in the Taung Shay mountain area near Tin Ma Gyi village, with some of the others missing from Tin Ma. "I recognized my son there," the mother, Oo Than Ye, said. "I saw other villagers, too. They were forced to work. Some were shoveling dirt, and others were carrying bags of soil on their shoulders." Than Tin, who is the widow of Maung Win, said: "The army arrested [a large group of] villagers including my husband, and they marched them into the mountains. On the way, they chose ten people including my husband, and sent the rest back to the village." Than Tin said soldiers had fired warning shots in the direction of those who were released, and one person suffered a bullet wound to the neck. "Then they shot the villagers [whom they sent back] and a friend of mine ran for his life and was badly injured," she said. Slow responses to complaints Contacted by RFA, a military spokesman refused to answer questions regarding deaths in custody. "Concerning these cases, investigations are still ongoing. We cannot answer right now," General Tun Tun Nyi told RFA. The government has, however, pledged to punish those who kill detainees. "If there is a case like that, then they can be sued according to the law, with enough evidence," said Zaw Htay, the director of the presidential office during a press conference July 17 in Nay Pyi Daw. "We protect [those we detain] totally. We have been trying to do that," he said. But in Rakhine, those who attempt to alert the authorities say they have had difficulty getting a response from authorities. Complaints have been accepted by the National Human Rights Commission, but not by the police or the court. In some cases, police stations did not accept complaints, and in others, the families are too afraid to report the incidents, residents said. Commenting on the May 2, 2019 killing of six detained civilians in Kyauktan, which the military acknowledged, Human Rights Watch said "the Myanmar army has a long history of failing to effectively or credibly investigate alleged abuses by its own forces, rarely holding military personnel accountable." The fighting, most of which has taken place near villages outside urban areas, has left 274 civilians dead and 587 injured since December 2018, according to figures compiled by RFA. The armed conflict has displaced nearly 200,000 civilians, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress, a local relief group. Reported by RFA's Myanmar Service. Translated by Maung Maung Nyo. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former Connecticut gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel died Wednesday from complications resulting from an accident in Pennsylvania last week, according to his family. Griebel, a Hartford resident, was hit by a car while he was out for a run on July 21. He died as a result of complications related to those injuries, a statement from his family said. He was 71. The Griebel family is very appreciative of the outpouring of support theyve received since the accident and will share information about services once arrangements have been made, the statement said. They continue to ask for privacy at this time. Griebel ran for governor twice in Connecticut as a Republican in 2010 and again as an independent in 2018. When Griebel launched his campaign for governor in 2018, he declared five areas that we think summarize the themes of this campaign and more importantly will be key areas of focus for this administration. The first, of course, was the economy specifically, reigniting the private sector confidence, Griebel said at Infinity Hall in Hartford with his running mate, Monte Frank, a lifelong Democrat from Newtown. He was always optimistic about Connecticuts future. Attitude matters, Griebel said. If you believe were headed in the right direction, then you can tolerate some changes that will have to be made. So lets have an aspirational goal of 200,000 more jobs or more by 2029. In a statement Wednesday night, Gov. Ned Lamont said Griebels heart was with Connecticut. He loved this state and the people who live in it, and he enthusiastically believed that its best days are ahead, Lamont said. He will be missed, and I extend my deepest sympathy to his family. There is no place like Oz, and there was no one like Oz. This spring, Griebel advocated for expansion of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, lawmakers voted to allow anyone concerned about becoming infected to vote by mail in the November election. He obsessed about policy and knew politics was just a means to an end, said U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy in a statement. He was gracious and fun to be around. And he cared, more than almost anyone I ever met, about the future of our state and the people in it. Griebel came to Connecticut in the early 1990s as president of Bank of Boston Connecticut. He was a political moderate, pro-business but also in favor of public investments. Griebel served as principal of Griebel Consulting, according to his LinkedIn page. He was also working with Serve America Movement, a national group that advocates for election reforms. He was president and chief executive officer of the MetroHartford Alliance, an economic development group in the Hartford area for nearly 17 years, from April 2001 to December 2017. Prior to that, Griebel was a consultant to the governor and legislature from 2000 to 2001. He spearheaded the creation of the states Transportation Strategy Board, serving as its initial chair from 2001 to 2005. Griebel graduated from Dartmouth College, where he was a standout pitcher on the schools baseball team. He held a law degree from Suffolk University. Various Connecticut politicians offered condolences and memories of Griebel throughout Wednesday night as news of his death spread. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz called Griebel a fierce advocate for business and a kind soul in a statement. He brought creative ideas and civility to public life, she said. He will be missed greatly. The news of Ozs passing is heartbreaking, said a statement from state Sen. Len Fasano, leader of the Senate Republican Caucus. He was a great man, a leader and a champion for our state. He worked hard to be part of every conversation about improving and strengthening Connecticut and making our home a better place to live for all people. He was always a gentleman, in everything he did. Oz Griebel was the consummate public servant, said a statement from state Democratic Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo. As a business leader and as a candidate for governor, he raised critical issues and the caliber of the debate. His passing is a huge loss for all of Connecticut. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family. The Associated Press contributed to this story. ASHKELON, Israel (Reuters) - Sewer surveillance in Israel's coastal city of Ashkelon has pinpointed unknown outbreaks of COVID-19 by identifying traces of the virus in the sewage system. The project, similar to those undertaken in other countries, was carried out by wastewater management technology firm Kando and researchers from Israeli educational institutions including Ben Gurion University and the Technion in Haifa. The research pointed to wastewater as a means of detecting outbreaks of the disease early as well as the ability to narrow hotspots down to specific streets, Kando said on Thursday. Early studies by scientists in The Netherlands, France, Australia and elsewhere suggest sewage sampling for signs of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus could help assess the number of infections in a geographic area, without having to test every person. [nKCN24O1OF] Samples of wastewater from the Paris sewage system have been showing traces of COVID-19 again since the end of June, having vanished when France imposed a lockdown. For the Israeli pilot study, the coastal city of Ashkelon, with 150,000 residents, was chosen as it was thought to have a low number of cases. But researchers discovered significant remnants of the coronavirus in municipal wastewater, Kando said. The results suggest that tracking coronavirus remnants in the sewer network can be a more efficient gauge of the extent of outbreaks than testing individuals, especially given the asymptomatic nature of many suffering from COVID-19, it said. "This will allow authorities to take actions to contain future outbreaks," said Nadav Davidovitch, director of Ben Gurion University's School of Public Health. Kando said it is in talks with several cities in Israel and abroad about deploying the system. (Reporting by Tova Cohen and Amir Cohen; Editing by Steven Scheer and Mike Collett-White) New Delhi: As per the latest development in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, it has been learnt that the Mumbai Police won't record any statement until the hearing in Supreme Court, sources said on Thursday. A notice about the same has also been sent to the police by actress Rhea Chakraborty's lawyer. Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, filed a petition in the top court on Wednesday, seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna to Mumbai and the stay on the investigation by the Bihar Police. Sushant's father has filed the FIR in Patna accusing Rhea and her family of abetment to suicide of his actor son. Advocate Satish Maneshinde, who is representing Rhea, said he has filed a petition in the apex court seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai where the probe in the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput is going on. In her plea, the actress has also sought stay on the probe by Bihar Police on the FIR lodged by Sushant's father till disposal of her plea in the top court, Satish Maneshinde said. Sushant, 34, was found hanging in his apartment Mumbai on June 14 and since then, the Mumbai Police has been probing the case. However, after the Patna FIR, a four-member Bihar Police team also set up an investigation in Mumbai. In the case, the Mumbai Police has been busy quizzing prominent Bollywood personalities like Mahesh Bhatt, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Aditya Chopra and others. The case, however, suddenly took a new turn with Sushant's father lodging the FIR against Rhea. Rhea Chakraborty had also recorded her statement with the Mumbai Police. Meanwhile, several political leaders and film personalities have demanded a CBI probe into his death. Three prominent Indigenous leaders say the federal government's new targets to bridge the divide in disadvantage will continue to leave Aboriginal communities behind because the groups which negotiated them lacked a mandate to speak on their behalf. Cape York Institute director Noel Pearson, Professor Megan Davis and Roy Ah-See on Thursday hit out at the new national agreement on Closing the Gap - a result of almost two years of consultations - because they said the coalition of 50 peaks bodies did not represent the views of Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt and chief executive officer of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Pat Turner, at the announcement of the new Closing the Gap targets on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed the historic new agreement with all state and territory governments on Thursday which include the first reforms of the targets designed to end a decade of failure in addressing Indigenous disadvantage since 2008. Under the plan, renewed efforts will be made to lift the proportion of Indigenous Australians completing secondary school to 96 per cent in the next decade under a historic community-led push to close the gap in disadvantage levels. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form MONTREAL - Molson Coors Beverage Co. continues to grapple with what the CEO called a global can shortage as consumers shifted away from drinking at bars and restaurants and started consuming more drinks at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer demand has shifted in ways no one could have foreseen six months ago, said chief executive Gavin Hattersley during a conference call with analysts Thursday after the company released its second-quarter financial results. When bars and restaurants were shuttered in the early parts of (the second quarter), demand for kegs in the U.S. went down to zero, he said, and conversely demand for cans went through the roof. Thats put pressure on the availability of 12-ounce cans, he said. We have been producing and shipping can beer at significantly higher rates than in recent years. Though, it hasnt been enough to meet the historically high orders were seeing. Molson Coors eclipsed its July 4 week shipment days in the United States four times already this year, he said, adding that thats unheard of. July 4 is when Americans celebrate their Independence Day. The company has worked to get as many cans as possible from its suppliers, as well as to source more cans from around the world, he said. It also suspended production of slower moving products packaged in cans this size, he said. Molson Coors remains tight on the Coors Light tall can, said Hattersley, but the situation is starting to improve with respect to the industry standard 12-ounce can. Still it expects 12-ounce cans will remain an issue in its third quarter. The company expects off-premise trends to continue to be strong, though not enough to offset the loss in on-premise consumption. The Montreal-based company, which reports in U.S. dollars, saw its net income decrease nearly 41 per cent in the second quarter to $195 million. That equalled 90 cents per share for the three months ended June 30, down from $1.52 per share of $329.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. Excluding one-time items, underlying net income increased 2.3 per cent to $337.3 million or $1.55 per share, compared with $329.6 million or $1.52 per share a year earlier. Revenues fell 15.1 per cent to $2.5 billion, from $2.95 billion in the prior years quarter, with most sales coming from retail locations rather than bars and restaurants. Molson Coors was expected to report 68 cents per share in adjusted profits on $2.45 billion in revenues, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. Molson said it provided about $16 million in thank you pay for some essential North American brewery employees that ended in the quarter as well as a paid leave policy and voluntary paid leave. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TPX.B) Read more about: Choreography for the Community Dance portion of the event will be made public in early August. Greensboro Downtown Parks will accept video submissions of members of the community performing the dance on their own to be compiled into a feature for release on the day of the event, as well. In addition to these video series, Greensboro Downtown Parks, in partnership with Dance Project, Inc., will bring a temporary art installation to LeBauer Park in conjunction with the National Dance Day event. With more details to come soon, the public artwork will feature an interactive element for members of the community to safely enjoy in the park space on their own time in the weeks following the Sept.19 celebration. The international flags suspended above LeBauers Great Lawn - a hallmark of this cultural celebration - also will go up on National Dance Day to be enjoyed by the public for a time following the event date. A lineup of participating dancers will be announced in the weeks to come. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges Mario Dingillo was unarmed and posed no threat when he was shot to death by the security guard in the early hours of Nov.r 3, 2019, outside the Bluelight, 3251 N. Western Ave. The guard was employed by Walsh Security, which is also named in the suit. The bar is not a defendant in the lawsuit. New Delhi, July 30 : In a new twist in the alleged suicide case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the Bihar government too has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in actress Rhea Chakraborty's petition which seeks transfer of the Patna FIR to Mumbai where police is inquiring into the case. Sources said that former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi will represent the Bihar government defending its probe into Sushant's death. The state government would support Rajput's father in the apex court and also oppose the transfer of FIR registered in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty to Mumbai. Rajput's father has accused Rhea, reportedly Sushant's girlfriend, for allegedly abetting his son's suicide. Earlier in the day, Sushant's father K.K. Singh filed a caveat in the Supreme Court on the plea of Rhea seeking transfer of investigation in the case from Patna to Mumbai. "Let nothing be done in the above mentioned matter without prior notice to the undersigned," said the caveat by advocate Nitin Saluja on behalf of Sushant's father. The apex court also declined to entertain a plea seeking a CBI investigation into the death of the actor. Rhea moved the apex court seeking transfer of the FIR from Patna to Mumbai where police is investigating Rajput's death by suicide. On Wednesday, after Sushant's father lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, accusing her of cheating and threatening his son, who allegedly committed suicide last month, the actress on the same day moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the investigation to Mumbai. Speaking to IANS, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde had said his client has electronically filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai where investigation in connection with the actor's death is already in progress. Maneshinde, however, refused to share the contents of the petition. Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor's death on June 14. Sushant's father has levelled various allegations against Rhea, including taking money from his son and also threatening to disclose his medical reports to the media. Sushant's family has also accused Rhea of keeping him away from his family. Sushant's first cousin and former BJP MLA from Bihar's Chhatapur, Neeraj Kumar Singh said the FIR has been filed after the family somehow overcame the shock of the untimely and sudden demise of the young actor, and after various facts came to their knowledge. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesBy KELLY MCCARTHY, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- A lawsuit has been filed against a bagged salad brand after the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked its product to hundreds of parasite infections in the United States, leading to the product being recalled in June. Tainted salad mix from Fresh Express, which was sold at ALDI, Hy-Vee, Walmart and Jewel-Osco stores, caused an outbreak of cyclospora across the Midwest, according to an investigation by the FDA and CDC. "Six-hundred and forty-one people with laboratory-confirmed Cyclospora infections and who reported eating bagged salad mix before getting sick have been reported from 11 states -- Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin," the CDC announced in a press release on July 24. The parasite, which can be ingested via contaminated food, can cause an intestinal infection known as cyclosporiasis, according to the FDA. Symptoms of cyclosporiasis may include diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss and cramping, among others, the FDA says. Thirty-seven people were hospitalized with the illness between May 11 and July 5, the FDA and CDC reported. Illinois is the epicenter of the outbreak, with 198 confirmed cases. The FDA has asked all consumers who have symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact a health care provider to report the symptoms and receive treatment. On Tuesday, the food safety law firm of Ron Simon & Associates and Chicago attorneys Meyers & Flowers filed a lawsuit against Fresh Express that stemmed from the contaminated products, according to a press release. The lawsuit was filed against Fresh Express and Berkot's Super Foods in Cook County, Illinois, on behalf of John Silbersdorf. The June 27 product recall included products containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage and carrots produced at the company's Streamwood, Illinois, facility. Recalled products can be identified by the product code in the upper right-hand corner of the front of the package, which will start with the letter "Z" and be followed by the number "178" or lower. For a full list of the recalled product information from the FDA, click here. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. New Delhi: All thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi'sA November 8A decision of banning Rs 500, and Rs 100 bank notes that the term 'demonetisation' has become the top trending and the most talked about word in the country. People are still split about whether they should support or oppose the decision which was taken by the Prime Minister to end the menace of black money in the country.A But all the arguments for and against demonetisation aside, everyone may agree on the fact that its implementation has caused the common man a wave of inconvenience. The crackdown on the shadow economy has brought large parts of the Indian economy to a virtual standstill. The bulk of posts related to demonetisation started coming on people's WhatsApp number, on Twitter and their Facebook accounts immediately after the Government'sA November 8announcement by the prime minister. And the trend continues even 17 days after the decision. In the series of funny and witty posts on social media, advertising executive Sanjay Sipahimalani onA FridayA posted 13 tweets comparing the changing rules after demonetisation decision by re-imagining them as in-flight announcements. He tweeted in-flight announcements as if they were being made in the style of changing rules on demonetisation since its announcement by the Narendra Modi Government onA November 8. Here are the hilarious tweets - If in-flight announcements were made in the manner of demonetisation notifications: (1/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Hello, and welcome aboard. Do fasten your seatbelts, because weare in for a bumpy ride. (2/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A You can stow cabin baggage in the overhead compartment for the first 15 minutes after which you need to place it under your seat. (3/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A After five more minutes, you can take it out and place it on your lap. Until further notice. (4/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A You can switch off your cellphones now. Those who switched off cellphones five minutes ago may be subject to penalty. (5/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A There is no penalty for those using pre-paid cards that they have purchased in the last 24 hours. (6/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Or is it 12 hours? Weall let you know. (7/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Our in-flight crew will be happy to take care of your needs. Write down stated needs and get the signature of the airline CEO. (8/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Food will be served first to those sitting on rows 1 to 12. After 5 minutes, weall reverse the order. Then it's odd-numbered rows. (9/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Unless the food runs out. (10/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A Those who are already full are encouraged to distribute leftover food to those less fortunate. (11/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A In case of turbulence, oxygen masks will drop down. Before using these, you need to provide a chest X-ray that is KYC-compliant. (12/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 A The flight should take 60 minutes, but it could be more. Or less. Itas a small inconvenience. Take this flight for the nation. (13/13) a Sanjay Sipahimalani (@SanSip) November 25, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Lesly Joseph By Express News Service KOZHIKODE: Once a physician, Kozhikode rural police chief Dr A Srinivas was quick to notice the mental stress being faced by policemen during Covid-19 crisis. The district police chief decided to use free time of police personnel who are kept as reserve at their homes and has come up with a set of guidelines for healthy living for these staffers, which is now appreciated by DGP Loknath Behera. He has requested all DCPs in the state to follow the same. The directions include how to utilise time and the dos and don'ts. Some of the guidelines are as follows-should wake up early, do one hour exercise or yoga, spend time with children, assist your spouse, make video calls to your parents who are staying away, sleep for eight hours, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries at home without inviting others, attend online classes with high officials, develop a hobby, promote Live with Corona campaign, call old friends and complete pending official work - all designed to promote a healthy living. "In the wake of Covid-19, half of the personnel have to be kept as reserve at home considering the possibility of infection. However, all of them are concerned about their family members and their health. Some of them are staying away from their families and they hardly get time to go to their native places. Some are asking for transfers. So, we noticed the mental stress being faced by the police personnel who are working in the frontline to tackle Covid-19. Meanwhile, personnel who are kept aside can use their free time fruitfully and we formulated a set of directions for them. The reserve time is not to be wasted," said Dr Srinivas. The guidelines were enforced in Kozhikode rural since last month. However seeing the positive response from the reserve staff, the DGP now wants to practice it in all districts. Though he misses his old profession as physician, a Mysore Medical College 1995-2000 pass out, Srinivas says it's because of his medical profession, he could think of these issues and find their solutions. "I miss my profession, of course. It's five years of my hard work. But even in my police career my medical profession and knowledge have always helped me, especially in analysing postmortem reports or inquests. And now, it is helping me to think about the wellness of my fellow workers, who are fighting hard in the battle against the pandemic," he said. Amazon has said the number of demands for user data made by U.S. federal and local law enforcement have increased more during the first half of 2020 than during the same period a year earlier. The disclosure came in the company's latest transparency report, published Thursday. The figures show that Amazon received 23% more subpoenas and search warrants, and a 29% increase in court orders compared to the first half of 2019. That includes data collected from its Amazon.com retail storefront, Amazon Echo devices and its Kindle and Fire tablets. Breaking those figures down, Amazon said it received: 2,416 subpoenas, turning over all or partial user data in 70% of cases. 543 search warrants, turning over all or partial user data in 79% of cases. 146 court orders, turning over all or partial user data in 74% of cases. The number of requests to the company's cloud services, Amazon Web Services, also went up compared to a year earlier. But it's not clear what caused the rise in U.S. government demands for user data. A spokesperson for Amazon did respond to a request for comment. The company saw the number of overseas requests drop by about one-third compared to the same period a year earlier. Amazon rejected 92% of the 177 overseas requests it received, turning over partial user data in 10 cases and all requested data in four cases. Amazon also said it received between 0 and 249 national security requests, flat from previous reports. Justice Department rules on disclosing classified requests only allow companies to respond in numerical ranges. Amazon was one of the last major tech companies to issue a transparency report, despite mounting pressure from privacy advocates. But its report remains far lighter on details compared to its Silicon Valley rivals. The company's Ring smart camera division, despite facing criticism for its poor security practices and its close relationships with law enforcement, has yet to release any data related to police requests for user data. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Ethoxyquin Market: Global Industry Analysis 2015-2019 & Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030 A recent market study published by Future Market Insights on the Ethoxyquin Market offers global industry analysis for 2015-2019 & opportunity assessment for 20202030. The study offers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. After conducting a thorough research on the historical, as well as current growth parameters of the Ethoxyquin Market, the growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision. Market Segmentation The global Ethoxyquin Market is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present complete market intelligence to readers. Product Type Ethxyquin-95 Oil Ethxyquin-66 Powder Ethxyquin-33 Powder Application Pesticides Pet Food Preservatives Poultry Industry Aquaculture Industry Spice Color Preservatives Industrial Application Region North America Latin America Europe East Asia South Asia Oceania MEA For more insights into the Market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-11215 Report Chapters Chapter 01 - Executive Summary The executive summary of the Ethoxyquin Market includes the market proprietary wheel of fortune, demand-side and supply-side trends, opportunity assessment, and recommendations on the global Ethoxyquin Market. Chapter 02 Market Overview Readers can find the detailed segmentation and definition of the Ethoxyquin Market in this chapter, which will help them understand basic information about the Ethoxyquin Market. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help the reader understand the scope of the Ethoxyquin Market report. Chapter 03 Market Background The associated industry assessment of the Ethoxyquin Market is carried out in this section. The macroeconomic factors affecting growth of the Ethoxyquin Market are provided in this section and the impact of these macroeconomic indicators on the Ethoxyquin Market is analyzed. The processing overview and technological advancements in the Ethoxyquin Market is also provided. Chapter 04 - Global Ethoxyquin Market Demand Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast, 2020-2030 This chapter includes detailed analysis of the historical ethoxyquin market (2015-2019), along with an opportunity analysis for the forecast period (2020-2030). Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2019 2020) and incremental opportunity for the forecast period (20202030). This chapter provides details about the ethoxyquin market and evaluates the year on year growth trend it exhibits. Chapter 05 Global Ethoxyquin Market Pricing Analysis The pricing of the ethoxyquin market by product type is analyzed in this chapter. The prices of different product types of ethoxyquin in every region is provided. Pricing break-up between different types of players involved in the market, price forecast till 2030 and factors affecting pricing of ethoxyquin have also studied in detail in this chapter. Chapter 06 Global Ethoxyquin Market Demand Analysis and Forecast 2015-2030 This chapter includes detailed analysis of the historical Ethoxyquin Market (2015-2019), along with an opportunity analysis for the forecast period (2020-2030). Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2020 2021) and incremental opportunity for the forecast period (2020-2030). Chapter 07 Global Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 by Product Type Based on Product Type, the Ethoxyquin Market is segmented into Ethxyquin-95 Oil, Ethxyquin-66 Powder and Ethxyquin-33 Powder. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the Ethoxyquin Market and market attractiveness analysis based on raw material. Chapter 08 Global Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 by Application Based on Application, the Ethoxyquin Market is classified Into Pesticides, Pet Food Preservatives, Poultry Industry, Aquaculture Industry, Spice Color Preservatives and Industrial Application. This part also offers market attractiveness analysis based on Application. Chapter 09 Global Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 by Region This chapter explains how the Ethoxyquin Market is anticipated to grow across various geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, Oceania, and Middle East and Africa. Chapter 10 North America Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the Ethoxyquin Market in North America, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find regional trends, regulations, and market growth based on end users and countries in the North America region. Chapter 11 Latin America Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 Readers can find detailed information about several factors, such as the pricing analysis and regional trends, which are impacting growth of the Ethoxyquin Market in Latin America. This chapter also includes growth prospects of the Ethoxyquin Market in leading LATAM countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and the Rest of Latin America. Chapter 12 Europe Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 Important growth prospects of the Ethoxyquin Market based on its end users in several countries such as Germany, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, BENELUX, Nordic, Russia, Poland, and the Rest of Western Europe are included in this chapter. Chapter 13 East Asia Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter includes a detailed analysis of the growth of the Ethoxyquin Market in the East Asia region, along with a country-wise assessment that includes Japan, China, and South Korea. Readers can also find regional trends, regulations, and market growth based on end users and countries in the APEJ region. Chapter 14 South Asia Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the key countries of South Asia such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Rest of South Asia Ethoxyquin Market. Chapter 15 Oceania Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter offers insights into how the Ethoxyquin Market is expected to grow in major countries in the Middle East region such as Australia and New Zealand, during the forecast period 2020-2030. Chapter 16 Middle East & Africa Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 & Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter contains information about the market growth of Alginates & Derivatives in Middle East region such as GCC Countries, South Africa, North Africa, and the Rest of Middle East, during the forecast period 2020-2030. Chapter 17 Emerging Countries Ethoxyquin Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 The chapter offers insights into factors enabling growth in the ethoxyquin market across some of the high potential countries such as Turkey, India, and ASEAN. Industry leading analytical tools are used to study growth prospects for the market across these countries. Chapter 18 Market Structure Analysis In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about tier analysis and market concentration of the key players in the ethoxyquin Market along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio. For Information On The Research Approach Used In The Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-11215 Chapter 19 Competition Analysis In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of leading manufacturers in the Ethoxyquin Market, along with detailed information about each company, which includes company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Jiangsu Zhongdan Group Co. Ltd., Industrial Tcnica Pecuaria,, Skystone Feed Co., Ltd., Shanghai Fuda Fine Material Co., Ltd., Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Merck KGaA, Camlin Fine Sciences Limited, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Perstorp Group, Royal DSM, Cargill Incorporated, Kemin Industries, DowDuPont, Alltech, Adisseo, Nutreco NV and Novus International. Chapter 20 Assumptions and Acronyms This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provide a base to the information and statistics included in the Alginates & Derivatives report. Chapter 21 Research Methodology This chapter helps readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions, as well as important qualitative and quantitative information, on the Ethoxyquin Market. Donald Mason cant say that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nonprofit music institute he runs was a blessing, not even one in disguise. That doesnt sound right. But the pandemic did force the Classical Music Institute to act quickly and grow faster than it imagined it would in a short time. CMI did it by moving swiftly, staying agile and ultimately working like a global organization thats based in San Antonio. First, the resident company at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts worked on salvaging its summer camp after its performances were canceled. It had 38 students, a lot fewer than other summers, and a budget scaled back by more than half to $35,000. All its students were on scholarship. Then CMI had to adjust to online learning, a challenge even under ordinary circumstances given the intimacy music training usually requires. Courtesy Half its students tuned in from their homes in the Edgewood Independent School District on the citys West Side. Edgewood is a longtime partner. The other half were based in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, where some of its faculty have connections. CMIs 12 instructors connected online from seven countries: Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Japan and the United States. Theyre all maestros, Spanish for teacher and masters of their instruments. The Monday-Wednesday-Friday class schedule called for 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. sessions, all via Zoom. It held separate sessions for violin, viola, cello, bass and piano and offered electives on a range of topics from music appreciation and ear training to one titled, What Your Instrument Teaches You about the World. We want to create content in between that all students can use, Mason said about future classes CMI is planning, such as sight reading, companionship on stage, performance etiquette and even audience development, so that students get a fuller arts education. This years camp lineup served as a catalyst for CMIs instructional library, another long-term goal the pandemic propelled into reality. It recorded summer sessions to build its digital content. Mason now says the pandemic pushed us into the future. If there were language barriers, Mason says they were easily overcome. Many in the faculty learned English as a second language but are fluent. On occasion, Mason, a non-Spanish-speaker who served as a class moderator and handled technical issues, used Google translate. Hes a relative newcomer to San Antonio. Born in Midland, the 39-year-old arts administrator spent most of his life in Lexington, Kentucky. He was a music photojournalist for a time, he said, and interviewed famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Mason last served as executive director of the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, a treasured institution in Lexington with deep African American roots. In the 1940s until the 60s, it hosted artists such as Ray Charles, Count Basie, Ike and Tina Turner and B.B. King. Once a lead vocalist for a funk band, Mason describes his own musical tastes by listing three genres, jazz, classical and Hamilton, he said, referring to the Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway hit. Mason comes from a place of big dreams. He hopes to position CMI as a provider of music education for local school districts that may not have the time or resources. Eventually, the institute wants to establish a year-round curriculum and seek accreditation. CMI sees its camp as a pilot program for a new standard of instruction, one that combines live and digital instruction. Were preparing ourselves to be available to students to pursue their classical music education, he said. The Guadalajara connection has gotten him thinking about San Antonios 10 other sister cities, he said. Its been very exciting, he said. Its also been a weird six months. On Friday afternoon, CMIs camp will meet for the last time. It usually ends with a concert that combines student and faculty players. Instead it will close out with a session titled, Fall in Love with Orchestral Music. For Delilah Mejia that was already a given. The 13-year-old violin and viola student plays percussion in the Brentwood Middle School marching band. She loved that CMI was so inclusive by taking students at all music levels. Like her 11-year-old brother Benjamin, who plays violin, this was her third year at CMI. And they both liked camp because they met people from all over the world. eayala@express-news.net Jacksonville School District 117s board is expected to vote next week on a formal back-to-school plan after a recommendation from the superintendent to move ahead with both in-person and e-learning options for parents. After many districts in the state moved to start the school year online, Superintendent Steve Ptacek recommended that the board give parents the option to choose how their students will start the school year. The move to a complete e-learning model would have negative impacts on students, he said, adding that, as an educator, hes not OK with that. While I do not know if there are any real hazards to having our students attend a school that follows the guidelines established by the medical experts, I absolutely know that if I make the recommendation to send all of our kids home, I am making a recommendation in which I fully know that our students will face damage to their cognitive development, their emotional development and their social development, he said. Potential health risks are there, Ptacek said, but precautions are being taken and the district is following guidelines from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois School Board of Education as well as local health organizations for all procedures within the school and will move to a full remote-learning model if mandated by the state. If a student or faculty member were to test positive for the virus, Ptacek said, the district would follow any recommendation made by the state or local health department. We cannot make a plan for every possible scenario, Ptacek said. I will leave that in the hands of the health experts and follow their recommendations. The district has released potential plans for the return to school, but the board has not adopted a formal plan. That vote is expected Aug. 6. In a plan released July 7, the district said it would live-stream lessons for those who choose to attend school remotely. Also in the plans, elementary schools will operate normal hours with limited transition outside of the classrooms. Art, P.E. and lunch all will take place in the classroom to prevent extra movement within the building. Jacksonville High School and Jacksonville Middle School hours have been cut to about five hours and each student will be offered a sack lunch to take home. P.E. at both schools will consist of a journal of activities the students do outside of school each day. There also will be a mandatory face mask requirement for all students and staff, health screenings and additional cleaning. During Tuesdays meeting, community members provided alternatives to live-streaming classes at the elementary level, including hiring additional staff that would be responsible for recording lessons and being available to answer students questions remotely. A move like that would require six teaching positions, Ptacek said. But he didnt rule it out, saying it can be discussed as something that could work and could take the extra workload off of elementary school teachers. Concerns also were raised about the additional work on teachers, who would have to scan all paperwork for students learning from home. We are open to working with our unions, maybe bringing in our bus drivers who dont have routes to help, Ptacek said. They can scan in documents, help out in those types of situations. Ptacek said the district also will look into possibly hiring a group of substitute teachers that would be under contract to fill positions when a teacher is sick, a move designed to help decrease a shortage of substitute teachers and the possibility of a classroom not having coverage. Administrators also will cover classes throughout the district, if needed, he said. The district will be sending out a survey to parents to gather some information about how many parents are likely to choose in-person or e-learning options for their students. There also will be a video demonstration of what e-learning would look like for students. The only thing we can do to serve our community is to offer the choice, Ptacek said. She encourages millennials to express themselves with her #HaathMeinNirbhar campaign This Paris-based desi girl found her calling through the contemporary medium of podcasts post marriage. Popkast with Garima is a product of the pandemic. The idea was conceived a year back but I kept procrastinating until I moved to Marseille only four days before the lockdown began here. It was difficult initially moving to a new city but I always wanted to host my own show, says the charming lady with a friendly voice that instantly puts her interviewees at ease, even as Garima skilfully navigates conversations that revolve around intimate sexual issues. I have always believed in igniting the right conversations and Popkast gives me an opportunity to have conversations that really matter with our pop culture icons. Living here has made me more independent and Ive truly embraced myself. I no longer care about body hair, stretch marks, basic things that I was once red-faced of. Ive definitely shed the inhibition of log kya kahenge (What will people think!), she says. And which is why Garima opted to talk about the taboo with her Popkast No Sugar All Spice (Season 2). All episodes were inspired from our day-to-day lives of living through these societal constructs From beauty standards to mard ko dard nahi hota and dissecting the fault in our Rahus to dealing with hate comments. I loved recording with performer Sushant Divgikar AKA Rani KoHEnoor for my episode called Paap Ko Jalakar Rakh Dunga. I think he is a wonderful person with sass and intelligence, she confesses. Growing her world Garima has always danced to her own tune and calls herself a rebellious kid. As a youngster growing in a conservative Mar-wari family, questioning the status quo came naturally to her. I am a firm believer of bringing change from your own home first. So, I have been comfortable about sex, exploration and conversations with my siblings and friends. My prime mission with my Popkast is to be unapologetic, unabashed in my choice of topic, guest and conversations with them. In a Popkast quirkily called Auzaar E Lockdown she gets into a fun chat with Raj Armani (Co-founder of Besharam) and actors Leeza Mangaldas and Kajol Tyagi on sex toys, female gratification and with gentle ease manages to normalise the conversation. We created a category called Sex and Wellness where actress Leeza Mangaldas spoke about female pleasure, so essentially with Popkast the idea is to break all glass ceilings, she adds. Her self-confidence is admirable. Garima refers to herself as miss-know-it-all and expert of nothing in her badass show. My parents have been very supportive during this journey of self-discovery. I have moved four cities in the last seven years, met a plethora of new people across different cultures and continents and Id attribute it to that. It just gave me so much new perspective and I broke so many stereotypes for myself, she reveals. All her Popkasts have been designed with the prime intent of making Indians haatmeinnirbhar which Garima defines as a simple yet powerful hashtag. This was a quirky word play to normalise the idea of self-gratification. India is the land of Kamasutra and our culture is synonymous to the rich history with sex. Even though we are a population of 1.3 billion, we still face Haye ram when we discuss intimate words is why #hathmeinnirbhar became an important buzzword, she adds. It would not be wrong to conclude that podcasts are working towards making sexual conversations a drawing room affair. Sex is not new to podcasts. But the new wave of podcasters have managed to convey taboo topics around sex in an evolved manner, she sums up. Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) Edges Higher as US-China Trade Tensions Drag Down Aussie The Pound to Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate edged higher by 0.4% today, with the pairing currently trading around AU$1.817. The Australian Dollar (AUD) suffered today after Australias Building Permits figure or June undershot forecasts and fell by -4.9% despite a forecast of 0%. As a result, Aussie investors are remaining jittery as this means that approvals had declined four months in a row. Janu Chan, Senior Economist at St. George Bank in Sydney, was also downbeat in her analysis, saying: Strong headwinds remain given rising unemployment and weaker incomes which will continue to weigh on housing demand and prices. The housing market and residential construction will continue to face some challenging conditions ahead. Meanwhile, AUD investors are becoming increasingly concerned about US-China trade tensions. With China being Australias largest trading partner, this has dampened hopes in Australias economic recovery in the months ahead. The Australian Dollar (AUD) has also suffered from a slump in demand for risky assets following reports that Germanys economy has fell by -10.1% in the second quarter. Consequently, Aussie investors have become worried that the global economys recovery could be slower than previously expected. Pound (GBP) Edges Higher as Downing Street has a Change of Attitude Towards Brexit The Pound (GBP) rose against the Australian Dollar (AUD) today on renewed hopes that UK-EU post-Brexit trade negotiations could be making progress. However, European Commissioner for Trade, Phil Hogan, said that Britain had only been engaging with technical issues in the last week or two. Mr Hogan also said there was a change of attitude in Downing Street this month, although this was not as advanced as we would like. A spokesperson for Downing Street said: The UK has engaged constructively on all issues throughout the negotiations. Unfortunately, the EUs unusual approach has meant we have only been able to progress at the speed of the most difficult issues. Both sides will need to work energetically if we are going to get an agreement in September. Despite mixed messages surrounding UK-EU negotiations, there are growing hopes that the new urgency on Downing Streets behalf could improve the chances of a trade deal being struck between the UK and the EU. GBP/AUD Forecast: Could Escalating US-China Trade Tensions Drag Down the Aussie? The Australian Dollar (AUD) will remain sensitive to US-China trade relations and the worlds coronavirus situation for the remainder of this week. Any signs of trade tensions escalating between the worlds two largest economies would prove AUD-negative. In Australian economic news, tomorrow will see the release of Australias Producer Price Index for the second quarter. If theres any signs of an improvement in Australias economic recovery, then we could see the Aussie begin to gain against Sterling. The GBP/AUD exchange rate could continue to edge higher this week if hopes continue to grow over improving relations between the UK and the EU. As a result, Sterling could edge higher if Downing Street or the EU announce progress on post-Brexit trade talks. Life On Mars star Dean Andrews has confirmed that a new series is in the works, after creator Matthew Graham hinted the show could be returning to screens. Speaking on This Morning the Emmerdale star, 56, revealed the writers are in the midst of scripting of new episodes, and they're 'hopeful' a majority of the cast will be reprising their roles. Life On Mars originally aired on BBC One from 2006 and 2007 and told the story of detective Sam Tyler who awakes from a car accident to find he's been transported back to 1973. It's coming back! Life On Mars star Dean Andrews (pictured second right as Ray Carling) has confirmed that a new series is in the works Dean told Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford that bosses are hopeful that much of the cast will be back for a final series/ He said: 'There's a very, very good chance of that happening. 'The writers Matt Graham and Ashley Pharoah are in the process of writing four or five episodes, and getting everybody back together who wants to come back. 'I believe Phil and John are very, very excited about it, Daniel Mays, myself... they are hoping everyone wants to come back, and they want to make the story back in the 70's and the 80's and the modern day.' Exciting; The Emmerdale star said on Wednesday's This Morning that writers are in the midst of scripting new episodes, and are 'hopeful' the entire case will return In early April, writer Matthew confirmed that a final series of the police series was in the works, with many of its original characters set to appear, including John Simm as Sam Tyler and Philip Glenister as cop Gene Hunt. Matthew said: 'We would never make another Mars unless we really had something to say and could push the envelope all over again. Finally we have something. He teased: 'We intend to get as many back (across both decades) as we can. When you wonder who will be coming back for The Final Chapter think Avengers Assemble!' Coming soon: He said: 'I believe Phil [Glenister] and John [Simm] are very, very excited about it, Daniel Mays, myself... they are hoping everyone wants to come back Return? In early April, writer Matthew Graham confirmed that a final series of the police series was in the works, with many of its original characters set to appear He added that the new series would be set across Manchester and London and is likely to include four or five parts, reports the Mirror. Matthew cast fans minds back to when Jim Keats [Daniel Mays] sang Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again as he wandered away from Gene at the end of the last episode, suggesting he may be back to cause the cop more grief. Phillip was quizzed about the return of the show by the Mail On Sunday in March, and he said: 'I would be interested in returning to the show. I think the question is, would the powers that be be too nervous to bring that character back on to mainstream television?' What? The British series is the story of modern day policeman Sam Tyler (left played by John Simm) who awakes after a car crash to discover he's been transported back to 1973 The actor said he felt that political correctness had become suffocating. 'Anything anybody says now if someone disagrees or has a difference of opinion then people are up in arms and it's like you have committed some sort of crime. 'And you think, ''Wow this is a very dangerous route to go down.'' I think if we lose freedom of speech, we are in real trouble.' Phillip, 57, turned DCI Hunt into a cult figure with un-PC comments such as 'He's got fingers in more pies than a leper on a cookery course', and 'She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot'. Acclaimed: The series was a huge success, with fans going wild for Phillip Glenister as DCI Gene Hunt (second right), and even sparked a sequel, Ashes To Ashes, set in the 1980s The British series is the story of modern day policeman Sam Tyler. But after Tyler is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973 he finds himself working for the now defunct Manchester and Salford Police where he meets Hunt. Throughout the show, audience members are left wondering whether he has died, is in a coma or has actually traveled back in time. Life On Mars was a huge success and the BBC series spawned a sequel, Ashes To Ashes, set in the 1980s. A Mandarin adaptation of the BBC hit series Life On Mars with a hero police officer who time-travels back to 1990s Beijing was commissioned early last year. This originally appeared as part of our daily coronavirus newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Close schools sooner and fewer people die. Thats the message of new research published yesterday. Theres been a lot written about whether or not it makes sense to open schools, from a pandemic perspective. The fall is looming, after all, and parents, students, teachers and administrators are still waiting on final determinations for the school year. There is a direct connection between the spread of COVID-19 and school closings, according to researchers from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital. They looked at how and when the disease ebbed and flowed, and compared that with statewide school closings. School closure was associated with a significant decline in both incidence of COVID-19 and mortality, the researchers wrote. How big an effect? Small, perhaps, but not insignificant. There were 128.7 fewer cases for every 100,000 people over 26 days, and one-and-a-half fewer deaths per 100,000 over 16 days. There is one important caveat: Statewide school closings were often at the same time as other initiatives intended to stem the pandemic tide. That caveat notwithstanding, states that closed schools earlier did a better job controlling the pandemic: Between March 9, 2020, and May 7, 2020, school closure in the US was temporally associated with decreased COVID-19 incidence and mortality; states that closed schools earlier, when cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was low, had the largest relative reduction in incidence and mortality. Ukraine's justice ministry putting mothballed prisons up for sale 19:30, 30.07.20 1973 At least eight penitentiary facilities are set to be shut down soon. A Chinese-Australian collaboration has demonstrated for the first time that interlayer coupling in a van der Waals (vdW) material can be largely modulated by a protonic gate, which inject protons to devices from an ionic solid. The discovery opens the way to exciting new uses of vdW materials, with insertion of protons an important new technique, now available for the wider 2D materials research community. The study was led by FLEET researchers at RMIT, in an ongoing collaboration with FLEET partner organisation High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). TUNING INTERLAYER FORCES IN VDW MATERIALS Van der Waals materials, of which graphite is the most famous, are made of many 2D layers held together by weak, electrostatic forces. Individual layers of vdW materials can be isolated individually, such as the famous Scotch tape method of producing graphene, or stacked with other materials to form new structures. "But the same weak interlayer forces that make vdW materials so easy to separate also limit these materials' applications in future technology," explains the study's first author, FLEET Research Fellow Dr Guolin Zheng. Stronger interlayer coupling in vdW materials would significantly increase potential use in high-temperature devices utilising quantum anomalous Hall effect, and in 2D multiferroics. The new RMIT-led study demonstrated that coupling in a vdW material, Fe 3 GeTe 2 (FGT) nanoflakes, can be largely modulated by a protonic gate. With the increase of the protons among layers, interlayer magnetic coupling increases. "Most strikingly, with more protons inserted in FGT nanoflakes at a higher gate voltage, we observed a rarely seen zero-field cooled exchange bias with very large values," says co-author A/Prof Lan Wang. The successful realization of both field-cooled and zero-field cooled exchange bias in FGT implies the interlayer coupling can be largely modulated by gate-induced proton insertion, opening the road to many applications of vdW materials requiring strong interface coupling. ### THE STUDY Gate-Tuned Interlayer Coupling in van der Waals Ferromagnet Fe 3 GeTe 2 Nanoflakes was published in APS Physical Review Letters July 2020 (DOI 10.1103/physrevlett.125.047202). As well as funding from the Australian Research Council the researchers acknowledge the support of the RMIT Micro Nano Research Facility (MNRF) in the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) and the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (RMMF). Theoretical calculations were performed by Professor Yujun Zhao's group at South China University of Technology. VAN DER WAALS MATERIALS STUDY AT FLEET VdW materials and heterostructures are keenly studied at FLEET, an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence. The Centre for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) brings together over a hundred Australian and international experts, with the shared mission to develop a new generation of ultra-low energy electronics. The impetus behind such work is the increasing challenge of energy used in computation, which uses 5-8% of global electricity and is doubling every decade. FLEET's research sits at the very boundary of what is possible in condensed-matter physics. At the nano scale, nanofabrication of functioning devices will be key to the Centre's success. Specialised techniques needed to integrate novel atomically-thin, 2D materials into high-quality, high-performance nano-devices are coordinated within the Centre's Enabling technology B, led by RMIT's A/Prof Lan Wang. Professor Mingliang Tian is vice-director of the Chinese Academy of Science's High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Anhui province, China, a partner organisation for FLEET. The FLEET-CAS partnership studies 2D magnetic materials, vdW ferromagnetic heterostructures and topological condensed matter systems. SEOUL, South Korea, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, July 28th a warrant was filed for the arrest of Chairman Lee Man-Hee, leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus. It was alleged that he had submitted a falsified list of church members and facilities to the government and embezzled 5 billion won. This follows the arrests earlier this month of three other Shincheonji Church leaders for charges of "murder through wilful negligence." After the Coronavirus outbreak that took place at the church's Daegu branch in February, the government requested a full membership list of the church's 300,000 members for contact tracing. Because some of the information was initially missing or incomplete, the government pressed charges. The charges are three-fold: the alleged omission of the church's membership list, the list of church facilities, and embezzlement charges. 5 billion won was used to purchase Shincheonji's Peace Palace a training center for Shincheonji members. Mr. Lee insisted that he didn't withdraw money for illegal purposes, and that if you look at the documents the land and building were not purchased in his name but for the church. A tax probe was launched that resulted in the removal of the church's organizational and property licenses as well. The 89-year-old church leader will await prosecution for his case. This isn't the first time religious leaders have been detained by authorities for reasons related to the Coronavirus. In China, over 518 Uighur religious leaders have been detailed since 2016, and it has been escalating since then. Additionally, Chinese Christians have been arrested for even participating in online worship services over Zoom, as was the case with China's Early Rain Covenant Church. Six leaders were arrested and ordered to cease all religious activity. "At that time I was also in the Zoom call, but there was a long period of time where I did not hear a thing. I thought it's the network connection issue at first, but I soon heard a quarrel erupt. Our co-worker Wang Jun was questioning some people, [saying], 'Who are you to do this [to us]?'" Additionally, in India, Muslims and their leaders have received blame from the public and the government because of the virus' spread that allegedly took place at a Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering. As the Coronavirus progresses there are bound to be many cases and accusations of human rights issues, religious freedom violations, and discrimination. Thepersecuted.org will do its best to report objectively on any and all alleged abuses of justice. The Persecuted is a news source dedicated to the factual research and analysis of human rights violations. For more information, visit thepersecuted.org. Media contact: Mary Oliver [email protected] (718) 962-9794 SOURCE Thepersecuted.org Related Links https://thepersecuted.org/ Slain gangster Vikas Dubey's close aide Gopal Saini, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on him, surrendered before a special court in Kanpur Dehat on Wednesday, a government counsel said. The Special Task Force (STF) and Kanpur Police were on the lookout for Saini since July 3 after eight policemen, including Deputy SP Devendra Kumar Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops, said an official. District Government Counsel (criminal) Raju Porwal told PTI that Gopal Saini, accused in the killing of eight policemen, surrendered before the special court (UP dacoity-affected area) at Maati in Kanpur Dehat. Saini's advocate had moved an application for his surrender before the court, Porwal said but did not elaborate on the details of the application. Superintendent of Police (rural), Brajesh Srivastava confirmed that Gopal Saini has surrendered before the court in Kanpur Dehat. "We have decided to move an application before the court requesting for his police custody so that he can be questioned properly and information about other members of Vikas Dubey's gang who are still evading arrest can be obtained," he said. Initially, a cash reward of Rs 50,000 was announced on Saini but it was later increased to Rs 1 lakh, the police officer said. Dubey was shot dead in an encounter on the outskirts of Kanpur on July 10. Earlier, five members of the Dubey gang were killed in separate encounters. (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.) Nephal: Proposed Pancheshwar Dam along Indo-Nepal border will put flora & fauna at risk: Report by Prem Punetha July 30,2020 | Source: The Times of India The recently-released State of Environment Report compiled by the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board in collaboration with GB Pant Agriculture and Technical University has claimed that the proposed Pancheshwar Dam along the Indo-Nepal border will put more than 300 species of flora and fauna in danger. The report points out that the dam will have an adverse impact on around 43 mammals and 193 varieties of flora along with 30 species of fish and 70 species of birds found in the region. Several environmentalists have also said that the proposed dam would be an ecological disaster for the area. India and Nepal had jointly proposed a multi-purpose project on Kali river at Pancheshwar in Champawat district and the project has been in works for a long time now. According to this project, construction of a 315-metre-high dam is proposed which will likely help in the production of 6,720 megawatt of electricity and also provide water for irrigation in Uttar Pradesh. The report also says that 87 villages of Almora, Champawat, and Pithoragarh will submerge in the lake if the dam is built. The level of oxygen is already so low in the lakes of the region that it threatens the existence of many aquatic and amphibious animals. The dam will hinder the natural flow of the Kali river. The government did not conduct any study on the environmental effect during construction of the Tehri Dam and a similar negligence can be seen with the Pancheshwar Dam project as well, said Bimal Bhai, environmentalist and convenor of social organisation Matu. The villages that will be submerged due to the dam have fertile land and rich biodiversity. The government should assess the environmental impact of the dam on the region, said Pradeep Tamta, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand. The Ghana College of Pharmacists held its 2nd Membership Graduation ceremony on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony which had its opening remark done by the Chairman of the College, Nana Chairman, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, Omanhene of Akwamu, who acknowledged the presence of Vice President, Pharm Joseph Nyoabge, Rector, Pharm Yvonne Yirenkyiwaa Esseku, Members of the Governing Council, Members of the Academic Board and Graduating Candidates, had 22 specialist pharmacists graduands. He introduced the event to its audience both online and offline, in his speech, he read, As a training institution for specialists in various fields of pharmacy and related disciplines, it is important that graduation ceremonies are held periodically to recognize the achievements of duly qualified candidates. This is one such occasion. This ceremony gives the College the opportunity to discuss with attendees what the graduating pharmacists have had to undergo to get this far. It also affords the opportunity to share with these specialist pharmacists the expectations we all have of them, as a College, as recipients of their services, as a nation, and as their family and friends. When professionals undergo further training to become specialists, we expect their newly acquired knowledge and skills to reflect in the work they do. Recipients of their services expect to see improved service delivery with even better outcomes. Specialization by health care professionals should result in more effective implementation of health policies resulting, overall, in a healthier population. According to him, the Ghana College of Pharmacists also expects that the specialists who have been trained there will excel in their fields of endeavor and thereby project the image of the College. The welcome remarks were done by the Vice President Pharm Joseph Nyoagbe on behalf of the President of the College also acknowledged the presence of the Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman Manu who was the Special Guest speaker. The Vice president of the college in his speech congratulated the new graduates. He said, To our 2020 Membership class, your graduation today is a testament to the fact that you have worked hard and burnt the candle at both ends; you have withstood the challenges in combining working lives with learning and have sacrificed your energies and times to come this far. Today, the Ghana College of Pharmacists is officially telling you Ayekoo !!!. The college wishes that this historic ceremony will take place with pomp and splendor befitting a special event of such significance and importance but. this cannot be as you are all aware of the difficult times we find ourselves with the global COVID- 19 pandemic. However, it remains a special day, and lets observe it as such. Dear Graduands, mother of Ghana is proud of you and expects a lot from you. He cautioned graduands to uphold and promote the ethical standards and virtues of pharmacy as they go out to practice, You owe it a duty to add value to the pharmacy practice in terms of your professional deliveries and dispositions. You are therefore to make that difference in the quality of life of patients and clients that come in contact with you during your line of duty. From today, you are going to be recognized and respected, by your peers, mentees, and seniors as pharmacists with enhanced knowledge with advanced critical thinking skills. Strive to live up to those expectations. Distinguished graduands, Do allow your acquired knowledge and skills reflect positively in your practice. Proffer and devise innovative ways of solving the numerous challenges facing our healthcare system in Ghana, be it at the household, facility, institutional or national levelsbe the apostles of the new face of pharmacy we all yearn for. It is the belief that doing the same would also be in tandem with the vision and ideas that embody the global vision as espoused by WHO/FIP for a pharmacist that is to be a caregiver, decision-maker, communicator, manager, life-long-learner, teacher and leader. Pharm Joseph Nyoagbe encouraged graduands to go out and breathe life into dry bones and transform the society in terms of health as well as believing in themselves and approach life with hard work, passion, integrity, humility, and diligence. Believe in God and may success crown all your endeavors. Accept my congratulations once more and Thank you all for your attention. The 22 graduands which include; 19 clinical Pharmacists 3 quality Assurance pharmacists and 1 Drug and Herbal medicine production swore the oath of secrecy and was formerly admitted as members of the Ghana College of Pharmacists by the Chairman of the College, Nana Chairman, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, Omanhene of Akwamu, and you now have the privilege to use the title Member Ghana College of Pharmacists which can be shortened as ( MGCPharm) Mrs. Martha Gyan Lutterodt who spoke on behalf of the Health Minister congratulated the new members and challenged them to aim higher and also upgrade to various areas to specialize and also have an impact on their societies. The Chairman of the College added that There is very little I can say that has not already been said. Although your journey to this point of graduation has been largely a personal one, it is important to remember that the rest of the journey is one of service; not merely for the convenience of secure employment but to uphold our core values of Professionalism, Humility, and Service, and to become worthy ambassadors of the College. In the celebratory exhilaration that will no doubt visit your new qualification, I would like you to pause and consider the significance of your achievement against the backdrop of the events of the past few Coronavirus dominated months. Let the resilience that you have displayed during this period be the motivation that propels your career to great heights. He advised that, Remember always that although it is good to be smart, it is smarter to be good. Being Good at what you do, is what will set you apart. Congratulations to you all and may God bless you. The college has open admissions for October intake and encourage pharmacists to take advantage and register for the programme to become a specialist pharmacist said by the rector in her speech. https://web.facebook.com/gcpharmacists CRITERIA FOR AWARD OF MEMBERSHIP Presentation The Specialist Health Training and Plant Medicine Research Act 2011, (Act 833) mandates the College among others to perform the following functions; Wang Liangliang introduces traditional tea-making culture in her class in Huanggang, Central China's Hubei Province. [chinadaily.com.cn] Among all students who major in Chinese language education, there is no doubt that Wang Liangliang is a special one, as her classes are broadly welcomed by students both at home and abroad. The 2014 graduate of the International Education College at Wuchang Institute of Technology has devoted herself to teaching Chinese language. In 2018, Wang became an international volunteer teacher, teaching Chinese at the Ratanaratbumrung school in Thailand. During her half-year teaching stint in Thailand, Wang obtained the Excellent Chinese Language Teacher certification issued by Thailand's educational authority, and the honorary certification of volunteer teacher issued by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese of Foreign Language. A year later, Wang returned home and worked as a volunteer teacher in Huanggang, Central China's Hubei Province. "Wang's classes are not only vivid but also very rewarding. We all benefit from her classes," said one of Wang's students. According to Wang, the college life has helped her combine traditional culture with language teaching in her classes. "The various courses offered by my college have helped me find a right direction in teaching," Wang said. Wang's college, focusing on language study and education, provides many courses, like Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy, tea art and paper-cutting. "The courses have helped me to have a better understanding of Chinese traditional culture," she said. (Source: chinadaily.com.cn) Advertisement New York City sanitation workers got to work on Thursday cleaning up a section of Midtown Manhattan that has been taken over by apparent drug users, who have been observed shooting up substances in broad daylight. A sanitation staffer was photographed by DailyMail.com performing the unenviable task of collecting used syringes from around the pedestrian plaza at the corner of Broadway and West 40th Street. The worker wearing a heavy-duty respirator and gloves was seen using a grabbing device to pick up needles from a large planter and depositing it into a special red blade disposal container. Other disturbing photos showed a man sprawled out on the sidewalk and grimacing in apparent pain, with what looked like pill bottles or vials resting next to him. Unenviable tasks: A sanitation worker is seen on Thursday picking up a syringe at the pedestrian plaza at Broadway at West 40th Street in Manhattan The gloved and masked worker deposited the needle into a special blade disposal container This section of Midtown Manhattan has been overtaken by apparent drug users, who have been observed shooting up substances in broad daylight The sanitation staffer was at the plaza to clean up the aftermath of suspected drug use from the day before A closeup view of a syringe filled with an unknown substance, which was found inside a planter at the pedestrian plaza once popular among tourists and office workers A man is seen sprawled in the middle of the sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan, with bill bottles or vials resting next to him A man who appears to be homeless is seen walking through the deserted sitting area, carrying hefty black garbage bags Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the once bustling area at the heart of Manhattan has emptied of office workers rushing to and from meetings, or pausing to enjoy a quick lunch al fresco-style at the plaza dotted with small metal tables and chairs. Instead, the suit-and-tie crowd has been replaced with people down on their luck, many of them struggling with drug addiction, who have come to call that stretch of Broadway 'home.' Distressing photos taken by DailyMail.com at the pedestrian plaza on Wednesday captured a disheveled woman injecting herself with a needle in broad daylight, and then settling down for a nap on a public bench. Local business owners and residents have been up in arms about their neighborhood's rapid transformation into an open-air drug den, reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s, when rampant crime and crumbling infrastructure earned New York the moniker 'Fear City.' Officials at City Hall have acknowledged the unsettling situation and branded it 'entirely unacceptable', but locals say it's only getting worse as nothing is being done to address it. A woman was seen injecting herself with a needle in broad daylight at the intersection of Broadway and West 40th Street in Midtown on Wednesday. The images emerged as locals complain that the area has turned into a 'shooting gallery' for addicts The woman appears to fill the needle with an unidentified substance as she sits barefoot at a table in the middle of the pedestrian plaza once bustling with people in suits The woman then turns around and appears to inject the needle into her arm Moments later the woman stretched out across three chairs for a nap The New York Post first raised alarm about the burgeoning 'shooting gallery' on Tuesday and published a photo of the same woman wearing the same clothes as she pierced her arm with a needle. While it cannot be said for certain whether the woman was using drugs, locals said it wasn't an uncommon sight in the plaza. 'They've taken over the tables, blatantly using needles and shooting up heroin all day long,' a local worker named James told the Post. 'There's no police action, there's no reach-out. There's nobody preventing this, and you know we've had multiple calls to 311 but nobody really responds. It's becoming a real problem.' The lack of law enforcement attention was highlighted in another photo obtained by the outlet which showed an NYPD officer walking by the alleged junkie without batting an eye. A third image showed four people huddled around a table with drug paraphernalia in clear view. The NYPD told the Post that they've only received one drug complaint in the area in the past month, and that the suspects were gone when officers arrived. James said that he's personally contacted the city's 311 line, but he referred to those calls as 'futile exercises'. The New York Post first raised alarm about the burgeoning 'shooting gallery' on Tuesday and published a photo of the same woman wearing the same clothes as she injected herself While it cannot be said for certain whether the woman was using drugs, locals said it wasn't an uncommon sight in the plaza The woman looked around to see if anyone was watching before she pulled out the needle After appearing to inject herself she was seen walking away with the used needle in her hand. Locals have complained that the plaza is littered with improperly discarded syringes Construction worker Edgar Rivera, who's been working near the intersection for the past few weeks, said he's come to recognize many of the addicts. 'It's almost always the same people you see around,' Rivera told the Post. 'It's always the same ones all the time. 'They are here every day, they start in the early morning. We see them sleeping on the floor. 'Sometimes the ambulances come around here to help them out. It's always the same guys.' Another man named Jeff who has worked for a private sanitation company in the area for about six years confirmed that the situation has worsened in the last year. 'It's gotten really bad,' he said. 'I've been seeing more syringes, discarded syringes, ever since they started coming in.' They've taken over the tables, blatantly using needles and shooting up heroin all day long. There's no police action, there's no reach-out. There's nobody preventing this. A spokeswoman for City Hall called the situation 'entirely unacceptable' when approached by the Post on Tuesday. 'We will do everything we can to connect these people with drug treatment and help so they can get their lives back on track,' the spokeswoman said. She said plans were in place to send outreach workers with the city health department to clean up the area by providing syringe disposal kits, naloxone to reverse overdoses and connecting addicts with treatment services. DailyMail.com has reached out to City Hall for clarification about when those outreach workers will be deployed. Locals, meanwhile, don't sound very optimistic about how effective the outreach will be. The Post spoke to a security officer with the Garment District Alliance on Wednesday who said: 'There have been outreach programs out here, but most of the time they don't accept the help.' That officer, who was helping power wash the pavement in the plaza at the time, said he's worked in the area for seven years. DailyMail.com has also reached out to the city health department for comment about the purported outreach plans. The Midtown neighborhood used to see a constant stream of people - tourists and professionals at all hours of the day - but it emptied out when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March The apparent rise in brazen public drug use comes as New York City is roiled by an alarming surge in criminal activity, with gun violence doubling in the past two months compared with the same period last year. Mayor Bill de Blasio has blamed the recent spike in shootings on the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that people grew stir crazy after weeks under a strict stay at home order. But NYPD leaders placed the blame squarely on de Blasio, accusing him of losing control of the city after he bowed to demands of Black Lives Matter protesters and slashed the department's budget by $1billion. Police officials have also charged that the crime surge was driven in part by the recent release of thousands of prisoners from Rikers Island under a new bail law and due to coronavirus concerns. 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. Police pictured at scene of shooting on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on July 18 Former New York Governor George Pataki bemoaned the state of the Big Apple in an interview on Sunday, saying that the violence is a 'regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets'. 'When I took office, New York was the most dangerous state in America. People got used to safety over the last 20 years. They don't remember the time back when we were so dangerous,' the Republican said during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on 770 AM. 'I'm worried about the future of New York. We're going backwards. It's tragic. We've got to change it.' 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 couldn't buckle down on the shootings. The violence is now fueling fears that many of the thousands of people who left the Big Apple when the pandemic set in will no longer want to return. And if they don't come back, the city and state would take a massive hit in income and sales tax revenue on top of the enormous cost of the coronavirus response and the sustained shutdown. There is a concern that New York City could be headed back to the bad days of 1970s and 80s, when skyrocketing crime rates and the crack epidemic overwhelmed the city. Pictured: a crack dealer is arrested in 1989 A Transit Authority police officer with a German shepherd stands in a subway car defaced with graffiti as a crime deterrent, New York in 1981 NYPD officers are photographed January 12, 1988 frisking a man, presumed to be homeless, near Port Authority in New York City The rise in shootings, homelessness and public drug use has raised concerns that New York City could be heading back to the bad old days of the 1970s and 1980s, when crime and crack reigned supreme. At the time, Midtown Manhattan was a far cry from the relatively clean, safe and family-friendly destination of the 2000s. Facing a massive deficit and a possible bankruptcy, New York descended into lawlessness ranging from graffiti everywhere and trash in the streets to skyrocketing murder and robbery rates. The NYPD revolted, going so far as to issue a pamphlet called Welcome to Fear City: A Survival Guide for Visitors to the City of New York. Crime persisted in the 1980s and the crack and the HIV/AIDS epidemics took hold of the city, ravaging its most vulnerable populations. Crime started to recede under Mayor David Dinkins, but it wasn't until Rudy Giuliani moved into Gracie Mansion in 1994 that crime took a nose dive. Mayor Giuliani and his new police commissioner William Bratton implemented the so-called 'broken windows' policy that focused on minor crimes, such jumping the turnstile to get on the subway for free and tagging subway trains with graffiti. Giuliani also focused on cleaning up Times Square, an area that was populated with pornography and sex workers. It is unclear the extent that 'broken windows' worked and critics pointed out it disproportionately focused on low-income communities and people on color, but murders and crime went down in the latter half of the 1990s and crime remained down until the increase of shootings that have hit the city over the past few months. Police retake Avenue A during a riot outside Tompkins Square Park that erupted after police allegedly beat a homeless man. The late 1980's and early 1990's was a period of rapid gentrification in the East Village, and many homeless residents, activists, and squatters, battled the process, frequently clashing with the police around Tompkins Square An anti-neutron bomb demonstrator is arrested for sitting in on 5th Ave on August 13, 1981 During Mayor Michael Bloomberg's three terms from 2002 to 2013, New York City enjoyed growth and prosperity - although his stop-and-frisk policy targeting young men of color remains controversial. Current Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned and won on a platform of equality, such as building affordable housing, and a different type of policing and department than Bloomberg. But the city that never sleeps ground to a halt in March due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and instituted a lockdown to curb the virus that so far has killed over 18,600 New Yorkers. The lifeblood of the economy that included tourism, the service industry and small businesses closed. After years of the city's budgets being in the green, it is now faced with a $9billion hole, high unemployment and protests against police brutality. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 12:02:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks were mixed Thursday morning as the U.S. Federal Reserve's pledge to maintain low rates supported buying, although a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Japan dented the market mood. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average edged up 11.18 points, or 0.05 percent, from Wednesday to 22,408.29. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 3.25 points, or 0.21 percent, at 1,545.79. Securities house and precision instrument issues led notable gainers, while mining, and electric power and gas issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 03:04:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has achieved positive economic indications in the fiscal year 2019-2020 compared to the previous year amid the COVID-19 impact, said Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in a statement on Wednesday. The fiscal year in Egypt begins in July. "The country also achieved a primary surplus of 1.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019-2020, compared to a target of 2 percent before the outbreak of COVID-19," Madbouly said. Egypt's overall budget deficit narrowed to 7.8 percent of the GDP in the fiscal year 2019-2020, down from 8.2 percent in 2018-2019, despite the impact of the pandemic, he added. Madbouly pointed out that though the targeted indications have not been fulfilled, the numbers of the initial surplus and the overall deficit are better than last year. The county's GDP growth is expected to stand at 3.8 percent of the fiscal year 2019-2020, down from a budget initial projection of 6 percent, the cabinet statement quoted Finance Minister Mohamed Maait as saying during the weekly government meeting. Maait added that the country's debt ratio is expected to decline to 86.2 percent of GDP at the end of June from 90.4 percent a year earlier. The state budget debt has declined to 86.2 percent in the GDP in June 2020 compared to 90.4 percent in the same period in 2019, the minister added, deeming it as a big accomplishment that implied the government's good and balanced plan in controlling the impacts of the pandemic. The country's economy was hit sharply for several years in the aftermath of 2011 and 2013 uprisings. To boost the economy, Egypt has adopted a reform plan in 2016 that included float of the currency, increase of taxes, and lift of the subsidy. In the last three years, the economy was boosted by a recovery of tourism and strong remittances from Egyptians working abroad, the main sources of hard currency. On Tuesday, Fitch Ratings has maintained Egypt's B+ ratings with a stable outlook, supported by the country's commitment to furthering the reform program. According to Fitch, the COVID-19 shock is negatively affecting Egypt's external finances, GDP growth, and fiscal performance, but Egypt's economic reforms have provided the country with a degree of flexibility to deal with the pandemic impacts. The report also expected the growth to recover up to 5.5 percent in fiscal year 2021-2022 and to be maintained at just 5 percent in the medium term assuming a gradual return of tourists. Madbouly hailed Fitch report as a message that asserts the confidence of the international financial institutions in the national economy and in the reform measures that have been implemented by the government. Enditem 30.07.2020 LISTEN In a matter of months, the Coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on the world economy more than anything this current generation has ever seen. Ghana, like other countries around the world, has not been spared the full impacts of the pandemic as the nations economy has been sent into a tailspin triggering staggering layoffs in the work environment. As an HR practitioner, having to let people go is a painful thing to do at the best of times. And during a global crisis, when the world is full of uncertainty, the stakes are higher than ever. So how do HR practitioners manage layoffs during a global crisis like the one at hand? Jobberman, an HR and training portal, proffers some valuable suggestions that aptly balances compassion and prudence in the management of staff layoffs occasioned by the pandemic. The Ghana Perspective In his virtual address to the nation during the 2020 May Day celebrations, Dr. Yaw Baah, the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), spoke of the damning impact the pandemic is having on the country. According to him, research being conducted by the Labour Research and Policy Institute of the TUC showed the devastating effects of the COVID-19 health crisis on jobs and livelihoods in both the formal and informal segments of the economy. Citing the example of a drink exporting company, Dr Baah said the company had lost tons of its raw materials due to border closures around the world. All casual and contract workers have been laid off. The company has also stopped all overtime work. As a result, workers incomes have reduced drastically. The company is struggling to pay workers, pay social security, pay taxes and repay bank loans he said. At the core of the problem is how businesses can stay solvent in these difficult times whilst ensuring employees wellbeing is also guaranteed. Managing Layoffs An indifferent and insensitive approach to layoffs can come back to haunt you even much later. How you treat your employees now will shape your (employer) brand post-coronavirus. These tips from Jobberman will help you manage layoffs in such a way that minimizes the impact on your employees and ensures your brand reputation stays intact. 1. Offer Assistance But Dont Overpromise To maintain empathy and compassion, Jobberman recommends employers must be readily available and willing to provide support and counsel to their employees. As an employer, you must recognize that your staff who have been laid off as a result of coronavirus may need time to process the news and might come back to reconnect or seek your advice. Be helpful. Offer ideas about job opportunities at other organizations. Offer to serve as a reference. But, do not overcommit to things you cannot deliver. 2. Reach Out First and foremost, being laid off can take a significant toll on people emotionally, psychologically, financially, and physically. It is important therefore that as an employer, you consider the wellbeing of your laid-off team as you do for your business. One way to effectively do this is to encourage conversation. Regularly keep the lines of communication open with your teams as it is crucial in helping their mental and physical wellbeing. Showing empathy and respect are the most obvious ways you can treat employees humanely. Whatever the circumstances, one thing is certain: layoffs should be managed in a way that leaves people with their dignity, humanity, and as much support as one can get. 3. Adapt to Modern Technologies As an HR practitioner, make sure layoffs are a last resort. You must reflect on whether layoffs are needed in the first place. Review all other options to see if any combination of temporal solutions such as lowering salaries, cutting benefits, reducing work hours, and offering unpaid leave could be financially viable as an alternative to layoffs. More importantly, adapt to modern technologies. Instead of having to lay off your team members who are essentially your companys biggest asset, consider adapting to modern technologies to stay in business. Working remotely through a number of new technologies such as Google Hangout, Zoom or Slack can help you keep the majority of your team and avoid any major layoffs. Work in a post-Coronavirus Era According to Moodys Analytics, more than half of all jobs in the United States economy are at high or medium risk due to coronavirus. The US case is a microcosm of the bigger problem the world faces. With such projections in mind, even if your organization has not laid-off workers yet now is the time for HR to begin preparing for it just in case the situation gets worse. Organizations that successfully meet the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic as well as manage their employer-employee relations well will be the ones surviving this global scourge. The Mars Perseverance rover shot out of Earths atmosphere in just 3 minutes on Thursday, headed to the Red Planet to seek signs of ancient life. The Mars 2020 mission lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 6:50 a.m. CDT, riding on 2.3 million pounds of thrust provided by United Launch Alliances Atlas V rocket in the 541 configuration. This launch occurred despite a months-long global pandemic and a minor earthquake felt Thursday morning at the control room in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Perseverance has become a pretty good name for this mission, Matt Wallace, NASAs Mars 2020 deputy project manager, said during a news conference. Related: NASA prepares to launch Perseverance rover seeking signs of ancient life on Mars Tory Bruno, the CEO of United Launch Alliance, had another take on the rumbling that shook both coasts: People in California thought they felt an earthquake, Bruno said, but really they were just feeling mighty Atlas crouching down to leap off the Earth. Mars 2020 is the third mission launched this summer toward the Red Planet, taking advantage of an Earth-Mars alignment that occurs every 26 months and allows for a more direct path. The United Arab Emirates launched its Mars Hope probe from Japan on July 20 (it was still July 19 Houston time) to orbit Mars. And on July 23 in China (it was July 22 Houston time), China launched its Tianwen-1 spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter to circle the planet and a lander/rover that will head toward the surface. For NASA, Perseverance is part of a more-than-two-decade plan for exploring Mars. Following the water essential to life on Earth and important to understanding the history of Mars geology and climate is a strategy that started in the late 1990s. As orbiters, landers and rovers found evidence of water, NASA then began exploring habitability and looking for additional conditions necessary to life, including chemical elements and compounds. Findings from the Curiosity rover that landed on Mars in 2012 (and is still operating) marked a transition to the current science theme: Seek Signs of Life, according to NASA. We dont know if life existed there or not, said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. But we do know that Mars, at one point in its history, was habitable. We dont know that it was inhabited, but we know that it was habitable. Previous missions indicate that Mars once had a thick atmosphere and a strong magnetosphere to protect the planet from radiation. Liquid water was prevalent on the surface and could still exist today beneath the surface. Life (likely small living organisms, such as microbes too tiny to be seen with the naked eye, rather than green aliens) might also exist under the surface, a possibility indicated by seasonal variations in methane. Methane in Earths atmosphere is mainly produced through biological processes, according to an article in the Science journal. To look for signs of past life, Perseverance will land in Jezero Crater and study areas that include an ancient river delta, formed where a river once flowed into a body of water the size of Lake Tahoe and deposited rock, sand and potentially organic carbon. Perseverance will search this delta for biosignatures patterns, textures or substances that require the influence of life to form. It will collect at least 20 rock and soil samples - ideally 30 to 35 - and leave them in caches on the planets surface. Perseverance will stay on Mars; a future mission could collect and return the samples to Earth, no sooner than 2031. If everything goes well, (Perseverance) will have really intriguing evidence potentially in the form of organic molecules detected or even certain structures in the rock that could be indicative that life was there, said Chris Herd, a returned sample science participating scientist from the University of Alberta. But to have that definitive proof we need to bring those samples back and see them in the lab. Thursdays launch was successful and placed Perseverance in an extraordinarily accurate orbital insertion, Bruno said. But the spacecraft did have a small communications issue. It sent its first signal to ground controllers at 8:15 a.m. CDT, but telemetry (more detailed spacecraft data) was not been received at that point. This has happened on previous Mars missions. Wallace said the Deep Space Network, which uses giant radio antennas in California, Spain and Australia to support interplanetary spacecraft missions, is designed to talk to spacecraft much farther from Earth. The Mars 2020 spacecraft basically saturated the receiver at the ground station. A Tweet from @NASAPersevere suggested the spacecraft was too loud for the antennas on Earth while Im so close. NASA did receive a signal with telemetry around 10:30 a.m. CDT. Related: How NASA's Perseverance rover is laying the foundation for humans to walk on Mars Itll take 6 months to reach Mars, and the rover isnt taking this journey alone. Perseverance is carrying three fingernail-size silicon chips with the names of 10.9 million people who wanted to go along for the ride. These chips are on a plate with a laser-etched graphic depicting Earth and Mars joined by the sun. Around the sun is Morse code that spells out explore as one. Perseverance has another plate that commemorates the impact of COVID-19 and honors the worlds first responders. On this plate is the Earth, symbolizing the global challenges presented by COVID-19, and a spacecraft leaving the planet for Mars. The Earth is supported by a rod with a serpent wrapped around it, a symbol associated with the medical community. This is a group of people that really inspired, I think, our team to keep going, Wallace said. And we hope that in some small way this mission can help inspire the people whove had to go through this pandemic as well. DOW Amid the ash and rubble Wednesday, Pastor David Brown of Dow Southern Baptist Church found cause for joy. Words cannot describe the feeling of watching the place you love burn, he shared with members of his congregation. Yet the sanctuary was saved. Jersey County Sheriffs Department was called about 2 a.m. Wednesday to a fire alarm at the AT&T building at 25218 Dow Road. While responding, a deputy saw flames coming from the nearby church at 24735 Dow Road. QEM Fire Protection District Chief Gerald New said that, when his team arrived, the fire was heavily concentrated in the west side of the church complex, which contained classrooms and offices. Firefighters called for additional help from departments in Jerseyville, Brighton, Fieldon, Carrollton and Godfrey. New said the fire had spread from the office to the classroom area, which also is on the west side of the church. The church sanctuary is at the opposite end of the property, with the buildings connected by an enclosed bridge that serves as a walkway between them. New said firefighters made a trench cut into the roof of the bridge, allowing air into the building to keep the fire from spreading. By doing so, the sanctuary received only smoke damage. The west side of the church, however, was termed a total loss with the floor collapsing into the church basement. Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen said deputies also learned the AT&T building had been burglarized and someone unsuccessfully tried to start a fire. Ringhausen said that failed fire attempt might have activated a smoke detector in the AT&T building. Deputies were joined at the church Wednesday by representatives of the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. The investigation continues. His faith still strong, Brown went to the churchs Facebook page to share thanks for the firefighters, and a Bible passage: Matthew 16:18 And the gates of Hades will not overcome it. His words were met with an outpouring of online support. Have you ever wondered why stars twinkle? It's because turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere makes light emitted from the star wobble as it completes its lightyears-long journey to the lenses in our eyes and telescopes. But now scientists from international research institutions including UNSW Sydney have found the best place on Earth where - with the help of technology - we can view distant stars as they really appear, without the distorting twinkle. And it happens to be situated due south of Australia's Davis Station in Antarctica, on a plateau 4000 metres above sea-level called Dome A. In research published today in the journal Nature, scientists showed that the conditions at the plateau lend themselves perfectly to viewing stars from Earth with greatly reduced interference from atmospheric turbulence. According to UNSW Science's Professor Michael Ashley, who was part of Chinese-led research team of scientists that designed, built and set up a small telescope system at Dome A, the findings represent a fantastic opportunity to obtain better observations of the universe from ground-based telescopes. "After a decade of indirect evidence and theoretical reasoning, we finally have direct observational proof of the extraordinarily good conditions at Dome A," says Prof Ashley, an astronomer with UNSW's School of Physics. "Dome A is the highest point in the central plateau region of Antarctica, and the atmosphere is extremely stable here, much more so than anywhere else on Earth. The result is that the twinkling of the stars is greatly reduced, and the star images are much sharper and brighter." The telescope that was installed at Dome A - the KunLun Differential Image Motion Monitor - was 25cm in aperture and placed on an eight metre platform. The height of the platform was crucial because it raised the telescope above the steep temperature gradients near the ice. As Prof Ashley explains, turbulent eddies build up when wind moves across a changing topography such as mountains, hills and valleys. "This causes the atmospheric turbulence which bends the starlight around so by the time it hits the ground, it's all over the place and you get these blurry images." BOUNDARY LAYERS But, he says, Dome A in Antarctica is a plateau that is almost dead flat for many hundreds of kilometres in every direction, making its atmosphere very stable. It's also at an altitude of more than 4000 meters - much higher than Mount Kosciuszko. "There is this very slow wind that blows across the plateau which is so smooth that it doesn't generate much turbulence," Prof Ashley says. "What little turbulence there is we see restricted to a very low 'boundary layer' - the area between the ice and the rest of the atmosphere. "We measured the boundary layer thickness at Dome A using a radar technique about a decade ago and it's about 14 meters, on average, but it fluctuates - it goes down to almost nothing, and it goes up to maybe 30 metres." The team found that by setting up their telescope on an 8-metre platform, it protruded past the boundary layer about a third of the time. Last year between April 11 and August 4 the telescope took photos every minute, and obtained 45,930 images taken when the boundary layer was lower than the 8-metre platform, it reported in Nature. Prof Ashley says it was very challenging to finally obtain the readings and images that confirmed Dome A to be the premier location on earth to see into the depths of the cosmos. "It was very difficult because the observations have to be made in mid-winter with no humans present. UNSW played a crucial role in designing and building the infrastructure that was used - the power supply system, computers, satellite communications - which was managed by remote control." GROUND VS SATELLITE TELESCOPES But if the atmosphere plays such havoc with our instruments on Earth, wouldn't a satellite - such as the Hubble Telescope, launched back in 1990 - be ideal for such a job? Prof Ashley says there are a couple of good reasons why a ground telescope set up at Dome A would be the better option. Beyond the obvious savings in dollars, there are also savings in time. "Satellites are a lot more expensive," Prof Ashley says, "we're talking maybe factors of 10 to 100 times the cost. But another advantage of making Earth-based observations is you can always add the latest technology to your telescope on the ground. Whereas in space, everything is delayed. And you can't easily use a lot of modern integrated circuits because they're not radiation hardened. So you end up with space lagging the technology on the ground by 10 years or more." Another advantage of using a telescope at Dome A rather than anywhere else on the planet is that smaller and fainter stars are suddenly much more observable thanks to the better resolution. "Basically this means that for a given size telescope, you're going to get a lot better images at Dome A. So rather than build a big telescope on a non-Antarctic site, you could build a smaller one and get the same performance, so it's cheaper." POLAR NIGHTS There is also a strategic advantage in the location of Dome A - which is 900km from the South Pole - over other areas on Earth at more hospitable latitudes. Being so far from the equator, polar nights of 24 hours or more of darkness in mid-winter open up a much wider window to view stars. "If you were to observe a star in say, Sydney, from when it rises to when it sets, you can only observe it for maybe eight hours a night," Prof Ashley says. "Whereas in wintertime at Dome A you can observe a star continuously. And for some projects like searching for planets around other stars, the fact that you can observe them continuously means you can find planets around them much more effectively." Looking ahead, Prof Ashley says he would like to continue the research with UNSW's Chinese partners, and notes that China has an impressive and growing record in Antarctic scientific research. But he wonders whether Australia recognises the great potential that Dome A represents in space research. "Dome A is a superb site for astronomical observations, and we should make every effort to participate in an international project to put a large telescope there to take advantage of the conditions. "With Antarctica being so close to Australia, it is a tremendous opportunity," he says. ### For years, Singapore has won trust among Western countries while keeping on good terms with the Chinese government. Today the island nation is closely following the case of one of its citizens caught spying for China in the United States. The arrest has fueled concerns over China asking Singaporeans to help with intelligence-gathering. Jun Wei Yeo admitted guilt in a U.S. court last week to acting as an illegal agent of Chinese intelligence. He will be sentenced in October and faces up to 10 years in prison. Yeo is a 39-year-old academic who also uses the name Dickson Yeo. Singapores home ministry said in a brief statement that it had known of Yeos case since his arrest by U.S. officials in November. The ministry confirmed he is receiving assistance from Singaporean diplomats in the United States. Court documents show Yeo became a spy for the Chinese four years earlier while attending a meeting in Beijing. He went there to give a presentation on Southeast Asian politics. Yeo moved to the United States in January of 2019. One fool like this can get all Singaporeans suspected, said Bilahari Kausikan, an academic and former Singaporean diplomat. At first, the Chinese told Yeo he was representing Chinese-based research centers. They offered to pay him for political reports and other information. He later learned some of his contacts were from Chinese intelligence agents. Told to find people with non-public information about politics, economics, and diplomacy, Yeo first targeted Southeast Asia, before turning to the United States. When he moved to the U.S. last year, the Chinese gave him a bank card and told him to communicate with them on several phones to avoid being caught. Using the business networking website LinkedIn, Yao reached out to people who had financial or work problems. He paid them to write reports. Among those he persuaded to give up information was a civilian with high level security clearance working on a U.S. military program. Yeos former professor at Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was an ethnic Chinese U.S. citizen. In 2017, Singaporean officials accused that man, Huang Jing, of being a spy for an unnamed country. Huang denied the accusations. He was never found guilty but was forced to leave Singapore. Now working in Beijing, Huang said he was shocked and pleased that Yeo had been caught. He said Yeo had a sense of insecurity and hunger for being somebody. Asias Switzerland The home ministry said investigations into Yeo had not found any direct threat to Singapore. He may have not betrayed his own country. But he was caught spying against the United States, the superpower with whom Singapore has closes security ties. China denied knowing anything about Yeos case. It accused the United States of using the spying charges to hurt China. Relations between the two countries hit a new low during the past week. The United States closed Chinas consulate in Houston, and China then seized the U.S. consulate in Chengdu. Yeos case raised concerns among Western researchers that Singapore was an easy place for China to find spies. Well-educated ethnic Chinese people have passports that enable them to travel almost everywhere. People might be more suspicious of Singaporeans if there is a perception that Singapore is compromised, said Chong Ja Ian. He is a visiting Singapore scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Singapore is often described as the Switzerland of Asia because of its wealth, international financial system and neutrality. It is one of the most politically stable countries in an area where the United States and China have competing interests. China is Singapores biggest trading partner, as it is for many countries in Asia. The Jamestown Foundation, a U.S.-based research center, said that China used business groups and other organizations in Singapore to spread misinformation about China. Nearly 75 percent of the island nations citizens are ethnic Chinese. Bilveer Singh is with the National University of Singapore. He says the small nations openness and location has made it a base for many countries' spies. Yeo was definitely not an isolated case, he said. Im Mario Ritter Jr. The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story academic adj. related to schools or educaton card n. a rectangular piece of plastic used for financial transactions networking n. the process of developing business and personal relationships clearance n. official permission to deal with often sensitive materials consulate n. diplomatic offices of a country where a consul is based perception n. a certain way of seeing something or someone stable adj. not easily changed or influenced location n. a place where something is or operates isolated adj. apart from others, far away Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:50:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HELSINKI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Finland's forest industry company Metsa Group reported on Thursday a decline in its sales during April-June from 1,372 million euros last year to 1,200 million euros this year. Its comparable operating result in Q2 2020 declined to 96 million euros, from 128 million euros in the previous year. During the whole first half of 2020, the sales of Metsa Group were 2,453 million euros, compared with 2,809 million euros in H1 of 2019. The comparable operating result of H1 was 158 million euros, declining sharply from 308 million euros in the previous year. Ilkka Hamala, president and CEO of Metsa Group, noted in a press statement that the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the group had differed in the various sectors of the Group. As a subsidiary of Metsa Group as well as a publicly listed company, Metsa Board improved its comparable operating result in Q2 year-on-year to 60.5 million euros from 41 million euros in 2019, though its sales in Q2 of 2020 were 473.1 million euros, slightly down from 477.1 million euros of the same period last year. Commenting on the Q2 results on Thursday, Mika Joukio, CEO of Metsa Board, noted in a press release that demand for fresh fibre paper-boards used in food and pharmaceutical packaging increased strongly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March-April. However, the demand had normalized towards the end of Q2. Joukio elaborated that the rapid growth was not attributed to the demand during the pandemic only, but also a repercussion of the long forest industry strike in Finland during Q1 2020. In addition, demand in Q2 was also higher than normal for Metsa Tissue's soft papers sold in the consumer market. Stronger sales of tissue paper created in turn more demand for pulp. However, at the same time, there was a decline in demand for printing papers. Metsa Group expects its comparable operating result in Q3 of 2020 to weaken from Q2. Metsa Group is a leading producer of paper and pulp productions in Europe, with some 9,300 employees. Its parent company, the Metsaliitto Cooperative is owned by some 103,000 Finnish forest owners. Enditem Patna, July 30 : The Bihar unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday targeted the Maharashtra government over the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. "The patrons of Bollywood mafia in the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police are restless after Bihar Police's investigation," the BJP said. Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said that in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress are seen standing with the Bollywood mafia in Sushant's case. "Only a CBI probe into the matter can deliver justice to Sushant," he said. While targeting the Maharashtra government, Mumbai Police, Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, Anand said: "The Shiv Sena has already expressed its pseudo intent through its mouthpiece 'Saamana' over the Sushant issue. While the NCP is keeping mum in favour of the Bollywood mafia." He said, "The sad thing is that Shakti Singh Gohil, in-charge of the Bihar Congress, is assuring the Bihar people of a proper investigation and justice as a spokesman of the Shiv Sena." He said that not even one per cent of the people of Bihar trust the Mumbai Police in this matter. He said "The deep relationships between the big Bollywood players and Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena are open to all. In such a situation, is the Maharashtra government defending the relationship of its coalition leaders?" Anand said that the most important thing is that the day the Bihar police started the probe, the Maharashtra government rejected a CBI investigation. On the same day, Gohil spoke to the Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state and issued a statement in their favour that the probe is going in the right direction and will secure justice. President Donald Trumps plane Air Force One was wheels down at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, a few minutes behind schedule. After landing at Midland International Airport President Trump traveled to Odessa and then back to Midland where he visited a Double Eagle Energy rig. Portland officials say they expect less deployment of tear gas at nightly downtown demonstrations with the arrival of Oregon State Police troopers and the mayor apologized to nonviolent protesters gassed by city officers. During separate news conferences Thursday, Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said all leaders were in agreement when they met with Gov. Kate Brown, State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton and Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell on Tuesday that Portlanders have been tear gassed enough. Wheeler and Hardesty said Hampton agreed his troopers would use the toxic gas only as a last resort. The only reason to use tear gas when the federal government has left will be to save life, period, Hardesty said. No tear gas for crowd control. No tear gas because a water bottle got thrown at you and your feelings got hurt. The only reason that anybody will use tear gas will be to save someones life either an officer or a community member. Wheeler and Portland police officials have said city officers have used the same criteria before electing to use tear gas during protests. Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday a phased plan for federal officers to withdraw from Oregons largest city after at least two weeks of federal deployments ordered by President Donald Trump without the consent of local and state authorities. About 100 state troopers will be deployed to the city to guard the federal courthouse, which has been a flashpoint for about three weeks of the two months straight that protests for police reform and to end systemic racism have taken place. Wheeler and Hardesty both expressed optimism that state troopers would help deescalate tensions, with Hardesty going as far to say she hoped city officers learn a thing or two from state police. Hampton told The Oregonian/OregonLive that troopers will wear their regular uniforms, not riot gear, during demonstrations. Wheeler said he agreed with community members that Portland police officers use of tear gas early on in these demonstrations was indiscriminate and should never have happened. During a June 30 protest in North Portland, for example, Portland police used tear gas that hit people stuck in their homes or their cars as officers used the toxic fumes to force people away from the police union headquarters. I take personal responsibility for it and Im sorry, the mayor said of use of tear gas on unspecified occasions. Portland police used tear gas at the end of May and throughout June during demonstrations. Wheeler said local police used the gas only twice in July, when officers deemed a person or people faced risk of death or serious injury. By contrast, he said that protesters have been indiscriminately tear gassed nightly for the past several weeks by federal officers. Federal officers used notably high levels of tear gas, impact munitions and other force on protesters Wednesday. The city was sued in June and July over local officers use of tear gas and a federal court order issued in early June temporarily bars Portland police from using the gas unless officers believe someones life or safety is in danger. Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who rose to that role on June 8, declined Thursday to directly address Wheelers assessment that officers misused tear gas, saying he wanted the citys Independent Police Review to investigate community complaints. But he did not insist all uses had been appropriate. I suspect well find instances where officers have violated policy, Lovell said. And well deal with that through either discipline or corrective action. Before his news conference Thursday morning, Wheeler announced that local law enforcement and parks staff were kicking people out of Lownsdale Square, a city park across the street from the courthouse. He said it was part of the agreement with federal authorities. Wheeler is the citys police and parks commissioner. Wheeler said getting tear gassed himself at a recent protest made him reflect on the irritant being hard to use in a targeted way and how its not an effective tactic because people return after its deployed. This is not going to be solved by public safety officers, Wheeler said. This is going to be solved by us committing that we have heard, understood and are demonstrably addressing the reforms and the changes that people have nonviolently been protesting for for weeks. Brown said agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Homeland Security would begin leaving the city Thursday. But Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf didnt specify when federal officers will leave entirely. Wolf said a federal presence would remain in Portland until the Trump administration is convinced that state and local authorities can protect downtown federal property, including the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse. Wheeler noted that the U.S. Marshals officers who live in Oregon and normally provide security inside the courthouse will remain deployed there. Wheeler said during the news conference he is cautiously optimistic that federal officers will leave and that hes been working with the mayors of other major cities, including Seattle, to call on congressional leaders to pass new laws blocking the president from sending in federal authorities without consent from local officials. The Portland mayor admitted that the conflicting messaging coming from the state and federal government has been confusing, but said he sides with Brown. Ultimately, I trust the governor on this one, Wheeler said. I believe there is a deal and its my expectation, as well as the governors expectation, that that deal will be adhered to and the federal presence will leave. Wheeler and Hardesty said they werent concerned that the governors office negotiated with federal authorities on Portlands behalf without direct involvement from city officials. They also said they didnt foresee any complications working with State Police. Wheeler said state officers have coordinated with Portland police in the past while responding to demonstrations. One of those occasions was the protest on June 30. Hardesty, who oversees the citys fire, 911 and emergency preparedness responses, said she lifted her ban on Portland police staff using city fire stations as a base for tactical operations. She said state police could also use the stations, but the ban remains for federal authorities. She said state police would act as the intermediary between Portland police and federal agents before they leave and that a state trooper will be embedded in the Portland police command center. Wheeler said he views the departure of federal officers as key to revitalizing parts of downtown that have been hit hard by coronavirus-related business closures and borne the brunt of two months of demonstrations, including property damage. He said he hopes federal officers absence will deescalate violence at demonstrations. Hardesty said she didnt agree or condone violence being used during protests, but she said she understood why people do it. I cannot condemn people who are frustrated to the point where theyre busting windows, she said. I cannot condemn people who have been brutalized by federal forces and Portland police over the last two months when they throw water bottles at them. I cant condemn them because I understand the frustration of continuing to try to seek justice and not getting it. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Cary, North Carolina for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 10 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more. According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Cary, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Cary with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs. The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Cary. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Cary, North Carolina please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-cary-nc/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Cary, North Carolina (in alphabetical order) Carolina Outreach LLC Smithfield 831 S. Brightleaf Boulevard Smithfield, NC 27577 919-300-4315 Daymark Recovery Services Lee Center 130 Carbonton Road Sanford, NC 27330 919-774-6521 Daymark Recovery Services Moore Center 205 Memorial Drive Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-295-6853 Fellowship Health Resources, Inc. 5509 Creedmoor Road Raleigh, NC 27612 919-573-6520 Freedom House Recovery Center Durham Outpatient Services 400-D Crutchfield Street Durham, NC 27704 919-251-8806 NC Recovery Support Services 109 Ellington Street Clayton, NC 27520 919-502-7708 R.J. Blackley Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center 100 H Street Butner, NC 27509 919-575-7928 SouthLight Healthcare 3125 Poplarwood Court, Suite 150 Raleigh, NC 27604 919-787-6131 The M.E. Green House 139 Pinehurst Avenue, Suite A Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-725-1246 Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc. (TROSA) 1820 James Street Durham, NC 27707 919-419-1059 ABOUT HELP.ORG Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/. New Delhi, July 29: Indian technicians and pilots marvellously completed their training in France, said Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador to India on Tuesday ahead of the arrival of Rafale fighter jets. "Planes are outstanding, Indian technicians and pilots marvellously completed their training in France. They are totally capable to use these planes at their best," said Emmanuel Lenain. Also Read | Rajasthan Reports 1,072 New COVID-19 Cases, State Tally Reaches 38,636: Live News Breaking And Coronavirus Updates on July 28, 2020. The French Envoy stated he is very proud to say that the first batch of Rafale is reaching Indian soil. Rafale Landing in India Today: First Batch of 5 Rafale Aircraft to Arrive in Ambala by 2 pm. "Our partnership is comprehensive. It goes from strategic, military to health. They have one thing in common. It's for the good of our own people. They take care of their people's security, their health, that is what matters," he said. Also Read | France Calls For UN-Led Observer Mission to Evaluate China's Treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Responding to a question about China, the French Envoy said: "Geopolitical situation globally is very complex. Partnerships are even more important than before and stronger the better. I think France and India are showing the way. They are exemplary." "Our partnership goes from strategic to the military to health and to many other aspects and that makes me very confident about the future," said the French Envoy. The first batch of five Rafale aircraft is arriving in Ambala today. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) ZURICH (dpa-AFX) - Swiss banking major Credit Suisse Group AG (CS) reported Thursday that its second-quarter net income attributable to shareholders grew 24 percent to 1.16 billion francs from last year's 937 million francs, reaching the highest second quarter in a decade. Pre-tax income was 1.55 billion francs, up 19 percent from 1.30 billion francs a year ago. Provision for credit losses surged to 296 million francs from 25 million francs a year ago. Net revenues increased 11 percent to 6.19 billion francs from 5.58 billion francs last year. As in the previous quarter, second-quarter results were heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Total Investment Banking net revenues were up 38 percent year on year, on a US dollar basis. Private Banking net revenues were down 3 percent. Total Assets under Management or AuM were 1.4 trillion francs at the end of the second quarter. Further, the Board of Directors expects to distribute the second half of the full dividend amount of 0.2776 franc gross per share as originally proposed to shareholders for the financial year 2019, subject to approval by shareholders at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on November 27. The Board intends to propose a second dividend distribution equal to the first distribution of 0.1388 franc gross per share for approval by shareholders at the EGM. Further, the Board intends to review 2020 share buyback program subsequent to the EGM. In the medium term, in a normalized environment, the company expects to distribute at least 50 percent of net income to shareholders. Separately, Credit Suisse announced the launch of key initiatives to reinforce strategy. Key changes with effect from August 1 include creation of a global Investment Bank, and combined Chief Risk and Compliance Officer or CRCO function, among others. The company aims to generate run-rate savings of approximately 400 million francs per annum, from 2022 onwards, allowing for reinvestment in full, subject to market and economic conditions, in growth initiatives across the Group. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de In another development, Sushant Singh Rajput's father on filed a caveat in the Supreme Court and sought a hearing before any order is passed on Rhea Chakraborty's plea The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought from the Bihar police a copy of the FIR registered against actress Rhea Chakraborty and some others in connection to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in order to probe a possible money laundering angle, officials said on Thursday, 30 July. Officials said the central probe agency has written to the Bihar police in this context as it is looking into the case for a possible investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The actor's father, Krishna Kumar Singh (74), had on Tuesday lodged an FIR against Chakraborty, her family members, and six others on charges of alleged abetment to suicide of his son. The Bihar police case was registered under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide). The ED's interest, they said, is into the allegations of alleged mishandling of Rajput's money and his bank accounts. The agency will probe if anyone used Rajput's income for money laundering and creating illegal assets, they said. The ED can attach assets of the accused and also has the power to make arrests under the PMLA. Chakraborty had moved the Supreme Court Wednesday, 29 July, seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna to Mumbai and the stay on the investigation by the Bihar police. However, a day after her petition, Rajput's father filed a caveat in the Supreme Court and sought a hearing before any order is passed on Chakraborty's plea. A caveat is a type of petition filed to pre-empt any ex-parte order on the plea filed by the opposite side. "Let nothing be done in the above matter without prior notice to the undersigned," Rajput's father said in his caveat filed through lawyer Nitin Saluja. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is the family lawyer of Rajput, had said that Chakraborty's plea in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna indicates that "somebody in Mumbai police was helping her." Rajput, aged 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on 14 June and since then the Mumbai police has been probing the case keeping in mind various angles. * A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022 2754 6669 Oklahoma City, OK - USA | July 27, 2020 -- With experience dating back to 2002, the team at Horizon Commercial Real Estate has an innate understanding of the commercial real estate market in Oklahoma. The company is prepared to assist in tenant representation in Oklahoma as well as the buying, selling, and leasing of warehouses, office spaces, and industrial buildings in Oklahoma City and beyond. They are also adept Bryan Cranston revealed Thursday that he'd been sickened with COVID-19 and had already recovered. The 64-year-old Breaking Bad star said he'd had the illness 'a little while ago' in a video shot outside a blood and plasma donation center. The actor filmed himself donating his antibody-containing plasma while urging his 2.5 million followers to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously and follow precautions to slow the spread. Good deed: Bryan Cranston, 64, revealed Thursday in an Instagram video that he'd had COVID-19 and had already recovered as he was about to donate plasma to help others in need Cranston appeared with frazzled hair and a surgical mask while standing outside of a UCLA donation center, though he jokingly clarified he was there to donate plasma and not to peruse the marijuana dispensary next door. 'I wanted to announce that I had COVID-19... a little while ago. Very lucky, very mild symptoms. And so I thought maybe there's something I can do,' he began. The Malcolm In The Middle star then cut to inside the donation center as he was already in the donation chair. The phlebotomist with him explained that the blood withdrawn in placed in a centrifuge, which would split the fluid into red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Eye on the prize: Cranston had frazzled hair and a mask while standing outside of a UCLA donation center, though he jokingly clarified he wasn't there for the dispensary next door Opening up: 'I wanted to announce that I had COVID-19... a little while ago. Very lucky, very mild symptoms. And so I thought maybe there's something I can do,' he began before donating Minimally invasive: His blood was centrifuged to only remove the antibody-containing plasma, then the blood and platelets were returned to his body Cranston's plasma should contain antibodies that the body uses to battle the coronavirus, but the blood and platelets could be returned to his body. The initial stick was over in second, and he wrote, 'The whole process takes about an hour, thank God for old movies!' as he settled in to watch the 1957 classic A Face In The Crowd. The phlebotomist returned at the end of the donation to show the two thick bags of cloudy amber liquid housing the actor's plasma. 'Don't forget to wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask!' he warned at the end of his clip. Although using plasma from recovered patients isn't believed to be a simple fix for other infected with COVID-19, it may provide some relief and speed up their recovery. His video was released as coronavirus cases in California and in multiple US states are surging, and over 150,000 Americans have died from the virus. 'Don't forget to wash your hands, social distance and wear a mask!' he warned at the end of his clip New film: Cranston already finished filming the Disney movie The One And Only Ivan before pandemic shutdowns began Also on Thursday, President Donald Trump urged Americans who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma in hopes of helping others during a visit to the American Red Cross headquarters. Cranston's last major film project was the Breaking Bad sequel film El Camino, which premiered on Netflix last year. He's already completed his work on the upcoming Disney film The One And Only Ivan, in which he plays a man who takes in a young gorilla named Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) and makes him part of a show for tourists, before Ivan escapes captivity to search for his younger sister. Though many theaters are closed throughout the United States, the film will bypass them due to the coronavirus pandemic and premiere on the Disney+ streaming service on August 21. The Melbourne International Film Festival has dumped a movie in which an android child has sex with its human "father", after a leading forensic psychologist warned it "normalises sexual interest in children". Austrian director Sandra Wollners The Trouble With Being Born, which won a special jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival in February while also prompting audience walkouts, was due to screen at the online-only MIFF 68, which opens on August 6. The android Elli is played by the pseudonymous 'Lena Watson', with the aid of a wig and silicon face mask. Credit:MIFF While it does not feature any explicit sex scenes between the "Papa" character and his android daughter played by a real 10-year-old disguised with wigs, a silicon face mask and a fake name the sexual nature of their relationship is clearly implied. Dr Karen Owen, a forensic pychologist and former manager of Corrections Victoria's Sex Offender Programs, viewed part of the film but said she was so disturbed by it "I ceased watching the movie and have deleted the link". The Yankees always know what theyre getting when Mike Ford is in the lineup. Regardless of whether the Jersey-born first baseman shows off his left-handed power, his at-bats usually are high quality. It was deja vu Wednesday night at Oriole Park. Starting for the first time this season, Ford drove in a first-inning run with a sac fly, plus he worked a walk and lined out while going 0-for-2 in a 9-3 Yankees road win over the Baltimore Orioles. Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers This wasnt a great night, but certainly a decent hitless showing by Ford, who is content in his role as Luke Voits backup at first and a designated hitter option even though hes not a kid at 28. Theres nowhere Id rather be, I can tell you that, Ford said. Obviously a situation where the playing time might be a little bit better here and there (would be welcomed), but this is where I want to be. This is who I grew up loving, and to be able to walk into that clubhouse with the caliber of players we have and learn from them ... The son of two doctors, the Belle Mead native and Princeton alum loved the Yankees as a kid. He now loves being a Yankee after joining the organization in 2013 as an undrafted free agent and playing 562 minor-league games before getting a first big-league opportunity in April 2019. Buy Luke Voit Yankees gear: Fanatics.com, MLBShop.com, Lids After never even being on the Yanks 40-man roster prior to his first call-up, Ford became one of the teams surprising success stories last year batting .259 with 12 homers and 25 RBIs in 143 at-bats plus a .305 on-base percentage and a .909 OPS in 50 games. Despite those impressive numbers, Ford might have begun this year back in the minors if big-league rosters werent expanded from 26 to 30 players for the start of the shortened season. Ford was 1-for-1 at the plate in last weekends season-opening series against the Nationals, then got his first start after Voit began the year 1-for-10 with a homer in three games. Depending on how Voit is doing and pitching matchups, it could be a few days or more before Ford gets another start. But the way Ford sees it, being an occasional contributor with the Yanks trumps potentially playing more frequently for a lesser club. Even being 28, who knows what could happen in your career (by changing teams)? he said. So just kind of getting that as a base, and obviously every year you walk into this (Yankees) clubhouse the goal is to win the World Series. Its not the same in a lot of places, so thats pretty awesome. Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is preparing charges against Ibrahim Magu, former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes ... The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) is preparing charges against Ibrahim Magu, former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for allegedly failing to declare his assets. This is completely different from the ongoing probe of his tenure at the EFCC by a presidential panel. TheCable claims a source disclosed that Magu would be arraigned at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which handles the cases of public officials who fail to declare their assets. His lawyer has denied the allegation that he did not declare his assets. In 2019, the CCB filed a six-count charge of false assets declaration against Walter Onnoghen, former chief justice of Nigeria. The CCT subsequently convicted him and he was barred from holding any public office for the next 10 years. In a statement Wahab Shittu, his lawyer, issued on his behalf, Magu described the allegation of not declaring his assets as gross misrepresentation and blatant falsehood. Magus travails followed a memo by Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), who accused him of grave malfeasance. He was arrested and whisked before the panel sitting at the presidential villa in Abuja. Magu, who was alleged to have mishandled recovered loot and sold seized assets to his associates, was detained at the Area 10 force criminal investigation department in Abuja for 10 days before he was released on bail. He has maintained innocence, saying forces opposed to his efforts in the fight against corruption are after him. In 2009, the federal government charged Nuhu Ribadu, pioneer chairman of the EFCC, with non-declaration of assets. Michael Aondoakaa, former attorney-general of the federation, had filed charges against Ribadu, who failed to appear before the CCT on the grounds that the assets declaration form he submitted to the CCB was not made available to him. The tribunal eventually struck out the case against Ribadu. Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. Ivory Coast's defence minister, Hamed Bakayoko, was named prime minister on Thursday after acting as interim premier in the three weeks since the sudden death of his predecessor, the presidency announced. Considered a close associate of President Alassane Ouattara and a pillar of the ruling regime, Bakayoko, 55, has had the defence portfolio since 2017, after serving as interior minister from 2011. He has also been mayor of Abobo, one of the West African country's most populous districts, since 2018. "The President of the Republic has signed a decree appointing Mr. Hamed Bakayoko as prime minister," while he will keep his defence role, according to the presidency's statement. Bakayoko was appointed to serve as stand-in prime minister after Amadou Gon Coulibaly's unexpected death from a heart attack on July 8. "His appointment comes as no surprise since he was acting prime minister and was already the government's number two," said political scientist Arthur Banga. 'Pivotal role' Bakayoko's name had circulated as a potential presidential contender before Gon Coulibaly was nominated in March as the ruling RHDP party's candidate for October's presidential election. Ivory Coast's newly appointed Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko (left) shakes President Alassane Ouattara. By CIbouT (IVORIAN PRESIDENCY/AFP) "He is best placed to play a pivotal role for the RHDP in the run-up to the presidential election after the death of Gon Coulibaly," said political scientist Sylvain N'Guessan. "This nomination does, however, put him out of the running for the presidential election, in case Ouattara does not run again," N'Guessan said. Ouattara had earlier ruled out running for a third term but after Gon Coulibaly's death it has emerged that the president could in fact stand for re-election. If he does, it could spark accusations of abuse of democracy under the country's two-term presidential limit. Ouattara and his supporters contend that a change to the constitution in 2015 gives him the right to seek a third term. The president announced on Wednesday that the decision over his own candidacy would be postponed, citing an extended mourning period after the death of his "son" Gon Coulibaly. But he assured the political council of his RHDP movement in Abidjan: "I am with you... You know that I have never disappointed you." 'Friendships beyond his camp' The opposition has said local branches of the electoral commission responsible for organising the presidential election are unbalanced in favour of the ruling party. By Issouf SANOGO (AFP/File) The October presidential election is set to be tense after years of political turbulence in the country. One of the world's major coffee and cocoa producers, the country still carries the scars of a brief civil war that erupted nearly a decade ago. In 2011, Ouattara ousted then-president Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to step down after losing elections. The months-long standoff claimed 3,000 lives. For October's polls, the opposition has said local branches of the electoral commission responsible for organising the election are unbalanced in favour of the ruling party, despite a reform carried out last year. The opposition has also challenged Ouattara's right to run for a third term. Bakayoko was appointed to serve as stand-in prime minister after Amadou Gon Coulibaly's unexpected death from a heart attack on July 8. By Issouf SANOGO (AFP/File) Political scientist Banga said Bakayoko could play a critical role in bridging the divide ahead of the vote. "During the three-month period leading up to the presidential election, he will have to take up the challenge of bringing the opposition back to the negotiating table, of renewing political dialogue in order to achieve a peaceful election," Banga said. Banga pointed to Bakayoko's long political career which has spanned decades and parties. Bakayoko was a founder member of the Rally of the Republicans (RDR) in 1994 and was in charge of the party's newspaper, Le Patriote. It is part of the RHDP coalition. He was also minister of new information and communication technology in the national unity government from 2003 to 2011, during a decade of crisis in Ivory Coast. "He has his entries everywhere, including in the opposition. Because of his atypical background and his long political experience, he has friendships beyond his camp," Banga said. DUP leader Arlene Foster has denied her leadership position is under threat after 11 MLAs rebelled on a key Assembly bill. Mrs Foster said that while she accepted some MLAs had concerns with the legislation, in her view "there is no threat". It's after DUP MLAs rebelled on a crucial Stormont vote on giving extra power to Executive Ministers. Critics have argued it will give ministers the freedom to go on solo runs removing a veto to allow others to put the brakes on decisions. The First Minister told BBC Radio Ulster: "Obviously there are colleagues with concerns, I will speak to each of my colleagues individually about those concerns, but I think it is right that we put the bill forward to plug that gap which could have caused grave difficulties." Asked if she felt her leadership was under threat Mrs Foster replied: "No, not at all. "I don't see it as a threat to my leadership when people express opinions, I welcome that actually and colleagues abstained, they did not vote against the bill. "Nobody has expressed that to me, or indeed to any of my senior colleagues. I talk to my senior colleagues every single day of the week so no I don't think that and I think people should not try and conflate this into a leadership challenge. "I know maybe it's that time of the year to do this sort of thing, but certainly there is no threat." Read More Mrs Foster said her role as First Minister gave her access to information that wasn't available to everyone and it was necessary for the legislation to be accelerated through the Assembly. "One of the key reasons for that, for me, was the fact there had been a gap identified in relation to significant and controversial issues," the DUP leader said. "If we didn't have a programme for Government then those issues could be taken by ministers in their own department and there was no necessity to bring them to the Executive. "I was concerned about that and this bill stops that from happening. It is now very clear that all significant or controversial matters now must come to the Executive Committe whether or not we have a programme for Government." The DUP leader confirmed that no action would be taken against dissenting MLAs as the vote was not whipped. Expand Close Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots Mrs Foster's statement comes after DUP stalwart Edwin Poots gave her his full support. He denied the vote it was a challenge to Arlene Foster's leadership and those that did not vote along party lines were not doing so on that basis. He said the party was "fully behind" Mrs Foster and he had no issue with backing the bill's progress to becoming an Act. The Agriculture Minister was speaking to the Belfast Telegraph at the launch of a 1.7million stimulus fund. He said he understood the concerns of those DUP MLA which defied the party whip but said it was an internal matter. "They expressed those concerns in the way they did," he added, "but that's a matter that has happened and we will pick up and move on very quickly from that. "Mrs Foster has done some tremendous work on Covid-19 and has given really good leadership in the country and I have no doubt the party will continue to support her." Read More The minister launched the fund to support the expansion of rural and micro businesses at Hamilton Erskine which has received Stormont support. Mr Poots was given a tour of the factory which designs and produces advances composites for the automative and aerospace industry in Ballygowan "[The support] has secured jobs each time, created new jobs in a rural community and supported the business in its growth," Mr Poots said. "This is something that has worked well in a rural community and supported long term sustainable jobs." A contractor who allegedly demanded Rs one crore as extortion money from a man here was arrested from Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur, police said on Thursday. On Tuesday evening at 6.30 pm, Santosh Ojha, a resident of Sikriganj area here, received a phone call from the suspect who allegedly threatened him and demanded Rs one crore as extortion money, they said. Ojha used to work in Indore and in 2015 he went to Mauritius. He worked for three years in Mauritius and returned home in 2018 to start a small business and farming in Sikriganj, said CO Yadvendra Krishna Narayan Khajni. After receiving the extortion call, Ojha informed police and the suspect, identified as Bajrangi Jagir, was nabbed on Wednesday, police said. Jagir is a contractor of welding work and police is investigating how he got Ojha's number, they said. The accused will be brought to Gorakhpur on transit remand, police said. President Donald Trump yesterday signed two permits for oil export infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to boost exports of crude to Mexico. One of the permits is for NuStar Energy, which will operate pipelines under the Rio Grande that transport crude oil and refined products from Texas to Mexico. The other permit is for Kansas City Southern Railway Co., which will build and operate a railway bridge in the border town of Laredo. Mexico is the biggest importer of U.S. crude oil, according to the Department of Energy. Last year, the U.S. shipped 1.2 million bpd of oil and products to Mexico, accounting for 14 percent of total exports, making the country the biggest recipient of U.S. crude oil, with Canada coming in second, taking in 1 million bpd in 2019. At the same time, the U.S. is a major recipient of Mexican crude. In fact, the trade in oil between the two mostly involves the U.S. importing crude and exporting back refined products. This was part of the reason why President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last year pledged a huge new refinery, with a capacity of 400,000 bpd of gasoline. In a three-year period, at the latest, we need to try to consume our own fuels and not depend on foreign gasoline, Mexicos energy minister, Rocio Nahle said at the time. Mexico is also a major buyer of U.S. natural gas and it is set to buy ever more of the commodity as production begins to rebound in Texas. During the second half of this year and in 2021, the average natural gas exports of U.S gas to Mexico could hit 1.5 billion cu ft daily, according to Rystad Energy, the boost will be helped by the completion of the Villa de Reyes-Aguascaliente-Guadalajara (VAG) pipeline, which began operating in June. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices fell on Thursday, as surging coronavirus infections around the world threatened to jeopardise a recovery in fuel demand just as major oil producers are set to raise output. The most-active Brent crude contract for October fell 58 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to $43.51 a barrel at 10.55 GMT. The September Brent contract, which is expiring on Friday, fell 57 cents to $43.18 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 70 cents, or 1.7 per cent, at $40.57 a barrel. Both benchmark contracts rose on Wednesday after the US Energy Information Administration ... BERLIN, July 29 (Reuters) - A senior member of Chancellor Angel Merkel's conservatives has criticised a U.S. decision to withdraw about 12,000 troops from Germany and move its European headquarters to Belgium. "Instead of strengthening NATO, the troop withdrawal will weaken the alliance," Norbert Roettgen, chairman of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. "The effectiveness of the U.S. military is not increased but reduced, especially with a view to Russia and ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East," Roettgen added. The U.S. military said on Wednesday it would move its headquarters out of Stuttgart, Germany to Belgium, as it outlined broader plans to shift 12,000 troops out of Germany on orders from President Donald Trump. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber, Editing by Maria Sheahan) Just a day after Nicholas Braun earned his first Emmy nomination for his role as Cousin Greg on Succession, he proved he's a man of many talents with a new song. The 32-year-old actor released his new song Antibodies (Do You Have The) on his YouTube Wednesday, and the song is helping a good cause as well. Braun teamed with PLUS1 to support those most at risk from the pandemic, through Partners In Health and The COPE Program, and fans can text ANTIBODIES to 50155 or visit DoYouHaveTheAntibodies.com to donate. New song: Just a day after Nicholas Braun earned his first Emmy nomination for his role as Cousin Greg on Succession, he proved he's a man of many talents with a new song Good cause: The 32-year-old actor released his new song Antibodies (Do You Have The) on his YouTube Wednesday, and the song is helping a good cause as well Braun also spoke to Apple music about the song, revealing it was 'born out of quarantine' with his friends in Los Angeles. 'I was staying at a friend's house. They were doing a full lockdown deal and they were like, "You should be really careful about going out and talking to people."' He added that he was thinking about going on a date and his friends said, 'Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't be near a person."' Quarantine: Braun also spoke to Apple music about the song, revealing it was 'born out of quarantine' with his friends in Los Angeles No date: He added that he was thinking about going on a date and his friends said, 'Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't be near a person"' 'So I was in this two week quarantine away from even my friends in this house and I think my brain just started turning like, what would make this okay?' Braun added. He concluded that the 'antibodies' would allow him, 'to go on a social distance walk with somebody?' 'Obviously, just felt like a punk song because it's the word antibodies I knew it had to be in the Blink 182, Papa Roach, POD realm,' Bruan added. Quarantine: 'So I was in this two week quarantine away from even my friends in this house and I think my brain just started turning like, what would make this okay?' Braun added The journey to creating this song started on May 6, when Braun took to Instagram asking for help with lyrics he came up with. He added it was a 'dream of my whole life' to put a song together like this, adding, 'Ive been singing as long as I can remember. 'I loved being in choir in first grade. I mean, I was obsessed with learning songs from a young age,' he added. Obsessed: 'I loved being in choir in first grade. I mean, I was obsessed with learning songs from a young age,' he added Singing: He added it was a 'dream of my whole life' to put a song together like this, adding, 'Ive been singing as long as I can remember Braun also got quite the surprise on Tuesday, when he learned he earned his first Emmy nomination for playing Cousin Greg on Succession. The 32-year-old actor was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, going up against his co-stars Kieran Culkin and Matthew McFadyen. He's also nominated alongside Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Mark Duplass (The Morning Show), Giancarlo Esposito, (Better Call Saul), Bradley Whitford (The Handmaids Tale) and Jeffrey Wright (Westworld). Surprise: Braun also got quite the surprise on Tuesday, when he learned he earned his first Emmy nomination for playing Cousin Greg on Succession The Perseverance rover will lift off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday at 12.50pm Irish time aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. It is the third mission heading to the Red Planet this month after launches by the UAE and China. Perseverance will travel 314 million miles over a period of nearly seven months attempting to land on a crater named Jezero. Only eight Nasa missions have successfully pulled off a descent to Mars, a feat that has been described as seven minutes of terror. Satellite images suggest Jezero used to be a lake more than 3.5 billion years ago, when Mars was warmer and wetter. The crater houses rocks that contain clays and carbonates, which scientists believe may have the potential to preserve organic molecules that could provide evidence of past life. Advertisement Along with several sophisticated instruments that will gather information about Mars geology, atmosphere, environmental conditions and signs of life, the rover is also carrying a small 1.8kg helicopter. Called Ingenuity, the copter will fly short distances and marks the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet. If successful, it could lead to more flying probes on other planets. Perseverance will also trial technologies to help astronauts make future expeditions to Mars. Im helping to pave the way for future human missions to Mars. Learn more about @NASAs plans for human exploration at 1 pm PT (4pm ET/2000 UTC) on July 28 at https://t.co/yoYs5YcZqr. Use #CountdownToMars to ask your questions. pic.twitter.com/Nn46IMfL7Z NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 28, 2020 This includes testing a method for producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, and identifying other resources such as subsurface water. Meanwhile, scientists in the UK will help Perseverance select the Martian samples to be brought back to Earth. Researchers at Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum will identify samples of Mars that could contain evidence of past life and study the mineralogy and geochemistry of the different rocks found in the crater. Professor Mark Sephton, from Imperial, said: I hope that the samples we select and return will help current and future generations of scientists answer the question of whether there was ever life on the Red Planet. With one carefully chosen sample from Mars, we could discover that the history of life on the Earth is not unique in the Universe. It is also a busy week for Nasa, as it gears up to welcome two astronauts home as they attempt a splashdown off the Florida coast on Sunday. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will arrive in the Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, which was designed and built by SpaceX. The duo will close out a mission that was designed to test SpaceXs human spaceflight system, including launch, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations, Nasa said. Tusla Dublin Mid Leinster fostering, in association with the Offaly Traveller Movement, have launched a new series of information materials aimed at Travellers who might be interested in becoming foster carers. The event took place in the offices of the Offaly Traveller Movement on Harbour St., Tullamore. The event aimed to recognise the work that went into developing the new materials. Offaly Traveller Movement and TUSLA worked together to create more culturally appropriate material to encourage Travellers to think about becoming foster carers. The event also aimed to highlight the need for fosters carers from the Travelling Community locally, and also across the country. Foster carers make a huge difference to the lives of the children they care for. There is a need for people who can care for children in the short; medium or long-term. There are many myths about who can and cannot foster, but it takes many different types of people to meet the needs of many different children. Tusla is encouraging people from all communities and backgrounds to consider if they could become a foster carer. There are fostering social workers available to answer any questions an interested person might have on the Freephone number below. Speaking at the event, Jacqui Smyth, Principal Social Worker in the Regional Area Fostering Team, Dublin Mid-Leinster, Tusla, said: Working in partnership with the Offaly Traveller Movement to look at how we can better reach out to Travellers who are interested in becoming foster carers has been a rewarding and educating experience. "I am delighted to have had the opportunity to sit down with the volunteers from the Offaly Traveller Movement and take on board their views and input with regard to recruiting Traveller Foster carers. This campaign is part of a larger effort we are making to engage with Traveller organisations and individuals locally, regionally and nationally, and we are excited continue this work over the coming months. Placing a child in foster care is only done when all other options have been explored. Anyone who would like to find out more about fostering can call freephone 1800 226 771, email tusla.fostering@tusla.ie or visit Tusla.ie for more details. Health experts are calling the case of two doctors arrested last week on suspicion of assisting in the death of a 51-year-old woman with ALS "fundamentally different" from past euthanasia cases that led to other doctors' convictions for murder in Japan, because she allegedly asked them to kill her for money on Twitter. Yoshikazu Okubo, who operates a clinic in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, and Naoki Yamamoto, a doctor in Tokyo, allegedly administered a lethal dose of barbiturates to Yuri Hayashi at her home in the western Japan city of Kyoto on Nov. 30 with her consent, investigative sources said. Short-acting barbiturates, such as pentobarbital, taken in large dosages cause death by respiratory arrest and are known to be used by groups that assist with suicides in Europe and the United States. Hayashi's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, causes gradual paralysis with no fundamental treatments established. According to the sources, neither Okubo, 42, nor Yamamoto, 43, were the woman's attending physician, and the ALS patient and Okubo are believed to have exchanged messages using the social networking service for nearly a year prior to her death. It was Hayashi who offered 1.3 million yen ($12,400) for the job, nearly the same amount charged by a Swiss group for assisting suicides. Afghan officials say at least eight people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack in the eastern province of Logar on July 30, just hours before a three-day cease-fire was to begin for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. The suspected car bomb went off in the central Azadi (Liberty) Square in the provincial capital, Pol-e-Alam, which was packed with people shopping for Eid celebrations, according to local officials and eyewitnesses. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that all the victims were civilians, with women and children among the dead. However, provincial police spokesman Shahpoor Ahmadzai said the attack targeted a police checkpoint and that there were security forces among the victims. According to Ahmadzai, government forces had gathered in the city to prepare for security measures ahead of the Eid celebrations. He said the civilian casualties were mainly in cars that had stopped at a checkpoint. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Taliban denied involvement. The Afghan government and the Taliban have agreed on a three-day ceasefire starting on July 31, the first day of Eid in Afghanistan. The cease-fire is slated to last for the duration of the festival, which marks the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, dpa Americans seem to be in the throes of a struggle to define not only the history but the meaning of our democratic republic. With the stakes so high, the temptation to impose ideological conformity, by vilifying dissenters and shutting down debate, is fearsome. In her resignation letter to the New York Times earlier this month, former columnist Bari Weiss warned about a new consensus among media elites: that truth isnt a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else. Yet the Enlightenment project of human freedom depended on courageous individuals who, on a quest for truth, defied the orthodoxy of the establishment. The obstacles to this quest were daunting. Seventeenth-century Europeans cheered when the wars of religion came to an end. But the Catholic and Protestant states that emerged maintained a tight control over dogma of all kinds religious, political, and scientific. Isaac Newton (16421727) didnt launch the scientific revolution, but he made its cultural triumph nearly inevitable. His Principia (1687), by establishing the universal laws of motion and gravity, crushed any lingering belief in the geocentric model of the universe. That model had stood for centuries, despite manifest difficulties, because it carried the unquestioned authority of Aristotle, known simply as the philosopher. The authorities of Christendom had ensured that no theory of the universe that contradicted Aristotles earth-centered cosmology could be taught or legally published. Yet Newton, like all of the early scientists, was driven by a passion to understand the world around him. He believed that God had written two books the book of Holy Writ and the book of Nature and that the study of the natural world illuminated Gods character. The Creator, he wrote, was apparently very well skilled in Mechanics and Geometry. Nevertheless, it was an uphill fight to overcome entrenched, conventional thinking. Plato is my friend, and Aristotle is my friend, he said, but my greatest friend is truth. Story continues Protestant England in Newtons day took as dim a view of unorthodox teachings as did any Catholic state in Europe. Government control of printing, introduced under Henry VIII, was in full swing when John Milton (16081674) learned of the flogging of political agitator John Lilburne, arrested for importing subversive books. Milton fired off a pamphlet in protest, the Areopagitica (1644), titled after the Areopagus, the hill where the council of Athens met to debate and execute justice. Miltons missive, which took the form of a speech to the Parliament of England, is regarded as the first comprehensive plea for freedom of speech in the West. Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, Gods image, he wrote. But he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye. It is hard for us to appreciate the radicalism of Miltons argument: that a healthy society required the give and take of conflicting ideas, even ideas that challenged our most deeply held beliefs. The effect of censorship, he wrote, will be primely to the discouragement of all learning, and the stop of truth, not only by . . . blunting our abilities in what we know already, but by hindering and cropping the discovery that might be yet further made both in religious and civil wisdom. In other words, everyone must be open to the possibility of having his mind changed, because no one had an absolute monopoly on the truth. Miltons plea initially fell on deaf ears, especially after England endured a sectarian Civil War. For the next 30 years, until the Glorious Revolution of 1689, church and state worked together to uphold Anglican hegemony and punish dissent: England became a persecuting society. Like no one before him, John Locke (16321704) sought a solution to the political-religious problem. In his Two Treatises of Government (1689) and A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), Locke vigorously defended the concepts of human freedom, equality, and government by consent. He laid the philosophical foundation for the liberal, democratic state. And he did it by defying the prejudices and dogmas of establishment elites. To love truth for truths sake is the principal part of humane perfection in this world, he wrote, and the seed plot of all other virtues. This idea was the motive force behind Lockes lifelong struggle to protect the rights of religious conscience in an age of rage. Citing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the genuine reason of mankind, Locke argued that every person must be free to pursue truth without fear of censure. It is only light and evidence that can work a change in mens opinions; and that light can in no manner proceed from corporal sufferings, or any other outward penalties. In Lockes vision of a just and pluralistic society, there was no place for the cancel culture. He practiced what he preached. In establishing his Rules of a Society, for example, Locke insisted that no one could be admitted unless he agreed that he loves all men regardless of their religious identity or speculative opinions. When any topic engaged Lockes mind, he read everything about it he could get his hands on. His personal library numbered over 3,641 volumes and included works of theology, medicine, classical literature, philosophy, economics and the natural sciences. His longtime friend (and romantic interest) Damaris Cudworth described him as the most faithful follower, or indeed the slave of truth, . . . which he loved for its own sake. The free exchange of ideas in the pursuit of truth, wherever it leads: This was the freedom that fired the imagination of the individuals who helped to build our liberal democratic order. We dare not turn our backs on their achievement when we need it most. More from National Review Last year, Epic shared a publicly available roadmap detailing all the features it's working on adding to its digital games marketplace. One of those, mod support, is now available albeit in beta form. Mod support is now in beta on the Epic Games Store, starting with Mechwarrior 5. This is an early iteration of the feature, but you can expect to see more titles supported in the future. Keep an eye out! https://t.co/Pmgy9tkI8O Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) July 30, 2020 The company announced on Twitter that MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is the first title on the Epic Games Store to include support for community-made modifications. "This is an early iteration of the feature, but you can expect to see more times supported in the future," said Epic. The tool will allow you to browse both player- and developer-made mods. It will also handle automatically installing them. The company has been working on mod support since last summer. At the time, Epic said, "This is a huge feature which will take a long time to build." Besides its exclusives, something PC gamers have consistently criticized the Epic Games Store over is its less robust feature set than Steam. Mod support was one of the big ones. The Steam Workshop allows you to download, install and manage modifications easily. And for all of the things Steam could do better, mod support is one thing it absolutely nails. The fact the Epic Games Store didn't have a mod manager before today was a notable absence. But like with many other features, Epic has done a good job of slowing narrowing the gap between the Games Store and Steam. Some of the more recent features Epic added to the marketplace include achievements, cloud saves and, most notably, self-serve refunds. A former top banker in China pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally receiving over $12 million after being caught last year in President Xi Jinping's sweeping campaign against corruption. Hu Huaibang, former party secretary and chairman of the China Development Bank, had taken advantage of his positions to illegally receive money and goods worth a total of 85.5 million yuan ($12.2 million) between 2009 and 2019, heard a court in northern Chengde city. The accusations included using his status -- and staff in other countries -- to help obtain and increase bank credit lines, set up an auto finance company, and assist with job promotions, reported the state-run People's Daily. Hu pleaded guilty at the hearing attended by more than 30 people including national, provincial and municipal people's congress representatives, the report added. He will be sentenced at a later date. More than one million officials have been punished in Xi's crackdown on corruption, though critics say it has also served as a way for him to purge political rivals. Hu had worked his way up China's financial sector, moving between regulatory positions and state-owned companies before landing the top job at the Bank of Communications. In 2013 he became chairman of China Development Bank and held the position until September 2018. But his connection to fallen Chinese oil tycoon Ye Jianming, chairman of CEFC China Energy, appeared to have landed him in trouble. In Hu's roles at the Bank of Communications and the CDB, he allegedly helped CEFC secure billions in credit lines for its overseas deals. Joshua Hamidu Akamba 30.07.2020 LISTEN The National Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hon. Joshua Hamidu Akamba has cautioned Ghanaians to beware of fraudsters using his name to dupe people on Facebook. He said the perpetrators have managed to fake an account in his name and using same to scam unsuspecting victims under the guise of providing them with jobs. In a Facebook post by Joshua Akamba, he said checks reveal that the perpetrators have part away with monies ranging from GH500 to GH1,000 after promising victims enlistment into the security services. I have become aware of a fake account in my name, being used to dupe innocent people. Please disregard it and report anyone who engages you in the name of such accounts. I do not have any other account aside my official Facebook page, the NDC National Organizer has noted. He stated on his official Facebook account as follows: I have become aware of a fake account in my name, being used to dupe innocent people. Please disregard it and report anyone who engages you in the name of such accounts. I do not have any other account aside this page. Many Thanks. Below is the fake account: NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Funds managed by Crestview Partners ("Crestview") announced today an investment into Upwell Water LLC ("Upwell Water" or the "Company"), a San Francisco-based, water-focused specialty finance company. Upwell Water was founded to create one of the world's leading water finance companies. The Company acquires and finances water assets to facilitate the deployment of needed water solutions that enable a sustainable water future, one of the core focus areas of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Crestview's investment in Upwell Water, alongside a previous commitment from the 2040 Fund and Upwell, LLC, provides the Company with the equity capital to create a $1 billion specialty finance company. The Company's capital market solutions are intended to provide liquidity and investment to water-related assets, such as treatment plants, water rights, equipment, utilities, and pipelines. Examples include water-as-a-service financing, equipment leases / financing and sale leasebacks, and project and development finance, which are pervasive in other industries but needed to improve small- and medium-sized water infrastructure assets. "Upwell Water's strategy is to create a transformational impact in water resource management by providing a full slate of capital markets solutions to stakeholders. Our team works with water solutions providers and end clients to enable efficient and rapid investment in water assets," said Tamin Pechet, founder and CEO of Upwell Water. "We are excited to partner with the teams at Crestview and the 2040 Fund to grow Upwell Water into the largest water-focused specialty finance company in the world." Adam Klein, Partner at Crestview, said, "Upwell Water presents a compelling opportunity to create the world's highest impact and highest value water finance platform. The team at Upwell Water has a unique mix of capital markets and water industry operational leadership and expertise. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Tamin Pechet, a well-known executive in the water industry, and the Upwell Water team to help accelerate the Company's growth." Alex Rose, Partner at Crestview, added, "There has long been a disconnect between the need to continue to invest in water solutions and the availability of capital to finance small- and medium-sized projects efficiently. Building market leaders in niche markets that are yet to see the emergence of a global leader is a core tenant of Crestview's investment philosophy and we look forward to working with the team at Upwell Water to position the Company for long-term success." About Crestview Partners Founded in 2004, Crestview is a value-oriented private equity firm focused on the middle market. The firm is based in New York and manages funds with over $9 billion of aggregate capital commitments. The firm is led by a group of partners who have complementary experience and distinguished backgrounds in private equity, finance, operations and management. Crestview has senior investment professionals focused on sourcing and managing investments in each of the specialty areas of the firm: financial services, industrials and media. For more information, please visit www.crestview.com. About Upwell Water Upwell Water delivers capital solutions to the water industry, enabling a sustainable water future. The firm's team of water industry and capital markets executives partners with providers and end users of water solutions to deliver $1 billion of near-term investment in water-related businesses and assets. For more information, please visit www.water.llc. About The 2040 Fund The 2040 Fund invests in private and publicly listed securities focused on climate adaptation and resilience. The 2040 Fund manages philanthropic capital for the 2040 Foundation and its founder. The Fund focuses on water systems and technology, the future of food, and energy transition. For more information, please visit https://mission2040.org/. For more information, please contact: Jeffrey Taufield or Daniel Yunger Kekst CNC (212) 521-4800 [email protected] / [email protected] SOURCE Crestview Partners Related Links https://www.crestview.com/ 25% of Americans believe there is at least some truth that COVID-19 was planned: poll Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Some 25% of Americans believe that there is at least some truth to the conspiracy theory that powerful people intentionally planned the new coronavirus outbreak, and conservative Republicans, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to fall into this group, according to results of a survey recently released by the Pew Research Center. The results of the survey, conducted in June, were highlighted by the Pew Research Center just a day before Sinclair Broadcast Groupannounced it would delay airing a controversial episode of its program "America This Week," suggesting Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had a hand in the development of COVID-19. In the America This Week" episode, which still aired in at least one local market before Sinclairs postponement, host Eric Bolling interviews Judy Mikovits, former research director of chronic fatigue syndrome research organization Whittemore Peterson Institute and her lawyer, Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch. Mikovits, a well-known conspiracy theorist who appeared in the discredited Plandemic viral video, alleged that the NIAID under Faucis leadership had been illegally experimenting with coronaviruses and later funded that research in Wuhan, China. Hes the head of NIAID, he didnt discover this particular coronavirus but they had been working on isolating coronaviruses from bats since the mid to late '90s and they had shipped originally, funded the studies to Wuhan, China, when it was illegal in this country to do these types of studies further, Mikovits told Bolling. Were looking at a possible RICO case, Eric, and were analyzing that right now, what it appears happened is the Chinese got that virus. We know that $3.7 million was given as a grant during the Obama administration to that Wuhan laboratory. Thats not in dispute. And the Chinese then engineered it into a bioweapon, Klayman told Bolling. So what happened here is relevant to our lawsuit in Dallas, Texas, our class action against the communist Chinese, for releasing either accidentally or by design this pandemic. So its a very serious matter and it needs to be looked into, he continued. No one wants to discuss it and I suspect that the president probably knows about this right now, which is why, and I support the president personally, but I think thats why hes not going real strong against China right now because this virus had its origins, apparently in a lab in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News medical contributor, who is also featured in the postponed episode, agreed with Bolling that it was "highly unlikely" that Fauci was behind the coronavirus but said it was possible the virus was "man-made within a laboratory" and escaped. Some experts noted earlier this year that the virus was not engineered in a lab. According to the Pew survey, 71% of Americans say they have heard of the Plandemic conspiracy but just 20% say it is probably true and 5% believe its definitely true. Among conservative Republicans, the survey noted that 37% believe the conspiracy theory is probably or definitely true compared to 29% of moderate and liberal Republicans, 24% of moderate and conservative Democrats and 10% of liberal Democrats. Some 33% of blacks and 34% of Hispanic adults also say the theory is probably or definitely true, compared with about 22% of white adults and 19% of Asian Americans. Women were slightly more likely than men, 29% vs. 21%, to see at least some truth in the conspiracy theory. Lower levels of education were also associated with a higher likelihood of believing the conspiracy theory. In an interview with CNN Business, Bolling said he was not aware of the viral "Plandemic" video. He noted that Saphier "was not originally booked on the show" and that he added her to "provide an opposing viewpoint." "I don't know of any video she was in prior to or after appearing on my show. Frankly, I was shocked when she made the accusation," Bolling said. "I asked our producers to add Saphier to the show for the express purpose of debunking the conspiracy theory. I believe viewers see that I did not and do not endorse her theory." A medical worker takes a swab from a driver at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing site at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla., on July 24, 2020. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images) COVID-19 Testing Sites Across Florida to Close Due to Storm All state-supported COVID-19 testing sites are being shut down on Thursday because of a storm heading towards Florida. Some 62 drive-through and walk-up sites are closing at 5 p.m. and will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time, the state Division of Emergency Management announced this week. The reopening is expected to happen at or before 8 a.m. on August 5. County-run testing sites remain open for the time being. As the storm passes through regions of the state, sites will reopen on a rolling basis to ensure Floridians are able to receive reliable and accessible COVID-19 testing, the agency said in a statement. The storm, Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine, is forecast to begin impacting Florida in the coming days. It strengthened into a tropical cyclone on Thursday. It is now being called Tropical Storm Isaias. The projected path of Tropical Storm Isaias, as of July 30, 2020. (National Hurricane Center) A National Hurricane Center forecast projects the storm will travel northeast from its present position near the Dominican Republic and impact Florida. In an advisory Thursday morning, the center said Isaias will produce heavy rains and potentially life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas. Heavy rains linked to the storm may begin affecting south Florida Friday night or Saturday morning, potentially resulting in isolated flash and urban flooding. The current projection has the storm impacting central Florida early Sunday. Depending on how it tracks, Isaias may impact the Carolinas and southern mid-Atlantic states early next week. Due to Isaias interacting with Hispaniola, the details of the track and intensity forecast remain uncertain and it is too soon to determine the magnitude and location of these potential impacts, the forecast states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement that officials are closely monitoring the storm. Floridians should prepare now by having at least 7 days of disaster supplies, he said. Pandemic forces switch in sales tactics Lu Jiang, 45, has noticed that friends, long accustomed to drinking wine at business dinners, have developed a new habit: sampling it at home. The wine specialist, based in Beijing, said: "One friend drinks a bottle of wine with his wife at home every couple of days. Another told me that he now has a closer relationship with his father because they have a chat over a glass of wine each night." The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed many aspects of liquor consumption in China, having created a new environment for drinking and shifted sales from offline to online. In the year's first half, China imported and produced less liquor than during the same period last year, but the country's producers and distributors expect sales to rebound in the second six months. Lu said there have been many changes because alcohol, which used to be drunk mainly at restaurants, has been consumed more often at home in the past six months. "At business dinners, big brands are preferred, but when drinking at home, people opt for wine that is a good value," he said. Since the onset of the pandemic, the red wine Caperucita Tinta has been one of the most popular in China, selling for 88 yuan ($12.60) a bottle in many places. Produced in the Spanish city of Valencia, it is known in Chinese as Xiao Hong Maoa reference to the red hoodie on the label. Luan Dawei, 47, general manager of wine sales company Jiashijiu, which has been importing Caperucita Tinta for five years, said 3 million bottles have been sold in China so far this year. He believes a key reason for the wine's popularity is that it is "light-bodied and juicy", making it easy to drink. The distinctive label is also a standout feature. Luan's team has placed the wine in more than 100,000 stores across China, and it has also appeared in films. He expects 10 million bottles of Caperucita Tinta be sold in the country this year. "With its attractive label and a story to tell, this wine sells well on the internet, because the pandemic has stopped face-to-face recommendation in restaurants and stores," he said. "There have been fewer shipments from Europe to China since the pandemic started. Transportation time has lengthened and costs have risen," he said. "With wineries in Spain experiencing financial problems due to the outbreak, we pay for the wine in advance to help them." According to the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products, in the first five months of this year, the country imported 478 billion liters of liquor, a year-on-year fall of about 30 percent. Jiao Guoqiang, general manager of COFCO W&W International Co, said both the value and volume of liquor imports fell last year in China, and the pandemic has accelerated this decline. "In the first five months of this year, wine sales fell by about 30 percent year-on-year, and my company has seen a decline of 10 percent compared with last year," Jiao said. Han Liwen, a beverage purchasing specialist at Freshippo, Alibaba's online-to-offline grocery chain, said sales of liquor priced at 200 yuan to 400 yuan a bottle have risen significantly since the outbreak started, in contrast to an overall market decline. Due to the pandemic, customers are making more-rational decisions when buying alcohol and are choosing it for different occasions, Han said. For a family gathering, brand and quality are key. "In March, when most people were staying home, small bottles of reasonably priced alcohol were the most popular, such as Korean soju," Han added. "At the end of April, when life was returning to normal, sales of the baijiu (the fiery Chinese spirit) and beer started to rise." Delayed resumption Zhao Pengfei, deputy director of the imported beer division at COFCO W&W International, said that because of the pandemic, the company's team only resumed work in April after the Spring Festival holiday in late January. The team decided to increase beer orders in January by 50 percent at a time when most competitors were cutting back. "Our sales from April to June were 9 percent down on the first half of last year, while total imported beer sales nationwide in the first six months of this year fell by about 30 percent," Zhao said. He added that the company originally planned to import several new products over the next three years. However, as a result of the pandemic, the products were placed online in May, and have accounted for 10 percent of total sales. Zhao said other distributors of imported beer placed orders in August, but deliveries only arrived in China from Europe in April, three months later than scheduled. "The distributors only had a few months before the 12-to 14-month guarantee period for this beer expired. They have had to mostly sell it for half-price," he said. "Those who placed orders in April or May will only receive the beer in August or September, meaning they will miss the busy summer season. Some have decided to cancel their plans for this year and wait until next. "However, profit from online sales has fallen because of the pandemic. Non-contact deliveries also mean we have had to include more packaging, which has increased costs." Exhibition hosted Meanwhile, demand for imported sake could exceed supply in the next two years. Zhang Jie, 34, general trade manager at sake importer and distributor Pinor, said the company sold about 50,000 bottles of the drink in the first half of this year. "Luckily, we hosted a sake exhibition in November, where we placed a considerable number of import orders. However, many sake distributors have been unable to get deliveries to China during the pandemic," he said, with ships mainly being used to transport medical supplies. "Even though shipments have recently recovered, they now take longer to clear customs, because they have to go through nucleic acid testing," he added. Zhang said Pinor started to sell sake through WeChat at the end of January, and 20 percent of its sales are now online. "Each month, the number of new customers has risen by 30 percent and our regular clients place orders two to three times a month," he added. Zhang is worried that because many Chinese distributors have reduced their orders this year, priority will be given to the Japanese sake market after the pandemic. "There might not be much left for exports," he said. The pandemic has not had a strong impact on wine sales from premium producers and major brands, but the niche market has been badly affected. Jiao, from COFCO W&W International, said sales at restaurants and wine shops have been hit hard, but online orders have risen significantly. "We have broadened our online platforms to sell more wines and are using additional personnel. Before the pandemic, we only focused on JD and Tmall. Now, we are opening stores on Suning, Pinduoduo and NetEase," he said. Jiao said that since May, the company has hosted a series of livestreaming shows on the JD and Douyin platforms in conjunction with tastings at its 50-plus stores nationwide. By last month, the shows had been watched more than 1.7 million times. "We have introduced wine courses to the livestreaming shows, and customers have welcomed them," he said. "Before the pandemic, clients may have objected to tasting classes being held with a wine master talking on screen, but now they readily accept this." Jiao said the market started to recover in May, with the company's sales rising by 100 percent from the previous month. He is confident about the second half of this year, as he feels that linked online and offline marketing will attract more customers. "We are planning to organize 100 livestreaming shows this year," he said. Lu, the wine specialist, said: "Liquor purchasing is mostly based on trust. Once customers trust online platforms, they will get used to this form of buying." He still prefers to drink with friends while dining at restaurants, as he believes that wine is "all about the experience". Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles from underground for the first time as part of an annual military drill, Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the aerospace division of the Guards, said in a video posted online by YJC, a news agency linked to Iran's state TV. The video showed clouds of dust before the missiles streaked into the sky. The military drill in the Gulf, which began on Tuesday, comes at a time of high tension between Tehran and Washington. The U.S. military said the drill caused two bases with American troops in the region to go on heightened alert and said Tehran's missile launches were irresponsible. There have been periodic confrontations in the Gulf in recent years between the Guards and the U.S. military, which has accused the Guards' navy of sending fast-attack boats to harass U.S. warships as they pass the Strait of Hormuz. The video posted by YJC showed fast-attack boats firing missiles as well as missiles striking a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier. Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and other Western navies in the Gulf, holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30 percent of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea. (Reuters) A MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH As COVID-19 continues to force all of us to make changes to our daily schedule, the department would like to remind you that together we can make a difference. 2020-2021 New Mexico fishing licenses are on sale, valid April 1 to March 31. This fishing report, provided by Dustin Berg of Go Unlimited (supporting disabled anglers) and the Department of Game and Fish, has been generated from the best information available from area officers and anglers. Conditions encountered after the report is compiled may differ, as stream, lake and weather conditions alter fish and angler activities. Catching Big Fish with Small Bugs, Volume 1 We would like to welcome anglers to join in contributing to the weekly fishing reports. For future Catching Big Fish with Small Bugs reports or other stories, tips and tricks, please share your contributions with Berg at funfishingnm@gmail.com. Whenever I am going to fish a lake, river or pond, I try to pay very close attention to what is on the fish buffet. More specifically, I try to notice what the fish are primarily eating. For this report, we are going to focus on the very small midge insect that trout love to feast on. The midge is incredibly small, only the size of a couple of flakes of pepper. They are so small that you probably will not see them floating in the water unless they are grouped in a cluster. The aquatic midge life cycle is broken down into four stages. They start as an egg before metamorphosing into larvae, pupae and eventually adults. The first three stages take place in the water; as a winged adult, they live above the surface. The most effective way for an angler to imitate midge insects is by using flies tied on tiny hooks that measure only a few millimeters in length. Size 30, 26 and 24 are popular hook sizes for midge flies. The emerger is a midge fly resembling the transition that occurs at the waters surface as midge transitions from pupae to adult. These flies are often used for fishing from the waters surface down to three-feet deep. Subsurface midge flies, imitating the larvae and pupae stages, are often fished at two-to-six-feet deep. The depth at which any of these flies are used is dependent on the overall water depth and at what level fish are prevalent. A number six split-shot weight positioned a foot above your fly is an excellent way to achieve depth. A strike indicator placed on your fishing line five-to-six-feet above your fly serves as an indicator for when a fish eats your fly, much like a traditional bobber. If the water is only three-feet deep, then the indicator should be placed approximately three-feet above your fly and so on. Dry fly or floating midge flies are often tied to imitate a cluster of adult midges grouped floating on the waters surface. These flies work best when you can visually see fish rising to eat from the waters surface. Floatant is used to keep your fly from sinking. My good friend Chris Gallegos is a professional angler on the San Juan River. He has been teaching me for years the art of fly fishing. He says there are three main components to mastering the art of mending and working with a light pound-test fishing line. 1. Use light tackle. Gallegos prefers three-weight fly rods and two-or-three-pound test fishing line. Light pound test line is not as stiff and allows small flies to move more naturally. 2. Use little flies when imitating the midge. Gallegos prefers size 30, 26 and 24 barbless hooks. 3. Master mending your fishing line. As your fishing line and fly float downstream, chances are that your line and fly will float at different rates. Varying speeds in the current can vary across sections of the river. Mending your line is to adjust for these variances, allowing your fly to continue at its natural rate, unencumbered by pulling from the line that it is attached to. Implementing some of todays tips and tricks in combination with the productive midge fly patterns will increase your success as an angler. There are so many intricacies to fishing using small flies, so please stay tuned for more techniques, tackle and fly patterns in a series of reports we have dubbed Catching Big Fish with Small Bugs. Closure Information The department reminds anglers it is their responsibility to be aware of closures and contact land managers for properties of interest when restrictions are lifted. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) U.S. Forest Service (USFS) New Mexico State Lands New Mexico State Parks New Mexico Open Gate Properties New Mexico Wildlife Management Areas U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Consult local government websites for information regarding specific city and town fishing access. The electron is an elementary particle, a building block on which other systems evolve. With specific properties such as spin, or angular momentum, that can be manipulated to carry information, electrons are primed to advance modern information technology. An international collaboration of researchers has now developed a way to extend and stabilize the lifetime of the electron's spin to more effectively carry information. They published their results on June 15 in Physical Review B. "We found the new way to use spin degree of freedom as electron spin wave," said Makoto Kohda, paper author and associate professor in the Department of Materials Science at Tohoku University. The spin property serves as a tiny magnet, which allows it to store information. Spin can also hold quantum mechanical information, a critical tool for quantum computing. Electron spin as a nature of wave function, however, is new, according to Kohda. This is different from the magnetic spin wave, which carries information in a different way. The electron spin wave, a term coined by Kohda and the research team, carries information, as well. The problem is that the spin wave could only propagate for so long before losing its information. "We theoretically found a way to enhance the electron spin wave's lifetime by choosing the proper crystal orientations," Kohda said. In a simulated experiment, the electron spin is confined in a quantum well with various crystal orientations. When the researchers adjusted the orientation of the crystal to allow the spin orientation to sit perpendicularly, the crystal structure partially protected the electron spin wave from relaxing too much. The protection allowed the spin to persist for up to 30% longer than normal. "We will use this new information carrier, the electron spin wave, for future electronic devices and quantum information advancements," Kohda said. "The next step is to demonstrate how information can be transferred, processed and stored based on the electron spin wave in semiconductor devices." ### This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Marsden Fund Council of New Zealand, the Royal Society Te Aparangi and Tohoku University. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 05:16:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close OTTAWA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- All passengers going through security at Canada's four biggest airports have to take part in a temperature check starting on Thursday, according to a mandate issued by Transport Canada. Under the mandate, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has to conduct temperature checks at all passenger and employee security screening checkpoints at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto's Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. Passengers with a temperature lower than 38 degrees Celsius will be able to go through the checkpoint. Previously, the Canadian government only mandated temperature checks for all passengers traveling to Canada from international points of departure. For the next phase, Transport Canada said that by September, temperature screening stations will be in place in the departure areas of Canada's next 11 busiest airports, including Halifax, Quebec City, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton. Enditem Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum has criticized the Nigerian army following an attack on his convoy in Baga on Wednesday night. ... Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum has criticized the Nigerian army following an attack on his convoy in Baga on Wednesday night. A bout fifteen persons were wounded as Boko Haram terrorists attacked the convoy. bout fifteen persons were wounded as Boko Haram terrorists attacked the convoy. The governor and his entourage were at Baga town, one of the areas difficult to reach for humanitarian activities, when his convoy was ambushed by the terrorist group. Though the attack was repelled by security operatives in the governors convoy, there were casualties on the side of his entourage. Zulum, thereafter confronted the Commanding Officer in Mile 4, expressing his disappointment at the inability of the military to rid Baga and environs of insurgents. The army has been here for over one year now, there are 1,181 soldiers here; if you cannot take over Baga which is less than 5 km from your base, then we should forget about Baga. I will inform the Chief of Army Staff to redeploy the men to other places that they can be useful, Zulum said. The governor further questioned the authenticity of the armys position that Boko Haram insurgents have been neutralised in the state, Channels Tv reports. Bobby Johnson, Advisor of Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches Combined with the vast array of tools and global reach offered by Engel & Volkers, this unique partnership will make my personal brand and team unstoppable. Engel & Volkers 30a Beaches today announced Bobby Johnson has joined its shop as a real estate advisor dedicated to serving the specialized, residential property needs throughout the communities along Florida's Scenic Highway 30A. Stacey Petrucci has also made the move to Engel & Volkers with Johnson. I am very excited to bring my local knowledge of the 30A real estate market to the Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches shop, said Johnson. Combined with the vast array of tools and global reach offered by Engel & Volkers, this unique partnership will make my personal brand and team unstoppable. Johnson comes to Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches with over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry. He began his career at Arvida, a residential real estate company in Port St. Joe. Eventually, the division was sold to Coldwell Banker where Johnson quickly became one of the companys top agents, earning the prestigious Coldwell Bankers Presidents Elite Award; this coveted honor is awarded to the top three-percent of sales associates worldwide. Prior to joining Engel & Volkers, Johnson was one of the founders and co-owners of 30A Local Properties, located in Grayton Beach. During his 20 year career, he has consistently closed nearly $50-million in transactions a year. His specialties include beachfront and investment properties in Inlet Beach, Miramar Beach, Panama City Beach, and Santa Rosa Beach. Bobby makes a wonderful addition to our talented team, said Beau Blankenship, License Partner of Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches. Our real estate advisors are highly trained, dedicated to their profession and truly understand our clients special needs in the high-end real estate market. I am confident that Bobby will feel perfectly at home in our shop and will push us to even greater success. Over the past 10 years, Johnson has remained in the top 5 percent of agents based on transaction sides in his market at the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. He has also been recognized in the Million Dollar Guild Club based on outstanding performance in the million dollar plus luxury home market, and was voted as a top ten agent in the state of Florida based on client satisfaction in 2016. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Johnsons former real estate brokerage, 30A Local Properties was voted by the community as the #1 Hottest Real Estate Company on 30A. Not every real estate agent is the best fit for our shops, explained Peter Giese, Chief Growth Officer of Engel & Volkers Florida. Engel & Volkers has high expectations of its real estate advisors to participate in continuous training and to work toward a very high European standard of service that isnt often found in real estate here in the Americas. Bobby clearly can handle that challenge and will deliver outstanding results to his clients. Blankenship acquired the license rights to Engel & Volkers 30A Beaches, which is located at 4923 E County Highway 30A, Bldg A, in August 2016; a satellite is located at 3092 W County HWY 30A. Year to date, the shop has transacted nearly $318-million in sales among its 48 advisors, and has a current listing inventory of over $113-million. Press contact: Linzee Werkmeister, Director, Public Relations & Franchise Support Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com Tel: (239) 348-9000 About Engel & Volkers: Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a bespoke, white-glove concierge client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 175 shop locations with more than 4,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 12,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate, yachting and aviation. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit evrealestate.com. About Engel & Volkers Florida: Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Leesburg, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Olde Naples, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, St. Augustine, St. Pete, Stuart, Wellington, and Windermere. Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global network, which is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000. For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit florida.evrealestate.com YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) expresses concern regarding the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ARMENPRESS was informed from AHI website. Violence broke out at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border earlier this month, and now at least 16 individuals have been killed in various clashes. The American Hellenic Institute believes in upholding the rule of law, and has condemned Turkeys blatant disregard of the rule of law in Cyprus and throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, in addition to its neo-ottoman ambitions. It is in this vein that AHI condemns Azerbaijans threat to bomb Armenias nuclear power plant. On July 16th, Vagif Dargahli, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman, stated that Azerbaijani missiles could strike the Metsamor nuclear plant in Armenia, which, in his own words, would result in a catastrophe. Such an action would be a modern day reconstruct of Chernobyl, and not only pose an existential threat to Armenia, but to the region, and would completely contravene the rule of law. According to AHI President Larigakis Armenia is a democratic ally of the United States, and a stabilizing force in the region. There have always been strong people-to-people ties between Armenians and Greeks. This is now reflected on a government-to-government level in the tri-lateral alliance developing between Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia, which we support. We believe that the rule of law needs to be upheld in this situation, and we encourage a de-escalation of the severe tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For this to happen, Azerbaijan needs to stop its use of incendiary and unacceptable rhetoric, and engage in good-faith confidence building measures with Armenia to come to a peaceful resolution to the current crisis. Larigakis also added I am deeply concerned about Azerbaijans increasingly close ties with Turkey, and I caution the leadership of Azerbaijan not to be influenced by President Erdogans irredentist posture, radical Islamist ideology, and disregard for the rule of law. Three days after John Lewis died, his colleagues in the House approved a measure to rename a bill after him that would restore a crucial provision of the Voting Rights Act. The measure initially passed by House Democrats in December and blocked from coming to a vote by Senate Republicans stands as a symbol of how Lewiss death has prompted liberal policymakers and voting rights advocates to double down on efforts to protect the franchise for communities of color. In light of his very unfortunate passing theres been a renewed call to praise his life not only with words, said Mike Zubrensky, chief counsel at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. We believe that his legacy should be honored with deeds as well. Lewis, the longtime congressman from Georgia who died Friday at 80, played a pivotal role in bringing about the Voting Rights Act in 1965, helping lead a voting rights march in Selma, Alabama, that was violently suppressed by state troopers and that set in motion passage of the law later that year. Selma at the time served as a prime example of how discriminationatory practices infringed on the rights of Black voters in 1964 whites made up less than half the citys population but 99 percent of its registered voters. In Selma the voter registration office was open just two days a month, and applicants had to pass rigorous literacy tests that effectively disenfranchised most Black voters. Image: Alabama state troopers swing nightsticks to break up a civil rights voting march (AP) Civil rights watchdogs say the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed racially discriminatory barriers to voting, was gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that struck down a provision allowing the federal government to regulate the creation of new election laws in states with a history of discrimination.What that decision did was let states with a long history of discrimination put in place discriminatory voting laws again, with little federal oversight, said Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America. Story continues In North Carolina, for example, the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed a law in 2013 immediately after the Supreme Court ruling that, among other things, scrapped some of the period for early voting, required a photo ID for all residents to vote, and ended same-day voter registration. Three years later, a federal appeals court ruled that the law targeted Black voters with almost surgical precision. That law wouldve been blocked to begin with, if the Voting Rights Act was in place, Berman said. But policymakers and advocates emphasize that restoring the full power of the Voting Rights Act is just one part of a vast set of challenges when it comes to making the ballot box equally accessible to people regardless of race, age, socioeconomic status or how able-bodied they are. Since 2010, at least 25 states have rolled out laws that introduce new restrictions on voting through measures like ID requirements and registration restrictions, including some states that would not have been scrutinized by the federal government under the Voting Rights Act, such as Wisconsin and Rhode Island. Experts say that these restrictions burden communities of color and voters with fewer resources disproportionately, and depress their turnout in elections. Of paramount concern today is how the coronavirus pandemic is both creating new obstacles and intensifying old ones for citizens to get to the voting booth on Election Day this November. In particular, the massive increase in the percentage of voters intending to cast their ballots by mail is a serious logistical challenge that is being complicated further by misinformation campaigns about the security of voting by mail. Image: Sign-carrying young African Americans sing and chant as they stage a demonstration at the courthouse (Bill Hudson / AP) Experts say that before the pandemic began, an estimated 25 percent of voters wouldve been expected to vote by mail, but now they estimate that 60 percent or more will try to cast their ballot by mail. But many states make it difficult to do so. For example, in Texas, people under 65 can only vote by mail if theyre in jail, out of town during the election, or have a sickness or physical condition that prevents them from voting in-person and fear of contracting COVID-19 doesnt count as an exemption. In 16 states voters can obtain mail-ballots only if they meet certain exceptions such as having a disability. Making things more complicated is the issue of public perception of the reliability of voting by mail. Adrianne Shropshire, the executive director of BlackPAC, an organization that fosters Black political engagement, said shes troubled by online propaganda and misinformation we see specifically targeted at Black voters and younger Black voters essentially saying you cant trust the system. She said that her organization is making efforts to talk to Black voters about their concerns and confusion about voting by mail, and encouraging them to do so by walking them through the process. Shropshire said that the problem of vote-by-mail misinformation has been amplified by politicians. President Donald Trump, for example, has described voting by mail as unreliable and highly vulnerable to fraud. He even suggested in a tweet Thursday that the problem was so intractable that the election in November should be delayed. But Trumps claims are at odds with the consensus among experts and every states history of voting by mail. Myrna Perez, the director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program, said that every credible expert on this topic thinks that vote-by-mail is part of the solution and that the method has proven secure when resourced and planned properly. Part of Democrats bid to make sure that vote-by-mail is funded properly lies in another piece of pending legislation: the HEROES Act, which House Democrats passed in May and contains $3.6 billion for grants to states for contingency planning for Novembers elections. The legislation also includes reforms such as no-excuse absentee ballots, 15 days of early voting, requiring accessible polling places for people with disabilities, and online voter registration. Zubrensky said these reforms which would override conflicting state rules were sensible before the pandemic, and urgent and essential now that were living with this pandemic. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:33:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Thursday told the people to abide by the full curfew and to avoid gatherings and unnecessary outdoor trips during the forthcoming Eid al-Adha holiday. A statement by the ministry said that on the occasion of the festival "the people should abide by the health preventive measures and stay at homes except for the extreme necessity and that congratulations and blessings should be done through social media." The compliance will protect the people from being infected with the coronavirus, as well as to avoid what happened after the last Eid al-Fitr holiday, about three months ago, when high numbers of infections and deaths were recorded, the statement said. In a separate statement, the health ministry reported 2,963 COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the country to 121,263. It also reported 68 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,671, while 2,085 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 85,546. On July 26, Iraq's Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by 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 Jay Reinstein remembers the day he took the cognitive test President Donald Trump keeps bragging about. "One of the questions was to draw a clock at a certain time, and I'm staring at the circle and can't figure out where the small hand goes," said Reinstein, 59, who was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "I have a bachelor's and master's. . . . And I can't draw a damn clock. I felt so frustrated, ashamed." Trump has treated the cognitive assessment as a political tool, boasting repeatedly about his score on a test designed to detect early signs of dementia. He has used it as a cudgel, attacking the mental acuity of former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, goading him to take the assessment and saying Biden would not fare as well as him. But for many Americans, the test Trump keeps trumpeting is one of the most fraught, traumatic turning points in their lives - that moment when they realize their mind is beginning to fail and glimpse the troubled path ahead for them and their families. photo for The Washingotn Post by Eamon Queeney. "I don't understand why he keeps bringing it up as a taunt or threat," said Melissa Susser, a clinical social worker, who regularly administers the test to senior citizens in the D.C. area. "It's not like a political thing." Her co-worker Julia Pruitt said she worries it could further stigmatize a test - called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, widely known as the MoCA test - which some older people are already nervous or ashamed to take. "We want to present it as a positive tool. The whole reason this test exists is to try to help people," Pruitt said. For Reinstein, the results of his cognitive test two years ago led to more tests, visits to neurologists, an MRI, sudden retirement from his job and a devastating diagnosis at age 57 with early onset Alzheimer's disease - a condition that causes people to lose memory and reasoning skills and for which there is no cure. When he got the diagnosis, Reinstein remembers simply feeling numb. His wife broke down in tears. The symptoms had crept up on them. Reinstein, a former assistant city manager for Fayetteville, N.C., would be meeting with city residents and suddenly couldn't name one of the six departments he oversaw. He would forget not just the details of a city project he was leading, but that he was in charge of it. "I thought my game was just slipping. I started working longer hours. I made lists for everything," he said. He went to see a friend who was a neurologist at Duke University. The doctor administered the MoCA test - a 10-minute exam designed to detect mild cognitive impairment such as the onset of dementia. The test is widely used because of its brevity and effectiveness as a screening tool for mild dementia. It is made up of roughly 30 questions designed to evaluate basic cognitive skills such as short-term memory, visual cues, language and orientation. The test often includes being able to recall a list of words and to repeat phrases such as, "The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room," according to one sample test. Frequently, patients are asked to look at three drawings of animals and identify them - a lion, a camel and a rhinoceros, for instance. The MoCA test is often administered at memory clinics or by primary-care physicians or geriatricians. In Trump's case, it was administered at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in early 2018 by Navy Rear Adm. Ronny L. Jackson, then the White House's top physician. At a news conference that year, Jackson said he would not have recommended that Trump undergo the cognitive assessment but that the president requested it. At the time, Trump was reeling from the fallout of Michael Wolff's book, "Fire and Fury" - an account of life inside the White House that depicted a maelstrom of chaos and incompetence - and Trump was eager to demonstrate that he was, as he claimed on Twitter, "a very stable genius." This month - as questions have arisen about his competence and focus amid a catastrophic American response to the coronavirus pandemic - Trump has brought up the test repeatedly. He told Fox News's Sean Hannity in a phone interview that he'd "aced it," and said to the network's Chris Wallace that he doubts Biden could answer all of the questions. Last week, in another Fox News interview, Trump couldn't resist revisiting what he said was the hardest part of the test - repeating the five words, in order. Trump said he was first asked to repeat a set of words - "person," "woman," "man," "camera," "TV," he said, offering a hypothetical example. Then, later in the assessment, he was again asked whether he remembered those same words, in order. "And they say . . . 'Go back to that question, and repeat them. Can you do it?' " Trump said, mimicking the doctors administering the exam. "And you go, 'Person, woman, man, camera, TV.' They say, 'That's amazing. How did you do that?' " Medical experts stress the cognitive exam is not what Trump seems to think it is - an indicator of IQ or a political weapon. His fixation on the test is puzzling, experts say, because it is normally administered only if someone is concerned that they or their loved ones may be losing basic cognitive abilities. "It's not meant to measure IQ or intellectual skill in anyway," said Ziad Nasreddine, the neurologist who created the test. "If someone performs well, what it means is they can be ruled out for cognitive impairment that comes with diseases like Alzheimer's, stroke or multiple sclerosis. That's it." This is what it feels like to take the assessment when you have dementia, say patients who have been through the experience: It's aggravating. It's sad. It's embarrassing. Pruitt - the social worker at Iona Senior Services, a nonprofit group that provides services to older people in D.C. - said the first question she often asks after the test is: "How did that go for you?" It is a gentle way to gauge how aware people are of their decline and what kind of support they are going to need. Susser said she often tries to have family members present when reviewing the results. "There can be a lot of fear that comes with that realization. Fear about the medical system. Fear about having an incurable condition. Fear about what it could mean for you and your family, about losing your independence," she said. If handled correctly, however, the test can open the door to crucial conversations about what lies ahead and the support needed to navigate difficult decisions. If the early signs of dementia are confirmed by further deterioration and tests, families often need to figure out long-term care options - a home-health aide, adult day programs or full-time nursing home - all of which can be expensive. Helen Hardy, 77, scored better than she expected on a recent MoCA test, but low enough that she has started worrying about the future. A retired paralegal, she spent her life taking care of her five children and husband - most of whom have died. The test question that gave her the most trouble was the one that involves being told five words and having to recite them several minutes later. Many times of late, she said, she goes to the kitchen to get something and just stands awhile, unable to recall what she was seeking. "It's scary to think it could be Alzheimer's or dementia," she said. "I worry because I know I don't have anybody in the family who can take care of me." For some, early signs of cognitive decline can lead at first to despair. More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. And by 2050, the number of people in the United States with Alzheimer's is expected to reach more than 14 million. "You work your whole life and you have a certain image of yourself, and suddenly, you see that you're not that person anymore," Reinstein said. Reinstein had to leave the assistant city manager job his whole life revolved around. Two years later, he said his wife still struggles at times to come to grips with his diagnosis. He endured depression at first but has since thrown himself into advocacy work. He joined a support group and became a national board member for the Alzheimer's Association. He helps push for research and often shares his experience with others confronting the disease. He said this is what the MoCA test has taught him: Don't sweat the small stuff. There's plenty in his new life that frustrates him. Reinstein can no longer read novels, for example, because he can't remember the characters from chapter to chapter. So he focuses on reading shorter articles and essays. "I can spend all day angry that I can't read a book or draw a simple clock, or I can hang out with my daughter, go to dinner with friends," he said. "I focus on the things I can do. One test doesn't define me and doesn't change my life." New Delhi, July 30 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried put raids at three locations in Maharashtra and seized Rs 62 lakh and 7 kg gold bars under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The ED said in a statement that it has carried out searches at three premises of a suspect in Aurangabad in Maharashtra on the basis of specific information. The searches were carried under the provisions of FEMA, 1999. "During the search proceedings, Rs 62 lakh in cash and 7 kg gold bars have been seized from the premises in a case related to illegal dealing in foreign exchange," the financial probe agency said. However, the official did not disclose the name of the person involved in the case. Jes Staley has had more than his fair share of ethical issues to deal with, but his judgement that Barclays is Europe's most credible investment bank is valid. The chief executive's strategy has knocked the divestment campaign of maverick investor Ed Bramson of Sherborne out of the ball park. Volatile markets in the pandemic produced a rise in foreign exchange, bond, debt and share trading, providing a hedge against dreadful Covid-19 loan losses. Alarm: Barclays, led by Jes Staley (pictured), tells us how bloody the pandemic is going to be for the big lenders The underlying numbers from Barclays, and even more dispiriting results from Ana Botin's Santander, do not augur well for Natwest and Lloyds, which lack other streams of income. Barclays tells us how bloody the pandemic is going to be for the big lenders. In the worst scenario, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that, of the 50billion or so of Covid-19 lending, some 32billion could be rotten and land on the Exchequer. The bounce back scheme is 100 per cent guaranteed by the Treasury but banks are exposed to at least 20 per cent of the other bailout credits. Banks cannot divorce themselves from the daily toll of administrations, recapitalisations, insolvencies and credit card defaults. Loan losses in the first half of this year for Barclays were a hefty 3.7billion. What will be alarming for all holders of bank shares will be the 593m provisions at Barclays' consumer arm, mainly from credit cards. At Lloyds, Antonio Horta Osorio doubled down on credit cards in 2016 when he splashed out 1.9billion on MBNA. Santander UK looks like a bloodbath. Botin has taken the axe to the goodwill in the accounts dating back to the purchase of Abbey National in 2004, resulting in a writeoff of 5.6billion. The Spanish-controlled bank has taken advantage of a health scare to get all the bad stuff out there, resulting in a charge of just under 18billion when global write-offs and pandemic loan losses are added together. Any idea Madrid may have had of cashing in on Santander UK through a flotation look to be dashed. Botin's great hope rests on its Brazil and Mexico operations which have been flourishing. Given, however, that Brazil is among the countries most affected by coronavirus, it isn't necessarily going to be much of a counterweight to difficulties elsewhere. The best that can be said from this first batch of bank results is that Covid-19 is testing the banking reforms post-financial crisis, and so far so good. Buffers built up in good times have supported lending and, by putting the lid on dividends and bonuses, capital has been conserved. Banks are unlikely to emerge unscathed. The scale of loan losses and writedowns is alarming. It wouldn't be surprising if investors in bank shares could be tapped up for more equity before the nightmare is over. Lifeguards As a global leader in vaccines, Glaxosmithkline should be flying in the pandemic. In creating a Covid-19 vaccine it is on the high road in partnership with Sanofi, and a big order of 60m of doses from the Government should be a confidence booster. Paradoxically, the closure of surgeries globally means, with the exception of children's inoculations, the vaccine arm has been punished. Much attention at Glaxo will be on the first-half earnings shortfall and there will be unfortunate comparisons with Astrazeneca, which strengthened its oncology medicines this week with a 4.8billion investment in Japanese pharma company Daiichi Sankyo. Glaxo is not standing still. Its vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, a big cause of deaths among children under one, has passed a significant regulatory hurdle. It is also effective on older people and could save up to 14,000 lives a year among this group in the US. The more serious issue for Astra and Glaxo is the ethical scrutiny of one-off Covid vaccine deals with the UK and other Western democracies. Bad Arm Open war has broken out between smart chip designer Arm and its former whollyowned Chinese offshoot. Beijing-supporting staff have rallied behind Arm China boss Allen Wu, who the Cambridge-based company accuses of disruptive behaviour. Owner Softbank's sale of a 51 per cent stake in Arm China to Chinese interests is a giant security, technology and geopolitical error. So predictable, and so depressing. Advertisement Islam's most holiest site, the Kaaba at the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca, was given a new 4.5m silk cover today as part of the annual hajj pilgrimage. More than 150 artisans and technicians, with the help of two cranes, put the black cloth, known as the Kiswa, over the four sides of the Kaaba. The cloth is split over five pieces up to almost 50ft in length and is made of high-quality silk and embroidered with gold and silver. It costs 4.5million to make and is traditionally embroidered and stitched together in Saudi Arabia. The cloth covers the Kaaba - the most sacred site in the Islam faith and the spot Muslims face when they say their prayers five times a day. Mask-wearing workers carefully pull the new Kiswa up the side of the Kaaba and in place ahead of the removal of the older cloth. Gold and silver are used to decorate the silk cloth More than 150 people took part in the job of draping the Kaaba with the new Kiswa with the help of two mechanical cranes. The Kaaba is at the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca The Kiswa is embroidered with gold and silver threads. Here a worker pulls the cloth over the Kaaba. The annual event ties in with the hajj pilgrimage The final result as the new Kiswa is placed over the Kaaba in Mecca's Great Mosque. The five pieces cover the four sides of the stone structure, and a curtain for the door Out with the old Kiswa, and in with the new. The old cloth is replaced by workers who use long ropes while standing at the stop of the Kaaba Embroidered on the kiswa are Quranic verses which are now done with help by computers, thus increasing the speed of production. Slide me Not this year: Muslim pilgrims touch the Kaaba (right) - the cubic building which Muslims face when praying - during last year's hajj, a practice which has been banned in 2020 over coronavirus fears. This year (left) the story is very different What is the Kiswa? The Kiswa is a silk cloth placed over the Kaaba at the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca - the holiest site in Islam - and is replaced each year as part of the Hajj pilgrimage. Its origin is from when the Prophet Muhammed covering the Kaaba with Yemeni clothes following the conquest of Makkah in the ninth Hijri year, as he performed his farewell pilgrimage. The colours of the covering has seen regular changes through the ages, including white, red and yellow. But today it is black with gold and silver threads embroidered in it. It is split into five pieces to cover four sides of the Kaaba and a curtain for the door to the holy site. Up to 50ft in length, it weighs almost 1,500 lbs in high-quality silk. It costs $6million to make and is traditionally paid for by the Saudi Arabia kingdom. Advertisement Every year the Kiswa is replaced as part of the five-day pilgrimage which this year has been restricted for just 10,000 people to participate in due to coronavirus. Stringent protocols were in place today, including the wearing of face masks with the job carried out by staff of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. Deputy head Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri said each of the four parts of the Kiswa was separately raised and tied at the top in preparation for stretching the cloth down. Then, the old cloth was removed from the bottom and the new one remained. Among the workers, photographers took pictures as the new cloth was unveiled this morning. The Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God and the oneness of God in Islam. Saudi Arabia stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina and its peaceful organisation of hajj. Over the years, the kingdom has spent billions of dollars on making one of the world's biggest religious gatherings safe. This year it has faced the challenge of making hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it and a major source of income for the government, safe from Covid-19. For the first time in modern history it has dramatically reduced the number of pilgrims to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to. The hajj minister said in June the number of pilgrims would be limited to around 1,000, but no official number has been given for those performing the rituals this week. Some local media cited a figure of around 10,000. Saudi healthcare and security professionals, on the frontlines of the battle against the disease, make up about 30 per cent of the total, with the remainder coming from 160 nationalities residing in the Kingdom. Mask-wearing pilgrims circled the Kaaba in small groups of 50 people yesterday, each keeping a safe distance apart and accompanied by a health professional monitoring their movements. Workers bring in the Kiswa into the Great Mosque on their shoulders and heads ahead of it being draped over the Kaaba Nearly 1,500lb of silk, enough to cover the Kaaba estimated to measure 50ft high, is made before gold and silver are threaded into the cloth. Here a worker eyes up the length Workers carefully adjust the new Kiswa, which is replaced each year as part of the annual haj pilgrimage Indication of why workers had to take care when replacing the Kiswa over the Kaaba. The cloth precisely wraps around the Meezab, a golden spout from where rainwater falls Using a crane, workers were able to easily add the new Kiswa, while also taking the replaced one down. Due to coronavirus, they all had to wear face masks while carrying out the job In past years, a sea of pilgrims dressed in white terrycloth garments would start to gather at Mount Arafat, or hill of mercy as it's known, before dawn and remain there until nightfall, spending the day in deep contemplation and worship. It is common to see pilgrims with tears streaming down their faces, their hands raised in worship on the slopes of the rocky hill where the Prophet Muhammad called for equality and unity among Muslims. Muslim pilgrims maintain social distancing as they circle the Kaaba the day before the draping was repalced. The hajj ministry said non-Saudi residents of the kingdom from around 160 countries competed in the online selection process but it did not say how many people applied Saudi authorities initially said only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the kingdom would be permitted for the hajj, but local media reports say as many as 10,000 will be allowed to take part This year, the sliver of pilgrims performing the hajj arrived at Mount Arafat before noon by bus today. They are travelling in small groups of 20, following strict guidelines around social distancing, and have undergone tests for the Covid-19 disease and were in quarantine before the hajj. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to join hundreds of worshippers Friday for the first Muslim prayers at the Hagia Sophia in 86 years, after a controversial high court ruling paved the way for the landmark monument to be turned back into a mosque. A government decree reopened the jewel of the Byzantine Empire for Muslim worship and abolished its status as a museum. The conversion of what was once the most important church of Christendom has led to an international outcry. The 6th century monument, which remains the main feature of the Istanbul skyline, has a history rich with symbolism. Worshippers attend the afternoon prayer at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2020. (REUTERS) THE BYZANTINE ERA Hagia Sophia, or the Church of Holy Wisdom, was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I on the site of a destroyed basilica of the same name. Completed in 537, it was among the worlds largest domed structures and would serve as the foremost Orthodox Christian church for some 900 years. Imperial ceremonies, including the crowning of emperors, were held there. The multicoloured mosaics depicting the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus, angels and other Christian symbols along with emperors and their families that centuries of rulers installed added to its reputation as an architectural gem. ALSO READ | Insta-famous Gli the cat can stay even as Istanbuls Hagia Sophia changes THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST Ottoman sultan Mehmet the Conqueror defeated the Byzantine Empire and captured Istanbul, then known as Constantinople, in 1453. The 21-year-old immediately turned the majestic Hagia Sophia into a mosque as an emblem of Muslim triumph over the city. The structure served as an imperial mosque and subsequent sultans added minarets, a school, library and a fountain, completing its transformation into a mosque complex. The mosaics were eventually plastered over in line with iconoclasm traditions that bar the depiction of figures. Curtains cover Christian frescoes inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the afternoon prayer in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2020. (REUTERS) A MUSEUM FOR A SECULAR TURKEY Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the war hero who founded the Turkish Republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire in 1923, had Hagia Sophia made into a museum in 1934 as part of his reforms to build a secular country. Its mosaics were brought back into the open, and the structure served for years as a symbol of Istanbuls rich multi-faith and multicultural past. Included on the list of World Heritage sites maintained by the U.N. cultural body UNESCO, it became one of Turkeys most-visited landmarks, drawing millions of tourists every year. However, Atakurks decision to cease Hagia Sophias use as a mosque was met with dismay by religious and nationalist groups. They had long called for the iconic building to be freed from its chains and converted back into a Muslim place of worship. RESTORATION AS A MOSQUE Erdogan signed a July 10 decree fulfilling their wishes soon after Turkeys highest administrative court ruled that Istanbuls conqueror had bequeathed the Hagia Sophia as a mosque and that the 1934 museum conversion was illegal. His government has vowed to protect the Hagia Sophias Christian artifacts and to keep the structure open to tourists outside of prayer hours. People leave Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque following the afternoon prayer in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2020. (REUTERS) The ticket kiosk outside has been removed and the interior marble floors have been covered in a turquoise-coloured carpet chosen by the president himself in preparation for the first Friday prayers. Some 500 invited participants will be required to maintain social distance due to the coronavirus outbreak. The mosaics will be covered up with curtains during the prayers, officials have said. FULFILLING AN ISLAMIST DREAM For Erdogan, a pious Muslim whose ruling party has roots in Turkeys Islamic movement, performing Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia is a dream from his youth coming true. He has described Ataturks decision to turn it into a museum as a mistake that is now being rectified. People take pictures as they visit Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, July 26, 2020. (REUTERS) Critics see the presidents decision as the latest move by Erdogan to distract attention from economic woes the coronavirus has only exacerbated and to shore up his conservative-religious support base. Opening up Hagia Sophia to Muslim prayers is also seen as a part of Erdogans efforts to deepen Turkeys Muslim identity and to roll back his predecessors secular legacy. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. ) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Slater began his career in the Detroit and Miami Divisions. He was the former Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division, as well as the Criminal and Cyber Division of the Washington Field Office, and Deputy Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group, the Quantico, Virginia-based division that provides expertise in crisis management, negotiations, behavioral analysis, countering explosives, aviation, and tactical operations. Tim also has held leadership positions in the headquarters-based Criminal Investigative Division, in the Oklahoma City Division as the Senior Supervisory Resident Agent, and as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Knoxville Division. "All of these roles have afforded Tim the opportunity to gain a wealth of strategic and tactical leadership experience building and motivating cross-functional teams and extensive relationships both in the public and private sector," said David Glawe, NICB's President and CEO. "He is not only a leader, but is well-respected among law enforcement, legislators, and other key stakeholders. We know Tim had lots of options after announcing his retirement from the FBI this year, and we are excited that he will be joining the NICB team," added Glawe. Slater will officially join the organization on August 3rd. REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422)or submitting a form on our website. ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, learning and development, government affairs and public affairs. The NICB is supported by more than 1,400 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote more than $526 billion in insurance premiums in 2019, or more than 82% of the nation's property-casualty insurance. That includes more than 95% ($241 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org. Get the latest on our social pages: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Snapchat Blog SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau Related Links http://www.nicb.org Signs of Food Crisis In China; Bizarre Phenomenon Sees Summer Snow in Beijing; US Forms New Alliance During the first virus outbreak in China, concerns began to spread about possible food shortages. This included an alleged leaked government memo that caused panic buying. And now with the floods, locusts, the swine flu, and another virus outbreak now spreading, there are signs that food supplies are becoming an issue. Meanwhile, in Beijing a strange anomaly was seen. Despite it being a hot summer day on July 28, it began snowing. The scene was captured on video by many residents. And India, Australia, and Japan are coming together with the United States to form a new alliance against China among Indo-Pacific powers. This included naval drills last week between the four nations, which were accompanied by the United States declaring Chinas claims to the South China Sea are illegal; and backing of other alliance members on the same line. These stories and more in this episode of Crossroads. Crossroads is an Epoch Times show available on Facebook and YouTube. Join Patreon to Support Crossroads: https://www.patreon.com/Crossroads_Josh Thousands of people marched in the capital, Sofia, and other cities across Bulgaria on July 29, marking three weeks of protests to demand the resignation of the government and the prosecutor-general. Protesters accuse the government of maintaining links to the mafia, refusing to fight corruption and reform the judiciary, and suppressing freedom of speech. People chanted, "Resignation" and "Borisov, you are a shame and a disgrace," calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The supposed popularity of Black Lives Matter, Inc is a complete fantasy willfully repeated ad nauseum by the left and the media that is distorting public discourse around the wave of radicalism that has ravaged our cities this summer. Mainstream polls ostensibly show striking levels of support for Black Lives Matter up to 69 percent of respondents in one recent survey. In another poll, 60 percent said they support the ideas of the Black Lives Matter movement. Predictably, the liberal press have hailed these surveys as proof of a massive shift in public opinion since the first wave of BLM activism in 2014 and 2015, when most Americans said they did not support the movement. Some go as far as to interpret these numbers as public support for the mostly peaceful protesters attacking public monuments and assaulting police. Joe Bidens handlers see it as a mandate to go all-in on a racially-divisive, anti-police campaign strategy. Theres one problem: the entire premise is nonsense. Further polling makes it perfectly clear that many of the people who tell pollsters they "support black lives matter" have no idea what theyre saying. Americans, like all civilized people, believe that black people have a right not to be killed. In the extraordinarily rare circumstances when police officers unjustifiably kill black Americans, the public has always believed that the victims lives matter. But thats not really what Black Lives Matter a for-profit organization founded by Marxists and funded by an outfit with a convicted domestic terrorist on the board stands for. Thats not what the wider assortment of street radicals waving the black lives matter banner stand for, either. When you ask Americans about the things BLM does stand for, you get a picture very different from the glowing support they now claim. Only 15 percent of respondents in a recent Gallup poll want to abolish or defund the police. That is a central aim of the BLM protests so much so, that when Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had city workers paint a Black Lives Matter mural near the White House to show her support for the movement, activists quickly added defund the police and chastised her for leaving that out in the first place. The same phenomenon is evident with respect to other central BLM goals. Only one in five Americans, for instance, believe in handing out reparations to the descendants of slaves, another core BLM aim. And no pollsters to my knowledge have even bothered asking about BLMs even more absurd positions, such as a guaranteed minimum income only for blacks, releasing all blacks from prisons, abolishing private schools, and dismantling the nuclear family. The biggest problem with this stark disparity between perception and reality is that Joe Biden is trying to exploit it for political gain. He and his campaign are trying to keep the dissonance and division going as long as possible, parroting the popular black lives matter slogan and then shrinking into denials and reproachment every time it would actually be necessary to take a stand for any of the ludicrous policy proposals hiding behind it even to the point of having the media cover for him when he steps over the line into supporting proposals that BLM actually advocates, such as defunding the police. Its a cynical ploy to cast the President as out of step when in fact, a plurality of Americans believe that, if anything, President Trump has not gone far enough in cracking down on the violent protests and riots that Biden is pretending they support. They say there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. The notion of an overwhelmingly popular BLM movement is nothing but a statistic being peddled by professional liars. The controversial nomination of retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata to become the Pentagon's policy chief is increasingly in doubt after the Senate Armed Services Committee abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing shortly before it was set to begin Thursday. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., the committee chairman, said members "didn't know enough" about Tata and lacked documentation to give him a fair hearing. Tata has come under fire for past remarks on Islam and for calling former President Barack Obama a "terrorist leader." Read Next: Air Force Special Operations Approves First Beard, Turban Waiver for Sikh Airman In a statement, Inhofe did not say whether the hearing will be rescheduled, casting more doubt on the nomination. The senator said he spoke Wednesday night with President Donald Trump on the need to cancel the hearing. "As I told the president last night, we're simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldn't serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed." It is unclear whether Inhofe would have had the votes to wrestle Tata's nomination past the committee. Democrats on the panel have been adamantly opposed, and Republicans have also questioned Tata's qualifications. In a statement following Inhofe's announcement, Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, the ranking committee member, said, "It's fair to say members on both sides of the aisle have raised serious questions about this nominee. Chairman Inhofe did the right thing here, and it's clear this nomination isn't going anywhere without a full, fair, open hearing." Tata, a Fox News contributor currently serving as a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, was nominated to replace John Rood as undersecretary of defense for policy, the No. 3 position at the Defense Department. Rood resigned in February after it was disclosed that he had warned the administration against holding up military aid for Ukraine, an issue at the core of Trump's impeachment by the House and later acquittal by the Senate. In a statement Wednesday, Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said the department is looking forward to Tata having a chance to "share his record of leadership and success in public service and his extensive national security experience" before the committee. The 60-year-old Tata, a West Point graduate, served 28 years in the Army, including a tour in Afghanistan as deputy commander of the 10th Mountain Division, before retiring in 2009. His career was cut short after an Army inspector general investigation concluded that he had had at least two extramarital affairs during his service. His nomination, announced by the White House on June 10, came into question over past comments and Twitter posts in which he appeared to support various conspiracy theories and denigrated former senior officials. In 2018 Twitter posts, he called Islam the "most oppressive violent religion I know of" and charged that Obama was a "terrorist leader" who worked against the interests of the U.S. while doing more to "help Islamic countries than any president in history." In a letter to Tata on Monday, several Democrats on the committee urged him to withdraw from consideration for the Pentagon post. "No one with a record of repeated, repugnant statements like yours should be nominated to serve in a senior position of public trust at the Pentagon," the letter states. It was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York; Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Bill to Make VA Motto Gender-Neutral Unanimously Approved by Committee The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, on Wednesday evening escaped an ambush by suspected Boko Haram gunmen who attacked his convoy at Baga town. The incident reportedly took place between Monguno and Baga town when the Governor was on his way to distribute food to displaced persons (IDPs). According to Premium Times, multiple sources said the governor was unhurt as soldiers and police officers guarding him repelled the assault on the convoy. it happened, but Im sorry I cannot give details on this because the relevant officials are still digging to get more details of the attack. But I can assure your that the governor is unhurt, and that includes everyone in the convoy, a government source said. The governors spokesperson, Isa Gusau, confirmed the development, telling the newspaper he was working on a press statement on the matter. KanyiDaily recalled that Governor Zulum had also luckily escaped death last year when Boko Haram terrorists opened fire on his convoy at Konduga while returning from a trip to Bama local government area of the state. Surgery volumes in July recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels. A growing number of states are re-imposing elective surgery bans. A surge in cases may lead to more bans in populous southern and western states. Elective procedures returned to their January volumes by late July, despite a recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases that led to some voluntary and involuntary suspensions of such procedures, according to a national analysis. By July 20, scheduled surgeries for about 1,500 surgeons reached about the same number that were scheduled in January, before the pandemic, according to data provided to HFMA by surgical scheduling company Surgimate. While we often hear that patients may be skeptical, keep in mind that there was a tremendous April and May backlog to work through, Rebecca Brygel, CEO of Surgimate, a scheduling company for physician-owned practices, said in a written statement. Either way, a good portion of patients who require surgical intervention are able to receive the care they need in most areas. Surgery cancellation and rescheduling rates fell from 88% in April to pre-COVID-type rates of about 28% in late July. Cancellation rates fell to 46% in May and 35% in June as states lifted bans on elective procedures. The data reflected hospitals recovery trend. Operating room minutes jumped by 92% in May compared with April, although the metric remained 29% lower than in May 2019, according to the latest data from Kaufman Hall, covering more than 800 hospitals. More recent data examined by Fitch Ratings showed hospital admissions and surgery volumes returned to 89% of pre-COVID levels in states that opened back up following the first wave, Kevin Holloran, a senior director, said in a July 16 call with investors. It was far more rapid than we expected, Holloran said. A similar volume recovery in elective surgeries was seen in some ambulatory surgery centers, Bill Prentice, CEO of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), said in an interview. Surgimate interpreted its data to mean that after restrictions were lifted following the first COVID-19 wave, surgeons volumes were not affected by new state requirements for extensive cleaning regimes before and between procedures. But new infection-control measures are still limiting volumes at some ASCs, Prentice said. The difference is procedures are taking longer because of more screening, more intense infection control, Prentice said. Some facilities have extended operating hours and added days to try to compensate. The Surgimate data includes surgeons from recently hard-hit states, albeit fewer than in other states. State bans start to mount again Some southern and western states affected by the latest spike in COVID-19 cases have sought to reimpose elective surgery restrictions. On July 9, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned elective procedures in hospitals in all counties located within 11 designated trauma service areas. Abbott ordered hospitals within those areas to postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not medically necessary to diagnose or correct a serious medical condition of, or to preserve the life of, a patient who without timely performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patients physician, according to a preceding order on which the new ban was based. On July 10, the Mississippi Department of Health issued an order that certain nonurgent surgeries and procedures be postponed. On July 13, the New Mexico Department of Health issued a public health order that reimposed an April 30 public health order prohibiting nonessential healthcare services, procedures and surgeries. Industry experts see reason for concern Like Texas is starting to pull the throttle back on elective procedures, it feels to me like it is almost inevitable that the other states are going to have to do the same thing, Holloran said, referring to areas with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Any effect on surgery volumes in those states could start to appear within the next few weeks. While the last 60 days have delivered sound surgical care, it is hard to forecast the future, Brygel said. At this point, August scheduling looks similar to August 2019, Brygel said, even as the number of daily infections reported nationwide has doubled over the last 30 days. Daily new U.S. infections increased from 32,349 on June 22 to 69,641, o n July 24, according to one tracking site. The new state restrictions dont apply to ASCs, according to Prentice. But those facilities have been affected by shortages and increasing costs of personal protective equipment. Holloran said if hospitals volumes drop again this year, those organizations will need to look at further cuts to expenses, especially personnel and supply costs. If the volume hits become more than temporary, which has been the view up until now, and they become more permanent, youll see further revenue reductions, youll see further expense reductions, and some of those may turn permanent, versus [employee] furlough, Holloran said. The Harris County Libertarian Party is hosting an event that attempts to get Jo Jorgensen on the debate stage against President Donald Trump and democratic challenger Joe Biden. On Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11:30 a.m., protesters meet for Let Her Speak at 2706 White Oak Drive, Houston. The group will decorate their cars, go live on social media and drive through the Heights and Montrose areas in a bid to get Jorgensen to Cleveland on Sept. 29 for the next presidential debate. Election 2020: Wesley Hunt is ready to contest Fletcher for TX-7 Current restrictions set by the Commission on Presidential Debates limit participation to candidates that are polling at 15 percent or higher in at least five national polls. Even though Jorgensen is on the ballot in 36 states, including Texas, according to the Libertarian Partys official website, she doesnt meet the threshold to join the debate. The idea is to have a socially distanced and peaceful protest in order to bring attention to the fact that the Libertarian Party candidate for president, Dr. Jo Jorgensen, is being ignored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, said Elliot Scheirman, who is one of the protests hosts. He is also running for United States Congress in Houstons second congressional district, which is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw. With 107 confirmed protests happening across the country on Aug. 8, the Libertarian Party is hoping to get CPDs attention. The catch?, the Harris County Libertarian Partys press release notes, Most of these polls do not even mention a third-party candidate... Voters are being left in the dark... However, Jorgensen and Libertarian officials said they believe Americans want a viable third option. According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 77 percent of independent voters favor having a third major party. And according to a 2020 Gallup poll conducted this summer, 40 percent of Americans identify as independent. Theres an appetite here, said Scheirman. People are walking away from the duopoly of the Republicans and Democrats when they see that we have offerings of people who are qualified, articulate, are able to communicate a message that shows how we can solve problems that we have in society without resorting to government force, rather working on voluntary solutions. Jorgensen, who received her Ph. D. in Organizational Psychology from Clemson University where she is also a senior lecturer in psychology, hopes she can capture this sentiment. The top issues on her presidential platform include goals to end foreign wars, eliminate the federal debt and deficit, lower high healthcare costs and lower incarceration rates. ELECTION 2020: U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher faces a challenge for TX7 Government is too big, too bossy, too nosy, and, worst of all, often hurts the very people it intends to help. The government doesnt work; liberty and freedom do, said Jorgensen in a press release. Scheirman said he also wants to challenge the stereotype that Libertarians are, just Republicans who like weed." He said the Libertarian party draws in Republicans and Democrats, as well as, people who never wanted to be either. He believes Libertarian policy positions are rooted in individual choice, individual consent, and individual rights. According to Scheirman, people should be able to live their lives however they want, free from persecution, with dignity, as long as theyre not harming others in the process. Thats something that appeals to a lot of people, said Scheirman. At the end of the day, our motto is: Live and Let Live. ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com One of the nations largest gym chains has revised its mask policy, again. After hearing from its members, Planet Fitness said it is making a slight adjustment to a new policy scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 1. Under the revision, members will not have to wear face coverings if they are actively working out and in accordance with local and state restrictions. Earlier this week, Planet Fitness announced masks would be required at all times at all of the companys 1,450 locations in North America and Australia that are open to the public. As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, amid an ongoing global health crisis, wellness has never been as essential to our collective community as it is today, said Chris Rondeau, its chief executive officer in a statement. In its latest statement it said: At Planet Fitness, our members and employees are our number one priority, and we remain committed to providing a safe and clean environment where everyone feels comfortable. We are instituting a universal, standard mask policy in all of our stores effective August 1, although after hearing member feedback, we will be making a slight adjustment to this policy. Members will now be required to wear masks at all times within our facilities except while actively working out and in accordance with local and state restrictions. Health and wellness is more important now than ever, and we are confident that we have taken numerous precautions to ensure the safety of our community, including enhanced cleanliness and sanitization efforts, physical distancing measures in our large and spacious stores, touchless check-in and more. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has said masks are required in public spaces. Gyms have spaced out or blocked off equipment to allow for social distancing and implemented stringent cleaning practices. A growing number of businesses are requiring customers to wear face masks including Best Buy, BJs Wholesale Club, Costco, Home Depot, Kohls, Lowes, Macys, Rite Aid, Sams Club, Starbucks and Walmart. Samsung's 5 nm Exynos 1000 SoC may be limited to just the Galaxy S21 Ultra next year with the base Galaxy S21 set to feature the Exynos 992, according to a new leak. The company may avoid the Snapdragon 875 chips in order to save costs. The leak also suggests that Samsung may look into changing the "Exynos" branding as well. 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 Exynos 990 SoC in the Galaxy S20 series was met with a lot of criticism as it didn't quite match up to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in several benchmarks. Previously, we reported that Samsung could be using the Exynos 1000 across the entire Galaxy S21 range in all regions. Now, a new leak suggests that may not be the case. According to known tipster @MauriQHD, only the Galaxy S21 Ultra will feature the Exynos 1000 SoC. The base Galaxy S21 will be powered by the Exynos 992 while the choice of SoC for the Galaxy S21 Plus is not yet known. Also being contemplated is a possible change of the "Exynos" branding. The Galaxy S21 series may involve a lot of cost-cutting on Samsung's part, which is why the company might look into avoiding the purportedly expensive Snapdragon 875 chips. We have also come across leaks, which suggest that the Galaxy S21 base model could actually be a "Lite" variant of sorts with just a FHD+ 60 Hz display. With the move to an all-Exynos offering, Samsung should be able to increase its profits assuming the premium prices of the phones will continue to remain intact. Considering the above information is true, the 5 nm Exynos 1000 in the Galaxy S21 Ultra could set a high benchmark for smartphone SoC performance. It is touted to use a combination of ARM's new 1x Cortex-X1 and 3x Cortex-A78 cores along with 4x Cortex-A55 cores. On the graphics side, there are strong chances of AMD's first mobile Radeon GPU showing up in the Exynos 1000; we have already seen a leaked GFXBench result wherein this new AMD GPU is shown to beat the Snapdragon 865's Adreno 650 GPU quite handsomely. That being said, the possibility of Samsung going for an ARM Mali-G78 GPU cannot be completely ruled out either. Ultimately. it depends on which one of these satisfies Samsung's performance and power efficiency targets. Sale off - Buy Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Factory Unlocked now on Amazon IRCC says that individuals with valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Permanent Resident Visas may be exempt from travel restrictions. Holders of expired COPR and PR visas may travel to Canada Holders of expired COPR and PR visas may travel to Canada IRCC says that individuals with valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Permanent Resident Visas may be exempt from travel restrictions. Holders of expired COPR and PR visas may travel to Canada IRCC says that individuals with valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Permanent Resident Visas may be exempt from travel restrictions. Holders of expired COPR and PR visas may travel to Canada IRCC says that individuals with valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Permanent Resident Visas may be exempt from travel restrictions. Alexandra Miekus Shelby Thevenot Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Canadas immigration department has issued new guidelines for holders of expired permanent residence visas. Individuals who are in possession of Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) but whose documents have now expired may be allowed into Canada depending on their circumstances, according to a new operational bulletin. Canada has implemented different policies for expired visa holders depending on whether they are coming from the U.S. or other countries. The scenarios below set out the applicable policies. In all cases, only those who intend to stay and settle will be allowed to travel to Canada at the moment and become permanent residents. Those who intend to come to Canada temporarily and leave should not do so now unless they are otherwise exempt from the restrictions. Travel to Canada must be non-discretionary. The government offers examples of the definition of non-discretionary travel on its website. If youre travelling by air, you need to pass a health check conducted by the airline before boarding a flight. If you show symptoms of COVID-19, you wont be allowed to board. As well, if you have dependent family members that were also approved, you should all travel to Canada together. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Group 1: Valid COPR and PRV and Travelling from any country other than the U.S. Those travelling from countries other than the U.S. who were issued a COPR and PRV on or before March 18, 2020 which is still valid are: exempt from travel restrictions; allowed to travel to Canada with the COPR and PRV in order to settle and live in Canada as a permanent resident; and required to have an acceptable 14-day quarantine plan. Group 2: Valid COPR and PRV and Travelling from the U.S. Applicants may travel to Canada from the US for non-discretionary purposes to settle and reside in Canada if: they received approval for their application; both their COPR and PRV have been received and are still valid; and they have an acceptable plan to quarantine for 14 days. Group 3: Expired COPR and PRV and travelling from any other country other than the U.S. Applicants for permanent residence who are in possession of an expired COPR and PRV, that was issued on or before March 18, 2020, are: exempt from the travel restrictions can travel to Canada for non-discretionary reasons with the COPR and PRV in order to settle and live in Canada as a permanent resident and must have an acceptable plan to quarantine for 14 days in Canada Group 4: Expired COPR and PRV and Travelling from the U.S. Individuals travelling from the U.S. with expired COPRs can travel to Canada for non-discretionary reasons to settle in Canada as permanent residents providing : their application was approved; they received their COPR and PRV; and they have a 14-day quarantine plan. What to do if you hold an expired COPR and PRV and are ready to travel to Canada Only applicants for permanent residence who are in possession of an expired COPR and PRV and who are ready to travel to Canada are asked to contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) using a Web form . Applicants are asked to provide the expiry date of the COPR and the non-discretionary reason(s) for their travel. IRCC will then refer the Web Form application to the appropriate processing network which will assess the application based on the following eligibility criteria. You must gather proof that: you have an acceptable plan to settle such as documents to support your living situation in Canada (address, lease agreement, homeownership document) or employment plans in Canada (location of work, letter from employer); you have an acceptable plan to quarantine for 14 days in Canada which includes proof of funds and how you will get groceries, medical care among other essential services; and you have a proposed travel itinerary, including, for example, travel tickets if they already have been purchased. You must also make sure that you and your accompanying family members meet the following criteria: you held a valid COPR and PRV on or before March 18, 2020, but these documents have now expired; no specific date for US-based applicants; have a compelling reason to travel to Canada now: such as family reunification, need of immediate medical care, expiring status in the U.S., need to tend to non-discretionary family matters, for economic reasons such as to support economic services and supply chains, critical infrastructure support; and the country where you reside is not subject to exit controls that limit your ability to travel to Canada. IRCC will give priority to clients with a proposed or confirmed travel plan that is detailed, or clients who demonstrate a willingness to book and confirm travel plans as soon as they are approved. Processing new permanent residence applications Canada is currently accepting new applications for permanent residence. New files that are incomplete due to missing documentation will be retained and reviewed within 90 days. However, if a new application lacks supporting documentation, an explanation should be added to the application referencing service interruptions due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Providing that explanation is important and may result in the application being promoted and reviewed within 90 days. New applications will be processed in the order in which they are received. Completed new applications for permanent residence continue to be processed according to normal procedures. This story was updated with new information on August 8, 2020. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for Covid-19, it is also dealing with a wave of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures. The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when US president Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus. It was also revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis though English-language websites. Experts worry the torrent of bad information is dangerously undermining efforts to slow the virus, especially in the US, where the death toll hit 150,000 on Wednesday by far the highest in the world. More than half a million people have died in the rest of the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesotas Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said: It is a real challenge in terms of trying to get the message to the public about what they can really do to protect themselves and what the facts are behind the problem. Expand Close A child wearing a protective face mask makes his way on his scooter through a decontamination chamber as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A child wearing a protective face mask makes his way on his scooter through a decontamination chamber as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus (AP) He said the fear is that people are putting themselves in harms way because they dont believe the virus is something they have to deal with. Rather than fade away in the face of new evidence, the false claims have flourished, fed by mixed messages from officials, transmitted by social media, amplified by leaders like Mr Trump and mutating when confronted with contradictory facts. In the most recent example, Dr Stella Immanuel promised in a video that promoted hydroxychloroquine: You dont need masks. There is a cure. You dont need people to be locked down. However the truth is that US federal regulators last month revoked their authorisation of the drug as an emergency treatment amid growing evidence it does not work, and can have deadly side effects. Even if it was effective, it would not negate the need for masks and other measures to contain the outbreak. None of that stopped Mr Trump who has repeatedly praised the drug from retweeting the video. Expand Close Des Moines Public Schools mechanic Kelly Silver cleans the interior of a school bus in Iowa (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Des Moines Public Schools mechanic Kelly Silver cleans the interior of a school bus in Iowa (AP) Twitter and Facebook began removing the video on Monday for violating policies on Covid-19 misinformation, but it had already been seen more than 20 million times. Many of the claims in Dr Immanuels video are widely disputed by medical experts. She has made even more bizarre pronouncements in the past, saying that cysts, fibroids and some other conditions can be caused by having sex with demons, that McDonalds and Pokemon promote witchcraft, that alien DNA is used in medical treatments, and that half-human reptilians work in the US government. Other baseless theories and hoaxes have alleged that the virus is not real or that it is a bioweapon created by the US or its adversaries. One hoax from the outbreaks early months claimed new 5G towers were spreading the virus through microwaves. Another popular story held that a well-known tech pioneer plans to use Covid-19 vaccines to implant microchips in all seven billion people on the planet. Expand Close Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci (AP) Then there are the political theories that doctors, journalists and federal officials are conspiring to lie about the threat of the virus to hurt Mr Trump politically. Social media has amplified the claims and helped believers find each other. The flood of misinformation has posed a challenge for Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, which have found themselves accused of censorship for taking down virus misinformation. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was questioned about Dr Immanuels video during a congressional hearing on Wednesday. We did take it down because it violates our policies, Mr Zuckerberg said. US representative David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat leading the hearing, responded by noting that 20 million people saw the video before Facebook acted. Doesnt that suggest that your platform is so big, that even with the right policies in place, you cant contain deadly content? Mr Cicilline asked Mr Zuckerberg. It was not the first video containing misinformation about the virus, and experts say it is not likely to be the last. A professionally made 26-minute video alleging that a US government expert manufactured the virus and shipped it to China was watched more than eight million times before the platforms took action. The video, titled Plandemic, also warned that masks could make you sick the false claim Facebook cited when it removed the video down from its site. Judy Mikovits, the discredited doctor behind Plandemic, had been set to appear on the show America This Week on the Sinclair Broadcast Group. But the company, which operates TV stations in 81 US markets, cancelled the segment, saying it was not appropriate to air. This week, US government officials cited what they said was a clear link between Russian intelligence and websites with stories designed to spread disinformation on the coronavirus in the West. Russian officials have rejected the accusations. The steady rise in U.S. strategic competition with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) over trade and the South China Sea already has so many dimensions that it is sometimes easy to ignore shifts in the PRCs behavior in other areas. On July 6, 2020, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif announced that Iran was negotiating an agreement with the PRC - with which it long has had trade and strategic links - which would now make the two countries the equivalent of strategic partners. This expanded U.S.-PRC competition to new parts of the world. Perhaps more importantly, the move is a substantive and significant response to Indias success in militarily outmaneuvering the PRC in Kashmir during June 2020. The PRC-Iran accord means the end of Indian use of the Iranian port of Chah Bahar and the construction of a rail link from that port city northward to link with a new rail spur into Afghanistan. Indias moves into Kashmir in 2019-2020 are widely perceived in Beijing to presage a new move by India to cut off the PRC-Pakistan landbridge through Pakistani controlled Azad (Free) Kashmir, giving India its own landbridge to Central Asia. Thus, after the confrontation between the Indian Army and Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops in the Ladakh region of Kashmir on June 15-16, 2020, Beijing determined it would respond by cutting Indian access to Central Asia through Iran. The first signs came as the Iran-PRC deal was announced and the Iranian government canceled the Chah Bahar to Zahedan rail link which was to be built by India, citing Indian delays on the 628 km project. The Iranian government said that it would complete the line on its own, with a $400 million investment from the Iranian National Development Fund to the Iranian Railways. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to Tehran in May 2016 to sign the Chah Bahar deal, but work was indeed delayed as India fretted that the project might invoke U.S. sanctions against India. Related: The Cowboy State Looks To Stimulate Oil Drilling With Tax Cuts The PRC-Iran agreement could involve serious military ties and lead to major PRC defense sales to Iran, involve some $400 billion in PRC economic investment over 25 years, and lead to a major PRC role in modernizing Iranian railroads, ports, 5G Networks, and telecommunications generally. In return, the PRC would get discounted supplies of Iranian oil products and gas for the next 25 years. The PRC would be able to make Iran part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and be able to establish free trade zones in Iran in Maku in the northwest, Abadan in Khuzestan Province near Iraq, and Qeshm island just inside the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement would give the PRC access to Jask, a major Iranian port outside the Strait of Hormuz. The PRC began developing its strategic position in the Persian Gulf region during the Iran-Iraq war as far back as 1980-1988. And the PRC presence in the Persian Gulf has only increased since that time. PRC activity over the last decade shows a clear intent to secure its energy imports from the Persian Gulf, compete with the U.S. and India, and look toward a day when it would be as real a power in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean as it was striving to be in Asia and Pacific. The PRC had also made Pakistan a key partner in its Belt and Road Initiative, and the PRC now plays a key part in developing and managing the Pakistani port of Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea. The PRC also invested some $10.7 billion into transforming an Omani fishing village into the special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm. But, significantly, Oman has reserved significant parts of the maritime facilities at Duqm for British and U.S. forces. Related: Why Iran And China Are Pushing Iraq To Boost Oil Production The PRC has taken these steps for both economic and strategic reasons. In 2019, Beijing attempted, without success, to bring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into its orbit. It found it could not, however, have a strategic relationship with Iran and the Arabian Peninsula states simultaneously. It stayed with the more significant choice, Iran. It is vital to the PRC to secure its access to the Persian Gulf oil and gas, and limit U.S. capability to influence this flow to the PRC during a crisis or war. The PRC imports more than 70 percent of its petroleum, and gets more than 40 percent of its supplies from the Persian Gulf. Iranian-PRC trade and strategic linkages in many ways circumvent U.S. attempts to sanction the leadership of both states. At a time when both sanctioned states have come under great pressure, the new alliance, then, offers Beijing and Tehran some real respite and strategic resilience. Adding Russia into the mix only widens the trading zone of both states. The real challenges, however, comes from whether the PRC economy can be sustained for the duration of the new accord, and whether an Indian military thrust to cut off the Pakistan corridor to the PRC will cause grave difficulties for Beijing. But, certainly, the new deal with Iran is Beijings signal that it is planning for the day when the Pakistan corridor to the Indian Ocean may be lost to it. By Dr Fariborz Saremi More Top Reads from Oilprice.com: The concern is that vaccine supply and allocation in this pandemic will echo the last - caused by the H1N1 flu virus in 2009/2010 - when rich nations bought up the available supplies, initially leaving poor countries with none. In that instance, since H1N1 turned out to be a milder disease and the pandemic ultimately petered out, the impact on infections and deaths from imbalances was limited. Loading However COVID-19 is a far greater threat, and leaving swathes of the world's people vulnerable will not only harm them, but also extend the pandemic and the damage it can cause, health experts say. "There is a risk that some countries are doing exactly what we feared - which is every man for himself," said Gayle Smith, former head of the US Agency for International Development and CEO of the One Campaign, a non-profit aimed at ending poverty and preventable disease. More than 75 wealthier countries including Britain have expressed interest in the COVAX financing scheme, which is also co-led by the World Health Organisation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, joining 90 poorer ones who would be supported through donations. But the United States, where COVID-19 deaths topped 150,000, China and Russia are not among countries expressing interest in COVAX, according to GAVI. Funding from the US government is supporting biotech Moderna in its vaccine trials. Credit:John Cairns And an EU source said last week that the European Commission, which is the bloc's executive arm and leads EU talks with drugmakers, has advised EU countries not to buy COVID-19 vaccines via COVAX. "I am worried," said Thomas Bollyky, director of the global health program at the Council on Foreign Relations. "What is happening [when] the handful of nations that are locking up supply of vaccine competes with the multilateral supply deals. "At the end of the day, vaccine manufacturing is a finite resource. You can expand it, but only so much." Loading Experts estimate the world can reasonably hope to have around 2 billion doses of effective COVID-19 vaccines by the end of next year, if several of the leading candidates prove effective in expedited late-stage trials currently underway. COVAX's aim is to distribute doses for at least 20 per cent of its signed-up countries' populations. Berkley said, however, that if self-interested countries or regions snapped those up to cover their entire populations - instead of sharing them across nations and protecting the most at-risk people first - the pandemic could not be controlled. "If you were to try to vaccinate the entire US, [and] the entire EU, for example, with two doses of vaccine - then you'd get to about 1.7 billion doses. And if that is the number of doses that's available, there's not a lot left for others." If a handful, or even 30 or 40 countries have vaccines, but more than 150 others don't, "then the epidemic will rage there" Berkley said. "This virus ... moves around like lightning. So you'll end up in a situation where you will not be able to go back to normal. You won't be able to have commerce, tourism, travel, trade, unless you can get the whole pandemic to be slowed down." As people in Ireland endured months of coronavirus lockdown limbo, priest Laurence Flynn experienced his own private purgatory, keeping solitary vigil on a hallowed island usually crowded with pilgrims. After the nation shut down in late March, Father Flynn became the sole inhabitant of St. Patrick's Purgatory on Lough Derg, a lake in County Donegal said to be where Christ showed Ireland's patron saint the entrance to hell. Dating back to the fifth century, the holy site on Station Island is a place of Catholic pilgrimage where the faithful usually flock for three days of fasting, barefoot prayer and all-night vigils. But the pandemic, which has killed 1,764 people in Ireland, has seen the summer pilgrimage season cancelled for the first time since 1828. "I have made the choice to come here? as a little gesture of solidarity with those who don't have a choice about whether they stay in one place or whether they move more freely," said Flynn, 69, who has been on the island since June 1. "In some humble way by performing one station prayer each day I keep the rhythm of the pilgrimage alive." - Penitential prayer - In any other year the strip of land in the choppy copper-coloured waters of Lough Derg would bustle with up to 400 pilgrims on any given day from June to August. During an exacting three-day visit referred to as the "ironman of pilgrimages", they would be allowed one simple meal consisting of tea or coffee without milk, and dry bread, toast or oatcakes. Pilgrims from around the world remain awake to hold a 24-hour vigil and perform nine-hour-long barefoot "station prayers". Circling the "penitential prayer beds" -- the ruins of ancient monastic cells -- they walk and kneel rhythmically in the shadow of a bell tower on the site of the cave said to have been shown to St. Patrick in 445 AD. Likely more of a pit or a well than a cave, the legend goes that St. Patrick saw the gates to hell. "The monks used... to spend a vigil of 24 hours in this cave or in this shelter and this becomes in time the focus of the pilgrimage," explained Flynn. "People who took on this entry to the other world and spent their 24 hours in the cave, would be guaranteed a place in heaven -- they would, so to speak, have their purgatory behind them." This year the site's gender-segregated dorms sit empty. But every morning Flynn walks outside, slips off his sandals and traces the pilgrim routes trodden by millions over the last 150 years. "I bring with me the prayers of those who ask for prayer -- the prayers of those who would like to be here or who come every year but can't come in this particular year," he said. - 'Purification' - Padding around the penitential beds in a dog collar and maroon hoodie, Flynn cuts a solitary figure. "There can be very few priests that are more isolated than I am at this moment, but I don't feel isolated," he said. "I have not once been lonely in the time I've been here." Elsewhere lockdown has been punishing, particularly among older people more vulnerable to the virus. This month Irish charity Alone said the pandemic was increasing loneliness among the elderly, "which may have a negative effect on their physical and mental wellbeing." Ireland has made significant steps towards reopening society since daily deaths peaked at 77 in April. However, many businesses and offices remain shut and the country has seen record unemployment figures. Earlier this month plans to ease the lockdown further were delayed by a surge of new cases -- pushing the country deeper into its own form of purgatory. "It's not going to be like this forever but we don't know how long it is going to last -- that would be one link with purgatory," said Flynn of the nation's ordeal. "Another would be that somehow or other, purgatory is a purification," he added in a lighter tone. "This time has challenged us to look at what is of lasting value, what is real and enduring." Father Laurence Flynn has been holding vigil at Lough Derg since lockdown began This is the first summer since 1828 that Lough Derg has been closed to pilgrims Father Flynn prays barefoot at the penitential beds where pilgrims normally come at Lough Derg Lough Derg dates from the fifth century as a place of Christian pilgrimage and is said to be the place where St. Patrick 'saw' the gates of hell DHAKA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - After losing his job at a garment factory in Dhaka in April as the coronavirus pandemic hit, Mohammad Sumon returned to his village in Jamalpur, about 160 kms away, hoping to support his family working as a part-time mechanic. But severe floods that struck Bangladesh the last week of June, driven by heavy monsoon rains, are now keeping the 22-year-old from that work as well. Instead, he finds himself stuck at home, one of millions of Bangladeshis affected by the flooding, which has hit nearly half of the countrys 64 districts and killed 41 people so far. My wife and I lost our jobs because the factory said they werent getting orders due to the coronavirus," Sumon said. At my hometown I managed a job as a mechanic but that did not work because the water had risen and I couldnt step out," he said. Now, with a baby daughter born just nine days ago, I dont know how we will manage. I am depending on a loan right now, but if things continue like this, we will be in trouble," he said. Low-lying, heavily populated Bangladesh is regularly hit by flooding, but experts fear the impact this year may be worse due to job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic and floods that have lingered for an unusually long time. Thousands of workers have been sacked from the countrys garment sector - responsible for 80% of Bangladeshs exports - as European brands cancelled clothing orders worth millions of dollars as their shops shut due to the coronavirus. Bangladesh, one of the biggest exporters of manpower in the world and heavily dependent on remittance, has also seen the return of thousands of its citizens from abroad as many lose their jobs in the pandemic. Flooding has only made matters worse, government and other experts said. Normally, the water begins to recede after a certain point and people start going back to their homes from flood shelters," said Sajedul Hasan, who works for the humanitarian programme of BRAC, a Bangladesh-based development organisation. But this time, the water level increased for a second time in July soon after it began to recede this was because of excessive rainfall," he explained. A major Bangladeshi river,the Brahmaputra, has been flowing above the danger level for more than 30 days according to data from Bahadurabad station in north Bangladesh. This is the highest number of days that we have seen since 1998," said A.K.M. Saiful Islam, of the Institute of Water and Flood Management at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. According to the countrys Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, the water level is now receding and the situation is likely to improve by next month. But both Islam and Hasan fear that economic hardships due to the pandemic and floods may lead more students to drop out of school, or compel families to migrate to the countrys overburdened cities for jobs, which could lead to exploitation. Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development, said he could see the fingerprint" of climate change in the recent floods. The country used to see severe floods once every two decades - but in the last 20 years Bangladesh has seen at least four of them, Huq said. The country now needs to try new strategies to be more prepared to tackle the changes, he said. One of those, implemented by the United Nations in Bangladesh, is forecast-based funding which gives vulnerable people money in advance of predicted extreme weather so they are better prepared. Aklima Begum, 40, who lives in Kurigram in North Bangladesh, was one of thousands who received about $50 ahead of the floods this year. She was able to buy food, hire a boat and take shelter in a place the floodwaters didnt reach. The money that I got did help, but I have still been badly affected. My goats and chickens died because of the flood," she 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 Chubbs employees have begun to return to their offices in many countries around the world as governments have brought the coronavirus pandemic under control. Thats been a problem in the United States, however, and points to greater problems with federal COVID-19 efforts, argues President and CEO Evan Greenberg. We have been ready to begin our return to [the] office in the U.S., but took a pause, given the increase in infection rates in many parts of the world, Greenberg said during Chubbs 2020 second-quarter earnings call on July 29. Among developed countries in the world, the U.S. stands out in its inability to mange the health crisis on a national basis. This is damaging our economic recovery and our image globally. According to Greenberg, the situation is far different for Chubb and its 31,000 global employees at many of its other global locations. Depending on where you are in the world, with exceptions, a substantial portion of our international staff is back in the office at any given day, he said. This includes most of Asia Pacific, where about 50 percent [of employees] are back in the office, and in some countries, 100 percent. Greenberg explained that Chubbs European operations, excluding Spain and Italy, have seen 25 percent of employees resume office work. In the UK, where working from home is continuing, Greenberg said that Chubb expects 20 percent to 25 percent of its staff to return to formal offices in August. There are exceptions in the United States, Greenberg noted, with office life resuming where sections of the country have brought the coronavirus pandemic under better control. Where conditions have stabilized in the U.S., like the Northeast, weve begun to bring employees back to the office for meetings, to collaborate, learn and plan, Greenberg said. We are ready to return on a broader basis when conditions warrant [but] the health and well-being of our staff is of paramount concern. Greenberg had plenty to say about other matters, too, particularly the Black Lives Matter protests that have erupted across the United States, and a continued condemnation of efforts to force retroactive business interruption coverage of pandemics. On Diversity and Inclusion. Greenberg, referencing the Black Lives Matter protests and marches against police brutality, said that the events have unfolded in our nation these past few months have focused our attention on what we should do as citizens and as a company. He said that Chubb considers itself as an inclusive meritocracy that strives to make all colleagues feel comfortable and recognize them for their contributions. With that in mind, Chubb developed an action plan it shared with its employees designed to help enhance individual and collective understanding of racism in society and strive within Chubb to be antiracist in its behavior. We want to actively support each other, Greenberg said. It starts with more frank dialogue between our employees of color, particularly our black colleagues, and white colleagues, to create better understanding of racism. Greenberg said the insurer will hold its executives and other leaders accountable for developing and leading an inclusive environment. Also envisioned: the elimination of policies and practices that potentially create bias and inhibit our ability to create a greater racial mix of our workforce at all levels of the company. As Greenberg explained: This is an enduring process, not a momentary event in time. On the Pandemic and Business Interruption. As he has previously, Greenberg railed against attempts by trial attorneys and others to force carriers to retroactively cover pandemic-related business interruption claims. The insurance industry is under attack by the trial bar over business interruption claims, Greenberg said. They represent many businesses which purchased BI coverage that does not provide cover for pandemic. Those customers are understandably disappointed and upset. Greenberg accused trial attorneys of reverse engineering insurance language to conjure up business interruption coverage that for the most part simply doesnt exist. He said that coverage for pandemic was not contemplated for most standard business interruption policies, which were designed for interruptions such as fire or flood damage interruptions. With that said, Greenberg said Chubb will pay business interruption coverage for policies that specifically cover pandemic related shutdowns. He said a federal backstop is one way to do this more widely, and cited a proposed public-provide program Chubb unveiled earlier in July as one way to do this. I believe the industry can and should take pandemic risk along with the government. This is a peril that can be covered to a greater degree than we do today as long as the tail exposure is covered by the government, Greenberg said. It is our job to figure out how to do that. China and Japan should push forward bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the next stage as well as in the post-pandemic era, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday during a phone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Wang said, China and Japan have kept in touch and offered mutual support for anti-epidemic cooperation, demonstrating the traditional friendship between the two neighboring countries. At present, the pandemic is still raging across the globe, plunging the world economy into a deep recession and adding uncertainties to the international landscape, Wang noted. China and Japan, as close and important neighbors and major economies in the world, need to maintain their relations in the right direction, and step up cooperation in containing the coronavirus disease, promoting economic recovery and safeguarding regional peace and development, Wang said. The Chinese foreign minister said that China-Japan ties have generally maintained the momentum of improvement and development, with practical cooperation progressing steadily, citing the hard-won achievement that bilateral trade in the first half of this year was kept at the same level year-on-year. Wang called on the two countries to make plans for and push forward bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the next stage as well as in the post-pandemic era, so as to jointly tackle various global and regional challenges and inject new vitality into the development of bilateral ties. First, the two sides should strengthen dialogues and exchanges at all levels and through all channels. They should promote the existing consultation and dialogue mechanisms, encourage proper exchanges and interactions between various sectors, industries and people and localities, and speed up the establishment of a "green channel" for bilateral personnel exchanges, Wang said. Second, efforts should be made to resume and expand mutually beneficial cooperation. China welcomes Japan to quickly grasp the new situation of and new opportunities in China's development, and actively commit itself to deepening cooperation with China. Wang said China attaches great importance to the resumption of work and production of Japanese enterprises in China and has adopted a series of supporting measures, adding that it hopes that Japan will also provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for the normal operation of Chinese enterprises in Japan. Third, the two sides should strengthen communication and cooperation in international and regional affairs, said the Chinese foreign minister. Both China and Japan are defenders and promoters of multilateralism and free trade, and the two sides should continue firm support for multilateral mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus China, Japan and South Korea, and the Group of Twenty to play their due roles, Wang noted. He said the two countries should make efforts to ensure the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) within the year, accelerate negotiations on the China-Japan-South Korea free trade area, and make contributions to regional and global economic recovery. "We should stick to the general direction of maintaining cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, oppose politicizing the epidemic, reject wrong words and deeds that disrupt and undermine the global fight against COVID-19, and support the World Health Organization in playing its due role," said Wang. Faced with a complicated international situation, Wang said, the two sides need to carefully and properly handle differences and contradictions in accordance with the important consensus reached by the two leaders, focus mainly on mutually beneficial cooperation, and work jointly to make the China-Japan relations move along the right track further in a stable manner. Motegi, on his part, said that Japan is willing to work with China to promote active development of bilateral ties. Recently, the two foreign ministers exchanged sympathy messages over floods in both countries, demonstrating their friendship. Japan is willing to keep dialogue and exchanges with China on various levels, promote actively exchanges of personnel, facilitate cooperation in economy, trade and investment, and support the acceleration of the signing of the RCEP, he said. The two foreign ministers further exchanged views on other issues of common interest. All 145 passengers instructed to stay in institutional quarantine for next one week in their hometowns as per central government guidelines 145 Indian students, studying in different medical colleges in the central Asian country, were brought back by the special flight. (Representational Image: PTI) Indore: A special aircraft carrying 145 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan due to the coronavirus- induced lockdown landed at the airport here in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night, an official said. Indore districts nodal officer for COVID-19 prevention, Dr Amit Malakar, said the Air India flight from Kyrgyzstan, operated under the Centre's "Vande Bharat" mission, landed at the city airport at 8:45 pm. He informed that 145 Indian students, studying in different medical colleges in the central Asian country, were brought back by the special flight. These include students from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and other states besides Madhya Pradesh, he said. Malakar said none of these passengers showed any symptoms of COVID-19 during screening at the airport. However, all 145 passengers will have to stay in quarantine centres for the next seven days in their hometowns as per central government guidelines, he said. After this, they will have to stay in isolation in their homes for a week, Malakar added. Since exports of South African wine are still allowed, support overseas is crucial. The US, and other export markets, can play a vital role and make a difference in keeping the industry alive. Wines of South Africa (WOSA) USA, the industry association that promotes the exports of South African wine, is calling on members of the wine trade, media and consumers to support the South African wine industry by buying and drinking South African wine. The ban on alcohol, currently back in place in South Africa, could be potentially devastating to the wine industry. The South African wine industry has been hit especially hard by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country having experienced one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. The countrys lockdown and prohibition on the sale of alcohol began at the end of March, which included a ban on wine exports. Wine industry associations and organizations came together to lobby against the decision, and, thankfully, the ban on exports was lifted effective May 1. However, the prohibition of alcohol sales in South Africa remained for over two months, until it was lifted on June 1, for at-home consumption. Restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen in mid-June. Yet with the rationale of the need to free up hospital beds occupied by those suffering from alcohol-related traumas, the South African government reintroduced the latest ban on alcohol on July 13, which is still in effect, with no definitive end date. The new regulations include both on and off-premise sales, so it is affecting not only wineries, but restaurant workers as well. Those in the wine and hospitality industry have been taking to the streets to protest and put pressure on the government to allow for on-premise sales for sit-down restaurants. The alcohol ban brings a significant risk to the economic and socioeconomic sustainability of both the South African wine industry and the country as a whole, along with risking the livelihoods of rural communities who are directly affected due to the financial implications from an industry that could quite likely see devastation. The wine industry creates close to 300,000 jobs directly and indirectly, and is South Africas second-largest exporter of agricultural products. As an industry, the contribution to the GDP for the South African economy exceeds more than $2.6 billion annually. The liquor industry as a whole has a deep value chain in the country, employing almost one million people. The governments decision has serious economic consequences, placing hundreds of thousands of livelihoods at risk. Many of South Africas wine producers are small and family run. It has been estimated that one in five wineries may not survive. South African wine exports make up roughly 50% of the total production. Since exports of South African wine are still allowed, support overseas is crucial. The US, and other export markets, can play a vital role and make a difference in keeping the industry alive. We are urging those in the trade and media to spread the word, and to educate and encourage consumers to support the South African wine industry by purchasing and drinking South African wines. Keep the discussion and support going on social media with the hashtag #DrinkSouthAfrican. WOSA USA has some great resources on its website. For those in the wine trade, a list of importers of South African wine is available. For those looking for local retail shops that carry South African wine, a list of retailers across the country can be accessed on the site. About Wines of South Africa Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is the organization representing all South African producers of wine who export their products. WOSA, which was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 exporters on its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. It is constituted as a not-for-profit company and is totally independent of any producer, wholesaling company or government department but is recognized by the South African Export Council. WOSA's mandate is to promote the export of all South African wines in key international markets including the United States. First-half 2020 consolidated revenue and outlook for full-year 2020 Paris-La Defense, 30 July 2020, 5.35 p.m. (CEST) - Assystem S.A. (ISIN: FR0000074148 - ASY), a leading player in engineering, today released its revenue figures for the six months ended 30 June 2020 (first-half 2020). First-half 2020 consolidated revenue and year-on-year changes (unaudited) In millions of euros H1 2019 H1 2020 Total year-on-year change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 246.5 229.5 -6.9% -9.4% Energy & Infrastructure 219.9 206.2 -6.2% -9.0% Staffing 22.7 20.2 -11.1% -11.7% Other 3.9 3.1 - - * Based on a comparable scope of consolidation and constant exchange rates. Consolidated revenue for the first half of 2020 was down 6.9% year on year. Like-for-like growth was a negative 9.4%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a favourable 2.3% impact and the currency effect was a positive 0.2%. The overall six-month period was marked by the highly negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on like-for-like growth for all of Assystem's activities, principally in France from mid-March to mid-May. ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE Revenue generated by the Energy & Infrastructure division came to 206.2 million for the first six months of 2020, down 6.2% on first-half 2019. Like-for-like growth was a negative 9.0%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a favourable 2.6% impact (mainly stemming from Asco, which has been consolidated since 1 October 2019) and the currency effect was a positive 0.2%. Revenue from Nuclear activities contracted 5.2% to 141.4 million (representing 62% of total consolidated revenue). Like-for-like growth was a negative 7.6%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a favourable 2.3% impact and the currency effect was a positive 0.1%. Nuclear activities suffered less from the pandemic than the Group's other activities, as French clients moved fully into action to rapidly return to a more or less normal level of activity and international operations recorded robust business levels, particularly in the United Kingdom. This meant that for the month of June revenue from Nuclear activities was slightly higher than for June 2019, based on a comparable scope of consolidation. Revenue for Energy Transition & Infrastructures (ET&I) decreased 8.4% year on year to 64.8 million. Like-for-like growth was a negative 12.0%, changes in the scope of consolidation had a favourable 3.2% impact and the currency effect was a positive 0.4%. The third quarter of the year should see ET&I return to at least the same level of activity as in 2019 based on a comparable scope of consolidation - a trajectory that was already well under way at end-June 2020. STAFFING At 20.2 million, Staffing revenue was down 11.1% on first-half 2019. A number of international projects were affected by the closure of borders. HEADCOUNT Assystem had 6,067 employees at 30 June 2020, including 33 at Corporate Risk Associates (CRA), which was acquired in late May 2020. OUTLOOK FOR FULL-YEAR 2020 Based on the data and projections available to date, for full-year 2020, Assystem is now targeting: - Consolidated revenue of 485 million, i.e. over 255 million in the second half (versus 251 million in second-half 2019); - EBITA margin of 5.0%. The revenue guidance is based on the Group's scope of consolidation remaining the same as at end-June 2020, except for the business classified under "Other" which was sold in early July 2020 and has been deconsolidated since 1 July 2020. The effect of changes in the scope of consolidation is expected to be very limited in the second half of the year in view of the various changes in scope that took place in the second half of 2019 and to date in 2020. Assystem is closely monitoring the situation at Expleo Group, in which it owns a 38.16% interest. Like the other players in the outsourced R&D market, Expleo Group is very significantly impacted by the steep decrease in business activity in the automotive and aerospace sectors. UPDATED FINANCIAL CALENDAR FOR 2020 21 September: First-half 2020 results release - Presentation meeting on 22 September at 8.30 a.m. (CEST) 27 October: Third-quarter 2020 revenue release ABOUT ASSYSTEM Assystem is an international engineering group. As a key participant in the industry for over 50 years, the Group supports its clients in managing their capital expenditure throughout their asset life cycles. Assystem S.A. is listed on Euronext Paris. For more information please visit www.assystem.com / Follow Assystem on Twitter: @Assystem CONTACTS Philippe Chevallier CFO & Deputy CEO Tel.: +33 (0)1 41 25 28 07 Anne-Charlotte Dagorn Communications Director acdagorn@assystem.com (mailto:acdagorn@assystem.com) Tel.: +33 (0)6 83 03 70 29 Agnes Villeret Investor relations - Komodo agnes.villeret@agence-komodo.com Tel.: +33 (0)6 83 28 04 15 QUARTERLY REVENUE In millions of euros Q1 2019 Q1 2020 Total year-on-year change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 125.8 122.9 -2.2% -5.3% Energy & Infrastructure 112.2 110.3 -1.7% -4.8% Staffing 11.5 10.9 -5.1% -7.1% Other 2.1 1.7 - - In millions of euros Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Total year-on-year change Like-for-like year-on-year change* Group 120.7 106.6 -11.7% -13.7% Energy & Infrastructure 107.7 95.9 -11.0% -13.3% Staffing 11.3 9.3 -17.2% -16.3% Other 1.8 1.4 - - * Based on a comparable scope of consolidation and constant exchange rates. Attachment Actress Ashley Judd persuaded a federal appeals court to let her proceed with a sexual-harassment claim against former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who she said sabotaged her career after she rejected his advances. The allegation stems from an episode at a Beverly Hills hotel about two decades ago, where Judd says she met the bathrobe-clothed Weinstein in a private room under the pretext of a breakfast meeting. The actress claims she only managed to escape the room after promising he could touch her when she won an Academy Award in one of his movies. The San Francisco-based appeals court Wednesday overruled the trial judge who last year had dismissed Judds sexual-harassment claim while allowing her to proceed on other allegations against Weinstein, including defamation. At the time of the incident in the late 1990s, Judd and Weinstein had a professional relationship that fell within the parameters of Californias sexual-harassment law, the appeals court said. Their relationship consisted of an inherent power imbalance wherein Weinstein was uniquely situated to exercise coercion or leverage over Judd by virtue of his professional position and influence as a top producer in Hollywood, the court said. Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence for sex crimes at a maximum security prison in upstate New York after a conviction at trial earlier this year. Californias sexual-harassment law was amended in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which was unleashed by the revelations of Weinsteins long history of sexual abuse of young actresses. The states law now specifically includes professional relationships involving movie directors and producers. Weinstein Denies We are glad that both Ms. Judd and Mr. Weinstein will have their day in court, where we expect the truth will come to light, Phyllis Kupferstein, an attorney for Weinstein, said in a statement. The most minimal investigation of the events will show that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd, nor hindered or interfered with her career, and certainly never retaliated against her and indeed, had nothing to retaliate for. Judds attorney, Ted Boutrous, said the ruling was a victory for all victims of sexual harassment in professional relationships. The court correctly holds that California law forbids sexual harassment and retaliation by film producers and others in powerful positions, even outside the employment context, and we look forward to pursuing this claim against Mr. Weinstein at trial, Boutrous said in a statement. Weinstein also faces civil lawsuits from some alleged victims. Earlier this month, a federal judge in New York declined to approve a proposed $18.9 million settlement between Weinstein and nine women who claim he sexually assaulted or abused them. The judge said the tentative deal isnt fair to other women. The lower-court case is Judd v. Weinstein, 18-cv-5724, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles). Top photo: Actress Ashley Judd listens during the Bloomberg Business of Equality conference in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits California New York Actor Sonu Sood turns a year older on July 30. On his special day, wishes have been pouring in on social media from fans and celebrities. Here's a look at how Farah Khan Kunder, Genelia Deshmukh, Esha Gupta, Maniesh Paul, among others, wished Sonu Sood on his birthday. Farah Khan Kunder Farah Khan posted a picture with Sonu and wished her friend and brother on his special day. Farah wrote, "Doing extraordinary deeds in the Simplest of manner. Love you. May u keep making us proud." Farah also posted a picture of Sonu on her Instagram story and penned a quirky caption. Genelia Deshmukh On Sonu Sood's birthday, Genelia Deshmukh thanked God for people like him. She called Sonu an inspiration to her and everyone. Genelia further wrote, "You made us believe that humanity still exists. All our best wishes to you. Happy birthday Sonu Sood." Happy Birthday @SonuSood .. Thank God for people like you.. You have been an inspiration to us and made us believe that humanity still exits.. All our best wishes to you Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) July 30, 2020 Maniesh Paul Maniesh Paul took to his Twitter and penned a birthday wish for Sonu. He wrote, "Happy birthday to our very own superman." Maniesh also called Sood his 'Fellow Leo'. Take a look. Happy birthday to our very own superman @SonuSood ...stay blessed my fellow leo Maniesh Paul (@ManishPaul03) July 30, 2020 Also Read | Huma Qureshi Receives Heartwarming Birthday Wishes From Varun, Katrina And Sonakshi Esha Gupta One Day: Justice Delivered actor Esha Gupta called Sonu Sood a 'true iron man'. She also called herself his fan and wished him all the love and happiness. She also called him a 'real hero' and added an emoji. Happy happy birthday @SonuSood .. a true iron man, a real hero.. wish you all the love and happiness love, your fan Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811) July 30, 2020 Also Read | Sonu Sood's birthday: Fans extend wishes to 'real hero' with #HBDSonuSood Nithin Sathya Chennai 600028 II actor Nithya Sathya called Sonu Sood the 'living God' and extended his heartiest wishes on the latter's birthday. It is reported that Nithin Sathya and Sonu will be seen together in the upcoming film, Madha Gaja Raja. The action comedy film is written and directed by Sundar C. Wishing the living god to many @SonuSood sir. Many many more happy returns of the day Nitinsathyaa (@Nitinsathyaa) July 30, 2020 Also Read | Sonu Sood plans to organize free medical camps to celebrate his 47th birthday Sonu Sood's birthday plans Sonu Sood spoke to a leading news daily and revealed that for his 47th birthday, he has planned to organise medical camps across the country. Sood added that he expects around 50,000 people to attend the camps. Sonu also stated that he has been planning this for quite some time and also has been talking to a lot of doctors in UP, Punjab, Jharkhand and Orissa. Meanwhile, Dabangg actor Sonu Sood worked tirelessly for the welfare of migrant labourers over the past three months. He also arranged charter flights for Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan for the last four months due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions. Moreover, recently Sood offered a job to a Hyderabad woman who was left unemployed during the pandemic. Also Read | Sonu Sood extends financial support to ailing veteran actor Anupam Shyam Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:25:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak said Thursday that the kingdom is ready to participate in the third China International Import Expo (CIIE), which will be held in Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10. "The Ministry of Commerce is ready to erect a Cambodia Pavilion at the 3rd CIIE, and we will lead a delegation from the private sector to take part in this event," he said during a video conference on the promotion of the 3rd CIIE. "We hope that the global COVID-19 pandemic will be brought under control and flights will return to normal at that time," Sorasak said. The virtual conference, facilitated by the Bank of China (BOC), was attended by CIIE Bureau's deputy director Sun Chenghai, BOC Vice President Lin Jingzhen and Wu Guoquan, Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia. Sorasak said Cambodia will encourage local exhibitors to attend the annual event and that the kingdom had sent many large companies in the rice sector, construction and real estate to display their products and services in the past two CIIEs. "The 3rd CIIE will be an important opportunity for exhibitors from various countries to promote their products, services and investment projects and to seek new business partners," he said. He added that the CIIE has also played a vital role to help boost trade and investment volumes between Cambodia and China. The bilateral trade between Cambodia and China was valued at 9.42 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, according to data from the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh. During the video conference, the Chinese side also briefed the Cambodian side on the preparation for the 3rd CIIE and anticipated advantages for the exhibitors. China launched the 1st CIIE in November 2018 in a bid to promote global trade and multilateralism. Enditem Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks at a swearing-in ceremony in Monterey Park on Dec. 3, 2018. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press) To the editor: The last sentence of Erika D. Smith's column "It's enough to make me wonder why we elect sheriffs at all" is spot on. In Los Angeles County alone, the history of our last four elected sheriffs is proof enough that voters stink at selecting a sheriff. Jim McDonnell was without major scandal but was beaten by the current sheriff, Alex Villanueva, whose refusal to allow oversight makes me believe he will be the most corrupt and worst of all. Voters do the best they can, but limited time and knowledge coupled with campaign ads bought by special interests make choosing the right sheriff difficult. The best solution is to appoint sheriffs. Then-Harvard law professor Jed Shugerman did extensive research on the best way to select judges and found in 2012 that elected judges were typically worse compared to those who were appointed. He believes the best solution is to have merit selection, which involves vetting by a panel of professionals and executive appointment to a first term, followed by retention elections. For the sheriff, a panel should vet various candidates, and the Board of Supervisors should make the final selection. Four years later, the voters can decide if the board made a good choice. Marri Derby, Laguna Beach The writer is a criminal defense attorney. .. To the editor: Smith hit the nail on the head. After concentrating on Villanueva, she reported on outrageous behaviors by sheriffs in Sacramento and Trinity counties. But she didn't need to travel so far from Los Angeles County. In Riverside County, Sheriff Chad Bianco on June 9 told the Board of Supervisors, "The transparency of me and of my department, quite honestly, it can't be questioned." He also said, "Quite frankly, I don't think it's not your job to tell me what to do." He said this because his department's policies and procedures are all online, available to anyone. Well, it's one thing to have policies and procedures and quite another thing to actually enforce them. Story continues I'm fairly certain that the Minneapolis Police Department's policies and procedures would not allow kneeling on a man's neck until he died. But, while it took a little less than nine minutes for officer Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd, it took the local district attorney days to charge him. Public heat, not policies and procedures, led to the charges. "It's enough to make me wonder why we elect sheriffs at all," Smith concludes. I've been wondering the same thing. Denys Arcuri, Indio The Indian government has restricted import of colour televisions, in a move that is being viewed as a push for domestic manufacturing and a way to reduce inbound shipments of non-essential items from countries like China. "Import policy of colour television.....is amended from free to restricted," a notification from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification on July 30 said. "Actual user condition would not be applicable for importers applying for an authorization to import the goods 'Restricted' in this Notification. The procedure for grant of license will be separately issued by DGFT," the notification said. The curbs are imposed on TV sets of all screen sizes, ranging from up to 36 cm to over 105 cm. Liquid crystal display (LCD) television sets of screen size below 63 cm are also covered under the restrictions. Putting an item under a restricted category of imports means the importer of that commodity will have to seek an import licence from the Commerce Ministry's DGFT. China is the largest exporter of TV sets in India. It was followed by countries like Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Germany. Imports of colour TV in FY20 was worth $781 million in 2019-20, of which imports from Vietnam and China stood at $428 million and $293 million respectively in FY19. Panasonic India CEO & President Manish Sharma was optimistic about the development, stating: "The move will have a procedural impact. It will definitely have a positive impact on domestic assembling which happens here. Leading brands already have manufacturing and assembling units in the country. So, it is not going to impact us." (With inputs from PTI) Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has signed an executive order that state union leaders predict will provide hundreds, possibly thousands, of front-line workers presumptive eligibility for workers compensation benefits if they contracted the coronavirus while on the job during the early days of the pandemic. The Democrats order came July 24 after weeks of demands by workers, union officials, and some state legislators who were concerned that workers deemed as essential and who get infected had no guarantee theyd qualify for compensation to cover lost wages and their medical care. Fewer than one-third of states have enacted such a policy, which shifts the burden of proof for coverage. Our state owes a debt to all of the health care professionals, grocery store clerks, and other essential workers who served vital roles during the earliest and darkest stages of this public health crisis, Lamont said in a written statement, also voicing thanks to those employees who have done the right thing by their employees. He noted the states Workers Compensation Commission has continued to operate during the pandemic. Lamont said earlier this month that he would sign such an order. The promise came the same day that a news conference was held at the state Capitol, where state lawmakers and essential workers called for the language. Nurse Dori Harrington of Manchester recently told The Associated Press about how she became front-line infected with COVID-19 while caring for infected patients at a nursing home, with limited protective gear. She was severely ill and missed five weeks of work, but her workers comp claim was initially denied on the grounds that her disease was not distinctively associated with, nor peculiar to her job. She eventually won her claim with help from her union. Nobody should have to fight to be taken care of when they were simply doing their job taking care of other people, Harrington said. Its obnoxious to me. Lamonts order would apply to people who missed a day or more of work between March 10 and May 20 due to a diagnosis of COVID-19, or due to symptoms that were diagnosed as COVID-19, contracted while at work. Beginning Aug. 1, the Workers Compensation Commission must report to the governor and state legislators on the number of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 claims filed and provide information about the percentage that are litigated, the number of appeals and other data. Sal Luciano, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO, said the order finally shows some appreciation for the exceptionally challenging jobs that Connecticuts essential workers were forced to do while risking their exposure to the coronavirus while Lamonts stay-at-home order was in place. We look forward to continuing to work further on this issue in a future special session to make sure that every essential worker receives the workers compensation benefits they have earned without having to go through a protracted appeals process, Luciano said in a written statement. In other coronavirus news: Rule Changes The Department of Economic and Community Development announced some changes to how various businesses can operate during the pandemic, including giving nonessential businesses the right to refuse service to anyone not wearing a face mask. Meanwhile, indoor performances at restaurants will now be allowed, with the exception of musical vocalists. Servers will no longer be required to wear gloves. At hotels, nonessential services and amenities, such as valets and ice machines, are now permitted. Back to School July 24 was the deadline for school districts across Connecticut to release their plans for reopening schools in the new school year. In New Haven, education officials are planning a hybrid model for the fall. Students will alternate between in-class and distance learning, with students in pre-K through third grade spending more time in the classroom than older students. New Haven Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey told the governor, during a discussion on Friday with students and educators about distance learning, theres still a lot of concern about returning to school among her parents and teachers, who she described as petrified about the prospect sending their kids back. New Haven had some high spikes of infections and deaths during the earlier days of the pandemic. When my parents and teachers look me in the face and say, How can you bring us back? What will you say if one of us dies on your watch? Those are things we need to think about, Tracey told Lamont. I want my kids back in school, but I want it to be safe for them. Lamont noted that during the height of the pandemic, doctors and nurses in Connecticut had lower infection rates than the general public because they wore masks and had access to PPE. He noted the state was also able to keep daycare centers open safely, using various protections, and eventually partially reopen restaurants. I think its going to be the same thing with the teachers, he said. Weve got to do everything we can to convince them. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Workers' Compensation Connecticut Officials in Libya's UN-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, have disclosed for the first time to The Associated Press the deliberations that resulted in Turkey becoming a major broker in the war When Turkey's president signed a security deal last year to back one of the sides in Libya's civil war, another agreement was waiting to be signed by his new proteges the same day: a memorandum redrawing the two countries' maritime borders. In Recep Tayyip Erdogan's memo, Turkey and Libya lay claim to large areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the potential natural gas deposits under it. The deal achieved a longtime goal of Turkey - finding a partner to back its claims. Officials in Libya's U.N.-supported government in the capital, Tripoli, have disclosed for the first time to The Associated Press the deliberations that resulted in Turkey becoming a major broker in the war, opposite Russia. They describe the relationship as necessary, and say Turkey's foray into the conflict goes hand-in-hand with its economic designs. Several officials say their side entered the deals with Turkey reluctantly, late last year, believing they had no choice. They desperately needed an ally as their opponent in the war, Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Hifter, bore down on Tripoli with his forces, strengthened by Russian, Emirati and Egyptian backing. ``It was like a give-and-take game,'' said one official in Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj's office. ``They took advantage of our weakness at the time.'' He and other officials spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety in a country largely ruled by an array of militias. In the end, Turkey sent troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries and other military support that helped pro-Sarraj forces repel the LNA assault this spring, preventing the collapse of the Tripoli-based administration and shifting the tide of the war. But Ankara's role is just one side of how outside powers are exploiting and fueling the civil war in the oil-rich North African nation. Russia has sent weapons, air defense systems and mercenaries to Libya's front lines to back the LNA offensive, launched last year and aimed at capturing Tripoli. That help has continued even after the LNA's withdrawal, though Russia has denied any role in the Libyan conflict. The interventions are deepening a civil war born after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The LNA controls eastern and southern Libya. Sarraj's government controls Tripoli and its surroundings, in the west. Erdogan has only acknowledged sending high-level advisers to help pro-Sarraj forces. In reality, Ankara deployed a few hundred troops and an estimated 3,500-3,800 Syrian mercenaries over the first quarter of the year, a Pentagon report last week said. Turkey also sent weapons, military equipment and air defense systems. Sarraj's office didn't answer several calls seeking comment on the relationship with Turkey. One Libyan official acknowledged to the AP the Tripoli government's ``full reliance'' on Turkey. However, ``we would not have reached this point'' if not for the LNA offensive, he said. The officials said Turkey pushed the government for over a year to approve the maritime deal, but Sarraj resisted. In part, he felt he did not have the authority to strike international agreements, being head of a transitional government. He may have also been wary of making Mediterranean claims certain to be rejected by the Europeans. ``It was a relentless pressure,'' one official said, adding that Islamists inside Sarraj's administration also wielded influence in support of Ankara. ``Turkey was the only country that promised support, and we agreed only after all other doors were closed.'' The security and maritime deals were signed in late November. Under the accord, Libya and Turkey claim adjoining parts of the Mediterranean and exploration rights there. Greece disputes the deal, considering the waters part of its continental shelf. The EU said it violates international law and poses a ``threat to stability.'' Turkey has long wanted to alter the old boundaries and its drive gained urgency as Egypt, Israel and Cyprus moved to exploit newly discovered natural gas fields in their waters. ``We are tearing up maps of the East Mediterranean that were drawn up to imprison us on the mainland,'' Erdogan deputy Fuat Oktay said. Turkey's moves, particularly its claim on Greek waters, have heightened tensions between the two NATO members, who openly clashed 46 years ago in the conflict over Cyprus. The maritime claims give Turkey ``pressure points'' to apply against other nations around the Eastern Mediterranean, said Oded Berkowitz, an Israeli security analyst who specializes in the Libyan conflict. It can aim to block Egypt, Israel and Cyprus from directly exporting natural gas to Europe and to influence migrant trafficking. Turkey has long had interests in Libya, mainly construction and energy projects. It has also been pressing for new business opportunities and recouping losses sustained since Ghadafi was pushed from power. The Turkish Contractor's Association estimated that in 2011, just after the country's popular uprising, Turkish companies had more than $18 billion in contracts in Libya. Many of those were lost in the ensuing chaos and war. In June, a Turkish delegation including the foreign and finance ministers, met Tripoli officials and presented bills for $2 billion owed to Turkish firms, another official said. Tripoli agreed to pay back that and $1.7 billion in other debts and compensation for machinery and equipment lost in the war, he said. The agreement still needs final approval from Sarraj. Libyan officials have said Turkey is building a naval base as part of Misrata's port and a base at the al-Waitya air base in the desert southwest of Tripoli. A Turkish government official told the AP that the ``issue of bases is not on the agenda.'' He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Meanwhile, Turkish and pro-Sarraj forces are preparing an operation to retake the coastal city of Sirte and the inland Jufra air base, which Hifter's ally Egypt has said would prompt it to deploy troops to Libya. But it's only a part of the bigger picture, said Jalel Harchaoui, a research fellow specializing in Libyan affairs at the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations. ``Control over that territory isn't so much about Libya's oil itself as it's about the natural gas under the Mediterranean Sea,'' he said. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: I do, and I found some in this article for CNN by Rich Thau. He is the president and co-founder of a research firm called Engagious. Thau writes: Pollsters are consistently telling us [that] Democratic nominee Joe Biden is far ahead. Im not looking to pick a fight, as their sample sizes are much larger than mine. That said, as a focus group moderator, Im hearing strong support for President Donald Trump from a critical sliver of the electorate. [E]ach month for the past 17 months, Ive had a unique window into the Americans largely responsible for giving the president his slim Electoral College victory: so-called Obama-Trump swing voters across the upper Midwest. Our Swing Voter Project has uncovered that many of these people, who live in places such as Canton, Ohio; Davenport, Iowa; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Macomb County, Michigan, prefer Trump over Biden. In fact, 22 of 33 respondents in these four most recent locations feel this way. And over the first year of the project, from March 2019 through February 2020, more than two-thirds of the Obama-Trump voters said they would take Trump over Obama in a hypothetical match-up. (Emphasis added) Why do these voters support Trump? Thau explains: They think a businessman is best suited to turn the country around economically. They feel Covid-19 was not Trumps fault, and hes doing the best he can to contain it. They conflate the Black Lives Matter protesters with the rioters attacking federal buildings and retail shops [Note: Or maybe they make the distinction but are appalled that Democratic mayors let rioters run rampant]. They dont want historic monuments torn down. And they dismiss defunding the police as ridiculous. These voters tell me they want America finally to be put first; they oppose immigration and trade policies they say give benefits to foreigners at their expense. And they want a non-politician who relentlessly fights back, after witnessing too many office holders fold in the face of special interests. Thau finds that the mainstream medias anti-Trump drumbeat has virtually no impact on these voters: Many are, instead, people who get their news disproportionately from local television, regional websites and Facebook. Compared to the kinds of people who seek out news from national cable channels, many swing voters reside in a national politics desert. In short, while Americas political media generate a pipelines worth of information daily, these swing voters consume merely a trickle. They appear, though, to have consumed enough information to have serious doubts about Joe Biden: [S]everal told me Biden would be a puppet of others if he were elected. Thats because many are convinced he has dementia, and they mocked him after seeing videos of his misstatements online. What Id really like to see is polling that shows Trump ahead in key battleground states. But these days, Ill take good news anywhere I can find it. "We are delighted to be recognized and featured in the CIO Applications publication," said Robert Bull, CEO and Founding Member of AdminaHealth. "HR administrators have been facing unprecedented challenges that are only increasing as economies slowly start to reopen and workers' status change back to being benefit eligible. The economic reopening coincides with the launch of mid-year and new plan year renewal activities, causing a critical need for automation. We are honored that our software is recognized as a valuable platform to simplify and streamline these processes." In addition to COVID-19-related challenges, HR administrators are facing increased pressure to tailor benefits to the rising gig economy and the huge influx of millennials in the workforce. As a result, HR's focus has shifted to diversified employee benefit packages, with a growing emphasis on voluntary benefits. 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The platform supports employers, carriers, brokers, TPAs, associations, and benefit administrators. Customers realize significant operational efficiencies, higher rates of billing accuracy, reduced premium leakage, and improved time to market for new benefit introduction. For more information about the industry-recognized AdminaHealth Billing Suite SaaS platform, visit AdminaHealth.com. SOURCE AdminaHealth Related Links http://www.AdminaHealth.com German Chancellor Angela Merkel Germany's economic recovery risks being derailed by a second wave of Covid-19 as the country battles back from its deepest slump in at least 50 years, experts have warned. Output in Europe's biggest economy plunged by 10.1pc between April and June, more than double the hit it suffered in early 2009 after the financial crisis - and the worst fall since the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) began collecting quarterly data in 1970. Officials now fear that a fresh surge in Covid inections may put paid to hopes of a swift bounce back. Germany recorded 839 new cases in the latest 24 hours, its highest level for six weeks according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The country's public health institute called the development "very concerning". As a manufacturing powerhouse heavily dependent on exports, Germany was particularly hard hit by a collapse in global trade after coronavirus struck with the FSO reporting a massive slump in exports and imports. The Eurozone overall is expected to unveil an even deeper 15.6pc collapse in GDP on Friday. Germany has thrown its full fiscal might at the crisis, launching an initial 750bn (680bn) emergency package in March followed by a further 130bn of measures last month including a temporary VAT cut. Its leading thinktank, the Ifo institute, predicts a recovery of 6.9pc between July and September. However, economists have warned the fightback is already losing some momentum. Jorg Kramer, an economist at Commerzbank, said: There are several arguments in favour of a slower pace in the coming weeks such as the difficult situation on the labour market or the higher indebtedness of companies, which were forced to run up debt to bridge the lockdown and now have to pay the loans back, forcing them to save. In addition, the virus and the restrictions imposed to contain it will continue to hamper activity in some sectors of the economy and prevent a return to normality there for the foreseeable future. This effect would be greatly reinforced if a second corona wave were to occur in the coming weeks. Story continues Even if Germany escapes a second wave itself, its economy will suffer due to its dependence on trading with other European nations at risk of their own outbreaks, Capital Economics said. Andrew Kenningham, chief European economist, said: The economy will be constrained by the ongoing weakness of external demand because of its dependence on exports, so a second wave of infections and confinement measures elsewhere in Europe is a major downside risk. The German data came as unemployment across the 19-member Eurozone edged up to 7.8pc, its highest since February last year. Europes statistics agency warned true unemployment could be much higher because many unemployed workers are no longer looking for jobs, excluding them from the count. Despite the second wave threat, the head of France's central bank suggested its own economic slump may not be as bad as first feared. Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said the nation's performance may be "a little better" than the 10pc fall in GDP pencilled in by the Bank of France this year, with output returning to pre-crisis levels in early 2022. President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a support package worth 137bn in March to ward off the virus, and will present another 100bn stimulus to propel the recovery after the summer. But Mr Villeroy warned: "Public money is not unlimited. The 'whatever it takes' must progressively give way to 'when it is needed. Vivian Ouya is a Kenyan human rights lawyer and socialist feminist. She is the co-founder of Feminists in Kenya. In the last few months, as the coronavirus has spread across the world, African countries have registered a surge in cases of domestic violence and sexual violence, which has provoked public outrage. In May, South Sudanese activists protested the gang rape of an eight-year-old girl by three men while holding her mother at gunpoint, in the capital, Juba. The online campaign #SouthSudaneseSurvivor prompted women to share their harrowing experiences to break the silence on sexual abuse and rape culture in their communities both in the country and the diaspora. Around the same time, in one of his national COVID-19 addresses, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa decried that the scourge of gender-based violence continues to stalk our country as the men of our country declared war on the women. Calls to the government-run GBV and femicide command centre had reportedly doubled during the nationwide lockdown. In early June, Nigerians started the #WeAreTired campaign after two young women, Vera Uwaila Omosuwa, a 22-year-old microbiology student, and 18-year-old Barakat Bello were raped and killed five days apart. Following the online campaign and nationwide protests by womens rights activists, all 36 Nigerian governors agreed to declare a state of emergency over gender-based violence against women and children. In the same month, Nigerian Popstar Dbanj faced allegations of rape and abduction. In late June, campaigners in Sierra Leone protested the rape and killing of a five-year-old girl, Kadijah Saccoh. In July, Liberian human rights activists called on President George Weah to announce policy responses to the alarming increase in rape. In Machakos County in Kenya, 3,964 girls became pregnant in five month period to June, , as children stayed at home due to COVID-19 closures. Similar grim trends have been registered in neighbouring Uganda. Most of these cases are a result of statutory rape. The majority of cases of sexual violence are perpetrated by people known to the children, proof that home is hardly a safe place. African countries are not unique in this pattern of increased gender-based violence during the pandemic. The UN has warned of a shadow pandemic, as countries across the world have reported a spike in domestic violence. The reality, however, is that violence against women and girls is hardly a shadow pandemic. The term shadow trivialises and minimises the consistent and harrowing violence African women and girls experience on a daily basis. To address violence against women and girls, African governments must first acknowledge its historic existence and tackle it as a matter of national emergency. What the present crisis highlights across the African continent is the ineffectiveness of past measures. It seems the little band-aids that existed in normal pre-pandemic times have been ripped off, and the perpetual state of violence that African women experience can no longer be ignored. No normal times for womens safety The gender-based violence pandemic sweeping through Africa today comes on the heels of a series of protests, calls for action from activists and declarations of commitment to eradicating the problem from government officials over the past few years. In Sierra Leone, President Julius Maada Bio declared a national emergency over sexual violence in February 2019 after hearing the testimony from a five-year-old girl who was paralysed after being raped. In Sudan, an independent commission was formed in September 2019, to investigate the massacre and mass rape of protesters during a sit-in in Khartoum, demanding the military hand over power after the deposing long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir. The commission is still to release the results of its inquiry. In South Africa, in 2018, activists presented 24 demands to the government calling for action against Gender-Based Violence. A few months later, in response to these demands, the Presidential Summit Against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide was held, and the presidency expressed its commitment to addressing all of them. But just a year later, the rape and murder of 19-year-old student Uyinene Mrwetyana at a post office sparked mass protests against the lack of progress on eliminating gender-based violence. In Nigeria, photographer Busola Dakolos testimony detailing her rape by the pastor of a large church in Abuja sparked public outcry and precipitated the campaign #ChurchToo to demand accountability from the Church in 2019. The Christian Association of Nigeria pledged to get to the root of the matter. And perhaps even more importantly, across West Africa, in the aftermath of the Ebola outbreak of 2013-2015, evidence was collected of a significant increase in sexual and gender-based violence. Yet the local authorities did not take action to put protocols in place to protect women and children. Why does sexual violence continue to rise? Rape does not happen in a vacuum. It is part of a continuum of gender-based violence allowed and meted out on women through harmful social and cultural norms embedded in society. Stereotypical gender norms and practices endorsed by patriarchy remain at the root of it. When it comes to irrevocably and radically shifting societal standards towards humanising women outside violence, most of society remains impervious. Various actors from legislators to law enforcement, religious bodies, the media and gatekeepers of culture have not taken their role as guarantors of the rights of women, girls and minorities seriously. As Nigerian feminist scholar, Amina Mama, has said, African liberated states have never liberated women. Its been an edifice of male complicity engaged in pacification forever colonial, post-colonial, neoliberal, theocratic. Survivors often find themselves between a rock and a hard place, between a societal system that silences them and a state that constantly fails to value their lives. Globally, 30 percent of women experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Women do not always report their experiences of violence because of deep-rooted barriers including fear of stigma and shame, financial barriers, lack of awareness of available services, fear of revenge, lack of law enforcement action and attitudes surrounding violence as a normal component of life. Containing COVID-19 has now become the primary focus of governments, with little attention paid to gender-based violence. State control and militarism have taken centre stage. The solidifying of oppressive state power in a pandemic means a consolidation of patriarchal power and violence at micro- and macro-levels. Economic pressures have significantly limited alternatives for victims of violence. COVID-19-related restrictions have forced survivors to co-exist with their abusers and justice systems offer little hope for the punishment of perpetrators. Investment by African governments in state-funded shelters could have created safe spaces for victims of gender-based violence, but that has not happened. Additionally, civic support has been limited by both by restrictions on movement and the lack of capacities in addressing occupational safety and protection in these times. What COVID-19 response must bring? Building a post-COVID-19 society that better addresses inequality and provides a better social contract for women is a liberation struggle that requires society-wide commitment. Social and cultural norms that uphold scrutiny and control of womens sexuality, enable victim-blaming and excuse violence against women must be dismantled. As Oyeronkee Oyewumi, professor of sociology at Stony Brook University, has argued: What I see is what I call cultures of impunity that colonisation represented The colonisers did whatever they wanted, and so they did lay out these institutions that were not responsive to the colonised. As a result, today, we have all sorts of cultures of impunity from the top-down We must never accept. The pandemic has tested the fabric of society as we know it. It has exposed the failures and the unsustainable nature of capitalism. The social-political and economic impact of the health crisis has forced us to re-imagine a just world. As we advocate for that just world, we must, with similar gusto, advocate for a safer world for women. We must stop interventions that entrench performative male support of gender equality with no shift in how power is held and exercised. Any responses to sexual violence in this pandemic must be mindful of the ways in which societies were already failing women. Therefore, an understanding of systemic inequalities is essential in creating alternatives. The long-term impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in all their diversities depends on what responses African states and communities put in place regarding gender-based violence. States must acknowledge and link the historical institutionalisation of male dominance to gender-based violence and work towards eliminating the hurdles to womens right to a dignified life. Womens voices must be centred in decision-making both at the national and community level and services from medical-legal and psychosocial assistance expedited to mitigate gender-based violence within COVID-19 response plans. A continent-wide response is necessary and urgent. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. "As an established leader in failure analysis, we know companies investing in nanoprobing dramatically improve their fault analysis workflows, and the nProber IV platform offers our highest technical performance to date," said Glyn Davies, vice president and general manager of semiconductor at Thermo Fisher. "Semiconductor manufacturers will save time and money by more quickly identifying defects that impact device performance, allowing them to bring better products to market even faster." Failure analysis lab managers who need to improve the efficiency of their TEM workflows can take advantage of the automation and guided operation built into the nProber IV. It enables production-oriented precise fault localization at the leading edge while reducing the need for expert users. The nProber IV provides specific localization and accurate electrical characterization of parametric faults in advanced FinFET transistors by combining an ultra-stable, temperature control probing platform and low energy electrostatic nanoprobing LEEN2 SEM column that enables probing at 100eV to support today's advanced technologies. Transistor characterization at less than 1 nanosecond pulsing improves the detection of resistive gate faults. nProber IV introduces the second-generation EBIRCH2 detection system for enhanced sensitivity and the precise localization of low impedance faults. EBIRCH2 fault localization is combined with the LEEN2 SEM column that can operate at up to 100nA, allowing the nProber IV system to localize faults in 3D NAND and interconnect structures. Finally, nProber IV efficiency is enhanced with the easyProbe automation system that automates much of the nanoprobing workflow and allows for extended periods of unattended operation, allowing users to spend time on other tasks in the FA lab while the nProber IV system operates. To learn more, please visit https://ter.li/nPIV. 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. Media Contact Information: Kathy Gill Thermo Fisher Scientific +1 971-294-9262 [email protected] SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Related Links http://www.thermofisher.com Kolkata Police seized around 1400 litres of purported spurious sanitizer from two shops in central Kolkata on Thursday. Two persons have been arrested. Sanitizers and disinfectants are presently in high demand in the market because of the spread of Covid-19. Acting on information, officers of the Kolkata Polices enforcement branch and anti-rowdy section raided two shops and seized around 1400 litres of purported spurious sanitizers, said a senior police officer. The sanitizers were kept in bottles of various shapes and sizes without any labels or manufacturing certificates. The persons could not produce valid documents. Two persons Rajib Punjabi and Jiauddin Basha were arrested. The chemicals that were being stored and mixed in tin-drums and other plastic containers appeared harmful, the officer said. Police said that the duo was being interrogated and further investigation was on. AUSTIN, Texas, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Biologics, LLC, is announcing today that it has received approval from FDA that it may proceed with a Phase II trial under an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the use of ExoFlo, a bone marrow-derived extracellular vesicle and exosome product, in the treatment of COVID-19 associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). The ExoFlo Infusion Treatment for COVID-19 (EXIT COVID-19) Associated ARDS trial will be a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Direct Biologics believes that this study is the first and only Phase II IND trial utilizing bone marrow-derived extracellular vesicles to treat SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) related ARDS. Extracellular vesicles are naturally occurring vesicles produced by most eukaryotic cells and are the primary mode of intercellular paracrine signaling. The population of extracellular vesicles secreted by bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) have been studied extensively in preclinical studies for inflammation, and these studies suggest that they may have the ability to downregulate inflammation and upregulate tissue repair in humans. Mark Adams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Direct Biologics, stated, "We are pleased the FDA has approved Direct Biologics to proceed with our study in the treatment of severe COVID-19 infections. In addition to its promise in treating COVID-19, the ongoing clinical and scientific research suggests that our proprietary advanced biotechnology platform has the potential to be part of a new class of medicine that may generate positive medical outcomes for patients." Mr. Adams went on to say, "We are also very grateful for the steadfast support of Congressman Michael McCaul, U.S. Representative for his congressional district in Texas. Through his leadership, vision, and support of Direct Biologics, Congressman McCaul has been and continues to be an integral part of the quest to bring a real solution for patients suffering from COVID-19." "The study of bone marrow-derived stem cell extracellular vesicles as a treatment for acute lung disease has been a topic of great interest among the medical community for years," notes Direct Biologics Co-Founder and President, Joe Schmidt. "We are excited to conduct this potentially ground-breaking study and hope the findings will help in the fight to defeat COVID-19. Furthermore, we are pleased with the collaborative spirit, diligence, and responsiveness of the FDA during the IND application process. We are grateful for the ability to proceed with EXIT COVID-19. Proceeding to a Phase II clinical trial reflects the significant efforts of Direct Biologics to develop a meaningful therapy for COVID-19 and to establish controls necessary for current Good Manufacturing Practice." The EXIT COVID-19 study will enroll 60 COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS at three research sites across the U.S. The primary efficacy endpoints will be all-cause mortality and median days to recovery. Direct Biologics expects to commence patient enrollment in the next 30 days. This Phase II investigational study will expand upon previous findings from a prospective, open-label safety and efficacy study of ExoFlo, which was led by New York City physician Vikram Sengupta, MD, in collaboration with Sascha Sengupta, MD, and Angel Lazo, Jr, MD. In that trial, 24 critically ill patients with moderate to severe ARDS caused by COVID-19, many of them entering or in the midst of the destructive inflammatory state known as cytokine storm, were treated with a single intravenous dose of ExoFlo. This initial COVID-19 study had promising safety and efficacy data, and it appeared to be well tolerated. It was published in a special issue of Stem Cells and Development this past June. About ExoFlo ExoFlo is an investigational new drug that has not been approved or licensed by FDA. It is an allograft extracellular vesicle product isolated from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs). ExoFlo provides signaling proteins that have been shown to modulate inflammation and may stimulate bioactivity and direct cellular communication. About Direct Biologics Direct Biologics, LLC, is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with an R&D facility located at the University of California, San Diego, and an Operations and Order Fulfillment Center located in St. Louis, Missouri. Direct Biologics is a market-leading innovator and cGMP manufacturer of regenerative medical products, including a robust line of extracellular vesicle-based biological products. The Company was created to expand the science of cutting-edge biologic technologies. Direct Biologic's management team holds extensive collective experience in biologics research, development, and commercialization, making the Company a leader in the evolving, next generation segment of the biotherapeutics industry. Direct Biologics is dedicated to pursuing additional clinical applications of ExoFlo through the FDA's investigational new drug application process. For more information visit www.directbiologics.com. Phone: 800-791-1021 Email: [email protected] Related Links Company Website SOURCE Direct Biologics, LLC Boeing delayed the debut of its newest plane and slowed production across the heart of its jetliner lineup as the company burned more cash amid the coronavirus pandemic. The planemaker intends to make deeper cuts to its commercial-aircraft and services business, with total job losses reaching 19,000 this year - 3,000 more than it said before. The new 777X won't carry passengers until 2022 instead of next year. And Boeing again pared production plans for the 787 Dreamliner as a saturated market left the company with a stockpile of undelivered jets. The 747 is one of Boeing's flagship planes. Credit:Andrew De La Rue With the reduced manufacturing rates for the 787, Boeing is studying whether to consolidate assembly in a single site instead of building the model in Washington state and South Carolina. Boeing will also ramp up work at its 737 Max factory more gradually than initially planned due to the virus. And the company is winding down one of its most iconic aircraft: the humpbacked 747 jumbo jets. Executives are trying to resize operations for a market shrunken by the virus outbreak -- but without cutting so deeply that Boeing's recovery is damaged later this decade. The pandemic's devastating effect on the outlook for jetliner sales is compounding the financial stress from the 737 Max, Boeing's best-selling jet, which has been grounded since March 2019 after two deadly crashes. EDWARDSVILLE With Edwardsville School District 7 close to releasing its plan for the fall semester, other districts are also preparing. District 7 plans to release its complete return-to-school document this Saturday. The document was last discussed publicly during the districts board of education meeting on July 20. On its website, District 7 has been updating its District Reopening section with information about returning to school. The latest update includes a section devoted to addressing frequently asked questions. During District 7s meeting, superintendent Jason Henderson said 1,215 students have opted to learn remotely for the entirety of the fall semester instead of attending classes at school, which is about 16 percent of the districts student population. The finding is comparable to another local district, Collinsville School District. Collinsville has roughly 1,000 fewer students (6,400) than Edwardsville, but superintendent Brad Skertich said 16 percent is on the low end of what he expected. At this time, with about half of our students registered, we expect between 15 and 25 percent will choose remote only, he said in an email. One primary concern is keeping the safety of students in mind while trying to maintain a solid educational system. We are focused on meeting our students academic and social-emotional needs while keeping students and staff safe, he said. Collinsvilles website includes a 2020-21 Learning section with updated information for the school community. At about half the size of District 7 with 3,800 students, Triad School District 2 is still collecting data on remote learning. Survey The Intelligencer wants to hear from our readers on returning to school this fall. If interested, complete our brief survey. It takes about three minutes to finish and you may stay completely anonymous. If you wish to fill out the survey, visit: Back to school survey. See More Collapse Kennan Fagan, assistant superintendent, said that the districts parent survey regarding remote learning closed Monday, so numbers have yet to be tallied. However, the district has published on its website a Learning Plan Update last updated on Tuesday. The update is included in the districts digital, interactive guide for the community Triad Fall 2020 Return To Learn Plan. MBABANE- The number of daily infections is increasing! Yesterday, 147 people were confirmed positive for COVID-19 among 421 tests that were conducted. This brings the total number of cases to 2551 in the country. Also, one more death was recorded, bringing the total number of deaths to 40. This was revealed by the Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi in a statement that informs the public of the status of COVID-19 in Eswatini. Among the 147 cases that were confirmed positive for the virus, 83 were from the Hhohho Region, 50 were from the Manzini Region, 11 were from the Lubombo Region and three were from the Shiswelweni Region. Announce Nkosi said the Ministry of Health was sad to announce one new COVID-19 related death. The 40th COVID-19 related death is of a 68-year-old woman from Manzini Region who presented to one of the countrys hospitals with severe respiratory symptoms and complications from other pre-existing conditions. She passed away while being treated as a COVID-19 suspect and results came back confirming COVID-19 diagnosis, she said. She said the Ministry of Health thanked all frontline staff in this COVID-19 fight. The Juaben Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region has donated a number of Personal Protective equipment (PPEs) to the registration officers-in-charge of the current registration of the new voters registration. Items donated included nose masks, hand sanitizers, and tissues. Mr. Kodjo Ansah-Sem, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) speaking at a brief presentation at Kotei, a farming community in the Juaben municipality said the exercise was necessary because the registration officers needed to be protected against contracting the disease. He said the registration officers needed to be protected because the spread of the disease could escalate if the officers were not protected. This is part of the efforts to help curb the COVID-19 disease amidst the registration exercise, the MCE noted. Reverend Peter Antwi-Bosiako, the Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD)said the gesture was not a political gimmick but a collective responsibility and mutual role of the government to promote and sustain development cause of the local people amidst the COVID-19. He urged the people to observe preventive and protective protocols against the disease as outlined by the government in order to prevent the contraction and spread of the disease. Mr. Isaac Asante, the Registration Officer of the Center at Juaben-Kotei commended the Municipal Assembly for the gesture and urged his colleagues not to be entangled by fear and panic as they embarked on their duties. Relatedly, the Municipal Assembly also donated the preventive items such as nose masks and hand sanitizers to the community members they visited. Indonesia and New Zealand have signed a Joint Statement and Plan of Action for Comprehensive Partnership for the next five years, covering a wide range of strategic issues that include cooperation in COVID-19 handling. Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi signed the agreement with her New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters, who is also the deputy prime minister, during the Ninth Joint Ministerial Commission -- the first to be held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic -- on Wednesday. My first virtual Joint Commission Meeting with Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand (29/07) pic.twitter.com/gyZ0Gabrhv Menteri Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia (@Menlu_RI) July 29, 2020 During the meeting, we exchanged views about COVID-19 handling in our respective countries and the implementation of foreign policy during the pandemic," Retno said in a statement obtained by The Jakarta Post. "Indonesia is currently focused on four things namely protection, procurement of medical supplies, [COVID-19] vaccine procurement and economic cooperation." She said that both countries agreed on the importance of global solidarity to move toward sustainable COVID-19 recovery and a stronger economy. New Zealand has supported Indonesia with NZ$6.12 million (US$ 4.08 million) of aid to assist in, among other things, boosting testing capacity, providing protective gear, hygiene and infection-prevention supplies, as well as improving essential health services. During the meeting, Retno and Peters also agreed to increase the two countries' bilateral trade to NZ$4 billion by 2024. Much hard work is needed to achieve the target, especially during this pandemic. Indonesia hopes that New Zealand will remove barriers that hinder trade, such as by simplifying the import health standards for Indonesian fruit exports, she said. The action plan also includes cooperation in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), digital technology, womens participation, education and renewable energy. Both sides also pledged a commitment to reduce and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Retno added that Indonesia and New Zealand would also continue to support and sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement this year. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Rob Lever (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States Thu, July 30, 2020 11:30 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a77cb0 2 World US,Lawmakers,tech-companies,technology-companies,antitrust Free Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook are too powerful and will likely emerge from the coronavirus pandemic even stronger, the head of a US congressional antitrust committee said Wednesday at a high-stakes hearing which featured a grilling of the CEOs of the four US tech giants. Tim Cook of Apple, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google appeared jointly by video before the House of Representatives subcommittee conducting an investigation into market dominance. Democratic lawmakers questioned the vast market power of the companies while Republicans accused Facebook and Google in particular of stifling conservative voices. "Simply put, they have too much power," said Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the panel which has been conducting a year-long investigation into the business practices of the four companies. "This power staves off new forms of competition, creativity, and innovation," Cicilline said. "The dominant platforms have wielded their power in destructive, harmful ways in order to expand." While the hearing was called to focus on whether the companies have abused their dominant positions in the market, violating antitrust laws, it veered quickly into the hot topic of political bias. "I'll just cut to the chase -- big tech is out to get conservatives," said Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio. "That's not a suspicion. That's not a hunch. That's a fact." Republican Gregory Steube of Florida disputed Google's removal of a video promoting the unproven COVID-19 treatment hydroxychloroquine, saying it was seeking "to silence physicians in their opinion." Trump weighs in President Donald Trump, who has accused Facebook and Twitter of censoring his remarks and being biased against conservatives, weighed in with a tweet shortly before the hearing began. "If Congress doesn't bring fairness to Big Tech, which they should have done years ago, I will do it myself with Executive Orders," Trump said. "In Washington, it has been ALL TALK and NO ACTION for years, and the people of our Country are sick and tired of it!" Facebook's Zuckerberg and Google's Pichai pushed back against claims that their platforms filtered out conservative views. "Our goal is to offer a platform for all ideas," Zuckerberg said. "We want to give everyone in the world a voice." "We approach our work in a non-partisan way," said Pichai. "We'll continue to conduct ourselves in a neutral way." Abusing platforms? Apple's Cook faced tough questioning over the market power of the company's App Store and its treatment of developers. "We treat all app developers the same," Cook said. "We do not retaliate or bully people." Some lawmakers sought to play down the competitive harms of the companies, which have also won praise for innovating and introducing new technologies. "Being big is not inherently bad," said Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin. "Quite the opposite, in America you should be rewarded for success." Cicilline, the panel chairman, expressed concern that the firms would emerge even stronger from the coronavirus outbreak. "Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these corporations already stood out as titans in our economy," he said. "In the wake of COVID-19, however, they are likely to emerge stronger and more powerful than ever before." Bezos, in his first appearance before a congressional committee, defended Amazon's dealings with third-party sellers after a blistering attack from Cicilline. "Isn't it true that small businesses have no real option but rely on Amazon to connect with customers to make online sales?" the committee chair asked. "We've heard from third party sellers again and again during the course of our investigation that Amazon is the only game in town." Bezos disputed the characterization while adding, "There are a lot of options for small firms.. I think we are the best one. The CEOs, in their prepared comments, highlighted their American roots and values. "I walked away from a steady job into a Seattle garage to found my startup, fully understanding that it might not work," said Bezos, the world's richest person. Zuckerberg called Facebook a "proudly American company" and added that "our story would not have been possible without US laws that encourage competition and innovation." Cook described Apple as "a uniquely American company whose success is only possible in this country," and that the California giant is "motivated by the mission to put things into the world that enrich people's lives." The hearing takes place against a backdrop of antitrust investigations in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Current US antitrust laws make it difficult for enforcers to target companies simply for being large or dominant without also showing harm to consumers or abuse of market power. The committee, however, could lay a blueprint for antitrust in the digital era that would require a fundamental rewrite of the century-old competition rules. He added: "He started vomiting and was taken to the doctors who said they suspected he had eaten poisoned food. Around 3am, he started having difficulties in breathing and died when he was being taken to a Chinese facility." West Australian university students may have fallen victim to an email bungle that left at least two years of sexual assault reports to WA Police lost or unaccounted for, with Curtin University's website pointing students to an unmonitored email address up until this week. Loading A spokeswoman for Curtin said the university was contacted by WA Police on Tuesday, and as a result updated their website page directing students to report assaults using the incorrect email address. The development comes as WA Police apologised to the sexual assault victim who raised the email issue in 2018, but was at the time dismissed. WAtoday revealed on Tuesday archived web pages showed victims who attempted to report a sexual crime between at least February 2016 and March 2018 via an email listed on the WA Police website were sending highly sensitive reports to an incorrect address not monitored by police. Health officials and scientists believe genome sequencing of the coronavirus could hold great promise. The technique today helps trace where infections began, and perhaps one day it could help shape the way doctors treat COVID-19 patients. A new initiative between California and the San Francisco research institution funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs philanthropic organization could bring them one step closer. The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub will offer free genome sequencing for lab samples that have tested positive for the coronavirus from all California counties, the institution is slated to announce Thursday. It is one of the largest statewide, coordinated efforts to do genome sequencing for COVID-19, said Dr. Joe DeRisi, co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. Genome sequencing helps determine what strain of the virus people have, which helps public health officials trace how transmission occurred and where it came from. The Biohub had already been doing genome sequencing on samples from many California county public health departments on a smaller scale since March. Now, it is formally partnering with the state Department of Public Health to expand the work. Sequencing is not necessary for all samples, but can be useful to determine the source of an outbreak in some settings or to rule out a suspected pattern of transmission. For example, if sequencing found that similar strains of the virus are rampant at two different nursing homes, and the two facilities share staff, that may indicate a staffer brought the virus from one home to the other. Or if one factory employee has a strain that is similar to that of a coworker, it may indicate the virus spread at work; but if strains found in one workplace are vastly different, it indicates the employees likely got sick from interactions outside of work. Where its the most helpful is understanding the number of circulating strains in a given community, to understand if theres been a new introduction of a strain to a particular geographic area or facility, DeRisi said. That establishes whether youre looking at ongoing, in-community transmission, or whether theres been an outside introduction that was unbeknownst to you. Sequencing involves putting a sample that has tested positive for the coronavirus into a lab machine that analyzes the viral genetic material and identifies where mutations occur. A strain is a group of viruses with similar mutations. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has 30,000 letters of RNA, genetic material that includes instructions on how to make new copies of the virus. When the virus spreads from cell to cell and person to person, it passes on small changes, or mutations, in the viral information. Some of those mutations are then passed on to the next person. A strain is a product of a long chain of transmission, and the cumulative changes that occurred over time. The Biohub will not sequence every single sample. But it will sequence samples when the work can help answer critical questions about some outbreaks and how they started. Biohub has sequenced about 1,600 samples from nursing homes, packing plants and prisons from 20 California counties. It is sequencing samples from San Quentin State Prison to determine whether the outbreak there came in from one source and then spread, or if it came in from multiple sources carrying different strains. Sequencing has helped scientists determine that the East Coast has largely been hit with a European strain of the virus, while California has been hit by many strains, including from Europe and China. One of the potential promises of genome sequencing is that it could eventually help scientists learn whether certain strains of the coronavirus are resistant to certain drugs. That could help doctors pick which drugs, or cocktail of drugs, to administer to patients. With HIV, for instance, sequencing helped researchers glean that some strains of the virus respond well to certain drugs while other strains are resistant to the same drugs. 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. Ultimately, we might be able to use this data for things like susceptibility to drugs or a vaccine, said Dr. Robert Siegel, a Stanford infectious disease expert. Were not there yet. It is too early with the coronavirus to know whether some strains are resistant to drugs. There have not been many drugs that have successfully treated COVID-19. But a few, including remdesivir, appear to help some very sick patients. Imagine that you took all the patients on remdesivir, and you had good clinical data on them, and it turns out some people responded to remdesivir and some didnt, Siegel said. Its possible that is either a function of the viral strain or of the genetic makeup of the host, or a combination of the two. Or it could be luck. ... If we started seeing remdesivir resistance, almost certainly wed be able to tell what mutations gave rise to remdesivir resistance. It costs about $15 to $20 to sequence each sample, DeRisi said. The sequencing will be done at a lab at the Biohub, which is financed by the philanthropic organization Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in San Franciscos Mission Bay. The initiative was created in 2015 by Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, who pledged $600 million over 10 years to help advance medical research. The initiative has also committed $13.6 million to fund large, long-term COVID-19 studies in the Bay Area and a $4 million UCSF lab to process coronavirus tests. Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho FILE PHOTO: Visitors walk past a screen with the logo of Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo at the Atlapa Convention Center in Panama City By Andrea Shalal and Cassandra Garrison WASHINGTON/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The Trump administration is readying a new initiative that would use financial incentives to encourage U.S. firms to move production facilities out of Asia and into the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, a senior White House adviser said on Wednesday. The project could bring $30 billion to $50 billion in U.S. investment back to the Americas, Mauricio Claver-Carone told Reuters in an interview, adding that infrastructure, energy and transportation could be the first potential areas of focus. "We're essentially creating a 'Back to the Americas' initiative," he said. That would include both returning some facilities outsourced to China back to the United States and basing others in Latin America and the Caribbean in a drive for more so-called nearshoring, Claver-Carone said. He gave no details about the scope of possible incentives, but pointed to the administration's use of a $765 million loan to encourage Eastman Kodak Co to produce pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump has made "Buy America" policies a centerpiece of his administration since taking office in 2017, with those efforts accelerating sharply since the turmoil created by the pandemic. The United States and China signed a trade deal in January, but tensions have mounted in recent months over Beijing's handling of the outbreak, a national security law limiting the autonomy of Hong Kong, and other issues. Claver-Carone said the administration had already been working with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to help them attract U.S. investors, but the pandemic helped convince U.S. companies it was time to get on board. He did not name any companies. He said the outbreak had clearly demonstrated the advantages of having suppliers based closer to the United States than in Asia. Story continues The initiative would not focus on cheap labor costs, but would build on provisions aimed at protecting workers that were included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that entered into force in July, he added. Claver-Carone also said there needed to be an improvement in transparency over Chinese lending in Latin America. He said Ecuador in particular was "not being able to advance and move forward and kind of unshackle itself from that unfair, over-collateralized debt to China." Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has sought to renegotiate the terms of its debt to China, which totaled $6.5 billion in 2018. China invests heavily in Latin America and has been responsible for more than $40 billion in lending to the region since 2015, according to Inter-American Dialogue data. The United States wants to "collaborate" with China to ensure its lending practices in the region are more transparent, said Claver-Carone, echoing a push by the World Bank. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment. 'OVERWHELMING SUPPORT' If he wins a September election, Claver-Carone would be the first U.S. candidate to head the Washington-based Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin America's principal development finance institution. His candidacy has prompted push-back from some Latin American countries and former leaders, including publicly-shared letters signed by former presidents and ministers stating their opposition. Claver-Carone, who as a top Latin American adviser for Trump has played a key role pushing for punitive measures against socialist-run Venezuela and Cuba, said he had "overwhelming support" from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. He said 15 countries in the region had publicly supported him for the IDB job and six others, which he declined to name, had privately expressed their backing. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Cassandra Garrison in Buenos Aires, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) By Roslan Khasawneh SINGAPORE (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates-based oil trader GP Global has uncovered fraud within the company and filed criminal complaints against some of its employees, its legal representative said in a letter to the company's clients on its behalf. "Few employees have colluded with external entities using the Covid-19 (lockdown) and work from home arrangement to defraud the company and its customers," Arun Abraham, legal consultant and partner at UAE-based Salam Advocates & Legal Consultants said in the letter reviewed by Reuters. Salam Advocates were advising GP Global on "the internal investigation that was underway," Abraham told Reuters, confirming that the letter had been sent out to some of GP Global's clients last week. Based on preliminary investigations, "criminal complaints have been filed against few employees in Sharjah and Fujairah," Abraham said in the letter. The internal investigations revealed that "the fraudsters manipulated records that switched the cargo under the custodianship of GP with those goods financed by various banks and under CMA (collateral management agreement)," according to the letter. A detailed investigation is continuing on the methods of the fraud, "the individuals and entities involved, and the impact of the fraud" on GP's business, the letter said. GP Global, a supplier of marine fuels worldwide with offices in Europe, Asia and America, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On July 20, GP Global said that it had undertaken a "financial restructuring exercise" after it failed to "get full support from a few financial institutions recently". GP Global had also said recent market rumours questioning the company's financial condition were "blatant lies" being spread by "vested interests" and assured stakeholders its business was operating normally. (Reporting by Roslan Khasawneh; Editing by Florence Tan and Christian Schmolinger) BLUE BELL, Pa., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that the Philadelphia Business Journal has honored Michael M. Thomson, Unisys senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer, with a "2020 CFO of the Year" award. Thomson and other winners will receive formal recognition at a virtual award ceremony today. The award recognizes the success Thomson has achieved in leading Unisys Global Finance organization since assuming the role of CFO on an acting basis in April 2019, with confirmation as permanent CFO the following September. He joined Unisys as corporate controller and principal accounting officer in December 2015. His leadership helped Unisys accelerate its ongoing financial momentum in 2019. The company's full-year 2019 non-GAAP adjusted revenue grew 6.1% year-over-year, representing a second consecutive year of growth and the highest annual growth since 1998. Total company adjusted free cash flow nearly doubled year-over-year as the company achieved guidance ranges on all its guided financial metrics for the year. Thomson was also instrumental in leading the successful effort announced in February 2020 and closed the following month to sell Unisys' U.S. Federal business to SAIC, a premier technology integrator serving the defense, space, federal civilian and intelligence markets. The transaction significantly improved Unisys' capital structure and financial flexibility, which in turn has created additional operating flexibility. Unisys used the proceeds from the $1.2 billion transaction to reduce net debt by more than $1 billion and address approximately $600 million worth of required U.S. pension contributions. "Throughout his tenure at Unisys, and even more so as CFO, Mike has played a major role in strengthening the company's financial position and advancing our business objectives," said Unisys Chairman and CEO Peter A. Altabef. "He deserves this prestigious recognition." About Unisys Unisys is a global information technology company that builds high-performance, security-centric solutions for the most demanding businesses and governments. Unisys offerings include security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; industry applications and services; and innovative software operating environments for high-intensity enterprise computing. For more information on how Unisys builds better outcomes securely for its clients across the government, financial services and commercial markets, visit www.unisys.com. Follow Unisys on Twitter and LinkedIn. RELEASE NO.: 0730/9779 Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder. UIS-C SOURCE Unisys Corporation Mumbai: Terming the five-year ban on Islamic Research Foundation as an attack on Muslims, peace, democracy and justice, controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik on Friday said the ban was timed with the demonetisation fiasco to avert resistance and divert media attention. The central government has recently banned the IRF and declared it as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for five years. In an open letter, Naik, 51, who is abroad, said he will pursue all legal options to get the ban repealed and that the judiciary will fail the Modi government in its plans. 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. Before investigations were done, even before reports submitted, the ban was already decided. IRF was to be banned. Whether it was owing to my religion or some other reason, does not matter. What now matters is that my work of 25 years? completely lawful work? has been banned. And that is the most unfortunate thing for this country, Naik said in his letter. From the governments point of view, the timing itself could not have been better. The decision to ban IRF was taken in the middle of the demonetisation fiasco, as the country reeled under the self-imposed cash crunch. I wont be surprised if this ban was meant to distract media from what was going on in the country. For the public that is starved for cash, for trade and basic amenities, one cannot expect much of resistance, he stated. Talking about UAPA, Naik said, The law does not seem to apply to the likes of Rajeshwar Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Sadhvi Prachi who continue to make inflammatory speeches aimed at inciting communal hatred for mere political mileage. Leave aside legal action, the government has neither condemned their actions nor reprimanded them. Is this draconian law mainly meant for Muslims? Does the UAPA now exist mainly to silence minority groups? Naik asked. Let us not be gullible to think this was just an attack on me. It is an attack on whom I represent, the Indian Muslims. It is an attack on peace, democracy and justice. I will pursue all legal options to repeal this ban, the IRF founder said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA has just announced plans to increase University tuition fees for students studying the subjects of the humanities, and to reduce them for students who are studying so-called STEM courses Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics all in a bid to steer students away from the humanities and towards the natural sciences. Well, what is new? A few years ago, I was forced to warn the people of Barbados that there was an open conspiracy in our country to debunk, sideline and discourage the study of subjects such as English literature, history, music, law, philosophy and cultural and religious studies subjects that are components of the broad sphere of knowledge known as the humanities. Fortunately, with the change of Government in Barbados in 2018 there has seemingly come a change in direction, and the Barbados Ministry of Education is now undertaking such projects as developing a Caribbean History syllabus for Primary Schools ! But, even as I celebrate the new, more enlightened governmental policy in Barbados, I remain fearful of signs across the Caribbean that suggest to me that there is a very determined and influential lobby comprising Members of Parliament, political party policy gurus, educators, and business persons who, collectively, are intent on convincing Caribbean people that:- English literature and history are irrelevant and unimportant subjects that can be dispensed with; Our students should be directed away from the humanities and towards the so-called STEM subjects; The classic texts of European literature and philosophy the works of Shakespeare and Plato for example are totally irrelevant to our contemporary needs; and There is no value in exposing out students to texts that are written in our Caribbean vernaculars or nation languages. Well, let me in this article undertake the dual responsibilities of publicly telling these would-be opinion makers that they are wrong, and also warning the Caribbean people that if they allow themselves to be seduced into following the myopic advice being pushed at them that they will end up doing irreparable damage to their nations ! But, as we set out to explore this topic, let us begin with a clear understanding of what the subjects known as the humanities are fundamentally about. The humanities are those branches of learning that place Man and his/her interests and development at the centre of its focus. The subjects that comprise the humanities are language (both modern and classic), linguistics, literature, history, law and jurisprudence, philosophy, the theory and practice of the arts, archaeology, and those aspects of the social sciences that have humanistic content. These are all subjects that, traditionally, have been distinguished from and often juxtaposed to the natural sciences. To those superficial thinkers who seem to believe that there is little or no place for the humanities in our technology driven age, let me remind them that this argument over the relative merits of the humanities and the natural sciences was conducted several decades ago, and concluded with an acknowledgement of the central importance of the humanities. One eminent scholar who way back in the 1970s resolutely and convincingly put the case for the humanities was the late great economist, Dr E. F. Schumacher of Small Is Beautiful fame. Indeed, Dr Schumacher famously and publicly clashed with the eminent British scientist, Lord Snow, over this issue many years ago and articulated a telling and convincing argument in favour of the humanities. You see, Lord Snow the British Establishments champion of the natural sciences had publicly bemoaned the fact that the great majority of citizens knew nothing about the Second Law of Thermodynamics, a piece of scientific knowledge which, according to Lord Snow, was the scientific equivalent of the works of Shakespeare, thereby suggesting that the people were culturally and intellectually deficient. And this is how Dr Schumacher answered Lord Snow:- The Second Law of Thermodynamics is nothing more than a working hypothesis suitable for various types of scientific research. On the other hand a work by Shakespeare: teeming with the most vital ideas about the inner development of man, showing the whole grandeur and misery of a human existence. How could these two things be equivalent? What do I miss, as a human being, if I have never heard of the Second Law of Thermodynamics? The answer: nothing. And what do I miss by not knowing Shakespeare? Unless I get my understanding from another source, I simply miss my life. And, of course, for a work by Shakespeare we could substitute a host of Caribbean texts, inclusive of In the Castle of My Skin by Lamming, The Arrivants by Kamau Brathwaite, Black Jacobins by CLR James, or How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney! As Schumacher explained so clearly Science produces know-how, but know-how is nothing by itself, it is a means without an end. The essence of education must therefore be the transmission of values values that root us and give us a sense of self and a perspective, so that we acquire the wisdom with which to use and direct know-how or technology. Indeed, this is a fundamental point that those who devalue the humanities are completely missing! The fundamental purpose of education cannot be to merely fashion our young citizens into workers who will be able to function and produce in some narrow sphere of economic activity. Rather, education must go way beyond that, and must be designed to give our young people a conception of life in all of its complexity and a set of values that will root their personalities and imbue them with a strong and healthy sense of identity and a coherent perspective on the world. Of course, the STEM subjects are fine, and we do need them. But the point is that we need them to be taught within the wider and deeper context of the humanities if we are to produce well rounded, humane and civilized human beings who are capable of nuanced, imaginative and creative thought. And if one of the fundamental aims of our education system in this rapidly changing economic environment is to produce creative and versatile citizens, rather than citizens whose education has pigeonholed them to function only in some restricted sphere of activity, then once again we must avail ourselves of the humanities and their capacity to foster the development of the creative imagination. The planners of our Caribbean educational systems would do well to ponder on the vision for education that was outlined in the 2008 policy documents of the Peoples Empowerment Party (PEP) of Barbados. The PEP proposed for Barbados primary and secondary school students an integrated general academic and technical education that should be designed to:- dismantle the false distinction between so-called mental and manual work, and to develop a society of universal, comprehensively educated, culturally advanced and supremely versatile citizens who are not only equipped to carry out a wide variety of social assignments, but are also poised to face any change in economic production, and to compete at the highest international levels. None of this I dare say can be done without the humanities being accorded a pre-eminent role in our educational system! But let us conclude by returning to this all important issue of values, and the critical role that the humanities are required to play in instilling values in our youth. Values as we can all agree are of supreme importance, but values do not help us to navigate our way through life unless they become our own a part of our mental make-up. This therefore means that they must be more than mere formulae or dogmatic assertions: rather, we must think and feel with them! And for the educational system to be able to achieve this, it must expose our youth to great works of history, classic novels, penetrating poetry, towering and educating philosophies, timeless ethics and spiritual wisdom and it must do so, not only in the international language of English, but also in our peoples own nation languages as well! The whole idea is to get our youth to internalize critical values by intimately experiencing them in the relevant texts. As far as I am concerned therefore, there is definitely a place in our educational systems for Shakespeares plays, Lammings novels, Bachs classical canon, Derek Walcotts poetry and Bob Marleys world music works of art that teem with the most vital ideas about the inner development of man and of human society. And as for so-called old Greek philosophers that so many advocates of a STEM education are so willing to discard can you imagine how much our Caribbean students would benefit from exposure to such intellectually stimulating works as the English language editions of Platos dialogues? This old Greek philosopher, whose work was based upon and heavily influenced by the classical African civilization of Kemet (Egypt), utilized the Socratic Method of penetrating questioning to ventilate such timeless questions as what is justice, honour, virtue, morality, wisdom, immortality, patriotism, and the best type of State of government?. No, the critics of the humanities have it all wrong! They are thinking like the narrowest of business men and economists, and the direction that they are proposing to take us in is a direction of moral and cultural sterility and of economic narrowness and fragility! Let us ensure that we do not unwittingly fall into the trap! DAVID A. COMISSIONG Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM Tyson Foods announced it will to administer thousands of coronavirus tests per week at its U.S. facilities under an expanded effort to protect workers and keep plants running. The Springdale, Arkansas-based company, which processes about 20 per cent of all beef, pork and chicken in the U.S., will randomly test employees who have no symptoms, as well as those with symptoms. Workers will also be tested if they were near someone who tested positive or displayed symptoms. The tests are on top of daily health screenings when workers arrive at Tyson's 140 U.S. production facilities, the company said Thursday. Tyson said it will add 200 nurses to its 400-person medical team to conduct the tests, as well as hiring a chief medical officer. Tyson developed the testing plan with Matrix Medical, a healthcare provider. Meatpacking plants have been particularly susceptible to the coronavirus because workers often stand shoulder to shoulder carving up meat. In the U.S. alone, at least 16,210 meatpacking industry workers have been infected or exposed to the virus and 93 have died, the United Food and Commercial Workers said. Tyson Foods announced that it will administer thousands of tests on meat plant workers for COVID-19 weekly, with both symptomatic and asymptomatic employee undergoing random tests Tyson Foods was forced to shut down several plants as a number of workers tested positive for COVID-19 (pictured) United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents 24,000 of Tysons 120,000 U.S. workers, applauded the move and said other meat processing companies should follow Tyson's lead. But Tyson's lead came only after a number of set backs and struggles over the last several months. Last month, the families of three Tyson workers in Iowa who died from COVID-19 sued the company, saying it knowingly put employees at risk in the early days of the pandemic. The wrongful deaths lawsuit filed in Iowa, where a Tyson meat plant shut down as scores of workers tested positive, alleged that symptomatic workers were not sent home and employees who were absent were said to have the flu. The lawsuit also alleged that workers were told not to speak about coronavirus. The randomized testing will come on top of daily health screenings Tyson workers must undergo each morning. Pictured: Protective barriers between Tyson Foods workers at the company's Springdale, Arkansas plant Among Tyson Foods several plants, none were as hard hit as the ones in Waterloo, Iowa. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson said he first became concerned after touring the Tyson plant April 10 and witnessing inadequate social distancing and a lack of personal protective equipment. As hundreds of workers began getting sick or staying home out of fear, Thompson joined the mayor and scores of local officials in asking Tyson to close the plant temporarily on April 16. But Tyson, with support from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, waited until April 22 to announce that step after the outbreak intensified. Pictured: Workers wait in line to enter the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Logansport, Indiana, where they undergo daily health screenings The families of three workers have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Tyson Foods after the victims died of COVID-19 earlier this year An employee previously said in April that an HR work told him that he was 'safer at work' than 'going out to Walmart.' 'I wanted to believe to them and I needed the money at the same time so I went to work,' the worker said told CNN. Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat supplier, told DailyMail.com: 'We have relaxed our attendance policy and have repeatedly instructed workers to stay home if they're sick. We have turned away team members when our temperature check reveals they have a fever and they are the referred to the local health care system for evaluation. In May, the company announced that 730 workers, or or 58 per cent, had tested positive for coronavirus across their workforce. The Tyson plant in Columbus Junction had 221 positive tests, 26 percent of its workforce, and Tyson's Waterloo facility had 17 percent of its employees test positive at the time. Iowa Premium Beef in Tama saw 221 positive tests, or 39 percent of its workforce. Around that time, Tyson Foods confirmed that 570 of its 2,244 full-time and contract workers have tested positive. Scott Brooks, a senior vice president who is leading Tysons coronavirus response, noted that testing all the workers in a plant once only gives a snapshot of that particular moment. Constant, random testing will give the company a clearer picture of whats going on. The company will adjust the number of tests each week based on community virus levels and other factors. One of the hardest hit meat plants under Tyson Foods was the one in Waterloo, Iowa (pictured) that was forced to shut down amid the surge of cases 'It feels good that were really going to be able to get ahead of this issue,' he said. Tyson wouldnt say exactly how much the effort will cost, although the company has already said it's spending hundreds of millions of dollars fighting the virus. The swab tests its using normally sell for between $100 and $150. Brooks said the results will be available in two to three days. The expanded testing is confined to the U.S. for now. Tyson also has plants in Thailand, China, the Netherlands, Australia and elsewhere. Tyson's announcement may help ease consumers concerns about meat, even though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other public health officials say there's no evidence COVID-19 can be transmitted through food. Still, China temporarily suspended imports from a Tyson chicken plant in Arkansas last month due to coronavirus concerns. Tyson won't speculate on whether the increased testing will convince China to resume its imports. Hector Gonzalez, Tysons senior vice president of human resources, said he thinks many of the changes Tyson has made - like staggered employee arrivals and breaks to give people more space - will remain even after the virus subsides. 'They just make our business better,' he said. The United States has recorded more than four million confirmed cases and a death toll of more than 150,000 fatalities. The Municipal Chief Executive Officer for Ahafo Ano North, Hon. Martina Appiah-Nyantakyi has incurred the wrath of members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) after she was accused of masterminding the disqualification of thousands of supporters of their party from registering in the ongoing exercise. Supporters of the party publicly invoked curses on the MCE, whom they said, clandestinely worked with the Electoral Commission to deny several of their supporters from registering. Reports available indicate that hundreds of supporters of the biggest opposition party were not issued their registration cards after failing to prove their eligibility during a challenging process. After being disqualified in the process for failing to establish their eligibility as voters within the constituency, members of the opposition party reportedly resorted to curses, invoking powerful river deities to strike the MCE whom they accused of being the mastermind behind a scheme to disenfranchise members of the NDC in the Ahafo North Constituency. According to information, some NDC members thronged the constituency, ostensibly to bulldoze their way through, as the party launches bid to recapture the seat it lost to the NPP in the 2016 general elections. They, however, met their match in the MCE who stood her grounds, insisting that the EC Committee be allowed to do their independent work without any interference. However, the NDC leadership in the constituency believes Hon. Martina used her position to influence the outcome of the challenging process, culminating in the disqualification of many potential registrants believed to be affiliated to the party. 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. Featured Video The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association has announced the winners of the organizations 2020 Collegiate Scholarships. This year, the MSOA is awarding a record $19,000 to the sons and daughters of the groups members that are furthering their education at various regional institutions. The MSOA Board of Directors $5,000 scholarship goes to Brooke Schoeffel, who will be a junior this fall at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Psychology. Brooke is the daughter of Steve and Kathy Schoeffel. Hanvoer Shoe Farms donated a breeding to Donato Hanover, and the $5,000 Hanover scholarship is being awarded to Mikayla Wenmoth. Mikayla will be a freshman at Edinboro University this fall, studying Education. She is the daughter of Mitch and Erin York. The Winbak Farm/Heston Blue Chip Scholarship, a $5,000 award from a donated breeding, goes to Emily Williams. Emily, the daughter of Richard and Susan Williams, is a sophomore at Juniata College. She is majoring in a Pre-Veterinary curriculum. Longtime MSOA Scholarship partner CSC Insurance presents its 2020 award to Meadow Twaddle. Meadow, the daughter of Tim and Sophia Twaddle, will be a freshman this fall at Washington & Jefferson College, majoring in Biology. The CSC Insurance Scholarship is valued at $2,500. The Randy Ringer Stable donated multiple breedings to the stallion If I Can Dream to benefit the fund, and $1,500 in scholarship money has been divided among Mackenzie Wenmoth, Rielly Steuernagel and Taylor Riegle. Mackenzie Wenmoth, the daughter of Mitch and Erin York and twin sister of Mikayla, will be attending Edinboro University this fall. She plans to major in Early Childhood Education. Steuernagel will be a senior this fall at Allegheny College, majoring in Theater. He is the son of James Steuernagel and Tiffany Prem. Riegle will enter her freshman year this fall at the University of Kentucky, where she will major in Biology. Riegle is the daughter of Bruce and Diana Riegle. This is a record year for our scholarship program, said MSOA President Rich Gillock. This is one of the best parts of our job, having the ability to help these young people reach their goals. We couldnt do it without the support of all of our partners, Hanover Shoe Farms, Winbak Farm, CSC Insurance and Randy Ringer. (Meadows Standardbred Owners Association) Syracuse, N.Y. Central New York has a good handle on the novel coronavirus, experts agree: Less than 1% of tests are coming back positive, active cases have plunged to their lowest level since March, and deaths have dropped to a few a week. But as the regions long, hot summer slides into August, experts are nervous about the virus coming back and reseeding the region, through Central New Yorkers who travel to other states or through tens of thousands of college students who begin returning to town next week. Right now its under control because our community has been hyper-vigilant, said Brian Leydet, a professor of epidemiology and infectious disease at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. But I think thats going to change when you have an influx of these young people. Central New Yorkers have taken the virus seriously and abided by measures like social distancing and mask-wearing, said Dr. Kathryn Anderson, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Upstate Medical University. Anderson, who will soon return from a road trip to visit family in the Upper Midwest, said thats not true in other parts of the country. We had the early warning from New York City of what could happen in the rest of our state, and we took some early measures, Anderson said. Now were seeing whats happening in the rest of the country, and I hope its a reminder that what weve been doing works and that we need to keep it up. In the past couple of weeks, Onondaga County has announced nearly two dozen of positive cases came from people who had traveled from a total of 12 other states, including hot spots like Florida and Georgia. Every time someone comes back you have a very real possibility that you could see a new chain of transmission that goes undetected, said David Larsen, a public health professor at Syracuse Universitys Falk College. The easiest way to stop that risk is stop traveling. The rate of increase nationwide has begun to slow, but other states continue to have far higher infection rates than the Northeast, which has about 1.4% of tests coming back positive each day. New York state is just about 1%. Nationwide, the rate is 8.1%, with some states far higher. In Arizona, its nearly 23%, and at least 10% in a dozen states, according to a survey by Reuters. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered New Yorkers to quarantine for 14 days after returning from 34 states with high infection rates. Thats largely an honor system, but one that Anderson hopes people will take seriously. She said she and her family will quarantine for 14 days after they return from North Dakota and Minnesota, both states on the governors list. Some people have decided not to travel at all. Giving up the freedom to travel to other states means gaining more freedom in our daily lives here, said Larsen, who doesnt plan to leave the area for a while. I want to see a vigorous, healthy community here in Central New York, so Im going to give up traveling to other states with higher infection rates, he said. I want to live in a more free society without the social distancing and the shutdowns weve observed. A bigger challenge for Central New York will come next month, when students start pouring into colleges across the region. More than 60,000 students are enrolled in local institutions, from Cornell University in Ithaca to SUNY Oswego. Within that population were likely to see a bit of a rise in transmission because its a younger population that is more inclined to social interactions than older people are, Larsen said. Can we then really contain the virus is a big question. Colleges have extensive plans in place to detect and isolate the virus, including requiring students to submit a negative test before returning, quarantining for two weeks if theyre coming from out of the region, and limiting their social gatherings. Syracuse University expects about 3,000 out-of-state students to have to quarantine for two weeks when they arrive in Central New York. At Le Moyne College, about 100 of its 3,000 students will be returning from 17 of the states on Cuomos quarantine list. Larsen, who is also heading an early warning project at SU to find the virus in sewage from dormitories, said hes confident the university and the county have a good system of testing and contact tracing to contain the virus when it inevitably pops up on campuses. Shannon Monnat, who directs the universitys Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, said colleges are perfect breeding grounds for a virus that is transmitted person to person in close proximity. Whenever you draw a critical mass of people into enclosed environments, there is very high risk of virus spread, Monnat said. College students traveling back and forth between Central New York and their hometowns also presents a major risk that is almost impossible to control. Colleges plan to reduce density in residence halls and try to thin out students in classrooms, but students are also part of the community, shopping at Wegmans and grabbing pizza on Marshall Street. Central New Yorkers will have to be even more careful about where they go and what they do when students return to the areas colleges, said Leydet, a member of ESFs reopening task force. An influx of that age group means youre going to see more positive cases, and the community needs to be even more cautious when they go out, Leydet said. K-12 schools will also open soon, opening more conduits for the virus to spread. Many doctors and educators say schools should meet in person because children suffer from being out for too long, and because children, especially those of elementary school age, are less likely to get sick from the virus and to pass it on. Local districts have offered a variety of solutions for controlling the virus, but the consensus distills around hybrid learning, where younger children come to school a couple of days a week and older students largely stay home to learn online. Inside buildings, students and teachers will wear masks, desks will be set far apart, and buildings will be disinfected one day a week. All of that will slow but likely not halt the spread of the virus through schools, experts agree. Anderson said Central New Yorkers have to commit themselves to being more cautious and making more sacrifices to counteract the spread of the virus through schools and colleges. If we think kids going back to school and college is a priority, which I think most of say it should be, its likely that were going to see some spread, she said. That calls on all of the rest of us to do what we need to do to get our neighbors back to work and educated. Its not the time to be going to bars and having pool parties. We cannot all let down our guard down if we think there are other things that are higher priorities. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources How is your school reopening? See Central New York school district coronavirus plans Downstate NY feels coronavirus worst; it may have saved Upstate lives More states, others added to New York coronavirus quarantine list Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Rating Action: Moody's affirms Transelec's and Transelec Holdings' ratings Global Credit Research - 30 Jul 2020 New York, July 30, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") affirmed today the Baa1 senior unsecured rating and Baa2 issuer rating respectively assigned to Transelec S.A. and Transelec Holding Rentas Limitada (Transelec Holdings). The outlook for the ratings is stable. RATINGS RATIONALE The affirmation of Transelec's Baa1 rating reflects the strategic importance of the company's transmission infrastructure and its dominant position in the transmission system in Chile, with a market share that hovers around 60% of the country's network. The credit profile also reflects the company's cash flow predictability and our expectation of stable credit metrics given the regulated and non-volumetric nature of its operations derived from tariffs that have monthly indexation features and that are established under a credit constructive regulatory framework. Transelec's credit profile also acknowledges that its assets are held in perpetuity. Transelec's credit profile is tempered by the company's relatively high leverage and the expected deterioration on its key metrics as a result of the implementation of a lower tariff in 2021. The credit profile also acknowledges the ongoing pressure to upstream cash flow to its equity owner consortium, but the assigned rating incorporates our expectation that management will pursue shareholder reward initiatives that are not excessive or detrimental to Transelec's overall credit quality. The rating also incorporates Transelec's prudent risk management policies and disciplined pursuit of growth opportunities. The assigned ratings anticipate the possibility of incremental indebtedness to fund capital expenditures acknowledging management strong commitment to a self-imposed maximum leverage ratio of 6.5 times debt to EBITDA. Story continues The affirmation of Transelec Holdings's Baa2 Issuer Rating incorporates the related notching owing to the structural subordination that would exist for parent level creditors relative to the senior indebtedness outstanding at its key subsidiary, Transelec S.A. Distributions from Transelec are expected to remain Transelec Holdings' main source of cash flows to meet its holding company obligations, to provide up-stream shareholder returns to the sponsors and to provide an internal source of equity that could be invested in new projects. Transelec Holdings' Baa2 issuer rating is largely based on our expectation that any indebtedness incurred and/or guaranteed by the holding company will be used to support the group's acquisition and growth initiatives in the Chilean transmission sector and not to fund cash distributions to its shareholders. The Baa2 issuer rating further assumes the view that holding company indebtedness will be a modest component of the total consolidated indebtedness or less than 20% of the total consolidated debt. Rating Outlook The stable outlook for both issuers incorporates our expectation that Transelec's and Transelec Holdings' credit metrics will remain commensurate with the Baa rating category despite the expected decline in revenues due to the pending implementation of the reduced tariff and the potential increase in consolidated leverage to fund the group's expansion projects. Specifically, the stable outlook considers that the three-year average ratio of consolidated funds from operations (FFO) to net debt will hover around 11%, interest coverage above 3.0 times and retained cash flow (RCF) to net debt around 7%. Management's commitment to maintain a self-imposed financial leverage target of 6.5x debt to EBITDA is also incorporated into the stable outlook. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS Factors that could lead to an upgrade There is limited potential for a rating upgrade because the company's credit metrics are expected to remain commensurate with the lower end of the Baa rating category. Moreover, Transelec's current high level of indebtedness is not likely to decline significantly, given the lack of amortizing debt in the capital structure. Over the long run, a rating upgrade would be considered if Transelec Holdings and Transelec S.A. are able to report FFO to net debt and retained cash flow (RCF) to net debt in the high teens -above 18%- and mid-teens -above 15%- respectively, on a sustained basis. Factors that could lead to a downgrade There could be negative pressure on the ratings or the outlook should a larger-than-expected increase in financial leverage at Transelec, Transelec Holdings or Rentas I emerge either in connection with a heavier capital spending program or if the group faces challenges in its growth initiatives. Furthermore, a negative action is likely to be considered if there is a material deterioration in the group's liquidity. Quantitatively, the rating could come under pressure if the consolidated FFO/net debt and RCF/debt decline below 11% and 7%, respectively, on a sustained basis. Corporate Profile Based in Santiago, Chile, Transelec S.A. (Transelec) is the largest electricity transmission company in Chile (Government of Chile, A1 stable), operating 9,792 kilometers of transmission lines and 61 substations, serving 98% of the national population. Transelec operates in the National Electric System (SEN), the national transmission system created in November 2017 as a result of the interconnection of the previous two separate systems, the Sistema Interconectado Central (SIC) and the Sistema Interconectado del Norte Grande (SING). Transelec is 99.99% owned by Transelec Holdings (Baa2 stable) with the remainder held by Rentas I, which also holds a 99.99% ownership stake in Transelec Holdings. Rentas I is 99.97% owned by ETC Transmission Holdings S.L., whose shareholders are China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. (CSG, A1 stable, 27.79%), the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (27.73%), the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (26.00%) and Public Service Pension Investment Board (18.48%). The current shareholding structure has been in place since March 2018 when one of Transelec's indirect shareholders within the consortium of Canadian investors, Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (Baa1 stable), sold its 27.79% indirect ownership to CSG. The principal methodology used in these ratings was Regulated Electric and Gas Networks published in March 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1059225. 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 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. 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Mexico's public enemy no.1 and most wanted drug lord of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is reported to have built his own private hospital in the western state of Jalisco. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader, has been the number one on the most wanted list of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He has a bounty reward of $10M for anyone, who can give any information on his whereabouts. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel or CJNG has made headlines in June after the group attempted to assassinate Mexico City's police chief. The assassination has led to the deaths of two security guards of the police chief and one civilian. According to a recently published article in The Guardian, El Mencho has reportedly bankrolled the construction of his own private hospital. It was also found that El Mencho is now seeking treatment for his kidney disease. There are speculations that he will use the hospital to have his treatment. The news about the construction of his private hospital came after a viral social media video showed numerous heavily armed men of CJNG. The video also showed how notorious and dangerous the cartel is. However, the Mexican government questioned the accuracy of the video. According to a published report in El Universal, El Mencho built the hospital in El Alcihuatl, a village about 250km south-west of Jalisco's capital, Guadalajara. In Latin America, cartels keep medical professionals in their payroll to avoid government hospitals in the event that security forces shoot them. It was also reported that aside from using the hospital to treat El Mencho's kidney disease, the hospital is also being used by the cartel's employees and locals. The Villa Purificacion, where the hospital is located, is the stronghold of the cartel. In 2015, an army helicopter was shot down with a rocket-propelled grenade in an attempt to capture cartel's leader El Mencho. In 2018, DEA declared El Mencho as the top priority and announced a bounty of $10 million for anyone who can give any information on his whereabouts. El Mencho, until now, remains in hiding and is suspected to be surrounded by heavily armed men. Meanwhile, El Mencho's son and daughter were extradited to the United States to face the drug trafficking charges filed against them, while their father remains free. El Mencho has replaced Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as Mexico's public enemy number one. According to an organized crime expert Chris Dalby, who studies Mexican cartels, authorities are now considering El Mencho as their top priority and public enemy number one. The CJNG is involved in different crimes. It was reported to have smuggle huge quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and fentanyl into the United States. They are also involved in the trafficking of firearms, people, and fuel. Moreover, the cartel was also reported killing members of their rival groups. 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 After facing significant pushback, the Philadelphia public school district has scrapped its plan to bring students back for any in-person instruction in September, opting to remain remote until at least November. Across the river in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has faced some similar opposition, but the states plan to reopen schools in about a month with students having the option to do all-remote learning instead is going ahead, at least for now. Oppressive heat and humidity will continue in Massachusetts on Thursday, with stormy weather in the forecast as well. The National Weather Service warned of isolated strong to severe thunderstorms that will sweep across much of the state in the afternoon, mainly impacting southern Worcester County, Greater Boston, Bristol and Plymouth counties as well as the Cape and Islands. The exact timing of the storms is uncertain, but they should last through the night and may linger in some areas Friday morning. Dry weather should return later Friday and Saturday. Keep your eye to the sky this afternoon, the National Weather Service tweeted. Some isolated strong to severe storms are possible, especially towards CT, RI, and southeast MA. A hazardous weather outlook was issued for Western Massachusetts, where isolated to scattered thunderstorms are also possible into early Thursday night. The storms are not expected to be severe, but a few could produce gusty winds and brief downpours, the National Weather Service noted. A heat wave that started Sunday will enter its fifth day Thursday. Highs of around 90 degrees are expected across the state, though Berkshire County and parts of the Cape and Islands will see temperatures reach the 80s. Above normal temperatures continue, the National Weather Service said. Humidity will be a touch higher, but still thinking we will not need another heat advisory. Friday will be less hot and humid, with highs in the 80s expected throughout Massachusetts, according to forecasters. Activists Challenge Voting Methods in Virginia, Maine in Federal Court Lawsuits challenging voting practices in the battleground states of Virginia and Maine they claim are unfair were filed in federal courts over the past week as the Nov. 3 presidential election draws nearer. In the 2016 election, Democrat Hillary Clinton won 49.7 percent of the votes in Virginia, compared to 44.4 percent by President Donald Trump. Clinton was awarded all 13 of Virginias votes in the Electoral College under that states winner-take-all system, out of the 270 needed nationwide to elect the president. In Maine, Clinton won 47.8 percent of the votes, besting the 44.9 percent won by Trump. Under Maines electoral vote allocation system, Clinton received 3 of the 4 electoral votes and Trump received the other. The Virginia lawsuit, Gary v. Virginia Department of Elections, was brought by the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia and the American Council of the Blind of Virginia. The groups claim that because their members disabilities prevent them from independently marking a paper ballot, the state is violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. We are disappointed that the Virginia Department of Elections has not been forward in articulating a plan that would provide for a private, safe and independent ballot for voters with disabilities, Sam Joehl, president of the American Council of the Blind of Virginia, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The right to cast an unimpeded and private vote is a cornerstone of our democracy, the petition filed in court states. That right is severely compromised for voters who are blind, partially blind, or lack the manual dexterity required to vote absentee, as other Virginia voters can. Because absentee ballots are provided in hard-copy form and must be completed manually, some disabled people are unable to cast their ballot privately and independently, and must reveal their choices to another person and hope that person correctly records their vote. Those with disabilities must choose between their health and their right to vote because they are forced to go to their local electoral board or polling place to privately and independently mark their ballots. Technology exists that could remedy the situation, the petition states. Remote accessible vote-by-mail (RAVBM) tools are readily available to make Virginias absentee ballots accessible. [The state] secured a RAVBM system but refuse[s] to make it available to voters with print disabilities. Many other states have implemented this technology and are providing accessible electronic ballots. The Virginia Department of Elections didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. In the Maine litigation, ranked-choice voting opponents are trying to overturn that voting system in the state, after state Republicans failed to get a referendum question aimed at repeal on the ballot. The lawsuit, known as Hagopian v. Dunlap, filed in the U.S. District Court in Maine, claims that Maines adoption of ranked-choice voting (RCV), which has been controversial from its inception in 2017, denies the constitutional rights of Mainers. (pdf) Maine is the first and only state to adopt RCV, which has disenfranchised a substantial number of voters and will do so again in November, if this Court does not intervene. The purpose of RCV is to make sure a winner is selected who enjoys majority popular support without having to conduct an additional runoff election as some states do when the first-place candidate fails to exceed the 50 percent mark in balloting. Under RCV, voters are asked to rank candidates on the ballot from first to last. If no candidate achieves a clear majority, additional rounds take place in which last-place finishers are removed from contention and those voters second choices are then reallocated to the remaining field. But the four citizen plaintiffs claim the RCV system only works if voters complete the full ballot, and that municipalities with large elderly populations and residents without college degrees are more likely to not complete the whole ballot. Meanwhile, a Kansas state judge dismissed a Democratic lawsuit aimed to force the Republican secretary of state, Scott Schwab, to allow voters to cast ballots from any polling station within their home county. Major changes to the administration of our elections should not be rushed out of political impulse or expediency, Schwab said in a statement. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2020) - Microdose Psychedelic Insights, along with Bexson Biomedical, The Conscious Fund, and Ketamine Media presents The Ketamine Conference: A Molecular Masterclass, a two-day virtual conference. On August 21st - 22nd, over 30 experts will guide attendees through the potential mental health benefits of ketamine-assisted therapy, along with its intersections with clinical care, research, and business opportunities. The organizers have invited some of the most ketamine-knowledgeable researchers, clinicians, companies, advocates and experts as they discuss a full spectrum of implications surrounding ketamine-assisted therapies and its relevance to other psychedelic-assisted therapies. The early research into ketamine therapy demonstrates rapid and profound clinical efficacy, challenging current treatment modalities for a variety of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and substance use disorder. The Molecular Masterclass will feature three main panel types, covering scientific, clinical and industry topics, where attendees will learn about the history of ketamine, its pharmacology, its use in several patient populations, and the risks associated with the drug. Guest speakers including: Jon Wolfe (Austin Ketamine Clinic), Martha B. Koo, MD (Neuro Wellness Spa), Jeffrey Becker, MD (Bexson Biomedical), Sandhya Prashad, MD (Houston Ketamine Therapeutics), Veronika Gold, MFT (Polaris Insight Center), Rupert McShane, MD (University of Oxford), Gregg Peterson (Bexson Biomedical), and Anthony El Chibani (Ketamine Media). Ketamine-assisted therapy is undoubtedly opening up unique opportunities for students, physicians, psychotherapists, policy-makers, entrepreneurs, investors, and many more who are engaging with the new wave of psychedelic medicines. This Masterclass is designed to introduce attendees of all types to the latest information and thought leadership on the topic of ketamine for mental health disorders in a way that is comprehensive and interactive. More details and tickets to the event can be found here. To request media accreditation, or to arrange interviews with key personnel please contact: Alex Krause Alan Aldous Communications 519-835-8345 alex@alanaldous.com About Microdose Psychedelic Insights Microdose Psychedelic Insights aims to unlock the potential of psychedelics through Industry events, market intelligence, original, evidence-based content, strategy and community. We enable and empower society at large to make better, more mindful decisions about psychedelics and its intersection with healthcare, medicine and personal growth. We work with the industry's most influential stakeholders, some of the world's best-known brands and an unrivalled network of scientists, researchers, analysts, innovators, investors and advisors. Image 1 To view an enhanced version of Image 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7312/60799_microdose.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60799 Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said on Thursday that the Italian club's Champions League last 16, second leg game against Barcelona should be moved from Spain where there is a new wave of coronavirus cases. "I hear a lot of perplexity and fear coming from Spain and they acting as if nothing is wrong. What does it take to say, 'Don't go to Barcelona but rather go to Portugal, Germany or Geneva'?" De Laurentiis told journalists. Barcelona are due to host Napoli on August 8 in the Camp Nou with both sides 1-1 after the first leg in Naples in February, with the winner going on to the quarter-finals in Lisbon, Portugal. "It they have decided that the Champions League is in Portugal and the Europa League in Germany, I think we can go to Portugal or Germany for the round of 16, I don't understand why we should stay in a city that presents major problems." FP Trending Microsoft has rolled out its new Family Safety app for iOS and Android users from 29 July. Now parents will be able to monitor the time spent by the kids on devices and limit hours of play. Parents can set boundaries on apps and search results, writes Liat Ben-Zur, Corporate Vice President of Modern Life, Search and Devices at Microsoft. So when a child uses the web, they will get kid-friendly results and no adult content. As a measure of monitoring a childs digital activity, the app will send an email to both the parents and the kids every week. In the detailed mail, the screen time, duration of apps used and the most visited websites will be strategically drawn up. via GIPHY If these results disappoint you, you can limit the time for which a certain app will be used. This necessarily means that your child can stay glued to their device but not necessarily play games. Users can select a particular app and set daily, weekly, or customized usage limits. The app syncs across Windows, Xbox and Android. As the sync works on multiple devices, children cannot swap devices to get some extra hours of playtime. This new app will send an email request to your Microsoft account whenever your children are trying to purchase something from the Microsoft Store. Hence, you cannot be billed for any game or movie without your knowledge. The Family Safety app also comes with a location sharing feature. This way you would know where every member of your family is at what point. This app will also work to protect your data. You will get full control to see which app collects what information and why. Unlike other location-tracking apps, your familys location data will not be sold or shared with insurance companies or data brokers, reads the company blog. You can get the app here. One hundred and thirty years ago, on July 27, 1890, Vincent Van Gogh suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He died in his bed two days later, in the small French town of Auvers-sur-Oise. To this day, the artists death has been labeled a suicide. But since that dark day in art history, scholars and art enthusiasts alike have speculated about the sequence of events on July 27 that led to the fateful gunshot. Now, thanks to the surprising findings of a French researcher, we may have a much better understanding of how Vincent van Gogh spent the final hours of his life. The researcher Wouter van der Veen, director of the Van Gogh Institute, has discovered the precise location where van Gogh created his final painting, Tree Roots (1890). Even the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has acknowledged the finding as factually accurate. With this vital piece of the puzzle, experts can better surmise the fact that Van Gogh spent the whole day painting, working on a series of tree roots along the side of a road. Photo: Courtesy of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) According to Van der Veen's research, Tree Roots was painted on the Rue Daubigny, a main road through Auvers-sur-Oise (a town that's located 20 miles north of Paris). Tourists and art experts alike can easily visit the tangled, gnarled tree roots and stumps that are alongside the road today. In fact, the location of Van der Veen's is a mere 500 feet from the Auberge Ravoux, where van Gogh spent the last two months of his life, and where he ultimately laid to die. Photo: Courtesy of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) For over a century, there has been a debate about which painting was van Goghs last work, mainly due to the fact that the artist rarely, if ever, dated his work. Some have argued that it was not Tree Roots, but rather Wheatfield With Crows (1890). This belief is backed for two main reasons: In Vincente Minnellis biopic Lust for Life (1956), Kirk Douglas (who plays Van Gogh) can be seen painting that work as he goes mad, just before killing himself. The second reason is that Wheatfield With Crows is a haunting, ominous painting that fits nicely as a poetic sort of suicide note, right before the artist took his own life. Story continues Portrait of Doctor Felix Rey, by van Gogh Vincent, 19th Century, 1889-1889, oil on canvas, cm 64 x 53 Photo: Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio Photo: Courtesy of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation) But after the publishing of Van Gogh: The Life by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeha successful and highly researched biography on the Dutch artistthe argument was being made that Van Gogh did not kill himself, but rather was shot by unruly local teenagers after a drunken altercation. Van der Veen's research adds a bit more weight to Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh's argument in their book. The Van Gogh Museum, however, still claims the death was undoubtedly by suicide. Van Gogh did try to commit suicide, as overwhelming evidence demonstrates that he was already walking around with this idea and possibility since his 1889 decision to lock himself up in the asylum," says Louis van Tilborgh, Senior Conservator at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. To date, the Van Gogh Museum has no plans to preserve the tree roots discovered in Auvers-sur-Oise. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Heather Sullivan is torn. The North Plainfield High School English teacher wants to see her students in person again after months out of the classroom. But at the same time, shes concerned about the spread of the coronavirus when schools reopen in September, and worries theres no plan in place to keep educators and students alike protected. Sullivan said she has high blood pressure, a condition the CDC warns may increase a persons risk of severe illness from the virus, and her mother is a cancer survivor. If she became infected, it could be dangerous. I want to be back with my kids as much as everybody wants their kids to go back to school. I miss them. But its not safe, she said, choking up. Its an emotional decision. I took this job because I care about the community. Dozens of teachers from across New Jersey took to the streets Thursday in downtown Somerville to urge Gov. Phil Murphy to reverse his decision to resume in-person instruction, and instead make the coming school year virtual. The protest was organized by the Somerset County Education Association (SCEA), with NJ21 United, a grassroots education advocacy group. School districts in New Jersey must submit reopening plans to the state education department. Some administrators have already announced plans, which vary widely from having just one half day of in-person instruction to five-day-a-week classes and frequent coronavirus testing for students. Sullivan said her district released a tentative plan that would require teachers to be in school five days a week and children on an A/B schedule. Over the course of the week, Ill be exposed to my full load of over 100 students. I dont see how that plan protects me, she said. Mercedes Davidson, a teacher at Paterson School 3 joins members of the Somerset County Education Association (SCEA) and other educators to protest plans to reopen New Jersey public schools in September.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media Murphy has faced some backlash for his plan to require schools to resume in-person instruction, with students having the option to do all-remote learning instead if they or their parents or guardians feel uncomfortable returning. Murphy has said in-person education is necessary because not every family can hire a tutor or has the resources for remote learning. He has also said it trumps at-home learning in terms of efficacy and the richness of that experience. However, there are a number of public health issues with in-person learning amid the coronavirus, said Dan Epstein, president of the SCEA. Those include getting kids with more energy in younger grades to social distance, eating without masks during lunch indoors and the disinfecting frequently used objects, among other things, he said. Since indoor dining remains closed, Epstein said school buildings should also remain closed. We need to start assuming that some of these plans are not going to go according to plan, Epstein said. Its not easy to do social distancing in a kindergarten classroom. Its not easy to disinfect art supplies the entire school needs to use as part of the art classroom. On Thursday, the leader of New Jerseys second largest teachers union said teachers should strike if the health and safety of students and teachers cannot be guaranteed when schools reopen in the fall. Across New Jersey, people are divided on the issue of whether to reopen schools with protective measures. A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found 46% of adult residents say schools should reopen and 42% say remote learning should continue until there is a COVID-19 treatment or vaccine. Mercedes Davidson, a special education math teacher at Paterson School 3, said she doesnt feel protected going back to the classroom. Masks are required for teachers, but only optional for students. Im not saying lets never open schools, but lets go by science, Davidson said. Poor ventilation in many schools due to outdated HVAC systems could also help spread infections, said Lizzandaa Alburg, who teaches gifted and talented classes at Paterson School 28. She says she still has questions about the workload, including how teachers will handle in-person instruction in addition to remote lessons. In addition, classroom sizes will have to be smaller to accommodate social distancing, she said, but schedules were already tight before the pandemic. How do you allow for 6 feet of social distancing with schedules that are already tight (and) buildings that are not equipped with proper ventilation systems? Were putting our staff in harms way ... Im an educator, not an experiment. Members of the Somerset County Education Association (SCEA), in conjunction with NJ21 United, protest through downtown Somerville on Thursday, July 30, 2020.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media 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. Temperature checks, assigned seating on school buses and alternating days of in-person instruction are a few of the things local school districts are planning for this fall if schools are allowed to reopen their doors to students this fall. Most districts throughout Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties have yet to reveal safety plans that would allow students back inside the classroom for the first time since the coronavirus forced schools to switch to a virtual model in March. The deadline to submit plans to the states Department of Education is July 31. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce next week if schools can reopen. But around half-a-dozen districts have already made plans public ahead of Fridays deadline, including Queensbury. Lake George is expected to release its plans Thursday night. Glens Falls is expected to adopt a hybrid model that would include two days of in-person instruction and three days of virtual learning, although nothing had been made official as of Thursday afternoon. Other districts like Corinth, Hartford, Granville, Salem and Whitehall have also released plans. Each vary, but all include masks, reduced class sizes to maintain social distancing and strict disinfecting protocols, in compliance with state guidelines. Heres how things are shaping up. Corinth Parents will be required to check the temperature of their children before sending them to school. Anyone with a temperature of 100 degrees or more will have to stay home, and parents will have to submit documentation that temperatures have been taken. In-person learning for grades K-5 will take place every day. Students in grades K-4 will attend classes at the elementary school, while fifth grade classes will be held at the middle school. Grades 6-12 will follow an alternating schedule, with half of the students coming to class for two days while the other half attends classes virtually via Google Classroom. Lockers will not be issued, and middle school students will be required to stay in the same classroom throughout the day. High school students will continue to change rooms, but must follow directional arrows to ensure social distancing. There will be no changing clothes for gym class, and school bus seating will be assigned. The district plans to add additional routes to compensate for the limited seating. Granville The school district released an in-depth, 35-page document, detailing everything from where parents can drop students off to how counselors will address student mental health issues. Students will have to undergo daily temperature checks, and staff will be required to clean commonly touched surfaces daily. Shared supplies will be limited, and those materials that must be shared, like library books, will be taken out of circulation for three days, in compliance with CDC guidelines. On-site learning will take place every day for grades UPK-7, while grade 8 will use an alternating model, with half of students reporting for in-person instruction every two days, while the other half attends classes virtually via Google Classroom. A failure to log in virtually with the camera on will count as an absence. One group will meet on Monday and Thursday, while the second will meet Tuesday and Friday. All students will attend classes virtually on Wednesday when the school closes for a deep cleaning. Grades 9-12 will use a similar model, but due to limited capacity and social-distancing mandates required by the state, the district plans a fully online model for students that will alternate every five weeks. Those in grades 9-10 will spend the first five weeks of the school year alternating between in-person and virtual learning, while those in grades 11-12 will attend virtual classes only. The two groups will switch every five weeks. Salem A full plan for Salem has yet to be submitted to the state, but initial plans were released on the districts website earlier this week. Daily temperature checks will be required, and the district will follow a hybrid schedule that combines in-person and virtual learning. Students will remain in the same classroom throughout the day to reduce contact in hallways. Lunch will also be eaten in the classroom, except for grade 6. Class size will be reduced, and students will attend in-person classes for two-consecutive days and learn remotely three days. Whitehall The district has not released a formal re-opening plan, but a hybrid model is being considered, according to Superintendent Patrick Dee. Dee, during a school board meeting last week, said the model would likely consist of two days of in-person learning and three days of virtual learning. The district also plans to reduce school bus capacity and will reduce class size to comply with social distancing guidelines put in place by the state. Hartford Superintendent Andrew Cook released the schools plan recently by video for parents and students. The plan will be submitted to the state for approval. Elementary students UPK-5 will learn in person Monday through Friday; middle school students will attend on Mondays and Tuesdays and certain Fridays, with remote learning on Wednesdays and Thursdays; high school students will come in person on Wednesdays and Thursdays and certain Fridays, with remote learning on Mondays and Tuesdays. Superintendent Cook said desks will be spaced 6 feet apart, so students wont have to wear masks while seated. Students who leave their seats will be required to wear a mask. The school has purchased masks for students that will be available in August. The school conducted a transportation survey and to adhere to social distancing guidelines the 66 passenger buses will have a maximum capacity of 22 students. The alternate attendance days will allow proper social distancing on buses, according to Cook. Adam Colver contributed to this report. Chad Arnold is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls and the town and village of Lake George. Follow him on Twitter @ChadGArnold. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 4 Sad 2 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister has said that two Indian companies have reached the clinical trial phase in the run-up to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. Vardhan said this during the launch of the Compendium on 'CSIR Technologies for Covid-19 Mitigation' on Thursday. Vardhan also praised India's response to COVID-19. He said that India has put up a strong fight against COVID-19 and continues to battle the pandemic. In specific, Vardhan hailed the scientific-technological advancements and innovations by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He expressed gratitude for the work done by the country's scientists and experts. "The Compendium covers a wide range of technologies and products for fighting Covid-19, spanning diagnostics, drugs, ventilators and PPEs using more than 100 technologies and 93 industry partners. Over 60 of these technologies have been transferred for commercial production," he said. "We have fought the pandemic in full force. Two Indian companies have reached the clinical trial phase for Covid-19 vaccine. It is a matter of pride," the minister added. He also claimed that India is among the five nations which have been able to isolate the COVID-19 virus. Vardhan also lauded the efforts of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He said that they have been "selfless" in this fight against COVID-19. Vardhan said that India's recovery rate is amongst the best in the world at 64% and that the fatality rate is quite low. Over 10 lakh coronavirus patients have recovered so far. "Others are on a road to recovery as well," Vardhan stated. The health minister claimed that in the coming months, India is planning to ramp-up the number of Covid-19 tests to 10 lakh daily. "In April, we were conducting just 6,000 tests on a daily basis, today, the figure has gone up to 5 lakh tests daily," the minister added. Also Read: West Bengal total lockdown: No flight operations at Kolkata airport for 7 days in August Also Read: Mauritius at heart of India's approach to Indian Ocean region, says PM Modi Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse police surveillance camera is standing watch over the citys Columbus monument as demonstrators battle over its future. The Italian explorer -- and statues depicting him nationwide -- have become a lightning rod as the country grapples with its history of conquest and racism. Columbus statues in other cities have been removed or torn down. Buffalos statues was removed by the city in early July after being vandalized. In Baltimore, protesters pulled down the statues and threw it in the citys harbor. Syracuse protesters against police brutality and systematic racism have rallied against the monument numerous times in the recent months, with some protesters climbing the statues in protest. People who want it removed point to evidence that Columbus mistreated Native Americans after landing in the Caribbean. A group of Italian Americans and other supporters of the statues have defended keeping it as a tribute to Italian-Americans, built at a time when they, too, were discriminated against in the first decades of the 20th century. RELATED: Syracuses Columbus statue debate: Why we should remove it and why we should keep it (video) Syracuse police already operates a large network of mounted surveillance cameras in many neighborhoods. That includes having people dedicated to watching the cameras to combat crime (all nine accused shooters in the Rye Day murder, for example, were charged based on surveillance camera footage). The city also has mobile trailer cameras. Thats what was set up at Columbus Circle weeks ago, Syracuse police Sgt. Matthew Malinowski confirmed. The camera trailer is white, with a boom that extends upward to two cameras in clear view of the monument. The only marking on the camera pedestal itself is a sticker reading: Purchased with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. There is no obvious sticker identifying who owns -- or watches -- the camera. Its unclear when the camera was purchased, but the city has previously gotten grants from the federal government for such projects before the protests began. Syracuse police camera at Columbus Circle has sign with Homeland Security seal. It's unclear when the camera was purchased.Douglass Dowty | The Post-Standard Despite a couple months now of protests, Syracuses statues has remained largely unscathed, other than some minor vandalism that has been cleaned up and is not readily apparent. The city has taken a deliberate approach to the statuess future, convening a large committee from diverse backgrounds, which will meet remotely by video chat, to try to decide its future. The basic options are to take it down, keep it or keep it while adding other cultural figures to the circle, as well. That group has not yet started substantive conversations. So, for now, the camera stands guard in an effort to make sure nothing rash happens. Around it, pandemic life goes on: a smattering of people still sit around the statuess fountain for lunch, while lawyers hustle past to the courthouse and churchgoers head to the Catholic Cathedral. Staff writer Douglaf Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070. South Africa: President Ramaphosa to address virtual COVID-19 conference President Cyril Ramaphosa and World Health Organisation Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, are expected to address a virtual national conference on COVID-19 on Friday. Hosted by the Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande and Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize respectively, the conference will bring together scientists, governments, business and civil society from all over the world in open discussion towards a greater understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on society and the economy. The conference will focus on health innovations, technologies, and social and economic sustainability during and after the pandemic. The platform comes as COVID-19 cases increase rapidly across the globe. There is also growing pressure to develop new diagnostic tools and treatment regimes, while the burden on health resources and economies remains high. The conference will comprise three panel discussions. The panel on health research will discuss health innovation in support of COVID-19 (therapeutics, diagnostics, testing and tracking). It will also consider research experiences and research collaboration in managing COVID-19 and pandemics in general. The two other panels will focus on data modelling and analysis in managing COVID-19, and on the socio-economic impact of the disease and possibilities for economic recovery. Panellists include the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Chairperson Professor Salim Abdool Karim, African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology Professor Sarah Agbor, among others. The conference will take place under the theme "Harnessing science, technology and innovation in response to COVID-19: A national and international effort." SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Australian radio presenter Neil Breen has opened up about his bizarre experience working with Ellen DeGeneres and her team, claiming he was told he wasnt allowed to talk to her or even look at her during her 2013 appearance on Australias Today show. Speaking to 4BC, he said that she was initially due to co-host a televised segment but eventually the plan was changed to a sitdown interview with DeGeneres (conducted by his colleague Richard Wilkins). Ahead of her arrival on the programme, Breen claimed he was told how its going to work here by her producers. Breen recalled he was told: Now Neil, no one is to talk to Ellen. You dont talk to her. You dont approach her. You dont look at her. Shell come in, shell sit down, shell talk to Richard, then Ellen will leave. (FilmMagic) Breen recalled his response: I sort of said, Are you fair dinkum? I cant look at her? I found the whole thing bizarre. Breen continued that he wasnt sure if DeGeneres knew about the alleged demands being made by her producers, as he never got to talk to her. He did however observe her staff: I can tell you the people who work with her walked on eggshells the whole time. Breens comments come as a reported memo circulated around The Ellen DeGeneres team made headlines this week, with Variety claiming that it declared an internal review of the shows workplace culture would be taking place. YouTube/The Ellen Show Former and present members of staff have accused the shows executive producers of racial micro aggressions as well as firing staffers after taking medical and bereavement leave. The show was also criticised for its alleged failure to communicate as lockdown hit the United States, with the show reducing crew members pay by 60% as they hired a non-union tech company to help DeGeneres film from home. A Warner Bros. spokesperson previously told Variety that communication could have been better." The crew was paid the week of March 30th despite having no firm plans for production to resume. The Evening Standard has reached out for comment. Shimla: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, visited the latter's under-construction house at Chharabra, 14 km from Shimla on Friday. The mother-daughter duo arrived at Kalyani helipad at Chharabra. They inspected the house which is nearing completion and remained there for about two hours, officials said. They will return to Delhi on Saturday, officials said. Priyanka had earlier visited the under-construction house in June and October this year. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. This article is part of the On Tech newsletter. You can sign up here to receive it weekdays. Wednesdays five-plus-hour congressional probing of the bosses of Americas tech giants did not reveal a singular gotcha moment or smoking gun email. Weve heard many of these examples of Big Tech abuse before. But the power of this hearing and others like it was the cumulative repetition of tales of abusive behavior, and evidence of the harm this has had on peoples lives. The spectacle also showed that the impact of congressional investigations is the digging that happens when the C-SPAN cameras are turned off. Worries about Americas tech stars have swirled for years. Its clear now that this isnt going away. In world capitals, courtrooms and among the public, we are wrestling with what it means for tech giants to have enormous influence on our lives, elections, economy and minds. Amid an ongoing political crisis in the Rajasthan, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) is set to meet under the chairmanship of chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur. Earlier yesterday, governor Kalraj Mishra issued an order to convene the Assembly session from August 14. The governor, in his order, has also directed that all measures should be taken during the session, as per the guidelines issued to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Also read: Why Congress avoided mention of floor test in its proposals The order for convening the Assembly was issued after repeated requests by chief minister Gehlot whose government is facing a crisis due to differences in the ruling Congress. The political crisis in Rajasthan triggered by simmering differences between Gehlot and his sacked deputy Sachin Pilot that surfaced. 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. For one extremely lucky lobster, death via boiling pot was not in its future. A rare blue American lobster was found last week at a Red Lobster restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where staff fished out the crustacean from a package of live lobsters and saved it from winding up on a dinner plate, NPR reported. "At first it looked like it was fake," culinary manager Anthony Stein told NPR. "It's definitely something marvelous to look at." MONSTER FISH: Fishing in the city? Here's what lurks in Houston's Brays Bayou Staff kept the lobster, which they named "Clawde" in honor of the restaurant chain's mascot, safely tucked away in a tank before it was transferred to the Akron Zoo. "We kept [it] in the tank and just made sure that nobody took him in the back for dinner," server Angie Helbig told NPR. The Akron Zoo said in a Facebook post Tuesday that its famous blue lobster is actually a girl and changed its name to "Clawdia." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Fishing during coronavirus pandemic comes with a catch Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Clawdia underwent a vet exam on Sunday, where our team was able to determine that she was indeed female," the Zoo said in the Facebook post. "She does have a few bumps and bruises from her journey. The next few months are critical for Clawdia as she prepares for her annual molt, a time that is very vulnerable for lobsters of any color." There are mixed opinions on the exact rarity of the blue lobster, with some saying catching one is a one in a two million chance, according to the BBC. Per the BBC, bright blue lobsters get their color from an overabundance of a specific protein that is caused by a genetic abnormality. Regardless, many fisherman consider blue lobsters a symbol of good fortune. For Clawdia, it seems luck was certainly on her side. LegalWills is focused on protecting teachers and educational staff as they become the new front-line workers in the face of the pandemic. OTTAWA, ON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Industry leader in online estate planning, LegalWills, responds to teachers' worries about returning to their classrooms in September - amidst the COVID-19 pandemic - by providing free Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney documents to US, UK, and Canadian teachers and education workers. From August 1 to 31, any education worker that is employed within a school in the 3 countries LegalWills services, including principals, librarians, teachers, educational assistants, office administrators and custodial staff, is eligible to receive a Will and Living Will (Health Care Power of Attorney), free of charge. With more than 50% of North Americans without a Will, half of them are set to have no say in what happens to their assets should they pass. Even fewer North Americans have Health Care Power of Attorney documents, which allow you to nominate someone who can make health care decisions for you in the event that you get sick and are unable to make decisions for yourself - even temporarily. "We wanted to do our part to support the education workers who are returning to school and risking their own health and safety during these uncertain times," says Tim Hewson, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of LegalWills. "As a parent of two young daughters, I've seen first hand the effects this pandemic is having on our education system, it's staff, and our children." "To show our gratitude, we are offering a free Will and Living Will (Health Care Power of Attorney) to education's essential workers in the countries that we operate in. Let us take care of your important legal documents so you can stay focused on helping your students develop and achieve in the classroom (whether it be virtual or physical)." If you are an education worker in need of a Will, or for more information about this initiative, please visit: https://legalwills.company/education. About LegalWills With offices in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, LegalWills has been allowing people to create common legal documents in a very easy, convenient, private, secure and cost-effective manner, without the need to pay the high expenses of a lawyer for 20 years. They work with local attorneys to develop online legal services that are of the highest quality and in accordance with the laws of the customer's local jurisdiction. They go far beyond any do-it-yourself kit or online repository of legal forms and documents. All of your legal documents can be stored and maintained by you online, in a private and secure manner. SOURCE LegalWills 'Why the restrictions for Bakri Eid?' Jyoti Punwani reports. IMAGE: A trader selects a goat for customers in Mumbai, July 29, 2020. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters Some were angry, some perturbed, but the predominant feeling among Mumbai's Ulema was one of puzzlement at the refusal of the Maharashtra government to allow any concessions for Bakri Eid. The festival falls on July 31-August 1. At a press conference held by the Joint Platform of Muslim Organisations and Ulema on Wednesday, July 29, speakers wondered why, despite assurances by Sharad Pawar, the senior most political leader in the Maharashtra government, the guidelines issued by the government a fortnight ago had not been amended. Those guidelines ruled out any relaxation of lockdown norms for the community's second biggest religious occasion. From ward wise goat mandis, the community's leaders have scaled down their demand to goat markets in Muslim mohallas only, so that people are not forced to travel to buy the animal, but this too has been rejected. Asked how social distancing could be maintained at such mandis, the Ulema said that only one dealer and his assistant would be allowed at a time, and buyers too would queue up keeping social distancing in mind. "After all, isn't sale of non-essentials being allowed," they asked. Though the government has not disallowed the ritual qurbani, at toll nakas, the police are stopping vehicles carrying more than two goats. It is uneconomical to hire a tempo for just two goats, hence people pool in to transport at least 10. Reports of goats falling sick as they remain inside vehicles stuck at toll nakas have been coming in. "The government must compensate their owners," said Maulana Aijaz Kashmiri, "because it is the government's indecision that is leading to these animals falling ill and even dying. Since qurbani has been allowed, dealers are bringing goats. In fact, many of these goats have been ordered online as per the government's directive." At a meeting held on July 1 with community representatives, the Maharashtra government okayed the qurbani, and promised to come up with detailed guidelines within a fortnight. But what emerged was only a series of directives that said the festival should be celebrated in a simple manner and that no lockdown rules would be relaxed. IMAGE: Maulana Halimullah Qasmi IMAGE: Maulana Halimullah Qasmi Maulana Halimullah Qasmi of the Jamiat Ulema, pointed out that because of the assurance given at the beginning of July that qurbani of large animals could be done, people in Bhiwandi, a township near Mumbai, had already bought buffaloes. But the government has refused to allow the three-day sacrifice specially of large animals, that takes place at the Deonar abattoir in north east Mumbai. "Where will these buffaloes be sacrificed?" asked Maulana Halimullah. "Buffaloes are being slaughtered at Deonar every day," said Farid Shaikh of the Mumbai Aman Committee. "Why the restrictions for Bakri Eid?" IMAGE: Ejaz Kashmiri IMAGE: Ejaz Kashmiri Kashmiri pointed out that the government could have thought of taking over large private slaughter houses for three days and allowing the qurbani of large animals to take place there. "This government is just not serious about resolving our problem," he said. Incidentally, the State's Muslim MLAs have met various ministers all through this month to get a clear directive on the way the occasion can be observed. The Ulema felt that their political leaders may not have conveyed to the government the religious significance of the qurbani. "These leaders are all part of the government and they simply gave in," they grumbled. A few speakers were angry at the way the community was being treated. "Bakri Eid is just a day away, and there is so much confusion. People are angry. We don't want law and order problems so we are not going to the toll nakaS to argue with the cops. We know once the decision comes from the top, the cops will have to follow it," said Shaikh. On July 14, Maharashtra Chief Minister ddhav Thackeray had asked Muslims to perform a 'symbolic qurbani'. "What exactly does a symbolic qurbani mean?" asked Maulana Abdus Salam Salafi of the Ahle Hadees. Another maulana pointed out that they had followed the government's lockdown instructions all through, even during the month of Ramzan. Masjids remained shut and Friday prayers were stopped; even the Eid namaz was not said collectively as is the practice. "For all this, the Quran makes allowances," said Maulana Halimullah. "But there is no allowance made for qurbani. For those who can afford it, it is mandatory. It is only the Ulema who can convey this to the government." Ironically, in BJP-ruled Gujarat and even in Yogi Adityanath's UP, qurbani was being permitted as long as the lockdown norms were kept in mind, said the speakers. "The Maharashtra government claims to be secular," they added. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com You, the class of 2020, the 173rd graduating class, are now joining that long lineage, and you carry that mantle and the responsibility of being the last group of sisters to be joining this legion of women, Szala said. I have no doubt you will rise to the occasion, as you always have done. You are the class that can and will carry the spirit and charisma of IND. WASHINGTON Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed U.S. tech companies on Thursday for their lack of transparency in regard to the breadth and depth of intellectual property theft the Chinese government conducts on American industries. "The idea that anyone in the tech space could not know of what the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to steal and the cyberattacks they are making seems incredulous to me," Pompeo said before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Pompeo's comments come a day after the CEOs of tech giants Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google testified before the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. When asked by lawmakers if China steals technology from U.S. tech firms, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos largely downplayed the notion. "Only the CEO of Facebook said, 'yes absolutely,'" Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Pompeo, referring to the tech CEO testimonies and specifically that of Mark Zuckerberg. "So Apple, Google and Amazon answered that question by saying either they hadn't experienced it or they've read that somewhere but wouldn't comment further," Rubio said. "Why would three of the four CEOs of the four largest tech companies headquartered in the United States be afraid to answer that question?" he added. "I can only speculate, it's patently clear to anyone who is watching that the Chinese are engaged in intense efforts of intellectual property threat, including technology," Pompeo responded. U.S. officials have long complained that Chinese intellectual property theft threatens national security and has cost the economy billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs. Beijing maintains it does not engage in intellectual property theft. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., also questioned Pompeo on the testimony given by tech CEOs, reiterating that tech leaders said they were largely unaware of Chinese espionage, the nation's top diplomat quipped, "well, they need to get out more." "I mean there's a long history, a decades-long history of Chinese intellectual property threat, including against technologies," Pompeo added, saying that the Chinese government is "completely willing to bully and to threaten" companies. Earlier this month, Pompeo said the U.S. was looking at banning TikTok as well as other Chinese social media apps, citing national security concerns. Pompeo added that the Trump administration was evaluating TikTok akin to Chinese state-backed tech companies Huawei and ZTE, which he has previously described as "Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence." There has been bipartisan support to remove TikTok from government-owned devices. The new version of the National Defense Authorization Act, if signed into law by President Donald Trump, would ban TikTok from such devices. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has taken concrete steps to discourage U.S. service members and their families from using Chinese-backed tech. In December, the Defense Information Systems Agency advised that all Department of Defense personnel should not use the Chinese-owned social media platform, citing a "potential risk associated with using the TikTok app." A year earlier, the Pentagon halted sales of Huawei and ZTE mobile phones and modems on military bases around the world, again citing national security concerns. She's arguably one of the more demure members of the Kardashian family. But Kendall Jenner is exuding some major confidence in her latest risque fashion shoot. The 24-year-old model has gone topless to appear on the cover of Chaos SixtyNine's Chanel issue - the 5th Posterbook edition of the publication, that's dedicated to the French fashion house - which also features the likes of Bella and Gigi Hadid. Wow: Kendall Jenner goes TOPLESS as she shows off her slender frame on the cover of Chaos SixtyNine's Chanel issue In fact, there are 13 covers to choose from featuring Adut Akech, Ever Anderson, Fran Summers, Imaan Hammam, Lila Moss and Stella Jones, Margaret Qualley, Mona Tougaard, Natasha Poly, and Vittoria Ceretti. Kendall looks simply stunning showing off slender frame for the tasteful black and white shoot, which sees her covering her chest with her right arm, as she looks away from the camera. Dressed only in lingerie and gloves, the reality star also displays her supermodel legs in a pair of thigh-high boots. Styling it out: In another sultry shot the model had the word 'chaos' written across her forehead with her own hair Stripping off: Dressed only in lingerie and gloves, the reality star also displays her supermodel legs in a pair of thigh-high boots In another shot from the Clearly still working hard during lockdown, it appears the model is as in-demand as ever. She recently stepped behind the camera to shoot Burberry's TB Summer Monogram collection on her computer. Kendall became a photographer for the day as she posed for a series of self-portraits to show off the new line at her Los Angeles home. Having a ball! Bella Hadid put her statuesque body on full display as she posed on the cover of Chaos SixtyNine's Chanel issue Splish splash: Meanwhile, Bella's sister Gigi Hadid, 25, also soaked up the spotlight as part of a second ChaosSixtyNine cover shoot Captivating: Gigi gazed softly towards the camera from beneath her Chanel mesh veil The lockdown shoot was directed by photographer Nick Knight, art director Peter Saville and stylist Katy England. Kendall - who is one of the world's best-paid models - said: 'Riccardo (Tisci) wanted to collaborate closely with me to bring this collection to life in a number of ways. 'He encouraged me to interpret the campaign myself, which was such an exciting opportunity. I loved being able to add my own personal touch.' Flash India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 1.5 million-mark on Wednesday, reaching 1,531,669, announced the federal health ministry. The ministry said 768 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 48,513 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 34,193 and total cases to 1,531,669. "As on 8:00 a.m. (local time) Wednesday, 34,193 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," read the information released by the ministry. On Tuesday morning the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 1,483,156, and the death toll stood at 33,425. According to ministry officials, so far 988,029 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. "The number of active cases in the country right now is 509,447," read the information. According to a statement by the federal health ministry, coordinated implementation of "Test Track Treat" strategy by the Union and State Governments has effectively ensured that the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is maintained at a low level when compared to the global scenario, and it has been progressively falling. Presently the CFR stands at 2.23 percent and it is the lowest since April 1, it added. The federal government is presently focusing on ramping up the number of tests carried out every day. As per the figures of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), for the past three days the total number of samples tested is over 500,000 per day. Only on Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that this would be increased to 1 million tests per day in the coming weeks. Till Tuesday as many as 17,743,740 COVID-19 tests could be conducted, with 4,08,855 samples tested on July 28 alone. Two days ago, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated three new testing labs which would help in increasing the number of tests by around 10,000 in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. In the wake of prevailing COVID-19 conditions, the Indian government has decided to extend the existing restrictions on limited domestic flight operations and caps on air fares till November 24. Currently, domestic flight operations are allowed to function at 45 percent of their total capacity. Meanwhile, the country's capital city of Delhi has shown a significant improvement in controlling the virus spread. Compared to the situation in June, there has been a decline in the number of COVID-9 deaths. In June, around 100 COVID-19 patients used to die every day, but now it has come down to around 20 per day. Earlier (in June), for every 100 persons tested for COVID-19 around 35 used to test positive, and this has come down to 5 percent now, according to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In the second week of June, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had expressed fears that the capital city would have more than 550,000 cases by July-end. But there has been a complete turnaround, thanks to the concerted efforts of both the Delhi and the centre governments. Williamss mother, Chrystal, made sure her son read up on Lewis and other leaders of the civil rights movement, not just to know his Black history, but, he says, to know that there are folks who put their lives on the line so that life could be better for others. Selflessness, he says, was a lesson his parents were always trying to impart, that the world didnt revolve around him. And John Lewis made the ultimate selfless act, Williams said, being beaten within an inch of his life and deciding to get back out there and continue fighting for the civil rights movement. It was a lesson he hoped to teach his 2-year-old daughter and infant son when they grow old enough to understand. Even to this day my parents stress how important it is to continue to do the work, he said, whether its in-the-street protests or a simple act of voting. The protests that have continued for more than 60 days in downtown Portland have been national news ever since President Donald Trump deployed federal officers, whose stated mission was to protect federal property. Rather than calm tensions, the federal forces presence instead escalated the protests, which began as calls for racial equity and police reform. Images from downtown Portland, with an emphasis on moments of conflict that happen late at night, have been all over TV, from cable news shows to late-night comedy hours. On Wednesday, Oregon Gov. Kate Browns announcement that federal officers would begin a phased withdrawal from Portland starting Thursday, prompted another flurry of national TV attention. Wednesdays The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, on Comedy Central, again weighed on in the situation in Portland. This whole Portland thing, Noah said, has been very scary for America as a whole. And Ill tell you now, its been especially scary for Black people. I mean, Portland is the whitest city in America, and theyre still sending in troops to use overwhelming force?....If thats what theyre willing to do there, who knows what theyre willing to do to minority groups. One thing thats weird, Noah said, is seeing how enthusiastic so many conservatives have been about sending federal troops to arrest American citizens when, for years, that is one of the things they were most afraid of." Noah went on to recall how, Back in 2014, President Obama deployed federal agents to confront a group of ranchers who were trespassing on federal land. He was referring to the 2014 episode in which agents from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management confronted Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was accused of illegally grazing cattle on federal land. A confrontation between Bundys armed militia supporters and BLM agents was big news back then, and also got TV attention. (Cliven Bundy, as Oregonians probably know, is the father of Ammon Bundy, leader of a group of armed protesters who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in a standoff that lasted for 41 days.) In a series of clips from 2014 and 2020, Fox hosts including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Lou Dobbs, were seen blasting the presence of federal agents in the 2014 standoff with Bundy as an example of tyranny at work. In one segment, Hannity interviews guest Donald Trump, who agrees the federal agents presence at the Cliven Bundy standoff is over the top. By contrast, the same hosts comments about federal officers in Portland reflect the view that Portland is a city under siege, and the officers are necessary to restore order. Hmmm, Noah said after the back-to-back clips aired. I wonder what the difference was between now and Black then? I guess well never know. 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. Northern Ireland meat giant Dunbia is now entirely under the control of Dawn Meats after the Waterford firm took full control of the business. It brings to an end 44 years of Northern Ireland ownership of Dunbia, which grew into one of the biggest food companies north of the border. Jim Dobson co-founded Dunbia in Dungannon with his brother Jack in 1976, building it into an enterprise exporting to 36 countries. Dawn Meats was founded by three farming families in Co Waterford in 1980. It joined with Dunbia in a joint venture in 2017. That deal saw Dawn acquire Dunbia's Republic of Ireland operations, resulting in a total of 10 Dawn Meats facilities. Dunbia employs 1,000 people in Northern Ireland, an increase of 25pc since the joint venture was formed. It processes beef and lamb from 12 facilities across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "The creation of the joint venture with Dawn Meats ensured the business would continue to grow as a leading quality meat supplier in the UK market," said Mr Dobson. "I want to thank all the team that has worked on the integration and feel confident that they are well-placed to build on all our past achievements together." Dawn Meats' combined businesses in the UK and Ireland now employ over 7,000 staff working with over 30,000 farmers. Michael Bell, executive director of the NI Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), said Mr Dobson had been a "pillar of industry". "The success of Dunbia - turning a small butcher business into one of Europe's leading meat processing companies - is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and sheer hard work of Jim and his brother Jack. "Jim has been an active NIFDA member for many years and a forceful voice for Northern Ireland food and drink. I wish him a very well deserved long and happy retirement." Niall Browne, CEO of Dawn Meats, said that combining the operations in the UK has been a strategic success based on a strong cultural fit between two family-owned businesses. Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine will visit the Millersville branch of Lancaster EMS on Thursday afternoon. As part of the visit, they will be joined by administrators and staff from Lancaster EMS to discuss the vital role front-line emergency workers play in our health care and emergency response systems, and the challenges these workers face while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Wolf and Levine will speak during a press conference at 1 p.m. on Thursday. You can watch the broadcast live here. Join us on a visit to Lancaster EMS Were at the Millersville branch of Lancaster EMS to talk about the vital role frontline emergency workers play in our health care and emergency response systems. Posted by Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday, July 30, 2020 On Thursday, The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 860 new coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 111,078. Along with Thursdays new cases, 14 new deaths were reported in Pennsylvania today, bringing the number of statewide coronavirus fatalities to 7,176. The state administered 163,936 cases between July 23 and July 29. There were 22,996 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m. Monday, with 6,822 of them coming back positive. More than two-thirds of the states coronavirus deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. About 8,165 of the positive cases are among health care workers. There are 1,088,859 patients who have tested negative as of Thursday. Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. READ MORE By Asma Hafiz, TwoCircles.net Srinagar: A Kashmiri independent multimedia journalist Ahmer Khan, and his teams film has been nominated for Emmy. Their film, India Burning is part of a documentary series by Vice News which aired on Showtime in the first week of April 2020. It is a collaborative work produced by Ahmer Khan, Jackie Jesko, Siddharth Bokolia, David Talukdar, Zach Caldwell, Sami Ullah and Isobel Yeung. Support TwoCircles Ahmer announced on Twitter that his film has earned an Emmy nomination. The Emmy Awards are scheduled to take place on 21 September 2020 though its unclear what form the ceremony would take due to the coronavirus pandemic. This film is about the rise of Hindu Nationalism in India where 200 million Muslims are branded as infiltrators and the Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Assam which later spread to other parts of India, says Ahmer Khan. The documentary series consists of various episodes reporting about war, violence against different ethnicities, protests in the USA, anti-CAA protests in India, pandemic and much more. Ahmer Khan is the first journalist from Kashmir to have been nominated for an Emmy award. Talking about his work, Ahmer says, For this film, we covered two parts, Assam and Delhi. My primary focus was on Assam because I was already there and was covering stories for various publications. This story is a great hit because the quality of filmmaking is very high and we had to take a lot of risks. There are a lot of details in the film which one needs to understand. Earlier, a small clip from the film was released on social media. It featured Isobel Yeung interviewing Subramanian Swamy, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. His Islamophobic opinions enraged many people who took to social media to express their anger. If Muslim population becomes more than 30 per cent, that country is in danger and not all people are equal, Muslims do not fall into the equal category, Swamy said in the interview. This is not for the first time that Ahmer Khan has been nominated for an award. In 2019, he was awarded the Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for his reporting on Kashmir lockdown enforced by New Delhi after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Ahmer was also awarded the prestigious 24th Human Rights Press Awards (2020) in the short video category for his collaborative short film, Defending Kashmir: Anchars last stand against Indias control which was published by the London based Guardian. . Between 2012 and 2015, he was convicted in three different cases for felony drug possession and delivery. In 2016 he was convicted of aggravated assault after he drove away from police during a traffic stop and then, after getting stopped again, accelerated while an officer had reached her hand into the car nearly driving over her foot. Oregon and the Trump administration said they reached a deal for federal agents to begin withdrawing from Portland. WSJ's Miriam Gottfried reports on the significance of the agreement and whats next for the protest-shaken state. Photo: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters Advertisement Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is not doing her job to keep Portland safe President Trump on Thursday morning slammed the governor of Oregon for 'not doing her job' to protect the city of Portland and vowed to keep federal agents there for as long as the unrest continues after another night of violence, the 63rd in the city. Trump tweeted: 'Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon, isnt doing her job. She must clear out, and in some cases arrest, the Anarchists & Agitators in Portland. If she cant do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!' It came after Acting Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Chad Wold said that he would not pull federal agents out of the city while the courthouse remained under threat, but had initiated talks to gradually start the withdrawal if the unrest ends. In his statement, Wolf said he and Brown had 'agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement officers.' 'That plan includes a robust presence of Oregon State Police in downtown Portland,' he said. But Wolf set no timeline for a pullout, stressing that the 'current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland' would remain until being assured that federal properties 'will no longer be attacked' in the city. He also tweeted: 'We will maintain our current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland until we are assured that the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other federal properties will no longer be attacked and that the seat of justice in Portland will remain secure.' Federal police emerge from the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse on Wednesday night while a protester holds his hands up in surrender to them The cops emerged in a cloud of tear gas and dispersed rubber bullets into the crowds of demonstrators for the latest night of violence in more than two months The protesters armed themselves with leaf-blowers to try to stave away the tear gas that was sprayed towards them A protester flees as a flashing grenade goes off in Portland outside the Mark O. Hatfield US Courthouse on Wednesday night - the 63rd night of violence in the city A federal officer points a gun, loaded with rubber bullets, during Wednesday night's unrest Federal police arrest a protester outside the courthouse on Wednesday night. It's unclear how many have been arrested since the protests began 'DHS Gov will not back down from our legal duty to protect federal law enforcement officers and federal properties in the face of violent criminal behavior.' Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has been reluctant to intervene in the unrest Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton said his agency would deploy a special operations team and some uniformed troopers to the courthouse for a two-week rotation. The agency hopes its efforts will allow the protective fence to be removed and 'restore a semblance of normalcy, while meeting community expectations and our obligations to protect the federal property,' Hampton said, adding that the troopers were Oregonians. Gov. Kate Brown tweeted earlier in the evening: 'After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. 'They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland. 'Our local Oregon State Police officers will be downtown to protect Oregonians' right to free speech and keep the peace. Let's center the Black Lives Matter movement's demands for racial justice and police accountability. It's time for bold action to reform police practices.' The protesters were skeptical on Wednesday night. 'I don't think the Feds are going to leave, and if they do, the movement continues,' said 23-year-old Constantine, one of around 2,000 people gathered outside the city's Federal Court building. Many demonstrators are peaceful, but smaller numbers have thrown fireworks, flares, rocks and ball bearings at federal agents, used green lasers to blind them and spread graffiti over the face of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Federal police arrest a protester outside the courthouse on Wednesday night. It's unclear what his alleged offense was A protestor self-identified as Baadzo faces off with federal police outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Baadzo faced off with the police, yelling in their faces, while surrounded by other protesters on Wednesday night Randy Chase, 57, is attended to by protestors after he was tear-gassed by federal police outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Randy Chase, 57, shouts towards federal police after he was tear-gassed outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Protestors face off with federal police amidst tear gas outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse. Ongoing protests against police brutality on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 A protestor surrenders to federal police with their hands on their head after becoming surrounded on Wednesday night A federal policeman is covered in paint outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse after an unlawful assembly is declared. Ongoing protests against police brutality on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (Michael Arellano for DailyMail.com) Protestors face off with federal police outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse after an unlawful assembly is declared. Ongoing protests against police brutality on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (Michael Arellano for DailyMail.com) Federal Agents stand in the street in front of a plume of green smoke as they attempt to clear the crowd gathering at the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse using tear gas and other dispersants Federal law enforcement officers face off with protesters during a demonstration against police violence and racial inequality in Portland, Oregon, U.S., July 30, 2020 Trump earlier this month sent federal authorities as protests against racial injustice increasingly targeted U.S. government property, including the stately courthouse in downtown Portland. The deployment appeared to have the opposite effect, reinvigorating demonstrations with a new focus: getting rid of the federal presence. The deescalation plan calls for the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service agents to remain inside a fence set up around the federal courthouse, along with some state police, to keep protesters out. State police will also be outside the fence to keep protesters back. Trump on Wednesday decried 'agitators and anarchists' in Portland during an address in Midland, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon following the announcement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin a phased withdrawal of federal officers on Thursday after almost a month of nightly violent clashes outside the city's courthouse. The president praised the officers' efforts before warning that he will take even stronger action if the unrest continues after they leave. 'If they don't solve that problem locally very soon, we're going to send in the National Guard and get it solved very quickly, just like we did in Minneapolis and just like we will do in other places,' he said. 'They want to solve their problem, they've got a very short time to do it, but they'll either solve their problem or we send in the National Guard.' Federal police deploy tear gas and fire rubber bullets into the crowd while they defend the courthouse on Wednesday night A protester wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt is arrested outside the federal courthouse in Portland on Wednesday night Protesters shield themselves from tear gas in Portland on Wednesday night in another night of tense stand-offs A person passes through the protest zone wearing a Black Lives Mater mask and wearing goggles to protect themselves from the tear gas Federal police sweep through the Chinook Land Autonomous Territory across from the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse after an unlawful assembly is declared A protestor using a broom to sweep away tear gas canisters is targeted with explosive munitions Border Patrol Agents face off with protestors as they make an attempt to clear the crowd gathering at the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse using tear gas and other dispersants Rhiannon Patterson with the group Wall of Moms raises her hand with the crowd during a protest at in Portland, Oregon Wednesday night near the US District Court Building A protester uses a leaf blower as Federal Agents attempt to clear the crowd gathering at the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse using tear gas and other dispersants Protesters gather at the Justice Center and Federal Courthouse. For days Feds have attempted to intervene after weeks of protests on July 29, 2020 in Portland, Oregon Demonstrators raise their cell phone lights as they chant slogans during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse Wednesday, July 29, 2020 A protester waves an American Flag outside the US District Court Building in Portland, Oregon early Thursday morning Trump made the comments during a speech on restoring energy dominance in the Permian Basin, where he railed against liberals for trying to regulate the area's oil industry. He segued into the protests in an awkward fashion by charging that eliminating methods such as fracking could turn the US into Venezuela. He said the US 'isn't far from that - just look at Portland'. Trump expressed similar sentiments about the situation in Portland in a pair of tweets ahead of the speech, writing: 'If the Federal Government and its brilliant Law Enforcement (Homeland) didn't go into Portland one week ago, there would be no Portland - it would be burned and beaten to the ground,' he wrote. 'If the Mayor and Governor do not stop the Crime and Violence from the Anarchists and Agitators immediately, the Federal Government will go in and do the job that local law enforcement was supposed to do!' The tweets came just after Oregon Gov Kate Brown confirmed that the federal government had agreed to remove agents from Portland if officials secure the city and its Mark O Hatfield federal courthouse, where the height of the violence has occurred. 'Beginning Thursday, all Customs and Border Protection and ICE officers will leave downtown Portland, and shortly thereafter will begin going home,' Brown said in a statement. The DHS said it had signed on to the joint plan to end the violence in which state and local law enforcement would begin to secure areas around federal properties. Contributed photo / Patrick Sikes / For Hearst Connecticut Media Re: Beach bans due to COVID are outright discrimination (July 27), Professor Andrew Kahrls charge that the new city policy restricting weekend and holiday beach access to Stamford residents is rooted in unspoken biases against working class people, and his insinuation that it is racially discriminatory, are misguided. If the purpose of the new policy is to exclude working class people and racial minorities, why does it apply only on weekends and holidays? Further, Stamfords population is far more racially, ethnically and economically diverse than the populations of any of our neighboring towns. A policy limiting weekend access to lower Fairfield Countys most racially and economically diverse population is an odd way to seek to exclude working class people and racial minorities. The problem that resulted in this policy is not xenophobia, or racial or class bias. The problems are that the people who live near our public beaches have suffered through a summer that has featured excessive traffic, overcrowded streets, blocked driveways, public urination, garbage left in front of their homes, major traffic accidents, and simply too many people and too many cars coming into their neighborhoods. These concerns have been magnified by the coronavirus pandemic. The citys response is perfectly reasonable. The ACLUs suggestion that weekend and holiday beach access be on a first-come, first served basis regardless of residency is unfair to the Stamford residents and taxpayers who live here and pay to maintain the beaches. If access is to be limited, why should a Stamford resident and taxpayer be turned away in favor of a nonresident? Obvious discrimination: Conservatives decry Supreme Court refusal to block Nev. restrictions on church gatherings Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. 1 2 3 4 5 Next Best place on Earth to see stars is at remote site in Antarctica, study shows Have you ever wondered why stars twinkle? It's because turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere makes light emitted from the star wobble as it completes its lightyears-long journey to the lenses in our eyes and telescopes. But now scientists from international research institutions including UNSW Sydney have found the best place on Earth where - with the help of technology - we can view distant stars as they really appear, without the distorting twinkle. And it happens to be situated due south of Australia's Davis Station in Antarctica, on a plateau 4000 metres above sea-level called Dome A. In research published today in the journal Nature, scientists showed that the conditions at the plateau lend themselves perfectly to viewing stars from Earth with greatly reduced interference from atmospheric turbulence. According to UNSW Science's Professor Michael Ashley, who was part of Chinese-led research team of scientists that designed, built and set up a small telescope system at Dome A, the findings represent a fantastic opportunity to obtain better observations of the universe from ground-based telescopes. "After a decade of indirect evidence and theoretical reasoning, we finally have direct observational proof of the extraordinarily good conditions at Dome A," says Prof Ashley, an astronomer with UNSW's School of Physics. "Dome A is the highest point in the central plateau region of Antarctica, and the atmosphere is extremely stable here, much more so than anywhere else on Earth. The result is that the twinkling of the stars is greatly reduced, and the star images are much sharper and brighter." The telescope that was installed at Dome A - the KunLun Differential Image Motion Monitor - was 25cm in aperture and placed on an eight metre platform. The height of the platform was crucial because it raised the telescope above the steep temperature gradients near the ice. As Prof Ashley explains, turbulent eddies build up when wind moves across a changing topography such as mountains, hills and valleys. "This causes the atmospheric turbulence which bends the starlight around so by the time it hits the ground, it's all over the place and you get these blurry images." BOUNDARY LAYERS But, he says, Dome A in Antarctica is a plateau that is almost dead flat for many hundreds of kilometres in every direction, making its atmosphere very stable. It's also at an altitude of more than 4000 meters - much higher than Mount Kosciuszko. "There is this very slow wind that blows across the plateau which is so smooth that it doesn't generate much turbulence," Prof Ashley says. "What little turbulence there is we see restricted to a very low 'boundary layer' - the area between the ice and the rest of the atmosphere. "We measured the boundary layer thickness at Dome A using a radar technique about a decade ago and it's about 14 meters, on average, but it fluctuates - it goes down to almost nothing, and it goes up to maybe 30 metres." The team found that by setting up their telescope on an 8-metre platform, it protruded past the boundary layer about a third of the time. Last year between April 11 and August 4 the telescope took photos every minute, and obtained 45,930 images taken when the boundary layer was lower than the 8-metre platform, it reported in Nature. Prof Ashley says it was very challenging to finally obtain the readings and images that confirmed Dome A to be the premier location on earth to see into the depths of the cosmos. "It was very difficult because the observations have to be made in mid-winter with no humans present. UNSW played a crucial role in designing and building the infrastructure that was used - the power supply system, computers, satellite communications - which was managed by remote control." GROUND VS SATELLITE TELESCOPES But if the atmosphere plays such havoc with our instruments on Earth, wouldn't a satellite - such as the Hubble Telescope, launched back in 1990 - be ideal for such a job? Prof Ashley says there are a couple of good reasons why a ground telescope set up at Dome A would be the better option. Beyond the obvious savings in dollars, there are also savings in time. "Satellites are a lot more expensive," Prof Ashley says, "we're talking maybe factors of 10 to 100 times the cost. But another advantage of making Earth-based observations is you can always add the latest technology to your telescope on the ground. Whereas in space, everything is delayed. And you can't easily use a lot of modern integrated circuits because they're not radiation hardened. So you end up with space lagging the technology on the ground by 10 years or more." Another advantage of using a telescope at Dome A rather than anywhere else on the planet is that smaller and fainter stars are suddenly much more observable thanks to the better resolution. "Basically this means that for a given size telescope, you're going to get a lot better images at Dome A. So rather than build a big telescope on a non-Antarctic site, you could build a smaller one and get the same performance, so it's cheaper." POLAR NIGHTS There is also a strategic advantage in the location of Dome A - which is 900km from the South Pole - over other areas on Earth at more hospitable latitudes. Being so far from the equator, polar nights of 24 hours or more of darkness in mid-winter open up a much wider window to view stars. "If you were to observe a star in say, Sydney, from when it rises to when it sets, you can only observe it for maybe eight hours a night," Prof Ashley says. "Whereas in wintertime at Dome A you can observe a star continuously. And for some projects like searching for planets around other stars, the fact that you can observe them continuously means you can find planets around them much more effectively." Looking ahead, Prof Ashley says he would like to continue the research with UNSW's Chinese partners, and notes that China has an impressive and growing record in Antarctic scientific research. But he wonders whether Australia recognises the great potential that Dome A represents in space research. "Dome A is a superb site for astronomical observations, and we should make every effort to participate in an international project to put a large telescope there to take advantage of the conditions. "With Antarctica being so close to Australia, it is a tremendous opportunity," he says. ### This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wednesday's much-anticipated antitrust hearing subjected four of the tech industry's most powerful CEOs to hours of aggressive questioning by Republicans and Democrats alike. But it also may have revealed something far more lasting: A Congress that has largely soured on Silicon Valley is beginning to figure out how to hold it to account, compiling piles of documents that could back up allegations that the industry's biggest companies aren't playing by the country's competition rules. That could be the most lasting implication for Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook, whose companies are being increasingly challenged by lawmakers in Washington and beyond. Want the full play-by-play? Check out POLITICOs live coverage. With that, here are five top takeaways of what we learned Wednesday. 1) Democrats came ready, and with plenty of evidence The House antitrust subcommittee has spent a year on this investigation collecting emails and confidential presentations, locating chat records, and reassuring small competitors that its safe to tell them of their stories of the Big Four. And some of the subcommittees top Democrats came prepared with that evidence, in a coordinated effort to poke holes in Zuckerberg's, Bezos', Pichai's and Cooks contentions that they compete fully in the letter and spirit of U.S. antitrust law. Take Rep. Pramila Jayapals (D-Wash.) back-and-forth with Zuckerberg over whether hed threatened Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom before eventually buying the company for a billion dollars in 2012. Jayapal pulled up a chat between Systrom and an investor in which the Instagram co-founder floated the possibility that Zuckerberg will go into destroy mode if I say no. When Zuckerberg disputed the congresswomans characterization of those events, Jayapal swung back with a classic bit of congressional theater: I'd like to remind you that youre under oath. Underscoring the point, the subcommittee published a cache of its investigative materials, including the full Systrom chat log, midway through the hearing a way of extending the five-hour-plus hearings shelf-life even longer. Story continues In the same vein, committee members hit Bezos with emails illuminating Amazon's motivation for buying the smart doorbell company Ring; wrote Bezos in that correspondence, "To be clear, my view here is we are buying market position not technology." 2) Republicans are more interested in tech bias than antitrust Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on antitrust on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Washington. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP) The hearing got off to a bang when Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) brought out his outdoor voice to recite a litany of alleged examples of anti-conservative bias, including on the part of Twitter, whose CEO Jordan had made a show of attempting to invite to the hearing. Perhaps anticipating Jordan would have a go at hijacking the hearing, subcommittee chairman David Cicilline (D-R.I.) was primed to shut him down: He quickly swatted away Jordans attempt to enlist a fellow Republican not on the subcommittee to question the CEOs on their threats to freedom. That put to rest any notion that the tech executives were facing a unified bipartisan front ready to drill down on antitrust abuses. Jordan later tried again, attempting to go to the ropes with Google CEO Pichai over whether his company would play fair during the 2020 election. Pichai seemed somewhat befuddled by Jordans line of questioning, eventually promising that, yes, Google would play things neutral. Pichai was let off the hook when the right to question passed to Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), who opened with a shot at "fringe conspiracy theories." Jordan objected, loudly, but the hearing moved on. Republicans did get traction here and there. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), for example, got into a robust exchange with Pichai on the ins-and-outs of how the companys ad tools interact with the YouTube platform it owns. When Pichai said the companys approach was more sensitive to users' data-security concerns than other models, Kelly shot back that Google was using privacy as a cudgel to beat down the competition. But even Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who has recently carved out a lane as a thoughtful conservative critic of Silicon Valley, touched on how Amazon engages with competitors before veering off onto a round of getting each of the CEOs to commit to not sell products produced using slave labor. And while the hearing produced few of the full-out tech gaffes that Congress has become known for, top subcommittee Republican Jim Sensenbrenner notched one when he asked Zuckerberg about why presidential son Donald Trump Jr.'s social media account was recently taken down for a short time over a controversial hydroxychloroquine video. But that controversy involved Trump's Twitter account, not Facebook. (Zuckerberg sidestepped the platform misidentification, using it as a moment to point out that Facebook is pointedly pro-free expression.) 3) Facebooks still vulnerable Zuckerberg was the target of perhaps the days toughest questioning, not simply from Jayapal but other from Democrats who homed in on Facebooks billion-dollar acquisition of Instagram in 2012. Their premise: that Zuckerberg saw the photo-sharing platform not as a neat startup that would round out Facebook's own image-sharing tools but a potential existential threat one whose absorption, then, potentially violated U.S. competition law. New York Democrat Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee, laid into Zuckerberg on the topic, again using internal communications in making his case. Nadler pointed out that according to documents in the subcommittees hands, Zuckerberg was prompted to dig out his checkbook because he worried that Instagram could meaningfully hurt us without becoming a huge business, and that by buying the still-small company, what were really buying is time. Buying up a competitor simply so it will stop competing is potentially a no-no under U.S. antitrust law, Nadler pointed out, to which Zuckerberg responded that the Federal Trade Commission knew his thinking about Instagram way back in 2012, and those antitrust enforcers still signed off on the deal. But Cicilline was unpersuaded, telling Zuckerberg that "the failures of the FTC in 2012 of course do not alleviate the antitrust challenges that the chairman described. The shorter version: Just because that one corner of the federal apparatus approved the deal some eight years ago doesnt mean Zuckerberg is out of the woods. And deals that are made can be unmade. Facebook has bought scores of companies, of course, but Instagram is different. The visual-first platform, hugely popular in its own right, is key to Zuckerbergs vision for the future of Facebook especially as its a way of attracting a Facebook-phobic younger audience that otherwise is flocking to the Chinese-owned upstart TikTok. Washington peeling Instagram away from Zuckerbergs empire might be unlikely, but its also a future that the CEO isnt eager to contemplate. And the House antitrust subcommittee made plain that its a possibility it wants Zuckerberg to worry about. 4) Jeff Bezos took lots of heat, and didn't always seem ready This was, somewhat amazingly, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos first ever time testifying before Congress, despite the enormous wealth and power he enjoys. (When Bezos was sworn in today, he was ranked No. 1 on Forbes list of the worlds richest people, with $180 billion under his control. As a point of comparison, the wealthiest member of House of Representatives, Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), was worth about one-thousandth that.) And for a time, it looked like it would be a easy day for Bezos. Seemingly because of technical difficulties with his Cisco Webex feed, Bezos wasnt called on for questions until long after the hearing that begun. But when the technical details were sorted out, Bezos was in for it. Some of the toughest queries came from Cicilline himself, on a topic that the chairman has been pursuing for many months now: whether Amazon uses the data of independent sellers on its platform to figure out how to best sell its own products. (The committee has questioned whether another Amazon witness misled the panel on this very point a year ago.) Bezos declined repeatedly to dig into the details, often arguing that he simply didnt know the relevant information, even though it's common for CEOs to prep thoroughly for these sort of high-profile Q&As. After Bezos responded "I can't answer that question yes or no" when Jayapal asked whether Amazon has ever used information extracted from the experiences of its on-platform independent sellers to plan its own offerings, Cicilline followed up incredulously: You said that you cant guarantee that the policy of not sharing third-party sellers data with Amazons own line [of products] hasnt been violated. You couldnt be certain. Can you please explain that to me? Said Bezos: We are investigating that, and I do not want to go beyond what I know right now. At another point in the hearing, Bezos said he was unfamiliar with a startup that was featured in the opening anecdote of a Wall Street Journal story on the company's dealings with smaller competitors that appeared last Thursday. Dont expect Cicilline to let this one go. Hes known to keep his teeth dug into topics that have grabbed his attention, and hes made clear that he takes strong offense to how Amazon has handled this key question. 5) Congress still has no clear bipartisan antitrust agenda Cicilline has said from the start of his tech investigation back last summer that hes eager to keep it a bipartisan affair, and somewhat remarkably he has mostly met that goal. Still, it became clear Wednesday that the subcommittee's Republicans are not on board with making major changes to antitrust law to counter Silicon Valleys power a stalemate that could give the beleaguered tech giants a legislative win by default. Some GOP lawmakers also explicitly rejected the idea that, as the oft-heard saying goes, big is bad. I have reached the conclusion that we do not need to change our antitrust laws, said Sensenbrenner, the top Republican on the subcommittee, who would be a crucial ally for any bipartisan drive to make transformational changes. Theyve been working just fine. The question here is the question of enforcement of those antitrust laws. That still leaves Cicilline a plenty-big lane to have some impact on the countrys competition policy, though he will to navigate carefully to make sure that pre-election bickering doesn't rip apart the policy recommendations he has said hell release by the end of the year. On the other hand, the November election could yield him another path to victory, by offering an antitrust legislative roadmap to the next presidential administration if that president is Joe Biden. Leah Nylen and John Hendel contributed to this report. After losing his legal bid to reclaim Kogi West Senatorial seat, Dino Melaye has now taken his case to God. In a Twitter post on Sat... After losing his legal bid to reclaim Kogi West Senatorial seat, Dino Melaye has now taken his case to God. In a Twitter post on Saturday, a sober Melaye asked God to do whatever He wants to do with him. His tweet reads: O Lord!!! When l lose my hopes and plans, help me remember that your love is greater than my disappointments, and your plans for my life are better than my dreams. Lord do with me what you want to do with me. My God is never wrong and never late. SDM His sober tweet contrasted his blustering mood on Saturday when he invoked the curse of Covid-19 on some APC leaders at a PDP rally in Benin. On Tuesday, the Appeal Court in Abuja dismissed Melaye appeal against the election of Senator Smart Adeyemi. The court upheld the victory of Adeyemi as winner of the Kogi West Senatorial District election held last year. Melaye had first lost his case at the Electoral Tribunal. But he went on to appeal. The three-man panel of the court unanimously resolved all seven issues, identified for determination, against Melaye. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:32:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XIAMEN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese company shipped 449 school buses with smart features from a port in east China's Xiamen City to Saudi Arabia Wednesday afternoon. The buses were manufactured by Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd., one of the country's leading bus makers. According to Chen Zhixiang, a sales manager of the company, the vehicles are supposed to be put into use when schools in Saudi Arabia resume classes in September. Chen said the buses have been tailor-made for the Saudi Arabian market in accordance with local geographical environment, climate, driving habits and students' need. Besides some basic functions like clock-in and security monitoring systems, the buses have also been equipped with other "smart" safety features, including forward collision warning system, lane departure warning system and monitoring system for the driver. Chen added that the delivery of the buses was finalized through video conferences as the COVID-19 epidemic made it impossible for the customers to check the vehicles on spot. The company has exported over 1,300 vehicles to Saudi Arabia this year. Enditem He was upon it and he had been one third towards achieving the target. This was the first season. We have two more seasons to go. Minister Shiri has been moving around farming areas touring agricultural projects. He was now spearheading the Smart Agriculture concept which was aimed at achieving high yields even under drought conditions. We had also concluded deals on irrigation equipment to aid agriculture. He had set a certain hectarage of cropping that should be supported by irrigation to ensure national food security. Now he is no more it is difficult to fill his gap, he said. Construction on what could become Perth's tallest skyscraper could begin at Elizabeth Quay within two years, despite overwhelming opposition from neighbouring property owners. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority will decide the fate of Brookfield's billion-dollar project on Thursday following the green light from one of the authority's committees last week. Artist's impression of the proposed towers at Elizabeth Quay. If approved, the luxury twin towers could dwarf signature buildings at the prime waterfront precinct, such as the Ritz Carlton and Chevron's $360 million headquarters currently under construction. As part of its application, Brookfield sought changes to the area's redevelopment scheme, which limited building heights to 30 levels, to allow the construction of the 58-storey residential tower. WATERLOO REGION Ontarios back-to-school plan is earning both condemnation and praise from teachers, parents and school boards. I am incredibly concerned for the health and safety of students and staff, said Patrick Etmanski, local president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. I am not confident that this plan will keep anyone safe. Elementary students are expected to return full-time to classrooms on Sept. 8, wearing masks in Grade 4 and up. Local high school students will return to a mixed model where they learn in school and also remotely at home. Teacher unions complain they were not consulted. It is going to fall to school boards and educators to operationalize all of this, and there are many too many unanswered questions, said Greg Weiler, local president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. Not enough nurses will be hired, students will not get enough masks, and physical distancing will be impossible without a reduction to elementary class sizes, teacher unions say. This is quite an experiment and I hope it works, because lives are at stake, Etmanski said by email. The plan does little in my mind to protect anyone. This plan is full of holes. New funding announced by the government is not enough to clean and sanitize schools, Weiler said by email. If it is not properly funded and supported, not only will learning be impacted, but the health and safety of staff and students will be impacted. Parent Angelica Allen is pleased to see elementary students return to school full-time. She figures it will help them emotionally, socially and educationally. Its really important that elementary went back to school, said Allen, co-chair of the Waterloo Region Assembly of Public School Councils. Allen figures it would be hard on parents to secure patchwork daycare if elementary students did not return full-time. She hopes local high school students will later be allowed to return full-time to classrooms. Her daughter attends high school. Allen is not persuaded that hiring 500 public health nurses will be enough. Parent Mandi Bond, with three children in public elementary school, is apprehensive about having her children return to school full time. Her family has kept its social bubble small on public health advice. Now all of a sudden my bubble, with three kids going back to school, is going to be how big? said Bond, a co-chair of the assembly of school councils. Many support staff who work in public elementary schools worry as well. We are very concerned about their safety with those schools at full capacity, said Rob Gascho, local president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation that represents them. Gascho agrees the mixed learning model announced for local high schools is safer than a full reopening. It will still require a great deal of care and vigilance while people are in the buildings, he said by email. There is a lot of work still to be done, and a lot of adjustment as teachers will have to rethink how to provide courses in this altered format. Chair Jayne Herring of the Waterloo Region District School Board likes some aspects of the back-to-school announcement. Although Herring said shes still reviewing the plan, I was pleased to see that it places an emphasis on the protection of student and staff health and safety through the use of masks, she said in an email. Teachers and support staff, as well as students starting in Grade 4, must wear masks indoors in school. Students in kindergarten to Grade 3 need not wear masks. The public school board with 65,000 students is well situated to move forward with this direction ... and is eager to welcome our students and staff back to school, Herring said. Public schools will work diligently to put health and safety protocols in place and communicate them to families and staff, a board spokesperson said. We are pleased to see clear direction on masking, said Loretta Notten, education director for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, which has almost 25,000 students. Both boards will seek further details on extra funding they are in line to receive. We are glad to be welcoming back our students and look forward to a fall of great learning, Notten said by email. Kabul, Jul 30 (UNI) The Taliban has declared its decision to release all 1,000 government prisoners by the up coming Eid festival. Spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office Suhail Shaheen tweeted on Wednesday night that the Taliban will release the remaining government prisoners by Eid as a "goodwill" gesture. Under the US-Taliban peace deal that was signed in Doha late on February this year, the Afghan government agreed to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, till now they have released more than 4,400. As per the Doha agreement the Taliban had agreed to release 1,000 captives, out of whom it has released more than 800 till now. N ASA is launching a rocket to look for traces of life on Mars. Atlas 5 is set to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday. Onboard will be a six-wheeled robotic rover called Perseverance which will search the fourth planet from the sun. A mini helicopter will also be dispatched to test out equipment for future human missions to Mars. An illustration depicting the helicopter on Mars / AP What time is Nasa's Mars Perseverance Rover launch? The US space agencys $2.4 billion mission is scheduled for launch at 7.50 am ET (11.50 GMT) and is expected to reach Mars next February. Can I watch it in the UK? You will be able to watch from the UK and indeed anywhere in the world with an internet connection. NASA will be live streaming the event and will also be compiling clips of the take-off to be viewed at a later date. What is the mission about? Perseverance is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists suspect could bear evidence of potential past microbial life on Mars. Scientists have long debated whether Mars - once a much more hospitable place than it is today - ever harboured life. A rocket carrying NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover vehicle is readied for launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station / REUTERS One of the most complex manoeuvres in Perseverances journey will be what mission engineers call the seven minutes of terror, when the robot endures extreme heat and speeds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere, deploying a set of supersonic parachutes before igniting mini rocket engines to gently touch down on the planets surface. This is the ninth time weve landed on Mars, so we do have experience with it, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks / REUTERS It is the latest launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China. Aboard Perseverance is a four-pound (1.8 kg) autonomous helicopter named Ingenuity that is due to test powered flight on Mars for the first time. A replica of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is shown during a press conference / REUTERS Since NASAs first Mars rover Sojourner landed in 1997, the agency has sent two others - Spirit and Opportunity - that have explored the geology of expansive Martian plains and detected signs of past water formations, among other discoveries. NASA also has successfully sent three landers - Pathfinder, Phoenix, InSight. The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under a program that envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the more ambitious crewed journey to Mars. Perseverance will conduct an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planets surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. China warned on Thursday that a "forced decoupling" of its economy with India, following a border clash last month that killed 20 Indian soldiers, would hurt both countries. The Chinese ambassador said China was not a strategic threat to India and that the "general structure that we can't live without each other remains unchanged". The statement came after New Delhi's recent moves to ban or sideline Chinese business interests in one of the world's biggest markets, even as the border remains tense with many more troops on the ground than usual. "China advocates win-win cooperation and opposes a zero-sum game," Ambassador Sun Weidong wrote on Twitter. "Our economies are highly complementary, interwoven and interdependent. Forced decoupling is against the trend and will only lead to a 'lose-lose' outcome." Officials of the nuclear-armed neighbours have been talking regularly to de-escalate the border standoff after the June 15 clash in the Galwan Valley of India's Ladakh region when the Indian officials said soldiers were beaten to death with rocks and clubs. Indian officials say Chinese troops have intruded on to its side in the remote western region, while China says it has not breached the disputed border and has asked India to restrain its frontline troops. India's Ministry of External Affairs said in an online briefing that a troops disengagement process as agreed by the two sides had yet to be completed, and that another round of commander-level talks would be held soon. "We expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest," spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. Analysts say the worst fighting between the giant countries in decades is likely to push India closer to the United States, both strategically and in trade. China and India fought a brief border war in 1962 and China is a close ally of India's long-time foe, Pakistan. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. How Lashkar operatives planned on burning down the Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express Why NIA arrested former Congress MLAs daughter-in-law in an Islamic State case Elgar Parishad: Associate professor of DU remanded in NIA custody India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Mumbai, July 30: A special court here on Wednesday remanded associate professor Hany Babu of Delhi University (DU), who was arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon Elgar Parishad case, in NIA custody till August 4. Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil, 54, associate professor in the Department of English, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday in connection with the case. He was produced before a special NIA court in Mumbai on Wednesday. The probe agency told the court that the accused was arrested for his alleged involvement in the case. Delhi professor arrested in Bhima Koregaon case over maoist ideology It submitted that the accused had links with the CPI (Maoist) party. During the investigation, various letters were recovered from the seized electronic articles, which indicated his involvement in the case, the NIA said. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News The lawyer, who appeared on behalf of the accused, submitted that Hany Babu was being interrogated by the NIA for the last four to five days, and hence his further custody was not required. Special court judge, A T Wankhede, after perusing the document on record, found that the allegations made against the accused are of serious nature. The court then remanded him in seven days of NIA custody. The case relates to an Elgar Parishad event of December 31, 2017, organised by the Kabir Kala Mancha Shaniwarwada in Pune, where alleged provocative speeches were made, promoting enmity between various caste groups and leading to violence resulting in loss of life and property and statewide agitation in Maharashtra. The Pune police filed a charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet in the case on November 15, 2018, and February 21, 2019, respectively. The NIA took up the investigation of the case on January 24 this year and arrested Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha on April 14. During further investigation, it was revealed that Hany Babu was propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology and was a "co-conspirator" with the other arrested accused, the NIA has said. Regulatory News: GenSight Biologics (Paris:SIGHT) (Euronext: SIGHT, ISIN: FR0013183985, PEA-PME eligible), a biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, today reported its interim financial results for the first half of 2020 and provided recent operational updates. The full interim financial report is available on the Company's website in the Investors section. The 2020 half-year financial statements were subject to a limited review by the Company's statutory auditors and approved by the Board of Directors on July 29, 2020. "Even as we push towards the final steps for filing the LUMEVOQ Marketing Authorisation Application with the European Medicines Agency in September, we are also laying the groundwork for fast and effective commercialization," commented Bernard Gilly, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GenSight Biologics. "We are ready and able to continue the hard work to prepare for LUMEVOQ's launch." 2020 Half-Year Financial Results In million euros H1 2019 H1 2020 Operating income 2.5 3.3 Research and development expenses (16.1) (12.0) Sales and marketing expenses (0.4) (0.9) General and administrative expenses (3.1) (4.0) Operating profit (loss) (17.2) (13.6) Net income (loss) (17.3) (14.1) EPS (in per share) (0.63) (0.43) Net cash flows from operating activities (19.5) (6.7) Net cash flows from investment activities 0.1 (0.1) Net cash flows from financing activities 7.4 4.4 Net cash flows (12.0) (2.4) Cash and cash equivalents at closing 14.3 16.8 "The recent PGE loan and the imminent second tranche of Kreos bonds provided us with over 10 million of aggregated cash with practically no dilution to existing shareholders," commented Thomas Gidoin, Chief Financial Officer of GenSight Biologics. "Together with anticipated revenues from a strong demand of Temporary Authorization for Use of LUMEVOQ in France, we expect to be financed until at least mid-2021." The Company's operating income increased to 3.3 million from 2.5 million over the period. This income was essentially in the form of research tax credit (Credit Impot Recherche), and included revenues from the sale of a Temporary Authorization for Use of LUMEVOQ in France early 2020 before lockdown measures related to COVID-19. Research and development expenses decreased by 25.7% to 12.0 million in the first half of 2020 from 16.1 million over the same period in 2019. This decrease was primarily due to significant Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) activities for LUMEVOQ in 2019, now close to completion in preparation for filing a marketing approval application in Europe in September 2020. In addition, both RESCUE and REVERSE Phase III trials were completed in 2019, as well as the recruitment of the REFLECT Phase III trial. General and administrative expenses amounted to 4.0 million and 3.1 million in the first halves of 2020 and 2019, respectively. The variation was mainly related to an increase in share-based compensation expenses, both social contributions and non-cash IFRS2 expenses, based on share price. The Company's net loss for the first half of 2020 amounted to (14.1) million compared to (17.3) million in the first half of 2019. The loss per share (based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding over the period) amounted to (0.43) and (0.63) for the first halves of 2020 and 2019, respectively. Net cash flows from operating activities in the first halves of 2020 and 2019 were (6.7) million and (19.5) million, respectively. This decrease was primarily driven by the reduction of research and development expenses over the period. It was also driven by a significant net change in working capital over the period, generated by both having received the 2019 Research Tax Credit in May 2020, reimbursed in December the year before, as well as an increase in trade payables at the end of June 2020. Net cash flows from financing activities amounted to 4.4 million in the first half of 2020, primarily as a result of the State-guaranteed loan (Pret Garanti par l'Etat or PGE) amounting to 6.75 million of which 4.6 million were received in June, and the remainder in July. Cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2020 amounted to 16.8 million. GenSight Biologics will report on October 20, 2020 its cash position as of September 30, 2020. Temporary Authorizations for Use (ATU) of LUMEVOQ Three patients were treated with LUMEVOQ under a Temporary Authorization for Use (ATU) granted by the French National Drug Safety Agency (Agence Nationale de Securite du Medicament or ANSM) in December 2019 and January and July 2020. During the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients were unable to access hospitals, and both hospitals and the ANSM were focusing their resources on the COVID situation. For the past few weeks, the lockdown being progressively lifted, patients can now get normal access to treatment sites, and as of today, 11 additional ATUs have been requested by the CHNO of the Quinze-Vingts in Paris. In addition, the Company is currently discussing with the ANSM the possibility to broaden individual named patient ATUs to a cohort ATU as soon as feasible to further facilitate access to LUMEVOQ for patients in Europe. EMA Filing for Market Authorization in Europe of LUMEVOQ in September 2020 Preparatory activities prior to filing a Marketing Authorization Application with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are close to completion, and the Company is on track for a filing in September 2020, as previously announced. About GenSight Biologics GenSight Biologics S.A. is a clinical-stage biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders. GenSight Biologics' pipeline leverages two core technology platforms, the Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) and optogenetics to help preserve or restore vision in patients suffering from blinding retinal diseases. GenSight Biologics' lead product candidate, LUMEVOQ (GS010; lenadogene nolparvovec), is in Phase III trials in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a rare mitochondrial disease that leads to irreversible blindness in teens and young adults. Using its gene therapy-based approach, GenSight Biologics' product candidates are designed to be administered in a single treatment to the eye by intravitreal injection to offer patients a sustainable functional visual recovery. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729005973/en/ Contacts: GenSight Biologics Thomas Gidoin Chief Financial Officer tgidoin@gensight-biologics.com +33 (0)1 76 21 72 20 RooneyPartners Media Relations Marion Janic mjanic@rooneyco.com +1-212-223-4017 LifeSci Advisors Investor Relations Guillaume van Renterghem gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com +33 (0)6 69 99 37 83 James Palmer Retail Investors j.palmer@orpheonfinance.com +33 (0)7 60 92 77 74 They've been sharing hilarious Keeping Up With Kardashians lip sync videos in recent weeks. But Kourtney Kardashian spent a more relaxed evening with her friend Addison Rae on Wednesday as they ventured out in Malibu for an outdoor meal. The 41-year-old Poosh founder and the 19-year-old TikTok star both stayed cozy in pastel sweats while enjoying an evening stroll. Grabbing a bite: Kourtney Kardashian, 41, and her TikTok superstar pal Addison Rae, 19, stepped out in complementary sweats for some outdoor dining in Malibu on Wednesday Kourtney was focused on comfort with her pale yellow hoodie and relaxed acid wash jeans with frayed hems. She wore sandals with silver and white straps and let her straight raven tresses cascade down her shoulders. Addison complemented her look with a pastel blue hoodie and matching sweatpants. She repped Kourtney's brother-in-law Kanye West with a pair of his chunky Yeezy Slides in the bone shade. Kourtney was focused on comfort with her pale yellow hoodie and relaxed acid wash jeans with frayed hems. Addison wore matching pastel blue sweats with Yeezy Slides in bone. Eating out: The two wore masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but they removed them for a tasty bite at the Greek eatery Taverna Tony Both Kourtney and Addison were careful to wear masks while walking to the restaurant to help slow the spread of the novel, which has been surging in California in recent weeks. They unmasked once they arrived at the popular Greek restaurant Taverna Tony, where they enjoyed a meal outdoors. Recently, the two buddies have been appearing on each other's TikTok accounts to film Kardashian-themed content. Late last month, the two filmed a short lip sync to a 2018 KUWTK clip from when Kourtney was taking regular hormone shots in order to freeze her eggs for a possible future child. Having a laugh: Recently, the two buddies have been appearing on each other's TikTok accounts to film Kardashian-themed content Emotional time: 'I mean, I fee fine, I just cry myself to sleep everyday,' Kourtney lip synced to herself from a 2018 KUWTK episode in which she was trying to freeze her eggs 'I mean, I fee fine, I just cry myself to sleep everyday,' Kourtney lip synced to herself, but this time she added a touch of glamour with a silver satin robe with feathered sleeves and a martini. Days earlier, she and Addison acted out another clip, this time originally featuring her younger sister Khloe Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner. Kourtney poked fun at her sister by lip syncing to a scene in which Khloe revealed that she didn't ever wear thongs in public, which stunned her mother. Stunning figure: Though Kourtney was all covered up in the evening, it seemed like she was ready for some fun in the sun earlier on Wednesday when she posted a gorgeous swimsuit photo Though Kourtney was all covered up in the evening, it seemed like she was ready for some fun in the sun earlier on Wednesday when she posted a gorgeous swimsuit photo. The reality star was dressed in a black and gold checker patterned Fendi one-piece bathing suit while sitting on a long set of outdoor wooden stairs and showcasing her slender legs. 'hi beach,' she wrote with a waving emoji. Kourtney and her ex Scott Disick got to spend some time at the beach on Monday with her sister Kim Kardashian's kids as she jetted off to her Montana ranch to meet with her husband Kanye West amid his mental health crisis. Kourtney didn't seem to mind a bit of babysitting, and she shared a sweet throwback photo on Instagram of herself with a younger North, now seven. 'Raise your hand if Auntie Kourtney is your favorite...' she joked in the caption as she held North in her arms while wearing a chic black crop top and shorts with platform shoes. It may be hard to fathom, but automatic-folding rearview mirrors, puddle lamps and push-button ignition dont appear anywhere in Maslows hierarchy of needs. The celebrated psychologist likely didnt recognize the cravings of truck owners in his theory of psychological health, which was predicated on fulfilling essential human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization. Pickup truck buyers would beg to differ. Its the little things that help differentiate the competitors in the colossal North American truck market, and if theyre spending $50,000-$70,000 on a truck, it had better cater to their every whim. There are dissenting views, of course. One shopper shrugged off the new technology Ford had introduced in its bestselling pickup. He opted for a Tundra, Toyotas full-size pickup that was crafted to strike fear in the Detroit Three. Configuration Toyota had flubbed its initial assault on the full-size pickup segment with its half-baked T100 truck in the 1990s, followed by the first-generation Tundra in 2000, which retained the mid-size dimensions of its predecessor. The second-gen Tundra, released for 2007, finally matched or exceeded every domestic pickup in wheelbase, overall length and cheeky impudence. It didnt take long for Detroit to muster a response. Recognizing that Toyota was capable of eating their lunch and dinner, General Motors, Ford and Dodge (now Ram) upped their game by re-engineering their half-ton trucks regularly to bring their latest advancements to market quicker. Oddly, Toyota did not respond in kind. Rather than redesign the Tundra every five years to contest the competition, Toyota was happy to leave its powertrain and underpinnings largely unchanged. The refreshed Tundra for 2014 featured a larger grille, bigger fenders all around and a redesigned tailgate. Engineers retuned the suspension with new damping rates to enhance the ride, while the steering rack was revised to improve steering feel though still relying on hydraulic power. The Tundra is offered in three body styles: a two-door regular cab, four-door Double Cab and the four-door extended CrewMax. The body styles share two wheelbases and three bed lengths: 5.5 feet, 6.5 feet and a long bed that measures 8.1 feet. The cabin benefited from a more thorough rethink with new seating, better gauges and controls, and a redesigned dashboard that addresses the formerly annoying long reach to the audio and climate controls by reorienting the centre dash several centimetres closer to the driver. New tech features included a standard infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity and rearview camera. Most models are available with Entune, Toyotas suite of smartphone-connected services. The seats, while relatively flat, benefited from better materials. Powertrains and updates With no wimpy V-6s in the lineup, Tundra buyers have a choice between two tried-and-true V-8 engines: a 4.6-litre DOHC unit that produces 310 horsepower and 327 lb.-ft. of torque (later retired for 2020), and the aluminum 5.7-litre boss engine that generates 381 hp and 401 lb.-ft. of torque. Both engines work through a six-speed automatic transmission in either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive drivetrains. A tow package is standard on all Tundras with the 5.7-litre V-8; towing capacity tops out at 10,400 pounds (4,717 kg) when properly equipped. For 2015 Toyota added the off-road-themed TRD Pro trim level to the lineup, complete with skid plates and Bilstein shock absorbers, and offered an integrated trailer brake controller for those who regularly pull big trailers. Every 2016 Tundra got an upgraded electronics interface, while the upper trims earned a larger gas tank and the trailer brake controller standard. The four-door Double Cab became the entry-level model in 2018 after the two-door standard cab was discontinued. The entire lineup received some minor cosmetic updates, including LED headlamps and a new mesh grille design, while Toyotas Safety Sense P suite of driver-assistance features became standard, complete with pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Driving the Tundra Although the Tundras V-8 engines and six-speed slushbox date back to biblical times, they still provide good acceleration in what is a weighty sled. Zero to 97 km/h comes up in 6.4 seconds with the big 5.7-litre, and 7.4 seconds with the 4.6-litre unit. While it was considered quick in 2014, Detroits trucks can do the deed in less than six seconds with the optional engines available today. The Tundra feels more off the pace in other ways. Thanks to the 2007-era suspension design, every bump is transmitted into the cabin when driving over lumpy surfaces and the truck feels unwieldy on city streets thanks to its generous dimensions and hidden corners. Its numb hydraulic steering isolates the driver from the road and requires constant corrections on the highway. Owners talk reliability In the lucrative world of trucks the Tundra is viewed as a relic and seems slow to incorporate new tech and comfort features, yet it sells enough of its Texas-built trucks to keep it a going concern. One of the reasons for its enduring popularity has been its ability to, well, endure. I have owned Ford, Dodge, Chevy I run all three in my fleet. Not one has run over 160,000 km without a transmission problem or a spark plug blown out of the head, or new ball joints. Several of my friends drive Tundras over 250,000 km without these issues, posted an owner of a 2017 model. The list of the Tundras mechanical complaints is mercifully short. Early builds in 2014 used door-lock actuators that regularly failed, owners noted online. More concerning were the reports of camshaft tower oil leaks in the 5.7-litre V-8, which threatened to reach hot exhaust pipes. Those with towing responsibilities claim the trucks integrated brake controller does not always work reliably with their trailers electric braking system, an unsettling safety issue. Malfunctioning turn signals have triggered a recall of 2018-2020 Tundra trucks. The wiring harnesses reportedly werent assembled correctly, causing illumination issues. Toyota says the bulbs may not be bright enough to satisfy federal safety standards. Dealers will modify the wire harnesses and owners should be notified in September 2020. Overall, the Tundra skews more workhorse than Texas Cadillac, but theres just enough beauty to go with the brawn to make it a contender for those buyers seeking a dependable used truck. Buyers havent failed to notice it holds its value better than the Detroit bunch, and thats always a good sign. Whats Best: Muscular workhorse, no sissy V6, definition of dependable Whats Worst: Old bones date back to 2007, stiff ride quality, dismal fuel economy Typical Used Prices: 2014 $27,500; 2018 $44,000 As the industry evolves in light of current events, there has never been a more important time to come together, share information and continue dialogue, said Bonnie Harken, Managing Director at iaedp. The International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Foundation (iaedp) is extending its final close date for proposals for the annual iaedp Symposium slated for February 17 21, 2021. The new deadline for all 2021 proposals is September 8, 2020. The call is open online at https://iaedp.confex.com/iaedp/2021/cfp.cgi. The Spanish-Language Call for Proposals also is online at https://iaedp.confex.com/iaedp/2021/spanish/cfp.cgi and open through September 8, 2020. Next years iaedp Symposium will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. More information about the 2021 iaedp Symposium can be found at https://iaedp.confex.com/iaedp/2021/cfp.cgi. Each year, the iaedp Symposium program is created by professionals who work in therapeutic settings with patients. Their objective is to provide an exciting, quality program. As the industry evolves in light of current events, there has never been a more important time to come together, share information and continue dialogue, said Bonnie Harken, Managing Director at iaedp. Wed like to invite our members to be a part of the process. To find out more about participation, additional information is available online. The iaedp Foundation is pursuing abstracts in both English and Spanish on inventive and inclusive treatment modalities for the many phases of the journey for those with eating disorders -- from denial and resistance to treatment and ultimately recovery. The group also requests treatment providers from all disciplines to convert their latest or ongoing research and treatment updates into meaningful eating disorder treatment protocols across populations. Many of the professionals who submit proposals for the iaedp Symposium include experiential or interactive components in their presentations. About the iaedp Foundation: Since 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals has provided education and training standards to an international and multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions. MemberSHARE.iaedp.com is an iaedp business journal and online member resource to learn about noteworthy member achievements, continuing education webinars and U.S. and international chapter activity and events; for more information, visit MemberSHARE. The Presidents Council provides iaedp support and includes: Center for Change; Center for Hope of the Sierras; Center for Discovery; Eating Recovery Center; Willow Place; Laureate Eating Disorders Program; The Meadows Ranch; Rogers Behavioral Health; Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders; Selah House; The Renfrew Center; Veritas Collaborative; Alsana Eating Disorder Treatment & Recovery Centers; Walden Behavioral Care and KIPU. It was a moment of extraordinary pride for seven Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots who brought the first batch of five Rafale fighter aircraft to India from France on Wednesday (July 29). Minutes after landing at Ambala Air Force Station, the seven pilots were welcomed by the Air Force chief Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The pilots include Group Captain Harkirat Singh who is the Commanding Officer of the 17 squadron, Wing Commander Manish Singh, Group captain R Kataria, Wing Commander Abhishek Tripathi, Wing Commander Siddhu and Wing Commander Arun. As the Rafale jets landed in Ambala, people of Bakwa village in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh erupted in joy as Wing Commander Manish Singh belongs to this village. Manish's father, Madan Singh, is a retired army jawan. Wing Commander Singh got his early education at a private school in the village and after studying in the village till Class IV, he went to the Sainik School in Karnal. Wing Commander Singh joined the IAF and was posted in Gorakhpur in 2017-18. After the government finalised Rafale deal with France, Wing Commander Singh was selected by the IAF to go to France for training. Wing Commander Manish Singh has once again proved that talent is not dependent on facilities as he comes from a remote village but has achieved great heights by flying a fighter plane like Rafale. (For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook Key court documents in a case involving British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell will not be publicly released as scheduled Thursday, as the alleged Jeffrey Epstein sex crimes conspirator asked an appeals court to block their disclosure. On Wednesday, Maxwell's lawyer asked Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska to reconsider her decision from last week to have the civil defamation case documents released starting Thursday. The files include hundreds of pages of depositions of Maxwell and Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of sexually abusing her as a teen. Giuffre also claims that Maxwell, a former girlfriend and longtime confidant of the wealthy investor Epstein, recruited her for his abuse, and also directed her to have sex with a slew of rich and powerful men. Preska on Wednesday night denied what she called an "eleventh-hour request" for reconsideration of her unsealing order by Maxwell, who is currently being held in a Brooklyn, New York, federal jail on recently filed criminal charges that she enabled Epstein's abuse of several underage girls in the mid-1990s. But the judge in a written ruling also delayed, for up to several days, the release of some key documents in the case to give Maxwell time to file an appeal. The release of the deposition transcripts of Maxwell and Giuffre, and any document that quotes from or discloses information in those transcripts, is delayed until at least Monday, Preska said. But any sealed document that does not cite or mention information from those transcripts should be released Thursday, the judge ordered. Maxwell's lawyer promptly filed an appeal of Preska's decision to unseal the files with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in Manhattan. The appeal could delay any release of the files indefinitely. Giuffre and Maxwell previously settled the lawsuit at the center of the case, in which Giuffre alleged she had been defamed by Maxwell. But The Miami Herald newspaper, whose investigation of Epstein led to his arrest on federal child sex trafficking charges in July 2019, had sued to win release of the documents. Last year, more than 2,000 other pages of documents in the case were unsealed and released to the public at the direction of the 2nd Circuit appeals court, over Maxwell's objection. Preska's ruling last week set the stage for the release of almost all of the remaining files. Maxwell, 58, was arrested in New Hampshire in early July on federal charges that she recruited and groomed young girls, one as young as 14 years old, to be abused by Epstein, and that in some cases she joined in with him on the abuse. The daughter of Robert Maxwell, the media baron exposed as a massive fraudster after his mysterious death at sea, is also accused of perjury by allegedly falsely denying under oath, in her deposition in Giuffre's civil case, knowledge of Epstein's misdeeds. A judge two weeks ago denied bail to Maxwell, who has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case. The judge said that Maxwell represented a "substantial" flight risk given her wealth and her citizenship in France, which does not extradite its citizens. Epstein, 66, killed himself last August in a federal jail in Manhattan, less than two months after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges that related to his alleged abuse of dozens of underage girls from 2002 through 2006 at his residences in Manhattan and in Palm Beach, Florida. He previously served 13 months in jail in Florida after pleading guilty in 2008 to state sex crime charges, one of which involved paying for sex from an underage girl. Before his conviction in that case, Epstein had counted among his high-profile friends President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as Britain's Prince Andrew. Senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz continued to be under house arrest on Thursday, in spite of the Jammu and Kashmir administration informing the Supreme Court that there are no curbs on the movement of the former Union minister. IMAGE: Congress leader and former Union minister Saifuddin Soz climbs up the wall of his house to speak to a media person, in Srinagar, on Thursday. The Supreme Court on Wednesday took on record Jammu and Kashmir administrations statement that Soz was never placed under detention and disposed of his wife's plea seeking the release of the senior Congress leader. Photograph: PTI Photo However, spokesperson for the Jammu and Kashmir administration Rohit Kansal said there is no question of lying in the apex court and reiterated the stand that Soz is a free man. 'Mr Saiffudin Soz former MP and Minister not under arrest or detention. He has been to Delhi twice- in October and December. Free to go wherever he likes with usual security drill. No question of lying in Hon SC,' he said in a tweet. Talking briefly to reporters from behind the walls of his residence, Soz said he will approach the court again about the Jammu and Kashmir administration 'lying' before the apex court. "Now they are lying to the Supreme Court that I am a free man. I will go to the court for whatever it is worth," he said. The Congress leader said while the government told the Supreme Court that he is free to go anywhere, the police personnel posted at his residence were stopping him from going out. "This place has become a police state," he alleged. A security officer in civvies dragged the veteran Congress leader away from the reporters and asked his colleagues in uniform to chase away the scribes. "Chase them away from here," the unidentified officer shouted as he pulled Soz down from the wall. The Congress leader could be heard shouting back at the officer, saying, "Do not touch me." Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called for immediate release of Soz, saying 'illegal' detention of political leaders damages the fabric of the country. 'The illegal detention of political leaders with absolutely no basis damages the fabric of our nation. Mr Soz must be released at once,' the former Congress chief said in a tweet. Earlier, in a statement, Soz said he would sue the government for his 'unlawful house arrest' since August 5 last year, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and termed the government's response in the Supreme Court that he was not under detention as 'falsehood'. "I take a strong exception to the government stand before the Supreme Court that I had neither been put under house arrest nor had any restrictions been imposed on me since August 5, 2019," he said, adding that the government has resorted to 'falsehood as it had unlawfully incarcerated me since August 5, 2019'. "All this while, I was not allowed to move out of my premises. I left my premises twice, when I had to visit my ailing sister and I went to Delhi on 17th September, 2019 to 21st September, 2019 and 15th December, 2019 to 21st December, 2019 for seeking medical advice. Whenever I went out of my premises since August 5, 2019, I had to obtain permission from the government," Soz said. The former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president added that he has decided to sue the government for his 'unlawful' house arrest. "I have decided to sue the government for my unlawful house arrest since August 5, 2019. I will further sue the government for compensation for the incarceration and illegal suspension of civil liberties to which I am entitled under the Constitution," he said. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had said Soz was 'never detained nor under house arrest' and there are 'no restrictions on his movement subject to security clearance'. The government's affidavit came in response to a petition by Soz's wife, seeking her husband's release from 'illegal detention' and to be brought before the court. Bell who took office in January 2019 as a reform-minded prosecutor promising to eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders and to increase the use of programs that allow defendants to avoid jail time faced no restrictions in re-examining Browns death for potential murder charges. Wilson was never charged and tried, so double jeopardy was not an issue. There is no statute of limitations on filing murder charges. Jordan's parliament has legislative powers but its electoral law marginalises the representation of political parties and most MPs rely on family and tribal allegiances Jordan has set Nov. 10 as the date for parliamentary elections, hours after a royal decree to hold a countrywide poll, state media said Wednesday. Jordan's parliament has legislative powers but its electoral law marginalises the representation of political parties and most MPs rely on family and tribal allegiances. Constitutionally most powers rest with the king, who appoints governments and has the final say over new laws. The election will be held at a time when the aid-dependant country is grappling with a severe economic contraction due to COVID-19 and comes amid heightened worries about any unilateral Israeli move to annex territory in the occupied West Bank. Officials fear that annexation would bury the prospect of a viable Palestinian state and mean that any eventual settlement of the decades-old conflict would be at the expense of Jordan, a country where many people are descendants of Palestinian refugees whose families left after the creation of Israel in 1948. The electoral law keeps intact a system that limits the representation of those of Palestinians origin in favour of native Jordanians who are the backbone of the country's political establishment. Jordans main political opposition comes from a party drawn from the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood movement but it faces legal curbs on its activities. Opposition politicians say the government has been using draconian emergency laws enacted last March at the start of the coronavirus lockdown to limit civil and political rights. Activists have been arrested in recent weeks over comments on social media. Search Keywords: Short link: ATLANTA - Hailed as a founding father of a fairer, better United States, John Lewis was eulogized Thursday by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning. The longtime member of Congress even issued his own call to action in an essay written in his final days that he asked be published in The New York Times on the day of his funeral. In it, he challenged the next generation to lay down the heavy burdens of hate at last. After nearly a week of observances that took Lewis body from his birthplace in Alabama to the nations capital to his final resting place in Atlanta, mourners in face masks to guard against the coronavirus spread out across pews Thursday at the citys landmark Ebenezer Baptist Church, once pastored by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Former President Barack Obama called Lewis a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance during a fiery eulogy that was both deeply personal and political. The nations first Black president used the moment to issue a stark warning that the voting rights and equal opportunity Lewis championed were threatened by those doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting and to call for a renewal of the Voting Rights Act. His words came as the country has been roiled by weeks of protests demanding a reckoning with institutionalized racism and hours after President Donald Trump suggested delaying the November election, something he doesnt have the authority to do. He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals, Obama said of Lewis. And some day when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union, whether its years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America. Former President George W. Bush said Lewis, who died July 17 at the age of 80, preached the Gospel and lived its ideals, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope. Former President Jimmy Carter sent written condolences, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled how the sky was filled with ribbons of colour in Washington earlier this week while Lewis body was lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. There was this double rainbow over the casket, she said. He was telling us, Im home in heaven, Im home in heaven. We always knew he worked on the side of angels, and now he is with them. Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, led by King. He was best known for leading protesters in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where he was beaten by Alabama state troopers. During the service, the arc of Lewis activism was once again tied to King, whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. King continued to inspire Lewis civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during marches, Freedom Rides across the South, and later during his long tenure in the U.S. Congress. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America, Lewis said of his run-ins with the law. The phrase was repeated several times during the funeral. We will continue to get into good trouble as long as you grant us the breath to do so, one of Kings daughters, the Rev. Bernice King, said as she led the congregation in prayer. She later paused and laid her hand atop Lewis flag-draped casket at the front of the church. Ebenezers senior pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, called Lewis a true American patriot who risked his life for the hope and promise of democracy. Outside the church, with temperatures in the upper 80s, hundreds gathered to watch the service on a large screen; some sang the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome. Pharrell Williams joyous tune Happy played as a closing song while a military honour guard loaded Lewis flag-draped coffin into a hearse; many congregation members clapped along. The service ended days of remembrance for Lewis, who spent more than three decades in Congress representing most of his adopted home of Atlanta. In addition to the U.S. Capitol, his body lay in the Georgia and Alabama Capitol buildings, and events also were held in the Alabama cities of Troy, Lewis hometown, and Selma. To the many tributes Thursday, Lewis managed to add his own words. His essay in The New York Times recalled the teachings of King: He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice, Lewis wrote. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way, he wrote. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. Former President Bill Clinton referenced the essay during his remarks: It is so fitting on the day of his service, he leaves us his marching orders: Keep moving. ___ Associated Press writers Ben Nadler in Atlanta and Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed. Kampala (AFP) - A Ugandan court on Thursday sentenced a man to 11 years in prison for offences including the killing of a beloved mountain gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Silverback gorilla, named Rafiki -- which means "friend" in Swahili -- was believed to be around 25 years old. He was found dead last month from a spear wound. Felix Byamukama, a resident of a nearby village, was arrested and admitted to killing the gorilla, saying it was in self-defence, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). The authority said Byamukama was given an 11-year jail term for killing Rafiki "and other wildlife" in the park. Byamukama had pleaded guilty on three charges including illegally entering the protected area and killing a duiker and a bush pig. UWA executive director Sam Mwandha said: "We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife." Rafiki headed a family of 17 gorillas, the first to become habituated to humans in the national park, allowing tourists to hike through the forest to see them. Their life expectancy in the wild is about 35 years. The wildlife authority described the killing of Rafiki as a "great blow" after intensive conservation efforts saw the mountain gorilla's Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category upgraded from "critically endangered" to "endangered" in 2018. The population of the gorillas grew from around 680 individuals in 2008 to over 1,000. The mountain gorilla's habitat is restricted to protected areas covering nearly 800 square kilometres (300 square miles) in two locations -- the Virunga Massif and Bwindi-Sarambwe -- which stretch across the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Rafiki's murder came as poaching incidents were on the rise in Uganda, which had imposed a strict lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic, and with tourists yet to return. Story continues "We have noticed a rise in incidents of poaching in our national parks following the closure of our tourism hubs because of COVID-19," the UWA's Mwandha told AFP. "What we are investigating is who is behind the cases of poaching. Due to lockdown have the communities near the parks turned against the wildlife as a source of livelihood? Is it a criminal network behind the rise in poaching? Is the absence of tourism in parks facilitating poaching? "Wherever the answer lies, incidents of poaching are a cause for worry and we have intensified patrols in parks," he added. A TD has insisted he will be working through the Dails six-week break from Friday after criticising some public sector workers he said were doing the maximum of the minimum. Marc MacSharry of Fianna Fail said he would be based in his office in Sligo, working through August, after he accused some State workers of taking advantage of the Covid-19 crisis. It was an excuse to lie on the couch and watch box sets, he claimed, adding that many elements of our State agencies, Government departments and local authorities were availing of the opportunity to do nothing. He had recent dealings where no-one will be back in that office until the end of August, he said, although there will be no Dail sittings now until mid-September. Read More Many were working from home and you have to talk to an answering machine, he said. Mr MacSharry came under attack from Sinn Fein over his remarks, but defended them on RTE radio. He said he had specifically paid tribute to those civil servants who had worked to an extraordinary degree on the coronavirus emergency. When asked about his own plans for the break, he said: Hopefully Ill get two weeks with the children at some stage. But Sinn Fein spokesperson on workers rights Louise OReilly branded his comments bizarre and ignorant. His attacking public sector workers and accusing them of laziness has, to my knowledge, no basis in fact, she said. I know firsthand how hard our public servants worked during the lockdown - nurses, doctors, teachers, guards, county council staff, and the staff working behind the scenes in the Dail - they have all worked extremely diligently in very difficult and testing situations. The remarks were extremely divisive and have the sole intent of creating division, she said, alleging that Fianna Fail had sought to pit the public and private sector against each other at the time of the financial crash over a decade ago. But Mr MacSharry told Sarah McInerney on the Today programme on RTE Radio 1: Im not into populism. Im into representation. If I wanted to be a populist, I would have joined Sinn Fein or become an Independent years ago. Public reaction to his remarks was also divided, with denunciation mixed with strong support. One listener pointed out that their local authority offices were only open to the public for two and a half hours a day, until 12.30pm. But Sinn Fein had now written to the Taoiseach seeking to "clarify" if the comments are representative of the policies of Fianna Fail and the current Government. Mr MacSharry accepted that his remarks could cost him votes. The box set remark was provocative, and a figure of speech, he said, adding that he had praised health workers and the work of the Department of Social Protection in speedily organising pandemic support payments. But he held to his view, insisting: The public at large cannot be expected to accept mediocrity dressed up as efficiency. Covid was being used as a cover by some, clearly it doesnt apply to all. Mr MacSharry said: Of course its unpopular, but it needs to be said. It gives me no pleasure to do it, but I must stand over it. But Ms OReilly said: The reality is there is no basis in fact for his comments, other than some nonsensical rambling story of having to leave a voice message when he contacted a State agency. Public sector workers have had their shoulder to the wheel all throughout this crisis. If Deputy McSharry thinks these workers were sitting around watching box sets, I suggest he step outside the little bubble he lives in and speak to people in the real world. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:42:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 people were either killed or wounded after a car bomb explosion took place in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province on Thursday evening, local police said. "The blast occurred in Sharwal Square of provincial capital Pul-e-Alam in the evening. The number of the victims is still being counted," Shahpur Ahmadzai, a provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. The blast triggered panic among local residents in the region, 60 km south of the country's capital Kabul, the official said. "The casualties were shifted to a provincial hospital. Several wounded would be sent to Kabul for treatment soon," the official noted. The incident came ahead of a ceasefire between Taliban militants and government security forces. The two sides have agreed on a three-day truce during Eid al-Adha, the annual religious Festival of Sacrifice, which is to be observed from Friday to Sunday. Taliban militants have denied involvement in the attack. Enditem A woman struck in the knee by a bullet that killed an employee at a Mount Laurel medical office last Friday recalled hearing the victim trying to defend herself. Get your hands off of me or Im calling security, Stephanie A. Horton told a man apparently angry over an appointment for his father. Sonja Diaz is the founding director of the Latino Policy and Politics Initiative (LPPI) at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. A civil rights attorney and policy adviser, she served as counsel to Sen. Kamala Harris during her first and second terms as California attorney general. In this role, she directed policing and immigrant rights working groups and acted as lead counsel for a voting rights investigation. Diaz has supported litigation by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the California Bureau of Childrens Justice and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).LPPI research and analysis provides policymakers with data and facts that can inform policies on issues that affect Latinos and other communities of color. Diaz spoke withabout the vital role that immigrants are playing in pandemic response, their importance to economic recovery and a path forward that could benefit all Americans. Fair and just immigration that finds a pathway to citizenship for all of our undocumented neighbors, friends and family members in this country is necessary. The coronavirus pandemic has made clear that our frontline and essential workers, who represent so many immigrants and so many workers of color, are doing everything to keep America running and safe. Yet because of their immigration status, they're at risk for deportation, devastating not only their families but their communities. They also are explicitly denied access to coronavirus relief and recovery benefits. This includes the CARES Act. It includes other types of social service and human welfare benefits necessary to put food on the table, to keep electricity going and to have housing to shelter in place during the pandemic. Immigrants deserve to not be held in limbo. This was true prior to the pandemic and prior to the movement for Black lives on the streets, but these things have only reinforced the pivotal role that our immigrant workforce has in keeping Americans safe. Ultimately, recovery is going to be on their backs and we most certainly should have a pathway to citizenship for them. The country is facing three existential crises: the coronavirus pandemic and our failed health-care system; the continued proliferation of anti-Black sentiment and the loss of lives of Black and Brown residents at the hands of police abuse; and worsening economic inequality. Cumulatively, these three crises make clear that incremental change is not going to solve anything. We find ourselves recognizing failed leadership, failed systems and failed structures. I've been reminded of what happened after the civil disorders that occurred in the summer of 1967 and the U.S. Riot Commission Report that came out of that which included a lot of voices, most of whom were moderate. No activists were appointed by the president at that time. The solutions that it laid are solutions that ring true today: access to health, housing, education and jobs. None of those recommendations were ever implemented in full, and sustained, for a variety of reasons, politics being one. What does the country need today? We need a health-care system that can support us as we try to get through the coronavirus pandemic and whatever comes after it, because any single person being sick threatens the public health of entire communities and jeopardizes our economic stability. We need to ensure that workers that are doing essential jobs, whether in our hospitals, in our senior care centers, in our grocery stores or in their cars as they deliver food, have a living wage and protections like paid sick leave and retirement security. We need these because their jobs are important, and because our economic recovery is actually attainable and winnable with their support. The other thing that I think is really clear, and this is going to come up in the coming weeks and months, is our housing crisis. Many people who are out of work not only lost their employer-based health insurance, but are now in limbo in their rental or home ownership situations, facing eviction or foreclosure. Social science research tells us that the most important thing in addressing housing insecurity is to keep people housed. These are not easy fixes. There are no Band-Aids that could collectively cover all of the issues that leaders are being asked to confront. Instead, the path forward is taking a step back and recognizing the structures that need deep repair. State and local governments have an outsized role in safeguarding our democracy and reopening our economy so that it works for all of us. We saw this prior to all the crises that we find ourselves immersed in. The coronavirus laid bare the inefficiency within our systems, whether public or private, in dealing with the global pandemic. States, and local governments in particular, that are in charge of infrastructure, public safety and public health, have an important role to play in improving quality of life for their constituents and in helping the entire country find a pathway back to shared governance and a society that works for everybody. Physical distancing, the use of masks, increased testing, especially at sites where essential workers work, access to care and beds in the ICU, the health-care workforce necessary to triage not only a global pandemic, but the health issues that were already occurring for all Americans decisions about these are executed and in the dominion of local officials and state officials. We can even look to the November election, and wanting to ensure that everybody can participate fully in our democracy. The capacity for this rests squarely with our state and local election officials, to ensure that nobody has to risk infection or unnecessary loss of life to cast a ballot. Local and state officials really have a huge, extraordinary job to get this right. It can only be done together, ensuring that their leadership is informed by data and by facts, with the clear goals of saving lives and improving the quality of life in their communities. The most important things for state and local officials at this moment are to expand testing and tracing for the coronavirus, to provide concrete benefits, to keep food on the table and constituents housed until it is safe to fully reopen the economy and to think big about reinvesting in the things that we know work. Those are education, workforce development, affordable housing and access to health care, so that we are not dealing with problems when they've already become crises. Citizens have been engaging in civic life, even as they are following and abiding by the physical distancing protocols in their respective jurisdictions. People are Zoom calling into city council or county board of supervisors meetings. People are on the streets protesting against police abuse. We've seen widespread mutual aid, neighbors providing essential services like food, child care and transportation to those in need.Its really important for elected officials to embrace the moment, to recognize that it calls for bold action. The absence of that will result in too many lives lost, too soon. It requires folks working collectively and to not be siloed, which is really difficult in any government bureaucracy. It requires thinking through how you can increase and structure communication between health, public safety, transportation and housing in real time. You need every team member at the table to deal with this pandemic and the issues that it's laid bare. In terms of state government officials, it's really important that we have leaders who are leading. Local officials see the problems acutely, but the pandemic necessitates us moving together in lock step. Reopening jurisdictions, not being clear about mandates like masks, and not increasing testing means that people can get in their cars, cross a boundary, and infect other people in a community that thinks that its safe. We need leadership and instruction. If they have the food, the housing security, the money that they need for utilities and daily expenses right now, Americans will stand with our elected leaders so that we can overcome this pandemic together. Continued activism is important, whether from your home or in your community. Every generation has something to do with where we are right now. Every American has a role in ensuring that we come out on the other side. If that simply means engaging in conversations with your family members about what's happening, that's a step. It could mean providing aid to others, acknowledging anti-Blackness and being generous with our Black neighbors and our family members. All of those things are necessary. There are other things that can provide real change in the near future, and that starts with the ballot box. I am very fearful that the pandemic and our contemporary attacks on the rights of voters, whether strict voter ID laws or onerous voter registration requirements, will make it very difficult for Americans to cast a ballot during the coronavirus pandemic. Sustained, vocal engagement can lead to the structural transformations that we need. We cannot go back to a normal with so many Americans living on the streets, so many Americans without health insurance, so many Americans being targeted or racially profiled by our police. We have to re-envision what a post-coronavirus America looks like. I hope that our leaders agree that it looks like vibrant, prosperous communities where everybody has access to dignity and a job, whether theyre in South Los Angeles or Selma or Atlanta or Milwaukee, or even Appalachia. Divisive rhetoric, coupled with inaction or barriers to common-sense solutions, will keep America behind. We have shown the world that we are not a sophisticated society that can overcome a global pandemic with swiftness and effectiveness, in the way that our peer countries have been able to do. Our peer entity now is Brazil, and what we share is leaders who are making decisions and public policy that are not rooted in science, not rooted in facts, and leading to abysmal loss of life. One of the things that those who swore an oath of office must do is to ensure that they are leading by preserving American life. To do otherwise is not only harmful, it is un-American. If science shows that we need testing, that we need tracing and we need to get them to levels that mean all people are safe, particularly the essential and frontline workers who are driving this economy, to do otherwise is essentially saying that those low-wage workers are disposable. It says that so long as some can afford to get their food and necessities delivered and have the capital to continue to pay a mortgage or pay a rent, they don't care and they don't have to abide by or buy into public health mandates. That's not American. We're seeing the devastating consequences of this across the country. LPPI has done research on the health and wealth impacts of the virus on communities. We have found overwhelming evidence that this is a racialized pandemic. Blacks and Latinos in Los Angeles County are least likely to be able to shelter in place because there simply are no supermarkets or restaurants in their area and they have to leave home. Asian Americans and Latinos were hardest hit by the closures to the retail and service industries, leaving them in precarious economic situations. Latinos were explicitly left out of the CARES Act because of the number of immigrants and mixed status families within that demographic group, meaning that they don't have access to relief or benefits because the government said that they were not worthy. We can't keep going on like this because we are tied to a demographic landscape with an aging white electorate and a growing youthful population of Asian Americans and Latinos. An economy needs workers that have access to the skills training and education necessary to keep us competitive in the 21st century. That simply cannot happen if changes do not occur today. We are a resource for state and local governments. We do rapid-response research on issues and challenges that confront policymakers. To the extent that they want to think about criminal justice, the economy, immigrant rights and voting, they can look to us for reports and analysis, or any one of our 40 experts, to think through how to craft policy that's data-informed and will lift up Americans from communities of color. Don't expect to see ice cream ads from Ben & Jerry's on your social media feed for the rest of the year. The ice cream company is suspending all paid advertising for products on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the rest of 2020. The decision comes with a two-fold approach. "Both to send a message to Facebook and Twitter, and also because this election is just too important," said a Ben & Jerry's spokesperson to USA TODAY. Ben & Jerry's will, however, continue to run paid advertising in support of its activism campaigns that focus on racial justice and equity, and its 2020 election work around racial justice, voting rights and others. Facebook election advertising blackout? Company weighs political ads ban in final days before election 'Dear Mark': Mark Zuckerberg gets video from Facebook boycott organizers "This approach of stopping product advertising while continuing to use the platforms to advance our social justice work is consistent with the Stop Hate for Profit campaign that understands this work is too important to 'unilaterally disarm' across these platforms that remain powerful channels to engage citizens on these critically important issues," a spokesperson added. Ben & Jerry's is following guidelines from Color of Change, an online racial justice organization, to continue to use paid media for campaigns on social platforms in support of racial justice. Ben & Jerry's ice cream During the nationwide protests of police brutality in June, the ice cream company released a statement saying "the murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy." The company went on to detail a list of demands including the creation of a national task force aimed at ending racial violence and increasing police accountability. Earlier this month, some 1,100 advertisers, including Walt Disney, Harley Davidson, Novartis, Bayer and Blue Bottle Coffee, stopped buying ads on Facebook and Instagram during the month of July, with some advertisers pulling their spending through the end of the year. Story continues The advertising boycott began shortly before the companys decision not to take down inflammatory rhetoric and false claims from President Donald Trump. This is not the first time Ben & Jerry's has taken a political or social stance. In 2005, it protested oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2011, it supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. And in 2018, Ben & Jerry's launched its "Pecan Resist" flavor supporting organizations working on peaceful resistance against the Trump administration. Contributing: Jessica Guynn Follow Josh Rivera on Twitter: @Josh1Rivera. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben & Jerry's to stop product ads on social media to 'send a message' A person was injured in a shooting Thursday morning in Portlands Parkrose neighborhood, police said. Around 8:15 a.m., officers responded to reports of gunshots near the intersection of Northeast 113th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, police said in a news release. A person had been struck by gunfire, according to the release, and was taken to the hospital but police did not say how badly that person was injured. The Thursday morning shooting comes during a particularly violent week in Northeast Portland. On Tuesday night Jordan Lee Louis, 22, was shot and killed near Northeast 8th Avenue and Dekum Street. Despite a news report soon after the shooting that a person had been killed, police would not confirm the man had died for more than 24 hours. The state medical examiner said Wednesday that Louis died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his cause of death a homicide. Wednesday night, another man was shot at a memorial for Louis. Police have not named any suspects in either shooting, just two of several violent incidents this week in Northeast Portland. On Monday, 19-year-old Mister Ford was shot and killed at Northeast 87th Avenue near Multnomah University. Late on Tuesday, multiple people were stabbed blocks from where Ford was killed. Police have thus far refused to say how many people were injured, the extent of their injuries, whether any suspects had been arrested, or whether anyone was killed. Early Wednesday, police said one person had been shot on Northeast Prescott Street between 105th and 109th avenues, but investigators have not given any update on that persons medical condition or said whether they believe any of the above incidents are linked. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Elementary school students will be returning to the classroom full-time this fall in Manitoba while high school students may need to take some remote classes to allow for social distancing. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Elementary school students will be returning to the classroom full-time this fall in Manitoba while high school students may need to take some remote classes to allow for social distancing. The province had previously said that it would be choosing between three possible plans for a return to school, each with a different blend of online and in-person learning depending on the status of the pandemic. High school students have to be in class at a minimum of two days a week under the plan, but the province expects that most students will spend more time in the classroom than that. This is because it is harder to maintain separation in high school students because of the larger number of students and the nature of a schedule that includes taking electives. Individual school divisions will have to develop their own plans and timetables based on the number of students and their individual circumstances. Divisions will also need to develop transportation plans that will incorporate distancing. In the meantime, parents are encouraged when possible to bring their children to school as these details are worked out. Provincial exams are still up in the air for Grade 12 students and the province will decide in September if they will go ahead. Two-metre physical distancing will be required where possible. When that is not possible, that's where the cohort system will come in to limit exposure. Within cohorts, students will need to maintain a one-metre distance from other students. Entrances and exits to schools will be controlled to avoid too many people coming in or out through the same place and lunch and recess breaks will be staggered to limit exposure. Play structures are considered by Public Health to not be a high-risk health concern. It's expected children will be screened for health issues before they leave home by parents and schools will also be set up to facilitate some health screening. Schools will be divided into cohorts of up to 75 students to facilitate social distancing and contact tracing should a case be diagnosed in a teacher or student. Masks will not be required by public health, but students and teachers will be allowed to wear them. Contingency plans for wearing medical masks will need to be in place should a student end up being symptomatic at school. If a student or teacher becomes symptomatic at school, they will be required to report to an administrator and then go home to monitor symptoms. Teachers and staff will be returning to schools on Sept. 2, 3 and 4 to get oriented on public health requirements and learn how to help students catch up for lost time. Full coverage of the announcement from Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen and chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, as well as local reaction, will be in Friday's edition of the Sun. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Laser Therapy Market Research Report, By Type (Diode Lasers, Solid State Lasers, Gas Lasers, Dye Lasers, and others), By Application (Dermatology and Aesthetics, Surgery, Dental, Urology, Ophthalmology, and others) - Global Forecast from 2017 to 2023 The widespread prevalence of cataract, as well as arthritis, promote the growth of the global laser therapy market. Expanding base of old population complements this factor since the elderly populace is more prone to acquiring diseases such as arthritis and cataract which induces additional demand for laser therapy. Heightened demand for minimally-invasive and non-invasive procedures is a major drive behind the growth of the market. Consumers are highly inclined towards medical procedures which do not involve incisions and cuts. Additionally, laser therapy is extensively used in dermatology and cosmetology. Skyrocketing demand for aesthetics also encourages the growth of the global laser therapy market. Use of laser therapy in dentistry is also a key market influencer. On the contrary, the growth of the global laser therapy market might be impeded by high costs associated with laser therapy. Market Research Future (MRFR) anticipates strong CAGR of 9.2% in the global Laser Therapy Market size over the forecast period of 2017-2023. The expansion of the global laser therapy is the result of various market dynamics, out of which, the surging prevalence of diseases such as cataract and arthritis bears profound weightage. Laser therapy is the standard line of treatment in cases of cataract. Laser-based ophthalmology is highly preferred over other methods of treatment. YAG LASER, excimer LASER, femtosecond LASER, and others are the most commonly used lasers in ophthalmology. Segmentation The global laser therapy market has been segmented based on type and application. By type, the global laser therapy market has been segmented into diode lasers, solid state lasers, gas lasers, dye lasers, and others. By application, the global laser therapy market has been segmented into surgery, dermatology and aesthetics, dental, and others. The surgery segment is further segmented into urology, ophthalmology, and others. Regional Analysis The Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, and The Middle East & Africa (MEA) are the key markets for laser therapy. The Americas is at the forefront of the global laser therapy market. A robust healthcare sector, high expenditure on healthcare, and widespread prevalence of chronic diseases in the region spur the growth of the global laser therapy market. In addition, the regions propensity to incorporate new and advanced technologies in the healthcare sector acts as a plus for the growth of the market. Other factors boosting the growth of the Americas market include growth in a number of aged populace and the presence of key players in the region. Europe holds the second most significant share of the global laser therapy market. The region invests substantially in R&D activities which coupled with the availability of funds creates a conducive environment for the growth of the laser therapy market in Europe. A broad base of the patient population, well-developed healthcare sector, and high government support contribute to the growth of the market. APAC is the fastest growing market for laser therapy. Expanding patient pool, development of the healthcare sector in the developing countries of China and India present growth opportunities to the APAC market. Also, increased affordability due to rising disposable income, government endeavors towards the modernization of the healthcare sector are other boosting factors. The MEA market is likely to exhibit the least share of the global laser therapy market. Limited availability of healthcare facilities, lack of funds, and lack of awareness and dearth of skilled medical professionals constrain the growth of the market over the forecast period, especially in the Africa region. The Middle East accounts for the foremost share of the MEA market and is driven by high healthcare expenditure in the region. Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/laser-therapy-market-3812 Competitive Landscape The key players in the global laser therapy market include Biolase Inc. (U.S.), Alma Lasers (Israel), Cutera (U.S.), IRIDEX Corp. (U.S.), Valeant (Canada), Coherent, Inc. (U.S.), and Angiodynamics, Inc. (U.S.). Industry Updates In December 2018, TRUMPF GmbH, a company involved in laser technology, announced the acquisition of Photonics GmbH from Philips. Through the acquisition, TRUMPF intends to expand its foothold in the growing markets in the photonics and digital products sectors. Related news Home Healthcare Market Monoclonal Antibody Custom Service Market About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. Contact https://www.marketresearchfuture.com This couple is too busy; others are not busy enough. There are those used to lukewarm cohabitation enlivened by outside interests, who now have to face each other hour after hour. Then there are those who live by themselves and have to wrestle with unrelenting loneliness. Michael Leunig titled one of his cartoons, published in early July in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, "Reclutter Your Life". It shows a naked man alone in a bare, empty, windowless room, sitting on a pastel-coloured, striped floor. He is mournful and bewildered, reading a book titled Reclutter Your Life and Be Happy Again. While satirising the current self-help fad of "decluttering" and pointing to the fact that lockdown has eliminated the "clutter" of virtually all public activity, the cartoon is ambiguous. The surface message seems to be that the room of life needs filling, to combat the threat of lonely vacancy - this mans life is empty, and he wants to be happy again. Cartoon Credit:Michael Leunig But, viewed differently, the room is peaceful in its spare elegance, like an idealised monks cell. Its call is to prayer, meditation or whatever mental re-orientation we might call the brightening of the inner self, or the soul. Leunigs cartoon serves as a further parable in reminding about the seesaw of life, a universal experience. The first half of a persons life is spent in evolving and expanding: developing character traits, including strengths and weaknesses; discovering passions and talents and training them; discovering tastes and inclinations; finding possible vocations and enduring relationships. The child and teen years are critical. The second half of life is spent in doing the opposite, stripping back the excess, the accumulated barnacles and dross, casting off the superfluous, which is vast in its proportions. I am not talking about the trivial clutter of too many old socks and forgotten knick-knacks. Rembrandt in his late etchings would scratch out much of the detail, leaving the few important lines. "Reclutter Your Life" is as much about the opposite impulseto simplify down to the bare essential. With life shut down outside the front door, the spotlight turns to the big questions. Leunigs re-clutter/de-clutter contrasts with other command axioms such as "Live your life", "Seize the day", "Kindle your life", "Act to the best of your ability" and "Be kind". The normal life supports have been removed, so the individual wakes up confronted by the threatening absurdity of human existence. Where does the directing truth lie; what makes most sense of life as actually experienced, if there is any absolute sense? And indeed, the times may call less for dynamic, upbeat exhortations like "Seize the day" and more for simple calm. Loading Joseph Conrad provided another possible take in his 1917 novella The Shadow Line. A man in the transition age from youth to adulthood is unexpectedly made captain of a sailing ship for the first time. He travels to Bangkok to take command. Once there, nothing in his life ever equalled the satisfaction, even the joy, when he first stepped on deck of his ship - suddenly his life has purpose. But all his eager ambition and momentum is soon thwarted by malevolent fate in the form of bad weather. The wind wont blow. The young captain just manages to get the ship out to sea, precipitated by his own restlessness and the tropical fever that is spreading among his crew. For an interminable 14 days adrift in the Gulf of Thailand there is hardly a breath of wind. Becalmed in cloying tropical heat, the atmosphere on board becomes stagnant and fetid, with the chief mate going mad and all the crew, apart from one, falling sick and becoming useless. Loading This allegory of depression evokes the mood of the current pandemic shutdown in Melbourne: "The brooding stillness of the world seemed sensitive to the slightest sound." In The Shadow Line the wait is finite, with a storm striking after the 14 days of immobility. In Melbourne, the wind did return in June and the ship got underway, only to hit another trough of even more immense and stagnant low pressure. Now there is no end in sight, with the daily count of new infections like an impenetrable canopy of oppressive tropical heat. Hours after the prominent Black pastor of a Berkeley congregation hung a Black Lives Matter banner above the buildings entryway, an arsonist set a fire that left scorch marks on the church leaving the community to wonder whether the two were connected. Michael McBride, pastor of the Way Christian Center and co-founder of the Black Church PAC, found out about the fire on Wednesday morning when he got a call from one of the church ministers, according to Jennifer Farmer of Spotlight PR. The minister found burned trash bins and property damage to the building, Farmer said. The side of the church and concrete in the area were charred by flames. The pastor said in a statement that he wonders if the church was targeted because of the Black Lives Matter banner or because of his work in racial justice advocacy. McBride, who also serves as the director of a national campaign addressing gun violence, has provided commentary in national media outlets. McBride is now considering whether his decades long work challenging police brutality, registering people of faith to vote, or speaking out against white supremacy irritated the suspected arsonist, or whether they were angered by the Black Lives Matter sign hanging from the church, Farmer said in a statement. McBride also questioned why authorities did not contact him or church officials regarding the fire. Authorities slid a written report of the incident under the door of the building. For decades church fires were used as a means of terrorizing Black clergy and the Black community. I guess in Berkeley, its not something worthy of special attention by law enforcement officials, McBride said. Regardless of the intentions of the suspect, we will not be silenced or intimidated. Last year, three historically Black Baptist churches in Louisiana were burned by an arsonist who pleaded guilty to hate crime charges. The citys police and fire departments responded at 12:43 a.m. to the church, located at 1305 University Avenue, after a neighbor called to report a trash can fire, said Officer Byron White, public information officer for the Berkeley Police Department. The witness told authorities that an unknown suspect set fire to a plastic trash bin in the churchs rear parking lot and walked away. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The suspect was seen standing over the fire before walking east on University Avenue, police said. Officers searched the area but did not find the suspect, who was reportedly wearing a tan jacket with reflective material. The persons race, age or gender was unclear. The motivation for the arson remains unclear due to a lack of evidence, White said. We dont really have enough to know what the motivation behind it was, he said. The Black Lives Matter sign is in the front of the church. This happened in the rear parking lot of the church, so I dont know if the two are related. All we know right now is that somebody lit a fire to a trash bin and walked away. McBride plans to hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the church. Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2 First Drilling Program to Target High-Grade Extensions Figure 1 Long section view of Joe Mann Long section view of Joe Mann Figure 2 Plan view of Joe Mann's planned drill holes and infrastructure Plan view of Joe Mann's planned drill holes and infrastructure TORONTO, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dore Copper Mining Corp. (the "Company" or "Dore Copper") (TSXV: DCMC) is pleased to announce that it has received the permit associated with the drilling of the Joe Mann property in Quebec, Canada. The Joe Mann property is part of the option agreement announced by the Company on January 2, 2020 . The Company has also advised local stakeholders of its drilling plans at Joe Mann. Drilling will commence in approximately two weeks once the current drilling program at Dore Coppers Cedar Bay property is completed. We are excited to focus on our high priority exploration targets at this high-grade gold underground asset that remains open at depth and along strike, given market fundamentals that have strengthened gold prices to record-setting highs, commented Ernest Mast, President and CEO of Dore Copper. The two drill rigs will follow up on holes EE-188 and EE-189B that were drilled in 2008 after the mine had ceased operations. Hole EE-188 intersected 3.02 meters grading 30.3 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) and 1.30% copper (Cu). Hole EE-189B intersected 1.88 meters grading 26.66 g/t Au and 0.40% Cu. The intersections are 150 meters apart and approximately 170 meters beneath the lowest mining level in the mine. No prior drilling has occurred to follow up on the high-grade extensions. A long section view of the area that will be drilled is shown below. Figure 1 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c475aa1e-e1a8-438a-83c9-9870b256846d The Joe Mann Gold Mine was one of the highest-grade gold mines in Canada and produced 1.17 million ounces of gold grading 8.26 g/t between 1956 and 2007. The mine is located approximately 60 kilometers from the Companys Copper Rand mill, where ore from Joe Mann was processed from 2004 until its closure in 2007, and is accessible by all season roads. Story continues Highlights of the Joe Mann Gold Mine: Production of 1.173 million ounces of gold at a grade of 8.26 g/t Au, 607,000 ounces of silver at 5 g/t Ag and 28.7 million pounds of copper at 0.25% Cu (Source: Technical Report on the Joe Mann Mining Property dated January 11, 2016, prepared by Geologica Inc.). Mineralization remains strong and persistent at depth with hole EE-189B intersecting 26.66 g/t Au over 1.8 meters and hole EE-188 intersecting 30.3 g/t Au and 1.3% Cu over 3.02 meters, extending the Main Zone 170 meters down dip. The more recently discovered West Zone, a potential structural off-set remains open and is a high priority future exploration target with historical intercepts including 2.44 meters at 24.62 g/t Au, 3.93 meters at 31.54 g/t Au, 2.62 meters at 24.28 g/t Au and 3.2 meters at 16.1 g/t Au. Exploration potential remains excellent including new parallel zones identified by recent surface prospecting work that lie just several hundred meters to the south of the main mine. Well-developed infrastructure in place including year-round road access, administration office, power and a shaft down to the 1,145-meter level. The Company plans to drill two holes in close proximity to the historical holes, with a minimum of one wedge per hole. The drill collars will be located on the adjacent property, also named Joe Mann, a joint venture between Jessie Resources (65%) (optioned by Dore Copper) and SOQUEM (35%). The holes will cross an untested area of the Rohault Zone which is part of the 65/35 joint venture. The closest intersection to those planned on Rohault comes from hole H-156 which intersected 0.67 meters at 11.0 g/t Au. SOQUEM will contribute 35% of the field costs of the joint venture. A plan view of Joe Mann's planned drill holes and infrastructure is presented below. Figure 2 accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bff4553a-9671-44a5-937d-9adf8bbfc57f Andrey Rinta, P.Geo., the Exploration Manager of the Company and a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. About Dore Copper Mining Corp. Dore Copper is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and evaluation of mineral properties. Dore Copper completed a qualifying transaction on December 13, 2019, establishing itself as a copper-gold explorer and developer in the Chibougamau area of Quebec, Canada. Dore Copper, through its wholly owned subsidiary CBAY Minerals Inc., holds a 100% interest in the exploration-stage Corner Bay project and the exploration-stage Cedar Bay project, both located in the vicinity of Chibougamau, Quebec, as well as the 2,700-tonne-per-day Copper Rand processing mill. Dore Copper has an option agreement to acquire 100% of the Joe Mann property (see press release dated January 2, 2020 ), whereby if certain payments and spending requirements are met over a three-year period, the Company will become the 100% owner of the 1,990-hectare property. For further information regarding Dore Copper, please visit the Companys website at www.dorecopper.com or refer to Dore Coppers SEDAR filings at www.sedar.com . For further information, please contact: Ernest Mast President and Chief Executive Officer Phone: (416) 792-2229 Email: emast@dorecopper.com Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the timing and ability of the Company to receive necessary regulatory approvals, and the plans, operations and prospects of the Company and its properties are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required regulatory approvals, health emergencies, pandemics and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company 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 required by law. 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 news release. By PTI NEW DELHI: The names of 20 Indian Army personnel, who were killed after valiantly fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15, will be inscribed on the National War Memorial here, officials said on Thursday. They said the process for inscribing the names of the Army personnel on the memorial may take a few months. Chinese and Indian troops clashed in Galwan Valley for several hours on the night of June 15 in their deadliest brawl in the last five decades. Colonel B Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, was among the Indian Army personnel killed in the clash The incident significantly escalated the border tension in eastern Ladakh with India calling it "a premeditated and planned action by China" The Chinese soldiers used stones, nail-studded sticks, iron rods and clubs in carrying out brutal attacks on Indian soldiers after they protested the erection of a surveillance post by China around patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley. China has not disclosed the number of casualties its troops suffered. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. During a visit to Lukung forward post in eastern Ladakh on July 17, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh personally conveyed his appreciation and compliments to the troops from the Bihar regiment for displaying exemplary grit and courage in fighting the Chinese troops. In his address to the soldiers, the defence minister said the Indian soldiers killed in the Galwan Valley clash not only showed exemplary courage in safeguarding the border but also protected the pride of 130 crore Indians. Last month, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane awarded 'Commendation Cards' to five soldiers for their bravery in dealing with Chinese troops during the Galwan Valley clash as well as confronting rival soldiers in Pangong Tso in May. Kathie Lee Gifford shares final moments with Regis Philbin, praises God: I know where he is Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Emmy award-winning TV host Kathie Lee Gifford detailed her final moments with her longtime television partner Regis Philbin, and the outspoken Christian said she believes he is now in Heaven with God. "I was up from Tennessee, where I live, most of the time and of course the first call I always make is to Regis and Joy, Gifford on the TODAY show on Monday. I said, 'Can we get together? Can we have some lunch?' They came over about two weeks ago. "I'm just so grateful the Lord gave me that final time, 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, he was just ready. So many of his friends had died, his dearest friend had died a week before of corona, actually. He was ready to go.' And she said, 'The day that we came to have lunch with you,' she said, 'was the last time I heard him laugh.' Philbin, known for shows such as Live with Regis and Kelly! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? died on July 24, at the age of 88. The TV personality died from cardiovascular disease at a hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut. Gifford, Philbins co-host for over 15 years, explained that when she saw Philbin and his wife get out of their vehicle a couple weeks ago, she recognized that he was much more fragile than the last time she saw him. The popular personality revealed that she served the couple their favorite dish and was so grateful to reconnect. So we just 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?' Gifford said. The devout Christian said she felt the need to return to Tennessee last week. I didn't know why but I've learned to listen to that voice. So I got on the plane, came home and immediately heard the news about Regis. I called Joy immediately and talked with her, Gifford said of her time with Philbins wife and daughters after his death. "I was just grateful to have the time with them and comfort them a little bit, let them know that I believed with all my heart that I know where Regis is and I know who he's with because I had many conversations with him over the years about faith, and about where we go when this life is over, and he was very curious as always, and listened. Gifford told TODAY that she and Philbin never once had an issue and were the best of friends. In a public tribute to Philbin on Instagram, she wrote: There are no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis. 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. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:18:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defense on Thursday refuted the recent verbal attacks by U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on China. "His accusations against China are utterly groundless and unjustifiable, and his speech was teeming with arrogance, prejudice and malice. We firmly oppose such remarks," Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson of the ministry, said at a press conference in response to a question on Esper's recent smearing remarks about China. It is well known by the international community that the United States only abides by international rules that are in its favor, pushes for "America First" agenda and bullies other countries, Ren said. In striking contrast to the U.S. side's frequent rules-breaking moves, China joined the Arms Trade Treaty to further fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations on the day the United States announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, Ren added. Ren urged the U.S. side to stop undermining global peace and regional stability, or sowing discord around the international community. He said the U.S. side should discard its Cold War mentality and stop its attacks on China, and do something meaningful to promote the common interests of the two militaries and the two countries. Enditem T he UK coronavirus death toll has risen by 38 as Scotland marks two weeks of reporting no new Covid-19 deaths. The Department of Health and Social Care "paused" its publishing of the daily death toll updates after Health Secretary Matt Hancock ordered an urgent review into its accuracy. But Public Health England continues to provide updates on the number of people who have died in the UK across all settings after contracting coronavirus. The death toll jumped by 38 on Thursday to bring the UK's total death toll to 45,999. A further 846 people tested positive for coronavirus in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday - up from 763 yesterday. NHS England also revealed on Thursday that a further 12 people have died with coronavirus in England hospitals. This brings the total number of deaths in UK hospitals to 33,932. Scotland marked another day of reporting no coronavirus deaths, making it a fortnight since the last virus related death was reported. Nicola Sturgeon announced the death toll remained at 2,491 with no changes since July 16. Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister said 18,597 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 17 from 18,580 the day before. Loading.... There are 260 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, no change in the past 24 hours. Of these, two patients are in intensive care, the same as on Wednesday. No new virus deaths were reported in Northern Ireland leaving its total death toll at 556. The Department of Health said eight more positive cases of coronavirus have been detected in Northern Ireland and the total number of people who have been infected is now at 5,938. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images Public Health Wales said a further two people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking its total number of deaths to 1,556. The number of cases in Wales increased by nine, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17,232. A total of 43,119 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England have had their cases transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system since its launch, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care. Of this total, 33,472 people (77.6 per cent) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 8,228 (19.1 per cent) were not reached. Boris Johnson: We are looking at a resurgence of coronavirus A further 1,419 people (3.3 per cent) could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided. The figures cover the period May 28 to July 22. It comes as new grim figures from the Office for National Statistics showed Britain had the highest levels of excess deaths in Europe during the pandemic. By the end of May, England was top of the table with a death rate some 7.55 per cent higher than usual, said the Office for National Statistics. It overtook Spain, which had suffered a higher peak earlier in the crisis, and by May 29 had an excess death rate of 6.65. Scotland came third with 5.11, followed by Belgium at 3.89, Wales, at 2.78, Sweden at 2.26, the Netherlands, at 2.21, and Northern Ireland at 2.03, with France at just 0.16. Loading.... An ONS spokesman confirmed that the four nations and regions of the UK together had a combined rate that was higher than any other country. Representative Image Readymade garment (RMG) makers are likely to witness a 25-30 per cent decline in revenue in ongoing financial year due to the prolonged lockdown and lower discretionary spending, according to a report by CRISIL Ratings. A sharp fall in both domestic and export demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic will crimp garment makers' revenue by 25-30 percent, CRISIL Ratings said. For exporters, the fall will be more because of tepid discretionary spending in the US and European Union, which account for 60 per cent of India's RMG exports, it said. The working capital cycle of RMG makers has elongated because of higher inventory and stretched receivables, which is expected to impair their credit profiles, the report said. The last fiscal ended with 20-25 per cent higher inventory as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and lockdowns began in late March. COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show With demand depressed in the first half of this fiscal, inventories will remain high, which will add to the woes of exporters and will weaken credit profiles of some large global brick-and-mortar retailers, which will stretch receivables, it noted. "Over the past five fiscals, revenue growth of RMG makers was supported by domestic demand even as exports were muted. This fiscal, with domestic demand also falling significantly, revenues are expected to be materially impacted," CRISIL Ratings Director Gautam Shahi said. "Consequently, their operating margins are expected to contract 250-300 basis points (bps) to 7-7.5 per cent for the sample set, despite softer cotton prices, and cost-reduction initiative," he added. CRISIL Ratings Associate Director Kiran Kavala said a sharp fall in profits means RMG makers will not have sufficient cash accruals to meet repayment obligations in the first half of this fiscal. "But they are expected to utilise the cushion available in their working capital facilities, and will be helped by the moratorium on loan repayments, the government relief package to micro, small and medium enterprises, and the COVID-19 emergency credit lines," she added. Cash flows are likely to improve in the second half of this fiscal due to pick up in demand from third quarter as the festive season begins in India and winter season begins in export markets. It would put RMG makers in a better place to service debt obligations, the report said. However, given the material impact of weak business performance in the first half, the ratios of net cash accrual to loan repayments and interest coverage will still be significantly weaker at 1.4-1.7 times and well below 3 times expected this fiscal, compared with 2.4 times and 4 times, respectively, in FY20, it added. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here The governors criticism comes as he argues local governments largely in downstate New York have failed to enforce social distancing and mask rules. State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker chided Schneiderman in a Monday letter and questioned how Southampton could have issued a permit for an event that posed a public health threat. In response, Schneiderman said the town is also investigating the concert, vowed to hold organizers accountable and defended the towns decision to permit the concert. The town is greatly disturbed by reports of what occurred at the event and are investigating this matter and will hold the organizers accountable, he said in a Tuesday letter to Zucker. Schneiderman said the concerts special event permit didnt approve any place for attendees to gather, and instead required organizers to follow federal, state and local social distancing and health protocols. WARSAW, Poland - Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Thursday he is asking his countrys top constitutional court to study Europes Istanbul Convention against domestic violence before his right-wing government decides whether to exit the pact. Polands government has described the treaty as ideologically tainted and Morawiecki has said the convention raised serious doubts, indicating he was leaning toward exiting the convention. The Istanbul Convention an initiative of the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organization - is billed as a key international treaty to combat violence against women and domestic violence. 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. Polands previous liberal government ratified it in 2015. Critics of the convention say that it is not in line with Polands legal system, wrongly identifies the sources of violence against women and fails to provide effective tools for fighting domestic violence. The government also believes the convention wrongly links religion to violence, and Morawiecki insisted that Polands own legislation already offers strong protection to domestic violence victims. Morawiecki said he has asked the constitutional Tribunal to check the translation into Polish of gender. The word is sensitive to the conservative ruling Law and Justice party, which often sees it as representative of LGBT rights and a threat to Polands Roman Catholic family values. 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, Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have yet to ratify it. Many Poles have protested Polands desire to withdraw from the treaty and Council of Europe leaders have said such a move would be highly regrettable and a major step backwards in the protection of women against violence in Europe. It was not clear when a final decision could be expected. Hugh Bowman has been hit with a six-week ban over the fatal Rosehill incident. Pic: Getty Hugh Bowman admits the social media reaction to his role in a tragic race day fall has taken a toll on him and his family. The top jockey and regular rider of champion Winx was on Thursday suspended for six weeks for careless riding aboard Smart Image at the final meeting of the 2019-20 season at Rosehill. MADNESS: Punters stunned by four-horse photo finish BIG SHOCK: Racing rocked by champion jockey's death at 34 Bowman was attempting to angle off the fence on Smart Image near the 300m to position himself outside the heels of the leader, Mr Colorful, ridden by Glyn Schofield. As he shifted, he made heavy contact with Andrew Adkins' mount Hot 'N' Hazy, which clipped heels and fell. Adkins broke his leg in two places, fractured a shoulder and suffered several broken ribs. The horse was unable to be saved. Bowman admitted the incident had impacted him, as had comments on social media. "The circumstances and the drama of the consequences of what you deem carelessness has made this a very high-profile case, much more so than your standard careless-riding situation," Bowman told stewards. "That's had an affect on me and my family and I'd like that to be considered." Bowman maintained his position that he took due care aboard Smart Image and other factors contributed to the scrimmage. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of careless riding and said while head-on footage showed there was insufficient room for his horse between Mr Colorful and Hot 'N' Hazy, the rear angle presented a different case. Bowman did admit his timing might have been slightly out because he had not ridden in a race for five weeks and also expressed remorse at the consequences suffered by Adkins and Hot 'N' Hazy. "Unfortunately, the injuries sustained to Andrew, they're not life-threatening but they're significant," Bowman said. Hugh Bowman (all red) on Smart Image wins the race as Andrew Adkins on Hot 'N' Hazy is seen falling. Pic: Getty Bowman remorseful about incident "I've been found careless and despite the fact of pleading not guilty, I am remorseful the incident happened. Story continues "I understand what we do is dangerous and split-second decisions can turn out to have bad consequences, as one has in this case." Stewards generally use a careless-riding template to determine penalty but that was thrown out the window due to the seriousness of the incident. Presiding stipe Wade Birch said their starting point was a three-month ban, however, given Bowman's outstanding safety record - he has been suspended once for careless riding in the past 12 months - and the number of feature race meetings he will miss, the penalty was reduced to six weeks. Bowman has not taken rides at Randwick on Saturday and will begin his suspension immediately. He will miss the first Group One race of the Sydney season, the Winx Stakes on August 22, and will return for a carnival meeting at Rosehill on September 12. Schofield and Robbie Dolan also attended the inquiry and both were cleared of careless riding. Leitrim County Council head of finance, Vincent Dwyer, has told councillors to highlight the need for a major rethink on the funding model for Irish Water with their Oireachtas colleagues. With more than 50 water main bursts already recorded by Leitrim Council on the South Leitrim Regional Water Supply Scheme this year Mr Dwyer said that it is clear that the whole issue of Irish Water needs to be progressed at national government level. Also see: Leitrim family vow to fight any plan to CPO shop and home The funding model for Irish Water is not fit for purpose in my view, he said. The comments came after Cllr Caillian Ellis again raised the issue of the water main line between Fenagh and Keshcarrigan at Monday's Ballinamore Municipal District Meeting. There has been so many bursts, he said, people are fed up. Mr Dwyer acknowledged that Leitrim County Council has a huge problem in house trying to deal with the number of water main bursts on the South Leitrim Regional Water Supply. Irish Water has told us that their capital budget was cut by 70-80m last year, adding that, although the Council had been previously told that work on the South Leitrim Regional Water Supply has been named as a priority but since then, things have obviously changed. Irish Water have no money to do (this work) and that's the bottom line, said Mr Dwyer. At the moment it wouldn't matter if we were to stand on our heads, there is simply no money to (replace these mains). At a meeting last Thursday with Irish Water, Council officials again highlighted the fact that the mains were failing in South Leitrim but Mr Dwyer acknowledged we're flagging this, but we're making no headway on it. The reality is that Irish Water is fire fighting on the capital project side (of things) with issues in Dublin and Kildare and we are a long way down the list. Mr Dwyer acknowledged the Council was facing a very bad situation in relation to the South Leitrim Regional Water Supply. Apart from the issues we are having with main bursts we also have a situation where our water treatment plant is working at capacity and the one thing you don't want when a water treatment plant is at capacity is further bursts on the water mains, he admitted. Cllr Ellis said the current approach by Irish Water, of constantly repairing bursts doesn't make any sense. He pointed out there have been instances where bursts have occurred and water has been left to run for long periods of time before repairs are undertaken. Mr Dwyer pointed out that the Council only has really one, possibly two crews who are able to address these bursts in the county at any one time. These crews can't work at night and it can be a situation where they are already dealing with a burst when another is reported, he said. Mr Dwyer said that crews will always work to turn off supply at the nearest valve in order to conserve existing supply, but said that it may be the case that work cannot be carried out immediately due to the time of the burst and staff constraints. I would ask (the councillors) to highlight to your political parties the need to address this issue at national level, he said. Cllr Brendan Barry agreed that it was clear the priorities of Irish Water have changed. I wrote to Irish Water last year and was told that it would be as priority but when I wrote this year they only wrote back to acknowledge they had received my letter, nothing else, he explained. Mr Dwyer said it is clear the situation has changed and (the South Leitrim Regional Water Supply) is no longer a priority. I'd say with the money (Irish Water) have they have other priorities now, he acknowledged. Also see: Anger at lack of discussion on new 'concept' proposed for Carrick-on-Shannon town centre Norwich curate to take up teaching post Norwich curate to take up teaching post Rev Dr Alex Irving is moving on from his role as curate at St Stephen's church in Norwich for an appointment as lecturer at St Mellitus College. Rev Dr Alex Irving said, "I came to Norwich in 2005 to study at the UEA. I then worked at Holy Trinity, Norwich as a pastoral assistant for two years during which time I started the discernment process with the Church of England. I moved to London to study at the London School of Theology (LST) from where I moved to Oxford to begin ordination training and undertake a PhD. I met Sophie at LST, and we married in 2015 and have a daughter called Rachael who was born in 2018. "Sophie and I moved back to Norwich in 2017 to serve a curacy at St Stephen's in the city centre. During this time, I have worked on the Richard Caister Project, which has moved online owing to restrictions of public gatherings, but the display is still up in the Church building. I also started a resource, Open Faith, to help believers engage with certain aspects of our tradition. "My doctoral thesis was published at T.F. Torrance's Reconstruction of Natural Theology: Christ and Cognition and another book (God, Freedom and the Body of Christ: Toward a Theology of the Church) is coming out later this year. Currently I am working on a new project due to be published in 2021 We Believe: Exploring the Nicene Creed. I am very much looking forward to the new challenge of theological education and ministerial development with St Mellitus. "I have enjoyed my time at St Stephen's and in Norwich Diocese immensely and hope to stay in close contact in the future." Helen Baldry, 29/07/2020 An Ansonia man was arrested Monday after state police said his vehicle struck a tractor-trailer truck and caused it to roll over on Interstate 84 in Farmington. Darnell Porter, of Woodbridge Avenue in Ansonia, also is accused of fleeing the scene of the crash, which happened around 9 p.m. Monday the day before Porter turned 33 years old. Porter is charged with evading responsibility, failure to maintain a proper lane, misuse of plates, operating an unregistered vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. According to the incident report, the tractor-trailer truck owned by UPS Ground Freight was traveling on I-84 east, in the center of three lanes. Porters 2007 Infiniti G35 was traveling in the left lane, adjacent to the truck, police said. Near Exit 37, state police said Porters vehicle veered into the center lane, striking the truck on the drivers side. The truck then lost control and veered into the right shoulder, and rolled over, the report said. Porter then fled the scene, but state police stopped him near Exit 41, the report said. He was taken into custody and transported to Troop H, where he was charged. The 37-year-old driver of the truck, from Willmington, Del., was treated at the scene for injuries and transported to St. Francis Hospital. The report said the driver had suspected serious injuries. Not even a pandemic can stop the mens momentum at Saks Fifth Avenue. For more than two years, the upscale retailer has been enjoying an uptick in mens sales, thanks to strength in footwear, advanced designer and contemporary brands. From 2018 to 2019, the mens division posted single-digit growth year-over-year, and those figures have gotten even larger today and now represent some 30 percent of the companys overall business, according to sources. Even while the Saks stores were closed during the height of the pandemic, mens managed to hold its own thanks in large part to a solid online business and now that the fleet has reopened, mens continues to thrive. Louis DiGiacomo, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of mens for Saks, said since stores started reopening in May, mens experienced high single- to double-digit growth and now that the entire fleet is up and running, the category has been posting double-digit growth. Similar to pre-COVID-19, footwear has been our number-one category, driven by sneakers, he said. It was very strong before, but its even stronger now. Designer ready-to-wear and advanced contemporary collections along with accessories have also been very strong, he said. Our mens business is booming, said Marc Metrick, president and chief executive officer. For the past several years, mens has been a growing category for us across all channels and we have seen a consistently positive customer response. Were continuing to invest heavily in mens wear, which includes evolving our in-store presence, expanding our service offerings and leveraging our clienteling capabilities to deliver a personalized and seamless shopping experience. Saks is well-positioned for big wins in mens and we look forward to continuing the momentum. Tracy Margolies, chief merchant, echoed the sentiment. Mens is such an exciting category right now. As the mens market has grown over the past few years, we have focused on elevating our merchandise assortments and evolving our client experience by introducing more fashion-forward designers and personalized services. Saks believes in mens fashion, and we are committed to offering the best curated assortment for our customers. Story continues DiGiacomo said that prior to the pandemic, the tailored businesses, along with other more-classic categories, were weakening, and as a result, Saks pivoted to place more emphasis on the fashion-forward brands. We talk about how men are the new women, he said. They want fashion. Theyre shopping weekly and buying new wardrobes for the weekend or home. Frankly, were shocked at how much it has grown over the past few months. Among the strongest brands in footwear have been Dior, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Christian Louboutin, he said. In rtw, top performers include Amiri, Off-White and John Elliott, among others. With so many other retailers struggling or closing their doors, including Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman, Jeffrey and others, Saks is picking up market share. DiGiacomo said that even though Saks has a deal to open Barneys shops in its stores, that hasnt happened yet, and its former customers are turning to Saks instead in key markets such as Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago. In order to capture those customers, Saks is remerchandising its stores to better focus on the hot areas, and upping the ante on customer service both in person and online. Associates are using Zoom calls and in-home services to better cater to shoppers who still may feel uncomfortable visiting stores. Men are also part of the Saks First Limitless invitation-only program for the retailers biggest spenders. During Milan Mens Fashion Week in February 2019, Saks hosted its first dedicated mens event offering front-row seats to Etro, Fendi and other shows, access to showrooms and a suite at the Four Seasons. Looking ahead to fall, DiGiacomo said Saks is already seeing some good sell-throughs on new merchandise. And while there was a lag in deliveries in the midst of the pandemic when European vendors were closed and transportation interrupted, were caught up now, he said. Were receiving goods and selling newness. Were feeling really good about fall and holiday, he added. Were continuing to invest in mens. Although Saks closed its Brookfield Place mens store in lower Manhattan in January, Saks still operates mens-only stores in Los Angeles and Chevy Chase, Md. And mens is getting increased attention in other units as well. Last August, the New York flagship opened an 8,000-square-foot shoe floor that added 60 percent more selling space to the popular category. That performed extremely well pre-COVID-19 and continues to perform well now, DiGiacomo said. The Chicago store recently expanded its mens footprint, adding a third floor, and that expansion has also been extremely successful, he said. The Bal Harbour store in Florida just revamped its mens floor, with an enhanced focus on designer rtw and advanced contemporary brands. Ten additional brands were added to the rtw assortment including Amiri, Fear of God and Comme des Garcons Play, and the footwear offering was expanded to more than 30 brands including Dior, Givenchy, Common Projects, Golden Goose and others. And in August, a separate mens store will open in the former Barneys location in Boston. Itll be two floors and nearly double what we have in mens in Boston now, he said. Beyond that, DiGiacomo said that he and the mens team are hoping to continue the momentum, shopping spring collections from home while travel still remains off-limits. And while its not ideal, theyre making it work. We miss the energy of being in Milan and Paris, he said. At presentations and shows, you can see the merchandise a little more clearly. But were still able to do market appointments virtually. What isnt as easy is discovering new, artisanal brands. Vendors are doing a good job showcasing their collections virtually, but we still want to touch and feel it, especially in ready-to-wear, DiGiacomo said. So there are some challenges, but its going well and were still very aggressively as a company looking for new brands and talent. Overall, Saks seems to be performing better than many of its peers. The company recently sent a letter to its vendors saying that business has increased over the same period last year with stores and online business posting positive comparable-store sales. Last February, Saks parent company, the Hudsons Bay Co., went private so it no longer reports financial results publicly. In the letter, Metrick said: Mens continues to be one of our strongest categories, especially as our customers are rethinking their wardrobes and shifting to more casual wear given the current circumstances. And for fall, Metrick said he is cautiously optimistic, but energized nonetheless. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Mobile payments app MobiKwik has added a new feature that allows users to generate personalized UPI payments links which can be used to send and receive money from any UPI payment app. The feature is called mpay.me and can be created via the MobiKwik app or via the MobiKwik website. This feature is now Live for all MobiKwik users. The mpay.me personalized UPI payments link will work with all UPI payments apps including Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm. Even though UPI payments are incredibly popular, there is still the problem in case the sender and the receiver are on different UPI apps. The way the MobiKwik mpay.me works is that you generate a personalized UPI payment link for your account. This is linked to your mobile number, which is in turn also registered with your bank where you hold the UPI enabled savings account. This link can be shared with friends or anyone who needs to send you money, for instance, via instant messenger apps such as WhatsApp. The sender can make the transaction using that link via any payment app that they usePaytm, PhonePe or Google Pay, for instance. The payment will be instantly transferred to the linked bank account. UPI transactions hit an all-time high volume of 1.34 billion transactions worth as much as Rs 2.62 lakh crore, according to the data by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Our aim is to make life easier for more than 1 billion people in India through innovative solutions. We understand how sending and receiving money becomes painful when the sender and the receiver are on different UPI apps. We are confident that mpay.me will enable an enhanced payment process, a shorter time to complete payments and an improved, seamless customer experience, says Upasana Taku, Co-founder, MobiKwik. The payments app currently has 120 million users in India. The MobiKwik mpay.me can be quite useful for splitting bills with friends, paying for utilities or in stores and even to send a payment for a friend or a family member. If you are a MobiKwik user, the option should now be available for you on the web and the app for Android phones as well as the Apple iPhone. CAIRO Egyptian Minister of Health Hala Zayed announced July 20 during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Egypt, LIao Li Chang, that Egypt will be the future hub for the manufacturing of a coronavirus vaccine in Africa, in cooperation with the Chinese government. Khaled Megahed, the spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health, said in a press statement July 20, that the ministrys national VACSERA center and a Chinese company conducting trials to develop a vaccine, agreed to pave the way for manufacturing in Egypt, once the vaccine is proven effective. He did not name the Chinese company. Once the vaccine proves effective and safe, an agreement will be signed between Egypt and China for production and for transferring the technology to Cairo. The production lines in Egypt will also be assessed in terms of quality and effectiveness to pave the way for production, Megahed added. A source at the Health Ministry told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Chinese company that reached the agreement with Egypt is Sinovac. On July 25, Zayed began procedures for assessing the readiness of VACSERAs plants, to ensure the efficiency of production lines, infrastructure and equipment, and pinpoint and address any requirements or challenges that may occur in the production process. During a visit to the center, Zayed discussed the number of required vaccine doses and the production capacity needed for Egypt to expand into African countries. She recommended the increase of production capacity and the restructuring of production lines, and discussed the possibility of including foreign companies in the process, in a bid to exchange expertise with VACSERA and place Egypt on the right track for manufacturing. Egypt, which held the presidency of the African Union (AU) in 2019, attaches great importance to the African continent, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Cairo has taken part in several African summits addressing the implications of and response to the virus spread, including the African-Chinese virtual summit that took place June 17. Mohamed Awad Tag el-Din, adviser on health affairs to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, revealed June 11 during a phone call to "Al-Hayah al-Youm" program on Al-Hayah satellite channel that Egypt was selected to serve as vice chair of the AUs COVID-19 Response Fund. In this context, Gihan al-Assal, deputy chief of the Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus at the Health Ministry, told Al-Monitor via phone, Egypts endeavor to become a hub for the production of a vaccine is a significant step that consolidates Egypts leadership role in the continent. But this is only possible if the vaccine proves effective. She said, Egypt is already conducting trials for some vaccines, which will continue if an agreement is signed with the Chinese company. Vaccines differ in types and compositions and the goal of the trials is to develop a vaccine with the least side effects." Assal noted that the Chinese company has reached an advanced stage in the trial. We have to wait for the results. Egyptian Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said during a meeting July 2 with the prime minister that a number of research trials conducted by the National Research Center for the production of a coronavirus vaccine was included among the global attempts in the pre-clinical research stage. He noted that Egypt has the highest number of clinical trials in Africa and the Middle East, numbering 73. Essam al-Kady, undersecretary of the parliamentary Health Committee, told Al-Monitor via phone, Talk about Egypts production of a Chinese vaccine for the virus is premature, as the vaccine has yet to prove effective. He added, If Egypt was able to manufacture the vaccine in case it proved effective this would be a very significant step. This would mean producing and selling the vaccine at a lower cost compared to the cost of importation. But even if the Chinese company proved the effectiveness of its vaccine, Egypt has yet to conduct its own clinical trials to verify any side effects." Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said in a press statement July 23 that Sisi attaches great importance to the coronavirus vaccine and has issued directives to the relevant authorities to ensure the provision of the vaccine as soon as it is made available by international companies. Tamer Essam, head of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), said during a July 5 meeting of the authoritys medical team, which was chaired by Madbouly, that the EDA is constantly following up on the development of the global drug market to ensure that all possible treatments and preventive measures against the virus that causes COVID-19 are available for Egyptians, and that Egypts share of any possible vaccine has been secured, should it prove effective, by any global producer. On July 4, Sisi issued directives to the government to accelerate the process of establishing strategic warehouses for medical storage in order to ensure enough reserves, be they local or global products, necessary for the current and future medical supplies consumption. Mahmoud Fouad, head of the Egyptian Center for the Right to Medicine, an independent nongovernmental organization, told Al-Monitor via phone, The vaccine is the first line of defense for the coronavirus and would completely shut the door on its spread, but so far there is no internationally approved vaccine. He noted, The Chinese vaccine is still in the experimental stage and has yet to be mentioned in any scientific journal. Therefore, it would be unwise to agree on its production before it is internationally approved. Egypts interest in exporting the vaccine is not very logical, especially since the number of infections in Africa are relatively low compared to other continents." The General Overseer of New Life Church of God, Shagamu has recently been arrested by the Police for the alleged kidnap of a despatch rider, working with a logistics company. This statement was made known by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Frank Mba, while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja. According to him, the victim who is working with a logistic company distributing Forever Living Products to customers in different places, was ordered by the company to deliver a product that was requested online. The victim, Mr. Job Jonathan then rode his motorcycle to ikorodu, then was redirected to Shagamu, without knowing that his kidnap that day seemed eminent, he said. On getting to Shagamu, which happened to be a church. The kidnappers headed by the pastor, then collected the product and abducted him in the process, he explained. The Gang leader, which happens to be the pastor built an underground cabin that was used to hold Jonathan hostage throughout his entire days of being held captive. Jonathan was forcefully giving anesthesia by the pastor when he tried escaping. Immediately the victim became unconscious and weak. He added that the information provided by the company, helped the police in rescuing him, he disclosed. He also explained that the pastor with three other member of his gang have been apprehended by the police. Also, four suspects that carry out their operation in Eastern part of the country have also been apprehended by them. The gang leader commenced kidnapping crime since 2018, and has completed over 10 operations successfully. His men are responsible for the killing of four civilians, while the leader executed one himself. He further stated that recovered from them were four Ak47 riffles, 36 rounds of live Ak47 ammunition as well as other weapons that are made differently. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Fidan Babayeva - Trend: The export of Azerbaijani products to Australia amounted to $57.5 million in the first five months of 2020, while a year earlier this indicator was $39.9 million, Trend reports referring to the statistical bulletin of the State Customs Committee (SCC) of Azerbaijan. Over the reporting period, Australia's share in total exports of Azerbaijan increased by 0.37 percent, according to the committee. Meanwhile, foreign trade operations between Azerbaijan and Australia amounted to $59.4 million, which is 4 times less compared to the same period in 2019. From January through May 2020, the volume of imports of Australian products to Azerbaijan dropped from $203.2 million to $1.9 million year-on-year. The share of Australia in the total volume of Azerbaijans import also dropped from 3.48 percent to 0.05 percent of the total volume. In total, the ratio of export-import operations in foreign trade relations between the two countries in the reporting period shifted towards export. In the first five months of 2019, foreign trade relations were marked by a wide margin towards imports, (83 percent against 17 percent respectively), while in the same period of this year the ratio of export to import made up 97 percent to 3 percent. The balance of foreign trade between the two countries for the reporting period was positive and amounted to almost $55.6 million. In total, the foreign trade turnover of Azerbaijan amounted to $11.1 billion in the reporting period, having shown a 22.9-percent drop over the year. The balance of foreign trade turnover increased by 0.9 percent on an annualized basis and remained positive, having surpassed $2.8 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Fidan_Babaeva A 'romance scammer' accused of fleecing more than $670,000 out of desperate men online has been slapped with fresh charges over the scheme. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee, 27, was arrested in February over her alleged involvement in a $9.7million dollar fraud syndicate targeting the Thai-Australian community. Chimmalee had allegedly claimed to be a registered remitter and used social media to advertise inflated rates for exchanging money. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee was arrested in February (pictured) in relation to an alleged $9million fraud syndicate. Detectives laid an additional four charges on the Sydney woman on Thursday The arrested followed a one-and-a-half year investigation by Strike Force McKeon into reports of fraud and money laundering. As investigations continued, detectives uncovered a sophisticated love scam where men were allegedly defrauded after connecting with a woman via online dating platforms. NSW Police seized thousands of dollars worth of high-end fashion shoes and clothing ( Chanel shoes pictured) from Chimmalee's home in February In May, Chimmalee was hit with a further 26 charges in relation to the alleged romance scam, in which she is accused of making a series of false claims and defrauding multiple men to use their personal financial information to apply for loans and credit cards. On Thursday, detectives laid four additional counts of deal with identification information. Police will allege in court that the additional charges relate to fraudulent credit card and loan applications. Chimmalee is now facing a total of 66 charges relating to an alleged $9.7 million fraud and money laundering syndicate, and romance scam relating to three victims. Officers raided Chimmalee's Strathfield South home when she was first arrested and found a trove of designer goods. Officers subsequently seized thousands of dollars worth of high-end fashion clothing items and electronics, including mobile phones and dozens of Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada shoes and bags. Chimmalee remains in custody and will face Burwood Local Court on August 12. The haul included electronics, including mobile phones and dozens of Gucci (pictured), Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada shoes and bags India showed will and capability to stand up to China in the recent border conflict, Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia, US National Security Council, has said. The rest of the Indo-Pacific countries are watching this carefully and have been encouraged by Indias resolve. Curtis said this during a Brookings Institution webinar on Wednesday assessing Chinas growing regional influence. India, she noted, played the economic card by banning Chinese apps and putting a hold on Chinese investments. Thankfully, she said, we are beginning to see disengagement of forces. But the pressure that China put on India on the Line of Actual Control will have a long-term impact on how India views China and will change the dynamics between the two. An experienced South Asia hand who has served the US government in both India and Pakistan, Curtis said, Few countries are more familiar with Chinas malign influence than India. Chinas recent aggressive stance [in Ladakh] fits with the larger pattern of Chinese aggressiveness in other parts of the world, she said. Twenty-five years ago China did not take India seriously, she said. India was seen as inward-looking and lagging in its economic indicators. Fifteen years ago, as Indias growth and military capabilities began taking off, there was a line of thinking that India and China would work together and usher in a new Asian century. From about 2010 or so, differences over the long standing border dispute re-emerged and each side became uncomfortable with the rise of the other. Chinas influence in Indias neighbourhood, such as in Sri Lanka and Nepal, moved from economic to more and more interference in domestic politics. Curtis said Chinas influence in South Asia had grown significantly over the past 20 years. And Beijings actions were causing blowback. The Maldivian people had pushed back attempts by former president, Mohammed Yameen, to make his country dependent on Chinese debt by voting him out of office. Yameen had awarded construction contracts to Chinese companies at inflated prices and without transparent bidding, leaving the Maldivian people with enormous debt. After discussing US attempts to roll back Chinese influence in Central Asia, Curtis mentioned Pakistan at the end of her written comments. Nowhere in South and Central Asia has Chinese influence been more invasive than in Pakistan. The $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was neither aid nor an equity investment of the kind that had propelled Chinas own growth. CPEC is being financed through sovereign debt which means the risks are borne by the Pakistani people and the benefits accrue to China. However, she cited Beijing and Washingtons common support for an end to violence in Afghanistan as evidence the two countries could work together and stressed the US had deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people. . In Amsterdam's suburbs, the forklift trucks have already resumed their incessant loading of crates of flowers as the Netherlands' horticulture giants get back to deliveries across the globe after the virus lockdown. Every day, the Netherlands' massive flower industry sells tonnes of French flowers to French consumers, just one sign of years of Dutch dominance of the globalised market. But as the pandemic pushes consumers to look more locally, French flower growers are hoping to break Dutch hegemony by selling home-grown produce with less of an impact on the climate as part of the so-called "slow flowers" movement. Started in the United States as a way to promote local farm and flower produce, the movement is growing as it supports local economies and ethical producers in a shift away from industrialised commerce. Figures vary, but executives at French affiliate of Dutch giant FleuraMetz estimate 70 percent of the world's flower production now makes its way through Holland, even produce that is not grown on Dutch soil. "We sell 30,000 different varieties," said Michel Van Schie, spokesman for Royal Flora Holland, another Dutch horticulture giant. The Netherlands' love of horticulture dates back centuries -- and even caused the first stock market crash in the 17th century when speculation over tulip bulb prices caused prices to soar, only to later collapse. The country's domination of the market accelerated in the 1950s with the creation of large cooperatives that helped market sales. The Netherlands "has been able to organise itself to market the flower, by concentrating production, by concentrating logistics, by creating cooperatives which made it possible to facilitate marketing," said Thierry Louveau, an executive at FleuraMetz's French unit. The Dutch state still subsidises energy consumption by Dutch flower greenhouses. - Floral giants - Part of their success has been reliance on relocated production in the southern hemisphere, where growers have access to sun and cheaper labour all year round. In Kenya, for example, flowers are shipped back to the Netherlands before being distributed to markets everywhere. In the African country, "the sector directly employs 200,000 people on farms and represents more than a million jobs, supporting four million people," Clement Tulezi, president of the Kenya Flower Council told AFP. The Dutch industry has developed an extremely efficient logistics system with trucks criss-crossing Europe, making it difficult for rivals to compete with its floral giants. "There are flowers produced in France that leave for Amsterdam and return to France," says Benjamin Perot, one of the co-founders of Monsieur Marguerite, an eco-responsible florist. The Nice tulip, for example, is produced in the eponymous region in south-eastern France, but can be shipped to the Netherlands where it is evaluated before returning to France, explains Hortense Harang of the "Flowers From Here" association. Faced with this competition, many French flower growers go out of business or adapt their business model. The French floral trade association, Val'Hor, estimates that 85 percent of France's flowers are now imported. "In 1972, there were 30,000 horticultural farms in France, today there are 3,500," says Harang. - 'Slow-flowers' - Local French and other European growers now hope to reverse this trend and reduce the industry's carbon footprint, encouraged by stronger consumer demand for local produce since the COVID-19 pandemic. "What is emerging from the crisis is still a desire to buy French, a desire to buy local," Val'Hor president Mikael Mercier told AFP. The challenge, according to florist Perot, is guaranteeing the produce is 100 percent French, given the competition with Dutch logistics and the ease of access to different products the large cooperatives bring. By buying from the Dutch market, a florist in Biarritz, southwest of France can have any flower in his shop the next day just at the press of a button, Perot said. In a bid to counter structural weakness, programmes are being set up in France, as well as in Belgium, Italy and Britain to connect horticulturalists with independent florists, low-carbon distributors who use bicycles or electric vehicles and local customers. In Britain, which leads the movement in Europe, the "Flowers From The Farm" cooperative brings together producers of all sizes to access British-grown flowers. It now has 800 members, according to its website. But the breakdown in supply chains caused by the pandemic has highlighted the desire for French-grown flowers more than ever, said Sylvie Robert, director of the association Excellence Vegetale, which is developing the "Flowers of France" label. "We will reach close to 2,000 engaged companies," Robert said, saying requests were up to 10 per day from April, compared with just one or two before. "It is not a small boom, but a good big boom." Despite the obstacles, French horticulturists such as Masami Lavault are seeing progress in a return to locally-grown produce. Lavault works on a small-plot cultivation behind the Belleville cemetery in Paris, where she tends to around 200 to 250 species from damascus nigella and cosmos to calendulas. "We try not to complicate our lives. But for me, it's very important to have a great diversity," she said. Two days a week, Lavault picks her colourful crops that are treated without chemical agents and which she sells to florists and individuals. "For people, it's great to be able to come here, to see how it works, to see a field of flowers," she said. "That's the purpose of micro-agriculture, to be as close as possible to the people who will consume the product." ngu-smt-fal-clr/ak/dp/pma/spm Tulips from Amsterdam are shipped all over the world Holland's domination of the global market for flowers accelerated in the 1950s Roses at a flower farm in Kiambu County, Kenya Franco-Japanese horticulturist Masami-Charlotte Lavault tends her flowers in Belleville, Paris In Kenya, flowers are shipped back to the Netherlands before being distributed to markets everywhere Mr. Yeung and Mr. Kwok said in their reply that their visit to New York last August and a joint letter they sent in September to U.S. senators took place months before the national security law took effect. Though the security law could not be applied retroactively, election officers said candidates past actions and remarks reflected their true intentions. Mr. Yeungs disqualification letter also accused him of planning, along with other members of the Civic Party, to indiscriminately vote down government proposals. Under the Basic Law, the chief executive must call for a new legislative election if the government cannot pass a budget. If it happens again under a new legislature, the chief executive must step down. Eric Cheung, a law lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, said he believed lawmakers had the constitutional right to block government proposals and compel the leader to step down. He said the mass disqualifications showed that Hong Kong was growing increasingly similar to mainland China. According to the legal system in the mainland, one cannot openly oppose the regime, which is considered to be beyond the limits of free speech, he said. Only allowing certain people they find acceptable to run isnt a free election its what totalitarian governments do. The disqualifications came on the heels of the arrests of four people accused of publishing social media posts that called for the city to become independent from China. The sweep on Wednesday was an early indication that the authorities would strictly enforce the new law and crack down on speech that was now considered illegal. G hislaine Maxwell's has lost her last-ditch effort to keep a potentially damaging deposition from becoming public. The British socialite is defending against criminal charges she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls. US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's argument that her arrest on July 2 and indictment were "compelling" reasons to continue sealing her April 2016 deposition, and a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser. The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Maxwell filed a notice of appeal less than an hour after judge Preska decision. She faces a Thursday deadline to appeal from Preska's July 23 order unsealing dozens of other documents, including flight logs from Epstein's private jets and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home. Maxwell, 58, pleaded not guilty on July 14 to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls in the 1990s, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath. In opposing the unsealing, her lawyers had accused Ms Giuffre and federal prosecutors of violating a protective order in the civil case designed to keep Maxwell's deposition confidential. The lawyers have said the deposition included "intrusive" questions about Maxwell's sex life and could prove embarrassing. They accused Ms Giuffre of leaking the deposition, and "in conjunction with the government" setting a "perjury trap" for their client. But judge Preska said a criminal probe into Epstein's associates already "loomed large" when Maxwell opposed unsealing the deposition in June, and her arrest did not overcome the presumption the public deserved access. Ms Giuffre has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance. Maxwell's criminal trial is scheduled for July 2021. She is being held in a Brooklyn jail after the judge overseeing that case called her a flight risk. Agencies contributed to this report Almost a quarter of the nation's accommodation and food businesses warned they could close once federal government support to deal with the coronavirus pandemic ended, while Treasury said its economic forecasts were at risk due to the fresh outbreak across Victoria. As economists at the ANZ said the economy could contract again through the final three months of the year, an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey highlighted the tenuous future facing many firms. Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has warned the increase in coronavirus cases in Victoria is likely to weaken the economy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The bureau found 10 per cent of firms believe they will have to shut their doors once programs such as the government's $31.9 billion cashflow boost for businesses end, with 12 per cent saying they will have to lay off staff. Among the accommodation and food services sector, 23 per cent of firms believe they will have to shutter, while 28 per cent expect to axe workers. In the transport, postal and warehousing sector, 18 per cent of firms expect to shut down once government support is turned off while 21 per cent of arts and recreation businesses believe they will lose staff. Britain should dramatically restrict foreign holidays and travel in an attempt to totally eliminate coronavirus rather than just restricting it, the Independent SAGE committee has argued. The panel, which shadows the UK's official scientific advisory group, said a substantial reduction in the number of people entering the country would allow officials to isolate any remaining cases and wipe out the virus. This claim runs against the prevailing consensus among health experts and the Government's own scientists, who believe community transmission is inevitable until a vaccine arrives, regardless of whether Britain closes its borders. The call for dramatic travel restrictions would also cripple businesses, particularly holiday companies who have been hammered by the pandemic. The report cites New Zealand which is reliant on tourism for 5.5% of its GDP but has been left facing a devastating economic hit by its move to almost completely shut its borders. The Government already requires returning travellers to quarantine for two weeks after returning from most countries. Keith Neal, Emeritus professor in infectious diseases at Nottingham University, said: 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine.' The Independent SAGE report said a reduction in the number of people entering the country would allow officials to isolate any remaining cases and wipe out Covid. Pictured: Passengers returning to the UK at Manchester Airport this week The Independent SAGE group, led by former chief scientific adviser for England, Sir David King, published its seventh report earlier this month calling for a 'Zero Covid UK'. The scientists suggested that Britain could learn from the success of other countries including New Zealand, Australia, Iceland and South Korea. Australia is seeing a resurgence in coronavirus cases and has locked down the city of Melbourne, Iceland is deep in the northern Atlantic and has a population smaller than Manchester. 'What Britain and Ireland have in common with these three countries is that they are islands (or in the case of South Korea, a virtual island),' they wrote. 'As we know only too well, it is travel that has spread the virus across the world and brought it to our shores. 'Were Britain and Ireland willing, and able, to take advantage of being islands, it would greatly help in defeating the virus and returning our lives and our economy to something like normality.' New Zealand has recorded biggest quarterly drop in GDP since 1991 in the first quarter of 2020, contracting by 1.6 percent, after its tourism industry was shut down. The report called on travel to be restricted both internationally and within Britain and Ireland, and for any incoming passengers to be 'effectively isolated. It noted approvingly that most of the world's countries put in place 'a complete or partial border closure' by the beginning of April. The report also warned the UK is at a 'crucial point in its efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic' and that the Government is going in the wrong direction. Wish you weren't here Mr Shapps? Transport Secretary Grant Shapps returns to his home in Hertfordshire today Accusing officials of pursuing 'manageable' levels of infections and deaths, rather than trying to get rid of the coronavirus completely, the scientists said the prospect of thousands more people dying of Covid-19 was 'unacceptable'. They called for officials to slow down the reopening of the country and to continue to stick to stricter rules. It came as Boris Johnson faced mounting pressure from Tory MPs to introduce coronavirus testing at airports in order to slash the 14 day quarantine period for travellers returning from high risk countries. Former Cabinet ministers David Davis and Sir Iain Duncan Smith are leading calls for the Government to use border checks to save the ailing travel industry. Mr Davis said other countries had already set up airport testing and 'I don't understand why we haven't'. He also said 'you are as likely to catch the virus on the London Underground back home as you are on the plane or on holiday'. Sir Iain echoed a similar sentiment as he argued the Government had 'lost the ability to balance risk'. Meanwhile, Henry Smith, the Tory chairman of the all-party Future of Aviation Group, said testing at airports could ensure 'we don't lose' the rest of the summer holiday season. There are believed to be as many as 40 Tory MPs who are now pushing for testing at airports as part of a bid to make foreign travel more feasible amid the current uncertainty. Their intervention came as travel bosses last night urged Mr Johnson to drop blanket restrictions on entire countries amid fears more nations could join Spain on the UK's quarantine list. A coalition of 47 airlines, airports and tourism leaders also called on the Prime Minister to introduce virus tests for those arriving in the UK warning the industry could be permanently scarred unless self-isolation measures are eased. In a letter to Mr Johnson, the bosses of British Airways, Easy Jet, Jet2 and Wizz Air demanded the urgent adoption of a more nuanced policy. The signatories also included chief executives of Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Liverpool, London City, Newcastle, Belfast, Birmingham and Bristol airports. It came as the tour operator Tui announced it would close 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Covid-19 cases in Britain have risen again with the average number of infections jumping by 14 per cent in a week as scientists today urged ministers not to panic and said the UK needs to 'learn to live' with the disease. Department of Health chiefs announced another 763 people tested positive for the virus, taking the rolling seven-day average to 726. In comparison, the rate was 697 yesterday, 638 last Wednesday and has been on the up for a fortnight amid fears of a resurgence. And the rate is 33 per cent higher than the four-month low of 546 recorded three weeks ago on July 8, just days after top experts warned of an inevitable spike prompted by the relaxation of strict lockdown rules. BEIJING, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The following article was published today by China Daily. Enhanced global cooperation is urgently needed to effectively tackle the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world and deal with the daunting global economic slowdown, speakers said at the Global Think Tank Webinar. The webinar, held on Wednesday night under the title "Stronger together: Global recovery from COVID-19", looked at the challenges brought by the novel coronavirus outbreak and ways of reviving the world economy amid the crisis. Co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and China Daily in Beijing, the event took place as the world faces major economic challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It brought together experts and scholars from around the world, who discussed the impact and disruption caused by the pandemic and called for enhanced global cooperation and continued support for globalization and the global supply chain. Xie Fuzhan, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in his opening remarks that solidarity and cooperation are the only way to prevail over the pandemic. "Opening-up and cooperation are necessary to reboot the world economy," Xie said. "The impact of the pandemic has accelerated the accumulation of risks and exposed them, plunging the world economy into the most severe recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Today, like never before, the international community needs more synergy in making economic policies and taking stronger action to fight the pandemic. "In a world where all countries are closely connected by the global industrial, supply and value chains, only by opening-up and sharing the market can we cope with the challenge and create greater development opportunities." Xie added that China is a major force in promoting global anti-epidemic cooperation and fueling the recovery of the world economy, as China has largely controlled the epidemic domestically, with production and business returning to normal, the national economy recovering, and foreign trade and investment stabilizing as a result of the government's effective measures and policies. So far, China has donated $50 million to the World Health Organization and provided emergency medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations. "We should reject suspicion and doubt to build an open world economy," said Zhou Shuchun, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily. "China is working to give full play to its domestic market, the largest in the world, and building a new model of development in which domestic economic networks play the primary role, and domestic and international economic networks complement each other. China will stay committed to further reform and opening-up and will make new contributions to stabilize the world economy and advance globalization." Zhou called for enhanced cooperation to ensure that peace and development remain the focus of the world. "International relations in the postwar era teach us that the interests of countries are closely interconnected and that the future of mankind is increasingly linked together." "In spite of the new changes in the international arena, we should always uphold multilateralism and reject the Cold War mentality and unilateralism; pursue solidarity and coordination and oppose self-centrism and bullying; stay committed to win-win cooperation and refuse a zero-sum game and egoism," Zhou said. Shamshad Akhtar, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and former executive director of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, said only through solidarity and cooperation can we conquer the virus and get through the current crisis. Akhtar noted that countries need to focus on key global issues and challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, while paying more attention to resolving their differences through cooperation and taking timely action to deal with the crisis. As business in China has gradually returned to normal, the country is now playing the role of a "stabilizer" for the global economy while contributing to the global fight against the pandemic. The pandemic has spread fiercely across the world and has had a huge impact on economic and social development. With people around the world struggling with this unprecedented public health crisis, the downward pressure on the global economy has been increasing with each passing day. And although China's economy registered positive growth in the second quarter of this year, it is still under huge pressure. Yu Yongding, senior fellow and academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believed China will win the battle against the coronavirus. "The Chinese economy is very resilient. Experience over the past 40 years shows that whatever difficulties it faces, China eventually will come through. According to the IMF, China accounted for 40 percent of global economic growth in 2019, larger than the combined contributions to global growth of the United States, the European Union and Japan. I am quite confident that it will do the same, if not more, in 2020 and beyond," Yu added. Considering the global efforts to fight the coronavirus, Alexander Lomanov, deputy director for scientific work and head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Center for the Asia-Pacific Studies of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, noted that the global community failed to fully utilize the potential of international organizations in the first half of 2020, saying the attacks on the WHO by the leading power and its withdrawal from the organization have demonstrated the lack of readiness for coordinated joint action. "In the first place we have the task of restoring trust among nation states. The only alternative to blackmail is dialogue. The only alternative to the arbitrary application of sanctions is a reliable and effective mechanism for world trade. The only alternative to unilateralism is adherence to international law," Lomanov said. According to Lomanov, the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic downturn have reminded the world about the need to reform and improve global governance mechanisms. "The problem is that the search for coordinated steps in this direction remains slow. The current crisis situation requires quick and flexible responses." Fahad Alturki, vice-president and head of research at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Saudi Arabia, agreed, saying that inclusive, balanced and sustainable measures are needed to restore economic development. More efforts are also needed to learn from each other and share experiences, help people in need, restore the economy and the functions of societies to a healthy level, employ forward-looking fiscal measures, and enhance social and economic resilience to deal with future crises, Alturki added. By Ouyang Shijia SOURCE China Daily By Taiwo Okanlawon Award-winning Nigerian dancehall artiste, Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie popularly known as Patoranking has released a brand-new single named Abule. The classic vibe-filled entry was taken off his forthcoming album titled Three which will be available shortly in a while. The single which out now on all platforms is a celebration of his Lagos neighborhood, Ebute Metta, and of hoods worldwide. The release of Abule will be supported by several digital initiatives, and a music video dropping Aug. 5, all with the theme of representing and protecting your hood. Im proud to be from my abule, because to have made it coming from there its only by Gods grace, Patoranking says. Its made me who I am today and its part of my story. So I waste no opportunity to let people know about my ghetto. I feel its important through this new song to give my fans a chance to celebrate their own abules. And to protect their abules, too. Back in May, my team and I partnered with Ebele & Anyichuks Foundation to go to many ghettos across Lagos to give away masks and relief items. Its important we stay safe and do our part to protect, he added. Related The CEOs of four tech companies, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google appeared before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law on Wednesday to address concerns that their businesses may be harming competition The CEOs of four tech giants Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google appeared before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law on Wednesday to address concerns that their businesses may be harming competition. According to a CNN report, during the hearing, Mark Zuckerberg was pressed on a video that went viral this week containing false and misleading claims about coronavirus. Rep. Cicilline questioned Zuckerberg, that his platform is so big that even with the right policies in place, they cant contain deadly content. In reply to which, Zuckerberg said that they have, on COVID misinformation, in particular, a relatively good track record of fighting and taking down lots of false content as well as putting up authoritative information. We have built a COVID information centre with authoritative information from health officials. Rep. Kelly Armstrong asked Jeff Bezos a series of important questions about how Amazon uses data from third-party sellers, reported CNN. As per the report, Armstrong drilled down, getting Bezos to concede that aggregate could mean as few as two sellers implying that it might be possible for employees to guess at which data was whose when trying to position Amazon products more advantageously. In his remarks, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company is a uniquely American company whose success is only possible in this country. Also read: Active job seekers confident about career progression as economy reboots: LinkedIn Also read: Qatar Investment Authority likely to invest $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler questioned Mark Zuckerberg if Instagram should be broken off from Facebook. Zuckerberg told the committee that in hindsight, it looks obvious that Instagram reached the scale it has. At the time, it was far from obvious, Zuckerberg told the committee. According to a Sputnik report, during the hearing, Sunder Pichai also said that Google is not giving any significant advanced technology support to the Chinese Armed Forces. According to Sputnik, Pichai told the hearing that they are not working with the Chinese military: It is absolutely false. He said that they are deeply committed to supporting the US military and the US government. Also read: Agri-loans hiked by 11.9 % in Andhra Pradesh For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States Thu, July 30, 2020 11:37 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a78346 2 Science & Tech Holocaust,Facebook,genocide Free Holocaust survivors launched a campaign Wednesday in which they plan to upload daily videos to Facebook urging CEO Mark Zuckerberg to remove posts from the site that deny the Nazi genocide of Jews. Survivors from around the globe, including Anne Frank's stepsister, have recorded 30-second messages that are then posted on social media, including Instagram and Twitter, with the hashtag #NoDenyingIt. The online campaign comes as hundreds of advertisers boycott Facebook as part of a call for them to take more aggressive action against toxic and inflammatory content that promotes violence and hate. "I lost all my family. Many, many family members. There is no denying it! Remove Holocaust denial from Facebook," Eva Schloss, Frank's stepsister, says in her video. Other survivors who have contributed to the project include 84-year-old Serge Klarsfeld, a prominent so-called Nazi hunter who has helped track down and expose Nazi war criminals. The campaign has been organized by the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The non-profit works to seek compensation from the German government and the return of Jewish property stolen by the Nazis. Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, sparked controversy in 2018 when he argued that Facebook should not filter out posts denying that the Nazis killed six million Jews. In an interview with tech website Recode he said that while Facebook was dedicated to stopping the spread of fake news, it would not filter out posts just on the basis of being factually wrong. He said that while he found Holocaust denial "deeply offensive," he said he didn't think deniers were "intentionally getting it wrong." Critics lashed out at Zuckerberg, saying these types of comments can incite hatred and violence and pointing out that Holocaust denial was "quintessential fake news." Read also: Born in a concentration camp: The Holocaust's youngest survivors Facebook said in a statement that it removes posts that deny the Holocaust in countries where such statements are illegal, such as Germany, France and Poland. In the US and Britain, where Holocaust denial is not illegal -- because of free speech laws -- Facebook monitors such posts to determine whether they violate the site's guidelines. We take down any post that celebrates, defends, or attempts to justify the Holocaust," a spokesperson said. Nearly 1,000 advertisers, including behemoth brands such as Coca-Cola, Hershey and Adidas, have temporarily paused advertising on Facebook, saying the leading social network site needs to better police hate speech. Earlier this month, organizers vowed to press on with the boycott, saying top executives, including Zuckerberg, had failed to offer any meaningful action on curbing hateful content. Facebook has steadfastly refused to fact-check political speech and has a largely hands-off policy on comments from world leaders, but says it is committed to freeing the site of hate speech. Recently, Facebook did appear to make some changes, including removing a Trump campaign ad featuring a Nazi symbol. The company also said it would tag posts from world leaders that violate its policies even if they remain accessible because they are "newsworthy." This month, an independent audit commissioned by Facebook in 2018 found that the California giant had undermined civil rights, including by allowing posts by Trump that violate the network's values. Topics : Holocaust Facebook genocide For decades, scientists have gathered ancient sediment samples from below the seafloor to better understand past climates, plate tectonics and the deep marine ecosystem. In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers reveal that given the right food in the right laboratory conditions, microbes collected from sediment as old as 100 million years can revive and multiply, even after laying dormant since large dinosaurs prowled the planet. he research team behind the new study, from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Kochi University and Marine Works Japan, gathered the ancient sediment samples ten years ago during an expedition to the South Pacific Gyre, the part of the ocean with the lowest productivity and fewest nutrients available to fuel the marine food web. "Our main question was whether life could exist in such a nutrient-limited environment or if this was a lifeless zone,"said the paper's lead author Yuki Morono, senior scientist at JAMSTEC. "And we wanted to know how long the microbes could sustain their life in a near-absence of food." On the seafloor, there are layers of sediment consisting of marine snow (organic debris continually sourced from the sea surface), dust, and particles carried by the wind and ocean currents. Small life forms such as microbes become trapped in this sediment. Aboard the research drillship JOIDES Resolution, the team drilled numerous sediment cores 100 meters below the seafloor and nearly 6,000 meters below the ocean's surface. The scientists found that oxygen was present in all of the cores, suggesting that if sediment accumulates slowly on the seafloor at a rate of no more than a meter or two every million years, oxygen will penetrate all the way from the seafloor to the basement. Such conditions make it possible for aerobic microorganisms--those that require oxygen to live--to survive for geological time scales of millions of years. With fine-tuned laboratory procedures, the scientists, led by Morono, incubated the samples to coax their microbes to grow. The results demonstrated that rather than being fossilized remains of life, the microbes in the sediment had survived, and were capable of growing and dividing. "We knew that there was life in deep sediment near the continents where there's a lot of buried organic matter,"said URI Graduate School of Oceanography professor and co-author of the study Steven D'Hondt. "But what we found was that life extends in the deep ocean from the seafloor all the way to the underlying rocky basement." Morono was initially taken aback by the results. "At first I was skeptical, but we found that up to 99.1% of the microbes in sediment deposited 101.5 million years ago were still alive and were ready to eat," he said. With the newly developed ability to grow, manipulate and characterize ancient microorganisms, the research team is looking forward to applying a similar approach to other questions about the geological past. According to Morono, life for microbes in the subseafloor is very slow compared to life above it, and so the evolutionary speed of these microbes will be slower. "We want to understand how or if these ancient microbes evolved," he said. "This study shows that the subseafloor is an excellent location to explore the limits of life on Earth." Before looking ahead to future research, D'Hondt took time to reflect on Morono's achievement. "What's most exciting about this study is that it shows that there are no limits to life in the old sediment of the world's ocean," said D'Hondt. "In the oldest sediment we've drilled, with the least amount of food, there are still living organisms, and they can wake up, grow and multiply." This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. This study was conducted using core samples collected during Expedition 329, "South Pacific Gyre Subseafloor Life," of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Deep sea microbes dormant for 100 million years are hungry and ready to multiply astrobiology Please follow Astrobiology on Twitter. (Newser) No sooner had Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced his recovery from the coronavirus than his wife tested positive. Michelle Bolsonaro tested positive Thursday, NPR reports. She's in the care of a presidential medical team, the government said. "She is in a state of good health and will follow all established protocols," the government said. Michelle Bolsonaro had spoken at a public event Wednesday; she and her husband were wearing masks. story continues below Earlier this month, she said that she and her two daughters had tested negative after her husband's case was confirmed, per Reuters. The president has called the coronavirus threat exaggerated and was told by a judge to wear a face mask or face a fine. Brazil now has more than 2.5 million reported cases and more than 90,000 deaths. (Read more Jair Bolsonaro stories.) Ocasomedia Radio & PR Services by William McIntosh: 1) Premier Service: Press Release Written PR Blast to 1000 Media Contacts and all the interviews requested At Least THREE terrestrial Radio INTERVIEWS guaranteed. One 100,000 WATTS "Blowtorch" interview Two Online News interviews YouTube Video of one of the radio interviews $600 2) Standard Service: Press Release Writen PR Blast to 500 Media Contacts and all Interviews requested At least TWO terrestrial radio interviews $375 3) Basic Service Press Release written PR Blast to 300 Media Contacts and all Interviews requested One Online News Interview $250 The Blowtorch: ( Sold Seperatly ) 100,000 Watts radio station guaranteed placement Interview North America $150 The "BB" (Bare Bones) QUORUM RADIO interview (YouTube) ....as shown below. $99 305-396-2806 Here's a sample of a YouTube I made out of an Interivew booked for Mitchell Davis. Radio show producer, Publicist & media sales rep of the nationally syndicated Bill Martinez Live radio show on CRN. In addition to this great job I am a Public Speaking agent for the legendary FBI Agent Joe Pistone; Sal "Crazy Sally" Polisi who is a former NY mobster of Sinatra Club fame & PR agent for notable Americans like Lt Col Sargis Sangari; journalist Andrew Kerr, national radio host Ryan DeCicco; best selling author Misty Griffin and former Muslim and Christian evangelist Steve Mashni Prior to this I have been a Journalist (Mining Journal/Perumin); Construccion Panamericana (Cement industry in Peru); Oil & Gas Journal (Correspondent for Colombia) International Sugar Journal & former salesman of Timken and Federal Bearing Corp. (USA) in Peru. Sample of full html email that will be sent for you. Gemma Collins shared an empowering message on Instagram on Thursday, telling fans she felt 'liberated' as she posed in a leopard print bikini. The TOWIE star, 39, who has lost three stone in recent months, showed off her slimmer figure in the strapless animal print two-piece as she posed by the pool. Gemma alluded to her recent split with her on-off boyfriend James Argent as she told fans she is learning to love herself again, after Arg, 32, branded her a 'fat f**k' and a 'hippo' in his explosive break-up text. Confident: Gemma Collins shared an empowering message on Instagram on Thursday, telling fans she felt 'liberated' as she posed in a leopard print bikini Gemma wrote: 'Today is SO LIBERATING for Me. This was all a process that started with one thing learning to SELF LOVE. 'You have to believe in yourself when no-one else does. STRENGTH does not come from what you CAN DO. 'It comes from over coming the things you ONCE THOUGHT YOU COULDNT thank you to @charlieking for taking these he was sweating in the heat.' Walk on the wild side: The TOWIE star, 39, who has lost three stone in recent months, showed off her slimmer figure in the strapless animal print two-piece as she posed by the pool Cruel: Gemma alluded to her recent split with her on-off boyfriend James Argent as she told fans she is learning to love herself again, after Arg, 32, branded her a 'fat f**k' Gemma has flown out to Mykonos with her personal trainer pal and former TOWIE star Charlie King to help heal her broken heart. The Diva Forever star, who has been vocal about her use of controversial 250 SkinnyJabs, has reportedly booked a boob job because her 'body is getting smaller'. She told The Sun: 'I can't wait to get rid of these boobs, they're massive and look ridiculous. I have never looked better than I do now and I've never felt so good.' At peace: Gemma wrote: 'Today is SO LIBERATING for Me. This was all a process that started with one thing learning to SELF LOVE' Nip and tuck? The Diva Forever star, who has been vocal about her use of controversial 250 SkinnyJabs, has reportedly booked a boob job because her 'body is getting smaller' She added: 'I never have wanted surgery. But as my body is getting smaller, I feel like I am falling over on top and I just want them gone' While admitting it tends to be the 'norm' to opt for larger breasts when booking cosmetic procedures, Gemma insisted that she wants a her natural boobs reduced. She added: 'I never have wanted surgery. But as my body is getting smaller, I feel like I am falling over on top and I just want them gone.' While Gemma has headed to Mykonos, Arg was pictured in Spain earlier this week. The couple explosively split earlier in July when she revealed messages between them where James called her a 'hippo' and a 'fat f**k', after she suggested that he had bought another woman dinner and not her. Her shoulder to cry on: Gemma has flown out to Mykonos with her personal trainer pal and former TOWIE star Charlie King to help heal her broken heart Work it! It comes Gemma declared she was 'all woman' as she posed up a storm in a plunging palm-print swimsuit on Wednesday The series of texts began with Gemma saying: 'What man pays for another woman!!!', while Arg responded by saying: 'Insensitive.' Clearly riled, the blonde said: 'And the woman that saved your life has to pay for herself!!!' Her next message was masked, but her now-ex responded: 'You are supposed to be treating me you hippo.' Moments later, Gemma uploaded another series of messages, where he sent her a plane emoji in reply to a picture of flight details. Travelling alone: While Gemma has headed to Mykonos, Arg was pictured in Spain earlier this week 'I'll take a mate, I'm not booking it. You said you would be a gentleman!', she penned, before he shockingly said: 'YOU FAT F**K. IVE JUST LOST ANOTHER 2000' (sic). He didn't refer to what he had lost 2000 of. The self-proclaimed diva has decided to take some time off social media, citing that she was 'devastated' and 'heartbroken' by the exchange. However after returning to the UK from her own Tenerife getaway, Gemma apologised to her former beau for releasing the messages. In a screenshot obtained by MailOnline, the Diva On Lockdown star contacted her fellow reality star in the early hours of the morning. She wrote: 'I am sorry about putting the messages up, I was just so hurt you suggested an open relationship, it didn't look like a joke when you typed it. 'I was so upset but I shouldn't have put the messages up, that was anger on my part which was wrong. I am so sorry about that x.' (sic) It's been a tough year for Arg, with him recently admitting that he is a cocaine addict and that he had overdosed twice last year before hitting rock bottom over Christmas and calling his friend and former co-star Mark Wright for help. He checked himself into a 10-week bootcamp at The River rehab facility in Thailand earlier this year where he kicked his habit and lost five stone in the process. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that was approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to focus on regional languages. One such provision under NEP 2020 is to change the medium of instruction till at least the fifth grade to the local language or mother tongue. However, sources clarified to Moneycontrol that this policy is not mandatory and will be followed only if this model is feasible. I think there has been some miscommunication. The erstwhile Human Resource Development Ministry is not making it mandatory to study only in local languages till fifth grade. We are only saying that under NEP 2020 it will implemented wherever possible, a ministry official said. The press statement by the Cabinet post the approval of NEP had mentioned "teaching at least till grade five to be in mother tongue/regional language." It had also said the policy has emphasised mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till fifth grade but preferably till eighth grade and beyond. Also Read: All your National Education Policy queries answered This led to a tizzy among both parents and teachers since there was an interpretation that English medium schools would have to change the medium of instruction to the local language. However, another regulatory official said nowhere was it mentioned that all schools will have to suddenly change course. He added that this was only an advisory. Banker Giirija Padmanabhan who gets transferred every five years said languages cannot be made mandatory. Learning the local language is essential. But imposing one language till grade five is not practical. Take my daughter. If I get transferred to Assam after five years from Maharashtra, my daughter will have to switch from learning in Marathi to studying in Assamese. Hopefully, central government schools keep the options open, she added. NEP 2020 said that use of mother tongue or home language would be beneficial since young children learn and grasp non-trivial concepts more quickly in their home language and mother tongue. Some questions on this policy still remain unanswered. NEP 2020 states that teachers will be encouraged to use a bilingual approach, including bilingual teaching-learning materials, with those students whose home language may be different from the medium of instruction. Again, this is being interpreted as being made mandatory for all teachers. School principals told Moneycontrol that the government needs to come out with a clarification immediately. They requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation. The principal of a Mumbai-based CBSE school explained that the medium of instruction has to be decided depending on which state it is and the student profile. NEP is talking about local language, regional language and mother tongue. These are three very distinct things. Take a school in Uttarakhand. Hindi could be the regional language while Garhwali or Kumauni is the local language. Do we even have teachers to teach daily lessons in the local languages? she added. The mother tongue has brought in further confusion because a student whose home language is Tamil or Bengali could be studying in Gujarat, where ideally Gujarati would be used as the medium of education. The confusion here is even if a student wants to be educated in the mother tongue, how will it be possible in a different state where teachers dont speak that language. I really hope that the HRD ministry does not leave it to the state governments to decide. Language is a touchy subject and political parties may take decisions for implementing regional languages, which could not be in the interest of students, said Kolkata-based Preeti Jain who is the principal of a private school. Currently, government schools across states have the official state language taught mandatorily to students for a few years so that these candidates are adept at it. In some states like Maharashtra, work has begun to make Marathi compulsorily from Classes 1-10, be it private or public schools. This policy is being rolled out in phases. Currently, Marathi is taught as a compulsory subject in schools, following the state board till Class X. For private schools, it is to be studied till Class VIII. "We don't have a problem with a child studying the state language. It is actually essential for everyday communication. But how can technical subjects like mathematics or physics be taught in the local language. How will the child be able to compete internationally with this?" questioned Stanley Johnson, a career counsellor and parent of a 14-year-old student in Pune. An official word from the Ministry of Education is awaited, clarifying under what circumstances the language policy will be implemented in schools. Till then, the suspense continues for parents, teachers and students. Surgeon General Jerome Adams came back from "Trump Country" with a very important message for Donald Trump, which he eagerly delivered on Thursday. "You look badass in a facemask," Mr Adams told the president during an event at Red Cross headquarters in Washington. His comment came after Mr Trump for months declined to wear a mask in public even during two waves of coronavirus. He since has taken to wearing them in some settings, especially medical facilities like the Red Cross building. The president donned a mask during a tour of the headquarters on Thursday. Mr Trump once said he preferred to skip a face covering because he did not like how he looked in one. But in recent weeks, he has at times appeared to take a surge of cases and deaths in the Sun Belt region more seriously though he still says the coronavirus will "disappear." On Thursday, he spent most of his time during a roundtable at the Red Cross again listing things his administration already has done to combat the sometimes-lethal bug. Several of his aides applauded him for embracing and encouraging mask-wearing, including Mr Adams. Dela Edem, a Communication team member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says the Presidents decision to lift the partial lockdown was politically motivated. According to him, the President didnt lift the lockdown for the good of the Ghanaian people, saying the NDC noticed the President was playing politics with the virus when he said the lockdown was lifted due to science and data. At a time the number of affected patients were 132, we had a lockdown; how then was it lifted at a time the country was witnessing astronomical increases in positive COVID-19 cases? Where then is that science and data they were talking about? he questioned. The President did not lift the lockdown for the good of the people but for political gain. He lifted the lockdown for three things; first, to pave way for NPP primaries, for the Senior High School exams and to compile a new voter register for the 2020 general elections, he stated on UTVs 'Adekye Nsroma' morning programme with host Tweneboah Koduah. Lifting Lockdown President Nana Akufo-Addo lifted the three-week partial lockdown imposed in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi districts with effect from 1 am Monday, 20th April 2020. This was in spite of the country's Coronavirus case count having increased to 1,042. President Akufo-Addo announced this during his seventh address to the nation on the outbreak on Sunday, April 19, 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. Featured Video TikTok will make its algorithm code and real-time moderation publically available as it faces major scrutiny in the US. The Indian government banned TikTok last month citing security reasons. The viral video app is under major scrutiny in the US as well, one of its biggest international markets. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has announced that the company will make its algorithm code and moderations publicly available. Kevin Mayer who recently moved from Disney to TikTok wrote in a blog post how TikTok brought a unique and intuitive interface. He also acknowledged the fact that TikTok like other platforms has received scrutiny but more so due to its Chinese origins. To hopefully tackle this situation, TikTok is launching its Transparency and Accountability Center for moderation and data practices. Through this TikTok will allow experts to monitor the platforms moderation policies in real-time. It is also allowing experts to examine the actual code that powers TikToks algorithm. Mayer in the blog post also mentioned that other platforms follow suit for a fair industry. He also talked about direct competitors like Facebook which recently launched the TikTok-like Reels feature on Instagram. To those who wish to launch competitive products, we say bring it on. Facebook is even launching another copycat product, Reels (tied to Instagram), after their other copycat Lasso failed quickly. But let's focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers, rather than maligning attacks by our competitor namely Facebook disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the US, Mayer said. Mayer hopes this move will help TikTok survive in the US and not lose ground. The company had also announced a $200 million fund for TikTok creators in the US. TikTok already helps its popular creators find advertising deals, and even with Hollywood talent agencies. With the new fund, TikTok creators will be able to earn directly from the platform. Advertisement While holidays have been off the cards recently, many countries are beginning to allow tourists back again, and it could be time to consider where in the world you want to travel next. To help inspire you, CEWE has released a collection of new images taken by photographers on their travels as part of the 2019 edition of the CEWE Photo Award, the world's largest photo competition. The 23 snaps were submitted as part of the travel & culture category of last year's competition, which aims to celebrate the best in photography across the globe. This year's competition, now in its fourth edition, recently launched for entries and is open to everyone from keen amateur photographers to established professionals. Entrants are asked to submit photos which celebrate the competition's 'Our world is beautiful' theme. There are 10 categories for budding photographers to enter from aerial shots and animals to landscapes, travel & culture - and entrants have until May 2021 to submit their photos. Here, FEMAIL reveals the top most beautiful images in the travel & culture category from last year's competition to inspire this year's hopefuls. Hungarian photographer Peter Hoszang submitted Neverland, which was taken in Manarola, Italy which is a small town,in the province of La Spezia. The tiny town has a population of 353 and may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre British photographer Bob Riach shared his photo, titled The Northern Lights taken in Tromso, Norway. An aurora, sometimes referred to Northern Lights or Polar Lights is a natural light display in the Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions such as the Scandinavian coast Lithuanian student Gabija Kuseliauskyte, who currently lives in the UK, submitted this photo taken in Santorini, Greece. The image is titled Day in Santorini and captures one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea overlooking the sea and other small islands Slovinian photographer Matej Lepen submitted Damnoen Saduak Floating Market taken in Thailand at a floating market in Damnoen Saduak District, Ratchaburi Province. The market is about 100 kilometres southwest of Bangkok and is often considered the most famous floating market in the world German photographer from Havixbeck submitted 'Balance' taken in Inle-See, Myanmar. It is the second largest lake in the country with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles. The freshwater lake is located in the Shan Hills of Myanmar, which at its southwestern edge is decorated with gilded Buddha statues French photographer Jeremy Jacquemoire, shared 'One night in Tokyo which was taken in Tokyo, Japan. The image shows the bustling night life of Japans busy capital, which features ultramodern from neon-lit skyscrapers among the traditional historic architecture of the city Louise Waldron of, Northborough, Peterborough shared Varanasi Joy taken in India. Varanasi is a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, dating back to the 11th century B.C. and is regarded the spiritual capital of the country Gabi Steiner,a visual artist from Switzerland, submitted another picture taken in Myanmar called Fischer, Lotus & Co. The stunning image shows ariel shots of two men on wooden fishing boats on a local river Photographer Leyla Emektar submitted Light and rhythm taken in Aydn, Turkey. The ancient Greek Tralles is a city in and the seat of Aydn Province in the Aegean Region. The city is located along a region which was famous for it's fertility and productivity of crops since ancient times. Croatian photographer Sasa Huzjak shared Desert caravan taken in Erg Chebbi, Morocco. Erg Chebbi is one of Morocco's several ergs, a large se of dunes formed by wind-blown sand. These dunes rise up to 150 meters from the surrounding rocky desert and altogether it spans an area of 28 kilometres Jambiani by Dariusz Ociepa, taken in Jambiani, Tanzania captures women in the village on the island of Unguja,It is located on the southeast coas and has a strong seaweed culture with many farms dotting the coastline and employing 15,000 locals, mainly women Souvenir by Gustav Muller, taken in Hoi An, Vietnam shows an array of Vietnamese dishes. The image was taken on Vietnams central coast known for its well-preserved Ancient Town. One of the most famous dishes in Hoi An is cao lau, which translates to Hoi An's secret noodle Off to work by Sofie Rysheuvels, was taken in Yuanyang, China, a southeastern provence well known for its spectacular rice-paddy terracing and part of the area forms one of the country's World Heritage Sites Wings of Liberty by Ben Cole, taken in New York, USA depicts the famous Statue of Liberty National Monument on on Liberty Island alongside Bald eagles, a bird of prey found in North America synonymous with the idea of freedom and the 'American dream' Urzecze taken by Jakub Chmielewski in Gassy, Poland shows locals in a wooden boat on a river off a village in the administrative district of Gmina Konstancin-Jeziorna Flying to the sun by Yevhen Samuchenko was taken in Pokhara, Nepal - a city on Phewa Lake known as a gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a popular trail in the Himalayas Dubai Sunset by Linda Ullathorne was taken in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The image depicts the country's famous skyline from the famous Sunset Beach Susana Lopez's Temple of Sita was taken in Janakpur, Nepal, a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusa District. The district is a centre for religious and cultural tourism recently declared the province's temporary capital 'Signpost by Marcin Drajem was taken in Karpacz, a ski-town in southwestern Poland. Nearby is an entrance to the Karkonosze National Park, with its peaks and lakes Anskar Lenzen's A fishers job was taken in Perast, Montenegro. The image shows a local fisherman of the town on the Bay of Kotor, known for it's proximity to the islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks Tor Olav Olsen's image Stepwell was taken in Jaipur, India - the capital of Indias Rajasthan state. Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra The overwhelming majority of Longview school parents would send their students back into the classroom in fall, according to a school district survey of 1,850 parents taken July 9-15. School officials said Wednesday that a new survey might be necessary to gauge public opinion because the pandemic has continued spreading rapidly late this month, including five deaths. Superintendent Dan Zorn shared the results of the survey at Monday nights board meeting. The virtual but well-attended meeting illustrated the divide between parents wanting kids back in school buildings and teachers cautioning that its still too early. Overall, 76.7% of those surveyed said they were likely or somewhat likely to send their students to school in-person. However, Zorn said that 44% also said they were likely or were somewhat likely to request full-time remote learning even if in-person classes are available. The two options were asked as separate questions. This closed on July 15 and things have changed since then, Zorn said. We have no way to know if the present situation would have impacted those numbers, or to what degree. For that reason, the district is discussing sending out another survey, Zorn said, as community members have asked for it. He said the school board would discuss it at Fridays reopening workshop. It would only take three or four days to get a good, representative response that would reflect the current situation, Zorn estimated. The last survey was sent home to parents to fill out voluntarily. The Kelso School District also currently has a survey out to parents, and results will be available later this week. Longviews survey also drilled into the reasons why 44% of parents might request remote learning. Of that 44%, just over half said they would prefer remote because of COVID-19 concerns. Just under 9% said it would be for other health concerns, and 32% of respondents said they would choose remote because they dont want their students to wear face masks, which would be required. About 10% said they simply preferred remote learning. Survey takers were also asked to rate how comfortable they would be having their children attend school with several safety measures in place. For example, 78% of parents said they would let their students attend if all employees had to wear facemasks. However, if students were also required to wear masks, only 64.6% of parents said theyd consent to in-person classes. And about 82% parents said theyd be comfortable having their student attend in-person if schools were cleaned and disinfected more frequently. About 72% said theyd consent to in person classes if schools enforce social distancing, and 76% said theyd consent if students and teachers had a daily health screening. If the district did all of the above, 72% of parents said they would allow their child to come, slightly lower than the amount of parents who said their student could attend in the first question. Zorn said, and 1,850 responses were evenly distributed between grades and schools. Most respondents were women, and the majority were white, he said. Hispanic families were underrepresented, with only 6% of the respondents identifying as Hispanic, while 20% of the districts students are Hispanic. Students on Individualized Education plans were slightly over-represented, Zorn said. About 21% of survey respondents said they had a student on an Individual Education Plan (IEP), while about 19% of students districtwide are on an IEP. Zorn said the responses would help the district move forward with decisions about how to resume classes on Sept. 2. To attend the 4 p.m. Friday work session, visit the district website to get the Zoom log in information. Love 2 Funny 2 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 5 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A mother's grief upon the death her offspring is unimaginable. Two years ago, the world watched a mother orca who upon losing her newborn, carried it around as she moved for over two weeks. Now, that same orca is pregnant again. SR3, a non-profit dedicated to improving marine wildlife health and welfare, announced over the weekend that Tahlequah or J35, as she's known by researchers, was expecting. Sh isn't the only Southern Resident orca expecting. A number of pregnant whales have been identified in all 3 Southern Resident pods. It's critical that they are given plenty of space during this important time. https://t.co/3Z281G79aK pic.twitter.com/mUo4KnWWZE SR3 (@SR3Sealife) July 26, 2020 According to drone photos, she's just one of several pregnant killer whales that have been identified by researchers since early July, according to SR3, a sea life response, rehab, and research group. In 2018 Tahlequah swam with her dead infant for 17 days. Refusing to let it fall, she forced the carcass across the coast of Canada and the Northwestern US into the Pacific ocean. According to SR3, the orca population is a broad blended family consisting of three social classes, or pods, with orcas come from each pod. Nonetheless, it is uncertain exactly how many. Due to their endangered status, the pregnancy boom among this population may seem like a hopeful prospect. But scientists at SR3 say it is nothing unusual and noted that many southern resident pregnancies have resulted in unsuccessful births due to poor nutrition linked to a lack of prey. "Studies by our colleagues at the University of Washington have shown that these reproductive failures are linked to nutrition and access to their Chinook salmon prey," the online release by SR3 said. "So, we hope folks on the water can give the Southern Residents plenty of space to forage at this important time." SR3 shared photos online of J35 and L72, another pregnant orca. The aerial images of both orcas show their body sizes in September, when they were several months into their pregnancies, and recently in July, with an increased width mid-body, revealing that they're in their final stages. CALGARY - The CEO of TC Energy Corp. says the company will begin moving more oil from Western Canada into the United States by next year under a new U.S. presidential permit for the existing Keystone pipeline system. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The TC Energy logo is shown in a handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO CALGARY - The CEO of TC Energy Corp. says the company will begin moving more oil from Western Canada into the United States by next year under a new U.S. presidential permit for the existing Keystone pipeline system. The permit quietly issued on Wednesday by the Trump administration allows capacity on Keystone to increase by 170,000 barrels per day to about 760,000 bpd, filling a gap as TC Energy's expansion Keystone XL project faces delays due to ongoing court battles. "We are very pleased with yesterday's decision by President Trump to sign a new presidential permit for the base Keystone system," said TC Energy CEO Russ Girling on a conference call Thursday to discuss second-quarter results. "The new permit will allow us to respond to market demand and to fully utilize the Keystone system to safely deliver additional crude oil from Canada to the refining centres in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast." The new permit will allow the Calgary-based company to proceed by next year with some 50,000 barrels per day of added service, which received shipper support in a process in June 2019, Girling added. The 50,000 bpd can be achieved by adding drag reducing agents to the oil to improve the flow efficiency of the existing pipeline without any major capital investments, said Bevin Wirzba, senior vice-president for liquids pipelines, on the call. Using the rest of the increased capacity could involve more spending, he said, adding pursuing those projects would follow an assessment of shipper demand. The additional capacity is likely to be welcomed in Alberta. The province limits oil production through quotas introduced in early 2019 to avoid price discounts that widened as output growth mainly from the oilsands outpaced growth in pipeline capacity. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage also welcomed the new U.S. permit. "This decision sets the stage to significantly increase the capacity of the existing, base Keystone system," she said in a news release late Wednesday. "This is excellent news for Canada's energy sector, and hard-working people and families on both sides of the border who benefit from continued North American energy security and interdependence." TC Energy announced March 31 it would go ahead with the US$8-billion Keystone XL project after the Alberta government agreed to invest C$1.5 billion and provide a loan guarantee to jump start the work. Keystone XL is facing a court challenge in the U.S. that questions the validity of its presidential permit while also dealing with a court decision that blocked a key environmental permit that allowed the pipeline to cross rivers and streams. Construction is continuing in the U.S. on the 1,947-kilometre project, Girling said Thursday, with a revised schedule that focuses the work on areas where permits are in hand. The expansion is to carry 830,000 bpd of crude per day from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., to connect with other pipelines. The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he would cancel the Keystone XL permit if he wins in the November presidential election. TC Energy said it earned $1.3 billion or $1.36 per diluted share for the three months ended June 30, up from $1.1 billion or $1.21 per share a year earlier. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The results included an after-tax gain of $408 million related to the sale of a 65 per cent equity interest in the Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. and an incremental after-tax loss of $80 million due to Ontario natural gas-fired power plant assets sold in April. Adjusted profits decreased 6.6 per cent to $863 million or 92 cents per share, in line with analyst forecasts, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. That compared with $924 million or $1 per share in adjusted earnings in the second quarter of 2019. Revenues dropped 8.4 per cent to $3.09 billion of revenues from $3.37 billion in the prior year. TC Energy said its assets have been largely unimpacted by COVID-19 with flows and utilization levels remaining in line with historical and seasonal norms and largely insulated from short-term volatility of commodity prices. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP) A French Airbus A330 Phenix (right) followed by 2 French Mirage 2000-5 airplanes and 4 French Rafale airplanes performs during the annual Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2019. (Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP via Getty Images) Civil rights icon John Lewis said protesters had filled him with hope in his final hours in a powerful essay he asked The New York Times to publish on the day of his funeral. Lewis, who will be mourned and celebrated at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta later today, included the message as part of a powerful call to action he penned just two days before his death. 'While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me,' Lewis opened. 'You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society, 'Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way,' he added. 'Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.' In the piece, Lewis recounted his own fears over the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and how his death steered him on path to the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King. 'Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor,' Lewis said. 'He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me.' Rep John Lewis, who died on July 17 from pancreatic cancer after a six-month battle Lewis said Black Lives Matter protesters had filled him with hope in his final hours in a powerful essay he asked The New York Times to publish on the day of his funeral In June, Lewis visited the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC, which he called 'a powerful work of art'. He wrote in his essay that although he was admitted to the hospital a day after the visit, 'I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.' Lewis, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and a representative for an Atlanta-area district in the House for more than three decades, died on July 17 from pancreatic cancer. He was 80-years-old. Born in Troy, Alabama, and the son of sharecroppers, Lewis began civil rights activism at a young age. He helped lead a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, at age 25. The day went on to become known as 'Bloody Sunday', after Lewis and numerous other marchers were brutally attacked by police, leaving him with a fractured skull. Images from the march stunned the nation and helped galvanize support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In June, Lewis visited the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC, which he called 'a powerful work of art'. He was hospitalized the next day Born in Troy, Alabama, and the son of sharecroppers, Lewis (second from left) began civil rights activism at a young age. He helped lead a march for voting rights on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, at age 25 Lewis is seen marching hand-in-hand with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march The icon revealed in his final essay how the lynching death of Emmett Till was the catalyst behind his life-long fight for equality and justice. 'He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me,' Lewis wrote. He said he spent those days as a young black teenager constrained in 'an imaginary prison' of fear, with the lingering sense that brutality could be committed at any time 'for now understandable reason'. 'Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle,' Lewis wrote. 'Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare.' Lewis said he was searching for a way out - or a way in - when he heard the voice of Martin Luther King on the radio, which inspired him into activism. 'He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice,' Lewis recounted. 'When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself,' he continued. Lewis urged the next generation to continue getting into 'good trouble, necessary trouble' for 'now it is your turn to let freedom ring'. He was arrested more than 40 times during various demonstrations In the piece, Lewis recounted his own fears over the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and how his death steered him on path to the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King. 'Emmett Till was my George Floyd,' he wrote Rep. John Lewis receives the Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington February 15, 2011. Obama is set to eulogize Lewis at his funeral later today In order to survive as a 'unified nation', Lewis insisted that we must first discover what 'so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.' Towards the end of his essay, Lewis called on the next generation of activists to carry on the mantle of civil rights and to continue the tradition of causing 'good trouble'. 'Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble,' he wrote. Lewis said that voting and participating in the democratic process are two of the easiest and most important ways of helped to enact substantial change, calling the right to vote the most 'powerful nonviolent change agent' you can have in a democracy. 'When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war,' he urged. 'So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.' Lewis' essay was published by the Times just hours ahead of his funeral service, which will take place at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday. Former Presidents George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton are all scheduled to speak, with former President Barack Obama set to deliver his eulogy. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said on July 30 that India is currently conducting around five lakh COVID-19 tests per day, and the ministry is aiming to double the number within the next two months. In the vaccine front, the UK pharma company AstraZeneca said that good data was coming from phase III of their vaccine trials. The company had developed the vaccine in collaboration with the University of Oxford and has already made several deals with countries to make more than 2 billion doses of the vaccine. Srinagar: A local militant, who was trapped by security forces in Sopore area of Baramulla district, surrendered before the law enforcing agencies on Friday. "Surrender of one local terrorist has been accepted at Tujjar, Sopore," an Army official said. The official said army calls for other misguided local youth to shun path of violence. This is second incident of surrender by a militant in Sopore area this month after being cornered by the security forces. On November 4, a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant had surrendered before the security forces. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. "The majority of young people infected tend to have more mild disease. But that's not always consistent," she said. The WHO this month urged travellers to wear masks on planes and keep themselves informed as COVID-19 cases surge again in some countries. The WHO had said in June that it would update its travel guidelines ahead of the northern hemisphere summer holidays, but has not yet done so. Its previous guidance for travellers has included common-sense advice applicable to other settings such as social distancing, washing hands and avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Flicker of good news in the US While deaths from the coronavirus in the US are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be levelling off. Scientists aren't celebrating by any means, warning that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places Arizona, California, Florida and Texas and that cases are rising in close to 30 states in all, with the outbreak's centre of gravity seemingly shifting from the Sun Belt toward the Midwest. Some experts wonder whether the apparent caseload improvements will endure. Nor is it clear when deaths will start coming down. COVID-19 deaths do not move in perfect lockstep with the infection curve, for the simple reason that it can take weeks to get sick and die from the virus. The future? "I think its very difficult to predict," said Dr Anthony Fauci, the governments foremost infectious-disease expert. The virus has claimed more than 150,000 lives in the US, by far the highest death toll in the world, plus more than half a million others around the globe. Over the past week, the average number of deaths per day in the US has climbed more than 25 per cent, from 843 to 1057. Florida on Thursday reported 253 more deaths, setting its third straight single-day record. The number of confirmed infections nationwide has topped 4.4 million. US President Donald Trump for the first time on Thursday floated a "delay" to November's presidential election, as he made unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. Trump tweeted on Thursday: "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Loading In other developments, the collateral damage from the virus mounted, with the US economy shrinking at a dizzying 32.9 per cent annual rate in the April-June quarter by far the worst quarterly plunge on records dating to 1947. And more than 1.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, further evidence that employers are still shedding jobs five months into the crisis. UK worries about second COVID-19 wave in Europe British authorities are worried about a second wave of coronavirus infections in Europe and will not hesitate to bring back more quarantine measures, possibly within the next few days, as they did with Spain. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said COVID-19 was under some measure of control in Britain, but a resurgence in some European countries showed the pandemic was not over. "It is absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline, and that we don't delude ourselves that somehow we are out of the woods or that that is all over, because it isn't all over," he said. Last weekend Britain re-imposed a 14-day quarantine period on people arriving from Spain, a move that caused havoc with the reopening of the continent for tourism in the summer high season. On Thursday Scotland's devolved government, which sets its quarantine policy independently of Johnson's administration, said arrivals from Luxembourg would need to quarantine for 14 days due to rising COVID-19 cases. Brazil's first lady, another cabinet minister infected Brazil's first lady and a fifth member of President Jair Bolsonaros cabinet have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes wrote on Twitter that he tested positive after experiencing flu-like symptoms and headaches. The 57-year-old is now in isolation. The presidency's press office said in a statement later that Michelle Bolsonaro, 38, also tested positive. Michelle Bolsonaro, wife of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, has tested positive for coronavirus. Credit:Getty Images The statement said she appeared to be in good health, but would follow established protocols. President Bolsonaro said on July 7 he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus and was then confined to the presidential palace in the capital Brasilia for more than two weeks. He announced that he had tested negative on Saturday. He participated in his first public event on Wednesday, to recognise rural women workers, along with his wife. They were joined by Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina and the minister of women, family and human rights, Damares Alves. Herman Cain dies from coronavirus Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died after battling the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cain's Twitter account announced the death on Thursday morning, US time. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks and was hospitalised in Atlanta earlier this month. Loading It was not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalised less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Mexico deaths point to cases in the millions In a day or two, Mexico will overtake the UK as the hotspot with the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths globally. In a nation with relatively low reported infections, that's a major red flag. Based on official tallies, one out of every nine people diagnosed with the disease in Mexico dies. According to Amesh A Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, that would mean either the virus is far deadlier in Mexico than elsewhere and there's no reason to think that's the case or the reported number of infections is a gross under-count. "Owners of latest car models should check if they are eligible for new-car replacement coverage", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. As the name suggests, this policy is addressed to owners of new cars. This policy is applied for a limited number of years, while the car is considered very valuable. Before buying this policy, drivers remember the following facts: New car replacement is not a standard coverage option. It is offered by some insurers in order to supplement the already existing coverage. The policyholder will be reimbursed with the full value of a new car of the same model, minus the deductible value. Custom equipment is not covered. If the car was fitted with equipment or aftermarket parts, they will not be covered by this policy. Aftermarket parts and custom equipment are covered by different policies and only if the policyholder has declared them before the accident. There are strict prerequisites for buying this coverage. The car owner will have to buy collision and comprehensive coverage, before being grated new-car replacement coverage. Each company may impose additional terms and exclusions. Only new models are eligible. Insurance companies provide this policy only to vehicles that are 2 years old or newer. Furthermore, some companies impose maximum mileage. For example, companies will not insure a vehicle that has more than 24,000 miles on board, even if he is 2 years or newer. There are multiple versions for this coverage. Some insurers offer something called "better car replacement", which will provide a newer car model for the policyholder. Other companies will transform the policy into GAP insurance when the vehicle becomes 2 years older. For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org. Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc Panaji: Strongly backing the demonetisation decision, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said Goa is on its way to become Indias first cashless society. This would fulfil a dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is pushing for a cashless society through the demonetisation scheme, which is also aimed at curbing the menace of black money, said Parrikar, a former Chief Minister of Goa. Goans are using cards (ATM/credit) in a big way. Goa will soon be the first state with cashless society fulfilling a dream of the Prime Minister, Parrikar said. He was addressing BJPs Vijay Sankulp rally at Sankhalim village, 45-km from here. Parrikar said with demonetisation, Modi has struck hard at the root of black money and terror financing. This is not just a strike on black money but also against terror funding, fake currency and drugs money. We all need to provide support to the Prime Minister in his decision. The Prime Minister has insisted on moving towards a cashless society. Goa will be the first State to achieve this goal, Parrikar said. Goa has shown the way in the past when the State Government started disbursing payment under Dayanand Social Security Scheme (a pension plan) through electronic mode directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. Currently, none of the State Governments payments are done through cheques. All the payments are through electronic transfers, Parrikar said. A smartphone can be turned into a bank by using an app called Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Parrikar said. The State Government will organise camps to educate people about this application, he said. We will also train BJP workers who will educate masses about this facility. This will allow people to move around without carrying cash, the Minister said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The detention of the four, one just 16, is the first under legislation that was imposed by Beijing earlier this month. Hong Kong police have arrested four people, the youngest just 16, for suspected offences under the citys new national security law, the first such detentions outside of street protests since the legislation took effect a month ago. In a press conference shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a police spokesman said the three men and a woman, all students, were suspected of being involved in an online group that pledged to fight for an independent Hong Kong. We arrested for subversions and for the organising and also the inciting [of] secession, said Li Kwai-wah, police superintendent at the Hong Kong National Security Department. They wanted to unite all the independent groups in Hong Kong for the view to promote the independence of Hong Kong. Student Localism, a group that used to advocate independence, said in a statement that its former leader Tony Chung, 19, was among those arrested. Breaking: #Beijing staged its first major round of arrests under #Nationalsecuritylaw tonight. Former convenor of the disbanded @studentlocalism, Tony Chung, and another two former members, were arrested by #SecretPolice. Tony's been tailed for days. pic.twitter.com/xi6jaX0T1J Joshua Wong (@joshuawongcf) July 29, 2020 One other former member who was arrested was identified by local politicians and media as Yanni Ho. Two others were not identified. The eldest person detained is 21 years old. Amnesty International said the arrests were alarming. That four young people could potentially face life imprisonment on the basis of some social media posts lays bare the draconian nature of the national security law, Amnestys Asia Pacific Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin said in a statement. The idea that anybody can now be jailed for expressing their political opinion on Facebook or Instagram will send a chill throughout Hong Kong society. No one should be arrested solely for expressing an opinion that is contrary to that of the government. Last month, Student Localism announced it had disbanded as Beijing enacted its national security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. China considers Hong Kong to be an inalienable part of the country, and calls for independence anathema to its Communist Party leaders. Gross misuse Beijing imposed the national security law in the semi-autonomous city territory on the eve of July 1, when it traditionally marks the 1997 handover from Britain. Under the so-called One Country, Two Systems framework, China is supposed to guarantee freedoms and Hong Kongs way of life for at least 50 years. Human Rights Watch condemned the arrests and urged governments to impose targeted sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese government officials responsible for the new law. The gross misuse of this draconian law makes clear that the aim is to silence dissent, not protect national security, said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. The legislation outlaws what Beijing loosely defines as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It has been condemned by some Western governments, business leaders and human rights groups who say it is an attempt by Beijing to tighten its grip over Chinas freest city. In response, they have suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong and loosened migration rules for Hong Kong residents. Beijing says the law is crucial to plug gaping holes in national security defences exposed by months of sometimes violent anti-government protests that began in June 2019. Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law will be used to target only a minority of troublemakers. People have every right to be outraged about police brutality and deep-seated racism in our criminal justice system. Since 2015, police have killed more than 1,300 Black people nationwide, and African Americans have, for years, died at the hands of law enforcement in dramatically disproportionate numbers. Black Americans account for less than 13% of the countrys population, yet are killed by police at nearly 2.5 times the rate of white Americans. This reality is unconscionable. And taking to the streets to protest correctable injustice is 100% justified. In fact, Im proud to have been one of millions of Americans who have participated in protests since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd on May 25 and sparked a nationwide uprising thats still going strong in many cities. But as righteous as these demonstrations have been and are, we also must come to grips with the fact that we face another grave threat: President Trump and his insidious attempt to exploit protests that sometimes turn violent in order to jump-start his flagging campaign. Trump has nothing else to run on. He certainly cant run on the economy. Nor can he run on his grossly inept and willfully negligent response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, hell have little success running on his record as the most corrupt president in our nations history. The only thing Trumps got is a last-ditch effort to portray himself as the law and order candidate who stands up to violent protesters. This unscrupulous campaign tactic might sound like a long shot, but it is unwise to take it lightly. Thirty-two years ago, then-Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis held an even larger lead in the polls at this point in the presidential race than candidate Joe Biden enjoys today. But the campaign of then-Vice President George H.W. Bush unleashed its infamous Willie Horton ads in the fall of 1988, portraying Dukakis as soft on crime. That Bush campaign tactic was horribly racist but devastatingly effective. Make no mistake: Trumps appalling tactic of sending camouflage-wearing federal officers and private military contractors the equivalent of a mercenary force to Portland, Ore., to teargas protesters, snatch them up, and disappear them into unmarked vans are desperate campaign ploys, even more despicable and disturbing than Bushs ad. Indeed, protesting Trumps actions is appropriate, and all of us need to be vocal and loud in demanding that it stop. However, as we organize against Trumps moves, there are some, including right-wing extremists and MAGA supporters, who are more than willing to take advantage of righteous demonstrations, particularly nighttime ones, to sow chaos rather than protest for accountability and justice. Take, for example, the member of the far-right boogaloo movement who murdered a federal protection officer in Oakland during a massive #GeorgeFloyd demonstration on May 29. Similarly, agent provocateurs in the form of white supremacists posing as Black Livers Matters protesters recently instigated riots in Richmond, Va., during a Stand with Portland rally, according to police and public officials there. In Oakland, last weekend, it was reportedly white anarchists who turned a peaceful Stand with Portland march into a vandalism spree, igniting a fire at the Alameda County courthouse and defacing buildings and storefronts in downtown. Some Black protesters at the demonstration condemned the vandals and publicly called on them to stop ruining the protests message. While we may never know who was behind setting the fire, many of us realize that acts of chaos are exactly what Trump wants. He and his supporters will not only encourage vandalism and violence but actually instigate it in an attempt to turn public opinion against the protests across the country that have been, and are, employing nonviolent civil disobedience. The #WallofMoms protests in Portland, and elsewhere, have been truly inspiring. Nighttime demonstrations abused by small numbers of those who dont care about the cause of justice play right into Trumps hands. He wants nothing more than to paint the #GeorgeFloyd protest movement as being a violent operation orchestrated by what he calls angry mobs. We know that our protests are legitimate, righteous and necessary. But lets do everything we can not to play into Trumps agenda. We cant afford to give Trump what he wants. Far too much is at stake. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, represents the Ninth Senate District, which includes the cities of Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond. She is also chairwoman of the Senate Public Safety policy and budget committees. WASHINGTON Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked about the president's inflammatory election tweets on Thursday during a combative Senate hearing that also touched on Russian bounties, China's global ambitions and other foreign policy flashpoints. Pompeo was ostensibly called before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss President Donald Trump's State Department budget request for the next fiscal year. But there were no questions about that document, which one Democrat declared "dead on arrival" because it calls for a 34% slash in funding. Instead, lawmakers pressed Pompeo on everything from Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to his "fawning praise" for China's Xi Jinping. Here are four takeaways from Thursday's hearing: A delay in the 2020 election? 'I don't think that's a hard question' Pompeo a Harvard educated lawyer was grilled about the presidents tweets on Thursday in which he floated delaying the 2020 presidential election and claimed that mail-in ballots were vulnerable to foreign interference. Trump has no power to delay the Nov. 3 contest, and experts have debunked Trump's claims of foreign meddling in mail-in ballots. But Pompeo refused to refute the idea that Trump could delay the election. I'm not gonna enter a legal judgment on that on the fly, Pompeo responded when pressed on the matter by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The Department of Justice and others will have to make that legal determination. Kaine expressed disbelief that Pompeo ducked the question, noting it is clearly established that Trump does not have that power. I don't think it's that hard a question that should lead to any equivocation by somebody who's fourth in line of succession to be president of the United States, the Virginia Democrat said. Pompeo also seemed to lend credence to Trump's allegation that mail-in ballots could be subject to fraud even though many of the State Department's diplomats and other staff vote this way and even though Pompeo himself said he had voted absentee in past elections. Story continues Secretary of State Michael Pompeo testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing on the State Departments 2021 budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on July 30, 2020 to discuss the Trump administration's FY 2021 budget request for the State Department. "Having a small group of people vote by absentee ballot is very different than deciding that you're going to conduct a full" vote-by-mail program, Pompeo said. "Those are two fundamentally different beasts. I'll leave to the professionals to identify the level of risk associated with that," Pompeo said, adding that it was "a difficult task" to change voting rules close to an election. Trump floats delaying election over mail-in voting, legal experts say that power rests with Congress Trump's China policy: 'Fawning praise' or hard line? Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was one of the only GOP senators to criticize Trump's foreign policy during the hearing, and he did not hold back. He called Trump out for his "fawning praise" of Xi, blasted the president's decision to reduce U.S. troop levels in Germany, and slammed the White House for picking fights with European allies. But Romney started out with a soft touch praising Pompeo's recent speech casting China as a threat to U.S. democracy and national security. "It's a very welcomed assessment, a very clear-eyed evaluation of China's intent," Romney said. "It's also a welcome departure from the president's fawning praise of Xi Jinping and (his) celebration of agreements that China hasn't honored. It's also in my view inconsistent with actions that we've taken that have offended our allies at a time we need to be drawing them closer to us." Mike Pompeo likens China threat to 'Frankenstein,' says engagement hasn't worked Romney cited Trump's decision to move 12,000 U.S. troops out of Germany, which the president said on Wednesday was tied to his anger over Germanys failure to meet NATO defense spending goals. "I have heard from highest levels of the German government that this is seen by them as an insult to Germany," Romney said. "And I can't imagine at a time when we need to be drawing in our friends and allies so that we can collectively confront China that we want to insult them." Other lawmakers called the U.S. withdrawal from Germany a gift to Putin, an assertion Pompeo rejected. He said the decision came out of a "thoughtful process" and expressed confidence that NATO would still be able to deter Russian aggression. Should Trump tell Putin to 'back off' paying bounties for U.S. troops? Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., pressed Pompeo to explain why Trump has not confronted Putin over allegations that Moscow offered bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to kill American troops. I have never discussed it with him," Trump said in a soon-to-be-aired interview with "Axios on HBO." Pompeo would not comment on news reports, which cited U.S. intelligence, about the Kremlin's alleged scheme. But he suggested that he had pressed Russian officials on the matter in multiple conversations. "Do you think it would be helpful for President Trump to talk to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he needs to back off in terms of paying the Taliban to kill American troops?" Shaheen pressed. "I always leave to the president what he wants to say to other leaders," Pompeo responded. "I don't think there's any doubt in the mind of every Russian leader, including Vladimir Putin, about the expectations of the United States of America not to kill Americans." Do 'bounties' on US troops in Afghanistan reflect a line crossed or 'nothing new' in long US-Russia history? 'They need to get out more': Pompeo slams big tech execs on China theft Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., asked Pompeo about Wednesday's testimony by the CEOs of major U.S. technology companies: Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. Gardner noted that they were asked about Chinese theft of American intellectual property. Only Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the threat, saying it was "well documented that the Chinese government steals technology from American companies," while the others said they had no first-hand experience with the problem. "They need to get out more," Pompeo said. "The idea that anyone in the tech space could not know of what the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to steal and the cyberattacks they're making seems incredulous." Romney warned against attacking the U.S. tech giants, saying it could play into China's hands. "China has been successful in driving a lot of Western companies out of business ... We need to be careful not to flex our muscle and berate those entities that are successful and are beating China," he said. "Alibaba would like to replace Amazon. TikTok would like to replace Instagram," he added, referring to Chinese social media companies that are competing with U.S. firms. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pompeo punts on Trump's election tweets, slams tech execs on China Helen McEntee said she regrets the situation that has arisen at the centre (Niall Carson/PA) Justice Minister Helen McEntee says the Direct Provision system for asylum seekers will not be replaced overnight. It comes as dozens of residents staying in a Direct Provision centre at the former Skellig Star hotel in Cahersiveen, Co Kerry, hold a protest over living conditions. The 30 men and women began a fast on Tuesday in the centre and have alleged their water and food was rationed. Speaking in the Seanad on Thursday, the minister said she regrets the situation that has arisen at the centre. She said: It is a matter of deep regret for me as Minister for Justice and Im very sorry that the residents of the Skellig Star felt their concerns required this type of action. Expand Close Direct Provision centres provide for the welfare of asylum seekers and their families as they await decisions on their application (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Direct Provision centres provide for the welfare of asylum seekers and their families as they await decisions on their application (Niall Carson/PA) When a group of people feel that they need to put their own health at risk by refusing food to have their concerns listened to, then it is a very serious situation. I want to acknowledge how difficult this has been for residents and the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. I accept that the outbreak of Covid-19 in the centre was distressing for staff and residents, and the wider community. Ms McEntee said her officials visited the centre and that residents have access to clean drinking water and meals. However, I am conscious that because they cant cook their own meals it is a difficult situation for residents to be in. Justice Minister Helen McEntee tells the Seanad, the replacement of the Direct Provision system for asylum seekers "will not happen overnight." "The existing centres will continue to operate in the short to medium term but changes will be made." Aine McMahon (@AineMcMahon) July 30, 2020 She said a number of residents have asked for a transfer from the centre and, as travel restrictions have eased, they will get to move out soon. Ms McEntee said, however, that the overall system of Direct Provision will not change overnight. The replacement of the Direct Provision system will not happen overnight unfortunately. The existing centres will continue to operate in the short to medium term but changes will be made. While it ensures that the basic needs of people are met, people claiming international protection need more than just that. They need a holistic system that is responsive to their needs and respects their dignity, right to privacy and a family life. Expand Close Helen McEntee said existing Direct Provision centres will continue to operate (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Helen McEntee said existing Direct Provision centres will continue to operate (Brian Lawless/PA) A white paper on replacing Direct Provision will be drafted by the end of the year, said Ms McEntee. It comes after a report prepared by Dr Catherine Day suggested major changes to the existing Direct Provision system. She said the report published by the Day Commission will feed into that and will influence the white paper. This Government has committed to ending the current system of Direct Provision within the lifetime of this Government and replacing it with a new system of international protection accommodation policy one that is centred on a not-for-profit approach. Senator Eileen Flynn, a Traveller rights activist, said the Direct Provision system is dangerous for asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are living in hell under this State, she said. We have a long history in Ireland of putting unwanted people behind high walls and hiding us away from wider society and I know as a member of a group of unwanted people what that feels like. Ms Flynn said there have been numerous Government reports into Direct Provision since it was introduced 20 years ago, and called on the minister to set a date for when it will end. A total of The 100 senior high schools drawn from the North Eastern, Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Oti, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions have been presented with buses by the government through the Ministry at a short ceremony at the forecourt of Parliament House in Accra. The event was presided over by the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamadou Bawumia, who represented President Akufo-Addo. In attendance were the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku Amankwaa, directors of both the Ministry and the GES as well as heads of agencies under the Ministry. In an address, the Vice President stated that President Akufo-Addo believes that the significant educational reforms that his government has rolled out since 2017 will come to nothing if they do not provide the necessary logistical support for our schools to run effectively as they deliver their mandate for the Ghanaian child. Our schools have various challenges in the discharge of their administrative functions, and these vehicles, I am sure, will go a long way to help smooth these, he declared. The 100 buses are the first batch of 350 buses that have been procured by government to support senior high schools. It will be recalled that in March 2016, at a ceremony presided over by the Vice President, government donated 365 Isuzu Double Cabin pickup trucks out of a total of 840 procured, which were distributed to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directorates of Education, as well as selected agencies under the Ministry of Education. The Vice President also handed 493 out of a total 2,000 motorbikes that have been procured to aid the work of circuit supervisors and to further enhance their supervisory roles in the education sector. 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. Featured Video The amendments to the Law on Investment has enhanced the appeal of Nam Dinh Vu Industrial Zone According to experts, the amended Law on Investment will create a great opportunity to welcome eagles and phoenixes to make nests in Vietnam, especially as investors are moving out of China in greater numbers day by day. The Vietnamese Government has taken drastic and swift action by proposing to add special incentives right before the amendments to the Law on Investment went under discussion and were submitted to the National Assembly for approval. Specifically, the amended Investment Law does not explicitly set a ceiling for special investment incentives in Article 20.3 and solely stipulates the preferential level and duration of special incentives in accordance with the Law on Corporate Income Tax and the Land Law. Additionally, an instant supplementation at Article 75.4 adding new clauses to Article 13.5 and Article 14.1 of the Law on Corporate Income Tax, shall provide favorable conditions for the government and the prime minister to take initiative during negotiations to attract investment. Hence, Article 13.5a allows the PM to provide preferential tax reduction by no more than 50 per cent or extend the duration of incentives by no more than 1.5 times the duration specified in Article 13.1 or by more than 15 years or beyond the term of the investment project in question. Meanwhile, Article14.1a stipulates that for investment projects listed in Article 20.2 of the Law on Investment, the PM shall decide the application of tax exemption for no more than six years and 50 per cent reduction of payable tax amount for no more than 13 years. The above shows that the Vietnamese government is willing to "negotiate" and offer higher-level incentives to "phoenixes" and "eagles". This is what many multinational corporations have been waiting for since Vietnam began to develop a foreign investment attraction strategy, especially after the Politburo issued Resolution No.50/NQ-TW on foreign investment cooperation in the new situation. Not stopping there, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung asserted the amended Law on Investment also adopts a new approach to the implementation of investment incentive policies, which includes the supplementation of principles and conditions of eligibility, as well as the assurance of the efficiency and quality of incentives that Vietnam offers such as limited time incentives, and performance-based incentives, among others. In parallel, incentives for projects of a large scale or those in high-tech, research and development, and such fields have also been enforced. It also opened pilots for new forms of investment, reacting to the Industry 4.0 transformation taking place across the globe. Additionally, several amendments have been made to facilitate investors in carrying out administrative procedures on investment, land, and construction, among others. The National Assembly ratified the amended Law on Investment on June 17 Additional provisions on investment incentives and support The government decided to apply special investment incentives and support mechanisms in order to encourage the development of a number of investment projects with great socio-economic impacts. These include: - Investment projects on the establishment or expansion of research and development (R&D) or innovation centres with a total investment capital of VND6 trillion ($260.87 million) or more; national innovation centre established under the decision of the PM; - Investment projects in the business lines eligible for special investment incentives with an investment capital of VND30 trillion ($1.3 billion) or more, disbursing at least VND10 trillion ($434.78 million) within three years; - Other investment projects which have great socioeconomic impacts, as decided by the PM. Under the amended Law on Investment, investors are not required to pay deposit or provide bank guarantee on deposit obligations to ensure the implementation of projects using the land allocated, leased out by the state, or permitted by the state to change land use purposes, in the five following cases: - An investor who wins the land use right auction to execute an investment project on land allocated by the state with land use levy, lease of land with one-off rental payment for the entire lease period; - An investor who wins the bidding to implement the investment project using land; - An investor who is allocated or leased land by the state on the basis of transfer of investment project that have settled deposit or completed capital contribution or capital mobilisation according to the schedule specified in the investment registration certificate or investment policy approval document; - An investor who is allocated or leased land by the State to carry out investment project on the basis of receiving land use right and properties attached to land of other land users; - An investor who is a non-business unit with revenues or a high-tech park developer established with the approval of competent authorities to implement investment projects on infrastructure development of industrial park, export processing zone, high-tech park, and functional areas in economic zone. To be entitled to the incentives under the amended Law on Investment, the subjects must be in the following groups: - Investment projects in the business lines given investment incentives prescribed in Article 16.1 of this amended Law on Investment; - Investment projects in administrative divisions given investment incentives prescribed in Article 16.2; - Investment projects with a capital scale of VND6 trillion ($260.87 million) or more, disbursing at least VND6 trillion ($260.87 million) within three years after being granted the investment registration certificate or investment policy approval; and at the same time meet one of the following criteria: having a total turnover of at least VND10 trillion ($434.78 million) per year no later than three years from the year having revenue or employing over 3,000 employees; - Social housing construction projects; investment projects in rural areas employing 500 workers or more; projects employing people with disabilities in accordance with the Law on Disabilities; - High-tech enterprises, scientific and technological enterprises, organisations; projects with technology transfer on the list of technologies encouraged for transfer under the Law on Technology Transfer; technology incubators, science and technology business incubators in accordance with the Law on High Technologies; - Investment projects on creative startups, innovation centers; - Investment in the product distribution chains of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); investment in technical facilities supporting SMEs, incubators of SMEs; investment in a working area to support SMEs in their creative startups in accordance with the Law on Supporting SMEs. Abolishing a number of conditional business lines In the amended Law on Investment, debt collection service business has been removed from the list of conditional business lines and was officially transferred to the list of banned business lines. The amendment has cut 22 other conditional business investment lines in order to eliminate barriers to business activities; guarantee the right to conduct business of individuals and enterprises in business lines not prohibited by law. The provision on the list of conditional business lines related to market access for foreign investors is made under the opt-out approach in order to institutionalise Resolution No.50 of the Politburo, giving a hand to improve the transparency and feasibility of Vietnam's market opening commitments under the next-generation of free trade agreements. Islamabad, July 30 : Two key aides to the Pakistan Prime Minister, including de facto Health Minister Zafar Mirza, have resigned, amid the government facing stiff criticism for appointing individuals with a dual nationality or holding another countrys permanent residency as SAPMs, media reports said on Thursday. Two notifications issued by the Cabinet Division said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Imran Khan had accepted resignations of Mirza and Tania Aidrus, the Special Assistant to the PM (SAPM) on Digital Pakistan, reports Dawn news. Taking to Twitter, Mirza, the outgoing SAPM on Health, said that he had come to Pakistan on a personal invitation of Khan after leaving the World Health OrganizaAtion (WHO). "I worked hard and honestly. It was a privilege to serve Pakistan. I am satisfied that I leave at a time when COVID-19 has declined in Pakistan as a result of a grand national effort," he said. Mirza, who was assigned the portfolio of national health serAvices in April 2019 and overAsaw the country's resAponse to the pandemic, said he made the decision to resign over "negative discussion about the role of SAPMs and criticism of the government". He told Dawn newsthat there were a number of reasons behind his resignation and he had written each and every thing in his resignation sent Khan. "Basically there was ongoing criticism on unelected people by elected people and a negative impression was being built against the unelected. Moreover, I had come with a plan to carry out health reforms in Pakistan but was finding constraints. "The system is not helpful and it is so slow and has become self-serving due to which it is difficult to work. On the other hand criticism by the elected people was further demoralising me," he added. Meanwhile, Aidrus said that she was resigning from her post due to recent criticism levelled against her and the government because of her dual nationality. In a tweet, she said: "Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan. "In the greater public interest, I have submitted my resignation from the SAPM role. I will continue to serve my country and the PM's vision to my best ability." She said that her Canadian nationality, a consequence of her birth and not an acquisition of choice, served as a distraction to her ability to execute the long-term vision for a digital Pakistan. "It is unfortunate that a Pakistani's desire to serve Pakistan is clouded by such issues," she was quoted as saying in the Dawn news report. The resignations come after the government had recently gone public with the assets and nationalities of all the special assistants, bringing to light that seven of them were either held dual citizenship or permanent residency of another country, reports The Express Tribune. The Islamabad High Court has also been moved against the appointment of dual nationals as special assistants. Another petition was filed in the Lahore High Court against the appointment of unelected individuals as advisers and special assistants. Woolworths has encouraged customers in NSW and the ACT to wear face masks in all of its stores as the supermarket ramps up coronavirus safety measures. Face masks will be encouraged in stores from August 3, while Queensland shoppers in hot spot areas are urged to wear masks from Friday. Shoppers in Woolworths stores all over Victoria will also need to wear masks from Sunday under the updated mask mandate covering the entire state. Masks will be strongly recommended in all Woolworths stores including Dan Murphys, Big W, BWS and ALH Hotels. Woolworths shoppers in NSW and ACT have been encouraged to wear face masks in store Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said wearing masks in store will help keep the community safe. 'The safety and wellbeing of our customers, teams and communities is our top priority,' he said. 'Even though wearing a face covering is not mandatory in NSW, ACT or Queensland, as the largest private sector employer with stores in almost every community, we feel it's important we lead the way in helping reduce community transmission of COVID-19. 'Were asking our teams to lead by example, and this includes our Group Executive Team. Face masks will be encouraged in stores from August 3, with all staff and team members (pictured) wearing masks 'Masks and face coverings are a highly visible symbol of the persistence of COVID-19. 'By encouraging and role modelling their use, it will further support the steps we need to collectively take to stop the spread of the virus and keep our team and customers safe.' All Woolworths Group team members have been provided with face masks and will wear them for the foreseeable future. 'Well continue to work with the Health Department to make sure our safety protocols and procedures are the best they can be,' Mr Banducci said. 'Wed like to thank our customers and team for their ongoing support as we all work together to keep our communities COVIDSafe.' RPA Vendor Positioned Furthest for Completeness of Vision in the Leaders' Quadrant SAN JOSE, California, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Automation Anywhere, a global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), today announced that Gartner, Inc. has named it a Leader in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation. Automation Anywhere is one of 16 vendors assessed in Gartner's second evaluation of the rapidly-growing RPA market, and has been positioned furthest for completeness of vision within the Leaders' quadrant this year. Within the last year, Automation Anywhere has achieved significant platform growth, which includes launching the industry's only cloud-native and web-based intelligent automation platform, Enterprise A2019; the world's first integrated process discovery solution, Discovery Bot; and the first RPA-as-a-Service solution. This is the second year in a row Automation Anywhere has been recognized as a Leader. The company was named a Leader in the inaugural 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for RPA. "Because our intelligent automation platform is cloud-native and web-based, our customers have been able to achieve incredible scale and deploy more than 2.1 million bots that have automated over 10,000 processes from the front office to the back office, ensuring business resiliency in the age of COVID-19 and beyond," said Mihir Shukla, CEO and Co-founder, Automation Anywhere. "We are proud to be recognized as a Leader in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for RPA. We will continue to innovate for our one million-user community, the largest in the RPA industry." In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Automation Anywhere was the first RPA vendor to introduce Cloud Starter Packs, an all-inclusive offering with transparent, online pricing and the ability to purchase with a few clicks and a credit card. In addition, Automation Anywhere has supported essential businesses and governments by offering a number of bots including: Contact tracing bots, Airline Call Center Bot and Oxygen Bot. As the RPA category keeps growing, organizations across all industries continue to realize the benefits of intelligent automation. As Gartner states, "the RPA software market grew 62.9% in 2019 to $1.4 billion and held its position as the fastest-growing segment in the enterprise software market for a second year."1 A complimentary copy of the Gartner, Inc. July 2020 "Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation" research report is available here. Interact with Automation Anywhere: Visit our website: https://www.automationanywhere.com/ Check out our monthly webinar series: https://www.automationanywhere.com/rpa-webinars Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutomationAnywhereSoftware/ Follow us on Twitter: @AutomationAnywh Explore with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automation_anywhere/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/automation-anywhere Experience RPA for free: https://www.automationanywhere.com/products/community-edition 1 Gartner Market Share Analysis: Robotic Process Automation, Worldwide, 2019, authored by Fabrizio Biscotti, Varsha Mehta, et al., published May 26, 2020. Gartner Disclaimer Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Automation Anywhere Automation Anywhere, a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) global market leader, empowers customers to automate end-to-end business processes with software robots that perform repetitive and manual tasks, resulting in dramatic productivity gains and business resiliency with less than a one-year payback, on average. The company offers the industry's only cloud-native and web-based intelligent automation platform combining RPA, artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics right out of the box, to help organizations rapidly start and scale their process automation journey. Its Bot Store is the world's first and largest marketplace with more than 950 pre-built, intelligent automation solutions. With a global network of 1,900 partners, Automation Anywhere has deployed over 2.1 million bots in more than 90 countries to support the world's largest enterprises, governments, and SMBs, including 85% of the top banks and ?nancial services companies, 90% of the top healthcare companies, 85% of the top technology companies, and 80% of the top telecom companies. For additional information, visit www.automationanywhere.com. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/541440/Automation_Anywhere_Logo.jpg After offering some promising originals in July, Netflix is ready to bring a slew of new and exciting titles to the platform. For classics, the first three Jurassic Park movies will soon be available at the start of August 2020. Other popular family films to join the catalogue are The Adams Family, The Never Ending Story and iconic film Dennis the Menace. For fans of animated films and shows, Netflix is bringing the entire series of The Legend of Korra, the sequel series to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Other awaited titles include James Bond films, the first two instalments in the Bad Boys franchise and The Karate Kid series. There are several documentaries and Netflix comedy specials and originals on the list as well. The most awaited original film of August 2020 is Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt-starrer, Project Power. The action movie is about a pill that gives people superpowers for 5 minutes at a time. The official synopsis reads, "An ex-soldier, a teen and a cop collide in New Orleans as they hunt for the source behind a dangerous new pill that grants users temporary superpowers." Here is a complete lineup of everything coming to Netflix in August 2020 August 1 A Knight's Tale Acts of Violence The Addams Family (1991) An Education Being John Malkovich Death at a Funeral Dennis the Menace Elizabeth Harvest Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Hardcore Henry Iron Man Armored Adventures: Season 1-2 Jurassic Park Jurassic Park III The Lost World: Jurassic Park Mad Max (1979) Mr. Deeds My Perfect Landing: Season 1 Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea: Season 1 The NeverEnding Story The NeverEnding Story 2: The Next Chapter The Next Step: Season 6 Nights in Rodanthe Ocean's Thirteen Ocean's Twelve Operation Ouch: Season 1 Operation Ouch: Special Remember Me Seabiscuit Super Monsters: The New Class - Netflix Family Toradora!: Season 1 Transformers Rescue Bots Academy: Season 2 The Ugly Truth What Keeps You Alive August 2 Almost Love Connected - Netflix Documentary August 3 Immigration Nation - Netflix Documentary August 4 A Go! Go! Cory Carson Summer Camp Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave Mundo Misterio / Mystery Lab - Netflix Original Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning - Netflix Comedy Special August 5 Anelka: L'Incompris/Anelka: Misunderstood - Netflix Documentary World's Most Wanted - Netflix Documentary August 6 The Rain: Season 3 - Netflix Original The Seven Deadly Sins: Imperial Wrath of The Gods August 7 Alta Mar/High Seas: Season 3 - Netflix Original Berlin, Berlin - Netflix Film The Magic School Bus Rides Again Kids In Space Nailed It! Mexico: Season 2 - Netflix Original The New Legends of Monkey: Season 2 Selling Sunset: Season 3 - Netflix Original Sing On! Germany - Netflix Original Tiny Creatures - Netflix Original Wizards: Tales of Arcadia Word Party Songs Work It - Netflix Film August 8 The Promise We Summon the Darkness August 10 Game On: A Comedy Crossover Event - Netflix Original Nightcrawler August 11 Mr. Peabody & Sherman Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids - Netflix Comedy Special August 12 Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl Scary Movie 5 (Un)Well - Netflix Documentary August 13 Safety Not Guaranteed Une fille facile/An Easy Girl - Netflix Film August 14 3%: Season 4 - Netflix Original El robo del siglo - Netflix Original Fearless - Netflix Film Glow Up: Season 2 - Netflix Original Project Power - Netflix Film The Legend of Korra: Book One: Air The Legend of Korra: Book Two: Spirits The Legend of Korra: Book Three: Change The Legend of Korra: Book Four: Balance Octonauts & the Caves of Sac Actun - Netflix Family Teenage Bounty Hunters - Netflix Original August 15 Rita: Season 5 - Netflix Original Stranger: Season 2 - Netflix Original August 16 Johnny English Les Miserables (2012) August 17 Crazy Awesome Teachers - Netflix Film Drunk Parents Glitch Techs: Season 2 August 19 Crimenes de familia / The Crimes That Bind - Netflix Film DeMarcus Family Rules - Netflix Original High Score - Netflix Documentary August 20 Biohackers - Netflix Original Good Kisser Great Pretender John Was Trying to Contact Aliens - Netflix Film August 21 Alien TV Fuego negro - Netflix Film Hoops - Netflix Original Lucifer: Season 5 - Netflix Original Rust Valley Restorers: Season 3 - Netflix Original The Sleepover - Netflix Film August 23 1BR Septembers of Shiraz August 25 Emily's Wonder Lab - Netflix Family Trinkets: Season 2 - Netflix Original August 26 Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol - Netflix Original La venganza de Analia - Netflix Original Million Dollar Beach House - Netflix Original Rising Phoenix -Netflix Documentary August 27 Aggretsuko: Season 3 Retsuko the Red Panda The Bridge Curse The Frozen Ground August 28 All Together Now - Netflix Film Cobra Kai: Seasons 1-2 - Netflix Original I AM A KILLER: Released - Netflix Original Origenes secretos / Unknown Origins - Netflix Film August 31 Casino Royale Quantum of Solace Netflix recently revealed 17 Indian titles set to release on the platform, but the release dates for them are yet to be announced. Amazon Prime Video In August 2020: World's Toughest Race, Chemical Hearts, Top Gun And More Yaara Movie Review: Tigmanshu Dhulia's Gang Of Four Has Chemistry But No Motive Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 00:36:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Public health workers go about their work during an occasion of collecting swab samples for COVID-19 testing in Rongai, Nakuru County, Kenya, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Sheikh Maina) The African continent has so far conducted more than 8.3 million COVID-19 tests as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 874, 609 on Wednesday , the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed. ADDIS ABABA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The African continent has so far conducted more than 8.3 million COVID-19 tests amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across countries in the continent, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Wednesday. The statement was made by John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, during a virtual conference on Wednesday that explored economic strategies amid the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases in some African countries. Noting that the number of COVID 19 tests performed in Africa is presently over 8.3 million, the Africa CDC director warned over rising COVID-19 test positivity rate, which stood at 10.5 percent as compared with the number of tests conducted so far. A health worker (L) collects samples for COVID-19 testing at Eastleigh estate in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, May 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Nyalwash) The Africa CDC had in June revealed its plan to conduct 10 million COVID-19 tests over the next few months as part of the continental Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT), which led by three pillars that are testing, tracing, and treating. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent reached 874, 609 on Wednesday, according to the Africa CDC. The number of deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic rose to 18, 507 as of Wednesday afternoon, up from 18,160 on Tuesday afternoon, it said. The continental disease control and prevention agency also stressed that some 526,306 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered across the continent so far. People Weve Lost James Walker 59 years old Lived in Fox Chase He played pool and liked to check off his home to-do list More Memorials Vita Walker had forgotten about the video. Her husband, Jimmy, sent it to her on New Years Day, but she had never looked at it. When she did, she saw him once again, as he did for 35 years, professing his love for her. We had a beautiful life together, Walker said. He told me, You are the song of my life. Mr. Walker, 59, died on Sunday, April 5, of COVID-19 at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health. He was Philadelphias first active-duty police officer to die as a result of the pandemic, the department said. Mr. Walker his name was James, but people called him Jimmy was a Philly policeman for 33 years and was set to retire on Nov. 8. He worked narcotics, internal affairs, and traffic, and loved it. One time, dressed in his tuxedo, he left Vita on their way to a show to break up a robbery. She went on, and he made it to the theater by the second act. He was raised in North Philadelphia, got degrees from Temple and St. Josephs Universities, and planned to work homeland security jobs instead of retiring altogether. He loved being a police officer, Vita Walker said. After graduating from Parkway High School, Mr. Walker met his future wife in 1985 at Temple through a friend who thought they would hit it off. He got his degree in criminal justice, and they married on Aug. 12 four years later, and spent the next 31 years celebrating their union on the 12th of every month. In addition to his police work, Mr. Walker was expert at home construction. He did electrical, plumbing and carpentry work around the house in Fox Chase, most recently redoing the bar in his basement man cave. He loved to play pool, work out, and shop with his wife. They often bought identical clothes, and some people thought they were twins because of it. They traveled for years to island resorts to celebrate New Years, and he doted on his dog, Sadie Mae. He had tattoos, one reading, Be better than your former self. He would ask me every day what I needed or desired, Vita Walker said. Even though hes gone, I love him. In addition to his wife, Mr. Walker is survived by daughters Qiana and Khalia; two brothers; and two sisters. Gary Miles, gmiles@inquirer.com GOLETA, Calif., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Deckers Brands (NYSE: DECK), a global leader in designing, marketing, and distributing innovative footwear, apparel, and accessories, today announced financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2020. The Company also provided an update regarding its response to COVID-19. "First quarter performance was a testament to the resilience of our brands, the strength of our ecommerce platform, and the hard work of our employees," said Dave Powers, President and Chief Executive Officer. "While we are encouraged by the positive start to fiscal year 2021, we expect further challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the duration and severity of economic effects. We continue to believe our powerful brands, advanced omni-channel capabilities, and healthy balance sheet provide the foundation for our organization to weather this challenging environment and succeed over the long-term." First Quarter Fiscal 2021 Financial Review Net sales increased 2.3% to $283.2 million compared to $276.8 million for the same period last year. On a constant currency basis, net sales increased 2.8%. increased 2.3% to compared to for the same period last year. On a constant currency basis, net sales increased 2.8%. Gross margin was 50.3% compared to 47.0% for the same period last year. was 50.3% compared to 47.0% for the same period last year. SG&A expenses were $150.3 million compared to $161.4 million for the same period last year. were compared to for the same period last year. Operating loss was $7.7 million compared to operating loss of $31.4 million for the same period last year. was compared to operating loss of for the same period last year. Income tax benefit was $0.1 million compared to income tax benefit of $10.3 million for the same period last year. was compared to income tax benefit of for the same period last year. Basic loss per share was $0.28 compared to basic loss per share of $0.67 for the same period last year. Brand Summary UGG brand net sales for the first quarter decreased 10.0% to $124.7 million compared to $138.5 million for the same period last year. compared to for the same period last year. HOKA ONE ONE brand net sales for the first quarter increased 37.1% to $109.0 million compared to $79.5 million for the same period last year. compared to for the same period last year. Teva brand net sales for the first quarter decreased 7.9% to $35.2 million compared to $38.3 million for the same period last year. compared to for the same period last year. Sanuk brand net sales for the first quarter decreased 29.2% to $13.2 million compared to $18.7 million for the same period last year. Channel Summary (included in the brand sales numbers above) DTC net sales for the first quarter increased 74.2% to $139.8 million compared to $80.3 million for the same period last year. compared to for the same period last year. Wholesale net sales for the first quarter decreased 27.1% to $143.3 million compared to $196.6 million for the same period last year. Geographic Summary (included in the brand and channel sales numbers above) Domestic net sales for the first quarter increased 10.2% to $184.3 million compared to $167.3 million for the same period last year. compared to for the same period last year. International net sales for the first quarter decreased 9.7% to $98.9 million compared to $109.5 million for the same period last year. Balance Sheet (June 30, 2020 as compared to June 30, 2019) Cash and cash equivalents were $661.9 million compared to $502.6 million . compared to . Inventories were $435.0 million compared to $473.4 million . compared to . Outstanding borrowings were $30.7 million compared to $31.4 million . The full amount of outstanding borrowings relate to the mortgage on the Company's corporate headquarters. Stock Repurchase Program During the first quarter, the Company did not repurchase any shares of its common stock. As of June 30, 2020, the Company had $160 million remaining under its stock repurchase authorizations. The Company has paused share repurchase activity for the time being, but retains the discretion to commence share repurchase activity in future periods. Financial Outlook Given the ongoing and fluid economic environment related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company will not be providing full year guidance for fiscal year 2021. COVID-19 Update The Company continues to modify and evolve its operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company will continue to review expert agency guidelines, as well as information from health officials and local authorities, while assessing and evolving the appropriate scope of operations and allocation of resources necessary to navigate this dynamic and unprecedented environment. Company Liquidity As of June 30, 2020, the Company had a liquidity position of over $1.1 billion dollars, which included $661.9 million in cash and cash equivalents and $469.7 million available under its existing revolving credit facilities. As of the end of the first quarter, the Company did not have any outstanding borrowings under any of its existing revolving credit facilities. Retail Stores During the first quarter, the Company reopened many of its stores that were initially closed as a result of the restrictions imposed as part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 20% of the Company's stores were open for the entire 90-day period. The average store was open for roughly half of the quarter. As of this week, approximately 95% of the Company's global stores are open. Stores that have reopened have done so with modified operations, including enhanced health and safety protocols. Additionally, most stores that have reopened are operating at a limited capacity as they continue to adapt to new and evolving challenges related to COVID-19. Given the ongoing and uncertain pandemic conditions, which include meaningful local and regional differences in restrictions imposed on retail store operations, the Company anticipates potential risk of additional closures or limitations during peak periods. Supply Chain The Company's distribution center in Moreno Valley, California, as well as other third-party distribution facilities that the Company leverages to service its operations, are currently in operation and supporting ongoing logistics. However, these facilities may continue to operate at limited capacity due to the enhanced health and safety measures now in place. The Company anticipates operational challenges related to capacity constraints, including higher levels of ecommerce shipments during peak wholesale volume periods, as well as increased costs associated with warehouse employee safety and payroll expense. To mitigate these challenges, the Company is phasing some wholesale shipments earlier than in previous years, which may impact the timing of revenue between future quarters. The Company maintains a network of strategic sourcing partners which includes material vendors and third-party manufacturers. The Company experienced certain capacity constraints within its sourcing network during the first quarter, in addition to disruptions related to travel restrictions between country borders and production facilities. While the effects of these disruptions have been mitigated thus far, it is possible that there will be disruptions in the future. Board of Directors Announcement John M. Gibbons is retiring from our Board of Directors, effective at the end of his term on September 11, 2020. Mr. Gibbons has served as a member of our Board since 2000. Mr. Gibbons is our longest tenured board member and has made a great deal of contributions in his over 20 years with the Company. "I want to thank John for his many years of service, partnership, and contributions to the Deckers organization," said Dave Powers. "We will all miss John's leadership, and wish him well in his retirement." Non-GAAP Financial Measures In certain instances the Company may present Non-GAAP financial measures, including constant currency, to provide information that may assist investors in understanding its financial results and assessing its prospects for future performance. The Company believes these Non-GAAP financial measures are important indicators of its operating performance because they exclude items that are unrelated to, and may not be indicative of, its core operating results. The Non-GAAP financial measures presented by the Company may not necessarily be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies and may not be appropriate measures for comparing the performance of other companies relative to Deckers. For example, in order to calculate constant currency information, the Company calculates the current period financial information using the foreign currency exchange rates that were in effect during the previous comparable period, excluding the effects of foreign currency exchange rate hedges and re-measurements in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. These Non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to represent, and should not be considered to be more meaningful measures than, or alternatives to, measures of operating performance as determined in accordance with GAAP. To the extent the Company utilizes such Non-GAAP financial measures in the future, it expects to calculate them using a consistent method from period to period. Conference Call Information The Company's conference call to review the results for the first quarter fiscal 2021 will be broadcast live today, Thursday, July 30, 2020, at 4:30 pm Eastern Time and hosted at ir.deckers.com . You can access the broadcast by clicking on the "Investors" tab and then clicking on the webcast box at the top of the page. A replay of the broadcast will be available for at least 30 days following the conference call and can be accessed under the "Quarterly Earnings" section of the "Financials" tab at the aforementioned website. About Deckers Brands Deckers Brands is a global leader in designing, marketing, and distributing innovative footwear, apparel, and accessories developed for both everyday casual lifestyle use and high-performance activities. The Company's portfolio of brands includes UGG, Koolaburra, HOKA ONE ONE, Teva, and Sanuk. Deckers Brands products are sold in more than 50 countries and territories through select department and specialty stores, Company-owned and operated retail stores, and select online stores, including Company-owned websites. Deckers Brands has over 40 years of history building niche footwear brands into lifestyle market leaders attracting millions of loyal consumers globally. For more information, please visit www.deckers.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements are subject to considerable risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including statements regarding our anticipated financial performance and liquidity position, the scope of operations at our distribution centers, the impacts of COVID-19 on our business and operations, our ability to compete in our industry, our product and brand positioning and strategies, and our potential repurchase of shares. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by using words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expected," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "will," or "would," and similar expressions or the negative of these expressions. Forward-looking statements represent our management's current expectations and predictions about trends affecting our business and industry and are based on information available as of the time such statements are made. Although we do not make forward-looking statements unless we believe we have a reasonable basis for doing so, we cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. Forward-looking statements involve numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements predicted, assumed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements are described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, as well as in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law or the listing rules of the New York Stock Exchange, we expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, whether to conform such statements to actual results or changes in our expectations, or as a result of the availability of new information. In addition, readers are cautioned that we may make future changes to our business and operations in response to the challenges and impacts of COVID-19, or in response to other business developments, which changes may be inconsistent with our prior forward-looking statements, and which may not be disclosed in future public announcements. DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (UNAUDITED) (dollar and share data amounts in thousands, except per share data) Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 2019 Net sales $ 283,169 $ 276,839 Cost of sales 140,603 146,820 Gross profit 142,566 130,019 Selling, general and administrative expenses 150,265 161,436 Loss from operations (7,699) (31,417) Other expense (income), net 373 (1,812) Loss before income taxes (8,072) (29,605) Income tax benefit (99) (10,254) Net loss (7,973) (19,351) Other comprehensive income (loss) Unrealized gain (loss) on cash flow hedges, net of tax 353 (317) Foreign currency translation gain 653 68 Total other comprehensive income (loss) 1,006 (249) Comprehensive loss $ (6,967) $ (19,600) Net loss per share Basic $ (0.28) $ (0.67) Diluted $ (0.28) $ (0.67) Weighted-average common shares outstanding Basic 28,001 29,089 Diluted 28,001 29,089 DECKERS OUTDOOR CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (dollar amounts in thousands) June 30, 2020 March 31, 2020 ASSETS (AUDITED) Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 661,941 $ 649,436 Trade accounts receivable, net 135,225 185,596 Inventories, net 434,974 311,620 Other current assets 57,670 47,459 Total current assets 1,289,810 1,194,111 Property and equipment, net 209,074 209,037 Operating lease assets 230,578 243,522 Other noncurrent assets 119,104 118,448 Total assets $ 1,848,566 $ 1,765,118 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities Short-term borrowings $ 646 $ 638 Trade accounts payable 253,557 147,892 Operating lease liabilities 48,009 49,091 Other current liabilities 92,786 103,325 Total current liabilities 394,998 300,946 Mortgage payable 30,101 30,263 Long-term operating lease liabilities 205,555 215,724 Other long-term liabilities 80,984 78,065 Total long-term liabilities 316,640 324,052 Total stockholders' equity 1,136,928 1,140,120 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 1,848,566 $ 1,765,118 SOURCE Deckers Brands Related Links http://www.deckers.com A Belfast man was remanded into custody today charged with blackmailing people to make cash transfers. Jackie Johnston, 37, allegedly used menacing telephone calls to demand money from three different men. Police said the case relates to suspected threats to release compromising information about a number of individuals. Johnston, of Parkend Street in the city, appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with three counts of blackmail on dates between November 2018 and November 2019. He is also accused of obstructing police by providing false details when detained on Wednesday. In a separate case, Johnston is charged with two counts of theft. He allegedly stole 300 worth of bedding from a Dunelm Mill store in January this year, and meat products valued at 80 from a Lidl branch earlier this month. Opposing bail, a detective claimed there was a risk of further offences. The court was told any delay in questioning Johnston about the blackmail charges could be due to obtaining the relevant information from the banks. But defence barrister Jonathan Browne expressed concerns about progress made in the case. "A lot of the contact was allegedly over telephone communication," he said. No further details about the suspected blackmail incidents were disclosed. Bail was refused due to the risk of Johnston not turning up for future hearings. District Judge Mark Hamill remanded him in custody to appear again on August 27. WASHINGTON, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the authority on boardroom practices representing more than 21,000 board members, today announced that former ambassador Susan Rice and General Colin Powell, US Army (Ret.), will join the Virtual NACD Summit 2020 (Summit) as featured speakers. This years event will run from October 12 through November 12, 2020, and engage a broader audience of members and nonmembers with its first ever virtual format. This years Virtual Summit is complimentary to members, andfor the first timeit will be open to nonmembers for a fee. Mainstage programming will take place October 1213, followed by five weeks of programming that will offer expert insights and discussions on topics ranging from global disruption and civil unrest to ESG and shareholder activism. The Summit will also include member-exclusive programming. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, so does the impact that it is having across organizations, said Peter R. Gleason, CEO of NACD. Boards are responding to many ongoing and emerging challengesfrom business continuity to technology vulnerabilities. Now, more than ever, NACDs Summit will play an invaluable role in fostering meaningful discussion. Importantly, it will arm directors with tools and solutions for managing the unique challenges and opportunities that boards find themselves facing today. General Colin Powell, US Army (Ret.), served in the US Army for 35 years, rising to the rank of four-star general. He was President Ronald Reagans national security adviser, he chaired the Joint Chiefs of Staff for both President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton, and he served as the 65th secretary of state. He has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, a French Legion of Honor award, and an honorary knighthood bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II. Powell is currently a strategic adviser at Kleiner Perkins, a director of Bloom Energy and Salesforce.com, on the museum council of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and on the Council on Foreign Relations. Former ambassador Susan E. Rice is a distinguished visiting research fellow at American Universitys School of International Service; a nonresident, senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government; and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Rice served as US national security adviser and US permanent representative to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, and from 2002 to 2008, she was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rice currently serves on the board of directors for Netflix. Additional speakers confirmed for NACDs 2020 Summit include these: Amy Wilkinson: Wilkinson is CEO of Ingenuity, a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and author of the global bestseller The Creators Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs (2016). She has worked with major corporations such as Google, IBM, Oracle, Porsche, and Hearst on their innovation initiatives. Her career spans leadership roles in strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company, mergers and acquisitions at J.P. Morgan, and as founder of Alegre, a cross-border export company. Wilkinson also has served as a White House Fellow and senior adviser to the US Trade Representative. Wilkinson chairs the board of consumer technology company Grover. In addition, she serves as an innovation expert for the World Economic Forum and The Wall Street Journal. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an Eisenhower Fellow, and an Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation grantee. Jennifer Golbeck: Golbeck is a computer scientist, director of the Social Intelligence Lab, and professor in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on analyzing and computing with social media and creating usable privacy and security systems. She writes for Slate and The Atlantic and frequently appears on National Public Radio, including as a regular guest host for The Kojo Nnamdi Show. Her TED talk was named one of the most powerful talks of 2014. To learn more and to register, click here . About NACD Summit For more than 30 years, Summit has been regarded as the largest and most influential director forum in the world, attracting more than 1,800 attendees from across the globe to learn, be inspired, and connect with their peers. This years event will be the first time it has ever been held virtually. The Virtual NACD Summit 2020 will cover a range of era-defining issues, ideas, and insights that will continue to shape boardrooms around the globe in 2021 and beyond. About NACD The National Association of Corporate Directors ( NACD ) empowers more than 21,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that todays directors are well prepared for tomorrows challenges. World-class boards join NACD to elevate performance, gain foresight, and instill confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for responsible board leadership for more than 40 years. To learn more about NACD, visit www.nacdonline.org . Their six-year marriage is under more strain than ever. But following Kim Kardashian West's dramatic reunion with husband Kanye West on Monday, in exclusive pictures revealed by DailyMail.com, reports have suggested that the super couple have actually been growing distant for almost a year now. Kanye, 43, who launched a controversial and unlikely presidential campaign this month, is said to have been based at his $14 million Wyoming ranch this past year, while Kim, 39, would visit only once a month with their four children North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, one. Separate lives? Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have reportedly been living apart for the past year as he's been based full-time at his $14 million ranch in Cody, Wyoming (Pictured: 2019) DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for the reality star over the latest reports of the couple leading separate lives. Clearly the distance between the couple has been a source of contention, as during Kanye's Twitter meltdown last week, he stated 'My family must live next to me' adding 'It's not up to E or NBC anymore.' The rapper appeared to be hinting that he wanted Kim and the kids to be based in Wyoming and not in LA, where she films her E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Tense reunion: DailyMail.com revealed the couple had reunited in Wyoming on Monday where they held marriage crisis talks 'Kanye has been in Wyoming for the last year. Kim goes about once every five weeks and brings the kids,' one source told UsWeekly, adding: 'they haven't been spending time together because he moved his life completely to Wyoming and that's not where their life is, their family is, their kids are in school or the larger family is.' Meanwhile, it was reported yesterday that Kim has been thinking they 'need to be apart' right now, according to PEOPLE. A source told the outlet: 'She knows that it's not healthy for her to be around him now, and it's honestly not healthy for the kids. He needs to get his stuff together before he can be any sort of partner or father.' Another report added that Kanye lives 'full time' in Wyoming as it is 'best for his creativity' according PageSix. Kim is also said to have urged Kanye to quit his bid for presidency, which lead him to a disastrous first campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, where he claimed that he and his wife has considered aborting their first baby, daughter North. On Tuesday, Kim was seen heading straight back into work mode after her tense reunion with Kanye, as she arrived at a studio in Los Angeles for a photoshoot for her SKIMS range, leaving Kanye behind in Wyoming. Back in work mode: After the tense reunion, Kim was pictured getting straight back to work as she attended a photoshoot for underwear line SKIMS in Los Angeles on Tuesday 'Kim feels trapped,' a source added to PEOPLE. 'She loves Kanye and she thinks of him as the love of her life. But she doesn't know what to do.' However, multiple outlets have reported that the couple do not want to get divorced. Yet Kanye is still eager for his presidential bid to become a reality, after making another last-ditch attempt to get on another ballot in Missouri earlier this week, and is said to have hired top political advisers. Visits: Kim, 39, reportedly only visits Kanye in Wyoming once a month with their four children North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, one He said sorry: However, Kanye apologized to his wife in a tweet last week, amid reports that he went to hospital to be treated for anxiety Kanye appeared at a campaign rally in South Carolina on July 19 (pictured) in which he delivered a lengthy monologue which sparked concerns about his well-being Last week, Kim took to Instagram following Kanye's controversial behavior, admitting that she was 'powerless' amid his meltdown, calling her husband 'brilliant but complicated'. The reality star said 'his words sometimes do not align with his intentions' after Kanye last night claimed he has been 'trying to get divorced' from Kim since she met his fellow rapper Meek Mill at a hotel. Kanye said last Tuesday that Kim was 'out of line' to meet Meek Mill at a hotel in Los Angeles to talk about 'prison reform', and blasted her mother Kris Jenner as 'Kris Jong-Un' while accusing the pair of 'white supremacy.' However, Kanye apologized to his wife in a tweet last week, amid reports that he went to hospital to be treated for anxiety. 'Complicated and painful': Kim took to Instagram last Wednesday morning following West's late night Twitter meltdown, saying she feels 'powerless' amid his struggle with bi-polar disorder The rapper tweeted: '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 [sic] Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.' His apology came after Kim gave a frank and honest statement about the situation to her fans, sharing three pages to her Instagram story last Wednesday saying: 'Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor.' She told her 180 million followers: 'I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. 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.' Prior to his meltdown on Twitter, Kanye sparked concern during a rambling and chaotic speech at his first presidential rally at North Charleston's Exquis Event Center in South Carolina. He shockingly revealed that he and his wife Kim had considered aborting their daughter North, who is now seven, before he got a 'message from God'. His unscripted speech, which came two weeks after he announced his unlikely bid for president, is said to have left his wife and her family upset and alarmed. B oris Johnson has hailed the nation's "massive success" in reducing the number of coronavirus deaths as new figures revealed England had the highest excess death rate in Europe. Official statistics issued on Thursday revealed the UKs cumulative mortality rate was higher by the end of May than even Italy and Spain, which were hit earlier by the virus. Asked if he was ashamed over the Office for National Statistics analysis during a visit to North Yorkshire, the Prime Minister said he "mourns every loss of life". "Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths," he added. "Weve got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down. "But I have to tell you that were looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see whats been happening in the United States." An ONS spokesman confirmed that the four nations and regions of the UK together had a combined rate that was higher than any other country in Western Europe. By the end of May, England was top of the table with a death rate 7.55 per cent higher than usual, the ONS said. It overtook Spain, which had suffered a higher peak earlier in the crisis, and by May 29 had an excess death rate of 6.65. Speaking in Northallerton, Mr Johnson urged people to not lose their focus and discipline in observing the coronavirus guidelines in place. UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /38 UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures People wearing PPE sit on bench's at Earl's Court Station Reuters Worlds End Nurseries in Chelsea opens for business. Customer Nika Kucifer is shown flowers by Janson Lotery Nigel Howard Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing the nation about coronavirus (COVID-19) from 10 Downing Street, London. PA Coronavirus Covid-19 Colour Coded Alert System A sign is pictured explaining that the road has been narrowed to aid social distancing when using Camden High Street AFP via Getty Images Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard Phil Spencer, Cheshire coach of the year 2019 photographed in action at the Bowdon Lawn Tennis Club coaching 9-year-old club member Gigi Welch on the first day the prime minister is allowing family members to enjoy unlimited outdoor activities and various sports played with social distancing on May 13, 2020 in Bowdon Getty Images A golfer plays the first hole while wearing a face mask at West Essex Golf Course Getty Images Pedestrians and cyclists make their way across London Bridge following prime minister Boris Johnson's advice for people to return work if possible but not use public transport. Daniel Hambury Two men wear face masks on the London Underground Jubilee line PA Key workers in Birmingham city centre, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA Coronavirus-themed street art by mural artist and illustrator KMG in Camden PA Traffic is seen on the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour near Heathrow Airport i AFP via Getty Images A member of staff take a trolley from customers for disinfection at a garden centre in Caerphilly, Wales, as minor changes to lockdown restriction begin across Wales PA Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves is seen walking past a mural, Reuters Pedestrians pass heavy traffic passing over Tower Bridge in London, PA Commuters wait to board a train at Canning Town underground PA A satellite image shows Trafalgar Square in London via Reuters A member of staff hands over a coffee from behind a plastic protective screen at a branch of Pret a Manger in central London PA A general view of Old Compton Brasserie in an empty Soho Daniel Hambury Cyclists exercise in The Meadows in Edinburgh as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A general view of Gerrard Street in an empty Soho Daniel Hambury A man wearing a protective face mask is seen at Westminster tube station, Reuters Workers carry a pane of glass on a construction site near Guildford AFP via Getty Images Commuters wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), including a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, wait to catch a red London bus in the morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images Traffic crosses Waterloo Bridge PA Pedestrians and cyclists make their way across London Bridge Daniel Hambury Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard "Lets be clear, there is only one way of controlling the coronavirus at present, obviously were making great progress with drugs like dexamethasone, remdesivir, were able to deal with [it] in ways we werent able to do in early March," he said. "But broadly speaking, the only way to control coronavirus is if everybody collectively obeys the social-distancing rules and works together to drive the virus down." He added: "Together weve really reduced the incidence of the virus and weve got the number of deaths down. "But it can come up again, and weve seen what is happening in other European countries, so what Im saying to people is dont lose focus, dont lose discipline, continue to observe those guidelines and if you have symptoms, get a test." Reiterating warnings of a resurgence in cases, Mr Johnson said "were not out of the woods". Self-isolation period for those with Covid-19 symptoms extended to 10 days He said: "Its absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline and that we dont delude ourselves that somehow were out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isnt all over." It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock also voiced concerns about a second spike with cases "starting to roll" across Europe. "There is a serious concern about a second wave which is clearly now moving across Europe and we need to take action to protect this country and the people in it," Mr Hancock said. "I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and weve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it." Loading.... It was also confirmed on Thursday that those who test positive for coronavirus or display symptoms such as a persistent cough, a high temperature or loss of sense of smell, must now self-isolate for 10 days. Islamabad, July 30 : After the governments proposed ordinance to facilitate Kulbhushan Jadhav file a review plea against his death sentence by a Pakistan military court was passed by the Lower House of the National Assembly amid uproar and protest by the opposition benches, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has constituted a bench to hear the plea submitted by the federal government against Jadhavs sentence on August 3. The federal government, under the Presidential Ordinance, has appointed a legal representative for Jadhav, who will be presenting his case before the IHC. Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who will be hearing the petition on Jadhav's case, heads the bench. The federal government had approached the IHC on July 22, stating that Jadhav, the Indian spy, who it claimed had been involved in several terrorist activities in Pakistan, had refused to file a plea against his sentence, adding that Jadhav cannot appoint a lawyer in Pakistan without assistance from India. As per the petition, "Jadhav refused to file a petition against his sentence, while New Delhi is also reluctant to avail the facility under the ordinance." The federation, through the Defence Secretary and the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of the General Headquarters (GHQ), has been named party in the petition filed by the Federal Minister of Law and Justice. The move comes after the federal government presented the International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Ordinance 2020, in relation to Jadhav getting the approval through the National Assembly of Pakistan (Lower House) and is geared up to present it in the Senate (Upper House). Opposition parties have strongly protested against the ordinance, calling it an open support to the "Indian spy", who has "spread fear and terrorism in the country". "The government had passed an ordinance that would benefit the Indian spy in Pakistan's custody," said leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi maintained that the "ordinance was promulgated in line with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision that required counselor access and right of appeal to the spy". "India wants to drag us to the ICJ again but we have followed all the instructions of the international court to foil any attempt of India against Pakistan," he said. But the opposition benches claim that the government is trying to give concession to Jadhav. Till now, Pakistan has offered consular access to India thrice. The second consular access was given to Jadhav on July 16, but Indian side had raised reservations over the arrangements put in place for the meeting. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the "first consular access under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 was provided by Pakistan on September 2, 2019", adding that "mother and wife of commander Jadhav were also allowed to meet him on December 25, 2017". A high-profile case of alleged murder that has stretched on nearly five years and demanded decisions by some of the top officials in the Navy and Pentagon has taken another turn with a new appellate ruling. The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Appeals released a decision this month in the case of Lt. Craig Becker, a decorated explosive ordnance disposal officer accused of murdering his wife on Oct. 8, 2015, by pushing her out of a seventh-story window in Mons, Belgium. A three-judge panel ruled in favor of the government prosecution, finding that a military judge had wrongly excluded prior statements from Becker's wife, Johanna Hove-Becker, in pretrial hearings in early 2019. Read next: Air Force Special Operations Approves First Beard, Turban Waiver for Sikh Airman The government's appeal on the matter ahead of the court-martial, known as an interlocutory appeal, essentially left trial proceedings on pause for more than a year to await the appeals court's consideration. It's the latest in a series of unconventional developments in the thorny case. Becker, now 39, was serving at NATO headquarters at the time of the alleged crime. Hove-Becker's death, after her fall from a window of the couple's apartment building, was reportedly initially ruled a suicide by Belgian authorities. But later examiners found the opioid tramadol and insomnia drug zolpidem in her system, according to reported charge sheets, and officials ultimately charged Becker with homicide, saying he drugged Johanna and then sent her to her death. According to the recent appeals court ruling, the couple had separated in summer 2015 but remained amicable. But, the court stated, Becker had a "visceral reaction" when he learned Johanna had a new boyfriend. Her death took place the same day she'd signed a lease on her own apartment, after a dinner together in the apartment the couple had shared. What followed in the case was years of hearings and administrative back-and-forth while Becker remained in Belgian custody. Navy officials, citing a status-of-forces agreement, declined to take jurisdiction in the case, despite petitions by Becker's attorneys. Now-retired Adm. Michelle Howard, then-commander of U.S. Forces Europe and Africa, cited concerns that evidence collected by Belgian authorities would not be admissible in military court if the case were transferred, according to a 2017 report from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Ultimately, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis intervened on Jan. 2, 2018, ordering the Navy to take over the case. Among concerns cited in a petition to Mattis on Becker's behalf was that the case would likely not be heard in Belgian court until 2020 -- an irony considering that it has yet to reach court-martial in the United States. Becker was released from Belgian custody in February 2018; on Feb. 11, 2019, he was arraigned at Naval Base San Diego on charges of premeditated murder, assault and conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman. The Navy officer has maintained his innocence throughout; his defense attorneys have claimed that Johanna Hove-Becker dealt with a recurring mental illness that affected her behavior and led to her suicide. The appeals court ruling, published July 24, states that the military judge, Navy Capt. Aaron Rugh, ruled in two pretrial hearings that statements made by Hove-Becker, alleging previous abusive conduct by her husband, were inadmissible at court-martial. Hove-Becker claimed in August 2013 that her husband "threw her around their hotel room and strangled her" after learning of her infidelity, according to the court's summary. She reported the alleged abuse to multiple people, including a military police officer and the clerk at the desk of the Army Lodge where they were guests. She later made a formal law enforcement report that further alleged Becker had taken her ID and credit cards and changed passwords to their shared bank account, the summary of facts states. However, she recanted all statements that evening following a joint counseling session, and the investigation into the matter was formally closed in June 2014. Still, according to documents, Hove-Becker continued to tell friends and family that her accusations were true and that she'd taken them back only to save her husband's military career. "She said he prevented her from contacting her friends and family while she was recovering from a surgery, and controlled who could visit her at their apartment in Belgium," the appeals court wrote. "She said he controlled how she could dress, prevented her from getting a tattoo, and destroyed her cosmetic products." The prosecution argued in pretrial hearings that Becker killed his wife in part to keep her from reviving old allegations of abuse; his attorneys said that was just speculation and not supported by the evidence. Ultimately, Rugh sided with the defense and excluded statements, saying it wasn't reasonably foreseeable that Hove-Becker's abuse allegations would have been revived. But the standard, the appeals court found, was wrongly applied. At issue, the judges said, was the legal concept of forfeiture by wrongdoing. While a defendant has a constitutional right to cross-examine any accusers, that right can be overridden in cases "where an accused's wrongful actions prevent a witness from testifying," such as cases of alleged murder in which the witness is the purported victim. "As the military judge's determination of the inadmissibility of certain prior statements by Mrs. Becker was based on a legal principle we now hold to be incorrect, we find his ruling was an abuse of discretion," the court wrote. "We determine the appropriate remedy for this error is to remand the case for additional proceedings consistent with this opinion." Jeremiah J. Sullivan III, Becker's civilian attorney of record, told Military.com via email that he expects the next hearing in the case to take place within 60 days. "We are confident that we will win and justice will prevail," he said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Related: War Hero Claims Navy Abandoned Him, Others Cry Murder Airline/Flight Number Departure City/Local Time Arrival City/Local Time Southwest #368 Ontario (ONT) 7:15 a.m. Chicago (MDW) 1:00 p.m. Southwest #1414 Chicago (MDW) 9:15 p.m. Ontario (ONT) 11:25 p.m. United Airlines will resume daily nonstop service between ONT and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on August 3. Airline Departure City/Local Time Arrival City/Local Time United Airlines #6083 Houston (IAH) 10:45 a.m. Ontario (ONT) 12:03 p.m. United Airlines #6068 Ontario (ONT) 12:45 p.m. Houston (IAH) 6:00 p.m. * Operated by Mesa Airlines dba United Express Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines will add two flights per week to Denver. "The past several months have been challenging, to say the least, but we have remained focused on restoring commercial air service at Ontario," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "That Southwest and United are both resuming flights to popular U.S. destinations is a great vote of confidence in our customer base and our local economy." Based on current airline schedules, ONT will have 47 daily departures on average in August, 36% lower than August last year. To help keep all safe and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Ontario Airport requires appropriate face covers for all customers, visitors and employees. The airport continues to utilize enhanced safeguards to keep facilities clean and germ-free, including frequent sanitizing of high-touch surfaces with highly effective disinfectant and security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology. Passengers should wash hands with soap and water frequently and use the many hand sanitizing stations that have been added throughout ONT terminals. About Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario City Council Member Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner). OIAA Media Contact: Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected] SOURCE Ontario International Airport Related Links www.flyontario.com Around six in ten people living in some of India's biggest slums have antibodies for the novel coronavirus indicating they've recovered from infection, in what could be one of the highest population immunity levels known worldwide. The findings, from a July serological survey of 6,936 people across three suburbs in India's financial center of Mumbai, may explain why a steep drop in infections is being seen among the closely-packed population, despite new cases accelerating overall in the hard-hit country. "Mumbai's slums may have reached herd immunity," said Jayaprakash Muliyil, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of India's National Institute of Epidemiology, and the retired head of one of its premier medical colleges. "If people in Mumbai want a safe place to avoid infection, they should probably go there." The findings of the study, which was conducted by municipal authorities and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, suggest that despite efforts to contain its spread, Mumbai's poorest places may have unwittingly pursued the controversial strategy of herd immunity. This describes an approach in which infection is allowed to run through a population to faster neutralize the pathogen's threat. The idea is controversial not only because of the risks to those who get infected, but because there is still debate over how much immunity an infection leaves, and how long it lasts. Some studies have shown antibody counts dropping after only a few months, creating the possibility of re-infection, though there's been little evidence so far that re-infection has been occurring in this pandemic. Some experts have raised the possibility that other immune cells continue to provide immunity even after antibodies fade. About 57% of surveyed people in the slums of Dahisar, Chembur and Matunga had antibodies in their blood, compared to 21.2% found in an April study in New York City, and 14% reported in Stockholm in May. A "hands-off" approach has been criticized in places like Sweden, where it appears to have resulted in more deaths than neighboring countries that implemented lockdowns. But the findings from Mumbai's slums, where the population is young and less pre-disposed to severe cases of Covid-19, may support public health strategies more focused on protecting the vulnerable without trying to suppress the virus completely. The study's authors noted the results suggests asymptomatic cases constitute a large part of all infections. With social distancing more or less impossible, Mumbai's slums are singularly well-suited for the coronavirus's spread. Dharavi, the largest, packs a population as big as San Francisco's into an area the size of New York's Central Park, with as many as 80 people often sharing a public toilet, and families of eight regularly packed in a 100-square-foot room. Yet the slums have seen steep drops in infections in recent weeks after cases first erupted in April, even as India's overall cases grow at the fastest pace globally. Credit has largely been given to the intensive containment measures officials implemented in the slums, like door-to-door health screenings and rapidly-erected quarantine facilities. The serological findings suggest another possibility: The crisis may be largely over because the virus has spread efficiently, not because it was stopped. "One explanation is they did an excellent job containing it, the other is that herd immunity has been reached," Muliyil said. "The virus does its work. The virus doesn't worry about your quarantine and it is much more efficient than your efforts to contain it." To be sure, the findings should not be taken as reason to relax precautions like mask-wearing and maintaining as much physical distancing as possible, said K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India. Tests like the ones Mumbai used to conduct its survey have a tendency to throw out false positives, so the actual rate of exposure may be lower, he said. Even if the numbers are taken at face value, most of Mumbai's slum dwellers venture regularly into the rest of the city for work or other reasons, putting them at risk of transmission to or from people elsewhere. "It's not really herd immunity, it's herd protection," Reddy said. "If you wander out to another herd which has had a lower degree of exposure, there's no such protection." For Muliyil, what the government's containment measures did achieve in the slums is help keep mortality rates low, because the proactive surveillance ensured that cases were caught early and given high quality care. Of a population as big as a million people, Dharavi has recorded 253 deaths. Growing immunity may also be behind the dip in cases in the capital city of New Delhi, said Muliyil, where a study in early July found that a quarter of the population had been exposed. Epidemiologists generally believe that infection levels must reach 60% to create herd immunity. But exposure concentrated in the populations least able to socially distance, like slums, could still slow the overall spread of infection if those who've been better able to protect themselves continue to do so. In Mumbai overall, new cases dropped to the lowest tally in almost three months this week, although the July antibody survey found only 16% had been exposed to the virus among those living in places where social distancing is more feasible, like apartment buildings and houses. Hospitalizations seem to be going down in both of India's hardest hit major cities, another indication their outbreaks may be easing. Still, there have been persistent reports of cases and deaths being under-counted around India, raising skepticism over whether infections are truly dropping in Mumbai and New Delhi. The Delhi government was recently censured by a court for basing its numbers too heavily on antigen tests with high rates of false negatives. A Rottweiler attacks and kills a Spitz in Eunpyeong-gu, northwestern Seoul, July 25 / Screen capture from Yonhap TV By Lee Hyo-jin Calls are mounting to punish the owner of a Rottweiler after it killed another pet dog, a Spitz, July 25 in Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong District, northwestern Seoul. A public petition posted on the presidential website, Wednesday, urging strong punishment for the Rottweiler's owner, has gathered more than 28,000 signatures as of 2 p.m., Thursday. The petitioner, who claimed to be a witness to the incident, stated that the owner has been irresponsible in controlling the fierce dog in the neighborhood. Surveillance footage showed how the attack occurred in just a few seconds. The unleashed black Rottweiler ran toward the white Spitz walking on the other side of the street. It brutally attacked the small dog while two people, including the Spitz's owner, attempted to restrain the dog. The Spitz died shortly after the attack. Its owner reportedly suffered minor injuries while trying to protect her dog. A public petition calling for strong punishment of the owner of a Rottweiler that killed another pet dos has gathered more than 28,000 signatures. / Screen capture from Cheong Wa Dae official website "This is the fifth time the Rottweiler has attacked or killed another dog. But the owner remains uncaring, leaving the ferocious dog unleashed on the porch," the petitioner said. They also urged tougher regulations for dog owners to prevent similar incidents in the future. "The government should require people who want to own fierce breeds to apply for a license. Also, if ferocious dogs are seen in the street without a muzzle, their owner should be fined more than 10 million won ($8,380)." Under the petition, one user with the id 'kakao-***' left a comment saying, "This should be dealt with properly, otherwise the dog might attack a child in the future." Another comment read, "We need stronger laws to punish irresponsible dog owners." A Rottweiler is a German breed, known for its aggressiveness and strong build. A full-grown Rottweiler can weigh up to 60 kilograms. Under the Animal Protection Law, it is categorized as a "ferocious breed," which must be leashed and muzzled in public areas. Also, its owner should take a mandatory education program given by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Dhaka, July 31 : A Dhaka court on Thursday sent three persons to 14-day remand in two cases filed over the bomb explosion at the Pallabi police station here, which left five persons, including four police personnel, injured on Wednesday morning. The three accused are Rafiqul Islam, 40, Shahidul Islam, 24, and Mosharraf Hossain, 26. However, a senior police officer denied any terrorist links in connection with the case. An investigating team has been constituted to probe the matter. Five people were injured when a bomb exploded at the Pallabi police station on Wednesday at around 6 a.m., when officer-in-charge of the police station was interrogating three terrorists, a senior police officer told IANS. The police said that the explosion occurred from a weighing machine. Walid Hossain, Deputy Commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told IANS: "Police had information that they were hatching a conspiracy to eliminate a political leader." More bombs were neutralised subsequently by the bomb disposal squad of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit. Three days ago, top police officers of different units were instructed to remain alert as the police suspected extremists' links to the explosion in the capital's Paltan area last Friday. Manirul Islam, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, Dhaka Metroplitan Police, said that the incident was an accident and had no terrorist links. The police have seized two pistols, four bullets and a device that looked like a weighing machine, said Additional Police Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan, Krishna Pada Roy. During interrogation, the accused revealed that the device had a bomb inside. The police said that the law-enforcement agency has arrested the three men with firearms and a 'weighing machine' packed with explosives, during a raid in the early hours of Wednesday. Metropolitan Magistrate Mainul Islam passed the order after Farukuzzaman, a sub-inspector of Pallabi police station, and also the investigation officer of the case, produced them before his court with a 20-day remand request in two cases. An officer privy to the investigation said the accused were 'directly involved' with possessing firearms and explosives and they needed to be placed on remand to find out vital clues and to learn about the whereabouts of the others involved. The defence, however, submitted separate petitions seeking cancellation of the remand plea. After hearing both sides, the Magistrate rejected their pleas and issued a 14-day remand order. Islam said that it was not done by any militant, but by a group with criminal intent. Despite efforts throughout the United States last spring to suppress the spread of the novel coronavirus, states across the country have experienced spikes in the past several weeks. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the nation has climbed to more than 3.5 million since the start of the pandemic. Public officials in many states, including California, have now started to roll back the reopening process to help curb the spread of the virus. Eventually, state and local policymakers will be faced with deciding for a second time when and how to reopen their communities. A pair of researchers in UC Santa Barbara's College of Engineering, Xifeng Yan and Yu-Xiang Wang, have developed a novel forecasting model, inspired by artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, to provide timely information at a more localized level that officials and anyone in the public can use in their decision-making processes. "We are all overwhelmed by the data, most of which is provided at national and state levels," said Yan, an associate professor who holds the Venkatesh Narayanamurti Chair in Computer Science. "Parents are more interested in what is happening in their school district and if it's safe for their kids to go to school in the fall. However, there are very few websites providing that information. We aim to provide forecasting and explanations at a localized level with data that is more useful for residents and decision makers." The forecasting project, "Interventional COVID-19 Response Forecasting in Local Communities Using Neural Domain Adaption Models," received a Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant for nearly $200,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF). "The challenges of making sense of messy data are precisely the type of problems that we deal with every day as computer scientists working in AI and machine learning," said Wang, an assistant professor of computer science and holder of the Eugene Aas Chair. "We are compelled to lend our expertise to help communities make informed decisions." Yan and Wang developed an innovative forecasting algorithm based on a deep learning model called Transformer. The model is driven by an attention mechanism that intuitively learns how to forecast by learning what time period in the past to look at and what data is the most important and relevant. "If we are trying to forecast for a specific region, like Santa Barbara County, our algorithm compares the growth curves of COVID-19 cases across different regions over a period of time to determine the most-similar regions. It then weighs these regions to forecast cases in the target region," explained Yan. In addition to COVID-19 data, the algorithm also draws information from the U.S. Census to factor in hyper-local details when calibrating the forecast for a local community. "The census data is very informative because it implicitly captures the culture, lifestyle, demographics and types of businesses in each local community," said Wang. "When you combine that with COVID-19 data available by region, it helps us transfer the knowledge learned from one region to another, which will be useful for communities that want data on the effectiveness of interventions in order to make informed decisions." The researchers' models showed that, during the recent spike, Santa Barbara County experienced spread similar to what Mecklenburg, Wake, and Durham counties in North Carolina saw in late March and early April. Using those counties to forecast future cases in Santa Barbara County, the researchers' attention-based model outperformed the most commonly used epidemiological models: the SIR (susceptible, infected, recovered) model, which describes the flow of individuals through three mutually exclusive stages; and the autoregressive model, which makes predictions based solely on a series of data points displayed over time. The AI-based model had a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 0.030, compared with 0.11 for the SIR model and 0.072 with autoregression. The MAPE is a common measure of prediction accuracy in statistics. Yan and Wang say their model forecasts more accurately because it eliminates key weaknesses associated with current models. Census data provides fine-grained details missing in existing simulation models, while the attention mechanism leverages the substantial amounts of data now available publicly. "Humans, even trained professionals, are not able to process the massive data as effectively as computer algorithms," said Wang. "Our research provides tools for automatically extracting useful information from the data to simplify the picture, rather than making it more complicated." The project, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Richard Beswick and Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons from Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, will be presented later this month during the Computing Research Association (CRA) Virtual Conference. Formed in 1972 as a forum for department chairs of computer sciences departments across the country, the CRA's membership has grown to include more than 200 organizations active in computing research. Yan and Wang's research efforts will not stop there. They plan to make their model and forecasts available to the public via a website and to collect enough data to forecast for communities across the country. "We hope to forecast for every community in the country because we believe that when people are well informed with local data, they will make well-informed decisions," said Yan. They also hope their algorithm can be used to forecast what could happen if a particular intervention is implemented at a specific time. "Because our research focuses on more fundamental aspects, the developed tools can be applied to a variety of factors," added Yan. "Hopefully, the next time we are in such a situation, we will be better equipped to make the right decisions at the right time." ### The Iran question has come once again to haunt Indian foreign policy, as it does every few years. There is an emerging chorus of voices pondering how New Delhi is losing Iran. We are being told how critical Iran is to Indian strategic interests, and we are reminded of that highly misused concept civilisational ties. Then, we are warned that India is neglecting its ties with Iran, all because of that ubiquitous American pressure. We are told how gargantuan a loss it is and how the entire edifice of Indian foreign policy might just crumble because we have failed to nurture our relationship with Iran. Indeed, no country other than Iran has had such an outsized impact on Indian foreign policy discourse over the last two decades. The latest shock in India-Iran ties have come from revelations that India may have been ousted from a project involving the construction of a railway line from Chabahar port to Zahedan. This railway line project was part of the trilateral pact signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tehran in 2016, with Afghanistan and Iran committing India to build an alternative trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Indian Railways Construction Ltd (IRCON) was to take this project forward with a financing of $1.6 billion. Early this year, the development of Farzad-B gas field, which was supposed to be a joint venture between Iran and ONGC Videsh (OVL), was also awarded to a domestic entity. Tehran decided that in the immediate future, Iran would develop the field on its own and would like to involve India appropriately at a later stage. These decisions have led to an intense debate in India about the failure of Indian foreign policy. But foreign policy is not something that a nation engages in with itself. By its very definition, it is a process that involves more than one entity. It is iterative, as much a function of what a nation does to and with others, as it is of what other entities do to that country. So, while India may have its agenda and priorities, Irans own might be completely different. And that has been the case for long. For Tehran, India is important but not critical in shaping its foreign policy worldview. It is the US that is the primary actor that shapes Tehrans foreign policy calculus. While critics in India often argue that New Delhi has ignored Tehran under US pressure, it is exactly the other way round. It is Tehran that has not only ignored New Delhi but has even tried to actively derail Indo-Iranian ties by interfering in Indian domestic matters. For Iranian diplomacy, managing American sanctions has been the primary task. As the Trump administration has tightened the screws on Iran and Europe has failed to keep its promises, Tehran gravitating towards China may just be a natural response. After all, Chinas profile in Iran has been growing over decades and it will only continue to expand in the future; Iran has little alternative. The $400-billion, 25-year economic and security partnership that Iran is reportedly finalising with China exemplifies the frustration of an Iranian regime that had looked initially to the West for a reopening. What is important here is to examine Indias role in Iran in a more dispassionate manner. If there is one country that has managed to deliver tangible results in Iran at a time of tightening American sanctions, it is India. For instance, despite initial delays, the first phase of the Chabahar port project was inaugurated in December 2017 and since then, India has been running the Shahid Beheshti terminal. This port is indeed a strategic investment by India as it opens up an alternative route to Afghanistan and the wider Central Asian region, bypassing Pakistan. And New Delhi has managed to firewall this key investment, including the railway line project, from American sanctions. India could do this not because of some vacuous idea about Indo-Iranian solidarity but because there was a clear strategic rationale behind the project which led to an Indo-Iranian convergence. For all the hyperventilation in India, Iran remains sensitive to Indian contribution. And so even as controversy swelled in India, Irans railway minister was quick to underline that Iran and India are determined to continue cooperation on the railway line, putting the blame on vested interests behind reports that Iran excluded India from the Chabahar-Zahedan railway. It remains a fact that US sanctions continue to cast a long shadow over Iranian engagement with the wider world, including India. Tehrans insistence on engaging with the Khatam al-Anbiya Constructions, which belongs to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), for the projectand New Delhis reluctance to expose its own entities to US sanctionsseems to have resulted in the current deadlock. Even China has been extremely cautious in getting in the crosshairs of American sanctions. While the China-Iran deal is the flavour of the month, it is not readily evident how much of the $400 billion promised by Beijing will fructify and will be delivered without strings. Just as Irans foreign policy meta frame is its adversarial engagement with the US, India has much higher stakes in its ties with the US as well as in its engagement with the wider Arab worldthese cannot be ignored in dealing with Iran. While the Iranian leadership has been increasingly vocal on domestic Indian matters in recent months, whether it is Indias decision to revoke Article 370 or the communal riots earlier this year over a new citizenship law, there has been a major shift in the way major powers in the Arab world have been engaging India more pragmatically. It is for Tehran to recognise that New Delhi has partners in the region and beyond with whom the stakes are much higher. Yet, India has been consistent in its support for Iran and its ambitions. Managing bilateral relations is not Indias responsibility alone. If Iran decides that India is dispensable, New Delhi can also easily make a similar calculation. There will be costs for India, for sure, but the costs for Iran might be much higher. (The writer is Director, Studies & Head, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi) CLAYTON, Mo. St. Louis Countys prosecutor announced Thursday that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a dramatic decision that could reopen old wounds amid a renewed and intense national conversation about racial injustice and the police treatment of people of color. Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bells decision marked the third time prosecutors investigated and opted not to charge Darren Wilson, the white officer who fatally shot Brown, a Black 18-year-old, on Aug. 9, 2014. A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Wilson in November 2014, and the U.S. Department of Justice also declined to charge him in March 2015. Civil rights leaders and Browns parents had hoped that Bell, the countys first Black prosecutor who took office in January 2019, would see things differently. My heart breaks for Browns parents, a somber Bell said during a news conference. I know this is not the result they were looking for and that their pain will continue forever. Describing the announcement as one of the most difficult things Ive had to do, Bell said that his office conducted a five-month, unannounced, review of witness statements, forensic reports and other evidence. The question for this office was a simple one: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law? After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did, Bell said. But, he said, our investigation does not exonerate Darren Wilson. Wilsons attorney, Jim Towey, said it was clear after three investigations that Wilson did nothing wrong. We all had the same conclusion: There was no crime, Towey said. I am just hoping that everybody gets to have some closure, particularly the Brown family, he said. The shooting touched off months of unrest in Ferguson and made the St. Louis suburb synonymous with a national debate about police treatment of minority people. The Ferguson unrest helped solidify the national Black Lives Matter movement that began after Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old, was shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida in 2012. The issue has taken on new life since George Floyds death in Minneapolis in May after a white police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed Black mans neck for nearly eight minutes. Ferguson is among the cities around the world that has seen protests since Floyds death. This is a time for us to reflect on Michaels life, to support Michaels family and to honor a transformative movement that will forever be linked to his name, Bell said. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, a Ferguson protester and educator who has become a national voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, said she is pained that there is still a gaping wound for Browns family. She said she knows that the system must change. Im not disappointed Im fed up and ever more committed, truth be told, Cunningham said. The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading St. Louis activist, agreed that the system is at fault, not Bells investigation. What came out of this is a recognition that the system is set up to protect police officers. We now need to begin to address the legislation the police hide behind, Gray said. Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice campaigns at Color Of Change, a national racial justice organization, said in a statement that Bells announcement perpetuates a criminal justice system that fails Black communities by allowing police to operate with impunity. Bell who ran as a reform-minded prosecutor promising to eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders and to increase the use of programs that allow defendants to avoid jail time faced no restrictions in re-examining Browns death. Wilson was never charged and tried, so double jeopardy was not an issue. There is no statute of limitations on filing murder charges. As the news conference drew to a close, an activist who said he is a friend of Browns father erupted in anger. Its over! One term! Tory Russell, 36, of St. Louis, screamed at the prosecuting attorney. Police officers gently led him from the room. Russell later told The Associated Press that he had just spoken with Michael Brown Sr. He is hurting, and hes not accepting of this. The shooting happened after Wilson told Brown and a friend to get out of the street as they walked down the middle of Canfield Drive. A scuffle between Wilson and Brown ensued, ending with the fatal shot. Wilson said Brown, who was not armed, came at him menacingly, forcing him to fire his gun in self-defense. Browns body remained in the street for four hours, angering his family and nearby residents. Bells predecessor, longtime prosecutor Bob McCulloch, was accused by critics of swaying the grand jury to its decision not to indict Wilson an accusation he emphatically denied. Wilson resigned days after McCullochs Nov. 24, 2014, announcement that the grand jury would not indict the officer. The Justice Department also declined to charge Wilson, but issued a scathing report citing racial bias in Fergusons police and courts. A consent agreement calls for sweeping reforms that are still being implemented. Bell, a former Ferguson councilman, upset McCulloch, a staunch law-and-order prosecutor, in the 2018 Democratic primary and ran unopposed that November. Bell, who, like McCulloch, is the son of a police officer, formed a special unit to look into officer-involved shootings like the one in Ferguson, as well as cases of potential wrongful convictions. Browns mother, Lesley McSpadden, asked Republican Gov. Mike Parson to reopen the investigation of Wilson in 2018, but Parsons office said it had no legal authority to appoint a special prosecutor. ___ Associated Press reporter Aaron Morrison in New York City and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. ___ Explaining AP style on Black and white: https://apnews.com/afs:Content:9105661462 ___ This story has been corrected to show that Trayvon Martin was not killed by a white officer. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit launched by several public defenders groups seeking to stop in-person proceedings in Criminal Courts on Staten Island and throughout the city. The public defenders contended the state Office of Court Administrations (OCA) decision to require in-person appearances in selected Criminal Court cases during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is discriminatory and violates the Americans With Disabilities Act. This court does not, and indeed cannot, dictate if, when, and how state criminal courts reopen or schedule in-person appearances, District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. wrote in a 16-page ruling. To intervene in such a situation would disrupt (t)he special delicacy of the adjustment to be preserved between federal equitable power and state administration of its own law. Without adjudicating the merits of plaintiffs claims, the court concludes that pursuant to Supreme Court and Second Circuit case law, it must abstain from deciding this action, said Carter. The plaintiffs include the Legal Aid Society, which represents indigent defendants on Staten Island. Two weeks ago, the public defenders filed the suit in Manhattan federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt the in-person proceedings. Those appearances started on July 15 in Criminal Courts throughout the five boroughs. Courts on Staten Island and throughout the city have largely operated remotely for over four months since the coronavirus outbreak in New York. Carter denied the temporary restraining order but held a hearing to determine whether to issue a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, pending the cases disposition. The public defenders maintained OCAs re-opening plan is rushed and unnecessary and forces clients, particularly those with medical or disability issues, to choose between their well-being and liberty in wake of the pandemic. According the plaintiffs public-health experts, there were significant failures in the courts reopening protocols. Such issues include poor ventilation in courthouse detention areas, the adequacy of plexiglass dividers designed to prevent the virus spread, as well as the policies governing safety in public restrooms, the public defenders alleged. In response to the suit, Lucian Chalfen, an OCA spokesperson, said then that OCA was calendaring about 10 in-person appearances per day in Criminal Courts in each of the five boroughs. He said the plan for a slow return to normalized operations was entirely legal and focused on personal health and safety. In his ruling on Tuesday, Carter rejected the plaintiffs bid for the injunction and dismissed the case. In a statement, the plaintiffs said they are enormously disappointed the judge had relied on a technicality to deny the injunction. Put plainly, OCAs plan puts our clients mostly low-income New Yorkers of color at enormous risk for no compelling reason, said the statement. We are disappointed that the Southern District of New York allowed OCA to continue down this reckless road. The public defenders vowed to explore their options. Chalfen said OCA is pleased with Carters ruling, which allows the agency to continue our deliberate, measured and careful resumption of in-person appearances. To date, there have been more than 800 in-person appearances in Criminal Courts throughout the city, he said. Those proceeding advance OCAs goal of the continued resumption of operations reflecting a criminal justice system that is safe, secure and engenders confidence for all users, said Chalfen. In its legal filings, OCA said limiting court operations had thus far created a backlog of 39,000 cases citywide, including nearly 12,000 unindicted felonies. District Attorney Michael E. McMahon previously told the Advance/SILive.com there were 230 pending grand jury cases on Staten Island as of July 8. Moreover, OCA contended resolutions of cases heard in-person exceeds the rate achieved by virtual conferences. In rejecting the public defenders, Carter said the relief they sought requires significant intrusion into state court operations and proceedings. Besides halting in-person appearances, the plaintiffs took issue with the noticing process for the proceedings and wanted the court to mandate specific accommodations, such as video or telephone hearings, as part of the policy. Implementing such measures would require continuous and substantial supervision by the federal court, said Carter. This degree of intrusion constitutes an impermissible ongoing federal audit of state criminal proceedings, Carter wrote, citing case law. Additional federal aid is necessary to reopen schools and ensure economic recovery, former Vice President Joe Biden told teachers Thursday, slamming a COVID-19 relief bill proposed by Senate Republicans. In remarks to the American Federation of Teachers virtual convention, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee warned that, without federal funding, struggling state and local governments may be forced to elimate public sector positions, including teaching jobs, putting the countrys ability to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic at risk. When you shut down a fire station, somebody is going to die in that neighborhood if there is a fire... Biden said, speaking remotely the day after the unions delegates formally voted to endorse his presidential candidacy. When you lay off so many educators, janitors, and bus drivers, you not only cause them a great difficulty, but you slow the economy even further. Its in the economic interest of this country to have these jobs maintained. Biden spoke days after Senate Republicans revealed their coronavirus bill, which he called completely out of touch. That bill, the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act, would provide $5 billion in funds for governors to use on K-12 and higher education and $70 billion for K-12 public and private schools, tying two thirds of that aid to physical reopening plans. The bill would not provide any aid to shore up the budgets of state and local governments, which have been hard hit by revenue losses. Teachers unions have warned that such funding is necessary to preserve school programs and teacher jobs. Its meager support, Biden said. What they are putting forward for schools and districts is much less than whats needed. Biden spoke in support of a bill passed by House Democrats in May. The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions, or HEROES Act, would create a $90 billlion state fiscal stabilization fund for the U.S. Department of Education to support K-12 and higher education. About 65 percent of that fundor roughly $58 billionwould go through states to local school districts.The bill would also provide $1 billion in aid to state and local governments. Biden touted his work as vice president overseeing spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which directed $115 billion to education in the wake the last recession.That funding helped prevent an estimated 400,000 layoffs in education, Biden said Thursday. To be sure, schools still saw job losses following the 2008 recession, and some said the funding Congress provided then wasnt enough to fully shield them from its consequences. Biden criticized Republicans for seeking to use their COVID-19 relief bill as a cudgel to force schools to reopen their buildings, a priority for President Donald Trump. Bidens plan to reopen schools calls for a federal COVID-19 Educational Equity Gap Challenge Grant program to help state and local governments develop solutions to support students affected by school closures. He also called for clearer federal guidelines for school reopenings with more details on issues like when its safe to return to buildings, what should cause them to close again, and who should return to classrooms first. Trump has deferred to state and local leaders on such questions. But some leaders have said guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is not concrete enough to guide their decision-making. We saw this challenge coming, Biden said of the coronavirus. Weve been calling for the president to address this as early as January. ...Every single opportunity, hes missed the chance or taken us in a different direction. A Call for Equity Bidens remarks turned emotional when a Black classroom assistant from Philadelphia asked him about racial equity. Marguerite Ruff, who works with students in special education programs, said she recalled the death of her own son when she heard about the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd at the hands of police. In the middle of the pandemic, we took to the streets not only for George Floyd but for all who preceeded him. Enough, Ruff said, asking Biden what he would do to support equity in public policy and in education. Biden, who spoke of the deaths of two of his own children, said the country may be approaching a historical moment of positive change as it rebuilds from the pandemic. This is one of those inflection points where the American people are finally saying, oh my God. I didnt realize how bad it was, Biden said. He outlined a range of policy proposals, including his pledge to triple federal Title I grants, which help schools educate children from low-income households, and to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Additional funding will help schools recruit and retain teachers through higher pay, he said. He said his administration would improve the public service loan forgiveness program, expand dual-enrollment programs, and enact policies to recruit more teachers of color. Good policy related to issues like education, transportation, and infrastructure are not only good for the economy, Biden said, they are also inherently tied to equity. Look at all of the schools in America today, where youre not sure if you can turn on that water fountain and drink it, he said, perhaps refering to cities like Flint, Michigan, where deteriorating infrastructure created a lead crisis that made city water unsafe. Photo: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks with former Vice President Joe Biden on a livestream of the unions national convention Thursday. Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . In a WWD-produced webinar, Fielding Beauty Trends, Sonia Summers, founder and chief executive officer of Beauty Barrage, joined WWD executive editor Arthur Zaczkiewicz in discussing how beauty brands and retailers can emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever using every channel to embrace consumers, and taking clienteling online. In a nod to a call, particularly in the beauty industry, for companies to pull up or shut up, Summers began the conversation with her own companys statistics sharing that Beauty Barrage is 100 percent minority female-owned and operated with an employee base of 96 percent female and 80 percent minority employees. Like many companies, Beauty Barrage was faced with a need to pivot in the wake of COVID-19. While e-commerce has shown increased sales in recent weeks, it is still not enough to offset an overall decline in retail during the pandemic. Brands who dont market and promote their service in crises are usually not the ones who win, so you want to be a brand that is actually winning during this time, said Summers. An interesting status is that live chat is the leading digital content method now. The companys research found that 63 percent of customers are more likely to return to a web site that offers live chat. Still, according to Summers, only 35 percent of marketers are using live chat and 40 percent are looking at increases in their revenue when it comes to live chat. Its an important vehicle to be able to look at, and what I think is even more critical is using your experts to do the live chat, said Summers. Livestreaming has also gone up. In March, there was a 526 percent sales increase from livestreaming. Livestreaming, Summers says, is the next opportunity for brands and retailers looking to reset and pivot to sharing consumer trends online with existing teams. For Beauty Barrage, the silver lining is that weve trained over 300 of our brand ambassadors on social media and clienteling, said Summers. And we were always looking at what [how] to really modernize in the field today. And thats the difference also with our team. Theyve had a lot of social media training, they know how to do these videos, they know how to really build content, user-generated content, [and] tag the brands so that their customers and clients can learn from them. Story continues Put simply, even at a time when retail lives online, interacting with the customer at the center is more than a transaction, but a relationship with the brand. Important to note is that education is key for the consumer who looks to a brands expertise to engage with a brand and discover new products. Its a problem-solution experience, said Summers. We have to get all of the information; we have to talk to the client. [We have to ask] whats worked for you, what hasnt worked for you? Whats your skin tone, what isnt? We have to deduct and figure out what is the best option for the customer. And a smile goes a long way. Everybody knows that the human touch isnt going away. But today while were in this, [live digital interaction] is the easiest way to bring it to them. The changing in-store experience also means a need to pivot how ambassadors or associates interact with consumers when they do come in to purchase. What is the customers beauty experience now? Samples, said Summers, are the new testers. We want to feel as normal as possible going out there, said Summers. Its really critical for you to create a new demo and be able to experience the brand. We created sanitation guidelines and demo guidelines and its pretty much watch what I do. Youve got the person in front of you, youre showing them the products, theyve got their samples, and then youre [teaching]. [Its] even better engagement than if you didnt do it that way before. Theyre going to go home, and theyre going to remember how to apply and [theres] less chance of returns. From Summers perspective, brands can emerge stronger in the long term. If youre starting to pivot, make sure that you are tending to all of these different opportunities, said Summers. Not only is the in-store piece important, make sure that youre going to continue to hold video streaming. Get your experts to answer that these people are gone all the education on your brand. They understand customer service work better than anybody else. For More WWD Business News: How the Direct-to-Consumer Shift Accelerated Overnight The COVID-19 Catalyst: Emerging Stronger With Customer-Centric Digitalization U.S. Shoppers Show Optimism Over Future Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Russell Crowe is lying low during the coronavirus pandemic in 'the bush' - but his two sons, Tennyson, 14, and Charles, 16, aren't joining him. The Gladiator star, 56, revealed on Thursday that the teenagers had turned down his offer to live with him at the family's country estate in Nana Glen, New South Wales. He revealed on Sunrise that the boys had chosen to stay with their mother, Danielle Spencer, in Sydney instead for a rather surprising reason. Separated: Russell Crowe is lying low during the coronavirus pandemic at the family's country estate in Nana Glen, but his two sons, Tennyson, 14, and Charles, 16, aren't joining him. The actor is pictured with his sons and ex-wife Danielle Spencer on April 12, 2010 in Hollywood He explained that Tennyson and Charles had chosen to ride out the pandemic in Sydney because of the availability of UberEats. 'When I asked the boys, they said they will choose Uber Eats over my paternal care. I wasn't too impressed about that,' Russell said. The Oscar winner revealed that he'd chosen to stay in Nana Glen during lockdown to be close to his parents, Jocelyn and John. 'My boys live with their mum, and they're pretty settled there,' he added. 'I wasn't too impressed': The Gladiator star, 56, explained on Sunrise that Tennyson and Charles had chosen to ride out the pandemic in Sydney because of the availability of UberEats Russell confirmed via Twitter in April 2018 that he and Danielle had finally divorced, six years after their marriage breakdown. He marked the occasion by selling off many of his prized possessions in a Sotheby's auction titled The Art of Divorce, which raised more than $3.7million. Russell and Danielle married in 2003 and split in late 2012. Acceptance: 'My boys live with their mum, and they're pretty settled there,' he said. Russell is pictured with his sons in Los Angeles on July 16, 2015 In January, Russell told the Fitzy & Wippa radio show that he had 'limited time' with his sons, which was why he'd decided to skip the Hollywood awards season to spend time with them in Australia. 'This time of year, it's difficult for me to engage in that stuff [awards]. As you know, I'm divorced now. And like many other blokes out there that are probably listening, I have limited time with my children,' he said. 'I don't get to wake up with them every day. And I get them every year between December 27 and January 15. So if you expect me to do anything - anything, I don't give a s**t what it is - in that time that doesn't include my children, well you can go and whatever!' Two snakes, one venomous, caught at Nai Harn PHUKET: Lifeguards at Nai Harn Beach are urging people to beware any snakes seen in the water and on the beach after two large serpents were caught on the sand and near the local lake today (July 30) Safetyanimals By Tanyaluk Sakoot Thursday 30 July 2020, 06:34PM A venomous green pit viper was caught by Rawai Municipality snake-catchers earlier in the morning (July 30). Photo: PLS A venomous green pit viper was caught by Rawai Municipality snake-catchers earlier in the morning (July 30). Photo: PLS A venomous green pit viper was caught by Rawai Municipality snake-catchers earlier in the morning (July 30). Photo: PLS A venomous green pit viper was caught by Rawai Municipality snake-catchers earlier in the morning (July 30). Photo: PLS A venomous green pit viper was caught by Rawai Municipality snake-catchers earlier in the morning (July 30). Photo: PLS Nai Harn lifeguard Nara Ratnarak told The Phuket News that he personally caught a snake spotted swimming out of the water and onto the beach at about 4.20pm. Mr Nara explained that he heard people screaming and shouting "Snake! Snake!" in Thai language and rushed to the scene to discover a serpent in the water among a group of people. "People were screaming and trying to avoid that snake. Then the snake came up on the sand, and this was where I grabbed it with bare hands in a couple of minutes, Mr Nara explained. I think this snake came from Koh Man, which is not far from Nai Harn beach, he added. Mr Nara explained that the serpent turned out to be a rat snake, a species presenting no danger to people. Yet the reptile measured about three metres long. The snake was released into the wild away from the beach and residential areas. "I am not sure why the snake came up here. I could not talk to the snake," he said laughing. Mr Nara added that his three-metre-long rat snake was not the first catch on that day. "A green snake was also found in the morning (around 10am) near Nai Harn lake where people usually jog. I spotted it on a tree while driving to the beach Mr Nara said. This time Mr Nara did not try to catch the snake himself and just waited for Rawai Municipality snake-catchers to arrive and deal with the serpent which turned out to be two-and-a-half-metre long venomous green pit viper. This snake was also released into the wild later. Nobody got injured, Mr Nara said. Please, in case of encounter with a snake call local lifeguards or municipality officials to deal with it. Don not try to catch the snake yourself, Mr Nara stressed. Of note, Mr Nara already hit the headlines last year when he barehandedly caught a two-metre-long rat snake at Nai Harn beach. Pictures of Mr Nara kissing his snake received a lot of reactions on social media. Anunt de selectare a participantilor si participantelor la cel de-al doilea curs de instruire din cadrul Programului educational pentru dezvoltarea competentelor lucratorilor de tineret I hate everything that he has chosen to become. I mean, how did we get from Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals and The Real Shit to...this? Dita dodged a bullet, and I'm glad Evan wised up and left as well. Reply Thread Link I remember reading his memoir when I was a teen and even then feeling sorry for all the women he abused and victimized. I like(d) his music, but he clearly ain't shit if he can't even see women as human beings. I'm glad Dita and Evan seemed to have made it out okay. I just feel awful that they went through the abuse that he inflicted and will probably have to deal with the effects of it for the rest if their lives Edited at 2020-07-29 11:46 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link i was going to make a similar comment. the stories he tells about his experiences with women, even as a teenager, in his memoir really put me off. i think that the turning point was 'eat me, drink me' because he started turning inward with his writing and exposing how his mind works wrt relationships. Edited at 2020-07-29 11:52 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I didn't read his memoir but I loved his music and always enjoyed listening to what he had to say on talk shows, etc. And I loved his wedding to Dita because it was so fab, and they looked so happy. I'm kinda on the fence about his nazi memorabilia collection because I know some people collect those things from a historical viewpoint. But cheating on, gaslighting, and abusing the ones you "love" I can't excuse; he's foul. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link what i remember most about his memoir is the entire page dedicated to a list of reasons youre gay. if you "dont think about pussy every second of every day, youre gay". he has the most fragile male ego of all time. Reply Parent Thread Link Oops wrong comment Edited at 2020-07-30 02:22 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I was like madly ~in love~ with this emo kid who introduced me to Manson, and I bought a copy of the autobiography for him, which said kid adored. looking back, I know we were both like 15, but it's creepy that he read it without seeing the issues :/ I never read it myself. Reply Parent Thread Link I think it would be a mistake to believe he hasn't always been a giant piece of shit. Reply Parent Thread Link mechanical animals helped me get through some shit but after reading his memoir a couple of years ago, he's always been this deeply vile person. Reply Parent Thread Link I remember at one of his concerts back in the day I saw Dita sitting in this private booth all by herself above the stage watching him. All I could think was I wonder what kind of shit she has to go thru to be with him. Reply Parent Thread Link I don't understand how he's been protected for so long. Reply Thread Link he's super popular and a lot of people like him. Reply Parent Thread Link Mediocre white men love him and mediocre white men are very powerful. Reply Parent Thread Link He's a white male who is probably still making somebody money. Reply Parent Thread Link He build his career on being an edge lord who was pretty open about his shit so I think his fans aren't the kind of people who care about women being abused/his assaulting a security guard. Plus his image was never squeaky clean so people who care about cancelling people already consider him canceled for things that were already known about him so they see no need to call for his cancelation for these things and the rest of society doesn't know about it or doesn't care. Like the difference between Bill Cosby who had a clean image being rightfully canceled when it was found out he was drugging and raping women VS. Trump who always had a douchebag image facing no real consequences from society as a whole when he talks about sexually assaulting women or is accused of rape. Reply Parent Thread Link very glad that people have been able to escape some of these truly horrific situations hope he rots Reply Thread Link do we need trigger warning in this post? Reply Thread Link there are several, did you even look at it? lol Edited at 2020-07-29 11:48 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link yeah. I meant for the comments Reply Parent Thread Link i asked you bc i was unsure if that's something you also wanted us to do in the comments. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link i hope he suffers. i've always hated him and now I have a reason. Reply Thread Link I remember feeling sooooo bad for him when he was getting blamed for colombine and other school shootings. so, while i never gaf abt him or his music, I guess my default was to see him as harmless if that makes sense- since the nra (didnt understand the patriarchal aspect til later) were the real enemies. Who are his most famous friends? Reply Thread Link Johnny Depp iirc Reply Parent Thread Link Ew. Birds of a fucking feather. Reply Parent Thread Link well THAT makes sense Reply Parent Thread Link Johnny Depp, for one. That should tell you everything you need to know about him; birds that flock together and all of that. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link pretty sure Keanu Reeves is friends with him and Johnny which is.... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Late af, but I believe he and Justin Timberlake are friends too. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Both my sister and I have been in abusive relationships and whew, I hope this ugly clown burns. Reply Thread Link i'm so sorry for you both :( Reply Parent Thread Link My sister had it much worse where it was actual violence (choking etc) and mine was just him belittling me and yelling at me and calling me names. IDK why I didn't leave tbh. I did think that he was this close to hitting me on my birthday bc a guy bought me a bday drink. My parents don't know and I've only ever told my therapist (and I guess you guys too). I suppose my self esteem was low and I had easy victim written all over me after my BF died Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Same Reply Parent Thread Link One of many artists that started off as someone I enjoyed into someone I truly despise. He needs to be stripped of everything he loves and be put in the Hunger Games. Or jail. Or death. Reply Thread Link i had no idea evan rachel wood was only 19 when she dated him. this explains so much, especially how she started to dress like dita von teese (most likely not her choice). omg she was so young. i am not surprised by any of this at all Reply Thread Link yeah, she said in her testimony for the phoenix act that she was forced to dress a certain way, otherwise she'd be ridiculed. Reply Parent Thread Link No wonder she dressed like a Dita clone! It always seemed like he picked out her clothes or she voluntarily did it to appease him. Or both Reply Parent Thread Link God that's depressing. Reply Parent Thread Link I was so obsessed with Dita at this time and so disgusted by Evan when all of this was going down cause I thought she was copying Dita, etc... Now, looking back, I feel so bad for even having such thoughts. I'm the same age as Evan and I can't even imagine going through that at that age. Reply Parent Thread Link Evan was also in a music video for him when she was dating him. Heart shaped glasses. The video is not the real video because there is a part they had to take out that showed them having sex. It was really graphic. Like obviously was suppose to look like sex but I doubt it wasn't not real. Reply Parent Thread Link i'm not embarrassed of many of my "it's not a phase mom," moments but i am embarrassed of the one where i stanned him Reply Thread Link It's times like these i'm glad that i'm able to separate the art from the artist. I was (quite literally) raised on this mans music. One of my favorite VHS tapes to watch incessantly as a kid was the compilation of all his music videos. I would even wear one of my sisters Manson t-shirts as a nightgown pretty often. Suffice to say, he's been a huge part of my life since i was at least 3~ish years old. BUT. Fuck him for all of this. I was in HS when the whole Dita/Evan thing went down and around then was when I was like "...eaux." and from then on i've just never paid* for his music lmao He's just a parody of himself at this point and a complete edgelord. I still enjoy the songs I've always enjoyed, but again, fuck him. *and no I don't stream his stuff either for anyone that wants to say "HE STILL GETS YOUR MONEY" lol no, he doesn't. I'm still someone that listens to their personal library, I don't stream as much as others do. Reply Thread Link "It's times like these i'm glad that i'm able to separate the art from the artist." That is exactly how I feel. His actions cannot erase good memories and I don't want to justify his actions, but he must be really f*cked up in the head, so I would expect anything from him. It's the same with R.Kelly - I don't really care about his music, but I believe I can fly brings back so many good memories that you cannot just erase, although his actions make me absolute sick. I cannot wait for the new era, the new single is really good. Reply Parent Thread Link Before I read this, I just want to announce that he looks like a thumb. A thumb, or a beat up big toe. Reply Thread Link the fact that he was ever found sexy by anyone blows my mind Reply Parent Thread Link Same. I liked his music overall but there was/is absolutely nothing aesthetically pleasing about the man Reply Parent Thread Link Please escort him to the trash ASAP. I've had two boyfriends abuse me. And other men. This PTSD will probably be here forever. I wish society gave an actual shit about abuse to a serious degree. Edited at 2020-07-30 12:16 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Thanks. I remind myself I'm still going, damaged pieces and all. A lot I haven't done yet (2020 isn't helping ha) and glad for a good therapist. Reply Parent Thread Link Ive gotten in to a few arguments about him over the years.....I dont know why people like him. Just kidding, fuck women! Reply Thread Link Thank you for this post, OP. Fantastic work. Reply Thread Link Hairdressing salons in Buenos Aires are finally open after being closed for more than four months during the strict coronavirus lockdown. Residents in Buenos Aires will now be able to keep up with their appearances again. Despite an increase in daily COVID-19 cases and deaths, Argentina started a week ago to relax some of the lockdown restrictions in phases. Outdoor exercise was permitted and hundreds of shops were able to open, particularly in the capital and its surrounding area, where most cases of the new coronavirus are concentrated. The new flexibility takes place also at a time when social isolation and lack of economic activity have generated great anxiety and growing concern. Hairdresser Vicky Miranda welcomed the reopening of salons in Buenos Aires. "It was like 'I want to open. I want to open. I need to open!,'" she said. "We have organized the place so well that I am not afraid of COVID." In Argentina, there are so far more than 167,000 COVID-19 cases and 3,082 deaths. Kanye West's petition to appear on New Jersey's ballot as a presidential candidate contained more 600 defective signatures, many of which had very similar writing, according to a formal complaint filed with the state Wednesday. Election law attorney Scott Salmon, a registered Democrat, filed the objection with the state Division of Elections after reviewing the more than 1,300 signatures the rapper had submitted. West managed to exceed the requirement of 800 signatures to appear on the ballot as an independent candidate in time for the deadline on Monday. Kanye West's petition to appear on New Jersey's ballot in November was riddled with errors and faulty signatures, according to a formal complaint Photos of the rapper's nominating petition shows a number of signatures appear written by the same hand Election law attorney Scott Salmon filed the objection with the state Division of Elections after reviewing over 1,300 signatures, 600 of which he said were invalid or incomplete Many appear nearly identical, including lower-case i's dotted with a small circle Salmon, however, highlighted a number of issues with West's submission which he described as 'egregiously bad, almost to a degree insulting', Politico reported. 'Mr. West's petitions do not contain the valid signatures of 800 qualified voters and should have been rejected by the Division,' Salmon wrote. The petition shows that a number of signatures appear nearly identical, including lower-case i's dotted with a small circle. Some signatures lack complete addresses. West's spokesperson directed questions to what appeared to be a campaign email address. A message seeking comment was sent to that address. The Division of Elections did not respond to an emailed message seeking a response. In the weeks since launching his presidential bid on July 4, the rapper has made a series of bizarre Twitter rants and held a campaign event where he broke down in tears, sparking concerns over his mental health. His application for New Jersey followed a political campaign rally and Twitter meltdown last week, where he discussed how he and his wife once considered having an abortion and hinted she had an affair with rapper Meek Mill Kanye submitted his petition on the same day he was in apparent crisis talks with his wife Kim Kardashian West At least 800 signatures are required in order to appear as an independent candidate but objections to the validity can occur before Friday 5pm 'I'm not his doctor. I'm not his wife. So I don't know what his mental state is. I've seen the reports. I'm just looking at this based on what the law is in New Jersey, and this doesn't meet this level,' Salmon added. Wife Kim Kardashian West last week asked for empathy for her husband and said he is bipolar. Earlier this month in South Carolina, Kanye West delivered an unconventional campaign introduction speech during which he proposed a $1million payout to mothers and decried Harriet Tubman for her work on the Underground Railroad. New Jersey law also allows for someone other than the candidate herself or himself to gather signatures. Those people are required to submit paperwork avowing they're who they say they are and the people whose signatures were collected are also who they say they are. Kim and Kanye have four children North, seven, Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months Those documents were not filed, according to Salmon's complaint. Sometimes similar handwriting in some of the fields can be explained because the so-called circulator filled out the paperwork after the petition was signed, especially in cases where someone could be short on time, for instance, according to Salmon. In five years as a New Jersey election law attorney there hasn't been an application with as many issues as West's, Salmon said. Salmon said he did not file the letter on behalf of any Democratic organization and filed the complaint on his own behalf. New Jersey is a reliably Democratic state in presidential elections, siding with the Democrat since 1988. By Jethro Ibileke Edo State Government on Wednesday announced the discharge of 150 more Coronavirus patients who have fully recovered and tested negative to the virus following their treatment at various isolation facilities in the state. The state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who disclosed this in Benin, added that the state recorded three more Coronavirus-related deaths, making a total of 79 persons so far lost to the virus in the state. With the latest record, the total number of cases successfully managed and discharged from isolation facilities across the state has risen to 1,584. The governor urged residents to be cautious and observe all precautionary guidelines against the spread of the infectious disease. He noted: We have discharged a total of 1,584 COVID-19 patients from our isolation centres. This was after the recovery of 150 new patients, who have rejoined their families. However, we have so far lost 79 persons to the virus. Stay safe. Meanwhile, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, has expressed worry over the alarming rate of community spread of the virus and the consequent rise in the number of deaths. Okundia urged citizens to present or report themselves through the Edo State Covid-19 toll free response lines, following any recent travel into the country, travel from high incidence states or contact with confirmed cases. He, however, assured that the government will continue to ramp up measures to contain the pandemic and protect the Edo people. According to him, Edo has so far recorded 2,212 confirmed cases, 10,255 suspected cases, 1,584 discharged persons and 79 deaths, while the state government has tested over 10,249 residents with about 7,728 testing negative. We urge residents to support the governments efforts at containing the pandemic by complying with all set guidelines. Stay at home and observe all precautionary measures against the spread of the infectious disease, including regular hand-washing with soap under running water and the use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers. Cover your mouth and nose properly when sneezing and/or coughing. Related On July 26, China's domestically developed amphibious aircraft, the AG600 Kunlong, took off from Rizhao Shanzihe Airport on a clear day. It successfully completed its first sea-based test flight off the coast of Qingdao in Shandong province, flying for a total of 1 hour and 21 minutes. The event marked the AG600's third successful maiden flight, following one over land in 2017, and a first flight over water in 2018 when it took off and landed on a reservoir in southern China. The flight has been another milestone achievement by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) since it implemented its innovation-driven strategy, and accelerated the development of its manufacturing and science and technology capabilities. Overcoming difficulties in flying over water Liu Ying, deputy chief designer of the AG600, told Science and Technology Daily that it is relatively safe for an aircraft to take off and land on a hard runway where the landing gear acts as a buffer. However, takeoffs from water or the sea consist of two steps: landing on the water's surface and accelerating to become airborne. Taking off and landing on the sea are especially dangerous because of challenging sea conditions, with waves shaking and bouncing the aircraft. In the worst-case scenario, the aircraft itself can be overturned. The first three flight tests of the AG600 were designed to ascertain whether the different functions of the aircraft would perform as intended. The first flight over land was conducted to verify the basic flight performance of the aircraft. Its first over water was designed to test the ability to respond to sudden emergency situations. Finally, the plane's first flight over the sea was carried out to test the aircraft's performance in long-range maritime rescue, as well as sea wave resistance, and corrosion prevention. Tackling unique challenges There are three main differences when aircraft take off from freshwater compared with the sea. First, seawater has much higher salt levels than freshwater. High salinity places greater demands on aircraft in terms of corrosion prevention. Second, seawater's higher density means that its reactive force is higher. This difference in density can make the pilot feel as if freshwater such as in lakes and reservoirs is relatively "harder." Third, the sea environment is more complex than that of lakes and reservoirs. Relatively calm bodies of water without much disturbance allow aircraft to take off and land in accordance with the wind direction and waves. However, there are more problems on the sea. These include differing types of waves with varying height and energy, as well as ocean currents and changing winds. "The two maiden flights over water and the sea have different visual experiences and control requirements for pilots. The surface of the sea is more open, so it's not as easy for pilots to choose a reference point when landing as they do on lakes and reservoirs," explained Liu Ying. During the test flight, it was necessary to fully consider the wind direction, wind speed, ocean currents and surges, as well as the combined effects of a high-temperature, high-humidity, and high-salt environment. Taking off and landing on the sea places higher requirements on the aircraft's stability, handling, and anti-corrosion. In addition, providing support for sea-based test flights is also more complicated. Corrosion and wave resistance tests When taking off and landing on rough seas, water splashing onto the aircraft is potentially a serious problem, which may cause distortion or even damage to structural components such as flaps and propellers. The aim of the AG600's maiden flight over sea was to test the aircraft's splash characteristics, wave resistance, acceleration abilities and handling on the sea's surface; to examine how the AG600 systems work in a marine environment; and to collect additional flight data, which can then be used in subsequent work on the aircraft, Liu said. At the same time, regarding the corrosion caused by the high salinity and high humidity of the sea, the anti-corrosion abilities of the aircraft will also be evaluated. These tests will allow the aircraft to perform such tasks as maritime cargo transportation and water-based emergency rescues in the future. In Liu's opinion, whether it is the first flight over sea, water or land, it is important to verify the different flight functions and characteristics, and ensure the performance and safety of the aircraft for future flights. As part of China's large family of domestically produced airplanes, the AG600 is China's first independently developed large-scale specialized civilian aircraft. It is also an important aviation tool which is urgently needed in the construction of China's nationwide emergency rescue system. Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 06:15:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Video: Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, on July 29, 2020 urges the United States to stop politicizing the Syrian humanitarian issue and immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Syria. (Xinhua) In fact, it is the United States that should reflect on its actions, says Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday urged the United States to stop politicizing the Syrian humanitarian issue and immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Syria. Shepherds lead sheep on a road in Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, Syria on July 27, 2020. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua) China has always adopted a constructive and responsible approach in dealing with the issue of cross-border humanitarian mechanism for Syrians. In fact, it is the United States that should reflect on its actions, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. In addressing the cross-border issue, the United States voted six times against reasonable draft resolutions and amendments aimed at narrowing differences and finding solutions, he told a Security Council virtual meeting on Syria's humanitarian situation. 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) If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should stop politicizing the humanitarian issue, stop putting up a hypocritical political show. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should immediately lift unilateral sanctions against the Syrian people, instead of creating groundless excuses. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should stop hegemony policy, regime change and bullying practices in the Middle East and other parts of the world, which had led to endless chaos and instability, said Zhang. But the risk to Roswell is heightened by previous efforts of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to withdraw state support for the hospital. He ultimately backed away from that idea and, we hope, for good. But under severe financial pressure, who knows where he or his budgeters may look to cut costs? These are hard times. One place they shouldnt look is Roswell Park. Survival rates are improving in the United States, even though cancer remains an obvious threat. The hospital may be comparatively small, but its research will help to improve the odds of survival for those stricken by cancer. The hospital is also involved in important coronavirus research. And in a virtuous cycle, its improved rankings will help it attract federal grants and top-flight doctors and researchers. The federal government needs to put on its big-boy pants and recognize the threat that its indifference poses to the nations infrastructure and to the lives of Americans. This is a genuine crisis, and its not going to miraculously go away. Controlling Covid-19 demands government leadership and so does surviving intact until we bring it to heel. But whatever Washington does or fails to do New York must protect Roswell Park. Its work is critical to Western New York and to all Americans suffering from cancer. More than 100 visitors have been inured on the same water slide at Universal Orlandos Volcano Bay that allegedly paralyzed a New York man last year, according to a lawsuit. James Bowen, 47, of New York filed a lawsuit against the Florida water park in October last year after he violently slammed his head in a shallow wading pool on the Punga Racers water slide in July 2019. The father-of-three said the incident left him paralyzed. He said was left lying face-down in the water until his wife and a Universal employee rescued him, the suit says. Now, new court documents recently released as part of the on-going suit have revealed that at least 115 other guests were injured on Punga Racers between 2017 and 2019, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Some of the afflicted guests suffered minor scrapes and nose bleeds, but others reported more severe injuries, including concussions and whiplash. Two ride safety testers were also hurt, documents show. James Bowen of New York filed a lawsuit against the Florida water park in October last year after he violently slammed his head in a shallow wading pool on the Punga Racers (above) water slide in July 2019. Under Florida law, large theme parks are only required to report ride injuries to the state where a visitor has been hospitalized for 24 hours or more. Since Punga Racers opened in May 2017, Universal has only disclosed one person being seriously hurt, which is Bowen. More than 1.5 million guests have experienced this ride, with Mr. Bowens injury being the single, reportable one, Universal spokesman Tom Schroder told the Sentinel in a statement. That said, we take every injury seriously and have a safety-first culture that places the safety of our guests and team members above everything else. When there is an injury of any kind, we immediately begin an investigation and review. Our process is rigorous and detailed and there are often many opinions as we arrive at a conclusion or work to resolve an issue, the statement continued. We are confident in our process and in the safety of our rides. Bowen had been riding the Punga Racers Black Track 13 on July 11 last year when he reached the run out section of the ride and collided head-first into a wave, causing his neck to snap-back violently. Immediately, Bowen felt a numbness and complete weakness to all extremities, the suit says. He was reportedly conscious at the time and terrified that he may drown as he was completely unable to move. He was paralyzed while riding a water slide at Universals Volcano Bay in a way that Universal could absolutely foresee because during testing for the ride before it opened up, a test rider was injured in the exact same way, and they decided to open the ride anyway, Bowens attorney David Buckner said during an April 28 court hearing, according to transcripts. As part of the lawsuit, which is seeking $15,000 in punitive damages, internal messages from Universal raising concerns about the slide are disclosed, in addition to safety reports from its designer, ProSlide. Two Universal spreadsheets are also included, documenting visitor injuries on the slide over a 13 month period, spanning between the May and October of 2017 and from the end of 2018 to July 2019. Under Florida law, large theme parks are only required to report ride injuries to the state where a visitor has been hospitalized for 24 hours or more. Since Punga Racers opened in May 2017, Universal has only reported one person being seriously hurt, which is Bowen During a run of safety tests in October 2018, a female ride tester struck her head. Even though she wanted to continue in the test, she did not [participate] in further runs, a Universal report discloses As reported by the Sentinel, those documents were marked confidential and sealed by an Orange Circuit Court judge on Wednesday. They were previously accessible to the public via the courts website, however. As Universal works to reopen its parks by reassuring the public that the company takes safety seriously, these documents prove otherwise. And that is the real reason Universal is desperate to conceal them, Buckner wrote in a June 23 filing. Punga Racers first opened in May 2017, with its first recorded guest injury occurring at 7:45pm that same day. Filed by a female rider, the guest said she hurt her back when she collided with a wall of water at the catch pool. The woman complained about feeling a lot of pressure on her back, according to the documents observed by the Sentinel. In total, 22 visitors were injured at Punga Racers from May 2017 to October 2017, according one of the spreadsheets. Eight of those complaints pertained to neck or back pain. One person also suffered a concussion toward the end of the ride when a wave of water slammed into the mat he was riding on and struck him in the head. By November the same year, Universal closed the slide to undergo a series of adjustments, with ProSlide extending the two outer lanes to help slow down the riders, according to a company report in the court file. Emails shared between Universal and ProSlide disclosed as part of the filing show that Universal assistant director of mechanical engineering Ed Rawlings wrote he took exception on testing documents that gave Punga passing marks when the ride had failed on some safety testing runs. During one of the testing cycles, a ride tester was injured when the mat bounced back into his face and snapped his head back. The severity of his injury was not disclosed, but he returned to work later the same day after being checked-out by first aid. In a separate exchange of messages, two Universal employees with backgrounds in mechanical engineering appeared to voice doubt over the rides safety. Writing that the ride was improving, the worker continued, but I doubt [its] where we want to be. [Im] not sure [Im] the one to make the call though, adding that I know ops was pushing to have it open today. During November 2017 testing cycle, a ride tester was injured when the mat bounced back into his face and snapped his head back In October 2018, Universal did more safety testing looking at the riders weights and a different textured mat that was supposed to slow down the ride and help it move more smoothly at the end into the catch pool, the Sentinel reported. During that run of tests, a female ride tester struck her head. Even though she wanted to continue in the test, she did not [participate] in further runs, a Universal report discloses. In the months that followed, a Universal spreadsheet indicated that 93 injuries were reported by guests from December 30, 2018, until July 11, 2019. Once again, the injuries varied in severity. A 40-year-old man chipped his upper front teeth when he was struck in the face by the mat on New Years Eve 2018. A 70-year-old man was hurt the following month after the mat fell from under him as he rode the slide, causing him to strike his head on the slides wall. Bowen, meanwhile, of Wappingers Falls, underwent extensive therapy in the wake of his accident and was relearning how to walk short distances on crutches, according to his original filing last year . None of the Punga riders hurt in 2017 were hospitalized, according to Universals first spreadsheet in court records. Its unclear how many people might have sought hospital treatment from December 30, 2018, to July 11, 2019, as that spreadsheet doesnt specify, according to the Sentinel. Most of the incidents were however rated as a three or a four under ride severity except for Bowens case, which was ranked as a 10. The court documents dont include any information on any ride injuries for the gaps in 2018, 2019 or for any recorded this year. Punga Racers recently underwent a lengthy refurbishment, reopening this some as a body slide without mats. Riders are also now required to ride feet-first, rather than head-first. Volcano Bay was reported to be the seventh busiest water park in the world last year, recording an estimated 1.8 million visits. Plug and Play Osaka will be located at Knowledge Capital in Osaka City and will carry out an accelerator program focused on Smart Cities. Together with founding anchor partners including Daikin Industries, Ltd., Kintetsu Group Holdings Co.,Ltd., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., Resona Holdings,Inc., Obayashi Corporation, DENTSU INC., and ecosystem partner TAKENAKA CORPORATION, we aim to contribute to the startup ecosystem in Keihanshin Metropolitan area. Plug and Play is a world-class global venture capital/accelerator that partners with leading companies to support startups with innovative technologies and ideas. It carries out over 60 accelerator programs annually, providing more than 400+ companies with solutions to drive innovations. In addition, we have accelerated 2,000+ startups since its inception in 2006. Plug and Play Japan was established in July 2017 and celebrated its third anniversary earlier this month. Plug and Play Japan has implemented five programs so far, and has selected and accelerated a total of 400 domestic and international startups in the programs, together with 43 corporate partners as of July 21st, 2020. In addition to the Plug and Play Tokyo office, Plug and Play opened in Kyoto last year and is announcing their third location in Japan, "Plug and Play Osaka," with seven founding partners. Osaka, a city that boasts a history of 1,400 years, has prospered as a gateway from other countries with foreign trades and diplomatic relations since ancient times. With the opportunity to hold global events such as Osaka/Kansai Expo 2025, Plug and Play aims to contribute to the development of Osaka's progress towards building a Smart City. Currently in Osaka, various social issues, such as challenges associated with changes in demographic structure (declining birthrate/working-age population and increasing aging population), revitalization of urban infrastructure and new towns that were rapidly developed during the bubble economic growth period, and severe weather disasters etc, are becoming more and more apparent. There is a limit to the conventional solution methods, requiring new countermeasures utilizing advanced technologies. To solve these urban social issues, the first program of Plug and Play Osaka will be carried out at Knowledge Capital in Grand Front Osaka, which is the most innovative hub in Osaka's startup ecosystem, under the theme of Smart Cities. The first program will focus on the following categoriese1Smart Life & Construction,2Travel & Experiences,3Urban Mobility & Clean Tech,4Hospitality & Health. In addition, the program will be operated with the cooperation from Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, Kinki Economic Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Knowledge Capital. Plug and Play Osaka's mission is to make the Keihanshin Metropolitan area one of the world's leading startup ecosystems. About half of the startups selected for the Plug and Play Japan program come from overseas. Leveraging their network spanning more than 30 locations in 16 countries around the world (as of July 21st, 2020), Plug and Play will hold their accelerator program in Osaka with companies who want to incorporate new urban solutions that utilize advanced technology. Applications for the first accelerator program of Plug and Play Osaka will start from July 21st through September 7th. In addition, corporate partners are welcome to join at any time. Comments from Founding Partners Daikin Industries, Ltd. Deputy Director of Technology & Innovation Center and Director of CVC Office Mr. Taro Mitani We are committed to "open innovation" to create new value while actively incorporating external technologies and knowledge. We are currently working extensively with universities and companies. Also, we are working with startups to develop new products. Through working with external parties, we are seeing various possibilities creating innovative services and business models. To accelerate the open innovation, we will collaborate with Plug and Play Osaka and create innovations under the theme of smart cities to reduce environmental damage and contribute to people's well-being. In particular, Osaka, where the program will be held, is home to the company's headquarters, production facilities, and the Technology Innovation Center. We aim to create global achievements by creating new internal contacts with startups around the world through Plug and Play Osaka. Kintetsu Group Holdings Co.,Ltd., Director of General Planning Department President of Kintetsu Venture Partners Co., Ltd. Mr. Kazuhito Fujita I would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. The Kintetsu Group has developed a wide variety of businesses that support the daily lives of various people, including railway, real estate, distribution, and leisure businesses. In recent years, in order to provide new value to the local community, we are promoting business creation through the utilization of technology and open innovation such as realizing digital regional currencies, MaaS, and the establishment of CVC. We are facing difficulties due to COVID-19 today. We would like to further promote collaborative creation with domestic and overseas startups and partner companies by joining Plug and Play Osaka in order to respond to the changes in society. We will contribute to the realization of a "rich-life" in the new era and the development of the global ecosystem in the Kansai region. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Member of the Board of Directors,Deputy President Mr. Naoki Hori Congratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. In Osaka, which will continue to grow in the future, I hope Plug and Play Osaka will be the gateway for many startups. Despite the current instability on a global scale, MUFG will continue to contribute to the development of the startup ecosystem in Osaka with startups and other corporate partners. Resona Holdings, Inc. Executive Officer (in charge of Group Strategy Department) Mr. Gen Nakahara Congratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. In the Osaka and Kansai region, there are high expectations for the creation of innovation aiming at the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025. The Resona Group will accelerate its efforts for open innovation to provide new value through co-creation. We will contribute to the sustainable development of the economy of Osaka and the Kansai region. Obayashi Corporation Executive Vice President, General Manager of Osaka Main Office, General Manager of Yumeshima Development Division Mr. Isamu Kakeno Congratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. With the advance of innovative technologies such as AI, IoT, and Mobility, we are seeing the creation of new innovations. We have high hopes for the creation of new innovation through collaboration between the unique construction and urban development technologies we have cultivated over many years and the excellent smart technologies that startups own. TAKENAKA CORPORATION Managing Officer, Director of Technology Division Mr. Rikuta Murakami I would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. Our company has challenged the construction and town development by inheriting the mastermind since it was founded in 1610 and actively incorporating new technology and advanced design. It's been four years since we've been involved in Silicon Valley launched your construction and real estate program. We are looking forward to the open innovation from Osaka through the smart city program based in Osaka. Even with the new lifestyle of during/after COVID-19, we would like to work together with new initiatives that can contribute to the development of society. We pray for your continued growth and look forward to your partnership. Comments from related parties Governor of Osaka Prefecture Mr. Hirofumi Yoshimura I would like to congratulate Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. We are pleased to announce the opening of an innovation hub in Osaka where we aim to create a "smart city" on the Osaka Model. I hope the opening of this office will attract more smart city related startups in Osaka for the local issue resolution in the post COVID-19. Mayor of Osaka Mr. Ichiro Matsui Congratulations on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. We are proud to announce the opening of the new office of Plug and Play, an innovation-driven company which has offices in major cities around the world. Because the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025 is coming up, I hope this would be a great opportunity for innovative startups to aim global expansion from Osaka. Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Officer of Kansai Bureau of Economy,Trade and Industry Mr. Takeshi Yonemura We congratulate you Plug and Play on the opening of Plug and Play Osaka. The Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area was recently selected as a "Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium" by the Cabinet Office, and we realized that Osaka has the potential to become one of the top cities, accelerating innovation. Because the Osaka, Kansai EXPO 2025 is coming up, I hope Plug and Play Osaka will strengthen the venture/startup ecosystem. Knowledge Capital Association Representative Director Mr. Hideo Miyahara We are very happy that Plug and Play, which is one of the leading accelerators in the world, will open a new base, Plug and Play Osaka, in Knowledge Capital. To open the base, we have concluded a comprehensive agreement between Knowledge Capital and Plug and Play Japan to support startups and develop human resources. In the future, we will work together in various fields such as accelerator programs, intellectual property utilization, human resource development programs for young people, and strive to form the core base of the startup ecosystem in Kansai region. Plug and Play Osaka Overview Date of establishment: July 1st, 2020 Address: Knowledge Capital, 8th floor, Grand Front Osaka, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0011 About Knowledge Capital Name: Knowledge Capital URL: https://kc-i.jp/ Date of establishment: April 2013 Address: Grand Front Osaka, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0011 Business description: Management of places for intellectual creation and interaction (coworking, shared offices, business-supported programs, etc.) About Plug and Play Japan Accelerator Program Plug and Play Japan works with our corporate partner companies to support startups in Japan and overseas to grow up as global startups by providing a 3-month accelerator program which focuses on themes from different industries. Through this program, startups can leverage the resources of multiple corporate partners and have the opportunity to work with a large number of different corporations. Startups from Japan aiming for global expansion can obtain pitch opportunities in our Silicon Valley HQ, and access to the global market while overseas startups aiming for Japan market entry will gain related support and resources as well. In addition, corporate partners will be provided with opportunities such as individual interviews, networking and deal flow sessions (business matching) with selected startups. About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. Corporate overview Name Plug and Play Japan KK Address 150-0043 Shibuya Center Place 3F, 1-16-3 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Representative Phillip Vicent URL http://japan.plugandplaytechcenter.com/ Establishment July 14th, 2017 [ Inquiry regarding this Press Release ] Plug and Play Japan KK Person in charge: Ho TEL : 080-4667-1988 / Mail : [email protected] SOURCE Plug and Play Actor Karthi, who has been helping farmers and encouraging youth to take up farming ever since he acted as a farmer in Kadikutty Singam, has strongly criticised the Centres Environmental Impact Assessment 2020 (EIA Draft 2020) saying development cannot come at the cost of eco-diversity. In a statement released through his Uzhavar Foundation, he said, In India, which is hailed as the best country, with many resources, the existing environmental laws are not enough to protect our natural resources and livelihoods. Setting up of heavy industries at the huge and irrecoverable cost of this ecological harmony cannot be construed as a measure of success and development, Karthi said in the statement. He added that the proposed draft must be published in all languages and not only in English and Hindi, as it is now. He also questioned the haste to pass the law, in view of the Covid-19 crisis. Let us take this last opportunity to take the pros and cons of this draft to the attention of the people and take it to the notice of the Government through a public debate, he concludes. The actors elder brother Suriya has also come out against the EIA proposal and supported Karthi. Re-tweeting Karthis statement, Suriya tweeted in Tamil, saying, More than the spoken word, silence is dangerous. To protect our environment, let us break our silence #EIA2020(sic). Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:33:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHANGHAI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China's independently-developed ARJ21 regional jetliner has been verified capable of operating in all high-plateau airports, its developer announced Thursday after due testings. An ARJ21 airplane returned to Shanghai on Thursday after completing a half-month flight test, which thoroughly examined the aircraft's operation capacity in a high-plateau airport environment, said the Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The ARJ21 aircraft completed the expanded tests on its performance on the maximum take-off and landing altitude at Daocheng Yading Airport located in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Located 4,411 meters above sea level, it is the world's highest-altitude civilian airport. The tests verified that ARJ21 is capable of operating in all high-plateau airports, and paved the way for airlines to use the aircraft to open more high-altitude routes, said the COMAC. The ARJ21 is China's first turbo-fan regional passenger jetliner model and is designed with 78 to 90 seats and a range of 3,700 km. It can fly in alpine and plateau regions and is adaptive to various airport conditions. Plateau airports refer to those airports with an altitude of more than 1,500 meters above sea level. They include high plateau airports that are more than 2,438 meters above sea level. China has the world's largest number of plateau airports, of which 19 are high plateau airports. Most of these airports are located in the western regions. According to the Chinese commercial aircraft maker, the COMAC values high demands from the Chinese civil aviation market, especially those in the western regions. The plateau operation attaches high requirements on the aircraft to maintain safety in high-altitude environment with thin air, complex terrains and changeable weather. The ARJ21 development team took the high-altitude performance and operation capacity as key design targets of the regional jetliner model, said the COMAC. In 2013 and 2017, the ARJ21 aircraft carried out flight tests at two Chinese airports, respectively, at altitudes of 2,842 meters and 2,905 meters. The latest test flights in Daocheng expanded the aircraft's maximum take-off and landing altitude, and further verified its reliability and plateau performance, the COMAC added. As a pioneer of Chinese commercial airplanes, the ARJ21 aircraft was put into commercial service in June 2016 by Chengdu Airlines. As of July 22, the COMAC delivered a total of 33 ARJ21 airplanes to its customers. They are serving on air routes linking 56 cities, according to the COMAC. Enditem U.S. President Trump leads daily coronavirus response briefing at the White House in Washington Reuters The Small Business Administration's watchdog said widespread instances of possible fraud were discovered in the agency's Paycheck Protection Program. The inspector general found about $300 million that went to ineligible recipients or was double disbursed. The agency says its internal controls caught most of the nefarious applications and is working to augment those tools. PPP funding remains available for small businesses, and many may soon be able to take a second loan as the first round dries up amid ever-growing coronavirus cases. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The Small Business Administration's Inspector General said Tuesday the office found likely examples of pervasive fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided more than $500 billion in mostly forgivable loans to small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The watchdog office said its preliminary review found "strong indicators of widespread fraud." Specifically, its investigation into hundreds of hotline complaints found $250 million in loans and grants to "potentially ineligible recipients" and another $45.6 million in potential double payments. In total, the potential wrongdoing totals less than 1% of the program's total $520 billion in loans provided to about 5.03 million businesses since March. Among those cases include a Florida man accused of spending part of a $3.9 million PPP loan on a $318,000 Lamborghini Huracan supercar. Related: 6 months of coronavirus in the USA, reviewed in 6 minutes "Swift management action could reduce or prevent additional losses to the taxpayer, because the associated economic injury loan applications may still be unapproved or undisbursed," the report suggests to the SBA. "Management should engage financial institutions immediately to identify disbursements that may have been obtained fraudulently and recover disbursed funds." In response to the findings, the SBA's administrator, Jovita Carranza, acknowledged the small number of potentially fraudulent applications and said the agency was working on technology to augment its internal controls. Story continues "Because of the EIDL Program's robust internal controls, the concerns raised by OIG in the Draft Management Alert were unexpected," Carranza said, adding that the inspector general had rejected agency requests for more details of the investigation ahead of its response. "SBA has imposed rigorous system rules and controls to mitigate the risk of fraud," it continued. "Despite the lowered guardrails required by Congress with respect to fraud prevention (e.g., applicant self-certification of eligibility), and contrary to OIG's assertions, SBA's efforts have in fact saved taxpayers billions of dollars." Here's a breakdown of the suspected fraud the SBA says it caught before disbursement: Screen Shot 2020 07 29 at 3.30.07 PM SBA IG In July, following pressure from republicans in Congress, the SBA released some data on loan recipients who received funding above $150,000. Some of same conservatives who championed the transparency praised the inspector general report. "The purpose of COVID-19 EIDL loans and advances are to aid eligible, legitimate American small entities with both a quick injection of capital and long-term financing for working capital needs brought on by the pandemic," Sen. Marco Rubio said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. "I'm proud to have worked to secure language in the CARES Act to ensure the federal government has the tools to identify and go after fraudulent activity while protecting taxpayer dollars." Republican senators' proposed "Heals Act," another economic relief measure to follow on those passed in the Spring, many of which are expiring this month, includes provisions for a second round of loans to embattled businesses, many of which have said they will have to lay off staff when funds dry up. Read the original article on Business Insider Panaji, July 30 : The opposition Congress in Goa on Thursday staged a protest outside the Raj Bhavan here, accusing the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre of trying to sabotage democracy. Party leaders including state Congress president Girish Chodankar and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat submitted a memorandum addressed to President Ramnath Kovind through Governor Satya Pal Malik, in which the Opposition party has stated that the ruling BJP has used muscle power to wrest power in states like Goa, Manipur, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh. "The BJP has already toppled the democratically elected state governments in Manipur, Goa, Karnataka, MP and installed BJP governments through the backdoor, preposterously against the wishes and mandate of the people," the letter to the President states, adding that the Congress government in Rajasthan was also under threat. The protest is a part of a pan-India strategy of the Congress party in the wake of the political crisis in Rajasthan, in which the Congress regime in the state has come under threat. "While the country is reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic with 15,83,792 confirmed cases and an unprecedented death toll of 34,193, the indulgence of a national political party in such undemocratic, unconstitutional activities is not only a shame, but also a grave threat to our democracy," the Congress party's memorandum said. Manish Gupta has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of TajSATS Air Catering Limited, Indian Hotels Companys (IHCL) joint venture with SATS, and Indias market leader in airline catering, today. Speaking on the appointment, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL and Chairman of TajSATS, said, This is in line with our commitment to recognize and develop talent from within the organization. We are delighted to welcome Manish Gupta on board and believe he is best suited to take brand TajSATS to the next level. Manish will play an instrumental role in the TajSATS transformation as it expands its business and gears up for the next decade. Manish is a consummate hotelier with over two decades of experience in multiple roles across various categories and sizes of hotels in India. His career with IHCL began when he moved to the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi as a restaurant manager. He quickly rose through the ranks to become General Manager of different hotels including the legendary Rambagh Palace. Mr. Manish Gupta, CEO, TajSATS Air Catering Ltd., said, TajSATS is an integral part of the IHCL ecosystem. I am really looking forward to this assignment and my endeavour will be to further strengthen our market leadership in the aviation business and unlock its potential in the non-aviation businesses as well. Manish will move to his current role from his previous position of being the Area Director East & General Manager Taj Bengal, looking after the Eastern India hotels, Bhutan and Nepal. He spearheaded the organizations growth in this fast growing part of the country. Manish is an Alumni of IIM Ahmedabad and Nan Yang University, Singapore, having completed a specialized General Managers program. An avid traveller, he enjoys reading and playing badminton every morning. British rapper Wiley apologised on Wednesday for generalising in a series of anti-Semitic posts that got him permanently banned by Twitter. Im not racist, you know. Im a businessman, Wiley told Sky News after the social media platform made its initial suspension of the artist permanent. I want to apologise for generalising, and I want to apologise for comments that were looked at as anti-Semitic. The 41-year-old east Londoner born Richard Cowie but known to his fans as the Godfather of Grime is one of the most popular and successful artists in the British rap scene. He had around half a million followers before Twitter suspended him for seven days last Friday for a series of posts that compared the Jewish community to the Ku Klux Klan. Other posts said Jews controlled business interests and should get out of Israel because it is not your country. Wiley also shared the posts on the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform Instagram. Facebook deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday and Twitter permanently banned him on Wednesday. But Twitters decision only followed a 48-hour boycott launched by several UK celebrities and members of parliament for leaving some of his posts visible for hours. Twitter said it had used the temporary suspension period to review the case. Upon further investigation, our teams have permanently suspended the account in question for repeated violations of our hateful conduct policy, Twitter said in a statement. Let us be clear: hateful conduct has absolutely no place on our service and we strongly condemn anti-Semitism. We are sorry we did not move faster and are continuing to assess the situation internally. British police have also said they are investigating his statements on social media accounts. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said it welcomed the news that Twitter had finally listened. But it said the decision was too little, too late. It is at least a start for this deeply irresponsible social network, the group added. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 27, 2017. Manila (CNN Philippines Life) Kevin Kwan thinks his first book, Crazy Rich Asians, the book that put him on the map, is a little all over the place. Were talking about his growth as a writer over the course of his Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and he brings up how the first book is vastly different from the rest of the series: China Rich Girlfriend and the recently released Rich People Problems. When you look at the first book and you see it from chapter to chapter, there are so many stylistic differences. It jumps around that, to me, right now, its kind of horrifying to look back at, says Kwan, who was billeted at the swanky presidential suite of Shangri-La Mactan over the long weekend. He was in Cebu for an appearance and book signing for National Book Store. The event was a unique opportunity for Kwan to share the stage with Kris Aquino, one of the cast members of the upcoming film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians. Aquino interviewed the author during the book signing at SM Seaside in Cebu. I was not allowed to talk about Crazy Rich Asians, Aquino disclosed to the audience. But since Kevin broke the news, thank you! I was dying to tell everybody! I was not allowed to say anything, too, Kwan replied. We have to thank John Chu [the director], really. He was the one who finally said, Kevin, just say it. Aquino then asked Kwan why he wasnt in Singapore during the filming of one of her scenes (Kwan was beginning his American tour for Rich People Problems). Kwan said that he was sent photos (Hundreds of it) and that Aquino was on the set with other cast members Constance Wu (who plays the lead character Rachel Chu) and Henry Golding (Nick Young, Chu's boyfriend who belongs to one of the richest families in Singapore). Kevin Kwan with "Crazy Rich Asians" cast member Kris Aquino during National Book Store's Kevin Kwan book signing at SM Seaside in Cebu. Photo from NATIONAL BOOK STORE/KRIS AQUINO/FACEBOOK The Philippines has become part of Kwans series, with Filipinos graduating from just house help in the first series to mentions of socialites and other notable people in the latest book, with appearances by Doris Magsaysay-Ho and Karen Davila. Palawan is also a setting in Rich People Problems, which Kwan visited in 2015. Kwan himself is part of Singapores upper crust, having been born into a wealthy family. But his father, an engineer, moved their family to the U.S., where Kwan has been living since he was 11 years old. My dad had a fantasy about having this cowboy life, he says. He went to boarding school in Australia, and he fell in love with the outback. He just wanted us to have this much more American, outdoorsy [life]. He was sick of us being pampered by maids and he wanted us to learn how to mow lawns and become Texans. Familial infighting is the core of the series, which is a satirical romp depicting some of Asias most moneyed families and their struggle to keep everything within their own circles. Though there is a love story at the center, it is only fuel to the fire of the soap-operatic concerns of these families, including marrying to lower class families. Kwan keeps the reader glued, even evoking the spirit of Jane Austen for good measure, but he has created a world that is outrageous yet is every bit true to the world that he has come to know. CNN Philippines Life talks to Kwan about the real-life characters behind the residents of Tyersall Park, why people still care about the rich, and a few notes about Asian literature. Below are edited excerpts. Kevin Kwan's trilogy on the lives of Asia's ultra-rich has been an international bestseller. Photo from KEVIN KWAN BOOKS/OFFICIAL WEBSITE Youve already written three books about the crazy lives of rich Asians and there have been books about many rich families elsewhere. Are there any stones left unturned about the lives of the rich? (Laughs) I do think so. I think wealth and how its affecting people and how its affecting high net worth families [are] changing so quickly were seeing so many new people come up with money who are behaving very differently from how they normally would behave in traditional structures, like the Silicon Valley multi-billionaires who are 25 years old, theyre not interested in the trappings of the old world, things like that. A lot of the Mainland Chinese new money everyones making their own new rules and so thats creating for fascinating characters, fascinating stories, so I think people will always be curious. Whats the most fascinating thing about the way the new money set are behaving? The decisions they make. I think its fascinating that one of the richest men in the world still lives in a small house and still wont leave the neighborhood he grew up in and chooses not to participate in the wealth culture. I think its fascinating when a billionaire decides to give 90 percent of his money away, as someone I know has. And his joy is just giving away as much of his fortune as possible to help other people. So its nice to see these original thinkers and innovators with money as opposed to the old, stereotype fat cat millionaires, the tycoons who are running around in their Rolls Royces, smoking cigars, thats all changing. It keeps things changing and hopefully does a lot of good for the people. Why do you think the lives of the rich are still compelling to readers? Why are people still interested in them? I think people have always been interested by people in power, since the beginning of time. In a little village, youre always fascinated about what happened to the family of their tribal leader, and that hasnt changed; its part of human behavior. And now that we live in cities, people look to these families, the ones who created the cities, as the fascinating people, because they do have power, influence and wealth, and they do things that change other peoples lives. Look at what happened on T.V. Now there are all these reality shows about the rich and beautiful, and its funny because I find most of those shows incredibly boring, because the most interesting people wont put themselves in front of the camera. Its just these attention-seekers and people who are looking to publicize and promote themselves that are in these shows. Your books actually shed light on these ultra-rich people who dont want to be in the spotlight. I quite recently met someone from one of the wealthiest families in the world and this person said to me, Thank you for writing your books because my children are grateful to me now. Everything I told them and warned them about is true. (Laughs). And youve shown that in your books so now they believe me when I say its better to be private, its better to be just discreet with your wealth, its better to do good things with your money than just spend it on frivolous material objects "I think its fascinating that one of the richest men in the world still lives in a small house and still wont leave the neighborhood he grew up in and chooses not to participate in the wealth culture." With the behavior of the new money, do you think the old rich would find ways to prove how their traditions are better in some ways? Yeah, absolutely. People always believe that their way is the best way, and if theyve been doing it longer, theyll definitely believe that, wouldnt you say? They dont like it when people come in and change the rules. How do you think your works fit in the discussion of privilege? I think the book really highlights this world where very privileged characters go through different challenges because they have this privilege, and how it affects them differently based on that. Not just the characters, but you look at the social classes, social systems. Theres a lot of talk in the U.S. about white privilege but here in Southeast Asia and Singapore, they talk about Chinese privilege because they are the ones with more money and power. Its a dynamic thats very much at play in my books. How do you make sure you have characters that go beyond being a caricature? Especially when youre writing a satire? You know, its easy for me because my characters are inspired by real people, and real people are inordinately unusual and diverse and strange in their own way. No ones ever a cookie-cutter cartoon character, I find. Everyone has idiosyncrasies, everyones original in their own way so its easy for me to just observe them and help them inspire these characters. One of the interesting things raised about your work is that youve created a new stereotype for Asian people. How do you react to that? I think as long as youre creating new stories and characters and breaking the mold of the old stereotypes, Im hopefully helping to change things. For so long, there were only few, very dated stereotypes of Asian people and Im trying to challenge that. Im trying to present Asian men as attractive and desirable, and dynamic, powerful, and sexy. Thats not something you see in the West, at all. Im trying to show that not all Asian women are gold diggers, some of them are economics professors who are trying to affect change in a different way. Im just trying to show people as people. My goal is for people to read my books and forget that theyre reading about Asians. Theyre just reading about people who have dramatic, fascinating lives. Kevin Kwan (third from right) with the cast of the "Crazy Rich Asians" film adaptation. From left: Chris Pang, Carmen Soo, Constance Lau, Jing Lusi, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, and Constance Wu. Photo courtesy of NATIONAL BOOK STORE What were some of the things you learned along the way of writing these three books? What are the things you learned in the first book that you applied to writing the subsequent books? I think I became more focused. The first book had so many characters, so many story lines, so many tangents. The second books and third books began to focus more on certain characters, certain families because the first book was about all these families. But I did jump around more different countries in the subsequent books but the story became more focused. I think I became a better writer. Because I became more confident in my voice and I used the voice so much more now that I didnt have to think about it more consciously, I could just write the story. What kind of Asian literature did you read when you were growing up? Amy Tans books. Shes a very very inspiring writer to me. Maxine Hong Kingston who I think is a pioneer Asian-American writer. Ive read my fair share of that genre. Now that youre one of the authors who tackle the lives of Asians, what kind of conversation or discussion do you want to set in your writing? You know, I dont have a set agenda I wrote this trilogy of books about this very specific world. To me, its just a family story but Im portraying a very different type of family than the [ones] that have been portrayed in the past, in fiction. I just want to keep evolving and telling new stories and see how that goes. My new book might not even be about rich families at all. Theres also this theme about how a new generation of Asians is becoming more Westernized. How does this relate to you in real life? Im an example of that. I spent the first part of my life in Asia and then I went to the U.S. and have been there ever since. How you find your way in a foreign culture, how you adapt, how you assimilate, these are all issues Ive been through and these are all reflected in the characters that I write about. The older I got, the more I wanted to reconnect with my past but Asias changing at such warp speed. The entire world, I feel, is being Westernized and I hope that as Asia changes they can also start putting up their barriers and become more Easternized. I hope the world becomes more Easternized than vice versa. Kevin Kwan has actually based "Crazy Rich Asians" in his real-life experience as a member of a wealthy Singaporean family. Photo from NATIONAL BOOK STORE In the book, its easy to write about this extravagant, opulent world since its just confined in words and pages, but how do you translate that onscreen with the Crazy Rich Asians movie? Its interesting, watching a book turned into a movie was one of the most fascinating things Ive ever witnessed. You have to take words on paper and there are many stories, so you have to pick and choose and really reconstruct the story that is completely different, shorter, and visual. First of all, Ive noticed that writing novels is a very individualized sport. Its one person sitting in a room. Making a movie takes a village of very, very talented people, from the technicians, cameramen, to the costume designers, to the director, John Chu. It takes a huge team to make one scene happen. One chapter that I wrote on my own takes hundreds of people to recreate. Even just one scene, it takes a really long time. You sit on the set and all day long theyre filming and thatll just be 20 seconds of footage. So it was fascinating for me to be on set and see how they did that. It gives me just so much more respect for the artisans and all the amazing people who come together and make a film. Of course, this is going to contribute to how Asians are portrayed in films. Was that a big pressure during the casting? It was definitely something we were very mindful of because when we began the process, the Hollywood whitewashing thing wasnt [in the news]. It was only last year that [issue] happened, when we were beginning to wrap up pre-production, but we were hyper-conscious of making sure that we got it right in terms of casting. You couldnt make this movie with anyone but Asians (laughs). That was the easy part. But finding the right people from different parts of Asia that would lend authenticity to their characters that was the challenge. Finally, can you recommend three books by Asian writers that you think would enrich the way Asians are portrayed in literature? Theres a book called The Windfall by Diksha Basu. Its about contemporary India and New Delhi high society. Theres another book by Patty Yumi Cottrell, Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, and its one of the most original books Ive read in a long time and the character is I dont want to give everything and spoil it its just truly an original. Its nice to have a fresh new voice in the literary scene. And the third is Janice Y. K. Lee, who wrote The Piano Teacher and her most recent novel is The Expatriates, and it looks at lives of expatriates living in Hong Kong and how they collide with the world of Hong Kong. *** Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems are available at National Book Store. COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Back-to-school shopping is the second-busiest season of the year, in terms of overall spending, according to the National Retail Federation. Consumers spent an average of $976 on back-to-school shopping in 2019, compared to $1,047 in the November-December holiday season. Across the board, retailers with strong e-commerce positions are likely to perform better this season, says Jie Zhang the Harvey Sanders Fellow of Retail Management at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. Early indicators show retailers seeing a significant bump in demand for technology products, she says, as parents look to equip their kids at much younger grade levels with electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, headphones, and webcams, because of the shift to online learning. Other traditional back-to-school fare, meanwhile, is likely to languish on shelves. That includes clothing, footwear, home furnishings and small appliances for dorm living. With many colleges and universities offering hybrid learning or all-remote options, fewer young adults are heading off to live on campuses. "It's not surprising to see who the biggest winners are," Zhang says. "Companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Apple, all have these capabilities. For Best Buy and Apple, in particular, selling technology products online is a major advantage due to the heightened demand for those products." By contrast, department stores like JCPenney, Macy's and Kohl's, and apparel stores such as Gap are likely to struggle, dragged down by the lackluster demand for their merchandise and less-than-robust e-commerce operations, Zhang says. Brick-and-mortar shopping these days is less of a draw, as states around the country report an upsurge in COVID-19 infections. "People are very reluctant to go back into stores in large enclosed spaces, even as lockdown restrictions are lifted," Zhang says. "Department stores and mall-based apparel retailers had been struggling long before the pandemic, and COVID has served as a catalyst to propel the failure of some of them." The pandemic underscores the long-standing trend among the retail world's strongest players toward the importance of maintaining an omnichannel presence a mix of online, mobile app and brick-and-mortar. In the past four months, consumers have turned to e-commerce, even for things they were used to purchasing in-person for example, fresh groceries and household goods. "Even when things come back to a reasonable level of normalcy, many consumers who have enjoyed the benefits of online shopping may not want to switch back to brick-and-mortar stores, and retailers will have to adapt to the new norm of consumer preferences for the long term," Zhang says. Go to Smith Brain Trust for related content at https://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/faculty-research/smithbraintrust and follow on Twitter @SmithBrainTrust. About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]. SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business As NASAs Mars 2020 rover Perseverance makes its way to the red planet after blasting off late on Thursday (AEST), a number of Australian scientists are poised to help it search for signs of life. Abigail Allwood is a geologist and astrobiologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and is one of the scientific leads on the mission, the first woman and first Australian to hold that title. An artist impression of NASA's Mars 2020 rover Perseverance, which has the largest array of sensors and cameras yet sent to the red planet. Credit: NASA She said she was proud to be the first in both categories, and said getting to work on the Mars 2020 project was the culmination of a lifelong dream. There was a woman who joined the dots for me who worked on one of the Voyager missions, who talked about how she loved seeing the data come in and going through it in great detail, Dr Allwood said. Demi Moore shared in an interview from Tuesday that she felt pressured to change herself to better fit with her boyfriend and husbands. The 57-year-old Ghost star made the admission after she was asked how she recovered from three divorces on SiriusXMs The Jess Cagle Show. 'I think it's a process of, not to sound cliche, but it's really a process of learning to love yourself, accepting who you are just as you are,' she advised other women in relationships. Demi Moore, 57, admitted that she had 'changed' herself during each of her relationships 'to fit what I thought somebody else wanted' in an interview Tuesday on The Jess Cagle Show 'For me, I changed myself over and over to fit what I thought somebody else wanted,' Demi explained. She also encouraged people to try to improve their relationships, but not at the expensive of their own needs. 'Working through a relationship is really commendable in our disposable times,' she continued. 'To go through the journey of really honoring the love that brought you together in the first place, and to really give it all youve got, but you can't do that without that love and acceptance of yourself.' Loving herself: 'I think its a process... of learning to love yourself, accepting who you are just as you are,' she advised other women in relationships Making an effort: 'Working through a relationship is really commendable in our disposable times,' she continued Demi was first married to musician Freddy Moore from 198185, from whom she took her last name. She made a glamorous Hollywood couple with Bruce Willis, whom she married in 1997, though they were divorced in 2000. The two remained friends and committed co-parents, however, and Bruce even quarantined with her and their adult children in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Her most recent husband was That '70s Show actor Ashton Kutcher, whom she married in 2005. The two finalized their divorce in 2013. The beginning: Demi was first married to musician Freddy Moore from 198185, from whom she took her last name; pictured in 1982; shown in 1982 Famous beau: She made a glamorous Hollywood couple with Bruce Willis, whom she married in 1997, though they were divorced in 2000 Third time: Her most recent husband was That '70s Show actor Ashton Kutcher, whom she married in 2005. The two finalized their divorce in 2013; pictured in 2011 Later in the chat with Cagle and his co-host Julia Cunningham, Demi gave the late director Joel Schumacher credit for helping her to get sober. 'I will forever be so grateful to him. As they say, somebody seeing more of you than you see yourself. And in a way, he was doing it for himself,' she said. 'He wasnt yet sober. In a way, he was doing for me what he couldnt do himself.' Schumacher directed Moore in her first big feature the 'Brat Pack' film St. Elmo's Fire, in which she starred with Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy and Emilio Estevez. Helping hand: Later in the chat with Cagle and his co-host Julia Cunningham, Demi gave the late director Joel Schumacher credit for helping her to get sober; pictured in 2016 Big break: Schumacher directed Moore in her first big feature the 'Brat Pack' film St. Elmo's Fire, in which she starred with Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy and Emilio Estevez In an interview with Lena Dunham for Harper's Bazaar in September, Demi explained her early exposure to drugs and alcohol through her mother's own addiction. She recounted a disturbing anecdote about trying to prevent her mother from choking after she overdosed. 'The next thing I remember is using my fingers, the small fingers of a child, to dig the pills my mother had tried to swallow out of her mouth while my father held it open and told me what to do. Something very deep inside me shifted then, and it never shifted back. My childhood was over,' she recounted. Her own alcohol and drug abuse began in her late teenage years, but she achieved sobriety for decades after her substance use became a problem on St. Elmo's Fire. Tough childhood: Demi recounted experiencing her mother's overdose and having to pull pills out of her mouth in her memoir Inside Out; pictured quarantining with her ex Bruce Starting again: She said she broke her sobriety during her marriage to Ashton after he downplayed the existence of alcohol addiction; pictured in 2011 But after more than two decades clean, Demi began drinking again, first in moderation and gradually more, after her husband Ashton Kutcher downplayed the existence of alcohol addictions. Demi described suffering a seizure in 2012 after smoking a kind of synthetic marijuana. Despite the tumult with her mother, the two reconciled, and Demi helped care for her until her death from cancer at age 54. By Michael Shields ZURICH (Reuters) - Clariant Chairman Hariolf Kottmann is happy with the Swiss speciality chemical maker's shareholder structure, he said on Thursday, playing down a report the company could seek to dilute the control of Saudi investors. The Tages-Anzeiger paper said this month Clariant was in talks with four potential partners -- with discussions with one group especially advanced -- in search of a "face-saving solution for the Saudis". Saudi Aramco owns a 31.5% Clariant stake it got when it acquired Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC). Kottmann told reporters he could not comment on rumours and newspaper headlines, but when asked if he was happy with the current ownership structure, he said: "Absolutely, absolutely. As you may remember it was our initiative to ask SABIC to buy the share package owned by (activist investors) and it was always our strategic intention to have an anchor shareholder in addition to the Bavarian families, therefore our shareholder structure is a very positive one." Kottmann had to step in as interim CEO last year when former CEO Ernesto Occhiello quit suddenly. He said the company would decide on a new CEO within months. Based on continuing operations, Clariant posted a first-half net profit of 75 million Swiss francs ($82.2 million) as sales fell 5% in local currency to 1.95 billion francs. Sales in the second quarter fell 4% to 926 million. It said sales and profitability would suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic in the third quarter as well, but business was unlikely to contract sharply. "Clariant's three core speciality business areas are executing performance programmes to generate resilient results during these times and to achieve above-market growth, higher profitability and stronger cash generation in the mid-term," it said. Clariant is in the midst of a massive sell-off process that will divest businesses that made up one-third of sales. ($1 = 0.9129 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Michael Shields and John Miller, editing Uttaresh.V and Keith Weir) A Moscow court sentences the 29-year-old student to nine years in a penal colony for assaulting two police officers. A Russian court has sentenced former US marine Trevor Reed to nine years in a penal colony for assaulting two police officers while drunk last year. Reed, a 29-year-old student from Texas, allegedly attacked police after attending a party in Moscow. He appeared, wearing a face mask, in a cage for defendants in a courtroom in the Russian capital as the judge read out the guilty verdict, saying the police officers had suffered mental and physical harm. This is completely a political case, Reed told journalists after the verdict. I will be asking my government for political support. The case has caught the attention of US diplomats in Russia, and US Ambassador John Sullivan said he was following proceedings along with the trials of other US citizens arrested in Russia. Reed has been held in a Moscow prison in pre-trial detention since August 2019. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, saying he remembers nothing of the incident. His family has raised the alarm over what they say are irregularities in the proceedings and said the prosecutions request for a nearly 10-year sentence was unfair. Completely corrupt Reeds father Joey told reporters after the verdict was read out that he was planning to appeal directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the trial which he said was completely corrupt. We are not arguing about Russian law, we are arguing about how Russian law is applied, he told reporters. Reeds case has attracted attention owing to the lengthy sentence faced by a US citizen and speculation in Russian and US media that Reed could become part of a prisoner swap. In June, Russia convicted US citizen Paul Whelan, also an ex-marine, to 16 years in a penal colony for espionage, also prompting prisoner swap speculations. Whelans brother David said in a statement on Wednesday: Our family is not privy to government discussions, if there are any, about Pauls case. Sullivan has also raised concerns over the case against Michael Calvey, a high-profile US investor who was arrested last year for allegedly defrauding a Russian bank. PM Modi, along with the Mauritian Prime Minister Jugnauth, inaugurated the new Supreme Court building in the Mauritius, through video conference. PM Modi used the opportunity to speak about the close relations shared by Mauritius and India. Prime Minster Narendra Modi, and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, are jointly inaugurating the new Supreme Court building in Mauritius. PM Modi labelled it a mark of respect towards towards the democratic system of an independent judiciary. He also lauded the modern construction and design of the building. The new Supreme Court building was completed with Indian assistance as part of New Delhis thrust on cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean Region. Senior members of the judiciary from Mauritius and other dignitaries from both countries were present during the occasion. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the courts building symbolises the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries. The court structure construction is one of the five projects under the USD 353 million Special Economic Package (SEP) extended by India in 2016. Also Read: Delhi launches Awareness campaign to deal with earthquakes Also Read: After Rafale arrives, Rahul Gandhi shots old allegations at Centre The project has been completed within schedule and below expected cost. The building is spread over an area of more than 4,700 sq m with over 10 floors and has a built-up area of around 25,000 sq m. It flaunts a modern design and green features with focus on thermal and sound insulation and high energy efficiency. The new building will house all divisions and offices of the Supreme Court of Mauritius. The PM also said, First of all, I congratulate the Government and people of Mauritius for effective management of the COVID-19 global pandemic. I am happy that India was able to support this effort through timely supplies of medicines and sharing of experiences. PM Modi also called Mauritius the heart of Indias approach to the Indian Ocean. He also stated, For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions. Also Read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: Mayawati joins chorus to demand CBI investigation Both India and Mauritius respect our independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems. This impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of this respect: Prime Minister Narendra Modi https://t.co/l5brfUnXl9 pic.twitter.com/1SaeJ8bAki ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2020 At 14 years old, Meena Kumar is already a strong believer in the importance of second chances. When she was just 9 months old, she was left in a basket on a college campus in India, and subsequently lived in an orphanage for about a year. Then she was adopted by a family who lives in San Jose, California. My parents tell me the story of when they adopted me at (age) 2 and they brought me to my grandparents apartment in Mumbai, she told TODAY. My parents were worried about how to keep me amused in a small place. Thankfully, a dog had laid a litter of puppies, and I used to spend hours every day watching and playing with them. Meena Kumar as a child. (Photo courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) Meenas love of animals continued to grow back home in Northern California. Her favorite activity was visiting the local Humane Society, and when she was 8 years old, the family adopted a mixed-breed dog named Bambie. Meena adores the sweet dog and has taught her many tricks, including how to give a hug. I just pat on my shoulder and shell come and actually like put her paws up and just stay there so I can hug her and stuff, she said. Meena Kumar's dog, Bambie, stands on her back. (Photo courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) One day while walking Bambie, Meena met a neighbor, Dr. Kathy Stecco, who was walking her dog, George. Stecco has fostered many senior hospice dogs for Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that rescues and re-homes older dogs. Intrigued, Meena visited Muttville, where she developed a passion for helping senior dogs. I love visiting Muttville, she said. The dogs may be senior and old, but theyre so friendly and cute, which is why I want to help them. Theyre the most gentle and loyal creatures. Meena Kumar snuggles a dog at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. (Photo courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) When Meenas parents said no to adopting more dogs, the then 9-year-old found a different way to help: She started a pet-sitting business called Pet Fairy Services and donates her earnings to Muttville. Shes already donated $7,000 of her own money, and Intel, where her father works, matched her donation to Muttville. It feels great to know that Ive saved many dogs lives and given them another chance to enjoy life for their last years of living, she said. I feel like all dogs should get a forever home just like I did. Story continues Meena Kumar comforts an aging dog. (Courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) Meena has no plans of stopping. Some friends have started working for Pet Fairy Services, and her cousin works introduced her to the co-founder of Pebble Naturals, which is currently running a fundraising campaign to bolster Meenas donations to Muttville. She loves the chance to spend time with neighbors dogs in addition to walks and trips to the beach, she hides treats around her house so they can enjoy a treasure hunt and being able to give back. Helping senior dogs is also a tribute to her love for her grandfather, who died last year at age 88. A young Meena Kumar snuggles with her grandfather. (Courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) He was kind and caring, just like the Muttville dogs, she said. I took care of my grandpa very well and want to help take care of these dogs in some way because theyre old and just like my grandpa. Meenas mother, Jayashree Subrahmonia, is not only proud of her daughter but thankful. She herself was raised without pets and has found its a joy to have so many dogs visit their home, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Meena Kumar smiles with senior dogs. (Courtesy of Jayashree Subrahmonia) This entire journey of the love for animals in general and supporting senior dogs has been a gift to us, she said. Im grateful to her for this gift that she has given us. CORRECTION (July 31, 2020, 7:18 p.m.): An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Meena's cousin works at Pebble Naturals. She introduced Meena to the co-founder of Pebble Naturals but doesn't work there. Advocates who have urged the city not to break up encampments of homeless people in Hamilton during the coronavirus pandemic have scored a legal victory. A Superior Court judge granted a 10-day injunction Thursday that bars the city from forcing people to pack up their tents. With that, the coalition of lawyers, doctors and street outreach workers has turned to preparing for an injunction beyond that period. However, Sharon Crowe, a lawyer with the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, hopes an out-of-court agreement can be reached. Thats always been our hope that we could reach an informal resolution so we remain hopeful. The city, meanwhile, says its legal team is reviewing the court decision. We also need to engage with council, obviously, and get some direction about what our next steps are, said Paul Johnson, general manager of healthy and safe communities. The citys outreach workers continue to meet with people at encampments to help establish plans for hotels, shelters or housing, Johnson said. But staff cant tell them they need to move on or theyll be breaking the bylaw during the injunction period, he noted. The legal battle marks a crescendo in an ongoing struggle over how to handle encampments during the pandemic. The Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team has joined the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, Ross & McBride LLP and Keeping Six, a harm-reduction organization, in urging the city not to displace people unless acceptable housing options are secured for them. The most recent focus of debate is dozens of tents pitched outside FirstOntario Centre, which was set up as a temporary mens shelter, on York Boulevard, and near the Wesley Day Centre on Ferguson Avenue North. The doctors say its easier to access patients when theyre in encampments than if theyre dispersed. The advocates also note homeless people find greater security in numbers. The city says staff try to organize options for people before enforcing bylaws that prohibit tents in public spaces. But Crowe noted the advocates received word Tuesday from the city that people would be forcefully removed from Ferguson and York on Friday. That spurred the court application, despite later assurances from Johnson that no such dismantlement would take place. We dont have the bulldozers fired up and ready to go in and clear people out, he told The Spectator. But the hope, Johnson noted, is to establish individual arrangements to move people to hotels, shelters or housing according to their needs. He added the bottom line is that you cannot camp on public property indefinitely. Crowe said she and her colleagues were confused as to how a miscommunication to that extent could occur. She also noted encampment residents told her Wednesday that Social Navigators a collaboration between police and paramedics advised them theyd have to leave Friday. Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk, a member of the Hamilton Social Medicine Response Team, said the sticking point was a lack of written assurance that people would not be displaced against their will. The encampment impasse is also politically charged. Coun. Jason Farr has aired constituents complaints about safety, garbage, drug use and hostility. There are so many more people that are living, frankly, in fear. Farr has criticized the advocates for organizing a tent drive for people to pitch them illegally on public land. Crowe said they dont view encampments as idealized communities. Its more an issue that theres a lack of suitable alternatives in place. For some, shelters dont work for a variety of reasons, including concern over theft and drug use. In other cases, restrictions that bar drug use or mental-health problems prevent them from staying in shelters. Its not lost on Johnson who was at the helm of Wesley Urban Ministries before he joined the city that some people who are homeless need additional services, whether its for mental health or addictions. It isnt just about the space, whether its in a shelter, hotel or permanent housing; its also the supports that go with it. The problem is finding the money for those additional supportive units, Johnson said. Hamilton Centre MPP Andrea Horwath attributed the festering problem of homelessness to a number of factors, including decades of anemic investment from upper levels of government into affordable housing. Moreover, support services for mental health and addictions have also suffered from a lack of funding, the Ontario NDP leader added. We all know that municipalities dont have the financial capacity or revenue sources to address these large societal problems. Too many dont appreciate how trauma can contribute to homelessness, Horwath added. I think people have an unrealistic expectation that folks can simply pull up their boot straps and deal with it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:04:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HONG KONG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 cases is mounting in South Asia and Southeast Asia as both India and the Philippines reported the highest single-day new cases on Thursday. India's health ministry Thursday morning said 775 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 52,123 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 34,968 and the total cases to 1,583,792. This is the highest single day spike in terms of fresh COVID-19 cases in the country so far. The number of active cases in the country right now is 528,242, according to the ministry. The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 89,374 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,954 new cases, the largest single-day increase since the highly-infectious disease emerged in the country in January. The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 65,064 after it reported a record-high 38,075 new recoveries. The death toll also increased to 1,983 after 23 more patients died, the DOH said. Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases rose to 234,889 with nearly 2,700 new cases reported, and deaths from the virus increased to 3,083. Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that 2,695 new COVID-19 positive cases and 48 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh. "The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 234,889 while fatalities stood at 3,083," she said. The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 1,904 within one day to 106,336, with the death toll adding by 83 to 5,058, the health ministry said. The ministry added that 2,154 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 64,292. The latest number of suspected cases across the country is 53,723. Cambodia confirmed that a U.S. diplomat was tested positive for COVID-19, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 234, said a Health Ministry's statement. The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded a total of 234 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 162 patients cured and 72 remained in hospital. Australia recorded its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic so far, with 13 deaths, on top of a record 744 new infections. The southeastern state of Victoria recorded 723 of Thursday's positive tests, taking the total number of active cases within the state to over 5,500. Meanwhile, Australia's most populous city Sydney was declared a COVID-19 hotspot by Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, barring anyone who has visited the city in the previous two weeks. South Korea reported 18 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Thursday compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 14,269. The daily caseload fell below 20 in 38 days since June 22, but it continued to grow in double digits due to imported cases and small cluster infections. No more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 300. The total fatality rate stood at 2.10 percent. Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Thursday morning confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19, all of which are in the community, bringing the total cases in the country to 459. Vietnam's central city of Da Nang, which has seen several community cases since July 25, reported eight new infections including local citizens, according to the ministry. Another case was found in the capital city Hanoi, who is a 76-year-old man that recently traveled to Da Nang. A total of 369 patients in Vietnam have totally recovered from the disease with zero deaths as of Thursday morning, while there are over 81,500 people being quarantined and monitored in the country, said the health ministry. Malaysia reported another eight new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said, bringing the national total to 8,964. Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that three of the cases are imported and five more are local transmissions. No new deaths had been reported, leaving the total deaths at 124. Thailand on Thursday recorded six new COVID-19 cases, all returnees from abroad and in state quarantine. Cumulative infections in Thailand to date are 3,304, with 3,111 recoveries and 58 deaths, while 135 others are still being treated in hospitals. Enditem Terming the killing of an American citizen in Pakistan's courtroom as a "shameful tragedy", the US State Department has called on Islamabad to take immediate action and institute reforms to prevent similar incidents in future. Tahir Ahmad Naseem, from the minority Ahmadi community, was shot dead in a courtroom in Peshawar on Wednesday. He was on trial for blasphemy. "Condolences to family of Tahir Naseem, an American citizen who was killed today inside a courtroom in We urge Pak to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again," tweeted Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs, US State Department. The young assailant, identified as Khalid Khan who managed to get into the court amid tight security was arrested later. Naseem was arrested two years ago on blasphemy charges. Ahmadis, a four million-strong minority group in Pakistan, have faced death, threats, intimidation and a sustained hate campaign for decades. Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law carries an automatic death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting God, Islam, or other religious figures. Many members of the minority communities in - the Ahmadis, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs were charged with draconian blasphemy law. Many of them are languishing in jails on the false charges of disrespecting the Quran. (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.) For years the British Royal Family has been nothing but a soap opera to the tabloids. But now they've become something altogether more sinister: a Mafia mob. The Queen is evidently capo di tutti capi, and this organized crime boss knows no limits, if this week's tabloids are to be believed. "Royals Put Hit on Epstein Madam!" screams the 'Globe' cover story, claiming that The Queen has marked for death pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's lieutenant Ghislaine Maxwell. "They killed Andrew's pervert pal in prison too!" the 'Globe' reminds readers about Epstein's jail cell "suicide." And if the Queen is the putative Godfather of this mob, let's not forget that her consigliere Prince Charles has long been accused by the tabloids of murdering Princess Diana. Could this be the real reason Prince Harry moved to America to be the Queen's hit-man in the States? Apparently not, because the Queen has her own private team of contract killers, and the Globe reveals "a hit team from Britain's MI6 spy agency has been green-lighted to silence Ghislaine." The tabloids, with their typical lack of understanding of the exceedingly limited real powers of the British Royal Family, seems to imagine that James Bond is at the beck and call of Buckingham Palace. The way that the Epstein sex ring scandal has entangled Prince Andrew, the Queen might be wishing that she did have 007 on her speed dial, but that's not how it works outside Hollywood. But that doesn't stop the 'Globe' from going full Mario Puzo in its report: "Royals put murder contract on Epstein's accused madam who knows about Andrew." According to unnamed sources, "US spies have top-secret phone intercepts indicating Queen Elizabeth or someone in her inner circle has ordered a hit on the British socialite to keep her from exposing details of Prince Andrew's friendship with convicted pedophile Epstein." Epstein was allegedly murdered despite the coroner ruling his death a suicide "to prevent him from ratting out Andrew and destroying the British monarchy with a shameful sex scandal." This is the same British monarchy that has seen Henry VIII behead two wives, Elizabeth I execute her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, Edward V murdered in the Tower of London by Richard III, Edward VIII relinquish the crown for love, and Princess Diana divorce her unfeeling husband, heir to the throne Prince Charles. If the monarchy can survive all that and more, it can certainly survive whatever happens to Prince Andrew, who has long been relegated to the Royal minor leagues as a relief pitcher and who has served little useful purpose in years. If the 'Globe' report were indeed accurate as if the true story would be that the US Department of Justice would be pursuing an arrest warrant and extradition order for The Queen for conspiracy to murder. But even that would be for appearances' sake only, as the Queen is above the law in Britain thanks to sovereign immunity, and can claim diplomatic immunity elsewhere in the world, so that she could literally get away with murder anywhere on the planet. Ghislaine might want to think twice before accepting the invitation if the Queen offers to visit her Brooklyn jail cell. "Maxwell Sex Tape Shocker!" roars the headline across a spread in the 'National Enquirer.' Yet the real shock is that this interview with self-professed jewel thief-turned-author William Steel actually first appeared in British tabloid the Sun more than two weeks ago and last week in the 'Globe' under the headline: "Epstein & Ghislaine's Kinky Secrets Exposed!" Late to the scene, the rag brazenly brands its piece an "Enquirer Exclusive." Are the Royals obsessed with their hair, or is it the tabloids that are obsessed with the Royals' crowning glory? "Harry's Hair-Loss Horror!" screams the headline in the 'Enquirer.' "Horror" seems inadequate to describe the follicle Armageddon happening on top of Prince Harry's head. The photographic evidence is clear: 35-year-old Harry has a rapidly-expanding bald-spot opening up like a monk's tonsure, just like his brother Prince William and father Prince Charles perhaps the strongest evidence yet to counter allegations that Harry was the result of Princess Diana enjoying an extramarital affair. But the Meghan-bashing tabloids could not let the sad saga of Harry's vanishing hair end there. The 'Enquirer' reports that "Image-obsessed Meghan" is "pushing him to get it back." Not picking stray hairs out of the shower drain, apparently, but rather getting "transplants or plugs to save his mane." It's all Meghan's fault, apparently, because "Meghan's all about appearances." As if in vocal agreement, the 'Globe' reports: "Obsessed Meghan Spends $54G A Year Just On Her Hair!" The story quotes an unnamed "insider" who reveals that "She's very vain and proud of her looks and doles out at least $2,000 a week to maintain them." Meghan reportedly uses a clarifying shampoo, daily conditioner and cold water rinse, organic argan oil, a cool blow dry, and a weekly visit from a stylist for keratin protein treatments, plus a masseuse for a scalp massage. "No wonder jobless Harry is going bald," the Globe concludes, charitably. Still on the subject of British Princes, the 'Globe' reports: "Andrew Erased!" Not rubbed out in a hit ordered by the Queen, but the next best thing: Prince Andrew "was the invisible man at daughter Beatrice's secret wedding." This "invisible man" walked his daughter down the aisle, presumably unseen by all the Royal guests. He was also left out of official wedding photos at least, those released to the public. Harry, Meghan and son Archie are now evidently sharing now their rented Beverly Hills home with her mother, Doria Ragland, as the 'Enquirer' reports: "Harry's Got A Full House With Meghan's Live-In Mom!" You might recall that the 'Enquirer' first reported on this six weeks ago, but they are so flabbergasted that the story was actually true that they couldn't resist running it again with the tag: "You read it here first." 'Us' magazine reports on the Royal mob boss ordering a sit-down of all the major crime families to hash out their beefs and presumably divide up mob territory: "Queen Orders Emergency Summit." It's warring crime bosses Prince William and Prince Harry who are being ordered to the table as the "Queen demands the brothers make peace," reports the mag. Doesn't the Queen know that all travel from America to the UK has been banned during the pandemic, and a face-to-face summit meeting simply won't be happening? Maybe it's an inconvenient truth that 'Us' mag simply decided to ignore. American music royalty also manages to squeeze its way into this week's royal-obsessed tabloids. "Kanye's Psycho Ward meltdown!" screams the cover of the 'Enquirer.' "Accuses blindsided Kim of cheating! Vicious attacks on mom-in-law Kris Jenner! Rants family is trying to lock him away!" He sounds sane to me. The disgraced King of Pop's son is making news in the 'Enquirer,' which reports: "Jackson Kid Making Michael's Dream Movie!" No, he's not. Jacko's eldest son Prince is a videographer who wishes he could make a feature film, and "if I could direct one movie" it would be the script his father had a gloved hand in writing. Prince is not making anyone's dream come true; not his father's, and not his own. Thankfully we have the crack investigative team at 'Us' mag to tell us that MJ Rodriguez wore it best, that Melissa Gilbert "absolutely cannot stand the taste of saffron," and that the stars are just like us: they ride bicycles, feed their pets, and pump gas. Trust the 'Globe' to bring us the up-to-the-minute news that popular soda 7 Up when launched in 1929 originally contained lithium citrate, a mood stabilizer used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Initially named Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda a catchy name that makes you wonder why they ever changed it to 7Up and marketed as a hangover cure during the Prohibition, 7 Up removed the chemical after the government banned the use of lithium citrate in 1948. I'll drink to that. Onwards and downwards . . . Lawmakers of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) walk out of a plenary session of the National Assembly, Thursday, to protest the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) unilateral passing of contentious real estate bills. Only the DPK and some other minor progressive party members took part in the voting and passed the bills to allow tenants to renew their housing lease contracts by up to two more years, with 185 voting for the bills and two abstaining. Yonhap By Jung Da-min Concerns are growing over the frequent railroading of controversial bills by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) without enough time for them to be discussed at the National Assembly, with the ruling party giving the excuse that the bills are related to "urgent issues." Calling such moves "autocratic," opposition parties claim the ruling bloc is ruining democracy by taking advantage of its supermajority status, holding 176 among the Assembly's 300 seats. At a plenary session of the Assembly, Thursday, the DPK passed two of three real estate bills, which are aimed at enhancing tenants' rights in the wake of soaring housing prices, with the remaining one likely to be passed at an upcoming plenary session to be held next Tuesday. The bills had been passed at relevant standing committee meetings over the two days prior to the plenary session, also by the ruling party. The bills were passed despite protest from the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) and the minor opposition Justice Party. The two opposition parties requested the committees ensure they have enough time to fully discuss the issues by organizing subcommittees and having relevant government officials explain the issues to them a process which usually takes place before passage of a bill. But the DPK refused, saying the real estate issue is urgent and needs to be addressed as soon as possible. The UFP boycotted the committee meetings as a result, saying the DPK did not observe due process, and the DPK, with its own members alone, passed the bills. The heads of the committees presiding over the meetings were also all DPK members. The ruling party also passed another three bills at the House Steering Committee, Wednesday, on a special investigative body to look into corruption by high-ranking officials and their family members, also despite the UFP's opposition. UFP members walked out of the committee meeting room in protest of the DPK's "autocracy." The DPK also pushed the approval of Lee In-young as unification minister and Park Jie-won as director of the National Intelligence Service, without consultation or negotiation with the UFP. Following confirmation hearings for them, the UFP said both were unqualified for the positions, but the DPK approved the nominations by unilaterally holding relevant committee meetings. The UFP is criticizing the DPK for undermining the separation of powers between the legislative and administrative branches while making the Assembly follow the government "blindly." It is discussing how to respond to what it calls a "legislative dictatorship," even considering boycotting all Assembly sessions in the future. Main opposition United Future Party members condemn the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)'s unilateral legislative actions during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Thursday. They all wore ribbons which read "DPK: Abuse of power, Collapse of democracy." Yonhap OTTAWA Manitoba got the least cash out of a federal COVID-19 business-support program for Western Canada, though officials say local businesses asked for less help. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA Manitoba got the least cash out of a federal COVID-19 business-support program for Western Canada, though officials say local businesses asked for less help. On Tuesday, the federal granting agency Western Economic Diversification unveiled its first portion of funding through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, meant to support businesses who couldnt tap into other pandemic-relief measures. Manitoba businesses took just $7 million from the announced $95 million in funds, split between British Columbia and the Prairies. Despite a slightly smaller population, Saskatchewan received more than one-third more cash than Manitoba, supporting slightly more than double the number of jobs. The funding protects 354 Manitoba jobs compared with 769 in Saskatchewan, according to WED figures published Tuesday. Federal officials said thats because Saskatchewan businesses submitted double the amount of applications than Manitoba. Analyses by the Parliamentary Budget Officer and RBC Economics show Saskatchewan will likely be harder hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because its energy sources have falling commodity prices. Of the national $962-million funding package, $300 is earmarked for Western Canada, $95 million of which has been announced so far. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The funding is split between allocations of up to $40,000 for small businesses, and grants of up to $1 million for businesses to hire staff, change supply chains and upgrade their technology. "Small businesses throughout the West are in acute need, and their recovery is critical to Western Canadas recovery," wrote Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, who helps oversee WED. "The Government of Canada recognizes that, and has listened closely about how we can best support western entrepreneurs." Officials say they intentionally published the Western Canadian funding in a press release, in part because they dont have ministers across the Prairies to make announcements, and want to respect physical distancing. A similar funding package for business in various Quebec regions has been announced through a steady drop of Liberal ministers making announcements, in a province that has been key to recent federal elections. dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca The Kasoa Mother and Child Hospital in the Awutu Senya East Municipality in the Central Region is in dire need of infrastructure and equipment to better serve residents. The critical needs included mattresses, bed, furniture, oxygen cylinders, and generators. Dr David Mekano, Acting Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency commended the Member of Parliament for the area, Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson, for always supporting the facility. The 85-bed capacity public Hospital currently has 10 adult and 20 children beds. He said Madam Koomson provided a full theater machine and helped set up the theatre and again donated 30 beds; 10 for adults and 20 for children and other equipment and has promised to bring more beds in the coming days. He said currently, the Hospital could not admit patients to four wards because they lacked beds. Dr Mekano said the administration block was unusable so they work far from the facility. There was also no accommodation for staff. He said the Hospitals 400 corpse holding capacity mortuary was not equipped to operate. The Acting Medical Superintendent said when patients died; their corpses were taken to the Winneba Government Hospital mortuary. 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 Airline travel in the United States fell more than 95 percent in April. Many people stayed at home because they were afraid of getting the highly infectious coronavirus on an airplane or at the airport. The number of people flying now is still down about 75 percent. This shows traveler confidence is increasing in the United States, says Joe Leader. He heads the Airline Passenger Experience Association. But that percentage represents a large drop from the usual 2.5 million passengers at this time of year, Leader told VOA. Airline companies have been disinfecting their aircraft, enforcing social distancing rules and requiring passengers to wear facial coverings. Seth Kaplan follows the aviation industry. He says that as soon as the airlines required face masks, people started flying again. Bill Lentsch serves as chief customer experience officer at Delta Airlines. He told VOA that the company is keeping its flights no more than 60 percent full. He said Delta was keeping the middle seats empty, which will likely continue until the end of September. At Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C., Francis Massaquoi arrived on a United Airlines flight from Chicago. It was the first time he had flown since the pandemic began in March. Massaquoi said he was nervous at first. But once he got on the plane, he said, he felt better because everyone was wearing a mask. Law student Sue Choi flew into Dulles airport on Korean Air. She said she was a little scared. Im only traveling now because I absolutely have to, she said, but I dont feel comfortable with it. Kaplan noted that a lot of business travel has stopped, and most people are visiting friends and relatives. They include people like Donald MacCormack, who was at Dulles flying to Texas after visiting his daughter in Virginia. MacCormack said he also had been a little worried about flying. Im wiping down my seat, he said, as he was about to get on a flight to Houston. The airlines are trying to persuade the public that travel is safe. Airlines for America is a lobbying group representing the interests of large North American airlines. It said in a statement that the airlines are using high-quality air filters to improve the air passengers breath. Most industry observers believe that airline cleanliness will continue long into the future. Recently, however, the demand for air travel has begun to slow a little. That is probably because some states have announced travel restrictions as coronavirus case numbers in other areas continue rising. Jennifer Rockwell of Alexandria, Virginia, said she is not planning to fly anytime soon. Her parents live in California, where infection numbers have been increasing. Rockwell said she will not visit them until there is a vaccine. Im Susan Shand. VOAs Deborah Block reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story confidence - n. certainty mask - n. a facial covering customer - n. one who buys things from someone pandemic - n. a contagious disease that spreads to other countries scared - adj. being frightened comfortable - adj. relaxed and easy wipe - v. to wash or dust with a clothe lobbying - adj. to represent and advocate for someone or something filter - n. a device or a mass of material with tiny openings that cleans the air French astronaut Thomas Pesquet told RFI he feels like a veteran after it was revealed he is to return to the International Space Station as the first European on board America's new SpaceX craft. The 42-year-old announced on Twitter that he is undergoing training at "SpaceX's futuristic facilities in preparation for the March 2021 mission, which will blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first time you go into space, you have stars in your eyesand for me it was a childhood dream come true, he said of his voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016 on board a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Although I am extremely enthusiastic this time round, it is not the sameI was a beginner then, and now I am a veteran. Pesquet, who spent six months on board the ISS from November 2016 to June 2017, told RFI it would be interesting to compare his first flight as a Soyuz pilot with his experience on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, a more modern spacecraft that will be embarking on its second operational flight. While the phase during which we travel to the ISS only lasts a day or a day and a half, this is actually the most dangerous phase for the crew, he said. You need to be prepared for the worst, and you need to be able to react without the help of the control centre. Learning to navigate the Crew Dragon's flat screen interface would be a learning curve and one that he would need to master, Pasquet admitted. When you have pilot experience you always want to have manual controls, such as a joystick, but on the Crew Dragon everything is controlled from a screen, he said, adding that SpaceX's flagship four-seater was super modern vehicle compared to the Soyuz. Of course the Soyuz is extremely reliable (it has carried out more than 140 flights), but the Crew Dragon really is a vehicle of the 2010s, if not the 2020s. A mission named Alpha In keeping with the French tradition of naming space missions after stars or constellations, the upcoming venture by SpaceX a company pioneered by billionaire Elon Musk has been named Alpha in honour of Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth. Pesquet will be joined on the 400-kilometre trip to the ISS by Nasa astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with Akihiko Hoshide from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. SpaceX made history in May this year when it became the first private company to successfully send humans into orbit, in a joint mission with the US space agency Nasa. The launch also ended a nine-year gap in human spaceflight from American soil. When Nasa retired its space shuttle programme in 2011, the US relied on Soyuz spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan to send its astronauts to the ISS. One of the more outrageous theories put forward in Spain for Britain's tough line with them over the coronavirus was a meeting which took place earlier this week between Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar and the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzalez Laya. It appears that a British government representative was not present at this meeting which took place close to the border and it was one of the first times that Gibraltar and Spain had sat down together without Britain. There is a theory knocking around on social media that Britain was so furious about this meeting (because he hadn't been invited) it decided to introduce the quarantine and travel ban. Absolute, nonsence I hear you say, and you are probably right but these are difficult times and Spain has been left rather shaken by the action from the British government. However, the meeting between Gibraltar and Spain could be seen as a sign of the times with the colony and Spain finally trying to work through their differences. It is interesting, though, because usually Spain demands that a British government representative attends between themselves and Gibraltar. It appears that Picardo and Gonzalez Laya discussed Brexit and cross border co-operation. The people of Gibraltar firmly voted against Brexit and they fear for their livelihood. There is also a concern that Spain may limit the number of people who can cross the border. Interesting times. The approved scheme will allow the Dublin-based airline continue as a going concern, on what was described as "a slimmed down" basis, with over 140 jobs at the company being retained. The scheme, which was supported by a majority of the airline's creditors and shareholders also sees tens of millions of euro of its debt being written off. Last April the airline sought the protection of the courts claiming it was insolvent due to financial difficulties which were exacerbated after its aircraft were grounded due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The impact of the pandemic also interrupted a planned merger with another airline and a proposed private restructure of the company, it claimed. The airline said it had debts of 500m, and at the time of entering the examinership process had a net deficit of liabilities over assets on a going concern basis of 186m. Advertisement Its creditors include the Triangle Group, several firms involved in the leasing of aircraft, Investec, the Revenue Commissioners, as well as debts owed to related companies. At the High Court on Wednesday, Mr Justice Michael Quinn said he was satisfied to approve a scheme of arrangement put together by the airline's examiner Mr Kieran Wallace of KPMG. The Judge said creditors would do better under the examiner's proposals compared to if the airline was liquidated. He said the required number of creditors and shareholders supported the examiners proposals. He adjourned the matter to a date in mid-August. Mr. Patrick ODonovan, T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works (OPW), was in Dundalk today to announce that Louth County Council, in partnership with the Office of Public Works, has appointed Black and Veatch and Nicholas O Dwyer (Joint Venture) as engineering consultants to carry out the design of the Dundalk, Blackrock South and Ardee Flood Relief Schemes. The Dundalk, Blackrock South and Ardee Flood Relief Schemes are being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, where the Government is providing an investment of 1 Billion on flood relief over the next decade. When completed, these Schemes will afford protection to 1,711 residential and 176 non-residential properties from the 1 in 100-year flood event. Speaking in Dundalk today, Minister ODonovan stated: I am delighted that my Office and Louth County Council has progressed this important Scheme with the appointment of consultants today. This is an important investment for the towns of Dundalk and Ardee and the public should be assured that there will be extensive public consultation as the Scheme develops. I have no doubt that my Office and the Council will continue to work closely together to bring this Scheme to construction. Joan Martin, Chief Executive for Louth County Council added: The Dundalk, Blackrock South and Ardee Flood Relief Schemes will build upon the hydrological, hydraulic and other assessments carried out for Dundalk, Blackrock and Ardee as part of the North Western Neagh Bann CFRAM Study. Louth County Council also recognises the success of the Carlingford Lough Greenway and intend to capitalise upon the potential flood defences from Blackrock to Bellurgan as a potential corridor for a section of the Great Eastern Greenway from Belfast to Dublin. "There will be a number of further public consultations as the Project progresses through Planning and detailed design and all relevant stakeholders will be consulted fully at the appropriate times. The proposed flood relief scheme for Dundalk / Blackrock South consists of the construction of a series of hard defences, including flood embankments and walls, rock armour coastal protection, demountable barriers, road raising, a sluice gate and tanking of two properties and is in the first tranche of projects to be progressed by Louth County Council within the 10-year timeframe for the programme of investment. "The V2500 engine has been the workhorse of the JetBlue fleet since the airline's inception," said Steve Priest, Chief Financial Officer at JetBlue. "This agreement provides predictable maintenance and supports efficient operations needed to serve our customers for many years to come." The highly reliable and fuel efficient V2500 engine is offered through IAE, a multinational aero engine consortium whose shareholders comprise Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Aero Engines International GmbH, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation and MTU Aero Engines. JetBlue operates a fleet of 193 Airbus A320ceo family aircraft powered by the V2500 engine. The airline has also ordered 85 GTF-powered Airbus A320neo family aircraft, of which 10 have already been delivered. In addition, JetBlue has 70 GTF-powered Airbus A220 aircraft on order, with deliveries scheduled to begin later this year. "We truly appreciate our long-standing and successful relationship with JetBlue," said Rick Deurloo, chief commercial officer at Pratt & Whitney. "We are committed to partnering with the airline on V2500 engine maintenance to optimize fleet performance well into the future." The V2500 engine is backed by an established global network of 18 facilities for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), including nine IAE partner facilities, of which three are managed by Pratt & Whitney and its joint ventures: the Turkish Engine Center in Istanbul, the Shanghai Engine Center in China and the Christchurch Engine Center in New Zealand. Pratt & Whitney's EngineWise service portfolio provides engine operators with a variety of aftermarket services to maximize engine performance and fleet availability. Visit http://www.EngineWise.com for more information. About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney, a unit of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. To learn more about RTX, visit its website at www.rtx.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here. About Raytheon Technologies Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Media Contact Jenny Dervin O: (860).557.1918 C: 860.308.50645630 [email protected] SOURCE Pratt & Whitney Related Links http://www.pratt-whitney.com Eastpointe police are asking for the publics assistance in identifying three males who were caught on videotape vandalizing an elementary school last week. Police said images of the trio of vandals were captured by a video surveillance system at Pleasantview Elementary School at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21. The school, which houses students in grades 3-5, is located at 16501 Toepfer Drive, east of Gratiot Avenue, part of the Eastpointe Community Schools district. The vandals reportedly used a brick to destroy a window and also damaged an electrical box, or junction box, which includes wiring connections and circuits for the school building. According to the video images, two of the vandals are Black and one is white. One of the Black vandals wore a medical face mask. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Steve Chamberlain at 586-445-5100, ext. 1029. By Macomb Daily staff States resist mask rules as Midwest coronavirus uptick stirs alarm Teen held on $500,000 cash bond in fatal shooting of 10-year-old in Warren She walks among us: Nominations still be accepting for this years ATHENA Award Two Republicans vie to battle incumbent for Macomb County sheriff Hook Says Iran Wants 'Endless War' In Yemen, Asks For Extension Of Arms Embargo Radio Farda July 29, 2020 The Islamic Republic wants an "endless war" in Yemen, on Saudi Arabia's southern flank, U.S. Special Representative Brian Hook told reporters in during his visit to London on Wednesday, where he is lobbying for the extension of UN's arms embargo against Iran. The internationally enforced embargo ends in October, which would allow Tehran to buy and sell weapons systems including warplanes, missiles, tanks and heavy artillery. The United States says this will destabilize the Middle East, where Iran is involved in several conflicts. "Nobody believes that Iran should be able to buy or sell conventional weapons like fighter jets, battle tanks, large caliber artillery systems, warships and various kinds of missiles," Hook said. President Donald Trump pulled out of the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran, arguing that its sunset clauses would allow Iran to build nuclear weapons and demanded an end to Tehran's aggressive foreign and military policies in the region, as well as limits on its missile program. Iran denies any intention to build nuclear weapons and says its ballistic missile program is for self-defense. But many regional countries including Persian Gulf Arab states, Israel, the United States and to an extent European powers question Iran's intentions. "The question in front of the international community is not whether the international arms embargo should be extended, but how and when," Hook reiterated in London. Russia and China have made clear they will not support an extension of the arms embargo but Washington continues to strongly lobby UM Security Council members. Europe has its own arms embargo against Iran, which will continue until 2023. "It's great that Europe has these sanctions in place, but what we need is a global embargo, and if you do not have a global embargo it allows Iran to purchase these weapons," Hook said. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/hook-says- iran-wants-endless-war-in-yemen-asks-for- extension-of-arms-embargo/30755744.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pixar Pixars next original movie will be Luca, a coming-of-age story with an unusual twist, the studio announced on Thursday. The movie, set to open June 18, 2021, will be directed by Enrico Casorosa, who was nominated for an Oscar for best animated short film for La Luna, which also was a Pixar production. simon2579/iStockBy ARIELLE MITROPOULOS and SONY SALZMAN, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- As coronavirus cases continue to climb in hot spots across the U.S., positive results from the first phase of several drug trials have raised hopes that a vaccine will soon help Americans return to a normal life. But experts are stressing that even if the vaccine is not 100% effective, it will still be a safe and important tool in the fight against the virus. In fact, "vaccines are never 100% effective," said Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, during a question and answer session on Wednesday. "The idea that we're going to have a vaccine in 2-3 months, and then all of a sudden this virus is going to go away -- I would love to be here saying that to you, but that's just not realistic," Ryan said. There is always a small percentage of people who are not protected after vaccination, while for others, the protection may diminish over time, according to the WHO. In assessing a vaccine's effectiveness within the general population, experts work to estimate the percentage of vaccinated people that would be expected to be protected by the vaccine. The annual flu shot's effectiveness, for example, generally ranges between 40-60%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hence, on average, the flu vaccine reduces a person's risk of a flu outcome by 60%. There are several factors that impact a vaccine's effectiveness, such as an individual's age, comorbidity, and prior exposure to the disease. The vaccine's own characteristics -- its composition, its mode of delivery, whether it's live or inactive -- also determine its effectiveness, according to a study published by the American Society for Microbiology. Vaccines generate immunity in "most" people, said Ryan, pointing to the measles vaccine as an example of a "highly effective" vaccine that provides immunity to approximately 95% of people. Among the vaccines currently recommended as part of the U.S. Childhood Immunization Schedule, three doses of the polio vaccine are 99-100% effective, two doses of the chickenpox vaccine are about 90% effective, and one dose of the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing rubella, according to the CDC. However, scientists still do not know how effective a COVID-19 vaccine will be, said Ryan. As of July 28, the WHO reports there are 25 vaccine candidates in clinical evaluation. The Food and Drug Administration announced it is aiming for the vaccine to have at least 50% effectiveness, and it may require boosters. But experts say just because a vaccine is not perfect, it doesn't mean it's not life-saving. "There are pathogens out there in which we get booster shots," Richard Kuhn, Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor in Science at Purdue University, told ABC News. "You get a tetanus shot every 10 years. You are getting protected, but it's not going to be forever." "We don't have a perfect world," Kuhn said. "You need a vaccine, and you need to get vaccinated." Is a vaccine safe if it is not 100% effective? "Most people think about vaccines as something personal -- they take a vaccine because they don't want to get sick. But vaccination is not about the individual ... it's about protecting your community," Dr. Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology at the University of Washington, told ABC News. "Viruses are an equal opportunity invader. They will infect anyone they can," Fuller said. They can, in fact, incapacitate an entire nation, as COVID-19 has done in the United States and many other countries. But as more people are vaccinated, many will acquire immunity to infection -- and thus the virus will have fewer hosts to invade. "When you hit about 50% immunity in the population, that's the pivot point where you will start to see a decline in the number of people getting infected," explained Fuller. A virus that is at least 50% effective will have other benefits, according to Angela Rasmussen, Ph.D., a virologist at Columbia University who studies highly pathogenic viruses. Rasmussen said it would "help tremendously by reducing disease severity and possibly decrease not only the likelihood of death, but also the number of cases with lasting long-term health problems. This would also be hugely beneficial in relieving the burden on the health care system caused by COVID-19." How many people will need to be vaccinated to see a decline in infections? "This question goes to the heart of herd immunity and is different depending on how transmissible the virus is, what demographics are most susceptible, and how efficacious the vaccine is," said Fuller. "The measles virus is highly transmissible, and you need 93-95% of the population vaccinated," she explained. "For influenza, 70% vaccination rate is required, yet each year we fall short of that -- which is why even in a typical flu season we still see 30-60,000 people die from flu each year." There is still much that we do not know about COVID-19 -- such as its transmissibility and how effective a vaccine will be -- in order to determine for sure what percentage of the population will need to be vaccinated, Fuller said. However, Fuller said, a new study published by the American Association with the Advancement of Science estimates that only about 43% of the population will need to be immune to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19. "If true, it's really good news," she said. Experts say that public distrust in vaccinations is particularly high these days, and there is concern among officials that a significant number of Americans will refuse to get the shot -- which itself could prolong the duration of the pandemic. Despite such concerns, Fuller says that "we have to remember that the real enemy is the virus and the virus doesn't care about your politics, your race, your sex or your wealth." "The real war is people versus the virus, and vaccines and masks are our weapons," she said. "We need to find a way to band together as a community, as a population, to use these weapons to fight this virus. Or we risk letting this virus win." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - The World Food Programme (WFP) is urgently seeking more international support to prevent millions of Zimbabweans plunging deeper into hunger Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:30:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PARIS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The economy of France, Europe's second main powerhouse, would likely recover faster than expected and return to pre-crisis level in two years, Bank of France (BdF) Governor Villeroy de Galhau said on Thursday. "Our forecasts point to 10 percent contraction of the GDP this year. It may be better, for (us to) hope to regain pre-COVID 19 activity level in early 2022," the head of France's central bank told Paris Match magazine. "The shock is very severe. Such a brutal recession had not occurred since 1945. Economic activity fell by more than 30 percent at the worst of the crisis. But this plunge will be temporary, provided that the consequences are well managed," he added. The French government is mobilizing 460 billion euros (542 billion U.S. dollars), representing 20 percent of the country's GDP, to help companies stay afloat through the coronavirus outbreak. The fund consists in large part of tax and payroll charge deferrals, in addition to specific plans to rescue the worst-hit sectors, such as tourism and auto industry. An additional 100 billion euros will finance the economic recovery plan which aims to support notably strategic manufacturing activities and encourage clean industries and green technologies. "The state cannot do it all, nor do it alone. It is essential to restore the confidence of businesses and households. It is the key to a relatively rapid recovery," the BdF governor said. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollar) Enditem The Delhi BJP will install giant LED screens across the city for people to watch groundbreaking ceremony for a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5, and will celebrate the occasion by lighting diyas, party leader Adesh Kumar Gupta said Thursday. The Delhi BJP president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present during the Bhumi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya and it will be a historic occasion. The occasion will be remembered by the generations to come and its our duty to make this historic moment a glorious one, Gupta said in a statement. Delhi BJP leaders and workers will join people in each of the 70 Assembly constituencies to watch the live broadcast of the Bhumi Pujan on giant LED screens, he said. In the evening, party leaders will light earthen diyas at their houses and also encourage their neighbours to do so to celebrate the occasion, he said. The Delhi BJP will celebrate the day as a festival and ensure participation of a large number of people in it, the partys general secretary Rajesh Bhatia said. The dream of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is going to materialise after 500 years, on August 5. We are preparing to celebrate the day with the people of Delhi as Diwali, he said. Prime Minister Modi had in February announced in Lok Sabha the formation of a trust to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya, following the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case in November last year. Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has invited the prime minister to lay the foundation stone for a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. Doctors at KU Leuven University in Belgium recently reported the bizarre case of a 54-year-old woman who was convinced she was a chicken and temporarily behaved like one. The married woman, whose name was not revealed, reportedly had a stable job at a pharmacy and had no history of drug or alcohol abuse before the strange episode. One day, her brother stopped by and found her clucking, blowing her cheeks and crowing like a rooster. Not knowing what to do, the womans brother took her to a nearby hospital, where the 54-year-old told doctors she thought she was a chicken and described feeling a new sensation in her legs. Photo: Pixabay The sudden episode of zoanthropy a mental disorder in which one believes oneself to be an animal ended when the woman suffered a seizure. She appeared to be her old self again after that and had no recollection of her short time acting like a chicken. The doctors report mentions that she was embarrassed when her family told her what had happened and why she was in the hospital. Clinical zoanthropy, or the conviction of having turned into an animal, is a rare delusion, KU Leuven researchers wrote. There are different views about its pathogenesis. This delusion can occur with an underlying psychiatric disorder, but it can also be secondary to structural or functional disorders of the brain. In this case, the only possible link was the depression the woman was apparently suffering from following the loss of a beloved family member, but that condition was prevalent among her other relatives as well. Photo: Ulrike Mai/Pixabay According to the case study published in the Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie journal, there have been only 56 case descriptions of zoanthropy episodes in medical and historical literature between 1850 and 2012. The limited research on this subject features testimonies of patients who though they they were a dog, lion, tiger, hyena, shark, crocodile, frog, bovine, cat, goose, rhinoceros, rabbit, horse, snake, bird, wild boar, gerbil and a bee. Symptoms of zoanthropy can reportedly last from one hour to several decades, and cases are more prevalent in rural and non-industrial areas. The Florida chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association has announced two candidates who will receive awards this year from the Allen J. Finkelson Scholarship. The scholarship was established in memory of Hall of Famer Allen J. Finkelson, the former vice president of public relations at Pompano Park and longtime chairman of the board of the national USHWA organization. Both Micaela Bonilla and Jessica Hallett will each receive $500 from our chapter, said committee chair Thomas H. Hicks. Micaela is a senior at the University of Central Florida with a GPA of 4.0. She is a pre-veterinary science major, and Jessica is a college senior at Nova Southeastern University with a 3.33 GPA as a medical biology major. They are both outstanding students. Preference for these scholarship awards were given to a student(s) majoring in journalism, communications or equine-related studies. Applicants must be a resident of the State of Florida and currently accepted or enrolled in a fully accredited college or university in the United States. Criteria for selection include community service, academic achievement, and leadership. This year, both scholarships were generously donated by Maggie Sinclair and Jay Farrar of Winter Park and Kathleen and Thomas Hicks of Margate. Micaela Bonilla of Orlando is an upcoming senior at UCF that is studying for her Bachelors degree in biology. She then hopes to get into a university for her doctorate in veterinary medicine. She is on the Deans List and on the Honor Society for Phi Kappa Phi. Micaela also volunteers at a local animal shelter and is a certified veterinarian technician, working part-time. She hopes to work as a veterinarian with horses. Jessica Hallett of Margate, FL, has extensive leadership experience that includes Presidents 64 at NSU, Emergency Medical Technology Class Leader, NSU Dual Degree, United States Trotting Association Youth Delegate Executive Board and the NSU Hunt-Seat Equestrian Team. In addition to her studies this past year, Jessica also received training in TSA Canine Decov, Naloxone (Narcan) Administration, Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Active Shooter Training and NSU Colleges of Allopathic and Osteopathic Professionalism. For more information about the Florida chapter of USHWA and the Allen J. Finkelson Scholarship, visit their website (www.ushwa-florida.com) or head to their Facebook page ('Florida Chapter USHWA'). (USHWA) A former Nigerian attorney-general and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, has given the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, seven days ultimatum to retract alleged defamatory statements made against him. Mr Adoke issued the ultimatum on Wednesday through his lawyers led by Paul Erokoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The alleged defamatory statements were made at the ongoing hearing of the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) arbitration case in England. Mr Adoke also asked Mr Malami to tender a public apology for making statements which he knew to be untrue and defamatory against his person. Mr Erokoro said Mr Malamis statements were not true and have negatively affected Mr Adokes image because the court proceedings were on live television in Nigeria and on social media around the world. In the statement, Mr Malami had accused Mr Adoke of having a hand in the failed P&ID agreement, receiving kickback from the deal through former petroleum minister, Dan Etete, and also single-handedly selecting a legal team to represent Nigeria at the arbitration. Our client is astounded by your failure to inform the English court that under Nigerian law, any person charged with or accused of a crime MUST be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the letter said. Rather, you pronounced our client guilty, even when you were fully aware that his trial had not even commenced. The Attorney-Generals oath of office includes an undertaking to protect and defend the Nigerian Constitution. The constitutional right to fair trial is severely breached when the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria urges the court of a foreign jurisdiction to regard and even pronounce a Nigerian guilty of an offence without a trial. It was your unfortunate and wrongful pronouncement of guilt on our client that emboldened the FRNs counsel in England to tell the whole world that our client is corrupt. This has done incalculable harm to our clients name, reputation and standing in society. Our client will suffer even more harm if the English Court, misled by your evidence, makes an adverse finding against our client. It is for this, among other reasons that the first duty of the Attorney-General and indeed all counsel, is to the Court, the letter read in part. Mr Adoke noted that he became Attorney-General of the Federation on April 6, 2010, while the negotiations for the gas project had been on from 2009, adding that he only became aware of the P&ID matter when the Ministry of Petroleum Resources requested in 2013 that he appoint an arbitrator as well as counsel. The letter reads in part: Our client finds it remarkable that you found no fault in the appointment of the arbitrator but found fault with the appointment of counsel, even though the two appointments followed the same process. For this reason, our client is forced to conclude that your vilification of his name is merely a case of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Our client asserts that even though he appointed Mr. Shasore as counsel, Mr. Shasores legal fees were paid by the administration of President Buhari, long after our client had left office, a fact well known to you. President Muhammadu Buhari [PHOTO CREDIT: @BashirAhmaad] It is also on record that our client was not involved in any of the negotiations with P&ID for settlement, which all took place under your watch. The initial proposal for settlement was delivered to President Jonathan. The President referred the matter to our client for his advice. Our client advised the President to leave the matter to the in-coming administration, since the Presidents tenure was ending in 8 days. You also conceal these facts from the court even though the records have been in your office all along. If our client had been part of any corrupt scheme with P&ID as you claimed in your evidence, surely our client would have jumped at the chance to give P&ID a favourable settlement. Mr Adoke argued that the final award was issued in July 2015, months after he had left office. Your evidence was therefore unfair and uncharitable to our client because you are aware that all the attempts at settlement with P&ID took place under your tenure as Attorney-General, a fact you freely admitted in your witness statements, he added. Mr Adoke argued further that when the government requested information from some banks in the United States Government on all bank accounts owned by former President Goodluck Jonathan and others, it was discovered that he has no foreign account. Goodluck Jonathan He, therefore, called on the minister within the next seven days on receipt of his letter to take necessary steps to correct the misleading and false statements against him. Our client demands that you retract the false evidence that you gave to the English Court, regarding him and apologise for the harm done to his name, he said. Mr Adoke also demanded that Mr Malami should instruct his counsel in England to desist from repeating the allegations of corruption and other defamatory imputations broadcast about him. Our client demands that you propose appropriate monetary compensation for the violation of his constitutional rights and for the damage to his reputation, Mr. Erokoro added. TDT | Manama Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC) yesterday reported an 11 per cent increase in its first half, 2020, net profit attributable to the shareholders to BD 2.3 million, thanks to significant improvement in underwriting which the company said is its core business, despite the global pandemic and low oil prices. This is a result of the corrective underwriting measures taken during the 4th Quarter of last year and is showing its impact now. In addition, reduction of vehicles on road have also resulted to lower claims mainly during the months of April and May, Dr Abdulla Sultan, BKIC CEO said. We are very proud of the initiatives taken to support Bahrains combat against Covid19 and ease the burden on the public and economy. On another front, BKIC continues to invest in digital transformation as part of the GIG Group Strategy and will keep innovating as the local market pioneers in this arena, added Dr Sultan. Looking ahead, the Board of Directors of the company expressed confidence in the companys ability to continue to achieve positive results for the coming periods. In the prior-year period, the companys net profit was BD 2.1 m. Earnings per share were 16 fils compared to 14 fils of the same period last year. Total comprehensive income attributable to the shareholders remained at BD 2.0 m. The company said it achieved 11pc growth in gross premium revenue of BD 38.0 m during the first half of this year, compared to BD 34.3 m a year ago. The underwriting profits increased by 15pc, from BD 1.5 m in the first half of last year to BD 1.7 m in the first half of this year. The net investment income decreased by 31pc, from BD 1.6 m to BD 1.1 m a year ago due to an increase in impairment provisions which amounted to BD 643 thousand as against BD 75 thousand for the same period last year. The total assets by the end of June 2020 reached BD 241 m compared to BD 246 m as of end last year, representing a decrease of 2pc. The net technical reserves rose from BD 33.4 m at the end of the previous year to BD 36.9 m at the end of the current period. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ohios 251 public library systems will get a total of $18.3 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act money to help offset unanticipated costs of sanitizing their buildings, and buying supplies like hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, thermometers, face shields and plexiglas shields to keep workers and patrons safe during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Ohio Library Council, the state of Ohio will give each public library building up to $25,000 in CARES Act money to assist in safe operations during the pandemic. The organization says all public libraries are required to follow the Ohio Department of Healths safety protocols in the Responsible Restart Ohio plan. Some library systems have already spent $12,000 to $180,000 on coronavirus-related supplies, said the organization, which expects those expenses to continue while the pandemic endures. On behalf of Ohios 251 public library systems, the Ohio Library Council would like to formally thank the Ohio Controlling Board and especially members of the Ohio Senate for hearing our call and listening to our concerns, said Michelle Francis, Executive Director of the Ohio Library Council. This funding is greatly appreciated and will allow us to continue to make safety a priority for public library employees and Ohios 8.5 million library cardholders. More coverage: President Donald Trump, Justice Department say Cleveland will see surge of federal agents to combat crime Sen. Sherrod Brown introduces resolution to declare racism a public health crisis Rep. Bob Gibbs asks President Trump to restrict TikTok app House passes Rep. Dave Joyces bill to ensure federal death and disability benefits for first responders afflicted by coronavirus Gov. Mike DeWine and other Ohio political leaders remember the late civil rights pioneer John Lewis Coronavirus recession will challenge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ex-head Rich Cordray and Sen. Elizabeth Warren predict Joe Bidens presidential campaign names Toni Webb its Ohio state director Rep. Marcia Fudge calls for a Poverty Bill of Rights Federal immigration processors in Cleveland to be furloughed unless Congress acts DNC Chair applauds Florida Democratic Party for returning PPP loan, said he thought Ohios would return theirs Ohio Congress members propose quarantining coronavirus patients in hotels Rep. Tim Ryan makes up lost fundraising ground while Rep. Jim Jordan takes in nearly $3.5 million Millions lost health insurance during coronavirus pandemic, report says Rep. Anthony Gonzalez seeks Confucius Institute crackdown Republicans slam the Ohio Democratic Party for getting federal Paycheck Protection Program loan U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to skip Democratic convention over COVID-19 concerns Donald Trump and Joe Biden backers spar as Biden unveils his economic plan Ohio Democrats pleased with U.S. Supreme Courts decisions that Trump cant withhold his financial records from investigators Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. LONDON/GABORONE (Reuters) - Diamond mining giant De Beers is likely to have to cut jobs, its chief executive said on Thursday, as it outlined plans for an overhaul of its business after the coronavirus hit jewellery demand. De Beers, a unit of Anglo American , earlier reported plunging earnings in the first half of 2020 as a drop in rough diamond sales and prices hurt margins. Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were just $2 million in the period, down from $518 million in the first half of last year. De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver told ... The Delhi HC has issued summon on Laptop and Computing major Hewlett Packard (HP) India over whistleblower charges of routing kickbacks to government officials for securing deals and for tweaking tenders in the company's favour. The Delhi HC has also issued summons on HP India's California based parent HP Inc, as well HP India's Former MD Sumeer Chandra. The Delhi HC has asked HP India and HP Inc to respond to charges red-flagged in the plaint. The HC was hearing a plaint by Manoj Grover, a former employee of HP India. In the plaint, it has been alleged that millions of dollars of kickbacks flowed from HP India to government officials for skewing tenders and contracts in HP's favour. In the plaint, there is a direct reference to at least three instances where money flowed to government officials to allow HP India exclusive, or preferred, access to government tenders. The plaint suggests that the government, being the largest customer of HP, often leads to the company employing creative means to make unethical payments to government officials. Importantly, the plaint also suggests that the top management was in the know of things, and maintained records of kickback payments being made. Manoj Grover claims in the plaint that he red-flagged the issue, first to the local management, and then to the Compliance Team of the California based parent company. He argues that far from responding to the issues, the company indulged in retaliatory action, causing harassment and ultimately concluding in June of 2020, with the termination of his employment. His plaint also points out that HP sought to resolve the issue, through settlement talks. The plaint argues that the offer made by HP was "wholly inadequate". Manoj Grover, through this plaint, is seeking damages of Rs 40 crore from HP. Tishampati Sen, Advocate for Manoj Grover said, "In the suit filed against the alleged wrongful termination, the Delhi High Court was pleased to issue summons on all the Defendants, including HP India Sales Pvt. Ltd., and HP Inc. and the defendants have been asked to file their Written Statements (reply) within a prescribed time period. The Court has also been pleased to issue notice on the Application moved by Manoj Grover, seeking interim relief, where also HP India and HP Inc, have been asked to respond within the specified time." CNBC-TV18 reached out to HP India. The company released a comment, saying, "HP has a strict anti-retaliation policy, which includes a prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting misconduct. HP requires its employees, partners and suppliers to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and ethical business conduct. We conduct reviews as needed and take appropriate actions to ensure compliance with our standards, but we dont comment on specific situations." The Delhi HC will now hear the case on September 21. Photo: Jenny McLaughlin A New Brunswick woman says she was able to survive in woods northeast of the province for nearly two weeks by drinking rainwater from puddles and eating wild berries. Jenny McLaughlin, who was rescued Tuesday, said her need to see family and loved ones again gave her the strength to keep going. The Saint-Isidore, N.B., woman said she got lost in the woods after dark. "I survived basically off of rain water and puddle water," she said in an interview Thursday by text message. "Anything I could find basically, and was lucky there were orange wild berries ... to eat around the 4th, 5th day." "I found shelter in the trees where I could but had no phone or lighter for support or to depend on," she wrote. McLaughlin was reported missing July 17, triggering an intensive search by the RCMP. The next day, searchers found her vehicle at an ATV trail in Rough Waters, N.B., about 220 kilometres north of Moncton. Her cell phone was found in woods last Saturday, but there was no sign of the woman until she was found late Tuesday by linemen doing maintenance for NB Power. The company posted on Facebook: "Employees were in the process of moving locations with the aid of a helicopter to prepare for the next day's events. Our employee disembarked off the helicopter and when the helicopter flew away to gather more material our employee could hear a faint cry for help. The quick-thinking lineman immediately called for help and notified the rest of the crew." RCMP Cpl. Kevin Plourde says the workers from East Coast Powerline deserve a lot of credit. "Those workers did an outstanding job to stabilize her, to put her on a stretcher and give her first aid," he said Thursday. "It was a really rough terrain, a lot of swamps, a lot of dead wood." Plourde said the rescuers had to carry her 1.3 kilometres to the closest trail accessible by ambulance. "We had to do it with her on a stretcher and us walking because there was no way to evacuate her by helicopter, or with an ATV because the terrain was too rough," he said. Plourde said police believe the woman walked in circles for the last few days of her ordeal. McLaughlin said her time in the woods was frightening and she knew there were wild animals nearby. "I saw signs of bears yes, the markings and the scrapes on the trees, the droppings ... could sometimes hear them and the coyotes (or fox) not too far.. really scary but had to keep going," she wrote. She was treated in hospital for her injuries, which include a sunburn and scraped ankles, and is recovering at home. DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) announces Dr. David Twedt, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Colorado State University, Department of Clinical Sciences, as the recipient of the 2020 ACVIM Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence. This award is presented annually to an ACVIM Diplomate in recognition of outstanding achievements and dedicated service to the veterinary profession. Dr. David Twedt, DVM, DACVIM (Small Animal Internal Medicine) joined the CSU faculty in 1978 and has a distinguished career as a professor, mentor, scientist, speaker and professional volunteer. He is known worldwide for discoveries in liver and gastrointestinal disease in dogs and cats. Dr. Twedt has developed techniques using endoscopy and laparoscopy, which rely on thin, lighted tubes and specialized cameras to visualize a patient's internal structures. Dr. Twedt is a decorated specialist who has received numerous awards such as the Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher award and the Animal Medical Center Outstanding Alumni Award. He is also a prolific author in his field having published over 125 peer-reviewed articles, 107 chapters in books and 97 research abstracts. He has authored one book and served as the co-editor of Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy, volumes 14 and 15, for whom this award is named. "Dave is a gifted scientist, a dedicated educator, a caring clinician and a selfless volunteer. Above all he is a kind, generous and caring human being. I can think of no one more deserving to receive the 2020 Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence!" Joerg Steiner, DMV, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), DECVIM-CA and fellow nominator. The ACVIM is proud to present Dr. David Twedt with the 2020 ACVIM Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence. View a video honoring Dr. Twedt's accomplishments. Additionally, please join us in extending our gratitude and congratulatory thoughts by leaving a comment on his KudoBoard. A user guide for how to post a comment is available here if needed. About the ACVIM Based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) is the certifying organization for veterinary specialists in cardiology, large animal internal medicine, neurology, oncology and small animal internal medicine. With more than 3,000 members, the ACVIM is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and people through the education, training, and certification of specialists in veterinary internal medicine, discovery and dissemination of new medical knowledge, and increasing public awareness of advances in veterinary medical care. www.ACVIM.org MEDIA CONTACT: April Sramek Marketing & Communications Manager 303.231.9933 ext. 122 [email protected] SOURCE American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Related Links http://www.ACVIM.org Boris Johnson exaggerated the government's record on poverty by repeatedly using inaccurate and misleading figures, the UK statistics watchdog has found. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) made the statement in response to a complaint from the End Child Poverty Coalition, which said the Prime Minister had used data 'selectively, inaccurately and, ultimately, misleadingly' since last December's General Election. The coalition said Mr Johnson's claim on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on December 1 that there are '400,000 fewer children in poverty than there were in 2010' was incorrect. It also said Mr Johnson's statement that 'absolutely poverty and relative poverty have both declined under this Government' and 'there are hundreds of thousands, I think 400,000, fewer families living in poverty now than there were in 2010', made at PMQs on June 17, this year was also untrue. Furthermore, the coalition contended that at PMQs a week later, Mr Johnson incorrectly said 'there are 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty and 500,000 children falling below thresholds of low income and material deprivation'. Boris Johnson exaggerated the government's record on poverty by repeatedly using inaccurate and misleading figures, the UK statistics watchdog has found Boris Johnson's inaccurate claims on child poverty December 1: The Prime Minister said on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that there are '400,000 fewer children in poverty than there were in 2010'. June 17: Mr Johnson told the Commons at PMQs that 'absolutely poverty and relative poverty have both declined under this Government' and 'there are hundreds of thousands, I think 400,000, fewer families living in poverty now than there were in 2010'. June 24: The PM said at PMQs: 'There are 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty and 500,000 children falling below thresholds of low income and material deprivation'. Advertisement In the letter, Anna Feuchtwang, chairwoman of the coalition, said it cannot be right that such figures are used 'selectively'. She wrote: 'While it is expected - and right - that child poverty should be the subject of robust political debate, it cannot be right that official figures on something as fundamental as how many children are in poverty continue to be used selectively, inaccurately and, ultimately, misleadingly.' Responding to the complaints set out in the letter, Ed Humpherson, director-general for regulation at the authority, said: 'Our team has investigated the statements which you highlight (and has reached the same conclusion that these statements are incorrect).' Poverty is difficult to definitively calculate, as the OSR explains there are four official measurements which can be used. These are relative poverty, which records households with less than 60 per cent of contemporary median income, before and after housing costs, and absolute poverty, which compares numbers against baseline figures from 2010/11, again before and after housing costs. In March, data from the Department for Work and Pensions estimated the number of people living in a relative low-income household after housing costs had risen to 4.5 million in 2018-19 from four million the year before. It was the highest number of people living in poverty in the UK since figures were collated in 2002. Poverty is difficult to definitively calculate, as the OSR explains there are four official measurements which can be used. These are relative poverty, which records households with less than 60 per cent of contemporary median income, before and after housing costs, and absolute poverty, which compares numbers against baseline figures from 2010/11, again before and after housing costs An OSR blog post reads: 'There is no wrong measure, but there is a wrong way of using the available measures and that is to pick and choose which statistics to use based on what best suits the argument you happen to be making.' Ms Feuchtwang said she welcomed the conclusion from the watchdog that the Prime Minister had used child poverty statistics incorrectly. 'It is deeply insulting to the children and families swept into poverty when data about them is used selectively and misleadingly at the whim of politicians,' she said. 'The simple fact is that by any measures child poverty is rising but instead of tackling the problem the Government risks obscuring the issue and misinforming the public. 'The lives of real people are at stake and we need consistent use of information and urgent action.' Child Poverty Action Group chief executive Alison Garnham said: 'The hard truth is that child poverty is growing in the UK but the Government is in denial on this - that has to shift. 'If we are to make progress, the problem must be confronted not circumvented. 'If the will and the focus are there, a strategy can be agreed and action taken to prevent more children from being damaged by poverty.' She added: 'It's our moral responsibility to safeguard children from poverty and to invest in them. 'It's also the most significant investment we as a nation can make for our future.' Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said that the longer the UK is in denial of the scale of child poverty, the harder it will be to fix. 'This isn't about the Punch and Judy of PMQs,' said Mr Hussain. 'Admitting that rising numbers of ordinary families are struggling to keep their children clothed and well fed matters to good policy making. 'You can't 'level up' the country if you're sweeping under the carpet the big rises in child poverty clearly shown by the official figures. 'The longer we're in denial about the scale of the problem, the harder it will be to fix it.' Shadow education secretary Kate Green said the Prime Minister must 'come clean' and correct the record on the issue. She said: 'It is shameful that the Prime Minister is unable to tell the truth about the hardship faced by so many families struggling to make ends meet. 'Children and families in such difficult circumstances deserve better than this shabby treatment from an out-of-touch Prime Minister who has repeatedly failed to be honest about the challenges they face. 'The Prime Minister must now correct the record, both publicly and in Parliament, and ensure that when he next raises his Government's damning record on child poverty, he comes clean about what the stats are saying.' Police did not identify the suspects or their group. An organization called Studentlocalism which announced it was disbanding just before the law took effect said on Facebook that four former members had been arrested on secession charges, including ex-leader Tony Chung. A man was killed and a woman left wounded in a shooting at a Boston park Wednesday night, authorities said. Police responded shortly before 11:15 p..m. to a report of a person shot at Ronan Park, located at 121 Adams St. in Dorchester, said Officer Kim Tavares, a spokesperson for the Boston Police Department. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, the department said in a statement. A woman was also injured in the shooting. Her wounds are not considered life-threatening, according to the statement. A third individual was shot roughly 30 minutes earlier in a nonfatal shooting in the same neighborhood on Rosedale Street. The victim went to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Tavares said. The two shootings Wednesday night are not believed to be connected, the police officer noted. Theyre both under investigation, Tavares said. Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex was an actress. She has appeared in several movies and acted in numerous shows. Meghan is now involved in a highly-publicized lawsuit against a few British newspapers, which has led one critic to draw comparisons between her and another actor, whom is deemed an irrelevant movie star. Read on below to find out why the comparisons were drawn and what Meghan can perhaps learn from the actor. Meghan Markle | Tolga Akmen WPA Pool/Getty Images) Meghan Markle has been suing the British media for invading her privacy In the fall of 2019, Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, announced they would be filing a lawsuit against a few tabloid outlets. A big part of the lawsuit is the couples claim that these newspapers invaded their privacy. For instance, The Mail On Sunday was accused of publishing a private letter Meghan wrote to her father and editing said letter to paint Meghan in a negative light. Additionally, The Mail On Sunday also tried to uncover the identity of five friends who spoke to People about Meghan. As a result, Meghan has also been trying to protect her friends. She said in a witness statement, according to The Telegraph, [The women] made a choice on their own to speak anonymously with a U.S. media outlet more than a year ago, to defend me from the bullying behavior of Britains tabloid media. These five women are not on trial, and nor am I. Critic compares Meghan Markles lawsuit to Johnny Depps RELATED: Some People Believe Prince Harry Married Meghan Markle Precisely Because He Wanted to Leave the Royal Family One writer, Maureen Callahan, compares Meghans lawsuit to Johnny Depps recent libel trial. Both Meghan and Depp are American celebrities who decided to take legal actions against British news outlets. However, Callahan points out that Depps lawsuit did not end too well for him, which is why Callahan urges Meghan to drop her libel lawsuit immediately. As Callahan notes, Depps trial was initially a battle over the use of a phrase in the media, but it ended up revealing a lot of unsavory information about his marriage to Amber Heard. Libel lawsuits in the UK, as Depp is learning, are far more brutal than those in the US, Callahan writes in the New York Post. Depp filed suit over just one adjective, wife-beater. But instead of a trial narrowly focused on that word, the world has been made privy to the most grisly, humiliating details of his ill-fated marriage to ex-wife Amber Heard evidence submitted in everything from Depps drug binges at breakfast to Heard, or one of her friends, pooping in the marital bed. Callahan adds, And just like that, the Coolest Guy in the World has become, perhaps irrevocably, a sad caricature of an aged-out, irrelevant movie star. Regardless of what the verdict is in Depps case, Callahans point is that his reputation has suffered severe damage. Will Meghan Markles reputation go down the same drain? RELATED: Some Fans Believe Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Were Demanding Too Much From the Royal Family Of course, it is unclear what will happen to Meghan during the course of her lawsuit and after it concludes. For now, she and Harry seem concerned that the British media has not been too kind to them, and it looks like the lawsuit is their way of forcing the media to treat them fairly. Meghan has also been subjected to a lot of negative rumors about her character, but as seen in Depps trial, there is a chance her reputation could get damaged even more, especially if her trial ends up revealing personal information about her family life. On the other hand, Meghan could also come out unscathed and be victorious. TRENTON The state Assembly voted Thursday to change the county public office title of "freeholder" to "commissioner," sending the bill to Gov. Phil Murphy's desk. The bill previously cleared the Senate in a 31-6 vote. The Assembly voted 61-12-4. New Jersey remains the only state in the country to still use the colonial-era title of freeholder that dates back to before the American Revolution when only white male owners of debt-free land could hold office. Atlantic County Democratic Freeholder Caren Fitzpatrick asked the board to support a name change in 2018, when an earlier bill was introduced to allow counties to change their names. The bill didnt pass by the end of the session. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Under the bill, the title of chosen freeholder and boards of chosen freeholders would be renamed to county commissioner and boards of county commissioners respectively. The bipartisan bill headed to the governor's desk is sponsored by Assembly Democrats Andrew Zwicker and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its school safety guidelines in a major push for in-person instruction that has teachers unions calling the change a political move spearheaded by the Trump administration that ultimately puts lives at risk. The new guidelines stress for face-to-face instruction in communities not considered COVID-19 hotspots, which CDC Director Robert Redfield described in a Friday telebriefing as areas where the COVID-19 test positivity rate is greater than five percent. Texas' current positivity rate is hovering at around 13 percent. It is critically important for our public health to open schools this fall, Redfield said. "I know this has been a difficult time for our nations families. 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. NEED TO KNOW: Hidalgo, health officials order Harris County schools to start school year virtually The new guidelines reverse course on a few of the organization's previous guidelines and include not screening all students for symptoms, not closing down entire schools if one person tests positive and offer more guidance on the use of face masks in the classroom setting. The guidelines also provide new information on decision-making tools and checklists for parents and an FAQ for administrators. CDC officials and officials with the U.S. Department of Education said the guidelines take into account the risks the virus poses to children and evidence that at-home learning can have detrimental effects on children's education and their mental and emotional well-being. According to the CDC, COVID-19 poses "relatively low risks" to school-aged children compared to adults. As of July 17, children under 18 years old account for under seven percent of COVID-19 cases and less than .1 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., per the CDC. "The research and the science continue to suggest that it is safer, healthier and better for students to be in school full time," Dr. Mitchell Zais, Deputy Secretary of Education said during the Friday briefing. "Too many government schools already failed their students this past spring. It can't happen again this fall." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Thousands of Houston-area students lose contact with schools during pandemic shutdown The pivot toward pro-in-person instruction comes after President Donald Trump earlier this month publicly criticized the CDC's previous recommendations, calling them "tough and expensive guidelines" that are "are asking schools to do very impractical things." The Texas ATF, the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, responded to the new guidelines by calling them "a public relations pitch to get as many kids back into the classrooms as soon as possible" and said the CDC is "basing its push on an agenda from the White House and dubious assertions on how kids are at minimum risk, both for themselves and their teachers and families." "Amazing, isnt it, how in two-weeks time the CDC can go from an internal document noting the high risk of school reopenings to now saying its perfectly safe to push millions of kids back into classrooms," Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a news release. "These guidelines have gone to the White House gift wrapper and are now an insulting, politically-packaged campaign piece. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement responding to the guidelines that the CDC changed its tone to "accommodate President Trumps whims" and added that schools cannot safely reopen until more is done to contain the virus. "The CDC could really help parents and educators by issuing a clear set of protocols and making it easier to navigate, instead of offering endless checklists that send people searching for answers," Weingarten said in the statement. After the Texas Education Agency extended the transition period for schools to start the year virtually from three weeks to eight weeks, several Houston-area districts opted to start the year virtually, including Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas. Shortly after the TEA extended its timeline, Harris County and Houston-area health authorities mandated that all county schools must delay in-person instruction for the first eight weeks of the 2020-21 school year. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday released a statement announcing local health authorities may not issue sweeping orders for closing schools to prevent COVID-19 spread. While local health authorities may possess some authority to close schools in limited circumstances, they may not issue blanket orders closing all schools on a purely preventative basis," Paxton said in the statement. That decision rightfully remains with school system leaders. From Sunday to Monday, the Houston region added 1,571 new COVID-19 cases and is now at 94,438 cases total. Harris County saw an increase of 846 new cases and is at 66,195 cases total. During that same one-day period, Texas added 4,331 new cases and is now at 395,338 new cases total, according to a Houston Chronicle data analysis. rebecca.hennes@chron.com Whether in innovative high-tech materials, more powerful computer chips, pharmaceuticals or in the field of renewable energies, nanoparticles - smallest portions of bulk material - form the basis for a whole range of new technological developments. Due to the laws of quantum mechanics, such particles measuring only a few millionths of a millimetre can behave completely differently in terms of conductivity, optics or robustness than the same material on a macroscopic scale. In addition, nanoparticles or nanoclusters have a very large catalytically effective surface area compared to their volume. For many applications this allows material savings while maintaining the same performance. Further development of top-level research in Graz in the field of nanomaterials Researchers at the Institute of Experimental Physics (IEP) at Graz University of Technology have developed a method for assembling nanomaterials as desired. They let superfluid helium droplets of an internal temperature of 0.4 Kelvin (i.e. minus 273 degrees Celsius) fly through a vacuum chamber and selectively introduce individual atoms or molecules into these droplets. "There, they coalesce into a new aggregate and can be deposited on different substrates," explains experimental physicist Wolfgang Ernst from TU Graz. He has been working on this so-called helium-droplet synthesis for twenty-five years now, has successively developed it further during this time, and has produced continuous research at the highest international level, mostly performed in "Cluster Lab 3", which has been set up specifically for this purpose at the IEP. Reinforcement of catalytic properties In Nano Research, Ernst and his team now report on the targeted formation of so-called core-shell clusters using helium-droplet synthesis. The clusters have a 3-nanometer core of silver and a 1.5-nanometer-thick shell of zinc oxide. Zinc oxide is a semiconductor that is used, for example, in radiation detectors for measuring electromagnetic radiation or in photocatalysts for breaking down organic pollutants. The special thing about the material combination is that the silver core provides a plasmonic resonance, i.e. it absorbs light and thus causes a high light field amplification. This puts electrons in an excited state in the surrounding zinc oxide, thereby forming electron-hole pairs - small portions of energy that can be used elsewhere for chemical reactions, such as catalysis processes directly on the cluster surface. "The combination of the two material properties increases the efficiency of photocatalysts immensely. In addition, it would be conceivable to use such a material in water splitting for hydrogen production," says Ernst, naming a field of application. Nanoparticles for laser and magnetic sensors In addition to the silver-zinc oxide combination, the researchers produced other interesting core-shell clusters with a magnetic core of the elements iron, cobalt or nickel and a shell of gold. Gold also has a plasmonic effect and also protects the magnetic core from unwanted oxidation. These nanoclusters can be influenced and controlled both by lasers and by external magnetic fields and are suitable for sensor technologies, for example. For these material combinations, temperature-dependent stability measurements as well as theoretical calculations were carried out in collaboration with the IEP theory group led by Andreas Hauser and the team of Maria Pilar de Lara Castells (Institute of Fundamental Physics at the Spanish National Research Council CSIC, Madrid) and can explain the behaviour at phase transitions such as alloy formation that deviates from macroscopic material samples. The results were published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Ernst now hopes that the findings from the experiments will be rapidly transferred into new catalysts "as soon as possible". ### This research area is anchored in the Field of Expertise "Advanced Materials Science", one of five strategic foci of TU Graz. The Cluster 3 laboratory was set up using funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the support of the European Union and the State of Styria. The measurements for photoelectron spectroscopy of the particles could be carried out with the aid of a photoemission electron microscope in the framework of the structural funds of the higher education area of the Austrian Federal Government. The work was also supported by three projects of the Austrian Research Fund FWF. To the original publications: Helium droplet assisted synthesis of plasmonic Ag@ZnO core@shell nanoparticles Alexander Schiffmann, Thomas Jauk, Daniel Knez, Harald Fitzek, Ferdinand Hofer, Florian Lackner, Wolfgang E. Ernst Nano Research DOI: 10.1007/s12274-020-2961-z Thermally Induced Diffusion and Restructuring of Iron Triade (Fe, Co, Ni) Nanoparticles Passivated by Several Layers of Gold Martin Schnedlitz, Daniel Knez, Maximilian Lasserus, Ferdinand Hofer, Ricardo Fernandez-Perea, Andreas W. Hauser, Mar??a Pilar de Lara-Castells, and Wolfgang E. Ernst The Journal of Physical Chemistry DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c04561 Contacts TU Graz | Institute of Experimental Physics: Wolfgang ERNST Em.Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Phys. Dr.rer.nat. Tel.: +43 316 873 8140; E-Mail: wolfgang.ernst@tugraz.at Florian LACKNER Univ.Ass. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Tel.: +43 316 873 8647; E-Mail: florian.lackner@tugraz.at Andreas HAUSER Assoc.Prof. Mag. phil. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. phil Dr. techn. Tel.: +43 316 873 8157; E-Mail: andreas.hauser@tugraz.at At Institute of Fundamental Physics at the Spanish National Research Council CSIC, Madrid: Maria Pilar de Lara Castells E-Mail: Pilar.deLara.Castells@csic.es The Cliff House restaurant has become the latest Bay Area institution to file suit against its insurance company for allegedly refusing to pay for lost revenue because of the coronavirus. The historic restaurant joins a growing number of local businesses, including Berkeleys Chez Panisse and Thomas Kellers the French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro, that have gone to court to demand their insurers cover losses under business interruption policies that they say should be triggered by government-mandated closures during the coronavirus pandemic. The law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy brought the suit in San Francisco Superior Court on Wednesday on behalf of owner Mary Hountalas and her husband, Dan Hountalas. Allianz, the restaurants insurance company, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Other insurance companies involved in similar suits have said that because the closures were the result of government orders and not physical damage, they are not covered under business interruption policies. If we cant reopen inside by September, I dont know if well ever open the Cliff House, said Mary Hountalas, who has run the iconic restaurant on a windswept precipice on San Franciscos northwest shoulder since 1973. She said the restaurant received an emergency federal loan under the Paycheck Protection Program but that money had almost dried up and she had no choice but to permanently furlough almost all of the 185 staff members. The restaurant stopped offering takeout two weeks ago, and Hountalas said outdoor dining was almost impossible because of the locations exposure to the elements and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. There are possibilities with very large price tags, she said of erecting tented outdoor seating areas. Were a cruise ship sitting on the land, Hountalas said, adding, The elements are devastating on that building. Hountalas said she hopes the suit will add to the growing legal and political pressure on insurance carriers to cover the closures under their business-interruption policies. Along with the other high-profile lawsuits, in April, San Franciscos Board of Supervisors adopted Supervisor Gordon Mars nonbinding resolution declaring that COVID-19 causes property loss or damage because it adheres to surfaces and spreads. Restaurant owners have lobbied state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to intervene in the disputes and force the hand of insurance companies, but his office has not yet taken a position on the issue. In April, Lara ordered insurers to take four days at most to grant or deny a claim and to fully and fairly investigate business insurance claims. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes Until there is movement on the issue and with time running out, Hountalas said she fears the building will fall into disrepair if she is forced to close and no upkeep is done. The only thing we dont have is barnacles, she said, noting the cost of replacing locks and heating systems that have been literally eaten up, by the salty winds that blow off the Pacific. The location has been in operation in some form for more than 160 years and has weathered numerous disasters. The original building was destroyed by fire on Christmas Day in 1894. A grand eight-story structure rebuilt at the site survived the 1906 earthquake that brought the city to its knees, but it again burned the next year. Hountalas said despite rising from the literal ashes of many disasters in the past, This is something entirely different. The nearby Louis Restaurant above the historic Sutro Baths on Point Lobos Avenue announced its permanent closure because of the pandemic earlier this month. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice NEW YORKThe Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Bronx Zoo, three other zoos and an aquarium in New York, apologized Wednesday for two aspects of its history that the societys chief executive described as demonstrating unconscionable racial intolerance. In a statement, the society apologized for an incident that took place in 1906 when the Bronx Zoo put a young Central African man of the Mbuti ethnic group on display in the Monkey House for several days. Objections from local Black ministers ultimately put a stop to the exploitative exhibition. The conservation society, which was established as the New York Zoological Society in 1895, had never before issued a formal public apology for the inhumane treatment of the young man, Ota Benga, who had previously been taken from his home in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo and put on display at the St. Louis Worlds Fair. The second part of the apology addressed two of the groups founders Madison Grant and Henry Fairfield Osborn and their advancement of eugenics-based, pseudoscientific racism. The chief executive of the conservation society, Cristian Samper, said in an interview that the group had started digging into its history because of its 125th anniversary this year and that that process combined with conversations about racial injustice sweeping the country after the police killing of George Floyd led the organization to publish the apology. Samper said that over the years, the organization had heard from both employees and outside observers who wanted the group to directly address the issue of Ota Benga. As we looked to the 125th, I kept coming back to this, Samper said. We really needed to look at this, to own up to this. Its a tragic thing that we did. In a letter to staff last month, the society announced its plan to acknowledge the mistakes publicly and to make available its digitized archives related to Ota Benga, which it did Wednesday. Among the documents is a letter from the Bronx Zoo director at the time, William Temple Hornaday, to the New York mayor, George McClellan, saying that the Black ministers objection to the display of Ota Benga was notoriety-seeking and not an attempt to address a real grievance. The letter to staff noted that Ota Benga ultimately took his own life after he was unable to return home because of travel restrictions during the First World War, calling him a victim of the racism that robbed him of his humanity. Grant, who helped create the zoological society, was a conservationist and eugenicist who wrote a book called The Passing of the Great Race. It argued that Americas greatness, built on the Nordic stock of its founders, was being eroded by immigrants. Adolf Hitler is said to have called the book my bible. The book was praised by another of the groups founders, Osborn, also a noted eugenicist, who for 25 years led the American Museum of Natural History as its president. We deeply regret that many people and generations have been hurt by these actions, Samper wrote in his public statement, or by our failure previously to publicly condemn and denounce them. Virtual Town Hall for UW Employees Monday University of Wyoming employees are invited to a virtual town-hall meeting Monday, Aug. 3, at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the universitys fall return plan. The session will air on WyoCast at https://wyolinks.uwyo.edu/FallReturnEmployeesAug3. Following a welcome by President Ed Seidel and a brief presentation on measures the university is taking to have a successful semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic, employees will be allowed to submit written questions via WyoCast. Instructions on how to submit questions may be found here. There are many moving parts to our plan for the fall semester, requiring new and different approaches for just about everyone associated with UW, Seidel says. We hope this virtual town hall will help bring more clarity for our faculty and staff as the semester approaches, and allow for questions to be answered in a manner that will provide broad guidance and important details. (Newser) "This s---'s over!" Melissa Rein Lively ranted in a video posted last month, ripping face masks for coronavirus protection off their rack at an Arizona Target and throwing them on the floor. The self-recorded clipin which Lively also shows off a Rolex watch she says is worth $40,000went viral, garnering more than 10 million views after Rex Chapman featured it on his Twitter feed. A longer version is still up on Lively's Facebook page. Now Lively, the founder and CEO of a PR firm, is calling what she did during the July 4 incident in Scottsdale "unbelievably inappropriate," "classless," and "completely out of character," and she says her mental health struggles are to blame, per USA Today. "I think mental illness has been really something that has not been addressed as a result of this pandemic," she says. "Because what happened to me was scary and it changed my life forever." story continues below "I felt I had absolutely no control over my actions," she adds. Lively says cops questioned her and let her go after the Target incident, and she returned home, only to have her husband call police out of concern for her mental state. She says she went to a mental health center for more than a week. MarketWatch notes health authorities have expressed concern about people's mental health during the pandemic, spurred by health fears and job losses. Heavy.com reports Lively has had other disturbing social-media posts, including ones in which she uses the n-word and says she's a QAnon rep. The Phoenix New Times also notes she had restraining orders taken out against her last year by the co-founders of her former company. Lively says she's lost all her clients and her husband filed for divorce, though in a Wednesday post she notes she's "deeply committed to repairing my marriage, family and personal and professional relationships and pursuing treatment is the first step." (Read more face masks stories.) WOODS HOLE, Mass. --A team at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has achieved the first gene knockout in a cephalopod using the squid Doryteuthis pealeii, an exceptionally important research organism in biology for nearly a century. The milestone study, led by MBL Senior Scientist Joshua Rosenthal and MBL Whitman Scientist Karen Crawford, is reported in the July 30 issue of Current Biology. The team used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to knock out a pigmentation gene in squid embryos, which eliminated pigmentation in the eye and in skin cells (chromatophores) with high efficiency. "This is a critical first step toward the ability to knock out -- and knock in -- genes in cephalopods to address a host of biological questions," Rosenthal says. Cephalopods (squid, octopus and cuttlefish) have the largest brain of all invertebrates, a distributed nervous system capable of instantaneous camouflage and sophisticated behaviors, a unique body plan, and the ability to extensively recode their own genetic information within messenger RNA, along with other distinctive features. These open many avenues for study and have applications in a wide range of fields, from evolution and development, to medicine, robotics, materials science, and artificial intelligence. The ability to knock out a gene to test its function is an important step in developing cephalopods as genetically tractable organisms for biological research, augmenting the handful of species that currently dominate genetic studies, such as fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice. It is also a necessary step toward having the capacity to knock in genes that facilitate research, such as genes that encode fluorescent proteins that can be imaged to track neural activity or other dynamic processes. "CRISPR-Cas9 worked really well in Doryteuthis; it was surprisingly efficient," Rosenthal says. Much more challenging was delivering the CRISPR-Cas system into the one-celled squid embryo, which is surrounded by an exceedingly tough outer layer, and then raising the embryo through hatching. The team developed micro-scissors to clip the egg's surface and a beveled quartz needle to deliver the CRISPR-Cas9 reagents through the clip. Studies with Doryteuthis pealeii have led to foundational advances in neurobiology, beginning with description of the action potential (nerve impulse) in the 1950s, a discovery for which Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley became Nobel Prize laureates in 1963. For decades D. pealeii has drawn neurobiologists from all over the world to the MBL, which collects the squid from local waters. Recently, Rosenthal and colleagues discovered extensive recoding of mRNA in the nervous system of Doryteuthis and other cephalopods. This research is under development for potential biomedical applications, such as pain management therapy. D. pealeii is not, however, an ideal species to develop as a genetic research organism. It's big and takes up a lot of tank space plus, more importantly, no one has been able to culture it through multiple generations in the lab. For these reasons, the MBL Cephalopod Program's next goal is to transfer the new knockout technology to a smaller cephalopod species, Euprymna berryi (the hummingbird bobtail squid), which is relatively easy to culture to make genetic strains. ### The MBL Cephalopod Program is part of the MBL's New Research Organisms Initiative, which is widening the palette of genetically tractable organisms available for research - and thus expanding the universe of biological questions that can be asked. First author Karen Crawford is a professor of biology at St. Mary's College of Maryland and a summer Whitman Center investigator at the MBL. The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery - exploring fundamental biology, understanding marine biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago. (CNN) The spread of coronavirus forced many companies to go remote. And some have already pledged to make the work style permanent. Twitter said some employees who want to work from home permanently can, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said as many as 50% of the company's employees could be working remotely within the next five to 10 years. Google announced Monday that it would allow workers to remain remote until July 2021, but stopped short of committing to a permanent shift. But sustaining a remote workforce over the long-term is easier said than done. We've seen companies have work-from-home policies only to eventually bring workers back to the office. In 2013, Marissa Mayer, then-CEO of Yahoo, ended the company's work-from-home option. And IBM called back some of its workers in 2017. Part of the reason work-from-home policies don't last is a change in project management, lack of employee trust or a decrease in productivity. But it doesn't have to be that way. Trying to have it both ways Having a hybrid workforce with some employees in the office and others working from home can be difficult to manage. It might also put the remote workers at a disadvantage. Workers at home don't get daily face time with the boss, which can mean missing out on stretch assignments and career opportunities. Being off-site also eliminates any chance of random hallway run-ins, after-meeting chatter and other spontaneous situations that can provide valuable information. But remote work policies don't have to be an all-or-nothing situation. The decision should be made at a team level, advised Debbie Lovich, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group. That means figuring out a schedule that works best for everyone and includes some days when everyone is in the office and then at home the rest of the time. "Getting those team level norms is incredibly important," she said. If getting the whole team on the same schedule isn't feasible, remote workers should still try to make regular appearances at the office. "Ideally you should go into work once a week if you are going to be at home," said Judith Olson, professor of informatics at the University of California Irvine. The worst situation would be to have most employees in the office, and only one or a few remote workers, said Peter Cappelli, management professor at the Wharton Business School. "When you are out of the office, people forget who you are and other people get access to information faster than you," he said. "If you would be remote when no one else is, I wouldn't want that job at all." Measuring results Measuring productivity and evaluating workers' performance can be an obstacle when companies switch to remote work. Managers need to set clear goals, priorities and measurables so everyone knows the expectations. But not every task and role are quantitative. This is where trust comes in. "Employee trust is a key hurdle," said Jeanne Meister, founding partner at Future Workplace, a human resources advisory and research firm. "Back when companies were pulling back [on remote work], they didn't truly have employee trust. They didn't train remote workers on successful strategies on being a remote worker." Successful remote programs require managers to trust that their team will get their work done when they say they will. And that old habit of equating presence with productivity is hard to break. "Just because someone is sitting at a desk doesn't mean they are being productive," said Lovich. Me vs. We Office culture has become much more collaborative -- it's all about teamwork and combined efforts. And that doesn't always translate well virtually. "What we know for work that requires any collaboration, trying to do it virtually doesn't seem to work very well," said Cappelli, who sees very little chance that everyone is going to continue to work from home all the time after the pandemic. And a recent study from the Boston Consulting Group found workers felt more productive on individual tasks than collaborative ones during the past few months of working from home. The lynchpin to success: Managers When it comes to the sustainability of working from home, it all comes down to the manager. "Not everyone is good at learning how to manage remotely," said Beth Kaufman, managing director at Boston Consulting Group. Technology has also made it easier to communicate and collaborate, but managers have to step up and create a cohesive remote work style. "You need supervisors who will run all the interference for you," said Cappelli. That means figuring out who needs to connect on what projects, looping in the right people on reports and smoothing over any hard feelings when people feel left out or take an email the wrong way. "The human dynamics don't change because people are remote." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Permanent WFH sounds great. But it's harder than it sounds." Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Thursday criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government as the state grapples with floods amid worsening COVID-19 situation. Singhvi said that the catastrophe has affected 38,47,531 people of Bihar while the state administration is sleeping. The Congress leader went on to say that the Central government is unresponsive towards the condition because there are no elections around the corner. Bihar suffering from Flood catastrophe with 38,47,531 people affected.#BiharFloods The Covid-19 situation in Bihar also going from bad to worse. State administration literally sleeping. Centre unresponsive because no elections around the corner. Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) July 30, 2020 READ | Over 6,800 People Evacuated From Flood-hit Areas Of Bihar: NDRF Relief measures underway in Bihar The flood situation in Bihar has deteriorated with the death toll rising to 11 and nearly 40 lakh people being affected by the deluge, the state disaster management department said on Wednesday. The number of people affected by the floods, caused by heavy rainfalls in catchment areas along the Indo-Nepal border, has now reached 38,47,531, a jump of nearly a million since the previous day. Residents of nearly a thousand villages across 12 affected districts have been hit by the deluge. READ | Bihar's Principal Health Secy Transferred Amid Surging COVID-19 Cases According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the state received an average total rainfall of 22 mm, which was 89 per cent in excess of normal. Relief and rescue efforts, meanwhile, were in full swing with teams of the NDRF and the SDRF, equipped with 1,500 boats, being pressed into service. The disaster management department put the total number of people evacuated from marooned localities at 3.09 lakh. Out of them, more than 25,000 people were taking shelter at 19 relief camps. Besides, 989 community kitchens were catering to 5.71 lakh people. READ | Bihar: Floodwaters Enter New Areas, Hit A Million More People; 24.5 Lakh Affected In 11 Dists 2,000 fresh COVID-19 cases in Bihar Meanwhile, more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Bihar on Wednesday, raising the tally to 45,919 as the death toll in the state mounted to 273 with four more fatalities, the Health department said. The number of active cases in Bihar stands at 15,142, with the state capital accounting for more than one-fifth of these (3,230). On the brighter side, a total of 30,504 people have so far been cured with a recovery rate of 66.43 per cent. The number of samples tested since Tuesday is 17,794, an increase of more than 2,500 over the previous day. Altogether, 5.04 lakh tests have been conducted so far. CM Nitish Kumar has set a target of 20,000 tests per day. READ | Ensure Physical Presence Of Voters At Booths In Bihar Polls: CPI(M) Member To EC Pre-College Programs Who says college is only for college students? Our faculty and facilities are a rich educational resource for the entire community. We invite pre-college students from all backgrounds to discover the excitement of college-level academics. Rising senior and newly graduated high school students can take full-credit classes during our summer sessions. This is an excellent way to get a taste of academic life at a highly selective university. We also have an active partnership with Johns Hopkins' Center for Talented Youth. Rising high school juniors, seniors and college freshmen can attend the National Institute of American History & Democracys Pre-College Program in American History. This exciting four-credit academic program includes hands-on exploration of the region's many historical and archaeological sites and museums. Through the Center for Gifted Education, William & Mary operates one of the nation's top programs for gifted and uniquely talented students in elementary and middle school. The Saturday/Summer enrichment courses are designed to challenge the advanced student in a way that's not possible in a conventional classroom. And Camp Launch is a residential program for gifted 7th- and 8th-grade students from all socioeconomic levels. SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Bybit has announced it will make a donation of up to 10 BTC to UNICEF, as part of its recently announced World Series of Trading (WSOT). The WSOT will gather traders from across the globe to compete for a prize pool worth 200 BTC, around $2.2 million at the current price. The WSOT event opened for pre-registration in early July, with over 8,000 participants having already signed up. The official registration to join the main event in August is now open. Bybit has confirmed that 5% of the overall prize pool will be allocated to UNICEF to assist in their efforts helping vulnerable children recover from the fallout of the global pandemic. The donation comes thanks to a partnership with the New Zealand branch of UNICEF. According to the official announcement on their website, the Bybit donation is helping to plug a severe funding gap left by the pandemic crisis, which has put 1.6 billion children at risk. "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cast its long shadow around the globe, its secondary impact is being felt by vulnerable children, who are the future of our world. Their situation is exacerbated by school closures, inadequate care, and shortages in food, sanitation supply, and medical resources. We at Bybit urgently feel it is incumbent upon us to support the ongoing efforts to safeguard our future," states Bybit CEO, Ben Zhou. He continues: "Together with our global community of traders, we would like to use this impetus to help lead positive action in the crypto space and give back to our very own home planet. With this in mind, we are pledging 5% of WSOT's final prize pool to UNICEF to assist in their work to save children's lives, defend their rights, and to help them fulfill their potential." UNICEF NZ Executive Director Vivien Maidaborn added: "This is an exciting opportunity to partner with Bybit and better shape the lives of children significantly impacted by Covid-19. We thank Bybit and traders for their generous Bitcoin donations during this unprecedented global emergency." About the World Series of Trading The WSOT event is part of Bybit Games Calendar, which last year saw over 7,000 traders battle it out in a competition dubbed the "BTC Brawl." Bybit is aiming for the WSOT to attract even more traders who will compete alongside cryptocurrency influencers and legendary poker players, battling out for a prize pool of up to 200 BTC. Participants will be eligible for a 20% discount on trading fees, and the opportunity to earn up to $9,400 in USDT bonuses. Bybit is now inviting traders to enroll for the main event. Registration is open until August 14, and warm-up participants must now re-register to secure their place. The WSOT contest will start on August 10 and run until the end of the month. For more information on the event, please visit: https://www.bybit.com/en-US/wsot About Bybit Bybit is a global cryptocurrency derivatives exchange established in March 2018 and registered in the BVI. It is headquartered in Singapore. Bybit has a global user base comprising everyone from individual retail clients to professional derivatives traders. For more information, please visit: https://www.bybit.com/ For updates, follow Bybit's social platforms on Twitter and Telegram. Contact: Dan Edelstein pr@marketacross.com +972-545-464-238 SOURCE: Bybit View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599604/Bybit-Announces-an-Estimated-110000-COVID-19-Relief-Donation-to-UNICEF-from-World-Series-of-Trading-Prize-Fund Korea allowed to use solid fuel for rockets It is welcome news that the U.S. has lifted the decades-old restrictions on South Korea's use of solid fuels for its missiles and space launch vehicles. The restrictions were lifted Tuesday after the two countries revised missile guidelines to allow Seoul to develop and use solid fuel-propellants. The move carries significant meaning as South Korea is gradually recovering its "missile sovereignty." The guidelines, which Seoul and Washington signed in 1979, have been widely seen as unequal for Korea due to the series of restrictions on rocket developments. Under the guidelines signed under President Park Chung-hee, South Korea could only develop missiles with a maximum range of 180 kilometers and a payload of 500 kilograms. The guidelines have since been revised four times. The first revision was made in 2001 under the liberal Kim Dae-jung administration to expand the range to 300 kilometers. The second amendment came in 2011 under the conservative Lee Myung-bak government to increase the range to 800 kilometers. The third one took place in 2017 under the Moon Jae-in administration to get rid of the payload limit. The fourth and latest one was made to eliminate the restrictions on solid fuel. This means it has taken over four decades to lift almost all the limits imposed on the country's launch vehicle and missile development. The only existing limit is the maximum range of missiles. We hope the range limit will soon be lifted so that the country can develop rockets and missiles with a longer range. The full lifting is crucial to improving South Korea's missile capability to counter military threats from North Korea's long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Government officials and experts welcome the lifting of the restrictions on solid fuel, saying the revised guidelines will help improve our military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. They also expect the move will boost the space program in the private sector. As deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong pointed out, the revision will greatly advance South Korea's ISR capabilities by enabling the country to launch low-Earth orbit spy satellites which stay at altitudes of 500 kilometers to 2,000 kilometers. These satellites are badly needed to collect accurate information about North Korean military weapons and troops. Kim said that our military will be able to put the entire Korean Peninsula under an around-the-clock watch, which he described as an "unblinking eye." There are many merits of solid-fuel rockets which are faster to launch and harder to detect before takeoff. Besides, solid fuel is much cheaper and more efficient than liquid fuel. The country's space industry is also likely to take a new leap forward. Most of all, the new guidelines will open up the way for the research and development of different types of rockets as well as commercial satellites. The country is also expected to gain momentum for the launch of its first lunar landing probe planned for 2030. New Delhi, July 30 : A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced former Samata Party President Jaya Jaitly to four years in jail in a corruption case related to a defence deal, asserting that "there should be zero tolerance towards corruption in defence procurement deals". Two other convicts Gopal Pacherwal and Major General (Rtd.) S.P. Murgai have also been awarded a similar jail term. On July 20, the three were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in the purported purchase of hand-held thermal imagers. CBI judge Virender Bhat, while sentencing them noted: "There should be zero tolerance towards corruption in defence procurement deals as these have direct bearing upon the independence and sovereignty of our country. Hence, the crime which these convicts have committed is of highest degree. They certainly do not deserve any mercy." "The virus of corruption which has engulfed the entire fabric of our society," the court said "is becoming a major obstacle in the growth and development of our nation". The convicts have been asked to surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities before 5 p.m. on Thursday. The genesis of this case lies in a sting operation conducted by a news website Tehelka in the year 2000-2001 termed as 'Operation Westend' to expose the corruption in defence procurements deals in India. Tehelka had made the operation public during mid-March 2001. Twenty years after the sting operation was done to expose alleged corruption in the defence deal, the court has convicted Jaya Jaitly, Major General S.P. Murgai and Gopal K. Pacherwal in the case. On the basis of the sting operation, an FIR was registered against four -- Jaya, Major General S.P. Murgai, Gopal K. Pacherwal and Surender Kumar Surekha but the latter turned approver for CBI. The CBI filed the charge sheet against Jaitly and others in 2006. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Jaitly entered into a criminal conspiracy with Murgai, Surekha and Pacherwal in the year 2000-01 and obtained Rs 2 lakh as gratification for herself or for any other person from Mathew Samuel, representative of fictitious firm M/s Westend International, London. While sentencing them to the four-year jail term, the court noted that they took money from the representative of a fictitious firm without bothering to ascertain whether the firm was actually in operation and whether the product of the said firm sought to be inducted in the Indian Army was worth it. "They chose to remain blind folded on all the vital aspects of the concerned product of the said fictitious firm only with a view to get some monetary enrichment. By their act, they compromised the entire defence system of the country. It is a crime with very wide and huge repercussion for the entire nation." According to the CBI, Jaitly did it as a motive to exercise influence upon the public servants in the matter to getting supply orders for defence equipments i.e. Hand Held Thermal Cameras (HHTC) from the Ministry of Defence for the said fictitious firm. It is alleged that a number of payments were made to Major General S.P. Murgai for his service in this regard and a sum of Rs 1 lakh was paid to Surekha for his assistance in the matter. Anti-Amazon campaigners in France team up to say 'non' to firm's expansion FILE PHOTO: Amazon logistics center in Lauwin-Planque By Christian Lowe, Elizabeth Pineau and Mathieu Rosemain COLOMBIER-SAUGNIEU, France (Reuters) - At his veterinary practice near the French city of Lyon one morning in June, Gilles Renevier prepared to perform a castration on a poodle. When not attending to animals, he turns to his other role: attempting to neuter the expansion ambitions of Amazon.com Inc . Renevier leads a group of local volunteers that has succeeded in suspending construction at a site that campaigners and a senior local official say is earmarked to become a logistics hub for the online retailer. Building at the site is on hold while a legal challenge the vet helped spearhead makes its way through the courts. In France, disparate anti-Amazon forces including local activists, environmentalists, trade unions and members of parliament - are coming together to battle the worlds largest online retailer. In some instances, they have received funding from some of the worlds wealthiest philanthropists. The aim: to stop the e-commerce giant from expanding its presence arguing the U.S.-based company destroys retail jobs, exploits workers and harms the environment arguments Amazon rejects. Amazon opponents scored a high-profile victory in April when, following a separate legal challenge brought by trade union workers and backed by environmental lobby group Friends of the Earth, a French court ruled the firm was not adequately protecting its employees from COVID-19. Amazon, which disputed the courts findings, responded by closing its French warehouses and distribution centres for 35 days. The company has since agreed a deal with unions and re-opened the hubs, but the ruling has emboldened the companys critics elsewhere including in the United States. Renevier, a silver-haired 59-year old, is the unpaid head of a group of local campaigners called Fracture that along with another local group and with backing from Friends of the Earth is trying to stop Amazon expanding its footprint in Frances south east. Before dealing with his surgical list that June morning, he stopped by the empty construction site. Story continues The vet, who lives 14 kilometres from the site, said he was concerned about the traffic and pollution an Amazon logistics hub would cause and believed that Amazon promoted a consumerist way of life that was harmful to society. "How are we going to reduce the pollution when you have a big operation like this, with so many vehicles that are going to be circulating around it?" he said. He added that he didnt shop at Amazon.com and was trying so far unsuccessfully to persuade his adult son to stop doing so. Amazon representatives declined to comment on whether the firm was connected to the Lyon site or on the activities of the companys opponents. The representatives said the company was good for the environment because its distribution model was more efficient than traditional retail, and therefore involved fewer miles travelled and less pollution. They said the companys business model complements, rather than destroys, bricks and mortar retail and that it works closely with small French firms who use Amazons logistics network. They also said the company generates thousands of jobs, directly and indirectly. FACING OPPOSITION France is particularly fertile ground for Amazon sceptics. It is a country that is historically queasy about U.S.-style capitalism, has strong trade unions, and an attachment to the kind of mom-and-pop neighbourhood stores that, in some cases, feel threatened by Amazon. In addition to legal action, Amazons opponents in France are engaging in a range of tactics from direct action that has involved storming the companys sites and lobbying for legislation to impose a two-year moratorium on distribution sites of the scale that the online retailer operates. Frances new environment minister, Barbara Pompili, last week said she backs a moratorium, without specifying the length. Its not the only country where Amazon faces opposition. In Germany, the companys largest market after the United States, workers at six Amazon sites went on short-term strike over safety during the COVID-19 outbreak. In the United States, Amazon workers in Michigan, New York, Illinois and Minnesota staged walkouts to demand safer working conditions in the epidemic. Amazon workers filed a case in June against the online retailer in the U.S district court for the eastern district of New York alleging the firm did not adequately protect workers from COVID-19 at a facility on Staten island, New York. Three of the French unions that were involved in the case in France have also asked the US court if they can take part in the New York case, which is ongoing. The French ruling sends a significant message to Amazon workers in the United States and everywhere, said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which itself petitioned the court in the New York case to participate on the side of the Amazon workers. Amazon has said its distribution centres in France, the United States and elsewhere are safe. On the U.S. case, Lisa Levandowski, Amazon spokesperson said: Amazon has a longstanding practice of not commenting on pending litigation. In a June 30 court filing, Amazons lawyers said the plaintiffs claims should be dismissed because they were unsupported by any plausible allegations, among other reasons. The company does have supporters in France. Christian Poiret, mayor of a district in northern France where Amazon has a distribution centre, said he fought to attract the online retailer in order to generate jobs in the area. He added that hes concerned about the actions of the anti-Amazon campaigners because of the image were sending to foreign investors. An Elysee official said French President Emmanuel Macrons administration has not changed its policy: Amazons sites have been welcome and are welcome. BATTLEGROUND FRANCE For Amazon, France offers potential for growth. Amazon has an estimated 19% share of the French business-to-consumer e-commerce market, significantly lower than its 42% share in Germany, according to market researcher Forrester Research. Amazon doesnt disclose its French revenues but says the country is a smaller market for the company than the UK and Germany. The company says it has in the past three years doubled the number of people it directly employs in France to 9,300. That is a faster rate than it has increased its workforce in each of the UK and Germany during the same period. And, Amazon plans to open another big distribution centre in northern France in the next few months, a company representative said. Amazon is also planning to set up a big distribution centre in Metz, near Frances border with Luxembourg, according to Jean-Luc Bohl, who until earlier this month was mayor of Metz Metropolitan area local government. Amazon representatives declined to comment. The planned project Renevier is seeking to block is for a 160,000-square-metre logistics hub near Lyon airport.Amazon isnt named in the planning application, which was submitted by the French arm of an Australian-headquartered property developer called Goodman Group that specializes in building logistics hubs. But Amazon would ultimately operate the site, say campaigners and David Kimelfeld, who until earlier this month was head of the Lyon Metropolitan area local government, a region that is close to the site. Kimelfeld said he had attended meetings with other local officials where Amazons involvement with the project was discussed. Reuters was unable to independently confirm discussion of Amazons involvement during the meetings. Goodman France didnt respond to a request for comment. Parent company Goodman Group said: Given there is a case before the courts, we are not in a position to make a comment at this time, other than to say there have been two previous rounds of litigation where we were successful both times. Reneviers Fracture and the other local group filed suits in the Lyon administrative tribunal in 2018 and 2019 alleging irregularities in the planning application, including that Goodman is not the ultimate operator of the hub. The tribunal ruled against the groups late last year, a decision Renevier and his allies appealed in January. SUPPORT FROM FRIENDS The lawyer representing Reneviers group in the legal challenge is now being assisted by a lawyer seconded by the Friends of the Earth national headquarters in Paris. Friends of the Earth also campaigned in a municipal election in May against a local mayor who backed the project. It is part of a broader campaign by the lobby group against Amazon, which it says has created an unsustainable economic model that is harmful for the planet and for humans.Some of the Amazon-related activities of Friends of the Earth are funded indirectly by the European Climate Foundation, which distributes grants on behalf of donors including a Rockefeller family philanthropic fund, Michael Bloomberg, the family foundation of computer mogul William Hewlett and the IKEA founders foundation. ECFs executive director of strategic communications, Tom Brookes, said the grant was to fund a range of the environmental lobby groups activities but that the foundation was aware at the time of the award that some money would be used in its Amazon campaign. Brooke added that donors werent necessarily aware of where individual grants go. The lead campaigner on Amazon for the French chapter of Friends of the Earth, Alma Dufour, said most of the ECFs grant goes towards broader grassroots climate initiatives and the amount spent on targeting Amazon is small. Brooke and Dufour declined to comment on the size of the grant. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation said it provided general support for ECF for its broad mission on climate change, but not specifically for the Amazon campaign. The IKEA foundation said it had a shared mission with ECF relating to the environment but didnt address specific questions about Amazon. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies did not respond to requests for comment. Open Society Foundations, founded and chaired by U.S. billionaire George Soros, said it provided 9,000 euros to the French chapter of Friends of the Earth to support its campaign to protect low-wage and informal workers and small shop owners in the pandemic. Friends of the Earth said the money was specifically for the Amazon campaign. Open Society referred questions about how the money was spent to the environmental group, but the foundations chief communications officer Laura Silber said: Like any other workplace, Amazon must be held accountable to its workers. Soros, contacted via Open Society, did not respond to questions about Amazon. (Reporting by Christian Lowe in Colombier-Saugnieu and Elizabeth Pineau and Mathieu Rosemain in Paris.; Additional reporting by Gwenaelle Barzic, Caroline Pailliez, Michel Rose, Leigh Thomas and Sarah White in Paris, Catherine Lagrange in Lyon, Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco and Joseph Nasr in Berlin; Editing by Cassell Bryan-Low) SUCCESS ON THE WAY ASK DR. JEANETTE: State of The World Part 2 HE Knows Who You Are. He Knows Where You Live. He Knows Your Name. He Knows. He Knows. Whats The Next Big Surprise? Looking Beyond CoronaV Moses, along with other great prophets, had first hand experiences communicating with the LORD, listening to the LORD and following His instructions and mandates. The expression, the LORD said was made some 45 times in Exodus: to Moses, to Aaron, to Pharaoh and to others. Why is this important? In looking at Exodus and the experiences in a more narrative way, we can grasp the sense of these great signs and miracles done by Moses at the directive of God and with Moses prophet, Aaron. Some are hesitant to believe that the Lord is still speaking to persons individually and collectively. The question posed is: Are we listening? Its time to bend our ears to a listening stance and think about this pestilence- plague, why are we going through this? I found it quite interesting in reading about the ten plagues the LORD imposed on Egypt was because there was the war between the gods of Egypt and the one and only true God. The LORD was really quite merciful. Some might say, When? Where? Therefore, in looking at this phenomenon of drastic measures poured on Egypt and the number of years and events; consider this. The Israelites had been in slavery for some hundreds of years! But, when the new Pharaoh came in, he decided to persecute his slaves (the Israelites) crushingly. He was merciless. When he felt threatened, his solution was to kill babies, take away building materials from the slaves and other harsh measures to ensure their subservient obedience. The Lord we serve is not unforgiving like that. The LORD gave the Pharaoh many opportunities to stop his terrible ways; to stop worshipping false gods, idols and abandon paganism. But, he would not. The LORD used clemency with him, but to no results until at last the LORD couldnt get through to him. ADVERTISEMENT The Pharaoh is used only as an example; but this is about many people. The LORD decided He had to use extreme measures to free the people (finally, kill the first born of the house of Pharaoh). The king understood That was message. The kings heart was hardened (emboldened;big headed) What is the message for us in the coronavirus? Will something worse come upon our nation if there is no one listening to what the message is? Will we have to have locusts, consuming insects cover our land? Will we have to contend with an insect so devouring that crawls, leaps, has extraordinary intelligence, moves swiftly, cannot be captured, and gigantic in size??? Our country needs to take a long look at what we are doing and how we are treating others. I am appalled at the homeless situation. It just seems to me there ought to be a better way. I just dont understand it. Why cant we do better? Why cant there be equity for students to enroll in the universities? Why cant we have more training for people so they can get more jobs and large industries train and hire? Why are there those who dont want our African American and Latino children to be better educated when theyre on their way and enrolled in a school where they are being well educated, but the system snatches it away from them. Why? Why? Why? I know the answer, but you, please think on these things these important matters and examine the thinking of our system. Our Lord showers grace and mercy upon us; but there are requirements. What are they? What is the requirement? Consistency in pursuing to follow his ways the ways of Jesus Christ. For example, A major requirement is that we treat people right. Do good to others where you have an opportunity to do so. Even pray for our enemies! My, my, my, the Coronavirus has taken such a hold over the world and grabbed everyones attention, such that it has placed its name among the list of most attention getting diseases. Superintendent/Founder Todays Fresh Start Charter School 323-293-9826 www.AskDrJeanetteParker.comtm Inquiring Minds Want To Know Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 04:32:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the visiting Russia's special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, discussed on Wednesday the upcoming meeting of the Syrian constitutional committee, according to the state news agency SANA. Assad and Lavrentiev agreed that the committee, which will hold its meeting next month, should carry out its work without any external pressures. SANA showed a photo of Assad and his Russian guest wearing masks to protect against the coronavirus. In June, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said that he intends to convene a new session of the Syrian constitutional committee at the end of August. However, he cautioned that the realities facing the Syrian people cannot be solely addressed by discussing the constitution. The Syrian parties will face great difficulties in resolving Syria's problems without real diplomacy among the key international players with influence, he said. The constitutional committee, which comprises representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society, was officially launched in Geneva on Oct. 30, 2019. The committee has yet to agree on an agenda. Enditem Topo Chico sparkling mineral water is getting a boozy twist. Coca-Cola Co. on Thursday revealed plans to launch Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, marking the soft drink giants first alcoholic product in the U.S. since it sold Wine Spectrum company in 1983, CNC reported. Already a cult favorite in Texas, Topo Chicos distribution has spread across the country since Coke acquired it in 2017. Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company James Quincey called Topo Chico a rising star in Cokes portfolio on the soft drink giants second-quarter earnings call, according to CNBC. The popularity of brands such as White Claw and Boston Beers Truly has put spiked seltzer in the spotlight. Its volume more than tripled last year, helping to reverse the global decline of alcohol consumption, according to market analysis company IWSR. Topo Chico Hard Seltzer will initially be sold in select cities in Latin America before it hits the U.S. market in 2021, Bloomberg News confirmed. Maureen Lipman will star in a production of Martin Sherman's Rose, streamed online for three nights only. Lipman, whose credits include Oklahoma! and The Best Man, will take on the titular role in the one-woman show, which will be available to watch over three nights from 10 to 12 September. Tickets are on sale now here. Sherman's play, which first premiered at the National Theatre in 1999 where it was performed by Olympia Dukakis, follows Jewish woman Rose as she begins her life in a 1920s Russian village. Over time she travels across the globe, visiting the likes of Warsaw, Atlantic City, Arizona and Miami. Lipman commented: "I always wanted to play Rose in Martin Sherman's play but this is the first time I have been available if you call working on Coronation Street at the same time as learning 45 pages of stunning dialogue, availability. It gives me a thrill to think I will be doing it for a cause as great as the future of the Hope Mill Theatre." Rose will be directed by Scott Le Crass (Kicked in the Sh*tter), and will also be supporting three charities Age UK, The Fed, and UK Jewish Film. Tickets cost 8 plus booking fee, with the event being produced by Thomas Hopkins and Micheal Quinn for GingerQuiff Media and the Hope Mill Theatre in association with Julian Stoneman. Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Rapidly Clears Virus in Lungs, Noses of Monkeys: Study Monkeys deliberately infected with the CCP virus and given Massachusetts-based Modernas experimental COVID-19 vaccine were able to quickly clear the virus from their lungs, researchers said on July 28. A study (pdf) published in the New England Journal of Medicine Tuesday, suggested that the experimental vaccine, MRNA-1273, protected against infection in the lungs and noses of monkeys, and induced a robust immune response. In the study involving 24 monkeys, Moderna tested doses of 10 micrograms or 100 micrograms of the vaccine against no treatment. Both doses proved effective at protecting against viral replication in the lungs and lung inflammation, with the larger dose also protecting against viral replication in the nose of the animals. Modernas Dr Stephen Hoge says in non-human primate study of #COVID19 vaccine, data 2 days after challenge with live virus starts to look like sterilizing immunity ie prevents infection completely, not just manifestation of disease (per Moderna call now) Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) July 29, 2020 All macaques given the experimental vaccine produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies that target a part of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus used to invade cells. Antibodies are a blood protein produced by the immune system to combat viruses and other foreign material. The virus was cleared very rapidly in the vaccinated animals, Dr. Barney S. Graham, the senior author of the report, and the deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The New York Times. Grahams scientific team worked with American biotech firm Moderna to develop the vaccine. The monkeys in the control which did not receive the vaccine were not able to rapidly get rid of the virus. The findings of the study are significant, Graham explained, because it suggested that the vaccinated monkeys were able to clear much of the virus from their noses, and prevented it from propagating greatly. If you get a little infection that is cleared rapidly and doesnt shed very long, it reduces the likelihood of transmission, he said. I think we have a chance of having some protection from this vaccine, but we have to do the phase 3 trial to find out, he added. A women cleans the entrance doors to Moderna headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 18, 2020. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images) Moderna on Monday began its final stages of testing to evaluate the vaccines effectiveness in preventing the respiratory illness in around 30,000 adult trial participants, marking the first American company to advance to phase 3 of clinical testing. The testing for phase 3 is going to take place in clinical research sites in the United States. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the trial volunteers will be separated into two groups, and be issued either the vaccine or the controlled placebo. Two separate shots of either 100 microgram of the vaccine or the placebo solution will be given to the volunteers, but they will be issued 28 days apart from each other. Moreover, this trial will be a blind one, where both the volunteers and researchers will not know which one is given to whom. Paula Liu and Reuters contributed to this report. With communities throughout the United States combating surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern University have created a framework that helps policymakers determine which data to track and when to take action to protect their communities. The model specifies a series of trigger points to help local entities know when to tighten social distancing measures to prevent hospitals from being overrun by virus patients. The method also aims to minimize the economic impact to communities by suggesting the earliest times for safely relaxing restrictions. The framework is described in a new paper out today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The United States' continued high rate of infection means lawmakers around the country need to continue to make decisions about reinstating and relaxing social-distancing measures. Using hospital data, the new model lets local leaders know when it is time to tap the brakes on reopening versus easing restrictions. For example, in Austin, Texas, the modelers applied this framework to help city leaders decide when to toggle between five different COVID-19 alert levels. The city is now tracking the daily number of new hospital admissions, and it recently tightened measures when the data surpassed the prescribed threshold. We developed this framework to ensure that COVID-19 never overwhelms local health care capacity while minimizing the economic and societal costs of strict social-distancing measures." Lauren Ancel Meyers, Study Co-Autor and Director, COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, University of Texas "Northwestern's Daniel Duque, the first author, said that "the approach provides clear indications of when measures should be enacted and relaxed to manage risk." There are two key components to successfully implementing the strategy -- closely monitoring data about hospitalizations for COVID-19 and ensuring communities protect those most vulnerable to the disease. "While many cities have implemented alert levels and new policies, our research may be the first to provide clear guidance for exactly what to track (hospital admissions data) and exactly when to act (strict thresholds)," said David Morton, chair and professor of industrial engineering and management sciences at Northwestern and a co-author of the paper. "Communities need to act long before hospital surges become dangerous. Hospital admissions data give an early indication of rapid pandemic growth, and tracking that data will ensure that hospitals maintain sufficient capacity." In recent weeks, public health officials have expressed concerns that hospitalization data has been inconsistent, as the federal government moved the data to a new portal housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. "COVID-19 hospitalization data is vital to tracking the changing pace of the pandemic and informing good decision-making," Meyers said. The team also determined that preventing an unmanageable surge in hospitalizations requires adherence to strict social distancing for high-risk populations, known as cocooning. For example, the researchers estimated that failing to protect vulnerable populations more than doubles resulting deaths while also doubling the number of days in lockdown to prevent overrunning hospitals. The framework combines two mathematical models: an underlying model that predicts how the pandemic will likely spread and an optimization model that uses admissions data from Austin hospital systems. It attempts to walk a fine line of preventing economic disaster and keeping hospital systems from becoming overwhelmed. Though the researchers used Austin data, the framework can easily be used by other communities with publicly available hospital admissions data. "This is a general framework that can be used to design multistage triggers -- not just for lockdowns but for moving between phases -- exactly like we have done for Austin," Morton said. "Our framework has already guided policy changes in Austin." Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has sensationally been accused of espionage after reportedly asking her network of agents to find potential weaknesses in Bayer Leverkusen's hierarchy as she tries to bring down the cost of signing Kai Havertz. The Blues are desperate to sign the 21-year-old attacking midfielder and add him to a new-look attack that will include Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech next season. But Leverkusen are holding out for 90million for Havertz, whereas Chelsea are hoping to bring down the financial outlay to around 70m. Marina Granovskaia is reportedly looking into Bayer Leverkusen's transfer chiefs to bring down the price of signing Kai Havertz this summer The Blues are desperate to sign the 21-year-old German attacking midfielder this summer According to German outlet BILD, Granovskaia is trying to discover any potential flaws within the Leverkusen negotiating team in order to make the deal better for the Blues. It is claimed Granovskaia has asked 'several German player consultants' about information on Rudi Voller and Fernando Carro, who will be at the forefront of negotiations for the Bundesliga side. Granovskaia has a reputation for her fierce negotiating skills, proven by the way she handled Eden Hazard's departure to Real Madrid last summer. A student at the Foreign Languages Faculty of Moscow State University, she became Roman Abramovich's PA at Sibneft. Chelsea's Russian owner grew to trust her implicitly and took him with her to Stamford Bridge when he bought the club in 2003. Leverkusen are holding out for 90m for Havertz, whereas Chelsea want to pay around 70m She managed to eke out an eventual total of 130m from the Spanish giants for Hazard, despite him making it clear that he wanted to leave and having only a year left on his contract. 'Marina Granovskaia enjoys the absolute trust of her boss. If an agreement is reached, it is absolutely reliable,' Klaus Allofs, the former Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg manager, who has dealt with Granovskaia in the past, told BILD. 'When negotiating, however, it is tough. This is often because she can act from the position of strength.' Despite Granovskaia trying to find room for manoeuvre in the Leverkusen boardroom, Voller has insisted Chelsea will have to pay Havertz's full value if they want to buy him. Rudi Voller (pictured) and Fernando Carro will head up the negotiations for the Bundesliga side Speaking to Kicker, he was adamant the London side would get no special deal because of the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic. 'There will be no "corona bonus",' he said. 'No matter who the player is, this is a special transfer window.' Voller was also insistent that Havertz will not leave Leverkusen before their Europa League campaign comes to an end next month. Chelsea new boy Werner jumped ship on RB Leipzig's Champions League run to settle into life in London this summer. But when asked whether Havertz would be available when Leverkusen pick up against Rangers in their last-16 tie, Voller said: 'It is set in stone. There is no new stance.' Agnes Chow, Anthony Wong Yiu Ming, Tiffany Yuen Ka-wai, Denise Ho Wan See, Lester Shum, Eddie Chu, Joshua Wong, and Gregory Wong pose during primary elections aimed for selecting democracy candidates, in Hong Kong on July 11, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Hong Kong Government Disqualifies 12 Pro-Democracy Candidates From Election HONG KONGTwelve pro-democracy candidates have been disqualified from running in Hong Kongs upcoming Legislative Council election, including prominent activist Joshua Wong. The nominees announced the official disqualifications on their respective Facebook pages, posting letters of notification from the government. Wong, a 23-year-old Hong Kong activist, had received the largest number of votes in this months unofficial election primary, with more than 30,000. Clearly, Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of the Hong Kongers, tramples upon the citys last pillar of vanishing autonomy, and attempts to keep [Hong Kongs] legislature under its firm grip, Wong wrote on Twitter, in response to the disqualification. 4. Clealy, #Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of the #Hongkongers, tramples upon the citys last pillar of vanishing autonomy and attempts to keep #HKs legislature under its firm grip. Joshua Wong (@joshuawongcf) July 30, 2020 A government spokesperson confirmed that a dozen candidates had been disqualified. An official statement released on July 30 expressed adamant support for the decision of returning officers [election officials] to invalidate 12 nominees for this years Legislative Council General Election. The period for nominating candidates ends July 31, leaving the pro-democracy camp with little time to regroup after the elimination of so many candidates. The Hong Kong government said the rationale for elimination was the candidates past behavior that indicated they would be unable to genuinely uphold the Basic Law, referring to Hong Kongs mini-constitution, or perform the duties of a LegCo (Legislative Council) member. Activities that invalidated the candidates include promoting Hong Kong independence, supporting self-determination, soliciting support from foreign governments, and opposition to Chinas national security law, according to the statement. Chinas sweeping new law took effect on July 1, immediately after the Chinese Communist Partys rubber-stamp legislature approved the draft. It punishes secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and colluding with foreign countries, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. The pro-Beijing Hong Kong government has used similar explanations before to disqualify winning LegCo candidates. In 2016, pro-democracy activist Nathan Law was among several lawmakers who were disqualified because they altered their oath of office, which includes a sentence stating allegiance to the Chinese regimes rule over the city. A court ruled that Law and the others had failed to take their oaths properly. Moderate pro-democrats, such as lawyer Dennis Kwok, were also eliminated. When the national security law was passed, I said one country, two systems is finished, said Kwok during a press conference on July 30, referring to the framework under which Beijing promised to preserve Hong Kongs autonomy upon the territorys transfer from British to Chinese rule in 1997. I think today were seeing the result of the relentless oppression that this regime is starting. Many candidates have voiced their concerns over the potential for the security law to be used to silence and eliminate pro-democracy proponents in Hong Kong. After more than half a million Hong Kong residents voted in pro-democracy election primaries earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed the United States support. In a statement, Pompeo emphasized that the United States would be watching developments [of the Hong Kong elections] closely. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, responded to the disqualifications through Hong Kong Watch, a UK-based nonprofit that monitors Hong Kong freedoms. This is an outrageous political purge of Hong Kongs democrats, Patten said. The national security law is being used to disenfranchise the majority of Hong Kongs citizens. An official statement from the Hong Kong government said it didnt rule out the possibility that more nominations would be invalidated. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 09:08:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The enhanced federal unemployment benefits that millions of Americans rely upon will formally expire on Friday as Republicans and Democrats remain far apart on the next COVID-19 relief bill, a senior White House official said on Wednesday. Following a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters that "enhanced unemployment insurance provisions will expire," according to The Hill, a U.S. political website. Meadows also said that Pelosi and Schumer have opposed the idea of moving a stand-alone short-term extension of the unemployment benefits to avoid the fiscal cliff, as proposed by some Republicans. As part of the 2.2-trillion-U.S. dollar coronavirus relief bill passed in late March, Congress agreed to provide 600-dollar federal unemployment benefits per week on top of state unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of July. Senate Republicans have proposed slashing the federal unemployment benefits to 200 dollars through September, giving an unemployed worker about 70 percent of previous wages when combined with state benefits, while Democrats want to maintain the current level of benefits through January. "We don't know why the Republicans come around here with a skinny bill that does nothing to address ... we're not accepting that," Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday after meeting with Trump administration officials. While warning that a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases are starting to weigh on U.S. economic recovery, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that "there is a need for some additional fiscal support." Many Americans that were laid off during the pandemic are going to need support "if they're going to be able to pay their bills to continue spending money to remain in their current rental house or apartment or house if they own it," Powell said Wednesday afternoon at a virtual press conference. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life) At such a young age, Elijah Canlas already has a filmography that many of his contemporaries dream of. The Philippine High School for the Arts alum has managed to be in 14 films and shows in the span of six years with impressive consistency. Canlas has been somewhat of an indie darling, with roles in acclaimed films such as Edward, LSS, and Kalel, 15. But when the lockdown began, the young actor admitted he was losing hope. And then Gameboys took off. Inspired by the viral success of the Thai Boys Love show 2gether The Series, many Filipino productions started following suit. Gameboys was one of the first to jump in, rolling into production while we were all in lockdown. The show, about a budding love story between two gamers has since enjoyed a massive following, the characters Cairo (Canlas) and Gavreel (Kokoy De Santos) earning the couple name CaiReel and a fandom name Third Wheels. Canlas says the Zoom-only style of shooting has taught him many things (he also has to do his own lighting and production design since hes shooting in his house) but it also made him miss real life interactions. Sobrang namiss ko bigla yung physical interaction with our co-actors kasi acting is reacting and then now we only look at the lenses and we only hear our co-actors voices through a different device. Watch the whole interview below. Video and interview by SAMANTHA LEE Taoiseach Micheal Martin was not aware that the most senior civil servant in his department had sought security advice about a State car and Garda driver for Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney. The Taoiseach was left in the dark by Department of the Taoiseach secretary general Martin Fraser who sought a security assessment which ensured Mr Coveney retained his car and driver, which costs the taxpayer around 200,000 a year. Mr Fraser contacted his counterpart in the Department of Justice, Aidan O'Driscoll, on June 28 - the day after Mr Martin was appointed Taoiseach - seeking advice on whether it was appropriate for Mr Coveney to keep the security detail. It emerged yesterday Mr Fraser sought the security assessment on foot of a request from Tanaiste Leo Varadkar. Yesterday, Mr Varadkar's office refused to reveal when he contacted Mr Fraser or say if he was still Taoiseach or in the Tanaiste's office. However, a senior Fianna Fail source confirmed Mr Martin was not aware of Mr Varadkar or Mr Fraser's intervention on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Minister. It has also emerged Justice Minister Helen McEntee was side-stepped by senior civil servants involved in securing the State car for Mr Coveney. It comes after Taoiseach Micheal Martin came under pressure from Labour leader Alan Kelly in the Dail for the second day in a row on how Mr Coveney retained his State-funded chauffeur service. State cars and Garda drivers were limited to the President, Taoiseach, Tanaiste, Justice Minister and certain senior justice officials back in 2011. Foreign Affairs ministers were not included. Mr Martin told the Dail communications on Mr Coveney's State car "happened before I became Taoiseach". But he also said the communication between the secretaries general of the Departments of the Taoiseach and Justice happened on June 28, the day after he took office. A Government spokesperson said: "The call from the secretary general in the Taoiseach's Department to the secretary general in the Department of Justice was made at the request of the previous Taoiseach." She could not say when Mr Varadkar made the request for Mr Fraser to contact the Department of Justice. Mr Fraser contacted Mr O'Driscoll to inquire whether it was "appropriate on security grounds" for Mr Coveney to retain the security service he received as Tanaiste. Mr O'Driscoll in turn phoned An Garda Siochana to see if there was a case for the Fine Gael deputy leader to hold on to his State car and driver. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris deemed it "appropriate" for Mr Coveney to retain his State car and Garda driver. Mr O'Driscoll did not inform Ms McEntee before he contacted An Garda Siochana about security arrangements for Mr Coveney. It is unclear why Mr O'Driscoll did not alert the newly appointed minister of his intention to contact Garda Headquarters. However, the commissioner did contact Ms McEntee to say he had made a decision on Mr Coveney's arrangement but did not say what decision he had taken. A spokesman for the minister said: "The minister did not discuss this issue with the secretary general. "The Commissioner informed the minister after a decision had been made, although he did not inform her of the nature of that decision." Labour Party leader Alan Kelly said the new revelations around Mr Coveney's car raised serious questions about how the Government was being run. "How can a Taoiseach who is outgoing make a decision for an incoming Taoiseach and direct the secretary general of the Taoiseach's Department to call the secretary general of the Department of Justice - it makes no sense at all," Mr Kelly said. The Niger State Government has signed a N10 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Manzuwa Nigeria Ltd. for the construction of 40 kilometers road in the state. Governor Abubakar Bello, during the signing of the MoU on Thursday in Minna, said the project was to decongest Minna city and expand it for development. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the project tagged Abubakar Sani Bello Bypass/Minna City Expansion Project, would pass through Gidan Kwano-Garatu-Tutungo-Gurusu totalling 40 kilometres. Mr Bello, who was represented by Ahmed Matane, Secretary to the State Government, explained that the project was an initiative of Manzuwa but the government would provide an enabling environment for the project. He added that the road project would serve as an alternative route and exit for motorists in terms of traffic gridlock within Minna city. He disclosed that three ministries, Lands and Housing, Works and Infrastructure, Development and Transport would drive the project. The Ministry of Land will do the assessment, payment of compensation and facilitate the project, while the Ministry of Works which is the eye of the government will ensure that the project is aligned with quality and standard. The Ministry of Transport will be in charge of movement of goods and services and as a responsible government, we will ensure that the project is started and completed within stipulated period, he said. Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Manzuwa Venture, Adamu Ibn-Adamu, said the project would commence in October for a period of 36 months at the cost of N10 billion. He disclosed that Manzuwa venture would be responsible for the financing of the project, adding that the company would recuperate its funds through a financing institution. Mr Ibn-Adamu disclosed that the firm would recuperate its funds through sales of layout and issuing certificates of occupancy on the allotted land by the government. The land for the project is 10,000 hectares and it will benefit the 25 local government areas of the state, he said. He said the project would commence from Pago to Federal University Minna (FUT) Permanent site, adding that the road would consist of a city and layout. The roads to be constructed include Bida-Minna road, Garatu-Gidan Kwano junction, Tutungo-Pago roundabout, Gurusu junction and Minna-Gwada road by Gurusu junction. (NAN) Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - This morning, at approximately 3:46 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of S. Avenue 6E, in reference to a man down call. The initial investigation revealed a 68 year old female, who was laying on the side of the road, was struck by a vehicle that had fled the scene. The victim was pronounced deceased on scene. The suspect vehicle is a 2007-2013 black Nissan Altima and it should have significant damage to the front passengers side. It is believed this collision occurred sometime late Tuesday night to early this morning. This is an active investigation. There is no further information at this time. The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Leaders of the Women's Federation of Jiangxi Province confer flags on women volunteers who will aid the relief work in disaster-hit areas at a departure ceremony in Nanchang City, East China's Jiangxi Province, on July 20. [jxwomen.org.cn] The Women's Federation of Jiangxi Province began to recruit women volunteers to aid the relief work in disaster-hit areas throughout East China's Jiangxi Province on July 17. Up till now, the province's women's federation has recruited more than 300 women volunteers, forming a reserve volunteers' team and seven others that are able to provide the seven targeted voluntary services of health care, disease control and epidemic prevention, psychological counseling, legal consulting, children's education, agricultural technology and culture and sports to disaster-affected people. The first group of women volunteers started off on their task in a temporary settlement on July 20. During the departure ceremony, leaders of the province's women's federation conferred flags on the representatives of the eight volunteers' teams, hoping them to help the disaster-affected people with their professional knowledge as well as pay attention to their own safety. Women volunteers check the details of their work on the way to a temporary settlement in Yongxiu County, Jiujiang City, East China's Jiangxi Province. [jxwomen.org.cn] After the ceremony, the first 21 women volunteers were dispatched to the resettlement site in Hudong Primary School in Yongxiu County, Jiujiang City. Every woman volunteer was ready and primed for the action. Xu Na, deputy chief of the volunteers' team for children's education, intended to give the children a science lesson on insects to let them feel the beauty of nature. Wu Yulin, deputy chief of the volunteers' team for health care, planned to help people in disaster-stricken areas overcome difficulties through offering free clinical treatment and publicizing health knowledge. Chen Hong, leader of the volunteers' team for psychological counseling, prepared to help locals rebuild confidence and find hope through psychological counseling services. The province's women's federation established an "order-based" voluntary service network throughout the province, in which the women's federations in the disaster-affected areas can report their needs based on their actual situations, and relevant professional women volunteers will be dispatched to the areas to offer voluntary services according to their demands. Women volunteers pose with the children at the resettlement site in Hudong Primary School in Yongxiu County, Jiujiang City, East China's Jiangxi Province. [jxwomen.org.cn] (Source: jxwomen.org.cn/Translated and edited by Women of China) (CNN) All 50 states have now issued warnings about mysterious, unsolicited packages of seeds that people across the nation have received in the mail in recent weeks. The packages appear to be coming from China, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Photos shared by state agriculture departments show packages marked with labeling from China Post, which operates the official postal service of China. Some of the labels also indicate that the packages contain jewelry, although inside is typically a packet of seeds in clear, plastic packaging. Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said at a briefing on Tuesday that the address labels were forged and that China Post has asked USPS to send those packages to China for investigation. USPS said in a statement that it was aware of the mailings and is in consultation with federal, state and local partners. The agency declined to elaborate further. It's not exactly clear who is behind the packages or what their intent is, but the leading theory is that they are part of a "brushing scam" -- when third-party sellers send people items they didn't order and write glowing product reviews on their behalf. "At this time, we don't have any evidence indicating this is something other than a 'brushing scam' where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales," the USDA said in a statement on Tuesday. The USDA said its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was investigating the situation along with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies and state agriculture departments. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is also investigating similar reports from residents. Officials think it could be part of a 'brushing scam' Officials haven't confirmed for sure whether these packages are an example of "brushing." But it seems to be a likely possibility given that most of the recipients say they didn't order the items, said Katherine Hutt, chief communications officer for the Better Business Bureau. "When people get a package that they didn't order, that's one of the first things that we suspect," Hutt told CNN. Brushing is typically carried out by third-party sellers on Amazon, Ebay, Etsy or other e-commerce platforms who are looking to boost sales through positive reviews, explained Hutt. Those platforms typically only accept reviews for fulfilled orders, so the sellers will ship unsolicited items to recipients and use their names to pose as satisfied customers and submit fake, glowing reviews on their behalf. Those reviews could be for any product, despite what item the recipient actually received. That might be why some of the packages people have received in recent weeks have been labeled as containing jewelry despite containing seeds, Hutt said. It just so happens that seeds are lightweight and likely cheaper to mail. If you're the target of a brushing scam, that doesn't necessarily mean any of your personal information has been compromised beyond your name and address, Hutt said. And in the case of these packages of seeds, so far there haven't been any reports or evidence indicating that people have been hacked. What you should do if you get a package If you happened to receive one of these packages, here is what the USDA and Better Business Bureau recommend you do: - Contact your state plant regulatory official or APHIS state plant health director. You can find that information here and here, respectively. - Keep the packaging and mailing label intact. The USDA asks that people hold onto the packages until they receive further instructions from authorities. - Don't open the packet of seeds or plant them. Right now, their origins are unknown. The USDA is planning to test the contents of the packages to determine whether they pose any agricultural or environmental risks. - Don't discard them in the trash. They could end up in a landfill, where they could take root. - Make sure personal information hasn't been compromised. "Brushing scams" could indicate that someone has obtained your personal data. Check your bank statements, credit reports and credit card bills periodically to ensure nothing nefarious is taking place. - Check the USDA and your state agencies for updates. These are the warnings from each state: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington state, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Kuwaitis and residents in the Gulf country can travel in and out from August 1, the government has announced. The decision however excludes residents hailing from Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal. The Gulf Arab country was the first country in the region, in March, to halt international commercial flights as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the novel covide-19. Authorities last month announced a partial resumption of air traffic from August but warned that full capacity will be reached only next year. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last month unveiled a three-phase plan aiming at opening the countrys airspace for the resumption of flights as its aviation sector gradually recovers from the covid-19 pandemic. The first phase will involve a maximum of 100 flights and 10,000 passengers a day. The second, to begin from February will increase to 60 per cent to handle a maximum of 20,000 passengers and 200 flights daily. My office is tucked away in a corner and has no windows, but it does have a skylight. Id gotten to work at the San Francisco Sheriffs Substation for Field Operations early on July 28 and sifted through emails. At 6:51 a.m., I heard sirens in the background, but thats not unusual for South of Market Street. Then I heard a yell, Were evacuating! Part of me thought, Whos pulling a drill at 6:51 in the morning? The other part snapped the gun into the holster, clicked on the radio and checked door to door that people were getting out of the station. We cleared the building in minutes. Fire engulfed the six buildings around us, flames reaching three stories in the air. Black smoke billowed, and ash smudged down in flakes. The heat came in waves. We moved out ammunition, evacuated the cars out of the lot and set up incident command. And if you think deputies are brave, more than a hundred firefighters drove their trucks to the area and got out their hoses. More than a hundred million gallons of water rained down that block. Stephen Lam / Special to The Chronicle Crazy Mike showed up, making sure that everyone had coffee and a bagel. This is Crazy Mike. He lets it slip that he stashed emergency cash in his gun locker (which may or may not have been on fire), but hes not worried because all the humans are safe. Whats inside that building are only objects. I tried to be Zen, but I had a lot of objects in that office, including 10 uniforms, four pairs of boots, three utility belts, a laptop, Alex Ross comic art and antique Batmobiles. There are also two framed paintings in my office. My son Zane drew the first when he was in kindergarten, a portrait of me as a ninja cop, looking just a little like Edvard Munchs Scream. The other Aidan had drawn after I visited St. Johns School for career day, me wearing the Stetson hat, with the caption, He is responsible for 182 deputies and takes care of the deer and mountain lions. This was the one and only A that Aidan ever got in elementary school. I know that theyre only objects, but right now theyre the objects I miss most, I said to Crazy Mike. I called my husband, Brian, and told him that I was OK, and he asked if we were all safe. I said I was sorry about losing all those objects in the fire and he said, Well, at least you know what next weeks article will be about. Here were the best parts of the day: 1. This was the first time that I ever got pure oxygen! Turns out that its just like air, only cooler. 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. 2. After the fire was mainly out, the firefighters let us into the building to grab a few essential objects. We waded through about 6 inches of standing water but managed to save some expensive equipment. Smoke filled the hallway, but Rob, one of the firefighters, followed me when I made a dash for my office. I grabbed the two paintings. Rob said, Well, we got to get your Captain America shield out, too, and we ran into the misty air of San Francisco. I was grateful just to breathe and to whatever force in the universe had reunited me with those objects. Many hours later, I drove home. Brian and Aidan came and hugged me. I opened the car and showed them the two drawings. Brian almost teared up, as did I, but Aidan glanced sideways in what I recognized as his guilty look. What? I asked. Dad, you do know that Maliya drew that picture. I just wanted you to think that I had an A. Theres a lesson there somewhere: The object you save from a five-alarm fire might turn out to be some other childs A. Kevin Fisher-Paulsons column appears Wednesdays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: At a time when Ayodhya is being decked up and preparations for August 5 Bhoomi Pujan event are going on round the clock on a war footing, the deadly coronavirus has struck a priest and 16 cops on duty at the Ram temple site where the mega event has to take place. Assistant priest (sahayak pujari) Pradeep Das and 16 personnel of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have tested positive for the deadly virus on Thursday. They have been quarantined and the santization of the entire premises is on. Though the mega Bhoomi Pujan for the commencement of Ram temple construction would be held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, the rituals will start from August 3 at the site in the temple town. Acharya Pradeep Das is junior to Mahant Satyendra Das, the head priest at Lord Rams temporary abode which is a pre-fabricated bullet-proof fibre structure. Here, the deity was relocated to on March 25 and would rest till the completion of temple construction. In fact, Mahant Satyendra Das has four disciples who assist him in the daily rituals at the temple. Acharaya Pradeep Das is one of them. For the ceremony on August 5, 11 priests from Varanasi and Ayodhya will perform the puja. Pradeep Das, the priest who tested positive, is not part of this group of 11. With so many people associated with the temple site testing positive, the COVID threat is now looming large over the mega even of August 5 in which besides PM Modi, around 200 other dignitaries are likely to take part. The Trust has decided to get the entire Ram Janmabhoomi campus sanitised on a daily basis. There is nothing to worry about. One of the priests who performs daily rituals at the temple site has tested positive. The entire campus will be sanitised, said Mahant Kamal Nayan Das, successor-designate to Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, chairman of the Trust. Prominent among those who likely to visit Ayodhya for Bhoomi Pujan are 50 most-revered seers and saints from different parts of the country and 50 political dignitaries including former Deputy PM LK Advani, Dr. MM Joshi, Uma Bharti, UPs former CM Kalyan Singh, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, some cabinet ministers and a few CMs. Rest 100 invitees may be inclusive of social figures, industrialists, and others. The temple trust has sent a list of 200 invitees to the PMO for approval and if the sources are to be believed, 125 are likely to get the nod. As per the arrangement, while two fire and water-proof pandals were being erected for the PM and other VVIPs, four blocks with a seating capacity of 50 each are being designed at the Pujan site to accommodate the invites as per the COVID protocol. SAGINAW, MI Prosecutors have requested additional investigation into the recent arrest of a Saginaw man during a protest outside the Saginaw Fraternal Order of Police Lodge. Police arrested the protester on a charge of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police, which is a two-year felony. He was released from custody on Monday, July 27, and has not been arraigned on any charges related to the incident. Saginaw police officers submitted reports and associated paperwork regarding their arrest of of the protester, on Sunday, July 26, to the Saginaw County Prosecutors Office. The following day, prosecutorial staff returned the case to police, seeking more investigation. Police arrested the man during a protest organized by local group The Ghost of George Floyd held outside the lodge at 1120 S. Niagara St. Police were called to the scene regarding protesters being on private property, according to a statement the issued by the City of Saginaw on Tuesday. Body camera footage provided by the police department shows an officer repeatedly telling those assembled they were trespassing on private property and asking them to leave. Police subsequently arrested one protester, using a stun gun in the process. City officials on Tuesday said they reviewed the incident and determined police followed proper procedure, but the incident was criticized by some citizens during the Saginaw City Council meeting on Monday. The City has carefully reviewed both body camera and citizen recorded video of the incident and has determined that this was a valid arrest and find no violation of police policies and procedures, the city stated. Related: Saginaw finds no violation of police policies or procedures in use of stun gun, arrest of demonstrator Protest planned after video surfaces showing police using stun gun on demonstrator in Saginaw Saginaw City Council discusses police arrest of demonstrator, alleged blue flu incident Protesters in Saginaw focus on police unions after demonstrator is stun gunned and arrested PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I desired a means to assist people who are teaching others to drive to have safe conditions," said an inventor from Houston, Texas. "This inspired me to develop a means for the passenger to apply the brake when necessary." He developed the patent-pending BTW TRAINING ASSISTANT which provides added safety as well as peace of mind. This invention helps teachers or parents feel comfortable while alleviating the fears of the student driver. It could easily be attached and used and to aid in preventing accidents as well as collisions. The original design was submitted to the Houston sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-HUN-929, 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 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does not believe U.S. Attorney General William Barrs congressional testimony that he did not know about death threats against her, she said on CNN Wednesday night. U.S. Attorney General William Barr was asked during a House Judiciary Committee hearing about sending federal forces to racial injustice protests this week whether he was aware of death threats against Whitmer during a wave of earlier, conservative-led protests over her executive orders. Barr said he was not aware of violent threats against Whitmer. Related: House Dems spar with Barr over responses to Michigan stay-home protests, police brutality demonstrations CNN Anchor Erin Burnett asked Whitmer if she believed him. I dont, Whitmer said, praising the work of U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, and other congress members on the committee. I think that the American public deserves answers, and that includes even governors who could have used a little support from our federal government when were trying to save lives here and people are threatening to take ours, Whitmer said. Protests took place outside the capitol, the governors office and the governors residence in the early months of the pandemic. During at least two demonstrations, a man hung a doll representing the governor by a noose. During at least two demonstrations, one in Lansing and another outside an Ypsilanti venue where Trump was scheduled to speak, a man hung a doll representing the governor by a noose. Several private Facebook groups also promoted violence against Whitmer and other female politicians. Some members who posted in the groups, a few of which were taken down by Facebook, said Whitmer should be assassinated. A 32-year-old Detroit man was arrested, accused of making death threats against the governor. Her comments come on the same day the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was sending federal agents to Detroit not for protests, but to help combat gun violence. Related: Officials say federal agents deployed to Detroit wont target protests Whitmer said there had not been violence coming out of Detroit protests about policing in the wake of the death of George Floyd after a video showed a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. What the city has seen, she said, were righteous protests. What we are worried about, of course, is that the federal government is going to come in and do what they did in Portland, Whitmer said, referencing reports of federal agents using force on protesters there and allegedly detaining protesters in unmarked vehicles. That is not acceptable, that is not necessary. We have seen peaceful protests in Detroit. So, so long as the representations from the feds are that theyre going to come in and supplement local police forces in combating crime, thats fine. But if its something different than that, thats not going to be ok, Whitmer said. 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 executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here. 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/. Related stories: Michigan reports 669 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, July 28 Wednesday, July 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Officials say federal agents deployed to Detroit wont target protests House Dems spar with Barr over responses to Michigan stay-home protests, police brutality demonstrations A pod of dolphins put on an incredible acrobatic display for tourists on the Northumberland coast. The group were left stunned when the playful dolphins leapt effortlessly through the air just feet away from their boat in Berwick. Photographer Sheila Ivison, who snapped the action, said she could not believe her luck. A pod of at least three playful dolphins was spotted on the coast in Berwick, Northumberland The dolphins put on a fantastic display for the tourists just a few feet away from their boat Two of the dolphins leapt from the water almost in sync with eachother as they showed off for their visitors She managed to capture several magnificent shots of the pod in all their glory propelling themselves high above the water. At least three dolphins can be seen seemingly playing together in the northeast coast. The retired 64-year-old from Workington, Cumbria said: 'The dolphins really showed off for us. In the impressive display the dolphins leapt over each other and with each other in the sea in Berwick Ms Ivison, from Workington, Cumbria, said she believed the dolphins were putting on a show for the group Spotting marine wildlife is not uncommon in the UK, with more than seven species of dolphin having been spotted off the British 'They were breaching and playing around. I loved the fact they were just feet from the front of the boat.' Sightings of marine wildlife such as dolphins, whales and porpoises is not uncommon on the UK coast. There are at least seven different species of dolphins which have been seen on the British coast, with the easiest to spot being bottlenose and common dolphins. After launching the Galaxy M31 in India, Samsung is now looking to launch its successor, the Galaxy M31s in India. After weeks of leaks and teasers, the phone will be launched in India later today. The phone has been teased already to come with a huge battery pack and also sport a 64-megapixel lens-based quad-camera set-up. The Samsung Galaxy M31s is the successor of the Galaxy M31, a phone that was launched in the country only a few months ago in February this year. Samsung has revealed that the Galaxy M31s will be launched in India later today at 12pm. The phone has already been teased on Amazon, thereby hinting that it will be exclusive to the platform after it becomes official in the country. While the company hasn't revealed the pricing of the device yet, the expectation is the Galaxy M31s will be priced close to what the Galaxy M31 was launched in India for. To remind our readers, the Galaxy M31 was launched in India earlier in the year in two variants, with one of them bringing 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, while the other getting 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Pricing for the phone was set at Rs 15,999 for the entry variant, with the higher-end variant retailing for Rs 16,999. Talking about the specifications of the phone, the Samsung Galaxy M31s has been previously spotted on certification websites which have hinted at the specifications of the phone. The leaks in the past have shown the phone to carry model number SM-M317F. These leaks, especially a listing on Geekbench has also revealed some key details about the device. It hinted at the presence of the octa-core Exynos 9611 SoC and 6GB of RAM on the phone. A separate TUV Rheinland listing has claimed that the phone could come with a 6,000mAh battery. For storage, the device may come with 128GB storage. Other specifications include the phone flaunting an AMOLED display, and a quad rear camera setup that includes a 64-megapixel primary sensor. Other sensors in this set-up could include a 12-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5-megapixel depth sensor, and another 5-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. On the front, the phone could sport a camera that is rumoured to be a 32-megapixel lens. More details about the device will be revealed today once the phone gets launched in the country. OCB Life will soon launch a new feature that will give users the convenience to transfer digital to fiat currencies -- to pay a bill, or buy a meal, or cover for an emergency, everywhere that a debit card is accepted. The debit card will be accepted for cash withdrawal in local currency at ATMs worldwide, making it the ideal travel companion. All the user has to do is to scan the QR code on the debit card to transfer funds from the OCB Wallet to the debit card. This new feature is expected to be available in Asian markets by Quarter 3 next year, and will be rolled out to other regions later on. OCB Life wants to help change the life of our investors, members, users, as well as the society in the true spirit of our slogan "Change My Life". That is why we focus on developing innovative applications across multiple industries to help users "Change My Life" through the power of new technology. At the same time, we organize networking events and participate in CSR activities -- to help people "Change My Life". In particular, OCB Life has supported VND 900 million (equivalent to USD 38,800) to the "Trans-Vietnam Charity Run" organized by Operations Smile Vietnam and Vietnam Ekiden. The amount contributed by OCB Life will be utilized to fund 100 surgeries for children born with cleft lip or cleft palate. About OCB Life Pte Ltd. OCB Life Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based technology company powered by blockchain 3.0 technology. The company has developed a new-generation OCB Wallet that is integrated with a debit card. OCB Life is also developing a number of innovative applications across multiple sectors, in electronic payments, services, heathcare and wellness, real estate, finance and investments, media, and technology to help users "Change My Life". SOURCE OCB Life PTE LTD Motorists in south Dublin are facing increased parking charges, including a 100pc rise in the cost of a resident's parking permit and a reduction in free parking periods. South Dublin County Council wants to cut the current grace period for parking of 30 minutes due to claims that motorists are abusing the existing system by repeatedly obtaining tickets offering half an hour of free parking from machines. The proposed changes are contained in new draft parking bye-laws which include increasing the annual cost of an on-street parking permit for residents from 20 to 40. The cost of a visitor's parking permit is set to increase from 20 to 60-a-year, with a limit of two permits per household. Electric The council is also proposing changes to charges for pay and display parking, which currently range from 0.75 to 1.50 an hour. Under the new bye-laws, there will be a standard fee across all areas of 1 an hour, with a minimum fee of 0.50 and a maximum stay of three hours. A new all-day fee of 3 will be charged at park and ride facilities. However, the cost for vehicles parked in electric charging bays is being reduced to 0.50 for three hours from 1 an hour. The council is also proposing to reduce the grace period for parking within its administrative area from the current 30 minutes to 15 minutes. It claimed the existing policy of allowing motorists to park for free for 30 minutes, which was introduced on a pilot basis in 2016, had never been reviewed or given a statutory basis. "As a result, this incurred considerable revenue loss to the council as in many cases repeat free tickets were dispensed," it said. Income from parking fees and fines has fallen from a peak of 986,781 in 2012 to 712,877 last year - a drop of 28pc over the period. Fine Gael councillor and deputy mayor, David McManus, said he anticipated that any reduction in the 30-minute grace period will prove the most controversial of the proposed changes. "It is going to have a negative effect on businesses in villages like Rathfarnham and Templeogue," said Mr McManus. "It's understandable for the council to want to address an area where they have suffered a loss of revenue and to not allow motorists to park in the centre of towns and villages all day." Mr McManus said he would be seeking changes to the draft bye-laws to allow motorists to have a 30-minute grace period per day per vehicle, which would prevent abuse of the system if property enforced. He pointed out that South Dublin County Council would still have the cheapest parking fees in Dublin after the changes. Fingal County Council also has a basic rate of 1 an hour. The council has begun a public consultation on the new draft bye-laws, with a deadline for submissions of September 11. Rationale It is also planning to extend pay and display parking to a number of locations including Monastery Rise, Clondalkin and Fourth Avenue, Tallaght, as well as the Tallaght Courthouse and Whitehall Road West in Perrystown. Paid parking is also proposed for a number of new areas in Rathfarnham - Barton Drive, Butterfield Crescent and the Rosemount Shopping Centre car park on Marian Road. Several new locations for parking bays for electrical vehicles are also planned, as well as a new park and ride facility at Cookstown Way in Tallaght. The council said there had been no review of the existing parking bye-laws which were introduced in 2010. "The rationale for pay and display parking controls remains the same - to provide an efficient service ensuring that parking within the county is carefully managed," the council added. CALGARY - Shaw Communications Inc. revealed details of a new wireless service on Thursday that will operate alongside its existing Freedom Mobile service in Alberta and British Columbia, where the company has an extensive base of residential internet and video customers. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Shaw logos are on display at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Jan. 17, 2019. The owner of Freedom Mobile has disclosed details of a new wireless service called Shaw Mobile, which will be in Alberta and British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh CALGARY - Shaw Communications Inc. revealed details of a new wireless service on Thursday that will operate alongside its existing Freedom Mobile service in Alberta and British Columbia, where the company has an extensive base of residential internet and video customers. Shaw Mobile will offer three levels of service plan all with access to Shaw's 450,000 wireless hotspots in Western Canada currently available to the company's residential landline customers. The posted prices on Shaw Mobile's website range between $15 and $95 per month, with a one-time $20 connection fee for each line, but are currently subject to promotional discounts. In addition, new and existing Shaw internet customers will be eligible for up to six free lines. Shaw, which operates Western Canada's largest cable TV network, competes primarily against Telus Corp. in Alberta and B.C. Both companies offer a variety of telecom services including home internet and video, wireless phone service and business telecommunications. Shaw's existing Freedom Mobile service competes with Telus, Rogers and Bell in B.C., Alberta and Ontario. The three big national carriers which collectively have about 90 per cent of the country's wireless market each have three separate wireless brands, with Freedom mostly up against Telus's Koodo, Rogers's Fido and Bell's Virgin. Shaw was a late entrant into the mobile phone business in 2016, when it acquired the formerly independent Wind Mobile and its existing network in parts of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia three of Canada's most populated provinces. Prior to the Wind acquisition, Shaw had decided against making the heavy investments required to set up its own mobile network, which requires spectrum licences that are auctioned periodically by the federal government. Instead, it focused on building an extensive network of WiFi hotspots in public places. WiFi communications don't require federal licences, making it an affordable way for smartphone users to connect with their residential internet service or to outside WiFi services offered by retailers, libraries and telecom companies. 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. During a week of hearings before the CRTC in February, industry executives from all of Canada's wireless companies said posted rates are one part of the pricing equation, given there are frequent short-term promotions that can be localized within regions and even within shopping malls. The mid-range Shaw Mobile service plan has a regular posted price of $85 per month ($45 with the launch discount) that includes 25 gigabytes of data at full speed. There are a number of conditions attached that may affect customer decisions. All three level of service include unlimited calls to Canada, as well as unlimited incoming calls, text, pictures and video messaging. The lowest-price plan charges extra for data in $10 increments. By David Paddon in Toronto. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:SJR.B, TSX:T, TSX:SJR.B, TSX.BCE) Structures called primary cilia - which act like TV antennas for cells to detect signals - are present in fewer numbers in mice born with Fragile X syndrome, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio). Study results were published July 30 in the journal Stem Cell Reports. Fragile X syndrome is a genetic disorder often accompanied by mild to severe intellectual disability. Autism spectrum disorders frequently occur in the affected children. Understanding the role of primary cilia deficits in Fragile X syndrome and autism and developing novel therapeutics to increase their numbers could lead to reversing these neurodevelopmental disorders, said study senior author Hye Young Lee, PhD, of UT Health San Antonio. The research team focused on primary cilia located in a brain structure called the dentate gyrus. It is part of the hippocampus, a learning and memory command center. The reduction of primary cilia was specifically noted in the dentate gyrus, Dr. Lee and her colleagues found. The dentate gyrus is one of two brain structures that contain neuronal stem cells, she said. The dentate gyrus serves as a nursery for newborn neurons, which depend on the primary cilia to enable their maturation. Primary cilia have not previously been linked to Fragile X syndrome, Dr. Lee said. "If we get to know how the primary cilia work in the newborn neuron and how they contribute to Fragile X syndrome, the next step would be to promote them," Dr. Lee said. "There are drugs to do that, and they could be potential therapies for Fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders, because there are multiple studies showing that neurodevelopmental disorders and autism can be reversed in adults," Dr. Lee said. ### Dr. Lee is an assistant professor in the Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology in UT Health San Antonio's Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. Her laboratory is supported by a Rising STARs Award from The University of Texas System, a Pilot Award from the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, and a Pilot Award from the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund. Primary Ciliary Deficits in the Dentate Gyrus of Fragile X Syndrome Bumwhee Lee, PhD; Shree Panda, BS; and Hye Young Lee, PhD First published: July 30, 2020, Stem Cell Reports https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.07.001 The Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is named for Texas philanthropists Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long. The school is the largest educator of physicians in South Texas, many of whom remain in San Antonio and the region to practice medicine. The school teaches more than 900 students and trains 800 residents each year. As a beacon of multicultural sensitivity, the school annually exceeds the national medical school average of Hispanic students enrolled. The school's clinical practice is the largest multidisciplinary medical group in South Texas with 850 physicians in more than 100 specialties. The school has a highly productive research enterprise where world leaders in Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, aging, heart disease, kidney disease and many other fields are translating molecular discoveries into new therapies. The Long School of Medicine is home to a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center known for prolific clinical trials and drug development programs, as well as a world-renowned center for aging and related diseases. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also referred to as UT Health San Antonio, is one of the country's leading health sciences universities and is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have graduated more than 37,000 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields, and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways "We make lives better," visit http://www.uthscsa.edu. Stay connected with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. By Supantha Mukherjee and Kenneth Li STOCKHOLM/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Spotify Technology SA missed quarterly revenue expectations on Wednesday and forecast a soft current quarter, due mainly to a decline in ads as the COVID-19 pandemic kept advertisers at bay. Shares of the Swedish company, up about 80% since the start of this year, fell 3% to $253 before the U.S. market open. The results overshadowed a rebound in demand for music streaming as more users signed up for its services and paid subscribers reached 138 million, ahead of Wall Street estimates of 136.4 million. Spotify, which leads the market for music streaming ahead of rivals such as Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc , earns from paid subscriptions and by showing ads to non-paying users. While monthly active users rose 29% to 299 million, ad-supported revenue fell 21% in the second quarter. Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel told Reuters in an interview that while advertising was improving in the current quarter, there was a "fair amount of conservatism" in the market. Spotify is expecting growth in advertising revenue this year, but it will be "pretty minimal," he said. However, the company said it expected to hit its full-year financial targets, assuaging investor concerns that a drop in commuting in the pandemic might hit streaming services. It expects total premium subscribers to reach 140-144 million in the third quarter, above expectations of 141.4 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. "User trends remain strong on a headline number basis, but mix shift to lower price tiers and geographies continues to weigh on subscription average revenue per user, leaving subscription revenues below where some investors had hoped," said Evercore ISI analyst Kevin Rippey. Average revenue per user (ARPU) for the second quarter stood at 4.41 euros, down 9% from a year earlier. Spotify forecast total revenue of 1.85-2.05 billion euros ($2.17-$2.40 billion) for the third quarter. Analysts were expecting 2.01 billion euros. Story continues Revenue rose 13% to 1.89 billion euros for the three months ended June 30, but missed analyst estimates of 1.93 billion. The net loss attributable to Spotify was 356 million euros, or 1.91 euros per share, compared with 76 million or 42 euro cents a year earlier. Analysts were expecting a loss of 45 euro cents. The wider loss was mostly due to social charges - payroll taxes in Sweden, which rise with an increase in the share price of the company. (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm and Ken Li in New York, Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter) M usic festivals will benefit from the Governments 1.57bn rescue package for the arts, a leading industry body has confirmed. Many in the sector had worried that none of the money would be allocated to the UKs festivals, after an initial press release had only mentioned live music venues. However, after an intervention from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), the Government and Arts Council England assured organisers that their events would be eligible. Around 500m will be distributed to cultural organisations across England during the pandemic. Grants will range from 50,000 to 3m. Socially distanced music events in London 1 /12 Socially distanced music events in London The Brixton Courtyard at Brixton Jamm South London favourite Brixton Jamm has teamed up with party-starters Percolate for a summer-long series of socially distanced socials. The DJ line-up is a strong one Moxie, Erol Alkan, Sherelle, Channel One and DJ Boring are among the highlights and there will be a number of safety measures in place: all groups will stay seated at their tables and booths, with food and drink delivered via an app. Jake Davis Pub Tropicana at Studio 338 Greenwich club Studio 338 is no stranger to outdoor clubbing its al fresco dancefloor is normally packed throughout the summer but has made some Covid-secure adjustments this summer to run a socially distanced version of its Pub Tropicana series. Resident DJs spin the sun-soaked tunes, with plenty else to keep punters entertained, from pub quizzes to bingo. The Cause The Cause in Tottenham Hale is best known for the sweaty, intimate nights that used to take place inside its Berlin-esque warehouse space, but until they can return, the party will move outside onto its summer terrace. Its got a capacity of 300 and features DJ sets, food, drinks and good vibes all round. Lawrence Jones/First Light Media POW Brixton Popular Brixton spot Prince of Wales is one of the best party rooftops in south London. Itll be the setting for the venues new socially distanced series, Spaced Out, which will host a number of brunches and suppers. The music will be in safe hands, with the likes of Norman Jay MBE, Rampage Sound and Terry Farley all getting involved. Site 5 A new outdoor venture from popular Wapping club E1 and neighbouring warehouse venue Studio Spaces, Site 5 is currently being used as a pub garden, but has the potential to host a range of events in the future, say organisers. LoveJuice, who threw some of E1's most popular parties pre-lockdown, are in charge on Saturdays and Sundays, with their Love, Pub + Grub sessions. Expect DJs, street food from the likes of Mother Flipper and Story Deli, plentiful drinks and games such as beer pong. There are two sittings each weekend day, from 12pm-4pm and then again from 5pm-9pm. @haydonperrior The Jazz Cafe Camden spot The Jazz Cafe had been shut since March but after a long time away, and the vital support of a crowdfunder that raised more than 140,000, its back and hosting gigs again. The venue has rejigged layout, with an all-seated arrangement where the standing area used to be, and greater spaces between tables in the upstairs restaurant. There are other Covid-secure guidelines to abide by, but in terms of music, it's business as usual, with the likes of Dele Sosimi and Osibisa taking part in the initial run of shows. Siobhan Bradshaw Boisdale of Belgravia Back at the beginning of July, as restaurants across the city were preparing to open for "Super Saturday", Boisdale announced it would be sticking to its guns and playing music for its diners, just like it did in the old days. And it has kept to its word, with live music still very much on the menu at its Belgravia branch, with the offering currently ranging from jazz to a Frank Sinatra tribute act. 606 Club One of the first London venues to host indoor gigs again after the restrictions were lifted in August, west London jazz haunt 606 Club is now back in the swing of things. It was a seated venue before the pandemic, so while there will of course be some changes due to the new restrictions, thing shouldn't feel too different to how they were before. Gary Wolff Ronnie Scott's Another legendary jazz spot set to get back to doing what it does best, the Soho club is reopening its doors on September 19. It's a case of second-time-lucky here, with the club initially hoping to relaunch on August 1, only to fall victim to a last-minute Government postponement. No matter, as Ronnies is back undeterred, with a programme stretching up to the end of October. "We believe we can welcome customers back safely whilst maintaining the old-school hospitality values we are known for," says general manager Fred Nash. "Were certain that when our customers return, they will feel we have got it just right." Paul Reed, CEO of AIF, said: While the effectiveness of this emergency fund in helping our sector through the pandemic will be determined by exactly how it is allocated, we are cautiously optimistic about this update, which makes the eligibility of festivals explicit. We understand that, thanks to contributions from our members illustrating their current predicament, DCMS officials were able to make significant representations for festival inclusion and were very thankful for that support. Mr Reed added that supporting the festival sector would also help to kick-start other parts of the supply chain. He continued: Survival, and a healthy festival market in 2021, will result in artists being booked, sites and stages being built and money being spent by the public. The UKs festival sector has been decimated by the Covid-19 outbreak, with all but a handful of events forced to cancel their plans for 2020 and rearrange for next summer. TEMPE, Ariz. Benchmark Electronics Inc. (BHE) on Wednesday reported a second-quarter loss of $3.4 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier. The Tempe, Arizona-based company said it had a loss of 9 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 7 cents per share. The electronic manufacturing services company posted revenue of $491 million in the period. For the current quarter ending in October, Benchmark expects its per-share earnings to range from 26 cents to 30 cents. The company said it expects revenue in the range of $490 million to $530 million for the fiscal third quarter. Benchmark shares have dropped 39% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $20.79, a fall of 23% in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BHE at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BHE Married NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Bob Behnken present a spaceflight achievement award during a 2012 ceremony. NASA via RNASA NASA has chosen astronaut Megan McArthur to pilot SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship to the International Space Station next spring. McArthur's husband, Bob Behnken, returned to Earth in the spaceship on Sunday. Behnken's mission has shown that the Crew Dragon can successfully ferry astronauts to and from the space station, thereby restoring NASA's human spaceflight program. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur watched her husband climb back onto SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship from the space station, buckle into his seat, and rocket through Earth's atmosphere this weekend. Bob Behnken and his crewmate, Doug Hurley, returned safely on Sunday, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico in a successful culmination of SpaceX's Demo-2 mission. Come spring, McArthur is slated to pilot the same spaceship. NASA chose her for the Crew Dragon's second mission in a series of at least six round-trips to and from the International Space Station (ISS). A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley inside a Crew Dragon spaceship in the Demo-2 mission, May 30, 2020. SpaceX Behnken and Hurley had lived and worked on the ISS since the Crew Dragon docked to the station on May 31. They conducted science experiments, maintenance, and spacewalks. Their round trip was the Crew Dragon's first crewed flight the first time humans had ever flown in a commercial spacecraft. On Sunday, the Crew Dragon survived a a blistering 3,500-degree-Fahrenheit return through Earth's atmosphere, then a high-stakes parachute deployment, to safely splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Recovery boats helped Behnken and Hurley out of the capsule, and helicopters carried them to land. "This was an incredibly smooth mission," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said after the splashdown. The success paves the way for NASA to start routinely ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS using the Crew Dragon. The next crew is expected to launch in late September on a mission called Crew-1. Then McArthur will follow with three other astronauts Crew-2 next year. Story continues "What we did for Bob, I think we can do an even better job for Megan," Shotwell said on Sunday. "I was really excited to have her named the pilot for the Crew-2 mission." Meet the Crew-1 and Crew-2 astronauts The success of the Demo-2 mission has restored the US's human spaceflight capabilities for the first time since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. Crucially, the new SpaceX launch service should also free NASA from its increasingly expensive reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets. The first of the Crew Dragon ferry missions Behnken and Hurley's mission is considered a demo will carry four astronauts to the ISS: Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, Soichi Noguchi, and Shannon Walker. "It did not seem like this was the first NASA SpaceX mission with astronauts on board," Hopkins said in a press briefing following the astronauts' splashdown. "It seemed to go extremely smoothly." NASA announced the crew for the mission after that on Tuesday. McArthur will serve as the pilot on the flight her first trip to the space station. Megan McArthur poses for a photo while working the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System from Atlantis' flight deck. NASA "We will make sure that that vehicle is as good or better than the vehicle that that Bob flew in today," Shotwell said. McArthur previously flew in the space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. McArthur holds degrees in aerospace engineering and oceanography. The other three crew members are also experienced astronauts. Shane Kimbrough has flown to the ISS twice once aboard the space shuttle Endeavour and once aboard a Soyuz rocket. In total, the retired Army colonel has spent 189 days in space and conducted six spacewalks. The members of the SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station, from left: NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet. NASA Two of the Crew-2 astronauts Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet are from NASA's international partners. A main goal of NASA's partnership with SpaceX is to give other countries' space agencies a viable alternative to Soyuz rockets as well. Hoshide, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has flown aboard a space shuttle and two Soyuz rockets. Pesquet, an astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), spent 196 days in space following a Soyuz launch. "I am thrilled to be the first European to fly on the new generation of US crewed spacecraft," Pesquet said in a press release. "It will be extra interesting for me to compare with my first flight as a Soyuz pilot, and to bring this experience to the team." This story has been updated with new information. It was originally published on July 28, 2020. Read the original article on Business Insider Dot Property Vietnam Awards is one of the major real estate awards which gained prestige in Vietnam as well as throughout Southeast Asia. The Dot Property Vietnam Awards was created to honour developers, successful projects, and great contributions to urban vistas and the domestic real estate market. Now in its fifth year, the Dot Property Awards continues to recognise the best in real estate. This is the second consecutive year Cen Land has won Vietnam's Best Real Estate Agencies title and the first time it won the title of Vietnam's Best Property Consultancy Firms as reinforcement of its steady course in the real estate market. Cen Land is among the biggest winners at the Dot Property Vietnam Awards 2020 "Cen Land is attempting to solve the problems of the real estate market as well as the issues of life. We have a strong belief in helping people have a better and happier life," said Cen Lands Board of Directors. The representative of Cen Land shared that Dot Property Vietnam Awards is important to Cen Land, both as a way affirming the prestige of their brand and a measure to continually better themselves. "Above all, over 120 million loyal customers, as well as hundreds of local and foreign developers put their trust in Cen Land's services," the representative added. Vibrant sales efforts As the leader in the brokerage market, Cen Land has been developing a strong force of sales executives while building a powerful network of connected agencies and adopting technology to enhance its services. The strategic sales force of Cen Land includes STDA sales executives and the Cen Homes special sales team Cen Land is taking the lead in the market with the highest number of properties for sale. Up to present, the company has sold and marketed more than 400 projects, with over 80,000 real estate products ranging from apartments, terraced houses, and villas to condotels. Cen Land plays a huge role in facilitating capital flows in the Vietnamese real estate market. Cen Land continues to expand into other business lines to keep pace with new market demands. Targeting foreign clients, Cen Land has launched Cen Cuckoo one of the first large-scale serviced apartment models in Vietnam and signed a partnership agreement with Dwell Realty Vietnam to distribute 100 apartments for customers from Hong Kong. A trusted partner of real estate developers Currently, Cen Land is the leading brokerage firm in the northern market, where it holds a 40 per cent market share. From the outset of this year, the company has been successfully selling real estate products in numerous projects, such as Vuon Sen (Bac Ninh), The Central (Thanh Hoa), International Overseas Vietnamese Village (Haiphong), and Dolphin (Hanoi), to name but a few. As a property consultancy firm, Cen Land is highly appreciated by prestigious developers for its project development strategy. Cen Land is a trusted partner of major developers such as Gamuda Land, Park City, Bitexco Group, Eurowindow Holding, FLC Group, Alphanam Group, Sunshine Group, Dabaco, Khang Dien, and Quoc Cuong, just to name a few. To expand supply, Cen Land has entered into a co-operation with M.I.K Group to become the sales agency of Imperia Smart City. Cen Land has also been assigned to sell The Terra Hao Nam project and Grandeur Palace Giang Vo of developer Van Phu-Invest. Cen Land is selling real estate projects in key markets such as Hoi An, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc in the resort real estate segment with Casamia Hoi An and VinWonders Phu Quoc. The CEN Land sales team at the launching event of The Origami Vinhomes Grand Park Recently, Cen Land has returned to market the projects of Vinhomes in the south by signing a partnership agreement at The Origami Vinhomes Grand Park. To overcome the coronavirus pandemic, Cen Land has been trying its best for sustainable development in the last six months of 2020 while offering the best services as the brokerage market leader. The Army has named the five members of the independent panel that will soon review the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, Texas, in the wake of Spc. Vanessa Guillens murder and her family's claims that she was too intimidated to report allegations of sexual harassment by a fellow soldier. The five civilians named to the panel are: Chris Swecker, an attorney and former assistant director of the FBIs Criminal Investigative Division; Jonathan Harmon, a prominent trial attorney; Carrie Ricci, an associate general counsel at the Department of Agriculture; Queta Rodriguez, a regional director of a nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition into civilian careers, and Jack White, an attorney who has expertise in government investigations. MORE: Family of Vanessa Guillen to meet Trump, discusses support for bill "I commit to providing a complete and thorough review of the command climate at Fort Hood and to follow the facts wherever they lead," said Swecker, who will lead the panel. "The Army is committed to taking care of our Soldiers, civilians, families, and Soldiers for life, and this independent review will explore the current command climate and culture at Fort Hood," said McCarthy in a statement announcing the panel. McCarthy announced the review two weeks ago following a meeting with members of the League of United Latin American Citizens and two members of Congress to discuss the issues surrounding the investigation into Guillen's death. I had the opportunity to sit down with @LULAC and Congress to discuss the loss of SPC. Vanessa Guillen. I am directing an independent & comprehensive review of the command climate and culture. We have to listen in order to create enduring change. pic.twitter.com/pMuugTKgWz SecArmy (@SecArmy) July 10, 2020 The panel will conduct interviews with Fort Hood soldiers and families and review historical data from the base, including command climate surveys, inspector general reports, criminal and military justice reports, and sexual harassment and sexual assault response program statistics. Story continues The panel's findings will be submitted to James McPherson, under secretary of the Army, and Gen. Joseph Martin, the vice chief of staff of the Army, who will co-chair an implementation team to consider the recommendations and implement any changes, as needed. MORE: Army launches broad review of Fort Hood after Vanessa Guillen's death Guillen's family has said that 20-year-old Vanessa Guillen was sexually harassed at Fort Hood but that she was too afraid to step forward with her allegations because she feared retaliation. Guillen was last seen on April 22, but investigators did not find her remains until June 30. Her alleged killer, Spc. Aaron Robinson, took his own life as investigators closed in on him. His girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, has been charged with helping him dismember and bury Guillen's body. PHOTO: Candles and flowers adorn a mural of Vanessa Guillen, a soldier based at nearby Fort Hood on July 6, 2020 in Austin. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images, FILE) Since her disappearance, Guillens family has demanded justice for Guillen and other service members who have been victims of sexual harassment or violence. They will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursdsay to discuss Guillen's murder and their campaign. MORE: Timeline: What to know about missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen An Army official has told ABC News that the Army's Criminal Investigation Command's probe of Guillen's disappearance identified some information that Guillen was potentially harassed at Fort Hood but that it was not sexual in nature nor was it from Robinson. The official said investigators did find that some sexual comments may have been made about Guillen, but they did not find any records that showed she had filed any complaints of sexual harassment. Also, no one in her chain of command recalled hearing her discuss any sort of harassment with them. Shortly after Guillen's remains were found, the top commander at Fort Hood requested that inspectors from Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) carry out a review of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program office at Fort Hood. MORE: Vanessa Guillen's death shines light on military's handling of sex assault and harassment On Wednesday, Congress received details of that unreleased inspection that showed 94% of surveyed soldiers trusted their base leaders and had a high willingness to report sexual infractions to the SHARP base's office. "Willingness to report, which although still not 100%, and we still have challenges there, the willingness to report both assault and harassment incidents was also high, 86% and 87%, respectively," Colonel Patrick Wempe, a FORSCOM command inspector general told a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. Despite the positive findings, Wempe said the team also found room for improvement as "a few soldiers indicated a hesitancy to report SHARP incidents for several disparate reasons." "Some soldiers expressed that junior leaders in particular lacked the practical experience to respond to a sexual harassment or assault incident," said Wempe. He added that "extended hiring timelines for new SHARP program personnel can result in episodically unfilled positions. Finally, some soldiers indicated that the SHARP training they receive is repetitious and unimaginative." The inspection included a written survey of more than 225 soldiers from various units at Fort Hood, as well as interviews with close to 200 other soldiers and leaders. Army ready to begin broad review at Fort Hood in wake of Guillen murder originally appeared on abcnews.go.com MADISON, Wis. Federal prosecutors worked Wednesday to dispel concerns that federal agents headed to a number of U.S. cities will be used to break up protests, insisting that the agents will work side-by-side with local and state investigators to solve violent crimes. President Donald Trump recently sent federal agents to Portland, Oregon, to protect federal property during the almost daily protests in the city since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The move has drawn heavy criticism because the agents have been accused of overstepping that mandate, arresting people without probable cause, whisking them away in unmarked cars and using excessive force. Oregons governor, Kate Brown, said Wednesday that the agents would begin a phased withdrawal from Portland starting Thursday. Trump announced last week that he was sending agents to more U.S. cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee, to combat a rise in violent crime as part of an operation that started last year. The operation was dubbed Operation Relentless Pursuit but was renamed Operation Legend after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro was shot and killed in Kansas City, Missouri, last month. That announcement that federal agents would be deployed through Operation Legend raised fears among Democrats that those agents real mission would be to bust up protests and make liberal-leaning cities look bad as Trump seeks to win re-election. This president is abusing his power and public resources to fuel a twisted campaign strategy, Libby Schaaf, the mayor of Oakland, California, said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. Matthew Krueger, the U.S. attorney in Milwaukee, told reporters during a news conference earlier Wednesday that the media was confusing agents missions. Agents being sent to cities other than Portland were part of a U.S. Department of Justice effort to bolster manpower in high-crime cities dubbed Operation Legend, he said. That initiative began in December. It was supposed to have been expanded this spring but the coronavirus pandemic delayed that move until this month, he said. Krueger said he spent the last week updating local and state authorities in Wisconsin on the agents mission and stressed that the agents wouldnt be used to go after protesters and instead would work with local authorities, just as federal agents have long done. If you use the words Portland, Oregon, you only sow confusion, he said. You will not see federal agents amassing on the streets of Milwaukee. These arent beat cops. Theyre trained investigators. He said a total of 25 to 30 agents from the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alochol, Tobacco and Firearms would be deployed in Milwaukee. Ten who arrived this month are in the city temporarily. The others will be permanently assigned to the city. U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, said that after speaking with Kreiger, she is supportive of the operation in Milwaukee. She said she was pleased that he was clarifying the mission and faulted Trumps administration for not being clear from the outset. Im glad theres been some clarification and we want to be kept apprised, very frequently, about what this operation is about, Baldwin said in a Milwaukee Press Club online event. In Detroit, federal authorities said dozens of agents and deputy marshals were being assigned to the city to combat gun violence and arrest fugitives, among other tasks. They will collaborate with the local police. Matthew Schneider, the U.S. attorney for eastern Michigan, said federal troops would not be patrolling the streets and he dismissed as irresponsible rhetoric any suggestion that the government wants to disrupt lawful protests against racism and the excessive use of force by police. Earlier this week, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said more than 500 guns were seized during a recent four-week period. He welcomed any additional federal help. During a news conference Wednesday, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Ohio said Operation Legend in Cleveland and surrounding communities will involve 25 agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisting local and state law enforcement agencies. U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said agents will be permanently assigned to existing violent crime task forces to address gang violence, narcotics-related shootings and illegal firearms. It is not an introduction of federal riot police; it is not an introduction of federal uniformed personnel; it is not an introduction of federal agents to protect federal property, Herdman said. Democratic mayors said on their conference call that they were afraid Operation Legend could quickly shift toward breaking up protests. Tim Keller, the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, said his city was set to receive agents but had no formal agreement with the Justice Department on their mission. These missions change at the whim of the White House, Keller said. Theres no reason to trust words at a press conference any more with this administration. ___ Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Ed White in Detroit and Mark Gillispie in Cleveland contributed to this report. For many health specialists in Montreal, a second wave of COVID-19 infections isn't a matter of if but when and how bad it will be. And some epidemiologists believe the second wave may already be underway. The good news is that many of these experts also say the severity and duration of that wave can be kept under control and that it is not a foregone conclusion that Quebec will again fare worse than the rest of the country. Those observations are based on the answers that 170 medical doctors, epidemiologists, public health experts and medical researchers provided to CBC Montreal in an informal survey circulated earlier this month. Of the 170 who answered, two-thirds indicated that a second wave was "very likely." A further 24 per cent said it was "somewhat likely." The concept of a second wave is contested and carries different meanings. It should be understood here at its most basic level: another sustained increase in infections. Some experts believe a second wave is inevitable, based on the history of infectious diseases such as SARS, a respiratory illness caused by a virus that is genetically related to the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. "It's useful to understand that a second wave is not a discrete thing that happens or doesn't," said Dr. Cedric Yansouni, an infectious-disease physician at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal. "There haven't been any pandemics of respiratory diseases that had a single wave. "You will always have ongoing transmission for some time. It can last for months and up to a two-year period." Another reason a second wave is likely is that not enough people were infected in the first wave to generate sufficient levels of immunity in the population at large. "Second waves are expected for airborne transmitted viral infections for several reasons, the principal being the existence of a large population of unexposed [non-immune] hosts," said Tatiana Scorza, an immunologist at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. Story continues A study by Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, which did not include blood samples from Quebec, estimated that less than one per cent of Canadians have had the virus. The results of a separate study of Quebec blood samples are expected next month. What will it look like? There have been some indications that a second wave could already be underway in Quebec. After peaking in late April and early May, the rolling average of new cases in the province reached its lowest point in the final days of June. But the average has climbed steadily since the start of the month, and now stands at more than 150 new cases per day. "If it starts increasing and not coming down over the next two weeks, I would say we'd be into a second wave," said Mark Goldberg, an environmental epidemiologist and professor in the department of medicine at McGill University. The Quebec government says despite the increase in cases, the public-health situation remains under control. It points to the low number of deaths and hospitalizations. But Benoit Masse, a professor at the school of public health at Universite de Montreal, cautioned that the increase in hospitalizations will likely come later. He expects infections will increase for several more weeks. The danger, he said, is in September, when schools resume and the public begins to spend more time indoors, where the chances of infection are higher. "We can expect a more substantial increase in infections with a rise in hospitalizations by the end of October, early November," Masse said in an email exchange. WATCH: Quebec's health minister outlines preparations for second wave: Other experts in Montreal are more reluctant to offer predictions. They stress that because the virus is new, there is a lack of data allowing them to anticipate infection patterns. Janusz Kaczorowski, a professor and research director in the department of emergency and family medicine at Universite de Montreal, pointed out that many of his colleagues initially expected infections to decrease over the summer months, much like the flu, another virus thought to be transmitted by airborne droplets. "Look at what's happening now in the United States I mean the numbers are going through the roof," Kaczorowski said. "It doesn't look like COVID is necessarily following the same pattern as the annual influenza. It is a different animal." What should we do about it? While experts maintain another round of infections is inevitable, they say its severity will depend on government policy and the willingness of the public to follow guidelines. Not only do scientists know much more about COVID-19 than they did six months ago, but the public is better informed about hygiene measures and elected officials also have a wider range of policy tools at their disposal. "I think everybody's learned a lot," said Dr. Brian White-Guay, a public health and family medicine specialist who teaches at Universite de Montreal. "It's likely that things would be handled differently in a second-wave setting." He suggested that health authorities, for example, now have a better understanding of which segments of the population are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and how best to protect them from the disease. likely have a better sense of how to limit transmission in institutionalized settings, such as long-term care homes As part of the survey CBC Montreal and Radio-Canada circulated to health experts in early July, we asked an open-ended question about what the Quebec government should do when a second wave of the virus hits. The most popular response? Make masks mandatory. Though the province implemented provincewide mask requirements in indoor public spaces as of July 18, the answers to our survey suggest the government was late in catching up with the scientific consensus. "It should have been done much earlier in the pandemic," said Dr. Eva Suarthana, a medical epidemiologist at Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press Another popular response was to stress protecting elderly Quebecers, especially those living in long-term care centres, where the vast majority of deaths occurred during the first wave. Several experts said they were happy to see that provincial health authorities have already begun to implement tighter infection-control protocols and are training 10,000 new patient attendants for long-term care homes (CHSLDs). But they also warned that delays in implementing these measures could come at a serious human cost. "If we are not able to put in place proper measures to provide greater protection for [the] most vulnerable groups, there is reason to believe we would see a significant order of casualties, possibly up to the range of what we saw in the first wave," said White-Guay. Methodology CBC collected 907 email addresses of health professionals from university and hospital websites. We sought out experts with research areas related to the pandemic, such as public health, epidemiology and emergency medicine. They were sent a questionnaire on July 7 and a reminder on July 10. Of the 180 responses, 10 were duplicates; 104 of the 907 emails sent bounced back with out-of-office replies or the email addresses were invalid. This is the breakdown of professions that responded: Infectious diseases, including epidemiology, immunology, virology: 41. Emergency medicine: 23. Public health: 20. Family or general medicine: 17. Epidemiology of non-infectious diseases: 6. Biostatistics: 3. Other medical specialization: 55. Non-medical specialization: 5. The questionnaire can be viewed here: US Surgeon General Jerome Adams departs after a television interview on the North Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, 7 July, 2020: AP Photo/Alex Brandon Surgeon General Jerome Adams came back from "Trump Country" with a very important message for Donald Trump, which he eagerly delivered on Thursday. "You look badass in a facemask," Mr Adams told the president during an event at Red Cross headquarters in Washington. His comment came after Mr Trump for months declined to wear a mask in public even during two waves of coronavirus. He since has taken to wearing them in some settings, especially medical facilities like the Red Cross building. The president donned a mask during a tour of the headquarters on Thursday. A health care assistant who raped a pensioner in her nursing home bed during the Covid-19 lock-down has been jailed for 11 years. The woman's family described how they have been unable to comfort their mother by hugging her as they normally would since the rape in April. The elderly woman remains terrified the man will return to her room. Her daughter told the court: We always said we will dread the day she loses her memory but now one day we hope she wakes up and doesn't remember. She described how finding a nursing home for their mother had been an emotional process but said the woman had felt happy and safe in the home. This animal took that security away, she said. We will never forget how that man single handedly destroyed our Mam's life, she told the court. The 52-year-old man pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping the woman in her room at 3am on the morning of April 3, 2020 at a Co Dublin nursing home. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since his arrest in April. Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted the offence had taken place against a vulnerable elderly lady who was totally alone and helpless and was confined to her room due to the Covid 19 lockdown. He said this was an egregious breach of trust by a qualified and experienced healthcare worker. He noted a probation report showed matters of real concern to the court including that the man had little insight of the effect of his actions on the woman and that although he accepted his actions were heinous and expressed remorse it was felt it lacked depth beyond vocalisation. He took into account the man, who has worked in healthcare for 15 years, had entered an early guilty plea and had otherwise lead a blameless and hard-working life. Mr Justice McDermot imposed 12 years imprisonment and suspended the final year on strict conditions. The court heard how gardai were alerted after the elderly woman was found in a distressed state the following morning by another member of staff and said she had been raped by the accused. The woman's daughter, in a victim impact statement prepared on her mother's behalf, described how due to Covid 19 restrictions the family had been unable to accompany their distressed mother as she was taken in a garda car to hospital to be examined at a sexual assault treatment unit. She said the effect on their mother has been devastating. She is afraid of anyone coming into her room and checks the bathroom to make sure the man has not returned to the nursing home. The woman described talking to her mother on the phone late at night and reassuring her that the monster is in prison and can not return to her room to hurt her again. She said the family are devastated that she no longer has the spark she once did and said their mother is traumatised to the point where they can see she has given up. She said the accused man had taken advantage of his position in the most despicable way. Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, said the Director of Public Prosecutions places this offence in the highest category on the scale. The family of Harry Dunn have said their 'final goodbye' to the teenager after scattering his ashes in his favourite place. The 19-year-old motorcyclist has been the subject of an international controversy since he was killed in a road crash in August last year. His mother Charlotte Charles and father Tim Dunn said they decided to scatter his ashes in Weymouth, Dorset, where the Dunns took their annual family holidays. Harry Dunn's parents Charlotte Charles, second left and his father Tim Dunn, third from right, were joined by their partners to scatter the 19-year-old's ashes in Weymouth, where he used to go on holiday each year Friends and family gathered yesterday in Portland Bill for the brief ceremony Harry's mother Charlotte Charles, centre, was at the ceremony with family and friends Motorcyclist Harry Dunn was killed after his bike was struck by a car driven by US national Anne Sacoolas on August 29, 2019 July 29 2019 was the last day the teenager was in his favourite town, and Mrs Charles described Wednesday as 'the hardest day we've ever had to face in our lives'. Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn, alongside their partners Bruce and Tracey, met with other extended family members and friends in Weymouth before scattering Harry's ashes in a private ceremony on the nearby island of Portland. Mrs Charles said although they were 'setting him free', the 'fighting will continue' to get US suspect Anne Sacoolas back to the UK. Asked before the private ceremony if her son's funeral provided any closure, Mrs Charles told PA: 'No, and we were really numb back then - very much a bunch of zombies, to put it mildly. Anne Sacoolas, pictured, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving following the incident. She fled the UK claiming diplomatic immunity before they could be prosecutor 'We don't remember a lot about the first few weeks at all. Obviously we've been through so much since then - we've been to hell and back on many, many occasions. Dunn family drops legal case against police Harry Dunn's parents have dropped their legal claim against Northamptonshire Police after concluding the force are 'absolved of any blame' following their son's death. The 19-year-old's family are set for a two-day judicial review hearing at the High Court in November where they allege the Foreign Secretary 'obstructed justice' by allowing suspect Anne Sacoolas to leave the UK. Northamptonshire Police were brought into the legal claim in January as Mr Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles and father Tim Dunn sought to understand how Sacoolas was able to claim diplomatic immunity following the fatal crash in August last year. It is also understood the force will not seek costs against the family for its involvement in the proceedings. The Dunn family has decided to discontinue proceedings against the police after alleging that documents disclosed for court proceedings demonstrated the force was 'kept in the dark' by the Foreign Office (FCO). Advertisement 'We're not numb any more, we just hurt all day every day. The hurt is there constantly and it never, ever goes away. 'But now, 11 months on, today is going to be the hardest day we've ever had to face in our lives, and I can't imagine it getting any harder. 'You shouldn't have to scatter your own child's ashes.' Speaking briefly on behalf of the family afterwards, Mr Dunn said the private ceremony was 'beautiful' - adding 'there was a lot of crying, it was very special'. Mrs Charles asked for privacy after the ceremony. Questioned before scattering his son's ashes why they picked Weymouth, Mr Dunn told PA: 'From a very early age, Tracey and I first came with Harry and Niall to Weymouth on our first family holiday back in 2002, and every year we would come back on the same week. 'It became a tradition, and as we know poor Harry died last year and today is exactly the last day he was here - he came for a night with his friends... so it's a year to the day since he was last in Weymouth and we're here to scatter his ashes and let him ride free.' Mrs Charles added: 'We can rest assured that he's definitely out there riding the skies and going everywhere that he wants to go. 'We've found a beautiful spot where we are going to take him and we're sure that the wind will carry his ashes and the waves will be splashing up on the rocks to help him travel too. 'So we'll feel like we've set him free.' Commenting on what is next for the family, Mrs Charles said: 'Proper closure. Which is to make sure that Anne Sacoolas goes through the UK justice system. That has to happen. 'You and I would have had to have done it - in my view she is no different. 'So we will keep fighting - today is going to be extremely tough, but the determination never wavers, ever. Harry's parents Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles have vowed to continue the fight to bring Sacoolas to justice Harry's friends and family gathered in Weymouth to scatter his ashes, one year after he last visited the seaside resort and a month before the anniversary of his death Speaking briefly on behalf of the family afterwards, Mr Dunn said the private ceremony was 'beautiful' - adding 'there was a lot of crying, it was very special' 'It doesn't matter what today takes out of us, tomorrow will be yet another day of fighting. Today is just for us but the fighting will continue.' Asked if they had been able to properly grieve, Mrs Charles said: 'I don't think we've been able to grieve properly at all. 'Of course there are days that are really, really bad and you don't want to see anyone and you just want to cry. 'There are days that are just so overwhelming that we haven't had time to properly grieve. Today will help us along the way with that, for sure, but I still don't think the proper grieving process will kick in until we have had justice done.' A pair of coronavirus-infected teenagers were able to illegally enter Queensland from Victoria by flying via Sydney before police seized their phones to be forensically examined. Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu, both 19, and an unidentified friend, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne on Tuesday, July 21. All Victorian residents were banned from entering Queensland from July 9, but the women were able to enter the Sunshine State by stopping off in Sydney. The teens allegedly travelled on Virgin Australia flight 863 from Melbourne to Sydney, to make it appear they hadn't come from Melbourne. Shortly afterwards they boarded flight VA 977 to Brisbane. Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 The teens allegedly travelled on Virgin Australia flight 863 from Melbourne to Sydney, to make it appear like they hadn't come from Melbourne The 11 Queensland locations visited by infected teenagers The pair took flight VA863 from Melbourne to Sydney and flight VA977 from Sydney to Brisbane, 21 July Parklands Christian College, Park Ridge, 22-23 July 2020 9.30am-6pm Madtongsan IV Restaurant, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 7-9pm Heeretea Bubble Tea Shop, Sunnybank, 23 July 2020 9.25pm YMCA Chatswood Hills Outside School Hours Care, Springwood, 23-24 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 24 July 2020 3.30-3.50pm Thai Peak Restaurant, Springfield, 26 July 2020 6.30-9pm Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All P'Nut Street Noodles, Southbank, 27 July 2020 All African Grocery Shop, Woodridge (Station Rd), 28 July 2020 All Primary Medical and Dental Practice, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 12.25-12.30pm Chatime Grand Plaza, Browns Plains, 28 July 2020 Advertisement They are also accused of making false declarations on their border paperwork, which asks passengers if they have visited Victoria in the past 14 days. Two of the teenagers had their phones seized by Queensland police. The devices are now being forensically analysed, The Australian reported. Police believed the women were lying to investigators about their previous movements. 'What we have seen in these instances are deliberate acts of deception,' Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said. 'The way our borders operate cannot prevent that. It is incredibly important that everyone who comes into Queensland, is accurate in terms of the declaration. In this instance, it is not a matter of identity, there is no false identity. 'It is about not declaring where people have been.' Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Thursday revealed 40 people have been caught lying to authorities while crossing the Queensland border. Ms Lasu (pictured) and Ms Muranga are also accused of making false declarations on their border paperwork 'From the beginning of this, we have issued well over 1100 infringement notices and 40 people have made false declarations at our borders,' she said. Ms Carroll said she was 'very disappointed' with the behaviour of Ms Muranga and Ms Lasu, and their unidentified travel buddy. She said the three women have been served court notices. 'They went to extraordinary lengths to be deceitful, deceptive and quite frankly criminal in their behaviour,' Ms Carroll said. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the pair would face court. One of the women has cooperated with Queensland authorities in contact tracing since she arrived back in the state, and any person who could have been exposed to the disease has been notified. The second woman is refusing to cooperate or share details of her travels over the course of the last week. 'I'm very worried about the second individual who has not been cooperative and has not shared where she's been, so we haven't been able to contact those venues,' Dr Young said. She could be subject to further charges if she refuses to assist in the investigation. The two women and one of their immediate family members are the first three cases of the virus in the community since May. The test results for the third unidentified traveller who illegally crossed the border with them have not been released yet. The pair are believed to be receiving treatment in the Princess Alexandra Hospital prison section, the Courier Mail reported. During the press conference on Thursday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new cases confirmed they made the right decision in closing the borders Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 Legal firm Creevey Russell Lawyers Crime and Misconduct division lawyer Craig van der Hoven said anyone who knowingly transmits COVID-19 without taking precautions could face up to two years behind bars. Queensland on Thursday recorded three new coronavirus cases, including two linked to a previously identified Sydney cluster. The pair had dined at the coronavirus-stricken Apollo restaurant and tested positive to the deadly respiratory infection overnight. They have been praised for choosing to self isolate at home upon returning to Queensland, limiting their risk of contributing to community transmission. 'We've seen that today, its sensible to close the border to anyone from greater Sydney,' Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young agreed. The third case was a man in his 20s who returned from the United States. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this is 'the best scenario we could have hoped for'. The three new cases are unrelated to Ms Muranga and Ms Lasu. Ms Muranga is believed to have gone to work for two days at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of the city, before calling in sick and then going to see a doctor on Saturday, who said to get tested immediately. She didn't do so until Monday. Instead she continued to attend venues in Ipswich and Brisbane, including going to a Thai restaurant in Springfield on Sunday and a Southbank cocktail bar on Monday. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the 19-year-olds, who between them visited 11 venues in Brisbane while infected. Authorities have described the border crossing as the 'perfect storm'. They are examining whether the teens visited the Free Pentecostal Church of Australia in Springfield. All aged care homes in Brisbane's Metro South region have been ordered to lock down to stop a potential spread as a result of the women's actions. Investigators will also probe whether the pair were at party during their stay in Melbourne which was attended by about 20 people. Ms Muranga works as a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge (pictured), which is functioning as a coronavirus testing facility The gathering was broken up by police, who issued fines totalling $30,000. Ms Muranga is a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge. The school's principal Gary Cully confirmed a coronavirus-infected cleaner worked for three days last week. 'The staff member was on site last week and then rang in sick and then that's when the trace program started,' Mr Cully told The Courier Mail. 'As far as I'm aware they were not symptomatic while they were onsite and then called in sick the following day and then the next week were tested.' Shopping centres, restaurants, a school, and a church they visited will shut while authorities scramble to conduct contact tracing. The incident prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce all Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the state from Saturday. People line up in their cars and on foot to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College on Wednesday A man delivers cleaning equipment to a COVID-19 screening clinic at the Parklands Christian College in Logan 'There will be a thorough police investigation here but now we have to act as a community and in the areas where the chief health officer says need to be closed, will be closed and I urge people in those areas when that list goes out later on today to please ensure that if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested,' she said. Queensland residents returning will have to isolate in a hotel for 14 days at their own expense. Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young called the pair 'reckless' and said she was 'very disappointed'. Health Minister Steven Miles said there was a large amount of contact tracing that needed to be done with the community as well. 'These young women have gone about their business within the communities that they live in and so there will be a large amount of contact tracing to be done, largely within it the Logan and Springfield areas, including shopping malls, restaurants and a church.' One of the women attended the Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Sunday where she dined at the Peak Thai restaurant about 6.30pm. Public Internet expert seeks to oblige foreign social media to open offices in Russia pixabay.com 11:44 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) Foreign social network must be obliged at the legislative level to open their representative offices in Russia, First Deputy Chair of Russias Civic Chamber Commission on Development of the Information Community Alexander Malkevich wrote on his social media page on Thursday. According to the expert, illegal protest actions in support of Khabarovsk are promoted on the Internet with the use of the Facebook advertising inventory. He added that if Russian social media platforms promoted holding of rallies in the US, the American authorities would be indignant. He called such actions the law violation and reminded that it was not the first fact of interference with Russias policy from abroad. Malkevich believes it is necessary to adopt a corresponding law introducing fines, obliging to open offices in Russia and restricting ad incomes of violators. He also said that similar legislation was passed in Turkey short while ago. Covid-19 has created strange bedfellows. Six months ago we, a labor leader and an Amazon vice president, would have been on opposite sides in discussing the future of work at Big Tech in general and Amazon in particular. Then on May 1, one of us, Tim, walked away from a senior role at Amazon Web Services, and potentially millions in compensation, in protest over the firing of workers who spoke out about conditions in the companys warehouses. During the pandemic, weve seen Big Tech share prices and revenue rocket, while some of Amazons warehouse workers say they ... Armenia has called on Israel to put an end to large-scale supplies of Israeli-made weapons to Azerbaijan used by the latter in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Arms trade with Azerbaijan is fatal because Azerbaijan never hesitates to use those weapons against civilian infrastructure and the civilian population, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian told The Jerusalem Post newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday. We will consistently pursue this issue and it will always be an integral part of our agenda both on bilateral and multilateral platforms, said Mnatsakanian. Israel should stop this deadly business with Azerbaijan. Over the past decade Israeli defense companies have sold, with the Israeli governments blessing, billions of dollars worth of advanced military hardware to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army used some of those weapons, notably sophisticated anti-tank rockets and attack drones, during April 2016 hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. It also deployed Israeli-manufactured drones against Armenian military and civilian targets during the recent deadly fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The Armenian military claims to have shot down or intercepted 13 such unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It demonstrated some of their purported fragments last week. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan went on to publicize a photograph of two Armenian officers standing next to a SkyStriker suicide drone manufactured by the Israeli company Elbit Systems. A ministry spokesman claimed that it was brought down by an electronic warfare system. Our military has neutralized Azerbaijani weapons regardless of their perceived origins, Mnatsakanian said when asked about the Israeli drones. Armenia has long expressed concern over Israels arms deals with Azerbaijan. The Jewish state appears to have ignored those concerns so far. This did not stop the current Armenian government from deciding last September to open an embassy in Tel Aviv. The move was hailed by Israeli leaders but criticized by some officials in Iran, a key foreign partner of Armenia. The Armenian ambassador to Iran, Artashes Tumanian, assured a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official in June that Yerevan remains committed to its friendly relationship with the Islamic Republic despite its desire to improve Armenian-Israeli ties. Incidentally, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border clashes on Wednesday with Irans ambassador and military attache to Armenia. According to Tonoyans press office, they specifically spoke about Azerbaijans use of a large number of modern UAVs and the effectiveness of the fight against them. The aggravation of the situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is alarming, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved by peaceful means, said Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexey Zaitsev. According to him, Russia is very concerned about the recent aggravation of the situation on the border of friendly Armenia and Azerbaijan, RIA Novosti reported. "We are convinced that the long-term Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, like any other disagreements in the international arena, must be resolved exclusively by peaceful means, through diplomatic negotiations," he noted. Zaitsev noted that the Russian leadership made all the necessary efforts to prevent further escalation, including via operational interaction with key partners in the region. In particular, Zaitsev mentioned the recent phone talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts, as well as the discussion with the Turkish side of the current situation in the South Caucasus and especially in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. "Mutually stating their serious concern about the dangerous development of events in the region, Russia and Turkey proceed from the lack of alternative political and diplomatic solutions to existing issues based on the principles of international law in the interests of the peoples of Azerbaijan and Armenia," he noted. Two projects that will assist New River Valley businesses in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic should receive more than $300,000 in state funding, a regional panel recommended Thursday. We hope you dont have to use it very much, but we suspect it will be otherwise, Ray Smoot, chairman of the GO Virginia Region 2 Council, told the applicants. The virtual meeting of the council marked the second time it has called for state funds, initially earmarked for the creation of high-wage jobs, to be used to mitigate the financial damage caused by the viral outbreak. Three similar projects were awarded $700,000 in June. A final decision on Thursdays recommendations will be made later by a state board that holds the purse strings to GO Virginia, a statewide initiative that sends Housing and Community Development grants to nine regions. The Region 2 Council, which vets project applications from a swath of Virginia that stretches from the Lynchburg area to the New River Valley and north to the Alleghany Highlands, endorsed two COVID-19-related projects. In the first, $250,000 will go to the New River Valley Regional Commission, which will assemble a team to help businesses that have had someone test positive for COVID-19 at their workplace. The GO Virginia money, which will come with $125,000 in matching funds, will be designated for the city of Radford and the counties of Pulaski, Montgomery, Floyd and Giles. A second COVID-19-related grant of $63,500 was backed for the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, which will develop a mobile application to help small businesses optimize their ability to operate with minimal risk to employees and customers. The funding, along with a $42,610 match, will benefit the counties of Floyd, Montgomery, Giles and Pulaski. The council also recommended a third, more traditional grant of $290,000 for an internship program aimed at keeping local talent in the emerging technology and IT industries across the region. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Pune: The Social Security Cell of Pune crime branch under Inspector Vaishali Chandgude raided a gambling den in Ramnagar slums, Wanowrie, and arrested five persons under the Public Gambling Act, 1867, on Wednesday. The action comes following Pune police commissioner K Venkateshams order regarding strict crackdown on gambling dens in the city. The action was taken by the SSC sleuths under the supervision of additional commissioner (crime) Ashok Morale and DCP (crime) Bachchan Singh. Inspector Chandgude said that acting on a tip-off, the officials raided the den and arrested the accused. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Hazel Thompson releases The Bears of the Evergreen Forest: Basil and Brenda Go for a Stroll SOUTHAMPTON, England, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- I was staying with some friends in Canada for three weeks and just enjoying the scenery and then, I just started to write, Hazel Thompson states in writing the picture book, The Bears of the Evergreen Forest: Basil and Brenda Go for a Stroll (published by AuthorHouse UK), the first in a series of short tales about two bears and their friends. While Basil is basking in the woods, he was inspired to invite his sister, Brenda, on a picnic. He fetches her from home; together, they stroll through the village to post a few letters before shopping for bread and jam to share with their bird friends. Afterwards, they play, watch the sunset and fall asleep. This is a back to basics story. Most people want a simple life and to get away from technology, Thompson says, adding, It will appeal to readers because it is a simple story with a happy ending and plenty of pictures. When asked what she wants the readers to take away from her writing of this book, Thompson replies, I want them to enjoy the story and feel they have learnt something about friendship. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.amazon.com/Bears-Evergreen-Forest-Brenda-Stroll/dp/172839760X. The Bears of the Evergreen Forest: Basil and Brenda Go for a Stroll By Hazel Thompson Softcover | 8.5 x 8.5in | 24 pages | ISBN 9781728397603 E-Book | 24 pages | ISBN 9781728397610 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Hazel Thompson lives in Hampshire. She works in the education sector and in her spare time, enjoys reading and walking her dog. 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.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641. Story continues Attachment CONTACT: Marketing Services AuthorHouse 888-519-5121 pressreleases@authorhouse.com BEIJING (AP) China said Thursday that long-range bombers were among the aircraft that took part in recent aerial drills over the South China Sea amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing over the strategic waterway. The exercises included nighttime takeoffs and landings and simulated long-range attacks, Defense Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said. Among the planes were H-6G and H-6K bombers, upgraded versions of planes long in use with the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Peoples Liberation Army Navy Air Force, Ren said. He said the exercises had been previously scheduled and were aimed at boosting pilot abilities to operate under all natural conditions. It wasn't clear whether live bombs were used. Ren's statement appeared to distance the drills from recent accusations exchanged between the sides over China's claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, which it has buttressed in recent years by building man-made islands equipped with runways. The U.S. this month for the first time rejected Chinas claims outright, prompting Beijing to accuse it of seeking to create discord between China and its neighbors. Five other governments also exercise claims in the South China Sea, through which around $5 trillion in trade is transported annually. Previously, U.S. policy had been to insist that maritime disputes between China and its smaller neighbors be resolved peacefully through U.N.-backed arbitration. But in a statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. now regards virtually all Chinese maritime claims outside its internationally recognized waters to be illegitimate. The shift does not involve disputes over land features that are above sea level, which are considered to be territorial in nature. The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire, Pompeo said. Although the U.S. will officially continue to remain neutral in the territorial disputes, the announcement means the administration is in effect siding with governments which oppose Chinese assertions of sovereignty over maritime areas surrounding contested islands, reefs and shoals. In other comments Thursday, Ren criticized stepped-up military cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that China claims as its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Washington and Taipei have no formal diplomatic ties but the U.S. is the island's key provider of defensive arms and is legally obligated to treat threats to the island as matters of grave concern. The U.S. must realize that China is destined to unify (with Taiwan), and China is destined to realize its great rejuvenation,"" Ren said. The US must counter the growing Turkish aggression in the eastern Mediterranean, former senior US officials said in an article published by Newsweek. "Washington's own lack of focus on the region helped invite Ankara's aggressiveness, which in turn is increasing tensions at the heart of the transatlantic alliance, undermining America's ability to promote peaceful energy development and worsening the civil war in Libya," write Eric Edelman, former US Ambassador to Turkey and Charles Wald, former deputy commander of US European Command. "A new report released today from the Eastern Mediterranean Policy Project at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), which we co-chair, illustrates the troubling effects of Turkey's actions amid COVID-19 and how things could go from bad to worse with further U.S. inaction," they noted. "Certainly, Turkey was becoming steadily more assertive in the years prior to the pandemic. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's embrace of an interventionist, Islamic-tinged nationalism led to confrontations with almost every other country in the Eastern Mediterraneanin particular, over Libya and exploring the region's potentially massive undersea natural gas deposits. Driven largely in reaction to Turkish policy, even before coronavirus many U.S. partners in the Middle East and southern Europeincluding NATO allies France and Greecebegan developing closer defense and energy ties among themselves." According to them, while COVID-19 thus far has impacted the region less than other global hotspots, its economic effects are hitting the energy sector especially hard. "This is delaying further exploration by American and other Western companies, as well as damaging prospects for a major U.S.-backed pipeline project to send gas from Cyprus and Israel to Europe. Turkey's economy, which only began emerging from recession last year, appears especially stressed by the pandemic." "Yet rather than mend ties with neighbors and important trade partners, Erdogan turned to his fellow Muslim Brotherhood-supporting ally Qatar for financial relief. He also doubled down on his recent aggressions in potentially energy-rich waters around Cyprus and Greece, and on the ground in Libya. In June, Paris accused a Turkish warship of essentially training its guns on a French frigate enforcing the Libya arms embargo. Then in July, Turkey announced, but has yet to fulfill, plans to explore for energy around Greek islands." Bomb disposal experts exploded 11 wartime explosive devices found by a metal detectorist after one sweep of a beach. Shocked hobbyist Glenn Evans discovered the bombs in the sand at Sandwich Bay, Kent, on yesterday afternoon. He called the police who attended with an army disposal team which safely disposed of the munitions in controlled explosions. Keen metal detectorist Glenn Evans discovered the eleven unexploded devices on the beach in Sandwich Bay, Kent Residents in the area reported hearing loud thuds as the bombs were detonated at around 4pm and 5.30pm. KentLive reported people as far as nine miles away in Ramsgate felt the vibrations. Mr Evans, from the Sandwich and Thanet Ordnance Group, said the haul was made up of smoke shells, rounds from an Armstrong gun and other high explosives. A Kent Police spokeswoman said the Coastguard made officers aware that suspected wartime munitions had been found on the beach. Mr Evans called the police and an army disposal team came to safely detonate the explosives yesterday afternoon 'Officers attended to assist explosive ordnance disposal experts from the Ministry of Defence, who safely disposed of the items.' Controlled explosions are commonplace and happen across the country, most recently at Guildford railway station where two detonations were carried out when a suspicious package was found. Mr Evans's discovery is not the first time suspected unexploded munitions have been found on the beach in Sandwich. In March a large black object, shaped like a bomb, washed up on the beach but police were unable to locate it as the tide had moved it along. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: 'An Army Explosive Ordnance Team were called out to Sandwich Bay, Kent this week. 'They rendered safe, by means of a controlled explosion, a number of shells and recovered several others from the scene, for subsequent safe disposal. 'Military Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search (EOD&S) personnel are regularly required to assist with the disposal of historic ordnance such as this, ensuring every situation is dealt with as quickly as possible for the safety of the general public.' Two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Peterborough were reported Thursday afternoon by Peterborough Public Health, the first new cases reported in the jurisdiction since June 20. Both individuals are in their 20s and currently live in the city of Peterborough. Confirming more new cases isnt unexpected and serves as a strong reminder that even when weeks pass without a positive case, we all must remain vigilant in following public health measures, especially as people travel more and the economy reopens, stated medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra. Both cases are linked, the health unit reported. The first case was exposed to a positive case outside the area. Both of them are self-isolating, the health unit reported, and all close contacts have been identified and are being followed up by public health nurses. The health unit has conducted a risk assessment and determined there is no further risk to the public from these cases as long as they continue to self-isolate. The two new cases means the jurisdiction of Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation has now had 97 cumulative confirmed cases, with 93 recovered and two earlier deaths. Ontario COVID-19 cases This interactive map shows confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths related to the virus as reported by public health units across Ontario. The map is updated hourly. Even with the new cases, the health unit has a rate of 65.5 cases per 100,000 people, still less than a quarter of the provincial average of 286.9 cases per 100,000 people as of Thursday. There are no institutional outbreaks resulting from the new cases. The new cases arose after Peterborough moved to Stage 3 of the reopening of the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing gymnasiums, bars and indoor dining in restaurants, among other things, to reopen, with precautions and restrictions on numbers. The health unit is implementing a mandatory mask order starting on Saturday for most indoor public spaces, including businesses. Many Ontario health units issued similar orders earlier this month, including the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. Salvaterra urged local residents Thursday to continue adhering to public health measures, including physical distancing of two metres, frequent hand washing, minimizing travel, staying home when sick, and self-monitoring for symptoms. Moe than 21,050 have now been tested in the jurisdiction for COVID-19 as of Thursday afternoon, or about one in seven residents. Drive-thru COVID-19 testing continues at the Kinsmen Centre on a first-come, first-serve basis for people without symptoms who drive or walk into the clinic. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Anyone with symptoms should call 705-876-5086 to arrange for testing at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre assessment centre. To arrange for a test on a weekend, with or without symptoms, also call 705-876-5086. Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) plus Cotellic (cobimetinib) and Zelboraf (vemurafenib) for the treatment of BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma patients. The safety profile observed in the Tecentriq combination was consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines. The supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Tecentriq was granted under Priority Review. The review was also conducted under Project Orbis, an initiative of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence that provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology products among international partners. "When receiving a cancer immunotherapy combined with targeted therapies, patients with BRAF V600 mutation-positive advanced melanoma were able to live for more than 15 months without their disease worsening," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. "Today's FDA approval of this Tecentriq combination represents an important step forward for many patients living with advanced melanoma." The approval is based on results from the Phase III IMspire150 study, in which the addition of Tecentriq to Cotellic and Zelboraf helped people live longer without their disease worsening or death (progression-free survival, PFS), compared to placebo plus Cotellic and Zelboraf (median PFS 15.1 months versus 10.6 months respectively; hazard ratio, HR=0.78; confidence interval: 0.63-0.97; P=0.025). The most common adverse reactions (rate =20%) in patients who received Tecentriq plus Cotellic and Zelboraf were rash (75%), musculoskeletal pain (62%), fatigue (51%), hepatotoxicity (50%), pyrexia (49%), nausea (30%), pruritus (26%), edema (26%), stomatitis (23%), hypothyroidism (22%), and photosensitivity reaction (21%). Genentech has an extensive development program for Tecentriq, including multiple ongoing and planned Phase III studies across lung, genitourinary, skin, breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological and head and neck cancers. This includes studies evaluating Tecentriq both alone and in combination with other medicines. For those who qualify, Genentech will offer patient assistance programs for people prescribed Tecentriq plus Cotellic and Zelboraf by their doctor through Genentech Access Solutions. Please contact Genentech Access Solutions at (866) 422-2377 or visit http://www.Genentech-Access.com for more information. About the IMspire150 study IMspire150 is a Phase III, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study in people with previously untreated BRAF V600 mutation-positive metastatic or unresectable locally advanced melanoma. The study compared the efficacy and safety of Tecentriq plus Cotellic and Zelboraf to the combination of placebo plus Cotellic and Zelboraf. The primary endpoint of the study was investigator-assessed PFS. Key secondary endpoints include PFS by an independent review committee, overall survival, objective response rate, duration of response and other safety and pharmacokinetic measures. About advanced melanoma Melanoma is less common, but more aggressive and deadlier than other forms of skin cancer. When melanoma is diagnosed early, it is generally a curable disease, but most people with advanced melanoma have a poor prognosis. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be more than 96,000 new cases of melanoma and 7,000 melanoma deaths this year in the United States. In recent years, there have been significant advances in treatment for advanced melanoma and people with the disease have more options. However, it continues to be a serious health issue with a high medical need and a steadily increasing incidence over the past 30 years. About Tecentriq (atezolizumab) Tecentriq is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with a protein called PD-L1. Tecentriq is designed to bind to PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7.1 receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Tecentriq may enable the re-activation of T cells. Tecentriq may also affect normal cells. About Cotellic (cobimetinib) Cotellic is designed to inhibit MEK1/2, proteins in a cell signaling pathway that helps control cell growth and survival. Cotellic, when used in combination with Zelboraf, is approved in the United States and Europe, as well as many countries around the world, for the treatment of people with melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery and has a BRAF V600 mutation. Cotellic was discovered by Exelixis and is being developed by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in collaboration with Exelixis. About Zelboraf (vemurafenib) Zelboraf is a prescription medicine for the treatment of people with melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery and has a BRAF V600 mutation. Zelboraf is designed to inhibit some mutated forms of BRAF, which cause abnormal signaling inside cancer cells leading to tumor growth. BRAF is a protein in a cell signaling pathway that helps control cell growth and survival. Zelboraf was the first approved product in its class. Zelboraf was co-developed under a 2006 license and collaboration agreement between Roche and Plexxikon Inc., the small molecule structure-guided R&D center of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Tecentriq U.S. Indications (pronounced 'te-SEN-trik') Tecentriq is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with: A type of bladder and urinary tract cancer called urothelial carcinoma. Tecentriq may be used in patients with urothelial carcinoma if their bladder cancer has spread or cannot be removed by surgery, and if they have any one of the following conditions: They are not able to take chemotherapy that contains a medicine called cisplatin and their cancer tests positive for "PD-L1" or They are not able to take chemotherapy that contains any platinum regardless of the levels of "PD-L1" status or They have tried chemotherapy that contains platinum and it did not work or is no longer working. The approval of Tecentriq in these patients is based on a study that measured the amount of time until patients' disease worsened. Continued approval for this use may depend on the results of an ongoing study to confirm benefit. A type of lung cancer called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tecentriq may be used alone as the first treatment in patients with lung cancer if: Their cancer has spread or grown and Their cancer tests positive for "high PD-L1", and Their tumor does not have an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene. Tecentriq may be used with the medicines bevacizumab, paclitaxel, and carboplatin as the first treatment in patients with lung cancer if: Their cancer has spread or grown, and Is a type called "non-squamous NSCLC", and Their tumor does not have an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene. Tecentriq may be used with the medicines paclitaxel protein-bound and carboplatin as the first treatment in patients with lung cancer if: Their cancer has spread or grown, and Is a type called "non-squamous NSCLC", and Their tumor does not have an abnormal "EGFR" or "ALK" gene. Tecentriq may be used alone in patients with lung cancer if: Their cancer has spread or grown and They have tried chemotherapy that contains platinum, and it did not work or is no longer working. If a patient's tumor has an abnormal EGFR or ALK gene, they should have also tried an FDA-approved therapy for tumors with these abnormal genes, and it did not work or is no longer working. A type of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Tecentriq may be used with the medicine paclitaxel protein-bound in patients with TNBC when their breast cancer: Has spread or cannot be removed by surgery and Their cancer tests positive for "PD-L1". The approval of Tecentriq in these patients is based on a study that measured the amount of time until patients' disease worsened. Continued approval for this use may depend on the results of an ongoing study to confirm benefit. A type of lung cancer called small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Tecentriq may be used with the chemotherapy medicines carboplatin and etoposide as the first treatment in patients with SCLC when their lung cancer is a type of lung cancer called "extensive-stage small cell lung cancer," which means that it has spread or grown. A type of liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tecentriq may be used with the medicine bevacizumab when a patient's liver cancer: Has spread or cannot be removed by surgery, and The patient has not received other medicines by mouth or injection through their vein (IV) to treat their cancer. A type of skin cancer called melanoma. Tecentriq may be used with the medicines cobimetinib and vemurafenib when a patient's melanoma: Has spread or cannot be removed by surgery, and Their cancer has a certain type of abnormal "BRAF" gene. Their healthcare provider will perform a test to make sure this Tecentriq combination is right for them. It is not known if Tecentriq is safe and effective in children. Important Safety Information The most important information about Tecentriq is: Tecentriq can cause the immune system to attack normal organs and tissues and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become serious or life-threatening and can lead to death. Patients should call or see their healthcare provider right away if they get any symptoms of the following problems or these symptoms get worse. Tecentriq can cause serious side effects, including: Lung problems (pneumonitis) -signs and symptoms of pneumonitis may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath and chest pain -signs and symptoms of pneumonitis may include new or worsening cough, shortness of breath and chest pain Liver problems (hepatitis) -signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of the stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea-colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal and feeling less hungry than usual -signs and symptoms of hepatitis may include yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, severe nausea or vomiting, pain on the right side of the stomach area (abdomen), drowsiness, dark urine (tea-colored), bleeding or bruising more easily than normal and feeling less hungry than usual Intestinal problems (colitis) -signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual; blood or mucus in stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools; and severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness -signs and symptoms of colitis may include diarrhea (loose stools) or more bowel movements than usual; blood or mucus in stools or dark, tarry, sticky stools; and severe stomach area (abdomen) pain or tenderness Hormone gland problems (especially the thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, and pituitary) -signs and symptoms that the hormone glands are not working properly may include headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, dizziness or fainting, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, hair loss, changes in mood or behavior (such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness), feeling cold, constipation, the voice gets deeper, urinating more often than usual, nausea or vomiting and stomach area (abdomen) pain -signs and symptoms that the hormone glands are not working properly may include headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches, extreme tiredness, weight gain or weight loss, dizziness or fainting, feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual, hair loss, changes in mood or behavior (such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness), feeling cold, constipation, the voice gets deeper, urinating more often than usual, nausea or vomiting and stomach area (abdomen) pain Problems in other organs -signs and symptoms may include severe muscle weakness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, confusion, blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems, changes in mood or behavior, extreme sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, eye pain or redness, skin blisters or peeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or swelling of the ankles -signs and symptoms may include severe muscle weakness, numbness or tingling in hands or feet, confusion, blurry vision, double vision, or other vision problems, changes in mood or behavior, extreme sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, eye pain or redness, skin blisters or peeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath or swelling of the ankles Severe infections -signs and symptoms of infection may include fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, pain when urinating and frequent urination or back pain -signs and symptoms of infection may include fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, pain when urinating and frequent urination or back pain Severe infusion reactions-signs and symptoms of infusion reactions may include chills or shaking, itching or rash, flushing, shortness of breath or wheezing, swelling of the face or lips, dizziness, fever, feeling like passing out and back or neck pain Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious. A healthcare provider may treat patients with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. A healthcare provider may delay or completely stop treatment with Tecentriq if patients have severe side effects. Before receiving Tecentriq, patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of their medical conditions, including if they: Have immune system problems (such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or lupus); have had an organ transplant; have lung or breathing problems; have liver problems; have a condition that affects the nervous system (such as myasthenia gravis or Guillain-Barre syndrome); or are being treated for an infection Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Tecentriq can harm an unborn baby. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they become pregnant or think they may be pregnant during treatment with Tecentriq. Females who are able to become pregnant: Should have a healthcare provider do a pregnancy test before they start treatment with Tecentriq and Should use an effective method of birth control during their treatment and for at least 5 months after the last dose of Tecentriq Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Tecentriq passes into breast milk. Patients should not breastfeed during treatment and for at least 5 months after the last dose of Tecentriq. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. The most common side effects of Tecentriq when used alone include: Feeling tired or weak Nausea Cough Shortness of breath Decreased appetite The most common side effects of Tecentriq when used in lung cancer with other anti-cancer medicines include: Feeling tired or weak Nausea Hair loss Constipation Diarrhea Decreased appetite The most common side effects of Tecentriq when used in TNBC with paclitaxel protein-bound include: Hair loss Tingling or numbness in hands and feet Feeling tired Nausea Diarrhea Low red blood cells (anemia) Constipation Cough Headache Low white blood cells Vomiting Decreased appetite The most common side effects of Tecentriq when used in hepatocellular carcinoma with bevacizumab include: High blood pressure Feeling tired or weak Too much protein in the urine The most common side effects of Tecentriq when used in melanoma with cobimetinib and vemurafenib include: Skin rash Pain in the joint, muscle, or bone Feeling tired or weak Liver injury Fever Nausea Itching Swelling of legs or arms Swelling of the mouth (sometimes with sores) Low thyroid hormone levels Vomiting Skin sensitivity to sunlight Tecentriq may cause fertility problems in females, which may affect their ability to have children. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider if they have concerns about fertility. These are not all the possible side effects of Tecentriq. Patients should ask their healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information. Patients should call their doctor for medical advice about side effects of Tecentriq. Report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555. Please visit http://www.Tecentriq.com for the full Tecentriq Prescribing Information for additional Important Safety Information. Cotellic U.S. Indication (pronounced 'co-TELL-ic') Important: If a patient's healthcare provider prescribes Zelboraf (vemurafenib), the patient should also read the Medication Guide that comes with Zelboraf. Cotellic is a prescription medicine used with the medicine Zelboraf to treat a type of skin cancer called melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery and has a certain type of abnormal "BRAF" gene. A patient's healthcare provider will perform a test to make sure that Cotellic is right for the patient. It is not known if Cotellic is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Important Safety Information Before taking Cotellic, patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of their medical conditions, including if they: Have skin problems or a history of skin problems other than melanoma Have bleeding problems, or a higher risk of bleeding because of medical conditions or medications Have heart problems Have eye problems Have liver problems Have muscle problems Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Cotellic can harm an unborn baby. Females who are able to become pregnant should: Use effective birth control during treatment with Cotellic and for two weeks after the final dose of Cotellic Talk to their healthcare provider about birth control methods that may be right for them. Tell their healthcare provider right away if they become pregnant or think they are pregnant during treatment with Cotellic. Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Cotellic passes into breast milk. Patients should not breastfeed during treatment with Cotellic and for two weeks after the final dose of Cotellic. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about the best way to feed their baby during this time. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Certain medicines may affect the blood levels of Cotellic.Patients should know the medicines they take and keep a list of them to show their healthcare provider and pharmacist when they get a new medicine. How to take Cotellic: Patients should take Cotellic exactly as their healthcare provider tells them. Patients should not change their dose or stop taking Cotellic unless their healthcare provider tells them to. Patients should take Cotellic one time a day for 21 days, followed by seven days off treatment, to complete a 28-day treatment cycle. Patients can take Cotellic with or without food. If a patient vomits after taking their dose of Cotellic, they should not take an additional dose and should take their next dose as scheduled. If a patient misses a dose of Cotellic, they should take their next dose as scheduled. Patients should avoid sunlight while they are taking Cotellic. Cotellic can make a patient's skin sensitive to sunlight. Patients may burn more easily and get severe sunburns. To help protect against sunburn when they go outside, patients: Should wear clothes that protect their skin, including their head, face, hands, arms and legs, and Should use lip balm and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Cotellic can cause serious side effects, including a risk of cancer. Cotellic may cause new skin cancers such as: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) Keratoacanthoma Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) Patients should check their skin regularly and tell their healthcare provider right away if they have any skin changes, including a: New wart Skin sore or reddish bump that bleeds or does not heal Change in size or color of a mole When taking Cotellic, a patient's healthcare provider should check their skin to look for any new skin cancers: Before they start taking Cotellic and Every two months during treatment with Cotellic and May continue to check their skin for six months after the patient stops taking Cotellic. A patient's healthcare provider should also check for cancers that may not occur on the skin. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about any new symptoms that develop during treatment with Cotellic. Cotellic can cause serious side effects, including: Bleeding problems. Cotellic can cause serious bleeding problems. Patients should call their healthcare provider and get medical attention right away if they get any signs of bleeding, such as: Red or black stools (looks like tar) Blood in their urine Headaches Cough up or vomit blood Stomach (abdominal) pain Unusual vaginal bleeding Dizziness or weakness Cotellic can cause serious bleeding problems. Patients should call their healthcare provider and get medical attention right away if they get any signs of bleeding, such as: Heart problems. A patient's healthcare provider should do tests before and during treatment to check the patient's heart function. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they get any of these signs and symptoms of heart problems: Persistent coughing or wheezing Shortness of breath Swelling of their ankles and feet Tiredness Increased heart rate A patient's healthcare provider should do tests before and during treatment to check the patient's heart function. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they get any of these signs and symptoms of heart problems: Severe rash. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: A rash that covers a large area of their body Blisters Peeling skin Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: Eye problems. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about eye problems right away, including: Blurred vision Partly missing vision or loss of vision Seeing halos Any other vision change A patient's healthcare provider should check their eyes if the patient notices any of the symptoms. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about eye problems right away, including: Liver problems. A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check the patient's liver function before and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: Yellowing of their skin or the white of their eyes Dark or brown (tea color) urine Nausea or vomiting Feeling tired or weak Loss of appetite A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check the patient's liver function before and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: Muscle problems (rhabdomyolysis). Cotellic can cause muscle problems that can be severe. Treatment with Cotellic may increase the level of an enzyme in the blood called creatine phosphokinase (CPK). An increased level of CPK in the blood may be a sign of muscle damage. A patient's healthcare provider should do a blood test to check the patient's levels of CPK before and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: Muscle aches or pain Muscle spasms and weakness Dark, reddish urine Cotellic can cause muscle problems that can be severe. Treatment with Cotellic may increase the level of an enzyme in the blood called creatine phosphokinase (CPK). An increased level of CPK in the blood may be a sign of muscle damage. A patient's healthcare provider should do a blood test to check the patient's levels of CPK before and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms: Skin sensitivity to sunlight (photosensitivity). Skin sensitivity to sunlight during treatment with Cotellic is common and can sometimes be severe. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they get any of these symptoms: Red, painful, itchy skin that is hot to touch Sun rash Skin irritation Bumps or tiny papules Thickened, dry, wrinkled skin Skin sensitivity to sunlight during treatment with Cotellic is common and can sometimes be severe. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they get any of these symptoms: See "What should patients avoid during treatment with Cotellic?" for information on protecting the skin during treatment with Cotellic. The most common side effects of Cotellic include: Diarrhea Nausea Fever Vomiting A patient's healthcare provider will do blood tests during treatment with Cotellic. The most common changes to blood tests include: Increased blood levels of liver enzymes (GGT, ALT or AST) Increased blood level of enzyme from muscle (creatine phosphokinase) Decreased blood levels of phosphate, sodium or potassium Increased blood levels of liver or bone enzyme (alkaline phosphatase) Decreased blood level of a type of white blood cell (lymphocyte) These are not all the possible side effects of Cotellic. Patients should call their doctor for medical advice about side effects. Report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555. Please visit http://www.cotellic.com/ for the Full Cotellic Prescribing Information and Patient Information for additional Important Safety Information. Zelboraf U.S. Indication (pronounced 'ZEL-bor-af') Zelboraf is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of skin cancer called melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body or cannot be removed by surgery and has a certain type of abnormal "BRAF" gene. A patient's healthcare provider will perform a test to make sure that Zelboraf is right for them. Zelboraf is not used to treat melanoma with a normal BRAF gene. It is not known if Zelboraf is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Important Safety Information The most important information about Zelboraf is: Zelboraf can affect the way normal organs and tissues work. These problems can sometimes become serious. Patients should call or see their healthcare provider right away if they get any symptoms of the following problems or these symptoms get worse. Zelboraf can cause serious side effects, including a risk of cancer. Zelboraf may cause a type of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cuSCC) and keratoacanthoma New melanoma lesions have occurred in people who take Zelboraf. Zelboraf may also cause another type of cancer called non-cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (non-cuSCC). Patients should talk with their healthcare provider about their risk for these cancers. Patients should check their skin and tell their healthcare provider right away about any skin changes, including a: New wart Skin sore or reddish bump that bleeds or does not heal Change in size or color of a mole When taking Zelboraf, a patient's healthcare provider should check their skin to look for any new skin cancers: Before they start taking Zelboraf and Every two months while they are taking Zelboraf and May continue to check their skin for six months after they stop taking Zelboraf A patient's healthcare provider should also check for cancers that may not occur on the skin. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about any new symptoms that they get while taking Zelboraf. Before receiving Zelboraf, patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of their medical conditions, including if they: Have any heart problems, including a condition called long QT syndrome Have liver or kidney problems Have had or are planning to receive radiation therapy Have been told that they have low blood levels of potassium, calcium, or magnesium Have any other medical conditions Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Zelboraf can harm an unborn baby. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about birth control methods that may be right for them. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they become pregnant or think they may be pregnant during treatment with Zelboraf. Females who are able to become pregnant: Should have a healthcare provider do a pregnancy test before they start treatment with Zelboraf and Should use effective birth control during their treatment and for two weeks after the last dose of Zelboraf Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Zelboraf passes into breast milk. Patients should not breastfeed during treatment with Zelboraf and for two weeks after the final dose. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider about the best way to feed their baby during this time. Patients should tell their healthcare provider about all of the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Patients should know the medicines they take. Patients should keep a list of them to show their healthcare provider and pharmacist when they get a new medicine. Patients should avoid sunlight while they are taking Zelboraf. Zelboraf can make a patient's skin sensitive to sunlight. Patients may burn more easily and get severe sunburns. To help protect against sunburn when they go outside, patients: Should wear clothes that protect their skin, including their head, face, hands, arms, and legs and Should use lip balm and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher Zelboraf can cause serious side effects, including: Allergic reactions which can be severe. Patients should stop taking Zelboraf and get medical help right away if they get any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction: Rash or redness all over their body Trouble breathing or swallowing Swelling of the face, lips or tongue Throat tightness or hoarseness Feel faint Fast heartbeat which can be severe. Patients should stop taking Zelboraf and get medical help right away if they get any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction: Skin reactions which can be severe. Patients should stop taking Zelboraf and call their healthcare provider right away if they get a skin rash with any of the following symptoms, because they may have a severe skin reaction: Blisters on their skin Blisters or sores in their mouth Peeling skin Fever Redness or swelling of their face, hands, or soles of their feet which can be severe. Patients should stop taking Zelboraf and call their healthcare provider right away if they get a skin rash with any of the following symptoms, because they may have a severe skin reaction: Heart rhythm problems (QT prolongation) which can be life-threatening. Changes in the electrical activity of the heart, called QT prolongation, can cause irregular heartbeats. A patient's healthcare provider should do tests before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment with Zelboraf to check the electrical activity of their heart. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms which may be related to QT prolongation: Feel faint Feel lightheaded Feel dizzy Feel their heart beating irregularly or fast which can be life-threatening. Changes in the electrical activity of the heart, called QT prolongation, can cause irregular heartbeats. A patient's healthcare provider should do tests before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment with Zelboraf to check the electrical activity of their heart. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms which may be related to QT prolongation: Liver injury. A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check their liver function before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms of a liver problem during treatment: Yellowing of their skin or the white part of their eyes Dark or brown (tea color) urine Nausea or vomiting Loss of appetite Pain on the right side of their stomach A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check their liver function before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms of a liver problem during treatment: Eye problems. Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms during treatment with Zelboraf: Eye pain, swelling or redness Blurred vision or other vision changes Patients should tell their healthcare provider right away if they get any of these symptoms during treatment with Zelboraf: Worsening side effects from radiation treatment. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they have had or are planning to receive radiation therapy. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they have had or are planning to receive radiation therapy. Kidney injury. A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check their kidney function before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment. A patient's healthcare provider should do blood tests to check their kidney function before they start taking Zelboraf and during treatment. Connective tissue disorders. Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they develop an unusual thickening of the palms of the hands along with tightening of the fingers inward or any unusual thickening of the soles of the feet which may be painful. The most common side effects of Zelboraf include: Joint pain Rash Hair loss Tiredness Sunburn or sun sensitivity Nausea Itching Warts Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they have any side effect that bothers them or does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects of Zelboraf. For more information about side effects, patients should ask their healthcare provider or pharmacist. Patients should call their doctor for medical advice about side effects. Report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. Report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555. Please visit http://www.zelboraf.com/ for the Full Zelboraf Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for additional Important Safety Information. About Genentech Access Solutions Access Solutions is part of Genentech's commitment to helping people access the Genentech medicines they are prescribed, regardless of their ability to pay. The team of in-house specialists at Access Solutions is dedicated to helping people navigate the access and reimbursement process, and to providing assistance to eligible patients in the United States who are uninsured or cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs for their medicine. To date, the team has helped more than 2 million patients access the medicines they need. Please contact Access Solutions (866) 4ACCESS/(866) 422-2377 or visit http://www.Genentech-Access.com for more information About Genentech in skin cancer Genentech has been studying new treatments for skin cancer for more than 20 years. We continue to study our skin cancer medicines in combination with other medicines, including cancer immunotherapies, in several types of cancer. About Genentech in cancer immunotherapy Genentech has been developing medicines to redefine treatment in oncology for more than 35 years, and today, realizing the full potential of cancer immunotherapy is a major area of focus. With more than 20 immunotherapy molecules in development, Genentech is investigating the potential benefits of immunotherapy alone, and in combination with various chemotherapies, targeted therapies and other immunotherapies with the goal of providing each person with a treatment tailored to harness their own unique immune system. In addition to Genentech's approved PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, the company's broad cancer immunotherapy pipeline includes other checkpoint inhibitors, individualized neoantigen therapies and T cell bispecific antibodies. For more information visit http://www.gene.com/cancer-immunotherapy. About Genentech Founded more than 40 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730006043/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: K. Bruneau (650) 467-6800 Advocacy Contact: Lauren Davis (650) 745-5210 Investor Contacts: Loren Kalm (650) 225-3217 Karl Mahler 011 41 61 687 8503 An Garda Siochana are alerting the public to a smishing scam whereby persons are being contacted by text message, from individuals purporting to be from Allied Irish Bank (AIB), leading them to believe their bank card has been compromised. The individual is contacted by text message asking them to log onto a website in order to receive a new card. As part of the process they are requested to insert their pin number and other personal data. Once this is completed they are requested to send the compromised card to one of three addresses, none of which are linked to AIB. GNECB are advising the public as follows: Never click a link in an unsolicited text Never give away personal data like your PIN, card numbers and passwords A financial institution would never request a customer to return a card to the bank in such circumstances The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) are working very closely with AIB and other financial institutions, to identify those behind this fraud and those who receive, or use the stolen data / cards. An Garda Siochana are also urging all persons not to respond to such text messages, but instead to take a screenshot of the message, delete it and report to your local Garda station. Superintendent Michael Cryan speaking earlier today, reiterated the importance of never giving out personal or sensitive details to unverified sources. I would encourage members of the public never to give out personal or sensitive information online unless you are sure of the source. Financial institutions will never contact you in this way and a bank will never request you to return your card in this manner. I would encourage anyone who receives these text messages to take a screenshot of the text, delete the text and to report it to their bank and local Garda station. ALBANY In early April, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo warned that the state may need 40,000 ventilators and up to 150,000 hospital beds projections that would prove to be far beyond the state's actual needs. In response to those initial concerns, his administration began spending hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase thousands of ventilators, mobile X-ray machines and "BiPAP" breathing-assistance devices, most of which were never used. Although the inventory of the state's medical stockpiles is arguably a matter of public record, the governor's office declined to provide details on how much medical and personal protective equipment are now in its reserves much of it stored at large industrial warehouses in Guilderland, at Oriskany, Oneida County, and a facility in the New York City region. The office did, however, promptly provide a breakdown of its expenditures during the pandemic, including listing $278 million to purchase more than 8,800 ventilators; $94.4 million to buy 1,179 mobile X-ray machines; and $60.7 million for more than 17,000 "oxygen concentrators" a category the administration said encompasses the BiPAP devices. On April 7, as the governor appeared on MSNBC to report that New York had logged a pandemic-high 800 deaths during the previous 24 hours, he said that hospitals were "over capacity" and facing a critical shortage of the ventilators used to treat critically ill coronavirus patients. John Minchillo "We have been scrambling with ventilators. We move them all over the state like pieces on a chess board, literally whatever hospital has the greatest inflow (of patients) that night, we move ventilators around the state," he said. "We have also used other machines that have a ventilating capacity, something called the BiPAP machine." BiPAPs are bi-level airway pressure machines that push air into a person's lungs. Under the state's plan, Cuomo had said, they were to be fitted with a special part that could make them function like a ventilator. The state scrambled to acquire those machines as Cuomo cited health experts' worst-case scenarios for hospitalizations and patients who may need to be intubated. On April 2, he announced the state had 750 BiPAPs in reserve and had purchased another 3,000 from a Pittsburgh medical supply company. Six days later, Cuomo said a Florida company, Mercury Medical, had donated another 2,400 BiPAP machines that were being flown to New York for free by JetBlue. But despite the governor's assertions in April that the BiPAP machines were being "used" to treat patients, they were never put into operation. "BiPAPs, luckily, were not needed," Richard Azzopardi, an adviser and spokesman for Cuomo, acknowledged this week. He added: "As a matter of policy we do not comment on our stockpiled supplies." Azzopardi said the purchases were necessary at a time when the state facing a $6.1 billion deficit before the pandemic struck was planning for the worst, despite pushback from the White House that the governor was overstating his needs. That discrepancy emerged in mid-April, when Cuomo and President Donald J. Trump repeatedly sparred over the levels of response as the governor cited earlier Centers for Disease Control estimates indicating there could be up to 2 million U.S. fatalities, and that New York's 56,000 available hospital beds would fall far short of its needs. But those estimates apparently did not factor in the reduction of infection rates due to economic shutdowns, social distancing mandates and the wearing of masks by millions of people. The president retorted that New York would not need the number of hospital beds and ventilators that Cuomo had called for, and he also criticized the state for failing to keep an adequate stockpile of ventilators. "Cuomo ridiculously wanted '40 thousand Ventilators.' We gave him a small fraction of that number, and it was plenty," Trump tweeted on April 17, as the two government leaders clashed. "State should have had them in stockpile! ... We built you thousands of hospital beds that you didn't need or use, gave large numbers of ventilators that you should have had, and helped you with testing that you should be doing." Cuomo, who countered that the federal stockpile had just 10,000 ventilators, insisted that his estimates were based on scientific projections offered by federal and other medical experts and, if they were wrong, Trump should blame them. The president's remark about New York's hospital beds referred, in part, to a 4,000-bed field hospital the federal government swiftly built at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, which never had more than 10 percent capacity and on most days was virtually empty. It was one of several field hospitals that Cuomo's administration had scrambled to assemble in April that saw little use. Azzopardi, the governor's spokesman, said it was those field hospitals and potentially many more that were never built that had prompted the state to purchase more than 1,000 X-ray machines. "These were procured at a time when the state was preparing for an apex projected to require 150,000 hospital beds and we planned on building several field hospitals which needed to be fully equipped," he said. "As we now know, New Yorkers crushed the curve of the virus and, thankfully, we never had to build the hospitals." Cuomo continued to push for more ventilators and increased hospital capacity after New York and nearly all other states implemented stay-at-home orders including closing businesses and schools that sharply flattened the rate of infections and deaths in New York. It was during that period that Cuomo's administration scrambled to purchase personal protective equipment, ventilators and the mobile X-ray machines, which cost an estimated $125,000 or more apiece, according to medical industry equipment suppliers. Other expenditures included $35 million for gloves, $168 million for respirators and $4 million worth of soap. The governor's office did not provide an exact dollar figure or quantity of the unused BiPAP machines. "While New York was climbing the apex and projections showed we would need upwards of 150,000 hospital beds and 40,000 ventilators, Northwell Health developed a way to add a readily available part to the BiPAP that would effectively convert it into an emergency use ventilator," Azzopardi said. "This type of conversion would only be necessary in an emergency situation and if hospitals and the state ran out of ventilators." He added "for context" that the number of people hospitalized in New York for COVID-19 symptoms only reached a little more than 18,0o0 at the height of the pandemic here, and that the state "never ran out of ventilators." With a now-ample supply of medical and protective equipment, the nation's hardest-hit state from the coronavirus is now, in Cuomo's words, returning favors to states that he said had helped New York, including sending "volunteer" health care workers here. But those volunteers were compensated, including many at pay rates far above what New York nurses and other front-line workers here were paid. So far, Cuomo has authorized a multitude of donations from New York's stockpiles of personal protective equipment to Houston, Atlanta, Savannah, Ga., and St. Petersburg, Fla. Those gifts include 22,500 face shields, 26,500 gloves, 22,500 N95 masks, 3,750 gallons of sanitizer, 124,000 surgical masks and 22,500 test kits. "I know I speak for all New Yorkers when I say we will always be grateful for that help that came to us, and we are paying back the favor today by sending PPE to St. Petersburg, where we've worked together to establish a community testing site," Cuomo said Wednesday, adding that New York would equip a testing site in Pinellas County, Fla. "We will continue to return the favor and lend help to whoever needs it." Azzopardi said New York's purchases and stockpiling of medical equipment came as the pandemic's grip on the world was peaking and it was unclear how many people may die or need hospitalization, including in intensive care units. Many states sent ventilators and workers to New York as its cases soared. New York was hit the hardest and had to contend with a worldwide shortage of protective equipment, but when we needed it the most 30,000 front-line workers from other states stepped up and volunteered to help us through one of our darkest moments," he said. "We never forgot that and are proud to return the favor in any way we can, while also making sure we have the resources and the PPE available to brace for a second wave." Assembly Minority Leader William A. Barclay, a Republican from Oswego, said New York lawmakers should receive more information about how much equipment is in the state's stockpiles, and why some of it is being shipped to other states. "If taxpayer dollars are paying for equipment that is now collecting dust or being shipped to other states, then we have questions that demand answers," Barclay said, adding that upcoming legislative hearings regarding New York's response to the pandemic "may just be the right forum." The assemblyman also challenged the administration's position that it will not comment on or disclose information on its medical stockpiles. The Assembly's Republican conference had pressed unsuccessfully in March for the administration to report monthly how much and on what it was spending what was then a $40 million emergency appropriations bill. That unprecedented legislation also gave Cuomo sweeping emergency powers to respond to the pandemic, including changing state laws at will. "Given all that we've gone through with COVID and what we're facing with the state's dire economic conditions, New Yorkers have every right to know this kind of basic public health and fiscal information," he said. "Emergency response and preparedness are obviously critical, but so is a full accounting of where taxpayer resources are directed and how much of the public's money is being spent." Economies from Europe to the United States on Thursday reported record slumps and companies from banks to car makers warned of losses in the latest fallout from the pandemic that has infected more than 17 million people across the globe. Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, countries around the globe are struggling to control infections even as they seek to restart damaged economies. Even nations that appeared to have largely curbed the disease are being gripped by resurgences, with Australia on Thursday reporting a record number of new infections and its deadliest day of the pandemic. Despite efforts in place to contain the virus, COVID-19 has killed more than 666,000 people around the world and total infections have passed 17 million since the disease first emerged in China late last year. As governments try to weigh lockdown measures against the need to revive economies, the United States its economy had contracted 32.9 percent in the second quarter -- the worst on record since 1947. Germany said its GDP had shrunk a record 10.1 percent during the same period although experts saw a recovery already on its way. Belgium and Austria also said their economies shrank by 12.2 percent and 10.7 percent. Across the globe, companies were also taking a hit with Airbus, VW, oil producer Shell, UK bank Lloyds and Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic all reporting losses. Global daily cases are now approaching the 300,000 mark, with the curve showing no sign of flattening -- it took just 100 hours for one million new cases to be recorded. Southern and western regions of the United States were grappling Thursday with a renewed surge of coronavirus infections as the death toll in the world's worst-affected nation passed 150,000. Brazil is second to the US in terms of cases and fatalities, and also reported a sobering figure as it surpassed 90,000 deaths. In Japan, Tokyo's governor called for restaurants, bars and karaoke parlours to shut earlier as the Japanese capital reported a record number of new infections. "The current situation is more serious than before," said Yuriko Koike. "There were several clusters in Tokyo... We have no time to waste." - Surge in Australia - Days after Australian authorities expressed hope that a Melbourne lockdown -- now in its third week -- was bringing persistent outbreaks under control, the surge is a warning that initial successes in managing COVID-19 can quickly unravel. Thirteen deaths and 723 positive tests were reported in the southeastern state of Victoria alone, well beyond the previous nationwide record of 549 cases set on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the steep rise in numbers was "very concerning". In Hong Kong, where authorities fear a worrying third-wave of infections could cripple the healthcare system, the government reversed a day-old ban on restaurants serving dine-in customers following widespread public anger. All restaurants in the city of 7.5 million had been ordered to only serve takeaways as part of a raft of ramped-up social distancing measures. But social media was quickly swamped by photos of primarily blue-collar workers forced to eat on pavements and in parks -- and even inside public toilets to escape a torrential downpour. - EU travel list - The EU is due Thursday to update its list of countries approved for travel to the European bloc, which it reviews every two weeks. The United States was not on the list and is not expected to be included. The EU's safe list does, however, include Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The bloc is expected to announce that Algeria is being removed from the list after a resurgence of coronavirus. Several European countries have slapped restrictions on travel to and from Spain, while officials elsewhere bicker over the seriousness of the current outbreak. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, fresh from announcing quarantine for travelers returning from Spain, suggested the rest of Europe could be facing a second wave -- despite his own country's dismal figures. France's health minister hit back on Wednesday, saying his country was categorically not in a second wave. Spain, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, insists it is a safe destination and was critical of Britain's blanket quarantine, which includes islands without significant outbreaks. Brazil also wants visitors back, and on Wednesday reopened travel to foreigners arriving by plane. It had closed its air borders to non-residents on March 30, when the virus was just taking hold in South America. burs-je/rma/pma/ach Global infections of the virus have now topped 17 million VW was one of the global companies reporting the impact of the pandemic on its results World map showing official number of coronavirus deaths per country, as of July 30 at 1100 GMT Australia is struggling with a surge in cases A man sits on a park bench partially cordoned off to enforce social distancing in Hong Kong Mourners release balloons at a memorial service for Lucy Reyes, who worked at historic Mexican restaurant Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino for 68 years. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) If ever there was a San Bernardino resident who deserved a fiesta for her funeral, it was Lucy Reyes. She worked at Mitla Cafe, the oldest Mexican restaurant in the Inland Empire, for 68 of its 83 years, retiring in 2018. Her loyal customers included the mighty politicians, athletes, Cesar Chavez and multiple generations from hundreds of families in the citys West Side barrio. There was also the young World War II veteran who showed up nearly every night in the early 1950s to eat Mitlas famous hard-shell tacos. That nice Glenn Bell, Reyes always cracked to the many food reporters who trekked to Mitla in recent years, sure had a hit with his Taco Bell. Reyes stayed in San Bernardino while so many others left, and saw it turn from a boomtown on Route 66 to a cautionary tale of urban decay. She became a reassuring lodestone, a reminder of what was and could be again. Denise Vara brings balloons and photos of Lucy Reyes to the memorial service. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Mom was like a human Facebook, said Reyes son, Andy. If you needed to know anyone in San Bernardino, and who was related to who, she knew. But when Reyes died July 13 of a heart attack at 86, her family and co-workers faced a dilemma. California Gov. Gavin Newsom had once again banned places of worship from opening in the states most coronavirus-afflicted counties. Local mortuaries were booked for weeks. Many of Reyes closest friends were elderly themselves or immunocompromised. Lucy needed deserved a send-off. So her descendants two surviving children, 10 grandchildren, and too many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren for anyone to offer a definite count decided to hold a socially distant memorial in the Mitla Cafe parking lot on July 25. That day would've been her 87th birthday. On a blistering Saturday morning, customers shared Lucy stories outside Mitla currently offering only takeout as they waited for the noon ceremony and sneaked in a quick to-go breakfast. Mercy Aguirre at the memorial service of her longtime colleague Lucy Reyes. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Mercy Aguirre came early to drop off flowers and avoid any crowds. She made flour tortillas alongside Reyes for 33 years. Lucy was good, the 80-year-old said. Always a smile, always there for you. We never did determine who was the real tortilla champion, though. Story continues Cherie Gonzalez, 52, stood in the shade of an organ pipe cactus, holding a bouquet of purple balloons. Mitla is, like, way back for everyone, and Lucy is the last of the originals, she said. We had to come out and pay respect. Rachel Clark served as San Bernardinos city clerk for 21 years. She broke down thinking about Reyes while waiting in her minivan for an order of chorizo and eggs from the cafe. She always made you feel like you were coming home, Clark said. Patty Martinez, who has worked at Mitla Cafe for 33 years, remembered how Reyes immediately embraced her when Martinez arrived in the United States from Michoacan in the 1980s with only a bicycle for transportation. She found out and said, Im going to pick you up and drop you off until you make enough money to get a car,' said the 54-year-old. Lucy always treated me like a daughter, and my children like her grandchildren. Patty Martinez, who has worked at Mitla Cafe for 33 years, called Lucy Reyes her best friend. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) After Reyes retired, Martinez took tacos to her every week until just two weeks before she passed. Since the rise of coronavirus in March, Martinez would just drop off dinner on the front steps of the Reyes house and wave from outside. On the final visit, Reyes waited in front of her door. I tried to stand away from her, but she wanted to see me, Martinez said. I think she knew it was time. The granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Reyes was born in 1933 and grew up on a chicken farm in Devore, Calif. Her family eventually moved to San Bernardino, and Reyes found job at Mitla as a dishwasher in 1950 while still in high school. She never worked anywhere else. Reyes did everything: wait tables, prep food, train employees, pick up the phone with a high-pitched Hello, Mitla! that West Siders remember as fondly as any childhood TV jingle. Lucy was that dream employee who was a mentor, a friend, and really a family member, said Mitla co-owner Michael Montano, the third generation of his family to run the diner. She embodied the spirit of San Bernardino. She never gave up on it. Ricarda Reyes touches a photo of her mother, Lucy Reyes, at the memorial service (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) I cant tell today from yesterday, but she remembered everything," said Irene Montano, Michaels mother and the daughter-in-law of Mitlas founders. "People didnt even have a chance to sit down and Lucy was already writing their order. She, Reyes and Martinez liked to take Metrolink on their days off to visit Olvera Street or Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Montanos eased Reyes duties as the decades passed. Her schedule went from full time to a couple of days a week to a few hours a month. Michael bought her a personal air conditioner and even opened up a long-shuttered takeout window so customers could talk to Reyes while she peeled potatoes and chiles. The parade of fans, Michael said, never stopped. I didnt realize until I was older that she wasnt my actual aunt, said John Robles, 46, a San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy who grew up down the street from Mitla and worked alongside Reyes from high school through college. She always told me to get ahead in life and when I did, to always help people in need. Hundreds attended a 2018 retirement party held at Mitlas banquet room, where customer after customer soliloquized Reyes. No one even saw it as a goodbye, said Michael, 44. She was just not going to work anymore. She spent her final years with a granddaughter, Vanessa Vara, who was among the first family members to arrive at Reyes memorial. God, it was such a privilege of being able to take care of someone who was so respected, said her wife, Denise. We want to send her out like a legend. Patty Martinez, right, takes an order from a customer at Mitla Cafe. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Vanessa wore one of Reyes trademark china poblana blouses. She looked over a Mitla parking lot fence prettied with balloons and flowers fake and real. Someone bought a small banner, on which people could write their condolences with a Sharpie. Two large photos of Reyes leaned against tomato cans on a table that included bottles of cold water and hand sanitizer. About 55 people finally showed up. Masked attendees spaced out in their quarantine pods, using balloons to futilely fend off the relentless sun. Its a blessing to know how much she was loved, said Leonard Gomez, a maintenance worker and husband of another Reyes granddaughter. Its so overwhelming we could do this. It goes to show how one person could affect so many. At about 12:30, Gomez yelled for everyone to gather around him. He urged folks to get close but not too close. The 47-year-old offered thanks on behalf of the Reyes family and called Lucy an amazing woman. Even if she didnt like you, she still loved you. After a quick prayer and a quick Happy Birthday, everyone released their balloons. Reyes' friends and family and customers looked up to the sky, fretful that the balloons would get caught in a thicket of power lines and telephone lines. But a sudden, refreshing breeze pushed nearly all of them through. People looked on until the balloons were specks against the big blue sky. Some wept; some stayed silent. Then they crossed the street to Mitla. Taco time to go, of course. Maharashtra Assembly speaker Nana Patole has directed the state government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure that all depositors of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank get back their money back. After hearing grievances of the depositors, Patole asked the RBI to come up with a revival package, similar to the one for YES Bank. He also asked the state co-operative commissioner to act swiftly to restore the confidence of depositors. Patole further said the economic offences wing (EOW) should ensure that the culprits are not spared. PMC Bank depositors contended they are finding it hard to run their households, especially in view of the lockdown, since their entire savings was locked up in the bank since September 2019. Most of them are working class or small-scale entrepreneurs. The RBI had imposed restrictions on the bank in September 2019 alleging financial irregularities. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A former Tanzanian beauty queen has come out to clear the air over reports that she is Diamond Platnumzs new catch. Ms Jihan Dimack, who was crowned Miss Universe Tanzania in 2016/17, was rumored to be dating the star after Diamonds mother and sister shared her photos on Instagram recently. The 25-year-old Lebanese-Tanzanian model was among the star guests during the official unveiling party of Wasafis new signee, Zuchu. Reports in Tanzania even had it that Dimack and Diamond will walk the aisle this September. But in an Interview with SnS, Ms Dimack set the record straight saying she and Diamond are just good friends. We know each other because we are in the same industry. He is somebody I respect very much, he is very humble, he is a nice person and very hard working so I do respect and admire him but we are not what people think we arelet me just clarify that, she said. Its very crazy, Im getting even phone calls from Russia, they are like, Jihan I heard that you are getting married to one of the biggest musicians. Everyone is talking about it but its not what people think. Why is it that every time I attend these events, people pair me with somebody else. Dont you think if we were together we could have attended the event together? she posed. Dimack reiterated that: We are just good friends and we are in the same industry. We really dont talk much unless there is an event. Its more of like I respect you, you respect me kind of relationship, but we are not very close. The model was also asked if she would be open to date Diamond Platnumz. I honestly cant say anything about that because it has never gotten to that stage but I guess if it does everybody will find out because he is a public person. I dont think he would want the relationship to be private, whereas am very different I like my relationship to be very very private but you never know what happens. Its very hard for me to be with somebody who is in public because I like it low key but you never know, she said. Jihan Dimack also spoke about her reaction after Mama Dangote and Esma posted her on their socials. I was very surprised when she posted me, I was like, is this a fake account? I was very surprised but again am greatful, I feel like they appreciated what I was wearing and how I looked. I was very grateful and thats why I commented on the photo. I met Esma at an event and she liked the dress I was wearing and thats how we got to know each other. But now we are good friends, she explained. But Mama Diamond I have never spoken to her that was the first time I saw her do something like that. I was invited to her grandsons 40 days celebration and it was at her house but I did not see her that day. I didnt know thats gonna happen. Honestly, it just happened out of the blues, she posted me, Esma posted me, but for Esma, I know her we are very good friends. I also didnt expect her to post me, I was very surprised when she did, said the model. The coronavirus pandemic has deepened Egypts state budget deficit to 6.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2020, which ended on June 30 up from 6.2% of GDP for the same period a year earlier. The deficit in the state budget was 389.1 billion Egyptian pounds ($24.3 billion) at the end of May, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. Revenue from the Suez Canal plunged 5.9% in the first 11 months of fiscal 2020 to 56.91 billion pounds ($3.56 billion), down from 60.5 billion pounds ($3.78 billion), another Finance Ministry statement said. The states revenue from taxes fell to 601.4 billion pounds ($37.6 billion) from July 2019 to May 2020, compared to 616.4 billion pounds ($38.57 billion) in the same period a year earlier. The tax revenues fell because of the partial lockdown over the past months. An increase in the state budget deficit has been natural. However, it is not that significant, Alia el-Mahdi, a professor of economics at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor. The authorities imposed a nighttime curfew between March 25 and mid-June among other measures to combat the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. The government reopened airports for international flights as of July 1. Revenues from tourism which is a key hard currency earner declined sharply due to the suspension of flights. Revenues from the Suez Canal and exports also fell. The coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted inflows of foreign direct investment. The decline in hard currency revenues has affected the foreign reserves at the central bank, Mahdi said. There were no tourist arrivals between March 19 and July 1 as Egyptian airports were closed for international flights. The country netted $13 billion from tourism in 2019, the Central Bank of Egypt said in a March 31 statement. Mahdi pointed out that loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and issuances of sovereign debt have made up for such a decline in hard currency inflows. The IMF approved June 26 a 12-month Stand-by Arrangement to Egypt totaling $5.2 billion to address the balance of payments financing needs arising from the pandemic. On May 11, Egypt received a $2.8 billion loan. Jihad Azour, director of the IMFs Middle East and Central Asia Department, said July 13 that the Middle East and North Africa region had benefited by more than $17 billion. Most of those funds went to Arab countries like Egypt, which received $8 billion, according to Azour. In June, Egypt received $400 million from the World Bank to support its transformational Universal Health Insurance System and to offer temporary financial protection to the most vulnerable across the country in order to protect them from high out-of-pocket health expenditures resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. Public expenses rose by 6.8% to 1.171 trillion pounds ($73.4 billion), up from 1.096 trillion pounds ($68.7 billion), the Finance Ministry said in a statement. The government paid 500 pounds [$31.40] to workers who lost their jobs during the lockdown. It also provided insolvent companies with financial assistance to overcome the crisis. Public health expenses also rose. That has lifted expenses, Mahdi said. She made it clear that the economic repercussions of the pandemic have been inevitable. She said, There has been a slowdown as Egypts economy which was forecast to expand by 5.6% to 5.7% before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world grew by 3.8% of GDP. However, the slowdown has not significantly affected the state budget deficit. Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said the economy grew by 3.8% of GDP in fiscal year 2020. Egypt posted a 5.6% GDP growth in the first half of fiscal 2020, Planning and Economic Development Minister Hala el-Said said July 14. Egypts aggregate demand has shrunk since the coronavirus pandemic erupted. Successive governments worked on stimulating local demand to increase economic growth. Aggregate demand comprises four components: consumer spending, public spending, private investment and the boosting of exports, Mahdi noted. In a bid to push the domestic demand in order to get the economy back on track again, the authorities launched July 26 an initiative to boost local consumption. The initiative offers discounts up to 20% on consumer goods. It is aimed at stimulating consumer spending to purchase locally made products. The authorities are seeking to incentivize factories to increase production via boosting consumer demand to create jobs and mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic. Certainly it is a good move. However, the initiative would bear fruit when low-income people have money to spend on consumer goods. The poor spend much of their income on consumer goods. Some of them have lost their income due to layoffs, she said. Of course, consumer spending is important, but stimulating private investment is more crucial as the private sector accounts for roughly 75% of jobs in Egypt. Remember the animal classification and naming chapter that we studied in Science? Well, it so appears that top scientists around the world have forgotten about the rules of naming and have created a new way of christening new species of living organisms that are discovered. Just like the Australian scientists who recently named a new fly species Deadpool because its appearance resembled the Marvel heros red-and-black mask! But they didnt stop just at that. Apart from Deadpool, there are four other newly-discovered fly species which have been given scientific names that pay tribute to the Marvel universe. Introducing the @Deadpool fly and other heroic new species named after Marvel characters. These join 165 new species of insects, plants, fish, mites and birds named by @CSIRO scientists this year from #CSIROCollectionshttps://t.co/DYzePzZruQ pic.twitter.com/HqkuRrKKus Dr Bryan Lessard (@BrytheFlyGuy) July 28, 2020 According to a report by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the five new flies are a part of 165 discoveries made by scientists over the past year. Talking about the naming process, CSIRO entomologist Dr Bryan Lessard told Reuters, "naming a species is the first step to understanding that species. Without a scientific name, these species are invisible to science." Morning @chrishemsworth! Check out your new assassin fly species 'bronteflavus', meaning blond thunder named by @TheScienceRobin from our team at @CSIRO. https://t.co/DYzePzZruQ pic.twitter.com/YR2LFeVYVD Dr Bryan Lessard (@BrytheFlyGuy) July 28, 2020 The other names given to the fly species are inspired by Stan Lee and other Marvel heroes such as Loki, Thor and Black Widow. The Stan Lee's fly was named so because of its markings which are similar to Lees iconic sunglasses and white moustache. Twitter/ParomaMukherjee Looking at the images which have been shared by Dr Lessard, it seems their naming is definitely on-point and we are rather pleased that they gave the traditional naming system a miss. But we wonder, how cool would it be to have Deadpool the fly make a cameo in the next Deadpool movie? Like an ally, man-in-arms..err fly-in-arms kinda thing? Wed really like that kind of a crossover. What do you guys think? Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2020) - Pancontinental Resources Corporation (TSXV: PUC) ("Pancon" or the "Company") reports that it has agreed to settle an aggregate of CAD$33,400 of indebtedness owed to a non-arm's length creditor through the issuance of 417,500 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of $0.08 per Common Share (the "Debt Settlement"). All Common Shares issued in connection with the Debt Settlement are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Debt Settlement remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Debt Settlement constituted a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), as an insider of the Company will be issued an aggregate of 417,500 Common Shares. The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101, based on the fact that the fair market value of the transaction does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company. A material change report will be filed not less than 21 days before the closing date of the Debt Settlement. This shorter period was reasonable and necessary in the circumstances, as it was necessary for the Company to About Pancon Pancon is a Canadian junior mining company focused on exploring the prolific and underexplored Carolina Slate Belt in South Carolina, USA. In January 2020, Pancon won the exclusive right to explore the former Brewer Gold Mine. Between 1987-1995, Brewer produced 178,000 ounces of oxide gold from open pits that extended to 50-metre depths, where copper and gold-rich sulfides were exposed but could not be processed by the oxide heap leach processing facility. Brewer is a high sulphidation system driven by a sub-volcanic intrusive and possibly containing a large copper-gold porphyry system at depth, as indicated by: widely known prospective geology, including diatreme breccias; associated high sulphidation alteration; gold and copper mineralization; and geophysics (Schmidt, R.G., 1978, The Potential for Porphyry Copper-Molybdenum Deposits in the Eastern United States, U.S. Geological Survey). Pancon's 100%-owned Jefferson Gold Project surrounds the former Brewer Gold Mine, and both Jefferson and Brewer are located 12 km along trend northeast from the producing Haile Gold Mine, which produced 131,819 ounces of gold in 2018. In addition, Pancon has four nickel-copper-cobalt exploration projects in Northern Ontario, surrounding or near producing or former mines in proven and safe mining districts. For further information, please contact: Layton Croft, President & CEO or Jeanny So, Manager, External Relations E: info@panconresources.com T: +1.647.202.0994 For additional information please visit our new website at www.panconresources.com and our Twitter feed: @PanconResources. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60834 Illinois College recently released its Hilltop READY plan for the fall semester, but some IC students arent necessarily ready to return to school as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The group Students Against COVID-19 at IC started a petition asking the school to provide a remote-learning option for those students who either arent comfortable being in a classroom during the pandemic or are in a high-risk health category. In a written statement the group said it is evident that the administration at Illinois College is unwilling to listen to its students. Their disregard to those who are concerned with returning to campus during the midst of a global pandemic is unacceptable. The group since has modified its position, now saying it is important to note that a shift to an all online learning format for the entirety of the semester would create inequalities for the students at Illinois College. For many students, it is in their best interest to return to campus IC President Barbara Farley said the Hilltop READY plan tries to take all IC students into consideration. We understand that each of our students may be facing a difficult decision about the fall, Farley said. While we value all of our students and hope that IC can continue to serve each of them, we also acknowledge that everyones personal situation is different. Students who have been identified as high risk by their doctor should work directly with the college to explore options and establish a plan for the fall. After the Hilltop READY plan was announced, Farley hosted three virtual meetings for students and their families on July 23. During the hour-long sessions, students were encouraged to share their concerns and ask questions. Some questions were sent by students to everyone, others were directed privately to the moderator, Farley said. There were many questions asked during this time and some overlapped in content. Therefore, questions were summarized in order to answer as many as possible. The Hilltop READY plan and the start of the academic calendar year, which the administration created with the guidance of local and state health officials, were adjusted to include remote learning during the first week of classes in support of a staggered move-in process. In lieu of a fall break, the campus will observe a week-long Thanksgiving break followed by two weeks of remote learning to limit students, faculty and staff traveling back and forth to campus during the semester. Classrooms have been reconfigured to support physical distancing and faculty will supplement in-person instruction with online elements to reduce the amount of time students spend sitting in classrooms. All students, faculty and staff will be required to wear masks, and practice physical distancing and daily monitoring of symptoms. Because Illinois College is known for its personalized approach and student-centered community, providing in-person instruction with remote elements embedded into each course is the best option we can provide for our students at this time, Farley said. This hybrid model has led us to re-imagine courses and classrooms. Moving forward, IC facilities management crews will have increased duties intended to keep campus safe for students. Our facilities management staff has received special training and will continue their heightened focus on sanitizing high-touch surfaces on campus, Farley said. Common areas will be cleaned multiple times per day and disinfecting wipes and sanitizer will be available throughout campus. Members of the student group declined comment for this article. The IC administration has set up an email account info@ic.edu to field questions from the IC community. Most businesses anticipate reducing their office footprint over the next two years. Photo: Getty As lockdown restrictions ease across the UK and many workers return to the workplace after months of working from home, 93% of businesses are looking to scale back their office space requirements, a survey has found. Businesses anticipate reducing their office footprint over the next two years as people move to home working, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) UK Commercial Property Survey. There was a 79% decline in tenant demand for office space in Q2 and the survey results point to a further deterioration in conditions 62% are predicting a further fall in rents in the office sector. Some 64% feel offices will increasingly move out of urban centres and into the suburbs, with respondents saying this will support a move towards shopping locally and a potential revival of local high streets. Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist, said tenants are thinking about a shift because commercial property in central locations is more expensive, while people are wanting to work more from home and spend more time in their local areas. READ MORE: 50% of employees are looking to move jobs For a lot of businesses they are thinking about that opportunity to move towards suburban locations. We're looking at a very different model going forward: there may still be a central location but it may just be a lot smaller, Rubinsohn told the BBC. The survey also suggests there will be a shift to higher quality office space, with more focus on wellbeing and sustainability. We are indeed reviewing our property strategy, Lloyds bank (LLOY.L) chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio said on a call with journalists on Thursday. In the short-term we are continuing with the plans that we had before COVID-19 where we are consolidating our property estate to six strategic hubs across the UK. When people work together that fosters innovation, that continues to support the culture and the values of the company. When you hire new people, those people need to be with other people in order to get to know everyone. Story continues In the longer term, we will be working to understand what the future of work and the office looks like. While we recognise there will always be a need for offices, as more of our colleagues are able to work flexibly and remotely we are becoming less reliant on office space. The type of office space we will need in the future is likely to change to reflect changing working styles. READ MORE: Lloyds Bank sets up 'wellbeing desks' for staff struggling to work from home Tarrant Parsons, RICS Economist, said: The latest survey feedback unsurprisingly reflects the significant disruption and uncertainty that emerged across the economy during the lockdown period. With demand from both occupiers and investors falling sharply, respondents now anticipate rents and capital values will come under downward pressure while the market adjusts to a drastically changed economic environment. In particular, the recent shift into remote working raises many questions across the office sector, with respondents expecting businesses to re-evaluate their office space requirements over the next two years. A series of recently diagnosed cases has made Roanoke City Jail one of the harder-struck facilities among its neighboring jails since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city jail has seen 12 employees test positive for the virus over the past two weeks, according to an initial announcement made Tuesday and additional information provided Thursday in response to follow-up questions. A spokeswoman said the cases were identified through internal screening procedures. The facility said its been unable to determine if the cases are connected to one another. No inmates have tested positive for the virus, officials said. The sheriffs office said its working with the health department and has multiple safety measures in place. Jails in Roanoke County-Salem, Botetourt County and Montgomery County reported no COVID-19 cases among either inmates or personnel to date. The New River Valley Regional Jail said it has seen three employees and nine inmates test positive over the past three months. The inmates were all new to the facility and were asymptomatic, said Superintendent Greg Winston. They were routinely quarantined and tested upon arrival in keeping with the facilitys COVID-19 precautions. No new inmate is put into a housing unit unless they test negative, Winston said. The employee cases were each traced to exposures outside the jail. Those who had close contact with someone diagnosed, as determined by the health department, were also quarantined and tested. The additional tests came back negative, Winston said. To date, there is no sign of internal spread of the virus within the facility. Knock on wood, he said, adding that the jail has strict protocols in place and knows it must remain vigilant to keep people safe. The Western Virginia Regional Jail reported it has had one case of the virus. An employee tested positive this month shortly after returning from vacation. The jail worked with the health department to pinpoint who had close contact with that person and should be quarantined and tested, said Superintendent Bobby Russell. Those additional tests all returned negative, he said. The employee, whos recuperating now, will have to pass two follow-up tests with a clean bill of health before hell be allowed to return to work. No inmate has tested positive, Russell said. Like New River, Western Virginia Regional Jail is quarantining and testing all new admissions to its facility. Local jails described detailed COVID-19 precautions that included screenings, mask requirements and intensified cleaning. Obviously, were in heightened awareness at all times, Russell said. The Franklin County Sheriffs Office said it had one employee, who didnt work in the jail, test positive last month after returning from an out-of-town trip. That office, as part of its response, decided to arrange widespread testing for all employees who wanted it. Those results came back negative, said a spokeswoman. No member of the public had close contact with the employee, she added, and there have been no COVID-19 cases in the county jail. In Roanoke, the sheriffs office said the jails 12 cases were found through the daily screening measures required for employees and all others who enter the facility. The cases represent about 5.8% of the Roanoke Sheriffs Offices total staff of 207 people. Other employees who could have been exposed were quarantined and sent for testing in consultation with the health department, officials said. Spokeswoman Kristen Borak said 10 city inmates have been tested to date and all returned negative. It wasnt immediately clear if those tests were done in response to the employee cases or if they were unrelated. The jail said it tests inmates based on symptoms or exposure in line with CDC guidelines. New inmates are quarantined for 14 days before being added to a housing unit. Decontamination cleaning was done in relevant areas after the recent diagnoses, officials said, and enhanced cleaning is done daily. Statewide, total cases of COVID-19 rose to 88,904 Thursday, according to the Virginia Department of Health. That was an increase of 911 from the 87,993 reported Wednesday. The case numbers included 85,546 confirmed cases and 3,358 probable cases. There are 2,141 COVID-19 deaths in Virginia 2,035 confirmed and 106 probable. Thats an increase of 16 from the 2,125 reported Wednesday. The Richmond Times-Dispatch contributed to this report. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Chideock Hill in Dorset has been named as the site with the worst air pollution levels in the country. (Google Maps) A picturesque Dorset village has been found to have the worst air pollution in the country. Chideock Hill in West Dorset was top of the list of more than 1,300 sites across the country where annual limits for harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide were breached. Environmental group Friends of the Earth analysed the latest data on air pollution from English local authorities air quality annual status reports submitted to the government. Earlier this year a preliminary study found that air pollution could be linked to increased deaths and cases of coronavirus in England. Sheffield was also on the list of the top 10 places for air pollution levels. (Getty) It found 1,360 monitoring sites across the country exceeded the annual average air quality target of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air for nitrogen dioxide in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available. Chideock Hill topped the list with a figure of 97.7, followed by Sheffield at 91.7 and Brighton at 90.8. Read more: Second wave of coronavirus homegrown' as government accused of blaming Europe for spike in cases Also on the list were sites in Leeds, the Strand and other areas in London, and parts of Doncaster. In some spots, the annual average was more than double the level set to protect health from long-term exposure to pollution, the analysis showed. The Strand in London was also found to have high air pollution levels. (Getty) Nitrogen dioxide is linked to health issues such as lung and respiratory diseases and early deaths and mainly comes from traffic fumes. Friends of the Earth is calling polluting vehicles to be removed from the roads and transport cleaned up. Simon Bowens, clean air campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: The government must also end its damaging fixation on building more roads. You cant justify this by planning to phase out polluting petrol and diesel vehicles and replace them with electric ones. We need to go much further than just getting out of one type of car and into another. There has been an improvement since last years audit by the green group, which saw 1,591 sites exceed the annual target. Story continues More to do on tackling air pollution, says Defra A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010 emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by 33% and are at their lowest level since records began. But we know there is more to do, which is why are taking urgent action to curb the impact air pollution has on communities across England through the delivery of our 3.8 billion plan to clean up transport and tackle NO2 pollution. This includes providing 880 million in funding and expert support to local authorities to improve air quality, and to introduce Clean Air Zones to further clean up the air we breathe. The 10 sites with the highest annual average nitrogen dioxide levels according to the Friends of the Earth analysis are: By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 29, 2020 | 06:15 PM | PADUCAH Officers received a call from someone saying that a man had been shot and was on the way to the hospital. The victim spoke with officers briefly, and told them that 20-year-old William R. Moore had shot him. Detectives said a witness confirmed the information. Police located Moore Wednesday night and placed him under arrest. The victim, Tyreik Simmons, was taken to an out-of-state hospital in critical condition. The Paducah Police Department arrested a man Wednesday that reportedly shot another man in the head at an apartment on North 7th Street. One of the best investments we can make is in our own knowledge and skill set. With that in mind, this article will work through how we can use Return On Equity (ROE) to better understand a business. By way of learning-by-doing, we'll look at ROE to gain a better understanding of Transurban Group (ASX:TCL). Return on equity or ROE is an important factor to be considered by a shareholder because it tells them how effectively their capital is being reinvested. Simply put, it is used to assess the profitability of a company in relation to its equity capital. Check out our latest analysis for Transurban Group How To Calculate Return On Equity? Return on equity can be calculated by using the formula: Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations) Shareholders' Equity So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Transurban Group is: 2.0% = AU$187m AU$9.6b (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2019). The 'return' is the amount earned after tax over the last twelve months. That means that for every A$1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated A$0.02 in profit. Does Transurban Group Have A Good ROE? Arguably the easiest way to assess company's ROE is to compare it with the average in its industry. Importantly, this is far from a perfect measure, because companies differ significantly within the same industry classification. As shown in the graphic below, Transurban Group has a lower ROE than the average (7.1%) in the Infrastructure industry classification. roe That certainly isn't ideal. However, a low ROE is not always bad. If the company's debt levels are moderate to low, then there's still a chance that returns can be improved via the use of financial leverage. A company with high debt levels and low ROE is a combination we like to avoid given the risk involved. You can see the 3 risks we have identified for Transurban Group by visiting our risks dashboard for free on our platform here. Story continues The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity Most companies need money -- from somewhere -- to grow their profits. That cash can come from retained earnings, issuing new shares (equity), or debt. In the first two cases, the ROE will capture this use of capital to grow. In the latter case, the debt used for growth will improve returns, but won't affect the total equity. That will make the ROE look better than if no debt was used. Transurban Group's Debt And Its 2.0% ROE Transurban Group clearly uses a high amount of debt to boost returns, as it has a debt to equity ratio of 2.09. The combination of a rather low ROE and significant use of debt is not particularly appealing. Debt does bring extra risk, so it's only really worthwhile when a company generates some decent returns from it. Conclusion Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. In our books, the highest quality companies have high return on equity, despite low debt. If two companies have the same ROE, then I would generally prefer the one with less debt. Having said that, while ROE is a useful indicator of business quality, you'll have to look at a whole range of factors to determine the right price to buy a stock. It is important to consider other factors, such as future profit growth -- and how much investment is required going forward. So you might want to check this FREE visualization of analyst forecasts for the company. But note: Transurban Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. 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. (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong police arrested four student activists over online comments they said violated a new Beijing-drafted national security law, the first time authorities have used the controversial legislation to limit speech on the internet. Police detained four people ages 16 to 21 -- including three who were male and one who was female -- over comments posted in July inciting others to commit secession, the Hong Kong Police Force said Wednesday. The arrests came after police found a newly established group online calling for the creation of a Republic of Hong Kong by any means necessary. Police remind the public that the cyberworld of the internet is not a virtual space beyond the law, the police said in a statement. Those arrested included former Studentlocalism convener Tony Chung, 19, the group said on Twitter, adding that the four were detained at police stations in northwestern Hong Kong and were denied bail. Local democracy activists were joined by U.S. lawmakers in criticizing the arrests as an attack on free speech in the former British colony, and an overreaction under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. HK police admitted that they arrested four students for organizing or inciting secession. No concrete actions executed, only posts on social media, pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu wrote on Twitter. The max. penalty is life imprisonment. Typical CCP speech crime. The Hong Kong police didnt immediately respond Thursday to an email and a phone call seeking comment. Activists including Sunny Cheung and Ventus Lau speculated that the arrests could be related to the Initiative Independence Party, which was set up by overseas members of Studentlocalism. The group, whose Facebook page saw an increase in likes to more than 700 after the news broke, pledged to fight using any means possible in order to expel Chinese colonizers from our land. The arrests bring to 15 the number of Hong Kong residents taken in under the sweeping security law, which China imposed on the former British colony on June 30. Authorities have indicated that its broadly worded provisions against subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces could cover non-violent actions common in protests that rocked the city last year. Story continues Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has argued that the law will restore stability and allow more residents to exercise their own rights, saying that speech supporting independence isnt protected along with other views inconsistent with the law. While officials have repeatedly said that the law targets a very small minority of people, they have also described it as a sword of Damocles hanging over the governments most strident critics. The legislation has fanned fears that Hong Kong could eventually be drawn behind Chinas Great Firewall system of internet controls and censorship. Some local startups have already begun discussing or executing plans to move data out of the city, potentially foreshadowing moves by larger firms such as Facebook Inc., Alphabet Inc.s Google and Twitter Inc. The arrests come after a flurry of local media reports suggesting Hong Kongs government will seek to delay Legislative Council elections set for Sept. 6, when the citys opposition hoped to demonstrate popular support against Beijings actions. Top officials were mulling asking the National Peoples Congress for authority to postpone the election for a year, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday, citing people it didnt identify. NPC Meeting The newspaper, which echoed similar reports in other outlets earlier this week, said Lam wanted Beijings support to prevent legal challenges in local courts. The NPCs top legislative body announced plans Wednesday to meet Aug. 8-11, although no Hong Kong item was yet on the agenda. Calls to delay the election have grown among pro-establishment figures amid a fresh coronavirus outbreak, with the city reporting 118 additional cases on Wednesday to bring its total to more than 3,000. Hong Kongs government has reiterated earlier statements that agencies were still preparing for the election and were communicating with health authorities to formulate plans. The election would be Hong Kongs first since the security legislation was handed down, and the pro-democracy camp has expressed fear the law would be used to disqualify candidates. Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. earlier this week voiced concern about a possible postponement, saying the election should go ahead as planned. Similarly, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China criticized the latest arrests. The bodys co-chairmen, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, called on Hong Kong to drop the prosecutions. The arrests showed that police would use the law against crimes involving speech rather than just actions, said Ma Ngok, an associate professor of political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. If the law is applied that way it will be a major threat to the freedom of speech in Hong Kong, Ma said. It shows you dont need direct actions. You can be arrested for simply sharing a post. 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. By Trudy Rubin As many as 2,636 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry. According to Sadat Lari, 196 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day. Sadat Lari added that the condition of 4,027 people is critical. The official said that Iran's Tehran, Mazandaran, Fars, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, Alborz, Lorestan, Golestan, Kerman, Semnan, Hormozgan, North Khorasan and Ilam provinces are red zones. So far, more than 2.4 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 298,900 people have been infected and 16,343 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 259,100 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease. The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. A government audit of India's flagship payments processor last year found more than 40 security vulnerabilities including several it called "critical" and "high" risk, according to an internal government document seen by Reuters. The audit, which took place over four months to February 2019, highlighted a lack of encryption of personal data at the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) which forms the backbone of the country's digital payments system and operates the RuPay card network championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The March 2019 government document cited the storing of 16-digit card numbers and other personal information such as customer names, account numbers and national identity numbers in "plain text" in some databases, leaving the data unprotected if the system was breached. The audit has not previously been reported. The NPCI said in a statement to Reuters it is regularly audited in the interests of security and senior management reviews all findings, which are then "remediated to (the) satisfaction of the auditors". This includes the findings cited by Reuters, it said. India's National Cyber Security Coordinator, Rajesh Pant, whose office coordinated the audit, also said in a statement to Reuters that "all observations raised in last year's report have been confirmed as resolved by the NPCI". Pant added audits are best practice for the mitigation of cyberattacks and are conducted on a periodic basis by all enterprises. The audit was undertaken to provide Modi's National Security Council with an overview of the NPCI's defences against cyberattacks. Modi's office and the finance ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The audit's findings underscore the data-security challenges faced by the NPCI which processes billions of dollars daily via services that include inter-bank fund transfers, ATM transactions and digital payments. In India and beyond, financial institutions are under immense pressure to mount effective defences to protect their customers as the number of malicious cyberattacks grow and hackers become more sophisticated. Set up in 2008, the NPCI is a not-for-profit company which as of March 2019 counted 56 banks as its shareholders, including the State Bank of India, Citibank and HSBC. RuPay, in particular, has been enthusiastically endorsed by Modi who has likened its use to a national duty. It has grown to account for almost two-thirds of nearly 900 million debit and credit cards issued in India as of October, according to NPCI and central bank data. President Alpha Conde's party will convene next week to choose a candidate for Guinea's presidential election due this year, its spokesman announced, fuelling opposition distrust of its aims. "We will hold our convention on August 5 and 6 at the party's national headquarters... We will designate our candidate for the presidential poll," Aly Kaba, a lawmaker from the ruling Rally for the People of Guinea (RPG), told AFP on Wednesday. Opposition politicians swiftly accused the RPG of scheming to keep Alpha Conde in power beyond his constitutional limits and warned of demonstrations if he should be named. Conde, 82, has kept quiet about his intentions. Kaba said the convention would see a restricted turnout of 40 RPG regional delegates and "a few" officials from the political bureau and central committee, because of the coronavirus. In Guinea, the COVID-19 outbreak has infected 7,126 people of whom 46 have died, according to a toll released on July 28. The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), grouping the main opposition parties and representatives of civil society, urged "the population of Conakry and surrounding areas to demonstrate on August 6 to block this civilian coup d'Atat", in a statement. It called on activists "to mobilise the people to give a resounding success" in protests "until Mr Alpha Conde leaves office". Guinea. By Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP) Street protests against Conde started in October last year and were repeatedly met with a brutal crackdown in which several dozen civilians were killed. In March, the opposition tried to scuttle a new constitution put to a referendum by Conde, saying it was a ploy to reset the number of his years in power and open the way to a new mandate. According to the official results, the constitution was approved by 91.59 percent of those voting, in a turnout of 61 percent. Conde was long a political foe of previous leaders who kept an iron grip on Guinea after independence from France in 1958. He was elected president in 2010 and voted back in 2015, although critics say his tenure has since swung towards authoritarianism. The electoral commission has proposed that the presidential poll be held on October 18, but Conde has yet to set a date. House Bill 2463 unanimously passed the state Legislature last week and will become law. Gov. Tom Wolf had threatened to veto the legislation known as the transparency bill but announced on Sunday that he would neither veto nor sign it. This was a course of events strange to Pennsylvania. The law proposed by York County Republican Rep. Seth Grove requires state agencies to answer the publics questions submitted through Right-to-Know requests, as prescribed by law, during state of emergency declarations. It did not expand the rights of access to information nor did it add restrictions; it ensures that those rights would be followed during a time of public crisis, such as the current pandemic devastating Pennsylvanias public health, education and economy. Then things got strange: The bill was passed unanimously by the state Legislature, a group known for its inability to agree on anything and for its recalcitrant habits of not getting much accomplished. And then Wolf who has campaigned on and urged support for transparency in government threatened to veto it. The bill had a simple goal, according to Grove. To ensure the public has a route to hold its government accountable, even in times when a state of emergency declaration has been declared. A crisis is no reason for elected officials to ignore questions from the public. We couldnt agree more. Our support for HB2463 echoes that of other newspapers and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, who raised concerns about Wolfs threat to veto. Killing HB2463 would have allowed the administration and state agencies to ignore valid questions from the public and the press citing the exception of a public emergency. The governors objections were that complying with the law could potentially pose a risk to public safety or health care privacy. But Melissa Melewsky, an attorney for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, told PA Post the existing law has in place the exceptions necessary to prevent the release of information that would create harm. They include: exemptions for trade secrets, confidential and proprietary information, individuals medical information, investigation exemptions, and exemptions related to safety and security of individuals, buildings, and critical infrastructure, Melewsky said. The genesis of the bill stems from the strange times we find ourselves in. Grove said that agencies which had to close physical locations must follow procedures by the Office of Open Records. These procedures will take into consideration the difficulties faced by commonwealth agencies due to COVID-19 and any potential future emergency declarations and establish fair policies for responding to an RTK request, he said. In Sundays announcement, Wolf expressed deep concerns about having employees come to offices to fulfill public records requests under dangerous conditions, calling the bill ill-conceived and poorly drafted on protections for security and infrastructure during an emergency. But the very fact of his threatened veto gave the impression that perhaps Wolfs administration had something to hide. The bill does not expand right-to-know laws in Pennsylvania; it merely ensures that those rights are not abused or squashed during a public emergency. Any official who supports transparency in government dealings would be hard-pressed to explain why an emergency, with the aforementioned safeguards in place, trumps the publics right to know. Emergencies are exactly when laws like Right-to-Know have their greatest value. Emergencies are the times that people most need to be fully informed and to understand why decisions are being made, wrote PennLive in an editorial last week supporting HB2463. Arguments against openness are always feeble and are themselves transparent, wrote PennLive. As a practical matter, the veto threat suggested Wolfs lack of confidence in his own administration and wasted energy fighting the rare instance of non-partisan agreement in Harrisburg. At a time when confidence in public officials is critical, especially on the state level where responsibility lies for reopening schools, businesses and setting health guidelines to combat the coronavirus, this was an opportunity to reinforce that confidence. The governor failed to do that. We are pleased that HB2463 will become law, but it comes with disappointment. Wolfs support would have capped a unanimous nonpartisan action in Harrisburg. Instead, the threat to veto added a layer of bickering that seemed like business as usual. What a shame. The findings, published in the journal Genome Biology, are based on a new mouse model developed by a team of researchers, including experts from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Addenbrookes Hospital. The researchers found that a mutation in a well-known cancer gene, known as EGFR, initiates glioblastoma and works with more than 200 other genes to drive the disease. The team said their work could help in finding new drugs that target these mutations by testing the treatments on the mouse model. Dr Imran Noorani, a corresponding author previously from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and now based at Addenbrookes Hospital and the University of Cambridge, said: We have created a new mouse model for studying the lethal human brain cancer glioblastoma. For the first time, we showed that the familiar cancer gene, EGFR, is capable of initiating glioblastoma and we identified new driver genes, whose potential for therapeutic targeting deserves further exploration. Unfortunately, glioblastoma tumours can become highly resistant to therapies that target specific molecules, as there are many other genetic drivers that can 'take over' progressing the cancer. This new mouse model provides the missing link to translate findings from new potential treatments tested on mice to clinical trials Advertisement Glioblastoma is usually treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However cancer cells can evade treatment and cause tumours to return, with patients surviving for 12-18 months following diagnosis. To identify which genes help EGFR to drive the cancer, the team used a technique where a small section of DNA was inserted into different parts of the genome the genetic material of an organism to introduce mutations. The researchers found more than 200 known and new mutations in the genes that were working with EGFR to drive brain tumour growth in their mouse model. Comparisons with human genomic data uncovered many genetic mutations found in both humans and mice, the researchers said. Professor Allan Bradley, previously director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and now chief scientific officer of Kymab and professor in the department of medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: Glioblastoma patients urgently require new, targeted therapies. Unfortunately, glioblastoma tumours can become highly resistant to therapies that target specific molecules, as there are many other genetic drivers that can take over progressing the cancer. This new mouse model provides the missing link to translate findings from new potential treatments tested on mice to clinical trials. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Partly cloudy. Much colder. High 22F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low near 10F. Winds light and variable. A woman has described the 'frightening' scenes on board one of the last flights from Sydney to Queensland which was packed with 'scared and coughing passengers'. Jetstar flight JQ7002 left Sydney bound for the Gold Coast at 3.45pm on Thursday afternoon ahead of the Queensland border closure at 1am on Saturday. Photos sent to Daily Mail Australia show passengers in face masks sitting knee-to- knee in the Qantas budget airline, with some choosing not to wear protective equipment on the packed plane. A passenger on the flight said she did not feel safe on board. 'It's a COVID-19 mosh pit. No social distancing on planes,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'No wonder it's spreading across borders.' Scroll down for video Jetstar flight JQ7002 left Sydney bound for the Gold Coast at 3.45pm on Thursday afternoon, disembarking at Coolangatta shortly after 5pm A passenger on the flight described it as a 'COVID-19 mosh pit' She said the elderly on board appeared shaken and fearful. 'I feel sorry for the elderly, the guy in front looks scared and people were coughing on the plane as well,' she said. 'I mean the airlines are not helping the situation cramming their flights. 'This is one of the last remaining flights to the Gold Coast before the borders shut.' Photos sent to Daily Mail Australia show passengers sitting knee to knee Passengers are seen on board the packed plane shortly before take-off Daily Mail Australia has been told the flight was almost at full capacity until passengers disembarked at Coolangatta shortly after 5pm. Passengers described a similar scenario on the Jetstar flight JQ520 Melbourne and Sydney on July 7 ahead of the Victorian border closure. The flight was said to be 'completely packed' and resulted in 137 passengers being let into New South Wales without undergoing screening for COVID-19. The aviation industry implemented a series of health and safety measures for COVID-19 on June 12 after restrictions began easing and domestic flights ramped up. The passenger (not pictured) said elderly men were wearing face masks and appeared visibly fearful Under aviation industry regulations face masks are provided to passengers but it is not mandatory to wear them on board These regulations are industry-wide and do not vary across carriers. A Jetstar spokesman told Daily Mail Australia they operated in accordance with best practice medical advice and customer feedback. 'Australia's Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Medical Officers in each state and territory have endorsed the approach taken by airlines,' he said. 'Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the Medical Expert Panel, consisting of the Chief Medical Officers, believes the risk of transmission of COVID-19 on flights is low.' The comments were echoed by Qantas group medical director, Dr Ian Hosegood. 'The data shows that actual risk of catching Coronavirus on an aircraft is already extremely low,' Dr Hosegood said. 'That's due to a combination of factors, including the cabin air filtration system, the fact people don't sit face-to-face and the high backs of aircraft seats acting as a physical barrier. 'As far as the virus goes, an aircraft cabin is a very different environment to other forms of public transport.' Based on medical advice, social distancing is not required on planes. The Australian Government endorsed the health guidelines the aviation industry implemented on June 27. Based on medical advice, social distancing is not required on planes. The Australian Government endorsed the health guidelines the aviation industry implemented on June 27 A Jetstar spokesman told Daily Mail Australia they operate with best practice medical advice and feedback from customers Administration Leadership in our fourth century. William & Mary is a public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia, governed by a board of visitors. Composed of 17 members, the Board of Visitors is appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve the university. William & Mary is led by President Katherine A. Rowe, Provost Peggy Agouris and five senior administrators who direct the academic and administrative activities and departments at the university. William & Mary is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, master's, post-master's certificate, doctoral and first professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the university's accreditation. Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc (NYSE:MAA) Q2 2020 Earnings Call , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the MAA Second Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] I will now turn the conference over to Tim Argo Senior Vice President, Finance for MAA. Tim Argo -- Senior Vice President, Director of Finance Thank you, Ashley, and good morning everyone. This is Tim Argo, Senior Vice President of Finance for MAA. With me are Eric Bolton, our CEO; Al Campbell, our CFO; Rob DelPriore, our General Counsel; Tom Grimes, our COO; and Brad Hill, Executive Vice President and Head of Transactions. Before we begin with our prepared comments this morning, I want to point out that as part of the discussion, company management will be making forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from our projections. We encourage you to refer to the forward-looking statements section in yesterday's earnings release and our 34 Act filings with the SEC, which describe risk factors that may impact future results. These reports, along with a copy of today's prepared comments and an audio copy of this morning's call will be available on our website. During this call, we will also discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures. A presentation of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures as well as reconciliations of the differences between non-GAAP and comparable GAAP measures can be found in our earnings release and supplemental financial data, which are available on the For Investors page of our website at www.maac.com. I will now turn the call over to Eric. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Tim. Results for the second quarter were ahead of expectations as strong collections drove NOI performance above our internal forecast. Due to both the high quality of our portfolio and the proactive efforts by our team to work with residents impacted by the pandemic, we expect continued solid performance with collections. Encouragingly, the trends for rent payments improved over the course of the quarter and as Tom will touch on the positive trends continued in July, with residents -- with fewer residents seeking rent deferral arrangements. As of the 27th of the month, our cash collections for July rent were a strong 98.1% which compares favorably to an average Q2 performance on a comparable basis at 96.4%. We are monitoring reports of increased levels of COVID cases in a number of Sunbelt markets. While we expect conditions will remain fluid and choppy across various states and markets, we are optimistic that efforts to reopen local businesses and economies will continue. Beyond the uncertainties associated with how various state and local economies will proceed to reopen, questions associated with actions by the federal government to extend support to individuals and businesses also remain unresolved. For these reasons, we continue to feel that conditions remain too uncertain to provide updated earnings guidance. However, as outlined in our supplemental pages to the press release, we will continue to provide more details surrounding current rent collections and leasing trends. Assuming there is no significant change in current conditions, we believe that we will continue to capture solid collections on billed rent as well as continued low resident turnover and stable occupancy. We do expect continued pressure on rent growth, but we were encouraged with the improvement in lease over lease pricing for leases signed in July with a significant percentage of our leases repricing during the busy summer leasing season, it is important to keep in mind that we will carry these reprice units into early leasing season next year and it will weigh on the cumulative performance of overall rent growth for the next three quarters or so. However, as new supply deliveries slow next year, we expect a resumption of more robust rent growth across our markets. Longer term, we believe that our Sunbelt markets will capture increasingly stronger trends in adding new employers, job growth and new household formations. Our unique approach to diversifying across this robust region of the country with high quality communities, supported by a sophisticated operating platform will -- we believe continue to drive long-term outperformance for capital. Further, our strong balance sheet, puts us in a solid position to both weather the current economic slowdown as well as opportunistically pursue compelling opportunities that emerge. In closing, I want to express my appreciation and thanks to our MAA associates for their dedication and superior service throughout the stressful second quarter. Your performance and commitment to our mission of serving our residents and all who depend on MAA, during these stressful times has been absolutely incredible. And with that, I'll now turn the call over to Tom. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Thank you, Eric, and good morning everyone. I will offer a short recap on the second quarter and then move to trends that we've seen through July. The initial slowdown in demand triggered by COVID-19 in late March has moderated and trends are improving. Our teams have adapted and have been effective using our virtual self-tour platform. These practices were further augmented our return to guided tours in May. Leasing volume in April was down versus prior year by 9% of volume and May and June were strong enough and leasing volume for the quarter was 0.6% higher than last year. Effective rents were up 3.4% and blended lease over lease pricing including concessions was up 1.2%. Occupancy remained steady at 95.4% and turnover for the quarter was down 7% versus last year. We saw steady interest in our product upgrade initiatives. During the quarter we restarted our unit interior -- our interior unit redevelopment program as well as the installation of our Smart Home technology package that includes mobile control of lights, thermostat and security as well as leak detection. As noted in the supplemental document collections during the quarter were strong, we worked diligently to identify and support those who need help as a result of COVID-19. The number of those seeking assistance has dropped with each month. In April, we had 5,600 residents on relief plans. The number of participants decreased each month thereafter and it's just 530 for the July rental assistance plan. This represents 0.5% of our 100,000 units. As a reminder, in addition to the flexible payment plans for those affected by COVID-19, we've not charged late fees, frozen -- we have frozen eviction proceedings and actively worked to pair affected residents with local and national support resources. We are still below our normal run rate. The reduction in the number of residents on a rental assistance planned aided our fee income during the second quarter. As of July 27, we've got to 98.1% of rent build for July. This is a 170 basis points better than April, May and June results at the same day of the month. Adding the 0.3 of deferred payments for COVID-19 effected resident payment plans, referenced in the COVID-19 disclosure, we've accounted for 98.4% of July's build rent. This is an encouraging result, but we are keeping close eye on the CARES Act expiration and the discussion around the continuation of government benefits. Leasing volume for July is on track to exceed last year. Historically pricing power peaks in the early third quarter and thus far July has been our best pricing month since COVID-19 hit. Net July month-to-date blended lease over lease rates during the month increased 1.7%. This is more than 100 basis points better and leases signed in the second quarter while we see this improvement across asset types and locations, our B assets and our suburban locations are stronger. In addition to positive pricing trends, occupancy is also strengthened. Occupancy has improved from a low point of 95.1 to 95.7 today, 60 day exposure, which is all vacant units plus notices for a 60-day period has dropped from a high of 9.2 in April to 8.4 in June and is now 8%. Our current residents are choosing to stay with us and our resident renewal retention rates were also positive. August, September and October renewal accept rates are running ahead of prior years and signed lease-over-lease rates are in the 4% to 5% range. I'd like to echo Eric's comments and thank our teams as well. They have served in caring for our residents and our associates well, and have grappled with the constantly changing implications of COVID-19. They worked diligently to provide supportive and carrying environment for our residents and one another. I'm proud of them and grateful for their efforts and character. I'll now turn the call over to Brad. A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Thank you, Tom. The transaction market continues to experience a material slowdown in activity, with second quarter volume within our markets down significantly from 2019. In addition to challenges and underwriting, travel moratoriums, property tour restrictions and difficulties performing due diligence all continue to make closing a successful transaction challenging. Despite these pressures, sellers are beginning to test the waters in our number of underwritings while still below previous years have increased materially since the beginning of July. Certainty of execution is more important than ever, and since this is one of our core strengths, we have been able to review a number of properties mostly off market. At this point, most of the deals we have reviewed have not traded so broad pricing trends are not yet apparent. The upcoming election is likely to further suppress transaction volume and cause the lack of pricing discovery to persist. We believe better buying opportunities on new lease-ups should emerge after the election and into 2021 as the backlog of merchant build properties, which are prevalent in our footprint begin to hit the market. The availability of financing continues to evolve. While early in the pandemic debt financing was difficult across the board. It now remains difficult for lease-up properties as well as some developments, but it is available at very attractive rates for stabilized assets. In addition to the commitment of equity -- In addition, the commitment of equity is also further restricting transaction volume and construction starts. To date, a number of equity providers have paused or completely pulled out of quite a few new developments as well as acquisitions, sometimes for reasons not related to the real estate or the returns. This hesitancy coupled with our continued ability to perform on compelling investments has opened the door for us to review numerous opportunities through each of our external growth platforms. While we are reviewing a few acquisitions, it's still too early for new lease-up opportunities to materialize and more compelling investments on existing assets are likely to emerge late this year and into 2021. Our balance sheet is well positioned to allow us to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise. Our development team continues to pursue a number of land sites with three developments and due diligence that we hope to start construction on in 2021. With equity hesitating on new developments, we are receiving strong interest in our prepurchase platform. We're currently in conversations on several opportunities that would likely start construction late this year or early next, with delivery occurring mid-2022 and wrapping up in 2023. These development and prepurchase investments align well with the current delivery pipelines. And we'll deliver at a time when we believe the leasing conditions for new developments will be significantly stronger. We are beginning to see a drop in permit activity and have seen a substantial drop in construction starts in our markets, which should result in a decrease in deliveries in 2022 and '23. In terms of construction, the six projects we have under way remain on budget and on schedule. And to date, we have not experienced any major disruptions or delays to any of our supply chains. With that, I'll turn the call over to Al. Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Thank you, Brad, and good morning everyone. I'll provide some brief commentary on the company's recent earnings performance, balance sheet position and then finally, a few comments on our outlook for the remainder of 2020. As mentioned earlier, we're very encouraged by the second quarter performance, particularly in the area of rent collections. At beginning of the pandemic this area was the most significant short-term unknown with rental pricing expected to have a longer term impact as new leases rolled through the portfolio. As noted in the supplement through July 27, we either fully collected or obtained deferral agreements for 98.4% of all rent bills during the second quarter. And at this point, we've had very good payment performance from our deferral addendums with a 97% compliance rate on outstanding agreements. We also established a reserve sufficient to cover all rent unpaid from residents not entering a formal agreement as well as a large portion of the deferred rent. July continued the strong trend in rent collections. Given the remaining high level of uncertainty, we do not yet have enough clarity to reestablish earnings for overall same-store guidance for the year. However, we do have a little more clarity on operating expenses, and overall, we still expect them to end up essentially in line with our initial forecast for the year. As a reminder, we initially outline same-store expense growth for the full year to be in the range of 3.75% to 4.75% growth, a 4.25% growth at the midpoint. The primary pressures coming from real estate taxes, insurance and the roll out of the bulk Internet cable program called double-play. The context and the contribution to expense growth ignoring these three items, all other operating expenses are expected to grow about 2.5% for the full year. Our balance sheet continues to support our business plans very well with leverage near historic lows and significant capacity from cash and remaining borrow potential under our line of credit combining for $927 million of capacity. We restarted our redevelopment programs during the quarter, and our development pipeline continues to progress well and on track. We expect to fund between $200 million and $250 million balance for the full year toward the completion of our development pipeline. As Brad mentioned, the acquisition environment remains challenging with most opportunities expected to be pre-prepurchased deals, which will have longer-term funding commitments, similar to a development. We currently expect our business plans for the remainder of the year to be essentially leverage neutral not requiring any equity funding this year. However, as previously discussed, our plans do include a potential bond deal in the second half of the year to fully pay off our line of credit, maintaining our capacity and prepaying some future debt maturities in today's low rate environment. And finally, as reflected in our release, we incurred $2.4 million of COVID-19 related expenses during the second quarter, primarily consisting of additional clean-ups -- cleaning for COVID-19 related leave and contract labor. We added these costs back to core FFO as these initial expenses are considered non-recurring in nature. We do expect remaining costs to be much smaller over the second half of the year. That's all that we have in the way of prepared comments. So Ashley, we'll now turn the call back over to you for questions. Questions and Answers: Operator [Operator Instructions] We'll take our first question from Neil Malkin with Capital One. Please go ahead. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Everyone, good morning. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Hi, Neil. Good morning Neil. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Nice quarter. First question. Have you started to see maybe over the last three months in terms of your new leases, migration out of the gateway urban markets and into your sort of core Sunbelt names? Or is that kind of either too hard or too soon to discern? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer No, we track that information. Overall, it's a relatively low percentage of our total leases. We didn't see much movement in the second quarter. But in July that began to tick up. So, New York is up double-digits. Massachusetts, up about 8.7% and Pennsylvania up about 5% -- 5.3% of our increase over prior year on that. But again, still relatively low percentage of our total leases, but we are beginning to see early trends in that. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Okay. And then just as a follow-up to that. Are you seeing within your markets more move from urban to suburban particularly in some of your -- I guess maybe out of your post assets or things like that into more suburban areas? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer We are not seeing that. We are seeing demand for urban assets -- suburban assets is a stronger pricing for us right now. But we're not seeing people transfer from urban to suburban. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Got it. And then maybe, can you just talk about Orlando? How that market has been performing and how it's trending. Similar with Charleston even on some of your markets that are more exposed to leisure travel? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Yes. Orlando is, I would say, improved on the rent collection standpoint. They were one of our larger exposures back in April. They are now just 0.7% of leases outstanding or on renewal or on rent support programs. In terms of the market, the Disney and Universal coming back in modest fashion have helped a little bit. We're seeing the more Northern properties perform better than the Southern properties, which have that exposure to Disney and a little bit of International. So it's sort of, I would say, largely the same with some improving rent collection trends right now. But we're pleased to see the parks open and that has a ripple effect across those Southern properties. I mean in Charleston frankly improved significantly. We saw a nice pickup in late second quarter and early July. I mean Savannah still worry bead on that front. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Great. And then last one from me. In terms of opportunities you mentioned, you kind of talked about a lot, I'm not sure I got all of it correctly. But you do not think that in the second half of the year, you're going to see stabilized opportunities. It's mostly just the development related deals. And then also, are you thinking or what do you think about doing some mezz or preferred given the kind of dislocation relative to earlier in the year and the higher yields you could get? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Hey Neil, this is Brad. I think in terms of the opportunities for the rest of the year, I do think there'll be -- we've seen starting in July some stabilized assets have begin to come to market. Certainly in the second quarter, there was just a complete fall off and transactions coming to market. That's picked up a bit. I think for us, our focus has always been on new lease-ups. And to date we're not really seeing those come to market. I think there needs to be a little bit more pressure in the market before developers begin to really bring those to market. So we are really focused in seeing opportunities right now based on kind of the capital constraints that I mentioned in my opening comments. We're seeing the opportunities really emerge on the development front, land sites that have been dropped and then also on prepurchase where we partner with developers and for those we've got difficulties in both debt and equity on that side that's putting some opportunities in front of us that we wouldn't have had. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Neil, this is Eric. Also just to clarify, we are not in the business of financing other people's properties. We will come in with capital and work with developers on the basis that we will ultimately own the asset, but functioning strictly has a financier of other people's product is not what we do. Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Got it. Thank you guys very much. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Thanks Neil. Operator And we'll take our next question from Nick Yulico with Scotiabank. Please go ahead. Sumit Sharma -- Scotiabank -- Analyst Hi guys. This is Sumit in for Nick. Good thoughts about renewals. Just trying to understand how you guys are thinking about this. They were lower in July, but still well above peers at 4.8%. And just to make sure these leases were offered about 30 to 60 days earlier, right? So most likely right after reopening, how should we think about renewals looking ahead? I mean is this close to the low in July or could they track new lease rates and perhaps flattish or slip a little further? Any color around that or what is your most sticky point in your negotiations with renewing tenants and what's driving turnover so low would be really helpful? Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Thank you. I think you caught it in your earlier comments. July was priced on the renewal front at the sort of peak concern level at this point or thus far. The -- so we would expect at this point the renewal rates for July -- took place in July to be the low point renewals and in July we're 4.5%, and I think we expect September and October to be between 4% and 5% range going forward. So a little recovery in renewal rates is what we're expecting. Sumit Sharma -- Scotiabank -- Analyst And I guess, just following up, what's driving negotiations turnover. Just any color on that kind of thing? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer We've got a very sophisticated platform and team that works to understand what the market demand is for renewal. And we use that process consistently and have trusted it over the years and that's what we used to move out and then we obviously have some level of negotiation with the resident at that point, there had been much in the way of sticking points, so we sort of feel like we're hitting the right spot in terms of the market, because the except rates are actually better than in prior years. So there is, I would say, it's a pretty honestly normal renewal process going forward. Sumit Sharma -- Scotiabank -- Analyst Okay. That's really helpful color. And I guess what's -- just to understand the overall pricing environment a little better and our yield after that. Is -- we're hearing that there was a surge of pent-up demand, right after the lockdowns. And so there were people who really wanted to sort of change living conditions and that's why they were looking to move and even during the virtual leasing days. But now that everything is seemingly open again. We're also hearing that we're seeing a lot more bargain hunters implying rate pressure and competitive dynamics. So your views seem to suggest that you're not seeing that. I guess what's different here or how are you -- what's driving your optimism a little more? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer What I would tell you is that we did see as you saw in my comments around the second quarter, we did see sort of a push back in leasing volumes in May and June, which sort of caught us off from the fall off in April, but what we're seeing is sort of a normal seasonal trend at this point. And sort of pricing power, if you will, normally peaks in late July and early August. I would expect that to happen. And then of course it will fall off in the fall under normal seasonal patterns. We are certainly seeing bargain hunters out there and our pricing is down lower than it was at this time last year. But what we are seeing is sort of normal seasonal pricing patterns now as we move past that sort of shutdown, if you will, that occurred in late March and early April. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer The other thing I would add is that, I think the fact that you're seeing performance along the lines of what you're describing, you really have to start thinking about different parts of the country. And our Sunbelt markets have just continued to we think of demonstrate a certain resiliency to them that is stronger than what we're seeing in other regions of the country. And as a consequence of that, we are -- things were depressed from where they were a year ago, but patterns and overall behavior in activity surrounding leasing and renewal is pretty much in line with patterns that we've seen historically. Sumit Sharma -- Scotiabank -- Analyst Thank you so much. That's really great color. I'll leave [Phonetic] it now. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Thank you. Operator We'll take our next question from Nick Joseph with Citi. Please go ahead. Nick Joseph -- Citi -- Analyst Thanks. With COVID cases increasing kind of broadly across the Sunbelt. I'm wondering on the ground, if you see any correlation between local hotspots and the relative strength of the operating environment? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Nick, you were a little muffled. And we're all trying to talk to masks, I suspect, but I think you were asking correlation between hotspots and leasing volume. Is that correct? Nick Joseph -- Citi -- Analyst That's right. Just on kind of the micro-level, if you see a hotspot or if there is a hotspot of COVID, do you deal that on the ground from a leasing perspective? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Nick, we have not seen much in the way of correlation on that. You know the market fundamentals really seem to be driven more by where the layoffs are occurring and then some variability between location and the submarket. But we are not seeing leasing fall-off in let's say high positivity markets versus low positivity markets at this point. Unless those correlate with unemployment levels. Nick Joseph -- Citi -- Analyst Thanks. That's helpful. And then maybe just on that, do you have a sense of what percentage of your tenants are currently unemployed or benefiting from government support? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer We do not have insight into their source of income Nick. But the fact that we have seen such an improvement and in terms of the number of people asking from support from us, and the feedback that we get, when we interact with our assistant property managers and our property managers, which is you can imagine, we're doing a ton of right now is that the people getting off are not getting off the plans because their government check came in, they're getting off the plans because they got more hours or they got pulled back off of furlough or, Disney opened and they are now engaged in some sort of support capacity. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer And Nick, the other thing I would add is, when you look at the average income of our portfolio of our resident profile and our average rent at this point, rent constitutes about 20% of monthly income of our resident base pretty affordable. And so as a consequence of that we just -- while we're certainly monitoring, what's happening with the efforts to continue some government assistance at the federal level for unemployment, we're not particularly concerned about that issue, because we just haven't -- for all the reasons that Tom mentioned, we just feel like that our folks have not really dependent a lot on that assistance to meet the rent obligations. Nick Joseph -- Citi -- Analyst Thank you. That's very helpful. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Thank you, Nick. Operator We'll take our next question from Austin Wurschmidt with KeyBanc. Please go ahead. Austin Wurschmidt -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Thanks and good morning everyone. Eric or Tom, I'm curious what you think is really driving the strong demand for your properties today. Given the state of the job market, the fact that there is some strength in the single-family housing market, both for buy and rentals, and so do you think it's renters that are trading down and bargain hunting has somebody referenced earlier. Just curious about your thoughts on what's driving demand today? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Yes. Austin, appreciate the question. I think it really is the underlying outlay of our markets in our area of the country. And what we're seeing is normal patterns. And I mean I appreciate the comment on strong demand. I'm not sure I'd quite classify that other than strong relative demand, but demand is clearly off of the levels that we were seeing last year, but I mean we like the resiliency that we're seeing. We spread out across the Sunbelt, which is a place that is I think appealing, especially in this timeframe and was already a major driver for jobs. And then we've allocated across -- we've got across different market types as well. So it is holding up well and the defensive nature of our portfolio I think is showing, but I'd hold short before I called it strong demand. I would call relatively strong demand, which we're pleased with. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer I would also add Austin when you consider the fact that 80% of our resident profile is single and only 20% married, and over 50% female, this is not a demographic, this is going to be driven to move into single-family, be it for sale or for rent. So we just continue to not see any mounting evidence whatsoever that single-family is becoming more compelling as it pertains to drawing more of our traffic. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Yes. I probably should have mentioned as well. Move-outs to buy a house during the quarter were down almost 5% and home renting, was down significantly and still less than 6% or it was down almost 10%, it's less than 6% of our move-outs. So we hear the builders are busier, but we are not seeing any impact of that here. Austin Wurschmidt -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Understood. All fair points and appreciate the detail. Eric, you have previously talked about the dry powder you have in the balance sheet and you are willing to use it for the right opportunity. I'm curious with the decrease in permitting levels in supply that you referenced in your prepared remarks, when would you or would you consider ramping the development pipeline above kind of those previous ranges that you've targeted? And then also wondering if you could put a finer point on what the decrease in supply into 2021 looks like? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Well, I'll take the first part and Brad you can take the supply question. I will tell you, Austin, yes, we definitely are looking for some development sites at the moment. We think that as Brad alluded to in his comments that if we were able to start some new projects early next year, that delivering in 2022, early 2023 could be really, really strong. And so we've got the existing land sites that we own in Austin. Another opportunity that we're working on in Raleigh. Another opportunity working on in Tampa. And so you're not going to see it ramp up significantly, because we've also got some other projects we will be finishing up. But on balance, I think that you will likely see our development pipeline move up somewhat over the next year or so, because we think deliveries in the next two years could be quite profitable. A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing And Austin, this is Brad. On the supply question for 2021. I think in terms of specific numbers for '21, it's kind of hard to pinpoint at this point, but I think if you look at the larger picture here, starting in March when COVID kind of started and the impact started hitting, it really permits -- it really started to decline and construction starts more. So if you're looking at an 18 month to a 20 month time period for delivery, you're starting to get into the back half of next year, end of next year when the supply starts to go down versus previous expectations. But in terms of the magnitude of that at this point, I think it's too early to say what it is. But we do expect, starting end of next year supply coming down just based on the construction starts in permitting and then that carrying into a larger degree into 2022. Austin Wurschmidt -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst That's helpful. Eric, I mean how large the development pipeline would you be willing to build, either from a dollar perspective or percent of EV? Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Austin, this is Al. What we've talked about in the past is really, we wouldn't want to go above 5% of our balance sheet. But that's a pretty big number. You're talking $700 million to $800 million right now. As Eric mentioned, we've got about $450 million that we're working on some of that will deliver over the next year, year and a half and we'll have several projects come back into the pipeline. So we would expect it to go up from the $450 million that we have right now, but you wouldn't see it go probably $800 million or something like that unless we had a specific plan or something different. Austin Wurschmidt -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Understood. Thanks guys. Operator We will take our next question from Rich Anderson with SMBC. Please go ahead. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Thanks. Good morning. Great quarter everybody. I just want to clarify, I think it was Tom, 5,600 seeking assistance in April down to 530 in July, was that right? And seeking assistance from the government or from you? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer From us. Those are the people that we reached out to identify and it is assistance from us in the -- in term of rental payment plans. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer And your numbers are correct, Rich. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer And yes, your numbers are correct. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Okay. So you actually gave assistance or they were seeking assistance? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer We gave assistance. We did it. We had plans that set up payment plans for rent over a defined time. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Okay. So and I think it was you also Tom that mentioned, you're seeing people come from Massachusetts in New York. That's -- I find that kind of interesting. I'm surprised, you're not more interested and you kind of brushed it off as an early sign. Isn't done at the call before you walk. I kind of feel like that might be something to really keep an eye on and I'm wondering if you could just give a little bit more color on your perspective of that kind of in-migration dynamic you're seeing? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer No, I mean the dynamic is real and it's part of the reason that we've built our strategy. Well, we feel like the Sunbelt is a place, it's always benefited from in-migration. It's a high quality of life. It's affordable and you have some flexibility here. And then that accelerated in latter years as taxes got more difficult and things like that and then it seems to be further accelerating as work from home allows unprecedented flexibility on where you choose to live and things like density and transit or things that we're perceived as real strengths may be less so. So we certainly read everything that you're reading and think that's interesting. And that's a lot of the reason why we are where we are. But right now the total move-ins from those markets is still relatively low. The pickup is interesting for us and we think this is going to continue. But I don't want to overstate the impact on our demand and that's why I was perhaps being a little lighter on the point earlier. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Are people saying I'm coming here, because I'm afraid of what's going on, and is it impacted by COVID-19 or is it just sort of just a data point you don't really -- you really can't characterize it? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer It is data point, based on where they moved from. We have not conducted interviews, but I will tell you, when I talk to our staff members who are often moving, we have a healthy amount of people from the Northeast in Raleigh and in Charlotte and in Tampa, Chicago and in Phoenix, and Denver, and Dallas, and Austin, it's California, they're moving and they're moving with their family and they're moving because they are out priced and over commuted and those are the things driving it. Now, these recent things like COVID and unrest that may accelerate things further, but the people we've talked to, it's been lifestyle choices based on quality of life. We have not had anybody recent enough, I had a conversation reason to know that these other things are playing into it at this point. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Okay, great. I know in-migration, the fact of license Sunbelt generally, I just didn't know it was significantly more than typical. But anyway I'll move on. Last question from me to Eric. If you get your federal supports, that situation gets resolved there too [Phonetic], what do you think you and perhaps the industry, because I assume you talked to every other read about how to position earning season? Do you think guided could come back into the mix next quarter or some time or do you think we're going to probably wait this out till 2021 comes around? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer No. I mean, I think that if we see stabilization broadly begin to take place and the government programs get recommitted to, I think by the time we get to the end of October, when we're releasing Q3, we'll have pretty good visibility on balance of the year at that point. So my guess is that when we release Q3, we will have a pretty good read on the full year to that point. And then we are also starting to get some sense of where 2021 is likely to go a little bit as well. We probably will not give guidance for 2021 at the end of October. But I think we will have some evidence to at least guide expectations a bit, supply dynamics, things of that nature, probably are pretty well known. So I'm confident by the time we get to the end of October, we will have a pretty good read on the balance of the year. Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Okay. That sounds great. Thanks everybody. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer You bet. Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Rich. Operator And we'll now take our next question from Haendel St. Juste with Mizuho. Please go ahead. Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst Yes. That's fine Mizuho. Thank you. I promise I only have two questions. So first one here is, you mentioned earlier that you've been able to review a few deals from potential sellers. I'm curious what -- looking at some of these shadow deals. I know they haven't closed. I'm curious what they inform you on seller underwriting maybe from a cap rate IRR perspective? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Haendel could you say that one more time, I'm sorry we had a hard time hearing you. Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst I was referring to the comments you made earlier about being able to review a few deals from potential sellers. So, I was curious what looking at some of these shadow deals. I know they didn't close. But I'm curious what you might have learned? What reviewing the deals informed you of the seller expectations, what their underwriting maybe from a cap rate or IRR perspective? Thanks. A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Yes. Haendel, this is Brad. I'll answer the first part of that. And anybody else can add in. But certainly, if you look back at second quarter as I mentioned, volume was off tremendously. Normally in a quarter we're underwriting somewhere between 50 and 60 deals, and in the second quarter we looked at 10 individual assets. So that just gives you an indication of the potential for data points is very, very limited and it's hard to draw strong conclusions from that. Over the 10 that we looked at, three have closed. Those were, generally, excuse me, stabilized assets. Certainly as I mentioned, the lease-up properties are not coming to market. So we really don't have any data points for pricing -- to indicate any pricing on those. But then as you get into the stabilized assets, you really have two camps. You have just a stabilized asset or you have a value-add. And the value-add camp is certainly seeing more of an impact. We're in constant communications with other contacts within the industry to try to help paint a broader picture of what this pricing environment looks like. And again, we just don't have a lot of data points. But I can tell you what we're generally seeing is, if you just look at the underwriting impact of what generally folks believe the impact to underwriting is of COVID going forward over the next couple of years is generally a 5% to 10% pricing discount is what folks expect. If you look at the deals that have closed, again taking out lease-ups, which have incurred and then taking out value-add, you're really looking at pricing discounts between zero and 5%. And really what's helping folks bridge that gap, is buyers are able to really pay a little bit more for the assets than what the underwriting would suggest because of the accommodative financing of our environment that's out there and these high-levered folks that are able to close on these transactions are able to kind of push through that pricing a little bit, but what it has indicated to us, because the fundamentals are off and the pricing is not off as much as that would suggest, is the cap rates are coming down. We've seen that again on the couple of deals that we've looked at, and then we're also hearing that with the industry context that we're talking to. But I would just say that it's very limited number of data points at this point. So it's really hard to draw strong conclusions from that at this point. And I think we'll start to see some of the stabilized asset pricing points trickle out as we get a little bit further along in the year, but lease-up pricing I think will be next year before we start seeing that. Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst Got it, got it. That's helpful. And largely quickly what we've heard as well. One last one. I was curious if you could talk about the blended rent growth in 2Q and July between your leading growth markets, the Austin, the Raleigh and your weaker one is Atlanta. And maybe perhaps you could give us some thoughts on your near term expectations. Do you expect that relationship in terms of blended rent growth between the best and the worst get wider or to narrow and over the next couple of quarters and why? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer You are going to see Haendel, I think we are seeing better progress and forward signed in July in Phoenix, Raleigh, Jacksonville Greenville, places like that. Houston and Orlando flat to modestly improving. And then Savannah, as I mentioned earlier in Charleston both improved on blended pricing during the quarter -- or Charleston approved to get a bit Savannah modestly. Overall, again, I think we will follow on new lease pricing. I think we will follow seasonal patterns, while it gives me some encouragement is across the Board in July, move-ins increased, exposure has come down and occupancy has improved during the month. And I think that sets us up well to follow sort of our typical seasonal pattern on those areas. Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst Any -- if I could follow-up. And finally what I promise I wouldn't do, any cover on concessions between the best and the worst markets? Generally what the market or what you're seeing across some of those better markets and weaker markets? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Yes. So we're on a net effective basis on concession. So we give a few, really where we're set up near lease-ups for the company. Concessions were 0.8% of net potential last year and are 1% this year. Our competitors -- what we're seeing and as most competitive markets is in places like Downtown Atlanta, in and Buckhead, one to two months free on stabilized assets, up to three on lease-up properties. In Houston we are seeing half month to a month. Phoenix much lighter in areas like that. And Orlando is a little softer to the south, as I mentioned than to the north. Just to go around the horn. The worst concession developer thing that we've seen is four months free at a busted deal that Brad's already sniffed around on in Fredericksburg, Virginia and the DC suburbs. Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst Thank you for the color. I appreciate it. Operator We will take our next question from Rob Stevenson with Janney. Please go ahead. Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst Good morning, guys. Can you talk about what you guys typically see in terms of traffic and leasing volume in May, June, July from the influx of new college graduates in your core markets in a normal year? And what you've seen thus far this year? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer It's, obviously it's reflected in our overall results. Our overall exposure around the student housing is, we don't have any property that's remotely close to half of its students. But we've seen, we've got one asset in Atlanta near Emory, and it's been a little slower. But honest in terms of students coming back and we've got a few others like that, we're just using that as an opportunity to diversify what our unit mix is. So we're not -- we are definitely seeing some delay on people committing to housing. It was much later and then it's hit or miss, where it is depending on what the school signaled early and then as suspect it continues to evolve as schools are changing their plans. The short answer is we've got so little exposure to it that are -- we don't pay a ton of attention to it, but it picked up a few snippets here or there. Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst No, what I was focusing on is somebody who just graduated from, let's say, Georgia Tech and is now going to rent a unit in Atlanta with one of his buddies because he had -- he would have -- last year he would have been working for a consulting firm or a tech firm or something like that. The new leases from somebody that doesn't have a background where it's the graduates whatever they are, how big a meaningful portion are college graduates in that sort of May, June, July to be getting of the summer leasing season in the influx of that typically in terms of your business and what is that sort of dropped off to now, is it half, is it a quarter or all these kids staying in their parents' basements and working remotely or in the Sunbelt markets have the businesses actually brought the new hires into the headquarters buildings, etc? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Yes. I'll answer it anecdotally, and that is, we saw leasing in May and June strong enough that it offset the weakness in April and put us ahead for the quarter in aggregate and July is running ahead of last year. So our overall demand in terms of the number of leases that we've been able to execute has been a little bit better than last year. We also have not seen, often we will see either shop or we will pick up a few where a large hire will be like or somebody like that is bringing on a bunch of new people and they're looking for 40 units in a market or, and they all want to be near Peachtree Road or something like that. We are not seeing those. We are not seeing those shops. But as far as exactly what the number is of people, college grads that are looking at or not looking at I don't have that. But we have been able to fill units as we normally would. Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst Okay. And then, you guys talked earlier about the development starts over the next six, nine months, expect to be delivered in 2022. At what point to some of the sort of issues with COVID start to make its way and how you plan and build new development projects. I mean if I look over the last 10 years across the apartment space, units have gotten smaller. There has been more studios in the mix. You've had more central entrances and elevator banks as you've gone from three storey walk-ups to a mid-rise, etc. So whether or not its urban or suburban people have impact and [Indecipherable]. When you guys think about planning out the new developments that you will start next year, are you making any changes to the size of the units, to the unit mixes, how tenants enter, exit the building and what is that though to -- because if you are, what is that doing to construction cost estimates when you plan this versus what you would have started a year or so ago? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Rob, this is Brad. I don't think we've made any broad changes to unit sizes or things like that. I mean I think over the last couple of years, we've been doing more dens and one of the things we are adding is the opportunity within the club houses for a work from home type environment. We also have -- we're trying to add desks and things like that. Areas within some of our new units wherever we can. But I feel like there's been, at least for us over the last couple of years, there has been a push to really beefing up the amenities on the outside from the pool decks to having some congregation areas that are on the outside of the units, exterior. And I think that will continue. And we're pouring even the deals we're looking at now are quite a bit into the design and the development of those outside gathering spaces as folks look to get outside when they can. So those are the things that we're looking at. I'm not sure that we've seen any type of construction cost considerations or any trends relative to those things at this point. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer And Rob, I'll tell you this is Eric. We are, of all the projects that we're looking at and all that we have under way right now, only one is in an urban core area in Downtown, Orlando. Everything else that we're doing is suburban. Usually two, three story walk up and some cases elevators, but we've only got one project, we're working on that is, what I call real high density type project. Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst Okay. What is your average square foot per unit these days? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Well, Rob, I'd say, it's roughly 900 square feet, 950 square feet. Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst Okay. Thanks guys. I appreciate it. Operator We'll go next to John Kim with BMO Capital Markets. Please go ahead. John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Thank you. I think, Eric or Brad mentioned that the upcoming election has had an adverse impact on transaction volumes. I was wondering if you could elaborate that -- on that? And whether that's specific to the uncertainty of 1031 exchanges? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing This is Brad, John. I don't think it is relative to 1031 exchanges at this point. I think it's just another item that introduces uncertainty into the transaction market. I do think we have seen an uptick in opportunities come to market. The first part of July, it's been pretty robust and generally everything that's coming out right now is off market, it's not fully marketed deals. So I'm sure there are things that are coming out that we're not even seeing at the moment, but it is -- there is an uptick in that, and I suspect that'll continue for the next month or two and then likely dissipate as we get closer to the election. I think it's just from the folks we're talking to, it's just another area of uncertainty into the valuation model that just puts folks on pause. So I don't think it's anything specific to trying to project who is elected or what policy and the impact of that policy at this point. I think it's just another unknown. John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Without getting too political, I mean, is your view or the markets view that the bond [Phonetic] credit industry would be negative for asset values? H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer I don't know, John. I think that I'm not going to go [Indecipherable]. I don't know how the market is at this point weighing. Whether a Trump or Biden presidency is favorable or unfavorable. I think that what we are seeing is really just what Brad alluded to is just, there is just uncertainty and I think capital just gets a little bit nervous with uncertainty and it's hard -- it makes it harder to underwrite. So I think that's all we're seeing at the point -- at this point. John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Fair enough. Tom mentioned, in your prepared remarks that the return of -- sorry, the return of guided tours to complement your virtual and self-guided tours. Did you find in the force experiments that the traditional toward or at least a hybrid approach are more effective? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer No, we did not or what we found there was to really know if they were equally has effective and so we're very pleased with that. Those tours got us over the hump and now it's roughly 43% of our resident -- of our leads, our tours are doing guided tours where they're interacting with our folks and it's split evenly between virtual and self-tours after that. We've learned an awful lot about the process. Thrilled with how the teams have worked and adapted them. And then as we get into 2021, you'll be able -- you will see us begin to do some things that really streamline and ease the self-service side of it. But we were quite pleased with how effective they were with the residents and what the prospects and how well our teams adapted to that really overnight and use that as well. John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Can you provide an update as to what percentage of your communities have the capability to do self-guided tours? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer 100%. We have self-guided tours occurring at every property in the company. John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst Okay. Great. Thank you. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer You bet. Operator And we will take our next question from John Pawlowski with Green Street. Please go ahead. John Pawlowski -- Green Street Advisors -- Analyst Thanks very much. Just two questions from me. Tom, on the new lease figures for sign in July. Could you give us a sense if you excluded interior redevelopments, what that new lease figure might look like? I'm just trying to get a sense for what market rent growth is across your portfolio right now? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer John, it would really be minimal. I'd have to go back it out, but since we didn't produce any in second quarter, it is really minimal that at least we just got back to turning those on. So this is probably as clean a result on renovate impact as you're going to see. John Pawlowski -- Green Street Advisors -- Analyst All right. Perfect. And then Brad, curious with your question or with your conversations with developers, do you get the sense, I know it's tough to read the tea leaves. But do you get the sense that they think this is a two or three month pause on their debt and equity providers given the money or they become really concerned that this is kind of more of a structural multi-quarter, multi-year kind of freeze in their capital sources? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Well, I think, first of all, the development bunch is normally a very opportunistic in a very positive group. So I don't think they view this as a structural issue. I do think that they see it as problematic, because a lot of the folks that we talk to are merchant developers and their platform is certainly built on and the machine continuing to run. So I think that they are out looking for alternative sources, whether this is short-term or long-term. But that bunch is normally, they are having glass half full normally. So I don't know that they are and I have no indications at this point that they're thinking that this is a long-term shift and that they are changing their strategies because of that, but there is certainly an impact. I think the debt side of things for developers that are not this strong established sponsors with strong relationships with the banking community, those folks are going to have a hard time lining up debt for the foreseeable future. John Pawlowski -- Green Street Advisors -- Analyst Thank you. We will take our next question from Alex Kalmus with Zelman & Associates. Please go ahead. Operator We will take our next question from Alex Kalmus with Zelman & Associates. Please go ahead. Alex Kalmus -- Zelman & Associates -- Analyst Hi. Thank you for taking my question. Looking at your collection results which are clearly trending above the group. I was hoping you could walk us through the components on Page 30? Is this total build in the denominator? Is that off of the original rent? Or is that off of the newly amended lease rates and same question for July that 98.4%. Thank you. Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Yes. Alex, this is Al. That is based on for the April, May and June what was billed that cash there is expected to pay. I mean that is what the lease would say, and before any addendum, the lease would say what we -- what was signed to be and then after addendum, they would have that lease rate plus additional amount that we spread over the life of the lease. So that cash, bill number is what we bill and expect them to collect in total. And the point there in that presentation was to say that, look, we've collected 98.9% in cash and 50 basis points or 0.5% in payment addendums that we're getting very good collection performance on. I think at this point, it's about 97% compliance with that. So we feel very good about that. But having said that we felt it was prudent to put a reserve on the books that was sufficient to cover a couple of things. One, if somebody did not come in and talk to us at all and do an addendum, fully reserve that. And if someone did do an addendum, we reserved a substantial portion of that somewhere they're different for each one. But on aggregate probably two-thirds of that. So that's what that represents expected cash collections and where we are on that and what we reserved. Alex Kalmus -- Zelman & Associates -- Analyst Got it, got it. Thank you. And maybe a different topic. In terms of occupancy and how you're thinking about the fall season coming up. Historically, you've been seeing great renewal growth rates. I'm curious if you would like to see your occupancy number go up before maybe uncertainty in the fall or you still going to be pushing those renewals. Thank you. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer I will tell you that we expect occupancy to build with exposure going down, expect that to happen and bring our exposure down and prepare ourselves for the low demand timeframe. Those renewal rates, if you look at us historically in the fall, they are lower than they are in the peak season. But I would expect them to continue on at about this rate, which is still a significant lower increase in this time last year. So I would expect recovery in our renewal rates and the variable that will change to manage exposure down and occupancy up will be probably a seasonal fall off, I would expect in our new lease rates as we move into the fall. Alex Kalmus -- Zelman & Associates -- Analyst Got it. Thank you very much. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer You bet. Operator And we'll go next to Wes Golladay with RBC Capital Markets. Please go ahead. Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Hey. Good morning guys. Would you happen to have a snapshot of the gain or loss to lease of the portfolio as it stands today? Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer What the [Indecipherable] is today? Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Yes. A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing You know Wes, we don't have that and probably don't [Indecipherable]. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer We can get that [Multiple Speakers] we'll get back to you on that. A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Yes. We certainly had a strong loss lease going into the second quarter. I think it's probably decline given that leasing trends that we've seen in the quarter certainly come down, but important point is that the actions that we took over the last year is really to continue to push price and give a little occupancy to do that, put us in a really good position going into the second quarter. So it protected us well there. It has come down. Tim will get that back to you offline. Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Okay and the qualitative was good, I was kind of getting with the strong renewal to see if it's going to taper off a bit. Now turning to acquisitions, you kind of mentioned looking at lease-up properties. Would you expect a lot of off market transactions limited bid. And then secondly, would you expect competition from the levered buyers? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing This is Brad, Wes. I would say, predominantly what we're seeing right now is off market. There's only been a couple, maybe 10% of what we have seen come across has been mark -- fully marketed deals. So yes, I think everything right now is going to be more off-market. Even the deals that have been marketed, some of those were pre-empted or somebody came in and just paid what the seller wanted in really short circuit at the marketing process. So I expect that to continue. And then I'm sorry, what was the second part of your question. Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst So would you expect the levered buyers to be active competition for you? A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Well, not on lease-ups. I don't. We generally don't see those come into play as much on lease-ups. Those are generally focused on the assets that are currently earning, so stabilized assets that's where you see those a little bit more. Also on lease ups where we're focused, financing is extremely difficult right now and that's why a lot of the sellers are not wanting to bring those to market at the moment. They're wanting to get stabilized so that they can line up financing and certainly bring those high levered buyers in there. So to the extent that developers can wait it out and get their assets stabilized, then I think the leverage buyer can come there, but that's really not the segment of the lease-up segment that we're actually focused on. Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst Okay. Thanks a lot guys. Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Hey, Wes. Thank you. Operator And it appears that there are no further questions at this time. I'll turn the call back over to the company for any final comments. H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Okay. We really appreciate everyone joining our call this morning. And if you have any follow-up questions, just reach out and I'll be glad to answer any other questions. Thanks very much. Operator [Operator Closing Remarks] Duration: 68 minutes Call participants: Tim Argo -- Senior Vice President, Director of Finance H. Eric Bolton -- Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Thomas L. Grimes -- Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer A. Bradley Hill -- Executive Vice President, Director of Multifamily Investing Albert M. Campbell -- Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer Neil Malkin -- Capital One -- Analyst Sumit Sharma -- Scotiabank -- Analyst Nick Joseph -- Citi -- Analyst Austin Wurschmidt -- KeyBanc Capital Markets -- Analyst Rich Anderson -- SMBC -- Analyst Haendel St. Juste -- Mizuho Securities -- Analyst Robert Stevenson -- Janney Montgomery Scott -- Analyst John Kim -- BMO Capital Markets -- Analyst John Pawlowski -- Green Street Advisors -- Analyst Alex Kalmus -- Zelman & Associates -- Analyst Wes Golladay -- RBC Capital Markets -- Analyst More MAA analysis All earnings call transcripts DANBURY A Windham County man was arrested Wednesday morning in the fatal shooting of a 39-year-old Waterbury man in Danbury earlier this month. Bryan Howell, 39, of Thompson, has been charged with murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit and breach of peace in the July 12 fatal shooting of Raymond Irvin Simmons. Simmons was shot several times near the intersection of Beaver and Elms streets while attending an outdoor vigil for a young man who had unexpectedly died weeks earlier. Howell was also an attendee of the vigil, police said. Danbury officers responded to calls about a man who had been shot around 10:35 p.m. and found Simmons at the scene with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Danbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Simmons was shot in the head, neck, torso and extremities, according to the state Chief Medical Examiners Office, and his death was ruled a homicide. During the course of investigating Simmons death, witnesses were identified and interviewed, several anonymous tips were received and surveillance footage was obtained and reviewed, which lead to identifying Howell as the person responsible for killing Simmons, Det. Sgt. Adam Marcus said. Police said Howell was arrested in Thompson without incident and transported back to Danbury police headquarters, where he is currently being held on $1 million bond. In the last nine years, according to court records, Howell has been charged and found guilty of various offenses in Connecticut, ranging from assault, larceny and risk of injury to a child, to restraining order and probation violations. Howell was most recently charged with first-degree failure to appear after missing an appearance at state Superior Court in Waterbury in February, according to court records. Before Howells arrest, police said they did not believe the shooting was indiscriminate. Simmons was a husband and father, described by friends and loved ones as a great man, father, friend, brother, who was dedicated, loving and down to earth. His death marked the second homicide in Danbury this year, and the third since September 2019. Police are still investigating the July 12 fatal shooting and ask anyone with information to call Detective Travis Kupchok at 203-797-2168 or the anonymous TIPS Line at 203-790-8477. The Houston Chronicles Live Updates blog documents the latest events in the coronavirus outbreak in the Houston area, the state of Texas and across the U.S. with a focus on health and economic impacts. The Houston Chronicles ongoing coverage is available to subscribers. Subscribe now for full access and to support our work. Total coronavirus cases: 425,119 cases in Texas, including 6,465 deaths. 100,786 in the Houston region, including 1,597 deaths. More than 4.4 million in the U.S., including 151,834 deaths. Click here to see a U.S. map with state-by-state death tolls and the latest coronavirus case counts. More than 17 million in the world, with more than 671,000 deaths. More than 9.9 million people have recovered. You can view the worldwide totals here. Resources on COVID-19 and Texas' reopening: Use our interactive page to track the spread of cases through Harris County and the rest of Texas. For a detailed look at our state, check out the Chronicle's Texas Coronavirus Map. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter. Latest updates from today: 8:55 p.m. An unorthodox Houston doctor-minister whose promotion of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 earned a retweet from President Donald Trump and a rebuke from medical experts is passionately defending her dispensing of the medication, reports Brooke Lewis and Samantha Ketterer. Its not a joke, Dr. Stella Immanuel said during a brief interview outside her office with The Houston Chronicle. The people that are saying that it doesnt work, they are lying. Among those she has targeted is Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nations top infectious disease experts. She tweeted this week, Fauci you are lying. You know it. Americans are dying and you are playing Russian roulette with their lives. 7 p.m. The Houston region surpassed the 100,000-case mark Thursday after reporting 2,221 new COVID-19 infections, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. There are now 100,786 overall cases in the Houston region. The number of new cases statewide went from 415,870 to 425,119, an increase of 9,249. The state's rolling average for new cases is now at 7635.7, the second straight day with an increase. Also Thursday, the Texas Department of State Health Services, which recently changed the way it reports deaths, removed about 225 fatalities from their publicly available data since COVID-19 was not listed as a a direct cause of death. The agency reported 89 new deaths Thursday for a total of 6,465 statewide. Harris County added 1,724 new cases and is now at 70,850 cases total. There have been 1,597 deaths in the Houston region, up 27 since yesterday. The positive test rate statewide dropped from 12.55 percent to 12.09 percent, the fourth straight day with a drop. Statewide, there were 9,296 patients hospitalized for lab-confirmed COVID-19. There are 54,499 total staffed hospital beds with 10,906 beds available, including 1,080 ICU beds. There are 6,195 ventilators available. 6:20 p.m. Houston is launching a targeted public information campaign officials hope will get critical information about COVID-19 into communities that need it most and help the city contain the virus in August, reports Dylan McGuinness. The campaign, called Better. Together or Todos Juntos. Mejor in Spanish, will include sending health department workers to canvass communities with high rates of transmission, leaving pamphlets on doors and speaking with residents in those areas. 5:05 p.m. Houston has hired a private contractor to help its garbage collectors haul heavy trash in the city, as the Solid Waste Management Department is beset by COVID-19 and running weeks behind schedule in removing larger items, reports Dylan McGuinness. Harry Hayes, director of the department, attributed the delays to rising numbers of quarantined employees, higher-than-usual demand as people stuck at home clean out their garages and houses, and short staffing that preceded the pandemic. He said junk waste collection is running about two weeks behind schedule. 5 p.m. Of more than 6,600 cases of COVID-19 on college campuses around the country, Texas accounted for at least 1,569 of those cases, and the University of Texas at Austin topped the list, according to data compiled by the New York Times. UT-Austin, the flagship for the UT System, came in at No. 1 with 449 cases. Texas A&M University came in fourth place with 302 cases and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas at sixth, with more than 200 cases. - Brittany Britto 3:40 p.m.: Texans are increasingly unhappy with Gov. Greg Abbotts handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll from a consortium of universities. Only 38 percent of Texans approve of the governors response to the health crisis, a steep decline from the 61 percent who were supportive in a similar poll in late April. 3:27 p.m.: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to unveil new campaign to fight COVID-19. 2:21 p.m.: Sunnova Energy International, the residential solar and energy storage company based in Houston, reported it trimmed its losses during the second quarter in part because the spread of coronavirus is keeping people at home. 1:53 p.m.: Oil and gas jobs are expected to drop to a 15-year low in the coming months and may never fully recover as the industry continues to consolidate. Between February and June, Texas lost 46,100 oil and gas jobs, reflecting how the coronavirus pandemic has decreased demand for crude oil and lowered prices. 1:32 p.m.: A well-timed fundraising gala, ticket sales and help from donors have helped the professional theater company Stages fend off some of the financial problems haunting other performance houses. 1:10 p.m.: Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert told Fox News he is planning to take a controversial anti-malaria drug to fight coronavirus. He tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. 12:57 p.m.: The FBI is investigating whether the Chinese government tried to obtain Covid-19 vaccine research from universities, including the University of Texas at Austin. 12:35 p.m.: With so many people working from home, do we really need as many offices? Companies are rethinking the amount of space they occupy and the role it plays in their corporate culture. Lauri Goodman Lampson, who has designed workplaces for some of the worlds biggest energy firms, talks to Houston Chronicle real estate writers about what some companies are planning for a post-COVID world. Listen here for the Looped In podcast. 12:21 p.m.: The bank, BBVA USA, reported second quarter losses as the spread of the coronavirus pandemic caused consumers to pull back on spending. 11:56: The Texas Renaissance Festival will look a little different this year. Tickets must be bought in advance, and performers and vendors must wear face coverings. Visitors will be encouraged to wear masks but that changes to an order if Texas is under a state-wide mask mandate. 11:28: The local television and radio announcing team for the Houston Rockets isn't heading to Florida where teams are playing during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they'll be calling the games from a room at the Toyota Center. The announcers will watch the games from a live feed from Florida. 11:04: The NFL has teamed up with a lab to conduct all of its COVID-19 testing at an estimated cost of $75 million. Players will be tested daily during the first two weeks of camp. If the overall positivity rate is 5 percent or lower, the testing frequency will be reduced to every other day. 10:38 a.m.: One of the hottest new real estate trends, thanks to coronavirus? Industrial space for online operations is in demand, especially refrigerated space for grocery delivery services. 10:24: a.m.: Stay-at-home mandates and conflicts over mask wearing at stores have people wary about going out and shopping. The reluctance is showing up on the balance sheets of real estate companies that cater to retailers. Weingarten Realty, the Houston-based owner of grocery-anchored shopping centers, reported profits plunged 84 percent during the second quarter. 10:15 a.m.: Coronavirus has claimed another victim: Herman Cain, the former presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza. 10:08 a.m.: New claims for Texas unemployment benefits fell again last week as jobless claims come down from a mid-summer spike driven by a surge in COVID-19 cases. 10:03 a.m.: Texas courts are expecting an influx of divorced parents disagreeing over education methods as the coronavirus pandemic spreads. 9:15 a.m.: Front line health care workers describe the physical and emotional toll of caring for patients with coronavirus as the pandemic enters its fifth month. 9:02 a.m.: It's a record setter but not one of the good kinds. The U.S. economy shrank 32.9 percent on an annualized basis during the second quarter, reflecting the high rate of unemployment, closed businesses and millions of people who are staying home and not spending much money. 8:39 a.m.: The Texas economy is struggling to make its way back after the latest surge of Covid-19 cases. A new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found the service sector -- which makes up about 70 percent of the Texas economy -- shrank in July after growing a bit in June. 8:12 a.m.: Gyms can be a danger zone these days. Just breathing harder increases the chance for aerosolization, in which the coronavirus is converted into particles light enough to be carried in the air. Add in the grunting and sweating and the virus can easily travel from person to person. A Conroe man explains to the Chronicle's Julie Garcia why he opted to stop going for gym workouts after seeing too many patrons exercising without wearing masks and all crowded together without regard to social distancing. The fertilizer manufacturer's consolidated net profit surged 81.5% to Rs 298.38 crore on 12.8% jump in net sales to Rs 3,218.67 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) soared 70% to Rs 460.27 crore in Q1 June 2020 as against Rs 270.80 crore in Q1 June 2019. Current tax expense for the quarter rose 14.4% at Rs 83.61 crore as against Rs 73.10 crore in Q1 June 2019. The result was declared post trading hours yesterday, 29 July 2020. On a standalone basis, net profit jumped 33.1% to Rs 314.03 crore on 12.8% spurt in net sales to Rs 3,218.67 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. The firm witnessed an increase in sale quantity of both UREA and P&K fertilisers. However, revenue has not increased proportionately due to lower gas price and lower cost of P&K fertilisers. Standalone PAT increased on account of better performance of manufacturing of urea and marketing of P&K fertilisers coupled with lower finance cost. Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals manufactures ammonia, urea, pesticides and other products for farming and other agricultural applications. The company also provides consulting services to farmers on their seeding programs. Shares of Chambal Fertilisers & Chemicals dropped 3.40% to Rs 158.90 on BSE. The stock traded in the range of Rs 157.10 to Rs 173.15 so far. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) They were recently pictured locking lips with while on holiday in Spain. And Yazmin Oukhellou and ex James Lock put on a very cosy display during filming for an upcoming TOWIE episode after they previously sparked reconciliation rumours. Yazmin, 26, and James, 33, could barely keep their hands off each other as they joined their fellow TOWIE stars at a food festival in Chelmsford, Essex on Wednesday. Getting close: Yazmin Oukhellou and ex James Lock put on a very cosy display during filming for an upcoming TOWIE episode after they previously sparked reconciliation rumours The former couple looked very relaxed in each other's company as they hugged and giggled during shooting for the new series of the ITVBe show, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. James and Yazmin, who dated on and off for two years, had eyes for nobody else as they shared a drink together while enjoying the festivities. And Yazmin ensured that she dressed to impress for their union, looking stunning in lemon yellow cropped cardigan and matching mini skirt. The beauty teamed her thigh-skimming ensemble with a matching hand bag and yellow tinted sunglasses. Packing on the PDA: Yazmin, 26, and James, 33, could barely keep their hands off each other as they joined their fellow TOWIE stars at a food festival in Chelmsford, Essex on Wednesday While she highlighted her bronzed pins by adding a towering pair of gold sandals. Yazmin finished off her look with a slick of glam make-up, while her raven locks cascaded down her back. James also scrubbed up well for the occasion, donning a tight white T-shirt and smart black trousers. Last week, Yazmin and James did little to dispel rumours they had rekindled their relationship as they enjoyed dinner together at Sexy Fish in London's Mayfair. It comes after the former couple, who were together for two years, were seen kissing while at a beach club in Mallorca. Very cosy: James and Yazmin, who dated on and off for two years, had eyes for nobody else as they shared a drink together while enjoying the festivities Ray of sunshine: Yazmin ensured that she dressed to impress for their union, looking stunning in lemon yellow cropped cardigan and matching mini skirt The pair looked as loved up as ever and it appears that a fully fledged romance could be back on the cards, with a source saying 'sparks are flying' between them. A source told The Sun: 'They're not officially back together but they're getting closer and everyone around them wouldn't be surprised if they got back together. 'They're getting along really well and sparks are flying it's like the old days. They're on holiday with a large group of people but they're really reconnecting.' MailOnline contacted representatives for Yazmin and James for comment. Yazmin and James sensationally split last summer after rumours of cheating on his part - which he vehemently denied. The couple displayed their turbulent relationship on TOWIE during their two years of being together. Lollapalooza has been a fixture in Chicago for 15 years, and in that time has evolved into a social gathering that celebrates style as much as it does music. Each year is defined not only by the performances on stage, but also by the runway of street style that descends on Grant Park. Recall the 2012 sea of crochet dresses, the ubiquitous flower wreaths of 2013 or the glitter explosion of 2017 that covered just about everyone in some way. The NCDA&CS asks anyone who received one of these unsolicited shipments to save the contents in a sealed ziplock bag along with all shipping labels and contact the Plant Industry Division toll-free at 800-206-9333 or by email newpest@ncagr.gov. Plant Industry staff will contact you to gather information and make arrangements to get the package. Q: I have requested my mail in ballot for the November election. Im a Winston Salem/ Forsyth County voter. Since there is a question in many minds about the post offices ability to get all mail to its destination in a timely manner, can I hand carry my ballot to the county election office downtown? Do they date it when it arrives? The law says it must be postmarked by Election Day. J.H. Answer: Yes, voters are more than welcome to hand deliver their absentee ballot to the board of elections office up until 5 p.m. on Election Day, said Tim Tsujii, head of the Forsyth County Board of Elections. It must be returned by the voter, their near relative, or legal guardian. The elections staff will date stamp all absentee ballots that are received, whether by mail or in-person, he said. Vice President Mike Pence visited a school in North Carolina today, ostensibly to show how the power of school choice is the key to reopening schools this fall In an email sent Monday, school officials said Pence will visit Thales Academy K-5 to see how school choice works and to advocate for its further implementation. Pence also tweeted about how the school, Thales Academy in Apex, NC, was demonstrating how schools could reopen safely. Thank you to Mrs. Combs 4th Grade Class! We are so proud and happy to see you all back in school! @Thales_Academy has taken careful steps to keep everyone healthy and we are grateful for the countless hours put in to open the academy and get kids back in the classroom! pic.twitter.com/KgtuHLDPt2 Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 29, 2020 So whats the secret at Thales Academy? How can other schools learn from what they are doing at Thales to guarantee a safe reopening? And what kind of school is Thales Academy anyway? Thales Academy: A Libertarians Fever Dream Come True Thales Academy was the brainchild of Raleigh, NC Libertarian businessman, Bob Luddy. Luddy made his fortune by building kitchen ventilation systems, making him ideally-suited to create a new school from scratch. Frustrated with the regulations that bureaucrats in North Carolina required for public schools, Luddys first step was to open his own charter school, Franklin Academy. Franklin Academy, which is still in operation, has had its share of problems over the yearsmost recently making news for prohibiting their students from discussing or promoting being homosexual, bisexual or transgender in the schools handbook. Facing extreme pressure from the community, Franklin eventually was forced to slightly alter the handbook language, offering this excuse: The line has been revised, for clarity, in order to prevent any further misrepresentation of the intent of this policy. We believe strongly in the maintenance of a dedicated learning environment in which students and staff feel safe. But some former students werent buying the schools explanation. Its a good thing that it was changed, said Krista Gilbert, 21, who graduated from Franklin Academy in 2015. Its a good thing that the handbook doesnt say something horrible. But the problem is that it was in there to begin with. As a charter school, they get public funding and shouldnt be able to do this. But the pressure at Franklin evidently didnt make its way from Wake Forest to Apex, where Thales Academy, a private independent school in the Luddy network of schools is located. While the policy was substantially revised in Franklin Academys handbook, it was only slightly revised in the handbook for Thales Academy, a network of private schools. Both Franklin Academy and Thales Academy were founded by Bob Luddy, a Raleigh businessman and a leading backer of conservative causes in North Carolina. The revised Thales handbook still says promotion, discussion or affirmation of sexual orientation and gender identity are prohibited. And it seems as though the libertarian lesson Mr. Luddy learned from the flap at Franklin was that even a tiny bit of regulation is just too much: Charters are far better than the [traditional] public system, Luddy says, however, theres still regulationand over time, the bureaucrats are going to continue to load more regulation on charters. Luddys solution was to escape state regulation was to create his own network of private independent schools, to which Thales Academy belongs. So how is Thales Academy different from charter schools, or from traditional public schools? Well, for one thing, Thales charges tuitionbut not the exorbitant price tag that so many private schools charge. The tuition at Thales is around $5300 for elementary students, and $6000 for middle and high school children. Not surprisingly, tuition at Thales roughly mirrors the amount available to parents under the ESA (North Carolinas Education Savings Account) program. Thales and Luddy take advantage of North Carolinas tax-exempt financing for school construction, and Luddy himself makes a one-time contribution to help defray capital costs with each new facility. Luddy also provides about 6 percent of the student body with financial aid that covers up to half the cost of tuition, and 34 students (1.5 percent) receive financial aid through North Carolinas Opportunity Scholarship Program.[*] So how does Thales get by with so little revenue? (North Carolinas public schools spent about $9,300 per pupil in the 2015-2016 school year.) And what happens in Thales classrooms is also troubling. Luddy is a big fan of Direct Instruction, an approach to teaching that the eminent education writer, Jonathan Kozol, criticized in his book, The Shame of the Nation, for being excessively dogmatic, utilitarian, and authoritarian. Direct instruction is a pedagogical system that relies on scripted, teacher-centered and focused instruction, heavy use of repetition, and group or choral responses from children in response to teacher prompts. Commonly found in No Excuses charter chains, like New York Citys Success Academy Network, KIPP, and Uncommon Schools, this pedagogical approach is characterized by rapid pacing, barked instructions, quick corrections, and the teachers insistence that students maintain eye contact on the teacher at all times. Heres a video of the approach in action: Critics of direct instruction point out that it limits studentand teachercreativity, doesnt promote student independence or collaborative work, and see direct instruction as a betrayal of the humanistic, egalitarian foundations of public education. Many teachers are also uncomfortable with adhering to an instructional approach whose most well-known advocate, Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like A Champion, likens to a policing theory that many argue is responsible for mass incarceration. First of all, a technique in the first edition, Sweat the Details, encouraged teachers to apply the broken windows theory of policing to their classrooms. This theory advocates that in impoverished neighborhoods (often communities of color), police harshly punish small infractions, like graffiti or broken windows, to prevent more serious crimes. Since 2015, this theory has been pinpointed as the cause for police brutality and mass incarceration of African-Americans; it has become widely condemned in the light of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. This connection is especially concerning in classrooms like the ones featured in the above videowhite teachers working with students of color. The possible influence of an instructional delivery system that prioritizes harsh discipline, obedience, and unquestioningly following instructions over critical thinking, independence, and creativity on students of color is profoundand potentially devastating. Luddys low-priced private schools fit right in to Betsy DeVos furtive plan to develop a two-tiered educational system: comprised of elite private and religious schools for the children of the uber-wealthy, and a rag-tag assemblage of poorly-funded and -maintained public and independent value schools that cost around $5000 per child to operate. And Mr. Luddy is not limiting his efforts to destroy public schools with his pop-up value schools to the state of North Carolinahes also been busy in neighboring Tennessee, where TN Gov. Bill Lee is a DeVos supporter and ally: Thales and Luddy are not new to Tennessee. In fact, in 2015, voucher advocate Lee Barfield paid for a private plane to take former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and then-House Speaker Beth Harwell to North Carolina to visit the Thales schools. Like Bill Lee, Barfield is a long-time supporter of Betsy DeVoss American Federation for Children and even served on the groups Board of Directors. The bottom line is that Bob Luddys Thales Academy is less a school than it is a school-shaped ATM that allows Mr. Luddy and his partners to receive state tax incentives for school construction and redirected tax dollars through state-sponsored education savings accounts (AKA, private school vouchers), all while offering a sub-standard educational experience delivered via an ineffective and unnecessarily controlling instructional approachwith an unhealthy dollop of anti-LGBT discrimination plopped on top like a rancid cherry on a melted, dripping sundae. " " Peace activists hold up blue ribbons and a sculpture of a peace dove during an interfaith commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Sept. 11, 2011, in Berlin. Sean Gallup/Getty Images If you're a fan of classic 1960s music, you probably know Edwin Starr's 1970 hit "War," with its memorable refrain, "What is it good for? Absolutely nothing." That's an idea that resonates with people who embrace the philosophy of pacifism in a general sense, the opposition to violence and war as a means of settling disputes. Advertisement Throughout history, those with pacifist beliefs have rejected the use of force, and advocated other ways to resolve differences. The term comes from the Latin word pacificus, which means "peace-making" [source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]. For some pacifists, that means refusing to take up arms in the military, even at the risk of being punished for it. In Israel, for example, a young man named Nathan Blanc made headlines in 2013 for repeatedly refusing to serve during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, even though it meant spending more than 100 days in military prison. Blanc told the Guardian, a British newspaper, that he felt both sides were in the wrong, and more killing would only deepen the fight. "We, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game," he said in the article [source: Sherwood]. Blanc joined a pacifist tradition that dates back to ancient times, and in the modern era includes activists who've used nonviolent methods such as sit-ins, boycotts and protest marches to challenge what they think is wrong. To some, pacifism might seem dreamily impractical and dangerous, not to mention possibly unpatriotic. But proponents argue that pacifism particularly in its more moderate, flexible variations actually is a useful way of dealing with conflict, and one that's a better fit with basic human nature. Duane L. Cady, a former philosophy professor at Hamline College in Minnesota and author of the book "Warism to Pacifism: A Moral Continuum," has written that once a person refuses to take for granted that force is the most effective solution, pacifism is not naive and unrealistic at all. In fact, all of us are pacifists to some degree, since all of us oppose violence as a means of interaction in many aspects of our lives." In this article, we'll look at the different types of pacifism, the history of pacifist beliefs and how pacifism has evolved in the age of terrorism. The mother of a teen who was brutally killed in southwest Sydney has called on witnesses to come forward. Omar Elomar, 18, was the younger cousin of a slain Islamic State fighter, and was gunned down next to his p-plated Lexus on Cabramatta Avenue, Miller, on February 15. Although another 18-year-old man has already been charged with the alleged murder, investigators suspect more individuals are involved. Omar Elomar, 18, (pictured) was gunned down next to his p-plated Lexus in southwest Sydney Strike force detectives from NSW Police have released CCTV footage of two vehicles seen in the area at the time of the shooting and they are now calling for witnesses to come forward Strike force detectives from NSW Police have released CCTV footage of two vehicles seen in the area at the time of the shooting and they are now calling for witnesses to come forward. The vision shows a silver sedan and a red hatchback which the Homicide Squad say is 'crucial' to cracking the case. 'While investigators have previously made one arrest, we believe there were more people present at the time Omar was shot and others that have knowledge of those involved,' Superintendent Danny Doherty said. 'It is our belief that the occupants of the vehicles depicted in the CCTV would have seen something that might assist our investigation.' Omar Elomar (pictured) died at the scene after he was shot in the chest on February 15 on Cabramatta Avenue, Miller Det Supt Doherty said police have received information suggesting a group of four to five males of Pacific Islander or Maori appearance, were seen in the area and acting suspiciously. 'Anyone who has knowledge of this group or who can help detectives identify the vehicles and the occupants is urged to contact police,' he said. The teenage victim was the younger cousin of the notorious ISIS terrorist Mohamed Elomar who was infamously pictured holding a severed head in Syria. He travelled from Sydney to Syria in 2013 and quickly became a high-ranking member of the Islamic Caliphate before being killed in a drone strike by coalition forces in 2015. Omar's family say the teen should not be linked to his notorious older cousin. Omar's relative Mohamed Elomar (pictured) was infamously pictured holding severed heads in his hand while fighting for ISIS in Syria, before later dying in a drone strike in 2015 'Omar was beautiful, loving, caring and the type of person who would put others needs before himself sacrificing his social time, his weekends to care for his brother with special needs,' Omar's mother Souad Elomar said. 'He was ambitious, he had started a new job and was two weeks into his TAFE studies, ready to take on the world. 'Our family have never-ending days of grief knowing that he will never come home, so if you know anything do the right thing, come forward and help us find some peace.' Police initially described the shooting as a 'targeted attack' and said Omar and others arranged to meet with another group on the evening he was killed. Forensic officers (pictured) search the park - which is popular with children and located next to Miller Park Technology School - for evidence Hundreds of small French companies that re-purposed to make washable facemasks to combat the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic are now left with millions of unsold masks. Eric Boel, the boss of Tissages de Charlieu, a company which normally sells textile to the garment, furniture and aeronautics sectors, invested a million euros to gear his factory up for the manufacture of washable facemasks. He told Le Figaro newspaper how, back in mid-March, every one of his 400 employees was mobilised to try to help meet demand against the background of a national shortage of facemasks. He says 40 prototypes were designed in one weekend and he even remembers helicopters being hired by retirement homes to collect orders of masks. Tissages de Charlieu was one of 1,400 such companies, many of them small businesses, which between them have made 180 million re-usable masks. At times during the pandemic Boel says, demand was ten times the company's production capacity. Collapse in demand But in mid-May, there was a dramatic collapse in demand for re-usable masks; by the beginning of June, manufacturers found themselves with 40 million unsold face-coverings. At the end of lockdown most people headed either to pharmacies or to supermarkets to buy facemasks. This demand was satisfied by huge quantities of disposable masks, mostly imported from China. Thousands of businesses also ordered supplies of single-use masks for their employees, favouring disposable masks which would not need washing and were cheaper to buy. At the end of May, the president of the strategic committee for the fashion and luxury industries, Guillaume de Seynes, asked the government to tell public bodies to choose French-made re-usable masks when making orders. There was particular annoyance that the finance ministry had ordered 10 million washable masks from Vietnam in mid-April. We invested because we were given the impression that public services would be ordering significant numbers of masks from us until the end of the year, one manufacturer told Le Figaro newspaper, explaining that it will take 5 to 7 years for all the new manufacturing material he bought to pay for itself. There is a certain disappointment, admits industry minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher. She talks of promises to order which didn't materialise, and says the washable masks are more economical as they can be re-used, sometimes up to 50 times, as well as being more environmentally-friendly. New laws could boost demand A government mission was put in place in June to help the manufacturers shift unsold stock. Several hundred companies and local authorities were canvassed. Many have now agreed to buy some of the unsold masks. The government is also buying up some of the masks to add to its own strategic stock. The manufacturers are also working on marketing the washable mask option more forcefully and they hope that more masks will be sold now that they are obligatory in closed public or commercial spaces. A new law also obliges all companies to keep a ten-week stock of masks. Ten to 15 percent of the stock has also been shifted through export, particularly to South America, after an effort by French embassies. Most of the companies concerned have now stopped producing masks, though Agnes Pannier-Runacher is confident that if there is a second wave, the network we have built could be back up to capacity within a few weeks. A federal judge says a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the fatal shooting of a man who helped lead the armed occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge can proceed against Oregon State Police, but allegations against other federal, state and local government entities should be tossed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan recommended that allegations against the FBI, federal Bureau of Land Management, Oregons governor and Harney County should be thrown out of the lawsuit brought by the wife of Robert LaVoy Finicum, The Oregonian reported. A federal district judge now must decide whether to accept, reject or modify Sullivans recommendation. Jeanette Finicum filed the lawsuit in connection with the fatal shooting of her 54-year-old husband. He was one of the leaders of the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016 by protesters who objected to what they said was federal overreach in the way the government managed public lands and grazing rights. Finicum was shot in Jan. 2016 by state police officers after he fled an attempted police stop while he and other occupation leaders were heading to a meeting in a neighboring county. Law enforcement officers used a road block to stop his vehicle, and police said Finicum had reached inside his jacket for a gun when he was shot. Jeanette Finicums lawsuit contends he was shot assassination style by improperly trained militarized officers of the Oregon State Police and/or FBI as he was trying to drive to the neighboring county to seek the protection of Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer. Jeaneatte Finicum also said in the lawsuit that Gov. Kate Brown was also responsible for her husbands death in part by authorizing the participation of state police and the police stop. The magistrate judge rejected the allegations against Brown, noting that she didnt participate in the encounter at the roadblock or the shooting. The judge recommended that the other defendants be dismissed because she said they werent properly served with a court summons. Lawyers for Jeanette Finicum have two weeks to object to the findings before a district judge makes a final ruling. One of Finicums attorneys, J. Morgan Philpot, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Legislation Law Enforcement Oregon April 5 : Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk over the phone about how to help students whose summer job and volunteer opportunities were vanishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Department officials are tasked with considering options the next morning. March 6, 2020 : WE Charity staff prepare a concept paper on service learning for public servants at Employment and Social Development Canada. OTTAWA - A timeline of events regarding the Canada Student Service Grant program, based on public documents, events and statements from cabinet ministers, government officials, and WE Charity: OTTAWA - A timeline of events regarding the Canada Student Service Grant program, based on public documents, events and statements from cabinet ministers, government officials, and WE Charity: March 6, 2020: WE Charity staff prepare a concept paper on service learning for public servants at Employment and Social Development Canada. April 5: Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk over the phone about how to help students whose summer job and volunteer opportunities were vanishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Department officials are tasked with considering options the next morning. April 7: Small Business Minister Mary Ng and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger have an introductory phone call in which Ng asks WE to send what it calls a "pre-established proposal" to help young people launch businesses. April 7 or 8: Morneau's office contacts the WE organization, among other groups, to get their input on potential programs. Morneau says the call was on April 7 while WE says it was April 8. April 9: WE Charity sends the unsolicited proposal for a youth business program to Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, Ng, Morneau and Trudeau's office. The price tag is between $6 million and $14 million to provide digital programming and $500 grants, plus "incentive funds," for 8,000 students. April 16: ESDC officials mention WE in the context of the student program in an email discussion with Finance officials. April 18: Morneau's officials raise the idea of partnering with a non-profit, or for-profit group to administer the program. (ESDC officials suggest the same day that WE might be an option.) Morneau said it was the first time he was involved in any talk about WE and the grant program. April 19: Wernick contacts Craig Kielburger. WE says the call was to discuss launching a youth service program in the summer and that Wernick asks Kielburger to develop a proposal to fulfil that objective. During the call, Wernick learns of the April 9 proposal for a youth business program and Kielburger agrees to send both proposals. April 20: Morneau's office contacts WE to ask about its ability to deliver a volunteer program. An official's record of the call notes "WE Charity will re-work their 10-week summer program proposal to fully meet the policy objective of national service and increase their current placements of 8,000 to double." April 21: Morneau approves going with an outside organization to run the volunteer program, but no specific group is chosen. WE's youth entrepreneurship program proposal is included in annex nine of a briefing package about a student aid program that goes to the Prime Minister's Office, chief of staff Katie Telford later tells the finance committee. The proposal is declined. April 22: Trudeau announces a $9-billion package of student aid, including the outline of a volunteer program paying students up to $5,000 toward education costs, based on the number of hours they volunteer. WE sends Wernick an updated proposal to reflect the announcement. The message is forwarded to Chagger, Ng and Morneau. April 26: Morneau speaks with WE co-founder Craig Kielburger, but told the finance committee neither of them talked about the Canada Student Service Grant program. Craig Kielburger later tells the committee he only brought up the youth business proposal, not the grant program. April 27: Volunteer Canada, a charity that promotes volunteering and helps organizations use volunteers well, meets Chagger and raises concerns about paying students hourly rates below minimum wage and calling it volunteering. May 4: WE sends a third proposal to ESDC, this time with more details and specific to the grant program. Finance official Michelle Kovacevic, who was working on the program, told the finance committee she received it May 7. May 5: Chagger goes to a special COVID-19 cabinet committee with the recommendation to go with WE for the program. Neither Morneau nor Trudeau is at the meeting. The same day, a member of the Prime Minister's Office policy team speaks with WE as part of stakeholder consultation, but then directs the organization to ESDC. WE begins incurring eligible expenses. May 8: Trudeau finds out that WE is being recommended to run the student-volunteer program hours before a cabinet meeting. He later tells the finance committee that he pulled the item from the agenda and sent it back to the public service for more due diligence because of how the deal could be perceived. May 21: The public service comes back to Trudeau, he tells the finance committee. The recommendation to go with WE doesn't change. May 22: Cabinet, including Trudeau and Morneau, approved handing the reins of the program to WE. May 23: The public service officially begins negotiating a contribution agreement with WE, which would have paid up to $43.5 million in fees to the group. May 25 to June 3: In a series of meetings with Volunteer Canada, WE suggests the target for placements through the program had gone from 20,000 to 100,000. June 12: WE co-founder Marc Kielburger says in a video chat with youth leaders that he heard from Trudeau's office about getting involved in the volunteer program the day after it was announced by the prime minister. He later backtracks, saying the contact came the week of April 26 from Wernick, and not the Prime Minister's Office. June 23: WE Charity Foundation signs a contribution agreement with the federal government. WE signatories include Scott Baker, named as president of the one-year-old foundation and executive director of WE Charity, and chief financial officer Victor Li. Chagger signs for the government. June 25: Trudeau unveils more details about student aid. A government release notes that WE will administer the student-volunteer program. June 26: Facing questions about WE, Trudeau says the non-partisan public service made the recommendation, and the government accepted it: "As the public service dug into it, they came back with only one organization that was capable of networking and organizing and delivering this program on the scale that we needed it, and that was the WE program." July 3: Citing the ongoing controversy, WE and the Liberals announce a parting of ways and the federal government takes control of the program. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion tells Conservative and NDP ethics critics in separate letters he will examine Trudeau's role in the awarding of the agreement because of the prime minister's close ties to the group. July 9: WE says it has paid Trudeau's mother Margaret about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020. His brother Alexandre was been paid $32,000 for eight events, and Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau received $1,400 in 2012 for a single appearance. The organization says Trudeau himself has never been paid by the charity or its for-profit arm. July 13: Trudeau apologizes for not recusing himself from discussions about WE over his family's longtime involvement with the organization. Morneau also issues an apology. July 16: Dion says he will investigate Morneau's actions in the affair. Chagger testifies at the finance committee, saying Trudeau's office didn't direct her to go with WE. July 21: Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council, tells the Commons finance committee there is no evidence to suggest Trudeau spoke with WE before the organization was awarded the deal to run the student-volunteer program. July 22: Morneau tells the finance committee he just repaid over $41,000 to WE for travel expenses the organization footed for the minister and his family. The Opposition Conservatives call for Morneau to resign. Trudeau's office says he and Telford have agreed to testify before the committee with a date and time to be set. The House of Commons ethics committee also calls on Trudeau to testify, and votes to seek copies of records for Trudeau and his family's speaking appearances dating back years. Six opposition members outvote five Liberals to have that committee start its own investigation. July 23: Conservatives and New Democrats ask Dion to launch a new probe of Morneau over his travel expenses. July 27: A copy of the contribution agreement with WE Charity Foundation is filed with the finance committee. It lays out the details of the program, including a provision for a maximum contribution of $543.53 million $500 million for grants, and $43.53 million to WE. July 28: Craig and Marc Kielburger testify over four hours of sometimes testy interactions with MPs on the finance committee. The co-founders of WE Charity say their history and experience, not ties to Liberal cabinet ministers, landed the group the deal to run the volunteer program. They add they would have never agreed to take part in the program had they known it could jeopardize the work the WE organization has done over 25 years. They also say WE estimated the cost of the program to be between $200 million and $300 million. July 29: The Conservatives call on the federal ethics czar to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother, wife and brother. Dion sends letters to the Tories and NDP saying he is expanding his probe of Morneau to look into the $41,000 in WE-sponsored travel. July 30: In a rare event, Trudeau testifies before the House of Commons finance committee and lays out when he first learned about WE's involvement in the Canada Student Service Grant program. He says WE Charity didn't receive any preferential treatment in the process. He also says it is now unlikely the grants will be rolled out. Telford also appears before the committee. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2020. Close Helsinn Advanced Synthesis opens its largest dedicated Anticancer bay Biasca, Switzerland, July 30, 2020 Helsinn, a Swiss pharmaceutical group focused on building quality cancer care and rare disease products, announces that its manufacturing subsidiary, Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA (HAS), which develops and manufactures Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), cGMP Advanced Intermediates, High Potency APIs (HPAPIs) and anticancer compounds, has opened its largest dedicated Anticancer bay at its manufacturing plant in Biasca, Switzerland. The new Anticancer bay will be used for the development, analysis, and manufacturing of clinical and commercial anticancer APIs. In 2012, HAS built its first dedicated Anticancer plant that could manufacture compounds with an OEL down to 50 ng/m and had a small, medium and large-scale bay. Due to the success of this Anticancer plant, in 2016 a new expansion was proposed to build a larger scale bay. After receiving positive results from a feasibility study, a detailed engineering plan was put together in 2017 while procurement began. The project spanned three years and involved more than 100 external suppliers, resulting in the largest Anticancer bay at HAS. The new bay includes three reactor units: 800 L Hastelloy; 1000 L glass lined; and 1200 L Hastelloy allowing for production scale up to ~50 kg; a conic reactor (150 L capacity) for loading operations in a closed system; one Hastelloy filter dryer (0.5 m filtering surface); and 1 mill. In addition, there are five glove boxes for product handling in a safe way. The Anticancer facility can handle reaction temperatures from -80C to +140C and has a dedicated warehouse. The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (SwissMedic) inspected the new facility in June 2020 and approved manufacturing to start. The first project was initiated in late June. This new Anticancer bay will allow the Company to continue their innovative and critical work. Story continues Waldo Mossi, Local General Manager, Helsinn Advanced Synthesis S.A., commented: We are delighted to open our new Anticancer Bay after years of hard work and development. HAS is always looking to stay at the cutting edge of technology and to be able to better serve our clients and their important projects. The new facility will allow us to expand our development, analysis and manufacturing capabilities and will be central to the manufacture and delivery of new anticancer compounds into clinics and then on to patients. About Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA: Helsinn Advanced Synthesis SA is the manufacturing division of the Helsinn Group and develops and manufactures Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), cGMP Advanced Intermediates, High Potency APIs (HPAPIs) and anticancer compounds for third parties from clinical phase to commercial supply, on an exclusive basis. The production plant is located in Biasca, Switzerland and was established in 1984. The Biasca site is routinely inspected by the FDA, SwissMedic, and other global regulatory agencies. Production scale ranges from grams to tens of kilograms (HPAPIs with an OEL down to 1 ug/m and anticancer compounds with an OEL down to 50 ng/m) and from kilograms up to tens of tons (APIs) in plants fully dedicated to cGMP manufacturing. About the Helsinn Group Helsinn is a privately-owned Swiss Pharma Company which, since 1976, has been improving the lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group has an extensive portfolio of marketed innovative cancer and rare disease therapies, a robust drug development pipeline and ambitions to further accelerate its growth through in-licensing and acquisition to address unmet medical needs. Helsinn operates a unique integrated licensing business model, achieving success with over 80 long-standing partners in 190 countries, who share our values. The Groups pharmaceutical business (Helsinn Healthcare) is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland with operating subsidiaries in the U.S. (Helsinn Therapeutics US) and China (Helsinn Pharmaceuticals China) which market the Groups products directly in these countries. The Group has additional operating subsidiaries in Switzerland (Helsinn Advanced Synthesis, an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer) and Ireland (Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals, a drug product manufacturer). Helsinn Investment Fund was created to enhance the future of healthcare by providing funding and strategic support to innovative companies. Helsinn Group plays an active and central role in promoting social transformation in favor of people and the environment. Corporate social responsibility is at the heart of everything we do which is reinforced in the company's strategic plan by a commitment to sustainable growth. To learn more about Helsinn Group please visit www.helsinn.com Helsinn Group Media Contact Paola Bonvicini Group Head of Communication Lugano, Switzerland Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21 Info-hhc@helsinn.com For more information, please visit www.helsinn.com and follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Vimeo Attachment Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:43:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- Amid a topsy-turvy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some U.S. politicians are keener on playing the blame game than forging a clear strategy to wrest control of the pandemic. -- The United States has registered over 4.39 million coronavirus cases and 150,062 deaths, with few signs the spread is slowing down. -- Poll found that only 33 percent of Americans approve of U.S. President Donald Trump's coronavirus response, while 67 percent disapprove. -- The U.S. politicians' groundless accusations have been refuted by officials and experts around the world. WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Less than 100 days before the November election, unscrupulous U.S. politicians are keener on playing the blame game than forging a clear strategy to wrest control of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed over 150,000 Americans as of Wednesday. Pedestrians with face masks walk past a store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the United States, July 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) TRAGIC MILESTONE The United States has registered over 4.39 million coronavirus cases and 150,062 deaths, more than a fifth of the world's 662,000-plus recorded deaths, as of Wednesday afternoon, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The tragic milestone of 150,000 deaths came five months after the first reported virus death in the United States in February. The country hit the 50,000 mark on April 27 and 100,000 on May 27. There are few signs the spread is slowing down in the United States. According to the news website The Hill, two-thirds of the states have seen case counts increase over the last week. Florida identified more than 73,000 new cases over the past seven days, while California reported 67,000 new cases and Texas confirmed more than 57,000. Georgia, Arizona, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina and Illinois all reported more than 10,000 cases in the last week, said The Hill, adding even some of the states like Alaska and Hawaii that have been spared the worst of the crisis are beginning to see case counts rise. "The number of dead is likely to continue to rise as case counts increase, a lagging indicator as the COVID-19 disease runs its course over a long stretch of time," it said. A woman walks past a notice of preventing COVID-19 spread in New York, the United States, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) The U.S. death toll from the virus will climb to just above 224,000 by Nov. 1, up 16,000 from an earlier forecast, due to rising infections and hospitalizations in many states, projects a University of Washington model. The true number of COVID-19 cases in the United States may be 6 to 24 times higher than reported, according to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "By almost every measure, the U.S. is one of the worst and I think we can change that, but it's an ugly picture," said Microsoft founder Bill Gates in an interview with CBS on July 22. COLOSSAL FAILURE A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that only 33 percent of Americans approve of U.S. President Donald Trump's coronavirus response, while 67 percent disapprove. "Per million population, the United States has lost 423.6, Germany 110 and South Korea 5.8. Behind these statistics lies the epic failure of President Trump and his administration to mount a national response in the face of catastrophe," said a Washington Post editorial on Monday. Six months into the pandemic, America is "still struggling to stand up" testing, tracing and isolating -- these basic features of an effective public health response, said a report by news website Vox on Wednesday. "It will require sustained investment and there will continue to be challenges as long as test results are delayed and Americans remain dubious about contact tracing," it said. Healthcare workers wheel a patient into Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn of New York, the United States, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) The U.S. botched response to the pandemic has much to do with "a catastrophic failure of national leadership," opined Peter Bergen in an article posted on Wednesday at www.cnn.com. "The federal government abdicated its role by not issuing a national shutdown order and a mandate to wear masks," Bergen said. "By prioritizing 'reopening' over public health, the nation has chosen to accept that many hundreds of thousands of Americans will die of COVID-19." After the expiration of the voluntary 45-day federal advisory to "slow the spread," the CDC guidance on how to reopen carefully in phases was ignored in many states, Bergen said. "Other countries have successfully managed this pandemic. The one thing they have in common is a coordinated national response coming from the highest levels," wrote Judy Melinek in an op-ed -- The U.S. COVID-19 Failure is Federal -- on June 30 at MedPagetoday.com. "Our local officials can't manage a pandemic, and there is only so much any governor can do to fight a nationwide disease outbreak ... Unless Washington listens, Americans who didn't need to die will keep right on dying," said Melinek. Last week, 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 start over to contain the surging COVID-19 pandemic. "If the nation does not change its course -- and soon -- deaths in the United States could be well into the multiple hundreds of thousands," the Association of American Medical Colleges also warned on Wednesday. Staff members work at the Calvary Cemetery in New York, the United States, May 26, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua) "Decisive, coordinated action is urgently needed to save lives, end the pandemic, restore America's economy, and return our lives to normalcy. It is critical that the United States takes a united approach to the pandemic," said the medical education association in a statement. DEFLECTING BLAME However, instead of earnestly dealing with the grim reality of the pandemic, the Trump administration, labeling the virus "China virus," heaped blame on China, the World Health Organization (WHO) and even their own institutions and infectious disease experts, with an apparent aim of diverting Americans' attention away from the virus. It was not rational for anyone to believe that China was complicit in the COVID-19 pandemic, a U.S. security magazine has said. "Lost amid all this finger-pointing is a basic logic of agency; what would China hope to gain from using a viral weapon?" political scientist Erik Gartzke was quoted as saying in an opinion piece run by The National Interest on July 11. In contrast to U.S. criticisms, prestigious scientific journal The Lancet noted in an editorial last week that Chinese scientists were quickly able to identify the virus and shared genomic sequencing data internationally shortly after COVID-19 emerged. Tackling a global health emergency like a pandemic requires open collaboration, and when it comes to COVID-19, "scapegoating China for the pandemic is not a constructive response," said the editorial. A U.S. national flag and flowers are seen at a cemetery in New York, the United States, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) Moreover, to the astonishment of many American experts, the Trump administration has begun to withdraw from the WHO this month. The United States "has in the past, and could in the future, shown tremendous leadership in health crises ... The fact that we couldn't do it in this case -- it is depressing, as a global health person," Jennifer Kates, senior vice president and director of Global Health and HIV Policy at the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation, told Politico recently. The recent White House attack on America's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci is also a microcosm of how some U.S. politicians tried every means to deflect responsibilities, as they pretended to be asleep confronting the deadly pandemic and comprehensively failed Americans in their response. Polls have shown Fauci, a career health official who has served as director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, to be among the most trusted voices in the country on the pandemic. Nearly 3,500 health experts have signed an open letter to Trump in support of Fauci, while calling on the president not to sideline science or scientists during the coronavirus pandemic. "Attempting to marginalize highly respected researchers such as Dr. Fauci is a dangerous distraction at a time when we most need voices like his," said the letter. (Video reporters: Wei Ying, Zhang Mocheng, Du Yang, Zhao Xu, Liang Xizhi; Video editor: Wei Yin) WASHINGTON -- A former senior foreign policy adviser to President Donald Trump said U.S. policy toward Russia continues to be hamstrung by partisan politics but that Moscow also needs to change its behavior for bilateral relations to improve. Fiona Hill, who served as the top Russia adviser in the National Security Council until July 2019 and authored a book on President Vladimir Putin, also said the Kremlin leader may be slowly losing touch with his population after more than 20 years in power. In an video discussion hosted by the Wilson Center think tank in Washington on July 29, Hill lamented that Russia remains the subject of endless conspiracy theories and congressional hearings over its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which makes it tough for the administration to pursue progress on key bilateral issues. We cant keep living in this frame of 2016 forever, said Hill, who is now a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. "National security issues should not be partisan, they should not be politicized because they affect all of us, and the risks of something getting out of control are far too high." Hill, however, said Russia continues to view the relationship with the United States as a geopolitical competition and carries out tactical operations that undermine bilateral relations. Russia has supported separatists in eastern Ukraine, backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his nations nine-year civil war, and helped Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in his fight for control of the North African country. The conflicts at times have resembled proxy wars among world powers. The more that we are in this tactical mud wrestling fight with Russia, the less we can move forward on addressing big issues like nuclear nonproliferation, climate change, and the coronavirus, she said. Hill said the United States has been trying to stabilize and professionalize the relationship with Russia in recent years through meetings between foreign policy, defense, and intelligence officials. If Russia wants to restore its seat at the table with global powers, it needs to stop kicking the hell out of everybody under the table, she said. The Russia analyst said she thinks that Putin has become complacent after two decades in power and questioned whether he can adapt to the changes taking place inside the country. He is in something of a bubble. I dont want to say that he has lost his edge, but I do think he has kind of lost a little bit of the feel of what is going on domestically, and that is inevitable, she said. She called changes to the Russian Constitution that elevated the primacy of the Russian language and Orthodox religion as very dangerous. Russians approved the changes -- which also included an amendment that allows Putin to potentially rule until 2036 -- in a June vote that was marred by irregularities. Hill said that Putin had been cautious earlier in his political career to avoid issues that might spark ethnic or religious divisions. He is obviously fairly confident that he can pander right now to this larger [ethnic Russian] base, and I worry about this. I worry that is a failure to see how things have evolved, she said. Putin seems to be out of fresh ideas to move Russia forward this decade, running the risk that his brand becomes stale, she said. The Kremlins current foreign policy is not the answer to that problem, she said. [Putin] keeps saying he is going to do something for the country, but mud wrestling with the United States from here to perpetuity isnt really doing something for the country, she said. Hill said Putin could seek to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election to sow discord if he thinks he will derive greater benefits from doing so. High voter turnout and more "civil discourse" between Democrats and Republicans would reduce the impact of any Russian interference, she said. Compared to the Apple CEO, all the other three CEOs spent at least three times longer being questioned. While thats great for Apple and Cook, its not that great for the businesses that build on Apple platforms. The Online Platforms and Market Power antitrust hearing held virtually last night, the House Judiciary Committee questioned Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook over their policies and practices. The CEOs faced a barrage of questions, but they were not all questioned equally. Most of the houses questions were aimed at Pichai, Bezos and Zuckerberg and each of the three were grilled for almost 50 mins each, while Cook got away with being questioned for only 25 minutes in total. If one of was to breakdown exactly how many times each CEO was questioned by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, they would know exactly where the focus of the anti-trust hearing lay. Bezos was questioned 13 times, Zuckerberg and Pichai were both questioned 16 times and Cook was questioned 7 times over the entire session. These investigations matter to the companies being put on the dock but it also matters to the business that each of them attracts. And in this case, that includes any business that wants to put their iOS app into the App Store, or wants to show up on Googles search results, sell their goods on Amazon, use ads to target potential customers on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and more. One of the main issues of asking all the CEOs to appear for the investigations all on one day instead of four separate days is that the screen time each will get is bound to be skewed. In the hearing held over Webex, the committee focused on Facebook, Google and Amazon mostly. The three were questioned in-depth about their anti-competitive behaviour. For example, Bezos was asked questions about Amazon using seller-specific data to decide what products they must manufacturer and sell for themselves, Zuckerberg was taken to task about his company acquiring competing social networks like Instagram and Pichai was questioned about Google prioritising their own products and services in the search results. Comparatively, Cook was questioned about the Apple App Stores policies a few times, thats all. Compared to the Apple CEO, all the other three CEOs spent at least three times longer being questioned. While thats great for Apple and Cook, its not that great for the businesses that build on Apple platforms. The hearing last night is a small part of a larger series of antitrust investigations into Big Tech. All the four big guns taken to task last night will be reporting their latest quarterly earnings soon and what they reveal not may be less mainstream than normal, given how the hearing went. When close to half the companies in Canada have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 15x, you may consider Lingo Media Corporation (CVE:LM) as a highly attractive investment with its 2.7x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited. Recent times have been quite advantageous for Lingo Media as its earnings have been rising very briskly. One possibility is that the P/E is low because investors think this strong earnings growth might actually underperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price. View our latest analysis for Lingo Media pe We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Lingo Media's earnings, revenue and cash flow. How Is Lingo Media's Growth Trending? There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Lingo Media's to be considered reasonable. Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 470% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 3,991% in total over the last three years. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth. In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to decline by 3.3% over the next year, which puts the company's recent medium-term positive growth rates in a good light for now. In light of this, it's quite peculiar that Lingo Media's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. Apparently some shareholders believe the recent performance has exceeded its limits and have been accepting significantly lower selling prices. The Key Takeaway Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects. Story continues We've established that Lingo Media currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year earnings growth is beating forecasts for a struggling market. There could be some major unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching this positive performance. Perhaps there is some hesitation about the company's ability to stay its recent course and swim against the current of the broader market turmoil. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because this relative performance should normally provide a boost to the share price. Having said that, be aware Lingo Media is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 2 of those are potentially serious. Of course, you might also be able to find a better stock than Lingo Media. So you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that sit on P/E's below 20x and have grown earnings strongly. 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. What just happened? The PS5 is on its way, and Sony wants you to take full advantage of its capabilities by purchasing one of the companys Ready for PlayStation 5 TVs. The first two models to carry this designation are already available: the X900H 4K HDR Full Array LED and the Z8H 8K HDR Full Array LED. The X900H offers 4K resolution, which is becoming standard on most high-end TVs, alongside a 120Hz refresh rate (via a future Bravia firmware update). Sony says it also has a very low input lag of 7.2ms. The company does state, however, that: The input lag is measured with X900H via 4K/120fps game HDMI input based on internal testing conditions, and may differ in real-time usage environment on specific conditions. The television starts at $999 for the 55-inch model while moving to 85 inches costs $2,799. Being an 8K set, the Z8H comes with a hefty price tag: it starts at $5,999 for the 75-inch version and reaches a massive $8,999 for the 85-inch model. Its also capable of 120Hz, but only at 4K, not 8K. How many PlayStation 5 games will actually support the 8K resolution is unknown, but its something Sony has promised. Both TVs feature Bravia Game Mode, which will automatically switch them to their lowest latency setting when PS5 games are being played. It also lets you wake both the television and console simultaneously using the DualShock 5 controller. The mode even allows some control over the PS5 using the television remote. Additionally, both sets come with sound positioning tweeters that allow users to pinpoint exactly where a sound is coming from on the screen. Many of the PS5-specific features will arrive via firmware updates, presumably before the console hits the market sometime this holiday season. Microsoft's CFO recently said the Xbox Series X was arriving in November, so dont be surprised to see Sonys machine launch in the same month. We might even see bundle deals that combine the TVs and PS5 consoles. Election authorities in Hong Kong on Thursday disqualified 12 pro-democracy figures who tried to register as candidates in legislative elections slated for September, including former 2014 student protest leader Joshua Wong. The list of disqualified candidates also included incumbent Civic Party lawmakers Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki, and Alvin Yeung, and district councilors Lester Shum and Fergus Leung. Localist community activist Ventus Lau and former journalist Gwyneth Ho were also denied permission to run. The Hong Kong government said the nominees hadn't complied with requirements that they "uphold, support, and embrace" the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, and that they pledge allegiance to Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China. It said anyone who supports "Hong Kong independence, self-determination, or changing the system" or who solicits intervention by foreign governments or political authorities in relation to Hong Kong affairs should be disqualified from standing in elections. Anyone who expresses an "objection in principle" to a draconian national security law recently imposed on the city by Beijing, or who plans to use their seat to "indiscriminately" vote down government budgets, bills, and policies in LegCo would also be prevented from running, it said in a statement. A democratic primary earlier this month sought to place pro-democracy candidates in LegCo with a view to stalling the government's budget in the event that they won a majority in the chamber.The government said more disqualifications could follow, as electoral officials, known as returning officers, were still considering other nominations."We do not rule out the possibility that more nominations would be invalidated," it said.Kwok Ka-ki told RFA that there is no possibility of a fair election, whether it is held in September as scheduled, or postponed for a year, as many media outlets have reported."The next election won't be fair, nor will it result in a parliament that truly represents the aspirations of the people of Hong Kong," Kwok said. "The main point of this approach is to suppress the desire of the people of Hong Kong for democracy, rule of law, and freedom."Ma Yue, an associate professor in the department of politics at CUHK, said the decisions didn't come as a surprise to him."Actually I'm not sure who will be able to qualify at all now," Ma said. "If opposition to the national security law is a requirement, then there aren't any democratic candidates who will qualify.""It's hard to say exactly what options will be available for voters who are pro-democracy."In Joshua Wong's case, the returning officer questioned him in particular about his insistence on winning international support for the protest movement, and about his opposition to the national security law."The excuse they use is that I describe #nationalsecuritylaw as a draconian law, which shows that I do not support this sweeping law," Wong wrote on Twitter on Thursday, after receiving the letter from his returning officer."Beijing [has] now staged the biggest-ever crackdown on the citys election, by disqualifying nearly all pro-democracy runners, from young progressive groups to traditional moderate parties," he wrote.Rights groups hit out at the move on Thursday.Amnesty International Hong Kongs Programme Manager Lam Cho Ming said the decisions had clearly targeted opposition voices in Hong Kong."This would amount to discrimination against a particular opinion on political grounds, which is a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and association," Lam said in a statement."This move is likely to intensify the climate of fear and tension in Hong Kong, where opposition figures, their supporters, activists on the streets and even ordinary people have been forced to self-censor their political discourse to avoid being targeted under the citys new national security law," he said."For all the Hong Kong governments insistence that these decisions do not restrict freedom of speech, its actions reek of political repression," Lam said.Amnesty Internationals Asia-Pacific Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin said the recent arrests of four young people under the national security law over online posts supporting independence showed that freedom of expression is now under comprehensive attack under the new regime."According to police statements, all those detained have been targeted solely for peacefully expressing their views," Bequelin said.That four young people could potentially face life imprisonment on the basis of some social media posts lays bare the draconian nature of the national security law," he said.In the U.K., Hong Kong's last colonial governor Lord Patten of Barnes, said the move was "an outrageous political purge of Hong Kong's democrats.""The national security law is being used to disenfranchise the majority of Hong Kong's citizens," he said in a statement published by the rights group Hong Kong Watch."It is obviously now illegal to believe in democracy ... This is the sort of behavior that you would expect in a police state." KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2020 - 14:23 | All, Japan, Coronavirus Japan is on course to set a record for the fewest criminal cases in a postwar year, a tally of the first six months of 2020 released Thursday showed, as the coronavirus pandemic has apparently reduced the amount of street crime in the country. Between January and June, police opened a total of 307,644 cases nationwide, down 15.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency. The pace of decline was faster than in 2019, when the annual figure came to 748,559 to hit a postwar low for the fifth consecutive year. Stay-at-home requests from the authorities apparently accelerated the overall decrease, with the number of street crimes, including bicycle theft, down 22.4 percent to 99,573 during the first half of the year. "In addition to improvement in crime-prevention equipment, the spread of the new coronavirus has caused people to refrain from going out of their homes," an NPA official said. "This is thought to have led to a significant decrease in the number of crimes committed on the streets, such as snatch-and-grab." The decline in street crime was especially conspicuous during the period when Japan was placed under a state of emergency between April, when such cases dropped 31.8 percent, and May, when they plunged 43.2 percent from year-before levels, according to the NPA. By category, theft cases declined 17.8 percent to 211,409, crimes of a sexual nature fell 15.5 percent to 3,336 and white-collar crimes, including fraud, decreased 9.6 percent to 16,354. The number of heinous crimes such as murder and robbery cases dropped 5.7 percent to 2,219, while assault cases fell 9.2 percent to 25,371. The numbers of cases include offenses that were attempted, even if they were not successful. Communication fraud, which includes online or telephone scams and is treated separately from conventional fraud cases, dropped 14.4 percent to 6,861 with the total amount of money defrauded tallying 12.86 billion yen ($122 million). Despite the downward trend, fraud cases in which an offender steals ATM cash cards while posing as a police officer surged 22.4 percent to 1,705. Police took law-enforcement actions in 136,531 cases against 88,523 offenders, down 3.3 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, with the number of juvenile offenders decreasing 3.4 percent to 9,024. The percentage of cases that ended in an arrest increased 5.6 points to 44.4 percent. In Japan, the full-year crime cases hit a peak in 2002 when police recorded 2,853,739 cases. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, August 2, 2020 16:39 535 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a689fd 1 National public-health,law,compliance,COVID-19-Jakarta,PSBB-transisi Free The Jakarta administration is amassing a significant amount of money from city residents who seem not to care about flouting COVID-19 health protocols, as the capital approaches the end of the extended transition from large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) on Thursday. The number of violations of the protocols in the capital has shot up since the city started relaxing curbs and allowing businesses to reopen on June 5. The Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) said it had collected fines amounting to Rp 1.1 billion (US$78,571) from businesses and individuals that ignored health protocols during the transition up until July 24. Of that figure, around 60 percent, some Rp 664 million, was collected from the 4,094 individuals caught without masks in public, while the remainder was sourced from businesses and arts and cultural performances that failed to follow the necessary protocols for operations. According to Jakarta Gubernatorial Decree No. 51/2020, people are obliged to wear masks in public during the social restrictions period. Those who violate the rules must pay a fine of Rp 250,000 or are forced to take on community service assignments if they decline to pay up. Some 37,500 people who were caught without masks decided to do the latter, mostly because they could not afford the fines. So, in total, we have punished around 41,000 people for not wearing masks since the administration allowed for the gradual reopening of businesses, known as the transition from PSBB, Jakarta Satpol PP head Arifin told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. This is a disappointing number, to be honest, because the level of public compliance with health protocols got worse after the administration relaxed social restrictions, he said. During the strict regime of curbs between April 10 and June 4, the agency had punished just 10,000 individuals for not wearing masks, Arifin said. At the time, Satpol PP would impose one of three kinds of sanctions for violators: a written reprimand, mandatory community service or a fine of Rp 100,000 or Rp 250,000. Arifin did not elaborate on the details of that period, but said the agency had succeeded in collecting around Rp 800 million in fines during the stricter social restrictions period, and that the contribution from people not wearing masks did not exceed half of the total amount in fines. The official said that people may have misinterpreted the easing of social restrictions as a sign that things could go back to normal, which in turn caused a spike in violations of rules like wearing masks in public. Others may also have been fed up with the stay-at-home order that has been in force for the past few months. But we promise to take stern action against people not wearing masks. We have launched an operation since last week called OK Prend, in which our officers monitor public compliance even in places like dense residential areas, he said. Recent surveys have seemingly confirmed that the majority of people may be feeling worn out by the strict curbs. Jakarta-based pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia found in its recent survey that 60.6 percent out of 1,200 respondents across the country including in the capital say they have had enough of the implementation of the PSBB. But public health experts have warned the administration not to put the blame squarely on the public for the rise in health protocol violations. More people have been violating health protocols because the administration itself has been treating the transition from the PSBB as a large-scale reopening [of the economy], said Hermawan Saputra of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka University. Jakarta is technically still under social restrictions, but in practice, all activities seem to be back to normal, he said. The administration has been inconsistent in implementing PSBB curbs. No wonder that it has prompted the public to ignore health protocols. Baequni, head of the Indonesian Public Health Experts Associations (IAKMI) Jakarta chapter, said the city should educate the public at the grassroots level in order to undo its mistake of unintentionally letting the public violate health protocols. He said the administration should deploy health professionals to each community unit (RW) and work closely with prominent local figures to underline the importance of compliance. This would make for a better psychological deterrent on compliance, rather than threatening people with sanctions, he said. The increase in protocol violations comes off the back of emerging infection clusters in the capitals central business districts, and just days before the end of the second phase of transition from the PSBB on Thursday. Deputy Jakarta governor Ahmad Riza Patria said the administration was currently evaluating the policy. Were evaluating it over these two days; we have three options, he said on Tuesday, as quoted by tempo.co. If there is a marked improvement in the current circumstances, the city administration may continue easing restrictions and lift the PSBB altogether. If the rate of infection remains as it is currently, despite the high number of cases, city officials may choose to extend the transitional phase once more. But if the situation worsens then it is possible that we may reinstate [full-fledged] PSBB, Riza said. The Health Ministry announced 2,381 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 104,432. Of that figure, the capital recorded 577 new confirmed cases, nearly a quarter of all new cases, bringing the total tally citywide to 20,572. The national COVID-19 task force said on Tuesday that all five municipalities of Jakarta have been designated as "red zones" areas where the risk of COVID-19 infection is still high. The Ten Commandments came down from God to the recently liberated Hebrews at Mount Sinai, showing them the basics of living as a godly people, a shining light on a hill for the world to look towards and see the way of the one true God. He began with the ten, and then elaborated more with the Levitical law. Often, people look at these rules and believe they are easy to follow or can be selectively followed and ignored in certain circumstances. The sixth commandment is one that people feel they can avoid easily. However, God prioritized this law as one of the ten most important. When God said, You shall not murder in Exodus 20:13, He meant no one could take the life of another. But Jesus clarified that one should not harbor hatred, murderous thoughts, or wicked feelings for a neighbor either. Why Did God Send the 10 Commandments? The Ten Commandments were the foundations of the Law that Israel would build itself on. As a nation, these rules were important because Israel was meant to show the world the way of the one, true God. The Bible says that, The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious (Isaiah 41:21). He chose to magnify His law through the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God also handed down the Ten Commandments so that no one could claim to be ignorant of right and wrong. Paul wrote to the Galatian church, Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for The righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith, rather The one who does them shall live by them (Galatians 3:11-12). The law created an impossible standard for sinful individuals, highlighting the need for a Savior; There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). The Holy Spirit helps those who have become disciples of Jesus Christ grow more like Jesus, becoming more righteous through their lives. Where Does "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Command Appear? Before their time in Egypt, the people who became the nation of Israel were tribal shepherd people. God brought them out of Egypt to make them a nation modeled after His rules and His ways, and ...a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6b). When they gathered at Mount Sinai, God descended upon the mountain and gave Moses the basis of the laws the nation of Israel was to live by, with the first ten being carved into stone by Gods own finger. While God handed down more laws on Mount Sinai, only the first ten were written in stone. The first four focus on mans relationship with God, codifying the way man should interact with a Holy God. The last six deal with mans interactions with other people. In a perfect world, the sixth commandment would be easy to follow, requiring that no one take the life of another. What Does the Bible Say about Killing? If this world was perfect, then it would be easy to follow the sixth commandment. But sin entered the world, making killing a part of life, and justice harder to enforce. The Book of Deuteronomy outlines the ways of upholding justice and obeying the law. One such moral complication is manslaughter, when someone accidentally kills another. God instituted Refugee Cities for the displaced, the dispossessed, and for those who have committed manslaughter: This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past (Deuteronomy 19:4-6). Here, the law makes allowance for grace in the case of accidents. It is important to note that part of this allowance is the individuals heart, with the provision in verse six being, ...he had not hated his neighbor in the past. God sees the heart of each person, and asks the law to do it as much as possible. Such grace is not to be extended under mans justice for the intentional killing of another person, with Old Testament law requiring, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die (Deuteronomy 19:12). Life is sacred, and killing is a violation of the order God intended and must be dealt with. Photo credit: Getty Images In Biblically based approaches to the law, killing must be met with a firm hand of justice. The reason why God and by extension the Law takes this so seriously is because, Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image (Genesis 9:6). God gave man body, soul, and a will, a level of conscience and awareness that means man can create, invent, build, and know right from wrong. God endowed man with a unique mark of His own nature, and every human bears that mark, meaning each person is loved uniquely by God. To dishonor that image is blasphemous before the Creator of that image. Does This Verse Just Cover Murder? For many, the control over their actions is enough to feel they have not violated the sixth commandment. Not taking a life is enough for some. When Jesus came, He clarified the law, teaching what God truly desired from His people. The Law did not just dictate what actions people should or should not take, but also what the condition of the heart ought to be. The Lord wants people to be like Him, holy and righteous, which is an internal condition as much as it is external action. Of killing, Jesus said, You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, You fool! will be liable to the hell of fire (Matthew 5:21). Hating ones neighbor, harboring the feelings and thoughts that can lead to murder is sinful as well, and is failing to live up to the righteousness of Holy God. John the Beloved Apostle elaborated further on this internal state of sin, Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has evil thoughts and intentions, even if they are not acted on, as sinful (1 John 3:15). Is Exodus 20:13 Still Relevant for Us Today? Until the end of days, there will be death, murder, accidents, and hate in peoples hearts. Jesus came and released Christians from the burdens of the law, because He served as the final sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the world. But He also came to uphold and fulfill the law, including the Ten Commandments. People struggle to live upright lives that line up with their values, set by the first ten rules. Understanding that you shall not murder is both refusing to take a life, and not to harbor hateful feelings toward others can serve as a reminder to cling to Jesus for peace. When there is division, rather than caving into malicious thoughts, vitriolic words, and violent actions, Christians should look to their Saviors example, and remember that God is love. Sources Baxter, J. Sidlow. Explore the Book. Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1960. Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999. Wilmington, H.L. Wilmingtons Guide to the Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 1981. Photo credit: Getty Images/fergregory Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer and editor. She maintains a faith and lifestyle blog graceandgrowing.com, where she muses about the Lord, life, culture, and ministry. New Delhi: The Bihar government has assured support to actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh in the Supreme Court against actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea seeking transfer of his Patna FIR to Mumbai. KK Singh has accused Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, for allegedly abetting his son's suicide. Meanwhile, the Bihar government on Thursday filed a caveat in the top court seeking that it be heard before any order is passed on Rhea's plea. Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi will represent the Bihar government defending its probe into Sushant's death. Earlier in the day, Sushant's father filed a caveat in the Supreme Court on the plea of Rhea seeking transfer of investigation in the case from Patna to Mumbai. "Let nothing be done in the above-mentioned matter without prior notice to the undersigned," said the caveat by advocate Nitin Saluja on behalf of Sushant's father. The apex court also declined to entertain a plea seeking a CBI investigation into the death of the actor. Rhea moved the apex court seeking transfer of the FIR from Patna to Mumbai where police is investigating Sushant's death by suicide on Wednesday after the actor's father lodged an FIR against her in Patna. (With IANS inputs) Northern Ireland meat giant Dunbia is now entirely under the control of Dawn Meats after the Irish firm took full ownership of the business. It brings to an end 44 years of Northern Ireland ownership of Dunbia, which grew into one of the province's biggest food companies. Jim Dobson OBE co-founded Dunbia in Dungannon with his brother Jack in 1976, building it into an enterprise exporting to 36 countries. Dawn Meats was founded by three farming families in Co Waterford in 1980. It joined with Dunbia in a joint venture in 2017. Dunbia employs 1,000 people in Northern Ireland, an increase of 25% since the joint venture was formed. It processes beef and lamb from 12 facilities across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Mr Dobson said: "The creation of the joint venture with Dawn Meats ensured the business would continue to grow as a leading quality meat supplier in the UK market. I want to thank all the team that has worked on the integration and feel confident that they are well-placed to build on all our past achievements together." Dawn Meats' combined businesses in the UK and Ireland now employ over 7,000 staff working with over 30,000 farmers. Michael Bell, executive director of the NI Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), called Mr Dobson a "pillar of industry". "The success of Dunbia - turning a small butcher business into one of Europe's leading meat processing companies - is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and sheer hard work of Jim and his brother Jack. "Jim has been an active NIFDA member for many years and a forceful voice for Northern Ireland food and drink. I wish him a very well deserved long and happy retirement." (Newser) St. Louis Countys top prosecutor announced Thursday that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouria dramatic decision that could reopen old wounds amid a renewed and intense national conversation about racial injustice and police treatment of minorities. It was nearly six years ago that a grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, the white officer who shot Brown, a Black 18-year-old. Civil rights leaders and Brown's mother had hoped that Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, the countys first Black prosecutor, would reopen the case after he took office last year. "My heart breaks" for Brown's parents, Bell said in a news conference, the AP reports. "I know this is not the result they were looking for and that their pain will continue forever." Bell said that his office conducted a five-month review. story continues below "The question for this office was a simple one. Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Micheal Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law. After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did," Bell said. Still, he added, "Our investigation does not exonerate Darren Wilson." Wilson was never charged and tried, so double jeopardy was not an issue. The Justice Department also declined to charge Wilson but issued a scathing report citing racial bias in Fergusons police and courts. The August 2014 police shooting touched off months of unrest and made the St. Louis suburb synonymous with a national debate over police treatment of minorities. The unrest helped solidify the Black Lives Matter movement that began after Trayvon Martin was killed in Florida in 2012. (Read more Michael Brown stories.) HONG KONG, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MobiusTrend, a market research company in Hong Kong, recently released a research report on how hologram visual AI 'core' empowers scene applications. In 5G era, the Internet of everything (IoT) will no longer be a dream. Many industries will undergo tremendous changes. Among the many industrial upgrading values brought by artificial intelligence, VI applications are more than 80% in the intelligent system. As one of the keys of machine vision, holographic AI vision technologies are essential. With the development of AI industrialization, the importance of machine vision in and outside the industry has reached a consensus. As a leading company in holographic vision, WIMI Hologram Cloud specializes in computer vision holographic cloud services. It has profound technical accumulation in the field of holographic 3D vision software, owning hundreds of related patents and software Copyrights. For such a large number of algorithm models, if each model requires continuous iteration and supports different versions of different hardware platforms, it is a great challenge to polish the core algorithm under the constraints of developers and training hardware resources. Holographic image processing function is including two core technologies: holographic AI face recognition technology and holographic AI face change technology. Due to the development of video processing and recognition technology, WIMI holographic AR advertising and holographic imaging services based on image detection, recognition, template matching, image dynamic fusion and replacement are currently leading the industry. In the process of machine vision and industry scene from shallow fusion to deep coupling and from auxiliary capability to production core capability, it is true to see many factors in urgent need of industry and technology upgrading. Machine vision is not a golden key to a giant market, but a starting point for an industry that needs to be honed, improved and recreated. Several outstanding issues need to be addressed: 1. The machine vision provides basic abilities such as active identification and active marking for various industries. Its value is insufficient to match the deeper needs of the industry. Looking into the deep industry demand, people will see that machine vision capability deeply integrated with more technology contexts, such as sensor technology, thermal imaging technology, photovoltaic technology, etc. 2. Today, the hardware and software of machine vision is in the stage of rapid development. Integrating industry needs with machine vision also requires updating product and solution systems in the context of technological development trends. 3. When machine vision enters into the industry, specific vertical requirements and customized. About MobiusTrend MobiusTrend Group is a leading market research company in Hong Kong. They have built one of the premier proprietary research platforms on financial market, with an emphasis on emerging growth companies and paradigm-shifting businesses. MobiusTrend team is professional in market research reports, industry insights & financing trends analysis. For more information, please visit http://www.mobiustrend.com/ Media contact Company: MobiusTrend Research Contact: Trends & Insights Team E-Mail: cs@mobiustrend.com Website: http://www.mobiusTrend.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlz-sCOlPTJ_24rMgR6JLw SOURCE: MobiusTrend Research Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life) This week, watch a documentary of the most infamous film shoot in the Philippines; read books about a Hermit Kingdom, and real and imagined monsters, listen to a song about a missed chance for a lifetime of love; and binge watch a hilarious show about the travails of teenage girls set in Northern Ireland. BOOK: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff If you havent been on this side of the woods, H.P. Lovecrafts works have been the cornerstone of horror literature for their globular, tentacled (and sometimes formless) monsters from outer space that turns people insane. Hes also known as a scathing racist. Matt Ruffs book turns these all on their heads to give Lovecrafts monsters and his racism a spin and tell interconnected tales of systemic racism in 1950s America while having some good old pulpy fun. Lovecraft Country starts when Atticus, his friend Letitia, and uncle George, who publishes a book called The Safe Negro Guide, very much like the actual Green Book, have to travel through Jim Crow America to look for his missing father, but it seems that a shadowy organization called The Order Of The Ancient Dawn, his father's captors, has nefarious plans for Atticus. Lovecraft Country is a heady mix of secret societies, ancient rituals, weird monsters, and real life monsters (police violence looms large in the book). Its a brisk read, thanks to the Twilight Zone style mystery structure. Read it in time for the HBO adaptation, which comes out August 16. Buy Lovecraft Country here. DOCUMENTARY: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse We were in the jungle, there were too many of us, we had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little we went insane, so said filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola about the making of Apocalypse Now, a film with a history so steeped in tales of infamy and insanity that it warranted a film for itself. Coppolas wife Eleanor shot footage during 238 days of principal photography here in the Philippines, when the country was propped as a stand-in for Vietnam in the movie. Over the course of the shooting, Coppola has replaced actors, killed a water buffalo, and eats up his own sanity all for the sake of completing this "passion" project. Elsewhere, his actors do drugs, typhoons ravage the sets, and Ferdinand Marcos Sr., even sends in 18 helicopters for the films use. But Hearts of Darkness is more than fodder for movie gossip, its a piece of history that links the self-aggrandizing of Hollywood egomaniacs and Marcosian flair for the titanic. Stream it on Mubi. GRAPHIC NOVEL: Pyongyang by Guy Delisle Nothing significant ever happens in Guy Delisles Pyongyang, an account of his two-month stay in the capital of North Korea in 2001, when he made cartoons for a French company. But Pyongyang is a wry observation of a society that is often dismissed as detached from reality. Delisles grayscale artwork reduces the city into clean lines, spaces, and shadows. As a tourist, he is shown the magnificent parts of Pyongyang: the palatial grand terminal, giant statues, and the seamless efficiency demanded by the regime. Delisle chooses not to verbalize his judgments about the country to his guide and interpreter and instead leaves them for the readers he knows his place as an admitted foreign capitalist. His drawings feel a little cold, depicting a city where stasis both exists and not, but the accompanying commentary is another thing. Buy Pyongyang here. SONG: Lifetime by Ben&Ben You know what happens to feelings that are buried? They grow, one Ben&Ben fan wrote in the comment section of the video Pagtingin. Going by the name of Anne Jou, she told the story of how, for eight years, she was in love with her high school best friend but didnt tell him because she was scared of losing their friendship. We didnt know that if only one of us dared to make a move, a lifetime was waiting for us, Anne wrote. The story kept the band, apparently, up all night and ended up making a song about it during quarantine. The repetition of Was there a lifetime waiting for us? hangs like a spell in the air, an unknown future that, in itself, is a parallel universe. Lifetime cuts deep and its sparse arrangement lets this pain float on, washing you away like a good dream. Listen to the song here. T.V. SHOW: Derry Girls The production of the third season of the hilarious an understatement, if Im being honest Northern Irish sitcom Derry Girls is currently on hold due to the pandemic, but bits and pieces of the show have shown up here and there. First was the Comic Relief sketch with the shows leads Saoirse Monica Jackson (Erin), Louisa Harland (Orla), Nicola Coughlan (Clare), Jamie-Lee ODonnell (Michelle), and Dylan Llewelyn (James) with special guest Saoirse Ronan, and, most recently, the announcement of the publication of the book Erins Diary, the very diary that sparked the chaos in the show's pilot. The book contains Erins (Jackson) version of everything thats happened so far in the first two seasons, written in her wry, dramatic teenage voice that incorporates teenage troubles and the actual The Troubles, the 30-year sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. Its amazing how Derry Girls manages to tackle 90s teenage concerns boys, love, homosexuality, popularity, Take That while The Troubles hangs in the air. The show brims with an array of interesting characters, from the girls (and the wee English lad James) themselves to their parents, a handsome priest, an acerbic headmistress, to a grandad (played by Ian McElhinney or Ser Barristan Selmy in Game of Thrones) who nurses an absurd level of hate for his son-in-law. "Derry Girls" is perhaps the best teenage show right now. Stream the show on Netflix. (CNN) With Africa approaching one million reported coronavirus infections, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday warned against the easing of restrictions across the continent as case numbers doubled over the past month. We are concerned that now that the countries have had to release their measures, we will see an increase in cases as we have seen in [other] countries WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti said in a virtual news conference. More than 20 countries across Africa have recorded a higher number of new cases than in the previous weeks, Moeti said, adding that only five countries account for 75% of the total cases, with South Africa accounting for most. In the past 25 days the cases have doubled [in Africa] with South Africa continuing to account for the majority of cases, however, fewer new cases have been reported in the past seven days she added. Moeti said that underreporting of cases exists in Africa, but not enough to have a huge underestimation." We dont think here are thousands of people dying undetected on the continent, Moeti said, however commenting on an increase in the number of natural deaths in South Africa compared to last year she said that WHO recognizes that there is underreporting of cases, and possibly underreporting of deaths as well." There is a question being raised on whether or not the discrepancy is linked with Covid-19 related deaths. This is something were looking into, Moeti added. Some countries are doing well including Uganda, Seychelles and Mauritius however there was an increase in new cases reported in Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, she said. Moeti also said that some people in Africa with other diseases have been negatively affected by Covid-19. "Other diseases and conditions are disadvantaged now, as people are afraid of getting treated and going to health units for medical assistance, due to the risks of Covid-19, she said. With almost 890,000 reported cases and 18,000 deaths, Africa is expected to cross the one million mark in the coming week, WHO said. A sessions court here on Thursday granted bail to NRI Joginder Singh Gujjar alias Goga (65) of Akala village in Bholath, who was arrested by Punjab Police on July 2 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPA) for his links with pro-Khalistan group SFJ. Additional sessions judge Rajwinder Kaur ordered that the applicant/accused is an old-aged heart patient, who has been in jail since July 2, 2020, thus he is not required for the purpose of custodial interrogation. Moreover, he has already spent a sufficient period of incarceration and no useful purpose shall be served by detaining him behind bars for indefinite period, especially in the prevailing situation of Covid-19 pandemic, the judge held, allowing the bail application filed on behalf of Goga against bail bonds of 1 lakh. Bholath DSP Jatinderjit Singh state before the court that ever since Gogas arrest, no evidence to connect him to SFJ or any other unlawful organisation has come to light. Earlier, Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira had written letter to CM Capt Amarinder Singh against Gogas arrest and demanded his release citing he was falsely implicated in the case. Goga was arrested under sections 10 (a) and (b), 11, 13 (1) and 17 of the UAPA for allegedly being a prominent and active member of the SFJ, which was declared an unlawful organisation by the Union home ministry. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated her official Lodhi Estate bungalow on Thursday. IMAGE: Security personnel remove their equipment from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhis bungalow after she vacated it, at Lutyens zone in New Delhi, on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo An official statement issued by the Congress said Priyanka Gandhi handed over the possession of her 35, Lodhi Estate bungalow, 'previously allotted to her on security grounds', to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on Thursday. Sources close to her said she will be staying for a few days in her Gurgaon penthouse before shifting to central Delhi, where she has finalised a house on rent. Renovations are currently going on in her new house in Delhi, they said. 'She will be residing in a temporary accommodation until a more permanent accommodation in Delhi rented by her is ready for use,' an official communication from the Congress party said. Earlier in the day, a team of central PWD officials visited her house and took the keys of the Lodhi Estate bungalow. The party said CPWD junior engineer P Senthil Kumar in the presence of CE Vikas Rana, Yogesh Kumar Kardam (AE-PAWD-I, CPWD) Manoj Kumar Chauhan (AE CPWD Services), B S Rana (JE PAWD-I, CPWD) accepted the keys on behalf of the CPWD after a full inspection of the house and after finding that it was handed over in good condition. 'They have issued her a 'vacation report' for the premises on behalf of the CPWD,' the party said. 'Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also passed on to the CPWD and the Directorate of Estates, a full inventory of privately installed fittings, fixtures etc,' it said. The Congress claimed that she has paid all electricity, water and previous dues and is awaiting the final assessment for the licence fee of the month of July from the Directorate of Estates due to her on July 31, to close all accounts with reference to the allotment and subsequent cancellation of the lease of the government bungalow. The ministry of urban development issued a notice to Priyanka Gandhi on July 1, asking her to vacate the Lodhi Estate bungalow before August 1, as she was no longer eligible for it after her security cover was downgraded last year. The said house has since been allotted to BJP's media department in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni. Priyanka writes to Adityanath over detention of Dr Kafeel Khan Meanwhile, the Congress general secretary on Thursday wrote to Yogi Adityanath over the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan, booked under the National Security Act over alleged hate speech, and said she expects the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to do his best to secure justice for him. In her letter to the chief minister, she said Khan had served people selflessly in difficult situations. Priyanka Gandhi raised the matter, saying the doctor 'has spent more than 450 days in jail so far'. IMAGE: Security personnel load their equipment on a truck outside Gandhi's bungalow. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo 'I expect that while showing your sensitivity, you will try your best to secure justice for Dr. Kafeel,' she said in the letter. Khan is in detention for allegedly making an inflammatory speech on the Aligarh Muslim University campus during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests. Khan was arrested at Mumbai airport on January 29 in connection with the case registered at Aligarh's Civil Lines police station under section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code. The section relates to promoting enmity between groups over religion and other differences. On February 10, Khan was granted bail by the Allahabad high court but not immediately released by Mathura Jail authorities. His family then moved court in Aligarh, claiming contempt of the HC order. The court issued a fresh release order on February 13. But before it could be executed, the authorities invoked the National Security Act against him. The paediatrician had earlier faced arrest following the deaths of over 60 children in a week at a government hospital in UP's Gorakhpur in 2017. About two years later, a state government probe cleared Khan of all major charges. With the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year looming, Texas school districts are scrambling to decide how to reopen schools in August or September. Both in-person and online learning have their own benefits and drawbacks. Most school districts are allowing parents to make their own decision as to whether they send their child to school or continue online learning. State Rep. Gina Calanni, District 132, found herself wondering what would happen if divorced parents disagreed on whether or not to send the child to school. When she started investigating the quandary, she realized she wasnt the only one who didnt know the answer- no legal entities, including the Texas Supreme Court, had considered what would happen in this unprecedented situation. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: It is relentless- Inside the pandemic's emotional and physical toll on Houstons health care workers Under 151.001(a)(10) Family Code, both parents have the right to make decisions regarding their childs education unless the right has been given exclusively to one parent. As Calanni noted, that doesnt specify who gets to decide whether or not the child goes back to in-school learning or continues online learning. I first called the Texas Family Law Center so I could just get a quick answer, Calanni recalled. They said, Whoa, thats going to flood the court systems, because the law doesnt give any kind of guidance in situations like this. Because weve never had a situation like this. Calanni contacted Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht for clarification, but he agreed that the current law has no provision for a circumstance like this. With no precedence in place, dissenting parents will have to go before a judge for a ruling. All the issues that are likely to come up will have to be addressed by a trial judge and who will decide on a case-by-case basis what is in the best interest of the child, Hecht said. Gina is correct- this problem is going to bombard the courts. Hecht is hopeful that as the disputes are adjudicated, the courts will begin to form a precedent. Well monitor these cases, and maybe some of these variations will go away, Hecht said. This is the general approach to starting, and then we can address it more generally as things progress. But that hasnt happened, and it isnt happening yet, he added. MORE BY CLAIRE GOODMAN: Mattress Mack opens new free, public trade school Calanni expressed concern that the school year is fast approaching without a resolution to the problem. Were only about a month away from school starting, and these cases are going to hit all at once, she said. Thats going to disrupt the childs learning, whatever the platform, and its going to cause issues with teachers and schools as well. While this perplexity is the most daunting that the courts have faced during COVID-19, Hecht noted, its not the first time the Texas Supreme Court has had to scramble to ameliorate custody arguments. COVID-19 hit right around spring break, so some schools were referring to it as an extended spring break,' Hecht recalled. So parents who had custody for spring break argued that it was still part of the break, and they should retain custody. In that situation, the court ruled that school closures abutting spring break were a separate entity from the break itself. The Supreme Court ruled that that was not the intent of the order, and the child would return to the parent who would have had custody after the break, he explained. Hecht stated that the Supreme Court members all anticipate that the courts will be inundated, but he hopes that the backlog of cases will encourage parents to reach an agreement on the matter rather than wait to go before a judge. Its possible that parents will realize that there are patterns in the rulings, and when they see how long its taking to even be seen, theyre not going to waste the time and money to go and get a hearing before the judge, he said. Everyone agrees this is going to be a problem, Hecht said. Were worried about these custody cases, because theyre going to come up a lot. claire.goodman@chron.com By Express News Service CHENNAI: Reiterating that the State government has been leaving no stone unturned to tackle the Covid crisis, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday underscored the fact that the infection could be contained only if the people cooperated with the government guidelines and measures. Chairing a meeting of District Collectors through a video conference application from the Secretariat, Palaniswami asked the officials to proceed with welfare and development schemes in the districts, in addition to the measures to combat the contagion. A decision on whether to extend the lockdown with more relaxations or otherwise will be taken after consulting health experts on Thursday. The Chief Minister wished a speedy recovery to all frontline workers who contracted the virus, and hailed their efforts to mitigate the crisis. In Chennai alone, 25,532 fever camps have been conducted, wherein 14.50 lakh people got tested. So far 46 lakh masks have been provided free of cost to the poor in Chennai. All family cardholders in the rest of the State will receive the masks from August 5, he added. In his initial remarks while addressing the Collectors, Palaniswami pointed out that Tamil Nadu topped the list of States in India regarding the number of Covid tests. Engg aspirants can upload proofs from Friday Candidates who have registered for TN Engineering Admissions 2020 can upload their certificates online from Friday, Minister KP Anbalagan said on Wednesday (Natural News) For the social media crime of posting information about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) that runs contrary to what the government claims is true, Twitter reportedly shut down the page of Donald Trump Jr. for 12 full hours. Trump Jr. had shared the popular viral video of the Americas Frontline Doctors press conference, which featured Dr. Stella Immanuel explaining that hydroxychloroquine and zinc, rather than face coverings, are what Americans need in order to overcome the plandemic. Not long after Trump Jr. tweeted this video event, Twitter put him in jail for violating its community standards. He was told that during times of crisis and instability, Twitter has a policy in place to require the removal of content that may pose a risk to peoples health, including content that goes directly against guidance from authoritative sources of global and local public health information. The press conference in question was viewed more than 14 million times on Facebook alone before Big Tech leapt into action and pulled it for public safety. It was quickly scrubbed not just from Facebook but also from Twitter, YouTube, Periscope, and many other platforms. Big Tech is the biggest threat to free expression in America today & theyre continuing to engage in open election interference full stop, tweeted Andrew Surabian, a Republican strategist, after learning about what happened to Trump Jr. Big Tech only proved Americas Frontline Doctors correct that the deep state establishment is trying to abolish truth Since Trump Jr. was suspended from Twitter and Big Tech removed the video in question, millions of Americans, including those who missed the press conference when it streamed live, have been trying to find it, with little success. It is still available at Brighteon.com, though both the Natural News and Brighteon domain names have been perma-banned from both Facebook and Twitter, meaning users are unable to share any links from either of these two sites unless they remove the periods or other symbols and instruct their followers to add them back. One of the Brighteon videos containing the Americas Frontline Doctors press conference is available for viewing below: The thing that seems to be particularly setting off Big Techs censors with this video is the claim that hydroxychloroquine, a generic anti-malaria drug that has been around for decades and costs mere pennies per dose, is being pushed as a cure yes cure for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Because the medical deep state wants the public to anxiously await a future vaccine while fearfully holed up inside their homes with their masks on, any talk about a simple cure like this has to be stopped. Deep state swamp monsters like Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates simply have too much to lose if people catch on to the truth, hence why it must be censored. The irony is that part of the Americas Frontline Doctors event addressed this, warning that the aim is to keep people afraid, submersed in darkness and ignorant of how easily we could end this plandemic already if only people would wake up, take off their masks, and regain control over their health and lives. American life has fallen casualty to a massive disinformation campaign, Americas Frontline Doctors warn. It is kind of amazing how they are blacklisting treatments for a pandemic because they dont fit a political narrative, wrote a commenter at Zero Hedge. It almost makes you wonder if there really is a pandemic?' The Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic is absolutely a politically-motivated scam fueled by misinformation and deception, just as Americas Frontline Doctors have pointed out. To learn more, check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: ZeroHedge.com NaturalNews.com Hong Kong police said on late Wednesday that they had arrested four people on suspicion of breach of the national security law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force arrested three males and one female on Wednesday afternoon in different districts including Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Sha Tin, Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the National Security Department told a media briefing Wednesday night. The four people, aged between 16 and 21 and claiming to be students, were arrested on suspicion of violating Article 20 and 21 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR, Li said. Intelligence and investigation showed that a group recently announced on social media the establishment of an organization advocating "Hong Kong independence," and incited others to join them, he added. This is the first law enforcement operation launched by the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force in accordance with the national security law in Hong Kong. The national security law in Hong Kong clearly defines offences endangering national security, the Hong Kong police pointed out, urging people not to defy the law and emphasizing that those who commit relevant crimes online will also be held liable. The police did not disclose the identity of the arrested. Local media said one of them is Tony Chung Hon-lam, the former convener of a student organization advocating "Hong Kong independence." Hong Kong: Hong Kong's government said on Thursday that 12 opposition candidates in an upcoming election for seats in the city's legislature have been disqualified and that more could face a similar decision in the near term. The government said advocating self-determination, soliciting intervention by foreign governments, or "expressing an objection in principle" to the new national security law were behaviours that "could not genuinely" uphold the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Barred: Joshua Wong previously said "Using [the] pandemic as an excuse to postpone the election is definitely a lie." Credit:Bloomberg However, there was "no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community," the government said in a statement. Activist Joshua Wong tweeted he was among those barred from running for office again. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:33:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NANJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu Province, used a centuries-old roof tile to kick off an online event to pass smiles around the world on Thursday, which was International Friendship Day. With the hashtag "unlocksmilereunion," the event involved using social media to share images of smile-themed objects, such as cultural relics, paintings, sculptures and photography, among others, said Nanjing Week, the organizer of the event. According to the organizer, over 40 cultural institutions worldwide, including Australia's National Gallery of Victoria and England's Manchester Museum, are involved in the smile relay, which has no particular end date. Nanjing started the relay with an ancient roof tile that featured a smiley face, expressing hopes that people would draw courage from humanity's cultural relics to overcome difficulties. The Manchester Museum, meanwhile, chose a smiling Buddha figurine. The museum's Twitter account said it "aims to create better understanding between different cultures" and smiling is a good way to achieve this. Bryan Sitch, Deputy Head of Collections at the Manchester Museum, said that despite the COVID-19's impact on museums and galleries, they remained positive. "We look forward to the time when the threat of COVID-19 has been overcome and we can meet our friends in China again," Sitch said. Enditem Graduate Programs Advanced studies for professional scholars and leaders. Weve taken everything thats distinctive about a W&M undergraduate education small classes, world-class facilities, close relationships with faculty and made it even more hands-on, more personalized, and more focused on concrete professional and academic goals. In Arts & Sciences, graduate and post-baccalaureate students in 13 programs conduct original research and work alongside faculty and undergraduate students on wide-ranging projects with real-world significance. William & Mary enjoys active partnerships with the regions leading research facilities and resources, such as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Jamestown Rediscovery: Historic Jamestowne and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Raymond A. Mason School of Business offers a full-time, residential MBA program, Master of Accounting program and Master of Business Analytics program (MSBA). In addition, the school offers an Executive MBA, Flex MBA, Online MBA, Online MSBA and Online Master of Science in Marketing, which are designed for working professionals. 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Select graduate degree programs are now offered online, delivering a personalized education taught by our award-winning faculty. Find out more about graduate and post-baccalaureate studies in Arts & Sciences: and about our four graduate and professional schools: The attack was probed by the Chhattisgarh Police before the NIA took over the investigation on 17 May last year New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three persons in connection with the killing of Chhattisgarh MLA Bhima Mandavi in April, 2019, allegedly by CPI (Maoist) cadres, officials said on Wednesday. The agency arrested Laxman Jaiswal, Ramesh Kumar Kashyap and Kumari Linge Tati, all residents of Dantewada, on Tuesday for allegedly providing logistical support to the Maoists for carrying out the attack in which Mandavi and four of his security personnel were killed, the NIA spokesperson said. The arms and ammunition of the slain police personnel were also looted by the CPI (Maoist) cadres, she said. An NIA special court in Jagdalpur sent the accused to seven-day custody of the agency. The attack was probed by the Chhattisgarh Police before the NIA took over the investigation on 17 May, 2019. After taking over, the NIA arrested two suspected accused - Bhima Tati and Madka Ram Tati - on 7 April, 2020. "Investigation has revealed that arrested accused Laxman Jaiswal alias Laxman Sao, who runs a grocery shop in Nakulnar, provided electric wires, explosive substances and other items for the IED blast carried out by CPI (Maoist) cadres. Accused Ramesh Kumar Kashyap, Ramesh Hemla (ex-sarpanch of Kakadi village) and Kumari Linge Tati were instrumental in providing logistic support to the Naxalites and were part of the conspiracy which led to the killing of Mandavi and four security personnel," the spokesperson said. The threat of more locust attacks in India is not over yet and there could be more invasions in the coming days, the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said. According to the FAO's Desert Locust situation update which was published on Tuesday, swarms originating in Somalia are moving eastwards across the north and they could continue to migrate across the Indian Ocean to reach the summer breeding areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border. REUTERS "In Pakistan, control operations are in progress against hopper groups and bands in the Nagarparkar area of southeast Sindh near the Indian border. Groups of adults are maturing in Tharparkar and Cholistan deserts where laying is expected in areas that have already received monsoon rains. This will cause a further increase in locust numbers as hatching and hopper band formation occur in the coming weeks," the FAO said in its update. AFP As far as India is concerned, the FAO noted that adult groups and swarms are maturing throughout Rajasthan where laying is underway in many areas. "So far, a few hopper groups and bands have formed but substantial hatching is expected in the coming weeks. Control operations are in progress. There have been no recent reports of additional locusts in the northern states as most of the adult groups and swarms have returned to Rajasthan as expected," it said. In its previous update, earlier this month the FAO had said that spring-bred locust swarms, which migrated to Indo-Pakistan border and travelled east to northern states, are expected to return back to Rajasthan with the start of the monsoon in coming days. AFP These swarms will return to Rajasthan to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from the Horn of Africa in about mid-July, it added. "Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pakistan border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August," FAO said. bccl On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the specialised agency of the United Nations had said that extreme weather events and climatic changes such as increases in temperature and rainfall over desert areas, and the strong winds associated with tropical cyclones, provide a new environment for pest breeding, development and migration of locusts and their attacks are posing a serious threat to food security in parts of East Africa, India and Pakistan. This year, India witnessed, what was the worst locust invasion in three decades and attacks were reported in more than 2 dozen cities of Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, UP and Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the new Ram Mandir in Ayodhya next week. It is certain to be a grand ceremony as is the case with things we associate with our PM. It will happen on August 5, which is the first anniversary of the day that Jammu and Kashmir lost its constitutional status. Article 370 has not been abrogated, as is falsely claimed. It remains in the Constitution. What has been done is to de-operationalise it. It is not known what the point of that action was. In the six months of this year, over 200 people have already been killed in violence in Kashmir. That is twice the number that we saw last year. Under this government, Kashmir is increasing in violence, reversing a long-term trend of decline that was seen under Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. Kashmir is being kept under control essentially through military rule. Kashmiris have little access to the Internet and are unable to express themselves properly. Their pleas to the Supreme Court have gone unheard. Or at least have been put in abeyance, like many other things. But, of course, the grand gesture of abrogation is what the point of it all was. Let us turn to the other fields of battle, such as our Mahabharat against the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister stopped making his 8 pm announcements on this subject and has clearly become bored with it. It is true that this plague is one that can only partially be controlled by the government. But there are a few things that the government can do. Neighbouring Pakistan has appeared to flatten its curve of growth in Covid positive cases. It has fallen consistently from a high of 6,800 cases on June 14 to 4,000 cases on June 28 to 1,200 cases on July 24. India has gone from 11,000 new cases on June 14 to 20,000 cases on June 28 to almost 49,000 new cases on July 24. Till about a short time ago, Pakistan had half the number of cases as India though their population is only a fifth of ours. Now they seem to have got things under control in a way that India has not. Cases in Bangladesh have also been dropping in the same period. Having made his grand announcement, Mr Modi has moved on. The announcement that he was most enthusiastic about, the bombshell at 8 pm on November 8, 2016, has gutted the Indian economy. The government has tried to hide its damage by fudging the GDP data. Two weeks ago, former Reserve Bank governor C. Rangarajan said that the government should end the controversy over its manner of calculating the GDP. This governments former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian himself has calculated that India is reporting 2.5 per cent higher GDP growth figures than actual ones. A report in Mint newspaper on Saturday said all economic indicators showed that the government was bluffing. Growth in factory output has fallen from nine per cent before 2011 to two per cent now. The Modi governments own National Sample Survey showed rural consumption grew at minus 1.5 per cent, meaning it actually declined in the Modi years. Even urban consumption fell from 3.4 per cent to 0.3 per cent. Corporate investments went from 23 per cent growth to minus 1.8 per cent. Bank credit growth fell from 14 per cent to four per cent, but the GDP growth figures remain the same: seven per cent before Mr Modi and seven per cent after, which is unbelievable given all the other data. Unemployment remains at levels it has never touched in history, over 8 per cent. On Friday last the RBI said that non-performing assets with banks (meaning dud loans) would rise from the current 8.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent by March, and perhaps even higher. The finance minister keeps babbling on about seeing green shoots in the economy, a phrase meaning there are signs of life. Nobody believes her, of course, or takes her seriously. Having made his grand announcement on Make in India, Mr Modi lost interest there as well. GDPs manufacturing share in India has fallen from 15 per cent before the announcement to 14 per cent after. Vietnam and Bangladesh have gone up in this time. Other than announcements, its hard to figure what this government is good at doing. The Citizenship Amendment Act was passed with great bombast about how Mr Modi would protect the persecuted minorities of South Asia. But its rules have still not been written by the government, meaning its not in force and cannot protect anyone. On the China border, there is trouble. But Mr Modi has solved it with a stirring speech delivered from Ladakh. There is no action after that. By October, the passes that we use to supply the area will be snowed in. Our soldiers, around two lakhs now, will have to manage without proper habitats. The Chinese built habitats for their forces in the last three years after the incident at Doklam, which Mr Modi took lightly. The Chinese are sitting on our territory and are pointing to Mr Modis own statements where he says there is no intrusion, as proof that they are right and we are wrong. What was the need to make that statement? Its not clear, but he has moved on from there to the next exciting thing. I look forward to his speech next week. It will be entertaining and stirring and make lots of promises that he most likely will not be able to keep. But at least he can guarantee us more speeches and many more announcements. WATERLOO REGION Sitting shoulder to shoulder at a bar while enjoying a drink is a thing of the past in local bars. Seats are spread two metres apart to meet physical distancing requirements imposed because of the pandemic, which means spots at the bar are limited. You either have one or you dont, said Darryl Moore, vice-president of operations at a number of local bars and nightclubs. That really prevents a lot of intermingling. Medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said during this weeks briefing that the region is hearing concerns about people not following recommended practices in bars and night clubs. In Stage 3, bars and nightclubs can be open if they operate like a restaurant, with table service rather than people going up to a bar for food and drinks. Wang said monitoring and education have been increased to ensure physical distancing is maintained and, for the most part, operators are receptive and want to do the right thing. Moore, who oversees Dallas Nightclub, McCabes Irish Pub and Grill and Bobby OBriens, among other places, said staff keep watch to ensure patrons are following the rules and rarely are there issues. We find people are generally very co-operative and compliant, Moore said. People seem to just be happy they can go out for a burger and a beer. While places can now serve inside, the vast majority of people are still choosing to sit outdoors where the risk of acquiring COVID-19 is lower, unless the weathers bad. Sometimes locations that attract a younger crowd may need to remind people they must wear a mask unless seated at a table, but there havent been big problems with people mingling between different groups. Its really up to the staff to monitor and not allow that to happen, Moore said. Dallas Nightclub has changed dramatically since reopening to be more like a lounge. Dancing is gone, and music is played at a low volume so people dont have to get close to talk. People book a table and seating times are staggered. People are encouraged to call ahead for the Charcoal Group of restaurants and bars, which used to be walk-in friendly. A spot at the bar top can even be reserved. We take way more reservations than we did before, said Megan Stover, part of the operations team. No longer can someone just walk up to the bar and grab a spot. People are seated starting at one corner, then spread apart every two metres. We keep measuring tape at the front desk. We measure all the time, Stover said. Shes finding most people follow the rules, with just a little education needed sometimes. There was a little bit of hand-holding at the beginning, Stover said. Everyone kind of knows they have to do their part. As for keeping to one social circle at a table, theres no real way to police that and people have to be taken at their word. Venues are keen to ensure people follow the rules so they can stay open, make some revenue after a few tough months and keep people employed. We dont want to close again, Stover said. Well do whatever we have to do. Thats the feeling in Guelph, where concerns about overcrowding in a large outdoor patio space downtown prompted the citys mayor and medical officer to issue a joint statement urging residents to be responsible. We have seen troubling reports that some people visiting restaurants and other commercial establishments around town (especially those where alcohol is served) are not doing their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the letter from Dr. Nicola Mercer and Mayor Cam Guthrie reads. Now more than ever, we need to remain vigilant, they said. We must continue to move forward so we dont slide backward. The company that prints the stable of magazines once owned by Kerry Packer, including The Australian Women's Weekly, has asked the national industrial tribunal to tear up its pay agreement with staff as the industry struggles with magazine closures and advertising shortfalls. Ovato, Australia's largest printing group, employs more than 1300 people and has plants at Clayton in Melbourne and Warwick Farm in south-west Sydney. Bauer Media shut several of its magazines as a result of the pandemic and structural declines in the market. Credit:Rhett Wyman More than 850 of its workers face pay cuts of up to 30 per cent, smaller redundancy payouts and worse conditions if the company succeeds in scrapping its enterprise agreement, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union AMWU says. Many of the company's workers agreed to take a 40 per cent cut in pay and hours in late March when the pandemic started to bite and JobKeeper had yet to be announced. Flash One person has died and at least 17 others have been injured in an explosion Thursday morning at a restaurant in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, fire department officials said. Investigators said the explosion occurred shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time at a "shabu shabu"-style hot pot restaurant. Police and fire department officials said that one body was recovered from the site, with two people seriously injured in the explosion, while 15 others suffered slight injuries. The restaurant, located in an area with homes and eateries, was undergoing renovation work when the blast happened, and investigators said they believe the explosion was the result of a gas leak. Police were quoted as saying that propane gas had been leaking out of several tanks that had fallen over near the restaurant. Footage of the decimated building showed the ferocity of the subsequent explosion which completely blew out the outer walls of the restaurant building leaving only its steel frame remaining. Windows in nearby buildings were also shattered by the blast, local media reports said, and walls of neighboring buildings were also damaged. First responders were alerted to the explosion in the city of around 323,000 people, by a passerby who heard a loud blast just before 9:00 a.m. local time, according to local media accounts. Multiple firetrucks and ambulances were dispatched to the scene. A 300-meter perimeter has been set up around the explosion site restricting access. Belarus Says Over 30 Russian Mercenaries Detained Ahead Of Presidential Vote By RFE/RL's Belarus Service, RFE/RL's Russian Service July 29, 2020 Belarusian authorities say they have detained 32 Russian members of the private military company Vagner who were allegedly plotting to "destabilize" the country ahead of a presidential election on August 9. State news agency BelTA reported on July 29 that security forces detained 32 foreign members of the Vagner Group at a health resort near Minsk overnight, after receiving information that more than 200 Russian military contractors had arrived in Belarus on July 24 to "destabilize the situation in the country ahead of the election." Another suspect was detained in the south of the country, according to BelTA, which also published a list of the 33 Russian citizens, aged between 24 and 55, who had been apprehended. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka accused Russia of "dirty intentions" and instructed KGB security service chief Valer Vakulchyk to seek an explanation from Moscow. "We need to urgently ask the relevant structures of the Russian Federation to explain what's going on," he said at a security meeting. The Russian Embassy in Minsk said it had received notification from Belarus's Foreign Ministry about the detention of its citizens. The Vagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organization believed to be run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an influential Russian businessman close to President Vladimir Putin. Its fighters have turned up in conflicts in Syria, Libya, Ukraine, and Africa. In 2018, the U.S. State Department blacklisted the group along with more than 30 other Russian companies and individuals with ties to military and intelligence agencies. BelTA reported that the detainees' behavior was "uncharacteristic for Russian tourists" because they didn't drink alcohol and their "uniform military-style clothing" drew attention. State-run Belarus-1 television channel showed video footage it said was taken during the detainment of the suspects. The footage showed several Russian passports that allegedly belonged to the detained men, as well as stacks of U.S. dollar bills, packets of condoms, and pieces of paper with Arabic script. Other belongings captured on camera included Sudanese currency and a Sudanese phone card, suggesting the men may have been en route to or from the African country. Unlike Russia, Belarus has kept its borders open during the coronavirus pandemic and operates flights as usual. Moscow is Minsk's closest political and economic ally, but Lukashenka has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to force Belarus to abandon its independence. The arrests push tensions between the neighbors to a new high, with some observers seeing the move as a stunt by the 65-year-old Belarusian leader, who is seeking a sixth term in the upcoming polls. The Vagner group is known to operate in Sudan, as well as in neighboring Libya. Lukashenka has faced mounting public opposition in recent months after 26 years in power, in part from public discontent over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, 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. Despite the crackdown, Lukashenka faces one of his biggest challenges yet from an energetic opposition that has rallied around 37-year-old Svetlana Tikhanouskaya. Lukashenka had said that unnamed forces might use trained fighters from unspecified foreign private military companies -- which are illegal in Belarus -- to foment a revolution in Belarus that would be similar to how pro-European demonstrations in neighboring Ukraine toppled pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. "They will be professional military fighters, bandits, who are specially trained, mainly at private military companies all around the world and make big money in these or those countries," Lukashenka has said. With reporting by BelTA, Belarus-1, TASS, and AP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-30- foreign-private-military-contractors- detained-minsk/30755231.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WASHINGTON - Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 6,100 have died in Texas, and 302 of those deaths have occurred in Hidalgo County, along the country's southern border. Forty-five of those bodies are in a refrigerated 18-wheeler that Aaron Rivera bought three weeks ago, when the phone was ringing off the hook at his Rivera Funeral Home in McAllen. The funeral director had no choice but to tell families that their loved ones could not be cremated, could not be buried, could not be put anywhere but in a truck in his back lot. There were so many bodies in his building that there was no place else for them to go. The next appointments at the crematorium are two weeks away. The cemeteries are little better, backed up at least 10 days. At the Rivera Funeral Home, the calls keep coming: It has handled more than 100 deaths related to covid-19 in three weeks. "I've been in this business for almost 40 years now, and I have never seen anything like this," Rivera said. "This is totally out of a horror movie. I saw what was happening in New York a few months ago, and I thought I understood it. I didn't get it." It took two months for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, to kill 50,000 Americans, and nearly half of those deaths took place in one state, New York. On Wednesday, the death toll approached 150,000, a milestone of trauma and tragedy that marks the coronavirus's leap from big cities into suburbs and rural areas, especially in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. Battles rage over masks (Who recommended what and when?), tests (Why so few and why so slow?) and reopening (Bars? Restaurants? Schools?). But the bottom line is irrefutable: The United States has suffered more deaths from covid-19 than any other country, by far. Americans are dying from the virus-related illness at a per-capita rate four times that of Germany and Iraq, five times that of Russia and Bahrain. The next-closest death toll from the coronavirus is in Brazil, where nearly 90,000 people have died. China, where the global crisis began, has reported fewer than 5,000 dead. In Hidalgo County, no single day of the epidemic resulted in five covid-19 deaths until the last week of June. Then the virus swept through like a hurricane, leaving a trail of 1,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases a day in early July. The bodies started turning up at Rivera's funeral home soon thereafter. For a long time, the Mexican Consulate called Rivera every few days to ask whether any of the deceased people at his facility were originally from Mexico, as many were. If so, the consul would offer the family burial help. This month, the consulate stopped calling, Rivera said. "It's just too many cases," he said. "For them. For us. Too many." On Saturday, Rivera picked up three bodies. Then, on Sunday, nine more. That had not happened before. "We do this for a living, we do this every day, but this is different," said Rivera, a third-generation funeral director. "Last week, I met with a family that lost three members in one weekend - the husband, the wife and a niece. They want to touch their relative. I tell them, you really have to be more afraid, and I don't recommend touching. But how can I tell them they can't?" When he goes home each night, those scenes come with him. He has five children, ranging in age from 8 to 35, and he tries to keep them in a bubble. He thinks of the younger ones as somehow in suspended animation, on a seemingly permanent spring break, because they left school for vacation in March and never returned. He doesn't expect they will attend classes anytime soon. He admonishes them: "You can't just go up to people and hug them." But in his business, Rivera has learned that "we don't live in a perfect world." A man called him up, desperate to be at the memorial service for his mother, who died of covid-19. But he couldn't attend, because he had the virus, too. "And then I see him in my lobby," Rivera said. "I said, 'David, I can't let you in the building.' 'I'm feeling OK,' he tells me. I said, 'I can't let you in.' " At this point, people know what they're supposed to do. Six weeks ago, when Rivera asked people to put on masks, some would get angry. Now, he said, "everybody wears a mask." But that shift came late, three months after the county's top official, Judge Richard Cortez, warned Hidalgo residents that "unless we take the necessary precautions, a tsunami would overtake the community." Last week, Cortez announced it: "That tsunami is here." But Rivera sees a reality that is both stark and complex. People need to say goodbye to their loved ones, so they show up even if they're infected. Rivera takes their temperature and sometimes has to turn them away. It keeps him up at night: He's supposed to provide comfort, and here he is, deepening people's pain. He prays every night now that he never becomes cold to people's losses. "There's so many things now that I never thought of before," Rivera said. "If the president was here, he'd make a lot of changes. He'd see what is really happening. He'd see what I see. And what I see, I don't think we'll ever recover." - - - Arizona Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 3,400 lived in Arizona, and 128 of those deaths have occurred in Apache County, much of which is in the Navajo Nation, along the state's northeastern edges. The county's death rate is among the highest in the country - almost four times the Arizona average. Two-thirds of the coronavirus-related deaths in Apache County have come in the past two months. One of those deaths took Anne Calabrese's husband, Dennis, from her. They had shared everything for 27 years - a home, a bed, an abiding faith and, last month, the virus. They had been so very careful. "We didn't play around," Anne said. "We followed all the protocols. We knew people who had it. I thought, 'We're good.' " Dennis was getting up there in years - he was 77 - and she was 61, and they chose to seclude themselves almost entirely. Almost. "Just that one time did it," Anne said. "I guess we all tend to put our guards down after a time." Three of their grandchildren had been staying with them in St. Michaels since March, allowing their mother, who lived a five-hour drive away, to keep working even with the girls out of school. Then, in June, the kids' mother came for a visit. A few days after she left, the symptoms hit her; she got a test - positive. Dennis and Anne promptly fell ill. All three girls got it, too. The Calabreses both ended up in the hospital - different facilities, though Anne managed to visit Dennis as it became clear his lungs were not going to recover. "I was so sick, I couldn't stay," she said. Her son, wrapped in protective gear, went in to be with Dennis for his final moments. The disease took Dennis in less than three weeks. Anne has come home from the hospital now, still weak but getting better. Her daughter is there to take care of her, and they both wear masks when Anne emerges from her bedroom. As difficult and heartbreaking as Dennis's death was, it was worse because there was no way to mark it, to be with the people who mattered. "It's like you're out there by yourself," Anne said. "Nobody can hug you. Nobody can embrace you. You're aside, by yourself." They had a quick virtual memorial; a real service must wait until Anne fully recovers. Dennis, for many years an elementary school teacher, was a missionary, and Anne was active in their church, but the only services held in recent months were online, and their pastor had covid-19, too. Even in her solitude, even in her pain and sleeplessness, Anne finds light. "My comfort is the Lord," she said. "I can still pray, with my friends, through the phone, through Facebook. And now that I'm pretty healthy again, at least I know I have the antibodies and I can help people. I can tell them that this is all real. I can't imagine how they can say it's a hoax. A lot of that is politics. I just despise politics. This is real. It's all real when it comes to your home." - - - South Carolina Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 1,600 lived in South Carolina, and 49 died in Orangeburg County, where a quarter of all coronavirus-related deaths have occurred in the past week. Rosemary Griffin and her sister, Wanda Smith, were determined not to become faceless statistics. They did a big shopping expedition back in March to stock up for a long seclusion. They bought supplies in bulk - masks, gloves, hand sanitizer. They resolved never to leave the house without masks. Ordinarily, they would go to their annual church convention, and their niece wanted to go, but the sisters said no. When everything shut down in March, Griffin, 73, a longtime music teacher, lost her income from performing at funerals. She and Smith, 69, who is retired from a church child-development program, also saw their volunteer work - teaching music and performing arts to schoolchildren - come to a near halt. The women had plenty to do, though. They had taken in two of Smith's grandchildren so Smith's daughter could keep working after schools shut down. Then, earlier this month, a family emergency led Smith to leave the protective bubble of home to visit an ailing relative at a hospital near Orangeburg. Outside the facility, people clustered, many without masks. Within days, Smith began to cough. "Then a fever," she said. A couple of days later, she could barely breathe. Nausea, vomiting, the whole works. Her sister and her grandchildren, ages 4 and 6, were infected, too, though the children have had mild cases. By the time Smith made it to the emergency room at Orangeburg Regional Medical Center, the county was in full covid-19 crisis. Orangeburg, 76 miles northwest of Charleston, is a mostly African American town with an economic base of small factories surrounded by timberland and family farms. For the first three months of the epidemic, the county was modestly affected, but after South Carolina reopened for Memorial Day, the number of cases exploded. In the past two weeks, cases in Orangeburg County have nearly doubled. The area's biggest hospital was overwhelmed and had to erect tents to handle the flow of patients. Smith was parked in an emergency-room hallway for a day and a half before being moved to an overflow ward with four other covid-19 patients. "I was in so much distress that I didn't care where I was," she said. "I just wanted some help." An X-ray confirmed that she had pneumonia; her coronavirus test was positive. As doctors gave her albuterol and antibiotics and considered whether she needed a ventilator, Smith focused on a higher power. "I serve a God that once I give him my prayer requests, I don't worry," she said. Stuck at home, Griffin was hit by the disease, too, though not as acutely as her sister. "God is in control of everything," Griffin said. "He knows what he's doing - even if he's doing something that we don't understand." The sisters' pastor, the Rev. Donald Greene, said their travails are all too common. Churches, mostly closed to worshipers since March, have struggled to help, not only with health care and spiritual support but with information, he said. "Church on Sunday was the way to receive the daily briefing," he said. "Covid, it's created a fog of fear. And that fear has put a lot of people behind doors mentally." Greene has seen the spread not only of the virus but of a dangerous stigma. People are reluctant to discuss it - even at funerals, he said, where family members shy from revealing the cause of death. Smith returned home Friday, slightly improved. Family and friends leave care packages outside, and FaceTime connects the sisters to the outside world. Griffin looks forward to getting back to singing and hugging. "I just thank God the children don't have symptoms," she said. "We tried to do a birthday breakfast for them and we both ran out of energy. But we'll get to it eventually." - - - Florida Of the nearly 150,000 Americans who have died of covid-19, more than 6,300 have been Florida residents, and the largest contingent of them, 1,471, lived in Miami-Dade, the state's most populous county. One of those victims was Janet Forte's father, Juan Reynaldo Forte, who spent some of the first and last days of his 85th year in a bed at Jackson South Medical Center, 20 miles southwest of downtown Miami. By the time Janet got the call from her brother that their father had a fever and had tested positive for the virus, it had been more than six months since she had seen him. He was strong for his age and loved to boast to his daughter about how many push-ups he had done, but still, she had kept her distance for fear of infecting him. "I last got to see him in person before Christmas," she said. "I still have his gifts that I never got to give him." Juan Forte lived with Janet's brother, who had taken care to limit their father's exposure to other people. But they made shopping ventures to Costco, and shortly before Juan fell ill, he and his son attended a house party in their neighborhood, Janet said. On July 17, Juan's doctor gave his daughter a nurse's phone number so she could see her dad via video chat. His organs were failing. On the phone, Juan looked skeletal. "He opened his eyes a little bit when I sang him a song," Janet said. "But after the FaceTime ended, I realized there was no hope." Juan Forte died two days later. He was one of 87 people in Miami-Dade County who died of covid-19 on July 19. His daughter intends to have him cremated, but the funeral home has not picked up the body from the hospital, because of the backlog. And the family will not have a memorial until the pandemic eases. "If I were to have a service, my dad's twin brother would definitely show up, despite covid," Janet said. "Why would I put him and others in the family at risk? It hurts and it sucks because my father deserves to be remembered in a proper way. But not at the cost of anyone else." - - - Dixon reported from Charleston, S.C. The Washington Post's Francisco Alvarado in Miami contributed to this report. DOW Amid the ash and rubble Wednesday, Pastor David Brown of the Dow Southern Baptist Church found cause for joy. Words cannot describe the feeling of watching the place you love burn, he shared with members of his congregation. Yet the sanctuary was saved. At about 2 a.m. Wednesday, the Jersey County Sheriffs Office responded to a fire alarm at the AT&T building at 25218 Dow Road. While responding, a deputy observed flames coming from the nearby church at 24735 Dow Road, at the corner of Dow and Bartlett Roads. QEM Fire Protection District Chief Gerald New said that, when his team arrived, the fire was heavily concentrated in the west side of the church complex which contained classrooms and offices. The district quickly issued a call for additional help from fire departments in Jerseyville, Brighton, Fieldon, Carrollton and Godfrey. New said the fire had spread from the office area to the classroom area, which is also contained on the west side of the church. The church sanctuary is at the opposite end of the property, with the buildings connected by an enclosed bridge that serves as a walkway between them. New said firefighters made a trench cut into the roof of the bridge, allowing air into the building to keep the fire from spreading. By doing so, the sanctuary received only smoke damage. The west side of the church, however, was termed a total loss with the floor collapsing into the church basement. Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen said deputies also learned the AT&T building had been burglarized and someone unsuccessfully attempted to start a fire. In a news release, Ringhausen said that failed fire attempt possibly activated a smoke detector in the AT&T building. On Wednesday, deputies were joined at the church by representatives of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Office. The investigation continues into the blaze. His faith still strong, Brown went to the churchs Facebook page to share thanks for the firefighters, as well as a Bible passage: Matthew 16:18 And the gates of Hades will not overcome it! His words were met with an outpouring of online support. Lets get something straight. This is not an endorsement for Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for vice president. If you see it that wa "Food science is incredibly important to our overall mission," said Brian Spears, CEO. "We make meat that consumers prefer to conventional meat. That requires us to invest in understanding how we perceive animal protein. What is the science behind the experience of smelling, seeing, and eating tasty meat? The mission of our company is to make safer meat without slaughter, but we will never be successful unless our products are delicious. With an expanded food science department we are able to deliver on that promise." ff Venture Capital, the lead investor from New Age Meats' previous round, participated in the extension, along with follow-on investments from SOSV, Sand Hill Angels, and Siddhi Capital. The firm also welcomed the Losa Group out of Central America and members of San Diego Tech Coast Angels onto the cap table. Looking beyond this round, New Age Meats is working toward building its pilot facility, scaling product development and production, and getting its first products to market. Media Contact: Derin Alemli, CFA Director of Operations & Finance email: [email protected] About New Age Meats New Age Meats was founded in 2018 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. Specializing in pork, NAM is working to bring a cultivated pork sausage to market soon. They make meat for meat eaters in an age where the definition of meat is changing. Embedded in their ethos is the desire to positively impact the world, with the mission of building a more sustainable supply of protein for the planet. About TechU Ventures TechU Ventures is an early stage investment firm that supports entrepreneurs building platform technologies that harness complex science and engineering breakthroughs for enduring global impact. SOURCE New Age Meats Related Links newagemeats.com Hong Kong Police Arrest 4 for Alleged National Security Breach Under New Law By VOA News July 29, 2020 Four young activists who belonged to a disbanded pro-independence group have been arrested on secessionist charges in Hong Kong's first crackdown on political figures after the enactment July 1 of a sweeping national security law. Senior Superintendent Li Kwai-wah, with Hong Kong police's newly formed National Security Department, told reporters late Wednesday that four students between the ages of 16 and 21 had been arrested under the new national security law for "organizing and inciting secession" by their advocacy of independence. He declined to name them and their group, but the group Studentlocalism announced on social media that its former convenor, Tony Chung, 19, had been arrested Wednesday night for "inciting secession." Activists said at least two other former group members also had been arrested about the same time. The arrests were the most high-profile crackdown on political figures since the introduction of the new security law. Ten protesters were arrested that day on national security charges. 'Hong Kong nation' Li accused the group of announcing online the establishment of a new group to advocate for the establishment of a "Hong Kong nation," as well as its declaration that it would use all means to achieve this end. He also alleged that the group was trying to "unite all pro-independence groups in Hong Kong" and "incite others to join them." Li said mobile phones, computers and documents had been seized from the arrested activists' homes. He said the police could take DNA samples from them if necessary. Citing clauses 36 to 38 of the national security law, Li emphasized that people also could be charged with criminal enterprises for "national security crimes" committed elsewhere in the world. "We have jurisdiction even if the propaganda takes place abroad," he said. Studentlocalism announced its closure on the eve of the enactment of the national security law on July 1, but it also announced 10 days ago the establishment of its U.S. division. On its Twitter account, the group called on its supporters to join in, and it posted an online recruitment form. Manifesto Its manifesto on Twitter says one of its missions is to "establish a Hong Kong republic with independent sovereignty" and "awaken the will of Hong Kong's national independence." Li said the arrestees were suspected of violating both Article 20 and 21 of the national security law, which criminalizes secessionist acts and incitement of others to commit such offenses. In a video footage posted online, a plainclothes police officer, purportedly from the national security department, can be seen escorting Chung, who has his hands tied behind his back, to a vehicle. Local media said it was the first time that officers from the police force's new national security department had made an arrest under the security legislation. As the group disbanded June 30, Chung vowed on Twitter, "We won't give up, we refuse to forget, one day we will witness the Hong Kong national flag on our land." Chung was arrested in May 2019 for damaging the national flag at the protest zone outside the legislature, before the anti-government protest movement began. Ahead of the police briefing Wednesday night, officers expelled several journalists, saying they had not been registered with the government even though no such restrictions had been put in place previously. Commenting on the arrests, pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu said the activists were not arrested for their actions but rather for their rhetoric on social media. "The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. Typical CCP [Chinese Communist Party] speech crime," he said on Twitter. Human Rights Watch researcher Maya Wang said the arrests were "a significant escalation on the part of the Hong Kong government, criminalizing those who organize political parties, and it's likely [to be] just the beginning before it moves onto pan-democratic parties." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LONDON/GABORONE (Reuters) - Diamond mining giant De Beers is likely to have to cut jobs, its chief executive said on Thursday, as it outlined plans for an overhaul of its business after the coronavirus hit jewellery demand. LONDON/GABORONE (Reuters) - Diamond mining giant De Beers is likely to have to cut jobs, its chief executive said on Thursday, as it outlined plans for an overhaul of its business after the coronavirus hit jewellery demand. De Beers, a unit of Anglo American , earlier reported plunging earnings in the first half of 2020 as a drop in rough diamond sales and prices hurt margins. Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were just $2 million in the period, down from $518 million in the first half of last year. De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver told Reuters official consultations with workers will begin on Aug. 11. He said the business overhaul "is likely to lead to some job losses, but I can't tell you at this point what that number will be". Cleaver said the process would last for three months and involve a review of mining, rough sales, retail and the corporate centre, but exclude joint venture businesses in Botswana and Namibia which have different governance structures. De Beers employs 20,000 people across its entire business. The country's coronavirus state of emergency, which ends in October, prohibits businesses from laying off workers. Asked whether De Beers was planning job cuts in Botswana, executive vice president for diamond trading Paul Rowley said that as the transformation plan was a work in progress, he couldn't take anything off the table. South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers did not immediately reply to a request for comment on possible job cuts by De Beers. Maintaining that the long-term outlook is positive, however, the miner said its business transformation plan aims to boost margins by, among other things, modernising the way it sells diamonds. (In paragraph 8, corrects last name to Rowley from Rawley, changes to couldn't from could) (Reporting by Zandi Shabalala in London and Brian Benza in Gaborone; Additional Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg in Johannesburg; Writing by Helen Reid; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Evans) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. 30.07.2020 LISTEN The Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi has been filled with deafening messages of defense for the Member of Parliament for Manhyia North Collins Owusu Amankwah as some detractors sought to unduly accuse him. An online portal reported of two Members of Parliament who lost their primaries neglecting the party, and many are shocked to see that Hon. Collins Owusu Amankwah was also mentioned as one of them. Even before the MP could deny the story, many are those who rose to his defense, calling on the Ashanti regional NPP Vice Chm Kwabena Nsenkyire who made the allegation to refrain from such unproductive lies. Meanwhile, an aide to the MP Victor Osei Poku has issued a statement debunking the allegation and calling on all lovers of the elephant family to disregard the story and look forward to working hard for the victory of the NPP come December. Please read the full story below. RE: INCUMBENT NPP MPs HAVE DESERTED PARTY AFTER THEIR DEFEAT The attention of the member of Parliament for Manhyia North Constituency Hon Collins Owusu Amankwah has been drawn to an online story carried by https://www.mynewsgh.com/2 with the above heading. The member of Parliament is saddened by the content of the letter and still in shock, as to the intent of both the writer and the one the story is attributed to. The member of Parliament wishes to state the records straight as the story only resorted to run down his hard earned reputation and downplay his efforts in helping this party. 1. The member of parliament, throughout the registration processes, has visited all polling centres across the constituency to monitor the process of which pictures and videos are available to this effect. At every registration centre he visited, he donated nose masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and some amount of monies to the electoral officers to ensure the smooth running of the process. 2. The member of Parliament, as he is usually known to be on the various media platforms speaking on behalf of the party, has not abandoned those duties. Even this week, he has been on both UTV and Adom TV morning shows. 3. The member of parliament is on record, to have called all polling station executives in Manhyia North after the primaries, and urged them to work for the party as we prepare for December 7th general elections. Owing to the above points, one will still wonder the intent of the said publication if not of hatred, malicious and ill intent of some selfish individuals who only seek to run people down to make way for their opportunities. Hon Collins Owusu Amankwah urge the general public to treat the said publication with the utmost contempt it deserves. He continues to remain a party man and shall continue to serve the party as he is known to be doing. ......Signed.... (Victor Osei Poku, Aide to Manhyia North Constituency MP) STORY LINK GBP to ZAR Exchange Rate Hits 2-Month-Best as Second Wave Coronavirus Signs Worsen GBP Exchange Rates Climbing despite Lack of Strong Domestic Support Overall the Pound remains the underperformer in the G10 space so I would expect at some point that we see a little bit of a correction from time to time, but generally it has been quite weak, The fact we havent seen much move in that cross (EUR/GBP) suggests a risk premium around Brexit negotiations, ZAR Exchange Rates Slump as Fears of Coronavirus Second Wave Intensify Although the major currency pairs have held steady after the (Federal Reserve statement) last night, the Rand, along with its emerging-markets peers, is trading marginally weaker relative to the USD, although they have largely had a better month overall thus far against the USD, This is as the second round of COVID-19 infections plagues the world GBP/ZAR Exchange Rate Forecast: Shifts in Risk-Sentiment Remain a Focus Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: While a dovish Federal Reserve would normally lead to higher demand for currencies correlated with risk, the British Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate has jumped even higher today after spending much of this week holding its ground and edging up. The Pound outlook remains filled with uncertainties, but the risky emerging market correlated South African Rand is being hit by the global markets worsening coronavirus jitters.After opening this week at the level of 21.31, GBP/ZAR briefly dipped. However the pair was able to sustain last weeks advances and yesterday GBP/ZAR saw further gains.Then, this morning, GBP/ZAR has seen yet another jump in demand as global coronavirus fears intensify once more. At the time of writing on Thursday, GBP/ZAR trends near the level of 21.88. This is the best level for GBP/ZAR since the second half of May, over two months ago.Investors are buying the Pound across the board today. This is despite a lack of domestic support for the embattled British currency.With coronavirus and Brexit uncertainties still dominating Britains outlooks and weighing on economic hopes, the Pound has instead been benefitting largely from weakness in rival currencies.For example, markets are increasingly seeing the US coronavirus situation as considerably worse than Britains. This has been leading to a strong Pound rebound against the US Dollar (USD), which is a big part of this weeks Sterling gains.Of course, todays GBP/ZAR gains are also due to Rand weakness.However, despite these optimistic factors, analysts continue to say that the Pound outlook remains weak overall.According to Thu Lan Nguyen, Senior FX Strategist at Commerzbank, Sterlings strength may be little more than a little correction:Other analysts say that the uncertainty over whether or not Britain will avoid a no-deal Brexit is not likely to fade from the Pounds gloomy outlook any time soon. According to Dean Turner, Economist at UBS Global Wealth Management:The South African Rand has seen deeper weakness this week, as the global coronavirus situation develops and major banks once again become more concerned about its potential economic impacts.The South African Rand is a currency often correlated to risk and emerging market sentiment. It has seen a strong July overall due to risk-on movement, but has been slumping over the past week as coronavirus fears worsen.Last nights Federal Reserve policy decision also spooked investors. While a dovish tone from the Fed would normally boost risk-sentiment, the Feds concerns of prolonged weakness in the US economy have instead caused some risk-correlated currencies to fall.According to a note from Nedbank analysts:Investors are buying the Pound to Rand exchange rate higher and higher this week, but Sterlings appeal is limited.The Pound is being bolstered by weakness in rivals as well as a little rebound from its recent cheapest levels. However, the currencys outlook remains highly unappealing and filled with uncertainties overall.As a result, investors may lack much reason to keep buying the Pound higher without some more optimistic UK developments.As July comes to an end and August begins, markets will once again focus on Brexit and the possibility of developments in UK-EU Brexit negotiations.Optimistic trade negotiations and the possibility of a deal actually being met are among the things that are most likely to cause a sustained rise in the Pound.Tomorrows South African trade balance report could cause slightly stronger Rand demand if it impresses.Besides that, the South African Rand is more likely to strengthen if optimistic coronavirus developments lead to higher demand for risk and emerging market currencies.Looking ahead, Pound to South African Rand exchange rate investors are also awaiting next weeks UK and South African PMI stats. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Pound Rand Forecasts July 30 : Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has once again made it clear that late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case will be investigated by the Mumbai Police, and it will not be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), despite sustained public pressure. Talking to the media after meeting with high rank Police officials, Deshmukh said, Mumbai police are investigating the case. It will not be transferred to Central Bureau of Investigation. The Central Government can authorize CBI to investigate such a crime in a State but only with the consent of the concerned State Government. The Supreme Court and High Courts, however, can order CBI to investigate such a crime anywhere in the country without the consent of the State. Rhea had earlier demanded a CBI probe into Rajput's death case. She had said that she was the deceased actor's "girlfriend" and requested a CBI inquiry to "understand what pressures prompted Sushant to take this step". 34-year-old Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14, and since then, the Mumbai Police has been investigating the case. They have recorded statements of over 40 people in connection with Sushant's death, including that of Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant's family, filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shekhar Kapur, and Yash Raj Films head, Aditya Chopra, among others. Some politicians, actors and general people are continuously demanding CBI enquiry on social media for actors death but the case took major turn when Sushants father, KK Singh, filed an FIR in Patna against the actors girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty on 28th June under the various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Sushants father, in his FIR said that on June 8, when Rhea found that the bank balance of Sushant is going down, she left with cash, jewellery, laptop, credit card, its pin number and password and important documents and doctors receipts. In response to FIR filed against her and her family members, Rhea has moved the Supreme Court to seek transfer of the investigation to Mumbai. Rhea's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, in a petition filed with the Supreme Court, appealed that the investigation is moved to Mumbai where the Mumbai Police is already probing the actor's death. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Kellyanne Conway's teenage daughter Claudia returned to Twitter Wednesday to troll Donald Trump and call for young people to vote him out and settle for Joe Biden. The 15-year-old told her followers she 'got her phone back' two weeks after her parents 'banned' her from social media. She added: 'probably wont have it for long though considering im about to revolutionize twitter brb.' She then posted and retweeted a flurry of anti Trump messages, replying to one of his tweets calling him 'racist, homophobic and tyrannical', and labeling him a 'golfing idiot of a president'. Claudia had said earlier this month that her parents were forcing her to delete social media after a series of outspoken posts in which she criticized Trump. Her mother is counselor to the president, while her father George Conway is a repeated critic. But by Wednesday evening she was back on Twitter, launching into a flurry of tweets against POTUS and urging people to vote. On Thursday afternoon she wrote: 'lets stop giving mr. golfer attention and his supporters ammunition. for those eligible to vote, ESPECIALLY young people, you must #SettleForBiden.' She wrote directly to the president: 'babe maybe you should stop calling COVID-19 China Virus and start calling it America Virus since its THRIVING in our country. The teenager added: 'awe so where are your condolences for the ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND LIVES lost in YOUR country? yo im sorry but is this actually our president? he doesnt even use correct english im crying.' Scroll down for video Kellyanne Conway's, right, daughter Claudia, left, returned to Twitter Wednesday to troll Donald Trump and call for young people to vote him out and settle for Joe Biden The 15-year-old told her followers she 'got her phone back' two weeks after her parents 'banned' her from social media. She added: 'probably wont have it for long though considering im about to revolutionize twitter brb' She then posted and retweeted a flurry of anti Trump messages When someone questioned her support for the former vice president Claudia replied: 'he is not the best, i am aware, and certainly not my ideal choice, but ANYONE over trump.' She also retweeted 'Donald Trump should resign. Pass it on.' Claudia also weighed in on the debate to reopen schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, writing: 'so.. 14,000 COVID-19 cases nationwide universally warrants schools to shut down for the year, yet 4.5 million cases warrants reopening.. ?' When one follower replied: 'I would pay good money to watch you debate your mom', Claudia replied: 'me too.' And when asked if her mom believes 'the things Trump is saying' Claudia replied: 'She works for him so im assuming so.' Claudia made headlines after she started going viral with anti-Trump TikToks, despite her mom working in the White House. Claudia also urged her followers to 'VOTE VOTE VOTE' saying 'we gotta get mr. china virus out of the white house'. Earlier this month the teen continued to troll her parents online by posting a video saying she has been 'cured' of her outspoken anti-Trump views - hours after claiming her parents were forcing her to delete her social media. On Wednesday she retweeted post which read: 'Love this. Parents are not always right and sometimes not even trying to be. It's wrong for outsiders to assume they are.' Continuing her Twitter spree the teen also asked Democrat AOC to 'adopt' her, adding Thursday: 'currently CRYING because @AOC follows me. the PEAK of my existence. hows your morning going? i am on the verge of fainting.' Claudia had earlier told her 136,000 followers: ''im convinced that all of@realDonaldTrump s supporters have absolutely no idea what is currently occurring within the administration. PSA: Fox News is not a news source.' Claudia made headlines after she started going viral with anti-Trump TikToks and using her accounts to support the Black Lives Matter movement, despite her mom working in the White House. Claudia had said that her parents were forcing her to delete social media after a series of outspoken posts in which she criticized Donald Trump. On July 3, George Conway, who is one of the founders of the anti-Trump political action group The Lincoln Project, attempted to intervene, telling journalists that neither he nor Kellyanne gave permission for them to speak to Claudia or any of their other children. Claudia's mother Kelly, left, is counselor to Trump, while her father George Conway, right, is a repeated critic of the President While the White House counselor previously said she supports her daughter making her own mind up about her political views, Claudia recently claimed that her parents were attempting to shut off her phone to stop her causing more controversy for the family. On July 3, George Conway, who is one of the founders of the anti-Trump political action group The Lincoln Project, attempted to intervene, telling journalists that neither he nor Kellyanne gave permission for them to speak to Claudia or any of their other children. 'To journalists: @kellyannepolls and I do *not* consent to any communications between you and any of our minor children, including our daughter Claudia. So desist. Thank you,' he wrote. But an unhappy Claudia said Wednesday evening: 'it may not be your fault that youre in the situation youre in, but it IS your responsibility to react productively or get yourself out of it. life is 10% what others do and 90% how you react to it. 'didnt say i was responsible for my parents. its not my fault that im in the situation im in, but it is my responsibility to learn how to manage it. next' Claudia, left, said that her parents were forcing her to delete social media after a series of outspoken posts in which she criticized Donald Trump. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, right, appeared to follow Claudia after her appeal to be adopted by the Democrat Kellyanne Conway's daughter Claudia has asked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to adopt her' after returning to Twitter Wednesday evening After asking Democrat AOC to 'adopt' her, Claudia, whose Twitter bio now reads 'vote', tweeted Thursday: 'currently CRYING because @AOC follows me. the PEAK of my existence. hows your morning going? i am on the verge of fainting' She also attacked her parents' wealth, adding: 'eat the rich. seriously. there are WAY too many multi-billionaires in our society. extreme wealth = extreme poverty.' When one follower replied 'your parents are rich'. she added: 'and they should be taxed more. put that money towards something other then their unnecessarily sizable mansion. 'my parents are. not me. i wont inherit sh!t and ill work for what ill earn. i am not disrespecting either of my parents; i am simply speaking my mind.' Replying to one of her mom's tweets she said: 'please do me a favor and log off for me!' The Galapagos Islands, considered one of the world's sanctuaries of diversity, is under assault by Chinese fishing vessels who act like marauders invading the bounty of the seas. Ecuador, to its horror, has found out that a huge flotilla of Chinese vessels is about 200-miles from the Galapagos Islands. The islands played a big part in the work of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution The Ecuadorian Navy reported about 260 ships in international waters, which is just shy of the 188-mile economic zone of the island. Yet, the impact of the Chinese ships cannot be ignored when it can affect the fragile ecosystem, noted the former environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse, reported in The Guardian. Large Chinese fishing fleets are damaging to the environment and its delicate balance that is crucial to the Galapagos ecosystem, she added. Last Monday, Kakabadse and Roque Sevilla are looking for ways to keep the islands from the marauding Chinese ships. It lies about 563 miles distance from South America. Almost annually, the Chinese fishing vessels ravage the seas around the Galapagos, which were declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1978. The fleet is one of the largest seen in recent years. The government is concerned about how the often-lawless Chinese fleets will be forced to follow all international agreements and not break them willfully. Many species that migrate each year can be found in the area. The islands are home to a huge stock of shark species like the Hammerhead and whales as well. The Chinese are well known as fond of shark-fin soup, so the area will be a target for marauding fishing vessels. Also read: 11 Simple Tricks You Can do to Make Your Smartphone Battery Last Longer Kakabadse remarked that there will an extension to the current economic zone, which will be 350-miles instead around the island. Plans to meld it with the Ecuadorian mainland's economic zone that is close to the corridor used by the Sino fleet to pass by and stay in. A priority is keeping them out of the islands at all costs. Creating a corridor of protected oceanic areas is the priority of Ecuador and other neighbors like Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. It will act as protection for these oceanic reserves of marine diversity, added Kakabadse. Ecuadorian President, Lenin Moreno calls the archipelago one of the most abundant fishing areas, and it is a great distributor of marine life. He made a similar statement on Twitter. He also added that the islands are where the most biodiverse flora and fauna can be found, which is why it was recognized by UNESCO as one of the sites on Earth where evolution and natural selection is seen. The Navy of Ecuador is keeping an eye on the fishing fleet seen last week. Oswaldo Jarrin, defense minister, said that the navy is on alert after the incident in 2017. In 2017, the Ecuador Navy caught a Chinese vessel (Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999) that poached 300 tons of marine life, mostly sharks, for their fins. They were caught violating the reserve and were no better than pirates. Related article: 8 Ways How a Fitness Tracker Can Make Your Life Easier During this Pandemic @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Khomchak briefed the president on the situation in Donbas, saying no escalation or offensive actions were recorded. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak has commented on isolated enemy shelling amid the newly-agreed truce in Donbas. "Isolated shelling is not systemic and reveals uncontrollable emotions or provocations at the lowest level," he said during a traditional conference call chaired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as reported by the president's press service. Read alsoCeasefire violations by enemy in Donbas "non-systemic," senior military official says Khomchak briefed the president on the situation in Donbas, saying no escalation or offensive actions were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation zone. 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 along 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. On the first day of the newly-agreed truce, Russia's hybrid military forces mounted three attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Russia's hybrid military forces on Wednesday, July 29, fired one provocative shot from a grenade launcher in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, amid the newly-agreed truce. Ever dreamed of living in a treehouse? Well, you can live the dream -- sort of -- by renting one of the four treehouses below through Airbnb. While most of the dates for this summer are already booked, its never too early to book for next year. All these treehouses are located in upstate New York, within a couple hours drive of the city. Take a look at these four great treehouses below, which got some of the highest rankings on Airbnb. Get cozy in this adventurous treehouse in Willow, N.Y. Location: Willow, N.Y. Capacity: 2 guests 1 bedroom 1 bed 1 bath Cost: $360/night Airbnb description: The Willow Treehouse is settled among the trees, overlooking a small, swimmable pond, on a wooded property 15min away from the town of Woodstock. It is cozy, yet has all you need to cook dinner, enjoy reading, chilling, or swimming. Separate spaces for chilling, writing a novel or enjoying the view.The sleeping loft is accessible by a ladder, and you would have to walk in with your luggage, so pack lightly. It is perfect for couples and solo adventurers. The Adirondack Tree House Retreat will run you $260 a night. Location: Middle Grove, N.Y. Capacity: 3 guests 1 bedroom 2 beds 1 bath Cost: $260/night Airbnb description: The treehouse is one of the most sought after places for couples to reconnect with nature. (Please contact me for a one night stay)Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and just 9 miles from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., boasting quiet solitude.The winding staircase leads to a sleeping area and covered porch. Also, outdoor kitchen, deck, fire pit and full bath just a few steps away are included. Please keep in mind that our treehouse is meant as a quiet retreat for 1-3 people. The Treehouse Lovenest got a 4.80 rating out of 5 on Airbnb. It costs $250 per night. Location: Carmel, N.Y. Capacity: 4 guests 2 bedrooms 2 beds 2 baths Cost: $250/night Airbnb description: The Treehouse Lovenest is a charmingly unique 2 bedroom country lodge situated in upstate NY on nearly 3 acres of virgin forest in the Hudson Valley. Located an hour and 20 mins north of Brooklyn on the East side of the Hudson River, the two level house is perched up high amongst the trees and has recently been stylishly renovated. This loft like home has 18 foot ceilings in the living and dining areas, and an open-planned kitchen adjacent to a split level lounge area which is drenched in light. For those who like to sleep in, there are 2 new comfy, king-size beds. Theres a well equipped kitchen with new appliances, and for all those who love to cook or wish they knew how, the kitchen has a fun and diverse library of wonderful cookbooks. If you are a child of the sixties or seventies you will love the awesome stereo and extensive eclectic collection of vinyl. A 1,000-square foot deck wraps around the house, overlooking a charming stream which flows through a canyon on the property next to our dedicated grilling deck. Adjacent to 150 acres of NYC water supply land owned by the D.E.P, the area is home to an abundance of wildlife with deer seen almost on a daily basis. The house is an ideal getaway for couples looking to escape from the city and reconnect with nature, in a clean, simple, tastefully-created and mid-century modern inspired environment. The Treehouse Lovenest is a luscious retreat for couples who wish to unplug from the city. One weekend here will recharge your spirit and energize the soul. The only downside to the place is that you wont want to leave. Your Nest in the Woods Treehouse is a steal at only $153 a night. Location: Oneida County, N.Y. Capacity: 4 guests 1 bedroom 3 beds 1 bath Cost: $153/night Airbnb description: Your Nest in the Woods Treehouse is a great place to unwind for some solitude ,a cozy get-away for couples, or come simply spend time with small group of friends and enjoy! The tree house has front and back decks to include lounge chairs and fireplace seating. Under the treehouse is a sheltered picnic table area and off to the side, a wood fire pit. The minute you are outside, you can hear the rush of Fish Creek flowing below. Sit by the overlook and enjoy the view or follow trail down to water. Other things to note: We have a gas grill and also wood burning fire pit. We try to provide extra camp wood or kindling when we can, but guests are encouraged to bring their own charcoal or extra firewood if desired. There is a propane fire pit on upper deck. When swimming in Fish Creek, we recommend water shoes or sneakers as the rocks can be slippery. Beach towels provided in summer. Markets regulator SEBI on Thursday said it has lined up as many as 18 properties of Asurre Agrowtech Ltd for an auction on August 30 at reserve price of nearly Rs 21 crore. The move is part of SEBI's effort to recover funds raised by the company through unauthorised investment scheme. In a notice, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said it will auction 18 properties of the company on August 30 at a reserve price of Rs 20.81 crore. The properties to go under the hammer include land parcels in Tamil Nadu. The markets watchdog said it has engaged Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants (India) Private Limited to assist it for sale of the properties of the company through e-auction platform. Earlier in May, SEBI had asked Asurre Agrowtech's investors, who had already submitted claim form, to deposit original proof of investment immediately. SEBI, in November 2019, had asked investors -- who had invested in the unregistered CIS (collective investment scheme) floated by Asurre Agrowtech Ltd (AAL) -- to submit their claims along with the original proof of investment in the company. The regulator, which is in the process of auctioning the attached properties of AAL, had said the same is being delayed due to the present lockdown situation owing to COVID-19 pandemic. "SEBI shall endeavour to complete the refund process within six months subject to recovery of money from AAL and/or its directors including through proceeds realised from the sale of attached properties of AAL," it had added. As on April 30, 2020, as many as 8,367 investors of the company submitted claim form. In May 2016, SEBI had asked Asurre Agrowtech and its directors to refund investors money, which was raised through illegal investment schemes in three months. The company had mobilised a total of Rs 69.30 crore through various investment plans under schemes of purchase of livestock/poultry. The firm had claimed that it has refunded Rs 11.74 crore as on December 31, 2015 and has to refund Rs 57.55 crore. However, it did not provide any verifiable proof regarding its claim. By Raymond Lesniak and Brittany A. Macaluso How can anything be wrong with New Jerseys public schools when theyre ranked No. 2 in the country? When it comes to the gap between our best and worst-performing schools, our public school system is the worst in the country. An article from Patch.com compared and ranked every high school within NJ from best to worst by average SAT scores. Take a look at the five best performing schools and compare those with the worst five performing schools. You will be shocked to see just how large the gap is between New Jerseys best and worst. The average SAT score for the top five performing schools was 1,343 and the average for the bottom five performing schools was 823, which is a 520-point gap between them. Additionally, our lowest-performing schools pale in comparison with the national average for SAT scores at 1059. The gap is worse, from a social justice standpoint, if you take a look into how race plays into the performance statistics. This table demonstrates that the education gaps disproportionately negatively affect minority students in New Jersey. These large education gaps cant be reduced quickly. They dont start in grammar school or even pre-k. They start in prenatal to age 3, the most significant time in a childs educational development. This time period is the most sensitive in the development of a childs brain and body. It lays the foundation for all future learning, behavior and health, according to the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at The University of Texas at Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs. The New Jersey Legislature is primed to close the largest education gap in the nation and the largest social justice gap in public education. Senators Teresa Ruiz and Shirley Turner have sponsored legislation (S-1857) to establish 50 wrap-around community schools in low performing school districts. This legislation has also been introduced in the Assembly by Assembly members Mila Jasey, Pamela Lampitt and Andrew Zwicker. Wrap-around community schools create partnerships among the public schools, nonprofit organizations, and health care providers to provide an integrated focus on academics, health, and social services, youth and community development, expanded learning time and opportunities, actively engage families, and foster collaborative practices based on an individual communitys identified need, according to the legislation. Specific services provided will include health screenings and linkages to resources and services, information on growth and development, referrals to recovery programs related to drug, alcohol and tobacco use and nutrition counseling, parenting classes and support groups. Wrap around community schools exist in states across America but not in New Jersey, except in Paterson, which provides some wrap-around services in its public schools. We cannot accept a public school system that has some of the best schools in the country along with some of the worst, nor a system that neglects the needs of minority families and students. Hopefully, the New Jersey Legislature and Gov. Phil Murphy will also find this unacceptable and support the pending legislation to provide wrap-around community schools for low performing school districts. Raymond (Ray) Lesniak served in the State Senate from 1983 to 2018 and in the General Assembly from 1978 to 1983. Brittany A. Macaluso is an intern at the Lesniak Institute at Kean University and a senior at Monmouth University. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The Philippines will buy at least 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccine once it's available, National Task Force for COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez said on Thursday. He said President Rodrigo Duterte has been in touch with several leaders and embassies so the Philippines can be among the first countries to have access to a COVID-19 vaccine once it is developed. "(Ang instruction) ito ay maging available at least sa 60 million people sa ating bansa. We are ready to get it because of the President's diplomatic efforts," he said in a media briefing. The President has personally appealed to China to prioritize the Philippines, a plea that was warmly received by the Chinese government. RELATED: China vows to prioritize PH for coronavirus vaccines While the world awaits a vaccine, Galvez said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has been in contact with pharmacies to receive discounts on antiviral drug Avigan, which is being used in Japan to treat COVID-19. He added DOH is also working to improve the medical supply chain so the government can buy medicine straight from the suppliers. MIDDLETOWN Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion due to a quickly moving, three-alarm blaze early Thursday at a condominium complex in the Westfield area of town. Two individuals from the Westfield and Cromwell fire departments were treated and released after suffering harm from the extreme heat generated by the blaze at 163 Trolley Crossing Lane, according to Westfield Fire Department Chief Bill Balch. The fire displaced seven adults living among three units, he said. In all, 12 of the condos were damaged in some way by fire, water and smoke. The call came in just after midnight. Once crews arrived, the blaze had been active for some time, Balch said. The scene was immediately escalated to a three-alarm situation. It was an aggressive fire that had a head start, and we made an aggressive attack, said Balch, who praised firefighters working in extreme conditions, including high temperatures and humidity. Noresidents were injured, he said. The blaze, which started on the second floor, already had spread to the back slider window of one home by the time crews were on scene, the chief said. It had made its way into the walls, Balch said. Crews managed to contain it to three dwellings. Two units were completely destroyed. At one point, 25 firefighters worked the scene, taking turns rehydrating themselves and changing out of wet uniforms, he said. The blaze took between four and five hours to knock down, he said. Mutual aid was provided by personnel from several surrounding stations, including South Fire District, Rocky Hill, Haddam, Durham, Berlin, Portland and Cromwell. The Middletown Police Department is working in conjunction with Westfield and Middletown fire department, as well as the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit to determine the cause and origin of the fire, according to Middletown Police Lt. Heather Desmond. The case is still under investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to call 860-638-4000. Hearst Connecticut Media reporter Pat Tomlinson contributed to this report. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell addressed media questions during a mid-morning press conference today. His remarks came just hours after police cleared out campers from Lownsdale Park, which sits opposite the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse and on the day federal officers are expected to begin transitioning away from policing the nightly protests in downtown Portland. Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that she had reached an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to begin pulling the officers, who she said shell replace with Oregon State Police. State police special operation teams and some uniformed troopers will start a two-week rotation to help the Federal Protective Service and the Portland Police Bureau, Oregon State Police Supt. Travis Hampton said Wednesday. State police will serve fixed locations at the Federal Courthouse and at mobile locations within the city, he said. They will have the appropriate means to do their jobs and stay as safe as possible -- but all eyes of the nation will be on us, particularly when we supplant federal officers at the courthouse in an effort to bring down the protest temperature. It is not a stage we wished to be on, but we will do our part for Oregon. Well do our best. State police will draw about 100 people from offices across the state to go to Portland. Theyll primarily be troopers from the state police special operation team, as well as logistical support and command staff. The state police will work in cooperation with federal officers and Portland police but report to state police command staff in joint command centers, according to state police spokesperson Mindy McCartt. Hamptons direction to his troopers is to facilitate free speech to the best of their ability and present a restrained and proportional response to observed criminal conduct, McCartt said. Mayor Ted Wheeler said Thursday morning that state police have agreed with local police on a unified standard, restricting the use of tear gas except when theres a risk of serious injury or death. Lovells press conference also comes after a tense standoff late Wednesday night, when several dozen officers streamed onto the streets in the largest visible response by the federal government yet to the demonstrations in downtown Portland. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection officers used tear gas, and less-lethal munitions on protesters gathered near the federal courthouse and remained on the streets for an hour. The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) here has started providing free testing and treatment to patients in its Covid-19 Health Centre, the AYUSH ministry said on Thursday. AYUSH Minister Sripad Yesso Naik had visited the centre on July 28 to review the arrangements for treatment of Covid-19 patients. During the visit, the minister announced that CHC will provide free testing and treatment facilities to all the patients, the AYUSH ministry said in a statement He also inaugurated the Intensive Care Unit of CHC which has been equipped with ventilator facility and all other standard provisions of ICU. AIIA has also been designated as Covid-19 testing centre (RT-PCR and Rapid antigen testing) by the Government of Delhi. A Covid Call Centre has been established at AIIA for handling public queries related to coronavirus telephonically. The Institute has an important role in preventive and curative health care and research areas under the aegis of Ministry of AYUSH. The minister also had praised prophylactic program AYURAKSHA going on for 80,000 Delhi Police personnel under the directions of the Ministry of AYUSH. Delhi Police being the frontline warriors of Covid -19 are being given AYURAKSHA kit for boosting the immunity and increasing quality of life against Covid 19. The AYURAKSHA kit contains Sanshamani Vati (prepared from Giloy), AYUSH kadha and Anu Taila for nasal application. Till date 1,58,454 Ayuraksha kits has been distributed in two phases with overall compliance of more than 90 per cent, the ministry said. Feedback of the Delhi police personnel is being analysed with the help of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Positive feedback is being reported from the personnel with decreased anxiety levels, feeling of general well-being and reduction in minor symptoms like cold and cough. Dr Helmut Marko is expecting Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes' to be highly competitive over the next two race weekends at Silverstone. But the Red Bull official told Kronen Zeitung that he expects the black works Mercedes to be clearly out the front. "Hats off to them," said Marko, referring to the reigning world champions. "They even seem to have the weather under their control at the moment," he smiled, referring to the forecast for warm British weather. As for Red Bull, he says the 2020 car is not yet a match for the leading pace. "I'm afraid that nothing fundamental will change yet," Marko said. "But we have a lot in our luggage for the aerodynamics. New parts should improve the problem that we have had recently. "Yes, we are on the right track," he added. And for the future, Marko admits he has his eye on whether the FIA will give the green light to Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes' approach to car design. "I have no problem if that's allowed," said the Austrian. "Then we would do the same thing with Alpha Tauri and save money as well. "But to do it secretly bothers me. If it's allowed, you should be allowed to stand behind it 100 percent," Marko said of the practice of 'copying' another team's car design. "Then we would have basically four Red Bulls, but for teams like Renault or McLaren who don't have a B team, that's problematic," he added. Finally, when asked about Racing Point's potential at Silverstone this weekend, Marko answered: "It's a power track, so the pink Mercedes will be dangerous." (GMM) About a month after coming down with the coronavirus, former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died. According to a statement on his website Thursday, Cain, 74, had a rough fight with the virus, although doctors said within the last week that they thought hed pull through. You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal... #HermanCain https://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020 It's not clear when or where Cain was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He did not meet with Trump there, according to the campaign. The former pizza company executive has been an outspoken backer of the president and was named by the campaign as a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking, Dan Calabrese, who has been editor of HermanCain.com, wrote on the website early in July. I dont think theres any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. Well never know. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. Cain briefly rose to the top of polls during the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination by highlighting a plan to simplify the tax code with what he called the 9-9-9 plan. On the campaign trail, he spoke about being diagnosed in 2006 with stage 4 liver cancer and his doctors giving him slim hope for long-term survival. More recently, he has kept involved in conservative politics as a commentator on Newsmax. More: Pelosi orders masks for voting after Texas congressman tests positive How three state senators got their COVID test results in two days (or less), when it might take you two weeks Jack Nicklaus on overcoming coronavirus: Im one of the fortunate ones The Value in Health Care Act, (H.R. 7791) said the groups in a July 24 letter, would ensure that value-based care models and ACOs "continue to produce high-quality care for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries, as well as generate savings for taxpayers." The letter was sent to Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill. In addition to the AAFP, signatories included the AMA, the American College of Physicians and the American Hospital Association. Noting that nearly 40% of all health care spending is tied to some form of value-based payment, the groups said, "the policies in this bipartisan bill are also more important than ever, given the acute needs of our nation's health care system as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic." As the Academy told HHS in May, physicians who participate in ACOs and other alternative payment models urgently need support to sustain primary care. "The reforms in this legislation will further strengthen ACOs and APMs and ensure their continued success," the July 24 letter said, noting that the Value in Health Care Act "provides appropriate shared savings rates, modifies risk-adjustment methodologies, removes barriers to participation, ensures fair and accurate benchmarks, and provides educational and technical support for ACOs." A number of key AAFP priorities are included in the bill, which would increase Medicare Shared Savings Program Basic-track ACO shared-savings rates; allow MSSP risk-adjustment scores to increase up to 5%, while capping decreases at 5%; change the MSSP benchmarking methodology to remove ACO beneficiaries from the calculation; provide advance funding to ACOs to ensure access to capital for initial infrastructure investments; extend the Quality Payment Program Advanced APM 5% annual lump-sum bonus for an additional six years, though 2028; and require CMS to address APM model overlap and remove the restriction on APM participants earning shared savings from multiple programs. The bill also would reduce the threshold for the percentage of Medicare Part B payments that must be though an APM in order to be considered a "qualified participant" and eligible to receive the advanced APM bonus. The threshold -- now 50% of all Part B payments -- is set to increase to 75% in 2021. The bill would keep the 50% threshold for 2021 but let HHS to increase it by up to 5% each year, allowing the bonus to continue while encouraging greater participation in advanced APMs. AAFP President Gary LeRoy, M.D., of Dayton, Ohio, praised this element of the bill in a July 24 statement. "Through extension of the Advanced APM bonus and lowering the threshold for qualifying participants, this legislation ensures that physicians currently participating in APMs are compensated appropriately and incentivizes more physicians to make the move into APMs," LeRoy said. Likewise, in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee last year, then-AAFP President John Cullen, M.D., of Valdez, Alaska, called for extending the AAPM bonus. He reminded the committee that the Academy had the previous year called on lawmakers to extend the 5% bonus for at least three years and give HHS discretion to go beyond that. The July 24 letter said that this and other reforms in the legislation represented "a comprehensive approach that will strengthen our country's value-based care program and ensure high-quality, lower-cost care for our nation's patients." ATLANTA Barack Obama challenged the nation Thursday to honor the memory of John Lewis by picking up the fight for his signature issue, voting rights, during a eulogy for the civil rights giant in which he was joined by two other past presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. At the funeral on the grounds of the Ebenezer Baptist Church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, Obama invoked the names of Southern segregationists of the 1960s to make a point about how little has changed when it comes to protesters standing up against government oppression to try to right what they perceive as injustices. "Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the backs of Black Americans. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators," he said. The best way to honor Lewis, who served in Congress for four decades after his work in the civil rights movement, is to continue the struggle for voting rights, Obama said. Lewis, whom Obama hailed as a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance," was a leader in the nonviolent demonstrations that led to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Obama said voting should be made easier to former prison inmates who earned their place back in society, that early voting should be expanded, and that Election Day should be a national holiday. "Even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting," said Obama in a not-so-veiled swipe at Republicans. He cited the closing of voting locations and stricter identification card requirements that target minorities and students. Clinton, speaking slowly in a soft voice, earlier hailed the late congressman for adhering to his belief in peaceful demonstration even when it meant being beaten by police or state troopers in the 1960s. He noted the devotion to what Lewis called "good trouble" becoming an irritant to the status quo to bring about change. Story continues "He got in a lot of good trouble along the way, but let's not forget he developed an absolute uncanny ability to heal troubled waters," Clinton said. "He thought the open hand was better than the clenched fist." Lending a bipartisan air to the funeral, Bush called Lewis "an American saint, a believer willing to give up everything." Bush noted that he and Lewis had had political disagreements Bush being a Republican and Lewis a Democrat but that it was an inevitable result of democracy in action. He said he admired Lewis for his faith and pursuit of a better world. "We live in a better and nobler country today because of John Lewis and his abiding faith in the power of God, the power of democracy and the power of love to lift us all to a higher ground," Bush said. It was a remarkable testament to Lewis' influence to have had his funeral attended by three former presidents. The fourth, America's oldest living former president, Jimmy Carter, 95, sent a statement that was read at the service. President Donald Trump, who feuded politically with Lewis, didn't attend. Lewis died July 17 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. A boy and his hero: Tybre Faw met his hero two years ago. Today, the 12-year-old read John Lewis' favorite poem at his funeral. Not to be overshadowed, other speakers talked of Lewis' life from its many facets. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to Lewis' contributions in Congress, where his body lay in state at the U.S. Capitol before being flown to Atlanta. There was this double rainbow over the casket, she said. He was telling us, Im home in heaven, Im home in heaven. We always knew he worked on the side of angels, and now he is with them. Bernice King, a minister, attorney and youngest child of King and Coretta Scott King, echoed the "good trouble" theme Lewis embraced in a prayer to start the service, urging the struggle for voting rights and over white supremacy "until this nation truly becomes a compassionate nation." Lewis, she said, "joins the great cloud of freedom fighters." A giant dies: Rep. John Lewis, who 'risked his life and his blood' for the civil rights movement, dies of cancer at 80 Lewis was also honored by James Lawson, a fellow civil rights leader, as one who transcended politics to focus on greater truths. Lewis practiced "the politics of the Declaration of Independence, the politics of the preamble of the Constitution." Outside Ebenezer Baptist Church, hundreds filled the sidewalks and front yard, many holding signs and wearing T-shirts with images of Lewis or his motto Good Trouble. Some stood behind the orange police barricades near the entrance of the church hoping to catch a glimpse of dignitaries walking in. The streets were lined with tents occupied by vendors selling Lewis paraphernalia and Black Lives Matter shirts. Pamela Burrell said Lewis was likely one of the most influential civil rights leaders in history next to King. Today is a special day, and it should be John Lewis Day everywhere in America today, especially Atlanta, said Burrell, 57, of Atlanta. And all that we gave to him this week, we actually owe him more than that. Isaac Ferguson Dillard and Joseph Earls of Atlanta led the crowd in a song they wrote to honor the congressmans good trouble philosophy. Mourners also sang gospel songs such as We Shall Overcome. Dillard said Lewis inspired him to stand up for justice and motivate todays young people to do the same. As John Lewis said, when you see something is wrong, say something, and when you see something is wrong, do something, Dillard said. So its about putting your words into action and by doing that youre getting into good trouble. When the funeral began, the crowd moved in front of the billboard-size video screen displaying a livestream of the service. They clapped and shouted when leaders such as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Clinton appeared. Norris Kenney Allen, 78, was among the people seated in lawn chairs directly in front of the screen before the funeral started. Allen said it was extraordinary that Obama, Clinton and Bush were all there. Its very rare that you find three of the presidents at a place at the same time, said Allen, who marched with Lewis in Selma and was inspired by his nonviolent protests. Its so important to be here. It was Obamas eulogy that resonated the most outside the church, with many cheering and clapping throughout. Joette Murphy said Obama motivated her to continue Lewis work. It was very encouraging, motivational, said Murphy, 60. The struggle continues, and we must continue to fight on. Alvin Farmer, an Air Force veteran, said Obamas speech was exceptional and gave him hope. He speaks for all the people, said Farmer, 65. Not only Blacks, whites but all people all over the world. We as a people got to fight now that John Lewis is gone. The service came as The New York Times published a posthumous op-ed Thursday morning written by Lewis, who had represented the Atlanta area since 1986. The civil rights icon wrote the essay shortly before his death, requesting it be published on the day of his funeral, which capped six days of memorial events across five cities. Lewis was interred at South View Cemetery following the funeral. Carrying the torch: In John Lewis' footsteps: Four House candidates from a new generation to watch This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Lewis Atlanta funeral: Obama, Clinton, George W. Bush to attend French health authorities have identified 80 people as carriers of the coronavirus in the southern Brittany holiday resort of Quiberon. While warning that this cluster of infections raises the risk of a rapid spread of the disease, local health officials say that, for the moment, the situation is under control. Since the first case was identified nine days ago in Quiberon, , health workers have carried out hundreds of tests at a free drive-in facility set up to trace those who may have been in contact with one of the cluster members. Motorists and pedestrians require no prescription to be tested. The service will remain in place until at least Sunday. Nightclub at centre of outbreak The aim is to identify all those who might have been contaminated by contact with one or more of the 80 confirmed carriers, all of them linked to a nightclub attended by an infected bakery worker on the evening of 21 July. The venue has been closed for the next four months. The first round of testing, which focused on those present in the bar that evening, revealed 22 confirmed infections for the 227 people tested an infection rate of 10 percent. While the regional health agency admits that this is very high rate, officials have stressed that the outbreak is under control. Of the 201 tests carried out one day later, only four proved positive. On Monday 27 July, there were six positives among the 300 tested. The 48 other cases in the cluster were directly linked to contact with the infected bakery worker. 18-25s worst hit Health officials have pointed to the high proportion of young people in this infected group, where 45 percent of those testing positive have been in the 18-25 age division. The director of the regional health agency, Anne-Briac Bili, says the busy social lives of those in this age group poses an additional risk of contamination. A dusk-to-dawn curfew is in place for beaches in and around Quiberon. Protective masks must be worn in all crowded areas. Implementing VaultCore is a smart decision for any IT administrator who is looking for a security solution to protect critical data, now and for the future. Fornetix LLC and D360 Technologies jointly announced today that they formed a partnership to bring Fornetix VaultCore to the Japan market. Fornetix VaultCore is an advanced encryption key management solution that automates the full key lifecycle across the entire enterprise from infrastructure to end-point, allowing organizations to easily manage encryption keys and secure critical data assets. This partnership will be focused on introducing the VaultCore solution to the medical, smart IoT, telecommunications, and automotive industry sectors. The COVID-19 crisis has created a significant need for telework and the distributed networks to support it. This has enabled an increase in the attack surface area for bad actors uncovering major vulnerabilities throughout the enterprise. According to a recent Gartner report, only 18% of IT leaders believe their businesses are highly prepared for the impact of coronavirus. It is clear that this requires the immediate establishment of an encryption security solution that protects data seamlessly wherever it resides, and enforces consistent security policies throughout the data life cycle. We are excited to bring Fornetix VaultCore to the Japan market and help companies protect themselves from the increase of vulnerabilities due to the current pandemic. Implementing VaultCore is a smart decision for any IT administrator who is looking for a security solution to protect critical data, now and for the future. Mark Gilroy, CEO, Fornetix, Inc. VaultCore provides simple scale encryption management for public, private, on-premise, virtual, and cloud environments. VaultCore's detailed policy tools, user access controls, and robust automation make it easy to manage the entire encryption key lifecycle across the enterprise. VaultCore is the only encryption management solution capable of providing, processing and supporting hundreds of millions of keys for large distributed environments with minimal performance impact. Easy integration with KMIP and non-KMIP using Fornetixs Orchestration Gateway allows companies to leverage their existing technology investments. The Fornetix VaultCore appliance is a FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated solution (with NIST Certification pending) that employs an HSM for a FIPS 140-2 Level 3 root of trust. About Fornetix At Fornetix we understand that managing encryption in todays complex environment can seem an impossible task. Thats why we created VaultCore, a simplified, automated, and secure encryption key management solution designed to address security challenges arising from the proliferation of IoT, big distributed networks, and rapid cloud adoption. Our commitment to standards and interoperability enable us to work with leading technologies around the globe to provide smart and unified security solutions that bring order to the chaos of encryption management. For more information please visit our website, http://www.fornetix.com. For more information on upcoming events visit: https://www.fornetix.com/events/. About D360 Technologies D360 is a leading agency that specializes in helping companies build and launch new disruptive products and services globally. D360 services include product management, software development, business development, licensing, demand generation and all necessary go-to-market elements that help companies launch successfully. D360 experts bring significant real-world experience across digital media, consumer electronics and e-commerce which enable clients to have a solid playbook on how to build and launch a product or service effectively. Further, with D360 experts located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Japan, it gives clients a wide footprint with immediate access to key partners and resellers across the globe. The stresses of life getting you down? Having trouble sleeping at night? The Department of Veterans Affairs is now offering free remote meditation sessions to help you develop your own coping techniques for the daily stresses of life without relying on medication or therapy. This is especially valuable in times when many people have limited mobility and have cut back on physical interaction with strangers. While it's not for everybody, meditation has been used for thousands of years around the world in different forms. Now, the Western medical community is realizing its effectiveness in many situations. Mindfulness meditation is a mind-body technique that helps you face the challenges and stressors in your everyday life. It teaches acceptance and awareness of what's going on around you, as well as what's going on inside of you. It has been very effective in treating health conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, chronic pain and PTSD. Research has shown that when your mind is relaxed and focused on healing, your body can relax and focus on healing too. Mindfulness meditation can be safely used in conjunction with other medical treatments, such as prescribed medication or exercise. No appointments or special materials are needed. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced sitting down, lying down, stretching, eating and even while walking the dog! The VA is currently offering telephone mindfulness meditation sessions every Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern time through the end of September. You can join a session by calling 800-767-1750 and using the access code 54220#. The sessions are free to all veterans enrolled in VA health care. More details on VAs mindfulness meditation program. Yoga nidra (yoga sleep) is a spoken-word guided meditation practice that promotes a sense of deep calm while enhancing awareness. It was first used by soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffered from PTSD. This meditation method is very helpful for issues such as PTSD and anxiety, sleep problems and chronic pain. "It relaxes my whole mind and body; all stress melts away," said Air Force veteran Joe Valentino. "A lot of it is sensing your body and quieting your mind. So while I'm meditating, I'll picture my bloodstream running through a coffee filter that's filtering out all the bad stuff that I'll throw away when I'm done." No referral, prior experience or prescription is needed. All you need is a phone, an open mind and a quiet, safe space to meditate. Weekly sessions are being offered by the VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Center every Thursday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and all veterans are invited to join by calling 800-767-1750 and using access code 24953#. More details on VAs Yoga Nidra program. Physical and Mental Benefits of Meditation A recent study done by researchers and colleagues from the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center found that meditation is linked to lower cardiovascular risk, as well as other physical benefits. The results appeared online June 30 in the American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers examined data on more than 61,000 survey participants. Of those, almost 6,000 (nearly 10%) said they participated in some form of meditation. The researchers found that people who meditated had lower rates of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, compared with those who did not meditate. Those who meditated were 51% less likely to have coronary artery disease as those who didn't. The prevalence of other cardiovascular risks in the meditation group compared with the non-meditation group was 65% less for high cholesterol, 70% less for diabetes, 76% less for stroke, and 86% less for high blood pressure. While the study stated that researchers could not definitively show cause and effect between meditation and cardiovascular healing, the amount of evidence suggests that it certainly does more good than harm, and without lifelong medication. Stay on Top of Your Military Benefits Not sure what your veteran health care benefits are? Keep up with all the changes and details. Subscribe to Military.com. and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox. Up to 100 revellers have been spotted outside a Sydney pub appearing to ignore strict social distancing rules. The huge crowd queued outside the Greengate Hotel in Killara in the city's North Shore around 7.45 on Wednesday night. Pub-goers were lined up along the Pacific Highway, many standing shoulder to shoulder as they waited to get inside. The hotel's security eventually distanced the crowd after noticing Nine News camera crews were filming. Speaking on 2GB Radio on Thursday morning, Ray Hadley slammed the owners for putting pubs at risk of shutting down. 'I say the owners of the Greengate which is a good pub, you've badly let the team down this week,' he said. 'If you don't follow the rules not only will the Greengate get shut down but every pub in the Sydney metropolitan area will get shut down as well.' Nine News reporter Damian Ryan said the cameraman saw some guests socially distancing but the majority were 'shoulder to shoulder'. Up to 100 revellers were seen outside the Greengate Hotel in Sydney appearing to ignore social distancing rules 'There was probably 80 to 100 people outside the pub, and it was very reminiscent of what we saw at the Golden Sheaf,' Mr Ryan said. 'The damage is done: if there hadn't been a cameraman there, and they weren't brought to account, it would've probably persisted for the evening.' The Greengate Hotel has a list of rules for patrons to adhere to COVID-19 regulations. The pub's website says guests must keep 1.5 metres apart, and must remain seated at all times. Customers were seen sprawled down the Pacific Highway as they waited to enter the Greengate Hotel on Wednesday night The hotel also has a COVID-19 marshall which is used to patrol the venue. Similar scenes were spotted at Double Bay's The Golden Sheaf earlier this month. The popular bar was fined $5,500 after a photo went viral showing hundreds of patrons huddled together as they waited in the queue. Liquor & Gaming NSW believed up to 250 customers failed to comply with social distancing rules in front of the popular bar. NSW Police received multiple reports in regards to a large crowd outside The Golden Sheaf and confirmed officers were sent to disperse people waiting to gain entry. Pictured: The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay has been fined $5,500 after hordes of university students were seen crammed together outside the pub earlier this month A statement from Solotel Group CEO Justine Baker, who runs the hotel, said the venue understood and accepted the fine. 'Wednesday night showed us that we need to pay more attention to our guests and the queues outside the venue as well.' Mr Baker said the venue had employed more security and staff to assist with managing queues and introduced a bookings only policy from 8pm on Wednesdays. 'We will continue to practice social distancing and COVID-Safe measures within the Golden Sheaf and all of our venues,' the statement read. Hordes of university students were seen crammed together on the street while they waited to enter the popular pub at about 9pm on a Wednesday. The Golden Sheaf holds a night targeted at university students every Wednesday. After more than seven hours of debate on the Education Committee chairman's school discipline bill, it failed to get a vote Thursday. It fell one vote short of a cloture motion to force a vote on first round, and no doubt would have faced a filibuster on the remaining two rounds. The bill (LB147), introduced in the 2019 session by Sen. Mike Groene of North Platte, was controversial from the beginning. He struggled to get it out of committee and then in May of that year succeeded in pulling it onto the floor on a 25-14 vote. Groene said Thursday it's been shown that there is a problem and a need to address disruptive classrooms, and to maximize learning time for all children, address dangerous work environments for teachers and help troubled children. Groene had an amendment pending that said teachers could use reasonable physical intervention to safely manage the behavior of a student to protect other school personnel, other students and themselves, but not to cause physical harm or as punishment for disapproved behavior. Schools would have to have a policy on removing and returning a child to class, and personnel would not be subject to professional or administrative discipline for the use of physical intervention. Training in behavioral awareness and intervention would be required beginning in the 2021 school year. "Training, training, training," Groene said. "That's what (this amendment) is. And (the bill)." He said the amendment was endorsed by the Nebraska State Education Association, school administrators, state and rural school boards. And the training was endorsed by school psychologists. Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne said the Omaha Public Schools board is not on that list. "So the largest school district in the state, that sees disparity every day, is against this bill," he said. That should weigh on senators, who should question if this bill is best for all kids, he said. Wayne said last week the bill would destroy the relationship between parents and teachers, students and teachers, and schools and their communities. There is a disparity in this state's education system, Wayne said. And senators who recognize that and believe that problem should be solved should not vote in favor of the bill. Groene said 22 teachers this past year in the Omaha district were disciplined for physical intervention. At another large school, the policy on removing students and restraint was "at the discretion of the superintendent." Some teachers have taught 32 years, more or less, with no deescalation training, Groene said. "I wish I could document all the emails that I have saved of teachers who have left their profession because of this issue," he said. Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks said the bill has had a number of amendments, and all of them were flawed. "I think we should start over," she said. A coalition of six groups The Arc of Nebraska, ACLU of Nebraska, Voices for Children in Nebraska, Education Rights Counsel, Disability Rights Nebraska and CRCC Omaha opposed to the bill, saying it disregarded the concerns of parents and students by doubling down on harmful practices that disproportionately impact students with disabilities and students of color. Brad Meurrens of Disability Rights Nebraska said he was pleased senators paused to reflect on the root causes and complexity of school discipline, and made the right decision to be cautionary. Rose Godinez with ACLU of Nebraska said: "It's time to start over with everyone at the table in an approach that centers on racial justice, disability rights and the needs of our students and our families." Reach the writer at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSLegislature Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 One of my favorite things about fishing is the opportunity it provides for continual learning and discovery. Not many trips pass by where I dont pick up a new nugget of angling knowledge sometimes completely by accident! On a recent excursion with my buddy Justin, we were catching bass on topwater lures in less than 2 feet of water. As Justin retrieved his hollow-bodied frog toward the boat, I saw a 2 pound largemouth dart out of the weeds, less than 5 feet from us. Leave it there! I said, watching as the bass curiously eyed his lure. Twitch it. The bass reacted. Twitch it again! I whisper-yelled. WHAM! Ive seen a lot of topwater blowups over the years, but never so close, from such a crystal-clear vantage point. The way the fish approached and attacked the lure were different than I would have imagined. Add that one to the knowledge tackle box. Some lessons are harder than others. This winter, my friends and I decided to pursue elusive Mackinaw trout through the ice at Payette Lake. We successfully landed a few, but none were the 20-pound monsters that can lurk in the depths. So this spring, my dad and I decided to take another crack at them, this time in open water from a boat. Hours passed with almost no signs of life. No bites. No follows. No marks on the fish finder. Conditions and water temps seemed ideal for spring Mackinaws, but there were none to be found. Finally, we found a spot that felt fishy. Huge clouds of fish appeared on the finder most likely Kokanee, an important prey item for big lake trout. A fish leaped out of the water, and then another. They were definitely Kokanee, which arent known for jumping. I theorized they were being chased by a big laker. Our first bite finally came on my secondary rod, rigged with cut bait on the bottom. I set the hook and reeled up a 14-inch pikeminnownot our target species, but perfect for fresh cut bait. I worked over some promising bottom structure with a large tube jig tipped with fresh-caught pikeminnow. Bump, bump. Was that a bite? Bump, bump. Yep! I set the hook and a heavier fish took off for deeper water. This one HAD to be a Mackinaw. Alas, after a spirited fight, my dad scooped a much larger pikeminnow into the net. Overzealous pikeminnows gulping huge tub jigs is a scene that repeated itself several times before we finished a Mackinaw-less day. After much trial and error, I felt like we had a good location and strategy dialed in. But the only way to know for sure will be to go back and try again. My bass guide friend Nick Young once told me every angler is your teacher. He was spot on I have gleaned valuable lessons from just about everyone Ive fished with, from salmon captains on the Puget Sound to a coke bottle-wielding groundskeeper in Belize. In turn, I enjoy passing on what Ive learned to other anglers, whether its friends, my daughter or students in my Tight Lines 208 fishing classes. Because no matter how many fish we catch, the learning never stops. And I, for one, cant wait for my next lesson. Tight lines! Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A San Antonio man has died after allegedly swallowing methamphetamine while being booked into the Bexar County jail, officials said. Julian Dena, 34, was taken off life support Thursday at the Downtown Baptist Medical Center, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. Dena was arrested by the San Antonio Police Department and booked into the jail Monday on a warrant for possession of a firearm by a felon. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox While he was being searched, a deputy noticed Dena chewing on and swallowing a substance. Dena would later tell deputies that it was methamphetamine, officials said. Dena was placed under medical observation. He lost consciousness and was transported to Downtown Baptist in critical condition. Dena's family made the decision to take him off life support Thursday, officials said. The sheriff's office said that while Dena was released from custody Wednesday, the investigation will be handled as a custodial death. BCSO spokesman Johnny Garcia said Dena was released so family could spend extended time with him. Restrictions on visiting inmates are followed at hospitals. Court records show that Dena was released on a $7,000 bond. The Bexar County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigations Division, Internal Affairs, and Public Integrity Unit are investigating. The Converse Police Department has been notified, per the Sandra Bland Act and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. 10,800+ bidders registered, surpassing previous Fort Worth summer bidder record by 108% FORT WORTH, TX, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Bidder registrations at Ritchie Bros. auctions continue to surge, with 10,800+ people from 60 countries registering to bid for its big summer Fort Worth, TX auction. More than 4,400 equipment items and trucks were sold in the July 28 29, 2020 event for US$58+ million. Since mid-March all Ritchie Bros. auctions are now online-only events, to help keep employees and customers safe from COVID-19. Approximately 91 percent of the equipment in this week's Fort Worth auction was sold to U.S. buyers, including 41% purchased by buyers from Texas, while the remaining 9% sold to international buyers from as far away as Romania, China, and Australia. "Our 2020 summer Fort Worth auction saw a 42% increase in the number of lots and a 108% increase in bidders over the same auction in 2019," said Neal Black, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "As a result, we continue to see strong demand for quality used equipment across almost all categories. For anyone unable to get what they needed in Fort Worth this week, we have an IronPlanet auction today with more than 3,000 itemsget online and start bidding!" Sales Highlights from Fort Worth: Three 2014 Caterpillar D8T dozers sold for a combined US$665,000 Three 2018 Caterpillar 336FL hydraulic excavators sold for a combined US$545,000 Two 2015 Volvo A40G 6x6 articulated dump trucks sold for a combined US$322,500 A 2015 Peterbilt 367 T/A w/ National 1300A 30-ton boom truck sold for US$205,000 A 2013 Grove RT890E 90-ton 4x4 w/ rear steer rough terrain crane sold for US$205,000 AUCTION QUICK FACTS: FORT WORTH, TX (July 2020) Total gross transactional value US$58+ million * 100% sold online! US$58+ million * Total registered bidders 10,800+ 10,800+ Total lots sold 4,400+ 4,400+ Number of consignors 600 Ritchie Bros.' next Texas auction will be held in Houston on August 25 26, 2020. The next Fort Worth auction will be held in September. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com. To learn more about equipment pricing and trends, sign up for Ritchie Bros. Market Trends summary reports at ritchiebros.com/market-trends-report. About Ritchie Bros.: Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company's suite of multichannel sales solutions also includes Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions, a complete end-to-end asset management and disposition system. Ritchie Bros. also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com. Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media. SOURCE Ritchie Bros. The last thing that Mayra Ramirez remembers from the emergency room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago is calling her family to say she had COVID, was about to be put on a ventilator and needed her mother to make medical decisions for her. Ramirez, 28, did not wake up for more than six weeks. And then she learned that on June 5, she had become the first COVID patient in the United States to receive a double-lung transplant. On Wednesday, she went home from the hospital. Ramirez is one of a small but growing number of patients whose lungs have been destroyed by the coronavirus and whose only hope of survival is a lung transplant. Im pretty sure that if I had been at another center, they would have just ended care and let me die, she said in an interview Wednesday. Her surgeon, Dr. Ankit Bharat, performed a similar operation on a second COVID patient, a 62-year-old man, on July 5. The surgery is considered a desperate measure reserved for people with fatal, irreversible lung damage. Doctors do not want to remove a persons lungs if there is any chance they will heal. Overall, only about 2,700 lung transplants were performed in the United States last year. Patients must be sick enough to need a transplant and yet also strong enough to survive the operation, recover and get back on their feet. With a new disease like COVID-19, doctors are still learning how to strike that balance. Its such a paradigm change, Bharat said. Lung transplant has not been considered a treatment option for an infectious disease, so people need to get a little bit more of a comfort level with it. Two more patients at Northwestern are awaiting transplants one from Chicago and one from Washington, D.C. said Bharat, who is chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and surgical director of the lung transplant program at Northwestern Medicine, which includes Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A patient is to be flown in from Seattle next week, and the Northwestern team is consulting on still another case with a medical group in Washington. Other transplant centers are considering similar surgeries, Bharat said. Friday, a COVID-19 patient underwent a double-lung transplant at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Dr. Tiago Machuca said. While other centers have sought to refer cases, most of the patients had other serious medical problems that ruled them out, he said. In some cases, Bharat said, hospitals appeared to have waited too long to recommend a transplant. One patient being referred to his center seemed like a good candidate but then had major bleeding into the lungs as well as kidney failure, and the surgery was no longer feasible. I think people need to recognize this option earlier and just start at least talking about it before it gets to that point, Bharat said. In some cases, he said, insurers reluctance to cover the surgery or to pay for travel to transfer patients has led to delays. This is so new to our field, Machuca said. It will be a challenge for physicians to determine which patients truly are candidates and whats the timing. We dont want to do it too early when the patient still can recover from COVID lung disease and resume with good quality of life, but also you dont want to miss the boat and have a patient where its futile the patient is too sick. He said that, in some cases, extensive rehabilitation has brought about recovery in COVID patients who were being considered as possible transplant candidates. Because the extensive lung damage in COVID patients makes transplant surgery especially difficult, most patients would be referred to major transplant centers that are best equipped to perform the risky operations and provide the intensive aftercare that patients need, the surgeons said. Before she became ill, Ramirez, a paralegal for a law firm specializing in immigration, was working from home and having her groceries delivered. She was in good health but had an autoimmune condition, neuromyelitis optica, and took medication that suppressed her immune system and might have made her more vulnerable to the coronavirus infection. She was ill for about two weeks and consulted with a COVID hotline about her symptoms. At one point, she headed to the hospital but then turned back without going in. She dreaded the idea of being admitted and told herself she would recover. But April 26, her temperature reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and she was so weak that she fell when she tried to walk. A friend drove her to the hospital. When doctors told her that she needed a ventilator, she had no idea what they meant. She thought it meant some kind of fan, like the word in Spanish. I thought Id just be there for a couple of days, max, and get back to my normal life, she said. But she spent six weeks on the ventilator and also needed a machine to provide oxygen directly into her bloodstream. The entire time, I had nightmares, she said. Many of the nightmares involved drowning, her family saying goodbye, and doctors telling her she was going to die. The disease was relentless. Bacterial infections set in, scarring her lungs and eating holes in them. The lung damage caused circulatory problems that began to take a toll on her liver and heart. The doctors told her family in North Carolina that it might be time to come to Chicago to say goodbye, and her mother and two sisters made the trip. But Ramirez held on, cleared the coronavirus from her body and was placed on the transplant list. Two days later, on June 5, she underwent a 10-hour operation. She woke scarred, bruised, desperately thirsty and unable to speak, with all these tubes coming out of me, and I just couldnt recognize my own body. The nurses asked if she knew the date. She guessed early May. It was the middle of June. She was not told shed had a lung transplant until several days after she woke up. I couldnt process it, she said. I was just struggling to breathe, and I was thirsty. It wasnt until weeks later that I could be grateful, and think there was a family out there who had lost someone. Before her illness, she worked full-time and enjoyed running and playing with her two small, scrappy dogs. Now she still feels short of breath, can walk only a short distance and needs help to shower and stand up from a chair. The dogs were overjoyed at her homecoming, but their energy was a bit much. Her mother, who lives in North Carolina, took time away from her job at a meatpacking plant and traveled to Chicago to help her recover. Ramirez said she was learning to use her new lungs and getting stronger every day. She is looking forward to getting back to work, but she still has a way to go. Her family is assisting her, and a friend started a GoFundMe page to help pay the bills. I definitely feel like I have a purpose, Ramirez said. It may be to help other people going through the same situation that I am, maybe even just sharing my story and helping young people realize that if this happened to me, it could happen to them, and to protect themselves and protect others around them who are more vulnerable. And to motivate and help other centers around the world to realize that lung transplantation is an option for terminally ill COVID patients. The outlook for Ramirez is good, Bharat said, because she is young and healthy. She will be on anti-rejection medicines for the rest of her life. Transplanted lungs can still be rejected, he said, but he has seen some last 20 years. And patients may be able to receive a second transplant. I think from now on shell continue to get stronger and stronger, he said. She asked if she could go sky diving. Well probably get her there in a few months. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Commissioner of U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr. Stephen M. Hahn testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on the Trump Administration's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 23, 2020. The Food and Drug Administration would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective, the agency's commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, said Thursday. "We all want a vaccine tomorrow. That's unrealistic. And we all want a vaccine that's 100% effective. Again, unrealistic," Hahn said in an interview with Dr. Howard Bauchner of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "But we said 50%, and the reason was because we felt that that was a reasonable floor given the pandemic." He added that the minimum requirement of 50% effectiveness also helped give vaccine manufacturers guidance on how to design their clinical trials. Moderna and Pfizer, sent their vaccine candidates to phase three trials earlier this week, aiming to enroll about 30,000 participants to prove the vaccines are both safe and effective in a large population. Hopefully, Hahn said, the vaccine or vaccines that end up getting authorized will prove to be more than 50% effective, but it's possible that the U.S. could end up with a vaccine that, on average, reduces a person's risk of a Covid-19 infection by just 50%. "We really felt strongly that that had to be the floor," he said, adding that it's "been batted around among medical groups." "But for the most part, I think, infectious disease experts have agreed that that's a reasonable floor, of course hoping that the actual effectiveness will be higher." Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he hopes the vaccine will have an efficacy rate of at least 60%, meaning on average the vaccine reduces a person's risk of a Covid-19 infection by 60%. "Obviously, we would like to see it much, much higher. But 60% is the standard that you do for the cutoff. That's not unusual," he said Monday. "I would like to see the highest percentage that we could possibly get." Hahn added on Thursday that if a vaccine isn't safe, the FDA will not authorize it, regardless of how effective it appears to be. "If we get to 50% but it's not safe, to me, it's not a vaccine that we can authorize," he said. "We're going to be very, very, very carefully looking at those safety data and we're going to be transparent, Howard, about what we've seen." He said the FDA is using new strategies and technology to streamline data collection from clinical trial participants in order to more quickly and frequently collect data on safety. The FDA will also continue to monitor the safety of the vaccines after they are authorized and administered to the public, he said. "We cannot have a situation where people lose trust in the FDA and in the clinical trial process," he said. "That would be a mistake for all of us." Breathe easier: ONR helps develop ventilators in fight against COVID-19 ARLINGTON, Va.--One of the most dangerous effects of coronavirus is the inability to breathe on your own--requiring the help of a ventilator to push air through your lungs. Consequently, the severity of the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in ventilator shortages, causing some hospitals to assign multiple patients to one machine, limiting effective treatment. To fight this threat, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently sponsored work to develop low-cost, easily built ventilator prototypes for both hospital and field settings. The ventilators would be valuable in emergency situations involving large patient surges and a lack of life-sustaining equipment. "These ventilators could serve multiple naval scenarios," said Dr. Timothy Bentley, a program manager in ONR's Warfighter Performance Department. "Not just combat or tactical situations but also supporting humanitarian response during natural disasters and health crises. The ventilators can be constructed fast and are relatively simple to operate." This effort involves ONR; ONR Global, the command's international arm; and the University of California San Diego (UCSD). The prototypes are based on hand-held ventilators--composed of a mask and squeeze bag--used by paramedics to manually pump air into patients' lungs. The UCSD team created enhanced ventilators with commercially available sensors, electronics and motors, allowing the machines to pump air automatically. The prototypes also can monitor whether air pressure is too high or low--a vital function, since dramatic pressure shifts can limit air flow and damage lung capacity. The partnership stems from a recent nationwide Department of Defense (DoD)-held Hack-A-Vent Innovation Challenge. Participants designed ventilators that could be built quickly with locally sourced commercial parts, rapidly prototyped and easily operated. Derek Ikehara--an ONR Global science advisor assigned to U.S. Naval Air Forces in San Diego--heard about the challenge and encouraged local performers to submit entries. One performer was Dr. James Friend, a UCSD engineering professor. Friend quickly assembled a team of engineering and medical students to build four prototypes using onsite manufacturing equipment and 3D printers. Ikehara also contacted ONR's Bentley, who agreed to sponsor the prototype development. "This was a remarkable success story that occurred within only a few weeks," said Ikehara. "ONR provided the funding within days of my request, UCSD did all the design work in-house and the result was multiple ventilators ideal for surge support in a crisis." The UCSD prototypes performed well during the Hack-A-Vent Innovation Challenge, finishing 22nd out of 172. UCSD currently is partnering with local manufacturing companies to produce the four ventilator types on a larger scale and distribute them to naval and civilian hospitals. "This is an inspiring example of how ONR and the Navy recognize urgent emergencies and fund innovative solutions," said Friend. "They said, don't worry about money--worry about solving the problem. This allows us to respond to a pressing need and make a difference in society." ### Learn more about the UCSD ventilator effort at http://madvent. ucsd. edu . This story has been published on: 2020-07-29. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Sowmya Mani By Express News Service TIRUCHY: The ongoing pandemic has caused heartache to many who are unable to fulfill the last wishes of their loved ones. 82-year-old S Natarajan had pledged his entire body after death for the purpose of medical research and education. However, when he died due to a massive heart attack on Wednesday, his family faced a hard time as they couldn't do what he wanted. "My father passed away at 12 noon on Wednesday. He had pledged his body to the Perambalur Dhanalakshimi Srinivasan Medical College. As he died in a private hospital in Tiruchy, we tried to donate his body to the KAPV Medical College. Despite our best efforts, both colleges refused to take his body. After waiting for more than 20 hours, we performed his last rites," said his son, N T Prabakaran. The family alleges that nobody was willing to help them and they tried to get in touch with the Collector and Deans of both the colleges. The 82-year-old who stayed in Thuraiyur worked in the transport business and always wanted to help others, said his family. Natarajan had pledged his body in 2013. However, as he died a few hours after being admitted to the hospital, his COVID test had not been done. Due to the pandemic, doctors at the KAPV Medical College say that they have not been accepting bodies. Even if a patient is COVID negative, they are not accepting body donations since March. "It's just due to the pandemic that we are not accepting body donations. We explained it to the deceased's family too," said Dr Anandi, Anatomy Professor, KAPV Medical College. (Natural News) A well-known Hong Kong microbiologist has come forward with information on how Beijing covered up the initial Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China. The new information comes from Yuen Kwok-yung, an infectious disease expert at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Yuen was part of a team of experts, led by top Chinese respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan, dispatched on a fact-finding mission to Wuhan, ground zero for the global pandemic, on January 19. On Monday, July 27, Yuen revealed in an interview with the BBC that local Chinese authorities were not only slow to respond to the outbreak but that they had also destroyed physical evidence of the outbreak. I do suspect that they have been doing some coverup locally at Wuhan. The local officials who are supposed to relay the information immediately have not allowed this to be done as readily as it should, Yuen said. Chinese authorities had tried to disturb the crime scene of the viruss origin Authorities in Wuhan had initially claimed that the coronavirus outbreak had originated in the Huanan seafood market though studies have since shown that some of the first patients had no link to it. Talking to the BBC, Yuen recalled his visit to the market in January, saying that there was nothing to see because the market was clean already. You may say that the crime scene is already disturbed because the supermarket was cleared, he added. We cannot identify any host which is giving the virus to humans. Yuen went on to say that he suspected that authorities had done some sort of cover-up at Wuhan. He added that local officials who were supposed to relay information about the virus did not do so as readily as they should have. Since it first broke out, Beijing has actively been trying to control the narrative around the pandemic. In late December, eight doctors were silenced by authorities after they posted on Chinese social media about a new form of pneumonia spreading in Wuhan that would eventually become COVID-19. Among these doctors was Li Wenliang, who initially sounded the alarm about the virus. After he died in February, Beijing spun the narrative around his death, honoring him as a martyr the highest honor that the Chinese Communist Party can confer on a citizen who dies in the service of China. (Related: Desperate to rewrite coronavirus narrative, Beijing goes on a warpath against whistleblowers and science.) Other whistleblowers have not been as lucky. Many remain missing to this day. Despite Chinas efforts to silence whistleblowers, Yuen has remained vocal in questioning Beijings narrative. On March 18, Yuen and fellow HKU microbiologist David Lung co-wrote an op-ed published in the local newspaper Ming Pao. In it, Yuen and Lung questioned claims, including those made by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijun, that the coronavirus had originated in the United States, stating that these claims were without evidence and shouldnt be spread. China could have contained the pandemic if it had been transparent about it Pompeo For all its efforts to control the narrative around the virus, China might have actually contained it had they been more transparent about it during its early days, according to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Just think how much better off the world would be not to mention the people inside of China if we had been able to hear from the doctors in Wuhan and theyd been allowed to raise the alarm about the outbreak of a new and novel virus, Pompeo said at a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California on July 23. In the same speech, Pompeo offered praise to Chinese dissidents who risked their careers and even lives by speaking up against Beijing. Pompeo also believes that the rest of the world is well aware of Chinas action in regards to the coronavirus and that it would pay a price for the pandemic. Every place I go, every foreign minister that I talk to, they recognize what China has done to the world, he said in a virtual event organized by the Hill. Im very confident that the world will look at China differently and engage with them fundamentally different than they did before this catastrophic disaster. Follow Pandemic.news for more on how China is covering up the outbreak within its borders. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com BBC.com 1 BBC.com 2 Twitter.com CNBC.com Armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, stand in front their house along Portland Place to confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis, Mo., on June 28, 2020. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) St. Louis Couple Charged for Wielding Guns Moves to Disqualify Prosecutor The couple charged with a felony for standing outside their home with firearms moved this week to disqualify St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner after she allegedly referenced the case against the couple in campaign emails. Gardner, a Democrat, charged the McCloskeys last week with felony unlawful use of a weapon for brandishing firearms as Black Lives Matter protesters congregated near their home. It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest, she said in a statement. Shortly before and after filing the charges, Gardners campaign sent out fundraising emails that referred to the circuit attorneys attempted prosecution of the couple, attorney Joel Schwartz said in new court filings. Schwartz is representing the McCloskeys, who are lawyers. An email said to have been sent to supporters of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner just before she filed charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey. (Court Filing) In one email, Gardners campaign allegedly referenced comments made by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, who said that President Donald Trump understands the situation in Missouri, he understands the situation in St. Louis and how out of control it is for a prosecutor to let violent criminals off and to not do their job and try to attack law-abiding citizens. Gardner was blamed for the release of dozens of alleged looters and rioters from jail last month. Her campaign went on to accuse Trump and Parson of playing politics. Kim needs your help to fight back! Her election is only weeks away, the message added, imploring people to rush a donation to the campaign. In the other email that Gardners campaign was said to have sent out, the campaign said Gardners decision to file charges against the McCloskeys drew lots of national attention, including death threats. In a Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (Jim Salter/AP Photo) Referencing how Parson spoke of pardoning the couple if theyre convicted, the campaign said: This is what happens when leaders like Jim stand up against a system that elevates the privileged and powerful. The campaign again asked for donations, warning the election was only weeks away. Schwartz asked the court to disqualify Gardner and her office and replace her with a special prosecutor for the case. Gardner, via the campaign messages, linked the criminal proceedings against his clients to her financial, political, and personal interests, the attorney wrote, which would violate state law. A spokeswoman for Gardners office told The Epoch Times that she could not comment because the case is pending. Earlier this month, Gardner said in a statement through her campaign that she was surprised when Parson called for her removal. I will not play politics with any case the way the governor is, she wrote. (Newser) The nation's first Black president gave the eulogy Thursday for one of the civil rights fighters who made his path to the White House possible. In his address, Barack Obama said the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia would be a "founding father" of a better America. Highlights: Some day when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union, whether it's years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America," said Obama, per the AP. story continues below Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans, Obama said, per NBC News. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. The best way to honor Lewis is to pass a new Voting Rights Act named after him, said Obama, reports Axios. "You want to honor John, lets honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for," he said. (Lewis wrote an essay that was published posthumously .) An enormous eagle owl trapped down a well in northern Germany has been rescued after a local man heard frantic hooting coming from the deep hole in the town of Bad Sedeberg and alerted the police. The 40m-deep (131 foot) well is all that remains of an ancient castle in the town, and the narrow shaft was too small for the owl to fly out of. After initially trying to lure the animal out with food attached to a rope, a rescue team ultimately consisting of 20 people assembled to retrieve the stricken owl. As well as the narrowness and depth of the well, lack of oxygen was also a problem. The team of 12 firefighters, six voluntary technical personnel and two conservationists from a local bat rescue centre, lowered a probe down the shaft to measure oxygen content and found there was little left to breathe. Using powerful torches and a telescope to locate the owl, the teams then pumped oxygen down into the right part of the well to keep the owl alive until it could be pulled out. Meanwhile the rescue teams assembled a structure over the well from which they could suspend a firefighter, who was then lowered into the well wearing breathing apparatus. Once the firefighter reached the owl, the animal was packed into a bag and the pair were then winched back up. The huge bird was removed from the bag at the surface and handed over to the bat sanctuary, Noctalis, to be temporarily cared for. A member of a voluntary fire brigade holds the eagle owl after it was rescuedl from the bottom of an old well at the Siegesburg castle in Bad Segeberg, Germany (AP) The rescue operation lasted three and a half hours. On Monday Noctalis said the owl was weakened but was recovering well and they planned to release it this week, AP reported. A huge network of limestone caves in the area, only discovered in 1913, are home to large numbers of bats and a species of beetle known only to live in this location. A rusty old Ford Falcon has sold for more than $300,000 at auction after sitting in a barn for over 30 years. The one-owner 1973 Ford Falcon XA GT RPO 83 is one of Australia's rarest cars and attracted huge attention at the online auction on Wednesday. The Falcon is affectionately known as the 'chicken coupe' after its owner parked it away in a shed in 1988 and surrounded it with chicken wire to keep it safe. A rusty old Ford Falcon known as the 'chicken coupe' has sold at auction for over $300,000 Over 120,000 people watched the live auction on Grays Online and car specialist Rian Gaffy said it was a sign of what a rare find it was. 'A lot of the Falcon coupes suffer badly from rust plus a lot of them got written off in crashes and quite a few got stolen so to find a good solid one it is pretty rare,' he told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Gaffy said while there was rust, panel damage and other issues in the Falcon it was repairable and had 'the bones' of a good car. 'It's got all the original running gear like the engine, gearbox and diff and it's not just a muscle car - it's an RPO 83,' he said. A full refurbishment of the car would cost 'more than $100,000' but Mr Gaffy said some potential buyers were only interested in minor repairs to keep it original. Rat droppings are found throughout the vehicle which has spent the last 30 years in a shed Grays Online and car specialist Rian Gaffy said the car was still in fundamentally good condition and could be restored but it would cost at least another $100,000 The car may not even be able to start but that didn't deter a South Australian man from bidding beyond the expected asking price of $230,000 to pay just over $300,000. Mr Gaffy said it was one of just two sold in the MacPhersons Old Gold colour and wasn't surprised as the price considering a restored four-door version had recently sold for $400,000. It even comes standard with some rare optional extras for 1973, including power steering, air conditioning, intermittent wipers and tinted windows. The RPO 83 version of the Falcon coupe was a special model created after the 'Muscle Car Scare' in 1972 when Australian government banned a range of performance cars out of fears they were too fast for the road. Already manufactured parts from the now-banned GTHO Phase IV were then sent to dealers to option to new Falcons and the RPO 83 was born. Actor Prince David Osei has been receiving death threats from persons believed to be followers of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). This is because they do not agree with him over his recent comments about the partys choice of presidential candidate for 2020 general elections. Earlier this week, the actor was quoted to have said that bringing back John Dramani back as president of the Republic of Ghana would be a very big insult to Ghanaians, a comment which didn't go down well with members of the NDC. On Wednesday, he took to social media to disclose that he was receiving threats from some alleged members of the NDC. We live in a country where we believe to practise democracy and freedom of speech, yet you can't express your opinion about critical issues affecting the country and not be sullied! You can agree to disagree but attacks, threats and violence towards me will not be tolerated, he said on Twitter. To my brothers in the NDC who do not agree with me on my view on issues, it is alright not to agree, you at liberty not to agree or accept everything I say. However, if you attack me, I will defend myself with all I have. The past few days I have endured enough of your threats, insults and attacks. We live in a country where the law works! So before you foolishly come to attack me, because you fighting for a man who doesn't even know you exist all in the name of 'party faithful' just so you know, I am equally not soft like that. I grew up the hard way in Kokomlemle, Tiptoe Lane, Nima and Adabraka. Stardom is what has humbled me, my other side not good at all So pls let us all respect ourselves and love our ourselves you can agree to disagree with me, that is the beauty of democracy. But don't threaten me or attack me, for you might be shocked at how I will defend myself! Thank you, he added in another post on Instagram. ----Daily Guide Following the removal of thin blue line flags from fire trucks in Hingham, the municipalitys Board of Selectmen explained the reasoning behind the decision with a statement on Tuesday. It also described threats of violence to the person who emailed the Board calling for its removal. The statement condemned the threats of violence aimed at the resident. The man has received threats to his life and property. The threats have also included his family since the removal of the flag, according to the Board of Selectmen. Such conduct debases any attempt at public discourse and makes hypocrites of those who would call for respect for public safety officers while simultaneously threatening the safety of others, the statement said. In the statement, the Board of Selectmen explained the removal of the thin blue line flag was based on the towns flag flying guidance. It did not reflect a decision to belittle the sacrifices made by those who put their lives at risk each day, the statement said. Rather, the decision represented the consistent implementation of the Towns practice concerning the public display of only official flags on Town property. The issue of the thin blue line flag emerged after a town resident emailed the Board of Selectmen. According to the statement, the email said, The thin blue line flag has undoubtedly become a political symbol, most often used to counter Black Lives Matter and the fight against rampant police brutality. While Hingham is blessed with a remarkable police force and these problems may not be as relevant to our quiet little town, the symbols are still representative of issues that our country is confronting as a whole. The email also pointed out that a month ago, the city declined to fly a pride flag in honor of the LGBTQ+ community, not because the town didnt support its message, but because it didnt comply with the towns flag practice. The towns flag-flying practice includes only the flag of the United States, the Commonwealth, the Town of Hingham, the POW MIA flag, a flag in memory of veterans of World War I, and flags flown to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15th of each year. The removal of the thin blue line flag came after a conversation with the police and fire chiefs as well as the town administrator, who all agreed with the decision, the statement said. The Thin Blue Line flag was inconsistent with the Towns flag practice, the statement said. Their decision was not based on any ill will towards our police heroes. It did not reflect a decision to belittle the sacrifices made by those who put their lives at risk each day. Related Content: Cindy Chesna, widow of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna, blasts reform bill, Hinghams removal of thin blue line flags as personal attacks Massachusetts House passes sweeping police reform bill; lawmakers still face opposition on qualified immunity Massachusetts police chiefs issue blistering opposition to sweeping police reform bill 'This is my community' Education doctoral candidate helps Latino community through COVID-19 Community impact I am getting my Ph.D. so I can keep doing the work I am doing but have a bigger impact. I am going to change the world. Lydia Carnesale, graduate student working on a Ph.D. in language and literacy. Lydia Carnesale knew just where to start to help members of her tight-knit Latino community in northeast Columbia when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The education Ph.D. candidate had worked five years earlier to help the same community during Columbias thousand-year flood event. Both times, she looked toward the established community partnerships that focused on issues that could disrupt family well-being and on how to enhance their communities already existing strengths. Its just a step-by-step process to find whats most needed and what needs to happens next, says Carnesale, who is pursuing her doctorate in language and literacy. The first step was the most basic food. Carnesale contributed to the setup of a food bank working to gather donations from the larger Columbia-area community, partnering with a local Latino grocery store for those specialized ingredients that might be difficult for immigrant families to find in larger chain grocery stores and distributing to families. The food bank has provided weekly bags of groceries worth about $30 to 75 families for more than two months. We collaborated with the school districts social workers to find the most at-risk families in our area, she says. The second step was helping students keep up with their studies when they often did not have access to the internet for remote lessons and parents were unavailable because of work or unable because of language barriers to help with home-schooling. When school was in session, we offered tutoring, Carnesale says. That included socially distanced home visits and virtual tutoring when possible. There was such a disconnect between good literacy practices and these children who were now isolated at home. The first step for providing assistance to at-risk members of the Latino community in Columbia was to set up a food bank through partnerships with local grocers. A native of Mexico who says she grew up everywhere, Carnesale finished high school in Columbia and earned her bachelors degree from Columbia College and her masters in arts in teaching from Liberty University in Virginia. She has been a pre-kindergarten teacher at Clemson Road Child Development Center and now works with the Richland County First Steps program. She has also served as a dual language specialist assisting multilingual families, focusing on Latino Spanish speaking families throughout the state, in obtaining child care for children up to 12 years old. Part of my work is in my role as a doctoral student, she says. But at the heart of it, this is my community. Carnesales story can inspire members of her community, says Lenny Sanchez, professor in the language and literacy education at the College of Education and co-director of Bilingualism Matters @ UofSC. Shes been working with immigrant communities for her lifetime, Sanchez says. They have experienced challenges that are unique to them. She volunteered and created initiatives from a grassroots community partnership perspective. I have been so amazed by the kind of day-to-day action efforts that she is doing. Carnesale plans to continue her work when she completes her doctorate even though she is not sure what form that work will take, whether its becoming a college professor There are not enough faces like mine in classrooms, she says or continuing her nonprofit education work. I am getting my Ph.D. so I can keep doing the work I am doing but have a bigger impact, she says. I am going to change the world. Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:28:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, July 30 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli medical technology company has developed an effective face mask against coronavirus, with filters for continuous use up to 60 hours, allowing regular breathing and protecting the eyes. The company, Virimask, located in the city of Tirat Carmel in northern Israel, said on Thursday that the mask could allow medical staff to work for an extended period given the hospital overloads caused by coronavirus morbidity. Besides doctors and nurses, the mask is mainly suitable for use by dentists, patients with chronic or immune problems, and for flight passengers. According to the company, the mask is sealed around the face and thus provides 100 percent seal for many hours, before the filter needs to be replaced. Noam Gavriely, the company's founder and mask developer, told Xinhua that the mask filters 99.25 percent of particles sized over 0.1 microns while the coronavirus' size is about 0.12 microns. Gavriely, a former head of lung physiology unit at Israel's Institute of Technology (Technion), noted that the mask includes special folds of the filter material, which prevents imposing pressure on the user's respiratory system and allows normal breathing. Eye protection is especially important as the virus can land on the eye's conjunctiva and multiply immediately, he added. Enditem Washington, July 30 : The US has failed to recognize the coronavirus threat from Europe in time, Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has said. Since the country's COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the US has reported over 4.4 million confirmed cases and over 150,000 deaths, reports Xinhua news agency. "The introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening," Redfield said in an interview with ABC News. "By the time we realized (the) Europe threat and shut down travel to Europe, there was probably already two or three weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe," he said. The US government closed off travel with China on February 2, while flights with Europe were not cut off until March 13, by which time 26 cases had been confirmed in New York City. Sequences of the earliest COVID-19 specimens in New York City resembled those circulating in Europe, according to a CDC report released in mid-July. The US currently accounts for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities at 4,426,982 and 150,713, respectively, according to the Johns Hopkins University. India's fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is expected to witness flat growth in 2020 following severe and extended lockdowns, restrictions on manufacturing units, social distancing norms and store closures, according to data analytics firm Nielsen. Earlier, on April 30, in the middle of the lockdown, Nielsen had slashed the growth forecast for the FMCG sector by almost half to 5-6 percent for 2020 citing adverse impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Though the FMCG industry has shown some sign of improvements in June, but in the first half of the year (January-June) the industry growth slipped to negative with 6 percent decline. "Keeping these unprecedented dynamics in the market, Nielsen has revised its outlook and is expecting the year to be in the flat growth range (-) 1 percent to 1 percent for branded FMCG industry in India, as against a 5-6 percent growth projected earlier this year," said Prasun Basu, President, South Asia Zone, Nielsen Global Connect. This is the second revision of the forecast by Nielsen for 2020, amid coronavirus pandemic and subsequent disruption in the market and supply chain. 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 Nielsen had on January 21, projected a 9 to 10 percent growth for the FMCG industry with a 'stable' outlook on the back of favourable macroeconomic factors. In a virtual conference to discuss FMCG snapshot for Q2, Basu said the June quarter had been the worst for the industry, with a 17 percent decline in sales value as compared to the same quarter of 2019. He expects the growth witnessed in June to continue into the festive season in Q3 as food categories are expected to see a higher growth and get stronger in Q4. According to Nielsen, which considers the calendar year for calculating its growth numbers, the second quarter, particularly in June, saw a bounce back in both traditional trade channels and e-commerce. On the other hand, modern trade saw sales fall further as malls that opened in the Unlock 1.0 faced nominal footfalls. Despite sales reviving to near pre-COVID levels in June, the industry registered a negative growth of around 17 percent in Q2. Nielsen said the industry has seen a surge in demand for packaged wheat, biscuits and soaps as consumers stayed at home and spent largely on essentials. Another trend that FMCG industry witnessed was the growth in high-margin premium segment, which is returning back to normalcy after declining during the lockdown. As per Nielsen, non-food items witnessing a strong recovery during Unlock 1.0 and 2.0 as categories such as personal care and home care grew strongly in June. In June, the rural market grew three times all India FMCG growth. Urban India, which accounts for 64 percent of FMCG sales, grew a mere 0.04 percent in June compared to rural, which grew 12.5 percent. Rural India contributes around 36 to 37 percent of total FMCG sales, a bulk of which is contributed by food items. "Rural India has been comparatively insulated from COVID-19 so far, however its spread is now reaching the hinterland. Having said that, we do expect an overall positive uptick due to reverse migration," Nielsen said. Moreover, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) wages are at record high and rural disbursement against the programme is more than double of same period last year, it added. Lower number of COVID-19 cases, normal and timely rainfall and several government schemes, including a Rs 40,000 crore increase in allocation of MGNREGA, upskilling of three lakh migrant workers and Rs 1 lakh crore agri infrastructure fund for farmers are some of the factors contributing to the rural growth story for the FMCG industry, said Sharang Pant, Lead Retail Vertical and RMS, Nielsen Global Connect. Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here Victoria's coronavirus lockdown will likely be extended beyond six weeks as the state's cases continue to skyrocket. Restrictions were supposed to be eased on August 16 but Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely says there is 'no way' that can happen. 'Things have not gone the way we hoped. Numbers are still high because of essential workers,' he told news.com.au. 'It will take longer to pull the numbers back because there are cases in so many different segments. Victoria recorded 723 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with 13 more deaths. A women is seen wearing a face mask as she walks through the empty streets in central Melbourne amid the lockdown Two men are seen wearing face masks as they walk a dog in central Melbourne Prof Blakely said he was 'cautiously optimistic' the state had 'turned a corner' but the most recent record-breaking figure has dashed hope of the lockdown ending early. Prof Blakely said the state would be lucky if it recorded just a two-week extension on its lockdown. He said it would likely be a lot longer if figures don't start to decline. 'It could take up to a couple of months, it depends on chance and how well we do on these measures.' Last week Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country was aiming for 'no community transmission' of coronavirus. Victoria has still been recording about 50 cases of community transmission a day despite the lockdown. On Wednesday morning Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth said the care homes were struggling to cope as infected staff are told to isolate. 'No business in Australia has a business continuity plan that accounts for their entire workforce not being able to go to work,' he said. 'I think in a lot of ways that has led some of the most affected institutions to where they are now.' A lone woman is seen arriving in the city from Spencer Street Station on July 27 Empty streets of the city are seen on July 27. Despite residents expecting the lockdown to end in three weeks, experts believe it will be far longer Victoria is set to break the record for its single daily increase in coronavirus cases, with 723 infections to be announced on Thursday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews reiterated the government's ongoing message that residents must stay home if they are at all unwell in order to drive down case numbers and prevent further outbreaks. 'If you are sick, you cannot go to work. If you are sick you cannot go to the shops,' he said. 'If you are sick there's only one thing to do and that is to get tested and to get tested quickly, and then to stay at home. Up to 50 South Australian nurses will travel to Victoria to help with its fight against a surge in cases. Thursday's expected record comes after two days of declining figures. The number of new cases dropped to 295 on Wednesday from 384 on Tuesday and 532 on Monday. Every Victorian who tests positive to COVID-19 should expect a knock on the door from the military, the premier has warned, as the state bolsters efforts to contain outbreaks. Australian Defence Force personnel and public health workers have been visiting the homes of known positive cases who could not be contacted, but from Thursday they will begin doorknocking all confirmed cases. Unlike what happened with the Gov. Tony Evers-backed Safer at Home order, which Wisconsin Republican legislators successfully threw out via a lawsuit that landed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, indicated Thursday that the Legislature is not planning on challenging the governor over his new indoor mask mandate. In a statement, Vos said he opposes the statewide order and its one-size-fits-all approach, he did not say that a lawsuit should again be expected from the Republican-controlled Legislature. Thursdays mask requirement was handed down by Evers himself, not through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that crafted Safer at Home, and thus the new order rests on a separate authority. The Legislature has the ability to immediately rescind the order through a joint resolution passed by the Senate and Assembly, so its unclear whether the states courts will be asked to intervene. Vos statement, in full, reads: I understand the necessity of doing all that we can to control the spread of COVID-19. We all know its serious. People have lost loved ones, businesses are struggling to survive and this new normal for families is stressful and exhausting. Local governments have been responding appropriately and increasing precautionary measures as needed. But Wisconsin shouldnt have a one-size-fits-all mandate. It doesnt build public support when there are questions surrounding the metrics and the constitutionality of this mandate. Its disappointing that yet again Governor Evers has chosen to not communicate or work with the legislature. There are certainly constitutional questions here; I would expect legal challenges from citizen groups. The City of Racines already-in-place Safer Racine ordinance is facing a legal challenge. Local business-owner David Yandel filed the suit, claiming that the citys rules were unnecessarily hurting his business. A local judge initially overturned the order, which the City Council tried to supersede by codifying the order in an ordinance, which the judge again overturned. But a state appeals court has allowed the order to remain in effect while the case works itself out through appeal. In a statement, Rick Esenberg president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty that has taken part in numerous state lawsuits, including a high-profile one involving a purge of the states voter rolls said that the presence of a pandemic does not negate the rule of law. Governor Evers, quite simply, lacks the legal authority to ... require every citizen to wear a mask. The Washburn County Sheriffs Office, a county with a population of less than 16,000 near the northwest corner of Wisconsin, has announced it will not be enforcing the order. We encourage everyone to make your own medical choices and what you believe is the best for you and your family. If you choose to wear a mask, we defend that right. If not, we defend that right as well, Sheriff Dennis Stuart said via Facebook. Support, dissent, courts Other Republicans have weighed in, showing opposition to the statewide mask mandate. You cant legislate common sense, stated Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine. For that reason, I continue to strongly oppose the one-size-fits all approach of Governor Evers response to coronavirus in this state, including the statewide mask mandate. Its transparent and blatantly political that his order doesnt take effect until his handpicked Supreme Court justice take office. Jill Karofsky, a Democrat supported by Evers, defeated incumbent conservative Justice Daniel Kelly by a vote of 856,470 to 692,976 in April. Karofsky and will take Kellys place on the Wisconsin Supreme Court the same day that the mask order goes into effect. Conservatives will still have a 4-3 majority on the states highest court even after that flip. State Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, has called on Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to reconvene the Legislature in order to fight back against Evers order, which Nass called illegal and unnecessary. State Rep. Cody Horlacher, R-Mukwonago, said that Evers has become a dictator after he issued the mask order. State Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes both support the order, as does Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Somers. In a tweet issued minutes after Evers order was announced, Barnes posted a photo of himself in a Milwaukee Bucks face covering. The tweet was captioned: Mask up, Wisconsin Our community-by-community piecemeal approach, in place since May, has not been effective in containing this virus, Neubauer said in a statement. Public health is a team sport: My mask protects you, your mask protects me, and when we work together, we can make a positive impact against this pandemic. Im not a doctor, Wirch stated, but health care experts, including from the federal CDC, say masks help slow transmission of COVID-19. I wear a mask when I go out. If something as simple as wearing a mask will help us get this virus under control, so that our businesses can operate as normal, our kids can go back to school, and we can again visit with friends and family, Im all for it. Lets give it a shot for these 60 days, and then take a look at the results. Mitchell Schmidt of Lee Newspapers contributed to this story. Love 1 Funny 3 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 5 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Greg Crance, the Famous River Hot Dog Man and owner of Delaware River Tubing, navigates the Delaware River as he checks on his operation. Read more The Famous River Hot Dog Man pointed his jet boat downriver to survey his kingdom and customers. A few hundred people, some sunburned, floated around on the pink and orange inner tubes he rented out on this scorching Monday afternoon, all of them bobbing in his wake as he sped south in the Delawares clear, warm water. Many pumped their fists in the air as he passed. One group needed a new inner tube. Two women wanted a tow to a dock that floated by an island he owns, where a free meal awaited. Hot dogs, of course. Thats what Greg Crance is known for. Hey, whats up? Whats your question? Crance asked a tuber who waved him down. Ah nothing, man. I was just hoping you were going to deliver us some hot dogs, the fellow said. Crance assured him the wieners were right around the corner. Youre five minutes away from hot dog heaven. Tubing is about the simplest form of outdoor recreation in the shallow, non-tidal stretch of the Delaware north of Trenton, and the 55-year-old Crance is one of several outfitters whove made a business out of it. For $42.06, cheaper if youre in a group, customers get a large, inflatable tube to float down the river. The trip is about five miles, guided by the current, and usually lasts about three hours, depending on water levels and weather. In the non-tidal Delaware, including New York, approximately a dozen businesses offer tubing, canoeing, or kayaking rentals. Thousands of people simply do it on their own, as well, with their own tubes, and get picked up downriver. The recent heat wave has boosted business, Crance said, but he knows the weather is fickle. A big rain can affect water levels and shut him down for days. Its been 90 degrees every day, but what if it had been raining since the Fourth of July? he said. Id be crying the blues, and no one would help me. Although the river is often less than five feet deep and sometimes just a few inches, theres an inherent danger for anyone who doesnt know how to swim. Earlier this month, farther north in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a New York City man slipped out of a tube and drowned. On Monday, Crance stopped the boat to watch a man in a life jacket swimming hard toward a raft, where a woman extended a paddle to him. Hey, if you dont think youre a strong swimmer, you should probably stay in the raft, he told the man. Crance declined to say exactly how much his insurance premiums were but joked that he pays for many vacations his insurance agent takes. Theres a small, squeaky group of people who dont like tubers, he said, and running the business hasnt been totally free of headaches. In March, the Newark Star-Ledger reported that New Jerseys Department of Environmental Protection was seeking bids for a different tubing concession to operate at Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, which Crance utilizes to drop off and pick up passengers. The DEP declined to comment on Crances operation Tuesday, saying it was an active litigation matter. A June 14 letter the DEP sent to him claims he owes $43,000 in overdue concession payments. Crance said he is working to make the DEP happy and work out a very amicable deal that benefits the public. Crance promises customers a free barbecue meal at his floating grill on an island in the river, just about halfway to the exit point. Its two hot dogs or one burger. On Monday, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s, Crance said he had weekend-like numbers, and customers were lined up 100 feet into the island for hot dogs. The hot dogs are the hook, he believes. Youre not tubing unless you stop at the Famous River Hot Dog Man, he said. Crance said he moved all over the country as a child before his family settled in Doylestown. His parents later bought a house in Point Pleasant, Bucks County, by the river. Crance joined the Marine Corps at 18 and met his wife, Megumi, in Okinawa. After the Marines, he sold cars and copiers, but in 1987, after another tubing outfitter complained about his own customers drinking and littering on the water, he set up his floating grill and began feeding tubers. I like to think of it as a rest stop, if you will, in the middle of the river, he said. In 2003, Crance purchased his own tubing operation, Delaware River Tubing, upriver in Milford. He says he gets tens of thousands of customers per summer, and employs about 75 locals who grill hot dogs, drive school buses to transport tubers, and corral them to the exit. Hes not shy about trumping up the river, either. You can have as good or better experience than going to a private island in the Caribbean, he said. At the familys tubing headquarters in Milford, a long line of customers stretched into the parking lot, with people grabbing tubes and life jackets before hopping onto the blue buses that would take them to the launch ramp. Inside, Yuuji Crance, 34, Gregs oldest son, had a phone constantly buzzing at his hip. Hes Delaware River Tubings operations manager. I was basically born on the river, Yuuji said. Greg has been passing down more of the responsibility to his son, but Yuuji says there will never be another Famous River Hot Dog Man. Theres no replacing my father. From the earliest days, there has always been a need for us to go to the shoreline, which is like a last frontier, on the edge of the unknown, Shabica said. We need to figure out how to allocate federal and local funding because its really important to take care of the shoreline and beaches, and I think people up here on the North Shore understand that. Syrian Activist: 'They Are Using Food as Weapon of War' By Heather Murdock July 29, 2020 Many of the tents here are sewn together by hand, and women cook on homemade stoves made out of rocks. It looks like 100 years ago, but it is actually an ordinary day in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border. Umm Abdou, a mother of eight, came here a year ago. She says her family stayed in their village as long as possible, sleeping outside during the shelling after being displaced three other times. "We saw death in front of our eyes," she says. "The last time we fled, I was surprised we didn't die." Death is still on her mind, however, as food aid is reduced, and the coronavirus pandemic reaches the area. If the virus becomes widespread, experts say, the mortality rate could be "drastically higher" here than almost anywhere else. Northwestern Syria is awash with crowded displacement camps and more than 4.1 million people, after the biggest single exodus in Syria's nearly decade-long conflict began in Idlib late last year. Much of the area is now cut off from the government of President Bashar al-Assad and controlled by Turkey. People here fear that if or when the war ends, they may find themselves permanently displaced after they fled the last rebel stronghold in Syria. Most families here rely almost entirely on food from aid trucks to survive; but, activists say this food is becoming a weapon in this war, with families again on the frontline, long after they fled. "The bombs here may have stopped but we are entering a new time," says Ahmad Khouja, a father of four. "We, as activists, call it 'cold bombings.' The warring parties are now fighting each other using food for civilians." United Nations resolution Outside his nearby tent, Amar al-Khadoor, a father of four, says he fears his children will become the next victims. Al-Khadoor was attending university when the war began in 2011, but now the only work available at the camp is collecting trash or rocks to sell. These jobs pay about $1 every few days. Most families, says al-Khadoor, need their monthly "food baskets" just so they do not starve. "The only thing we have time to think about is how we will feed the children," he says. "We cannot think even one week into the future." In early July, the United Nations Security Council was at a standstill over these baskets. Most countries wanted to renew aid packages for northwestern Syria through the Turkey-Syria border, but Russia and China vetoed the resolution several times. Russia said the border entries into Syria were manned by unregulated militias, but the move was largely seen as support for Assad. If aid doesn't get to the people of the north, it also won't get to any remaining rebel factions. Finally, they had a breakthrough when all of the countries agreed they would extend the aid program for a year, but only allow the aid to enter the region through one international border. For displaced families, this move could be a disaster, according to rights groups. It could greatly reduce the amount of food and medicine that will reach families who are barely surviving, even with the help. "Lives will be lost. Suffering will intensify," reads a statement released by Mercy Corps, NGO Forum and the Syrian NGO Alliance, calling for the U.N. to reconvene and reopen all available borders for humanitarian aid and to "stop playing politics with people's lives." Coronavirus threat Only days before the U.N. resolution, northwestern Syria took another blow. The coronavirus reached the isolated region, which has only one machine for testing and 95 ventilators, most of them already in use. As of July 28, the region reported 30 positive results from 3,518 tests conducted so far. But doctors say if there is a widespread breakout here, containing it will be nearly impossible. "If you tell people to stay 'home' inside tents, how will they feed themselves?" asks Dr. Mohammad Salem, of the Early Warning Alert and Response Network, who works in the camps. "If you say they must wash their hands, where do they get the water? People need soap. People need disinfectant." For now, local workers spray dirty tents and encourage children to wash their hands as often as they can. Schools have closed and some children sit idly near their tents, having been told not to run around in groups. Others play in the dusty streets, some with masks, most of them without. In these camps, malnutrition is common, and many people already have untreated pre-existing conditions and injuries. Everyone could be at risk, but no one can really practice social distancing or heightened sanitation. And for 12-year-old Yasser, the coronavirus seems to be just the next bad thing, and not even the worst thing. "They were shelling our village and every bomb made our house shake," Yasser says. "Then everyone ran from their houses at the same time. It was so crowded." Life in the camp is at least without bombs, he adds, but it's definitely not home. "I miss the trees in the village and eating figs from the trees," Yasser ponders. "Here in the camps there are no trees at all." Shadi Turk contributed to this report from Idlib, Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address What happens when an accused person says they cant come to court for their trial because they have symptoms linked to COVID-19? Courts are grappling with what a judge called uncharted territory as in-person trials resume amid a heavy backlog of criminal cases. Enzo DeJesus Carrascos trial on charges of sexual assault, voyeurism and transmitting an intimate image without consent was set to start in person on Monday at a downtown Toronto courthouse but was delayed for three days because he had a symptom linked to COVID-19 and failed the online screening questions required to enter the courthouse as a result. On Thursday morning, court heard DeJesus Carrasco had tested negative for COVID-19, but had been diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis. But he continued to have a symptom listed in the online screening tool which could deny him entry to the courthouse. It puts us in a bit of an awkward spot, thinking not just about this case but about other cases going forward. How do we handle these things? said prosecutor Rick Nathanson. At the suggestion of Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein, DeJesus Carrasco was screened entering the courthouse in person allowing him to explain his negative COVID test result and he was permitted to enter. The trial began Thursday afternoon with the testimony of the complainant who said she was sexually assaulted by DeJesus Carrasco at the College Street Bar in downtown Toronto while she was an employee there in 2016, and that she never consented to any photographs being taken or shared of that interaction. Last year, a jury convicted DeJesus Carrasco of gang sexual assault and drugging another woman at the same now-closed bar in December 2016 where he was the manager. He was sentenced to nine years in prison but is now on bail pending appeal of those convictions which may be thrown out due to changes in the legislation governing jury selection. After DeJesus Carrasco was arrested in December 2016 on the charges in the gang sexual assault case, a search warrant was obtained for his phone, according to an agreed statement of facts filed with the court. In his text history police found a photo of him and a partially unclothed woman engaged in sexual activity. The photo had been sent to a friend. On Thursday, the complainant identified herself and DeJesus Carrasco as the two people in the photo and the location as the College Street Bar basement office. She said she did not know that a photo had been taken and didnt know if there were any cameras in the office at the time. At issue is whether (the complainant) consented to the sexual activity, whether she consented to the photo being taken and whether she consented to the photo being shared with anyone, prosecutor Pam Santora said in a brief opening address. The judge-alone trial took place in a small courtroom retrofitted with Plexiglas and with the lawyers, accused and court staff all wearing masks. Only a handful of seats in the small public seating area were open for use a maximum of 19 people are allowed in the courtroom. The complainant testified via CCTV from another room in the courthouse. Her identity is under a publication ban. (DeJesus Carrasco) kept saying he wanted to get to know me, she said of him often pulling her into the office and away from her work. I would often try to go back upstairs, she said, but he would tell her not to, and that he was the manager. He would tell her to relax more or let loose. On the day the photo was taken, he started to massage her legs and shoulders, she said. She told him to stop but he didnt. He picked me up from my shoulders and threw me against the wall, she said. I froze. Im still mad at myself. I froze. I just remember he was manipulating me to put my hands on the wall, she said. She said she was trying to get him to stop but he pulled her pants down. He started to put his hands all over me and then inside despite my protests. I tried to tell him to stop and he did not, she said. She said at one point he told her something like: do you see any cameras? No? Relax. She said she didnt want to believe what had happened. I was so ashamed, she said. Normally I am very feisty and outspoken. I dont take a lot of garbage from anybody. I was ashamed of myself for freezing the way I did. In cross-examination, DeJesus Carrascos lawyer Hussein Aly suggested that the sexual interaction was consensual, which the complainant denied. He also suggested her memory of that day was unreliable, and that she told police in her statement that she didnt really remember exactly what had happened. The woman said there are some things that she does remember clearly about the incident in the office though she wishes she did not. DeJesus Carrasco still faces a third sexual assault trial involving two other women who came forward after his initial arrest. It is scheduled for early next year. MADISON, Wis. - A federal appeals court on Thursday sided with the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin in its fight over a villages authority to require a special events permit for an apple festival, in a case that could have wide-ranging impacts across the U.S. While the lawsuit on its face was about whether the tribe needed a permit for its annual Big Apple Fest, the underlying issue was tribal sovereignty. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower courts ruling in favour of Hobart, saying the Village lacks jurisdiction to apply its ordinance to the Nations on-reservation activities. The tribe had support from the state of Wisconsin, the U.S. government, the National Congress of American Indians and the Indian Land Tenure Foundation in its appeal of U.S. District Judge William Griesbachs 2019 ruling. He found that because much of the Oneida reservation had been sold over the years, the reservation itself was diminished, meaning that the festival had been held off the reservation, thereby subjecting the tribe to village rules. The tribe argued that decades of rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and other lower courts on similar cases have determined that legal diminishment of a reservation requires a specific congressional decree, something that has not been done for the Oneida reservation in Wisconsin. The state argued that the lower courts ruling could negatively impact co-operative state-tribal relationships not just with the Oneida but other tribes, including over deals for dividing revenue from tribal casinos. The 7th Circuit agreed. The Oneida Reservation defined by the 1838 Treaty remains intact, so the land within the boundaries of the Reservation is Indian country under (the law), a three-judge panel on the court said in reversing the previous ruling. Attorneys for the tribe and the village did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The tribe has been holding the apple festival every September since 2009. The Bureau of Land Management published a final environmental review for a large oil and gas project proposed in Converse County on Thursday. If approved, it would clear the way for several energy firms to drill upwards of 5,000 new wells on about 1.5 million acres of land. The announcement triggers a 30-day public protest period starting Friday. The federal regulatory agency charged with reviewing the potential environmental and cultural impacts of the proposal moved to support an amendment to the areas resource management plan. If ultimately approved, the final environmental impact statement and resource management plan amendment would give a green light to five oil and gas companies plan to drill 5,000 wells across about 1.5 million acres of land over the next decade. About 500 wells could be drilled each year. The land and minerals are owned by several entities including the federal government, the state and private owners. A team of energy firms, including Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Devon Energy, EOG Resources Inc. and Northwoods Energy, submitted the proposal to develop oil and gas in the eastern Wyoming county. The final environmental impact statement outlined three potential alternatives to the project, ultimately selecting a plan to allow the construction of up to 5,000 wells, 1,500 miles of gas gathering pipelines and 900 miles of water pipelines, along with roads, electrical lines and other infrastructure. New surface disturbance could take place on 3.5% of the proposed project area, about 52,667 acres. Federal regulators also studied six options for amending the Casper resource management plan. The proposed amendment to the resource management plan would lift some timing limitation stipulations, currently in place to protect non-eagle raptors, thereby allowing operators to maximize the use of horizontal development from multi-well pads. The revision would provide operators with the option to drill year-round. Wyoming lawmakers have long expressed support for the ambitious project, citing the promise of up to 8,000 jobs and the potential for state and federal revenue to the tune of $18 billion to $28 billion. State leaders threw their support behind the project on Thursday. Oil and gas development is a cornerstone of Wyomings economy, Sen. John Barrasso said. The Converse County Oil and Gas Project is estimated to bring thousands of jobs and substantial revenue to our state. The final environmental impact statement for this project has been a long time coming. Its the result of years of work and collaboration between federal, state and local stakeholders. Regulators launched their environmental review of the project back in 2014. Meanwhile, drilling projects have occurred throughout the county without triggering a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Rep. Liz Cheney also called Thursdays announcement great news for our state. Our states fossil fuels are a national treasure and I am glad this important project is moving forward, she said. Gov. Mark Gordon echoed the lawmakers positive sentiments for the project. In a time when our state faces significant economic challenges, the decision to move forward confirms my belief that the oil and gas industry will remain a committed, responsible and vital part of Wyomings economy, as well as a valued partner to her people, he said. This project builds a consistent framework for energy development in Converse County, he continued. The State of Wyoming values the BLMs coordination that took into account industry needs, wildlife conservation and the local economy. It took a long time, but in the end I am eager to see this important project come to fruition. Local officials also championed the projects progress, pointing to the millions of dollars in potential tax revenue, uptick in economic activity and creation of jobs. The Converse County (environmental impact statement) is a long awaited path forward for U.S. energy independence and responsible, balanced development of the Wyoming and Converse Countys resources, Converse County Commissioner Jim Willox said in a statement. The jobs, tax revenues and energy this area has the potential to produce will benefit generations to come. But conservation groups expressed grave concerns over the projects overlap with critical wildlife habitats, and the cumulative pollution of air and groundwater. There are 48 known (sage grouse) leks within the project area, and then there are eight more within a two-mile buffer, said John Rader, a conservation advocate with the Wyoming Outdoor Council. All of them could be wiped out by this project. The BLM is even saying in the final (environmental impact statement) that leks could be abandoned, nests could be destroyed, that nesting sage grouse would be killed. But the proposed alternative still waives timing limitations for grouse in general habitat management area, and the project would disturb over 11,000 acres within core sage grouse habitat or priority habitat management area. Other environmental groups have also expressed alarm over what they consider far too few control strategies to limit harmful emissions such as methane, keep volatile organic compounds from polluting the air or safely dispose of the billions of gallons of produced water associated with the proposed development. Western Watersheds Project vehemently opposes the Converse County Oil and Gas Project, Kelly Fuller told the Star-Tribune. It will cause great harm to raptors, greater sage-grouse and other wildlife. As if that werent bad enough, BLM proposes to let the oil and gas industry harm wildlife by giving the industry exceptions to BLMs own simple, common-sense wildlife protection rules. This comes as the Trump administration proposed revisions to the rules the Bureau of Land Management must use when monitoring oil and gas production on Wednesday. Whats more, the Environmental Protection Agency also finalized a significant overhaul to the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act earlier this month. The Converse County Oil and Gas Project is an especially bad example of the Trump Administration doing special favors for the oil and gas industry, Fuller added. BLM should reject this project and require all of the oil and gas development it administers in Converse County to follow BLMs own wildlife protection rules. The final environmental impact statement was compiled by Bureau of Land Managements Casper Field Office, the U.S. Forest Service and the Douglas Ranger District. The analysis is required under the National Environmental Policy Act.The review of the project began in 2014, a time that attorney Shannon Anderson of the Powder River Basin Resource Council called a different era. Since federal analysis of the vast development project began, there have been multiple booms and busts in oil and gas markets. In recent months, the price for oil has tanked under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic and a global glut in oil, leaving the future of the project up in the air. Five thousand wells is a lot of wells, but when you put it into perspective with the thousands of wells that have been permitted in that area without an (environmental impact statement), its an interesting context, Anderson said. You have a lot of wells that have already been permitted, and have been permitted during this whole six-year period. So, the analysis in a lot of ways is already outdated, because it is not encompassing what already happened on the ground and what will happen. The county has long served as a hub for energy activity, especially when the price of oil is favorable to operators. Since 2014, over 127 million bbls of oil have been produced in the county, along with 425 million mcf of natural gas and 109 million bbls of produced water, according to data collected by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.The public comment period will conclude on Aug. 31. Follow the latest on Wyomings energy industry @camillereports Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A San Francisco judge has refused to dismiss criminal charges against two antiabortion activists who secretly entered meetings of abortion providers and recorded conversations, saying a jury should decide the activists claims that they were journalists investigating crimes by Planned Parenthood. David Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, and an employee, Sandra Merritt, identified themselves as researchers for a nonexistent company called BioMax Procurement Services when they gained entry to the conventions of the National Abortion Federation in San Francisco in 2014 and in Baltimore in 2015, and to Planned Parenthood meetings. They said afterward that they had been acting as investigative reporters to expose plots by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to sell fetal parts. After they posted videos of the meetings, which Planned Parenthood said had been heavily edited, both the abortion federation and Planned Parenthood said its members were subjected to harassment and death threats. Then-Attorney General Kamala Harris and her successor, Xavier Becerra, have charged Daleiden and Merritt with felony violations of a California law that prohibits recording conversations without consent. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Christopher Hite refused to dismiss most of the charges after a preliminary hearing last fall, and the two appealed his ruling to another Superior Court judge, Suzanne Bolanos. Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle At a hearing conducted remotely Tuesday, Bolanos dismissed one charge against Merritt and consolidated two others, but said prosecutors could try them on the remaining counts, nine against Daleiden and eight against Merritt. She said the defendants argument that their secret recordings were legally justified, because some participants at the meetings were allegedly performing late-term abortions and selling living fetal tissue, might be raised at their trial but was not a basis for dismissing the charges at this stage. Daleiden and Merritt also contended that the conversations they recorded could not have been confidential because other participants were nearby and the speakers did not lower their voices or move to a room where they could speak in private. Hite had previously dismissed several charges on similar grounds, but Bolanos said prosecutors had at least some evidence of confidentiality on the remaining charges, and the defense would have to present its case to the jury. Defense lawyers said they would ask a state appeals court to dismiss the charges. All journalists should be very afraid of something like this, said Daleidens attorney, Brent Ferreira. 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. He contended Daleiden was in the same position as Bryan Carmody, the career freelance journalist whose home was raided last year by San Francisco police seeking evidence of a leaked report on the death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi that Carmody had obtained and sold to local television stations. Police Chief Bill Scott later acknowledged that the raid had violated Californias shield law, which allows journalists to keep their sources confidential and retain unpublished material unless they have obtained it illegally. The city paid Carmody $369,000 to settle his legal claim. The defense also contends the prosecution was biased because both Harris, now a U.S. senator, and Becerra have received contributions from Planned Parenthood. Hite rejected that argument last year, and Bolanos did not address it. Ferreira said he would raise the issue in the appeals court. In a separate case, a federal court jury awarded Planned Parenthood more than $2.2 million in damages against Daleiden and Merritt last November for violating the state laws and a nondisclosure agreement they had signed before entering the meetings. They have appealed the verdict. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Press Release 30 July 2020 JAKARTA, Indonesia - Archipelago International, Southeast Asia's largest privately owned and independent hotel operator, today announced that it has been awarded the management contracts for a further two hotels in Cuba. The first of these is the iconic Panorama Hotel in Havana. To be rebranded as the ASTON Panorama Hotel, the property, which first opened its doors in 2002, comprises 320 rooms and is best known for its impressive architectural design and superb location, facing the sea in the city's Miramar district. Advertisements The second hotel is the Holguin Costa Verde Hotel, which will be rebranded as the ASTON Costa Verde Beach Resort. This resort is located in the Holguin region of Cuba on its northeastern coast and comprises 749 rooms, 4 pools, 9 restaurants and 7 bars offering a great selection of a la carte, buffet, beachside and poolside dining options. Both hotels are due to open on 1st December 2020 and will join Archipelago's growing portfolio in Cuba, which includes the GRAND ASTON Cayo Las Brujas Beach Resort & Spa and two upcoming hotels, GRAND ASTON Varadero Beach Resort and GRAND ASTON La Habana Hotel, both currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2021. "We are delighted to be given the opportunity by Grupo de Turismo Gaviota S.A. to introduce our very successful ASTON brand to Havana and Holguin, particularly at such landmark hotels. Since its opening, GRAND ASTON Cayo Las Brujas has consistently ranked as the No.1 hotel in its region for guest satisfaction and quality audits. This operational excellence is now more important than ever and will continue to be post-COVID-19, as guests will expect and demand higher standards of hygiene and safety practices from hotels. Cuba is best positioned to alleviate these concerns, as it is recognized as one of the safest destinations in the world, has an excellent healthcare system and is taking a holistic approach as a nation to ensure its tourism offerings meet new standards and expectations," commented Gerard Byrne, Managing Director, Archipelago Overseas. According to Archipelago's President & CEO, John Flood, "We will continue to invest in the resources needed to ensure that the hotels we manage and operate in Cuba perform above and beyond our guest's expectations. There is no doubt that in the post-pandemic travel context, Cuba will stand out as one of the world's leading destinations for safe, healthy and environmentally friendly travel." England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020, ONS figures show (Jacob King/PA) England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020, according to new analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The country experienced the longest continuous period of excess deaths as well as the highest levels, a comparison of 23 European countries found. It is the first time the ONS has compared mortality rates in different countries to measure the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) By the week ending May 29, England had a relative cumulative age-standardised mortality rate of 7.55% meaning it was 7.55% higher than the average mortality rate between 2015 and 2019. Spain ranked second at 6.65%, followed by Scotland (5.11%), Belgium (3.89%) and Wales (2.78%). England still had the highest cumulative excess deaths rate two weeks later, by the week ending June 12, though at this point there was only data available on 17 other countries to compare it with. From February 14 to the week ending June 12, England experienced the second highest peak of excess deaths, after Spain, out of 21 countries with data available. For the first time, weve published comparisons of all-cause mortality between European countries, regions and local areas from January to June 2020 and compared with the five-year average https://t.co/FVA9BMEMK4 pic.twitter.com/jEch9dMNLd Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) July 30, 2020 Edward Morgan, from the ONSs health analysis and life events division, said the first half of 2020 saw extraordinary increases in mortality rates across Western Europe, when compared with the average over the past five years. He said excess mortality was geographically widespread and prolonged in the UK, adding: Combined with the relatively slow downward tail of the pandemic in the UK, this meant that, by the end of May, England had seen the highest overall relative excess mortality out of all the European countries compared. Using the measure of all-cause mortality to calculate the impact of the pandemic means results are not affected by the different ways countries record Covid-19 deaths. It also considers the indirect impacts of the pandemic, such as reduced or delayed access to care. The ONS used weekly death registration data published by Eurostat and ONS data for England and Wales, National Records Scotland (NRS) data for Scotland, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) data for Northern Ireland. It found little evidence of abnormal mortality rates in Eastern Europe. Every local authority area in the UK experienced excess mortality between the weeks ending April 3 and May 8, while other countries in Western Europe experienced more localised excess deaths, the ONS said. Asked if he was ashamed of the findings, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the nation has had a massive success in reducing the number of deaths. During a visit to North Yorkshire, he said: We mourn every loss of life that weve had throughout the coronavirus epidemic. What I would say to them (families of the deceased) is that we really owe it to them to continue our work in driving the virus down. Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths. Weve got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down. But I have to tell you that were looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see whats been happening in the United States. Expand Close (PA Graphics) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (PA Graphics) Looking at major cities, the highest peak excess mortality was in Madrid, which saw levels of excess mortality in the week ending March 27 that were more than five times higher (or 432.7% higher) than the average expected mortality rate in 2015 to 2019. In the UK, Birmingham was the city with the highest peak excess mortality (249.7% in the week ending April 17), followed by London (226.7% in the week ending April 17) and Manchester (198.4% in the week ending April 17). Dr Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at The Kings Fund think-tank, said life expectancy improvements in the UK have lagged behind other European countries over the past decade and there is a very real risk the UK will slide further behind. She said: The priority for the UK is to control the pandemic and learn lessons ahead of a potential second wave, but it is also essential to tackle the underlying reasons for stalling life expectancy in recent years many of which contribute to poor Covid-19 outcomes. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said of the devastating statistics: We can no longer hide from the fact the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes. Regions in Spain, Italy and England made up the top 20 areas across Europe with the highest recorded peak mortality rates. Areas in England included Brent, Enfield and Ealing, in Greater London, and Thurrock in Essex. Brent was the worst affected area in England, experiencing the highest peak excess mortality 357.5% in the week ending April 17. The area with the highest peak mortality rate in Europe was Bergamo in Italy 847.7% in the week ending March 20. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:50:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- NASA launched its Mars rover Perseverance Thursday morning in a bid to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The rover lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida. NASA confirmed the separation of the rover from the rocket about one hour following the launch. "The @NASAPersevere rover just sent its first signal back to us on Earth. The spacecraft is in good health and on its way to Mars," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted. Following a seven-month journey, the rover is expected to land at Jezero Crater on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. Perseverance is the fifth Mars rover sent by NASA to Mars, after Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity. The rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, characterize the planet's geology and climate, and collect carefully selected and documented rock and sediment samples for a possible return to Earth, according to NASA. It will also test new technologies to benefit the future robotic and human exploration of Mars, paving the way for human exploration beyond the Moon, said NASA. Perseverance ferries a 1.8-kg helicopter to the surface of Mars, and the helicopter would be the first aircraft to fly in a controlled way on another planet. The twin-rotor, solar-powered helicopter, Ingenuity, is intended to demonstrate technologies needed for flying in the Martian atmosphere. If successful, these technologies could enable other advanced robotic flying vehicles that might be included in future robotic and human missions to Mars, said NASA. Every 26 months, Mars reaches the closest point to Earth in its orbit, and this summer is the latest launch window to the Red Planet, when launching a spacecraft will use the least amount of fuel. The liftoff of Perseverance is the third Mars exploration of the international community this year following China's first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, and the first Mars orbiter of the United Arab Emirates earlier this month. Enditem Teknaf (Bangladesh): Myanmar is carrying out ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, a UN official has reportedly said, as horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder emerge from among the thousands who have fled to Bangladesh. Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have abandoned their homes in Myanmar to escape the unfolding violence, the UN says, after troops poured into the narrow strip where they live earlier this month. John McKissick, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Bangladeshi border town of Coxs Bazar, told the BBC that troops were killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, forcing these people to cross the river into Bangladesh. Dhaka has resisted urgent international appeals to open its border to avert a humanitarian crisis, instead telling Myanmar it must do more to prevent the stateless Rohingya minority from entering. Also read | Human Rights Watch claims more Rohingya villages razed in Myanmar's Rakhine region Its very difficult for the Bangladeshi government to say the border is open because this would further encourage the government of Myanmar to continue the atrocities and push them out until they have achieved their ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority in Myanmar, McKissick said. A spokesman for Myanmar President Htin Kyaw slammed the comments. I would like to question the professionalism and ethics which should be followed and respected by UN staff. He should speak based on concrete and true facts, he shouldnt make accusations, Zaw Htay told AFP. Its not the first time such claims have been made against Myanmar. Also read | Myanmar's Rohingya left behind by election gains: UN In April 2013 Human Rights Watch said it was conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya - an accusation rejected by then president Thein Sein as a smear campaign. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Independent, a British newspaper, has referred to Luxembourg as "Europe's worst coronavirus hotspot" and questioned why travel restrictions are not in place. The article notes that the (confirmed) infection rate in Luxembourg is "1,382% higher than in the UK", with 222.4 14-day cumulative cases per 100,000 "compared with 15 for the UK." This is being brought up in light of recent news that both England and Scotland are considering reintroducing a mandatory 14-day quarantine period for travellers from Luxembourg (as well as Belgium and Croatia), though a firm decision is yet to be communicated. Writing for the Independent, Simon Calder notes that "the infection rate is so high that citizens of the Grand Duchy are not allowed to stay in Lithuania," and highlights Germany's designation of Luxembourg as a 'risk zone'. Calder also notes that Spain's 14-day cumulative cases per 100,000 is 47.3, so lower than Luxembourg's, yet it has been classified as posing "an unacceptably high risk for British travellers." Update: Scotland has now confirmed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travellers from Luxembourg as of midnight 31 July, with the UK likely to follow. India on Thursday imposed restrictions on imports of colour television sets, intending to encourage local manufacturing and check imports from China. Colour television sets worth $781 million were imported in the year ended 31 March, most of which came from Vietnam ($428 million) and China ($292 million). Actual user conditions would not be applicable for importers applying for an authorization to import the goods restricted in this notification. The procedure for grant of license will be separately issued by DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade)," the notification said. Chinese imports and investments have been facing intense scrutiny in India after a border clash left 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops dead. India is aiming at limiting trade links with China as part of a policy to cut dependence on its northern neighbour. The government in April notified changes to its foreign direct investment (FDI) policy by mandating government clearance for all FDI inflows from countries with whom it shares land borders. India has cancelled railway and road tenders secured by Chinese companies. It has also banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, on national security grounds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said India needs to end its dependence on import of solar panels, which are mostly sourced from China. Earlier this month, power minister R.K. Singh announced India will not allow the import of power equipment from China and Pakistan because of cybersecurity threats. Last week, India restricted Chinese companies from participating in public procurement bids by India without approval from competent authorities citing defence and national security. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics New Delhi: Actor Sonu Sood celebrates his birthday on July 30. On this special occasion, Twitter exploded with good wishes for the star with fans hailing him as the 'real hero' for standing up in the times of crisis and extending help. Amid the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic, Sonu Sood, like a good samaritan, sent hundreds of migrants back home through private buses and ensured everyone reached home safely. Ever since lockdown, Sonu has been helping people who reach out to him through social media. He also donated 25,000 face shields to Mumbai police to fight COVID-19. During the coronavirus outbreak crisis, Sonu Sood has ensured hassle-free journey for migrant workers pan India and his efforts have been lauded by one and sundry. Take a look at the birthday wishes: Happiest Birthday to real Hero @SonuSood , Your gesture will remain forever in our hearts. More power to you sir#HappyBirthdaySonuSood#SonuSood pic.twitter.com/FCcG8STRjk Deepesh4Namo (@DeepeshMishra0) July 30, 2020 HBD @SonuSood sir.. your heart is very very big... God appearing in human form.. this is the perfect example.. #SonuSood #SonuSoodBirthday pic.twitter.com/x8AZHjTT79 #PRAKASH REDDY# (@PRAKASH0851) July 30, 2020 Happy Birthday Sonu sir@SonuSood The best way to show the definition of Hero. God bless you#HappyBirthdaySonuSood #SonuSood pic.twitter.com/XwZT5245Rx Randhir Kr Rana (@r4randhir) July 30, 2020 Happy Birthday sonu sood bhai, present super hero in this pandemic helping needes with in no time, even God may take time not you,I pray to god to achieve highs in ur career with all prosperity and family#HappyBirthdaySonuSood #HBDRealHeroSonuSood #SonuSood pic.twitter.com/a6XoRwjkMy Jayanth GJK (@Jayanthgjk) July 30, 2020 Happy birthday to the real hero @SonuSood ji You're inspiration to many God bless you with more wealth and health and happiness #HBDRealHeroSonuSood #SonuSood #HBDsonusood #HappyBirthdaySonuSood pic.twitter.com/TxzLmYzhmk Sai Charan (@SaiCharan291) July 30, 2020 On the professional front, Sonu Sood has acted in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Punjabi films. He made his debut in 1999 with Tamil films such as Kallazhagar and Nenjinile respectively. Then he was seen in a villain's role in Telugu film 'Hands Up!' the year after. In 2001, he was seen in Tamil entertainer Majunu. In Bollywood, he was first seen in 2002 release Shaheed-E-Azam, as Bhagat Singh but it was in Mani Ratnam's Yuva in 2004 and Aashiq Banaya Aapne in 2005 that Sonu Sood was noticed. Ever since he has acted in many blockbuster hits. He has several interesting projects in his kitty. Here's wishing the 'real hero' Sonu Sood a very happy birthday! Japans economy minister said on Monday [July 27] the government would urge businesses to aim for 70% telecommuting and enhance other social distancing measures amid a rise in coronavirus cases among workers, some infected during after-work socializing. Though Japan has largely avoided the mass infections that have killed tens of thousands overseas, a record surge in cases during the past week in Tokyo and other major urban areas has experts worried the country faces a second wave. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Monday said in a video meeting with Japanese governors that business leaders will be asked to ramp up anti-virus measures such as encouraging the level of telecommuting achieved during Japans state of emergency this year, when it hit 70% to 80%. It has since fallen to about 30%, he added. He also called on companies to encourage staggered shifts and avoid large after-work gatherings for drinks or meals. Tokyo last week reported a daily record of 366 cases last week, with numbers also rising in Osaka. The southern city of Fukuoka reported a record 90 cases on Sunday. Despite the rise in cases, the government does not plan to call another state of emergency, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. The situation compared to April is very different, he said, citing the small number of serious cases as well as fewer cases among the elderly. On Monday, 131 new cases were confirmed in the capital, Governor Yuriko Koike said, but noted that testing had fallen to about 20 percent of normal over the extended holiday weekend. She added that serious cases rose by one, to 19. Concern has grown about clusters, specifically those involving host and hostess bars or connected to after-work socializing, along with a rise in cases among those in their 40s and 50s. The rate of telecommuting has lagged in Japan because of a paper-driven culture and technological shortcomings, experts say. The central government remains determined to restart economic activity and last week launched a domestic travel campaign in the face of widespread criticism. More than 30,000 people in Japan have been infected and nearly 1,000 have died. (Reporting by Elaine Lies, Chris Gallagher and Chang-ran Kim; editing by Gerry Doyle) Topics COVID-19 A woman receives a shot of an experimental coronavirus vaccine. (Associated Press) Nearly $6 billion has been allocated. Clinical trials are entering a crucial third phase, and Operation Warp Speed is getting closer to the goal of delivering 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by January. But when Americans line up for their immunizations, the vaccine they receive might not be what they expect. The popular notion of a vaccine a shot in the arm that prevents diseases such as measles, polio or shingles for years or a lifetime may not apply. Under recently released federal guidelines, a COVID-19 vaccine can be authorized for use if it is safe and proves effective in as few as 50% of those who receive it. And "effective" doesn't necessarily mean stopping people from getting sick from COVID-19. It means minimizing its most serious symptoms, experts say. We should anticipate the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to be similar to the influenza vaccine, said Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland. That vaccine may or may not keep people from being infected with the virus, but it does keep people out of the hospital and the ICU. Even with expectations scaled back, the development of a vaccine against a virus that no one knew about seven months ago is considered remarkable. One assessment calls it the compression of six years of work into six months. Of the more than 150 vaccines in the works worldwide, Operation Warp Speed has identified 14 "promising candidates." (A vaccine being developed by El Segundo-based ImmunityBio, headed by Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, is among the 14. It has not yet been tested in humans.) Of those 14, seven have been designated as front-runners, including three whose early clinical trial results have undergone independent evaluation. The vaccine being developed by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health was deemed promising in an editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and two studies in the Lancet delivered a similar message for vaccines being developed at Oxford University and by the Chinese company CanSino. Story continues These vaccines have induced an immune response in people participating in early tests, but inducing an immune response does not always mean success in fighting a disease. For instance, scientists recently developed a vaccine for another respiratory virus that increased antibodies but failed its Phase 3 clinical trial. While there is no way to predict what lies ahead, experts say, the first round of COVID-19 vaccines will likely not eliminate the need for other public health measures, such as masks and social distancing. :: The minimum 50% efficacy recommendation spelled out in late June by the Food and Drug Administration would likely ease the burden on hospitals. And to whatever extent a COVID-19 vaccine prevents infection, it could reduce the spread of the virus and help to create pockets of immunity throughout the country, said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor College of Medicines National School of Tropical Medicine. Ideally, you want an antiviral vaccine to do two things," Hotez said. "First, reduce the likelihood you will get severely ill and go to the hospital, and two, prevent infection and therefore interrupt disease transmission. In this case, he added, "the bar does not seem that high." Developing a vaccine capable of inducing sterilizing immunity that is, the ability to prevent the virus from causing an infection takes time and research, which might not be possible as death tolls continue to rise and the recession grows deeper. Yet with so many companies on the hunt for that vaccine, there is hope one of them might actually achieve it. Dr. Mark Feinberg, CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, cites the success of the Ebola vaccine. Not only did it speed through its clinical trials from starting Phase 1 to getting early Phase 3 results in 10 months but it also was nearly 100% effective within 10 days of a single dose being administered. That's not likely to be the case now. The challenge is that the novel coronavirus hasnt been around long enough, Feinberg said. Scientists had studied other coronaviruses SARS and MERS and mapped the novel coronavirus' genome not long after the first COVID-19 deaths were recorded. They identified the spike protein on the virus outer shell, which the virus uses to infiltrate the host cell and created a three-dimensional model of the virus to see how antibodies block infection by binding onto the spike protein. Even so, scientists don't yet know what immunity against the virus looks like. That information typically comes from studying the bodys natural response to disease. The number of T-cells and neutralizing antibodies that fight off an infection can become a blueprint for a vaccine. But the novel coronavirus is not easily giving up those secrets. Physicians have noted a wide range of immune responses to COVID-19, Feinberg said. Some patients produce high levels of neutralizing antibodies, while others produce only low levels. Whats interesting is that all have recovered, and we do not know how they did this, said Feinberg, a former chief public health and science officer with the pharmaceutical giant Merck. Scientists are also uncertain how long immunity from a natural infection or a vaccine lasts and whether a decline in antibodies in two to three months is cause for concern. The third phase of clinical trials might answer some of these questions. Moderna is enrolling 30,000 people for its Phase 3 trial, which started Monday. If we get a vaccine that is 60% efficacious, we can use the information to identify what distinguishes people who are protected from those who are susceptible, Feinberg said. "Then we will know what the minimum target is for an immune response. But the absence of that information does not preclude the distribution of a vaccine. Many vaccines are effective even though scientists don't know the amount of antibodies needed to prevent infection. A vaccine can even be effective if it doesnt prevent infection. The polio vaccine that Jonas Salk developed does not stop the poliovirus from infecting the gastro-intestinal tract, said Feinberg, but it stops the virus from traveling to the central nervous system where it causes the diseases worst symptom, paralysis. :: With so many questions still unanswered, the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine may not be known until well after Americans have received their shots. Among the recommendations in the FDA guidelines is a provision for emergency use authorization, allowing for the distribution of a vaccine if the known and potential benefits of a product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product. I imagine that it is likely that the FDA will issue an emergency use authorization if any of the vaccines in development show significant and convincing evidence of efficacy and safety, said Feinberg, whose research organization is collaborating with Merck to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Under an emergency use authorization, the vaccine could be administered before the completion of the Phase 3 trials, potentially helping to flatten the curve but giving scientists little time to study side effects or understand how it interacts with other vaccines. Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, has raised concerns that the FDA would greenlight manufacturing and distribution of vaccines before the necessary reviews have been completed. Offit worries that a vaccine with limited efficacy delivered prematurely might give people a false sense of being protected and lead to serious outbreaks of the disease. We should wait for the completion of Phase 3 trials, no matter how long they take, he said. With luck, they could be finished in six to nine months. But postponing the delivery date for a vaccine would not align with the January goal of Operation Warp Speed. The Trump administration's ambitious timeline has led to $5.7 billion being allocated to seven companies, and critics like Hotez and Offit wonder if speed is getting in the way of science. Dr. Robert Gallo, director of the Institute Human Virology at the University of Maryland, argues that Operation Warp Speed, a private-public partnership, is science by committee, directed by a few individuals, when there needs to be robust debate and exchange of information. If science problems need innovation, then there needs to be wide openings for original thinking and a means to argue or counter without the worry that you cannot get funded, he said. Gallo, who cofounded the Global Virus Network, is concerned that the seven front-runners in Operation Warp Speed are each using the same strategy for their vaccine, one designed to neutralize the spike protein. If that method proves ineffective, then the timeline for delivering a vaccine will be extended. Im sure it is not wise to put all these eggs in one basket, he said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Halle Berry vanishes into her character in a new still from her directorial debut Bruised, which is about mixed martial arts. The 53-year-old actress has a significant bruising beneath her left eye in the still, but there is a steely look of determination on her face as she puts her fists up in the ring. Her new still emerged the same day as news broke that Bruised will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Fists up: Halle Berry vanishes into her character in a new still from her directorial debut Bruised, which is about mixed martial arts TIFF will occur September 10 to 19 with a hybrid of virtual and in-person events, though industry members and media are barred from screenings, IndieWire reports. Furthermore, although the festival typically screens hundreds of movies its lineup this year contains only 50 films. Halle's character has left the MMA business and lost custody of her son, but the film finds her locked in a struggle to regain her child and career. She directed from a screenplay by Michelle Rosenfarb, who described the film to Bloody Elbow as 'a love story between a mother and her son.' Off-screen: The actress is pictured in a more glamorous aspect while attending a red carpet event in Las Vegas in April 2019 The cast includes Wynonna Earp actor Shamier Anderson, X-Men: Days Of Future Past alum Adan Canto, London stage star Sheila Atim and Broadway legend Stephen McKinley Henderson who has also been in such films as Lady Bird. 'I didn't really set out to direct it, I set out to act in it. I read the script and I loved it,' Halle explained to iHeart + Variety's The Big Ticket With Marc Malkin. 'And, it was written, at that time, for a 22-year-old white woman, which, obviously, can't be me,' she said, but she persuaded 'the producers that it should be me, and why it would be more relevant in the times in which we're living if it were me.' She got the part but while looking for a director she found that 'nobody really saw the story that I saw in my head, that I kept talking to the producers about, that they loved. So, finally we just sat down one day and they said: "Why don't you do it?"' Looking fab: Halle is pictured in a recent Instagram video she posted for Fitness Day Halle confessed: 'I thought: "I can't direct, this is a big acting role for me, I don't think I should be directing as well." And they gave me so much confidence and helped me realize that: "But nobody understands it like you. It's story telling and we definitely feel confident that you've got the story." She recalled that 'I put that hat on for a week or so and I thought about how that felt and I realized, after 25 years in the business there is a lot I know about filmmaking.' The Oscar-winner shared: 'Ive never been the kind of actress that just goes to work, stays in my trailer and says: "Call me when you're ready."' Before Halle was attached to the project it was slated to star Blake Lively and be helmed by The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes, per Deadline. WASHINGTON, D.C. - To avoid shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) that plagued health care providers at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown on Wednesday introduced legislation designed to help the country stockpile medical supplies for future emergencies and quickly ramp up domestic production when its needed. Too many of our front line workers, including health care providers, have experienced shortages of critical personal protective equipment at a time when they needed it most, Brown told reporters this week. Health care workers on the front line should be focused on the important work they do. They shouldnt have to worry about keeping themselves healthy and safe because of a lack of protective equipment. Browns Protecting American Heroes Act would require mandatory funding for the Strategic National Stockpile and give the Health and Human Services Secretary authority to order production under the Defense Production Act during public health emergencies. It would also extend DPA authority to the HHS Secretary during a public health emergency. It would also require the stockpiled supplies to be produced in the United States, with exceptions allowed based on availability and would create a new job called Executive Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Strategic National Stockpile to put stockpile decisions in the hands of a high-ranking career professional who would regularly update Congress on the stockpiles status. Its imperative to our nations infrastructure, to our health and safety, to have these items produced at home and have the capability to do just that, said Kim Glas, President and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations, which backs Browns bill. Too many frontline workers are still seeking PPE, and this is months after the pandemic. This should just simply never happen again. She noted that several Northeast Ohio companies stepped up to produce supplies during the pandemic, including Cleveland cotton swab manufacturer U.S. Cotton, which started making testing kit swabs, and Westlakes MMI Textiles , which is supplying material to make face masks, gowns and face shields. Glas said the Westlake firm looks forward to producing these items for the Strategic National Stockpile. Greg Burel, who retired in January as Strategic National Stockpile director, endorsed the bill in a statement issued by Browns office. The SNS is a key asset protecting national health security, said Burel. It is imperative that it be capable of responding to all hazards that may threaten the United States. I believe this proposed legislation will position SNS for the future we face as a nation. Brown said the wave of Tea Party Republicans who took over the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 reduced the public health budget, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton eliminated the post of the person who was supposed to oversee the White Houses pandemic response during a 2018 office reorganization. He said he did not know how much his bill would cost to implement, and said hes not sure that Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky would bring it up, because he doesnt seem to want to do anything except confirm young, very conservative federal judges. We should go back to having the best public health system in the world, Brown said. It will cost money, but it doesnt cost anything close to the amount of money that a pandemic costs, not even pennies on the hundred dollar bills. More coverage: Rep. Jim Jordan attacks tech CEOs, saying they discriminate against conservatives Want to launder money? Buy art, says report by Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman Ohio libraries to get coronavirus relief money President Donald Trump, Justice Department say Cleveland will see surge of federal agents to combat crime Sen. Sherrod Brown introduces resolution to declare racism a public health crisis Rep. Bob Gibbs asks President Trump to restrict TikTok app House passes Rep. Dave Joyces bill to ensure federal death and disability benefits for first responders afflicted by coronavirus Gov. Mike DeWine and other Ohio political leaders remember the late civil rights pioneer John Lewis Coronavirus recession will challenge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, ex-head Rich Cordray and Sen. Elizabeth Warren predict Joe Bidens presidential campaign names Toni Webb its Ohio state director Rep. Marcia Fudge calls for a Poverty Bill of Rights Federal immigration processors in Cleveland to be furloughed unless Congress acts DNC Chair applauds Florida Democratic Party for returning PPP loan, said he thought Ohios would return theirs Ohio Congress members propose quarantining coronavirus patients in hotels Rep. Tim Ryan makes up lost fundraising ground while Rep. Jim Jordan takes in nearly $3.5 million Millions lost health insurance during coronavirus pandemic, report says Rep. Anthony Gonzalez seeks Confucius Institute crackdown Republicans slam the Ohio Democratic Party for getting federal Paycheck Protection Program loan IRGC Navy: Persian Gulf drills conducted in 'wargame' style Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 5:01 PM The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps says the IRGC's ongoing drills simulate actual warzone engagement with real enemy forces and are meant to send across a message of warning to those potentially seeking to undermine the country's security. "These maneuvers have taken shape based on [the notion of] wargame and the strategies that we employ in the Persian Gulf and the country's [general] southern expanse," IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said on Wednesday. "The maneuvers drill the manner of establishing security in the Persian Gulf and confronting those [potentially] disturbing this security," he added. Although, the exercise does not carry any warning message to our friendly and neighboring countries, "it serves as a warning for those, who could seek to disrupt our security," the commander said. Not only would not the Corps allow the Islamic Republic's enemies to perpetrate any "act of misuse" in the waters, but also it would not tolerate any such measure against any spot of the country's expanse, he asserted. Tangsiri was speaking on the sidelines of large-scale drills by the Corps, codenamed Payambar-e A'zam (The Great Prophet) 14, that has enlisted both the elite force's Navy and its Aerospace Division. During the maneuvers that spanned the general area of Hormozgan Province, west of the strategic Hormuz Strait, and the Persian Gulf, the Corps staged "all-out and multi-layer" strikes against the life-size replica of a Nimitz-class US aircraft carrier. The IRGC's servicemen began the episode by destroying the mock carrier's accompaniment with coast-to-sea fire. State television aired footage showing the damage caused to the mock aircraft carrier following the operational juncture, and the IRGC commandos' rappelling onto the vessel. In an unprecedented move, the IRGC also fired ballistic missiles from underground launch facilities during the drills. The drills have been monitored by Iran's first military satellite Nour (Light)-1 that was launched by the Corps into orbit in April. Simultaneously, the satellite relayed a high-resolution vivid image of the al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar that is reportedly the largest United States' base in West Asia. On Tuesday, CNN reported that following the launch of ballistic missiles by the Corps during the drills, al-Udeid and al-Dhafra, another airbase in the United Arab Emirates, were temporarily put on "high alert" and the American forces deployed there were asked to stay in bunkers. Tangsiri, meanwhile, offered more details of the operations undertaken during the "wargame-style" maneuvers. He cited designing and deployment of extensive rocket fire, amphibious naval air force and its cruise missiles, conduct of defensive and offensive mine-planting that sought to practice cutting off of enemy connection lines, and engaging of a domestically-built missile-carrying helicopter. Coastal defense, destruction of amphibious, logistical, and combat enemy vessels using coast-to-sea and seaborne missile power were among some other measures drilled during the exercise. "Foreigners travel a thousand miles and carry out a threatening drill against our speedboats here, but the Persian Gulf is our home, and this is the 14th edition of the Payambar-e A'zam (The Great Prophet) that we are carrying out here," the commander noted. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address You have reached a premium content area of TOL. To read this entire article please login if you are already a TOL subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican lawmakers on Thursday chose former state Supreme Court justice and current Rep. Bob Cupp to lead the Ohio House, replacing the speaker ousted hours earlier amid a scandal. House members voted in favour of the veteran lawmaker from Lima on Thursday afternoon after a private Republican caucus. It followed a historic, unanimous House vote earlier in the day to remove Rep. Larry Householder as speaker because he was indicted in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme. Cupp was elevated in a more divided vote and then was immediately sworn in by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French. He said he was sorry to be leading in such difficult and trying and unprecedented times but promised to do so fairly and humbly and to prioritize transparency and accountability. It is imperative to restore the publics trust in our elected officials, Cupp said. The duty of the legislative branch of government is to serve to enact laws in the best interest of the people of Ohio. His colleagues believe the soft-spoken Cupp will bring the chamber what Householder could not: unity. In a statement, GOP Gov. Mike DeWine praised Cupp as a man of integrity who will serve Ohio well and said he looked forward to working with the new speaker. House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes, of Akron, noted in a statement that every member of her Democratic caucus voted against Cupp. We dont trust any of them, she said. Householders No. 2, Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Jim Butler, of Oakwood, also was a potential candidate to become speaker. Three more lawmakers Reps. Rick Carfagna, Tim Ginter and Craig Riedel withdrew from contention and supported Cupp. Householder and four associates were identified in a July 21 federal affidavit as allegedly taking part in a pay-to-play scheme involving corporate money secretly funneled to them for personal and political use in exchange for helping to pass House Bill 6 to financially bail out two Ohio nuclear plants. Householder was one of the driving forces behind the legislation, which included a fee to every electricity bill in the state and directed over $150 million a year through 2026 to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo. Householder and his attorney have ignored or declined requests for comment about the allegations against him. He didnt attend the vote on removal from his leadership post, but retains his Legislative seat for now. Lawmakers rejected a proposal to consider expelling him from the House. The House session Thursday morning took a matter of minutes, with 90 representatives voting in favour of vacating the office of the speaker. Nine didnt vote, including Householder. Most but not all House members were wearing masks as they gathered for that session amid the coronavirus pandemic. They sat socially distanced for the morning vote, but many shook hands and fraternized as colleagues reunited after weeks of summer break. Householder, of Glenford, is the first Ohio House speaker ever removed by the chamber, according to the Ohio History Connection. Householder, his long-time adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes could each face up to 20 years in prison if theyre convicted for their alleged work to pass the bailout and block attempts to overturn it, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI. A federal grand jury formally indicted the five on Thursday, charging each with a single count of racketeering. Dark money is a breeding ground for corruption. This investigation continues, said U.S. Attorney David DeVillers, referring to legal campaign funds that dont have to report the source of their donations. Borges involvement in the case has been wildly overstated, said his attorney, Karl Schneider. The accusations against him are wrong and unfortunate and the case against him is on shaky ground out of the gate, Schneider said. He was never part of any would-be enterprise and we expect when the facts play out this attempted over-reach to include him will fail. Messages seeking comment were left with the other defendants attorneys. Householder is the second speaker to be under criminal investigation by the FBI in recent years. Former speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigned abruptly in April 2018 after saying he was aware federal agents were asking questions about his activities and had protectively hired a criminal defence attorney. Rosenberger wasnt charged, and a lawyer for him has said the former lawmaker did nothing wrong. Jai Chabria, a Republican strategist in Ohio, called the vote about Householder expected and said the GOPs follow-up move is important. Out of chaos comes opportunity, and the leadership they elect today will be able to course correct and hopefully set a positive agenda for the state, said Chabria, who also served as senior adviser to former GOP Gov. John Kasich. ___ Associated Press writers Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus and John Seewer in Toledo contributed to this report. Farnoush Amiri is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Ukraine is a very important partner for NATO because it contributes greatly both to the Alliance's operational component and the development of effectiveness of the NATO Response Force (NRF) and other important units. Ukraine is a very important partner for us because it makes a huge contribution not only to the operational component of the Alliance, but also helps us develop the effectiveness of the Response Force and other important units. The world situation is such that in the event of a crisis in any part of the globe, the use of military force may be required, Commander Surface Forces NATO, Commodore Jeanette Morang said on the air of the DIM TV channel. By conducting joint exercises with Ukraine, NATO is increasing the interaction between the armed forces and undergoing training for possible military operations in the Black Sea region. Therefore, in the event of an acute situation, the integration of military forces will require much less effort and time. The role of NATO and its individual members is to help improve the quality of military command. For this, we conduct exercises and provide military education to Ukrainian servicemen. These exercises in the Black Sea perfectly help us achieve these goals, Commodore Morang summed up. As Ukrinform reported, navy sailors from eight countries, with the participation of NATO, took part in the international Sea Breeze-2020 exercises in the Black Sea. About 2,000 military, 26 ships, and 19 aircraft were involved in the exercises. ish Losses for Louisiana day care operators because of the coronavirus pandemic have more than tripled since May and now total $100 million, the leader of an advocacy group said Thursday. Two months ago officials said revenue dips had reached $30 million, mostly because of plummeting attendance as more moms and dads worked from home, or are unemployed. Just 31% of Louisiana's childcare centers are open; advocates want $71M in aid for reopening Louisiana child care providers have lost $30 million because of the coronavirus pandemic and need more than double that to help re-start the e Libbie Sonnier, executive director of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, said one of the key problems is fewer children are attending the state's 1,400 publicly licensed centers. "They cannot get kids in the door because we cannot get a handle on the pandemic," Sonnier said. "And people are just worried about the virus," she said. "We truly don't know the true effect on young children." Earlier this year the state Department of Education said only 31% of the centers remained open, including 200 closed in the Baton Rouge area. Those closures affected about 83,000 children, and operators said they needed an average of about $23,000 to reopen. Officials said recently that those figures have since reversed, with 70% open and 30% closed. But Sonnier said there are cases of centers with a capacity of 200 children having only 50 in attendance. She said an operator in New Orleans with a center that can care for 100 children reported having only 18 at the site. Some centers reopened in hopes that the state would move to Phase 3 for the reopening of its economy, which would loosen restrictions on gatherings and other activities. However, the state remains in Phase 2, which means stricter rules, because of a resurgence of the virus across the state. +2 One third of Louisiana child care centers could close after coronavirus leads to $1.7M loss Child care providers have lost at least $1.7 million because of closings sparked by the coronavirus and sites that care for about 12,500 child Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "The financial viability is hard," Sonnier said. "There is some thought that the centers that reopened may have to close again because they just can't afford it." A check of operators in June produced some grim findings. "We will be releasing results from our most recent survey in August but the preliminary results are troubling," Sonnier said in am email to "partners and friends" that was delivered Thursday. "Early care and education providers continue to lose money and their financial prospects remain uncertain," according to the update. Sonnier said that, sparked by the results of the survey, officials of the state Department of Education sent out $11 million in grants, which stem from federal aid approved by Congress. Those dollars can help operators with rent, utilities, employee salaries and cleaning costs. A separate survey that included 94 operators show that 54% said they will close permanently without more public aid, 87% are serving fewer children than before the pandemic and enrollment is down by an average of 55%. It said 61% of those responding had used furloughs, pay cuts or layoffs because of the pandemic. That survey was done by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Child care leaders here have tried to boost the urgency of their message by noting the links between the centers and workers who rely on care for their children while they work. Top officials of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Greater New Orleans Inc. and others have rallied on behalf of efforts to find aid for child care centers. New problem for child care providers? Getting teachers to work for pay less than unemployment State officials said Tuesday day care centers already reeling because of the coronavirus pandemic face a new challenge: How to lure teachers w Another challenge is the fact that employees of the centers are paid an average of $8.95 per hour SPRINGTOWN, Texas, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a child, everyone has a vision of what they want their dream home to look like. Everything from the cabinets to the bedroom design is meticulously planned out in precise detail. However, the reality of life is that the dream homes people create as a child are often too far out of anyone's budget to be realistic to have. However, there is one company that is trying to give homeowners a chance to create the home of their dreams for great prices. Finding a custom home builder in Springtown, TX, can be somewhat of a struggle, but NTH Companies is here to give homeowners an unforgettable experience when creating their new home. 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Media Contact: NTH Companies 817-631-2300 [email protected] https://www.nthcompanies.com/ Related Links Our Custom Home Services Information about our company SOURCE NTH Companies Related Links https://www.nthcompanies.com Michael Cohen will be free to speak to the media and publish his tell-all book on President Trump under a new agreement with federal prosecutors filed on Thursday. The U.S. government has agreed to drop its efforts to silence Trump's former personal lawyer, saying it will no longer demand that he adhere to a gag order in the weeks before his book critical of his former boss is released. 'The parties agree that a specific provision regarding Petitioner's contact with the media is not necessary,' the court filing read. Cohen said in court papers that the book titled, 'Disloyal: The True Story of Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump' would be published before the November election. It comes a week after Cohen was released from a federal prison in New York where he spent two weeks after refusing to agree to a media ban. Federal prosecutors dropped their effort to silence Michael Cohen (pictured after his release from prison last week) on Thursday saying they will no longer demand he adhere to a gag order Cohen announced he was writing a tell-all book on his former boss titled, 'Disloyal: The True Story of Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump', that will be published before the November election The 53-year-old is completing the last two years of a three-year prison sentence at home after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress. He was released from prison in May amid coronavirus fears in U.S. prisons, only to be returned earlier this month after tweeting that he planned to publish a book claiming Trump had used racial slurs against Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. 'I am close to completion of my book... anticipated release date will be late September,' he said on Twitter. Cohen had sued federal prison officials and U.S. Attorney General William Barr, saying he was ordered back to prison because of the book. U.S. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein last week ordered him released, saying the government's action was retaliatory and a violation of his First Amendment rights. Cohen was thrown back into prison one week after tweeting that he would release his tell-all book ahead of the November presidential election Probation authorities had told Hellerstein in court documents that Cohen was sent back to prison because he refused to sign a form banning him from publishing the book or communicating with the media or public. The Bureau of Prisons has said any assertion that the re-imprisonment of Cohen 'was a retaliatory action is patently false.' He was released to home confinement last Friday after being held behind bars since July 9. Cohen's book is anticipated in part for what it might divulge about the circumstances that led him to plead guilty to campaign finance charges and blame Trump for directing him to commit the crimes. The charges stemmed from his efforts to arrange payouts during the 2016 presidential race to keep the porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from making public claims of extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs. In a written declaration, Cohen said his book 'will provide graphic and unflattering details about the Presidents behavior behind closed doors.' The ruling is is the third straight defeat for Trump and his administration in attempts to ban critical books, the first two being by John Bolton, his former national security advisor, then a bombshell memoir by his niece Mary Trump. Trump had failed to stop both books from coming out, alleging through the DOJ that Bolton had revealed classified information and then taking part in his brother's lawsuit claiming that Mary Trump had violated a nondisclosure agreement and had to be gagged. VANCOUVERIn the midst of fears about an awful illness, tensions rise. Fear and hatred are directed at those of Chinese descent trying to build a life on Canadas West Coast. Its a narrative that has played out in recent months in British Columbia but not for the first time, as it turns out. In the 19th century, it wasnt COVID-19 that was fuelling fears; it was leprosy. In 1891, government officials suspected five Chinese men in Victoria were harbouring the disease, which can lead to lesions and disfigurement if left untreated. Officials decided to quarantine them and 38 other Chinese men nearby on small DArcy Island what would come to be known as B.C.s leper colony. Its another ugly chapter in Canadas treatment of its Asian population, and one thats been on the mind lately of Renisa Mawani, a sociology professor at the University of British Columbia. As the pandemic has worsened in the past few months and we see the rise of anti-Chinese racism, its hard not to see echoes of the 19th century, said Mawani. The leper colony on DArcy Island, which existed from 1891 to 1924, was just one of several anti-Chinese policies that Canada implemented during the same time period, said Mawani, whose research focuses on colonial legal history. The Canadian government legalized the Chinese Head Tax in 1885 and the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1923, two laws meant to limit Chinese immigration. The incidences that we see of racism and COVID-19 are not that far off from where we were in the late 19th century, she said. An Angus Reid Institute poll conducted in June showed that half of Chinese-Canadians who responded had experienced name-calling and insults due to their ethnicity since health officials across Canada started taking dramatic measures to battle COVID-19. Nearly one in 10 respondents said they experience physical attacks frequently. Anti-Chinese racism in B.C. was common during this earlier era, and the conditions on DArcy island reflected that, said Mawani. Patients in Canadas other leper colony in Tracadie, N.B., were cared for by doctors and nuns. But on DArcy Island, the men were essentially left to die, said Mawani. Supplies were dropped off once every three months. No medical care was provided, and residents, many of them weak from leprosy, had to bury their own dead. There was already a stigma associated with the disease, said Mawani. What we see with DArcy Island is that racism becomes a significant part of that stigma. In total, 49 men were sent to DArcy Island. Forty-three of them were Chinese. One was Japanese. Twenty men were eventually deported to China. Many of those who remained died on the island and were buried in unmarked graves. At least 18 men died on DArcy Island. Mawani first heard about DArcy Island while conducting research for her 2009 book, Colonial Proximities. Combing through public health records and government documents at the Royal BC Museum, she saw just how closely officials linked leprosy to Chinese immigration at the time. This link was deliberate, said Mawani. British Columbia didnt have a very large white population and so there was this concern about the fragility and the instability of the white community on the West Coast. At the time, Chinese men often worked closely with Indigenous women in salmon canneries, and some people grew concerned about this so-called race mixing, she said. When Canadian newspapers published unfounded reports that Chinese men were spreading leprosy among Indigenous communities, the government officials used that as a reason to exile Chinese men, said Mawani. This was one way that government officials tried to separate these groups and prevent relations and solidarities between them in the interests of assuring colonial order and Canadian authority. While more overtly racist policies like the head tax and immigration exclusion acts are things of the past, disease is still often characterized in racial terms. This was true of leprosy and also today with COVID-19, said Mawani. Indigenous people, Black people and communities of colour are reporting greater complications due to COVID-19 and higher rates of death, she said. Canadians today may look back at the history of DArcy Island in shock, but Mawani wants people to think about how race continues to inform and shape how people experience diseases. In the current pandemic, we like to believe that we are all in this together, but we are not, she said. What will future generations say about this? Mawani is giving an online talk about DArcy island at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, July 30 as part of the One Hour @ UBC online lecture series. Read more about: The Australian Navy has agreed with South China Sea Cooperation with the U.S. against China. However, they begged of freedom of navigation patrols that ventured nearer to purloined Chinese islands. As the pressure in the SCS gets greater, so does the need for Australia to work with its American allies against the move by the CCP into more territory, although they skirted American pressure into more provocative actions in the SCS, reported The Guardian. Both allies were in Washington to conduct high-level talks to get a working group to counter false information spread in the Indo-Pacific. One of the sources is the CCP of Beijing that is sowing false information and blocks the democratic process intentionally to manipulate the narrative. The CCP is becoming one of the worst destabilizing influences in the region. The joint statement that condemned the Chinese moves like Uyghur repression, eliminating the freedoms they promised to uphold in Hong Kong. Marise Payne, Australian foreign affairs minister, also added that Australia intends on keeping their relationship with Beijing intact. Payne and Linda Reynolds, Minister of Defense Minister, concurred with their US partners, Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper for more and frequent maritime operations between the U.S. and Australia. These theatres will be the SCS and the Indian Ocean, which is bilateral and in synchronicity with partners sharing the same goals in the region, cited Australian Naval Institute. They declared Beijing's desire to possess swathes of ocean that is not even theirs, adding that some are already illegally occupied by Chinese forces and are based to spread bullying efforts in these areas. Everything is agreed upon by both allies but getting as close as twelve nautical miles for the reclaimed islands of 12-nautical miles is out of the question. Also read: South Korea Beefing Up With Aircraft Carrier to Counter Threats in the Most experts have said that the US is pushing Australia to do freedom of navigation exercises but desisted as Beijing can affect their trade relationship. China has been known to flex clout when needed, Australia cannot afford repercussions from the CCP, noted Taipei Times. Payne stressed that her country and the U.S. have a close history and values it, but decisions are considered on their values. Post-meeting, she was asked by the press and answered that both nations are not 100% in all decisions, stressing that both parties respect each other's viewpoints. When she was asked about the Australian and Chinese interactions in other aspects like a business, she said that there is no intention to cause problems between Beijing and them but stressed that all decisions will be for their good. Reynolds added that FONOPs and overflights were part of the discussion in the SCS. Australia has been passing and flying over the region, further adding that moving through the SCS will be under international law. Beijing blasted the joint statement of Australia and America, calling these allegations lies, despite international coverage in the news. The Chinese consulate answered that both U.S. and Australia are the violators since they broke international law and intruded their territory. China said it will not be pressured by them, and hinted at Australia to push their buttons, and be ready for repercussions. Part of the talks is to have U.S. funded fuel reserve for U.S. forces in Darwin. Both agreed on controlling the security situation in the SCS. Related article: US Air Force Sends Spy Drones as Eyes Over South China Sea @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Burma Myanmar MPs Approve ADB Loan for Mekong Corridor Highway Part of the existing road to Kyaikto in Mon State. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy Myanmars Union Parliament on Wednesday approved a US$483.8 million (660 billion kyats) loan from the Asian Development Bank (ABD) for an expressway that is a part of the international East West Economic Corridor (EWEC). The project hopes to link Vietnams port of Da Nang and Thilawa port in Yangon, passing through Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. The approved 62 km Bago-Kyaik Hto Expressway Project will connect Bago Region and Mon State, with the Ministry of Construction taking responsibility. In Myanmar, the EWEC is due to link to the planned expressway, the Bago-Thanlyin road to the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, Yangons outer ring road, Hanthawaddy International airport and the Yangon-Mandalay highway. Military appointees and lawmakers from other parties objected to the ABD loan. The ministry proposed the project on July 17 and the Parliament debated the loans on Monday. Daw Yin Min Hlaing of the National League for Democracy representing Gangaw Township in Magwe Region urged the ministry to review the budget as the cost was too high, costing nearly 22 billion kyats ($16 million) per mile (1.6 km). Dr. Kyaw Lin, the deputy construction minister, told Parliament the expressway would form part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It will help not only the economic development of Myanmar, but also the connectivity and trade between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, which are part of the GMS. The deputy minister said the new four-lane road will save time when traveling from Bago to Kyaikto in Mon State through Thanatpin and Waw townships. The project is due to start next year and be completed by 2027. It is expected to take about 55 minutes to travel once construction is completed, while the existing road currently takes about two hours. The road is due to be an access-controlled expressway with four interchanges, noise barriers and high walls, 315 small bridges and underpasses. It is also due to include a 2 km bridge over the Sittaung River. The bridge is due to be built with a 27.8 billion yen ($264 million) loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which was also approved by Parliament on Wednesday. According to a JICA study, 3,000 to11,000 vehicles are using the current road each day, with traffic expected to continue to increase until 2025. As part of the EWEC project, the government upgraded the Myawaddy-Kawkareik and the Eindu-Kawkareik sections with ADB loans. The Bago-Thanlyin section, connecting Thilawa Special Economic Zone, is due to be constructed with another ADB loan. U Maung Maung Win, the deputy minister of planning, finance and industry, told Parliament that the expressway will boost the domestic and Mekong regional economy but also stimulate trade and safety for road users. The Bago-Kyaikto expressway is part of the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan to boost the economy by using construction projects to create employment, said U Kyaw Lin. The Construction Ministry looked to receive $2 billion (2.7 trillion kyat) in foreign loans but has so far only received $344 million (469 billion kyats) to use and has not started repaying those loans. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Takes US$250 M Loan from ADB for COVID-19 Relief Myanmar Approves $171m ADB Loan for Rural Electrification The Govt Must Handle It Decisively: Myanmar MP on Controversial China-Backed Development in Karen State Rare Brazilian primates arrive at Wildlife Park Two endangered golden lion tamarins have taken up home at the Curraghs Wildlife Park. The rare primates were due to arrive from a French zoo in April, but their move was delayed due to the global health emergency. Named after their colour and impressive mane, the species is native to the tropical rainforests of Brazil, where at least 95% of their original forest habitat has been cut down. Having brushed with extinction in the 1970s, experts now estimate there are around 3,200 left in the wild, largely thanks to intensive conservation efforts. Also known as golden marmoset, they live primarily in trees and feed on fruits and small insects. Kathleen Graham, the Park's manager, said: 'It is great to finally see them here as we've been planning this for two years. We will monitor them both whilst they settle in before they're given access to their own Island to explore. They will live with us until the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) find suitable breeding partners from their collection.' Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: 'It is fantastic that the Isle of Man can play a part in their conservation story. This is a species, once on the brink of extinction, so it is a great opportunity to learn more about them.' As part of the application to bring tamarins to the Wildlife Park, written permission was granted by the Brazilian Government, as all golden lion tamarins are owned by Brazil. New Delhi: Senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is the family lawyer of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Wednesday said that Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna indicates that "somebody in Mumbai police was helping her." Singh said Rhea, who was seeking transfer of Sushant's case to CBI until now, has now chosen to move top court seeking a stay on the investigation. "If she (Rhea) has moved the apex court, she should have filed a petition seeking CBI investigation," he said. FIR is registered in Patna, now she (Rhea) has filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking stay and transfer of investigation to Mumbai. Isse jyada kya proof chahiye ki (what more proof is needed that) somebody in Mumbai Police is helping her, Singh told PTI. Rhea moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of an FIR from Patna to Mumbai and the stay on the investigation by the Bihar police on the allegations of Sushant Singh Rajput's father that she abetted suicide of his actor son. Rajput, aged 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then the Mumbai police has been probing the case keeping in mind various angles. The move of Rhea to rush to the top court assumes significance in view of the fact that a four-member probe team of Bihar police is already in Mumbai and may seek to interrogate the actress as the FIR lodged at Patna by Rajput's father, KK Singh, contained allegations of severe criminal offences such as abetment of suicide and criminal breach of trust under the IPC. Advocate Satish Maneshinde, who is representing Chakraborty, said he has filed a petition in the apex court seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai where the probe in the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput is going on. In her plea, Chakraborty has also sought a stay on the probe by Bihar Police on the FIR lodged by Rajput''s father till disposal of her plea in the top court, Maneshinde said. The move came, four days after Rajput''s father KK Singh lodged an FIR at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, accusing them of abetting the actor's suicide. Before heading back to campus, some Texas students will have to show their COVID-19 test results. Baylor University students must first test negative for the novel coronavirus before they return to campus for the fall semester, school officials stated on Tuesday. This move ultimately translates into 18,000 students being tested over the next 3 weeks. Not a easy feat. Students must all complete the mandatory coronavirus test that will be mailed to their houses beginning next week. NO FUNDING FOR CLASSES: Texas Education Agency will not fund schools closed by local health officials According to Baylor email outlining the policy, students are expected to get results in 48 hours. They are instructed to collect a nasal swab sample and mail it back to a designated lab on the day they receive their test kit. The requirement for the negative results before students' return to campus is a relatively new thing for Texas universities, according to a report by The Texas Tribune. According to the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, the request for students to self-test before they return to campus is not an effective recommendation. "It is unknown if entry testing...provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of the virus beyond what would be expected with implementation of other infection preventive measures," The CDC website statement reads, "There CDC does not recommend entry testing of all returning students, faculty and staff." The CDC added that there is actually "limited usefulness" to one round of testing, which could miss earlier exposures or stages of infection. The new measure to test Baylor students is sparking a lot of heated debate on social media. Some say it's a smart move, and others say it's ill-conceived. Baylor University is not the only university in Texas to consider widespread COVID-19 testing. Texas A&M University System recently stated it would give out 15,000 free test kits monthly across its 11 campus--a move which will cost university officials approximately $2.25 million a month. alison.medley@chron.com Herman Cain, the former presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, has died from coronavirus, according to an obituary sent from his verified Twitter account and Newsmax, where he was launching a television show. Cain, 74, was receiving oxygen and his condition was said to be improving this week as he remained hospitalized with the virus, according to his Twitter account. As a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain was one of the surrogates at President Donald Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma which saw at least eight Trump advance team staffers in attendance test positive for coronavirus. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh told CNN at the time that Cain did not meet with Trump at the Tulsa rally. It is unknown where Cain contracted the virus. News of Cain's death comes as Trump administration officials and campaign staff continue to contract the virus. Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, has tested positive, along with U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert. Cain, a contributor for conservative media outlet Newsmax, was first hospitalized at an Atlanta-area hospital in early July after developing serious symptoms and testing positive for the virus, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account earlier this month. As a cancer survivor, Cain, was considered at an increased risk for coronavirus, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In 2006, Cain was given a 30% chance of survival from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer from his liver and was declared cancer free in 2007. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO announced his candidacy for president in 2011 and his 9-9-9 tax reform plan gained traction. After about seven months, he dropped his bid for the GOP nomination amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied. Cain was named in April 2019 as one of Trump's picks for two open seats on the influential Federal Reserve Board. He withdrew from consideration within the same month after four Republican senators said publicly they would not vote to confirm him and amid concerns that his nomination hearing would resurface the harassment allegations. CNN contributed to this report. Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2020 shows the Pentagon seen from an airplane over Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) The reposition announcement came as relations between Washington and Berlin have become strained. The two allies have been at odds with each other on Iran nuclear issues, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and defense burden-sharing, among other topics. WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States plans to withdraw 11,900 military personnel from Germany, reducing U.S. troops there from some 36,000 to 24,000, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Wednesday. Among the U.S. troops that would be withdrawn, about 5,600 will be repositioned to other NATO countries, while the rest will be returned to the United States with some beginning rotational deployment back to Europe, the Pentagon chief told a news briefing. Some U.S. forces currently stationed in Germany would be redeployed to Belgium and Italy, and others would begin continuous rotation in the Black Sea region, according to Esper. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies before the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of Defense on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 26, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) "We also plan on rotating forward the lead element of the Army's newly established V Corps headquarters to Poland, once Warsaw agrees to a Defense Cooperation Agreement and burden sharing details, as previously pledged," he said. Esper noted that the Pentagon seeks to implement its plans "as expeditiously as possible," adding that redeployment could begin within weeks. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that U.S. allies are exploiting the country on defense spending. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen) Criticizing Berlin's "delinquency" on military spending, Trump last month ordered the U.S. military to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany. "Until they pay, we're removing our soldiers," he said. Dozens of House Republicans have voiced opposition to Trump's decision to reduce the country's military presence in Germany. The reposition announcement came as relations between Washington and Berlin have become strained. The two allies have been at odds with each other on Iran nuclear issues, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and defense burden-sharing, among other topics. NEW DELHI: Three personnel belonging to 4 Assam Rifles unit lost their lives and four others were injured in an ambush by local terrorists in Manipurs Chandel district, near the Myanmar border, sources said on Thursday (July 30, 2020). According to ANI, the attack was planned and executed by the local terror outfit - Peoples Liberation Army. The terrorists first carried out an IED blast and then opened fire at the troops. Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area which is 100 km from Manipurs capital Imphal, the sources said. The separatist outfit is believed to be covertly receiving regular financial aid and weapons from China, which has helped it in sustaining its network in the north-east. According to Indian intelligence agencies, this aid has been among the many factors behind the sustained insurgency in the frontier region for several decades. Assam Rifles alone is estimated to have lost more than 750 personnel and officers in the battle against insurgency in the region, since Independence, according to the government data. Earlier this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed chargesheet against six PLA terrorists for the attack on an Assam Rifles personnel in Manipur in 2017. The case relates to ambush on a road-opening party of the 4th Assam Rifles at Chamol-Sajir Tampak road in the Chandel district of Manipur on 15 November 2017 by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Manipur Naga People's Front (MNPF) activists. Two Assam Rifles personnel were grievously injured and one of them succumbed to injuries, later. Two terrorists were killed in the action. Introduction of Negative voting to reject all the candidates in fray if the voters found unsuitable was already perused under the 170th Report of Law Commission during 1999 but no recommendations were placed thereon. However this method was again taken up under the 20th Law Commission under the Chairmanship of Justice Ajit Prakash Singh and its Report No.255 was submitted on 12th March 2015 to the then Union Minister of Law & Justice Mr. Sadananda Gowda. Recommendations proposed under Chapter XI of the said report are reviewed and studied to evaluate the present status. The Report observed that Good governance, which is purportedly the motivating factor behind the right to reject, can be successfully achieved without causing the complications introducing the right to reject will entail. Efforts should instead be made to implement the already existing provisions on decriminalizing politics and increasing political awareness; and introduce other provisions such as inner party transparency and election finance reform. The preference of other alternatives to improve the quality of elected representatives instead of favoring the right to reject can be seen from the above comparative practices, which show that Colombia is one of the only countries that has such a provision. Most countries with NOTA-like provisions only count and declare the number of such votes, instead of factoring it in the final election results. For all these reasons, the Law Commission currently rejects the extension of the NOTA principle to introduce a right to reject the candidate and invalidate the election in cases where a majority of the votes have been polled in favour of the NOTA option. However, the issue might be reconsidered again in the future. BACKGROUND OF THE CONCEPT OF NEGATIVE VOTING The concept of Negative Voting was laid during the year 2001 and it could take shape onlying the year 2004, the ECI proposed introduction of EVMs and implementation of Rule 49O of the Elections Rules. Since people who wanted to abstain from voting are not protected due to breach in secrecy, Rules 22 & 49B was amended to introduce NOTA as an option. The Background Paper on Electoral Reforms prepared by the Legislative Department of the Law Ministry in 2010 also favoured the introduction of negative voting, but the NCRWC that found it either impracticable or unnecessary. Given the inaction on the governments part, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties filed a PIL on this issue in 2004. In 2013 thereafter, the Supreme Court struck down Rules 41(2) &(3) and 49O of the Election Rules as being ultra vires section 128 of the RPA and Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution to the extent they violated the secrecy of voting. Citing section 128, RPA and Rules 39(1), 41, 49M and 49O of the Election Rules, the Court noted that the secrecy of casting vote is duly recognized and is necessary for strengthening democracy to maintain the purity of elections. Consequently, given that the right to vote and the right not to vote had been statutorily recognized, the Court held that secrecy had to be maintained regardless of whether voters decide to cast or not cast their votes. The Court also relied on international principles governing the right to secrecy as an integral part of voting and free elections under Article 21(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 25(b) of the ICCPR. It therefore ruled that voters should have the option of rejecting all candidates who were standing for elections in their constituency and directed the ECI to include the option of NOTA in all Electronic Voting Machines. The premise of the Supreme Courts decision was that secrecy of voting is crucial to maintain the purity of the electoral system. Thus, the apex Court opined that NOTA would empower the people, thereby accelerating effective political participation, since people could abstain and register their discontent (with the low quality of candidates) without fear of reprisal; simultaneously, it would foster the purity of the election process by eventually compelling parties to field better candidates, thereby improving the current situation. The Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to make necessary provision in the ballot papers/EVMs and provide a button for 'None of the Above' (NOTA) in EVMs so that the voters who come to the polling booth and decide not to vote for any of the candidates in the fray, are able to exercise their right not to vote while maintaining their right to secrecy. The provision of NOTA button was first implemented in the State Assembly Elections of Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh in 2013. COMPARATIVE PRACTICES IN OTHER COUNTRIES: COUNTRY POSITION RELATED TO RIGHT TO REJECT Columbia If the blank vote gets a majority (50%+1), the election needs to be repeated (only once more) and the earlier candidates in the invalidated election cannot stand again. Hence Not Accepted Neveda and Manitoba Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Yukon in Canada NOTA is recognized and do do not let it influence the election results by counting the votes separately or treating them as spoilt ballots. Europe Spanish law permits voters to validly submit envelopes without ballot papers, which are counted and declared as blank votes or votos en blanco. France and Italy a blank vote is recorded separately from a void vote, although there is no official space on the ballot. Sweden Blank ballot papers permit voters to register their protest secretly. Although the votes are considered invalid, they are counted and reported separately from other forms of spoilt or invalid votes. Thus, there is no concept of right to reject. Russia In 2014 re-introduced the against all option on the ballot South America Brazil with its compulsory voting provisions recognizes both, blank or white votes that are conscious sign of protest, and void or null votes that are spoilt. However, neither is considered valid or counted for election results purposes. Article 77(2) of the Brazilian Constitution stipulates that only candidates winning a majority of valid votes, excluding blank and invalid votes, will be elected. NOTA DATA(2013-2017) BY ASSOCIATION OF DEMOCRATIC REFORMS (ADR) ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) analysed the number of votes secured by NOTA in various elections since 2013. Brief details as per report is furnished as under: In 2014, NOTA was first introduced in Lok Sabha Elections. Overall, NOTA secured 60,02,942 (1.08%) votes. Among the NOTA votes in Lok Sabha elections, the highest number of votes (46,559) was in Nilgris constituency in Tamil Nadu. The lowest number of votes (123) NOTA secured was in Lakshadweep. During this period, NOTA has secured 1,33,09,577 (1.33 crores) votes in State Assemblies and Lok Sabha Election combined and on an average NOTA has secured 2,70,616 votes (2.70 lakhs) in the State Assembly Elections. In the bye- elections in Goa, NCT of Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, a large number of people voted for NOTA, making its vote share the third or fourth highest in the respective constituencies. In the 2017 Goa Bye-election in Panaji and Valpoi constituencies, NOTA secured the third position with 301(1.94%) and 458(1.99%) votes, respectively. In the 2017 NCT of Delhi Bye-election in Bawana constituency, NOTA secured the fourth position with 1,413 (1.07%) votes. In the 2017 Andhra Pradesh Bye election in Nandyal constituency, NOTA secured the fourth position with 1,231(0.71%) votes. It secured more votes than 12 other candidates contesting from the constituency. Among state assemblies elections, NOTA has secured the highest percentage of votes in 2015, i.e. 2.08% (9,83,176 votes) in 2 states assembly elections of Bihar (9,47,279 votes), NCT Delhi (35,897 votes). In 2014 NOTA has secured lowest percentage of votes, 0.91% (14,10,644 votes) in 8 states assembly elections (combined) of Andhra Pradesh(3,08,286 votes), Arunachal Pradesh (5,322 votes), Haryana (53,613 votes), Jammu and Kashmir (49,129 votes), Jharkhand (2,35,039 votes), Maharashtra (4,83,459 votes), Odisha (2,71,336 votes) and Sikkim (4,460 votes). Since its implementation in 2013, NOTA has secured the highest number of votes in Bihar (9, 47,279 votes) State Assembly Elections, 2015 and secured the lowest number of votes in Mizoram (3,810 votes) State Assembly Elections, 2013. NOTA secured the highest percentage of vote share (3.06%)in Chhattisgarh State Assembly, 2013. NOTA secured the lowest percentage of vote share.(0.40% )in Delhi State Assembly Elections, 2015. Constituency wise, NOTA has secured as high as 17,510 votes in Gadchiroli constituency of Maharashtra and as low as 7 votes in Mariyang Geku constituency of Arunachal Pradesh . In few constituencies of Arunachal Pradesh such as Mukto, Dirang, Seppa West,Pakke Kessang, Doimukh, Sagalee, Palin, Nyapin, Nacho, Taliha and Mebo, NOTA has secured no votes. Red Alert Constituencies are those which have 3 or more candidates with criminal cases contesting elections. NOTA has secured 22,94,904 votes (22.94 lakhs) in the red alert constituencies in State assembly elections since 2013. NOTA has secured the highest percentage of votes in red alert constituencies of Chhattisgarh. NOTA secured 2.68% votes (39,896) in 10 red alert constituencies of Chhattisgarh. Among the Municipal Corporations elections of Delhi and Maharashtra, NOTA secured the highest percentage of vote share (4.58%) in Ulhasnagar and the lowest percentage of vote share (0.58%) in the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. NOTA secured 49,235 votes in Delhi Municipal Elections, 2017. In the northern region, NOTA secured the highest number of votes, (19762). In each of the Municipal Corporations of Maharashtra, NOTA has secured more than 1.5% votes. PRESENT PROPOSAL NOTA option should be enlarged for the simple reason that it creates an imbalance in voting pattern and help to ensure victory to candidates purely on numerical or arithmetical methods. Option to exercise for NOTA should remain a secret as he need not disclose the same to the polling officer which is taken notice by all the observers of political parties at the Booth. Awareness of NOTA option and its consequences and impact on election results should be propagated in all channels and main stream media to educate the electorate as NOTA option should never be propagated as an exercise of waste of vote or waste of time. If the number of votes cast under NOTA exceeds the number of votes polled for the winning or top candidate, then the election should be countermanded and fresh election process should be notified and no candidate should be declared winner.. This would facilitate or force political parties to nominate honest candidates and improve the quality of membership. A thorough Data Analysis to be undertaken to understand the pattern of NOTA voting in all the constituencies since its inception in terms of Reserved Constituencies, hard or disturbed areas affected by Extremism & Naxalism, straight or multiple contest of political parties. This would help to figure out the correct pattern about NOTA. Data related to highest and lowest polled percentage of voter turnout vis-a-vis votes cast under NOTA should be analyzed which could help understand the awareness or impact of NOTA option. NOTA should be kept as benchmark for de-recognition of political parties. Any party including Independents who are polled less than what NOTA should be debarred for next two years from contesting any elections. Conclusion : Voters should be given an option to exercise a referendum type voting on the ballot itself to emphasize the need for speedy electoral reforms so that voter turnout increases to a large extent. Join LAWyersClubIndia's network for daily News Updates, Judgment Summaries, Articles, Forum Threads, Online Law Courses, and MUCH MORE!!" Join our Telegram group Join our Whatsapp group "Loved reading this piece by Parthasarathi Loganathan Join LAWyersClubIndia's network for daily News Updates, Judgment Summaries, Articles, Forum Threads, Online Law Courses, and MUCH MORE!!" Tags : constitutional law By Ayya Lmahamad Some 548 citizens were fined during the last 24 hours across the country for violating the strict quarantine regime, the main traffic police department under the Ministry of Interior reported on July 30. All 548 were fined according to Article 211.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Of them 505 were drivers who failed to follow the quarantine regime requirements and 43 were citizens not using facial masks in the public transport. In the meantime, 390 cars, which had sought to leave the territories where the quarantine is imposed, were stopped, and returned back during the reporting period. Earlier, it was reported that 44,612 citizens were fined in the period of June 21 and July 28 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 was also suspended over the weekends on July 25-27 and August 1-3. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:58:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan said on Thursday it sent Israel a memo via diplomatic channels, urging Israel to respect the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop all violations there. Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Deifallah Al-Fayez denounced the continued Israeli "violations" against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the most recent of which was Israel's allowing hundreds of Jewish extremists to storm the mosque on Thursday. "What occurred today is an irresponsible and rejected act that provokes the feelings of all the Muslims," Al-Fayez said in a statement. The official emphasized that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, adding that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department, which is affiliated to Jordan, is the only institution for administering the affairs of the mosque. He also called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility by ending the Israeli "violations" of the status quo at the mosque. Enditem Eco-Conscious Citizens commend H.E. the President for commissioning the Nalerigu Water Supply Project. Water is vital to our well-being and it is unfortunate that it has taken this long for the project to be commissioned. It is, however, better late than never. The project highlights the value placed on clean water and we hope that the President will protect the source of water to over 5 million people by removing Atewa Forest Reserve from the Sinohydro bauxite deal. Three rivers, the Ayensu, Birim, and Densu, take their source from Atewa Forest Reserve, and bauxite mining risks polluting the source of water to over 5 million Ghanaians. It is ironical that a project to provide water for about 106,842 Ghanaians has been commissioned, whilst a deal that risks polluting the source of water to over 5 million Ghanaians is still on the table. It is important that we prioritise the Green Economy over destructive extractive industries. There is currently no way to mine bauxite at Atewa Forest Reserve without polluting the water source. It is for this reason the past governments have not mined bauxite in the Forest Reserve. Making the work of Ghana Water Services impossible would be irresponsible. Atewa Forest needs to be taken off the table. Herman Cain, a onetime Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, has died from coronavirus, according to an obituary sent from his verified Twitter account and Newsmax, where he was launching a television show. Cain, 74, was hospitalized earlier this month, and his Twitter account said this week he was being treated with oxygen in his lungs. It is unknown where Cain contracted the virus. "You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal," his official Twitter account said. As a co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain was one of the surrogates at President Donald Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma -- which saw at least eight Trump advance team staffers in attendance test positive for coronavirus. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh has told CNN that Cain did not meet with Trump at the Tulsa rally. Cain announced his candidacy for president in 2011. He briefly gained traction in the race for his 9-9-9 tax reform plan, which would have replaced almost all current taxes with a 9% income tax, a 9% corporate tax and a 9% national sales tax. After about seven months, he dropped his bid for the GOP nomination amid sexual harassment allegations, which he denied. Cain was considered at an increased risk for coronavirus due to his age and history with cancer, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. In 2006, Cain was given a 30% chance of survival from stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. He underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove the cancer from his liver and was declared cancer free in 2007. He told CNN in a 2011 interview that after beating cancer he felt he had to do "something bigger and bolder," leading him to decide to run for president. Cain was born December 13, 1945, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is survived by his wife, Gloria, and their two children, Melanie and Vincent, and grandchildren. Photos: Notable deaths in 2020 & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. NEW YORK, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AJC welcomes the State Department report to Congress on Holocaust restitution and compensation efforts. The report is required by the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017. The comprehensive report presents a country-by-country assessment of the progress made to provide restitution or compensation for property seized during the Holocaust. It examines 46 countries that participated in the Prague Holocaust Era Assets Conference in 2009 and signed the Terezin Declaration issued at its conclusion. That conference focused on efforts to secure the return of former Jewish communal property, to enable private property owners or their heirs to reclaim those properties or to receive compensation for them, and to address the question of former Jewish-owned private properties with no living heirs as many families were murdered in their entirety during the Holocaust. The Terezin Declaration enumerated the commitments that participating countries agreed to assume to resolve these claims. AJC participated in the Prague conference as well as in the first Washington Holocaust Era Assets Conference convened by the State Department in 1998. "It is clear that there has been considerable progress in responding to these restitution claims over the past two decades," said Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs, who spoke at both conferences. "Yet, that progress in many of these 46 countries is woefully incomplete." The State Department report provides details on what has been achieved and what remains to be settled in each case in each country. "We hope individual countries will see the State Department report as a constructive review that will spur them to take further action," said Baker. "As this year has marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Holocaust, it is high time that all claims are finally resolved." SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org The National Association for College Admission Counselings inaugural season of virtual college fairs launches on August 19 from 2 6 p.m. ET with a Counselors Preview for high school counselors and advisers. Registration for this free event is now open at virtualcollegefairs.org. During the four-hour Counselors Preview, more than 600 colleges and universities will be online to meet virtually with counselors. By participating, counselors will receive up-to-date information on college programs and the latest coronavirus-impacted policies regarding test scores, application deadlines, financial aid, and more. A high school counselor can make all the difference in a students life path, and so it is important that NACACs first virtual college fair be for them, said Angel B. Perez, chief executive officer of NACAC. This is especially true now. High school juniors and seniors have had so many disruptions in their lives and need advisers who are not only informed about changes in the college admission process but can reinforce that making plans for the future is still important and college is still important. Following the Counselors Preview, four NACAC Virtual College Fairs for students will be held on Sept. 13, Oct. 12, Oct. 18, and Nov. 8. NACAC is grateful for the promotional support of Common App, which is helping to spread the word about the student fairs to 1.7 million juniors and seniors. Students this fall will be looking for new ways to explore colleges, and the NACAC Virtual College Fairs are a great place to start, said Jenny Rickard, president and chief executive officer of Common App. Along with NACAC, were committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process, and want to help students get to and through college. These virtual fairs offer a way to help connect counselors, students, and their families with colleges and universities around the world. The virtual fairs are designed to replicate much of the experience of in-person college fairs, which the association has offered for more than 45 years and canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing health concerns surrounding large gatherings. In their place, NACACs virtual fairs, powered by VisitDays, provide a dynamic, new digital meeting space for students no matter where they live or what their situation. NACAC Virtual College Fairs help even the playing field by offering access, said Perez. All students can log in using their phone or computer to attend sessions offered by hundreds of colleges, ask questions, and even schedule a time to meet one-on-one with an admissions representative. Its a way for students to explore their options and find the best fit for achieving their college dreams. Students may attend the free NACAC Virtual College Fairs as often as they like, and parents are invited as well. Student fair registration begins in mid-August at virtualcollegefairs.org. About NACAC The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 14,000 counseling and admission professionals worldwide since 1937. NACAC and its members are dedicated to ethical and inclusive service to students as they make choices about their higher education future. About Common App Common App is a not-for-profit member organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through the Common Apps online application. In January 2019, the Common App united with Reach Higher, the college access and success campaign started by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time at the White House. Its core programming, including Better Make Room, UpNext, College Signing Day, Beating the Odds, school counselor support, and current grants continues as part of the Common Apps work with its member institutions, school counselors, and students. By joining forces, Common App and Reach Higher accelerated progress toward our joint goal of supporting all students, especially low-income and first-generation students, in achieving their higher education dreams. Our access and equity work for students include a college advising texting campaign with AdmitHub and College Advising Corps, scholarships and community college initiatives, Dear Class of 2020 Fund, and more. Founded in 1975, Common App serves over 900 member colleges and universities worldwide. To learn more, visit commonapp.org, and follow @CommonApp and #CommonApp on social media. Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) on Thursday reported a 45 per cent jump in net profit at Rs 105.50 crore in the first quarter ended June of the current fiscal on fall in bad loans. The private bank bank had posted a net profit of Rs 72.92 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal year ended March 2020. Total income, however, fell to Rs 1,693.23 crore during April-June period of 2020-21 from Rs 1,762.37 crore in the same period of 2019-20, KVB said in a regulatory filing. The bank's retail banking income fell to Rs 929.80 crore during the quarter under review from Rs 981.33 crore in the year-ago period, while interest income was lower at Rs 1,376.10 crore as against Rs 1,492.53 crore. Asset quality improved, with gross non-performing assets (NPAs) falling to 8.34 per cent of gross advances as on June 30, 2020 from 9.17 per cent a year ago. In value terms, gross NPAs fell to Rs 4,055.66 crore from Rs 4,510.83 crore. Net NPAs or bad loans also reduced to 3.44 per cent (Rs 1,585.23 crore) from 4.94 per cent (Rs 2,321.77 crore) a year ago. Provisions for bad loans and contingencies stood at Rs 337.57 crore, slightly higher than Rs 329.97 crore a year ago. Capital adequacy ratio improved to 18.14 per cent at the end of June 2020 from 15.99 per cent a year ago, it said. The bank said the measures taken by the government to contain coronavirus pandemic has led to a slowdown in economic activities, and these are likely to impact its operations and results. The severity of the impact of COVID-19 will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain at present, as well as the measures undertaken to mitigate the same, it said. KVB said it has made an aggregate provision of Rs 120.01 crore for COVID-19 as on June 30, 2020, including an additional provision of Rs 31.12 crore made during June quarter. "The provision made by the bank is more than the requirement as per RBI guidelines dated April 17, 2020," it added. Provision coverage ratio as on June 30 increased to 72.74 per cent from previous year's 59.05 per cent, the bank said in the filing. Shares of Karur Vysya Bank on Thursday closed 10.97 per cent higher at Rs 34.40 on the BSE. Also Read: West Bengal total lockdown: No flight operations at Kolkata airport for 7 days in August Also Read: Mauritius at heart of India's approach to Indian Ocean region, says PM Modi Hong Kong police have signalled their intent to enforce a new Chinese national security law strictly, arresting four youths Wednesday on suspicion of inciting secession through social media posts. Three males and one female, aged 16 to 21, were detained, a police official said at an 11 p.m. news conference. All are believed to be students. Our investigation showed that a group has recently announced on social media that they have set up an organization for Hong Kong independence, said Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of a newly formed unit to enforce the security law. The 1-month-old law has chilled pro-democracy protesting as activists along with academics and others wonder if their activities could be targeted. The central government in Beijing imposed the national security law on the semi-autonomous Chinese territory after city leaders were unable to get one passed locally. The move has raised fears that Hong Kongs freedoms and local autonomy are being taken away. Police did not identify the suspects or their group. An organization called Studentlocalism which announced it was disbanding just before the law took effect said on Facebook that four former members had been arrested on secession charges, including ex-leader Tony Chung. The police action appeared to target the Initiative Independence Party, which says on its Facebook page that it consists of former Studentlocalism members who have completed their studies and are overseas. The party, which also posted the news of Wednesdays arrests, advocates for independence because it believes full democracy for Hong Kong is impossible under Chinese rule, its Facebook page says. Li said only that the group in question had set up recently and that the posts were made after the law took effect late on June 30. They said they want to establish a Hong Kong republic, and that they will unreservedly fight for it, he said. They also said they want to unite all pro-independence groups in Hong Kong for this purpose. He warned anyone who thinks they can carry out such crimes online to think twice. Police have made a handful of other arrests under the new law, all of people taking part in protests and chanting slogans or waving flags deemed to violate the law. China promised Hong Kong would have its own governing and legal systems under a one country, two systems principle until 2047, or 50 years after Britain handed back its former colony in 1997. China, in justifying the new law, says issues such as separatism are a national security concern and, as such, fall under its purview. The latest arrests came one day after a leading figure in Hong Kongs political opposition was fired from his university post. Hong Kong Universitys council voted 18-2 to oust Benny Tai from his position as an associate law professor, local media reported. Tai has been out on bail since being sentenced to 16 months in prison in April 2019 as one of nine leaders put on trial for their part in 2014 protests for greater democracy known as the Umbrella Movement. In a posting Wednesday on his Facebook account, Tai said he intended to continue writing and lecturing on legal issues and asked for public support. If we continue in our persistence, we will definitely see the revival of the rule of law in Hong Kong one day, Tai wrote. While the 2014 movement failed in its bid to expand democracy, protests returned last year over a legislative proposal that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to face trial in mainland China. Although the legislation was eventually shelved, protester demands expanded to include calls for democratic change and an investigation into alleged police abuses. They grew increasingly violent in the second half of the year. In a statement issued after the vote to remove Tai, the Chinese governments liaison office in Hong Kong said it was a punishment for evil doing. ___ Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Beijing and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report. Read more about: HIGH POINT Taste of the Town, an annual fundraiser for Hospice of the Piedmont, will be held this year but in a different way. The event typically features dozens of the city's restaurants, caterers and beverage vendors who converge for a night of sampling. Instead of being held under one roof for one night, this year's event will be a self-guided tour of High Point and Asheboro eateries from Aug. 18 through 22. The new format is due to a ban on large crowds to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This year's event benefits both Hospice of the Piedmont and Hospice of Randolph. From CJ's Olde Towne Restaurant to the Cozy Cannoli Bakery, at least 10 eateries have signed up to participate. Ticketholders can visit participating vendors at their leisure over the course of five days. Each ticket purchase includes a donation to Hospice of the Piedmont and $10 food tickets to be used at participating vendors. Vendors will receive reimbursement for each food ticket they collect. Tickets are $25 for a $15 donation and one food ticket, $50 for a $30 donation and two food tickets and $100 for a $50 donation and five food tickets. When Muslim faithful in the country beseeched President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare Eid-al-Adha a public holiday in 2018, it was a long shot; for this is not the norm around the world. However, they were handed a welcome surprise when the government invoked Section 3 of the Public Holidays Act and declared August 21 that year a public holiday. READ ALSO: Woman rescued after being chained to pillar for 10 hours by her husband President Uhuru gazetted Eid-Al-Adha as a public holiday for the third time. Photo: State House. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Analinda boma: Francis Atwoli gushes over beautiful wife Mary Kilobi They got more than they had bargained for in 2019 when the government, without much prompting, gazetted Eid-al-Adha as a public holiday for the second year running. When marking the day last year, Muslim leaders asked fellow faithful not to take for granted the special recognition and honour they were being accorded, terming the Kenyan situation as clear commitment by the government to foster national cohesion. Muhdhar Ahmed Bada, a Muslim scholar in Kilifi, reminded them that there are predominantly Muslim countries that never get such recognition from their governments. Tomorrow, July 31, marks the third consecutive year when Eid-al-Adha will be marked as a public holiday in Kenya. READ ALSO: 5 legendary radio personalities who have remained faithful to the trade CS Matiang'i announced Friday, July 31, would be a public holiday. Photo: TUKO.co.ke Source: Original READ ALSO: Fejo na Rafa: Nyandarua kids seen in video fighting over rubber, pencil receive help The occasion is very important to Muslims as it falls on the day they are called upon to reflect on Prophet Abraham's obedience to Allah (God) when he was asked to sacrifice his son. The day, otherwise known as the Festival of Sacrifice in the Muslim calendar, marks the end of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. It is one of the two Eid celebrations - Eid-al-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr - and is often considered the holier of the two. Tomorrows public holiday is yet another reminder of Uhuru's deep appreciation of Kenyas cultural and religious diversity as a pedestal on which to build a strong, united and prosperous country. READ ALSO: Uhuru Kenyatta's government is shaky, his ship is sinking - Ex-MP Kabando wa Kabando It must be appreciated that despite Kenya largely being a Christian-majority country, the Muslim faith and culture play a central role in shaping the nations distinctive character as a harmonious and caring society. While past governments mainly played politics with Eid-al-Adha, only gazetting it during election years, the president has risen above this and is determined to give the Muslim community a sense of belonging. Yet, this has not happened in isolation. During his term in office, Kenyatta has firmly moved to deepen the countrys roots. He, for instance, recently handed the ethnic Makonde people official status as Kenyan citizens, declaring them the 43rd tribe of Kenya and officially apologising to them for the decades of suffering they endured as stateless people. In 2017, Kenyatta also gazetted the recognition of Kenyans of Indian descent as the 44th tribe in Kenya, inviting them to participate in the political, economic, cultural and social development of the nation. By making these people first-class citizens and embracing them as part of the country's great family, he has promoted unity in the country. READ ALSO: Funny video of young boy telling his mother to calm down as she disciplines him goes viral Muslims worshipping Allah. Eid-Al-Adha marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Source: Original The head of state has in recent years also prioritised the integration of the Somalis into the Kenyan society as part of efforts to combat the al Shabaab ragtag militia that previously exploited perceived marginalisation to shore up its ranks and files. Uhuru deserves praise for his undertakings that target a greater national good, a departure from the past when such recognition was dolled out for political or rather electoral purposes. Here is a leader who will stop at nothing to realize his vision of a united and prosperous country. As a pointer to the seriousness with which the president takes the issue of diversity, the designation of Eid-al-Adha as a public holiday this year has come despite the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country. It underlines his commitment to fulfilling a promise he had made to the Muslim fraternity against all odds. However, as Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i noted in his proclamation, this year's occasion will be marked by limited person-to-person interactions just as Christians had to contend with Easter festivities restrictions. Ordinarily, during the occasion, Muslims celebrate with family and friends while also extending a helping hand to the needy. Let all Kenyans use this holiday to reflect on the need to embrace unity, peace and love to all regardless of their religious backgrounds. The writer is Milan Kiplagat, a regular commentator on social, economic and political affairs. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. I did not sacrifice Ayeiya, family wants 21 million as compensation - Wakimani of Churchill Show -TUKO TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke A former mayor and convicted paedophile who changed his name to stand in local elections has been jailed. In 2017, John Beirne, ex-mayor of St Helens, Merseyside, admitted historical offences against boys aged between eight and 12. He was handed a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Liverpool Crown Court in June the same year. In March 2019, while subject to conditions of the sex offenders register, Beirne requested his name on the electoral roll be changed to John Blondel. Later that month he applied to run for election as an independent councillor in Wigan. He signed as John Blondel to confirm he was not disqualified to run despite his sentence barring him from standing as a councillor. Council officials contacted police after discovering his real name. Beirne, who had not contacted police to notify them of a name change, answered no comment when interviewed by officers. The 59-year-old, of School Way, Pemberton, was sentenced to 16 months behind bars on Thursday, as per his original sentence. Detective Sergeant Rob Catmore said: Had John Beirne continued to abide by the terms of his original sentence he could have avoided jail. But with only a matter of months left to serve he took the decision to change his name and attempt to re-enter politics. I hope todays result sends a clear message to other offenders who think they can flout the terms of a suspended sentence. You might have avoided incarceration but you have still been found guilty of an offence and must abide by the clear terms and conditions imposed on you, or you will face further action. By Online Desk West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra passed away at a Kolkata hospital early on Thursday due to cardiac arrest. He was 78. Mitra was in the hospital for 17 days due to heart and kidney-related problems. He was rushed to the hospital after his creatinine level was found to be high during a thorough routine check-up. Doctors at the private hospital, where Mitra was admitted, said he died due to age ailments which led to a cardiac arrest. He is survived by wife and son. A stalwart in Bengal politics, Mitra's political career began during the tumultuous '60s as a student leader and spanned over five decades. A seven-term MLA from Sealdah constituency and a three-time president of the Congress' Bengal chapter, Mitra stepped into politics through student politics and he was baptized into the Congress in late 60s. Mitra was first elected to the Bengal Assembly in 1972 as Congress MLA from the Sealdah Assembly Constituency. He was re-elected to the state Assembly in 1977 as Janata Party member. Popularly known as chorda in Bengal's political circuit, he left the Congress in 2008 and formed a new political outfit Pragatisheel (Progressive) Indira Congress. Ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, he joined Trinamool Congress and won on a TMC ticket from Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha seat. Mitra quit TMC in 2014 to rejoin the Congress. He again became WBPCC president in 2018. He was one of the main architects behind the Left Front and Congress alliance in the 2016 Assembly polls. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and other senior political leaders condoled the demise of the Bengal Congress chief. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a number of senior party leaders condoled his demise. Taking to Twitter Rahul wrote, "All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect". All my love and support to family and friends of Somen Mitra at this difficult time. We will remember him with love, fondness and respect. pic.twitter.com/k1muPvycgT Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2020 Expressing her condolence, chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and @INCWestBengal president Somen Mitra. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers." Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and @INCWestBengal president Somen Mitra. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers. Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 30, 2020 On his Twitter handle, governor Dhankhar wrote, "Saddened at the death of veteran Congress leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefitted by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray ALMIGHTY to bestow eternal on the departed soul." Saddened at the death of veteran Congress Leader Somen Mitra. As constitutional head was enormously benefited by his wise counsel on several occasions. Bengal will always recall his sagacious contributions in public life. Pray ALMIGHTY to bestow eternal on the departed soul. Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) July 30, 2020 Describing Mitra as a guardian in Bengals poitics, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, "His death is a irrepairable loss". Left Front chairman Biman Bose said Mitra's death will create a vacuum in the states politics. (With inputs from ENS) L uxembourg has been removed from the UK's list of coronavirus travel exemptions. Travellers entering Britain from the country will have to quarantine for 14 days from midnight, the Government has announced. The Foreign Office now warns against all but essential travel to Luxembourg. The travel advice was updated for the whole of the UK on Thursday evening, following an earlier decision by the Scottish Government. A rise in Covid-19 cases means Luxembourg has been taken off the list of countries exempt from quarantine measures, the UK Government said. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the changes in a tweet on Thursday. Unfortunately the latest Luxembourg data shows an increase in #COVID19 cases meaning the country will be removed from the travel exemptions list, he said. Anyone arriving to any part of the UK from midnight tonight will therefore need to quarantine. The Government said data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England indicates a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Luxembourg. The small landlocked European country has seen a consistent increase in Covid-19 cases per 100,000 of the population since the end of June, with over a tenfold increase in total cases over this time period. The imposition of quarantine measures follows a similar decision to remove the so-called air bridge travel corridor with Spain on Saturday night. The measures for Luxembourg will come into force from midnight on Friday, having been announced only hours before. A Luxembourg sign is pictured on the border crossing of Germany and Luxemburg of Schengen / REUTERS The Scottish Governments Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: This decision is based on the latest available data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and it gives another clear indication that the virus is active and still spreading. We have always maintained that we are closely monitoring the pandemic situation in all countries and we will impose quarantine requirements as necessary in a bid to protect the public. This virus is showing a resurgence in areas and it should not be forgotten how deadly it remains. Our priority to is suppress the virus, prevent it from being transmitted and protecting public health. The DfT said: Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Luxembourg. There has been a consistent increase in Covid-19 cases per 100,000 of the population in Luxembourg since the end of June, with over a tenfold increase in total cases over this time period. As a result, ministers took the decision to remove Luxembourg from the travel corridor list of countries from which people arriving in the UK do not have to self-isolate. It added: The Government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including removing countries rapidly if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country and not self-isolating becomes too high. Former President Barack Obama will speak at the funeral for U.S. congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis on Thursday, according to CNN. Ex-commanders-in-chief Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will also attend the ceremony for Lewis at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, CNN reported, citing sources. Lewis died earlier this month at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and the 58-year-old said in a statement this month that when I was elected a U.S. Senator, I told him that I stood on his shoulders. Considering his enormous impact on the history of this country, what always struck those who met John was his gentleness and humility, Obama said in the statement. Born into modest means in the heart of the Jim Crow South, he understood that he was just one of a long line of heroes in the struggle for racial justice. President Trump has said he wont attend the funeral. Trump once sent jaws dropping by tweeting that the civil rights giant was All talk, talk, talk no action or results. (Lewis skull was fractured by state troopers as he marched in Alabama in 1965.) Lewis didnt attend Trumps inauguration, and he said he didnt view Trump as a legitimate president. 2020 New York Daily News Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A group of short-term rental property owners who filed a lawsuit against Lake Geneva have agreed to drop their suit challenging the citys regulation of popular vacation properties. Attorneys for property owners Mary Black, Tammy Brody and Todd and Erin Huemann moved to dismiss the civil suit July 23 in Walworth County Circuit Court. Attorney Don Daugherty, representing the group, said the property owners agreed to dismiss the complaint because Lake Geneva city officials have changed its regulations to remove objectionable provisions. We got what we wanted, Daugherty said. Theres no reason to continue. Attorney Joseph Wirth, who represents the city in the case, said he, too, was happy to see the dispute coming to an end. It was an amicable resolution for both sides, Wirth said. I think both sides are pleased to move forward. The citys ordinance, approved in 2018, was designed to control short-term rental properties so that the properties are not poorly maintained and do not become nuisances in the neighborhood. The ordinance required property owners to maintain a guest registry that could be reviewed by the city, to install a Knox Box key system for emergency access, and to pay a $2,000 annual license fee to the city. The ordinance also allowed city officials to enter and inspect a rental operation without the owners consent. Lake Geneva City Council members in June agreed to several changes in the vacation home regulations. City officials now must receive the property owners consent and obtain a special inspection warrant in order to search a property. On the guest registry, officials must explain why they want to view the registry or other business records, and the property owner has seven days to comply. Erin Huemann said she is happy with the citys changes to the original rules. I think the ordinance was vague, Huemann said. Not only does it affect the privacy of the homeowners privacy, but it affects the privacy of the renter. The ordinance no longer requires short-term rental property owners to install a Knox Box key system. Such systems are small security vaults with keys, which police and firefighters can use to enter a building during an emergency. Wirth said the lawsuit, which was filed in December 2019, is being dismissed because city officials agreed to make adjustments to its rules. I think the recent ordinance changes went a long way in satisfying both sides, he said. I think both sides are pleased that its done. Wisconsin state lawmakers in 2017 approved a measure signed by Gov. Scott Walker requiring cities to allow homeowners to convert their properties into short-term rentals for visiting vacationers, sometimes just one weekend at a time. The emergence of such vacation homes has opened up new business opportunities for homeowners, but it raises fears among city officials that transient renters bring disruption into neighborhoods and that the properties become neglected. With no authority to ban vacation homes any longer, Lake Geneva and other municipalities around Wisconsin have stepped in with local regulations aimed at controlling the potential problems. Daugherty said the one issue that remains unresolved with Lake Geneva is the annual permit fee that vacation property owners must pay to the city. The city has agreed to reduce the fee from $2,000 to $750, but the property owners remain dissatisfied. City officials have indicated that the fee represents their costs for issuing permits and enforcing the short-term rental ordinance. Daugherty said attorneys are trying to seeking access to city records to determine how much the system costs the city. If the citys actual costs are less than $750, he may pursue that issue as a tax appeal. Daugherty said he asked the city to revise the ordinance, but when he felt that city was moving too slowly he decided to file the suit. He said the goal was to not seek a monetary award, but to force changes in the citys regulations. Huemann said it was a good idea for the city to revise the ordinance, because short-term rental properties are becoming a more popular option with tourists, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. She said short-term rentals offer travelers a private place to stay without having to worry about social distancing from other people. Short-term rentals are not going away, she said. This is a tourist city. It behooves the city to be reasonable. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Eldar Janashvili - Trend: The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) held a foreign exchange auction with the participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), during which Azerbaijani banks acquired $60.5 million, Trend reports citing CBA. According to CBA, demand from the banks at the auction decreased by 4.1 percent or by $2.6 million compared to the previous auction. Considering the number of days remaining before the next scheduled auction, as well as with the aim of ensuring uninterrupted currency trading by the banks, the demand of banks at the auction will be fully provided during weekends. The first foreign exchange auction in a long time was held with the participation of SOFAZ on March 10, 2020, during which Azerbaijani banks acquired $323.2 million. The CBA began to hold foreign exchange auctions through unilateral sale of foreign currency in competitive conditions since mid-January 2017. In March 2020, it was decided to hold extraordinary foreign exchange auctions in connection with the increased demand of the population for foreign currency amid the failed OPEC+ deal, which entailed a sharp decline in oil prices. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on July 30) A woman from Vancouver, who was searching for her stolen teddy bear with her dead mom's voice recording, was found with the help of some celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds. Mara Soriano's teddy bear has been found with the help of celebrities through a shared tweet. Soriano, 28, was moving in Vancouver, Canada, and brought her bear inside a backpack. However, the bag was stolen. Soriano's teddy bear is so important to her because it has a push-button that allows her to hear the last message of her mom, who died of cancer. Soriano told BBC that she lost her teddy bear when she was unloading a van with her fiance, and she received a sudden phone call from a friend who had a biking accident. Upon rushing up to help her friend, Mara put her backpack down next to the van, but Soriano forgot to tell her fiance where she left the backpack that contained the teddy bear. The unattended bag disappeared after a few minutes. Security footage showed a man took off the bag. Soriano came to Canada from the Philippines as a child having the bear as her last reminder of the mom she grew up with before her mom had cancer. Mara's mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. For seven years, her mom's condition appeared to be stable. However, Soriano's mom got sicker in 2018. Soriano received the teddy bear June of last year as a gift from her mom before she died. Mara Soriano took to her Twitter to appeal. She immediately gained support from celebrities, including the Vancouver born and actor Ryan Reynolds who offered a $5,000 reward for the bear to be returned to Soriano. 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 George Stroumboulpoulos, the Canadian TV presenter, also matched Reynold's reward. Ill add 5g to that. https://t.co/o7qwUnO8Np Prime Mixister StroumPHOulopoulos (@strombo) July 26, 2020 On Tuesday night, Mara received a message from someone claiming to have found the bear. Mara decided to meet two men in a public place, and one of them handed the bear. Soriano told the Canadian Press, "I'm not going to lie, I buckled. As soon as I saw (him) pull her out of the bag, my knees just buckled. I just started sobbing, and I grabbed her out of his hands, and I couldn't let her go." Soriano also said that the men told her they watched the security footage of the theft and recognized the thief and retrieved the bear from the theft. Meanwhile, according to USA Today, Ryan Reynolds shared the good news on Wednesday via Twitter that Mara Soriano reunited with her teddy bear that has the recorded voice of her mother. "In happier news... Thank you, everyone, who searched high and low to the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe. Vancouver is awesome," Reynolds said. In happier news... thank you everyone who searched high and low. To the person who took the bear, thanks for keeping it safe. Vancouver is awesome. #FoundMarasBear https://t.co/X7FlyiR89P Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 29, 2020 Check these out: Texas Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of Teen Girl at Hollywood Street Race Mother, Two Daughters Found Dead Inside SUV in Texas Parking Lot Senate Republicans Support $10B US Airports Additional Aid Cookie Preferences Cookie List Cookie List A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website when visited by a user asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting for our advertising and marketing efforts. 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Just before President Harry Truman was to address the nation to share the news that Japan had surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, the news wires relayed horrific news that had happened two weeks prior. Moments before Mr. Trumans news conference, news wires carried a Navy announcement that the heavy cruiser Indianapolis had been lost in the Philippine Sea as a result of enemy action, with all her complement of 1,196 officers and men, dead, wounded or missing. She had been carrying to Guam material for atomic bombs the deadly new weapon that loosed the very forces of nature on now-humbled Japan and helped prod her toward peace. And even while Japans surrender note was on the way to Washington, the crash of bombs and clash of arms sounded on all Pacific fronts, signaling death almost at the moment of peace to enemies and the Allies alike. But for the moment the world forgot the horrors of a conflict which had its seeds in Japans grab of Manchuria in 1931, wrote the Associated Press in The Patriot. The USS Indianapolis was hit by Japanese torpedoes just after midnight on July 30, 1945, in the Philippine Sea, during World War II. The U.S. Navys Portland-class heavy cruiser sank in 12 minutes. The USS Indianapolis survivors are shown on Guam in August 1945. The survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945 drifted aimlessly for nearly five days, battling thirst, exposure and ravenous sharks. Only 321 of the 1,196 crewmen were alive when the Navy, which hadn't realized the Indianapolis was missing, finally rescued them. (AP Photo/Naval Historical Center)AP Of the 1,196 men on board - 300 went down with the ship while around 900 were stranded with no lifeboats, no food and no water. By the time the survivors were spotted four days later by accident only 316 men were still alive. Because the ship was on a secret mission it was not reported as overdue when it did not arrive when expected. Three SOS messages had been sent - and received - but never acted upon. a combination of incompetence, bureaucratic malaise and the crushing pace of operations as the Pacific war neared its climax would doom many men: The sun would rise four more times before the Navy realized Indianapolis was missing. Only 316 men would survive, according to history.com. In addition to the blazing sun, cold nights and lack of water and food, survivors also were faced with shark attacks and hallucinations as a result of drinking sea water. The Indianapolis was headed to the Philippines for training after making a trip to the U.S. Army Air Force Base at Tinian to deliver parts for the Little Boy nuclear weapon. According to reports, the ships captain Charles McVay III, had concerns about the potential to encounter the enemy. McVay was told the area was quiet and the Japanese are on their last legs, and theres nothing to worry about. The USS Indianapolis did not have sonar, so it usually traveled with destroyers. On this trip, however, she had no destroyer escort. McVay survived and was court-martialed for "failing to zigzag," meaning to steer the ship on a zigzag pattern to avoid torpedoes. Years later it was determined that McVay was made a scapegoat. He was the only captain of a Navy ship lost in combat in World War II to face a court martial. Even the commander of the Japanese submarine that attacked the Indianapolis said a zigzag would not have prevented his torpedoes from finding their mark. He said that McVays court martial conviction was unjust. McVay was exonerated in 2001. USS Indianapolis' last Commanding Officer, Captain Charles B. McVay, III, left, tells war correspondents about the sinking of his ship during interviews on Guam in August 1945. The Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese I-58 submarine on July 30, 1945. (AP Photo/Naval Historical Center, ho)AP McVay was from Ephrata, Lancaster County. He died in November 1968 at the age of 70 in Connecticut. He killed himself. The story of the Indianapolis has been told in the book by Dan Kurzman, "Fatal Voyage," and in the play, "The Failure to ZigZag" by John B. Ferzacca. There also have been three movies. Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the USS Indianapolis was a 1991 TV movie. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, starring Nicholas Cage came out in 2016 as did USS Indianapolis: The Legacy film with survivors telling their stories about what happened. USS Indianapolis survivor Albert Morris of Akron, Ohio walks past a monument honoring fallen shipmates following a service in Indianapolis, Sunday, July 24, 2005. About 60 survivors gathered over the weekend for a reunion. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)ASSOCIATED PRESS READ MORE WWII HISTORY ON PENNLIVE Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Saudi Arabia's futuristic $500-billion new city Neom has announced its first step towards creating the world's leading cognitive cities that rely on leading technology for digital services with the signing of a deal with leading telecom major stc group. As per the deal, the duo will establish a 5G network infrastructure aimed at accelerating Neom's digital ambitions. Neom's next generation cognitive cities will support its cutting-edge urban environments, improving the lives of residents and businesses far beyond the capabilities of today's smart cities. It will use one of the most advanced 5G technology in the world, to enable the proactive exchange and analysis of data between Neom residents and city infrastructure. In addition to the one-year contract to develop the network, the partnership also includes the development of an innovation center in Neom to explore new 5G opportunities, it added. The stc will build a wireless 5G network enabling present and future 5G applications across Neom. With a speed and capacity 10 times higher than standard 4G networks, 5G in Neom will enable numerous segments such as Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, virtual reality, augmented reality, smart homes, and autonomous vehicles. It will also provide the public safety network for Neom security services. Commenting on the agreement, Neom CEO Nadhmi Al Nasr said: "We are glad to form this partnership with a leading national digital enabler such as stc to support our ambition and goal to be an accelerator of human progress and to create the world's leading digitally sustainable, cognitive cities. Neom's infrastructure will utilize AI, robotics, and human-machine fusion to deliver greater predictive intelligence and enable faster decision making across all Neom sectors." "The procurement and deployment of a future-proof wireless network is a critical first for Neom in realising our goal of driving innovation in the future digital economy," stated Al Nasr. CEO of stc Group, Engineer Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Nasser said: "This agreement reflects our commitment to enabling digital transformation and providing digital solutions across the kingdom." "We are proud to have been chosen to build the infrastructure for the 5G network and an innovation centre in Neom - the land of the future and a model for sustainability, innovation, development, and prosperity. This agreement comes in line with stc's vision as a digital enabler to develop infrastructure and provide the latest technologies that will enrich the experience of societies and foster innovation, which in turn will contribute to improve the customer experience and moving the digital transformation forward," he added. As per the deal, Neom will also trial and test 5G solutions that will allow it to lead in fast-growing, future-focused sectors such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and human machine interface technologies. Leveraging such technology will open up the enormous potential of Neom as a new economic driver across a range of industry sectors for the kingdom.-TradeArabia News Service VALLEJO, Calif. - The police chief of a San Francisco Bay Area city under scrutiny after several fatal police shootings said he is opening an inquiry into allegations that officers bent their badges to mark on-duty killings. Vallejo Police Chief Shawny Williams told the San Francisco Chronicle on Wednesday that he would not tolerate such a despicable act if the claims are true. It would be considered vandalism of department property, Williams said. And if youre doing that in celebration of a killing or shooting, then its completely disturbing. The inquiry could lead to an independent investigation. John Whitney, a former Vallejo police captain, previously accused the department of firing him in August for flagging misconduct that included concerns that some officers bent their badges in a ritual to mark fatal shootings. Whitneys claims about his firing were first reported by the news site Open Vallejo. Williams, who was appointed chief in November, said he had never noticed a bent badge on his force, and has not spoken about the allegations to any of the accused officers. Family members of people who have been killed by Vallejo police expressed anger about the allegations and said they were not surprised by the claims. It kind of backs up what everybody has been saying or hearing, said Marc McCoy, the older brother of Willie McCoy, a 21-year-old man who was shot to death by Vallejo officers in 2019 after he fell asleep with a gun in his lap in his car in a Taco Bell drive-through. Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing Whitney, told the newspaper that her client flagged the misconduct to Mayor Bob Sampayan and other city officials before he was fired after 19 years on the job. Whitney said he became aware of the practice after the killing of McCoy. Sampayan, who joined the citys police force in 1985 and retired as a sergeant after 27 years with the department, said Wednesday that he was appalled by the allegations. He said he could recall one incident during his career when an officer had a bent corner on his badge, but Sampayan didnt think anything of it until Whitney came to him with allegations following his dismissal from the department. My first thought would be to say Im sorry (to the community), and that we need to change that culture. I am appalled by that behaviour, said Sampayan, who was elected in 2016. He and the City Council have called for a special prosecutor to handle the investigation into the death of Sean Monterrosa. The 22-year-old San Francisco man was killed on June 2 when a Vallejo police officer responding to a looting report opened fire with a high-powered rifle, firing five rounds through the windshield of an unmarked police vehicle. Police later said Monterrosa had a hammer but no gun. Police launched a separate investigation after the windshield a key piece of evidence was destroyed. A police employee, who was not identified, was placed on administrative leave while the city retains an outside investigator to conduct the administrative investigation into destruction of evidence, officials said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:38:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SHIJIAZHUANG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Hu Huaibang, ex-chairman of the China Development Bank (CDB), stood trial at the Chengde Intermediate People's Court on Thursday on charges of taking bribes. Hu, also former secretary of the CDB committee of the Communist Party of China, is accused of taking advantage of his various posts or the convenience associated with his status to seek benefits for others in obtaining bank credit, setting up businesses, taking stakes in commercial banks and personnel promotion between 2009 and 2019. In return, he accepted money and gifts worth more than 85.52 million yuan (about 12.23 million U.S. dollars), according to the indictment. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence, which the defendant and his lawyers examined in turn. Both sides gave their own full accounts of events. In his final statement, Hu pled guilty and expressed remorse. The trial was open to the public and was attended by legislators, political advisors, the press and members of the public. The sentence will be announced at a later date. Enditem A former top student poured her heart out to a friend about her 'overwhelming anxiety' just weeks before her charred and half naked body was dumped near a quarry. Najma Carroll's body was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road in Menai, Sydney's south, at 5.15pm on Wednesday by a local taking their dog for a walk. The 33-year-old suffered head injuries and early examinations indicate that attempts had been made to set her body on fire. A murder investigation has been launched. Text messages sent to a friend in the weeks leading up to her death show a young woman plagued by anxiety and troubles. Ms Najma was a student at selective school Sydney Girls High and she achieved top HSC marks in modern history and advanced English. But in recent years, Ms Carroll was 'living a rough life' amid struggles with her mental health. Her friend Ian Clare told The Daily Telegraph he and his girlfriend let Ms Carroll stay with them in Liverpool. Najma Carroll (pictured) was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on Wednesday NSW Police officers return from searching bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on Thursday (pictured) Ms Carroll's friend Ian Clare shared final text messages from the 33-year-old former top student (pictured, left and right) In one text message, Ms Carroll told Mr Clare: 'I'm going to stop writing messages now because more words sent on a text message are not going to relieve any anxiety I have, they're not going to do anything but probably make me feel worse.' Ms Carroll left her kelpie Chuck behind at their home and in another text said she wanted to visit the dog because 'things haven't been easy lately'. Mr Clare told the publication he last saw Ms Carroll about a month ago, when the 33-year-old visited his house to grab some of her belongings. He described Ms Carroll as 'nice and compassionate' but said she was 'a very unsettled girl, very emotionally disturbed'. 'Last we spoke to her she was living around the Marrickville area on people's couches ... she was basically living the rough life, basically homeless, no steady home,' Mr Clare said. NSW Police said Ms Carroll was most recently known to reside in Sydney's Inner West. Police scouring the site at 'white rock' where Ms Carroll was found. Police have appealed for anyone with information on her death to come forward In February, Ms Carroll came to tears after police at Central Station told her she was going to be searched. She told police she had 'about a point of ice' in a Kinder Surprise chocolate container which she was going to use. Ms Carroll pleaded guilty to drug possession in court. A crime scene has been established, with specialist forensic police examining the site on Thursday. Investigators are marking the area with neon flags close to a popular dirt bike track which has been closed. Police have appealed to the public for information and asked anyone with information on Ms Carroll's death to come forward. Ms Carroll's (pictured) body was found with head injuries and indications she had been set on fire Police are combing the site near popular dirt bike track, which has been closed for their investigation (pictured on Thursday) They would like to speak with anyone with knowledge of Ms Carroll's movements in the last few days or anyone who saw anything suspicious off Heathcote Road at the site known as 'white rock'. Investigators are still trying to determine whether she was killed at the scene or her body was dumped there later. Local detectives and the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death. They say her injuries are consistent with a murder and are treating Ms Carroll's death as suspicious. Ms Najma (pictured) was a student at selective school Sydney Girls High and she achieved top HSC marks in modern history and advanced English Updated 12:07 Ireland has reached its lowest number of Covid-19 cases needing hospital treatment since March, the acting chief medical officer said. There are six confirmed cases undergoing treatment in hospital. Across Europe the pandemic appears to be accelerating once again, Dr Ronan Glynn said. He added: We have an opportunity to avoid a similar scenario here. The health system was notified yesterday of another 14 confirmed cases but no new deaths. Ireland has driven down its rate of infection with an early lockdown, widespread testing and largely good compliance with social distancing advice. Dr Glynn added: Eleven of todays cases were close contacts of confirmed cases and half of these had no symptoms. If you are concerned that you have been in contact with a confirmed case, please come forward for testing. Do not wait for symptoms to emerge. Advertisement As of midnight Tuesday 28th July, @hpscireland has been notified of 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 25,942 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland. Department of Health (@roinnslainte) July 29, 2020 Hospitals placed on a wartime footing by health chiefs have avoided being overwhelmed by the infection. Dr Glynn said: There are now eight confirmed cases of Covid-19 in our hospital system, the lowest number since early March. Irish police have reported widespread compliance with public health regulations by pub owners. Contact tracing is one of the vital measures that will allow us to contain the virus Only pubs which serve a substantial meal can open and drink-only bars must wait until next month. From Monday July 20 to last Sunday, police found potential breaches of health regulations and/or licensing laws on 22 occasions. Most cases continue to involve no evidence of food being served or consumed and no evidence of receipts to show that food had been sold. More than 100 people have been warned they have come into close contact with a confirmed Covid-19 case through the contact tracing app. Almost 1.45 million people have downloaded the Covid-19 tracker app since it went live in recent weeks. Public health chiefs say the app plays a vital part in Irelands fight against coronavirus. Senior civil servant Liz Canavan, of the Department of the Taoiseach, described the app as a very important enhancement to the tracing service, but she did not say how many of the close contacts had also tested positive or if any had been tested. Remember the testing isnt just about you. Its about the people around you, the people youve been in contact with, some of whom may be much more vulnerable to the disease than you are, Ms Canavan said. There may be people that you dont even know that you were close to in a public space. Thats why the Covid tracker app is another tool in our toolbox. Contact tracing is one of the vital measures that will allow us to contain the virus, and the Covid tracker app is a very important enhancement to our contact tracing service. To date, 105 people have been alerted by the app that they have been in close contact with a confirmed case. If youve been in close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid, the app sends you a close contact alert. If you provide your phone number, the HSE will then contact you to give you advice and refer you for testing if thats appropriate. SIOUX CITY -- Though methamphetamine was present in her system at the time of her death, a state forensic pathologist testified that Elizabeth Bockholt died from strangulation. Dr. Jonathan Thompson, who performed Bockholt's autopsy at the Iowa State Medical Examiner's Office in Ankeny, explained in photos shown Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court that Bockholt's neck had red abrasions indicating hemorrhaging. She also had petechiae -- small red spots on her face indicating burst capillaries -- and some hemorrhaging of blood vessels in her eyes. "She had recently used meth, but in my opinion, strangulation was the cause of death," Thompson said. "She's got a red mark across her neck, the side of her neck, hemorrhages on her face. Somebody strangled her." Thompson said he could not determine if Bockholt was strangled by hand or with some type of ligature. Bockholt was found beneath a pile of partially burned bedding in a Sioux City hotel room on Jan. 24, 2019. Jordan Henry, 30, of Sioux City, is accused of killing her, then setting fire to the room. He has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree arson. Thompson said the fire played no role in Bockholt's death because no soot or carbon monoxide was found in her airway. Burn marks on her back and right arm were not fatal, Thompson said. It was not possible to determine exactly when Bockholt ingested the meth, Thompson said, but it had been within a day of her death. A blood sample taken from Henry about 19 hours after Bockholt's body was found indicated he also had meth in his system, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation criminalist Justin Grodnitzky testified. Three witnesses testified a day earlier that Bockholt had a meth addiction. According to court documents, Bockholt, 40, of Hinton, Iowa, and Henry had a romantic relationship prior to Henry being sentenced to five years in prison for theft in 2017. Henry was released on parole on Jan. 16, 2019, eight days before Bockholt died. On Tuesday, a friend had testified that she took Bockholt to the Wingate by Wyndham hotel at 4716 Southern Hills Drive, where she met up with Henry on the morning of Jan. 24. At 9:23 p.m. that day, Sioux City Fire Rescue was paged to a fire in room 102 at the hotel. Sioux City Fire Rescue deputy fire marshal Joe Rodriguez testified the fire had mostly burned itself out by the time firefighters arrived, and they were able to extinguish it with a short blast from a hand-held water can. Investigators found a partially burned phone book by the bedding, which was piled between the two beds. Also found in the debris was a badly damaged smoke detector, which investigators suspect had been removed from the ceiling. A cell phone battery and a cell phone that had been damaged in the fire were found amid the debris, though no evidence was presented to show to whom the phone belonged. Witnesses testified Tuesday that Henry had rushed from the hotel room when they opened the door to check on Bockholt's status. He was arrested about five hours later outside a relative's house nearby. Irina Brodsky, a former Sioux City Police ID technician, testified that swabs she collected from Henry's hands and fingernails after his arrest detected no blood, but there was a mixture of DNA from two people, the state's crime lab determined. Under cross examination, Brodsky, who now works in Virginia Beach, Virginia, said the crime lab was unable to determine the identity of the second source of the DNA found on Henry. At the conclusion of testimony Wednesday, First Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Mark Campbell rested the state's case. The trial is scheduled to resume with defense witnesses on Friday. Henry previously waived his right to have a jury trial, choosing instead to have District Judge Steven Andreasen decide his case. If found guilty of first-degree murder, Henry would receive a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. First-degree arson carries a 25-year prison sentence. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said Thursday that he hopes the community considers the upcoming pullout of federal officers as a victory and that he expects the Police Bureaus partnership with state police and Multnomah County sheriffs deputies to put these nightly events on a better track. Im hopeful it will lead us to a better place, as far as helping to quell nightly violence and allow for a safer place, he said during a video news conference as protests against police violence and racial injustice entered their 64th day. Lovell said he believed the dozens of federal officers brought to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in early July had ramped up tensions just when the city was starting to notice the size of crowds diminishing. I feel to some degree the arrival of the federal presence became an escalation factor,' the chief said. Im hopeful that this new approach and our partnership with Oregon State Police and county sheriffs office gets us back on the trajectory where we were at prior to the Fourth of July. His remarks came just hours after police cleared out campers from Lownsdale Park, which sits opposite the federal courthouse in downtown, and on the day federal officers are expected to begin transitioning away from responding to the demonstrations. Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that she had reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to begin withdrawing the federal officers and instead allow Oregon State Police to work with Portland police. The governor earlier this month had declined Portland police requests for assistance from state police, citing concerns about city police tactics. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad F. Wolf has cautioned that federal officers werent leaving until they were assured that the courthouse and other federal facilities will no longer be attacked nightly and set afire. Mayor Ted Wheeler said Thursday morning that state police have agreed with local police on a unified standard, restricting the use of tear gas except when theres a risk of serious injury or death. He said Portland police used tear gas on two instances this month. State police special operation teams and some uniformed troopers are starting a two-week rotation to help Portland police and the Federal Protective Service, Oregon State Police Supt. Travis Hampton said. The agency is drawing about 100 people from offices across the state to go to Portland. State police will be the lead responders at the courthouse and maintain contact with Federal Protective Service, whose officers will be inside the federal courthouse, Lovell and Hampton said. The Portland Police and state police, who have done crowd-control training in the past together, will be outside responding if needed to any crowd control actions,' Lovell said. The state police will work in cooperation with federal officers and Portland police but report to state police command staff in joint command centers. In an email to his troopers, Hampton wrote, They will have the appropriate means to do their jobs and stay as safe as possible -- but all eyes of the nation will be on us, particularly when we supplant federal officers at the courthouse in an effort to bring down the protest temperature. It is not a stage we wished to be on, but we will do our part for Oregon. Well do our best. Portland police worked alongside state police earlier this summer, most recently in North Portland outside the Portland police union office when an unlawful assembly was declared and tear gas was fired to push the crowd back. A federal judges court order remains in effect, restricting Portland police from using tear gas or impact munitions except when life or public safety is at risk. Lovell said the City Councils directive for Portland police to sever communication with federal law enforcement during the nightly protests wasnt helpful. While trying to manage fluid, rapidly changing situations on the streets next to the federal courthouse, Portland police were left wondering what the federal response was going to be moment-by-moment creating a potentially dangerous situation for both Portland officers and for people in the crowd, he said. Its been something weve tried to work through but we adhere to the councils decision, he added. Lovell said hes aware of complaints against Portland police use of force and tear gas but declined to comment about any specifics, noting that the citys Independent Police Review office will examine those. I suspect well find instances where officers have violated policy ... and well deal with that through either discipline or corrective action, he said. Its been something weve tried to work through but we adhere to the councils decision, he added. Through July 22, police have spent $5.4 million on straight overtime and recorded $1.2 million in accrued compensatory time, stemming from protest coverage, according to the bureau. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian https://twitter.com/maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A victorious President Biden will move from his Delaware basement to the cellar of the White House, where he will remain only to be seen by the public in prerecorded, televised Messages to the People. The riots will stop. After which, the suspiciously trained, organized, and supplied grassroots Antifa rioters will be unofficially incorporated into the Biden administration as Local Policy Councils financed by leftist dark money and tasked to root out disobedience and dissent. Thereby, Jerry Nadlers Antifa myth will be in a position to enforce the much needed hope and change Biden has said he wishes to bring back. Despite a distinct lack of promise in his future, Joseph Biden is a man who makes many promises. There was, however, one promise he made in the Democratic debates that is suspiciously absent from his recent professions of intent. Biden (or whoever is pulling his strings) will have full control of the legislative branch of government -- either by the Democrats keeping the House, and winning the Senate in 2020, or through persuasion by Local Policy Councils of certain Republican senators, congressmen, and their families -- which of course, corporate media will ignore. The filibuster will be eliminated to grease the path of progressive legislation. He will spend the first two years consolidating control of Congress. The census redistricting, as modified by the Local Policy Councils and intimidated state legislatures, will ensure Democrat control of both houses of Congress by a landslide in the 2022 midterms. Perhaps, even securing the two-thirds of both Houses necessary for the elimination of the electoral college. Still, the only way to assure implementation of the lefts promise to fundamentally transform The United States of America, is to disarm Americans. Starting slowly, Biden will precipitously increase taxes on guns and ammunition while restricting the amount of ammunition that can be legally purchased in a month. There will be mandatory gun registration under penalty of law. Failure to register will subject gun owners to felony prosecution, fines starting in the tens of thousands of dollars, and civil forfeiture of property such as real estate and cars. Then, after the midterm elections, with the left in full control of the legislative and executive branches of government, laws will be passed outlawing all guns in private hands (an exception will be made for Local Policy Council members). Gun confiscation will begin. Any records the federal, state, and local governments possess pertaining to gun ownership will be made public with the release of the names and addresses of all gun owners nationwide. Employers will be encouraged to terminate any employees who are gun owners. Mortgage companies, banks, and credit card companies will be encouraged to decline financing to gun owners, Local Policy Councils, nee Antifa, will be encouraged to peacefully protest at the places of employment and homes of gun owners. The Local Policy Councils, employers, banks, and financial firms will be indemnified against lawsuits pertaining to these actions. In addition, the Local Policy Council members as a quasi-militia will be protected by qualified immunity. The same tactics used to such devastating effect in the rioting we have witnessed these last few months will now be used against doxed gun owners. Nightly visits by screaming, armed, and violent mostly peaceful council members will become prevalent. Arson, damage to private property, violent assaults, homicide, and even rape will become a tool of the people deployed to ensure recalcitrant gun owners voluntarily surrender their weapons. Again, corporate media will ignore these incidents. Having deployed the National Guard and active-service troops from the Army throughout the 50 states, joint teams of disarmed and unfunded police, troops, Guard units, and Local Policy Council members will search homes for any unregistered guns. Soros prosecutors and the success of the decarceration movement will allow socially distant incarceration of those who refuse the sensible new gun reform. Well that's the plan, anyway. Apocryphally, Otto von Bismarck is said to have remarked, God looks out for fools, drunkards, and the United States. The fools on the left are not going to know what hit them. The lefts power is concentrated on the coasts and in large cities. The vast majority of this country, what is derisively called flyover country by those on the left, is relatively conservative and armed to the teeth. In most of America, people believe they can never be too thin, too rich, or too well-armed. It is estimated there are anywhere from 350 million to 700 million guns in private hands, and anecdotally, the higher number is probably still too low. Remember COVID, the Chinese flu the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) deliberately infected the world with? Like all Chinese products it did not work as advertised but we locked down the economy anyway. Well, one of the big reasons people did not starve is because truckers kept trucking. Most drivers keep a gun in their cab. When authorities confiscate that gun, deliveries to the cities will cease. It would be a matter of weeks before New York and LA started to run out of food. How many homeowners do you think would need to be assaulted before a visit from the Local Policy Council would be met with gunfire? Council members are not trained for what they will provoke and can expect to be decimated in confrontations. How long before people start to organize and directly attack authorities and lines of communication, in and around the cities? Keep in mind every hunter is something of a sniper. How long before some of them decide to lie in wait to pick off public officials responsible for these policies? America is also chock full of trained veterans. It does not take a brain surgeon to realize what side they will be on. Pipelines, power plants, interstate highways, railroads, and bridges will all be targets of attack. Governors, mayors, and LEOs will start to defect, as will National Guard and any other troops who will resent being asked to kill their neighbors and relatives. There are not enough soldiers, National Guard, and potential Local Policy Council members to protect everything or seize all weapons. The fact is, Americans will never allow the government to take their guns, period! The author can be found on Twitter @williamlgensert Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty/handout It looked like one of the videos circulating from Portland, Oregon: Police officers surrounded a young woman and dragged her, kicking, into an unmarked van. But the footage, captured on Tuesday, wasnt the feds. It was the New York City Police Department. Nikki Stone, an 18-year-old activist, was a well-known figure at recent racial justice protests, and at Occupy City Hall, a since-disbanded local protest camp geared at cutting police funding. A homeless transgender woman, she previously told Gothamist that the protest encampment was one of the first places she felt safe from police. That ended when plainclothes police pulled Stone into an unmarked vehicle. Her arrest wasnt part of a federal insurgency but routine practice by NYPD, especially when used against the homeless and people of color, critics say. But now it was turned against an activist during protests specifically targeted at racism and police brutality. Its Spooky Right Now: Inside the Creepy Federal Crackdown on Portland Protesters This is standard operating procedure for the warrant squad, as far as I know, Eugene ODonnell, a former NYPD officer, Brooklyn prosecutor, and current professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told The Daily Beast. He was referring to an NYPD division that seeks people with open warrants. They would seek to make an arrest as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible. Therefore they use unmarked vehicles routinely. The NYPD, which did not return a request for comment on Wednesday, announced that Stone had been arrested on charges of criminal mischief and vandalism. Specifically, she was accused of spray-painting graffiti and painting on four police cameras around the site of the former Occupy City Hall protest encampment. The department confirmed that the warrant squad was behind the arrest. Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Societys Cop Accountability Project, said the aggressive arrest seemed out of step with the allegations against Stone. Story continues It seems to me that they should be prioritizing more serious cases than criminal mischief and graffiti, she told The Daily Beast. That said, arrests by plainclothes officers in unmarked carsno matter their unitare a fairly well-known phenomenon in New York Citys public defender circles, she said. We have all had clients who had that experience, Wong said. It is something that is a well-known part of our practice. It may not happen every other day or every other week, but it is common enough to practitioners in the public defense world that they are familiar with these tactics. They know it happens and they have had more than one client its happened to. Footage of Stones aggressive arrest drew national attention for its similarities to arrests by federal agents in Portland, who stormed the city in an initiative cheered by President Donald Trump. Those agents have led a weeks-long campaign against local unrest, arresting some demonstrators in unmarked vans and widely deploying less-lethal weapons against the crowds. Trump recently announced the deployment of federal agents to more cities, but State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who represents parts of Brooklyn, said his constituents were used to such incidents. The video is incredibly disturbing and understandably inflames passions for those of us who want to see public safety done in a way that is compassionate, Myrie told The Daily Beast. But this is not uncommon. What happened was unfortunate and tragic, and because it was captured on video, more people will be able to witness it, but in Black and brown communities, this is the type of treatment that we have been crying out about for decades. This is the type of treatment, the rough handling, the lack of notice, the disrespect, the use of force, all these things have plagued the communities I represent. Homeless people have also long been subject to arrest in unmarked NYPD vans, as Vice reported in 2015. A homeless man told the outlet NYPD sometimes entered homeless shelters late at night, seeking people with open warrants, and packed them into waiting vans with little notice. "Youre asking, Whats going on? Then they crush you into the vans like sardines. And its a freezer in there, he said. Myrie noted that marginalized communities also face raids from federal forces like immigration agenciessome of which were deployed against protesters in Portland. Brooklyns Sunset Park neighborhood, which he represents, has seen Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on restaurants accused of hiring undocumented people. In nearby Gravesend, Brooklyn, plainclothes ICE agents shot a 26-year-old man in the face while attempting to arrest his mothers boyfriend in February. Arrests like Stones are not new. There are a lot of open questions about the warrant squads practices, Myrie said, noting that NYPD claims it uses unmarked vans for safety reasons. In a crowd of protesters who already distrust police, however, the arrest could have an additional chilling effect, compelling activists to be even more on the lookout for law enforcement. Myrie noted a recent history of NYPD crackdowns at protests, where officers have deployed pepper spray, cuffed journalists, and driven SUVs into crowds. You cant expect the public to give you the benefit of the doubt when we see the type of aggressive environment and behavior that we believe is unwarranted, he said. The specter of arrest in an unmarked van only makes matters worse. In a moment when this president has sent unmarked vehicles and unidentified law enforcement officials into peoples protests, this warrants a very serious investigation and discussion, Myrie said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Without a seaport, Hunchun, a border city in northeast China's Jilin Province, is aiming to build itself into a marine economy hub. "Though we do not have a seaport, we have a lot of advantages in terms of location and other fields," said Piao Yifeng, director of the city's shipping administration bureau. Located at the junction of China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the city is 71 km away from the Russian port Zarubino. Wang Jindong, who has been engaged in seafood trade for nearly 20 years, has seized the business opportunities in the city. In 2016, two land ports in Hunchun were approved as designated ports for seafood import. The opening of a freight route linking the city with Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and the Zarubino Port also helped cut the cost of seafood transportation. "Before the opening of the route, Russian king crabs had to be transferred to China via the Republic of Korea and Japan, which was costly and affected their quality," said Wang. "Now the king crabs caught in the deep sea of Russia can be transported to Hunchun the next day." Having first imported king crabs via the route in 2017, Wang can now import up to 50 tonnes of the seafood each day. He is expanding his trade business in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. In September 2018, a freight route opened linking the city with the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China, one of the world's top container ports, and the Zarubino Port. Another route was launched linking Hunchun, the port of Qingdao in east China, and the Zarubino Port in May this year. Now 29 voyages have been made along the routes via the city, with over 700 million yuan (about 100 million U.S. dollars) worth of cargo. "The opening of the routes not only solved the transportation problems of corn, timber and other goods in the province, but promoted trade and economic cooperation in Northeast Asia," said Piao. At the end of April, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources issued a guideline on the construction of the marine economy demonstration zone in the city, requiring the zone to promote the development of marine industries. as well as enquiries from prospective homebuyers, which were badly hit during April-June due to the pandemic, have started to revive gradually and end-user demand is likely to strengthen in coming months, a top official of Mahindra Lifespace said on Thursday. In an interview with PTI, MD & CEO Arvind Subramanian said the company did not witness much cancellation of apartments booked by customers as widely feared after the outbreak of and subsequent "Just like the economy, businesses were severely challenged in the first quarter of this fiscal year. There was almost a standstill in and construction activities," he said. However, Subramanian said, "The good news is that our existing customers are committed to their bookings. We are not seeing a large cancellation which could have been one of the outcomes." He said the sales bookings and enquiries from customers in July increased as compared to the past three months, and this could be because of pent-up demand or new buyers looking for security of home ownership amid the pandemic. Subramanian expects demand to strengthen gradually in the coming months and ruled out any V-shaped recovery because of a lot of uncertainty. He said interest from non-resident Indians (NRIs) has increased, driven by favourable exchange rate and the need for safe environment in a gated housing society for their elderly parent. Mahindra Lifespace Developers, which is a arm of business conglomerate Mahindra group, plans to launch one housing project in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in September, he said. Subramanian added that the company was in advance negotiation with landowners for either outright purchase of land or formation of joint venture to develop The expectations of land owners have softened after the outbreak of COVID-19, he said. Subramanian said the company was also looking to set up an investment platform for the development of mid-income It already has one platform with HDFC Capital for affordable The construction work has started in all projects but the number of workers available at its sites is just around 20 per cent compared to the pre- level. Subramanian said the company has a strong balance sheet with low debt and healthy cash position. "This is the time for stronger players to be patient and conserve resources." Asked about the industrial parks vertical, he said the growth prospects look encouraging with India being considered as manufacturing base amid geo-political tensions between the US and China. Subramanian said the enquiries for the industrial space have also increased and hoped to convert them in the next 6-12 months. To encash this opportunity, he said the company would explore setting up more industrial and warehousing parks. on Wednesday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 20.5 crore for the quarter ended June on lower revenue amid the pandemic. Its net profit stood at Rs 13.11 crore in the year-ago period. Total income fell drastically to Rs 22.09 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21, compared with Rs 120.30 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to a regulatory filing. The company achieved sales of Rs 39 crore (0.08 million sq ft) in residential business and attained collections of Rs 72 crore. It delivered 28 units to customers across various projects. Mahindra Lifespaces leased 2.5 acres for Rs 8 crore in the integrated cities and industrial clusters business. Subramanian did not give any guidance regarding sales bookings, collections and deliveries for the current financial year. (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.) Leading Hong Kong democracy campaigners were disqualified Thursday from upcoming elections after four student activists were arrested for social media posts, sparking warnings of a new "terror" under authoritarian China. The moves were the latest blows against the semi-autonomous city's democracy movement, which has been under sustained attack from China's Communist Party rulers. China imposed a national security law last month on Hong Kong outlawing subversion, which it warned was a "sword" hanging over the head of democracy protesters. In some of the most significant developments since the law was imposed, 12 democracy activists were on Thursday disqualified from legislative elections due to be held in September. "Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of the Hongkongers, tramples upon the city's... autonomy," Joshua Wong, one of Hong Kong's highest-profile activists who was among those disqualified, wrote in a tweet. Wong described the move as "the biggest-ever crackdown" on the city's pro-democracy movement. The democracy campaigners had been hoping to win a first-ever majority in the partially elected legislature, which is deliberately weighted to return a pro-Beijing chamber. In a statement Hong Kong's government listed political views that required disqualification -- including criticising Beijing's new security law, campaigning to win a legislation-blocking majority and refusing to recognise China's sovereignty. The Liaison Office, which represents Beijing in Hong Kong, hailed the disqualifications, describing the candidates as "unscrupulous delinquents" who had "crossed the legal bottom line" with their political views. Chris Patten, Britain's last colonial governor in Hong Kong, accused Beijing of carrying out "an outrageous political purge". "It is obviously now illegal to believe in democracy... This is the sort of behaviour that you would expect in a police state," he added. Story continues - Arrested students - The disqualifications came after four students -- aged between 16 and 21 -- were arrested on Wednesday night for social media posts deemed to breach the new security law. The four were all former members of Student Localism, a pro-independence group that announced it was disbanding its Hong Kong branch the day before the security law was enacted. Police said they were arrested on suspicion of organising and inciting secession through comments made on social media posts after the law came in. Student and rights groups condemned the arrests, saying they heralded the kind of political suppression ubiquitous on the Chinese mainland. "Hong Kong has fallen into the era of white terror," the Student Unions of Higher Institutions, which represents 13 student unions, said in a statement overnight. Nathan Law, a democracy campaigner who went into exile after the law was imposed, condemned both the arrests and disqualifications. "White terror, politics of fear dispersed in Hong Kong," he said, referencing a Chinese idiom to describe political persecution. "The Chinese Communist Party's strategy is apparently aiming to suppress all forms of resistance in Hong Kong with huge fear and intimidation," he added. - 'Draconian' law - The security law gave China's rulers far more direct control over Hong Kong, which was supposedly guaranteed 50 years of freedoms as part of the 1997 handover agreement with Britain. But last year the city was rocked by seven straight months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests. Beijing said the national security law was needed to end that unrest and restore stability. It targets four types of crime: subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces -- with up to life in prison. Critics, including many Western nations, say it has demolished the "One Country, Two Systems" model promised by Beijing in the handover agreement. The law bypassed Hong Kong's legislature and its details were kept secret until the moment it was enacted. It empowers China's security agents to operate openly in the city for the first time. Beijing has said it will have jurisdiction for particularly serious cases, toppling the legal firewall that has existed since the handover between Hong Kong's independent judiciary and the Chinese mainland's party-controlled courts. China has also claimed it can prosecute anyone anywhere in the world for national security crimes. On the mainland Beijing routinely uses similar national security laws to crush dissent. The first arrests in Hong Kong came a day after the law was enacted against people who possessed pro-independence flags and slogans critical of Beijing -- including a 15-year-old girl. At least 15 people have now been arrested under the new law since it was enacted on June 30. SEATTLE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PitchBook , the premier data provider for the private and public equity markets, today released its Q2 2020 European Venture Report, which found European venture capital (VC) deal value registered the third largest quarterly figure on record, an incredible achievement amid widespread economic uncertainty. Across Europe, investment in sectors brought to the forefront by the coronavirus pandemic such as food delivery, mobility, software and biotech remained particularly strong even as companies were forced to adapt operations or shift to remote workforces. Corporations, seeing opportunity in tech-focused businesses like cybersecurity, helped VC deals with CVC participation in H1 2020 keep pace with the tear away record set in 2019. The UK & Ireland remains the largest VC ecosystem in Europe in terms of deal value, driven by mature startups attracting sizable rounds. After a sluggish start to the year, VC exits recovered commendably in Q2 2020 as sectors such as video conferencing saw surges in demand and focus on healthcare solutions remained top of mind for investors and companies. VC fundraising has defied lockdowns, in part due to France & Benelux posting strong numbers and North America-headquartered GPs continuing to raise Europe-based funds, putting a record annual total within reach if the pace set in H1 2020 continues. We expect specialist funds targeting individual sectors such as pharma and biotech to proliferate going forward. "Given how the coronavirus wrecked broader macroeconomic indicators, few would have expected 2020 deal value to be on course to match and potentially surpass the annual record set in 2019," said Nalin Patel, EMEA Private Capital Analyst at PitchBook. "Strong deal value generated across financing stages and regions highlights the resilience and independence of the maturing VC ecosystem in Europe. We believe the level of freshly raised, undeployed funds in the first half of the year bodes well for long-term dealmaking in the region and future capital deployment strategies could be geared towards opportunities emerging from COVID-19." To download the report and underlying data, click here. Investment Activity European VC deal value reached the third highest quarterly figure on record, with 9.5 billion invested across 1,113 deals a 5.7% quarter-over-quarter increase in deal value despite slightly lower deal counts. Deals over 25 million comprised 61.2% of overall deal value in H1 2020, building upon the decade-long shift towards larger rounds. The largest deal to close in Q2 was Deliveroo's delayed 527.6 million round led by Amazon. The dispersion of deal value across European regions exhibited consistency with a pre-pandemic market, with a distinct concentration from the UK & Ireland , DACH, and France & Beneluxregions. One notable deal outside these regions involved Estonia -based mobility startup Bolt, which closed a 100.0 million round. , DACH, and & Beneluxregions. One notable deal outside these regions involved -based mobility startup Bolt, which closed a 100.0 million round. VC deals with CVC participation reached 8.2 billion across 572 deals through H1 2020, keeping pace with the record set in 2019. CVC participants were involved in sizable Q2 2020 rounds for Deliveroo, N26, Lilium and BioCatch. Exits Although Q2 exit value was unexpectedly buoyant at 2.7 billion across 100 liquidity events, exit value in 2020 is still on track to register the lowest figure since 2012. The largest exit in Q2 2020 was the IPO of Switzerland -based biotech company ADC Therapeutics, which exited at a 989.9 million pre-money valuation. -based biotech company ADC Therapeutics, which exited at a 989.9 million pre-money valuation. Only 11 Europe-based startups listed on the public market in H1 2020. At the current pace, the European VC ecosystem could notch the lowest number of listings since 2009 by end of year. Israel -based startups exiting the ecosystem generated 1.2 billion in H1 2020, accounting for 31.8% of overall European exit value. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) startup Moovit was acquired by Intel for 826.9 million, heavily contributing to Israel's exit value jump. -based startups exiting the ecosystem generated 1.2 billion in H1 2020, accounting for 31.8% of overall European exit value. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) startup Moovit was acquired by Intel for 826.9 million, heavily contributing to exit value jump. Pharma & biotech was the only sector to cross 1 billion in exit value through H1 2020, propelled by notable acquisitions such as Ireland -based PrecisionBiotics by Novozymes for 80 million and UK-based Nanna Therapeutics by Astellas Pharma for 78.4 million. We expect investors to continue scouring pharma & biotech startups as COVID-19 has sharpened focus on broader hygiene, healthcare and personal well-being initiatives. Fundraising VC fundraising in Europe through the first half of the year totalled a defiant 7.6 billion across 64 fund vehicles, setting the year on pace for a record annual high if momentum persists. through the first half of the year totalled a defiant 7.6 billion across 64 fund vehicles, setting the year on pace for a record annual high if momentum persists. Fundraising in the France & Benelux region has been robust with 1.9 billion raised in H1 2020, accounting for 25.0% of total capital raised across Europe . The largest closed fund in Q2 2020 was France -based Cathay Innovation II at 505.3 million. & Benelux region has been robust with 1.9 billion raised in H1 2020, accounting for 25.0% of total capital raised across . The largest closed fund in Q2 2020 was -based Cathay Innovation II at 505.3 million. The median and average VC fund size has been pacing slightly higher than in 2019, further underlining resolute fundraising conditions amid travel restrictions and lockdowns across Europe . Israel -based S Capital VC closed its S Capital Fund II at 110.0 million, one of the six 100+ million funds to close in Q2. Additional coverage in this report includes: Introduction Overview Corporate VC Spotlight: UK & Ireland Exits Fundraising Download the full report here. About PitchBook PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides transparency into the capital markets to help professionals discover and execute opportunities with confidence and efficiency. PitchBook collects and analyzes detailed data on the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscapeincluding public and private companies, investors, funds, investments, exits and people. The company's data and analysis are available through the PitchBook Platform, industry news and in-depth reports. Founded in 2007, PitchBook has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York and London and serves more than 45,000 professionals around the world. In 2016, Morningstar acquired PitchBook, which now operates as an independent subsidiary. SOURCE PitchBook Related Links https://www.pitchbook.com Candice Swanepoel has been enjoying plenty of quality time with her two sons during quarantine. But the South African model is also getting in some adult time, complete with alcohol and part hats. She put on a summer chic display Wednesday in a red and blue patchwork seersucker shirt by Kimberly Taylor, as she took to her Instagram Story while enjoying a rooftop rose in New York City. Rooftop rose: Candice Swanepoel put on a summer chic display Wednesday in a red and blue patchwork seersucker shirt, as she enjoyed a rooftop rose in New York City The 31-year-old paired the oversized top with some slim faded jeans, a pair of white strappy stilettos and some gold hoop earrings. She appeared to be celebrating a birthday party or a baby shower, as she sported a tiny blue party hat. Swanepoel showed it off in a video, as she leaned back over the edge of the roof, writing: 'Baby partying.' She also shared a snap of a rose bouquet against the gorgeous Manhattan view, which included the Empire State Building. Hell on heels: The 31-year-old paired the oversized top with some slim faded jeans, a pair of white strappy stilettos and some gold hoop earrings Party girl: She appeared to be celebrating a birthday party or a baby shower, as she sported a tiny blue party hat. Swanepoel showed it off in a video, as she leaned back over the edge of the roof, writing: 'Baby partying' City view: She also shared a snap of a rose bouquet against the gorgeous Manhattan view, which included the Empire State Building Mama's boy: The Victoria's Secret Angel previously posted a video of her son Ariel playing with a drum on his head at six in the morning The Victoria's Secret Angel previously posted a video of her son Ariel playing with a drum on his head at six in the morning. She shares sons Anaca, three, and Ariel, two, with ex-fiance Hermann Nicoli, 38, with whom she split in November of 2018 after 13 years together. Swanepoel spoke to Daily Front Row earlier this month, giving a glimpse at her quarantine with her boys. The Tropic of C founder said: 'I focused a lot on myself and my kids, and took a break from social media. 'Ive been thinking about the things that are most important to me. And the things that arent necessary. The quarantine has been a time of rest and reflection.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hong Kong Thu, July 30, 2020 12:00 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a79f92 2 World Hong-Kong,Hong-Kong-activist,Hong-Kong-protests,Hong-Kong-security-law,pro-democracy Free Four Hong Kong students involved in a recently disbanded pro-independence group were arrested by police on Wednesday under a controversial new national security law, officers and members of the group said. The arrests are the first to target public political figures since the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city by Beijing late last month. Police said three men and one woman aged between 16 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of organizing and inciting secession. "Our sources and investigation show that the group recently announced on social media to set up an organization that advocates Hong Kong independence," Li Kwai-wah, an officer from a new national security unit within the Hong Kong police told reporters. He added that computers, phones and documents were seized by officers and that all those arrested were students. Student Localism, a group that used to advocate independence, said in a statement that its former leader Tony Chung, 19, was among those arrested. Two other former members were identified by local politicians and media. Last month, Student Localism announced it had disbanded as Beijing enacted its national security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. It dismissed all its members and said only its overseas chapters would continue to operate. However, Li said overseas activity could still be prosecuted. "If anyone who tells others that he advocates violating the national security law from abroad, even he does that from overseas, we have the jurisdiction to investigate these kind of cases," he told reporters. 'Draconian law' The security law has sent a chill through Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city supposedly guaranteed 50 years of freedoms and autonomy from Beijing under a "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement agreed ahead of the 1997 handover from Britain. Last year the city was rocked by seven straight months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests. Beijing says the national security law is needed to end unrest, restore stability and will not impact political freedoms. Critics, including many western nations, say it has demolished the "One Country, Two Systems" model. "The gross misuse of this draconian law makes clear that the aim is to silence dissent, not protect national security," Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, said after the latest arrests. The law bypassed Hong Kong's legislature and its details were kept secret until the moment it was enacted. Overnight certain political views became outlawed, such as advocating independence or greater autonomy. The first arrests after the law was enacted were made against people who possessed pro-independence flags. Wednesday night's arrests were made by Hong Kong's police force. However, the new law also empowers China's security agents to operate openly in the city for the first time. China has also said it will have jurisdiction for especially serious cases and has also claimed it can prosecute anyone anywhere in the world for national security crimes. Those powers topple the legal firewall that has existed since the handover between Hong Kong's independent judiciary and the Chinese mainland's party-controlled courts. China routinely uses similar national security laws to crush dissent on the mainland. At least 15 people have now been arrested under the new law since it was enacted on June 30. Four Hong Kong students involved in a recently disbanded pro-independence group were arrested by police on Wednesday under a controversial new national security law, officers and members of the group said. The arrests are the first to target public political figures since the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city by Beijing late last month. Police said three men and one woman aged between 16 and 21 were arrested on suspicion of organizing and inciting secession. "Our sources and investigation show that the group recently announced on social media to set up an organization that advocates Hong Kong independence," Li Kwai-wah, an officer from a new national security unit within the Hong Kong police told reporters. He added that computers, phones and documents were seized by officers and that all those arrested were students. Student Localism, a group that used to advocate independence, said in a statement that its former leader Tony Chung, 19, was among those arrested. Two other former members were identified by local politicians and media. Last month, Student Localism announced it had disbanded as Beijing enacted its national security law, which outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces. It dismissed all its members and said only its overseas chapters would continue to operate. However, Li said overseas activity could still be prosecuted. "If anyone who tells others that he advocates violating the national security law from abroad, even he does that from overseas, we have the jurisdiction to investigate these kind of cases," he told reporters. 'Draconian law' The security law has sent a chill through Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city supposedly guaranteed 50 years of freedoms and autonomy from Beijing under a "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement agreed ahead of the 1997 handover from Britain. Last year the city was rocked by seven straight months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests. Beijing says the national security law is needed to end unrest, restore stability and will not impact political freedoms. Critics, including many western nations, say it has demolished the "One Country, Two Systems" model. "The gross misuse of this draconian law makes clear that the aim is to silence dissent, not protect national security," Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch, said after the latest arrests. The law bypassed Hong Kong's legislature and its details were kept secret until the moment it was enacted. Overnight certain political views became outlawed, such as advocating independence or greater autonomy. The first arrests after the law was enacted were made against people who possessed pro-independence flags. Wednesday night's arrests were made by Hong Kong's police force. However, the new law also empowers China's security agents to operate openly in the city for the first time. China has also said it will have jurisdiction for especially serious cases and has also claimed it can prosecute anyone anywhere in the world for national security crimes. Those powers topple the legal firewall that has existed since the handover between Hong Kong's independent judiciary and the Chinese mainland's party-controlled courts. China routinely uses similar national security laws to crush dissent on the mainland. At least 15 people have now been arrested under the new law since it was enacted on June 30. Federal officers will start pulling out of Portland on Thursday in a phased withdrawal and state troopers will arrive instead to help safeguard the federal courthouse downtown that has become a national symbol of political conflict as well as a focal point for protests calling for consequential police reform. Gov. Kate Brown made the announcement in a statement Wednesday and described the federal officers as an occupying force that has refused accountability and brought strife to our community. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad F. Wolf, in a separate announcement, said he had been in talks with the governor in the last day and agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement. But he tempered the statement later in a call with the press, saying federal law enforcement officers will remain in Portland. Let me repeat: Our entire law enforcement presence that is currently in Portland yesterday and the previous week will remain in Portland, until we are assured that the courthouse and other federal facilities will no longer be attacked nightly and set afire. He pledged to re-evaluate conditions over time and surge up or surge down depending on the circumstances on the ground Wolf said Brown reached out to him after she had talked with Vice President Mike Pence about the coronavirus pandemic and the protests. He said he welcomed the governors decision to allow state police to help Portland police secure the streets around the courthouse and coordinate with the Federal Protective Service officers inside the courthouse, as should have been the case from the start. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump sent a message on Twitter, contending that, If the Federal Government and its brilliant Law Enforcement (Homeland) didnt go into Portland one week ago, there would be no Portland -- It would be burned and beaten to the ground. The development comes as the city marks the 62nd day of consecutive demonstrations since the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to decry police brutality and systemic racism. Most of the demonstrations focused on the Multnomah County Justice Center next to the federal courthouse and had begun to wane until early July. On July 3, some in the crowd tried to la belaicade the front doors of the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse and they shattered. President Trump sent 114 federal officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to bolster Federal Protective Service workers at the courthouse. Since then, the number of people demonstrating has swelled as have the demands for the extra contingent of federal officers to go home. Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler have repeatedly condemned the federal presence as Trump, Wolf and U.S. Attorney General William Barr have said the officers must stay until violent clashes at the courthouse stop. The downtown protest scene typically devolves late at night as some protesters lob fireworks, bottles and cans at the courthouse and the officers, shine lasers in their eyes and try to dismantle a reinforced fence installed outside the courthouse. Federal tactical officers, many dressed in camouflage fatigues, respond with aggressive force, firing tear gas and impact munitions into the crowds and pushing people several blocks away. Some recent protests have drawn more than 5,000 people. Starting Thursday, all Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will leave downtown Portland, Brown said. After discussions with the Vice President and administration officials this week, the federal government has agreed to my demand and will withdraw these officers from Portland. They will also clean up the Courthouse, removing the graffiti, Brown said in a statement. While state police and the Federal Protective Service will be responsible for the exterior of the courthouse, a limited number of federal officials, including U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service officers who are responsible for building security year-round, will remain focused on the interior of the building, she said. I have grown increasingly concerned at the nightly confrontation between local community members and federal officers, Brown said. We need to recognize that the protests in Portland are not solely about the federal presence. They started before federal agents descended on our city and they will likely continue after they leave. Wheeler said he appreciated the governors leadership and willingness to allow state police to assist in the city. In the last month, Brown had declined Portland police requests for state troopers to back them up for crowd control during the protests, concerned about local police tactics that had come under criticism. The federal occupation of our community has brought a new kind of fear to our streets, Wheeler said in a statement. Federal agents nearly killed a demonstrator, and their presence has led to increased violence and vandalism in our downtown core. The daily coverage of their actions has distracted our community from the Black voices at the center of this movement, and the urgent work of reform. Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton, in an email to his officers Wednesday morning, said he had been very reluctant to expose the agencys mobile response team and SWAT troopers to the Portland protests under the current climate. But he said, Simply put, our law enforcement partners and the community needs OSPs assistance -- which we will provide. State police special operation teams and some uniformed troopers will start a two-week rotation to help the Federal Protective Service and the Portland Police Bureau. We will serve fixed locations at the Federal Courthouse and at mobile locations within the city, Hampton said. They will have the appropriate means to do their jobs and stay as safe as possible -- but all eyes of the nation will be on us, particularly when we supplant federal officers at the courthouse in an effort to bring down the protest temperature. It is not a stage we wished to be on, but we will do our part for Oregon. Well do our best. State police will draw about 100 people from offices across the state to go to Portland. Theyll primarily be troopers from the state police special operation team, as well as logistical support and command staff. The state police will work in cooperation with federal officers and Portland police but report to state police command staff in joint command centers, according to state police spokeswoman Mindy McCartt. Hamptons direction to his troopers is to facilitate free speech to the best of their ability and present a retrained and proportional response to observed criminal conduct, McCartt said. Community support and communication is obviously imperative for OSPs involvement to offer any chance at success,' she added. Wheeler said state police, Portland police and the Multnomah County will continue working together to keep Portlanders safe. The Governor and I have given clear direction: we expect that they will continue engaging only if there is violent criminal activity, he said. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he welcomed the state police assistance to de-escalate the situation, noting that the Police Bureau trains with the state police crowd management team. Portland police, also denounced for their use of tear gas against peaceful demonstrators, face court-ordered restrictions to use tear gas and impact munitions only when lives or public safety are at risk. Federal officers also face multiple lawsuits for firing rubber bullets, pepper balls, pepper spray and tear gas that have injured medics, journalists, legal observers and demonstrators. Federal officials also are investigating the shooting of 26-year-old Donavan La Bella earlier this month and the baton beating of Navy veteran Christopher Davis. La Bella, who returned to the hospital this week suffering complications from his wound, was shot in the forehead with an impact munition fired by a federal officer outside the courthouse as he was holding a music speaker above his head. A deputy U.S. marshal repeatedly hit David as he tried to speak with federal officers. Wolf said there have been more than 245 law enforcement injuries, ranging from minor bruises to concussions and broken bones. Since July 4, either the Federal Protective Service or the Portland Police Bureau have declared 16 unlawful assemblies or riots. A lawsuit Monday challenged the Homeland Security secretarys authority to direct federal officers in his acting role as head of the department. Many civil rights authorities also have argued that the federal forces have overstepped their jurisdiction under the Homeland Security Act by making arrests blocks from the courthouse, sweeping the citys Lownsdale Square across the street and pressing crowds several blocks away from the federal building. Oregons Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum last week was unsuccessful in her attempt to convince a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to restrict federal tactics. She presented evidence of two people who were taken off the street by officers in camouflage and placed in an unmarked van to be questioned without facing charges. But U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman found that the states case was too weak. Oregons Democratic U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley praised the exit of the federal forces but Wyden said hell closely monitor whether whats promised actually occurs and is not the administrations usual penchant for fiction. He said hes concerned theres no specific timeline for a full withdrawal. Thats a loophole big enough to drive an armored personnel carrier through. Bottom line, this occupation should never have happened, he wrote in a Twitter message. Portlands mayor and City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty had urged Wolf to personally meet in Portland with them to discuss a so-called cease fire and removal of the federal officers. Sonia Schmanski, one of Wheelers deputy chiefs of staff, said federal authorities acknowledged the request earlier this week but said nothing more. I think it was becoming clear to everybody that the situation on the ground here was unsustainable and that state resources were going to be a necessary part of the agreement with the feds to leave, Schmanski said. Were just glad theres a deal. After Wednesdays announcement, Wheeler said during a news conference with the mayors of Seattle, Albuquerque, Oakland and Philadelphia that federal authorities spoke directly only with the governors office and information was relayed back to the city. He said the governor had a number of conversations with federal authorities and the city was looped in on Tuesday. While Wheeler said hes pleased weve reclaimed Portland or will soon,' he added: We would do well to remember that this movement is not about the legal right of federal law enforcement to operate in our cities. Its about the urgent and necessary work of criminal justice, racial justice and policing reform. Staff Writer Everton Bailey Jr. contributed to this story. -- Maxine Bernstein Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212 Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian Subscribe to Facebook page Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Ethiopia now hosts the second largest refugee population in Africa, after Uganda The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday said it faces a critical funding shortfall to meet the needs of refugees in Ethiopia. The UNHCR said it received only 72.2 million US dollars out of the total 385.1 million dollars required to meet the basic nutritional, education, health and accommodation needs of refugees in Ethiopia. As of June 30, 2020, the UNHCR registered 766,563 refugees and asylum-seekers in Ethiopia, most of whom are housed in refugee camps in six regional states, it said in a monthly fact sheet. Ethiopia now hosts the second largest refugee population in Africa, after Uganda. Refugees in Ethiopia primarily come from Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Sudan, according to Ethiopian government figures. Conflict and drought in neighboring countries continues to force people to seek refuge in Ethiopia, which has a long tradition of hosting refugees. Ethiopia has also in recent years hosted an increasing number of refugees fleeing conflicts in Yemen and Syria. Search Keywords: Short link: The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Centre, the lieutenant governor and the Delhi government on a plea seeking that no one be appointed to the post of Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) chairman which became vacant recently. A bench comprising chief justice DN Patel and justice Prateek Jalan issued a notice to the authorities and sought their stand on the application by August 31, which has contended that since the constitutional validity of the DMC Act has been challenged in the high court, no one should be appointed to head the commission till the matter is decided. The application has been filed by Vikram Gahlot, a social worker, who, in his main petition, has challenged the constitutional validity of the Act under which the commission has been set up. Advocate Dhananjai Jain, appearing for Gahlot, told the court that as the constitutional validity of the Act has been challenged, no one ought to be appointed to head the commission. Gahlot challenged the constitutional validity of the DMC Act in the wake of allegedly controversial social media posts made by the commissions former chairman Zafarul Islam Khan. Gahlot, in his petition, contended that the Delhi Legislative Assembly did not have the powers to enact the DMC Act and therefore, the statute be declared ultra vires of the Constitution and struck down. He has also contended that since the Act was not valid, the appointments made under it, including that of the chairman, would also be invalid. New Delhi: 2 cops were killed while one other sustained serious injuries in a militant attack on patrol party in Jammu and Kashmirs Kulgam district on Friday. The militants attacked the patrol team at a bus stand in the town following which the whole area has been cordoned off. A search operation has also been launched to nab the attackers. This is the second major attack on security forces in the militancy-hit region. Earlier in the day, a soldier was killed in an encounter between militants and security forces in in Bandipora region. Read | Trapped militant surrenders before security forces in Kashmir's Sopore For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Saskatchewan holds its largest draw since the coronavirus pandemic caused Canada to restrict travel in March. Saskatchewan invites 502 immigration candidates in new PNP draw Saskatchewan holds its largest draw since the coronavirus pandemic caused Canada to restrict travel in March. Saskatchewan invites 502 immigration candidates in new PNP draw Saskatchewan holds its largest draw since the coronavirus pandemic caused Canada to restrict travel in March. Saskatchewan invites 502 immigration candidates in new PNP draw Saskatchewan holds its largest draw since the coronavirus pandemic caused Canada to restrict travel in March. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A Another 502 immigration candidates are one step closer to permanent residence after Saskatchewan held an invitation round on July 29. The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) invited candidates from the International Skilled Worker category through two subcategories: Express Entry, and Occupations In-Demand. In order to be invited in this draw, candidates from both sub-categories needed to have submitted Expression of Interest (EOI) profiles with the SINP. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs The SINP uses the EOI system to select the candidates that have the most potential to thrive in the prairie province. Candidates need to demonstrate their commitment to building a life in Saskatchewan by showcasing their work experience, education, language ability, age, and connections to the province. The SINP uses these five factors to assess candidates and give them a score out of 100 on the International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid. The highest-scoring candidates are then issued an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan. The minimum score required in the July 29 draws was 70 for both sub-categories. Express Entry sub-category In the latest invitation round, Saskatchewan issued 254 invitations to candidates who had profiles in the federal Express Entry pool. The federal Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for three of Canadas main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. If candidates in the federal Express Entry pool also filled out an EOI for Saskatchewan, and they scored 70 on the SINPs Points Assessment Grid they may have been invited in the latest draw. Express Entry candidates who apply for and receive a provincial nomination from the province of Saskatchewan are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This award effectively guarantees that they will be invited to apply for permanent residence in a subsequent federal Express Entry draw. Occupations In-Demand sub-category The Occupations In-Demand sub-category is open to immigration candidates who do not have a federal Express Entry profile. There were 248 Occupations In-Demand candidates invited to apply for a provincial nomination, and like the Express Entry sub-category, candidates needed a provincial score of 70 in order to be chosen. To see the complete list of the 43 occupations included in this draw, go to the government webpage. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Aerospace Composites Market by Fiber Type (Carbon, Ceramic, Glass), Matrix Type, Application, Manufacturing Process, Aircraft Type (Commercial Aircraft, Business & General Aviation, Civil Helicopter, Military Aircraft), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global aerospace composites market size is projected to grow from USD 23.8 billion in 2020 to USD 41.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 11.7% during the same period. The aerospace composites offer exceptional properties, such as low weight, stiffness, strength, tenacity, density, thermal & electrical conductivity, fatigue, and corrosion resistance. Owing to these outstanding properties, conventional materials, such as aluminum and steel, are less preferred in high-performance applications such as aircraft interiors and exteriors. However, the global pandemic disease COVID-19 has forced the aerospace component manufacturers to shut down their operations partially, which is expected to decrease the demand for aerospace composites in 2020. The ceramic fiber composite segment of aerospace composites to be the fastest-growing segment in terms of value. The aerospace composites in the ceramic fiber composite segment are expected to register faster growth. There is a high demand for ceramic fiber composites for making jet engines from commercial, military, civil, business, and general aviation aircraft. On account of the development of production facilities by major companies and increased investments in R&D, these fiber composites have a significant market share in Europe and North America. Ceramic matrix composites to be the faster-growing matrix type, in terms of value. Ceramic matrix composites are reinforced with discontinuous reinforcement, such as particles, whiskers or chopped, fibers, or with continuous fibers. The matrix is used to keep the reinforcing phase in the required orientation, which acts as a load transfer media, and protects the reinforcement from the environment. The ceramic matrix composites offer properties such as high damage tolerance, fracture toughness, and high temperature, wear, and corrosion resistance, which are driving the use of ceramic matrix composites in the aerospace composites market. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new aircraft deliveries are expected to reduce in 2020, which will result in reduced less demand for ceramic matrix composites from gas turbine engines, nose caps, and exhaust nozzles applications. The demand is expected to recover after 2020. The commercial aircraft segment to be the fastest-growing aircraft type, in terms of value, in the aerospace composites market. The commercial aircraft segment is the fastest-growing aircraft type in terms of value, of the overall aerospace composites market in 2019. There is a high demand for carbon fiber composites in commercial airliners as they enable reduction of weight, increase fuel efficiency, reduce assembly time & maintenance, and improve performance. A large number of commercial airplane deliveries in the single-aisle, widebody, twin-aisle, and regional jet segments are expected to increase the demand for carbon fiber composites during the forecast period. Due to COVID-19, the travel restrictions are affecting negatively, which has resulted in fewer aircraft deliveries and expected to reduce composite demand in 2020. APAC is projected to be the fastest-growing aerospace composites industry. APAC is projected to be the fastest-growing aerospace composites market during the forecast period. The region comprises countries, such as Japan, China, and India, having significant potential owing to the presence of established raw material suppliers, product manufacturers, and increasing new aircraft deliveries in the region. There is a high demand for aerospace composites from the aerospace industry in the region. However, COVID-19 has negatively affected the aerospace industry in the APAC region. Japan, China, and Malaysia provides various components to aircraft manufacturers; the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in less demand for the new aircraft, which is expected to reduce composite consumption in these countries in 2020. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of company profiles listed below: Solvay ( Belgium ) ) Toray Industries, Inc. ( Japan ) ) Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings ( Japan ) ) Hexcel Corporation (US) Teijin Limited ( Japan ) ) SGL Group ( Germany ) ) Materion Corporation (US) Owens Corning (US) Spirit AeroSystems (US) Lee Aerospace (US) Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Aerospace Composites Market 4.2 Aerospace Composites Market, by Fiber Type and Region, 2019 4.3 Aerospace Composites Market, by Matrix Type 4.4 Aerospace Composites Market, by Application 4.5 Aerospace Composites Market, by Manufacturing Process 4.6 Aerospace Composites Market, by Aircraft Type 4.7 Aerospace Composites Market, by Key Countries 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Government Stimulus Packages for the Aerospace Industry Amid the COVID-19 Crisis 5.2.1.2 High Demand for Composite Materials from the Aerospace Industry 5.2.1.3 Development of Fuel-Efficient Aircraft 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 Decrease in the Number of Commercial Aircraft Deliveries 5.2.2.2 Disruption in the Supply Chain and Lower Production Capacity Utilization due to the COVID-19 Pandemic 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Reduction in the Cost of Carbon Fiber 5.2.3.2 Development of Advanced Software Tools for Aerospace Composites 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 Maintaining Uninterrupted Supply Chain and Operating at Full Production Capacity 5.2.4.2 Liquidity Crunch 5.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5.4 Value Chain Analysis 5.5 Ecosystem/Market Map 5.5.1 Raw Material Analysis 5.5.2 Manufacturing Process Analysis 5.5.3 Final Product Analysis 6 Macroeconomic Overview and Key Trends in the Aerospace Industry 6.1 Macroeconomic Overview and Key Trends 6.1.1 Introduction 6.1.2 Trends and Forecast of GDP 6.1.3 Trends in the Aerospace Industry 6.1.3.1 Disruption in the Industry 6.1.3.2 Impact on Customers' Output & Strategies to Resume/Improve Production 6.1.3.3 Impact on Customers' Revenue 6.1.3.4 Most Affected Countries 6.1.3.5 Short-Term Strategies to Manage the Cost Structure and Supply Chains 6.1.3.6 New Opportunities 7 Aerospace Composites Market, by Fiber Type 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Carbon Fiber Composites 7.3 Ceramic Fiber Composites 7.4 Glass Fiber Composites 7.5 Others 8 Aerospace Composites Market, by Matrix Type 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Polymer Matrix Composites 8.3 Ceramic Matrix Composites 8.4 Metal Matrix Composites 9 Aerospace Composites Market, by Application 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Interior 9.3 Exterior 10 Aerospace Composites Market, by Manufacturing Process 10.1 Introduction 10.2 AFP/ATL 10.3 Lay-Up 10.4 Resin Transfer Molding 10.5 Filament Winding 10.6 Other Processes 11 Aerospace Composites Market, by Aircraft Type 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Commercial Aircraft 11.3 Business & General Aviation 11.4 Civil Helicopter 11.5 Military Aircraft 11.6 Others 12 Aerospace Composites Market, by Region 12.1 Introduction 12.2 North America 12.3 Europe 12.4 APAC 12.5 MEA 12.6 Latin America 13 Competitive Landscape 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping 13.2.1 Visionary Leaders 13.2.2 Dynamic Differentiators 13.2.3 Emerging Companies 13.2.4 Innovators 13.3 Strength of Product Portfolio 13.4 Business Strategy Excellence 13.5 Market Ranking 13.6 Competitive Scenario 13.6.1 New Product Launch/New Product Development 13.6.2 Expansion 13.6.3 Agreement & Partnership 13.6.4 Merger & Acquisition 14 Company Profiles 14.1 Solvay 14.2 Toray Industries, Inc. 14.3 Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings 14.4 Hexcel Corporation 14.5 Teijin Limited 14.6 SGL Group 14.7 Materion Corporation 14.8 Owens Corning 14.9 Spirit Aerosystems 14.10 Lee Aerospace 14.11 Other Companies 14.11.1 Gurit 14.11.2 General Electric 14.11.3 Rolls-Royce 14.11.4 Kineco Kaman 14.11.5 Nippon Graphite Fiber 14.11.6 Hyosung 14.11.7 Quantum Composites 14.11.8 Albany Engineered Composites 14.11.9 PRF Composite Materials 14.11.10 Victrex For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wyszuu Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com New Delhi, Jul 30 (UNI) The Delhi government on Thursday reduced Value-Added Tax (VAT) on diesel in the national capital from 30 to 16.75 per cent, bringing the price of the fuel down by Rs 8.36 per liter. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the decision after chairing the Delhi Cabinet meeting here. 'Delhi Cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75%. This will reduce price of diesel in Delhi from Rs 82 to Rs 73.64 i.e. by Rs 8.36 per litre,' Mr Kejriwal said while addressing a digital press conference here. UNI NY PS 1435 Your tax-deductible gift today powers our reporters and keeps us independent. We rely on you, our reader, not paywalls to stay funded because we believe important news and information should be freely accessible to all. Start your day with LAist Sign up for the Morning Brief, delivered weekdays. Subscribe Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now. California lawmakers say if Congress does not renew federal unemployment benefits that are now expiring, the state could step in to fill the gap. That extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits is thanks to federal legislation passed early in the coronavirus pandemic. Losing it would have massive ripple effects. Millions of Californians have been getting those benefits. An unprecedented 8.7 million unemployment claims have been filed in California since the pandemic began. And those federal payments have now pumped more than $26 billion into California's unemployment system. But the extra $600 is now expiring, and so far Congress hasn't come up with a plan to extend it. STATE BENEFITS DON'T COVER CALIFORNIA'S HIGH COST OF LIVING Without that federal money, Californians would receive a median weekly payment of just $339 in state unemployment insurance, according to a recent analysis from researchers with the California Policy Lab. UCLA economist Till von Wachter, one of the researchers, said that without the federal $600 boost: "About half of Californians would have weekly benefits that put them below the federal poverty line." Congress is split on extending the federal benefits. Democrats in the House of Representatives have passed a bill that would maintain the $600 weekly benefit. But Republicans want to reduce the payments to $200 per week, arguing higher payments discourage people from Sacramento lawmakers -- worried about the high cost of living in a state where many people were barely hanging on prior to the pandemic -- say that if the federal benefits are eliminated or greatly reduced it could be catastrophic. They're now considering a plan to replace those benefits with state funds. COULD THE STATE FILL THE VOID? A group of state lawmakers tasked with developing California's economic stimulus plan has proposed taking action to make up for "shortfalls resulting from if the federal government does not extend the $600 per week payment." California Assemblyman Phil Ting said without that help, cash-strapped Californians could end up facing eviction. "At a time when we're telling everyone to stay at home, we want to make sure they have the ability to stay at home rather than be out on the street," Ting said. Ting said the proposal is in nascent stages, but it would likely involve borrowing money from the federal government and paying it back with increased taxes on employers down the line. "If we need to make up that difference so that people can stay in their homes, I think it'd be an investment that would be well spent," he said. California has borrowed money from the federal government in the past when unemployment payments have gone up. It took the state more than seven years to repay the debts racked up during Great Recession. Attorney Michael Bernick -- a former director of the state department that runs California's unemployment office -- said raising payroll taxes during a time of such great economic uncertainty could hurt the state's chances at economic recovery. "Increasing payroll taxes on employers is probably the last thing we need now," Bernick said. "It's a disincentive to hire people. And what we need are incentives to hire people." For now, nothing is set in stone. Before introducing any legislation, California lawmakers are waiting to see if Congress reaches a compromise to extend the federal benefits. Sonyong Lee fled North Korea and recently arrived in South Korea. She has been receiving letters from her mother who is still in North Korea and Sonyong has shared one of her mother's letters with Radio Free Asia. "I understand your difficult circumstances as you try to settle down in your new life in South Korea. But it is a very difficult moment here. Please help me one more time," Sonyong's mother wrote to Sonyong. Sonyong sent money to Sonyong's mother in March but Sonyong's mother's recent letter indicates how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting her negatively with the cost of food rising and food running out. North Korea has enforced border security ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and by doing so the activities of brokers, smugglers, and defectors have significantly decreased. The Ministry of Unification in South Korea noted that only 12 North Koreans escaped during the pandemic which is a comparable decrease of 320 North Korean escapees during the same time frame of last year. "The numbers of North Korean defectors who entered South Korea during the second quarter of this year was the lowest ever," the spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification said. Songyong is advised to wait until the current level of North Korean border security relaxes to get a crackdown of North Korean defectors and brokers to eventually be able to send money to her mother again. New Delhi, July 30 : The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said that herd immunity cannot be a strategic option in a nation the size of India and this can only be achieved through immunisation in the future. Addressing a press conference, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said: "Herd immunity is an indirect protection from a disease. In a country the size of India, it cannot be a strategic choice or option. It can only be achieved through immunisation but that is in the future." He said that the ministry, too, believes that the herd immunity is far in the future and hence, ir is important to adopt Covid appropriate behaviour. The remarks came at a time India has logged over 15 lakh coronavirus cases and continues to have the fastest growth rate of infection. The Ministry again reiterated that there is no community spread in the country, and that there are merely clusters of cases and pockets of localised transmission. Bhushan said that as many as one million people have recovered till now and the recovery rate is increasing. "In April first week, the rate of recovery was 7.85 per cent, in June, it increased to 48.31 per cent and 64.44 per cent in July. Recoveries are 1.9 times the number of active cases." As many as 16 states and UTs have a recovery rate more than the national average of 64.44 per cent. Highest number of recovered patients are in Delhi, Ladakh, Haryana, Assam, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Besides this, there is a decrease in the percentage of active cases and deaths due to Covid-19, the Health Secretary said, adding that effective clinical management has led to the decrease in case fatality rate. "In June, it was 3.33 per cent and now it is 2.21 per cent and is continuously decreasing." "If compared to other countries, the case fatality rate is 2.21 per cent. Barring Russia, all the major countries have a case fatality rate six-seven times more than India. It is the lowest in the world as compared to the developed western countries or neighbourhood countries." As many as 24 states and UTs have a lower case fatality rate than the national average. Out of this, eight states - Assam, Kerala, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Goa and Jharkhand have less than one percent rate. Bhushan said that testing infrastructure has also increased and almost one crore tests were conducted in the span of the last one month. "In July first week, cumulative numbers were 88 lakh and now 1,81,90,382 tests have been done." Meanwhile, there are 21 states where positivity rate, or the percentage of people who test positive compared to the overall number tested, is less than 10 per cent. Out of the total, four states and UTs -- Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have rate less than 5 per cent, while Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Odisha and Karnataka have more than 10 per cent positivity rate. Quoting WHO, Bhushan said there are 24 vaccine candidates which are in clinical evaluation in the world and there are 141 vaccine candidates in pre-evaluation stage. "Three are in phase three clinical trials - in the US, the UK, China. In India, phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trial of two indigenously-developed vaccines have commenced. One trial is being conducted on 1,150 subjects at eight sites. The other is being tested on 1,000 subjects at 5 sites." He further said that India has not signed any agreement with any vaccine manufacturing company. "We have had discussions on vaccine distribution. There are various stakeholders within government and outside and the ministry has started actively engaging with them." He said that whenever the Covid-19 vaccine will come, it will be administered on a much larger scale compared to the existing vaccines. "This is something on which there is near unanimity," the Health Secretary said. You have to wonder, as the years went on, how many husbands were actually reflecting their wives opinions when they went to the polls. The balance of power within families has shifted dramatically over the last 50 years, mainly because of money. The transformation began when the countrys post-World War II economic boom hit the killer recession of the 1970s, and everyone began to realize that a whole lot of the families of the future would not be able to afford a middle-class lifestyle unless the wives kept working. The womens movement combined with the hard facts of the economy created a world in which almost no one envisioned young women with a distinctly different wage-earning future from men. Ill never forget a visit I made to a community college in Connecticut, back around 1980. I was invited for some reason to speak to a class of young men, and I asked them to describe for me their ideal mate. There were a few polite murmurs about a good sense of humor and fine moral character then someone called out, And a good earner! I cannot tell you how enthusiastic the room became over the good earner qualification. It took professional politicians quite a while to notice there was a change going on. Then in 1980, when Ronald Reagan defeated then-President Jimmy Carter, it became clear the country had moved on to a whole new political wave. Analysis of the final tallies showed that both sexes favored Reagan, but the women split very narrowly while the men went Republican 55 percent to 36 percent. The gender gap was born, and it really turned into a canyon in 1996, when Bill Clinton won the womens vote by a wide margin, while men narrowly favored Bob Dole. These days, women go to the polls more faithfully than men, and they are more likely to vote Democratic. That doesnt mean they always win. In 2000, women favored Al Gore for president over George W. Bush, 54-44 percent, while the men went for Bush, 54-43. In 2016, the male voters gave us Donald Trump in an election where the gender gap yawned at 11 points. But the power is there. Black women, whove fought dual battles against racism and sexism to exercise their right to vote, knocked the socks off Democratic organizers in Alabama in 2017 when they gave long-shot Senate candidate Doug Jones 98 percent of their vote and a victory over Republican former-judge-and-pursuer-of-teenage-girls Roy Moore. The Government has announced details of a planned new law to give police the power to conduct random roadside drug testing of drivers. The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill was introduced to the house today and is intended to have its first reading in the House next week. This Government is committed to reducing drug-related harm in our communities. This new law will allow police to test if drivers are under the influence of drugs anywhere, anytime, just as they do now for alcohol, says Police Minister Stuart Nash. Last year, 103 people died in crashes where the driver was later found to have drugs in their system. We need to do more to stop impaired drivers getting behind the wheel, says Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter. Enforcement on our roads is a key part of this, but every one of must challenge dangerous driving behaviours in friends, workmates or family, says Nash. The Bill allows police to use oral fluid tests to check drivers for drugs which are likely to include THC (cannabis), methamphetamine, opiates, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and benzodiazepines. These are currently the most prevalent and high risk drugs and medications used by drivers in New Zealand. Under this law, drivers who test positive for the presence of drugs will be fined, immediately suspended from driving for 12 hours, and lose half their demerit points. Drivers would also face harsher criminal penalties where blood tests confirm impairing levels of drugs in their system, or drugs combined with alcohol." We all want driving on our roads to be as safe as possible. Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol makes drivers more likely to speed, lose control of the vehicle, or crash, says Genter. Its important we get this right. I expect the Bill to head to select committee after the election where experts and the general public can weigh in on the details of the proposed law. Road safety is a priority for this Government. No loss of life on our roads is acceptable and were committed to taking action to stop unnecessary trauma." Specific criminal limits for drugs will be added to the Bill by Supplementary Order Paper and provided to the select committee for scrutiny, allowing the independent expert panel sufficient time to provide advice on the setting of these limits. FAQs - drug driving Why are changes to the drug driving regime needed? Currently, police officers can stop and test drivers randomly at the roadside for drink driving. The harm of drug driving justifies a similar approach especially as evidence indicates that the existing regime is not as effective as it could be at reducing drug driving harm. The existing regime is based on an impairment test following an officer establishing that they have good cause to suspect a person has consumed drugs. Under the current approach: Impairment is assessed thrugh a compulsory impairment test (CIT), which is a behavioural test, undertaken by a specially trained police officer. It comprises eye, walk and turn, and one-leg-stand assessments. A driver who fails a CIT is required to undertake an evidential blood test. Serious criminal penalties result if a blood sample identifies the presence of any qualifying drug in the drivers system. Qualifying drugs are defined in the Land Transport Act 1998 and include both impairing illicit drugs and prescription medicines. For a first and second offence, a drug impaired driver could receive a prison term of up to three months or a fine of up to $4,500, and a mandatory disqualification from driving of six months or more. Police also have the power to forbid a person to drive for 12 hours, if a drivers performance on a CIT is unsatisfactory. The good cause to suspect threshold, and length of time it takes to perform the behavioural test (it can be up to 1.5 hours), limit Polices ability to perform enough tests to deter drug driving. Research has shown that only 26 per cent of drivers expect to be caught drug driving, compared to 60 per cent who expect to get caught drink driving. How much of a problem is drug driving in New Zealand? Drug driving is a road safety issue, and a major contributing factor to deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads. International research shows that many recreational and prescription drugs have the potential to impair driving, and New Zealand studies show that drivers are using those drugs and driving. In 2019, 103 people were killed in crashes where the driver was found to have drugs other than alcohol in their system. This represented 28 per cent of all fatal road crashes, ahead of drivers with excess alcohol at 26 per cent. It is clear that our current approach is not effective in deterring drug driving on our roads. What are the key elements of the Bill? The Bill proposes a new random roadside oral fluid (saliva) testing regime. This oral fluid testing regime would sit alongside the current CIT approach to drug driving. Under the new regime, a police officer would be able to stop any driver of a motor vehicle and administer an oral fluid test without good cause to suspect a driver has consumed drugs, consistent with the existing approach to drink driving enforcement. Drivers who fail two consecutive oral fluid tests would commit an infringement offence, the penalty for which is aligned to the drink driving infringement penalty. The driver would be forbidden to drive for 12 hours. A driver who passes the first oral fluid test (or passes a second test after failing a first) would usually be free to go. Drivers who fail two consecutive oral fluid tests can elect to undertake an evidential blood test if they wish to challenge the result. A medical defence is available for people who have taken drugs in line with their prescription. Once a police officer has stopped a driver, the officer may require the driver to carry out a CIT if the officer has good cause to suspect a driver has consumed drugs. This can only be done in certain circumstances: befre beginning the oral fluid testing process (once a driver has been required to undergo a CIT, they cannot be required to take an oral fluid test) when a driver has passed the first oral fluid test (or failed the first and passed the second) but the police officer has good cause to suspect the driver has consumed drugs that the device may not be able to test for when more than one drug is identified on the first oral fluid test. If a driver fails a CIT test Police may then require them to undertake a blood test. Evidential blood tests could continue to be taken from injured drivers, and the Bill also enables Police to require a driver to have a blood test if they have failed two oral fluid tests and have been involved in a crash that has resulted in another person being injured or killed. If qualifying drugs are found in their blood sample, they could be subject to either infringement or criminal penalties, depending on the levels of the drug in their system. What drugs will be captured by the regime? The oral fluid testing devices will test for the most prevalent drugs (or drug classes) in New Zealand. Initially, this is likely to include THC (the psycho-active ingredient in cannabis), methamphetamine, benzodiazepines (sedatives) MDMA (ecstasy), opiates (e.g. morphine) and cocaine. In some instances, a driver may elect or be required to undertake a blood test. The blood sample will then be tested for the presence of any qualifying drug. Qualifying drugs are defined under the Land Transport Act as any substance, preparation, mixture, or article containing a controlled drug specified in Schedule 1 or 2, or any of Part 1, 4 or 7 of Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975. The Bill proposes for this definition to expand to include any drugs contained in Parts 2, 3, and 5 of Schedule 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 (given their impairing effects). What is the testing process? How long does an oral fluid test take? The exact testing process and time to undertake an oral fluid test will depend on the type of device procured. The testing process for some devices involves several swipes of the tongue which can be done in seconds with a small device. Technology is constantly improving but based on the technology currently available, some devices could return an initial result in two to five minutes. The time taken to return a result will depend on a range of factors including the type of device procured, the threshold in the device, and the number of drugs the device tests for. How accurate are the oral fluid tests? The exact accuracy will depend on the type of device procured, but in general, the risk of false positives is quite small. Studies show that the Securetec DrugWipe device, for example, has controlled lab environment accuracy of 100 per cent, and in-field accuracy of at least 90 per cent. Some testing devices can be calibrated with higher detection thresholds, which can reduce the chance of false positives. What procedural safeguards are proposed to avoid false positive test results? If a driver fails an initial oral fluid screening test the will be required to take a second oral fluid test. A driver will only be penalised if they fail two oral fluid tests. We estimate this will reduce the mathematical probability of false positives to between 0.01% - 5.5 per cent. Police will also have robust training and procedures in place to mitigate any risk of inaccuracies caused by operator error. A driver that fails two oral fluid tests will also be able to elect a blood test to conclusively prove that they do not have drugs in their system. Can the oral fluid test result be contaminated? It is highly unlikely for contamination to occur during the testing process. This is because oral fluid tests are sealed prior to use, and (subject to the type of device procured) the collection pads will likely only come in contact with the drivers tongue for 1-2 seconds, and are then sealed within the device. Will Police conduct a drug test every time they conduct a breath test? This is an operational decision for Police. Police will be able to test for alcohol and/or drugs at the roadside. Who can be required to take the oral fluid drug test? As with alcohol, the drug driving regime is focussed on addressing the road safety risk of driving a motor vehicle after having consumed impairing drugs. Car or bus passengers and people walking or using non-motorised devices would not tested. Will Police have an annual target number of tests to conduct? The proposed oral fluid testing regime can deliver a large number of tests cost effectively. This will likely be phased in over a three-year period, reaching 66,000 oral fluid tests per year. Police will be funded to deliver 33,000 oral fluid tests in the first year, increasing to 50,000 tests in the second year, and 66,000 tests in third and subsequent years. Police will determine the most efficient and effective method of delivery for targeting drug driving risk, allowing the method to adapt to address new risks as they develop. What happens if I refuse an oral fluid test? If a driver refuses an oral fluid test, they will be required to undertake an evidential blood test. It is an offence to refuse to undertake an evidential blood test when required. Will a driver be penalised if they have trace amounts of a drug in their system? Low level tolerance thresholds would be applied to the detection of drugs in blood and set in the oral fluid devices for the detection of drugs. These thresholds would avoid the risk of penalising drivers who have accidental or passive exposure to drugs, low residual levels of a drug, or consumed doses of some prescription or over the counter medicines that are unlikely to impair driving. The Bill outlines that before the Minister of Police can approve an oral testing device, they must be satisfied that the device will return a positive result only if the device detects a drug at a level that indicates recent use. A medical defence will be available to drivers who have taken prescription drugs in accordance with their prescription, and have provided a blood sample through an evidential blood test. What penalties are proposed? The Bill proposes to establish infringement and criminal offences. These will apply depending on the testing process and the level of drugs found in a drivers system. An infringement combination offence and a criminal combination offence would also apply in different scenarios. This recognises the additional road safety risk of driving after consuming multiple drugs (or drugs and alcohol). The proposed offences and penalties are as follows: $200 infringement fee, 50 demerit pints and a 12-hour prohibition from driving for driving or attempting to drive with one qualifying drug in blood below the criminal limit or when two consecutive oral fluid tests confirm the presence of a drug $400 infringement fee, 75 demerit pints and a 12-hour prohibition from driving for driving or attempting to drive with more than one drug (or drug and alcohol) in blood below the criminal limit or when two consecutive oral fluid tests confirm the presence of more than one drug a prison term of up to three months or a fine of up to $4,500, and a mandatory disqualification from driving of six months or more for driving or attempting to drive with one qualifying drug in blood at or above the criminal limit a prison term of up to six months or a fine not exceeding $4,500, and a mandatory disqualification from driving of nine months or more for driving or attempting to drive with more than one drug (or drug and alcohol) in blood at or above the criminal limit a prison term of up to two years or a fine not exceeding $6,000, and a mandatory disqualification from driving for one year or more for a third and subsequent convictions for drug driving a prison term of up to 3 years or a fine not exceeding $10,000 and a mandatory disqualification from driving of one year or more if a driver has caused the injury or death of a person and has a qualifying drug in blood below the criminal limit. Why are higher penalties proposed for driving after consuming multiple drugs or drugs and alcohol? In 2017 and 2018, over 30 per cent of deceased drivers and drivers that failed a CIT in New Zealand were found with a combination of drugs or drugs and alcohol in their system. A number of case-control studies indicate that consuming drugs and alcohol or more than one drug significantly increases a drivers risk of crashing or being seriously injured. The combined use of alcohol and drugs has been shown to be more risky than any one substance in isolation, except for alcohol at high levels. What are the criminal levels? The Government agreed that criminal levels would be specified in legislation following advice from an independent expert panel. The panel will provide advice on setting criminal limits at drug concentrations in blood that align with drink driving measures of impairment, being a limit equivalent to a blood-alcohol limit of 80mg/100ml the level of the current drink driving criminal penalty. These levels havent been included in this Bill due to delays in establishing and receiving advice from the panel. The intent is for criminal limits to be added by Supplementary Order Paper. To ensure transparency about the limits, the proposed limits will be available to the public during Select Committee consideration of the Bill. What drugs will have criminal levels set for them? Criminal levels will be established for the most prevalent drugs used by New Zealand drivers, subject to the available evidence and advice of the Expert Panel. This will include the drugs tested for through the oral fluid devices. There are more than 100 other impairing drugs available in New Zealand. It is not possible to set criminal levels for all of these because there is insufficient evidence or research to establish the impairing effects of a drug, or because the drugs are new or quickly evolving (such as designer drugs). What happens when a blood test shows that a driver has taken a drug without a criminal limit? As is currently the case, drivers would continue to receive a criminal offence following a failed CIT where the drivers blood sample shows the presence of any qualifying drug without criminal limits set. An infringement penalty would apply for the presence of any qualifying drugs that do not have criminal limits, when impairment has not been established through a CIT. Does this proposal have an impact on peoples rights under the NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990? We acknowledge that introducing a random oral fluid testing regime impacts on several rights affirmed and protected by the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BORA). Checks and balances have also been built into the regime to limit the impact on affirmed rights. These include: the proposed oral fluid testing process includes the procedural safeguard of two oral fluid tests, which establishes a reasonable basis for establishing liability at an infringement level and reduces the probability of false-positive test results the process is less invasive, and will detain most people for a significantly shorter duration, than the current CIT process a medical defence is available for drivers who have consumed drugs in accordance with a valid prescription and instructions from their health practitioner the initial sanctin for failing two oral fluid tests is an infringement offence, not a criminal sanction drivers have the ption of electing to provide an evidential blood sample if they wish to use a medical defence or dispute the results of oral fluid tests the prposal to issue an infringement offence following two failed oral fluid tests reduces reliance on the more invasive blood test. How does the proposal mitigate concerns that a drug testing regime will disproportionately effect Maori? New measures to address drug-impaired driving could have disproportionate impacts for Maori men and women, who are over-represented at all stages of the criminal justice system and receive a disproportionate number of drug convictions. The infringement offence scheme mitigates the risk of Maori men and women receiving criminal penalties for drug-impaired driving. Police are currently undertaking a programme of work to manage the potential for unconscious bias in police practices. How does the Bill interface with the Cannabis Referendum? The proposed drug driving regime is based on detecting and deterring the use of impairing substances in drivers, regardless of whether or not the substance that they have consumed is illegal. If cannabis were legalised following the referendum, the proposed drug driving regime would continue to test for cannabis through oral fluid testing at the roadside, just as it would for other legal impairing substances. Did you consult on this? Yes. Public consultation occurred between May-June 2019. The purpose of the consultation was to get public feedback about possible approaches to improving our drug driving system, including the methods that could be used to screen and test for drugs, the circumstances in which a driver should be tested, what drugs should be tested for and how police should deal with drug driving offences. We received 88 submissions in response to the discussion document and many noted that the issues were complex. Although views on some aspects differed, most submitters favoured a zero-tolerance, presence-based approach to roadside drug testing, although there were concerns about the accuracy of oral fluid testing devices and Maori being disproportionately impacted by drug driving enforcement measures. The majority of submitters supported taking a second oral fluid test if someone failed the first test, followed by taking a blood sample for evidential purposes. However, there was mixed support for random drug testing of drivers. The summary of submissions report can be found here: https://www.transport.govt.nz/multi-modal/keystrategiesandplans/road-safety-strategy/drug-driving/ What happens next? Can I have a say? FILE - In this July 10, 2020, file photo, Vauhxx Booker speaks at a news conference for him in Bloomington, Ind. Two men are facing charges afterBooker said a group of white men assaulted him in Indiana and threatened to "get a noose" after claiming that he and his friends had trespassed on private property. Monroe County prosecutors on Friday, July 17, 2020, charged Sean Purdy with felonies of criminal confinement, battery resulting in moderate bodily injury and intimidation. Jerry Cox II has been charged with felony criminal confinement and battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, as well as two misdemeanors. (Rich Janzaruk/The Herald-Times via AP File) (Rich Janzaruk/AP) Gay and bisexual men and transgender women who fled to Lebanon to escape sexual violence in Syrias war are struggling with extreme physical and psychological trauma, made worse by a lack of available health services in their host country. Forty LGBT survivors in Lebanon, which hosts more than 1 million Syrian refugees, told the New York-based nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch they were targeted with sexual violence by various actors during Syrias conflict. Some said they were harassed or abused at checkpoints for being soft looking. Others said their sexual or gender identity made them subject to additional torture, including rape and forced nudity, inside Syrias notorious detention centers. They rape you just to see you suffering, a 28-year-old gay man who was detained by the Syrian intelligence agencies told Human Rights Watch. "I look behind me when I am walking. I still wake up at night. What would happen if it happens again?" Survivors in Lebanon said humanitarian organizations, with programs focusing on women and girls, arent always equipped to help male survivors deal with issues such as post-traumatic stress and rectal bleeding. Post-rape care, Human Rights Watch said, should provide post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV, as well as treatment of other sexually transmitted infections. Men and boys regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity are vulnerable to sexual violence in Syria and often remain unseen and without the support all survivors of sexual violence urgently need, said Zeynep Pinar Erdem of Human Rights Watch. Services need to be funded and tailored to support their access and care without diverting funding from services for women and girls, Erdem said. In 2018, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry found that the Syrian government and associated forces used rape and other forms of sexual violence, primarily against women and girls, as a means of causing terror and humiliation to the population. A lex Beresford has praised his Good Morning Britain colleague Kate Garraway for how shes handled herself in public during her husbands coronavirus fight. Derek Draper was first hospitalised with the virus back in March and while he has since tested negative for Covid-19, he remains in hospital where hes receiving treatment for the extraordinary damage caused to his entire body. Garraway, 53, took four months off from her presenting duties when Draper was first rushed to hospital but has since returned to GMB to cover while Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan are on holiday. Speaking to the Sun, Beresford, 39, hailed Garraway for her efforts to ensure she and her family have the energy to keep going. Kate Garraway says 'tough couple of weeks' for her husband in coronavirus fight He said: "It has been so uplifting for myself and the GMB family to see Kate Garraway back at the desk, and I hope its given her the lift she needs to keep herself, her husband Derek and the kids going. "When it comes to our sanity, I always say nothing works unless you do. Its so important we look after ourselves so we can look after everyone else. The weather presenter added that he "cant begin to imagine what its been like for her, stating: But I have been in awe of how shes handled herself in public and like the true professional she is, Kates strength has shone." Happily married: Garraway and Draper have two children together / Rex Features Garraway announced her return to the show during an interview with Morgan and Reid in early July. Ive got to get back to the things Im good at, she said. "I've been trying to keep everything going and I'm not especially different. Everyone is having to get on with sadness, grief and loss, so if I come back we're all in the same boat." When asked what Draper would think of her decision to return to work, Garraway said he would urge her to do so, to help provide a future for their two children, Darcey and Billy. She said: Derek would not just be saying,Go back. He would be saying: Why havent you done it before? Celebrities make a show of thanks for frontline NHS key workers 1 /9 Celebrities make a show of thanks for frontline NHS key workers Daniel Craig and Phoebe Waller-Bridge were among stars featuring in celebrity show of thanks to the NHS NHS/Twitter PA PA PA PA PA Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge was among stars who join in a show of thanks for NHS workers on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis NHS/Twitter As he got in the ambulance he said, Go inside and make them [the kids] feel safe.' My job now is to make them feel safe, and like they have a future and a world. And whatever happens with Derek, we hope and believe he can come back to us. To see me get on... they're going to go back to school in September." Draper has regained consciousness after being placed into a coma by doctors, but faces an uphill battle on his road to recovery. Speaking earlier this week, Garraway admitted its hard to see no improvement in his condition. What the doctors said to me is, Sometimes, a day when nothing has gone backwards and nothing has gone wrong is a positive day, she said on Tuesday. Its a stable day. Its just Im desperate for a step forward but its always lovely to see him and its wonderful to have the chance to do that [visit]." The owners of a bed-and-breakfast in Michigan have been forced to remove a Norwegian flag from the front of their hotel after dozens of guests and passersby have mistaken it for a Confederate flag. Kjersten and Greg Offenbecker, a married couple with three children, have operated The Nordic Pineapple Bed & Breakfast out of a historic Civil War-era mansion located in St John, Michigan, for the past two years. To honor Kjersten's Scandinavian heritage, the owners hung a large Norwegian flag alongside an American flag at the front entrance - a decision that has proven controversial due to the Norwegian flag's vague resemblance to the symbol of the Confederacy. Scroll down for video Mistaken identity: The owners of The Nordic Pineapple in St John, Michigan, last week took down this Norwegian flag after it was repeatedly mistaken for a Confederate flag Distinct: A Norwegian flag features a blue cross superimposed on a white cross (left), while a Confederate flag displays 13 white stars on a blue 'X' (right) The Offenbeckers, who have three children, opened the inn in 2018 after retiring 'I dont see it because I grew up with the Norwegian flag,' Kjersten told the Lansing State Journal. 'To me, they are two distinct flags.' Both banners are red and blue but have different and distinct designs, with the Norwegian flag featuring a blue cross superimposed on a white cross, and the Confederate flag displaying 13 white stars on a blue 'X.' After receiving many negative comments from people about the flag accusing the owners of bigotry, the Offenbeckers decided to take it down. 'We started to have this concern that it was deterring people away from coming to our bed and breakfast,' Offenbencker told the station WILX. 'That people would see it and make this judgement.' Finally, last week the innkeepers removed both flags from the facade of their landmark 9,000-square foot, eight-bedroom mansion that was built in 1861 by Oliver Spaulding, a brevetted brigadier general with the Union army who later served in the US Congress. Kjersten is of Norwegian descent, which explains the name of their B&B and the presence of Norway's flag on the property Greg is pictured rolling up the Norwegian flag, after his wife insisted that it be taken down amid criticism from the community The Offenbeckers said they were hurt by accusations of racism because their two adopted children are Black (pictured together with the couple's biological son) 'We love being members of the St Johns community and are heartbroken to have had to make this decision,' the Offenbeckers wrote in a July 20 Facebook post. 'Given the current cultural climate and the idea that people are judging us based on the misconception of the national Norwegian flag vs. the Confederate flag, this is what is best for our family and our Inn.' Kjersten said her husband was opposed to taking down the Norwegian flag, arguing that people should know that it's different from the Confederate flag, but his wife put her foot down. 'I was done. I've have enough. I'm tired with people mistaking us for [bigots],' she said. The couple said they were deeply hurt by accusations of racism, especially given the fact that their two adopted children, ages 12 and 15, are Black. Several community members have urged the Offenbeckers to put the Norwegian flag back up, but they say they wont until they can figure out a way to make sure it is not mistaken for the the Confederate flag. 'As we continue to pour over the comments of support and encouragement, we have been faced with a new decision about whether or not to re-hang our beloved flags,' the Offenbeckers wrote on their B&B's Facebook page on Wednesday. 'Just as we struggled with the decision to remove them, we struggle with the decision to put them back up.' A Ugandan court has sentenced a poacher to 11 years in prison for killing a rare, endangered mountain gorilla. Rafiki, a 25-year-old silverback who was the head of a gorilla group in the southwestern Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, was killed with a spear in early June. Bwindi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Ugandas border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is home to about half the worlds remaining population of roughly 1,000 mountain gorillas. 200612165012692 Byamukama Felix pleaded guilty to killing the gorilla, as well as a bush pig, and being in possession of bush pig and antelope meat during a hearing at a magistrates court in the town of Kabale, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said in a statement on Thursday. We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice, Sam Mwandha, UWA executive director, said. This should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife. If one person kills wildlife, we all lose, therefore we request every person to support our efforts of conserving wildlife for the present and future generations. Earlier this month, UWA said poaching attempts have doubled in Uganda as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a rise in unemployment and food shortages. With the country in lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19, game parks have been closed to the public for several weeks, allowing poachers easier access and making animals more vulnerable, according to UWA. The authority said rangers had discovered 367 snares laid by poachers between February and June this year, up from 163 during the same period in 2019. Besides the killing of Rafiki, poachers in recent weeks have mostly hunted smaller animals, such as antelope, probably to eat them rather than for trading. The Belarusian side has informed Ukrainian diplomats about the situation around the detention of Russian militants on its territory. Belarus has asked Ukrainian authorities to verify the involvement of over 30 Russian men detained outside Minsk in the commission of crimes in Ukraine. Acting chief of the Ukrainian Embassy, Petro Vrublevsky, has met with Belarusian Minister for Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei, the embassy reports. "The Belarusian side informed about the situation around the detention of Russian militants and appealed to the Ukrainian side to verify the involvement of the detainees in committing crimes in Ukraine," the embassy noted. As UNIAN reported earlier, on July 29, Belarus law enforcement detained 32 Russian militants with the PMC Wagner just outside Minsk and another individual in the south of the country. Read also"Little green men" in Belarus: Dozens of militants detained near Minsk part of Russia's PMC Wagner media (Video) Media reports said among them were those who had fought against Ukraine government forces in Donbas. According to law enforcement, they had been tipped about the arrival of more than 200 militants to destabilize the country during the election campaign. Each Russian man had small hand luggage on them, while the group was also spotted loading into a vehicle three large heavy suitcases. Belarusian authorities state the detainees are part of Russia's private military company Wagner. A criminal case has been launched. The group members are charged with plotting an act of terror and being interrogated. The Security Service of Ukraine announced that they would initiate the issue of extradition of militants detained in Belarus. ROCKVILLE, MD New applications for Maryland jobless benefits fell last week to its lowest level since mid-March, the state's labor department reported Thursday. Initial unemployment claims dropped by 9,539 to 23,839 for the week ending July 25. The latest figure represents a 28.5 percent decrease from the 33,378 jobless claims that were filed the prior week. It also pushes the total number of filings to nearly 1.07 million since early March. Prior to the pandemic, first-time unemployment filings in Maryland hovered between 2,000 and 6,500 per week. During the public health crisis, however, these numbers have fluctuated between 2,090 and 109,263. Of the 23,839 workers who applied last week, 10,725 filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) a federal program for gig workers, contractors, and other self-employed people who otherwise are ineligible for regular jobless benefits. The jurisdiction with the most PUA claims was Prince George's County, with 2,435, according to state data. Claims filed for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) a federal program that provides an additional 13 weeks of pay to workers who've exhausted their other benefits was 1,156. The most PEUC claims were filed in Baltimore County. The total stands at 197. Here's the breakdown: Courtesy of the Maryland Department of Labor This article originally appeared on the Rockville Patch The high-profile trial of well-known Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov is set to start on August 5. Yefremov, who in recent years has criticized Kremlin politics in a one-man show, faces up to 12 years in prison for killing a person in an accident while he was driving under the influence of alcohol. A court in Moscow set the date for Yefremov's trial on July 30, and prolonged his pretrial house arrest until January 22 next year. He is barred from leaving his home, using the telephone, the Internet, regular mail, and communicating with the media and individuals, with the exception of close relatives, lawyers, and investigators. Police say Yefremov was drunk when he drove his car at a high speed into an oncoming lane in central Moscow on the evening of June 8, hitting another car. Yefremov did not suffer any injuries in the accident, while the driver of the other vehicle, identified as 57-year-old Sergei Zakharov, was rushed to hospital with multiple injuries and died hours later. After Zakharov was pronounced dead, Yefremov was charged with "causing a deadly traffic accident while driving under the influence." Performances by the 56-year-old Yefremov challenging President Vladimir Putin and his politics have been very popular in recent years. Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax The US and Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to Quad consultations with India and Japan, stressing that they are working side-by-side with other partners to maintain a secure, prosperous and rules-based Indo-Pacific, amidst China flexing its muscles in the region. The top ministers from the two countries on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Indo-Pacific is the focus of the alliance and that the US and Australia are working side-by-side, including with ASEAN, India, Japan, South Korea, and Five Eyes partners, to strengthen their networked structure of alliances and partnerships to maintain a region that is secure, prosperous, inclusive and rules-based. Quad or quadrilateral coalition represents four countries - India, Japan, Australia and the US. It was set up with an aim to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and check Chinas increasing efforts to expand military influence in the region. Im confident that our partners all across Europe and, frankly, democratic friends all across the world, whether thats in India or Japan or South Korea - our Australian partners are here today - understand that the challenge of our times is to make sure that those nations that do value freedom and do want economic prosperity based on the rule of law will join together to deliver that for our people, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint news conference. Pompeo was accompanied by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds. The leaders committed to continue to work together with Indo-Pacific partner countries to mitigate any impacts of Covid-19 on exacerbating the regional terrorist threat and to support regional counter-terrorism partner countries in addressing these threats, including any potential movement of foreign terrorist fighters within the region. Pompeo commended Australia for publicly condemning Chinas disinformation campaign and insisting on an independent review into the origin of the coronavirus. Pompeo said he talked at length at the meeting about the Chinese Communist Partys malign activity in the Indo-Pacific region, and indeed all around the world. The United States commends the (Scott) Morrison government for standing up for democratic values and the rule of law, despite intense, continued, coercive pressure from the Chinese Communist Party to bow to Beijings wishes, Pompeo said. It is unacceptable for Beijing to use exports or student fees as a cudgel against Australia. We stand with our Australian friends, he said. In a joint statement issued after the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations, the two countries affirmed that China cannot assert maritime claims in the South China Sea based on the nine-dash line, historic rights, or entire South China Sea island groups, which are incompatible with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory. It has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. They noted that the 2016 Arbitral Award is final and binding on both parties and emphasised that all claims in the South China Sea must be made and resolved in accordance with international law. They also expressed their support for the rights of claimants to lawfully exploit offshore resources, including in relation to long-standing oil and gas projects as well as fisheries in the South China Sea, free from harassment and coercion, the statement said. They welcomed the recent ASEAN Leaders statement that a South China Sea Code of Conduct should be consistent with UNCLOS, and emphasised that any Code should not prejudice the rights or interests of States under international law or undermine existing regional architecture, and should strengthen the commitment of parties not to engage in actions that complicate or escalate disputes, notably militarisation of disputed features, the statement said. Payne said Australia and the US are deeply committed to strengthening health security efforts in the Indo-Pacific to help states combat Covid-19 and to prevent the emergence of future pandemics. The rules-based global order is a constant, notwithstanding or perhaps even more so given the impact of the pandemic. We reiterate our commitment to holding states to account when they breach international norms and laws, as we have done and will continue to do so in relation to Chinas erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong, he said. Together we share a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific where all nations, big and small, can enjoy the benefits of sovereignty; where free, fair, and reciprocal trade are the norm; where states adhere to international rules and norms; and where international disputes are resolved peacefully, Esper said. During the meeting, they discussed a range of issues regarding the future of the region, including the impact of the global pandemic as well as the security situation in the South China Sea specifically and the Indo-Pacific more generally, the statement said. We appreciate Australias significant contributions to Covid-19 response efforts, and we spoke in detail about the Chinese Communist Partys destabilising activities and the fact that Beijing is increasingly resorting to coercion and intimidation to advance its strategic objectives at the expense of other nations, Esper said. The Mars rover rode an Atlas V rocket in the third and final Mars launch of summer 2020, and hopes to bring back first Martian rock samples. This photo provided by NASA, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches at Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's Perseverance blasted off atop an Atlas V rocket Thursday morning. (Photo | AP) Cape Canaveral, Florida: The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analysed for evidence of ancient life. NASAs Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the worlds third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach their destination in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles (480 million kilometers). The plutonium-powered, six-wheeled rover will drill down and collect tiny geological specimens that will be brought home in about 2031 in a sort of interplanetary relay race involving multiple spacecraft and countries. The overall cost: more than $8 billion. NASAs science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen, pronounced the launch the start of humanitys first round trip to another planet. Oh, I loved it, punching a hole in the sky, right? Getting off the cosmic shore of our Earth, wading out there in the cosmic ocean, he said. Every time, it gets me. In addition to addressing the life-on-Mars question, the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the 2030s. Theres a reason we call the robot Perseverance. Because going to Mars is hard, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. It is always hard. Its never been easy. In this case, its harder than ever before because were doing it in the midst of a pandemic. The U.S., the only country to safely put a spacecraft on Mars, is seeking its ninth successful landing on the planet, which has proved to be the Bermuda Triangle of space exploration, with more than half of the worlds missions there burning up, crashing or otherwise ending in failure. China is sending both a rover an orbiter. The UAE, a newcomer to outer space, has an orbiter en route. Its the biggest stampede to Mars in spacefaring history. The opportunity to fly between Earth and Mars comes around only once every 26 months when the planets are on the same side of the sun and about as close as they can get. Launch controllers wore masks and sat spaced apart at the Cape Canaveral control center because of the coronavirus outbreak, which kept hundreds of scientists and other team members away from Perseverances liftoff. That was overwhelming. Overall, just Wow! said Alex Mather, the 13-year-old Virginia schoolboy who proposed the name Perseverance in a NASA competition and watched the launch in person with his parents. The launch went off on time at 7:50 a.m. despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake 20 minutes before liftoff that shook Southern California, the site of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is overseeing the rover mission. If all goes well, the rover will descend to the Martian surface on Feb. 18, 2021, in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror, in which the craft goes from 12,000 mph (19,300 kph) to a complete stop, with no human intervention whatsoever. It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones that will enable Earthlings to vicariously tag along. Perseverance will aim for treacherous unexplored territory: Jezero Crater, riddled with boulders, cliffs, dunes and possibly rocks bearing signs of microbes from what was once a lake more than 3 billion years ago. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes. It also will release a mini helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet, and test out other technology to prepare the way for future astronauts. That includes equipment for extracting oxygen from Mars thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere. The plan is for NASA and the European Space Agency to launch a dune buggy in 2026 to fetch the rock samples, along with a rocket ship that will put the specimens into orbit around Mars. Then another spacecraft will capture the orbiting samples and bring them home. Samples taken straight from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered the Holy Grail of Mars science, according to NASAs original and now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard. To definitively answer the profound question of whether life exists _ or ever existed _ beyond Earth, the samples must be analyzed by the best electron microscopes and other instruments, far too big to fit on a spacecraft, he said. Ive wanted to know if there was life elsewhere in the universe since I was 9 years old. That was more than 60 years ago, the 71-year-old Hubbard said from his Northern California cabin. But just maybe, Ill live to see the fingerprints of life come back from Mars in one of those rock samples. Said Bridenstine: There is nothing better than bringing samples back to Earth where we can put them in a lab and we can apply every element of technology against those samples to make determinations as to whether or not there was, at one time, life on the surface of Mars. Two other NASA landers are also operating on Mars: 2018s InSight and 2012s Curiosity rover. Six other spacecraft are exploring the planet from orbit: three from the U.S., two from Europe and one from India. Rep. Darin LaHood has voted in favor of a bill that will support Illinois waterways. The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 would provide support for Illinois locks and dams, flood protection and water resources infrastructure. LaHood said he advocated for a provision that will adjust cost-sharing for projects on inland waterways to help speed up many of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction projects, including the LaGrange Lock and Dam. Associated Newspapers has apologised in court to the Conservative peer Lord Mohamed Sheikh for alleging that he 'rubbed shoulders' with people with antisemitic or extremist views. The story, published on MailOnline in August 2018, focused on Lord Sheikhs attendance at a conference in Tunisia in 2014, where Jeremy Corbyn had participated in a wreath-laying ceremony. The article categorised the Tunisian event as a conference of hate and accused the peer of rubbing shoulders with Islamists, hate preachers and Holocaust deniers for years. It reported that two Conservative MPs, Robert Halfon and Zac Goldsmith, had demanded an investigation into Lord Sheikhs attendance. Lord Sheikh has been engaged in the promotion of inter-racial and inter-faith understanding, tolerance and respect both before and since his 2006 appointment as a life peer Lord Sheikh, right, and his wife Guli Moradova, left, whom he married in 2018 The Tory grandee, who both before and since his 2006 appointment as a life peer has been actively engaged in the promotion of inter-racial and inter-faith understanding, tolerance and respect, found the article deeply distressing. This was especially the case as he supports a wide range of charitable and humanitarian causes, both Muslim and non-Muslim, several of which he is a patron, and is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism. Although Lord Sheikh did attend the conference in Tunisia, the speech he delivered advocated that to achieve a lasting peace, a two-state solution should provide for security for the State of Israel and respect for the rights of Palestinian people. This was in line with the policy position of the British Government. Lord Sheikh played no part in the wreath-laying ceremony attended by Mr Corbyn, and was not aware of it until it was reported by the Daily Mail. In November 2018, the Conservative Partys independent Code of Conduct panel dismissed the complaint brought by Mr Halfon and Mr Goldsmith, though the original article remained online. Last year, Associated Newspapers notified Lord Sheikh that the story had been removed, and offered to publish a correction and apology and to pay compensation as well as legal costs. That offer was accepted by Lord Sheikh. Associated Newspapers and MailOnline accept that the very serious allegations which were published about Lord Sheikh were untrue and have undertaken not to repeat them. In recognition, the Conservative peer is content to let the matter rest and considers his reputation fully vindicated. PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. As Europeans flock to crowded beaches despite an ongoing pandemic, many women are wondering how they can stay safe without looking like a dentist about to perform a root canal. The answer, says Dudelange-based fashion designer Antoine Fabret, is to get rid of those shapeless one-piece face masks that your great-grandma wore during the time of the Spanish Flu. Fabret has created the face maskini, a sizzling two-piece protection system thats modelled on the bikini, which revolutionized swimwear when it was released nearly 75 years ago. Todays hygiene- and fashion-conscious women want more than just an ugly polypropylene rectangle to create a barrier between themselves and others, Fabret said. They want something that will stop virus particles and allow them to show off those cute little dimples theyve been developing for months with the help of daily face exercises. Luxembourg City resident Rumina Doppelklang, 29, whos planning a trip to Sardina with some friends at the end of August, says shes excited about slipping into a face maskini. No more wearing something that looks like it came out of a hospital laundry bin, she said. I want the world to see my beautiful chin, which, incidentally, I had surgically redone just last year. Kopstal resident Natalya Gideon, 38, whos been wearing a face maskini when she takes her children to the swimming pool in Niederanven, describes the item as a life-saver. When I used to wear that stupid medical mask, nobody would even look at me while I was suntanning, she said. Now they all turn their heads and stare. Read more at wurst.lu 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 When the aged care royal commission took a look at what confronted older people contemplating the need for care, it described the system as "frightening, confronting and confusing". Once a resident entered a nursing home, even before COVID-19 came along, it was a "cruel and harmful system", the commissioners said. Now, as Australia tries to come to terms with the speed and extent of the disaster hitting Victoria's nursing homes, it is of acute interest to everyone how that system works, who the players are and who's to blame for its faults. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said of some of the private aged care facilities hit by COVID-19 outbreaks, "I would not let my mum be in some of these places, I just wouldn't." Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt hit back on behalf of the carers who work in the facilities, saying they had looked after his father and were "wonderful human beings and I won't hear a word against them". So why are nursing homes suddenly the subject of this war of words? Who funds and runs them? How have they become the centre of the COVID-19 crisis? And, crucially, what is the best way to fix them? A patient is removed from St Basil's Homes for the Aged in the Melbourne suburb of Fawkner on July 25. Credit:Penny Stephens Who owns, funds and regulates nursing homes? "If you were a resident in a nursing home, their family or their community," says the Australian Medical Association's emergency representative, Dr Sarah Whitelaw, "you can imagine how frustrated and uninterested you'd be in the apportioning of blame." Advertisement Whitelaw is quite right. But part of the reason things have come unstuck is that the system is complicated and people fall between the gaps. Federal and Victorian governments each run their own aged care systems. Private providers, which are regulated by the Commonwealth, are each individual entities. The vast majority of nursing homes in Australia are privately owned. Private nursing homes can be run for profit or not for profit. For-profit homes are owned by everything from private family companies to listed entities such as Japara and Estia to large international conglomerates such as Bupa. The not-for-profits are usually run by church-based charities such as Anglicare, Uniting Care or, in the case of St Basil's in Fawkner, the Greek Archdiocese of Australia. The private entities own the land and buildings, employ staff, set budgets and do the marketing. They are governed by the Commonwealth Aged Care Act and are accredited, regulated and inspected by the Commonwealth's mega-agency the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, which also deals with complaints against them. That's why the federal Aged Care Minister, Richard Colbeck, has suddenly become a feature on our airwaves in the past week or two and why Scott Morrison has been defending his government's handling of the crisis. A much smaller number of nursing homes remain in public ownership by the states. Victoria has the most publicly run aged care homes. Out of about 50,000 beds in Victoria, 5400 are in the public system, largely in regional areas. The federal regulator still accredits and oversees these facilities. The federal government paid $13 billion last year to fund the system, which housed 242,612 residents. But, according to both the AMA's Whitelaw, and the head of Victoria's nursing union, Lisa Fitzpatrick, private nursing homes are appallingly under-prepared for a medical emergency such as COVID-19. Advertisement "There have been pre-existing problems with staffing, workforce training, the delivery of care, which the AMA has been calling on central government and [the regulator] to do something about for many years," Whitelaw says. "Add COVID on top of that and you have the situation now." Private facilities have been widely criticised for having too few staff and the majority of them as poorly paid certificate III-educated "personal care assistants" as compared with trained nurses. And while the Victorian government mandates minimum nurse-to-resident ratios of up to one nurse for every seven residents during the day, the Commonwealth laws only call for an "adequate" number of "appropriately skilled" staff both terms are undefined. A worker disposes of hazardous waste during a deep clean at St Basil's on July 28. Credit:Chris Hopkins What happens when COVID-19 comes knocking? The finer details of this will be explored in a federal inquiry and by the royal commission but the response, in some cases, in Victoria has been extreme. In the suburb of Fawkner, St Basils Homes for the Aged has had at least nine deaths and, by July 29, had recorded 89 infections among residents and staff. Federal Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy said on July 29 that St Basil's, which is regulated by the Commonwealth, was emptied of its staff and management by a decision of the Victorian government, whose public health officials ordered them into quarantine because of the number of infections. The Commonwealth, with Victoria, then had to find new staff and new leadership to look after the residents, in "the context where there was no spare staff in Victoria" because of the community outbreak. Advertisement What happened next has made headlines. Staff came to the home from "all sorts of sources", according to Murphy, but they did not know the residents or their families, nor how the systems at the home worked. With families shut out, communication was virtually nil, residents were dying without their families being told, faeces was left in beds and people became dehydrated and hungry because the new staff did not know they needed hand-feeding or did not have time. The experience made clear that, under pressure from COVID-19, Australia needs a centrally co-ordinated plan that involves the privately and federally run homes as well as state homes, and a lot more workers. The Epping Gardens aged care home on July 29. Credit:Eddie Jim What have governments done since? On the weekend, the federal government and the state government finally got together. They set up the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, which includes representatives from the federal and state health departments, the aged care regulator, state and federal emergency management agencies and defence. When the private for-profit home Epping Gardens went into crisis and most of the workforce had to go into quarantine, that agency scrambled. Nurses working in state-run hospitals are now flooding into Commonwealth-regulated nursing homes. The state closed hospital wards and cancelled elective surgery to free them up. Advertisement The federal government has also deployed resources, bringing into Victoria what Health Minister Greg Hunt calls the "SAS of the medical world", the AUSMAT team, as well as Australian Defence Force doctors and nurses who have gone to work at Epping Gardens. AUSMAT's job will be to stabilise outbreaks, and support the owner and operator of the nursing home. Nurses are also flying in from other states to join the battle. The new co-ordinated approach should make staff available in an emergency, but it does not necessarily get around the problems with bringing new staff into a facility for the first time. Workers at Epping Gardens on July 27. Credit:Luis Ascui Why can't we just put all residents in hospital? Enmity has grown between the state and federal governments over recent years, with the accusation that thinly staffed private nursing homes send residents to hospitals at the first sign of trouble. It's a form of "cost-shifting", the state governments say, to under-fund aged care and force residents to go to the state-funded hospital system for treatment. But there are two other reasons why, in a COVID-19 environment, moving everyone to hospital is not a good idea. There's not enough room for them, and hospital is the wrong place for the frail aged. Advertisement Iyabo Ojo, a Nigerian actress, has acquired a multi-million naira mansion in Lekki, Lagos state. The Nollywood star took to her socia... Iyabo Ojo, a Nigerian actress, has acquired a multi-million naira mansion in Lekki, Lagos state. The Nollywood star took to her social media page on Wednesday night to break the good news. Ojo shared a picture of the king-sized house accompanied by a terse post wherein she appreciated God for making it possible. Finally God has done it and its marvellous in my sight, she wrote on Instagram. house, she wrote. Congratulations on your brand new house mama Im so happy @iyaboojofespris you deserve it!!!. I can finally say we have ahouse, she wrote. Ojo kickstarted her movie career in 1998 when she featured in Satanic. She has established herself as a popular figure in the Nigerian movie landscape. The film director cum producer has starred in over 150 films and has produced more than 14 of her own. Some of the movies produced by her include Bolutife, Bofeboko, Ololufe, Esan, and Okunkun Biribiri. The news of her house comes amid dust over alleged seizure of a luxury apartment in Banana Island belonging to Toke Makinwa, an on-air personality (OAP) by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON). Pan Lan Pan Lan is a psychologist and director of Rongzhi Social Work Service Center. As a responsible person who heads a social organization, she is engaged in public-welfare activities, during which she uses her professional ability in psychology, and she does her utmost to help people discover their inner strength to cope with life. Pan Lan helps many people through the psychological-assistance hotline. Helping People When Pan was in the third grade, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother has since been hospitalized often, and her father has been caring for her mother day and night. Pan felt that all she could do was take care of herself, so her parents would not worry. In one of Pan's university psychology classes, the teacher asked the students to listen to a piece of music, and then to express their feelings. "From the music, the scene of a little girl, struggling forward with a heavy bundle on her back, appeared before my eyes, and that little girl was myself. In fact, I had always been lonely, longing for the embrace and love of my mother" It was through that exercise that Pan began to know herself again, and through which she started her new journey in life. After she graduated from Wuhan University, with a major in journalism and mass media in 2002, she attended New York University, the United States, where she studied for a master's in child psychology. After she graduated from New York University, Pan returned to her hometown, Wuhan, in central China's Hubei Province, where she became a fulltime psychologist, and where she set up her own team providing psychological services. Pan is now a senior counselor, senior family and marriage counselor, and chief expressive art therapist in Hubei Province. She initiated a public-welfare project on left-behind and migrant children, and advocated the concept that "it is more important to understand children than to teach them." By providing professional psychological counseling services, she is dedicated to helping more people discover the inner strength to cope with life. The activity of "Public Welfare Lecture Hall on Family Education" in communities is a brand project of Hubei Provincial Women's Federation. Pan and other members on her team have provided thousands of psychology-related lectures in communities. These lectures are widely received by residents, who believe that such lectures can make a big difference for parents and children. For example, inspired by such lectures, a student joined the youth volunteer association after entering the university, and served left-behind children in rural areas. Pan's own experiences motivated her to initiate public-welfare projects. Pan has led her team in publicwelfare activities for 10 years. "Through public-welfare activities, I realized that I could help more people. There is no way to express such happiness in words," Pan says. Pan Lan exchanges with a child. Join the Fight Against COVID-19 In 2020, the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus disease) epidemic broke the peace and tranquility of Wuhan. As the epidemic continued, citizens faced growing pressures. Under such circumstances, Pan and other members of her team have staffed a psychological-assistance hotline daily since January 23 to soothe the hearts of callers seeking comfort. On February 8, Pan and various members of her team agreed, through exchanges, the epidemic has an impact on everyone, and poses unprecedented challenges to the society. Therefore, the psychological support provided by the hotline had to be more than a regular and purely therapeutic and pathological intervention; it had to take into account all social factors, such as the family environment, community resources and the social support system. In addition, the counselors should take scientific, orderly and precise measures to continuously and efficiently provide psychological assistance, as well as other support including health care, help-seeking resources and emotional comfort. During the evening of February 1, an obviously distressed woman called the hotline. The woman told Pan her nephew had been running a high fever for five consecutive days, and that she did not know what to do. Because the symptoms were similar to those of COVID-19, she could not help feeling worried that anything bad would happen to the child. Pan calmed the woman down, and then called local authorities for assistance in contacting and treating this child. "There are always problems behind moods. Therefore, I tried to understand and help solve her problem with great empathy and patience, to soothe her mood," says Pan. After the child had settled down, Pan called the woman back to inform and reassure her. On February 29, a young man called the hotline, and he asked Pan, "Are you a psychological counselor? I feel sad and want to talk to someone." The man was working in Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong Province, but the epidemic kept him at home, in Wuhan, and prevented him from returning to work after the Spring Festival. He felt anxious about his job, and especially about making his monthly mortgage payment. Pan said, "I face a similar situation, so I understand your concern now, in particular. Now, the government is constantly promoting measures to resume work and production, which is beneficial for us. Why don't we discuss our career preparation before returning to work?" During the two-hour phone call, they talked about the resumption of work, their respective professions and their career development in the future. "In the midst of sudden changes, we should keep calm and analyze all the information. Enhancing our psychological immunity is the most positive emotion we can give ourselves right now," Pan explained to the man. In fact, that advice applies to everyone. During the epidemic, Pan helped many people through the psychological-assistance hotline, and also received positive feedback from them. A typical example was the 71st call received by Pan: "Thank you very much! My child has calmed down a lot after communicating with you, and is now willing to open the door and talk with me." Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Pan has received many calls from parents, who have expressed concern the epidemic will have a psychological impact on their children. They have also asked how to improve their relationship with their children, and how to help their children develop good habits at home. "Children and adults have the same stress response to the epidemic," Pan notes. "But children are more sensitive to being neglected. The impact of a crisis on children depends on their age and the way their family members interact with them. The first step for parents to support and help their children is to keep stable and relaxed. "It's a good time for people to take a pause in their busy lives and read books, listen to music and do physical exercises, and refocus on how to get along well with family members," says Pan. "Family intimacy can help children feel satisfied, enjoy the support from family members, and have a low level of inner anxiety in the face of emergencies For teenagers, family intimacy can increase their psychological resilience, buffer the adverse stress and reduce anxiety symptoms." On April 24, a post-epidemic, psychologicalassistance-service agency was established, by Pan's team and China Federation of Social Work, in Huacheng Community, Dongxihu District, Wuhan. In this agency, professional psychological counselors and community workers jointly provide "one-stop" postepidemic psychological services both online and offline. "Since the epidemic, I have had a deeper understanding of the people in Wuhan. They are down-to-earth, flexible, optimistic and tolerant. They have shown great restraint and courage in dealing with their grief in the face of the epidemic Wuhan has long been renowned as a heroic city. In face of the disaster, we see the kindness and courage demonstrated by all," says Pan. Despite her many titles and honors, Pan feels more responsibility than honor. "I will try my best to give full play to the exemplary role of a social organization, be engaged in public-welfare activities with my professional ability in psychology, and do my utmost to help more people discover the inner strength of life," she says. On her lecture, Pan Lan shares the children's paintings. Photos provided by Pan Lan (Source: Women of China English Monthly July 2020 issue) Ontarians may still be wary of going back to the office, but the provincial legislature has had a very busy July. After passing the controversial Bill 184 on July 6, and the far less contentious Bill 159 eight days later, the Ontario government passed yet another bill last week that should be of interest to the provinces realtors, mortgage brokers, and home buyers. While Bill 197 is unlikely to make headlines for its real estate components it is an exceptionally broad piece of legislation it could lead to increased costs for developers. Anyone who has dabbled in the new construction space will know what that means. At the end of the day, when they say The developer has to pay this, and the developer has to pay that, theres only one person who pays for that thats you and me who buy the house, says Leor Margulies of Robins Appleby Barristers and Solicitors. The developer doesnt pay for anything. If the cost is too high, he doesnt do the project. If the cost can be passed on in a purchase price, then the purchaser pays for that. Beijing lowered its COVID-19 emergency response from level II to III starting from July 20, following 40 days of hard work to battle the disease. Taking the most resolute, decisive and rigorous measures and establishing a strict epidemic control network across the city, Beijing has reported no new confirmed cases within 28 days, or two incubation periods. The second wave of COVID-19 in Beijing, from its start from the Xinfadi wholesale market to final clearing, demonstrated the mechanism, speed and spirit of China. On June 10, when Beijing had reported zero new domestic cases for 56 consecutive days, a man surnamed Tang from Beijing's Xicheng district went to the fever clinic at Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital. Tang's sample for nucleic acid test was soon sent to a testing team of the hospital led by Wang Peichang, director of the hospital's clinical lab. The positive result unsettled Wang and his colleagues, who have gained rich experiences in the battle against COVID-19. Therefore, they went on for another round of test for verification, and the result was still positive. The test result was soon reported to Beijing's health authorities by Wang and his colleagues. The result worried Dou Xiangfeng, an expert from Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control who was on his night shift when he was informed of Tang's case at 1:04 a.m. of June 11. Five hours later, Dou visited Tang in a quarantine ward, together with another doctor surnamed Qiao from the disease prevention and control center of Xicheng district, tough he spend his night sleeplessly, working on the epidemiological report of Tang. "Screening efforts must be ensured in the places Tang had visited, as well as for those who had physical contact with him in the past 7 days," Dou noted. Two hours later, 38 close contacts and 23 screening sites were confirmed, and city-wide screening was launched. Over 100 staff members raced against time to trace the source of the infection. Around 2:00 a.m. of June 12, environmental samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Xinfadi wholesale market, and the beef and mutton sections in the basement floor of the market was taken as "epicenter." Around the same time, Xinfadi wholesale market was quarantined. Fengtai district, where the market is located, also isolated the high-risk groups in the market. The district authorities, responding to the demand of a site command center, designated quarantine hotels, rented taxis and allocated anti-epidemic materials to relocate the high-risk groups. A total of 916 people were relocated to and quarantined in 5 hotels within 10 hours. Community-based epidemic prevention and control serves as a bedrock for Beijing to fight the disease. Nearly 100,000 community workers launched "blanket" screening in 3,235 communities and 3,876 administrative villages in Beijing, and all close contacts were quarantined at home for observation. The community workers were grouped to screen different neighborhoods, communities, residential complexes and individual buildings, and adopted tailored quarantine measures if needed. The rapid growing capability of Beijing's nucleic acid testing has become a legend in epidemic response. The city launched massive testing that covered over 12 million people, and around 52 percent of the confirmed cases were screened by testing. Nucleic acid testing played an important role in detecting the source of infection, cutting the chain of infection and stopping the spread of the virus. The centralized admission of patients and allocation of medical resources, as well as individualized treatment plans that combined traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, were major highlights of Beijing's efforts to fight the second wave of the novel coronavirus. More importantly, no death occurred this time in Beijing. On June 16, Beijing raised its COVID-19 emergency response to level II, and over 100 medical workers from 18 hospitals in the city went to Beijing Ditan Hospital for assistance. Du Bin, Tong Zhaohui, Jiang Li and other experts known for their outstanding performance in Wuhan, once again stepped onto the frontline to save critical patients. Beijing launched a 24-hour hotline to respond to the demand of citizens, and a press conference was scheduled at 4:00 p.m. every day and broadcasted by both central and local media. On July 19, the 157th press conference announced to lower Beijing's COVID-19 emergency response from level II to level III. The message moved many attending journalists to tears who experienced the hard-won success of the painstaking efforts made in the past 40 days. A draft version of emergency regulations for public health emergencies were submitted to the 23rd meeting of the 15th Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress for deliberation on July 28, as an effort of the city to formalize the effective measures it explored its COVID-19 response. Meanwhile, the city's leading group for COVID-19 prevention and control stressed that it's not yet the time for celebration, as Beijing's epidemic response is still underway. DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T (NYSE: T) today is committing an additional $10 million this year to create economic opportunities and foster upward mobility for Black and underserved communities who face long-standing social inequities and higher unemployment, all of which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We're refocusing our efforts to create more opportunities and paths to success for Black and underserved communities, building on our longstanding work to create economic prosperity for all in this country," said John Stankey, CEO of AT&T Inc. Unemployment for Black Americans reached 16.8% in May, the highest it's been in more than a decade. The pandemic's outsized impact on Black job candidates, coupled with current social unrest, highlights the need to address current barriers to economic success and upward mobility in Black and underserved communities. Key focus areas in 2020 include: Workforce Readiness and Targeted Local Initiatives In the past five years, AT&T* has contributed $215 million to increase education, skills building and career readiness opportunities in Black and underserved communities. To build on this work, we're contributing $4.5 million to national work readiness programs focused on under- and unemployed youth (16-24). Our work will include: Collaborating with YouthBuild USA to inspire innovative ways to place young people, including justice-involved youth, into full-time employment. to inspire innovative ways to place young people, including justice-involved youth, into full-time employment. Teaming with Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) to equip young people facing economic, environmental and academic challenges with emotional and educational support needed for high school and career success. We will also help scale JAG's online learning management tool so staff across the country can access digital trainings, best practices and resources. to equip young people facing economic, environmental and academic challenges with emotional and educational support needed for high school and career success. We will also help scale JAG's online learning management tool so staff across the country can access digital trainings, best practices and resources. Expanding collaboration with Year Up, which provides young people career readiness through year-long corporate internships/college classes. We've committed to host 200 Year Up interns at AT&T annually by 2022. "COVID-19 has had a disproportionately negative impact on Black and underserved communities," said Gerald Chertavian, CEO and founder of Year Up. "This has been compounded by social unrest, leaving many young people feeling unsupported and lacking access to meaningful career opportunities. Working with AT&T, we'll scale our services and connect more talented young people with the resources they need to succeed." Meanwhile, through our employee-led AT&T BelievesSM program, local teams with diverse backgrounds will evaluate the most urgent needs in markets across the U.S. and decide where their volunteer time and $5.5 million of AT&T philanthropic support is best used to make pathways to economic empowerment and social equality. In Chicago, for example, we will expand our support for existing education and skills building programs in neighborhoods impacted by high unemployment and violence. In Dallas, where 70% of the homeless population is Black, we will continue our support of organizations focused on reducing the number people being displaced from their homes. And in Birmingham, we will continue working on education disparities for at risk youth. Last year, our employees volunteered 1.4 million hours and gave nearly $30 million to over 30,000 nonprofit organizations across the country and around the globe. "We learned early on we can make big impact by listening to our employees on the ground about where and how best to help in a given market," said Charlene Lake, SVP, Corporate Social Responsibility and Chief Sustainability Officer, AT&T. "By coupling these efforts with national workforce readiness programs, we're able to amplify the number of opportunities communities have to make economic gains and lasting change." Learn more about local AT&T Believes projects here. Supporting Black Technology Developers and Entrepreneurs Increasing diverse viewpoints is critical to eliminating racial bias found in some of today's technologies. Recent research found widespread evidence of racial bias in nearly 200 facial recognition algorithms, for example. To begin changing this scenario, we're collaborating with Nex Cubed to cultivate Black technology development and entrepreneurship at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Together, we will provide mentoring and ideation sessions this fall through the inaugural HBCU Founder's Program, encouraging students to design and surface business and technology concepts in digital health, financial, housing and education sectors. "These sectors are in desperate need of systemic reform that technology can help enable," said Marlon Evans, Nex Cubed CEO. "We're committed to locking arms with entrepreneurs and organizations such as AT&T that share our belief that having a diversity of ideas and perspectives is both the right thing to do and good for business." Learn more about the HBCU Founders Program here. *$202 million of this funding was provided by AT&T, and $13 million was provided through the AT&T Foundation. About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T Our society doesn't work if it doesn't work equally for all. We recognize that inequalities are pervasive and we have a role to play in helping to address them. That's why we're committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives, particularly amongst historically underserved populations. We have a long history of investing in projects that promote academic and economic achievement and addressing community needs that promote social justice and racial equality. With a financial commitment of $600 million through AT&T Aspire since 2008, AT&T has leveraged technology, relationships and social innovation to help give people regardless of age, gender, race or socioeconomic status the opportunity to succeed. SOURCE AT&T Inc. New generator unit application assists China's future warship development Global Times By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 20:28:19 China's domestically developed 20-megawatt turbo generator unit has been put into actual use for the first time. It is widely expected to be used on China's future warships to support the advanced integrated electric propulsion (IEP) technology that would enable the use of high energy weapons, including electromagnetic railguns and lasers. The ship-use 20-megawatt turbo generator unit, independently developed by the No. 704 Institute of state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), was recently put into application, reads a statement the institute released last week. The statement did not specify what kind of ship the new generator unit was installed on, and the generator unit's designation remains undisclosed. In December 2018, this type of generator unit passed technical appraisal, the No.704 Institute announced in a statement at that time. It said that it is the most powerful ship-use turbo generator unit in China, and 20-megawatts of power is four times as much as China's current generator units and is on par with the most advanced generator units developed by the US and European countries. The new turbo generator unit will lay the foundation for a future IEP system for ships, making it of significant military value, the institute said. US' Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer uses two 36-megawatt generator units, which allows it to reach a top speed of 30 knots at a displacement of 15,000 tons, Ordnance Industry Science Technology, a Xi'an-based magazine on the national defense industry, reported on Monday. By this calculation, two 20-megawatt generator units of this kind would be able to power China's next generation large frigate that potentially has a displacement of 5,000 to 6,000 tons, and three to four would be enough to drive China's 10,000 ton-class Type 055 destroyer, the report said, noting that China's new generation submarine could technically also use the new generator unit. The biggest value of the new generator is its potential application in an IEP system, which could more efficiently store and allocate power, analysts said. Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times that high energy weapons including electromagnetic railguns and lasers as well as electromagnetic catapults for aircraft carriers consume large amounts of electricity in a short period of time, and an IEP system, realized by the generators, would be able to provide stable power to allow them to operate. China is reportedly developing an electromagnetic railgun, and analysts speculate it could be installed on an upgraded version of the Type 055 destroyer in the future. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Leonard Agustinus (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 09:00 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a6800b 3 Science & Tech GDP-Venture,media,digital-marketing,Facebook,Google,advertising-industry Free A month ago, Unilever as one of the biggest advertising spenders in the world joined more than 100 other giant brands like Coca Cola, Starbucks, Honda, Levis and Patagonia in boycotting social media. This boycott started with a campaign by civil rights groups called #StopHateForProfit, which asked all businesses to stand in solidarity of freedom, equality and justice and not advertise on Facebook in July. On its website https://www.stophateforprofit.org/ this campaign claims that Facebook allows incitement to violence against protesters fighting for racial justice, which started after George Floyd passed away. In short, they think that Facebook failed to be a good platform for society, and has become a fake news and hateful speech" platform and so on. But what I would like to emphasize in this article is what options you can consider as marketers if you encounter social issues that afflict your preferred social media, as what happened to Facebook. As a marketer or advertiser, you have tons of criteria before you decide what media you will trust as the platform to deliver your brand message. For example, you should match your prospective customers persona with the medias audiences by assessing whether the gender, age and other demographics align with your product's target market. Digital campaigns make these challenges as easy as flipping your hand, with (probably tens of) thousands of technology vendors who try to push their luck on the digital media landscape. If we run our campaign on gigantic ad companies like Facebook or Google, they have super-comprehensive dashboards and features that help you create campaigns by yourself and target the right audience and, most of all, at very affordable rates. Thats why, beside thousands of brands spending huge budgets on Facebook and Google, millions of small and medium businesses also use these platforms to sell their products to the right target market. It is estimated that big brands contribute less than 10 percent to Facebooks and Googles ad revenue, as most of the revenue comes from small and medium businesses. These dont have many options to run their campaigns, because their marketing budgets are tight and they cannot run their own campaign. But if you work as a marketer for your company, you have lots of options to choose the right media, vendor, platform and technology to help you achieve your marketing objectives. Your media buying agency can help you find the right media to avoid any kind of future problems that might appear in your marketing activities. In this situation, maybe you can consider local digital media (premium publishers) as one of your options. Why? Because local publishers produce their own contents, have their own journalists, and work based on regulations and guidelines. But if you think nowadays most local publishers serve click bait content, Im on your side. At least I try to remind you that social media platforms cannot control their contents, because all of the content is user-generated. Another aspect to consider is that, if you spend on a local publisher, you help to maintain the media industry in Indonesia and contribute to the lives of Indonesian media practitioners and their families. The other option is programmatic buying, where you are able to use any programmatic platform available on the market to buy inventories from local publishers, which have features similar to social media platform dashboards. You can choose your target audience, what media you think are safe for your brand, how much you want to spend, etc. If you want to avoid certain issues, such as if your brand tries to avoid any association with COVID-19, you can exclude your campaign to appear on any content related to that issue. Lastly, Im not against spending marketing funds on Facebook or Google; our clients also spend big chunks of their marketing budget on them. Most of all, these platforms have technologies that help us work efficiently and effectively. With regard to what happened to Facebook, I think we should be able to exercise the different options available before we decide and not be dependent on one or two media, even though they deliver an outstanding performance and contribute to achieving your marketing objectives. As a marketer, it is our job to deliver what is best for our company; so place your marketing budget wisely and spend more time to explore different opportunities. (kes) *** Leonard Agustinus is general manager at MXA, local and independent digital media buying in Indonesia. He has more than 10 years of experience in the digital marketing industry. Prior to his role at MXA, he worked in the media, payment, app development and advertising industries. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Legalization of commercial surrogacy, with appropriate safeguards, is good public policy. Unfortunately, New York failed in its attempt to restructure and finally pass the Child-Parent Security Act. The latest version, approved as part of the budget in March, was supposed to be debated vigorously. It was not brought to a floor vote last year because its opponents called for more discussion and understanding. But this year there was no debate whatsoever. The act was shoved into the budget and voted into law while no one was paying much attention to anything unrelated to COVID-19 coming out of Albany. It seems as if only now, as people are realizing what transpired, is debate occurring. MONSON Agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday executed search warrants at five locations in Monson and Palmer, shutting down what was called an illegal cultivation operation, seizing 4,100 marijuana plants and arresting two people. The facility had been operating illegally in four houses and a warehouse for more than a year, according to the office of U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew E. Lelling. Arrested were Weiqing Li, 41, and Li Qin Li, 49. Each is charged with manufacturing marijuana and processing marijuana with intent to distribute. Federal agents with the DEA, assisted by Monson and Palmer police, on Wednesday executed search warrants on five properties: 32 Main St., 36 Main St. and 151 Palmer Road in Monson and 4026 Pleasant St. and 1036 Central St. in Palmer. The two Main Street properties in Monson and the two Palmer addresses are single-family residences. The 151 Palmer St. site is a large single-story warehouse. According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, the operation had been under investigation since last July at the two Monson locations and at the warehouse. As the investigation proceeded, officials found an additional two houses in Palmer were being used. When warrants were executed on Wednesday, each location was found to have elaborate systems for lighting, cooling, irrigation and ventilation needed for the cultivation of a large commercial-style grow operation, according to the complaint. Officials found between 600 and 900 marijuana plants in each of the houses, and 1,184 plants inside the warehouse. The amounts found, according to the complaint, exceeds what an individual would grow for personal consumption: given the significant expenses and upkeep needed to maintain a grow operation of this scope, such an operation would only be maintained for the purpose of distributing harvested marijuana. Weiquing Li and Li Qin Li were each at the warehouse when the warrant was executed and each was placed in custody. In Massachusetts, marijuana possession is legalized, but only up to a point. People are allowed to have up to an ounce in their possession or 10 ounces in their home, and are allowed to cultivate six plants or up to 12 for a household. Selling marijuana is illegal except for licensed dispensaries that have been approved by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Several states allow marijuana for medical or recreational use, but it remains illegal at the federal level, and is punishable by jail time and fines. According to Lellings office, if convicted, Weiqing Lin and Li Qin Li could be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison and fines of up to $1 million. The U.S. attorneys office has also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against all five properties, seeking to seize ownership of each because of their use in the illegal cultivation of marijuana. There are so many hullabaloos around Rafale fighter jets finally arriving in India after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km to join the Indian Air Force. Since yesterday there has been a deafening amount of cheering and chest-thumping around this. The fleet of five Rafales consist of three single-seater and two twin-seater jets and they will be part of the IAF's No 17 squadron, which is also known as the "Golden Arrows". Well, in a bid to capitalise all the attention that Rafale jets have garnered, an Indian brand went all out on social media to advertise a bizarre product in the same name. Kanpur actually started manufacturing Rafale Pan Masala, yes we arent kidding! In fact, this went into production all the way back in October last year, even before the jets had landed in India. Because why not? Kanpur has already started manufacturing Rafale. A proud moment for all Indians pic.twitter.com/XPNxd3xL06 KaptanHindustan (@GautamTrivedi_) July 29, 2020 To add to the bizzarity of all this, the makers of the ad, by mistake, depicted F-14s, and not actual Rafale jets. LOL! All they had was one job and well. People on social media were equal parts thrilled and amused by the bizarre nature of the ad. Check out some of the hilarious reactions here: @UB_Shubh you guys are way ahead in the league pic.twitter.com/AKnSONy7ZD Shivang Shekhar (@pandastichuman) July 30, 2020 Lmao! Yes, we at Kanpur are just doing our part to make #AtmaNirbharBharat pic.twitter.com/Ql7HSvfc7r Shubhendra Singh Chauhan (@UB_Shubh) July 30, 2020 What a strike!! Rafale pan masala. pic.twitter.com/dRfQTWlzdW Lloyd Mathias (@LloydMathias) July 28, 2020 Rafale pan masala for you, with a taste of F14 tomcat https://t.co/WkGe1NWJf1 Pulkit Gupta (@Pk_076) July 30, 2020 Rafale production has begun in Kanpur ! Gonna be deployed soon in "Pan" India scale with "Masala" #RafaleInIndia#RafaleJetspic.twitter.com/qVNk6RxWgI Predator (@nima__alpha) July 30, 2020 Rafale..... Pan masala..... Shows pictures of F14 Tomcat..... Me: pic.twitter.com/VvCNH0H0fh Nik (@tangledelectron) July 30, 2020 We can find such creative and entertaining stuff only in India. Humara Bhaarat Mahaan! In the current pandemic, due to the continuous increase of Covid-19 positive patients, the bed requirement is increasing day by day. The Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, (DIAT) Pune has developed Aashray, the medical bed isolation system to combat Covid-19 by minimizing the spread of the infection released by the patient. This is a low cost, reusable solution to maintain proper isolation of Covid-19 patients by creating suction, negative pressure near exhale, and further filtering and disinfecting the aerosol. The bed isolation system envelopes are made up of specialized material and manufacturing process with transparent and translucent 7.5(l) 7(w) 6.5(h) ft3 size supported on medical grade materials structure. The product is modular and portable in design and can be suitable for different requirements such as institutional, hospitals and home individual quarantine. The envelope is reusable as it is antibacterial-antifungal and can be sanitized. Each envelope is capable of housing one set of bed, table and chair along with some walking space. The width of the envelope can be adjusted as per the availability of space. The envelope is opaque up to 3 feet from bottom to maintain the privacy of the patient. The entire envelope is maintained at a low pressure (suction) with adjustable flow rate to restrain the spread of infection inside the hall or the intensive care unit (ICU). Each envelope is connected to the main duct equipped with UV light and filter circuit of pre, fine and HEPA filter (recommended for medical application) and suction blower. The cross-flow of air from the top of the envelope towards the main duct is regulated (with a flap valve) as per the comfort conditions of the patient. The contaminants are continuously sucked through the duct and accumulated at the filters which are projected with UV light. The suction blower throws the filtered and contamination-free air to the outside environment. As per prototype manufacturer (M/s Cleancore Solutions Pvt Ltd. Bhosari, Pune) the cost of the setup for a unit of 10 beds are Rs 1 lakh approximately and for home quarantine, it is Rs 15,000 for a single bed. Southern and western regions of the United States were grappling Thursday with a renewed surge of coronavirus infections as the death toll in the worlds worst-affected nation passed 150,000. Brazil is second to the US in terms of cases and fatalities, and also reported a sobering figure as it surpassed 90,000 deaths. Exactly six months after the World Health Organization declared an international emergency over the deadly pathogen, countries around the globe are seeing rises in infections that are damaging economies and forcing disruptive protection measures. Even nations that believed they had largely curbed the disease are being gripped by worrying second and third-wave resurgences, with Australia on Thursday reporting a record number of new infections and its deadliest day of the pandemic so far. Despite efforts in place to contain the virus, Covid19 has killed more than 666,000 people around the world and total infections have passed 17 million, according to an AFP tally. Global daily cases are now approaching the 300,000 mark, with the curve showing no sign of flattening -- it took just 100 hours for one million new cases to be recorded. Surge in Australia Days after Australian authorities expressed hope that a Melbourne lockdown -- now in its third week -- was bringing persistent outbreaks under control, the surge is a potent warning that initial successes in managing Covid-19 can quickly unravel. Thirteen deaths and 723 positive tests were reported in the southeastern state of Victoria alone, well beyond the previous nationwide record of 549 cases set on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the steep rise in numbers was very concerning. In Hong Kong, where authorities fear a worrying third-wave of infections could cripple the healthcare system, the government reversed a day-old ban on restaurants serving dine-in customers following widespread public anger. All restaurants in the city of 7.5 million were ordered to only serve takeaways as part of a raft of ramped-up social distancing measures aimed at combating the fresh wave of virus cases. But social media was quickly swamped by photos of primarily blue-collar workers forced to eat on pavements and in parks -- and even inside public toilets to escape a torrential downpour. The United States, however, is still battling its first wave, having never taken control of the virus, and on Wednesday alone the country recorded 1,267 new deaths in the past 24 hours and notched more than 68,000 new daily cases. Southern and western states have been particularly hard-hit -- especially Florida, where more than 6,300 people have died. EU travel list The EU is due Thursday to update its list of countries approved for travel to the European bloc, which it reviews every two weeks. The United States was not on the list and is not expected to be included. The EUs safe list does, however, include Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The bloc is expected to announce that Algeria is being removed from the list after a resurgence of coronavirus. Meanwhile several countries in Europe have slapped restrictions on travel to and from Spain, while officials elsewhere bicker over the seriousness of the current outbreak. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, fresh from announcing quarantine for travelers returning from Spain, suggested the rest of Europe could be facing a second wave -- despite his own countrys dismal figures. Frances health minister hit back on Wednesday, saying his country was categorically not in a second wave. Spain, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, insists it is a safe destination and was critical of Britains blanket quarantine, which includes islands without significant outbreaks. Brazil also wants visitors back, and on Wednesday reopened travel to foreigners arriving by plane, hoping to revive its lockdown-devastated tourism industry. The country closed its air borders to non-residents on March 30, at a time when the virus was just taking hold in South America. Neighbouring Peru on Wednesday passed 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health ministry said, after the largest daily increase in infections for more than six weeks. Nearly 19,000 people have died as a result of the disease nationwide, and the country has recorded more Covid-19 cases than anywhere in Latin America except for Brazil and Mexico. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 30.07.2020 LISTEN Am tired, I cannot keep it in anymore. Yes, the memory of a renowned Apostle in Ghana torments me. This time you do not need holy water to be poured on me or spells to be cast on me before I confess. Am deeply buffeted so am doing it voluntarily. I know voicing it out will give me freedom. As to who this Apostle is and why his spirit keeps tormenting me, I will tell you. During an era where western medicine was taking dominance over our African traditional medicine and the impact of colonialism on our traditional way of life was glaring, a great Apostle emerged; Dr. Edward Francis Oko Ampofo (1908-1988), popularly known as the Apostle of herbalism, who helped to harness, preserve and encourage traditional medicine and arts in Ghana. He is described in many circles as a great patriot, an innovator, a visionary, medical doctor, traditionalist, a Pan Africanist and a herbalist. He was the first Ghanaian to receive a government scholarship to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. His love and passion for traditional medicine due to its therapeutic effects caught the attention of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and by collaborative efforts, the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) was established at Akwapem-Mampong in 1975 to facilitate and coordinate scientific research work on Ghanaian medicinal plants. Time may not allow me to tell you all about this unsung hero, whom I personally refer to as the Leonardo da Vinci of his time because of how he demonstrated excellence in various disciplines, especially in arts and science. You may wonder, why the peaceful spirit of such a man buffets me. Did I do something wrong with him? Was I the one who killed him? Or was I having a diabolic intention against the renowned Physician? Certainly not. Trust me, I have never met him before. But, anytime the thoughts of how our generation have maligned the legacy that this great Apostle set for us, it always sends chills down my spine. History has it that, after practicing conventional medicine for a while, Dr. Oko Ampofo started collaborating with some traditional healers in harnessing and documenting the medicinal properties of plants that we have around us. He later opened a small outpatient clinic at Mampong-Akuapem, where he used herbal preparations to treat patients who visited his clinic. Though traditional healers and conventional Doctors in terms of culture and modes of operation constitute an isolated system with little or no collaboration between them, this great Apostle defied the odds. He teamed up with some traditional healers to explore the healing prowess of plants especially in areas where western medicine is limited. In our current era, there seems to be a battle of superiority and claim of relevance between medical practitioners and traditional healers. The former think, traditional healers did not undergo any formal training hence are not professionals and their services result in so many medical complications. The latter on the other hand also think medical practitioners treat people with poisons and are incompetent since they are able to treat cases that medical officers find difficult to. The tension is so high that some advise their clients not to patronize the service of the other. This is very unfortunate. Some patients during history taking at the outpatient department lie of not taking any herbal preparation due to the fear of being chastised. I will not condone self-medication or late referral, either in the orthodox or traditional healing setting most especially when diagnosis is not made. Yet, it will be inappropriate for some medical officers and nurses to entirely condemn herbal medicine use, but rather those obtained from unlicensed individuals and unregulated centres. Collaborative treatment and timely referral of patients was the gospel this great Apostle preached. He demonstrated that the role of conventional medicine is not to refute the essence of traditional medicine but to collaborate with it in areas needed for the wellbeing of patients. It will be imperative if our health sector invest in identifying traditional healers who on the basis of views of clients and proven clinical data, can be recognized as competent in managing certain diseases or illnesses and have an effective collaboration with these healers. For example, an orthodox hospital can collaborate with a herbal centre known with specialties in certain areas of care like bone setting for accident victims instead of opting for amputation in some cases. Some herbal centres have also shown competence in the management of some disease conditions such as stroke, diabetes and prostate enlargement. There is a great need for a mutual understanding and an interpersonal relationship between these two cultures to promote due referrals. Traditional healers should respect the limit of their practice and refer appropriately and not act out of over-confidence or greed to prevent avoidable health complications. Mainstream health workers should not hesitate to collaborate with traditional healers for the effective management of peculiar cases. In this pandemic, effective collaboration is needed more than ever. To be civilized and complete, we must accept scientific enlightenment and our traditional heritage each in its proper place. Neglect of either is disastrous. Science without tradition can produce technicians but not cultured men; tradition without science can breed learned but not rational men. Cyrus Gordon (1968) The Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), formerly known as the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine located at Akwapem-Mampong, is one of the legacies of this distinguished Apostle. This centre has the potential of generating wealth for the country and producing safe, effective and quality natural products which meets international standards. Unfortunately, CPMR is plagued with so many challenges and neglects such as funding for research, inadequate infrastructure to serve as research laboratories and inadequate support from the Ministry of Health in terms of medical equipment and supplies. Ghana spends so much on the importation of pharmaceutical products while just at our backyard are natures own gift (plants) with exceptional therapeutic effects awaiting to be researched and utilized. An establishment of a Traditional Medicine Research Development Fund will go a long way to help mobilize sustainable resources to improve and strengthen plant medicine research in the country. CPMR per its human resources is capable of rubbing shoulders with other similar research centres around the world in finding a cure for the novel coronavirus, but its very unfortunate the lack of necessary logistics cripples it to do more. These are just a few of the contributions made by Dr. Oko Ampofo which Ive highlighted on. As a country, we have the responsibility to protect and build on the rich legacies and excellent virtues which great patriots of old left for us in order to experience the development we all desire. Cephas Kwaku Debrah [email protected] A woman from Sandy sustained fatal injuries in a multi-vehicle wreck in rural Clackamas County on Tuesday. The driver of one of the other vehicles involved was later arrested for driving under the influence, according to Oregon State Police. Around 7:20 a.m., Kurtiss Orcutt, a 51-year-old Milwaukie resident, was heading west in a Kia sedan on Oregon 224 near Southeast 197th Avenue, state troopers said. For unknown reasons, Orcutt veered into oncoming traffic and struck a Ford F550 truck traveling in the opposite direction. The Ford lost control and struck an Acura driven by Cynthia Martin, 46, of Sandy. Martins teenage daughter was also in the car, but was unharmed and two other vehicles were also damaged in the crash. Martin sustained critical head injuries and was flown by helicopter to Oregon Health and Science University, but she died at the hospital. Orcutt was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, officials said. -- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated her government-allocated Lodhi Estate house on Thursday, a day before the deadline for the eviction notice issued by the ministry of housing and urban affairs. Gandhi on July 1 was asked to vacate her bungalow 35 Lodhi Estate house in Delhi within a month on the ground that she is ineligible for the entitlement, as she no longer enjoys the security cover of the Special Protection Group (SPG). She will be residing in a temporary accommodation until a more permanent accommodation in Delhi rented by her is ready for use, Congress said in a statement on Thursday. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra handed over the possession of 35 Lodhi Estate, previously allotted to her on Security Grounds, to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) today. JE of CPWD Shri. P Senthil Kumar in the presence of Shri. Vikas Rana, CE (NDZ-I) CPWD, Shri. Yogesh Kumar Kardam, AE (PAWD-I, CPWD), Shri. Manoj Kumar Chauhan, AE, CPWD Services, Shri B.S. Rana, JE (PAWD-I, CPWD) accepted the keys to the bungalow on behalf of the CPWD after a full inspection establishing that the house was handed over in good condition. They have issued her a Vacation Report for the premises on behalf of the CPWD, Congress said in a statement on Thursday. Hindustan Times has reviewed a copy of the vacation report . . The department of estate confirmed the development to HT. The ministry of housing and urban affairs did not comment on the matter. Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also passed on to the CPWD and the Directorate of Estates, a full inventory of privately installed fittings, fixtures etc. She has paid all electricity, water and previous dues and is awaiting the final assessment for the licenCe fee of the month of July from the Directorate of Estates due to her on the 31st July to close all accounts with reference to the allotment and subsequent cancellation of the lease of the government bungalow, Congress said. She was allotted the Lodhi Estate bungalow on February 21, 1997, as an SPG protectee. Priyanka Gandhi on July 14 dismissed claims that she requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an extension of the tenure beyond August 1. This is FAKE NEWS. I have not made any such request to the government. As per the eviction letter handed to me on July 1, I will be vacating the government accommodation at 35 Lodhi Estate by August 1, she had tweeted. Urban affairs minister Hardeep Puri countered lleged that a powerful Congress leader had requested him to let her stay on at 35 Lodhi Estate on July 4, three days after the eviction notice was served on her. Facts speak for themselves! A powerful Congress leader with much clout in the party called me on July 4 at 12.05pm to request that 35, Lodhi Estate be allotted to another Congress MP so that Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra can stay on. Lets not sensationalise everything please, Puri tweeted. The July 1 order issued by the department of estate stated that any stay longer than August 1, would attract damage charges and penal rent as per rules. Hours after the notice was served to her on July 1, Priyanka Gandhi paid all her pending dues, amounting to 3,46,677, until June 30, the ministry had said. The allotment of central government bungalows is done through the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) Rules, 2017, of the directorate of estates. The ministry has already allotted the bungalow to Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Rajya Sabha member and party spokesperson, Anil Baluni. Talked to Mr Anil Baluni and his wife today. I pray to God for his good health and happiness. I give my best wishes to them for the new house and hope that they too get as much happiness in the house and I am my family got, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted on Monday. Whatever Mamie did, she didnt do for herself, she did it for a cause, said Latting, who enrolled at the high school herself the next year. She always let it be known, whatever your gifts and God had given her many talents and abilities that your gifts are not to be kept to yourself. They are to be used for the benefit of the community. As the Covid-19 cases in Odisha crossed the 30,000-mark on Thursday, opposition BJP said that the ruling-Biju Janata Dal should rise above politics and seek Centres help to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The state reported 1,203 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking its tally to 30,378 while 10 deaths in the same period took the toll to 169. With 9,857 active cases, Odisha now has more active cases than MP, J&K, Haryana, Assam and Punjab. Ganjam, its hotspot district, now has close to 10, 000 cases. Advocating the need to seek Centres help in tackling the pandemic, BJP state general secretary Bhrugu Buxipatra said that when Delhi lost its grip on Covid crisis management, the Aam Aadmi Party approached Union home minister Amit Shah for help. Maharashtra also sought Centres help. Similarly, the Odisha government should now seek Centres help in managing the crisis and curb the spread of virus in the state. In the last four months, BJP has extended its help in containing the situation in Ganjam. However the state has completely mismanaged (the situation), alleged Buxipatra. Even though the situation remains grim in Ganjam, the BJD government is not paying any heed to our demands. The BJP leader said that after demands grew louder, the state government announced setting up of a 100-bed hospital for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in Ganjam. Fifteen days later, the hospital is only on paper. Moreover, we have demanded to increase testing in the district; that is also falling on deaf ears. The state government has failed in all aspects to put a brake on the spread of the virus, said Buxipatra. The BJD did not comment on the BJPs demands. However, a health official said that the states Covid fatality ratio is the lowest in the country and the state has the capability of conducting around 20,000 tests a day. Odisha has all necessary infrastructure in adequate quantity. Today, Odisha has 54 labs in all 30 districts where samples can be tested for novel Coronavirus. Out of these, 35 are government labs while nine are private. We have sufficiently increased our testing capacity. So come forward for testing. Our case positivity rate is low, the testing rate is increasing and Covid fatality ratio of our state is the lowest in the country. All our labs have been approved by the ICMR and their reports are very much authentic. I request people not to suspect the labs based on the results of Covid tests, said NHM mission director Shalini Pandit. Pandit said in Ganjam district, the state government is carrying out 1,500 to 2,000 tests per day. We could test more people and isolate them. Due to this, over the last three to four days, the positivity rate in Ganjam has reduced, she said. As Pakistan plans to hold protests to mark one year of the scrapping of Article 370, India on Thursday said the neigbouring country indulges in such activities to divert international attention from its support to cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. August 5 will mark the first anniversary of Indias decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Indian Constitution from Jammu and Kashmir and to bifurcate the state into two union territories. They indulge in activities to deflect international attention from support to cross border terrorism, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at an online media briefing, replying to a question on Pakistans planned activities to protest Indias action of scrapping of Article 370 on its first anniversary next week. As far as India is concerned, August 5 will be a historic day for us as on this day, we could remove the hurdles for overall development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, he added. As per reports, Pakistan is planning to hold protests and reach out to several countries against Indias decision to scrap Article 370 that extended special status to Jammu and Kashmir. A state agency announced Thursday that the owner of the failed Sanford and Edenville dams has ignored key deadlines to perform critical post-failure evaluations and work related to the portion of the Edenville Dam along the Tobacco River. According to a news release issued Thursday by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Boyce Hydro, which owns both dams and is legally obligated to pay for the investigation into the failures of its dams, has refused to come to an agreement with the investigative team on a contract to perform its work and has ignored key deadlines to perform critical post-failure evaluations and work related to the portion of the Edenville Dam along the Tobacco River. EGLE announced Thursday that it is expected to soon hire a senior environmental engineer to act as a third inspector in its Dam Safety Program, which tracks the more than 1,050 state-regulated dams. EGLE is currently awaiting recommendations from two evaluations that are expected to identify possible policy, budget, legislative, and enforcement reforms. The agency has partnered with the Association of State Dam Safety Officials to perform one of two reviews of the states Dam Safety Program. The review will recommend ways to improve the performance and management of the program, and evaluate its mission, objectives, and policies and procedures. The second review will be performed by the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force comprised of state and federal agencies, local governments and affected stakeholders to review dam safety issues in Michigan and provide recommendations to help prevent future dam failures. This task force will evaluate and expand upon the ASDSO findings and propose recommendations for program improvements that would help ensure that dams are appropriately maintained, operated and overseen. In June, EGLE announced a team of six independent experts who will perform an independent forensic investigation of the contributing factors that led to the failures of the Edenville and Sanford dams in May. The team includes outside experts in geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, dam safety and dam design. The independent teams full investigation could take up to 18 months to complete. Since the mid-May floods, EGLE staff has developed plans to assess stream channel stability and identify areas of potential erosion problems along the former dam impoundments and stream channel; inspected several dams impacted by the flooding within the region to assess actual damages and review mitigation measures; provided support to the Michigan DNR Fisheries Division, which conducted natural resources damage surveys associated with the dam failures; and was on site on the day of the dam failures to assist with damage assessment, mitigation measures and coordinate with local emergency management personnel. Vallejo police Chief Shawny Williams is opening an official inquiry into bombshell allegations that officers bent their badges to mark on-duty shootings, a fact-finding mission that he said may lead to an independent investigation. Williams spoke about the allegations Wednesday, a day after they came to light, and as his department comes under increasing scrutiny over controversial police shootings. Badge bending, Williams said in an interview with The Chronicle, would amount to misconduct. It would be considered vandalism of department property, Williams said. And if youre doing that in celebration of a killing or shooting, then its completely disturbing, its despicable, and Im not going to tolerate something like that. Williams described the inquiry as a necessary precursor to an administrative probe, which could result in disciplinary actions. The fact is, we have due process and I need to have real evidence to begin an official investigation, he said. I need either some testimonial evidence or physical evidence that establishes that misconduct occurred. Paul Chinn/The Chronicle John Whitney, a former Vallejo police captain, accused the department of firing him for flagging misconduct that included concerns that some officers bent their badges in a ritual to mark fatal shootings. He also said a former police chief told an underling to burn a kidnapping victim whom the department wrongly accused of orchestrating a hoax. The claims were first reported by the news site Open Vallejo. Williams, who rose through the ranks at the San Jose Police Department, was sworn in as Vallejos new top cop in November. His appointment came after Whitney was fired in August. The chief on Wednesday said hed never noticed a bent badge on his force, and has not spoken about the allegations to any of the accused officers. As a chief, one of the things you have to be is independent of the investigation, he said. Vallejos mayor and family members of people who have been killed by city police also spoke Wednesday about the allegations, expressing anger but saying they were not surprised by claims of the badge-bending ritual. It kind of backs up what everybody has been saying or hearing, said Marc McCoy, the older brother of Willie McCoy, a 21-year-old man who was shot to death by Vallejo officers last year after he fell asleep with a gun in his lap in his car in a Taco Bell drive-through. Theres a lot of (police) shootings in Vallejo, and the majority of shootings, they dont seem to be justified. Alicia Saddler, whose brother Angel Ramos was killed by Vallejo police in 2017 after a report of a fight, echoed McCoys sentiment. Saddler said she just recently found out that Zachary Jacobsen, the police officer who allegedly fired the fatal shots, has since been promoted. I mean, its disgusting, Saddler said. Its even more heartbreaking to know theyre celebrating taking someones life. Alison Berry Wilkinson, an attorney representing Whitney, told The Chronicle that her client flagged the misconduct to Mayor Bob Sampayan, City Manager Greg Nyhoff and then-City Attorney Claudia Quintana before he was released last August after 19 years on the job. Whitney said he became aware of the practice in February 2019 after the fatal shooting of McCoy. Nyhoff and other city officials did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell told The Chronicle on Tuesday that the city was aware of previous complaints but not current complaints about badge bending. Chris Preovolos / Hearst Newspapers Mayor Bob Sampayan, who joined the citys police force in 1985 and retired as a sergeant after 27 years with the department, said Wednesday that he was appalled by the allegations. My first thought would be to say Im sorry (to the community), and that we need to change that culture. I am appalled by that behavior, Sampayan said. As a mayor, I want to see that kind of culture go away, and we do not need people who celebrate violence with some kind of ritual. The mayor, who was elected in 2016, said he could recall one incident during his career when an officer had a bent corner on his badge, but Sampayan didnt think anything of it until Whitney came to him with allegations following his dismissal from the department. 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. Sampayan trained Whitney to be a police officer nearly two decades ago, he said, and he took pride in his trainee rising up the ranks. He came to me and told me he had been terminated and I was pretty upset by that, and he shared with me at least that story that I recall there was this bent badge thing, and he explained to me what the significance of this was, and then it struck me I remember this guy with a bent badge, Sampayan said. Other allegations by Whitney included former Police Chief Andrew Bidou allegedly telling a press spokesman in 2015 to burn Denise Huskins, a woman who had been kidnapped and raped but whom Bidou wrongfully accused of orchestrating a hoax. Attempts to reach Bidou were not successful. Sampayan said he and Bidou didnt always see eye-to-eye but he always found the chief to be professional, adding that he admired Bidous commitment to community-based policing. But when it came to whose word he trusted, the mayor vouched for Whitney. I do not believe John would have fabricated anything like that, Sampayan said. Sampayan and the City Council have called for a special prosecutor to handle the investigation into Sean Monterrosas death. The 22-year-old San Francisco man was gunned down in a Walgreens parking lot on June 2 when a Vallejo police officer responding to a looting report opened fire with a high-powered rifle, firing five rounds through a windshield as the unmarked police vehicle approached. Monterrosa allegedly had a hammer but no gun. Police launched a separate investigation after the windshield a key piece of evidence was later destroyed. Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams has recused herself from the Monterrosa case, citing an unknown conflict of interest, and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office is conducting a review of the department with a goal of crafting widespread reforms, has also punted on handling the investigation. Officials with the attorney generals office confirmed Wednesday that the badge allegations could be included in their broader probe. Megan Cassidy and Josh Koehn are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com, josh.koehn@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy, @Josh_Koehn Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a video conference with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio, July 29, 2020. / Chinese Foreign Ministry China stands ready to discuss policy interlinks with Italy, further tap cooperation potential on major projects in order to make mutual benefit and win-win cooperation a shining example for China-Italy relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Wang made the remarks while holding a video conference with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio on Wednesday, exchanging views on several issues of common interest. On bilateral cooperation During the meeting, Wang underscored the need to unlock cooperation potential in the fields of digitization, information communication, infrastructure, port construction and third-party markets between the two countries for win-win outcomes. China is willing to work with the rest of the world including Italy to jointly build the Silk Road of Health, a global community of health for all, Wang told Di Maio. In return, Di Maio said Italy will actively participate in the Silk Road of Health as Italy was among the first countries to sign Belt and Road cooperation documents with China. On China-EU ties While holding talks on China-EU relations, Wang pointed out that China and the EU must remain each other's cooperative partners and not become systemic rivals. We hope the EU side could stand an objective and fair position while handling relations with China, staying alert to certain countries' move to instigate renewed ideological confrontation just for their own profits, Wang continued. On COVID-19 The two ministers also exchanged views on the fight against COVID-19. Noting cooperation is the most powerful weapon in the war against the pandemic, Wang called on both sides to seize opportunities created by anti-virus cooperation to take it to the next stage. Our cooperation in the fight against the pandemic has also set an example for cooperation in the international community to help each other and overcome our difficulties, Wang said. For his part, Di Maio appreciated the medical sources and experts China sent to Italy to combat the pandemic, hailing China's efforts to support world development in the future. We couldn't win the fight against COVID-19 without support from China, he underlined. ABC NewsBY: DEVIN DWYER (NEW YORK) -- As coronavirus cases surge across the U.S., more than 30 states now require people to wear face masks in public. Several states even mandate masks while exercising outdoors. The orders have triggered a wave of backlash and bogus claims about legal and medical exemptions. But medical experts tell ABC News Live that people with concerns about masks should talk with their doctors because in nearly all cases -- even those with autism, PTSD or chronic lung disease -- wearing a face covering makes most medical sense and will not cause harm. "It's unfortunate," Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, told ABC News Live about people claiming they can't wear masks. He said it's "the same as people putting a handicap sticker on their car and using a spot that was designated for someone else." Doctors say people with neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism, can experience intense anxiety when forced to wear face masks but that it can be overcome through practice, mask modifications and therapy. "It's the responsible thing to do," said Rob Gorski, a single father of three autistic sons in Canton, Ohio. "I know that my kids -- it wasn't easy. But I'm telling you, like, if my kids can do it, all these people out here who are, who are complaining about it being uncomfortable, they don't have a leg to stand on." Gorski said training his sons to get comfortable with masks took creativity. "They tried at first and then it was too uncomfortable," he said. "Too itchy. And so what we would do is we would just practice. Like I would go for a drive just to get out of the house, and I would have them wear the mask." Children under 2, anyone unconscious or incapacitated and people who have trouble breathing should not wear face masks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But medical experts say most of those people probably shouldn't be out in public anyway. And, they say, individuals with chronic conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not at heightened risk from wearing a mask, unless they are in active respiratory distress. "If an individual has advanced lung disease that, for example, they're already on supplemental oxygen at home, especially if they're also considered somebody who retains carbon dioxide, that's probably the highest risk group to then put a mask on them and have them breathe through it for any period of time," said Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer with the American Lung Association. The American Lung Association and other top lung health groups are encouraging people who want an exemption from mask mandates to weigh their concerns against societal needs to mitigate spread of the virus. The groups also reject claims that face masks harm the lungs by dangerously reducing oxygen intake and retaining harmful carbon dioxide gas. "These materials are designed to restrict small particles, not to restrict gas exchange," Rizzo said. "Oxygen and carbon dioxide are much smaller molecules than the actual viral particles. So again the science doesn't seem to support significant retention of CO2." Studies have shown a slight drop of oxygen in health care workers who use these for hours at a time -- and yes, there are some headaches noted -- but the oxygen drop is minimal, he said. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, echoed that point in a recent Facebook Live interview. "There has not been any indication that putting a mask on and wearing a mask for a considerable period of time has any deleterious effects on oxygen exchange or anything like that. Not at all," he said. Most Americans -- nearly 90% in a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll -- say they regularly wear a face covering when leaving home. Only one in 10 still choose to go mask-free. Some mask opponents have been invoking the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to defend non-compliance with local mask mandates. The ADA, which was signed 30 years ago this week, requires businesses to "reasonably accommodate" people with disabilities and medical conditions -- but not at the expense of public health. Clarifying claims around the law circulating on social media, the Justice Department says it "does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations." This is an example of a card being distributed in Maine, claiming that the bearer is exempt from face mask requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. These documents are not issued or endorsed by @TheJusticeDept. Actual ADA info: https://t.co/5syNOfJaGq pic.twitter.com/YFxeUgkL9j U.S. Attorney Maine (@USAO_ME) June 26, 2020 Official-looking cards that claim to exempt holders from mask mandates have been circulating widely on social media. Federal officials have called the cards fraudulent.Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Oprah Winfrey has appeared on the cover of every issue of O, The Oprah Magazine since she created the publication 20 years ago until now. When readers pick up a copy of the magazine's September issue, they'll see the face of Breonna Taylor instead. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. In a post on the publication's website, Winfrey, who serves as O's editorial director, explains that she felt compelled to use her platform to feature the 26-year-old, who was shot and killed in March by Kentucky police executing a no-knock search warrant. "Breonna Taylor. She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter," the media mogul wrote. Winfrey said she thinks about what happened to Taylor often and hopes her story isn't forgotten anytime soon. "She was the same age as the two daughter-girls from my school in South Africa whove been quarantining with Stedman and me since March. In all their conversations I feel the promise of possibilities," she wrote. "Their whole lives shine with the light of hopefulness. That was taken away from Breonna in such a horrifying manner." Winfrey tapped self-trained, 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin to create a digital portrait inspired by one of Taylor's selfies. Alexis Franklin, 24, created the cover image of Breonna Taylor, who was 26 when she died in March. (Alexis Franklin / O, The Oprah Magazine) I am so happy to play a small part in this long-overdue, world-changing narrative on racial injustice and police brutality. The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that, Franklin explained on the magazine's website. Story continues Janelle Washington, a Black papercut artist, also created a silhouette image of Taylor featuring 89 names from the African American Policy Forums #SayHerName campaign. Artist Janelle Washington created a papercut silhouette of Breonna Taylor for O, The Oprah Magazine. (Janelle Washington) In June, Taylor's mother and sister spoke with TODAY's Sheinelle Jones after the Louisville Metro Council unanimously voted to pass a ban on no-knock warrants. "Breonna worked to save lives while she was alive and now Breonnas Law will save lives forever," her mother, Tamika Palmer, said. "I knew she was destined for greatness. She's showing it." Winfrey joins a growing list of celebrities like Beyonce who have advocated for justice for Taylor. And the 66-year-old wants to use her voice however she can to help honor Taylor's life. "What I know for sure: We cant be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice," she wrote. "I cry for justice in her name." In his first comprehensive interview since returning from the diplomatic posting, Danny Danon said he was relieved that the more progressive forces in the Democratic Party failed to secure the partys nomination and claimed that Israel could prosper with either Trump or Joe Biden in the White House. When it comes to Israel, he says the countrys supporters in the U.S. put their domestic politics aside. By Laman Ismayilova Russian Information and Cultural Center in Baku has hosted a virtual exhibition "Dioramas of the Victory Museum" prepared by the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. The exposition features six dioramas depicting major battles of the Great Patriotic War such as "The Battle of Stalingrad"," The Battle of Kursk", "Siege of Leningrad" and others. The online exhibition is available on Facebook. The Museum of the Great Patriotic War, also known as the Victory Museum, is the largest museum of military history in the Russian Federation. The museum hosts the biggest collection of World War II military equipment in Europe, impressive 3D installations and panoramas as well as a unique series of six dioramas depicting the war. The exhibition area of the main building is more than 14, 000 square meters. Apart from the main exhibition, the museum visitors have a chance to view unique dioramas depicting major battles of the Great Patriotic War, a 3D historical and artistic panorama "Battle of Berlin" as well as a full-dome video projection "Road to Victory". The Victory Museum collection stores more than 60, 000 exhibits, including personal belongings of military leaders and soldiers, letters from the front, awards, weapons, uniforms, paper currency, etc. In the center of the museum is the Hall of Glory, a white marble room which features the names of over 11,800 of the recipients of the Hero of the Soviet Union distinction. A large bronze sculpture, the "Soldier of Victory," stands in the center of this hall. The upper floors display numerous exhibits dedicated to the war such as photographs of wartime activities, weapons and munitions, uniforms, awards, newsreels, letters from the battlefront, and model aircraft. In addition, there is an e-memory book, which records the name and fate of every Russian soldier who died in World War II. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz First five Rafale combat aircraft from France arrive at the Air Force Station, in Ambala, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, which was resurrected on Sept 10, 2019. Photo: PTI. AMBALA (PTI): India on Wednesday received its first batch of new multi-role fighter aircraft in two decades with the arrival of five Rafale jets, giving the country's air power a strategic edge in the midst of a bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh and frayed ties with Pakistan. The aircraft, having an undisputed track record and considered one of the most potent combat jets globally, landed at the Ambala Air Force base at around 3:10 PM to a rousing reception, nearly four years after India inked an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafales. Each jet was given a special water cannon salute at the strategically-located air base in the presence of top brass of the Indian Air Force including Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria who had played a key role as lead negotiator in procurement of the jets. Welcoming the arrival of the jets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet in Sanskrit, said there is no virtue like protecting the nation and there is no vow like defence of the nation. "The Birds have landed safely in Ambala," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted as soon as the aircraft touched down here. At the same time, he used the occasion to send a veiled warning to China. "I would like to add, if it is anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity," the defence minister said. Singh said that "the touch down of Rafale combat aircrafts in India marks the beginning of a new era in our military history. These multirole aircraft will revolutionise the capabilities of the IAF". The fleet, which took off from Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday morning, had a planned stopover at Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE and began its onward journey this morning. The Rafale jets established contact with Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Western Arabian Sea and were escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs after they entered the Indian air space. "The aircraft covered a distance of nearly 8,500 km from France to India. First stage of the flight covered a distance of 5,800 km in seven and a half hours. French Air Force tanker provided dedicated air-to-air refuelling support during the flight. The second stage of the flight covering over 2700 km was carried out with air-to-air refuelling by IAF tanker," the IAF said in a statement. The NDA government had inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation after a nearly seven-year exercise to procure 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force did not fructify during the UPA regime. The emergency acquisition was made primarily to check the depleting combat capability of the IAF as the number of its fighter squadrons had come down to a worrying 31 against the authorised strength of at least 42. The Rafale jets, known for air-superiority and precision strikes, are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 year after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia in 1997. The fleet, comprising three single seater and two twin seater aircraft, are being inducted into the IAF as part of its Ambala-based No 17 Squadron, also known as the 'Golden Arrows'. The 'Golden Arrows' was resurrected on Sep 10 last year. It was originally raised on Oct 1, 1951. "A formal induction ceremony of Rafale aircraft in 17 Squadron is scheduled to be held in the second half of Aug 2020," the IAF said. A government statement on Monday said 10 Rafale jets were delivered to India and that five of them are staying back in France for training missions. The delivery of all 36 aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021, it added The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. The IAF is also procuring new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to integrate with the Rafale jets. Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran. The missile was originally designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy. 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. There will be a formal ceremony for the induction of the jets in mid-August. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and top military brass of the country are expected to attend the event. The first Rafale jet was handed over to the IAF in October last year during a visit to France by the defence minister. While the first squadron of the Rafale jets will be stationed at Ambala airbase, the second one will based at Hasimara base in West Bengal. 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. Ahead of the arrival of Rafales, authorities had imposed prohibitory orders near the Ambala Air Force Station and banned taking of pictures and videos ahead. A large number of police personnel were also deployed in a three-kilometre radius. The IAF has 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 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). In the original proposal, 18 planes were to be manufactured in France and 108 in India in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. 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. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officers have found out officials of private companies for organizing a mechanism for the illegal supply of military and dual-use goods to Russia, produced by state-owned defense enterprises. According to the SBU press center, the illegal supply mechanism was blocked by the department back in March 2020. "In order to document the scheme, in July the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a series of searches at some defense enterprises in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Poltava regions. The management of state-owned defense enterprises, during investigative actions, helped to provide information on the procurement of military and dual-use goods by private companies," the service said in the statement. It was found that private entrepreneurs who organized the scheme, purchased goods from state-owned defense enterprises for further illegal supplies to the Russian Federation and other countries. It is noted that the acquisition of military goods could be carried out with the assistance of employees of state-owned defense enterprises in violation of Ukrainian legislation. The group members transferred to Russia some technologies for the production of Ukrainian military goods. According to the investigation, the organizer of the fraud is the deputy director of one of the large Russian enterprises, which provides military goods to the units of the Russian army and enterprises of the military-industrial complex. "He has stable ties with current and former officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation," the SBU said. Now law enforcement officials are reporting the suspicion to the organizer and three persons involved in the criminal proceedings, who are officials of private supplier companies. The issue of qualifying the actions of other members of an organized criminal group, including on the grounds of a crime under Article 333 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, is being resolved. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Novamind Ventures Inc. ("Novamind"), a mental health and wellness company specialized in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisitions of Cedar Psychiatry LLC ("Cedar Psychiatry"), a specialized provider of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and Cedar Clinical Research LLC ("Cedar Clinical Research"), a dedicated research center focused on psychedelic medicines, both based near Salt Lake City, Utah (the "Cedar Acquisitions"). Total consideration paid by Novamind for the Cedar Acquisitions was CAN$3.05 million, consisting of CAN$1 million cash and CAN$2.05 million in Novamind common shares. With the closing of the Cedar Acquisitions, Reid Robison, MD, MBA, co-founder of Cedar Psychiatry and Cedar Clinical Research, will join Novamind's senior leadership team. Cedar Psychiatry by Novamind Cedar Psychiatry is now the central hub of Novamind's global network of clinics and retreats offering legal, medically supervised psychedelic experiences. Founded in 2016, Cedar Psychiatry operates four outpatient mental health clinics near Salt Lake City, Utah, providing a wide range of services including psychotherapy, diagnostic evaluations, pharmacogenetic testing, psychiatric medication management and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In addition, Cedar Psychiatry is a leading provider of ketamine therapy, having administered over 3,000 ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions and over 700 SpravatoTM (esketamine) treatments since its inception. Dr. Robison is a thought leader in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and psychedelic-medicine. He was one of the first clinicians to use ketamine off-label for the treatment of depression in Utah. In 2011, Dr. Robison established a ketamine infusion practice at Intermountain Medical Center, Utah's largest hospital. Dr. Robison supervises and trains ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practitioners at Cedar Psychiatry's clinics across Utah, and to date has guided thousands of ketamine therapy journeys and hundreds of SpravatoTM treatment sessions. Through Novamind's global network of clinics and retreats (operating exclusively in jurisdictions where certain psychedelics are legal), Cedar Psychiatry anticipates expanding its service offerings to provide patients with increased access to psychedelic medicine, along with screening, preparation, and integration services. Cedar Clinical Research by Novamind Cedar Clinical Research ("CCR") now leads Novamind's clinical research activities. From its dedicated research center in Springville, Utah, CCR has developed a strong track record providing contract research (CRO) services, including hosting clinical trials. In 2012, Dr. Robison led the Utah site for the pivotal ketamine study for treatment-resistant depression by Janssen, leading to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of SpravatoTM. CCR operates at the leading edge of evidence-based care and is currently conducting a variety of clinical research studies examining conditions including depression, eating disorders, PTSD, and end-of-life anxiety. Cedar Clinical Research is initiating its own research studies, integrating the data and learnings gained from patient treatment experiences and outcomes at Cedar Psychiatry, as well as related international retreats, to advance research on psychedelic medicine. Novamind is evaluating a pipeline of early-stage clinical research opportunities and expects to announce preclinical work on a psychedelic therapeutic protocol during Q3 2020. About Cedar Psychiatry and Cedar Clinical Research Cedar Psychiatry is an innovative provider of outpatient mental health services, operating psychiatry clinics specialized in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Cedar Clinical Research is a dedicated research organization focused on advancing psychedelic medicine. Both organizations are based near Salt Lake City, Utah, and are committed to evidence-based psychedelic healing. For more information visit www.cedarpsychiatry.com. About Novamind Novamind is building a global network of clinics and retreats that are required for a regulated psychedelics industry. We provide access to safe, legal psychedelic experiences, while advancing research for psychedelic medicine. For more information visit www.novamind.ca. Contact Information Novamind Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director T: +1 (647) 953 9512 E: contact@novamind.ca SOURCE: Novamind View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599632/Novamind-Closes-the-Acquisition-of-Cedar-Psychiatry-a-Leading-Psychedelic-Therapy-Organization-in-the-US What will it take to see wage growth in Australia? Source: Getty Young Australians have lost a decade of income growth, and as the nation enters a recession that looks perilously similar to a depression, its only going to get worse. A new report by the Productivity Commission revealed that young peoples average incomes declined between 2008 and 2018. In contrast, wage rates for Aussies aged 35 to 54 continues to grow. Retirees and those over 65 fared even better, with their income rising by 3.2 per cent per year. The income slow is so severe, 15 to 25 year old Australians today have the same disposable income as a person of the same age in 2001, the research shows. Aussies aged 15 to 24 have experienced a slow decline in full-time employment since the early 1990s, with the reason being an imbalance between labour demand and labour supply, according to the report. Some of this imbalance relates to the business cycle: the slowdown in the economy after the global financial crisis and the slowing of the mining boom reduced economy-wide labour demand after 2008, the report stated. Some of this imbalance is due to long-term changes in the economy. Later retirement for over-55s and strong increases in the number of university graduates has also contributed to the wage growth decline, with more workers in the market for longer. Whats more, with greater competition for starting positions, companies have started to offer lower graduate wages but did not reduce wages for existing workers. Todays recession steals thousands from young Australians While the Productivity Commissions report shows that wages declined over the decade to 2018, research from EY reveals it only gets worse in the decade ahead. 21-year-olds entering the workforce this year will cop cumulative income losses over the course of the next 10 years to the tune of $32,000, meaning theyll need to work four more months at the end of the decade to make up the difference. These cumulative income losses are as a result of lower wage growth, the report found. Story continues A recessionary jobs market can have a disproportionate medium-term impact on those early in their career and with limited experience, through lower wage growth and fewer opportunities and flexibility, EY economists Jo Masters and Bonnie Barker said. Its unlucky timing. Wage growth and the super guarantee Opponents of the super guarantee (SG) increase to 12.5 per cent have linked the increase to a decline in wage growth. Grattan fellow Brendan Coats and associate Owain Emslie argued that increasing the SG wouldnt significantly benefit workers in retirement, but would see smaller pay packets during their working years. In fact, they estimated that a 30-year-old worker on a $58,000 salary would lose 2.5 per cent of their wages per year under the higher super guarantee, but would reap less than 1 per cent more in the nest egg at retirement. Overall, it would leave them around $30,000 worse off. But not everyone was convinced by this theory: actuarial firm Rice Warner said those claims were misleading, and Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia CEO Martin Fahy said it was based on unsound assumptions. More recently, Industry Super Australia slammed backbench MPs for attempting to dump the increase. If those MPs get their way, more workers would be more reliant on the aged pension a bill everyone pays through higher taxes, it stated. So what will it take to see wages actually grow? AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said the answer is simple: a lower unemployment rate. Prior to the coronavirus, the unemployment rate was just around 5 per cent, Oliver said. The problem was that underemployment was around 8 per cent. And so that combination of a relatively high level of underemployment was keeping a lid on wages growth. Treasury expects the unemployment rate to peak at 9.25 per cent this December, after reaching a 19-year high at 7.4 per cent in June this year. But the real kicker is the effective unemployment rate, or the rate of Australians that are working zero hours or have left the workforce entirely, which the Government estimates is actually 11.3 per cent. But even getting back to pre-coronavirus levels of unemployment wont see an acceleration in wages growth, Oliver said. We really need to see the unemployment rate pushed a lot lower, and the underemployment rate return to where we were at the start of the year and beyond that, he said. Otherwise, there are too many unemployed and underemployed people around, which means theres too much competition for each job that comes out, and consequently theres very little wage pressure. In terms of the super guarantee, Oliver said its a side issue. I dont think its going to have a huge impact either way, Oliver said. The real issue is the weakness in the labour market. Read next: Inflation suffers biggest quarterly drop in history: What it means for you Are you a millennial or Gen Z-er interested in joining a community where you can learn how to take control of your money? Join us at The Broke Millennials Club on Facebook! Mining giant Fortescue Metals Group's shipments of iron ore from Australia hit an all-time high in the past year and could grow even further next year as the company projects demand from Chinese steel mills to outstrip global supplies. Fortescue, whose biggest shareholder is billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, on Thursday revealed it had shipped a more-than-expected 47.3 million tonnes of iron ore over the past three months, a record quarterly output. Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Elizabeth Gaines. Credit:Philip Gostelow The strong June quarter boosted the company's full-year exports to a record-breaking 178.2 million tonnes, exceeding its previous record of 170.4 million tonnes achieved in 2017. Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said the miner was proud that its elevated sales of iron ore were helping to support Australia's economy as it struggles through the coronavirus crisis. President Trump, Senate Republicans and House Democrats are very far apart on key goals for any spending package. Talks between United States congressional leaders and the White House on a next round of coronavirus spending stalled on Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested a short-term extension of federal unemployment benefits and a ban on evictions, but Democrats rejected the idea and blamed Republicans for failing rise to the dire moment confronting the nation. As of now, were very far apart, Mnuchin told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. And because of that, the president and we have discussed a short-term extension to UI [unemployment insurance] and the evictions so that we have some period to negotiate before this runs out. Unemployment insurance benefits of $600 a week and a federal ban on evictions passed by Congress in March and April are expiring at the end of July. Millions of Americans as much as half the US working population have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. Republicans in the US Senate and Democrats in the House of Representatives have proposed between $1 trillion and $3 trillion in new spending to keep the US economy going, but they differ sharply on how to spend the money and on best approaches to the coronavirus pandemic. Were looking at a deadline, obviously, of this Friday, Mnuchin said. If we cant reach an agreement by then, the president wants to look at giving us more time to negotiate this. The federal government and many state and local governments have imposed temporary bans on evictions, the legal removal of people from their homes when they cannot pay rent or mortgages. The federal eviction ban is expiring, as are many state and local prohibitions on court action to force evictions. Skinny bill We want to work on the evictions so that people dont get evicted. Well work on the payments for the people. And the rest of it, were so far apart, we dont care. We really dont care, Trump said. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Congresss top Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican, are far apart on terms for $1 trillion to $3 trillion in proposed coronavirus spending legislation [Brendan Smialowski/Pool via Reuters] On Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders rejected the idea of a short-term extension of unemployment benefits and the renewal of the eviction ban and blamed Republicans for failing to put forward adequate proposals to meet the crisis. We are not accepting that, the top Democrat in Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said. We dont know why the Republicans come around here with a skinny bill that does nothing to address whats happening with the virus, Pelosi told reporters at the US Capitol after meeting with Republicans. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer lamented, This is the greatest economic crisis weve had in 75 years and the greatest healthcare crisis in 100 years. And our Republican friends dont seem to come close to meeting the moment. Republicans are opposed to providing money Democrats want for state and local governments whose tax receipts have been slashed by the downturn in economic activity. Cities and states nationwide are struggling to manage their budgets and keep state and municipal workers employed. They want big bailout money for Democrats that ran cities terribly. Their cities are going down the tubes. If you look at Portland, if you look at whats going in Seattle Democrat-run cities whether you like it or not, theyre terribly run, and theyre always overtaxed. So, theyve taxed them too much and they run them poorly. And we dont like that, Trump said. Pelosi said Republicans were further unwilling to provide substantial funding that Democrats want for public schools to meet costs of reopening with new safety protocols and social-distancing measures and additional funding for testing and tracing nationwide. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin walk together in the US Capitol in Washington, DC as talks on coronavirus spending with Democratic leaders reached a deadlock on July 29, 2020 [Erin Scott/Reuters] Pressure on Congress to act is likely to increase as the virus resurges and the impact of the massive US job losses begin to be felt in US cities and towns. Economic contagion Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that preliminary data on the activity of Americans indicates the economic recovery that began as states reopened in May and June has begun to slow with the re-emergence of the virus. High-frequency data is showing that the pace of the recovery looks like it has slowed since mid-June, Powell said in a news conference in Washington. The path of the economy is going to depend, to a very high extent, on the course of the virus and measures we take to keep it in check, Powell said. Among the sticking points between Congress and the White House, Republicans in the Senate proposed funding in their bill for a new FBI headquarters in downtown Washington, near Trumps hotel. The FBI needs a new building to replace its ageing headquarters, but critics complain it would benefit the president financially, making even some Republican senators uneasy. They need a new building, and we can do it very easily, Trump said. I would make sure you build a great building at a fraction of the cost, and they can have it done quickly. NATIONAL liberation fighter, retired Air Force of Zimbabwe commander and Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri (Rtd), who died early yesterday after a short illness at the age of 65, has been declared a National Hero. President Mnangagwa described the liberation war stalwart as a man who served his country with distinction as the Zanu-PF Politburo unamimously agreed he should be declared a National Hero. The President said Cde Shiri worked very hard during his short stint as the Minister of Agriculture, a critical Government department that was reviving the whole rural economy under the Second Republic. Minister Shiri was instrumental in revamping the agriculture sector to boost production through different projects and programmes including the recently launched John Deere mechanisation programme. I have learnt with utter shock and a deep sense of grief of the death early this morning of Air Chief Marshal (Rtd) Perrance Shiri, our Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement after a short illness. A stalwart of our war of National liberation, Cde Shiri ranked high among our leading Zanla field commanders whose contribution to the national Liberation Struggle was simply valiant and outstanding. His commitment to the liberation of his country and his people amply showed when he alongside our Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga abandoned his studies at Mt Saint Marys Mission School in Wedza in 1973, and defied all odds to join the Liberation Struggle at a very tender age, he said. The President said after having been fully trained and battle hardened, Cde Shiri rose through the ranks to become the overall commander of Tete province, one of the hottest fronts during the fierce countrys war of independence. He said under his command, several spectacular missions against the enemy were carried out among them the 1978 blasting of oil tanks in Salisbury, itself the heart and citadel of the settler power. Indeed, that military action which was undertaken by a specialised ZANLA Unit which he mentored reverberated well beyond the immediate theatre of war and proved a turning point in our struggle for National Liberation. After the struggle, he would continue serving his country in the military including playing a salutary role in the integration process by which erstwhile warring armies were reoriented and re-moulded into cohesive National Army. Later, he would be redeployed to the Air Force of Zimbabwe, becoming our second indigenous Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander after the late Cde Josiah Tungamirai. While he discharged his onerous command duties he still found time to further his education in the process acquiring several professional qualifications and two masters degrees in the fields of business and development. Always focused, hardworking and hands on, the late Minister Shiri was key to revamping our food security. Barely a month ago, we launched an agricultural equipment initiative he concluded with an American company John Deere. We were before his untimely demise, planning to launch yet another of his many initiatives on mechanisation this time with the republic of Belarus, he said. It was also during his short lived ministerial tenure that he reached out to and opened negotiations with former white commercial farmers with a view to breaking the impasse over the age old national land question. Only this morning we signed a historic agreement with the former farmers itself a crowning moment for his tireless efforts. Sadly, as fate would have it, he would not live to witness this historic moment. On behalf of the party Zanu PF, Government, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces of which he was a long standing member, my family and on my own behalf, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the entire Shiri family especially his children who now stand orphaned. As they go through the painful motions of deep grief. I urge them to find comfort and solace in the distinguished role and career of continuous service which their farther gave to his country. He remains our hero, making his demise a blow we all keenly feel and share. May his dear soul rest in eternal peace, he said. In what was testimonial of Cde Shiris work as a Minister, the President yesterday morning presided over the signing ceremony of the historic US$3,5 billion Global Compensation Deed between Government and representatives of white farmers after protracted negotiations in which Cde Shiri played a pivotal role. Born Bigboy Samson Chikerema on January 11 1955, ACM Shiri grew up in Chikomba and joined Zanla as an 18-year-old rising to the High Command in 1977. At independence, he joined the Zimbabwe National Army and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier in 1982. He was later transfered to the Air Force of Zimbabwe as Air Commodore in 1984 and in 1986, Cde Shiri took up a place at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, the defence institution that trains top British officers. After a spell as AFZ Chief of Staff in the rank of Air Vice Marshal, he was appointed Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe in 1992 and promoted to Air Marshal, the rank he held until his retirement when he was given a step up to Air Chief Marshal on the retired list.As Minister in charge of Agriculture, he played a major role in expanding the Command Agriculture programme and ensuring its viability and success as it was converted into a commercial programme backed by the Government. Cde Shiri believed very strongly that Zimbabwean farmers could lead economic growth and could become exceptionally productive. Thirteen more people have died from the coronavirus on Australia's deadliest day of the pandemic. Victoria on Thursday also broke its own record for new cases, with 723 recorded across the state. The national death toll is now 189. Face masks will be mandatory across Victoria from Sunday and people across six coastal and regional council areas will be banned from visiting each other's houses. A woman is seen speaking to a staff member wearing PPE at the entrance of St Basil's aged care facility on July 30, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia A man wearing a face mask walks past as the Australian Defence Force in Melbourne on Monday (Victoria broke its own record on Thursday for COVID-19 cases with 723 recorded) Police leave the Epping Gardens aged care facility in the Melbourne suburb of Epping on Wednesday Aged care continues to be Victoria's disaster hotspot, with up to 10 of the 13 latest victims linked to nursing homes. The fatalities are three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men in their 90s. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned private aged care providers about not using protective personal equipment correctly. 'Failure to comply with those requirements of using PPE will lead to marking down on people's accreditation,' he said. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee is meeting to determine further advice to combat the surging Victorian infections. 'We can't rule out further restrictions or limitations to stem this outbreak,' Mr Morrison said. But he doesn't expect other states to ramp up anti-virus measures, noting NSW has been able to track the source of new cases. The prime minister said the increase in deaths was the most concerning issue. 'We've got to be careful not to slip into some idea that there is some golden immunity that Australian has in relation to this virus.' Health care workers are seen at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay on July 29, 2020 in Sydney, Australia Victoria recorded 723 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday while NSW recorded 18 new cases (pictured a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay on July 29, 2020 in Sydney, Australia) Victoria is expected to announce 723 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. The state's previous record was 532 infections on Monday Mr Morrison said about 50 cases a day have no known source. 'That is the primary cause for concern,' he said. The first of five Australian Medical Assistance Teams, usually tasked with disaster relief in critical health situations, has arrived in Melbourne. There are more than 1400 Defence Force personnel already on the ground in the state. NSW recorded 18 new cases, with just two coming from returned travellers in hotel quarantine. Queensland is bracing for an outbreak of community transmission after two teenagers with coronavirus dodged quarantine. A major contact tracing investigation has been launched after the 19-year-olds roamed free before testing positive for the disease. Mr Morrison said all state premiers should release the health advice behind border closures, with Queensland banning Sydneysiders and WA maintaining a hard border to all other states and territories. Mr Andrews also announced coronavirus restrictions would be extended beyond metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire (pictured in yellow) to six local government areas (pictured in red), where residents will not be allowed to visit other homes Paramedics take a patient transport trolley into Epping Gardens aged care facility in Epping, Melbourne, Thursday, July 30, 2020 Victorian premier Daniel Andrews indicated the leap, was in part, linked to a surge in cases in aged care facilities. At one of the worst-hit facilities, Epping Gardens, an ambulance was seen Wednesday taking away the body of one of the deceased residents. Health workers rolled other masked residents on stretchers to waiting ambulances for transfer to hospital. The rest of the country remained on high alert as three new cases were reported in Queensland and several schools in Sydney were shuttered overnight amid growing fears that the country's largest city may also be tipping toward an uncontrollable outbreak. New South Wales reported 18 new cases, roughly in line with previous days. Australia has been one of the most successful countries in containing the pandemic, with most states and territories reporting few or no new cases in recent weeks. But Melbourne has had thousands of new infections since mid-June, an outbreak initially blamed on security bungles at hotels where returning international travellers were under mandatory quarantine. The government has now extended some of Melbourne's lockdown measures to surrounding cities and deployed disaster-relief teams to elderly care homes in the city. Those teams -- which usually tackle earthquakes and other disasters overseas -- include doctors, nurses, paramedics and logistics experts. Australia has recorded over 16,000 COVID-19 cases and 189 deaths, in a population of 25 million. ADF staff are seen at Epping Gardens Aged Care Facility in Epping, Melbourne, Tuesday, July 28, 2020 NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided visible imagery of the development and movement of Tropical Storm Isaias is it moved into the eastern Caribbean Sea. NASA's Aqua satellite provided temperature information that gave insight into Isaias' rainmaking potential. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible image of Potential Tropical Cyclone 9 on July 28. The storm developed into Tropical Storm Isaias on July 29. The imagery showed the broader circulation of the disturbance had become slightly better defined but at the time of the July 29 image, Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft was still unable to find a well-defined circulation. Later in the day, by 5 p.m. EDT, deep convection continued to increase and a band of thunderstorms developed over the southwestern portion of the broad circulation. By 11 p.m., the storm had developed into a tropical storm. The National Hurricane center noted, "Observations from recent scatterometer passes over the system show that it now has a sufficiently well-defined center to be designated as a tropical cyclone." Many Warnings and Watches in Effect The National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted many watches and warnings as Isaias moved through the Caribbean Sea on July 30. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra; the U.S. Virgin Islands; the Dominican Republic entire southern and northern coastlines; the north coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas eastward to the northern border with the Dominican Republic; Turks and Caicos Islands; the southeastern Bahamas including the Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, the Inaguas, Mayaguana, the Ragged Islands; the Central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the northwestern Bahamas including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahamas Island, and Bimini. NASA Infrared Data Reveals a Heavy Rainmaker The AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a look at cloud top temperatures in Isaias and gave insight into the size of the large storm and its rainfall potential. Cloud top temperatures provide information to forecasters about where the strongest storms are located within a tropical cyclone. Tropical cyclones do not always have uniform strength, and some sides have stronger sides than others. The stronger the storms, the higher they extend into the troposphere, and the colder the cloud temperatures. NASA provides that data to forecasters at NOAA's National Hurricane Center or NHC so they can incorporate in their forecasting. On July 30 at 2:35 a.m. EDT (0635 UTC) NASA's Aqua satellite analyzed the storm using the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument. AIRS found coldest cloud top temperatures as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius). NASA research has shown that cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain. Rainfall Forecast from NHC NASA's AIRS data, combined with other data is used by NHC in their forecasts. NHC said Isaias is expected to produce the following rain accumulations: In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and northern Haiti: 4 to 8 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 10 inches. In the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos: 4 to 8 inches. In Cuba: 1 to 2 inches, with isolated maximum totals of 4 inches. These rainfall amounts will lead to life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, as well as river flooding. Urban and small stream flooding is expected for the U.S. Virgin Islands, eastern and southwestern Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola. Heavy rains associated with Isaias may begin to affect South Florida Saturday morning. This rain could result in isolated flash and urban flooding, especially in low-lying and poorly drained areas. Isaias' Status on July 30 By 11 a.m. EDT on July 30, Isaias had moved northwest and was bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Puerto Rico. The rainfall was producing life-threatening flash flooding. Heavy rains and gusty winds were also spreading over the Dominican Republic. The center of Tropical Storm Isaias was located near latitude 18.1 degrees north and longitude 68.9 degrees west. That is 50 miles (75 km) southwest of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Isaias was moving toward the northwest near 20 mph (31 kph), and a west-northwestward to northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 kph) with higher gusts. Some slight weakening is possible as Isaias moves over Hispaniola today. Re-strengthening is forecast on Friday into Friday night. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 310 miles (500 km) primarily to the north of the center. Tropical-storm-force winds are occurring along the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 millibars. Forecast for Isaias On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will move over Hispaniola today, July 30, and move near the Southeastern Bahamas by tonight or early Friday. Isaias is forecast to be near the Central Bahamas Friday night and approach the Northwest Bahamas or southern Florida Friday night and Saturday, August 1. ### NHC Key messages for Isaias can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion on the web at http://www.hurricanes.gov/text/MIATCDAT4.shtml. For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov By Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) are the most crucial elements of development. Historically, achieving improved drinking water supplies, adequate sanitation and sound hygiene had been part of the development agenda of the western industrialized countries. One must have heard of John Snows success in reducing the scourge of cholera in Soho, London (1854), having successfully identified and removed the handle of a water pump in Broad (now Broadwick) Street as the source of the disease. This, however, laid the foundation for subsequent efforts that culminated in the sanitary revolution of the 19th century. Unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene are still a major challenge in developing countries. Available statistics for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to haunt our development efforts through avoidable deaths and diseases. For instance, of the global deaths, from the one billion people without access to treated drinking water and 2.5 billion lacking adequate sanitation, over 83 per cent is concentrated in SSA. The Ebola and other infectious diseases outbreaks are much related to our inability to get the WaSH act right, and there is high likelihood the COVID-19 pandemic may be complicated by poor access to WaSH among the vulnerable segment of the population. The Nexus WaSH has diverse dimensions. Water (quantity & quality), for instance, is associated with the transmission of water-washed, water-borne, water-based and water-related diseases arising from inadequate supply, poor quality, hosts to some aquatic invertebrates and the spread of diseases agents respectively. So, the sources of water we drink, the storage medium and the way we manage water are fundamental. Sanitation and hygiene carry several elements including personal hygiene, domestic and environmental cleanliness, waste disposal, handwashing, food hygiene, menstrual hygiene, child hygiene, maternal hygiene, care of the sick and vulnerable, safe disposal of human excrements, control of wastewater, care of those who are infected, safe handling of solid wastes, among several issues. Several diseases linked to inappropriate WaSH practices include COVID-19, cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, intestinal worms, guinea worms, trachoma, HIV/AIDs, typhoid, among many others. Water-sanitation-hygiene-public health-development are clearly interlinked. One can validate this by quantifying the amount of time devoted per day to look for water; the cost involved (even if you run a borehole, you still spend money on energy and related services to make water available when you need it); the cost incurred in treating WaSH related diseases and sicknesses; the impact on children and women who spend so much of their time and energy to secure water for drinking at the expense of engaging in other productive/study activities; the cost on low-income earners (who spend a significant proportion of their income in securing drinking water through commercial channels). In some rural areas of Benin, studies have shown that girls aged 6-14 spend an average of one hour a day collecting water compared with 25 minutes for their brothers. In Malawi, women have been reported to spend four to five times longer than men on water collection. In Tanzania, a study found school attendance higher by 12 per cent for girls in homes located 15 minutes or less from a water source than in homes one hour away. Children carry the main responsibility for collecting water, with girls under 15 years of age being twice as likely to carry the responsibility as boys under 15 years. In Africa, it is estimated that 90 per cent of the work of gathering water for the household and for food preparation is done by women. It is also estimated that women and girls in low income bracket spend 40 billion hours a year collecting water-the equivalence of a years worth of labour by the entire workforce in France; The importance of WaSH in securing and sustaining improved socio-economic development cannot be overemphasized-you can connect and relate some of the stated facts to the actual and potential impact on the Gross Domestic Products (GDP). The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) reserves a special chapter for clean water and sanitation (Goal 6). Goal 6 intersects with several other elements of the SDGs directly or indirectly including, good health and well-being (Goal 3). It is also indirectly related to the goal of eliminating poverty (goal 10), securing gender equality (goal 5), and promoting economic growth (goal 8). But how can we reconcile our guest for development with our inability to secure improved access to clean water and sanitation across public and private places in sub-Saharan Africa, including schools, markets, public agencies, hospitals, motor parks, abattoir, streets, ports and our domestic arena, among several others? Indeed, WaSH challenge in SSA is complicated by the existence of layers of socio-cultural and religious beliefs, attitudes and values across geographies, religion and socio-demographic and economic groups. Scientific and practical biological and epidemiological logics and approaches to understanding the dynamics and transmission pathways to WaSH related diseases have helped the developed world through behavioural improvements and biomedical solutions. However, our greatest problem is our inability to disentangle WaSH matters from socio-cultural behaviours and religious beliefs, which, in some cases, are reproduced in the policy arena. The major challenge of our times not only rests on our poorly developed WaSH policy environment and other forms of institutional arrangements; it also lies in our inability to connect our domestic WaSH policies with local science and environmental contexts. In other words, why is it difficult to develop and sustain evidence-based policies in the WaSH sector? So much knowledge is produced, but much less knowledge synthesis happens in the WaSH sector. Most of the local and policy tools in the WaSH sector are either drawn from the available colonial sources or prescriptions of major multilateral organisations, international NGOs and some scientific literature produced from a different contextual environment. More so, the political commitment to solving the WaSH sector problem hardly exists. It is important to state here that the WaSH sector in SSA straddles several ministries and agencies including water resources, environment, health, agriculture, rural development, power, works and housing, transports, mining and steel. More so, these ministries and agencies are duplicated at sub-national and local government levels. Several other players and interests are also involved including multinational and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, legislative and executive interests, multilateral and regional organizations, among several others. Advertisements With these multitudes, one would not believe SSA should be grappling with several WaSH challenges. The biggest challenge here is that each of the organisations and institutions seems to pursue separate interest without a common coordinative platform. The results, of course, would be inter-agency competition, parallel projects that hardly reflect practical needs. The most troubling of all is that the WaSH policy sector seems to be driven by the neoliberal agenda of privatization/commercialization, internationalization, individualization, liberalization, deregulation and re-commodification. This cannot, in any way, address the WaSH sector problem as most of the contents in the neoliberal agenda hardly reflect SSA peculiar socio-cultural realities, economic development needs and environmental circumstances. Country performance reports speak to these gaps. For instance, roughly 42 per cent of Nigerias urban and semi-urban populations are estimated to have access to safe drinking water as compared with about 29 per cent of the rural dwellers. Currently, only Abuja and limited areas in Lagos have a sewerage system. This means, no other urban locations have been able to sustain a functional sewage system for their population. Though Malawi believes it has achieved 86.2 per cent public water coverage for her citizens, it is estimated that between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of available facilities are not functional due to cultural, environmental and socio-economic related factors. Viewed through the lens of the neoliberal norms, how would the WaSH needs of homeless people, persons with disability and street beggars, who may not afford the cost of patronizing privatized toilets at public places including the market be handled? Within these contexts, the task of securing access to safe drinking water and sanitary services is transferred on to the ordinary citizens, who have to depend on all forms of unimproved sources mostly dictated by economic, social and environmental circumstances as well as religious and cultural beliefs. What should be done On November 8, Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari, declared a state of emergency in the WaSH sector, implying that available resources should be mobilised to concentrate efforts at solving the problem. In his remarks, Mr President noted as follows: access to piped water services which was 32 per cent in 1990 has declined to seven per cent in 2015; access to improved sanitation has also decreased from 38 per cent in 1990 to 29 per cent in 2015our country now ranks number two in the global rating on open defecation as about 25 per cent of our population are practicing open defecation WaSH services in the rural areas are unsustainable as 46 per cent of all water schemes are non-functional, and the share of our spending on WaSH sector has been declining from 0.70 per cent of the GDP in 1990 to about 0.27 per cent in 2015, which is far below the 0.70 per cent at the West African regional level This represents an important first step to addressing the WaSH sector challenges. But there is need for more including water-sanitation-hygiene-public health nexus literacy, strong legal and regulatory interventions as well as creating appropriate institutional domains for WaSH. WaSH is never recognised as an important public health issue among the population. Sector policies and legislations excessively focus on drinking and productive uses of water. Sanitation and hygiene rarely command high policy priority, making it difficult to address problems holistically. Nexus thinking is more likely to encourage integrated management, improved stakeholder relationship and coordination of sector plans. The WaSH sector governance needs much strengthening in terms of coordination, legislative and regulatory intervention. In all ramifications, the sector is poorly governed across SSA. No clear governing domain for WaSH as the three elements of water, sanitation and hygiene straddle different ministries and agencies, often giving rise to inter-agency competition and poor coordination. In Nigeria, for instance, the Federal Ministries of Water Resources and its Environment counterpart claim parallel WaSH sector governance authorities, often leading to conflicts during the implementation of sector plans. Public authorities should do more in the areas of legal and regulatory interventions to improve WaSH services at public places and residential homes. More interest should be focused on guaranteeing toilet services at residential and public places to minimise incidents of open defecation. Urban rental properties should, by law, have minimum sets of toilet facilities before they are leased out. Market places, abattoirs, motor parks, recreation centres, restaurants, etc should not be allowed to operate below a certain minimum of sanitation services. These should be in the realm of legislative and regulatory interventions. It is also important to recognise the challenges posed by cultural beliefs and religious values that tend to work against behavioural changes and innovative practices in the sector. This explains why WaSH literacy and awareness campaigns are necessary. WaSH literacy and awareness campaign will enhance citizens capacity to read, understand and engage in appropriate behaviours to improve their sanitary living. WaSH education should be strengthened at the elementary and secondary schools. The Media and community-based organisations can help complement basic education and awareness on WaSH-public health literacy. While the multilateral, bilateral and many non-governmental organisations have been critical to WaSH sector development and progress in sub-Saharan Africa, national, sub-national and local level governments should assume the driver seats during program implementation. This is necessary to evolve home-grown, cost-effective and sustainable solutions that address local complexities. This emphasizes the necessities for developing mechanisms for funding and engaging local science and research to enhance context-relevant policies. Emmanuel Akpabio is affiliated to the Department of Geography and Natural Resources Management, University of Uyo, Nigeria. He is currently an EU Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow, Department of Geography & Environmental Science, University of Dundee, UK. Mobile: +447751629349, E-mails: emakpabio@yahoo.com, e.akpabio@dundee.ac.uk; Orchid: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6105-1782; Theres no way around it2020 has been a stressful year. Between increased health anxieties over the global coronavirus pandemic, adjusting to shelter-in-place orders, transitioning to work-from-home and learning to navigate remote learning while schools are shut down, major civil rights protests, and an uncertain economic future, its no wonder that Americans mental health is suffering. Elinore McCance-Katz, the assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse at the Department of Health and Human Services, stated that, Were quite concerned with what were learning from the field, whats going on in communities that have been under stay-at-home orders. There are situations in which people have lost employment. Theyve lost their jobs, the structure to their lives. This puts them in a position where they have a lot of time on their hands, stress, anxiety, and boredom. Health experts and social workers across the country worry about how Covid-19 disruptions will impact risk factors for deaths of despair, including increased anxiety, unemployment, and lack of community connections amid social distancing guidelines. It is a well-known fact that satisfied and happy workers provide better customer service and are more productive each day, leading to a 12% spike in productivity for your business and higher profits, according to a recent study at the University of Warwick. According to Shawn Anchor, author of The Happiness Advantage, the brain works more effectively when a person is feeling positive and is more creative, adopting better problem solving skills with this positive mindset. In this blog post, well discuss how the mental health industry has responded to coronavirus disruptions by shifting from in-person visits to offering broader telehealth and telemedicine services. Well also give you some tips for how you can best support your employees mental health through difficult times. [CLICK HERE FOR MORE RECENT NEWS ON ISAIAS] Tropical Storm Isaias on Thursday closed in on the Bahamas and its potential path has those in Florida and all along the East Coast also playing close attention. Isaias had 60 mph winds on Thursday night -- and now the National Hurricane Center thinks it could become a hurricane on Friday -- just before it tracks very close to Florida. Forecasters put the entire U.S. East Coast on alert to keep a close eye on Isaias: There is a risk of impacts from winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge late this weekend from the northeastern Florida coast and spreading northward along the remainder of the U.S. east coast through early next week, the hurricane center said Thursday night. The details of the track and intensity forecast remain uncertain, and it is too soon to determine the magnitude and location of these potential impacts, but interests along the entire U.S. east coast should monitor the progress of Isaias and updates to the forecast. The official forecast track shows what could be Hurricane Isaias moving near or over the Outer Banks of North Carolina by late Monday or early Tuesday, and then weakening and tracking up the eastern Seaboard to near Massachusetts by Tuesday night. A hurricane warning was issued for the northwestern Bahamas on Thursday night, and a tropical storm watch continued for part of the east coast of Florida. Isaias moved away from the Dominican Republic late Thursday, and next in its path are the southeastern Bahamas. Isaias became a tropical storm late Wednesday and is the earliest ninth named storm on record in the Atlantic, according to hurricane experts. As of 10 p.m. CDT Thursday, the center of Tropical Storm Isaias was located about 95 miles east-southeast of Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas, and was moving northwest at 18 mph. Isaias winds were holding at 60 mph on Thursday night, making it a strong tropical storm. Forecasters said Isaias is expected to intensify again starting on Friday. And the hurricane center is now on board with the idea of Isaias becoming a hurricane, saying it could happen by Friday or Friday night. Forecasters earlier Thursday stressed that there is still a considerable amount of uncertainty about Isaias future intensity. Tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 240 miles from the center of Isaias. The hurricane center said an unofficial observing station on Big Ambergris Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands reported a sustained wind of 43 mph and had a gust to 54 mph on Thursday night. On the forecast path, the center of Isaias will move near the southeastern Bahamas by late tonight. Isaias is forecast to be near the central Bahamas Friday night and move near or over the northwest Bahamas and near South Florida on Saturday, the hurricane center said. Tropical storm conditions will continue in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos tonight, forecasters said. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the central Bahamas Friday morning and spread into the northwestern Bahamas beginning late Friday. Then Isaias could get stronger, and hurricane conditions will be possible in the central and northwestern Bahamas starting Friday night and into Saturday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in Florida beginning Saturday. New Thursday evening: A hurricane warning has been issued for the northwestern Bahamas, including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahamas Island and Bimini. A tropical storm warning continues for: * Dominican Republic entire southern and northern coastlines * North coast of Haiti from Le Mole St Nicholas eastward to the northern border with the Dominican Republic * Turks and Caicos Islands * Southeastern Bahamas including the Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, the Inaguas, Mayaguana, and the Ragged Islands * Central Bahamas, including Cat Island, the Exumas, Long Island,Rum Cay, and San Salvador * Northwestern Bahamas including Andros Island, New Providence, Eleuthera, Abacos Islands, Berry Islands, Grand Bahamas Island, and Bimini A tropical storm watch is in effect for: * East coast of Florida from Ocean Reef to Sebastian Inlet Storm surge of 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels will be possible in the central and northwest Bahamas. Storm surge will raise water level by as much as 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels in the southeastern Bahamas, forecasters said. Isaias could bring 4 to 8 inches of rain to the Dominican Republic and northern Haiti, with isolated areas getting up to 12 inches. The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos could get 4 to 8 inches, and 1 to 2 inches will be possible in Cuba. That much rain raises the risk of flash flooding and deadly mudslides, forecasters said. Heavy rain from Isaias could reach South Florida by Saturday morning, the hurricane center said. Two to 4 inches will be possible in the Sunshine State, with isolated areas getting up to 6 inches. There is one other area being watched in the Atlantic as of Thursday evening. A tropical wave near the west coast of Africa has gone from a 20 percent chance of development this morning to 50 percent this afternoon to a 40 percent chance as of the evening hours. Theres a chance a tropical depression could form on Friday, forecasters said, but it is expected to run into unfavorable conditions as it moves deeper into the Atlantic. The Atlantic hurricane season ends on Nov. 30. LONDON Still reeling from the impact of COVID-19 on jobs, business and the wider economy, British luxury brands are bracing themselves for a further blow: The possibility of higher, and broader, U.S. tariffs on British-made luxury goods resulting from the Airbus-Boeing subsidies controversy. A new U.S. review of punitive tariffs on goods from the U.K. and the European Union will take place over the next three weeks, and beleaguered British companies and their EU counterparts are trying to persuade the U.S. not to make any changes for the worse. The British government and the EU need to be very focused on this, because it will potentially impact on jobs. We are all trying to take these steps to economic recovery, but if you reduce the possibilities of manufacturing businesses in the U.K., it will be hard to continue to employ people, said Helen Brocklebank, chief executive officer of Walpole, which represents 270 high-end British businesses across several sectors. We are very focused on preserving as many jobs in the sector as we possibly can, because these are long-term skills, sustainable jobs and we are trying to raise awareness and the implications of the tariffs on British industry. Nobody wins a trade war. Walpole, and its European counterparts, penned letters to the office of the U.S. Trade Representative earlier this week laying out their concerns. The USTR did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. Last October, the U.S. raised its import tax on high-end products from Britain, including cashmere knitwear, merino wool and Savile Row suits, to 25 percent following a ruling by the World Trade Organization that the U.S. could punish European countries for subsidizing the manufacture of the Airbus fleet. The U.S. has the right to review the tariffs every 180 days, and can tweak them. The levies could go as high as 100 percent, and the U.S. could also decide to extend them to additional British products, including handbags, china, glassware, sparkling wine and cars, with Jaguar Land Rover, a popular brand in the U.S., one of the companies most at risk. Story continues The U.S. will decide by Aug. 12 what changes it wants if any while any new tariffs would come into force in September. Although Airbus has recently vowed to stop accepting the controversial subsidies from Europe, there is little indication that the U.S. would immediately scrap the taxes. The Airbus-Boeing tussle is the longest-running trade dispute in WTO history, and it is understood the U.S. still wants its compensation for more than a decade of European subsidies. To deepen the drama, the U.K. is trying to negotiate a post-Brexit trade agreement with the U.S., and the hope from the British side is that the Airbus-related tariffs will be canceled once a deal is reached. But given the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and the possibility of a new administration in January, the U.K.-U.S. trade negotiations could take longer than expected. The EU, including the U.K., which makes wings for Airbus planes in North Wales, is paying tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of exports to the U.S. As part of the dispute, the EU has accused the U.S. of subsidizing Airbus main rival, Boeing. The WTO has said the EU can retaliate, although the Geneva-based organization still has to provide the details of exactly what the EU can do. North America accounts for 20 to 25 percent of British luxury brands exports and, prior to lockdown, the British luxury sector was growing at 9.6 percent annually, outpacing U.K. annual growth of 4 percent. The U.S. is one of the largest luxury markets in the world, and Walpole said 75 percent of British brands identify the region as their priority growth market, according to a letter that Walpole sent to the USTR. Walpole added that for many small and medium-sized enterprises, the U.S. is the number-one international market, and urged both sides to de-escalate this trade war, which unnecessarily harms a commercially and culturally important trading relationship that dates back centuries and has a positive, mutually prosperous future. The letter went on to describe U.K. and U.S. luxury trade relations as a a collateral victim of the Airbus-Boeing dispute and argued that higher and broader tariffs would punish U.S. consumers as well as British businesses. The cost of doing business with the U.S. would become prohibitive, and the British would be forced to shut commercial and distribution operations on the ground. The letter added that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.K. luxury businesses were in significant expansion phases, but at a time when businesses have been hit hard by this global crisis, the imposition of tariffs on their products could be a fatal blow to further local investment. Walpole also pointed out that Scottish whisky makers are shouldering more than 60 percent of the U.K.s tariff burden right now. But whisky makers arent the only ones suffering in Scotland. Simon Cotton, ceo of Johnstons of Elgin, the Scottish cashmere and merino wool manufacturer, said in an interview that hiking tariffs to 100 percent on luxury knitwear would be disastrous, and make it impossible to do any knitwear business in the U.S. Cotton said that, so far, Johnstons has been absorbing the 25 percent tariff, rather than passing it onto customers. At the start of the year, Cotton said he was hopeful that the Airbus tariffs would be removed quickly as part of a broader U.K.-U.S. trade deal, but because lockdowns delayed the negotiations, he believes that nothing will get done for a while. On a brighter note, he said Johnstons stores have reopened, and that trading in Scotland has been better than expected, although business in Londons Mayfair is slow due to a lack of international tourists. Simon Cundey, managing director of the Savile Row tailor Henry Poole & Co., said his American customers have so far been absorbing the latest 25 percent tax, even if it is higher than the usual 18 to 20 percent import tax they were used to paying for years. A further hike in the tax on a Henry Poole suit, he believes, would discourage younger buyers Wall Street traders or young lawyers from splashing their cash on a British-made suit. This is especially true at a time when many U.S. bankers work from home for the foreseeable future. Cundey, like many of his fellow business owners, is frustrated on a number of levels: He believes its unfair that luxury makers should be caught up in a controversy involving airplane manufacturing, and argues that British tailored clothing is distinctive, and does not take business away from U.S. brands. Weve been in business for more than 200 years, we made suits for J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilts. Were proud of our trade with the Americans, and we dont feel were pricing anyone out of the market or competing with a brand like Oxxford in the U.S. We should embrace our differences we shouldnt be killing each other off, said Cundey, adding that, ideally, the duty on one of his suits in the U.S. should be around 15 percent. Duncan Edwards, the New York-based ceo of the British American Business Council, a trans-Atlantic chamber of commerce, said the organization has been working with the U.K. and U.S. governments on the thorny issue of tariffs, but theres not much more persuading that can be done. He believes luxury businesses have been caught in the crosshairs of the Airbus dispute because theyre relatively safe targets. I think the U.S. calculates that theyre not going to lose many friends by imposing a tariff on luxury goods. Nobody in the U.S. is going to say, Its an outrage that Champagne is more expensive that it should be! In some ways, these tariffs are low-risk compared with imposing tariffs on products aimed at ordinary people. He added: These luxury industries also support retail and hospitality jobs in the U.S. so the tariffs are not victimless. Edwards said hes hopeful that as the U.K. and the U.S. get closer to negotiating an agreement that the U.K. will be exempted from the tariffs. Its a possibility, although the U.S. has given no indication that would be the case. I do think it would be very difficult for the U.K. to sign a trade agreement if they were still being penalized by these tariffs. Even if the U.K. and the U.S. strike a post-Brexit deal, and the luxury tariffs are wiped out, there could be a whole other wave of U.S. duties linked to a planned tax on digital services, or tech tax. The British government is planning to tax U.S. giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook on their U.K. revenues. The 2 percent tax has already been approved by Parliament, and would come into effect in 2021. The U.S. is already threatening to retaliate, and earlier this month began punishing France for imposing a similar tax on the local revenues of U.S. tech giants. The Trump administration said it would impose 25 percent duties on $1.3 billion worth of French fashion goods in response to Frances digital services tax. As reported, USTR Robert Lighthizer said the U.S. would delay implementation of the action for up to 180 days if the trade representative determines that substantial progress is being made, or that a delay is necessary or desirable to obtain U.S. rights or satisfactory solution. That gives the U.S. and France until Jan. 6 to hold bilateral and multilateral discussions that could lead to a satisfactory resolution of this matter, the USTR said. When first proposed in December, the duties on French goods were set at 100 percent, so the result, while punishing for companies importing certain goods, was not as bad as it could have been. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. (Repeats story published on Wednesday) By Chen Aizhu SINGAPORE, July 29 (Reuters) - What to do with China's abundant stock of coal? Chemical giant Hengli plans to make clothes out of it. It may sound like something from ancient alchemy, but the privately-owned Chinese company surprised industry watchers in June when it said it was getting into mining with a $20 billion project to convert coal into polyester yarn, used in clothes, packaging and plastic bottles. The announcement was intriguing. Coal is not a typical raw material for polyester and Hengli's plan will be the world's first of its kind in the China-dominated coal to chemical sector, where investment so far has totalled $85 billion according to the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation. It also comes after Hengli borrowed heavily to set itself up as an oil refiner, using crude to make polyester. The shift into coal, a major source of smog and climate-warming greenhouse gases, is at odds with a global push to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and will exact a heavy environmental price, according to industry analysts. But the project, which Hengli aims to have running by the end of 2025 in Shaanxi province, fits into Beijings enduring commitment to coal and will add Hengli to a roster of Chinese companies, including coal miner Shenhua Group and oil refiner Sinopec, which have moved into the coal to chemicals business. "By picking Hengli, the country's largest polyester producer with extensive reaches to the consumer textile market, it will help Shaanxi province efficiently develop its rich coal resource and grow the local economy," said Zhu Fang, senior researcher at the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, which represents over 400 oil and chemical firms. Hengli, as a Chinese company and one of the worlds largest polyester yarn producers, also stands a better chance of getting regulatory approvals for its plan, according to analysts. Officials from Yulin city, in Shaanxi province where Hengli plans to base its coal-to-polyester operations, approached the company first with the idea of setting up a plant there, according to company spokesman Li Feng, and it took about 10 months for Hengli and the city to reach a deal. Story continues An official inter-provincial alliance between economically lagging Shaanxi and coastal Jiangsu, China's second wealthiest province, where Hengli is headquartered, may also help it gain regulatory support, as the project will generate jobs and boost local revenue, according to a Beijing-based executive from a rival company. Li, Henglis spokesman, declined to comment on the likelihood of regulatory approvals and said the project was about diversification from oil, full integration and economies of scale not politics. "With technological advances in the large-scale coal-to chemical plants, the cost of building and operating such a facility will become more and more competitive," he said. Global rivals Dow Chemicals, Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) and Total faced lengthy regulatory processes when they planned similar ventures in China. Dow and Total ultimately abandoned their plans amid a range of challenges from financial and environmental cost to the competition from cheaper shale gas-based projects in the United States. SABIC, one of the world's largest petrochemicals groups, said the company has yet to make any further announcement after signing a preliminary deal with Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group in 2016 to build a coal-to-olefin complex. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Established in 1994 as a small weaving factory, Hengli has transformed into one of the worlds largest polyester yarn producers, feeding off China's demand as the world's largest consumer of textile. Hengli had annual revenues of $80 billion last year, according to the company. It founders, group chairman Chen Jianhua and his wife Fan Hongwei, who heads its listed unit Hengli Petrochemical, were ranked 16th in Forbes magazines annual China rich list. The company took on 70% debt to fund its 56.4 billion yuan refinery complex leaving it with an eye-watering debt to asset ratio of 78% compared to Sinopec's 50%, according to company figures. Hengli will finance 30% of the Yulin investment from its own funds and the rest from Chinese banks, said Li. Henglis plans involve converting 20 million tonnes of coal into 9 million tonnes of fine chemicals and polyester a year and the company told Reuters it has tapped China Tianchen Engineering Corp and Sinopec's Luoyang Engineering to conduct pre-feasibility studies. Tianchen did not respond to a request for comment. A Luoyang Engineering representative said the company was at an early stage of cooperation with Hengli and declined further comment. While turning coal into industrial chemicals has been widely applied in China, producing aromatics - feedstocks for polyester -- is a relatively novel process which is not commercialized yet. "(Hengli) is likely to be the first time on such a scale," said Salmon Lee, principal analyst with Wood Mackenzie. Coal-based chemical plants typically emit three times more carbon dioxide and waste water for each unit of production, compared to oil-based chemical plants, and require oil at $45-$50 a barrel to break even, said industry experts. The scale of the Yulin project also means it could consume 60 million tonnes of fresh water every year, said a second Beijing based industry executive. That will be roughly enough to supply the whole of Singapore of six million people for five weeks, according to Reuters calculations based on Singapore's official water usage data. An economic planning official from Shaanxi said the provincial government supported investments that promoted the efficient use of coal but it was too early to comment on the environmental impact of the proposed project. "The province, as well as Yulin, will urge Hengli to strictly follow the state regulations over environmental impact and energy conservation," said the official, who declined to be named. Hengli's Li said the plant's emissions and water use will depend on the final design of the plant. "So far, we do not foresee any hurdles in winning the emission quotas and water resource(from local government)," he said, adding the company will invest in waste water treatment to maximise the amount of water they can recycle. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu. Editing by Carmel Crimmins) KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2020 - 22:00 | All, Japan One man was confirmed dead and 18 others were injured in an explosion apparently triggered by a gas leak Thursday morning at a restaurant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, police and firefighters said. The explosion occurred at the shabu-shabu hot pot chain eatery just before 9 a.m. in an area with homes and restaurants in the city of Koriyama, they said. Hiroshi Furukawa, 50, was found dead at the blast site. Furukawa had been working for the firm responsible for the renovation work inside the Shabu shabu Onyasai Koriyama Shin-Sakuradori restaurant and was the on-site supervisor. Two women in their 40s sustained severe injuries but are not in life-threatening condition, while 12 men and four women ranging from their 20s to 80s suffered minor injuries, the police said. "We sincerely apologize for causing a serious accident," said Kohei Nojiri, president of major restaurant chain operator Colowide Co., during a press conference. Colowide is the parent company to Reins International Inc., which manages the chain restaurant. Firefighters found six propane gas cylinders at the scene, three of which showed traces of gas leakage. The hot pot restaurant had been temporarily closed from July 21 amid the coronavirus outbreak and was undergoing renovation work, Colowide said in its press release. It was due to reopen Friday, the police said. At a nearby bank, two staff and two customers were among those injured by the blast, which shattered windows, according to workers at the bank. The branch was subsequently evacuated. The steel building that housed the restaurant was completely destroyed, with only its frame left standing after the blast. With the incident causing damage such as shattered windows to a number of houses and other buildings surrounding the restaurant, the Koriyama city government has set up an evacuation center for residents living nearby. A male employee of another local bank located 100 meters away from the explosion site said the bank building was also damaged. "I've never experienced such a strong impact, with this heavy thud," he said. A 63-year-old local resident saw white smoke rising around the explosion site and broken glass scattered around. "I heard a sound like something fell on my house and felt a strong shaking," he said. WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) today reported its second quarter 2020 financial results and filed its second quarter 2020 Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing provides condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. The following documents are now available on Fannie Mae's web site at www.fanniemae.com . Fannie Mae will host a conference call to discuss the company's results today at 8:00 a.m., ET. Participants may join the conference call in listen-only mode in one of the following formats: Listen-only webcast: 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: It is not necessary to dial into the audio conference unless you are unable to join the webcast via the URL above. United States: 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 Media Contact Pete Bakel 202-752-2034 Fannie Mae Newsroom https://www.fanniemae.com/news Photo of Fannie Mae https://www.fanniemae.com/resources/img/about-fm/fm-building.tif Fannie Mae Resource Center 1-800-2FANNIE SOURCE Fannie Mae Related Links https://www.fanniemae.com Evan Vucci, STF / Associated Press President Trump arrived in the emerging coronavirus hotspot of Midland-Odessa this week to raise campaign money and lend his support to the struggling Texas oil and gas industry. But his visit was overshadowed by the fact that two Republicans, Rep. Louie Gohmert and congressional nominee from Houston Wesley Hunt, were diagnosed with COVID-19. Combinatory war games by IRGC' navy, aerospace forces at 2nd day of drills ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Wed / 29 July 2020 / 14:18 Tehran (ISNA) - Day two of the final phase of major war games by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) named "Payambar-e Azam 14" saw ballistic missiles fired from deep inside the ground. The projectiles were completely camouflaged before their launch. During the drills, the IRGC's aerospace division, using modern tactics and equipment, displayed part of its capabilities in countering threats posed by the mock enemy. Earlier, missiles were fired at a US mock aircraft carrier moved by Iran to the Persian Gulf. The military exercises spans Hormozgan province, the west of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf all the way into the heart of the country. The war games feature land, sea, air and space drills. In the final phase of the maneuvers, missile, vessel and drone units of the IRGC's Naval Force as well as the missile, drone and radar units of the IRGC's Aerospace Division carry out operations and drills, IFP reported. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle Police arrested a 22-year-old man who punched and spat in the face of another passenger aboard a San Francisco Muni bus in an attack that left the victim with facial fractures, officials said. Jacob Burton was arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing serious injury and inflicting great bodily injury, according to San Francisco police. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 30, 2020 | GRAVES COUNTY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 30, 2020 | 07:46 AM | GRAVES COUNTY A Graves County man was shot early Thursday morning after authorities say he kicked in a home's door. Graves County Sheriff Jon Hayden says a 74-year-old resident on KY Highway 1710 called 911 at around 3 a.m. to report a masked man with a shotgun had forced his way into the home. The homeowner met the suspect and the suspect reportedly fled in a vehicle. At around 4:45 a.m. the resident called 911 reporting a man with a shotgun had kicked in his door again, but this time he shot the intruder with a shotgun. The intruder then fled on foot. Minutes later, Mayfield Police officers found 19-year-old James Page II in the road near the home with a severe shotgun wound to his arm. Deputies also recovered a shotgun from Page. Page was later airlifted to an out of state hospital for treatment of injuries that are believed to be non life-threatening. Page has been charged with first-degree burglary and other related charges. The resident who shot him is not facing any criminal charges. The last time Daniel Lee West saw his son, Kamdyn, they were playing in his mothers yard near the historical center of a small town about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta in Georgia. Now, he may have to take a DNA test to be reunited with the 2-year-old, who was found wandering barefoot in a diaper and a black T-shirt more than 700 miles away in Miramar, Florida Sunday. The search for his 21-year-old mother, Leila Cavett, continues for the third day in Hollywood. Hollywood, Florida police took over the case from Miramar police Wednesday, after they received reports that Cavett was possibly seen near the area of Hollywood Boulevard and US Route 441, a highway that extends from Miami, through the states of Georgia and North Carolina, to Tennessee. Hollywood police also found her car, a mid-to-late 90s white Chevy Silverado 3500, in the city, according to a press release. I just want Leila and Kamdyn safe, said West, 35. Leila is a great mom. [She] would do anything for our son. West contacted Miramar police earlier this week to claim custody of the child, but police told him he may have to provide proof that he is the father, he said. CPS [the Florida Department of Children and Families] is supposed to tell me what to do. I am coming there as soon as they do, West said. Cavetts sisters, who traveled from Jasper, Tuesday morning to speak with police, were also unsuccessful in claiming custody and may return to Alabama soon, Cavetts sister, Gina Lewis, said Wednesday. West met Cavett, who is originally from Jasper, in Dawsonville, Ga., two years ago, he said. Cavett was then in a relationship with Levi Arnold, a car aficionado who says he is from Woodstock, Ga., on his Facebook profile. We were never together; it was just a hookup, said West, who now lives in Ellijay, a town 30 miles northwest of Dawsonville. Our relationship was about Kamdyn only. Lewis confirmed that West is Kamdyns biological father and said Arnold stepped up as a father figure when the little boy was born. Arnold split up with Cavett shortly afterwards and now lives in Townley, Ala., according to his profile. West stayed in touch with Cavett and their son Kamdyn after they moved to Alabama in 2019, and then back to Georgia earlier this year. He saw Kamdyn and sent payments to his mother every two or three weeks, he said. He sent his last payment to Cavett Thursday around lunchtime. Cavett was staying with her aunt Robin Jenkins in Dawsonville, until the two had a disagreement and Cavett moved to a friends house, according to West. The Dawson County Sheriffs Office confirmed that Cavett was in Dawsonville in February, when a family member filed a report claiming that Cavett had been using crack cocaine at a residential home. Cavett had been arrested the year before on charges of drug use, according to Alabama court records. It was not clear whether the case was settled, the Herald reported. West said he was not aware of Cavetts criminal record. However, Cavetts sisters fear that she may have gotten into trouble. I am definitely thinking she is danger, just from how Kamdyn was found, Lewis told the Herald Wednesday shortly after reposting baby pictures of her sisters son on Facebook with the caption, We will find your mommy soon. Lewis and other family members told reporters that they last heard from Cavett on July 17 in a FaceTime call and she didnt say anything about going to Florida. Lewis and West said that going to another state without telling any family members was out of character for Cavett. Josh Freeland, who knows Cavett from her time in Georgia, said the whole thing doesnt make sense. Shes a mother. A great one at that. She has a love for people i cant explain... [and] shes one of few people I will care for for the rest of my life, Freeland told the Herald Wednesday. I just want her home back where she belongs. Kam doesnt deserve this. That baby is two years old and has been with her ever since he was born. Freeland extended his support to the family. It is the most frustrating, heartbreaking thing I have ever had to go through, Lewis said Wednesday. Coming down here and not knowing anybody was obviously very scary but I want to say thank you to everyone who shared and brought awareness to the situation. The community has been amazing. If you have any information about this case, contact the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 or 954-967-4411. 2020 Miami Herald Visit Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have discovered 11 Chinese nationals they say entered the country illegally after inspecting a local condominium. The Chinese nationals were staying at an apartment in Ward 22, Binh Thanh District, Nguyen Tri Dung, head of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), confirmed during a meeting on Wednesday. The entire group was promptly sent to a quarantine facility and an investigation into the case has been launched, he said. Earlier this week, the HCDC announced that they had busted another group, consisting of eight Chinese and one Vietnamese, who had entered the country illegally. The second group was found in District 12 and sent to a quarantine facility in the outskirt district of Cu Chi. Ho Chi Minh City now faces a high risk of new community-based novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases from tourists returning from the central city of Da Nang, Vietnams current COVID-19 epicenter, and from those entering the country illegally, according to Dung. The original source of infection in Da Nang may have been from people who have illegally entered the country, the official added, explaining that information on illegal entry cases must be publicized as soon as it becomes available in order to protect local residents, he added. Authorities in the city have detected a total of 38 cases of illegal entry since May. Vietnams COVID-19 tally sits at 459, with 369 having recovered as of Thursday morning. The country has recorded 43 community-based cases, all traced back to Da Nang, since Saturday last week, according to a Tuoi Tre News count. These cases follow a 99 day period without a single community transmission. 34 of the 43 new patients are located Da Nang, three in Quang Nam Province, one in Quang Ngai Province, two in Hanoi, two in Ho Chi Minh City, and one in Dak Lak Province. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys was ordered to do a U-turn on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) after a late-night meeting of the three Government party leaders, it can be revealed. The news comes as the Government confirmed that following a review of 2,500 cases where payments were stopped, a total 85 have the potential to receive the payment following the rule change. Late on Tuesday night, Ms Humphreys stoutly defended the decision to withdraw the payment of the PUP from people who left the country but was forced into the climbdown on foot of a diktat from Taoiseach Micheal Martin. Just 12 hours later, yesterday morning, she reversed that position in a statement to the Dail. She said: I have listened to the concerns expressed in recent days in relation to people whose payment was stopped due to the fact they were travelling abroad on a holiday. I have directed my department to review all cases to date where people who went on holiday and had their payment stopped. I have now asked my officials to amend the regulations so that people on Jobseekers who wish to travel to any of the countries on the Green List can do so and continue to receive their payment, she told TDs. The U-turn came after the Coalition passed through legislation to put the PUP on a statutory footing on Tuesday night and set strict rules about claiming the support, including the provision that recipients must be genuinely seeking work. The Irish Examiner has confirmed that Mr Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan discussed the matter at the conclusion of a Cabinet subcommittee on health and they agreed with the Taoiseachs assessment that the U-turn must happen. Q&A: The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020 - or pandemic unemployment payment what is it? This was agreed by the three leaders who were working late at the cabinet subcommittee. It was clear the change had to be made and there was no disagreement from the three, said a senior Government source. There is considerable annoyance within the Government parties at the manner in which the rule was changed by Ms Humphreys, with some TDs blaming her officials for being over-zealous in their attempts to reduce the numbers on the PUP. At a meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party, Mr Martin heard from a small number of TDs who complained about the continued mishandling of events by the Government. Kilkenny TD John McGuinness said the PUP U-turn and the fallout of the gifting back of the 16,000 top-up allowance for super junior ministers had been a PR disaster. New Dun Laoghaire TD Cormac Devlin was critical of the handling of the matters, saying the party was being badly damaged by Sinn Feins more agile approach to social media. Mr Martin is said to have held the line on the 10% pay cut issue and did not give an inch but complained that his comments to his own party were being leaked out to the media while the meeting was ongoing. Last night, the Department of Social Protection said it had completed the review of the 2,500 pandemic unemployment payment cases where the payment was stopped for travelling abroad. This review has identified some 85 cases that have the potential to be entitled to the pandemic unemployment payment for a holiday period, it said in a statement. The department will be contacting the 85 individuals directly in the coming days to verify these cases." Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald the Governments utter hypocrisy and unfairness is galling. If the Government is determined to penalise people for travelling abroad, it must have universal penalties, not ones targeted at one section of the population, because the unfairness of that speaks for itself, she said. NEW HAVEN - The COVID-19 pandemic turned a pro-union rally into a car caravan Wednesday, with more than 500 vehicles, honking and displaying signs, riding past Yale University President Peter Salovey's house on Wednesday. Union locals 34 and 35 are beginning contract talks with the university, and union and city leaders repeated the mantra, "Yale, Step Up!" and increase the number of union jobs as well as help New Haven homeowners and schools with higher financial contributions. The current contracts run until Jan. 23, 2022, but union leaders and community activists said they want to hear that Yale will support those who have kept the university running during the pandemic. LONDON (Reuters) - A former lawmaker from Britain's governing Conservative Party has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women. Charlie Elphicke, 49, whose wife Natalie succeeded him last year as the Member of Parliament for Dover in southern England, was charged with committing the first offence in 2007 against one individual and two further offences against a second person in 2016. He had denied the charges. Natalie Elphicke said on Twitter that the verdict "ends my 25-year marriage to the only man I have ever loved". Southwark Crown Court heard that Charlie Elphicke, who represented Dover in parliament between 2010 and 2019, became sexually suggestive and lunged at a woman in 2007, attempting to kiss and touch her while his wife was away. He paid her in cash to keep it secret from his wife. Nine years later, he forcibly kissed a parliamentary worker, the court heard, and later that year, sexually touched her again despite her having said she had no interest in him. Elphicke said he did kiss the first woman but stopped when she did not reciprocate, and while he was "besotted" with the second woman, he said he did not touch her. Natalie Dawson, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecuction Service, said in a statement: "Charles Elphicke abused his power and influence over these women to make unwanted and forceful sexual advances towards them." "Elphicke has lied repeatedly about his conduct and failed to take responsibility for his behaviour and the harm suffered by his victims." He will be sentenced on Sept. 15. Last year, an independent inquiry was commissioned after Britain's parliament became one of several institutions to be embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal after abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted women and men to share stories about improper behaviour. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Stephen Addison) Protesters set up several tents on one of Sofias busiest central crossroads and outside the government headquarters. Anti-government protesters have occupied two key crossroads in central Sofia, threatening to block traffic until the conservative government they accuse of corruption resigns. Thousands of people have rallied for three weeks in the Bulgarian capital and other cities in the EU members biggest protests in years. Since late Wednesday, protesters have set up several tents on Eagles Bridge, one of Sofias busiest central crossroads, as well as outside the government headquarters. One of the protest organisers, Nikolay Hadjigenov, on Thursday told public BNR radio that the traffic blockades and other civil disobedience action would be maintained until Prime Minister Boyko Borisov resigns. Borisov wont hear us. We dont have any such illusions, so we must bring him down by force, Hadjigenov said. Police have not intervened so far to clear the tents. A man holds a Bulgarian flag during an anti-government protest in Sofia [Nikolay Doychinov/AFP] Wednesday evenings rally gathered more than 5,000 people who shouted Resign! outside the government headquarters. Hundreds more walked along the central boulevard linking the government headquarters and Eagles Bridge, blocking traffic throughout Wednesday. Borisov, whose third term in office expires in March 2021, has refused to quit. In a Facebook message late on Wednesday, he warned against closing crossroads to disrupt peoples normal lives. There are elections next year. Whoever wins them will govern. This is democracy, he said. Thirteen years after joining the EU, Bulgaria remains its poorest as well as most corruption-ridden member, according to Transparency Internationals corruption perception index. The (MEA) on Thursday said the request of members of Sikh and Hindu communities, who arrived here from earlier this week, for permanent settlement in India would be examined and facilitated as per existing rules and policies. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also said that apart from those who returned, the ministry was in touch with others who would like to return from and would facilitate their return. Eleven members of minority communities of Afghanistan, including a Sikh community leader who was kidnapped and later released, arrived here on Sunday after India granted them visas and facilitated their travel. Nidan Singh Sachdeva, who was released from captivity on July 18, was among those who reached Delhi on Sunday. Sachdeva, a Sikh community leader of Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Paktia province last month. Asked if those minorities who arrived from will be granted citizenship, Srivastava said, "I had said last week how there has been a recent spurt of attacks on minorities in Afghanistan, belonging to the Hindu and Sikh communities. I had also described how it has been done by terrorists at the behest of their external supporters." "Our mission in Kabul, despite the COVID situation, facilitated the visas for the return of the first group which arrived here," Srivastava said. Their cause for permanent settlement will be examined and facilitated as per existing rules and policies, he said. Asked about the India-Nepal border issue, he said he has made India's position clear and there was nothing to add. Srivastava also said there was no update on the Kerala gold smuggling case. Asked about Kuwait's travel ban which includes people coming from India, he said the ban is not specific to Indian nationals and was there as part of restrictions on travel due to the COVID-19 situation. The civil aviation authorities are holding discussions to work out related arrangements at this point in time, Srivastava said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jean Ennis Fenwick, 90, of Mechanicsville, MD passed away on July 25, 2020 at her home. Born on June 2, 1930 in Newark, NJ, she was the daughter of the late Claude Melnott Ennis and Mercedes Ennis (Dey). After graduating high school, Jean went on to attend 4 years of college at University of Kentucky, where she obtained a Bachelor's Degree. She married the love of her life, Cuthbert I Fenwick, Jr. on June 12, 1954 and they spent 51 wonderful years of marriage together before his passing on May 5, 2005. Jean and Cuthbert welcomed two (2) beautiful children into their family and from then on, Jean was a fulltime Homemaker. She took excellent care of her family and enjoyed spending her time with her kids, raising them up while creating fun and long-lasting memories. Jean loved her family more than anything in the world and they always came first. Jean enjoyed so many beautiful things that life had to offer. She was a member of Our Lady's Church on Medley's Neck and attended services there on Sundays where she used her lovely voice to sing in the church choir. She also was a member of the Red Cross. Jean loved to travel, see and experience new places and things. She was very interested in U.S. History and constantly looking to learn. She had incredible creative skills and enjoyed making art of all types, such as painting, pen and ink, watercolors, pottery, playing the piano and other crafts. Jean is survived by her children: Cuthbert "Chip" I Fenwick, III (Arlene) of Mechanicsville, MD and Claudia M. Fenwick, her sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Wise (Bill) of Lake Oswego, OR, as well as 3 granddaughters: Summer E. Seastrand (Erik), Alyssa K. Popa (Sergui), and Kathleen N Fleetwood (J.T.), as well as 6 grandsons. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her step mother, Mary J Ennis. Family will receive friends on July 31, 2020 for a Life Celebration and funeral Mass celebrated by Father John at 10:00 am at Our Lady's Church, 41410 Medley's Neck Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Condolences to the family may be made at www.brinsfieldfuneral.com. Joe Biden's notes caught on camera at a campaign event had a string of comments about Kamala Harris, triggering fresh speculation the senator will be his vice-presidential nominee. Ms Harris was the only person mentioned on the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's notepad page captured by Associated Press photographer Andrew Harnik. Under her name was written "do not hold grudges", "campaigned with me & Jill", "talented", "great help to campaign" and "great respect for her". The comments may have been written in anticipation of a question about Ms Harris. Mr Biden took questions for half an hour at Tuesday's event in Delaware after his speech. Ms Harris, who represents California and challenged for her party's presidential nomination this year against Mr Biden, has long been seen as one of the front-runners to be his running mate. The 55-year-old rose in politics as an attorney for San Francisco and then California before taking up a seat in the US Senate in 2017. Mr Biden has said he will make his choice for who will join him on the presidential ticket next week ahead of the election on November 3. He has already pledged to pick a woman, and earlier this month said that four black women were being considered for the position. Expand Close Presidential hopeful Joe Biden. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Presidential hopeful Joe Biden. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of Ms Harris being selected after the note surfaced. "I think she'd be a fine choice," he told reporters outside the White House before flying to Texas for campaign events. One reason why Ms Harris's was the only name written on the page of Mr Biden's notes could be because a report the previous day on the Politico website had claimed that some on his vice-presidential vetting team had expressed reservations about her. At one Democratic primary debate, Ms Harris had a heated confrontation with Mr Biden, criticising his past opposition to the policy of 'busing', which saw children of different races bused to schools as a way of breaking down segregated education. The confrontation became the standout moment of that debate in June 2019, when the two politicians were rivals competing for the Democratic nomination. The clash reportedly frustrated some in Mr Biden's camp at the time, including his wife, Jill, and has been seen as a potential barrier to Ms Harris being picked as candidate to become vice president. According to the Politico piece, Ms Harris expressed no remorse over the confrontation when interviewed by Mr Biden's vetting team, and joked: "That's politics." Mr Biden's "do not hold grudges" comment could be a reference to his position if asked about the confrontation, though the exact meaning behind the notes is unclear. Should Ms Harris be selected, she would be the first person of colour to be a vice-presidential nominee. Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman selected for the role, for the Democrats in 1984. In just his third extended news conference in four months, Mr Biden also sidestepped specific questions about the timing of his decision on a running mate, an approach reflected in another entry on his notepad. Under the heading "VP", Mr Biden wrote "highly qualified" and "diverse group," signifying his intention not to tease out any more details. NBU ready to sign memo with IFC for expanding financial inclusion, developing Fintech The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is ready to sign a memorandum with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) from the World Bank Group to work together to expand financial inclusion and develop Fintech in Ukraine. According to a report on the National Bank's website on Wednesday, this was announced by Governor of the NBU Kyrylo Shevchenko during an online meeting with IFC Regional Manager for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Jason Pellmar. Pellmar, in turn, informed Shevchenko about the implementation of the Ukraine Financial Inclusion for Growth Project in in Ukraine. KEY HIGHLIGHTS A big positive is the focus on multi-disciplinary, holistic higher education with flexibility in the choice of subjects, and multiple entries and exit points for students NEP 2020 will require huge infrastructure and change in orientation of all stakeholders to make it a success Public investment in education sector at 6% of GDP could have been set higher Globalisation thrust in education policy to compete with global higher education institutes is missing The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) with the aim for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country. This policy will replace the 34-year-old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. The policy makes impactful suggestions and advocates much required educational reforms - focus on multi-disciplinary, holistic higher education with the flexibility in the choice of subjects, and multiple entries and exit points for students. It also envisages a single regulator for higher education - the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) - including teacher education. Multiple exit/entry and the credit bank will allow students to get educated while earning. "This will include all kinds of students in the education system who need to work to fund their education," says Partha Chatterjee, Head of Department of Economics at Shiv Nadar University. He adds that the question we need to think hard is how it will play out when people are in and out of the university instead of being continuously present for 3-4 years. "While it gives academics the luxury to guide and mentor students for a longer period of time, it can also lead to their relationship becoming impersonal and transactional. That is a challenge we need to be aware of," says Chatterjee. Another big step forward is the autonomy of colleges as it allows for much more innovation. "Our education system is stale in the sense that it has been dictated by the UGC. As colleges become independent, they will be free to experiment with new pedagogy, courses etc." But, this will also be a challenge for Tier 2 city colleges, cautions Chatterjee. Also read: Despite higher fees, India's private schools don't offer quality education, claims report "The UGC will have to figure out how to support the second rung of colleges and those below. Their capacity building will have to go hand in hand - administratively, financially and academically - as they become independent," he says. Experts believe that it is one thing to announce the policy and another to execute it. The devil lies in the details and the fine print is much awaited. "Grand plans require grand infrastructure," says KR Shyam Sundar, Professor, HRM Area, XLRI Jamshedpur. He adds that the success of the NEP 2020 will depend on two key determinants. One is the infrastructure to support and another is the change in the orientation of the entities involved in the education system. They can be households, students, administrators, bureaucrats. Even the bureaucratisation of processes in the education sector has to be reduced. All these plans will require investment. NEP 2020 has set the target to increase the public investment in the education sector to reach 6 per cent of GDP by the Centre and State. The Kothari Commission had recommended 6 per cent allocation way back in 1964. "While we have increased the target we haven't moved the milestone ahead. We are still focusing on the 6 per cent milestone that was set 55 years back. One would like to see the Central government spend 6 per cent of the GDP. If we want to achieve the changes that are contemplated, it's time we revise it upwards," says Prof Sundar. According to Economic Survey 2019-2020, the public spending (by the Centre and the State) on education was 3.1% of the GDP. Also, to meet the growing demand for quality education, the policy could have opened up the sector to private investments. Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, Seth Anandram Jaipuria Education Society says that for India to meet Sustainable Development Goal 4 by 2030 to provide inclusive and equitable quality education for all, it would be unrealistic to expect such large investments coming solely from the government and purely philanthropic initiatives. "It is time they open up the education sector to private investment that will bring the cost of the education down and help in meeting the diverse needs of the country." Also read: National Education Policy: Dr Kasturirangan hails new education policy, others see execution challenges Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:44:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, announced Thursday that its hydrogen energy industry is expected to reach 200 billion yuan (about 28.6 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030. The provincial capital is intensifying efforts to develop a sophisticated hydrogen energy industrial system to reduce reliance on fossil energy and fill the gap in limited sources of sustainable energy, Chen Jianrong, deputy director of Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference. Guangzhou plans to build a hydrogen energy industrial chain with a production value of over 60 billion yuan by 2025, and an industrial system that consists of production, storage, transaction and application with an output value of 200 billion yuan by 2030, according to the press conference. Over 20 hydrogen energy projects with investment totaling over 4 billion yuan have been introduced in Guangzhou. The city will further explore the use of energy in fields such as public transport, drones, mechanical equipment, and shipping in the near future. China has enhanced policy support for research and development in hydrogen fuel cells in recent years, said Li Can of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Enditem With the Maharashtra government calling for low-key celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, livelihood of people associated with the festivities, which generate a turnover of more than Rs 70 crore every year in Mumbai, has been adversely affected. There are some 12,000 Sarvajanik mandals here. Besides, nearly two lakh idols are installed by citizens at their homes every year, Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, an umbrella body coordinating between the civic body, government and mandals, told PTI. "There is a small industry which works during the festival involving flower vendors, electricians, those selling items like bamboo for setting up mandaps, those providing transportation facilities, artisans and many more," he said. "The business turnover during the festivities here is over Rs 70 crore and the government also gets taxes," he said, adding that the livelihood of those involved in the celebration-related works would be affected this year. Ganeshotsav is the most popular festival in Maharashtra. The pandals set up by various mandals in Mumbai and other places in the state attract thousands of devotees during the 10-day festival, which begins on ' Chaturthi'. This year, 'Ganesh Chaturthi' falls on August 22. Over the years, celebrations have grown by leaps and boundssince it became a 'sarvajanik' (public) festival more than a century ago. In 1896, the plague epidemic cast a shadow on the festival here. At that time also, the celebrations were subdued and people used photograhs of Lord Ganesh on their wall calenders to offer prayers since the idols could not be made, Dahibavkar said. This year, in the wake of the outbreak, there was a proposal to postpone the festival to February next year. But, from January 1, 2021, use of Plaster of Paris will be banned. "What to do with the idols already made?" he said. Besides, open spaces for setting up pandals are provided as per high court order for 12 days a year. In 2021, open spaces will not available for 24 days (12 days in February and 12 days later during Ganesh Chaturthi), he said. He also said after discussions between the government and the civic body, it was decided to cap the height Ganesh idols at four feet so that the requirement of people to carry the idols for installation and immersion is minimum, he said. Restricted height would ensure immersion at a nearby site, he said, assuring that hygiene protocols would be followed during the festival. Meanwhile, idol makers, who are usually much in demand in the run up to the festival every year, are also facing the heat of the pandemic. Brihanmumbai Ganesh Murtikar Sangh president Gajanan Tondvalkar said they had asked the civic body to allow idols of less than five feet to be made almost a couple of months before the actual decision for idols of four feet was taken. "Most of the workers live in tiny homes and they need open spaces for making idols. Not all have their own space. We have been demanding a single window clearance system for setting up mandaps for idol-making. "But, that has not happened for last 15 years. We need permission from the local police station, traffic police, environment department, fire brigade and health department. This year these permissions were waived off. But we got only 35 days to start work on the idols," he said. Referring to their other problems, including use of material for making idols, Tondvalkar said clay idols take time to dry. "If the permission for open spaces is given on time, we will make only clay idols. Because of the time constraints, we can't complete all the orders this year," he rued. "We got clay from Gujaratin five containers. Due to the lockdown, we had difficulty in getting these vehicles into the city. Doesn't the condition of Ganesh idol makers matter to the decision makers? Livelihood of lakhs of people is dependent on the Ganesh festivities," he said. "First, you waste time in taking decision on the height of the idols, but dont consider the important aspect of providing space. The instructions are to follow social distancing norms, and use masks and sanitisers. How to follow social distancing when there are space constraints?" he asked. Tondvalkar said since they have not been provided spaces in open playgrounds, they have no option but to work on footpaths and othersuch places. As per the new guidelines, the state government has asked citizens to worship metal or marble Ganesh idols at home or install clay idols of not more than two feet, and perform immersion at their homes. Notably, the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai's most famous idol, earlier this month announced cancellation of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The GSB Ganeshotsav Samiti in Wadala area has already postponed the celebration to 'Magh Shudh Chaturthi' in February next year, a samiti official earlier said. Dahibavkar said this year, blood donation, health camps and public awareness campaigns on will be held instead of cultural programmes. Online darshan facility for idols installed at sarvajanik mandals would be made available for devotees, he said, adding that mandals have also been asked to avoid decoration and lighting on stage. There are 84 immersion points in Mumbai and apart from these, more artificial ponds will be created, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) New Delhi: Amid a raging debate on demonetisation, the government on Friday said in Lok Sabha that it wanted a reduction in the use of physical currency in the economy, which should be substituted with digital money. Responding to a question on digital payment systems, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government wanted the physical currency to come down and be substituted by digital currency. While physical currency should decline, business and commerce should prosper. He said out of 80 crore debit cards, 40 crore were actively used at ATMs. Electronic wallets and digital transfer of funds was the future technology which the government is encouraging and has asked various state governments to contribute. Jaitley also said a dedicated fund under depositor education and awareness fund was in place for expanding acceptance, infrastructure and conducting awareness campaign among people for a cash-less society. Cashless society would mean less investment in handling cash, transparency in payments and check on fake currency, he said. FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Both the House and Senate this week signed off on a zoning reform that Gov. Charlier Baker believes could ramp up housing production in Massachusetts, a policy goal that has proven difficult to achieve for many years because development rules vary in each of the states 351 cities and towns. The proposal to reduce the voting threshold needed to advance local projects was included in economic development bills now headed for private negotiations. For two and a half years, Baker has pushed lawmakers to reduce the voting threshold needed to make changes to local zoning ordinances from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority, arguing the current requirement stifles new housing production. The House included language altering the vote requirement in the baseline version of its major jobs bill (H 4879), while the Senate added similar provisions Wednesday to its bill (S 2842) through an amendment filed by Housing Committee Co-chair Sen. Brendan Crighton of Lynn. Crighton said the two-thirds requirement handcuffs local officials and that Massachusetts is one of only two states with such a requirement. His amendment goes further than zoning votes, too, setting a goal of 427,000 new units of housing by 2040 with at least 85,400 affordable for low-income residents. Critics of the idea have argued that developers will use the change in law to influence elected officials in smaller towns to force housing developments and that the change may merely lead to more unaffordable new homes, rather than addressing affordability challenges. Supporters claim increasing the supply of housing overall will create more options across the spectrum and the change will enable housing production in communities that have resisted it. While both branches are now on record in support of Bakers so-called housing choices idea, it may not head to his desk immediately. Legislative leaders will likely establish a conference committee to hash out differences between the two jobs bills, which could stretch into a lengthy, closed-doors process. Baker said Thursday that he would love to see his reform pass, even if it means lawmakers need to stay in formal sessions beyond their July 31 deadline. Its passage, he said, would lead to more senior, more affordable, more workforce housing, more quickly. On Wednesday, Cameron Diaz promoted her new wine brand while speaking on Late Night with Seth Meyers. And on Thursday, the 47-year-old put her money where her mouth is, by drinking a sample of her Avaline wine as part of the 'wine challenge'. Diaz chronicled her attempt at the online trend in her first ever TikTok video. In the short video, the There's Something About Mary star sat behind her business partner Katherine Power, who held the base of a half-filled wine glass between her teeth. As the Enya track Only Time played, the entrepreneur tipped her head back, allowing her company's co-founder to drink from the tilted glass. There was nearly a mishap at the end of the challenge, however the Being John Malkovich actress was able to steady the glass with her hand, before bursting out laughing. Just seven months after the birth of her first child, Cameron is getting into the wine business. The actress, whose daughter Raddix was born in early January, launched her wine Avaline earlier this month with Power and gave an update on how she's balancing it all on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Diaz, who shares Raddix with her husband of five years, Benji Madden, opened up about the challenges of motherhood, raising a child in quarantine and Avaline, which launched with two summer-friendly wines, a Spanish white and a French rose. Mother: Just seven months after giving birth to her first child, Cameron Diaz is getting into the wine business, discussing both her child and new wine on Late Night with Seth Meyers Wine brand: The 47-year-old actress, who gave birth to daughter Raddix in early January, launched her wine Avaline earlier this month, with entrepreneur Katherine Power The actress gave birth to Raddix a few months before COVID-19 started to spread and forced many to stay at home, as she joked about her baby previously being an 'excuse' to stay at home. 'Before, my baby was an excuse to stay home, you know,' Diaz said with a laugh. 'Now I don't have to make that excuse it's just what it is, and I get to be with her,' she said. The Holiday star added that 'the best part' of staying 'within our little bubble' for lockdown is her husband Benji Madden, 'gets to be home, he works from home and so he gets to be with her as much as I do.' Glass of heaven: Cameron clearly knows the best way to make it through quarantine Jokes: The actress gave birth to Raddix a few months before COVID-19 started to spread and forced many to stay at home, as she joked about her baby previously being an 'excuse' to stay at home She added they both 'have a lot of gratitude' for the time they get to spend with their daughter now during COVID-19, before speaking about her wine brand. Diaz mentioned that Meyers pronounced the name of the wine wrong, pointing out they even have the phonetic spelling on the bottle. Meyers joked that there were bottles of the wine sent to his house, but 'there was no note so we just drank it,' before revealing he still had some of the French rose left, adding 'it's delicious.' Phonetic: Diaz mentioned that Meyers pronounced the name of the wine wrong, pointing out they even have the phonetic spelling on the bottle Meyers added he will, 'out of necessity' just drink from the bottle, with Diaz adding, 'you are drinking it the best way, straight out of the fridge, icy cold.' After they had a few drinks, Meyers asked how the idea came about to start a wine called Avaline. 'My partner, Katherine power, 'who is an entrepreneur and a friend of mine, who I met through my sister-in-law Nicole Richie, and they have been best friends forever,' Diaz began. Drinks: Meyers added he will, 'out of necessity' just drink from the bottle, with Diaz adding, 'you are drinking it the best way, straight out of the fridge, icy cold' Wine: After they had a few drinks, Meyers asked how the idea came about to start a wine called Avaline Partner: Diaz added Katherine is an entrepreneur, adding her idea is, 'if you find the name first to something, it's easier to kind of, like, you know, go towards that branding so we went through all of the names that we could' Diaz added Katherine is an entrepreneur, adding her idea is, 'if you find the name first to something, it's easier to kind of, like, you know, go towards that branding so we went through all of the names that we could.' She added that every name they came up with has already been claimed as a vineyard, 'because there are so many wines.' 'So we, you know, we went to baby naming sites and Avaline just looked beautiful, we thought, as written, and then the meaning, which is sensitive, humble and lively, which it really felt like embodied what we wanted for our brand to sort of, you know, be so we ended up with Avaline,' she added. So many: She added that every name they came up with has already been claimed as a vineyard, 'because there are so many wines.' Meyers added that the wine is made with organic grapes, which Diaz realized was important to her after educating herself about the wine-making process. 'Because we never - you know, look, I have drank wine my entire life, and my assumption, is that it was just fermented grapes, why wouldn't it be, and then we learned sort of what possibly could be put into wine, and we realized that we wanted to drink only wines that didn't have those things in it,' Diaz said. She added the organic grapes were, 'a huge part' of branding Avaline as a 'clean wine, 'because it all starts in the vineyard for us because organic farming is just cleaner by nature than commercial farming you know, there is not the synthetic pesticides, it's kinder to the land and to the environment and to the waterways.' Organic: Meyers added that the wine is made with organic grapes, which Diaz realized was important to her after educating herself about the wine-making process. 'And so - and then we realized that we only really consume, you know, we make such an effort to consume organic groceries, to put clean skin products on our, you know, bodies, and to wear organic cotton, all these things that we never really questioned our wine and when we realized that it wasn't a given that our wines were organic, we went ahead and sort of went that -- we sort of put the pillar of our wine was that it had to have organic grapes,' Diaz added. She said it definitely 'made the process more difficult' and that lead them to Europe where more land is 'being farmed organically.' 'And in making wine in the way that we were looking for wine to be made, which was with the least amount of intervention that could be created as a large-scale wine so we found these winemakers who were making the wine we wanted to drink, making it the way we -- or to the standards that we had for it, and then we had, you know, the farming practices were right where we wanted, you know, wanted it to be,' she added. Fans can learn more about Diaz's wine at DrinkAvaline.com. Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday finally vacated her house of over 20 years and handed over 35, Lodhi Estate, to the central government. For now, Gandhi has shifted to a penthouse in Gurugram but will later move into a house in Delhi. But she has clearly taken no chances to give the government anything to attack her over the state of the vacated house. A statement issued by the Congress said, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra handed over the possession of 35 Lodhi Estate, previously allotted to her on security grounds, to the CPWD today." The statement said that CPWD officers accepted the keys to the bungalow after a full inspection, "establishing that the house was handed over in good condition". The officers issued her a 'Vacation Report' for the premises on behalf of the CPWD. "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also passed on to the CPWD and the Directorate of Estates a full inventory of privately installed fittings, fixtures, etc. She has paid all electricity, water and previous dues and is awaiting the final assessment for the license fee of the month of July from the Directorate of Estates due to her on July 31 to close all accounts with reference to the allotment and subsequent cancellation of the lease of the government bungalow," said the party statement. Not just this, Gandhi also released a video of her showing the authorities the house, which was cleaned and painted before being handed over. It is a clear indication that she does not want any controversy similar to what Akhilesh Yadav faced when he was forced to vacate his official accommodation after losing the elections and as per a Supreme Court order when all former chief ministers were asked to vacate their accommodations. Yadav was accused of leaving the house stripped off all its fittings. Authorities said he had left behind the home with broken tiles; bathroom fittings and even bulbs were taken away. But Gandhi has ensured that such charges cannot be levelled against her. In fact, when she was asked to vacate the house as she is no longer entitled to a Lutyens' bungalow as she had lost her SPG cover, Gandhi had told Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri that she wanted no extension and would vacate the home before the deadline of August 1. Gandhi also wrote to the new allottee, BJP MP Anil Baluni, and invited him over for tea. Baluni wrote back saying he would be unable to attend as he is unwell but that he would invite her for a "Pahadi-style" dinner once the coronavirus pandemic ends. But the careful vacation of the bungalow is also Gandhi's way of ensuring she has an upper hand over not just the BJP but also Yadav, who is her opponent in Uttar Pradesh. There is a strategy behind the bungalow she leaves behind. Micro Electric Vehicle Market Research Report by Type (Hybrid Micro Electric Vehicles and Pure Micro Electric Vehicles), by Application (Commercial and Residential) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Micro Electric Vehicle Market Research Report by Type, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941299/?utm_source=GNW The Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market is expected to grow from USD 7,305.67 Million in 2019 to USD 9,988.23 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.35%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Micro Electric Vehicle to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: "The Hybrid Micro Electric Vehicles is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Type, the Micro Electric Vehicle Market studied across Hybrid Micro Electric Vehicles and Pure Micro Electric Vehicles. The Pure Micro Electric Vehicles commanded the largest size in the Micro Electric Vehicle Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Hybrid Micro Electric Vehicles is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Commercial is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Application, the Micro Electric Vehicle Market studied across Commercial and Residential. The Residential commanded the largest size in the Micro Electric Vehicle Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Commercial is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Geography, the Micro Electric Vehicle Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Micro Electric Vehicle Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market including Ingersoll-Rand Inc., Italcar Industrial S.r.l., Polaris Industries, Textron Inc., and Yogomo Vehicle Co., Ltd.. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Micro Electric Vehicle 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 the market 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 Micro Electric Vehicle Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Micro Electric Vehicle Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941299/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Dave Calhoun, President and CEO of Boeing, Inc., said he estimates that it will take around three years to return to 2019 passenger levels, though there have been some encouraging signs. He said this in a letter to employees on the aerospace market realities. As health and safety remain a top priority, Calhoun said the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the aviation sector continues to be severe, with airline revenues reducing. This has led to Boeing's commercial customers delaying jet purchases, slowing deliveries, deferring elective maintenance, retiring older aircraft and reducing spend, he added. In view of the current market conditions, Boeing has been taking decisive actions to bolster near-term liquidity by suspending dividend, terminating share repurchasing program, reducing discretionary spending and overhead costs, and issuing $25 billion in new debt. Boeing has also lowered commercial production rates and announced a net 10 percent workforce reduction in 2020 through a combination of voluntary layoffs, attrition and involuntary layoffs (ILOs) to align to a smaller market. Calhoun said Boeing will further lower their commercial airplane production rates to make further adjustments based on the prolonged impact of COVID-19. It will need to adapt accordingly as the market will not support higher output levels at this time. The aircraft maker will now slow down the ramp-up in 737 production than previously planned, with a gradual increase to 31 per month by the beginning of 2022. It will also reduce the combined 777/777X production rate to two per month in 2021 and 787 production rate to six per month in 2021. With this lower rate profile, Calhoun said Boeing will also need to evaluate the most efficient way to produce the 787, including studying the feasibility of consolidating production in one location. While the 767 and 747 rates remain unchanged, Boeing will complete production of the iconic 747 in 2022 based on the current market dynamics and outlook. Calhoun noted that the prolonged impact of COVID-19 has needed further reductions in production rates and this would also require a further assessment of the size of Boeing's workforce. However, he added that the diversity of Boeing's portfolio and its government services, defense and space programs provide some stability in the near term as it takes these tough but necessary steps. Boeing continues to proactively review every aspect of its operations to identify opportunities to improve and align better to the new market conditions. These include its infrastructure footprint, overhead and organizational structure, portfolio and investments, supply chain health and stability, and its ability to drive operational excellence. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Alliance Motors, the exclusive distributors of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in Ghana, have officially launched the all-new Land Rover Defender 2020, the brands latest model. Seasoned Television Presenter Jay Foley hosted the event, which took place this morning at the Range Rover Showroom in the Grand Oyeeman Building, Accra. A welcome address was given by The General Manager for Alliance motors Richard Akomah, who welcomed the press and invited guests to the press launch. Chairman General Kwame Sefa Kayi and Oil and gas entrepreneur Dr. Kofi Abban unveiled four of the cars and led the media and several invited guests on a tour of the vehicles. Sales Manager for Alliance Motors Peter Boateng spoke to and answered questions from the media about the cars specifications, numerous features, and capabilities. The Land Rover Defender offers a choice of five, six or 5+2 seating configurations, and its next-generation Pivi Pro infotainment system is more intuitive and user-friendly. Customers can personalize in more ways than any previous Land Rover with four Accessory Packs - Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban and three engine options and six specification packs, which are available as at launch. The cars world-class off-road geometry with ground clearance of up to 291mm is specifically designed to tackle the toughest terrains in Africa. In a quest to make it easier for more Ghanaians to acquire their Jaguar, Range Rover, and Land Rover vehicles, Alliance Motors allows for 20% down payment to take possession of cars, with the remaining funds spread out and paid in 3 years. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video MIDLAND, Texas - President Donald Trump took sweeping digs at crazy left radical Democrats on a trip Wednesday to the fracking fields of West Texas, launching unsubstantiated claims that a Democratic administration would destroy everything from the countrys suburbs to the U.S. energy industry. Trump, speaking in front of stacked oil barrels, also played down the difficulties of the U.S. oil and gas industry, which is still struggling with the pandemic economic downturn and global oversupply that briefly drove oil prices into negative territory this spring. Prices have rebounded to around $40 a barrel, still below what some producers here need to break even. Were OK now. Were back, were back, Trump said to a crowd scattered with people wearing cowboy hats and face masks. He sought to contrast his support for oil and gas with Democratic rival Joe Bidens more climate-friendly energy plan, though Biden himself has stopped short of calling for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the production method that spurred U.S. oil and gas to a yearslong boom that started under President Barack Obama. If they got in, you would have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas, warned Trump, whose poll numbers for the 2020 election are lagging. He claimed the same, without evidence, for Ohio and Pennsylvania, two fracking states that also are battlegrounds in the presidential race. Speaking under a tent on a hot, windy day, Trump alluded to the opposing party in the most extreme terms, saying a Democratic White House win and the policies of the Washington crazy left radical Democrats would mean the death of American prosperity. It would destroy our country. Trump also praised a step he took last week to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule for low-income families, one that had Trump tweeting warnings to what he called the Suburban Housewives of America. Its been hell for suburbia, he said Wednesday. They want to uproot and demolish every American value. They want to wipe away every trace of religion from national life. They want to indoctrinate our children, defund our police, abolish the suburbs, incite riots and leave every city at the mercy of the radical left, Trump declared. Trump was combining campaigning and fundraising in his first trip to an oil and gas rig and his first visit as president to the Permian Basin. He expected to raise $7 million, including $100,000 per person for one event. Trumps loyal donors and supporters in the oil and gas industry are dealing with the states fierce coronavirus outbreak and the boom-turned-bust of oil and gas. Texas, over the past month, has experienced a dramatic spike in newly confirmed cases, hospitalizations and fatalities. The state became one of the nations hot spots as Texas politicians debated masks and other measures. The outbreak even impinged on Trumps trip Wednesday, as an unexpected positive test result for the coronavirus kept Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who like Trump often declines to wear a mask, from joining the presidents flight. A Republican congressional candidate also tested positive. Even as Air Force One carried Trump to Texas, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported American petroleum use plummeted to a nearly 40-year low this spring, owing to the pandemic lockdown and market oversupply, partly because of intensive oil and gas production that Trump encouraged. Trumps government has exerted itself for the oil and gas industry. That includes rolling back environmental and public health protections and speeding up permitting as part of what Trump describes as an American march to global energy dominance. His administration has moved to open up vast wilderness areas to oil and gas interests over the objections of environmental groups. Trump also has sought to override various regional objections to oil and gas pipelines with executive orders. And next month, the administration is expected to announce its latest effort to block regulation of the industrys emissions of methane, a potent agent of climate change. West Texas environmental activists say the methane emissions are part of a too-little-regulated industrys assault on the air, water and public health in the regions yearslong expansion of oil and gas production. Successful legal challenges stopped the administrations earlier attempts. Flying at night into the West Texas city of Odessa, among the areas Trump visited, it looks like a huge birthday cake, there are so many flares out here from facilities burning off methane as an oil and gas byproduct, said the Rev. Gene Collins, an activist demanding more regulation of what environmental groups and satellite data-gathering depict as surging methane emissions in the Permian Basin. For years, Democrats have been watching Texas demographics with growing populations of Latinos, young people and ex-Californians and pining for the election cycle when it would be in play. Although Trump won the state comfortably in 2016, former Democratic Rep. Beto ORourke gave Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a scare two years ago, and Democrats have used that race to try to build an organization that could swing the state blue. Sensing an opportunity, Biden has begun airing advertisements in Texas as coronavirus cases surge there. Losing Texas would upend Republicans plan for capturing the electoral vote needed to hold the White House. Though privately Trump campaign officials concede the need to spend time and money in Texas, assets they would prefer to spend elsewhere, they remain confident they can retain the state and have expressed hope that Democrats will waste resources trying to obtain a prize that is out of reach. The president does have plans to frequently visit Texas. Trumps Wednesday visit allowed him to raise needed money Biden has cut into the presidents fundraising advantage and showcase both his administrations deregulation agenda and its attempts to get the economy roaring again. ___ Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press writers Matthew Brown in Billings, Mont., and Cathy Bussewitz in New York contributed to this report. Hong Kong: Expo treatment facility to open The Hospital Authority today said the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) community treatment facility is expected to open on August 1, further boosting the authoritys bed capacity. COVID-19 patients who are between 18 and 60 and in stable condition will stay at the facility, easing the pressure on public hospitals. At a press briefing this afternoon, Tin Shui Wai Hospital Consultant (Accident & Emergency) Dr Larry Lee said the facility will provide 500 beds. Dr Lee added that the Lei Yue Mun community isolation facility, which opened last week, has 350 beds. The bed capacity that the Hospital Authority can handle is about 1,500. In some sense we actually increased our capacity by 50%," he said. I think this is quite a significant increase. Regarding medical manpower, Hong Kong University Department of Medicine Clinical Professor Prof Ivan Hung pointed out that as the AWE facility will house stable patients, more patients can be under the care of one doctor. Prof Hung said: You can have more patients under one doctors care, because the patients are all very stable and they have no symptoms - if you compare to those in hospitals, where most patients are having fever and they are actually on medication, and they are relatively sick. This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested three persons in its probe related to killing of Chhattisgarh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Bhima Mandavi in April last year allegedly by CPI (Maoist) cadres, the agency said in a statement. The arrested persons have been identified as Laxman Jaiswal, Ramesh Kumar Kashyap and Kumari Linge Tati, all residents of Dantewada, for allegedly providing logistical support to the Maoists for carrying out the attack in which Mandavi and four of his security personnel were killed, the NIA spokesperson Sonia Narang said on Wednesday in the statement. The arms and ammunition of the slain police personnel were also looted by the CPI (Maoist) cadres, she said. The attack was earlier investigated by Chhattisgarh Police. The central agency took over the probe in May last year after which it arrested two persons - Bhima Tati and Madka Ram Tati in April this year. Sonia Narang said Investigation has revealed that arrested accused Laxman Jaiswal alias Laxman Sao, who runs a grocery shop in Nakulnar, provided electric wires, explosive substances and other items for the IED blast carried out by CPI (Maoist) cadres. Accused Ramesh Kumar Kashyap alias Ramesh Hemla (ex-sarpanch of Kakadi village) and Kumari Linge Tati were instrumental in providing logistic support to the Naxalites and were part of the conspiracy which led to the killing of Mandavi and four security personnel. PHILIPSBURG:--- Philipsburg St. Maarten will open on August 1st, 2020, to travelers from the US. The safety of visitors and residents remains the top priority for the country. In preparation of opening, site inspections took place at all lodging facilities to ensure that the protocol and guidelines in place are followed. With these strict measures in place, St. Maarten continues its phased re-opening. Within the hospitality sector, six-core measures have been developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the island including physical distancing with proper floor markings, mandatory face mask usage, social distancing of 2 meters, proper self-sanitization procedure, the appropriate procedure for cleaning surfaces, a stay-at-home when sick policy, and the digital menus and messages. Strict regulations are in place for travel to the island as set forth by the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. Visitors are required to complete a health declaration online 72 hours before arrival via www.stmaartenentry.com. Visitors are required to travel with a copy of their health declaration. All passengers are required to complete a COVID-19 (PCR) test. The traveler must receive the test and the result within 72 hours before the travel date. No other test will be accepted by the authorities of St. Maarten. Visitors who fail to provide a COVID-19 test will be tested and quarantined for 14 days at their own expense. All visitors are required to travel with their masks, hand sanitizers and wear their mask during their flight and at the airport. Visitors are strongly advised to purchase all-risk travel insurance, ensuring that they are covered in the event they fall ill while on vacation. As of August 1st, Princess Juliana International Airport will be expecting the following flights: American Airlines will resume flights daily from Miami and five times a week from Charlotte except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After August 20th, they will fly once a week from Charlotte. Delta Airlines will operate three times a week from Atlanta on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Jet Blue will fly once a week from JFK Airport, and Spirit Airlines will fly once a week from Fort Lauderdale. Since June 15th, International flights resumed to St. Maarten after three months of closure to commercial travel. Private jets, Caribbean and European carriers such as Air France and KLM have been landing at the airport once more. This phased re-opening approach has been successful thus far. For further information and updates, please visit www.stmaartenupdates.com regularly. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:34:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GUIYANG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Instead of spraying pesticides in his field, Yang Zhuolin, a 50-year-old farmer, uses pest-killing lamps to prevent his newly sown rice from being damaged. "The lamps, which can be moved easily from place to place, bring about a striking effect," said Yang, who lives in Taiyuan, a remote village in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Yang used to be a migrant worker, making a living by working on urban construction projects. He only earned around 2,000 yuan (about 286 U.S. dollars) per month. He returned to his hometown 10 years ago in a bid to take care of his family, investing his savings in a traditional Chinese medicine venture. However, he ultimately failed due to his inexperience. About five years ago, Yang decided to plant colored rice, an old species that had been grown by local farmers but was later widely abandoned due to the low yield. This choice led the farmer to a brand-new life. "When something is rare, it becomes precious," said Yang, adding that it is one of the secrets to his success today. He grows about 1.3 hectares of colored rice, including black rice, purple rice, red rice and yellow rice. "The old colored rice is now rare. Compared to ordinary rice, colored rice contains less starch and more anthocyanidins and tastes good," said Yang, adding that he can harvest around 5,000 kg of colored rice and earn more than 100,000 yuan every year. High quality is another secret to Yang's booming colored rice business. "I have never used pesticides and fertilizers since I planted the rice," Yang said. He raises ducks and fish in the fields to eat the pests, forming a mini-ecosystem, and also purchased pest-killing lamps this year, to ensure the rice's quality and keep his products pesticide-free. "High quality is a hook for customers and helps me establish a stable relationship with them," Yang added. Apart from a scarcity of colored rice in the market and the good quality, Yang also takes advantage of online social media platforms for marketing. He downloaded several apps on his cellphone such as WeChat and Douyin, also known as TikTok, sharing videos and pictures of his rice, which quickly grew in popularity. "Those platforms can display my products directly to online shoppers. More than half of the colored rice sales were completed online over the past three years," Yang said. In order to protect against the unpredictability of agricultural yields, Yang also raises cattle and grows forage grass. He said his annual income totals more than 200,000 yuan. "Diversification in agriculture can also lead to success," said Yang, adding that farmers can achieve a comfortable life through wisdom and perseverance. Enditem GE Healthcare and Osprey Medical Inc. (ASX:OSP) (Osprey) today announced a strategic alliance under which GE Healthcare will exclusively distribute Osprey's product portfolio in Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Turkey. Osprey's DyeVert contrast minimization devices, complemented by GE Healthcare's range of iodinated x-ray contrast media, offer healthcare professionals a technology platform to address the rising problem of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) following interventional coronary angiograms in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Osprey's President and CEO, Mike McCormick, stated: "We are pleased to be partnering with GE Healthcare to commercialize our products in global markets to address the rising problem of AKI following heart imaging procedures in patients with poor kidney function." "GE Healthcare and Osprey share a similar goal rooted in improving patient outcomes" added Kevin O'Neill, President and CEO of GE Healthcare's Pharmaceutical Diagnostics business. "Both our product portfolios and educational efforts, which are aligned with cardiology guidelines for AKI minimization, offer interventional cardiologists the opportunity to safely image patients by reducing the risk of AKI," concluded O'Neill. AKI is sudden damage to the kidneys that causes them to not work properly. It can range from minor loss of kidney function to complete kidney failure.1 With one out of four angiography patients presenting with CKD,2 the risk for these patients to develop AKI is a serious concern for catherization labs and hospitals. Patients with impaired kidneys are at a significantly increased risk for negative outcomes and for longer hospital stays.3 The European Society of Cardiology and European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery have issued joint guidelinesfor the reduction of AKI.4 These guidelines recommend that physicians should screen patients for risk of AKI, ensure they are properly hydrated, consider patient appropriate contrast choice and minimize the contrast volume delivered to the patient. Osprey and GE Healthcare's portfolios are aligned with these guidelines so that healthcare professionals can help minimize AKI complications in patients with CKD. Under the four-year agreement, GE Healthcare will commercialize Osprey's DyeVert portfolio which reduces the amount of contrast that reaches the kidney (40% average reduction) with no compromise in image quality. Osprey's technology is the only FDA cleared medical device that is indicated for reducing patient contrast exposure. The DyeVert portfolio allows healthcare providers to monitor cumulative dye dose specific to each patient's kidney function determined prior to the procedure. GE Healthcare's Pharmaceutical Diagnostics unit develops and supplies imaging agents used to support approximately 90 million procedures per year globally, equivalent to three patients every second. Its range of products include iodinated X-ray contrast media used in interventional and other diagnostic procedures including coronary angiography. The four (4) year exclusive distribution agreement enables GE Healthcare to commercialize Osprey's products within the Region. During the term of this agreement necessary commercial terms have been discussed and agreed. As Osprey develops new products GE Healthcare will be granted a right of first refusal to distribute and promote these products in the Region. References: 1. Acute kidney injury. National Health Service Website. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acute-kidney-injury/. Accessed September 10, 2018. 2. Tsai TT, Patel UD, Change TI, et al. Contemporary incidence, predictors, and outcomes of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. JACC. Cardiovasc Inter. 2014;7:1-9. 3. Subramanian S, Tumlin J, Bapat B, Zyczynski T. Economic burden of CIN: implications for prevention strategies. J Med Econ. 2007;10:119-134. 4. Neumann FJ, et al. 2018 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on myocardial revascularization. European Heart Journal (2019) 40; 87-165. About Osprey Medical Inc Osprey Medical's vision is to make heart imaging procedures safer for patients with poor kidney function. The amount of dye (contrast) used during angiographic imaging procedures increases the patient's risk for dye-related kidney damage known as contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). The Company's core technologies originated from research conducted by Dr David Kaye at Melbourne's Baker Institute. Its proprietary dye reduction and monitoring technologies are designed to help physicians minimize dye usage and monitor the dose of dye in real time throughout the procedure. The Company's DyeVert Plus System reduces contrast while maintaining image quality in a self-adjusting, easy-to-use design that monitors dye usage. Osprey Medical's Board and Management are composed of experienced and successful personnel with established track records covering medical device development, regulatory approvals, sales and marketing, and mergers/acquisitions. Osprey Medical's advisory board comprises world-recognized experts in heart and kidney diseases. About GE Healthcare: GE Healthcare is the $16.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 50,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Insights for the latest news, or visit our website www.gehealthcare.com for more information. Osprey Medical: Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains or may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs, assumptions, and expectations and on information currently available to management. All statements that address operating performance, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, our expectations with respect to our ability to commercialize our products, including our estimates of potential revenues, costs, profitability, and financial performance; our ability to develop and commercialize new products, including our ability to obtain reimbursement for our products; our expectations with respect to our clinical trials, including enrolment in or completion of our clinical trials and our associated regulatory submissions and approvals; our expectations with respect to the integrity or capabilities of our intellectual property position. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they speak only as of the date when made. Osprey does not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Osprey may not actually achieve the plans, projections, or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements, and actual results, developments, or events could differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements. GE Healthcare: Forward-Looking Statements This document contains "forward-looking statements" that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "see," "will," "would," "estimate," "forecast," "target," "preliminary," or "range." Forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates, and expectations that are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. The inclusion of such statements should not be regarded as a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such plans, estimates, or expectations include, among others: events could cause the educational program to be stopped; the Osprey collaboration could cease; changes in general economic and/or industry-specific conditions; actions by third parties, including government agencies, could delay or stop our progress; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in GE's respective reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including GE's annual reports on Form 10-K, periodic quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, periodic current reports on Form 8-K, and other documents filed with the SEC. The foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. Any forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this communication. GE undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information or development, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Foreign Ownership Restriction Osprey's CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) are issued in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Regulation S of the US Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) for offers or sales which are made outside the US. Accordingly, the CDIs have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or the laws of any state or other jurisdiction in the US. The holders of Osprey's CDIs are unable to sell the CDIs into the US or to a US person unless the resale of the CDIs is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption is available. Hedging transactions with regard to the CDIs may only be conducted in accordance with the Securities Act. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005177/en/ Contacts: GE Healthcare:Osprey MedicalInvestors David Morris Doug Schoenberg Leijie Li GE Healthcare Osprey Medical Vesparum Capital T: +44 7920 591 370 T: +1 (952) 955 8230 T: +61 3 8582 4800 david.j.morris@ge.com dschoenberg@ospreymed.com ospreymed@vesparum.com Who needs Russian hackers to undermine our elections when weve got President Donald Trump? On a day when the countrys economic output plunged at its fastest rate on record and the death toll for COVID-19 passed more than 150,000, the president chose not to use his platform to address those real crises facing Americans. Nor was he among the mourners, including three former presidents, at the late civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis funeral in Atlanta. Instead, he took to Twitter to peddle a thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory and sow doubt about the legitimacy of the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump tweeted Thursday morning. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? The president does not have the authority to delay the U.S. general election. Article II of the Constitution empowers Congress to set that date which was designated by federal law in 1845 as the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Only an act of Congress could change that something upon which even staunch Trump defenders in Congress such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed within hours of presidents tweet. There is no evidence of widespread election fraud by mail-in ballot or otherwise. A voting integrity commission appointed by Trump disbanded without finding any evidence of voter fraud. This week, U.S. Attorney General William Barr testified he had no reason to think that the upcoming election will be rigged. Five states Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah already hold elections almost entirely by mail. More have been moving to allow vote-by-mail or absentee voting to lessen the risks of large crowds during the coronavirus pandemic. Trumps tweet is not about election fraud or keeping the ballot box secure. Its about a president desperate to distract from his falling approval ratings. Its about pulling attention away from his administrations inept response to the pandemic, which continues unabated in the U.S. while other countries have contained the spread. He wants us to forget about the collapsing economy, the miles\long car lines of families at food banks, the more than 30 million people out of work, the millions facing eviction. On Thursday, as Trump tweeted falsehoods, his Commerce Department reported that the nations economy shrank by 9.5 percent from April through June, the largest quarterly decline on record. The president wants us to ignore not only the constitution but the proud electoral history of our country, which has held elections through war, natural disaster and depression. During the Civil War, more than 150,000 Union soldiers voted by mail in 1864. Even now, in the midst of a pandemic, Americans have streamed to the polls. In Texas, the July runoff elections drew record-high voter turnout despite searing temperatures and a surge in coronavirus cases. If the president was truly concerned about protecting the votes of each American and keeping the election secure, there are things he could do. He and his fellow Republicans could push for passage of a bill to restore protections stripped from the landmark Voting Rights Act, legislation that has been sitting on McConnells desk for months. Trump could demand funding to help shore up election security, such as the $3.6 billion contained in the HEROES Act passed by House Democrats. He could call for more money for the struggling U.S. Postal Service, on the brink of bankruptcy. He could, as Lewis did in a New York Times op-ed written in his final days, urge Americans to exercise a right guaranteed by the Constitution, one for which Lewis and others shed blood. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society, Lewis wrote. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it. Democracy, as Lewis liked to say, is not a state; it is an act. Trump knows this, too. Thats why, between now and Election Day, he seems set on doing everything he can to taint, obstruct and discourage the act of voting. Earlier this month, when asked if hed accept a potential defeat in November, Trump answered in part: I dont like to lose. Nor do we, Mr. President. You have taken so much from America over the past four years our dignity, our international standing, our moral high ground. You may not have our election, too. The Lettuce Family: a fun and lovely tale about the health benefits of vegetables through a fantasy story following a family of talking veggies. The Lettuce Family is the creation of published author Felito Feliz, a writer from Cuba. His goal is to encourage all children to enjoy eating vegetables. He wants to thank God for everything good that he has enjoyed. Feliz shares, The Lettuce Family was inspired by Felizs daughter, Linda. That was many years ago, but she did learn to enjoy many kinds of delicious and healthy plants. Feliz wants to encourage many more children to improve their health and lives by proper choices when eating. And think how much easier it will be for parents when their children will beg for all sorts of vegetables instead of just cakes, cookies and candy! The Lettuce Family is not just a book for children. It is also for parents! Even though it is fiction, it is a reality that no one can ignore. As such, we should appeal to every family in the world! Once children are enjoying their vegetables, keep them thinking: Eat Vegetables! They will make me big and strong. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Felito Felizs new book is an entertaining and valuable read that is designed to motivate children to eat vegetables and realize how it positively affects ones growth. View a synopsis of The Lettuce Family on YouTube. Consumers can purchase The Lettuce Family at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about The Lettuce Family, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. The woman who had her throat slashed by a teenage boy she met on an internet dating app has said the attack will 'always be with me'. Stephanie Ng (25) survived the murder attempt in 2017, after the teen lured her to an isolated area at the Sea Front, Queen's Road, Dun Laoghaire. "It will always be with me because I have the scars," she told The Irish Daily Star. Ms Ng said she has found it hard to trust others after the ordeal. "I just don't go out with friends that much or I'm careful who I'm with. I mean I just hang out with my own friends. So I'd just say to people be careful." Expand Close The scene in Dun Laoghaire where Stephanie Ng was attacked and left for dead after meeting her attacker on social media / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The scene in Dun Laoghaire where Stephanie Ng was attacked and left for dead after meeting her attacker on social media She added: "I'm just trying to get on with my life now. I just have to look forward." The now 17-year-old, who cannot be named because he is a minor, was originally sentenced by Mr Justice Michael White at the Central Criminal Court to 11 years' detention with a review to begin after five years on January 1, 2023. He has been in custody since December 26, 2017. Yesterday, it was ruled that he will serve a further two years' detention before his 11-year sentence is reviewed, following an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The Court of Appeal yesterday increased the teenager's sentence review date by two years to seven years, after finding that the original five-year term was too lenient. Speaking about the ruling she said: "I don't know what to say because it is out of my hands really. I mean it will always be with me because I have the scars. So it's not like it can change anything. "I don't think there will be justice on both sides because it's quite sad on both sides to be honest." Ms Ng says she has been left with physical damage after the attack. "Even my hand, my thumb is still numb. So even if I don't look at myself I can still feel it." The now 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to her attempted murder. The teenager received his sentence in November 2019. The DPP successfully sought a review of the teenager's sentence on the grounds that it was "unduly lenient", arguing that a review of the 11-year sentence imposed on the teenage boy after a five-year period was too early. The Court of Appeal found the element of planning and premeditation meant that, "even as attempted murders go", the offence had to be seen as being at the high end of the spectrum. On Tuesday the father of the teenage boy apologised to Ms Ng before the three-judge panel and said: "There is no excuse for the terrible actions our son carried out that day." The man told the Court of Appeal that he regretted his son not being hospitalised or being given the correct medication at an earlier stage. The father said he wished he had not allowed his son to have such a high dose of antidepressants, which he gave the boy every night and which he felt may have induced the manic episode during which he attacked the victim. He said the attack was not unpredictable and his son had previously attempted to commit suicide "to avoid attacking people". The teen met his victim on the Whisper social media app, where he had pretended to be 19. The boy was just 15-years-old when he tried to kill Ms Ng during their first face-to-face meeting on December 23, 2017. He grabbed her from behind and choked her to unconsciousness before slashing her neck with a knife. Gardai later found a book of drawings in his bedroom, containing a sketch of someone being cut up with a knife. The words "serial killer" was written on another page. The blaze erupted late Thursday in the Chiberta forest park at Anglet in southwest France, whose beaches just north of Biarritz draw surfers from around the world The blaze erupted late Thursday in the Chiberta forest park at Anglet in southwest France, whose beaches just north of Biarritz draw surfers from around the world. (AFP Photo/GAIZKA IROZ) Anglet (France) (AFP) - A dramatic forest fire in the middle of a French coastal resort was contained early Friday after destroying nearly a dozen homes and forcing around 100 people to evacuate overnight, officials said. The blaze erupted late Thursday in the Chiberta forest park at Anglet in southwest France, whose beaches just north of Biarritz draw surfers from around the world. Soaring temperatures that reached nearly 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) fanned the flames that burned 165 hectares (400 acres) in total. "The fire is under control, things have improved since last night though there are still two or three hot spots, so there's still a risk it could flare up again," Anglet's mayor, Claude Olive, told AFP. The local prefecture said 11 homes were destroyed and five more rendered uninhabitable, and 16 people were treated for smoke inhalation, including one firefighter and several police officers. Acrid smoke enveloped the city as around 130 firefighters battled the blaze, whose cause remains unknown, Olive said. Residents described an inferno that spread quickly through the closely packed pine trees, which like much of France's Basque Country had seen extremely dry conditions this summer. "At the end of my street the flames were approaching the homes and they were very strong -- we all jumped in our cars," one local told AFP. A young woman evacuated from her boyfriend's apartment said everything appeared fine at 8 pm. "Then at 8.30 pm we were told 'Everyone come out! The tide has turned'," she recalled in tears. "I had the flames 10 metres (33 feet) away!" said another resident, adding that "usually there is never stong wind here." The blaze was the latest of several that erupted in southern and central France this week, kicking off the annual fire season which officials warn could be worsened by the drought and dry heat. Last year, some 15,000 acres went up in flames across France, "and now the entire country is regularly affected," Gregory Allione of the FNSPF firefighters' association said in early July. Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has instructed the Ministry of Education and Training to hold the high school graduation examination in all provinces and cities as previously scheduled, including in Da Nang where new COVID-19 cases have appeared. Provincial and city authorities as well as health officials must ensure safety for test candidates, the Prime Minister said at a meeting of permanent government members on COVID-19 prevention and control on July 27. As scheduled, the examination will be organised from August 8-10 nationwide. The date is two months later than in previous years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The content in the tests will be based on what 12th graders have studied. Candidates will take compulsory tests in math, literature and foreign languages and will have the option of choosing tests in natural sciences or social sciences. The ministry said that it would guide relevant agencies in provinces and cities to classify candidates based on the risk levels of transmission and arrange suitable venues and classrooms. It will require local authorities to help school managers and teachers update the health conditions of 12th graders and decide who can sit the exam. Local authorities will report to steering committees for the examination in provinces and cities. Preventive measures against COVID-19 should be carried out in venues and areas where the tests will be printed and where teachers will mark the candidates tests. Most provinces and cities have prepared classrooms and teachers for the exam to be organised safely. Unlike in previous years, provinces and cities have been granted autonomy in organising the exam. The ministry will not assign teachers of universities to watch the exam-taking as it did in previous years. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has received hundreds of calls and emails since Friday from Oregonians who have received mystery packets of seeds that appear to be from China. Some labels on the mystery seeds appear to be in Chinese, and the state officials said the packages are often labeled as jewelry. Helmuth Rogg, the Oregon Department of Agricultures plant programs director, said calls from people who received the seeds are coming from all areas of Oregon. The seeds are being sent to residents in all 50 states, and even Canada, he said. State officials doesnt know what type of seeds are inside. Our concern is that these seeds contain noxious weeds, plant pathogens that can cause plant diseases, or are genetically modified, Rogg said. Federal officials suspect the seeds are a part of a brushing scam, Rogg said. A brushing scam involves a vendor shipping an unsolicited inexpensive product to someone, and then submitting positive reviews on their behalf: its used to boost visibility and product ratings. In his 16 years working for the state, Rogg said hes never seen anything like this. Across the western region and nationally, everybody is just puzzled and just overwhelmed with calls, he said. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is working the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security to collect and analyze the seeds. State officials asked anyone who receives mystery seeds not to open them and to send the package to the Plant Protection and Conservation program at 635 Capitol Street NE, Suite 100, Salem, Oregon 97301. -- Celina Tebor ctebor@oregonian.com @CelinaTebor July 30 (Reuters) - Xilinx Inc forecast current-quarter revenue largely above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, as rising sales of its chips to data centers are expected to outweigh the impact of a U.S. government ban on semiconductor sales to Chinese companies. Shares of the company, which also beat quarterly revenue estimates, were up nearly 2% in extended trading. The company said it expects second-quarter revenue of between $730 million and $780 million, compared with analysts' average estimate of $730.3 million, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. San Jose, California-based Xilinx makes programmable chips used in data centers to speed up tasks like artificial intelligence work and in 5G telecommunications base stations. The company's business suffered a setback last year when major customer Huawei Technologies Ltd was blacklisted by U.S. officials, preventing it from buying chips from U.S. companies. Government officials have since added other China-based companies, including some Xilinx customers, to the list. Xilinx's net revenue fell to $727 million from $850 million in the first quarter, still beating estimates of $725.6 million. The revenue beat was powered by strength in the data center unit, where sales more than doubled. "The outperformance was due to a combination of strength in multiple end markets, as well as some order acceleration driven by recent additional U.S. government trade restrictions on sales of certain Xilinx products to some customers based, or with operations, in China," Chief Executive Officer Victor Peng said in a statement. Net income fell to $94 million, or 38 cents per share, from $241 million, or 94 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company earned 65 cents per share, beating estimates of 56 cents. (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Franscisco; Editing by Maju Samuel and Anil D'Silva) Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Something seedy is going on. Dozens of New Mexico residents have reported receiving unsolicited packages of foreign seeds since Friday. Similar packages have shown up in mailboxes across the country. Katie Laney, assistant division director in the Agricultural Production Services Division of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, said most of the seed packages are being sent from China, but two came from Uzbekistan. Photographs sent to NMDA appear to show several seed varieties in the packages. NMDA warns residents not to plant the seeds. The seeds arent labeled, so we dont know if its a tomato seed or a noxious weed, Laney said. They could potentially have plant diseases that we dont want to introduce to New Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a statement about the mysterious seeds Tuesday, saying the federal government will work with state agencies to see if the seeds contain anything harmful. At this time, we dont have any evidence indicating this is something other than a brushing scam where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales, the statement says. Residents who receive an unsolicited seed shipment should save all packaging and labels and contact the NMDA at nmagsec@nmda.nmsu.edu or 575-646-3007. Laboratory officials will test the seeds and share them with the USDA for testing in a federal laboratory. We may choose to germinate those seeds we cant identify and see if we can identify the plant itself, Laney said. Some are coming in a plastic packaging like youd see for Amazon, but some arrive in a manila envelope. An Adelaide pilot has gone viral with his amazing talent to avoid being swooped as magpie season draws closer. Mark Muscat, 60, has become an online sensation during the ongoing coronavirus crisis with his incredible ability to warble like a magpie. He recently took things up a notch with the genius idea of attaching a rubber replica of the pesky bird to his helmet to avoid an attack on his early morning bike rides. While magpie season is another month away, at least 40 attacks have been reported across Australia since June. A recent TikTok video of Mr Muscat warbling on a morning ride has amassed more than 47,700 likes and hundreds of comments in the last three days. Mark Muscat (pictured) has come up with a genius idea to keep pesky magpies at bay with a rubber replica on his helmet Mr Muscat says his unique magpie warble came naturally when he was a boy. 'I think I started when I was a young child when I used to get swooped... I had no practice, it just came out naturally,' he told Sunrise on Thursday. 'If I do get swooped, I will think, don't swoop me and I will warble. 'If I see one on a letterbox, I'll say 'g'day how you're going,' and warble again.' Mr Muscat only decided to share his talent with the world on social media earlier this year when Australia went into coronavirus lockdown. Avid cyclist Mark Muscat (pictured, with his helmet) is already well prepared for magpie season The self-confessed 'Magpie Man' now has 35,600 TikTok followers while one of his videos has made more than half a million views. 'I hadn't really done much of it. During lockdown, I got bored and then I got into TikTok. And as you said, it went viral,' Mr Muscat said. The Port Adelaide Power AFL fan revealed he cheekily asked Collingwood boss Eddie McGuire for a free Magpies membership. 'He said 'join the line and pay for it yourself,' a disappointed Mr Muscat quipped. 'Due to the magpie fame, I thought I'd get in.' Mark Muscat (pictured) describes himself on his social media accounts as the Magpie Man At least 40 magpie attacks has been reported since mid June, according to the Magpie Alert website. The majority of attacks have been on cyclists and walkers. Magpie swooping season usually runs from September to November. As magpies are native to Australia, those affected by the swooping are not able to take any action which may harm the birds or disturb their nests. To avoid getting swooped, local councils urge residents to take another path or to wear a helmet or hat as protection. A released prison inmate was a free man for about 45 minutes when he got into trouble with the law, Wisconsin cops say. Deputies responded to a domestic violence report on the highway near Trenton on Wednesday, according to the Dodge County Sheriffs Office. A woman had left the car and the man drove away, police say. A deputy found the car and tried to make a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, hitting a motorcycle along the way, police say. The police chase continued with the suspect reaching high speeds and driving in the wrong lane of traffic. The driver ran a stop sign and crashed into trees a while later, then ran away, police say. But deputies and the sheriff soon caught him, according to police. Equon Hopkins, a 40-year-old Madison man, was arrested and charged with eluding an officer, hit and run of an attended vehicle, endangering safety by reckless driving and domestic battery. Hopkins had been released from prison at 9 a.m. that day. The police chase started shortly after 9:43 a.m., police say. Hopkins was hospitalized for minor injuries then booked into jail. No one else was injured. The police are looking into the alleged swindling of funds by Chakraborty from Rajputs account and allegedly cheating him Mumbai: A day after seeking probe details in Sushant Singh Rajput suicide from Mumbai police, the Bihar police recorded statement of actress Rhea Chakraborty. The police are probing the cheating and abetment to suicide angles apart from business ties of Rajput with her family leading to his suicide. The Bihar police is probing the case filed with them, the only criminal case in connection with the suicide, based on the allegations by his father. The police are looking into the alleged swindling of funds by Chakraborty, to the tune of `17 crore, from Rajputs account and allegedly cheating him. The deceased actors father has also alleged that her family had business relations with Rajput and the latter was meted out to severe harassment by Chakraborty herself. The four member team of Bihar police questioned her in this regard on Wednesday and sources stated that they may also record the statement of Rajputs former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande to ascertain if she was in the know of what Rajput was going through. We have recorded the statement of Rhea Chakraborty and investigation is underway, said an officer of Bihar police, while speaking to the media. Amidst growing demand for the investigation to be shifted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the state home minister Anil Deshmukh reiterated that Mumbai police is capable of investigating the incident and that the probe will not be transferred to any other agency. Chakraborty has meanwhile approached the Supreme Court and her legal counsel Satish Maneshinde has sought for transfer of the cases probe from Bihar police to Mumbai police. The application to the apex court also sought for a pause on probe by the Bihar police. The University of Texas at Austin has a request for students headed there this fall: Quarantine for 14 days. UT-Austin is set to start classes again on Aug. 26 with most large classes occurring online. The university announced Wednesday that students should limit contact with others for two weeks before leaving for Austin or coming onto campus again. BACK TO SCHOOL: UT-Austin's list of scenarios that could lead to shutdown includes student death We are relying on all students to take very seriously the responsibility of preventing the spread of COVID-19, and self-quarantining is a critical first step, Interim President Jay Hartzell said, according to the Austin American-Statesman. This is the latest update from the university as it prepares to open to students in the fall amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic. The New York Times reported that UT-Austin has reported 449 coronavirus cases among students and staff, the most reported cases at any university included in the Times data. The university's official Twitter account pushed back against the New York Times' report, saying there was not enough data from other schools and that UT-Austin is tracking both on- and off-campus cases. This fall, the university is implementing a mandatory mask policy in all campus buildings. COVID-19 tests will be available for students, but at a cost of $88 for a nasal swab test and $53 for a blood test for COVID-19 antibodies, according to the university's health services site. Earlier this month, a custodial worker for the university tested positive for COVID-19 and died. Stepien and other Trump aides have claimed they have internal polling that shows Trump in a much stronger position, though they have declined to share those figures. They have highlighted the fact that Trump supporters are more enthusiastic about voting for him than Biden supporters are about backing the former vice president. Still, they say skepticism toward pollsters whom Trump himself has denigrated is prevalent among the presidents supporters, leading to skewed results. On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump urged Congress to immediately extend the recently expired moratorium on evictions and approve more stimulus checks for the coronavirus. Inevitable evictions During a press briefing at the White House South Lawn, Trump told reporters that Congress should work on stopping people from getting evicted to keep them from ending up in the streets. He also urged officials to quickly settle on getting financial support payments to the people who need them. According to the New York Post, On Monday, Senate Republicans released the text of the $1 trillion coronavirus package after a week of talks with White House officials. Democrats, who passed a $3 trillion package in May, however, disagree with the recent passing on several points. Democratic officials oppose a GOP-proposed liability shield for businesses. On the other hand, Republicans object to the Democrats' proposal to bail out states. And some conservatives are thinking twice on spending on the package the Republicans proposed. The new bill would provide another set of $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans, which was also included in the bill that Democrats passed in May. On Wednesday, Trump said they want to take care of the people that the Democrats were ignoring. The US president said that payments were not enough claiming the officials were not providing financial support or not making them high enough. Also Read: Trump Pleads People to Wear a Mask, Says Coronavirus Pandemic Will 'Get Worse' The recently expired ban on evictions had protected the majority of renters that are unable to pay for their fees due to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The protection lapsed last week an estimate by the Aspen Institute states up to 23 million Americans are at risk of being evicted by October. Short-term stopgap This week, Trump proposed to pass a short-term coronavirus relief bill that Democrats rejected at the last minute, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. On Wednesday, Trump and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that if discussions between Republicans and Democrats do not reach an agreement by Friday, they should approve a stopgap measure that would prevent evictions and supply a small number of unemployment payments to the citizens of the United States. However, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows stated after a meeting with top Democrats that they will not be able to approve a narrow, temporary deal or a broad, long-term agreement soon. Meadows noted they are nowhere near coming to agreements about a deal and that it is inevitable for enhanced unemployment benefits to expire. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had previously rejected calls of the White House proposing a stopgap measure while negotiations were ongoing and instead insisted for an agreement on a package. On Wednesday, Pelosi said they are unsure of why Republicans are so focused on passing a skinny bill that would do nothing to address the actual problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She noted they would not be accepting the proposal and would wait until a comprehensive and full bill is agreed upon. Related Article: Trump Proposes Exclusion of Unauthorized Immigrants From Apportioning Process of Congressional Seats @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ATLANTA - Hailed as a founding father of a fairer, better United States, John Lewis was eulogized Thursday by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Former President Bill Clinton speaks during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) ATLANTA - Hailed as a founding father of a fairer, better United States, John Lewis was eulogized Thursday by three former presidents and others who urged Americans to continue the work of the civil rights icon in fighting injustice during a moment of racial reckoning. The longtime member of Congress even issued his own call to action in an essay written in his final days that he asked be published in The New York Times on the day of his funeral. In it, he challenged the next generation to lay down the heavy burdens of hate at last. After nearly a week of observances that took Lewis' body from his birthplace in Alabama to the nations capital to his final resting place in Atlanta, mourners in face masks to guard against the coronavirus spread out across pews Thursday at the city's landmark Ebenezer Baptist Church, once pastored by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Former President Barack Obama called Lewis a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance during a fiery eulogy that was both deeply personal and political. The nations first Black president used the moment to issue a stark warning that the voting rights and equal opportunity Lewis championed were threatened by those doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting and to call for a renewal of the Voting Rights Act. His words came as the country has been roiled by weeks of protests demanding a reckoning with institutionalized racism and hours after President Donald Trump suggested delaying the November election, something he doesnt have the authority to do. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses the service during the funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals, Obama said of Lewis. And some day when we do finish that long journey towards freedom, when we do form a more perfect union, whether its years from now or decades or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America. Former President George W. Bush said Lewis, who died July 17 at the age of 80, preached the Gospel and lived its ideals, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope. Former President Jimmy Carter sent written condolences, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalled how the sky was filled with ribbons of colour in Washington earlier this week while Lewis body was lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. Former President Bill Clinton speaks during the funeral service for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) There was this double rainbow over the casket, she said. He was telling us, Im home in heaven, Im home in heaven. We always knew he worked on the side of angels, and now he is with them. Lewis was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, led by King. He was best known for leading protesters in the 1965 Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where he was beaten by Alabama state troopers. During the service, the arc of Lewis activism was once again tied to King, whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. Former President Barack Obama, addresses the service during the funeral for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool) King continued to inspire Lewis civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during marches, Freedom Rides across the South, and later during his long tenure in the U.S. Congress. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America, Lewis said of his run-ins with the law. The phrase was repeated several times during the funeral. We will continue to get into good trouble as long as you grant us the breath to do so, one of Kings daughters, the Rev. Bernice King, said as she led the congregation in prayer. She later paused and laid her hand atop Lewis flag-draped casket at the front of the church. Family members embrace at the burial service for Rep. John Lewis at South-View Cemetery in Atlanta Thursday, July 30, 2020. (Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Ebenezers senior pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, called Lewis a true American patriot who risked his life for the hope and promise of democracy. Outside the church, with temperatures in the upper 80s, hundreds gathered to watch the service on a large screen; some sang the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome. Pharrell Williams joyous tune Happy played as a closing song while a military honour guard loaded Lewis flag-draped coffin into a hearse; many congregation members clapped along. The service ended days of remembrance for Lewis, who spent more than three decades in Congress representing most of his adopted home of Atlanta. In addition to the U.S. Capitol, his body lay in the Georgia and Alabama Capitol buildings, and events also were held in the Alabama cities of Troy, Lewis' hometown, and Selma. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. To the many tributes Thursday, Lewis managed to add his own words. His essay in The New York Times recalled the teachings of King: He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice, Lewis wrote. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way," he wrote. "Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. Former President Bill Clinton referenced the essay during his remarks: It is so fitting on the day of his service, he leaves us his marching orders: Keep moving. ___ Associated Press writers Ben Nadler in Atlanta and Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama, contributed. With 40 days until back to school in Ontario, when two million children would normally walk into their new classrooms ready to learn, parents, teachers and education leaders all want to know: What is the best way to safely restart? As science on COVID and kids continues to evolve, five months into the global pandemic there are some reassuring signals that most children do not get very sick and serious cases are rare. And while we wait for clear answers on how children get and transmit the disease, lessons learned from cities and countries that have kept kids in schools provide some clues. Younger children that are not infants tend to get milder disease; we have lots of data on that from around the world, said Dr. Ari Bitnun, an infectious diseases physician at the Hospital for Sick Children. As for disease acquisition and transmission there is a signal that children are less likely to become infected. But we dont have the final answer. Only time will tell. So far, evidence suggests children do not appear to be super-spreaders of COVID-19 a finding that may relieve some worried parents, said Dr. Lindy Samson, an infectious diseases physician and chief of staff at the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Thats different than for the flu or the common cold, she said, noting this is according to the best available evidence to date. Young children are not the transmitters of COVID within our community. How much kids transmit COVID-19 is less clear, but theres emerging evidence that theyre less likely to give it to others than adults, especially if theyre under 10. A recent review of 33 studies from around the world examining infections in kids at school, daycare and home found that to be the clear message, from Scandinavia to Singapore. Sarah Neil-Sztramko, an assistant professor at McMaster University and one of the leads of the review, said it becomes a bit more mixed as kids get older. Outbreaks linked to school reopening in Israel have made headlines recently. But the published reports her team looked at were from high schools that opened during a heat wave, with the AC blaring and no masks or physical distancing, she said. There are limitations with the emerging data from countries including South Korea, Australia and France, she added, such as small sample sizes. There are as yet no published reports on Canadian school and daycare settings. Only 13 of the studies were peer-reviewed, the gold standard among scientific papers, where they are independently assessed by other experts in the field. But what we are comforted by is the consistency that we see across studies, Neil-Sztramko said. The findings were the same regardless of the amount of community transmission. Some reports were even from pre-lockdown, when there were no public health measures, such as masks, required in schools. Outbreaks at schools and daycares were more likely to be traced back to adults, Neil-Sztramko added, such as at a private school in Chile after a week of parent-teacher interviews. She hopes we can learn from some of the mistakes in other places. That its not OK just to free-for-all reopen, we need to make sure we have some measures in place as well, Neil-Sztramko said. Children are not immune to outbreaks, but with thoughtful measures in place I think it gives us more confidence that we can reopen schools safely. On Wednesday, ahead of the province announcing plans for school reopening, a group of more than 30 public health and medical experts and led by Torontos Hospital for Sick Children released updated guidance on how to restart schools. Samson of CHEO, whos also a co-author of the document, said the guidance is based on the best available evidence to date and that recommendations will change along with the science. This is an evolving response, she said. We need to support teachers, parents, children and youth in understanding that. As well, she added, the situation with COVID is different, and will continue to be, in each region of the province, and over time. What is happening in Ottawa today will be different than whats happening in Ottawa in eight weeks, and likewise, what is happening in Ottawa today is different than what is happening in Thunder Bay. Thats why guidelines and medical evidence must be interpreted and put into action at the regional and local level, with boards of education and schools working closely with public health officials in their area, Samson said. While parents will continue to worry about COVID-19 and kids, Samson said there is clear evidence the pandemic and the closing of schools and public play spaces, rather than the virus itself, are harming the health of children and youth. We need to make our next decisions about how to scale up or how to reopen things with that in mind, she said. Getting kids back in school should be a priority. We all need to collectively take ownership of keeping our communities COVID-free in every way we can in order to enable schools to safely open. Dr. Anna Banerji, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of pediatrics at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, said the chances of kids themselves getting very sick are low. When they do get infected (they) seem to have much less severe infection, and theyre more likely to be asymptomatic, she said. There have been reports of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children whove had COVID-19, a serious condition where parts of the body such as the heart and blood vessels become inflamed, but this is very rare. According to data from the Public Health Agency Canada, as of July 28, there has only been one death in someone under 20 with COVID, out of thousands of cases. That young girl may have actually died of something else, said Banerji, as officials announced in late June that she died with COVID, and not of COVID. Ontarios chief coroner is investigating to determine what role the disease played. The agency also reports about 7 per cent of total COVID-19 cases in Canada are under the age of 19. When it comes to transmission, Banerji notes that theres a precedent for kids getting, but not spreading some infectious diseases. They dont really spread tuberculosis, she said, because when they cough its not with enough strength to disperse bacteria germs into the air, the way an adult would. The younger you are, probably the less likely you are to spread something, she added. But I think the other thing is that with these kids not having symptoms, were probably not picking up where the source of infection is for some of these kids. Three women are believed to have travelled from Melbourne to Queensland before two tested positive for coronavirus. Investigations are underway after Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu, both 19, allegedly lied about travelling to Melbourne on their border declaration forms and dodging quarantine. Police initially believed the two teenagers were the only ones who travelled together but Queensland's Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has now said a third woman was also involved. 'So at the moment we have two people who have been to Melbourne and back that have tested positive, the other one is not yet positive, that person has had action initiated against them and the other two remain under investigation.' The two teens and an unidentified friend, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on Tuesday, July 21. Police will allege the women 'deliberately falsified records to get back into Queensland'. Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 One woman has been fined $4,000, the other two remain under investigation. The trio arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 and made false declarations on their border paperwork. They spent eight days enjoying trips to a cocktail bar and a Thai restaurant before being caught. Mr Gollschewski said the system checking those coming into the state was 'as good as it can be'. The group's extraordinary disregard for COVID-19 rules has sparked fears of a Victoria-style outbreak in Queensland, which recorded its first community transmission in two months on Wednesday. Ms Muranga is believed to have gone to work for two days at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, south of the city, before calling in sick and then going to see a doctor on Saturday, who said to get tested immediately. Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 She didn't do so until Monday. Instead she continued to attend venues in Ipswich and Brisbane, including going to a Thai restaurant in Springfield on Sunday and a Southbank cocktail bar on Monday. Police have launched a criminal investigation into the 19-year-old's, who between them visited 11 venues in Brisbane while infected. Authorities will probe how the women were able to travel from Melbourne to Brisbane despite the border closure, and whether they used fake names and contact details on their declaration passes. Investigators will also probe whether the pair were at party during their stay in Melbourne which was attended by about 20 people. The gathering was broken up by police, who issued fines totalling $30,000. People arrive to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College facility on Wednesday People line up in their cars and on foot to get COVID-19 tested at the Parklands Christian College on Wednesday Ms Muranga is a cleaner at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge. The school's principal Gary Cully confirmed a coronavirus-infected cleaner worked for three days last week. 'The staff member was on site last week and then rang in sick and then that's when the trace program started,' Mr Cully told The Courier Mail. 'As far as I'm aware they were not symptomatic while they were onsite and then called in sick the following day and then the next week were tested.' Shopping centres, restaurants, a school, and a church they visited will shut while authorities scramble to conduct contact tracing. The incident prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to announce all Sydneysiders will be banned from entering the state from Saturday. 'There will be a thorough police investigation here but now we have to act as a community and in the areas where the chief health officer says need to be closed, will be closed and I urge people in those areas when that list goes out later on today to please ensure that if you are feeling sick you must go and get tested,' she said. A comparison with Germany is instructive. The country also has a weak central government and its chancellor has limited powers, partly because of the Nazi past and partly because of a long tradition of decentralization. As a result, when covid-19 struck, Berlin, too, faced the problem of multiple sources of authority. But the central government managed to coordinate its public health agencies successfully, steering the national response while exercising a light touch that allowed for local experimentation and the quick rollout of testing by private companies and laboratories. Chancellor Angela Merkel acted as the national guide, presenting the public with clear scientific criteria for government decisions, at one point explaining the concept of R0 (the rate of spread) and why it was crucial to keep that number under one. The result is that Germany today has 110 deaths per million people compared with Americas 460. (Newser) President Trump went "on a very aggressive Twitter streak this afternoon" and offered his take on federal agents in Portlandwho may or may not be leaving the violence-wracked city, the Guardian reports. With Oregon Gov. Kate Brown saying she's reached a deal with the White House to pull out the "occupying force," and Homeland Security saying the feds will stay, Trump weighed in: "If the Federal Government and its brilliant Law Enforcement (Homeland) didn't go into Portland one week ago, there would be no PortlandIt would be burned and beaten to the ground. If the Mayor and Governor do not stop the Crime and Violence from the Anarchists and Agitators immediately, the Federal Government will go in and do the job that local law enforcement was supposed to do!" story continues below This after Trump tweeted about his administration's plan to scuttle legislationthe Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, an Obama-era update to a 1968 lawthat's designed to pressure local governments into curbing biased housing practices. CNBC paints the move as an attempt to win over suburban voters, then quotes Trump's tweets in full: "I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood ... Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy!" (Trump also said that "nobody likes me." China: Police shutter house churches nationwide, order Christians to stop believing in God Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment House churches across China have experienced intensified persecution in recent months, with Communist officials telling Christians they are not permitted to believe in God in the atheist country. Bitter Winter, a publication produced by the Center for Studies on New Religion which covers human rights issues in China, documented numerous instances where Christians were threatened and harassed by Chinese Communist Party officials. In June, a group of officials in the county-level city of Leiyang, in the central province of Hunan, raided a house church. They confiscated the churchs donation box and destroyed 10 Bible verses on the walls, telling the Christians their actions were the result of their disobedience and that it was illegal to hold religious gatherings without a permit or joining the Three-Self Church. In May, the Religious Affairs Bureau in the provinces Yongzhou city shut down a house church for holding illegal gatherings without permits and confiscated all valuables in the venue, including a computer, a photocopier, and Bibles. In April, police in Dengzhou city in the central province of Henan raided a house church, confiscated its Bibles and hymnbooks, and took eight congregation members to a police station for interrogation. One Christian later revealed that a police officer said to him that they could "not believe in God in China. The believer also revealed that half a month later, police visited the eight arrested members at home to ask if they had continued to attend religious gatherings. Officers warned them that they would be sentenced to three to five years in prison if they gather again. We dont break any law by believing in God, but the government treats us this way, the believer said. The government wants to eliminate all religions and threatens us with the future of our family members, forcing us to give up our belief. Its really shameless. Protestant Christianity is one of five approved religions alongside Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Catholicism in China. Religious organizations must register with one of five state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations, which are supervised by the State Administration for Religious Affairs. Christian churches that refuse to register with the government, known as house churches, are illegal. However, even Three-Self churches those registered with the government have experienced an uptick in persecution in recent months. Numerous reports have revealed the persecution Christians have endured at the hands of the CCP, including arrests, detentions, imprisonments, and church attacks. Such persecution is part of Chinese President Xi Jinpings efforts to abolish religion and enforce greater control over people's lives. In Yugan county, authorities shut down at least 48 Three-Self churches and meeting venues between April 18-30, according to Bitter Winter. The magazine reported that countless number of churches were also ordered to remove their crosses in Jiujiang, Fuzhou, Fengcheng, Shangrao, and a few other cities in the province in April. Persecution watchdog Open Doors USA ranks China as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians. The organization notes that all churches are perceived as a threat if they become too large, too political, or invite foreign guests. According to some estimates, there are more Christians in China than Communist Party members. New Delhi, Jul 30 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday held a meeting with party's MPs in the Rajya Sabha, through video-conferencing, to hold discussion on the current political situation in the country, sources said. Senior political leaders of the Congress, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former Union Ministers A K Antony and Ahmed Patel, Leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mallikarjun Kharge, apart from former Union ministers Ambika Soni, P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh, attended the meeting. Sources said the current political situation in Rajasthan, where the Congress has accused Governor Kalraj Mishra of causing delay in calling a Session of the State Assembly, to enable Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to prove his majority on the Floor of the House, was discussed at the meeting. Earlier in the week, Congress had organised protests outside Raj Bhawans across the country, to protest the delay by Rajasthan Governor in calling a Session of the state Assembly. Discussion was also held on the present state of the Indian economy and the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Congress President had earlier held a meeting with the Lok Sabha MPs of the party, to discuss the present political situation. UNI AR RJ 1956 Herman Cain Dies From COVID-19, Employee Confirms Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who served as the CEO of Godfathers Pizza for years, has died of COVID-19, according to an announcement on his website. Youre never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find Gods strength and comfort to deal, his Twitter account said on Thursday morning in confirming the news. Cains death was further confirmed on his namesake website by Dan Calabrese, who edits the site and had previously written about the diagnosis. Herman Cainour boss, our friend, like a father to so many of ushas passed away, Calabrese wrote in the blog post. We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope hed have a full recovery. Cain, who is a survivor of stage 4 colon cancer, had also served on Kansas Citys Federal Reserve Bank before eventually becoming a Republican presidential candidate in the 2012 elections. Let me deal with some of the particulars of the last few weeks. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle, Calabrese wrote. Herman Cain speaks in Washington on June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Molly Riley) The post added: We didnt release detailed updates on his condition to the public or to the media because neither his family nor we thought there was any reason for that. There were hopeful indicators, including a mere five days ago when doctors told us they thought he would eventually recover, although it wouldnt be quick. We were relieved to be told that, and passed on the news via Hermans social media. And yet we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase. Last year, President Donald Trump said he might have picked Cain, 74, as his nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board. Cain had attended a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to reports in June. He was later admitted to an Atlanta-area hospital on July 1 for COVID-19. A statement confirming his hospitalization at the time asserted that there is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus. MEMPHIS, Tenn., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "I'm angry! President Trump is being played by Putin. Trump is removing troops from our allies in Europe and refuses to address bounties placed on lives of American troops by Russia. This is the time Republicans in Congress should be calling President Trump back to the conservative position of protecting our troops and allies." Dr. George Flinn, Candidate for U.S. Senate in Tennessee, says: "We must demand action from President Trump for his handling of Russia putting bounties on U.S troops in Afghanistan." The President's silence on Russian actions against our troops appears that he is more sensitive to the approval Vladimir Putin then our soldiers. Standing behind our troops requires a lot more action when these men and women who defend our freedom have been subject to possible assassination attempts. Dr. Flinn is also angry that Republicans in Congress are not holding the President accountable. And now, the President has announced the withdraw of 12,000 troops from Germany. This opens the door for increased Russian influence in Europe. From the beginning of the bounty issue President Trump has sidestepped the issue. First, saying he wasn't aware, to finally admitting someone told him. Now we learn that he has spoken to Vladimir Putin on numerous occasions since July 1 of this year, and not brought up the subject once. Russian is not our friend, this incident proves that and Russian needs to held accountable. Russian for years has wanted to reestablish its influence in Europe. The major thing standing in its way, NATO and the U.S. troops stationed in Germany. The withdraw of our troops send a signal to Russia and Putin that the U.S. wants to reduce its influence. This is not what Republicans have stood for over the past 80 years. Russia, while a trading partner, is not a national security partner. We cannot open the door to increased Russian influence anywhere in Europe. We cannot lose our status as the superpower because of Trump's unwillingness to stand up to our foreign adversaries. Republicans have long stood for supporting our troops. I am calling on President Trump and the Republicans in Congress and across the nation to stand up for our troops and hold the President accountable. Putin seeks to endanger our troops, disrupt the policies of the United States, and destabilize our relations with strong and free world allies in Europe. Tennessee needs a Senator who will stand up for our troops and our allies. Dr. George Flinn asks for your vote on August 6th. SOURCE Dr. George Flinn for U.S. Senate Related Links https://www.flinnforsenate.com Reliance Industries (RIL), the largest company in India by market capitalisation, has posted 30.6 per cent rise in profit to Rs 13,248 crore in the first quarter, thanks to spike in Jio's net profit, huge tax benefits, and Rs 4,966 crore exceptional gain on divestment of shares of Reliance BP Mobility Services. Reliance Jio Infocomm's profit increased 183 pc to Rs 2,520 crore from Rs 891 crore. The conglomerate's tax liability (current and deferred taxes) reduced to just Rs 260 crore from Rs 4,225 crore. Jio's revenue from operations increased 33.7 per cent to Rs 16,557 crore. The EBITDA margin y-o-y increased to 44 per cent from 37.8 per cent. However, the increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) is 15 per cent - Rs 140.3 in Q1FY21 and Rs 122 in Q1FY20. ALSO READ: RIL Q1 results: Profit rises 31% to Rs 13,248 crore, revenue at Rs 1,00,929 crore Reliance Retail's segment revenue fell 17.2 per cent to Rs 31,633 crore, but the EBITDA fall was steeper by 47.4 per cent to Rs 1,083 crore. Store area increased to 29 million square feet from 23 million square feet. The company says, EBITDA margin was impacted by fixed costs and adverse mix (with the most profitable Fashion and Lifestyle categories being hit the hardest), despite gross margin expansion and cost savings. In petrochemicals business also, EBITDA has dropped more than revenue. The segment revenue decreased 33 per cent to Rs 25,192 crore, while EBITDA crashed 49.7 per cent to Rs 4,430 crore. According to RIL, weak domestic demand and higher share of exports impacted margins as compared to regional benchmarks. RIL inverted its business model from 20:80 exports-domestic to 80:20. The impact of lower realisation was partially offset by cost optimisation and integration benefits. ALSO READ: Reliance Q1 results: O2C business revenue plunges 33% to Rs 25,192 crore; topline from oil & gas dips 45% The segment revenues of crude refining and marketing business declined by 54.1 per cent to Rs 46,642 crore due to lower crude oil price and lower throughput. In addition, the gross refining margin (difference between the cost of a barrel of crude and the value fetched from sale of refined products) fell to $6.3 from $8.1. However, the EBITDA reduction is not in that level - 25.8 per cent decline to Rs 3,818 crore - despite the weak margin environment and lower throughput. The company says that the refining segment profitability was sustained through optimised crude procurement, relatively higher utilisation, cost management and agile product placement. The segment revenues of oil and gas segment declined by 45.2 per cent to Rs 506 crore primarily due to lower production in domestic business post closure of Panna Mukta and D1D3 fields, besides lower crude prices. The segment posted EBITDA loss of Rs 32 crore, compared to positive earnings of Rs 207 crore in the same quarter last year. ALSO READ: Reliance Retail profit hit by coronavirus, EBITDA nearly halves to Rs 1,083 crore New York, July 30 : Speculation swirled around US Senator Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic Party candidate for vice president after Joe Biden, who is to be the presidential candidate, was photographed accidentally displaying a list of favourable talking points about her. The first item under her name was "Do not hold grudges," a possible reference to her attacks on Biden over his civil rights record during the Democratic Party presidential debate last year when she was also seeking the party nomination. That confrontation, which saw Harris's standing in the poll momentarily rise while Biden's fell, had been mentioned as one of the points against her in becoming Biden's running mate. The note about not holding grudges may indicate that Biden has put that skirmish behind him. The other points in the list in Biden's photograph circulated by a leading media outlet were: "Campaigned with me & Jill"; Talented"; "Great help to campaign", and "Great respect for her." The vice president pick is expected to be announced in coming days and Biden said on Tuesday, "I'm going to have a choice in the first week in August." He has said that his vice president pick would be a woman and as the Black Lives movement protests gripped the nation, he has been under pressure to select a woman of African descent. She got an odd endorsement from Trump, who told reporters, "I think she'd be a fine choice, Kamala Harris. She'd be a fine choice." Kamala Devi Harris is the daughter of an Indian American mother from Tamil Nadu and a Jamaican African father. She has identified herself more closely with her father's heritage and her religious affiliation is shown as Baptist. Her husband Doug Emhoff is Jewish. The influential web publication Politico reported that Harris had been chosen by Biden as his running mate, but deleted the post. It confirmed to Fox News that it had published the report but said that it was "placeholder texta that had been accidentally released. CNBC has reported that there was a sustained campaigned by some influential Biden supporters and donors have been campaigning against Harris, which may indicate that she is among the top choices. About a dozen women have reportedly been shortlisted and vetted by Biden's advisers. One of the main criterion for the Democratic vice presidential candidate is that she should be prepared to assume the responsibilities of president as Biden is 77 and would be the oldest person to assume the office if he is elected. Harris, 55, has domestic political experience as a former California attorney general and now a senator, which has also given her foreign policy expertise from serving on the Select Committee on Intelligence and on the Homeland Security Committee. Another candidate mentioned as front-runner is Susan Rice, 55, who is African American was former President Barack Obama's national security adviser and had worked closely with Biden. She will bring foreign and strategic policy expertise but has not run for any office. Senator Tammy Duckworth, 52, a retired Army pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel who lost both her legs in the Iraq war is of part Thai descent, is also mentioned as a front-runner. The names of two other Representatives, Val Demings and Karen Bass, have also been mentioned. However, any of the others on the short list could end up as the vice presidential candidate. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the national protests against police brutality and discrimination against African American, which have some times turned violent, emerging as the key areas for action next year, domestic experience could be important. Besides being able to step into the presidency, Biden's running partner would also have to be a vigorous campaigner capable of keeping up the punishing routine of the election trail. Harris can be tough campaigner able to stand up to Trump's harsh style. One of Harris's drawback is her role as a prosecutor in California because she has been accused of contributing to the conviction and jailing of a large number of African Americans, which could turn off some traditional Democratic Party supporters. Her standing in the party sank amid the accusations of her prosecutorial role and she quit the race for presidential nomination. Her initial bump in the polls came after she raked up Biden's opposition in the 1970s and 1980s to integrating schools by transporting children by buses to schools across neighbourhoods segregated by race. Politico reported that former Senator Chris Dodd, an adviser to Biden, has reportedly said that when he asked Harris about it, "She laughed and said, athataAs politics.' She had no remorse." This was considered a point against her. (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis) Note from the authors: We are engaged in a $1m, 2-year research study into blockchain and smart contracts funded by the Food Agility CRC. As part of this project, we have investigated Chinas new Blockchain Service Network (BSN), and written an opinion article that discusses critical issues such as regulatory and privacy challenges and uncertainties. This article is written for an Australian industry audience interested in connecting with the BSN infrastructure, and sheds light on some of the choice points and risks Australian businesses. Anniversaries can be important focal moments. Just ask those who forget how significant they can be. And so it is in the world of blockchain technology. Five years ago, on 30 July 2015, the Ethereum genesis block was minted. This event brought blockchain to the wider world. Unlike the single purpose Bitcoin protocol, Ethereum was conceived and developed as a general purpose blockchain. A world computer. Now, Ethereum celebrates its fifth milestone by deploying Ethereum 2.0. Concurrently, the blockchain world will also experience what could be the next major jolt. The 30 July 2020 is the date slated for the launch of the international version of Chinas Blockchain-enabled Services Network (BSN). The BSN promises to be an IT infrastructure with global significance. It matters to Australia, and here is why. The Blockchain-enabled Services Network On 25 April 2020, China launched the Chinese version of BSN for commercial use. This is the latest in a suite of initiatives aimed at boosting the role of technology especially blockchain in Chinas economic development and intensifying global trade, including the call for a national focus on blockchain by President Xi Jinping last October. Key Features of the BSN The BSN is Chinas national blockchain ecosystem. It is described as the Internet of Blockchains and applications built on blockchains. It should not be confused with the Chinese central bank digital currency (DCEP) which is expected to integrate with the broader BSN ecosystem. The BSN is a permissioned chain powered by Hyperledger Fabric that provides a foundational data superhighway infrastructure enabling information flows between governments in China, businesses, organisations, and individuals. It promises to be blockchain protocol agnostic allowing other blockchain systems to dock and communicate across its framework. It achieves all of this through what are known as Public City Nodes (PCNs), a combination of hardware and software. There are already 128 PSNs: 76 in China, 44 are under construction and 6 located overseas. More are planned, in China and elsewhere with 200 PCNs in total targeted for end of 2020. Ultimately, this will serve as a large-scale infrastructure of the Digital Silk Road (part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative BRI) to interconnect Chinas trade partners. Strategic Positioning What are the broader strategic issues posed by the BSN for Australian industries? The BSN forms the technological foundations of Chinas trans-national Digital Silk Road to complement the more conventional bricks and mortar aspects of the countrys ambitious BRI. The BRI is a global and long-term strategy involving significant Chinese investment in the development of trade relationships and infrastructure in over 70 countries. While it has been criticised as debt trap diplomacy, recent research casts significant doubt on this characterisation. The BRI lays the physical infrastructure for the storage and distribution of goods. The BSN is the digital equivalent. Cross-border trade ultimately involves the interaction of supply chains across sovereign territories. The ability of goods and services to circulate is increasingly a function of the ability of data about these goods to pass from one jurisdiction to another in ways that provide comfort and confidence to each jurisdiction. This means ensuring that this data is acceptable to those managing the passage of goods from one jurisdiction to another. A decentralised data ledger, where data is stored in a digital network accessible to all involved in the relevant transactions, streamlines data flows and strengthens trade relationships. Issues and Opportunities In February 2020, the Australian Government launched the National Blockchain Roadmap, which sets the stage for strategic engagement in initiatives such as the BSN. The Roadmap identifies priority areas including food supply chains and financial services. On both fronts, the BSN presents opportunities and challenges. The opportunities are straightforward, e.g. technical interoperability, and potential ease and cost of access. The challenges are more subtle and complex. Many relate to concerns around data privacy, data governance, and data sovereignty that see a disparity between the Australian and Chinese standards. Key considerations include: Gaining permission to operate on the BSN: This requires authority from the BSN administrator, presupposing compliance with Chinas cryptography and privacy requirements. Cross-jurisdictional data flow: Australian participants will need to carefully examine how this interacts with privacy and data confidentiality protection concerns and national requirements. Uncertainty of Chinese Cryptographic protocols: Are there unknown backdoors that pose data security risks? Harmonising business expectations: We will need best practice for data confidentiality and data security. Australias leadership role in ISO Technical Committee 307 on blockchain standards can help here. All this needs to be addressed in the increasingly complex landscape of regional geo-political friction and uncertainty. For Australia, one pathway is to address BSN via our role in the Regional Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (RCEP). Unlike the BRI, the RCEP is a more traditional multilateral agreement between ASEAN countries and Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, China, and Australia. Of RCEP signatory countries, only Australia is not also a BRI participant. Membership of RCEP provides Australia with the institutional means to interact with the BRI through porous edges. Contemporary geopolitical dynamics are perhaps the most challenging that Australia has faced for quite some time. Australia again confronts a need to navigate bilateral and multilateral relationships increasingly framed by tensions between the countrys largest trading partners on the one hand, and Australias most significant historic security ally on the other. In this context, the BSN is another instalment of what Hugh White calls the China choice. An extended version of this article is available here. Acknowledgements *Some of the research on the BSN is being undertaken as part of the Export Smart Contracts project that is a collaboration between BeefLedger Ltd, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and Food Agility CRC. This project was supported by funding from Food Agility CRC Ltd, funded under the Commonwealth Government CRC Program. The CRC Program supports industry-led collaborations between industry, researchers and the community. The opinions are those of the authors alone. Dr Shoufeng Cao is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the QUT Business School. Dr Felicity Deane is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at QUT. Professor Marcus Foth is Professor of Urban Informatics in the QUT Design Lab and a Fellow of the ACS. Adj. Prof. Warwick Powell is Chairman of BeefLedger Ltd. Lachlan Robb is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Law at QUT. Charles Turner-Morris is a Director of BeefLedger Ltd. Regulatory News: Korian (Paris:KORI): the leading European care and support services group for the elderly and fragile, announces its Q2 revenue and its first half 2020 results. Adapting the network to operate in a safe Covid-19 environment over the long term Outstanding commitment of teams enabled the network to adapt to the crisis Creation and roll out of new sanitary Vigi-Covid standards supported by Bureau Veritas Revenue up 6.2% ( 1,877m) with +1% of organic growth Sustained activity throughout the semester despite confinement mesures affecting 80% of the network Revenue supported by 32 acquisitions in 2019 and 2020 Following the end of the general lockdown there has been new admissions into nursing homes and a retart of medical activities Home care activity has strongly increased over the period (+27%) Increase in telemedice activity: 2,000 patients used the in-house solutions Omedys and Inu EBITDA margin 12.1%, a drop of 250 basis point due to Covid-19 Around 40M net impact from activity restrictions and 20 M of one off costs linked to Covid-19 Sustained recruitment policy to prepare the restart (with 4,000 new permanent hires) Exceptional Covid bonuses paid to about 49,000 people The EBITDA margin restated for the exceptional one-off costs is 13.2% Sustained investment to support development of local care pathways 516 M of investment increasing the portfolio by 3,371 beds and +35% in outpatient places in France Real estate portfolio valued over 2.3bn (representing 23% of operated assets) Solid financial structure through the crisis with a restated operational leverage of 3.7x Headroom of over 1bn to support future transformation and development Sophie Boissard, CEO of Korian, commented as follows: "Throughout the pandemic Korian's teams have shown exceptional commitment and engagement to care and protect our residents and patients. They have faced this unprecedented crisis with enormous courage that inspires both my recognition and pride. I would like to express my sympathy for all those who have lost a loved one to the virus and my thanks to all our stakeholders for their unwavering support during this period. As Europe moves out of lockdown, Korian remains extremely vigilant and the teams have prepared the network to operate safely in a long-term Covid-19 environment, whilst ensuring that close connexions are maintained between our residents and patients and their loved ones. Based on our 'In caring hands' project, this crisis encourages us more than ever to continue to develop home and ambulatory local care solutions to accompany the fragile in our society, in tandem with the care solutions within our nursing homes and specialised clinics. Bearing in mind our particular social and environment responsibility, given our role as a care company for the most fragile, we consider our primary priority is to fulfil the 15 ESG comitments set out in February this year. In particular Korian is continuing to invest in recruitement, training and contribution to our local communities. Through the Covid Solidarity Fund put in place in April and our two Foundations, we continue to support the research into the diseases affecting the elderly and promoting the role of carers, whilst maintaining the dialogue with our stakeholders. The audited consolidated financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2020 were approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting of 30th July 2020. The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the new lease accounting standard, IFRS 16. For purposes of comparability, the financial information below is presented excluding the application of IFRS 16. The financial statements for H1 2020, which are published in accordance with IFRS 16, are included in the half-year financial report available on the Company's website, in the Finance section. The income statement, and cash flow statement appended to this press release highlight the impacts of IFRS 16. Adapted network environment Korian's sole focus during the crisis was to ensure the safety and continuity of care for its residents and patients whilst maintaining the connexion with their loved ones and to protect its staff. The Group was entirely mobilised during the epidemic. A dailiy exchange with the facilities was essential to ensure the support of the staff and to ensure the fluid delivery of stocks despite of the lockdown mesures. Significant support was provided to the sites the most affected (5,000 supplementary staff were mobilised at the peak of the crisis). The involvement of the employee and union representatives also contributed to the efficiency of the exchanges with the network. In order to acknowledge the exceptional engagement shown by the teams, the Group has paid specific bonuses to around 49,000 employees. This commitment has also been appreciated by the residents' families, 92% of whom agree or strongly agree that the staff were extremely mobilised during the Covid crisis as reported in an IFOP survey for Korian carried out in 82% of Korian Nursing homes network in France with 612 families between 8th and 12th June 2020. Korian has made part of its network available and more than 1,000 Covid-specific beds have been used at the height of the crisis to relieve pressure on hospitals in France, Germany and Belgium. Thanks to Omedys, telemedicine capacity has been rolled out to 50% of the French nursing home network. This highly appreciated solution will be rolled out to the entire network by the end of the year instead of the by 2021 as initially planned. From May, Korian has organised to operate safely in a long term Covid-19 environment. In this context the Group mobilised rapidly to implement a Vigi-Covid plan based on the best practices of the network during the crisis. The plan is structured around a Europe-wide baseline covering hygiene, quality and safety, applicable to all of the network and accompanied by specific on site training. Bureau Veritas has been selected to ensure the correct deployement of these standards, these audits are ongoing and will cover 100% of the network across Europe by the end of September 2020. The Vigi-Covid plan is now integrated into the deployment of ISO 9001 across all facilities by 2023. In parallel, the Group has launched a feedback process with its staff, residents, families and external stakeholders to contribute and prioritise the action plans to be implemented over the coming months. Half-year results and Q2 revenue Korian posted a Q1 revenue of 941.6M, a strong revenue growth of 8.0% compared to last year, including 3.7% organic1 growth, in spite of the impact on medical activity in Italy from the initial lockdown measures in March. In Q2 2020 revenue was up 4.4% to 934.9 million, organic growth stood at -1.6% notably impacted by the complete shutdown of surgery and outpatient activities, with no public compensation in Italy, without these impacts the organic growth would have been+1.4%. In the first half of 2020, revenue totalled 1,876.5 million, up 6.2% on the same period the previous year. Organic growth is positive at +1.0% and +2.9% without Italy, reflecting the high level of activity despite the lockdown measures in place in our different countries. This resilience is the direct result of the ongoing transformation and diversification of the portfolio. The home care activity grew by 27% over the period showing the relevance of these solutions during the crisis. Since June, with the easing of lockdown in each region, activity is returning to normal across the network, in line with the different decisions taken by local health authorities. In particular the healthcare activities are showing a clear uptick. Responding to the strong demand in each community the Group is pursuing its diversification and developing ambulatory solutions, to provide new forms of local support in line with its 'In Caring Hands' project and its ESG commitments. This diversification relies its digital capacity in order to facilitate the home and ambulatory care services. Korian has concluded two new partnerships by taking a majority stahe with Group VYV in the start up Technosens and by investing in Medicalib. Taking into consideration the acquisitions and facility openings, the network grew significantly over the period, with 3,371 beds added to reach a total of 86,046 beds. At the same time, the Group has continued to increase its outpatient places by 35% in the French clinic network, while Italy continued to increase its ambulatory capacity. The Group's EBITDAR for the first half of 2020 was 442.9 million with an EBITDAR margin of 23.6%. Restated from one-off Covid-19 related costs the EBITDAR was 462.9 million, in line with last year, with an EBITDAR margin dropping to 24.7% due to lower revenue and a maintained cost structureto ensure a high level of care. Half-year results by country: In France and Spain, strong revenue growth of 6.1% (versus 6.4% in 2019) and a maintained postivie organic growth of +1.8% driven by the transformation, renovation and repositionning of the network over the last three years, particularly in the healthcare segment. The Group acquired over the period the clinics of the group 5 Sante, specialised in pulmonary care, and reinforced its presence in the assisted living in cities through the acquisition of the groupe Les Essentielles, following the development since 2018 of Ages Vie the co-renting solutions in rural areas. The home care division has continued to grow throughout the crisis. In Spain, revenue more than doubled since June 2019 to 16.9 million. The EBITDAR margin is 26.2% (versus 27.3% in June 2019), reflecting the impact of lost revenue in a fixed-cost environment. In Germany, revenue grew by 5%, (verus 5.2% in June 2019), a strong organic growth of 3.5%. Home care activity rose by 30% over the period. The acquisitions completed in 2019 and the recent acquisition of Qualivita also contributed to the solid growth in this market. The EBITDAR margin is 24.5% (versus 25.1% in June 2019) resulting from the drop in entries following lockdown mesures. In the Benelux region,2 reported growth remained strong at 14.2% (versus 21.6% in 2019), with organic growth up 5.7%. Growth was driven by the acquisitions in the Netherlands over the last 12 months: the platform now includes 33 facilities and around 950 beds, and by the increased demand for home care. The EBITDAR margin was nearly stable at 23.7% (versus 25.0% in June 2019). In Italy, revenue was down marginally by -1.2% reflecting the interruption of the activity in clinics and healthcare centres (representing around 40% of the countries revenues) that was not compensated. On the other hand, the Group has continued to reinforce its network by acquiring five clinics in Tuscany, the group Santa Chiara, thus reinforcing its regional offer with ambulatory care, consultation and rehabilitation capacity, and acquiring a number of specialised rehabilitation clinics and nursing homes in other regions. The EBITDAR margin dropped to 18.8% (versus 24.0% in June 2019) as a result of the decline in revenue. Korian's EBITDA impacted by Covid-19 totalled 227.4 million including an impact of around 60m fof lost revenues and additional costs from the different effect of the pandemic. The EBITDAR margin is down by 250 basis points to 12.1%. Restated from the one-off Covid impacts of 20m, EBITDA amounts 247.5 million with a 13.2% EBITDA margin. Korian decided to maintain its investment policy during this period and invested 516 million in the continued modernisation and diversification of its network and the development of ambulatory care capacity. These investments include notably real estate investments. The Group now owns 23% of its operated network, representing over 2.3 billion in value and a net value of over 1 billion after taking into account the real estate debt. The Group will continue to invest in real estate and, as necessary, continue to pursue a partnership strategy, either with local partners, as has been put in place with Ages Vie, or at corporate level. The Group's operating free cash flow fell over the period to 43.6m, reflecting significant cash outflows linked to the management of the crisis as well as sustained investments. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) amounted to 121.2 million, i.e. 6.5% of revenue (versus 9.2% in 2019), while net profit (Group share) totalled 20.3 million, following a tax impact of 14.1 million bringing the tax rate on a temporary basis to 39.5% (versus 35.0% in 2019). Strong liquidity and a solid financial structure Korian had over 1 billion of liquidity at the end of June 2020 with significant cash of 645 million on the balance sheet and an undrawn 500 million syndicated facility. This facility was extended by a year in March 2020, showing the support of the Group's banking partners and their confidence at the height of the pandemic. Korian also succeeded in raising funds over the period at attractive rates and its Sustainability-Linked Euro PP issuance (173m with a maturity of 8 years) attracted significant appetite from investors. The remuneration is directly linked to the Group's success at delivering on a number of its ESG commitments. The Group's balance sheet is resilient, with an adjusted leverage ratio3 of 3.7x. Net financial liabilities increased to 3,695 million from 3,156 million at end-December 2019. Real estate debt came to 1,290.3 million, compared with a real estate portfolio value of 2,329 million and therefore a loan-to-value ratio of 55%, versus 52% in 2019. ESG commitments and Human Resources Bearing in mind our particular social and environment responsibility in each of the communities where we are present and in particular given our role as a care company for the most fragile, Korian defined and prioritised 15 measurable and concrete commitments covering its role with each of its stakeholders, fragile people, their carers and families, staff members, local partners and suppliers. As a direct consequence and fiven the job market, the Group has notably been engaged this semester on the development of qualifying trainings (with an aim to have 8% of its workforce in one of these trainings by 2023) and the quality of employment. In terms of training, the Group has obtained in France and Italy the authorisation to open Apprentice centres for the care profession (CFA Soin). This will allow the Group to train and qualify Korian's existing and future care staff in these countries, in line with what is already in place in Germany. From 2021 Korian aims to have more than 2,500 apprentices of which 800 in France doubling from 2019. Korian continues its recruitments across the network, hiring of 4,000 permanent staff over the period. In terms of quality of employment, after signing the Health and Safety Charter at the end of last year for all of the countries, Korian is pursing the rollout of a range of initiatives. In France a dedicated Occupatonal Safety team has been put in place to ensure the use of safe and appropriate methods to reduce work-related accidents. In Germany a new digital tool (Humanoo) has been deployed to support the health of the teams and the German Korian Foundation has been lauched and is focused on the health of carers. In addition to this during the pandemic, psychological assistance was put in place to support the teams. These different actions are part of the topics identified with the staff and trade union respresentatives, in particular through the new European Works Council (EWC) which held its inaugural meeting in Paris on Wednesday, 24 June 2020. Finally, leveraging its Solidarity Fund endowed with 1 million euros, notably from the contribution by the President, CEO and the Board members of 25% of their total remuneration for 2020, the Group will strengthen its actions in its communities and will support, via the Medical Research Foundation in France, two research programmes into the treatment of Covid-19. Outlook Since June, with the gradual easing of restrictions, the activity of the Group is normalising. The clinic activity in particular has seen a rapid uptick in activity in the different geographies and the new entries into the Group's nursing homes is back to a normal level. The Group expects this trend to continue over the second semester. Korian is also actively pursuing its development and transformation projects (with 249 projects ongoing and overall a pipeline of 14,500 beds), the development and diversification of its offer, with notably alternative solutions such as Ages Vie and the continuing expansion of ambulatory capacity, which is expected to rise by 50% in France. Based on this momentum the Group expects an strong level of activity in the second semester of 2020. However given the uncertainty of the sanitary situation, the Group only expects to be able to to provide revenue and margin guidance after the Q3 publication on 28th October. A complete feedback process following the Covid-19 crisis is under way with all stakeholders and the mid-term updated strategy and priorities will be shared in the autumn through an Investor Day on November 10th, 2020. Presentation of H1 2020 results Investor meeting This presentation will be broadcast live at the www.korian.com website (Investors section) or via the following link: https://channel.royalcast.com/webcast/korianen/20200730_1/ The presentation document will be available online About Korian Korian is the leading European care and support services group for the elderly and fragile. www.korian.com Korian has been listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment A) since November 2006 and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Health Care, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid Small and MSCI Global Small Cap Euronext Ticker: KORI ISIN: FR0010386334 Reuters: KORI.PA Bloomberg: KORI.FP Appendices Quarterly Revenue 1St quarter m Revenue per country Reported growth Organic growth Country Q1 2020 Q1 2019 Variation % France* 460.9 424.8 8.5% 4.8% Germany 245.2 233.6 5.0% 3.8% Benelux** 139.1 123.7 12.5% 5.1% Italy 96.4 89.5 7.7% -4.0% TOTAL 941.6 871.6 8.0% 3.7% Including Spain 8.6m in Q1 2020 vs 3.9m in Q1 2019 ** Including Belgiul 129.0m and Netherlands 10.1m in Q1 2020 2nd quarter m Revenue per country Reported growth Organic growth Country Q2 2020 Q2 2019 Variation % France* 456.2 440.0 3.7% -1.0% Germany 251.6 239.4 5.1% 3.3% Benelux** 144.5 124.6 16.0% 6.2% Italy 82.6 91.7 -9.9% -28.0% TOTAL 934.9 895.7 4.4% -1.6% Including Spain 8.3m in Q2 2020 vs 4.3m in Q2 2019 ** Including Belgium 130.3m and Netherlands 14.2m in Q2 2020 1St half-year m Revenue per country Reported growth Organic growth Country H1 2020 H1 2019 Variation % France* 917.1 864.9 6.0% 1.8% Germany 496.8 473.0 5.0% 3.5% Benelux** 283.6 248.3 14.2% 5.7% Italy 179.0 181.2 -1.2% -16.1% TOTAL 1876.5 1767.3 6.2% 1.0% Including Spain 16.9m in H1 2020 vs 8.2m in H1 2019 ** Including Belgium 259.3m and Netherlands 24.3m in H1 2020 Group income statement M H1 2020 Ajustements IFRS 16 H1 2020 H1 2019 Incl. IFRS 16 Excl. IFRS 16 Excl. IFRS 16 Revenue 1 876.5 1 876.5 1 767.1 6.2% Staff costs (1 096.4) (1 096.4) (983.2) 11.5% % of revenue 58.4% 58.4% 55.6% +280 bps Other costs (338.9) 1.6 (337.3) (323.9) 4.1% % of revenue 18.1% 18.0% 18.3% -30 bps EBITDAR 441.3 1.6 442.9 460.0 (3.7%) % of revenue 23.5% 23.6% 26.0% -240 bps External rents (34.0) (181.5) (215.5) (201.7) 6.8% % of revenue 1.8% 11.5% 11.4% +10 bps EBITDA 407.3 (179.9) 227.4 258.3 (12.0%) % of revenue 21.7% 12.1% 14.6% -250 bps Amortisation Depreciations (257.7) 160.1 (97.6) (87.0) 12.2% Provisions (8.6) (8.6) (8.6) 0.1% EBIT 141.0 (19.8) 121.2 162.7 (25.5%) % of revenue 7.5% 6.5% 9.2% -270 bps Non current expenses (20.8) (20.8) (6.1) n.a Operating income 120.1 (19.8) 100.3 156.6 (35.9%) % of revenue 6.4% 5.3% 8.9% -360 bps Financial result (97.1) 32.5 (64.6) (60.8) 6.3% Net income before tax 23.1 12.7 35.7 95.8 (62.7%) Income tax (11.4) (2.7) (14.1) (33.5) (57.9%) Tax rate 49.5% 21.2% 39.5% 35.0% +450 bps Minority Interests (1.3) (1.3) (2.2) (41.8%) Net profit Group share 10.4 10.0 20.3 60.1 (66.1%) % of revenue 0.6% 1.1% 3.4% -230 bps Group cash flow statement M H1 2020 IFRS 16 impact H1 2020 H1 2019 Incl. IFRS 16 Excl. IFRS 16 Excl. IFRS 16 EBITDA 407.3 179.9 227.4 258.3 (12.0%) Non cash others (15.9) 6.7 (22.6) (29.6) Change in WCR (32.1) 0.9 (33.0) (11.4) Operating Capex (48.2) (48.2) (44.0) Operating cash flow 311.0 187.5 123.6 173.3 (28.7%) Income taxes paid (32.2) (32.2) (28.1) Financial expenses paid/received (80.3) (32.5) (47.7) (58.6) Operating free cash flow 198.6 154.9 43.6 86.6 (49.6%) Development Capex (52.7) (52.7) (38.1) Financial investments (bolt-on acquisitions) (225.8) (225.8) (167.4) Net free cash flow (79.9) 154.9 (234.8) (119.0) Dividends paid (5.7) (5.7) (4.5) Real estate investments divestments (238.0) (238.0) (172.6) Non-cash adjustments to net debt other (243.8) (187.6) (56.2) (1.0) Change in total net debt (567.4) (32.7) (534.7) (297.1) 1Organic growth: organic revenue growth includes: a) the change in revenue (between year N and the previous year (N-1)) generated by existing facilities; b) the revenue generated in year N by facilities set up in N or N-1; c) the difference in revenue (N vs N-1) generated by restructured facilities or facilities of which the capacity was increased in year N or in N-1; d) the change in revenue recorded in year N relative to the equivalent period of N-1 for recently-acquired facilities. 2Including Belgium with 259.3 million and the Netherlands 24.3 million 3Adjusted leverage ratio: (net debt property debt)/(adjusted EBITDA 6.5% property debt). - Adjusted EBITDA: consisting of 12 months of EBITDA from acquisitions completed during the year, restated for a theoretical rental amount. - The 6.5% rate corresponds to the average capitalisation rate as specified in the syndicated loan agreement. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005767/en/ Contacts: INVESTOR RELATIONS Sarah Mingham VP Investor Relations and Financing sarah.mingham@korian.com Tel: +33 (0)1 55 37 53 55 Carole Alexandre Deputy Head of Investor Relations carole.alexandre@korian.com Tel: +33 (0)7 64 65 22 44 PRESS CONTACT Marjorie Castoriadis Head of Media Relations marjorie.castoriadis@korian.fr Tel: +33 (0)7 63 59 88 81 A line of veterans oppose the use of federal agents at the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in Portland on July 24, 2020. John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images CNN and ProPublica reviewed conditions-of-release documents of multiple people recently arrested in Portland on protest-related charges. The outlets found that many had to promise not to attend future demonstrations to get out of jail. CNN identified nine cases, and ProPublica 12, where they were made to agree to those terms in order to be released. It's not clear whether some of those cases overlap. One condition of release document, cited by ProPublica, says: "Defendant may not attend any other protests, rallies, assemblies or public gathering in the state of Oregon." Legal experts told the outlets the conditions violate the first amendment right to free assembly of those detained. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Protesters detained by the police in Portland are being told they can only get out of jail if they promise to stop going to rallies, according to two reports on Wednesday and Thursday. Anti-racism and police-brutality protests that had rumbled on in the city since the killing of George Floyd in late May reached a fever pitched two weeks ago, with security forces sent by the federal government descending on the city and clashing with demonstrators. Close to 100 protesters have been arrested on various charges since July 4, acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Chad Wolf told CNN on Wednesday. Many of those detained were only allowed to leave if they agreed not to attend any future protests in either Portland and/or Oregon state as a whole, according to release documents seen by CNN and ProPublica. If they break the condition they be sent back to jail. People gather in protest in front of the federal courthouse in Portland on July 25, 2020. Spencer Platt/Getty Image At least 12 protesters arrested in July were spared further jail time on the condition that they would not attend future protests, ProPublica reported. One condition of release document for a detained protester, published by ProPublica, stipulated : "Defendant may not attend any other protests, rallies, assemblies or public gathering in the state of Oregon." Story continues CNN also found at least nine people who were arrested between July 23 and July 27, for either failing to obey a lawful order or assaulting a federal officer, were released if they promised not to rally again. It is not clear whether ProPublica's 12 sources and CNN's nine overlap. The conditions of release are usually decided by the federal magistrate in Portland, the US Pretrial Services, and the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon. The Attorney's Office told CNN it intended to prevent those arrested from entering a five-block section around the Hatfield Courthouse in the future. "The additional restrictions were added by the court," the office said. Federal agents disperse protesters near the federal courthouse in Portland on July 20, 2020. AP Photo/Noah Berger Legal experts say the conditions of release violate the constitutional rights and the right to free assembly of those arrested. Geoffrey Stone, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, told ProPublica: "Even if they're right that these people did, in fact, step beyond the bounds of the First Amendment and do something illegal, that doesn't mean you can then restrict their First Amendment right." Somil Trivedi, an attorney with the Criminal Law Reform Project, told CNN: "This release condition is blatantly unconstitutional." "The government cannot force you to relinquish your First Amendment rights as a condition for your freedom. Release conditions must be related to public safety or flight. This is neither." Business Insider contacted the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon for comment but is yet to receive a response. On July 23, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the "use of force" by around 110 unmarked federal agents patrolling the streets of Portland, who were sent there at the behest of Donald Trump. Local and state officials, as well as some DHS employees, have called their actions "unconstitutional," Business Insider's Oma Seddiq previously reported. Videos posted to social media purport to show agents snatching people off the street. The governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, said Wednesday that the federal agents would begin to leave from Thursday. Expanded Coverage Module: black-lives-matter-module Read the original article on Insider The country is also in the middle of installing a new economic team, including a new central bank governor and finance minister. Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, a member of the Bank of Thailands Monetary Policy Committee, was named Wednesday as the next central bank governor, after incumbent Veerathai Santiprabhob declined to seek a new term when his expires in September. Following a wave of resignations, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said he will send a new Cabinet list, including a new finance minister, for royal endorsement in August. Japanese New Drug Application (J-NDA) for Imeglimin is supported by an extensive preclinical and clinical program, including positive results from the Phase 3 TIMES program in over 1,100 patients in Japan Imeglimin is a first-in-class drug candidate with a unique dual mechanism of action with the potential to treat type 2 diabetes across several stages of the current treatment paradigm, both as a monotherapy or as an add-on to other glucose lowering therapies J-NDA submission triggers a ?500 million (4.1 million, $4.7 million)* development milestone payment to Poxel with the potential for a ?1.75 billion (approximately 14.2 million, $16.6 million)* milestone payment upon product approval Pending an average J-NDA review period, Imeglimin's target product launch is anticipated in fiscal year 20211 POXEL SA (Euronext POXEL FR0012432516), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), today announced that Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma has submitted a Japanese New Drug Application (J-NDA) to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) to request approval for the manufacturing and marketing of Imeglimin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The Imeglimin J-NDA is supported by numerous preclinical and clinical trials, including the Phase 3 TIMES (Trials of IMeglimin for Efficacy and Safety) program in Japan led by Poxel, which included three pivotal trials to evaluate Imeglimin's efficacy and safety in over 1,100 patients. In all three trials, Imeglimin met its primary endpoints and objectives and was observed to exhibit a favorable safety and tolerability profile. "The Imeglimin J-NDA submission represents a significant milestone for Poxel and the culmination of several years of clinical development work. It also serves as a strong validation of our R&D capabilities and the international footprint that we have established. Our vision as a company is focused on developing innovative drugs for metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. We are now one step closer to fulfilling this goal with Imeglimin and we will continue to work closely with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma throughout the regulatory review process. In addition, we will continue to support Metavant in advancing Imeglimin into a Phase 3 program in the US and Europe," said Thomas Kuhn, CEO of Poxel. "Going forward, our efforts are now focused on our two first-in-class programs for the treatment of NASH, PXL770 and PXL065, as well as advancing earlier-stage opportunities from our AMPK activator and deuterated TZD platforms." The Phase 3 TIMES program was a joint development effort between Poxel and Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. The companies entered into a strategic partnership in October 2017 for the development and commercialization of Imeglimin in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and nine other Southeast Asian countries.2 The J-NDA submission triggered a ?500 million (4.1 million, $4.7 million) development milestone payment to Poxel. In addition, Poxel is entitled to receive a ?1.75 billion (approximately 14.2 million, $16.6 million) milestone payment upon product approval. Furthermore, after product launch, Poxel will receive escalating double-digit royalties on net sales and sales-based payments of up to ?26.5 billion (approximately 210 million, $250 million)* in accordance with sales goals. "We believe that Imeglimin can be an important addition to our existing diabetes franchise through its differentiated dual mechanism of action and favorable safety and tolerability profile. Based on the clinical data, we believe that it has the potential for use as a monotherapy, and in combination with other existing therapies; thus, it provides the opportunity for greater flexibility in treatment regimens for diabetes patients," said Koichi Kozuki, Executive Officer, Drug Development Division of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma. "We are committed to delivering new therapeutic options to help patients manage their disease." About Imeglimin Imeglimin is a new chemical substance classified as a tetrahydrotriazine compound, and the first clinical candidate in a chemical class. Imeglimin has a unique dual mechanism of action (MOA) that targets mitochondrial bioenergetics. Imeglimin acts on all three key organs which play an important role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: the pancreas, muscles, and the liver, and it has demonstrated glucose lowering benefits by increasing insulin secretion in response to glucose, improving insulin sensitivity and suppressing gluconeogenesis. This MOA has the potential to prevent endothelial and diastolic dysfunction, which can provide protective effects on micro- and macro-vascular defects induced by diabetes. It also has the potential for protective effect on beta-cell survival and function. This unique MOA offers the potential opportunity for Imeglimin to be a candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in almost all stages of the current anti-diabetic treatment paradigm, including monotherapy or as an add-on to other glucose lowering therapies. About Poxel SA Poxel is a dynamic biopharmaceutical company that uses its extensive expertise in developing innovative drugs for metabolic diseases, with a focus on type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In its mid-to-late stage pipeline, the Company is currently advancing three drug candidates as well as earlier-stage opportunities. Imeglimin, Poxel's first-in-class lead product, targets mitochondrial dysfunction. Poxel has a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma for Imeglimin in Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and nine other Southeast Asian countries. A Japanese new drug application (J-NDA) is under review by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) to request approval for the manufacturing and marketing of Imeglimin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Poxel also established a partnership with Roivant Sciences for Imeglimin's development and commercialization in countries outside of the partnership with Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma, including the U.S. and Europe. PXL770, a first-in-class direct adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, is in a Phase 2a proof-of-concept program for the treatment of NASH. PXL770 could also have the potential to treat additional metabolic diseases. PXL065 (deuterium-stabilized R-pioglitazone), a mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) inhibitor, is advancing into a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of NASH. Poxel also has additional earlier-stage programs from its AMPK activator and deuterated TZD platforms targeting chronic and rare metabolic diseases. The Company intends to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. Listed on Euronext Paris, Poxel is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has subsidiaries in Boston, MA, and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit: www.poxelpharma.com. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 12, 2020, the Company is regularly reviewing the impact of the outbreak on its business. Based on this review, and as of the date of this press release, the Company has identified one significant impact of the COVID-19 outbreak related to the initiation of the Phase 2 study enrollment for its drug candidate PXL065, which the Company initially planned during the second quarter of 2020 and is now anticipated in the second half of 2020, contingent on a safe and stable environment for patient recruitment and the availability of clinical trial sites during the COVID-19 outbreak. As of the date of this press release, and based on publicly available information, the Company has not identified the occurrence of other material negative effects on its business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Company anticipates that the COVID-19 pandemic could have further material negative impact on its business operations. The worldwide impact of COVID-19 may notably affect the Company's internal organization and efficiency, particularly in countries where it operates and where confinement measures are implemented by the authorities. In addition, COVID-19 may impact market conditions and the Company's ability to seek additional funding or enter into partnerships. Particularly, delays in the supply of drug substance or drug products, in the initiation or the timing of results of preclinical and/or clinical trials, as well as delays linked to the responsiveness of regulatory authorities could occur, which could potentially have an impact on the Company's development programs and partnered programs. The Company will continue to proactively monitor the situation. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as "target," "believe," "expect," "aim," "intend," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "will," "can have," "likely," "should," "would," "could" and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Converted at the exchange rate as of July 28, 2020. 1 Year noted is Fiscal Year from April 2021 to March 2022, which is Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma's Fiscal Year. 2 Including Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Kingdom of Cambodia and Lao People's Democratic Republic. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729005685/en/ Contacts: Poxel SA? Jonae R. Barnes Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Corporate Communications and Public Relations jonae.barnes@poxelpharma.com +1 617 818 2985 Aurelie Bozza Investor Relations Communication Director aurelie.bozza@poxelpharma.com +33 6 99 81 08 36 Investor relations Media EU/US Trophic Communications Joanne Tudorica or Valeria Fisher tudorica@trophic.eu or fisher@trophic.eu +49 171 351 2733 or +49 175 804 1816 Investor relations Media France NewCap Emmanuel Huynh or Arthur Rouille poxel@newcap.eu +33 1 44 71 94 94 Public relations Media Japan/Asia Cosmo PR Wakana Hashimoto International Account Manager wakana.hashimoto@cosmopr.co.jp +81 70 1577 1494 China is not a strategic threat to India and does not harbour expansionist agenda, Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong said on Thursday, claiming the country is dedicated to peaceful development. Addressing a webinar on India-China relations more than a month after armed clashes along the border in Ladakh, Weidong said an invisible virus, a reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, is a bigger threat than China. To move China-India relations forward, I believe that we need to straighten our views on several key issues. First, China is committed to peaceful development, and is not a strategic threat to India, he said in a tweet after the webinar. Invisible virus rather than China is the threat. It is short-sighted & harmful to deny long history of peaceful co-existence between China & India & portray our friendly neighbor for thousands of years as opponent & strategic threat due to temporary differences & difficulties, he added. Weidong, however, sought to deflect the international spotlight on human rights abuses in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, saying it was Beijings internal matter. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, & Xizang affairs are totally China's internal affairs & bear on China's sovereignty & security. While China doesn't interfere in other country's internal affairs, it allows no external interference & never trades its core interests either, the envoy tweeted. To move #China-#India relations forward, I believe that we need to straighten our views on several key issues. First, #China is committed to peaceful development, and is not astrategic threatto #India. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 Invisible virus rather than China is the threat. It is short-sighted & harmful to deny long history of peaceful co-existence between #China & #India & portray our friendly neighbor for thousands of years as opponent & strategic threat due to temporary differences & difficulties. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 Second, #China firmly upholds its sovereignty & meanwhile will never engage in aggression or expansion. #China has firmly safeguarded its national sovereignty, security & development interests. We have never been aggressive & pursued own development at expense of other countries. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 #Taiwan, #HongKong, #Xinjiang, & #Xizang affairs are totally #China's internal affairs & bear on #China's sovereignty & security. While #China doesn't interfere in other country's internal affairs, it allows no external interference & never trades its core interests either. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 Third, #China advocates win-win cooperation & opposes zero-sum game. our economies are highly complementary, interwoven & interdependent. Forced decoupling is against the trend & will only lead to alose-lose" outcome. Sun Weidong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2020 Officials from both countries have been talking regularly to de-escalate the border standoff after the June 15 clash in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh region when 20 Indian soldiers were beaten to death with rocks and clubs. The Ministry of External Affairs has said that a disengagement process as agreed by the two sides is yet to be completed, and that another round of commander-level talks would be held soon. "We expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest," spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. Analysts say the worst fighting between the giant countries in decades is likely to push India closer to the United States, both strategically and in trade. China and India fought a brief border war in 1962 and China is a close ally of India's long-time foe, Pakistan. BOOK OF THE WEEK SMELLS by Robert Muchembled (Polity 17.99, 260 pp) We are fortunate to live in a deodorised age, benefiting from hot water, flush lavatories, plumbed-in bathrooms, power showers, washing machines, mains drainage systems, soap, detergent and shampoo. Always excepting the odd tramp and the recent fad for beards, we are squeaky clean. But as Robert Muchembled reminds us in this startling and gruesome book, things werent always so sweet-smelling. The stench in centuries past was dreadful and omnipresent, he writes. Robert Muchembled explores the cultural history of odours in a new book. Pictured: An 18th-century caricature shows a woman emptying her chamber pot over a musician City streets flowed with faeces and urine, whether human or animal. Pigs, goats, stray dogs and chickens wandered freely. Butchers chopped up carcasses and boiled tripe. Tanners fermented hides for leather goods. Vile, dirty and base artisans competed for space in narrow alleys. The graveyards overflowed with their contents when it rained. Potties were emptied out of windows indeed people went to the toilet wherever the need took them, even squatting beside the table at wedding banquets. Henry III of France gave audiences from his commode. At the Court of Louis XIII, ministers urinated on the tapestries, in corners, on staircases and particularly in fireplaces. If it may be argued that civilised society has developed, and ideas about good manners and respectability evolved as people sought to suppress every trace of mans animal nature, then for a very long while we were quite bestial. Body odour was pervasive, along with bad teeth, belching, spitting, nose blowing, scratching and eating greasy food with bare hands. At Versailles in 1710, a princess revealed in a letter that the Royal Family enjoyed nothing more than a flatulence contest. But what this putrid miasma and these poisonous fumes led to these fogs and sulphurous gases, and the towns no better than cesspools was endemic ill health. Rivers and canals were open sewers. Thatched roofs harboured vermin. People seldom washed because the body was believed to be porous, permeable to bad air. No one realised the link between dirt and bacteria, or cholera and contaminated water. The Black Death, which killed more than a third of Europes population, was seen as the result not of flea bites but of Satans poisonous breath corrupting the air, like diabolic halitosis. Rat dropping were being used to cure kidney stones in 1689 and dog mess was smeared on the neck for throat infections. Pictured: An illustration of a wagon hauling rancid lard The solution was to devise a bigger stink to ward off contagion. One foul smell drives out another, was the belief; pestilence [is] dispelled by even worse fetid stenches.In 1713, as a bracing ploy, a doctor recommended sniffing a latrine every morning. Another tip to keep the plague at bay was to tether a billy-goat in the drawing room. From about 1348, holding a pomander to the nostrils to ward off evil forces became the fashion the hollow silver bauble or box was stuffed with rose water, laurel leaves and vinegar. Churches and cathedrals started pumping incense about the place. To visit the sick, medicine men in wide-brimmed hats armoured themselves with a suit of goat leather and a long-pointed mask filled with garlic. No part of the body came into contact with the air. Social distancing was enforced by carrying a two-metre white pole or wand. We can laugh at such crazy medical beliefs, at a time when everybody was doused in powerful scents, most of them nauseating. In 1689, rat droppings were used to cure kidney stones, and dog mess was smeared on the neck for throat infections. Women in the past tried to hold back the years with cosmetics that claimed urine and cowpats could disguise wrinkles. Pictured: Illustration crossing London's dirty streets in 18th century Urine and cowpats were used in cosmetics, to disguise wrinkles. Pork lard whitens the face marvellously. Fried bees cured baldness. Hanging a toad by one leg until dead and eating the pulverised remains was a secret of eternal youth. Just like today, women in the past tried to hold back the years. Unfortunately, the products they rubbed on their cheeks and scalps to preserve a youthful appearance were toxic take the lead and mercury in face powder, for example and just as disfiguring as some modern plastic surgery. The Church, for whom cleanliness was not always next to godliness (monks stank), thundered against the use of perfume and lipstick, believing that paint marks out the adulterous woman. It thought floral and spice-based scents exacerbated the insatiable sexual appetite of women, who often clenched aromatic sachets between their breasts. Perfume manufacturers, who began by creating what was hoped were impenetrable olfactory barriers against infection and the pongs accompanying plague outbreaks, became the purveyors of scent meant purely for wellbeing and pleasure in the 18th and 19th centuries. SMELLS by Robert Muchembled (Polity 17.99, 260 pp) Orange blossom, coffee, herbs and cauliflower notes were deployed as softer, sweeter perfumes came into fashion. Cosmetics and nice smells were (and have remained) a big business. Animal products such as musk, civet and ambergris were mixed with jasmine, citrus fruits and lavender from Provence, plus cinnamon, nutmeg and sage from the East Indies. There was an olfactory revolution, with distilleries full of cauldrons, mortars, kilns and boilers. The advertising industry and fashion magazines instructed and persuaded consumers to accept new ideas of eroticism. To wash became posh and alluring. The cultural history of odours is fascinating, and impinges on much else. Not reeking and ensuring neighbours and guests dont retch is part of the highly codified attitudes of politeness, the protocols of table manners and distinctions of class. The poor are still called the great unwashed, and handling cutlery correctly can be a minefield. Foreigners are often put down with racist remarks about their funny food smells. Then there are lavatorial jokes and scatological material, which make up a big part of our humour from Chaucer to the Carry On films and Rik Mayalls Bottom. It is my belief Brexit happened because we still dont know what bidets are all about. When someone explained them to Kenneth Williams, he said it was surely easier to stand upside down in the shower. New Delhi, July 30 : TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand of Transsion Holdings, on Thursday launched SPARK Air 6 smartphone at Rs 7,999 as well as Minipod M1 single-ear true wireless earphone at Rs 799, bolstering its portfolio in the entry level consumer segment. The SPARK 6 Air smartphone and Minipod M1 wireless earphone will be available on Amazon Prime day starting August 6, and across offline retail outlets, the company said. Aiming to change smartphone experience under Rs 8,000, SPARK 6 Air brings segment first 7-inch HD+ dot notch display, a 6000 mAh battery and an Artificial Intelligence-powered triple rear camera set up with 13MP primary sensor. "We, at TECNO, currently have a clear goal in mind of bringing exceptional devices in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment which empower our customers with premium smartphone experience sans the premium pricing," Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, Transsion India, said in a statement. "TECNO SPARK series of smartphones is a validation of the same," Talapatra said, adding that TECNO SPARK 6 Air will set the trend of bigger display and best battery smartphones in the category. With a 6000mAh battery, SPARK 6 Air has the ability to provide a whopping standby time of 743 hours (31 days), 31 hours calling, 21 hours Internet and wifi, 159 hours music playback, 14 hours game playing and 19 hours video playback, TECNO claimed. The new smartphone houses a triple camera set-up with a 13MP primary sensor supported with an aperture of F1.8, AI lens, 2MP depth sensor and a quad flash to enable one to capture clearer pictures even in a low light. The Bokeh mode, auto scene detection, AI beauty mode and AI HDR mode, enhances the photography experience. The SPARK 6 Air has an 8MP AI selfie camera with F2.0 aperture and dual front flash. The SPARK 6 Air is armed with a 0.15 second smart fingerprint sensor and face unlock feature. The smartphone also packs an audio sharing feature that allows consumers to connect two Bluetooth earphones or three Bluetooth speakers simultaneously to the phone. Spark 6 Air will be available in two colour variants: comet black and ocean blue, TECNO said. The Minipod M1 houses a 50 mAh battery in the earpod and provides six hours of music playback in single charge, and together with the 110 mAh charging case, it provides for more than 18 hours of music to be enjoyed, the company said. Encrypted with the latest Bluetooth v5.0, Minipod M1 ensures a stable connection and smooth audio transmission. The hands-free Minipod M1 is also equipped with environment noise cancellation (ENC) technology that blocks ambient sounds to provide an immersive listening and clear voice calling experience. Smart Touch Controls allow for accepting or rejecting calls, changing tracks or activating voice assistant with a single tap of the finger. It also comes with IPX4 protection to provide protection from water and sweat. TECNO Minipod M1 will be available in white and comes accompanied with multi-coloured silicone protective cases and snap hook. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Border troops from India and China are gradually disengaging from the friction points along the line of actual control (LAC), Chinas defence ministry said on Thursday, adding that the ground situation is easing. Since the conflict in the Galwan Valley, China and India have conducted effective communication and coordination through diplomatic and military channels, Ren Guoqiang, deputy director of the Information Bureau of the Chinese defence ministry and the ministrys spokesperson, said at the monthly press conference. At present, the situation on the ground is tending to ease, and the border guards of the two countries are gradually disengaging from contact, Ren said, according to a statement posted on the website of the Chinese defence ministry. China and India are important neighbours to each other, and maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border area is in the common interests of both sides, he said. We hope that the Indian side and the Chinese side will meet each other halfway, in accordance with the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and always proceed from the overall situation of maintaining the overall situation of China-India relations and regional peace and stability, he said, adding that the two countries should focus on cooperation and properly addressing differences, so as to effectively promote the relationship between the two countries and the armed forces. The correct direction of friendly cooperation continues to develop, Ren added. India and China have held four rounds of commander-level talks and three meetings of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. India at the last WMCC meeting on Friday focused on the need for China to completely withdraw its forces from key friction points in Ladakh sector in keeping with commitments made at the meetings of the corps commanders and the July 5 phone conversation between the two Special Representatives on the border issue, sources told had told Hindustan Times in New Delhi. The Chinese statement on the same WMCC meeting, issued in Beijing in Mandarin, referred to positive progress made by the frontline border defence forces of the two countries to disengage and ease the situation on the ground. A Wall Street Journal editorial from July 26 began like this: The Trump Administration on Thursday [July 22] rolled back an Obama regulation that federalized local zoning and land-use policies[.] ... The 1968 Fair Housing Act requires recipients of federal block grants to certify that they "affirmatively further fair housing [AFFH]." In 1996 the Clinton Administration issued 170 pages of guidance interpreting those four words, and lawsuits proliferated. This sounds like good news, and it certainly is, but if Joe Biden is elected, he will resurrect and seek to finish off the assault on our suburbs that President Obama initiated in 2009. This past Sunday on FOX TV's Life, Liberty & Levin, Mark Levin made an invaluable contribution to the political landscape by interviewing Stanley Kurtz and raising awareness of this issue, which has been lying dormant in the weeds since President Trump assumed office. Writing for National Review recently, Mr. Kurtz said: Obama's radical AFFH regulation puts every part of progressives' "abolish the suburbs" strategy into effect (as I explain in detail here). Once Biden starts to enforce AFFH the way Obama's administration originally meant it to work, it will be as if America's suburbs had been swallowed up by the cities they surround. They will lose control of their own zoning and development, they will be pressured into a kind of de facto regional-revenue redistribution, and they will even be forced to start building high-density low-income housing. The latter, of course, will require the elimination of single-family zoning. With that, the basic character of the suburbs will disappear. At the very moment when the pandemic has made people rethink the advantages of dense urban living, the choice of an alternative will be taken away. That's all bad enough. But on top of AFFH, Biden now plans to use Cory Booker's strategy for attacking suburban zoning. AFFH works by holding HUD's Community Development Block Grants hostage to federal-planning demands[.] ... AFFH also forces HUD-grant recipients to sign pledges to "affirmatively further fair housing." Those pledges could get suburbs sued by civil-rights groups, or by the feds, if they don't get rid of single-family zoning. The only defense suburbs have against this two-pronged attack is to refuse HUD grants[.] ... The Booker approach now endorsed by Biden may block even this way out. Booker wants to hold suburban zoning hostage not only to HUD grants, but to the federal transportation grants used by states to build and repair highways. It may be next to impossible for suburbs to opt out of those state-run highway repairs. Otherwise, suburban roads will deteriorate and suburban access to major arteries will be blocked[.] There is a lesser known corollary to "defund the police", which is to "eliminate incarceration." That raises the question of what to do with formerly incarcerated individuals. Vincent Carroll, writing for the Denver Post, says this: At a city council meeting in June, for example, Councilwoman Robin Kniech told the audience that if "you want to end incarceration, you can't just talk about policing. We have to talk about the other systems that co-reinforce that racism," one of which she identified as the zoning code. That code, she complained, says community corrections facilities halfway houses in popular parlance "are not welcome, and in particular in single-family neighborhoods." The Democrats most certainly want the female suburban vote, thus their desire to keep this issue out of the media. If media attention increases to the point where the Democrats can no longer ignore it, Mark Levin predicts they will 1) lie about it, 2) accuse the critics of racism, and/or 3) ignore it. The moral of the story is that as critical as it is to defeat Joe Biden, Democrat candidates up and down the line, from mayors to district attorneys to city council members, etc. must be defeated. Even those Democrats who may not agree with these progressive polices cannot be counted on to push back. They will likely say and do nothing, and the political effect of such silence is assent. The last time that Zivo hit the track at Saratoga Race Course, he finished fourth in the Evan Shipman Stakes. That was September 4, 2015, and it was the last time that Zivo ran in a race. Now 11 years old, Zivo is back at Saratoga, and he seems to remember his old stomping grounds. He realized where he was when we got to the paddock, said Adrianne DeVaux. When we went under the walkway and he saw the track, he started prancing. DeVaux is the assistant trainer for her sister Cherie, a trainer whose base of operations is in Lexington, KY. Cherie was born in Saratoga, Adrianne grew up in South Glens Falls, and the sisters still have family in the area. After spending several years working for other trainers, Adrianne was only too happy to manage Cheries Saratoga string this summer. Occupying one of the DeVaux stalls on the Oklahoma training facility is Zivo, who was trained by Chad Brown during his racing days, when Cherie was the assistant in charge of Browns horses at Belmont Park. Hes one of the first horses that I had a part in developing through our winter program at Aqueduct while I was working for Chad, said Cherie this week. He had such a good campaign and went on to the Breeders Cup that year. That was 2014, when the New York-bred Zivo won six straight races, including the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park. He finished three lengths ahead of Moreno, who would win the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga a month later. In September, he ran second in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup behind Tonalist, who three months earlier had won the Belmont Stakes. After retiring from racing, Zivo headed to Irish Hill & Dutchess Views Stallions in Stillwater, NY, and he was pensioned for this years breeding season after failing to find a foothold among breeders. One of his progeny, the three-year-old Mani Pedi, won at Saratoga on July 22. When word reached Cherie that Zivo would be leaving Irish Hill and heading to an aftercare organization, she picked up the phone immediately. I contacted Rick Burke at Irish Hill and Zivos owner and breeder Tom Coleman, she said. Zivo was always one of my favorite horses. Tom called me right back and told me to get him gelded. All Tom wants is whats best for the horse. After letdown stints at North Country Thoroughbreds, the New York division of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Programs located in Gansevoort and at James Keoughs Grovendale Farm in Kentucky, Cherie sent Zivo to Toby Richards. Toby breaks babies, and I needed someone to get on Zivo who could work with him, she said. He hadnt been ridden in five years, and within two weeks Toby was ponying fillies off him. Here at Saratoga, Adrianne is riding Zivo most days, training him to relax around the track and to be patient. Toby was basically going back to ground zero with him, she said, and he did an amazing job. Ive taken him to the Oklahoma track, and this week we jogged on the main track, walking across Union Avenue and going through the paddock. He was 100% behaved. Hes so happy to be here. In the stall, Zivo is chill. He welcomes visitors, he hams it up for the camera, he seeks peppermints shamelessly, and he is more than willing to have his head and neck stroked. Depending on how his summer goes, Zivo may continue to train to be a stable pony for DeVaux. His accomplishments on the track, Cherie asserts, make him a perfect candidate to be an ambassador for the New York-bred program. In a 19-race career, Zivo won nine races, and he finished out of the top three only three times. He won four stakes races and earned over $1 million. Hes done great things to represent the program, said Cherie. Regardless of what his next job will be, Zivos future is assured, thanks to Coleman and the DeVaux, and the team that ensured that he was ready for life after being a stallion. When he was with us at Keeneland for a day, said Cherie, when he heard my voice, hed start nickering and come to the front of the stall. I got all teary-eyed. It wasnt even a thought that hed be anywhere but with me for the rest of his life. US Sanctions Assad's Son, Syrian Army Unit By Margaret Besheer July 29, 2020 The United States designated 14 Syrian individuals and entities for sanctions Wednesday, including President Bashar al-Assad's eldest son and a division of the Syrian Army. "It is time for Assad's needless, brutal war to end," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft told a Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria. "This, above all, is what our sanctions campaign is meant to bring about." The designations are under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, which was enacted last month, as well as a 2011 Executive Order. The Caesar Act takes its name from the alias of a Syrian defector who smuggled out of the country tens of thousands of images of the torture and executions happening in Syrian government prisons in the early days of the conflict. A forensic photographer for the military police, he had taken many of the images himself. "We have named today's tranche of designations the Hama and Maarat al-Numan sanctions," Craft said. Craft said the name memorializes the victims of atrocities carried out in those cities in 2011 and 2019, respectively. In June 2011, as the popular uprising against Assad intensified, government forces killed dozens of peaceful protesters in Hama. In July 2019, the government carried out airstrikes in the northwestern town of Maarat al-Numan, killing more than 40 people in the bombing of the city's market. "Today's actions are intended to hold the murderous Assad regime accountable," a White House spokesperson said in a statement. "They are not directed at the Syrian people, whom the United States supports in their efforts for peace, stability, and rule of law." Among the new designations are President Bashar al-Assad's 18-year-old son, Hafez. The president's cousin, Major General Zuhair Tawfiq al-Assad, is listed for his role in perpetuating the nearly-decade old conflict, as is the First Division of the Syrian Arab Army for obstructing a cease-fire. The U.S. Treasury Department is sanctioning investors and companies who support the Assad government's reconstruction efforts. The measures would block any of their property within reach of the U.S. government and also could lead to sanctions on third parties who do business with them. "The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while the Assad regime seeks to profit from their suffering," U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. Since 2011, the United States has provided more than $11.3 billion in humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address KALAMAZOO, MI Voters in Kalamazoo and across the state will head to the polls for the Aug. 4 primary election, determining which candidates for offices from township trustees and county commissioner to U.S. Congress will advance to the November general election. In Kalamazoo County, contested primary races on Tuesday include six races for candidates seeking a seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners, and contested races for Kalamazoo County Sheriff, Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds, Michigan House of Representatives, U.S. Congress. A number of millage requests and funding proposals will also be on local ballots, including a proposal to levy a countywide tax to fund Kalamazoo Countys recently consolidated 911 system. Many more voters have chosen to vote absentee for this election, amid the coronavirus pandemic. County clerks have encouraged voting absentee rather than in-person to slow the spread of COVID-19, though voters still can go cast a ballot at designated polling locations on Tuesday. Residents can also still obtain ballots or register to vote, through Election Day, by visiting their city or township clerks office. Related: Review Grand Rapids area candidates, tax proposals on the Aug. 4 primary election ballot Related: Learn about candidates, millages on Muskegon County primary ballot Tuesday This year, MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues. Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigans county and local races are available at Vote411.org, an online voter guide created by the League of Women Voters. With the election just days away, here are brief summaries of some of the key races on Kalamazoo-area ballots Aug. 4. Click the links in each summary to read more about that particular race: U.S. Congress Republicans Elena Oelke and Fred Upton will be on the Aug. 4 ballot for the 6th congressional district. U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, will face off against Elena Oelke on Aug. 4 in the Republican primary for Michigans 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Related: Businesswoman will challenge U.S. Rep. Fred Upton in Republican primary for Michigans 6th District The winner will face one of the two Democrats vying to represent their party in the race state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, or Jen Richardson, the research director and a science teacher at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center. Upton, 67, is running for an 18th consecutive term in Congress. He was first elected in 1986. State Rep. Jon Hoadley and science teacher Jen Richardson will face off in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House District 6 seat on Aug. 4. State Rep. Jon Hoadley and science teacher Jen Richardson are Democrats campaigning for the U.S. District 6 seat held by Fred Upton. Related: Kalamazoo teacher and state lawmaker face off in U.S. District 6 Democratic primary The winner will go on to face the winner of Augusts Republican primary in Novembers general election. The congressional district encompasses Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties, and most of Allegan County.3 general election. Kalamazoo County Commissioners Stephanie Moore, left, and Julie Rogers, right, are Democrats seeking their party's nomination for the District 60 state House seat in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary election. (Photos provided by candidates) Michigan House of Representatives Two members of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners, both of whom have chaired the board in the past, are campaigning for the District 60 seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. Commissioners Julie Rogers and Stephanie Moore, both Democrats, will face off on Aug 4, seeking their partys nomination. Related: 2 Kalamazoo County commissioners compete for Democratic nomination in state House race After Tuesday, the winning Democrat will face off with the lone Republican candidate, Gary Mitchell, in Novembers general election. The winner will be elected to the District 60 seat, currently held by state Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo. The 60th District includes all of the city of Kalamazoo as well as portions of the city of Portage and Kalamazoo Township. Picutred (l-r) are Bronwyn Haltom and Tom Graham. Tom Graham is facing Bronwyn Haltom for the Republican nomination for election to the 61st District in the Michigan House of Representatives. Related: Republicans face off for Michigans 61st House District nomination The winner of the GOP primary will face Christine Morse, the lone Democrat running, in the November election. Current state Rep. Brandt Iden, R-Oshtemo Township, is term-limited and cannot run for reelection. The 61st state House District includes part of the city of Portage as well as Oshtemo Township, Prairie Ronde Township, Schoolcraft Township and Texas Township. Pictured (l-r) are Ron Hawkins and Luke Howell. Ron Hawkins and Luke Howell are facing off for the Democratic nomination for the 63rd District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. Related: Democrats face off in Michigans 63rd House District primary election The successful candidate will face incumbent state Rep. Matt Hall, R-Marshall, in the November election. The 63rd District consists of south and central portions of Calhoun County as well as portions of eastern Kalamazoo County. Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds Pictured (l-r) are Doreen Gardner, Sarah Joshi and Meredith Place. Doreen Gardner, Sarah O. Joshi and Meredith Place are facing off for the Democratic nomination for Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds. Related: Three Democrats competing for Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds nomination The winner of the partys nomination after Tuesdays primary will go on to face lone Republican candidate Mona Lisa Watson in the November general election. Current Kalamazoo County Clerk Tim Snow previously announced his retirement from the position when his current term expires at the end of the year, explaining he would not seek reelection in 2020. Kalamazoo County Sheriff Kalamazoo County Sheriff's candidates Shannon Bagley, left, and Thomas Swafford, right, are set to square off in the Aug. 4 Republican primary election. (Courtesy photos) Republicans Thomas Swafford and Shannon Bagley will go head-to-head in August, seeking the GOP nomination for the office of Kalamazoo County sheriff. Related: Current deputy, former Kalamazoo police captain square off in GOP sheriff primary The winner will face off against incumbent Sheriff Richard Fuller, a Democrat, who is running for reelection in November. Fuller, who was first elected sheriff in Kalamazoo County in 2008, is running unopposed in Augusts Democratic primary. Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners Six of the 11 seats on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners have contested primaries on August ballots. The winner of each primary will go on to face any opposition outside their political party in November. Republicans Dale Shugars, left, and Brian Kovacik, right, are squaring off in the Aug. 4 primary. The two are running for the GOP nomination for the District 9 seat on the Kalamazoo County Commission. (Courtesy photos) Brian Kovacik and Dale Shugars are set to square off for the GOP nomination in the race to represent District 9 on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Related: Republicans square off for fourth time in Kalamazoo County board race The winner of the Aug. 4 Republican primary will face Democrat Keshia Dickason as all three look to fill the seat being vacated by Democrat Christine Morse, who is running for county clerk. Dickason is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Republicans Vince Carahaly and Jeff Heppler are vying for the District 6 seat on the Kalamazoo County board of commissioners. Vince Carahaly and Jeff Heppler are looking to secure the District 6 on the Kalamazoo County Commission for the Republican Party. Related: Business owner, police chief battle in Republican primary for Kalamazoo County Commission When Republican Ron Kendall resigned last August from the commission, Democrat Jen Aniano was appointed to serve out his term. The winner of Tuesdays Republican primary will go on to face Aniano in Novembers general election. She is running unopposed for the Democratic Party nomination. Democrats Jen Strebs and Mike Seals are campaigning for the District 4 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Democrats Jen Strebs and Mike Seals are campaigning for the District 4 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Related: Kalamazoo Township trustee challenges longstanding county commissioner for District 4 board seat Both Democrats will be on the Aug. 4 ballot, and primary voters will determine whether the incumbent or challenger is nominated to face Republican Andrew Smith in Novembers general election. Tami Rey Tami Rey and Andrew D. Sellin are vying for the Democratic nomination for the District 1 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners in the upcoming August primary. Related: Two Democrats running for District 1 seat on Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners The countys District 1 seat is currently occupied by Commissioner Stephanie Moore, who is running for state House rather than seeking reelection. No Republican candidate filed to run for the seat. Pictured are Veronica McKissack (left) and Chris Pomeroy (right) Democrats Veronica McKissack and Chris Pomeroy are facing off in the race for seat representing District 5 on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Related: Social worker, union leader face off in Kalamazoo County Democratic primary for District 5 The winner of the upcoming Aug. 4 party primary will go on to face the lone Republican candidate for the seat, Valarie Cunningham, in Novembers general election. The winner in November will be elected to the District 5 seat, currently held by Commissioner Julie Rogers, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the District 60 state House race against fellow Commissioner Stephanie Moore. Democrats Monteze Morales and Zac Bauer are campaigning for the District 2 seat on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Democrats Monteze Morales and Zac Bauer are running for the District 2 Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners seat. Related: Kalamazoo Promise expert challenges newly appointed county commissioner for District 2 seat In October 2019, both Bauer and Morales interviewed for the open seat after a commissioner stepped down due to a move out of the district. Morales received one vote from the board. Bauer was appointed with six votes. No Republican candidate filed to run for the seat. 911 service A question on whether to fund a central public safety communication system and 911 service system through 2029 will appear on all ballots in Kalamazoo County in this years Aug. 4 primary election. Related: New 911 millage would fund Kalamazoo County consolidated dispatch through 2029 The Kalamazoo County 911 Millage Proposal asks voters to approve a tax not to exceed 0.65 mills ($0.65 on each $1,000 of taxable value) annually for a period of 10 years from 2020-2029. The funds would be distributed to the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority for countywide 911 facilities, functions and services as provided in the Kalamazoo County Emergency 911 Service System Plan, according to the ballot language. If levied in full, the millage would raise an estimated $6.1 million in the first calendar year of its levy based on taxable value. Additionally, there are a handful of other tax proposals that Kalamazoo County voters will weigh in on Tuesday: Kalamazoo Township voters will decide on a request for a replacement of the existing charter millage. Texas Township voters will decide on a fire department millage. The millage is for .9933 mill of which .4933 mill is a renewal of the millage rate that expired in 2019 and .5 mill is new additional millage Lawton Community Schools will vote on an operating millage renewal. Parchment School District voters will vote on a new sinking fund proposal. Read more: Dont expect complete results on election night, state says after nearly 1M absentee ballots cast Turn in your primary absentee ballots by hand if you havent mailed them yet, clerks advise MichMash: Campaigns try to reach people without touching them during coronavirus pandemic Absentee ballots must be received by Election Day, Michigan Court of Appeals rules All candidates and issues on the ballot for Kalamazoo Countys August primary election DOYLESTOWN >> A man and woman will face decades in state prison for the repeated sexual assault of three children under the age of 13, abuse that they also filmed in more than 40 videos of child pornography. Leonard F. Hewitt Sr. 51, and Krystyn Anne Smock, 40, both of Bristol Township, committed the acts for more than four years... In Indian politics, where you stand depends on where you sit. The latest instance of this truism is provided by the genial Rajasthan governor, Kalraj Mishra. In 1998, Mishra was part of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dharna to protest the dismissal of the Kalyan Singh government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) by the then governor Romesh Bhandari. This time, it was the Congress Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) who staged a sit-in protest on the lawns of the Jaipur Raj Bhavan against Mishras refusal to call an urgent assembly session as had been demanded by Rajasthan chief minister (CM) Ashok Gehlot. The governor has now prevailed on the need for a 21-day notice period for convening the House, which provides enough time for horse-trading of MLAs. Clearly, Mishras primary allegiance seems to be to the Centre and not the Constitution. Mishra is not the only governor in recent times to court controversy. In 2017, Mridula Sinha in Goa and Najma Heptullah in Manipur hurriedly swore in BJP-led governments even though the party was not the single largest in the Assembly. In 2018 in Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala, a former Gujarat BJP president, invited BS Yediyurappa to form the government even though he didnt have the numbers: The government fell in 48 hours after Supreme Court (SC) intervened. In 2019 in Maharashtra, BS Koshiyari had a crack of dawn swearing-in for Devendra Fadnavis; the CM resigned in a week. What unites them is their status as veteran 75-plus BJP margdarshak mandal politicians. The best defence offered for the partisan actions of these constitutional authorities is to engage in whataboutery by claiming that they are only following the hoary traditions set by the Congress. In a sense, this is further proof of the creeping Congressification of the BJP in the Modi-Shah era, of how a self-proclaimed party with a difference is now a party of absolute power. The much-hyped tagline of being different was not just about providing a political alternative to the Congress, but also an alternative political culture. The value-based politics that the Vajpayee-Advani generation claimed to represent has been replaced by the politics of high value, with a price tag attached. Take, for example, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to Gehlots brother in an alleged fertiliser scam case that dates back to 2007. ED is often accused of being the BJPs closest ally, a preferred weapon of political vendetta, used to harass and intimidate rivals. That a decade-old case is revived in the midst of political turmoil in Rajasthan is no coincidence. Here, too, the counter-argument rests on the Congress deeply flawed track record of exploiting State agencies. But then if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was a caged parrot in the Congress-ruled times, must ED become a rottweiler in a BJP regime? Examine also the allegations of large sums of money being offered to switch sides in Rajasthan. Even if the amounts cited are largely conjecture, the lure of ministerial perks is an undeniable cause for defections. As the BJP has journeyed from being a party of opposition to a party of power, its idealism and ideology lie compromised in the quest for total supremacy. A growing number of the BJP conquests are actually of former Congresspersons who have gone with the saffron wind. Manipurs CM N Biren Singh was a Congressman for over a decade before joining the BJP. Goas deputy CM, Chandrakant Kavlekar, won four consecutive terms as a Congress MLA before joining the BJP. The Karnataka Cabinet has at least 10 ministers who were once in the Congress. Half the ministers in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh were formerly with the Congress. Assams all-powerful minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma was a long-serving Congressman. The list is a long one. At one level, this suggests an implosion within the Congress, a stark reflection of a party in disarray with a weakened leadership unable to stem the outflow. But at another level, it exposes a predatory instinct within the new BJP that seeks to use every conceivable opportunity to decimate its opponents. In the process, the BJPs once highly-disciplined party structure now risks ideological incoherence: When you reward opportunism and downgrade ethical behaviour, you create potential flashpoints for the future. Even the once considerable moral authority, vested in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak, is now secondary to the dominance of the political executive in the Modi-Shah era. Moreover, the institutional takeover is now almost complete. An election commissioner who dissents is packed off to an insignificant posting in Manila. An SC chief justice is nominated to the Rajya Sabha within months of retirement, while a sitting judge hails the prime minister as a versatile genius. Parliament is reduced to a notice board as exemplified during the scrapping of Article 370. And a large section of the media performs the role of unabashed cheerleader. Meanwhile, the BJPs footprint continues to expand: Madhya Pradesh only yesterday, Rajasthan maybe today, who knows which Opposition-ruled state tomorrow. Is there any space left for systemic checks and balances? Post-script: The opulent Raj Bhavans across the country are mostly colonial relics, grand buildings that are maintained at great expense with taxpayers money. Do we really need this imperial grandeur when governors are being used by the Centre to engage in blatant power play? Here is a better idea: Why not convert these majestic mansions into Covid-19 care centres? Rajdeep Sardesai is senior journalist and author His latest book is 2019: How Modi Won India The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A rapid, cheap, and reliable pooling strategy for screening of SARS-CoV-2 for maximization of available RT-PCR testing kits and resources in the COVID-19 pandemic, reports The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics Philadelphia, July 30, 2020 - In a report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, researchers at Augusta University and PerkinElmer Genomics describe a cheaper, rapid, and accurate pooling strategy for the RT-PCR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. This assay has a significant impact on large-scale population screening in the wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive strain on global healthcare systems, governance, and economies. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 has lagged in many countries due to various bottlenecks including but not limited to the failure of the reagent supply chain, lack of adequate test kits, and hindrances in the analytical and regulatory processes. "We have proposed a mass population screening approach based on sample pooling strategy for rapid and wide-scale population screening that may be adopted by laboratories currently using RT-PCR-based methods to test for SARS-CoV-2," explained Ravindra Kolhe, MD, PhD, Vice-Chair for Translational Research in the Department of Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA. According to Dr. Kolhe, this strategy would lead to an approximately 5- to 10-fold reduction in the cost of testing of SARS-CoV-2. PerkinElmer's FDA-EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) RT-PCR kit for SARS-CoV-2 detection (with a limit of detection of 5-20 copies/mL) has been implemented in the laboratory by Dr. Kolhe since March 2020. The investigators analyzed approximately 1,000 samples using this pooled sampling approach and achieved 91.6 percent PPA (positive percent agreement) and 100 percent NPA (negative percent agreement) compared to the routine screening approach. The study demonstrates the clinical utility and accuracy of sample pooling strategy and presents a carefully planned layout for mass population testing that can be executed by laboratories using RT-PCR-based methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2. The proposed methodology has the potential to allow institutions to ramp up their testing needs in a cost-efficient manner with minimal turnaround times. This testing allows for the timely isolation and treatment of COVID-19-positive patients, specifically in populations with a lower prevalence of the disease, for example, screening large numbers of students returning to college campuses. "In terms of cost analysis, one million individuals can be tested for around US$9.1 million with the proposed mass population screening approach compared to approximately US$58 million with current routine diagnostic methods. These cost projections highlight significant savings of healthcare dollars that could be achieved in both high- and low/middle-income countries," said Amyn Rojiani, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Pathology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA. The global impact of these enormous savings has the potential to enhance laboratory operations throughout the pandemic and can be deployed to laboratories that are facing dire constraints in supplies. ### The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) wishes all Muslims in America and across the globe a pleasant, safe, and blessed Eid Al Adha holiday. The four-day Eid starts on Friday, July 31, 2020. Eid al Adha is the most important holiday in the Islamic calendar, its a very precious and special occasion. During these holidays we should not forget the plight of millions of people across the world who are facing extraordinary hardships and who are in dire need for our humanitarian aid. Their human rights are our human rights. Ei Al Aldha (Feast of the Sacrifice) is the second major Islamic holiday. It marks the end of the annual pilgrimage season (Hajj) to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Due to the pandemic, this years pilgrimage was closed to international pilgrims. Usually over two million people from around the world perform this religious obligation every year. Hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith. This years Eid falls amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. America as well as the rest of the world are still facing this invisible enemy that has killed hundreds of thousands in the US. The COVID-19 crisis had forced many Islamic centers, mosques and institutions to cancel the Eid service. Other mosques have decided to hold these services for a limited number of worshipers. AHRC reminds all who are celebrating the EID to adhere to the health instructions of avoiding crowds, social distancing, washing hands and wearing a mask in public. These are challenging times but that does not mean we cannot be optimistic and celebrate our holidays, said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. We urge everyone to celebrate responsibly and help limit and slow the spread of the disease, concluded Hamad. US acknowledges killing civilian, wounding 3 others in Somalia Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 12:54 AM The United States says one of its airstrikes in Somalia earlier this year killed one civilian and wounded three others. "This admission is the third case they have substantiated in 13 years of airstrikes in the country," Brian Castner, Amnesty International's senior crisis adviser for arms and military operations, said in a statement. "Now that there has been an acknowledgment of their actions, there must be accountability and reparations for the victims and their families." The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) made the announcement in its second quarterly report on civilian casualties Tuesday. "Our goal is to always minimize impact to civilians. Unfortunately, we believe our operations caused the inadvertent death of one person and injury to three others who we did not intend to target," AFRICOM Commander Army Gen. Stephen Townsend said in a statement. The airstrike on February 2 was allegedly aimed at al-Shabab militants. "We are getting after a mutual threat in al-Shabab," AFRICOM spokesman Air Force Col. Chris Karns was cited as saying. "If we're found to have made a mistake, we will admit to it because accountability and trust is key." The United States las year acknowledged killing five civilians and wounding six others in three separate airstrikes only after Amnesty International released an investigation into its airstrikes in Somalia. Under US President Donal Trump, the number of airstrikes allegedly against al-Shabab and Daesh militants has dramatically increased in the Somali peninsula. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Back Index Forward Weekly News Digest July 30, 2020 In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today. For other up-to-the-minute news, check out ITIs Twitter account: @ITINewsBreaks. CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items. CBC Introduces New Content on Its Being Black in Canada Website Canadas national public broadcaster, CBC, rolled out the expanded Being Black in Canada websiteoriginally launched in 2018which features the stories and experiences of Black Canadians, highlighting narratives that matter to Black communities including relevant news pieces, individual successes, and historical content. It offers profiles, opinion pieces, video and audio materials, and other content from across all areas of CBC. CBC has been producing content under the Being Black in Canada brand since 2013. I am excited by the opportunity of this website, which will undoubtedly play an important role in helping us move forward. Being Black in Canada offers a window into the struggles while celebrating the culture and achievements of Black communities, says Barbara Williams, CBCs executive VP. I have been moved by the many conversations I have been having over these past months. By the incredible openness of our Black employees to share their painful experiences, even when they may have felt they had already shared so many times. By the rawness of the stories, the intensity of the emotion, the sadness that surrounds the frustration. I can only imagine how hard these experiences must have been. Most recently, we heard from Dexter Brown and Imani Walker about their painful experiences while working at CBC. They bravely opened up so that we can learn and do better as an organization. And we will. For more information, read the press release. Send correspondence concerning the Weekly News Digest to NewsBreaks Editor Brandi Scardilli South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics defied the coronavirus to report higher net profits in the second quarter Thursday, with strong demand for memory chips overcoming the pandemic's impact on smartphone sales. Long known as the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, it said net profits rose 7.3 percent to 5.56 trillion won ($4.66 billion) in the April-to-June period. The firm is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung Group, by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate business in the world's 12th largest economy, and it is crucial to the South's economic health. The figures -- which beat expectations according to Bloomberg News -- come as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc across the world economy, and with the trade-dependent South having entered a recession for the first time in 17 years due to plunging exports. But lockdowns imposed around the world -- especially in Europe and the US -- have boosted Samsung Electronics' chip business with data centres moving to stockpile DRAM chips to meet surging demand for online activities. "Even as the spread of COVID-19 caused closures and slowdowns at stores and production sites around the world, the company responded to challenges through its extensive global supply chain," the firm said in a statement. It also minimised the impact of the pandemic by "strengthening online sales channels and optimising costs," it added. Operating profit rose 23.48 percent to 8.15 trillion won, it said, even as sales dropped 5.6 percent to 52.97 trillion won. The overall turnover of the wider Samsung group is equivalent to a fifth of South Korea's gross domestic product. Analysts said they expect Samsung Electronics' memory chips and television businesses to improve. Diplomatic and military tensions between India and China could also play in Samsung's favour, analysts said, if Indian consumers choose to shun Chinese brands and opt for Samsung devices instead. Story continues "The growth is likely to drive by memory chips and displays as both of these products are in high demand due to heavy content consumption during the lockdown," Prachir Singh, a senior analyst at market observer Counterpoint, told AFP. "India is showing a pent-up demand as the country recovers in the post-lockdown period. "There is certainly an anti-China sentiment in the minds of Indian consumers. Samsung is surely benefiting from this." - Huawei overtakes - Samsung has long been considered the world's biggest smartphone maker, but industry tracker Canalys said Thursday it had been overtaken in the second quarter by Chinese rival Huawei, on the back of strong domestic demand in the world's second-largest economy. But as the world economy recovers Huawei could struggle to retain top spot in the face of US sanctions and falling overseas sales, Canalys added. Samsung Electronics declined to comment on the ranking to AFP. Global smartphone sales slumped more than 20 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, their worst performance ever, according to market tracker Gartner, as the pandemic hit consumer spending. And for the second half of the year, the outlook for Samsung's mobiles is "still quite uncertain because while lockdowns in some countries are easing, there is a resurgence of cases in some places," said Gloria Tsuen, a senior credit officer at Moody's Investors Service. LG Electronics, South Korea's second largest appliance firm after Samsung, posted a second-quarter net profit slump of 38.1 percent to 65.6 billion won Thursday, saying it had been "affected significantly" by the pandemic. Adding to Samsung Electronics' challenges, its vice chairman and de facto leader Lee Jae-yong is currently being retried over a sprawling corruption scandal that could see him return to prison. He is not being held in custody during the proceedings but a guilty verdict could deprive the firm of its top decision-maker. Samsung shares closed unchanged in Seoul on Thursday at 59,000 won. Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Aboagye Dacosta has showered praises on the religious bodies, being the churches and the mosques for showing maturity right from the beginning of the restrictions imposed on their activities. They have shown maturity in this Covid-19 fight. From the time the churches and mosques were closed to now that they are operating under instructions, they have helped the government by complying with every step of the way, he applauded. Speaking to the host of Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Dr Aboagye Dacosta recollected that some of the churches and the mosques donated some food items to the vulnerable people during the partial lockdown period as well as giving veronica buckets to some health facilities to help in the fight against the novel virus. Some of the churches and the mosques donated to food items to the vulnerable people in the locked areas as well as giving veronica buckets to health facilities and so we as Ghana Health Service and the government appreciate all of them in this fight against Covid-19 but it is not over yet, he lauded. He intimated that they have engaged most of the pastors to run a commercial to educate their congregants and Ghanaians at large on Covid-19; disclosing that the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health will soon bring their messages out for Ghanaians to see their contributions in the fight against the virus. Touching on the alleviation of the restrictions on the activities of the religious bodies, Dr Aboagye Dacosta said that social distancing is not negotiable in churches and in mosques even though they are allowed to take more than 100 congregants. The other safety protocols like washing of hands and the use of hand sanitizers are still in place and the length of time for the service has moved from one hour to two hours, he mentioned. To him, the responsibility therefore lies on the pastors and the church leaders to make sure that they will continue to enforce those protocols so that there will be no bad news from the churches; praying that they will continue to comply with the safety protocols without recording any case, The churches must have a Covid-19 team led a professional nurse in the church and the ushers must insist on people adhering to the measures in place. Churches and mosques are law-abiding institutions, he added. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Vietnamese on the repatriation flight from Equatorial Guinea that lands at Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi, July 29, 2020. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Airlines. 219 Vietnamese workers, 129 of them positive for the coronavirus, arrived home from Equatorial Guinea on a special flight Wednesday afternoon. The Vietnam Airlines direct flight from Bata International Airport in Equatorial Guinea took more than 12 hours to reach Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 3:20 p.m. During the flight, two Covid-19 patients developed breathing difficulties and were provided emergency support. On landing, a special vehicle took all passengers and the flight crew to Hanois National Hospital for Tropical Diseases where they will be quarantined for 14 days and tested for the novel coronavirus. All the infectees will be treated at the hospital, the highest number of Covid-19 patients it has had to tend to at the same time. The repatriation flight cum medical evacuation was an unprecedented effort for Vietnam, which has no direct flights to Equatorial Guinea in central Africa, a conflict-ridden nation with poor infrastructure. Over the past days, patients treated at the Hanoi hospital were discharged and transferred to other facilities to reserve most of rooms for the returning patients. Arrivals from Equatorial Guinea are disinfected at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, July 29, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tuc. Early in July, over 200 Vietnamese workers in Equatorial Guinea had sent a letter to Vietnamese representative agencies in Angola, asking for help. Many were confirmed to be carrying the virus. They were working at the Sendje Hydropower Plant in Equatorial Guinea under labor contracts signed by Duglas Alliance Ltd of the U.K. with three Vietnamese companies. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered relevant agencies to arrange a special flight to bring the workers home, including those that were infected. Only non-infected persons had been taken on previous repatriation flights. More than 16,000 Vietnamese have been brought home from 50 countries and territories on 60 flights since the country started repatriating citizens stranded abroad on April 10, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Vietnam has confirmed 459 Covid-19 cases so far, 90 of them active. The nations 99-day streak without a case of community transmission ended last Saturday when a 57-year-old man in Da Nang was found infected. Friends and colleagues of an Australian academic serving a 10-year sentence for espionage in Iran have questioned Australia's handling of the case after she was moved to a notorious prison in the desert. Federal MPs from both major parties have joined calls for the Australian government to change its approach to Kylie-Moore Gilbert's imprisonment, calling for more public pressure on Iran. Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert was recently moved from a prison in the capital, Tehran, to a jail in the desert, heightening concerns about her welfare. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has maintained it is doing all it can to secure Dr Moore-Gilbert's release and this week said it was one of the Australian government's highest priorities. The Cambridge-educated academic had been held in Evin Prison in Iran's capital for nearly two years before suddenly being moved to Qarchak women's prison in recent days, heightening concerns about her welfare. Qarchak, in the desert east of Tehran, holds political prisoners, serious drug offenders and murderers and has been described as overcrowded. POLITICS is a lot of luck and timing. Unfortunately, the federal Conservatives havent had either. The WE scandal that broke in the beginning of July couldnt have come at a worse time for the party, desperate to take back power and form government again. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion POLITICS is a lot of luck and timing. Unfortunately, the federal Conservatives havent had either. The WE scandal that broke in the beginning of July couldnt have come at a worse time for the party, desperate to take back power and form government again. On July 5, Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said his party wasnt looking to force an election over the Liberal governments $900-million deal with WE Charity. He says the Conservatives got what they wanted when the Liberals called off the deal and walked away from the program. But that was really just bravado. Theres no way they wanted to go into a snap election without a new leader at the helm. Andrew Scheer, who remains in place until the August decision, remains a liability and not an asset. WE is a Toronto-based charity formed by brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger in 1995. It was awarded a contract to run a $900-million student volunteer program meant to help youths during the COVID-19 pandemic but it has since backed away from that contract. Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau have family members involved with the charity. Trudeaus wife, mother and brother were paid to speak for the organization. Morneaus daughter worked for the foundation and Morneau also had travel costs paid for by WE. He has since paid back more than $41,000. For his part, Trudeau has apologized. More importantly, hes set to testify along with his chief of staff, Katie Telford, before the House of Commons finance committee today to explain their roles in the decision behind the partnership. Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion announced in July he would launch an investigation into Trudeau. The investigation will be under the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Act that prohibits public office holders from making decisions that further their own private interests or the interests of another person. Trudeau is being investigated under sections 7 and 21 of the act, which deal with giving someone preferential treatment and failing to recuse from a conflict of interest. Normally, this kind of scandal during a minority government would mean the end is near for the Liberals. But, earlier this week, Angus Reids latest polling numbers confirmed why the Conservatives are reluctant to push hard on the WE scandal and bring down the minority government. According to the poll, Canadians werent happy with the actions of the Liberals but "more than half (56 per cent) say the scandal will ultimately not be the issue that threatens the viability of Trudeaus minority." They dont call him "Teflon Trudeau" for nothing. Also, not surprisingly, according to the poll, "Canadians core priorities continue to be the COVID-19 response, economy and health care." These priorities have been something the Liberals have addressed with programs such as CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) which provides $2,000 monthly to individuals who cant work as a result of COVID-19. More than 21 million applications for CERB have been received by the Canada Revenue Agency since the program was announced. Thats not to say Canadians are giving the Liberals a free ride. The polling numbers also show that those asked view the WE scandal as a serious issue and not overblown by the Conservatives or the media. But other issues are more important right now. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The Conservatives have no leader that wont change until August and were still smack-dab in the middle of a pandemic and a heat wave in much of vote-rich Ontario and Quebec. This is no time for an election. Luck and timing. The Conservatives just dont seem to have either. Shannon Sampert is a retired political scientist who works as a media consultant. She will return to the classroom in September to teach at the University of Manitoba. www.mediadiva.ca. shannon@mediadiva.ca Twitter: @CdnMediadiva Little Charles City County is about to play a big role in the public debate over the future of Virginias monuments to the Confederacy. The Charles City Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to ask voters in November whether they favor removing a Confederate monument that was erected next to the courthouse in 1900. The obelisk, honoring Confederate soldiers as Defenders of Constitutional Liberty and Right to Self Government, was tagged with graffiti on July 2 as demonstrators protested police treatment of Blacks and called Confederate monuments symbols of white supremacy. The vote in the county of about 7,000 residents would be among the first such referendums in Virginia since a new law took effect July 1. It allows local governments to ask voters their opinion before removing Civil War monuments or taking other actions that would accurately reflect the context the statues were erected in the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of the Jim Crow era, with its racially discriminatory laws. Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson said whatever the outcome of the advisory referendum is, thats what the board is going to do. As per the reports, the idol of Ram Lalla is likely to wear a green attire with a saffron border on 'bhoomi pujan". Bhoomi poojan will commence on August 5 for the construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya. Find out details about the same here. The idol of Ram Lalla is likely to don a green coloured attire with a saffron border on August 5 when bhoomi pujan will be done for the construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya. The attire will have navratnas stitched on it and is being readied at a shop in Ayodhya whose owners have been stitching clothes for Ram Lalla for four generations. The shop Babu Lal Tailors is run by two brothers Bhagwat Prasad and Shankar Lal and they stitch clothes for Gods and Goddesses in temples. Prasad said his father stitched dresses for Ram Lalla for several years and he is continuing the legacy. Prasad told ANI that the clothes of Ram Lalla are being stitched at their shop for four generations. After his father died, they are continuing his legacy. They used to go to the site and stitch clothes of Ram Lalla with his father. He died in 1992 and since then clothes of Ram Lalla are being stitched at his shop there. He said the government earlier got seven sets of clothes stitched and of late devotees have also been coming to take clothes for deity. Prasad said that the dress for Ram Lalla idol will have navratnas. He said Kalki Ram of Ramdal Sewa Trust has placed an order for two dresses for August 5 ceremony. He added that one is green coloured and the other is saffron and these will be completed in two-three days. Wednesday is the day of Lord Ganesha and green colour is associated with the deity. Green coloured dress will have a border of saffron. Also read: Unlock 3 guidelines: Gyms to reopen, Night curfew removed Also read: Rajasthan crisis: Governor rejects proposal to convene assembly Prasad said he also has orders for white-coloured attire for Monday and red attire and Tuesday for Ram Lalla, the two days preceding the ceremony. Pandit Kalki Ram, President, Ramdal Sewa Trust, said that Ram Lallas costume will have a grand look to mark the special occasion of bhoomi pujan. He told ANI that Bhoomi pujan programme is a big event. On August 5, Ram Lallas costume will be of green and saffron colour. The costume has navratnas for nine planets. Normally, it takes two days to design and prepare the costume but this time a grand look is being given to the costume. The tailor has said that the costume will be completed by August 1. He said they got to know through the media that the government got only seven costumes made for Ram Lalla in a year. He added that they made a resolution that a costume will be made for Ram Lalla on various days. There are new costumes on ekadashis, amavasya, poornima. Kalki Ram said that his trust has been getting dresses made for Ram Lalla for two years. Champat Rai, General Secretary, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said that decision on the dress of Ram Lalla will be taken by chief priest Satyendra Das. He added that the dress of God will be decided by the chief priest Satyendra Dasji Maharaj. As per his information, every planet has a colour. Each day has a colour. Wednesday has also a colour. Rai said that coronavirus guidelines will be followed at the event and only a limited number of people will be allowed to participate. Rai told that they will try that not more than 125-150 people attend the event. The guidelines of the government will be followed. He said that he will request people not to travel to Ayodhya for the event. Everyone should celebrate the event at their own places by lighting lamps and diyas. Pray that India becomes free from coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra 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 Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra 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. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting earlier this month. In March this year, the Ram Lalla idol was shifted to a temporary structure. The apex 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. Also read: Rafales land in India: Rajnath Singh calls it beginning of a new era For all the latest National News, download NewsX App PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Justice has received a letter from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) on July 24th, 2020, indicating that St. Maarten has successfully completed the Third-Round of Mutual Evaluations. The CFATF extended congratulations to St. Maarten for this accomplishment in addressing the deficiencies identified in its key and core recommendations. Minister of Justice, Anna Richardson, stated, Keeping the community safe, including the business sector, remains a top priority for the Ministry of Justice. The Third-Round of Mutual Evaluation Process helps us in the prevention of money laundering and financial terrorism. Despite the process being delayed due to the Penal Procedure Code, we are proud of the progress thus far, and we look forward to continue working with the CFATF. We extended our gratitude to the CFATF Team for all their hard work in supporting St. Maarten in this significant accomplishment. Indeed, this achievement should be celebrated by country St. Maarten. Earlier this year, the recommendations by the Third-Round of Mutual Evaluations were endorsed by the Council of Ministers. The Ministry of Justice worked closely with the CFATF ICRG team to complete their follow-up report. On July 3rd, the Council of Ministers received the report for final review and approval. In the meantime, the CFATF secretariat has posted the notification that the public statement of non-compliance issued on November 27th, 2019, has been retracted. The successful completion of this stage means that St. Maarten can now formally apply in the coming week to exit the Third-Round of Mutual Evaluations and move on to the Fourth-Round of Mutual Evaluations. Minister Richardson will meet with Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit Ligia Stella in the upcoming week to review the recommendations of the Fourth-Round. In this proactive manner, the Ministry will gain a head start in meeting those recommendations and deadlines. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has discussed with Russian Ambassador Mikhail Nikolayevich Bocharnikov the recent Armenian provocation on the border, the ministry reported on July 28. Bayramov said that with its pre-planned military provocation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border on July 12, Armenia could achieve none of its goals. The minister also mentioned the provocations staged by violent Armenian forces against Azerbaijans diplomatic missions and peaceful demonstrators in various countries recently. Furthermore, the minister stressed the significance of the negotiations in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the importance of conducting substantive and real negotiations. Touching upon the telephone conversation with Co-Chair Igor Popor, Bayramov noted that Azerbaijani was not participating in the negotiations just for the sake of negotiations and demand the results-oriented negotiations. In turn, Bocharnikov said that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has always been in the spotlight of Russia. The Russian ambassador also pointed out that as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russias position on the settlement of the conflict is clear. Furthermore, during the meeting, Bayramov expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia in the context of good neighbors, friendship and mutual understanding at the level of strategic partnership. In this regard, it was noted that developing multifaceted Azerbaijan-Russia relations are important for both countries interests and for the regional stability, in terms of opening new opportunities. The minister also emphasized that the friendly ties at the level of heads of both states have contributed to the development of mutual relations. Thus, it was underlined that the regular mutual visits of the heads of the states, as well as the official visit of Azerbaijans First-Vice President Mehriban Aliyev to Russia in late 2019, are important in terms of the development of intensive dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. Overall, the sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the cooperation in various areas, including industry, tourism, transport and communication, education and other directions, between the two countries. In turn, the Russian ambassador also spoke about further development of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. Noting that some projects were postponed due to the fight against the pandemic, Bocharnikov highlighted the fact that even in this situation, the two countries continue to cooperate and Russia continues to support Azerbaijan in the form of medical It was noted that during the pandemic, both countries have taken measures to repatriate their citizens and will maintain to do so in the future. During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views about the cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations, as well as other issues of mutual interest. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz An off-duty Coast Guard saved two mens lives by swimming to their aid off the coast of Long Island, New York, in the summer of 2018. Two years later, she became the second female Coast Guard ever to be recognized with a Silver Lifesaving Medal. Victoria Vanderhaden, then a boatswains mate 3rd class, was strolling along the boardwalk near the Fire Island Lighthouse on July 24, 2018. She noticed the late-evening waves were hitting peaks of 6 feet amid winds of up to 30 miles an hour. Two struggling swimmers started shouting for help in Spanish, reports Military.com. Although off duty, Victoria sprang into action. Once I realized how much danger they were in, I knew I had to act fast, she explained in a Coast Guard news release. My training as a lifeguard and my knowledge as a Coast Guard member prepared me for instances just like this. Master Chief Petty Officer Jason M. Vanderhaden with his daughter, Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Vanderhaden, in Mobile, Alabama, on July 20, 2020 (Chief Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen/U.S. Coast Guard) Victoria instructed a bystander to call 911 and the local Coast Guard unit while she leapt into the water. She reached both men and helped them to stay calm and keep their heads above water. Together, Victoria and the two men swam clear of the treacherous rip current by paddling parallel to the shore. After approximately 30 minutes, they returned safety to the beach. Two years after the rescue of the two struggling swimmers, on July 20, 2020, Victoria was recognized for her bravery with the Silver Lifesaving Medal at an award ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. She said she was glad she was at the right place at the right time. Local EMS and additional first responders arrive on the beach at Fire Island, New York, on July 24, 2018 (U.S. Coast Guard) First responders arrive after off-duty Coast Guard Victoria Vanderhaden rescued two distressed swimmers at Fire Island, New York, on July 24, 2018 (U.S. Coast Guard) The daughter of a first responder, Victoria has since risen to boatswains mate 2nd class. Her father, master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard Jason Vanderhaden attended his daughters award ceremony and proudly shared the event on social media. Today, I had the honor to witness my daughter receive the #CoastGuard Silver Lifesaving Medal for rescuing two men off the beach of Fire Island in the summer of 2018, Vanderhaden shared. I couldnt be more proud to see Rear. Admiral Nadeau pin the medal on her today in front of her mother and I and a small group of her shipmates, he added. The U.S. Coast Guard also mentioned Victoria in their Saturday Shoutout a few days later. The Coast Guard #SilverLifeSavingMedal was presented to Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Vanderhaden for her heroic actions July 24, 2018, they wrote on Facebook. (LR) Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Capt. Ladonn Allen, Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Vanderhaden, Capt. Austin Ives, and Master Chief Petty Officer Jason Vanderhaden in Mobile, Alabama, on July 20, 2020 (Chief Petty Officer Crystalynn Kneen/U.S. Coast Guard) She is only the second Coast Guard active duty female to receive this honor alongside CWO Beth Slade, they continued. Bravo Zulu! The Lifesaving Medals were established in 1874, and in 2011, Chief Warrant Officer Slade became the first female Coast Guard to receive the honor for a successful rescue mission in 2001. Slade and another first responder, Doug Knutzen, had risked their lives to save a fisherman trapped inside a capsized boat at Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington state. The pair used a chainsaw to cut through the boats hull to free the trapped man. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Their material selection, including glass, plastic, paper, and tin, can be recycled by single-stream recycling utilities, while hemp and molded sugarcane can be composted. This means that Ventiv's products can be diverted from landfills, drastically reducing carbon footprint and lifecycle costs. Ventiv Design provides ideal solutions for eco-conscious cannabis companies eager to uniquely express their brands and has found a crucial niche lacking leadership. For the last several years, the marijuana industry has been grappling with a trend of counterfeit products that mimic popular brands like Kingpen, Brass Knuckles, and Heavy Hitters. Not only have these fakes cut into each company's revenue, but they have also sickened unsuspecting consumers. Counterfeit marijuana vapes are often supplemented with vitamin E and propylene glycol to thicken and dilute THC, which have been associated with over 500 confirmed or probable-cause lung injuries, says the CDC. Overseas manufacturers facilitate cannabis counterfeits by reproducing or closely mimicking the packaging of popular brands. It is fairly easy for manufacturers to violate Intellectual Property laws after they are given direct access to brand assets like name and logo. Manufacturers are then able to sell cannabis packages on e-commerce site Alibaba, which are subsequently purchased by illegal dispensaries and dealers who stuff unknown product inside to sell for a larger profit. Ventiv has adopted a two-fold anti-piracy strategy. First, the company utilizes its patent-pending portfolio of child-resistant packaging. Second, they leverage unique material selections such as hemp, sugarcane, and 100% recycled plastics to further deter counterfeiters from copying. Ventiv Designs understands that brand expression is critical to the success of any business, especially in the crowded marijuana market. Ventiv Design customizes packaging for cannabis companies looking to cultivate a unique brand identity. The packaging company is exceptionally customizable, from aesthetic designs to materials selection. Contact: Adam Israeli 212-433-4420 [email protected] SOURCE Ventiv Design The Comal Independent School District will forge ahead with physically reopening its five schools within Bexar County despite an order from San Antonios health authority that schools remain physically closed until after Labor Day because of the coronavirus surge. The decision is part of the fallout from an opinion by Attorney General Ken Paxton that sets out limits on the power of local health agencies to order schools closed as infections continue to spread. The opinion was followed by the Texas Education Agency notifying districts that they could lose funding if schools are closed solely on the basis of a health authority order. It had an immediate effect on districts such as Comal and Boerne, which have schools in more than one county. Poll: San Antonio parents share their back-to-school plans Families within Comal ISD can choose to send their children for in-person learning on Aug. 25, Superintendent Andrew Kim wrote to parents hours after the AG opinion was released Tuesday. Today, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued legal guidance on school openings affirming that the decision on when and how to open school is one that is made by local school officials, not the local health authorities, Kim wrote. On ExpressNews.com: Reversing course, TEA wont fund schools closed solely due to Bexar County coronavirus health orders The schools within Bexar County are Indian Springs, Kinder Ranch, Specht and Timberwood Park elementary schools, and Pieper Ranch Middle School. Kim expressed frustration that the San Antonio Metropolitan Health Districts order resulted in a nine-day delay of on-campus instruction for five of our Comal ISD schools. He had disagreed with the order since it was issued July 17, writing to parents the same day: Comal ISD was not invited to have any input into this decision or have an opportunity to share with the Bexar County Health Authority our plan for returning to On-Campus Instruction before having our schools shut down. The district encompasses all of Comal County and straddles four others: Bexar, Hays, Kendall and Guadalupe. Families that want to use remote classes still have that option, Kim said. On ExpressNews.com: Boerne ISD will open 2 schools in Bexar before Labor Day The coronavirus continues to spread in Comal County, where the positivity rate the percentage of people who are tested and found to have the virus is about 16 percent, according to the daily coronavirus report. On Wednesday, the county reported seven deaths related to COVID-19, for a total of 52. There were 44 new cases for a total of 2,101, and 44 recoveries, for a total of 928. School district officials will work with local health directors to craft safe opening and closing plans when necessary. We appreciate the work of our state leaders to seek clarity on this issue, Kim wrote. We believe the ability to have all of our campuses on the same start schedule will help us from a logistical standpoint, while still giving parents a choice as we prepare for On-Campus Instruction and Remote Learning. Boerne ISD also decided to open two elementary schools in Bexar County, based on Paxtons opinion and the TEAs stance. Fair Oaks Ranch and Van Raub elementary schools will open Aug. 12 for the students whose families have chosen in-person learning five days a week. 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 In tandem with the objective of addressing specific issues in the creative industry, government has announced the establishment of an Arts Rights Court. The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, in a press statement announced that her ministry has engaged the Office of the Chief Justice to ensure the establishment of a specialised court to deal with issues of the industry. It is hereby announced that the Honourable Chief Justice has approved the establishment of a specialised court, as a division of the High Court to deal with copyright and other related matters pertaining to the Creative Arts industry, the statement added. It is expected that the court will expedite the resolution of specific issues that affect the creative industry. This establishment of a Copyright Court for the arts industry was captured in the 2016 manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The NPP will collaborate with the Chief Justice to create a Division of the High Court, focusing on the Creative Arts to deal with all matters relating to intellectual property rights, complete with a dedicated enforcement unit, it says. However, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture on 30th October 2019 said during the Creative Arts Forum held at the National Theatre that the government had jettisoned the idea of establishing a court for the creative industry. Rather, she explained that plans had been made to ensure that judges were trained for the various courts across the country to take care of arts-related matters. The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo promised the creation of a copyright court. We have engaged the Chief Justice of the Republic on this issue. She has recommended that we look at rather training a critical mass of judges across the country so that wherever a practitioner finds themselves and they are confronted with a challenge, they can go to a court within their jurisdiction to deal with the matter expeditiously rather than concentrating all our issues to one court in one centralised location, she said. In the wake of this, she assured that government would train the judges in the first quarter of the year 2020 so they could execute the task. The absence of the copyright court has been one of the major banes of stakeholders of the creative industry. Others have also bemoaned the delay in the passage of the Creative Arts Law, the establishment of the Creative Arts Fund, among others. citinewsroom Taxpayers have paid up to $60 million in delay fees on the contentious Western Highway duplication project brought to a halt by traditional owners who are fighting to save sacred trees. The blowout on the $157 million duplication project is revealed by the Victorian Ombudsman's investigation into the 12-kilometre widening of the highway between Buangor and Ararat, north-west of Melbourne. Djab Wurrung man Zellanach Djab Mara leading a ceremony in front of the grandfather tree at the Djab Wurrung Embassy camp. Credit:Justin McManus The project was due to finish this year but is running two years late due to ongoing legal challenges and a protest camp set up by Djab Wurrung traditional owners in June 2018. The Ombudsman found that in February this year construction delays and modifications to the road alignment had cost the Victorian government an estimated $50-$60 million. Portable Medical Devices Market Research Report by Product (Fitness & Wellness, Medical Imaging/Diagnostic Imaging, Medical Monitoring, and Medical Therapeutics), by Application (Cardiology, Gastrointestinal, Gynecology, Neurology, and Orthopedics), by End-User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Portable Medical Devices Market Research Report by Product, by Application, by End-User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941686/?utm_source=GNW The Global Portable Medical Devices Market is expected to grow from USD 29,886.56 Million in 2019 to USD 54,947.05 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.68%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Portable Medical Devices to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: "The Fitness & Wellness is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Product, the Portable Medical Devices Market studied across Fitness & Wellness, Medical Imaging/Diagnostic Imaging, Medical Monitoring, and Medical Therapeutics. The Medical Monitoring further studied across Cardiac Monitoring, Hemodynamic Monitoring, Neonatal & Fetal Monitoring, Neurological Monitoring, Respiratory Monitoring, and Vital Sign Monitoring. The Medical Monitoring commanded the largest size in the Portable Medical Devices Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Fitness & Wellness is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Gynecology is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Application, the Portable Medical Devices Market studied across Cardiology, Gastrointestinal, Gynecology, Neurology, Orthopedics, Respiratory, and Urology. The Cardiology commanded the largest size in the Portable Medical Devices Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Gynecology is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Hospitals & Clinics is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on End-User, the Portable Medical Devices Market studied across Ambulatory Care Centers and Hospitals & Clinics. The Hospitals & Clinics commanded the largest size in the Portable Medical Devices Market in 2019, and it is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Geography, the Portable Medical Devices Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Portable Medical Devices Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Portable Medical Devices Market including Abbott Laboratories, GE Healthcare, Infineon Technologies, Medtronic, Natus Medical Incorporated, Omron Healthcare, Philips Healthcare, Qualcomm, Spacelabs Healthcare, and Texas Instruments. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Portable Medical Devices 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 the market 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 Portable Medical Devices Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Portable Medical Devices Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Portable Medical Devices Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Portable Medical Devices Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Portable Medical Devices Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Portable Medical Devices Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941686/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 She did it! Kristen Bicknell has won her third bracelet in Event #44: $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed by defeating Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza heads-up for $356,412 during the 2020 GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelet Events. The one-day event attracted 892 entries to create a total prize pool of $2,118,500 and lasted just over nine hours. Bicknell won her first bracelet back in 2013 when she was victorious in the Ladies Event for a cash of $173,922 by defeating Leanne Haas. She then won her second bracelet and $290,768 in 2016 when she overcame a 2,158-strong field in the $1,500 Bounty event and beat Norbert "ElCabanero" Szecsi heads-up to stop him from winning his second bracelet ( which he still won but had to wait until the 2018 WSOPE). PokerNews spoke to Bicknell after her win: "I'm shaking right now! I'm celebrating with some Uber Eats orders for a buffet lol." Ilya Anatsky and Simon Higgins also reached the final table along with Dong "nuoyani" Jiang, Jerome "gorgiAAs" Finck, Patrick "Pepsi_zero" Semrau, Paul "Doduckduck" Barnes, and Nikita "SanyaRostov" Kalinin. 2020 GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelets Event #44: $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed Final Table Results Place Player Country Prize 1 Kristen Bicknell Canada $356,412 2 Belarmino "Iseey0urcard" De Souza Brazil $261,249 3 Ilya Anatsky Belarus $191,494 4 Dong "nuoyani" Jiang China $140,365 5 Simon Higgins United Kingdom $102,887 6 Jerome "gorgiAAs" Finck France $75,416 7 Patrick "Pepsi_zero" Semrau Austria $55,280 8 Paul "Doduckduck" Barnes United Kingdom $40,520 9 Nikita "SanyaRostov" Kalinin Russia $29,701 Race to the Bubble The tournament started at 6 p.m. UTC and had over 200 players in the field when things kicked off. By the time the first break came around, almost 500 entries had been collected already. Martin "FuTimReilly" Zamani came fourth last week in Event #36 for $113,698 and propelled to the top of the counts after scoring a double knock-out. During the third break of the day, four more players entered just before the late registration period closed with 270 players left in the field to bring it up to 271. With the prize pool finalized, the remaining players could race to the bubble. Jake "YogiNelly" Schwartz fell to Sean Winter and Ramiro "OnTheFlow" Petrone was eliminated by Semrau. Ping San "Garfield" Chan and David "Mclovin86" Mzareulov also busted before the bubble. Sean Winter The Bubble and the Aftermath Pete Chen ended up becoming the bubble boy when he three-bet shoved with ace-king into the queens of Dennis "huang1337" Voelz and got no help of the board. Many players lost their final all-ins shortly after, including Julien "Giovanni" Martini, Martijn "visacard" Gerrits, Ben Farrell, Mike McDonald, and Matthias Eibinger. Bracelet winner Brandon "DrOctagon" Adams saw his aces get cracked by the kings of Anatsky, while Winter got felted by Pavlo Veksler. Orhan "yirtil" Ates busted to Finck before Arnaud Enselme's stack was split between Semrau and Finck. Blake "Beast2018!" Bohn and Danny Tang both failed to make the final two tables. But the pace of eliminations didn't let up. Ben Affleck and Szecsi were both kicked out by David "ZONEDin" Jackson who didn't make the final table either. But it was Christopher Kruk who would bubble in tenth place when all the chips went in with queens on the turn. Anatsky had flopped two pair and held to bring the tournament down to the nine-handed final table. Christopher Kruk bubbled the final table Short-Stacked Bicknell Turns Things Around Kalinin left the final table in the very first hand with Barnes gone 30 minutes later. Bicknell was at the bottom of the counts but managed to stick around. A few double-ups later, Semrau was taken out by Anatsky, before Finck left the final table stage thanks to De Souza. Bicknell started her road to victory with quad kings to get her to the middle of the pack before eliminating Higgins a bit later. She then also took out Jiang to get her into second place while De Souza still had a commanding chip lead. Bicknell took over the chip lead but then lost it back to De Souza when her queens got hit by a runner-runner flush when he held jacks to take her back to the bottom of the counts. She flopped trips to leave Anatsky short who then lost the rest of his stack to De Souza. Bicknell dived deep into the tank when De Souza put her all-in on the ten-nine-five-seven-trey board with three hearts. "I had to really contemplate what to do here. If it was a normal heads-up, I would have called a lot quicker. But because this is for a lot of money and a bracelet, I really wanted to think about what his ranges were. He shoved so quickly on the river, it was a timing thing." In the end, she made the right call as her pair of jacks were good against his missing straight and flush draw. Bicknell took the lead there and didn't look back. In the final hand of the tournament, she turned trips against the two pair of De Souza and called his shove on the river to take it down for her third bracelet and all the money. PokerNews will be back on Thursday, July 30 at 6 p.m. UTC for Event #45: $840 Bounty No-Limit Hold'em which Bicknell will be playing to make it a double for 2020. See you then! Taiwans former leader Lee Teng-hui died Thursday in Taipei after being hospitalized for nearly five months. He was 97. The Taipei Veterans General Hospital said Lee died of septic shock and multiple organ failure. He was admitted to the hospital in February after a breathing problem caused by choking. Lee was the first popularly elected leader and the first Taiwanese leader to be born on the island. He was also a controversial figure in the territorys political arena. During his tenure as Taiwans top leader between 1988 and 2000, he was praised for overseeing the end of Taiwans martial law period and for initiating major democratic reforms, including the establishment of direct elections. But critics accused him of intensifying Taiwans political division, reshaping Taiwanese identity, enlarging the leaders power and stirring constant clashes between Taipei and Beijing that obstructed the islands economic development. Political corruption also rose alongside Lees reform push, they said. Lees death has prompted different reactions across the political spectrum. While Tsai Ing-wen, the current leader of Taiwan, and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, mourned him for achievements in democratic reforms, Beijing has repeated its opposition to Lees pro-independence stance. When asked about the death on Friday, Zhu Fenglian, Chinas spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan independence was a dead end. Meanwhile, Chinas party-owned newspaper Global Times called him the godfather of Taiwan secessionism and said his death was definitely not sad news to most people in the Chinese mainland. First popularly elected leader Trained as an agricultural economist, Lee started his political career in 1971 when he was introduced to Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of then Taiwan leader Chiang Kai-shek. Lee later joined Chiangs Kuomintang party (KMT). In 1978, Chiang Ching-kuo succeeded his late father as Taiwans top leader and appointed Lee the mayor of Taipei. In 1984, Lee became Chiangs deputy. And when Chiang Ching-kuo died in January 1988, Lee became the islands top leader. He instituted direct elections for Taiwans political system and became the first elected leader on the island in 1996. In the early days of Lees leadership, he pushed forward a gradual relaxation of restrictions on cross-strait economic ties, supported the one-China principle and advocated the eventual reunification of China. During his 12-year incumbency, cross-strait trade grew from $2.72 billion in 1988 to $30.52 billion in 2000, laying the foundation for the deep business ties between both sides. The figure hit a historic high of $228.08 billion last year. But his stance swiftly shifted to pro-independence as he promoted an ambitious foreign policy to increase Taiwans presence in global politics, fueling tensions between Taipei and Beijing. In 1999, Lee infuriated Beijing by redefining the cross-strait ties as a special state-to-state relationship in an interview with German media, prompting Beijing to cut off dialogue mechanisms with Taiwan. Lee was succeeded in 2000 by Chen Shui-bian, the Democratic Progressive Party candidate whose election ended KMTs 55-year rule, which began when they took over the island from Japan at the end of World War II. It was also the islands first peaceful transfer of power between different parties. Shortly after he stepped down from office, Lee was expelled from the KMT, of which he was the chairman, for his role in founding the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union. He also showed support to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, which is now the islands ruling party. Lee was widely believed to have given a boost to the political career of Tsai, who had served as his policy aide, by recommending her to his successor Chen. Lees political stance has stirred up protests from not only on the mainland, but also in Taiwan. In 2015, then Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou slammed Lee for saying the Diaoyu islands belong to Japan and asked him to apologize. But in Lees last years, he was mostly respected by his counterparts as he stepped away from politics. Before his death, Lee was visited by Tsai, Taiwans vice leader Lai Ching-te and chief administrator Su Tseng-chang in hospital. Once a Communist Party member Born Jan. 15, 1923, in rural Taipei, Lee spent his childhood as Taiwan was under Japanese rule. In 1943, he earned a scholarship to study agricultural economics at Kyoto Imperial University in Japan. Two years later, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army and served as a junior officer in World War II. The Japanese influence on his early years made him a vocal supporter of many policies of the Japanese government, including Tokyos claim to sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, irritating both Beijing and Taipei. His visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors Japanese officers who were convicted of war crimes during the war, also upset many Asian governments. Lees older brother, a Japanese naval officer who was killed in the war, was also commemorated there. Lee interacted frequently with Tokyos politicians and media after he took office. Despite the controversy among Taiwanese, Lee in 2007 received a prize in memory of Shinpei Goto, Japanese imperial colonial administrator. Lee once criticized Tsais administration for not completely lifting the ban on agricultural imports from Japans nuclear-disaster-affected regions to Taiwan and causing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to be disgraced. In 1946, Lee returned from Japan to continue his studies at National Taiwan University, where he began to learn about Marxism. Meanwhile, he earned a bachelors degree in agricultural science. As a student, he once secretly joined the Chinese Communist Party and attended protests in the February 28 incident in 1947. But facing crackdowns by the KMT, Lee soon left the party. In commentaries published in 1995, Chinese state media Peoples Daily and the Xinhua News Agency revealed Lee history with the party, calling him a betrayer." "A student at Chiang Ching-kuos school" In 1952 and 1964, Lee won scholarships to study in the U.S. He earned a doctorate in agricultural economics at Cornell University in 1968. Lee worked as an agricultural economist at the U.S.-sponsored Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction in Taiwan before joining the government. Decades later, Lee went back to Cornell University in 1995 and became Taiwans first incumbent leader to visit the U.S., which irritated Beijing and sparked the third Taiwan Strait Crisis. Lee was unusual for Chiang Ching-kuos cabinet as he had no political background or experience by the time he joined as a technocrat. After Chiang was installed as leader in 1978, he appointed Lee as mayor of Taipei and then the governor of the island province three years later. In 1984, Chiang selected Lee to be vice leader and praised him for his national consciousness. Lee said he was a student of the Chiang Ching-kuos school because he once had up to 156 separate conversations with Chiang. When Chiang visited Lee to congratulate him on his appointment, Lee trembled so much that he only dared to sit in one-third of the chair and kept rubbing his knees with his hands, according to Taiwan media. Later on, this gesture was often used by Taiwanese to contrast with the arrogant and outgoing style of Lee after he took power. Lee became Taiwans leader in 1988 after Chiangs sudden death. According to a long-time aide of Chiang, Chiang spoke highly of Lee when seeing his answers to questions about cross-strait relations: In response to a parliamentary question in 1983, Lee said: Chinese history has not abandoned Taiwan. How can Taiwan be separated from the Chinese mainland? Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) New York, United States Thu, July 30, 2020 16:08 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a916ae 2 People Ghislaine-Maxwell Free A US judge on Wednesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell's last-ditch effort to keep a potentially damaging deposition from becoming public, as the jailed British socialite defends against criminal charges she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls. US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's argument that her arrest on July 2 and indictment were "compelling" reasons to continue sealing her April 2016 deposition, and a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser. The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Maxwell filed a notice of appeal less than an hour after Preska ruled. She faces a Thursday deadline to appeal from Preska's July 23 order unsealing dozens of other documents, including flight logs from Epstein's private jets and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home. Maxwell, 58, pleaded not guilty on July 14 to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls in the 1990s, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath. In opposing the unsealing, her lawyers had accused Giuffre and federal prosecutors of violating a protective order in the civil case designed to keep Maxwell's deposition confidential. The lawyers have said the deposition included "intrusive" questions about Maxwell's sex life and could prove embarrassing. They accused Giuffre of leaking the deposition, and "in conjunction with the government" setting a "perjury trap" for their client. But Preska said a criminal probe into Epstein's associates already "loomed large" when Maxwell opposed unsealing the deposition in June, and her arrest did not overcome the presumption the public deserved access. "This is plowed ground," Preska wrote. Giuffre has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance. Maxwell's criminal trial is scheduled for July 2021. She is being held in a Brooklyn jail after the judge overseeing that case called her a flight risk. Yuma News Yuma, Arizona - Today, just before 10:30 am, Yuma Fire Department personnel were sent to a home in south-central Yuma regarding a drowning that had just occurred. YFD Paramedics arrived to find CPR being done on a 2-year-old male by a family member. The child had been found unresponsive in a backyard pool. Once removed from the pool CPR was given until Paramedics arrived. Resuscitation efforts were continued as the child was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased. The child and his mother were visiting from out of state. The child had been in the house and was not seen leaving. A door and a doggie door both lead into the backyard where the in ground pool is located. It was not known how long the child had been in the pool prior to being found. The pool was fenced but the gate was not secure. Yuma is now dealing with three very similar tragedies this summer, with a 2-year old and a 3-year old drowning in backyard pools in June. There are no words to express the sorrow these families are enduring, we all grieve together as a community when tragedies like these occur. Arizonas child drowning rate is often one of the highest in the nation. Children 4 years old and younger are in the highest risk group for drowning deaths. There are a few basic steps to reduce this risk, we call them the ABCs of Drowning Prevention. A is for Adult supervision. If children are around water (any water, not just a backyard pool), they need constant, responsible, undistracted, adult supervision. Designate a Water Watcher whose only responsibility is to watch the children. If that person has to leave the area, someone else takes over or everyone leaves the pool area with them. B is for Barriers. Every pool should be enclosed by a barrier fence at least 4-5 feet high. It should have a self-closing, self-latching gate that must be kept closed at all times. Door and pool alarms are also added security (and Please keep doggie doors in mind!). C is for Classes. Learn how to perform CPR in the event that the unthinkable does happen. In addition, although we cannot waterproof our children, swim classes can also help. Advertisement Their approach, which condenses the timeline by performing many of the steps necessary for drug development in parallel, could also be applied to developing new treatments for COVID-19, says Sasisekharan, the Alfred H. Caspary Professor of Biological Engineering and Health Sciences and Technology.He adds that a potential COVID-19 antibody treatment, developed using this approach in a process that took just four months, has shown no adverse events in healthy volunteers in phase I clinical trials, and phase 3 trials are expected to start in early August in Singapore."Traditional drug development processes are very linear, and they take many years," Sasisekharan says. "If you're going to get something to humans fast, you can't do it linearly, because then the best-case scenario for testing in humans is a year to 18 months. If you need to develop a drug in six months or less, then a lot of these things need to happen in parallel."Jenny Low, a senior consultant in infectious diseases at Singapore General Hospital, is the lead author of the study, which appears today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, and the biotechnology company Tysana Pte also contributed to the study.Several types of monoclonal antibodies have been approved to treat a variety of cancers. These engineered antibodies help to stimulate a patient's immune system to attack tumors by binding to proteins found on cancerous cells.Many researchers are also working on monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious diseases. In recent years, scientists have developed an experimental cocktail of three monoclonal antibodies that target the Ebola virus, which has shown some success in clinical trials in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Sasisekharan began working on a "rapid response" to emerging infectious diseases after the Zika outbreak that started in 2015. Singapore, which experienced a small outbreak of the Zika virus in 2016, is home to the SMART antimicrobial resistance research group, where Sasisekharan is a principal investigator.The Sasisekharan lab antibody design process uses computational methods to target functionally important, and evolutionarily stable, regions on the virus. Building blocks from a database of all known antibody elements are selected based on several criteria, including their functional importance, to build candidate antibodies to evaluate. Testing these candidates provides valuable feedback, and the design loop continues until an optimized antibody that fully neutralizes the target virus is identified.The group also explored new approaches to compress the timeline by performing many of the necessary steps in parallel, using analytical techniques to address regulatory risks associated with drug safety, manufacturing, and clinical study design.Using this approach, the researchers developed a candidate Zika treatment within nine months. They performed phase 1a clinical trials to test for safety in March 2018, but by the time they were ready to test the drug's effectiveness in patients, the outbreak had ended. However, the team hopes to eventually test it in areas where the disease is still present.Sasisekharan and his colleagues then decided to see if they could apply the same approach to developing a potential treatment for yellow fever. Yellow fever, a mosquito-borne disease, tends to appear seasonally in tropical and subtropical regions of South America and Africa. A particularly severe outbreak began in January 2018 in Brazil and lasted for several months.The MIT/SMART team began working on developing a yellow fever antibody treatment in March 2018, in hopes of having it ready to counter an outbreak so that it could be made available for potential patients in late 2018 or early 2019, when another outbreak was expected. They identified promising antibody candidates based on their ability to bind to the viral envelope and neutralize the virus that causes yellow fever.The researchers narrowed their candidates down to one antibody, which they called TY014. They then developed production methods to create small, uniform batches that they could use to perform necessary testing phases in parallel.These tests include studying the drugs' effectiveness in human cells, determining the most effective dosages, testing for potential toxicity, and analyzing how the drug behaves in animal models. As soon as they had results indicating that the treatment would be safe, they began clinical trials in December 2018."The mindset in the industry is that it's like a relay race. You don't start the next lap until you finish the previous lap," Sasisekharan says. "In our case, we start each runner as soon as we can."TY014 was clinically tested in parallel to address safety through dose escalation in healthy human volunteers. Once an appropriate dose was deemed safe, the researchers began a phase 1b trial, in which they measured the antibody's ability to clear the virus. Even though the 1b trial had begun, the 1a trial continued until a maximum safe dose in humans was identified.Because there is a vaccine available for yellow fever, the researchers could perform a type of clinical trial known as a challenge test. They first vaccinated volunteers, then 24 hours later, they gave them either the experimental antibody drug or a placebo. Two days after that, they measured whether the drug cleared the weakened viruses that make up the vaccine.The researchers found that following treatment, the virus was undetectable in blood samples from people who received the antibodies. The treatment also reduced inflammation following vaccination, compared to people who received the vaccine but not the antibody treatment. The phase 1b trial was completed in July 2019, and the researchers now hope to perform phase 2 clinical trials in patients infected with the disease.Source: Eurekalert Thao's lawyers will argue there was no way he could have known a crime was about to take place: Getty Images A police officer charged in connection with the death of George Floyd has applied to have his charges dropped, court documents show. Lawyers for Tou Thao, 34, have put forward a motion stating that the former Minneapolis police officer could not have known that Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyds neck for almost nine minutes, was about to commit a crime. Floyds death proved to be a tinderbox moment for race relations in the US. Protesters have taken to the streets on a daily basis in some cities, demanding greater race equality and an end to police brutality. The demonstrations reignited debates around the world about the legacy of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade. Protesters in the UK tore down a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston, while activists in Belgium campaigned for the removal of monuments celebrating King Leopold II. They argue the continued presence of statues memorialising those involved in the slave trade serves to reinforce and legitimise what they see as racial oppression. According to a court document filed on Wednesday, defence attorney Robert Paule will argue that the charges against his client are not supported by probable cause. Mr Paule said in the motion that the state must prove Mr Thao knew that Mr Chauvin and others were about to commit a crime and intended his presence or actions to further the commission of that crime. He said Mr Thaos bodycam footage will show a lack of probable causes. The hearing has been scheduled for 11 September. Video from the scene showed Mr Thao and two other officers standing by idly as Floyd gasped for air while pinned to the ground under Mr Chauvins knee. Transcripts of police bodycam footage revealed that Floyd said more than 20 times he could not breathe as he was being restrained. Mr Thao, Thomas Lane, 37 and J Kueng, 26, have all been charged with aiding and abetting both second degree murder and manslaughter. Lane has also applied to have his charges dropped. Story continues Mr Chauvin, 44, has been charged with second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter after Floyd was killed outside a shop in Minnesota on 25 May. All four officers have since been fired. Demonstrations continue to sweep major cities across the US more than three months after Floyd was killed. Tensions have boiled over on a number of occasions in Portland, Oregon, after the Trump administration sent militarised federal agents to the city in an attempt to quell unrest. Read more George Floyds family gathers in Virginia for unveiling of hologram Pods. Bubbles. Quaranteams. School alternatives during the COVID-19 outbreak have several names, but the basic idea is the same: groups of parents band together and outsource education and childcare. There are no hard statistics on how many families are forming pods. But for many parents, its become an alternative to feeling unsafe at in-person classes or school days spent isolated and entirely online. A family might join with two or three others, agreeing to pay someone to provide childcare and supervise virtual public schooling. Or a family might pull their kids out of the school system all together and hire a private educator. Or a group of families might share responsibilities, where parents are responsible for school on a rotating basis. But for working parents, the choices grow more limited, particularly for those whose jobs cant be done remotely. Connecting A few weeks ago, Allis Jordan posted on her Facebook page to ask if any of her friends would be willing to educate her daughter for the school year. Jordan and her husband Zachary are engineers and work full time. Their daughter Addison is a rising fourth-grader in the Madison County school system. Jordan didnt think it was safe to send her daughter back to school in the fall, but didnt see how theyd be able to provide adequate education while they both worked. I was overwhelmed with how many women reached out to say they would keep her so I could work, and she could have some place to go, said Jordan. It was overwhelming, honestly. Allis Jordan at her home with her daughter Addison, a rising fourth-grader. The Jordans worked with another Madison County family to form an educational pod for their virtual schooling. (Special to AL.com) One of those women was Heather Morgan, whose son Luke would be a rising third grader in Madison City Schools. Luke is deaf and uses cochlear implants to hear, and Morgan was concerned that a school day spent entirely online wouldnt give her son the language-building social interaction he needs. While Jordan ended up joining a pod with another parent, she and Morgan saw a need: parents posting on Facebook daily, desperate to set up some kind of school alternative for their kids. Morgan created a Facebook group for home school support in the Huntsville/Madison County area. The group ballooned to more than 2,000 members in just a few weeks. On the page we have started making connections, said Morgan. Weve helped teachers, even substitutes whove said theyre out of a job for nine weeks, find families. The page also includes links to local businesses offering childcare services for school-age kids, and updates from area school systems. Heather Morgan of Madison worried about how her son Luke, who is deaf and uses cochlear implants, would get the language interaction he needs while his school remains all-virtual for the first nine weeks. Morgan helped start a Facebook group for parents seeing educational pods with other parents. (Special to AL.com) One of the first members of the group was a woman that Jordan eventually connected with, a teacher whod recently moved to Huntsville from out of state and hadnt yet gotten a job with a local school system. The Jordans created a pod with this womans family, and are paying her to care for and educate their daughter during the work day. I want everybody to be able to find a situation like that, and to use our support group to be able to find that, said Jordan. Were really in a time where you have to think outside the box. Unfortunately a lot of that work is falling on the women and mothers. Im glad to see our group has so many members in such a short time, but by and large, were mostly women. Not for everyone In recent weeks, some Alabama school districts announced plans for an all-virtual start to school, while others will reopen despite the states high number of COVID-19 cases. About 40-50% of Alabama students are expected to start school virtually in the next few weeks, according to an estimate from State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey. That includes some who chose to go online and also includes students in the 20 districts that are only virtual for now. Desperate, some families with means have chosen instead to group themselves and fork over the money it takes to hire someone to educate their kids. But pods arent a universal answer. They could create an even wider education gap between the haves and have nots, and they create a new set of concerns for parents worried about COVID-19 exposure. One thing that bothers Jordan is that the pod option isnt accessible to lower-income parents for whom an additional $150 or more per week for childcare and education just isnt feasible. And in her area, all school systems will be entirely virtual for the first nine weeks of school, leaving parents without an in-person option. Ive been feeling my privilege, said Jordan. My husband and I are thankfully able to make this accommodation. But if somebody is expecting $15-$20 per hour to babysit or educate your kids, that comes at a steep cost. Some families may not be able to make that sacrifice. While pods may be the best choice for individual families, they could deepen already existing racial and socioeconomic inequalities. Dr. John Petrovic, a professor of social and cultural studies in education at the University of Alabama, said pods are a good idea for families that can afford them. The problem is that they arent possible for everyone. There is already research coming out that suggests that children from wealthier families spend significantly more time on their school work while studying at home, Petrovic said. This is for a variety of reasons, such as simply having an adequate work space, having a parent at home to monitor progress, having access to a home library and other reading materials. He said he expects to see the achievement gap widen between affluent and poorer students, directly related to a difference in educational options for those groups, which he called the opportunity gap that COVID has exacerbated. Addison Jordan of Madison County works on fractions while her school was all-virtual in spring 2020. (Special to AL.com) The way to make education during COVID more equitable is for federal and state dollars to be directed toward families and communities that are struggling the most, said Carol Gundlach, policy analyst for Alabama Arise, a statewide nonprofit that works to address poverty. Parents are in a horrible bind, and Im not going to criticize families for the choices that they make, she said. The real question is where are we directing our resources, and are those resources helpful for those families and community that are struggling the most? She pointed toward Congressional wrangling over unemployment payments, and moratoriums on evictions and utilities shut-offs even as parents are faced with having to return to work and yet not having a safe place for their kids to stay. Its nice that better-off parents can figure out how to better educate children, but for many children were looking at situations where housing is unstable, electricity is unstable, let alone having access to the internet, and were really worried about nutrition challenges if schools dont return in -person, said Gundlach. Its going to be a perfect storm for a lot of Alabamians. Like a dating profile Pods only work when parents feel comfortable grouping their kids with another family. The risk of COVID-19 exposure may exclude families whose parents work essential jobs, such as grocery store employees and hospital staff. The people who have to go to work at a grocery store or a restaurant, theyre the ones who need childcare and this doesnt help them, Morgan said. I originally thought we could hook up parents to help each other but it gets tricky. Shes working on a list of questions to help families connect and find other families with whom theyd feel comfortable creating a pod. When even the professionals dont have all the answers, its awkward for parents, said Morgan. One mom told me, I feel like Im putting up a dating profile: We enjoy Minecraft and long walks on the beach. Zachary Jordan of Madison County plays a game with daughter Addison, a rising fourth-grader. The Jordans worked with another Madison County family to form an educational pod for their virtual schooling. (Special to AL.com) Searching for solutions Jordan said shes been urging parents on Facebook to band together in order to make hiring a tutor or childcare worker more affordable. One option for helping lower-income families afford pod-like opportunities, said Petrovic, would be for schools could partially reopen as micro schools with 5-10 children in a classroom with a teacher, and these students should be among the most disadvantaged. He also suggested an idea thats caught on in some communities in the U.S. and in countries like Denmark and Italy: outdoor school. Supervised, outdoor schools where small groups of children can engage in some planned activities as well as simply play, offer a safer environment with COVID, he said, as well as a tried-and-true approach to education. Community groups and businesses could help schools by providing free supplies and necessities like internet service to families who need it, he added. Larger businesses could look at hosting small pods for children of their employees. Jordan and Morgan said they want to see community and business leaders work together to create education opportunities that would be available to all families. I think its important that the community comes together, Jordan said. We have to work with the community to find a way through this. Its not something every family can handle alone. Portland Wall of Moms, a group formed in recent weeks and quickly recognized as a staple of nightly downtown protests, was accused publicly Wednesday of anti-Blackness by leaders of an existing, Black-led community group. Wall of Moms, whose members said they aimed to support and protect other Black Lives Matter protesters near the fence in front of the federal courthouse, announced Friday that its white leadership had rescinded their positions to allow women of color to be in charge. New leaders announced Friday include Teressa Raiford, executive director of Dont Shoot Portland, Demetria Hester and Danialle James. But less than a week later, Dont Shoot Portland took to Instagram to urge people against supporting the Wall of Moms, saying that it was no longer working with the moms group. The lies are finally clear and we are sad but ultimately not surprised that anti-Blackness showed its ugly head, read the post published on Wednesday by Dont Shoot Portland, a local Black Lives Matter and mutual aid group founded in 2014. The Wednesday post alleges that Wall of Moms founder Bev Barnum filed for business registrations without consulting the newly instated Black leaders and that the safety of Black members at the nightly protests in downtown Portland was overlooked. The post said that issues of Black mothers safety have only come to light in the past 24 hours. Barnum appeared to file three business registrations on Tuesday including one that makes The Wall of Moms a 501c3 nonprofit. Dont Shoot Portland interpreted the filings to mean that Wall of Moms goal was to get federal officers out of Portland -- not to support Black Lives Matter, according to the Instagram post. The newly instated Black leaders were not told about the registrations, according to the post. None of the Black leadership WOM claimed to implement knew about this, the Wednesday post reads. Combined with the lack of care for Black women, we were used to further the agenda unrelated to BLM. Dont Shoot Portlands statement was retweeted on Twitter by the Wall of Moms official Twitter account. The Wall of Moms answered a commenters question saying, The founder went rogue. Many of us do not agree with her decisions. And she does not currently have access to this account. The Wall of Moms tweeted just before 1 p.m. that its trying to regroup and do things the right way, but that there were no official announcements. Hey team, by now y'all have heard about the drama unfolding. Lots of us are trying to regroup and do things the right way. No official announcements yet - standby. #BlackLivesMatter WOM OFFICIAL (@WallOfMoms) July 29, 2020 In a comment Barnum appeared to post Wednesday morning on the private Wall of Moms Facebook group, she addressed the situation. The announcement of the 501c3 really hurt some of you, she wrote. That was never my intention. In fact, it was just the opposite. WOM will be led by a BIPOC board and BIPOC advisor committee. WOM is a group that supports BLM, not a BLM group. If that is not good enough for you, please feel free to leave this group. And if you currently volunteer your time, please feel free to leave your positions. A new Facebook group has formed called Moms United for Black Lives. A post from Faith Lightsy, a member of the group said she and others are in contact with Raiford, Hester and James to figure out what to do next. This group is only a few hours old with 3k members already...please be patient with us. I am in direct contact with Teressa and she has asked repeatedly this group be centered around Demetria and Danialle, the post read. Wall of Moms and Dont Shoot Portland filed a joint federal lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The filing accused federal officers of violating their free speech and using excessive force. This story will be updated. Alex Hardgrave | ahardgrave@oregonian.com | @a_hardgrave Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Logan Ebert has missed his school pals, but hes been able to get back in touch this summer. Logan, 9, is a Council Bluffs native and a student in the Lewis Central Community School District. He is the son of Angie and Justin Ebert and older brother to Easton, who is 7. Logan will be a fourth-grader at Titan Hill Intermediate School in the fall, and he said he is excited to get back into the classroom after schools were shut down early during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he missed seeing his friends and teachers. Logan has had a sense of normalcy this summer, though, as hes been attending the Lewis Central Lucky Children program at Titan Hill with his brother. He said its been nice roaming the halls of his school once again. Yesterday afternoon, Logan, his brother and some friends had a fun day in the program, getting to take a dip in the school pool. Logan has been having fun outside of the Lucky Children program this summer. He said he loves riding his mountain bike around his neighborhood and playing the popular Roblox video game with his brother. His family has two dogs, an Australian Shepherd mix named Wyatt and a Border Collie mix named Zoey. Theyre two energetic dogs, and Logan loves taking them on walks and playing in the yard with them. Logan is ready for school to get back in session, but hes also looking forward to as much fun and relaxation as he can get in before the first bell rings this fall. Minsk and Kyiv agreed to intensify cooperation between border agencies to prevent destabilization of the situation in both countries, the press service of the foreign ministry said. On Thursday, the Foreign Ministry hosted a meeting with Minister-Counselor, acting head of the Ukrainian Embassy in Belarus Pyotr Vrublevsky. "Taking into account the confirmed information about the participation of a number of detainees in hostilities in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, of Ukrainian origin and the presence of Ukrainian citizenship in some of them, Vrublevsky was asked for relevant information that can be used for a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the reasons for their presence in Belarus," the Foreign Ministry said. "Taking into account this alarming fact, as well as the current election campaign in Belarus, an agreement was reached with the Ukrainian side to intensify cooperation between border agencies and strengthen border regimes in order to prevent destabilization of the situation in both countries," the ministry said in the statement. Recently, the state Belarusian news agency BelTA said that law enforcement officials of Belarus detained 32 "militants of foreign private military company Wagner" near Minsk, and another person was detained in the south of the country. On Wednesday evening this information was confirmed by KGB Chairman Valery Vakulchik at an urgent meeting of the Security Council of Belarus. Queensland's COVID-19 cluster should serve as a "wake-up call" and reinforces the risk of people giving "false details" to authorities which slowed down contact tracing, experts warn. Queensland has recorded six new COVID-19 cases in two days, three of which are linked to a group of young women who travelled to Melbourne and then allegedly lied about where they had been on their return to Brisbane. Dr Jeannette Young says the next few days are crucial in getting ahead of a potential second wave of the virus in Queensland Credit:Jack Tran/Queensland Government Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said contact tracing and testing was under way, and she was happy that out of 6800 tests carried out across the state on Wednesday, none had come back positive on Thursday morning. "We need to have a lot more testing over the next 48 hours before we can say weve got it in hand," Dr Young said. A 4-year-old boy died in a Pasadena apartment fire on Wednesday. His brother and mother were both critically injured. (Los Angeles Times) An apartment fire in Pasadena that killed a 4-year-old boy and critically injured his mother and 3-year-old brother was probably caused by an electrical problem related to a refrigerator, officials said Thursday. The fire started about 2 p.m. Wednesday at an eight-unit apartment complex in the 100 block of East Washington Boulevard. Firefighters arrived within four minutes and knocked down the blaze about 21 minutes later, Pasadena city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. About 55 firefighters helped extinguish the flames, interim Pasadena Fire Chief Bryan Frieders told KTLA-TV Channel 5. The boy who died was found in the apartment's kitchen, where the fire is believed to have started, authorities said. The body of a dog also was found inside the unit, which was destroyed. The boys 29-year-old mother and younger brother were found outside when firefighters arrived on the scene and were transported in critical condition to a hospital before being airlifted to a burn unit, officials said. Were hoping they show signs of improvement, Derderian said Thursday. They sustained smoke inhalation and fire injuries. The boys' father was not home at the time of the fire, and no other residents inside the complex were injured, Derderian said. The blaze affected one other unit above the apartment that burned, but its occupants were able to escape. Other residents were displaced for the night because utilities were shut off, Derderian said. All but those in the two affected units will be able to return once utilities are turned back on, she said. Several firefighters who helped battle the blaze have young children around the same age as the two boys, Derderian said. A newly launched chaplain program run by a former firefighter has provided counseling for the affected fire personnel, she said. A 30-year-old Baptist pastor in Alabama stepped down from leadership at his country church due to the controversy surrounding his participation in an event honoring Confederate and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest. Will Dismukeswho leads Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and also serves in the state legislaturegave the invocation at Forrests 199th birthday celebration in Selma on Saturday then posted a photo of himself standing in front of a portrait of the first KKK Grand Wizard and surrounded by Confederate flags. The Facebook post was removed due to backlash, and Dismukes met early this week with leaders from the Autauga Baptist Association and his own congregation in Prattville, the Alabama Baptist reported. Mel Johnson, lead mission strategist for the association, said the church was caught in the controversy, and following Dismukess resignation on Wednesday, Autauga Baptist churches can move forward and remain focused toward Great Commission efforts to communicate the gospel and reach our world for Christ. Dismukes, a Republican, said he saw his calling both in ministry and in politics. Within weeks of taking office last year as the representative for the states 88th district, he was also voted in as pastor of Pleasant Hill, a 100-member Baptist church where he had served as a youth pastor. Though fellow politicians from both parties have criticized him for his involvement with the Forrest celebration, his position in office has outlasted his place in the pulpit. Dismukes initially told a local TV station he was surprised by the pushback, saying he wasnt even thinking about Nathan Bedford Forrests connection to the Ku Klux Klan when he shared the post. The Fort Dixie event in Selma also happened to take place the same day as local ceremonies honoring the late US Rep. John Lewis. Image: Alabama State Legislature Dismukes, who also holds the position of chaplain for the Prattville Dragoons, a Sons of Confederate Veterans group, blamed the negative response on anti-Southern sentiment and cancel culture. In a Politico/Morning Consult poll this month, more than half of evangelicals said they considered the Confederate flag more of a symbol of Southern pride than a symbol of racism. (43% of Americans overall agreed.) His resignation comes as pastors face an extra level of scrutiny for their positions and as Americans rethink the place of Confederate leaders and symbols. Last month, Baptists in neighboring Mississippi joined the successful movement to remove the Confederate emblem from the state flag. Forrest, a Confederate General, was defeated in the Battle of Selma, but has continued to be celebrated there. As historian Thomas Kidd recently wrote for CT, a bust of Forrest was erected in Selma in 2000, stolen in 2012, and replaced in 2015. Removing monuments to figures such as Forrest should be an easy call for Americans, especially for Christians, Kidd said. Forrest was a brilliant tactician, but also a Grand Wizard of the Klan. He committed racial atrocities in the name of a rebellion against the United States. Alabama Baptist leaders have spoken up against Dismukess ties to Forrest. Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said, We are saddened and grieved to learn of the recent Facebook post by state Rep. Will Dismukes. In the wake of tremendous controversy we reaffirm our opposition to any kind of racism. Herman Cain dies at 74 after battling COVID-19: 'He has gone to be with the Lord' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Herman Cain has died at 74 after being hospitalized with the coronavirus. Cains death was announced Thursday on his website by editor Dan Calabrese who said the conservative businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate had gone to be with the Lord. Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away, Calabrese said in the blog post. We all prayed so hard every day. We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope hed have a full recovery. Survivors include his wife, Gloria Etchison, and his two children, Melanie and Vincent, Calabrese said. Cains death was also confirmed on his official Twitter account. You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal, the tweet reads. You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal... #HermanCainhttps://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020 Cain, who was co-chair of Black Voices for Trump and survivor of stage 4 colon cancer, announced his COVID-19 infection on July 2, just over a week after attending a rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to a statement posted to his social media accounts at the time, he did not require a respirator and was awake and alert when he checked in to the hospital. Please join with us in praying for Mr. Cain, and for everyone who has contracted the coronavirus as well as their families, it said. Cains social media accounts occasionally provided updates on his condition. A message on July 5 said he was making progress and that more encouraging news was expected to come soon. On July 10, another tweet said Cain himself described his status as cruise control, because the progress is slow but his breathing is getting stronger every day. Make no mistake: He is improving! This is a tough virus, but we serve a tougher God. Herman wants to get back in action soon, so please continue praying, another tweet said. Before moving into Republican politics and eventually becoming a presidential candidate, Cain had been a business executive and board chairman of a branch of Kansas Citys Federal Reserve Bank. Last year, Trump briefly considered picking Cain as his nominee to join the Federal Reserve Board. Throughout his career, Cain was open about his Christian faith and how it defined his life. "Faith has been a big part of my life, all of my life. I joined the Baptist Church at the age of 10. It's the same church my parents joined in the mid-1940s, he said, according to Deseret News. "Our parents took us to church," he said. "They were involved in the church. We got involved in the church. As I got older, my faith grew. You have to develop your own level of faith as you get older. It has always been a big part of my life." Cain said his faith "was really tested in 2006 when I was diagnosed with stage-four cancer, but my faith helped me get through that experience. It has always been a big part of our lives and it always will. It shapes my values." Several high-profile figures mourned Cain's death on social media. Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit, tweeted White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith. Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith. Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) July 30, 2020 Fox News correspondent Sara Carter tweeted, "Im going to really miss him. Praying for his family in their time of sorrow. He was a great American." The contribution of the countrys Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to Nigerias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased by almost one per cent in the first quarter of the year ,the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA ), Kashifu Abdullahi, has said. The director-general made this known while delivering his remarks at the international webinar organised by the Information Technology (Industry) Association Nigeria (ITAN), Kano and Abuja Chapters, on Tuesday. He noted that despite the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on all economies of the world, the countrys ICT sector grew to 14 per cent compared to growth of 13.12 per cent in the previous quarter as people relied more on digital platforms during the lockdown. Mr Abdullahi, who was represented by the Director e-Government Development and Regulations, Vincent Olatunji, said NITDA, as the agency with the responsibility to oversee the IT sector, is at the forefront of creating initiatives and schemes to mitigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the countrys ICT sector, particularly the startup ecosystem. He noted that NITDA using its two special purpose vehicles The Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE) and the Office for Nigerian Content in ICT (ONC) is working hard at achieving its mandates of fostering the growth of technology startup ecosystem and ensuring patronage of local content in ICT. Some of these initiatives, according to the DG, include Work Permit for Technology Startups during lockdown; The Nigeria COVID-19 Innovation Challenge where three startups with the following solutions emerged winners: locally made ventilator, decontamination chamber and e-Health monitor Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Scheme (TIESS) which have the following schemes; Incubation Programme; Technical Capacity Building, Internship Programme, Hub Upscaling. He said the schemes are designed to target various aspect for the ecosystems to achieve maximum positive effect on the ICT ecosystem. Another programme in the pipeline is Startup Workspace Voucher programme aimed at supporting young startups to overcome their financial challenges. READ ALSO: While thanking the organisers of the webinar, Mr Abdullahi added that, We at NITDA believe that with strategic partnership and collaborations with stakeholders, we can build a new Nigeria with a robust digital economy. Participants at the event include, the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, and the Minister of the FCT, Musa Bello, who co-hosted the webinar. Other international participants and presenters at the webinar are: Ahmad Hashim, CEO of Pen Test Digital Services; Titus Olowokere, based in Atlanta, Georgia; Amado Espinosa, U.S.-based professor Sou Mita Dutta of Cornell University and Abdullah Adamu, Vice Chancellor of the National Open University, Abuja. The Johnson governments removal of Spain from its safe-travel list for Britons travelling abroad is a cynical PR stunt. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons aim is to divert attention from the resurgence of coronavirus infections in the UK, by claiming that the main threat facing everyone is from the regrowth of cases in Europe. Johnsons Brexit-reading of the continuing pandemic is aimed at disarming and demobilising any opposition to the criminal herd immunity policies that mean the UK has the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world. Medical staff receive training on how to put on and remove personal protective equipment to avoid being infected or transmitting coronavirus, at the Nightingale Hospital North West, in Manchester, northern England. Hospital. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File) Amid his drive to reopen the economy, Johnson visited Nottingham on Monday, declaring that clearly we now face, Im afraid, the threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and we just have to be vigilant. There is a significant rise in infections in Spain and other European countries, as government after government ditched their own national lockdownsposing a threat to tourists from the UK, whom the government spent weeks urging to go on holiday. But the main danger threatening the UK population is the surge in infections in Britain due to Johnsons ending of the lockdown, reopening all the main sectors of economyand in his future plan for all schools to reopen in September. The move against Spain will impact 600,000 British people, who were in the country when Johnson changed the travel advice. His homicidal agenda, however, affects the entire UK population of 66 million. The pulling of Spain from the safe-travel list had nothing to do with securing public safety. On Wednesday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden even stressed that Britons should continue to book holidays, while being aware of the risk that quarantine could be imposed. In line with the Conservative governments continued encouragement of people to go on holiday abroad to save the summer, Dowden added, We are at a very risky moment with this pandemic. So long as youre aware of that risk and comfortable with that risk, go ahead and take your break. Following the measures against Spain, the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that the government is now considering removing Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia from the safe-travel list. It should be noted that nothing is said of the risk to the populations of other countries posed by an influx of British tourists. The UKs official death tally is 45,961, more than a third higher than Spains 28,436. The UK figure has been manipulated for months by the government, meaning it is substantially lower than the true figurewith excess deaths related to coronavirus already at more than 66,000. Buried beneath the screaming headlines about the danger emanating from Spain and other countries are muted reports that, after dipping due to the impact of the lockdown, UK cases are rising again. An increase in coronavirus cases in England was recorded each day last week for the first time since the April peak. The seven-day average stands at almost 700a rise of 28 percent from three weeks ago. On Tuesday, the UK recorded 581 new cases and 119 COVID-19 deaths, while Spain announced 1,828 new cases but only 2 deaths. On Wednesday, the case number rose again in the UK to 763, with a further 83 deaths. Total cases in the UK passed 300,000 this weekone of only 10 countries to reach that level. This is despite the absence of any systematic testing. According to a report in the Daily Mirror Tuesday, it was the fact that 10 Britons tested positive for coronavirus, after returning from Spain since July 1, that led to the decision to remove Spain from the safe-travel list. The newspaper cited a senior government source, who said, It was a small number but it was statistically significant enough to cause concern. Yet, more than double this infection rate was recorded at just one caravan site in Britain last Sunday! There were 20 cases reported last week at Balfour Beattys concrete manufacturing site in Avonmouth, near Bristol, with the facility having to be closed over the weekend for a deep clean. Despite this, on Tuesday, the infection level had reached 28 and had nearly doubled to 36 by Thursday. This means that more than a third of the 90 workers at the site have been infected. The criminal policies of allowing pubs and restaurants to open their doors on July 4, on what the government and media hailed as Super Saturday, has also resulted in a flood of new cases. It was confirmed this week that at least 10 people were infected after 200 drinkers were crammed together in a pub in Stone, Staffordshire, between July 16 and 18. In the week to Sunday, 43 new cases were recorded in Staffordshirewith residents voicing concerns that the reopening of pubs and bars is a central factor. The town of Oldham, with a population of 235,000, was forced to introduce new restrictions on movements Tuesday, with visits to other households now banned locally. This was after National Health Service statistics revealed that Oldham recorded 128 new cases (54.3 for every 100,000 people) in the week to July 26an increase of 191 percent. The week before saw 26 cases recorded. Oldham overtook Leicester to register the second highest COVID-19 infection rate in England. The potential for further exponential spread is enormous. Oldham is part of the Greater Manchester conurbation, with a population of nearly 3 million. Its largest city, Manchester, has also seen a surge in cases, with 22.9 new cases per 100,000 (up 55 percent) placing it in the top 10 areas with the highest infection rates in England. Trafford, another town in Greater Manchester, recorded 36.8 cases per 100,000 peoplea rise of 235 percent. Blackburn with Darwen, also in the north west, has the highest recent number of recorded cases in England, with 85.9 people per 100,000 people infected. Regarding tourists visiting the UK, a major track-and-trace operation is now under way in Berlin after a Turkish couple tested positive for coronavirus after returning from visiting friends in Manchester. So far, 50 people who have had contact with the couple since they arrived home on a Ryanair flight on July 16 are in quarantine, with 13 testing positive for COVID-19. The whole family of the couple is infected, including four children and their grandmother. In the face of this resurgence, the one thing that the ruling elite refuse to contemplate is a return to national lockdown. On Monday, Johnson addressed more than a dozen corporate bodies brought together by the Business Action Council. The Financial Times reported that Johnson said the pandemic could worsen again after the summer. But he sought to reassure executives it would not be as bad as the first outbreak and stressed the government would seek to avoid a second national lockdown, according to several participants. The newspaper reported that some of the participants noted, The government wants to address any new outbreaks at a local level given the damage to the economy caused by the national lockdown. Johnson also used his call to stress the importance of getting employees back at work. This week, the pro-Tory Daily Mail trumpeted research published Wednesday by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, which baldly concluded that the saving of hundreds of thousands of lives via the lockdown was not worth the candle. Crunching the numbers, the report by the accountants of death, Living with covid-19: balancing costs against benefits in the face of the virus, states: For every permutation of lives saved and GDP lost the costs of lockdown exceed the benefits. Even if lives saved are as high as 440,000, each of which means an extra ten years of quality adjusted lifeand when the lost output (assumed to be a sufficient and comprehensive measure of all costs of the lockdown) is simply the likely shortfall in incomes in 2020costs are still over 50 per cent higher than the benefits of a three month lockdown (benefits = 132 billion; costs = 200 billion). The World Socialist Web Site received the following letter from a firefighter in British Columbia detailing the horrendous conditions produced by the ongoing opioid crisis. This year, British Columbia is seeing more deaths due to fatal drug overdoses than ever before in its history. As a firefighter, my crew are usually first to arrive at these emergencies. Paramedics are not considered an essential service in B.C., and as a result they receive less funding, are understaffed, and have few ambulances able to attend calls. This is especially true in more rural regions, and the municipality I work in certainly encompasses areas that fall within this category. Fire departments like mine are first on the scene at about half of all the medical calls we are dispatched to, and sometimes it takes a long time for paramedics and critical care paramedics to get to the location. BC Ambulance Service worker attends to opioid-crisis victim. Ive been in this line of work for a long time. When I started my career almost three decades ago, my job as a firefighter saw me putting out structure fires, attending vehicle accidents and performing technical rescues. Now, the majority of calls I attend are overdosesusually fatal onesor suicides. Since the beginning of the year, our province has lost 728 people to drug overdoses. These people are usually young, with the majority of overdoses Ive attended being suffered by people in their thirties. Right now, they are usually alone in their homes when they die. May 2020 saw record-breaking numbers of deaths, and then June topped that with 175 deaths in just one month, the worst in B.C.s history. The majority of these fatalities occurred in Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria. On June 26, paramedics responded to a daily record of 131 calls reporting suspected overdoses. The pandemic has worsened all of the already bleak circumstances. Many supports for people that use drugs have been eliminated as a result of COVID-19. The borders are closed and the incoming drug supply has been disrupted, so local suppliers are making their own batches and this basement concoction product is highly toxic, containing lethal amounts of fentanyl and carfentanil. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be one hundred times more potent than morphine. It provides a very powerful high and is incredibly addictive. A cheap solution, drug producers mix it with cocaine, heroin, MDMA and methamphetamine in order to provide a stronger high with less product. Carfentanil is a white powdery substance, similar in appearance to cocaine or heroin that is used to tranquilize elephants and other large mammals. It is one hundred times more potent than fentanyl, and ten thousand times more potent than morphine. Drug manufacturers mix it with heroin to make the product stronger. It is so potent that even multiple doses of naloxone (an opioid overdose reversal nasal spray used by first responders and first aid administrators) can sometimes not reverse its effects. First responders who touch carfentanil by accident can also be very adversely affected. Even users with a higher tolerance than average are succumbing to these deadly synthetic opioids, not to speak of relapsing addicts who have begun using again in the wake of the stressors of the pandemicisolation, fear, anxiety, grief, loss of employment, income and food insecurity, and disruption of routine, to name just a few. Despite the call by B.C. chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and many other health officials, the provincial government wont decriminalise personal possession of drugs. So people are afraid theyll face legal consequences if they call us, and theres little hope for those who overdose while using alone in pandemic-imposed self-isolation. There was a glimmer of hope for those of us who have been in the midst of this crisis in B.C. for the past half a decade: the government recently said that it would be addressing the huge gaps in the system that leave those who need help without access to care and at the mercy of their own illnesses. Yet that glimmer has been quashed, as Bill 22the proposed solution, an amendment to our Mental Health Actsimply serves to allow authorities to involuntarily detain youth in treatment facilities for up to seven days, an utterly reckless and ill-informed proposition that theyre calling a form of secure care. The bill was recently introduced by the provincial New Democratic Party government without public consultation or engagement with affected families. Second and third readings of the bill begin next week, meaning it could soon be passed into law. B.C. does not guarantee access to legal advice to those involuntarily detained as other provinces do, despite Attorney General David Eby promising to implement that right last year. Those at the mercy of the authorities granted additional powers by Bill 22 will be subject to an astonishing violation of human rights that, I believe, will only further erode the already crumbling trust of youth in the healthcare system. Putting youth in facilities where they are forced to abstain from substance usage for seven days and then releasing them without continued support is a sure-fire way to see hundreds more die. The province recently put $900,000 into funding the Lifeguard appa phone or computer application that allows users to start a timer which, when left without deactivation, calls 911. But so far I havent personally responded to anyone utilising it. Many people in this demographic do not have access to technology or an Internet connection. There are two crises happening simultaneously right now. Here in Canada we have consistently been told by the media that the country has done well in flattening our COVID-19 curve. But what happens when you factor in the deaths that have occurred as a by-product of the pandemic, like these overdoses? In June there were fifteen fatal overdoses in B.C. for every one COVID-19 death. The emotional and mental toll of seeing these deaths day after day is wearing on the firefighters in my department, like so many first responders and frontline health workers across the world right now. Seeing this much devastation so frequently really permeates your whole being. The opioid crisis is just one of many signs of severe social distress here in British Columbia. Others include drug addiction, car wrecks due to alcohol abuse, domestic violence and regular suicides. Homeless encampments are expanding in number and moving from cities to less heavily urbanized townships, cropping up along highways and in patches of forest. The working poor are often to be found struggling in the face of the astronomically high living costs of cities like Vancouver and Victoria, with B.C. touting the lowest unemployment rate in Canada yet also the countrys highest poverty rates. One doesnt need to go further than Vancouvers Downtown Eastside to see this. In smaller communities the poverty and distress may not be showcased on the streets in the same way, but believe me when I say, it is there. It is hidden within the walls of peoples homes, or inside a smattering of tents nestled by the highway. Climb aboard my firetruck on any given shift and I will show you the stuff of nightmares, right here in one of the richest countries in the world. No doubt, when the ERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) payments are stopped, the existing social crisis and all of its side effects will be intensified to the maximum. The Liberal government has already threatened to impose jail time and fines on anybody it deems to have obtained the CERB fraudulently, yet so many people who fall into that criteria are in poverty or homeless to begin with. With the huge push of our government for a return to work and school, those of us who are already seeing the direct and horrific outcomes of our countrys response to the pandemic dread to think of what awaits us in the near future. It is clear that corporate profits are being put before human lives. I have to ask: if the rich were ravaged with this death toll, would the same blind eye be turned? Is it because these deaths are taking place in a part of society that is so easily and comfortably ignored that this catastrophe rages on? I extend my gratitude to everybody who makes the WSWS possible, for continuing to defend and document the plight of the working class and those most deeply affected by this global crisis. Thank you for continuing to expose the actions that are enabling the social injustices I see every time I pick up my pager. Firefighter SG, British Columbia SHERMAN OAKS, CA A festive, open-air dining space is keeping the margaritas flowing and the Mexican fare coming for diners at Casa Vega, an old-school, landmark restaurant in Sherman Oaks. The family-owned Casa Vega, on Ventura Boulevard, is doing what numerous Southland restaurants are during this summer's coronavirus pandemic heading outside to keep business alive. The 64-year-old establishment is welcoming customers to its transformed parking lot now a tented setting, decked with lights, greenery and 25 socially distanced! tables. And good news for Casa Vega devotees craving a fave dish or two. The full menu is available for patio patrons, along with two, new summer cocktails: a Grapefruit Rose Sangria (with Finnella Rose, Ketel One Botanicals Grapefruit Rose Vodka, fresh grapefruit juice and agave); and the Pepino Vodka Soda (featuring Ketel One Botanicals Cucumber Mint, Vodka Fresh Lime Juice, Topo Chico and mineral water). Along with the spaced seating, the Casa Vega crew is abiding by all safety guidelines including thorough sanitations between lunch and dinner service, plus limiting reusable items by using eco-friendly, bamboo cutlery and disposable napkins when possible, management said. Casa Vega also continues to offer takeout, even allowing customers the option to stay in their vehicles and pick up meals via a drive-thru. Online orders can be placed here. Also, for the first time in its history, Casa Vega is accepting reservations, which are strongly recommended for on-site dining. Book online or call (818) 788-4868 to save a seat at the establishment at 13301 Ventura Blvd. Daily hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch service, and 4:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. for dinner. See website here for more information on to-go options and menu details. ALSO SEE: This article originally appeared on the Sherman Oaks Patch We reported recently that Telefonica had found an (at the time) unnamed new buyer for its mobile business in Costa Rica after the collapse of a deal with Millicom. Well, we now know the name of the buyer. Its Liberty Latin America. Liberty Latin America, a communications company with operations in Chile, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and other parts of Latin America, has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Telefonica Costa Rica, one of Costa Ricas largest mobile service providers. The all-cash transaction values Telefonica Costa Rica at an enterprise value of $500 million on a cash and debt-free basis. Referring to a 2018 investment in Cabletica, a leading fixed provider in the country, Balan Nair, president and CEO of Liberty Latin America, noted: Combined with Cabletica, we look forward to creating a leading integrated communications player providing customers in Costa Rica with high-quality value propositions and unparalleled customer service. Telefonica Costa Rica is Costa Ricas second-largest mobile service provider, with an estimated 2.3 million subscribers, and approximately 90 percent LTE population coverage. This ends a long-running saga that looked like it might end badly after Millicom terminated its share purchase agreement to acquire Telefonicas Costa Rican unit in May. Despite Balan Nairs comments, its not entirely certain what will happen next. However, with the strong local market presence and knowledge of Liberty Latin America behind it, Telefonica Costa Rica could be in a better position to compete with the state-owned operator Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), which is the market leader. US imposes sanctions on Syrian president's son, 9 other entities Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 3:34 PM The United States has imposed sanctions on the son of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over "enriching" a government that has been fighting Takfiri militancy for years. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced the sanctions on Wednesday, further targeting nine entities in addition to Hafez al-Assad, the president's eldest son born in 2001. "These targets consisted of individuals and entities who are actively supporting" Assad, alleged the statement. The treasury further undermined the country's fight against terrorists, many backed by the US, blaming Damascus for the economic situation in Syria. "Bashar al-Assad and his business associates are complicit in destroying Syria's economythey squander tens of millions of dollars each month to wage war against the Syrian people instead of providing for their basic needs," claimed the statement. Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin went even further accusing the government of cracking down on its own people, totally disregarding the repercussions of US military adventurism in Syria. "While corrupt businessmen with ties to Assad invest in luxury real estate made possible by forced displacement of innocent civilians, they also worsen the oppression of the Syrian people," Mnuchin said. "The United States remains committed to providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, while the Assad regime seeks to profit from their suffering." A military coalition, led by the US, has been conducting purported airstrikes against what are said to be Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a United Nations mandate. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 14:20:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday encouraged Southeast Asia to recover better from COVID-19 by addressing inequality and greening the economy. In a statement to accompany his policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia, Guterres said four approaches will be critical in the region's plans for recovery. The approaches include tackling inequality in income, health care and social protection; bridging the digital divide to ensure that people and communities are not left behind; greening the economy to create the jobs of the future; and upholding human rights, protecting civic space and promoting transparency. Central to these efforts is the need to advance gender equality, address upsurges in gender-based violence, and target women in all aspects of economic recovery and stimulus plans, he noted. This will mitigate the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on women, and is also one of the surest avenues to sustainable, rapid, and inclusive recovery for all, he said. The United Nations is strongly committed to partnering with the countries of Southeast Asia, and will continue to support efforts to get the region on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a peaceful future for all, said Guterres. The policy brief finds that governments in Southeast Asia have acted swiftly to battle the pandemic and avoid its worst effects, and regional cooperation has been robust across multiple sectors. Southeast Asia has reported significantly lower confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths, on a per capita basis. However, as in other parts of the world, the health, economic and political impact of COVID-19 has been significant across Southeast Asia, hitting the most vulnerable the hardest, according to the policy brief. The pandemic has highlighted deep inequalities, shortfalls in governance and the imperative for a sustainable development pathway, it says. Enditem North Korean defector 'shocked' by kindness in US, was taught Americans 'torture and kill' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A North Korean defector said he was shocked by the kindness he encountered when he first visited the United States because his home country portrays U.S. citizens as people who torture and kill. [The U.S.] is not just bad, Kim Geum-Hyuk, who now lives in Seoul, South Korea, said in an interview with the YouTube channel DIMPLE. America is a complete enemy for [North Korea]. They taught us to fight [Americans] til the end. I also was one of the victims of brainwash education so I had hostility toward America. According to Kim, who currently works as a peace ambassador for One Young World and is studying political science and diplomacy at Korea University, North Korea portrays Americans as "street dogs, wolves, and "people who torture and kill." But after arriving in California, Kim said he realized his home countrys depiction of U.S. citizens was "totally wrong. What I was taught in North Korea was an image of the coldness and wickedness of Americans, he said. They were an image of scary people to me, but it was totally wrong ... its totally different from the image that North Koreans think. I believed they were full of hostility, but they were just so nice, Kim added, expressing his surprise that "everyone actually said 'hi' on the street." Because he had never seen photos of the U.S., he was shocked at the beauty and size of the country. Kim said visiting the Grand Canyon was like going to Mars and that the size of Texas was bigger than he ever imagined. "[Americans are] so nice, funny, and open to anything, he said. There are Mexicans, Chinese, Koreans ... So many people made up one community ... I was just so surprised by the diversity." Led by Kim Jong Un, the North Korean regimes penchant for teaching its citizens anti-American propaganda is well documented. Painting the U.S. as an aggressive threat determined to destroy North Koreans, the countrys regime uses the fear of an outside threat to bolster national pride and government power. North Korean defector Jeon Geum-ju shared with The Washington Post how, from the earliest age, North Korean children are taught cunning American wolves want to kill them, while the countrys leaders are portrayed as godlike. A recently-discovered propaganda video revealed how the North Korean government seeks to silence Christianity by painting believers as religious fanatics and spies bent on undermining the stability of the hermit kingdom. The video, obtained by The Voice of the Martyrs, was allegedly used to teach state security agents how to identify and silence those who promote religion inside the country. North Korea has for the last 18 years ranked as the worst persecutor of Christians in the world on Open Doors USAs World Watch List. In the hermit country, those who profess Christ or are caught communicating with missionaries face severe repercussions like torture and imprisonment. Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American pastor who was held hostage in North Korea from 2012 to 2014, shared how the North Korean government is more afraid of Christians than nuclear weapons. According to Bae, most North Koreans have never heard the name of Jesus. "They said, 'we are not afraid of nuclear weapons ... we are afraid of someone like you bringing religion into our country and use it against us and then everybody will turn to God and this will become God's country and we will fall," Bae said. New Delhi: There was commotion in the Lok Sabha on Friday when a man tried to jump into the House chamber soon after the proceedings were adjourned following protests over the demonetisation issue. Soon after the House assembled, speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for nearly 40 minutes following stormy Opposition protests and the members started leaving the Chamber. Suddenly, an Opposition member, who had earlier trooped into the Well, pointed out that security personnel in the Visitors' Gallery were grappling with a person whose right foot was hanging from the wooden fence. Sources said that the man named Rakesh Singh Baghel of Uttar Pradesh, also tried to shout slogans in the House but could not succeed in doing so. He was caught and lifted up by about 4-5 alert personnel. Baghel is now being questioned at the Parliament Street police station. Baghel had visited the Lower House on the reference of Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh. It then transpired that the man had tried to jump into the Lok Sabha Chamber. The man was caught and then bundled out. The other visitors were then guided out of the gallery which is right opposite the press enclosure. Delhi Police personnel in plain clothes are usually seated in the front rows of the Visitors' Gallery to prevent such incidents. While the Speaker had left, the Prime Minister was not in the House. Senior ministers including Arun Jaitley and leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav were in the House when the incident took place. The speaker has taken a cognizance of the incident and will talk to the Parliament security officers regarding the same. (With inputs from agencies) For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kabul: After operating out of Pakistan for more than a decade, the leaders of Afghanistans Taliban movement may have moved back to their homeland to try to build on this years gains in the war and to establish a permanent presence. If confirmed, the move would be a sign of the Talibans confidence in their fight against the U.S. backed government in Kabul. It could also be an attempt by the militants to distance themselves from Pakistan, which is accused of supporting the movement. The Talibans leaders have been based in Pakistani cities, including Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar, since their rule in Afghanistan was overthrown in the 2001 US invasion after the 9/11 attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the leadership shura, or council, relocated to Afghanistan some months ago, although he would not say to where. One Taliban official said the shura had moved to southern Helmand province, which the insurgents consider to be part of their heartland and where most of the opium that funds their operations is produced. The official refused to be identified because of security reasons. Other Taliban sources said the justice, recruitment and religious councils had also moved to southern Afghanistan. The statements could not be independently confirmed. Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis office said it had no confirmation that any such move had taken place. No intelligence confirms that the Taliban has shifted its shura to Afghanistan, said Haroon Chakhansuri, Ghanis spokesman. We still believe they are still operating in their safe havens outside Afghanistan. Mujahid, however, said Kabul officials were aware of the moves, prompted by battlefield gains that the insurgents believed would put them in a strong position once talks with the Afghan government aimed at ending the war were restarted. Dialogue broke down earlier this year. The insurgents have spread their footprint across Afghanistan since international combat troops scaled down in 2014. They have maintained multiple offensives and threatened at least three provincial capitals in recent months: Kunduz, in northern Kunduz province; Lashkah Gar, in Helmand in the south; and Tirin Kot in Uruzgan. The US military has conceded the insurgents have gained ground, although definitive breakdowns are difficult to verify. This year, Afghan security forces are believed to have suffered their worst losses since 2001, with the military estimating 2016 fatalities at more than 5,000 so far. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The chief minister also extended the shutdown imposed on Sundays, saying intense curbs will be in place on 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 August as well Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced the extension of coronavirus-induced lockdown in the state till 31 August, but with more relaxations, including scaling up workforce in private establishments and allowing dine-in services in hotels and restaurants. Chief Minister K Palaniswami reasoned that 'significant' number of coronavirus cases had prompted the continuation of curbs and called for public cooperation towards strict adherence to social distancing, wearing of masks, and hand hygiene to contain the spread. The decision came after Palaniswami held discussions with district collectors on Wednesday and the government-appointed medical expert panel on Thursday where he took stock of the situation in the state. As of Thursday, Tamil Nadu has 2.34 lakh COVID-19 cases, including 3,741 deaths. Extending the total shutdown imposed across the state on Sundays in July to August, Palaniswami said intense curbs will be in place on 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 August as well. The Independence Day celebrations on 15 August will be held across the state as per Central government guidelines on precautions like social distancing and use of masks, he said in a statement. Existing ban on religious congregations, operation of public transport including Metro rail, shopping malls, theatres and bars and all kinds of political and sporting activities, inter-state public and private transport will continue, he added. The e-pass system for inter-district and inter-state travel will continue, he said. Schools and educational institutions will remain closed but they can continue with and promote online learning, the chief minister added. Ban on international aviation, but for services allowed by the MHA, will also continue. Hotels and resorts will remain closed but those accommodating medical personnel, police and government officials, besides facilities used as quarantine centres will function, he said. Popoular tourist destinations Udhagamandalam and Kodaikanal will remain out of bounds for travellers. Among the relaxations, the government allowed increasing the size of workforce from existing 50 percent to 75 percent in private establishments and export firms in non containment zones covered under the Greater Chennai Police limits. Tea stalls, hotels and restaurants can provide dine-in services, but can accommodate only 50 percent of the capacity. Earlier, they were allowed to provide only takeaway services. Dine-in services will be available from 6 am-7 pm while takeaway can be served till 9 pm, he added. On the religous front, temples with an annual income of less than Rs 10,000, small mosques, dargahs and churches will be open for public with the permission of District Collectors, Palaniswami said. Big places of worship and those in Corporation limits, will remain closed. Shops selling groceries and vegetables can remain open from 6 am to 7 pm, with the government allowing an additional hour of business in the evening. All other shops can run from 10 am to 7 pm, he said. E-commerce vendors can now supply both essential as well as non-essential goods. The government asked companies to promote work from home culture. The relaxations would not apply in containment zones. Palaniswami said further relaxations could be given to the curbs depending upon the virus spread situation. SELBYVILLE, Del., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Market Insights, Inc. has recently added a new report on the automotive brake pads market, which estimates the market valuation for automotive brake pads will cross US $14.7 billion by 2026. An increase in the expansion of automobile fleets, a rise in automotive sales, and an uninterrupted rise in aftermarket demand are the considerable market drivers for automotive brake pads during the assessment period. Automotive Brake Pad Market size will exceed USD 14.7 billion by 2026, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The rising awareness about vehicle safety and the adoption of high-performance brake technology will escalate revenue generation. The manufacturers are developing brake pads designed with advanced characteristics, including thermal heat dissipation with low noise. The automotive brake manufacturers are undergoing strategic contracts with vehicle manufacturers to offer improved safety braking technologies. For instance, in July 2018, WABCO Holdings Inc. announced that the company received a contract from Hyundai Motor Company to supply MAXX single-piston air disc brake technology for commercial vehicles. Request a sample of this research report at https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/1367 Strict regional lockdowns, due to increasing COVID-19 cases across the world, have imposed restrictions on regional and international travel. Shutdowns of manufacturing plants, rising inventories and disruptions in the supply chain have severely affected the entire market. The global automotive brake pads market is categorized based on vehicle into PCV, LCV, HCV and Two-wheelers. The heavy commercial vehicles segment accounted for a revenue share of over USD 124 million in 2026 and is expected to witness an upsurge in market share over the projected timeline, owing to proliferating logistics and construction industry. The vehicles operate with heavy loads and require efficient braking system at high speeds to enhance safety. The ongoing expansion of public and private transportation projects in emerging nations will further increase heavy vehicle fleet size. For instance, in March 2019, Meyle launched brake pads for heavy vehicles that improve the braking performance and reduces braking distance of heavy trucks. Low-metallic NAO brake pads will grow at a decent growth rate of 3.8% of the overall automotive brake pads market size. They comprise high levels of mineral abrasives so as to offer improved stopping power. These brake pads are manufactured from an organic formula mixture with minor amounts of steel or copper added to support better heat transfer and deliver efficient braking. Stable growth is foreseen in Latin America, and the region will grow at a CAGR of 3.2% of the overall automotive brake pads industry by 2026. Growing demand of advanced brake pads in Latin America is attributed to an increase in R&D expenditure by industry players in order to provide efficient quality of materials to their customers. The rise in sales of automotive brake parts across Brazil and Mexico act as a key driver in the market. In addition, strict regulations on banning asbestos-based products due to health issues and limitations on the use of copper in brake pads are influencing the industry size. Browse key industry insights spread across 455 pages with 653 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, "Automotive Brake Pads Market Share & Forecast, 2020 - 2026" in detail, along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/automotive-brake-pads-market Prominent industry players in automotive brake pads market include Wilwood Engineering, ATE, Brembo S.p.A., EBC Brakes, ICER BRAKES SA, Nisshinbo Brake Inc., WAGNER, Hitachi Chemical, HAWK Performance, Double Link, Hunan Boyun Automobile Brake Material Co Ltd, Sangsin Brakes, KFE brakes system, Ranbro Brakes India Limited, Brakewel Automotive Components India , TMD Friction Holding GmbH, GUD HOLDINGS LIMITED, Continental Automotive, GRUPA STEINHOF, Power Stop LLC, APC Automotive Technologies, Ford Motor Company, Allied Nippon, Tenneco Inc., ZF Friedrichshafen AG, etc. New product development is among the key strategy adopted by companies to gain a market foothold. For instance, TMD Friction Holding GmbH is one of the leaders in brake friction technology. The company manufactures brake friction material products for commercial vehicles and passenger cars. It delivers effective, safe and reliable braking solutions to the OEMs across the globe. The company is the proprietor of multiple brands including Mintex, Texter, Cobreq and Pagid. Some major findings of the automotive brake pads market report include: Asia-Pacific accounted for the highest market share in 2019, since the region is the largest consumer. A rise in the manufacturing of passenger cars and increasing fleet size and is a key driver in the escalating demand for automotive brake pads. Industry participants are investing in R&Ds for providing better services to their customers. For instance, in March 2017, Tata Motors and Volkswagen Group signed a MoU for developing vehicle components and product components. accounted for the highest market share in 2019, since the region is the largest consumer. A rise in the manufacturing of passenger cars and increasing fleet size and is a key driver in the escalating demand for automotive brake pads. Industry participants are investing in R&Ds for providing better services to their customers. For instance, in March 2017, Tata Motors and Volkswagen Group signed a MoU for developing vehicle components and product components. Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) held a significant revenue share in the base year and is predicted to follow the same trend during the assessment period. Frequent launch of passenger vehicle models coupled with multiple offers provided by vehicle dealers to increase their sales are the main driving factors. Non-Asbestos Organic (NAO) material found the maximum utility in automotive brake pads and will contribute over 42% in the product demand worldwide by 2026. OEM offers improved quality assurance, wear resistance, and restricts noise and dust. Increasing demand for noiseless brake system in addition to customer preference towards smooth driving experience is supporting the market growth. Strategic collaboration are ramping up production appears to be the key strategies for industry participants to increase their foothold. COVID-19 has severely disrupted the supply chain, leading to diminishing sales and the import & export of products. High labor costs, processing complexities and stringent regulation related to the quality of raw material will hamper market growth during the period. Browse the report's complete table of contents at https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/automotive-brake-pads-market Partial chapters of the report's table of contents (TOC): Chapter 3 Automotive Brake Pads Industry Insights 3.1 Industry segmentation 3.2 Industry landscape, 2016 - 2026 3.2.1 COVID-19 impact on industry landscape 3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis 3.3.1 Raw material suppliers 3.3.1.1 COVID-19 impact on raw material supply, by region 3.3.2 Manufacturers 3.3.3 Profit margin analysis 3.3.4 Value chain disruption - COVID-19 3.3.5 Distribution channel analysis 3.3.4.1 Distributors 3.3.4.2 End-users 3.3.5 Vendor matrix 3.4 Regulatory landscape 3.4.1 North America 3.4.1.1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 3.4.1.2 EPA and automotive industry group agreement for Copper-Free Brake Pad 3.4.2 Europe 3.4.2.1 ECE R90 or Regulation 90 3.4.3 Asia Pacific 3.4.3.1 Brake regulation for motor vehicle in Japan 3.4.4 Latin America 3.4.4.1 LATIN NCP 3.4.4.2 Mexico 3.4.4.2.1 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 3.4.5 MEA 3.4.5.1 Saudi standards, metrology and quality organization (SASO) 3.4.5.2 UAE Automotive Spare Parts Regulation 3.5 Technology landscape 3.5.1 Low drag callipers 3.5.2 3D printed callipers 3.5.3 Pricing Analysis 3.5.4 COVID-19 impact on pricing 3.5.3.1 Regional pricing 3.5.3.1.1 North America 3.5.3.2 Europe 3.5.3.3 Asia Pacific 3.5.3.4 Latin America 3.5.3.5 Middle East & Africa 3.5.4 Cost structure analysis 3.6 Innovation and Sustainability 3.6.1 Cool wave brake technology 3.7 Industry impact forces 3.7.1 Growth drivers, by region 3.7.1.1 North America 3.7.1.1.1 High motorization rate and presence of manufacturers 3.7.1.2 Europe 3.7.1.2.1 Increasing brake components and parts import 3.7.1.3 Asia Pacific 3.7.1.3.1 Increasing vehicle production and sales along with rising presence of brake pad manufacturers 3.7.1.4 Latin America 3.7.1.4.1 Updated vehicle safety regulations along with rising commercial vehicle sales 3.7.1.5 Middle East & Africa 3.7.1.5.1 Growing presence of automotive players 3.7.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges 3.8 Growth potential analysis, 2018 3.9 Competitive landscape, 2018 3.9.1 Top player analysis, 2018 3.9.2 Strategy dashboard 3.10 Porter's analysis 3.11 PESTLE analysis Browse related report: Automotive Brake Caliper Market Size By Vehicle (Passenger Car, LCV, HCV, Two-Wheelers), By Product (Fixed, Floating/Sliding), By End-user (OEM, Aftermarket), By Piston Material (Aluminum, Steel, Titanium, Phenolics), By Manufacturing Process (High Pressure Die Casting, Gravity Die Casting), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2020 - 2026 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/automotive-brake-caliper-market About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology. Contact Us: Arun Hegde Corporate Sales, USA Global Market Insights, Inc. Phone: 1-302-846-7766 Toll-Free: 1-888-689-0688 Email: [email protected] Related Images automotive-brake-pad-market-size.jpg Automotive Brake Pad Market size worth $14.7 Bn by 2026 Automotive Brake Pad Market size will exceed USD 14.7 billion by 2026, according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Related Links Automatic Emergency Braking Market Automotive Disc Brake Market SOURCE Global Market Insights, Inc. Related Links https://www.gminsights.com YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker from the ruling My Step faction of the Armenian Parliament, expert on Azerbaijani studies Tatev Hayrapetyan says Turkeys current leadership will not join Azerbaijans large-scale military operations against Armenia. Turkey clearly demonstrates itself as an opponent country to us, both with its actions, steps and statements. In this sense, of course we should be ready from all perspectives, but I think that Turkeys current leadership will not make such a mistake, because Turkeys activeness is a security threat not only for Armenia, but also other countries of the region, she said at a press conference. Turkish and Azerbaijani armed forces have launched large-scale military drills in the territory of Nakhijevan, which will last until August 10. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Seoul, July 30 : A North Korean defector suspected of having fled to his homeland is unlikely to have been infected with COVID-19, despite Pyongyang's claim that he had symptoms of the virus, South Korean's health authorities said on Thursday. North Korea's state media claimed on Sunday that the defector returned home from South Korea with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, prompting the country to adopt a "maximum emergency system" against the deadly disease, reports Yonhap News Agency. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said they did not find any traces of COVID-19 from 16 samples of items that belonged to the defector. Health authorities said they also have not yet found evidence that he had come in contact with virus patients in the South. South Korea plans to carry out COVID-19 tests on eight acquaintance of the defector as well. "As the defector is believed to have fled to the North on July 19, the peak of the incubation period has also already passed," KCDC Deputy Director Kwon Joon-wook said in a briefing. The defector, who came to South Korea in 2017, is believed to have swam across the border from the island of Gwanghwa after going through a drain. The 24-year-old defector was facing arrest on a court-issued warrant on charges of raping a female acquaintance last month, according to police. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:14:00|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIYADH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Health Ministry announced on Thursday that so far Hajj pilgrims have been free from COVID-19. The health condition of pilgrims, who will perform the peak of Hajj on Arafat mount this year, is reassuring, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry confirmed that an integrated system of health facilities is available throughout the Hajj ritual sites, including the follow-up of implementing precautionary measures set. Meanwhile, the ministry announced the registration of 1,629 new coronavirus cases across the kingdom, increasing the accumulated infections to 274,219. It also said 2,629 cases have newly recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 231,198, while 26 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total fatalities to 2,842. Enditem New Delhi, July 30 : A third of millennials (37 per cent) think they're too mundane to be the victim of cybercrime, a new study revealed on Thursday. The study, conducted by global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, also revealed that 36 per cent millennials say that they should be doing more to strengthen their digital security, but it drops to the bottom of their to-do list. As the 'new normal' has forced many to work from home, millennials are now spending nearly two (1.8) extra hours online every day compared to the start of the year - bringing their daily average up to 7.1 hours a day. According to the report, 49 per cent said that this increased time online has made them more aware of their digital security. "Protecting ourselves from digital threats can be simple, and this helps us better understand how we can help optimize safety within individual digital comfort zones," Andrew Winton, Vice President, Marketing at Kaspersky, said in a statement. The data also showed that millennials are spending most of their time on social media, but almost two thirds (61 per cent) said that the rise of online dating from home is a particular concern for their digital security. To address these concerns, almost half (52 per cent) of millennials said that they only run trustworthy apps on their devices from official stores such as Apple Store and Google Play. The findings also revealed that 49 per cent run regular anti-virus scans on each of their devices to protect themselves. According to the study, almost 13 per cent of the millennials admitted that they are using their neighbours' Wi-Fi in the past without them knowing. "2020 has been a defining year for the digital home. With many of us all over the world in lockdown, the amount we interact with and rely on, technology has increased dramatically," Winton said. China warned on Thursday that a forced decoupling of its economy with India, following a Himalayan border clash last month that killed 20 Indian soldiers, would hurt both countries. The Chinese ambassador said China was not a strategic threat to India and that the general structure that we cant live without each other remains unchanged. The statement came after New Delhis recent moves to ban or sideline Chinese business interests in one of the worlds biggest markets, even as the border remains tense with many more troops on the ... National Education Policy 2020: The new National Education Policy (NEP) has evoked mixed responses from academicians and experts with many of them referring to the reforms as long due and groundbreaking while others cautioning that the devil lies in the details and hoping the moves get translated into action on the ground. Teaching up to class five in mother tongue or regional language, lowering the stakes of board exams, allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India, a single regulator for higher education institutions except for law and medical colleges and common entrance tests for universities are part of the sweeping reforms in the new National Education Policy (NEP) unveiled on Wednesday. IIT Delhi Director Ramgopal Rao termed the new policy the Morrill moment for Higher Education Institutions in India (HEIs). The Morrill Land Grant Act are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land grant colleges in the US using the proceeds of federal land sales. Creation of a National Research Fund with the involvement of all ministries will make our research impactful and visible to the society. This is the Morrill moment for HEIs in India, he said. Mahadeo Jaiswal, the Director of IIM Sambalpur, said, that changing the pedagogical structure from a 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system is in line with international educational standards. Due to the small structure of our IIMs and IITs, despite having ample talent, they were unable to figure in the top 100 institutes of the world. Allowing technical institutes to become multi-disciplinary will help IIMs and IITs to start other departments like medical etc and make their size bigger and allow them to admit more students. Former Delhi University vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh, who bore the Centres ire for the introduction of a four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) which was later rolled back, said the policy will create room for a healthy and synergistic blend between skill and knowledge. Some of the reforms outlined in the policy were long due. It allows a productive mix and match of different disciplines so that learning on discipline can provide ideas and connections with another discipline for a real-world outcome or application. The policy also creates a room for an energized pedagogy that can be very hands-on and project-oriented with emphasis on group activity and societal applications, Singh said. According to Rekha Sethi, Director General, All India Management Association (AIMA), The NEP will remove unnecessary complexity in delivery and regulation of higher education in the country and level the playing field for all students, irrespective of which college they go to -- private or government. The steps to promote digital learning are particularly important for a post-COVID world. E-courses in regional languages is a great idea. Manoj K Arora, VC, BML Munjal University, said, It is a progressive and forward-looking policy, and will change the landscape of higher education in the country. Universities need to be research intensive, enterprising and multi-disciplinary. Multiple exit and entry and the credit bank will give students a lot of flexibility in getting educated and earning degrees while they are working. We are moving towards the concept of building your own degree, he said. Jamia Millia Islamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar called the NEP groundbreaking and said higher education in India will now be holistic and multi-disciplinary with a shared focus on science, arts and humanities. A single regulator for all higher educational institutions is a great idea as it will bring coherence of approach and purpose. It will realise the vision of education in India, she added. However, a few experts cautioned that the devil lies in details and called for a focused approach in translating the policy into action on the ground. The policy has advocated major reforms in education, but as always, the devil lies in the details, and we will see how to get the NEP 2020 translated to action on the ground, true to the spirit of the reforms envisaged to empower the students in the country, to discover and fully develop their unique potentials, said Rupamanjari Ghosh, Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University. Vishnu Karthik, Director, The Heritage Schools, said, The policy acknowledges the need to embrace output focused reform rather than input focused reforms. While the devil is in the details, the new NEP has touched upon some key levers which will have high impact on student learning levels. The decision to reduce the curriculum into core will provide significant opportunity to focus on critical skills and capacities and would be gateway reform on curriculum and assessments. Indian National Teachers Congress convenor Pankaj Garg said that allowing foreign universities to operate in India on their own norms is permitting foreign direct investment in education. We believe the government is running away from its responsibility of funding educational institutions. Also, this will result in fees for the students becoming exorbitant. Delhi University Executive Council member Rajesh Jha said the policy is aimed at shifting the education system form grant-based to loan-based and promoting private players and foreign universities. This will be linked to differential grant dispersal and the reduction in the grants will shift the financial burden to the students, thus increasing the cost of education, he said. Farida Ghozieva believes she gave birth to triplets shortly after she was admitted to a state-run maternity hospital in Uzbekistan's eastern Ferghana Province earlier this month. But Ghozieva says the hospital gave her "only two newborns" to take home and accuses the medics of lying about the fate of her "third baby." The doctors, however, insist there never was a third baby in the mother's womb. The hospital administration told RFE/RL that the 28-year-old Ferghana resident delivered two baby girls by cesarean section on July 4. The mother and the hospital administration might soon face each other in court over whether she gave birth to triplets or twins. Ghozieva's claim is not an allegation coming from nowhere. She was told throughout her pregnancy by prenatal specialists that she would have three babies. The mother says she had a total of 21 visits to prenatal centers to monitor the development of her pregnancy. In addition to state-run medical facilities, Ghozieva also visited private clinics to get a second and even third opinion about her pregnancy. The woman says during all her visits the specialists concluded that there were three fetuses inside her. Ghozieva provided several medical documents, including letters with descriptions of three separate ultrasounds performed by the private clinics MTD, Tabib, and Asl Shifo Medical in her native Ferghana city. The letters -- signed by officials at the medical facilities -- provide detailed descriptions, such as head measurements and the heartbeats of three fetuses. "The last prenatal ultrasound took place on July 2 during which doctors told me that the three babies had normal heartbeats," Ghozieva told RFE/RL. "Two days later, I underwent the cesarean section at the Ferghana Regional Maternity Hospital and [I was told] I gave birth to twins. The hospital told me there never was a third baby," she said on July 22. 'Mistakes Can Happen' Citing an unnamed nurse at the Ferghana hospital, the mother says she was told by that nurse that there was a third baby -- a boy -- who apparently died during the surgery. Ghozieva says the conversation with the nurse was on July 7. Contacted by RFE/RL on July 22, hospital chief Madhiya Suyarqulova maintained that Ghozieva had been pregnant with twins and gave birth to two babies. Suyarqulova said that ultrasounds are not always accurate and reliable. "Mistakes can happen during ultrasound examinations," she said. "We spoke to the ultrasound specialists who told Ghozieva she was expecting triplets. They all acknowledged their mistakes," Suyarqulova said. It's not unheard of that a prenatal ultrasound can indeed be erroneous, depending on the position of the fetuses in the womb, the skill of the specialist performing the job, or the quality of the machine, among other variables. "Making one or two mistakes I'd understand, but mistakes during all 21 visits to doctors is hard to believe," says Muhabbat Mirzoeva, Ghozieva's mother. Ghozieva has since brought the baby girls home. The housewife and her husband, Javohir, were already parents to five-year-old twin girls, Fotima and Zuhro, and a two-year-old son, Jamoliddin. Ghozieva is desperate to find out what happened to the "other baby" she had expected for nine months and had even chosen a name for. On July 15, the couple filed an official complaint with the Ferghana prosecutor's office, accusing the maternity hospital of hiding the truth from the mother. "Four days later, we asked the prosecutor's office about the probe, but -- citing the coronavirus pandemic -- they told us to come back in 15 days," Ghozieva said. The mother fears that "all the evidence will be destroyed" before the probe even begins. The prosecutor's office confirmed to RFE/RL that it has begun the investigation. Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by Khurmat Babadjanov, a correspondent with RFE/RL's Uzbek Service Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain died from the coronavirus. The news was posted on his personal website and reported by Newsmax, a conservative media company he had recently joined. He had been in an Atlanta-area hospital for COVID-19 all month, two days after testing positive for the virus. Cain attended Trump's disastrous June 20th rally in Tulsa, where eight members of the advance team tested positive for the coronavirus and the campaign staff had to self-isolate afterward in case of infection. 'Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit,' tweeted White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany Thursday. 'Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith.' Cain was 74. Herman Cain, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, joined Newsmax recently and the media organization reported his death Thursday. Cain had been on a ventilator at an Atlanta-area hospital and was admitted on July 1 Herman Cain died of COVID-19. He attended President Trump's June 20th rally in Tulsa, where he tweeted the above photo Few attendees wore masks or socially distanced at President Donald Trump's Tulsa, Oklahoma rally Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany sent out a tweet saying Hermain Cain 'embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit' On July 1, the same day Herman Cain was taken by ambulance to the hospital as his breathing worsened, he put out a tweet complimenting South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for not making social distancing and mask-wearing mandatory at Trump's July 3 appearance in her state HERMAN CAIN'S FINAL DAYS June 20: Herman Cain attend's President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally and posts a photo of himself not wearing a mask June 29: Cain tests positive for COVID-19 July 1: Cain is taken to the hospital by ambulance for COVID-19 July 1: Cain tweets in appreciation that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem isn't forcing mask-wearing at Trump's Mt. Rushmore speech July 30: Cain dies of COVID-19 Advertisement Cain was in the high-risk group for the virus because of his age. He's also a cancer survivor - in 2006, Cain had a diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer, which also had spread to his liver. He tweeted a photo of himself in the stands with the words: 'Heres just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonights rally! Having a fantastic time!' His staff said in a statement there is 'no way to know for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus.' Cain had traveled to multiple cities in June, Newsmax reported. He tested positive on June 29 and was hospitalized on July 1. Cain was not wearing a mask nor following social distancing protocols in the photo from the Tulsa event. Rally attendees had to sign off on legal language promising not to sue the Trump campaign if they contracted COVID-19. The rally, which only had 6,200 attendees in an event space that could hold 19,000 - did not turn into the campaign comeback the Trump team had hoped for. The president came under fire for holding a rally as coronavirus cases were rising in Oklahoma and several states as the reopening process picked up. Few attendees wore masks or socially distanced. Local health officials on the ground cautioned against the rally and a group of businesses sued to stop it - a legal move that failed. Herman Cain is photographed at a campaign rally - complete with 'Yes We Cain' signs in the background - in Nashua, New Hampshire in November 2011 Herman Cain (center right) stands alongside some of the other 2012 GOP hopefuls including Texas Gov. Rick Perry (left), now Sen. Mitt Romney (center left) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (right) Hermain Cain was chosen to deliver Tea Party Express' response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in January 2012. He spoke at the National Press Club in Washington The major candidates for the 2012 GOP nomination included (from left): Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, now Sen. Mitt Romney, Hermain Cain, Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Ron Paul and Gov. Jon Huntsman Herman Cain (center), who died at age 74, debates in November 2011 alongside now Sen. Mitt Romney (left) and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right), formerly President Donald Trump's secretary of Energy Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is captured campaigning during the 2012 election cycle in Cookeville, Tennessee After pulling out of the 2012 GOP primary before any votes were cast, Hermain Cain remained involved in Republican Party politics. Here he's appearing at teh 2014 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana Trump postponed it by one day when it was originally scheduled for Juneteenth, the day that slavery officially ended in the U.S. For weeks, Black Lives Matter protests had been taking place around the country after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer. Having the rally in Tulsa was also controversial, because the city had one of the worst race riots in the country in 1921. That anniversary had just passed on May 31. Additionally, an outdoor speech the president was scheduled to give for those who couldn't make it into the BOK Center, where the rally took place, was canceled when he was in route to Tulsa because the expected overflow crowds never materialized. The Trump campaign bragged they had given away 1 million tickets but many of those were online tricksters, who signed up for the free tickets but had no intention of attending. Trump was reportedly furious when he saw the sea of empty blue seats waiting for him that night although the White House denied any anger on his part. And he was criticized for using the racist phrase 'Kung flu' when talking about COVID-19. He also said he ordered less testing once he heard cases were on the rise - a statement White House officials later rushed to say was a joke. Additionally, the Washington Post reported that videos and photos emerged showing that before the rally, workers removed thousands of 'Do Not Sit Here, Please!' stickers from seats in the BOK Center that were intended to mark recommended distances between attendees. President Donald Trump's Tulsa rally ended up being a disaster instead of the campaign comeback it was designed to be Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, ran for the 2012 presidential nomination. His catchy 9-9-9 tax plan and strong debate performances made him a serious contender. But, in November 2011, he faced allegations of sexual misconduct all which he denied and suspended his campaign in December. Cain had been accused by two women of sexual harassment when he served as CEO of the National Restaurant Association in the late 1990s. Later two more women came forward. Cain acknowledged that the restaurant organization made financial settlements to the complainants but denied any wrong doing. But his campaign was not able to recover from the scandal. In April 2019, Trump considered Cain for an appointment to the Federal Reserve Board but he withdrew himself from consideration after several Republican senators said they would not vote for his confirmation. Cain's death comes two days after the co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent conservative group known for its young star Charlie Kirk, died of COVID-19 complications. Co-founder Bill Montgomery died at age 80, according to Politico. Its time for Ireland to go nuclear instead of opting for ugly wind farms, a Senator insists. Fianna Fails Ned OSullivans comments in favour of nuclear energy will alarm his partys allies in Government, the Green Party. Calling for a debate on clear nuclear power, Senator OSullivan says: Over-reliance on wind power is turning our beautiful rural landscape into a forest of ugly windmills. He also insists it was a mistake to protest against the building of a nuclear power plant at Carnsore Point in Co. Wexford half-a-century ago. Public opinion put paid to Des OMalleys courageous project at Carnsore. I am one of the Woodstock generation but little did we know that when we stopped Carnsore, we would get Moneypoint, he said. That conventional coal-fired plant, commissioned in 1985, was a policy mistake because of what is now known about global warming and climate change. The Electricity Regulation Act 1999 prohibits the production of Nuclear Energy in Ireland, but not its consumption, Mr OSullivan notes. Since 2012 we are increasingly interconnected to the British grid so we are in fact importing energy from mixed sources, including nuclear, the upper house is told. Resistance to nuclear energy is not, in my opinion, anything like as strong as it was in the 1960s, he added. We are all committed to the target of 70pc renewable energy by 2030, but how many of us believe it can be attained? On any given day last week, over 60pc of our electricity was generated from gas. We are now at the end of the Kinsale gas field, we are ruling out further offshore exploration and we have turned our backs on imported LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals. My own county of Kerry has seen an inexplicable rush to facilitate planning for even bigger and uglier wind farms, some of them in built-up, suburban areas. Senator OSullivan maintains that nuclear power is now safe and becoming amazingly more efficient in the generation of cheap energy for all. For many people, nuclear power creates fear, understandable fear, he said. People think of Chernobyl and they think of nuclear weapons. But we are now in the era of smaller, modular nuclear reactors. They are safer, they create less waste, some models can regenerate power from their own waste, and they are less costly and quicker to build. He said there were a number of Stone Age nuclear reactors just a couple of miles from Dublin across the Irish Sea but this was not the proper point of comparison. It is very likely that most EU countries will be utilising smaller nuclear modules in the next decade, Mr OSullivan said. Science is also now on the cusp of making nuclear fusion a reality. Much safer and more efficient than fission, this is the future, and the first prototype is currently under construction in southern France. The Citizens Assembly on climate and the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee had both inexplicably failed to properly address the option of nuclear generation, he declared. To me it offers a real transformation in how we can achieve climate change by adding to what we can achieve by renewables, and by making zero emissions a real prospect in our time. A debate is called for, and should be held as early as possible in the Oireachtas in the Autumn, insists Senator OSullivan, who generated massive media coverage three years ago when he warned that something needed to be done about aggressive seagulls in Dublin. Quoting US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in support of his argument for nuclear power, he said: We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Overnight reports from Jacksonville-area police: Jacksonville Police Gregory W. Wainman, 62, of Griggsville was cited on a charge of improper lane use after the car he was driving hit a parked car at 6:47 p.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of Westgate Avenue. Wainman told police his vision had been momentarily obscured by another vehicle. Calhoun County Sheriff Benjamin R. Blair, 32, of Edinburg was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:29 p.m. July 24 on a charge of aggravated battery involving a transit employee. Greene County Sheriff Stephen C. Baker, 20, of Cahokia was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11 p.m. Monday on a driving under the influence charge. Roger G. Cox, 37, of Hillview was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:53 a.m. July 20 on an assault charge. Nicholas J. Coates, 36, of Medora was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:48 a.m. July 19 on charges of resisting a peace officer and unlawful use of a license or permit. Shawntel S. Wade, 34, of Katy, Texas, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:55 p.m. July 17 on charges of theft and forgery. James T. Dean, 34, of Dewey, Oklahoma, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 8:50 p.m. July 17 on charges of theft and forgery. Carrollton Police Owen J. Dilks, 30, of Carrollton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 5:20 a.m. Sunday on an aggravated assault charge. Greenfield Police Monte S. Schollmeyer, 26, of Brighton was booked into the Greene County Jail at 9:42 p.m. July 19 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. Kristopher L. Luckett, 29, of Meredosia was booked into the Greene County Jail at 7:46 p.m. July 18 on charges of driving while license is revoked or suspended and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. Roodhouse Police Roger K. Forsting, 60, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:30 p.m. Sunday on a driving under the influence charge. Charlie A. Treadway, 28, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:14 p.m. July 21 on a disorderly conduct charge. Heather Ann Gunnin, 39, of Jacksonville was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:36 a.m. July 18 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. White Hall Police Blake A. Dunning, 31, of Cottage Hills was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:43 a.m. Tuesday on a driving under the influence charge. Sean A. Groves, 24, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:29 p.m. July 18 on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended. Elizabeth D. Herder, 28, of White Hall was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:57 a.m. July 17 on a disorderly conduct charge. Joey Lee Farris, 36, of Hannibal, Missouri, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:08 p.m. July 16 on a possession of drug paraphernalia charge. Scott County Winchester Police Gregory A. Lash, 30, of Pittsfield was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:44 a.m. Monday on a violation of an order of protection. David C.L. Bauer VANCOUVERResidents will soon have four new outdoor locations in Vancouver to enjoy a beer or glass of wine. Vancouver council has approved a pilot project allowing alcohol consumption in four city plazas. The project is slated to begin Aug. 10 and continue until mid-October. The plazas include three in the downtown core and one in the citys Cambie Village neighbourhood. A report on the proposal says city staff worked to resolve concerns raised by police and health officials who were opposed to the project. The report says concerns included enabling public intoxication and supporting public gatherings during the COVID pandemic, and staff will monitor the project and make adjustments as required. Mayor Kennedy Stewart released a social media message following the vote approving the outdoor drinking plazas. Heres to helping people safely distance while enjoying a drink outside, Stewart wrote on Twitter, adding enjoy responsibly. Park Board commissioners in Vancouver voted Monday in favour of allowing alcohol consumption in 22 parks around the city but the project likely wont begin until next year. The delay is due to a board request that the provincial government update the Liquor Control and Licensing Act to recognize the board as a governing body under specific sections of the legislation. Its expected that the legislature will not have time to immediately deal with the request, delaying the sale of beer, cider or coolers in certain city parks until 2021. The cities of Port Coquitlam and North Vancouver voted earlier this year to allow liquor consumption in several parks, but their pilot programs started immediately and didnt need provincial approval. With files from CTV Read more about: The Congress seems to have learned nothing from its defeats.At a time when its supporters worry that the idea of India is under attack, the party is still preoccupied with its own battles, notes Vir Sanghvi. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Within the top echelons of the Congress, a siege mentality has set in. The party feels it is under attack from the government and its agencies, from Hindu fundamentalists, from what it sees as fascist elements, and from the money power that the Bharatiya Janata Party has deployed. All this may well be true. But the Congress sometimes forgets that there is one other constituency that is fast turning against it. And while it may be able to fight off attacks from the BJP and its associates, this is a constituency that it cannot afford to lose. A large number of educated Indians, who might be described -- for want of a better term -- as secular liberals, are growing increasingly disillusioned with the Congress and are reluctantly coming around to the view that the party is unable (or even unwilling) to effectively oppose the BJP. These are people who subscribe to what the Congress party says are its core values. They are perturbed by the unchallenged exercise of power by the Modi government, concerned about the spread of majoritarianism, dismayed by the alienation of minorities, worried about the threats to freedom of speech, and fearful that the basic character of the Indian nation may change beyond recognition if this government gets its way. These are the same people who watched horrified as the United Progressive Alliance-II hurtled from scam to scam while Manmohan Singh sleepwalked through the last two years of his prime ministership creating the leadership vacuum that Narendra Modi rushed in to fill. Later, they watched appalled as such measures as demonetisation wrecked the India growth story and they wondered if we were getting the worst of all possible worlds: A ruthless exercise of untrammelled government power but without any increase in efficiency of delivery or prosperity. This constituency looked to the Congress to effectively oppose the regime. It was disappointed when the party did nothing and then blundered blindly into another electoral debacle. They waited, after that defeat, for the Congress to recognise where it had failed, to correct its mistakes, and to become an effective Opposition again. Instead the Congress party has lost itself in issues of personality and power. Rahul Gandhi announced, after the election results, that he would step down as Congress president. This should have been the cue for a larger renewal. But that never happened: The party has just drifted along, rudderless, with no new internal elections being called and no significant introspection. It is not clear what Gandhi's status is now, but mysteriously he appears to still call the shots and is still the face of the Congress's opposition to the Modi government despite having resigned as president. Even as the central leadership in Delhi coasts along, personal battles have erupted in the states. The significance of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilots revolts is that neither was framed in terms of ideology. Scindia did not leave because he had differences over policies; he had not suddenly become a believer in Hindutva. He left because he felt he was being mistreated by Kamal Nath. Similarly, Pilot has rebelled because he feels he is being sidelined and humiliated by Ashok Gehlot. Like nearly everything else in the party these days, the current mess is not about ideas. It is about power and personal ambition. Early in his tenure as general secretary during UPA-I, Gandhi spoke about the need to move away from dynasty and instituted a system of internal elections. That spirit is now missing. There is very little talk of internal democracy now. Instead, the talk is of a bunch of entitled dynasts acting as though they have a right to rule. Whether it is Gandhi's position at the head of the party or the complaints about not getting top posts made by Scindia or Pilot, all of this is essentially about entitlement and personal advancement. As for the Congress's core values, its mission to fight for an idea of India, how seriously can one take this when so many members of what used to be called Rahul's team are either negotiating with or have already joined the BJP? To be able to join or conspire with this extreme version of the BJP, the defecting dynasts could never ever have believed in any secular, liberal vision of India. Even after last year's electoral humiliation, many Congress supporters believed the party could recover. It is unusual for any party to win a third general election, so there is the distinct possibility that anti-incumbency may fell the BJP in 2024. But that hope is now fading. Even if the BJP loses, it seems unlikely that the Congress will win. And so the disillusionment and anger among Congress supporters are growing. There is increasingly a sense that the new generation of Congressmen are stubborn, spoilt children who insist on having everything their way -- or they stamp their feet and walk away. Even Gandhi is viewed as part of this trend. His post-defeat resignation is being seen as no more than a hissy fit. Otherwise, why is he still around? How can a party president resign and then never leave? The vacuum that the Congress party is creating will be filled in all the states when it has no strong regional leadership. In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal has annexed the Congress vote. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena is moving to occupy the anti-BJP space. In Andhra, the YSR Congress is the only Congress that matters. In Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has already made the Indian National Congress irrelevant. Strangely, the Congress seems to have learned nothing from its defeats. At a time when its supporters worry that the idea of India is under attack, the party is still preoccupied with its own battles. It seems set to go into the future -- and the next general election -- with exactly the same leader and the same chaotic style that led it to two of the worst defeats in its history. And that, as they say, is the classic definition of insanity: To do exactly the same thing again and again and still expect a different result. Vir Sanghvi is a journalist and television presenter. On Thursday, mourners honored civil rights icon and longtime Rep. John Lewis in Atlanta. At his funeral ceremony, the first Black president of the United States, Barack Obama, gave a eulogy that served both to pay tribute to one of the greatest leaders of the American civil rights movement and call for specific action to carry on that legacy. It will likely go down as one of Obamas greatest speeches, and it is worth watching in full. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a speech that was almost surprising in its frank invocation of politics, Obama compared the brutal 1965 violence that nearly ended Lewis lifepolice fractured his skull on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabamato the violent suppression of peaceful protests by federal officers today, called the Supreme Courts 2013 decision to gut the Voting Rights Act and the wave of voter suppression that followed an attack on what John fought for, challenged hypocritical congressional leaders who have opposed a renewal of the law that [Lewis] was willing to die for while issuing empty statements calling him a hero, called for the end to the disenfranchisement of formerly incarcerated people, called for making Election Day a national holiday, called for statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico, and called for eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American. Advertisement Advertisement The barnburner of a political speech followed a powerful retelling of some of the highlights of Lewis life and career, a narrative that laid the groundwork for Obamas call to action. It seemed clear that Obama was devastated by the death of a man he called a mentor. Advertisement It is a great honor to be back at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the pulpit of its greatest pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to pay my respects to perhaps his finest disciple, Obama said near the start of his remarks, his voice nearly breaking. Ive come here today, because I, like so many Americans, owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom, Obama continued. Advertisement Obama then described Lewis rise from a place of modest means in rural Troy, Alabama, where, as a boy, he eavesdropped on his fathers discussions with friends about the murderous violence of the local Ku Klux Klan. As Obama described, after hearing King speak on the radio, Lewis became one of the greatest advocates for nonviolent resistance this country has seen. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. He helped organize the Nashville campaign in 1960. He and other young men and women sat at a segregated lunch counter, well-dressed, straight back, refusing to let a milkshake poured on their heads, or a cigarette extinguished on their backs, or a foot aimed at their ribsrefuse to let that dent their dignity and their sense of purpose, Obama said. And after a few months, the Nashville campaign achieved the first successful desegregation of public facilities in any major city in the South. John got a taste of jail for the first, second, third, well, several times. But he also got a taste of victory and it consumed him with righteous purpose and he took the battle deeper into the South. Obama then described Lewis work to desegregate buses in the South months before the first official Freedom Rides. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Obamas narrative was not just a powerful retelling of the life of an icon and founding member of the most democratic stage of American democracyit tied Lewis work in the 1960s to Americas present-day struggle with authoritarianism and voter suppression. Sometimes, we read about this and we kind of take it for granted, or at least we act as if it was inevitable. Imagine the courage of two people Malias age, younger than my oldest daughter, on their own, to challenge an entire infrastructure of oppression, he said. John was only 20 years old, but he pushed all 20 of those years to the center of the table, betting everything, all of it, that his example could challenge centuries of convention and generations of brutal violence and countless daily indignities suffered by African Americans. Advertisement Finally, Obama turned to a powerful and direct political attack on present-day police brutality against Black people and voter and protest suppression efforts. Advertisement Bull Connorthe infamous Birmingham, Alabama, police commissioner who turned dogs and fire hoses on civil rightsera protestersmay be gone, but today we witness, with our own eyes, police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans, Obama said, alluding to the murder of George Floyd. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators, he added, alluding to the Trump administrationordered assaults on protesters at Lafayette Square in D.C., and in Portland, Oregon. Advertisement Obama concluded by proposing that America honor the late congressman by enacting a new John Lewis Voting Rights Act and other measures to protect the vote, and by ending the Jim Crow relic of the filibuster if necessary to pass it. Obamas was one of the finest funeral orations by an American presidenta tribute to Lewis life and a specific, actionable plea to protect the rights for which he and so many others fought and bled. History will determine whether his calland that of Lewishas been heard in the United States. For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Portland residents will vote this fall whether to revamp the citys police oversight system in a way that proponents say will lead to more accountability and transparency in investigations of officer misconduct. The Portland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to refer the proposal to the Nov. 3 ballot, despite objections from City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero, who oversees the existing Independent Police Review, and the Portland Police Association, which represents the majority of the citys officers. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, whose office crafted the proposal, tried to reassure Portland police officers that those committed to serving the community shouldnt fear the new plan. This new measure will make them better and will make new officers who join them better, she said. This is about being accountable to each of us the officers and the community. Hardesty said community members have called for a truly empowered, independent accountability system before and after the Independent Police Review was created in 2001. The other three members of the council acknowledged there is a risk in sending the proposal to voters, but they said they trust Hardesty and that demand for police accountability is at the core of nightly protests in Portland. Overhauling the citys law enforcement oversight system has been a priority for city officials, particularly Hardesty, amid the Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice and vast public calls to decrease police brutality against Black people and other people of color. Her proposal would amend the city charter to form a new police oversight board that Hardesty said would be driven by the community. She said the ballot proposal amounts to a framework for the new system and that the city would have 18 months if it passes to iron out the details. If the ballot measure passes, the City Council would have to form a commission to address how the new oversight system would work. The citys Independent Police Review is overseen by the citys auditor and investigates complaints made against police officers. The office has been criticized for its lack of disciplinary power, low funding, lack of subpoena power and its drawn-out investigations that regularly end with investigative findings kept confidential. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell and Mayor Ted Wheeler, as the citys police commissioner, decide whether officers are disciplined for founded cases of misconduct in the current system. But an arbitrator can uphold or overturn their decision if the police union appeals. In addition to the city Independent Police Review, there is also the Citizen Review Committee, a volunteer board that also review community concerns about policing, hear appeals and aid in police policy recommendations. Its not entirely clear from the ballot measure what would happen to the Citizen Review Committee if voters approve the new system in November. Portlands police agency also has its own internal affairs unit that investigates misconduct allegations. The fact that Hardesty went from a proposal to a ballot measure in just a month spurred opposition from Hull Caballero, who recommended that the City Council vote down the proposal. Hull Caballero said she doesnt believe the proposal has been vetted enough and said it needs more widespread input from the community before going to a vote. She said a combination of city code, the current Portland Police Association contract and state law has created a current system that blocks any true independent oversight that will carry over to any replacement. State law prevents most investigation results from being made public, she said, and the police contract has a provision that says if the city has a reason to discipline or reprimand an officer that it be done in a manner that is least likely to embarrass the officer publicly. Independent Police Review investigators arent allowed direct access to police data and records and arent allowed to investigate incidents where deadly force is used, and officers leaving the agency can stall the groups oversight, the auditor said. Those of us who work daily in civilian oversight know the obstacles and how hard they are to change, Hull Caballero said. Magical thinking wont make these existing constraints go away. She suggested changing the city code and the City Council spelling out a transition plan as an alternative route to a ballot measure. The Portland Police Association has also opposed the proposal, saying its too vague and that some parts may be illegal. Derek Bradley, Hardestys policy director, said the city attorneys office indicated that the ballot proposal could withstand a legal challenge. He also said the new system would be fair to officers, that community groups, residents and councilors had been consulted on the proposal and that there will be a public input process going forward. The new oversight board would investigate complaints against police employees, deaths of people in police custody, uses of deadly force and officer-caused injuries, as well as cases of alleged discrimination and constitutional rights violations. Board members would be allowed to subpoena documents, access police records and require witnesses, including police, to give statements. The board would also be allowed to impose discipline, up to firing a police employee. That board would be in charge of appointing a director, who would appoint staff members and investigators. The ballot proposal calls for the board to have a budget equal up to 5% of the Police Bureau. Based on this years budget, that would be around $11.5 million. Other than Hull Caballero, more than 40 people who gave testimony during the council meeting said they supported the proposal going to the ballot. Portland resident Kristin Bowling said she was encouraged by the proposed new system, feeling it could help the city earn back public trust in police. Bowling was cited for jaywalking in 2017 after standing in the street to take a picture of an armored police truck. Bowling later filed a complaint arguing she was cited in retaliation for taking pictures of officers. Her complaint was investigated by the bureaus internal affairs unit, and then-Police Chief Danielle Outlaw determined she believed Officer Neil Parker was justified in citing Bowling. Her case was heard by the Citizen Review Committee, which agreed with Bowling and pushed for the case to be decided by the City Council. The City Council voted 3-1 last year that Bowlings citation was apparent retaliation. It was the first time the council overturned a Police Bureau decision and upheld an allegation. Mayor Wheeler voted no and Commissioner Nick Fish was absent at the time. Bowling said the investigation took two years, the process left her very despondent and she never found out if Parker was disciplined. A lieutenant involved in my investigation actually showed up with a Blue Lives Matter patch on his bag, Bowling said. Those days are over and they should have been over a long time ago in Portland. Mark Chasse, whose brother James Chasse Jr. died in Portland police custody in 2006, said he believed an investigation should have led to the officers involved in his brothers violent death at the hands of Portland police being the subject of a homicide investigation. But the results of a nearly-four-year-long police internal investigation led to officers receiving two-week suspensions without pay. And the ruling was later overturned by an arbitrator. James Chasse, 42, suffered from schizophrenia and died after being beaten and tased by officers. His family later sued the city and officials in 2010 agreed to pay a $1.6 million settlement. I know many of you would agree that nothing has changed since my brother was killed, Mark Chasse said Wednesday. What happened to him is more relevant now than ever because the city still hasnt fixed this massively corrupted police oversight system. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Trampling on the truth of murdered millions for the sake of a utopia 2h 21min | Biography, Drama, Thriller | 19 June 2020 (VOD) In times of crisis, some reporters set a valiant standard of professionalism, while others cravenly betray their commitment to truth and free expression. Do not count on the journalistic establishment to accurately identify the former or the latter. Today, Walter Duranty is widely recognized as a willing stooge, who knowingly covered up Stalins genocidal crimes. Yet, the Pulitzer board refuses to rescind his Pulitzer Prize and his old employer, The New York Times has declined to return it. Gareth Jones exposed the Ukrainian Holodomorthe deliberate, systemic starvation of millions of Ukrainiansthe very story Duranty tried to hide from the world. Now director Agnieszka Holland (who was imprisoned in Czechoslovakia and exiled from her native Poland) tells the Welsh journalists tragic-heroic story in Mr. Jones, which was released June 19 on VOD. James Norton as Mr. Jones. (Samuel Goldwyn Films) Evil Exposed Initially, Jones did not go to Moscow to dig up dirt on the communist system. The plan was to secure an interview with Stalin, in hopes of convincing the dictator to open a second front against the newly ascendant Hitler. (Alas, Germany and the USSR would sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact four years after the events of this film.) However, when Jones arrives in Moscow, he finds his (fictionalized) good friend Paul Kleb (a transparent reference to Paul Klebnikov, the Forbes journalist suspiciously murdered while investigating Putin) has been killed by petty street crime (in the workers paradise), according to Duranty, through whom the Soviets grant or withhold Western journalists access. The last time Jones spoke to Kleb (Marcin Czarnik), he mentioned a potentially explosive scoop. In short order, Durantys German colleague Ada Brooks confirms the open secret of widespread Ukrainian famine, but she counsels Jones to go along, to get along. Instead, he risks his life and liberty to investigate the Ukrainian genocide firsthand. Mr. Jones opened in October 2019 in Poland. (Samuel Goldwyn Films) An Orwellian Dystopia Comes to Life Mr. Jones is very much a historical expose, in the tradition of Hollands masterwork The Burning Bush, but in many ways, it also functions as a gripping thriller. Viewers can almost literally feel the eyes of the early surveillance state on them as Jones secretly pursues the truth. At times, Holland and production designer Grzegorz Piatkowski make 1930s Moscow literally resemble the dystopia of 1984. Clearly, this is deliberate, since Holland flash-forwards to George Orwell writing Animal Farm (inspired by Joness reports) as a recurring motif. James Norton is well-cast as Jones, convincingly conveying his initial naivete and idealism, as well as his profound revulsion and righteous outrage. Yet, the real horror comes from Peter Sarsgaards chillingly calculated Duranty. You will be hard-pressed to find a more unsettling film villainand he is scrupulously based on a real-life (Pulitzer Prize-winning) figure. Sarsgaards performance and Hollands depiction of the Holodomor largely overshadow much of the film, but as Brooks, Vanessa Kirby still has some memorable moments, late in the third act. Screenwriter Andrea Chalupa (who wrote and directed the excellent short documentary Stalins Secret Genocide) shrewdly shapes the well-constructed narrative. This is a tense, suspenseful, and surprisingly literate film. It also blasts out a much-needed cannon-shot of truth. Even to this day, Russian nationalists and Putinists still deny the truth of the Holodomor, and the journalistic establishment continues to sweep Durantys duplicity under the rug. Yet, Holland and Chalupa do not merely expose journalistic malpractice. They really cut to the heart of the matter when a skeletal Ukrainian woman explains to Jones: They are killing us. Millions gone. Men came and thought they could replace the natural laws. (It is not clear from the closing credits who plays her, but her brief work is devastating.) Mr. Jones vividly illustrates the potential dangers to democracy when journalists start with their ideological conclusions and tailor their reports accordingly. Indeed, the contempt that Duranty and Brooks express for the notion of objectivity sounds eerily similar to what we are hearing today. Perhaps Holland is not entirely objective herself, but her direct observation and lived-experience of the Soviet socialist era informs her filmmaking in very personal and relevant ways. Very highly recommended, this is a powerful film that leaves viewers in a state of deep disquiet. Mr. Jones Director: Agnieszka Holland Starring: James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard Running time: 2 hours, 21 minutes Release date: June 19, 2020 (VOD) Not Rated 4 stars out of 5 Joe Bendel writes about independent film and lives in New York. To read his most recent articles, visit JBSpins.blogspot.com Guwahati, July 30 : The overall flood situation in Assam improved considerably during the past one week, even as one more person died in Morigaon district on Thursday taking the death toll to 108, officials said. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that the let-up in the monsoon rains since last Friday has made the flood situation better. The officials expected that it will improve further in the coming days. Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that 12 lakh people in 1,339 villages across 22 of the state's 33 districts are still affected by the floods, though the number has come down since July 24 when over 28 lakh people in 2,543 villages of 26 districts were distressed. A total of 82,170 hectares of crops are still flooded, but the area has come down from 122,573 hectares as on July 24. The ASDMA officials said that five major rivers including the mighty Brahmaputra, are in spate in many places in six districts, including Sonitpur district where both the Brahmaputra and Jia Bharali are flowing over the danger level. Forest officials said that at least 143 wild animals have died due to the deluge and 167 have been rescued, even as over 60 per cent of the 884 sq km Kaziranga National Park remains inundated. The animals that have died in the annual monsoon floods include 16 rhinos, 104 hog deer, eleven wild boars, five wild buffaloes, three porcupines and two swamp deer. The officials said that besides Kaziranga, located on the edge of the eastern Himalayan bio-diversity hotspots of Golaghat and Nagaon districts, 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. ASDMA officials said that of the 12 lakh affected people, 9.32 lakh, are in the state's five western districts -- Goalpara (375,861), Barpeta (78,755), Morigaon (234,268), Dhubri (151,997) and South Salmara (91,402). The floods have so far claimed the lives of at least 108 persons, including women and children in 22 districts, while 26 others were killed in landslides since May 22. The Brahmaputra river has been flowing above the danger mark in many places in Jorhat, Dhubri and Sonitpur and three other major rivers -- Dhansiri, Jia Bharali and Kopili -- are flowing above the danger mark in many places in four districts. There are more than a few curiosities regarding Roanokes Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. One is the name. Whys a church at Third Street and Patton Avenue Northwest called Fifth Avenue? Thats easy. At its dedication on June 28, 1896, the church stood on Fifth Avenue in the community of Gainsboro. By 1959, when a fire destroyed the original wood frame structure, the neighborhoods formerly numbered avenues had been renamed after Virginia governors. (John M. Patton, a Whig, served in the office for 12 days in 1841.) Nevertheless, the congregation decided to keep the original name. Heres another curiosity: Why does a predominantly Black congregation have a stained-glass window honoring Stonewall Jackson, a slaveholder and probably the second-most famous Confederate general? At a time when Confederate memorials, statues and symbols are falling like ninepins in a bowling league match, this one requires a more nuanced and lengthier explanation. For that, Im indebted to Joyce Ann Bolden, a Fifth Avenue Presbyterian elder, and Michael Blankenship, the churchs historian. (By the way, my colleague Tonia Moxley wrote about the subject back in 2011.) The window doesnt depict Jackson himself. Rather, the scene appears to be a sedate military encampment along a river, with a clearing on one side and trees on the other. Blue mountains rise in the background, beneath a cloud-streaked sky. But the lower inscription, in all capital letters, is an unmistakable tribute, containing a phrase thats said to be the mortally wounded generals dying words: In memory of Stonewall Jackson. Let us cross the river and rest in the shade of the trees. Before we get into the back story of that window, let me tell you a bit more about Roanokes first Black Presbyterian church. It was an important institution in its heyday. One of the founders was Lucy Addison, the educator who launched Roanokes first Black high school. A city middle school is named after her today. Another member, Dr. L.C. Downing, was a physician who helped found Burrell Memorial Hospital Roanokes Black hospital in the days of segregation. Also among the congregation was Oliver Hill, the famed civil rights lawyer who began his law practice here in Roanoke before joining forces with future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. A very educated group of African Americans started the church, Bolden told me Tuesday. At some point, I would say 70% or more of its members were college graduates. Blankenships 115-page history traces efforts to establish the church to a report in the Jan. 15, 1890, edition of the Roanoke Daily Times. A magic lantern exhibition was given at Rorer Hall last night for the benefit of the colored Presbyterian church, of this city, the newspaper noted. (In those pre-movie days, magic lanterns were basically elaborate theater slide shows.) The church grew out of a Sunday school class that originally met in a hall at the corner of (then) Fifth Avenue and Gainsboro Road. First Presbyterian, a white congregation that met on Church Avenue downtown, later invited the group to hold services in its adjoining lecture hall. The first pastor was the Rev. Peyton Rutherfoord Twine. The second was the Rev. Joseph Lee Spurlarke, who moved services to the basement of Mount Zion AME Church. The third and most important was the Rev. Dr. Lylburn Liggins Downing. He assumed the pastorate on July 8, 1894, and led Fifth Avenue Presbyterian for decades. Downing was the pastor who oversaw the churchs construction. He sketched the design of the Stonewall Jackson memorial window and commissioned its creation, which Blankenship notes was probably fashioned by the Temple Art Glass Co. in Chicago. Downing had it installed as a centerpiece, easily viewable from Fifth Avenue, in 1906, a decade after the buildings dedication. Why? Thats the story. Lylburn Liggins Downing was born in May 1862 to enslaved parents in Lexington. His father, Lilburn Downing, had been one of 26 slaves owned by former Virginia Gov. James McDowell. When McDowell died in 1852, ownership of Lilburn Downing passed to McDowells daughter, Sophonisba. She married a Lexington lawyer and soldier who taught math at Virginia Military Institute, Col. James W. Massey. Downings mother, Ellen Harvey, was a slave owned by David L. Hopkins, a wealthy Lexington merchant. Lilburn and Ellen met as youths in the same Sunday school class for Black children at Lexington Presbyterian Church. Its founder and their teacher was Thomas Jackson, later dubbed Stonewall for his Civil War exploits. He was also a professor at VMI. Leading a Sunday school class may not sound like a big deal, but it was, considering that age. Virginia law back then made it illegal to teach Black people how to read and write, whether they were freed or not. Jackson realized he couldnt teach Christianity to his pupils until they could read the Holy Bible. So he taught them how. And having parents who could read and write gave Lylburn Liggins Downing a huge educational leg up on his peers. Understandably, not everyone in the Black congregation was thrilled at the idea of that window. It was the largest (and centerpiece) of three stained glass windows that Downing wanted to install. The parishioners didnt want to fund that, Bolden told me. So he went to the Daughters of the Confederacy. They were happy to, Bolden added. Downing typically explained his feelings about the window by quoting others, Blankenship wrote in the church history. One was his own pastor, Dr. William S. White: The Sabbath school founded by General Jackson for the benefit of the blacks was a decided success. This distinguished man threw himself into his work with all his characteristic energy and wisdom. ... Sabbath after Sabbath he would stand before his school of blacks and raise [Amazing Grace] and tune for them. He issued monthly reports to the owners of the slaves. These reports he delivered in person, calling at each house where one of his pupils lived. Under his management this school became one of the most interesting and useful institutions in Lexington Presbyterian Church. Jacksons financial support for the school continued during the Civil War hed send regular letters with contributions to keep classes going. Blankenships history of the church notes: The unveiling of the Jackson window was national news. Most of the reports of the July 29, 1906, event followed a similar format: A memorial window to Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson was dedicated at the Negro Presbyterian Church at Roanoke Sunday. Aside from its own significance, the occasion was made notable by the attendance, in a body, of the Confederates camps of Roanoke and Salem and the chapters of the Daughters of the Confederacy of the two places. The chief addresses were by leading white citizens of Roanoke. The Jackson window survived the 1959 fire . By then, Lylburn Liggins Downing had been dead for 22 years. But three of his children remained important members of the congregation, and they wanted the Jackson window installed in the rebuilt church, Bolden said. Today, it stands behind the altar, not viewable from the street , but dominating the setting within. Items on a table in front of it mostly cover up the inscription. There are few folks, like Ms. Bolden, who are very attached to it, Blankenship told me. There are some that dont like the window at all. And there are a lot of people who are ambivalent. Bolden said the window scene is a metaphor for all of us. The whole thing meant, once the war was ended we had to cross the river to find peace, and heal the racial divide. Thats still a work in progress. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A man who fled to India after raping three women and raping and murdering a fourth Aman Vyas, 35, was convicted of the 2009 rape and murder of 35-year-old Michelle Samaraweera on Thursday, as well as raping three other women during a three-month spree which saw him dubbed the E-17 Night Stalker He was convicted of a total of five counts of rape, causing grievous bodily harm with intent and murder, after previously pleading guilty to a separate count of rape. Aman Vyas, 35, was convicted of the 2009 rape and murder of 35-year-old Michelle Samaraweera on Thursday, as well as raping three other women during a three-month spree which saw him dubbed the E-17 Night Stalker Vyas spotted Michelle Samaraweera entering a store in Walthamstow, East London on May 30, 2009. The-then 24-year-old stalked women in the E-17 area Michelle Samaraweera, 35, pictured, was raped and murdered in a church graveyard by Vyas within three months of his first rape Jurors at Croydon Crown Court were told Vyas turned a small area near his home in Walthamstow, east London, into his 'hunting ground' for a 'series of violent rapes' between March and May 2009. Prosecutor Tom Little QC dubbed Vyas 'the E17 night stalker' during the trial. Jurors were told Ms Samaraweera, Vyas's fourth victim, was attacked shortly after visiting a supermarket at around 1am on May 30, 2009. Vyas raped and strangled the 35-year-old in a children's playground, where her body was discovered by a dog walker shortly after 5.15am. Mr Little told the jury Vyas 'accepts' he did have sex with Ms Samaraweera, but claimed it was consensual and that she 'died accidentally during their sexual activity'. He was also convicted of raping three other women whose ages range from 35 to 59 in March and April 2009. His semen was linked to the four attacks and scientific evidence also connected him to the victims' clothing. Vyas evaded justice for more than a decade, leaving Britain just weeks after his deadly attack on Ms Samaraweera. Vyas, pictured in the store at the same time as Ms Samaraweera was recognised by his former employer when he saw a poster featuring the killer's image But after a 2010 police appeal which included CCTV images of a person of interest in the investigation, Vyas' former employer contacted the authorities. Officers took more than 1,100 DNA swabs from people who matched the suspect's description. Almost 61,000 posters were sent to addresses around Walthamstow in an effort to identify the supsect - including Vyas's image taken from CCTV in the shop used by his final victim. This prompted Vyas's former employer to contact detectives as he recognised his 'distinctive jacket'. The man told detectives Vyas had left the country in July 2009, but said a relative of the murder worked for him. The employer handed detectives a water bottle used by Vyas's relative and they were able to prove a 'familial DNA link' between the relative and the suspect. According to Scotland Yard: 'It was established that on 2 July 2009, a month after Ms Samaraweera's murder and just a few days after a Crimewatch appeal about the case, Vyas purchased a one-way ticket to India, leaving the same day. 'A manhunt commenced to find Vyas and extradite him back to the UK. In 2011, enquiries revealed at one stage that Vyas was in New Zealand, he then made his way to Singapore and the trail went cold. It was on 4 July 2011 that police were informed by Indian authorities that they had arrested Vyas, an Indian national, at New Delhi Airport in India as he tried to take an outbound flight.' The employer said he continued to employ a relative of Vyas and supplied detectives with a water bottle used by the person. Forensic officers were able to take DNA from the bottle to provide a familial match with Vyas Met detectives were able to return Vyas to the UK on October 4, 2019. He was arrested as soon as he landed at Heathrow Airport and remanded in custody until his trial. Aisling Hosein, from the CPS, said: 'This has been a long and arduous journey for the victims and their families who have waited more than a decade for Aman Vyas to be held accountable for his depraved actions. 'These were violent attacks by a sexual predator who prowled Walthamstow by night looking for lone women. 'I would like to highlight the courage of the victims who came forward to assist in bringing this man to justice and those that bravely gave evidence in court against their attacker. 'I would also like to thank all the criminal justice partners involved in extraditing Vyas. 'I hope today's verdict will provide some comfort to the victims and their families - and in particular for the loved ones of Michelle Samaraweera, who were finally able to get justice for her murder. Our thoughts remain with them all at this time.' Detective Sergeant Shaleena Sheikh, who handled the case, said: 'There has been a long wait for justice in this case but finally the victims and their families have seen the person responsible brought to account. Vyas did all he could to avoid responsibility for his crimes. He fled abroad and then added to the distress of those he hurt by making them go through the ordeal of a trial. However, the injuries Vyas inflicted told the true story of this violent criminal and the jury have seen right through his lies. 'Although we had DNA from the scenes of his crimes, Vyas was not on the DNA database and was a complete stranger to his victims; to bring him to justice required an extraordinary investigation. This case lasted more than ten years, needed enquiries in many different countries and finally a lengthy extradition process. 'The sheer scale of the investigation was also remarkable. There were extensive media appeals, and thousands of homes and businesses were contacted, in person or through leaflets. Thousands of men volunteered to assist by voluntarily giving DNA. I would like to personally like to thank all those who helped, it was through those extensive efforts that Vyas was finally identified and brought to justice. 'Vyas's crimes were wicked and relentless and I am thankful that such violent predators are rare. To anyone who is the victim of sexual assault or violent crime, this case shows the determination of the Met to bring those responsible to justice. If you are a victim of sexual crime, please tell us - you will be supported.' Vyas will now be sentenced on August 21 at Croydon Crown Court. Flight operations at Kolkatas Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport have been suspended on days that West Bengal would observe a sporadic seven-day lockdown in August, airport officials said on Thursday. The Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government has imposed seven-day lockdown restrictions mostly on weekends in August in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Flight operations at #KolkataAirport will remain suspended on following lockdown days as announced by West Bengal government: August 5, 8, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 31. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for changes in flight schedule, the Kolkata airport tweeted on Thursday. Earlier on request of the Bengal government, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation had cancelled incoming flights to Kolkata from six Covid-19-hit cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad until Friday (July 31). Click here for complete coronavirus coverage West Bengal has registered 65,258 Covid-19 cases to date, including 1,490 deaths. Besides, the seven-day lockdown spaced out through August, the state government has announced that all restrictions would be strictly enforced in the containment zones until August 31. Limerick artist Andrew O Murchu has been awarded a prestigious Next Generation award by the Arts Council, the government agency for funding and developing the arts. The award means Andrew, an architect, will receive 20,000, in effect to buy time to develop his practice. Andrew is just one of 23 artists from all over the country who has been selected for the award. Artists will also take part in a collective week-long residential programme in The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, Co Monaghan, in early 2021. There, they will have the opportunity to engage with mentors and other supports to help shape their work into the future. The Next Generation programme recognises and promotes a selection of artists from different disciplines, such as traditional arts, music, dance, film, theatre and literature. The Next Generation Artist Award provides a framework within which to broaden the scope of our work, to engage in a mentorship with an ecologist and to embed the logic of living systems into our design process. It will allow us to further develop a distinct research and spatial practice that would not otherwise be possible within the constraints of dead-line driven work. Andrew O Murchu said. Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly said the agency had received a large number of applications for the award this year, and that the standard had been particularly high. All of the artists have demonstrated an exceptional ambition and vision for their work, and the Arts Council is delighted to support them, she said. I look forward to following them in their work over the coming years. Previous recipients of the Next Generation award have included Donegal poet Annemarie Ni Churreain, Kerry musician and composer Alma Kelliher and traditional musician Liam Scanlon. The Civil Aviation Ministry on July 29 said that the passengers booking their tickets through travel agents on international flights operating under the Vande Bharat Mission must not pay more than the fares mentioned on Air India's website. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 in view of the coronavirus pandemic. However, since May 6, international charter flights have been operated by Air India under the Vande Bharat Mission to help stranded people reach their destinations. Private carriers have also operated a certain number of flights under this mission. "Passengers booking tickets for #VBM flights through travel agents, may please note that they should not pay more than the fares mentioned on the Air India website. Passengers facing issues of overcharging by travel agents may write to gmsm@airindia.in," the ministry said on Twitter. India had, on July 16, formed bilateral air bubbles with countries like the US, Germany and France that allows airlines of both the countries in the pact to operate special international charter flights. 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 firing of employees in order to conserve cash. India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The airlines have been allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. However, occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around just 50-60 percent since May 25. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Market Research Future Published Stem Cell Banking Market report. Stem Cell Banking Market Report gives a clear picture of current market scenario which includes past and estimated future market size. The report provides detail information and strategies of top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study about different markets segments and regions. Stem cells (SC) are a class of undifferentiated biological cells of a multicellular organism that have the ability to produce indefinite cells of the same type, from which certain types of cells (proliferation and replication) can be produced by differentiation in the body through early life and growth. The stem has the potential to develop into several different cell types, from muscle cells to brain cells. Factors representing the growth of the market are rising use of therapeutic potential of stem cells, increasing investments in stem cell-based research, surging number of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) procedures, and growing newborn population. For instance, in August 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the Government of China published a draft of the 2019 Annual Project Application Guide for the Stem Cell and Transformation Research pilot project. The government proposed investing 400 million yuan (around USD 56.4 million) to support stem cell research in China. On the other hand, high operational and storage costs and dearth of awareness about stem cell banking in developing and underdeveloped nations are anticipated to impede the market growth during the forecast period. Market Highlights According to MRFR analysis, Stem Cell Banking Market Growth is expected to register a CAGR of 9.8% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025 and is expected to reach USD 12,056.7 Million by 2025. Segmentation The Global Stem Cell Banking Market has been segmented based on cell type, bank type, and application. Based on cell type, the market has been divided into umbilical cord stem cells, adult stem cells, and embryonic stem cells. The umbilical cord stem cells segment has been additionally categorized into cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta. The umbilical cord stem cells segment will hold the highest market share over the forecast period due to huge demand for umbilical cord blood in stem cell research. Scientists found that the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells and are collected from people of different biological traits. On the basis of bank type, the global stem cell banking market has been classified into private banks, public banks, and hybrid banks. The private bank's segment would lead the market throughout the forecast period as it generates greater revenue, the cost to retrieve cord blood is free, and has complete ownership rights preserved by the donor. In addition, private banks have flexible collection sites and assured, and secured access offers a competitive advantage over public banks. By application, the market has been bifurcated into thalassemia, cerebral palsy, diabetes, leukemia, autism, and others. The diabetes segment is likely to witness the fastest market growth due to the rising burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) across the world, thereby augmenting the demand for stem cells. For instance, as per statistics published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2017, about 425 million adults were living with diabetes worldwide, which is anticipated to increase to 629 million by 2045. Key Players Some of the key players in the Global Stem Cell Banking Market are Americord Registry LLC (US), CBR Systems, Inc. (US), Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (US), Cordlife (Singapore), Cryo-Save AG (Netherlands), Smart Cells International Ltd. (UK), Global Cord Blood Corporation (Hong Kong), Celgene Corporation (US), BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (US), and Regrow Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. (India). Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/stem-cell-banking-market-8441 Regional Analysis The market has been divided by region into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The stem cell banking market in the Americas has further been divided into North America and Latin America, with the North American market divided into the US and Canada. The existence of key market participants and sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, expanding network of stem cell banking services, and continuous efforts by researchers to explore new therapeutic applications of cord blood cells in the US and Canada is assisting in the dominance of North America. The European stem cell banking market has been categorized as Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Western European market has further been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The stem cell banking market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific is likely to register the fastest market growth over the forecast period owing to surging elder population, increasing product launches, growing investments in R&D projects, and the presence of favorable regulatory policies coupled with commercialization opportunities Related News Companion Diagnostics Market Monoclonal Antibody Custom Service Market About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. WOOD RIVER Joe Petrokovich, the manager of Wood Rivers 911 system, will head Madison Countys Emergency Telephone System Board. The board also approved about $2.3 million in upgrades for the 911 system at its July meeting last week. Petrokovich was picked as the boards chairman at the July meeting. He replaces Robert Rizzi, who left the board. I think hes a good fit for it, Madison County 911 Director Dana Burris said. I think hes highly involved in whats going on in the field, and comes from a dispatch point of view. Petrokovich was appointed to the ETSB in August 2017. Petrokovich is a 2002 graduate of Civic Memorial High School, and has worked as a dispatcher since 2004 in Bethalto and then Wood River. He became manager of the Wood River Police Departments Public Service Answering Point (911) system in 2009. Two new ETSB members, Brad Parsons and Ralph Well, joined the board. Ralph Well, a former Glen Carbon fire chief, and Troy Police Chief Brad Parsons were appointed to the board in June. Well replaces Rizzi, while Parsons takes the spot vacated by Collinsville Police Chief Steve Evans. Scott Prange was named vice chairman, and Well approved as secretary. The board also approved approximately $2.3 million to replace the existing 911 system at eight of the countys 16 PSAPs. The project had been on hold for some time because of the ongoing delays in the approval of a 911 consolidation plan, but the ETSB decided to move ahead because the existing system is outdated. We put them in in 2010, Burris said. We cant find parts from them and the stuff is so old were borrowing from one station to fix another. The plan is to upgrade the systems at the eight PSAPs that are part of the current consolidation plan, which is now being considered by the court. Madison County must reduce the number of PSAPs to eight from 16. The Illinois State Police has rejected the countys plan, but that has been appealed in court. Were hoping well be able to be consolidated by the time these eight PSAPs are done, Burris said. If were not consolidated, well look at what were going to do with upgrading the others. Also approved was reimbursement to local police departments for 911 services. The ETSB began reimbursements about a year ago, in part because local departments balked at taking on additional responsibilities for 911 services without compensation for increased costs. The reimbursements are twice per year. The latest is for $710,424. Both the system improvements and reimbursements must go through the Public Safety and Finance committees before final approval by the Madison County Board. SHENZHEN, China, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Better World Summit 2020, Huawei announced that it will continuously work with global carriers to build new ICT infrastructure that runs on innovative 5G, cloud, and AI technologies to enable intelligent transformation across numerous industries. China Telecom shared how they develop differentiated 5G + cloud + AI service capabilities based on cloud-network synergy. Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei International Cloud & AI Business Dept, delivered a speech 5G + Cloud + AI: Power New ICT Infrastructure. Ms. Shi said, "Industry customers have prominent requirements for cloud-based and intelligent office and production systems. Carriers need to build their own or collaborate with others to introduce cloud and AI capabilities as soon as possible. This will help drive the readiness of their 5G operation and business to achieve 5G commercial success." Hu Zhiqiang, General Manager of the Cloud Computing Branch of China Telecom. Mr. Hu said, "Huawei's partnership with China Telecom has lasted many years. We have completed multiple success cases using innovative 5G, cloud, and AI products that have helped achieve win-win results with our customers. China Telecom knows that cloud-network synergy is the core of the new ICT infrastructure, and has developed e-Cloud featuring premium capabilities." 5G business success requires not only investment in networks, but also 5G operation and business readiness. In terms of 5G operation readiness, 5G brings new challenges to traditional operation support platforms as well as carriers' internal service platform. Not only will the quantity and complexity of call detail records and network and service management greatly increase, but the processing capability required by services will increase dramatically. In addition, the operation support platform needs to match service processes of different industries. The platform that mainly serves the end customer needs to be upgraded to cover all scenarios of consumers and enterprise customers. In terms of 5G business readiness, end-to-end solutions are required to enable digital transformation in various industries. In addition to connectivity, the requirements for cloud-based and intelligent office systems and production systems of industry customers must be considered. Operators need to build their own networks or cooperate with partners to build comprehensive capabilities of connectivity, cloud, and AI to facilitate the business success of 5G. Huawei will work with carriers to build new ICT infrastructure that runs on 5G, cloud, and AI technologies and architecture innovation. Cloud: HUAWEI CLOUD has launched a Carrier Partner Program. In-depth cooperation is crucial to delivering new technologies, capabilities, and applications on the cloud to customers quickly and efficiently, as well as improving the competitiveness of carriers in serving enterprises' digital transformation. In addition, HUAWEI CLOUD shares the ecosystem of the cloud market to explore the implementation practices of 5G, cloud, and AI in the industry. has launched a Carrier Partner Program. In-depth cooperation is crucial to delivering new technologies, capabilities, and applications on the cloud to customers quickly and efficiently, as well as improving the competitiveness of carriers in serving enterprises' digital transformation. In addition, shares the ecosystem of the cloud market to explore the implementation practices of 5G, cloud, and AI in the industry. AI: Huawei provides full-stack, all-scenario AI solutions comprising underlying hardware, operator development tools, AI application development frameworks, development platforms, and application enablement. Carriers are able to build AI capabilities on Huawei Atlas series products or directly use AI services on HUAWEI CLOUD . Huawei provides full-stack, all-scenario AI solutions comprising underlying hardware, operator development tools, AI application development frameworks, development platforms, and application enablement. Carriers are able to build AI capabilities on series products or directly use AI services on . IT infrastructure: Huawei's server FusionServer Pro provides carriers with a faster, stronger, and smarter system-level architecture, meeting the requirements of exponential growth of computing power. With the innovative FlashLink algorithm and SmartMatrix architecture, Huawei OceanStor Dorado series, OceanStor Pacific series, and FusionCube help carriers cope with new challenges in different data scenarios and promote the upgrade of data infrastructure in all service scenarios. For more information about the Better World Summit 2020, please visit the website. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221759/Huawei.jpg (Natural News) The United States own intelligence agencies are now using information warfare against the American people. The warning comes from John Solomon, editor in chief of Just in the News and author of the book Fallout: Nuclear Bribes, Russian Spies, and the Washington Lies that Enriched the Clinton and Biden Dynasties. Solomon made the accusations on Tuesdays edition of Breitbart News Daily with Alex Marlow. In the show, he described the Russian collusion delusion generated by the Democrats and forwards by news media as examples of possible future operations directed at Americans. In chapter ten, the final chapter, we talk about the information warfare thats now being engaged on our own American people, Solomon said. So these weapons that the defense agencies and intelligence agencies developed to create mayhem in other countries our enemies, to destabilize countries that were at war with are now being turned upon the American people. Russian collusion narrative is just the first example Since he was elected in 2016, President Donald Trump has been hounded by accusations that he colluded with Russia to get the latter to interfere on his behalf. The story, according to left-leaning media outlets, is that Trump had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and asked the latter to help him get elected. While Trump did offer praise to Putin during his campaign, he denied ever having met the Russian president. Despite, this both media and politicians on the left have continued to push the narrative, even going after people close to the Trump, including his 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort. The latter was a person of interest during the Special Counsel investigation that looked into supposed Russian interference into the 2016 election. Manafort was later indicted by a grand jury and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of Robert Muellers investigation into the Trump campaign. Cracks in the narrative started to appear, however, with sources beginning to come out stating that everything was just created by Hillary Clintons campaign and the Obama administration. This narrative was always pushed by the Hillary campaign, and it was executed by the Obama administration, said conservative commentator Mark Levin to Breitbart in a report last year. This is the big untold story. The White House had to know about it. It was in the newspapers. The Oval Office had to have been briefed on it. As part of this, Levin explained that Robert Muellers supposed investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election was always grounded in a smear campaign against Trump. (Related: Mark Levin: Trump-Russia collusion hoax executed by the Obama administration.) Not stopping this now will have long-term consequences Solomon Solomons book and his Breitbart interview shed more light on how U.S. intelligence agencies were used to continue the narrative against Trump. More importantly, he calls out the fact that few, if any, have faced the consequences for this. A couple of guys got fired, a couple of people have been shamed in the court, but without criminal prosecution and long prison time, some FBI agent, some CIA agent, [or] some dirty political operative hired by a campaign is going to continue to create false realities, and this American democracy is going to be hijacked in ways that I fear is bad for the future of our country, he stated. More importantly, Solomon warned that this use of U.S. intelligence agencies against Americans would continue, regardless of the administration, if it werent nipped in the bud. The only way that were going to stop that trend very quickly is if people get severely punished in the aftermath of the Russia collusion delusion, he said. If John Durham doesnt indict people and make this painful, the temptation to do this time and again whether youre a Republican administration or a Democratic administration is going to go through the roof, and were going to suddenly lose what makes American democracy and this constitutional republic so amazing. Sources include: Breitbart.com 1 APNews.com CNBC.com Breitbart.com 2 Australia on Thursday backed Indias position on the border standoff with China, saying it opposes attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as that could increase the risk of instability. Australian high commissioner Barry OFarrell conveyed his countrys position to external affairs minister S Jaishankar during a meeting where the two sides discussed developments across the Indo-Pacific region amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Australian side urges restraint along the LAC and supports continued moves towards de-escalation, said a statement from the Australian high commission. As I told the external affairs minister of India today, Australia opposes any attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo, which only serves to increase tension and the risk of instability, OFarrell was quoted as saying in the statement. It is important that the bilaterally-agreed principles and norms that have helped prevent escalation or miscalculation in the border areas over many decades continue to be observed. India has repeatedly said in recent weeks that it is opposed to any unilateral efforts to change the status quo along the LAC, along which tens of thousands of Indian and Chinese troops continue to be deployed. There has been growing convergence between India and Australia on security issues and the role of China in the Indo-Pacific in recent months. The two sides elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed an agreement for reciprocal access to military logistics during a virtual summit last month. Australia, which is set to be invited to join the Malabar naval exercise conducted by India, Japan and the US, has also backed Indias calls for reform of international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and sought a probe into the origins of the pandemic. During a meeting of the US and Australian defence and foreign ministers in Washington on Tuesday, the two countries envisaged a key role for India in defence cooperation and post-Covid-19 recovery efforts in the Indo-Pacific. The Australian missions statement further said that Australia remains vigilant about strategic trends inimical to our vision of the region even as it focuses on the health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. Australia envisages an Indo-Pacific that is an open, free, rules-based region that is resilient to coercion and supported by inclusive institutions, the statement said. Territorial disputes and competing claims should be resolved peacefully by the claimant countries, and in ways consistent with international law, it added. Australia also continues to be deeply concerned by Chinas actions in the South China Sea that are destabilising and could provoke escalation, the statement said. On July 23, Australia lodged a note with the UN Secretary General refuting Chinas unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea. It added: It rejects Chinas claim to historic rights and internal waters, its assertion of certain maritime zones, and its contention there is wide international recognition of its South China Sea sovereignty claims. Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, recently said the Indo-Pacific serves as a canvas for framing policy responses to Chinese power, including a web of security cooperation based on the US alliance system, and emerging middle power coalitions, involving Japan, India, Australia and occasionally others such as Southeast Asian or even European states. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Almost 15.000 cattle have disappeared from farms across Northern Ireland in the last four years, it has been revealed. The figures, provided in a Departmental answer to a question from UUP MLA Rosemary Barton, show that an astonishing 14,506 cattle have gone missing since 2016. Ms Barton said she was "astounded" that so many cattle had disappeared from the Department's official cattle recording system APHIS, with the total cost to the agricultural industry running into millions of pounds. "The system does not differentiate between the number of cattle recorded as stolen and those that have gone missing from the system," she said. "Newry, Armagh and Dungannon account for 6,813 of the missing cattle alone. "While I am certainly aware that a number of cattle are stolen each year, it would appear that many cattle are disappearing from the system, which may suggest they are being sold, moved and slaughtered illegally. "I intend to establish what follow-up action DAERA takes in relation to these 'disappeared' animals, if they trace any of them and if the PSNI are involved in investigations," she said. A spokesperson for DAERA said that while 3,500 cattle are notified to DAERA as lost or stolen annually, the numbers need to be put into the context of the total cow population of 1.61 million animals. "If an animal is lost or stolen, the keeper must send written notification to the department within seven days of becoming aware of the fact, together with written details of what has occurred," the spokesperson said. "Farmers should report every incident of suspected theft to the PSNI as well as notifying DAERA as soon as they become aware. "DAERA take all incidents very seriously and investigate each one individually. "Missing animals and rural crime, in particular the theft of animals, is a direct threat to the livelihood of our farmers and to the integrity of the traceability system which is vital in providing assurance on the safety, integrity and quality of our food. "The cattle population in Northern Ireland last year was 1.61 million according to DAERA census figures. Stolen cattle will account for a proportion of these figures, there will be some animals which have strayed, some may have died without the keeper being aware and some may be due to administrative inaccuracies where cattle have been incorrectly recorded as moving into and out of herds. "Where stray cattle reappear or an administrative error is discovered, DAERA can re-establish the presence of the cattle in the herd, provided the correct identity of the cattle can be established." Linda C. Fentiman, who has taught criminal and health law at Pace Universitys law school, said it is not common for parents to be prosecuted in co-sleeping deaths. Fentiman said her research shows that when jurors, judges and prosecutors assess risk and try to answer the question of what a reasonable person should have done, they bring an unconscious bias and tend to hold mothers to a different standard. During this proud moment, Wilbur C. Milhouse III, P.E., Chairman/CEO, noted Milhouse is one of the largest African-American firms in the US and that it looked forward to investing in the Bermuda community. He said: "Our vision is to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and the communities where we work. I see a similarity in our vision and Mr. Simmons's. It may be a vision and desire of mine to make an impact, but it has been Mr. Simmons's life. It gives me great pleasure to partner with you on this once in a lifetime opportunity." He added: "We ensure that this project will create incremental jobs and contracting opportunities for all of Bermuda's people. We will ensure that you, Mr. Ottiwell Simmons, and all Bermudians will be proud of this project. We will ensure that we will give back to the local community through philanthropic efforts of Milhouse Charities, which has already made contact with some of you here." http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20200729/simmons-on-hand-for-arbitration-groundbreaking #MilhouseEngineering #beapositiveimpact #problemsolved #engineering #construction Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc. Mary Pence Senior Marketing & Communications Manager [email protected] SOURCE Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc. Related Links http://www.milhouseinc.com WASHINGTON President Donald Trump met Thursday with the family of a soldier who investigators say was slain on the Texas Army base where she was stationed, saying it is a terrible story and that he would help with funeral expenses. The family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found July 2 following her disappearance in April from Fort Hood, rallied with several dozen supporters before the meeting with Trump, calling for justice in the case and for changes in the way the military handles sexual abuse and harassment. Its an incredible story. Its a terrible story, Trump said to the family in the Oval Office. So were going to look into it very powerfully. We already have started, as you know, and well get to the bottom of it. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa. Well be in touch with you constantly. Guillens family has said she was sexually harassed by the fellow solider suspected of killing her, but the Army has said there is no evidence supporting the claim. The Army has said she may have experienced harassment by others at the base that was not sexual in nature. Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy on July 10 ordered a review of the command climate at Fort Hood. The truth will come out whether they like it or not, said Lupe Guillen, the younger sister of Vanessa Guillen, said ahead of the meeting with the president. She said relatives were disappointed to not have heard from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott regarding her sisters case and were ready to take their story straight to the White House. John Wittman, a spokesperson for Abbott, said the governors office has not heard from the Guillen family but is prepared to help. He said the governors office was looking into whether Texas has any authority over a U.S. military death. He also said the Texas attorney generals office was looking into whether the family may be eligible for assistance from the crime victims compensation fund. Governor Abbotts heart aches for the Guillen family and he and the First Lady keep them in their prayers, Wittman said in a text message. Investigators have not revealed a motive for Guillens death. They said in a complaint that she was bludgeoned to death in the armory room of the Army base near Killeen. Fellow Fort Hood soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, is suspected to have killed and dismembered Guillen. Robinson killed himself after being confronted by police on July 1. A civilian suspect, 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar, is in custody on three counts of conspiracy to destroy evidence for helping Robinson hide Guillens remains and attempting to flee. The family is pushing a bill that would address procedures for reporting sexual harassment and assault in the military, according to the familys lawyer, Natalie Khawam, who helped write it. U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, are sponsoring the bill, which is named #IAmVanessaGuillen after a social media movement on harassment in the military. Guillens mother, Gloria Guillen, said she was angry to hear McCarthy say her daughter was not sexually harassed. She said she had spoken to her daughter about the harassment, but Gloria Guillen did not detail what her daughter said. She said she was speaking up for all women in the military. If there is war, who is going to defend us if our soldiers are scared to join? she said in Spanish. Who is going to guard our country if our soldiers are being assaulted, killed and disappeared? A funeral has not been held for Guillen because relatives are still waiting for her remains, Khawam told Trump. They hope to have a service soon in Houston. And if I can help you out with the funeral, Ill help you out, financially, Ill help you, Trump said. Army officials said that the panel reviewing the climate and culture of the military community at Fort Hood will include former assistant director of the FBIs Criminal Investigation Division Chris Swecker, chairman of McGuireWoods LLP Jonathan Harmon, assistant general counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Carrie Ricci, regional director of veteran nonprofit FourBlock Queta Rodriguez and Jack White, a partner at Fluet Huber + Hoang. ___ Acacia Coronado reported from Austin, Texas. She is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general who has been an ardent defender of Trump in appearances on Fox News, would hold the most senior policy position in the Pentagon if confirmed The U.S. Senate on Thursday abruptly canceled a hearing for President Donald Trump's most divisive nominee to date for a senior Pentagon post, raising questions about whether the controversial retired general had enough support from lawmakers. Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general who has been an ardent defender of Trump in appearances on Fox News, would hold the most senior policy position in the Pentagon if confirmed. Tata has falsely portrayed former President Barack Obama as a Muslim and accused him of being a "terrorist leader" working to benefit Iran, according to now-deleted Twitter posts seen by Reuters. Just before Tata's confirmation hearing was set to start on Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee's website said it had been canceled without giving a reason. Senator Jim Inhofe, the Republican head of the committee, said many lawmakers did not know enough about Tata to consider him for the position at this time and some documentation had not been received in time. "As I told the President last night, we're simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldnt serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed," Inhofe said in a statement. Prior to the cancellation, the White House had said it stands by Tata's nomination to fill the position of undersecretary of defense for policy. "Anthony Tata is a distinguished public servant whose career has provided him with planning, policy, and operational experience both at home and abroad," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. Tata has extensive U.S. military knowledge after serving for nearly three decades, including in a senior role in Afghanistan. However, current and former U.S. defense officials say he has little knowledge of Asia, at a time when Defense Secretary Mark Esper is trying to focus on competition with China. Democratic lawmakers had signaled they would oppose Tata's nomination. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called Tata "by far Trump's most unqualified & ill-suited senior defense nominee a high bar." She said in a statement that "an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who called President Obama a 'terrorist leader' should not be #3 at the Pentagon." While the extent of Republican support for Tata was unclear, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer had said he plans to oppose Tata's nomination unless the Pentagon makes changes to an unrelated policy issue. Search Keywords: Short link: HAVERFORD Some Delaware County residents have experienced a noticeable delay in their mail delivery in the last few weeks and are asking why. Our mail delivery didnt happen on Monday or Thursday this week. I am signed up for informed delivery so I can see the pieces of mail that were supposed to be delivered; they just didnt make it to our mailbox. Anyone else experiencing this? asked Rene Wick of Havertown on a Facebook community page. Her post brought many comments agreeing that delivery was spotty. My mom lives in Philly and she was expecting something in the mail and it wasnt showing up. She was panicked about it. Then I realized our mail hadnt come for a day or two, Wick explained in a phone interview Thursday. Over the course of the past two weeks, we havent gotten our mail five days, it just hasnt come. Some days it comes with two days worth of mail. Wick said her daughter is also waiting for the title and owners card and insurance bill for a new car; none of it has arrived. She tried calling her neighborhood post office to see if there is anything they could do to help but she couldnt get through. Our mail used to come pretty regularly, said Wick. Now Ive seen carriers out there at 7 or 8 oclock at night still delivering mail. Queries to the postmaster at the Havertown and Springfield offices, where many of the complaints have originated, placed the blame on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that has left many mail centers shorthanded. I understand we are flexing our available resources to match the workload created by the impacts of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; we have a liberal leave policy and we are aggressively trying to hire qualified candidates, Ray V. Daiutolo Sr., U.S. Postal Service corporate communications for South Jersey & Philadelphia Districts wrote in an email Wednesday. We appreciate the patience of our customers and the efforts of employees as conditions change on a day-to-day basis. Nick Casselli, American Postal Workers Union Local 89 president in the Philadelphia area, has a different view. Long before this COVID thing started, we were downsizing our force, said Casselli from his union hall in Darby Wednesday. Over time, when someone retired they wouldnt replace them. They try to short staff us. Casselli said in his Philadelphia processing center theyve gone from 30,000 packages a day to 110,000 pieces a day at reduced staff and he claims this is the problem at other branches. He said they are handling three to four times the packages a day without the staffing to handle the increased volume. Another issue Casselli criticized is some post offices closing in the early afternoon when many customers want to drop off packages and mail. This is happening as a new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has promised changes to the system to address costs. In a June video message to employees, he discussed current challenges, including the pandemic and in the long-term way customers use mail. The pandemic has forced us to make changes for the safety of our workforce. At the same time, it has led to a further decline in mail volumes, DeJoy said. Second, we are faced with long-term and permanent changes in how people use the mail. And finally, we have an expensive, inflexible business model that has been largely imposed us and that we cannot easily change. DeJoy said he wants to create a viable operating model that ensures we fulfill our public service mission. Unlike other businesses, the United States Postal Service has an universal service obligation, which requires the postal service to provide a minimum level of mail service to everyone in the country at a reasonable price. Private delivery services are not bound by this. The requirement also calls for mail delivery six days a week. Experts say part of the reason the postal service loses money is because of a 2006 law that requires the postal service to prefund 75 years worth of retiree health benefits something that no private business is required to cover and is estimated to cost $110 billion. The public needs to call and write their senators and congress. The post office is the most highly rated service in the country. People love the postal service, Casselli said. (President Donald) Trump put his buddy in as the Postmaster General. He put three more supporters on the board of governors and now he has 2/3 of the pie. The 1/3 he doesnt have is the American public. By p them off, delaying their mail, closing their post offices, then they can privatize the whole operation. Thats exactly it in a nutshell. The USPS is a vital public service and our postal workers have been hard hit by this pandemic, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5 of Swarthmore, wrote in an email Wednesday. The efforts from this administration to undermine this critical service are harmful. We have worked since the beginning of this public health crisis to provide additional funding for the USPS, including in the Heroes Act, which remains in the Senate for over two months without a vote. Wick said she wouldt have a problem if the post office reduced delivery, but it should announce it will in advance to give people time to change their expectations. If youre going to shift the policy I dont think now is the time to do it. There is too much uncertainty anyway. If it is COVID, people would understand. Give people a heads up and say in six months, because of financial issues, were going to try shifting things in the post office and let people have the opportunity to shift their thinking and how they are doing things, Wick said. Its just another layer of uncertainty in a time when things are so uncertain anyway. Supplier News 30 July 2020 In the first segment of this two-part series, we covered what consolidation means in the context of managed business travel. I also outlined some key benefits of taking a consolidated approach, which is why it's widely considered a best practice for corporate travel programs. Still, I like to think of consolidation as a journey rather than a destination. It requires planning and preparation, as well as some fine-tuning along the way. As you start to lay the groundwork for consolidating your program, here are some important factors to consider: 1. Balance standardization and localization An important part of consolidating a travel program is to standardize processes and policies across different geographies, as it makes the program more efficient. But while having a globally consistent approach has many advantages, ignoring market-specific nuances can be a big mistake. For example, having an integrated visa offering may not be a priority for employees in Singapore, but it would be a key priority for local employees in India as they require visas for most of their international travel. Similarly, having a standard tax reclaim process will not work across offices due to different regulations. Striking the right balance between standardization and localization is key, especially in a region as varied as Asia Pacific. 2. Understand cultural differences Related to the previous point, you also need to factor in cultural differences - both organizational culture, as well as the diversity in markets. Corporate culture - which impacts employees' expectations and behaviour - can vary widely between companies, and so an approach that works for one organization may not work for another. For example, trying to enforce stringent pre-trip approval processes in an organization where employees are generally given a lot of autonomy and freedom to take decisions probably won't be well received. Similarly, practices that are successful in one country may not translate well somewhere else. In some countries, travelers are very comfortable using self-servicing tools, while in others there is a greater expectation for high-touch service. These cultural differences will impact how much of a change you can make and how quickly you can implement it. Take inspiration from previous large-scale projects that involved a global effort in your organization, such as the transition to enterprise resource planning (ERP) software or expense partner changes. Be patient and work on charting out the stages of transition depending on each location's ability and speed to adapt, while being sensitive to the cultural and local norms along the way. 3. Get organizational buy-in Travel is inherently emotional and personal, so having support across the organization is vital to the program's success. It's not just buy-in from the C-suite that is important, but also from other stakeholders like finance, risk management, legal and compliance, HR, administrative assistants and/or travel arrangers, and of course the travelers themselves. Equally important is having an efficient mechanism to collect and action on feedback. As countries continue to grapple with controlling spread of the virus, in many ways the travel experience will probably be less seamless than it was before the pandemic - at least until a vaccine becomes widely available or a treatment is developed. This makes it more important than ever for companies to focus on the wellbeing of their traveling employees and find opportunities to simplify the travel experience where possible. 4. Review your technological capabilities In some countries, online booking tools may not be common, and the types of services provided typically comprise traditional booking methods with high-touch service. Different countries may also have their own preferred global distribution systems, and are subject to differing airline rules, regulatory limitations and fare filing mechanisms. Employee preferences also play a big role - in China for example, employees prefer using mobile devices to complete their tasks while those in Japan prefer using their desktops. Gain an understanding of where the levels of technology are in each of your markets. Find out how many systems or programs are being used to ensure the smooth operations of each market, and then work out the process of aligning these technologies across all your locations, so you can improve the overall workflow and easily retrieve information from a central system. Most importantly, remember to ensure that robust data protection measures are put in place to keep all your information secure. 5. Visualize and align on what success looks like Having a clear and aligned view of success will help you prioritize the non-negotiables and keep you focused. Develop a clear timeline and have a list of short- and long-term KPIs to keep you on track. Discuss with your major stakeholders and develop a list of requirements when consolidating your travel program, such as duty of care, employee wellbeing, cost savings, policy compliance and sustainability. There's no doubt that consolidating a travel program can be a complex endeavor, and perhaps the biggest mistake I've seen companies make is to underestimate the preparation that's required. If you do your research, gain deep insights into your organization, and work with an experienced partner who can help you draw up a roadmap and guide you on how to implement these changes, you will set yourself up for success - and the results will be worth it. You will create a better travel experience for your employees while simultaneously improving efficiencies and saving money. This article was first published on TTGmice and is republished with permission. Before regulatory authorities license a new vaccine, it must be tested both for safety and efficacy in thousands of human volunteers. Still, there have been cases where safety issues have arisen after licensure. European regulators in 2011 recommended restricting the use of a new swine-flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline Plc after it was linked to rare cases of narcolepsy. A vaccine against Lyme disease developed by the same company, then called SmithKline Beecham, was pulled in 2002 amid concerns about links to arthritis. Some vaccines have been shown to do the opposite of what theyre designed to do by inducing unwanted immune responses. In the 1960s, an experimental vaccine for RSV, a common respiratory virus, not only failed to protect children, but made them more susceptible. Two toddlers died. In recent years, Sanofis dengue vaccine was found to exacerbate symptoms in some who received it. B ritain suffered the worst excess death rate in the whole of Western Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, figures confirmed today. Official statistics laid bare what many experts suspected, that the UKs mortality rate was raised cumulatively higher by the end of May than even Italy and Spain, which were hit earlier. They were issued on a day that the Health Secretary warned of a second deadly wave of Covid-19 rolling across Europe and possibly heading for Britain in two to three weeks. Matt Hancock, however, denied over-reacting to signs of more localised spikes in the UK and a rising average of daily cases. In a major change to the official rules, the UKs chief medical officers announced that the period that victims must go into self-isolation is being increased from seven to 10 days. Scientists now believe people can be infectious for longer than they thought, although this is something the World Health Organisation has maintained all along. The league table for excess death rates is regarded as the benchmark for revealing which countries were most and least successful at combating the disease in its shocking first wave earlier this year. By the end of May, England was top of the table with a death rate some 7.55 per cent higher than usual, said the Office for National Statistics. It overtook Spain, which had suffered a higher peak earlier in the crisis, and by May 29 had an excess death rate of 6.65. Scotland came third with 5.11, followed by Belgium at 3.89, Wales, at 2.78, Sweden at 2.26, the Netherlands, at 2.21, and Northern Ireland at 2.03, with France at just 0.16. An ONS spokesman confirmed that the four nations and regions of the UK together had a combined rate that was higher than any other country. Interactive map showing relative age-standardised mortality rates by week and NUTS3 region of Europe Loading.... Mr Hancock issued the most stark warning yet from a minister that a second wave could reach Britain next month. I am worried about a second wave, he told Sky. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and weve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images Fresh restrictions have been put in place in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and there have been localised outbreaks in Stone, Staffordshire, and Wrexham, North Wales. Labour MP Chris Bryant accused Mr Hancock of exaggerating the threat of a second wave from Europe to distract from the bleak data on excess deaths. All this loose talk from the Government is an attempt to distract from their own shocking performance in the UK, as confirmed by todays data from the Office for National Statistics. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned of the dangers of a second wave / PA It was confirmed that those who test positive for coronavirus or display symptoms such as a persistent cough, a high temperature or loss of sense of smell, must now self-isolate for 10 days. In a joint statement the chief medical officers said it was necessary because of the risk individuals may still be able to spread Covid-19, calling it a low but real possibility of infectiousness for up to 10 days. Scientists at Cambridge University have said it is very likely that most regions in England including the South-East are close to the point at which the virus begins to spread exponentially, with an R rate above one. In their joint statement the scientists, including Professor Chris Whitty, said: Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with Covid-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset. Meanwhile, health bosses are tracking the increase in cases in other European countries. Mr Hancock said he was thankful that the Government had imposed quarantine requirements on Spain at the weekend in the light of further rises in cases there. Local lockdown in Leicester during Coronavirus pandemic 1 /41 Local lockdown in Leicester during Coronavirus pandemic Leicester has seen 866 cases in the past two weeks PA A city council worker carries rubbish from a coronavirus testing centre at Spinney Park which will be incinerated Getty Images Leicester could be the site of the UK's first local lockdown PA The Government says it is supporting officials in Leicester in their battle against Covid-19 PA Members of the military set up a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA A worker for Leicester City Council disinfects public toilets PA A man cleans the windows of a launderette in Leicester PA A member of military personnel uses a tub to collect used a self-test kit from a member of the public at a COVID-19 drive-through mobile testing unit set up at Evington Leisure Centre in Leicester, AFP via Getty Images Members of the military operate a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA People queue at walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA A man wearing a protective visor crosses the road on mobility scooter in Leicester PA Members of the military operate a walk-in mobile Covid-19 testing centre at Spinney Hill Park in Leicester PA People walk by an electronic billboard displaying a government message AFP via Getty Images Robin Dignall and Maria Demetriou-Clamp disinfect chairs at their hair salon Hair@1RD in Leicester as the city may be the first UK location to be subjected to a local lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases PA A woman wearing a PPE mask walks past social distance advisory singns in Leicester's North Evington neighbourhood Getty Images People walk by an electronic billboard displaying a government message AFP via Getty Images Soldiers from the Royal Logistics Corp operate a mobile coronavirus (Covid-19) testing site at Evington Leisure Centre Getty Images A youth cycles past a sign telling local residents to "Social Distance" and advising on how to help "Prevent the Spread" of coronavirus, in the North Evington district of Leicester AFP via Getty Images Gallowtree Gate in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city. PA A man sits on a bench, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester Reuters A worker disinfects a bin following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester, Reuters A worker disinfects a McDonald's restaurant Reuters A police car on Gallowtree Gate in Leicester PA Shops open their shutters in Leicester after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock imposed a local lockdown following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city PA AFP via Getty Images Reuters PA AFP via Getty Images Getty Images PA PA He warned travellers that new countries could shortly be added to the quarantine list in the coming days after passengers arriving in the UK from Spain were ordered to isolate for two weeks. He said ministers were looking at ways to reduce the 14-day period, possibly by the use of multiple tests, amid pressure from the tourism industry. But he said ministers were constantly considering whether to add countries to the quarantine list. Jonathan Ashworth, Labours shadow health secretary, said of the latest ONS statistics on excess deaths: We can no longer hide from the fact that the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes. A Government spokesperson said: Todays report from ONS shows us where the highest peaks were across Europe when factors like age and gender are taken into account. However, this is a novel virus and we are still working to fully understand all the factors driving this pandemic. At all stages we have been guided by the latest scientific advice, and the action we have taken has allowed us to protect the vulnerable and ensure the NHS was not overwhelmed, even at the virus peak. The economic crisis unleashed by Covid-19 was underlined as the German powerhouse recorded a fall of 10.1 per cent during the pandemic. Loading.... Meanwhile, Britains Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 11,000 were made redundant in the first half of the year. (Newser) A children's hospital in Chicago has apologized for its "harmful and wrong" approach to genital surgery on infants born "intersex," with genitals that don't correspond to the usual definitions of male or female. The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, which was responding to a campaign from advocates, is the first hospital in the US to apologize for the cosmetic genital surgeries, CNN reports. " We recognize the painful history and complex emotions associated with intersex surgery and how, for many years, the medical field has failed these children," the hospital said in a blog post. "We empathize with intersex individuals who were harmed by the treatment that they received according to the historic standard of care and we apologize and are truly sorry." story continues below Advocates said the surgeries could cause lifelong pain, loss of sexual function, and the need for hormone treatment, as well as psychological damage. The hospital said Tuesday that surgeries like clitoroplasties "should not be performed until patients can participate meaningfully in making the decision for themselves," unless they are medically necessary; it notes it has not performed a clitoroplasty on a baby or child in the last five years. "This is a pivotal moment," researcher Dr. Ellie Kim tells the Chicago Tribune. Kim, the first Lurie employee to publicly speak out against the surgeries, describes them as "medically unnecessary, purely cosmetic procedures" that are being done on children as young as 2 "simply to normalize their bodies into a binary definition of male and female." (Read more intersex stories.) SUPPORTING CAST by Kit de Waal (Penguin 8.99, 144 pp) SUPPORTING CAST by Kit de Waal (Penguin 8.99, 144 pp) The characters in Kit de Waals superb collection of short stories have appeared elsewhere in her writing, hanging out on the fringes of the story and then disappearing into the background. Here they take centre stage, and blaze into richly imagined lives full of loss, love, abandonment and heartfelt hope. Theres Sylvia, Leighton Buzzard bypass, 1965, on the top deck of a bus en route to a divorce lawyer, remembering her young husband in his glory days when he saved a boy from drowning. Theres Gayle, Eastbourne District General, February 2, 1981, who writes words on the tips of her fingers as prompts to avoid talking about death to her mortally ill father. And the recently released Byron Francis, Lincoln Prison, September 4, 1983, is desperate to be reunited with his son, whose story is told in de Waals novel My Name Is Leon. MODERN TIMES MODERN TIMES by Cathy Sweeney (W&N 14.99, 160 pp) by Cathy Sweeney (W&N 14.99, 160 pp) Cathy Sweeneys startling stories are very short, very unconventional and very strange. The book begins with the darkly funny A Love Story, in which the course of a marriage is condensed into a page and a half. It opens with a shockingly unforgettable line which sets the tone for an off-kilter collection that is economical with words, but full of hard-to-define emotion. Here, women breathe out rain, hay and blue and timburalis, magenta and persimmon moths (The Woman With Too Many Mouths), and buildings become sick (The Palace). Childcare issues are also solved by popping a baby in a freezer (The Woman Whose Child Was A Very Old Man), and a man he was not a mad man, just an unsuccessful one wanders his provincial town, making remarkable, imaginative films without a camera (Flowers In Water). BLUE IN CHICAGO BLUE IN CHICAGO by Bette Howland (Picador 12.99, 336 pp) by Bette Howland (Picador 12.99, 336 pp) Recently re-discovered, Bette Howlands stories mostly set in Chicago, where she lived for nearly 40 years are beautifully bittersweet. Howland observes the nitty gritty of everyday lives against the backdrop of a poor, crime-ridden city, where quiet but enthralling dramas are played out in libraries, hospitals and ramshackle apartments. Shes funny, ruefully poetic and effortlessly perceptive when it comes to the push-pull nature of the relationships between parents and grown-up children. In the title story the narrator joins her Jewish family at a cousins wedding and, gimlet-eyed, watches her grimly prominent mother who is endlessly disappointed in her daughters life. The same sad sharpness is applied in the hauntingly humorous How We Got The Old Woman To Go. Here, the relatives of a defenceless grandmother competitively attempt to take on, or swerve, the burden of care of a dignified woman who was always so afraid of taking, even though nothing much is being offered. CIVIL servants are facing challenges utilising US$75 deposited into their accounts by Government as a flat non-taxable Covid-19 monthly allowance. Chronicle understands that those who received their allowances have been failing to utilise it because shops are saying no system has been put in place for them to swipe while some employees are yet to be issued with bank cards by financial institutions. Last month, the Public Service Commission (PSC) said the foreign currency allowances will not be disbursed in notes form but civil servants will use their nostro bank account electronic cards to swipe for their purchased items. Government is paying civil servants a flat non-taxable Covid-19 allowance of US$75 while pensioners who retired from the civil service will also get a flat non-taxable Covid-19 allowance of US$30 per month. In an interview yesterday, Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) president Mr Ralph Watungwa said most civil servants are still to get their bank cards to start transacting. He said after Government announced the US$75 allowances, time was needed for banks to put in place modalities or functioning systems to enable smooth access of allowances by the civil servants. As such, Mr Watungwa said there will be some delays before civil servants can use their allowances. When the announcement of the US$75 for civil servants was made which is meant to fund cards for shopping for civil servants, naturally some banks did not have enough cards. There are 300 000 civil servants and some didnt have nostro accounts, he said. Mr Watungwa said material for the cards needs to be imported and it may take up to the end of August for all civil servants to have the cards. I know that civil servants are failing to access their cards, they dont have the cards. Ordering 300 000 cards overnight is not possible. So, the process of importing them will take up to the end of August because we dont have the material to make that number of cards, he said. The cards, Mr Watungwa said, will ensure holders can walk into a shop and swipe for products that they need. He said the banks were also waiting for clearance from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to have an option to convert the allowances into local currency at the official bank rate. Banks were not deciding on converting the allowances into the local currency at the official bank rate but can do it now since they got the clearance from the central bank. The banks were doing it on an exceptional basis meaning therefore that any client that cannot wait for their card or whose card is not working can convert that allowance into the local currency and be able to use the money in local currency, said Mr Watungwa. Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Lovemore Matuke said Government was unaware that banks were struggling to provide nostro accounts to civil servants. Banks have different capacities. There are some who are not ready to do that and there are some who are ready. We will work with those who are ready to implement the Government policy as the policy says they should have nostro accounts. Logistical challenges can be addressed through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. Us as the Public Service we want people to have their allowances. They are entitled to their allowances, said Deputy Minister Matuke. He said he does not know if the policy allows those without nostro accounts to receive their money converted to local currency. Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube and the Ministrys Permanent Secretary Mr George Guvamatanga could not be reached for comment. Zimbabwe Teachers Association president Mr Richard Gundani said his members are finding it difficult to use the allowances. Commending the Government for depositing the allowances into their members accounts, Mr Gundani said clarity should be announced by the Government on which shops and modalities to be used by civil servants to enjoy the real US dollar value attached to the allowance. We are happy that almost all our members got the allowances with only a few still to receive and we have engaged the employer on that. However, it is not clear which shops are accepting the US dollar allowances whether be it nostro account, RTGS or through swipe. In any case, there are no cards for swiping. The few who have used it did so after the banks liquidated the money, he said. Mr Gundani said they want clarity from Government on how the allowance can be used. We got a message that liquidating the allowances is wrong and we were left confused. We want it to be clear so that we know if the money will be used at US dollar value or not. We have picked up one or two shops that have accepted once one has done a bank transfer and other shops dont want to entertain us, he said. Retailers Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Denford Mutashu said information they were receiving was that some retailers are asking civil servants to take quotations to banks so that they are processed before they get their goods. He said the other issue is to do with the exchange rate that is being offered by retailers which civil servants are not happy with. Mr Mutashu said Government should at least announce a position on how the money can be used for the benefit of the retailers and civil servants. He made the statement at an online yesterday meeting in the sector presided by Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung. Lately, the Ministry has sent two inspection teams to major economic zones in the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and the north central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An. In the next time, inspectors from the Ministry will come to the Mekong Delta region to remove difficulties and speed up public investment disbursement as per the government and the Prime Ministers directions. Speaking at the meeting, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said that though the country has seen positive growth in the last six months, there has been difficulties. As the Covid-19 pandemic has developed complicatedly, Vietnam will continue facing challenges. He said all state competent agencies therefore must work together to resolve barriers to achieve highest growth for the year paving the way for the next years; the Ministry will adopt best policies to attract more investors. He stressed on the necessity for a plan of medium-term public investment in period 2021-2025 for the beset result. Mr. Tran Duy Dong also revealed the Ministry will convene conferences on plan of medium-term public investment in August and work with local administrations in key economic zones. Accordingly, he proposed local administrations to complete investment paperwork to accelerate plans as well as apply measures to boost disbursement of public investment in last six months of the year. Additionally, the Ministry will carry out synchronous solutions to remove hindrance during application of investment and business regulations and to ensure effective implementation of the Law of Public Investment, the Law on Planning, and the Law on Support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Director of the Ministrys Legislation Department Tran Hao Hung said that the Ministry will submit detailed instructions of the three laws approved by the National Assembly to the government as quickly as possible so that they will take effect from January 1, 2021. Moreover, the Ministry will review regulations relating to investment to make sure its transparency and synchronousness of business environment. By Anh Phuong - Translated by Anh Quan ICE officials are having second thoughts. No, not about indiscriminately rounding up undocumented people or about separating children from their parents at the border, but about giving two documentary filmmakers permission to film their operation and how it evolved following Trumps election. During his campaign, Trump promised his supporters that he would crack down on undocumented migrants living in the United States. The second he had the opportunity to do so, he followed through. Immigration Nation, a six-part docuseries set to release Aug. 3 on Netflix, shows the tactics used to enforce the presidents policies. The filmmakers say Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials pushed to have entire scenes deleted or at least to delay the release until after the presidential election. Their efforts may have done the series a favor by turning it into forbidden fruit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But the excitement of watching something the government doesnt want anyone to see took two minutes, in my case, to turn into rage. The first episode begins outside a building in New York City at dawn. A group of ICE agents is banging on the door of someones apartment. When a woman asks them to identify themselves, they refuse to say.: Were not going to yell out in a hallway through a closed door. Thats not how we do business. We know what happens if she opens that door, but she has no way of knowing that theyre immigration police there to arrest her father. She asks for a warrant. An agent offers her a business card. Plus, you opened the door and let me in, he says, callously suggesting its her own fault. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. That scene hit too close for comfort. After 9/11, Homeland Security carried out a series of raids on the homes of Muslim Americans. They tricked my mother into opening the door, just after 4 a.m., to search our apartment. Remembering that trauma, wishing they too were caught on camera, I realized this would be a difficult watch. It didnt let up. One scene shows an ICE agent illegally breaking into an apartment building, picking a lock with his pocketknife. Another shows an ICE deputy field office director, identified as Mike, mocking someone they had detained and filming him with his iPhone. Bryan Cox, who works with ICE Public Affairs, is caught on camera intentionally misleading the media. At a press conference, he says that 91 percent of their arrests last year were criminal. Behind closed doors, he and his colleagues acknowledge that the current stats, showing 35 percent of arrests are criminal, disproving what he just said. Yes. Just own it, he tells them privately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I couldnt believe what I was watching. The filmmakers, Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz, have been granted access other filmmakers could only dream of. Not many images are ever released from inside ICE detention centers, but Clusiau and Schwarz talk to the detainees. They speak with parents, many of whom were just separated from their children, in undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of the show to watch. They also interview people in custody who tried to do it the right way, by seeking asylum, one of them a grandmother who was wanted for murder by violent gang members of MS-13 because she refused to let one marry her 12-year-old granddaughter. Shes been in ICE custody for 17 months, so Trump can keep his promise to slash refugee resettlement numbers in the States. Advertisement Advertisement Clusiau and Schwarz also interview the ICE office workers who inform detainees of their fates and Border Patrol officers who execute search and rescue missions in the Arizona desert. I live in a neighborhood with a massive migrant community. Having witnessed the trauma ICE raids have placed in the hearts of workers here, Ill admit, the chances of me empathizing with these agents were slim from the start. But I did come away with a better understanding of who these people are and how they wont ever fully understand the terrorism theyve inflicted. Advertisement Advertisement We constantly look like were the bad guys. Judy is an ICE Fugitive Operations officer whom the filmmakers spent a lot of time with. All were doing is enforcing the laws and doing our job, she says. I get that. Its unfair that anyone feels compelled to follow orders that they have no control over. We all have to earn our money somehow. But later she says, Now, the administration has changed and were finally able to do our job. It was at that moment I understood that for officers like Judy, whos been working in immigration enforcement for 12 years, shes stopped seeing these families as people. If she has orders to police an entire community without exception, theres no room for discretion and, in turn, no room for empathy for the people she polices. Advertisement Advertisement Brian, an ICE Fugitive Operations agent, does show a bit of empathy, saying he doesnt arrest undocumented people who arent hostile just for the sake of numbers. Just after saying that, he is reprimanded over the phone. Bob, an ICE assistant field office directorwho earlier told the cameras after arresting a father in front of his children, Im a dad and I have a grandchild. Its tough when the kids are involvedreprimands Brian for his discretion. On speakerphone, he tells Brian he needs to arrest more undocumented migrants who havent committed crimes, to get his numbers up. I dont care what you do, but bring at least two people in. Even Brian tells the filmmakers, Thats a pretty stupid thing to say. Advertisement Advertisement Throughout the show, I began to realize how this job, where agents are forced to see people as inherently criminal, makes empathy impossibleI just watched as someone with empathy was reprimanded for it. But what became infuriating for me, as a child of immigrants myself, was their refusal to understand why so many are unemphatic toward them. I dont make the rules, I just enforce them, is an attitude often repeated in the show. Clusiau and Schwarz have produced a work here that perfectly demonstrates what happens to an enforcement officer who is forced to try to justify their actions. They lie, deflect, and hide from the truth: that what the work they are doing is unjustifiable. A Homeland Security Investigations officer named Mike breaks it down perfectly. He says, I cant tell you how exhausting it is to be putting cuffs on people that you honestly cant blame one iota for what they did. He gets even more candid. I dont like that about my career. But I still think its important to do it. And I put my personal feelings aside. Which, yeah, maybe thats what every Nazi said, that I put my feelings aside, but I actually believe in the cause of enforcing the sovereignty of our borders, and nobody has figured out a better way to do it yet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Is it possible to empathize with people who are without empathy? The filmmakers gave ICE and HSI every opportunity to justify their operations. The series feels deliberately balanced by Clusiau and Schwarz, giving equal airtime to the migrants and enforcers. Each group speaks directly to how theyve been affected by the top-down application of law. So what does it mean that ICE officials tried to prevent us from watching it until after the election? It can only mean that theyve finally been forced to look into a mirror and they dont like what they see. And they know we wont like it either. HARTFORD The law enforcement reform bill passed the state Senate in a predawn vote Wednesday after a long night in which Republicans attacked the plan while acknowledging that whites in suburbs have vastly different experiences with police than Black and Hispanic people in the cities. Along the way, a Bridgeport Democratic lawmaker wrapped himself in the American flag; a rural Democrat railed against the way the bill was crafted, only to vote for it; Republicans charged that the legislation was not properly vetted and would lead to bad outcomes. And the lone Black GOP lawmaker delivered an extended speech over what he believes will be millions of dollars in additional insurance costs for towns to pay for the actions of rogue officers. But the 21-15 vote, with only conservative Sen. Joan Hartley from Waterbury lining up against the bill among Democrats, will put Connecticut police on the path to more transparency and accountability, supporters said. When Gov. Ned Lamont signs it which he will as soon as this week the new law will bring an state inspector general to investigate police-involved shootings, mandatory body and dashboard cameras, and the ability of the public to review disciplinary records. The legislation will end the practice of police officers who are fired in one town getting jobs in other Connecticut communities. The vote, shortly before 4 a.m., culminated a sometimes emotional ten-and-a-half hour debate, during which lawmakers said the issue has tested friendships and political alliances. Sen. Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport, wore the American flag like a shawl in his remarks late Tuesday, to illustrate how much he appreciates the country and accepts the legislation. I love this flag and I would never, ever pass a piece of legislation that goes to punish police officers with indifference, to punish Black people with indifference, to punish anybody with indifference, he said. I vote for this knowing that it is not perfect, knowing that none of us is perfect. Sen. Carlo Leone, D-Stamford, said the overall issue was very complicated, but the May 25 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police set off a national discussion about race and police violence that had been simmering for years, if not decades. So now we are at a crossroads where we want to make change, Leone said. Hopefully change for the better. Change that we know must come. But as Im hearing the debate and as Im hearing the different points of view, its clear that were still not in full agreement as to what that change needs to be or how that change needs to happen. Are there abuses? Yes. Are those abuses caught? Yes, maybe not always. Maybe not in the way that people would like. Thats what the courts are for. But then the question becomes is that fair for all parties? Friendships shattered It was a major victory for Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, who remained in the nearly empty Senate chamber throughout the debate with only a few other top Senate leaders, as rank-and-file lawmakers came in, one or two at a time to speak, then left as custodial crews, using coronavirus protocols, quickly sanitized microphones, desks and even nameplates. The 36-member Senate chamber, known informally as the circle, was limited to eight members at a time but rarely had even that many on the floor as the debate unfolded. Winfield went back-and-forth with questioning lawmakers, sometimes offering short, curt answers, sometimes with no replies to tough questions, such as several asked by Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague. Osten explained her unprecedented experience in rural eastern Connecticut after the Floyd killing. We started having protests or rallies, people talking about what they were seeing going on, and these protests or rallies were happening in a district that I represent that had never before seen anything like this at all, ever, Osten said. She said the bill was poorly crafted and should have gone through other committees, not just the General Assemblys Judiciary Committee. She charged that the way it was drafted was inadequate and the debate framed as if those who lined up against the reforms were racist. We allowed ourselves to be addressed that way, Osten said during an hour-long appearance on the Senate floor early Wednesday morning. And we have actually treated our colleagues that way. In both the House and the Senate, the rhetoric that has happened around this bill has not been good. It has not done the right thing for our respective communities or each other. She added, There have been friendships that have been shattered by the way we handled this bill and that has not been good. In the end, Osten voted for the measure. Immunity at heart of debate Republicans warned of unintended consequences. Good cops are going to be sued, no doubt about it, said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven. The strength of our cities depends on the way we treat the people in our cities. We have to get real on it. Weve got to have deep conversations, and weve got to be honest with each other and straight forward, and not let the noise of cowards on Facebook dictate how we feel and the way we act. But supporting it would send the wrong message. Possibly the most vehement attack on the legislation came from Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, the only Black GOP member of either chamber, who quoted police sources in his hometown claiming that the end of so-called qualified immunity, the most-controversial piece of the bill, would lead to frivolous lawsuits. Overall, this bill would be a blow to public safety, Logan said as Winfield showed no emotion on the other side of the circle of mostly empty Senate desks. It will drastically affect their ability to do their jobs effectively. Removing qualified immunity as it stands now for all police officers, which this bill does, will devastate police officers ability to protect people in Connecticut. That section of the bill, similar to existing federal law, means that police convicted of malicious brutality could also become personally liable for civil suits in state Superior Court. Police unions have claimed that if the bill becomes law, many law enforcement officials will retire or resign in protest and recruitment will be much harder. Only the most-violent, out-of-control cops should be worried, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said in the final speech of the night. I dont think were going to see a rash of judgments because the conduct really has to be egregious by the officer to meet that standard of conduct that is malicious, wanton or willful, Looney said. Obviously conduct to which the officer can demonstrate good faith, there will be no breaching of qualified immunity. The bill, which passed the House 86-58 last week, was not the target of a GOP amendment that could have stripped out the controversial immunity section, which House Republicans narrowly failed to delete last week. Trust in the police Other lawmakers found other problematic sections beyond the issue of immunity, including limiting so-called consent searches, where police stop vehicles for minor reasons, with the goal of searching the vehicle for drugs or weapons. I am very concerned about what the language in this bill is going to do, said Sen. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield, who believes that the new limits to searches and seizures could hinder police. I think the folks in the state of Connecticut that make a livelihood out of illegal activity are going to see this as an opportunity. I think its going to increase the level of violence in communities. Not like mine. I think its going to increase the level of violence in larger communities, Miner said. We dont want to take anything away from the police, said Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport. We want good cops. We want justice. We want to be treated as equals. She said shes been the target of harassing emails. When I received emails from people all over the state and not in my district, they were very cruel. Many were vulgar. A lot of it is the narrative that was created about the untruths of this bill. After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, agreed its a first step taken during a challenging time, when the coronavirus literally ended the regular legislative session two months early. By passing this bill, it shows that, as a legislature, we are committed to addressing the structural issues that exist and seek reform so that residents, particularly residents of color, regain trust and confidence in their police departments, Duff said. Stonington Police Chief J. Darren Stewart, president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said he expects the group to review the legislation closely when the General Assembly reconvenes in January. There are concerns that parts of this bill may inhibit our ability to attract and retain quality police officers, he said. Also, there is significant case law that ensures constitutional policing particularly as it relates to use of force, governmental immunity, and the ability of officers to take dangerous criminals off of our streets. He stopped short of saying the law would be unconstitutional. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump, lagging in the polls and grappling with deepening economic and public health crises, on Thursday floated the startling idea of delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election. His campaign to sow doubt about the elections outcome drew immediate pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike in a nation that has held itself up as a beacon to the world for its history of peaceful transfer of power. Trump suggested the delay as he pushed unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic would result in fraud. But shifting Election Day is virtually impossible and the very idea represented another bracing attempt by Trump to undermine confidence in the American political system. The date of the presidential election the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year is enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. Top Republicans in Congress quickly rebuffed Trumps suggestion. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the election date is set in stone and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy said the election should go forward as planned. Regardless, the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay in the end of Trumps term noon on Jan. 20, 2021. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump tweeted Thursday. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? After facing blowback from Republicans for even floating a delay, Trump appeared to retreat on Twitter Thursday afternoon, suggesting he was merely trying to highlight alleged problems with mail-in balloting. Do I want to see a date changed, no, Trump said later during a press conference on the coronavirus response. But I dont want to see a crooked election. Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on Novembers election and the expected pandemic-induced surge in mail-in and absentee voting. He has called remote voting options the biggest risk to his reelection. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the GOP. In fact, only five states conduct elections entirely by mail, although more states expect to rely more heavily on mail-in ballots in November because of the virus outbreak. Experts assess that delays in counting mail-in ballots could mean results wont be known on Election Day. Trumps suggestion of delaying the vote came just minutes after the government reported that the U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7%. With just over three months until Election Day, Trump trails in the polls nationally and across battleground states, and some surveys even suggest traditionally Republican-leaning states could be in play. While Trump has come back before after trailing consistently in the polls throughout 2016, the survey data has raised the possibility that he could face a landslide loss if he doesnt turn things around. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting and the states that use it exclusively say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor doesnt disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that voter fraud is rare in all forms of balloting, including by mail. So far, at least six states have confirmed that they will send mail ballot request forms to voters, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYUs Law School. New Mexico has passed legislation so that county clerks may send such forms to voters. California and Vermont will mail ballots to all active registered voters. In roughly three dozen states and the District of Columbia, officials may not send request forms or ballots to all voters for November. Trump and many members of his administration have previously availed themselves of absentee voting, but Trump has sought to differentiate that from a growing push by states to mail all registered voters either ballots or absentee request forms. Speaking at Rep. John Lewiss funeral in Atlanta, former President Barack Obama implicitly addressed his successors policies on voting. There are those in power doing their darnedest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive ID laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run up to an election thats going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people dont get sick, Obama said. In an evening fundraiser with top Black congressional leaders, former Vice-President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, blasted Trumps suggestion of a delay, calling it another example of a strategy to stoke division and chaos because Trump doesnt want to focus on whats going on. This has got to be a wakeup call, Biden said. Its time to respond with purpose, action and commitment. Because this election isnt just about voting against Donald Trump. Its about working to understand peoples struggles. Its about all our families. Voters and public health officials have expressed concerns about the potential dangers for spreading the virus during in-person voting, and states have reported difficulty filling poll worker positions given the pandemic. Democrats have pushed to include billions of dollars in the next coronavirus relief bill to fund election security and accessibility improvements for this years vote, but Trump and Republicans have so far resisted those efforts. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi replied to Trumps tweet by tweeting a quote from the Constitution assigning Congress the power to set the timing of elections. Trumps stated concern for poll safety defies his otherwise aggressive push to reopen the nation from partial shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus, even as rising confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths have pushed the U.S. to the top of the list for the world outbreak. Trump has said the upcoming vote will be the most corrupt election in U.S. history and has refused to commit to accept the results, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 election. In April, Trump had ruled out the prospect of trying to change the election after Biden predicted Trump would do so. Im not thinking about it at all, Trump said. Not at all. And in March, Trump opposed moves by several states to delay their presidential primaries because of the coronavirus. - Associated Press writers Christina Cassidy and Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Holly Ramer in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, Emily Swanson and Mark Sherman contributed to this report. PHOENIX The race to finish John McCains last term in the U.S. Senate is one of the hottest contests in U.S. politics this November, but theres likely to be little fanfare in next weeks primary. Retired astronaut Mark Kelly has only a write-in opponent for the Democratic nomination, while a conservative firebrand has struggled to mount a vigorous challenge to Republican incumbent Martha McSally. Kelly and McSally are targeting each other with a focus on November. It didnt always look so clear cut, though. Republicans last year got nervous that businessman Daniel McCarthy or another wealthy Republican who considered running, Blake Masters, could trip up McSally or distract her with a well-financed challenge from her right. But McCarthy has spent little money and Masters decided not to run. On the Democratic side, two prominent officials with the ability to mount serious campaigns U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego and former Attorney General Grant Woods considered running but decided against it, ceding the nomination to Kelly. McCarthy says hell fight the restrictions put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus, including mask mandates and business closures. He says the government should immediately stop coronavirus testing, saying the virus is so widespread that theres no value in tracking it. The government has been completely weaponized against the American people, McCarthy said in a phone interview. They are now leveraging businesses to force the government on our face. They are attempting to force vaccination. We have Republican socialists and Democrat communists. Hes also vowed to fight restrictions on gun ownership. He says McSally is a poor standard bearer for the GOP because she was already rejected by voters two years ago, when she lost the race for Arizonas other Senate seat to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Through July 15, McCarthy had raised just over $500,000 and spent almost all of it. All but $70,000 was from his own fortune, which he amassed from several businesses hes founded with his wife, including a real estate brokerage and MakeUp Eraser, a cosmetics company. McSally, by contrast, reported raising $30 million and spending two-thirds of it with a focus on the general election. A former Air Force combat pilot, McSally was appointed to the seat after losing her race to Sinema. The winner of the November contest will finish the last two years of McCains term and will face re-election in 2022. McSally has touted the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who has praised her from the stage at his campaign rallies in Phoenix. Her campaign declined to comment for this story. Chuck Coughlin, a Republican political consultant, said McCarthys lack of money leaves him unable to get his message in front of most voters and overcome the significant advantages McSally carries, including support from Trump, Gov. Doug Ducey and the Republican Party machinery. While a possible McCarthy victory is a longshot, the results will provide a clue about McSallys standing with the right flank of the GOP base, which shes long struggled to pacify. Before winning the GOP nomination in 2018, she faced a strong challenge from former state lawmaker Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who presented themselves as more reliable champions of Trumps agenda. Ward is now chair of the Arizona Republican Party and has backed McSally, along with the GOPs official Senate campaign arm in Washington, the National Republican Senatorial Committee. I would presume that people who are voting for Daniel may be so ideologically extreme that they would just skip the Senate race after voting for Trump, Coughlin said. On Shivarajkumars birthday (July 12) this year, an intriguing new black and white poster was unveiled much to his fans delight. And now, Cinema Express has confirmed that the promising new project will be helmed by A Harsha. The yet-untitled venture will be bankrolled by Ramesh Kumar, Sudhindra, and Ashok Kumar respectively. For the unversed, the director has previously collaborated with the Century Star on Vajrakaya followed by Bhajarangi and Bhajarangi 2 thats currently on the floors. The duo shares a wonderful work relationship and is excited to collaborate again. Shivarajkumar plans on announcing the film officially made on the auspicious occasion of Varamahalakshmi. A source close to the development revealed, Shivanna was impressed with the storyline Harsha has come up and has given green signal for the project. Makers are also planning to bring on board a top heroine from the south Indian industry, and have already initiated talks with a few actors. Meanwhile, Shivanna has a number of exciting projects lined including RDX directed by Ravi Arasu and Bhairathi Ranagal which will be his 125th film. He will also be working with Telugu director Ram Dulipudi and director Vijay Milton. However, the Hattrick hero first plans on completing Bhajarangi 2. The highly anticipated Sandalwood biggie missed its initial release date due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film produced by Jayanna Films also stars Bhavana as the female lead opposite and boasts of Arjun Janyas music. The cinematography of the actioner entertainer has been rendered by J Swamy and the editing is being handled by Deepu S Kumar. A new release date for Bhajarangi 2 is expected to be announced by the makers soon. ALSO READ: Superstar Shivarajkumar To Work With Sandalwood Debutant Director Vijay Milton ALSO READ: Shivarajkumars 125th Film Bhairathi Ranagal To Be Helmed By Director Narthan Meghan Markle was charmed by Prince Harry's 'funny and adorable' texting style and his use of the ghost emoji instead of a smiley face, according to the latest extract of the bombshell biography Finding Freedom. The Duchess of Sussex, 38, who is currently living in LA with Harry and their son Archie, one, is thought to have found the Duke's texting style endearing following their first date in the summer of 2016. Harry wanted the American former actress 'to know he was very interested' and didn't hide the fact he was keen, authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand claim in their new book - excerpts of which were published in People today. Prince Harry used his favoured ghost emoji to charm Meghan Markle (pictured together in 2017) following their first date, according to the latest extract of the bombshell biography Finding Freedom The Duke of Sussex, 35, used the odd choice (pictured above) instead of a smiley face, according to royal biographers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand in their new book - excerpts of which were published in People today After meeting together with friends at Londons Soho House, Harry wasted no time in texting Meghan, who was back in her hotel room, according to a source. His messages were often short and full of emojis, in particular the ghost emoji, which he often used instead of a smiley face, wrote the royal authors. For what reason? Nobody knows. But Meghan found his texting etiquette funny and adorable, just like the prince.' A friend of Meghans added: He definitely didnt hide the fact that he was keen. He wanted her to know he was very interested. The book also claims that Harry was the first to say 'I love you' in his relationship with Meghan, with friends revealing the couple were 'immediately obsessed' with each other. Harry wanted the American former actress (pictured together in March this year) 'to know he was very interested' and didn't hide the fact he was keen, the book claims The couple felt a 'palpable attraction' after their first date, with Harry reportedly left in a 'trance' and Meghan telling friends 'this could have legs'. Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, has been written by royal watchers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand Harry had a beer, while Meghan drank a martini as they discussed their work, so engrossed with each other that their nibbles lay neglected. 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.' Speaking to Vanity Fair, the family source said: 'I think the person who will be most upset about it all is the Queen.' 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 writers say 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'. QUINCY, Ill., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Titan International, Inc., manufacturer of Titan Tires, Titan Wheels and Goodyear Farm Tires, is proud to announce that John Deere's three largest 8R-Series MFWD tractors the 8R 340, 8R 370, and 8R 410 can now be ordered with Goodyear Super Single Low Sidewall (LSW) Technology tires for model year 2021 when equipped with Independent Link Suspension. The combination of Goodyear Optitrac LSW1000/40R32 fronts and LSW1100/45R46 rears offers years of proven performance in the aftermarket, demonstrating significant traction, flotation and ride quality benefits over a traditional row crop dual setup all at a comparable price to duals. "This flotation LSW setup has been incredibly popular for years in the aftermarket with growers running John Deere MFWD tractors and we're happy that the demand from growers and years of extensive field testing have led to John Deere making this in-demand setup available direct from the factory," said Scott Sloan, agricultural product manager for Titan and Goodyear Farm Tires. "More than half of growers rarely need to run their tractors between the rows post-emergence, and for them this LSW Super Single setup should be the clear choice to help reduce soil compaction, increase yield and improve performance in any field conditions." Duals Versus Super Singles A common traditional row crop setup on John Deere MFWD tractors would be 380/80R38 dual fronts and 480/80R50 dual rears resulting in a total contact area 2,368 inches. By switching to the newly available Goodyear LSW Super Single setup, the result is a total contact area of 3,644 inches. Results of the Switch 53 percent improvement in total contact area providing superior flotation thanks to the weight of the tractor being spread over a larger footprint. 6-inch reduction in overall roading width allowing for easier transport and improved turn radius. Growers Agree Years of proven aftermarket performance in a range of applications show the benefits of switching to a Super Single LSW setup on John Deere MFWD tractors. A few examples include: New 10-Year Warranty All radial Goodyear Farm Tires including the Super Single LSW tires available from John Deere now come with the industry's leading warranty, which includes: 10-year coverage for tire workmanship and material with prorated refund based on years in service and percentage wear 2-year, no-cost replacement as part of the workmanship and materials coverage when the tire is less than 25 percent worn (mounting and service included) New 2-year field hazard protection plan 3-year stubble damage protection plan Certain exclusions apply. View the full coverage here. For more information, visit titan-intl.com/supersingles. About Titan International, Inc. Titan International, Inc. (NYSE: TWI) is a leading global manufacturer of off-highway wheels, tires, assemblies and undercarriage products. Headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, the company produces a broad range of products to meet the specifications of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aftermarket customers in the agricultural, earthmoving/construction, and consumer markets. In the United States, the company produces two distinct tire brands Goodyear Farm Tires and Titan Tires. 2020 Titan International All Rights Reserved. Please send all reader and sales inquiries to: [email protected] SOURCE Titan International, Inc. Related Links http://www.titan-intl.com Attorney General K K Venugopal has offered the Centre a way out of the compensation mess under the goods and services tax (GST) system, but has not recommended borrowings by the GST Council. He suggested that the Council can recommend to the Centre to allow states to borrow on the strength of future receipts from the compensation fund, said sources. He also said the Centre is under no obligation to make up for the GST compensation shortfall, added sources. Experts, however, are not enthused by the idea of burdening states with additional debt. Pronab Sen, country director ... The Egyptian authorities are seeking the arrest of Mohamed Ali, a construction contractor residing in Spain. On July 21, the Spanish Ministry of Justice revealed that Egypt made an official request to the Spanish authorities to hand over the Egyptian businessman who resides in Barcelona on charges of fraud and money laundering. According to AFP, the ministry said, The Egyptian embassy filed a request for the extradition of Ali who has been residing in Barcelona for two years, and whose case is pending resolution before the Spanish National Court. AFP quoted Egyptian investigators as saying that Ali is guilty of up to 135 million Egyptian pounds ($8.45 million) in tax fraud and 4 million Egyptian pounds ($250,000) in money laundering, and that the charges are linked to the purchase and sale of real estate and cars between 2006 and 2018. In December 2019, the Cairo Criminal Court sentenced Ali in absentia to five years in prison and imposed a fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds (about $3,130) after he was convicted of tax evasion. Ali, a former military contractor, had traveled to Spain in 2018 following a dispute with Egyptian army commanders over construction projects he was in charge of. Ali came to prominence last year when he began on online campaign against corruption in Egypt. His videos went viral as demonstrators took to the streets in September 2019. At the time, The Economist dubbed him "Sisi's pain in Spain." His influence, however, faded fast, perhaps because his credentials as a reformer seemed thin relative to his role as an aggrieved construction magnate. The New York Times reported July 14 that Ali appeared before a Spanish judge July 9 via videoconference to be heard on tax evasion and money laundering charges made against him by the Egyptian authorities. The paper said that the judge gave him 45 days to present his legal defense and explain the reasons why he should not be sent back to Egypt. Ali told AFP July 21, Since I began making videos to expose corruption within the Egyptian regime I know [President Abdel Fattah al-] Sisi wants revenge in some form. In Spain, they respect human rights and they know that the case against me is political, he added. In an interview with Arabi21 news site July 21, Ali said he was approached by someone who expressed willingness to partake in the payment of the lawyer fee, given that he is unable to pay the high legal fees. He noted, There is no judicial cooperation agreement between Egypt and Spain on the extradition of criminals. Yet still, the Egyptian prosecution called on the Spanish authorities to take into account what it called the importance of international judicial cooperation and good relations between the two countries. Ali stirred the anger of the Egyptian authorities in 2019, when he posted videos on his social media pages in September of that year speaking in detail about his work with the Egyptian army in the construction field, and revealed corruption cases and the construction of some presidential palaces without providing concrete evidence on that. Yet the videos stirred controversy in the Egyptian street, prompting Sisi to state in his speech at the National Youth Conference on Sept. 14, 2019, that the palaces were being built for the people and not for himself. On Sept. 24, Sisi discussed with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez ways to boost security cooperation and counterterrorism. The ambassador of Spain to Egypt, Ramon Gil-Casares, told Egypts Al-Dustour daily in October 2019 that there is no extradition agreement between Egypt and Spain. He continued, Nearly two years ago, his country suggested signing with the Egyptian side an agreement on the extradition of criminals and wanted persons in the two countries. Yet no agreement has been signed so far. It should be noted that the discussion of treaties and agreements between countries by the relevant authorities take too long, before referring them to the parliament for discussion, approval and ratification. In this context, Nabil Helmy, a professor of international law at Zagazig University and the former dean of the universitys Faculty of Law, told Al-Monitor, When it comes to Alis case, there is no extradition agreement between Egypt and Spain. Yet it is the Egyptian authorities right to request that Spain deports a convicted defendant in a criminal case. Helmy said, The Spanish judiciary has the discretion to assess the matter based on the case documents the Egyptian authorities submitted, and to investigate with Ali and ask him to submit documents proving his innocence. He will be extradited to Egypt in case he is found guilty by the Spanish judiciary. He noted, This has nothing to do with any political calculations. The Spanish judiciary is the authority to decide on the matter, not the political authorities. The Spanish judiciary is supposed to issue a travel ban against Ali until the investigation is over. Helmy added, The Egyptian prosecution has the right to notify Interpol to pursue Ali in any country he travels to. On July 21, AFP quoted an Egyptian security source as saying, The Egyptian prosecution is searching for Ali and has notified Interpol in this regard. In the same July 21 interview with Arabi21, Ali said, I was supposed to be in prison during the 45-day deadline. I was, however, treated as a diplomat, and released quickly, particularly since there were wide-scale reactions, considering that I am a public and influential figure. This is in the wait for Egypt to submit the complete allegations file to the Spanish investigation authorities for the judge to verify its accuracy and validity. Diaa Eddine Daoud, a member of the opposition 25-30 parliamentary bloc, told Al-Monitor, The lack of transparency resulted in the emergence and escape of Ali, who admitted in his own videos that he was committing corruption. Things would have been different if he had been held accountable before his escape to Spain. Daoud said, Spain is not expected to consent to the extradition of Ali given the lack of any extradition agreement. Yet it is important that the Egyptian authorities take such an action so that no state or security agency employee commits a felony and manages to escape abroad, like Ali. He added, Ali did not provide any evidence on the accusations he leveled against the state [back in 2019]. Yet the lack of transparency and lack of information on the state projects have helped the Ali phenomenon spread out. He is not, however, an opposition member, yet his positions point to political gains, particularly since he cooperated with the Muslim Brotherhood and entities that deal with countries hostile to Egypt. The proof is that he always appeared on media channels hostile to Egypt and funded by Turkey and Qatar [such as Al Jazeera TV], Daoud concluded. Dublin, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Ischemic Heart Disease Pipeline Research Monitor, 2020 - Drugs, Companies, Clinical Trials, R&D Pipeline Updates, Status and Outlook" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. PIPELINE HIGHLIGHTS Ischemic Heart Disease is one of the widely researched conditions during 2020 with 39 companies actively focusing on realizing pipeline's potential. Development of Ischemic Heart Disease medicines is identified as integral to the strategy of the majority of companies operating in the industry. Global Ischemic Heart Disease market presents promising new product pipeline with NME Projects, pivotal trials, and rapidly phase-advancing therapeutic candidates. Increasing number of companies are assessing the feasibility of developing treatment options for Ischemic Heart Disease. Good progress is anticipated during 2020 and 2021 with Ischemic Heart Disease pipeline molecules advancing from pre-clinical investigation to completion of advanced Phase clinical trials. Ischemic Heart Disease pipeline continues to expand and progress with novel mechanisms and diverse routes of administration being tested by companies. DRUG DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE OVERVIEW The Ischemic Heart Disease 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. This Ischemic Heart Disease pipeline review explores high-potential early to late-stage pipeline projects with a continued focus on new insights, accelerated processes, and pipeline progression. The competitive intelligence report on Ischemic Heart Disease presents detailed insights into therapeutic drug pipeline development, industry news, deals, and analysis across the length and breadth of the Ischemic Heart Disease pipeline. Information on R&D pipeline updates, results of key clinical trials are also included in the report. DRUG PROFILES Ischemic Heart Disease development pipeline including projects in early- and late-stage development are detailed in the report. Details of clinical trial data and submissions to regulatory authorities are also provided. For the drug candidates included in the report, the following information is provided: Current Status of Development including phase advancements, regulatory approvals of phases, acquisitions, licensing and technology transfers, product launches in various markets, and others. Phase of development Mechanism of Action Route of Administration Companies involved including originator, licensing companies, developer, investors, and others New molecular entity details Orphan drug designation and other special status provided by regulators COMPANY PROFILES Both small size and large size pharmaceutical companies are investing their resources in Ischemic Heart Disease drug development operations. Further, financial institutions are extending support to small pharmaceutical companies, universities, and other researchers for the development of treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease. Partnerships and acquisitions are also increasingly observed in the pipeline. This research report presents an analysis of 39 Ischemic Heart Disease companies including company overview, key snapshot, contact information, and their strategies on accelerating Ischemic Heart Disease pipeline development. Mid-stage and early portfolios of these companies are analyzed in detail in the report. Companies Analyzed advanceCor GmbH AgeX Therapeutics Inc AngioSoma Inc Ascendia Pharmaceuticals LLC AstraZeneca Plc Athera Biotechnologies AB Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Bio-Thera Solutions Ltd Cadrock Pty Ltd Capricor Therapeutics Inc CardioVascular BioTherapeutics Inc CeleCor Therapeutics Inc Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corp CSL Ltd Cynata Therapeutics Ltd DalCor Pharmaceuticals Inc Diapin Therapeutics LLC Elevian Inc Gilead Sciences Inc Helixmith Co Ltd Hemostemix Inc Honya Medical Inc Idorsia Ltd Innolife Co Ltd Jaan Biotherapeutics LLC LipimetiX Development Inc MedImmune LLC Orion Corporation Pharmahungary Group Resverlogix Corp Reven Pharmaceuticals Inc Theratome Bio Inc Verseon Corp Verve Therapeutics Inc VESSL Therapeutics Ltd ViroMed Co Ltd Virtual Drug Development Inc XyloCor Therapeutics Inc Zhittya Genesis Medicine Inc Reasons to Buy The current market conditions are forcing companies and investors worldwide to prioritize their investments and accelerate pipeline candidates only through careful quantitative assessment. This research work assists decision makers in pharmaceutical companies towards successful pipeline development through critically evaluated pipeline data Buyers can identify most promising drug candidates for treatment of Ischemic Heart Disease It allows users to strengthen their pipeline through acquisitions, licensing and collaborations Users can estimate possible delays in the delivery of pipeline or launch of new products Stay ahead of competition through understanding their pipeline progression, strategies and outlook The report details all the pipeline candidates under investigation in various stages of development from Phase I through to Phase III to enable business development managers to understand the impact of new launches. Optimize your licensing and technology transfer strategies through identification of prospect partners For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/49kyc7 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Advertisement Jeffree Star is saying goodbye to his bubblegum pink-mansion seven months after moving into his $14.6 million dream home, but he is actually losing money on the sale. The 34-year-old YouTuber listed the 6,785-square-foot home in Calabasas, California for $3.595 million, $25,000 less than he paid when he purchased the property for $3.62 million four years ago, according to Variety. Not only is the price slightly lower, but it also doesn't reflect how much money Star put into the home's custom fixtures, including the hundreds of thousands of dollars he spent on a closet bank vault to house his collection of designer luxury goods. For sale: Jeffree Star is selling his pink home (pictured) for $3.595 million after moving into a new mega-mansion seven months ago Neighborhood: The 6,785-square-foot property is located in Calabasas, California, and looks like your typical West Coast mansion from the outside One-of-a-kind: The YouTuber bought the home four years ago for $3.62 million and turned it into his 'Barbie dreamhouse' Not making a profit: The estate is currently listed for $25,000 less than Star paid for it, not including the money he put into the home over the years The vault can only be accessed with a fingerprint and retina scan, and when he was living in the home, he had it guarded by an armed officer who stood outside the bulletproof door to the closet 24 hours a day. While the Jeffree Star Cosmetics founder gave a tour of the high-tech closet in a viral YouTube video in May 2019, the listing doesn't include any mention or photos of the standout custom feature. Marc and Sara Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices are currently in charge of listing of the six-bedroom, seven-bathroom estate, which Star previously called his 'Barbie Dreamhouse.' The property is located within the Calabasas Park Estates gated community, and while it looks like your typical California mansion from the outside, the interiors are in a league of their own. Added touches: Star spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on custom fixtures for the home, which he decorated with pink walls, curtains, and chandeliers Amazing: Star had a closet bank vault made of 10,000 pounds of steel installed in the home, though the standout feature is not mentioned nor is it pictured in the listing All the stuff: The vault was used to protect Star's handbags and accessories. It remains unclear if he will put a vault similar to his current one in his new home Lots of room: The property boasts six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, many of which are pink Spa living: The master bedroom features an all stone bath, spa tub, a glass-encased shower, and a walk-out balcony that overlooks the neighborhood Design aesthetic: While the cabinets and stone tub are neutral colors, Star couldn't resist painting the bathroom walls pink Custom: According to Star, the pink tufted leather that covers the staircase walls was 'installed by several craftsmen' The home is decorated with shades of bubblegum-pink paint, fabrics, and fixtures, including pink curtains and two pink chandeliers in the kitchen. According to Star, the pink tufted leather that covers the staircase walls was 'installed by several craftsmen.' However, the home's description doesn't mention the pink interiors, which are impossible to miss in the photos, and, instead, focuses on the property's best features. According to the listing, the estate has a chef's kitchen with two islands and a breakfast bar, a formal dining room, a large family room with a wet bar and fireplace, and a two-story entry foyer that is described as being 'warm, inviting, and filled with natural light.' The master bedroom features an all stone bath, spa tub, a glass-encased shower, and a walk-out balcony that overlooks the neighborhood. All in the details: Many of the pink rooms are adorned with matching pink curtains No need to point it out! The listing doesn't mention the pink interiors, which are impossible to miss in the photos, and, instead, focuses on the property's best features Not your average kitchen: The chef's kitchen comes with two islands, a breakfast bar, and, of course, two pink chandeliers Time to entertain: The pink walls are offset by brown woodwork, and the large family room has a wet bar and fireplace Funkier design: One room has hot pink velvet curtains that match the wall, which are almost red Ritzy: The property is located within the Calabasas Park Estates gated community, and the balcony in the master suite overlooks the neighborhood Be my guest: The outdoor patio has a fireplace and plenty of room for entertaining Feels like home: A two-car garage is located on the side of the home, which is decorated with pretty landscaping One catch: Even though Calabasas can be scorching in the summer with the desert heat, the home doesn't have a pool but there is plenty of room to add one As Variety pointed out, the home notably lacks a swimming pool, but there is certainly enough room in the backyard for one to be added. The listing comes less than a year after the YouTuber dropped an astonishing $14.6 million on a mega-mansion for himself and his now ex-boyfriend Nathan Schwandt. The deed to the estate in Hidden Hills, California closed in December, and the beauty mogul moved into the more than 25,000 square-foot property right before Christmas. Star's new mansion, which boasts eight bedrooms and 13 bathrooms, is a considerable upgrade from his pink home, which he said goodbye to in an emotional video last winter. Star opened up about his new home and how 'f**king excited' he was to move into a larger space on his Instagram Stories at the time. His REAL dream house: Star showed off his new home in a YouTube video earlier this year New digs: Star's dropped an astonishing $14.6 million on the mega-mansion, which he moved into in December 2019 Stunning: The home boasts eight bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, two guest houses, and a two-floor gym Space to relax: Star announced in October on Twitter that he and his then-boyfriend Nathan Schwandt were house hunting. The home's master bedroom (pictured) has its own sauna Upgrade: The more than 25,000 square-foot home (pictured is the backyard) is considerable change from Star's former mansion 'For Christmas I was like, "B***h Im ready to move." Me and Nathan, weve outgrown this house right here two years ago, b***h. I look like a hoarder, theres been no room,' he said. Ready to move on: Star and Schwandt split just weeks after moving into their new home Upgrades and repairs were in progress so he could officially move in before the holidays. Jeffrey's old home, which neighbors elite celebrities such as Will Smith, was expected to be listed weeks later, but it didn't hit the market until this summer. His new Hidden Hills community is an opulent neighborhood for celebrities thanks to the number of million-dollar mansions overlooking Los Angeles. Star's new neighbors include the likes of Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner, Drake, The Weeknd, and John Stamos. His recent purchase is one of the more extravagant mansions in the community of nearly 700 homes, all of which are guarded by three main gated entrances. Upon entering the more than 25,000 square-foot home, visitors are greeted with a large entryway and a double staircase leading up to the second floor. The eight bedrooms and 13 bathrooms likely provide plenty of space for Star and his four dogs: Delicious, DaVinci, Diva, and Drama. All the amenities: Star said he outgrew his old home and now has space for all of his stuff that includes a gym (pictured) Fancy: The home also comes equipped with an elevator to transport Star between the three floors Spacious: The home was originally built in 2007 and sold in May 2010 to a financier and his actress wife Renovating: In December, Star said he was currently repairing and renovating areas of the home. He moved in right before Christmas If the main home is not enough, the property has two separate guest houses for when Star wants to entertain family and friends. The mansion also boasts a 4,700 square-foot garage to park Star's luxury vehicles. Staying busy: The YouTuber purchased the property following the success of Jeffree Star Cosmetics and his YouTube videos The Hidden Hills mansion was built in 2007, according to Variety, and then acquired by financier Jeff Feinberg and part-time actress Stacey Feinberg in May 2010 for $13 million. The couple briefly lived in the mansion before moving out during their divorce. Who lived in the home following the Feinberg's remains unclear, but it is believed the home remained relatively empty for a few years before Star purchased the property. The home went on and off the market multiple times in recent years, but the buyers at the time fell through. Star's new home includes a dramatic ballroom, a master bathroom complete with a sauna, a spa room, two-story gym, and wine cellar. The YouTuber and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, who has an estimated net worth of $200 million, has likely found entertaining outdoors more enjoyable thanks to his new home's amenities. The backyard includes a large pool in the center of the space with an outdoor kitchen and built-in BBQ area nearby. Incredible: The large property sits in Hidden Hills, which is home to a number of celebrities, including Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Drake, and The Weeknd Time to play: The home comes equipped with a massive game room featuring a pool table and a sitting area Waiting for him: The property had been on and off the market until Star purchased it late last year All the room: Star said he outgrew his last home, but now the new property should offer up plenty of space for him Room to run: Star's four dogs together are probably enjoying the extra space Amenities: It wouldn't be a California mega-mansion with out a built-in home theater (pictured) Options: If that wasn't enough, the estate also has an unfinished barn that could be converted into a third guesthouse or even a studio space for Star to film his many YouTube videos If that wasn't enough, the property has an unfinished barn that could be converted into a third guesthouse or even a studio space for Star to film his many YouTube videos. Star completely transformed his old home that is now on the market to fit his colorful lifestyle. He outfitted the home with pink walls, mirrors, and even a pink vault to hold his designer handbags and accessories. When designing the vault, it was created with reportedly 10,000 pounds of bulletproof stainless steel. When Star unveiled the vault on his YouTube channel, he said at the time he planned to keep his first home forever. 'This was my first home I ever bought,' Star said. 'It's so special to me, and I'm probably going to keep it for the rest of my life.' Namaste: The home also has a zen spa area with a fireplace for Star to enjoy massages Gorgeous: While Star planned on putting his old home on the market in early 2020, he didn't end up listing it until the summer Drink up: Another amenity to the home is a wine cellar to store all of Star's alcohol Hidden touches: 'I will be moved in before Christmasthis house will be up for sale in a few weeks,' Star said Monday. 'It will be crazy to say goodbye to this house' But that all changed in October 2019 when he announced on Twitter that he was house hunting with his boyfriend. Just weeks after moving into his new home, Star revealed that he and Schwandt had broken up after five years together. Star's big move came just weeks after he unveiled a phenomenally successful beauty collaboration with fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson, who documented the entire behind-the-scenes process that went into creating the line for a docu-series on his own channel. The pair is understood to have raked in a staggering $54 million from the project. Launchmetrics noted that figure as the entire Media Impact Value, which takes into account the money earned from sales of the sold-out range, as well as the funds earned from the accompanying YouTube series. Star's team also previously stated that beauty retailer Morphe, which sells the YouTuber's products, expected $17.5 million in in-store sales from the collaboration. The sell-out success of the products on Star's own website then made an additional estimated $17.5 million in revenue totaling a whopping $35 million altogether. Dawson is believed to have walked away with around $10 million from the venture. WASHINGTON Former President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned eulogy for the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis on Thursday and called on Congress to honor Lewis' legacy by expanding the Voting Rights Act. Speaking in Atlanta, the nation's first Black president warned that the same forces that empowered and motivated some of the most infamous segregationists in American history are still at work today. Lewis, said Obama, "knew that the march is not over. That the race is not yet won," and "we have to be vigilant against the darker currents of this country's history." "Bull Connor may be gone, but today, we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans," said Obama, referring to the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis this spring. "George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators," he continued, referring to the Trump administration's violent response to racial justice protests in the wake of Floyd's death. "We may no longer have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here, there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive I.D. laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision," said Obama. "Even undermining the postal service in the runup to an election that's going to be dependent on mail-in ballots so people don't get sick!" There was little doubt to whom Obama was referring here. Earlier in the day, Trump continued his monthslong war on mail-in voting with a tweet claiming without evidence that widespread mail-in ballots would result in an "inaccurate and fraudulent" election, before suggesting that perhaps the election should be delayed. Trump also recently appointed a political donor with no relevant experience to the position of U.S. Postmaster General. The appointee, Louis Dejoy, recently unveiled an operating plan that would slow down mail delivery, even as states across the country ramp up mail-in voting to help protect citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic. In order to honor Lewis' legacy, Obama called on elected officials to go further than merely renaming the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. "Once we pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, we should keep marching to make it even better," said Obama, "by making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates who have earned their second chance. "By adding polling places and expanding early voting and making Election Day a national holiday. So if you are somebody who is working in a factory or you're a single mom who's got to go to her job and doesn't get time off, you can still cast your ballot," Obama continued. "By guaranteeing that every American citizen has equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C., and in Puerto Rico; they're also Americans. By ending some of the partisan gerrymandering, so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians, and not the other way around," said Obama. "And if all this takes eliminating the filibuster, another Jim Crow relic, in order to secure the God-given rights of every American, then that's what we should do," he said. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also paid homage to Lewis, who died earlier this month at age 80. "John Lewis always looked outward, not inward," said Bush, a Republican who was the last president to renew the Voting Rights Act. "He always thought of others. He always believed in preaching the gospel, in word and in deed, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope." Clinton encouraged people to honor Lewis' legacy by continuing to get into "good trouble," a phrase Lewis often used to describe the consequences of fighting against oppression. Lewis, he said, "left us with marching orders" in the form of an op-ed Lewis wrote shortly before he died, which was published Thursday in The New York Times. "Salute, suit up, and march on," said Clinton. Trump, who had an acrimonious relationship with Lewis, did not attend the funeral. Nor did he pay tribute to Lewis while the late congressman rested in state in the Capitol this week. Trump did, however, order flags to be flown at half staff for a day in Lewis' honor. By Ayya Lmahamad The International Bank of Azerbaijan and the organization for the State Compulsory Medical Insurance Agency Specialists have arranged visit of medical experts from Turkey to help the countrys fight against COVID-19. The medical specialists are employees of hospitals and medical centers of Acibadem medical center in Turkey and will work at "Yeni Clinic" hospital. The visit will help exchange of experience between the two countries health workers. Earlier on July 8, a group of COVID-19 specialists from Turkey and Russia visited Azerbaijan as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic in the country. In addition, on July 13, 115 specialists from Cuba arrived to Azerbaijan to counter the spread of coronavirus disease. It should be noted that the International Bank of Azerbaijan has initially supported measures to combat coronavirus infection as part of its corporate social responsibility strategy. Earlier, the Bank transferred AZN 2 million to the coronavirus fight support fund. At the same time, innovative solutions were provided for corporate and individual customers of the bank, eliminating the need to visit the bank's branches, and entrepreneurs were given preferential conditions for certain products. Azerbaijan registered its first COVID-19 case on February 28 and introduced the special quarantine regime on March 24. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:58:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Some politicians in the United States have intensified efforts to slander the Communist Party of China (CPC), fabricating lies that the CPC is meddling in U.S. elections and calling for an anti-China alliance diplomatically, economically and technologically. Such McCarthyist paranoia is unreasonable and preposterous. From the very first day it established diplomatic relations with China, the United States knew it was dealing with a socialist country led by the CPC. Over the past decades, both countries have benefited from cooperation. The CPC strives for the well-being of the Chinese people and the progress of humanity. Under its leadership, China has never invaded any country or interfered with other countries' internal affairs in its quest for development and national rejuvenation. China has no interest or intention to meddle in the U.S. elections. Regrettably, the current U.S. policy toward China is based on strategic misjudgments of China and the CPC. Spearheaded by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, some ignorant and prejudiced politicians seem to believe every Chinese investment is politically driven, every Chinese student is a spy and every cooperation initiative comes with a hidden agenda. They incite hatred against China and the CPC under the guise of so-called "democracy" and "freedom," only to serve U.S. hegemony and seek political gains for themselves. What is even more ridiculous, these politicians attempt to drive a wedge between the CPC and the Chinese people, in disregard of the broad public support for the CPC's governance. An Edelman Trust Barometer trust and credibility survey showed that a whopping 95 percent of the Chinese people trust the Chinese government, ranking the top among all countries surveyed. The same study placed the United States second to last, with only 48 percent of its citizens trusting the U.S. government. The anti-China policy the politicians advocate deteriorates bilateral ties, harms the long-term fundamental interests of the two peoples, and even jeopardizes world peace and stability. It is high time for all peace-loving countries and people to denounce the insanity of a few U.S. politicians, whose remarks to instigate ideological hatred and confrontation only belong to the historical dustbin. Enditem Photo credit: Zhaohui Shang "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below." Scientists have located the best spot from which to make astronomical observations on Earth. The site, called Dome A, sits just above the boundary layer in Earth's atmosphere, which introduces blurriness to celestial images. Dome A is located roughly 550 miles from the South Pole at al elevation of about 13,000 feet above sea-level. More than 550 miles away from the South Pole, high atop a frozen plateau in Antarctica lies Dome A. At 13,000 feet above sea-level, the desolate shield of ice is the single best place to catch sight of the stars. It is notoriously difficult to capture images of the stars that aren't warped by Earth's atmosphere. Astronomers have long searched for locations around the world from which to clearly view the night sky. While places like Hawaii's Mauna Kea Observatories and the telescope arrays in Chile's Atacama desert probe the skies on cloudless nights, their images are still dulled by atmospheric effects. Now scientists believe they've found the very best spot for stargazing, but it likely won't be a tourist attraction anytime soon. "After a decade of indirect evidence and theoretical reasoning, we finally have direct observational proof of the extraordinarily good conditions at Dome A," astronomer Michael Ashley of the University of New South Wales Sydney in Australia said in a statement. Ashley was part of an international team of researchers that constructed a small telescopecalled the KunLun Differential Image Motion Monitoratop a 26-foot tower on Dome A. To test their theory that Dome A might be the perfect spot from which to make astronomical observations, the team programmed the telescope to snap pictures once a minute between April 11 and August 4 in 2019the dead of winter in the southern hemisphere. The telescope ultimately captured 45,930 images of the cosmos. Story continues It worked like a charm."The result is that the twinkling of the stars is greatly reduced, and the star images are much sharper and brighter," Ashley said. The team published their findings July 29 in the journal Nature. The results were so good, Science News reports, that astronomers were able to spot celestial objects approximately half the size of those seen from other Earth-bound telescopes. An Astronomical Sweet Spot Photo credit: Julie Thurston Photography - Getty Images The telescope atop Dome A rests just above the Planetary boundary layer in Earth's atmosphere. This layer of air, the lowest region of the troposphere, is filled with swirling pockets of warm air. Thanks to this turbulent air, light emitted from stars is distortedit's what gives stars their twinkling appearance. When escaping the effects of the boundary layer, location is key. At a temperate site, the boundary layer is usually hundreds of metres high or higher, preventing one from reaching the free atmosphere, Zhaohui Shang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing told New Scientist. At Dome A, however, Earth's boundary layer is only 45.6 feet high. In addition to escaping the effects of Earth's atmosphere, Dome A is shrouded in darkness longer than other astronomical observation sites on Earth, meaning the telescope can operate for longer periods of time. This is critical for making observations about distant stars, for example, Ashley said, "the fact that you can observe them continuously means you can find planets around them much more effectively." Escaping the Blur Photo credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, T. Armandroff Astronomers have gone to great (and expensive) lengths to get around the issue of atmospheric turbulence. In 1923, German rocketeer Hermann Oberth first proposed sending telescopes into space to surpass the blur. Princeton astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer set the idea into motion several decades later. NASA tested out the idea in the 1960s and sent up a series of telescopes through the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory Program. Finally, in 1990, the agency launched the famed Hubble Space Telescope. After an issue with one of the mirrors was fixed, the Earth-orbiting telescope returned stunning images with a clarity and sharpness not seen before. While satellites like Hubble, Kepler and Spitzer send unbelievably crisp images to scientists back on Earth, they're extremely expensive, difficult to fix and take yearsand even decades, in some casesto construct. (Here's looking at you, James Webb.) Astronomers like Ashley are making the case for the site at Dome A. "[A]nother advantage of making Earth-based observations is you can always add the latest technology to your telescope on the ground, he said. "Whereas in space, everything is delayed." You Might Also Like Advertisement A section of New York City's once-bustling Midtown neighborhood appears to have been taken over by junkies brazenly shooting up in broad daylight. The pedestrian plaza at Broadway and West 40th Street used to see a constant stream of suit-clad professionals rushing in and out of their sparkling skyscrapers. But when the coronavirus pandemic struck in March, those buildings emptied out and an eerie quiet set in, inviting an influx of addicts that have turned the plaza into a shooting gallery littered with used needles, according to area workers and business owners. Officials at City Hall have acknowledged the unsettling situation and branded it 'entirely unacceptable', but locals say it's only getting worse as nothing is being done to address it. DailyMail.com visited the intersection on Wednesday and captured shocking images of a woman injecting a substance into her arm before laying down for a nap on a bench. A woman was seen injecting herself with a needle in broad daylight at the intersection of Broadway and West 40th Street in Midtown on Wednesday. The images emerged as locals complain that the area has turned into a 'shooting gallery' for addicts The woman appears to fill the needle with an unidentified substance as she sits barefoot at a table in the middle of the pedestrian plaza once bustling with people in suits The woman then turns around and appears to inject the needle into her arm Moments later the woman stretched out across three chairs for a nap The New York Post first raised alarm about the burgeoning 'shooting gallery' on Tuesday and published a photo of the same woman wearing the same clothes as she pierced her arm with a needle. While it cannot be said for certain whether the woman was using drugs, locals said it wasn't an uncommon sight in the plaza. 'They've taken over the tables, blatantly using needles and shooting up heroin all day long,' a local worker named James told the Post. 'There's no police action, there's no reach-out. There's nobody preventing this, and you know we've had multiple calls to 311 but nobody really responds. It's becoming a real problem.' The lack of law enforcement attention was highlighted in another photo obtained by the outlet which showed an NYPD officer walking by the alleged junkie without batting an eye. A third image showed four people huddled around a table with drug paraphernalia in clear view. The NYPD told the Post that they've only received one drug complaint in the area in the past month, and that the suspects were gone when officers arrived. James said that he's personally contacted the city's 311 line, but he referred to those calls as 'futile exercises'. The New York Post first raised alarm about the burgeoning 'shooting gallery' on Tuesday and published a photo of the same woman wearing the same clothes as she injected herself While it cannot be said for certain whether the woman was using drugs, locals said it wasn't an uncommon sight in the plaza The woman looked around to see if anyone was watching before she pulled out the needle After appearing to inject herself she was seen walking away with the used needle in her hand. Locals have complained that the plaza is littered with improperly discarded syringes Construction worker Edgar Rivera, who's been working near the intersection for the past few weeks, said he's come to recognize many of the addicts. 'It's almost always the same people you see around,' Rivera told the Post. 'It's always the same ones all the time. 'They are here every day, they start in the early morning. We see them sleeping on the floor. 'Sometimes the ambulances come around here to help them out. It's always the same guys.' Another man named Jeff who has worked for a private sanitation company in the area for about six years confirmed that the situation has worsened in the last year. 'It's gotten really bad,' he said. 'I've been seeing more syringes, discarded syringes, ever since they started coming in.' They've taken over the tables, blatantly using needles and shooting up heroin all day long. There's no police action, there's no reach-out. There's nobody preventing this. A spokeswoman for City Hall called the situation 'entirely unacceptable' when approached by the Post on Tuesday. 'We will do everything we can to connect these people with drug treatment and help so they can get their lives back on track,' the spokeswoman said. She said plans were in place to send outreach workers with the city health department to clean up the area by providing syringe disposal kits, naloxone to reverse overdoses and connecting addicts with treatment services. DailyMail.com has reached out to City Hall for clarification about when those outreach workers will be deployed. Locals, meanwhile, don't sound very optimistic about how effective the outreach will be. The Post spoke to a security officer with the Garment District Alliance on Wednesday who said: 'There have been outreach programs out here, but most of the time they don't accept the help.' That officer, who was helping power wash the pavement in the plaza at the time, said he's worked in the area for seven years. DailyMail.com has also reached out to the city health department for comment about the purported outreach plans. The Midtown neighborhood used to see a constant stream of people - tourists and professionals at all hours of the day - but it emptied out when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March The apparent rise in brazen public drug use comes as New York City is roiled by an alarming surge in criminal activity, with gun violence doubling in the past two months compared with the same period last year. Mayor Bill de Blasio has blamed the recent spike in shootings on the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that people grew stir crazy after weeks under a strict stay at home order. But NYPD leaders placed the blame squarely on de Blasio, accusing him of losing control of the city after he bowed to demands of Black Lives Matter protesters and slashed the department's budget by $1billion. Police officials have also charged that the crime surge was driven in part by the recent release of thousands of prisoners from Rikers Island under a new bail law and due to coronavirus concerns. 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. Police pictured at scene of shooting on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on July 18 Former New York Governor George Pataki bemoaned the state of the Big Apple in an interview on Sunday, saying that the violence is a 'regression to those dark days when criminals ruled the streets'. 'When I took office, New York was the most dangerous state in America. People got used to safety over the last 20 years. They don't remember the time back when we were so dangerous,' the Republican said during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on 770 AM. 'I'm worried about the future of New York. We're going backwards. It's tragic. We've got to change it.' 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 couldn't buckle down on the shootings. The violence is now fueling fears that many of the thousands of people who left the Big Apple when the pandemic set in will no longer want to return. And if they don't come back, the city and state would take a massive hit in income and sales tax revenue on top of the enormous cost of the coronavirus response and the sustained shutdown. By Lambert Strether of Corrente. #COVID19 At reader request, Ive added this daily chart. The data is the Johns Hopkins CSSE data. Here is the site. Back to our top five problem states: Florida, California, Texas, Georgia, and Arizona, with New York for comparison: This chart includes new cases and positivity. Positivity is concerning. In terms of undercounting as measured by positivity (higher is bad), the order from worst to best would be AZ, FL, GA, TX, CA, at 7.46%, is still too high by WHO standards (they want 5%). So all the states are making progress in testing, especially Arizona (20.2%) but all have a way to go. Politics But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51 They had one weapon left and both knew it: treachery. Frank Herbert, Dune They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord The electoral map. July 17: Georgia, Ohio, ME-2 move from Leans Republican to Toss-up. Continued yikes. On July 7, the tossup were 86. Only July 17, they were 56. Now they are 91. This puts Biden at 278, i.e. over 270. July 28: Still no changes. Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com So, taking the consensus as a given, 270 (total) 204 (Trumps) = 66. Trump must win 66 from the states in play: AZ (11), FL (29), MI (16), NC (15), PA (20), and WI (10) plus 1 to win not tie = 102. 102 66 = 36. So if Trump wins FL, MI, NC, and PA (29 + 16 + 15 + 20 = 80), he wins. Thats a heavy lift. I think Ive got the math right this time! 2020 Biden (D)(1): The Biden ground operation, reported by alert reader km. Hoisted from comments: I recently drove from North Dakota to central Michigan and back, passing through Minneapolis, Chicago and Grand Rapids, Michigan (which is the second largest city in that state), as well as rural areas, suburbs, and smaller towns. I saw quite a few Bernie bumper stickers. I saw a metric crap-ton of Trump hats, shirts, flags, stickers, yard signs, tricks, trinkets, tchotchkes, and whatnot of every description. They probably sell Trump ladies underwear, if I knew where to look. Apart from those, I also saw a lot of performatively Guns God and Freedumb patriotic displays that didnt directly reference Trump, but left no mistake as to the owners sentiments. I also saw frequent references to supporting the Q cult. Not many Qultists are planning to vote for Biden, just saying. I saw a total of one (1) Biden yard sign (in rural Indiana, albeit a heavily unionized part of Indiana). I did not see any Biden bumper stickers, etc.. I did see quite a few BLM and related yard signs, including in conservative western Michigan. NOW: I am willing to believe that the polls are off, even if they are probably not as far off as some people claim. There probably are some shy Trump voters out there, but Ill need to see some evidence before I believe that there are enough such people to give Trump the election. Thats not why Im writing. While nobody gets an extra vote just because they own a MAGA hat, if Trump loses, people who identify so strongly with Trump, people who wear Trump outfits head to toe, drive Trumpmobiles, festoon their yards with Trump flags and signs, get Trump tattoos and rename their kids Don Jr. Ivanka and Barron are not likely to say Oh well, I guess we lost fair and square, then. Better luck in 2024! For that matter, many of the people who think that Trump has a direct line to Jesus are armed to the teeth. In retrospect, it probably wasnt the best idea to simultaneously deindustrialize the heartland and flood it with weapons. Trump (R)(1): With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 I think anybody who looks seriously at our electoral system should have no confidence in it whatever, and thats before COVID. Still, the date of the election was set in law in 1845. Come on, man. Trump (R)(2): Why Trump Might Quit [Politico]. The Trump-drops-out scenario hinges on the assumption that Trump is less concerned with wielding the levers of government than he is preserving his role as disrupter at large in American politics over the next decade. The latter might be much easier to maintain if he avoids being tattooed as loser in Novemberespecially if the margin is larger than could be attributed, even by his most conspiracy-minded supporters, to media bias or vote-counting manipulation by Democrats. The scenario hinges also on an assumption that Trumps political project is more weakened internallyin the psychological sensethan it is even in the external sense, as measured by polls and campaign coverage. Trump isnt getting earned media these days, unlike 2016. Quite the reverse. * * * About time: DNC votes 102-0 in favor of decapitalizing the white in white House on the 2020 platform vanessa a. bee (@Vanessa_ABee) July 29, 2020 Alert reader UserFriendly tells me this is very depressing. On the Lincoln Project: Bitecofer is quite the self-promoter. Realignment and Legitimacy Near and Present Anarchy [The Baffler]. A helpful taxonomy: In State Failure and State Weakness in a Time of Terror, Harvards Robert Rotberg writes that while every country is different, the signposts tend to be the same. It is worth attending to the characteristics he describes. They should sound familiar: In a weak state, basic services such as education and health are privatized; public facilities decline. Infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, shows signs of neglect, particularly outside of major cities. Journalists and civil society activists are harassed. Tensions among ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups increase, but widespread violence does not eruptyet. In a failing state, a single leader gains control of the legislature, law enforcement, and the judiciary. The leader and his cronies are enriched while ordinary citizens are left without basic services. In a failed state, living standards deteriorate rapidly. Citizens feel they exist only to satisfy the rulers greed and lust for power. The potential for violence increases as the states legitimacy crumbles. Finally, in a collapsed state, warlords run the country. The market rules to the exclusion of any other concerns, while the social compact has been completely eroded. The Id is unleashed. Intriguing, but where do the billionaires fit in? When conservatives become revolutionaries [Damon Linker, The Week]. Just how dark and desperate is the right becoming? So much so that it is now increasingly common to find conservative writers flirting openly with ideas that clearly point in the direction of outright political radicalism including talk of civil war, permanently purging liberals from political office and positions of cultural influence, the need for revolutionary action, and hopes for a refounding of America using regime-level power. This is how political actors talk when they have lost faith in the legitimacy of the political opposition and begin dreaming of overthrowing the system as a whole in favor of one that will be more inclined to place people like themselves in (potentially permanent) positions of power. People like themselves. Stats Watch At reader request, I added some business stats back in. Please give Econintersect click-throughs; theyre a good, old-school blog that covers more than stats. If anybody knows of other aggregators, please contact me at the email address below. GDP: Advance Estimate 2Q2020 GDP Drops Deeper In Contraction [Econintersect]. The advance estimate for second-quarter 2020 Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a negative 32.9%. Holy [family blog]. More: This growth is a significant decline from the previous quarters decline of 5.0 % if one looks at quarter-over-quarter headline growth. The year-over-year rate of growth also significantly declined and now is deep in contraction. The coronavirus is the reason for the decline and pushed GDP deeper into contraction. I am not a fan of quarter-over-quarter exaggerated method of measuring GDP but my year-over-year preferred method showed a significant decline from last quarter. A pretty deep V, if indeed a V it is. Employment Situation: 25 July 2020 Initial Unemployment Claims Increase To 1,434,000 This Week [Econintersect]. The pandemic has so far caused a 54,416,000 job loss. Likely more half of this number are now employed or have dropped out of the workforce as the continuing claims number is 17,018,000]. Of the 1,434,000 jobs lost this week, the BLS says 829,697 were due to the coronavirus (versus 936,073 last week). The four-week rolling average of initial claims is 540 % higher than one year ago (versus the 531 % higher last week). Rail: Rail Week Ending 25 July 2020 Mixed Data But Still Deep In Contraction [Econintersect]. Intermodal and carloads are under Great Recession values. Container exports from China are now recovering, container exports from the U.S. declined, and remains deep in contraction. * * * Manufacturing: COVID production rates firm up [Leeham News and Analysis]. The 737 is muddled. Boeing will slow the ramp to 31/mo in 2022. The 450-470 stored 737s (the number varies depending on who is talking) must be delivered on top of the initial low-rate production. Based on information, the 737 is currently being produced at a rate of about 7/mo. Boeing expects to increase the production rate gradually in 2021. Boeing said it hopes to deliver the inventory within about a year. This equates to about 39/mo with 470 stored aircraft. This seems optimistic. Some of the storied aircraft are now white tails following canceled orders and the collapse of some airlines. Demand also doesnt seem to support this delivery rate. Nor does it seem to support the delivery rate for the A320. Airbus has 145 airplanes in inventory now, produced for customers that cant accept them. * * * Todays Fear & Greed Index: 61 Greed (previous close: 64 Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 68 (Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Jul 30 at 11:41am. Solid greed. The Biosphere Public service announcement from Swamp Yankee on the Chinese seeds, hoisted from comments yesterday. Besides not planting them: If you dont want them to germinate and grow, do not put them in the trash or flush them down the toilet. Both systems have some volunteer seedling presentation. When I lived in New Orleans, the absolute biggest and best tomatoes I ever saw were growing in a spoil bank in the New Orleans Parish Waste Water Treatment plant which was at the parish line next to Jefferson Parish. These monster plants were growing out of a pile of sludge cleaned out of one of the settling ponds. Mysterious seed packets from China isnt a subplot I would have expected. Frankly, I think 2020s showrunners have lost their minds. Health Care Some scientists are taking a DIY coronavirus vaccine, and nobody knows if its legal or if it works [Technology Review]. [I]n what appears to be the first citizen science vaccine initiative, [Preston Estep] and at least 20 other researchers, technologists, or science enthusiasts, many connected to Harvard University and MIT, have volunteered as lab rats for a do-it-yourself inoculation against the coronavirus. They say its their only chance to become immune without waiting a year or more for a vaccine to be formally approved. Its a nasal vaccine, so at least the delivery mechanism is smart. More: A vaccine delivered into the nose could create whats called mucosal immunity, or immune cells present in the tissues of the airway. Such local immunity may be an important defense against SARS-CoV-2. That makes sense: A recent study showed how the attack of the virus grows progressively weaker, from initial seeding in nasal tissues (very strong) down to the lungs (weaker). Of course, if the attack on the lungs succeeds, thats very bad! More: But unlike antibodies that appear in the blood, where they are easily detected, signs of mucosal immunity might require a biopsy to identify So far, the group cant say if their vaccine works or not. They havent published results showing that the vaccine leads to antibodies against the virus, which is a basic requirement for being taken seriously in the vaccine race. Church says some of those studies are now underway in his Harvard laboratory, and Estep is hoping mainstream immunologists will assist the group. Here is the RadVac Groups white paper. Im torn between liking the DIY ethos + skepticism of Big Pharma and Big Science vs. the possibilty that these people are arrogant [family blog]s high on their own supply, kinda like Elon Musk proposing tiny submarines to rescue the Thai cave boys. States are running out of doctors and nurses as COVID-19 surges [Ars Technica]. Researchers estimate that more than 100 percent of intensive care doctors [in Arizona and Texas] will be needed to care for COVID-19 patients alone in August. Eleven other states are facing staffing strain, the researchers also reported. That means more than 50 percent of the states intensive care doctors may be required to support COVID-19 patients in the coming months. The news media [have] largely focused on hospitalizations and the danger of depleting the ICU bed supply, but staffing these beds may be an even greater problem, the researchers write in the report. New beds can be set up in other hospital units, or even outside the hospital setting, but it takes time to find highly specialized ICU professionals. The report also noted that the pandemic will also stress current staff, who will have to work more and harder shifts to care for the influx in patients. That in turn could lead to more burnout and more infections among health care workers. Six U.S. states see record COVID-19 deaths, Latinos hit hard in California [Reuters]. Deaths lag, as NC readers know. Confused Republican Louie Gohmert Wonders If Wearing a Mask Led to Positive COVID Test [Ryan Bort, Rolling Stone]. It is interesting, Gohmert said, and I dont know about everybody, but when I have a mask on Im moving it to make it comfortable, and I cant help but wonder if that put some germs in the mask. Keep your hands off your mask? Anyway, who knows? Blaming his mask for his positive COVID test result probably doesnt even crack the top five dumbest things hes said since he joined Congress in 2005. Whats really unfortunate about this piece has been that both the writer and the editor are too busy watching themselves in the mirror while they dunk on Gohmert to add an editorial note just as a simple public health measure for the sake of dull normal readers that fiddling with your mask is indeed bad. For example, you should remove your mask by the earpieces because if the mask is doing its job it might have trapped some SARS-COV-2 on the front (which is what Gohmert, in his crackpot way, is struggling to articulate). So who are the stupids, here? Anybody remember this series from back in the 90s? Allard and Marshall should write a new book called The Stupids Do Covid. And it wont feature only Republicans. It really would not have been hard to add that little editorial note. Police State Watch Cam tactics: The #NYPD welcomes peaceful protests. However, damage to NYPD technology that helps keep this city safe will never be tolerated. These cameras are vital resources which help prevent and solve crimes throughout the city. pic.twitter.com/dwv5vkhQiP Chief Rodney Harrison (@NYPDDetectives) July 29, 2020 Not clear to me why the police are in essence publishing a How-To guide for taking out cams and any professional would look to Hong Kong anyhow or why the young lady wasnt in bloc. There she is, right on camera! ICE Agents Complain About Nazi Comparisons, Say Theyre Only Enforcing the Laws [Newsweek]. Too easy. Water Hundreds of Toxic Superfund Sites at Risk of Flooding, Study Finds (video) [The Weather Channel (ambrit)]. A new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists warns that hundreds of toxic Superfund sites could flood in the next two decades and put the health of millions at risk. Games Joe Rogan says grinding games is a waste of time for most people [Dexterto]. Joe Rogan, the immensely popular comedian and podcast host, described video games as a waste of time for most people, during his episode with author, fitness guru and businessman Joe De Sena. Video games are a real problem, Rogan said. Theyre a real problem. You know why? Because theyre f**king fun. You do them, and theyre real exciting, but you dont get anywhere. Rogan contrasted video games with Jujitsu, and stated that someone who put significant effort into running a martial arts school would likely be experiencing success after 3 years of grinding. In episode 1514 of JRE, He argued that someone who grinds video games for the same amount of time is still unlikely to be earning money from that particular pursuit. Grinds? Nintendo, Disney, and Cultural Determinism [Matthew Ball]. whale monetization is the core driver of mobile games today. Only 4% of Candy Crush players, for example, spend on the game. And 10% of this 4% (or 0.4% of users) generate 50% of revenue. As a result, even minor adjustments in whale optimization can devastate economics. According to WSJ, CyberAgent, the developer of the Nintendo-based mobile title Dragalia Lost, slashed its fiscal-year earnings forecast for the first time in 17 years in January due in part to the games disappointing performance. While player numbers for the game have grown due to an aggressive advertising campaign, revenue from each player has fallen short of projections. An anonymous official at CyberAgent told the Journal, Nintendo is not interested in making a large amount of revenue from a single smartphone game If we managed the game alone, we would have made a lot more. Notably, Disney should share Nintendos brand concerns in mobile gaming. But this has not stopped the company from releasing basic games that generate billions from whale monetization. Its brand, albeit not one based in games, does not seem to have suffered. Nor has the Pokemon franchise in the years since the ultra-lucrative (and whale-supporting) Pokemon Go. A power curve with a long tail. Familiar! Watch Your Medicine: Video Game Therapy for Children With ADHD [JAMA]. The first video game therapy to treat children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was given a nod. Prescription-only EndeavorRx is indicated for children aged 8 to 12 years who have an attention issue. This seems little circular. Groves of Academe A three-year bachelors degree [American Enterprise Institute]. [I]f there is a benefit for higher education that can come from COVID-19, then it might just be some soul-searching and even repentance about what we have been buying with the second-highest expenditure per student in the world. College students, regardless of their majors or professional programs, need a rigorous liberal arts core curriculum. That curriculum must efficiently develop college-level skills and knowledge in the arts and sciences disciplines that are necessary for success in a dynamic and demanding workplace and for a lifetime of informed citizenship. Individual and national success will hinge on mathematical, scientific, economic, and historical literacy; excellent writing skills; and the ability to navigate foreign languages. Students also need a faster track for their undergraduate education that gets them into the workforce quickly and saddles them with less debt. That is why everyone, especially conservatives, should support reestablishing a solid core curriculum, taking an ax to the vast menu of distribution requirements and electives, and shortening the undergraduate degree from 120 credit hours to 90 credit hoursallowing determined students to graduate in three, rather than four, years. A good core curriculum should be built around requirements, not a cafeteria line of choices. It needs to include formal expository writing, literature, a college-level mathematics course, a natural science course, an economics course, a survey in US history or government, and three semesters of a foreign language. So long as the economics isnt mainstream. We can talk about the canon later. Class Warfare Two months since the riots, and still no National Conversation' [Michael Tracey, Medium]. Yes, civil unrest has of course occurred before. But the riots of 2020 exhibited features which belie any easy historical parallel. For one thing, consider their enormous geographic scope. While the most extreme riots in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and particularly Minneapolis did receive considerable attention however fleeting, incomplete, and unnecessarily inflected with knee-jerk partisanship there were also smaller-scale riots in surprisingly far-flung places that you hardly wouldve known about unless you lived in the area, happened to visit, or intentionally sought out what remains of the bare-bones local media coverage. To take just a small sampling: Atlantic City, NJ, Fort Wayne, IN, Green Bay, WI, and Olympia, WA all underwent significant riots, at least per the normal expectations of life in these relatively low-key cities. Did you hear anything about them? Because I hadnt, and Im abnormally attuned to daily media coverage. Only because I personally visited did I learn of the damage. Complicating matters is that the riots occurred in tandem with a protest movement now believed to be the largest ever in U.S. history one which saw demonstrations, vigils, and general rancor extend even into the most unassuming expanses of suburban and rural America. But its also clear that the severe ramifications of these riots have been widely ignored if not consciously obfuscated by a media class that was near-unanimous in its approval of the accompanying protest movement. That they could have so quickly moved on, particularly from the wreckage of Minneapolis/St. Paul where residents commonly told me that their lives are still in agony is galling. I know Tracey is a contrarian that is a bad thing to be, now but this article is well worth a read, and the cumulative effect of the photographs is impressive (like Chris Arnade). My intuition for some time has been that the riots and the protests are simultaneous only, and that the protests were also two factions operating in parallel: the anarchists and (for want of a better word) the reformers. I wish I knew the demographics of the Wall of Moms. I reacted badly to the leafblowers, remarkable though the spectacle was, because they struck me as a suburban marker. But perhaps my knew was jerking. Again, well worth a read. News of the Wired Lets Talk About Circus Peanut Jello Salad, One of the Weirdest Retro Recipes Out There [Southern Living (DJG)]. Of all the strawberry pretzel, tropical stained glass, Christmas cranberry, and tomato aspic gelatin salads we Southerners are used to having crash every family holiday celebration, there is one retro congealed salad that eludes even the most experienced of Jell-O mold eaters. For most, it might appear as only a distant memory, a flash of bright orange in a casserole dish, topped with a confusing peanut-shaped candy, no less. After all this time, who else is still hopelessly befuddled by Circus Peanut Jello Salad? This classic congealed salad recipe is made with the peanut-shaped, fluorescent orange marshmallow candies known as Circus Peanuts, which were made popular in the 19th century as penny candy. The reason why this particular jello salad confuses us more than any other moldokay, maybe except jellied chicken saladcomes down to one thing: Circus Peanuts make absolutely no sense at all. Do they taste like peanuts? Absolutely not. Why are they banana-flavored? No clue. Is the obscenely neon orange color necessary? Heck no. But do we still succumb to the sentiment of this retro congealed salad made with canned pineapple and Cool Whip? Of course, you Negative Nancy. No, lets not. I have always hated what I now understand are called Circus Peaunts, for the reasons given. Also, the article insists on repeating the phrase congealed salad. I wish they wouldnt have. Theyre trying to send us a message: The Lioconcha Hieroglyphica, a mollusc that looks like it is covered in mystical runes pic.twitter.com/aplrulMuBX Diane Doniol-Valcroze (@ddoniolvalcroze) July 30, 2020 * * * Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, (c) how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (d) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (AM): AM writes: From July 1 this white bloom stalk came out overnight. Dont know what it is, but the garden always has new flowers popping out as others, like the roses, fade away. AMs mother-in-law thinks its a yucca. Im not so sure. * * * Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals: Here is the screen that will appear, which I have helpfully annotated. If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you! Police in Auburn, Maine arrested 22-year-old, Trai M. Larue Thursday morning in connection with the killing of a Massachusetts man at a McDonalds parking lot during an altercation. A resident of Lewiston, Maine, Larue was charged with the murder of 21-year-old, Roger I. Cornell of New Bedford, Mass. in the restaurants parking lot at 138 Center St. on Wednesday evening, according to the Sun Journal. At about 8:37 p.m. a call was made to report a man in his early twenties that was injured at the restaurant. The man, now identified as Cornell, was then transported to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he died from his injuries. Authorities said Cornell and Larue were involved in an altercation and that several pepole fled the scene in a vehicle. Maines Major Crimes South unit was called to Auburn to assist the town police in the investigation. Cornells body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for an autopsy Thursday and police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the Auburn Police Department at 207-333-6650. Got a news tip or want to contact MassLive about this story? Email newstips@masslive.com or message us on Facebook orTwitter. You can also call our news tips line at 413-776-1364. DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704), the leader in cloud security, today shared the significant business value driven by cloud-powered XDR and Managed XDR offerings, which optimize threat detection and response across all critical vectors. In a recent survey commissioned by Trend Micro and conducted by ESG, organizations surveyed experience faster detection and less alert fatigue as a result of intelligently using data from all their security controls (including those covering endpoints, email, servers, cloud workloads and networks). According to the recent findings from ESG*, previewed here with a white paper to publish in August, 85% of organizations claim that threat detection and response is getting harder due to an exponentially more sophisticated threat landscape and a lack of highly skilled security experts over the last two years. Trend Micro's XDR solution is both a SaaS-based offering as well as a managed service with the "X" referring to the most extensive sets of data from more protection points, which is critical to find hidden threats. It was recently named by Forrester as a Leader in enterprise detection and response and achieved the highest initial detection in the MITRE ATT&CK Framework. City of Tyler, Texas CIO and Trend Micro customer, Benny Yazdanpanahi said, "Our citizens and employees have a right to expect that their data and public services are secured from cyber-threats, but our small IT workforce can't do everything, so we turned to Managed XDR. Finding a strong, committed partner with knowledge and expertise we don't have was a game-changer for us. Our city motto is 'We are called to serve,' but the same could equally be said of Trend Micro. They care about their customers." Today's organizations are faced with sophisticated threats that may bypass even advanced protection. However, most current detection and response approaches are siloed, incomplete and overwhelm limited security teams with disconnected alerts that lack actionable information. Security practitioners currently report being able to find critical alerts but not necessarily having the clarity to resolve the issue due to lack of additional details. In fact, ESG found that only 30% of organizations are confident that their threat detection and response functions can perform at the speed needed to keep up with threats over the next 12-24 months. Additionally, on average, organizations and overtaxed IT teams ignore 32% of security alerts. Trend Micro XDR was the first solution to launch that offers correlated detection beyond the endpoint: collecting and analyzing data from email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks to more effectively hunt, detect and contain threats. It amounts to greater context, greater understanding and faster, more accurate incident response. ESG found that organizations that employ automated data aggregation techniques, like those enabled by Trend Micro XDR, enjoy improved security outcomes. For example, they are generally able to restore in hours vs. days by a ratio of 83% vs. 66%. The solution is also available as a managed service (MDR), to further take the pressure off constrained in-house teams with 24/7 full-threat analysis, threat hunting, response plans and remediation recommendations. "There's no such thing as 100% prevention anymore, which puts the focus on effective threat detection and response. With XDR, we've broken the mould with correlated detection across traditional siloes to help stretched IT teams optimize their response to stealthy threats," said Steve Quane, executive vice president at Trend Micro. "I'm proud of the fantastic value our solution offers businesses and of once again delivering on our commitment to secure the connected world. It's a privilege to remain a trusted cybersecurity advisor for our global customers." *ESG Research Insights Report, Validating Trend Micro's Approach and Enhancing GTM Intelligence, 2020, to be published August 2020. About Trend Micro Trend Micro, a global leader in cybersecurity, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Leveraging over 30 years of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro enables resilience for businesses, governments, and consumers with connected solutions across cloud workloads, endpoints, email, IIoT, and networks. Our XGen security strategy powers our solutions with a cross-generational blend of threat-defense techniques that are optimized for key environments and leverage shared threat intelligence for better, faster protection. With over 6,700 employees in 65 countries, and the world's most advanced global threat research and intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to secure their connected world www.trendmicro.com. SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated Related Links www.trendmicro.com Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30, 2020 15:23 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a89e50 1 National Banten,Islamic-boarding-schools,Pesantren,sexual-harassment,child-sexual-exploitation,child-sex-offenders,molestation,child-molestation Free The head of a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Serang regency, Banten, identified as JM, 52, has been arrested for allegedly molesting his students. According to Adj. Comr. Indra Deradinata, head of the Serang Polices detective and criminal unit, JM was arrested on Wednesday after four alleged victims spoke out against him. The investigation is ongoing, Indra told kompas.com. He was charged under Article 81 of the 2016 Child Protection Law, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment upon conviction. Anton Daeng Harahap, a family member of one of the alleged victims, accused JM of sexually abusing 15 female students of the pesantren, adding that 11 of them were afraid to speak to the police. [The four girls who went to the police] initially did not want to tell their family because of shame. But one of them finally dared to speak out, Anton said. He added that JM had lured the girls by promising them an amulet that could improve their studying. After abusing them, he allegedly threatened to curse or expel them from the pesantren if they reported him. [JM] is the chairman of the foundation and he never teaches in the pesantren. He is only looking for victims, Anton claimed. (mfp) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning slammed the Opposition for criticising the implementation of demonetisation. 1) PM at AIIMS Bathinda foundation laying cermeony: Water that belongs to India cannot be allowed to go to Pakistan Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bathinda, Punjab. 2) Rajya Sabha MPs demand apology from PM Modi for accusing opposition of supporting black money Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning slammed the Opposition for criticising the implementation of demonetisation, saying, Those criticising demonetisation move don't have problem with govt's preparedness, they have problem that they didn't get time to prepare. 3) Live updates on Parliament winter session day 8 | Demonetisation debate: Opposition demands apology from PM Modi Members of the Opposition parties held a meeting in Parliament to chal out a strategy to corner the Narendra Modi government over its demonetisation move as the Winter Session entered its eighth day on Friday. 4) Unaccounted deposits post Nov 8 may face 60% tax: Sources The Cabinet on Thursday night is believed to have discussed amending laws to levy close to 60 per cent income tax on unaccounted deposits in banks above a threshold post demonetisation of high-denomination currency notes. 5) RBI admits anomalies in new Rs 500 notes, says both notes valid, nothing to worry Reserve Bank of India on Thursday admitted that there were anomalies in the new Rs 500 notes issued under the Mahatma Gandhi series post November 8. However, both normal and anomaly version are valid for use, the RBI has said. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Dublin, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Subscriber Data Management Market by Service Provider Type (Carriers and OTT Service Providers), Network Type (LTE and 5G), Operational Model (Premise and Cloud) and Region 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides an assessment of the Subscriber Data Management (SDM) market, including business models, value chain analysis, carrier and vendor strategies, and a quantitative assessment of the industry from 2020 to 2025. The report includes analysis by service provider type (carriers and OTT service providers), network type (LTE and 5G), operational model (premise and cloud-based), and by geographic region of the world. Subscriber data is a crucial commodity for network carriers worldwide, as it can be leveraged to provide customized services and optimize applications to the market based upon subscriber preferences. This creates opportunities for new and highly focused applications and services. Optimally leveraging subscriber data also facilitates revenue expansion as well as improved customer loyalty and profitability. However, access to subscriber data is often a challenge for network operators. This is due largely to subscriber data being stored in a non-unified, distributed architecture that consists of a variety of different network elements and services. This legacy subscriber data architecture approach is often vendor-specific, which makes it costly to establish and maintain a consolidated view of the operational data. Subscriber Data Management (SDM) systems provide solutions to these problems by unifying subscriber data into a central repository. With this repository, SDM solutions unify cross-domain subscriber data, including identity, location, presence, authentication, services and access preferences. These data elements may feed multiple applications through an API interface. An important aspect of SDM is the 3GPP defined Unified Data Repository (UDR) function, which is central to storage and retrieval of data in 5G networks. UDR is also central to the 5G Service Based Architecture (SBA) approach, including application, subscription, authentication, service authorization, policy data, session binding, and application state information. It is estimated that carriers can save up to 47 % in OpEx (associated with customer provisioning, administration, and application/service OSS/BSS) with next-generation SDM as compared to legacy non-UDR mechanisms for managing subscriber data. In addition to OpEx savings, SDM solutions allow carriers to reduce churn rates by enabling carriers to personalize services, improve marketing campaigns, and improve overall revenue and customer retention by gaining rich customer insights. Furthermore, SDM also allows carriers to establish themselves as brokers of subscriber identity through SDM APIs. Driven by internal utilization within carrier services and identity brokering, SDM APIs are anticipated to become a critical asset for 5G SBA based services realization and operation. As network operators continue to invest in network modernization and migrate networks towards 5G, vendors from both telecommunications and IT-centric database backgrounds are competing to gain SDM market share. As part of the 5G network build-out, global carriers are committed to continuing the migration toward a unified data environment that began with LTE networks. As a consequence, SDM vendor revenues are forecast to reach $9.75B by 2025. North America is poised to benefit the most from this trend, becoming a $3.3B market by 2025. Target Audience: SDM vendors Application developers Data mining companies ICT infrastructure vendors Managed service providers Select Report Findings: Driven by 5G infrastructure investment, the Global SDM market will reach $9.75B by 2025 North America is poised to benefit the most from this trend, becoming a $3.3B market by 2025 Global cloud-based 5G Unified Data Management (UDM) will become a $370M market by 2025 Global 5G and LTE SDM will be $3.48B at 17.4% CAGR and $1.95B at 60.8% CAGR respectively by 2025 The global market for third-party SDM (OTT and managed services providers) infrastructure will exceed $1B by 2025 Centralized data management supported by cloud-based storage and retrieval will enable operational savings of up to 47% Key Topics Covered: 1.0 Executive Summary 2.0 Subscriber Data Management Technology 3.0 Subscriber Data Management Market Business Case 4.0 Carrier SDM Deployment Case Studies 5.0 Global SDM Market Analysis and Forecasts 2020 - 2025 6.0 Carrier SDM Market Analysis and Forecasts 2020 - 2025 7.0 SDM Market by Third-Party Service Provider 2020 - 2025 Companies Mentioned Bell Mobility Canada Bharti Airtel Cell C South Africa China Mobile Hutchison (H3G) Mobily Saudi Arabia Movistar Argentina Orascom Telecom Algeria Safaricom Kenya Sprint Tele2 Sweden Telenor Pakistan TeliaSonera TIM Brasil Verizon Wireless For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/t6wpcu About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. One year on, BJP has big plans for triple talaq anniversary India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 30: The Bharatiya Janata Party has planned big celebrations on July 31 to mark the first anniversary of the passage of the Muslim Women's Right Protection Bill, which abolished triple talaq. The Parliament passed the bill on July 31 2019 and the next day it received the President's assent. The event is being celebrated as Muslim Women's Right Day or the Muslim Mahila Adhikar Divas. Right from the mandal level, small meetings will be organised through video conferencing. UP: Woman harassed over dowry, given triple talaq; husband, in-laws booked These events would connect Muslim women to speak abut their experiences pre and post the passage of the law. The Mahila morchas of the party will appeal to women to come forth and reject this practice openly, which is now a law that is binding. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News As part of the programme union ministers, Smriti Irani, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Mukthar Abbas Naqvi would connect with women across the country from the party headquarters through video conferencing. The BJP has also put out scores of videos with the hashtag #ThankYouModiBhaijaan. The triple talaq bill was first introduced by the Modi government in December 2017. It however failed to clear the Rajya Sabha hurdle. The Supreme Court had in 2017 declared talaq-e-biddat or instant triple talaq as constitutional. This led to the government to bring iii an ordinance and bill. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, July 30, 2020, 10:25 [IST] Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Chief Jennifer Bone. (File) At Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, its safety first. Chief Jennifer Bone said chief and council discussed travel restrictions Monday. "Were just sending out a notice to our community in the next day or two," Bone said. "We had some discussions regarding travel restrictions and that sort of thing. Even though the province doesnt require people to self-isolate of they leave the province For us, were implementing that if our community members travel outside Manitoba, whether to Saskatchewan or Alberta, they would still be required to self-isolate when they return to the community." Should Sioux Valley members travel across international borders, they will be required to self-isolate outside the community for a two-week period. Bone said morale is better in the community than it was in March and April, especially because of the summer weather. The development of Dakota legislation for the now self-governing nation continues. That work resumed in July. "Were just taking a different approach to that, with all the physical distancing requirements," Bone said. "Weve been utilizing Zoom a lot. Thats how we started doing our meetings. Since they increased, the numbers for gatherings we started in-person, keeping the physical distancing." As part of the federal governments COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, Manitoba First Nations received up to $35,974,000 for expenses related to COVID-19. There was also money announced for off-reserve First Nation members. For Sioux Valley, that meant $418,338 on-reserve and $336,660 for urban and off-reserve. Some of the on-reserve money went toward a video conferencing system for the bands boardroom. "That was a pretty big-ticket item," Bone said. Each home got mailboxes, which they did not previously have, so information and materials regarding consultations, as well as COVID-19, could be delivered safely. The First Nation-owned internet company had to upgrade its network due to people working from home and students finishing school at home. Also, Sioux Valley hired security personnel to oversee a variety of COVID-related aspects. Unlike some other First Nations, the community did not barricade itself. "Our community was not completely shut down. We had to monitor buildings and the traffic into and within the community," Bone said. As for off-reserve members, which is almost half of the total 2016 census population of 2,557, each household received $125 in the early days of the pandemic. "And then, of course, extra cleaning supplies, extra cleaning staff that do our offices, because we still had our essential services that were coming in," Bone said. "We created a food supply for our community members who were required to self-isolate, and they couldnt get out to do any shopping." Back when the Dakota Oyate Wacipi powwow event which normally sees hundreds attending from other provinces and the United States was cancelled, there was talk at the powwow committee level that a smaller-scale event might be held for the community. But that has not happened and it likely wont this summer. "I know there are some cases (of COVID-19) in Portage and theyre taking it very seriously," committee president Michelle Rosmus said. "Theyre asking all of Portage la Prairie to wear masks. I know chief and councils priority is the safety of the community. I dont know that they will be anticipating anything for some time yet." Portage la Prairie Mayor Irvine Ferris told PortageOnline July 27, "We know that (COVID) is in Portage, its in Southern Health and its really a matter of managing the risk." Speaking about trying to plan events, Rosmus said at each new phase, planners get their hopes up, then all of a sudden there are more cases. "It puts a damper," she said. "And next thing you know its going to be school. ... Its going to be August." Sioux Valley normally holds its powwow in July. Rosmus said other activities could be held in the community, but its a matter of whats affordable. She noted other communities have held fireworks and other activities, but because the gaming centre which helps fund community activities has been closed, those funds are low. The uncertainty with COVID-19 brings another popular Sioux Valley event to mind the Dakota Nation Winterfest Wacipi normally held at Brandons Keystone Centre in late January or early February. "Well be having a meeting on that coming up. Again, that draws people from everywhere. Clearly, the States people wouldnt come. I dont even know at what point this COVID would be at then. We cant predict that," said Rosmus, who is also on that planning committee. "How can you even have a function like that with 100 people? Which is the capacity right now. The Keystone alone, financially, its just not feasible. And thats Brandon losing a lot of money as well because we bring so much revenue that weekend alone, for those five days." But Rosmus acknowledges the devastation that could occur should COVID-19 hit First Nations communities. "Thats the scary part. And I think our leadership is doing an excellent job in keeping the community aware. Its so important," she said. "But theres nothing we can do except live with it and do the best we can physically, mentally, spiritually." mletourneau@brandonsun.com Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. CHICAGO For days and weeks this month, mailboxes have gone empty across Chicago. Folks cussed out postal clerks. Aldermen fielded telephone complaints. U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipiniski wrote a letter to the U.S. Postal Service demanding a "thorough investigation" and "corrective action" to make mail delivery regular again in Mount Greenwood's 60655 Zip code. In a July 27 reply, the U.S. Postal Service shrugged. Sure, there's been some service issues during the "challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic" due to "a fluctuation in employee availability." But "additional measures" have been taken to "improve delivery and customer service experiences," according to the letter from Postal Service government liaison Sheila Meyers obtained by Patch. The Postal Service's "final response" to complaints forwarded by Lipinski downplayed the public outcry over missing mail. The letter claimed delivery complaints dropped 45 percent in July. As for neighbor complaints about rude post office clerks, data from a retail surveys and secret shoppers tells a different story "100 percent" customer satisfaction, the letter states. Rest assured, the Postal service is "working diligently to improve and correct any identified delivery service deficiencies," Meyers wrote. "The response is obviously insufficient," a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipiniski said. The letter is also packed with details that don't jibe with all the complaints pouring into Ald. Matt O'Shea's office. On Tuesday, O'Shea sent 19th Ward residents an online survey to get their take on the state of the U.S. mail delivery. By Wednesday, more than 1,700 people had replied. "The overwhelming majority of people who responded to the poll said they are big fans of their mail carriers. They know them by name. But when their mail carrier is out sick or on vacation, they're not getting mail for days a time. And when they call or go into the post office they're treated poorly," O'Shea said. "And that's my own experience, too." Story continues My neighbors and I know the feeling. A couple of weeks back, our mailboxes went empty for about two weeks. I witnessed a handful of screaming matches between clerks and frustrated folks trying to pick up undelivered mail at the Roseland post office only to get sent away empty-handed. About 40 percent of Chicagoans who responded to a Patch reader poll asking folks to rate the reliability of their mail delivery said they often didn't receive mail for days or weeks at a time. Another 10 percent of Chicago poll respondents reported getting mail arrived late at night. Mail delivery trouble isn't just a South Side problem. Northside Ward bosses told me they've been flooded with complaints this month. And this week, O'Shea contacted his City Council colleagues to gauge their interest in holding hearings to demand answers from the Postal Service. Within hours, 23 aldermen had quickly replied. "Almost every one of them said this is a very serious problem in their communities, too," O'Shea said. "And they're ready to have a meeting about it." A City Council tongue-lashing certainly would draw more attention to Chicago's mail delivery woes. And it's the kind of pressure that has resulted in improved abysmal mail delivery here in the 1990s and in 2007, when mail service in Chicago was the worst in the nation. But this time around, mail complaints could fall on deaf ears. Newly appointed U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, a major donor to President Trump with no postal service experience, has cut mail carrier overtime and instituted other cost-cutting changes that call for leaving mail "left behind or on the workroom floor or docks," according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. O'Shea says he has asked Congressman Lipinski to demand that the Postmaster General's office to show up in Chicago, so they can hear directly from angry folks whose complaints haven't been recorded by the Postal Service's complaint center. On Wednesday, Lipinski spokesman Joel Reed said the Postal Service's "final response" over mail delivery troubles won't be the end of this fight. "The response is obviously insufficient given the serious mail delivery issues being reported," Reed said. The congressman has submitted a budget appropriation amendment that calls for funding a study of mail delivery problems in Chicago. "What's been done so far isn't good enough, and we're not done with this issue," Reed said. "We're optimistic that the [study] will produce change. It's obviously a long-term approach. But we've got other plans in the works to put pressure on the Postal Service to do better." This article originally appeared on the Chicago Patch A mother from Perth has revealed how drinking one too many Bloody Marys during the coronavirus lockdown prompted her to launch her own vodka infused with hot sauce - and her business idea is on track to make millions. Former TV journalist Renae Bunster said that as soon as Western Australia went into lockdown and her kids were at home instead of school, she started researching how she could make a vodka infused with hot sauce to add to tomato juice for Bloody Marys. Renae is already the brains behind the $1 million-a-year Bunsters Hot Sauce empire - known for its cheeky Sh*t the Bed Hot Sauce - and so she began by experimenting with her own products. A mother from Perth has revealed how drinking one too many Bloody Marys during the coronavirus lockdown prompted her to launch her own vodka infused with hot sauce (Renae Bunster pictured with her vodka) Renae (pictured) said that as soon as WA went into lockdown and her kids were at home instead of school, she started researching how she could make a vodka infused with hot sauce The result is a delicious $70 premium small-batch vodka infused with hot sauce (pictured) 'When I was stuck on lockdown and I was home-schooling my kids I was drinking quite a few Bloody Marys and the vodka got me thinking one day how can I make these drinks even faster?' Renae told FEMAIL. 'After researching, I came up with the idea to put the Sh*t the Bed into the vodka.' While Renae's idea seems simple, the mum admitted that making the vodka wasn't as easy as just 'pouring the hot sauce into the vodka'. 'I actually got all of the ingredients, all of the fruit and the veggies and the things that are in the hot sauce, and seeped them into the vodka,' she said. Renae is already the brains behind the $1 million-a-year Bunsters Hot Sauce empire - known for its cheeky Sh*t the Bed Hot Sauce (pictured with Renae) Renae said she enlisted the help of some mixologists and professionals to make sure it 'tastes really good', including Alchemy Distillers in the Yarra Valley in Victoria. The result is a small batch premium vodka for $70 that has been infused with all of the natural, fresh ingredients that has made Sh*t the Bed such a global hit. All you need to do is add it to tomato juice to make the perfect Bloody Mary, and Renae even said she thinks she has made the 'best chilli vodka in the world'. Renae Bunster became famous in 2016 for her Sh*t The Bed hot sauce after a wildly successful crowd-funding campaign (pictured with her sauce) The mum said she hopes that the launch of the vodka will mean big things for her business, which already sold 30,000 kilograms of hot sauce last year and is the number one selling hot sauce on Amazon USA. An equity raise is underway for the vodka, with close to $1million raised in under a week. 'I can't believe we've raised $1million dollars during COVID-19 too,' Renae said. 'Everyone wants a bit of the alcohol industry. George Clooney sold his tequila company for a billion dollars. 'I don't think I'm quite there yet, but the stakes really do get raised once alcohol is involved in a company. I don't know if I'll be making a tequila anytime soon so I don't think George Clooney has anything to worry about. 'But the beauty of this is because I've created this brand and this flavour I can do licensing deals with a tequila company or a rum company or whiskey or beer.' Rena (pictured with one of her kids) is now the proud creator of a sauce that is the number one selling hot sauce on Amazon in the USA Renae Bunster became famous in 2016 for her Sh*t The Bed hot sauce after a wildly successful crowd-funding campaign. She said she owes the success of her business to the sauce's memorable name, which tourist Robert Mackereth agreed with, sharing it to his social media. Within hours of posting a picture of the sauce to his Facebook page, Mackereth had bought about more than $13,000 worth of sales for the Perth mum. His post was shared more than 72,000 times under the caption: 'Australia you never fail to amaze me! Best sauce name ever!' A week after the post went up the sauce had moved to number one on Amazon USA's best selling hot sauce's list causing a massive global surge in sales. Bunsters Hot Sauce made more than $2million last financial year. The sauces come in three different varieties, with Sh*t The Bed being the hottest (Renae pictured with her sauces) The sauces come in three different varieties, with Sh*t The Bed being the hottest. There are also other versions which are slightly less hot, and the sauce has proven especially popular in the US, where it has even been featured on the US celebrity chat show, Hot Ones. The Sh*t the Bed infused vodka is available for pre-order here for $70. An expert panel tasked with finding ways to help struggling students in Northern Ireland used its first meeting to promise real-life solutions. Members of the new panel and the Education Minister Peter Weir met for the first time yesterday at Cregagh Primary School. Panel chair Dr Noel Purdy from Stranmillis College acknowledged much of the focus on underachievement had focused on Protestant working-class boys but said many groups were affected. This included those with special educational needs, newcomer or refugee children, Roma or Traveller children, carers, LGBT children and those at risk of exclusion. "Drawing up a costed, outcomes-based action-plan will make it easier for our politicians to deliver real change within a realistic time frame," he said. He said the disruption of Covid-19 had also increased the existing inequalities with pupils spending months at home. On his own experience, he said: "I grew up in a working-class council estate in Dungannon, but thanks to aspirational parents and an excellent school I went on to study at Cambridge University." He added that as a parent his four children were all in different education sectors; nursery, primary, post-primary and special. "I want an education system in Northern Ireland in which all of our children have equal opportunities, not just to learn and achieve but to thrive irrespective of family background." Panel member Kathleen O'Hare is a former principal at Hazelwood Integrated College and St Cecilia's College. She said she had witnessed how issues like inter-generational unemployment had caused many pupils to lose hope, but said challenging a culture of failure did not need to be expensive. Belfast Boys' Model principal Mary Montgomery said boys could often struggled with issues like boredom and feelings of irrelevance. She said a key part of the plan should be making sure school leaders were well resourced to put the necessary measures in place. Professor Feyisa Demie, honorary professor with Durham University, joined the meeting virtually. His previous work has focused on tackling the educational underachievement of black and Caribbean heritage children in England. He said targeted intervention in schools was one effective way to close the gap between poverty and under-achievement. Peter Weir said the new panel would pave the way for a properly resourced action plan allowing education to be a "life-changer" for all children. Cregagh Primary School principal David Heggarty hosted the meeting, and called on the panel to work for a better partnership between schools, family and communities. "It is my hope... as a primary school principal of six years and as a former pupil of this very same school, raised by single parent in a low income home and reliant on free school meals, that a very wide and very foundational view of tackling educational underachievement is needed." Fairfield, NJ, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Community Management Corporation of New Jersey (CMC NJ) president, Michael Pesce, PCAM, recently served as an expert panelist for Moving ForwardAdvice on Legal Requirements, Operations, and Engaging Residents Post-COVID, a virtual town hall event held by The New Jersey Cooperator. Over the last several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced associations and their partners to adapt in many ways. During this CMC NJ-sponsored webinar, the expert panel discussed such adaptations in areas of association operations, legal requirements, and resident lifestyle and wellness. Topics included practical advice on holding virtual meetings, conducting meetings consistent with new Radburn DCA regulations, electronic voting, creative ways to engage residents, and the use of technology platforms for effective remote operations. In addition to Mr. Pesce, the panel included: Matthew Z. Earle, partner, Kates, Nussman, Ellis, Farhi & Earle, LLP Lynne Edwards, lifestyle director, WTS International, LLC Amy Gallogly, corporate operations director, WTS International, LLC The global COVID-19 health crisis has impacted our industry and led associations to make significant alterations to the operations of their communities, stated Michael Pesce, PCAM, CMC NJ president. Associa Community Management Corporation of New Jersey is dedicated to helping board members understand how to navigate these changing circumstances and make thoughtful decisions about the management of their communities. The New Jersey Cooperator is a consumer-trade publication with insightful editorial and informative content meant to serve board members, property managers, homeowners, and real estate professionals. The publication serves the New Jersey condo, HOA, and co-op community with thousands of free articles and events about board operations, management, finance, maintenance, and more. CLICK HERE to view the webinar 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. Stay Connected: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa A hospital might not be the first place youd expect to find a calming, peaceful art exhibit about the Prairies, but the Buhler Gallery at St. Boniface Hospital is home to exactly that. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A hospital might not be the first place youd expect to find a calming, peaceful art exhibit about the Prairies, but the Buhler Gallery at St. Boniface Hospital is home to exactly that. A Prairie Vernacular: Folk and Contemporary Art Narratives of Life on the Canadian Prairies is a collaboration among multiple galleries that examines historical and contemporary representations of the artistic vernacular of the Canadian Prairies. "Vernacular" is described in the exhibition media release as "a genre of art made by individuals untrained in the visual arts, who may not even identify themselves as artists." "The relationship on the Prairies between folk or vernacular art and contemporary art that engages in the vernacular has been complex and, perhaps, somewhat symbiotic, stemming from a shared interest in Prairie experience, culture, environment and sensibilities as compelling sources for artistic practice," the release says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Buhler Gallery curator Leona Herzog and artist Bill Lobchuk: the Prairie Vernacular exhibition may be scaled down but is the largest the gallery has hosted. The genre of vernacular art rose to prominence in 19th-century France thanks to the work of symbolist artist Henri Rousseau, a self-taught painter whose work was known as Native or Primitive, but the idea didnt migrate to Canada until the 1950s, when artists and curators growing weary of modernism became drawn to the integrity and rawness of the form. While its traditional history is dominated by settler-colonial narratives, A Prairie Vernacular includes the work of Indigenous artists including Percy Plain Woman and Sherry Farrell Racette, as well as a statement from Carmen Robertson, a writer and scholar of art history and Indigenous peoples, to provide context for the genre and the work it encompasses, opening it up to alternative representations of the Prairie experience and histories that diversify the concept of vernacular art. Originally curated by Jennifer McRorie, director and curator of the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery, and Joanne Marion, director and curator of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, the exhibition has made its way to Winnipeg thanks to a chance meeting at the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina. "We were having a show there," says Bill Lobchuk, one of the artists featured in the exhibition, "and in the afternoon there was a panel discussion." "This has basically taken the place of the WAG in showing contemporary local work. You can see how art is really intertwined with our culture here." Artist Bill Lobchuk Through the discussion, Lobchuk met the curators of the show and asked when it would be coming to Manitoba. Upon learning that there were no planned exhibition dates here, he introduced the curators to his friend and Buhler Gallery curator Leona Herzog. The exhibition is a pared-down version, but with 120 pieces on display, it is still the biggest show the gallery has ever hosted. "The walls are covered," says Herzog. "With the nature of this show, it works." "Its like a circus," Lobchuk says. Lobchuk, himself a venerable figure on the Prairie visual arts scene, began his career in 1966 after graduating with an art diploma from the University of Manitoba. He knew he didnt want to teach, so instead, he opened his own screen-printing shop. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Buhler Gallery has paired artist Bill Lobchuks work (right) with pieces by his friend and former business partner, the late Len Anthony. "I did teach for a couple years but I hated it," says Lobchuk, who partnered with artist Len Anthony to open the Grand Western Canadian Screen Shop, which existed from 1968 to 1988 in a storefront at 50 Princess St. in the Exchange District. "Our task at the screen shop was to experiment with all kinds of possibilities," he says. "Can we do this? That was the question." Herzog has displayed Lobchuk and Anthonys work next to each other, an homage to their longtime creative partnership, which lasted until Anthonys death in 2018. An open critic of the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the lack of Manitoba representation on its walls, Lobchuk is thrilled the Buhler Gallery was able to host an exhibit that exclusively features artists from the Prairie provinces. "This has basically taken the place of the WAG in showing contemporary local work," he says. "You can see how art is really intertwined with our culture here." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "The walls are covered," says Herzog. "With the nature of this show, it works." Lobchuk grew up in Plumas and has maintained a lifelong passion for the rural Prairie landscapes of his childhood. "I grew up at a farm until I was school-age, and then we were back to the farm all the time for weddings and funerals and other social engagements," he says. "And then I bought myself a farm. It was a homestead, a log cabin, with a stone well and log outhouses, stuff like that." Lobchuk sold his farm home a few years ago and now resides in Winnipeg, where he continues to make art. "Ive got a new form of silk screening Im doing," he says. "The whole formula has changed. Its not the way we used to do it. Ours was terrible chemicals like acetone and Varsol and now they have ink in a plastic bag and a track that prints all colours all at once." "Im not even sure what the new technique is called," says Lobchuk. "Im still experimenting, you know?" Frances.Koncan@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @franceskoncan Travel agent TUI said it will close 166 of its stores across Ireland the UK due to the impact of Covid-19. The company said that following a review it plans to streamline its retail estate and will close 166 TUI stores replacing them with a new homeworking sales and service team. The company will retain 350 retail stores. The company told the Irish Examiner they were not releasing the list of stores as a consultation process was underway and they would not confirm locations until that process was completed. Covid-19 has wiped out holidays abroad for Europeans for months, and now the threat of a second wave of infections and new restrictions on travel during the usually lucrative summer season are causing more pain in a sector where balance sheets are already strained. TUI's UK unit was forced to cancel thousands of holidays earlier this week when Britain advised against travel to Spain, bringing back a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals just weeks after saying travel there was safe. The German-headquartered firm said it is now looking to move 70% of the 900 impacted roles into the new homeworking sales and service team and also aims to relocate retail advisers to vacancies across the remaining high street stores. He said it was imperative that they make these cost decisions and look after colleagues during a period of unprecedented uncertainty. TUI Managing Director Andrew Flintham said customer behaviours have already changed in recent years, with 70% of all TUI bookings taking place online. "We believe Covid-19 has only accelerated this change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home." "We have world-class travel advisors at TUI, so we hope many of them will become homeworkers and continue to offer the personalised service we know our customers' value. In May, the TUI Group had announced that it was to reduce overhead costs globally by 30%, with approximately 8,000 roles impacted, and would seek to accelerate its path to become more efficient and continue with its programme of digitalisation. More than 110,000 Americans visited New Zealand's immigration website last month to learn if they qualify to move there amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands of foreigners from other countries have also inquired about living in New Zealand and applied for residency as the country emerged as the gold standard for dealing with the health crisis. New Zealand on Thursday had just 24 active cases, all placed into isolation, and reported only 22 deaths in total. The country had 1,560 cases total and 1,514 recoveries. On the other hand, the United States continued to lead the world in coronavirus cases and deaths, with more than four million confirmed infections and 150,717 fatalities. Under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand implemented a lockdown so severe that reclaiming a lost ball from a neighbor's yard was prohibited. But the measures were successful at halting the virus' spread, and the country lifted its lockdown restrictions and declared itself virus-free on June 8. Citizens there are now not required to social distance, and can visit bars, restaurants and public spaces freely again Meanwhile many states of the US are having to slow or halt their reopening amid a second surge of cases. More than 250,000 Americans have search online to learn if they qualify to gain residency into New Zealand as cases and deaths surge in the US. Pictured: People wearing masks avoid social distancing while attending the Stop The Silence concert in Times Square as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening A New Zealand demographics expert told the New Zealand Herald that the surge in interest about moving to the Pacific country showed a failure of the American public health and political system - which has become all the more contentious in recent weeks. The uptick also indicates a dissatisfaction with President Trump and his administration's handling of the global pandemic that inundated the country. More than 250,000 Americans in total have logged on to check their status since the pandemic hit six months ago. Massey University's Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley told the publication that the pattern will likely increase as the situation in the United States worsens. 'Middle class, professional America is saying, "Well, where do we go for our own safety and the safety of our families?"' Such sentiments from America's middle class would be a blow to Trump's 2020 election campaign after the Commander-and-Chief tried to appeal to suburban residents in a controversial tweet this week. 'I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood,' wrote Trump on Twitter, adding 'crime will do down.' Many called Trump's message 'blatant racism' that targeted families who rely on low income housing to survive Last month, 112,800 more Americans visited the Immigration New Zealand website compared to the same time in 2019 - a 160 per cent spike. Professor Spooley said the uptick in inquiries was caused by failure of the American public health and political system, as well as a dissatisfaction with President Trump That's also the equivalent of on American clicking on the website every 30 seconds. But it's not just Americans who are floating the idea of moving to New Zealand. 46,000 British citizens looked at Immigration New Zealand's website last month, which is up 27,100 from 2019. Internationally, there was a unexpected upswing in Google searches in June with the key words 'move to New Zealand.' Figures shared by Immigration New Zealand showed that almost 10,000 people were granted application to move to the country in the past two months. June saw the largest number of approved residency applications, many of which came from India and South Africa. 7,085 people were given the 'OK' to move. India has recorded more than 1.5million confirmed coronavirus cases and around 35,000 deaths. South Africa had 470,000 cases and nearly 8,000 deaths. But for the time being, New Zealand's borders remain closed to most travelers, and those who do gain entry must quarantine for 14 days. Immigration New Zealand said the surge in inquiries picked up in April, just as news of lockdown guidelines in the country successfully curbing infections gained international attention. Ardern has been praised for her communication skills and presenting public health guidelines as a vital key beating the virus. In a video posted to her Facebook just before the beginning of New Zealand's lockdown on March 25, Ardern urged residents to stay indoors. 'Stay at home, break the chain and youll save lives,' she said. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (pictured) has been praised for her COVID-19 pandemic response that kept infections in the country low And Ardern continued to encourage New Zealanders with a number of personalized, social media videos that helped her resonate with her citizens. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of clicks on Immigration New Zealand happened just as Americans were hit with a resurgence of cases after states eager to restart their economies relaxed restrictions too early. The infection curve rose in 40 of the 50 states, and places like California have been forced to take a step back in their plans. According to Professor Spoonley, the number of Americans looking to move to New Zealand tripled after Trump was elected in 2016. 'Push factors are the [US Government's] inability to handle a public health challenge like Covid-19, combined with civil unrest,' said Spooley. 'And then the pull factor is that New Zealand is seen as a calm, well-ordered, environmentally attractive country that has dealt with Covid-19 incredibly well.' Civil unrest in the US came in the form of anti-racism and police brutality protests that sparked nationwide in May with the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old father-of-five, was unarmed when former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Floyd pleaded 'I can't breathe' several times before becoming unresponsive and later dying at a local hospital. Pictured: : People without masks masks sit in circles to observe social distancing as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline in Domino Park Since, scores of Americans have taken to the streets to demand an end to police brutality and racial inequality. Spooley said the boost of interest in making New Zealand home will extend beyond the United States. 'I absolutely anticipate more interest from places like the UK, Germany and Singapore looking to New Zealand as a migrant destination,' said Spooley. American forensic pathologist Dr Judy Melinek told New Zealand Herald that she felt so unsafe at her job in San Francisco, California that she moved New Zealand this month. Melinek, who led the coronavirus response for the sheriff-coroner office in Oakland, said she became frustrated by both state officials and the Trump administration. 'I was frustrated and disappointed by the American response to the pandemic and personally I didn't feel safe at work,' she said. Melinek called Trump's response a 'disaster' and said American politicians needed to follow Ardern's model to tackling the virus. 'You guys are the role model ... she and her response to Covid-19 is the reason why we're in New Zealand and why we relocated,' she said. A spokesperson from Immigration New Zealand told New Zealand Herald that the country was a 'great place to be right now.' 'But the borders are still closed. And it's important for context that it doesn't necessarily translate to more visa applications.' Overseas, Trump continued to struggle with his response six months into the pandemic. Just this week, social media giants Facebook, Twitter and YouTube removed a video shared by Trump that promotes unproven claims that the drug hydroxychloroquine can treat or cure the virus. There is no current medically-proven cure for the virus. The clip, which was originally posted by the right-wing news site Breitbart, featured four people who identified themselves as doctors speaking in front of the Supreme Court building. One was Stella Immanuel, who claims to be a physician in Houston, and said hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug often touted by Trump, was a cure for COVID-19. The Breitbart video was viewed at least 14 million times by Monday afternoon. It had become one of the top performing posts on Facebook, with nearly 600,000 shares before it was taken down for promoting misinformation, according to Crowdtangle, a data-analytics firm owned by Facebook. A Facebook spokesperson told CNN: 'We've removed this video for sharing false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19.' Immanuel blasted 'fake doctors' who doubt the efficacy of the drug, and claimed it's a 'cure', adding 'you don't need a mask.' President Trump defended Dr. Stella Immanuel, who has a long history of promoting conspiracy theories and who claims hydroxy cures coronavirus 'If some fake science comes out and says we've done studies and they found out that it doesn't work, I can tell you categorically it's fake science,' she said. 'I want to know who's conducted that study and who's behind it. Because there is no way I have treat 350 patients and counting and nobody is dead.' She said she has treated patients with hydroxychloroquine along with zinc, and the antibiotic zithromax. Hydroxychloroquine was first introduced to the public as a potential 'game-changer' by Trump in March - just as the virus overtook the country with quickly rising cases and deaths. Trump reportedly felt so strongly about the unproven drug that he began taking it himself and was set to finish his prescription in May. 'I'm taking it - hydroxychloroquine. Right now yeah. A couple of weeks ago, started taking it,' he told reporters at the White House at the time. In addition touting the drug while it was still unproven, Trump faced backlash over a series of incorrect statements he made in reference to it. President Trump has continued to promote hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19, despite it being unproven to do so Trump on at least one occasion declared the FDA 'feels good about it' and claimed they approved the drug. 'I'm not a doctor. But I have common sense,' said Trump in April. 'The FDA feels good about it. As you know, they've approved it, they gave it a rapid approval, and the reason [is] because it's been out there for a long time, and they know the side effects and they also know the potential.' Although the agency did permit emergency authorization at the beginning of the crisis, they have since rescinded the authorization and have yet to approve of it. Trump has also tried to boost hydroxychloroquine's popularity by saying it was a popular choice among medical staff and responders on the front lines. 'You'd be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the frontline workers, he said. The next day he claimed the drug 'is used by thousands and thousands of frontline workers.' Dr. Bob Wachter, the chair of the University of California, San Francisco's department of medicine, told Factcheck.org that he didn't know 'any clinician' taking hydroxychloroquine to prevent the coronavirus. States like California and Florida emerged as new coronavirus hot spots in recent weeks. Trump on Wednesday defended the drug and claimed that 'many doctors think it is extremely successful.' 'The hydroxychloroquine coupled with the z-pack. And some some people think it's become political. I took it for a 14-day period. And I'm here. I think it works in the early stages. I think front line medical people believe that too. Some. Many. So we'll take a look at it,' he added On Wednesday, there were 8,755 new cases and 197 new deaths across California. Nearly 7,000 patients infected with coronavirus were hospitalized and 2,012 were admitted into the intensive care unit. An additional 1,500 suspected cases are hospitalized and 197 are possible in intensive care units. The majority of cases have affected residents aged 18 to 49, despite the virus' negative risks for elderly citizens. In Florida, there were 9,943 new cases and 18 new deaths on Wednesday. More than 26,000 residents have been hospitalized with the virus across the state. Residents aged 25 to 34 appeared to have the highest number of confirmed cases. Changing his earlier position, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said Thursday that embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan should resign immediately. It is a departure for Durkin who previously said Madigan should resign if the allegations about him and Commonwealth Edison proved to be true. Durkin issued a statement saying that Madigan must go now. "The federal charges outlines in the ComEd prosecution highlight a scheme solely for the benefit of Speaker Madigan," Durkin said. "These facts are a disgrace of the highest level to the citizens of Illinois and in the institution of which we serve, the Illinois House of Representatives. The House Rules for the 101st General Assembly provide great responsibilities and duties of the Speaker of the House. After reviewing the facts contained in the ComEd deferred prosecution agreement, it is abundantly clear that Michael J. Madigan is unable to execute his responsibilities as Speaker of the House of Representatives and as state representative for the 22nd House district." Durkin said that he will also file a resolution to have the House vote on a new speaker immediately. The House is not scheduled to be in session again until the veto session that starts Nov. 17. The next regularly scheduled election for speaker is in January when newly elected and reelected lawmakers take their seats. Madigan has not been charged with anything and he has said he did nothing wrong. He also said his office is cooperating with federal investigators in their ongoing probe into ComEd. Commonwealth Edison was charged with one count of bribery by federal authorities earlier this month. The charge will be dropped after three years if ComEd continues to cooperate with authorities into their investigation of political corruption in the state. Prosecutors said ComEd gave jobs and contracts to Madigan associates in order to curry favor with the Speaker who wields substantial power over what legislation is considered in the House and eventually approved. The utility said legislation passed between 2011 and 2019 provided more than $150 million of benefit to the company. ComEd agreed to pay a $200 million fine, the largest ever assessed in the northern district of Illinois. It has agreed the money will not come from ratepayers. Durkin's change of heart came a day after Gov. JB Pritzker was grilled by reporters on why he didn't demand Madigan's immediate resignation when he demanded that other lawmakers resign before any charges leveled against them were proven. Part of Pritzker's response was to point out that Republican legislative leaders like Durkin were also saying Madigan should resign, but on the condition that if the allegations were proven true. Durkin's statement came as an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers are also calling for his immediate resignation as House Speaker and also as head of the state Democratic Party. Rep. Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego sent a letter to Madigan Thursday demanding that he resign because he "compromised the integrity of the office of Speaker of the House and undermined public trust" Previously, Reps. Anne Stava-Murray of Naperville and Terra Costa Howard of Glen Ellyn called on Madigan to step down. Two Democratic senators, Melinda Bush of Grayslake and Heather Steans of Chicago, also said Madigan must go. Previously, 12 members of the House Progressive Caucus signed a statement that Madigan should resign, but they also conditioned it on whether the allegations were true. Gov. Pritzker warns of a possible 'reversal' as COVID-19 numbers rise in Illinois Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Belarusian authorities have released dramatic video of a raid in which dozens of alleged Russian mercenaries were detained by security forces. The Belarusian government announced they were suspected terrorists, and state media said the men were seeking to "destabilize" the country ahead a presidential election on August 9. But some have suggested the raid was a political ploy aimed at sucking momentum out of an opposition candidate's campaign. A US judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwells request to delay or reconsider her order unsealing the British socialites 2016 testimony in a defamation lawsuit, calling the request extraordinary and saying it came at the eleventh-hour. US District Judge Loretta Preska dismissed Maxwells arguments that disclosing the British socialites sworn testimony, along with other sealed evidence in the civil case, could harm her right to a fair trial on sex-trafficking charges and inappropriately influence potential witnesses or victims. Maxwells lawyer Laura Menninger immediately notified Preska that she will ask the federal appeals court in Manhattan to review the decision. Preskas ruling late Wednesday came almost a week after she ordered the documents unsealed -- including portions of Maxwells deposition and emails the socialite exchanged with Epstein. Earlier Wednesday, Maxwell again argued against the release of the material, prompting Preska to respond that the socialites arguments were going over plowed ground. In her four-page ruling, Preska ordered that some evidence collected in the lawsuit can be released as early as Thursday. The judge said the sworn testimony Maxwell gave in 2016, as well as the account of an alleged victim identified only as Doe 1, could be unsealed Aug. 3. Maxwell, 58, is in a federal jail in Brooklyn, New York, after having pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking charges tied to her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. She is charged with trafficking girls as young as 14 to be sexually abused by Epstein and also accused of sometimes participating in the abuse. Her sworn testimony and other evidence were collected as part of a defamation suit filed by Virginia Guiffre, who claims Maxwell and Epstein lured her into becoming the financiers sex slave when she was 16. She sued Maxwell for calling her account obvious lies. The lawsuit was settled out of court. Maxwell will now take her challenge to the same appeals court that last August ordered the unsealing of at least 2,000 pages of documents filed in the case. Epstein was found dead of an apparent suicide in his Manhattan jail cell a day after the ruling was handed down. Maxwell earlier argued against further disclosure of the materials, saying one document pertained to Giuffres efforts to compel Ms. Maxwell to answer intrusive questions about her sex life during her deposition. Perjury Charges The socialites testimony in the lawsuit became a crucial matter for the government, which used some of it as the basis for two perjury charges in the new criminal case. Prosecutors say the socialite was lying when she denied having any knowledge about Epsteins sexual interactions with underage girls or being present when they occurred. The testimony in the civil case -- which was ordered sealed by a judge under a settlement agreement -- should never have been given to prosecutors, Maxwells lawyers argued. They questioned how the government got its hands on the information. The defense team accused Guiffres lawyers of having leaked or caused someone to leak the evidence to prosecutors and argued the government and Guiffre set a perjury trap, for the socialite. If not for the promise of confidentiality for her testimony, Maxwell would have invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during the deposition, her lawyers said. Jim Margolin, a spokesman for acting Manhattan US Attorney Audrey Strauss, didnt have an immediate comment. Evan Ezray, a spokesman for Guiffres lawyers, Sigrid MacCawley and David Boies, didnt immediately return an email seeking comment. The civil case is Guiffre v. Maxwell, 15-CV-07433, US District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan); The criminal case is US v. Maxwell, 20-CR-330, US District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan). Witnesses told police the suspect in the fatal July 4 shooting of a 16-year-old had two guns during an annual fireworks "war" at a Decatur public housing complex, a police detective testified Wednesday. The testimony came during the preliminary hearing for Shannon Doors Thomas, 26, charged with capital murder in the slaying. Afterward, Morgan County District Judge Charles Langham sent the case to a grand jury, saying he found probable cause to believe the defendant fired into the vehicle in which the victim was sitting and, as a result, a young man was killed. Thomas will remain in Morgan County Jail under no bond, Langham said. In his testimony, Decatur police detective Joshua Daniell, who was assigned to the investigation, said some witnesses interviewed after the 1:22 a.m. incident said they saw Thomas shooting toward the vehicle, a white Chevrolet Malibu, two to three times. Daniell said Amari Elijah Deloney, 16, was in the back seat of the vehicle on July 4 at the time of the shooting, which happened in the midst of a fireworks war in the area. Witnesses placed Thomas, of Decatur, in possession of a .25-caliber gun and a larger black gun, and Thomas even admitted he was in possession of a firearm that evening, according to Daniell. When the Malibu was processed later, a bullet hole was found in a rear quarter-panel window, and a spent round, measuring 9.07 mm in diameter, was found inside, he said. Daniell said another man at the scene was in possession of a .45-caliber handgun throughout the evening. When Assistant District Attorney Joseph Lewis asked if a .45 would fire a 9 mm round like the one that was recovered, Daniell said no. During his testimony, Daniell said he reviewed a Facebook post from Thomas on July 3, saying that if fireworks were fired at him, he wouldnt be shooting fireworks back. Daniell said that footage from a video camera near the scene shows the vehicle heading east on Locust Street, rolling through a stop sign and turning south onto 18th Avenue, then leaving the area of the East Acres housing complex. You can still see the fireworks going off around the vehicle, Daniell said. He said Deloneys body fell against another back-seat passenger. (Deloney) was struck in the left side of his head, Daniell said. It was a through and through. He said the bullet entered the left side of Deloneys head and exited slightly higher on the right side. Daniell said that when officers arrived at Decatur Morgan Hospital, following a call to central dispatch, Deloney was still alive but unresponsive. He was taken to UAB Hospital, where he later died. The autopsy determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, Daniell said. Sgt. Mike Burleson arrived at the East Acres scene at about 2:15 a.m. on July 4, then other officers arrived. In all, there were about 15 to 20 witnesses, including the three other occupants of the Malibu, with some people interviewed multiple times, Daniell said. He said he interviewed close to 10 of the witnesses. Daniell said that, according to witnesses, theres a fireworks war in the area during the July 4 holiday, with fireworks launched throughout the evening, and the vehicle in which Deloney was a passenger was also throwing out fireworks. In cross-examination by one of Thomas attorneys, Kevin Teague, Daniell said the other three occupants of the Malibu didnt identify anyone who shot at the vehicle. Teague asked if there is any video that shows Thomas firing a weapon at the car, and Daniell said no. After the hearing, Deloneys mother, Shenna Matthews, stood outside the Morgan County Courthouse with other family members. Im just hurting, Matthews said. To lose him like this. He was just out there having fun with his friends. Thomas took an angel away, she said. Hes got to pay for this. Were glad theyre going forward with the case, said Deloneys aunt, Christy Matthews. We want justice. Teague and Brian White, whos also representing Thomas, had no comment after the hearing. 2020 The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) Visit The Decatur Daily (Decatur, Ala.) at www.decaturdaily.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 1:07PM by Claudio Alves One of the Criterion Channel's most enticing July releases is A Dry White Season by Caribbean director Euzhan Palcy. Her record-breaking career is a fascinating, often frustrating, piece of cinema history, full of fearless political artistry and a will to challenge the Hollywood machine. While her name isn't very well known, Palcy should be famous for all the risks she took and the astounding quality of her features. They might be few, but they are excellent. With that in mind, we invite you to explore the filmography, the story, and the genius of Euzhan Palcy Born on the island of Martinique, Euzhan Palcy grew up watching Hollywood movies at her village theatre. She seldomly saw any Black faces or people whose lives looked like hers. As far as she knew, such stories, such people, didn't have a place on the big screen. Her love for film and revolt at its representational lacunas were at the root of Palcy's decision to become a cineaste. The need to make films thus consumed the young woman, who, seeing no way to achieve her dreams in her homeland, traveled to Paris for her studies. There, she crossed paths with Francois Truffaut who, sensing the potential in Palcy, became her mentor. After completing her studies and with the encouragement of Truffaut, the first feature directed by Euzhan Palcy was the adaptation of a book she'd been familiar with for years. Her mother had gifted Palcy with the novel Sugar Cane Alley by Joseph Zobels when she was thirteen, and the little girl became enthralled by the piece's open celebration of Martinican culture. That sort of thing was difficult, near impossible, to encounter anywhere else during the director's childhood, neither in the books her school taught or the movies she watched. Sugar Cane Alley tells the story of a gifted young Black boy in 1930s' Martinique who comes from a rural background but gains a scholarship to study in the country's capital. It's a narrative that portrays stark racial injustice and paints a picture of personal sacrifice from the older generations to guarantee a better future for the young. The character of the protagonists' loving grandmother is especially memorable, a woman used to be treated almost like a slave at the sugarcane fields who'll do everything in her power to assure that her grandson won't live through the same hardships. Palcy's adaptation is an astounding work, brimming with indignant fury and a humanistic gentility that makes the narrative all the more painful to experience. Palcy was influenced by Sembene, Hitchcock, Wilder, and Djibril Giop Mambety as well as the writings of Aime Cesaire, and the resulting film language she perfected is a wonder to behold. Such greatness was impossible to ignore and, when the film premiered at the 1983 Venice Film Festival, Palcy became a name known to many a film enthusiast. For her riveting performance, 76-year-old French actress Darling Legitimus won the Volpi Cup for her performance as the grandmother in Sugar Cane Alley, while Palcy won the Silver Lion for Best First Work. Across the Atlantic, fellow film makers and movie critics started to champion the work of Euzhan Palcy, among them Roger Ebert, helping with the opening of doors for the director in Hollywood. That's exactly where the filmmaker went next, intent on bringing her Black focused cinema to the realm of the big American studios. She'd become the first Black woman to direct a movie produced by said studios, but the road to that historical mark was a rocky one. Originally, Palcy wanted to direct an adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple, but she gave up on it when Spielberg bought the rights to the book. In the meantime, she was offered many projects by the studios, all of which she refused. Instead, Palcy pitched an idea of her own to Warner Bros., an adaptation of Andre Brink's A Dry White Season about a white teacher in South Africa who grows aware of the injustices of his country's apartheid regime. According to Palcy, her decision to film the novel was, in part, motivated by an attempt at weaponizing Hollywood's racial problems in her favor. She knew it'd be near impossible to get a studio to bankroll her endeavor if all the main roles were Black and the Caucasian presence was relegated to vilified supporting parts. Her choice of A Dry White Season was a calculated one, but that doesn't mean the picture's a white savior narrative, as many accuse it of being. Far from it. Palcy was so intent on getting the perspective of Black South Africans right that she traveled undercover to Soweto to interview the survivors and biggest victims of apartheid. Going back to America and frightened that she'd be arrested, Palcy even hid some of her research inside her underwear. Many filmmakers go to extremes to get their visions on screen, but few are as brave as Palcy who risked her life for it. Unfortunately, not everything was smooth sailing after the script was complete. A Dry White Season may have started at Warner Bros, but the film company quickly grew wary of Palcy's furious critique of the South African apartheid system as well as Universal's recent cornering of the market with Cry Freedom. Stuck at a standstill, Palcy took her passion project to MGM, who bought the rights from Warner and gave the director complete creative freedom. Blessed with such liberty, she ran with it, creating one of the most searing portrayals of racial injustice ever made in Hollywood up until that point. The 1989 movie looks at racism as a systemic problem rather than one that only exists at the level of the individual, a rarity even today. It's also full of contempt for its white characters, even the "good" ones, portraying their ignorance as a virulent failure that's born out of unchecked privilege. This is underlined by the way Palcy shoots the movie, but also by how it's structured and cut. In the first half, the director repeatedly contrasts scenes of hideous brutality perpetrated against black bodies with the unbothered lives of white people. A sunny rendezvous with friends in Donald Sutherland's patio can be followed by such horrifying imagery as a little girl being shot by police and her older sister begging the agents to shoot her since they killed her sibling. Still, nowadays the movie is mostly known for Marlon Brando's last Oscar-nominated performance. Palcy indeed convinced the old actor to come out of retirement and became the only woman to ever direct him on screen, but the movie is so much more than a Brando showcase. Even the way it was cast reflects its director's boldness. The white parts are played by a variety of actors, some South African, but a lot from North America, including Brando. This results in a bunch of unconvincing attempts at South African accents. That is something that doesn't happen with the Black characters, all of them played by real African actors like Winston Ntshona. We are always reminded of the arch artifice, insincerity, and off-putting oddness of the white performers in comparison with the more grounded and naturalistic Black actors. It's clear who we're meant to sympathize with. No matter how brilliant her film was, the experience of making A Dry White Season left Euzhan Palcy feeling emotionally bruised, deeply exhausted. It was on a trip to visit her friend Francis Ford Coppola that the director came up with the idea for her follow-up movie, a production that functioned as a balm to the soul. 1992's Simeon is a celebration of music and African culture, all things dear to its director's heart. Unfortunately, it's also widely inaccessible, making its appreciation a tad difficult. I'd like to tell you of more Palcy helmed features, but her career post-Simeon is a sad affair. According to the cineaste herself, she kept hearing that her movie ideas were too Black and that "Black isn't bankable". If the big screen kept closing its doors to Palcy, she found a new place in the television industry, both Stateside and France. For Disney, she made Ruby Bridges, about the first African-American kid to go to a desegregated school in the South, and Showtime gave her the freedom to bring to life a docudrama about the 1971 Attica prison uprising, The Killing Yard. Some of her passion projects were left behind after many rejections, like a movie of Toni Morrison's Tar Baby with Laurence Fishburne, but Palcy's still trying to work on her old ideas. One of them is a biopic about Black aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of Euzhan Palcy in years to come since hers is a cinematic voice that's both wanted and needed on our day and age. You can stream A Dry White Season on the Criterion Channel and Amazon Prime. If you'd like to watch some of Palcy's later television work, Ruby Bridges is currently available on Disney+. The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), said the administration had abetted Russian President Vladimir Putin by withdrawing the troops from Germany. He also took aim at the central focus of Pompeos tenure, Iran, noting that the country is much closer to a nuclear bomb than when you came into office, and criticized Pompeos maximum pressure campaign for failing to stop Irans aggressive actions in the Middle East. Aged care providers have hit back at warnings their accreditation could be at risk if they failed to correctly use personal protective equipment, arguing the federal government had not provided enough funding to improve infection control. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday said there had been far too much anecdotal evidence of PPE not being used the way it should in aged care facilities. A spokesman for Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck said federal support announced for the aged care sector's coronavirus response totalled more than $850 million. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "I want staff to feel very confident going to work each day in aged care facilities," he said. "Failure to comply with those requirements of using PPE will lead to marking down on people's accreditation." But Leading Aged Services Australia chief executive Sean Rooney said the federal government had failed to heed the sector's calls for specific funding to help providers meet the additional cost of COVID-19 infection control and "surge" staffing. A poacher who stabbed a beloved silverback gorilla to death in Uganda has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Rafiki, a 25-year-old male and head of a 17-member gorilla group who was hugely popular with tourists, was found dead after going missing on June 1. Poacher Felix Byamukama was arrested by Ugandan wildlife chiefs and pleaded guilty to slaughtering Rafiki in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Uganda's wildlife authority hailed 'justice for Rafiki' today after Byamukama was sent to jail. Rafiki (pictured), a 25-year-old male gorilla and head of a 17-member gorilla group who was hugely popular with tourists, was found dead after going missing on June 1 Poacher Felix Byamukama (pictured) was arrested by Ugandan wildlife chiefs and pleaded guilty to slaughtering Rafiki in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 'We are all relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife,' said wildlife official Sam Mwandha. 'If one person kills wildlife we all lose, therefore we request every person to support our efforts of conserving wildlife for the present and future generations.' Byamukama pleaded guilty to numerous charges including killing a gorilla, entering a protected area and being in possession of illegal meat. He was also found in possession of of several hunting devices including a spear and rope snares which were discovered in a search of his home. The poacher admitted to going hunting in the park but claimed he had killed Rafiki in self-defence after the silverback charged at the hunting party. Rafiki was reported missing from the Nkuringo gorilla group on June 1, prompting a search which eventually found the gorilla's body. A post-mortem revealed that the gorilla sustained 'an injury by a sharp device/object that penetrated its left upper part of the abdomen up to the internal organs'. Byamukama was sentenced to 11 years in prison by chief magistrate Julius Borere at a court in Kabale, the wildlife authority said. The 25-year-old male (pictured) was the leader of a group of 17 endangered mountain gorillas, called Nkuringo Another three suspects who were arrested at the time have pleaded not guilty and been remanded in custody while they await trial. Officials say tough new legislation introduced in 2019 means that 'anyone involved in illegal wildlife activities will face the wrath of the law'. The park, a UNESCO world heritage site near Uganda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a 12--sq-km patch of dense tropical forest that is home to primates, elephants, antelopes and other wildlife. Tourists are mostly drawn to the park by its estimated 400 mountain gorillas - roughly half the worlds population. The gorillas weigh up to 440lbs and have thicker fur than other great apes, meaning they can survive in colder mountain temperatures. The World Wide Fund for Nature says mountain gorillas are an endangered species because humans have encroached ever further on their territory. However, the WWF says the outlook has 'brightened' due to conservation efforts, meaning that numbers have increased in the last two decades. Poaching is rampant in Uganda's game parks and police frequently announce seizures of illicitly acquired wildlife products such as ivory, rhino horns, pangolin scales and others. FARMVILLE, Va. - Virginias governor and two U.S. senators urged President Trump to respond to the nations worst coronavirus outbreak that has occurred inside an immigrant detention centre, calling it a dire situation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said 262 undocumented immigrants are being monitored at the privately owned Farmville Detention Center after testing positive for COVID-19, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. Immigrant advocates have called the detention centre a tinderbox of infection and Gov. Ralph Northam as well as U.S. senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, all Democrats, have urged Trump to send in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help stem the outbreak. The outbreak presents a clear risk to individuals within the facility, but also endangers the broader community as facility staff and released detainees have interaction with the general public, Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark R. Warner wrote in a joint statement Wednesday. A lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups blames the outbreak on crowded sleeping conditions and infrequent testing. The central Virginia facility is run by Richmond-based Immigration Centers of America. Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky told The Post that the CDC has indicated that its willing to get involved. CDC officials did not respond to the newspapers requests for comment. According to the Virginia Health Department, seven detainees suffering from the virus went to a hospital and all but one have returned to the facility. Immigration Centers of America referred The Posts questions to ICE. The federal agency said the majority of those who tested positive were asymptomatic and received appropriate medical care. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal After exchanging strongly worded letters with the U.S. attorney for New Mexico over the past several days, Mayor Tim Keller continued to express concern that the 25-plus federal agents sent to Albuquerque as part of Operation Legend might do more than fight violent crime. In a letter sent Friday, a deputy city attorney asked U.S. Attorney John Anderson for assurance that Operation Legend will not result in federal agents making arrests and using force during protests, hiding their identities or using unmarked vehicles to detain protesters. Keller said the city received those assurances. Specifically, the US attorney has provided a written guarantee that Operation Legend will not be what we saw in Portland, Keller wrote in a Wednesday statement. However, we remain concerned about the Presidents own words that contradict these assurances, and we will hold the appropriate people accountable if this is not true. In a news conference call with other mayors from around the country, Keller said he remains worried that the operation is going to be a bait-and-switch. I think the missions of these deployments change at the whims of the White House, so it doesnt really matter what local folks say they are and say they are not, Keller said. That is why we are all going to be vigilant. He said that before all other initiatives including Operation Legends precursor, Operation Relentless Pursuit the city had received and signed memorandums of understanding from the Department of Justice. The MOUs lay out an operations mission, the roles and responsibilities of the agencies and any conditions imposed. That didnt happen with Operation Legend, Keller said. Instead, U.S. Attorney Anderson called him the day before the operation was announced. Anderson referenced this phone call in his letter to Keller, which he sent Tuesday. He said he had told him Operation Legend will be focused on crime fighting, not protecting federal monuments, policing assemblies, or enforcing immigration laws and Albuquerque was chosen because its most recent statistics reported to the FBI show a violent crime rate 3.7 times the national average. I invite you to join me in calling upon community leaders not to demonize or mischaracterize the work of federal agents, many of whom have risked their lives on behalf of the people of Albuquerque in an effort to get our violent crime epidemic under control, Anderson wrote. As the City also acknowledges in its letter to me, the APD is currently partnered with several federal agencies to fight violent crime, and gun crimes in particular, in the City. I am sure that you will agree that uninformed and inflammatory rhetoric or demagoguery toward the brave men and women of law enforcement is unfairly denigrating and serves no constructive purpose. In the eight-page letter, Anderson cited statements by 2nd Judicial District Attorney Raul Torrez about the difficulties of keeping defendants in jail pending trial in state court. He said that since mid-2017, his office has brought federal charges against more than 250 defendants at the request of the DA. Throughout my tenure as U.S. Attorney, we have consistently been taking tangible actions to reduce the number of violent criminals roaming the streets of Albuquerque, Anderson wrote. Indeed, my office, in partnership with dedicated federal agents and state and local law enforcement, has a long history of leading the fight against alleged cartel activity, drug trafficking, violent repeat offenders, and those alleged to be involved in violent activities including gang violence, rape, sex trafficking, and kidnapping. Anderson also took issue with statements made by Keller and Police Chief Michael Geier about nearly $10 million in grant money from the Department of Justice that the city has not received. He pointed out that to receive that grant, the city needs to submit paperwork officially accepting the funding. Anderson and city officials had previously told the Journal that the citys immigrant-friendly resolution did not allow it to agree to some of the grant conditions. Operation Legend: City letter to US Attorney for New Mexico by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd Operation Legend: US Attorney for New Mexico letter to the city by Albuquerque Journal on Scribd Dr. Anthony Fauci at a House committee hearing on March 11, 2020, in Washington, DC. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images Dr. Anthony Fauci said eye coverings might eventually be recommended to reduce coronavirus transmission. "If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it," Fauci told ABC on Wednesday. However, face masks are more important for preventing transmission, since most people get infected via respiratory droplets. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. To maximize your chances of avoiding a coronavirus infection, it's wise to cover your eyes, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday. "If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC health correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. "It's not universally recommended, but if you really want to be complete, you should probably use it if you can." The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention already recommends eye protection for healthcare workers, but not for everyday use. That's because eyes aren't the main source of coronavirus transmission the virus spreads primarily via respiratory droplets when someone talks, coughs, or sneezes. Others then get infected when these droplets enter their nose or mouth, though the virus can invade through any mucous membrane, including the eyes. Related: Dr. Fauci warned the Senate about reopening economy "Theoretically, you should protect all the mucosal surfaces," Fauci said, but he added, "it's just that it's so easy for people to just make a cloth mask." Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, also suggested using face shields as an added layer of protection on Thursday. "The thing about the face shields we think that that could protect the individuals and that it would decrease the ability for them to touch their eyes and spread [the] virus as well as those droplets coming towards them," Birx told "Fox & Friends." Eye coverings might play a role in reducing transmission Story continues A person wears a face shield during a protest in response to the killing of George Floyd on May 29, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Public-health guidelines aren't set in stone. At the start of the pandemic, the US population wasn't told to wear face masks. But the practice is now universally recommended due to the discovery that asymptomatic patients can pass the coronavirus just as easily as patients with symptoms. Scientists also discovered that cloth coverings still help, meaning medical-grade masks aren't the only option, so asking the public to wear masks doesn't come at the expense of safety for healthcare workers. It's possible that a similar process could happen with eye coverings if the US does not get its outbreak under control, though masks are far easier to make and procure. A June review in The Lancet found that eye coverings like goggles, face shields, or visors might substantially reduce coronavirus infections. "Eye protection is typically under-considered and can be effective in community settings," the researchers wrote. "However, no intervention, even when properly used, was associated with complete protection from infection." For now, the CDC says face shields aren't a substitute for cloth face masks. According to the agency, "it is not known if face shields provide any benefit as source control to protect others from the spray of respiratory particles." Swiss health officials recently warned that face shields could offer a false sense of security, after an outbreak at an hotel involved only people who wore plastic face shields. Those who wore masks or a combination of a face mask and a shield were not infected. Do glasses help? Standard eyeglasses offer less protection than goggles or shields, since the virus can enter through the top, bottom, or sides. But glasses could still discourage a person from touching their eyes with unwashed hands, reducing the risk that the person could get sick after touching a coronavirus-laden surface. In March, the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggested that people may want to switch from contact lenses to glasses to avoid touching their eyes. But the CDC has said there's no evidence that contact lens-wearers have a higher risk of infection than eyeglass wearers. "I don't think the issue is so much the contact lenses as it is hand hygiene before inserting or taking out the contact lenses," Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious-diseases expert, told the Mayo Clinic in April. Indeed, the Lancet study found that face masks and eye coverings shouldn't be a replacement for social distancing or hand-washing. But a person could lower their risk by implementing the measures in tandem. Read the original article on Business Insider This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com Witnesses Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (top, C), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (top, R), Google CEO Sundar Pichai (bottom, L), and Apple CEO Tim Cook are sworn-in before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 29, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) Divided Congress Finds Bipartisanship in Big Tech Monopoly Concerns While lawmakers pressed the chief executives of some of the worlds biggest tech companies for hours over antitrust issues on July 29, experts say the biggest takeaway was perhaps the bipartisan nature of the criticism. For the past year, the Houses top antitrust subcommittee has been probing Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google to decide if a change is needed in Americas century-old antitrust laws, or even if the companies should be broken up because of their market power. Some said the hearing failed to bring to light any real answers to the issues. The most notable aspect of the hearing was that hostility to the big tech platforms is bipartisan, Doug Melamed, a Stanford University law professor with expertise in antitrust law and intellectual property, told The Epoch Times via email. Antitrust law has become too narrow and too favorable to defendants, Melamed said, adding that he was surprised there wasnt much discussion of alleged wrongdoing by Google in connection with advertising sales. Whether court decisions or new legislation are needed poses a complicated question, according to Melamed. One risk of enacting new laws is that it might be dominated by a broad populist sentiment and thus go too far toward an unwise restriction of big companies and efficient business practices, he said. Chad Elder, a partner with expertise on antitrust at Bradley, a national law firm, said that while its unclear if Congress will take any meaningful action, there does appear to be considerable sentiment among both liberals and conservatives that something should be done. Representatives on both sides of the aisle remarked that this was an issue that had unusually high bipartisan support, Elder told The Epoch Times. I think it is unlikely that companies like Amazon or Facebook would be broken up entirely, in part because, despite their faults, they are so popular among their users, he added. But it is possible that certain aspects of their business could be spun off or regulated. There are several actions that Congress could take. One option is new legislation to supplement or amend existing federal antitrust laws, or heightened pressure to enforce existing law to punish perceived violations, according to Elder. He said he wouldnt be surprised to see legislation regarding political censorship on social media platforms such as Facebook, though he noted that it was wholly apart from antitrust considerations. The CEOs testified remotely via video to lawmakers. They provided data purporting to show how much competition they face and how valuable their innovation and essential services are to consumers. But they sometimes struggled to answer pointed questions about their business practices as well as a range of other concerns about alleged political bias, their effect on U.S. democracy, and their relationship with China. The panels chairman, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), said each platform controlled by the four companies is a bottleneck for a key channel of distribution. Whether they control access to information or to a marketplace, these platforms have the incentive and ability to exploit this power, he said. They can charge exorbitant fees, impose oppressive contracts, and extract valuable data from the people and businesses that rely on them. Tim Derdenger, associate professor of marketing and strategy at Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business, told The Epoch Times that the hearing was unified in casting the four firms in a very negative light, highlighting the bipartisan recognition that these four firms wield excessive market power. If I had to predict based upon this hearing, these firms will be regulated, and for Google, maybe even forced to divest or spin out its large entities such as Double Click and YouTube in order to mitigate the market power Google has with search, Derdenger said. Ashley Baker, director of public policy at the Committee for Justice, meanwhile argued that antitrust shouldnt be weaponized to correct problems that have nothing to do with competition law. Very little of the hearing was focused on antitrust, but was rather a mishmash of unrelated concerns about technology and tech companies, Baker told The Epoch Times. Thats not to say that all of these concerns are invalid, but they are not antitrust problems. In a letter for the record on the hearing, Baker and other conservative and free-market leaders argued that weaponizing antitrust for broader socioeconomic purposes would fundamentally alter the primary goal of antitrust, undermine the rule of law, and negatively impact consumers. The Associated Press contributed to this report Government has made education a top priority by providing the requisite tools to enhance teaching and learning since taking over office in 2016, Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, the Minister of Education has said. Dr Opoku-Prempeh said government was poised to give a level playing field to all Ghanaian children, and as such the President Akufo-Addo had charged all appointees to deliver on the promise made to Ghanaians. The Minister said this on Thursday when government presented 100 33-seater County Deluxe buses to Senior High Schools in the Northern sector to facilitate their operations. Government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund in March, presented a 365 double cabin Isuzu pickups and 493 motorbikes to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other agencies under the Ministry of Education. All 260 District Education offices have been allocated a pick up each and a number of motorbikes for circuit supervision. This gesture, Dr Opoku-Prempeh said was a continuous demonstration of government's commitment to ensuring that logistics were available to institutions for their efficiency and effective administration. He said government Free Secondary High School education policy had catapulted the country's educational system by providing opportunities for more students to be enrolled in to the second cycle institution. The policy's core themes of access, equity and equality fulfil the United Nations modified Sustainable Development Goals, where member countries amalgamate those themes in their educational systems to certify adequate learning experiences for students. He said government had absorbed the registration fees, administrative cost for the examination and cost of practical for students in public senior high schools who sat for this year's West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination. These candidates are the first batch of the free SHS education introduced by President Nana Akufo-Addo in September 2017. He said government had outperformed its successive governments in the last three and half years' administration and would continue to invest in education and other sectors for sustained national development. Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, the Director General of the GES expressed appreciation to government for the great support and special interest showed in the education sector. He was optimistic that the vehicles would go a long way to promote quality operations in the schools, to ensure improved learning outcomes. He pledged his commitment to ensure that the buses were well maintained and urged school heads not to use the vehicles for other purposes apart from its intended operational use. GNA South Africa: Didiza condemns N Cape farm murders Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, has commended the swift arrest of suspects linked to the murder of three family members on a farm in Magogong in the Northern Cape. An elderly couple, aged 79 and 83, and their 50-year-old daughter, were allegedly robbed, kidnapped and murdered by three suspects. Didiza said the arrest will bring confidence to the justice system and send a strong message to criminals. "On behalf of the agricultural sector, I wish convey our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the victims," Didiza said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, dismissed Mr. Trumps suggestion in an interview with WNKY television in Bowling Green, Ky. Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and well find a way to do that again this Nov. 3, Mr. McConnell said. Even for Mr. Trump, suggesting a delay in the election is an extraordinary breach of democratic norms that will increase the chances that he and his core supporters dont accept the legitimacy of the election should he lose to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Mr. Biden, speaking to Democratic National Committee members and convention delegates on a conference call Thursday, did not address Mr. Trumps tweet. At the White House, Mr. Trump still attacked him, falsely claiming that Mr. Biden was against fracking. (He is not.) Later that evening, however, Mr. Biden brought up the issue at a virtual fund-raiser. By the way, as these numbers have gotten worse, what did he do today? Mr. Biden said. He called for not having the election on Nov. 3. He wants to postpone the election. Well thats for two reasons. One, he believes it, Mr. Biden said, and secondly, he suggested, because Mr. Trump wanted to detract from the funeral that day of John Lewis, a former congressman and civil rights icon. Several of the presidents critics suggested on Thursday that he was trying to distract from dire news about the economy. Mr. Trump posted to Twitter minutes after the Commerce Department announced that the nations gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced, fell 9.5 percent during the three months ending June 30, the largest quarterly drop on record. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Mr. Trump wrote. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:15:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey told Greece that Ankara is ready to host the fourth meeting for confidence-building measures between the two neighbors, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Thursday. "We notified the other party that we are ready to hold the fourth meeting in Ankara. We expect the Greek side to attend these meetings," Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters late Wednesday in Ankara. Akar recalled that two of the previous meetings for confidence-building measures were held in Athens, while one of the same kinds was held in Ankara. Tensions in the eastern Mediterranean have escalated in recent days amid Greece's concerns over Turkish military build-up to conduct seismic research in the waters between Turkey and Libya following a maritime delimitation deal with the North African country. Ankara and Athens recently launched talks mediated by Germany to solve differences in the eastern Mediterranean. The two neighbors have also been holding negotiations for a while between the military officials in a bid to realize confidence-building measures aimed at preventing confrontations in the Aegean Sea. Turkey and Greece have a series of ongoing disagreements over their respective continental shelves in the Aegean Sea, as well as the militarization of certain Aegean islands and Cyprus. Enditem - Consolee Uwihaye was married to a Kenyan man and they were blessed with two children together before their marriage hit rock bottom - They moved from Rwanda in 2019 to settle in their newly bought house in Kahawa Sukari but things did not work between her and her husband - The mother of two said the father of her children started sleeping with their househelp who was introduced to them by her sister-in-law - The Rwandese was later kicked out of the house as her husband eloped with the househelp and their two children - She is now seeking justice so she can have her children back and return to Rwanda One writer, Nora Ephron, once said a child is a grenade; when you have a baby, you set off an explosion in your marriage, and when the dust settles, your marriage is different from what it was. Previous research has also shown that for new parents, marital satisfaction decreases faster than for those without children, and this is precisely what happened to Consolee Uwihaye's marriage. READ ALSO: Woman suffering from rare mental disorder believes she is a chicken, crows like rooster Consolee is now seeking justice so she can her children back and return to Rwanda. Photo: Consolee Source: UGC READ ALSO: Nairobi woman affected by Kariobangi demolitions names newborn after activist who helped her Speaking to TUKO.co.ke's Lynn Ngugi, Consolee who was married to a Kenyan man identified as Nicholas Kamau disclosed their marriage was fine until they welcomed their second child. "We met in 2013 when he was doing consultancy and accounting and we married in 2015 before we welcomed our two children," narrated the businesswoman. The mother of two said trouble started when her husband asked her and their children to join him in Bujumbura where he had relocated to after securing a new job in 2017. There, the husband invited his sister who could not secure a job in Kenya and he told Consolee she (Kamau's sister) would babysit the children while she was on her business trips to China. Consolee embraced the idea. READ ALSO: Woman separated from husband by COVID-19 pandemic gets dishwashing job at nursing home to see him However, when she returned, her husband asked her not to go back to their initial home and as a respectful wife, she closed her businesses so she could stay with him and the children. "Wanjiru (Kamau's sister) started picking fights with me. She used to tell me people back in Kenya were tired of me and that I should pack and leave her brother's house," she said. She raised the concerns with her husband but he would put her off saying he did not want to interfere with their issues. READ ALSO: Security guard left unemployed by COVID-19 pandemic wins KSh 484M lotto The two met in 2013 and they married in 2015. Photo: Consolee. Source: UGC Despite the constant fighting with her sister-in-law, Consolee stayed in her marriage and according to her, the fights were her husband's strategy to kick her out of their home. She said when the plan did not sail through, the duo came up with a plan B which was relocating the family back to Nairobi to a house they had bought at Kahawa Sukari. According to her, they bought the house which had been built by Housing Finance (HF) Bank together and they paid for it through a mortgage. "A friend of him who works at HF Bank introduced the project to him and he shared with me. He told me money was needed and it would be paid in form of loan starting 2015 until 2017 when we finished," she said. READ ALSO: Fejo na Rafa: Nyandarua kids seen in video fighting over rubber, pencil receive help " For the last amount of money we paid for the mortgage, I secured a loan in my name and when we wanted to return to Nairobi, he decided to sell my car so we could clear the loan," the Rwandese added. The couple had also purchased a number of properties together back in the city with Consolee doing most of the payments while the properties were registered under her husband's name only. Consleee said she did not see that as a red flag as she believed they were securing both their future and that of their children. Months after arriving in Nairobi, Kamau's sister got them a housegirl but over one month later, things started going south and the husband changed prompting them to sleep in separate rooms. READ ALSO: Millions of Kenyans face hunger as COVID-19 pandemic ravages - New report Consolee said their marriage was fine until they welcomed their second child. Photo: Consolee Source: UGC She later realised her husband was sleeping with the househelp after she found both of them in bed and when she questioned him, he beat her leaving her helpless. Things got worse when the estate management relocated them to a different house where they stayed for a month so a leaking tank could be fixed - this was Kamau's plan to have the house sold. On Saturday, July 4, morning, while having a fight over the househelp, he beat her again and told her that she would rather leave the house instead of the househelp. Later in the afternoon, he asked her to go the market to buy some fruits for the children and little did Consolee know that was the last day she would see her husband and the children. READ ALSO: Bungoma politician dies after testing positive for COVID-19 "I told him it was okay and he sent KSh 5,000 to my Mpesa and offered to drop me at the Githurai market since it was where we used to buy food as he went to TRM to buy medicine," she said. "What I did not know was that he went back to the house and the househelp had packed everything ready for them to leave. When I finished my shopping I called him but he was not responding," she added. She decided to take a bodaboda back home only to find an empty house and that her husband had already rented out their house and the new occupant was moving in on the same day. READ ALSO: Grateful cancer survivor shares powerful message to thank friend who secured loan for her treatment The couple had also purchased a number of properties together. Photo: Consolee. Source: UGC The estate management tried to intervene but the new tenant insisted he had already signed an agreement with Consolee's husband and that she had no case to report. According to the mother of two, her husband had been planning on walking out of their marriage for years even before he convinced her to relocate to Nairobi. The desperate woman is now requesting Kamau to give back her little children who need their mother's love and care so she can go back to Rwanda and start her life all over again. She says none of her in-laws had been helping her despite being the only family she had in Kenya while her relatives back in Rwanda were worried about her safety. READ ALSO: Water CS Sicily Kariuki's 21-year-old daughter laid to rest in Nyandarua county The desperate woman is now requesting Nicholus Kamau to give back her little children. Photo: Consolee. Source: UGC She said the man had already filed a case in court claiming she had abandoned and traumatised her children and that she was not providing for them. She further noted that her husband and the househelp had met back in 2019 through his sister who had lived with them in Rwanda. Contacted by TUKO.co.ke, for his side of the story, Kamu declined to comment on the issue. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly Source: TUKO.co.ke Preparing for a long haul in the Eastern Ladakh sector in extreme winters, the Indian Army has an edge over the Chinese as it has deployed 35,000 troops there who have already done tenures in high altitude and cold conditions. IMAGE: BSF soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint along a highway leading to Ladakh, at Gagangeer in Kashmir's Ganderbal district. Photograph: Danish Ismail/Reuters The Indian troops deployed there are mentally prepared for tackling the weather and terrain. In contrast, the Chinese troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are not used to these conditions as they have been brought from mainland China and are not accustomed to high altitude extreme cold weather conditions. "We are preparing to provide extreme cold weather portable cabins for around 35,000 troops that have been deployed in the Eastern Ladakh sector," government sources told ANI. "Our soldiers deployed there have already done a tenure or two in Siachen, Eastern Ladakh or Northeast and they are physically and mentally prepared for a longer deployment there," they said. The Chinese soldiers deployed on the Indian front include mainly conscripts who join the PLA for a period of 2-3 years and then return to their normal lives, sources said. Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff situation all along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh from sub-sector north with both sides having deployed around 40,000 troops against each other over there. The two sides have disengaged at three friction points including Patrolling Point 14, PP-15 and PP-17 and PP-17A. At PP-17 and 17A, the Chinese have now maintained a small element of close to 50 troops and the remaining elements have gone back into their permanent locations. The sources said the Army is also not much bothered about the Chinese build-up along the LAC as it has got more than two additional divisions from outside Ladakh sector. India Army has more troops than what the Chinese have brought there, they said. For the winter deployment, the Army already has a sizeable stock of clothes and habitat for troops as the Indian army deploys troops at the world's highest battlefield Siachen glacier and is prepared. For additional requirements, the force is in the process of placing orders for additional tents and shelters from indigenous as well as foreign vendors. The time for summer stocking is on and we are going to get the additional cabins and tents by that time, the sources. Months of June, July, and August are considered to be the best time for stocking winter rations and ammunition. The snowfall is expected to start soon in the Eastern Ladakh area where the temperature is already low. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has given financial powers of Rs 500 crore per procurement to the defence forces to address any type of shortages of weapons, ammunition, and habitat. By Express News Service CHENNAI: In a grim reminder of the multiple episodes of cow vigilantism witnessed in northern parts of the country, two such cases were reported in the city and its outskirts on Thursday. While members of the Hindu Makkal Katchi are alleged to have been involved in both these cases, that have come ahead of Bakrid, no FIRs were filed by the police officials concerned. In the first case, a 50-year-old man was transporting seven cows to a shed in Kancheepuram, when a few persons allegedly blocked the vehicle and attacked him. The Kancheepuram taluk police reached the spot and rescued the man. "They thought the man was taking the cows to a slaughterhouse," said an policeman. In the second case, in the city limits, a 55-year-old man who was taking his cow for grazing was stopped by a few members of the same group in Villivakkam. After enquiring about where he was from, a few members of the group allegedly tried to attack him. Soon, the onlookers informed the police, who arrived at the spot. The miscreants were sent away with a warning. Senior police officers said they had asked their subordinates to be on vigil to avoid such incidents as Bakrid is around the corner. ELMWOOD Theres a new scene on the farming landscape of Cass County. And, depending on where one travels on U.S. 34, it can be seen from quite a distance. Its a chicken breeding farm owned and operated by Thom and Kaylyn Jackman for Lincoln Premium Poultry, the Costco chicken-processing plant based in Fremont. Its the only poultry barn in the county. An open house this month attracted about 150 people, according to Thom Jackman. It went well, he said. We were very pleased. Lincoln Premium Poultry spokeswoman Jessica Kolterman added, People were very excited to see the building and its operation in person, and to understand it more clearly. The event drew positive comments from many who attended. This is great, said Jennifer Serkiz, executive director of the Cass County Economic Development Council. I love how it will diversify our farm income. I like it, said Janet McCartney, a county commissioner. Its laid out nice, and its good for the economy. For months, Lightfoot has been in a dispute with activists over how a civilian oversight commission of the Police Department would work, with critics wanting more power given to people outside City Hall. She initially promised a new civilian police oversight body within 100 days of taking office. Dublin, Ireland, Thursday, 30 July 2020 - Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences are leading a new 3m study to investigate the real-world effects of the newest cystic fibrosis medications as they become available for people with CF. The research will look at how a new triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, will affect people in their day to day lives, rather than in controlled clinical trial conditions. Kaftrio (known as TriKafta in the US) is a successor to Orkambi. The project, called RECOVER, has been awarded 2.85 m from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (US), 112 thousand from Cystic Fibrosis Trust (UK) and 100 thousand from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. In recent years, a number of promising new medications have been developed that treat the underlying genetic defect in cystic fibrosis. The most recent triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, has demonstrated striking improvements in clinical trials of people with the most common form of cystic fibrosis. Pending final European Medicines Agency approval, expected in the next number of weeks, these new medications will be provided for use in the majority of people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland and the UK as part of an existing agreement between the manufacturer and the respective states. Starting in August 2020, the study will recruit patients and begin to examine clinical outcomes over a two year period across cystic fibrosis centres in Ireland and the UK. In addition to collecting routine health measurements, they will study detailed imaging, functional, biological and quality of life measurements that could not be collected in clinical trials. "Our study will allow us to discover in detail how this powerful new treatment affects the health and everyday lives of people with cystic fibrosis, to understand why different people might respond differently to the drug and to gain insight into how this treatment might affect the very significant treatment burden that people with cystic fibrosis currently endure," said Professor Paul McNally, Associate Professor of Paediatrics at RCSI, Respiratory Consultant in Children's Health Ireland and lead researcher on the RECOVER study. "Clinical trials occur under very controlled conditions and exclude many sick people with cystic fibrosis. 'Real-world' studies, such as RECOVER, are essential to confirm the trial findings and examine in-depth effects on the everyday lives all people with cystic fibrosis." In partnership with the Irish and UK cystic fibrosis registries, RECOVER is led by an Irish research team collaborating with researchers in 16 clinical and university sites in the UK, Europe and North America. Philip Watt, CEO, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland commented: "Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is proud to support this major research study that will provide much new detailed data on the impact of new and innovative CF medications across Europe and North America." Dr Lucy Allen, Director of Research at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: "The data from the clinical trials have shown us that Kaftrio will make a significant difference to people's lives. However, as CF is a complex condition affecting many parts of the body it is important to understand the full impact of this drug. In the short term the results of the RECOVER study may speed up access to Kaftrio around the world, in the longer term it will provide information on tailoring care for each individual with cystic fibrosis". Led by RCSI, the collaborating institutions include, Imperial College, London; Children's Health Ireland (at Crumlin, Tallaght, Temple Street and Connolly); National Children's Research Centre; St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin; University Hospital Limerick; Belfast City Hospital; Royal Belfast Hospital for Children; Royal Brompton Hospital, London; CF Registry of Ireland, Dublin; UK CF Registry; The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto; Eramsus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam; Brandenburg Medical School, Germany; Queen's University Belfast; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork; Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. ### Notes to Editors Professor Paul McNally Associate Professor of Paediatrics at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is available for interview. Photography is available on request About Cystic Fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited chronic disease that primarily affects the lungs and the digestive system. A defective gene causes the body to produce unusually thick sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, stopping natural enzymes from enabling the body to break down and absorb food. Ireland has the highest incidence of cystic fibrosis in the world, with almost 1,400 people diagnosed with the disease here. Ireland also has some of the more severe forms of the disease. Approximately one in 19 are thought to carry one copy of the altered gene that causes CF. People with CF experience a range of symptoms including frequent lung infections, persistent coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, along with poor growth and weight gain in spite of a good appetite. Over time people with CF accumulate significant damage and scar tissue in their lungs which leads to end-stage lung disease requiring a double lung transplant if possible. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Registry of Ireland Annual Report 2018, between 2010 and 2018, an average of 40 individuals were diagnosed with CF each year. In 2018, there were 140 individuals with CF aged 40 years or older. In 2018, the median age of a person with CF was 21 years. In other words, half of the 1,239 individuals registered were under 21 years of age, and the other half were aged 21 years or older. However, survivability for a growing number is now predicted into their 30s and 40s and beyond. The counties with the largest numbers of people with CF are Dublin (327), Cork (167), Limerick (73), Tipperary (60) and Galway (59). In 2018, there was a total of 1,129 hospitalisations for 529 people with CF. About RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Ranked number one globally for Good Health and Well-being in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2020, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is an international not-for-profit university, with its headquarters in Dublin. RCSI is exclusively focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. It is among the top 250 universities worldwide in the THE World University Rankings (2020) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education. Visit the RCSI MyHealth Expert Directory to find the details of our experts across a range of healthcare issues and concerns. Recognising their responsibility to share their knowledge and discoveries to empower people with information that leads them to better health, these clinicians and researchers are willing to engage with the media in their area of expertise. About Cystic Fibrosis Ireland Cystic Fibrosis Ireland (CFI) is a leading national organisation dedicated to improving treatment and facilities for people with CF and their families across Ireland. The organisation is dedicated solely to the well-being of people with CF in Ireland. Its mission is to assist the development of the means to cure and control CF, to promote the interests and welfare of people with CF in Ireland and to assume advocacy for them and their needs resultant from their having CF. It does this through providing information and education, advice and advocacy to people and their families, undertaking medical and scientific research, advancing the development of lung transplantation in Ireland, and offering grant assistance to patients. CFI also funds a number of specialist CF clinical posts as well as providing capital funding for the development of state-of-the-art CF units around the country, including dedicated in-patient, day care and out-patient facilities. CFI comprises 18 branches and one regional branch and is overseen by a national executive committee, which includes representation from people with CF and their families. For more, visit http://www.cfireland.ie About the Cystic Fibrosis Trust McDonald's is partnering with the Mayo Clinic as the global fast-food giant tries to navigate the coronavirus pandemic. The medical center will offer McDonald's advice on best practices to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and review the company's environmental health and safety precautions and some of its global standards. McDonald's did not disclose financial terms of the partnership, which was announced this week at its virtual Worldwide Connection event for all of its franchisees. McDonald's and some of its franchisees face lawsuits from employees related to its response to the pandemic. A Chicago judge, for example, found that McDonald's had taken steps to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus, but some locations weren't enforcing mask policies and training on social distancing fell short. Over time, McDonald's has implemented dozens of new safety measures, including adding plexiglass partitions inside restaurants and requiring customers and employees to wear masks. The fast-food chain also shared with its franchisees more on its commitment to diversity and inclusion. It joins a number of companies, from Restaurant Brands International to Microsoft, in addressing those issues in the wake of worldwide protests against police brutality and racism. In June, McDonald's handed over most of its media time for the BET Awards to Black activists and business owners. McDonald's said it will commit to addressing hiring bias and reducing barriers so its leadership becomes more diverse and better resembles the communities it serves. The company plans to enhance its efforts to attract and recruit diverse franchisees and reduce barriers to entry for diverse suppliers. "We also have to acknowledge that some people in our system feel like they haven't been given a fair opportunity. We've got to face up to that fact and do better," CEO Chris Kempczinski said in prerecorded remarks to franchisees for the event. The company also will audit its advertising and restaurant experiences to make sure they "reflect the needs" of all customers. McDonald's did not define what characteristics make someone "diverse" or disclose internal diversity numbers. The company said it would share more time-bound commitments in the coming weeks. McDonald's plans to have another virtual event in November. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Wednesday from moving forward with plans to deny green cards to immigrants who have received Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers, even on a limited basis a wealth test challenged by New York and other states in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The judge, George B. Daniels of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, granted a nationwide temporary injunction, suspending the eligibility requirements that were introduced last year and have drawn several legal challenges, including before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in January that the Trump administration could move forward with the plan, but that was before the pandemic. In the past, green card applicants who relied on social services as their primary means of financial support or were institutionalized could be denied permanent residency under what is known as the public charge rule. But fewer than 1 percent of applicants were previously disqualified on public charge grounds. Last Friday, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) held its first online campaign rally for the student parliament election at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Titled Stop right-wing terror! For an international movement against fascism and war, 150 participants joined the live stream and the discussion that followed it. The subject we want to discuss today is very serious and could hardly be more relevant, said Gregor Kahl, student parliament deputy and candidate for the IYSSE at KIT. In face of the latest revelations of right-wing terror networks within the German special forces (KSK) and continued death threats against journalists, artists and members of parliament, the IYSSE determined to centre its campaign on fighting the danger posed by the far right. Just one day before, investigations by the weekly Die Zeit revealed the existence of a further ultra-right network of soldiers whose members are preparing the murder of political enemies. The invited speaker at the IYSSE rally was Christoph Vandreier, author of Why Are They Back?, which examines the question of how the reemergence of the extreme right has been prepared and carried out in Germany. Vandreier, who addressed the participants from Berlin, began by underscoring the importance of the event: Even as we speak, peaceful demonstrators in the US are being pursued and abducted by unidentified paramilitary units, attacked with tear gas and blinded by flash-bang grenades. The images coming out of Portland, Oregon, are clearly reminiscent of a military dictatorship, he noted. But it is no different here, Vandreier continued. The danger of fascism in Germany is greater today than at any time since the collapse of the Nazi regime. In the police, army and secret service, active right-wing radical networks exist protected by the highest echelons of the state apparatus and intended to suppress any opposition to the right-wing politics of the Grand Coalition. The deputy national secretary of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGPthe German section of the International Committee of the Fourth International) then proceeded with an exposition of the extreme right-wing networks within the state uncovered in the past year. Terrorist attacks by armed neo-Nazis in the cities of Kassel, Halle and Hanau, the plans for the fall of the government made by the Hannibal network, and the death threats of the NSU 2.0 were systematically covered up and trivialised by state officials. No serious criminal prosecution, much less liquidation, of these groups is taking place. Quite the opposite: the Verfassungsschutz (Secret Service), which holds a protective hand over these right-wing networks and criminalises any left-wing and anti-capitalist opposition, is characterised by Vandreier as the cockpit of right-wing terrorism. Based on Leon Trotskys analysis of fascism, Vandreier elaborated the similarities and differences between todays situation and the time of the Weimar Republic. Then, the ruling elites were able to base their conspiracy on a fascistic mass movement, whereas today the growth of the extreme right is a direct result of the conspiracy itself. Vandreier concluded by emphasising that as in the 1930s, in order to stop the far right today it is essential to build a socialist movement within the international working class based on a socialist perspective, as it is thoroughly set out in the book Why Are They Back? Following the comprehensive presentation, a lively discussion across a broad range of questions ensued: about the importance of a socialist perspective, the character of the unions, the building of workers parties and factory committees, and the role of the so-called hygiene demonstrations in the COVID-19 pandemic. At the conclusion of the discussion, Vandreier quoted from the platform of the IYSSE, which explains: We call for the connection of this movement with the nascent labour conflicts and their unification internationally. The crucial question is that of political perspective. Only a socialist movement against capitalism can stop the rise of extreme right-wing forces and a repeated devolution into barbarism. This is what we, as the youth and student organisation of the Fourth International, are fighting for, not only in Germany, but across the world. The IYSSE will hold its final campaign rally on Thursday, July 30. Titled How War and Dictatorship Are Prepared at the Universities, the rally will host speakers from Humboldt University in Berlin and the Karlsruhe Institute o f Technology as well as a representative of the IYSSE in Britain in a podium discussion. The IYSSE calls on all students of the KIT participating in the student parliament elections that begin today to vote for the IYSSE (List 3). Support our election campaign and become a member of the IYSSE! Suicide-related incidents involving over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), increased by 33.5% between 2000 and 2018. Read more Suicide-related incidents involving over-the-counter painkillers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen, and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), increased by 33.5% between 2000 and 2018, a study from Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, suggests. The study, published this week in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, analyzed 549,807 suicide-related calls to poison control centers that mentioned over-the-counter painkillers. Those between ages 6 and 19 accounted for nearly half of all incidents, and females accounted for about 73% of calls. The results of the study were not surprising at all to us, said Lauren Longo, a health education specialist at the Poison Control Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Weve experienced a similar trend here in Philly. Longo said that the Poison Control Center has had an annual increase in suicide-related incidents involving over-the-counter painkillers since 2011, especially among young females. Most incidents occurred when the individual took only one type of pill, she said. Teens use over-the-counter painkillers in suicide attempts because they are so widely available in homes, researchers have said. A 2019 study published in Clinical Toxicology that analyzed 1.68 million suspected cases of suicide by self-poisoning among people ages 10 to 25 found that over-the-counter painkillers and antidepressants made up more than one-third of poison-related suicide attempts. The results encourage us to remind caregivers that medicines can be easily accessed in their homes, Longo said. We always ask families to consider not buying bottles that are huge amounts of pain relievers and locking up medicine, especially if there are any teens in the house who have a history of depression, because they take it very impulsively. Longo said the CHOP Poison Control Center sometimes receives calls from teens themselves immediately after a suicide attempt. Our poison center ends up brokering the confession between the teen and the parent, she said. In addition to the increase in the number of incidents involving over-the-counter painkillers, the study found that the severity of the incidents increased as well. This could be because young adults are increasingly using more than one substance, said Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and an author of the paper. Multi-substance ingestions are more severe because of drug-on-drug interactions, he said. Smith said that solutions could involve limiting access to certain quantities of medications or redesigning the containers that hold the drugs. He pointed to countries in the European Union that require prescriptions to get Tylenol as an example. In the EU, they are very concerned about toxicity thats taken in overdose, Smith said. I think we do need to explore those strategies. This study is an alarm. We have to pay attention to this because the numbers and severity are going up. We dont want to wait until it gets really bad. Longo said that one way for parents to prevent these incidents is to dispose of expired or unneeded medications. She said the Poison Control Center recommends prescribing the lowest number of pills possible to teens, especially as depression rates increase in this age group. Its also very important for parents to talk to their children without judgment to try and maintain awareness of whats going on in their lives, Longo said. Maintaining open communication can be really helpful. Smith said that people often underestimate the danger of over-the-counter painkillers. Taken in large doses, acetaminophen can cause liver failure. Overdosing on ibuprofen can damage the stomach and intestines, while taking too much aspirin can lead to seizures and high fevers. I cant tell you the number of times Ive talked with parents and they dont realize how potentially toxic something like Tylenol is, Smith said. They just have it in containers of 500 to 1,000 pills and assume this stuff is relatively safe. People in crisis can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (-8255) or use the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Restaurants must follow so many rules as they try to reopen in the middle of a pandemic but bar manager Jez Hundert still wishes there was one more. After learning a COVID-infected patron visited Cause and Effect bar in Stoney Creek on Saturday, Hundert decided to post a warning online. That spurred blowback from patrons unimpressed to learn about the risk on social media and from others who claimed the bar was too crowded that night. But neither the bar nor public health officials had the option of reaching out directly to customers because Cause and Effect did not collect contact information from guests. In hindsight, I think it should be required, Hundert said, adding the bar will do so from now on. If we had collected names maybe we wouldnt have had to post to social media at all. Taking names and numbers for at least one customer at every table is suggested by Hamilton and Ontario health officials to aid contact-tracing of COVID-19 cases but unlike in other jurisdictions, the practice is not mandatory. Some health experts say that should change. It should absolutely be mandatory, said University of Toronto infection control epidemiologist Colin Furness, who argued customer tracking being optional during a pandemic was a shockingly poor decision by the province. Contact tracing is the most important tool we have to control outbreaks, but it is very labour intensive and easily stymied where exposure is in an anonymous group setting, like a restaurant. In Hamilton, restaurants were allowed to reopen to indoor dining under Stage 3 pandemic rules last weekend. The city provided reopening guidance to local operators that suggests keeping a log of customer names, check-in and departure times, said Michelle Baird, director of healthy and safe communities. Some (restaurants) are already doing that and some are not, she said. Hamilton public health is still reviewing what tools may be available to deal with pandemic challenges in restaurants, but for now there is no bylaw requirement to keep customer logs. It will soon be mandatory in Toronto and Niagara Region, however. Toronto Mayor John Tory publicly asked Ontario last week to legally require restaurants to keep customer logs. Versions of such a requirement already exist in Quebec, British Columbia and New Brunswick. Ontarios health ministry did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about whether the government is considering such a pandemic rule, but an earlier statement provided to the Toronto Star was noncommittal. In the meantime, Toronto has decided to enforce restaurant customer logs on its own. That citys council signed off Wednesday on recommendations from Toronto medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa that include keeping track of customer contact information, including arrival times and table numbers. De Villa argued in a report that bars and restaurants represent the strongest risk of a second wave of infection, pointing to COVID-19 outbreaks linked to bars in Quebec, Alberta and South Korea. Niagaras regional council has also endorsed similar rules based on the Toronto template. In some jurisdictions, privacy advocates have questioned how collected customer information might be used. The privacy commissioner in B.C. has publicly insisted the information must only be used for COVID-19 contact-tracing purposes. Setting a deadline to destroy records it is 30 days in Toronto is also important to protect privacy, said Furness. In a celebrated interview in late 1996, Mr. Lee declared that relations between Taiwan and China had the character of relations between two separate states. This was heresy, not only in the eyes of Beijing, but also for many Nationalists, who continued to see Taiwan as part of China, and looked forward to eventual union between the sides, though not necessarily under Communist control. Look at how he delivers that message. He uses the words, and assumes the context, of the era when the Fair Housing Act was passed a time of white flight from the inner cities to the suburbs. He uses low income housing as not-so-coded language for housing occupied by people of color, and his meaning is clear. White Americans, your property values would suffer if an African American or Latino family were to move in next door. There would be more crime, because, well, you know how those people are. But dont worry. Barack Obama wanted to make you let them in, but Ill keep them out. BLOOMFIELD, Conn., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Total revenues in the second quarter were $39.3 billion . Adjusted revenues 1 were $39.2 billion . Shareholders' net income for second quarter was $1.8 billion , or $4.73 per share Adjusted income from operations 2 for the second quarter was $2.2 billion , or $5.81 per share Adjusted income from operations2,3 is projected to be in the range of $18.00 to $18.60 per share in 20203 Global health service company Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) continues to expand stakeholder and community support and today reported second quarter 2020 performance. "Cigna's mission to improve the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we serve continues to guide us as we remain relentlessly focused on supporting the needs of our customers, clients, and communities," said David M. Cordani, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Our stakeholders are facing unprecedented challenges from the pandemic, uncertainty of a disrupted economy, and pain of racial tensions and inequality. We are proud of the actions we have taken to provide innovative programs and services and expanded financial support, all while delivering sustained, attractive financial performance and generating substantial cash flows that fuel our offerings for the benefit of all we serve." Total revenues for second quarter 2020 were $39.3 billion. Adjusted revenues1 were $39.2 billion and reflect strong contributions from each of Cigna's ongoing businesses. Shareholders' net income for second quarter 2020 was $1.8 billion, or $4.73 per share, compared with $1.4 billion, or $3.70 per share, for second quarter 2019. Cigna's adjusted income from operations2 for second quarter 2020 was $2.2 billion, or $5.81 per share, compared with $1.6 billion, or $4.30 per share, for second quarter 2019 reflecting the impact of deferred medical utilization due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as ongoing focused execution across our businesses. Reconciliations of total revenues to adjusted revenues1 and of shareholders' net income to adjusted income from operations2 are provided on the following page, and on Exhibit 1 of this earnings release. CONSOLIDATED HIGHLIGHTS The following table includes highlights of results and reconciliations of total revenues to adjusted revenues1 and shareholders' net income to adjusted income from operations2: Consolidated Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Total Revenues $ 39,265 $ 38,819 $ 38,469 $ 77,734 Net Realized Investment (Gains) Losses from Equity Method Investments1 (60) 6 10 (50) Special Items1 (87) (87) Transitioning Client Contributions1 (4,450) Adjusted Revenues1 $ 39,205 $ 34,375 $ 38,392 $ 77,597 Consolidated Earnings, net of taxes Shareholders' Net Income $ 1,754 $ 1,408 $ 1,181 $ 2,935 Net Realized Investment (Gains) Losses2 (88) (13) 77 (11) Amortization of Other Acquired Intangible Assets2 376 572 309 685 Special Items2 110 179 191 301 Transitioning Client Contributions1,2 (506) Adjusted Income from Operations2 $ 2,152 $ 1,640 $ 1,758 $ 3,910 Shareholders' Net Income, per share $ 4.73 $ 3.70 $ 3.15 $ 7.88 Adjusted Income from Operations2, per share $ 5.81 $ 4.30 $ 4.69 $ 10.49 Cigna's second quarter results reflect revenue and earnings growth due to strong fundamental performance and lower medical costs from deferred care related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Year to date through July 29, 2020 , the Company repurchased 8.3 million shares of common stock for approximately $1.5 billion . , the Company repurchased 8.3 million shares of common stock for approximately . The debt to capitalization ratio decreased to 43.5% at June 30, 2020 from 45.2% at December 31, 2019 . from 45.2% at . The SG&A expense ratio4 was 8.4% for second quarter 2020, a decrease from 9.0% for second quarter 2019, driven by significant revenue growth and continued expense efficiency. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS The following table summarizes Cigna's medical customers and overall customer relationships: Customer Relationships (in thousands): As of the Periods Ended June 30, March 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Total Pharmacy Customers5 84,919 75,171 78,804 75,903 Commercial 14,000 14,026 14,140 14,187 Government 1,415 1,382 1,412 1,361 International Markets 1,668 1,589 1,666 1,597 Total Medical Customers5 17,083 16,997 17,218 17,145 Behavioral Care 37,061 28,577 37,231 30,361 Dental 17,850 17,077 18,018 17,231 Medicare Part D 3,300 3,266 3,295 3,276 International Markets Supplemental Policies5,6 12,098 12,500 12,453 12,444 Group Disability and Life Covered Lives5 15,900 15,400 15,900 15,400 Total Customer Relationships 188,211 168,988 182,919 171,760 The pharmacy customer base 5 at second quarter 2020 grew to 84.9 million, an organic increase of 9.0 million customers year to date, driven by strong new health plan sales. at second quarter 2020 grew to 84.9 million, an organic increase of 9.0 million customers year to date, driven by strong new health plan sales. The total medical customer base5 at second quarter 2020 was 17.1 million, a decrease of 62,000 customers year to date, driven by a decline in National Accounts, partially offset by growth in Medicare Advantage and the Select and International Markets segments. HIGHLIGHTS OF SEGMENT RESULTS See Exhibit 1 for a reconciliation of adjusted income (loss) from operations2 to shareholders' net income. Health Services This segment includes a broad range of services, including benefits management, specialty pharmacy services, clinical solutions, home delivery, and health management services. Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Adjusted Revenues1 $ 28,602 $ 23,537 $ 27,168 $ 55,770 Adjusted Income from Operations, Pre-Tax2 $ 1,249 $ 1,162 $ 1,082 $ 2,331 Adjusted Margin, Pre-Tax7 4.4% 4.9% 4.0% 4.2% Second quarter 2020 adjusted revenues 1 increased 22% relative to second quarter 2019 driven by the insourcing of Integrated Medical pharmacy volumes and strong organic growth, including continued growth in specialty pharmacy services, partially offset by reduced retail script volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. increased 22% relative to second quarter 2019 driven by the insourcing of Integrated Medical pharmacy volumes and strong organic growth, including continued growth in specialty pharmacy services, partially offset by reduced retail script volumes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second quarter adjusted income from operations, pre-tax 2 increased 7% relative to second quarter 2019, reflecting customer growth, higher adjusted pharmacy scripts volumes, benefits from the effective management of the supply chain, and continued strong performance in specialty pharmacy services, partially offset by an increase in operating expenses to support growth. increased 7% relative to second quarter 2019, reflecting customer growth, higher adjusted pharmacy scripts volumes, benefits from the effective management of the supply chain, and continued strong performance in specialty pharmacy services, partially offset by an increase in operating expenses to support growth. Health Services fulfilled 364 million adjusted pharmacy scripts8 in second quarter 2020, an increase of 24% over second quarter 2019 driven by the insourcing of Integrated Medical pharmacy volumes and strong organic growth, partially offset by reduced retail script volumes. Integrated Medical This segment includes Cigna's U.S. Commercial and Government businesses that provide comprehensive medical solutions to clients and customers. U.S. Commercial products and services include medical, pharmacy, behavioral health, dental, vision, health advocacy programs and other products and services to insured and self-insured customers. Government solutions include Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Medicare Part D plans for seniors, Medicaid plans, and individual health insurance coverage both on and off the public exchanges. Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Adjusted Revenues1 $ 9,237 $ 8,968 $ 9,860 $ 19,097 Adjusted Income from Operations, Pre-Tax2 $ 1,523 $ 990 $ 1,199 $ 2,722 Adjusted Margin, Pre-Tax7 16.5% 11.0% 12.2% 14.3% Second quarter 2020 adjusted revenues 1 grew 3% over second quarter 2019, reflecting customer growth in Medicare Advantage and in the Select segment, as well as premium increases, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients that were delivered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sequential decline in adjusted revenues 1 was primarily due to premium relief programs for clients, lower net investment income, and a modest decline in medical customers. grew 3% over second quarter 2019, reflecting customer growth in Medicare Advantage and in the Select segment, as well as premium increases, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients that were delivered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sequential decline in adjusted revenues was primarily due to premium relief programs for clients, lower net investment income, and a modest decline in medical customers. Second quarter 2020 adjusted income from operations, pre-tax and adjusted margin, pre-tax 7 reflect significantly lower medical utilization in both the Commercial and Government segments compared to historic patterns, as individuals deferred care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients and cost share waivers for customers. reflect significantly lower medical utilization in both the Commercial and Government segments compared to historic patterns, as individuals deferred care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients and cost share waivers for customers. The medical care ratio 4 ("MCR") of 70.5% for second quarter 2020 reflects significantly lower medical utilization in both the Commercial and Government segments compared to historic patterns, as individuals deferred care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients and cost share waivers for customers. ("MCR") of 70.5% for second quarter 2020 reflects significantly lower medical utilization in both the Commercial and Government segments compared to historic patterns, as individuals deferred care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by premium relief programs for clients and cost share waivers for customers. Integrated Medical net medical costs payable9 was $2.80 billion at June 30, 2020 , $2.64 billion at June 30, 2019 , and $2.59 billion at December 31, 2019 . Year to date, favorable prior year reserve development on a gross pre-tax basis was $130 million and $149 million through second quarter 2020 and 2019, respectively. International Markets This segment includes supplemental health, life and accident insurance products and health care coverage in Cigna's international markets, as well as health care benefits for globally mobile individuals and employees of multinational organizations. Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Adjusted Revenues1,6 $ 1,432 $ 1,389 $ 1,470 $ 2,902 Adjusted Income from Operations, Pre-Tax2 $ 319 $ 207 $ 282 $ 601 Adjusted Margin, Pre-Tax7 22.3% 14.9% 19.2% 20.7% Second quarter 2020 adjusted revenues 1,6 grew 3% over second quarter 2019, reflecting continued business growth, partially offset by adverse foreign currency movement. grew 3% over second quarter 2019, reflecting continued business growth, partially offset by adverse foreign currency movement. Second quarter 2020 adjusted income from operations, pre-tax2 and adjusted margin, pre-tax7 reflect lower claim levels driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, continued business growth and operational efficiency. Group Disability and Other Operations This segment includes Cigna's Group Disability and Life business which offers group long-term and short-term disability, and group life, accident, voluntary and specialty insurance products and services. Additionally, this segment includes Corporate Owned Life Insurance ("COLI") and the Company's run-off operations. Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Adjusted Revenues1 $ 1,328 $ 1,309 $ 1,339 $ 2,667 Adjusted Income from Operations, Pre-Tax2 $ 132 $ 149 $ 77 $ 209 Adjusted Margin, Pre-Tax7 9.9% 11.4% 5.8% 7.8% Second quarter 2020 adjusted income from operations, pre-tax 2 and adjusted margin, pre-tax 7 reflect elevated claims in Cigna's Life business primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by favorable performance within the Disability business. and adjusted margin, pre-tax reflect elevated claims in Cigna's Life business primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by favorable performance within the Disability business. On December 18, 2019 , Cigna announced a definitive agreement whereby New York Life will acquire Cigna's Group Disability and Life business for $6.3 billion . Cigna expects the transaction to close in the third quarter of 2020, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Corporate Corporate reflects interest expense, as well as amounts not allocated to operating segments and includes intersegment eliminations. Financial Results (dollars in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, March 31, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2020 Adjusted (Loss) from Operations, Pre-Tax2 $ (400) $ (453) $ (405) $ (805) Second quarter 2020 adjusted loss from operations, pre-tax2 decreased relative to second quarter 2019 as a result of lower interest expense. COVID-19 Response From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cigna has focused on delivering peace of mind for the people and businesses we serve, and our employees and their families. We've taken bold actions to drive affordability, remove uncertainty, and make health care easier. To date, these actions include: Making Health Care Affordable Making Health Care Predictable Making Health Care Simple Supporting Communities Supporting Our Workforce In less than one month's time, enabled nearly 100% of employees who could work from home to do so, globally. Lifted restriction on paid time off use before accrual. Employees have 10 paid Emergency Time Off days for COVID-19 related absences . . 20% pay premium for U.S. worksite-essential employees. Enhanced employee recognition program. Introduced the Cigna COVID-19 Employee Assistance Fund to help offset extraordinary financial hardships. Launched Employees Helping Employees: Cloth Face Coverings campaign for employees to make masks for worksite essential coworkers. Ensuring workplace health through enhanced safety protocols, including PPE for frontline staff. 2020 OUTLOOK Cigna's outlook for full year 2020 adjusted revenues1,3 is $154 billion to $156 billion. Cigna's outlook for full year 2020 consolidated adjusted income from operations2,3 on a per share basis is in the range of $18.00 to $18.60 per share. Cigna's outlook excludes potential effects of any future share repurchase3. Also, while Cigna continues to expect to close the sale of Cigna's Group Disability and Life business in the third quarter of 2020, Cigna's outlook assumes a full year of contributions from the Group Disability and Life business. The foregoing statements represent the Company's current estimates of Cigna's 2020 consolidated adjusted revenues1,3 and adjusted income from operations2,3 on a per share basis as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially depending on a number of factors. Investors are urged to read the Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements included in this release. Management does not assume any obligation to update these estimates. This quarterly earnings release and the Quarterly Financial Supplement are available on Cigna's website in the Investor Relations section (https://www.cigna.com/aboutcigna/investors). Management will be hosting a conference call to review second quarter 2020 results and discuss full year 2020 outlook beginning today at 8:30 a.m. ET. A link to the conference call is available in the Investor Relations section of Cigna's website located at https://www.cigna.com/aboutcigna/investors/events/index.page. The call-in numbers for the conference call are as follows: Live Call (888) 324-7575 (Domestic) (210) 234-0013 (International) Passcode: 7302020 Replay (800) 839-1171 (Domestic) (203) 369-3030 (International) It is strongly suggested you dial in to the conference call by 8:15 a.m. ET. About Cigna Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) 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 185 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com . Notes: 1. At the consolidated level, the measure "adjusted revenues" is not determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, "total revenues." Cigna defines adjusted revenues as total revenues excluding net realized investment results from equity method investments and special items. Special items are identified in Exhibit 1 of this earnings release. For periods prior to 2020, Cigna also excludes revenue contributions from transitioning pharmacy benefit management clients, Anthem Inc. and Coventry Health Care, Inc. (the "transitioning clients"). Cigna excludes these items from this measure because they are not indicative of past or future underlying performance of the business. See Exhibit 1 for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted revenues to total revenues. 2. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is defined as shareholders' net income (loss) excluding the following adjustments: net realized investment results, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and special items. For periods prior to 2020, Cigna also excludes earnings contributions from transitioning clients. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is measured on an after-tax basis for consolidated results and on a pre-tax basis for segment results. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is a measure of profitability used by Cigna's management because it presents the underlying results of operations of Cigna's businesses and permits analysis of trends in underlying revenue, expenses and shareholders' net income. This consolidated measure is not determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measure, shareholders' net income. See Exhibit 1 for a reconciliation of consolidated adjusted income from operations to shareholders' net income. 3. Certain adjusted metrics presented for 2019 exclude contributions from transitioning clients. As previously disclosed, beginning in 2020, Cigna no longer excludes contributions from transitioning clients from its adjusted metrics, as the transition for those clients was substantially complete as of December 31, 2019. Management is not able to provide a reconciliation of adjusted income from operations to shareholders' net income (loss) or adjusted revenues to total revenues on a forward-looking basis because it is unable to predict, without unreasonable effort, certain components thereof including (i) future net realized investment results (from equity method investments with respect to adjusted revenues) and (ii) future special items. These items are inherently uncertain and depend on various factors, many of which are beyond Cigna's control. As such, any associated estimate and its impact on shareholders' net income and total revenues could vary materially. The Company's outlook excludes the potential effects of any share repurchases or business combinations that may occur after the date of this earnings release. Additionally, the Company's outlook assumes a full year of contributions from Cigna's Group Disability and Life business. 4. Operating ratios are defined as follows: Medical care ratio represents medical costs as a percentage of premiums for all U.S. commercial risk products, including medical, pharmacy, dental, stop loss and behavioral products provided through guaranteed cost or experience-rated funding arrangements, as well as Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, Medicare Supplement, Medicaid, and individual on and off-exchange products, within Cigna's Integrated Medical segment. SG&A expense ratio represents enterprise selling, general and administrative expenses excluding special items and, prior to 2020, expenses from transitioning clients, as a percentage of adjusted revenue at a consolidated level. 5. Customer relationships are defined as follows: Total medical customers includes individuals in Cigna's Integrated Medical and International Markets segments who meet any one of the following criteria: are covered under a medical insurance policy, managed care arrangement, or service agreement issued by Cigna; have access to Cigna's provider network for covered services under their medical plan; or have medical claims and services that are administered by Cigna. U.S. Individual includes on-exchange Patient Protection and Affordable Care and Education Reconciliation Act ("ACA") business, off-exchange ACA business and off-exchange non-ACA business. Pharmacy customer relationships for periods prior to 2020 excludes transitioning clients. International Markets supplemental policies exclude International Markets medical customers included in total medical customers. Group Disability and Life covered lives are estimated. 6. Cigna owns a 50% non-controlling interest in its China joint venture. Cigna's 50% share of the joint venture's earnings is reported in Fees and Other Revenues using the equity method of accounting under GAAP. As such, the adjusted revenues and policy counts for the International Markets segment do not include the China joint venture. 7. Adjusted margin, pre-tax, is calculated by dividing adjusted income (loss) from operations, pre-tax by adjusted revenues for each segment. Adjusted margin, after-tax, is calculated by dividing consolidated adjusted income (loss) from operations by consolidated adjusted revenues. Adjusted income (loss) from operations is measured on an after-tax basis for consolidated results. 8. For Health Services adjusted pharmacy scripts, non-specialty network scripts filled through 90-day programs and home delivery scripts are multiplied by three. All other network and specialty scripts are counted as one script. 9. Medical costs payable within the Integrated Medical segment are presented net of reinsurance and other recoverables. The gross medical costs payable balance was $2.96 billion as of June 30, 2020, $2.89 billion as of December 31, 2019, and $2.88 billion as of June 30, 2019. 10. Enhanced coverage for COVID-19 related services applies to customers in the United States who are covered under Cigna's employer/union sponsored insured group health plans, insured plans for globally mobile individuals, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and the Individual and Family insurance plans. Self-insured group health plans administered by Cigna have an opportunity to opt out of these benefits. Treatments covered include those covered under Medicare and other applicable state regulations. 11. The Cigna Foundation is a private foundation funded by contributions from Cigna Corporation and its subsidiaries. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release, and oral statements made in connection with this release, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on Cigna's current expectations and projections about future trends, events and uncertainties. These statements are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements concerning our projected consolidated adjusted income from operations outlook for 2020 on a per share basis; projected adjusted revenue outlook for 2020; future financial or operating performance, including our ability to deliver affordable, personalized and innovative solutions for our customers and clients, in light of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic; future growth, business strategy, strategic or operational initiatives, including our organizational efficiency plan; economic, regulatory or competitive environments, particularly with respect to the pace and extent of change in these areas; financing or capital deployment plans and amounts available for future deployment; our prospects for growth in the coming years; strategic transactions, including the merger (the "Merger") with Express Scripts Holding Company and the sale of our U.S. Group Disability and Life business; our ongoing operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and other statements regarding Cigna's future beliefs, expectations, plans, intentions, financial condition or performance. You may identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "may," "should," "will" or other words or expressions of similar meaning, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to achieve our financial, strategic and operational plans or initiatives; our ability to predict and manage medical and pharmacy costs and price effectively; our ability to adapt to changes or trends in an evolving and rapidly changing industry; our ability to effectively differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors and maintain or increase market share; our ability to develop and maintain good relationships with physicians, hospitals, other health care providers, producers, consultants, and pharmaceutical manufacturers; changes in the pharmacy provider marketplace or pharmacy networks; changes in drug pricing; the impact of modifications to our operations and processes; our ability to identify potential strategic transactions and realize the expected benefits (including anticipated synergies) of such transactions in full or within the anticipated time frame, including with respect to the Merger and the sale of our Group Disability and Life business, as well as our ability to integrate or separate operations, resources and systems; the substantial level of government regulation over our business and the potential effects of new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations; the outcome of litigation, regulatory audits, investigations, actions or guaranty fund assessments; uncertainties surrounding participation in government-sponsored programs such as Medicare; the effectiveness and security of our information technology and other business systems and those of our key suppliers or other third parties; the impact of our debt service obligations on the availability of funds for other business purposes; unfavorable industry, economic or political conditions, including foreign currency movements; acts of civil unrest, war, terrorism, natural disasters or pandemics; reinsurance credit risk; the scale and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on our business, operating results, cash flows and financial condition, as well as on our employees, clients, customers, suppliers and partners and on the U.S. and global economies; as well as more specific risks and uncertainties discussed in our most recent report on Form 10-K, our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K available through the Investor Relations section of www.cigna.com. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, are not guarantees of future performance or results, and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict or quantify. Cigna undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. CIGNA CORPORATION Exhibit 1 COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL RESULTS (unaudited) (Dollars in millions, except per share amounts) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended Three Months Ended June 30, June 30, March 31, 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 REVENUES Pharmacy revenues $ 26,564 $ 26,288 $ 51,662 $ 51,467 $ 25,098 Premiums 10,406 9,803 21,246 19,774 10,840 Fees and other revenues 2,072 2,388 4,250 4,838 2,178 Net investment income 223 340 576 686 353 Total revenues 39,265 38,819 77,734 76,765 38,469 Revenue contributions from transitioning clients (4,450) (8,939) Net realized investment results from certain equity method investments (60) 6 (50) (22) 10 Special item related to contractual adjustment for a former client (87) (87) Adjusted revenues (1) $ 39,205 $ 34,375 $ 77,597 $ 67,804 $ 38,392 SHAREHOLDERS' NET INCOME Shareholders' net income $ 1,754 $ 1,408 $ 2,935 $ 2,776 $ 1,181 After-tax adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operations Net realized investment (gains) losses (88) (13) (11) (51) 77 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 376 572 685 1,136 309 Adjustment for transitioning clients (506) (1,010) Special Items Debt extinguishment costs 11 151 140 Integration and transaction-related costs 99 115 173 223 74 Charge for organizational efficiency plan 24 24 Charges associated with litigation matters 64 19 64 19 Contractual adjustment for a former client (66) (66) Adjusted income from operations $ 2,152 $ 1,640 $ 3,910 $ 3,138 $ 1,758 Pre-tax adjusted income (loss) from operations by segment Health Services $ 1,249 $ 1,162 $ 2,331 $ 2,156 $ 1,082 Integrated Medical 1,523 990 2,722 2,160 1,199 International Markets 319 207 601 413 282 Group Disability and Other 132 149 209 233 77 Corporate (400) (453) (805) (943) (405) Consolidated pre-tax adjusted income from operations(2) 2,823 2,055 5,058 4,019 2,235 Adjusted income tax expense (671) (415) (1,148) (881) (477) Consolidated after-tax adjusted income from operations(2) $ 2,152 $ 1,640 $ 3,910 $ 3,138 $ 1,758 DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE Shareholders' net income $ 4.73 $ 3.70 $ 7.88 $ 7.26 $ 3.15 After-tax adjustments to reconcile to adjusted income from operations Net realized investment (gains) losses (0.24) (0.03) (0.03) (0.13) 0.21 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 1.02 1.49 1.84 2.96 0.82 Adjustment for transitioning clients (1.33) (2.64) Special Items Debt extinguishment costs 0.03 0.41 0.38 Integration and transaction-related costs 0.27 0.30 0.46 0.58 0.20 Charge for organizational efficiency plan 0.06 0.06 Charges associated with litigation matters 0.17 0.05 0.17 0.05 Contractual adjustment for a former client (0.18) (0.18) Adjusted income from operations(2) $ 5.81 $ 4.30 $ 10.49 $ 8.20 $ 4.69 Weighted average shares (in thousands) 370,697 380,969 372,668 382,496 374,639 Common shares outstanding (in thousands) 368,258 377,883 369,317 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY at June 30, $ 47,366 $ 43,815 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY PER SHARE at June 30, $ 128.62 $ 115.95 (1) Adjusted revenues is defined as total revenues excluding the following adjustments: special items and Cigna's share of certain realized investment results of its joint ventures reported using the equity method. For periods prior to 2020, we also excluded revenue contributions from transitioning clients. These items are excluded because they are not indicative of past or future underlying performance of our businesses. (2) Adjusted income (loss) from operations is defined as shareholders' net income (loss) excluding the following after-tax adjustments: realized investment results, amortization of acquired intangible assets and special items. For periods prior to 2020, we also excluded earnings contributions from transitioning clients. INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT: Will McDowell 215-761-4198 [email protected] MEDIA CONTACT: Ellie Polack 860-902-4906 [email protected] SOURCE Cigna Related Links https://www.cigna.com IRGC Drill In Persian Gulf: Unverified Claims, Propaganda And Naive Stunts Radio Farda July 29, 2020 As the Islamic Republic of Iran continues its military exercises in the Persian Gulf near the strait of Hormuz, more details are coming out in traditional and social media revealing the Revolutionary Guard's publicity about Tehran's military might. One of the latest revelations made on social media is about the satellite imagery the IRGC portrayed as images coming from an Iranian satellite. Social media activists keen about that kind of detail pointed out that the pictures were "borrowed" from Google. In the pictures posted by n Iran watcher, the bigger image on top is a Google image, and the three at the bottom are those attributed to the Iranian satellite whose whereabouts and performance have gone unreported since its launch in April. During the drills, Iranian commanders' propaganda hinged around their use of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as anti-aircraft defense systems that can tackle that kind of missiles. In the meantime, part of the exercise gave way to international uproar about Iran's "careless" behavior as it fired ballistic missiles at imaginary targets in an extremely busy waterway where there are dozens of fishing and commercial vessels as well as oil tankers at any given moment. Iran claims that these missiles were meant to fall near U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf region. In another propaganda move, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of IRGC's aerospace force posted a video on Twitter to prove that ballistic missiles were fired from underground launchers. Hajizadeh said: "Ballistic missiles buried in the lower depths of the ground fired during the Great Prophet 14 military exercise," adding that "the name and specifications of these missiles are confidential." He made the remarks mindless of the fact that the videos give away both of this information about the missile although it is hard to tell if the video has been really shot in the past or during this exercise. Tasnim news agency said that firing ballistic missiles from underground launchers can mislead the enemy's intelligence but did not say how. It must not be hard for any projectile engineer to pinpoint the launcher based on actual visual evidence and radar records. In fact, there are at least two points that cast a shadow of doubt on the IRGC's claims and propaganda. The first point is that the IRGC is the only source of these information and there is no independent report from credible international sources. The next point is that unlike all military exercises carried out around the world, there are no military observers from other countries to verify the IRGC's claims. It is customary all over the world to have the military attaches of foreign embassies on the site of the exercises. However, the IRGC is so secretive and at the same time paranoid about prying eyes that it shrouds military exercises in an aura of secrecy, making its claims doubtful although evidence such as Hajizadeh's video give away information to experts all over the world. Elsewhere in IRGC propaganda, Iran claimed that it used Russian Sukhoi-22 jets to destroy targets in the Iranian Island of Farur. Foreign Policy Analyst and UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky observed in a tweet that "The IRGC overhauled and upgraded10 Sukhoi SU-22 fighter jets in 2018." He also cited DIA estimates that say Iran may purchase Sukhoi-30 fighters from Russia after the arms embargo against Iran expires. The highlight of the exercise, which is still in its second day, was a strike at a mock U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. Pictures released so far do not show any major strike although anecdotal accounts on social media say the strike took place but the model was not hit successfully. Pictures released by Iranian sources including Fars news agency and Hamshahri Online show that the missile missed the model or hit part of its side. Nevertheless, U.S. sources called IRGC's act "careless and irresponsible." Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/irgc-drill- in-persian-gulf-unverified-claims-propaganda -and-na%C3%AFve-stunts/30755402.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Congratulations, chocanhtrungthanh.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Chocanhtrungthanh.com scored 62 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 13 Jul 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. chocanhtrungthanh.com is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 146 people on Facebook. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the chocanhtrungthanh homepage on Twitter + the total number of chocanhtrungthanh followers (if chocanhtrungthanh has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the chocanhtrungthanh homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the chocanhtrungthanh homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the chocanhtrungthanh homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if chocanhtrungthanh has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the chocanhtrungthanh homepage on Delicious. Basic Information PAGE TITLE Cho canh | Cho canh | Cho canh Ha Noi | Cho canh Ha Noi | cho canh trung thanh | Cho canh Trung Than DESCRIPTION Shop chuyen cung cap cac loai cho canh nhap ngoai chat luong cao, uy tin lau nam. KEYWORDS Cho canh, Cho canh, vat nuoi, vat nuoi, cho canh ha noi, mua cho o ha noi, cua hang cho canh, Cho canh dep, phu kien cho cho, sua tam, dau goi, cham soc cho, mua cho ep, cho re, cho canh gia re, cho canh ep, cho canh trung thanh, cho canh trung thanh, N OTHER KEYWORDS lin h, gi bn lin h ms, bn lin h ms bnh, lin h ms bnh 0912, h ms bnh 0912 121, ms bnh 0912 121 675, bnh 0912 121 675 0948 The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2 (PHP/5.2.12) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux Operative System running on the server. The language of chocanhtrungthanh.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for chocanhtrungthanh.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 type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. 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. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND Staff Reporter The Zimbabwe Daily Johannesburg, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosas spokesperson, Khusela Diko, is currently embroiled in a US$7.4 million tender scam. This comes after her husband amaBhaca king, Thandisizwe Diko, through his company Royal Bhaca Projects was allegedly awarded a US$7.4 million tender by the provincial Health department a couple of weeks ago to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). However, it was soon discovered that Royal Bhaca Projects was formed late last year and therefore, had no experience in procuring PPEs plus the fact that the Presidential spokesperson was the partner of the king. The provinces Health Member of the Executive Committee (MEC) Dr. Bandile Masuku and his wife Loyiso Lugayeni-Masuku who is also a Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) of Corporate and Shared Services in Johannesburg have also been implicated in the scam. - Advertisement - However, Diko has since taken a leave of absence pending the investigation. Earlier on today the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC) through its provincial secretary for Gauteng, Jacob Khawe, issued out a presser on the partys stance in relation to their accused members. We follow engagements we dont rush to issue press conferences. However, the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) has to immediately resolve the issue for the benefit of the people of Gauteng, the Premier has to pressure the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) about the procurement. In addition, we also realise that the ANC is losing the trust of the people due to corruption, the case has now been subjected to the Provincial Integrity Committee (PIC) which will take between two to four weeks. Moreso, we have also noted the leave of absence taken by Cde. Diko however, we have also decided that the Health MEC and the MMC should take a leave of absence for the duration of the investigations, said Khawe. Commenting on the issue, Prof. Mcebisi Ndletyana, a political analyst said the move taken by the ANC was the right one. The PIC has a fairly good history of probing cases. The province is carrying on with its ethos of clean governance. Its also good news for the President since he doesnt have a firm grip on Lithuli House, that proves people are listening to him, said Prof. Ndletyana. However, another political analyst, Prof. Tinyiko Maluleke said there wasnt really anything to celebrate about. This should have never happened there isnt anything to celebrate besides the SIU doesnt have a good track record, said Prof. Maluleke. Meanwhile, Gautengs MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, is now the acting MEC of Health. Like this: Like Loading... WASHINGTON, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American Security (CAMSEC) is a first of its kind, non-partisan organization that seeks a return to principled, informed, and steady leadership. In an effort to defend the Constitution while restoring the reputation of America's military and intelligence services, CAMSEC is sharing the following open letter. The Council on American Security believes President Trump's inaction on Russia reportedly paying the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan is unconscionable acquiescence and tacit approval. Trump has spoken with Putin eight times since intelligence about Russian bounties was included in the daily security brief. Citing "fake news", he ignores CIA reports and accepts Russian denials at face value. The Council on American Security released a video regarding the allegations, calling President Trump's remarks from a recent interview, "disrespectful towards the men and women who sacrifice so much to keep us safe." Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and CAMSEC Advisor, General Wesley Clark, USA (ret) said: "You can't let this go. If Trump does let it go it will invite other malign actors to take similar, even more grievous actions." General Clark continued, "I think the real question is if President Trump is going to look out for the welfare and safety of American soldiers and service members, or is he going to bow to Putin? He's taken many steps that look like he's trying to curry favor with Mr. Putin when he accepts Mr. Putin putting bounties on our soldiers and encouraging them to be killed that's a line no president should accept." "Trump is not interested in world events or global security. He is not interested in the well-being of our men and women on the front lines. He wants photo ops that portray him as a strongman, and seemingly makes decisions to earn the blessings of tyrants," said CAMSEC President, LCDR Greg Keeley, USN (ret). "Perhaps if the President read his daily security briefs, he would understand these autocrats rule by subjugation, manipulation, and brute force. But then again, Mr. Trump seems ok with that." PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN SECURITY. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. WWW.CAMSEC.ORG Contact: [email protected] @CallSignCAMSEC Related Images council-on-american-security.jpg Council On American Security SOURCE Council on American Security Related Links https://www.camsec.org/ Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Not for Dissemination in the United States or to United States Newswire Services TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Wi2Wi Corporation (TSXV:YTY)(OTC PINK:ISEYF) (Wi2Wi or the Company) announces that it has reached a confidential settlement with Twin Cities Fire Insurance in connection with payments made by the Company to a former executive pursuant to previously disclosed garnishment proceedings. No payment is to be made nor received by the Company in connection with the confidential settlement. For further information, please contact: Dawn Leeder Chief Financial Officer +1-608-203-0234 dawn_l@wi2wi.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. About Wi2Wi Corporation Wi2Wi enables customers to substantially reduce their wireless R&D expenses and time to market. Wi2Wi designs, manufactures and markets deeply integrated, end-to-end wireless connectivity solutions as well as customizable, high- performance timing and frequency control devices. Wi2Wi provides real time technical support throughout the entire product life cycle for customers across the Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Avionics, Space, Industrial, Medical and Government sectors. Wi2Wi was founded in 2005 and is strategically headquartered in San Jose, California with satellite offices in Middleton, Wisconsin and Hyderabad, India. Wi2Wi's manufacturing operations, its laboratory for reliability and quality control, together with design and engineering for timing and frequency control devices are located in Middleton, Wisconsin. The branch office, located in Hyderabad, India, focuses on developing end to end wireless connectivity subsystems and solutions. Wi2Wi has partnered with best-in-class global leaders in technology, manufacturing and sales. The company uses a global network of manufacturer's representatives to promote its products and services, and has partnered with world class distributors for the fulfillment of orders along with direct sales. Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including management's assessment of future plans and operations, and the timing thereof, that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks associated with the ability to access sufficient capital, the impact of general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and overseas, industry conditions, stock market volatility. The Company's actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, that the Company will derive there from. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company's operations and financial results are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date the statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements and if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable law. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Furthermore, the forward- looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: Wi2Wi Corporation View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599530/Wi2Wi-Reaches-Settlement-with-Twin-Cities-Fire-Insurance The pay and bonus received by Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary last year almost halved to 958,000. Ryanair's annual report for 2020 shows that Mr O'Leary received base pay of 500,000 and a bonus of 458,000 for his performance as he oversaw revenues increasing by 10pc to 8.4bn in the 12 months to the end of March this year. The sharp decrease - from 1.82m in fiscal 2019 - came after Mr O'Leary signed a new five-year contract with Ryanair last year. In the contract he agreed to a 50pc cut in base pay from 1m to 500,000 per annum and a 50pc cut to his maximum annual bonus up to 500,000. Under the deal, Mr O'Leary stands to make 99m from stock options if profits exceed 2bn for any one year or if the Ryanair share price exceeds 21 for a 28-day period before April 2024. However, with the impact of Covid-19 on the airline industry causing Ryanair to record a loss of 185m in its most recent quarter and its share price currently at 10.95, those targets are a long way off. Mr O'Leary has agreed to a further 50pc base pay cut to 250,000 in response to the Covid-19 crisis. His shareholding of Ryanair increased by 0.1pc to 4pc during the year and today has a value of 470m. For Mr O'Leary's pay in the 2020 report, 2.5m appears under the heading of 'share-based compensation', but the report states that this figure relates to 'accounting charges' in relation to Mr O'Leary's share options. In his message to shareholders on the business impact of Covid-19, Mr O'Leary said: "The Ryanair Group of airlines can only survive this crisis if we remain flexible, rigorously reduce costs, and restrain our growth for the next year or two so that we can preserve cash and minimise debt during this period of unprecedented economic turbulence." "We have returned to flying in an environment where consumers may be reluctant to travel for some time, and even when they do, it will be subject to extensive health precautions and only then with the stimulus of lower air fares," he said. Mr O'Leary said that in a post-pandemic environment Ryanair can "survive and thrive", but warned of "a long, slow and painful recovery, and one which will challenge the most successful business models including that of Ryanair and our 17,000 aviation professionals". He added that he expects that air travel in Europe to be depressed for a number of years. Ireland was Ryanair's 5th largest market by country last year - the airline increased revenues here by 12pc to 594m. Over about eight years, the American drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp quietly added facial recognition systems to 200 stores across the United States, in one of the largest rollouts of such technology among retailers in the country, a Reuters investigation found. In the hearts of New York and metro Los Angeles, Rite Aid deployed the technology in largely lower-income, non-white neighborhoods, according to a Reuters analysis. And for more than a year, the retailer used state-of-the-art facial recognition technology from a company with links to China and its authoritarian government. In telephone and email exchanges with Reuters since February, Rite Aid confirmed the existence and breadth of its facial recognition program. The retailer defended the technologys use, saying it had nothing to do with race and was intended to deter theft and protect staff and customers from violence. Reuters found no evidence that Rite Aids data was sent to China. Last week, however, after Reuters sent its findings to the retailer, Rite Aid said it had quit using its facial recognition software. It later said all the cameras had been turned off. A PROMISING NEW TOOL Rite Aid, afflicted with financial losses in recent years, is not the only retailer to adopt or explore facial recognition technology. Two years ago, the Loss Prevention Research Council, a coalition founded by retailers to test anti-crime techniques, called facial recognition a promising new tool worthy of evaluation. There are a handful of retailers that have made the decision, Look, we need to leverage tech to sell more and lose less, said council director Read Hayes. Rite Aids program was one of the largest, if not the largest, in retail, Hayes said. The Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based company operates about 2,400 stores around the country. The Home Depot Inc. said it had been testing facial recognition to reduce shoplifting in at least one of its stores but stopped the trial this year. A smaller rival, Menards, piloted systems in at least 10 locations as of early 2019, a person familiar with that effort said. Walmart Inc. has also tried out facial recognition in a handful of stores, said two sources with knowledge of the tests. Walmart and Menards had no comment. Using facial recognition to approach people who previously have committed dishonest acts in a store before they do so again is less dangerous for staff, said Rite Aids former vice president of asset protection, Bob Oberosler, who made the decision to deploy an early facial recognition system at Rite Aid. That way, there was significantly less need for law enforcement involvement, he said. This decision was in part based on a larger industry conversation, the company told Reuters in a statement, adding that other large technology companies seem to be scaling back or rethinking their efforts around facial recognition given increasing uncertainty around the technologys utility. Reuters pieced together how the companys initiative evolved, how the software has been used and how a recent vendor was linked to China, drawing on thousands of pages of internal documents from Rite Aid and its suppliers, as well as direct observations during store visits by Reuters journalists and interviews with more than 40 people familiar with the systems deployment. Most current and former employees spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they feared jeopardizing their careers. While Rite Aid declined to disclose which locations used the technology, Reuters found facial recognition cameras at 33 of the 75 Rite Aid shops in Manhattan and the central Los Angeles metropolitan area during one or more visits from October through July. The cameras were easily recognizable, hanging from the ceiling on poles near store entrances and in cosmetics aisles. Most were about half a foot long, rectangular and labeled either by their model, iHD23, or by a serial number including the vendors initials, DC. In a few stores, security personnel known as loss prevention or asset protection agents showed Reuters how they worked. The cameras matched facial images of customers entering a store to those of people Rite Aid previously observed engaging in potential criminal activity, causing an alert to be sent to security agents smartphones. Agents then reviewed the match for accuracy and could tell the customer to leave. Store Signage Rite Aid told Reuters in a February statement that customers had been apprised of the technology through signage at the shops, as well as in a written policy posted this year on its website. Reporters found no notice of the surveillance in more than a third of the stores they visited with the facial recognition cameras. Among the 75 stores Reuters visited, those in areas that were poorer or less white were much more likely to have the equipment, the news agencys statistical analysis found. Stores in more impoverished areas were nearly three times as likely as those in richer areas to have facial recognition cameras. Seventeen of 25 stores in poorer areas had the systems. In wealthier areas, it was 10 of 40. (Ten of the stores were in areas whose wealth status was not clear. Six of those stores had the equipment.) In areas where people of color, including Black or Latino residents, made up the largest racial or ethnic group, Reuters found that stores were more than three times as likely to have the technology. Reuters findings illustrate the dire need for a national conversation about privacy, consumer education, transparency, and the need to safeguard the Constitutional rights of Americans, said Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chairwoman of the House oversight committee, which has held hearings on the use of facial recognition technology. Rite Aid said the rollout was data-driven, based on stores theft histories, local and national crime data and site infrastructure. Cathy Langley, Rite Aids vice president of asset protection, said earlier this year that facial recognition which she referred to as feature matching resulted in less violence and organized crime in the companys stores. Last week, however, Rite Aid said its new leadership team was reviewing practices across the company, and this was one of a number of programs that was terminated. Civil Liberties Facial recognition technology has become highly controversial in the United States as its use has expanded in both the public and private sectors, including by law enforcement and retailers. Civil liberties advocates warn it can lead to harassment of innocent individuals, arbitrary and discriminatory arrests, infringements of privacy rights and chilled personal expression. About-Face: IBM to Exit and Oppose Facial Recognition Technology Employment Liability Insurers See Plenty to Worry About, From Biometrics to Harassment MIT Researcher Exposing Bias in Facial Recognition Tech Triggers Amazons Wrath Facebook to Pay $550M to Settle Biometric Privacy Violation Claims Adding to these concerns, recent research by a U.S. government institute showed that algorithms that underpin the technology erred more often when subjects had darker skin tones. Facial recognition systems are largely unregulated in the United States, despite disclosure or consent requirements, or limits on government use, in several states, including California, Washington, Texas and Illinois. Some cities, including San Francisco, ban municipal officials from using them. In general, the technology makes photos and videos more readily searchable, allowing retailers almost instantaneous facial comparisons within and across stores. Among the systems used by Rite Aid was one from DeepCam LLC, which worked with a firm in China whose largest outside investor is a Chinese government fund. Some security experts said any program with connections to China was troubling because it could open the door to aggressive surveillance in the United States more typical of an autocratic state. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and acting chair of the U.S. Senates intelligence committee, told Reuters in a statement that the Rite Aid systems potential link to China was outrageous. The Chinese Communist Partys buildup of its Orwellian surveillance state is alarming, and Chinas efforts to export its surveillance state to collect data in America would be an unacceptable, serious threat, he said. The security specialists expressed concern that information gathered by a China-linked company could ultimately land in that governments hands, helping Beijing to refine its facial recognition technology globally and monitor people in ways that violate American standards of privacy. If it goes back to China, there are no rules, said James Lewis, the Technology Policy Program director at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked for comment, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: These are unfounded smears and rumors. Tougher Neighborhoods In interviews, 10 current and former Rite Aid loss prevention agents told Reuters that the system they initially used in stores was from a company called FaceFirst, which has been backed by U.S. investment firms. It regularly misidentified people, all 10 of them said. It doesnt pick up Black people well, one loss prevention staffer said last year while using FaceFirst at a Rite Aid in an African-American neighborhood of Detroit. If your eyes are the same way, or if youre wearing your headband like another person is wearing a headband, youre going to get a hit. FaceFirsts chief executive, Peter Trepp, said facial recognition generally works well irrespective of skin tone, an issue he said the industry addressed years ago. He declined to talk about Rite Aid, saying he would not discuss any possible clients. Rite Aid originally piloted FaceFirst at its store on West 3rd Street and South Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, a largely Asian and Latino neighborhood, around 2012. Of the 65 stores the retailer targeted in its first big rollout, 52 were in areas where the largest group was Black or Latino, according to Reuters analysis of a Rite Aid planning document from 2013 that was read aloud to a reporter by someone with access to it. Reuters confirmed that some of these stores later deployed the technology but did not confirm its presence at every location on the list. Separately, two former Rite Aid managers and a third source familiar with the FaceFirst rollout said the systems were concentrated, respectively, in the tougher, toughest or worst areas. Reuters reviewed a 2016 spreadsheet from the companys asset protection unit in which Rite Aid rated 20 higher-earning Manhattan stores as having equal risk of loss labeled MedHigh. Two of 10 stores where whites were the largest racial group had facial recognition technology when Reuters visited this year, whereas eight of the 10 in non-white areas had the systems. One spot ranked MedHigh was a store at 741 Columbus Avenue in New Yorks whiter, wealthier Upper West Side. Another was the pharmacys West 125th Street store in nearby Harlem, a majority African-American neighborhood. The Harlem store got facial recognition technology; the Upper West Side one did not, as of July 9. Serious Drawbacks Starting in 2013, as Rite Aid deployed FaceFirsts technology in Philadelphia, Baltimore and beyond, some serious drawbacks emerged, current and former security agents and managers told Reuters. For instance, the system would generate 500 hits in an hour all across the United States when photos in the system were blurry or taken at an odd angle, one of the people familiar with FaceFirsts operations said. FaceFirsts Trepp said the company has high accuracy rates while running over 12 trillion comparisons per day without any known complaints to date. During that earlier period, Tristan Jackson-Stankunas said Rite Aid wrongly fingered him as a shoplifter in a Los Angeles store based on someone elses photo. While Reuters could not confirm the method Rite Aid used to identify him, the store had FaceFirst technology by that time, according to a Rite Aid security agent and a Foursquare review photo showing the camera. According to a complaint Jackson-Stankunas filed with the California Department of Consumer Affairs a week after the incident, he was looking for air freshener in September 2016 when a manager ordered him to leave the store. The manager said he had received a security image of Jackson-Stankunas taken at another Rite Aid in 2013 from which he allegedly had stolen goods, according to the complaint. When Jackson-Stankunas viewed the photo on the managers phone, he told Reuters, he saw nothing in common with the person except their race: Both are Black. The guy looks nothing like me, said Jackson-Stankunas, 34, who ultimately was allowed to make his purchase and leave the store. Rite Aid only identified me because I was a person of color. Thats it. The California department told him his complaint fell outside its purview, directing him to another state office, email records show. Instead, he said he decided to write the store a bad review on Yelp. Rite Aid and the manager who allegedly was involved declined to comment on Jackson-Stankunas account. At one store Reuters visited, a security agent scrolled through FaceFirst alerts showing a number of cases in which faces were obviously mismatched, including a Black man mixed up with someone who was Asian. Reuters could not determine whether the incorrect matches resulted in confrontations with customers. FaceFirst CEO Trepp said that his company takes racial bias seriously and would not work with any business that disregarded civil rights. We cannot stand for racial injustice of any kind, including in our technology, he said. Generally, Trepp said, Reuters findings about his company contained extensive factual inaccuracies and are not based upon information from credible sources. New System: DeepCam Early in 2018, Rite Aid began installing technology from DeepCam LLC, ultimately phasing out FaceFirst in stores around the country, interviews with Rite Aid loss prevention agents and internal vendor documents indicate. Six security staffers who used both systems said DeepCams matches were more accurate sometimes to a fault. The technology picked up faces from ads on buses or pictures on T-shirts, three said. One famous face captured in DeepCam was Marilyn Monroes, one of the agents said. At least until 2017, FaceFirst had employed an older method of biometric identification that compared maps of subjects faces, two people familiar with its system said. Only later did it move over to software based on artificial intelligence like DeepCams. Though the data and algorithms differ by brand, these systems draw upon potentially millions of samples to learn how to match faces. DeepCam cameras photographed and took live video of every person entering a Rite Aid store, aiming to create a unique facial profile, Rite Aid agents said. If the customer walked in front of another DeepCam facial recognition camera at a Rite Aid shop, new images were added to the persons existing profile. Two agents said they lost access to the images after 10 days unless the person landed on a watch list based on their behavior in stores. When agents saw someone commit a crime or just do something suspicious, one said they scrolled through profiles on their smartphone to search for the individual, only adding the person to the watch list with a managers approval. The next time the shopper walked into a Rite Aid that had the technology, agents received a phone alert and checked the match for accuracy. Then they could order the person to leave, agents told Reuters. Rite Aid said adding customers to the watch list was based on multiple layers of meaningful human review. The company told Reuters its procedures ensured customers were not confronted unnecessarily. If a person was found to be engaging in criminal behavior, Rite Aid said, we retain the data as a matter of policy to cooperate in pending or potential criminal investigations. Other U.S. retail stores have tried DeepCam. Independent 7-Eleven franchise owners in Virginia told Reuters they conducted trials of the software starting in 2018 and later dropped it. They said they largely found the system accurate but not user friendly and too expensive to maintain. The system was advertised online as costing $99 a month. 7-Eleven Inc did not answer requests for comment. China Connection The two founding owners of U.S.-based DeepCam LLC were Don Knasel and Jingfeng Liu, who set up the firm in Longmont, Colorado, in 2017, state records show. Lius residential address in Longmont was listed as its headquarters. A Chinese native with U.S. citizenship and a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University, Liu had the skills to do business in both the United States and China. According to Chinas official business registration records, he is chairman of another facial recognition firm in China called Shenzhen Shenmu Information Technology Co Ltd, whose website is DeepCam.com. For a time, the U.S.-based DeepCam LLC and Shenzhen Shenmu were closely connected: In addition to Lius role in both companies, they shared the same website and email accounts, according to internal records seen by Reuters. Internal correspondence reviewed by Reuters suggests that DeepCam reached a deal with Rite Aid by March 2018, when a colleague emailed Knasel to congratulate him. Internal records also indicated that China-based Shenzhen Shenmu helped its American counterpart with product development and that Liu was expected to pay at least some of the bills. That same month, a U.S. executive wrote: Hi Jingfeng- Thanks for the credit card. Here is the receipt for the Indianapolis Trade Show. In an interview, Liu confirmed the financing, saying of Knasel: Whenever he needed money, I give him some money. Liu said Knasel told him about the Rite Aid project but left him in the dark about the business. Knasel never let data cross between the two countries, Liu said. As the Rite Aid rollout proceeded in 2018, correspondence among DeepCam staff, seen by Reuters, expressed concerns about publicly revealing any links to China, as well as using the term facial recognition in the U.S. market for fear of attracting the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union. Days after the ACLU wrote a March 2018 blog post critical of retailers suspected use of the technology, including Rite Aids, Knasel emailed staff: It looks like the ACLU may be starting to stick its head up.We need to tone down facial recognition, which I have tried to do.If they come after us, we are dead.so we have to avoid. The punctuation in the message is Knasels. Jay Stanley, the ACLU senior policy analyst who co-authored the blog post, told Reuters that the right response to civil liberties concerns about surveillance technology is not to start using it in secret. It is to stop using the technology altogether. We are glad Rite Aid seems to have ultimately recognized this. Today, both Liu and Knasel say no ties exist between the U.S. and Chinese businesses. We never do any business in USA, Liu wrote in a brief email to Reuters in March. We focus in China market. More recently, in an interview and an email, Liu said he had not spoken with Knasel for more than a year and, to his disappointment, had not benefited from the U.S. venture. In a statement to Reuters, Knasel sought to distance himself from Liu, Shenzhen Shenmu and DeepCam. He did not address questions about DeepCams deal with Rite Aid. DeepCam, he said, is winding up its operations and now has no assets. He added that DeepCam never supplied China-based Shenzhen Shenmu with any data. In February, Rite Aid told Reuters that DeepCam had been re-branded as pdActive. PdActive is a facial recognition company run by Knasel, who said it is not a rebranding of DeepCam but a different company that has no owners who are Chinese citizens. Knasel remained connected to DeepCam through another company he runs, dcAnalytics, which Knasel said licensed DeepCams technology until November 2019. Since then, Knasel said, U.S.-based dcAnalytics has been using proprietary technology, as well as facial recognition cameras purchased from DeepCam. Knasel said dcAnalytics is committed to upholding the highest standards possible to make sure facial recognition technology is used fairly, properly and responsibly. Geopolitical Tensions Steve Dickinson, a Seattle attorney who practiced law in China for more than a decade and writes about cybersecurity, said geopolitical tensions have added sensitivity to any work Chinese surveillance firms do in the United States. Last year, the U.S. government blacklisted several Chinese companies including Hikvision, one of the biggest surveillance camera manufacturers globally alleging involvement in human rights abuses. China has deployed facial recognition cameras widely within its borders, providing a level of monitoring unfathomable to many Americans. At the time, a U.S. Hikvision spokesman said the firm strongly opposes the decision and that punishing Hikvision would harm its U.S. business partners and discourage global companies from communicating with the U.S. government. Liu described his company as nothing like the Chinese video surveillance giants. With about 20 employees, he said, it is a tiny company pretending to be big, struggling unsuccessfully to get government contracts and nearly bankrupt. Reuters found that he and his company have financial and other ties to the Chinese government, however. Most notably, Shenzhen Shenmus largest outside investor, holding about 20% of its registered capital, is a strategic fund set up by the government of China. Called the SME Development Fund (Shenzhen Limited Partnership), it has built a 6 million yuan ($855,000) stake in Shenzhen Shenmu since early 2018, Chinese public business records show. A person with the same name as a Shenzhen Shenmu board director has also worked for the venture firm managing the SME fund, according to the records and the investment firms website. The fund acknowledged investing in Shenzhen Shenmu and said it does not participate in the daily operation and management of the enterprise. Liu is a member of Chinas Thousand Talents program, according to a local government website. That program was started by Beijing as a way to bring top academics working in important fields abroad back to China. According to allegations by the U.S. Justice Department, the program aimed to steal foreign technology. In a statement, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs described such allegations as false and as stigmatization by the United States. Liu told Reuters he tried to get into the program but does not know if he is. The achievement was reported in an article on Shenzhen Shenmus website, but Liu said he only wanted to use the distinction to help him sell products. Reuters was unable to confirm with Chinas government whether Liu was a member. Another website, that of a Shenzhen Shenmu subsidiary, Magicision, claims its technology has helped officials arrest fugitives and suspected criminals in China. Liu was vague about the firms public security work, saying his company has tried unsuccessfully to get contracts with Chinese law enforcement. He called the websites information bullshit marketing. About the Chinese governments interest in his companys data, however, he was clear. The China government never care about us, he said. We are too small. I know (the) China threat is a hot, eyeball-attractive topic. But what you have in mind is totally untrue. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Los Angeles and New York; Data analysis by Ryan McNeill in London; Additional reporting by Cate Cadell and Yingzhi Yang in Beijing; Engen Tham and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Farah Master in Hong Kong; the Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Lucas Jackson, Aleksandra Michalska and Samuel Hart in New York; Paresh Dave in Oakland; and Tom Bergin in London; Editing by Julie Marquis and Simon Robinson) Topics California Agencies InsurTech USA Tech New York China MOSCOW A Russian court ruled Thursday against a 29-year-old former U.S. Marine who was detained last year on charges of assaulting a police officer after a night of heavy drinking in Moscow, sentencing him to nine years in a Russian prison. Trevor Reed's nine-year sentence is close to the maximum punishment for these charges, which is 10 years. He has already been in Russian custody awaiting trial for almost a year. Prosecutors on Wednesday asked for 9 years and 8 months. The defendant, his family and his Russian girlfriend all deny the charges. The U.S. ambassador to Russia has called the evidence flimsy. And all of them have alleged that he has become just the latest example of American citizens being unfairly charged in Russia. Ambassador John Sullivan told NBC News that Americans detained in Russia receiving unfair treatment from the judicial system is becoming a more frequent problem a stark warning for Americans considering visiting or doing business in Russia. "This is not a good story for U.S.-Russia relations," Sullivan said in a telephone interview shortly after the verdict was issued. "And it is not good for encouraging U.S. private citizens and business to visit and invest here if what they did to [Reed] can be done to anyone." Image: U.S. ex-Marine Trevor Reed (Tatyana Makeyeva / Reuters file) During closing arguments on Wednesday, Reed said he would not admit guilt to a crime he didn't commit. "I think it would be unethical and immoral to plead guilty to a crime I didn't commit," he said in his closing statement on the eve of the trial's verdict. "If I am going to be given a prison sentence, I'd rather stay in prison than walk free tomorrow a liar and a coward." Sullivan said that the evidence against Reed strained credulity. "The evidence was so flimsy and preposterous that everyone in the courtroom, even the judge, laughed when it was presented," Sullivan said. "If this case had been brought in a U.S. court, not only would it have been thrown out, but the prosecutors would be investigated for bringing it forward in the first place." Story continues Other cases, such as that of another former U.S. Marine, Paul Whelan, have garnered much more political and media attention, likely due to the nature of the charges against Whelan espionage and the open discussion of using him as a bargaining chip with the United States. Image: Ambassador John Sullivan and Joey Reed (Courtesy US Embassy) But Reeds father, Joey, has spent the past year in Moscow advocating for his son in an effort to keep his case from falling below the radar. Russian courts have an extremely high conviction rate, and acquittals are increasingly rare. I am nervous and anxious, Reed's mother, Paula, told NBC News in a telephone interview Tuesday. Of course, Ive tried to prepare for the worst, but if you really think about it too hard ... Im probably not prepared. You just feel hopeless and theyre going to do what theyre going to do. The embassy sent representatives to each of Reed's court hearings, but generally adopted a more restrained public posture toward the trial than it did with the Whelan case which saw Sullivan frequently take strongly worded public stands against the proceedings. Sullivan told NBC News that part of the reason was that he hoped this might prevent Reed's case from being overly politicized. "I have not been making public statements the way I have about other cases just because I was in effect giving the Russian judicial system an opportunity to do justice by Reed," he said. Reed, a Texas native, spent the summer of 2019 in Moscow studying Russian and visiting his girlfriend a lawyer in Moscow and was preparing to return home last August, his family says. But just days before his return, he celebrated a night out with his friends and his girlfriends co-workers. Alina Tsybulnik, Reeds girlfriend, said in an interview that he became ill while a colleague drove the two of them home. The driver stopped the car, Reed and Tsybulnik got out, and then the driver called the police when it was clear that Reed was in a bad state. It wasnt my idea to call the police, Tsybulnik said. It was my colleague who did it. She had never met Trevor before and didnt want to deal with it. He was in trouble, his lips were blue and he needed medical help and he wasnt answering me, he didnt know where he was. When the police arrived, they put Reed in the back of their car and then drove him to a police station, Tsybulnik said. According to the police, Reed became belligerent during the ride and tugged on the drivers arm making the car swerve. Hes been accused of endangering the police officers' lives, while also elbowing one in the passengers seat. Tsybulnik says the police have presented a jacket with a torn arm to the court in an effort to demonstrate that he tugged on the driver. She says that is simply not possible. We followed the car and it was driving pretty slow, it wasnt swerving, she said. [Reed] was asleep in the back of the car. That is why they didnt handcuff him. Reed, meanwhile, has said in previous interviews that he has no recollection of the events a claim his family reaffirmed to NBC News. Joey Reed, a Texas firefighter, has deeply familiarized himself with the evidence against his son while renting an apartment in Moscow braving out even the COVID-19 lockdown that brought life in the Russian capital to a halt in April and May, he said. I told him he needs to be father of the year, Paula Reed said of her husbands efforts. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legend Power Systems (TSX-V: LPS), today announced that a second Boston commercial property owner has taken the initial step to deploy Legends SmartGATE solution. The client, a leading international financial services and insurance firm, will utilize the data analysis and executive decision-making tool, SmartGATE Insights, in 4 of its buildings. Insights real-time data will drive informed business decisions to increase revenue, reduce costs, enhance tenant experiences, and increase net asset value. The SmartGATE solution optimizes energy efficiency and reduces greenhouse gases and significantly mitigates the detrimental effects of poor electrical power quality to critical systems, resulting in optimal business results, said Legend VP Engineering, Mark Petersen. Executives need accurate and timely information to make important business decisions and SmartGATE provides that information and the appropriate solutions to improve their businesses. Legend continues to evolve our platform from being solely an energy savings offering, to being a critical power analytics and solutions provider. SmartGATE Platform Real-time Insights to Enhance Building Operations and Reduce Cost The first step in implementing the SmartGATE platform across a portfolio of buildings is SmartGATE Insights, which provides the real-time data and diagnostic information to assist senior leadership in determining portfolio inefficiencies. SmartGATE Insights captures thousands of electricity data points which impact efficiency, reliability and life expectancy of systems. Legend then distills the data into intuitive business impacts in its user-friendly Power Impact Report. While based on detailed data and industry-standard power quality measurements, the report also highlights business metrics so key decision-makers can understand the value in correcting these issues to maximize business performance and asset value. From the initial deployment of SmartGATE Insights through to full deployment of the SmartGATE platform, building owners are continuously supplied with data and analysis that can drive solutions that enhance tenant experience and safety, increase revenue, reduce costs, and increase net asset value. About Legend Power Systems Inc. Legend Power Systems Inc. ( www.legendpower.com ) provides an intelligent energy management platform that analyzes and improves building energy challenges, significantly impacting asset management and corporate performance. Legends proven solutions support proactive executive decision-making in a complex and volatile business and energy environment. For further information, please contact: Steve Vanry, CFO + 1 604 671 9522 svanry@legendpower.com Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations + 1 647 503 1054 sean@sophiccapital.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release may contain statements which constitute forward-looking information, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities or performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Companys future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Such risks, uncertainties and factors are described in the periodic filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, including the Companys quarterly and annual Managements Discussion & Analysis, which may be viewed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements other than as may be required by applicable law. "For seven months, we've been wearing masks, washing hands, trying to distance and staying at home, but then the government let in thousands and thousands of people with no testing or quarantine and now we have the third wave," said the man, who gave only his last name, Sze. "What did we do wrong to deserve this?" Ill. church gives away hundreds of backpacks of school supplies for needy families Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment 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. Sushant Singh Rajputs good friend Sandip Ssingh has spoken about the police investigation into the actors death. Speaking to Republic TV, Sandip mentioned that while police has spoken to him, they have not recorded his statement. He said: They have not taken my statement as of now. They have spoken to me, they have taken all the details from me. They have spoken to me in detail. In another interview to Times Now, he was asked if he thought it was a murder or a suicide. He described in detail how he was with Sushants body before the last rites were to be performed. That visual is a nightmare for us. Whatever it is, whether it is a murder or suicide, I would just request Mumbai Police to come out completely because they have investigated the maximum with whatever duty they could. He added that he is confused about the case. Sorry, I cant say. I dont have the capacity to say whether it was a murder or a suicide. The Sushant Singh Rajput death case took a new turn when the late actors father filed an FIR against his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty for allegedly abetting Sushants suicide. Rhea on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the probe by the Bihar police. As Rhea, 28, also sought transfer of the FIR of Sushants father Krishna Kumar Singh from Patna to Mumbai, a four-member Bihar Police team arrived in Mumbai to probe the case registered against her and six others. An FIR was lodged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) including those pertaining to abetment of suicide and fraud, Inspector General of Police, Patna Zone, Sanjay Singh told PTI. Also read: Happy birthday Sonu Sood: Sending cyclones back home to solving marital problems, 5 times he was at his wittiest on Twitter Singh lodged the FIR under various sections of IPC including 306 (abetment of suicide), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property). Sushant, 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then the Mumbai police has been probing the case keeping in mind various angles. The actor had starred in films such as Chichhore, Kai Po Che and Kedarnath. (With PTI inputs) Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gunmen, on Wednesday, attacked a bullion van transporting money from Enugu to Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi, killing four of the poli... Gunmen, on Wednesday, attacked a bullion van transporting money from Enugu to Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi, killing four of the police officers who escorted the vehicle. The gunmen reportedly tried to intercept the bullion van at Ezzamgbo junction, in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi. The robbers were said to have fired at the escort van conveying the policemen and in the process, four of them died while two sustained injuries. Philip Maku, the state commissioner of police, who confirmed the incident, said the robbers trailed the bullion van from Enugu but were unable to loot it because the driver escaped. They damaged one of the tires of the bullion van but the driver was able to escape with the van. They could not give chase to the van as the driver was driving towards the military checkpoint ahead, Maku said. He added that the injured police officers have been taken to hospital for treatment while the deceased have been deposited at the mortuary. By Nic White for Daily Mail Australia Groups opposing lockdowns, mask wearing, and police authority in general rely on a series of dubious arguments that are easily discredited: Rules are 'directives' not 'laws' A common theme to infuriating exchanges with police is that the public health orders are invalid because Parliament never approved them. They claim such 'directives' can only be enforced by 'consent' and thus can be ignored at will. However, the Public Health and Wellbeing Act of 2008 does give state governments and their chief health officers power to impose restrictions. Section 200 of the act explicitly states they can can restrict movement or 'give any other direction that the authorised officer considers is reasonably necessary to protect public health'. These powers kick in when a state of emergency is declared by the state government, which Premier Daniel Andrews did in Victoria on March 16. Extra powers kick in when a state of emergency is declared by the state government, which Premier Daniel Andrews did in Victoria on March 16 Section 193 of the act allows for stay at home directions, which Deputy Chief Health Officer Finn Romanes enacted on July 22. This directive also covers the wearing of face masks, as it states people can only leave their house while wearing one - exceptions notwithstanding. Victoria also passed its own COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 to strengthen these emergency powers. State of emergency is invalid Some conspiracy theorists claim the state of emergency shouldn't have been imposed in the first place. They quote what they believe to be the conditions that must be established, including that a deadly pathogen must be present around the country. As they deny the seriousness of Covid-19, they declare there is 'no deadly virus' in Australia. The 167 Australians who have died from coronavirus, and their families, would beg to differ. Police don't have authority to enforce orders Many of the video feature coronavirus deniers refusing to answer police questions or give their details. They make bizarre appeals to common law overriding state legislation, which are discussed at the end of this article. Again, the Public Health and Wellbeing Act of 2008 comes into play as it empowers health officials to ask police for help enforcing directives. Police officers can usually only ask for someone's details if they are committing a crime or are reasonably believed to be about to be. But the Act extends this to investigating, eliminating or reducing the risk to public health. Police can also detain anyone deemed a 'serious risk to public health', so long as they are warned that refusal to comply would lead to their arrest. '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,' Victorian Police said on July 26. 'Police are working incredibly hard to keep the community safe and this type of behaviour is unacceptable and unnecessary.' Police are violating human rights Conspiracy theorists make frequent reference to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This does not actually create any laws, it is just an undertaking to preserve and protect human rights around the world. What rights citizens do have are in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act. This compels Parliament to balance any infringement on human rights, as laid down in the act, and produce a 'statement of compatibility'. This balancing act is known as 'proportionality testing' and weighs, in this case, forcing people to wear masks with the threat of illness and death. Parliament took this into account when passing the Public Health and Wellbeing Act of 2008, and health officials have done the same this year. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton even explained on Tuesday that human rights laws enshrined the right to exercise during lockdown. 'They are entitled to exercise within their home and their garden, ideally. People who have no garden and have no other option, have a right to exercise,' he said. 'The Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities is pretty clear that if you aren't giving people an option to exercise then you are effectively putting them in prison and that's not something that can be done for a case of coronavirus or for anyone else for that matter.' Mr Andrews has very little time for human rights arguments, pointing out that not dying of coronavirus is a rather important right. 'Seriously, one more comment about human rights - honestly. It is about human life,' he 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...' Mr Andrews later apologised for losing his cool, but reiterated that police were doing what needed to be done. '[Police] are trying to be as fair as they possibly can be,' he said, 'but if you're just making a selfish choice based on your belief, your personal belief, quoting something you've read on some website, it's not about human rights.' Even Human Rights Law Centre executive director Hugh de Kretser isn't giving the conspiracy theorists any cover. 'Being required to wear a mask in public in Melbourne does not breach human rights,' he said. 'It's a very small limit on personal freedom for a very good reason; saving lives and protecting public health. There are sensible exceptions set out in the rules. 'Those who claim their rights are being breached are wrong.' Businesses are discriminating by requiring masks before entry Some anti-maskers have accused businesses of being in breach of anti-discrimination laws by refusing them entry. Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott said he stood behind the Bunnings workers in the video The problem with this argument is that all the other regulations around mask wearing aren't even relevant because businesses have the right refuse entry at their discretion. 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.' Ms Nash claims she has a medical exemption to wearing a mask, which she never specified. If she had produced proof of this, the whole situation could have been avoided. Why these people are dangerous Associate Professor Luke Beck Monash University's law faculty said the group appeared to be an offshoot of the sovereign citizen movement. 'These people make these kinds of pseudo-legal arguments, usually to try and get out of parking fines or paying council rates or things like that,' he told SBS. 'Some of these people think if you utter particular words or emphasise particular 'facts', it will somehow get you out of things.' This is problematic for functioning society at the best of times, but University of Melbourne law Associate Professor Jonathan Liberman said it was downright dangerous during a pandemic. 'These people are trying to encourage others to do things that put people's health at risk and that will ultimately lead to these restrictions being in place for a lot longer,' he said. 'They are also promoting a rejection of the rule of law and a rejection of a harmonious society.' Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Medical Device Complaint Management Market Growth & Trends The global medical device complaint management market size is expected to reach USD 10.2 billion by 2026, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to register a CAGR of 7.6% during the forecast period. Increasing use of software to support the entire complaint management process is propelling the growth. The transition from paper-based to digital system for tracking complaints is boosting growth of the market. Incidents are recorded and the data automatically drives the investigation and resolution workflow. Companies experience more complete documentation along with the reduction in the turnaround time. The complaints management solution provides advanced analytics and reporting tools for augmented management oversight. The software also streamlines the submissions with standard reporting for the EU, FDA, Japan, Health Canada, and Australia. For instance, the U.S. FDA encourages consumers, patients, and healthcare professionals to give voluntary reports of important adverse events, and/or product issues to MedWatch, FDAs Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program or by means of the mobile app known as MedWatcher. The app radically simplifies and accelerates the process of reporting by providing users with a four-step form submitted electronically to the FDA. Regulators are gradually concentrating on handling customer complaints, product safety, and device vigilance. This is not only true in developed countries, but also in emerging economies such as India. The Indian government introduced medical devices regulation program, Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI) with focus on safety data collection, synchronization of international laws, regulations, and standards encourages medical device organizations to evaluate their existing procedures of product development and post-marketing surveillance. Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Medical Device Complaint Management Market Report Medical Device Complaint Management Market Report Highlights Product surveillance and regulatory compliance emerged as the largest segment owing to greater emphasis put on product surveillance by regulatory agencies North America held the largest market share in 2017 owing to stern regulatory requirements and heavy monetary fines in this region. All the device manufacturers, importers, and distributors are required to comply with the complaint and record requirement Some of the key players operating in the medical device complaint management market include IQVIA, Wipro, Tata Consulting Services, SAS, Sparta Systems, Parexel International Corporation, Biovia, AssurX, MasterControl, and Freyr. Medical Device Complaint Management Market Segmentation Grand View Research has segmented the global medical device complaint management market based on service and region: Medical Device Complaint Management Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2026) Complaints Log / Intake Receive Complaints Classify the Issue Record Issue Product Surveillance & Regulatory Compliance Reportable/Non Reportable Medical Device Vigilance/Medical Device Reporting Field Action Returned/ Non-Returned Product Analysis Complaint Investigation Root Cause Analysis, Testing Corrective/Preventive Action Resolve & Closure Complaint Summary Customer Letter Creation Medical Device Complaint Management Regional Outlook (USD Million, 2014 - 2026) North America US. Canada Europe UK. Germany Asia Pacific Japan China Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia 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. President Moon Jae-in finalized the appointments of the new head of the National Intelligence Service and unification minister on Wednesday despite serious question marks hanging over their suitability. Veteran politician Park Jie-won, who now heads the spy agency, has been dogged by suspicions over a secret deal with North Korea to pay US$3 billion for the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000. And former Minjoo Party floor leader Lee In-young, the new unification minister, refused to clear up questions over his son's exemption from military service during his parliamentary confirmation hearing. Since the ruling party has a comfortable majority in the National Assembly, it waved Moon's candidates through despite an opposition boycott. A group of activists have staged a rowdy early-morning protest outside the apartment of NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea as revenge for cops clearing out their encampment at City Hall. Videos shared on social media show around two dozen demonstrators gathering outside the Upper West Side home Shea shares with his wife and children around 2.30 am Wednesday morning. The crowd blared sirens and banged pots and pans while flashing strobe lights and laser pointers into the Commissioner's apartment windows for around 20 minutes. 'This is a raid, Commissioner Shea,' the protesters were heard chanting in one clip posted by journalist Chris Gelardi. A group of activists staged a rowdy protest outside the apartment of NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea (pictured) around 2.30 am Wednesday. It's unclear whether the Commissioner was inside the home with his family at the time 'If we don't get no justice, you don't get not sleep,' some of the activists reportedly yelled. It's unclear whether Shea and his family were inside the residence at the time. However, the disturbance did manage to wake up others in the building, with one resident telling The New York Post that they thought a fire had broken out. 'They had a loudspeaker and they said "Wake up, wake up". I thought there was a fire but they were just screaming for this building,' the resident stated. Another neighbor claimed that the loud protest 'was actually a bit terrifying'. 'It came in the middle of the night and out of nowhere and was hard to identify,' they wrote on Twitter. Videos shared on social media show around two dozen demonstrators gathering outside the Upper West Side home Shea shares with his wife and children Video shows the crowd pointing strobe lights directly into Shea's windows in a bid to wake him up The demonstration garnered mixed reaction on social media, with some saying the protesters had gone too far by harassing Shea at his personal address. One blasted the group for waking up 'an entire apartment block as well as pets', while others were thrilled by the idea. 'Is the same thing happening tonight? May I get more info please. Would love to show up!' one stated. The loud crowd purportedly staged the demonstration as revenge for NYPD officers 'razing their City Hall encampment' under the cover of darkness last week. For nearly a month, activists had been camping outside the Mayor's office staging an 'Occupy City Hall' protest in a bid to have him cut the budget of the NYPD by at least $1 billion. A line of NYPD officers dressed in riot gear cleared out the last of the Occupy City Hall protesters from their month-long encampment in lower Manhattan last Wednesday Last Wednesday morning a line of NYPD officers dressed in riot gear cleared out the last of the protesters from the site. Cops gave the remaining occupants 10 minutes notice, before they moved in at 3.40am. The police pushed out around 70 remaining people said to be a mixture of activists and homeless. In total, seven people were taken into custody during the operation and one officer was injured after being struck by a brick. The NYPD temporarily shut down the nearby Brooklyn Bridge while they carried out the operation. The goal of the Occupy City Hall demonstration similar to the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 had been to secure at least a $1 billion cut from the NYPD budget. After the reform was approved by City Hall earlier this month, and signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio, organizers of the protests and many of its members left. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 00:31:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (L, rear) witnesses a signing ceremony of compensation agreement at the State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, on July 29, 2020. The Zimbabwean government and former white commercial farmers on Wednesday signed a 3.5 billion U.S. dollars compensation agreement for the farmers. (Photo by Wanda/Xinhua) HARARE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwean government and former white commercial farmers on Wednesday signed a 3.5 billion U.S. dollars compensation agreement for the farmers. The money, which will be borrowed by the Zimbabwean government, is meant for improvements made by the white farmers on their farms that were acquired by government under the land reform program. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, speaking at the signing ceremony in Harare, said the agreement was a significant step towards bringing closure to the land reform program. Under the program which started in the early 2000s, government compulsorily acquired excess farm land from white farmers to resettle landless blacks. Government said this was meant to redress colonial land ownership imbalances that were skewed in favor of whites, and also to economically empower the country's majority blacks. "This momentous event is historic in many respects, it brings both closure and a new beginning in the history of the land discourse in Zimbabwe," Mnangagwa said. He said the process which had culminated in the signing of the agreement is historic as it is a re-affirmation of the irreversibility of land reform program as well as a symbol of the country's commitment to constitutionalism, respect of the rule of law and property rights. Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and acting Agriculture Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri signed on behalf of the Zimbabwean government, while representatives of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), the Southern African Commercial Farmers Alliance and a foreign consortium, Valcon, which undertook valuations, also penned the agreement. At least 2,801 former commercial farmers acceded to the compensation out of 2,963 that were approached with the compensation offer. Mnangagwa said the compensation was being done in line with the country's constitution, adding that the agreement was only limited to improvements made on the farms and not the land itself. "My administration reaffirms that the government of Zimbabwe does not have any obligation for compensation for acquired land. Thus, our entering into the agreement does not create any liability whatsoever," he said. Details of how much money each farmer would get were not immediately available, but the payments would cover the value of improvements, biological assets and land clearing costs. "The global compensation figure will be payable in installments as follows: a 50 percent deposit payable 12 months after signature of the agreement and one quarter of the balance in each subsequent year so that full payment is made over five years," reads part of the agreement. According to the agreement, the full amount of the global compensation figure may, however, be paid within 12 months of signature of the agreement if sufficient funds for the purpose are mobilized within this period. Mobilization of funding is expected to commence soon while a compensation committee would verify all claims before payment is made. The Zimbabwean government is expected to borrow by issuing a long-term debt instrument of 30-year maturity in international capital markets in compliance with the country's debt management strategy, according to the agreement. "Individual former farm owners may, at their own free will, elect not to accede to the Global Compensation Deed in which case they will not be bound by it," the agreement says. "As Zimbabweans, we have chosen to resolve this long-outstanding issue," said Andrew Pascoe, head of the CFU. Enditem Whistic, a Salt Lake City, UT-based proactive vendor security platform for both buyers and sellers, closed a $12m Series A funding. The round was led by Emergence with participation from Album VC and existing investors. Emergences Gordon Ritter and Carlotta Siniscalco will join the Whistic Board of Directors as a part of this funding round. The company intends to use the funds to scale operations and continue to hire top talent. Led by Nick Sorensen, CEO, Whistic is a provider of proactive vendor security for companies to publish and evaluate security posture to build trust. The Whistic Trust Catalog now contains over 14,000 company profiles that can be assessed on-demand, and notable customers include Airbnb, Okta, Betterment, Vonage, Qualtrics, and other world-leading brands within healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and education. As part of the growth, Whistic recently welcomed two new senior executives, Duane Newman, VP Product and Tom Rhoton, VP Marketing, who come to the company from tenured roles at Symantec. Newman was previously Sr. Director of Product Management and brings strong experience in building and guiding product strategy, and Rhoton was VP Global Digital Marketing and Marketing Operations where he led all direct marketing efforts. FinSMEs 30/07/2020 - S. Korea reports 18 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 14,269 - No additional coronavirus-related death, total now at 300 - 63 more released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 13,132 South Korea's new coronavirus cases dipped to more than a month low Thursday as imported cases dwindled from last week's record high over infections traced to the virus-hit Iraq and Russian sailors. The country added 18 cases, including 11 imported cases, raising the total caseload to 14,269, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The tally marked a sharp decline from 48 new virus cases reported Wednesday and 28 cases Tuesday. It also marked the lowest since June 22 when the number of new daily cases hit 17. The country's imported cases have recently surged as infections spiked among South Korean workers returning home from Iraq and Russian sailors. Imported cases, which hit a record 86 on Saturday, have risen by double-digit numbers for 35 straight days. Of the newly reported imported cases, four cases were from the Philippines, followed by Saudi Arabia with three and the United States with two. The total caseload of cases coming in from overseas reached 2,374. Infections traced to Russian ships docked in South Korean ports have become a new source of cluster infections here since last month, with the number of related cases hitting 91 so far. An additional 12 sailors aboard a ship docked in the southeastern port city of Busan tested positive for the virus Wednesday, raising the number of related infections to 44. In addition, one Russian sailor aboard a cargo ship docked in Incheon, west of Seoul, was also confirmed to have contracted the virus. Starting Monday, sailors aboard ships departing from Russia will be required to submit a certificate showing they have tested negative for COVID-19 as cluster infections tied to Russian ships have continued to swell. At least 121 South Korean workers returning from Iraq have been confirmed to have been infected with the virus. Of some 290 people who returned home Friday, 77 workers have tested positive for the virus. South Korea brought home hundreds of nationals from virus-hit Iraq twice in July and another 70 workers will come back home Friday. Meanwhile, the country reported seven local infections, with three cases in Seoul and four in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital. Health authorities are staying vigilant over another wave of virus outbreaks in the summer amid sustained rises in local infections and cases coming in from overseas. The country reported no additional deaths, with the death toll remaining at 230, according to the KCDC. The fatality rate reached 2.1 percent. The number of patients fully cured of the virus reached 13,132, up 63 from the previous day. South Korea has carried out 1,556,215 tests since Jan. 3. (Yonhap) The day after his exchanges, Monday, July 27, in Cairo, around the Libyan crisis, the head of the Saudi diplomacy went Tuesday to Algiers then Tunis before going to Rabat on Wednesday. The purpose of this surprise Saudi diplomatic tour in the Maghreb is not specified, but aims, according to several sources, to bring closer the views of Libyas neighboring countries on a solution to this crisis. From Algiers, to Tunis to Rabat, the speech of the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan was the same: he stressed, in coherence with his counterparts, the central role of Libyas neighboring countries in the peaceful settlement of the Libyan conflict, in the protection of these countries against terrorism and in the fight against foreign interference. According to several observers, Saudi Arabia, which is reactivating its foreign diplomacy after a long period of sleep, is attempting a rapprochement between Cairo and Algiers. The two countries are in cold blood because of differences over a way out of the Libyan crisis. Riyadh is indeed seeking to bring the positions of Libyas neighbors closer together. This working tour is organized to consult and exchange views on regional issues and especially on Libya. In the various statements that accompanied this Saudi tour, Tunis, Algiers, Cairo and Rabat all displayed a convergence of views with Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian visit to Rabat comes the day after the visit of two senior Libyan officials who exchanged views with the Moroccan authorities on the possibilities of a peaceful solution in a Libyan framework. According to press reports, a new political conference to amend the Skhirat agreement signed in 2015 is not excluded. As a reminder, Egyptian MPs lately approved a possible Egyptian armed intervention in Libya. Cairo sees the presence of the thousands of mercenaries transported by Turkey to Libya near its borders as a threat to its national security. Dantewada police claimed there is a threat from Maoists to a few public representatives and a journalist . Through our sources and interrogation of arrested and surrendered Maoists, there is credible intelligence regarding a threat to a few contractors and a media personnel of Kirandul area. Maoists are holding them responsible for supporting new private mining parties in the area, Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallava told HT. I have been informed by the senior police officials about the threat from the Maoists... I have always reported facts.. said the journalist who preferred not to be named. Also read: NIA arrests 3 in murder of Chhattisgarh MLA Bhima Mandavi Maoists have incurred severe casualties in the past few years in Kirandul area and many local boys and girls have been recruited from the region in the police. Therefore, Maoists are fast losing grip over the villagers in the area and as a result, there is growing frustration across all ranks of Maoists. Thus, senior Maoists are trying to find scapegoats, turning blame to them for their failures, the SP added. Meanwhile, Prabhat Singh, a journalist based in Dantewada district alleged that police launched a surveillance against him and his family for unknown reasons. For last one week, the police and surrendered Maoists of Barsoor police station are collecting information about my family from other family members and neighbours. The police are asking for the bank account number and information related to my seven-year-old daughters education, said Singh. Also read: Chhattisgarh registers 314 more Covid-19 cases, state tally mounts to 8,600 He further claimed that he has written a letter to the chief minister and provided all the details about his assets. I urge the chief minister to stop this surveillance because my family is in fear, said Singh. Reacting to the allegation, SP Dantewada said that Prabhats allegations are baseless. Neither Prabhat Singh nor his family members have been questioned by police officers. No discomfort has ever been caused to him. Barsoor is a hypersensitive Maoists affected area, police, therefore, keeps collecting sensitive information to strengthen human intelligence. Allegations of keeping Singh and his family members under surveillance is wrong and without substance, Pallava said. In 2016, four journalists Santosh Yadav, Somaru Nag, Prabhat Singh and Deepak Jaiswal were arrested on politically motivated charges by Bastar Police. Bus drivers employed by 16 bus companies went on strike yesterday over the governments failure to protect them against the coronavirus. More than a thousand bus drivers have been infected with the disease and hundreds are in quarantine, as the number of cases among Israels 9 million population has soared. The number of infections have risen to over 67,000, with more than 2,000 new cases every day, while deaths have risen to 490. The number of cases have risen to 11,209 in the occupied West Bank, 3,714 in East Jerusalem and 75 in Gaza, with 80 deaths, all but one in the West Bank/East Jerusalem. The overwhelming majority of these cases have occurred since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced April 19 his plans for a return to work and the reopening of schools to ensure the flow of profits to the financial and corporate elitewithout any measures to guard against or deal with a renewed upsurge. The surge is so dire that four hospitals, including Israels largest, have run out of capacity, with Jerusalems Hadassah hospital transferring patients to other hospitals and sending elderly and mild patients home. Despite this, and the likelihood of transmission on public transport as people are forced to return to work, the government has refused to hire extra buses and drivers to prevent overcrowding, claiming the additional annual cost of $440 million was unaffordable. While Israel has about 11,000 buses and 16,000 drivers, it would require three times the number of buses to maintain the same level of service with the recommended 20 passengers on each bus. Most buses have no partitions around the drivers seat, despite the governments repeated promises to install them. Drivers have called on the government to increase the number of ushers and security guards and to close the front doors of buses until barriers are installed, all to no avail. While the government has issued regulations stating that buses can travel at about 50 percent capacity, with no more than 30 passengers on city buses, 32 on intercity lines and 50 on elongated buses, and passengers must wear masks, this is not possible and is not effectively enforced. Although passengers are not allowed to pay with cash and must us a Rav-Kav transportation card or a bus app on their phones to reduce contact between drivers and passengers, the elderly and those living in the settlements are exempt. The bus companies had even fined their drivers for not accepting cash payments. On Monday, a labour court ruled against this, ordering the Superbus Company to cancel the fines already issued and end the practice. Transportation Minister Miri Regev, making it clear that the governments primary concern was the bus companies profits, said she was trying to devise a system for the elderly to travel free, with reimbursements to the bus companies, but in the meantime was working to ensure they paid with cash until negotiations are completed. Israeli bus drivers have every right to fear for their lives. In London, where transport workers were forced to stay on the job with little if any personal protective equipment or safety measures in place even as the deadly disease ripped through the city, 34 workers employed by London bus companies have died of COVID-19, including 29 drivers. The death rates from the virus for London bus drivers far exceeded death rates for London as a whole, for most weeks from early April to early May, according to a study by University College Londons Institute of Health Equity. In New York City, 131 transit workers (rail and bus) have died from the virus and more than 4,000 have tested positive, making the Metropolitan Transportation Authority one of the hardest-hit government agencies in New York. For decades, Israels public services have been starved of cash, leaving the Health Ministry reliant upon army reservists, called up on emergency orders without advance notice. A few weeks ago, as hospitals reopened coronavirus wards to accommodate the ever-increasing number of patients amid a severe shortage of medical workers, nurses went on nationwide strike over low pay and staff shortages, only carrying out emergency work. Around 837 nurses and hundreds of nurses aides were in quarantine. The nurses union ended the strike after the government agreed to hire an additional 2,000 nurses on a temporary basis, 400 doctors, and additional security personnel. and to establish a team to discuss long-term additions. It follows a similar strike last summer over poor working conditions, heavy caseloads, and low standards of care. Last week, the social workers union ended a 16-day strike of thousands who care for 1.5 million citizens living in poverty, victims of violence, at-risk children, the disabled and elderly people without family, in support of their demand for higher wages and a reduction in their burgeoning case load amid the pandemic. The union called the governments agreement to a paltry pay rise starting in July 2012, a one-off coronavirus payment, and measures to protect them from violence a great achievement. The situation is so bad with more than 1,000 vacancies remaining unfilled that the government has authorised work visas for care assistants from the Philippines and South Asia to fill the posts. It follows a government announcement that all social services are up for sale. Social workers have long complained of unreasonable workloads, low wages, and the constant danger of violence. Last year, 83 percent of social workers reported violence at work, 30 percent suffered physical violence and 30 percent experienced threats to their lives or their childrens lives. Social workers have protested outside Netanyahus official residence to highlight their case load. Both these strikes encompass Arab and Jewish Israelis. Last week, 100 of the 350 army reservists recruited to staff a COVID-19 call centre in the Ministry of Health walked off the job in frustration over a spike in the number of calls due to change in Health Ministry guidelines. This prompted a huge number of calls from people seeking to appeal orders to go into isolationwithout entitlement to sick paybased on cellphone tracking data from the Shin Bet security service that has proved notoriously unreliable. These strikes are part of a growing wave of anger at the governments response to the pandemic crisis and its economic fallout. There have been weekly demonstrations in Tel Aviv calling on Netanyahu to resign. Daily protests outside Netanyahus official residence in Jerusalem have been met with methods previously reserved for the Palestinians in the occupied territories, as the police have repeatedly fired tear gas and water cannon and arrested scores of demonstrators. This last week has seen Netanyahus far-right supporters violently attacking protesters, and vigilante thugs have roamed the streets during and after the protests. On Tuesday night, at a demonstration in Tel Aviv protesting in front of Public Security Minister Amir Ohanas home to protest police brutality, thugs carrying bats, broken bottles, and street signs went on the rampage, attacking the protesters. Since 1878, when it was founded by English settlers, he Australian Club, one of Melbournes most distinguished private members' clubs, has been a male-only bastion that has invited women in only as guests. But we can report some baby steps in the journey to equality. The club has poached Sue Blake, the executive credited with rescuing the Lyceum Club, to be its new general manager. And yes, shes a woman! By our reckoning, this would make her the first female general manager in the Australian Club's history. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: Blake declined to comment, but she was tasked with picking the all-women Lyceum club off the floor after the 2019 annus horribilis when the club faced up to the fact that former general manager Peter Stratton had fleeced it of almost $400,000. In December, Stratton was sentenced to a prison term of two years and nine months after using club money to fuel a weakness for cocaine and luxury furniture (including a $11,000 designer chair he took to his house). He was represented by barrister Philip Dunn, QC, who in court labelled some of the purchases which also included a $600 cushion, a $7300 coat stand and a $2900 tea trolley as ridiculous and said stress from his job at the club had prompted Stratton to offend. Antitrust panel quizzes heads of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple over their alleged moves to gain more market share. Google and Facebook took particularly sharp jabs for alleged abuse of their market power from Democrats and Republicans in a much-anticipated congressional hearing that put four of the most prominent tech CEOs in the United States in the hot seat. The chairman of the US House of Representatives antitrust panel holding the hearing on Wednesday said afterwards the four CEOs had acknowledged behaviour which had caused concern. What we heard from witnesses at the hearing confirmed the evidence that we have collected over the last year, Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat, told the Reuters news agency. Facebook Incs Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Incs Jeff Bezos, Google owner Alphabet Incs Sundar Pichai and Apple Incs Tim Cook whose companies have a combined market value of about $5 trillion parried a range of accusations that they crippled smaller rivals in their quest for market share. The hearing via video conference was the first time the four CEOs have appeared together before legislators. Though it was Bezoss first congressional testimony, he appeared the least fazed. Cook drew fewer barbed questions than Bezos and handled them well. Zuckerberg suffered the most damage, stumbling at times when confronted with internal emails. Pichai, CEO of both Alphabet and Google, took the most heat from conservatives on the panel and looked the worse for it, as he repeatedly told lawmakers he would be happy to look into various situations and get back to them. The Big Tech hearing triggered scorn from viewers over its own tech issues. Bezos escaped questioning for about an hour in what may have been a tech issue and was caught on screen reaching for what appeared to be a snack. Poor audio, flat-screen televisions switching off, and chief executives appearing together as thumbnails on a large screen led to mockery of the virtual set-up on Twitter. Legislators descended into shouting at each other at points, with a pandemic twist. One yelled: Put your mask on! Theft, copying, content moderation Democrat Cicilline set the tone for the hearing when he began by accusing Google of theft. Why does Google steal content from honest businesses? he asked. He alleged Google stole reviews from Yelp Inc and threatened to delist Yelp from search results if it objected. Pichai responded mildly that he would want to know the specifics of the accusation. We conduct ourselves to the highest standards, he added, disagreeing with the characterisation. Facebooks Zuckerberg took a series of questions about the companys purchase of Instagram in 2012 and whether it was acquired because it was a threat, as he dubbed it in an email obtained by the committee. Zuckerberg responded that Instagram at the time was a tiny photo-sharing app rather than a social media phenomenon. In one of the more notable exchanges, Democrat Representative Pramila Jayapal pushed Zuckerberg on whether Facebook had ever copied its competitors. Weve certainly adapted features that others have led in, he said. How many companies did Facebook end up copying? she asked. Is it less than five? Less than 50? Congresswoman, I dont know, Zuckerberg said. Jayapal pressed Bezos on whether Amazon used data from third-party sellers in making sales decisions. A company executive had previously denied the practice under oath and was contradicted by a news report. Bezos answered cautiously that the company had a policy against such actions. If we found that somebody violated it, we would take action against them, he said. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was pressed on whether Google would help former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, win in Novembers election [Graeme Jennings/Pool via Reuters] On the Republican side, Representative Jim Jordan accused the companies of hampering conservatives from reaching their supporters. Jordan pressed Pichai on whether Google would help former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, win in November. We support both campaigns. We approach our work in a nonpartisan fashion, Pichai responded. Representative Matt Gaetz asked Zuckerberg whether content moderators disadvantaged conservative content. He said they were trained to be neutral. Street fight Cook rejected the notion there is nothing to stop Apple from raising the commissions it charges in the App Store. I disagree strongly with that, he said. The competition for developers they can write their apps for Android or Windows or Xbox or PlayStation. We have fierce competition at the developer side and the customer side, which is essentially so competitive I would describe it as a street fight. Meanwhile, Arizona is leading a multi-state investigation into whether Apple Incs deliberate slowing of older iPhones violated deceptive trade practice laws, documents reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday showed. Apple came under fire in 2017 when Primate Labs, the maker of software for measuring a phones processor speeds, revealed that some iPhones became slower as they aged. In the continuing probe since at least October 2018, investigators have asked Apple for data about unexpected shut down s of iPhones and the companys throttling, or slowing down, of the devices through power management software, documents Reuters obtained from Texas through a public records request showed. Earlier this year, Apple agreed to pay up to $500m to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit related to the battery issues. A detailed report with antitrust allegations against the four tech platforms and recommendations on how to tame their market power could be released by late summer or early autumn by the committee, senior committee aides said. Boeing will build far fewer planes and end the production of its 747 jumbo jets after the pandemic hammered its finances. The American jet maker racked up a 1.9billion loss between April and June. And revenue fell by 25 per cent to 9billion, far lower than the 10.5billion that Wall Street analysts had been expecting. Grounded: The American jet maker racked up a 1.9billion loss between April and June The outbreak has laid waste to air travel, grounding flights across the world and forcing airlines to lay off workers, with passenger numbers not expected to return to 2019 levels until at least 2024. During the second quarter Boeing booked a 360m charge from the cost of laying off 10 per cent of its 160,000 employees. More job cuts are likely, chief executive Dave Calhoun has told staff. It had been in trouble before the pandemic, with its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, grounded for 16 months following two deadly crashes. The ensuing crisis has cost it around 15billion. It has pushed back its timetable for delivering 31 of the 737s per month from 2021 to 2022. And it will make fewer 787 Dreamliner jets a month next year. Boeing will also delay delivering its new 777X aircraft to customers and will phase out the iconic 747 jumbo jets in 2022. Its shares dropped by 3.7 per cent in New York last night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 03:23:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close AMMAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Wednesday stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve a political solution to Libya crisis. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made the remarks at a meeting with the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqila Saleh. Safadi said the political solution should be reached through inter-Libyan dialogue that halts the deterioration of the situation, protects Libyan people and safeguards the sovereignty and unity of Libya. Saleh lauded Jordan's support to Libya, expressing appreciation for the country's efforts towards reaching a political solution to end the Libyan crisis, serving Arab interests and achieving security and stability. Enditem Islamabad, July 30 : India's acquisition of five of the 36 medium multi-role Rafale fighter jets built by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault, which arrived at the IAF airbase in Ambala near New Delhi on Wednesday to upgrade its air force, has irked Islamabad. In a weekly press briefing, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui termed the Indian Air Force's (IAF) acquisition of Rafale jets as New Delhi's "disproportionate arms build-up". "The world community must dissuade India from its disproportionate arms build-up, which could also lead to an arms race in South Asia," said Farooqui. Expressing serious concerns over the Rafale acquisition by India, Farooqui raised the concern over New Delhi's "continued intentions to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal". "It is well known that India continues to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal both in terms of type and number of delivery systems. India has nuclearised the Indian Ocean and continues to increase the readiness of its arsenal through measures such as canisterisation of missile systems," Farooqui said. "It is disturbing to note that India continues to amass military capabilities beyond its genuine security requirement. According to credible and reputable international research institutes, India is now the second-largest arms importer in the world," added Farooqui. India's up-gradation of arms has certainly spread uneasiness in Pakistan amid a surge in deadly exchanges of gunfire and confrontation along the troubled Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan has been urging the international community to take notice of what it calls "India's massive arms buildup" along with its "offensive security doctrine and force posture", which Islamabad says is adversely affecting the strategic stability of South Asia. "The arms buildup is being aided and abetted through a policy of exemptions, waivers and supply of advanced equipment, technology and weapons for narrow commercial interests. Such arms transfers also violate the objectives of various export control regimes on preventing destabilising accumulation of arms in various regions, including where outstanding conflicts and disputes exist," said Farooqui. "Transfer of advanced systems, where there is an open intention of conversion into nuclear delivery platforms, calls into question the commitment of international suppliers to non-proliferation commitments," she added. While Islamabad's position on India's acquisition of Rafale combat aircraft is filled with concerns and reservations, Pakistan has reiterated that it remains opposed to any arms race in the region, saying it cannot remain oblivious to such developments. "Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to these developments and remains confident of its ability to thwart any ill-considered act of aggression," said Farooqui. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 29, 2020 | CALLOWAY COUNTY By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 29, 2020 | 11:08 PM | CALLOWAY COUNTY Kentucky State Police arrested a woman Wednesday morning after she interrupted a traffic stop near Murray. At approximately 9:00 am, a KSP Trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of US 641 and KY 80. While conducting a vehicle search, a second vehicle arrived, parking directly in front of the stopped vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle, identified as 31-year-old Brittany P. Williams, of Almo, approached the Trooper to make sure the occupants of the other vehicle were okay. Williams, who is a stranger to the occupants of the original vehicle, was advised to leave the scene, but refused. She reportedly took an aggressive manner with the Trooper and continued to interfere with the original traffic stop by filming with her mobile phone in close proximity to the Trooper and the other occupants. As the Trooper attempted to detain Williams, she became combative. She was taken into custody and placed in the Trooper's cruiser. The Trooper observed a jar of suspected marijuana in Williams' vehicle within reach of two juvenile children. While detained in the back of the cruiser, Williams attempted to escape by successfully removing her hand from the handcuffs. She was taken to the Calloway County Jail and charged with 3rd degree assault of a police officer, obstructing governmental operations, menacing, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, operating a vehicle with expired operators license, and 2nd degree attempted escape. The two juveniles in Williams' vehicle were released to a family member. A total of 163 new .ie domains were registered in Leitrim in the first half of 2020 (1 January30 June), a 61% year-on-year surge, according to new figures released today by IE Domain Registry in its latest .ie Domain Profile Report. There were 2,872 new .ie domain registrations in Connacht (up 32% year-on-year) and 33,286 across the island of Ireland, a 26% year-on-year increase. Over 40% of all new registrations in Ireland occurred in the two months of May and June, as businesses reacted to the consequences of the Government's first closure orders. IE Domain Registry, which manages and administers Ireland's country domain name, .ie, said the increase suggests that more companies, self-employed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown to maintain their revenue streams, stay in contact with customers, and expand into new markets. Commenting, David Curtin, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, said: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a noticeable effect on new .ie registrations in Leitrim and the island of Ireland. This significant digital expansion suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs, whether theyre in urban or rural areas, understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent. Having an online presence means that these businesses can stay in contact with their customers, build on their relationships, and, most important of all, continue to sell to them through an online store, click-and-collect service, or voucher booking system. Irish SMEs ability to cater to consumer choice and comfort, by providing both an online experience and an in-store shopping experience, will be key to Leitrim and the country's economic recovery in 2020 and beyond. BRUSSELS, July 29 (Reuters) - The European Union is set to exclude Algeria from its safe list of countries from which the bloc allows non-essential travel after a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday. The list of countries will fall to 11, assuming the provisional decision is confirmed in writing by EU members, two EU diplomats familiar with the discussions said. The deadline for submissions was likely to be Thursday afternoon. The safe countries deemed to have COVID-19 largely under control are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Tunisia and Uruguay. China has also been provisionally approved, although travel would only open up if Chinese authorities also allowed in EU visitors. A Reuters tally of government and World Health Organization data showed the total of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Africa has exceeded 750,000, with Algeria among the worst affected countries on the continent. The EU list is unlikely to be revised again during August, when EU institutions typically take a break, although countries might be removed if there is a sharp increase of coronavirus infections. The list serves as a guideline rather than a rule for the EU's 27 members and is aimed at supporting the EU travel industry and tourist destinations, particularly countries in southern Europe hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea is that no EU country would open up to countries not on the list. However, Italy and Belgium, for example, have held off opening up to any. Most of the countries on the safe list also either ban almost all foreign visitors or require them to quarantine for 14 days. Meanwhile, many restrictions remain for travel within Europe and the passport-free Schengen area, which includes non-EU countries, such as Norway and Switzerland. Britain, which is also considered part of Europe for travel purposes, suddenly announced on Saturday that it was enforcing a quarantine for people coming from Spain. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Barbara Lewis) Rescued migrants are seen on an Armed Forces of Malta's vessel after arriving in Senglea, in Valletta's Grand Harbor, Malta, on July 27, 2020. (Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters) 94 Migrants Rescued Off Malta, 65 Tested Positive for CCP Virus Over two-thirds of a group of 94 migrants who were rescued at sea then taken to Malta and isolated on Monday have tested positive for the CCP virus, according to Maltas Ministry of Health. As per usual procedure, migrants arriving by boat are immediately quarantined for 14 days and tested, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The migrants who are positive will continue to be isolated at the al Far Initial Reception Centre and the rest will remain in quarantine and followed up. Rescued migrants are being checked by a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) worker upon their arrival in Senglea, in Vallettas Grand Harbor, Malta, on July 27, 2020. (Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo) The migrants had issued a distress signal from their packed dinghy as it crossed the Mediterranean Sea headed for Europe on Sunday, but it took more than 30 hours for rescuers aboard an Armed Forces of Malta vessel to reach them. At the peak of the pandemic, Malta closed its ports to all traffic including vessels carrying rescued migrants, some of whom were held on tourist boats until on-board unrest triggered them being admitted by the country. This single cluster of positive migrant cases is the largest cluster detected in Malta since the first case of COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, was detected on the Mediterranean island on March 7. The next largest Maltese cluster is one of 18 cases that were all linked to a party they attended. Eighty-five of the 94 migrants had been tested so far, the Maltese health ministry said. Nine of the 94 rescued migrants were still awaiting an examination, the ministry said, but swab tests for them were due to be issued on Tuesday night. They gave no further information about the migrants condition. No details of the nationalities of the migrants were given; however, the dinghy they were rescued from is believed to have set sail from Libya. Infection Concerns Non-governmental organizations, such as Sea Watch, who conduct civil search and rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean, have recently accused both Malta and the islands close neighbor, Italy, of deliberately slowing down rescue missions in an effort to dissuade people from putting to sea. Italy, among the worst-hit countries by the CCP virus, has recorded over 246,000 confirmed cases and 35,000 deaths. Malta has recorded 720 cases and 9 deaths. This group arrived in Malta together and were in contact with very few other people before they were tested, the health ministry said, playing down the likelihood of locals getting infected. The discovery that so many of the group have the CCP virus, however, is likely to exacerbate concerns in both Malta and Italy that the new arrival of infected cases will undermine local efforts to eliminate the disease. Reuters contributed to this report Federal officers arrest a woman wearing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., in the early hours of July 30, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) Trump Administration, Oregon Timelines Conflict as State Prepares to Intervene in Portland Oregon state police prepared on Thursday to start helping quell violence in Portland even as timelines for federal force withdrawal by state and Trump administration officials differed. President Donald Trumps administration surged assets to Oregons largest city in early July after rioters started damaging the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, a federal building. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, agreed this week to send state troopers to Portland to help respond to rioting, but her claims that federal officers and agents are going to leave immediately thereafter conflict with top federal officials. Accusing Brown of not doing her job, Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday that federal forces wouldnt be leaving until there is safety! Brown, in return, criticized federal officials for political grandstanding. The Presidents plan to dominate the streets of American cities has failed. And today, federal troops are preparing to leave downtown Portland. We will protect free speech and the right to protest peacefully, she said in a social media statement. Brown said she spoke with Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials and said they agreed to withdraw officers starting on Thursday. But thats not what the officials are saying. Rioters light a fire at the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 27, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Federal police clean in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland as the city experiences another night of unrest, in Portland, Ore., on July 28, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) DHS and law enforcement presence will remain in Portland until we can be assured that the plan put in place by the governor and the Oregon State Police is working, is effective, and they can continue to do it night after night, acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf said during an appearance on Fox New Ingraham Angle late Wednesday. Devin OMalley, a Pence spokesman, said the vice president made it clear that law and order must be restored in Portland before federal officers are withdrawn. Officials have declined to say how many officers were sent to bolster the federal presence. A much smaller presence is typically at the courthouse, including 40 U.S. Marshals, director Don Washington said on Fox earlier this week. The state troopers slated to face off with demonstrators on Thursday will merely do what Portland police officers have failed to do, Ken Cuccinelli, acting DHS deputy secretary, said on Newsmax after the agreement was reached. And thats basic policing, he said. The level of violence has been dropping all week and hes optimistic the federal and state partnership will encourage a continued decline, he said in a separate statement. Portland Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, earlier this month ordered federal officers to leave the police command center and Portlands City Council recently voted to bar local police officers from cooperating with federal officers. City and state leaders described federal forces as occupying troops and blame the violence on the surge of officers. Wheeler told reporters earlier this month that a mix of implementing what demonstrators have asked for, such as slashing the police bureaus budget, and de-escalation tactics, or having police officers not engage with demonstrators, even in some cases when crimes are being committed, were working. Demonstrators confront law enforcement outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 29, 2020. (Alisha Jucevic/AFP via Getty Images) Green lines cast by rioters laser pointers cross the darkened lobby of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse as federal officers wait, in Portland, Ore., on July 24, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) What we saw was the numbers were dwindling, the energy in the crowd was decreasing and people were moving elsewhere to do other things. Then the feds came in, he said. Local police have been drawn into the new plan. At the request of state troopers, officers helped clear Lownsdale Park and Chapman Square on Thursday and made at least one arrest. The areas are about a block from the federal courthouse. Demonstrators tried setting up a so-called autonomous zone in Lownsdale but it was broken up and the park was subsequently fenced off. During riots, people uprooted the fencing and carried it to the courthouse, where they used it to barricade exits as others set fires and smashed windows. The violence led to federal officials setting up a strong fence around the courthouse, which has stood except for one night when a portion was toppled. Clearing the park and square will help lead to federal officers leaving Portland, according to Wheeler. The agreement followed a hearing in Washington on Tuesday, where Attorney General William Barr said violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests in the wake of George Floyds Memorial Day death. The current situation in Portland is a telling example. Every night for the past two months, a mob of hundreds of rioters has laid siege to the federal courthouse and other nearby federal property. The rioters arrive equipped for a fight, armed with powerful slingshots, tasers, sledgehammers, saws, knives, rifles, and explosive devices, he said. Whats happening cannot be described as a protest, he said, describing it as an assault on the government of the United States. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) disputed the characterization, accusing the Trump administration of marching in and confronting protesters. The protesters are not mobs, they are mothers, veterans, mayors. Real leadership would entail de-escalation, collaboration, and looking for ways to peaceably resolve our differences. Instead, you used pepper spray on American citizens. You did it in Washington. You did it at Lafayette square. You expanded it to Portland, he said. Peering out at the ramp and runways from terminal windows at San Francisco International Airport last year, it looked like a tropical rainforest of brightly colored birds from all over the world. Then COVID-19 hit, and that far-flung flock shrank dramatically. At the lowest point last spring, only three international airlines operated passenger flights from SFO: EVA Air flew to Taipei, Korean Air flew to Seoul, and United maintained daily flights to Sydney and Tokyo. All the other birds had flown the coop. But that's started to change as the pandemic has waned in other parts of the world while it still rages here. Some of those beautiful birds are flying back to SFO, but most operate with limited schedules of just a few days per week. Many are still missing - the flock is so small in fact, that SFO has closed half its international terminal, with all flights now operating out of the G side (United, Star Alliance), while the A side remains shut. Keep in mind that even though airlines are flying from the U.S., it does not necessarily mean that Americans can fly to the countries they serve due to coronavirus-related quarantines, bans and other prohibitions. Always check with the airline and embassy websites to determine if you are allowed in... or once you've been abroad, if you are allowed to fly back to the US. Most of these flights carry a small number of travelers, and a lot of freight. (More on how airlines make money on cargo here.) Below you'll see a visual rundown of those airlines that have migrated back to SFO, but first, here's a list of those that have yet to journey back. We hope to see them soon! Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air China, Air India, Avianca, China Eastern, China Southern, Copa (Panama), El Al (Israel), Emirates, Fiji Airways, Finnair, French Bee (Paris, Tahiti), Iberia, Level (Barcelona), Norwegian, Qantas, Singapore, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet (Canada) International carriers serving SFO as of this month: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:34:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Julia Pierrepont III LOS ANGELES, July 29 (Xinhua) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague the globe, experts from the United States and China emphasized at an online seminar Tuesday that cooperation is the silver bullet for battling the global pandemic. During the seminar, co-hosted by the University of Southern California (USC) and the U.S. Heartland China Association, a panel of medical experts and academics discussed the role of public health systems and approaches to more effective public health information, among other issues. COOPERATION All the panelists stressed the need for widespread cooperation between scientists and officials in the United States, China and around the world. As an excellent example of international cooperation, they applauded how China shared access to the novel coronavirus' genetic code so the whole world could work collectively toward finding a vaccine. One panelist remarked, "We have reached clinical trials on vaccines in just six months, which, under normal circumstances, could take years." The panelists also concurred that the World Health Organization was essential to serving its members as a global health coordinator, for setting norms and standards, and for bringing scientists together to collaborate in times of need. However, Clayton Dube, director of the USC U.S.-China Institute, suggested there is more work to be done. "Better communication between countries, scientists and disciplines is still needed." Bruce Lee, professor of health policy and management at the City University of New York, said, "We focus too much on the differences between countries. We need to work together because there is no difference to the virus' impact around the world." "When we are talking about health, we are all one people," concluded Vivian Lin, executive associate dean and professor of public health practices with the LKS faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. REGULATION "Throughout history, governments derive legitimacy from looking after the health and safety of their people," said Lin. Lin asserted that governments must have the best, most accurate data available to support their decisions, as well as effective regulation and constant reform. "Not just to protect people individually but to produce a more productive workforce," she noted. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that China has made huge investments in the public health sector since the SARS outbreak in 2003. "We have invested in our public health and medical systems so we could respond rapidly to new outbreaks. Because new outbreaks aren't a matter of 'if,'" he warned, "but 'when.'" COMMUNICATION More than one panelist stressed that getting across the vital importance of COVID-19 testing as well as translating complex medical processes and terms into language that the public can understand were crucial to managing this public health crisis. "This isn't just about science; it's about the public response to scientific information," a panelist from the pharmaceutical sector noted. "Keeping communication open is by far the most important way to maintain public trust and prevent the rapid spread of unsubstantiated rumors," advised Wu. "If you don't share information with the public, they worry." Lin suggested an effective way to improve public awareness and understanding of health issues. "We need to integrate the science into our movies, our schools, etc., so the public becomes more fluent in science. We need to address this knowledge deficit before a pandemic hits." "How and when you communicate is as important as what you communicate," said Dube, who moderated the online seminar. Enditem Foreign tourists visit Trang An tourism complex in northern Ninh Binh province (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Vietnam welcomed 3.8 million foreign tourists in the first seven months of 2020, a year-on-year decline of 61.6 percent, the General Statistics Office announced on July 29. Asian visitors accounted for the lions share, 73 percent, down 63.9 percent year-on-year. Arrivals from most major markets, including China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, declined substantially in January-July, with only those from Cambodia rising, by 88.9 percent. Tourists from Europe fell 48.7 percent year-on-year. In July alone, 139,000 foreigners arrived in Vietnam, mainly by road, a month-on-month increase of 8.7 percent but down 98.9 percent against the same period last year, as the country has yet to open its doors to international tourists. Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that following a domestic tourism stimulus plan, many localities recorded month-on-month surges in June of at least 1.5-fold in domestic holidaymaker numbers. They included Sa Pa in Lao Cai province and also Quang Ninh province in the north, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces in the central region, and Phu Quoc Island, off the coast of the Mekong Deltas Kien Giang province. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:33:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China has called on all countries to safeguard fair, just, open and non-discriminatory business environment, and firmly resist discrimination in global science and technology cooperation just as they push back against racial discrimination. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks Thursday in response to a media report that the U.S. ambassador to Brazil warned of "consequences" if Brazil chooses Chinese tech giant Huawei to develop its 5G network. Wang told a news briefing that recently some U.S. politicians such as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have repeatedly pressured other countries to exclude Huawei. "The accusations made by some U.S. politicians like Pompeo about Chinese enterprises are totally groundless." Washington accused Huawei of threatening U.S. national security. But as it turns out, over the past 30 years, Huawei has built more than 1,500 networks in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. There has not been a single cyber security incident similar to the Snowden and WikiLeaks incidents, nor has there been a single network monitoring and surveillance activity similar to the "Prism gate" incident. No country has any evidence that Huawei inserts "backdoors," Wang said. Wang said the United States also claims it will safeguard democracy and freedom, but the likes of Pompeo have repeatedly put pressure on other countries, pointed fingers at other nations' 5G network construction, and openly coerced countries to obey the will of the United States. "This is a naked hegemonic act." The United States keeps calling for fairness and reciprocity. Yet when other countries' enterprises gain advantages, some U.S. politicians would fabricate excuses and use national means to suppress them, even at the risk of violating market economy and fairness principles the U.S. has always advocated, harming international trade rules and even the interests of American enterprises and consumers, Wang said. "The reason why the United States has suppressed some Chinese enterprises in every possible way is not because of national security, nor for the sake of democracy, freedom, fairness and reciprocity. The real reason is that these enterprises are Chinese enterprises and are industry leaders," Wang said. Enditem Telugu filmmakers have been hiring musicians from Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada film industries to belt out chartbusters, despite them being expensive. While some of them have been chosen for providing refreshing tunes and background score, others have been taken in so that they can bring out soothing folk numbers to music lovers. Leading producer Ravi Shankar Yelamanchali of Mythri Movie Makers is one such filmmaker who didnt mind paying a fancy pay cheque to Tamil composer Anirudh Ravichandar, a distant relative of superstar Rajinikanth. Anirudh is one of the most happening composers in Kollywood, and we paid him what he rightly deserves because he is a true professional. He gave our movie Gang Leader a new fillip with his fabulous and innovative musical score. Particularly, his promotional video song for the film has been a chartbuster. Also, our director Vikram Kumar felt Anirudh would be apt for this niche movie and he was perfectly right, Ravi Shankar adds. Incidentally, Anirudh has informed the producer that he has used a part of the promotional video song for his movie with Tamil star Vijay. Anirudh is merely one among the many non-Tollywoodians now creating tunes for Tollywood. Other composers from the neighbouring states, who have made their mark creating chartbuster music for Telugu films in the last few years, include Justin Prabhakar (for Dear Comrade), Jakes Bejoy (for Taxiwala), Hip Hop Tamizha (for Krishnarjuna Yuddham) and Chirrantan Bhat (for Kanche and Gautamiputra Satakarni). The National-Award winning Malayalam film composer Gopi Sundar, another non-Tollywood composer listed among the most-sought-after composers in the Telugu industry, has also been making waves with his chartbusters for films such as Geeta Govindam, Ninnu Kori and Majili. However, Gopi Sundar is glad and thankful not only because his kind of music has been accepted by producers and directors but Telugu music lovers are giving him some space in Telugu films. I am elated because other than a few requests for a certain type of music for some of their songs, Telugu directors have never asked me to change my style of compositions. That has been quite heart-warming for me. So while I love creating melodies here and watching it being lapped up by the masses and classes alike, I am also enjoying being allowed to explore other kinds of music. The directors here give me enough freedom. And I am using my vast experience in scoring music for varied genres in Malayalam to create melodies for Telugu too, says Gopi, who tells us he is studying Telugu now and is hoping for more exciting projects where he can continue to retain his distinct identity. Producer Ravi Shankar also agrees that young Malayalam composers come up with refreshing tunes that connect with new-age music lovers. We introduced Justin Prabkahar with our movie Dear Comrade starring Vijay Devarakonda. Justin did a fabulous job with some innovative tunes and has enough potential, he points out. Replacing Tollywood slackers All said and done, Ravi Shankar also assures us that despite working with composers from other states, leading production house Mythri Movie Makers will continue working with A-lister Telugu composers. Thaman, Devi Sri Prasad and M. M. Keeravani have all given us numerous chartbusters, and our journey will continue, Ravi Shankar adds. However, producer C. Kalyan, who roped in Kannada composer Chirrantan Bhat for his films such as Jai Simha and Ruler, tells us that it will be difficult for him to work with a few Telugu composers in the future. A few of them have become money-minded and want to talk about remuneration first, and only then about the story, explains Kalyan. And that is quite unlike the talented Chirrant Bhat, who is less interested in money and more interested about the content through which to showcase his skills. From what I have noticed, composers from other languages are passionate about their work and are even ready to work round-the-clock, if need be, until they deliver mellifluous numbers. I think they will rule the roost now as Telugu composers have become slightly lethargic. However, despite what seems like a trend given that five to six talents from the neighbouring states are holding sway, young Telugu composer Vivek Sagar, who proved his mettle in movies such as Falaknama Das and Ee Nagaraniki Yemaindi, remains undeterred. I think competition exists only in the minds of people, not in the industry. Music is such a vast industry and everyone is entitled to try their luck, he says confidently. I do distinct movies that suit my sensibilities and only work with people who like my style of film scores. I dont create demos to invite producers; rather, I wait for people to approach me on the strength of my work. These days, an 18- or 20-year-old can compose music in his room and upload it, so worrying about competition is just a waste of time. Its better to focus on giving our best every time. Excelerate Energy WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has extended U.S. LNG exports until 2050 after a fiery speech in Midland in which he claimed Democratic candidate Joe Biden would mean the end of the Texas oil and gas industry. Typically LNG export licenses to countries with which the United States does not have free-trade agreements are issued for no more than 20 years. But Trump says he wants to "ensure we maintain (the United States') dominant position long into the future." India showed will and capability to stand up to China in the recent border conflict, said Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia, US National Security Council. The rest of the Indo-Pacific countries are watching this carefully and have been encouraged by Indias resolve. Curtis said this during a Brookings Institution webinar on Wednesday assessing Chinas growing regional influence. India, she noted, had played the economic card by banning Chinese apps and putting a hold on Chinese investments. Thankfully, she said, we are beginning to see disengagement of forces and hoped it continues. But the pressure that China put on India on the Line of Actual Control will have a long-term impact on how India views China and will change the dynamics between the two. An experienced South Asia hand who has served the US government in both India and Pakistan, Curtis said, Few countries are more familiar with Chinas malign influence than India. Chinas recent aggressive stance [in Ladakh] fits with the larger pattern of Chinese aggressiveness in other parts of the world. Strengthening the US-India defence and security relationship has been a major element of Washingtons response and seeks to make India a net security provider. The relationship is more than just defence, she said, and cited the highlights of US President Donald Trumps state visit to India in areas like economics and the present scientific collaboration in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Twenty-five years ago China did not take India seriously, she said. India was seen as inward-looking and lagging in its economic indicators. Fifteen years ago, as Indias growth and military capabilities began taking off, there was a line of thinking that India and China would work together and usher in a new Asian century. From about 2010 or so differences over the long standing border dispute reemerged and each side became uncomfortable with the rise of the other. Chinas influence in Indias neighbourhood, such as in Sri Lanka and Nepal, moved from economic to more and more interference in domestic politics. Curtis said Chinas influence in South Asia had grown significantly over the past 20 years. And Beijings actions were causing blowback. The Maldivian people had pushed back attempts by former president, Mohammed Yameen, to make his country dependent on Chinese debt by voting him out of office. Yameen had awarded construction contracts to Chinese companies at inflated prices and without transparent bidding, leaving the Maldivian people with enormous debt. While the US had provided counterterrorism help to Sri Lanka after the 2019 Easter terrorist bombings, Beijing had tried to obstruct Sri Lankas investigations and spread disinformation about US assistance. Bangladesh was carefully balancing between China and the rest, but praised their acceptance of one million Rohingya refugees. Nepal and Bhutan were examples of China disregarding the sovereignty of its neighbours. Chinese official media in May had claiming the the entirety of Mount Everest for China and, more recently, Beijing claiming a natural park in eastern Bhutan. After discussing US attempts to roll back Chinese influence in Central Asia, Curtis mentioned Pakistan at the end of her written comments. Nowhere in South and Central Asia has Chinese influence been more invasive than in Pakistan. The $ 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor was neither aid nor an equity investment of the kind that had propelled Chinas own growth. CPEC is being financed through sovereign debt which means the risks are borne by the Pakistani people and the benefits accrue to China. However, she cited Beijing and Washingtons common support for an end to violence in Afghanistan as evidence the two countries could work together and stressed the US had deep and abiding respect for the Chinese people. India had been a sceptic of Chinas Belt Road Initiative from the beginning and proven very prescient and its scepticism was bearing out. Countries in the region recovering from the pandemic should turn to international financial institutions to help their recovery or new US agencies like the Development Finance Corporation. It was disappointing that Muslim majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh were not speaking out about Chinas mass imprisonment of its Muslim Uighur and Kazakh minorities. The goal of US engagement in South and Central Asia, she said, was to allow them to maintain their sovereignty and be able to make choices in economic and other spheres. Early in his presidency, she said, Trump had asked the NSC staff to reevaluate the assumptions behind the USs China policy. She said, one assumption that was discarded was that greater engagement with China would lead to greater liberalisation. It was also concluded that China was exporting its coercive model to other parts of the world. The US reappraised its policy towards China and decided a more competitive relationship would test the resilience of US allies and partners and help resist Chinese actions that undermined US interests. The US is more willing to risk in its relations with China, Curtis said. A man was arrested on multiple drug charges Wednesday night after leading Bayonne police on a chase that ended near the mans Jersey City home, authorities said. Police saw a Dodge Durango double-parked at 53rd Street and Avenue B, and a check of the vehicle found that the owner, Rashaad A. Smith, had a suspended drivers license, Bayonne Capt. Eric Amato said. When Smith returned to the SUV, police saw him attempting to hide something in his waistband, Amato said. Smith got into the SUV and sped away. When police tried to stop him at 58th Street and Kennedy Boulevard, Smith took off, running numerous red lights. Bayonne police continued to follow Smith into Jersey City, where the 29-year-old tossed drugs out the driver side window, Amato said. Smith crashed into a vehicle stopped at the red light at Neptune Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, and continued on. As the pursuit continued onto Linden Avenue, officers again saw Smith throwing a large plastic bag out of the driver side window, Amato said. When the pursuit became dangerous, Bayonne terminated the chase. They then saw Smith jump out of the moving SUV and flee on foot toward Brown Place as the SUV struck an unoccupied, parked BMW on Brown Place. As police were chasing him near his home, Smith tossed a plastic bag over the fence in an alleyway, Amato said. Officers caught up to Smith and arrested him at 7:13 p.m. before he entered the residence. The bag in the alleyway contained $5,822 in cash, believed to be drug sales proceeds. Also, officers retracing the pursuit recovered a bag Smith discarded on Linden Street that contained 64 grams of marijuana, Amato said. Police processing Smith found that the drivers license he provided as identification is counterfeit. Smith was charged with false government documents, evidence tampering, obstructing a governmental function, resisting arrest, eluding, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school. Former president Barack Obama delivered a call to action in his eulogy Thursday of late congressman John Lewis, urging Congress to pass new voting rights laws and likening tactics by President Donald Trump and his administration to those used by racist Southern leaders who fought the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Obama, speaking for 40 minutes at the pulpit where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, tied Lewis's early life as a Freedom Rider to the nationwide protests that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. He compared today's federal agents using tear gas against peaceful protesters, an action that Trump has cheered on, to the same attacks Lewis faced on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965. "Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans," the nation's first Black president said at Lewis's final memorial service. "George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting." Obama was one of three former presidents - along with George W. Bush and Bill Clinton - to honor the late congressman at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. A fourth, 95-year-old Jimmy Carter, too frail to travel, sent a tribute note read from the podium. The service came hours after Trump, the only living president not to participate in any Lewis tribute, suggested that the November elections should be delayed because he did not trust the efficacy of mail-in voting, which millions of voters have embraced as a safe way to cast ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic. Speakers seized on those remarks to call for voters to stand up against Trump administration efforts to thwart mail ballots, prompting Clinton to paraphrase a prior tribute from a Lewis friend. "Keep moving to the ballot box, even if it's a mailbox," Clinton said. Bush, speaking before Clinton and Obama, praised Lewis's life story of rising from "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, where he was beaten by state troopers in protesting for voting rights, to the halls of Congress. Without mentioning Trump by name, Bush praised his ability to maintain a good relationship with Lewis despite many deep political differences. "In the America John Lewis fought for, and the America I believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable and evidence of democracy in action. We the people, including congressmen and presidents, can have differing views on how to protect our union, while sharing the conviction that our nation, however flawed, is at heart a good and noble one," Bush said, eliciting applause. Lewis, D-Ga., who served more than three decades in Congress, died July 17 at the age of 80. He had pancreatic cancer. The service, completing a nearly week-long series of tributes from Alabama to Washington, served as an echo to the funeral of the late senator John McCain, R-Ariz., after his death in August 2018, when a clutch of traditional conservatives implored today's Republicans to reclaim their party from Trump's "America First" vision. But at that service, as Bush and Obama spoke at Washington's Washington National Cathedral, Obama held back from forcefully criticizing the current president. He did not hold back Thursday. Obama connected Trump to Wallace - the former Alabama governor who led the segregation movement - without ever saying the current president's name. Obama accused the current administration of "even undermining the Postal Service" as an effort to block more voters from participating in democracy. Without naming his former vice president, Obama signaled that should voters elect Joe Biden and give Democrats the Senate majority, they should abolish the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate to advance voting rights. "A Jim Crow relic," the former president said. Obama delivered the eulogy at a service marked by speeches, songs, prayers and the tolling of a bell. Speaker after speaker pleaded for Americans to carry on Lewis's legacy by voting in November. Standing before Lewis's flag-draped casket, Obama told the story of Lewis's courage on his first "freedom" ride on a bus, an unofficial test taken with a Black friend to set the stage for the broader Freedom Ride protests on segregated buses in the South. "Imagine the courage of two people Malia's age, younger than my oldest daughter, on their own," the former president said. "John was only 20 years old. But he pushed all 20 of those years to the center of the table, betting everything - all of it - that his example could challenge centuries of convention and generations of brutal violence." Obama noted that the journey to fulfill Lewis's dream of a better nation might be decades away, but its foundation has been built by the late congressman. "John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America," Obama said. In his remarks, Clinton knocked Trump's recent assertions that he might not accept the November results if he loses, retelling the story of how Lewis accepted defeat to a more aggressive activist, Stokely Carmichael, to lead the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the late 1960s. "We are here today because he had the kind of character he showed when he lost an election," Clinton said, applause ensuing. Clinton noted that Lewis got in one last posthumous word through an essay published Thursday - "marching orders," he said - that discussed Lewis's last public appearance, at the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington in June. The New York Times, which printed the essay, said that it was written shortly before Lewis's death and that he wanted it to be published on the day of his funeral. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, the officiant, started the service by noting that amid "much political cynicism and narcissism . . . here lies a true American patriot." Warnock, the senior pastor of the church once headed by King, is the leading Democratic candidate for a November special election for one of Georgia's Senate seats, a potential pickup that could tip the majority away from Trump's Republicans. In the days since Lewis's death, there have been renewed calls for Congress to act on voting rights and name the legislation in Lewis's honor. In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a crucial component of the landmark 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. Members of Congress, family members and the many speakers attending the hours-long service wore masks and sat at a distance in the pews, precautions dictated by the pandemic. Obama recounted his final conversation with Lewis, which came two days before the congressman's appearance at BLM Plaza in Washington. They had just finished a video town hall with young activists and, over their connection, Lewis told Obama how inspired he was by this new crop of activists. "John, those are your children," Obama recalled telling him. In his essay, Lewis noted that he was admitted to the hospital the day after visiting the plaza. But, he said, "I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on." Lewis recounted his work and struggles in the early days of the civil rights movement and urged others to continue the fight to "redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble." "When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war," he wrote. "So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide." Two Catalan politicians sue the former head of Spains intelligence agency and an Israeli technology firm over spyware Two Catalan separatist politicians have filed a lawsuit against the former head of Spains intelligence agency and an Israeli technology company for allegedly trying to hack their mobile phones. Roger Torrent, the speaker of Catalonias regional parliament, and Ernest Maragall, a member of Barcelonas town council, filed the suit on Thursday at a Barcelona court against former spy chief Felix Sanz Roldan and the Israeli company NSO Group. The newspapers El Pais and The Guardian reported earlier this month that Torrent had been targeted by spyware that, according to its maker NSO Group, is sold only to governments and national security services. The Spanish and British newspapers cited a separate US lawsuit involving the spyware, saying it exploits an earlier vulnerability in WhatsApp and could potentially provide access to everything on a persons mobile phone. The reports provided no evidence that Torrents phone was hacked. Not aware Spains intelligence service, known by its acronym CNI, declined to answer questions about the allegations. Spains government said it was not aware that the phones might have been hacked and said such an action would require a judges authorisation. Catalonias separatist movement is supported by about half the 7.5 million residents of the northeast Spanish region. Several of its top leaders are serving prison sentencing for their roles in an illegal secession bid in 2017. SHENZHEN, China, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei hosted the "Premium Networks, Better Digital World" session at Better World Summit 2020. During this online session, global carriers, IDC analyst, and Huawei discussed how carriers can differentiate their services and improve networks to ensure businesses thrive. Differentiated networks will be a competitive edge for carriers The rapid digitalization of the ICT industry, along with the wider deployment of 5G, growth of online education during the recent global health epidemic, and public cloud, have put greater pressure on network infrastructure. Gary Lu, President of Huawei's Network Marketing & Solution Sales Dept, said: "Industrial digitalization will accelerate in the next 5 years, and individuals, homes, and enterprises will also be more demanding of the services they receive. We think it's better for carriers to replace best-effort services with differentiated services that have guaranteed SLAs. That's how they can monetize network values and stand out from competitors." Matt Eastwood, Senior Vice President of IDC, delivered a speech on the topic of "Digital Transformation and Its Impact of Scale and Automation". He stated that carriers should plan and build future target networks based on the key architecture index (KAI) model to prepare for industry digital transformation. Embracing F5G, Fiber is Gold Future Richard Jin, President of Huawei's Transmission and Access Network Product Line, said: "Fiber is gold. Fiber is future. Fiber to everywhere. Optical connectivity underpins optimal service experience. Huawei's AirPON solution helps mobile carriers efficiently build FTTH networks to deploy ubiquitous optical connections. eAI ONTs and OLTs with distributed intelligence increases carriers' revenues and reduce churn rate by ensuring optimal E2E experience of home services. OTN premium private line solution improves the quality of connectivity for many enterprises with premium networking and cloud services, and helps the carriers to better address enterprise market." Lv Pin, Vice President of China Telecom Anhui, shared some use cases of premium Wi-Fi and e-guarding for smart homes. Meanwhile, Cai Weiwen, Board Director and Vice President of China Mobile Guangdong, shared all-optical innovations and commercial use cases of Cloud VR, optics TV (OTV), OTN premium private networks, and 5G services for high-speed trains. These technologies combine to build a better communication platform for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. All-service intelligent IP network with guaranteed SLAs IP networks are at the heart of the 5G and cloud era and need to support high-quality all-service transmission. Kevin Hu, President of Huawei's Data Communication Product Line, said: "In the 5G and cloud era, the IP network needs to achieve high bandwidth and availability, going beyond the best-effort consumer transport network to become a production transport network with guaranteed SLAs. Accordingly, Huawei is launching NetEngine 8000 series routers designed for an IP network featuring ultra-broadband, intelligent connectivity and O&M. This will meet the 5G service requirements during enterprise cloudification, thereby boosting the business growth of carriers." Luo Rui, Vice President of China Telecom Ningxia, spoke about applying Huawei's intelligent IP private line solution into FIRST private networks for government, healthcare, and education users, implementing seamless connection between high-quality networks and clouds. Faruk Ekici, Head of Turkcell's Transport Network Planning, talked about the construction of a converged and programmable 5G-ready IP transport network, and looked into further leadership with next-generation IP technologies. iMaster NCE accelerating FBB network autonomy for agile business We are heading to a fully connected, intelligent world. Network automation and intelligence are indispensable for premium experience and all-service transmission. David Lu, President of Huawei's General Development Dept, pointed out that: "Autonomous networks are highly recognized by the standards agencies and the goal for carriers' transformation. Huawei iMaster NCE, an FBB-oriented intelligent management and control system, focuses on 5G and F5G value scenarios and gradually implements automatic, self-healing, and self-optimized autonomous networks. iMaster NCE guarantees optimal SLA before, during, and after sales. Furthermore, it utilizes AI and big data technologies to implement proactive O&M, which translates into higher O&M efficiency and better network operation quality." Premium networks open up brand new opportunities for carriers. Let's work together to seize these opportunities, and create a better digital world that delivers value for all. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221785/Huawei.jpg DETROIT - The Michigan Supreme Court has stopped a man from suing the state after he spent more than a year in prison for a crime that wasnt a crime. The man was behind bars for 17 months for failing to provide accurate information for Michigans sex offender registry. The Corrections Department then discovered that he actually wasnt required to register. The man sued the state, arguing that his constitutional rights were violated. The Supreme Court heard arguments in April but dropped the case in a 4-3 decision Wednesday. It means a 2019 appeals court opinion in the states favour will stand, killing the lawsuit. The citizens of Michigan would be surprised indeed to learn that Michigan law provides no recourse for blatantly lawless incarceration, Chief Justice Bridget McCormack said in a blunt dissent. The Associated Press isnt naming the man because he was 16 when he was accused of fourth-degree criminal sexual misconduct, a misdemeanour. He was required to register as a sex offender for 25 years as a condition of his conviction in Hillsdale County Juvenile Court. But in 2011, the Legislature said certain offenders no longer had to register. No one, however, told the man or removed his name. He continued to register but twice had problems with police over providing information. He was sent to prison in 2014. After more than a year, a Corrections Department employee became aware that (he) was imprisoned for a non-existent crime, said the mans attorney, William Goodman. The mans lawsuit alleged his rights were violated by a failure to properly train and supervise employees who oversee the sex offender registry. But the Michigan appeals court said there was no certainty that a person mistakenly on the list would be arrested. The Supreme Court dismissed the mans appeal in a two-sentence order, which is different than a formal opinion but just as binding. Justices David Viviano, Brian Zahra, Stephen Markman and Elizabeth Clement were in the majority. Were very disappointed in the failure of the legal system to respond to injustice, Goodman said Thursday. The man, 36, still has a federal lawsuit pending against Hillsdale County officials and state police employees. He also received roughly $70,000 under Michigans wrongful conviction law for time spent in prison. In my opinion, hes entitled to considerably more, Goodman said. ___ Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez Since the beginning of recorded human history, several diseases and illnesses have ravaged the populations. Some of these were weak and quickly passed with time. Others, however, had devastating effects that nearly wiped out the entire human civilization. The last millennia has seen the outbreak of the worst pandemics in humankind's history, some of which returned to claim even more victims. Educate yourself with viruses and disease history with the five worst pandemics that terrorized humans in history. Cocoliztli Epidemic A viral form of hemorrhagic fever was responsible for causing the cocoliztli epidemic, whose name is translated from the Aztec language as a pest. It killed nearly 15 million citizens of Mexico and Central America. The disease surfaced at a time of extreme drought, causing even more panic among the population. Scientists conducted a study that examined DNA gathered from the skeletons of individuals infected with a different species of Salmonella. The disease caused enteric fever, a type of fever that includes typhoid, which gives the victim a case of high fever, dehydration, and gastrointestinal issues. Spanish Flu In modern times, the flu is more of an annoyance than it is a deadly disease. But in the olden times, more specifically between 1918 and 1920, it took the lives of approximately 20 to 50 million people worldwide. The deadly outbreak infected more than one-third of the entire human population. It was estimated to have a mortality rate of about 10-20 percent of the 500 million people who suffered. In the first 25 weeks, it took the lives of nearly 25 million individuals. Also Read: North Korea Faces First Coronavirus Case, Kim Jong-Un Orders to 'Face Up to the Reality' HIV/AIDS In 1976, the Democratic Republic of the Congo identified this disease and opened the world's eyes to a real global pandemic. Since the start of the outbreak in 1981, it took the lives of more than 36 million people in the region. In modern times, however, around 31 to 35 million people live with HIV, the majority of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, who have five percent of its population infected with the disease, totaling around 21 million individuals. Plague of Justinian In the capital of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, the Plague of Justinian, terrorized the population in 541 CE. Travelers from Egypt who crossed the Mediterranean Sea brought the disease. They brought grain that was feasted on by black rats, which fell victim to plague-ridden fleas that hitched a ride. Spreading like wildfire across multiple countries, including Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Arabia, it took the lives of an estimated 30 to 50 million people, which, at the time, counted for nearly half of the world's population. The Black Death The deadliest and most infamous pandemic, the Bubonic Plague, or more commonly referred to as the Black Death, caused an astonishing 200 million deaths in only four short years. The plague ravaged Europe in 1347 and never really went away until it came back 800 years later for another round of killing. The disease resulted in the creation of the system we now know as quarantine when an expert said that people at the time figured out the contagion had something to do with proximity. Officials monitored a port city and kept sailors who just arrived in isolation until it was guaranteed they were healthy. Initially, the travelers would be held for 30 days, which they called trentino. However, as time went on, the isolation period was increased to 40 days, called a quarantino, which was later called quarantine. Related Article: Study Suggest Humans Weakening COVID-19 Virus by Mutation, But Virus is Fighting Back @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Anuraag Singh By Express News Service BHOPAL: Four days after having lost their Corona warrior doctor son to Covid-19 in Delhi, a small agrarian family in Madhya Pradesh has sought urgent help from the government to save it from financial crisis. "My nephew Dr. Joginder Chaudhary worked day and night for Covid-19 patients as a junior resident doctor at Baba Sahab Ambedkar Hospital in Delhi. He was infected while working in the hospital. He died at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital while battling the virus on July 26. He was our prime hope owing to which my elder brother (Joginder's father) sold his house to fund his MBBS education in China," said the deceased doctor's uncle Yovan Prasad Chaudhary. "Our family pinned hopes that after completing the post-graduation studies, Joginder would come back to native Jhantla village in Neemuch district and start a hospital for the poor with the help of his sister-in-law (younger brother's wife), who is pursuing a para-medical course," said Chaudhary. "But with Joginder's death, all our hopes have faded away and his family is in deep financial crisis. Since the entire money was invested in Joginder's education. Now Joginder's sister-in-law is our last hope. we request the central, Delhi, and MP governments to render a suitable job to her to save the family from plunging into deep financial crisis," a teary-eyed Chaudhary appealed. The deceased doctor's father Rajendra Chaudhary, who now lives in a small house with family in the village, said: "Every doctor, who has lost life while working for saving lives is a martyr and his kins need to be supported by the governments to ensure that all medical and paramedical staff continue to battle to save lives without caring for their own lives." The 27-year-old Dr. Joginder Chaudhary, a junior resident doctor at the Baba Sahab Ambedkar Hospital in Delhi, tested Covid positive on June 27. He was first admitted to the hospital he was working in, but later shifted to Lok Nayak Hospital and subsequently to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He died on July 26. A full day after a man was shot in Northeast Portland, police publicly confirmed that the man died, and identified him. Police say Jordan Lee Louis, 22, was shot and killed at Northeast Dekum Street near Eighth Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Despite a news report soon after the shooting that a person had been killed, police would not confirm the man had died for more than 24 hours. The state medical examiner said Wednesday that Louis died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his cause of death a homicide. Police have not released any information about the circumstances of the shooting, nor any details about potential suspects. Louis death was one of three violent incidents police reported between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Early Wednesday, police said one person had been shot on Northeast Prescott Street between 105th and 109th avenues. Police said at the time they did not know the status of the victim, and have thus far not given any more information about that persons condition. Police separately reported that multiple victims had been stabbed late Tuesday on Northeast 92nd Place just north of Burnside Street. They have thus far refused to confirm whether anyone died or how many people were injured. The stabbings occurred blocks from where Mister Ford, 19, was shot and killed Monday. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Police have said they had no choice to fire on a man who charged at them with a knife and flaming gas cylinder, saying they felt sure they would be killed otherwise. Two South Australian Police officers told the District Court on Thursday about the terror they felt when responding to an emergency call about a domestic violence incident in the northern Adelaide suburb of Ingle Farm in the early hours of May 14 last year. Upon arriving at the house, 21-year-old Aaron Michael McCormick - who had made the call to police - charged toward them with an ignited gas bottle and knife. The court heard McCormick had severely injured a woman inside the home, and withstood two taser blasts from the police and continued to rush toward them. It also heard the gas bottle he was carrying was emitting 'vapours' and erupted 'a flame about 20m high' as he ran toward the officers, one of whom had less than a year's experience in the job, and the other of whom had served for three years. 'There's no training that could have prepared me, or any other police officer, for what occurred upon our arrival that night,' the first officer said, according to The Advertiser. He told the court he retreated from McCormick while instructing him to stand back, but the instructions were ignored. Aaron Michael McCormick charged at two SA police officers with a knife and ignited gas bottle about 2.30am on Burri Street, Ingle Farm, Adelaide (pictured) One of the officers was only 11 months into his career at the time of the incident on Burri Street (pictured), while the other served about three years 'Had I not been able to draw my firearm as quickly as I did, I'm sure I would have been killed or seriously injured,' he said. The man was shot multiple times in the chest before being taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), ABC reported at the time of the incident. The other officer added he 'never thought people would ring triple-0 and request police when they had violent intentions toward them'. The court heard McCormick said on his call to triple-0 that the woman he injured was 'almost dead' and that police were going to 'suffer' once they arrived. McCormick's lawyer Chris Weir blamed McCormick's 'out of character' actions on financial stress, missing his family and being overweight. Judge Michael Boylan said McCormick's actions were 'bizzare' given he had no past record of criminal behaviour. Aaron Michael McCormick was shot by an SA police officer (pictured) after failing to stand down and charging at them while armed 'He has otherwise led a blameless life and inexplicably, out of the blue, he has committed these serious offences. I don't know how I am to judge what his risk of reoffending is, and that is a worry,' Judge Moylan said. McCormick pleaded guilty to four aggravated counts of threatening to kill or endanger life, and one aggravated count of assault against a woman. He will remain in custody to be sentenced at a later date. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:54:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close File photo shows refugee children playing games at a refugee camp in Juba, South Sudan, on Nov. 16, 2015. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) South Sudan and the UN migration agency are joining forces to fight human trafficking in the east African country. JUBA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan and the UN migration agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday joined forces to fight human trafficking in the east African country. IOM said it helped the South Sudanese government set up a body to help the conflict-torn country track and respond to human trafficking. Majak Akec Malok, Inspector General of Police, said the partnership with IOM will boost the country's efforts to combat trafficking. Established late last year, the Technical Task Force on Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants will enable the government to respond, raise awareness and train front line actors on victim identification and participate in regional policy dialogues and evidence collection on data. The body released its first report in Juba on Wednesday, which finds that there is widespread human trafficking ongoing in South Sudan. The report indicates that the prevalent forms of trafficking in South Sudan are forced recruitment into armed forces and armed groups, forced marriage, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation particularly among women and children, as well as labor exploitation. It added that human traffickers took advantage of ill-equipped government institutions to target and exploit vulnerable groups. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The five finalists of the UAE's trending #MarsShot campaign, inspired by the Emirates Mars Mission's (EMM's) recently launched Hope Probe, have been shortlisted. The top three winners will be announced on August 5th during a live streaming event hosted by superstar Kevin Hart who will be joined by celebrity guest judges including Grammy Award-winning musician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist with a focus on youth STEAM programs, will.i.am; Award-winning storyteller, podcaster, author and former monk Jay Shetty and Humanitarian and Co-Founder of Global Citizen, Hugh Evans, with more names to be announced shortly. Her Excellency Noura bint Mohamed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth for the United Arab Emirates, is also part of the celebrity judging panel. - Campaign inspired by recent launch of Emirates Mars Mission's Hope Probe - Unites people to achieve the impossible From the total number of applicants, ranging from artists and storytellers to humanitarians and environmentalists, the top five finalists catapulted to the live event after an online public vote are: Dolly Aswani, 24, from India, Ward Taim Hassa, 14, from Syria, Reina Ozbay, 11, from The USA, Astrid Corina, 26, from Romania and Williamson Sintyl, 27 from Haiti. The inspiring dreams of the finalists range from building a walk-in center for reading and writing in India, to inspiring the world through music to champion the plight of human trafficking. During the virtual finale each finalist will be interviewed by the celebrity judging panel who will then select the three winners who will see their Mars Shots become a reality, making the impossible possible. The global digital campaign, inspired by the UAE's own Mars Shot the Emirates Mars Mission's Hope Probe that launched in to space on July 20 on an exploratory mission of the Red Planet, is a partnership between the UAE and Hollywood superstar Kevin Hart. It is an ode to the spirit of fearlessness and success that defines the UAE. Its goal is to make people's wildest dreams come true, encouraging people to imagine the impossible and set goals and motivations that show there are limitless opportunities. Dreamers from across the world were asked to share their dream in a one-minute video posted to their Instagram accounts tagging #MarsShot. Partnering with Kevin Hart The American stand-up comedian, actor, producer and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hart has become a widely admired motivational speaker whose inspiring success story continues to present a live embodiment of the power of resilience, positivity and devotion. Parallel to The Emirates, Hart's unlimited ambitions and determination propelled him to overcome challenges and achieve overwhelming success. He reflects the country's commitment to empowering, lifting and inspiring people from all the world to stay true to their dreams. Her Excellency Noura bint Mohamed Al Kaabi, said: "The response to this competition has been overwhelming and we look forward to announcing the winners of the #MarsShot campaign. Though we are going through a time of unprecedented global change, it is also a time of hope and limitless opportunities, and a time to inspire our youth. The #MarsShot is a representation and a message to youth all over the world to dream the impossible, and then achieve it." Kevin Hart said: "Watching thousands of people dream big, especially during this time, shows the resilience to overcome. I am moved by all the entries and hope this has inspired people to always push forward. I am committed to empowering individuals to change their realities for the better and I could not have wished for a better partner to start this movement than The Emirates." will.i.am said: "Truly innovative ideas often come from the unlikely candidate. I am honored to be on the Mars Shot judging committee that recognizes and gives new opportunities to outstanding young people who will accomplish great breakthroughs in space using STEAM skills." Jay Shetty said: "It is so important to encourage each other to dream, especially at a time of so much global change. Dreams can help drive us into the future. Embrace your dreams, not your pain, as pain seeks to pull you back into the past. The response is inspiring to me because it shows me that humanity has the strength to dream even in difficult times." The Mars Shot campaign is part of the UAE's wider mission to make global contributions that help build a better future for humanity. The UAE is committed to making these dreams a reality. For more information about the campaign, visit www.marsshot.ae and @marsshotuae Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221287/Ministry_of_Cabinet_Affairs_Kevin_Hart.jpg Related Links https://www.marsshot.ae SOURCE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs & The Future - Public Diplomacy Office - UAE Hong Kong: EU measures misguided The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said the European Union's (EU) conclusions and measures in response to the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong were misguided. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government urged EU member states to adopt a pragmatic and rational attitude, and refrain from adopting measures that will adversely affect the long-standing mutually beneficial relations between Hong Kong and the EU. It said the Hong Kong SAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China (PRC), a local administrative region that enjoys a high degree of autonomy under one country, two systems and comes directly under the Central People's Government (CPG). Matters relating to the Hong Kong SAR remain the PRCs internal affairs, the statement said, adding that no other state has the right to intervene in such internal affairs. Upholding and implementing the principle of one country, two systems meets the interests of the Hong Kong people, responds to the needs of maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and serves the fundamental interests of the nation, it said. The CPG has time and again made it clear that the central government will unswervingly implement the policy of one country, two systems". The Hong Kong SAR Government also said it is the legitimate right and duty of every state to safeguard its national security. It pointed out the National Security Law is entirely constitutional, lawful, rational and reasonable as national security falls squarely under the purview of the central authorities and since, after some 23 years, the Hong Kong SAR has yet to fulfil its constitutional obligations to enact local legislation to safeguard national security. The National Security Law will not affect the high degree of autonomy, judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong. The legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong citizens will not be affected. The statement emphasised the legislation only targets an extremely small minority of people committing four types of crimes that seriously endanger national security under the National Security Law, and protects the lives and property, basic rights and freedoms of the vast majority of citizens. Referring to the specific measures announced by the EU, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the EU's intention to provide Hong Kong people with more relaxed asylum, migration and residency policies on the pretext of the enactment of the National Security Law is blatant interference in the Hong Kong SARs affairs. Currently, the Hong Kong SAR has signed agreements on surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) with seven EU member states, namely Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal. Hong Kong has established a comprehensive co-operation regime for SFO and has upheld the principle of mutual assistance and reciprocity to carry out law enforcement co-operation with other members of the international community in accordance with the law to fight crime. The Hong Kong SAR Government objected to any attempt of politicising juridical co-operation, which damages the good basis of co-operation established between the two sides over the years and deviates from the purpose of juridical co-operation in safeguarding justice and the rule of law. It said the export restrictions on sensitive equipment and technologies proposed to be imposed by the EU on Hong Kong are based on groundless allegations. All law enforcement actions by the Hong Kong SAR Government are made in accordance with the law, it said, urging the EU to stop such political manipulation. The Hong Kong SAR Government stated it will continue to identify suitable suppliers for procurement as needed. Hong Kong and EU member states maintain close economic and trade relations and have been nurturing bilateral cultural and technological co-operation in recent years. In 2019, there were more than 2,300 companies in Hong Kong with parent companies in the EU, up 7.5% from 2017. According to EU statistics, the total merchandise trade between the EU and Hong Kong amounted to 48 billion euros, with the EU enjoying a trade surplus of 25.4 billion euros over Hong Kong. Additionally, over 29,000 EU nationals live in Hong Kong, and a number of European chambers of commerce have been operating in the city for many years. Two international schools also offer European curricula in the city. This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. ISTANBUL - A large number of people began leaving Turkey's cities on Thursday ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, or Feast of Sacrifice, which is officially being celebrated in the country from Friday until Monday. Heavy traffic clogged highway exits from Istanbul, Ankara, and other cities on Thursday morning. The holiday is typically celebrated with family reunions, however many Turks will make use of it for a holiday near the sea or elsewhere. The holiday is expected to give a bit of relief to a strategic sector in Turkey that has been hit hard by restrictions over the past few months on international tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authorities are concerned, however, that internal movement and gatherings may increase the circulation of COVID-19, which continues to see a stable curve but is not yet decreasing, with just under a 1,000 new cases recorded every day. The government has thus recommended that citizens comply with prevention measures such as wearing masks and engaging in social distancing.(ANSAmed). (ANSA). In the U.S. alone, at least 16,210 meatpacking workers have been infected or exposed to the virus and 93 have died, the United Food and Commercial Workers said. Last month, the families of three Tyson workers in Iowa who died of COVID-19 sued the company, saying it knowingly put employees at risk in the early days of the pandemic. Tyson has introduced many measures to curb the virus since then. In April, it purchased 150 thermal temperature scanners to check workers when they arrive. It distributed masks and face shields and put up dividers between workers. It has tested around one-third of its workers. The company thinks that less than 1% of its workers currently have active cases of COVID-19. Scott Brooks, a senior vice president who is leading Tysons coronavirus response, noted that testing all the workers in a plant once only gives a snapshot of that particular moment. Constant, random testing will give the company a clearer picture of whats going on. The company will adjust the number of tests each week based on community virus levels and other factors. It feels good that were really going to be able to get ahead of this issue, he said. Mike Flynn was a career Army intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and was still in uniform as a three-star general when he became Barack Obama's head of Defense Intelligence in July 2012. But he fell out badly with the Obama administration, was forced out in July 2014 and moved into private intelligence consulting. 2015 December 10: Flynn is paid to travel to Moscow and sits beside Vladimir Putin at dinner celebrating propaganda outlet RT (right). His consulting business has Russian clients 2016 February: Flynn signs up to provide national security advice to the Trump campaign; in the next few months he is floated as a possible running mate July 20 : Flynn leads 'lock her up' chants at the Republican National Convention and claims Obama concealed the actions of Osama bin Laden July 31: FBI open counter-intelligence investigation Crossfire Hurricane into group of Trump aides, including Flynn, for possible Russian influence. In 2014 an FBI informer had told agents he saw Flynn spending time at a dinner in the UK with a Russian woman with ties to Kremlin intelligence; the information is included in their investigation. Flynn is code-named Crossfire Razor November 4: Trump wins the election, and meets Obama who advises him not to hire Flynn. Trump ignores the advice and makes him national security adviser designate November 30: Obama's ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, makes the first of what will be 48 requests by Obama and Obama-eras officials to 'unmask' a redaction from intelligence reports which covers up Flynn's name December 2016 Flynn meets Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak (right) at Trump Tower and exchanges calls and messages throughout the month. December 29: Hours after Obama announces sanctions on Russia for election interference, they speak and Flynn says it will be 'reviewed' when Trump takes power. The call is heard by intelligence agents who monitor Kisylak's calls and details are included in intelligence reports. The next day Putin says Russia won't retaliate for the sanctions 2017 January 4: FBI drafts report saying there is 'no derogatory information on RAZOR [Flynn].' But 20 minutes later FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok tells case agent 'don't close RAZOR,' and '7th floor involved' meaning FBI leadership. He also emails lover Lisa Page, a senior FBI lawyer, about the Logan Act - a never-enforced 1799 law banning private people from interfering in foreign relations. 'Razor still open,' he writes and calls news 'serendipitously good'. 'Phew, but yeah, that's amazing that he is still open. Good I guess,' Page replies. Strzok respond: 'Yeah, our utter incompetence actually helps us. 20% of the time I'm guessing :)' January 5: Obama holds Oval Office briefing on Russian election interference with Joe Biden, CIA director John Brennan, FBI director James Comey, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and deputy attorney general Sally Yates. He asks Comey and Yates to stay behind and says he has 'learned of the information' about Flynn's call to Kislyak. Comey mentions the Logan Act January 6: Obama's top intel figures - Brennan, Clapper and Comey - give the Trump team including Trump a briefing on Russia at Trump Tower January 10: Joe Biden is most senior Obama official to request an 'unmasking' of an intelligence report which reveals Flynn's name January 12: Bombshell Washington Post report reveals Flynn's call to Kislyak on December 29, 'according to a senior U.S. government official' saying: 'What did Flynn say, and did it undercut the U.S. sanctions?' It mentions the Logan Act January 14: Flynn tells Pence he did not discuss sanctions; in coming days Trump officials repeat this on television - including Mike Pence the following day January 20: Trump is inaugurated; Flynn becomes national security advisor January 22: The Wall Street Journal reveals Flynn is subject to a counter-intelligence investigation over links to Russia January 23: Strzok and Andrew McCabe the FBI Deputy director exchange messages planning to interview Flynn January 24: Two FBI agents - Peter Strzok and one whose name remains secret - go to the White House and interview Flynn in his West Wing office. Their notes say he denies talking about sanctions with Kislyak and said 'if I did I don't remember' January 26 and 27: Yates tells White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn has lied to Mike Pence and other officials, is therefore compromised, could be blackmailed by Russia, and other aspects of his conduct are worrying which she can't tell McGahn because they are classified January 28: Flynn sits in the Oval Office to take part in Trump's first call with Putin February 9: Washington Post reveals Flynn did discuss sanctions and publishes interview in which he repeats denial 'categorically.' After the story is published, he tells the newspaper a different version - that he may have discussed sanctions February 10 and 11: Trump says he will 'look into' Flynn but the aide is at Mar-a-Lago dinner with Shinzo Abe February 13: Washington Post reveals that McGahn was warned about Flynn by Yates. Flynn resigns admitting he 'inadvertently' misled Pence, prompting Pence to mislead on Face the Nation in January February 14: Trump meets Comey and says Flynn is 'a good guy' and 'I hope you can see your way to letting this go.' March 30: Flynn offers to testify to Congress - at the time both House and Senate are Republican-controlled - or the FBI on Trump-Russia in exchange for immunity from prosecution; nobody takes up the deal offer May 9: Trump fires Comey, and on May 17 Robert Mueller is appointed special counsel May 10: Senate Intel Committee subpoena Flynn for his contacts with Russia; he cites Fifth Amendment; they later subpoena in more detail, and by early June he turns over documents voluntarily November 5: Mueller's investigators revealed to be ready to indict Flynn and his son Michael Jr. on multiple charges. They are looking at his foreign lobbying and even whether he plotted to kidnap a Turkish cleric from the U.S. and deliver him to Turkey - but are also wiling to strike a deal to let his son off if he flips November 16: Mueller team interview Flynn for first time November 22: Flynn withdraws from 'joint defense deal' with Trump, suggesting a deal is in the works December 1: Flynn signs a plea deal with Mueller; he will plead guilty to lying to the FBI at the White House interview. In exchange his son gets out of charges, and Flynn himself escapes charges of failing to register his lobbying for foreign entities. He appears in court and admits under oath lying to the FBI and affirms that he understands the deal. 'I recognize that the actions I acknowledged in court today were wrong, and, through my faith in God, I am working to set things right,' he says. The White House says: 'The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year.' December 2: Trump tweets: 'I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI' 2018 January: Flynn is repeatedly interviewed as he cooperates with Mueller and sentencing is repeatedly deferred June 7: Obama deputy national security advisor reveals in book that Obama administration first learned of Flynn's December 2016 communications with Kislyak from Trump transition team members and not from 'unmasking' his name in intelligence reports December 18: Flynn appears in court for sentencing hearing; Mueller's recommendation is little or no jail time. But Judge Emmet Sullivan says 'arguably you sold your country out' and asks why he was not charged with 'treason.' Sentencing is deferred 2019 June 12: Flynn fires Covington & Burling, his white shoe law firm, and hires new lawyer Sidney Powell, who had told him on Fox News to ditch his plea deal August 30: Flynn files motion accusing prosecutors of conning him into a guilty plea by withholding exculpatory material while other parts of the government trying to 'smear' him as a Russian agent December 16: Judge rejects Flynn's motion after reviewing Intel Inspector General report into the FBI and DOJ actions before the 2016 election and sets sentencing date for January 28 2020 January 7: Prosecutors say they want up to six months for Flynn; a week later he files to ask to withdraw his guilty plea 'because of the government's bad faith, vindictiveness, and breach of the plea agreement.' A week later he asks for probation if he can't get out of his deal. Sentencing is deferred until February 20 February 14 Attorney General Bill Barr appoints political appointee Jeffrey Jensen, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, to examine Flynn's prosecution April 29 New notes released by Jensen show Strzok discussing keeping Flynn as a target on January 4 2017. They also show an unnamed FBI official's notes from around the interview with Flynn on January 24 2017, saying: 'What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?' Trump starts a tweet storm which lasts into the next day, saying: 'What happened to General Michael Flynn, a war hero, should never be allowed to happen to a citizen of the United States again!' May 7 Department of Justice says it is withdrawing support for prosecuting Flynn saying the interview in the West Wing was 'untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn' and that it was 'conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.' But career prosecutors who have led the case quit just before the move is announced May 12 Judge Emmet Sullivan puts a hold on prosecutors dropping the case and the next day appoints a 'friend of the court,' former Mafia prosecutor and retired federal judge John Gleeson to argue against the DOJ's motion to dismiss, causing uproar among Flynn's supporters May 13 A series of senior Obama officials are named as having asked for 'unmaskings' of intelligence reports which resulted in Flynn's name being uncovered, in newly-declassified documents. But it later emerges intelligence report of his call to Kislyak used his full name so people with access to it could understand who the Russian was speaking to, which also means leaking his name is not a crime May 21 Three-judge appeals panel orders Judge Sullivan to explain legal basis for not accepting prosecution request to drop Flynn's conviction May 22 FBI director Christopher Wray launches 'after-action review' of bureau's investigation June 24 Federal appeals judges rule 2-1 that Sullivan has to dismiss the case. Trump takes a victory lap, tweeting 'Great!' July 4 Flynn tweets a video of himself taking 'the oath,' a bizarre ceremony linked to the QAnon conspiracy theory, which ends the Oath of Allegiance by saying 'where we go one, we go all,' a QAnon slogan July 9 Judge Sullivan asks the entire D.C. appeals circuit to hear the case 'en banc' and overturn the order to dismiss. An unnamed member of the appeals circuit made the same request and the judges voted to hear it 'en banc' August 31, legally ignoring Sullivan's request August 31 Entire D.C. appeals circuit rules against Flynn, sending the case back to Sullivan and allowing him to hold an inquiry into DOJ handling of the prosecution September 29 Sullivan holds hearing where Flynn's lawyer reveals she briefed Donald Trump personally on the case and asked him not to pardon her client November 25 President Trump announces the night before Thanksgiving he has granted Flynn a 'Full Pardon,' calling it a 'Great Honor' and wishing him and his family 'Congratulations' December 12 Judge Sullivan formally dismisses the case on the grounds that the pardon renders it moot A tourist had part of his arm ripped off by a lion as he slept in a tent alongside his wife during an exclusive African safari organised by a British travel firm. The snarling beast ripped part of Patrick Fourgeaud's left arm off during the horrifying mauling in the Ruaha National Park, in Tanzania. His wife, Brigitte Fourgeaud, 63, said: 'I will never forget that moment when I woke up to see the lion there. 'I thought we were both going to die. The attack will stay with me for the rest of my life.' British couple Patrick and Brigitte Fourgeaud, pictured above, were on a luxury safari in Tanzania when Patrick had part of his arm ripped off by a lion The snarling beast ripped part of Patrick Fourgeaud's left arm off during the horrifying mauling in the Ruaha National Park, in Tanzania. Pictured: His arm after the lion attack (left) and (right) during treatment The couple, who are French, thought they were completely safe in their mesh tent during the holiday in August 2015. But as they settled down for the night in the Kichaka Ruaha Camp, they became aware of the lion sniffing Mrs Fourgeaud's back. Then it pounced on Mr Fourgeaud, 64, who was savaged by the lion before it was finally scared off. 'Nothing will change what we have been through, but we both believe that more could have been done to prevent what happened,' said Mrs Fourgeaud. 'We both want to ensure that this doesn't happen to other holidaymakers again.' The Fourgeauds are now suing Africa Travel Resource, who are based in Dorking, Sussex, and describe themselves as 'The world's leading tailor-made safari company.' The couple, who are French, thought they were completely safe in their mesh tent during the holiday in August 2015 The couple, who are French, thought they were completely safe in their mesh tent during the holiday in August 2015. But as they settled down for the night in the Kichaka Ruaha Camp, they became aware of the lion sniffing Mrs Fourgeaud's back (file picture) The company has denied any responsibility for the injuries suffered by Mr Fourgeaud, or the psychological distress that the couple, from Mont-Saxonnex, in the French Alps, both continue to suffer. Leane Shanks, of Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing the Fourgeauds, said: 'Four years on from this horrific attack, Patrick and Brigitte are still trying to come to terms with the ordeal they faced that night. 'Having always been passionate about seeing animals in the wild, and having been on several safaris in Africa in the past, they had booked this holiday to an area of Africa that they particularly loved. 'Tour operators and holiday firms have a duty of care to ensure the safety of customers, and in this case we believe this did not happen. 'Patrick and Brigitte believe that no-one was keeping a constant watch throughout the night over the camp while they were sleeping in their tents. 'In addition, they were given no adequate advice by their guide on the particular risks that night of camping in that location. 'This is astonishing when the tents were set up at a location which we understand was known to be frequented by lions and other wild animals at night.' By Abankula The Nigerian Police have announced a breakthrough in their investigation of the murder of Nigerian-born American soldier, Oscar Chukwuneke Okebata who was killed by hoodlums in January 2017. Chuks Okebata, as he was fondly called, came home for holidays in December 2016, leaving his wife and two children in the U.S. But on 12 January 2017, he was abducted from his country home at Umuduruorie Umuomumu Mbieri in Mbaitoli LGA of Imo state. His abductors fatally shot him. Reports at the time said four suspects were arrested. But on Wednesday, the police announced in Abuja that they have arrested the real killers, after intensive manhunt. The Police said they arrested one Udodiri Bright aka Ability a 30 year-old native of Osuachara Village, Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo state. Bright was arrested along with three other male suspects: Ekwuru Shadrack aka Escobar 26 years old from Arondizuogu village in Okigwe LGA of Imo state, Chimerie Igwe aka 4real, 30 years old, from Umucheke Village in Orlu LGA and Chibuike Sunday, 28 years old, also from Arondizuogu. The police said all the suspects were arrested on 5 July 2020. Chuks Okebata was 34 years old, when he was killed in 2017. He was laid to rest on 17 April, same year. According to the police, the suspects were among the leading kidnapping groups terrorizing the South Eastern part of the country. Related CHEVY CHASE, Md., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RLAH Real Estate is excited to announce that it has joined forces with Tower Hill Realty. Led by Patrick Kilner, Tamara Kucik, and John Kirk, Tower Hill offers the best in leadership, customer service, and real estate brokerage education. Patrick, an educator by nature, has agreed to take on RLAH's executive role of Director of Education. RLAH Real Estate RLAH Real Estate "The decision to bring Tower Hill Realty to RLAH was about doing more with more," says Kilner. "Together, we can increase education and grow in ways that neither of us could have done alone. In the truest sense, this is a partnership." "Tower Hill Realty is led by very special people," says Jason Sherman, RLAH CEO. "Joining forces in this way requires a lot of trust. Pat, Tamara, and John are some of the most trustworthy people I have had the chance to meet in this business. We are excited to work with them." Together, RLAH will now hold top five market share within Montgomery County, Maryland. RLAH Real Estate is a locally owned and operated franchise. Real Living Real Estate is a network brand of HSF Affiliates, LLC, which is majority owned by Home Services of America, Inc. A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate, representing the largest residential real estate conglomerate in the world. Contact Elise Ferrera [email protected] SOURCE RLAH Real Estate Jeff Timmer once led the Michigan Republican Party. Now hes working to keep the first GOP president to win Michigan in a generation from doing it again. Timmer is a senior advisor with The Lincoln Project, a group of disillusioned Republicans assembled at the end of 2019 to defeat President Donald Trump and his supporters in Congress. You may know them from punchy ads featuring urgent warnings about Trumps character and mocking the president with references to Seinfeld. To think it was only last year 1 BC (Before Covid), as it may one day be renamed, 2019 on our current reckoning. I took the early Great Western train from South Wales to Paddington, the one that served breakfast. Different world. It was a proper breakfast, too. English breakfast. OK, maybe Welsh. For years, I used to organise my regular journeys to London round this treat. It was open to passengers who'd paid the second-class rush-hour fare (costing about as much as a typical flight to Rome) rather than the first-class (more like Transatlantic). There was a slight risk of being bumped if there was too much demand from those travelling posh. But since the breakfast was generous enough to make lunch unnecessary, it was a bargain at 20. Pictured: Passengers dine inside a Great Western Railway buffet car while on their travels in 1934 Now the death knell has sounded for all such luxuries on Britain's embattled railway network. LNER, the government-owned entity that runs long-distance trains to the North-East and Scotland out of King's Cross, has announced plans to offer 'food' at your seat, ordered and paid for by smartphone. It says it is not closing its buffets, at least not yet. But one can sense which way this is going. From the heyday of railway catering in the early 20th century, luxury Pullman cars gave way to less luxurious dining cars, which gave way to buffets, which gave way to trolleys to smartphones to nothing at all. So the only way to avoid starvation on many trains has been to arrive early and queue for a mass-produced pasty and a burn-your-fingers coffee, needing at least three hands if carrying a case as well. No one knows how railway travel will evolve when we emerge from the current crisis. In the industry, it is considered a certainty that the flawed franchising system set up by John Major's government in the 1990s cannot be resuscitated. My suspicion is that, whatever happens, former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will be put in charge. The other certainty is things will get worse, especially when it comes to the relaxing pleasures that are among the biggest pluses trains offer compared to travelling by car. Railway catering has generally been a source of complaint rather than compliments. LNER has announced plans to offer 'food' at your seat, ordered and paid for by smartphone. (Stock image) In the 19th century, trains out of Paddington had to stop at Swindon so passengers could get fed: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, founding genius of the line, had to offer caterers there a long contract because he was cash-strapped. Swindon became known as 'Swindl'em'. Station buffets never lost their dire reputations, in contrast to the magnificent brasseries you can find in France. The general approach in Britain was summed up by Myrtle, the baggage of a buffet manageress played by Joyce Carey in the classic 1945 film Brief Encounter. And John Betjeman took poetic revenge on Didcot, next station up the line from Swindl'em: I'm paid by the buffet at Didcot For insulting the passengers there. The way they keep rattlin' the doorknob Disturbs me in doin' my hair. The first dining car was introduced in 1879, but since the trains had no corridors, you had to be in the right carriage from the start. In time, however, there were pockets of excellence. By 1910 long-distance trains out of Waterloo offered four courses for luncheon and six for dinner. Just before World War II, the old LNER was offering dinner of Consomme Julienne, fried fillet of plaice with tartare sauce, Chicken Stanley, roast beef with horseradish sauce, peach meringue and coffee. And that was the third-class menu. That kind of menu bit the dust during the war, but after the railways were nationalised in 1948, some old delights were restored. I have faint, fond, 1950s memories of leaving Euston station, still with its Great Hall and Doric Arch, with my mum on the short trip home to Northampton and getting a smashing afternoon tea. In the 1970s, Sir Laurence Olivier led a commuters' revolt after it was decreed The Brighton Belle, the crack morning train from the south coast to Victoria, would no longer serve kippers for breakfast. Olivier won the battle but, of course, in the long run, the war was lost. He was still proud. Interviewed once in front of German TV cameras and feeling mischievous, he was asked to name his finest achievement. He paused for a moment before intoning: 'Saving the kipper on the Brighton line.' My suspicion is that, whatever happens, former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will be put in charge The importance of little luxuries was better understood in the old nationalised era of what was known with heavy irony as 'good old British Rail' (BR), famous for its curling sandwiches, and blaming the 'wrong type of snow'. There were still sociable train buffets with tables and bar stools. I seem to remember an attempt to deck them out as fake-beam Olde English pubs. BR did have a long-term perspective: unlike the other privatised industries, the corporate franchises that took over the railways nearly all had contracts which gave them little incentive to grow the business. The only way for them to improve their profits was to up the fares and cut the costs. Restaurant cars were quick to be chopped because they always cost more money than they could rake in. The pluses of running a better service were unquantifiable. Passenger numbers grew hugely in the early 21st century: more commuters, more leisure travel, more business people, more students off to distant universities. The train operators' attempts to claim credit for this were wholly unconvincing. But as late as 2009 (11 BC), there were still cracking cream teas, with thin-cut sandwiches on afternoon trains between Liverpool Street and Norwich. That was also the era when I was a frequent traveller on the 0739 out of Newport to Paddington. That breakfast was chopped. But after several years of hiatus, it made an unexpected comeback. It was not quite the same. They had abolished the kippers option (where is Sir Laurence when you need him?) and the optional baked beans. But the delightful Diane was still in charge, and she greeted me with warm recognition despite the long absence. I have just checked the National Rail website for this morning's rush-hour trains from Newport. There are only two left of about six. Both display a knife and fork symbol, and you are allowed to remove your mask to eat. But look more closely and you see the dread word 'trolley', which may or may not turn up. The new Great Western electrics that have replaced the beloved 1970s High Speed Trains are a few minutes faster you sit on rocks not cushions, and the journey feels a lot longer, especially if you're hungry. I don't imagine LNER's new smartphone service will be offering kippers. Instead, the railways will be competing with the airlines in a race to the bottom. Matthew Engel is author of Eleven Minutes Late: A Train Journey To The Soul Of Britain. (All references to dollars herein are in Canadian dollars ("$") unless otherwise specified) TORONTO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Battle North Gold Corporation (TSX: BNAU) (OTCQX: BNAUF) ("Battle North" or the "Company") announces that it has filed its interim Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 ("Q2/2020"). Copies of these filings can be obtained at www.battlenorthgold.com or under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Financial Highlights from Q2/2020 Cash position: As of June 30, 2020 , the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of approximately $12.2 million . As of , the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of approximately . Exploration and evaluation expenditures: For Q2/2020, the Company spent approximately $3.3 million in expenditures related to drilling, maintenance and technical consulting fees, including work on the feasibility study for the Bateman Gold Project (the " Project "). Expenditures were lower by $0.4 million compared to the same period in 2019 as the Company did not incur expenditures on underground development as part of its 2020 drilling campaign, which was focused on infill and exploratory drilling and delivering an updated mineral resource estimate for the Project 1 to support the ongoing feasibility study. For Q2/2020, the Company spent approximately in expenditures related to drilling, maintenance and technical consulting fees, including work on the feasibility study for the Bateman Gold Project (the " "). Expenditures were lower by compared to the same period in 2019 as the Company did not incur expenditures on underground development as part of its 2020 drilling campaign, which was focused on infill and exploratory drilling and delivering an updated mineral resource estimate for the Project to support the ongoing feasibility study. General and administrative expenses (including salaries and benefits, and consulting and professional fees): The Company spent approximately $1.0 million on expenditures related to general and administrative, salaries and benefits, and consulting and professional fees in Q2/2020, lower by $0.3 million due to less salary and benefit costs than Q2/2019. Outlook As of July 30, 2020, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $11.5 million. The Company has sufficient financial resources to carry out the Company's planned activities in 2020: Feasibility study for the Project remains on track for the second half of 2020 ("H2/2020") completion Ongoing exploration at McFinley and Pen Zones: Battle North is on track to complete more than 5,000 m of underground confirmatory diamond drilling to determine the mineral resource potential of the historic McFinley Zone ("McFinley")(approximately 420 m west of the F2 Gold Zone) and the Pen Zone (approximately 500 m northwest of the F2 Gold Zone). The drill program is designed to follow-up on the historic high-grade drill intercepts that were intersected in these two targets. Battle North plans to deliver mineral resource estimates for both the McFinley Zone and the Pen Zone in the 2020 and early 2021, respectively. Due to the proximity of these targets to the existing underground and surface infrastructure of the Bateman Gold Project, mineralized material at McFinley and the Pen Zone areas have the potential to augment the conceptual production profile of the Bateman Gold Project. On July 27, 2020 , Battle North announced encouraging initial drilling results at the Pen Zone2. _____________________________ 1 On July 8, 2020, the Company announced an updated mineral resource estimate for the Project (the "Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate"). For further details, see the Company's news release dated July 8, 2020 and the Technical Report described under "Other Items" in this news release, both of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com. 2 For further details see the Company's news release dated July 27, 2020 which is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com. Other Items Exercise of 800,000 warrants: The Company has confirmed that the 800,000 warrants outstanding owned by Sprott Private Resource Lending (Collector), L.P. (" Sprott "), with a strike price of $1.35 per Battle North common share, were fully exercised in two equal tranches, one in late June and the other in early July, 2020, which resulted in the receipt of $1.08 million of cash. The Company has confirmed that the 800,000 warrants outstanding owned by Sprott Private Resource Lending (Collector), L.P. (" "), with a strike price of per Battle North common share, were fully exercised in two equal tranches, one in late June and the other in early July, 2020, which resulted in the receipt of of cash. "BNAUF" ticker symbol on theOTCQX: Battle North has confirmed that it has commenced trading under its new ticker symbol of BNAUF on the OTCQX markets. Battle North has confirmed that it has commenced trading under its new ticker symbol of BNAUF on the OTCQX markets. An updated technical report for the Project reflecting the Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate was filed on July 27, 2020 in accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. A copy is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorth.com. About Battle North Gold Corporation Battle North Gold 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 second largest and strategic 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 (BNAU) and the OTCQX (BNAUF) markets. For more information, please visit our website at www.battlenorthgold.com. BATTLE NORTH GOLD CORPORATION George Ogilvie, P.Eng. President, CEO, and Director Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements 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 "anticipates", "assumption", "confidence", "conceptual", "contingencies", "development", "estimate", "expect", "exploration", "factors", "feasibility", "focus", "forward", "future", "intended", "may", "ongoing", "on track", "outlook", "plan", "possible", "potential", "profile", "program", "project", "risk", "shovel-ready", "strategic", "study", "target" and "uncertainties", 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 include statements regarding mineral resource estimates including the Updated 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project (including timing of delivery and potential results); the results of the Pen Zone drilling program; ongoing, future or other exploration drilling of Pen and McFinley zones (including any mineral resource potential of the Pen and McFinley zones, any planned mineral resource estimates therefor and potential to use mineralized material therefrom); the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project including percentage and timing of completion, planning and other details of underlying work, impact of ongoing and planned exploration on included mineral resource estimates and contemplated mine plan or otherwise; and feasibility and potential commercial viability of the Bateman Gold Project. 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 June 30, 2020 (the "Q2, 2020 MD&A") and the accompanying financial statements, and the technical report for the Project filed on July 27, 2020 (the "Updated 2020 Technical Report"), all available under the Company's profile 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 other 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 Updated 2020 Technical Report and the ongoing Feasibility Study for the Project, 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 Updated 2020 Technical Report and the Q2, 2020 MD&A and accompanying financial statements, all of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.battlenorthgold.com. The foregoing list of risks, uncertainties, contingencies 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 Q2, 2020 MD&A, the 2020 AIF and Updated 2020 Technical Report. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release (or as 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. SOURCE Battle North Gold Corporation Related Links http://www.battlenorthgold.com/ Dear Editor: Regarding Eli Kassirers July 11 letter to the editor, This is how to make America great again: The letter was so spot on if we lived in the Land of Myopia. Police help millions of people every day, and save the lives of people of all shades of all colors. The vast majority of them are fine people who raise good families, volunteer their time for good causes, give blood, and so on. To zero in only on rogue cops is beyond shallow. And the number of unarmed black men killed by those rogue cops this year is 10, if you round up. I said to a Black longtime friend of mine that Black men kill Black men about that much by the week, and his instant response was, No, by the hour. So I guess Black lives dont matter to you, Mr. Kassirer, given that you and your ilk say nothing at all about any of that. As to the military, here again, myopia, flowers for all. The number of countries receiving U.S. aid is staggering, and many of them, if not for such aid, would surely perish. Take island nations, for example. If not for the U.S. Navy, theyd all be taken over by pirates. Meanwhile, Iran funds a global terror network in which terrorists kill innocents like crazy. So then, the U.S. gives exhaustive and tremendous aid to the human race, protects this world with its economic and military might, while the countries that you completely ignore have nothing but death and hatred to mankind. Police state in America, you say? Have you ever even left New Paltz in your life? Egads! Rob Arnold New York, N.Y. Farmers in Scotland have been told to plan ahead when it comes to vehicle MOTs and driving licence renewals amid the disruption caused by Covid-19. Vehicle MOT extensions, granted due to the closure of testing centres during the coronavirus lockdown, are now being lifted. Farmers and crofters are being urged by NFU Scotland to check the MOT status of their vehicles on the UK government website. Similarly, farmers are also being asked to check the renewal date for their driving licences. Due to disruption caused by the pandemic, farmers are being told not to rely on a receiving a reminder from the DVLA to renew licence due to reduced staffing levels in issuing offices. NFU Scotlands transport helpline has been receiving calls on these issues and the overall message is to plan ahead. Chairman of NFU Scotlands Legal Committee, Tom French said: The implications of being caught out will introduce yet more disruption and potential delays to getting on with the day job, especially during this busy period. This is a gentle reminder to check your driving licence renewal date to see if a renewal date is looming and, if it is, then be proactive in getting it renewed. "Also, if needed, book your MOT in advance and to give plenty of notice to your garage to avoid disappointment, Mr French said. In response to Covid-19, vehicles were given MOT extensions because test centres were required to close. As lockdown gradually lifts, some MOTs will be due for renewal. NFU Scotland has released a business guide for farmers about how this impacts cars, vans and motorbikes, and heavy vehicles as different rules apply. Mark Makela/Getty Former Vice President Joe Bidens campaign is expanding its months of back-channel outreach to Republicans, with a new goal to hit President Donald Trump on one of his signature issues: China. Team Biden has recently launched a new public effort to attack Trump on the trade deal he made with Chinese President Xi Jinpinga pact that the Democrats say fails to compel Beijing to buy significantly more American goods. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, hawkish Republican policy experts on Chinapeople who, until recently, were in Trumps greater orbitare connecting with members of the Biden campaign. While China has ramped up its agricultural purchases in recent weeks, trade data shows Beijing is still behind its commitments under the deal it signed with the Trump administration. Analysts say that while the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the flow of goods between the two countries, it does not fully explain the gap. In anticipation of the possibility that the deal continues to unravel, Republicans, some of whom have advised the current administration on China policy, are looking to the Biden camp to offer not only their support to the Democratic candidate but also their informal guidance on ways to formulate a tough economic posture toward Beijing. The deal was bad from the beginning. No one thought it was going to make China do anything, said one Republican who has spoken with members of the Biden team in recent weeks. Now all there is left to do is for the administration to pull out of the deal. Theres more potential with Biden for a new slate... to start the trade policy from scratch. And to do it better. Three individuals who work for conservative think tanks in Washington with hawkish approaches to China told The Daily Beast that theyve been informally speaking with members of the Biden team in recent weeks about the failures of the trade deal, particularly the lack of enforcement mechanisms and its inability to hold Beijing accountable for things like cyber attacks and intellectual property theft. Other Republicans close to the Biden campaign privately point to a range of ongoing ways Team Biden is trying to preemptively plan around any surprise moves Trump may pull ahead of November, including on foreign policy. Story continues The conversations highlight the extent to which Republicans, some of whom have supported Trump in the past, are so frustrated with the U.S.-China trade deal and the administrations efforts to hold Beijing accountable that they are willing to offer counsel to the Democratic nominee. This deal was a mistake from the start. China was never going to comply and China was always going to buy more U.S. agriculture as a simple necessity, said Gordon Chang, a hawkish China author and analyst who appears frequently on Fox News. Chang, a Daily Beast contributor, is not one of the Republicans in conversation with the Biden team. But the future of the U.S. is not selling more soybeans to China, its about protecting U.S. intellectual property. And China is still stealing it. The trade pact may not even be the most pressing issue in the Trump administrations China portfolio. Chang said the White House has other, far more dangerous Chinese behavior to deal with, including Beijings crackdown in Hong Kong. For the Biden team, the administrations handling of the trade deal has plunged American manufacturing into a recession and devastated the heartland with skyrocketing farm bankruptcies, said Andrew Bates, a Biden campaign spokesperson. The costs of Donald Trump's selling every American out to China are so historically unprecedented and infuriating that experts from both parties are sounding the alarm about us having been taken to the cleaners while Chinese officials openly root for Trump's re-election," Bates said. The former vice presidents China rhetoric has sharpened in the run-up to the election. Over a year ago during the Democratic primary, Biden attracted criticism for implying that China would not pose a considerable threat to the United States. China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man, Biden said in May 2019 at a stop in Iowa, where he ultimately finished in fourth place in the caucus. I mean, you know, theyre not bad folks, folks. But guess what? Theyre not competition for us, he said at the time. At other points in the primary, candidate Biden also had to brush off months-long attacks on his son, Hunter Biden, from Trump and Republican allies who accused him without evidence of acting as a conduit to influence his father while serving as a board member on a Chinese-backed financial company. (In October, Hunter Biden said he was stepping down from the board.) Biden would be wise not to talk about China, Chang said, adding that broaching the subject publicly would only bring up more criticism for his sons financial dealings. But moving into general election mode, the Biden campaign has chosen instead to amplify the contrasts. Bidens team has publicly bashed Trump for the trade deal, running an ad recently, promoted on the Democratic National Committees website, that said the president lost the trade war he started. Trump said hed get tough on China. He didnt get toughhe got played. Trump lost a trade war that he started. Farmers bankrupted. Steel workers betrayed. And manufacturing, in a recession. Donald Trump lost, the narration said. Since then, the Biden team has also made an overt, persistent push to signal to voters that he supports American-made products. On Tuesday, Biden will address the fourth component of his Build Back Better plan in Wilmington, Delaware, a continuation of his buy American positioning and explanation of his economic vision against Trump. Officials within the Biden team emphasize that the candidates China strategy goes beyond just attacking Trump. One senior foreign policy campaign official described to The Daily Beast a series of conversations that have taken place over the last several weeks about the need to develop a strategy in dealing with China that is rooted in a common agenda with Americas allies. Biden is interested in announcing enforcement actions against Beijing with those countries that have a similar outlook on trade, cyber and human rights, that official said. When pressed on how the Democrat would hold Beijing accountable for its malicious behavior, the senior campaign official said Biden would consider new sanctions and imposing other, additional measures to cut China off from the U.S. market. The pre-planning of any major policy moves on China, of course, comes with a perceived electoral upside, as Biden continues to gain a significant polling advantage in battlegrounds that would be directly impacted by the country. In Michigan, for example, a trio of recent surveys show the former vice president with leads over Trump above the margins of error, with one CNN poll giving Biden a whopping 13-point advantage. And Michigan is just one of the areas where prominent disaffected Republicans are spending strategic resources with the explicit goal to win the messaging war on behalf of Biden on trade, the economy, and jobs. Republicans and the Biden team are looking for various moments and opportunities where they can create the October surprise effect, before October, said one longtime Republican operative familiar with high levels of the Biden campaigns thinking. The foreign policy space is one where given Bidens track record as a senator, even more so than as vice president, there are a lot more Republicans who are comfortable with a Biden foreign policy. Everybodys been quietly moving behind the scenes, the source added, noting that there are a whole bunch of issues where theyre looking for folks to come out at the right time, sort of change the narrative. Kris Purcell, a co-chair of the newly formed GOP group 43 Alumni for Biden and a Bush White House alum, said hes heard angst from Bush-aligned Republicans on everything from failing to respond to COVID-19 to trampling the Constitution and the rule of law. When foreign policy is mentioned in those circles, its in the broadest possible terms that speak to Trumps general national security incompetence, he said. On China, however, there is a sense among former Bush staffers who now support Bidens bid that Trumps trade policies are hurting voters in the middle of the country. I think people just recognize that tariff policies in particular have been really damaging to farmers, they drive up costs, Purcell said. They know that Donald Trump is lying about saying all of these billions of dollars are coming into the Treasury. Dov Zakheim, a former under secretary of defense, told The Daily Beast that officials in Bidens orbit have indeed been occasionally tapping national security officials from Republican circles for advice as the general election nears. The Biden campaign is clearly welcoming us, Zakheim said. That doesnt mean theyre going to listen to everything we say or write. Asked to elaborate on who us refers to, he offered some basic buckets, including national security hands who worked for former presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Zakheim said he would have been willing to work closely with the Trump administration on China but that the presidents personal demeanor has made that nearly impossible to achieve. Still, he pointed to a few points where Team Trump was on the right path before the president veered off course. I think the administration is not completely wrong when it wants China to be part of the New START discussions, he said, referring to arms control negotiations. How they go about it is a different story. But theyre fundamentally not incorrect, I mean the Chinese are building up like crazy. When asked if Trump should pull out of the trade deal, however, Zakheim offered a quick no. I wouldnt go ahead and cut any more deals with them right now, but I certainly wouldnt want to walk away from the deal that has been cut, he said. What Trump has basically done is neuter us in different ways. Read more at The Daily Beast. Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Home Security Systems Market by Home Type (Independent Homes, Apartments), Security (Professionally Installed & Monitored, Do-It-Yourself), Systems (Access Control Systems), Services (Security System Integration Services), Region - Global Forecast 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global home security systems market was valued at USD 53.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 78.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period. The growth of the home security systems market is driven by factors such as growing awareness regarding home security systems, the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless technologies and increasing adoption of IP cameras for video surveillance amid COVID-19 crisis. Home security system market for condominiums and apartments to grow at higher CAGR during the forecast period. Owing to the increasing urbanization, the cities have started growing vertically, leading to the growth in the number of residential apartments and complexes. People in cities prefer condominiums and apartments owing to the integrated security and amenities within optimized prices. Therefore, providing a high level of security, while managing a large number of households, becomes necessary for the society builders and management bodies. Thus, with the increasing number of condominiums and apartment projects in cities worldwide, the home security market for condominiums and apartments is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. Professionally installed and monitored security systems to account for the largest share of the market by 2025. The large market for professionally installed and monitored security systems is mainly attributed to the growing concern among consumers about consistent security and real-time monitoring, and rising disposable income. Customers can entirely rely on professionally installed and monitored security systems, which are backed up with engineering and maintenance support. Consumers prefer opting for this category of products as the direct involvement of experts in handling and managing such products saves time and reduces efforts. Under a complete security package, professional monitoring companies offer possible discounts and insurance benefits. Moreover, these companies can communicate with offsite monitoring centers to ask for police, firefighters, and ambulance assistance in emergencies. Home security system market for products to grow at higher CAGR during the forecast period. The projected growth of the home security system market for products is mainly attributed to the increasing penetration of these systems in emerging economies and the rising adoption of do-it-yourself (DIY) products. Additionally, the proliferation of smart city projects, the emergence of IoT, and the integration of wireless technology are a few factors that are expected to fuel the implementation of home security products across different households. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Attractive Opportunities in Home Security Systems Market 4.2 Market, by System 4.3 Market, by Systems and Country 4.4 US Held Largest Share of Market in 2019 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Market Dynamics 5.2.1 Drivers 5.2.1.1 Emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Technologies 5.2.1.2 Growing Awareness Regarding Home Security Systems 5.2.1.3 Increasing Adoption of IP Cameras for Video Surveillance Amid 5.2.2 Restraints 5.2.2.1 High Installation, Maintenance, and Operational Costs 5.2.3 Opportunities 5.2.3.1 Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning in Home Security Systems 5.2.3.2 Worldwide Proliferation of Smart Cities Initiative 5.2.4 Challenges 5.2.4.1 System Complexity 5.2.4.2 Privacy of Highly Confidential Information 5.2.4.3 Disruption in the Supply Chain Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic 6 Industry Trends 6.1 Value Chain Analysis 6.2 Emerging Trends 6.2.1 Increasing Adoption of Cloud Technologies for Smart Surveillance 7 Home Security Systems Market, by Systems 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Systems 7.3 Fire Protection System Market 7.4 Video Surveillance Systems 7.5 Access Control Systems 7.6 Entrance Control Systems 7.7 Intruder Alarm 8 Home Security Systems Market, by Services 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Security System Integration Services 8.3 Remote Monitoring Services 8.4 Fire Security Services 8.5 Engineering Services 8.6 Installation and Design 8.7 Maintenance Services 8.8 Managed Services 8.9 Others 8.10 Video Surveillance Services 8.11 Installation and Maintenance 8.12 Video Surveillance as Services 8.13 Access Control Services 8.14 Installation & Integration 8.15 Maintenance Service 8.16 Access Control-as-a-Service 9 Home Security Systems Market, by Security 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Professionally Installed and Monitored Systems 9.3 Self-Installed and Professionally Monitored Systems 9.4 Do-It-Yourself (DIY) 10 Home Security Systems Market, by Home Type 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Independent Houses 10.3 Condominium/Apartments 11 Geographic Analysis 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Americas 11.3 Europe 11.4 APAC 11.5 RoW 12 Competitive Landscape 12.1 Overview 12.2 Market Ranking Analysis 12.2.1 Product Launches 12.2.2 Agreements, Partnerships and Collaboration 12.2.3 Acquisitions 12.3 Competitive Leadership Mapping 12.3.1 Visionary Leaders 12.3.2 Innovators 12.3.3 Dynamic Differentiators 12.3.4 Emerging Players 12.4 Business Strategy Excellence Analysis (25 Companies) 12.5 Strength of Product Portfolio Analysis (25 Companies) 13 Company Profiles 13.1 Key Players 13.1.1 ADT 13.1.2 Honeywell International 13.1.3 Johnson Controls 13.1.4 Hangzhau Higvision Digital Technology 13.1.5 Assa Abloy 13.1.6 Secom 13.1.7 Robert Bosch 13.1.8 Allegion 13.1.9 Control4 Corp. 13.1.10 ABB 13.2 Right to Win 13.3 Other Players 13.3.1 Comcast 13.3.2 Alarm.Com 13.3.3 Nortek Security & Solution 13.3.4 Vivint 13.3.5 Simplisafe 13.3.6 Armorax 13.3.7 Canary 13.3.8 Scout 13.3.9 Legrand 13.3.10 Schneider Electric For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xzyygk 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 CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Trader Joes denied any of its product names are racist and said it would continue to sell the items if they resonate with customers. The hip grocery store chain sought to clarify an earlier statement by a spokesperson, responding to a petition that accused product names such as Trader Mings, Trader Jose and Arabian Joe as being racist, who said such branding was being phased out. While this approach to product naming may have been rooted in a lighthearted attempt at inclusiveness, we recognize that it may now have the opposite effect, Trader Joes spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement on July 19. With this in mind, we made the decision several years ago to use only the Trader Joes name on our products moving forward. However, the store took issue with news reports that suggested it agreed with the petition, which accused Trader Joes of selling a narrative of exoticism that perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and the decision to change the packaging was part of the racial reckoning other brands, such as Aunt Jemima and Uncle Bens, have faced. We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions, Trader Joes wrote on its website. We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members. If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action. Decades ago, our Buying Team started using product names, like Trader Giottos, Trader Joses, Trader Mings, etc. We thought thenand still dothat this naming of products could be fun and show appreciation for other cultures, the statement continued. These products have been really popular with our customers. The retailer reaffirmed it began reviewing all of its products a couple of years ago to see if any needed to be refreshed or discontinued. Indeed, some products that werent connecting or selling very well were dropped. However, since the petition and subsequent news reports came out, the company said feedback from customers showed they viewed these international variations on the Trader Joes name as they were intended-- as an attempt to have fun with our product marketing. The evaluation process will continue, the company said, adding, products that resonate with our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 42 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. 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. - Tom Joseph Mboya was born to Leonardus Ndiege and Marcella Awour in Kilima Mbogo area (Machakos county) on July 5, 1930 - He attended Catholic mission schools in his early stages of education before he secured a chance at the prestigious Mang'u High School - Mboya began his activism and lobbying program at the age of 20 years - He rose through the ranks to become the most revered trade unionist not only in Kenya but across the globe - He was a close associate of world's finest political and human rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr and America's 35th president John F. Kennedy PAY ATTENTION: Help us change more lives, join TUKO.co.kes Patreon programme At the height of Kenya's clamour for self-rule in the early days of 1950s, the country's youthful, astute and charismatic leaders of the calibre of Tom Joseph Mboya were at the centre of revolutionary push that later bore the fruits of independence. The late Tom Joseph Mboya, an Africanist and vocal trade unionist. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection. Source: UGC Though many participate in the liberation struggle and subsequent push for social-economic reforms, Mboya's dedication and resolve to turn around the country's misfortunes was unmatched, not only locally but also globally. The iconic nationalist was born to Leonardus Ndiege and Marcella Awour in Kilima Mbogo area (Machakos county) on July 5, 1930. He attended Catholic mission schools in his early stages of education. His parents were low-income sisal farmers and could not afford to pay for his school fees Mboya, however, completed his secondary school education at the prestigious Mangu High School. READ ALSO: Kirinyaga: Demu azirai kupata habari mpenziwe ameoa rafikiye wa karibu The firebrand trade unionist then joined sanitary inspectors school in Nairobi between 148 -1950 where he attended classes and partly worked for the institution for a living that sustained his stay in the city. Upon completion of the course, Mboya was posted as a sanitary inspector officer in the city and later contested for the post of secretary of the African Employees Union which he clinched. In 1952, Mboya formed the Kenya Local Government Workers Union (KLGWU) and began his activism and lobbying programs. Tom Mboya interacting with Kenyan students during his prime time as a minister and trade unionist. Photo: Kenya Archives. Source: UGC When the British government declared a state of emergency later that year, and Mau Mau leaders among them Mzee Jomo Kenyatta were arrested, Mboya stepped up and filled the leadership vacuum in Kenyatta's Kenya African Union (KAU) party by accepting to serve as its treasurer. When he leant of an impending plan to ban the political outfit, the young economist marshalled five key trade unions in the country and formed a strong united front, the Kenya Federation of Labour (KFL). The KFL became the largest "officially" recognised African organisation in Kenya. Between 1955-1956, the British Labour Party offered Mboya a scholarship to Oxford University where he studied industrial management at Ruskin College. When he returned in 1957, Mboya formed the People's Convention Party and was elected to join the colony's legislative council (LEGCO) as one of only eight African members. Mboya (right) with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in early i960s. Photo: Kenya Archives. Source: UGC Here, he pushed for equal representation that saw the colonial masters bow to pressure and increased the number of Africans in the LEGCO from eight to 14, same number as Europeans. On April 18, 1959, Mboya addressed a crowd of more than 20,000 in Washington DC, US on invitation by civil rights leader Martin Lurther King Jr. He helped found the African-American Students Foundation to raise money to send East African university students to the United States on charter flights, thus making it possible for many more students to study abroad. Among the beneficiaries of the program include Wangari Maathai, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Barrack Obama's father Barrack Hussein Obama Senior. The young Kenyan leader worked closely with the then popular United States senator John F. Kennedy who later became president. Tom Mboya in Londo in 1960. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection. Source: UGC Mboya became a founder-member of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) in 1960 and was appointed minister of labour in the coalition government before independence and actively participated in the constitutional talks that led to independence in 1963. Kenyatta who was then a prime minister appointed the then 33-year-old trade unionist minister for justice and constitutional affairs. In 1964, Mboya was appointed minister for economic planning and development, laying the foundation for a strong mixed economy and capitalist-oriented policies. The portfolio placed him on the world map of towering and most articulate trade unionists revered for advancing radical and impactful reforms. Fast forward to 1969, Mboya's political star had sprouted out and was glimmering beyond the African continent. Tom Mboya with his wife Pamela Odede. The couple had five children by 1969 when Mboya died. Photo. Source: UGC Many of Kenyatta's allies started marking his steps for fear that he was poised to take over the mantle of leadership from the founding president against their wish. On 5 July 1969, in brought daylight, a bullet was pulled on the 39-year-old Kenyan leader outside a chemist along Government Road (now Moi Avenue) in Nairobi city. The bullet prematurely brought the life of the promising trade unionist to a tragic end. The country was thrown into a state of mourning as tension and civil animosity pitting the Luo against the Kikuyu community escalated. After days of mourning and bickering, the celebrated nationalist was laid to rest at his father's rural home in Rusinga, Homa Bay county. Mboya was married to Pamela Odede and had five children. Pamela was a judge and passed on in January 2009 while seeking treatment in South Africa 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. Follow up: The 8-year-old girl who became her father's wife | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke By Jarrett Banks Chinas booming property market has long tempted American investors and Shenzhen-based Nam Tai Property (NYSE: NTP) certainly fit the bill for the likes of BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street. But things took a downward turn three years ago when developer Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. (HKG: 1638) bought 18 percent of Nam Tais shares and replaced the CEO, according to activist investor IsZo Capital Management, which owns 9.8% of the shares. In an interview with CorpGov, IsZo Capital Founding Partner Brian Sheehy said since then the company has been a case study in mismanagement. IsZo recently sent a letter to shareholders asking for Nam Tai to refresh the Board of Directors. Nam Tai didnt immediately respond to an e-mail. The full interview is below: CorpGov: Why is there so much uncertainty around Nam Tai Property and Kaisa management? Since Kaisa Group began accumulating its stake and seizing control of Nam Tai Property in late 2017, the company has been on a value-destructive tailspin due to dismal corporate governance, incessant self-dealing, non-existent shareholder engagement, bare minimum disclosures, and reckless capital allocation decisions. The companys total shareholder returns during Ying Chi Kwoks two-and-a-half years as Chief Executive Officer is nearly -57% (through day before we first went public on May 26, 2020). The Board, which established shown is packed with Kaisa affiliates and family members, appears to have spent far more time authorizing related-party fees to Kaisa than developing a strategy. To further underscore Nam Tais current disregard for non-insiders, it was recently announced in a single, buried sentence in the companys 20-F filing that it purchased a $101 million site equaling 80% of cash on hand in Dongguan City. We believe Kaisa insiders cannot be trusted. CorpGov: Is this fundamentally a difference in the way Chinese companies are run vs Western companies? Its important to realize that there are many well-managed companies based in China. While governance norms are different there, the best companies in China share many of the same attributes that the best companies in the West maintain: they have clear corporate strategies, they engage with their shareholders, they focus on creating value for all investors and they provide levels of disclosure that public market participants expect. We believe Nam Tai can become one of those companies if our slate is installed and retains a top executive management team in China. Our slate is in the process of assessing strong managers in mainland China to help turn around Nam Tai. We intend to take prompt, pragmatic action if our slate assumes control of the board of directors and is able to work with incumbents Peter Kellogg and Mark Waslen. Story continues CorpGov: How does this compare with other high-profile mismanagement in US-listed Chinese companies such as Luckin Coffee? We dont use a broad brush to paint companies. There have certainly been instances of egregious mismanagement in China, but there are also plenty of examples of collapses and poor governance in the U.S. and Europe. Keep in mind that a number of notable U.S.-listed Chinese companies have performed quite well since going public. Unfortunately for Nam Tai shareholders, the companys deteriorating performance is the byproduct of a self-interested and corrupt management team that is among the worlds worst. Kaisa has a well-documented and very public history of defaulting on obligations, mistreating investors and prioritizing its own interests. To be clear, though, Nam Tai isnt a fraud. The projects are real and the company very valuable assets, which are unfortunately being pilfered by a self-interested manager/family. CorpGov: Nam Tais shareholders include asset managers like BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street. Have you been in touch with the companys largest shareholders about your special meeting request? Although we cant comment on interactions with specific shareholders, weve received strong and positive feedback from many investors. The shareholders were interacting with seem very enthusiastic about the potential for a special meeting and the opportunity to reconstitute the board of directors with our six-member slate. Thats exactly the reception we hoped for when we set out to obtain support from 30% of the shareholder base for a special meeting. CorpGov: Why do you think there has been very limited communication from Nam Tai Property senior management to investors? Managements decision to perpetually ignore shareholders concerns has been a major red flag. We suspect that Mr. Kwok and Kaisa insiders dont want to transparently communicate with shareholders because they have no strategy and are simply focused on enriching themselves. Based on our own experience and communication with other shareholders, it seems like Mr. Kwok is generally unengaged and rarely even visits any of the companys projects. Were looking forward to installing a China-based chief executive officer that is hands-on when it comes to implementing a value-enhancing strategy and engaging properly with shareholders. CorpGov: Can you talk about the amount of value you think can be realized if you win and the Board is reconstituted? Although Nam Tais shares trade at what we believe is a steep Kaisa discount today, we believe the intrinsic value of the companys assets is well north of $20 per share. Weve pointed out in the past that the companys commercial projects previously had three independent valuations that ranged from $2 to $3 billion, suggesting per share value of $20 to $40 per share. Nam Tai should commission new valuation estimates if it now wants to talk down the value of its assets amidst our campaign. The detailed strategic plan that our slate will release in the near-term includes specific steps to unlocking the value currently trapped within Nam Tais assets. Even if Kaisa tries to implement cosmetic changes or orchestrate a tender offer to undermine our campaign, we believe shareholders will focus on the significant long-term value creation opportunity being presented by our slate. CorpGov: How does this compare to other cases where U.S. activists sought to reconstitute the Board of a company in China? This is a relatively unique situation because we have the ability to call a special meeting of shareholders and were proposing to hold a vote to reconstitute a majority of the board of directors. We also believe the involvement of Kaisa a publicly-listed company itself and its dramatic value destruction makes this situation all the more unique. Most of the activist engagements that weve followed in Asia and China tend to be more conventional director nominations ahead of annual meetings. Fortunately, Nam Tai shareholders have the near-term opportunity to effect truly meaningful and sweeping boardroom changes. CorpGov: What are the COVID-related issues? There are pandemic-related issues that every responsible board of directors should be planning for right now. When IsZo began recruiting its slate, we factored in how important it is to have the right mix of individuals with current public company director experience and legal and risk management expertise. This has equipped our slate to identify local experts to support health-related and regulatory requirements at projects, monitoring COVID-19 statistics in relevant jurisdictions, and planning for how to manage Nam Tais portfolio of assets and maintain liquidity if a harsh market downturn ensues. Were thinking about pandemic-related risks and the preservation of assets as if we were already in the boardroom. Contact: www.CorpGov.com JB@capmarketsmedia.com Twitter: @CorpGovernor (Newser) The coronavirus has claimed another familiar name: Herman Cain, a 2012 GOP presidential candidate, has died at age 74, reports CNBC. Cain was hospitalized in Atlanta on July 1, though his Twitter feed had reported that he was improving throughout the month and quoted Cain himself as saying he was on "cruise control" on July 10. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, who was a cancer survivor and thus at greater risk for COVID-19, made his mark in the business world before he entered politics. In fact, President Trump once considered putting him on the Federal Reserve. story continues below Cain co-chaired the group Black Voices for Trump. About two weeks before he entered the hospital, Cain tweeted a photo of himself with others at Trump's rally in Tulsa, Okla. Neither he nor those around him were wearing masks, though it's not clear whether he contracted the virus at the rally. While in the hospital, Axios notes that Cain tweeted a comment (since deleted) about the president's July 4 celebration at Mount Rushmore, writing: "Masks will not be mandatory for the event, which will be attended by President Trump. PEOPLE ARE FED UP!" (Read more Herman Cain stories.) EDMONTONAlbertas premier says an overwhelming vote of non-confidence from members of the Alberta Medical Association wont sway him into turfing his health minister. The group representing doctors and medical students held a referendum this past week on Health Minister Tyler Shandros ability to manage the provinces health-care system. The minister has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with doctors that escalated when he tore up the governments master pay agreement with the medical association in February. Many doctors, particularly in rural areas, have said they can no longer afford to work in hospitals and keep up their practices. The medical association has said at least 40 per cent of its members have at least contemplated leaving Alberta, which Shandro has dismissed as a bargaining tactic. I think Minister Shandro is doing a fantastic job of getting us through the COVID crisis while also addressing huge challenges that we were elected to address, Kenney said Wednesday at a news conference touting the 34 bills the United Conservative government passed during the spring legislative sitting. Of the nearly 9,000 who voted in the associations survey two-thirds of the number who were eligible 98 per cent said they did not have confidence in Shandro. Over the past year, Mr. Shandros words and actions have created a chaotic state in health care and have alienated most of the people responsible for actually delivering the care in the system, said association president Dr. Christine Molnar. Its a toxic situation, and physicians have clearly had enough of it. Kenney said his government is not accountable to members of an interest group that make up a quarter of one per cent of Albertas population, yet account for up to 10 per cent of the provinces budget. Opposition NDP health critic David Shepherd said Wednesday that the UCPs approach to negotiating with doctors has been like scorched earth warfare. No ones saying its easy to be a cabinet minister, but Tyler Shandro, more than anyone else, shows that he is not capable of and does not deserve this job. Contentious health and labour bills passed during an all-night session that ended early Wednesday. The government says Bill 30, which amends nine pieces of existing legislation, will strengthen Albertas health-care system and reduce surgical wait times. The NDP contends it would open the door to American-style health care. Also Wednesday, Kenney defended sweeping legislation that, among other things, would prevent unions from spending dues on political causes without their members consent. We believe it is frankly offensive that people should be compelled through their forced union dues to pay for advocacy which violates their most deeply held values or their own economic interests, he said. He cited the examples of energy workers dues going toward anti-pipeline campaigns, or those of Jewish workers funding anti-Israel advocacy. The NDP has decried Bill 32 as a union-busting strategy that attempts to shut down free speech. The Alberta Federation of Labour has said a coalition of 25 unions plans to challenge the constitutionality of the legislation in court. Kenney said that his government believes the opt-out provision is entirely lawful. The bill also includes changes that the UCP said are meant to allow for more flexibility in how overtime is calculated and how employers who break the rules are punished. Labour federation president Gil McGowan called Bill 32 a noxious, anti-worker piece of legislation. Bill 32 will end overtime as we know it in Alberta and, in the process, vaporize huge chunks of income for many Alberta families, he said in a statement. It will allow employers to essentially opt out of basic workplace protections, making a mockery of the whole notion of minimum workplace standards. And it will deny working Albertans the bargaining power they need to stand up to bad bosses. Read more about: Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 15:13:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia confirmed Thursday that a U.S. diplomat was tested positive for COVID-19, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 234, said a Health Ministry's statement. The statement described the man as a senior diplomat who had traveled from the United States to Cambodia recently. "On the 13th day of his quarantine, his samples were tested for the COVID-19 for the second time, and the result released on Wednesday showed that he was positive for the virus," it said. "The patient has been placed in an isolation ward at the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh, receiving treatment from the U.S. doctors to the embassy," it added. Meanwhile, the statement said one of the two U.S. senior diplomats, who tested positive for the COVID-19 on July 16, had recovered after the last two tests turned out to be negative. The Southeast Asian country has so far recorded a total of 234 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 162 patients cured and 72 remained in hospital. Enditem Police said at around 11:30 a.m. on that day, a relative of Ienzis was asleep in an upstairs bedroom and was awakened by a loud noise and the sound of Ienzi yelling. She went downstairs to find Ienzi struggling with an unknown man holding a knife, officials said, and she ran back upstairs to call 911. Brazil's first lady has tested positive for coronavirus just days after her husband President Jair Bolsonaro tested negative, having spent two weeks in isolation with the virus. Michelle Bolsonaro, 38, has tested positive for coronavirus, a statement from the presidency's press office announced on Thursday. The statement said she appeared to be in good health, but would be following established protocols. Brazil's first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, 38, has tested positive for coronavirus after her husband President Jair Bolsonaro, 65, spent two weeks isolating after contracting the virus The President and first lady attended the first public event since Bolsonaro tested negative for coronavirus on Wednesday Science and technology minister Marcos Pontes also announced on Twitter that he tested positive after experiencing flu-like symptoms and headache. The 57-year-old is now in isolation. This comes after President Jair Bolsonaro told reporters on July 7 that he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. The 65-year-old was then confined to the presidential palace in the capital, Brasilia, for more than two weeks. He was tested for the virus again on July 21, which showed that he had tested positive for the third time since falling ill. But on Saturday, Bolsonaro announced that he had tested negative for coronavirus. Science and technology minister Marcos Pontes (above) also wrote on Twitter that he tested positive for coronavirus and is now in isolation Michelle Bolsonaro appears to be in good health but will follow established protocols, a statement from the presidency's press office announced on Thursday Alongside his wife, he attended his first public event, recognising rural women workers, on Wednesday. They were joined by Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina and the minister of women, family and human rights, Damares Alves. Bolsonaro has also hailed the unproven malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a remedy for Covid-19, following in the footsteps of Donald Trump. Margareth Dalcomo, an expert at Brazil's leading public-health institute, Fiocruz, said Bolsonaro's promotion of the drug was 'deplorable.' 'This politicisation of the drug by the US and Brazilian presidents for murky reasons has no justification, and it deceives people,' she said. Brazil, which has the the second-largest coronavirus outbreak in the world, has seen record spikes in the number of new coronavirus cases this week The latest figures show that Brazil saw 70,859 new coronavirus cases recorded on July 29, along with 1,554 deaths Last week, Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni and Education Minister Milton Ribeiro announced they had tested positive for coronavirus. In March, two other Cabinet members were infected. Bolsonaro has faced severe criticism for downplaying the virus and attacking social distancing measures adopted by state and local authorities. Brazil, which has the the second-largest coronavirus outbreak in the world, has seen record spikes in the number of new coronavirus cases this week. The 67,860 new cases announced on July 22 smashed the previous record of 54,771 on June 19. The latest figures show that Brazil saw 70,859 new coronavirus cases recorded on July 29, along with 1,554 deaths. President Jair Bolsonaro is on his third health minister since the pandemic reached Brazil, after falling out with two doctors who previously held the post over their recommendations on containing the virus Bolsonaro has hailed the unproven malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a remedy for Covid-19, following in the footsteps of Donald Trump in a move that has been deemed 'deplorable' After this week's spikes, the country has recorded more than 2.5million coronavirus cases and 90,383 deaths, according to official statistics. Brazil's figures are second only to the United States, and experts say under-testing means the real numbers are probably much higher. Bolsonaro is on his third health minister since the pandemic reached Brazil five months ago, after falling out with two doctors who previously held the post over their recommendations on containing the virus. The current interim minister is Eduardo Pazuello, a military general with no prior medical experience. ZUG, Switzerland, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitcoin Association, the Switzerland-based global industry organization that advances Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), has named Patrick Prinz, CFA as its new Europe & Operations Manager. Working out of the Association's headquarters in "Crypto Valley" Zug, Switzerland, Prinz will serve two roles - advance the business growth of Bitcoin SV throughout Europe and support the operational needs of the organization globally. Bitcoin Association supports Bitcoin SV because it is the only blockchain protocol adhering to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto's original design and vision for Bitcoin to become a peer-to-peer electronic cash system and global data ledger for enterprise. The Bitcoin SV ecosystem has rapidly grown to over 428 known Bitcoin SV projects and ventures worldwide. Developers and businesses are discovering the value of the Bitcoin blockchain when it massively scales - a public ledger capable of huge transaction volumes, micropayments, greater data capacity, smart contracts, tokenization, and many advanced applications. A true believer in this Satoshi Vision for Bitcoin, Prinz has a strong background in financial services and strategy consulting. Most recently, he worked as a senior investment advisor for a global asset management group. Prinz advised on emerging technologies, and discovered the benefits of having a single, massively scalable, public, auditable ledger for storing any type of data and allowing value transfer at a micropayment level - only possible using the Bitcoin SV blockchain. Previously, Prinz was a consultant at a leading strategy consulting firm - acting as advisor to international banks on how to incorporate complex regulatory requirements and adapt business models to industry paradigm shifts. He began his career in corporate and investment banking, working at Deutsche Bank and Citi. Prinz holds a Master of Science degree in Banking and Finance and a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business Administration. Speaking on his appointment, Prinz said: "Bitcoin SV is finally fulfilling the potential that initially excited me about Bitcoin many years ago - to achieve efficiencies as the single public data ledger and micropayment system for the world. As I was puzzled by the fact that innovation and development were not happening on BTC, I did my own extensive research and realized that Satoshi Nakamoto's original design and the Bitcoin white paper always had the answers to achieve a massively scalable global public blockchain. With scaling comes efficiency, and with efficiency come innovation and entrepreneurship - which is all happening on Bitcoin SV with the emergence of completely new business models powered by microtransactions and the immutable public ledger that Bitcoin is. I am thrilled to join Bitcoin Association to work with businesses and entrepreneurs to educate them on the transformative power which Bitcoin SV brings to the world." Jimmy Nguyen, Founding President of Bitcoin Association, commented: "With Patrick's addition, we welcome to our team another high-caliber professional with international business experience. Patrick will play a vital role in operational management as we grow our headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. He will also be a strong business voice for Bitcoin SV across Europe - with his financial services knowledge, effective communication skills, and passionate belief in Bitcoin's true power." Patrick's hire is the latest step in the global expansion of Bitcoin Association. He joins two other regional business managers - Lise Li (China) and Ella Qiang (Southeast Asia, based in Singapore) - all with considerable experience in both Bitcoin and business. Additional team members come from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, and New Zealand. The staff is further supported by Bitcoin Association Global Ambassadors in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Panama, Russia and CIS region, the Scandinavia region, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and the United States. About Bitcoin Association Bitcoin Association is the Switzerland-based global industry organization which advances the Bitcoin SV digital currency and blockchain. Trading as BSV, Bitcoin SV (Satoshi Vision) is the original Bitcoin protocol created by Dr. Craig S. Wright. The Association brings together enterprises, start-up ventures, developers, merchants, exchanges, service providers, blockchain transaction processors (miners), and others in the Bitcoin SV ecosystem to advance the growth of Bitcoin commerce. The Association seeks to build a regulation-friendly ecosystem that fosters lawful conduct while encouraging technology innovation. To hear from Bitcoin SV industry leaders, attend or watch the CoinGeek Live conference September 30-October 2, 2020. It will be a hybrid live + virtual event, with live venues in New York, USA and London, UK. Logo; https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1218683/Bitcoin_Association_Logo.jpg The festival calendar has been rendered dull this year, thanks to the Covid crisis. The days of thriving festivities have come and gone by in a state of lacklustre haze. Eid-ul-adha, which begins on July 31 this year, and culminates on August 1 in India as per moon sighting, is a day that will also go by without the usual daawats and family feasts. Eid-ul-adha marks some important rituals in Islam, but this year, due to the Covid19 scare, celebrations will be low-key for many. Some have chosen to donate money in place of distributing meat of the sacrificial lamb, while others will let go of family gatherings. Author Sadia Dehlvi, known for her lavish lunches and soirees, says, We used to have nice lunches, but this year, it will be very quiet. My brother and his wife will come over and we will have dinner, but thats about it. Any festival is an excuse for extended family and friends to get together. People you might not otherwise see all year round visit and partake in the celebrations. Author Rakhshanda Jalil, who would make elaborate meals consisting of sewaiyan, biryani, kebabs and kaleji, will be letting go of this tradition. We would usually have an open house, but this year, there will be no gathering. The whole point of a feast is that you cook for family and friends, and all of you celebrate together, she says. Another aspect of Eid-ul-adha is charity. In case a practising Muslim is unable to distribute meat to the needy, then they donate money. Author Rana Safvi has also been doing that. This year, we will be celebrating it in spirit. Even my daughter, who lives in Delhi, wont be able to visit as I live in Greater NOIDA and there are restrictions on movement, she says. Read: Eid al-Adah 2020: Traditional and unconventional recipes for Bakrid Visiting relatives and exchanging gifts is an intrinsic part of festivals, but with the current impositions, this ritual has also been compromised for some. Our family has this rule: No meeting, no Eidi. So thats a bit sad, says chef Sadaf Hussain, adding, We would go to our mamas (maternal uncle) house in Ghaziabad and the day would begin with eating kaleji. For the first time in nine years we would not be visiting his house. There were some problems with getting a goat this year, he says. We have now asked our neighbour to buy some kaleji so that a part of our tradition remains intact. At home, we will be making biryani and kebabs. Iss baar ek khaalipan toh hai, but we are getting used to this way of life now, he says. Here are some easy to make, traditional recipes you can make at home. Bihari Kebab Masala by chef Sadaf Hussain Dry roast 2 tbsp chanal dal, 1 tbsp each of cumin seeds, poppy seeds and black pepper, tbsp kabab cheni powder, 2 black cardamoms, inch cinnamon stick and 8-10 cloves. Once the spices release their aroma, transfer to a mortar-pestle or a grinder and grind it to a fine powder. In another bowl, mix 2 tbsp raw papaya paste, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp degi mirch. Mix these two masalas and your marinade is ready. This masala can be used to make any kind meat dishes. Read: Eid al-Adah 2020: History and significance of Bakrid, and date of celebration in India Chana Dal Halwa by author Rakhshanda Jalil Author Rakhshanda Jalils chana dal halwa. (Photo: Facebook/rakhshanda.jalil) Soak some chana dal and boil in milk ( just enough milk that will get absorbed and make the dal soft). Grind to a smooth paste when cool. In a pan, heat some ghee or oil . Add a couple of green cardamoms and roast dal paste. Keep stirring for 10-15 minutes. In another pan, make syrup of sugar, water and a little ghee. Cook till syrup thickens to dropping consistency. Add the sugar-ghee mixture to the dal mixture. Stir and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Add water a little at a time. Transfer in a greased plate and cut in diamond shapes. Sprinkle desiccated coconut and finely chopped almonds. Cool and serve. Kathhal ke Kebab by author Rana Safvi Kathhal ke Kebab by author Rana Safvi (Photo: Rana Safvi) Peel kg kathhal cubes and boil with kg chana dal, one diced potato, one chopped onion, piece ginger, 2 bay leaves, tsp garam masala and add salt to taste. Use minimal amount of water; in case of excess water, open the cooker till it dries. Make a paste in stone sil-batta or blender. Add finely chopped onion, green coriander and chilli. Shape into cutlets and shallow fry till evenly done. Interact with Etti Bali @TheBalinian Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All India Congress Committee (AICC) national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the release of suspended Dr Kafeel Khan of BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. In her letter, Gandhi wrote that Khan has spent more than 450 days in jail and that Adityanath should show sensitivity and help him in getting justice. Gandhi has also written a poem by Guru Gorakhnath and said it should inspire the Chief Minister. I want to bring the case of Dr Kafeel Khan to your notice through this letter. He has spent more than 450 days in jail so far. Dr Kafeel has served people selflessly in difficult situations. I hope that you will do your utmost to get Dr Kafeel to do justice while showing your compassion," she wrote. "I hope that these lines by Guru Gorakhnath will inspire you to accept this request of mine. 'Man Me Rahina, Bhed na Kahina, Boliba Amrit Vaani, Agila Agni Hoiba, He Avdhu Tau Aapan Hoiba Paani' (Dont do discrimination with anyone, always speak sweet. If the other person has burnt like fire then Yogi you should calm him down by becoming like water)." Khan was arrested by the UP police from Mumbai in January on charges of making inflammatory speeches in Aligarh regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act. After this he was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) and is currently lodged in Mathura jail. During an anti-CAA demonstration at AMU last December, a case was registered against Khan at the Civil Lines Police Station in Aligarh for allegedly making inflammatory speeches. The suspended paediatrician from BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur was arrested in August 2017 after the death of more than 60 children due to alleged lack of oxygen. Khan was acquitted of all major charges in the investigation after nearly two years. He was later released from jail after getting bail from the High Court. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that Michigan has a confirmed case of the rare polio-like illness known as acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) for 2020. The confirmed case is a child from Macomb County, according to a news release from the MDHHS. Two additional suspected cases of AFM in Michigan remain under investigation. As of June 30, the CDC had confirmed 13 cases of AFM in 10 states for 2020, mostly in children. While there have been increases in cases across the country since 2014, the CDC estimates that less than one to two in a million children in the United States will get AFM annually. In 2018, Michigan reported five cases and one case in 2019. AFM is a rare but serious condition affecting the nervous system and can cause the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health. Most patients report having a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before developing AFM. A boy in Armada was among the AFM cases confirmed in 2018. The boy, who had no prior health problems, was diagnosed on Dec. 18, only days after another case out of Oakland County was reported. The cause or trigger for AFM is not yet known. However, most children had a respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they developed AFM. The CDC recommends the following precautions to decrease the risk of getting viral infections: * Wash your hands often with soap and water. * Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. * Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Healthcare providers are asked to report all patients they suspect of having AFM to their local health department. For more information, visit the MDHHS Communicable Disease Information and Resources website or CDC.gov/AFM. The Society that protects animals has changed its name to Michigan Humane Music: Lollapalooza, Stone Temple Pilots, Black Veil Brides, ProgStock and more States resist mask rules as Midwest coronavirus uptick stirs alarm Teen held on $500,000 cash bond in fatal shooting of 10-year-old in Warren Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:09:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," Trump tweeted. "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility on Thursday of delaying the country's presidential election in November, alleging that "universal mail-in voting" will make the 2020 election "the most inaccurate and fraudulent in history." "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," he continued. "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Screenshot of the tweet posted by Trump on July 30, 2020. The tweet, released on the same day when the Commerce Department reported a 32.9-percent collapse of the U.S. economy in the second quarter, has been immediately questioned. U.S. Senator Tom Udall tweeted that "There is no way @POTUS can delay the election. We shouldn't let him distract us from his #COVID19 incompetence." Delhi High Court has issued summons on Hewlett Packard (HP) India, company's former MD Sumeer Chandra and HP Inc in connection to a whistleblower's allegations of bribing government officials to secure contracts. The apex court has asked HP India and its California based parent to respond to allegations by whistleblower Manoj Grover, a former employee of HP India, CNBC-TV18 reported. Grover had earlier highlighted at least three instances in the complaint where the government officials were bribed to allow HP India exclusive, or preferred access to government tenders. He also alleged that top management of HP India was aware of the things. Grover claimed that both the local management and compliance team at California were intimated about the issue. However, it only resulted in him facing retaliatory action, ultimately leading to his employment termination. Grover is seeking damages worth Rs 40 crore from HP through his complaint. "HP has a strict anti-retaliation policy, which includes a prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting misconduct. HP requires its employees, partners and suppliers to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and ethical business conduct. We conduct reviews as needed and take appropriate actions to ensure compliance with our standards, but we don't comment on specific situations," HP India said in a statement. Hewlett-Packard or HP is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, which develops and provided a wide variety of hardware components as well as software and related services to consumers, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health and education sectors.Also read: Gold price climbs to all-time high of Rs 53,297; silver above Rs 65K mark Also read: PVR, Inox Leisure stocks fall after govt says cinema halls to remain closed in Unlock 3 Flash China on Wednesday urged the likes of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to immediately stop words and acts that damage Chinese interests and China-U.S. relations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said this at a press briefing when asked to comment on Pompeo's speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library last week. It is reported that, in his speech, Pompeo said the old paradigm of blind engagement with China has failed, and this kind of engagement has not brought the kind of change inside of China that the U.S. had hoped to induce. Pompeo and some other U.S. politicians have been hyping up so-called "failed U.S. engagement with China" and "failed U.S. attempt to induce change inside of China", and China has made clear its position, Wang said. The claim of "failed U.S. engagement with China" disrespects history and facts, said Wang, adding that over the past nearly five decades since China and the U.S. resumed exchange and established diplomatic relations, the two sides have been expanding and deepening exchange and cooperation across the board, which greatly benefited people in both countries. According to statistics, China-U.S. economic and trade relations support 2.6 million American jobs, and over 72,500 U.S. companies have investments or business in China. In multilateral fora, China-U.S. cooperation has benefited the two countries and the world, from handling regional hotspots to addressing global issues like counter-terrorism and non-proliferation. The "U.S. attempt to induce change inside of China" is doomed to fail, said Wang, adding that the path a country takes should be determined by its own people based on its cultural tradition and historical heritage, and no force is entitled to negate the choice of other countries. In a world full of diversity, China and the U.S., despite their different social systems, can by all means peacefully co-exist, he said. Driven by political needs, Pompeo and some others are negating previous U.S. administrations' China policy and the progress achieved in relations with China and attempting to stoke ideological confrontation, he said. This has proven to be unpopular even in the U.S., Wang said, adding that over the past few days, many former politicians, academics and media have questioned and criticized Pompeo's remarks, pointing out his misconceptions on China, China-U.S. relations and the U.S. China policy objectives. "This fact itself speaks volumes," he said. Wang said that China-U.S. relations bear on the well-being of the two peoples and world peace and stability. "We urge the likes of Pompeo to renounce the obsolete Cold War mentality and ideological bias, look at China and China-U.S. relations correctly, and immediately stop words and acts damaging Chinese interests and bilateral relations so as to create conditions for bringing this relationship back on track," Wang said. CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Face-to-face connection is an important part of the fundraising process for startups, but this has become a real challenge for Midwest founders due to COVID-19. To help startups and investors build meaningful relationships regardless of geography, and kickstart the post-summer fundraising season, Sandalphon Capital this week announced the first " midwest.tech/connect " virtual summit. Taking place September 8-10, 2020, midwest.tech/connect will match the region's startup founders with a pool of VCs and angel investors interested in investing in the Midwest, at a virtual event. The summit will facilitate one-on-one meetings between founders, VCs and angel investors based on mutual opt-in. "The Midwest always needs more early stage capital, and COVID-19 has made the challenge much more acute," says Sandalphon Capital's managing director, Jonathan Ellis. "It's become more challenging for both founders to raise and investors to source deal flow. We thought we'd do something about it." Totally free for founders, the three-day virtual event, midwest.tech/connect, will feature up to twelve 30-minute meeting slots every day, plenty of breaks, and bonus programming to be announced in coming weeks. "I spent the last four years attending events across the Midwest and I've seen again and again the power of getting a critical mass of investors and founders together in one place, " Ellis notes. "At Sandalphon, we try and point founders to the best investors for them all the time, so this is our way of getting out of the way and letting everyone connect with each other without us holding up the process." Following the August 7 application deadline, investors will be sent information on startups that match their investing criteria. Investors then choose which startups they want to meet based on the information provided. Startups are given the list of interested investors to research, with the ability to opt-out of matches they don't see as a fit. Sandalphon then schedules as many meetings as possible, and will connect any overflow after the event. Founders and investors can apply here. Jessica Willis, founder and CEO of Ann Arbor, MI-based Pocketnest, was an early registrant. "Having already participated in a handful of virtual pitch events for our capital raise, I've seen how effective these can be. We're super excited that midwest.tech/connect is giving us this opportunity to connect with VCs across the country." Investors are also looking forward to the event. "As the most active investor in the Midwest, M25 is excited to see midwest.tech/connect emerge as another way for us to connect to startups in the region," said M25's founder and managing partner, Victor Gutwein. At time of press, almost 300 investors and startups have already signed up. Visit midwest.tech to apply as a founder, VC or angel investor, and follow @midwestdottech on Twitter for regular updates. About midwest.tech/connect midwest.tech/connect is a three-day virtual summit connecting early stage founders across the Midwest with VCs and curated angel investors, focused on the Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A stages of fundraising. The event is totally free for founders. About Sandalphon Capital Sandalphon Capital is a Chicago-based early stage venture capital fund focused primarily on the Midwest and other underserved markets, led by its founder Jonathan Ellis. With 24 companies backed since 2016, Sandalphon currently has investments in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, California and Toronto. Sandalphon invests at Pre-Seed to Series A stages, with a focus on Seed rounds of financing. SOURCE Sandalphon Capital Related Links https://sandalphoncapital.com By Trend A large group of flight and engineering-technical staff of the Turkish Air Force has arrived in Azerbaijan's Ganja city to participate in the "TurAz Qartal-2020" joint flight-tactical exercises, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The work on staff accommodation, exercise planning, and other organizational issues are currently underway to get prepared for the exercises, the ministry said. Azerbaijan will host large-scale tactical and flight tactical exercises with combat shooting with the participation of the Turkish ground and air forces based on annual plan within the Agreement on Military Cooperation between the countries. The joint exercises will involve military personnel, armored vehicles, artillery installations and mortars, as well as military aviation and air defense equipment of the of the two countries armies. According to the plan, the trainings involving ground forces will be held in August 1-5, 2020 in Baku and Nakhchivan cities, and those ones involving military aviation - from July 29 through August 10, 2020 in the cities of Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, second from right, walks with executives during his visit to the company's Onyang semiconductor plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Electronics said it is expecting to show better performance in the second half of this year as it is betting big on recovering demand for its smartphones and memory chips despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech giant said Thursday. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more Being able to pick up the phone and order food and not just pizza used to be one of the little luxuries of life. These days, as the pandemic ravages the U.S., its become almost routine. Contactless commerce and delivery have skyrocketed over 70 percent, Ray Wang, a principal analyst at Constellation Research, told the E-Commerce Times. Most consumers are enjoying the convenience of not having to ever walk into a store or pick up a takeout. Food delivery is a US$120 billion market, Wang said. The food delivery apps market is worth about $20 billion in 2020. Uber is looking to food delivery for rescue from falling revenues caused by people staying at home because of the pandemic. Gross bookings for Uber Rides fell three percent year over year, Uber noted in its Q1 2020 financial report. In response, it is reducing its customer support and recruiting teams by about 3,700 full-time people. In addition, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will waive his base salary until December 31, 2020. The company also recently exited eight unprofitable markets for its Uber Eats food delivery service. Nevertheless, belt tightening is not necessarily enough to keep a company afloat. Better business opportunities are a vital part of the equation. On July 6, Uber announced that its acquiring on-demand food delivery service PostMates in a $2.65 billion all-stock transaction. Uber will issue about 84 million shares of common stock for 100 percent of Postmates fully diluted equity. Gross bookings for Uber Eats grew 54 percent year over year during the first quarter, and Khosrowshahi said the company is focusing additional resources on the service. As more people and more restaurants have come to use our services, Q2 bookings on Uber Eats are up more than 100 percent year on year, Khosrowshahi disclosed in the announcement. Ubers acquisition of Postmates has been approved by both companies boards of directors and received a commitment of support from stockholders representing a majority of Postmates outstanding shares. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2021, subject to the approval of Postmates stockholders, regulatory approval, and other customary closing conditions. Postmates Proven Presence Postmates has shown particular strength in communities where Uber Eats has not been as strong, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orange County (Calif.), San Diego, and Phoenix, Canaccord Genuity analysts Maria Ripps and Michael Graham wrote in a note to investors July 7. This foothold comes as a result of Postmates partnerships with popular local brands. Two factors population density of its markets and popular restaurants have led to an industry-leading three trips per hour for its couriers, Ripps and Graham stated. The acquisition is about gaining scale and giving drivers more work and creating more loyalty, Constellation Researchs Wang remarked. Postmates offers pickup and delivery service from more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers, with 41 percent of those exclusive to its platform. It is the market leader in Los Angeles and operates in all 50 states. Postmates had eight percent of meal delivery sales in the United States, according to Second Measure, a technology company that says it analyzes billions of anonymized purchases. The market leader is Door Dash, with 44 percent. Uber Eats placed second with just over 23 percent, excluding purchases made with Uber Cash and purchases made by corporate customers. GrubHub was a close third, with just under 23 percent. The Postmates acquisition will help Uber gain the number two spot overall in the U.S., and help them gain the number one or number two spot in cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Wang observed. Uber Eats will be battling GrubHub to be the number one or two player in each market as they all go after Door Dash, Wang said. We see continued growth amidst the post-pandemic environment. Uber said it will keep the consumer-facing Postmates app running separately, supported by a more efficient combined merchant-and-delivery network. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Competing With Lyft In the long run, the acquisition will be good for Uber because its goal is to make sure every driver has a passenger or order, Wang said. The company that can do this the most efficiently, and frequently, wins. That should help Uber fend off Lyft. Nearly 75 percent of ride sharing consumers in the United States will use Uber this year, and 54 percent will use Lyft, eMarketer predicts. However, Lyft will grow its share faster than Uber over the next three years and will account for 59 percent of ride sharing consumers by 2023. Criticisms and Antitrust Concerns Ubers acquisition of Postmates is one failed company buying another, Global Equities Research told clients in a note about the deal. Uber Eats will never be profitable, the business is not durable, and it will decline steeply as the pandemic fades away. Concerns have also been voiced that the purchase might breach antitrust laws. The Open Markets Institute said the major delivery apps business model relies on monopolization and warned that the acquisition would violate the Clayton Act and result in an oligopoly that controls 99 percent of the market. In April, three consumers filed a class action lawsuit alleging GrubHub, Door Dash, Postmates and Uber Eats use their dominance in restaurant meal deliveries to impose exorbitant fees that are passed on to consumers. Antitrust concerns helped scuttle Ubers previous attempt to purchase GrubHub. Opponents included Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and three colleagues, who urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation if the companies agreed to merge. However, opposition to the Uber-Postmates deal may not prevent the inevitable. The food delivery space is consolidating, Ray Wang noted. These are the newest digital giants in the age of duopolies in the post-pandemic model. Less ride hailing, more food delivery. TAIZHOU, China, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to news on June 29 from Middle East News Agency, Favipiravir, the popular drug used for treating COVID-19 has shown excellent results in clinical tests. AP, Fox and Deutsche Presse-Agentur have also reported the important role of Favipiravir in the successful fight against the virus in China. Favipiravir was originally developed by Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd. In 2016, the patent of Favipiravir was exclusively franchised to Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Hisun), which cooperated with CMAM to develop Favipiravir tablets. The finished drug was approved rapidly in the Chinese market in February 2020. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Favipiravir has been strongly recommended by the Chinese and Japanese governments and used in clinical tests for treating COVID-19 since February. Now it has been included in the diagnosis and treatment guidelines of Saudi Arabia, UAE and many other countries, and has been approved for indications of the disease in Russia and India. Stanford Medicine in the US ( https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/news/stanford-favipiravir-covid19-trial/ ) and the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) ( https://europost.eu/en/a/view/italy-starts-testing-antiviral-drug-avigan-against-covid-19-27664 ) have approved tests on efficacy of Favipiravir on the novel coronavirus as well. The ongoing global multicenter clinical trials of Favipiravir in treating COVID-19 have shown remarkable efficacy and safety. Trial findings of Hisun's Favipiravir versus other drugs used in treating the virus from the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen showed that those who took Favipiravir turned negative in viral nucleic acid tests in a shorter period of time (4 days), compared to the control group (11 days); higher improvement rate in chest imaging of 91.43% versus 62.22%, as well as higher level of safety. Inspiring results had also been seen in the early clinical trials of Favipiravir in Russia and Bangladesh: 60% of the Russian patients (40 in total) and 48% (50 in total) of Bangladeshi patients turned negative after 4-5 days, all without obvious adverse reactions or side effects. The high quality Hisun's Favipiravir in adequate supply has been through all channels across China. Keeping a close eye on the global fight against COVID-19, Hisun has sent Favipiravir to support over 20 countries since this March. Currently, it has built long-term partnerships with seven Middle East countries in continued support for their battle against the disease. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221926/Hisun_Pharm_Zhejiang_HQ.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221927/Hisun_Pharm_Favipiravir.jpg Contact person: Ms Li Huimin Email: hisun-haisheng@hisunpharm.com Mobile: +86-13718025966 Website: http://www.hisunpharm.com/en/favipiravir.php A paedophile has admitted he tried to buy a child for $15,000 so he could sexually exploit it like the notorious daughter rapist Josef Fritzl. The New Zealand man, using the name 'Kiwipedo' on the dark web, offered to pay the amount in cash or bitcoin for a child under the age of seven for sexual abuse. Appearing in Auckland District Court on Thursday, the man pleaded guilty to entering into a dealing involving a person under 18 for sexual exploitation between January 13, 2015 and February 20, 2015 and being in possession of 417 objectionable images. The New Zealand man used the code name 'Kiwipedo' when he offered to pay $15,000 in cash or bitcoin for a child under the age of seven for sexual abuse (stock) The paedophile wanted to buy a child to sexually exploit, similar to what Josep Fritzl (pictured) did to his daughter Kiwipedo was unknowingly messaging an undercover officer working in Australia when he suggested they should 'kidnap one and use a basement like Fritz', NZ Herald reported. That was understood to be a reference to Austrian rapist Josef Fritzl, who kidnapped and repeatedly raped his daughter in a basement over 24 years in which she also bore some children. The undercover detective then forwarded Kiwipedo's details to other officers who interacted with him. Kiwipedo mentioned to one of the detectives that he was willing to pay $15,000 in cash or bitcoin for a child under the age of seven. The detective questioned if an Asian child would suffice and if it would draw suspicion. 'It's called a basement,' Kiwipedo responded, giving another reference to Frtizl horrific crimes. Kiwipedo messaged a third undercover detective suggesting they meet up at a motel to abuse a child. He also suggested they exchange USBs with explicit content on them to increase their child abuse photo collection. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlines his government's negotiating stance with the European Union after Brexit, during a speech at the Old Naval College in Greenwich, in London, Britain February 3, 2020. Frank Augstein/Pool via REUTERS - RC20TE9C1DJU A rare late ninth century stone statue of Lord Shiva, which was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday. London, Jul 30 A rare late ninth century stone statue of Lord Shiva, which was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday. The stone Nataraj/Natesha murti, in chatura pose with jatamakuta and trinetra and almost four-feet-tall, is a rare depiction of Lord Shiva in the Prathihara style. It was stolen in February 1998 from Ghateshwar Temple in Baroli, Rajasthan. In 2003, it came to light that the statue had been smuggled out to the UK. It was stolen in February 1998 from Ghateshwar Temple in Baroli, Rajasthan. In 2003, it came to light that the statue had been smuggled out to the UK. When this information was received in London, the UK authorities were contacted and with their support the matter was pursued with the private collector, who was in possession of the idol in London. He voluntarily returned the idol to the Indian High Commission in the UK in 2005, said the High Commission of India in the UK. In August 2017, a team of ASI experts visited the India House and examined the idol, which took pride of place inside the building's main lobby. The experts confirmed that it is the same statue that was stolen from Ghateshwar Temple. In August 2017, a team of ASI experts visited the India House and examined the idol, which took pride of place inside the building's main lobby. The experts confirmed that it is the same statue that was stolen from Ghateshwar Temple. An official Indian government communique said that in line with the government of India's renewed impetus to protecting India's cultural heritage and showcasing it to the world, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) along with India's law enforcement agencies have been actively pursuing investigations and restitution of stolen and smuggled Indian antiquities. As a result, antiquities and idols have been returned to India from various countries, including the US, Australia, France and Germany. As a result, antiquities and idols have been returned to India from various countries, including the US, Australia, France and Germany. The High Commission of India (HCI) in London said it has also been playing a leading role in the successful restitutions and repatriations of India's cultural heritage. HCI is presently working with various law enforcement agencies to trace, seize and retrieve stolen artefacts. HCI is working on many such cases at present. We are confident that in coming days, in partnership with the ASI, government of India, state and central authorities as well as UK law enforcement agencies and independent experts, we will be successful in returning more items of our cultural heritage to India, a statement said. HCI is presently working with various law enforcement agencies to trace, seize and retrieve stolen artefacts. HCI is working on many such cases at present. We are confident that in coming days, in partnership with the ASI, government of India, state and central authorities as well as UK law enforcement agencies and independent experts, we will be successful in returning more items of our cultural heritage to India, a statement said. Some examples of restitution from the UK include the Bramha-Brahmani sculpture, which was stolen from India and returned to the ASI in 2017. It has found a prominent resting place at Purana Quila Museum in New Delhi, in the gallery curated by the ASI. On August 15, 2018, a 12th century bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restored to the Indian High Commission by London's Metropolitan Police and then handed over to the Indian government last year. On August 15, 2018, a 12th century bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restored to the Indian High Commission by London's Metropolitan Police and then handed over to the Indian government last year. A special aircraft carrying 145 Indian students stranded in Kyrgyzstan due to the COVID-19 lockdown landed at the airport in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night, an official said. Indore districts nodal officer for COVID-19 prevention, Dr Amit Malakar, said the Air India flight from Kyrgyzstan, operated under the Centre's "Vande Bharat" mission, landed at the city airport at 8:45 pm. He informed that 145 Indian students, studying in different medical colleges in the central Asian country, were brought back by the special flight. These include students from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and other states besides Madhya Pradesh, he said. Malakar said none of these passengers showed any symptoms of COVID-19 during screening at the airport. However, all the 145 passengers will have to stay in quarantine centres for the next seven days in their hometowns as per central government guidelines, he said. After this, they will have to stay in isolation in their homes for a week, Malakar added. WILMINGTON, DE / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2020 / Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. announces that a complaint has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased the common stock of FirstEnergy Corp. ("FirstEnergy" or the "Company") (NYSE:FE) between February 21, 2017 and July 21, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"), alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint"). If you purchased shares of FirstEnergy during the Class Period, or purchased shares prior to the Class Period and still hold FirstEnergy, and wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact Seth D. Rigrodsky or Timothy J. MacFall at Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., 300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 1220, Wilmington, DE 19801, by telephone at (888) 969-4242, by e-mail at info@rl-legal.com, or at http://rigrodskylong.com/cases-firstenergy-corp. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements, and omitted materially adverse facts, about the Company's business, operations and prospects. Specifically, defendants touted FirstEnergy's legislative "solutions" to problems with its nuclear facilities, but failed to disclose that these "solutions" centered on an illicit campaign to corrupt high-profile state legislators in order to secure legislation favoring the Company. Over a nearly three-year period, FirstEnergy and its affiliates funneled more than $60 million to prominent state politicians and lobbyists, including Ohio Speaker Larry Householder ("Householder"), in order to secure the passage of Ohio House Bill 6 ("HB6"), which provided a $1.3 billion ratepayer-funded bailout to keep the Company's failing nuclear facilities in operation. In addition, defendants falsely represented that they were complying with state and federal laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters throughout the Class Period, exposing the Company and its investors to the extreme undisclosed risks of reputational, legal and financial harm. As a result of defendants' false statements and omissions, the price of FirstEnergy stock was artificially inflated to a high of more than $50 per share during the Class Period, and Company insiders were able to sell more than $17 million worth of their FirstEnergy shares at these artificially inflated prices. Story continues According to the Complaint, on July 21, 2020, federal agents announced the arrest of Householder and four other persons, including a prominent FirstEnergy lobbyist, in connection with a $60 million racketeering and bribery scheme. The 82-page criminal complaint and affidavit detailed an alleged pay-to-play scheme in which FirstEnergy corrupted every facet of the legislative process in order to ensure the passage of HB6, including defending the bill against a citizens' ballot initiative. Prosecutors described the case as involving the "largest bribery, money-laundering scheme" in Ohio history. On this news, shares of FirstEnergy fell almost 17%, closing at $34.25 per share on July 22, 2020, on heavy trading volume. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 28, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Any member of the proposed class may move the court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Rigrodsky & Long, P.A., with offices in Delaware and New York, has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of investors and achieved substantial corporate governance reforms in numerous cases nationwide, including federal securities fraud actions, shareholder class actions, and shareholder derivative actions. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. CONTACT: Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. Seth D. Rigrodsky Timothy J. MacFall (888) 969-4242 (516) 683-3516 Fax: (302) 654-7530 info@rl-legal.com http://www.rigrodskylong.com SOURCE: Rigrodsky & Long, P.A. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599441/SHAREHOLDER-ALERT-Rigrodsky-Long-PA-Announces-A-Securities-Fraud-Class-Action-Lawsuit-Has-Been-Filed-Against-FirstEnergy-Corp A woman attacked and injured a female bus driver after refusing requests to wear a face mask in Germany. Police are searching for the suspect after the assault in the city of Darmstadt in Hesse, near Frankfurt, on Tuesday night. The woman, aged between 20 and 30, was part of a group including three men and a child, which fled the scene. The attack comes in the same month French bus driver Philippe Monguillot died after being attacked by passengers who refused to wear face masks. In Germany, everyone is required by law to wear a covering over their face while on public transport. The attacker had got on the bus at Darmstadt Central Station before hitting the female driver as she got off. The city mayor has quickly condemned the attack Darmstadt Central Bus station: Where the woman, who was part of a group of five, including a child got on the bus. They refused to comply with German law and wear face masks (Stock image) Darmstadt Mayor Jochen Partsch has condemned the incident, according to Web24News. He said: 'The people to whom this violence is committed are representative of all of us, and they are doing their job to protect us all. 'The currently increasing disrespect and violence against security forces, but also against fire departments, rescue and relief services and other employees in the public service must be stopped.' It has been reported that the woman got on the bus at Darmstadt Central Station. No-one in her group was covering their mouths and noses. They first insulted the driver after ignoring requests by bus driver to put on masks. At the end of the journey, the suspect struck the driver several times as she left the bus. In France, bus driver Mr Monguillot made similar requests to passengers when he was attacked in Bayonne. The attack in Germany comes in the same month French bus driver Philippe Monguillot (pictured with his wife Veronique Monguillot) was savagely beaten after he tried to enforce coronavirus rules on his bus in the southwestern town of Bayonne on Sunday Hundreds turned out for the funeral of Mr Monguillot, aged 59. Darmstadt Mayor Jochen Partsch says the spate of attacks on transport workers must be stopped Five days after the attack, his family said he had died from brain injuries. Hundreds attended his funeral while thousands also took part in a protest march in the city. Two men, in their 20s, have been charged with attempted murder. Last week, a bus driver in Bournemouth, in the UK, was hit with a beer can and kicked on the floor by a passenger not wearing a face mask. Dorset Police are investigating. PORTLAND, Ore., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 1, OnPoint Community Credit Union will launch its nonprofit Refer a Friend campaign, which donates $50 to local nonprofits for every friend, family or business associate who joins OnPoint within a specified period. The referring and new members will also both receive $50 from OnPoint and $50 will be donated to local Boys & Girls Clubs across the communities OnPoint serves. Refer a Friend benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs begins August 1, 2020, and concludes on Saturday, October 31, 2020. "Boys & Girls Clubs do essential work across Oregon and Southwest Washington," said Rob Stuart, President and Chief Executive Officer, OnPoint Community Credit Union. "As our fight against systemic racism and COVID-19 continues, their work is more important than ever. We are proud to support Boys & Girls Clubs in the communities we serve at this critical time by engaging our members and inviting new people to join our purpose of building strong communities for all." For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have enabled young people most in need to achieve bright futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,700 Clubs serve over 4.7 million young people through club membership and community outreach. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs every day during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. OnPoint raises an average of $40,000 for various organizations through each Refer a Friend nonprofit campaign. Funds raised by the campaign launching today will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs listed below, based on which branch the new member joins. Clubs will determine how they will use funds after the campaign concludes. "OnPoint's Refer a Friend campaign will provide meaningful support for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro (BGCP)," said Erin Hubert, BGCP Chief Executive Officer. "Serving our youth during a pandemic became exponentially more expensive overnight, given spacing restrictions and the cost of more resources needed to ensure the safety of our staff and youth. OnPoint's support during this time will ensure we can continue to meet the needs of the families we serve by allowing us to pick up where schools leave off with much needed academic and social/emotional support. Perhaps most importantly, these funds will help us continue to feed thousands of youth throughout the program year." "OnPoint is an essential partner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend," said Juliana Williams, Director of Development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Bend. "As our clubs and staff step up to fill the gap created by school closures and reduction in classroom time, our need for support from our community grows. We are deeply grateful for the Refer a Friend campaign, which will allow us to expand our service hours and staff to ensure that youth continue to build resilience and make positive choices in the face of increased adversity." For members who are interested in giving back, click here to learn more about OnPoint's Refer a Friend campaigns. ABOUT ONPOINT COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION Founded in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union is the largest credit union in Oregon, serving more than 403,000 members and with assets of $7.3 billion. OnPoint membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of 28 Oregon counties (Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Crook, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Morrow, Multnomah, Polk, Sherman, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington, Wheeler and Yamhill) and two Washington counties (Skamania and Clark) and their immediate family members. More information is available at http://www.onpointcu.com or 800-527-3932. SOURCE OnPoint Community Credit Union Stonehenge: Mystery of Stones Origins Solved Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, has puzzled the world for centuries, yet scientists think they have finally solved at least one of its ancient mysteriesthe exact site of origin of many of the huge stones that comprise it. And its all thanks to a core sample that had been kept in the United States for decades. The results of the two-year investigation indicate that the giant stones, known as sarsens, came from a spot about 15 miles north from where they now stand on Salisbury Plain in the ancient stone circle. Souvenir The story of the new discovery began when a core sample of one of the sarsensstone 58was extracted during conservation work in the late 1950s when metal rods were inserted to stabilize a cracked megalith. The core sample was given as a souvenir to Robert Phillips, who was involved in the work on the iconic monument. Phillips took it with him when he emigrated to the United States in 1977, where it stayed until, in 2018, he returned it for research to English Heritage, the conservation organization that looks after the site. The sandstone core sample provided crucial information, enabling researchers to study the chemical make-up of the stone and compare it to similar rocks from across Southern England. Overview of Stonehenge. (Andre Pattenden/English Heritage) The new geochemical findings, published in the journal Science Advances, indicate that 50 of Stonehenges 52 pale-gray megaliths come from a place called West Woods on the edge of Wiltshires Marlborough Downs. According to Timothy Darvill, a professor of Archaeology at Bournemouth University, who was involved in the study, the science involved was quite straight forward, but it was establishing provenance for the stones that was difficult because the material they are made of is very common. What were doing is a simple case of finger-printing. Were taking some stones at Stonehenge itself and were working out the geochemistry of them. For that, we measure all the little trace elements which are in the stone. Now, sarsens are really difficult stone to work with because its 99 percent silica and silica is a pretty ubiquitous mineral, Darvill told Reuters. Huge Stones Fifteen of Stonehenges huge sarsen stones, weighing on average 20 tonnes and standing up to 23 feet (7 meters) tall, form the monuments central horseshoe configuration. The upright and cross-stones in its outer circle, and the famous Heel Stone, Slaughter Stone, and the Station Stones are also sarsens. There are 52 of the estimated 80 original sarsens still in place at Stonehenge. Preseli Hills in Wales, some 150 miles away, are where the other smaller bluestones forming its inner circle are thought to have originated. However, the sarsensmore homogenous in compositionhave been impossible to identify until now, English Heritage said in a statement. Archaeologists and geologists have been debating where the sarsen stones used to build Stonehenge came from for more than four centuries, study lead author David Nash, professor of physical geography at the University of Brighton, said in a statement. This significant new data will help explain more of how the monument was constructed and, perhaps, offer insights into the routes by which the 20 to 30 tonne stones were transported. But there are still some mysteries to solve. We still dont know where two of the 52 remaining sarsens at the monument came from. These are upright Stone 26 at the northernmost point of the outer sarsen circle and lintel Stone 160 from the inner trilithon horseshoe. It is possible that these stones were once more local to Stonehenge, but at this stage we do not know, Nash said. Stonehenge is one of the UKs most recognized landmarks, and has been thought by many to have religious and mystical origins. Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his legend of King Arthur, for example, in a story that was until the Middle Ages thought to be a true account of English history, even described Stonehenge as being created by the wizard Merlin. Though its exact purpose still remains unknown, Stonehenge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains a fascinating and mysterious location that, in normal times, attracts up to 1 million visitors per year. Reuters contributed to this report. (Natural News) Attorney General William Barr called out Democrats on Tuesday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing for failing to condemn mob violence and attacks on the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon in recent weeks. (Article by Joel B. Pollak republished from Breitbart.com) What makes me concerned for the country is [that] this is the first time in my memory that the leaders of one of our great two political parties, the Democratic Party, are not coming out and condemning mob violence and the attack on federal courts, Barr said. Why cant we just say: Violence against federal courts has to stop? Could we hear something like that? Barr was testifying about the federal law enforcement response to protect the courthouse, which has been vandalized and firebombs by what Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, have called peaceful protesters. Those protesters have also attacked the federal officials defending the building. Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who claimed on Sunday that the violence was a myth, did not respond by condemning the violence, but adjourned the hearing for a five-minute hearing instead. Barr was responding to questions from Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), who had also listed several examples in which Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) had denied that there had been a takeover in downtown Seattle (which later became the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP) and also denied that there had been violence in the autonomous zone. Jayapal interjected to complain about the way Lesko had pronounced her name, but not to contest Leskos summary of her views. Read more at: Breitbart.com WASHINGTON - John Lewis's last public appearance wasn't supposed to be public. Those photographs of him overlooking the District's Black Lives Matter Plaza, 57 years after he'd been the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, were meant to be snapshots of a private moment as the civil rights hero looked out on the newest manifestation of a movement for Black freedoms that he'd shed his own blood to advance decades ago. Photographer Gary Williams Jr. had been quarantining with his parents, his wife and their two young children in Virginia that first weekend of June when an unexpected message appeared in his email. It was from Lewis's chief of staff, Michael Collins, asking if he'd be available to photograph the congressman the next morning. "I'm thinking, this is a press thing," Williams said. But it was quieter than that. Washington's mayor had authorized city workers to write the words "Black Lives Matter" in bold, yellow letters on a stretch of 16th Street NW near the White House. Lewis wanted to see it for himself. "It was a personal moment," Williams said. "He just wanted some photos to document his visit." The plan was to go first thing in the morning, before the crowds. Just the three of them: Lewis, Collins and Williams, a 38-year-old co-founder of a Black-owned D.C. creative agency. But Williams wanted to give Lewis a bird's-eye view of the mural, and had to enlist the help of friends in the mayor's office to get access to a rooftop that wasotherwise closed due to covid-19. The personal moment became moreceremonious. Lewis had gone through a round of chemotherapy the day before, Collins told Williams, and he would be admitted to the hospital the following day. He leaned on a cane and wore a cap that read,"1619"and "400 years." As he walked to the edge of the roof, everyone got quiet. "He didn't say anything, and with his mask on it was hard to read his facial expression, but you could see it in his eyes that this was a moment of reflection," Williams said. "And I kept saying to myself as I'm taking these photos of him, 'I wonder what he's thinking.' " ("I just had to see and feel it for myself," Lewis wrote in an essay for the New York Times, published after his death, "that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.") Behind the camera, Williams was having his own reflective moment. He'd learned about John Lewis from his own parents, as they told him stories of racism they'd experienced growing up in Virginia and Delaware in the '60s and '70s. His father, Gary Sr., told him about the time one of his friends dared to walk down a stairwell where the White students hung out. "One of the White gentlemen just punched him and knocked him out," says Williams, starting a near brawl. "My dad just told me that to share what he had to go through every day at school just to push through and get an education. That was the hostile environment he had to learn in." John Lewis had been beaten up regularly for entering White spaces: Attacked for entering a Whites-only area at a bus station in Rock Hill, S.C. Hit in the head with a wooden crate and left unconscious at another bus station, in Montgomery, Ala. Getting his skull cracked by police while marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on "Bloody Sunday." Williams's mother, Chrystal, made sure her son read up on Lewis and other leaders of the civil rights movement, not just to know his Black history, but, he says, "to know that there are folks who put their lives on the line so that life could be better for others." Selflessness, he says, was a lesson his parents were always trying to impart, that the world didn't revolve around him. "And John Lewis made the ultimate selfless act," Williams said, "being beaten within an inch of his life and deciding to get back out there and continue fighting for the civil rights movement." It was a lesson he hoped to teach his 2-year-old daughter and infant son when they grow old enough to understand. "Even to this day my parents stress how important it is to continue to do the work," he said, "whether it's in-the-street protests or a simple act of voting." Lewis said he wanted to walk on the plaza itself. Down on the street, people began to recognize him, including city workers who were maintaining the paint on the plaza. City workers driving by on a garbage truck stopped and let Williams and another photographer climb through the trash to the roof and take some overhead shots of Lewis. Lewis spent 45 minutes taking photos with the workers and anyone else who wanted one. People came up to thank him, or tell him that they loved him. When a reporter asked Lewis how he felt, he replied, "The people in D.C. and around the world are sending a powerful message that we will get there." Williams kept it together as a professional until Lewis took a photograph with his 2-year-old daughter, Maevyn. His wife, Dvon, had been holding onto her the whole time, having broken their months-long isolation to tag along on the assignment, along with Williams's mom. (Gary Sr. had stayed in Virginia to watch Williams's 8-month-old son, Canon.) When Maevyn is old enough to understand, Williams plans to tell her who John Lewis was and what he did - not just for the country, but for Black people specifically -and what he proved possible: that "if we can endure those hardships and challenges, there is light," Williams says. "There is progress on the other side." On the same day Lewis saw "Black Lives Matter" painted on the streets of Washington he also met Maevyn, and Williams had been able to capture the moment when their lives briefly touched. Williams thought about Lewis's life and how he would explain it to his daughter. "I'm so happy for the life that he led, because if it wasn't for him, this Black Lives Matter movement now might not have been possible," he said. "I will tell her that he fought for what he believed in and he did it courageously and he did it bravely, and I will tell her that we need to have that same kind of courage and bravery for the things that we stand for and the things that we believe in." He imagined a photo of the two of them ending up in the National Museum of African American History and Culture, or in a textbook. "That's when I started to tear up," he says. Mackenzie Scott, the woman who helped her ex-husband build the Amazon empire, has quietly been thriving after the most expensive divorce settlement in history. The billionaire philanthropist remarried two years after her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, tying the knot with Dan Jewett, a science teacher at her childrens school, via a post on the website for philanthropic organisation The Giving Pledge. In December 2020 Scott donated over $4.1 billion in the four months prior to food banks and emergency relief funds amid the Covid-19 pandemic. That followed donations of $1.7 billion to causes including racial equality, LGBTQ rights, public health and climate change announced earlier in 2020, when she also revealed she would be dropping Bezos as a surname. She has now given a further $2.7 billion to 286 organisations that have been historically underfunded and overlooked, including local arts groups and institutions, including the Motown Museum, and groups working in education. In a post on Medium, she wrote: I want to de-emphasize privileged voices and cede focus to others, yet I know some media stories will focus on wealth. The headline I would wish for this post is 286 Teams Empowering Voices the World Needs to Hear. People struggling against inequities deserve center stage in stories about change they are creating. This is equally perhaps especially true when their work is funded by wealth. Any wealth is a product of a collective effort that included them. The social structures that inflate wealth present obstacles to them. And despite those obstacles, they are providing solutions that benefit us all. She said she was attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change. Adding: MacKenzie Scott has tied the knot with science teacher Dan Jewett / Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Its all a clear statement of intent from the publicity-shy novelist who kept a low profile during her 25-year marriage to the tech mogul. MacKenzie Scott (her surname taken from her grandfather) is emerging from the ashes of her high-profile marriage as a class act all while her ex-husband lives out what appears to be a very public mid-life crisis, embroiled in an embarrassing legal scandal involving leaked intimate photos, and whose record of charitable giving, despite his unimaginable wealth, has drawn criticism. During the record-breaking division of Jeff and MacKenzies $137 billion fortune in 2019, the $38 billion she received was described as a payout. But this sells her role in the Amazon origin story short she was no trophy wife. Raised in San Francisco, the daughter of a financial planner and housewife, she met Jeff in 1992 when she was a 23-year-old Princeton graduate applying for a job at New York hedge fund DE Shaw. Amazon's Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos. / REUTERS She had ambitions to be a novelist her Princeton tutor Toni Morrison would later call her one of the best students Ive ever had in my creative writing classes but applied for the research associate job to pay the bills. Bezos turned out to be her interviewer. Working in the office next door to him, she says she fell in love with his laugh. After a few months of dating they were married. I think my wife is resourceful, smart, brainy, and hot, Bezos told Vogue in 2013. But I had the good fortune of having seen her resume before I met her. As the legend goes, the Amazon business plan was hashed out by Bezos on a road trip to Seattle in 1994 in the couples Chevy Blazer, him crunching the numbers as MacKenzie drove. The first Amazon office was run out of their Seattle garage. She was the companys original accountant and helped coin the name Amazon the initial name, Cadabra, was scrapped when a lawyer misheard it as cadaver. In 2013, when Brad Stones book on the company The Everything Store, was released, MacKenzie wrote a scathing one-star review of it on Amazon, disputing many of his claims about the companys early days. I was there when he wrote the business plan, she wrote. Jeff Bezos and former wife Mackenzie Bezos / Getty Images As the company grew, MacKenzies writing ambitions took a back seat to the raising of their four children, three sons and a daughter adopted from China. She published two novels, The Testing of Luther Albright (2005) and Traps (2013), working from a rented apartment near the couples home in the quiet suburb of Medina, Seattle, before collecting the children from school in a Honda minivan. Jeff Bezos with wife Mackenzie Bezos, who he divorced after 25 years of marriage / Getty Images Despite being married to the worlds richest man, as the introvert of the two she was reluctant to embrace the limelight, though she did walk the red carpet on a handful of occasions. She joined Bezos as a co-host of the Met Gala in 2012 where she wore a gown by Juan Carlos Obando. At one of their last public appearances as a couple, the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscars after-party, MacKenzie gave the stars around her a run for their money in a plunging scarlet dress. Getty Images for Moet & Chandon In January 2019 the couple announced their divorce in a statement: After a long period of loving exploration and trial separation, we have decided to divorce and continue our shared lives as friends. But the peaceful nature of their split was shattered when the National Enquirer released an 11-page story claiming that Bezos had been having an affair with news anchor turned helicopter pilot Lauren Sanchez, publishing a series of leaked text messages between the pair. Sanchez, who had split from her husband in the autumn of 2018, had reportedly become close to Bezos after working with him on his private space company Blue Origin. AFP/Getty Images Bezos hit back the following month in a blog post No thank you, Mr Pecker. He accused National Enquirer owner David Pecker of extorting him by threatening to publish compromising pictures of the tech mogul if investigators who were hired by Bezos, to find out if the story about his affair with Sanchez was politically motivated, did not back off. (Bezos owns The Washington Post, which had written disparaging articles about Donald Trump, while Pecker is a Trump ally) But, in a sensational twist, a report later claimed it had been Sanchez herself who passed the texts to her brother Michael, who sold them to the Enquirer. Michael later (unsuccessfully) sued Bezos for defamation over the nude photo claims. Amid all this drama, Bezoss understated ex-wife has kept a dignified silence. However, her one public statement in the May following the divorce announcing her decision to sign Bill Gates and Warren Buffetts Giving Pledge was viewed by some as a swipe at Bezos, whose charitable giving (or lack thereof) has attracted criticism. The Bill Gates and Warren Buffett initiative invites the worlds richest to commit to giving at least half their wealth away before their deaths. Of the five richest people in America, Bezos is the only one who hasnt signed the pledge. Although he pledged $10 billion in February 2020 to tackle climate change with his Bezos Earth Fund, his other charitable efforts have come under fire. An Amazon Relief fund announced the following March to support delivery drivers and Amazon partners during lockdown was slammed for its apparent call on the public to top-up his workers low pay. And in any case, his philanthropic efforts have been drowned by reports of the indecent scale of his wealth in a single day during last July he is said to have made up to $13 billion. MacKenzie, meanwhile, previously revealed that of her first $1.7 billion in donations $568m had gone to racial equality groups, $399m went to help economic mobility and $133m to gender equality. Theres no question in my mind that anyones personal wealth is the product of a collective effort, and of social structures which present opportunities to some, and obstacles to countless others, she wrote at the time. In February 2021 Bezos announced he was stepping down as CEO of Amazon and would become the companys executive chairman. Could this be an opportunity to step up his philanthropy? Well just have to watch this space. Tatas online posts had called Islam a violent religion and accused former US President Obama of being a terrorist. A United States Senate committee abruptly cancelled a confirmation hearing on Thursday for retired Army Brigadier General Anthony Tata to be the Pentagons undersecretary for policy after a furore erupted over offensive remarks he made about Islam and other inflammatory comments. Tatas nomination was already under criticism from Senate Democrats, who sent a letter to him this week calling on him to withdraw. Tata, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a conservative commentator for the Fox News television outlet, has been working in the US Department of Defense as a senior adviser to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Cancellation of Tatas confirmation hearing, a Washington ritual for presidential political appointees, now puts in question whether his nomination would be withdrawn by the White House. According to media reports, Tata had posted tweets in 2018 calling Islam the most oppressive violent religion I know of, and he called former President Barack Obama a terrorist leader, and referred to him as Muslim. The tweets were later taken down. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, a Republican, announced the hearings cancellation shortly before it was scheduled to start. There are many Democrats and Republicans who didnt know enough about Anthony Tata to consider him for a very significant position at this time, Inhofe said. Inhofe said the panel did not get required documents from Tata until Thursday. As I told the president last night, were simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldnt serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed, he said. Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagons chief spokesman, told reporters that Tata would continue to work as an adviser to Esper. Tata will continue to serve as a senior policy adviser to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a Pentagon spokesman said. Esper is pictured here speaking at Whiteman Air Force Base on July 22, in front of a B-2 stealth bomber [Robert Burns/AP Photo] The department was looking forward to General Tata having the opportunity to share his experience and success leading large public organisations, public sector organisations, and his extensive national security experience with the committee today, Hoffman said during a Pentagon news briefing. Asked if Esper supported Tatas tweets on Islam, Hoffman said, The general himself has stated that he does not believe or support the comments he made. He issued a letter to the committee retracting those statements. The committees top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, said the senators had a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, and Inhofe did the right thing by cancelling the hearing. Its fair to say members on both sides of the aisle have raised serious questions about this nominee, Reed said. According to a statement from the senators who sent the letter, Tata walked back his statements, many of which he deleted, only after his nomination became public. They said Tata referred to the tweets as an aberration in a four-decade thread of faithful public service. The letter to Tata, signed by nine Democratic senators and Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, said, Your letter to committee leadership appears to be a conveniently timed retraction by someone who has suddenly realized his nomination is in jeopardy. But your multiple past statements cannot be dismissed simply as an aberration. Islamic groups have repeatedly called for lawmakers to oppose Tatas nomination. And they hailed the hearing cancellation. If Mr Tata truly does not have enough votes to proceed, his defeat will represent a victory over anti-Muslim bigotry, and for the principle that hatred has no place in our government, said Robert McCaw, government affairs director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Tata, who retired in 2009 after 28 years in the US Army, served in a number of command and combat jobs. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 21:22:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian state governor on Wednesday evening escaped an ambush by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram militants in the country's northeastern state of Borno, a security source said Thursday. The source told Xinhua that security personnel in the convoy of Babagana Zulum, governor of the Borno state, swiftly responded to gunfire from suspected Boko Haram militants near Baga town, a fishing town on the border of Lake Chad, approximately 196km from Maiduguri, the state capital of Borno. The governor was on his way to some internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the northern part of Borno under a food distribution program when the incident occurred, the source said. According to local media, Baga town had been a stronghold of Boko Haram for a period until the military declared its liberation in February 2015, while some elements of Boko Haram are still suspected to be operating in the region. Nigerian police and military are yet to confirm the gunfire in the area. The governor was forced to retreat as security operatives on escort duties repelled the attackers, the source said, adding Zulum has since returned safely with his entourage to a nearby town where the distribution of palliatives continues. Since 2009, Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin. The group has posed enormous security, humanitarian and governance challenges in the Lake Chad basin, including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and Niger, according to the United Nations. Enditem Anheuser-Busch InBev said it was encouraged by a global beer sales recovery in June after suffering a sharp slide in second-quarter earnings and swallowing a $2.5 billion impairment charge in Africa. Shares in the maker of Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois were up 6.8% at 0800 GMT, making them the strongest performer in the FTSEurofirst 300 index of leading European shares. Traders and analysts said better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and the June pick-up were clear positives. The brewer's sales fell by nearly a third in April as its operations in Mexico, South Africa and Peru shut down and bars closed in most markets. However, a significant recovery in Mexico and South Africa, year-on-year growth in Brazil and record volumes in China in June, resulted in beer sales growth of 0.7% from a year earlier. "We came out of the quarter with reinforced confidence in the resilience of our business and the global beer category," the company said in a statement on Thursday. AB InBev said it was excited by the reopening of bars, but cautious given renewed restrictions in certain markets and a second ban of alcohol sales from mid-July in South Africa. The world's largest brewer said it had conducted a review of the impact of the pandemic on its business. It concluded it risked impairment in Africa and decided to take a $2.5 billion non-cash charge. Africa was among the crown jewels secured in AB InBev's near $100 billion purchase of nearest rival SABMiller in 2016, although its South African business has struggled, with margins declining by more than 6 percentage points last year. "South Africa has been weak for a number of years, but the pandemic appears to have tipped it over the edge," said Trevor Stirling, beverage analyst at Bernstein Securities. The Belgium-based company said overall beer volumes had fallen by 17% and core profit by 34% to $3.41 billion on a like-for-like basis, which was better than declines of 23% and 36% in a company-compiled poll. By Akbar Mammadov Baku and Yerevan are the only parties to the Nagorno-Karbakh conflict, the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan said in a statement on July 29. As we have repeatedly noted, the format of negotiations for the settlement of the conflict was identified in the relevant OSCE decisions, including the documents adopted during the 1992 Helsinki Final Act. We reiterate that, as the whole world agrees, the parties to the conflict are the aggressor Armenia and Azerbaijan that was exposed to the occupation, the community said. The community stressed that the separatist regime set up by Yerevan in Azerbaijans occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region seeks to present itself as a party to the conflict. We strongly condemn Armenia's attempts to distort the essence of the conflict and strengthen the consequences of the occupation under various pretexts, the community said. The community noted that since the signing of temporary cease-fire agreement in 1994, Armenia has been strengthening the occupation of Azerbaijans territories. During this period, Armenia did everything possible to hinder the settlement of the conflict, engaged in illegal activities in our occupied territories, as well as carried out illegal settlements. The community said that Armenia's attempts to change the format of the negotiations have been strongly condemned by the international community, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that have been mediating the conflict. However, the Armenian leadership continued to deliver a blow at the fragile peace process with steps that serve the policy of annexation, the community said, adding that Armenia's provocation on the border on July 12 was an example of this policy. The community underlined that clearly, Armenia is not interested in a peaceful settlement of the conflict. However, Armenia should know that its occupation of our lands will not last long. In any case, we will return to our ancestral lands and fully restore our life there, the statement concluded. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz A spokesperson for Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) said this week that protests in Philadelphia have not even come close to the more violent clashes in Portland, Ore., but that if they did so, President Donald Trump would be justified in sending federal agents here to guard federal property. It was Toomeys most definitive statement yet on Trumps threat to send federal law enforcement to Philadelphia. And it came after two city residents raised questions about the responses they received when they called Toomeys offices, which seemed to downplay the possibility of federal intervention. The statements Toomey and his aides have given The Inquirer, other media outlets, and constituents while not necessarily in conflict illustrate the cautious line the regions most prominent Republican has often trod while confronting some of Trumps most provocative actions, including one now facing a city he represents. Sen. Toomey believes that the law enforcement officers in Philadelphia have done a great job under difficult circumstances, spokesperson Steve Kelly said in a statement Wednesday after The Inquirer requested additional clarity on the senators views and comments. The civil unrest in the city has not even come close to the continuous rioting, criminality, and lawlessness on nightly display in Portland. One way to ensure that mobs do not destroy property in Philadelphia is for the mayor and the district attorney to actually support the police and hold criminals accountable when they break the law. If civil unrest in Philadelphia were to ever devolve into Portland-style riots, Kelly added, Sen. Toomey would not fault any president for supplementing existing law enforcement details to protect federal property and historic sites like Independence Hall. The comments about federal agents came as Trumps threat looms over Philadelphia and the clashes between Portland protesters and heavily armored agents have become a national controversy. (Tensions may ease after an agreement that could see federal agents withdraw soon.) Philadelphia officials, like those in Portland, have forcefully said they dont want federal authorities patrolling their streets, fearing the agents would be unaccountable and overly aggressive, and escalate tensions. Trump has accused Democratic-led cities of letting protests get out of control, citing destructive acts amid mostly peaceful demonstrations. In Portland, where demonstrations had shrunk before the deployment of militarized federal agents, some have shot fireworks into federal buildings, set fires, and thrown rocks at officers and have been met with aggressive responses, including plumes of tear gas. Toomey previously made statements on the subject to The Inquirer and other media, but had stopped short of saying whether a similar deployment would be appropriate in Philadelphia. The rioting, violence, and lawlessness in Portland is a disgrace, and I hope it does not happen in Philadelphia, Toomey told The Inquirer in a July 21 statement. One way to ensure that it does not is for Philadelphias mayor and district attorney to actually support the police, enforce the law, and hold criminals accountable. On July 22, he told conservative radio host Chris Stigall of AM990 that Trump has to step in in Portland to protect people and property because the city failed to do so. Asked about doing the same in Philadelphia, Toomey told Stigall, I certainly hope it doesnt come to that and it doesnt have to come to that, adding that if Mayor Jim Kenney and District Attorney Larry Krasner supported police and prosecuted lawbreakers, then I dont think this spirals down to the point where we get anywheres near needing to call out federal reinforcements, so to speak. He added that the Philadelphia police and the assets that are at the disposal of the governor are more than enough to keep the peace. Local Democrats including Kenney, Krasner, and Sen. Bob Casey have denounced the possibility of federal agents confronting Philadelphia protesters. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican and the countrys first homeland security secretary, said he would have resigned if ordered to send uninvited agents to an American city. It would be a cold day in hell before he did so, Ridge, a Trump critic, told Pittsburgh TV station KDKA. Toomey has at times criticized Trumps behavior, going further than most elected Republicans on a number of issues. But to his liberal critics, his statements on this topic are a telling and, to them, frustrating example of his calibrated approach to the president and the demands of constituents in politically divided Pennsylvania. Another Toomey statement Thursday struck a similar balancing act after Trump suggested delaying this years election, something he cant actually do. I do not support moving the presidential election, Toomey said, but he added that the president is right to point out that universally mailing ballots to people who dont request them is a horrible idea and would likely lead to voter fraud. There is no evidence that mail voting is susceptible to widespread fraud. Toomey, who narrowly won reelection in 2016 while distancing himself from Trump, has emphasized appeals to swing voters and even some moderate Democrats. But he also depends on support from the Republican base, where Trump is hugely popular. Toomeys Senate term is up in 2022, when he could seek reelection but is also widely believed to be considering a run for governor. Philadelphians Aaron Traister and Justin Gilmore, in separate calls, each reached Toomeys Philadelphia offices last week to ask about Trumps threat and express their opposition, and said they were read statements that described Toomeys faith in local law enforcement to handle the situation. Gilmore called back Monday and said he received the same response again. They found that misleading when they later saw the full comments Toomey had initially made to The Inquirer, in which he demanded stronger support for police and enforcement from city officials. Traister and Gilmore, friends who are both 42-year-old Democrats, have been critical of Toomey for not standing up more strongly to Trump. You get these answers that one side sounds like its sort of a pro-Trump answer and the other answer sounds like the answer that Philadelphians and the surrounding suburbs want to hear, but theres just enough wiggle room to get out of it, Traister said. He added, The citys a tinderbox right now, and everyones holding it together, and you throw this match on it and what do you think is going to happen? Kelly, Toomeys spokesperson, said, We are not aware of any one constituent that got information that conflicts with the senators statement on federal agents. Our offices, which remain open to serve the people of Pennsylvania, will continue to provide callers with the latest and up-to-date responses to questions. Toomeys allies have said theres nothing he can do to satisfy critics on the left, and note that in many cases the senator is one of the few Republicans willing to criticize Trump. Recently, for example, he was one of two GOP senators to critique Trump for commuting a 40-month jail sentence for Roger Stone, an ally of the president, calling it a mistake. (The other, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who was the only Senate Republican to vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges, described the commutation as unprecedented, historic corruption.) At the same time, Toomey is set to serve as a delegate who formally renominates Trump at the scaled-back Republican National Convention next month. The Maharashtra government's refusal to hand over to CBI the investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death met with strong disapproval from across the political spectrum in on Thursday. Parties sympathetic as well as hostile to the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine in Maharashtra were unanimous in criticising its Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's assertion that there is no need to transfer the case to the central probe agency. The deceased actor's family is yet to disclose in public what they think of handing over the case to the CBI. MLC and AICC media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra said the investigation by the Mumbai police has left many loopholes. The bereaved family has lodged an FIR in Patna and if they have trust in a probe by the Patna Police, it should be extended all possible cooperation, he said. But if they want a CBI inquiry, that sentiment should be respected as well, he added. The lawyer of the actor's family, Vikas Singh, who practices at the Supreme Court, has alleged in TV interviews that the Mumbai police has been trying to derail the investigation. He has claimed that the family members had told a top Mumbai police official way back in February that Rajput faced a threat to his life, which was ignored. The actor was found hanging from the ceiling of his Bandra residence on June 14. The RJD, senior alliance partner of the Congress in Bihar, claimed it was the first political party to have demanded a CBI inquiry into the actor's death. We raised the demand shortly after Rajput's tragic death, when actor Shekhar Suman had come from Mumbai and was refused appointment by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with whom he wanted to share some startling observations, said RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. Suman, who like Rajput is Patna-born and has made a name for himself in both TV and cinemas, had alleged that there were many facts on record which suggested that the 34-year-old actor could have been murdered. Yadav had also said, We respect the bereaved family's move of lodging an FIR in Patna. But we have no faith in the police which is known for its ineptitude, and struggles to solve the simplest of cases. "Let the Nitish Kumar government try to score no brownie points on the FIR being lodged. It should know that the police are duty-bound to lodge an FIR upon a complaint. The chief minister of Bihar would do better to speak to his Maharashtra counterpart and put pressure on him for a CBI inquiry. The RLSP, a junior partner of the Congress-RJD combine, termed as hasty the stance adopted by the Maharashtra home minister. It should be understood that the sentiments of 13 crore people of Bihar, besides that of millions of Rajput's fans across the country are involved in the case, RLSP general secretary Madhaw Anand said. The Maharashtra government should not make such hasty announcements, but try to understand the prevalent sentiment and voluntarily hand over the case to the CBI since its own police is being viewed with mistrust, he said. The JD(U), which is headed by Kumar, came out with a guarded statement. It is the prerogative of Maharashtra government to hand over the case to the CBI not. But the fact remains that 40 days of investigation by the Mumbai police had led nowhere, a reason why the bereaved family lodged an FIR in Patna, JD(U) spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said. He expressed hope that the Maharashtra government will appreciate the right of the actor's family and fans to know the complete truth about his death and instruct its police to conduct the investigation accordingly. JD(U) ally BJP reacted with outrage and accused the Shiv Sena, the Congress and NCP of "harbouring friendships with Bollywood mafias. That it took the Bihar police to lodge an FIR under IPC sections since the Mumbai police had merely registered a UD (unnatural death) case proves that Maharashtra's ruling dispensation was engaged in an eyewash, BJP's Bihar unit spokesman Nikhil Anand alleged. The Maharashtra government must allow the CBI to take over the case, and until then, extend full cooperation to the Patna police, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has imposed safeguard duty on solar cells for one more year till July 2021 to protect domestic manufacturers and discourage cheap imports from countries like China. The move followed recommendation by the commerce ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for continued imposition of the duty for one more year. In its probe, the DGTR had concluded that after a decline in imports in 2018-19 due to the imposition of safeguard duty on solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels, imports have increased during April-September 2019 due to reduction in rate of the duty from July 30, 2019. After considering the findings of the DGTR, the department of revenue in a notification has said that it is imposing "a safeguard duty" on the product. The department "seeks to continue the levy of safeguard duty on imports of solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels for a period of one year, in pursuance of final findings of review investigations issued by DGTR," it said. A duty of 14.9 percent will be levied during July 30, 2020, to January 29, 2021, and then 14.5 percent during January 30, 2021, to July 29, 2021, it added. The directorate had stated that there has been a significant increase in imports of the cells. "The domestic industry is continuing to suffer serious injury which is evidenced from an overall consideration of its performance, particularly on the basis of its capacity utilisation which is sub-par considering the demand of the product, increasing levels of inventory and negative profitability, it had said. Imports of solar cells and modules increased to 9,790 MW in 2017-18 from 6,375 MW in 2016-17. The duties were put in place on July 30, 2018. As a consequence, the import volume came down to 8,010 MW in 2018-19. India imposed the duty for the first time on July 30, 2018, for two years. China accounts for nearly 80 percent of module supplies in India. The renewable energy ministry has also proposed imposing customs duties on some solar power equipment as part of the country's goal of becoming self-sufficient. Forty-five years after superconductivity was first discovered in metals, the physics giving rise to it was finally explained in 1957 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory of superconductivity. Thirty years after that benchmark achievement, a new mystery confronted condensed matter physicists: the discovery in 1987 of copper-oxide or high-temperature superconductors. Now commonly known as the cuprates, this new class of materials demonstrated physics that fell squarely outside of BCS theory. The cuprates are insulators at room temperature, but transition to a superconducting phase at a much higher critical temperature than traditional BCS superconductors. (The cuprates' critical temperature can be as high as 170 Kelvin -- that's -153.67?F -- as opposed to the much lower critical temperature of 4 Kelvin -- or -452.47?F -- for mercury, a BCS superconductor.) The discovery of high-temperature superconductors, now more than 30 years ago, seemed to promise that a host of new technologies were on the horizon. After all, the cuprates' superconducting phase can be reached using liquid nitrogen as a coolant, instead of the far costlier and rare liquid helium required to cool BCS superconductors. But until the unusual and unexpected superconducting behavior of these insulators can be theoretically explained, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. An outpouring of both experimental and theoretical physics research has sought to uncover a satisfactory explanation for superconductivity in the cuprates. But today, this remains perhaps the most pressing unsolved question in condensed matter physics. Now a team of theoretical physicists at the Institute for Condensed Matter Theory (ICMT) in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led by Illinois Physics Professor Philip Phillips, has for the first time exactly solved a representative model of the cuprate problem, the 1992 Hatsugai-Kohmoto (HK) model of a doped Mott insulator. The team has published its findings online in the journal Nature Physics on July 27, 2020. advertisement "Aside from the obvious difference in superconducting temperatures, the cuprates start off their lives as Mott insulators, in which the electrons do not move independently as in a metal, but rather are strongly interacting," explains Phillips. "It is the strong interactions that make them insulate so well." In their research, Phillips' team solves exactly the analog of the "Cooper pairing" problem from BCS theory, but now for a doped Mott insulator. What is "Cooper pairing"? Leon Cooper demonstrated this key element of BCS theory: the normal state of a traditional superconducting metal is unstable to an attractive interaction between pairs of electrons. At a BCS superconductor's critical temperature, Cooper pairs of electrons travel without resistance through the metal -- this is superconductivity! "This is the first paper to show exactly that a Cooper instability exists in even a toy model of a doped Mott insulator," notes Phillips. "From this we show that superconductivity exists and that the properties differ drastically from the standard BCS theory. This problem had proven so difficult, only numerical or suggestive phenomenology was possible before our work." Phillips credits ICMT post-doctoral Fellow Edwin Huang with writing the analogue of the BCS wave function for the superconducting state, for the Mott problem. advertisement "The wave function is the key thing that you have to have to say a problem is solved," Phillips says. "John Robert Schrieffer's wave function turned out to be the computational workhorse of the whole BCS theory. All the calculations were done with it. For interacting electron problems, it is notoriously difficult to write a wave function. In fact, so far only two wave functions have been computed that describe interacting states of matter, one by Robert Laughlin in the fractional quantum Hall effect, and the other by Schrieffer in the context of BCS theory. So the fact that Edwin was able to do this for this problem is quite a feat." Asked why the cuprates have proven such a mystery to physicists, Phillips explains, "In fact, it is the strong interactions in the Mott state that has prevented a solution to the problem of superconductivity in the cuprates. It has been difficult even to demonstrate the analogue of Cooper's pairing problem in any model of a doped Mott insulator." Huang's Mott insulator wave function further enabled Phillips, Huang, and physics graduate student Luke Yeo to solve a key experimental puzzle in the cuprates, known as "the color change." Unlike metals, the cuprates exhibit an enhanced absorption of radiation at low energies with a concomitant decrease in absorption at high energies. Phillips' team has shown that this behavior arises from the remnants of what Phillips calls "Mott physics" or "Mottness" in the superconducting state. Mottness is a term coined by Phillips to encapsulate certain collective properties of Mott insulators, first predicted shortly after World War II by British physicist and Nobel laureate Nevill Francis Mott. In addition, the researchers have shown that the superfluid density, which has been observed to be suppressed in the cuprates relative to its value in metals, is also a direct consequence of the material's Mottness. Further, Phillips' team has gone beyond the Cooper problem to demonstrate that the model has superconducting properties that lie outside that of BCS theory. "For example," Phillips explains, "the ratio of the transition temperature to the energy gap in the superconducting state vastly exceeds that in the BCS theory. In addition, our work shows that the elementary excitations in the superconducting state also lie outside the BCS paradigm as they arise from the wide range of energy scales intrinsic to the Mott state." This research was funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Materials Research and by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS) Initiative. The findings presented are those of the researchers, and not necessarily those of the funding agencies. NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court on Thursday (July 30, 2020) awarded a 4-year jail term to former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley and two others in a 20-year-old corruption case related to a purported defence deal. Special CBI judge Virender Bhat had convicted Jaitly, her former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and Major General (retired) SP Murgai and held them guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy on July 26. The three were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in the purported purchase of hand-held thermal imagers. The court, in an on-camera proceeding, also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on all three convicts and directed them to surrender before it till 5 PM today. The case stemmed out of a sting operation Operation Westend aired by news portal tehelka.com in January 2001. The sting, ''Operation Westend'', aired by Tehelka showed the accused purportedly accepting a bribe from reporters of the portal, who posed as representatives of a fictitious company, for supply orders for hand-held thermal imagers from the Indian Army. The meetings took place in the official residence of the then defence minister George Fernandes under the BJP-led NDA government. In its July 21 order, the court observed that while Jaitly accepted illegal gratification of Rs 2 lakh from Mathew Samuel, a representative of the fictitious company Westend International, Murgai received Rs 20,000. The three accused, along with Surender Kumar Surekha who later turned an approver, were a party to the criminal conspiracy, the court held. All the three accused - Jaitly, Pacherwal and Murgai - were convicted of the offence of conspiracy (Section 120-B IPC) read with Section 9 (Taking gratification, for the exercise of personal influence with public servant) of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The court held that "from the evidence lead by the prosecution it is proved beyond doubt that in the meeting in the hotel room on December 25, 2000, Surekha and Murgai assured their assistance to Samuel in procuring letter of evaluation for the product of his company from the Ministry of Defence and also to arrange a meeting between him and accused Jaya Jaitly who would provide political cover to them in this regard." The court observed that "such kind of agreement was clearly tantamount to the offence of conspiracy". Jaitly, who was Fernandes' close aide, resigned as Samata Party chief following the graft allegations. The chargesheet against the three was filed in 2006 and the charges were framed in 2012. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan to strengthen the states unemployment system Wednesday, with a focus on processing unpaid claims. The plan prioritizes processing the oldest pending claims first in an effort to address the almost 1 million that may still be eligible for payment. It will also create a strike team that will work to modernize the Employment Development Departments technology and improve the experience of those claiming benefits. The proposed reforms come as the state has seen an unprecedented number of jobless claims due to the coronavirus pandemic. Workers seeking unemployment benefits have often faced obstacles in getting through to the department as it became overwhelmed with claims. While EDD has processed more than 8 million unemployment insurance claims since March and implemented process, communication and technological improvements, too many Californians who may be eligible for benefits have not been paid, California Labor Secretary Julie Su wrote in a letter to the California legislature Wednesday. We must do better. Newsoms plans focus primarily on streamlining communication between the department and claimants. The department will update voice automation in its call center to better route callers to representatives who have specialized training with specific issues. It will also begin sending immediate and weekly reminders to workers who still need to certify their claim. The EDD will also work to create more user-friendly notifications and enhance online service. Newsoms office said with these improvements, the EDD anticipates eliminating the backlog of actionable claims by the end of September. One of the strike teams tasks is to identify ways to improve the departments technological systems, specifically those used in applying for and receiving benefits. The team will issue recommendations for how to carry out these improvements in the short and long term. There should be no barriers between Californians and the benefits they have earned, Newsom said in a press release. Unprecedented demand due to job loss during this pandemic paired with an antiquated system have created an unacceptable backlog of claims. Californians deserve better, and these reform efforts aim to move the department in that direction. But Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, says the governors actions do not do enough to solve the employment departments problems. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes I am glad the governor is working to address a few of the issues we have been highlighting for months, but unfortunately, this only scratches the surface of the disaster that is EDD, he wrote in a statement. Despite months of good faith efforts to work constructively with EDD leadership to solve the myriad of problems plaguing the agency, little to no progress has been made, he added. Waiting until late September to clear the backlog of unfulfilled claims and to devise a blueprint for web improvements feels inadequate given the number of people left without income since March. He also criticized the governors stated goals. The announcement that EDD will focus on immediately processing claims begs the question, what was EDD doing before this announcement? he wrote. Lives depend on us to do more than the bare minimum. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev History & Traditions Not many universities can say they've canceled classes because 'the British invaded.' William & Mary is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in America. While our original plans date back to 1618 decades before Harvard William & Mary was officially chartered in 1693. Birth by Royal Charter On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a "perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences" to be founded in the Virginia Colony. And William & Mary was born. Workers began construction on the Sir Christopher Wren Building, then known simply as the College Building in 1695, before the town of Williamsburg even existed. Over the next two centuries, the Wren Building would burn on three separate occasions, each time being re-built inside the original walls. That makes the Wren the oldest college building still standing in America, and possibly the most flammable. Alma Mater of the Nation William & Mary has been called the Alma Mater of the Nation because of its close ties to America's founding fathers. A 17-year-old George Washington received his surveyor's license through W&M and would return as its first American chancellor. Thomas Jefferson received his undergraduate education here, as did presidents John Tyler and James Monroe. W&M is famous for its firsts: the first U.S. institution with a Royal Charter, the first Greek-letter society (Phi Beta Kappa, founded in 1776), the first student honor code, the first college to become a university and the first law school in America. William & Mary became a state-supported school in 1906 and went coed in 1918. In 1928, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. chose the Wren Building as the first to be returned to its 18th-century appearance as part of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg restoration. Learn more about our unique history and love of traditions: The coronavirus pandemic has put several natural gas processing projects on hold, prompting concerns about the oil and gas industrys ability to meet North Dakotas flaring target set to become more stringent in November. Gov. Doug Burgum raised the matter at a meeting of the states Industrial Commission Wednesday after hearing that $1 billion worth of investment to build gas processing facilities in North Dakota has been delayed as the pandemic sent oil demand and prices plummeting this past spring. North Dakotas flaring targets, first set in 2014, require that oil producers capture a greater percentage of gas over time. The goals aim to reduce flaring, a process that involves burning off excess gas at well sites and in effect releases carbon dioxide and various pollutants into the atmosphere. The next target is set to take effect Nov. 1, and it requires the capture of at least 91% of gas produced. North Dakota produced 1.9 billion cubic feet per day of gas in May, the most recent month for which data is available. Wouldnt we be prudent to be thinking about moving some of our goals back to match more in line with the reality of capital? Burgum asked during the meeting of the commission, a three-member panel that he chairs. These goals were created at a time before we knew COVID was coming and there was going to be complete demand destruction. He also asked whether the industry would need to idle even more wells than it has already amid the oil downturn just to comply with Novembers goal. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms indicated that more well shut-ins are unlikely, at least at first, and said the state is on track to meet the 91% target thanks in large part to the downturn. Producers have idled thousands of oil wells that are not economic to operate at low oil prices. Those wells are producing neither oil nor gas. As a result, there is space available at processing plants to handle more gas, Helms said. Everyone is taking a lot of comfort in the fact that were only running at about 70% of current capacity, he said. It would appear that theres time to bring the investment in and make the necessary expansions before drilling really picks up again. Helms anticipates the state should be able to meet the 91% goal initially but could face challenges around the second or third quarter of 2021, assuming oil production slowly ticks back up to where it sat around 1.4 million barrels per day before the pandemic. Several processing plant projects are experiencing delays due to the pandemic, including the Hess Tioga Gas Plant expansion and Oneoks expansion at its Bear Creek facility near Killdeer. Oneok has also announced that its suspending the planned expansion of its Demicks Lake processing plant near Watford City. Helms said he expects the projects to be delayed by at least six months. He said the Oil and Gas Division, an arm of the Industrial Commission, plans to make recommendations on any changes to the states gas capture policies at a future commission meeting, likely in September. The oil and gas industry as a whole only just came into compliance with the states existing flaring target, which aims to capture 88% of all gas produced. State data for April and May shows that the industry is meeting the goal after falling out of compliance for two years. Non-compliance could prompt oil companies to have to idle wells to reduce flaring, and some did this voluntarily to avoid restrictions. Companies have invested billions of dollars in recent years building up pipeline and processing infrastructure to address the states flaring problem. The drop in oil production amid the downturn this year has also helped the industry come into compliance. Another potential challenge looms for at least some of the states gas industry: a cap on the heat content of gas shipped through the Northern Border Pipeline, which carries a significant amount of Bakken gas to markets in other states. The pipeline is seeking approval from federal regulators to impose a limit of 1,100 British thermal units as more Bakken gas is shipped through the line, which runs from Canada to Indiana. Bakken gas is rich in natural gas liquids such as ethane, propane and butane, which have a higher heat content than pure methane, the main component of natural gas used in applications such as home heating and electricity generation. Northern Border connects to other pipelines, some of which have a cap of 1,100 Btu, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad told the Tribune in an interview. Processing plants separate out the various components of natural gas, but not all in North Dakota have the ability to process out enough of the so-called liquids to reach 1,100 Btu, he said. Regulators have already taken some steps toward authorizing the cap, Kringstad said. If it becomes official, some processing plants in North Dakota that cannot meet the 1,100-Btu limit might need to reach agreements with other plants and pay them to offset the heat content of their gas, he said. Helms brought up the proposed cap for Northern Border to the Industrial Commission on Wednesday. He said hes hoping any limit would be phased in over time to ensure the state can meet the 91% flaring goal. Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. By ANI NEW DELHI: Targetting the central government over the "deepening economic crisis", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday asserted that two major industries -- telecom and aviation -- are on the verge of collapse. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said that millions of people have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months and added that the collapse of the two major industries will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs. "When will the BJP government acknowledge the gravity of the deepening economic crisis in the country? When will the Prime Minister acknowledge his failure and the failure of his economic managers?" Chidambaram tweeted. He said that the aviation industry has suffered massive losses and faces an uncertain future unless the central government steps in with a rescue plan. "Will the government realize that one of our major telecom companies is on the verge of collapse and the government has no plan to save the struggling telecom industry? Will the government realize that the aviation industry has suffered massive losses and every one of them will go the Air India way unless the government steps in with a rescue plan?" Chidambaram tweeted. "Millions have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months. The collapse of two major industries -- telecom and aviation -- will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs," a following tweet said. Chidambaram's remark comes a day after one of the leadling telecom companies, Bharti Airtel, posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 15,933 crore in the first quarter of the fiscal, mainly due to its one-time expense related to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Meanwhile, the aviation industry is also going through a crisis as several travel restrictions continue and passenger international flights remain suspended in view of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hampered the economy and businesses. COLLINSVILLE The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting an independent investigation into an officer-involved shooting July 29. According to a preliminary investigation, at about 9:14 p.m. Wednesday Collinsville Police arrived at Collinsville High School, 2201 S. Morrison Ave., for a person who had dialed 911 and hung up. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday said Washington's diplomatic efforts to isolate China and threats from it are working, with more countries joining in to criticise Beijing. Pompeo insisted the "tide is turning" in dealings with China, citing international support for Washington's policies even as he expressed "dismay" at the number of countries supporting Beijing's new security law for Hong Kong. "India has banned 106 Chinese applications that threatened its citizens privacy and security," said Pompeo at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Fiscal Year 2021 State Department Budget request. Pompeo was testifying at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for the first time in 15 months, discussing the State Department's annual budget request. "Our diplomatic efforts are working and momentum is building to mitigate the threats that Chinese Communist Party presents. All 10 ASEAN nations have insisted that the South China Sea disputes must be settled on basis of international law, including UNCLOS," he said. Pompeo said Japan led the G7s condemnation of Chinas national security law targeting Hong Kong. "The EU condemned the law too, and also declared China a 'systemic rival' just last year. Our Quad the United States, Australia, India, and Japan has been reinvigorated," he added. Pompeo said at the EU's request, Washington has agreed to start a dialogue channel focused solely on China and the Department of Justice is also cracking down on Chinese IP threats. "We have sanctioned Chinese leaders for their brutality in Xinjiang, imposed export controls on companies that support it, and warned US businesses against using slave labor in their supply chains," he said. "Weve terminated special treatment agreements with Hong Kong in response to the CCPs actions to deny freedom to the people of Hong Kong. And we closed our consulate in Houston because it was a den of spies." Pompeo added that the administration has requested for nearly one and a half billion dollars for foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific region, a 20% increase from the 2020 request. "We want that part of the world to be free and open and prosperous," he said. On 24 July 2020, experts from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Secretariat, the SACU Member States and the WCO Secretariat held a virtual meeting to discuss a wide range of issues related to the Harmonized System (HS) as the Union has started the migration of its Common External Tariff (CET) to the next version of the HS. The WCO works in partnership with the SACU and its Members on this project as part of the EU-WCO HS Africa Programme, funded by the European Union. The meeting was attended by representatives of all the five SACU Member States - Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa - who exchanged their views on how to make the existing model of implementation of HS amendments more efficient and inclusive, how to streamline the process of migration to the new versions of the CET for all Member States and how to ensure that the 2022 version of the HS is implemented in a timely manner. In opening the meeting, Mrs. Ngoanamokgotho Maggie Tladi, SACU Deputy Director, Trade Facilitation, stated that the SACU was seeking to create a permanent and properly institutionalized mechanism to coordinate HS-related matters among the Members States of the Union, under the auspices of the Heads of Customs. She stressed the importance of tariff work within the overall Customs modernization agenda of the SACU, encouraging Member States to actively contribute to it. The meeting culminated with the provisional approval of the Unions HS migration framework outlining a time-bound step-by-step process of adoption of HS amendments in the SACU CET. Moreover, in order to have a clear vision on the overall process of the HS 2022 implementation, a detailed action plan was agreed by all the five SACU Member States. The SACU and the WCO will continue their cooperation to implement the action plan, with the support of the EU-WCO HS Africa Programme. The Programme will join forces with the SACU to work on the establishment of a Unions HS working group, optimization of the HS amendments implementation process, setting up of Advance Rulings systems and further strengthening the capacity of the SACU and its Members in the area of classification. For more details, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org. Nexa Resources S.A. ("Nexa Resources" or "Nexa" or the "Company") (NYSE:NEXA) (TSX:NEXA) has published its 2Q20 Results CEO Message Tito Martins "Governments around the world remain committed to combating COVID-19, while also beginning to lift restrictions to revive their economies. Economic activity is expected to gradually improve, following the containment actions adopted in the first semester. As a result, commodity prices have started to recover. The moment, however, still demands caution. Brazil and Peru still have a higher number of cases and a number of our workforce have been affected. We have been working closely with the local authorities, and the protection of our employees and host communities remains our highest priority. International benchmark procedures to mitigate COVID-19 spread were established in all of our operations, including COVID antibody tests, health checks, intensive site cleaning and social distance protocols, among others. Non-essential site personnel and all corporate employees continue to work remotely. Despite the impacts of the government mandated temporary suspension of our mining operations in Peru and the reduced capacity utilization rate of our smelters during the quarter, the commitment of our team and the business continuity measures put in place to navigate this unprecedented scenario allowed us to deliver good performance. Mining operations in Brazil posted a record throughput, while the Tres Marias smelter continued to improve its global recovery rate. Liquidity remains strong with our current cash balance at US$913 million and we continue to proactively manage our balance sheet. In June, we issued a long 7-year bond of US$500 million and its net proceeds were fully used to refinance certain existing financial indebtedness. Our strategy remains focused on protecting our people, ensuring business continuity, preserving cash, reducing leverage, and delivering the Aripuana project. Corporate cost-saving measures also remain in effect. The 2020 guidance remains unchanged." Highlights: Consolidated net revenue reached US$337 million in the second quarter compared with US$613 million a year ago driven by lower volume and LME prices. After production was suspended on March 18, Cerro Lindo and El Porvenir restarted operations on May 11 and gradually increased their throughput during the quarter. Ramp up continues into 3Q20. Atacocha San Gerardo open pit mine resumed production on June 8, while the Atacocha higher-cost underground mine remains suspended. Zinc production of 62kt was 32% lower than in 2Q19 mainly explained by the temporary suspension of our Peruvian mines required by the Peruvian government to control the COVID-19 outbreak. Following the end of the quarantine period in Peru, as of May 11, Cajamarquilla smelter gradually improved its operating rate and is now at full capacity. In May and June, Juiz de Fora smelter operated at 60% of its nominal capacity due to the decrease in demand, affected by COVID-19. A gradual ramp-up to full production is expected in 3Q20. In 2Q20, metal sales were 120kt, down 23% year-over-year, as global demand was negatively affected by COVID-19. Adjusted EBITDA was US$40 million in 2Q20 compared with US$118 million in 2Q19 and US$44 million in 1Q20. Mining cash cost in 2Q20 was US$0.36/lb compared with US$0.48/lb in 2Q19 and US$0.52/lb in 1Q20 mainly driven by the temporary decrease in operating costs due to the production suspension in our Peruvian mines. In 2Q20, Nexa accrued US$3.5 million of costs related to the decision to not resume the Atacocha underground operation. Additional costs may be incurred in the following months. In 2Q20, smelting cash cost was US$0.70/lb, down 33% and 12% compared to 2Q19 and 1Q20, respectively, due to lower concentrate costs and energy prices. Incremental costs related to COVID-19 amounted to US$4.1 million in 2Q20. Net loss totaled US$59 million, a US$0.44 loss per share, in 2Q20. Net debt to adjusted EBITDA for the last twelve months stood at 4.97x, reflecting the impact of the temporary suspension of our Peruvian operations and lower LME prices on our EBITDA. Nexa successfully obtained waivers in respect of certain semi-annually-tested financial covenants under certain of its indebtedness through June 2021 and eliminated financial covenants for other indebtedness by repaying the debt. On June 15, Nexa issued US$500 million of 6.5% senior unsecured notes due in 2028. The net proceeds were used to repay certain existing indebtedness, including the US$300 million revolving credit facility, which now is undrawn and remains committed until October 2024. Any future disbursement under the facility will be subject to Nexa's compliance with the relevant conditions, including the applicable financial covenants. Liquidity remains strong. Total cash amounted to US$913 million at June 30, 2020. In June, Fitch Ratings affirmed the "BBB-" rating on Nexa and revised the outlook from "stable" to "negative". The change reflects the expectation of lower volumes and depressed zinc prices including due to COVID-19. On July 22, Nexa entered into a new loan agreement for up to R$750 million, or approximately up to US$140 million, with the Brazilian Economic and Social Bank ("BNDES"). The proceeds will be used to finance the Aripuana project. Over the course of the year, we expect to disburse an amount proportional to the completion curve of the project, depending on the satisfaction of all precedent conditions, with the remaining amount in 2021. Corporate Highlights On June 04, 2020, Nexa's shareholders at its extraordinary general meeting approved the cancellation of the 881,902 common shares held in treasury, repurchased under the Nexa repurchase program concluded in November 2019. Also on the same date, Mr. Gianfranco Castagnola was elected as the newest member of Nexa's Board of Directors. On July 30, 2020, the Board of Directors elected Mr. Jaime Ardila as the new Chairman of the Board, replacing Mr. Luis Ermirio de Moraes, who remains on our Board. Mr. Ardila is now also a member of the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee and Mr. Gianfranco Castagnola has joined the Finance Committee. Operational efficiency initiatives program Nexa Way The Nexa Way program generated an estimated positive impact to EBITDA of US$22 million in 2Q20 and US$43 million in 1H20. The program continues to progress and based on the initiatives implemented, we continue to target an improvement of at least US$120 million in annualized EBITDA throughout 2020 and 2021. Our ability to achieve this target through 2021 depends on future metal prices, production and demand recovery, among others. Guidance: We maintain our revised 2020 guidance for metals production and sales, previously announced in 1Q20. 2021-2022 guidance remains suspended. CAPEX guidance of US$300 million for the year remains unchanged but we have revised our capital allocation between expansion and non-expansion investments. Investments in mineral exploration (US$26 million) and project development (US$17 million) for 2020 are also maintained at US$43 million. We have incurred US$16.5 million of this amount. Greenfield exploration and project development have been temporarily suspended. Subject to the continued impact of COVID-19, we are re-evaluating resuming certain activities, already considered in our 2020 guidance. We will continue to review our 2020 estimates due to the high uncertainty around the duration and severity of the COVID-19 disease and its effects on the global economy. Refer to our "Nexa Guidance 2020" section for further details. Projects: As a result of COVID-19 related measures, Magistral engineering studies (FEL3) are behind our original plan in 2Q20 and, consequently, the final report is now expected to be completed in 2021. The Vazante mine-deepening brownfield project continues as planned and the investment amounted US$4 million in the quarter. Aripuana Construction activities continued to advance but at a reduced pace. In response to COVID-19 related-measures and local government protocols, we are operating with approximately 80% of our planned workforce. Estimated CAPEX for the year is now US$172 million (versus our previous US$202 million) due to additional FX gains and lower than expected activity level in 2Q20. Nexa continues to work on a new rebaseline for the project and we expect to conclude during 2H20. Refer to our "Aripuana project" section for further details. For full details, please visit our Investor Relations webpage at: http://ir.nexaresources.com E-mail: ir@nexaresources.com About Nexa Resources Nexa is a large-scale, low-cost integrated zinc producer with over 60 years of experience developing and operating mining and smelting assets in Latin America. Nexa currently owns and operates five long-life underground mines three located in the Central Andes of Peru and two located in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil and is developing the Aripuana Project as its sixth underground mine in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Nexa was among the top five producers of mined zinc globally in 2019 and also one of the top five metallic zinc producers worldwide in 2019, according to Wood Mackenzie. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730006087/en/ Contacts: Nexa Resources Investor Relations Roberta Varella ir@nexaresources.com [The stream is slated to start at 11:00 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] The World Health Organization is holding a briefing Thursday on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 17 million people worldwide and killed at least 667,808, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On Wednseday, the World Heatlh Organization advised public officials against trying to achieve so-called herd immunity to Covid-19 by allowing it to rapidly spread throughout their communities, saying it will overwhelm hospitals and kill a lot of people. Most scientists think 60% to 80% of the population needs to be vaccinated or have natural antibodies to achieve herd immunity, Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, said on a live Q&A streamed across multiple social media platforms. "Whatever that number is, we're nowhere near close to it, which means this virus has a long way to burn in our communities before we ever reach that," he said. Herd immunity is necessary to really contain a virus, according to epidemiologists. That is generally achieved once enough people either get vaccinated or survive the virus so they have the antibodies to fight off new infections and the virus doesn't have enough new hosts to spread. Last week, officials of the World Health Organization slammed "unacceptable" comments made by the U.S. Secreatry of State Mike Pompeo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the claims made Tuesday in London by Pompeo that China had "co-opted international institutions like the World Health Organization" were untrue and a distraction from the global coronavirus pandemic response. "The comments are untrue and unacceptable and without any foundation for that matter," Tedros said at the news briefing. "WHO will not be distracted by these comments and we don't want the international community also to be distracted." CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report. Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the COVID-19 outbreak. Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asia Internet Coalition Vietnam has received international acclaim for its quick and decisive response to the COVID-19 crisis, with the economy witnessing a 1.81 per cent GDP growth in the first half of 2020. This is encouraging as Vietnam is one of the few countries that have managed to achieve positive growth during this crisis. Vietnams economic outlook has therefore been hailed as one of the brightest in all of Asia. The country has emerged as the clear early winner from the protracted and damaging US-China trade tensions, given the notable increase in trade between Vietnam and the US in the first quarter of 2020. In a push to compete for foreign direct investment, Vietnam has partnered with Indonesia and Thailand to establish cabinet-level task forces to draw investment in manufacturing supply chains, specifically from China. Also, Vietnam also saw acceleration in Chinas ongoing investments in the country this year. Moreover, digital technology continues to contribute to Vietnams increased revenue. In the first half of 2020, phones, electronics, and computers constituted the top commodities in Vietnams export value and share. The government has also announced plans to commercialise a 5G network using only domestically-produced equipment. Notably, Vietnam has been described as the fastest-growing digital economy in Asia-Pacific. E-commerce is a key factor in this, with homegrown marketplaces like Sendo and Tiki competing with the likes of regional players such as Lazada and Shopee. These achievements are in line with the governments priority for the development of Industry 4.0, and will help the country strengthen its competitive advantage. The government holds ambitious goals for the digital economy to contribute 30 per cent to the countrys GDP as well as be among the top 40 countries in the Global Innovation Index rankings by 2030. As chair of the ASEAN for 2020, Vietnam has the opportunity to accelerate and amplify its digital transformation goals across the region, with digital integration estimated to increase GDP growth in the region by up to $1 trillion by 2025. It is encouraging to note that in a recent statement, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung spoke about the need for Vietnam to increase its focus on the digital economy. This speech echoes the goals of the National Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution launched by the government last year. When observing this strategy and its emphasis, Vietnams digital push forward is evident. However, a laser focus is needed on digital integration in order to bridge the digital divide and to further accelerate Vietnams economic growth and access to global opportunities. Vietnam has been driving its digital economy and governance efforts even harder amid the coronavirus crisis, Photo: Shutterstock Bridging the digital divide Vietnams population of more than 96 million has significant potential which, coupled with the ASEAN bloc of 650 million people, demonstrates an equally attractive channel for Vietnamese companies. Taking advantage of these market opportunities means the Vietnamese digital economy has to be integrated into regional and global policy frameworks. Such frameworks allow cross border data flows which are the lifeblood of the digital economy, actively promoting innovation via local collaboration with global companies, and meeting global norms for protecting data privacy and security. The digital transformation that minister Hung is seeking requires a stable regulatory and policy landscape in line with international best practices, alongside a concerted effort to bridge the digital divide. Tariff and non-tariff barriers must be reviewed, as these could hinder foreign investment and limit the prospects for local businesses. Every country needs to invest more in providing internet access, infrastructure, and education so that all people and businesses can interact and engage seamlessly in a digital economy. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, among the six largest economies in ASEAN, Vietnam has the third-highest high-speed internet cost at $2.41 per megabit per month. These high costs currently hamper innovation and growth in Vietnam. A digital society, such as that found today, requires the removal of regulatory and financial impediments to the construction and improvement of robust digital infrastructure. Without this infrastructure, people remain detached from the digital economy, the broader economy becomes more inefficient, and access to critical social tools, including telemedicine, distance learning, and research becomes more challenging. Apart from resolving this digital divide and optimising infrastructure, there are several other opportunities that Vietnam can take advantage of as it charts its digital future. The first is the rapidly growing e-commerce and digital payments environment. Vietnams strengths lie in its competitive telecommunications sector, a growing tech-savvy youth population, and a fledgling tech startup scene. To leverage these strengths, the country will require appropriate legislation to govern the rising volume of domestic and cross-border e-commerce transactions. However, the same legislation should avoid being overly prescriptive, considering the power of e-commerce to create jobs and increase trade in Vietnam. In a Temasek & Bain report in conjunction with Google, Vietnams e-commerce market was valued at $5 billion in 2019 and is forecast to reach $23 billion by 2025 and in the past few years, emerging Vietnamese startups like Tiki have received significant investments from foreign venture capital firms and technology companies. This buoyant outlook and investment climate opens doors for more Vietnamese entrepreneurs to develop ideas that could not only serve the Vietnamese market but also beyond. A vibrant e-commerce sector can further help Vietnam meet its free trade agreement obligations with the EU, US and the broader ASEAN region. Vietnam is also looking to harness the potential of electronic payments technology as part of the recent national financial inclusion strategy until 2025. In line with this goal, non-cash payments have increased sharply in the country, especially via mobile phones and the internet, according to the latest report from the State Bank of Vietnam. Diverse digital economy The second main opportunity lies in boosting technology platforms providing digital solutions such as ride-hailing and financial services, as well as grocery and parcel delivery. They form a core part of a prosperous digital economy. The digital economy has given rise to new business models, such as the gig economy, which in turn has created more options for hundreds of thousands of micro-entrepreneurs in Vietnam to improve their livelihoods. Tech platforms have also helped to accelerate the online presence of small and traditional businesses in Vietnam, which has helped them to continue earning revenue despite the fall in foot traffic due to COVID-19. Now, these businesses have a digital storefront to serve an increasingly online and mobile population. The app economy is an important part of the digital economy landscape and the developer community in Vietnam has benefited significantly from the opportunities created by it. Any localisation and licensing requirements for a broad set of players will be costly particularly to enterprises and hinders competition and innovation. Finally, Vietnam can boost its digital strategy by a concerted focus on cloud adoption. The increased digitalisation of organisations, driven by the rapid adoption of cloud computing and data analytics, has increased the importance of data as an input to commerce, impacting not just information industries, but traditional industries as well. Cloud computing uses internet access and the ability to move data securely across borders to provide cheaper on-demand computing capacity. The benefits of clouds are best realised when there are no data localisation restrictions placed. Such restrictions undermine the economies of scale as well as the security benefits to be gained from shared computing infrastructure. Vietnam is on a rapid journey of transformation towards a more digitalised economy. The health crisis has shown that Vietnam stands to benefit from increased digitalisation, and should drive its digital economy vision even harder. There is a universal recognition that digitalisation is a must for inclusive growth, but also makes us more resilient in times of crisis. SAN QUENTIN, Calif. On a sunny Wednesday at San Quentin State Prison, a handful of people gathered just outside the gates to await the release of their family members. A white van arrived, and two elderly men wearing masks and carrying small bags of belongings walked to the waiting group. Even here, evidence of the coronavirus pandemic was evident. One man hesitated before embracing the woman waiting for him, and he held her hand at a distance for a few minutes before they got into her parked car. Frank Richardson, along with roughly 18 percent of the prison population, was released early to limit the spread of coronavirus at San Quentin State Prison. (Jacob Ward) Frank Richardson, who emerged later in the day, embraced his wife and two sons after nearly four years in prison, but he said he'd considered keeping his distance. "I've tested negative for a while now, but I'm struggling with it," he said. "We will definitely have that talk on the way home." Thousands of incarcerated people have tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak at San Quentin, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and 19 have died. Like Richardson, about 18 percent of the prison population has been released early to limit the spread. But after having tested positive, those who remain incarcerated have lost their visiting privileges with loved ones, have been limited to showering only once a week and have been placed in solitary confinement, regardless of their behavior, family members told NBC News. Lisa Zinnamon Noel said Stephen Rhashiyd Zinnamon, her brother, who is soon up for parole at San Quentin, tested positive for the virus in early June and has been in solitary confinement, or "the hole," for at least a month. Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak "He described it basically as a living hell," she said of conditions at California's oldest prison during the pandemic. "And no word from the prison system as to when he might be retested or what the protocol is for reintroducing them into the general population. Because you just can't keep them there indefinitely." Story continues She said that when he calls, it's hard to understand him over the shouting in the background, which she takes as an indication of overcrowding and his inability to socially distance from others in that part of the prison. "I believe they only get to shower once a week," she said. "They don't get any yard time. He's not able to work." In a statement, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that "since the coronavirus pandemic hit our community, the department has worked tirelessly to implement measures to protect staff, the incarcerated population, and the community at large." While it had to suspend recreational yard time and phone calls, the department wrote, as of July 24 that access had been restored in a limited fashion. "There are currently 526 incarcerated persons who are actively positive with COVID-19," the department wrote, calling it a significant drop from earlier numbers, with "over 1,500 persons identified as 'recovered.'" An alternate care site where incarcerated people who are positive for COVID-19 are treated at San Quentin State PRison. (California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation) San Quentin has also repurposed several areas of its grounds as treatment facilities, including a chapel and a furniture-building shop, and it has installed an air-conditioned outdoor tent with room to treat 164 patients, corrections department spokesperson Dana Simas said. She added that San Quentin is providing personal protective equipment, including cloth masks, to people imprisoned there and offering coronavirus testing every seven days to anyone who has previously tested negative or who has refused a test in the past. "Those being placed into segregated housing due to COVID-19 are not being moved for punitive reasons," the department wrote in a statement on its site. "They are moved in order to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 virus in the affected unit." An initial lack of screening likely contributed to the outbreak. The corrections department did not test nearly 200 prisoners before transferring them from a men's institution in Chino to San Quentin and other prisons, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in June. Download the NBC News app for full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak Several of the arrivals at San Quentin later tested positive, and as of Wednesday, the department's official count listed at least 2,168 confirmed past and current cases among people in prison, as well as at least 254 staff members. On Sunday, Johnny Avila Jr. became the 19th man incarcerated at San Quentin to die of the disease. Avila, who was sentenced to death in 1996, was 62 years old. Avila, like any prisoner, had fundamental rights, even on death row, to health care and due process, said Adnan Khan, who served the final four years of his 16 years behind bars in San Quentin before his release in 2019. Khan is the executive director of Re:Store Justice, a California nonprofit that helps people released from prison fight the stigma of having been incarcerated. "I was sentenced to 25 to life in prison," he said. "But I was not sentenced to die of COVID." Khan said chronic overcrowding and overly long sentences at California's prisons are to blame for the crisis. "The reason that we have a COVID-in-prison problem is because we have a mass incarceration problem." NBC News is not reporting the mens crimes because they have no bearing on their right to adequate health care. Richardson said that in his unit, about 80 men sleep in bunks divided by low brick walls and breathe the same air in a single room. He said that he and the people incarcerated with him had been steadfastly wearing masks since April but that mask-wearing by corrections officers had been inconsistent until recently. "They wear them just on their mouth, not on their nose. Some of them have them just around their neck. I've seen them in the yard without them on," Richardson said. He described trying to persuade one guard to wear a mask. "He goes, 'Don't worry about me, dude, worry about yourself.' And I'm like 'I am kind of worried about myself.'" In a June memo, researchers from University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health and Amend, a program at the University of California, San Francisco, that seeks to change U.S. prison policy based on European models, predicted a "full-blown local epidemic and health care crisis in the prison and surrounding communities" and offered detailed recommendations to prison officials, including that the incarcerated population be reduced by at least 50 percent to slow the virus's spread. The problem is not limited to San Quentin, nor to California facilities. Two men hold up a banner before the start of a news conference outside San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, Calif., on July 9, 2020. (Eric Risberg / AP) By July 21, at least 70,717 people in prison in the U.S. had tested positive for the coronavirus, according to research from The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization that covers criminal justice, and the disease has killed at least 713. And yet families say they have limited information on their imprisoned relatives. Jacque Wilson, a public defender in San Francisco, has a brother in federal custody at Terminal Island in Los Angeles and another detained at the Navajo County Jail in Arizona. Wilson's brother Lance tested positive for COVID-19 at Terminal Island, a federal facility, but the prison has largely cut off contact with his family, Wilson said. He said he learned of his brother's condition by letter. And in a video recorded inside the Arizona facility published on Twitter, his brother Neko complains of leaking toilets, no masks and unsafe conditions. "It's incredibly frustrating," Wilson said. Richardson said he worries for the people he is leaving behind at San Quentin. "It's good to see they're letting people out. There's a lot of good people in there that made a mistake," he said before getting into a car with his family. "I feel sorry for those guys, because they're in a big incubation box." Lucknow, July 30 : The Lucknow police on Thursday arrested Congress leader Anup Patel for allegedly abetting the self-immolation attempt by a woman and her daughter from Amethi on July 17. The mother Safia and her daughter Gudiya, had attempted self-immolation outside the UP Lok Bhawan to protest against police inaction over a dispute over a drain in their home in Amethi. The two were admitted to the Civil hospital where the mother succumbed to her burn injuries on July 22. Three police personnel in Amethi were suspended for negligence of duty but during investigations it was found that Patel had instigated the mother and daughter to attempt self-immolation. Patel had also informed the media to reach the Lok Bhawan even before the incident. Red White & Bloom is assembling one of the largest cannabis asset footprints in the State of Michigan. Michigan market projected to reach $3 billion, RWB is the only MSO to crack the code of this massive market. Whitefish, Montana--(Newsfile Corp. - July 29, 2020) - CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN), owner and operator of CFN Media, the leading media network dedicated to the global legal cannabis, CBD and psychedelics industries, today announced the addition of Red White & Bloom Brands Inc. (CSE: RWB) (OTCQX: RWBYF), a top 10 multi-state operator (MSO), to its growing client roster. Red White & Bloom Logo To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6612/60734_0e410bca14b3888f_001full.jpg CFN Media will leverage its proprietary digital content platform and extensive distribution to attract qualified retail, accredited and institutional investors to Red White & Bloom. "We are excited to be working with one of the largest Cannabis 3.0 brands," said CFN Media President Frank Lane. "The Midwest remains a relatively untapped opportunity in the near-term while the company's long-term expansion plans across the country paint a compelling story for buy-and-hold investors in the space." Red White & Bloom aims to become one of the top three multi-state cannabis operators active in the legal cannabis and hemp sector. With a focus on Michigan, Illinois and Massachusetts, the company is one of the few publicly-traded MSOs focused on the burgeoning Midwest. In addition, RWB will be expanding its cannabis holdings to include California and Oklahoma upon completion of the recently announced Platinum Vape acquisition and has its near-term sights set on the massive Florida market for additional growth opportunities. Utilizing its industry-disrupting 3.6 million square foot Illinois greenhouse, RWB has been rolling out its full line of premium, uniquely indoor grown hemp-based CBD products nationwide. In addition, RWB is also exporting pharma grade cannabinoids to Europe Story continues Brad Rogers, Chairman & CEO or RWB stated: "We're excited to get the Company's story out to the US markets and beyond. With our investor-friendly cap table and the fact that most early investors are locked up for the long haul, along with our debt being very clean with no convert or warrants makes RWB a very easy and compelling investment. Strong revenues for this fiscal year is again, unique to this space and I look forward to telling it to all of Wall Street and Bay Street." About Red White & Bloom Inc. The Company is positioning itself to be one of the top three multi-state cannabis operators active in the U.S. legal cannabis and hemp sector. RWB is predominantly focusing its investments on major markets in the United States, including Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Florida in respect to cannabis and the entire US for legal hemp CBD based products. For more information about Red White & Bloom Brands Inc., please contact: Tyler Troup, Managing Director Circadian Group IR IR@RedWhiteBloom.com Visit us on the web: www.RedWhiteBloom.com Follow us on social media: Twitter: @rwbbrands Facebook: @redwhitebloombrands Instagram: @redwhitebloombrands FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT Use of Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements from CFN Enterprises Inc. within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and federal securities laws. For example, when CFN Enterprises Inc. describes the potential acquisition of BarNone assets and the related benefits, its pursuit of M&A opportunities, growth in CBD sales and spending on affiliate marketing, and uses other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, CFN Enterprises Inc. is using forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the management of CFN Enterprises Inc. only, and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; the regulatory landscape and enforcement related to cannabis, including political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; changes in applicable laws; compliance with extensive government regulation; public opinion and perception of the cannabis industry; we may be unable to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products and services; or, loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition, which could cause the actual results or performance of CFN Enterprises Inc. to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, CFN Enterprises Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risk and uncertainties affecting CFN Enterprises Inc., reference is made to CFN Enterprises Inc.'s reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. About CFN Enterprises Inc. CFN Enterprises Inc. (OTCQB: CNFN) is a digital media and ecommerce company focused on advancing businesses and brands in highly regulated emerging industries across the globe. CFN connects investors with new market opportunities while helping consumers find innovative products that enhance their lives. Learn more at www.cfnenterprisesinc.com. CFN Enterprises Inc. Media Contact: CFN Enterprises Inc. +001 (833) 420-CNFN investors@cfnenterprisesinc.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/60734 Dozens of previously sealed court documents from a now-settled civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell are expected to be publicly released in the coming days, igniting a fresh round of speculation about what details the records might contain about Jeffrey Epstein's alleged child sex-trafficking operation and about Maxwell's alleged role in the conspiracy. Interest in the court records has only intensified in the aftermath of Maxwell's indictment earlier this month on charges accusing her of enabling and, in some instances, participating in the sexual abuse of three minor girls in the mid-1990s. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held without bond while she awaits a trial next year. Maxwell's lawyers are still fighting to halt the release of some documents, asking Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska to reconsider her ruling or -- alternatively -- to delay the release of the documents pending an appeal. MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell to appeal judge's order unsealing records in civil case In a letter to the court on Wednesday, Maxwell's attorneys contended that she was set up in a "perjury trap" by federal prosecutors and lawyers for an alleged victim of Epstein and Maxwell. The letter suggested -- without direct evidence -- that sealed portions from Maxwell's depositions in the case were leaked to the government, who then charged her with two counts of perjury for alleged false statements in her testimony. Prosecutors declined to comment on the allegation. Preska denied Maxwell's motion but agreed to a two-day reprieve for Maxwell to appeal the unsealing decision. As a result, some documents will be unsealed Thursday and others as soon as Monday, unless the appeals court acts before then. PHOTO: British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell arrives at Epsom Racecourse on June 5, 1991. (Jim James/PA via AP, FILE) The court papers -- potentially running into the thousands of pages -- come from a defamation lawsuit filed in 2015 against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that Maxwell recruited her as a 16-year-old into a life of sexual servitude to Epstein. She also accused Maxwell and Epstein of directing her, between 2000 to 2002, to have sex with a number of their prominent associates, most famously Britain's Prince Andrew. Story continues Maxwell and all the men accused by Giuffre, including the prince, have denied the allegations. The sealed court filings contain the names of hundreds of people -- some famous and some not -- who socialized, traveled or worked with Epstein over the span of more than a decade. Epstein, a registered sex-offender, was found dead last August in an apparent suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The late financier has previously been linked to a host of high-profile business leaders, scientists, royals and politicians. MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell to appeal judge's order unsealing records in civil case Giuffre and Maxwell reached a confidential settlement just days before a scheduled trial in 2017, leaving behind a court docket littered with sealed and redacted records inaccessible to the public and the press. A substantial majority of the non-public court records were kept private by both sides of the dispute under a court-approved confidentiality order. The non-public records also include the identities of people who provided information in the case under an expectation of confidentiality, plus the names of alleged victims and individuals accused of enabling Epstein or participating in the abuse, according to public portions of the court record. A fight for transparency In April 2018, the Miami Herald intervened in the closed case, filing a motion to unseal the court records. Giuffre and her attorneys then joined the Herald in arguing for near-total disclosure, while Maxwell's lawyers advocated for keeping the vast majority of the documents sealed. Last year, a federal appeals court in New York granted the Herald's motion in part, releasing about 2,000 pages of previously-sealed documents, including limited excerpts from sworn testimony of Maxwell and Giuffre, who each sat for multiple depositions prior to the settlement. The appellate court then sent the case back to the trial court to decide what to do about the rest of the sealed documents. PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein is pictured in a 2013 photo released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement) The sheer volume of the remaining sealed and redacted filings in the case, and the hundreds of individuals whose names appear in the court record, resulted in months of disputes over a protocol for reviewing the documents and notifying non-parties whose names would become public as documents are unsealed. Preska, who inherited the case following the death of the original trial court judge Robert Sweet, eventually settled on initiating the process to review the documents in stages. The unsealing of the first cache of documents comes with exceptions for medical records, personally identifying information such as addresses and social security numbers, and for the identities of alleged minor victims. That information will remain redacted. MORE: Victim's attorney accuses Epstein estate of attempts to 'stonewall' lawsuit And, for the time being, records will be unsealed only as they relate to the first two of the hundreds of non-party "John Does" whose names appear in the records. ("John Doe" is the generic name given to all the non-parties. It does not mean that all the people are men.) Those two people, referred to as John Does 1 and 2 in the record, received notice in May that their names could become public. Neither responded. The unsealing of the remainder of the names won't happen until each is notified and given an opportunity to object -- a process that could take many more months. 'Extremely personal, confidential' testimony Included in the first batch of court documents reviewed by Preska are filings and exhibits associated with Maxwell's first seven-hour deposition in April of 2016. Giuffre's lawyers subsequently went to the judge in May 2016 seeking a court order to compel Maxwell to respond to questions she declined to answer. Maxwell's attorneys have described these documents, which include multiple excerpts of her testimony, as containing "intrusive questions about her sex life," and contended that Giuffre's lawyers "extensively, selectively, and misleadingly" quote from Maxwell's deposition. "The subject matter of these [documents] is extremely personal, confidential, and subject to considerable abuse by the media," wrote Maxwell's attorney, Jeffrey Pagliuca, in June. PHOTO: Ghislaine Maxwell appears via video link during her arraignment hearing in Manhattan Federal Court, in the Manhattan borough of New York, July 14, 2020. (Jane Rosenberg via Reuters) Giuffre's lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, argued that public interest in the case "weighs in favor of unsealing Maxwell's deposition, not against it." "Maxwell's objection is a blatant attempt to stall the unsealing process by creating unjustified obstacles and inducing this Court into a pattern of delay that will ensure the documents in this case, which are clearly subject to a presumption of public access, never see the light of day," McCawley wrote. MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's alleged recruiter, pleads not guilty Other exhibits to these filings include summaries of flight logs kept by Epstein's pilots, portions of police reports and other documents concerning the person identified as "John Doe 1." Though Maxwell argued that release of these records would cause her undue embarrassment and annoyance, Preska ordered the documents partially unsealed, with names of non-parties other than John Does 1 and 2 remaining sealed, pending notification. "In her first deposition ... Ms. Maxwell refused to testify as to any consensual adult behavior and generally disclaimed any knowledge of underage activity," Preska said during a hearing on July 23. "In the context of this case, especially its allegations of sex trafficking of young girls, the Court finds that any minor embarrassment or annoyance resulting from disclosure of Ms. Maxwell's mostly non-testimony about behavior that has been widely reported in the press is far outweighed by the presumption of public access." PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend an event at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005, in New York. (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, FILE) Emails between Maxwell and Epstein in 2015 Another group of documents set to be partially unsealed concern an effort by Giuffre's lawyers to get court approval to take additional witness depositions and an extension of time in order to complete them. Maxwell sought to keep these records sealed, too. Her lawyers argued that Giuffre's team had used this routine court filing to gratuitously attach as exhibits the entire transcript of a witness deposition and the full text of Maxwell's 418-page testimony of April 2016. MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's alleged recruiter, under investigation in US Virgin Islands "These pleadings concern what should have been a straightforward request by [Giuffre] to exceed the presumptive 10 deposition limit set by the Court," Maxwell's lawyers argued. "It was not. Instead of simply asking to exceed the presumptive limit, [Giuffre] felt the urge to pack the record with deposition testimony subject to the protective order and references to multiple non-party Does," Pagliuca wrote. But Preska was unpersuaded and ordered the filings unsealed, subject to the continued redactions of non-party names. The judge also ruled that an exhibit containing communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 would be unsealed. Based on previous court records in the case, Maxwell and Epstein exchanged at least seven emails in the weeks following a court filing by Giuffre containing the allegations that she had been directed to have sex with several of their prominent associates. Another cache of documents related to Ghislaine Maxwell expected to be released in coming days originally appeared on abcnews.go.com COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio Board of Pharmacy is holding off on a new rule generally banning hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as a coronavirus treatment, heeding a request from Gov. Mike DeWine. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against use of the drug outside a hospital setting or clinical trial, due to the risk of heart rhythm problems. A pharmacy board statement said the decision was a result of the feedback received by the medical and patient community and at the request of Governor DeWine. This will allow the Board to reexamine the issue with the assistance of the State Medical Board of Ohio, clinical experts, and other stakeholders to determine appropriate next steps, the statement said. DeWine said in a statement earlier Thursday that he agreed with FDA Commissioner Dr. Steven Hahn that the decision about the prescription should be between a doctor and patient. The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts, DeWine said. Early research, which is now questioned, showed promise for the medicine -- normally prescribed for malaria and lupus. World Health Organization and U.K. researchers ended trials for the drug, after data showed it gave patients no benefits for COVID-19 in June. But President Donald Trump has used it and recently has embraced the views of a fringe Houston pediatrician who says the medicine can help with coronavirus. On Thursday, NBCs the Today show asked Hahn, who leads the FDA, whether people should take hydroxychloroquine for COVID. The question youre asking me is a decision between a doctor and a patient, he said. DeWine said at his briefing Thursday he was glad the pharmacy board reversed course, saying the decision making process was flawed and didnt include enough public input. We have not seen a complete and thorough examination of the facts, he said. DeWine said he was not taking a position one way or another on the drug. Im not a doctor, Im not a scientist. Im the governor, he said. On July 19, the Ohio Department of Health said it was trying to get rid of 4 million hydroxychloroquine pills it had obtained for the pandemic. The pharmacy boards rule, which was to take effect Thursday, wouldnt allow hydroxychloroquine to be sold in Ohio as a treatment for the COVID-19 coronavirus. Under the rule, pharmacies wouldnt have been able to sell or dispense hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for COVID-19 treatment -- unless approved by the boards executive director. The rule also voided all previous approvals of the drug. The new rule didnt apply to prescriptions issued as part of a board-approved clinical trial to evaluate drugs to treat COVID-19. On Thursday afternoon, a spokeswoman with the State Medical Board of Ohio said since the organizations role is to support doctors, the group looks forward to working with the pharmacy board on the issue. Almost 100 people were displaced on Wednesday after a second-alarm fire tore through a York County EconoLodge. According to the American Red Cross, assistance is being offered to 29 families comprised of 61 adults and 33 children, who were permanent residents of the hotel. The fire broke out at the hotel in the 200 block of Arsenal Road, Manchester Township. WGAL reported that the fire started in a first-floor room of the hotel. Three firefighters were transported to the hospital with heat-related issues, the outlet reported. Fire officials told media that while the fire was contained to a few rooms, smoke conditions ran through an entire wing of the hotel, the York Daily Record reported. In a tweet, the Red Cross said it also assisted with first responders on scene. We are currently providing canteen services for emergency responders in the 200 Block of Arsenal in York (York County) responding to the 2 alarm fire at the Econo Lodge Hotel. American Red Cross Greater PA (@RedCrossGPA) July 29, 2020 We are bringing the full breadth of our services to support those who were impacted. We are providing sheltering at a nearby hotel, meals, community resources, and recovery planning for everyone who was touched by this fire said Laura Hughes, Executive Director, Central Pennsylvania Chapter. The Red Cross is following COVID-19 guidance in their support of the affected residents. Read more on PennLive: When music maestro AR Rahman said that his filmography in Bollywood is sparse because of a gang spreading rumours about him, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur pointed out that an Oscar is the kiss of death in Bollywood. This claim was later supported by Oscar winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty, who shared how he had gone through near breakdown as nobody was giving me work in Hindi films and regional cinema held me tight after he won the Oscar. So, is international acclaim really a death knell for a talents career in Bollywood? 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 Nimrat Kaur, who has starred in international shows such as Homeland and Wayward Pines, feels that it definitely are misconceptions about actors who are working in the West. Sometimes people shy away from bringing something to me because they think they can decide things for me. They may think that now she worked in Homeland, so why will she do this? But that does not matter to me. I am always looking forward and look at what are you are going to do next. I wish that it does not happen the way it does but I know that it happens and I am very aware of it. In my case, I have to tell people that here I am for a film to do here and I dont live in LA I have to clear those perceptions, she shares. Dear @resulp you are not alone. They gang up against you excuse tij are the best... a self made man... who didnt surrender to egos.... thats the problem. I do understand fully. https://t.co/1xZAlnf4W8 Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) July 28, 2020 Adil Hussain, the winner of the best actor award at the Norwegian National Awards back in 2018 for What Will People Say, has done international films such as Life of Pi, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012) and was also a guest star on the latest third season of Star Trek: Discovery. He says, The only thought which comes to my mind is it could be that oh now these people are of a different league and they dont want to work with us Or they may they think such people are too expensive or too arrogant. May be those kind of thoughts may occur in peoples minds. Proud to be a part of @StarTrek Discovery Season 3 releases on 15th October on @CBSAllAccess here is the Trailer. https://t.co/rp11DKohoW Adil hussain (@_AdilHussain) July 28, 2020 However, he adds, that he has no such experience to share, till now. Nobody has told me that since you are doing an international film, will you be ever interested in an Indian film. I work in films of all languages in India. While filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri does not want to delve into the statement made by Kapur and Pookutty, he does believe that theres indeed a culture of isolation. Anupam Kher went to Hollywood and he does not get much work here anymore, the reasons are best known to these Bollywood filmmakers, he opines. But filmmaker Rima Das, whose film Village Rockstars was Indias official entry for the Oscars, 2018 in the Best Foreign Language Film Category official entry, besides having achieved international acclaim with her films, begs to differ. My journey is very different. I made self-produced films and havent worked with studios yet so cant really say whether international acclaim hampers your chances in India. In fact, after the international acclaim people started paying more attention to my films and it opened new windows in terms of marketing and distribution, she shares. Many have even contested that mediocrity will always be threatened and intimidated by brilliance and that is why many who work in the west, no longer get the kind of roles they used to in Bollywood. Trade analyst Atul Mohan feels this is rather unfounded and he does not agree with Kapur. Intentional recognition can never bring any kind of hurdles to ones profile in India. That is not the case and anyway how many of international awards or recognition do we even manage to get. Dont forget how well Irrfan was doing, in both India and abroad, Mohan sums up. Follow @htshowbiz for more Immediately after the entry into force of another indefinite truce in Donbas, Ukraine recorded two violations of ceasefire by pro-Russian militants. In general, it is difficult to talk about any truce, especially, if we remember that it is twenty-ninth ceasefire in Donbas, if memory serves. Thus, the statistics are the best evidence of the real desire to stop the shelling. The shelling of Ukrainian positions continues although the telephone conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Volodymyr Putin preceded the truce. The Office of the president of Ukraine informed, Interlocutors congratulated each other on reaching agreement on comprehensive and inclusive regime of ceasefire in Donbas. The Ukrainian party initiated the telephone conversation, because Kyiv needs to impose its strategy of Donbas de-occupation. It is explained by the fact that if there is not such a strategy, it will appear somewhere else in Moscow, Berlin, or Paris. Thus, the efforts made to stop shelling and its support by international partners were proper. Instead, Russia continues to push its own ideas how to handle the conflict. Firstly, the Kremlin is interested in breaking the truce for any reason. After all, it will once again enable us to talk about the need of a direct negotiation between Ukraine and representatives of so-called L/DPR. Secondly, in Russia, they make it clear that they are not satisfied with the resolution of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which states that the election on the occupied territory of Donbass is possible only in case when Russian occupation troops and equipment are withdrawn. For Moscow, it is important to hold elections without the process of disarmament, as the Kremlin needs to legitimate the occupation power as soon as possible, and then discuss the issue of sanctions lifting. However, the slogan peace at all cost should not lead. The situation needs wide perspectives: where the Kremlin has ever deployed its aggression (in the former Soviet republics), conflicts remained frozen. So it is convenient for Moscow to control the uncooperative. Russia has done, continues doing, and will do it. Now, the Kremlin is concerned over one thing - the legitimization of the occupying power. That is why the truce is not going to be held in Bilokamiania. They need to put Kyiv at the same table with the militants. Therefore, in fact, not following the regime of a ceasefire is a great opportunity for Kyiv to recall those who it really needs to talk to. Taras Semeniuk, an analyst of Kyivstratpro WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - American Airlines (AAL) has announced it would extend its change fee waiver offer for customers booking tickets for new travel until September 8. The change fee offer applies to first, business, Premium Economy or Main Cabin tickets purchased on or before June 30 for future travel, but travelers must pay any difference in price at the time of ticketing of the new fare. The airline also revealed that all AAdvantage award tickets are included in the offer. Customers are allowed to change their origin and destination cities and travel must be completed by December 31, 2021. In addition, American currently has a change fee waiver in place for all tickets for travel through September 30. Last week, while reporting its earnings results, American Airlines noted that May and June revenue trends were encouraging, however, demand has weakened somewhat during July as COVID-19 cases have increased and new travel restrictions have been put into place. Early this month, American Airlines informed about 25,000 employees, which is about 20% of its total workforce, about possibility of furloughs. The airline has issued WARN notices to 37% or 9,950 of American Airlines' flight attendants, 18% or 2,500 of its pilots, and 22% or 3,200 maintenance workers and 26% or 4,500 fleet service employees. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. THE PART-TIME JOB by P . D. James (Faber 3.50, 48 pp) THE PART-TIME JOB by P . D. James (Faber 3.50, 48 pp) Remembered for some of the finest crime novels, P. D. James would now be approaching her centenary. In celebration, one of her short stories has been published for the first time in book form, along with an essay on readers appetites for murder most foul. The skill of the modern mystery writer, she argues, is in ringing the changes to appeal to those no longer in thrall to the country house murder when the library was the most lethal room in England. This, says James, requires a combination of rational deduction with the psychological subtleties and moral ambiguities of a good novel. The accompanying story proves her point. Targeting a boyhood enemy, an apparently rational killer evolves a near foolproof plan for revenge. In just a few pages we are treated to a sufficiently credible plot, convincing characters and indelible images. THE SPOILT KILL by Mary Kelly (British Library 8.99, 224 pp) THE SPOILT KILL by Mary Kelly (British Library 8.99, 224 pp) It helps to make sense of the title to know that kill is the Staffordshire pronunciation of kiln. To wit, we are in the Potteries for this intriguing murder mystery. Found floating in liquid clay, the victim remains unidentified while we are given the back story of investigator Hedley Nicholson, engaged by a leading potter to unmask whoever is selling original designs to unscrupulous rivals. The assignment proves knotty as Nicholson becomes romantically attached to the chief suspect, a woman with a mysterious past. When we eventually find out who has met a sticky end, Nicholson himself is under suspicion. Left to solve a case of industrial espionage and a murder, he must battle his own demons to learn the truth. After a 60-year interval, this is a welcome reinstatement to the higher ranks of classic crime for Kelly. A QUIET DEATH IN ITALY A QUIET DEATH IN ITALY by Tom Benjamin (Constable 8.99, 336 pp) by Tom Benjamin (Constable 8.99, 336 pp) As one of Italys tourist hotspots, Bologna is not all it seems. At least, not according to Tom Benjamin, whose debut novel blows the lid off a political cauldron in which Leftist agitators, property moguls, the police and city elders struggle for survival and dominance. Enter Daniel Leicester, an English private investigator who works with his father-in-law, the former chief of police. When called upon to nail the killer of a prominent anarchist who just happens to have had an affair with the mayors wife, Leicester puts himself at risk while unveiling secrets that perhaps ought to have been left buried. Its slow to take off, but once it gets going this is hard to put aside. With this promising start, an early return for our Anglo-Italian sleuth can be confidently predicted. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has been warned that the cost of keeping the State pension age at 66 could hit almost 9bn by 2025. An ageing population and further 5-a-week increases in the rate would see increased costs of 8.7bn over the five years. While the prospect of pension hike increases has receded due to the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has still deferred a planned rise in the pension age to 67 next year pending the outcome of a review. The massive costs associated with any decision to abandon the planned increase in pension age are laid out by senior Department of Social Protection officials in a briefing for the minister. Ms Humphreys told the Dail that the terms of reference and membership of a planned commission on the issue are being considered, and that the commission is to report to the Government by next June. The hike in pension age was a major election issue, with Fianna Fail saying it should be deferred and Fine Gael arguing it should go ahead - but with a transition payment for retirees under 67. A Department briefing for Ms Humphreys lays out the huge challenges of paying for pensions for Ireland's ageing population and the costs of various scenarios depending on the qualification age. It outlines how people are living longer and - while this is "very positive" - it will also result in "significantly increased pension costs". The document points out that it had been planned that the State pension age would be increased gradually to 68, but if it is to stay at 66 then there will have to be new legislation to provide for this. It says if the age stays at 66 then the annual cost of pensions will jump by 1.9bn to 10.8bn in 2025 if the weekly payment stays at the current rate. If the rate of payment increased by 5 per week each year over the next five years - and the age stays at 66 - the 2025 annual costs will be an additional 1.1bn higher. That would result in overall expenditure of 11.9bn that year. It also says that by "leaving the SPA (State Pension Age) at 66, the combination of demographic pressures and a projected 5-per-week each year for the next five years would bring the total increased spend to 8.7bn". A number of TDs, including Sinn Fein's Mark Ward and Fianna Fail's Niamh Smyth and James Lawless, raised the pension age issue with Ms Humphreys in the Dail. Ms Humphreys said the Government will bring the necessary legislation for deferring the rise of the pension age before the Oireachtas later this year. She said the public policy and social issues for funding a sustainable and adequate State pension system are complex. Ms Humphreys said the planned commission on pensions will examine "contributions, calculation methods, sustainability, eligibility and intergenerational fairness". She said that, pending the commission's report and the decisions taken on its recommendations, the Government "has clearly stated that the State pension age will remain at 66 years and will not be increased to 67 in January 2021 as currently legislated for". Ms Humphreys also said the Government "is acutely conscious of the need to consider the sustainability of the State's finances", but added: "This is not the only consideration when thinking of the State pension age." She said it is extremely effective at ensuring that pensioners do not experience poverty and the Government wants to ensure that remains the case. Correction & Clarification: This story originally misstated which companies vying to create a fast, cheap at-home coronavirus test would be eligible for $50 million through a competition hosted by XPRIZE. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday opened the door to COVID-19 testing that could be fast, cheap and handled entirely at home if companies don't find the rules too burdensome. Routine screening of people who don't know they have COVID-19 could transform the fight against the disease. "These types of tests will be a game-changer in our fight against COVID-19 and will be crucial as the nation looks toward reopening," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement announcing how the agency will approve at-home tests. So far, the FDA hasn't allowed anyone to sell tests for at-home use. Lab tests to detect the coronavirus are accurate, but they're often restricted to people who have COVID-19 symptoms. It often takes days to get results by which point the person may have already infected others. Other tests are fast, but they're so expensive they're unlikely to be used regularly. A clinic in Massachusetts, for example, charges $160 per rapid test; it's not covered by insurance. With COVID-19, people are most contagious in the few days before they develop symptoms and as symptoms first develop. Screening at home, maybe once or twice a week, would allow people to test themselves before going to work or school, getting on an airplane, attending an event or visiting an elderly relative. Letting people know they are infectious in real-time would enable them to self-quarantine, and it would allow others to go about day-to-day life without risk of infecting others. Testing gap: A quick, cheap test would help stop COVID-19. So why don't we have one? Daily coronavirus updates: Sign up for our newsletter now. Will FDA rules encourage or discourage companies to create at-home tests? Story continues Several testing experts, including Dan Larremore of the University of Colorado, said the FDA's move is a step in the right direction and could encourage companies to pursue inexpensive, rapid, at-home tests. But Dr. Michael Mina, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the way the FDA's guidance template is written makes it less likely that such crucial tests will reach the general public. The template spells out how a sample is to be collected and analyzed and how results are to be shown to a user without the need to send a sample to a lab for analysis. The template also outlines how accurate the tests must be, with slightly lower standards than lab-based tests. "The (required) software alone will pose an incredibly large hurdle for many," Mina said via email. "Unfortunately the template does not offer this type of new avenue that I think is going to be necessary if we want to see truly $1 daily tests become a reality." Mina said the standards should be lowered further. People are contagious only when there's an extremely high virus level in their body, which can be detected by a less sensitive test. An infection that goes undetected by a less-sensitive test would be caught a few days later when the person is tested again, he said. Or the person would already be on the way to recovery and probably wouldn't be contagious. Similar rapid tests used to diagnose strep throat miss as many as one in five people who are infected, so physicians normally send a throat culture to a lab to confirm the diagnosis, said Dr. Emily Volk, president-elect of the College of American Pathologists. Such confirmatory testing usually takes several days. If that were done with COVID-19, it could add to the delays of traditional testing rather than relieve them. A race to create a fast, cheap COVID-19 test There are several tests close to market that are fast and relatively cheap, but none meets Mina's vision: a rapid test that costs as little as $1 and can provide an answer before someone leaves the house in the morning. The XPRIZE, a nonprofit that designs and hosts public competitions, announced Tuesday that it would split a $5 million prize among five winners who can produce a test that delivers results in as little as 15 minutes and costs less than $15. Another $50 million is available to scale up manufacturing and could be distributed to any contestant during the competition, said Jeff Huber, president and co-founder of OpenCovidScreen, whose company is launching the competition in collaboration with XPRIZE. The competition is open until the end of August. About 200 semifinalists will be selected. They'll be winnowed to 20 finalists and then five winners. Contenders will have to meet criteria that will speed up FDA approval. They'll get expert advice from large-scale testing companies, Huber said. The five winners will be ready to scale up manufacturing by the end of the year, he said. Fertility doctors develop test for coronavirus In another approach to innovative testing, Sorrento Therapeutics of San Diego has licensed technology developed at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Zev Williams, director of the Columbia University Fertility Center, has spent years developing tests to help couples with genetic diseases or repeat miscarriages have healthy babies. Early in the pandemic, Williams said his team concluded that finding the genetic signature of the virus that causes COVID-19 wasn't all that different. The technology the team has developed essentially looks for that genetic signature in a saliva sample. The sample is put into a container with enzymes that, when heated, turn the liquid red to indicate no virus present or yellow to show an infection. The test is as accurate as the current standard, called a PCR test, which relies on expensive, lab-based machines, said Henry Ji, Sorrento's CEO and cofounder. The company expects the test, which has not yet received FDA approval, to cost about $10, said Mark Brunswick, the company's senior vice president of regulatory affairs. Test company official: FDA has 'moved the goalposts' In a third approach, Intrivo Diagnostics of Santa Monica, California, and Access Bio of Somerset, New Jersey, are collaborating to design and distribute a rapid at-home test. Dr. Michael Harbour, chief medical officer of Intrivo, said he expects to complete the FDA approval process in the next 90 days. Their test provides a finger-pricking device and analyzes a drop of blood. A blue line would indicate a positive for the virus; no line would be an all-clear. The test should be accurate enough to meet the FDA guidelines, Harbour said. The companies are prepared to conduct trials, as required by the FDA, to make sure the test is easy enough for most people to use. He said he did not know how much it would cost. The FDA, Harbour said, has "moved the goalposts" several times, requiring testing companies to follow one protocol and then another. But he's hopeful it's now clear how important this type of test will be to keep the virus under control. "If the FDA is smart," he said, "they are going to work quickly to make these available." Contact Karen Weintraub at kweintraub@usatoday.com Contributing: Ken Alltucker 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: COVID test: FDA opens door to rapid, cheap, at-home screening WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that he and his team have warned Russian officials about all threats that Russia poses to Americans and U.S. interests in various parts of the world. Pompeo also defended the Trump administrations tough line on China, saying the communist nation represents a potent threat to the U.S. and Western-style democracy. Pompeo would not say whether he had specifically raised allegations that Russia is paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American troops in Afghanistan, but he said the discussions with the Russians involved all manner of threats. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that threats from Russia against Americans in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere had been covered. Pompeos testimony came a day after President Donald Trump told an interviewer he had not raised the bounty allegations in numerous phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite concerns about them from the intelligence community. Among the Russian officials, Pompeo said he has discussed threats generally with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as has the U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan. Yes, I can assure you that each time I have spoken to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I have raised all of the issues that put any Americans at risk, Pompeo said in response to a question from the committees top Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey. We have raised this at my level and not only at my level. Pompeo declined to say whether he would recommend that Trump raise the matter with Putin but said the Russian leader understood full well the U.S. position. He pointed to military action taken against several hundred Russian mercenaries who were advancing on American forces in Syria in 2019. Those fighters are no longer on this planet, Pompeo noted. Menendez, a vocal critic of Pompeo, challenged him about the Russian threats and Wednesdays announcement by the Trump administration about the redeployment of several thousand U.S. troop s from Germany. Trumps top diplomat rejected complaints that the administration has been soft on Russia. Were the toughest administration ever on Russia, Pompeo said, noting the many steps, including sanctions, that have been taken to counter Russian disinformation, Moscows dominance over European energy supplies and aggressive actions in Ukraine and Georgia. Numerous critics, including some former Trump administration officials, have said Trumps self-acknowledged personal affinity for Putin has undercut U.S. efforts to both counter Russian aggression and enlist allies to join its cause. They have pointed to Trumps refusal to accept intelligence findings that Russia tried to help him win election in 2016, the presidents willingness to praise Putin, and his efforts to condition vital military assistance to Ukraine on a political favour. Pompeo rejected those assertions. This administration has acted to protect our interests and our friends, Pompeo said, adding that he and others would act to counter Russian attempts to meddle in the 2020 presidential election. Were taking seriously the threats that the Russians will engage in disinformation campaigns. Pompeo said the administration is acting with sanctions and threats of such penalties to prevent Russia from completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would carry natural gas to Europe, in particular Germany, and increase the continents dependence on Moscow for fuel. We want Europe to have real, secure, stable, safe energy resources that cannot be turned off in the event Russia wants to, he said. Pompeo also took aim at China in his testimony, saying the administration was battling the Chinese Communist Partys efforts to expand its influence on multiple fronts. He pointed to recent moves the U.S. has taken to confront Chinas assertiveness in the South China Sea as well as limiting freedoms in Hong Kong and its human rights record in Tibet and western Xinjiang province. He said those, along with Chinas recent skirmishes with India and border disputes with the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, are indicative of Chinese intentions and they are testing, they are probing to see if the world will stand up to them. Maame Ekua Manful, a Ghanaian entrepreneur and the founder of Fieldswhite Co. Ltd is among 21 finalists in this years SUN Pitch Competition. Fieldswhite is a food tech start up dedicated to providing innovative and affordable food solutions across Africa. The start ups flagship product, Sweetpot Yoghurt, is a, delicious yoghurt enriched with highly nutritious bio-fortified orange fleshed sweet potatoes. The competition attracted over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from 24 countries in Africa and Asia to pitch innovative business ideas to address malnutrition for the second edition of the SUN Pitch Awards. A press release by the SUN Business Network and copied to Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the COVID-19 pandemic had presented unprecedented challenges to the food system and that the pitch competition, scheduled for July 30, 2020, would highlight the innovation and investment opportunities within the private sector to increase access to nutrition in low and middle income markets. It said 21 shortlisted finalists were selected through a series of national and virtual competitions and had undertaken comprehensive nutrition and business development training in preparation for the final. The statement said the selected entrepreneurs would pitch their innovative solutions for improved nutrition to compete for a range of cash and business mentorship prizes in the race to be crowned the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition Champion. It said this years Global SUN Pitch Competition had sponsorship from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Cargill and Royal DSM. The statement said other sponsors were Food Industry Asia (FIA), Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, AGREA and Base of the Pyramid Innovation Center (BoP Inc). It said The SUN Pitch Competition aimed at showcasing nutrition-related investments from SMEs that could catalyse innovation in local food systems and improve the affordability and accessibility of nutritious and safe foods. Achieving the nutrition targets of the Sustainable Development Goals will require more partnerships between businesses, investors, governments and UN agencies, the statement added. Fatiha Terki, Deputy Director Nutrition, UN World Food Programme and co-convener of the SUN Business Network, said the SUN Pitch Competition 2020 would bring all actors together to support entrepreneurs in emerging markets to transform their food systems. The statement said the first edition of the SUN Pitch Competition was held at the Nutrition Africa Investor Forum in Kenya in 2018, where Ope Olanrewaju of Kennie-O Cold Chain Logistics from Nigeria was crowned the winner. 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 550k high tech crackdown on organised crime gangs targeting Wrexham This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jul 30th, 2020 A police boss has promised a high tech crackdown on organised gangs coming on crime sprees to Wrexham. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has secured an extra 1 million in funding for a raft on initiatives including Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) and increased CCTV coverage in Wrexham and Rhyl. Locally the project will be focused in the Caia Park area and will receive 550,000. The Commissioner and the force will be working closely with Wrexham Council and the Caia Park Partnership. The aim is to target thieves, burglars and robbers travelling in from places like Liverpool and Manchester as well as local criminals as part of the Safer Streets campaign. According to Mr Jones, North Wales Police will be working with a range of partners to home in on crime hotspots after two successful bids for additional cash from the Home Office. The main focus will be on tackling acquisitive crimes theft, burglary and robbery which account for up to 40 per cent of all the offences committed. Burglary crime prevention packs will be issued to 1,000 residents while community wardens and members of the voluntary community watch scheme will be trained to help residents take action themselves to prevent crime. Three garage blocks will be demolished and 200 metres of additional fencing will be provided as well as improved lighting and gates to secure seven alleyways. Another element of the Caia Park scheme will include an environmental fund to tackle graffiti, landscape communal areas, cut bushes and remove trees. He added: We know from analysis that burglaries, for example, are persistently and disproportionately concentrated in certain communities. Queensway, Wrexham and Rhyl West are real hotspots when it comes to acquisitive crimes. Its time for that to change. We can help prevent a lot of crime by taking simple measures such as better street lighting, putting gates on alleys and adding security features to community buildings. Its a massive boost for both communities and North Wales in general and will really help us tackle crime prevention in a way that involves both communities. A similar approach will be adopted in Rhyl by the partnership that will also include Denbighshire County Council, West Rhyl Neighbourhood Management Project and the Clwyd Alyn housing association. 517,000 will be invested into the project, which includes improved signage, removal of graffiti, new bins and creating a new community space, along with better lighting in two alleyways. More than 600 burglary crime prevention packs will be delivered to residents thought to be at risk and local residents will be trained up as crime prevention champions. Commissioner Arfon Jones, a former police inspector, said: It is so important the people of North Wales feel safe in their communities. Its about taking every opportunity we can to prevent acquisitive crimes, where offenders take property from victims whether through theft, burglary or robbery. Its vital we invest in our towns and in particular the communities which perhaps need more help, so we can make them safer for everyone. If we can improve security through better street lighting, for example, it can make a big difference to public safety. However we cant achieve these goals on our own. We need to work in partnership with local authorities as well as community groups if we are to have any chance of success. He added: We know from analysis that burglaries, for example, are persistently and disproportionately concentrated in certain communities. Queensway, Wrexham and Rhyl West are real hotspots when it comes to acquisitive crimes. Its time for that to change. We can help prevent a lot of crime by taking simple measures such as better street lighting, putting gates on alleys and adding security features to community buildings. Its a massive boost for both communities and North Wales in general and will really help us tackle crime prevention in a way that involves both communities. It was a sentiment endorsed by Superintendent Helen Corcoran, whos in charge of community safety. She said: Im delighted that both bids were deemed to be worthy of investment. It will make a real difference to both communities and help us to keep residents safer. Its about tackling burglary, theft, and robberies. Its these crimes that make up around 40 per cent of all crimes and anyone who has suffered a burglary will tell you that being a victim is incredibly distressing. Dealing with these crimes also takes up a significant amount of valuable police time that could be spent investigating other serious offences so this is a massive boost, whichever way you look at it. Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says he is summoning Manilas ambassador over a social media post from Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr claiming that the Borneo state of Sabah is not a part of Malaysia. Sabah joined the neighbouring state of Sarawak, and the states of the Malay peninsula to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. But the territory was once part of the centuries-old sultanate of Sulu, and Filipino politicians have sometimes used that history to suggest Sabah should be part of the modern-day Philippines. Hishammuddin announced the summons late on Wednesday, after Locsin replied to a tweet from the US embassy by claiming that Sabah was not a part of Malaysia. Hishammuddin said Locsins statement was irresponsible, but the top Philippine diplomat responded in a combative fashion, announcing on social media on Thursday that he would summon Malaysias representative to Manila. In a barrage of social media posts, Locsin stepped up his attack against Malaysia, writing that no country can tell another what it can and cannot say about what the latter regards as rightfully its own That holds for Sabah. I am summoning the Malaysian ambassador to the Department of Foreign Affairs, he added in another post, in response to former Philippine Senator JV Ejercitos Twitter post that Sabah historically belongs rightfully to the Philippines. Locsin also reposted Ejercitos statement saying, They also are allegedly secretly supporting the terrorists in the South. I suspect that a lot of funding and arms of these bandits coursed through Malaysia. This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties. @MalaysiaMFA will summon the Philippines Ambassador on Monday to explain. Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia. https://t.co/KcUnDxOySl Hishammuddin Hussein (@HishammuddinH2O) July 29, 2020 The dispute began on Monday night when the US embassy in Manila posted a statement on social media stating that it had distributed hygiene kits to Filipinos who had returned from Sabah, Malaysia. In response to the post, sharp-tongued Locsin wrote: Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines. Malaysias Hishammuddin reposted on Wednesday night Locsins remark, with his own comment saying, This is an irresponsible statement that affects bilateral ties. He then announced that his office would summon the Philippine ambassador for an explanation. Sabah is, and will always be, part of Malaysia, Hishammuddin wrote. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment further on Thursday morning. More accusations In his Twitter tirade, Locsin also claimed that Malaysia tried to derail the Philippiness case against China in The Hague over the South China Sea. In 2016, the court dismissed Chinas claims. None may share our [The] Hague victory who worked against it, he added, blaming the US embassy in Manila for starting the controversy. Without directly mentioning Malaysia, he also wrote that the Philippine military does not forget who bankrolled the Muslim secession with arms and cash and bled us dry. The Philippines previously blamed groups from Malaysia of supporting secessionist movements among minority Muslim groups in the southern island of Mindanao. But the Malaysian government had acted as a mediator between the Philippines and Muslim rebels, and was instrumental in the peace agreement between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Rebel groups from the Philippines have sometimes kidnapped people from Sabah for ransom, while a group of armed fighters staged an incursion into eastern Sabah in 2013, leading to a weeks-long standoff with the Malaysian police near the town of Lahad Datu and death of 71 people. After the incident, Malaysia stepped up maritime patrols in the area, and instituted a new security zone. Locsin, who served as the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations before becoming the countrys top diplomat, is no stranger to the controversy, as he routinely tussles with commenters on social media, calling them idiots and stupid. In early 2019, he defended his comments on Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitlers massacre of Jews as historical fact, increasing diplomatic tension between Manila and Berlin. Locsin also wrote that President Rodrigo Dutertes comparison of the deadly war on drugs in the Philippines to the Nazi leaders killing of millions of Jews during the Holocaust was a metaphor. The killing of 6MJews, 20MRussians & innocents like Anne Frank in WW2 is historical fact, Locsin added in the Twitter post. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler hosted a press conference Thursday at 10 a.m. to speak about ongoing tensions at Portland protests. Wheeler and other Portland officials for weeks sought an end to federal occupation of Portland by officers from Homeland Security and other federal agencies. The federal forces were deployed to Portland on orders from President Donald Trump to stop protesters from graffitiing downtown federal buildings during demonstrations, including the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse. The draw-down of those officers begins today after Gov. Kate Brown secured the agreement from Vice President Mike Pence to do so. Oregon State Police officials will take the lead on crowd control and property protection during nightly downtown protests. But Portland police, overseen by Wheeler, will continue to play a role as well. Watch a replay of the press conference in the video above. --The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. NEW YORK - While deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be levelling off. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Healthcare worker Dante Hills, left, passes paperwork to a woman in a vehicle at a COVID-19 testing site outside of Marlins Park, Monday, July 27, 2020, in Miami. The Marlins home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night has been postponed as the Marlins deal with a coronavirus outbreak that stranded them in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) NEW YORK - While deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be levelling off. Scientists arent celebrating by any means, warning that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places Arizona, California, Florida and Texas and that cases are rising in close to 30 states in all, with the outbreak's centre of gravity seemingly shifting from the Sun Belt toward the Midwest. Some experts wonder whether the apparent caseload improvements will endure. It's also not clear when deaths will start coming down. COVID-19 deaths do not move in perfect lockstep with the infection curve, for the simple reason that it can take weeks to get sick and die from the virus. The future? I think its very difficult to predict, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's foremost infectious-disease expert. FILE - Pedestrians wear masks as they walk in front of a sign reminding the public to take steps to stop the spread of coronavirus, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in Glendale, Calif. Los Angeles County is seeing some hopeful signs amid the coronavirus surge. The county reported Wednesday that COVID-19 hospitalization and transmission rates are dropping. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) The virus has claimed over 150,000 lives in the U.S., by far the highest death toll in the world, plus more than a half-million others around the globe. Over the past week, the average number of COVID-19 deaths per day in the U.S. has climbed more than 25%, from 843 to 1,057. Florida on Thursday reported 253 more deaths, setting its third straight single-day record, while Texas had 322 new fatalities and California had 391. The number of confirmed infections nationwide has topped 4.4 million, which could be higher because of limits on testing and because some people are infected without feeling sick. In other developments: The collateral damage from the virus mounted, with the U.S. economy shrinking at a dizzying 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter by far the worst quarterly plunge on records dating to 1947. And more than 1.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, further evidence that employers are still shedding jobs five months into the crisis. A line of cars wait at the entrance to a kosher food drive-thru distribution site, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation building in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Amid the outbreak and the bad economic news, President Donald Trump for the first time publicly floated the idea of delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election, warning without evidence that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. Changing Election Day would require an act of Congress, and the notion ran into immediate resistance from top Republicans and Democrats alike. Herman Cain, the former pizza-chain CEO who in 2012 unsuccessfully sought to become the first Black candidate to win the Republican nomination for president, died of complications from the virus at 74. Based on a seven-day rolling average, daily cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. fell from 67,317 on July 22 to 65,266 on Wednesday, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is a decline of about 3%. Researchers prefer to see two weeks of data pointing in the same direction to say whether a trend is genuine. "But I think it is real, yes, said Ira Longini, a University of Florida biostatistician who has been tracking the coronavirus and has been a source of disease forecasts used by the government. The Associated Press found the seven-day rolling average for new cases plateaued over two weeks in California and decreased in Arizona, Florida and Texas. A worker at a gift shop regulated the number of customers allowed in the store due to the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Portland, Maine. State officials reported more cases of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) The trends in Arizona, Texas and Florida are starting to bend the curve a bit," said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Johns Hopkins public health researcher. Those states, along with California, have been pouring large numbers of cases each day into the national tally. So when those places make progress, the whole country looks better, she said. Also, in another possible glimmer of hope, the percentage of tests that are coming back positive for the virus across the U.S. dropped from an average of 8.5% to 7.8% over the past week. But with the outbreak heating up in the Midwest, Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered masks be worn statewide because of a spike in cases, joining some 30 other states that have taken such measures. The latest surge in cases became evident in June, weeks after states began reopening following a deadly explosion of cases in and around New York City in the early spring. Daily case counts rose to 70,000 or more earlier this month. Deaths, too, began to climb sharply, after a lag of a few weeks. Some researchers believe that the recent levelling-off is the result of more people embracing social distancing and other precautions. I think a lot of it is people wearing masks because theyre scared, Longini said. But Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health, said the trend could also be due to natural dynamics of the virus that scientists to do not yet understand. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Without robust testing and other measures to keep the virus in check, a third peak is possible or even likely given that only an estimated 10% of Americans have been infected so far, experts said. And there's no reason to believe the peak cant be larger than the first two. This disease will continue to hopscotch around until it finds tinder susceptible individuals like any good fire, said Khan, a former top infectious-disease outbreak investigator at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fauci said he is somewhat comforted by the recent plateau. But a stabilization of cases at around 60,000 is "still at a very high level." He said he is also worried about rising percentages of tests coming back positive in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. Thats a warning sign that you might be seeing a surge," Fauci said. Theyve really got to jump all over that." ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Downing Street is on the hunt for a female broadcaster to host daily White House-style televised briefings which will be beamed to the nation. Boris Johnson is seeking to hire a surrogate who will 'communicate with the nation' on his behalf as part of a radical shake-up of the No10 media operation. It is understood the PM is looking to recruit a broadcaster with experience who can field questions from political reporters on behalf of the government, in a bid to exploit the popular success of its daily coronavirus briefings. The government is determined to hire a woman for the job amid accusations Mr Johnson has a 'woman problem', according to The Times. Broadcasters tipped for the 100,000 role include Sophy Ridge of Sky News, Amber de Botton of ITV News and Vicki Young of BBC News. Broadcasters tipped for the 100,000 role include Sophy Ridge of Sky News, Amber de Botton of ITV News and Vicki Young of BBC News. Allegra Stratton, Rishi Sunak's PR chief, and Rosie Bate-Williams, a Defra official and former Tory spin doctor, are understood to be potential candidates. And Isabel Oakeshott, a former Sunday Times political editor and vocal Brexiteer who defended Mr Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings when he was accused of flouting lockdown rules, is also being eyed for the job by the government Boris Johnson is seeking to hire a surrogate who will 'communicate with the nation' on his behalf as part of a radical shake-up of the No10 media operation Allegra Stratton, Rishi Sunak's PR chief, and Rosie Bate-Williams, a Defra official and former Tory spin doctor, are understood to be potential candidates. And Isabel Oakeshott, a former Sunday Times political editor and vocal Brexiteer who defended Mr Johnson's chief adviser Dominic Cummings when he was accused of flouting lockdown rules, is also being eyed for the job by the government. Priti Patel was the only female minister to host No10's coronavirus press briefings - and made just three appearances The PM has come under fire for a lack of women in the Cabinet and across government more broadly. He was criticised this week after just three women were named on the next peerages list of 30 expected new members of the House of Lords. Home Secretary Priti Patel was the only female minister to host No10's coronavirus press briefings - and made just three appearances. Sources told The Times that the spokeswoman, who will be paid more than MPs, will build a higher profile than almost the whole Cabinet. As a political appointment rather than civil service, the government spokeswoman will be allowed to engage with questions about opposition party politics. In a job advert for the role, the Tories said a 'keen understanding of political issues will be essential' and the spokeswoman would become a 'trusted political adviser' with the chance to 'influence and shape public opinion'. The advert states: 'You will represent the Government and the Prime Minister to an audience of millions on a daily basis, across the main broadcast channels and social media, and have the chance to influence and shape public opinion.' Fronted by ministers, often flanked by health experts, the live daily Downing Street conferences were a staple of the coronavirus crisis and watched by millions Boris Johnson 'doesn't take female representation in the Cabinet seriously', Commons equalities chairwoman claims Boris Johnson 'doesn't take female representation in the Cabinet seriously', the chairwoman of the Commons women and equalities commitee has claimed. In May the PM laughed at Caroline Nokes when she asked him about the lack of female voices in the Cabinet's response to the pandemic. Ms Nokes told Yahoo News: 'I think [his laughing was] a nervous reaction. 'I think that's what he does when he feels uncomfortable. 'When he knows he's on the ropes, the PM laughs. It's a way to deflect it. 'I think it's fair to say that he doesn't take it seriously. He doesn't even think about it. It doesn't cross his consciousness. 'This is one of the huge challenges when men go to school with other men. He's had an all-male education, didn't encounter girls until he went to university. 'This is a common problem that you find in Parliament. Because it's so wildly outside their experience, they don't stop and think about it.' Advertisement The successful candidate will undergo security vetting and report directly to No10's director ofHouse-style communications, Lee Cain. The White House-style briefings will be televised from Number 9 Downing Street and will start from October. Applications for the role close on August 21. The press conferences will replace the afternoon briefings to journalists held behind closed doors, though a morning lobby briefing will continue. Fronted by ministers, often flanked by health experts, the live daily Downing Street conferences were a staple of the coronavirus crisis and watched by millions. Viewing figures steadily began to sag as the UK past the peak of the virus, and the government now only holds them when necessary. But Mr Johnson is keen to carry them forward and is looking to hire a spokeswoman to be the face of future government briefings. Earlier this month the PM said 'people have liked the more direct, detailed information from the government about what's going on' during the pandemic. He added: 'I think they have particularly liked our brilliant scientific and medical advisers, possibly more than the politicians to be frank. 'We do think that people want direct engagement and want stuff from us and so we're going to have a go at that I will pop up from time to time, I have no doubt.' Televised press briefings have long been in existence in the US, allowing journalists to grill the president of the day's press secretary. However, the move could prove controversial, with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown both having toyed with the idea before deciding not to go ahead with it. While some will welcome it as potentially good for transparency critics will be concerned that time constraints could lead to questions being curtailed. These changes have significant benefits, but they also come with new cyber and privacy risks for many organizations that have to be addressed. David will be discussing these new cyber threats in more detail at Insurance Connect and will reveal risk mitigation techniques, as well as additional risks from working remotely. Insurance Connect is an innovative virtual event from Insurance Business America dedicated exclusively to connecting brokers, agents and insurance professionals, aimed at uniting the industry for networking and business during these difficult times. It is also completely free for brokers and risk managers. Limited places are available so prospective attendees are urged to sign up now. Registration is open here. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Klondike Gold Corp. (TSXV:KG)(FRA:LBDP)(OTC PINK:KDKGF) ("Klondike Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results of Phase 1 diamond drilling at the Lone Star Zone (described in News Releases June 1, 2020 and July 7, 2020) on the Company's wholly owned 586 square kilometer Klondike District Property, Yukon Territory. Phase 1 drilling tested for consistency in grade of gold mineralization and was designed to constrain the geometry and boundaries of gold mineralization. Information obtained from results will be used to prioritize next phases of drilling scheduled to commence in August. SUMMARY: The Company has received assays from the Phase 1 diamond drilling program targeting a 125-meter length by 75-meter width at the western end of the known 3.0 kilometer gold-mineralized length of the Lone Star Zone along the Bonanza Fault. A total of 13 new holes were drilled at Lone Star on four sections totaling 748.24 meters. The drilling was designed to provide 25 by 25-meter hole spacing within a 125-meter by 75-meter area as shown in Figure 1. The Lone Star Zone is gold mineralized from surface over a 60-meter width across the 125-meter length tested in detail, with lateral and vertical grade continuity. This Phase 1 program extended gold mineralization 25-meters further southward, expanding the Lone Star Zone in this direction and opening a significant area with gold potential to test further to the east along the 3.0 km length. Core logging the Lone Star Zone Phase 1 drill holes documented the Bonanza Fault as a major 60+ meter wide "D3" thrust fault which was re-activated during a 4 th deformation event "D4" and was accompanied by gold mineralization. (see NR dated December 10, 2019) deformation event "D4" and was accompanied by gold mineralization. (see NR dated December 10, 2019) Assays from Phase 2 and Phase 3 diamond drill holes targeting respectively the Stander Zone and potential Stander Zone extensions are still pending. Peter Tallman, President and CEO of Klondike Gold stated "Positive results from the Lone Star Zone continue to solidify the Company's guiding geologic theory of gold mineralization in the Klondike. The grade and consistency of the drill results reported here at Lone Star and other areas allow the Company to move away from exploration and towards resource delineation". PHASE 1 LONE STAR ZONE DRILLING RESULTS Thirteen drill holes at the western end of the Lone Star Zone on four drill 'Sections' tested a sub-area where gold mineralization outcrops over a 125 meter by 75-meter area shown in Figure 1. A total of 748.24 meters of core was drilled. All holes had 200-degree azimuth. The collar dip is -85 or -55 degrees angle from surface as noted in the following Drill Summary Table. Drill Hole Summary Table, Phase 1 Lone Star, 2020 Hole ID Easting Northing Azimuth Dip Depth (m) LS20-336 586558 7086361 200 85 67.06 LS20-337 586551 7086344 200 85 79.25 LS20-338 586550 7086345 200 55 51.82 LS20-339 586536 7086319 200 85 54.82 LS20-340 586536 7086319 200 55 30.48 LS20-341 586558 7086320 200 85 65.53 LS20-342 586573 7086316 200 85 53.34 LS20-343 586573 7086316 200 55 60.96 LS20-344 586620 7086316 200 85 50.29 LS20-345 586620 7086316 200 55 48.77 LS20-346 586613 7086296 200 85 39.62 LS20-347 586623 7086331 200 85 65.53 LS20-348 586580 7086338 200 85 80.77 Total 2020 Phase 1 748.24 The width of the Lone Star Zone gold mineralization has been extended southward by 25-meters to the south, wider than previously mapped, opening a large area with gold potential to test further to the east along the known 3.0 km mineralized strike length. Core logging of the Lone Star Zone Phase 1 drill holes documented the Bonanza Fault as a major 60+ meter wide "D3" thrust fault (the "Bonanza Fault") exhibiting significant progressive alteration (silicification, fuchsite alteration, chlorite-magnetite, and epidote) and deformation (laminar D3 shear fabric, and D4 intense z-folds, kink-foliation fabrics, and extensional quartz fracture veins). Gold mineralization within the Lone Star Zone occurs as disseminations within the laminar shear portions hosted along later kink-foliation planes, and as extensional gold-bearing quartz veinlets within more brittle portions of the deformation zone. The Company's mapping supports earlier interpretations that the Bonanza Fault cuts a regional recumbent anticline that folds Klondike district rocks and this is an important potential gold-fluid focus and trap for gold-bearing fluids and a high priority exploration target. Figure 1: Plan Map of location of Phase 1 Drilling at Lone Star Zone. Section 1 On Section 1, both LS20-339 and LS20-340 intersected gold mineralization from surface; LS20-339 intersected 0.94 g/t au over 34.0 meters and LS20-340 intersected 5.82 g/t Au over 5.0 meters. Both intersections were unexpected and positive by extending gold mineralization to the south. LS20-337 and LS20-338 intersected typical broad widths of Lone Star Zone with gold mineralization disseminated and as thin sheeted veins which assayed 1.07 g/t Au over 61.1 meters and 0.8 g/t Au over 49.07 meters respectively, starting from surface. Section Hole ID Dip From_m To_m Au g/t Interval_m 1 LS20-336 -85 53.00 58.00 2.78 5.00 1 LS20-337 -85 5.00 66.00 1.07 61.10 1 including 15.00 37.00 2.01 22.00 1 LS20-338 -55 2.75 51.82 0.80 49.07 1 including 18.00 51.00 1.00 33.00 1 LS20-339 -85 5.00 39.00 0.94 34.00 1 LS20-340 -55 6.00 11.00 5.82 5.00 1 including 7.00 8.00 25.92 1.00 Figure 2: Section 1 Schematic with geology and mineralized Lone Star Zone. Section 1.5 On Section 1.5, LS20-341 drilled to confirm the edge of mineralization also unexpectedly intersected gold further southward and assayed 0.53 g/t Au over 14.1 meters typical of Lone Star Zone mineralization. LS17-82 and LS16-58 (reported previously in 2016 and 2017 and included here for reference) each intersected typical Lone Star Zone mineralization north of LS20-341 and assayed 2.41 g/t Au over 41.2 meters and 2.37 g/t Au over 37.0 meters respectively. Section Hole ID Dip From_m To_m Au g/t Interval_m 1.5 LS17-82 -50 10.42 51.63 2.41 41.20 1.5 LS16-58 -55 6.50 43.50 2.37 37.00 1.5 LS20-341 -85 28.00 42.10 0.53 14.10 including 51.00 52.00 0.74 1.00 Figure 3: Section 1.5 Schematic with geology and mineralized Lone Star Zone. Section 2 On Section 2, LS20-348 intersected Lone Star Zone gold mineralization from surface assaying 0.69 g/t Au over 42.2 meters. LS20-342, 25 meters in front of LS20-348, also intersected Lone Star Zone gold mineralization from surface assaying 0.71 g/t Au over 38.0 meters. LS20-343, drilled to test for the southern extent of Lone Star Zone, passed out of the Zone at the start of the hole somewhat as predicted. Section Hole ID Dip From_m To_m Au g/t Interval_m 2 LS20-348 -85 2.80 45.00 0.69 42.20 2 LS20-342 -85 4.00 42.00 0.71 38.00 2 including 32.00 33.00 10.11 1.00 2 LS20-343 -55 21.00 22.00 3.12 1.00 2 including 40.00 41.00 1.58 1.00 Figure 4: Section 2 Schematic with geology and mineralized Lone Star Zone. Section 3 On Section 3, LS20-347 and LS20-340 intersected gold mineralization from surface; LS20-339 intersected 0.94 g/t Au over 34.0 meters and LS20-340 intersected 5.82 g/t Au over 5.0 meters. Both intersections were unexpected and positive by extending gold mineralization to the south. LS20-337 and LS20-338 intersected typical broad widths of Lone Star Zone with gold mineralization which assayed 1.07 g/t Au over 61.1 meters and 0.8 g/t Au over 49.07 meters respectively, starting from surface. Section Hole ID Dip From_m To_m Au g/t Interval_m 3 LS20-347 -85 24.00 56.00 0.59 32.00 3 including 37.00 48.00 1.23 11.00 3 LS20-344 -85 3.05 45.00 0.59 41.95 3 including 3.05 23.00 1.07 19.95 3 LS20-345 -55 4.50 37.00 0.33 32.50 3 including 4.50 8.00 1.61 3.50 3 LS20-346 -55 3.05 16.70 0.50 13.65 3 including 3.05 8.30 0.81 5.25 Figure 5: Section 3 Schematic with geology and mineralized Lone Star Zone. Results from the Phase 1 program are anticipated to provide data to allow consideration of a resource volume leading to evaluation as a potential 'starter open pit'. Results from Phase 2 diamond drilling program targeting Stander Zone and Phase 3 program targeting Stander Zone extensions in conjunction with mapping, prospecting and trenching programs, are pending. Figure 6: Location Map of Phase 1 Lone Star Zone 2020 Drilling COVID-19 UPDATE Regarding COVID-19, Yukon has remained virus-free since late April and has relaxed civil and travel restrictions, however the Company is continuing protocols and measures that mitigates the risks of COVID-19 infection and transmission to protect our local host community, our contractors and our employees. ASSAY PROTOCOLS All 2020 drill holes referenced in this release produced NTW (5.71cm dia.) drill core. Assay samples from drill core are cut using a diamond saw. Half the core sample interval is bagged, tagged, and sealed; the other half is returned to the core box with a corresponding tag and retained for reference. Two gold reference standards, two blank samples (a coarse and a fine), and a coarse sample duplicate per 100 samples, are routinely inserted as part of Klondike Gold's quality assurance / quality control ("QA/QC") program, independent of and additional to the laboratory QA/QC program. Sample bags are aggregated into rice bags, sealed, and submitted by Klondike Gold personnel to Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories ("BV Labs") preparation facility in Whitehorse, YT with chemical analysis of sample pulps completed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bureau Veritas Labs is an accredited ISO 9001:2008 full-service commercial laboratory. At BV Labs each drill core sample is crushed to 70% passing 2 mm size. A 400 g subsample is pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns size (200 mesh)(Code PRP70-500). All samples of 400 g were sieved to 106 microns (140 mesh) for "metallic screen" assaying. The +140 mesh fraction is weighed and assayed for gold by fire assay ("FA") fusion with a gravimetric finish (Code FS631). A 30 g subsample of the -140 mesh fraction is assayed for gold by fire assay ("FA") fusion with an atomic absorption ("AA") finish (Code FA430). All over-limit results in excess of 10 ppm (10 g/t) for both silver and gold are re-assayed using a 30 g subsample and assayed by FA with a gravimetric finish (Code FA530-Au/Ag). Total gold grade is then calculated using a weighted average of the plus and minus fraction assay results. QUALIFIED PERSONS REVIEW The technical and scientific information contained within this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ian Perry, P.Geo., Vice-President Exploration of Klondike Gold Corp. and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy. ABOUT KLONDIKE GOLD CORP. Klondike Gold Corp. is a Vancouver based gold exploration company advancing its 100%-owned Klondike District Gold Project located at Dawson City, Yukon Territory, one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. The Klondike District Gold Project targets gold associated with district scale orogenic faults along the 55-kilometer length of the famous Klondike Goldfields placer district. To date, multi-kilometer gold mineralization has been identified at both the Lone Star Zone and Stander Zone, among other targets. The Company is focused on exploration and development of its 586 square kilometer property accessible by scheduled airline and government-maintained roads located on the outskirts of Dawson City, YT within the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation traditional territory. ON BEHALF OF KLONDIKE GOLD CORP. "Peter Tallman" President and CEO (604) 609-6138 E-mail: info@klondikegoldcorp.com Website: www.klondikegoldcorp.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information "This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Klondike in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Klondike's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Klondike disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required." SOURCE: Klondike Gold Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599589/Klondike-Gold-2020-Lone-Star-Zone-Drilling-Results Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is the latest state official to question the presidents tweet suggesting a delay in the general election, claiming mail-in voting would lead to fraud. President Donald Trump said universal mail-in voting, which only a handful of states currently conduct, would lead to the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. Twitter attached fact check labels to the presidents tweets in May associating mail-in voting with fraud. The president accused the social media platform of interfering with the 2020 presidential election and limiting free speech. Massachusetts implemented a vote-by-mail system for the Sept. 1 primary and Nov. 3 election with Secretary of State William Galvin sending applications to households earlier this month. Baker, a Republican, said holding the scheduled election in November is crucial. Weve had elections in the midst of world wars. Weve had elections in the midst of a civil war. Weve had elections many times in this country during terrible, awful circumstances, Baker said, but elections need to happen and theres no reason why this one cant happen when its supposed to happen in September and in November. Baker delivered a news conference in Andover Thursday morning to promote Pfizers efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine when he was asked about the presidents tweet. The tweet comes as Trump is sagging in several battleground state polls. Baker, a Republican, said a June the municipal election in his hometown of Swampscott largely relied on absentee ballots. The election looked different than in previous races as local officials adapted to the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic. It worked out fine, Baker said. The $8 million voting reform bill Baker signed into law in July instructs the state to send out vote-by-mail applications so people can indicate whether they want a mail-in ballot for either the primary or the election. It also allows early voting for the September primary a first for Massachusetts and expands the early voting period before the general election. The vote-by-mail system implemented by Massachusetts is temporary. The terms of the law expire at the end of the calendar year. Galvin ripped into the tweet Thursday during a news conference on the start of a door-to-door campaign to boost participation in the 2020 Census. This is bogus, this is Trump bogus, Galvin said. Just like he said when he lost New Hampshire last time, he claimed that busloads of people from Massachusetts had gone up and taken New Hampshire. Its not true. So its bogus. In an interview with MassLive, Galvin said hes not only concerned about Trumps tweets threatening a delay of elections but the steps his administration has taken to hold up crucial processes such as mail-in voting and census participation. One example Galvin pointed to was the recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service directing postal workers to leave late-arriving mail behind to be delivered the next day. That could slow the delivery of mail-in ballots as people wait to cast their vote in the primary and general election. Im more concerned really about, not so much hes going to interfere with the elections, Im concerned about making it difficult to vote by mail, he said. Several states started exploring vote-by-mail options as the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools, businesses and public agencies. In Massachusetts, the virus has led to more than 8,300 deaths. Weve had elections during wars. Its just absurd. There was an election during 1918, even though it wasnt presidential, in the midst of the flu pandemic of 1918, Galvin told said. The idea that thats a reason to delay the election is absurd. Related Content: India extends safeguard duty on solar power gear imports for another year The Department of Revenue has issued a notification extending the impost of safeguard duty (SGD) on the import of solar cells and modules to India for another year starting 30 July 2020. Accordingly, the customs will charge a duty of 14.90 per cent on such imports from 30 July 2020, to 29 January 2021, and 14.50 per cent duty from 30 January 2021, to 29 July 2021, for all solar cells and modules imported from Peoples Republic of China (PRC), Thailand, and Vietnam. The duty will apply to cells and module imported from China, Thailand, and Vietnam as well. The safeguard duty will apply to solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels classifiable under the Tariff Headings 85414011 and/or 85414012 of Chapter 85 of Schedule-I of the Customs Tariff Act 1975. This announcement follows recommendation by the Director-General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for extension of the safeguard duty on the import of solar cells and modules to India for another year starting 30 July 2020. The effective duty on import of solar gear would now be nearly 25 per cent taking into consideration the 10 per cent basic customs duty and the 14.90 per cent safeguard duty. With an additional 10 per cent duty expected on top of the safeguard duty in the later part of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, industry expects the effective duty on solar cells and modules to reach levels around 40 per cent. India imposed 25 per cent safeguard duty on solar cell and module imports from China and Malaysia on 30 July 2018, in a move to protect domestic cell and module manufacturers. The duty was set at 25 per cent for the first year and was to be subsequently phased down with the rate reduced by 5 per cent every six months until it ends in July 2020. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies initiated a review investigation in March 2020 to see if there was a need to extend the safeguard duty beyond its deadline as demanded by the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association (ISMA), who had sought extension of the duty by another four years. The domestic manufacturers had provided import data released by the Department of Commerce from 2014-15 to 2019-20 (up to September 2019) to back up their demand for an investigation. More than 200 illegal immigrants crossed the Channel to arrive on the British coast yesterday a record for a single day. The astonishing number brought renewed calls for ministers to get a grip on the Channel crossings crisis. The previous record for one day was 180, set on July 12. In fact, yesterdays figure of 202 could be even higher because the Border Force records only include intercepted boats and it was unclear last night if they account for at least two groups of migrants picked up by police inland. It began at 3.26am when 48 arrived on three boats in Kent. A further 17 boats carrying 154 migrants then arrived, mostly over the course of 12 hours. One local resident said the boats were like a flotilla. More than 200 illegal immigrants crossed the Channel to arrive on the British coast yesterday a record for a single day Among 202 migrants caught making the crossing were five children, who have been passed on to the proper authorities French authorities intercepted around 20 migrants in a boat that was taking on water in the English Channel earlier today One group of around 12 sprawled in a garden in the historic town of Walmer. One of them fell asleep against the garden fence. Others took off their shoes as they rested and cooled down. A few of them sat texting possibly telling other migrants they had made it before being picked up by police. They are likely to be among those not included in the 202 figure. Last night there were calls for Home Secretary Priti Patel to put more pressure on the French authorities to intercept and tow boatloads of illegal migrants back to their shores. Retired driving instructor Bob Chesney, 71, who owns the 407,000 two-bedroom bungalow where the migrants rested on the grass, said they arrived at about 9.30am. Last night there were calls for Home Secretary Priti Patel to put more pressure on the French authorities to intercept and tow boatloads of illegal migrants back to their shores The astonishing number brought renewed calls for ministers to get a grip on the Channel crossings crisis. The previous record for one day was 180, set on July 12 The married grandfather-of-five said: I was a bit worried at first and I asked one of the officers if it was safe. I asked if they were illegal immigrants. He said they were, but that I had nothing to worry about. He mentioned that several had run away. Mr Chesney said they were picked up by immigration enforcement vans at about 11am. Carpenter Kelvin Thomas, 67, working next door, said: I think they were pleased to get caught. There was no commotion they were very subdued. At around 6am, another group of five wrecked their inflatable boat before swimming ashore at St Margarets at Cliffe, near Dover. A few of them sat texting possibly telling other migrants they had made it before being picked up by police. They are likely to be among those not included in the 202 figure They were seen lying in the sun, taking selfies and using the seafront railings as a clothes rail to dry their clothing. They were then picked up by immigration officials who gave them face masks. One boat which arrived after being picked up by Border Force guards appeared to have a young girl of no more than six or seven-years-old on board. She was carried into the processing centre by an official at Dover port. MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke told the Mail: The brazen behaviour of these latest arrivals highlights how illegal entrants are mocking our border security. This is simply not good enough. There needs to be firmer action taken by the Home Office to bring an end to these dangerous small boat crossings. One group of around 12 sprawled in a garden in the historic town of Walmer. One of them fell asleep against the garden fence. Others took off their shoes as they rested and cooled down Home Office minister Chris Philp said: The number of illegal small boat crossings we are seeing from France is unacceptably high. France have stopped thousands of migrants this year and they stopped more today, but more needs to be done. We need stronger enforcement measures, including interceptions at sea and direct return of boats and the French have heard that directly from the Home Secretary. Hundreds of migrants have been arriving in the UK in small boats every month, even with Britain being under coronavirus lockdown. One of the migrant group's raft is left on the shoreline as Border Force officers attempt to detain those arriving Pictures from earlier in July show boats in a secure compound in Dover which have been seized after being intercepted in the Channel while carrying migrants from the French coast Home Secretary Priti Patel was in Calais on the same day 200 migrants tried to travel into Britain, to discuss a clampdown on illegal crossings with her French counterpart. She said: 'Despite all of the action taken by law enforcement to date - intercepting the boats, making arrests, returning people to France and putting the criminals responsible behind bars - the numbers continue to increase. 'This simply cannot be allowed to go on.' In May, the Mail revealed how French navy vessels are escorting some migrant-filled boats to British waters before handing them over to UK Border Force vessels without even intercepting them. Some migrants are believed to threaten to throw themselves into the water, causing the French boats to stand off. Last week saw the 3,000th migrant arrive by illegal boat since the start of the year. The figure for the whole of 2019 was 1,890. In 2018 it was just 297. More than 1,000 migrants have successfully made the crossing in July alone, as warm weather has opened a window of opportunity for people smugglers to organise perilous voyages At least 202 migrants were caught crossing into Britain today, just weeks after 200 others tried to make the same voyage Appearing via videoconference, the executives Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google were asked whether their companies had harmed the economy, stifled rivals and left consumers with few choices. All denied those claims. There were emotional speeches and technical issues. Democrats accused the companies of unfairly using their data hoards to kill off competitors, while Republicans questioned whether their platforms suppressed conservative voices. The panel opened an investigation into the companies last year, and federal and state antitrust officials are also looking into them. But while the hearing was ripe with theater, any impact will be limited by century-old antitrust laws that are imperfect tools for corralling internet firms. We have details on the proceedings, and you can sign up for our On Tech newsletter for more insights. Go deeper: Mr. Bezos has been cast in a role he never wanted: Amazons defender in Washington. He has taken an unusually hands-off approach with policymakers, our reporters write. What they said: We tallied how often the C.E.O.s repeated certain arguments and catchphrases, like We are not that big and We are good for America. Democrats collect cash in battle to flip state House seats Democrat Josh Remillard and Republican Tim Moffitt are running for state House District 117. Democratic state House candidates outraised their Republican opponents during the spring as they attempt to flip area seats in the Legislature, second quarter campaign finance reports showed. Josh Remillard, the Democratic nominee for an open state House seat, raised $16,699 in the period ending June 30 compared with Tim Moffitts $4,003. Moffitt, who served two terms in the state House representing western Buncombe County, now lives in the Bearwallow community of northern Henderson County. His campaign finance report shows a holdover debt from his previous campaign of $97,040 and loans of $39,500. Remillards campaign said his donation total of nearly $17,000 surpassed that of any Democrat from Henderson County in more than a decade. Remillard attracted 149 individual donors with an average contribution of $109. Among his donors were Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer ($100) and Patsy Keever, the former Buncombe County commissioner, state House member and 2012 candidate for Congress ($350). Remillard claims endorsements from state Rep. Joe Sam Queen, the Western North Carolina Central Labor Council, the Sierra Club, Equality North Carolina and 11th Congressional District candidate Moe Davis. He cash on hand of $12,942, while Moffitt reported a deficit of $21,326. I think part of it is, one, Josh is working hard every single day, reaching out to people here in Henderson and across Western North Carolina, said Daniel Otto, Remillards campaign manager. Were not doing any face to face (campaigning). Were making sure we dont put anybody at risk. We do Zoom events. On the 30th (of June) we had a campaign kickoff with (state Sen.) Terry Van Duyn and (state Rep.) Brian Turner that was Zoomed. Were gearing up our phone banking effort. We cant do traditional house parties or knocking on doors. Otto came to the campaign from Oxford, Ohio, after a mutual friend told him about Remillard. I have experience in red districts and Ive turned a few blue, he said. What really stood out to me is hes running from a point of service and would connect with Democrats, Republicans and independents. So far, no one has announced a debate or candidate forum in the legislative races. I reached out to the League of Women Voters and they said they had every intention of having a forum, Otto said. If he were to win, Remillard, an Iraq War veteran, would replace Rep. Chuck McGrady, who announced his retirement last year. Sam Edney raises $122,000 In the 113th House District race, Democratic nominee Sam Edney reported raising $71,186 in the second quarter and $121,682 overall. He reported cash on hand of $85,484 as of June 30. State Rep. Jake Johnson, the Republican incumbent from Saluda, reported that he raised $2,850 in the second quarter and $45,667 overall, and ended the period with cash on hand of $21,185. Edney also raised more than the Republican incumbent two years ago but lost to Cody Henson. Johnson replaced Henson last year after the Transylvania County Republican resigned. 48th Senate District In the 48th state Senate District, incumbent Chuck Edwards had a large lead in campaign money over his Democratic challenger, Mills River Town Council member Brian Caskey. Edwards took in $38,550 in the second quarter, including a personal loan of $8,147, and $126,167 overall. He finished the period with $70,563 in the bank. Caskey raised $14,632 in the second quarter, $38,315 overall and reported cash on hand of $13,907. 11th Congressional District In the contest to fill the 11th Congressional District seat made vacant when four-term incumbent Mark Meadows resigned to become White House chief of staff, Republican nominee Madison Cawthorn reported that he had received $802,641 overall and spent $638,301, leaving cash on hand of $164,340 on June 30. Cawthorn, a Hendersonville native, has provided $373,324 in self-financing, Federal Election Commission reports said. Moe Davis, the Democratic nominee, raised $488,313, spent $220,438 and had cash on hand of $267,875. Davis had given his campaign $5,000, the FEC said. Of Daviss total, 57.5 percent were in donations of $200 or less while 21.4 percent of Cawthorns campaign finance total came in donations of $200 and under, according to OpenSecrets.org, a website of the Center for Responsive Politics. President Muhammadu Buhari, Ayo Fasanmi President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of Leader of Afenifere, Egbe Ilosiwaju Yoruba, Senator Ayo Fasanmi, as a big loss to Nigeria. Senator Ayo Fasanmi death was confirmed by his Personal Assistant, Tope Adebayo on Thursday morning. Buhari, in a statement issued by Femi Adesina, his spokesman, affirmed that Chief Fasanmis wise counsels borne out of humility, deep reflection, diligent studies and experience would be sorely missed by governments at different levels, as he regularly and willingly listened to leaders, and always had a good advice on going forward. As an ardent follower and prodigy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the President believed the fearless and consistent leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation lived to serve his people and the nation, and the progressive ideals that he projected impacted greatly and provided a road map on development at state and federal levels. Buhari noted with commendation, that the efforts of Chief Fasanmi in the founding and sustenance of Nigerias democracy would be remembered, and that posterity would be glad for his great sacrifices. The President prayed that the Almighty God would receive the soul of the departed leader, and comfort his family. By IANS KABUL: The Taliban will release all the remaining Afghan government prisoners by Eid as a goodwill gesture, a spokesman of the militant group said. "The other side must also complete the process of releasing the pledged 5,000 detainees in accordance with the Doha Agreement, and the list, in order to facilitate the start of intra-Afghan talks after Eid," TOLO News quoted Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban's Qatar office, as saying in a tweet on Wednesday. Under the US-Taliban peace deal that was signed in Doha, the Afghan government would release 5,000 Taliban members, of which it has so far freed more than 4,400. And the Taliban would release 1,000, of which it has released over 800. The prisoner exchange was a provision in the agreement intended as a confidence-building measure that would pave the way for the intra-Afghan negotiations. On Tuesday, the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire during Eid al-Adha ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations that are expected in the coming weeks. The group called on its fighters to avoid attacking Afghan forces and to not enter government-controlled areas, reports TOLO News. This is the third ceasefire in the country since June 2019. While their trade with China far outstripped that with Taiwan, many in the Solomons were not happy about abandoning 36 years of friendship. The decision especially chafed with inhabitants of Malaita, the Solomons most populous region, which sits 60 miles across the Indispensable Strait from the next-most-populous island of Guadalcanal, scene of an epic World War II battle and home to the capital, Honiara. The islands share a long-running acrimony that spilled over into civil unrest that left 200 dead between 1998 and 2003. The second quarter was one of the most brutal periods in the oil market's history. Demand fell off a cliff as governments shut down their economies to help slow the spread of COVID-19. That forced oil majors like ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) to take drastic actions. While the oil company's moves negatively impacted its results during the period, they enabled it to preserve cash and resource value to take advantage of future opportunities. Drilling down into ConocoPhillips' second-quarter results Metric Q2 2020 Q2 2019 Production 981,000 BOE/D 1.29 million BOE/D Adjusted earnings (loss) ($1.0 billion) $1.1 billion Adjusted earnings (loss) per share ($0.92) $1.01 ConocoPhillips' production tumbled 24% year over year during the second quarter. Two factors contributed to the be decline in its output: Asset sales and production shut-ins. After adjusting for asset sales, the drop narrowed to about 18%. Meanwhile, the company shut in an average of 225,000 BOE/D during the quarter due to low prices. Adjusting for that, production would have been about flat year over year. ConocoPhillips shut in production because low oil prices significantly strained the economics of this production. Overall, the company only realized $23.09 per BOE during the period, which was 54% below the year-ago level. However, its average realized price per barrel of oil was $8.69 in Canada and $19.87 in Alaska, leading it to significantly shut in volumes in both regions. That combination of low prices and reduced production caused the oil specialist to report a steep $1 billion loss. However, ConocoPhillips did generate about $700 million in cash from operating activities. It also sold $800 million in assets during the period. These cash inflows helped the company finance capital projects and its dividend without draining its cash-rich balance sheet. As a result, it ended with a healthy $7.2 billion of cash and short-term investments. What's ahead for ConocoPhillips? ConocoPhillips is "monitoring the market closely to develop a view around the timing and path of price recovery and to guide our corresponding actions," according to CEO Ryan Lance. He noted that "as the market strengthened late in the second quarter, we began reversing our second-quarter curtailments and ramping up production across the Lower 48, Alaska, and Canada." As a result, the company had fully restored its Alaskan production during July. It has also started gradually ramping up its output at its Surmount oil sands facility in Canada in July, which will be slowed somewhat by maintenance activities during the third quarter. Meanwhile, it currently anticipates bringing the rest of its U.S. production on line by September, assuming market conditions continue improving. ConocoPhillips can afford to be patient with restarting production because of its cash-rich balance sheet. While it's forgoing some near-term cash flow, it's preserving value in hopes of capturing higher oil prices in the future to generate more cash. The company's strong balance sheet also enabled it to take advantage of the market downturn to make a bolt-on acquisition in Canada in late July. It's spending $375 million, plus assuming $30 million of financing obligations, to purchase 140,000 net acres in the Montney shale. This land is adjacent to ConocoPhillips' position and bolsters its land holdings to 295,000 net acres. The asset currently produces 15,000 BOE/D and has 1,000 future drilling locations. It has more than 1 billion BOE of resources, with a low all-in cost of supply in the mid-$30s. A pillar of financial strength amid the storm ConocoPhillips' fortress-like balance sheet supported its operations during the second quarter. It gave the company the flexibility to shut in a significant portion of its production during a period of brutally low prices to sell this output in the future when pricing improves. It also enabled the ConocoPhillips to take advantage of an opportunity to pick up more land in Canada, which can fuel future growth. As a result, the company will emerge from this downturn with an even stronger resource position. Pakistan on Thursday said it has seen reports that India has acquired Rafale jets from France which could be modified to carry nuclear weapons. India received the first batch of five Rafale jets on Wednesday, nearly four years after it inked an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft. The Indian Air Force received the Rafale jets 23 years after it imported Sukhoi-30 Ks from Russia in 1997. The arrival of Rafale jets will make the IAF much stronger to deter any security challenge facing India and those seeking to threaten the country's territorial integrity should be worried about its new capability, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday. "We have seen reports of recent acquisition of Rafale jets by Indian Air Force," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said at her weekly press briefing in Islamabad. "It is disturbing to note that India continues to amass military capabilities beyond its genuine security requirement," she said. "Transfer of advanced systems, where there is an open intention of conversion into nuclear delivery platforms, calls into question the commitment of international suppliers to non-proliferation commitments," she said. "While remaining opposed to any arms race in South Asia, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to these developments and remains confident of its ability to thwart any ill-considered act of aggression," she added. CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Risk factors for Alzheimer's dementia may be apparent as early as our teens and 20s, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020. These risk factors, many of which are disproportionately apparent in African Americans, include heart health factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes and social factors like education quality. According to the Alzheimer's Association Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, older African Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer's or other dementias as older whites. "By identifying, verifying, and acting to counter those Alzheimer's risk factors that we can change, we may reduce new cases and eventually the total number of people with Alzheimer's and other dementia," said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer. "Research like this is important in addressing health inequities and providing resources that could make a positive impact on a person's life." "These new reports from AAIC 2020 show that it's never too early, or too late, to take action to protect your memory and thinking abilities," Carrillo said. The Alzheimer's Association is leading the U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk ( U.S. POINTER ), a two-year clinical trial to evaluate whether lifestyle interventions that simultaneously target many risk factors protect cognitive function in older adults who are at increased risk for cognitive decline. U.S. POINTER is the first such study to be conducted in a large, diverse group of Americans across the United States. African American Youth At Higher Risk of Dementia In a population of more than 714 African Americans in the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR), Kristen George, Ph.D., MPH, of the University of California, Davis, and colleagues found that high blood pressure and diabetes, or a combination of multiple heart health-related factors, are common in adolescence and are associated with worse late-life cognition. Study participants were adolescents (n=165; ages 12-20), young adults (n=439; ages 21-34) and adults (n=110; ages 35-56). Mean age at cognitive assessment was 68. Cognition was measured using in-person tests of memory and executive function. The researchers found that, in this study population, having diabetes, high blood pressure, or two or more heart health risk factors in adolescence, young adulthood, or mid-life was associated with statistically significantly worse late-life cognition. These differences persisted after accounting for age, gender, years since risk factors were measured, and education. Before this report, little was known about whether cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors developed prior to mid-life were associated with late-life cognition. This is an important question because African Americans have a higher risk of CVD risk factors compared to other racial/ethnic groups from adolescence through adulthood. According to the researchers, these findings suggest that CVD risk factors as early as adolescence influence late-life brain health in African Americans. Efforts to promote heart and brain healthy lifestyles must not only include middle-aged adults, but also younger adults and adolescents who may be especially susceptible to the negative impact of poor vascular health on the brain. Early Adult BMI Associated With Late Life Dementia Risk In what the authors say is the first study to report on the issue, higher early adulthood (age 20-49) body mass index (BMI) was associated with higher late-life dementia risk. Relatively little is known about the role of early life BMI on the risk of Alzheimer and other dementias. The scientists studied a total of 5,104 older adults from two studies, including 2,909 from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and 2,195 from the Health, Aging and Body Composition study (Health ABC). Of the total sample, 18% were Black and 56% were women. Using pooled data from four established cohorts spanning the adult life course, including the two cohorts under the study, the scientists estimated BMI beginning at age 20 for all older adults of CHS and Health ABC. For women, dementia risk increased with higher early adulthood BMI. Compared to women with normal BMI in early adulthood, dementia risk was 1.8 times higher among those who were overweight, and 2.5 times higher among those who were obese. Analyses were adjusted for midlife and late life BMI. They found no association between midlife BMI and dementia risk among women. For men, dementia risk was 2.5 times higher among those who were obese in early adulthood, 1.5 times higher among those who were overweight in mid-life and 2.0 times higher among those who were obese in mid-life, in models also adjusted for late life BMI. For both women and men, dementia risk decreased with higher late life BMI. Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, Ph.D. of Columbia University and colleagues found that high BMI in adulthood is a risk factor for dementia in late life. The researchers suggest that efforts aimed at reducing dementia risk may need to begin earlier in life with a focus on obesity prevention and treatment. Quality of Early-Life Education Influences Dementia Risk In a diverse group of more than 2,400 people followed up to 21 years, higher quality early-life education was associated with better language and memory performance, and lower risk of late-life dementia. Results were somewhat different between men and women, and between Blacks and Whites in the study. The study included 2,446 Black and White men and women, age 65 and older, enrolled in the Washington Heights/Inwood Columbia Aging Project who attended elementary school in the United States. A school quality variable based on historical measures included: mandatory school enrollment age, minimum dropout age, school term length, student-teacher ratio, and student attendance. People who attended school in states with lower quality education had more rapid decline in memory and language as an older adult. Black women and men and White women who attended schools in states with higher quality education were less likely to develop dementia. According to the scientists, the results were explained, in part, because people who attend higher quality schools end up getting more years of school. Justina Avila-Rieger, PhD, a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and colleagues say the findings provide evidence that later life dementia risk and cognitive function is influenced by early-life state educational policies. About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community. AAIC 2020 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/ AAIC 2020 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp AAIC 2020 hashtag: #AAIC20 About the Alzheimer's Association The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900. Kristen George , PhD, MPH, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence and adulthood and late-life cognition: Study of healthy aging in African Americans (STAR). (Funder(s): U.S. National Institute on Aging) , PhD, MPH, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence and adulthood and late-life cognition: Study of healthy aging in African Americans (STAR). (Funder(s): U.S. National Institute on Aging) Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri , PhD, et al. Association of early life BMI with dementia risk: Findings from a pooled cohort analysis. (Funder(s): U.S. National Institute on Aging) , PhD, et al. Association of early life BMI with dementia risk: Findings from a pooled cohort analysis. (Funder(s): U.S. National Institute on Aging) Justina Avila-Rieger , et al. Relationship between state-level administrative school quality data, years of education, cognitive decline, and dementia risk. (Funder(s): U.S. National Institute on Aging) Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1219566/AAIC_2020_Logo.jpg Related Links https://www.alz.org SOURCE Alzheimers Association The Court of Appeal has quashed the conviction of a Dublin man for taking part in a gang rape, after the defence received previously undisclosed information that the complainant had made other sexual allegations in the past. The Director of Public Prosecutions did not oppose the man's application to have his conviction overturned. The now 25-year-old, who was jailed for four years in June 2017, is reserving his position in relation to compensation for a miscarriage of justice. He had pleaded not guilty to raping the woman with two other men at a house in Dublin on a date in May 2014. She had gone there with them, after meeting them in a nightclub. It was alleged that when she asked them to stop the rape, she was told: It's your birthday surprise. A jury found him guilty, following a four-day trial at the Central Criminal Court. A sentence of six years imprisonment was imposed. The final two years were suspended. His barrister, Caroline Biggs SC, applied to the Court of Appeal to quash the conviction on Wednesday. She had first applied to the court in January to adduce fresh evidence, and her client was granted bail at that point, with the consent of the State. Ms Biggs said that documentation had been received, which showed that the complainant had made allegations of a sexual nature previous to this case. This material had not been disclosed to the defence and could have had a material impact on the outcome, she said. The Director of Public Prosecutions, represented in court by Paul Green SC, acceded to the application and conceded that no retrial should be ordered. Mr Justice Edwards, presiding with Justice Patrick McCarthy and Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh, quashed the conviction and made no further order. Ms Biggs said that she was reserving her position in relation to Section 9 of the 1993 Criminal Procedure Act. This relates to compensation for a miscarriage of justice. The trial had heard that the woman, who was in her 20s, was celebrating her birthday in a nightclub with friends. She had taken cocaine, alcohol and Ecstasy in the club when she met a man there. They kissed and she agreed to go to a house with him. She got a taxi to the house with him and two other men, including the man in this case. She had consensual sex with the first man in a bedroom, before two other men entered and began trying to have sex with her. The man in this case admitted having sex with her. He told gardai that when the woman came back to the house there was a conversation about a threesome. He said she told him it was OK for him to join in. However, she said that it was not consensual. Justice Isobel Kennedy said that the man, who had no previous convictions, acted out of character on the night. She had noted the defence submissions that he was previously a peaceful, law-abiding, diligent young man who came from a decent, hard-working family. The court heard that his family and current girlfriend had remained supportive. He had acted in loco parentis for his partner's children. He had an impressive work history and was not someone who abused alcohol, drugs or people. Justice Kennedy had suspended the last two years of his sentence to allow for the very realistic prospect of rehabilitation. The chief financial officer of Smurfit Kappa, Ken Bowles, says "fire power is not the issue" when it comes to looking at possible acquisitions. Due to "the strength of the balance sheet" the paper packaging giant doesn't have a defined budget for M&A. "Fire power is not the issue, it is really more about appropriateness and fit, and driving the business forward," Mr Bowles said. The company will wait until either possible target valuations fall into the right place and/or it feels it is the right time to buy. "We have been quite disciplined in the last number of years, where we have bought, we have tended to acquire and integrate well. This particular cycle should throw up some M&A opportunities and if we feel they are right and appropriate for our strategy we will be involved," he said. Yesterday shares in Smurfit Kappa were up almost 4pc in Dublin after the group announced a surprise interim dividend. The paper packaging giant is to pay out 193m to its shareholders, having withdrawn its final dividend in April due to the uncertainty caused by Covid-19. The decision to do so "underscores the board's belief in the inherent strengths of the business, its balance sheet, free cash flow generation and its long-term prospects", the company said. This comes as revenue at the paper packaging giant fell 9pc to 4.2bn in the six months to June 30. The performance reflected the negative impact of Covid-19 on demand, the adverse impact of currency, and the fall in box prices, according to a trading update. Nonetheless, the group's customers primarily operate in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, which has been "resilient" during the pandemic. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) fell by 13pc to 735m during the period, while the ebitda margin declined less than 1pc to 17.5pc. Free cash flow jumped 50pc to 238m. In the Americas, after a strong start to the year, volumes in the region were heavily affected by Covid-19 during the second quarter. As a result, volumes for the first half of 2020 were down 2.6pc year on year. In Europe, ebitda decreased by 16pc to 575m. Barry Dixon, analyst at Davy, said the "better-than-expected interim results reflect a business that is more resilient than its valuation rating implies". It was a thrilling moment, Phil Weicker admits being at the California-based company he helped start, sitting in the all-electric vehicle he helped design and taking it for that first spin. Thats how you know that youre in the right job, says Weicker, 41, who is from St. Catharines. That still feels exciting, and sort of like you have that Christmas morning feeling. Thats how you know youre doing what you were always supposed to be doing. From Laura Secord Secondary School, where he graduated in 1997, Weicker made a few stops before settling in L.A. He studied electrical engineering at McMaster University, then earned his masters degree at McGill University in Montreal. It was early in the dot-com era and, while many grads gravitated toward communications, he kind of went the other way, I focused on power electronics, controls. At the time, it sort of seemed if you could squint your eyes really tightly and look toward the future, you could see that probably electric vehicles were going to become an important part of how we use energy in a smarter way. After nearly a decade working for other peoples companies, he and several others co-founded Canoo in Torrance, Calif., just south of Los Angeles, in December 2017. Weicker is responsible for powertrain and electronics. Its no small goal they have set for themselves: To change the way people get around the city. Far into the prototype stage with a launch planned for the end of 2021, its a fully electric vehicle with a battery that can go for 400 kilometres. It seats seven, but without a combustion engine the interior is roomer than in traditional cars. The backseat is sofa-style, bending with the curve of the car. There is no steering column. It steers by wire using electrical signals. And you wont buy a Canoo the way you would normally purchase a car, either. Vehicles are sold on subscription. Canoo describes itself as your electric car membership. For a monthly fee you get the vehicle, access to insurance, registration, charging and maintenance. When youre done, you turn it in. Another co-founder, Richard Kim, calls it a loft on wheels in a YouTube video in which TV comic Jay Leno, a well-known car buff, visits the Canoo plant for his Jay Lenos Garage program. Its not a car, Leno notes, its a weekly transportation pod, just to get you to work. Weicker believes the way people use their cars is changing, especially in large urban areas. More practical, less flashy. Our goal, he says, was to do something better, but not necessarily something better in terms of faster or higher performance. Canoo with minimal environmental impact and extra large interior is designed for people driving in the city amid traffic, he says, though its capable of highway speeds. Weicker cant disclose the price because its a developing, competitive market, but were definitely focused on something thats affordable. RELATED STORIES Business Falls serves as backdrop for Porsche electric car unveiling We think that solving the problem that electric vehicles can solve in terms of air pollution, greenhouse gases, only really matters if we do it at a large scale, right? At Canoo, his team has about 100 members, several of them Canadians from McMaster. One of Canoos suppliers is based in St. Catharines, THK Rhythm Automotive Canada Ltd. Its still a little bit like the wild, wild west, Weicker says of the electric car industry. I think people are looking at the success of Tesla and that has certainly buoyed public interest in electric vehicles, but I think there is room for others. Canoo not named for any Canadian canoe connection, it was just a catchy title is still a new company, so we have to sort of build the plane as were flying it, says Weicker. We dont have too much room for error, and were kind of the definition of working without a net. 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. Men, transgender women, boys, and nonbinary people claim to have been harassed and sexually assaulted at checkpoints and in the ranks of the Syrian regime military reports Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Men, transgender women, boys, and nonbinary people have suffered systematic sexual violence throughout the war in Syria, resulting in severe physical and mental health issues for victims, according to a new report released by Human Rights Watch. The 40 individuals interviewed by the rights group said they were harassed and assaulted because of their perceived sexual orientation and because they were soft looking, according to the 77-page report. All the aggression was multiplied by 10 I would say. They were happily doing it, said Yousef, a 28-year-old gay man, detained by the Syrian intelligence agencies, according to the report entitled They Treated Us in Monstrous Ways. They were of course raping us with sticks. They rape you just to see you suffering, shouting. To see you are humiliated. This is what they like to see. They had a stick inside my anus, and they started saying, This is what you like, dont you like it? It went up till my stomach, he added. The survivors said they were harassed and sexually assaulted at checkpoints and in the ranks of the Syrian regime military. They said they were also subject to variour forms of torture in detention centres because of their queer identities, inluding rape, genital violence, threat of rape, forced nudity, and sexual harassment. They brought the stick of a mop and they inserted it in our anus. A strong bleeding started, and we were mutilated, said Naila, a 21-year-old transgender woman who described being gang raped at a regime prison as a minor. Men and boys regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity are vulnerable to sexual violence in Syria and often remain unseen and without the support all survivors of sexual violence urgently need, said Zeynep Pnar Erdem, fellow in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights programme at Human Rights Watch and the author of the report. These individuals described a range of psychological symptoms indicating forms of depression, post-traumatic stress, sexual trauma, and more. The consequences of this violence are heightened by the lack of support and services in Lebanon, where the survivors found refuge. The report said that Lebanon can only provide limited services for survivors and there is inadequate support from humanitarian organisations, citing poor funds and little help for male victims of sexual violence. While in Syria, the survivors could not access vital medical or mental health services due to fears regarding stigma, shame, and the added danger of being harassed. The report recommends that the Lebanese services should provide adequate care for the survivors. Men and boys and trans women can experience deep shame, stigma, and silence due to sexual violence. It is vital to challenge the social and cultural assumptions that they should be invulnerable, said Erdem. Services need to be funded, and tailored to support their access and care, without diverting funding from services for women and girls. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic published findings in 2018 which detailed evidence of sexual abuse against male detainees in the Syrian regime prisons. 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. Theres limited evidence. In a much-cited study of 5,706 coronavirus patients and their contacts in South Korea published July 16, researchers concluded that children younger than 10 spread the virus at the lowest rate. They found, however, that those age 10 to 19 were more likely to spread Covid-19 within a household than younger children and adults were. The study had limitations. As with similar studies, the researchers first identified an infected person and then tested that persons contacts, which means they cant be certain who started the chain. Plus, the study was conducted while schools were mostly shut down. In the U.S., school closure was associated with a 62% drop in Covid-19 cases and 58% decline in deaths, researchers at the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center reported in July. They acknowledged that the trends were largest in states with a low cumulative incidence of Covid-19 at the time schools were shut, and that its possible some of the reduction was due to other measures. Austrian premium motorcycle brand KTM, which is 48 per cent owned by Ltd, on Thursday announced a limited-period offer worth Rs 5,000 for all customers who book any model before September 20. The offer includes an additional three-year warranty and free one-year roadside assistance plan, among others, the company said in a release. "As a part of the package, customers will get free three-year additional warranty over and above the existing two-year warranty, free one-year roadside assistance with coverage across the country and a chance to win an iPhone 11 and Fan package every week with each booking of the bike before September 20," the company said. With a customer base of over 2.7 lakh, India is the largest market for KTM globally. "KTM is the most loved European brand among the biking enthusiasts in India with a phenomenal response for every product upgrade and introduction. "To further encourage brand aspirants to own a KTM, we have raised the value proposition by providing a limited period offer of free three years extended warranty and one year road side assistance," said Sumeet Narang, President (Probiking) at Ltd. During April-June period, KTM reported sales of 33,220 units as compared to 38,267 units in the year-ago period. KTM range includes 125 Duke, 200 Duke, 250 Duke, 390 Duke, RC 125, RC 200, RC 390 and 390 Adventure. Since its entry into India in 2012, the bike maker has grown its presence to over 365 cities and 460 stores. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A last-minute attempt by Ghislaine Maxwell to stop the publication of potentially damaging documents has been blocked. US District Court judge Loretta Preska said on Wednesday that depositions against Ms Maxwell and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein should be made public. Maxwell argued that the charges brought against her which allege she recruited women for Epstein to abuse were compelling reasons to stop the deposition's publication. Those documents, according to the socialites legal team, were said to include intrusive questions about Ms Maxwells sex life and could prove embarrassing. The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Ms Maxwell by one of Epsteins accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Judge Preskas order could see dozens of other documents, including flight logs from Epsteins private jets and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home, made public. Ms Maxwell said she intended to appeal the Manhattan courts decision, which she must formally appeal before Thursday. The 58-year-old British socialite pleaded not guilty on 14 July to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls in the 1990s, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath. In opposing the unsealing, her lawyers had accused Ms Giuffre and federal prosecutors of violating a protective order in the civil case designed to keep Maxwells deposition confidential. They accused Ms Giuffre of leaking the deposition, and in conjunction with the government setting a perjury trap for their client. But judge Preska said a criminal probe into Epsteins associates already loomed large when Maxwell opposed unsealing the deposition in June, and her arrest did not overcome the presumption the public deserved access. This is plowed ground, wrote the judge. Ms Giuffre has said Epstein kept her as a sex slave with Maxwells assistance. Resembling a butterfly with its symmetrical structure, beautiful colours, and intricate patterns, this striking bubble of gas known as NGC 2899 appears to float and flutter across the sky in this new picture from ESOs Very Large Telescope (VLT). This object has never before been imaged in such striking detail, with even the faint outer edges of the planetary nebula glowing over the background stars. NGC 2899s vast swathes of gas extend up to a maximum of two light-years from its centre, glowing brightly in front of the stars of the Milky Way as the gas reaches temperatures upwards of ten thousand degrees. The high temperatures are due to the large amount of radiation from the nebulas parent star, which causes the hydrogen gas in the nebula to glow in a reddish halo around the oxygen gas, in blue. This object, located between 3000 and 6500 light-years away in the Southern constellation of Vela (The Sails), has two central stars, which are believed to give it its nearly symmetric appearance. After one star reached the end of its life and cast off its outer layers, the other star now interferes with the flow of gas, forming the two-lobed shape seen here. Only about 1020% of planetary nebulae [1] display this type of bipolar shape. Astronomers were able to capture this highly detailed image of NGC 2899 using the FORS instrument installed on UT1 (Antu), one of the four 8.2-metre telescopes that make up ESOs VLT in Chile. Standing for FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph, this high-resolution instrument was one of the first to be installed on ESOs VLT and is behind numerous beautiful images and discoveries from ESO. FORS has contributed to observations of light from a gravitational wave source, has researched the first known interstellar asteroid, and has been used to study in depth the physics behind the formation of complex planetary nebulae. This image was created under the ESO Cosmic Gems programme, an outreach initiative to produce images of interesting, intriguing or visually attractive objects using ESO telescopes, for the purposes of education and public outreach. The programme makes use of telescope time that cannot be used for science observations. All data collected may also be suitable for scientific purposes, and are made available to astronomers through ESOs science archive. ### Notes [1] Unlike what their common name suggests, planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. The first astronomers to observe them merely described them as planet-like in appearance. They are instead formed when ancient stars with up to 6 times the mass of our Sun reach the end of their lives, collapse, and blow off expanding shells of gas, rich in heavy elements. Intense ultraviolet radiation energises and lights up these moving shells, causing them to shine brightly for thousands of years until they ultimately disperse slowly through space, making planetary nebulae relatively short-lived phenomena on astronomical timescales. More information ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the worlds most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 16 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the worlds largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become the worlds biggest eye on the sky. Links Contacts Barbara Ferreira ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei Munchen, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6670 Cell: +49 151 241 664 00 Email: pio@eso.org Connect with ESO on social media Dr. Bismark Ameyaw, Ph.D. 30.07.2020 LISTEN Centre for International Maritime Affairs Ghana (CIMAG), the leading policy think tank and research hub for the Maritime industry (International Trade), today announced the appointment of Dr. Bismark Ameyaw as a member of Directors. Bismark joined the CIMAG management in 2019, as the Director, Research, and Advocacy. It has been a great honor to be part of the CIMAG Board of Directors, said Bismark. I am incredibly proud of our accomplishments over the period. I am confident in our future and in CIMAGs leadership as we continue to grow and expand our impact. Bismark Ameyaw, Ph.D. Dr. Bismark Ameyaw is an energy analyst and a top renewable energy expert. He is a data scientist with scholarly data modeling tools created to outperform top data modeling predictive systems in the United States. He is a professional member of the International Association of Energy Economics (IAEE) and the United States Association for Energy Economics (USAEE), and a reviewer to a number of top-tier international journals. Dr. Bismark Ameyaw has already worked on investigating and proposing mitigation pathway scenarios to achieving lower carbon-emissions for all West African countries. He is currently pursuing his second Ph.D. in the field of renewable energy technologies, and energy policy. Bismark is utilizing the policy sequencing tool to propose pathways to mitigate global greenhouse gas emissions. He has garnered experience from diverse fields supervising and assisting funded research projects on maritime development, renewable energy, environmental sustainability, air pollution, and climate change. He takes keen interest in Ghanas maritime sector. He is a columnist for the Business & Financial Times (B&FT) writing on deploying renewable energy technologies, maritime-related issues, and entrepreneurship development. His most recent research publication is entitled Modeling the long-run drivers of total renewable energy consumption: evidence from top five heavily polluted countries. I am delighted that Bismark is joining CIMAGs Board. His significant and senior expertise in corporate services, research and policy development, coupled with his experience across global markets and deep knowledge of the Maritime and Energy terrain, will stand us in good stead as we progress towards our ambition to be one of the best performing, most trusted and respected policy think tanks in the world. His reputation as one of the leading researchers and his track record will be an inspiration to our people and ways of working. I welcome Bismark to the Board. Bismark joins a team of experienced professionals on the board as follows: A.Y. JIM-FUGAR Chairman Dr. York Abaidoo, Member (Technical Advisor) Albert Derrick Fiatui, Executive Director Danny Laud, Co- Director (Member) Yvonne Osei Tutu (Member) Rev. Gabriel Fiatui, Consultant (Member) The Board of CIMAG also announced the appointment of Dr. Kingsley Nketia Acheampong, as the Director of IT, Software Engineering & Data Development. He comes in with a transformational mindset. Kingsley is highly skilled in software development, state-of-the-art data analytics and machine learning techniques from development to production levels, I have gained mastery in critical problem discovery and provision of reusable data solutions to enforce high productivity at corporate levels. Director, IT, Software Engineering & Data Development Kingsley has gained 10+ years of excellent analytical, problem-solving and coding skills gained in the fields of computer and software engineering. He received the B.S. degree in Computer Engineering and the M.Eng. in Information and Software Engineering. Kingsley briefly served as an Applications and Software Engineer, NSS Huawei Technologies, Accra (Ghana). He joined the Sun-Data Group, as a Data Scientist and NLP researcher in 2016. He has a Ph.D. in Information and Software Engineering. His research interests included Cognitive Modeling and Machine Learning for Natural Language Processing, Data Analysis and Analytics and Optimization of Data Structures and Algorithms. Kingsley is highly skilled in software development, state-of-the-art data analytics and machine learning techniques from development to production levels. He has gained mastery in critical problem discovery and provision of reusable data solutions to enforce high productivity at corporate levels. He is also renowned for participating in many data science competitions such as the ANZ Data Science Competition in which he was awarded the 2nd prize in 2018 and first prize in 2019. Elements of his current research include Systems Engineering and Development, International Software Development, Advanced-Data Science and Analytics, Development of Real-time Data-driven Predictive Models, and Meta-Optimization of Neural Machine Translation Models. CIMAG was founded as a non-partisan institution, to advance policy thinking on pressing Maritime issues linked to the blue economic challenges. CIMAG seeks to narrow its research focus on the streams of Maritime Economy, Maritime Security/Safety and the Maritime Ecology/Environment Protection. 71% of the planet is covered by water. In this vein, the Maritime business community plays a critical role in ensuring growth and international trade/business. CIMAG provides the industry with a platform for policymakers and other stakeholders to engage with players from the Maritime business community. We exist to proffer solutions for a multi-sectoral industry effort in addressing critical Maritime sustainable development challenges. The private sector is the primary user of the increasingly crowded space, which is 71% of the earths surface. Shipping, sea bed mining, ports, and offshore oil and gas are reliant on professionals such as lawyers, insurers, shipbuilders, marine technologists who provide services that keep the sector running. This critical sector generates trillions of dollars per year, by providing goods and services upon which society depends, including transport, offshore energy resources, telecommunications, and international business. CIMAG seeks to complement the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that convenes governments on shipping with industry involvement, including maritime safety and environmental issues. It is a structure developed for the private sector to focus on cross-cutting policies in support of sustainable blue growth. It is a think tank and a catalyst for business opportunities in the industry, promoting and facilitating, networking, dialogue, and synergies among its stakeholders. The Centres agenda is to use its work to impact the industry by addressing Maritime/Aviation issues of international interest through extensive cooperation. The Centre engages international and regional researchers, businesses, NGOs, governments, and academic institutions in maximizing the gains of international trade. www.cimaghana.org A coalition of advocates for newcomers is calling for a back-to-school plan that takes into account the unique disruptions immigrant youth, refugee students and other learners who rely on language support have experienced during the pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A coalition of advocates for newcomers is calling for a back-to-school plan that takes into account the unique disruptions immigrant youth, refugee students and other learners who rely on language support have experienced during the pandemic. In anticipation of Sept. 8, the Newcomer Education Coalition and Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations have created newcomer-specific recommendations for recovery learning. The recommendations, which have been sent to stakeholders including Manitoba Education, call for an approach that will require more educational assistants and counsellors equipped with cultural humility training in schools this fall, as well as increased training for school staff that is both trauma-informed and anti-racist. "For war-affected youth and others who have experienced trauma, there are psychosocial needs which are challenging to support remotely," the document states. "The pandemic has potentially been a triggering experience." It also urges leaders to consider how interrupted schooling is linked to disengagement from school and increased engagement with "risky behaviours." "Instead of rushing to September and having youth fall through cracks, we have to start planning right now," said Kathleen Vyrauen of the Newcomer Education Coalition. Following the COVID-19 learning disruptions in mid-March, the more than 200,000 K-12 students in Manitoba were tasked with both learning how to learn at home and learning the end-of-year curriculum. Many newcomer students faced these challenges head-on, in busy households with distracting siblings, alongside balancing child-care responsibilities and pressures to take on paid work, and with virtual, if any, language support. Phone and video calls replaced hands-on support, while after-school programs for newcomers reported fewer students accessing their services without drop-in options. Manitobas back-to-school plan, which is expected before Aug. 1, will indicate whether pre-COVID-19 language tutoring can resume in classrooms. The advocates document recommends school leaders involve ethno-cultural leaders and newcomer service providers in their planning so schools can best support families and translate key documents. "You cant take blanketed approaches to student learning; I do hope that there is that focus on the individual needs of each student and each community," Vyrauen said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. At the Winnipeg School Division, trustee Jennifer Chen said she is trying to organize a board meeting at the end of August so officials can discuss the provinces directives for the year, and how best to support all students, immigrant and refugee learners included. Although soon-to-be Grade 10 student Joyce Gladys said she managed distance learning with help from the resources her teacher sent her, the Mozambican student said she hopes regular classes will resume soon. Gladys, 14, will start Tec Voc High School in September, a little more than two years after she moved to Winnipeg from Portugal. When asked about what she misses most about school, the 14-year-old said, "my friends." maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie A musician, originally from Birr, had his pandemic unemployment payment stopped for six weeks as a result of checks carried out at airports. Speaking to Liveline's Katie Hannon earlier this week, Ciaran Cooney, outlined how he had his pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) stopped for six weeks after he took a flight to Glasgow to visit his partner in May. Ciaran was a full time guitarist and vocalist with Irish Celtics and was due to travel around Europe and China with the group until early June. However, he told the show that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tour was cut short before St Patrick's Day. The musician then returned to Birr where he remained during lockdown with his family. However, on May 7 last, he booked a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Glasgow to visit his partner, who lives in the city, and he hadn't seen her for 15 weeks. The RTE show heard how Ciaran was waiting at the gate to board his flight when two plain clothes Gardai approached him and asked him for his passport, informing him they were doing immigration checks' '. Ciaran provided them with his passport before he boarded the Glasgow bound flight. According to Ciaran, if the Gardai had told him the reasons for the checks or that they were taking information for the Department of Social Protection, he would have not gotten on the plane. Because, to be honest with you, if I felt my payment was going to be brought into disrepute or taken off me, I probably wouldn't have gotten on the plane. Because I am relying on this payment, he continued. Ciaran then returned from Glasgow only to discover that his PUP had been stopped. I waited a few days and then I contacted the Department of Social Protection, who then informed me that they could see that the money had been stopped and the reason for it was that 'we can see that you boarded a Ryanair flight on May 7 at 9.30am and that's why your money was stopped'. It then took Ciaran six weeks to get his payment reinstated but not before he had to go to Carol Nolan, TD and Brian Stanley for some assistance as well as penning a letter to the then Minister for Social Protection. I was never informed by anyone that this happened and it wasn't until I sought this information as to why his payment was stopped that I discovered the reason why, he pointed out. Later in order for Ciaran's payment to be reinstated, he had to provide proof of his return flight from Glasgow, which he did. The show's presenter then asked Ciaran if he was sure this exchange between the Gardai was the source of this information given to the Department of Social Protection? Who else would have had this information, Ciaran remarked. Asked if the musician has been back to Glasgow since, Ciaran replied no because he was too afraid to go, to be honest. The thing is that I and my partner have bought a house in Glasgow. But, I am afraid to go over there because I don't know if I will get work over there and I am better off staying here. Concluding, Ciaran described the situation as being hitting a brick all at a hundred miles an hour. My life was go go go and all this has stopped. My livelihood is gone, like thousands of other musicians,'' he added. Meanwhile, the Data Protection Commissioner has asked the Department of Social Protection to explain how exactly it's getting data it uses to block benefit payment. Helen Dixon, the Commissioner has asked welfare chiefs for more details on their operations at Dublin Airport since it emerged that passengers' details were being accessed by benefits inspectors. They have been operating there since criteria for getting the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) were changed. As a result of the changed criteria that recipients have to be actively seeking work PUP recipients lose payments if they go abroad. It emerged recently that 104 PUP cases have been stopped as a result of airport checks since July 7. In addition, 44 other social welfare payments (jobseekers' payments, means assessed payments) have also been closed. However, following the Liveline show where Ciaran outlined his story, it was confirmed that Ciaran's case was separate to those 104 cases confirmed by the Department of Social Protection to be stopped as a result of airport checks since July 7 last. TO THE EDITOR: According to the CDC, the United States is seeing around 70,000 new coronavirus cases daily. The state of Florida, with a population of 21 million, recently announced over 15,000 new cases in a single day. Meanwhile, with a combined population of 2.6 billion, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and the entire European Union are averaging 6,760 new cases. In other words, the U.S. makes up less than 5% of the global population, but about 25% of the coronavirus cases and deaths. Let that sink in for a moment. The reason for this stark difference is that unlike the White Houses incompetent and negligent do-nothing patchwork approach that resulted in states competing against each other for resources, many of these countries decided to use reasoning and logic to dictate their responses. Instead of calling the pandemic a hoax or laughably comparing it to the flu, they embraced science, developed a comprehensive national strategy, and followed the guidelines laid out by medical experts. They locked down until there was a decreasing trend of new cases, they implemented masks and social distancing, and then they used contact tracing and aggressive containment measures to put out the inevitable flare-ups. The neat thing about science is that it uses facts and evidence to arrive at objective conclusions. Its a systematic and logical approach to discovering how things work in the universe. It relies on a system of checks and balances, which helps ensure that science moves in the direction of greater accuracy and understanding. It is often predictable and repeatable, which is why it was understood that states opening back up too soon and not requiring masks would see a coronavirus resurgence. Sure enough, thats precisely what happened, as cases and hospitalizations soared to record-breaking numbers, essentially wiping out two months of progress. Shockingly, however, there is a vocal minority of Americans who still choose not to wear masks. Observers are eager to point fingers at Fox News, Sinclair Broadcasting, Facebook, Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump, and a sizable portion of the Republican Party for their relentless assault on science, reason and truth, and for creating arguably the most under-informed citizenry in this countrys history. Whats more, its argued, is this propaganda and disinformation campaign has allowed people to live in whatever alternate reality bubble that reinforces their beliefs. Regardless, Americans have an obligation to start exercising critical thinking skills. All it takes is a little curiosity, as well as questioning ones beliefs and the credibility of information sources. The evidence is in and its overwhelming wearing a mask and socially distancing will slow the spread of the virus, but only if everyone does it. After the deaths of more than 150,000 Americans, many of them preventable, its time for everyone to step up and support America. Please do your patriotic duty and wear a mask. Luke Balmer Onekama The revelation Wednesday that Texas Republican Louie Gohmert, a renegade lawmaker known for stalking the halls of Congress without a mask, tested positive for Covid-19 has unleashed a fusillade of anger on Capitol Hill a sudden release of built-up tension over how the institution has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic within the confines of its own workplace. For months, the leaders of Congress have allowed lawmakers to enter the Capitol without being screened for the deadly virus, rejecting an offer from the White House to provide rapid testing while trusting that the thousands who work across the massive complex of offices, meeting rooms and hallways will behave responsibly. Now, legislative aides, chiefs of staff, press assistants, members of Congress, career workers and maintenance men and women are venting their fury with an institution that does not have uniform rules or masking requirements, does not mandate testing, is run with minimal oversight and must contend with a gaggle of lawmakers who doubt scientists and hold themselves out as experts on everything from disease hygiene to pharmacology. Congress is often buffeted by waves of popular discontent from voters, but whats happened in recent days has the makings of a historical anomaly: The backlash is coming from the anonymous staff and members who make the place run day to day but are typically accustomed to being told to know their place and accepting that without complaint. In a nation on edge and with workplace culture undergoing a generational shift Congress is now getting a small taste of the same type of internal turbulence that can rock the leaders of The New York Times over an offending op-ed or superintendents of local school systems whose teachers are worried about whether its safe to return to the classroom. There is a general fear that saying anything critical of the current office policy or lack of policy will lead to retaliation, said an aide to a Republican lawmaker who had been infected, one of a slew of staffers who spoke to POLITICO about their anxiety working in the Capitol. Story continues Other lawmakers have come down with Covid-19. But in many ways, Gohmerts diagnosis has become a tipping point for a sprawling complex where hundreds of people stream in and out daily, with little institutional guidance. Hours after Gohmert tested positive the second case among GOP lawmakers in three weeks Speaker Nancy Pelosi swiftly implemented a mask mandate for House office buildings and the chamber itself. House Republican leaders recirculated a memo to stress guidance from the Capitol physician, such as limiting or rotating staff, encouraging masks, and implementing home temperature checks. The reporting on this situation has led to other reports suggesting House staff reporting unsafe work conditions, the GOP memo, obtained by POLITICO reads. Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the House Administration Committee, also delivered a brief presentation on office safety at a private GOP Conference meeting on Thursday. "Follow OAP and AOC guidance. Take advantage of supplies and thermometers every office can get at no cost to MRA. And lastly, dont be stupid and become the news story of the day," Davis said afterward, recalling his message to his fellow Republicans. Reporters inboxes have exploded with complaints and tales of lax safety measures, careless bosses and a widespread feeling that their health was viewed as expendable. Many described feeling uncomfortable taking the very kinds of health steps recommended by public health experts, and feeling pressured to report to work in person despite the risks. Multiple aides said it was common to mock those wearing masks, or brush off concerns among staff members with specific health issues. Others recalled seeing aides avoid taking elevator rides with certain members out of fear of contracting the virus an almost unheard-of reversal of the usual dynamics of power in a place teeming with ambition and hierarchy. Our office has been required to be fully staffed since session resumed at the end of June (including an intern), a scheduler for a House Republican member said. While mask use isnt banned, its also not encouraged, and has been derided on several occasions by the [chief of staff] and the member. Another aide to a House GOP member told of how staff were allowed to work from home for several days when an office colleague was thought to have been exposed. Even then, this person said, many of my colleagues kept working in the office. We were told to report to work as normal even before the test came back negative because the results were taking too long. I was left feeling guilty for teleworking even though I have an underlying health condition. An administrative staffer who often visits multiple offices estimated that mask wearing was nearly universal in Democratic offices but was probably under 50 percent among Republicans. Masking has become a political minefield that creates awkward encounters on occasion, this person recounted: [S]ome GOP offices ask why you are wearing a mask, which puts our staff in an awkward position do you say because of the pandemic and risk the office taking that as a political stand? Do you take it off to make them feel better? Staffers with limited recourse Since the House began voting regularly again this summer, dozens, if not hundreds, of offices have reopened in some capacity, many with a skeleton crew but others particularly GOP members that have required nearly the entire staff to return to work in person. And the return of hundreds of staffers has resurfaced a decades-old problem for the Capitol: More than 25 years after the Congressional Accountability Act passed in an attempt to reform the culture on Capitol Hill, it's still an often brutal, unforgiving place to work. Part of the problem is the scattershot human resources system spread across the Capitol complex. There is no centralized HR department each of the 535 lawmakers and senators is his or her own employer, with their own set of office policies and protocols. Staffers who may be uncomfortable with whats happening in an office sometimes have limited recourse. For example, if a staffer is uncomfortable with the mask policies in an office, that person can reach out to the Office of Employee Advocacy which provides free legal counsel to House staffers or the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. But there isnt some centralized database tracking staffer complaints or concerns, just like there isnt a singular database to track potential coronavirus infections among the more than 20,000 workers who inhabit the Capitol complex, thousands of staffers and hundreds of lawmakers. At least 86 Capitol workers have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a House aide familiar with the data. That includes 25 Architect of the Capitol employees, 28 Capitol police officers and 33 people working on the renovation of the Cannon building. But reporting is voluntary and doesnt include data for House staffers or lawmakers who have tested positive. Other aides note that overall, there appear to be relatively few coronavirus cases on Capitol Hill, suggesting many offices are indeed following public health guidelines. Despite the swift move to mandate masks in the House earlier this week, Democratic aides say its unlikely Congress will start requiring testing for members, despite calls by some Republicans to do so. Republicans, those Democratic aides say, arent being fully truthful about the logistics of implementing a regular testing regime for hundreds of lawmakers and the Capitol staff and aides who would also need to be tested. Instead, Democrats think the best solution is to fully enforce current policies, including the new mask mandate. If a member refuses to wear a mask on the House floor or in the connected office buildings and brushes off several warnings to do so, it is much more likely he or she will be escorted from the area until complying, according to Democratic aides familiar with the policy. On the Senate side, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has urged people to wear masks, though he remains skeptical about the need to require them. Asked about the idea recently by Judy Woodruff of PBS, he said the Senate had experienced good compliance without a mandate. Pressed further, he said, It appears not to be necessary since everybody seems to be doing it. Jake Sherman, Sarah Ferris, Heather Caygle and Melanie Zanona contributed to this report. KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Reuters) - A Malaysian court on Tuesday sentenced Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 12 years in jail and fined him 210 million ringgit ($49.40 million) for abuse of power linked to a multi-billion dollar financial scandal at state fund 1MDB. The court also sentenced him to 10 years in jail on each of three charges of criminal breach of trust and three charges of money laundering for illegally receiving nearly $10 million from former 1Malaysia Development Berhad unit SRC International. High court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali ordered that the jail terms should run concurrently. ($1 = 0.2352 ringgit) (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Ed Davies) " " George Washington Carver earned great fame as an inventor and director of the Agriculture Department of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Bettman/Getty Images Few famous Americans enjoy a status as mythic as that of George Washington Carver, a man whose life as a botanist, agronomist, chemist and inventor earned him a lasting place in the history books. Nicknamed the "Black Leonardo" by TIME Magazine in 1941, Carver is one of the most revered figures in early 20th century African-American history, and his work at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama is considered instrumental in changing Southern approaches to agriculture [source: TIME]. In 1896, Carver accepted an invitation from Booker T. Washington to lead the Agriculture Department at the recently formed Tuskegee Institute, where he would remain -- teaching and conducting laboratory work -- for most of his life [source: American Heritage]. At Tuskegee, Carver wore several hats, serving as a teacher, testing crop varieties and fertilizers, writing bulletins for farmers and managing research at his experiment station. Advertisement Carver recognized that widespread monoculture of cotton among Southern farmers was stripping the soil of nutrients, leading to erosion and leaving black farmers destitute [source: Indiana.edu]. He therefore devoted much of his energy to studying the use of natural fertilizers and nutrient-restoring techniques, like crop rotation, as well as promoting alternatives to cotton, like sweet potatoes and peanuts. At his experiment station, Carver worked to develop new uses for those alternative crops. Hoping to spark an increased demand for them, he created products as varied as soaps and cosmetics to adhesives, greases and paints. Although Carver is credited with inventing hundreds of new uses for sweet potatoes and peanuts, few of his inventions ever caught on commercially, and he didn't file patents for the vast majority of his work. It was only after his teaching load greatly diminished in the 1920s that Carver made a serious effort to market any of his inventions, forming the Carver Products Company with several Atlanta businessmen. However, the company only ended up patenting three inventions -- two for paint and one for cosmetics -- the only patents in Carver's name [source: Abrams]. Over time, countless books (mostly written for kids) have helped to spread the legend of Carver's accomplishments, while most of his actual inventions have drifted into obscurity. New Delhi: Out of 739 districts in the country, 80% coronavirus cases are reported from 50 districts, said Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Health Ministry, Rajesh Bhushan, at a press briefing here on Thursday (July 30). When asked about upcoming bhoomi pujan for Ram temple construction on August 5, Rajesh Bhushan, said that the Ministry of Home Affairs permitted certain activities in the Unlock 2 guidelines, under which, it included religious places, SOPs were made for it. About vaccine development, the Health Ministry official said that currently, three vaccines are undergoing phase 3 of the clinical trials. When the vaccine is prepared, our role will be important as India is a very big hub with adequate infrastructure. So far, over one million, 10,20,582, patients have been cured of coronavirus in India, he said, adding that in a country like India, where there were limited resources, we did better. According to Rajesh Bhushan, 16 states in the country have shown a better recovery rate than the national average. On the recovery of 1 million people, the Health Ministry official stood up and cheered doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. There are 5,28,242 lakh active COVID-19 cases, and around one crore coronavirus tests have been done in a month. In the first week of July, 2 lakh 40 thousand tests were done, said the Health Ministry official, adding that the country is doing more than 5 lakh tests every day. The Ministry official, however, said that herd immunity "cannot be a strategic choice or option" given the size of India's population. It also urged people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour until a vaccine is developed. When asked whether India was approaching herd immunity against the coronavirus infection, the OSD said that herd immunity is a kind of indirect protection from an infectious disease like COVID-19, adding it happens only when a population becomes immune either through vaccination or immunity is developed through a previous infection. He said herd immunity can be achieved through immunisation but that is in the future. "The health ministry believes it still far away and in the future. For now, we have to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, following hand hygiene, and maintaining 'do gaz ki doori (maintaining distance of two yards)," the OSD said. About the spread of coronavirus infection in the country, Bhushan said Maharashtra, Delhi, and Telangana have reported the maximum number of cases. Bhushan further said that 21 states and Union Territories have a case positivity rate less than 10 per cent, while in four it is less than five per cent. The COVID-19 positivity rate in Rajasthan is 3.5 per cent, Punjab 3.9 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 4 per cent, and Jammu and Kashmir 4.7 per cent, he said. Rajesh Bhushan further said that effective clinical management has led to a decline in the COVID-19 case fatality rate from 3.33 per cent on June 18 to 2.21 per cent on July 30. Shortly after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent out a guidance letter stating local health authorities cannot issue orders that close schools as a preventive measure to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Texas Education Agency reversed course and said it will not fund schools that are closed under local health orders. The announcement is a direct reversal from the agency's previous guidance when it stated earlier this month it would fund school districts if local health officials closed campuses due to COVID-19, the Texas Tribune reported. Harris County public and non-religious private schools were ordered by local officials and health authorities last week to start the school year virtually for the first eight weeks of the year. Many of Houston's largest school districts have already announced plans to do so, including Houston ISD, Katy ISD and Fort Bend ISD. Paxton's letter states school officials should be the ones to decide when and how to open their campuses, not local officials. TEXAS TEACHERS SPEAK OUT: CDC updates school safety guidelines, strongly advocates for reopening campuses in the fall "Nothing in the law gives health authorities the power to indiscriminately close schoolspublic or privateas these local orders claim to do," Paxton said in the statement. "The decision to close schools on such a preventative basis whether public or privateremains with school system leaders who should consult with relevant public health authorities, including the department and local health authorities" Later that same day, the TEA updated its guidance on state funding for closed schools on its website and referenced Paxton's letter as the reason why it is has reversed its decision. "The guidance letter further provides that health authority orders may not conflict with executive orders of the governor and must apply control measures required by statute," the website read. "Consequently, a blanket order closing schools does not constitute a legally issued closure order for purposes of funding solely remote instruction as described in this document." School districts that have already planned to start the year virtually for the first eight weeks will not be impacted due to the TEA's decision to extend the transition period for districts to operate virtually for up to eight weeks. On ExpressNews.com: Other countries opened schools, so why shouldnt Texas? Outbreak severity, health experts say Virtually all of the public health authority orders covered a time period that was also covered by the start-of-school transition period, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath told Texas superintendents on a conference call Tuesday. When it was first announced, local officials said Harris County's school closure order could be extended pending COVID-19 case trends. If an extension were to happen, the TEA guidance could have further implications on Harris County schools. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo responded to Paxton's letter on Tuesday evening, citing recent COVID-19 data as the reason why local schools should remain closed. "We're in an immensely worse position than we were when things opened too early, leading to where we are now," Hidalgo said on Twitter. "We stand behind our decision to close schools." According to the Houston Chronicle, local health orders to keep schools closed are still legally binding, despite Paxton's letter. Despite numerous requests from media outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, Gov. Greg Abbott has not commented on the orders or provided clarification.T rebecca.hennes@chron.com WTO The World Trade Organisation has set up two new dispute panels against India on July 29, accepting requests made by Taiwan and Japan. The separate panels come after India refused a request from the WTO to combine all grievances to be addressed by a single panel. This the third such panel after the organisation accepted request from the European Union on the same issue. All three allege that tariffs imposed by India on imported information and communications technology (ICT) products, infringe on WTO norms. "Yes, the WTO dispute settlement body has agreed to set up the panels as requested by Chinese Taipei, and Japan in a meeting. This was the second request of these countries," an official source told PTI. Japan and Taiwan posted separate second requests after India blocked their first attempt at the WTO. As per norms, a second request cannot be ignored or dodged. Notably, the issue may take a year to a year-and-a-half to resolve even after the panels are formed; and the COVID-19 pandemic may further slow the process. If the panel rules against India, the country can appeal in the WTOs appellate body. This body has not functioned since December 2019. The countries first approached the WTO in May 2019 against import duties imposed by India on electronic goods such as telephones for cellular networks; machines for reception, conversion and transmission or regeneration of voice, images or other data; and parts of telephone sets. They alleged that duties on these products infringe on WTO norms under which India has committed to zero percent bound tariffs. On its part, India has denied the allegations, and pointed out that the ICT products in question are part of the WTOs Information Technology Products (ITA-2) agreement, while New Delhi is only part of the ITA-1 pact signed in 1997. India reiterated that it is committed to ITA-1 and abiding by it over the years, but would not commit to any obligations beyond the scope of India's ITA-1, maintaining that products arising out of technological progression could not be covered under ITA-1, minutes of the meeting held in March showed. The matter was taken to the WTO after India, Japan and Taiwan failed to clear disputes during bilateral consultations, as WTO norms warrant. (With inputs from PTI) A Harare man, Thulani Roy Dhlamini was on Tuesday forced to clean the guest house he had booked over non-payment of rentals. Thulani who is popular for reportedly consuming beer worth $87 000 last year at Club Sankayi owned by socialite Genius Kadungure, was ordered to clean the house he had stayed for two weeks. On Tuesday, it is reported that he had booked to stay before having a confrontation with the landlady at the residence who then shared the altercation on social media. The rentals war which has since spilled to social media is over US$240. The videos and pictures of the pair cleaning were taken at corner 6th and Kwame Nkrumah West Minister Court, Grey building. Number 316. Close sources said, Roy is always in the company of his female partner identified as Natasha Dube. Several people are alleging that they have fallen victim to him and are labelling him as a great scammer. Contacted for comment, Thulani admitted to the issue and blamed his landlady for failing to solve the issue amicably. Everyone is aware that rentals issue is a challenge especially during this time of fighting Covid-19 and these guys are taking advantage of previous issues. We agreed that I would pay in cash but I am having challenges with my accounts of which I will pay. How can she take the issue to social media and I am not on the run as alluded on social media, how would I be answering your call if I am on the run. I am admitting that I owe her US$240 but haisi nyaya yekuti inoiswa paFaceebok, I only stayed for 15 days and I am going to settle the issue. Asked to comment on other cases raised against him, he said: People are using my background, and I admit that I did wrong, I made a mistake when I had an issue at Club Sankayi but that issue was settled and dealt with. Its now character assassination, because I did something way back and people are bringing it now. You are journalist, you can go and verify all these cases raised against me with the police. Its just social media doing the character assassination worse with my age, imagine how people will see me, he said. However, a close source who was at the house said, Thulani is not clean. He is busy scamming people in Harare, Gweru and Bulawayo. So within 24 hours, Thulani Roy Dhlamini and Natasha Dube, had already pounced on their next target. It was easy to track them down in the Avenues and on arrival, security guard said yes they indeed are booked in one of the Units. On getting to the Unit, Natasha claimed Roy had just left 10 mins ago but was coming back yet he was hiding in the wardrobe. Fast forward, they got kicked out after being exposed and we proceeded with them to our place and ordered them to clean up their mess and wash up all the linen and rugs. After that the two were dropped off at Central Police Station as a matter of a safe drop off zone. As law abiding citizens, we would very much appreciate publicising such scams to save the next victims from what we went through, said the source. While, another source is alleging that Thulani ran away from South Africa without paying after using fake generated fraudulent messages. Very young Zimbabweans, confirmed a Full Month Booking via Air BnB and submitted a fraudulent FNB POP. They checked in on 1 July and took a hike last Friday pretending they are away for the weekend and will return plus also settle the payment in cash. He claimed he will find out why payment isnt in your bank as yet, we already established via FNB SA Fraud Team that the alleged payment is a computer generated fraudulent POP. A case was opened against them in Zimbabwe on Saturday under IR 070985 investigations. They are obviously on the run Want to expose them and stop them from pouncing on unsuspecting victims in future. reportedly making fraudulent online bookings pouncing on unsuspecting victims. H Metro Further allegation are that Natasha who once grabbed headlines in the H-Metro is working in connivance with Thulanireportedly making fraudulent online bookings pouncing on unsuspecting victims. H Metro Richard Harrington and his now ex-wife Jessie Harrington were ordered to split their 20 million fortune 50-50 - David Rose/ David Rose A millionaire former Conservative business minister has failed to keep his bitter 20 million divorce battle secret after a judge ruled that his evidence had been "evasive". Judge Anne Hudd concluded on Thursday that details of the dispute between former Watford MP Richard Harrington and his estranged wife Jessie should be made public. Mr Harrington, 61, had argued that the judge's ruling should not be made public, while his estranged wife had argued for its release. But the judge, who heard the case at the Central Family Court in London, said "some aspects" of Mr Harrington's behaviour meant publication was in the public interest. Mr Harrington, who became MP for Watford in 2010 and stood down late last year, formerly served as business minister and was a fierce critic of the Brexit strategies of both Boris Johnson and Theresa May. The documents show that his 30-year marriage broke down in 2013 but divorce proceedings were only initiated after he began a new relationship in 2017. Jessie Harrington, 60, then demanded 53 per cent of the couple's 20 million fortune, mostly earned during Mr Harrington's successful career in property development, including properties in Brighton, Spain and the Caribbean. She said she needed the extra money in part because she had been diagnosed as a "hoarder", the ruling said, and had additional "needs arising from her disability". "A significant feature of this case has been the wife's diagnosis with a hoarding disorder," it said, adding that the issue had partly led to the marriage breakdown. "The husband says at the time of an earlier house move, there were perhaps two boxes of newspapers. The wife now estimates that there are between 100 and 150. She says she is not able to throw any away until she has looked through those papers to identify any articles of potential interest and she would then have to read them before she would feel able to dispose of them. Story continues "She has a room full of boxes of unopened porcelain. There are piles of books and boxes elsewhere. Post has often gone unanswered. The husband has received a fine for not taxing a car because the wife had not opened the letters nor sent on any of the remainders." The judge ruled that Mrs Harrington should keep the family home because of the trauma an immediate house clearance would cause her. "She has talked both to the single joint expert, and also within these proceedings, about the reasons it is important to her to have personal objects around her," the judge said. "She says that they contain memories and there is a level of security in those objects that cannot let her down." However, Judge Hudd ruled that the couple's "substantial wealth" should be split 50-50. In her judgment, she said she thought Mr Harrington had been "evasive" when answering some questions. He had been asked how an extension of the Metropolitan Underground line would affect land in which he had an interest. The judge said he had conceded that the value of the investment would be "likely to benefit" only after a question was asked for a third time. She also criticised the "vagueness" of his answers when questioned about his general business dealings. In a statement after the judgment was published, Mr Harrington said: "Contrary to claims made, all my disclosures to the court were full and frank to the very best of my knowledge." A former Conservative minister has failed to keep the details of his fight over money with his estranged wife secret, after a judge ruled the dispute should be made public. Richard and Jessie Harrington were ordered to split their 20 million fortune evenly after private hearings in the Central Family Court in London. Despite Mrs Harrington wishing to walk away with a 53 per cent share, Judge Ann Hudd ruled their fortune should be divided equally, saying they had generated substantial wealth together, largely through property in the UK and abroad. The Brexit rebel, who stepped down as the MP for Watford in 2019, had argued that the ruling should remain behind closed doors as there was "no sufficient public interest" to displace his "expectation of privacy. However, Judge Hudd argued publication was in the public interest and said there had been shortcomings in the former business ministers disclosure of information. In the written explanation of her decision, the judge said: Given the issues that arose within these proceedings and the findings that I made about some aspects of [Mr Harrington's] behaviour and shortcomings in his disclosure, I am satisfied that this is a case in which publication of my judgment would be in the public interest. "There is a clear public interest in knowing that public figures are subject to the same treatment as other citizens, and although he is no longer in public office he was at the relevant time of my decision and throughout the substantive financial remedy proceedings." His estranged wife had called for publication of the details, arguing "transparency" was in the public interest given Mr Harrington was a "public figure". Mr Harrington, who was a property developer before he became an MP, had previously said the contents of a judgment should remain private because people involved had an "onerous and extensive duty" to provide "full and frank disclosure" of financial information. In a statement after the judgment was published, Mr Harrington said: "From the start of the divorce proceedings, which began after a separation of many years, I believed it right that our assets should be split 50-50. "This was what I offered at the outset. After two years of considerable and unnecessary expense, this was exactly what the judge ruled. The judge ruled journalists could report the couple were locked in a financial dispute earlier this year, but said no details could be revealed. Mr Harrington resigned as business minister in March 2019, saying that Brexiteers were holding the government to ransom. He accused Theresa Mays government of playing roulette with the lives of British people over the issue. The Conservative MP for Watford said in a letter to Theresa May he had quit so he could prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal. It allowed him to support an amendment put forward by Oliver Letwin to allow MPs to take control of the Brexit process through a series of indicative votes. Mr Harrington was later among 21 MPs, including David Gauke, who had the whip removed by Boris Johnson after voting to block a no-deal Brexit. He stood down from politics in last years general election. Boris Johnson is set to urge the unemployed to join the public sector to help Britain build back better this winter. The Conservative prime minister will encourage the public to consider the advantages of working in schools, hospitals, prisons and police stations. It comes as the Department for Education approves more than 3,000 extra nursing university places to train the next generation of nurses. The Ministry of Justice has also announced it is to hire 1,000 new probation officers, as part of plans to bring the service back in house following a failed privatisation effort. The prime minister said: We have seen more clearly than ever the heroic efforts of our public workers during this pandemic. The fantastic teachers, police officers and NHS workers truly are the pride of the nation and embody the spirit of public duty that every one of us can aspire towards. Together, we are on a mission to build back better - protect our NHS, make our streets safer, educate the next generation and unleash Britains potential. The Home Office is also due to publish new figures on progress towards Mr Johnsons pledge to recruit 20,000 police officers. Studies through the decades have linked higher wages to education, with the greatest returns in developing countries. However, the correlation between higher wages and education doesn't always account for an individual's innate cognitive abilities, or the mental processes of gathering and processing information to solve problems, adapt to situations and learn from experiences. How much of those wage gains come from schooling, and how much from cognitive abilities developed long before the student sets foot in a classroom? Data on measures of cognitive performance have been limited historically, particularly in developing countries. Using data sets that only became available in recent years, Binghamton University Assistant Professor of Economics Plamen Nikolov, and graduate students, Nusrat Jimi and Jerray Chang, analyzed the wage impact of cognitive skills in "The Importance of Cognitive Domains and the Returns to Schooling in South Africa: Evidence of Two Labor Surveys" in the August 2020 edition of Labour Economics. Economics research dating back to the 1970s links higher wages to more education; however, it wasn't until the 1990s that economists made headway in designing research that could tease out the true causes of such phenomena rather than just the correlation, Nikolov explained. If non-experimental studies that explore the effects of education on wages don't account for cognitive performance in addition to schooling, the wage effect of school alone will seem higher than it really is, he pointed out. While cognitive skills may be further developed in the classroom, previous economics and psychology research shows that most of these skills are developed before people start elementary school. In addition to the innate cognitive factor, the quality of education can also impact wages. During the Apartheid period, schools in South Africa were race-based, with those of worse quality attended by Black South Africans; this system was dismantled in 1994, although disparities remain. Black South Africans often had substantially less education than their white counterparts as a result. advertisement "It is possible that people who have better cognitive performance are likely either to do better in school or to get more schooling. In our estimation, our conceptual argument is that both cognition and schooling separately and distinctly exert a positive effect on wages," said Nikolov, the lead author, adding that the empirical analysis already accounts for other factors that could potentially affect wages, such as socio-economic factors. Cognitive skills and wages The study used two surveys conducted between 2002 and 2014 in two distinct areas of South Africa: urban and rural. The surveys collected extensive household information, including dimensions of cognition: memory, orientation, numeracy and attention in one, and literacy and numeracy in the other. Findings show that each additional year of school equates to an earnings increase of 18 to 20 percent. Returns are higher in the urban sector due to the preponderance of service-oriented and technical jobs, compared to rural South Africa, which has mostly low-paying agricultural work, Nikolov said. Urban and rural environments also show differences in which types of cognitive skills are rewarded, once again connected with the types of jobs available. In rural environments, memory and orientation -- an awareness of one's time, place and person -- are most important when it comes to higher wages. In more urban environments, earnings are connected with higher order cognitive skills, such as arithmetic, literacy and planning. A standard deviation increase in cognitive skills -- memory in rural areas and numeracy in cities -- is roughly equivalent to one more year of school. However, an extra year of school in a developing country such as South Africa has double the rate of return as an equivalent year in a high-income country such as the United States, according to the research. While cognitive skills may predate schooling, that doesn't mean that classrooms aren't a worthwhile investment for developing countries -- quite the opposite, in fact. "This wage effect implies that both cognitive skills and schooling matters, but schooling matters a lot more," Nikolov said. In an effort to reinforce previous statements about a proposed 14 percent increase in ground water rates, officials from The Woodlands Water and 10 different municipal utility districts in The Woodlands issued a message to residents Monday that the entities reject the proposed rate hike. Jim Stinson, the general manager of The Woodlands Water, issued the stern one-page message to residents and others explaining the stance of The Woodlands Water and the 10 local MUD boards. The entities believe the proposed 14 percent increase in ground water fees from the San Jacinto River Authority is unacceptable and that it had been rejected unanimously by all 10 MUD governing boards. The rate hike stems from years of legal disputes between the SJRA and the cities of Conroe and Magnolia. The Woodlands should not be forced to pay for their neighboring cities litigious, taxpayer-funded water wars, Stinson stressed in the press release about the issue. On Thursday, Stinson said the agencies were, at a tipping point on the issue and officials refused to allow legal expenses and non-payment of fees stemming from other communities negatively impact customers in The Woodlands via a rate hike. Related: Woodlands Water balks at rate bump for Groundwater Reduction Plan from San Jacinto River Authority The dispute about contributions to the Ground Water Reduction Plan, which was formed in 2010 when more than 80 water entities partnered with the SJRA on a plan to utilize surface water from Lake Conroe, had reached the litigation stage and legal expenses are increasing. Two cities Magnolia and Conroe dispute elements of the agreement and are accused of not paying roughly $4 million in fees to the SJRA, meaning costs are shared among entities that are part of the program. The three entities are engaged in a protracted legal battle over the fee payments. Related: Judge dismisses San Jacinto River Authority suit against Conroe and Magnolia The SJRA lawsuit against the two cities seeking the $4 million was recently dismissed by a county judge, however officials with the SJRA immediately announced plans to appeal the lower court ruling. That sequence of events, Stinson noted, means legal bills will continue to mount; and he and others are opposed to paying for the costs that have nothing to do with residents or customers in The Woodlands. Refusing to honor GRP water contracts and filing endless lawsuits is not the answer. Sensible utilization of our water resources requires science-based management of groundwater and surface water. Lake Conroe was constructed as a drinking water reservoir by forward-thinking water professionals, knowing groundwater could not be our sole water supply indefinitely, Stinson stated in the release. Whether Conroe and Magnolia prevail in the courts or at the state capitol is uncertain, but this much is clear: prudent water management is crucial to Montgomery County residents. Confusion over issue Stinson said the strongly-worded July 27 press release was aimed at local residents and water customers who were very confused by the ground water disputes and monetary issues, especially what action local water entities had taken in regard to the rate increase proposal. Keeping track of the decisions of 11 different governing boards is not easy, he noted, and some people did not understand the complexities of the issue or know what different local MUD boards had decided to do. We had some calls from customers and residents who did not fully understand the action the board took regarding the GRP fee. We felt like we needed to explain that and clarify it in a press release, Stinson added In 2010, plans began to create a water purification facility for Lake Conroe as a way to use more surface water than ground water, or what comes from local wells. The south Montgomery County area, Stinson said, has a problem with subsidence the depression of the ground caused in part by overuse of aquifers and the reduction in necessary pressure supporting the ground. When water wells are over-used, which has become more common with population growth, subsidence is more likely. The sinking ground can cause problems with the foundations of buildings or structures as well as other things such as roads. The trustees kind of reached a tipping point coming from the rate increases from the surface water part of the GRP Division regarding short pays and lawsuit expenses. That is where we are, at a tipping point with that expense, Stinson said. It is not that we do not support the SJRAs effort to prevail in those lawsuits and legal action. We do support their position. We just cannot pass on those costs the short pay and legal expenses. Subsidence study The issue of subsidence has been the focal point of local leaders in The Woodlands and south Montgomery County for several years and has recently been the topic of discussion at numerous township meetings. On July 22, Stinson updated the board on a proposed scientific study and a new committee focused on the issue of ground water withdrawal and subsidence. The Woodlands Water has enlisted scientists with H.A.R.C. the Houston Advanced Research Council on Gosling Road to do the intensive subsidence study analysis to get better data about the phenomenon. Dr. Stephanie Glenn, the program director for Hydrology and Watersheds, will lead the study. We are finalizing that interlocal agreement to have HARC review the technical data regarding ground water subsidence and other technical aspects to help decision makers in The Woodlands and other areas the county tomake informed decisions about ground water withdrawal, Stinson explained. When you open up an aquifer and the pressure decreases due to over-pumping, it compacts the clays and sands. Once that compaction occurs, you never get it back. You lose that (ground water) storage and elevation of the ground forever. It is a serious issue and deserves a professional third party review (of data). Called the Groundwater Research Consortium and Science Advisory Committee, the one-year effort will cost $120,000. The Woodlands board unanimously approved funding $45,000 toward the project as one of several partner entities. Others involved in the committee and study include the Southern Montgomery County MUD, the Timber Lakes/Timber Ridge MUD and Woodlands Water. A township staff report on the project stated that the cost sharing allocation method is based on the acreage within each Participating District The $45,000 will be taken from the townships Flood and Drainage Reserve Fund, which according to the report had a balance of more than $168,000. The review of data and committee meetings could possibly begin by fall once the interlocal agreement between all partner entities is finalized. jeff.forward@chron.com Former Chief of Air Staff B S Dhanoa on Wednesday welcomed the arrival of Rafales in India and said he defended the deal to procure the multi-role jets notwithstanding the political controversy to stop it from going the Bofors way. The alleged pay-offs in procurement of a batch of Bofors guns in mid-1980s and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled defence procurement as bureaucrats were apprehensive of taking decisions on military purchases. "I defended the deal as I did not want it to go the Bofors way. We were against politicisation of the defence acquisition process. It was a question of capability of the Air Force," Air Chief Marshal (retd) Dhanoa told PTI. On Wednesday, India received the first batch of five Rafale jets, nearly four years after it inked an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. The IAF received the Rafale jets 23 years after it imported Sukhoi-30 Ks from Russia in 1997. "I am very happy for the Indian Air Force as it (the Rafale) has given the Air Force a tremendous capability jump and technological asymmetry over our adversaries something which was missing for such a long time," Dhanoa said. Dhanoa was succeeded by Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria as the Chief of Air Staff in September last year. Air Chief Marshal (retd) Arup Raha, under whose tenure the mega deal was inked, said the induction of the fleet will bolster the IAF's capability, but added that the country needs at least 126 combat jets as envisaged earlier. "It is a good aircraft. It is one of the best in the region. It is going to bolster IAF's capabilities in terms of aerospace power which has been dwindling for quite some time as there has been no induction of combat jets for quite sometime," he told PTI. "The Rafale jets will increase the deterrence value. Our aim is not to fight a war unless we are forced to. It is to basically deter our adversaries and say that we will respond if you get on our wrong side," he added. The former IAF chief said India needs to significantly enhance its air power capability and that the government should consider procurement of more Rafales or similar jets. "We need at least 126 aircraft of similar kind. If we get Rafale, it will be better as inventory management will become easier. It will also help maintenance, training and deployment," he added. Another former Chief of Air Staff Fali Homi Major said the 36 Rafales will boost India's aerial prowess, but having at least two more squadrons will add tremendous capability to the country's air dominance capability. "The arrival of Rafales is certainly significant. It is a very good beginning after a very very long break. The Rafales will boost our strike capability. It will be great if we get two more squadrons," he said. One squadron comprises of at least 18 aircraft. Both Dhanoa and Major said Rafale is a much superior aircraft than China's J-20s. "The world does not know the capability of J-20s. You cannot really know and you will never know. The Rafale is a much more superior aircraft," Major added. The Rafale aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA's Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets. The IAF is also procuring new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to integrate with the Rafale 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 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). In the original proposal, 18 planes were to be manufactured in France and 108 in India in collaboration with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. 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. The NDA government inked a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation as an emergency acquisition. The deal was sealed primarily to check the depleting combat capability of the IAF as the number of its fighter squadrons had come down to a worrying 31 against the authorised strength of at least 42. Also read: 'May you touch the sky with glory': Navy welcomes Rafale jets into Indian airspace Also at issue is whether to extend the current extra federal unemployment benefits of $600 per week. Omaha area Rep. Don Bacon and many of his fellow Republicans have argued those benefits are so generous they represent a disincentive for people to go back to work. Bacon voted against the HEROES Act, while his Democratic opponent, Kara Eastman, supports that proposal. The Senate GOP bill would reduce the unemployment benefit to $200 a week initially and then cap the benefit to a percentage of a persons income. Bacon described that Senate GOP bill as a great first step even as he warned of too much spending. I do agree that we need some supplemental spending to help our citizens, but I hope we remain fiscally conservative and approach this rationally, Bacon said. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, was one of only 14 Democrats to vote against the HEROES Act, praising parts of that bill but criticizing the inclusion of expensive, unrelated items. In a statement this week, Axne expressed disappointment that the Senate has yet to approve a bill of its own, given the many Iowans out of work and in need of support. Ministra Mazzetti: Siguiendo el plan para atender a las comunidades mas alejadas enviaremos estos concentradores lo mas rapido posible. Estos equipos nos permiten extraer el oxigeno del aire ambiental y pueden evitar que una persona con #COVID19 pueda necesitar cuidados mayores. pic.twitter.com/nGnG4kz18q Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan held online talks on July 29 with Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Travor Mallard. NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan hopes that following the establishment of the strategic partnership, the two countries will step up economic, trade, and investment ties. (Photo: VNA) Ngan thanked Mallard for inviting her to pay an official visit to New Zealand. The visit, however, has yet to be arranged due to COVID-19, she said, expressing a hope that it will happen soon. The leaders recalled the online talks between the Vietnamese and New Zealand Prime Ministers a week ago, during which they agreed to advance the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership. They shared the view that the elevation of the ties has opened a new chapter and created a new framework and new momentum for bilateral ties to move forward. National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan Ngan said she hopes that following the establishment of the strategic partnership, the two countries will step up economic, trade, and investment ties. She said the bilateral relationship has developed fruitfully over the years, with two-way trade expanding more than three-fold over the last decade. Despite the impact of the pandemic, trade still reached 500 million USD in the first half of this year, down only slightly year-on-year, and is expected to bounce back in the time to come. The Vietnamese top legislator thanked New Zealand for its official development assistance (ODA) which has been used effectively in recent years and significantly contributed to Vietnams socio-economic development. The Vietnamese NA supports the two governments cooperation in implementing regional economic cooperation mechanisms, she said, suggesting that the two partner with APEC members to organise this years APEC Summit in a suitable form and promote cooperation priorities. Vietnam backs New Zealands online organisation of APEC Year 2021, and the NA will closely coordinate with the country next year, Ngan pledged. She suggested New Zealand continue to help Vietnam improve its capacity to enforce the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and enhance economic and trade collaboration, even amid COVID-19. The leaders also emphasised the progress made in cooperation in national defence and security, agriculture, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. The two countries have cooperated more effectively on regional and international issues, especially at a time when Vietnam is serving as the ASEAN Chair 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, New Zealand is preparing to host APEC 2021, and both countries are members of many new-generation free trade agreements, such as the CPTPP and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), they said. Ngan affirmed the stance of ASEAN and Vietnam on settling disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures in line with international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). Maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and ensuring freedom of navigation and aviation are in the interests of and a responsibility shared by all countries, she said, noting her hope that New Zealand will continue to back the stance. The Vietnamese legislature will continue to closely coordinate with its New Zealand counterpart to materialise the joint statement on the strategic partnership, under which the two sides committed to enhancing bilateral exchanges through legislative channels as well as cooperation at multilateral parliamentary forums, Ngan said. She told the leader of the New Zealand parliament that the NA, as the AIPA Chair, will organise the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA 41) in the form of a teleconference, from September 8-10. Ngan suggested facilitating the exchange between parliamentarian friendship groups in the two countries, intensifying delegation exchanges at different levels, and signing a cooperation agreement between the two legislative bodies in order to make legislative ties match the strategic partnership. The NA stands ready to coordinate with its New Zealand counterpart to support the two governments in implementing cooperation agreements within the strategic partnership, in terms of policies and laws, Ngan said. For his part, Mallard promised to create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in New Zealand to live and work. New Zealand backs the stance on settling East Sea disputes by peaceful measures and in line with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. The leaders agreed to continue holding online talks on cooperation outcomes in priority areas in early 2021./.VNA New Delhi, July 30 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed Delhi University to clarify its position with respect to the arrangement of scribes for visually-impaired students. "It is the responsibility of DU to make available scribes for visually handicapped students otherwise the whole process of online OBE would be a mockery for the said students," said a division bench of the high court presided by Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad. The high court also expressed displeasure over the "mismatch" that arose due to the contradictory statements from Delhi University and the CSC Academy over who will provide the scribes. "There is complete mismatch of statements made by the two sides. There is complete contradiction," the bench said. While DU said that scribes will be made available to visually impaired students by the CSC centre, the other side submitted that it was not their duty to arrange for scribes adding that they do not have such writers at the centres. "Why are you (DU) giving wrong hope to students that everything is available at CSE centres. Why are you misrepresenting them," the bench said. The court which was hearing the matter through video conferencing, said that if the controversy is not resolved then "the whole process of online OBE would be a mockery for the PWD students." Appearing for the varsity, senior advocate Sachin Dutta said that it was not mandatory for the students to appear in online OBE and they can give the physical exams later in September. It is only in the interest of students that the online exams are being conducted, he added. Noting these submissions, the court said that the varsity was closing the right of such students through the online mode by not providing them adequate facilities. The bench said the university was closing PwD students' right to appear through the online mode by not providing them proper facilities including scribes. The court was hearing a batch of petitions in connection with the online OBE examination being conducted by the central varsity. On the previous date of hearing, the bench had said, "This is how you're concerned about the career and future of the final year students?" Earlier while considering the petition filed by NSUI Delhi chief Akshay Lakra, who challenged the legality of these examinations, the bench said, "This is not the time for legality, it is the time for practical solution." The plea has alleged that DU has flouted the laws as laid down under the applicable statutes and deliberately overlooked the Academic Council and Executive Council and grievances/representation raised by the esteemed members of the Academic Council and Executive Council while issuing the said notifications. "When there is pandemic situation which is gripping the whole world and practical solutions are needed to save the careers of the students, you'll get into the technicality," the bench said while posting the matter for further hearing in the first week of August. Initially, the varsity had announced that the online Open Book Examination (OBE) would commence from July 1, which was later postponed by the varsity to July 10 and now again postponed till August 15 without giving a specific date when they would take place. If you ask a Joe Biden supporter to describe the former Vice Presidents positive attributes, youll hear a lot about compassion, empathy, and experience. But after today, some might be tempted to add soothsaying to the list. Shortly after the Commerce Department announced that the pandemic-driven economic crisis had taken a 32.9 percent bite out of Americas annualised Gross Domestic Product, Donald Trump turned his presumptive Democratic opponent into a prophet Thursday morning by way of a single tweet. After making the baseless claim that states use of vote-by-mail will make Novembers election (which he is losing according to most reputable polls) will be the most inaccurate and fraudulent vote in American history and a great embarrassment, Trump suggested delaying it until people can properly, securely and safely vote. Such a suggestion, the likes of which has never been made by any of Trumps 44 predecessors, was on Bidens mind three months ago, when he told attendees at an April virtual fundraiser: Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow. Trumps tweet, which a Democratic National Committee spokesperson dismissed as nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract from todays devastating economic numbers that make it clear his failed response to the coronavirus has tanked the US economy and caused tens of millions of Americans to lose their jobs, launched yet another round of media fact-checks. All of these dutifully noted that title three, chapter one of the United States Code unambiguously states that presidential elections shall take place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, four years after the last presidential election. That cannot be changed by a president, no matter how much he wills it. Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a former constitutional law professor at American Universitys Washington College of Law, said in a phone interview that he was not surprised by Trumps sudden interest in delaying an election he is likely to lose. Authoritarians try to postpone elections to a time of their liking, but we don't do that in the United States, said Raskin, who noted that the United States successfully conducted presidential elections during a civil war and through two world wars. He added that Trumps suggestion of a delay and his push against allowing Americans to vote by mail are part of a full-blown assault on this years election. But according to the man who taught Raskin constitutional law at Harvard Law School, an attempt by Trump to delay the November election is not the nightmare scenario Democrats need to worry about. He must know or even though he's personally very ignorant, his lawyers must know that three US code chapter one, which sets the date for the election, can be changed only by Congress, said Harvard Emeritus Professor Laurence Tribe, author of the seminal law school text on the constitution, American Constitutional Law. Tribe posited that because only Congress can change the date of the election, Trump is positioning himself to blame the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for making it impossible to pass any sort of measure to carry out his demand, and to pressure Republican-controlled state legislatures to nullify the results should he lose in states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or Michigan. Once he blames the House, then I think it's his plan to try to get a red state like Pennsylvania to invoke three USC section two, [which allows state legisatures to appoint electors directly] and claim that the election failed because of fraudulent mail-in ballots, and therefore the state legislature should name its own slate, rather than rely on the results of the popular election, he said. That's really what we have to be prepared for. We can't simply assume that the guy [Trump] is as dumb as he seems this is a setup for something else. While Raskin stressed that the President appears to be focusing on many electoral choke points in his push to preemptively cast doubt on a losing result, he concurred with his former law professors assessment that Trump looks to be angling for GOP-controlled state legislatures in swing states where the popular vote has clearly moved in a Democratic direction like Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina, [and] Pennsylvania to step in to save him from an embarrassing defeat. What they would like to do is to use Republican control over legislative bodies to prevent the appointment of electors for the winner in the popular vote, so the trick will be to create these little electoral Reichstag fires, which they can use to claim election fraud in some trumped up way, he added. One top swing state Democrat Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper believes the massive corruption scandal that has enveloped the Ohio legislatures GOP caucus would cause Republican legislators to think twice about engaging in any electoral shenanigans. My hope is that they are so chagrined and embarrassed by the scandal that just erupted that they would not they would not do that, Pepper said when asked whether he believed the GOP-controlled state legislature would step in to reverse a Trump defeat in November. But Pepper cautioned that the rampant gerrymandering that Ohio Republicans have engaged in has allowed some true extremists to be seated in Columbus and pointed to GOP legislatures in other states that have moved to strip power from incoming Democratic governors immediately following elections. The danger of these things is that legislators do the most damage during lame duck sessions, he said. He is hopeful that the GOP legislators he knows would not do something that would destroy American democracy, he added. Another veteran of swing state electoral politics self-described apostate GOP consultant Rick Wilson said he believes Trump could absolutely try to pressure legislators in their mutual home state of Florida into stepping in to take the states 29 electoral votes from Biden. Floridas Republican apparatus is very, very strong, and very, very organized. It's run by a bunch of people who used to not be Trumpers, but they now are and they're not dumb people Trump is dumb. They are not dumb, said Wilson, who is one of the founders of the Lincoln Project anti-Trump super PAC. I would not put it past them, and I would not put anything beyond Donald Trump's ambitions to remain in office, he added. The only way to foreclose the possibility of such a Trumpian end-run around democracy, Wilson said, is for Novembers election to be a massive, cataclysmic earthquake that completely destroys Donald Trump. It's got to be such an electoral college beatdown that is so severe that people speak of it in harsh tones for 100 years, he said before adding that Trumps suggestion of delaying the election is likely to create a backlash in the form of more voter registrations by people opposed to him. But Wilson is confident that that such a beatdown will occur and will preclude any attempt to characterise the result as fraudulent: Were negative-30-plus percent GDP, we've got 150,000 dead Americans and probably 200,000 by Election Day, we've got a rampant pandemic that is destroying the health of people in an economic disaster that's destroying their welfare and economic well-being. And he [Trump] is responsible for many of the aspects of those things, so hes paying a price for being a f**k-up. Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the 2020 Best Workplaces for Innovators ranks 100 winners from a variety of industries, including computer science, biotech, consumer packaged goods, nonprofit, education, financial services, cybersecurity, and engineering. Working together, Fast Company editors and Accenture researchers scored nearly 900 applications, and a panel of eight eminent judges reviewed and endorsed the top 100 companiesan increase from last year's list of 50. The 2020 awards feature workplaces from around the world with several of the honorees based outside the U.S. "Ofinno is honored to be recognized as one of the 100 best workplaces for innovators. We strive to create a culture that inspires innovation. Not only do we encourage our employees to choose the inventions they develop, we reward them with bonuses and funds that can be allocated to charities of their choice. In addition, Ofinno invests nearly 100% of our revenue back into research and development," said Esmael Dinan, Founder and CEO of Ofinno, LLC. "As much of the world recovers from health, economic, and social crises, we need innovation more than ever," says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. "This new list of the Best Workplaces for Innovators celebrates organizations that have fostered innovative thinking by investing in technology, research and development, and their employees." To see the complete list, go to: www.fastcompany.com/best-workplaces-for-innovators/2020 Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators issue (September 2020) is available online now, and the print issue will be on newsstands beginning August 4, 2020. Join the Best Workplaces for Innovators conversation using #FCBestWorkplaces. ABOUT FAST COMPANY Fast Company is one of the world's leading business media brands, with an editorial focus on innovation with deep emphasis on creativity, technology, social impact, leadership, and design. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com. ABOUT ACCENTURE Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world's largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com . About OFINNO, LLC Ofinno, LLC, is a research and development lab based in Northern Virginia, that specializes in inventing and patenting future technologies. Ofinno's researchers create technologies that address some of the most important issues faced by wireless device users and the carriers that serve them. Ofinno's inventions have an impressive utilization rate. Ofinno's research involves technologies such as 5G Radio and Core networks, IoT, V2X, and ultra-reliable low latency communications. Our innovators not only create the technologies, they oversee the entire process from the design to the time the technology is sold. For more information about Ofinno, please visit www.ofinno.com . Contact: Michelle Betoni, [email protected] SOURCE Ofinno, LLC Related Links https://www.ofinno.com A man was struck and killed by a New Jersey Transit train on Wednesday night, officials said. He was hit near Convent Station around 9:30 p.m. by an eastbound Morris & Essex line train, a New Jersey Transit spokesman said Thursday. The 8:32 p.m. from Hackettstown was scheduled to arrive in in Hoboken at 10:24 p.m. There were eight passenger and crew members aboard. NJ Transit police are investigating. The Convent Station stop is in Morris Township. The fatality was the second involving a New Jersey Transit train in Morris County this week. On Monday afternoon, a 17-year-old from New Providence died after she was hit by a train in Long Hill. 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. Pan African Resources PLC (Incorporated and registered in England and Wales under Companies Act 1985 with registered number 3937466 on 25 February 2000) Share code on AIM: PAF Share code on JSE: PAN ISIN: GB0004300496 ADR ticker code: PAFRY ("Pan African" or "the Company") PAN AFRICAN RESOURCES' EGOLI PROJECT FEASIBILITY STUDY PRESENTATION On 10 July 2020, Pan African released its operational update for the year ended 30 June 2020, wherein shareholders were advised that an independent review had been completed on the feasibility study at Evander Mine's Egoli Project ("Egoli Project"). A copy of the presentation summarising the findings of this study, is now available on Pan African's website at www.panafricanresources.com/investors/company-presentations/ The Egoli Project is a long life, low cost brownfield project, that will capitalise on the Evander mine's existing established infrastructure during its development and exploitation. This synergy has materially reduced Egoli's upfront capital investment, when benchmarked against other development projects of similar scale, and contributed to its compelling and robust economic returns. The project has an initial life of mine of 9 years, with annual gold production of approximately 72koz at an average head grade of 6.61g/t (LOM gold production of 17,771 kg (c.570koz)). First gold is expected to be produced approximately 20 months after construction commences, with ramp up to steady state production over the following 16 months. Additional geological and operational upside exists when the Inferred Resources are accessed as underground development proceeds, potentially increasing LOM to 14 years. The feasibility study demonstrates a compelling organic growth project, with the following salient financial parameters: Peak funding: R1,05 billion ( US$66m ) ) Capital payback period: 3.8 years (from project inception) NPV???: R2,01 billion/ USD 131,25 million , at a gold price of R850,000/kg ( US$1,650 /oz) and an exchange rate of ZAR/US$:16.00) , at a gold price of R850,000/kg ( /oz) and an exchange rate of ZAR/US$:16.00) IRR (post tax real): 50.1% AISC: R399,600/kg ( US$777 /oz) Detailed project scheduling and planning is in progress and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of the 2021 financial year. Non-dilutive funding options are currently being explored following receipt of a number of financing offers from investors and institutions. Funding is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of the 2021 financial year. Inception of the Egoli project is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of the 2021 financial year with the dewatering of the decline followed by re-quipping, standard footwall development, further deeping of the decline and on-reef development. Egoli is expected to directly employ approximately 1,200 people, mainly from the local communities surrounding Evander and will provide additional economic and supplier development opportunities for this region of the Mpumalanga Province. The project has strong Environmental Social & Governance credentials, as it is already fully licenced and empowered, the closure cost rehabiliation liability is fully funded and the Company intends to utilise the existing TSF at Evander for the project, resulting in there being no additional environmental footprint. The Evander solar plant, which will be completed in the next year, is expected to also contribute to cost savings and reduced emissions at Evander's operations. The Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources on which the feasibility study is based is shown in the tables below: Egoli Mineral Reserve Statement* (as at 30 November 2019) Reserve Category Mt Grade (g/t) Tonnes gold Ounces (Moz) Proved 0.45 5.90 2.64 0.08 Probable 2.99 6.72 20.08 0.65 Total Reserve 3.44 6.61 22.72 0.73 Egoli Mineral Resource Statement* (as at 30 June 2019) Resource Category Mt Grade (g/t) Tonnes gold Ounces (Moz) Measured 0.44 8.60 3.80 0.123 Indicated 2.94 9.85 28.93 0.930 Inferred 6.26 9.68 60.58 1,948 Total Resource 9.64 9.69 93.33 3.001 *Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves are reported in accordance with the SAMREC Code The Competent Person for Pan African, Mr Hendrik Pretorius, the Group Mineral Resource Manager, has reviewed and approved the information contained in this announcement. Mr Pretorius is a member of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions as well as a member in good standing of the Geological Society of South Africa. Rosebank 30 July 2020 For further information on Pan African, please visit the Company's website at www.panafricanresources.com Contact information Corporate Office The Firs Office Building 2nd Floor, Office 204 Cnr. Cradock and Biermann Avenues Rosebank, Johannesburg South Africa Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 info@paf.co.za Registered Office Suite 31 Second Floor 107 Cheapside London EC2V 6DN United Kingdom Office: + 44 (0)20 7796 8644 Cobus Loots Pan African Resources PLC Chief Executive Officer Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 Deon Louw Pan African Resources PLC Financial Director Office: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 Phil Dexter/Jane Kirton St James's Corporate Services Limited Company Secretary Office: + 44 (0)20 7796 8644 Paul Gillam Numis Securities Limited Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker Office: +44 (0)20 7260 1000 Ciska Kloppers Questco Corporate Advisory Proprietary Limited JSE Sponsor Office: + 27 (0)11 011 9200 Ross Allister/David McKeown Peel Hunt LLP Joint Broker Office: +44 (0)20 7418 8900 Hethen Hira Pan African Resources PLC Head: Investor Relations Tel: + 27 (0)11 243 2900 E-mail: hhira@paf.co.za Thomas Rider/Neil Elliot BMO Capital Markets Limited Joint Broker Office: +44 (0)20 7236 1010 Website: www.panafricanresources.com Glossary of Technical Terms By PTI NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to immediately assist the health ministry of Bihar government in dealing with the COVID-19 situation, claiming that public health care infrastructure in the state has "crumbled" due to the pandemic. The public interest litigation (PIL) has alleged that Bihar government has failed to use the period of COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown, which had commenced on March 25, to prepare its health infrastructure for the increased burden of coronavirus cases. "The COVID-19 crisis has put unbearable stress upon an already broken system and consequently, the public health care infrastructure of Bihar has crumbled," the plea, filed by Patna-based businessman Aditya Jalan, said. The plea, filed through advocate Roshan Santhalia, has also sought a direction to Bihar government to explain the reasons "leading to a complete failure" of public health system and to outline the steps which are required to be taken to deal with the situation. It has claimed that there is lack of COVID-19 hospitals and hospital beds, insufficient medical personnel and testing, unsanitary quarantine centres, lack of enforcement of social distancing measures and authorities in the state have failed to provide personal protective equipment to frontline health workers. "Bihar's health infrastructure has always been inadequate and the COVID-19 crisis has pushed it past its breaking point. The COVID-19 crisis has been further exacerbated by the millions of migrant workers who have returned back to Bihar after the nationwide lockdown imposed in March, 2020 and by the annual floods which began in July," the plea said. It alleged that positivity rate of COVID-19 cases has been "increasing exponentially" and Bihar has the "lowest testing rate" in the country. "There are insufficient hospital beds available for COVID-19 patients and the available beds are often reserved for VIP persons and remain empty. 50 per cent of the positions for doctors remain vacant across Bihar and there are insufficient medical personnel to deal with the current crisis," it said, alleging that there are only four COVID-19 hospitals in the entire state. It said that the COVID-19 crisis has been compounded by floods in the state. Hikers on a Backroads trip head up a trail in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. (Nadine Orenstein) Lorna and Neil Miles are ahead of their time. For 13 years theyve been going on walking tours that have taken them away from crowds and to less frequently trod trails. The retired San Jose couple she worked as a nurse and he an engineer have hiked in more than half-a-dozen countries as well as Yellowstone National Park. Theyre keeping their fingers crossed that they can go on two tours this fall with Vermont-based Country Walkers: one in Acadia National Park in Maine and the other in Nova Scotia. (The latter depends on whether Canada opens its borders to U.S. travelers.) A big attraction for them now is the apparent safety of hiking or walking outdoors in the time of COVID-19. They say their friends interest in their foot-powered adventures has increased since the pandemic began. They're quite curious, Lorna said. But weve always enjoyed these trips because we never wanted to be stuck on a bus with 60 other people seeing three countries in two days." A guide leads hikers in the Yosemite National Park high country on a Wildlands Trekking trip. (Wildlands Trekking) To be out there on foot enjoying nature is lovely, especially when someone else is transporting your luggage from point to point and arranging the lodging and meals, Neil added. They take all the bother out of it and lead you to off-the-beaten-path places that you might not normally see. The couple said they highly recommend self-guided tours, which include detailed directions as well as lodging and luggage transfers. These trips are less expensive and include fewer meals. Self-guided trips are an especially good idea because of the pandemic, Lorna said. You really are on your own. They provide fabulous maps and you follow their directions. You have time to stop and chat with people along the way. Jamen Yeaton-Masi, a vice president for Country Walkers, said her company has seen interest rising in trips to U.S. national parks. Like any travel company, its been a tough year with trips all over the globe canceled, she said. But weve had a lot more bookings on our wilderness trips to places like Olympic National Park, Vancouver Island and Glacier National Park. Those are up 50% compared to this time last year. Story continues She said some customers whose trips to Europe were canceled have switched to walking tours in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks in Utah or Acadia National Park. In many ways, our walking tours were made for traveling in the pandemic, she said. We already had small groups with the average size of 12 with two naturalist guides. People are naturally spaced out on the trails, and weve always avoided busier places whenever possible. To enhance safety, she said, Country Walkers is adhering to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts while developing checklists for working with hotels, restaurants and other vendors. Safety's been our focus this summer, she said. Weve also made some changes like increasing outdoor dining and using private areas for our meals when possible. Guides have received advanced training to make sure things are clean, going over every detail from wiping down high-touch points in vans to making sure they are stocked with sanitizers, only have 50% occupancy and sadly replacing our delicious picnic lunches with bag lunches. Masks are required when walkers are not spread out on the trail or when they might encounter other groups, she said. Were assuming that guests who are willing to join one of our tours will be willing to wear face masks when needed. Scott Cundy, owner of Flagstaff, Ariz.-based Wildland Trekking, said his company is well-situated because its trips are small and many feature hiking, camping and llama-packing in remote areas. Those offerings have done pretty well, and were asking people to drive themselves to trailheads so we dont have to put them in vehicles, he said. Trips that use base camps now are being run as private trips for families or groups comfortable with one another. On all trips, participants are required to wear masks when they cant be at least six feet apart, he said. Hikers navigate their way along Utah's Virgin River in Zion National Park as part of a Country Walkers trip. (Country Walkers) And we have very much enhanced hand-washing and other sanitation, he said. The same is true for tents, backpacks, sleeping bags and other gear, which are allowed to sit for days after cleaning and between trips. When guides prepare food, they wear masks, and during cleanup they sanitize everything with diluted bleach. He said customers are booking Wildland Trekking's trips to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks. Interest in the Grand Canyon, though, has declined because of that states recent spike of coronavirus cases. People want to get away from cities now, and the wilderness is a great place to do that, he said. They want to be able to breathe freely and relax for a while. Riley Pearce, assistant director for trip development at Berkeley-based Backroads, said his company is vetting all hotels, restaurants and activities to make sure theyre following COVID-19 protocols. When guests are confident we are covering all the bases, it helps them relax and focus on being on vacation, he said. Backroads hiking trips for late summer and fall include Zion and Bryce Canyon, Yosemite, Olympic and Crater Lake national parks, as well as trails in the Oregon Cascades and around Sedona, Ariz. Pearce said its not only the desire to experience the natural world that is drawing people outdoors during the pandemic. Our modern, city-centric world is really upside-down right now, he said. If you live in any area with medium-to-high population density, almost every facet of modern life feels different, so much so that almost all our conversations turn back to COVID, the politics of reopening, or what next month or next year will look like. Its easy to feel trapped. Standing on the banks of a rushing river or under a wide-open, starry sky makes you feel small in the best possible way. In really hard times, it helps me to be reminded that people are in many ways just a small part of a big, wild, beautiful world. People need that reminder now more than ever. If you go Companies that offer walking and hiking tours include: Country Walkers Has canceled all tours that start on or before Sept. 1. Fall tours in the West include San Francisco to Point Reyes, $2,648; Olympic Peninsula, $3,898; and Bryce and Zion, $3,498. Wildland TrekkingPrivate tours only through Aug. 31. Yosemite National Park, $1,665; Lost Coast of Humboldt and Mendocino counties; $1,205; and Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, $1,420. Backroads Both private and scheduled tours are running now. Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, $3,499; Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks, $2,799; and Yosemite National Park, $3,899. REI Adventures Has canceled most trips through Aug. 31 but can book for later this year. Utah national parks, $3,099; Big Bend National Park, $3,299; and Grand Canyon Phantom Ranch Rim to Rim, $3,899. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Manitoba Public Insurance is slowly clearing a major pile-up of postponed road tests while hopeful drivers idle as demand for the coveted examination outpaces capacity. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Public Insurance is slowly clearing a major pile-up of postponed road tests while hopeful drivers idle as demand for the coveted examination outpaces capacity. The race for a road test Booking a road test with Manitoba Public Insurance can be a cut-throat task these days with demand for the service pent up due to COVID-19 delays. Approximately 600 road test appointments are released each Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., but are filled within an hour. The earliest people can expect to take their road test is at least 60 days in the future. click to read more Booking a road test with Manitoba Public Insurance can be a cut-throat task these days with demand for the service pent up due to COVID-19 delays. Approximately 600 road test appointments are released each Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., but are filled within an hour. The earliest people can expect to take their road test is at least 60 days in the future. The corporation expects to clear its backlog of approximately 2,100 postponed tests within two months. New bookings will be accommodated after that date. If youre successful at booking a test, drivers are required to wear a mask and sanitize all touch points in the vehicle. Examiners meanwhile wear a respirator or medical mask and protective eyewear. As for driver education programs, MPIs Driver Z program piloted an online version through the summer for students whose courses were cancelled. The corporation is currently working through the backlog of in-car lessons while planning for upcoming fall sessions. Close Brian Smiley, media relations coordinator for the Crown-corporation, said 4,300 previously scheduled road tests were postponed on March 14, days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. "Roughly 50 per cent have rebooked," Smiley said Wednesday. "We had to plow through those roughly 2,100 before we could open up for new tests." Since MPI resumed offering road tests on July 8, Gordon Pritchard said his 17-year-old daughter has visited the corporations website every Wednesday morning in a desperate attempt to book an appointment for her road test. MPI will only accept road test bookings on Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m., through their website, by phone or at a service centre or Autopac agent, to keep a lid on demand. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Examiner Yuri Yermilov sanitizes the car before going on a driving test in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Roughly 600 available appointments are released and all are snapped up within an hour, Smiley said. However, Pritchard said any open spots listed online are gone within minutes. His daughter has also tried lining up at their local service centre with a dozen others in hopes of getting an appointment, only to be turned down. "Theyre creating this availability that doesnt meet the need. Worse than that is youre creating this massive bottle neck," Pritchard said. "Its completely inadequate." "Im sure theres other people that have a need for a drivers test and cant get one, and thats not right, and the piece that drives me crazy is the attitude of this government agency that is not willing to adapt," he said. MPI is currently operating at reduced capacity, Smiley said, with four of its five Winnipeg testing centres open; the corporations Main Street service centre is a COVID-19 screening location. Theyre creating this availability that doesnt meet the need. Worse than that is youre creating this massive bottle neck. Its completely inadequate. Gordon Pritchard Road test appointments are being booked 60 days into the future, when the backlog is expected to be cleared, Smiley said. Last summer, wait times averaged between 30 to 60 days. Even though MPI has added more driver examiners, and recalled some from retirement, physical distancing requirements, COVID-19 precautions and summer vacations have reduced the overall number of available road test appointments, Smiley said. While demand at rural testing centres is lower, allowing Winnipeg residents to book a test outside the Perimeter Highway and expanding service hours to evenings and weekends, are not currently in the plan, Smiley said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Each Winnipeg service centre is able to offer on average 40 road tests daily. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS MPI is currently operating at reduced capacity, the media relations coordinator said, with four of its five Winnipeg testing centres open. "We know our customers are frustrated. But having said that, there has to be expectation that were trying the best we can to accommodate our customers in the very unusual world were living in right now," Smiley said. "Eventually, yes, we will be operating at full capacity but we arent able to provide a dateline on that." Pritchard meanwhile wants the corporation to make headway on the backlog especially to offer road tests to essential service employees and those who rely on private transportation for work. "Scale it up with a solution that fits the problem," Pritchard said. "Im empathetic to the needs of our government agencies during COVID-19 but I think were all getting a little tired of hearing the COVID excuse." danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca Iran pursuing complaint against S Korean banks IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, July 29, IRNA -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in a communique said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue the lawsuit concerning the frozen assets against the South Korean banks in the international courts. No telephone calls have been made by the spokesperson of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Seoul and the claim is basically false, the communique added. The Ambassador of Iran in Seoul had met with the general manager of the Middle East; the communique noted, adding that during the meeting the head of the central bank's remarks had not been the topic of the talk. Earlier, Iran's Foreign Ministry had said in a communique that the news item published by the official South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) on summoning Iranian ambassador to Seoul is baseless. Iran's ambassador has not been summoned by the South Korean Foreign Ministry of the host country, but he has been invited, communique added. The talk was about conferring on the interpretation of a news item from the remarks of Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman by an Iranian media; the communique said, noting that Iranian foreign ministry's stances are published through the authentic sources, including the website of the Ministry or the website of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). 7129**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NASA's next-generation Mars rover Perseverance is set for liftoff from Florida's Cape Canaveral on Thursday on a mission to search for traces of potential past life on Earth's planetary neighbor. The US space agency's $2.4 billion mission is scheduled for launch at 7:50 am ET (1150 GMT) and is expected to reach Mars in February 2021. As the countdown begins for the liftoff, NASA is inviting people on-board to join them for the launch and is giving boarding passes for the same. "NOW BOARDING: Im ready to fly; are you? Grab your boarding pass and lets go. #CountdownToMars. Get your boarding pass: http://go.nasa.gov/30YUt2j. New flyer? Send your name on a future mission: http://go.nasa.gov/3fa0qOK (sic),"it wrote in a tweet. NOW BOARDING: Im ready to fly; are you? Grab your boarding pass and lets go. #CountdownToMarsGet your boarding pass: https://t.co/6xyix6gsOMNew flyer? Send your name on a future mission: https://t.co/i1GsSnsFWf pic.twitter.com/GZkMljSB7Q NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 29, 2020 The car-sized six-wheeled robotic rover, which will launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance, also is scheduled to deploy a mini helicopter on Mars and test out equipment for future human missions to the fourth planet from the sun. "This is the ninth time we've landed on Mars, so we do have experience with it," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. It is the latest launch from Earth to Mars during a busy month of July, following probes sent by the United Arab Emirates and China. Perseverance is due to land at the base of an 820-foot-deep (250 meters) crater called Jezero, a former lake from 3.5 billion years ago that scientists suspect could bear evidence of potential past microbial life on Mars. Scientists have long debated whether Mars - once a much more hospitable place than it is today - ever harbored life. People are excited for the launch and are already queuing up on Twitter to get their boarding passes. Got my pass... And I'm very excited eventhough it wont be on board this time but yeah im pretty more excited and happy... pic.twitter.com/peRQ2siFPu (@R3VOLUTION_8) July 30, 2020 My pass..! I am always with you.. let's gooooo,So excited as very few hours are left for us to spend time with each other... Then we will be meeting each other on the brighter side. No matter how far you are going from us, but you will always be close to me, close to mankind. pic.twitter.com/LE28ZDDbyt Chaitanya Agrawal (@Chaitan22029848) July 30, 2020 Got my pass!My name won't be on board this time. But 6 years from now, it will. pic.twitter.com/l1yOXAMw7J kang (@micamatosinos) July 30, 2020 The United States has plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s under a program that envisions using a return to the moon as a testing platform for human missions before making the more ambitious crewed journey to Mars. Perseverance will conduct an experiment to convert elements of the carbon dioxide-rich Martian atmosphere into propellant for future rockets launching off the planet's surface, or to produce breathable oxygen for future astronauts. (With inputs from Reuters) Full Appeals Court Agrees to Rehear Appeal in Flynn Case The full panel of a federal circuit court in Washington vacated its own order on July 30 in an appeal filed by former national security adviser Michael Flynn and agreed to rehear arguments from all parties on Aug. 11. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the latest in Flynns extraordinary legal saga, which has now pitted the defendant and his prosecutors against a federal judge in an impasse over whether the case should be dismissed. A three-judge panel from the same court ruled in favor of Flynn on June 24, ordering District Judge Emmet Sullivan to approve the Department of Justice (DOJ) motion to dismiss the charges against Flynn. However, Sullivan didnt comply and requested that the full panel from the circuit court review the appeal. The full panel, or en banc, review, suggests that the majority of the judges were at least on the fence about granting Flynns petition. Any decisions in the case will have wide-ranging political ramifications. The panel that reviewed Sullivans motion for an en banc review consisted of eight Democrat appointees and two Republican appointees. The 11th judge, Gregory Katsas, didnt participate in the decision to take up the review. In a summary of the legal matters in controversy, the courts order asked that the parties should be prepared to address whether there are no other adequate means to attain the relief desired. Flynn had pleaded guilty in late 2017 to lying to the FBI, but moved to withdraw his plea in January this year. In May, the DOJ moved to drop its case against Flynn after conducting an internal review of the investigation and determining that the FBI had no basis to interview the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the first place. Instead of approving the DOJs motion, Sullivan took the extraordinary step of appointing an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, to argue against the government and to determine whether Flynn should be held in contempt for withdrawing his plea. Flynns attorneys filed an emergency petition for a writ of mandamus with the appeals court to order Sullivan to approve the motion to dismiss the case. The appeals court heard oral arguments from attorneys for Flynn, Sullivan, and the DOJ in June. The special counsel team run by Robert Mueller prosecuted the case against Flynn as part of its Russia investigation. Mueller concluded that probe having found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Both before and since Flynns guilty plea, the case has been plagued by lies, contradictions, and oddities. Attorney General William Barr ordered an internal review of the case, unearthing controversial evidence showing that Flynns case was discussed and coordinated at the highest levels of the Obama administration, including Obama himself. One document shows that President Barack Obama personally discussed the case with the director of the FBI and a top Justice Department official a day after investigators at the FBI intended to dismiss the case but were held off by management. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trumps suggestion of postponing the November election drew condemnation from Republican officials in the states and on Capitol Hill as they tried to bat away questions their own party leader had raised about the legitimacy of that upcoming vote. Trump on Thursday tweeted unsubstantiated allegations that the election would be inaccurate and fraudulent because of the widespread use of mail-in voting. Its a claim thats been debunked by election security experts and the five states that already rely exclusively on mail-in ballots. He went on to suggest a delay in the election something he cannot legally do on his own. The date of the presidential election the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year is enshrined in federal law. Changing it now would require an act of Congress, including agreement from the Democratic-controlled House. Top Republicans in Congress quickly rebuffed Trump. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the election date is set in stone. The House GOP leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, said the election should go forward as planned. In the states, Republican leaders said officials are doing all they can to ensure voting systems are secure and reliable. Make no mistake: The election will happen in New Hampshire on Nov. 3. End of story, said Gov. Chris Sununu, R-N.H. Like officials in other states, he said his own states voting system is secure, safe and reliable. BATTLEGROUND STATE REPUBLICANS SAY NO GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Chuck Grassley of Iowa two frequent Trump defenders from states Democrats are contesting heavily this year dismissed the idea outright. Nobodys gonna change anything until we change the law, Grassley said, noting that the election process is spelled out in the Constitution. It doesnt matter what one individual in this country says, the senator said. We are still are a country based on the rule of law and we want to follow the law. Rubio said this years election will be credible and the same as its always been. People should have confidence in it, he added. Wisconsins legislative leadership panned the idea. The Assembly speaker, Republican Robin Vos, said on Twitter that there should be no delay. Elections need to happen for democracy to function, Vos said. Wisconsin Republicans had opposed a move by the Democratic governor to delay the states April presidential primary because of the pandemic. The majority leader in the Assembly, Jim Steineke, who has broken with Trump in the past, tweeted Hard NO after Trump floated the idea of a delay. Steineke has also criticized Trump for not encouraging mail-in voting for Republicans. Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, dismissed Trumps proposition and said the state is well prepared to move forward with the vote. Theres absolutely no reason to think this election cannot be held on that day, he said. DeWine said its difficult for him to envision a situation other than a natural disaster or some other emergency in which a delay would be justified, and he emphasized that, in the U.S., even if we dont like the results, whatever it is, we accept those results. And thats one of the things that makes our country great, he said. RED-STATE REPUBLICANS BREAK WITH TRUMP Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he believes election fraud is a serious problem, but that no, we should not delay the elections. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., tweeted: Moving Election Day would seriously jeopardize the legitimacy of the election. Federal, state and local officials need to continue to work hard to ensure that Americans can vote safely, whether by voting early or on November 3. Gov. Gary Herbert, R-Utah, said that the state has no intention of delaying the November election and that theres been no evidence of tampering with mail-in ballots. Utah is one of the few states that primarily relied on mail-in voting before the coronavirus pandemic raised concerns about voting in person. Its been a blessing for a lot of people to be able to get the ballot, review the ballot, study the issues and the candidates and make an informed decision, Herbert said, adding that he saw no reason to postpone the elections and that such a move would be foolish. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, said his office opposes Trumps suggestion and called on the Kansas delegation to Congress to do the same. More than 300,000 Kansans received advance by mail ballots for this years primary elections, and the state expects there may be higher use of mail ballots for the general election. In Kansas, we have implemented measures to ensure the security and safety of the August and November elections, he said in a statement. Now is not the time to act in fear but to show the world we are courageous. Likewise, West Virginias secretary of state, Republican Mac Warner, said his state is preparing to provide a safe and secure election in November. ___ Associated Press writers Dustin Weaver in Washington; Roxana Hegeman in Belle Plaine, Kan.; Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, S.D.; Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston, W.Va.; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.; Holly Ramer in Hopkinton, N.H.; Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio; and Julie Eppolito in Salt Lake City contributed to this report. Northern Arizona University has delayed move-in for the thousands of students who will be living on campus this fall in an attempt to limit possible COVID-19 transmission. In a letter to the campus community Friday, NAU President Rita Cheng announced the move-in process would be extended and that students would be contacted this week with more details. Later communication from the university on social media noted that most students move-in date would be scheduled from Aug. 19 to 30, but for those students with classes requiring in-person attendance during the first week, move-in would occur Aug. 14-16. Classes will begin remotely on Aug. 12 using NAUFlex, and classes requiring in-person attendance will begin Aug. 17. Additional classes will meet in-person beginning Aug. 31. The timing of our decision was based on the status of COVID-19 cases in our local community and the state of Arizona, and in consultation with local medical experts and input from stakeholders, said NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott of the change in move-in schedules. The week of this announcement, the Flagstaff area and most of Arizona was beginning to see a plateau in the number of COVID cases. Providing an extended and phased-in approach to moving students back to campus affords additional time for numbers to continue to go down, and dramatically reduce the number of students who are moving in at any one time in the coming weeks. But with the announcement coming less than two weeks before the previously scheduled Move-In Week, students and families were concerned about being unable to change their plans. I was more worried and scared than anything, because Id really been looking forward to moving in to NAU for the year, said Mckayla Mckay, a freshman psychology major from Casa Grande. After the disappointment of being unable to attend her senior prom and high school graduation as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, Mckay did not want to miss out similarly on this early college experience with her mom and stepdad, who work at a prison and had to request their time off months in advance. Mckay is hoping to register for an exemption to allow her to move into her dorm room in the Honors College during her originally planned time slot. Ott said approximately 700 students will likely move in during their original times due to extenuating circumstances. She said the majority of these circumstances relate to students or families who have travel or work plans that would be difficult or impossible to change. The university is still accepting requests for these exemptions. As of Wednesday, more than 90% of these requests had been processed. Students have been informed they will receive followup information within 48 hours of submitting this request. Madelynn Klein Courville, a senior criminology and criminal justice major from Sacramento, received her new move-in date Tuesday and is in the process of changing her hotel reservations and her plans for the 12-hour drive. I dont have it as bad as people who are across the country flying here, Klein Courville said. I drive, but its frustrating anyhow because you have all this planning. Some of it can be changed but sometimes you get locked into those noncancellation fees and youre also trying to prep ahead of time with all your stuff. It wasnt so much that COVID wrecked my plans, its more that the school waited this long to make that decision to change their game plan. She was first scheduled for Aug. 10, but will instead be moving in the weekend of Aug. 14. I feel very relieved I got [this move-in date]. Its the weekend, two days after school starts, but still, Im concerned in the sense that theres things I need to do while Im taking that time to go to Flagstaff or get settled, and even for the people who are coming later on, youre moving in after school started, she said. Ott said the majority of move-in dates will occur on weekends, with a few weekday options, to allow students to choose a time around their class schedule. Students can work with their professors to make up class material if needed. According to a video update from NAU administrators Wednesday evening, rent for on-campus housing is not being prorated despite the later move-in dates for most students. We are moving you in in the month of August, and so we dont look at a day-by-day proration there, Vice President for Enrollment Management Anika Olsen said. " Many of our students are moving in prior to the start of classes, some that first weekend after the start of classes and then throughout the month of August." A previous social media post from NAU noted that campus dining plans will be activated when students check in for housing and that any missed meals from previous weeks will be credited to their account for use during the year. Students in on-campus housing are required to be tested for COVID-19 at least 10 days before arrival or, for those who cannot be tested elsewhere, at Campus Health Services as soon as possible. Kaitlin Olson can be reached at the office at kolson@azdailysun.com or by phone at (928) 556-2253. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the private entity operating and redeveloping LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B, announced that it will open the first seven gates of the Western Concourse of the new state-of-the-art Terminal B on August 5, 2020. With the opening of these seven gates, Terminal B is one step closer to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's vision of a 21st century LaGuardia Airport. The project is possible due to the collaborative efforts between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, private partners and construction workers across New York State who have worked tirelessly to bring this design to life. The new 218,000 square foot concourse will open in two phases, to allow the remaining gates in the original terminal to stay operational during construction. In this first phase, seven of 17 gates will open, along with the Gotham News newsstand and a portion of the concourse's park, featuring greenery and benches. The concourse features plenty of natural light and soaring ceilings up to 55 feet high. Its restrooms are thoughtfully designed, including spacious stalls and above sink shelves to keep belongings dry. In addition, the Western Concourse features two pieces of New York City inspired artwork, with one being a sculpture by Romero Britto. The Big Apple is a piece that was gifted from Mr. Britto to American Airlines for display at LaGuardia in 2006. The artist recently restored the piece and it is now back in Terminal B. The sculpture was inspired by his love of New York City and uses vibrant colors to convey happiness and hope. The second piece is titled A Queens Tribute by Meres One. The artist is Jonathan Cohen, or Meres One for his nom de plume. The piece is a visual postcard from Queens, New York. He tackled the three letter airport code as a visual dedication to his childhood borough and to the home base of his famed outdoor museum, 5 Pointz. Installed on the wall of Gotham News by shop operator Marshall Retail Group, the piece is designed to be seen from aircraft as they arrive to the gates. American Airlines will operate in the new Western Concourse and also continue to operate from the original terminal's D gates while construction continues. Passengers will check-in at the brand new state-of-the-art Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall, which opened in June of 2020 and connect to the new Western Concourse through a temporary walkway. The final phase of the Western Concourse is scheduled to open by early 2022. "Today's opening of the first seven new gates in Terminal B's Western Concourse is part of 18 months of fast progress as we near the finish line of the complete transformation of LaGuardia Airport," said Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "Thanks to Governor Cuomo's vision and leadership, construction of A Whole New LaGuardia Airport continues full speed ahead with this summer's opening of the new Arrivals and Departures Hall, the early opening of the new concourse and gates, and completion of nearly 75% of all roadway work due to the reduction in traffic." "The opening of these first gates in the Western Concourse is yet another achievement in the Terminal B redevelopment this year," said Jane Garvey, Chairman of Meridiam North America and Chair of the Board of LaGuardia Gateway Partners. "We're thankful for Governor Cuomo's vision on this project as we near the finish line on the redevelopment of Terminal B." "As an equity investor, lead developer and manager of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, Vantage is proud to celebrate the opening of the Western Concourse, the latest milestone in our shared efforts to revolutionize LaGuardia Terminal B," said George Casey, Chair and CEO, Vantage Airport Group. "Together with our partners, we are delivering a transformed passenger experience at Terminal B, one that reflects Governor Cuomo's vision for a new LaGuardia Airport." "As the lead partner of the Skanska-Walsh Joint Venture responsible for the design and construction of LaGuardia Airport's new Terminal B, Skanska USA is excited to build on our progress towards this critical redevelopment with today's milestone opening of the Terminal B Western Concourse," said Richard Kennedy, President and CEO, Skanska USA. "The opening of these gates ahead of schedule is the latest achievement in the ongoing transformation of LaGuardia into a world-class airport. Working on this essential project during the COVID-19 pandemic required the tireless dedication of our team, designers and subcontractors and close collaboration with our partners LGP and the Port Authority." "The opening of the Western Concourse is yet another milestone that we're proud to have completed in the overall redevelopment of Terminal B," said Stewart Steeves, Chief Executive Officer of LaGuardia Gateway Partners. "We're grateful to our partners for helping us create a brand new Terminal B that combines excellent service for passengers with innovative and sustainable design." "Launching operations from the first phase of the Western Concourse is a milestone moment for American Airlines and brings us closer to a whole new LGA," said Jim Moses, Vice President of Northeast Hubs and Gateways for American Airlines. "The unrivaled, world-class experience offered by the all-new Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall and concourses elevates and transforms the customer journey from curb-to-gate." In July 2015, Governor Cuomo unveiled the vision for a comprehensive redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport, which included the new 1.3 million square foot Terminal B. With a construction value of $4B, the Terminal B project is one of the largest public-private partnerships in American history and the largest in US aviation. The Terminal B redevelopment includes a new 35-gate terminal, a parking garage, and a Central Hall, which will unify the airport by connecting to Terminal C, which is also being redeveloped. Exclusive photos of the concourse, including the offerings and amenities available, are available at: https://sunshinesachs.egnyte.com/fl/vgNTyHq3Rp#folder-link/ A fact sheet with more information is available upon request. About LaGuardia Gateway Partners: LaGuardia Gateway Partners was selected by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver an extensive capital redevelopment project at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B that will provide world-class terminal facilities and operations for passengers and airlines. LaGuardia Gateway Partners is composed of Vantage Airport Group, Skanska, Meridiam, and JLC Infrastructure for development and equity investment. Vantage Airport Group leads the redevelopment program and management of Terminal B, with Skanska Walsh as the design build joint venture and HOK and WSP for design. LaGuardia Gateway Partners' members have worked on more than 350 aviation and transportation projects globally and domestically, including international airports in New York (John F. Kennedy), Chicago, Doha, Delhi, Los Angeles, Santiago, and Nassau. For more information, visit www.laguardiaB.com or follow on Twitter at @terminalBLG. Contact: Sunshine Sachs, [email protected] SOURCE LaGuardia Gateway Partners Related Links http://www.laguardiaB.com Arlene Foster is expected to appear alongside Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill in public on Friday following a meeting of ministers from both sides of the Irish border. The North South Ministerial Council is being held in Dublin for the first time since devolved government was restored at Stormont in January. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, the first minister and deputy first minister will gather at Dublin Castle to discuss matters of mutual interest. Bobby Storeys funeral is still under police investigation over potential breaches by mourners of social distancing rules. Mrs Foster said: I have always made it clear that we need to have the Executive working and need to continue to deal with Covid. We need to continue to focus on recovery, dealing with EU exit meetings. I have never said that we have not continued to work as an Executive across the five parties together. Mrs Foster has said her powersharing partners apology after attending the republican funeral falls short. Trust between members of the Stormont coalition and Ms ONeills credibility in delivering Covid-19 health messaging have been damaged by the controversy over large crowds as the cortege passed through west Belfast, the DUP leader said. Ms ONeill has stood by her decision to go to the west Belfast service for the senior republican but did say sorry to families bereaved during lockdown for any hurt caused by scenes of hundreds of people lining the route. The Executive met on Thursday. Mrs Foster said the Covid-19 tracker phone app launched on Thursday would work in an inter-operable way with the Republic of Ireland and any brought forward by the other UK administrations. Self-isolation with Covid-19 symptoms or a positive test result has been increased from seven days to ten. Ministers also agreed to relax Covid restrictions in child care settings by August 1. Belarus has opened a criminal probe into planned terrorist acts by Russian mercenaries arrested ahead of presidential polls, adding that it was tracking down dozens more. The countrys security services on Wednesday arrested a group of 32 Russian fighters as well as one other man in a different location. Belarus security council chief Andrei Ravkov on Thursday said a criminal probe had been launched and that the men face charges of preparing terrorist acts. Thirty-three have been detained; there are up to 200 or thereabouts on the territory (of Belarus), Ravkov said. He said a search is going on to find the others, complaining that it was like looking for needles in a haystack. Belaruss KGB security service said the arrested men were members of the Wagner Group, a shadowy private military firm reportedly controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin which promotes Moscows interests in Ukraine, Syria and Libya. August election The arrests came ahead of presidential polls on August 9 in which strongman Alexander Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term. Lukashenko has detained would-be opposition candidates and their supporters. Protests have erupted across the country of 9.5 million people, with a 37-year-old political novice, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, quickly emerging as Lukashenkos main rival. Lukashenko has accused some of his critics of being controlled by puppeteers in Moscow. Ravkov spoke after meeting the candidates standing against Lukashenko, including Tikhanovskaya, and warning them that security measures would be stepped up at rallies. Later, the Belta state news agency reported that Belarusian authorities believe Tikhanouskayas husband may have ties to the Russian group and have launched a criminal case against him on suspicion of inciting riots. Belta earlier said the authorities had received information about the arrival of 200 fighters in Belarus to destabilise the situation during the election campaign. Lukashenko at an emergency meeting of his security council on Wednesday demanded an explanation from Moscow. If they are guilty, its necessary to emerge out of this situation with dignity, Lukashenko said in televised remarks. Russian Ambassador to Belarus Dmitry Mezentsev said on Thursday that he had been invited to the Belarusian foreign ministry that morning to discuss the case, Russian news agencies reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted an exhaustive explanation from Belarus about the arrested Russians and hoped their rights would be observed fully. We dont have information about any illegal activity carried out by them, Peskov said in Moscow. We hope to receive information that will allow us to sort this out. Peskov said there were many Belarusian men of a similar description inside Russia, but that Moscow did not assume they were doing anything illegal. Also on Thursday, Belarus and Ukraine agreed to beef up their border controls and expand border cooperation over the arrests, the Belarusian foreign ministry said. The move aims to prevent any attempts to destabilise the two countries, the Belarusian ministry said in a statement, following a meeting with Mezentsev and the acting Ukrainian ambassador to Belarus. Aruni* hasn't had a moment to catch her breath all morning. It's evident. She is panting when she receives my phone call. "Now that they don't have to go to school, they are running behind me all day, 24X7," she said. Aruni lives in the SOS Children's Village in Raipur in Chattisgarh. She has nine children in her home. None of them she has biologically given birth to, but they all call her 'Mumma'. When Hermann Gmeiner found the first SOS Village in Austria in 1949, he wanted children orphaned as a result of World War II to find a home and a mother. Seventy-one years later, a pandemic has gripped the world, leaving children with no schools, no playground, no friends to meet. Being a mother, especially during the pandemic, has been anything but easy. In its unique programme, in each of its "villages" across the country, groups of orphaned or abandoned children are cared for in homes by women who have battled hardships too. Even after raising 21 children in the last 15 years, 45-year-old Aruni never wants to stop being a mother. Aruni had once married a man she thought she will raise a family with. But when her child only survived a few months, she was asked to leave. She got a divorce and joined the police training service. But she didn't enjoy the 'rough and tough' nature of the job. Soon after, her father found out about the SOS Children's Villages through the local Panchayat. Aruni got herself enrolled for the two-year programme to learn how to be a mother to children who have been orphaned or abandoned. "This is when I started living," she said. "I wanted to be a mother to one child and I got to be to so many loving children," she added. In India, schools have been shut since the end of March. Trapped in the four walls of the home and a screen for those who can afford it, the lives of children have been disrupted by the Coronavirus pandemic. The learning curve, especially, is at risk. "I have created a time-table for the children," said 53-year-old Mira*, an SOS mother in Assam. "I wake up at 5:30 am and start my day. I wake them an hour later at 6:30 am. At 8:30 am, I serve them breakfast." Mira then listed out her daily routine, she had memorised it to the minute. The youngest of Mira's children at home is 6 years old. The non-profit organisation, SOS Childrens Villages of India, that has existed in India since 1964 now operates in 32 locations across 22 States and Union Territories. Under its direct care, Director Programme Development Deepti Ameta said that over 2 core children's lives have been built over the years in the country with the help of their programmes. An SOS mother raises a generation of children as her own and meets their physical and emotional needs. When a boy turns 14, he is sent to their hostel. Girls usually stay in the home till they turn 18. "All my children call me, they keep checking on my health. No one has forgotten me," said Mira. The SOS mothers go through a training of two years that includes three months of theoretical training (on education, counselling and child psychology, housekeeping, nutrition and conflict resolution) conducted by social workers and childcare professionals. This is followed by 21 months of practical training working in an SOS Childrens Village as an "SOS Aunt". These SOS mothers receive a room, household allowance and a salary. In SOS village of Hojai in Assam, there are 263 children, living in homes and hostels. They have been raised by 19 'mothers' and five 'supporting mothers'. "Many children are left abandoned as a result of ethnic violence and natural calamities such as the annual floods, said Paresh Badyakar, Village in-charge of SOS India in Hojai, Assam. According to UNICEF's 2015 report, there are 140 million orphans globally, including 61 million in Asia. Without adequate parental care, children are often forced into trafficking and early marriages. The children who end up in institutional care (orphanages) may seem to fare better with the food and shelter but in reality, they are deprived of love, identity and visibility. As schools shut down and children were confined to their homes, the mothers started involving them in daily activities with the support of the organisation. The children learned how to stitch their own masks, they painted around the themes of hygiene and social distancing, they also learned to cook, sow and plant saplings. An SOS mother shows off her child's painting on Coronavirus theme. "I have taught all my children how to cook," Mira said. One cannot miss the boastful pride in her voice. "Even the boys. They need to learn to be on their own when they are away from me," she added. In Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, it's not really a village though. The homes to these children and their mothers are strewn around the Valley. Shazia* has her hands full with eight children at home. But the 47-year-old says that children forced to remain at home have been their normal. "Last year, schools were shut too were most of the period. Even before that there are constant curfews. I don't know how they will catch up," she said. On August 5, 2019, the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of special status and divided it into two Union Territories; a complete lockdown and communications blockade was imposed on the Valley. Schools, too, became a victim. While Shazia has mothered 12 children since she joined the organisation in 2002, her biggest worry for all of them have been: Education. And like every mother, she has pretty high expectations too. Earlier this year, her 21-year-old 'daughter' Iqra* went away to Chennai to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. But, Shazia is disappointed. "I really wanted her to get into MBBS and become a doctor, but she didn't enough score to pursue," she said. "It is okay. She will make me proud," she said as if to console herself. But her disappointment doesn't overshadow her bond with Iqra. "I remember the first day she came to me. She was all dirty. I had to give her a good shower," she laughed. Shazia's laughter was filled with fond nostalgia. Shazia was married off when she was 21. Two years into her marriage, her husband married another woman telling Shazia that she is 'incapable of having a baby of her own'. "Now I have so many children and they love me so much," she said. *Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals. Neighbors of Wissahickon Valley Park said theyve had enough of the large crowds that descend on the popular Philadelphia city park, with many people arriving from out of state, blasting music, illegally swimming, and leaving behind mountains of trash. The neighbors said visitors are violating longstanding rules of the park that the city has done little to enforce until recently. So they are planning a rally at 1 p.m. Aug. 9 at Picnic Area 2 off Wises Mill Road to plead for more rangers or policing from the cash-strapped city. Anyone attending will have to wear a mask, observe social distancing, and possibly undergo temperature checks. The rally will be followed by a park cleanup. The neighbors also formed a Facebook group, Bring Back Our Park Rangers, where they meet online or post pictures of trash and debris left behind, including food, portable grills, camping chairs, and water bottles. The crowds, a growing problem over the last few years, have even gotten bigger as people seek to escape COVID-19 shutdown restrictions, they say. One rally organizer, Nancy Crescenzo, 61, grew up near the park in the citys Andorra neighborhood and later moved back to her parents house. Now, she will no longer bring her grandkids to play in the park because of the trash and noise. In addition, animals are feeding off food thats been left behind. The whole thing in a nutshell for us is that there are rules and regulations that were established long ago to protect the park, Crescenzo said. People are not obeying those rules and regulations, and they need to be enforced. Crescenzo said she doesnt believe the city has enough rangers to patrol the park. The park includes just under 2,000 acres that include seven miles of Forbidden Drive and 45 miles of trails. The city has about 10,000 acres of parkland. The Wissahickon in particular has become a magnet through social media images of locations such as Devils Pool, a popular spot for diving off rocks into Cresheim Creek a tributary of the Wissahickon, which is listed as impaired by pathogens by the state and not suitable for swimming. The Inquirer has documented the rise of the parks popularity over the last few years and the strain it has placed on the park. Those problems have only grown this year amid the pandemic. READ MORE: Philadelphias Wissahickon is slammed with millions of visitors, increasing trash, noise, risks Among city park rules neighbors say are being violated are ones on littering, swimming or wading, lighting fires, amplified noise, alcohol, feeding or disturbing birds or wildlife, and having pets off leash. The city requires permits for picnics of 50 or more, but stopped granting them amid COVID-19 precautions. Crescenzo said the city began last week checking people for possible rule violations, stopping those with swimsuits or inflatables, towels, or big coolers. Those efforts were limited to Valley Green Drive and Wises Mill Road, both of which offer access to parking lots. But there are many other entrances to the park, she noted. I understand the city is in a financial mess, Crescenzo said. But I cannot just sit back and say the city cant help us and let this continue. Her group has been working with Joshua Cohen, chief of staff for Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. Cohen said there is now a working group to address the problems and includes representatives from Parks and Recreation, the park rangers, and police. He said signs are being installed in more prominent areas to let people know park rules. In addition, illegally parked cars are being ticketed or towed, and people entering the park are being told they cant swim in the creek. We welcome you to the park, Cohen said of visitors. But youve got to park legally, follow the park rules and clean up after yourself. Maita Soukup, a spokesperson for Parks and Recreation, said the department is bolstering support for rangers. It has also added social distance ambassadors, who handed out over 500 masks and shared information about park rules to visitors last weekend. Ruffian Tittmann, executive director of Friends of the Wissahickon, a nonprofit that works with the city on the park, said the park is seeing sustained levels of peak use, with 1,000 cars entering just on Valley Green Road on a weekday, and 1,200 on a weekend. About half as many enter on Wises Mill Road some on buses from out of state. I would say what weve seen, and what I would say everyone working in parks across the country are seeing, is an incredible increase in use, Tittmann said. But COVID has made it challenging to operate safely for staff and volunteers. Her staff and volunteers perform a range of duties, such as maintaining trails, picking up trash, and keeping head counts of visitors. The Wissahickon is a park for everyone, but theres just not parking for everyone, Tittmann said. The real challenge is how do we ... balance needs. People need to get outside. Thats been one of the big stories of COVID. Cianan Doyle was left without a conviction after his tirade against TD Michael Healy-Rae A man threatened to put a bullet in TD Michael Healy-Rae's head in a "vicious verbal attack" as they were stopped in cars on a busy Dublin street. Cianan Doyle (35) subjected the Kerry politician to a "tirade" of abuse as the TD was driving to the Dail in rush hour traffic. Mr Healy-Rae told a court the "frightening" incident left him "rattled" and "afraid". Doyle was found guilty of a breach of the peace, but Judge Michael Walsh struck the charge out, leaving him without a conviction after he made a 1,500 charity donation. The judge said Doyle's behaviour had been "totally inappropriate and unacceptable" and it was a situation that had escalated "out of control". Doyle admitted using bad language but denied making any threat. Mr Healy-Rae denied a defence assertion that he was driving in a bus lane at the time. Doyle, of Beechfield Road, Perrystown, Dublin 12, pleaded not guilty to threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour. Dublin District Court heard the accused was the front seat passenger in a car driven by his father Alan Doyle when they encountered the TD in traffic on December 4, 2018. Mr Healy-Rae said he was travelling from Kerry to Dublin and was approaching the junction of Dolphin's Barn and South Circular Road at 8.30am. He was in the left lane, and the lane to his right was completely free when a car pulled up alongside him, he said. The accused was gesturing at him to roll down his own window, which he did. Both men in the car started using "very bad language" in an "awful tirade of abuse" and the accused threatened him. "He said 'you would want a bullet put in your head' and then 'I'd do it' or 'I would do it' or something to that effect," Mr Healy-Rae told the court. He added that he has been a politician a long time and is used to a lot of things, but what was said was "not usual banter". Rough He was "used to the rough and tumble of life but I'm not used to somebody telling me they would 'put a bullet in my head'". He said he had a dictaphone and read the car's registration number into it. "He was as angry a person as I have ever seen in my life," Mr Healy-Rae said of the accused while cross-examined by defence solicitor Michael Staines. "He was an extremely angry and vicious person that morning, as was the driver. "Every kind of bad word you can think of was used," he said. Mr Staines said Mr Healy-Rae's car had his name emblazoned on it "so whether you had your cap on or not, everyone would have known it was you". Mr Staines said the accused rolled down the window at the request of his father, who said "what would you do about the homeless" and made "politically orientated remarks like that". Mr Healy-Rae said it was not politically orientated. "There was one mention of the homeless, everything else was a vicious verbal attack," he said. "It was completely unwarranted." He said after they moved off, the accused had his head out the car window, still "effing and blinding and viciously agitated". Mr Staines put it to Mr Healy-Rae he was telling half-truths and "exaggerated what happened". Mr Healy-Rae insisted he had told the truth. Mr Staines put it to Mr Healy-Rae that he had gone into a bus lane and ended up beside the accused. Mr Healy-Rae said this was not true, and that he was stopped in a line of traffic where he was "perfectly entitled to be" when the accused's car pulled up. "I would have gone in any lane to get away from where I was that morning," he said. Mr Staines said it was an incident that "wouldn't have happened if you had obeyed the law and not gone into the bus lane". Mr Healy-Rae said it was being insinuated that it was his own fault he was told he would have a bullet put in his head. Detective Garda Sarah Keogh told Mr Staines she was unaware if Mr Healy-Rae had been in the bus lane, as it turned into a lane for traffic to go straight on 50m before the junction. In evidence, the accused said his sister Sorcha noticed Mr Healy-Rae's car and their father asked him to roll down the window. "My dad said, you are a greedy little man, you don't care about the people of Kerry and you don't care about the people of Ireland," the accused said. "Mr Healy-Rae said 'do you think so?', I said 'yes, we do think so. You are a greedy effing man... you know what you are, you are a me feiner, what are you doing about the homeless situation?' And Mr Healy-Rae said 'what are you doing?' "It was a politically orientated exchange," he said. "In hindsight, I definitely shouldn't have used bad language, but there was no threat as alleged." He apologised for cursing. His father gave a similar account and denied using any bad language. Serious Judge Walsh said there was a huge conflict in the evidence but he accepted Mr Healy's account "without reservation". "What started off as a somewhat minor engagement escalated into something far more serious than that," he said. "The accused behaved in a most rude and most offensive manner." Det Gda Keogh said the accused had one prior conviction for assault causing harm. Mr Staines said his client was a hardworking young man from a good family, had a degree and was doing well in his job and had a "great career in front of him". What happened was an "aberration," he said. The judge said he was prepared to treat it as a "once off" and struck the charge out after the accused made a 1,500 donation to the PARC Road Safety Group. Senator Kamala Harris ran for the Democratic nomination against Biden before dropping out in December: Reuters Donald Trump said California Senator Kamala Harris would be a "fine choice" to join Joe Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket, weighing in on the former vice president's ongoing deliberations over his running mate. "I think she'd be a fine choice, Kamala Harris. She'd be a fine choice," the president said as he left for a trip to Texas after being asked to rank her chances in the "Veepstakes." Mr Biden said on Tuesday that he plans to announce his selection by the end of next week, with several women of colour reportedly rocketing to the top of his shortlist. Ms Harris and others like Florida Congresswoman Val Demings, California Congresswoman Karen Bass, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and former Georgia state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams have been making the cable television rounds stumping for Mr Biden for months as he mulled a running mate. Notably, however, only 28 per cent of those polled for a new survey released Wednesday by Politico and Morning Consult said it is "very" or "somewhat" important that Mr Biden choose a person of colour to join him on the Democratic Party's presidential ticket. Only slightly more, 32 per cent, said it is "very" or "somewhat" important for him to select a woman. A majority, 56 per cent, want Mr Biden to choose a running mate who has had executive-level experience. And a clear majority, 61 per cent, want someone who has legislative experience. Mr Biden would be the oldest person ever elected to the US presidency. To that end, 49 per cent of those polled want him to choose a running mate who is younger than his 77 years of age. In a blow to VP possibilities like Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, only 25 per cent of those surveyed would like Mr Biden to select someone more progressive. The former vice president, considered a moderate for years, said on Tuesday, if elected, he would go down as the most progressive president in American history. Story continues A longshot is Susan Rice. She was Barack Obama's last national security adviser and US ambassador to the United Nations under the 44th president. Mr Biden had a West Wing office beside hers, and the two became chums. But she initially misspoke about the attack on an American facility in Bengazhi, Libya, and was panned for years by conservatives. Selecting Ms Rice could give Mr Trump plenty of fodder to fire up his base about her joining Mr Biden on the ticket. Most widely respected polls show Mr Biden leading Mr Trump nationally, and more importantly, in a slew of swing states and others, including Texas, that the president won rather easily four years ago. Read more Biden's notes seen to list qualities of Kamala Harris ahead of VP pick Trump gets defensive over plummeting polls Joe Bidens vice president picks: Every candidates pros and cons Lead in polls may influence Biden to choose 'simpatico' VP Trump's coronavirus briefings convinced this voter to turn to Biden The first batch of five Rafales landed on the Indian soil at the Ambala Air Force base on Wednesday after covering a distance of 7,000 km. In total, India has bought 36 Rafale jets from France. While the first batch of Rafales will be stationed at the Ambala Airbase, the second batch will be stationed at Hasimara in West Bengal. The arrival of Rafale gives India a military edge against China and Pakistan. Both China and Pakistan also possess modern fighter jets. Rafale vs F-16/ JF-17 Thunder vs Chengdu J-20 All three of these aircraft are multi-role fighters, meaning they are made to perform various kinds of operations, including long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. While JF-17 is the fourth generation aircraft, Rafale is a 4.5 general "omnirole" fighter aircraft, which allows it to go out on at least four missions in one sortie. China claims J-20 is a 5th generation aircraft. Both Rafale and JF-17 come in single as well as twin seats. China's J-20, on the other hand, is a single-seat only. India will get 28 single-seat jets and eight twin-seaters fighters from France. In terms of weight, J-20 weighs 19,000 kg and can carry the weight of up to 37,013 kg. Rafale weighs 9,900 kg-10,600 kg and can carry up to 24,500 kg weight. JF-17 weighs 6,411 kg, with the take-off weight of 12,474 kg. This means both J-20 and Rafale can carry more firepower during their missions. Rafale is around 15.3 m in length, with a wingspan of 10.9 m and height of 5.3 m. J-20 is up to 20.5 m long, with a wingspan of up to 13.5m. J-17 is 14.93 long, with a wingspan of 9.48 m and 4.77m height. Rafale attains the top speed of 2,222.6 km per hour, while J-20 and F-17 possess the maximum speeds of 2,400 km per hour and 1,975 kmph, respectively. Rafale's service ceiling -- crucial during dogfights when pilots want to avoid surface-to-air missiles -- can go up to 50,000 ft, while J-20 and JF-17 have the service ceiling of 65,620 ft and 54,000 ft, respectively. Rafale can carry most-advanced and lethal weapons available, including air-to-air MCA missile; long-range air-to-air Meteor missiles; and air-to-ground Hammer missile. It can also carry laser-guided bombs with different warheads, and non-guided classic bombs. The scalp long-range missiles loaded in Rafale can hurt deep inside enemy territory. Also read: Rafale in India: Rajnath Singh welcomes Rafales jets, says India can deter any threat now The Indian Air Force (IAF) recently decided to further boost Rafale's combat capabilities by procuring lethal HAMMER missiles -- a new generation medium-range air-to-ground weapon -- from France. These missiles take out targets in high-altitude areas. Another major advantage for Rafale is its ability to climb up to 60,000 ft per minute during a dogfight. J-20 can climb up to 59,842.52 ft per minute, while JF-17 has a climbing speed of 59,000 ft per minute. Another big difference is the battle experience. Rafale is an extremely experienced aircraft, used widely in war missions in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. The J-20, JF-17 have no such experience. Apart from JF-17, Pakistan also possesses the US-supplied F-16 aircraft. It has a wingspan of 9.96 m, with a length of 15.06 m and 4.88 m height. The jet weighs 9,200 kg with a maximum take-off weight of 13,000 kg. The aircraft has a maximum range of 4,220 km and the top speed of 2,414 km/hr. The aircraft can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles; AIM AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles; and AGM65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles. The aircraft can also carry cluster bombs and laser and GPS guided bombs. Also read: Rafale fighter jets to reach India tomorrow; here's how it's better than China's Chengdu J20 As Wood Buffalo council tries to decide what to do about flood mitigation in Fort McMurray's flood zone, residents have big concerns about what is going to happen to their private insurance. At a 10-hour special council meeting on Tuesday, dozens of residents called or wrote to tell council what they thought of administration's proposals to deal with flood mitigation. The administration's recommendations, presented to council by deputy chief administrative officer Matthew Hough, include talking to residents in Waterways, Draper and Ptarmigan Court about potential buyouts and continuing with physical flood mitigation measures, such as building berms around Fort McMurray's downtown and Taiga Nova. "Private insurance is becoming more expensive over time and, for some residents, unaffordable or unavailable entirely," Hough said. Bryce Kumka, senior account executive with Rogers Insurance, emphasized to council that it is important to find a solution quickly, particularly for the developed downtown where the greatest amount of investment has taken place. "We've already seen a significant retraction of coverage availability and significant increases for costs with respect to flood coverage for businesses in the downtown," Kumka said. Without getting that insurance, it will be more difficult to develop Fort McMurray's downtown because people will struggle to borrow money, he said. Kumka said some companies have opted not to provide any insurance in Fort McMurray, while others only offer limited coverage. He predicts insurers may be more likely to offer coverage to homes and businesses in downtown Fort McMurray once the flood mitigation is completed. While not guaranteed, "there's generally a willingness to provide coverage where risk has been reasonably mitigated," he said. "It gives a fighting chance for the community to have an opportunity." Kumka said one of his clients owns three downtown buildings valued at about $15 million. Before 2013, the client paid less than $1,000 for flood insurance. Last year, they paid about $48,000. Story continues This year, the insurance company will be paying out $7 million for repair costs from the flood, substantially more than the premiums paid by the client. Multiple condominium owners at Longboat Landing reached out to express their concerns to council members. Resident Olivia Martineau said her main concern as a condo owner is her insurance. She described calling her insurance company to get flood coverage for her contents. "They said, 'Sorry, you are in a restricted area. You can never have that enhanced water protection." While the condo complex is covered for flood damage, the cost of the deductible is going up and Martineau is worried it could force some of her neighbours into foreclosure. Jamie Doyle, the RMWB's chief administrative officer, shared information from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which says insurance companies have paid out about $436 million for Fort McMurray's recent spring flood. Doyle added the IBC has a risk manager available for Fort McMurray residents who can advise residents who are finding it difficult to get insurance. Ashley Proulx, another Longboat Landing condo owner, said owners in her building are worried they'll never be able to sell their homes because of the location and the inability to get full insurance. "We could possibly lose our home at any time, all because of issues such as insurance." Axel Tardieu/CBC/Radio-Canada Christina Healy would like to see a full buyout of the entire neighbourhood, saying it's "not a safe place to live" and that "it's become clear to me that the municipality's not able to protect us." Before the flood, her condo's insurance premium went up by hundreds of thousands of dollars and they were denied flood insurance. "I just don't know where we're going to go from here." She said if Draper, Ptarmigan and Waterways homes are bought out, her home value will plummet. "We simply don't want to continue to pay a mortgage on a property that will continue to decline in value and can't be properly insured," she said. Coun. Keith McGrath introduced a motion, which was passed by council, to ask industry partners to help build the berms in Fort McMurray. He called the move an effort to expedite the construction and said he was looking for a solution that didn't involve forcing people from their homes in buyouts. Council also accepted all of the administration's recommendations for flood mitigation, and will get an update on proceedings on Sept. 15. As Texas continues to grapple with a rising death toll due to the novel coronavirus, state and local officials have clashed over how to handle the return to class, creating some challenges for area districts like Humble ISD. Humble ISD is working to create a plan that works for families and satisfies all legal requirements, Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen wrote an update to parents on Wednesday. Although instruction will begin on Aug. 11, it is still unclear what format that might be for most students because the district is still surveying parents and staff. BACK TO SCHOOL: Lake Houston YMCA supports families in-need through Operation Backpack Fagen said they have decided to restart one on one special education, pre-K, ESL and advanced academics testing, which had been in session already and are optional. Humble ISD is a family. It is a partnership between educational professionals, families, and our community that is focused on one thing- what is best for our students, Fagen said in her statement. As such, it is the very best place for children to learn and grow in my opinion. Uncertainty has increased after conflicting advice from state and local officials. On July 24, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and public health authorities from Harris County and the City of Houston made an order requiring schools to remain virtual until at least Sept. 8. Then on July 28, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in a letter, which is not legally binding, that local orders cannot close schools unilaterally in their jurisdiction due to the coronavirus. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Paxton, TEA put out new guidance on Texas school closures. What does it mean? The Texas Education Agency followed with an announcement that schools can continue with virtual learning through the first eight weeks but will lose state funding if they are closed after that even if it is due to an order from a local health authority like the one Hidalgo announced on July 24. Due to the wide range of individual risks within the district, Fagen urged parents and guardians to update their learning location form that indicates if they would want their student to return to campus or continue virtual learning. All plans will be finalized on Monday, Aug. 3 the same day teachers return to campus by the direction of their principal and decisions will be announced by Humble ISD on Tuesday. The county and city order plus the AG opinion have added a lot of complexity to this analysis; and our School Start Date Survey was completed under the belief/context that in-person learning was prohibited by the city and county order, Fagen said in her statement. We understand that those data are only valid if the order is lawful and will be followed. WEIGHING THE RISKS: Spread of COVID in kids still a big unknown as Texas schools plan August reopening Fagen said that while she is not a health care professional, she said she understands there are a range of symptoms caused by the coronavirus and because of that it does not make sense to make a judgment on how students will return to school based on their own personal needs and risks. She said the district supports families who think going to campus is worth the risk and those who believe it is too dangerous to return to in-person instruction. Teachers have been preparing for online learning, Fagen said. Therefore, I want to be clear that while all indicators of community health data appear to be improving, particularly in our part of the county, the virus is still here, Fagen said in her statement. The virus will likely be here on September 8, and in October, and probably in December... This is why it is very important that every single one of us work with the healthcare professionals we trust to determine the right path for our families and our children. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island politicians, police and other community leaders came together for a virtual discussion on Wednesday evening about heightened criminal activity, policing and racial tensions on Staten Island. The Zoom discussion, titled Community Dialogue on Race Relations, was hosted by the African Community Alliance of Staten Island (ACASI). It is the second in a series of virtual racial discussions the organization is hosting. More than 70 community members were present for the call. On the call, ACASI led the discussion on racial injustices and reform on Staten Island with a list of influential panelists. Participating were NYPD Assistant Chief and Borough Commander Kenneth Corey, Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Legal Aid Society Attorney in Charge Christopher Pisciotta, mental health specialist Dr. Joel Idowu, John McBeth, of Occupy the Block, and representatives for State Sen. Diane Savino and Assemblyman Charles Fall. The two-hour discussion touched on the topics of recent gun violence in the borough, accountability in policing, and funding for youth and community programs. VARYING FACTORS CREATE PERFECT STORM FOR CRIME As the world continues to handle the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, Corey said a tense environment may be the cause of the recent uptick in shootings on Staten Island. Over the last seven days, the North Shore has seen five shootings, three of which were fatal. One, we have a lot of pent-up frustration surrounding [COVID-19],' Corey said. At the same time, we have police officers who, given the current climate, are a little reluctant to proactively engage the way they would in the past. All of that is creating this perfect storm, if you will, of people much more comfortable carrying guns and much more comfortable using them.' According to Corey, the criminal justice system also took a hit and is not operating normally since the virus began. We have people who we believe to be drivers of violence ... but those cases are not proceeding through the criminal justice system as they normally would, Corey said. Pisciotta agreed that COVID-19, the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others have impacted the community gravely Its a lot for our community,' Pisciotta said. The people are suffering out there; they need support. They need some security in their lives, and people are looking for easy targets when they criticize and say this is the blame for the uptick. He claims that there is no one factor to blame for crime in the community, but a combination of the storm of factors. While investigations are ongoing, connection with the community is the main way to make change, Corey said. What do we need to do moving forward? he posed. We need to get the community more involved. Occupy the Block hopes to be able to curb some of the violence, as well. The organization creates a consistent male presence in North Shore neighborhoods, identifying target areas to gather, bring outreach materials, and provide man-to-man counseling with youth. The organization is going back out into the community, and theyll be posting up in various neighborhoods on various nights to provide physical presence as deterrence, as well as to engage those people who are out there on the street, said McBeth. THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IN FIGHTING CRIME Several panelists noted the importance of community and youth programs as another major deterrent to criminal activity. However, several of those programs are struggling with funding. As the city entered fiscal year 2021, the NYPD budget was reduced by $1 billion. Some of that money was re-allocated for youth and summer programming. Despite that, the many departments and programs that took a hit with the new budget is a cause for concern, community leaders say. Without money and funding and resources, the underlying problems are going to continue to fester, said Kevin Elkins, district director under Rose. In a budget crisis like this, what we often see is that the organizations that are on the ground the most... are the first ones that get the axe. These organizations, Elkins says, are one of the key players in keeping youth engaged and connected to the community. These are the groups that have really intrinsic value to the community, he said. The reasons were seeing a lot of violence spike is complicated, whether its from coronavirus and other issues as well, but when we dont invest in proactive measures to ensure that our youth have stuff to do ... were just cutting our noses off despite our faces. CONTINUING THE DIALOGUE These conversations, panelists agree, are the first steps in enacting serious change. The need to hear each other as a community is only heightened given the pandemic and racial conditions, but always necessary, they said. We need to come together as a community,' Corey said. We need to do something about this explosion in gun violence that were seeing, thats claiming far too many people. We need to continue this dialogue, and we need to figure out what we want our police department to look like as we move forward. ACASI members said they intend to extend the community dialogue series, and they encourage more to get involved. Updates and live streams of future dialogues will be posted to its Facebook page. As key politicians in the state test positive for coronavirus, the Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday said anyone not wearing a mask will be subjected to penalties regardless of their position as a minister, MP or MLA. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a number of ministers, MPs, MLAs and senior bureaucrats have tested positive. Office-bearers from the RSS and BJP, including state head VD Sharma and organisation general secretary Suhas Bhagat, have also tested positive. There wont be any visit from MP or MLA in districts till August 14, there wont be any meeting which requires a mic, all rallies and meetings are banned till August 14 and if required virtual meetings could be carried out but not more than five persons could gather at a single place, said Home Minister Narottam Mishra. A mask or a cotton towel is mandatory for everyone and those found in violation would be punished with a fine. Mishra said districts will be placed under lockdown only when there is no alternative measure to rein in infections. All these decisions were taken in a review meeting chaired by Chouhan through video conferencing. Chouhan warned public representatives against violation of safety norms, cautioning this could attract fines and registration of cases. He lauded the Morena and Gwalior administrations for bringing down the rate of infections. The opposition Congress has attacked the ministers and BJP leaders for not wearing masks and violating social distancing norms. Mishra himself was slammed for avoiding masks and taking part in crowded gatherings. On Thursday, Mishra was seen draping a cotton towel around his neck and wearing a mask. Congress media cell co-ordinator Narendra Saluja on Wednesday had said that citizens should not be subjected to any punitive measure for not wearing masks and defying social distancing norms unless the fine is imposed on Mishra for similar violations. Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya is involved in a face-off with the district administration in Indore as he wants the cancellation of Sunday lockdown in the city ahead of Raksha Bandhan festival on Monday. Collector Manish Singh has said it will be difficult to contain Covid-19 spread if markets are opened in the current situation. Including Indore, red zones are witnessing Saturday-Sunday lockdown. A sign in a British hospital has caused controversy for asking breastfeeding moms to pay attention to their babies instead of their mobile phones. The sign, which went viral on social media, has had many parents come forward to criticize its mom-shaming message. On Jan. 5, new father Dr. Ash Cottrella posted a photo of the sign at Yeovil District Hospitals Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) on a now-deleted Twitter page. Mummy & Daddy, the sign began, Please look at ME when I am feeding. I am much more interesting than your phone! Thank you. The poster depicted an image of a smartphone struck through with a red line on one side and a swaddled baby on the other. Cottrella captioned the photo, This poster makes me sad. After he posted a picture of the poster, hundreds of netizens flocked to join the debate. Additionally, a representative from the hospital in South Somerset, England, released a statement in defense of the SCBUs message, stating that the posters advice was intended to encourage milk flow and strengthen mom-baby bonding, according to the Mirror. (Illustration Valeria Aksakova/Shutterstock) These posters were created by our Special Care Baby Unit nurses following UNICEF baby-friendly accreditation training and have been in place for a few months, the representative explained, adding, They are intended to be used only within the context of the unit, where we support moms of premature or very poorly babies in building a healthy connection. The poster, they explained, had been working very successfully as a conversation starter for the hospitals SCBU team and had received mainly positive feedback. One netizen, as quoted by The Sun, spoke up in support of the hospitals intention. I didnt read it as bad parenting, they reflected. More as enjoy/be in the moment of feeding your newborn. However, many other mothers argued that mobile phones provide an invaluable resource in the days following a babys birth. A Sun writer, Lynsey Hope, from Kent in England, wrote to defend a new moms right to use her phone while breastfeeding. (Illustration Farknot Architect/Shutterstock) When I had my son Jacob in July 2014, he had a healthy appetite, Hope explained. He fed every three hours and each time would take a good hour; thats eight hours a day. Using social media while feeding her son gave Hope a lifeline and made her feel less lonely. Not to mention, she said, her babies rarely fed with their eyes open, so breastfeeding gave this resourceful mom the opportunity to work through her to-do list while her babies were otherwise engaged. (Illustration Jeerapong Tosa-ngad/Shutterstock) Yeovil District Hospitals SCBU responded to the widespread criticism of their sign and concluded that its all a matter of balance. Feeding can be more challenging in premature or unwell babies, a hospital representative told the Mirror, so watching how your baby feeds and being aware of changes in position is essential in these very early days. Moms with babies in special care, staff pointed out, are at greater risk of postnatal depression, so keeping in touch with family and friends is just as important as learning to bond with the new baby. [T]his is about encouraging a healthy balance, they said. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:24:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Azerbaijan held a large-scale joint military exercise with the participation of air and ground forces, the Turkish defense ministry said on Thursday. The joint drilling in Azerbaijan continues with the participation of Turkish army's aviation elements, the ministry tweeted. The military exercise involving jets and helicopters started on Wednesday and will continue until Aug. 10, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported. The drills came following tense clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia along their border, which happened more than two weeks ago, claiming numerous lives on both sides. Ankara affirmed its full support to Baku immediately after the border clashes erupted on July 12. Enditem Nigerias President, Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of the Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, leader, Pa Ayorinde Fasanmi, as a big loss to Nigeria. The President condoles with people and government of Osun and Ekiti States, family members, friends and associates of the elder statesman, who served as a legislator in both House of Representatives and Senate, and distinguished himself politically by always standing for the truth, especially on issues related to the uplifting of the downtrodden. Buhari, in a statement issued by Femi Adesina, his spokesman, affirmed that Chief Fasanmis wise counsels borne out of humility, deep reflection, diligent studies and experience would be sorely missed by governments at different levels, as he regularly and willingly listened to leaders, and always had a good advice on going forward. As an ardent follower and prodigy of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the President believed the fearless and consistent leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation lived to serve his people and the nation, and the progressive ideals that he projected impacted greatly and provided a road map on development at state and federal levels. Buhari noted with commendation, that the efforts of Chief Fasanmi in the founding and sustenance of Nigerias democracy would be remembered, and that posterity would be glad for his great sacrifices. The President prayed that the Almighty God would receive the soul of the departed leader, and comfort his family. Related REGINASaskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has sent a stark message to the provinces Hutterite colonies as their leaders and health officials work to deal with a rising number of COVID-19 cases mainly found in their communities. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 50 new infections, with 44 of them in one northern Hutterite community. It was the second-highest number of new cases reported in Saskatchewan on any day since the pandemic began. The province reported 60 new cases on July 22. Moe said 244 of Saskatchewans 322 active cases are in Hutterite communities. That represents three-quarters of the provinces current infections. The premier noted that most of the provinces 80 or so colonies are being co-operative in trying to contain the outbreak and added no one should be stigmatized because of the virus. However, he said, a few of the Anabaptist communities are resistant to testing and unwilling to change parts of their communal lifestyle, such as eating and worshipping in large groups. This needs to change, said Moe. Speaking from prepared remarks directly to those living in colonies, he said the province has been spared from some of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic because people changed their behaviour. Every single one of us in this province has been asked to and the vast majority have changed how we are living each and every day, said Moe. You all need to as well. If you dont, many will get sick in your community. Some will get very sick. Some will die. There are about 50,000 Hutterites in more than 520 colonies in Canada and the United States. Their way of life can make colonies vulnerable to the coronavirus since members eat, worship and do many other activities together. Advocates for Hutterite communities have complained that tough talk from politicians focused on colony outbreaks is leading to cultural and religious profiling. Canadas chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has said that such discrimination does not help build trust. Hutterian Safety Council Chair David Tschetter said they have been working with colonies for months and sending the same message as Moe when it comes to the pandemic. He expressed disappointment the Saskatchewan government continues identifying infections as coming from colonies. During Wednesdays briefing, the premier said they have been working with the council for awhile and its clear in the (infection) numbers that we need to do more than that. Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding said he has been reaching out to leaders and ensuring compliance with public health orders is top of mind, which he believes is best achieved through education. I know even the conversation I had this morning with a couple of Hutterite leaders was talking about asymptomatic patients, he said. The government has the authority to intervene to prevent the spread of the virus. It can mandate self-isolation and restrict travel with roadblocks in communities, as was seen in the far north earlier this year. There are powers that the government does have and there may be instances in the near future where possibly those powers may have to be utilized, said Moe, adding theres more communities willing to be co-operative than not. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health says of the provinces 1,268 total cases, 929 people have recovered and 15 people remain in hospital. Seventeen patients have died. The introduction of voluntary military service in Homeland Security by the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) from April next year, is an invitation to neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists to receive military training by the German government in return for payment. This is clear from the name as well as from the historical, political and international context. The term Homeland Security (Heimatschutz), which is used in an almost obsessive wayappearing eleven times in the short advertising text on the Ministry of Defence websiteis a battle cry of the extreme right. It has both current and historical resonances. Neo-Nazi organisations involved in terrorist attacks and murders like to call themselves homeland security. For example, the Thuringia Homeland Security, which was set up with state funds by the secret service Confidential Informant (CI) Tilo Brandt, recruited Uwe Mundlos, Uwe Bohnhardt and Beate Zschape, who later formed the neo-Nazi National Socialist Underground (NSU) that committed at least ten racist murders and several attacks. Demonstration of the Thuringer Heimatschutz (Photo: -/Mobit e.V./dapd)] But there wasor isalso the Frankischer Heimatschutz, the Markischer Heimatschutz, etc. A book published in 2014 by the Stefan Aust and Dirk Laabs is titled: Heimatschutz: Der Staat und die Mordserie des NSU. (Homeland Security: The state and the series of murders carried out by the NSU). Between the two world wars, numerous right-wing paramilitary units called themselves Heimatschutz. For example, in Austria, homeland defence associations were formed under this name, which were modelled on Mussolini's fascists. In 1928, they attacked the social-democratic working class district of Wiener Neustadt during a March on Vienna. Based on the Nazi ideology of blood and soil, the Heimatschutzverband (Homeland Security Association) also mixed nature conservation and the protection of historical monuments with nationalist and anti-Semitic ideas. For example, the Bavarian Homeland Security, whose honorary chairman was District President Gustav von Kahr since 1927, was a key figure in right-wing extremist activities. During the Second World War, a local auxiliary unit within the Waffen-SS in Slovakia called itself Heimatschutz Slowakei (HS). Among other things, the HS guarded concentration camps and was involved in the arrest, torture and murder of numerous Jews. With the invitation to perform service in the Homeland Security and to be trained in the use of weapons, the Bundeswehr is sending a clear signal to right-wing extremist youths that they no longer need to hide in order to prepare for an upcoming civil war. In the period since the NSU trial in Munich, the assassination of Kassel district president Walter Lubcke, the attack on the synagogue in Halle, the racist mass murders in Hanau and the exposure of right-wing networks in and around the elite Bundeswehr KSK unit, right-wing terrorist networks have come into the public eye, where the response is horror, anger and indignation. The grand coalition of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats is reacting to this by doubling down and setting up military units under the auspices of the Bundeswehr for use against political opponents. In its public announcements, the Bundeswehr confesses with remarkable openness that this concerns armed military operations inside Germany, which are forbidden under the constitution. The biggest difference to classic voluntary military service, the Bundeswehr website states, is the close-to-home scheduling of reservist service after basic and specialist training and service in Homeland Security instead of deployment abroad. This is not a kind of civilian service in uniform. Volunteers are to be fully trained militarily. Part of the total seven-month basic and special training is also firearms training, the Bundeswehr emphasizes. Physical fitness and dexterity over an obstacle course are also required. Those engaged in voluntary military service for the protection of the homeland will also carry out these military challenges. In the last five months of their one-year service, volunteers will do reserve service. Afterwards, they will have the opportunity to grow into the Territorial Reserve, which has been systematically built up over the past eight years. A pilot project for this is the Landesregiment Bayern (Bavarian State Regiment), which is supported by the Bundeswehr and the reservist association. According to the Bundeswehr, the first regiment of its kind in Germany serves both national defence and homeland security. Among other things, it supports the police in emergencies. It contributes to the quick and easy integration of a modern and efficient reserve into the existing active [military] structures. In other words, it is intended to ensure smooth cooperation between reservists geared to domestic operations and the fighting force. It is obvious that this is not, as the government likes to portray it, about providing assistance in the event of natural disasters, fighting bark beetles, conducting coronavirus tests, etc. Rather, the model is the Department of Homeland Security in the USA. This agency, which was founded after the attacks of September 11, 2001, has grown into a gigantic apparatus with 240,000 employees and an annual budget of $62 billion. It monitors, spies on and terrorizes the entire population of the United States. In recent days, President Trump has sent highly trained Homeland Security combat units into American cities to fight against demonstrations. In scenes reminiscent of South American military dictatorships, unidentified soldiers arrest peaceful protesters and transport them to unknown locations in vehicles without license plates. In this way, Trump is preparing to establish a dictatorship in the face of an escalating social and political crisis. Something similar is happening in Germany. The ruling class is preparing for fierce class struggles. The coronavirus pandemic has massively intensified the global crisis of the capitalist system. Millions are threatened with losing their jobs and their incomes, while others are forced back to work at the risk of their lives. Ninety years ago, the ruling classes in Germany reacted to a similar crisis with the Nazi dictatorship and a war of annihilation. Today, they are moving in the same direction. They are systematically rearming and preparing for new war missions and the violent suppression of social and political opposition. But unlike the 1930s, they do not have a fascist mass movement. The mood in the population tends towards the left. The development of right-wing and fascist forces is mainly driven by the state. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, as the secret service is called, serves as a control centre for right-wing terrorism. In the Bundeswehr and the police, there are right-wing extremist networks that are being covered up and trivialised from above. Even the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose ranks include numerous representatives of the police, the Bundeswehr and the secret services, is systematically courted and promoted by the state and the establishment parties. The parties of the grand coalitionCDU, CSU and SPDbear the main responsibility for this policy. But the opposition partiesthe Left Party, the Greens, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and of course the AfDsupport it. The struggle against fascism and militarism requires the construction of an independent movement of the working class that fights for the overthrow of capitalism and an international socialist programme. In Amsterdam's suburbs, the forklift trucks have already resumed their incessant loading of crates of flowers as the Netherlands' horticulture giants get back to deliveries across the globe after the coronavirus lockdown. Every day, the Netherlands' massive flower industry sells tonnes of French flowers to French consumers, just one sign of years of Dutch dominance of the globalised market. But as the pandemic pushes consumers to look more locally, French flower growers are hoping to break Dutch hegemony by selling home-grown produce with less of an impact on the climate as part of the so-called "slow flowers" movement. Started in the United States as a way to promote local farm and flower produce, the movement is growing as it supports local economies and ethical producers in a shift away from industrialised commerce. Figures vary, but executives at French affiliate of Dutch giant FleuraMetz estimate 70 percent of the world's flower production now makes its way through Holland, even produce that is not grown on Dutch soil. "We sell 30,000 different varieties," said Michel Van Schie, spokesman for Royal Flora Holland, another Dutch horticulture giant. The Netherlands' love of horticulture dates back centuries -- and even caused the first stock market crash in the 17th century when speculation over tulip bulb prices caused prices to soar, only to later collapse. The country's domination of the market accelerated in the 1950s with the creation of large cooperatives that helped market sales. The Netherlands "has been able to organise itself to market the flower, by concentrating production, by concentrating logistics, by creating cooperatives which made it possible to facilitate marketing," said Thierry Louveau, an executive at FleuraMetz's French unit. The Dutch state still subsidises energy consumption by Dutch flower greenhouses. Part of their success has been the reliance on relocated production in the southern hemisphere, where growers have access to sun and cheaper labour all year round. In Kenya, for example, flowers are shipped back to the Netherlands before being distributed to markets everywhere. In the African country, "the sector directly employs 200,000 people on farms and represents more than a million jobs, supporting four million people," Clement Tulezi, president of the Kenya Flower Council told AFP. The Dutch industry has developed an extremely efficient logistics system with trucks crisscrossing Europe, making it difficult for rivals to compete with its floral giants. "There are flowers produced in France that leave for Amsterdam and return to France," says Benjamin Perot, one of the co-founders of Monsieur Marguerite, an eco-responsible florist. The Nice tulip, for example, is produced in the eponymous region in south-eastern France, but can be shipped to the Netherlands where it is evaluated before returning to France, explains Hortense Harang of the "Flowers From Here" association. Faced with this competition, many French flower growers go out of business or adapt their business model. The French floral trade association, Val'Hor, estimates that 85 percent of France's flowers are now imported. "In 1972, there were 30,000 horticultural farms in France, today there are 3,500," says Harang. Local French and other European growers now hope to reverse this trend and reduce the industry's carbon footprint, encouraged by stronger consumer demand for local produce since the Covid-19 pandemic. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here "What is emerging from the crisis is still a desire to buy French, a desire to buy local," Val'Hor president Mikael Mercier told AFP. The challenge, according to florist Perot, is guaranteeing the produce is 100 percent French, given the competition with Dutch logistics and the ease of access to different products the large cooperatives bring. By buying from the Dutch market, a florist in Biarritz, southwest of France can have any flower in his shop the next day just at the press of a button, Perot said. In a bid to counter structural weakness, programmes are being set up in France, as well as in Belgium, Italy and Britain to connect horticulturalists with independent florists, low-carbon distributors who use bicycles or electric vehicles and local customers. In Britain, which leads the movement in Europe, the "Flowers From The Farm" cooperative brings together producers of all sizes to access British-grown flowers. It now has 800 members, according to its website. But the breakdown in supply chains caused by the pandemic has highlighted the desire for French-grown flowers more than ever, said Sylvie Robert, director of the association Excellence Vegetale, which is developing the "Flowers of France" label. "We will reach close to 2,000 engaged companies," Robert said, saying requests were up to 10 per day from April, compared with just one or two before. "It is not a small boom, but a good big boom." Despite the obstacles, French horticulturists such as Masami Lavault are seeing progress in a return to locally-grown produce. Lavault works on small-plot cultivation behind the Belleville cemetery in Paris, where she tends to around 200 to 250 species from Damascus nigella and cosmos to calendulas. "We try not to complicate our lives. But for me, it's very important to have great diversity," she said. Two days a week, Lavault picks her colourful crops that are treated without chemical agents and which she sells to florists and individuals. "For people, it's great to be able to come here, to see how it works, to see a field of flowers," she said. "That's the purpose of micro-agriculture, to be as close as possible to the people who will consume the product." House lawmakers aired an enormous array of grievances with the CEOs of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple Wednesday, throwing everything in their arsenal at four of the most powerful men in the world for six hours. Quick take: The antitrust hearing didn't nail a case that these companies are harmful monopolies. But the representatives succeeded in wringing some surprising admissions from the executives about how they wield their market power, providing ammunition for regulators now conducting investigations and possibly a spur for Congress to strengthen antitrust law for the digital era. The big picture: Here's where the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee pressed each company hardest. Facebook: Panel Democrats said the social network's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were plainly anticompetitive that the company made the deals to stop Instagram from becoming a competitor to its main platform and WhatsApp from becoming a competitor to its messaging service. (CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook had no idea the two would become such juggernauts when it bought them.) Panel Democrats said the social network's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were plainly anticompetitive that the company made the deals to stop Instagram from becoming a competitor to its main platform and WhatsApp from becoming a competitor to its messaging service. (CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook had no idea the two would become such juggernauts when it bought them.) Google : Lawmakers homed in on the company's acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007 as the watershed moment when its dominance of search combined with power over the levers of online ad targeting. : Lawmakers homed in on the company's acquisition of DoubleClick in 2007 as the watershed moment when its dominance of search combined with power over the levers of online ad targeting. Amazon faced tough questions about its role as both a massively successful online retailer and the proprietor of the biggest online marketplace for third-party sellers. faced tough questions about its role as both a massively successful online retailer and the proprietor of the biggest online marketplace for third-party sellers. Apple took sustained heat for its power over the iPhone's App Store and the cut it takes from developers who sell digital products through their apps. took sustained heat for its power over the iPhone's App Store and the cut it takes from developers who sell digital products through their apps. All the companies, subcommittee chair David Cicilline said, have become bottlenecks for distribution, using their chokehold over data to surveil potential competitors and their control over technologies to extend their power. Yes, but: The CEOs dodged most of the bullets aimed at them. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, testifying for the first time before Congress, sustained the most damage. Asked if Amazon has ever broken its rule against tapping specific third-party seller data to develop its own competing products, Bezos said he couldn't rule it out. He also acknowledged that the "aggregate data" Amazon does allow its employees to examine can come from as few as two or three marketplace sellers. Asked if Amazon used data from companies that use its AWS cloud unit to develop competing products, Bezos first said he wasn't aware of the company doing so and then acknowledged it may learn things about AWS clients that it uses in product development. The catch: Lawmakers repeatedly cited instances where the companies acted ruthlessly, but antitrust laws don't bar ruthless competition unless you're a proven monopolist. Each of these companies wields enormous power. But antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission won't be able to use the evidence the committee assembled to build an antitrust case unless they can also define markets and prove that these companies dominate them. The antitrust panel did little on that front Wednesday. They raised no objections, for instance, as Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cook cited examples of intense competition they face in various lines of business. They spent more time drilling down on the methods Facebook, Amazon and others used to develop copycat versions of other firms' products and apps. Between the lines: Zuckerberg was quick to note that regulators at the time raised no objection to Facebook's acquisitions. That argument only underscored the deeper unspoken assumption behind the Democrats' attack. Our existing system brought us to this point, they seemed to say, where a handful of private companies dictate the terms of how people talk, consume, work and play online. Time to change that system. The other side: Panel Democrats like Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Joe Neguse and antitrust subcommittee chairman David Cicilline drove tough lines of evidence-based inquiry, and a couple of their Republican counterparts joined in. But most of the GOP representatives used their time to repeat the litany of charges of anti-conservative bias that they have been pressing in the Capitol for two years. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said "Big tech is out to get conservatives" and pressed the CEOs one by one to denounce "cancel culture." Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) spent several minutes needling Google CEO Sundar Pichai on why Gmail is filing his campaign emails to supporters' and family members' spam folders. Our thought bubble: Republicans normally provide the "hands off business" side of the antitrust argument, but their obsession with bias and "censorship" charges left that perspective with few advocates in this debate. Pune, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global critical infrastructure protection (CIP) market is expected to grow astonishingly backed by the increasing development of smart cities. Such cities consist of cyber and physical infrastructures that enhance the overall standard of living. Security experts often use CIP solutions to protect the infrastructures from cyber-attacks. This information is given by Fortune Business Insights in a new report, titled, Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Type, Services), By Application (Identity and Access Management, Patching and Vulnerability Management, Security Event Monitoring, Incident Response, Resilience and System Recovery, Others), By Vertical (Energy and Power, BFSI, Transportation and Logistics, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Chemical, Oil and Gas, Government and Defense, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. The report further states that the critical infrastructure protection (CIP) market size was USD 96.30 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 154.59 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. Get Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/critical-infrastructure-protection-cip-market-103339 The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be very destructive for a wide range of industries. Their operations have come to a complete standstill. Until and unless a vaccine is discovered, it will be difficult for them to resume production processes. Our reports would help the clients in receiving the best strategies available to gain business confidence amidst this pandemic. To get to know more about the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market, please click: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/critical-infrastructure-protection-cip-market-103339 This Report Answers the Following Questions: What are the market dynamics, growth drivers, and obstacles? How will the market be affected by COVID-19? Which company would generate the maximum revenue? Which strategies are being adopted by key companies to intensify sales? Drivers & Restraints- Rising Need to Protect Industrial Infrastructure will Surge Demand for CIP Solutions Critical infrastructure is persistently at high risk from numerous man-made and natural hazards and threats, such as terrorist attacks, cyberattacks, conventional or falling infrastructure, and harsh weather conditions. The large industrial infrastructures require internet connectivity for administration and remote monitoring. The above-mentioned threats can cause severe damages to defense, transport, energy systems, healthcare, finance, and telecommunications. They can further have devastating effects on the economy worldwide. Therefore, the critical infrastructure protection solutions are much needed for preventing such threats. In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic would impact the market positively stoked by the urgent need for strong communication infrastructure as the educational institutions are moving towards e-learning and the companies are shifting towards work-from-home initiatives. However, building robust partnerships with the governments, stakeholders, and organizations to collect information is a difficult task. It requires trust building. This factor may hamper the critical infrastructure protection market growth in the near future. Segment- Identity & Access Management Segment to Lead Owing to Its Ability to Provide Secure Access to Companies Based on application, the market is segregated into resilience and system recovery, incident response, security event monitoring, patching and vulnerability management, identity and access management, and others. Out of these, the identity and access management segment held 26.8% in terms of critical infrastructure protection market share in 2019. It is set to lead throughout the coming years owing to its ability to aid the companies in delivering efficient and secure access to the diverse systems. Speak To Analyst- https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/critical-infrastructure-protection-cip-market-103339 Regional Analysis- High-profile Cyber-attacks to Favor Growth in Asia Pacific In 2019, North America procured USD 32.57 billion in terms of revenue. This growth is attributable to the increasing dependence of the e-commerce and electric power industries on CIP solutions, as well as the rising cases of cyber-attacks. So, the American government has inclined towards providing safety to the critical infrastructure of various countries in the region. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the near future backed by the increasing prevalence of high-profile cyber-attacks. These attacks have compelled the authorities to strengthen their critical infrastructure and cyber resilience. It would help in surging the demand for CIP solutions in this region. Competitive Landscape- Key Players Focus on Partnership Strategy to Gain a Competitive Edge The market houses some of the industry giants, such as Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Honeywell International, Inc., and BAE Systems that are consistently striving to retain their positions by working with a wide range of industries, such as water and wastewater, food processing, electric utilities, and oil & gas. Some of the other companies are following the strategy of partnerships and collaborations to develop in-house CIP solutions. Below are two of the latest industry developments: February 2020 : IronNet Cybersecurity Inc. joined hands with Raytheon Company to create cyber solutions for the operational technology and information technology (OT/IT) systems. These will be delivered to the defense team and will help in controlling the interaction with the physical world. : IronNet Cybersecurity Inc. joined hands with Raytheon Company to create cyber solutions for the operational technology and information technology (OT/IT) systems. These will be delivered to the defense team and will help in controlling the interaction with the physical world. April 2018: Carleton University signed an agreement with SNC-Lavalin to collaboratively protect the critical infrastructures. This main aim of the company is to protect the industries from cybersecurity threats as they fully depend on network interconnectivity and smart grid technology. Fortune Business Insights presents a list of all the critical infrastructure protection solution providers operating in the global market. They are as follows: 3xLogic (Westminster, US) Airbus (Leiden, Netherlands) Axis Communications (Lund, Sweden) BAE Systems (Farnborough, United Kingdom) Cisco Systems, Inc. (California, United States) General Dynamics (Virginia, United States) Hexagon AB (Sweden) Honeywell International, Inc. (North Carolina, United States) Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd (Shenzhen, China) Johnson Control (Cork, Ireland) Motorola Solutions (Illinois, United States) Northrop Grumman (Virginia, United States) Thales Group (La Defense, France) Tyco International (Cork, Ireland) Quick Buy: Critical infrastructure Protection Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/103339 Detailed Table of Content Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources Executive Summary Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Emerging Trends Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Impact of COVID-19 Short-term Impact Long-term Impact Key Industry Developments In Response to the COVID-19 Impact Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Force Analysis Global Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Component (Value) Type Operational Technology Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems Distributed Control Systems (DCS) Information Technology Network Security Physical Security Services Consulting Services Maintenance and Support Managed services Risk Management Services Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Application (Value) Identity and Access Management Patching and Vulnerability Management Security Event Monitoring Incident Response Resilience and System Recovery Others Market Size Estimates and Forecasts By Vertical (Value) Energy and Power BFSI Transportation and Logistics Healthcare Manufacturing and Chemical Oil and Gas Government and Defence Others Market Size and Forecast By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Latin America TOC Continued...!!! Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/critical-infrastructure-protection-cip-market-103339 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Wireless Infrastructure Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Connectivity Type (5G, 4G & LTE, 3G, 2G and Satellite), By Infrastructure Type (Small Cells, Mobile Core, Macro-cell, Radio Access Networks (RAN), Distributed Antenna System (DAS), Cloud RAN, Carrier Wi-Fi, Backhaul, and SATCOM), By Platform (Government & Defense, Commercial), and Regional Forecast,2019- 2026 Wireless Gas Detection System Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis By Wireless Infrastructure (Near-field, Cellular, Bluetooth, Wifi, Others), By Industry Vertical (Oil and Gas, Power Generation, Chemicals, Water and Wastewater, Mining and Metals, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 System Integration Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Service Type (Infrastructure Integration, Application Integration, Business Consulting), By End-Use Industry (BFSI, Government, Healthcare, Manufacturing, IT & Telecom, Oil & Gas, Transportation & Logistics, Retail, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Public Safety LTE Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Infrastructure (E-UTRAN, EPC), By Services (Consulting, Integration), By Deployment Model (Private, Hybrid), By Application (Law Enforcement, Firefighting Services) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 5G Infrastructure Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis By Component (Fibers, Cables, Antenna, Transceiver, Wireless Backhaul, Modem, Router), By Communication Infrastructure (Small Cell, Macro Cell, Radio Access Network (RAN), Distributed Antenna System (DAS)), and Regional Forecast 2019-2026 5G IoT Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology (5G New Radio Standalone Architecture, 5G New Radio Non-Standalone Architecture), By Type (Short-Range IoT devices, Wide-Range IoT devices), By Industry (Manufacturing, Government, Energy and Utilities, Transportation and Logistics, Aviation, Others (Mining)) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Small Cell 5G Network Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Application (Residential & SOHO, Enterprises and Others), By Communication Infrastructure (Femtocell, Metrocell, Picocell and Microcell), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1-424-253-0390 UK: +44-2071-939123 APAC: +91-744-740-1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights LinkedIn | Twitter | Blogs Read Press Release https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/global-critical-infrastructure-protection-cip-market-10129 An employee of Dominos Pizza and the owners of three other eateries were arrested for not closing their businesses after 9pm on Thursday night. Karan Mayur, an employee at the Dominos outlet near Bhai Bala Chowk, was arrested by the Division Number 6 police. He is a resident of Kartar Nagar. Similarly, Gurpreet Singh of Shakti Nagar was arrested for keeping his shop, Baba Chicken, in Kochar market, open after 9pm. Sarabha Nagar police arrested Ram Kumar of Barewal for a similar violation. Pawan Kumar, a juice shop owner, was arrested by the Division Number 8 police, while the owner of Shahi Dhaba at Kailash Chowk was booked for the same violation. Separate cases under the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act were registered at various police stations. At least three Assam Rifles (AR) personnel died and six others were injured in an ambush in Manipurs Chandel district along the India-Myanmar border on Wednesday night. Three banned militant outfits -- the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I), Revolutionary Peoples' Front (RPF), which is the political wing of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), and the Manipur Naga Peoples Front (MNPF) -- have jointly claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident took place around 6:30-7:00pm when the AR troops in Khongtal, about 3km from the India-Myanmar border, were returning to their post after three days of operation along the border, an official said. The party came under an IED attack followed by an ambush near Sajik Tampak village, around 2km from the AR base. The deceased were identified as Havildar Pranay Kalita, Rifleman YM Konyak and Rifleman Ratan Salim. The six jawans who sustained minor injuries were shifted to the military hospital. An official statement by the Assam Rifles is awaited. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh condemned the cowardice attack and offered his condolences. Former President Barack Obama used his eulogy for the late Congressman John Lewis on Thursday to outline a dramatic new plan for voting reform, including a new voting rights act, statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., and making Election Day a national holiday. Obama's call to arms for Democrats rang out as a clear battle cry against President Donald Trump, who has complained mail-in voting will cause massive voter fraud - despite the low levels of voter fraud in the U.S. - and suggested delaying the November election. 'Everybody's got to come out and vote,' Obama told mourners at Lewis' funeral in Georgia. Obama did not mention Trump by name but it was clear who he was referring to as railed against the oppression of voting rights. Former President Barack Obama used his eulogy for the late Congressman John Lewis to lay out a dramatic new plan for voting reform Obama did not mention President Donald Trump by name but his eulogy was a clear call to arms He said the November election, which pits his Vice President Joe Biden against Trump's bid for a second term, is one of the most 'urgent' to take place. 'Few elections have been as urgent on so many levels as this one. We can't treat voting as an errand to run if we have some time. We have to treat it as the most important action we can take. On behalf of democracy. Like John, we have to give it all we have,' Obama said. Lewis died on July 17 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral on Thursday caps a week of services and tributes to the civil rights icon He outlined a bold, progressive plan to improve voting rights throughout the United States and attacked 'those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting by closing polling locations and targeting minorities and students with restrictive I.D. Laws and attacking our voting rights with surgical precision, even undermining the postal service in the run-up to an election. That's going to be dependent on mail in ballots so people don't get sick.' His words were seen as an attack on President Trump and the Republican Party, which is trying to limit mail-in voting - an option many states are taking to help combat the spread of the coronavirus. Obama had a laundry list of specific initiatives that he outlined in his 40-minute eulogy, which earned numerous rounds of applause and standing ovations. Speaking at the same lectern once used by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Obama called for an end to the filibuster in the Senate, referring to a as a 'another Jim crow relic.' The filibuster is a legislative tactic to block legislation from being passed and has been used by Republicans to kill civil-rights initiatives that have passed the House, such as bills on police reform and voting. He called on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Acting, noting it was a great way to honor the late congressman and civil rights icon. 'You want to honor John? Lets honor him by revitalizing the law that he was willing to die for. And by the way, naming it the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that is a fine tribute but John wouldn't want us to stop their, just trying to get back to where we already were,' he said. John Lewis' funeral took place at the church that was once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Democrats are pushing to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which returns a key provision to the original Voting Rights Act, which Lewis championed President Obama, in his eulogy, praised John Lewis' fight for voting rights and railed against those who oppressed minority rights House Democrats passed the legislation - which restores a key provision to the Voting Act - in December. Senate Republicans have blocked it from being brought up in that chamber. Lewis was one of the civil rights leaders who was beaten by police as he advocating for equal voting rights. The law that now bears his name would return a provision gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the section allowing the federal government to regulate the creation of new election laws in states with a history of discrimination. Since 2010, at least 25 states have rolled out laws that introduce new restrictions on voting through measures like ID requirements and registration restrictions, according to the Brennan Center. The former president appeared to be holding back tears at different points during his eulogy, particularly when he talked about Lewis' fight for voting rights and how that paved the way for his eventual election as president. Obama said all Americans should be automatically registered to vote, former felons should be able to vote, and called for Election Day to be made a national holiday, a stark contrast to Trump's call earlier Thursday to delay the November election. 'Once we've passed the John Lewis voting rights act, we should keep marching to make it even better: by making sure every American is automatically registered to vote, including former inmates who have earned their second chance. By adding polling places and expanding early voting and making Election Day a national holiday so if you are somebody who is working in a factory or you're a single mom who is to go to her job and doesn't get time off, you can still cast your ballot,' he said. The former president went on to say all Americans should be have equal representation in government, specifically pointing out Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, who have delegates to Congress without any power to vote. Obama said that every American citizen should have 'equal representation in our government, including the American citizens who live in Washington, D.C., and in Puerto Rico. They are Americans. By ending some of the partisan gerrymandering so that all voters have the power to choose their politicians, not the other way around,' he said. Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were among the mourners at the funeral service on Thursday Former President Bill Clinton clapped along with other mourners as they celebrated Lewis' life on Thursday. His wife Hillary Clinton was absent from the funeral The former president and his attorney general, Eric Holder, started a Democratic group to combat gerrymandering, which is when House districts are redrawn to favor one political party or another. House districts will be reconfigured after the 2020 census. Lewis' private funeral began at 11 a.m. at the church that was once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His funeral follows a week of memorial services. The coffin bearing his body was escorted across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on Sunday, decades after his 'Bloody Sunday' beating there drew a national spotlight to the struggle for racial equality. On Monday, his casket was taken to the U.S. Capitol in Washington where it lay in state through Tuesday. He spent more than three decades in Congress and his district included most of Atlanta. In addition to Obama, Lewis was eulogized by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter sent a message to be read. It was noted repeatedly through the service that Lewis was being honored by three former presidents - a subtle way of pointing out President Trump was not there. Trump also did not travel to Capitol Hill this week to pay his respects when Lewis was lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda. He and Lewis did not get along with the congressman, before he died, criticizing Trump's handling of race relations after demonstrations sprung up in the wake of George Floyd's death. Kidnappings continue to blight Daraa and Suweida, with one man being held for a ransom of 50 million Syrian pounds reports Baladi News. Over the past two days, the governorates of Daraa and Suweida have witnessed mutual kidnappings seeking ransom, amid accusations that militias affiliated with the Military Security Branch are responsible. A Baladi News correspondent said on Monday that unknown persons kidnapped Moadad al-Ghanem (known as Abu Talaat), who is originally from the village of al-Bajaa, west of Suweida in the town of al-Dara, as he went to buy hay for his cattle. The correspondent added that a gang in the town of Nahhata in the eastern countryside of Daraa is holding Ghanem. The gang is asking Ghanems family for 50 million Syrian pounds in exchange for his release. Suweida activists accused the gangs of being linked to the regimes Intelligence branch and of carrying out kidnappings in cooperation with the gangs in Daraa. According to the Baladi News correspondent, local factions in Suweida have kidnapped six people from Daraa to pressure the kidnappers in Daraa to release Ghanem. 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. ODESSA, TX President Donald Trump took sweeping digs at "crazy left radical Democrats" on a fundraising trip Wednesday to the fracking fields of West Texas, launching unsubstantiated claims that a Democratic administration would destroy everything from the country's suburbs to the U.S. energy industry. His Wednesday afternoon address was titled, "Restoring Energy Dominance in the Permian Basin,", according to the White House. "The president saw the pain caused in the energy industry by the price collapse and demand shock that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, and took decisive action to help," a White House statement released before the trip read. "America's energy industry is now contributing to the nation's economic recovery, and the president will continue to support the industry as it rebuilds." Trump, speaking in front of stacked metal oil barrels, also played down the financial difficulties of the oil and gas industry in Texas and elsewhere, still struggling with the pandemic lockdown and global oversupply that briefly drove oil prices into negative territory this spring. Prices have rebounded to around $40 a barrel, still below what some producers here need to break even. "We're OK now. We're back, we're back," Trump said to a crowd scattered with people wearing cowboy hats and face masks. He sought to contrast his support for oil and gas with Democratic rival Joe Biden's climate-friendly energy plan, though Biden himself has stopped short of calling for a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the production method that spurred U.S. oil and gas to a yearslong boom that started under President Barack Obama. "If they got in, you would have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas,'' warned Trump, whose poll numbers in the 2020 election are lagging. He claimed the same, without evidence, for Ohio and Pennsylvania, two fracking states that also are battlegrounds in the presidential race. Story continues Speaking under a tent to supporters on a hot, windy day, Trump alluded to the opposing party in the most extreme terms, saying a Democratic White House win and the policies of the "Washington crazy left radical Democrats" would mean "the death of American prosperity. It would destroy our country." Trump also praised a step he took last week to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule undoing a prior administration effort for low-income families that had Trump tweeting warnings to what he called the "Suburban Housewives of America." "It's been hell for suburbia," he said. "They want to uproot and demolish every American value. They want to wipe away every trace of religion from national life. They want to indoctrinate our children, defund our police, abolish the suburbs, incite riots and leave every city at the mercy of the radical left," Trump declared. Trump was combining campaigning and fundraising with his first trip to an oil and gas rig and his first visit as president to the Permian Basin. He was pulling in up to $100,000 per person at a roundtable with supporters and was expected to raise about $7 million total. His loyal donors and supporters in the oil and gas industry are dealing with the state's fierce coronavirus outbreak and the boom-turned-bust of oil and gas. Texas, over the past month, has experienced a dramatic spike in newly confirmed coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and fatalities. The state became one of the nation's hot spots as Texas politicians debated masks and other measures. Even as Air Force One carried Trump to Texas on Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported American petroleum use plummeted to a nearly 40-year low this spring, owing to the pandemic lockdown and market oversupply, partly because of intensive oil and gas production that Trump encouraged. Oil and gas prices and production have picked up somewhat since, but it's still a tough time in U.S. oilfields. Trump's government has exerted itself for the oil and gas industry at least as hard as it has for any other sector. That includes rolling back environmental and public health protections while promoting a technology-driven surge in U.S. oil and gas production begun under Obama as part of what Trump describes as an American march to global energy dominance. His administration has moved to open up vast wilderness areas to oil and gas interests over the objections of environmental groups. Trump also has sought to override various regional objections to oil and gas pipelines with executive orders. And next month, the administration is expected to announce its latest effort to block regulation of the industry's emissions of methane, a potent agent of climate change. West Texas environmental activists say the methane emissions are part of a too-little-regulated industry's assault on the air, water and public health in the region's yearslong expansion of oil and gas production. Successful legal challenges stopped the administration's earlier attempts. When flying at night into the West Texas city of Odessa, among the areas Trump visited, "it looks like a huge birthday cake, there are so many flares out here" from facilities burning off methane as an oil and gas byproduct, said the Rev. Gene Collins, an activist demanding more regulation of what environmental groups and satellite data-gathering depict as surging methane emissions in the Permian Basin. Texas oil country has long been a reliable well of fundraising for Republican presidents. But this year, the state may be a battleground. For years, Democrats have been watching Texas demographics with growing populations of Latinos, young people and ex-Californians and pining for the election cycle when it would be in play. Although Trump won the state comfortably in 2016, former Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke gave Republican Sen. Ted Cruz a scare two years ago, and Democrats have used that race to try to build an organization that could swing the state blue. Sensing an opportunity, Biden has begun airing advertisements in Texas as coronavirus cases surge there. Losing Texas, Republicans fear, would upend their party's ability to obtain the needed 270 electoral votes to capture the White House. Though privately Trump campaign officials concede the need to spend time and money in Texas, assets they would prefer to spend elsewhere, they remain confident they can retain the state and have expressed hope that Democrats will waste resources trying to obtain a prize that is out of reach. But the president does have plans to frequently visit Texas. Trump's Wednesday visit allowed him to raise needed money Biden has cut into the president's fundraising advantage and showcase both his administration's deregulation agenda and its attempts to get the economy roaring again. Ellen Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press writers Matthew Brown in Billings, Mont., and Cathy Bussewitz in New York contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on the White House Patch Russias Civic Chamber member urges creation of institute of jurors on family matters flickr.com/ Tony Guyton 17:32 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) The institute of jurors on family matters needs to be introduced as an additional mechanism protecting rights of parents in cases their children have to be removed by social workers, according to Chair of the Civic Chamber Commission on Demography, Protection of Family, Children, and Traditional Family Values Sergey Rybalchenko. This important issue relating to the protection of parents rights was urged by Rybalchenko, who, among the respective initiatives discussed at the public hearings the Civic Chamber hosted on July 24, also backed the proposal to let parents have an additional public defender. The jurors, the Commission Chair says, are to be representatives of NGOs, who are to judge if such a measure is necessary prior to trials. The rights activist cited the example of Scotland, where he said public representatives had the right to decide on feasibility of removal of children from families without trials adding that this measure was probably premature in Russia; at the same time, his initiative was necessary to achieve a significant decrease in the number of unjustified removals, Rybalchenko observed. Earlier, a bill setting restrictions on removals of children from families has reached the State Duma; the document envisages that such removals are to be carried out exclusively by court orders with the only exception for cases, where a child is facing death in a matter of hours. CARMEL, Ind., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, ADESA, a subsidiary of KAR Auction Services, Inc. d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), hosted a single digital auction event with vehicles in 22 different locations using the company's Simulcast+SM technology. The sale was hosted on behalf of The Hertz Corporation and sold vehicles to buyers in 19 states across the country. Simulcast+ is ADESA's new digital auction platform that simulates the competitive live auction environment in a fully digitized, highly automated, live streaming format. The technology allows vehicles to be offered from an auction, distribution center, dealership or multiple sites and facilitates fast, competitive bidding for buyers. "We launched Simulcast+ months ahead of schedule to support our customers during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and it has grown exponentially since then," said Jim Hallett, chairman and CEO of KAR Global. "It's faster than a physical auction, it's safer than a physical auction, and it allows sellers and buyers to participate in live auctions anytime, anywhere. Last week's successful Hertz sale reinforces Simulcast+ as the premier solution to effectively remarket inventory from multiple locations and reach a broad, highly engaged national buyer base." The Simulcast+ technology was first utilized by ADESA in April 2020, and has since been used for more than 400 auction events. Over 11,000 buying dealers have participated in those events, casting over 400,000 bids and resulting in tens of thousands of digital vehicle sales. Simulcast+ conversion mirrors results from physical auction sales and averages almost 20% more bids per vehicle than auctions using the regular Simulcast technology. Several KAR Global commercial OEM and financial institution customers are now using the technology as their preferred downstream auction platform, and several large dealer groups have also used Simulcast+ to facilitate open and closed sales across their network. Last week's sale was the second supporting Hertz's remarketing efforts. "We were pleased with the results of this sale in terms of dealer attendance, bidding activity, conversion and proceeds," said Jeffrey Adams, senior vice president of remarketing at The Hertz Corporation. "The Simulcast+ technology is easy to use and delivers valuable, real-time and post-sale analytics beyond what we could capture through a physical lane sale." For sellers, the Simulcast+ platform offers full control to set and adjust floors, pass on bids, post new asking prices and communicate directly with buyers during the sale. The integrated seller dashboard also captures comprehensive pricing, bidding and behavioral data that can be utilized to inform and market future sales. For buyers, Simulcast+ provides the ease, convenience and safety of bidding from any location and allows access to sales well outside their usual geographic auction market. It also delivers a more transparent bidding experience by clearly displaying every bid and every bidder on every sale. "Simulcast+ is all about the user experiencegiving sellers control and flexibility to run their sales their way and engaging buyers in a high-energy, Vegas-style competitive bidding environment," said Tom Fisher, chief digital officer for KAR. "Every detail of this platformfrom the interface and information display to the images, sounds and functionalitywas designed to make Simulcast+ the fastest, most advanced sequential auction platform on the market." Active ADESA dealers can learn more about Simulcast+ and view sales schedules and run lists by visiting ADESA.com. Dealers not currently registered for KAR's digital platforms, including ADESA Simulcast, DealerBlock and TradeRev, can visit www.adesa.com/godigital. About KAR KAR Auction Services, Inc. d/b/a KAR Global (NYSE: KAR), provides sellers and buyers across the global wholesale used vehicle industry with innovative, technology-driven remarketing solutions. KAR Global's unique end-to-end platform supports whole car, financing, logistics and other ancillary and related services, including the sale of nearly 3.8 million units valued at approximately $40 billion through our auctions in 2019. Our integrated physical, online and mobile marketplaces reduce risk, improve transparency and streamline transactions for customers in more than 80 countries. Headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, KAR Global has employees across the United States, Canada, Mexico, U.K. and Europe. For more information and the latest KAR Global news, go to www.karglobal.com and follow us on Twitter @KARspeaks. SOURCE KAR Global Related Links http://www.karglobal.com From 22 to 23 July 2020, experts from the WCO Secretariat and the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building for West and Central Africa (ROCB-WCA) ran a major virtual workshop on Customs challenges in Guinea and Sub-Saharan Africa. This workshop followed up on a request to bring Expertise France in to assist the technical team of the Mission to Support the Mobilization of Internal Resources (MAMRI) in Guinea. MAMRI is a body that effectively reports to the Guinean Prime Ministers Office with the task of supporting and speeding up the modernization of the fiscal authorities and other state financial authorities, the aim being to bring about a fast, strong boost to the mobilization of internal resources. It involves the main ministries dealing with the challenge of mobilizing and securing internal revenue (including the Minister for the Budget, the Minister for the Economy and Finance and the Minister for Mines and Geology). The various sessions, conducted remotely from WCO Headquarters in Brussels and the ROCB-WCA in Abidjan, focused, among other things, on simplifying and going paperless in Customs clearance procedures, implementing new control methods, cooperating with national authorities in related areas, cooperating and sharing information with Customs of trading partner countries, rationalizing transit operations, integrity in Customs administrations, e-commerce and disaster procedures management. During the opening session, there were presentations on capacity building principles and programmes in the WCO and the activities of the ROCB-WCA. By way of clarification, Expertise France is the French public agency responsible for the development and implementation of international technical cooperation projects, and it is supporting the Republic of Guinea in this capacity. At the end of this workshop, the WCO expressed its satisfaction with its working relationship with Expertise France and strongly urged MAMRI and the Guinean Customs Administration to draw useful conclusions and launch relevant initiatives in favour of reforms on every front (facilitation, security, protection of society, etc.) with a view to improving the mobilization of Customs revenue. To ensure that greater account is taken of the strategic plan/action plan for Customs, developed with the support of the WCO, this work needs to be carried out in synergy with the unit responsible for Customs reform and also with the National Committee on Trade Facilitation. This exercise provided the opportunity to explore avenues for cooperation between the WCO and Expertise France in connection with our respective activities in support of Customs administrations. John Loxley, the University of Manitoba economist and progressive advocate, has passed away. He was 77. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. John Loxley, the University of Manitoba economist and progressive advocate, has passed away. He was 77. Tributes poured in on Twitter referring to him as the "father of the alternative budget/participatory budgeting movement in Canada" and "Canadas economist answer to Robin Hood." Loxley served as an economic adviser to the governments of Tanzania, Uganda, Madagascar, Mozambique and Manitoba. He also advised the African National Congresss first government of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. He was long associated in Winnipeg with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, where he was named the 8th Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues just last fall. Lynne Fernandez of the CCPA wrote at the time: "Johns commitment to social justice can be traced to his childhood in Sheffield, England, where he was born into a large, working-class family. He learned at a young age that families with low incomes could thrive if supports like access to education, proper housing and food supplements were in place." Jeffery Taylor, dean of arts at the U of M, said: "It is an incredible shock to learn of Johns passing. He has made a significant contribution to the province of Manitoba, the University of Manitoba, and, indeed, the national and international communities over the past 50 years. He was incredibly dedicated to the work that he did as an educator and an activist." Loxley received many awards over the years including the Galbraith Prize in Economics and Social Justice, by the Progressive Economists Forum and the Canadian Association of University Teachers Distinguished Academic Award, May 2008. Loxley had a broad and deep impact in Manitoba, advising NDP governments here and then throughout his career at the U of M. He was the principal investigator in a large study examining poverty in inner city and Indigenous communities in 2012 and was a highly sought after adviser to First Nations agencies. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Secured National Medicare Reimbursement for DetermaRx Starting August 2020 with Final Medicare LCD from Palmetto GBA and Noridian Healthcare Solutions International Distribution with ProGenetics Expands Global Availability of DetermaRx to Israel in Addition to India, the Middle East and Africa Rapid Growth of DetermaRx Physician Adoption and Testing Volume Translating into Revenue DetermaDx Development Program Discontinuation Expected to Deliver Approximately $3 million in Annualized Savings Conference Call Today, July 29, at 4:30 PM EDT IRVINE, Calif., July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncocyte Corporation (NYSE American: OCX), a molecular diagnostics company with a mission to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, today reported financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020, and provided a corporate update. Oncocyte is a much stronger company today than when I stepped into the CEO role a year ago with two acquisitions that de-risked our product portfolio by adding two proprietary, well validated and published tests to our menu, said Ron Andrews, Chief Executive Officer of Oncocyte. The second quarter proved to be an important chapter in the evolution of Oncocyte as we continue to gain momentum with our two commercial products with multiple important milestones for DetermaRx, which include securing national Medicare payment, revenue generation with reimbursements from multiple payers, a solid increase in physician adoption, increased testing volume with now well over 100 patients tested, and global distribution in Israel, India, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, with our compelling clinical data, the final LCD from Noridian established a new class of predictive tests for Medicare coverage in NSCLC, with DetermaRx now positioned as the first and only test in this class. This is a momentous accomplishment that establishes Oncocyte as a true pioneer in the advancement of molecular diagnostics for lung cancer. Story continues Mr. Andrews continued, We also continue our progress with DetermaIO with data presented at ASCO that demonstrated the potential utility of DetermaIO for immunotherapy response prediction in triple negative breast cancer, the deadliest form of breast cancer. These data, combined with the lung cancer data presented at SITC in 2019, suggest that DetermaIO may have broad applicability in solid tumors regardless of tissue type, which could enable our access to the estimated $5 billion and rapidly growing molecular diagnostic market for both comprehensive profiling to identify patients likely to respond to immune therapy and identifying patients who may require combination therapy to attain full sustained responses. We are actively pursuing near-term opportunities in both pharma services and academia for immunotherapy trials as we advance toward our ultimate goal of clinical launch and use of DetermaIO. Our continued track record of consistent execution with DetermaRx and DetermaIO, combined with our growing pharma services lab opportunity which has secured over $1 million in pharma services contracts already this year, positions Oncocyte for rapid revenue growth as an innovative leader in molecular diagnostics for lung cancer, TNBC and potentially other solid tumors. Recent Corporate Highlights DetermaRx Announced final Medicare local coverage determination (LCD) from both Noridian Healthcare Solutions and Palmetto GBA securing national Medicare payment for DetermaRx starting in August 2020 Noridian Healthcare Solutions LCD established a new class of predictive tests for Medicare coverage, based on compelling DetermaRx clinical evidence Noridian Healthcare Solutions LCD positions DetermaRx as the first and only test in this class for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer Announced commercial availability in January and now have 47 sites onboarded, including a number of community healthcare systems where most early stage cancer is treated Rapid growth of DetermaRx physician adoption has resulted in over 100 patients tested, and a physician reorder rate of 60% Expanded international availability through a distribution agreement with ProGenetics Ltd, adding commercial availability of DetermaRx to Israel, which is complementary to the prior agreement with CORE Diagnostics for India, the Middle East and Africa Announced publication of new long-term follow up data for DetermaRx in the American Journal of Respiratory and Clinical Care Medicine demonstrating potential clinical utility and benefit to patients and payers through reduced post-surgery follow-up of lung cancer patients Continued successful physician engagement with both virtual and in-person activities with over 1,800 participants in online physician education programs Announced KOL webinar showcasing new data and real-world usage of DetermaRx featuring renowned lung cancer experts Dr. David Gandara and Dr. Johannes Kratz on July 30, 2020 DetermaIO Presented data at 2020 ASCO Virtual Meeting highlighting the potential utility of DetermaIO for immunotherapy response prediction in triple-negative breast cancer. In this study, DetermaIO outperformed standard of care PD-L1 testing in identifying responders to the FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitor atezulimab Announced KOL webinar featuring MD Anderson breast cancer medical oncologist, and triple negative study Principal Investigator, Dr. Naeto Ueno on August 19, 2020 Initiated an Investigator Sponsored Trial utilizing DetermaIO as the predictive biomarker for an FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitor in the early stage neoadjuvant setting Continued advancement of pharma services opportunities, including immunotherapy trials and the potential for development of companion diagnostics for lung cancer and other solid tumors Pharma Services Continued growth of pharma services offering with a full suite of molecular analyses including tissue and blood-based technologies, proprietary platforms such as DetermaIO and TNBCType Assay, as well as custom next-generation sequencing and PCR services including whole exome sequencing, RNA-seq and targeted mutation panels Closed over $1M in secured pharma services contracts With collaborators from MD Anderson Cancer Center, announced the peer-reviewed publication in PLOS One with data demonstrating the utility of the TNBCType Assay to inform triple-negative breast cancer drug development by identifying the most suitable cell lines to help biopharma and academic researchers develop new treatments Financial and Corporate In April, Oncocyte successfully completed a $10.7 million registered offering of common shares, priced at the market, directly with fundamentally driven, healthcare focused institutional investors. Second Quarter 2020 Financial Highlights At June 30, 2020, Oncocyte had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $17.1 million as compared to $22.5 million at December 31, 2019. Prior to January 1, 2020, Oncocyte had no revenues. Oncocyte currently derives its revenues from pharma services generated by its wholly owned subsidiary, Insight Genetics, which was acquired on January 31, 2020, and from the cash basis receipts from the sale of its lung cancer test, DetermaRx, which was commercially launched in early 2020. Under U.S. accounting principles, Oncocyte will be able to recognize revenues for DetermaRx on an accrual basis of accounting once it has contracts for reimbursement from third-party payers or a history of experience of cash collections for the tests performed, or both. Until that time, Oncocyte expects to recognize revenue for DetermaRx tests performed on a cash basis. Accordingly, Oncocyte will incur and accrue cost of revenues and other operating expenses related to its diagnostic tests, including DetermaRxTM. Beginning on January 31, 2020, Oncocytes consolidated financial statements and results also include the results from its wholly owned subsidiary, Insight Genetics, which Oncocyte acquired on that date. For the second quarter ended June 30, 2020, Oncocyte reported a net loss of $9.1 million, or $(0.14) per share, as compared to $5.4 million, or $(0.10) per share, for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019. Operating losses, as reported, for the second quarter of 2020 were $8.8 million, an increase of $3.3 million from $5.5 million as compared to the second quarter of 2019; and operating losses, on an adjusted basis, were $6.9 million, an increase of $2.2 million from $4.7 million as compared to the second quarter of 2019. Oncocyte has provided a reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP operating losses in the financial tables, included with this earnings release, which it believes is helpful in understanding its ongoing operations. Revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 were $143,000 and $158,000, respectively, primarily generated from pharma services, as revenues from DetermaRx tests were recognized only when Oncocyte received cash payment for the test rather than on an accrual basis when the tests were performed. Cost of revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 were $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively, primarily incurred from performing the DetermaRx tests and pharma services. Research and development expenses for second quarter of 2020 were $3.2 million as compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2019, an increase of $1.7 million primarily attributable to personnel, outside services and laboratory related expenses for Clinical Validation activities of DetermaDx. General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2020 were $3.8 million, as compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2019, which remained relatively unchanged from the prior year comparative period. Sales and marketing expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020, were $1.6 million, as compared to $0.3 million for the same period in 2019, an increase of $1.3 million. The increase was primarily due personnel and related expenses for ramp up in sales and marketing activities for commercialization of DetermaRx. Cash used in operations was $7.0 million for the second quarter of 2020, which included some transactional, acquisition-related legal and business development costs paid this quarter of approximately $1 million. Conference Call The Company will host a conference call today, July 29, 2020, at 4:30 pm EDT / 1:30 pm PDT to discuss the results along with recent corporate developments. The dial-in number in the U.S./Canada is 877-407-9716; for international participants, the number is 201-493-6779. For all callers, please refer to Conference ID 13706018. To access the live webcast, go to the investor relations section on the Companys website, or by clicking here: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=140441 . About Oncocyte Corporation Oncocyte is a molecular diagnostics company whose mission is to provide actionable answers at critical decision points across the cancer care continuum, with the goal of improving patient outcomes by accelerating and optimizing diagnosis and treatment. The Company recently launched DetermaRx, a treatment stratification test that enables the identification of early-stage lung cancer patients at high risk for recurrence post-resection, allowing them to be treated when their cancer may be more responsive to adjuvant chemotherapy. Oncocyte is also developing DetermaIO, a gene expression test that identifies patients more likely to respond to checkpoint immunotherapies. DetermaRx and DetermaIO are trademarks of Oncocyte Corporation. Oncocyte Forward Looking Statements Oncocyte cautions you that this press release contains forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, and similar expressions) are forward-looking statements. These statements include those pertaining to the commercial launch of DetermaRx, development of DetermaIO, unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities or other unanticipated difficulties resulting from acquisitions, implementation and results of research, development, clinical trials and studies, commercialization plans, future financial and/or operating results, and future opportunities for Oncocyte, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the potential impact of COVID-19 on our financial and operational results, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential diagnostic tests or products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, the capacity of our third-party supplied blood sample analytic system to provide consistent and precise analytic results on a commercial scale, potential interruptions to our supply chain, the need and ability to obtain future capital, maintenance of intellectual property rights, and the need to obtain third party reimbursement for patients use of any diagnostic tests we commercialize, and risks inherent in acquisitions such as failure to realize anticipated benefits, unexpected expenditures or assumed liabilities, unanticipated difficulties in conforming business practices including accounting policies, procedures and internal controls, greater than estimated allocations of resources to develop and commercialize technologies, or failure to maintain any laboratory accreditation or certification. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and accordingly such statements should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of Oncocyte, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors and other cautionary statements found in Oncocytes Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available from the SECs website. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. Oncocyte undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law. Investor Contact Bob Yedid LifeSci Advisors, LLC 646-597-6989 bob@lifesciadvisors.com Media Contact Cait Williamson, Ph.D. LifeSci Communications, LLC 646-751-4366 cait@lifescicomms.com ONCOCYTE CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (IN THOUSANDS) June 30, 2020 December 31, 2019 (Unaudited) ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 16,795 $ 22,072 Accounts Receivable 79 - Marketable equity securities 341 379 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,230 505 Total current assets 18,445 22,956 NONCURRENT ASSETS Right-of-use assets, machinery and equipment, net 4,387 3,728 Equity method investment in Razor 14,334 10,964 Goodwill 9,187 - Intangibles, net 15,053 - Deposits and other noncurrent assets 2,049 2,211 TOTAL ASSETS $ 63,455 $ 39,859 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Amount due to Lineage and affiliates $ - $ 6 Accounts payable 1,164 469 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 3,820 2,610 Loan payable, current 1,482 1,125 Right-of-use and financing lease liabilities, current 376 230 Total current liabilities 6,842 4,440 NONCURRENT LIABILITIES Loan payable, net of deferred financing costs, noncurrent 2,622 1,905 Financing lease and right of use liabilities, noncurrent 3,110 2,676 Contingent consideration liabilities 11,130 - Deferred tax liability 158 - TOTAL LIABILITIES 23,862 9,021 SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY Preferred stock, no par value, 5,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding - - Common stock, no par value, 150,000 shares authorized; 67,218 and 57,032 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively 150,178 124,583 Accumulated other comprehensive loss - - Accumulated deficit (110,585 ) (93,745 ) Total shareholders equity 39,593 30,838 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY $ 63,455 $ 39,859 ONCOCYTE CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA) (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 REVENUE Total revenue $ 143 $ - $ 158 $ - TOTAL COSTS AND OPERATING EXPENSES Cost of revenue 365 - 538 - Research and development 3,225 1,508 5,385 2,851 General and administrative 3,759 3,636 8,383 6,085 Sales and marketing 1,562 318 3,052 523 Total costs and operating expenses 8,911 5,462 17,358 9,459 Loss from operations (8,768 ) (5,462 ) (17,200 ) (9,459 ) OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES), NET Interest expense, net (75 ) 167 (97 ) 147 Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable equity securities 16 (88 ) (38 ) 90 Pro rata loss from equity method investment in Razor (301 ) - (630 ) - Other income (expenses), net 20 - 30 (25 ) Total other income (expenses), net (340 ) 79 (735 ) 212 LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES (9,108 ) (5,383 ) (17,935 ) (9,247 ) Income tax benefit - - 1,095 - NET LOSS $ (9,108 ) $ (5,383 ) $ (16,840 ) $ (9,247 ) Net loss per share; basic and diluted $ (0.14 ) $ (0.10 ) $ (0.26 ) $ (0.19 ) Weighted average shares outstanding; basic and diluted 65,833 51,973 63,628 49,324 ONCOCYTE CORPORATION CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (IN THOUSANDS) (UNAUDITED) Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 2019 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net loss $ (16,840 ) $ (9,247 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation expense 127 194 Amortization of intangible assets 37 - Amortization of right-of-use assets and liabilities 301 - Impairment charge for long-lived assets 422 - Pro rata loss from equity method investment in Razor 630 - Amortization of prepaid maintenance 67 18 Stock-based compensation 2,298 1,388 Unrealized (gain) loss on marketable equity securities 38 (90 ) Amortization of debt issuance costs 57 22 Deferred income tax benefit (1,095 ) - Other - 26 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (85 ) - Amount due to Lineage and affiliates (6 ) (2,096 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (889 ) (540 ) Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,064 767 Net cash used in operating activities (13,874 ) (9,558 ) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Acquisition of Insight Genetics, net of cash acquired (6,189 ) - Equity method investment in Razor (4,000 ) - Purchase of equipment (535 ) (18 ) Security deposit and other 43 54 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (10,681 ) 36 CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Proceeds from exercise of stock options - 943 Proceeds from sale of common shares 18,342 40,250 Financing costs to issue common shares (31 ) (3,252 ) Common shares received and retired for employee taxes paid (14 ) - Repayment of loan payable (125 ) (400 ) Repayment of financing lease obligations (35 ) (227 ) Proceeds from PPP Loan 1,141 - Net cash provided by financing activities 19,278 37,314 NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH (5,277 ) 27,792 CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH: At beginning of the period 23,772 8,034 At end of the period $ 18,495 $ 35,826 Non-GAAP Financial Measures This earnings release includes loss from operations prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and includes certain historical non-GAAP adjustments to operating expenses. In particular, Oncocyte has provided non-GAAP total loss from operations, adjusted to exclude noncash stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization expenses and an impairment charge for certain long-lived assets. Non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. However, Oncocyte believes the presentation of non-GAAP total loss from operations, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP total loss from operations, is helpful in understanding Oncocytes ongoing operations and its programs. Furthermore, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in the aggregate to establish budgets and operational goals, to manage Oncocytes business and to evaluate its performance and its programs. Oncocyte Corporation Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measure Adjusted Loss from Operations Amounts In Thousands Amounts In Thousands For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 (unaudited) (unaudited) GAAP loss from operations - as reported $ (8,768 ) $ (5,462 ) $ (17,200 ) $ (9,459 ) Stock-based compensation expense 1,361 702 2,298 1,388 Impairment charge for long-lived assets 422 - 422 - Depreciation and amortization expense 120 94 230 212 Non-GAAP loss from operations, as adjusted $ (6,865 ) $ (4,666 ) $ (14,250 ) $ (7,859 ) (Bloomberg) -- Three shale explorers signaled a grim rest of 2020 for the U.S. oil patch just hours after President Donald Trump arrived in the Permian Basin championing American energy dominance. In second-quarter earnings reports published after the close of trading in New York, QEP Resources Inc. cut its production outlook, WPX Energy Inc. further reduced its capital spending budget, while Concho Resources Inc. stuck with plans to keep crude volumes flat from 2019 levels, ending years of growth. QEP shares dipped as much as 20%. Its a downbeat reality check for the industry, which is emerging from the worst oil price crash in a generation and another sign that the decade-long, debt-fueled surge of production growth is over. Meanwhile, Trump, speaking in front of an oil rig near Midland, Texas, vowed to defend U.S. shale against zealots, radicals and extremists trying to shut down your industry. Never again would America be beholden to foreign nations for energy, he said. All three U.S. shale producers posted net losses that would have been much worse had it not been for their large hedge books, which protect against price declines. Concho takes out some of the industrys largest hedges, with about three-quarters of its 2020 production insured to some extent against this years price declines. RELATED: Trump emphasizes support for energy industry That allowed Concho to keep its dividend for the period. Asset sales and other one-off items in a volatile quarter meant that Concho beat estimates for its adjusted earnings by a wide margin. Even so, hedging only protects oil companies against price declines for so long, and at around $40 a barrel, much of U.S. shale is getting less than whats needed to cover drilling and completion costs in many areas. Elsewhere, TechnipFMC updated its 2020 outlook on Wednesday to tell investors that the global oilfield equipment maker now expects to produce as much as $150 million in free cash flow this year, compared with no expectation for free cash flow before. The Houston-based company reported second-quarter earnings of 9 cents a share, excluding certain items, which beat analysts estimates. American shale oil producers are expecting a particularly tough earnings season as the pandemic rips its way through the global economy, depressing demand for crude. Their rapid growth over the past decade was based on borrowed money, which they are struggling to pay back now that prices and production have dropped. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. A VIP gambler who conned two men she met on Tinder out of more than $780,000 claimed she would buy a blueberry farm with the cash. Jocelyn Zakhour admitted to defrauding the 54-year-old and 45-year-old she met on the dating app Tinder in 2018. The 40-year-old woman was a VIP at Crown Casino and lived there when she met her first victim in June 2018 on Tinder, the Victorian County Court was told on Thursday. Three weeks after they met, Zakhour convinced her victim to give her $110,000 to help her buy a blueberry farm. It was the first of many lies. Jocelyn Zakhour (pictured) admitted to defrauding a 54-year-old and a 45-year-old she met on the dating app Tinder in 2018 The next day, Zakhour told him she needed another $41,000 to buy land for the farm and he transferred it. To convince him she was going to pay back the money and it was not a scam, the gambling addict gave him a Rolex watch. It turned out to be a fake. At one point, she told him a 'Malaysian worker' threatened to go to police if he wasn't paid more money and out of fear, the victim gave Zakhour $40,000. Three weeks after she met her first victim, Zakhour convinced him to give her $110,000 to help her buy a blueberry farm. It was the first of many lies She sent him hundreds of emails threatening his ex-wife, children and mother if she didn't get cash. 'Tell your ex-wife you will kill yourself if she doesn't give you the money,' she said in one message and she also told him to take the money out of his superannuation. In her police interview, Zakhour told police the stories about the blueberry farm, tobacco and Malaysian worker were made up because the man kept giving her money. 'He knew what type of girl I was,' she told police. Her second victim was a 45-year-old financial planner who she also met on Tinder. She told him she was struggling to pay the wages of workers on her farm and though he was reluctant, he transferred $50,000 to Zakhour. He ended up transferring another $11,000 to her. In total, the men lost $789,700. One said he felt 'shell shocked' and her actions ruined his life and another said her 'heinous' deeds ruined him. The 40-year-old woman was a VIP at Crown Casino (pictured) and lived there when she met her first victim in June 2018 on Tinder, the Victorian County Court was told on Thursday During the pre-sentence hearing at the Victorian County Court, Zakhour wiped her eyes as she sat in her lawyer's office. Her barrister said the money went to fund her gambling addiction, and she was embarrassed and ashamed about what she had done. She wrote an apology letter to her victims, spent the past 18 months volunteering at a soup kitchen, and paid back her victims about 10 per cent of what they had lost. Zakhour will be sentenced at a later date. A biker delivery man rides through Penn Square near City Hall with a delivery backpack. A new law in Philadelphia prevents third-party delivery services from posting unauthorized menus on their sites. Read more On Monday, Philadelphia Mayor Kenney signed a City Council bill aimed at regulating some unsavory practices employed by third-party food delivery services like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Postmates. It also provides some pandemic-era relief to city restaurants many of which have started using delivery services out of necessity, as a way to stanch the financial impact of coronavirus shutdowns. The new law, effective immediately, enacts three important changes and stipulates a $300 fine for violations. The bill was introduced in early June by Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker, but has been in the works since January. We discussed the changes with Ben Fileccia, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodgings Associations director of operations and strategy for the Philly region. 1. Capping fees during the pandemic For the duration of a declared public health emergency (like a pandemic) and 90 days thereafter, third-party delivery services are limited to charging restaurants a maximum delivery fee of 10% per order, and a maximum fee of 5% for other services, such as marketing. This limits a third-party delivery services cut of a customers order to 15% total. Thats a significant change, given that most services take a 20% commission on orders, with some charging 30% or more. READ MORE: Poi Dog Philly to close due to financial impact of the coronavirus Restaurants profit margins are notoriously slim typically between 3-5% with food, labor, and overhead costs traditionally accounting for the lions share of expenses. That doesnt leave much cushion for delivery-service fees. And if delivery business constitutes much of a restaurants sales, high fees can jeopardize profits all the more. During the pandemic, restaurants and customers have been increasingly reliant on delivery. Uber Eats compared orders between the middle of February and the end of April (when the local case count was at its peak) and found sharp increases sometimes as high as 90% in the number of delivery orders made in North Philly, the Lower Northeast, and West Philly. Ultimately, I hope restaurants get to keep more money from deliveries, and in turn, that money goes to the restaurants employees, said Councilmember Parker. We need to ensure that they not only have the best chance of surviving this challenge, but also thriving as we move forward. Capping the percentage that delivery services can take means restaurants can really know and structure their pricing around that 15% model, Fileccia said. Another important stipulation of the new law: The delivery services may not reduce a delivery drivers compensation in order to offset the change to their fees. 2. Making the delivery services cut transparent to customers One thing that this pandemic did and that quarantining did was put restaurant delivery and restaurant takeout on everybodys kitchen table, Fileccia said, adding that some customers ordered in to show support for restaurants that have been pillars of their communities. READ MORE: The Cheesecake Lady has customers lining up in Elkins Park However, if orders were placed through delivery apps, a significant chunk of that would-be support may have been misdirected, going toward the third-party services pocket rather than the restaurants. The law addresses that, mandating delivery services display the fees they charge a restaurant in dollars or as a percentage before the customer pays for an order. This means that customers will know roughly how much of their money goes to the restaurant vs. the delivery service. The disclosure must be featured in plain and simple language and in a conspicuous manner. And if the exact fees are incalculable in real time, the delivery service must show a good-faith estimate based on the most recent payout data available. If restaurants desire, they can choose to keep the fees undefined. 3. Preventing unauthorized restaurant listings The third component of the new law addresses a problem that started cropping up pre-pandemic: Restaurant menus would show up on third-party delivery platforms unbeknownst to their owners, often with incorrect or outdated offerings and prices. Parker cites this problem as the original basis of the bill. It happened to Vernick earlier this year, Fileccia said (and the restaurant confirmed). A customer had placed a delivery order for Vernick through a third-party service and waited two hours for food to arrive. Meanwhile, Vernick didnt even offer takeout, let alone delivery, at the time. Only later did the customer receive notice that the order had been canceled and that their money would be refunded. While the restaurant isnt even aware of the delivery order in such a situation, its more likely to bear the brunt of a customers disappointment or anger, Fileccia said. It can lead to bad Yelp reviews and bad impressions. Love & Honey Fried Chicken in Northern Liberties had a similar experience earlier this year, when a Grubhub courier tried to place an order for an online customer despite the fact that Love & Honey had an exclusive agreement with Caviar and that the order was made based off an old menu. The restaurant had been listed on Grubhub as part of its Place and Pay program, which encouraged drivers to act as middlemen, placing orders for online customers by phone or in-person, then paying for them with a company card. Grubhub later took Love & Honeys listing down, but only after owner Laura and Todd Lyons complained privately and publicly. We look bad to our customers, Laura Lyons told The Inquirer at the time. READ MORE: What its like to be a server during the pandemic: The things that I loved about my job they were gone. The new law prohibits third-party delivery services from using the name, likeness, trademark, or intellectual property of a restaurant without written permission to do so. There are two workarounds: if state or federal law otherwise permits it, or if the delivery service accompanies the unauthorized posting with a disclaimer of equal size and prominence. The disclaimer should read, in all-caps: This third-party food delivery service is not an authorized delivery service for this restaurant. This third-party food delivery service does not have an agreement to deliver for this restaurant. Please contact the restaurant directly to obtain up-to-date information on menu items. As with the disclosure of fees, this part of the law will stay in effect even after the current public health emergency subsides. Asked for comment on the newly signed law, the Lyonses of Love & Honey responded: Were grateful to the City of Philadelphia for recognizing the issue that many restaurants were facing with large food delivery companies adding us to their platforms without approval. Thank you for listening and taking action! Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 18:59:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the Indonesian province of Banten have arrested nine people for allegedly smuggling around 160 kilograms of marijuana originating from Aceh, police said on Thursday. The nine suspects were arrested in three separate locations, namely Banten, Jakarta and West Java after the authorities received information about their actions, the Banten Provincial Police's chief Fiandar was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying. All the suspects were allegedly smuggling marijuana from Aceh to Jakarta and Bogor in West Java, he added. Indonesia, which has one of the strictest drug laws in the world, currently prohibits the possession and use of marijuana. The suspects shall be charged in accordance with the law. Enditem A Passaic County man accused of sexually assaulting a child at a Passaic daycare where he lived has been released, barred from returning home, authorities said. Juan Jimenez, 64, of Passaic, was arrested July 22 and charged with aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly sexually abusing an eight-year-old child, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in a statement. The alleged sexual abuse happened while the child was in Jimenezs care at a Passaic daycare operated in his home, a spokeswoman for the Passaic County Prosecutors Office said. If convicted on the aggravated sexual assault charge, Jimenez faces as much as life in state prison, the statement said. The daycare center is owned and operated by Jimenezs wife and is an accredited center for childcare, the spokeswoman said. While it was not known if Jimenez was ever employed at the daycare, he would often assist in babysitting at the daycare, the spokeswoman said. On Tuesday, a Passaic County Superior Court Judge released Jimenez on pretrial monitoring, barring him from returning to the daycare or having contact with anyone under the age of 18, the statement said. Since Jimenez lived at the daycare center, he is now staying with his adult son in Bergen County, the spokeswoman said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Prosecutors Office tips line at 1-877-370- PCPO or the Passaic Police Department at (973) 365-3900. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Hong Kong's economy slumped 9 percent year on year in the second quarter of this year as the COVID-19 epidemic dampened business activities and the impact of social unrest lingered. The performance fell short of market expectations but still improved slightly from a record-high 9.1-percent drop in the first quarter, according to advance estimates of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Wednesday. In a statement, a government spokesman said that the "overall economic conditions remained very weak." Private consumption posted the steepest ever decline as consumer sentiments were severely disrupted by the threat of COVID-19 and social distancing measures. Investment also tumbled amid the austere business environment and a highly uncertain economic outlook. But there were still signs of stabilization as the epidemic was once largely under control in May and June and the recovery of the mainland economy helped offset the external headwinds facing Hong Kong's goods exports, the spokesman said. The gross domestic product (GDP) fell marginally by 0.1 percent during the April-June period on a quarter-to-quarter comparison, he added. Analyzed by major GDP components, private consumption fell 14.5 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, deteriorating further from the 10.6-percent decline in the first quarter. Government consumption went up 9.6 percent year on year in the second quarter, up from 8.8 percent in the first quarter. Gross fixed capital formation dropped 20.6 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, sharper than the decrease of 15.8 percent in the first quarter. Goods exports edged down 2.1 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter, narrowing from the 9.7-percent drop in the first quarter, while exports of services fell significantly by 46.6 percent. Looking ahead, the spokesman said a challenging external environment will likely constrain Hong Kong's exports in the near term and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases locally has also clouded the economic outlook. But he stressed that the economy will hopefully recover gradually in the rest of the year once the epidemic is contained again and the external environment improves. Given the grave economic situation, the HKSAR government has rolled out unprecedented relief measures worth nearly 290 billion Hong Kong dollars (37.4 billion U.S. dollars) to help safeguard jobs, support enterprises and relieve people's financial burdens. The revised figures on GDP and detailed statistics for the second quarter and GDP forecast for 2020 will be released on August 14. MEXICO CITY Demonstrators in northern Mexico have burned several government vehicles, blocked railway tracks and set afire a government office and highway tollbooths to protest water payments to the United States. Mexico has fallen behind in the amount of water it must send north from its dams under a 1944 treaty, but farmers in the northern state of Chihuahua want the water for their own crops. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday that the protests were being fanned by opposition politicians for their own motives. He said there was enough water to comply with the treaty and support local crops. Some people are taking advantage now for their own benefit opposition politicians, in this case, Lopez Obrador said. The president criticized the attitude of confrontation and the burning of federal property, and promised the farmers, the inhabitants will not lack water. And he noted that further west along the border notably in the Colorado River basin Mexico receives four times more water from the United States than it gives under the treaty. The protests appeared to be centered in the town of Delicias, Chihuahua, near one of the dams where water is being released to flow northward. Federal forces guarding the dam gates have clashed with protesters in recent weeks. Photos from Delicias showed that demonstrators used heavy equipment to drag pickup trucks belonging to the national water commission to nearby train tracks where they were flipped over and and set afire. Someone, apparently demonstrators, also set fire to a building where the commission has its offices, and flames ravaged a series of toll booths on a nearby highway. Chihuahua state Gov. Javier Corral said the state was investigating those who instigated the vandalism and violence and pledged the actions of the criminals will not go unpunished. While Corral acknowledged there has been a large increase in water use in the area including by farmers taking water they had no right to he blamed Mexicos federal government for mismanagement of water resources. Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico owes the United States almost 400,000 acre-feet (486 million cubic meters) this year that must be paid by Oct. 24. Payment is made by releasing water from dams in Mexico. Mexico has fallen badly behind in payments from previous years and now has to quickly catch up on water transfers. The expansion of water-hungry crops has meant that Mexico has used 71% of the northward-flowing Conchos River, while under the treaty it should use only 62% of the water, letting the rest of it flow into the Rio Bravo, also known as the Rio Grande, on the border. In the past, Mexico has delayed payments, hoping that periodic tropical storms from the Gulf would create occasional windfalls of water. But while Hanna made landfall in Texas earlier this month, the storms rains did not reach far enough inland to fill dams in Chihuahua. The water commission noted ruefully that, Even though Tropical Storm Hanna recently reached the northeast of the country, the international dams (those involved in the treaty) did not recover the desired volume, as the increased flow occurred downstream. The issue has resulted in clashes before. In March, protesters burned pickup trucks, blocked roads and demonstrated at the La Boquilla dam, also in Chihuahua. Earlier this year, Lopez Obrador said there was enough water both for local farmers and payments to the United States. We do not want an international conflict, the president said. Treaties have to be lived up to. If we have signed a treaty, we have to comply with it. GREENVILLE, S.C., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- eRAD, a subsidiary of RadNet, Inc., a leading provider of radiology image and data management software solutions, announced today that it successfully performed a completely virtual go-live for Chesapeake Medical Imaging and its six mid-Atlantic facilities. The full suite of eRAD productsincluding RIS, PACS, Speech Recognition, and Patient & Physician Portalswas deployed at Chesapeake Medical Imaging (CMI) shortly after nationwide quarantine measures went into effect. Travel bans and eRAD's compliance with public health practices precluded eRAD staff from providing the typical on-site deployment. "In terms of patient volumes, we were not at full capacity. So it was an opportunistic time to deploy eRAD before procedural volumes returned to normal levels," said Steve Linhard, Chief Operating and Financial Officer at CMI. "eRAD's engineering and project management teams were very professional and gave us the confidence to move forward with this virtual go-live. We are pleased to say we had no glitches." Six of CMI's 13 outpatient facilities went live simultaneously. "With the absence of normal patient load, our radiologists had the opportunity to methodically adapt to a new PACS and dictation system," said Linhard. "Our radiologists have been very complimentary towards eRAD's feature set, and our system now supports a much better dictation templating structure. The user experience and efficiency are significantly enhanced." eRAD is recognized in the marketplace for its adaptable workflows and user configurability. For that reason, implementation flexibility in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic came naturally to the eRAD team. "We wanted to deploy the solutions within a certain time-frame, and the eRAD team responded to our desired deadlines. We utilized a Slack channel to communicate in real time, teleconferencing to work through any issues, and remote control of the desktop for 'eyes-on-the-screen' troubleshooting," Linhard said. "I have tremendous praise for the entire eRAD team. The implementation went very smoothly, and my team and I are extremely appreciative of these efforts during the pandemic." CMI began its search for a new platform when it outgrew its legacy system. "Our primary criterion was to have a single-vendor, integrated RIS/PACS solution," Linhard noted. "We previously had various interfaces bolted together, and we did not want to manage the reconfiguration and maintenance of multiple new systems. We required that a single vendor, take ownership of the CMI workflow." The product features differentiated eRAD from other solutions that CMI evaluated. According to Linhard: "The workflows are better. They are more specific and create much more efficiency for everyone, including our front desk personnel, technologists, and radiologists. That, of course, translates to better patient service. SecurePIC has proven to be invaluable." eRAD's SecurePIC enables patients to share photos of their information, including orders, drivers' licenses, and insurance cards via a secure text to the imaging center. "That tool enables patients to register documents with us prior to their appointment, enabling a much safer check-in process," Linhard said. Dave Cunningham, VP of Sales for eRAD, added, "Working with CMI was a great experience for the whole eRAD team. We were supportive of CMI's desire to move forward with implementation during the COVID period. CMI experienced how agile and responsive eRAD is to its customers' goals and objectives. To be competitive and successful in healthcare, providers must be flexible and forward-thinking. eRAD and CMI's like-minded approach makes us ideal partners." About Chesapeake Medical Imaging With 13 locations in Maryland, Chesapeake Medical Imaging has been providing high-quality care for nearly 20 years. Commitment to the community has always been the central tenet of CMI's practice. Taking every opportunity to reduce barriers, CMI believes that everyone should have the opportunity to get the best quality and services in medical care. CMI uses the most sophisticated imaging equipment, and its specialists include experts in breast health, nuclear medicine, and more. For more information, visit www.cmirad.net. About eRAD, Inc. eRAD offers a complete suite of workflow solutions for the imaging industry. Its EHR-Certified RIS, web-based PACS, and multi-site workflow solutions are used by teleradiology businesses, specialty reading groups, multi-site reading groups, hospitals, and outpatient imaging centers. With over 500 installations in the U.S. and abroad, eRAD's products are available as cloud-based hosted solutions, or as in-house enterprise solutions. For more information, visit www.erad.com. About RadNet, Inc. RadNet, Inc. is the leading national provider of freestanding, fixed-site diagnostic imaging services in the United States based on the number of locations and annual imaging revenue. RadNet has a network of 335 owned and/or operated outpatient imaging centers. RadNet's core markets include California, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. In addition, RadNet provides radiology information technology solutions and other related products and services to customers in the diagnostic imaging industry. Together with affiliated radiologists, and inclusive of full-time and per diem employees and technicians, RadNet has approximately 8,600 employees. For more information, visit www.radnet.com. SOURCE eRAD A Chinese paramilitary soldier yawns as he stands guard on Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images) Beijing Promotes Idea of War With US as Relations Deteriorate, Amps up Anti-US Propaganda Authorities in Beijing recently posted air raid posters on the streets, while one hawkish state-run media urged the Chinese regime to develop more nuclear missiles to target the United States. The war-mongering atmosphere comes amid escalating tensions between the worlds two most powerful countries, with both sides clashing on issues ranging from the South China Sea, Hong Kongs protests, to Beijings pandemic coverup. Air Raid The last time air raid posters appeared in China was almost a half century ago during the late 1960s, when anti-American sentiment ran high amid the Cultural Revolutions political propaganda. On July 25, workers were captured on video installing new posters in Haidian district, Beijing. The capital is home to roughly 21.54 million residents. The posters contained information on how to protect themselves during air raids, including how to find and enter a dugout shelter. The government delivered this information and we are very nervous, Beijing resident Mr. Wu told Radio Free Asia on July 27. Earlier this month on July 10, Chinas military, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), announced on its website that a central government office would send personnel to visit the families of soldiers who are guarding the frontier regions. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not typically engage in soldiers private lives. The unusual gesture led some China observers to speculate that the regime had plans to mobilize soldiers for a dangerous mission. Aggressive Words Following the United States and Chinas decision to close a consulate in their respective countries, Hu Xijin, chief editor of the state-run tabloid Global Times, wrote on Weibo, a Twitter-like social media platform, a message advocating for a war between the two countries. Hu claimed that because the U.S.-China relationship was deteriorating, the Beijing regime should hurry up to make enough nuclear missiles, enough to threaten the U.S. We should work day and night, he wrote in a July 26 post. Du Wenlong, a military commentator under the Chinese regimes global propaganda campaign, and Song Zhongping, military commentator at state broadcaster CCTV, both made recent comments that it was highly possible that the United States and China would enter into a conflict over the South China Sea. The United States on July 13 formally rejected Beijings territorial claims in the South China Sea, where the regime claims almost all of the waterway. Other countries, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have competing claims there. In recent years, Beijing has sought to bolster its claims in the strategic waterway by building military outposts on artificial islands and reefs. Taiwanese pro-Beijing newspaper Economic Daily reported on July 23 that a think tank affiliated with the local Beijing-friendly Kuomintang political party, the National Policy Foundation, analyzed that tensions in the Taiwan strait had reached their highest levels in 25 years. The CCPs target is the United States, according to the report. The CCP claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite the self-ruled island having its own political system, military, and currency. U.S. officials have on several occasions called out Beijings aggressive rhetoric and U.S. military forces have monitored Chinas military maneuvers near Taiwan. Chinese paramilitary soldiers march towards the closed Xinfadi market in Beijing on June 13, 2020. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images) War-Themed TV Programs On July 17, the Chinese central government ordered its television stations to play Korean War, Second Sino-Japanese War, and other war-themed movies and TV programs to foment anti-American sentiment among Chinese people. Chinese National Radio and Television Administration, a ministry-level government organ that governs press, publication, radio, film, and television in China, announced new broadcasting rules, explaining that stations should air TV programs with themes about Chinese people fighting against the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War; the Chinese army fighting alongside North Korean forces against the South Korean army aided by the United States during the Korean War; and positive stories promoting the idea that authorities were effective at containing the pandemic. To achieve a better effect, the administration asked each TV channel to broadcast other short, non-war-themed programs, in order to attract people to tune in. On July 23, the administration issued another mandate, telling TV stations not to air programs that violate common sense, arbitrarily interpret or joke about history, or are excessively entertaining. The Chinese regime has produced many war films and TV programs in recent years, often with violent, over-the-top histrionics. Some outrageous scenes include a steamed bun that suddenly turned into a bomb; Chinese soldiers using their bare hands to tear apart the body of a Japanese soldier; and Chinese soldiers using grenades to shoot down airplanes flying 2,500 feet above them. The last time Beijing encouraged such programming was in May 2019, amid escalating trade war tensions. The central governments Propaganda Department ordered all national TV station movie channels and provincial satellite TV stations to broadcast one film every day during primetime about Chinese fighting with the United States in the Korean War. At least 70 doctors and 50 nurses have died from coronavirus in Indonesia, with hundreds more contracting the disease while fighting the pandemic. The Indonesian Medical Association estimates between 200 and 300 of the country's 160,000 doctors had been infected by the virus. In the second week of July alone 14 doctors died from the disease. Herlina Simbala marks the 40th day since her son, Dr Michael Robert Marampe, died of COVID-19 in Jakarta. Dr Marampe knew what he wanted to be since he was a kid: a doctor and a pianist. He became both. Credit:AP The National Nurses Association said that at least 300 of the country's 1.3 million nurses have contracted the disease, but cautioned the figure could be higher. In both instances, accurate data is not readily available. The associations are calling for regular testing of medical workers, guaranteed access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and greater education to slow the spread of the disease. Madhya Pradesh (MP) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president VD Sharma tested coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive on Wednesday evening, hours after he wished a minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhans cabinet speedy recovery from the viral infection, the leader revealed. Sharma, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Khajuraho parliamentary seat, tweeted on Wednesday night that he has tested Covid-19 positive. Sharma posted a statement on his Twitter handle. My third Covid-19 test report has come positive. I request all my colleagues and party workers, who came in contact with me in the past few days, to undergo Covid-19 tests. I shall quarantine myself for the next few days, as per the doctors advice. Follow latest updates on coronavirus here Sharma had travelled to Lucknow along with CM Chouhan, a state minister and a state BJP general secretary, all of whom have tested Covid-19 positive since then, on July 21 to attend the funeral of MP governor Lalji Tandon, who had passed away at a hospital in his hometown on that day. CM Chouhan, who had tested Covid-19 positive last Saturday, is undergoing treatment at a private medical college-run hospital in Bhopal. At present, the CM, his three ministerial colleagues, Sharma and a state BJP general secretary have been found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease. The minister, who accompanied Chouhan and the state BJP president to Lucknow, was the first person from Chouhans cabinet to have been struck by the viral infection on July 22 and is undergoing treatment along with the CM at Chirayu Medical College-run hospital in Bhopal. The third cabinet member, who tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday is a minster of state (MoS) from MPs Vindhya region. Meanwhile, CM Chouhan has been put in a spot of bother by his party colleague and a member of the MP legislative assembly (MLA) from Jabalpur, Ajya Vishnoi. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage The MLA sought a response from the CM about the reason behind political dignitaries checking into a private hospital for treatment. I wish CM Shivraj Singh Chouhanji, who is being treated at Chirayu hospital, a speedy recovery. But, Id like to know what can Chirayu hospital offer that is not available in a government-run medical college and hospital in the state that has been treating Covid-19 patients for the past four months, Why does all dignitaries of MP are making a beeline for Chirayu? Vishnoi asked CM Chouhan via a tweet. The main opposition, the Congress, was quick to seize the opportunity and sought to put the ruling BJP on the mat. The CM must respond to the question raised by a senior BJP leader. This is not a question of only four months. The CM must tell the public about the BJP governments failure not to upgrade a single government-run medical college and hospital, despite being in power for 15 long years. Why cant these hospitals treat dignitaries? The states healthcare services are in shambles, alleged Narendra Saluja, state Congress presidents media coordinator. State BJP leader Dr Hitesh Bajpai tried to play down the political slanging match. I have not seen the BJP MLAs (Vishnoi) tweet. But, if the question indeed arises, then the Congress has a lot to answer for it because the party was in power, when the Covid-19 outbreak was first reported in MP. It was the then Congress CM Kamal Naths failure that not a single government-run hospital was equipped to treat Covid-19 patients, Bajpai said as a counter-point to the Congresss allegations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Ohio pharmacy board has rescinded a rule prohibiting the prescription of a malaria drug for use by patients with COVID-19. At issue is the prescribing of the drug hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness for the coronavirus has been widely questioned. On Wednesday, the pharmacy board banned its use as a coronavirus treatment, noting that the Food and Drug Administration previously revoked the emergency use of the drug. The FDA made this determination based on recent results from a large, randomized clinical trial in hospitalized patients that found these medicines showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery, the state pharmacy board said. But on Thursday, FDA Commissioner Dr. Steven Hahn said on NBC's Today show that the drug's use should be between doctor and patient. Gov. Mike DeWine said he agreed with that assessment. The Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board of Ohio should revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts, DeWine said. Shortly after the governors statement, officials with the Ohio State Medical Association said the rule was rescinded "as a result of the feedback received by the medical and patient community and at the request of Governor DeWine." View the full statement here. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump once again promoted the use of the drug when he retweeted a viral video of a group of doctors promoting the use of the drug. Both Twitter and Facebook have removed the content in efforts to keep the sites free of harmful misinformation about the virus. Ohio is currently under a statewide mask order. Local efforts to clamp down further have had mixed results. In Columbus, a judge on Tuesday quickly shot down a city order closing bars and restaurants at 10 p.m., setting a hearing in two weeks where evidence can be presented for and against such a shutdown. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Attorney Zach Klein say the order is needed because compliance with social distancing worsens late at night. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ZAMBOANGA CITY Eight villages in the southern Philippine province of Sulu are now free from the influence of the pro-ISIS group Abu Sayyaf... (Bloomberg) -- Shopify Inc. nearly doubled its revenue in the second quarter, crushing analysts estimates as a flood of merchants moved their businesses online during the coronavirus pandemic. Sales grew 97% to $714.3 million from the same quarter a year ago, Ottawa-based Shopify said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts had expected about $512 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Gross merchandise volume, a key metric that represents the value of all goods sold through Shopifys platform, surged 119% from a year earlier or to $30.1 billion. Analysts were expecting a 49% increase to $20.6 billion. Sales of food, beverages and tobacco doubled over the first quarter, the company said. The strength of Shopifys value proposition was on full display in our second quarter, Chief Financial Officer Amy Shapero said in the quarterly release. We are committed to transferring the benefits of scale to our merchants, helping them sell more and sell more efficiently, which is especially critical in this rapidly changing environment. E-commerce companies have been big winners of late, with the coronavirus closing many physical retail stores. Many analysts predict this boost will be lasting. Shopify shares jumped as much as 12.5% in early New York trading, touching a fresh high, and are up 169% this year. New stores created on the Shopify platform grew 71% in the second quarter compared with the first quarter, driven in part by the companys decision to extend the free-trial period on standard plans from 14 days to 90 days. Large sellers continued to migrate to Shopify Plus, resulting in a record quarter for new merchant additions to the platform. Strong transactional revenue, far ahead of even the highest expectations, point to Covid-19 tailwinds that are stronger at SHOP than most anticipated, said Citigroup analyst Walter Pritchard. Key from here will be sustainability of demand from newly acquired merchants, he said in a report. Story continues Read more: Shopify Is Enjoying a Big Moment and Hoping It Will Last Still, the company chose not to provide forecasts for the third quarter, citing uncertainty surrounding Covid-19. It said its monitoring the impact of rising unemployment on new store creation, consumer spending habits and the rate at which brick-and-mortar merchants move online. The tech company suspended its forecast full-year forecast in April. This year, Shopify has formed partnerships with Walmart Inc. to expand its third-party marketplace site and with Affirm Inc. to allow consumers to break purchases into a series of smaller payments -- moves aimed at stepping up competition with Amazon.com Inc. Work From Home The company said in May that it will keep its offices largely closed for the rest of the year as it designs its space for a digital by default mindset, adjusting to a remote work environment. This also represents an opportunity for Shopify to open up, further diversify our talent pool, unconstrained by physical location, Shapero said on the earnings call today. The company took a $31.6 million impairment charge as it exited some of its secondary offices in major cities, she said. Second-quarter results includes $37.1 million of incremental expenses related to changes in its facilities, she added. Right Time After its shares more than quadrupled in 2019, Shopify blew past Royal Bank of Canada this year to become the most valuable company in Canadas S&P/TSX Composite Index. Its the best-performing company in the index this year. It remains clear that Shopify is at the right place and the right time with the leading e-commerce software and services platform enabling the digital transformation for thousands of businesses, said Baird analyst Colin Sebastian. (Updates with share price move, analyst comments and work from home details.) 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. Christians in India face an uptick in religiously-motivated persecution (AFP or licensors) Persecution against Christians in India rose by over 40 percent in the first half of 2020, despite a three-month, nationwide lockdown, according to an ecumenical body. By Devin Watkins Persecution Relief recently released its half-yearly report detailing acts of anti-Christian persecution in India. The data bear out a very grim picture of religious freedom in the nation, according to the Christian ecumenical body. Hate crimes against Christians in India have risen by an alarming 40.87 percent, the report said. That increase came despite a complete nationwide lockdown that lasted three months to stem the spread of Covid-19 infections. Numerous incidents The watchdog group recorded 293 incidents of anti-Christian persecution in the first six months of the year. Six of those cases resulted in murder. Two women were raped and killed for their faith, and another two women and a 10-year-old girl were raped for refusing to renounce Christianity. Uttar Pradesh remained the most hostile state against Christians in India, noted the report. Sixty-three hate crimes were reported there. Police threatened one pastor with jail for him and his family if he did not forsake Christianity, according to the Persecution Relief report. The state of Tamil Nadu reported 28 cases, with a church building left burnt to the ground in June. Tip of the iceberg Shibu Thomas, founder of Persecution Relief, told UCA News that persecution against Christians has become increasingly common. The frightening and contagious crusade of religious nationalism and intolerance has now peaked at new inhuman altitudes," said Thomas. He added that the data collected is only the tip of the iceberg. We could report only a fraction of the actual violence perpetrated against Christians in various states, Thomas said. Many people do not report, he pointed out, fearing retribution from the tormentors and administrative machinery. Some cases in interior villages also go unreported because they are so cut off without electricity and phone connectivity. Hope in difficult situation The report noted that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom recently added India to its list of countries of Particular Concern. But, the Persecution Relief report said, there is hope, as Gods eyes are upon this blessed nation and the Christian minority in India is on their knees praying for the current situation. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenian prime ministers spouse Anna Hakobyan had a telephone conversation with American-Armenian entrepreneur, PMA Venture Capital Groups founder, philanthropist George K. Pagoumian. The phone conversation took place in the evening of July 15 during which Mr. Pagoumian told the PMs spouse that he is going to provide 250,000 USD for the Armenian soldiers. I thanked Mr. Pagoumian for the support, although I am sure that I could not express what I felt exactly after he said that. I proposed him that we will think about various programs, will present them to him and he will choose in what way to deliver that money to our soldiers, Anna Hakobyan said on Facebook, adding that Mr. Pagoumian in response stated that there is no need to present him anything as he trusts here. The money will be transferred to the My Step Foundation soon. Anna Hakobyan said that currently the My Step Foundation discusses what direction to choose concretely for providing that sums to the soldiers and officers. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a Chattanooga man on multiple counts, including rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. In April, TBI special agents began an investigation, joined by detectives with the Bledsoe County Sheriffs Department, of the distribution of child pornography through electronic means. During the course of the investigation, agents identified Adam Ferguson, 35, as the individual responsible for the pornography distribution, as well as other offenses, from February through April of this year. On Monday, the Bledsoe County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Ferguson with one count of rape of a child, one count of criminal attempt child rape, one count of especially aggravated exploitation of a minor, and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. On Wednesday, Ferguson was arrested and booked into the Bledsoe County Jail, where he is being held on a $250,000 bond. New York authorities reportedly broke up a sex party last week as part of their continued crackdown on large gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News reports that police officers discovered around three dozen residents at a sex party in Midtown Manhattan on July 24. The suspected event organizer is expected to appear in court soon. Details about the alleged party, including how it came together, have not been disclosed. Law enforcement in New York City have continued to crackdown on large gatherings that violate COVID-19 public health orders. Pictured: An outdoor dining area is seen as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus Event companies trying to secretly bypass public health orders have used Telegram and Whatsapp to share information about pop-up parties. Organizers reportedly urged people not to take pictures at the events or upload any details of the parties. New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito told ABC News that several of the parties targeted by police were illegal because hosts did not have valid liquor licenses. 'They were illegal activity before the COVID-19 pandemic, and violations of the mayor's and governor's orders in conjunction with the social event just compound the criminal activity,' said Fucito. 'Because of the fast-changing nature and location of the events, the Sheriff's Office does not comment on criminal investigations, but we readily accept tips about these activities.' DailyMail.com has reached out to the New York authorities for further comment and details. In one recent incident, authorities shut down an alleged sex party in Midtown Manhattan last Saturday Pictured: People are seen sitting socially distanced in Washington Square Park as the city continues Phase 4 in New York City New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged residents to follow COVID-19 public health guidelines to curb the spread of the virus New York authorities have put renewed force when imposing public health guidelines amid a global pandemic. New York City became the epicenter of cases and deaths early on, but have since slowed down, New York state has since managed to slow down infections, on Wednesday recording 777 new cases and 13 new deaths. In the Big Apple, there were 59 new cases on Wednesday and three fatalities. Videos and pictures of alleged large gatherings have filtered onto social media, prompting authorities and officials to condemn the blatant flouting of public health guidelines, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday blasted one such incident last Saturday when the Chainsmokers held a charity concert in The Hamptons. 'Videos from a concert held in Southampton on Saturday show egregious social distancing violations. I am appalled,' Cuomo wrote on Twitter. He added that an investigation will be conducted and 'We have no tolerance for the illegal & reckless endangerment of public health.' Cuomo condemned footage he saw of the Safe & Sound charity concert where people ignored social distancing in The Hamptons The 'Safe & Sound' charity drive-in show on Saturday had about 500 drive-in parking spots that reportedly sold for up to $25,000 each and welcomed a couple thousand attendees in Water Mill, New York. Despite the concerts design to have 'safe zones' for cars with up to six people, posts on social media showed people leaving their cars, partying together, and dancing without masks. In The Know Experiences and Invisible Noise, two organizers of the show, defended the event by claiming it followed CDC guidelines. 'The Safe & Sound drive-in concert fundraiser followed the guidelines created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and made best efforts to ensure New Yorks social distancing guidelines were properly maintained throughout the event.' The event's website said every car had a 20ft x 20ft area to park their vehicle and enjoy the concert in the surrounding space. Governor Andrew Cuomos office is investigating a Chainsmokers concert held in the Hamptons where attendees ignored social distancing guidelines and hordes of fans partied by the stage without masks. Chainsmokers duo Alexander Pall and Andrew Taggart pictured backstage during the 'Safe & Sound' Drive-In Concert fundraiser on Saturday in Water Mill, New York Organizers praised the event as a success on social media boasting that guests had temperatures checked and were confined to parking spot areas, but footage of crowds show large groups close together without masks, defeating those safety efforts. And a source told Page Six: 'There was definitely a section of people in front of the cars that did not adhere to social distancing. But you could really be safe there if you were smart enough and mature enough to do it. 'You could go from your car and then have your square [of space] and have no contact. I think the intentions were good, but there is no way you can control those kids who feel immortal.' In another post, Cuomo lambasted New Yorkers after reports and social media showed hundreds of people, not socially distanced or wearing a face covering, gathering together on the streets of Queens. 'This weekend COVID didnt quit but too many NYers did,' Cuomo wrote on July 20. 'This is not NY Tough and it sure isnt NY Smart. Wear a mask. Social distance. It is NOT worth the risk.' A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio's office told ABC News that at least a dozen social media posts announcing yacht parties have emerged. Cuomo: 'This is not NY Tough and it sure isnt NY Smart. Wear a mask. Social distance. It is NOT worth the risk' The Mayor has reminded boat companies of coronavirus restrictions and will take action if rules are not followed. New York City is currently in Phase 4 of its reopening plan, which prohibits indoor gatherings of more than 50 people and requires people adhere to public health guidelines if they attend such an event. The Office of the New York City Sheriff had spearheaded measures to enforce social distancing guidelines. Deputies are responding to tips from the public about potential large gatherings and parties. Officials announced that 45 businesses across New York, including 12 New York City bars, have had liquor licenses taken away over 'egregious violations' of coronavirus orders. Between July 24 to the 26, the New York State Liquor Authority issued upwards of 130 coronavirus-related violations that have fines up to $10,000. The total number of pandemic-related charged has now reached 503. Although some New Yorkers may fight the public health orders, Columbia University law professor Richard Briffault told ABC new the restrictions are legally justifiable. The scientific basis of the restrictions would most likely stand up in court, unless there's evidence that they are targeting a specific group of people. 'These orders are pretty consistent with powers a governor or mayor has to take, steps to protect public health,' he said. 'There is no fundamental right to party.' The COVID-19 death toll in West Bengal rose to 1,490 on Wednesday after 41 people succumbed to the disease, the state health department said in a bulletin. A total of 2,294 fresh cases of infection pushed the state's tally to 65,258, the bulletin said. Since Tuesday, 2,094 patients have been cured of the disease, the highest in a single day so far. So far, 44,116 people in West Bengal have recovered from COVID-19. The number of active cases is 19,652 now. A total of 17,144 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours, it added. The city accounted for 17 fresh fatalities, while nine patients died in North 24 Parganas, five in South 24 Parganas, and four in Howrah district. One death each was reported from Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Malda, Jalpaiguri, Dakshin Dinajpur and Darjeeling. Of the 41 deaths, 36 were due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental. When contacted, a senior official of the state health department said that the number of deaths daily in West Bengal has gone up since mid-July. "Till mid-July, we witnessed an average of 23 deaths daily which went up beyond 30 after July 19 and remained so. Now, there are days when we notice even 40 deaths," the official told PTI. The bulletin said that 688 people tested positive for the disease in the city followed by 554 in North 24 Parganas, 258 in Howrah and 108 from South 24 Parganas districts. The remaining 686 cases were reported from 17 other districts. Around 25 people, including nurses, health workers, Group-D staff and security personnel, at the city's Beliaghata ID Hospital tested positive for the novel coronavirus, sources said. "We have advised home isolation for a couple of them while others were admitted to the hospital, a source said. A total of 17,144 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours, it added. The number of broad-based containment zones in West Bengal went up to 1,237 with Nadia having the maximum of 193 such zones, the state government said. Meanwhile, CPI(M) leader Fuad Halim, who is also a doctor, has been hospitalised after he complained of breathing problems, sources said. Halim, who had been treating COVID-19 patients, was admitted to the ICU of a private facility in Kolkata a couple of days back and he tested negative twice for the infection, sources said. A third test was conducted on the leader and its report is yet to arrive. (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 Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has given a 48-hour ultimatum to squatters who have settled along the shoulders of the Avenor to Adabraka section of the Odaw storm drain, to vacate or face forceful eviction. The ultimatum was given by the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, on Wednesday, when he led a joint Operation COVID Safety and Sanitation Taskforce, comprising officers from some Assemblies in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) notably Korle Klottey and Okaikwei North Municipal Assemblies, Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited to inspect ongoing dredging of the river. The Mayor who was accompanied by the Municipal Chief Executives for Korle Klottey; Nii Adjei Tawiah and Okaikwei North; Nii Boye Laryea explained that as part of efforts to prevent flooding and rid the city of filth the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon was being dredged for the next two years but the structures close to the banks of the river made it difficult for the heavy-duty equipment to navigate and dredge hence the notice for them to vacate. "This is done every year and they are fully aware of it, so we came here to remind them to remove the structures within 48 hours to pave way for the dredging or face forceful eviction... The banks of the river serve as one, a pathway for the heavy-duty equipment to navigate and then as a buffer zone to accommodate runoff water anytime the river overflows its banks," he said. He noted that right from the Avenor bridge up to the Graphic Road section of the river, residents and squatters living alongside the shoulders of the channel dump all manner of solid waste into the drain. "We are also enforcing our sanitation by-laws and the wearing of nose masks so we go round the city and compel people to clean when we see any filth or issue summons," he intimated. The Odaw River, which runs through the Accra metropolis, flows from the Abokobi and Adjankote hills through Ashongman, Atomic Energy area, West Legon, Achimota, Alajo, Avenor, Agbogbloshie and finally into the Atlantic Ocean through the Korle Lagoon. Source: AMA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video An angry woman has denied she is a 'Karen' after blasting Woolworths for an online shopping blunder. The Sydney woman posted a lengthy message to Facebook after she paid extra for her groceries to be bagged in paper - not plastic. But in a mix-up, every individual item came in a plastic bag. 'Woolworths what on earth is this?' she wrote. An angry woman has denied she is a 'Karen' after blasting Woolworths for an online shopping blunder 'I get my groceries delivered and pay EXTRA for paper bags because I don't want plastic. 'And then you put EACH can of cat food in a separate plastic bag and then put the bagged cans into a paper bag! Why?' The woman said she could understand if the contents of the plastic bag were breakable and likely to spill 'but it's a metal can of cat food! 'The eggs and glass jars weren't in their own bags, so why this?' 'I have already stopped buying fresh fruit and veg from you because (aside from being near rotting every time) you put individual pieces of fruit in little plastic bags. Stop it!' Woolworths introduced a fully recyclable paper bag at stores nationwide earlier this month for environmentally conscious shoppers at the checkout and online. The Sydney woman posted a lengthy message to Facebook after she paid extra for her groceries to be bagged in paper - not plastic. But in a bizarre mix-up, every individual item came in a plastic bag The furious social media post has garnered nation-wide attention but the woman at the centre of it told Daily Mail Australia Woolworths have not offered her any explanation The paper bags cost 20 cents - five cents more than the plastic reusable bags brought in after single use plastic bags were phased out across the country in 2018. 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 furious social media post has garnered nation-wide attention but the woman at the centre of it told Daily Mail Australia Woolworths have not offered her any explanation. 'I really didn't intend for it to go as far as it did,' she said. 'There were a lot of pretty nasty comments. I believe 'Karen' was bandied about fairly liberally. 'Honestly, I am not a Karen - I dont have a bob and have never asked to speak to a manager in my life!' Her social media critics have been harsh. 'Oh no it's the end of the world. Stop being lazy and do your own shopping,' one user wrote. Another described the issue as a 'first world problem'. 'People are lucky they can get groceries on the internet,' the person said. 'Yes there can be a few problems, sometimes items are not available and delivery times are sometimes late but overall the benefits outweigh the problems by a significant margin (it) is really a trivial problem.' A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the plastic bag blunder was a simply mistake. 'To prevent cross-contamination during a delivery we ensure chilled pet food is separated from food for human consumption. 'Our personal shoppers do this by bagging each chilled pet food product separately, or placing the product in a separate bag dependent on the customers selection. 'On this occasion a personal shopper appears to have separated tin pet food in a bag, which isnt our usual practice.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 13:31:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- India's health ministry Thursday morning said 775 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 52,123 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 34,968 and the total cases to 1,583,792. This is the highest single day spike in terms of fresh COVID-19 cases in the country so far. On Wednesday morning, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 1,531,669, and the death toll 34,193. According to ministry officials, so far 1,020,582 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. This is the first time when the number of cured and discharged cases has crossed the one million mark. The number of active cases in the country right now is 528,242, according to the ministry. On Wednesday the Indian government announced the guidelines for "Unlock 3," which is slated to begin from Aug. 1. As per the guidelines, schools and educational institutions will remain shut till August 31. Restrictions on movement of individuals during night (or night curfew) have been removed. Yoga institutes and gymnasiums will be allowed to open from Aug. 5, as international air travel of passengers has been permitted in a limited manner. The Indian government is presently focusing on ramping up the number of tests carried out every day. As per the figures of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 18,190,382 samples had been tested in the country by July 29, with 4,46,642 tested on Wednesday alone. On Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated three new testing labs which would help in increasing the number of tests by around 10,000 in cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. In the wake of prevailing COVID-19 conditions, the Indian government has decided to extend the existing restrictions on limited domestic flight operations and caps on air fares till November 24. Currently, domestic flight operations are allowed to function at 45 percent of the total capacity. Enditem Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has said it is not after popular Nigerian media personality, Toke Makinwa, over unpaid debts. AMCONs spokesman, Jude Uwauzor, told PREMIUM TIMES, Thursday, that Ms Makinwa is not indebted to the agency as alleged on social media. He said, What I can tell you now is that Toke Makinwa is not an obligor of AMCON. An obligor is a debtor, people that are owing us money and I can confirm that she is not our debtor. Toke has also issued a statement to say it is not true. In Lagos State alone, we have a lot of assets we have taken over. A lot. Sincerely, I dont know who Toke Makinwa is, I dont know where she lives. Even if they say she lives in Lagos, I dont know where she lives in Lagos. Some are saying Banana Island, forgetting that Banana Island is in Ikoyi and we have a lot of assets we have taken over in Ikoyi, including the federal secretariat. When somebody says they have taken over Toke Makinwas house as if everybody knows Toke Makinwa or where she lives. I am not sure she has published her address to say she lives in so so so place. It has been trending online since and nobody has mentioned Tokes home address so we can confirm. The Rumour Ms Makinwas luxury home was rumoured seized on Monday on social media over her inability to pay up a loan. Some Nigerians took to social media platforms, especially Twitter, to express different opinions on the alleged seizure of Makinwas home. READ ALSO: The OAP had announced that she bought her dream home, at the age of 35, in one of her numerous YouTube vlogs. That was in June. Following the Twitter backlash, she threatened to sue the Telegraph newspaper for publishing the report that her Banana Island house was taken over by AMCON. The OAP, through her lawyers, debunked the reports and asked the newspaper to tender an unreserved apology on their platform and circulate the same across social media, otherwise legal actions will be taken against them. Her lawyers also claimed the publication was to tarnish her brand as she does not rely on a man to survive. The paper has since retracted the report and apologised to the media girl. Twitter Rep: Irans Supreme Leaders Posts About Eliminating Israel Do Not Violate Rules A Twitter senior official supported on Wednesday the decision to attach a special label to a tweet by President Donald Trump about violent protests but said that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameneis posts inciting violence against Israel count as comments on political issues, according to The Times of Israel. We have an approach toward leaders that says that direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling on military-economic issues are generally not in violation of our rules, Ylwa Pettersson, Twitters head policy for the Nordic countries and Israel said when testifying via video-conference at an Israeli KnessetIsraels parliamentcommittee meeting, reported The Times of Israel. Pettersons statement was a response to a question asked during the hearing by Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights lawyer, and pro-Israel activist. He asked why Twitter started flagging President Trumps posts but have not flagged the tweets of Khamenei who called to destroy Israel. Member of Knesset Michal Cotler-Wunsh asked Petterson explicitly whether calling for genocide on Twitter is okay but commenting on a political situation was not okay. If a world leader violates our rules but there is a clear interest in keeping that upon the service we may place it behind a notice that provides some more context about the violation and allows people to click through if they wish to see that type of content, Pettersson responded, according to The Times of Israel. Thats what happened for the Trump tweet: that tweet was violating our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line of that tweet and the risk that it could possibly inspire harm and similar actions, she added. Cotler-Wunsh called it a sense of double standards, according to Fox News. Trump said on Twitter on May 29 referring to protests that erupted after the death of George Floyd in police custody: .These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I wont let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020 Khamenei posted a series of messages in May that call for armed resistance: The elimination of the Zionist regime does not mean the massacre of the Jewish ppl. The ppl of Palestine should hold a referendum. Any political sys they vote for should govern in all of Palestine. The only remedy until the removal of the Zionist regime is firm, armed resistance. Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 21, 2020 We will support and assist any nation or any group anywhere who opposes and fights the Zionist regime, and we do not hesitate to say this.#FlyTheFlag Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 20, 2020 In 2014 Khamenei posted his plan to eliminate Israel on Twitter: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in his post that Twitter violated sanctions on Iran by providing Ayatollah Khamenei with services. He urged the U.S. Attorney General William Barr to open a criminal investigation into those violations. Twitter's violating sanctions on Iran by providing the Ayatollah Khamenei w/ account services & I've urged AG Barr to open a criminal investigation into those violations. Now we learn Twitter is allowing him spread #Antisemitic vitriol & hatred against America on its platform. https://t.co/0UZQFglUB0 Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 29, 2020 Twitters policy regarding content promoting terrorism says, You may not threaten or promote terrorism or violent extremism. In the assessment, whether posted messages violate this rule Twitter is informed by national and international terrorism designations, and also uses its own violent extremist group criteria. Private Big Techs Accused of Censoring User Content The logos of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are seen in a combination photo from Reuters files. (Reuters) Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said at a congressional hearing held also on Wednesday dedicated to examining the dominance of four big tech companies Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, Big Tech is out to get conservatives. Thats not a suspicion, thats not a hunch. Thats a fact. Jordan provided several examples of private companies censoring their users content. Google and YouTube censored in April content that contradicted the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), Amazon censored Trumps account on Twitter, after he commented on defunding the police, and a book critical of the lockdown written by a conservative commentator. Twitter also censored Trump for saying that he will enforce the rule of law against any autonomous zone, Jordan said. A top Michigan official warned on Wednesday that, unless the Republican-controlled state Legislature passes a law to speed up the reporting of election results, it would be responsible for a chaotic and destabilizing election this fall. Continued inaction by lawmakers, when we need their support and partnership now more than ever, will equate to a dereliction of duty, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on a conference call with reporters. Benson, a Democrat, is the states top election official. She wants current laws changed in order to allow vote counters to be able to open mail-in and absentee ballots at least one day before Election Day. Benson said that if clerks are not enabled to start arranging the ballots for counting before Election Day, this will increase delays in reporting the results. For one thing, she said, every single one of [the election officials] is already going to be dealing with several other issues on the day of the election. That will create a space to enable bad actors to falsely raise questions about the sanctity and security of our elections. That reality has implications not just for our voters but for the entire country, she said. Whether Benson succeeds in prodding the Legislature into action could have national consequences. Michigan will be a key swing state in November, and a delay in results due to the widespread use of mail-in and absentee ballots could leave the country in limbo for several days, or even weeks, as it waits to find out who won the election. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. (David Eggert/AP Photo) And in a year thats already seen a global pandemic, a major recession and months of protests against police brutality, some warn that a delay could be nothing less than catastrophic for the country. There are three swing states that are most vulnerable to lengthy delays because they currently require election officials to wait until Election Day to start processing ballots. Remarkably, these three states are the same that swung the 2016 election: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Story continues In the call with reporters, Benson did not mention President Trump by name. Trump, however, has repeatedly made unsupported claims that increases in mail-in voting will lead to fraud, cheating and even manipulation by foreign governments. Hes also suggested that he might contest any election result that has him losing to Joe Biden, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already fraught election. There is massive interest among voters in voting by mail, or absentee, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Michigan, Benson said there have been 2 million requests for absentee ballots for next weeks primary election, which is double the amount of Michigans previous record for requests, and is much higher than the 1.4 million votes cast in the states August primary four years ago. State Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Republican who was previously secretary of state and now chairs the Senate Elections Committee, earlier this year introduced Senate Bill 757, which would allow election clerks in cities of 40,000 people or more to start opening absentee and mail-in ballots the day before Election Day. It passed unanimously out of the committee but has not been brought up for a vote by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who is also a Republican. Trumps attacks on the mail-in ballot process appear to have significantly undermined confidence among some Republican voters. Polling shows a huge partisan breakdown that appears to have grown sharper since a few months ago, a likely result of Trumps sustained campaign of misinformation about mail-in voting. A mid-July poll by Yahoo News and YouGov found that 81 percent of voters who plan to vote for Trump want to vote in person, while 70 percent of likely Biden voters want to do so by mail. And 54 percent of Trump voters said they are very worried about fraudulent postal voting, compared with just 12 percent of Biden voters. Between half and two-thirds of Americans support allowing anyone to vote by mail who wants to, based on numerous recent polls, including the Yahoo News/YouGov survey. Five states Washington, Oregon, Utah, Colorado and Hawaii already conducted their elections entirely by mail before the COVID-19 crisis created a new sense of urgency to expand this option for more voters. California, Arizona and Montana conduct most of their elections by mail, and another 24 states allow anyone who wants to cast a mail ballot to do so. Only 17 states previously required a specific excuse, such as serious illness or unavoidable travel. Since the onset of COVID-19, most of those 17 states have removed the excuse requirement for their primaries, but many questions remain about how the fall elections will be handled. Yahoo News has done extensive reporting over the past few months on mail-in voting, how it works and how much fraud there is in elections. Claims of widespread fraud are false. Fraud occasionally occurs, and mail-in voting is slightly less secure than in-person voting. But incidents of fraud are exceptionally rare, and some states that already conduct their elections entirely by mail have established practices to prevent wrongdoing. These policies include allowing voters to track their ballots online by a unique bar code and training election officials on how to properly match a voters signature on the ballot to their signature on file. A woman is helped by an election worker while voting from her car in the Utah primary on June 30. (George Frey/Getty Images) The disparity between Republicans and Democrats in how they view mail-in voting has led some election experts to fear a nightmare scenario in which many more Republicans than Democrats vote in person on Election Day this fall, Nov. 3, skewing the initial returns and setting the stage for Trump to falsely claim victory and wreak havoc on the country. [If] Biden becomes the winner as the absentee ballots are counted in Philadelphia or Detroit, thats a recipe, if its close, for a really ugly election scenario, said Rick Hasen, one of the nations top election law experts, on The Long Game, a Yahoo News podcast. Michigan and Pennsylvania both have the same ballot security measures. They require that officials match signatures that are on the outside of the ballot envelope to voter signatures on file. Benson is also calling for the Michigan Legislature to require clerks to contact voters whose signatures appear not to match, in order to give them an opportunity to verify whether the ballot is theirs. In Pennsylvania, the Legislature is also controlled by Republicans, but as in Michigan the secretary of state an elected statewide position is a Democrat, along with the governor. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar told the Washington Post that she had persuaded the Legislature to allow election officials to begin opening mail-in ballots at the beginning of Election Day rather than at its conclusion but that this was still far from enough time to avoid a lengthy delay in reporting results. Boockvars office told Yahoo News that she is in conversations with the Legislature to allow clerks to open ballots as much as three weeks in advance of Election Day. Wisconsin has a different system, requiring voters to show identification to clerks when requesting a mail-in ballot. The state also requires a witness signature to accompany the ballot when it is turned in. Election office spokesman Reid Magney told Yahoo News he did not know of any serious attempts to give vote counters more time to open mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day. Benson, the Michigan secretary of state, said it is common practice in 18 states to allow clerks to open ballots ahead of Election Day, including in Florida, another crucial swing state, which gives election officials more than three weeks to get their mail-in ballots ready to count. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images) Benson said that with 2 million requests for next weeks state primary, compared with just one 1 million mail-in requests for the states presidential primary in March, she anticipates a delay of at least one or two days before we get results in most races. In the fall, Benson said, she expects 3 million mail-in ballot requests. To put that number in perspective, only 4.5 million Michigan voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election. Benson did not give an estimate for how long a delay that might lead to. The only thing that at this point that can help mitigate that, and get our results sooner, she said, is the passage of legislation to enable people to start processing these ballots earlier. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: A man who turned back from a garda checkpoint and took off at speed has had his case dismissed after his solicitor argued that he had been arrested without reasonable evidence he had committed a crime. Garda Aidan Lenehan told the court that he had been conducting a checkpoint with Gda Healy at Farneyhoogan, on February 14, 2020, at approximately 9.20pm when he observed a white van approaching from Longford. Gda Healy raised his hand and the van slowed down, then took off. I followed it and activiated the lights, said Gda Lenehan. The van took off at speed. I have no proof of speed but I struggled to keep up. I eventually caught up with him when he stopped and got out and walked away from the vehicle. The man who walked away from the vehicle was Gareth Kenna, with an address at 2 Drumheath Grove, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15. Gda Lenehan explained that the man was known to him. I called to him and told him my observation,Gda Lenehan explained, adding that when he searched the man, he discovered a set of car keys and, on pressing the button on the key, the locking system on the white van was activated. He requested to see his son in a house nearby, said Gda Lenehan. I told him he was under arrest. He asked again and I acceded to the request and brought hom over to meet his son and then brought him to Longford Garda Station where he was dealt with and released. Following Mr Kennas arrest, the van was seized, Gda Lenehan added. Mr Kennas solicitor, Aengus McCarthy, put forward an application for acquittal on the grounds that arrest was effected with no reasonable evidence Mr Kenna had committed a crime, no evidence of a reason for arrest given to him, and no lawful demand to produce his insurance at the scene. Did I hear evidence of the guard asking him to produce insurance? Judge Hughes asked. He stopped him and hes charged on the charge sheet for no insurance but there is no evidence this man was asked to produce his insurance. Ive taken the evidence. It has been contested. The case is dismissed, he concluded. Former police officers receive prison terms for criminal case fabrication RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 16:27 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) A court in Russias Nizhny Novgorod has sentenced five ex-policemen of the Republic of Tatarstan to prison terms ranging from 5 to 12 years for initiation of illegal prosecution of four persons with the use of force against them, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office reports. Additionally, they have been banned from holding certain posts for 2-2.5 years. All of them have been also deprived of their ranks of Police Major and Police Colonel. One more defendant, current police employee, has been ordered to the 4.5-year jail but released from the punishment due to the expiration of statute of limitations, the statement reads. Depending on their roles and involvement the defendants have been found guilty of abuse of office, illegal purchase and storage of drugs, theft and hindering conduct of preliminary investigation. According to court records, between May 2008 and May 2013, the defendants used violence and special tools conducted illegal operational activities against four victims after fabricating a drug case against them. Moreover, ex-chief of a Kazan district department of the Interior Ministry stole a laptop, 48,000 rubles ($650) and construction tools from an apartment. His actions caused damage worth over 70,000 rubles ($950). Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination of pregnant women could prevent pneumonia in babies Immunising pregnant women with a potential vaccine against RSV could prevent the most common cause of pneumonia in their babies. Professor Shabir A. Madhi of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, is the lead author of a study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, 30 July 2020. The multinational, multicentre study reports on the first RSV vaccine to provide evidence that inmunisation of pregnant woman could protect young infants under six months old against severe RSV lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Of particular interest is an analysis of the data by sub-populations, which suggests that the vaccine better protects infants born to women from low- and middle-income countries [LMICs], such as South Africa. These participants constituted more than two-thirds of those enrolled, says Madhi. The RSV vaccine administered in the study is a nanoparticle vaccine developed by Novavax (Maryland, USA). Although the vaccine did not fulfil the stringent criteria for licensure by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the study itself provides the first evidence that maternal vaccination could protect infants against RSV illness. The Prepare Phase 3 clinical trial was highly instructive, demonstrating a maternal immunisation strategy is viable, and modulating RSV disease in this way could have beneficial long-term impacts, says Dr Gregory M. Glenn, President of Research and Development of Novavax. We are continuing to explore options to move the programme forward and bring ResVax to market globally with commercial partners. Infants most vulnerable to respiratory viruses Covid-19 has dominated the news headlines recently to the point that concern for other infectious diseases, , many of which disproportionately affect those living in low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa, is significantly reduced. Babies and young children, who often suffer the greatest consequences of illness and death from respiratory pathogens, are fortunately and remarkably spared from severe Covid-19 illness. However, children under five and particularly infants up to six months old are at greatest risk of developing lung infections [pneumonia] due to a multitude of other respiratory viruses and bacteria, says Madhi. A virus from the 1960s Respiratory Syncytial Virus was first discovered in the 1960s as a cause of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in childhood. In 2019, another large multicentre study reported that approximately one-third of pneumonia hospitalisations in infants are due to RSV. Globally, in children under five-years-old, there are 3.2 million hospitalisations for RSV LRTI in children younger than five-years-old. Of those hospitalised, 118 000 die. Additionally, 44% of the hospitalisations and 46% of the in-hospital deaths occurred in infants younger than six-months-old. In South Africa, approximately 178 000 to 443 000 children under five-years-old will develop RSV LRTI annually. Notably, approximately 45% of all severe RSV hospitalisations and deaths occur in infants under six months old. These episodes would be difficult to prevent by vaccinating the infant directly. Since its discovery 60 years ago, there have been multiple attempts to develop a vaccine against RSV, all of which have been unsuccessful. Although it is disappointing that this vaccine will not be licenced based on the study results, it nevertheless paves the way for the development of this and/or other RSV vaccines for pregnant women to protect their infants against RSV during their first six months of life when they are most vulnerable to severe illness and death from RSV, says Madhi. About the RSV vaccine study In this study, 4 636 pregnant women at between 28 to 36 weeks gestation were immunised with a single dose of an RSV vaccine, or a placebo, to induce an antibody response by the immune system to the RSV F-protein in the vaccine. Approximately half of these women were enrolled in South Africa. These maternal antibodies are then transferred naturally to the foetus during pregnancy and provide the first line of defence in protecting infants against RSV LRTI during the first 90 to 180 days of life. The study showed that vaccination during pregancy was safe in the women and their infants. Key findings of this study show that infants born to women who received the RSV vaccine were 44% less likely to be hospitalised for RSV LRTI. Furthermore, these infants were 32% less likely to be hospitalised for pneumonia due to any cause in the first six months of their life. Vaccine better protects infants of mothers from LMICs An intriguing finding of the study is that when the analyses were stratified [a method of sampling from a population which can be partitioned into sub-populations] by country income status, the vaccine appeared to be more protective in infants born to women from LMICs, a grouping which constituted more than two-thirds of the enrolled study participants. In particular, infants through to six months of age born to RSV-vaccinated women from LMICs were 53% less likely to be hospitalized for RSV LRTI and 69% less likely to have severe hypoxemia [low blood oxygen] due to RSV LRTI than infants of LMIC woman who did not receive the vaccine. Furthermore, these infants born to vaccinated women were 39% and 59% respectively less likley to be hospitalised for all-cause LRTI and LRTI with severe hypoxemia. These data show the significant potential of an RSV vaccine for public health benefit in LMICs, which contribute more than 90% of all deaths from RSV and 50% of which occur outside health facilities. VIDA vaccines for Africa The South African leg of the RSV study was conducted by Madhis Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA) - which is the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)-affiliated unit formerly known as the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit (RMPRU) - as well as at other sites in South Africa. VIDA is in the School of Pathology in the top 100 globally ranked Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). This RSV study adds to other key studies on life-saving vaccines undertaken by Madhi and his team at VIDA. Previous vaccine-related studies also published in high-impact prestigious journals include: The evaluation of seasonal influenza vaccine in pregnant women to protect the mother-infant dyad [couple] study ( June 2016 The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to protect against the leading cause of childhood pneumonia death study ( July 2002 The study on the rotavirus vaccine, which protects against the leading cause of childhood diarrhoeal death ( August 2013 ). These studies have informed World Health Organization policy on the use of these vaccines in National Public Immunization programmes and have led to South Africa being the first country in Africa to introduce such vaccines to its public immunization programme. Professor Shabir Madhi now leads Africas first Covid-19 vaccine trial currently underway. Claude Levesque, president of the Quebec Jockey Club (QJC), sent a notice to harness racing entities in Quebec on Wednesday (July 29), stating that the QJC board members felt the risks are too great right now to allow spectators to attend the races at H3R this season. If admitting spectators were to lead to more cases of COVID-19 and the racecourse was then forced to suspend racing, it would be catastrophic for the industry, its jobs and even its survival, said Levesque. For the moment, the Quebec Jockey Club will continue to apply the same policy that is currently in progress, i.e. presenting races without spectators and continuing to apply to the paddock the same protocol approved a few weeks ago by the Public Health of Quebec. (With files from the Quebec Jockey Club) Pixar Animation Studios - a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios - announced on Thursday what their next movie would be. The Northern California based studio is working on an animated film called Luca about a young boy who spends his summer on the Italian riviera eating gelato and swimming. The plot revolves around his friendship with another boy who is not who he seems to be as he hides his origin. Jumping for joy: Pixar Animation Studios announced on Thursday what their next movie would be. The Northern California based studio is working on an animated film called Luca about a young boy who spends his summer on the Italian riviera eating gelato and swimming It has been described as 'a coming-of-age story' about one young boy. Luca takes in all that Italy has to offer, including fun scooter rides around the curvy roads. A first photo from the film was shared on Thursday showing two boys jumping off a cliff and into the Mediterranean as a village can be seen in the background. His new friend has a secret thought: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water's surface. The movie will be directed by Oscar nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) and produced by Andrea Warren (Lava, Cars 3). The look is right: Pixar movies are known for their hyper realism and vibrant colors. A first photo from the film was shared on Thursday showing two boys jumping off a cliff and into the Mediterranean as a village can be seen in the background The man in charge: The movie will be directed by Oscar nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna), seen here in 2012 with wife Marit 'This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it's set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship,' said the film's director Enrico Casarosa. 'Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca. 'So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.' The movie will hit theaters on June 18, 2021. Pixar is best known for the Toy Story movies as well as Monsters University. Pixar Animation is still sitting on the release of their next film Soul due to COVID-19. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Ganga Ram hospital on Thursday evening for what the doctors called routine tests and investigations. Congress President , Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been admitted today evening at 7 p.m to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. She has been admitted for routine tests and investigations . Her condition is currently stable, said Dr D S Rana , Chairman(Board of Management) , Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. The Congress president was admitted to the same hospital in February after she complained of stomach ache. Earlier in the day, Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with partys Rajya Sabha members and discussed the current political situation with them. The meeting was organised through video conference in which its top leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, participated. Cheon Young-hwan's experiment on making black porcelain moon jar in collaboration with artificial intelligence is on view at "Random Diversity" exhibition at Wooran Art Scape 1 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Courtesy of Wooran Foundation Cheon experiments on capturing color of emotions By Kwon Mee-yoo Moon jars, or Korean white porcelain spherical jars with a resemblance to the glistening full moon, are known to represent traditional virtues such as modesty and meditative beauty through their pure white color and simplicity. If an artificial intelligence (AI) decides the shape of the moon jar based on what it has learned and a robot-arm 3D printer physically produces it, can the moon jar still have that spiritual quality? Cheon Young-hwan, a researcher and artist who explores the possibility of the cooperation between human and AI, reveals the process and results of his project of making a moon jar with colors "extracted from human emotions" using AI and robotic 3D printing at the "Random Diversity" exhibition at Wooran Art Scape 1 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. "Since we are not an art museum that permanently displays our collection, we offer a new way of exploring artwork in the collection in the Wooran Yisang program," the program's producer Kim Min-jeong said. This time, the foundation explores the possibility of collaboration between art and science by supporting Cheon to branch out on ideas from ceramist Kim Sy-young's black moon jar. Cheon comes from an unusual background as an artist. In fact, he does not label himself as such. "I haven't decided my stance yet. Previously, an occupation defined a person, but times have changed and it is difficult to determine what a person is based on one's job," Cheon said. Cheon studied at the College of Liberal Arts and Convergence Science at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and worked at a foundation under the National Assembly Research Service. "I studied civic engagement in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era at the National Assembly Research Service and looked at many social and political issues. As I researched scientifically and worked in a public office, I felt the gap among the different perspectives of technology. I thought it would be better to send a message via an artistic vehicle," Cheon said. Currently, Cheon is a member of the new media art group, Discrete, which consists of an AI computer, two humans and three robots. "When AI is applied to the art scene, AI is often objectified or used as a tool AI writing music or painting a portrait like a person would. I wanted to work in symbiosis with AI, communicating with AI to find colors and make moon jars," Cheon said. Cheon Young-hwan uses a VR headset with brainwave sensors to find the color associated to an emotion at "Random Diversity" exhibition at Wooran Art Scape 1 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Courtesy of Wooran Foundation Cheon held his first solo exhibition "This is a Moon Jar, in a 99.17005896568298% Probability" at Factory2 in Seoul last year. "I took the inspiration from Kim Whan-ki's moon jar paintings I saw when I was young. Back then, white porcelain was an everyday object. I remember they were buried in my grandmother's yard. I was fascinated that such a mundane object could be an artwork," Cheon said. In this exhibition, Cheon materialized white porcelain moon jars through Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) and 3D printing technology. The AI analyzes big data on a moon jar and decides the ultimate shape a 3D printer produces the jar based on the data. GAN is also known for creating "Edmond de Belamy," the first AI-generated artwork to be auctioned at Christie's and fetched $432,500 in 2018, exceeding expectations. "The previous project was to produce infinitely different moon jars. In the past, potters tried to make moon jars in the same shape, but the result always differed as the firing process in a kiln is out of the potter's hands," Cheon explained. "The products were standardized after the Industrial Revolution, but in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, I think AI could play the role of unintended environment in the kiln." Though Cheon has held an exhibition of AI-generated white porcelain moon jars, black porcelain was something completely new for him. "The glaze used for black porcelain changes colors in high temperature. I could see so many colors in different lights, angles and direction. Kim Whan-ki once wrote that the white colors are all different and likewise, I could find a full array of colors in black," Cheon said. "The world is often divided into white and black, but in fact there are so many colors between them." The researcher-artist thought of the ways to fill the gap between white and black. "How could I fill up the diverse colors? Then I came up with the idea of people's emotions, which are full of diversity," he said. Cheon Young-hwan blends colors associated to an emotion at "Random Diversity" exhibition at Wooran Art Scape 1 in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Courtesy of Wooran Foundation Cheon attempted to reset the concept of color and visitors can experience how their emotion is represented in color at the exhibition. "When we think of colors, we associate with images such as passionate and hot for red and cool and calm for blue. However, this is a notion devised by the human since color in scientific definition is just a different wavelength of visible light. I tried to appreciate the definition of color and categorization of human language in a different way," Cheon explained. Cheon used "arousal balancing" to analyze emotions through brainwaves and the movement of the eyeballs, and emotion AI to colorize the emotions. To find the color of an emotion, Cheon employs a VR headset to provide a transparently immersive experience. "Our eyes can accept way more information than we think. We had to block out peripheral vision to accurately measure which brainwave responds to which color. So we installed nine sensors to measure brain wave in the VR headset," he said. "Scientifically, a person never emits the same brainwave frequency throughout their life. This is a way of capturing a moment of the memory in color," Cheon said. "The color does not come out as you intend. When you think of a warm hug of your mom and expects it to relate to red color, but it might be a totally different color. It is interesting that people try to read something into the color." Cheon named this color extracted from emotion as "Emotion Vaccine" as a way of consoling people amid the COVID-10 pandemic. "It provides an opportunity to keep your memory in the form of color and recognizing the diversity in yourself," he said. The "Emotion Vaccine" experience is available through reservation. For more information, visit www.wooranfdn.org . Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 05:02:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,726 on Thursday, as 15 new cases were confirmed. The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief press statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 856 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10. Also, the government announced that the death toll from the deadly respiratory disease climbed to 487 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden. The Yemeni government called on donors and relevant international humanitarian organizations to provide support to help contain the pandemic. Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of capital Sanaa. Enditem Outspoken Chinese professor Xu Zhangrun (L), who was fired from Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University with (L-R) attorneys Shang Baojun, Mo Shaoping and former human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang. Former Tsinghua University Law School professor Xu Zhangrun who was expelled from his teaching position for allegedly soliciting a prostitute has for the first time appeared in public to deny the criminal charge and initiated legal action to clear his name, his friends and supporters told RFA. After Xu completed his home quarantine, on Tuesday, he formally retained attorneys Mo Shaoping and Shang Baojun as his lawyers, they said According to sources close the professor, Xu completely denies the police allegation against him of soliciting a prostitute a charge that emerged after Xu had published a series of articles and open letters critical of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and its supreme leader Xi Jinping. "Professor Xu has publicly denied the allegation of soliciting a prostitute. This is sheer fiction, nothing but a frame job. And he never admitted to soliciting a prostitute when he was interrogated by the authorities, said the friend, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the case. In December 2019, Xu and other prominent legal scholars went to the Sichuan Province capital of Chengdu for a brainstorming meeting, Xu was questioned by the Beijing Domestic Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, the Beijing Municipal police, and the Chengdu Municipal police. Simultaneously the Qingyang District branch of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau which is said to be handling the case announced on its official Weibo social media page in June that it had cracked a case of organized prostitution, and the police imposed administrative penalties on several people involved. They then issued an Administrative Penalty Decision against Xu. Authorities in Beijing detained Xu on the morning of July 6 after he called online for political reforms, on allegations of "seeking out prostitutes." He was released a week later, but later told the media that he had been fired from his teaching post and subjected to public sanctions for "moral corruption" by Tsinghua University's law school. Administrative redress sought His attorneys will file a request for administrative redress or a lawsuit against the police in accord with his wishes, his friend said. "Take as an example the Qingyang District branch of the Chengdu Public Security Bureau. If I am dissatisfied with their administrative punishment decision, I can request administrative redress from a higher-level public security agency such as the Chengdu Public Security Bureau, said another source familiar with the case. "If the Chengdu Public Security Bureau conducts administrative redress with no facts or legal basis, an administrative lawsuit can be filed with the court demanding revocation of the administrative penalty decision If through deliberation the administrative penalty decision is revoked, according to Chinese law, the police will definitely have to apologize and compensate him," the source said. The authorities have so far failed to produce any evidence of Xu Zhangrun's suspected involvement in soliciting a prostitute, including mobile phone records, hotel surveillance tapes and transfer records, the source said. "For the police to successfully prosecute soliciting of a prostitute, they must produce solid evidence. But the public security organs produced no evidence, for example any video," the source said. Former human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang participated in the meeting between Xu and the lawyers. "This is a matter of justice. I am very inspired by Xus personality. I admire him very much. I also believe that what he said is true. It is just a question of how the legal process unfolds. This could be a problem, said Pu. It is understood that Tsinghua University decided to expel him as early as when he was detained, and dispatched an official to the detention center to read out his expulsion notice. 'Burden of proof is on the police' The wording was more severe than in the public announcement, including accusing him of writing articles attacking the Communist Party and the nation, both serious crimes. After the detention period expired, the police refused to allow Xu to take with him the notice of administrative punishment a possible violation of legal procedures. "Professor Xu does not have to prove he did not commit this crime; The police have to prove that he did. The burden of proof is on the police, said Pu. When the punishment decision was made, the legal process should have detailed the facts of the illegal acts, he added. A fellow Tsinghua University scholar, who declined to be named in order to discuss Xus case, described his retention of lawyers as a last-ditch counterattack against the authorities. Although the Chinese legal system is of limited utility in protecting defendants rights, Chinese intellectuals use of the legal space to defend their dignity is seen by Xus supporters as more important than the result of the case, the colleague said. Since party general secretary Xi began an indefinite second term in office in March 2018, his administration has stepped up a purge of liberal intellectuals from higher education institutions. Friends said at the time of Xu's detention that it could be linked to the publication of one of his books in New York last month, a collection of some of his most controversial essays and articles. In a 10,000-word essay dated May 21, 2020, Xu described China as isolated from "global civilization," which would de-Sinicize in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Scott Savitt. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 13:18:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MANILA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday said it has approved a 20 million U.S. dollars grant to help the government of Samoa respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Manila-based bank said the grant will help fund measures to upgrade Samoa's health sector and support the government's economic stimulus program. "As Samoa works to keep the disease from entering the country, ADB's support will help to strengthen the health sector by funding the training of workers, upgrading facilities, and bolstering medical supplies," ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said in a statement. He added that "ADB's assistance will also help support the livelihoods of the many people in Samoa affected by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19." The ADB said its Health Expenditure and Livelihoods Support Program will support health sector improvements in Samoa including upgrading isolation rooms in hospitals, strengthening quarantine areas, and procuring medical supplies. It will also help train frontline workers to prevent infections. The program will also support measures to safeguard the purchasing power of Samoans, such as unemployment benefits, cash transfers, and higher pensions for the elderly. The ADB said the grant is funded through the COVID-19 pandemic response option (CPRO) under ADB's Countercyclical Support Facility. CPRO was established as part of ADB's 20 billion U.S. dollars expanded assistance for developing members to respond to COVID-19, announced on April 13. This is ADB's second grant to Samoa to combat the impacts of COVID-19, following a grant of 2.9 million U.S. dollars in April. Enditem NEW YORK, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Epiq announced it won the FY20 Top Microsoft 365 Compliance Partner for this year's Microsoft US Modern Work and Security Partner Awards. The company was honored among a national field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. "We are proud to receive this honor from Microsoft. Together, we are solving complex regulatory compliance and security issues for our clients," said Roger Pilc, president and general manager for legal solutions at Epiq. "Helping organizations to migrate data to the cloud easily and begin using the advanced built-in security and compliance features within Microsoft 365 is just part of what we do. Through these efforts, we're also working alongside our clients globally to overcome their biggest information governance challenges: ever-expanding data sources, increasingly rigorous compliance and privacy regulations, and the need to reduce costs." The Microsoft US Modern Work and Security Partner Awards recognize Microsoft partners based on their commitment to customers, the impact of their solutions, and their outstanding use of Microsoft technologies. The award winners have exemplified best practices by demonstrating value, technical acumen, driving sales, and delivering the Modern Work and Security story. Awards were categorized in several categories, with honorees chosen from a set of more than 100 submitted nominations. Microsoft recognized Epiq for providing exceptional solutions and services in leading all partners in compliance engagements (workshops, proof of concepts, assessments.) For more information on how to take control of your data with Epiq and Microsoft 365, visit us here , and/or register to attend our webinar, "Emerging eDiscovery and Compliance Considerations in a Microsoft Teams-centric Modern Workplace," on Monday, August 10 at 11am ET here . About Epiq Epiq, a global leader in the legal services industry, takes on large-scale, increasingly complex tasks for corporate counsel, law firms, and business professionals with efficiency, clarity, and confidence. Clients rely on Epiq to streamline the administration of business operations, class action and mass tort, court reporting, eDiscovery, regulatory, compliance, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters. Epiq subject-matter experts and technologies create efficiency through expertise and deliver confidence to high-performing clients around the world. Learn more at www.epiqglobal.com . Press Contact Catherine Ostheimer Epiq +1 203 921 9700 costheimer@epiqglobal.com (mailto:costheimer@epiqglobal.com) Citing unprecedented security threats emanating from neighboring Turkey, Armenia on Wednesday banned Turkish officers from inspecting Armenian military bases and verifying Yerevans compliance with an international arms control treaty. It announced the decision as Turkey and Azerbaijan began joint military exercises in the wake of deadly hostilities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border which heightened tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Signed in 1990 and revised in 1999, the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) places specific limits on the deployment of troops and heavy weapons from the Atlantic coast to Russia's Ural mountains. Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan signed it after gaining independence. Signatories to the treaty are allowed to inspect each others compliance with the arms ceilings through random visits to practically any military base. Military inspectors from Turkey and other NATO member states have regularly visited Armenia since the mid-1990s. The Armenian Defense Ministry had first sent a group of CFE inspectors to eastern Turkey in March 2010. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said it informed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Wednesday that Yerevan has decided to suspend Turkish inspections of its armed forces. In a statement, the ministry attributed the move to Turkeys unilateral support to Azerbaijan and unprecedented threats against Armenia voiced following the border clashes that broke out on July 12. It also pointed to the Turkish-Azerbaijani war games, saying that they further aggravate the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone. Any [further] military inspection conducted on the territory of Armenia by Turkey would adversely impact Armenias security interests and may jeopardize the security of its population, read the statement. It indicated that weapons inspectors from other OSCE member states will be allowed to continue to visit Armenia. Turkey has blamed Armenia for the border clashes and vowed to boost its military and diplomatic support for Azerbaijan. Yerevan has responded by accusing Ankara of trying to destabilize the region. The Armenian military said on Tuesday that it will be closely monitoring the Turkish-Azerbaijani drills which will be held in various parts of Azerbaijan for nearly two weeks. Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said Armenian army units as well as Russian troops stationed in Armenia will use all reconnaissance means at their disposal for this purpose. Armenia and Turkey have carried out mutual on-site arms inspections despite not having diplomatic relations and an open border. Neither country has accused the other of violating the CFE. By contrast, the Armenian and Azerbaijani militaries have never inspected each other in line with a gentlemens agreement dating back to the 1990s. Yerevan and Baku have long traded accusations of exceeding arms quotas set by the Cold War-era treaty. In June, German authorities identified a 43-year-old man as a suspect in the disappearance and likely murder of British girl Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007. This suspect was later identified as Christian Bruekner. Police are now digging up a plot of land near Bruekner's former home on the outskirts of Hanover in northern Germany. In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by Europe correspondent Bevan Shields in Hanover, where he is reporting on the investigation into McCann's disappearance. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. As much of the footwear sector struggles amid the ongoing pandemic, Crocs is bucking the trend and proving that brands can make the coronavirus work for them. The clog maker far exceed expectations for the second quarter as its trend-right casual product, tight connection with consumers and focus on digital paid off big. More from Footwear News Unequivocally, we are gaining share. We see that in the marketplace. We hear that from all of our wholesale partners, said president and CEO Andrew Rees in a conference call today, noting that Crocs is beating its competitors. In the back half of this year, demand will certainly exceed supply. So we will manage that carefully. I would much rather be in that situation than the opposite situation. For the second quarter, the clog maker recorded diluted earnings per share that surged 71.2% to $1.01 on an adjusted basis well above the prior years 59 cents per share and analysts bets of 14 cents per share. Revenues, on the other hand, declined 7.6% to $331.5 million but still beat Wall Streets forecasts of $249.6 million. Digital Is Soaring While every company has been moving fast to capitalize on a rapid and dramatic shift to digital, some brands have clicked in more than others. Crocs is certainly a winner here. The brand said its online business which combines its own e-commerce and digital sales at its partners represented 56% of Q2 sales, compared to 33% last year. While these strong growth rates have recently started to temper, it is clear that the pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital, and it will remain a high priority channel going forward, Rees said. The Iconic Clog Is on Fire Story continues While theres been much debate around Crocs classic clog, one thing is for sure: It has serious staying power. The style drove 68% of total footwear revenues in Q2, up from 56% last year. As casual reigns and dress continues to decline, the look will likely continue to resonate. Consumers are looking for comfort. Theyre looking for value. Theyre looking for great storytelling. Theyre looking for personalization and inspiration, Rees said, citing the continued focus on the Jibbitz custom charms. Nearly All U.S. Stores Have Reopened and Asia Is on the Rise As the brands locations in the U.S. get back to business, traffic is down, but conversions and transaction values are up. That proves the strength of the brand in the U.S. and its also making progress in Asia, where sales rose in China and Korea during the quarter. The brand has increased relevance in China with attention-grabbing collaborations, including a livestream event with Yang Mi on TMall. Crocs Connected With Health Care Workers & People in Need at a Critical Time As the pandemic upended the lives of health care workers, Crocs was there for them. The brand donated more than 860,000 pairs of shoes already in a staple in the wardrobe of many in the medical field with a retail value of almost $40 million. In addition, as many Americans struggle with access to food, the company recently partnered with BD America, the largest domestic hunger relief organization. This is an important step in our effort to continue to support our communities, Rees said. Ive seen the power of our organization when we come together for good. And I know that together, we will continue to make a meaningful impact globally. Equal Justice Now and Los Angeles Urban League Young Professional town hall discuss voting rights Equal Justice Now and Los Angeles Urban League Young Professionals hosted an online meeting via Zoom Saturday morning highlighting voter registration and social justice. Retired judge and reality court show star Judge Greg Mathis moderated the more than two-hour long town hall that included speakers Andrew Lewis, Tai Savet, Trell Thomas, Mir Harris and Equal Justice Now Co-founder Tony Smith. ADVERTISEMENT Equal Justice Now (EJN) is a non-profit organization that focuses on opposing judicial biases, such as wrongful convictions and false arrests. According to the Los Angeles Urban League Young Professionals website, the group is committed to social and economic empowerment through volunteerism. The two groups came together to stress the significance of voting in not only the presidential election, but also local elections. This year is a very important election for us, Smith said towards the opening of the town hall. We must all look at who we are going to vote for and the importance of the vote. Media expert and activist, Thomas, emphasized the Black vote and how voter turnout impacts voting results. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that during the 2016 election, non-Hispanic Black voter turnout dropped 7 percent compared to the 2012 election. We have to keep in mind that people of color are becoming the new majority and if we vote, we have the power to win, Thomas said. Thomas has worked towards passing the HEROES Act, a bill that would fund polling stations and other areas of the upcoming election. The HEROES Act is a $3.6 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that would also affect student loan, housing assistance and small businesses. ADVERTISEMENT Its really important, our lives are depending on our votes, Thomas said. During her opening remarks, Harris, social justice group Times Ups first official hire, spoke about how voting can be used as an avenue to uplift minority groups voices. The importance of voting is now probably more prevalent than its ever been in our countrys history because were seeing a reckoning, Harris said. So, it is important that we do tap into all of the resources that we have to educate ourselves, to not just vote on the national level, but the local level [too]. The group emphasized voters to use outside resources and guides in order to educate themselves on topics featured on the ballots. I have a political science degree and voting is still overwhelming to me, and I want everybody out there to know that thats not by accident, its on purpose, Harris said. She later commended public figures and celebrities such as Georgia rapper Offset for publicly showcasing himself voting on his social media account. In June, Offset posted a series of videos on Instagram encouraging others to go and cast their votes in the down-ballot primary. During the audience question portion of the meeting, panelists noted to check the deadlines to register to vote which can differ by state on websites such as vote.org. Lewis, Urban League Young Professionals Civil Engagement Political chair member, noted in closing that the best way to make change is to take-charge and make a plan to vote. He suggested arranging for a ride to the polling booths, researching ballot propositions and calling representatives to create a relationship and dialogue with them. Similarly, real estate agent and Love and Listings producer, Savet said that the best way to make a change is to take-charge and initiative. We have to be proactive; everything that we do we have to think about it clearly and make the right decisions. Right now, we all have decisions and we have to act upon them, Savet said. A full recording of the town hall is available on Equal Justice Nows Facebook page. Michigan needs to drive down its coronavirus numbers now if residents want to reopen K-12 schools in a month, say health experts in Michigan and elsewhere. That means stricter individual compliance with mitigation strategies such as wearing a mask and limiting social gatherings, experts say. Wednesday marked eight years since Kortne Stouffer was reported missing from her Main Street apartment in Palmyra seemingly gone without a trace. The family used the anniversary to use the page it established on Facebook titled Kortne-Stouffer - Remember Me with updated contact information for its private investigator, Leah Hopewell. Wendy Stouffer Hammel stopped by her daughters Main Street apartment on July 29, 2012 after the 21-year-old failed to meet family at the Lebanon Area Fair. She found Stouffers dog barking, the television on and the air conditioner running. Her daughters keys and phone were there, but there was no sign of Stouffer. Hammel told PennLive last July it was the worst day of her life. She was new at being 21, a free spirit, life of the party, and fun-loving, Hammel said ahead of last years anniversary. She enjoyed spending time with her family and her siblings. Investigators have received a variety of leads over the years but none have led to Stouffer. She would be 29 years old now. Tension was building between Stouffer and her downstairs neighbors late July 28 and early the next morning. Her boyfriend, Brad Herr, was living with her and not supposed to be drinking because he was on house arrest, authorities said. But that night he drank some beer with Stouffer and her friends, and got arrested when the neighbors called the police. Stouffer and her friends went out in Harrisburg and confronted the neighbors when they came back around 3 a.m. The police were called again, but no one answered at Stouffers or the neighbors apartment. Stouffer was nowhere to be found when one of her friends woke up in her apartment around 7:30 a.m. Kortne Stouffer's parents continue to hope she safely returns to them. In an interview with PennLive, Hammel said all of the individuals involved that night were interviewed. They all know how the night unfolded, she said. She hasnt talked to her daughter since she called on July 28 to tell her that Herr was arrested. About two years after her disappearance, a friend of Kortnes told her father Scott Stouffer that his daughters body was thrown into Memorial Lake about 12 miles from where Stouffer was last seen. Investigators searched the lake, but the womans body was never found. Her parents havent given up hope, although investigators admit the likelihood of her being found alive goes down as time passes. Hammel and Scott Stouffer did not return messages on Wednesday requesting comment. However, her family posted updated contact information for private investigator Leah Hopewell Tuesday to a Facebook page dedicated to the search. Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Graf did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday. There hasnt been any new information in Stouffers case in more than a year. It's been a minute since I've seen your face and heard your voice I Freaking Miss you Everyday.... 8 yrs this week is literally UNBELIEVABLE Posted by Kortne Stouffer- Remember Me on Monday, July 27, 2020 Each year in her honor Stouffers family hosts a float on the Swatara Creek from Palmyra to Hershey. The latest was held last month. Theres a $100,000 reward out for information on Stouffers whereabouts. Tips can be submitted by calling 717-838-8189. Someone out there knows what happened to her, Scott Stouffer said last year. It would be a miracle. READ MORE: Unsolved: 10 years after woman was killed outside her Dauphin County home, $25K reward offered for info Man decapitated landlord with samurai sword: police TMI gets approval to end siren testing, downsize local emergency response, despite objections of watchdog group CIMERWA set to list shares on stock exchange ICR Newsroom By 30 July 2020 Rwandan cement producer CIMERWA is set to list its shares on the Rwandan Stock Exchange on 3 August, the company said in a press statement. Each share is trading at RWF120 (US12.6), the government expects to raise a total of RWF41.3bn. The step is part of the government to sell its stake in the cement company, joining other shareholders that have expressed an interest in exiting from the business. The government owns a stake through Agaciro Development Fund, Rwanda Social Security Board, Rwanda Investment Group and Sonarwa Holdings. The remaining stake of 51 per cent is owned by South Africa-based PPC and will be listed on the stock exchange but not traded. Albert Sigei, Cimerwa's CEO, sees the development as an opportunity for investors to gain exposure to the attractive cement industry with solid growth potential. "The listing will further encourage the drive towards the building of a stronger capital market base. We are excited with the opportunity to bring on board a wider pool of retail and institutional investors, both local and international, to participate in the ownership of CIMERWA," Mr Sigei explained. With a cement capacity of 0.6Mta, CIMERWA posted a net profit of RWF3.4bn last year. Published under A family who fell victim to cruel 'dogfishers' was left devastated when their adorable new puppy died within 12 hours. Father-of-two Damian Burwitz, 43, of Biggleswade, told how little Leia made an instant impact on his two sons, who fell in love with the Chocolate Labrador when he and wife Kelly brought her home. But the following morning the concerned couple rushed the pup to the vets when she wouldn't stop vomiting, where she was diagnosed with parvo, a highly contagious virus, and put to sleep. Damian said his youngest son Oliver, then seven, still cries when he looks at a photo he kept of her. Father-of-two Damian Burwitz, 43, told how little Leia (pictured together) made an instant impact on his two sons, who fell in love with the Chocolate Labrador when he and wife Kelly brought her home 'She was our first family dog,' he told the Mirror. 'It wasn't a long time that she was with us, but enough to make an emotional connection.' Damian and Kelly drove from their home in Bedfordshire to Birmingham to purchase a puppy they'd seen for sale online. However, when they arrived they discovered there'd been a mix-up and the dog they wanted had been sold. Keen for their journey not to have been wasted and desperate not to return home to sons Oliver and Lucas, then 10, empty-handed, they had another look online to see if there were any other dogs available to purchase in the area. Damian and Kelly (pictured with sons Oliver and Lucas) drove from Biggleswade in Befordshire to purchase a puppy they'd seen for sale online - but after a mix-up, they found an alternative seller nearby They found a Chocolate Labrador puppy with an asking price of 500 and contacted the owner, who told them he was unable to keep the dog due to his landlord. He added that the dog was staying at his mother's home, however she didn't like visitors, so the couple agreed to meet him in a pub car park. Damian, a client relationship manager for a bank, said they were told the puppy was eight weeks old and, while she was 'a little quiet and withdrawn', she didn't look unhealthy. WHAT IS PARVO? Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and very serious disease that is often deadly if left untreated. Dogs can become infected with parvo through direct contact with an infected dog, its poo or vomit, or something that has itself been in contact with an infected dog, its poo or vomit. The virus attacks the intestines and immune systems of affected puppies and dogs, making them weak and unable to absorb essential nutrients from food. Signs of parvovirus usually begin five to seven days after infection, but can range from two to 14 days. Initially, signs include a high temperature, having less energy and being off their food. From 24-48 hours there may be vomiting or diarrhoea, often severe and with blood in it. Dogs with parvo become dehydrated very quickly and it is vital that you contact your vet for advice immediately. Parvovirus is incredibly hardy and can survive for months on most things. It is resistant to varying degrees of heat, cold and humidity. The virus can easily contaminate surfaces, food and water bowls, bedding, carpets, grass, kennels, cages, shoes, clothing and human skin. Any surface that has been contaminated may spread the virus to another dog. Vaccination is the most effective way to protect your dog from parvovirus. Your dog should have had a vaccination when they were a puppy, but they will require regular additional boosters. Information supplied by The Kennel Club. Advertisement They agreed on 350 for a quick sale, and Damian admitted they didn't suspect anything wrong because they were 'just excited about getting a dog'. On the journey back they decided to book Leia in with the vet the following day for a check-up. But within an hour of them home, the pup began vomiting - which Damian and Kelly initially put down to car sickness from the long drive. When Leia failed to improve, they rushed her to the vets where they were given the awful news that nothing more could be done to save her. The couple said they tried to contact the seller but failed to get a response. To make matters worse, the family bought another dog two weeks later which also contracted parvo. Damian told FEMAIL: 'We didn't know how contagious this is and it can apparently take six weeks to dissipate. 'Our new dog spent a week in the vets but made it through. We just wished we knew more about parvo and how bad it could be. I believe it's quite common with these illegal sales.' Sadly the Burwitz family are not alone; earlier this year the UK charity Dogs Trust issued a warning over a 'dogfishing' scam after thousands of unsuspecting owners bought illegally smuggled puppies organised by criminal gangs. Dogfishing is a verb which means to mislead someone into buying a dog which may not be what it seems. The organisation revealed many owners have been conned or 'dogfished' into buying illegal puppies that often have hidden health or behavioural problems, leaving them heartbroken and almost 500 on average out-of-pocket. The charity added that thousands have fallen victim to illegal puppy smuggling, where the animals are brought into the UK from central and eastern European countries, before being sold on for vast profits. Paula Boyden, Veterinary Director at Dogs Trust, commented at the time: 'People think they are getting a healthy, happy puppy but behind the curtain lurks the dark depths of the puppy smuggling trade. 'Many of these poor puppies suffer significant health conditions or lifelong behavioural challenges, and sadly some don't survive, leaving their buyers helpless and heartbroken as well as out of pocket. 'If it seems too good to be true, as hard as it is, walk away and report it.' Royal Dutch Shell has said that its second-quarter writedowns include the controversial OPL 245 licence at the centre of corruption trials in Nigeria, Italy and the UK. Reuters reports that the oil giant on Thursday listed the controversial licence for an offshore oilfield in Nigeria, which it holds alongside Eni, as parts of its writedowns. In accounting and finance, writedown refers to a reduction in the estimated or nominal value of an asset. Often, a writedown becomes necessary due to economic or fundamental changes in the value of an asset. Last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Italian prosecutors proposed eight years in prison for both Claudio Descalzi, former chief executive of Eni and Paolo Scaroni, his predecessor; and a seven-years-and-four-months jail term for Malcolm Brinded, Shells former head of upstream. The prosecutors also prayed the court to issue a fine of 900,000 euros ($1.04 million) each against Eni and Shell and to confiscate a total of $1.092 billion from all the defendants in the case, the equivalent of the bribes alleged to have been paid. Sergio Spadaro, the Public Prosecutor of Milan, had earlier told a Milan court that the major parties mentioned in the controversial Malabu scandal were involved in sundry corrupt activities, adding that major Nigerian officials named in the controversial deal all had long-standing relationships. The prosecutor requested a 10-year jail sentence for Dan Etete, a former Nigerian petroleum minister, over alleged fraud in the controversial Malabu scandal. On Thursday, Shell said a post-tax impairment charge of $4.658 billion was mainly related to unconventional assets in North America, assets offshore in Brazil and Europe, a project in Nigeria (OPL245), and an asset in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Scandal The Malabu scandal involves the transfer of about $1.1 billion by oil multinationals, Shell and ENI, through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian oil minister, Mr Etete. From accounts controlled by Mr Etete, about half the money ($520 million) went to the accounts of companies jointly controlled by Abubakar Aliyu, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA oil, and Mr Etete. Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect Mr Aliyu fronted for top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration as well as officials of Shell and ENI. The transaction was authorised in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers, and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigerias richest oil blocks. Although Shell and ENI initially claimed they did not know the money would end up with Mr Etete and his cronies, evidence has shown that claim to be false. Shell later admitted it did know the money would go to Mr Etete. Shell, Eni, Mr Etete, Mr Aliyu and several officials of the oil firms are being prosecuted in Italy for their roles in the scandal. PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Etete acquired luxury properties in Dubai with funds believed to have been sourced from the controversial deal. In April, the EFCC was urged to seize a private jet bought by Mr Etete from money he allegedly made from the Malabu deal. On June 6, this newspaper also reported how Nigeria tracked down and grounded the luxury private jet purchased by Mr Etete, with some of the alleged proceeds of the notorious oil deal. Asset recovery lawyers acting for the Nigerian government swooped on the Bombardier 6000 jet, tail number M-MYNA, when it touched down at Montreal-at, the Trudeau International Airport in Canada on May 29. Lorraine's stand-in host Christine Lampard was left shocked as she was forced to apologise to viewers after Brian Blessed swore live on Thursday's show. The legendary actor, 83, left fans in stitches as they claimed he 'provided the most British reaction to coronavirus' by telling the pandemic in 'b****r off' in his hilarious rant. Holding back laughter, the broadcaster, 41, said: 'It has been the most extraordinary time, I'm sure some of us would use even a stronger word than that, but obviously we can't and we will apologise for any bad language.' 'We apologise for any bad language': Lorraine's stand-in host Christine Lampard was left shocked after Brian Blessed swore live on Thursday's show The screen star used offensive language as he became passionate about 'beating' the novel virus. Speaking from his Surrey home, Brian said: 'This COVID virus... I really want to say one swear word - b****r off! 'We will beat it, it will go away, I believe in the human spirit and we and we are showing immense courage in this country, down to the NHS.' Hilarious: The legendary actor, 83, left fans in stitches as they claimed he 'provided the most British reaction to coronavirus' by telling the pandemic in 'b****r off' in his rant Outspoken: The screen star used offensive language as he became passionate about 'beating' the novel virus, causing the broadcaster, 41, to giggle The media personality was met with praise by the public, who took to Twitter to share their delight at his interview. They penned: 'If anyone can tell the virus to f**k off and itll actually work its Brian Blessed. 'I couldn't help myself. Brian Blessed is a national sweary treasure. God f*****g bless him. 'A national sweary treasure': The media personality was met with praise by the public, who took to Twitter to share their delight at his interview 'Hurray! Weve found a vaccine. Its Brian Blessed. Brian Blessed screaming "B****R OFF!" at COVID19 on morning television is what we all need in our lives right now. 'Brian Blessed is a national treasure. 83 years old and full of life. Love the man. Brian Blessed providing the most british reaction to the coronavirus.' This is not the first time the Flash Gordon star swore on-air, as Good Morning Britain's lead anchor Piers Morgan apologised to viewers after Brian committed the blunder three times back in January. The thespian appeared on the show with his daughter Rosalind when Piers, 55, asked if it was true how men bore him. The presenter was referring to an interview last week in The Guardian, where Brian said: 'My heroes my heroines- are women. All my life, 90% of men have bored the a**e off me. And it is women who have taught me everything.' The Shakespearean stage legend replied: 'Can I saw a**e? I wont say a**e, I promise. A lot of men bore the a**e of me'. Yves here. This post confirms that readers who are worried about the too-obvoius signs of corners-cutting in the rush to develop a Covid-19 vaccine have esteemed company. There are at least two bad motivations in play. First, the Trump administration is desperate for a pre-election boost. News in October that a vaccine was approved for rollout would make Mr. Market orgasmic. Many Trump voters are sensitive to the state of their portfolios and would look past his many other sins if their portfolios got a big pre-Christmas surprise. Second, the drug companies likely believe that there is a big first mover advantage, that whoever gets a good enough vaccine out quickly wins. Given the considerable reservations of experts and the public, that may not prove to be true, but the MBA beancounters wont hear that. By Arthur Allen. Originally published at California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation The vaccine trial that Vice President Mike Pence kicked off in Miami on Monday gives the United States the tiniest chance of being ready to vaccinate millions of Americans just before Election Day. Its a possibility that fills many public health experts with dread. Among their concerns: Early evidence that any vaccine works would lead to political pressure from the administration for emergency approval by the Food and Drug Administration. That conflict between science and politics might cause some people to not trust the vaccine and refuse to take it, which would undermine the global campaign to stop the pandemic. Or it could lead to a product that is not fully protective. Confidence in routine childhood vaccinations, already shaken, could decline further. The fear is that you wind up doing to a vaccine what [Trump has] already done with [opening] school, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a former FDA deputy commissioner and a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Take an important, difficult question and politicize it. Thats what you want to avoid. On Monday at 6:45 a.m., the first volunteer in the landmark phase 3 trial for the Moderna Therapeutics vaccine received a shot at a clinic in Savannah, Georgia. Clinicians at 88 other sites, stretching from Miami to Seattle, were also preparing to deliver the experimental shot in a trial that aims to enroll 30,000 people. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the countrys leading infectious disease expert, told reporters he hoped 15,000 could be vaccinated by the end of the week, although he provided no information about progress toward that goal. All volunteers would receive a second shot 29 days after their first inoculation. (Half will receive a placebo containing saline solution.) Another vaccine, produced by Pfizer with the German company BioNTech, also entered a large phase 3 U.S. trial this week. Its being tested independently of the National Institutes of Health, which is partially funding the Moderna trial as well as tests for an Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine trial, and others in the future. AstraZeneca has said some doses of its vaccine might be ready as early as September. Fauci said he expects the Moderna trial to provide an answer about whether that vaccine works by the end of the year and its conceivable an answer could come in October. I doubt that, but we are leaving an open mind that it is a possibility. Such a fast pace worries some experts. I dont see how thats remotely possible unless the thing I most fear happens, a truncated phase 3 trial with just an idea of efficacy, an idea of common side effects, and then it rolls out, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Pence downplayed such fears Monday, telling reporters: There will be no shortcuts. There will be no cutting corners. Officials are pressing for an open and transparent process. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, is preparing to release a bill requiring the FDA to have an expert panel review any COVID vaccine and issue a recommendation before FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn makes a decision. With past vaccines, the FDA has generally relied on such a committee, made up mostly of vaccine experts and appointed by the FDA commissioner. They typically conduct a painstaking examination of all evidence before voting on whether the FDA should approve a vaccine. The commissioner has rarely, if ever, gone against the committees decisions. Hahn undercut confidence in the FDAs independence earlier in the year, many observers felt, when he issued an Emergency Authorization Use declaration for hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria that President Donald Trump and members of his administration have continued to tout, erroneously, as a cure for COVID-19. The FDA later revoked the authorization, which was made without consulting an independent committee. FDAs independence has been threatened, no question, by the hydroxychloroquine issue, said Dr. Jesse Goodman, a Georgetown University professor who led the FDAs biologics division and later was chief scientific officer. The agency must give outside scientists and the public the opportunity to see the data and the FDAs reasoning before coming to such a decision, he said. Concerns about political interference arose recently when Trump talked excitedly about a vaccine, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confidently told reporters there would be a vaccine by the end of the year for emergency use. To be sure, its unlikely the FDA would be tempted to issue an emergency release without data that showed a vaccine was working and not causing serious side effects. The massive coronavirus outbreaks in Texas and other hard-hit areas where the Moderna vaccine is being tested should provide an answer, although exactly when is an open question. In theory, scientists might get a handle on a vaccines efficacy before all 30,000 people are enrolled, vaccinated and studied. In fact, an answer could become clear after only 150 to 160 cases of disease are reported among the trial participants, Fauci said. If roughly two-thirds of those cases occurred in non-vaccinated people, it would show statisticians that the vaccine had above-60% efficacy, he said. If the vaccine is 80% to 90% effective and the annual rate of infection in the places where its being tested is above 4%, scientists could get a signal of efficacy in such a trial with just 50 cases, or in as little as three months, said Ira Longini, a University of Florida biostatistician who designs vaccine trials. The Moderna vaccine trial would hit that three-month threshold on Oct. 27. The trials fate is partly in the hands of its 30-member Data and Safety Monitoring Board, whose members can see unblinded data about the participants in real time pinpointing who was vaccinated with the actual vaccine and got sick, for example. The board will alert the NIH and vaccine maker if it sees surprising data either dangerous side effects or powerful efficacy. Some fear that if the vaccine seems to work in an early review, the FDA would be pressured to stop the trial. Offit said NIH should not accept anything less than a completed trial of 30,000 people. Fifty cases is a very small number to use as evidence for releasing a vaccine that could be administered to tens of millions, he said. The public might clamor for the release of any vaccine that seemed to work. Moderna said it has already begun producing millions of doses of vaccine at risk, banking on the vaccines success. The FDA could release those under powers provided when the country declared a public health emergency in March. With more than half the country deeply mistrustful of Trump, according to recent polls, any federal decision could be resisted and lead to widespread rejection of even a promising vaccine. Sharfstein worries about a knee-jerk reaction against the vaccine by Democrats if Trump touts it before the election. Experts also worry about releasing a vaccine that shows some positive effects but isnt robustly protective. A slide presented by FDA deputy director Philip Krause at the World Health Organization earlier this month said a weak vaccine could fail to protect the public adequately, leading to a false sense of security in those whove received it, while making it harder to test future vaccines. The latest incident that lays credence to allegations that some persons believed to be non-Ghanaians were doing all they can to acquire Ghanas voters identification card was when a gentleman suspected to be a Togolese narrowly escaped arrest after he had secured a Ghanaian voters card at an Akpokploekofe registration centre in the Ketu South Constituency of the Volta Region. An anonymous registration official told DGN Online that on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 one Kofi Aholou registered successfully without any challenge whatsoever. However, while hanging around the centre he reached out into his pocket for his wallet. Unfortunately, his wallet fell and exposed the contents which included Togolese National ID card, Togolese Voters Card among other Identification cards in french inscription. These cards also included the Ghana voters card which he had secured that day. Per the cards, Kofi Aholou will turn 21 in December, 2020. The incident which happened just before midday attracted registration officials and party agents at the registration centre which was less than 10 meters into Togo. The security was alerted, however before they could get to him; Kofi Aholou who had the time was being casually interrogated, sensed danger and sped into the Togo side of the area, leaving his wallet and ID cards behind. The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa who was touring some registration centres in the Constituency arrived at the scene just after the culprit escaped. A good look at the area where the incident happened shows that there was no clear demarcation whatsoever of which side was Ghana or Togo except for French inscriptions on the buildings on the other side of the area where the registration centre was located. The Ketu South MCE, Elliot Agbenorwu who confirmed the incident noted that the lack of proper demarcation in the area made it difficult to control cross border movements of people and even goods. According to him, the difficulty in arresting persons like Kofi Aholou was because it is difficult to tell who is a Ghanaian or not, without actually interrogating them to be sure. A move which is usually misconstrued and heightens tempers of both residents and traditional leaders. Some of the security in the area who also spoke to Daily Guide on condition of anonymity, said they cannot make arrests in Togo. Hence, when one (Kofi Aholou) moves to the other side, it is impossible to follow them, unless they rely on the Security in Togo. Interestingly, these culprits usually show their Togolese documentation when they escape into Togo, hence making it difficult for the security there to hand them over. They said, most of the persons perpetuating cross border crimes including illegality acquiring Ghanaian Voters ID through false pretence take advantage of the porosity of the border which is inundated with limitless unapproved routes. Any attempt to cross, is tantamount to territorial violation which could lead to serious implications, one of them said. The Togo and Ghana Voters cards of Kofi which Daily Guide has seen has the name, Kofi Aholou written on them with the same date of birth; 31-12-1999. Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Ministers who was in the Company of his Deputy, Pastor Johnson Avuletey, the Ketu South MCE and the media toured centres along the border communities in Ketu South. They include, Tihokope (2 stations), Gaklikofe, Agbawome, Wudoaba, Akpokploekofe among others. ---Daily Guide ComEd on the hot seat, Part II: Chicago aldermen got their chance to tee off on ComEd officials Thursday, ripping the utility as its electricity deal with the city is about to end for a yearslong bribery scheme allegedly involving associates of state Speaker Michael Madigan, the Tribunes John Byrne writes. Read the full story here. It comes a day after ComEd officials outlined their proposed ethics reforms to the Illinois Commerce Commission. Presiding over the ICC meetng was chairwoman Carrie Zalewski, the daughter-in-law of a former alderman who was allegedly part of the criminal plot. The Tribunes Stacy St. Clair wrote the only-in-Illinois politics story about that meeting here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 09:54:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Local three-wheel drivers pose with face masks during a donation ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Tang Lu) The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka donated 50,000 face masks and 35,000 posters raising the awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic to local three-wheel drivers. COLOMBO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka on Wednesday donated a large number of face masks and posters raising the awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic to a leading union of local three-wheel drivers. In an event held at the Chinese Embassy in Colombo, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy Hu Wei handed over 50,000 face masks and 35,000 posters to Vice President of the All Island Three-Wheeler Driver's Union M. J. M Hameed. Hameed said that his union was happy to join with the Chinese Embassy and Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health to promote health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic and promised to distribute the face masks to union members in order to protect themselves, passengers and the general public. A press release from the Chinese Embassy said that the donations "represent the sincere friendship and best wishes from the Chinese people," and that the joint fight of the two countries against COVID-19 would strengthen the "friendship and mutual trust between China and Sri Lanka." Officials and local three-wheel drivers pose for a photo at the donation ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Tang Lu) Director General of Health Services in Sri Lanka Anil Jasinghe, who attended the event, thanked the Chinese Embassy, saying that the donations would be useful given the popularity of three-wheelers as a mode of transportation, and the close proximity between drivers and passengers. Rizwan Jamaldeen, a three-wheel driver and a union member from the country's Slave Island, said that face masks are a thoughtful and practical donation that would go a long way to protect the health of both drivers and passengers. Three-wheelers, popularly known as tuk-tuks, are a popular mode of transportation and source of self-employment to many Sri Lankans. COLUMBUS, OhioAs Ohio lawmakers debate repealing the House Bill 6 nuclear bailout, a pair of House Democrats are seeking to erase another policy sought by FirstEnergy -- this time, regarding how the state calculates whether the utilitys subsidiaries are making significantly excessive profits. House Bill 740, introduced Thursday by state Reps. Mike Skindell of Lakewood and Sedrick Denson of Cincinnati, seeks to erase part of the states two-year budget bill that allows the Akron-based utilitys subsidiaries -- Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison -- to consider the profits made by all three subsidiaries averaged together. The change allows Ohio Edison to make a windfall, as its higher profits are grouped with the lower profit margins of Toledo Edison and Cleveland Electric Illuminating companies, Ohio Consumers Counsel Bruce Weston testified at the time. State law doesnt precisely define what constitutes significantly excessive profits, though two Public Utilities Commission of Ohio rulings in recent years indicate the threshold is about 17 percent per year. The provision was added by an unknown House member to the budget bill, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed a little more than a year ago. FirstEnergy reported making more than $900 million in profit in 2019, compared to a profit of slightly more than $1 billion in 2018 and a loss of $289 million in 2017. In a statement, FirstEnergy Corp. Spokesman Mark Durbin said the legislative provision did not have any impact on our earnings, nor did it have any impact on the rates paid by our customers. Since Ohios Significantly Excessive Earnings Test, or SEET, was created in 2008, Durbin continued, Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison have demonstrated each year that they passed the test. Because FirstEnergys three subsidiary utilities operate under a single state-approved rate plan, Durbin stated, the company believes its appropriate to have the three companies report as a group rather than individually. Durbin noted that, unlike FirstEnergy, other state-regulated utilities in Ohio only had to file one earnings test. Durbin stated that FirstEnergy had discussions with many legislators about why the company thought the change should be made. The 2019 amendment was added under the watch of then-House Speaker Larry Householder, who was indicted Thursday along with four allies. They are accused of using $60 million in bribes given by FirstEnergy to pass a $1.3 billion bailout benefiting two nuclear power plants and increase the speakers power. House members voted unanimously Thursday to remove Householder as speaker. If we want to restore public trust and confidence, the Republican pay-to-play mentality has to come to an end in Ohio government, Skindell said in a release Thursday. We must act quickly to repeal the harmful consumer legislation adopted to benefit monopolistic electric utilities like FirstEnergy. The House held two votes on the budget after the amendment was added. Skindell voted no during the first vote and missed the second vote. Denson voted for the budget initially but opposed it during the second vote. Its unclear whether HB740 will pass, as bills usually require at least one Republican co-sponsor to pass the GOP-dominated legislature. Skindell is also co-sponsoring separate legislation, House Bill 738, to repeal HB6 -- though that, too, has an uncertain future. Read more Ohio politics and government coverage: Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, four others indicted by grand jury in $60M bribery case Ohio House votes to remove Larry Householder as Ohio Speaker following corruption arrest Ohio pharmacy board backs off hydroxychloroquine ban at Gov. Mike DeWines urging Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose pushes back on Donald Trumps tweet about delaying presidential election urfinguss/iStockBy STEPHANIE WASH, ABC News (CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.) -- When Florida students return to school next year, there will be a new safety measure in place thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last June. Alyssa's Law, named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, requires all Florida public and charter schools to implement a mobile system that silently alerts law enforcement and first responders of potentially life-threatening situations -- from shootings to medical emergencies. But one Florida school is ahead of the pack. Coral Springs Charter School installed and began testing a panic alert system in February before the spread of the novel coronavirus. ABC News saw the system in action before the pandemic with assistance from Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow, 18, was also killed in the Parkland shooting. It's been more than two years since a grieving and angry Pollack told President Donald Trump at a White House meeting, "There should've been one school shooting and we should've fixed it." Now, Pollack said he hopes the launch of his new program, School Safety Grant, and the implementation of ALERT, or Active Law Enforcement Response Technology, will be one fix when gun laws fail. The School Safety Grant, Pollack says, will help fund school safety enhancement nationwide by distributing grants. Police departments will be awarded up to $40,000 and $20,000 per campus for school districts. But its not just schools, says Lee Mandel, CEO of IntraLogic Solutions. Hospitals, movie theaters, houses of worship and other mass-gathering locations will be eligible. The grants will cover the full implementation, full deployment and all the software for life, says Mandel. IntraLogic Solutions, along with the other School Safety Grant partners, Actuate and SaferWatch, are initially donating up to $20 million worth of software licenses and deployment services that will allow grant recipients to use their existing infrastructure to connect them to their local police departments. ALERT gives police access to real-time surveillance cameras within a building once a panic button is hit during an active incident or a button is hit on a phone application. Dispatchers can then identify and track a suspect's location, and relay crucial information to officers as they respond. "When they arrive on the scene, they know exactly where to go, how to get in, where the shooter is," Mandel told ABC News. Mandel began developing the ALERT software after 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. "It really hit home," Mandel said. "And we said, 'How can we make a difference?'" Mandel said he met Pollack shortly after the Parkland shooting that killed 17 and injured 17 others. Since his daughter's death, Pollack has been involved in legislative efforts, including the signing of the School Safety Bill in Florida, that in part raised the minimum age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21, banned bump stocks and imposed a three-day waiting period to purchase a gun. "For me, it's always been about school safety," Pollack said. "I don't want to debate about anything else." "If this type of software was in place ... she'd be alive today," Pollack said. "There were so many miscommunications, human errors, people not trained properly," he continued. "This makes police departments efficient. It takes them into the 21st century of response." Identifying and solving the problems Coral Springs police were the first to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the day of the shooting. The department is the first in the nation to receive ALERT. "[Marjory Stoneman Douglas] had a good camera system, but the department didn't have access," Coral Springs Police Chief Clyde Parry told ABC News. "Without us being able to tie in and look at the cameras, it obviously hampered our response in that situation." He noted that at one point information was delayed by as much as 20 minutes and officers believed the shooter was on the third floor when in reality he had left the building. Another problem, Parry said, was the fire alarm. "It was hard for some of the students to hear ... any announcements over the intercom," he said. "We're going to look at being able to disable the fire alarm remotely so that now we can give clear directions, 'A code red has been called -- enter your classroom, lock yourself down,' you know, so that those things, you know, can't happen again." "We looked under every rock, we turned every leaf over," Parry said. "It's important to go through them thoroughly, vet them and find out what did I do good. What did I do bad? What can I fix for the next time?" Coral Springs police has begun working toward interoperability between fire departments and the sheriff's office. They have also established mutual aid agreements with the jurisdictions around them so that they are able to respond to events if they are within striking distance. As for the ALERT technology, "It's life changing," Parry said. "It's taking us from being in a rowboat to being in a starship." Parry told ABC News that information given during 911 calls can often be unhelpful if the caller is under stress and shock. "With this technology, it allows us to be able to have well-trained people give defined answers and directions of where to travel, exactly where the problem is," he said. "If you have a camera and I'm looking for somebody who's wearing black pants in a maroon shirt ... you can do that. You can give a direction of travel. You can tell them which area to enter the school. More importantly, which area not to enter the school, [like] if we see that somebody is maybe set up in a sniper situation." "In some instances I imagine it will go faster than even receiving our first 911 call," Parry said. "In any emergency, where seconds matter ... this is technology that is going to trim off as many seconds as you can." Although this technology is a step forward, those on the receiving end are confident it is not an end-all, be-all solution. "Shooters are constantly evolving and are constantly learning," Parry said. "You can never rest on your laurels.'" "But it will bring school safety to a different level than what we have right now. And I am excited about it. I look forward to it. And I'm embracing it," Parry added. Coral Springs Charter School, located just two miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, is also a grant recipient. "When it's literally down the street from you, I think that has much more of a significant emotional impact," Principal Gary Springer told ABC News. "Parkland is not just our neighbor. They're literally a family member." Springer's school sits on a 200,000-square-foot campus, and houses 1,700 students from grades 6 to 12 and 150 faculty members. "I think it's really crucial that we're able to have the latest and greatest technology ... at our fingertips," Springer told ABC News. "For our first responders to have instant access into our building and a bird's-eye view ... into what's going on at our school at any time during the day, I welcome that." The school has upward of 100 cameras throughout the building. "This provides immediate response in order for the situation to be controlled at a greater rate," he said. "The school now has the ability to automatically set off the panic alert and that'll shut down the school. And what that'll do is immediately alert first responders upon arriving on the scene. They will already have access to a full picture of the school, which includes an overlay of the entire footprint of the school that allow someone to communicate with first responders and automatically unlock the doors that are on lockdown." ALERT demonstration ABC News was there in February as Coral Springs police used ALERT for the first time at Coral Springs Charter School. Officers were prepped beforehand by Coral Springs Director of Emergency Management Alex Falcone. The drill began when Coral Springs Police Department communication center manager Kathy Liriano received an alert that a panic button was hit at the school. Liriano immediately alerted police, then took over the school's PA system to address the shooter. "Police are on scene. Shooter, drop your weapon," Liriano said. "Once they start talking over the intercom, the shooter may realize, 'All right, the police are here,' and they may abandon what they're doing and try and escape or ... shoot themselves. We know that a lot of these active killers have [died by] suicide once the police show up," Parry said. Liriano then relays crucial information to officers, including the race of the suspect and their clothing. With the school on lockdown, she is able to unlock the door for police. And as officers rush to the scene, the dispatcher continues to track the shooter in order to give police step-by-step directions to locate and apprehend the shooter upon their arrival. On the first drill, Coral Springs police apprehended the shooter in less than four minutes. The officers then conducted a second drill in which the shooter entered the school and moved at random. "What we're really going to try to test with this is how quickly we can guide officers through the hallways. We're going to test using a lot of different cameras. We're gonna test using all of the features that the system has to offer," Falcone told ABC News correspondent Victor Oquendo. "They're going to have to search the school and they're gonna have to rely on the information provided to us from the software in order for them to find them." But a few minutes into the drill, Liriano selected a button that opened up nearly 300 camera views at once. "We'll disable that button so you can't accidentally click 10 cameras at the same time, because otherwise you're going to have too much on the screen," Mandel told Liriano. "This is an excellent opportunity for us, so we want to make sure that we drill and we drill hard because if we can identify issues now on a safe day in a controlled environment, we can fix that," Falcone said. They then elected to restart with a new drill. This time officers apprehended the shooter just one minute after entering the building. Mandel says the purpose of the drill was to locate additional features and challenges of the software to make it efficient and effective for users. Following the drill, the company removed the feature. After the drill, 15-year veteran Coral Springs Officer Robert Cherry is impressed, calling ALERT an incredible tool. "It gives us a huge advantage to know exactly where the suspect is at any given moment and a school of this size, you never know where they can be," Cherry said. Cherry was a first responder to the Parkland shooting. "It's invaluable to have if, God forbid, there's another incident like that," Cherry said about the software. For that reason, Pollack said he hopes this technology expands nationwide and is the future of responding. "In my head," he said, "my daughter will be saying, 'Well, look what we did now, Daddy.'" Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. The New York Times reported 6,300 positive cases of COVID-19 that were tied to 270 colleges during the pandemic 211 of which were reported in the state of Pennsylvania. However, that number does not paint the full picture of COVID-19 cases at college campuses in the state. According to the Times, collecting data for this story proved to be a challenge. Hundreds of universities did not respond to its inquiry for data while others refused to give out information because of privacy concerns. Heres what they found: The University of Pennsylvania has a reported 167 cases of coronavirus tied to the university and the University of Pittsburgh reported 39 cases. Lock Haven University, West Chester University, Carnegie Mellon University, Temple University and Lafayette University each reported one positive case on campus They found at least 14 COVID-related deaths tied to college campuses across the country. This data shows that most universities across the country are seeing positive cases despite the fact many of them have not even started fall instruction yet. These findings do not include the positive reported cases from Penn State Harrisburg, the death of one student at the University Park campus, as well as positive cases from Millerville University and Shippensburg University. A reporter from the Times, Danielle Ivory, said Penn State, Shippensburg and Millersville did not respond to the Times with their data. There is an open forum at the end of the story for people to report missing data to the Times to bridge any of those gaps. PennLive contacted several of the other Pennsylvania schools that had no data included in the New York Times story to see why they were not reported. One school said the request for information went to its junk mail; another said it never got an email or call at all. Penn State University responded, "We received a general inquiry, but did not receive any additional details when we asked for clarification on the request, so we were not able to answer at that time." The university plans to release information about how it will report the number of tests and positive and negative results on a campus-by-campus basis at a virtual town hall meeting tomorrow at 3 p.m. Cody Jones, a spokesperson from Pennsylvanias State System of Higher Education, said in an email that they do not report the number of cases centrally, but rather each university keeps track of themselves to avoid double reporting. Our 14 universities have worked hard to help impede the spread of the virus by staying connected to their local health officials and community leaders through a constant flow of communication, Jones said in an email to PennLive. Our university leaders, faculty, and staff remain committed to the health and safety of everyone, both on-campus and off-campus, while they prepare to serve our students in the fall. Angela Burrows, Assistant Vice President for Communications at Edinboro University, said she has not received a data request from the New York Times. The university has zero reported cases of coronavirus in the campus community. Tom McGuire, Director of Communications at Bloomsburg University, said he received an email from the New York Times on July 16, though it went to his junk mail, so he never replied. Bloomsburg University has zero reported cases of COVID-19 in its campus community. 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. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian expressed hope on Thursday that Armenia will practically overcome its coronavirus crisis by September, citing a substantial drop in daily infections recorded by the health authorities over the last two weeks. As of yesterday, we had less than 9,000 active [coronavirus] cases for the first time since June 11, Pashinian argued during a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. We had 259 new infections yesterday, he said. We had less than 400 daily cases for the sixth consecutive day. We previously had such a situation on May 24. The Armenian Ministry of Health reported an average of 550-600 cases a day in the first half of July. The daily numbers of new cases exceeded 730 at one point in late June. Deaths directly or indirectly caused by COVID-19 have also fallen in recent days. The ministry said on Thursday morning that 5 more people died from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the countrys official death toll to 728. It reported approximately 15 fatalities a day from July 6 through the end of last week. Pashinian attributed the decreased numbers to a stricter enforcement of anti-epidemic rules set by his government and peoples greater compliance with them. We all must continue to follow the rules just as strictly no matter how uncomfortable and unpleasant they are for us, he said. The prime minister urged Armenians to continue to wear mandatory face masks in all public spaces, practice social distancing and frequently wash hands. We hope that each of you will take this responsibility and confront this challenge so that we can declare the end of the crisis in September, he said. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian told the Armenian parliament on July 14 that the government hopes to cut the daily number of new cases to roughly 140 by the beginning of September. He said this would allow the government to reopen the countrys schools shut down by it in March. Avinian, who coordinates the governments response to the pandemic, announced on Wednesday that his office is now working on detailed safety guidelines that should allow libraries, museums, theaters and other cultural institutions to also reopen soon. A total of 38,196 coronavirus cases have been registered in Armenia to date, making it one of the hardest hit counties worldwide. Armenian opposition groups have for months criticized the governments handling of the coronavirus crisis. Some of them say that the authorities never properly enforced a nationwide lockdown imposed in late March and lifted it too soon. Pashinian and other senior government officials have dismissed the criticism. They insist that their strategy of tackling the pandemic has largely worked and spared Armenia more severe economic consequences. Slain gangster Vikas Dubey's close aide Gopal Saini, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on him, surrendered before a special court in Kanpur Dehat on Wednesday, a government counsel said. The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Kanpur Police were on the lookout for Saini since July 3 after eight policemen, including Deputy SP Devendra Kumar Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops, said an official. District Government Counsel (criminal) Raju Porwal told PTI that Gopal Saini, accused in the killing of eight policemen, surrendered before the special court (UP dacoity-affected area) at Maati in Kanpur Dehat. Saini's advocate had moved an application for his surrender before the court, Porwal said but did not elaborate on the details of the application. Superintendent of Police (rural), Brajesh Srivastava confirmed that Gopal Saini has surrendered before the court in Kanpur Dehat. "We have decided to move an application before the court requesting for his police custody so that he can be questioned properly and information about other members of Vikas Dubey's gang who are still evading arrest can be obtained," he said. Initially, a cash reward of Rs 50,000 was announced on Saini but it was later increased to Rs 1 lakh, the police officer said. Dubey was shot dead in an encounter on the outskirts of Kanpur on July 10. Earlier, five members of the Dubey gang were killed in separate encounters. A special flight carrying 219 Vietnamese laborers in Equatorial Guinea, 140 of whom infected with coronavirus landed at Noi Bai International Airport on July 29. The passengers were taken to a quarantine area upon arrival. All passengers on the flight are at stable conditions. After landing at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, all crew members have been sent for medical quarantine and isolation at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh District, Hanoi. Earlier at a meeting on July 10, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered a flight to immediately repatriate Vietnamese workers from Equatorial Guinea as some of them had contracted the virus. All of the 219 workers have been contracted to work at the Sendje hydropower plant project in Equatorial Guineas Littorial province. The same day, Vietjet Air and functional agencies in Indonesia and Brunei joined hands to bring more than 210 Vietnamese citizens in Indonesia and 180 others from Brunei home. Passengers on the flight included children under 18, the elderly, people with sickness, pregnant women, laborers with expired labor contracts and visitors stranded due to COVID-19. Strict security and safety measures were enforced during the flight to protect passengers health and prevent the spread of the disease. Following the flight's landing, all passengers and crew members were given health check and quarantined as regulated. From April 10 to July 29, local agencies coordinated with Vietnams representative agencies overseas to launch 73 flights, bringing home about 18,042 Vietnamese citizens stranded abroad due to COVID-19. As of early July 29, Vietnam has confirmed 446 COVID-19 infection cases, of whom 369 have been cleared of the virus and recovered, making up 84.2%.VGP Yet the vast fleet is in international waters, outside a maritime border around the Galapagos and also outside coastal waters off Ecuador, which controls the archipelago. That means the fleet, one of the biggest seen in years off South America's Pacific coast, is likely to fish with minimal monitoring until its holds are full. "Once Dublin is sorted, they dont care about the rest of the country, claimed Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae. Photo: Damien Eagers A Kerry TD has likened the loss of 210 jobs in Tralee to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Speaking in Dail Eireann today, Danny Healy-Rae TD said that the closure of Borg Warner, a motor part plant, came as a shock to the county. He said that this is like the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941 which saw 2,400 people die and US declaring war on Japan. This bombshell happened a couple of days ago and has really taken the workers in the town of Tralee by real surprise, it was like something akin to the bombing of Pearl Harbour, he said. The Kerryman reported yesterday that the closure came as a complete shock to the community, the IDA and staff. Workers were told on Tuesday at a town hall meeting that most of the work will be wound down by Christmas and the plant will shut completely by March 2021. The company said the decision wasn't related to the pandemic and was a result of "declining customer demand for air heaters, which no longer supports the need for a standalone manufacturing facility." Tanaiste, we have a serious jobs crisis in Kerry, Deputy Healy-Rae told the Dail today. This amount of jobs being lost in Kerry, which has a population of roughly 150,000, this would equate to 2,100 or 2,200 in the greater Dublin area. So if that happened here, I know that every Minister and Taoiseach would be out doing something about it. This is an awful blow to these workers. These job losses come as part of other job losses, he added. This has been a massive attack and has been a serious loss to business in Tralee. Mr Healy-Rae added that an emergency jobs taskforce to address the jobs crisis in Kerry and invited a Minister to visit Kerry and meet the workers. Talks between the Ghana Armed Forces and the University of Professional Studies, Accra for a possible academic collaborations have started yesterday, July 20, 2020. According to the Ghana Armed Forces, this talks when successful will lead to signing of an agreement that will enable UPSA to roll out what the GAF calls "Tailor-made and hybrid" courses for junior and senior officers of the Service who has expertise in finance and accountancy management. Brigadier-General, Daniel K. Amissah who led the GAF delegation to the UPSA campus revealed during engagement at the maiden meeting that GAF's finance school, GAF Heizel School of Finance wants to gain visibility and academic credibility hence the push for possible collaboration with the Madina based university. "We are here to explore how we can bring some visibility, credibility and improvement in the Heizel School of Finance through partnership with you [UPSA]", Brig. Gen. Amissah was quoted as saying. However, the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Charles Barnor welcomed the collaboration proposal. Prof. Charles added that the university, which churned out lot of notable personalities in the country is open for collaborations from state institutions. He further cited programs such as MBA in Petroleum Accounting & Finance, MBA in Internal Auditing and Master of Art (MA) in Peace, Security and Intelligence Management as some of the programs rolled out for public worker as a result of academic collaboration with state institutions. The Pro VC of the University also revealed that the university's curriculum experts will be tasked to come out with modalities for the sequencing of the curriculum design which, according to the Pro VC will become the base upon which the partnership with the Ghana Armed Forces will be built. Among the delegation led by Brig. Gen. Amissah to UPSA are; Col. K. Yankson, Director of Audit; Rev. Commander D. Y. Akotey, Director of Budget and Finance and Staff Sgt. Arden-Dem Albert Abumalik, Faculty Member of GAF's Heizel School of Finance. Source: tech2 News Staff The month's third and final mission to Mars and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) fifth mission Perseverance is all set to launch today, 30 July 2020. If all goes well, the missions will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, aboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The two-hour launch window opens at 5.20 pm IST (07.50 am EDT) and closes at 7.20 pm IST (9.50 am EDT). A livestream of the launch will begin at 4.30 pm IST (7 am EDT) on NASA TV and NASA's YouTube page. How to watch it Live NASA will stream the launch of its Mars rover LIVE on all its social media channels including, Facebook, Twitter as well as YouTube. Also read: NASA's Perseverance rover will bring Mars rocks to Earth: Our greatest interplanetary circus act If there are any weather-related issues or technical failures, the mission has till 12 August 2020 to launch this year. If it misses its mark, it will have to wait almost two years for the next opportune time. One Martian year is equal to almost two years on Earth i.e. Mars takes two Earth years to complete one orbit around the sun. It is only once every two years that the two planets come into perfect alignment with each other around the Sun. This alignment is the ideal time for an Earth-Mars journey since it saves on time, money, and fuel. Interplanetary missions are no joke; in any and all conditions, are an expensive, time-consuming affair that requires a lot of planning. This isn't the only Mars mission heading to the Red Planet as of this month. The United Arab Emirates successfully sent off its Hope probe on 19 July and China launched its own orbiter and rover on 22 July. All three missions are scheduled to reach Mars in February 2021, with Perseverance aiming to land on 18 February 2021. The Perseverance mission has a lander and a rover but will also include a helicopter (Ingenuity) for the first time. This is NASAs most elaborate life-hunting rover and scrounges for evidence of past microscopic life in an ancient lakebed called Jezero that is 250 meters. The rover will gather the most promising rock samples for future pickup as NASA is teaming up with the European Space Agency to return the samples to Earth around 2031. This unprecedented effort will involve multiple launches and spacecraft and cost more than $8 billion. This six-wheeled robot will test out equipment for future human missions which are expected to launch in 2030 under the Artemis missions. Japan has its own Martian moon mission planned in 2024 that will collect samples of Phobos Mars' largest moon. The Rosalind Franklin rover, a joint effort by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), has been postponed to 2022 after the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic affected operations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:27:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANOI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Three workers were killed and another was injured after a scaffold collapsed at a construction site in Vietnam's capital city Hanoi on Thursday evening, local media reported. The accident happened at around 8 p.m. local time on Thursday evening in Hanoi's Hai Ba Trung district, with several workers reportedly falling from a collapsed scaffold, according to Vietnam News Agency. Among them, three died at the spot and one was taken to the hospital for treatment, local online newspaper Nhan Dan (People) reported. Authorities have dispatched vehicles and rescuers to the scene in an effort to rescue those still trapped. An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway. Enditem CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- New, peer-reviewed research published today by the Social Analytics Lab at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows the devastating cost of the current chaotic and uncoordinated reopening of states and cities across the US. The study, which used data from mobile phones, network connections through social media and census data, estimates that total welfare is reduced dramatically when reopening is not coordinated among states and regions. The study showed, for example, that the contact patterns of people in a given region are significantly influenced by the policies and behaviors of people in other, sometimes distant regions. In one finding, it showed that when just one third of a state's social and geographic peer states adopt shelter in place policies, it creates a reduction in mobility equal to the state's own policy decisions. When states fail to coordinate in the presence of spillovers as large as those detected in the analyses, total welfare is reduced by almost 70 percent. As federal, state and local governments continue opening businesses and relaxing shelter-in-place orders nationwide, policymakers are doing so without quantitative evidence on how policies in one region affect mobility and social distancing in other regions. And while some states are coordinating on COVID policy at the level of "mega regions," most, unfortunately are not. This lack of coordination will have devastating effects on efforts to control COVID-19, according to the study. "There have been many calls for a coordinated national pandemic response in the U.S. and around the world, but little hard evidence has quantified this need," said Sinan Aral, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and a corresponding author of the study. "When we analyzed the data, we were shocked by the degree to which state policies affected outcomes in other states, sometimes at great distances. Travel and social influence over digital media make this pandemic much more interdependent than we originally thought. Our results suggest an immediate need for a nationally coordinated policy across states, regions and nations around the world," he added. Governors from all states and territories will convene virtually for the Summer meeting of The National Governor's Association on August 5. The MIT study not only assesses the impact of an uncoordinated reopening, but also gives governors a map with which to coordinate in the absence of national guidance. The research shows for all fifty states, which states affect each other the most and thus maps the states that should be coordinating. These maps are sometimes surprising because, as a result of digital social media, each state's success with social distancing is impacted by the policy decisions not just of geographically proximate states, but also of socially connected, but geographically distant states. For instance, Florida's social distancing was most affected by New York implementing a shelter-in-place policy due to social media influence and travel between the states, despite their physical distance. New Hampshire had a strong influence on adjacent Massachusetts, despite being a small state. As the Governor's Association convenes, this research highlights the need for states across the country to coordinate, even if they are not near one another and the results suggest which states should be coordinating with which other states based on the strength of the spillovers between them. Contact: Paul Denning, 1-617-851-9819, [email protected] SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management Related Links http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition of American Chassis Manufacturers today filed petitions charging that unfairly traded imports of chassis from China are materially injuring the American container chassis industry. The petitions show that the state-supported Chinese industry is selling container chassis in the United States at less than fair value, dumped at rates up to 211.49%, distorting the U.S. market and resulting in the loss of significant manufacturing jobs in the USA. The filing, which was made concurrently with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), is in response to large and increasing volumes of unfairly priced Chinese chassis imports since 2017 that have injured American producers. The petition concerns actions of CIMC, a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) used by the Government of China to transfer manufacturing jobs out of the USA into China through subsidies, including tax breaks and discounted raw materials, and other unfair tactics. CIMC is one of the primary SOE used by the Chinese government to implement its "One Belt, One Road" state planning program and serves as an outlet for subsidized Chinese steel and other components. "The action today seeks to put an end to the Government of China's unfair practices that have led to its dominance of the U.S. chassis market," said Robert Wahlin, President and CEO of Stoughton Trailers, a member of the Coalition. "U.S. chassis manufacturers look forward to leveling the playing field so as to compete fairly. The Coalition is optimistic that, following affirmative preliminary determinations by both the U.S. International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce, duties will begin to be collected by as early as the end of this year." "We are proud to be part of a coalition that wants to stand up for American manufacturing and American labor to fight off the Government of China's efforts to take our jobs, said Frank Katz, Chairman of Coalition member Cheetah Chassis Corporation. "For years, our companies have lost massive amounts of sales to unfairly traded, dumped, and subsidized imports from China, and our people have suffered as a result. It's time to stand up for American manufacturing to take on these illegally traded Chinese products." As a result of dumped and subsidized imports from China, U.S. producers have suffered significant declines in production, shipments, profits, and employment. Coalition members have underutilized manufacturing capacity and idled employees in states across the heartland of America. "Dumped and subsidized imports of chassis from China have injured the U.S. industry and its workers," said Robert E. DeFrancesco, III, partner in Wiley's International Trade Practice and counsel to the petitioners. "We urge Commerce and the USITC to thoroughly investigate these unfair trade practices and effectively apply the trade laws to dumped and subsidized chassis from China." FACT SHEET Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: Antidumping duties are intended to offset the amount by which a product is sold at less than fair value, or "dumped," in the United States. The margin of dumping is calculated by Commerce. Estimated duties in the amount of the dumping are collected from importers at the time of importation. Countervailing duties are intended to offset unfair subsidies that are provided by foreign governments and benefit the production of a particular good. The USITC, an independent agency, will determine whether the domestic industry is materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of the unfairly traded imports. Next Steps: Commerce will determine whether to initiate the investigations within 20 days of today's filing, and the USITC will reach a preliminary determination of material injury or threat of material injury within 45 days. The entire investigative process will take approximately one year, with final determinations of dumping, subsidization, and injury likely occurring in mid-2021. However, duties can attach to imports of the subject chassis as of the time of the preliminary determinations in the case, or even earlier. Product Description: The products covered by these petitions are chassis and subassemblies thereof, whether finished or unfinished, whether assembled or unassembled, whether coated or uncoated, regardless of the number of axles, designed primarily for use in the carriage of containers, or other payloads (including self-supporting payloads) that can be attached by twistlocks, slide pins, or similar attachment devices, for road, marine roll-on/roll-off (RORO) and/or rail transport. Chassis are typically, but are not limited to, rectangular framed trailers with a suspension and axle system, wheels and tires, brakes, a lighting and electrical system, a coupling for towing behind a truck tractor, and a locking system or systems to secure the shipping container or containers attached to the chassis. Petitioning companies: The petitioning companies include the five members of the Coalition of American Chassis Manufacturers: Cheetah Chassis Corporation, Hercules Enterprises, LLC, Pitts Enterprises, Inc., Pratt Industries, Inc. and Stoughton Trailers, LLC. The petitioners are represented by Wiley Rein LLP. Media Contact: Robert E. DeFrancesco, III 202.719.7473 | [email protected] SOURCE Wiley Rein LLP Related Links http://www.wiley.law Advertisement England suffered the highest level of excess deaths in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic, startling figures today revealed amid growing fears of a second wave. Government statisticians created an interactive map of the excess mortality rate for every region in the UK, with data showing the London borough of Brent was the worst-hit area of the UK. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths more people dying than average from all causes out of 21 European countries, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all among the nine nations that saw deaths soar above typical levels. Other countries had higher 'peaks' in excess deaths between February and June but England endured the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate meaning it had the highest excess death rate overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes and not only the coronavirus. But they can be used as evidence of how severe Covid-19 outbreaks have been because in the UK, for example, not everyone who died of the virus in the darkest days of the crisis was tested due to a lack of swabbing capacity. Spain and Italy suffered the largest 'peaks' in excess deaths, suggesting they faced the toughest weeks out of all the nations in the continent. Bergamo, in the hardest-hit Lombardy region of Italy, saw a staggering 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis in the week ending 17 April. Birmingham was the British city with the highest peak excess mortality, at 249.7 per cent in the same week, followed by London (226.7) and Manchester (198.4). The figures come as Matt Hancock today denied stoking up Covid-19 panic and hysteria after he warned of a second Covid-19 wave 'starting to roll across Europe' towards Britain. The Health Secretary declared there was a 'real danger' of the UK being struck by another outbreak. Ministers have been urged to calm down over the threat of a second wave, with top scientists saying Britain must 'learn to live' with the coronavirus. Business leaders have said it is 'vital' economies crippled by lockdown get the chance to recover this summer. While Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for any clusters to be tackled with a 'stiletto not a sledgehammer'. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isnt a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Keith Neal, emeritus professor in infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline: 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine. 'I do not think we will ever eradicate the virus. I think it is likely that the virus will be around for decades and infect people multiple times over their life span.' The figures came as: Ministers confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days up from the current seven-day self-isolation period; Boris Johnson is set to be add more countries to the UK quarantine list tomorrow; Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty want tougher border controls immediately after figures show 1,300 people with Covid-19 entered the UK at the start of the pandemic; Leicester's lockdown will be reviewed today 48 hours earlier than expected as official statistics show the city's coronavirus infection rate has halved in a fortnight; Holiday giant Tui is closing 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the UK's biggest tour operator announced; Up to 21,000 people have died because of unintended consequences of lockdown many due to a lack of access to healthcare, according to a shocking study. While England did not have the highest peak mortality, it did have the longest continuous period of excess mortality of any country compared, resulting in England having the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole. The dotted line represents the five-year average, the navy line shows the trend for under 65s, while the green line is for over-65s It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths. The first 11 authorities with the highest excess peaks were all in Italy and Spain during March, with Bergamo reaching 847.7 per cent Birmingham was the British city with the highest peak excess mortality, at 249.7 per cent in the same week, followed by London (226.7) and Manchester (198.4%) WHAT ARE EXCESS DEATHS? Excess deaths are those which occur in addition to any that would be expected to happen in the same period in an average year. They are measured in the UK over a five-year average. For example, if the average number of deaths in the first week of April over the least five years was 10,000, the 10,001st person to die in that week is considered an excess death, along with any others who come after them. Ministers have admitted 'excess deaths' are the most reliable measure of how many fatalities the coronavirus has actually contributed to. They take into account not just infected people who have died of Covid-19 but also those who died because of indirect effects of the outbreak. The biggest contribution to this is expected to be people whose medical treatment was interrupted or stopped because of the pandemic, including people who avoided going to hospital. NHS data shows A&E attendances have halved since March. Advertisement Edward Morgan, of the ONS' health analysis and life events department, said: 'Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the first half of 2020 saw extraordinary increases in mortality rates across countries in Western Europe above the 2015 to 2019 average. 'The highest peak excess mortality at national level was in Spain, with some local areas in Northern Italy and Central Spain having excess mortality levels as high as 847.7 per cent of the average. 'While none of the four UK nations had a peak mortality level as high as Spain or the worst-hit local areas of Spain and Italy, excess mortality was geographically widespread throughout the UK during the pandemic, whereas it was more geographically localised in most countries of Western Europe. 'Combined with the relatively slow downward "tail" of the pandemic in the UK, this meant that by the end of May, England had seen the highest overall relative excess mortality out of all the European countries compared.' The ONS analysed all-cause mortality patterns during the first half of 2020 for 29 European countries using data between January 3 (Week 1) to the week ending June 12 (Week 24). Comparisons were made nationally, in cities and local areas which in England are local authorities such as Buckinghamshire, Rutland and Norfolk. The data is available to visualise in an interactive tool which allows the user to search for their own local authority. It plots a graph to show when that location hit their peak of excess deaths during the pandemic in close detail. The analysis of all-cause mortality allows experts to picture the impact of the coronavirus pandemic not only from deaths involving Covid-19, but also excess deaths that have occurred as an indirect result. The wider impacts of the coronavirus on healthcare systems and society means people have died that were not expected to. For example, someone who suffered a heart attack may have decided not to go to hospital, delaying their care and leading to death. When each country faced its peak in excess death rates Looking at major cities, the highest peak excess mortality was in Madrid at 432.7 per cent in the week ending March 27. Meanwhile in the UK, Birmingham had the highest peak excess mortality of any major British city at 249.7 per cent in the week ending April 17 By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were all among the nine nations that have seen deaths soar above typical levels WHICH 10 CITIES HAD THE HIGHEST PEAKS IN EXCESS DEATHS? Cities with the highest peak excess mortality in % Madrid: 432.7 in the week ending March 27 Barcelona: 285.9 in the week ending April 3 Birmingham: 249.7 in the week ending April 17 London: 226.7 in the week ending April 17 Manchester: 198.4 in the week ending April 17 Brussels: 201 in the week ending April 10 Paris: 151.7 in the week ending April 3 Stockholm: 149.9 in the week ending April 10 Milan: 149 in the week ending March 27 Amsterdam: 106 in the week ending April 10 Advertisement Experts say the best way of measuring the scale of the impact of Covid-19 is by looking at excess deaths. The ONS compares how many deaths have occurred in a period compared to the five-year average in that nation. A value of 100 per cent indicates mortality rates were 100 per cent higher than or double that of the five-year average in a given week. By the end of May, there were nine countries which had seen excess deaths rise during the pandemic. England had experienced the most, with 7.55 per cent more deaths compared with the five-year average, the highest of any country. This was both in those under the age of 65 (5.65 per cent), and over the age of 65 (7.88). Following England, the three countries with the highest cumulative excess mortality were Spain (6.65 per cent), Scotland (5.11 per cent), Belgium (3.89 per cent). Wales and Northern Ireland also recorded more deaths than typical, 2.78 per cent and two 2.03 per cent, respectively. Only the UK and Spain saw excess deaths in those under the age of 65 shoot above zero by the end of May. Nine countries which also include Belgium, Sweden, Netherlands and France had values in excess of zero for their over 65 population. The elderly are the most vulnerable to severe Covid-19 which would have been felt in older populations worldwide. As for deaths indirectly caused by Covid-19, these could have been a result of reduced access to healthcare for other conditions. CORONAVIRUS R RATE 'IS ABOVE DREADED LEVEL OF ONE IN SOUTH WEST AND SOUTH EAST' The coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England, according to a projection. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions the North West, East and London have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Advertisement The figures show that England saw the second highest national peak of excess mortality from the week ending February 21 to week ending June 12 compared with 21 European countries, with only Spain seeing a higher peak. The peak of excess is the point at which the highest level of excess deaths were recorded in one place during the pandemic. Of the four nations of the UK, England had the highest peak excess mortality, at 107.6 per cent in week ending April 17. In comparison, Wales's highest peak was 67.5 per cent in the same week, Scotland's was 71.7 per cent the week before and Northern Ireland's was 48.2 per cent in the week ending April 24. Spain saw the highest peak of excess mortality on a nation level, at 138.5 in the week ending April 3. Looking at major cities, the highest peak excess mortality was in Madrid at 432.7 per cent in the week ending March 27. Meanwhile in the UK, Birmingham had the highest peak excess mortality of any major British city at 249.7 per cent in the week ending April 17. The Midlands city grappled with some of the highest hospital admissions of Covid-19 in Europe. This was followed by London (226.7 per cent in the week ending April 17) and Manchester (198.4 per cent in the same week). Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast, the other UK cities analysed, did not fare as badly but still suffered considerable excess deaths, peaking at 98, 109.7, 140.7 and 63.9, respectively. At the local authority level, excess deaths throughout the first half of 2020 varied both between and within countries. The first 11 authorities with the highest excess peaks were all in Italy and Spain during March, when the two countries were the worlds worst-hit countries by the Covid-19 pandemic so far. Bergamo, the town most affected by the epidemic not only in the Lombardy Region but also throughout Italy, saw excess deaths soar 847.7 per cent in the week ending March 20. At the peak of their respective epidemics, the following had the second, third and fourth highest rates respectively: Cremona (Italy) at 617.7 per cent; Segovia (Spain) at 600.6 per cent; and Ciudad Real (Spain) at 532.3 per cent. Modelling from Cambridge University suggests the R rate (left) has barely changed in London and now stands at 0.92, after dropping to below 0.5 after the lockdown was introduced. The team also believes cases (right) are on the decline and have not yet to spike upwards in the capital. The first blue line is March 23, when lockdown was introduced. The second blue line is May 11, when the government released its Covid-19 recovery strategy. The red line is July 24, the last day of modelling The coronavirus R rate in the Midlands (left) is much lower than it was in June, according to the Cambridge team. Cases (right) are also still declining but at a much slower rate than they were The R rate in the East of England (left) now stands at 0.88, but has barely changed throughout July. The number of daily cases (right) is also still on a downward trend, according to the academics However, the R rate appears to have risen above one in the South East (right) and cases (right) are starting to float upwards from an estimated 669 infections on July 6 to 758 on July 24 The R rate (left) is also estimated to have risen to above one in the South West, the region home to Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. The team estimated there were 160 new infections across the region on July 24 up from 136 on July 4 ARE CASES ON THE UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for a fortnight but deaths have barely changed and hospital admissions are still flat, according to official figures. Department of Health statistics show 726 people are testing positive for the life-threatening virus each day, on average. It is 33 per cent higher than the average of 546 recorded exactly three weeks ago, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. But the number of Brits being diagnosed with Covid-19 is much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being recorded each day during the height of the crisis but this is likely to be a massive under-estimate due to a lack of testing. Fewer than 20,000 people were getting swabbed for the virus on a daily basis in April. Now more than 100,000 tests are being processed each day. The number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. Hospital admissions another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 100 people are still being admitted in England each day. However, scientists from King's College London believe cases could still be on the rise. Data from a symptom-tracking app the team runs estimates 2,110 people are being struck down with the virus each day in the UK up from 1,884 last week. But the academics believe the outbreak is stable. Testing figures do not show the true number of people infected because many people catch the virus but never test positive for it, either because they don't realise they are sick, because they couldn't get a test, or because their result was wrong. Advertisement Among the top 20 areas are four areas of the UK, of which three are in London and one in Essex, South East England. These were Brent (357.5 per cent), Enfield (327.5 per cent), Ealing (318 per cent) and Thurrock (286.1 per cent). ONS revealed that West Kent in South East England had 'an abnormal value' of 53.5 per cent. And many London boroughs had excess deaths above 30 per cent, including Wandsworth, Ealing, Brent, Westminster, Lambeth and Bexley. Fears of a resurgence of infections come as scientists found that the coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions the North West, East and London have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Two top scientists today said that banning foreign travel could eliminate Covid-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter and Professor Neil Pearce believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. STOP FOREIGN TRAVEL TO ELIMINATE COVID-19, SCIENTISTS SAY Banning foreign travel could eliminate Covid-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas, top scientists have said. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter of Oxford University and Professor Neil Pearce of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing Covid-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' In a call to action this week, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon called on the UK to work together to 'eliminate' the coronavirus rather than letting it 'hover around'. The Independent SAGE group, led by former chief scientific adviser for England, Sir David King, has also backed calls for a 'Zero Covid UK'. But leading scientists have warned the goal is unachievable, with the government's own chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance last month telling MPs it will be around 'for a number of years'. Advertisement 'With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing Covid-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' Professor Hunter, of Oxford University, and Professor Pearce, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'If we want to avoid a November nightmare and have a relatively normal Christmas, a push for elimination gives us the best chance. 'Is elimination achievable? We think it is though it would require major changes to the British governments current thinking.' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. However, the virus had turned into a new strain which could effect young and healthy people. Experts now fear that coronavirus could see a similar 'W curve' as the Spanish flu - meaning there would be three major spikes in deaths. REVEALED: THE COUNTRIES THAT HAD THE HIGHEST OVERALL EXCESS DEATHS IN WEEK 22, WHICH ENDED MAY 29 Country Excess deaths above average in %, ages 0 to 64 years Country Excess deaths above average in %, ages 65 years and over England 5.65 England 7.88 Scotland 3.42 Spain 7.34 Spain 2.63 Scotland 5.45 Wales 1.82 Belgium 5.19 Northern Ireland 0.63 Wales 2.97 Estonia -0.55 Sweden 2.92 France -1.39 Netherlands 2.75 Netherlands -1.56 Northern Ireland 2.29 Portugal -1.58 France 0.49 Iceland -1.74 Iceland -0.18 Austria -2 Austria -0.52 Sweden -2.61 Portugal -0.79 Bulgaria -2.78 Switzerland -1.67 Finland -3.07 Finland -2.16 Belgium -3.12 Luxembourg -2.21 Luxembourg -3.57 Denmark -2.37 Norway -3.57 Norway -2.56 Switzerland -3.91 Liechtenstein -3.67 Hungary -4.36 Estonia -4.09 Lithuania -4.81 Bulgaria -4.18 Slovakia -5.12 Hungary -4.23 Denmark -6.37 Slovakia -4.95 Liechtenstein -16.52 Lithuania -5 Heres the good news: As of earlier this month, the companies that share all this data among themselves must allow you to opt out under the California Consumer Privacy Act. If you recently noticed an uptick in emails about changes to various companies privacy policies, CCPA was almost certainly the reason. Behind the ads you see on streaming services like Hulu, The Roku Channel, CBS All Access, and Tubi, there are sprawling data collection operations aimed at figuring out the kind of person you are. The apps you use on your phone, the websites you visit on your computer, and even the things you search for are all fair game for streaming services to track and monetize through advertising. Cord-cutting offers a bounty of free and cheap content to stream, but it also has a hidden cost. Even if you dont live in California, chances are you can tell these companies to stop selling or transmitting your info. All it takes is a few minutes of filling out some brief online forms. Why this matters On the surface, targeted ads might seem innocuous. Television advertising has always tried to appeal to whatever demographic is most likely to be watching a particular movie or show; bringing in personal data just makes those ads more relevant. This type of data collection, however, can be far more invasive than people realize. Streaming services arent just gathering basic demographic data or information about your viewing habits. They also pull in information about all the things you do when youre not watching TV. The privacy policies for both CBS and Tubi, for instance, mention that collecting data on your interests, purchase behavior, websites visited, and advertisements viewed or clicked on, all in service of targeting you with ads. Hulus privacy policy says it collects information from data brokers, marketing partners, and public databases. Rokus privacy policy says it tracks your behavior across phones, tablets, computers, and streaming players, so it can consistently target you with ads everywhere. Jared Newman / IDG You might not recognize these names, but theyre all involved in tracking you for ad-targeting purposes. Unless you take an ignorance is bliss approach to this information, its hard to go about your business online without the feeling that youre constantly being watched. That doesnt seem like a fair trade-off for services that are only a bit more reasonably priced than cable. What you can do about it Exercising your rights under the CCPA wont stop you from seeing ads in streaming services, but it does mandate tools to minimize how much data gets passed around, giving you back some peace of mind. Under the law, any large company that sells users datathat is, discloses, transfers, or shares itmust provide ways to opt out. As of July 1, many streaming services have started offering these tool to residents even outside of California. Below are links to the opt-out mechanisms for all the major ad-supported streaming services: Hulu: While logged into your account, head to this link and select Change Status next to Right to Opt Out, then select Opt Out. Check your email for further instructions. While logged into your account, head to this link and select Change Status next to Right to Opt Out, then select Opt Out. Check your email for further instructions. Roku: While signed into your account, visit this link and set the toggle to Yes. While signed into your account, visit this link and set the toggle to Yes. CBS All Access: Enter your email address here. Enter your email address here. HBO Max and WarnerMedia: Fill out the form here. This one only works if you select California as your state of residence. Fill out the form here. This one only works if you select California as your state of residence. Tubi: Fill out this form. Fill out this form. Sling TV: Head here and select Sling, then select Request that we do not sell your personal information. You will need to provide a California address. Head here and select Sling, then select Request that we do not sell your personal information. You will need to provide a California address. AT&T TV: Fill out the form here with a valid California address. Fill out the form here with a valid California address. Philo: The only listed method is to email the company, requesting to opt out of data sales. The only listed method is to email the company, requesting to opt out of data sales. MLB TV: Fill out the form at this link. Jared Newman / IDG Services like Hulu now let you opt out of having your data shared with advertisers. In addition to the above sites, you can visit the opt-out pages for NAI and DAA, two advertising consortiums that some streaming services point to instead of offering their own opt-out mechanisms. While youre at it, you can also minimize targeted ads on your own streaming devices. These option have been available long before the CCPA went into effect, but are still worth revisiting: Roku: Head to Settings > Privacy > Advertising and check off Limit ad tracking. Head to Settings > Privacy > Advertising and check off Limit ad tracking. Fire TV: Head to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings and disable Interest-based ads. Head to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings and disable Interest-based ads. Apple TV: Head to Settings > General > Privacy and set Limit Ad Tracking to On. Head to Settings > General > Privacy and set Limit Ad Tracking to On. Android TV: Head to Settings > Device > Usage & Diagnostics and select Off. Head to Settings > Device > Usage & Diagnostics and select Off. The NAI also has an illustrated guide to disabling interest-based ads on smart TVs and mobile devices. A helicopter on Mars? Here's how two teams of researchers came together to make the Ingenuity work. NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has so far been working on landing and operating robotic probes and rovers on Mars. But as far as planetary exploration is concerned, its a different story. Designing and building a spacecraft is one thing, but you will need extra engineering help to make a helicopter fly in an alien atmosphere. This is where NASAs aeronautical innovators come in - to helo the JPL team learn all about rotor dynamics. The problems you have to solve to fly a helicopter arent all that different whether youre talking about Earth or Mars. We were able to help them better understand their design and refine their methods and the tools they used for testing it, said Wayne Johnson, a senior researcher with the rotorcraft aeromechanics group at NASAs Ames Research Center in California. The Ingenuity helicopter is securely fastened on the Perseverance Mars rover and is waiting to be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 7:50AM EDT on July 30. When we started working on the project, we started doing it with a lot of uncertainty about whether it would even be possible to do. There were significant technical challenges to overcome, Carlos Malpica, an aerospace engineer at Ames who is a rotorcraft flight dynamics and control expert for NASAs Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology project, said. One of the challenges was to ensure that the vehicle could take off in a controlled manner in the thin atmosphere on Mars. The air there is equivalent to what it is at 100,000 feet above Earth. Helicopters on Earth dont fly that high. Another challenge involved the designing of the vehicle - it has to survive the freezing cold Mars nights where temperatures fall to -130 degrees Fahrenheit. Ingenuity also has to operate largely on its own since direct pilot control is not possible between the two planets. If all goes as planned, after landing on Mars in February 2021, Ingenuity will go on its first inaugural demonstration flight. Scientists and engineers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California work with Ingenuity during its development, a years-long process that was aided by some of the agencys experts in rotor dynamics. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) The plans to fly over Mars have been in the works since 1958. While one prototype was tested in Oregon in 2001 and the other was tested in the California desert in 2015. Once JPL finished their design of Ingenuity, they got the aeronautics team on board to help them. And since, NASAs aeronautics team have consulted on a wide range of subjects particularly - demonstrating controllability and improving and verifying computer models used in testing. Larry Young, an aerospace engineer assigned to NASA Ames aeromechanics branch, was a key player in helping JPL deal with both the subjects. It wasnt only figuring out how to operate Ingenuity so it was stable as it hovered or flew forward, but that we could also figure out how to demonstrate that ability with the test facilities and computer simulation codes we were using, Young said. Ingenuitys primary testing facility was a vacuum chamber at JPL that could simulate the actual temperatures and pressures that exist on the Martian surface, but it wasnt a wind tunnel. The NASA blog explains that the airflow created by the spinning rotors would recirculate along the chambers walls and ceiling and then flow back into the rotors and compromise the test data, something that is better managed in a wind tunnel. So early on we had a lot of questions about that and how representative this was of actual flight operating conditions, Young said. Through a combination of computer analysis and Youngs own testing and experiment experience, the researcher was able to come up with the best way to configure the chamber and do system integration to demonstrate how the helicopter would perform. If all goes according to plan, after being deployed from Perseverance, Ingenuity will make at least five short hops over the Martian surface, flying as high as about 15 feet. Among the many curiosities of the last gubernatorial election was that Oz Griebel assumed the position of outsider, yet was perched between Ned Lamont and Bob Stefanowski as the candidate with the most experience dealing with Connecticuts machinations. Politically, Lamont represented traditional Connecticut blue, while Stefanowski staunchly embraced causes true to the minority red party. It put Griebel, who was running as an independent, in what has become an elusive position in America in this century: the middle. Griebel, who died Wednesday at age 71 after being struck by a motor vehicle while jogging in Pennsylvania, once referred to himself as a liberal Republican. During his primary run in 2010, he drew criticism from fellow Republicans for having donated to Democratic campaigns. His platform tilted closer to Lamonts two years ago, so much so that the eventual winner acknowledged on the trail that voters might gravitate toward Griebel because hes sane. Griebel always seemed like the adult in the room, pragmatic yet irresistibly charming. Oz Griebels heart was with the State of Connecticut he loved this state and the people who live in it, and he enthusiastically believed that its best days are ahead, Lamont said after Griebels death. I loved listening to his spirited energy whenever he spoke about the opportunity to make Connecticut and the Hartford region an even better place to live and work. We can all take a page from his commitment to work across the aisle and remove politics from policy. Expect similar warm reflections to come from both sides of that aisle. State Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, noted that Griebel was always a gentleman. Striving to dodge politics in traffic around the state Capitol was just one of many valuable lessons from the Griebel textbook. From the time Griebel took the helm of the newly formed Transportation Strategy Board (TSB) in 2000 through the end of his term five years later, the panel pitched more than 50 projects designed to improve transportation in Connecticut. Confounding as it may sound, it took a panel to draw lawmakers attention to the traffic they were getting stuck in every day. Over time, Griebel earned credit for the concept of putting a lockbox on transportation funding, and for finally getting new rail cars in Connecticut. Dannel Malloy broke up the TSB when he took the governors office in 2010. When Malloy eventually reframed it as the Transportation Finance Panel and drafted familiar faces, Griebel compared it to the film Groundhog Day, with the same issues and characters. A college pitcher at Dartmouth, Griebel never stopped tossing ideas to improve the state. Since the election, Griebel became involved with the Serve America Movement, which embraced causes such as open primaries and voting by mail. Love Connecticut. Dont let politics get in the way. Relentlessly pursue solutions. That was The Essence of Oz. Its a philosophy that needs to be pulled back from the outside. The line was as well received as Mr. Bush himself: Dr. Warnock noted that Mr. Bush was president the last time we reauthorized the Voting Rights Act. It was a markedly different tone from the 2006 funeral of Coretta Scott King, Dr. Kings widow, in which numerous speakers criticized the Bush administration while Mr. Bush, then in his second term, looked on. Mr. Clinton called Mr. Lewis a man I loved for a long time and someone who was on a mission that was bigger than personal ambition. He also said that Mr. Lewis had learned a lesson after he was asked by other civil rights leaders to tone down a fiery speech that he had written for the March on Washington in August 1963. He listened to people that he knew had the same goals say, Well, we have to be careful how we say this because were trying to get converts, not more adversaries. It came as little surprise that Mr. Lewiss funeral would dwell as much on the present as on his younger days, including his beating in 1965 by Alabama state troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., an atrocity that helped spur Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act. On Thursday, The New York Times, at Mr. Lewiss request, published an essay he wrote that praised the Black Lives Matter movement and urged continued participation in the democratic process. Mr. Lewiss funeral also came amid a fraught season in Atlanta, which he represented as part of his Fifth Congressional District. In recent weeks, the city has been rocked by protests, both peaceful and violent, over systemic racism and police brutality. His coffin was carried into the sanctuary not long after Mr. Trump made unsubstantiated assertions of potential vote-by-mail fraud and floated the idea of postponing the election this November a suggestion that shocked both critics and allies and heightened concerns that he might not accept the results if he were to lose. At the same time, however, the funeral underscored how Mr. Lewis believed that his decades-long civil rights fight could be waged in a spirit of comity and with a belief that the American project was not fatally flawed, but perfectible in the hands of a citizenry willing to go to the polls and engage in nonviolent protest. More recently, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has said that Mr. Trump is more George Wallace than George Washington. Mr. Trumps campaign fired back this week in a statement by Katrina Pierson, a senior campaign adviser to the president, who credited him with increasing funding for historically black schools and signing criminal justice reform. Theres only one candidate in this race who bragged about receiving an award from George Wallace, and thats Joe Biden, Ms. Pierson said. Biden also said that Democrats needed a liberal George Wallace, someone whos not afraid to stand up and offend people. Both quotes refer to articles in The Philadelphia Inquirer, one in 1975 about Mr. Bidens opposition to busing and another in 1987 mentioning a campaign stop in Alabama during his first presidential campaign. The Biden campaign countered with other clips from the 1970s in which Mr. Biden criticized Wallace and vowed to vote Republican if he won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976. Wallace made his name as the most prominent segregationist of his time but he neither started nor ended that way. Unlike Mr. Trump, he was a small-town boy from Clio, Ala., who grew up to jump into politics as a progressive, eager to help the disadvantaged with New Deal-style programs. As a judge and a Democratic candidate for governor in 1958, he made a point of promising equality for Black Alabamians. But when he lost that contest to a candidate who demagogued on segregation, Wallace told an aide that I was out-niggered and I will never be out-niggered again. After winning the governors mansion with a hard-core racist appeal, he came to national attention in 1963 by promising in his inaugural address segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever and months later by standing in the schoolhouse door in a failed effort to block the integration of the University of Alabama. Wallace that same year ordered the Confederate flag flown above the State Capitol, where it remained for 30 years before being taken down for good. In Settin the Woods on Fire, an acclaimed 2000 documentary on his life, Wallace was quoted telling an associate who asked about his race-baiting that he wanted to talk about issues like roads and education but that he never got as much attention as when he thundered about race. Did lie-flat travel peak in 2021? We saw Qantas offer Australians the chance to fly to Bali in luxury, leaps and bounds in the premium economy, business and first class spaces, and several spine-tingling predictions for the future. Then The Bat Kiss sucked the life out of ~travel~. Now frequent flyers are staying put for all but the most essential reasons, and even those that have flown up the pointy end in recent months have reported a confusing experience. To put it mildly, the future is uncertain. Weve already seen some indicators of how business class might change coming out of these times (Qantas has pulled the self serve buffet from its lounge, Qatar Airways has given cabin crew Hazmat suits and Emirates have launched a COVID testing service, to name just three). To understand more, DMARGE spoke to two prolific business class flyers (who are more immersed in the industry than almost anyone), to get a fuller take on what changes business class travellers should be ready for when borders open up again. Immanuel Debeer, founder of Flight Hacks, told DMARGE full service food and drinks may be on the chopping block: Enjoying full service (food & drinks) was definitely something I took for granted. Many airlines are now cost-cutting with the excuse of safety, however, I fail to see how limiting food and drinks in business and first-class will help with safety concerns. I feel it will be some time before we see normality return to the skies and until then, even the most expensive tickets will feature barebone amenities. Adele Eliseo, points hacker and publisher of The Champagne Mile also pointed this out: The crippling effects of Covid-19 have also seen many airlines look to cut costs at the pointy end of the plane, this might include cheaper wine, less illustrious ingredients and restricted meal service. That said, Immanuel said there will also, surely be some upsides, as overall cleaning standards are set to improve and people are now realising that social distancing is nice in more way than one. Theres really nothing more annoying than space invaders when youre flying so maybe people will become more aware of their fellow travelers. On top of that, Immanuel told DMARGE the laissez faire business class culture may come under increased attack in the following years: Theres definitely a lot of flight shaming going on these days. Right now international travel (at least for Australians) is purely out of necessity, I havent seen anyone who managed to escape for a holiday. On a domestic level, it depends on the state where you live. Here in Western Australia were stuck in our big bubble and life continues semi-normal, local tourism is booming and flights to warmer destinations north of the state are super busy, Immanuel told us. In Europe tourism has picked up again too, I see many of my friends enjoying European summer without the mass tourism; probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the most famous landmarks without having to share it with the rest of the world! However, I dont see the overall luxury travel culture change. There are a lot of people patiently waiting until we can travel again and no doubt they will want to catch up on everything they missed out on. Breezing through airport security might become trickier in the coming years, too, even for pointy end passengers. As points hacker Adele told DMARGE, For elite travellers, the streamlined experience of arriving at the airport, fast tracking through security into an exclusive lounge and then seamlessly boarding the plane is likely a thing of the past. The need to maintain social distancing will see the check-in and boarding process carried out much more slowly. As we move towards international travel, we might see a range of safeguards put in place think temperature checks and additional screening. Once on the plane, Adele predicts, personalised interaction will likely be limited, with cabin crew aiming to minimise exposure to passengers. Onboard lounges and spaces such as the iconic business and first class bar onboard the Emirates A380 will likely be shuttered as airlines look to implement minimise interaction between passengers and crew. Lets just pray theres still hope for the business class slammer. Read Next Advertisement Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has been spotted enjoying a summer holiday in the French Riviera aboard her $110 megayacht, Venus. Joined by friends and family aboard the 260-foot luxury yacht, Powell basked in the blazing hot Mediterranean sun off Cannes on Tuesday. The billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist, 56, sported a chic straw sunhat, oversized round sunglasses, and a black one-piece bathing suit, and completed the look with a colorful sarong. The sunny vacation came just two months after Powell joined with three other Silicon Valley billionaires to announce an ambitious data harvesting effort to assist the Democratic Party and bolster Joe Biden's bid to defeat President Donald Trump in the November election. Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was spotted on Tuesday in the French Riviera Powell's $110 million megayacht Venus was cruising off the coast of Cannes in the Mediterrenean The billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist, 56, sported a chic straw sunhat, oversized round sunglasses, and a black one-piece bathing suit completed with a colorful sarong Crew members waited attentively as Powell joined her friends and family for luncheon under a canopy on the main deck Eve was seen sporting a scanty green bikini, gold anklet on her left ankle, and white ballcap from HUF reading 'F*** it!' on the front with an American flag on the side Powell's daughter Eve (second from left) was along with several friends for the private cruise under the blazing sun The sleek ship is made of light-weight aluminum and Jobs employed the chief engineer of his Apple stores to help design special glass that allowed the ship to be installed with ten-foot-high windows across the hull In his final years, Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson: 'I know that it's possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat. But I have to keep going on it. If I don't, it's an admission that I'm about to die' Joining her on the Venus this week was Powell and Jobs' daughter Eve, who is entering her senior year as an undergraduate at Stanford University, and a number of Eve's young friends. Eve was seen sporting a scanty green bikini, gold anklet on her left ankle, and white ballcap from HUF reading 'F*** it!' on the front with an American flag on the side. The group enjoyed the sun on the deck of the luxury yacht, and Eve took to the waves with a friend on a jet ski. Under the shade of a white canopy on the yacht's main deck, the party gathered for luncheon. Powell was left widowed after Apple founder Steve Jobs passed away, age 56, from complications from pancreatic cancer in October 2011. They had three children together and Powell is also step-mother to Jobs' daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs. When Jobs died, most of his assets passed on to his wife, making her one of the 50 richest people in the world. The Venus was Steve Jobs' final masterpiece, after he commissioned it in 2008 and worked painstakingly on the design with superstar French product designer Philippe Starck Powell's daughter and a friend are seen horsing around as they wear life jackets to ride the jet ski Crew members humbly served the vacationing billionaire and her guests aboard the superyacht Venus The group enjoyed the sun on the deck of the luxury yacht, and Eve took to the waves with a friend on a jet ski The young friends enjoyed a private cruise along the French Riviera aboard Powell's $110 million megayacht Powell's daughter Eve (left) is entering her senior year as an undergraduate at Stanford University Powell married Jobs in 1991 - ten years before the release of the first iPod - and now manages a fortune estimated to be worth $18.5 billion. In addition to the Venus, she owns two private jets, four large real estate properties and a large stake in the Walt Disney Company. The Venus was Steve Jobs' final masterpiece, after he commissioned it in 2008 and worked painstakingly on the design with superstar French product designer Philippe Starck. He did not survive to see the ship completed and launched, dying of pancreatic cancer before work was finished in 2012. Powell married Jobs in 1991 - ten years before the release of the first iPod - and now manages a fortune estimated to be worth $18.5 billion In addition to the Venus, Powell owns two private jets, four large real estate properties and a large stake in Walt Disney Powell and other members of her party took a Zodiac craft out on the water at one point during the excursion Laughing in the sunshine, Powell enjoys the sunshine in the French Riviera on Tuesday Helpful crew members assist Powell back on board the Venus after an excursion in a Zodiac craft In his final years, Steve Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson: 'I know that it's possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat. But I have to keep going on it. If I don't, it's an admission that I'm about to die.' The sleek ship is made of light-weight aluminum and Jobs employed the chief engineer of his Apple stores to help design special glass that allowed the ship to be installed with ten-foot-high windows across the hull. As a token gift of appreciation, Jobs' family gave out a custom iPod Shuffle engraved with the name of the yacht to each member of the crew who helped build it. Each one came with a note thanking them for their 'hard work and craftsmanship.' In 2012, the Venus was briefly impounded in Amsterdam in a dispute over unpaid bills to the designer Starck, but the issue was resolved after several days. New Delhi, July 30 : Facing the double whammy of Covid-19 and floods, Assam is in a precarious condition. With many hospitals, clinics, and primary health centres submerged, patients suffering from complicated and critical health conditions have been left on their own. However, a story of how a critically-ill patient in a remote village in the state received help from a leading Delhi hospital to survive shows a glimmer of hope in such gloomy times. Two weeks ago, Dr Ushast Dhir of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here, received a distress call from Mofisur Rehman. He frantically asked for help for his friend, Lalchand Biswas, whose abdomen had swelled and was barely breathing. After learning about the patient's medical history, Dhir, a gastrointestinal and liver transplant surgeon, diagnosed that Biswas had acute liver failure due to liver cirrhosis. "Rehman obtained my number through a patient I treated in Guwahati when I visited there during an assignment in February this year. Rehman told me that all the hospitals in the area were closed, and the doctors were also not available. I asked him to show me the patient on a video call," he said. Dhir immediately made arrangements for the medical teleconsultation through video conferencing. However, there was a further challenge as there was no internet connectivity in the place Biswas was. As time passed, the patient started getting unconscious. Meanwhile, Rehman arranged a fishing boat and searched for an area where internet connectivity was available. "The floods have destroyed the network connectivity in most parts. We navigated to find a place where the mobile internet was available. After three hours, we reached an area on higher ground where the internet connection was available," said Rehman. After the link was set-up, Dhir saw the patient. He demonstrated to Biswas' wife, who had accompanied him on the boat, how to check the pulse and directed her to check other vitals. As Biswas needed medication urgently, Dhir's local contacts in Guwahati came handy here. "I rang up my contacts who transported medicines and injections in an hour to the patient. However, I was worried about how his wife would administer him the medication," he said. Fortunately, it was discovered that Rehman is a pharmacist and Dhir gave him instructions for clinical examinations and administering injections. Rehman and Biswas' wife followed every instruction till Biswas regained consciousness after six hours. Dhir then regularly followed up on Biswas' condition, while the hospital also delivered a month's supply of medicine and injections to him. "Currently, his condition is stable. However, he would need a liver transplant for a recovery," he said. Dhir also said that the hospital is also planning to fly Biswas down to Delhi for the surgery. "We are taking stock of funds and logistics, which would be needed in the process. Once the situation normalises there, we would call him here," he added. Hospital Chairman, Dr D.S. Rana took pride over his hospital's assistance to Biswas. "Our hospital follows the ideals of Sir Ganga Ram, who was always at the forefront to help needy patients irrespective of distance and their financial conditions. This was one more such step in that direction," he said. Rehman also expressed his gratitude for the immediate medical assistance he received from the hospital. "All the hospitals were closed in our area at that time. Without quick medical advice, my friend would have died. I wanted to help him as he has no one in the family who can take care of him. I am thankful to SGRH for their help," he said. KALAMAZOO, MI -- An audit of Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital found that at least three employees continued to have contact with patients even after being accused of abuse or neglect, according to the Michigan Auditor Generals report. The hospital provides behavioral health services to adults with mental illness in 34 counties in Southwest and West Michigan. That includes individuals awaiting a psychiatric evaluation to determine competence to stand trial, and those found to be not guilty by reason of insanity. The office of the Auditor General reviewed files from Aug. 1, 2017, to July 31, 2019. In that time span, the hospital admitted and discharged 251 patients, according to the report. In 2015, at least nine staff members were fired and 29 were suspended after a patients arm was broken. In the same report, 34 separate incidents of unreasonable force were recorded during a two-week span. The July 2020 audit found the hospitals patient care services to be sufficient, but with exceptions. The hospital and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Office of Recipient Rights, which processes allegations of abuse, need improvement, according to the audit. The state reviewed 30 of the 70 complaints handled by the ORR during the same time period. The review of these complaints found that three employees were involved in abuse and neglect allegations, but were not removed from the facility during the investigation. In two instances, miscommunication with ORR was to blame, including one example in which the office did not notify the hospital of the neglect case, according to the audit. In the third case, the hospital did not suspend the contracted psychiatrist because of a psychiatrist shortage, according to the audit. Additionally, there were 17 complaints that the hospital did not respond to the abuse and neglect investigations within the required 10 days. The delays ranged from one to 180 days late, and averaged 32 days late. Related: 12 ways to address Michigans shortage of in-patient psychiatric beds The state audit also scrutinized hospital staff for not completing incident reports in a timely manner. Examples of when an incident report would be necessary include assaults on or by a patient, the restraint or seclusion of a patient, medication errors and suspected criminal offenses involving a patient. The state reviewed 40 of the 4,376 incident reports recorded during the two-year time span and found that 67.5% of staff who witnessed the incidents did not document the information by the end of their shift. The delay ranged from six hours to 34.5 days, according to the audit. Additionally, two reports did not document a patient injury. The hospital responded, saying that it was in agreement with the finding and that a new tracking system was implemented in October 2019 to review incident reports on a daily basis. The hospitals response also addressed the challenge of staff having different schedules. For example, nurses work 12-hour shifts while resident care aides work 8-hour shifts. In some cases it becomes impossible for the [resident care aide] to complete the documentation on their current shift, the hospitals response said. Other areas that need improvement, the audit found, included completing patient admission paperwork in a timely manner and access to patient data. The hospital, which traces its roots to the Michigan Asylum for the Insane that opened in 1859, is no among five state-run inpatient hospitals for individuals who have severe mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Others include Caro Center and Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital, which serve adult patients, and Hawthorn Center for treatment of children and adolescents. The Center for Forensic Psychiatry provides diagnostic services to the criminal justice system and psychiatric treatment for criminal defendants. More on MLive: Nowhere to turn: Families struggle as psych beds disappear from hospitals Demons haunt an 8-year-old and help is hard to find A moms story: My son is trying to kill me To hell and back: One womans journey to recovery from mental illness Ho Chi Minh City authorities on Thursday ordered bars and discos to shut down from Friday until further notice amid new COVID-19 developments. District-level administrations are required to be on high alert as a new wave of coronavirus cases has hit Vietnam since last weekend, the Peoples Committee said Thursday in an urgent dispatch signed by deputy chairman Le Thanh Liem. The committee asked that people wear face masks in public or on public transportation, take safety measures like washing hands with soap or sanitizer, and keep a distance in social interactions. Crowded events like festivals, fairs, investment promotion conferences, and other non-urgent meetings have to be ceased while people are warned against gathering in big groups at weddings or funerals, according to the dispatch. Gatherings of more than 30 people outside schools and hospitals are banned. Bars and discos are required to shut down. Teleconferences are encouraged whereas only essential meetings should be held physically with safety coming first. Public offices are ordered to run temperature checks and demand that entrants don face masks. The dispatch will be in effective from Friday until further notice. Vietnam has reported 48 community-based cases, all traced back to Da Nang, since Saturday last week, after having gone 99 days without a documented local transmission, according to a Tuoi Tre News count. Fourteen such cases were recorded on Thursday. Thirty-four of the 48 are in Da Nang, eight in Quang Nam, one in Quang Ngai Province, two in Hanoi, two in Ho Chi Minh City, and one in Dak Lak. About 21,000 people have returned to Hanoi from Da Nang over the past days while the number in Ho Chi Minh City is 18,000. Both cities are aggressively tracing these for coronavirus testing. Enhanced social distancing has been imposed on the entirety of Da Nang, the countrys epicenter now, since Tuesday. The Southeast Asian country has confirmed 464 infections as of Thursday night, with 369 recoveries and zero deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Taoiseach Micheal Martin was told that the government is having a bad week, every week since it was formed, at a private meeting of his party. At the weekly meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party, Mr Martin heard from a small number of TDs who complained about the continued mishandling of events by the government. Kilkenny TD John McGuinness said the PUP U-turn and the fallout of the gifting back of the 16,000 top-up allowance for super junior ministers had been a PR disaster. Mr McGuinness is believed to have said the government is having a bad week, every week. New Dun Laoghaire TD Cormac Devlin also was critical of the handling of the matters, saying the party was being badly damaged by Sinn Feins more agile approach to social media. Mr Devlin reportedly said that even with the presence of many highly-paid advisors, ministers appeared to be giving away too many own goals. Mr Devlins view were said to have been delivered in a calm but determined fashion. Mr Martin, is said to have held the line on the 10% pay cut issue and did not give an inch but complained that his comments to his own party were being leaked out to the media while the meeting was ongoing. But he did accept that things could have been handled better and the meeting heard that the summer break should be used to refresh and start again with renewed purpose in September. Meanwhile, a presentation by new Education Minister Norma Foley about the plans to re-open the countrys 4,000 schools was well received by TDs. One source said: She was complimented on the policy and a few loose ends were addressed. Mr Martin and junior Enterprise Minister Robert Troy are to hold a meeting with former Debenhams' workers on Thursday, the meeting also heard. The workers have been protesting at their treatment by their former employer which ceased operations in Ireland earlier this year. Mr Troy reportedly told the private meeting that he is seeking to amend legislation to strengthen the rights of workers, but said that it will not be retrospective and will not apply to those affected workers at the former high street outlet. Some present said they were not impressed by his responses. Mr Martin has sharply criticised the treatment of the workers by Debenhams in the Dail in recent weeks. The plight of the workers was strongly raised at the meeting by Dublin South-West TD John Lahart. Last week, the former Debenhams workers marked the 100th day of their dispute over redundancy terms by staging a series of protests around Ireland. The former staff claim the package offered to them when the Irish arm of Debenhams was placed into liquidation this spring was unfair. They are set to receive statutory redundancy payouts of two weeks of salary per year of service. The workers are demanding four weeks pay per service year. They are also calling on the Government to waive monies owed to it through the liquidation process so they can be used to boost the redundancy packages. Liquidator KPMG is set to use proceeds of the liquidation of the Irish businesss assets to pay off key creditors, such as the Revenue Commissioners and other State bodies. President Ilham Aliyev inauguruated another modular hospital for the treatment of coronavirus patients in Gabala region during his visit on July 29. The modular hospital in Gabala, like other similar medical institutions, will accept and treat coronavirus infected patients with moderate symptoms. The complex consists of 3 buildings, 100 wards and 200 beds. To prevent the coronavirus pandemic, a modular hospital complex was established in Gabala as part of the preventive measures taken in Azerbaijan. Moreover, Aliyev inaugurated Amirvan-Vandam highway in Gabala, after its reconstruction. The Head of State was informed that the 28-km road built at the expense of AZN 13.1 million allocated from investment costs connects 5 settlements with the population of 13,000 people. Water pipes, road signs, information boards, signal poles and 5 parking places have been installed along the road. A new bridge was built across the river of ablution. President received information on the construction of a new bridge over the Boom River at the 2nd kilometer of Bum-Tikanli-Abrikh highway, which separates 11 settlements with the population of 20,000 people, from the region center and other settlements, as well as reconstruction of a 2-kilometer highway to Boom settlement. It was noted that the new bridge has 12 spans of 310 meters long and 9 meters wide. Previously, the residents of 11 settlements had to cover an additional distance of about 30 kilometers to cross from one side of the river to the other. The construction of the new bridge, as well as the reconstruction of the road from Boom to the bridge, will provide 20,000 people with direct access to the region centre and neighbouring villages without the need for additional roads. Additionally, Aliyev instructed to name one of the streets in Gabala after army general Polad Hashimov who was native of the village of Vandam in Gabala. Hashimov was among 12 Azerbaijani servicemen killed during the Armenian cross-border provocation recently. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is scheduled on Thursday to update the state on the ongoing fight against coronavirus. The press conference is set to start at 2:30 p.m. Watch it below. At his last public address earlier this week, Edwards said coronavirus cases may be plateauing in Louisiana, but at a "really high number." The White House Coronavirus Task Force has advised Louisiana to roll out harsher rules. Edwards appears unlikely to enact new restrictions in the near-term. Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up It has been nearly three weeks since Edwards issued a statewide mask mandate. See the latest data on coronavirus in Louisiana here. Can't see the module below? Click here. New Delhi: Bihar's Water Resources minister Sanjay Kumar Jha has assured that if actor Sushant Singh Rajput's family wants to initiate a CBI inquiry into the death case, the state government will provide all the help. In an interview with Zee News, Sanjay Kumar Jha said that Bihar government will help Sushant Singh Rajput's family in case they want a CBI probe into the death case. He said, "Maharashtra government should also work in the same direction as all need to ensure how justice is served." Jha added, " From Maharashtra government's statement on the case, looks like Mumbai police is in no mood to assist and help the Bihar police." "Bihar police is working in the right direction with their investigation procedure. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been informed about all the developments in the case so far", Jha said. He also mentioned that Sushant's family must have felt that the Mumbai police is not listening to them and probably that is why they approached the Bihar police and filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty. Sanjay Kumar Jha said, "Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wants instant justice for Sushant's family and Bihar police is working in that direction." After his father filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty in Patna, a four-member police team from Bihar has stepped-up investigation in Mumbai. Sushant Singh Rajput's sudden demise on June 14, 2020 left his fans puzzled and none of them is ready to believe that the actor died by suicide. Ever since the actor breathed his last, many netizens have been urging the government to initiate a CBI inquiry in Sushant's death case. However, no such decision has been taken. Sushant Rhea Disha Salian | FilmiBeat Meanwhile, Sushant's father KK Singh has lodged a complaint against Rhea Chakraborty and has levelled serious allegations against her including, abetment to suicide and theft. Rhea has been booked under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 306 (abetment of suicide) among others. Now, Sushant's family's lawyer Vikas Singh has claimed that ex-manager Disha Salian's death had an impact on the actor's mental health. Deeming it as a clear case of abetment to suicide, Vikas Singh told media, "Rhea (Chakraborty) left at first and Disha Salian passed away on the same night. The next day, all media reports said Sushant Singh Rajput's secretary died by suicide. The situation contributed to an increase in Sushant's anxiety and he feared being implicated in Disha's death case and constantly checked Google because of it." These details emerged after Sushant's father filed an FIR against Rhea in Patna. Rhea, on the other hand, has pleaded for transferring the case to Mumbai. The Jalebi actress has already met with her lawyer Anandini Fernandes and will be applying for interim bail. Rhea Chakraborty To Apply For Interim Bail After Late Sushant's Father Lodges FIR Against Her Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:33:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Mars rover Perseverance lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) Thursday from a space launch complex in the U.S. state of Florida, starting its mission to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. Andrea Bocelli extends "sincere apology" for expressing doubts about the seriousness of the covid-19 crisis in Italy. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has apologised for the controversial and widely-reported remarks he made about covid-19 at a conference in the senate in Rome on 27 July. Bocelli had said that he felt "humiliated and offended" by the nationwide lockdown due to the country's covid-19 crisis, apparently urging people to disobey the rules. The blind tenor caused particular anger in Italy by saying that he didn't believe the pandemic was as bad as the Italian government claimed because he did not personally know anyone admitted to intensive care due to the virus. On 29 July, with no signs of the controversy calming down, Bocelli released a video in which he asked forgiveness for any suffering, extending his "sincere apologies," and saying "it was not my intention to offend those who have been struck by COVID. Bocelli's apology followed two days of outrage on social media, with a Twitter hashtag #BocelliVergognati (Shame on you, Bocelli) going viral. The 61-year-old tenor also earned the criticism of healthcare workers across Italy where more than 35,000 people have died from the coronavirus. One commentator on social media reflected the general feeling in Italy by pointing out that the superstar was fortunate enough to spend the lockdown in your massive villa and not have anyone in your family die. Bocelli's original comments came as a surprise to Italians after he became a symbol of national unity at the height of the lockdown when he sang in an empty Milan Duomo during a live-streamed Easter solo performance called Music for Hope, watched by an estimated three million people around the world. To all those people who felt offended or suffered because of how I expressed myself undoubtedly not in the best possible way and the words I used, I ask that they accept my sincerest apologies, as my intention was quite the opposite, Bocelli said in his apology. Photo credit: RemotePhotoPress / Shutterstock.com. More than 50 per cent of Australians without dental care health insurance are postponing or skipping treatment because of the cost. And a quarter of the 12.3 million people who have the insurance have also delayed or avoided the dentist because of the out-of-pocket fees or gap, according to a report by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare released on Friday. These expenses ranged from a few dollars to a high of nearly $2000 for procedures like a crown. Dental checks are a good long-term investment for your health. Credit:iStock The AIHW report on oral health and dental care coincides with a warning from the Australian Dental Association ahead of Dental Health Week that the nation faces an "oral health crisis after COVID with higher rates of tooth decay and mouth issues". American efforts to lead an international awakening against the Chinese government is working and the tide is turning, US secretary of state Michael Pompeo said on Thursday, citing Indias ban on China-origin mobile apps, closer interactions of the Quad countries and actions by several other nations that have been seen as aimed at Beijing. Testifying at a US senate hearing on the 2021 budget for the state department, Pompeo also said he is not yet certain about the shape or form of the new grouping of like-minded nations an alliance of democracies that he recently mooted to confront the global threat from China in a major policy speech. The reference was to his remarks last week at a California library named after former President Richard Nixon, whose 1972 visit led to the thaw in US-China relations. Pompeo had then called for a global compact arguing US policy of blind engagement with China had failed. The top US diplomat was pressed repeatedly by Republican as well as Democratic senators on China, more than on any other foreign issue, reflecting the urgency among American policy makers on ties with Beijing. Calling the Chinese Communist Party US officials insist on treating the Chinese government as an entity separate from the people the central threat of our times as he has before, Pompeo told senators that the incursion against India and the real-estate claim against Bhutan and other conflicts around the world were indicative of Chinese intentions to expand their reach and to bring socialism with Chinese characteristics to the world. Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP, he said, adding, Senators, the tide is turning. The secretary of state listed some of the global developments he said were the result of the American lead on international awakening against China: the growing ostracism of Chinese firms from the rollout of 5G networks, increasing rejection of Chinese claims in the disputed South China Sea, and the condemnation of the new laws in Hong Kong. Were proud to have stepped up maritime manoeuvres in that body of water (the South China Sea) alongside friends like Australia, India, Japan, and the UK, Pompeo said in his full and prepared remarks, which were different from the brief summary he read out as his opening statement. He added: India has banned 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, that threatened its citizens privacy and security. The secretary of state had earlier indicated the United States had played an assist role in the first round of bans of 59 apps, without providing details. The US has since said it was considering a ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps, devices and companies that threaten the security of the country. Pompeo said the US, Australia, India, and Japan have reinvigorated the Quad as part of an effort to confront China through multilateral bodies. He went on to say this grouping is stronger than it has ever been and maybe we were gifted by General Secretary Xi (Jinping). He took actions that caused each of the leaders of those countries to recognise the value of this group, he added. The secretary was answering a question about Indias invitation to Australia to join the upcoming military exercises with the United States and Japan. The top US diplomat went on to specify the many actions the Trump administration has taken against China in recent months: sanctions against Chinese officials for the mistreatment of Uighur muslims in Xinjiang; imposition of export controls on companies supporting it; termination of trade benefits for Hong Kong and the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, which, he said, had become a den of spies. As further indication of the Trump administrations intentions for the region, Pompeo said the state department was seeking $1.49 billion for foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific region, a 20% increase from the FY 2020 request. We want that part of the world to be free, open, and prosperous, he said. Formed in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has recently celebrated its 70th anniversary of providing stability and security in European and North American countries. Finland is not looking to officially join the Atlantic Alliance anytime soon, but it has already participated in many of NATO's military activities, including partaking in its training, as well as deploying with its rapid-reaction force to the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Furthermore, In 2019 alone, the Finnish defence forces participated in over 80 international military exercises, held mostly in northern Europe and the Nordic-Baltic region, including the Northern Wind 2019, bringing together Finland, Sweden, Norway, the UK and the US. As well, Finland is an active participant in NATOs Enhanced Opportunities Partnership (EOP). Officially joining the NATO forces means acquiring added defence and security, as well as the decision-making power in terms of what and where the next operations should be held, among others. Many ponder why, having met all the requirements, Finland has not, nor seems to be planning on joining NATO anytime soon. The truth is, Finland sees little gain at high risk to go through with it. The Finnish flag on a military uniform. Image credit: Popova Tetiana/Shutterstock Requirements to join NATO New members must uphold democracy, including tolerating diversity. New members must be making progress toward a market economy. Their military forces must be under firm civilian control. They must be good neighbors and respect sovereignty outside their borders. They must be working toward compatibility with NATO forces. These are the minimum requirements a nation must prove prior to applying for the NATO membership, as well as having been invited by a consensus of current members. Source: The US Department of State The Cost The cost to join NATO amounts to 2 percent of each member's national budget per year. Finland currently spends about 1,5 percent of its national budget on the military defence. Therefore, it is doubtful that Finland is reluctant to join because it is being frisky about the 0.5 percent missing, especially with the added benefits that come with that cost. The truth is, Finland already enjoys unofficial cooperation and military support from the West and other NATO states. Other benefits that it lacks today may seem irrelevant to the country in the face of the non-monetary costs it could potentially occur. Russo-phobia and World War III Russia's ambassador in Finland, Pavel Kuznetsov, criticized the notion that Russia is a state others should be in fear of, as well explaining that, "everyone understands that the entry of NATO's military infrastructure closer to our borders forces us to take appropriate responses" (Deutsche Welle, July 24). Many say that Finland should join NATO to protect itself from Russia's unpredictable aggression, the power of which Finland bore witness to throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, if Russia was (theoretically) to show aggression towards Finland, the latter would likely be backed by the NATO states regardless, not only because of their common ideological beliefs, but because the EU would respond, and Finland is a member state. However, as it stands today, there is no rationale for Russia to antagonize the Nordic country, especially in its reluctant state of joining NATO. Furthermore, if Finland was to join the NATO forces today, Russia could see it as a decision made not singlehandedly, but through a nudge from others. Now, to bring the NATO forces to the Russian border that way, could potentially make Russia feel threatened, and becoming aggravated, begin preparing for war. Furthermore, The West continues to root for Ukrainian stabilization, already making it a stretch when it says that it also wants calm relations with Russia. To voice that it also wants Finland (and Sweden) to officially join its forces through NATO, would disseminate any hopes for those neutral relations. Finland-Russia Relationship For decades now, following Finland's separation from the Russian empire on December 6, 1917, Russians and Finns have gone back and forth to work, for some, as often as one would go to their downtown office while living in the suburbs. Many speculate that the relationship would become strained if Finland joins NATO. Although it is possible that Finland is looking at the situation with Russia through pink lenses, some believe that there is no other way to view it from Finland's perspective. According to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessment of the dilemma between their ties with both Russia and NATO, Finland remains deeply aware that there is no simple solution. Finland and Russia share a border, causing Finnish concern that joining NATO will be interpreted as antagonism by Russia. Image credit: xtock/Shutterstock Finland-US Relationship Finland did take steps to strengthen its relationship with the US: it purchased some highly sophisticated military hardware, including the F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft as well as modern air-defence systems from the US. It also signed a Trilateral Statement of Intent (SOI) between itself, Sweden and the US, with the intent of solidifying the symbiotic defence cooperation, last signed in 2016, clarifying and improving the terms. Although not legally binding, the SOI symbolizes the special relationship and like-mindedness of the three countries. Finns Do Not Want to Join No major political party in Finland is pro-joining NATO. Interestingly, a whopping 67 percent of the military personal are also in favor of the official military alliance with NATO; but not the civilians. In a 2014 poll, during the Crimean crisis in Ukraine, Finland was a witness to the strength of Russia's aggression, but even then, only 22 percent of Finns supported the idea of joining NATO. With the support nowadays wavering between 20 and 30 percent, half the nation remains against the membership, while others do not have an opinion, or want to be involved in the matter. This again, shows that Finland does not expect Russia's spill of aggression upon it, nor that it would take any other step to ruin their business-like relationship. The Future Some say that Finland is no longer neutral as it is part of the EU, but rather, militarily non-aligned." In terms of Finland and the West, they already benefit from mutual military coordination. For now, Finland is satisfied with the unofficial support it receives from the NATO states, knowing that it will be backed by the West if the country was threatened. Its official politico-military decision was, and remains, that Finland is not planning on becoming a NATO member, but it will continue to foster ties with it and its member countries. Advertisement The Cypriot resort of Varosha, which was abandoned decades ago when it suddenly became a battleground of a war between Greece and Turkey, may become a tourist hotspot once again under new post-coronavirus plans. The once-glittering Mediterranean seaside town, a southern suburb of the eastern city of Famagusta, has been fenced off and abandoned since Turkey invaded Cyprus five days after a Greek-inspired coup on July 15, 1974. It was considered one of the most popular holiday resorts in the world in the early 1970s, with high-profile visitors including Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton seen wandering along its golden beaches. As well as attracting tourists, Varosha was home to over 39,000 residents who were forced to flee their homes like these in 1974 While the city is, as the sign says, a 'forbidden zone', in 2003, travel restrictions were eased for the first time, allowing Cypriots on both sides to cross the UN Buffer Zone, commonly known as the 'Green Line' Now derelict, the high rise hotels in the resort once attracted celebrities like Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor. The Argo Hotel on JFK Avenue was said to have been Taylor's favourite Because of the conflict, UN peacekeepers have been among some of the only people allowed in the resort since 1974, patrolling outside empty churches like these A postcard (circa 1970s) titled 'Famagusta Beach' captures the sprawling coastline of the Cypriot city in its former glory It is even thought that ABBA played their first concert here, while on holiday in 1970 before they were officially a band. They are said to have rehearsed in one of the rental apartment blocks in the town, Twiga towers. Now Turkish officials say the seaside town could one day reopen and work on the crumbling area is expected to pick up again once the Covid-19 pandemic is over. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is a de facto state recognised only by Turkey which comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. The international community considers the TRNC's territory as Turkish-occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Buildings like these were abandoned without warning in 1974, at the height of the tourist season due to the conflict The resort lies near Famagusta, on the east coast of Cyprus. Tourist may soon be able to enjoy its once idyllic beaches again as plans to reopen it gain momentum The abandoned city is full of decrepit buildings like these, with flaking paint. It is thought that ABBA used Twiga Tower (right) to rehearse for a concert they played in 1970. A Greek coup sparked a Turkish invasion of the island on July 20, 1974, and the town has remained eerily silent ever since the second wave invasion a month later. The invasion drove out 39,000 inhabitants of the city, before the Turkish forces took control the area, and has remained derelict ever since. Journalists are banned from entering the town, which is now recognised by Turkey as being under the sovereignty of the TRNC. Turkish and northern Cypriot officials met in the abandoned town on February 15 to discuss plans to reopen it A UN resolution of 1984 calls for the handover of Varosha to UN control and prohibits any attempt to resettle it by anyone other than those who were forced out but it failed to work Buildings have been damaged beyond repair meaning the town will need to be completely rebuilt again Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (pictured on The Sandpiper set in 1965) were two stars who visited the Cypriot city in the 70s. In its hey-day, the population grew to nearly 40,000 Tourists pile on to a beach at the tourist destination in its heyday. A UN general tried to allow the city's original inhabitants to return to the city but this was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a referendum in 2004 In 1984 a UN security resolution barred resettlement of the area. Residents have never returned to their homes or even re-entered the fenced-off area where now only Turkish military are allowed. In its hey-day, the population grew to 39,000 and became a millionaire's playground where they soaked up the rays across vast beaches or on the balconies of their deluxe apartments. The land alone is expected to be valued at around $100billion. After decades of neglect, high-rise hotels and apartments, restaurants and residences are crumbling, and the land has been reclaimed by overgrown vegetation, although the untouched beach and crystal-clear water look as inviting as ever. The deserted city has become almost trapped in time and one of the world's most famous ghost towns, attracting photographers from around the world. Previous attempts to reopen the resort have failed. A UN resolution of 1984 unsuccessfully called for the handover of Varosha to UN control and prohibits any attempt to resettle it by anyone other than those who were forced out. Nature has started to reclaim this abandoned gas station in the Varosha quarter. Turkish officials hope to restore the area to its former glory One of the many derelict buildings that fascinate those who manage to get a glimpse of the town The town from afar: Turkish officials met in the abandoned town on February 15 to discuss potentially re-opening the area after 46 years Meanwhile, in 2003, travel restrictions were eased for the first time, allowing Cypriots on both sides to cross the UN Buffer Zone, commonly known as the 'Green Line'. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan tried to allow the city's original inhabitants to return to the city but this was rejected by the The Republic of Cyprus in a referendum in 2004. Now, Turkey is acting without Greece to reopen the town to the tourist industry. Turkish officials met in the abandoned town on February 15 to discuss potentially re-opening the area after 46 years. Speaking in Varosha after touring the area, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said: 'Keeping this coast of paradise under the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus idle is not acceptable legally, politically or economically.' The area is now overgrown and left for nature to take its course. Prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the abandoned quarter of Varosha was the modern tourist area of the city, and one of the most important tourist destinations in the world At its peak, Varosha was described as the French Riviera of Cyprus and attracted a host of star names from Hollywood The buildings in Varosha were built as high rises to deal with the demand of increasing tourist numbers visiting the region before conflict destroyed it. People still use some the beaches but sea-front buildings are in disrepair TRNC premier Ersin Tatar recently issued a statement announcing that work to reopen the town had been delayed for the past months due to the coronavirus outbreak, but that it will gain momentum again once the pandemic is over, Turkish publication Daily Sabah reported. It remains to be seen how the TRNC authorities will prepare the area for reopening, and what will happen to the hundreds of abandoned Greek Cypriot properties currently under Turkish control. Some experts say the town requires rebuilding almost from scratch as many of the buildings have become dilapidated and overrun with nature, requiring demolition and rebuilding from scratch. While beaches still attract crowds at the resort, the buildings that surround them are crumbling and falling down Because of the lack of footfall, the empty beaches of Varosha have become a nesting place for sea turtles Since its closure, Varosha has been a popular destination for photographers who are interested in its worn out style. They have to ignore signs showing that it is a strictly forbidden zone and dodge those who patrol its borders (CNN) The World Health Organization has released a policy brief on preventing and managing Covid-19 in long-term care facilities. Older people, especially those living in long-term care facilities, are one of the groups that are at highest risk for Covid-19. In many countries, more than 40% of Covid-19-related deaths have been linked to long-term care facilities and up to 80% in some high-income countries, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing in Geneva on Thursday. The policy brief lists key actions that must be taken by policymakers and national and local authorities to protect older people, Tedros said. They range from integrating long-term care into national response, to providing support for family and voluntary caregivers. For each objective, there are actions that can be taken by the facilities themselves, and examples of actions that have been taken by countries across the world. The brief also suggests ways to transform long-term care services so that older people can receive quality-of-care that respects their rights, freedoms and dignity, Tedros said. Tedros also acknowledged those who worked in long-term care facilities across the world, who are doing heroic work to save lives and protect those in their care, he said. I salute you. This story was first published on CNN's live blog. Ironwood Pizza in Manlius, which has been closed since April, will remain shut for good, owner John Freightenburgh announced on Facebook Wednesday. Unlike some other restaurants across Central New York, Ironwood will not reopen once the coronavirus pandemic is contained or runs its course. It joins a dozen or so others that have confirmed their closings are permanent. (See list below). I regret to inform all my great customers and friends that Ironwood will not be reopening!, Freighteburgh posted on Facebook. I am very thankful for your support and friendship for the last almost 8 years, as they have been the happiest years of my career! I wish you all a safe and happy future. ... Thanks again for all youve done for me and my family. Freightenburgh clarified the reasons for shutting down in a message to syracuse.com today: I didnt shut down because of the State restrictions, he said, referring to executive orders from the governor and other guidelines. We closed because I dont know how to make money safely during a pandemic! Our business model was based on putting as many people as possible in a small space and that wont be happening again for quite some time to come. Ironwood opened at 145 E. Seneca St. in Manlius in 2012 with a concept built around a wood-fire pizza oven and an above-average craft beer selection. Freightenburgh had started out a few years before with a mobile wood-fired oven called The Pizza Rig. It had popped up mostly in locations around the Manlius and Fayetteville areas. Irownwood remained open for takeout only for a few weeks after Gov. Andrew Cuomo shut dining rooms on March 16. But on April 8, it announced it would discontinue takeout and shut until further notice. The exact number of restaurants permanently shut down in the wake of the coronavirus remains unclear. It can be difficult to determine whether a restaurant has permanently closed, or is just keeping its doors shut until the pandemic eases or it can operate under the restrictions. Thats the case, for example, with Lacis Tapas Bar in the Hawley-Green neighborhood. It has been closed for months but is reopening (under the restrictions) this week. Other places, like Rileys Restaurant on Syracuses North Side, remain closed but plan to reopen this fall. Below is a sampling of the permanent closings we have confirmed so far: John Thomas Steakhouse, located at La Tourelle Hotel & Spa, 1152 Danby Road, Ithaca. Owner Michael Kelly told Ithaca.com that the coronavirus outbreak had made the business unsustainable and too dangerous to operate for staff and customers. Kelly, 72, said he expects a restaurant of some kind to take the space. John Thomas Steakhouse, named in a Bloomberg article in 2017 as one of the 30 best steakhouses in the world, opened in 1994. Kelleys Bar & Restaurant, 5076 Velasko Road, Onondaga. Although owner Jon Kelley initially thought he would reopen after the pandemic, he decided, at age 65, to retire instead. Kelleys had been a popular hangout for 37 years. Kelley said hes willing to help another owner start up in the space. Update: Marty Richardson, owner of Nesticos ... Too in Camillus this week bought Kelleys, rehired most of the staff and plans to reopen it as Chelseas Restaurant this fall. Brewerton Diner, 5771 Miller Road, Brewerton. This diner announced via Facebook it is closing for good after failing to receive a federal PPP loan. Owner Michael Piraino has added brekafast items to his other restaurant nearby, Bear Creek at 5480 Bartel Road. Bear Creek remains open. The Chef & The Cook, 7 Syracuse St., Baldwinsville. It closed in late March, becoming the first publicly acknowledged restaurant shutdown related to the coronavirus. The restaurant, operated by DeAnna and Mark Germano, had only been open since March 2018. (In early May, however, Brick-n-Barrel, billing itself as a village gastropub, opened in that location). Circa Ce Soir, 8240 Cazenovia Road (Route 92), Manlius. This restaurant, a new version of the pioneering farm-to-table Circa in Cazenovia, closed in early May after just a few months in business. Co-owners Alicyn Hart and Marco Locicero say they are looking for new opportunities. Nikis Quick Cup Diner, 1513 W Genesee St., Syracuse. This 47-year-old diner on the citys West Side closed in mid-May. Owner Nichole Shue cited the social distancing guidelines that would likely be in place on reopening, saying they would not work in her small diner. Patsys Pizza, 1205 Erie Blvd. W., Syracuse. This pizza/Italian specialties place on the West Side closed May 21 after 38 years in business. It had been founded near Le Moyne College in 1982 and moved to the West Side later. It was operated by Mike and Rose Insalaco. NY Giannis Bronx Style Pizza, 1428 Burnet Ave., Syracuse. Fans of this pizza place had been seeing indications it wouldnt reopen for some time before its Facebook post made it official on May 24. North Street Diner, 3 North St., Marcellus. This popular local hangout announced its closing on Facebook on May 23. Ten Forward Cafe, 115 E. State St., Ithaca. This vegan eatery in downtown Ithaca announced on Facebook it is closing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Do you know of a Central New York restaurant that has decided to permanently close amid the coronavirus? Send an email to Don Cazentre at dcazentre@nyup.com. MORE ON BARS/RESTAURANTS 3 popular diners face challenges in reopening amid pandemic Dunkin to close 800 stores nationwide Relax, Upstate NY: The governor is not coming after your chicken wings Some CNY restaurants reopen. Others prefer to wait. Heres why 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. Switch the Market flag Open the menu and switch the Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice. for targeted data from your country of choice. That bill, LB667, had originally been introduced by Vargas to fund youth work development and training assistance. Hansen said he believes the Legislature "has not had or taken the chance to address the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic in our state (and) hopefully this hearing can be a start for discussing some of the many problems facing our constituents." "We, as a Legislature, will need to address them at some point in the future," he said. On Wednesday, Vargas won majority approval to introduce a new bill addressing meatpacking worker concerns, but his proposal fell two votes short of meeting a 30-vote threshold. Eleven senators who were present at the time chose not to cast a vote. Vargas represents a legislative district in south Omaha that is home to a large Latino population, many of whom work at nearby meat processing plants. The state's meat processing workforce is largely composed of Latino, immigrant and refugee workers. Vargas, whose father died in New York City in April after a lengthy battle with the coronavirus, is the only Latino member of the Legislature. Bathinda: Pushing for mobile banking to deal with problems arising out of demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked the people to let their mobile phones serve as a bank branch to deal with corruption and black money. He said the number of mobiles is four times the number of families and people should use their mobiles to make payments. "You can download mobile applications provided by banks on your phones and I want to urge political leaders, teachers, youth to give training to people on mobile banking," he said. Modi said demonetisation is a step to give poor people their rights. "You know because of corruption, black money, the middle class had been exploited and poor people were devoid of their rights. I want to stop it and give poor people their due rights," he said adding, "the trade of black money is eating into the country like termite." "Therefore, Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes has been banned and new notes will gradually reach (people). I am short of words in thanking people who suffered problems and inconvenience (due to demonetization) and you continued to stand with this work of honesty," he said. Urging people to shift to new technology in order to eliminate this menace of black money and corruption, Modi asked them to make payments through their mobile phones. "I want to seek your support. Your mobile phone is not only a mobile phone, you can convert into your own bank and wallet. If you don't have one rupee cash even then today the technology is such that if you have money in your bank account, you can shop in the market and make payments through mobile and also you can run your business without touching cash," he said. The Prime Minister said it was the need of the hour to stop the circulation of fake currency which was destroying the youth. "Fake currency has destroyed our youth and to save my youths, it is the need of the hour to end fake currency and I want to urge you to fully support the ongoing campaign (demonetisation) to make India great," he said. FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. FRAYED Stream on HBO Max. Sarah Kendall is the writer, an associate producer and the star of this comedy series about Sammy Cooper, a wealthy London housewife in 1988. After her husband dies, Sammy and her children have nowhere to go but Newcastle, Australia, where she grew up. Sammy must confront her past and make peace with the place she once called home. AWAARA (1956) Stream on Mubi. Translated to The Vagabond in English, Awaara is the story of a man named Raj who grew up in the slums of India after his father, a wealthy lawyer, kicked his mother out. He befriends a duplicitous man named Jagga (K.N. Singh) and takes up a life of crime, but is compelled to change his ways when he falls in love with his childhood friend Rita (Nargis). The film is directed and produced by Raj Kapoor, who also stars as Raj. Authorities said AJ died after he was beaten, placed in a cold shower and put to bed. Andrew Freund later took the boys body and buried it in a shallow grave in Woodstock, authorities said. The parents reported AJ was missing, which led to a dayslong search that ended when the boys remains were found. Myanmars political parties have put forward more female and young candidates for this years general elections than in past polls, ramping up efforts to draw more ballots from the countrys large proportion of women voters, analysts and party officials said Thursday. When Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NDL) swept the previous elections in 2015, only 13 percent of NLD candidates were women. The now 75-year-old Nobel laureate won a parliamentary seat and was named state counselor, becoming Myanmars first female leader. This time around, women and people under 40 comprise 20-30 percent of the candidates that will run in November for the ruling NLD, the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and other political parties a 10 percent increase over the number that ran five years ago. We have seen many political parties favoring the inclusion of women and young people, said Mya Nandar Thin, an election consultant from the election monitoring group New Myanmar Foundation. The main incentive for this is that they want to get womens votes, she told RFA. It is the same with young peoples votes. Myanmar has 96 registered political parties whose candidates will compete for 1,171 seats available in both houses of the national parliament and in state and regional legislatures. Women make up as much as 30-40 percent of the candidates nominated by some newly established and ethnic political parties. Women comprise about 52 percent of Myanmars estimated population of 54.4 million people. Of the more than 37 million citizens eligible to vote for the next government in the Nov. 8 elections, over 17 million are male, while more than 19 million are female, according to the Union Election Commission (UEC). Of the current 1,150 members of parliament, 44 women account for 10 percent of Myanmars lower house, 23 women comprise 10 percent of the countrys upper house, and 84 women make up nine percent of seats in state and regional legislatures. In the Inter-Parliamentary Unions global rankings of female representation in legislatures, Myanmar ranks 157th, tied with Congo, but ahead of influential neighbor Thailand and aid donor Japan. In the contest for the youth vote, there are 29 lawmakers under the age of 35, who comprise six percent of Myanmars lower house of parliament and 14 who comprise six percent in upper house. Candidate registrations must be submitted to the UEC, which vets parliamentary contenders and political parties and oversees the countrys elections, between July 20 and Aug. 7. Myanmars constitution, drafted by an army junta that previously ruled the country, reserves 25 percent of parliamentary seats for unelected military representatives. The NLDs picks Though the NLD is largely fielding the partys sitting lawmakers and current chief ministers to run in November, it has selected several female contenders based on their qualifications, said Monywa Aung Shin, a senior NLD party member and editor of its magazine D. Wave Journal. We have picked capable women candidates, he said. Female lawmakers work hard in parliament and submit the most questions. The NLD has said it will contest 1,132 seats in the November vote 319 in the lower house of parliament, 162 in the upper house, 622 seats in regional and state parliaments, and 29 ethnic affairs minister positions. About 80 percent of those on the NLDs candidate list are sitting lawmakers who won parliamentary seats in the 2015 elections. Roughly 20 percent of NLD candidates are women, said Zaw Myint Maung, the partys vice chairman and Mandalay region chief minister. Forty-three female candidates will run on the NLD ticket in Yangon region, seven in Mandalay region, three in Kachin state, five in Kayin state, five in Kayah state, and three in Chin state. Both Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint will run to keep their seats in November. The NLD also says it will give priority to ethnic candidates in ethnic minority areas of the multiethnic union. For the first time, the pro-democracy partys ticket includes two Muslim candidates Win Mya Mya and Sithu Maung former political prisoners who are running in Mandalay and Yangon regions, respectively. The NLD had not selected Win Mya Mya, current vice chairperson of the party's Mandalay regional office, to run in the 2015 elections, prompting critics in the Buddhist-majority nation shaken by interfaith strife since 2012 to say that she was passed over because of her religion. In an interview with the online journal The Irrawaddy last week, Win Mya Mya said religion did not play into the NLDs decision to support her and Sithu Maung as candidates in this years election. Our leaders chose us because they believe we will be able to work for the country, as we have dedicated ourselves and are loyal to our party, she was quoted as saying. Our leaders choose candidates based not on religion or race. They choose the person who will work for the country as a whole, she said. USDP expects fresh ideas The army-affiliated USDP believes that female and young political candidates will bring new ways of thinking about the issues the country is tackling, said Thein Tun Oo, a party spokesman and central committee member. We are now favoring women and young people as candidates because we think it will benefit the country the most when we combine new and fresh ideas of young people with experiences of the older generation, he told RFA. Female candidates are more skilled at dealing with womens issues, Thein Tun Oo added. Women can talk more openly with female MPs, he said. Female candidates are more adept at handling women-related issues, so we can assign them to those. Their enthusiasm and motivation are also factors in considering women candidates. Women now comprise about 15 percent of the candidates put forward by the USDP, while young people account for 14 percent, Thein Tun Oo said. Ko Ko Gyi, chairman of the Peoples Party, said he is encouraging the relatively new political party set up by the 88 Generation student leaders from the 1988 pro-democracy protests to select up to 30 percent of women as candidates, although the party has not yet issued its list of contenders. In a country with prevalent [armed] conflicts, I hope these womens maternal instincts will be helpful in mitigating these conflicts, in addition to their expertise and skills, he told RFA. Thet Thet Khaing, chairwoman of Peoples Pioneer Party (PPP), led by former NLD lawmakers, said the inclusion of women and young people in leadership roles is part of her partys policy, too. We are a party composed of several young people, women, and ethnic people, she said. Our partys policy is to give young people, women, and members of ethnic minority groups an opportunity to take part in leadership roles at the township, regional, state, and central committee levels. Women comprise 45 percent of the PPPs candidates, while people under the age of 35 make up 35 percent, she said. Ethnic Shan women from the Akha hill tribe gather for the arrival of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a campaign stop in Kengtung, Myanmar's eastern Shan state, Oct. 22, 2015. Credit: AFP Mon, Shan parties Ethnic parties, including Mon and Shan parties, have also increased the number of women and young people they are fielding as candidates in the upcoming elections. The Mon Unity Party (MUP) has put forward 62 candidates for parliamentary seats mainly in southeastern Myanmar, 26 percent of whom are women and 40 percent are young people up to 40 years of age, said MUP joint secretary Nai Layi Tama on Wednesday. The UEC has permitted the MUP to run in any constituency in the country for the 2020 elections. The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD), which campaigns for the interests of ethnic Shan people, has set a 30 percent quota for women and another 30 percent for young people who are 35 years of age and under during the candidate selection period, said Sai Leik, SNLD general secretary and spokesman, on Wednesday. Our party leaders are following this rule, so our final lists for candidates will include women and young people at 30 percent each, he told RFA. The SNLD became the largest ethnic Shan party in Myanmars national-level legislature following the 2015 general elections. A welcome move Women and youth activists have welcomed the moves to include more women and young candidates in the next elections. We welcome such quotas because we have many young people in this country, said Myanmar youth advocate and activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi. The population of young people and women are significant part of the country, so political parties are now nominating [them] for leadership role in politics. The political parties that have picked young people and women candidates are ambitious and thoughtful, he added. Khin Lay, founder and director of the Yangon-based Triangle Womens Support Group, an organization that advocates womens empowerment at the grassroots level across Myanmar, said political parties should nominate more female candidates. They should pick more women for candidacy because female MPs can work more effectively when it comes to womens and childrens issues, she said. Even though our country is poor, and every sector is starting over, womens and childrens issues should not be left out, and the leaders should pay more attention to them, she added. Reported by Thant Zin Oo and Kyaw Lwin Oo for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton has slammed his own club for their 'lazy' attempt at a jersey for the NRL's indigenous round. The club will walk out on Saturday to play against the North Queensland Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville. Players will be wearing a jersey with a sleeve design aimed at showing that the ACT is the only state or territory in Australia to have a public holiday for Reconciliation Day. Wighton, a proud Wiradjuri man, said he appreciated the sentiment but was left less than impressed with the process that went into creating the jumper. Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton (pictured, with Monisha Lew-Fatt) has slammed his own club for their 'lazy' attempt at a jersey for the NRL's indigenous round Players will be wearing a jersey with a sleeve design (pictured, 2020 jersey on the left, 2019 jersey right) The 27-year-old said there was no consultation with the players and he was 'filthy' with the lack of indigenous presence on the front of the jersey. 'I'm very, very proud but I'm a little bit disappointed how the club went about the jersey and that. I feel like we just ticked a box, no one got any input,' Wighton told the Sydney Morning Herald. The father-of-two said the club had First Nations people from around the world in the side - including Samoans and Maoris - and none had a say in the jersey. He said First Nations cultures have the best stories to tell and he felt like a box was just ticked for the 2020 version of the jersey. 'I think you can tell. We had a whole canvas and they just put a little design on the sleeve. We didn't hear nothing about it until this week. No one came to us for any ideas,' he said. 'It's terrible. I'm filthy. It's the one round to share culture, you know what I mean, to get our artwork and stories out there, and I feel like we've put a pretty poor effort in, if I'm to be honest.' The 27-year-old (pictured) said there was no consultation with the players and he was 'filthy' with the lack of Indigenous presence on the front of the jersey The artwork was produced by Lynnice Church, an Aboriginal woman from the Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi and Ngunnawal tribes. Wighton is not critical of her work but believes the club should have gone to more effort. Wighton is from the Wiradjuri people and is always grateful for the chance to represent his culture and reconnect with it. Former North Queensland Cowboys player Johnathan Thurston said in 2018 following an indigenous camp he sees Wighton as a leader of the community. The father-of-two (pictured with Monisha Lew-Fatt) said the club had First Nations people from around the world in the side - including Samoans and Maoris - and none had a say in the jersey 'He's very influential in the group setting. He's certainly got the attributes to lead,' Thurston said at Channel 9's NRL launch at the time. 'He's very proud of his heritage and his culture. He's obviously a great rugby league player as well. I've been really impressed with him every time our paths have crossed in the camps. 'He's very influential and probably doesn't realise how influential he can be.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Canberra Raiders and Wighton's management for comment. The move aims to prevent any attempts to destabilise the two countries Belarus and Ukraine have agreed to beef up their border controls and expand border cooperation after Belarus detained more than 30 alleged Russian mercenaries near Minsk ahead of Belarus' presidential election, the Belarusian foreign ministry said. The move aims to prevent any attempts to destabilise the two countries, the Belarusian ministry said in a statement following a meeting with Russia's ambassador to Belarus and the acting Ukrainian ambassador there, Reuters said. Read alsoUkraine wants extradition of Ukrainians from Russian PMC Wagner group detained in Belarus NSDC As UNIAN reported earlier, Belarus security forces overnight Wednesday apprehended just outside Minsk as many as 32 militants with Russia's Wagner private military company, whose fighters had been earlier spotted in various hotspots across the world, including Syria, Libya, and Donbas. Among those detained in Belarus were several mercenaries who had earlier fought against Ukrainian government troops as part of Russian proxy forces in Donbas, URA.ru reported citing their former commander, a controversial Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin. A couple who opened up their relationship to a female colleague are now raising their brood of children as a polyamorous trio. Full-time mother Cheyenne Barnes, 29, from Houston, Texas, had only been with her boyfriend James Chorman, 34, for just over a year when she suggested they add a third person to the equation in 2014. Initially, he had reservations but in early 2019, the pair enjoyed a night of passion with her then co-worker Joelle Temporal, 24, and became an official throuple soon after. Each member of the polyamorous trio has a child from a previous relationship, and Cheyenne and James also have two together Daria, five, and 12-month-old Lilith. Now, they are raising their 'rainbow family' under one roof with the youngsters referring to the women as 'Mommy Cheyenne' or 'Mommy Joelle. Polyamorous mother Cheyenne Barnes (middle) , 29, from Houston,Texas, is raising a combined brood of five after opening her relationship with James Chorman (left) , 34, up to female co-worker Joelle Temporal, 24 (right) They are raising their 'rainbow family' under one roof with the youngsters referring to the women as 'Mommy Cheyenne' (left) or 'Mommy Joelle' (right) And they are hoping to add a sixth child to their brood, as machinist James and insurance agent Joelle are also trying to have a baby together. Cheyenne said: 'People say we're messing up our kids, but the kids don't care. 'All they see is three people who love each other - and love them. 'My eldest daughter told me her friends think it's cool she has three parents because, "She can get even more presents" but she doesn't look at it that way. She says she has more people to love her.' James admitted he had reservations about becoming a throuple until the pair enjoyed a night of passion with her then co-worker Joelle They are hoping to add a sixth child to their brood, as machinist James and insurance agent Joelle are also trying to have a baby together. Pictured, the throuple with Cheyenne and James's 12-month-old daughter As the trio all have different parenting styles with Cheyenne being more of a disciplinarian than her boyfriend and girlfriend they do disagree from time to time when it comes to decisions about the children, although they work through any clashes using open communication and, occasionally, a vote. Cheyenne continued: 'Since I'm the one who watches them most of the time as James and Joelle work, I make a lot of the decisions. 'We have different parenting techniques, but overall, we usually agree on what we should do and we do sometimes have a vote, too. 'We decided I should be the one who mainly deals with discipline, so it remains consistent. Don't get me wrong, I play with them too, but when they are acting up James and Joelle call me in to deal with them. 'They get to be the fun ones while I'm the bad guy! I'm pretty fair across the board with each child, regardless of whether or not they are biologically mine. 'I always make sure to have a talk with the kids so they understand what they did wrong and can think about it in the future.' The throuple are blissfully happy as a blended family of eight, and Joelle still has her heart set on having a baby, but has no plans to fall pregnant until next year The trio admitted they all have different parenting styles and occasionally disagree with Cheyenne being more of a disciplinarian than her boyfriend and girlfriend Growing up together, Cheyenne and James moved in the same social circles and had several mutual friends. But they did not become romantically involved until March 2014, when he sent her a message on Facebook out of the blue, asking how she was. After chatting online, they decided to reconnect over a bite to eat at their local diner. 'He was exactly how I remembered him. I saw how caring and funny he was and that really appealed to me the second time around,' she added. Making up for lost time, James and Cheyenne began seeing each other every other day, moving in together after just eight weeks. Then, in June three months after their first date she discovered she was pregnant. She explained: 'It was never my intention to stay forever, then I found out I was expecting and was like, "You're stuck with me now". Growing up together, Cheyenne and James moved in the same social circles and had several mutual friends, but didn't get together until March 2014 James and Cheyenne began seeing each other every other day, moving in together after just eight weeks 'James couldn't believe it. He literally jumped for joy.' Welcoming baby Daria in February 2015, the couple settled into family life. Cheyenne added: 'We might not have planned it, but it was exactly what we wanted. 'Everything went so smoothly. James and I both have a child from our previous relationships and they were so happy to have a little sister.' But whilst blissfully happy as a new mother, six months after Daria was born, Cheyenne, who is bisexual, began to feel discontented with her love life. So, she suggested to James that they try polyamory - an intimate relationship with more than one person. 'I've been bisexual my entire life,' Cheyenne said. 'In fact, I knew I liked women before men. I'd never been in a poly relationship before, though. Whilst blissfully happy as a new mother, six months after Daria was born, Cheyenne, who is bisexual, began to feel discontented with her love life and wanted to explore her sexuality Cheyenne threw herself into her then job at an insurance company, where she met mother-of-one Joelle in October 2018 and quickly introduced her to James 'I sat James down and said, "How would you feel about bringing another woman into the mix?". 'He was pretty apprehensive and started saying one woman was enough for him and that he didn't want to complicate things.' But, after giving it some thought, six months later, James agreed to start looking for another woman to join their relationship. Setting up profiles on several dating apps, the couple soon realised that finding a potential candidate was going to be harder than they had anticipated. 'We started going on dates, but none of them lived up to our expectations,' Cheyenne explained. 'We were looking for a relationship where all three partners were equally invested in one another, but every date we went on, the girl was always more interested in either James or me - never both of us. 'The final nail in the coffin was after we'd spent five or six dates with one particular girl. Each member of the polyamorous trio has a child from a previous relationship, and Cheyenne and James also have two together Daria, five, and 12-month-old Lilith (pictured) Cheyenne says the children have had no qualms adjusting to their new way of family life 'She ended up trying to take James to bed, without me and he just said, "This isn't working". 'I'd been so excited to bring a woman to bed. It had been a goal of mine for so long. I wanted to have fun, but in the end, there was just disappointment. 'We decided maybe we didn't want to do this after all.' Resigning herself to the idea that she and James would remain monogamous, Cheyenne threw herself into her then job at an insurance company, where she met mother-of-one Joelle in October 2018. 'At the start, I wasn't interested in her like that at all,' she recalled. 'I'd actually sometimes go home to James and complain about her. 'But within a matter of weeks we started talking and bonding over work gossip and our love of 90s rap music.' Before long, Joelle and Cheyenne began socialising outside work, often with their children in tow. James admits that being in a throuple can be tough as it's difficult to juggle love between two people Then, in January 2019, a playdate led to an actual date. Cheyenne said: 'Joelle and I were working on a Saturday when she suggested we let the kids hang out back at her house. 'We ended up having a really good time, but James kept calling and asking where I was - he was hungry, and we had dinner plans. 'In the end he just said, "Why don't you ask her to come out with us?". I was convinced she wouldn't want to, but she did, and it all started from there. 'She lived about an hour away and so ended up staying over, but it wasn't sexual that night. 'To me, it still felt like it would just be a friendship, but James was quite keen to see if Joelle would be interested in taking things to the next level. 'I was the one that had picked the girls before, but this was the first time James seemed excited.' Later that month, Cheyenne and James took Joelle with them to a friend's party, where they took the opportunity to make their feelings clear. The trio admitted they all have different parenting styles and can occasionally disagree with Cheyenne being more of a disciplinarian than her boyfriend and girlfriend She continued: 'At first, I wasn't getting the vibe that Joelle was interested in being in a poly relationship, but I invited her to a party to see what happened. 'Another girl started flirting with me, so I turned to Joelle and said, "This chick is trying to get with me, but I've told her I'm her with you. Is that okay?". 'She nodded, so I asked if I could kiss her, and she said yes. 'James was talking to someone else at the time and I told him about it later on. He giggled about it and smiled knowingly at me. 'The party got dull, so we headed back to my house. We went to the bedroom as a trio, and it was surprisingly natural. 'It was the first time for all of us, but it all felt so natural. Joelle had never had a relationship with a woman but, like me, she knew she liked girls like that.' From there, Joelle began splitting her time between her own home and James and Cheyenne's, moving in just a month after they had become an official throuple. Although Cheyenne admits it took a while to feel secure in the relationship, the children had no qualms adjusting to their new way of family life. She said: 'For a few months, I had my guard up. I guess it felt too good to be true after waiting for so long. 'I thought it wasn't going to last, or Joelle wouldn't want to look after so many kids, but we're still going strong. Joelle told that while the throuple still faces negative reactions, she insists the relationship is worth it 'The children weren't fussed. We'd always had friends crashing at ours, so it wasn't that unusual at the start - they thought nothing of it. 'They'd shout "Mommy", and we'd ask, "Which, Cheyenne or Joelle?". 'Before we knew, it all the kids were calling us Mommy Joelle, Mommy Cheyenne and Daddy James.' In July, six months into their relationship, the trio decided to have two more children - one carried by Joelle, and one by Cheyenne. Despite both women no longer using contraception and having regular sex with James, things did not go according to plan. 'We were both doing regular pregnancy tests from the moment we started trying to conceive,' Cheyenne explained. 'In September, both Joelle and I were convinced we were pregnant as we'd missed our periods. 'Mine turned out to be positive, but Joelle's wasn't.' Deciding to focus on one baby, Joelle temporally stopped trying to fall pregnant. Then, on June 21, Cheyenne gave birth to 7lb baby Lilith, but with only one birthing partner allowed to be present during the delivery because of Covid-19, James decided Joelle should be the one to be there. 'Joelle was stoked about being at the birth, so when we were told only one person could be there with me, James decided it should be her, to cement her place in our family,' Cheyenne added. Now, they are blissfully happy as a blended family of eight, and Joelle still has her heart set on having a baby, but has no plans to fall pregnant until next year. In July, six months into their relationship, the trio decided to try and have two more children - one carried by Joelle, and one by Cheyenne Keen to encourage more understanding about polyamory, Cheyenne said: 'Some people try and sabotage our relationship by saying it won't work out or it's not normal. 'We've been together a year and we're going strong. We have no intention of this not working out. 'I just hope that by sharing our story it becomes more normalised and poly people are treated equally without all the negativity.' James admits that being in a throuple can be tough, confessing: 'I figured that Cheyenne was so into the idea of polyamory when she suggested it that there was no harm in seeing how it would work out. 'It's been difficult at times, but you work through it because you love two people.' And while Joelle still faces negative reactions, she insists the relationship is worth it. She added: 'I have support from friends and family, but some people in my life won't acknowledge the relationship at all and will refer to Cheyenne and James as "my friends".' 'People have told my daughter from a previous relationship that Cheyenne isn't her mother, and that hurts. 'But no matter how challenging it gets, I feel like we're in a good place in our relationship and that's worth fighting for.' New Delhi, July 30 : In a major drive against the smuggling of Agarrbattis from Vietnam, Customs officers on Wednesday arrested Bharat H. Shah and his son, Ronik Shah at Chennai after seizing 161.94 MT of Agarbattis and 68.36 MT of Agarbatti Powder which were found concealed in containers imported by M/s. Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers, Bangalore. This is one of the biggest seizures of restricted items in recent times at the port. The importer had declared to the Customs that these containers contained Joss powder and Premix powder for making incense sticks. Joss powder is normally chargeable to 15 per cent Customs duty but the duty is 'Nil' under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN which includes Vietnam. The importer was thus trying to take advantage of the FTA as well as use the items covered thereunder to conceal and smuggle restricted Agarbattis. The product is placed in the restricted category since August last year and cannot be imported without a licence. Acting on credible input that some unscrupulous importers were clandestinely smuggling Agarbattis from Vietnam after the item was restricted for import, the Customs used data analytics to identify the suspect importer, M/s. Indian Agarbatti Manufacturers. Thereafter, a tight watch was kept on its six imported containers that had landed at Chennai port. The containers said to contain Joss powder and Premix powder for making incense sticks revealed huge quantities of undeclared Agarbatttis and Agarbatti powder cleverly concealed behind the declared goods. In a swift follow up action, the Customs officers searched the office and residential premises of the importer at Banglore and apprehended Bharat H. Shah and Ronik Shah, both of whom had planned the smuggling. Upon enquiry they revealed they had ordered two more containers from Vietnam, which were in the pipeline. At Chennai port these two containers were identified and searched, again revealing concealed Agarbattis in huge quantity. The seizures and arrests are part of a nation-wide drive by the Customs to stop the smuggling of Agarbattis, which are on the restricted list of import. It may be noted that on account of large scale misuse of ASIAN FTAs a review of or complete withdrawal from the FTAs are being demanded by Indian Manufacturers. MINNEAPOLIS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As colleges focus on student health and safety concerns due to COVID-19, college students are most worried about their personal finances, according to a national student survey conducted by Scholarship America, the nation's largest provider of private college scholarships. Among the findings: 64% of student responses said paying for school is one of their top concerns, while 42% of respondents listed contracting the virus as a top concern 77% said the pandemic has reduced their ability to earn income needed for their education 64% said the pandemic has increased their need for financial aid 30% of students surveyed said they have lost a job needed to help pay for college due to COVID-19; 28% said a parent has lost a job "As advocates for student success, we're deeply concerned about these findings," said Robert C. Ballard, president and CEO of Scholarship America. "College affordability has long been a major challenge for many students and their families; COVID-19 is making that problem even worse. This is hitting students hard, especially low-income students. Students are dealing with a great deal of uncertainty as they try to plan for the fall semester." More than a thousand students responded to the email survey. Their opinions were split about their preferred way for schools to reopen: 30% say they prefer only online classes 32% prefer a mix of online and in-person 23% prefer all in-person classes Many students indicated that if campuses reopen, they will opt out. 14% said they would not attend in-person classes 4% said they are not planning on enrolling in the fall because of COVID-19 a small percentage, but a potentially big impact on schools who are worried about reduced enrollments The survey was conducted from July 21-27, and included students currently enrolled in college or planning to enroll this fall. About Scholarship America Scholarship America is a nonprofit organization that helps students fulfill their college dreams. Since 1958, Scholarship America, the largest private scholarship provider in the U.S., has distributed $4.3 billion to more than 2.6 million students. The organization works with partners to lower barriers to a college education and give students the support needed to succeed. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org. Contact: Joan Cronson at 952.830.7308 or [email protected] SOURCE Scholarship America Related Links https://scholarshipamerica.org By Azernews By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov discussed the recent Armenian provocation and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Russian Ambassador Mikhail Nikolayevich Bocharnikov, the ministry reported on July 28. Bayramov spoke about Armenias pre-planned military provocation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border on July 12 and the current situation in the region. He emphasized that Armenia could achieve none of its goals during the cross-border provocation. The minister also mentioned the provocations staged by violent Armenian forces against Azerbaijans diplomatic missions and peaceful demonstrators in various countries recently. The minister also stressed the significance of the negotiations in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the importance of conducting substantive and real negotiations. Touching upon the telephone conversation with Co-Chair Igor Popor, Bayramov noted that Azerbaijani was not participating in the negotiations just for the sake of negotiations and demand the results-oriented negotiations. In turn, Bocharnikov said that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has always been in the spotlight of Russia. The Russian ambassador also pointed out that as a co-chair country of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russias position on the settlement of the conflict is clear. Furthermore, during the meeting, Bayramov expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia in the context of good neighbors, friendship and mutual understanding at the level of strategic partnership. In this regard, it was noted that developing multifaceted Azerbaijan-Russia relations are important for both countries interests and for the regional stability, in terms of opening new opportunities. The minister also emphasized that the friendly ties at the level of heads of both states have contributed to the development of mutual relations. Thus, it was underlined that the regular mutual visits of the heads of the states, as well as the official visit of Azerbaijans First-Vice President Mehriban Aliyev to Russia in late 2019, are important in terms of the development of intensive dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. Overall, the sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the cooperation in various areas, including industry, tourism, transport and communication, education and other directions, between the two countries. In turn, the Russian ambassador also spoke about further development of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia. Noting that some projects were postponed due to the fight against the pandemic, Bocharnikov highlighted the fact that even in this situation, the two countries continue to cooperate and Russia continues to support Azerbaijan in the form of medical It was noted that during the pandemic, both countries have taken measures to repatriate their citizens and will maintain to do so in the future. During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views about the cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations, as well as other issues of mutual interest. Editor's Note: Get caught up in minutes with our speedy summary of today's must-read news stories and expert opinions that moved the precious metals and financial markets. Sign up here! (Kitco News) - Auryn Resources is making significant moves to shake up its organization and unlock untapped potential as it builds a Canadian resource and spins out its two Peruvian projects. Late Wednesday, the junior exploration company said that it will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Eastmain Resources Inc. immediately following a spin out of Auryns Peruvian projects to Auryn shareholders and completion of a concurrent financing. The move will transform the companys Sombrero project into an independent company SpinCo Sombrero. The second Peruvian asset would be SpinCo Curibaya consisting of the companys Curibaya and Huilacollo projects. Auryns Canadian assets, including the Eastmains assets Eau Claire and Eleonore South Joint Venture would be developed by a new company Fury Gold Mines Limited. Mike Timmins, former Agnico Eagle VP of Corporate Development, will lead Fury Gold as President and CEO, the company said. Auryn shareholders would receive approximately 0.7 shares of Fury Gold together with one share in each SpinCo for each Auryn share held as of the closing date of the Transaction, the company said. According to the agreement, Fury Gold will have approximately 110 million shares issued and outstanding (pre-financing) of which 69% will be owned by former Auryn shareholders and 31% will be owned by former Eastmain shareholders. Auryn has spent a considerable amount of time and money developing a tier-one exploration portfolio. The splitting of Auryn should unlock considerable value for Auryn shareholders, and importantly, results in three, commodity-specific exploration companies well-positioned for major discoveries as we head into the bull market, said Ivan Bebek, executive chairman & director of Auryn. The Board of Eastmain strongly endorses the Transaction, as we believe it is in the best interests of all our shareholders and stakeholders. Fury Gold will have the capability and access to capital to develop and finance Eau Claire, said Laurie Curtis, chairman of Eastmain. SPRINGFIELD Cracks are beginning to show in the House Democratic caucus that Michael Madigan has overseen as speaker for all but two years since 1983. Three more members of that caucus called for Madigan to resign this week, at least as House Speaker and chair of the states Democratic Party. They join another Democratic representative and three senatorsall womenand a number of high-profile Republicans in calling for Madigans resignation from at least one of his leadership positions. A Madigan spokesperson declined to comment Thursday on Capitol News Illinois questions as to whether Madigan was considering the request. The latest calls for the speakers resignation come nearly two weeks after he was implicated in a bribery scheme relating to utility giant Commonwealth Edison. In a court document, ComEd admitted to handing out benefits such as lobbying jobs and subcontracts to close associates of the Illinois House speaker in an effort to gain support for legislation benefiting the company. Madigan has not been charged with any crime and has denied wrongdoing. State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, a Naperville Democrat, was the only member of the House Democratic caucus who had called for his resignation before this week. She was also the only Democrat who did not vote for Madigan as speaker at the beginning of this session of the General Assembly. This week, state Reps. Terra Costa Howard, D-Glen Ellyn, and Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, added their names to the growing list seeking Madigans resignation. Others have called for the speaker to resign if the allegations in the ComEd court document are true. Howard, in a statement Wednesday, called for Madigans resignation as speaker and party chair. The sworn statements in the U.S. attorneys agreement with Commonwealth Edison detail a years-long scheme of payoffs and bribery involving many of Speaker Madigans closest allies. Even if he was not directly involved in this scheme, these accusations clearly demonstrate that the speakers leadership has failed, she said in the statement. Speaker Madigan has a duty to recognize that these allegations have cast a deep shadow on the reputation of our House. He must take action now to avoid inflicting further damage on the members of the House and the Democratic Party. While she said Madigan has not been charged and is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process, his ties to the investigation make it impossible for Rep. Madigan to continue in his leadership roles. I hope he will do the honorable thing and step down, she said. On Thursday morning, Kifowit tweeted that she electronically delivered a letter to the speaker requesting he step down. I write this letter as a legislator who voted for you for speaker in the past, Kifowit wrote. The reality is that each time, the vote I made for you was carefully considered. I voted with the view that you would respect and honor the leadership position of the speaker of the House. But, in light of the ComEd document, Kifowit said it was clear that Madigan or at least those he empowered in his inner circle did not hold the respect and dignity of the institution of the Illinois State House and the General Assembly as a whole. The actions described in the U.S. attorneys deferred prosecution agreement by ComEd show that you have compromised the integrity of the office of speaker of the House and undermined the public trust, she said. Therefore, I demand you to do the right thing and step down immediately as speaker of the House. In the event that you do not, and if you choose to seek nomination to this position again, I will vote against said nomination and will not vote for you should your nomination be successful. Hours after Kifowits letter, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, joined her colleagues in calling for the Speaker to resign from his leadership roles. I have long been an outspoken critic of Speaker Madigan, but I have always stopped short of calling for his resignation, deferring to many of my colleagues concerns about due process, she said in a statement. As a leader on criminal justice reform, I feel strongly about the principles of innocent until proven guilty and the right to due process. I also believe leadership must be held to a higher standard, and it is clear that the constant drip of corruption stories will interfere with our ability to advance a progressive agenda. Whether these investigations ultimately implicate him or continue to pick away at his inner circle, the damage is done. Earlier in the week, prominent Democratic Sen. Heather Steans of Chicago called on Madigan to resign those two positions as well. Some will argue that the speaker is innocent until charges are filed and hes proven guilty. But those are not the standards that should apply to his leadership role. Serving as speaker is not a right; its a privilege. A leaders actions must avoid even the perception of wrongdoing. Speaker Madigan repeatedly has violated that trust, she wrote in a statement. Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, called for his resignation to both those positions and as a member of the General Assembly shortly after the ComEd news broke as well. Sen. Iris Martinez, D-Chicago, has called for Madigans resignation as party chairman. Republicans have been steadily beating the drum on the ethics issue since the news broke, with Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin taking a stronger stance Thursday than he had previously. After reviewing the facts contained in the ComEd deferred prosecution agreement, it is abundantly clear that Michael J. Madigan is unable to execute his responsibilities as Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and as state representative for the 22nd House District, Durkin said in a statement. I call for the immediate resignation of Speaker Madigan from the Illinois House of Representatives, and will be filing a resolution to have the House Chamber vote on a new Speaker immediately. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. What would a 'reversal' of COVID-19 numbers in Illinois mean? Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Chinas top disease-control expert has claimed that the coronavirus could be associated with the trading of seafood after identifying similarities in the countrys first and second waves of COVID-19 outbreaks. Wu Zunyou, a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese CDC, told state broadcaster CCTV that the coronavirus crises in Wuhan, Beijing and Dalian were all linked to seafood markets or processing plants in the regions. He noted that places dealing with seafood sales could be more susceptible to the virus spread because of their wet and cold environment. Chinas top disease-control expert has claimed that the coronavirus could be associated with seafood trades. This file picture shows the closed Wuhan Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market The file photo taken on June 13 shows a police officer wearing a face mask is seen outside the shuttered Xinfadi wholesale market in Beijing following a new coronavirus outbreak Last week, a new outbreak emerged at Dalian Kaiyang Seafood, a seafood processing plant in Dalian, a major port city in Chinas north-eastern Liaoning province. Workers are seen walk ingout of the Dalian Kaiyang Seafood Co., Ltd after spraying disinfectant on July 23 The expert's claims come as China have been battling a spike of coronavirus cases in multiple regions, including Beijing, Xinjiang and Dalian, since June. The COVID-19 outbreak erupted in Wuhan has been linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in the city. The sprawling trading hub selling live animals is believed to be the origin of the coronavirus pandemic that has infected 17million people worldwide. Before June, China had appeared to have largely brought domestic transmission under control through targeted lockdowns, travel restrictions and testing. But the country has since been hit by a second wave of sporadic regional outbreaks, including ones in Beijing and Dalian. Wu Zunyou (pictured a file photo on November 27, 2014), a chief epidemiologist at the Chinese CDC, told state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday that the coronavirus crises in Wuhan, Beijing and Dalian had all been linked to seafood markets or processing plants in those regions Wu noted that places involving seafood sales are susceptible to the virus spread .This file photo taken on January 28 shows customers purchasing live seafood at a market in Macau Last week, a new outbreak emerged at Dalian Kaiyang Seafood, a seafood processing plant in Dalian, a major port city in Chinas north-eastern Liaoning province. A health worker collects a swab from a man for nucleic acid testing at a makeshift testing site in Dalian on July 26 A coronavirus cluster emerged at Beijing's massive Xinfadi wholesale market in early June and infected a total of 335 people. Last week, a new outbreak emerged at Dalian Kaiyang Seafood, a seafood processing plant in Dalian, a major port city in Chinas north-eastern Liaoning province. The local contagion has since spread to nine cities across the country and infected nearly 60 people. In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, the Chinese coronavirus expert said that the COVID-19 outbreaks found in those three cities share major similarities. Wu said on Wednesday: The epidemics in Dalian and Beijing are related to the processing and sales of seafood, and the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan is also related to seafood sales. This is a similarity. These places share common characteristics. [They have] the type of environment that is wet and has low temperatures. This type of environment is suitable for the virus to survive and remain difficult to kill. It would easily cause a risk for spreading. The expert's claims come as China have been battling a spike of coronavirus cases in multiple regions, including Beijing, Xinjiang and Dalian, since June. A staff member wearing protective suit sprays disinfectant at the waiting hall of Xinfadi long-distance passenger station on July 27 The local contagion found in Dalian has since spread to nine cities across the country and infected nearly 60 people. A health worker carries out a COVID-19 coronavirus test on a resident in a testing vehicle in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province on July 29 China reported 105 confirmed cases on Thursday, the highest daily figure of coronavirus infections since April. The bulk of new patients were found in Chinas western region Xinjiang, home to the countrys most Uighur ethnic minority. Authorities have imposed travel restrictions on people coming in and out of Urumqi, the regional capital, where the local cluster was first detected in mid-July. The number of new cases in mainland China is still well below the peaks seen in February, but the resurgence underscores the challenge in stamping out the disease. As of Thursday, the country has recorded a total of 87,680 confirmed infections and 4,634 deaths caused by the coronavirus. New jobless claims have risen for the second week in a row, after dropping for 15 straight weeks, as spiking coronavirus cases delay plans to reopen or cause some states to backpedal. The Department of Labor said on Thursday that 1.43 million Americans filed for unemployment in the week ended on July 25, an increase of 12,000 from the prior week. It marked the 19th straight week that more than 1 million people have applied for unemployment benefits. Before the coronavirus hit hard in March, the number of Americans seeking unemployment checks had never exceeded 700,000 in any one week, even during the Great Recession. New jobless claims ticked up again last week, following 15 straight weeks of declines from the peak in late March, when the coronavirus shutdowns initially hit A man walks past a retail store that is going out of business due to the coronavirus pandemic in Winnetka, Illinois last month. More than 1.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday All told, 17 million people are collecting traditional jobless benefits, a sign that unemployment checks are keeping many American families afloat financially at a time of big job losses and agonizing economic uncertainty. The pain could soon intensify: A supplemental $600 in weekly federal unemployment benefits is expiring this week, and Congress is squabbling about extending the aid, which would probably be done at a reduced level. A resurgence of cases in the South and the West has forced many bars, restaurants, beauty salons and other businesses to close again or reduce occupancy. Between June 21 and July 19, for example, the percentage of Texas bars that were closed shot up from 25 percent to 73 percent. In California, 75 percent of beauty shops were shuttered July 19, up from 40 percent just a week earlier; according to the data firm Womply. Motorists take part in a caravan protest in front of Senator John Kennedy's office in New Orleans last week asking for the extension of the $600 in federal unemployment benefits As well, many states have imposed restrictions on visitors from other states that have reported high level of virus cases, thereby hurting hotels, airlines and other industries that depend on travel. The virus and the lockdowns meant to contain it have hammered the American economy: Employers slashed a record 20.8 million jobs in April, restoring about 7.5 million of them in May and June as many states began to reopen their economies. Economists warn the situation will not get better until COVID-19 is stopped, and the Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee said Wednesday: 'The path of the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus.' Another concern weighing on the outlook is the lack of agreement in Congress on another relief measure to follow-up on the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March. The aid for businesses and federal supplementary unemployment benefits of $600 a week for individuals, which expire Friday, have been credited with buoying consumer spending and saving jobs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the recovery will depend on how much support the government provides, while warning the rise in virus cases is weighing on the economy Without weighing in directly on the negotiations in Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the recovery will depend on how much support the government provides, while warning the rise in virus cases is weighing on the economy. First time unemployment claims peaked in late March amid nationwide business shutdowns to stop the virus, and though they have been declining ever since, they remain much higher than those seen at the peak of the global financial crisis. Last week, new jobless claims rose for the first time since March after 15 straight weeks of declines. The insured unemployment rate for people receiving benefits dropped 0.7 points to 11.1 percent, but Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman said he remains worried about the elevated level. 'The number of continuing claims is the more worrisome data point, as it could mean that the more layoffs will be permanent than analysts predicted,' he said in an analysis. Court officials in Chester County conducted two "dry runs" with mock jurors in July to prepare for the planned resumption of civil and criminal trials in the county. Read more Come Monday at some county courthouses across the region, jurors will return after a months-long absence that stalled trials and put key facets of the criminal justice system on hold. In Bucks and Chester Counties, civil jury trials are expected to resume, staggered to accommodate social distancing requirements. Chester Countys plan is especially ambitious: Criminal trials are also set to begin Monday after weeks of test runs conducted with mock jurors in West Chester. Other counties arent moving as quickly to return to normal. But in the last few weeks, all have begun conducting more hearings and other court business, loosening restrictions dictated by lockdown orders signed in the spring at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Criminal proceedings in the time of COVID-19 look a bit different. Defense attorneys and prosecutors address judges from behind face masks, sometimes separated by a plastic-glass divider. Defendants, if not incarcerated, stand with their lawyers. Otherwise, the action is relayed through a webcam, fed into a holding cell in the jail. Patrick Kurtas, the president of the Montgomery County Bar Association, said the adoption of technology, particularly video conferencing for defendants who are incarcerated in county jails, has been the biggest adjustment. Ive considered it from the perspective of, can you get the job done efficiently, if not of the highest caliber, he said. And none of my clients have been reluctant in any way to use video, or questioning if theyre getting a fair shake. In some instances, the client was more interested to do it this way. Court officials in New Jersey also are moving to resume jury trials, set to begin in September in three judicial districts: Bergen County, Atlantic and Cape May Counties, and Gloucester, Cumberland, and Salem Counties. Jurors will be screened first with a virtual survey, then in person through jury pool screening at the courthouse. READ MORE: Some New Jersey courts will resume jury trials in September after coronavirus put them on ice Montgomery and Delaware Counties have set no firm dates for when trials will resume. Judges in both counties have been conducting plea and sentencing hearings in the county courthouses since the beginning of June, and Family Court proceedings have also been held there. There was significant consideration and analysis of how we can do things and move cases, Kurtas said. Theyve done a good job at it, and theyre getting better every day, and with that additional knowledge and experience, over time, I believe this process is sustainable. Lawyers across the region see cause for optimism, as video hearings have provided unprecedented flexibility. Wana Saadzoi, a lawyer who practices in Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester Counties, said she has been amazed to see the adoption of technology in Pennsylvania courtrooms normally some of the strictest in the country when it comes to cameras and recording. She recently participated in a Zoom probation violation hearing for Montgomery County, while standing in the hallway of the Delaware County courthouse between hearings. That never would have been possible five months ago. Where the stakeholders have the best working relationships seem to be the ones that are surviving this hyper-event, she said. Im curious if its going to force each county into new habits that will inevitably result in what we would consider criminal justice reform. The suburban counties have also resumed holding preliminary hearings through the district court system. Local judges have been operating on rotating schedules, processing new arrests as they happen and steadily working through older cases involving defendants who didnt have a chance to appear before them when the pandemic lockdown began. District Judge Michael Gallagher, president of the Bucks County District Judge Association, said all parties, from prosecutors to sheriffs deputies, are working together, realizing these are trying times. The local courts kept busy, even in the early stages of the restrictions. Gallagher said more and more defendants are opting to pay tickets and other fees online, cutting down on face-to-face contact with clerks. Once lawyers started realizing how we were doing it, it worked quite well, he said. Things are moving along, and though I wouldnt say were back to normal, there havent been any major issues. Chester Countys resumption of both criminal and civil jury trials will be a benchmark for the region, to see how sustainable these proceedings can be under social distancing. Patricia Norwood-Fodden, the county court administrator, said the two dry runs conducted in July went smoothly, aided by input from the county fire marshal, Sheriffs Office, and district attorney. For safety, civil trials will be held in the countys historic courthouse, built in 1846 and currently serving as a museum. And if people are uncomfortable with the thought of joining a jury pool, they are given the ability to opt out early on, Norwood-Fodden said. The plans dont bother Lou Busico, a veteran criminal-defense attorney who has spent the last few months circulating among courtrooms in the suburbs. Busico noted that the criminal justice system, like the rest of society, was thrust into a horrible and unknown situation, and faced a difficult balancing act between constitutional rights and public health. There is no perfect way to achieve such a balance; this resulted in some individuals being released from prison when they otherwise would not have and some individuals staying in prison longer than they should have before receiving their day in court, Busico said. From the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on down, I believe everyone in the court system did the best they could. Hopefully, this progress will continue, because Im sick and tired of saying the words not guilty through this damn mask, he added. Staff writer Samantha Melamed contributed to this article. New Zealand's news service Newshub Nation reports on a Korean diplomat accused of sexually assaulting a local staff member in the embassy in 2017, Saturday. Newshub also stated that a New Zealand police investigation is at an impasse due to the Korean government's refusal to cooperate. Captured from Newshub Nation New Zealand said Thursday it has expressed disappointment that South Korea's government did not cooperate with a police investigation into allegations that one of its diplomats sexually assaulted a local embassy employee when he was stationed in Wellington. The male employee has accused the Korean diplomat of groping parts of his body over three different occasions in 2017. The case has drawn fresh attention after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue in a phone call with President Moon Jae-in earlier this week. "The New Zealand government has expressed its disappointment that the Korean government did not cooperate with earlier requests from New Zealand Police in respect of this case," a spokesperson at New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in emailed comments to Yonhap News Agency. "New Zealand's position is that we expect all diplomats to follow the laws of the country they are in, and to be legally accountable for their actions," the official said. "As this matter is a New Zealand Police investigation, the New Zealand Government will make no further comment." Chief Minister on Thursday held a meeting with 28 industry associations and urged them to join hands in reviving the national capital's economy. During the meeting held via video-conferencing, the chief minister listened to the suggestions made by the industry representatives and assured them of the government's full support to help their operations return to normal. "The CM assured industry representatives that he will personally go through each of their suggestions to revive Delhi's economy and if need be, get Centre's support too, to ensure problems being faced by Delhi's industries get resolved," the government said in a statement. Kejriwal also said that many firms, businesses, and small and big industries were facing issues in finding labour and manpower to work for them. On the other hand, the existing job-seekers, who lost their jobs during the in Delhi, have not been able to find the right platform for better opportunities, the statement said. 'Rozgaar Bazaar' portal has been launched by the government to bridge the gap between job providers and job seekers. "The chief minister shared that within just four days of launching 'Rozgaar Bazaar', 7,577 companies have registered on the job portal, 2,04,785 jobs have been advertised here, and 3,22,865 job seekers have applied in the portal," it stated. According to the statement, the industry associations lauded the chief minister's efforts in controlling the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Victorian woman allowed just 30 minutes with her dying father during his last 24 hours is pleading with West Australian authorities to modify her quarantine arrangements so she can comfort her grieving mother. Natalia Southern flew into Perth on Tuesday last week to be with her father Manuel Nunes, who was in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with a vascular disease. Natalia Southern with her father Manuel Nunes. She received a quarantine exemption to visit him for just half an hour on July 21, but he passed away the next morning. It was only when she got to the hospital and was able to speak to doctors that she found out just how dire her father's situation was. By Allison Lampert MONTREAL, July 29 (Reuters) - European airline and airport executives this week urged the Canadian government to allow a safe "restoration of travel" between Canada and Europe, increasing industry pressure on Ottawa to remove coronavirus-related restrictions that have discouraged international air travel. In a letter dated July 27, top executives of nearly a dozen European airlines and airports, warned that "since many EU (European Union) countries and Switzerland require reciprocity to re-establish access, Canada's continued entry restriction and quarantine requirements are becoming problematic." The content of the letter, which was sent to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government ministers, was reviewed by Reuters. The EU has taken steps in recent weeks to relax travel requirements both internally and towards citizens of select other countries, including Canada, although Britain reintroduced a 14-day quarantine this week for arrivals from Spain. Canada has largely kept its borders closed for non-essential travel with the United States, its key trading partner, amid a rise in U.S. coronavirus cases. The restrictions also have been maintained for citizens from other countries with lower infection rates. Trudeau has dismissed repeated calls from Air Canada to relax air travel restrictions to select countries. The July 27 letter was signed by executives from Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa Group, among others. Trudeau's office and Air France-KLM were not immediately available for comment. "Canada should look to remove the restrictions on travel to European Union and Swiss nationals and allow for a safe, cautious and sensible restoration of travel between two important trading partners," the executives said in the letter. (Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal Additional reporting by Laurence Frost in Paris and Steve Scherer in Ottawa Editing by Paul Simao) Workers at a COVID-19 testing site in the parking lot at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) California has passed another coronavirus milestone: 9,000 deaths after a major surge in infections. The rising death toll comes as officials are trying to slow outbreaks across the state that followed the reopening of the economy in late May and early June. As of Thursday evening, California had recorded at least 9,016 deaths and 493,140 cases. Los Angeles County now has a cumulative COVID-19 death toll of at least 4,559 and at least 186,036 confirmed cases. The Golden State set single-day records twice this week for the number of coronavirus-related deaths. On consecutive days, California broke its daily record, with 174 deaths on Tuesday and 189 deaths on Wednesday. L.A. County confirmed a single-day record of 91 deaths Wednesday, attributing the high number to a backlog in data reporting from July 23 to Sunday. L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis stressed the need for businesses to comply with the county's health orders during a news briefing Thursday afternoon. That includes reporting any outbreak of three or more cases of the virus to the county and alerting all workers who may have been exposed to a person with a known case, he said. "Businesses have a corporate and moral responsibility to their employees," Davis said. The county is currently investigating the deaths of two former employees at Mission Foods Corp. in Commerce. Mission Foods was one of three food businesses that the county shut down this week after more than 40 employees tested positive. All three businesses have since reopened. Davis said the two Mission employees were believed to have had COVID-19 at the time of their deaths. None of the businesses that were closed this week contacted the county about the initial cases, Davis said. Instead, officials were alerted via anonymous complaints. The Department of Public Health is currently investigating more than 1,000 outbreaks of the virus and is receiving 2,000 to 3,000 weekly complaints about businesses. Davis encouraged residents to come forward with information about businesses that may be in violation of the health order. Story continues "I encourage all members of the public to report suspected outbreaks," Davis said. "Actions of individual businesses and communities have an effect on each and every one of us." The health officer also implored places of worship to host only outdoor services and refrain from holding any indoor events instructions mandated in the county's health order that went into effect in mid-July. In late May, the state and county allowed for mass gatherings of religious worship and political protest. In the time since, indoor gatherings have been prohibited throughout the county and much of the state as the spread of the virus poses a greater threat inside close quarters. Officials in L.A. County reiterated Wednesday that it is essential the public follows social distancing rules and wears masks in public to slow the spread. I know were all eager and anxious to see our lives return to normal, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. We do have the tools at hand to make this a reality in the future. But we need compliance with our directives. Health officials say the public's more careful social behavior, along with newly reissued restrictions on public life, has led to a recent decline in some numbers, including hospitalizations, the seven-day average for positive infections, and the projected transmission rate. But more cases and deaths continue to be reported each day. When we let our guard down, the virus spreads, county Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said. In the San Joaquin Valley, an eight-county region of the Central Valley stretching from Stockton to Bakersfield, pandemic conditions have deteriorated dramatically. In the weeklong period that ended Memorial Day, 42 residents there died of COVID-19; in the seven-day period that ended Monday, 105 residents had died. Deaths also are on the upswing in the seven-county Sacramento region. Over the same time period, weekly deaths rose from four to 25. The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area has seen its weekly death toll nearly triple in the same time period from 20 to 57; San Diego Countys weekly death toll almost doubled over the same time period, from 28 to 55. The five-county Southern California area L.A., Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties has seen weekly deaths increase from 357 to 493 in that same time period, an increase of 38%. There are some signs that Californias most recent surge while still growing has started to slow down. For the week that ended Tuesday, the state recorded an average of 9,157 new confirmed cases daily, a 2% increase from the previous week. Thats a much slower increase than what happened in the week that ended July 14, when the daily average of new cases was 8,902, a 20% jump from the previous week. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Renaissance Gold Inc. (TSXV:REN)(OTCQB:RNSGF) ("RenGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") with a private US Company on its South Roberts Project in Eureka County, Nevada. RenGold will transfer 100% interest in the South Roberts property in exchange for a 1% net smelter return royalty (NSR) interest on any future production from the "SR" claims and a 0.5% NSR interest on any future production from the "RW" claims (Figure 1). South Roberts Property The South Roberts Project, Eureka County, Nevada lies on the Battle Mountain-Eureka trend of world class gold deposits, approximately 10 km. to the southeast of McEwen Mining's Gold Bar Mine (Figure 1). The project targets concealed Carlin-type gold mineralization occurring along major crustal structures and hosted in favorable lower-plate carbonate stratigraphy. The project has been explored in two prior earn-in agreements with McEwen Mining (NYSE;TSX.V:MUX) and S2 Resources Ltd. (ASX:S2R). Both former partners explored the property with geophysics and drilling, and collectively completed 4 reverse circulation and 5 core holes. Drilling encountered collapse breccia textures, decalcification and minor silicification with anomalous arsenic, antimony, mercury and gold in upper plate siliciclastic rocks and at the unconformity between the Mississippian Webb Fm. and the Devonian Devils Gate Limestone, a favorable host horizon at the Rain deposit on the Carlin Trend and the nearby Afgan deposit. These results may represent a distal signature of Carlin-type mineralization on this contact. The most favorable Devonian host stratigraphy has not been adequately drill tested, and provides an opportunity for a world class discovery. Qualified Person All technical data disclosed in this press release has been verified by RenGold's Qualified Person, Robert Felder, M.Sc. and Certified Professional Geologist (#11012) as recognized by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG). Story continues About Renaissance Gold Inc. Renaissance Gold Inc. is a western US focused prospect generator utilizing a joint venture business model. On June 10, 2020, the Company announced a merger-of-equals combination with Evrim Resources Inc. to form a new exploration and royalty business named Orogen Royalties Inc. ("Orogen"). Orogen will focus on project generation as has been the history of both Renaissance and Evrim but with a renewed focus on organic royalty creation and royalty acquisition. Underpinning Orogen's royalty portfolio is the Ermitano West gold deposit in Sonora, Mexico (2% NSR) being developed by First Majestic Silver Corp. and planned to be in production in 2021, and the Silicon gold project (1% NSR) in Nevada, USA, being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti NA. The transaction is expected to close around August 18, 2020, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. Shareholders are reminded to vote their securities in advance of the Company's upcoming special meeting on August 12, 2020. By: Robert Felder, President & CEO For further information, contact: Robert Felder 775-337-1545 or bfelder@rengold.com Ronald Parratt 775-337-1545 or rparratt@rengold.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "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 Renaissance Gold Inc. 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 forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Renaissance Gold Inc's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Renaissance Gold Inc. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. SOURCE: Renaissance Gold Inc. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599560/Renaissance-Gold-Generates-New-Royalty-on-Its-South-Roberts-Project-in-Nevada Paramilitary police officers wear face masks and goggles as they stand guard at an entrance to the closed Xinfadi market in Beijing on June 13, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images) Three-Quarters of Americans Blame Beijing for Global Spread of CCP Virus: Pew Survey More than three-quarters of Americans blame the Chinese regime for the global spread of the CCP Virus, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, which also found that unfavorable U.S. views of China reached historic highs. Asked about the diseases global spread, seventy-eight percent of respondents to a July poll said that they placed a great deal, or a fair amount, of the blame on the Chinese regimes initial handling of the outbreak. Half of the respondents thought that Washington should hold Beijing responsible for this even if it means worsening relations with the country. Around three-quarters (73 percent) said the United States should try to promote human rights in China, even if it harms economic ties. Meanwhile, perceptions of China also continued to sour, with 73 percent of respondents holding unfavorable opinions of the regime, up seven percent since the previous poll in March, and 26 points since 2018. The results, from a survey of 1,003 Americans conducted between June 16 to July 14, came as the Trump administration dials up efforts to confront Beijing, including on the regimes coverup of the CCP Virus outbreak, human rights abuses in the region of Xinjiang and Hong Kong, theft of American technology, and military aggression in the South China Sea. Around two-thirds of Americans (63 percent) said the Chinese regime has done a bad job in dealing with the CCP Virus. Americans faith in Chinese leader Xi Jinping doing the right thing in world affairs also continued to fall, with more than three-quarters (77 percent) saying they had little or no confidence in himan increase of 27 points from last year. Several U.S. lawmakers have introduced measures to hold the Chinese regime accountable for causing the pandemic, including proposing sanctions and removing legal protections in order to allow Americans to sue China in U.S. courts. Washington last week ordered the Chinese consulate in Houston to close, accusing it of espionage. Earlier this month, it also sanctioned several Chinese officials over their roles in suppressing Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and ended Hong Kongs special privileges with the United States in response to Beijings tightening control over the city. The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) asking the court to review its decision to allow the mass voters registration exercise to be conducted. In a unanimous decision Thursday, a nine-member review panel, presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, dismissed the application on the basis that the NDC failed to meet the criteria for review. According to the court, the application did not raise any new argument, neither it did involve any exceptional circumstances for the court to review its decision. Drama The case was however without drama with lawyer for the NDC, Mr Tsatsu Tskitaka, refusing to move the review application. The NDC after filing the review application also filed for abridgment of time for the case to be heard earlier. The Supreme Court granted the request for abridgment of time , but when the case was called Mr Tsikata asked the court to give him more time to move the review application. According to him, he needed more time to respond to the arguments filed by the Electoral Commission and the Attorney-General and also file additional documents. The court, however, said that it had read the review application and was of the view it had no merit as it does not meet the criteria for review. It was accordingly dismissed. Background On June 26, the Supreme Court declared as lawful the Electoral Commissions (EC) decision to use the Ghana Card and the Ghanaian passport as the only identification documents that would allow a Ghanaian to register in the upcoming mass voters registration exercise. The court, therefore, dismissed two legal actions that were seeking the inclusion of an existing voter identification (ID) card and a birth certificate as part of the identification documents. The first suit seeking the inclusion of an existing voter ID card was filed by the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), while the second one seeking the inclusion of the birth certificate was filed by one Mr Mark Takyi-Banson, in his capacity as a Ghanaian. Source: Graphic Online 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 Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It helps drive your car, recognizes your face at the airports immigration checkpoint, interprets your CT scans, reads your resume, traces your interactions on social media and even vacuums your carpet. As AI encroaches on every aspect of our lives, people watch with a mixture of fascination, bewilderment and fear. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It helps drive your car, recognizes your face at the airports immigration checkpoint, interprets your CT scans, reads your resume, traces your interactions on social media and even vacuums your carpet. As AI encroaches on every aspect of our lives, people watch with a mixture of fascination, bewilderment and fear. AIs overthrow of humanity is a familiar trope in popular culture, from Isaac Asimovs I, Robot to the Terminator movies and The Matrix. Some scholars express similar concerns. The Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom worries that artificial intelligence poses a greater threat to humanity than climate change, and the bestselling historian Yuval Noah Harari warns that the history of tomorrow may belong to the cult of Dataism, in which humanity willingly merges itself into the flow of information controlled by artificial systems. But in truth, these doomsday scenarios are nowhere in sight. In a critical evaluation of AI, the cognitive and computer scientists Gary Marcus and Ernest Davies demonstrate that the state of the art of AI is still quite far from true intelligence. When asked to provide a list of restaurants that are not McDonalds, Siri still spits out a list of local McDonalds restaurants; she just doesnt get the "no" part of "no." AI can also fail to recognize familiar objects in unfamiliar contexts (a baby on the highway) or to separate associations from causes. In short, AI still lacks "common sense." Make no mistake AI does pose many real dangers to us: to our personal privacy and security, to our democracy and to the future of the economy. These are all very good reasons to watch it closely and regulate it aggressively. People dont merely worry that the new technology could cause accidents or fall into the wrong hands. With AI, people worry that it will acquire autonomous agency and outsmart and overthrow its human masters. The question is why. In fact, humanitys worries about being conquered by omnipotent, inanimate, man-made artifacts is much older than computer technology. In the 19th century, Mary Shelleys Dr. Frankenstein created a humanoid monster who promptly rebelled. Tales such as this suggest that our fear of AI arises not from AI itself, but from the human mind. This fear emanates from the psychological distinction we draw between mind and matter. If you saw a ball start to roll all by itself, youd be astonished. But you wouldnt be the least bit surprised to see me spontaneously rise from my seat on the couch and head toward the refrigerator. That is because we instinctively interpret the actions of physical objects, like balls, and living agents, like people, according to different sets of principles. In our intuitive psychology, objects like balls always obey the laws of physics they move only by contact with other objects. People, in contrast, are agents who have minds of their own, which endow them with knowledge, beliefs, and goals that motivate them to move on their own accord. We thus ascribe human actions, not to external material forces, but to internal mental states. Of course, most modern adults know that thought occurs in the physical brain. But deep down, we feel otherwise. Our unconscious intuitive psychology causes us to believe that thinking is free from the physical constraints on matter. The psychologist Paul Bloom suggests that intuitively, all people are dualists, believing that mind and matter are entirely distinct. AI violates this bedrock belief. Siri and Roomba are man-made artifacts, but they exhibit some of the same intelligent behaviour we typically ascribe to living agents. Their acts, like ours, are impelled by information (thinking), but their thinking arises from silicon, metal, plastic and glass. While in our intuitive psychology thinking minds, animacy and agency all go hand in hand, Siri and Roomba demonstrate that these properties can be severed they think, but they are mindless; they are inanimate but semiautonomous. People dont tolerate this cognitive dissonance for very long. When we are faced with a fundamental challenge to our core beliefs, we tend to stick to our guns. Rather than revising our assumptions to match the facts, we tend to bend reality to fit our assumptions, especially when our worldview is at stake. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. So rather than admitting the possibility that machines endowed with AI can think, we ascribe to them immaterial mind and agency, and once we do, our view of AI shifts from faithful servant to rebellious menace. Thus, the AI takeover narrative, its power and timelessness, arises directly from our core from a cognitive principle that seems to be part of human nature. While none of this proves that the "robot rebellion" is impossible, it would be a mistake to ignore our own preset beliefs that contribute to these fears. When we focus so much of our attention on improbable scenarios, we run the risk of ignoring other problems posed by AI that are pressing and preventable. Before we can give those very real dangers the attention they deserve, we should rein in our irrational fears that arise from within. Iris Berent, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, is author of The Blind Storyteller: How We Reason About Human Nature. Los Angeles Times PORTSMOUTH, N.H., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CIT Group Inc. (CIT) today announced that it has donated meals to Mission 22, an organization supporting the veteran community through treatment programs, memorials and community social impact. This donation will feed up to 25 veteran families for one month through Mission 22's Vets Feeding Vets grocery assistance program, a cause nominated by a CIT Community Association Banking (CAB) customer in Exeter, NH as part of CIT's Acts of Caring initiative. Mission 22 supports and serves veterans across the U.S. through various programs that treat veteran issues, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, and create support and awareness around these issues. "Thanks to CIT's donation, we are able to feed up to 25 veterans and their families for one month as part of our Vets Feeding Vets program," said Sara Johnson, CEO of Mission 22. "Through our programming, our goal is to push for the betterment of our community and give immediate support to veterans, especially during this challenging time." "CIT is proud to advance causes that are important to our customers," said Alan DeTata, president, Community Association Banking at CIT. "Providing grocery assistance to veteran families, a need brought to us by a CAB customer in New Hampshire, is just one of the projects we are completing on behalf of our customers this summer as part of our Acts of Caring initiative to make a positive impact in our communities." CIT Acts of Caring As part of CIT's Acts of Caring program, the company invited customers to nominate a need in their hometown and share how the company could support those efforts on their behalf. Identified by Great North Property Management, a CIT Community Association Banking customer in Exeter, NH, Mission 22 is one of ten projects nationwide that was selected to receive a donation from CIT this summer. The customer program follows a month-long social good project where CIT employees completed more than 3,000 Acts of Caring and dedicated nearly 5,000 hours in support of causes such as COVID-19 relief, addressing food insecurity, improving the environment and advancing social and economic justice. Learn more about CIT's Acts of Caring initiative at cit.com/ActsOfCaring. About Mission 22 Mission 22 is part of the 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization Elderheart Inc., led by Special Forces operators Magnus Johnson and Mike Kissel and Infantryman Brad Hubbard whose personal battles with Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury influenced their mission to raise awareness, enlist support and even end veteran suicide in America. Mission 22 supports the veteran community with three main programs; veteran treatment programs, memorials and community social impact. The programs serve combat veterans and educate the public on veteran issues, enabling a push for the betterment of communities nationwide and support when veterans need it the most, right now. For additional information, visit mission22.com. About CIT CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at cit.com/about. MEDIA RELATIONS: Susan Fitzpatrick 212-461-7806 [email protected] SOURCE CIT Group Inc. Related Links http://www.cit.com Australia could approve plans for a travel bubble with New Zealand on a state-by-state basis, Simon Birmingham said A trans-Tasman tourism bubble may go ahead without Victoria after the state recorded a record number of coronavirus cases. Australia could approve plans for a travel bubble with New Zealand on a state-by-state basis, federal tourism minister Simon Birmingham said on Thursday. The plan to ease border restrictions between the two countries is on hold as Victoria and New South Wales battle through a second wave of COVID-19. The Morrison government previously said Australia would only enter into a travel agreement if state borders were open and all residents had access. But Senator Birmingham said he hoped the plan could move forward 'at some point this year,' according to the Australian Financial Review. 'If New Zealand was ready to move and the rest of country in Australia was ready to move - but we had this quarantine still in place around Victoria - well that's an idea that's worth entertaining,' he said at a Tourism and Transport Forum summit. Victoria recorded 723 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday with 13 deaths. Pictured: People enjoy the sunshine at Princes Park in Melbourne in July Health authorities in NSW are fearing for a spike in coronavirus clusters. Pictured: A nurse conducts a COVID-19 swab test at a Bondi Beach drive-through testing clinic in July '[The government would] see if we can manage to work it out with the Kiwis so they can travel safely to Sydney, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth.' But comments made by Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran last week suggest the plan may not go ahead until 2021. '[The travel bubble] felt a little bit closer eight weeks ago,' he said. 'Now it feels that possibly, that maybe, at best, [it could come at] the end of this year, and probably more likely next year.' Victoria recorded 723 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday with 13 deaths - more than double Wednesday's 295 infections and far exceeds the state's previous record of 532 cases on Monday. People are seen leaving the Albion Centre Pop-Up COVID-19 testing clinic, Surry Hills on July 29 Health authorities in NSW are bracing for a second wave as coronavirus clusters as cases pop up in Sydney's densely populated eastern suburbs. NSW recorded an additional 18 infections on Thursday. Two of the newly diagnosed cases are returned travellers currently in mandatory hotel quarantine. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will ban all visitors from Sydney from Saturday after two women with coronavirus dodged quarantine. There are fears Australians may not be able to travel abroad until 2021 after Qantas recently pulled international flights have been pulled from its website until further notice, including routes to New Zealand. Flights to New Zealand are now unavailable until September 1 after the nation's flagship carrier made an agreement with the government to ease the strain on quarantine hotels. New Zealand has only had two confirmed cases of the virus in the last 24 hours, with all new arrivals quarantined at the border. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have weathered the storm of negative media attention and carved out a new path away from the royal spotlight, but one expert believes their relationship isnt the healthiest. The royal biographer claims that they bring out the worst in each other and that Harry has faded in her shadow. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Chris Jackson/Getty Images Do Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bring out the worst in each other? Angela Levin, author of Harry: Conversations with the Prince, believes that Meghans desire to be a mega-watt attention grabber with the eyes of the world on her has caused Prince Harry to take a backseat to her. In a piece written for The Telegraph (via Daily Mail), Levin paints a picture of Meghan as a fiercely ambitious woman who wants to be number one who was not a team player in the royal family noting how her ambition has reportedly changed Prince Harry in a big way. According to Levin, Prince Harry went from charismatic and accessible to a nervy, tense man who seems constantly on edge who faded in her shadow. Additionally, Levin maintains that Meghan seemingly finds it difficult to compromise and will zoom in on the negative. As a result, the biographer claims that Prince Harry and Meghan bring out the worst in each other. Prior to meeting Meghan, Levin explains, Prince Harry was a combination of royal stardust and accessible everyman, but his dark side came out and enveloped him. RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Increased Tension With Royal Family Is Putting a Strain on Them; Meghans Family Is Worried Prince Harry and Meghan Markles body language has been revealing Levins beliefs about Harry and Meghan may or may not be true, but the couples body language during a recent video call seems to support some of her claims. Prince Harry and Meghan participated in a video call in early July for the Queens Commonwealth Trust and body language expert Judi James found that Prince Harry seemed to be eclipsed by Meghan. James explained her findings of the couples interaction to The Sun, asking, Is Harry looking increasingly like a fish out of water in the U.S.? His body language in this video link-up looks rather awkward, especially next to his wife. James pointed out how Meghan was confident about what she was discussing. Meghan showed glimpses of her skill of speaking passionately about her causes and her ability to inspire people when she was in the UK but with the safety harness of royal restrictions off she is seen relating to and having empathy with young people in a way that Harry, with his privileged upbringing, never could, she noted. Prince Harrys placement in the video appeared to give Meghan the space to gesticulate confidently and speak with her eyes straight into the camera. She added that the way Prince Harry looked down during the call suggests a lack of confidence or a desire to hide momentarily and that he was eclipsed by Meghans speaking skills. He is clearly eclipsed by her skills of speaking in a calm but passionate inspirational tone and it would be no surprise if he werent in awe of her talent to speak from the heart and convey messages that could be life-changing, James explained. Seismic Survey Market Research Report by Technology (2D, 3D, and 4D), by Service (Data Acquisition, Data Interpretation, and Data Processing), by Deployment - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Seismic Survey Market Research Report by Technology, by Service, by Deployment - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941903/?utm_source=GNW The Global Seismic Survey Market is expected to grow from USD 8,402.56 Million in 2019 to USD 11,810.13 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.83%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Seismic Survey to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: Based on Technology, the Seismic Survey Market studied across 2D, 3D, and 4D. Based on Service, the Seismic Survey Market studied across Data Acquisition, Data Interpretation, and Data Processing. The Data Acquisition further studied across Airborne Acquisition, Land Acquisition, and Marine Acquisition. Based on Deployment, the Seismic Survey Market studied across Offshore and Onshore. Based on Geography, the Seismic Survey Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed 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 Seismic Survey Market including Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey, Inc., Compagnie Generale De Geophysique, S.A., Dawson Geophysical Company, Fugro N.V., Geospace Technologies Corporation, Global Geophysical Services, Inc., ION Geophysical Corporation, Mitcham Industries, Inc., Polarcus Limited, Pulse Seismic, Inc., Saexploration Holding, Inc., Schlumberger Limited, SeaBird Exploration, PLC, and Wireless Seismic, Inc.. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Seismic Survey 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 the market 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 Seismic Survey Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Seismic Survey Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Seismic Survey Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Seismic Survey Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Seismic Survey Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Seismic Survey Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941903/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 A member of Parliament from Windsor-Essex wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to switch funding from WE Charity to a federal summer students job program. Windsor West NDP MP Brian Masse made these comments Wednesday amidst an investigation into Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau about the WE Charity student grant program over their failure to recuse themselves from cabinet discussions of the program, given the close ties between their families and WE Charity. Last month, Trudeau announced a new Canada Student Service Grant program that was to be administered by WE Charity at a cost of $900 million. But WE's involvement in the grant program has since blown up into a major scandal for the government and WE has stepped back from participating. During a press conference in Windsor-Essex Wednesday, Masse said if the government put two thirds of the money awarded to WE to the federal Canada Summer Jobs program, they could have supported more students. The program allocates funding across the country to support student positions at various non-profits and private organizations. Masse said that typically the funding allocated to the program isn't enough to meet the demand, meaning some organizations who apply don't end up getting student placements. Sean Kilpatrick / Canadian Press And this year was no different Masse said Windsor West received 484 requests for funding for student jobs and that he could only approve 300. This means that nearly 200 student positions were not able to be funded. CBC News has reached out to the minister responsible for the Canada Summer Jobs program, but has not yet heard back. "The prime minister could fix this tomorrow, he could fix it tomorrow," Masse said. "[Prime Minister Trudeau] could say 'we made a mistake, I have ethics breaches being investigated but by the way we'll use the public service tool to get more students employment right now and more charities [the] support they need right now by funding this program.'" Story continues Masse said due to COVID-19 the program has been extended to February and because of this, he'd like to see the government put more funding into the program. He said on July 7, the NDP sent the Prime Minister a letter that asks them to fund more student positions. UWindsor student says job market is difficult to break into University of Windsor undergraduate student Vivien Szoczei said students increasingly need jobs these days to pay for their academic fees. Szoczei said she was temporarily laid off from her job when the pandemic hit and that she tried finding a second job to support herself in March. Though she didn't apply for summer work this year, she said she's seen her peers struggle through it and that she knows how essential it is to have work as a student. Jennifer La Grassa/CBC "It has become more important for students to have opportunities ever since Ontario changed its Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) distribution," she said, adding that before the amount of money she got through OSAP would be enough to fund her academic finances, but following the cuts she didn't have enough to cover her full tuition. Not only that, but she said jobs help provide students with employment experience and could help launch their careers. "We need to keep going with programs that have already proven to be helpful," Szoczei said. "It's always important to give more and more opportunities to young people because they are the ones who are starting out in life and they are the ones who are going to be future employees and I think that they need to start somewhere." On Thursday, Trudeau and Katie Telford, his chief of staff, will appear before the House finance committee to answer questions about their roles in bringing WE Charity in to run the student grant program. 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is dead at age 74 after a battle with coronavirus. Herman Cain our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us has passed away, wrote Dan Calabrese on Cains website Thursday. Herman was 74. Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer. Cain, a former pizza company executive and co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, was hospitalized in early July two weeks after attending President Donald Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He tested positive for Covid-19 and was taken to an Atlanta-area hospital with serious symptoms. Calabrese said it was unclear where Cain contracted the deadly virus, as he did a lot of traveling over the previous week. Cain did not meet with President Trump at the Tulsa event, which health officials said was a likely source of a coronavirus surge in Oklahoma. Cain, a former CEO of Godfathers Pizza, was prominent figure in the 2012 presidential race with the 9-9-9 plan to simplify the tax code. On the campaign trail, he spoke about being diagnosed in 2006 with stage 4 liver cancer and his doctors giving him slim hope for long-term survival. He remained involved in politics for years, most recently serving as a commentator for conservative news outlets. You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal... #HermanCain https://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020 A baby being cradled by his mom who is crying and his dad. July 1, 2016 the absolute worst day of my life to date. You see, this was the day we had to do the impossible. Somehow, a short five days after giving birth, my husband and I had to hold our baby boy in our arms while his medical team ripped the life support from his frail, little body. This was supposed to be the last day I would ever get to feel his touch, kiss his skin, and embrace his little being. Bluntly put, Karter was supposed to die. A baby in the neonatal intensive care unit Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through. I havent talked much about this day, or the days to follow. Truthfully, its too painful. In some ways we seem so far from that very dark period of our life, and Id like to keep it that way. Yet, without these experiences, without this trauma, without this despair, we would not have the perspective we do. We would not have the appreciation for all things, big and small. We would be completely different people, different parents. These are the moments that make or break you. These are the circumstances that test your strength, faith, and character to its core. From this day on, we would never be the same. And as painful and horrific as it was, Karters birth and almost-death has made us BETTER people. Stronger people. People who feel and care more deeply than they did before all of it happened. So what was that time really like? Im often told, I dont know how you did it. Neither do I. But its time I try to tell the story. Some of these moments and pictures Ive never shared. So here goes nothing Related: Our Neurodiverse Kids With 'Aggressive' Behavior Deserve Empathy, Not Judgment Four days after Karters birth, we were supposed to meet his medical team to review the results of his MRI. This was to take place in the conference room. Karter under went the cooling/warming protocol which can have a profound impact on brain injuries. We were hopeful. There wasnt any other way to be. Yet, we were also panicked. Fearing the worst. Still in shock and grief from what had just happened. Story continues That Thursday, they changed the meeting location to the board room in the NICU (the room my husband and I shared while Karter was in the NICU). They brought the chaplain, our angel of a social worker, and the rest of the team. I knew what they were going to tell us. Still, hearing the words out loud were crippling. I remember kneeling over, yelling, Oh, God, no. No. No. NO. I still dont remember the exact words, but the gist of their message was that Karter would have no quality of life. He would not be able to do anything, see anything, hear anything, eat anything. A life of pain and suffering. Thats not life. What choice did we have when medical professionals who, at the time, we respected and trusted, told us this was his certain prognosis? No amount of time would change his outcome. Related: How Finding Out I Have a Brain Injury Brought Unexpected Peace So my husband and I embraced, and made the selfless decision to remove his life support. We would send him to heaven to meet his maker, so that his earthly body would not have to experience pain or suffering. We made a plan, got photographers lined up, and tried to prepare ourselves for that moment. The next day, both sets of parents, Koles brother, and our daughter, Maddie, came to say their goodbyes. This would be the only time Maddie would spend with her brother. She hadnt met him yet, since children are not allowed in the NICU. It was a very special time. For a moment, life was as it was supposed to be. All four of us, in the hospital together, reading books as a family. Truly, we were so thankful to have that. After Maddie had her time, each grandparent and Koles brother held Karter one last time to say goodbye. It was a beautifully devastating thing to witness. A family visiting their new baby in hospital A grandfather holding a new baby The moments went by too quickly, and soon it was here. It was time to say goodbye. We had our photographer from Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep come in the room. We didnt notice her, though. It was all too surreal. Yet, somehow, we were ready. We were at peace. I dont know how to explain it, and I dont know that I completely do as I type the words. But we were. I will never forget the sound as the tubing was torn from his airway. I held him in my arms, kissed his forehead, and braced myself to feel his body stop. We were told that it could happen immediately, or could take hours. They werent certain. But they WERE certain death was inevitable. So our prayer was for time. A baby being cradled by his mom who is crying and his dad. Those moments immediately after were a blur. Im so grateful for the photos we have, as the trauma doesnt allow me to fully recall them. What I do remember is snuggling, singing, praying, and embracing. We played Christian music in the background. The Eye of the Storm was the song that sticks out most. It was fitting. I remember looking at the clock, and being in awe that we got time. Minutes turned into hours and we were so thankful. We dressed him, read to him, and loved him. We took all the videos we could, while still being present. I dont know how, but within all of this we were truly able to experience joyful moments. As the evening approached, and Karter remained stable, the medical team forced our family and friends to leave. Kole and I struggled with what to do. We were exhausted in every sense of the word, but also didnt want him to die while we slept. That was our reality during this time. Do we sleep? We eventually got to a point where we were at peace if it happened overnight. We snuggled him up in his sleeper, something we thought wed never get to use. We tucked him in between us, and somehow feel asleep. If Karter passed away, he would be in between his loving parents. We were at peace with this. New parents cradling baby boy A new baby being cradled on his dad's chest To our surprise, the next morning he was stable. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I hadnt seen outside the hospital walls since I arrived the afternoon of June 26. I remember calling my mom to bring Maddie back. We were so thankful for another day. More time to create memories. We got to dress him for a second time something we never thought wed be able to do. So they brought her back, and we were able to take Karter and Maddie to the hospital playground. And for a moment, it seemed normal. There we were, pushing our newborn boy while our 2 year-old ran around the park. The sun was shining. We were smiling. I remember intentionally trying to soak in those moments. I wanted time to freeze. Maybe this was all a bad dream after all? A mom and dad with their little girl and newborn baby boy A new baby in a stroller Later that day, Karter continued to remain stable. Kole and I wrestled with whether to eat, shower, etc. We didnt want to miss anything. You see, at this time, we didnt understand (because nobody explained it properly) that dying was a process. We truly thought that at any moment Karter would stop breathing. That the end could come abruptly. We didnt get it, and in my opinion, we should have. We spent the entire day going on walks, and soaking in the moments. We were even allowed to leave campus and take him to Starbucks across the street. I remember thinking that we looked normal to most people. Nobody had any idea what we were going through. A good reminder that you never really understand what a person is dealing with. Later that afternoon we had his hands and feet molded. We had intended on doing this post-mortem. We didnt want to spend our only moments doing this. But given how much time we already had, we went ahead with this. These were the types of decisions we were making. Should we mold him before or after he dies? A baby is having feet impressions taken at the hospital That night we spent a second night sleeping with Karter. A few hours after we had fallen asleep with him, I remember waking up to him smacking his lips and shaking. We called the nurse in right away. We were sure this was it. She thought he might be having a seizure, so she gave him some buccal meds. He stopped. He continued to breathe. I think we also took a deep breath. I dont remember if we were able to sleep after that or not. This is what trauma does. Some moments are crystal clear, while others are completely blurred. But time continued. The next morning, I remember the on-call doctor wanting to discuss our options. Options? What options? We were NEVER given options. They wanted to talk about the idea of hospice. We had a long discussion about the pros and cons of taking him home. It was heavy. We were not prepared for this. On one hand, Karter belonged at home with us. On the other hand, could we do that? Could we handle having him die at home with no support? What would bringing Karter home to die do to Maddie? Would that confuse her? Cause more trauma? Would sharing time with him be good for her? For us? We were not prepared. We didnt know what was right. I remember calling my mom and saying, Do you want another curveball? I could hear the excitement and hope in her voice. Im sure she was hoping that his prognosis had changed. I remember saying, No, mom. Hes still going to die. Now we have the choice of having him die at home. Not at the hospital. Then hearing the tinge of disappointment in her voice. The inevitable reality still true, but our grief not wanting to believe. Ultimately, we decided to bring him home. I dont know that we could have continued to live the way that we were living. And it seemed the hospital felt like hospice was the best choice. Again, we followed the advice we were given. Truthfully, we couldnt wait to leave the hospital. But on the other hand, we were terrified for the next chapter. To be on our own. To have Karter die at home. Still, we made the decision, so home we went. We were told that he may not be able to hold his head up, and was an aspiration risk. So instead of packing him in the infant car seat we brought with us (in anticipation of bringing our newborn home), I held him. I remember thinking please make it home. Dont die in the car. Dont die in the car. At this time, I still didnt understand how stable he was. I didnt understand that he wasnt going to going into cardiac arrest suddenly. I didnt understand. I should have. I should have had a better understanding. I should have had someone explain to me what was happening. I should have had way more mental health support. We should have had more support. More resources to do what was asked of us. But we didnt. We should have. So here we are. Four years later. Writing this story for the first time in retrospect. It doesnt seem real as I type the words. At the time, I remember brainstorming my final caringbridge entry. What would the last sentence be? Would I write, He died peacefully at home in the arms of his mother? Would it read, He died over night, in the loving presence of his parents and sister? I wondered how it would end. We still do. But one thing is clear, Karter is writing his own story. He has his own ending in mind. And its far from over. A little boy with a disability is smiling Read more stories like this on The Mighty: I Still Cry About My Brain Injury, Despite My Progress This Year Loving My 'New Mom' After a Brain Injury Changed Her Life 13 Awesome Things About Parenting a Child With a Disability Reclaiming My Inner Badass With a Brain Injury REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has sent a stark message to the province's Hutterite colonies as their leaders and health officials work to deal with a rising number of COVID-19 cases mainly found in their communities. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A nurse gets a swab ready at a temporary COVID-19 test clinic in Montreal, on May 15, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has sent a stark message to the province's Hutterite colonies as their leaders and health officials work to deal with a rising number of COVID-19 cases mainly found in their communities. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health reported 50 new infections, with 44 of them in one northern Hutterite community. It was the second-highest number of new cases reported in Saskatchewan on any day since the pandemic began. The province reported 60 new cases on July 22. Moe said 244 of Saskatchewan's 322 active cases are in Hutterite communities. That represents three-quarters of the province's current infections. The premier noted that most of the province's 80 or so colonies are being co-operative in trying to contain the outbreak and added no one should be stigmatized because of the virus. However, he said, a few of the Anabaptist communities are resistant to testing and unwilling to change parts of their communal lifestyle, such as eating and worshipping in large groups. "This needs to change," said Moe. Speaking from prepared remarks directly to those living in colonies, he said the province has been spared from some of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic because people changed their behaviour. "Every single one of us in this province has been asked to and the vast majority have changed how we are living each and every day," said Moe. "You all need to as well. If you don't, many will get sick in your community. Some will get very sick. Some will die." There are about 50,000 Hutterites in more than 520 colonies in Canada and the United States. Their way of life can make colonies vulnerable to the novel coronavirus since members eat, worship and do many other activities together. Advocates for Hutterite communities have complained that tough talk from politicians focused on colony outbreaks is leading to cultural and religious profiling. Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, has said that such discrimination does not help build trust. Hutterian Safety Council Chair David Tschetter said they have been working with colonies for months and sending the same message as Moe when it comes to the pandemic. He expressed disappointment the Saskatchewan government continues identifying infections as coming from colonies. During Wednesday's briefing, the premier said they have been working with the council for awhile and "its clear in the (infection) numbers that we need to do more than that." Stay informed The latest updates on the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 delivered to your inbox every weeknight. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Rural and Remote Health Minister Warren Kaeding said he has been reaching out to leaders and ensuring compliance with public health orders is top of mind, which he believes is best achieved through education. "I know even the conversation I had this morning with a couple of Hutterite leaders was talking about asymptomatic patients," he said. The government has the authority to intervene to prevent the spread of the virus. It can mandate self-isolation and restrict travel with roadblocks in communities, as was seen in the far north earlier this year. "There are powers that the government does have and there may be instances in the near future where possibly those powers may have to be utilized," said Moe, adding there's more communities willing to be co-operative than not. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health says of the province's 1,268 total cases, 929 people have recovered and 15 people remain in hospital. Seventeen patients have died. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2020 Mumbai: An alleged member (36) of underworld don Arun Gawlis gang, who was arrested for assaulting his wife earlier in July, died by suicide in Navi Mumbais Taloja Jail on Wednesday night. Inspector-General of police (prisons), Maharashtra, Deepak Pandey confirmed the accuseds death. The incident occurred at around 9 pm on Wednesday, when a prison guard found him dead inside a toilet, said Kaustubh Kurlekar, superintendent, Taloja Jail. The deceased has been identified as Dinesh Laxman Narkar alias Dinya, who was arrested on July 10 under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code by NM Joshi Marg police station, after he had attacked his wife with a sharp object. Narkar, a resident of Sanjivani Prasad building at Prabhadevi, was arrested with Gawli and other gang members for the murder of Shiva Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar in March 2007. Later, he was acquitted in the murder case. He was also booked in November 2018 for attacking police personnel in an inebriated state. He was sent to Taloja Jail on July 20 after he tested Covid-19 negative. The prison guard, who found him in the toilet, took him to the jail hospital, but he was declared brought dead on arrival at around 9:20 pm on Wednesday, said inspector Nilesh Jagtap of Kharghar police station. Narkars brother and NM Joshi police station authorities were informed about the incident. His body would be handed over to his family members after the post-mortem examination is conducted, Jagtap added. As temperatures rise across the UK throughout August, many people will likely be spending more time basking in the sunshine. However, amid the picnics and barbecues, the continued spread of the coronavirus remains a concern, despite the recent easing of lockdown measures in England and the devolved nations of the UK. There are some who believe that warmer temperatures may reduce risk of spreading or catching the coronavirus, considering seasonal flu typically spikes in the winter months. And some reports during the early stages of the pandemic said that warmer climates may see fewer cases. However, previous pandemics such as the 1918 Spanish flu, which peaked during the summer months could suggest otherwise. So do warmer temperatures have a significant impact on transmission of the coronavirus? Do warmer temperatures reduce risk of catching the coronavirus? On the website for the World Health Organisation (WHO), it lists a series of myths concerning the coronavirus that it has deemed important for the public to be made aware of. Among the list includes the notion that exposing yourself to the sun or to temperatures of higher than 25C prevents spread of Covid-19 an idea that WHO has adamantly dismissed. You can catch Covid-19, no matter how sunny or hot the weather is, the organisation states, adding that countries with hot climates have reported cases of Covid-19. In a separate document, which has been tracking rumours circulating about the virus, WHO states that based on the current available evidence, the Covid-19 virus can be transmitted in all areas, including areas with hot and humid weather. Regardless of climate, adopt protective measures if you live in, or travel to an area reporting Covid-19, the organisation advises, adding that people should frequently wash their hands to protect themselves from the virus. Nonetheless, some studies have suggested that Covid-19 may exhibit seasonality in summer and winter. Earlier this year, researchers at University College London conducted a study of the common coronaviruses, analysing historical data. The researchers found that the highest rates of cases occurred in February, with fewer cases during summer. Our findings support the idea that in the UK we could see continued but lower levels of coronavirus transmission in the summer, but this may reverse in the winter if there is still a large susceptible population at that point, said lead author Rob Aldridge. However, given this is a novel virus, we dont know if this seasonal pattern will hold over the summer due to high levels of susceptibility in the population. A study conducted a decade ago by the Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh concluded that three coronaviruses showed marked winter seasonality, causing infections predominantly between December and April, similarly to influenza. Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures Show all 7 1 /7 Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures People enjoy the hot weather at Bournemouth beach in Dorset on 20 May PA Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures People enjoy the hot weather at Bournemouth beach in Dorset on 20 May PA Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures Beachgoers bask in the sun on Brighton Beach in Brighton on 20 May EPA Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures People enjoy the sunshine on Birling Gap beach on 20 May near Eastbourne Getty Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures Seagulls are perched on a street lamp as beachgoers bask in the sun on Brighton Beach EPA Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures People head to the beach as England basks in sunshine in Blackpool Getty Sunseekers head to beaches amid lockdown measures Parts of the country were expected to reach 29 degrees celsius, luring sunbathers and testing the capacity of parks and beaches to accommodate social distanced crowds. Getty Another study published in March 2020 by epidemiology company Ausvet Europe stated that preliminary evidence has shown that higher temperatures are associated with lower incidence of Covid-19, for cases reported up to 29 February across the globe. However, it added that temperature explained a relatively modest amount of the total variation of Covid-19 incidence. On 6 May 2020, a scientific study published in The Lancet by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine explored the role of climate in Covid-19 mitigation strategies. The paper stated that while warmer weather might slightly reduce transmission of the coronavirus, no evidence has suggested that warmer conditions will reduce the effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to an extent that few additional interventions are needed to curb its spread. At present, policy makers must focus on reducing physical contact within communities and any Covid-19 risk predictions based on climate information alone should be interpreted with caution, it concluded. Why does the flu peak in winter? While it is understood that flu season reaches its peak in winter, there are several hypotheses why this may be. One of the reasons is that when the temperature is cooler, people are more likely to take public transport and so have a greater chance of coming into close contact with other people. Another is that lack of vitamin D from reduced exposure to sunlight can impact our immune systems. In 2008, research conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development found that the influenza virus has a coating, which becomes a hardened shell in winter. When the virus enters the respiratory tract, this coating melts, the researchers found. However, in the summer, the coating melts before it enters the respiratory tract, which may indicate why it is less likely to spread. Should we expect to see cases of Covid-19 decline during the heatwave? In the warmer weather, it is likely that an increased number of people will be spending time outdoors while social distancing. While this could mean that people may spend less time indoors in close proximity to other individuals, it may also result in members of the public becoming lax with social distancing measures as they head to the park and other peoples homes. Either way, the WHO stresses that Covid-19 can still be spread in warmer temperatures, so social distancing guidelines and good hygiene should be stringently practised. Research published online June 26 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association focused on the implications of telehealth in addressing rural health disparities. It found that while telehealth has helped bridge communication gaps, allowed for the continuation of care and reduced patient and clinician exposure to the coronavirus, some longstanding barriers still must be addressed to improve the effectiveness of telehealth. Opportunities and Challenges The researchers analyzed the efforts of a rural hospital system in northern Michigan, where a statewide stay-at-home order was issued March 23. In response, the system implemented several telehealth measures, with more than 500 health care professionals in 75 ambulatory practices offering video and telephone visits. As a result, the system conducted more than 14,000 virtual visits in a six-week period, which provided patients with safe access to care while protecting clinicians and care teams from exposure. Building on those accomplishments, the system has recently focused on using telehealth to screen and triage patients before they arrive at the hospital. According to the authors, telehealth is now being used to screen patients who present to the ER, while those with non-urgent complaints are asked to use their own smartphones or tablets to complete a virtual visit from their car or outside the hospital. In both instances, the objectives are the same: limiting exposure for patients and staff while reducing unnecessary use of personal protective equipment. D Surendra Kumar By Express News Service NELLORE: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Andhra Pradesh, youngsters have been helping patients at the state Covid hospital attached to the Government General Hospital in Nellore. The district administration had invited applications to aid the needy at government hospitals, and of those who applied, 25 were selected to volunteer. Ever since the first coronavirus case in Nellore was reported on March 12, patients who visited the hospital had been complaining that they were facing problems and not getting proper responses to their queries. The spike in cases only mounted pressure on the staff, and with no system in place to help people visiting the hospital, the district administration called for volunteers. Kumar I had completed my B Tech and enrolled as a volunteer to help the needy amid the pandemic. I came from Pallipadu, where the Pinakini Gandhi Ashram is located. Inspired by many of the leaders who frequent the Ashram, I decided to serve people in my surroundings, said Ch Srikanth, from Indukurpeta mandal. Srikanth is also an active member of the Indian Red Cross Society. Officials said due procedures have to be followed when admitting Covid-19 patients to the hospital, but some patients had been finding it hard to finish the process. Now, the volunteers help them and guide them to where they need to go, they said. The volunteers also assist the nursing and paramedical staff, and the newly-appointed ones take those who visit the hospital to the designated centres for testing. They also supply food, water and fruits to those who visit the GGH, officials said. The Red Cross Society has extended its support to migrant labourers and the poor during the lockdown. Now, some of its volunteers help Covid-19 patients at the GGH. The organisation has been providing food and drinking water to people who visit the hospital for testing, said C Chandrasekhar Reddy, chairman, Red Cross Society, Nellore district. Sources said more youngsters who completed their B Tech and other professional courses have been applying to help in hospitals. The administration is planning to make arrangements to only house Covid-19 patients at the GGH. As of now, 500 of the 750 beds in the hospital have been allocated for Covid-19 patients. With the number of cases on the rise, the district administration has made arrangements for additional beds at the GGH. About 6,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the district so far. Assist nurses, distribute food The volunteers help patients complete the due procedures on getting admitted, officials said. They also assist nurses and paramedical staff, and take those who visit the hospital to testing centres, besides supplying food and water Fabienne Mailfait, Co-founder and Ceo di Voices of Wealth and We Wealth Voices of Wealth, the Milan, Italy-based provider of We Wealth, a wealth management marketplace, raised 1.5m in a second funding round. Crif, Gellify, B.Group and individual investitors including Federico Ghizzoni and Gianni Franco Papa. The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations, its business reach and development efforts. Led by Fabienne Mailfait, Co-founder and CEO, Voices of Wealth operates We Wealth, a marketplace connecting private and affluent clients searching for protecting and optimizing their wealth with dedicated managers and advisors by leveraging profiling tech, specialized content and AI. Launched in 2018, the platform has over 300k users a month. FinSMEs 29/07/2020 NEW HAVEN The city will limit visitors to Lighthouse Point Park to Connecticut residents as a result of concern about the coronavirus, according to the mayor. Starting Friday, no out-of-state visitors will be able to use the park as a health precaution, Mayor Justin Elicker said. The state already is requiring visitors from 34 states with high numbers of COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine for two weeks if they come to Connecticut, as a precaution against spreading the virus. The number of cars at the park is limited to 225 and there will be aggressive enforcement of towing for vehicles using nearby streets that are restricted to neighborhood parkers. Elicker made it clear that the park remains open to any Connecticut resident, unlike some towns that have limited use of the beaches to only their municipal residents. William Carone, acting director of the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees, said the attendant or police officer at the entrance to the park will ask for a license and/or car registration to determine whether the person is from out of state. More News East Haven extends residents-only emergency beach order Walk-ins also will be checked as to where they live. The parking fee for a non-city resident is $25 for the day, Carone said. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov thanked the Indonesian Ambassador Husnan Bey Fananie for this country's unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the ministrys press service has reported Bayramov made the remarks while receiving Fananie upon the termination of his diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan on July 28. During the meeting, Bayramov spoke about the following pre-planned military provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border and the current situation in the region. He emphasized that Armenia could achieve none of its goals with this provocation. On the contrary, it once again faced the decisive position of the international community. In turn, the Indonesian ambassador expressed his condolences to the Azerbaijani government and families of the martyrs who lost their lives as a result of the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Fananie said that Indonesia firmly supports Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders. Thus, the minister also noted with satisfaction the intensive development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Indonesia within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks. He also emphasized the cooperation between the two states within international organizations, including the Islamic Cooperation Organization and the Non-Aligned Movement. The Indonesian ambassador highlighted the potential of the development of cooperation in a number of various areas. Fananie also expressed confidence that the exchange of visits would contribute to the further development of the relations between the two countries. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Gets bids for 87.78 crore shares The initial public offer (IPO) of Mindspace Business Parks REIT received bids for 87.78 crore shares as against 6.77 crore shares on offer, as per the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) data. The issue was subscribed 12.96 times. The institutional investors category, comprising foreign institutional investors, domestic financial institutions, mutual funds, was subscribed 10.61 times. The other investors category, made up of corporates, individuals investors and others, was subscribed 15.77 times. The issue opened for bidding on 27 July 2020, and it closed on 29 July 2020. The price band of the IPO was 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 aimed to raise Rs 1,000 crore of fresh capital while promoter K Raheja group and Blackstone offered 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. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) FACT starts movement of fertilizers through coastal shipping Fertilizers & Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT), a PSU under the ministry of chemicals & fertilisers, has started using coastal shipping as a mode of transport for the movement of fertilisers ailing the East and the West Coast of the country. Kishor Rungta, CMD, FACT and Cochin Port Trust chairperson, Beena, IAS, jointly flagged off the movement of the first batch of containers with 560 tonnes of ammonium sulphate, at a function held at FACT Udyogamandal Complex, Eloor on Wednesday. The vessel, `SSL Visakhapatnam, is expected to sail out with this load on 30 July from Cochin Port. The vessel is carrying 20 containers of ammonium sulphate to be delivered at Haldia Port for distribution to the farmers in West Bengal. FACT is getting active support of Cochin Port Trust in this endeavour. Fertilizers moved through costal shipping will be carried out further through rail to reach the required destination. Port officials said movement of fertilisers through sea route will ease the pressure on rail and road traffic to a great extent, especially during the tough time of Covid- 19 pandemic. Coastal shipping shall also help to ensure regular supplies to farmers in coastal states. When Attorney General William P. Barr announced a new top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn this month, it was a promotion for one of his closest advisers in Washington. His choice, Seth D. DuCharme, was not a purely political appointee. Mr. DuCharme spent most of his career in Brooklyn prosecuting terrorists and violent gangs, earning a sterling reputation among many law enforcement officers and defense lawyers. Still, Mr. DuCharme, 49, is stepping into the position at a fraught time for any U.S. attorney whose office has the jurisdiction to investigate President Trumps associates. With the election just over three months away, and as political polarization intensifies across the country, Mr. DuCharme is facing scrutiny from all sides. Look, I know people have strong views about this administration and folks in D.C., Mr. DuCharme said in an interview with The New York Times. And all I guess I would ask of them is, lets see how I do. Kazakhstans doctors recorded 1,472 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of infected people in the country has reached 87,664, the governments interagency commission on coronavirus response said on Thursday. "Another 1,472 coronavirus cases were recorded, including 828 patients showing symptoms and 644 symptomless patients. A total of 87,664 cases have been confirmed nationwide," the commission said. Infected individuals account for 0.4% of the population (18.7 mln people). According to the commission, 57,815 people have recovered by now, 1,177 recoveries were reported in the past 24 hours, TASS reported. The Ministry of Healthcare provides information about coronavirus fatalities once a week. Kazakhstan reported 208 COVID-19 deaths from July 20 to July 26. The death toll has thus climbed to 793. So far, Kazakhstan has conducted 2,079,540 coronavirus tests. A Dangerous Possibility The child was cranky and didnt want to be examined. Both of his feet were obviously swollen. So were his hands and face. He cried when anyone tried to move his hands and feet. And he had this itchy, spreading rash. The E.R. doctor worried about a rare but potentially dangerous disease of the smallest blood vessels called Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (H.S.P.). (It has recently been renamed IgA vasculitis.) An autoimmune disorder, it primarily affects children and is characterized by a triad of symptoms: abdominal pain, arthritis and a rash. The rash is caused by the affected vessels leaking blood into the surrounding tissues. When this happens close to the surface of the skin, it creates dark red or bruise-colored spots. When these lesions are pressed, they dont change color. But the boys rash was a light, not dark color, and when touched those spots lost the pink coloring and became pale. H.S.P. also causes a rise in inflammatory markers in the blood, so the doctor ordered a test to look for that as well. Those markers were slightly elevated, and so to be safe, the E.R. doctor decided to admit the child to the hospital to be monitored overnight. She ordered ibuprofen for the pain and an antihistamine for the itch. Finding a New Diagnosis The next morning, the boy was seen by Dr. Krista Birnie, a pediatric hospitalist. By then he looked more comfortable, though he still didnt want anyone to touch his swollen hands or feet. It probably wasnt H.S.P., Birnie decided, now that she saw the child. Although the boy didnt want to move his hands or feet, it looked to her as if that was because of the swelling rather than some form of arthritis, a symptom of H.S.P. And the pink circles of rash had not turned into the angry red blotches characteristic of H.S.P. The childs parents reported that the rash started out looking like hives, which then grew into expanding circles and faded away only to be replaced by others. The E.R. doctor had also ordered a test for Lyme disease. There was a field behind the boys house where he often played, and it could harbor deer ticks. Birnie didnt think this looked like the typical Lyme rash, though Lyme disease was a common infection in northern Massachusetts. An Allergic Reaction Birnie was thinking along different lines. This child had first come into the hospital with a lesion on his penis. Just 12 hours later that lesion was gone. And the boys parents noted that his lesions were transient like hives. There was a disorder Birnie had heard of but never seen called Urticaria multiforme (U.M.). Its a type of allergic reaction, she remembered, seen in kids usually after a viral infection, but Birnie couldnt recall more than that. After her rounds, she found a computer and looked up the disorder. The description fit this child perfectly. Its an allergic response triggered by either a medication or more commonly a viral infection. This child had a cold the week before. The allergic reaction causes a release of histamine, a body chemical that causes (among other things) plasma to leak out of blood vessels, causing hives and the characteristic swelling of the feet, hands and face. It is usually treated with antihistamines to block the histamine. The boy had an antihistamine on admission because he felt itchy. Theres no test for Urticaria multiforme, but given his symptoms, Birnie felt confident he had it. Still, she wanted to watch him one more day. Hyderabad, July 30 : Telangana Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday said that the exploitation by private hospitals in times of the Covid-19 pandemic is deplorable. "Exploitation in these times by private hospitals is deplorable and a shame," K. T. Rama Rao, the son of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, tweeted in response to a tweet by a man, who lost his parents and brother to Covid-19 and had to pay Rs 40 lakh for their treatment. Anreddy Radhesh alleged that the hospital refused to hand over the body of his father for non-payment of the entire bill. He said the hospital also acted with negligence in providing them service. Rama Rao, who is Minister for Industry, Information Technology, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, requested Health Minister E. Rajender to take "strictest action against these irresponsible institutions". He tweeted that he was deeply anguished on hearing about the tragic loss of Radhesh's family members. Many Twitter users commented that the state government has failed to check the exploitation by private hospitals in the times of pandemic. They wanted the government to take some concrete action, instead of making mere statements. In another incident highlighting the insensitivity being displayed by some private hospitals, a police constable said he lost his wife after five private hospitals refused to admit her and even the state-run Gandhi Hospital denied her admission. Constable Lateef, under Rachakonda police commissionerate, narrated his experience at a meeting organised to welcome 45 policemen who returned to duty after recovering from Covid. "I was helpless when my wife was struggling for oxygen and breathed his last in front of my eyes," the policeman said while trying to fight back his tears. He said his wife had lung problems but the private hospitals refused to admit her. Even at Gandhi Hospital, they were denied entry on the ground that she was not Covid-19 positive. Several instances of patients losing their lives while running from one hospital to another have emerged in recent weeks. The state government, however, continues to be in denial mode and claims that vested interests are making the allegations to malign it. The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Central and state government and others for inaction on private hospitals. The court issued the notice in response to a petition claiming that the government failed to act against private hospitals charging exorbitantly from Covid-19 patients. Here are the qualifications of those who will receive a direct payment of $1,200 and more based on the proposed HEALS Act of the Republican senators. The Republican and Democratic lawmakers are still debating until now over the provisions of the next stimulus. They may have different ideas, but one thing is for sure that both want to have the second stimulus payment on every American this August. Both parties want to send a direct payment of $1,200 to those who will qualify for the second stimulus payment. However, the most controversial part of the provision is the unemployment check, which was reduced to $200 per week from $600. President Donald Trump has been emphasizing his strong support to the second round of stimulus payment while putting the Americans back to work. On Monday, President Trump said, "The Democrats come with their needs and ask, and the Republicans go with theirs. So we'll be discussing it." Who Would Qualify the Second Round of the Stimulus Payment Under the HEALS Act? The Republican Senators followed the payment guidelines set during the first round or CARES Act. However, they adjusted the dependents. Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday through his social media account that the HEALS Act will include few people who were not included during the first round. These are the dependents, college, and adults, and those are somebody else's dependents. Here are more details as to who will qualify for the next Stimulus Payment: A single US resident with an adjusted gross income of less than $99,000. Head of a household earning under $146,500. A couple filing jointly without children and earning less than $198,000. A dependent of any age. Moreover, the HEALS Act will prohibit the banks and creditors from seizing the stimulus payment to pay their debts. Who Did Not Receive the First Stimulus Payment? There are still many Americans who did not receive their first Stimulus Payment from the federal government. Here are some of those who did not qualify, according to a published article in CNET. Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income above $99,000. Heads of households with an AGI over $136,500. Married couples with an AGI over $198,000. Children over 16 and college students under age 24. Nonresident aliens , as defined by the US government When Would the Eligibility of the Next Stimulus Payment Be Known? The final qualification of those who will qualify for the next stimulus payment is expected to be released before August 7. President Donald Trump supports the Senate's proposal, and right now, they can now start their negotiation with the Democrats. Once the two parties agreed on the final provisions of the HEALS Act, that's when everyone will know the final recipients of the next stimulus payment. Two things are clear right now; direct payment of $1,200, and the next round will begin this August. Check these out! Description GIS 30 July 2020: The new Supreme Court Building was jointly inaugurated, today, through video-conference by the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H. E. Shri Narendra Modi, who intervened live from New Delhi. The new Supreme Court Building was jointly inaugurated, today, through video-conference by the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity, Mr.Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H. E. Shri Narendra Modi, who intervenedlive from New Delhi. In his address, Prime Minister Jugnauth underlined that the new Supreme Court Building bears out the depth of Governments determination and commitment to its modernisation endeavor for the well-being of our people whereby the principles of truth and justice will always triumph. Speaking about the state-of-the-art building, Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that the synergy that will be created in the new Supreme Court building will undoubtedly improve court operations and service to court users. This modern infrastructure will enable the judiciary to take advantage of new technologies to craft innovative and effective measures for making the justice system more efficient, more accessible and more inclusive, stated the Prime Minister. He underlined that Governments priorities are guided by the fundamental mission of establishing justice for all citizens, which he said is a shared value with the Government of India. The Prime Minister emphasised that this partnership marks another momentous day in the relationship between Mauritius and India. It is a fact that India has accompanied Mauritius all along its journey towards socio-economic progress and that the countries shared past as well as close economic, cultural, and human ties have forged a deep bond between them. Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth expressed gratitude to the Government of India for this project which enables Mauritius today to mark another significant milestone in the modernisation of the countrys infrastructure, while recalling that Mauritius benefited from a grant of 30 million US dollars for this project. He also spoke of other iconic projects such as the Metro Express and New ENT hospital for which Mauritius benefited from Indias financial support. Furthermore, Prime Minister Jugnauth commended the efforts of the Government of India for working relentlessly to control the pace and spread of COVID-19 in India, and conveyed his solidarity to its nation. He lauded the boundless generosity and leadership of India which at the peak of the pandemic did not hesitate to assist countries including Mauritius which benefited from critical amount of essential medicines, medical equipment as well as ayurvedic medicines and the visit of medical teams during which the two countries shared experiences for the fight against COVID-19. As for the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he underlined that the Government of India feels privileged to support the modernisation development agenda of Mauritius and that the new Supreme Court building is yet another symbol of the two countries cooperation and shared values. Both countries, he said, respect the judiciary system which forms an important pillar of the democratic system. India and Mauritius share not only the waters of the Indian Ocean but also the common heritage of kinship, culture and language, he said. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, recalled that the Ind0- Mauritian partnership stretches in other sectors, and that through key projects such as the Metro Express and the New ENT hospital, India is glad to be able to contribute to efforts that will enhance the well-being of the people of Mauritius. Moreover, he stressed that it was in Mauritius that he had first spoken about Indias vision of SAGAR Security and Growth for All in the Region and that Mauritius is at the heart of Indias approach to the Indian Ocean region. He underpinned Indias guiding principles to help other countries in their development needs and for the welfare of humanity, while emphasising that its support and assurance do not come with conditions. The New Supreme Court building The building covers a surface area of around 4770 m2 and is situated at Corner Edith Cavell and Desroches Streets in Port-Louis. Its 12 floors will house under one roof the civil, criminal, commercial, family and mediation courts, the Chief Justices chambers, judges chambers and the administration staff. The building is equipped with all modern amenities required for a smooth and effective delivery of justice in the country. China's Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the number-one smartphone seller worldwide in the second quarter on the back of strong domestic demand, industry tracker Canalys said Thursday. Canalys said the embattled firm, which is facing U.S. sanctions and falling overseas sales, shipped 55.8 million devices overtaking Samsung for the first time, which shifted 53.7 million units. The findings marked the first quarter in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market, Canalys said. U.S. sanctions had "stifled" Huawei's business outside mainland China, the research group added, but it had grown to dominate its substantial home market. More than 70 percent of Huawei smartphones are now sold in the country, Canalys said, where Samsung has a very small share of the market. Huawei said in a statement it was a sign of "exceptional resilience". Overseas shipments, however, fell nearly a third in the second quarter and Canalys analyst Mo Jia warned that strength in China alone "will not be enough to sustain Huawei at the top once the global economy starts to recover". "Its major channel partners in key regions, such as Europe, are increasingly wary of ranging Huawei devices, taking on fewer models, and bringing in new brands to reduce risk," Mo said. Huawei the world's top producer of telecoms networking equipment has become a pivotal issue in the geopolitical standoff between Beijing and Washington, which claims the firm poses a significant cybersecurity threat. Global tensions Washington has essentially barred Huawei from the U.S. market and waged a global campaign to isolate the company. The British government bowed to growing U.S. pressure and pledged earlier this month to remove Huawei from its 5G network by 2027, despite warnings of retaliation from Beijing. The politically-fraught change requires companies to stop buying new 5G equipment from Huawei starting next year and strip out existing gear by the end of 2027. On Wednesday the U.S. ambassador in Brasilia warned of "consequences" if Brazil chooses Huawei for the project to develop the next generation of telecommunications technology in Latin America's most populous country. Australia and Japan have taken steps to block or restrict the Chinese company's participation in their 5G rollouts, and European telecoms operators including Norway's Telenor and Sweden's Telia have passed over Huawei as a supplier. The U.S. has also requested the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, further damaging relations between China and Canada, where she is under house arrest. Meng, the Chinese telecom giant's chief financial officer, was arrested on a U.S. warrant in December 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver and has been fighting extradition ever since. IPL Plastics, formerly One51, is being sold for CA$555m (354m) to US private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. Shareholders will receive C$10.00 in cash per share, less than the price shares floated at two years ago but a 153pc premium to the closing price on May 15 before the Sunday Independent revealed a deal was in the works. The sale has been unanimously recommended by IPL directors but remains subject to approvals by shareholders, some of whom have long grumbled at the under-performance of stock. At the time of IPL's flotation in Toronto in 2018 Irish shareholders, including around 2,000 individual farmers and investors and agricultural co-operatives like Kerry, Glanbia, Lakeland and Dairygold retained around 45pc of the company, having held the stock since what is now IPL was spun out of IAWS as One51. The deal values that Irish equity at 160m. When IPL floated on the Toronto Stock Exchange in June 2018, former One51 shareholders received one new IPL share for every five existing One51 shares. The new shares were priced at CA$13.50. Few shareholders took up an option to sell their shares back to the company during the process. Those who did made more than shareholders who've opted to stay in. IPL's president, CEO and executive director is Alan Walsh. Its biggest shareholder is Canada's Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), which has said it will roll most of its stake into the new ownership and will emerge with a minority 24.9pc stake. One51 emerged out of the IAWS group of companies as an investment firm but entered the plastics business in 2006 when it acquired Protech Plastics. Its 200m purchase of a 67pc stake in Canadian firm IPL in July 2015 was transformational, shifting it from a mixed investment vehicle to a straight forward plastics company. In 2017 CDPQ and a number of other large IPL shareholders swap their shares in the Canadian company for shares in One51, which changed its name to IPL Plastics. Businessman Dermot Desmond sold his almost 23pc stake to CDPQ the same year in a deal valued at the time at around 65m. Syracuse, N.Y. -- Artists and art organizations in Central New York have lost at least $15 million in income to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by CNY Arts. The regional arts council said 192, or 75%, of the 254 respondents to its online survey reported experiencing a severe, significantly severe or extremely severe financial impact from the pandemic. Another 40 respondents, or 15.7%, reported a mildly severe impact. Only 22, or nearly 9%, reported a financial impact that was not at all severe. The 115 arts organizations that responded to the survey reported losing an average of $121,868 in revenues, while the 139 individual artists who responded lost an average of $16,991. In total, their losses amounted to $15 million. However, actual losses among the arts community are likely much higher, according to the council, which represents organizations in six counties. In Onondaga County alone, the arts and cultural sector generates nearly $150 million in economic activity annually, resulting in 6,000 full-time jobs, the organization said. Many arts organizations were forced to close their doors, canceling performances and exhibits, when the pandemic struck New York in March. The survey only confirmed what I feared was the case because of the closures and the inability to generate income, said Stephen Butler, executive director of CNY Arts. And then there was the corresponding impact of government funding that was in some cases immediately reduced or delayed. Some, but not all, arts organizations have been allowed to reopen more recently. However, it could be a while before audiences return, Butler said. Many surveys have been done asking potential audiences when theyll be comfortable going back into a performing arts venue and sitting for two hours nearby strangers, and they say theyre not going to be comfortable until theres a vaccine, he said. The Redhouse Arts Center in downtown Syracuse has been one of the hardest hit organizations. It had to cancel the remaining portion of its shows because of the pandemic. Samara Hannah, executive director of the performing arts center, said the organizations theater and educational programs will lose about $2.8 million in revenue because of the pandemic. Thats a huge hit, considering the Redhouse has a total annual budget of $3.8 million. The state is still not allowing live theater. Even when live performances are allowed to return, it is unclear whether audiences will, Hannah said. Were struggling, she said. Were trying really hard to come up with different scenarios of what a season would look like when we can actually start offering productions to our audience members and then, you know, how many people will actually feel comfortable coming out. Officials at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse anticipated a busy year, with visitors from around the country and the globe, as the museum celebrates the 200th anniversary of the opening of the canal. But the pandemic had other plans. Executive Director Natalie Stetson said the museum has lost $20,000 in revenue since it was shut down in March. And the losses may not be over. The museum will reopen today, but Stetson said she is not expecting visitors to return in significant numbers until next year, when a coronavirus vaccine may be available. So much of the visitation that we have in the summer months are from travelers, and I think people arent comfortable traveling yet, she said. CNY Arts said it is working with the Community Foundation to establish a $1 million relief fund for the arts, cultural and heritage industry in Central New York. Thats a fraction of the revenues that have been lost, but it would help, Butler said. It could provide what were calling resiliency grants to keep basic operations going and it could help organizations to restart, he said. It also could help individual artists, where, lets face it, much of our cultural heritage begins. Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148 Ontarios Special Investigation Unit has terminated an investigation into injuries sustained last month by a 30-year-old man in Niagara Falls. In the circumstances, there being no indication that any police officer caused or contributed to the mans fracture in any fashion that could attract criminal liability, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file is closed, SIU director Joseph Martino said in a report released Thursday. On June 26, according to the SIU, a man was arrested by Niagara Regional Police after he was observed to be drinking in a vehicle in the parking lot of a Niagara Falls motel. En route to the police station, the man banged his head against the security screen inside the vehicle. At the police station, the man became aggressive during the booking process. While being grounded by two special constables, the man struck his head on the floor. After being placed in a cell, he fell against a concrete block wall. He was taken to a local hospital where he received five sutures for a cut above his left eye. In addition, he was diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone. Based on the SIUs preliminary inquiries, which included a review of video recordings capturing the mans time in custody, it is evident that this matter does not fall within the statutory jurisdiction of the SIU, Martino said. He said the fracture likely occurred when the man was grounded in the booking room after turning aggressive or, having just been lodged in a cell, he fell and struck his head. The SIU is an arms-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Read more about: Investors in Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) had a good week, as its shares rose 4.2% to close at US$176 following the release of its second-quarter results. It looks to have been a decent result overall - while revenue fell marginally short of analyst estimates at US$437m, statutory earnings beat expectations by a notable 246%, coming in at US$1.82 per share. 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've gathered the most recent statutory forecasts to see whether the analysts have changed their earnings models, following these results. Check out our latest analysis for Alexandria Real Estate Equities Taking into account the latest results, the current consensus from Alexandria Real Estate Equities' six analysts is for revenues of US$1.78b in 2020, which would reflect a reasonable 5.1% increase on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are expected to plummet 27% to US$2.44 in the same period. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$1.78b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.03 in 2020. There was no real change to the revenue estimates, but the analysts do seem more bullish on earnings, given the nice gain to earnings per share expectations following these results. The consensus price target was unchanged at US$178, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Alexandria Real Estate Equities at US$193 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$164. This is a very narrow spread of estimates, implying either that Alexandria Real Estate Equities is an easy company to value, or - more likely - the analysts are relying heavily on some key assumptions. Story continues Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Alexandria Real Estate Equities' revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues next year expected to grow 5.1%, compared to a historical growth rate of 16% over the past five years. Compare this to the 184 other companies in this industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 5.4% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while Alexandria Real Estate Equities' revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the industry. The Bottom Line The biggest takeaway for us is the consensus earnings per share upgrade, which suggests a clear improvement in sentiment around Alexandria Real Estate Equities' earnings potential next year. They also reconfirmed their revenue estimates, with the company predicted to grow at about the same rate as the wider industry. The consensus price target held steady at US$178, with the latest estimates not enough to have an impact on their price targets. 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 Alexandria Real Estate Equities 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 4 warning signs with Alexandria Real Estate Equities (at least 2 which are concerning) , and understanding these 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. Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, has kicked against the reintegration of ex-Boko Haram fighters into the society. The mi... Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south, has kicked against the reintegration of ex-Boko Haram fighters into the society. The military had in 2016 launched Operation Safe Corridor, an initiative for the deradicalisation and rehabilitation of ex-Boko Haram fighters. The aim of the operation, the military had also said, is to reintegrate repentant Boko Haram members into society. About 600 ex-Boko Haram members completed a de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration (DRR) programme in July. But while speaking on a BBC Hausa service programme, Ndume asked the government to stop rehabilitating ex-insurgents because they would never repent. This governments programme is unacceptable to our people. The right thing is to stop it, forthwith, he said. Not that they even apologised to you, they apologised to the government with the thinking that government has failed and that is why they are being pampered, he said. They are like Kharajites. Many among those released have since run away. They will never repent. The government should know what to do about them. But not re-introducing someone to you, who has killed your parent, or your relations. If there is sincerity of purpose in this, those in the IDP camps should be trained in various trades and vocation so that they could start life again. TheCable had reported how Borno residents kicked against reintegration. Funmi Awelewa Nigerian actress, Funmi Awelewa has taken shots at her colleagues tagging her in the ongoing Women Support Women challenge. The actress who stated that she wont join the challenge, recalled how some of her colleagues wrote her off after she lost everything she worked for in 2019. Funmi also told them not to add her to their friend list because she doesnt have one. She wrote; To Everyone that tagged me, I no dey follow una do black&white challenge o Dont call me your friend, I dont have one. The last time I checked, some of you are just my colleagues. Many of you write me off when I lost everything I worked for last year. Year 2019 was colorless and the challenge reminds me of things I left behind. I only live in COLORS now My Kid Sis @iambablow is my only friend Emabinu, I understand the motive of the challenge but ko necessary ke tag me mehn. Una don help me repost my work before? Una don call me for job before? Una don buy my product before? When I needed help, many of you away from me when I lost my car, house and many things last year. Anyways, I no longer live in black and white. I only live in COLORS Now! to a Life full of Colors & Glow Candidates can register themselves by 16 September; the exam is scheduled to be conducted on 29 November. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has released the official schedule for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2020 on its website. One can apply at iimcat.ac.in from 5 August. Candidates can register themselves by 16 September. As per the notification, CAT 2020 is scheduled to be conducted on 29 November. Candidates will be given the option to select six test cities in order of preference. Centres will be assigned to them only after the last date of registration. The admit card for CAT 2020 examination will be released on October 28 on the official website. The notification said that CAT 2020 process is to be conducted taking into account the COVID-19 crisis. The information provided by the CAT website is contingent upon the decisions and directions issued from time to time by the Central and State governments and IIMs, it said. Candidates have been asked to regularly check the CAT website for further information. According to a report by Hindustan Times, IIMs will be conducting the computer-based admission test in two sessions at various examination centres spread across 156 cities throughout the country. The results of CAT 2020 are expected to be declared by the second week of January 2021. CAT is a national level entrance examination conducted for students seeking admission to more than 600 B-schools across the country. Over two lakh students appear for the examination every year, NDTV reported. CAT exam pattern The total duration of the test will be 180 minutes. It will comprise three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Ability. Candidates will be given exactly 60 minutes for answering questions in each section. Andrei Castravet and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet headed to Andreis home country of Moldova for their second wedding on a recent episode of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After. The couple hoped their wedding in Moldova would be a time for their two very different families to come togetheras well as a happy moment with their baby, Eleanor, who would later be baptized in Andreis church. But the stress of in-law conflicts and last-minute wedding planning led Elizabeth and Andrei to fight almost immediately after arriving in Eastern Europe. After a tense family dinner, in which Andrei and Elizabeths families teamed up to question Andrei about why he didnt have a job in the U.S., Elizabeth wondered if the wedding was even a good idea. And when Chuck Potthast, Elizabeths dad, and Charlie Potthast, her brother, began to question her husband about his past as a cop in Moldova, things got even worse. In a new 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After sneak peek of an upcoming episode, Andrei and Elizabeth reflected on the awkward first meeting between their respective families. Elizabeth even revealed that she wouldnt mind if they cancelled the wedding altogether. Andrei Castravet, baby Eleanor, and Elizabeth Potthast Castravet | Elizabeth Potthast Castravet via Instagram Andrei was worried that his wife wanted to cancel their second wedding In a 90 Day Fiance sneak peek, Andrei and Elizabeth had a tense breakfast after their equal tense night with their relatives. Did you get sober? Andrei asked Elizabeth sarcastically, seeming to imply shed been drinking too much the night before. I didnt drink anything. You were drunk, Elizabeth retorted. You were drinking wine, Lib, Andrei pointed out. Elizabeth reminded him that shed only had one glass of wine, early in the evening. But Andrei didnt let up, insisting, Well, it was enough to say some stupid stuff. The night before, Elizabeth had gone so far as to question whether they should be getting married a second time at allespecially if their families were going to fight the whole time. Andrei, of course, wasnt pleased, even blaming his wifes behavior on hormones. The 90 Day Fiance star told producers, Libby was saying last night that we have to cancel the wedding, and shes still cranky. I dont understand her. Shes all over the place. Despite his wifes statements, however, Andrei insisted that he had no intention of cancelling the wedding. He just needed to get Elizabeth back on board. We cant cancel the wedding, because were already doing it, he explained. Shes not gonna cancel at the last minute, thats for sure. Because Im not gonna get disappointed like that. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Accuse Andrei Castravet of Not Translating Elizabeth Potthast Castravets Words Correctly to His Family RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth Potthast Castravet Posts a Risque Video With Andrei Castravet After Fans Accuse Her of Photoshopping Their Pictures RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Call Out Andrei Castravet For His Sexism On Social Media RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Andrei Castravet Claps Back at a Fan Who Calls Him a Poor Excuse of a Man Elizabeth told her husband she was tired of being in the middle of his fights with her family Andrei broached the sensitive subject, asking his wife if she truly didnt want to go through with their wedding in Moldova. Elizabeth sighed, seeming exhausted by the conflict between Andrei and her relatives. I want us to be happy, okay? she told Andrei. It was my first time, my family coming here, last night. And I was yet again in the middle of you, my dad, and Charlie. The new mom told 90 Day Fiance producers that she didnt want to deal with Andreis fights with his in-laws anymore, much less be put in the middle of their battles. Im honestly over the fighting and the bickering, she lamented. I thought maybe we would have some nice moments and enjoyable time when our family came together. And there was just tension right off the bat. But Andrei wasnt exactly sympathetic. Instead, he pointed out that he hadnt wanted Elizabeths family to come to Moldova in the first place. You wanted them here, Lib. Like, its not my choice, he said bluntly. They shouldnt have been here. Andrei accused his wife of changing her mind like she changed her socks Elizabeths husband pushed her on the subject of cancelling the second wedding. Because theyd been unable to plan their dream wedding in the U.S., Andrei reminded her, theyd hoped to make their second wedding a grand affair. Listen, you wanted a dream wedding, and were doing it, Andrei declared. He just wanted to know why Elizabeth was questioning it so much at the last minute. Elizabeth explained that, instead of fun, the wedding planning process had been very stressful. Whats more, she blamed Andrei for adding more to everybodys plate with his refusal to step down from conflicts with her family. Meanwhile, Andrei was tired of going back and forth. You change your mind every day like you change your socks, he said, irritated. Set up your mind or something. When 90 Day Fiance producers asked Elizabeth about her true feelings when it came to the wedding, she admitted that she did want to celebrate her marriage to Andrei a second time. But, she added, if the event was going to be more of an ordeal than a joyful celebration, she didnt want to go through with it. If its gonna be just not enjoyable, then I would be okay not doing it, Elizabeth revealed. Facing growing public dissent over corruption, a mismanaged economy, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and no progress in the country's long-running conflict with neighboring Armenia, Azerbaijan's strong-arm ruler Ilham Aliyev decided to crack down on the opposition. In an action widely seen as an attempt to eliminate pro-democracy advocates and political rivals once and for all, as many as 120 opposition figures and supporters have been rounded up in the past two weeks by Aliyev's security services. They include senior members of the largest opposition group, the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP). Political analysts say charges of "attempting to overthrow the government" against the AXCP's Fuad Qahramanli and Mammad Ibrahim suggest Aliyev's regime is ultimately seeking to arrest and silence AXCP leader Ali Karimli. Karimli offered on July 30 to be arrested in exchange for the release of more than 40 AXCP members who he says have been jailed on bogus charges. Karimli also says he is ready to resign as leader of the AXCP if it helps bring an end to the crackdown on the opposition. The immense crackdown has also targeted members of other parties within an opposition alliance known as the National Council of Democratic Forces -- an umbrella group that includes the AXCP, the Musavat Party, the Muslim Unity Movement, and others who have fought against Aliyev's oppressive rule. An editorial by The Washington Post on July 29 said Aliyev has "blown a gasket" with a "tantrum" that is "threatening to obliterate what remains of independent political forces in Azerbaijan." "Mr. Aliyev's use of the iron fist to destroy his critics is the opposite of democracy and why everyone should worry about this intemperate tyrant," the editorial concluded. 'Death Of The Dream For Democracy' Alex Raufoglu, a Washington-based Azerbaijan specialist for Amnesty International, told RFE/RL that Aliyev's latest crackdown has been ominously calculated. "President Aliyev feels he has a green light for this crackdown because Western democracies are too busy right now focusing on their own problems with the coronavirus and their economies," says Raufoglu, who also is a journalist for the independent Turan news agency. "Thanks to COVID-19 and recent border clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces, Aliyev has found that he can go after his opponents without having to face international criticism," Raufoglu told RFE/RL. "With a snap of his finger, President Aliyev can decide everything himself in the cases against his rivals without any due process," Raufoglu says. "This could be the death of the dream for democracy in Azerbaijan." Indeed, Azerbaijan's government has a long history of using its criminal justice system to silence political rivals and journalists who criticize the corruption that has enriched Aliyev's relatives and inner circle of allies. Aliyev has been the president of Azerbaijan since 2003, when he leapfrogged into the post upon the death of his father. His authoritarian rule has shut down independent media outlets and suppressed opposition parties while holding elections deemed neither free nor fair by international monitoring groups. Baku has also banned international monitors from groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that have documented how authorities routinely use torture to extract false confessions from political prisoners jailed on trumped-up charges. Qahramanli has been imprisoned twice on charges that Human Rights Watch has described as politically motivated violations of his rights. And such heavy-handed tactics from Azerbaijan's criminal justice system have seemingly had a chilling effect on many of Aliyev's domestic critics. Countdown To Crackdown On November 2, the National Council of Democratic Forces canceled an anti-government protest it had planned in Baku. Opposition leaders said they did so because they feared Aliyev's security services would use "strong provocations" to disrupt the rallies and discredit their members. Other recent demonstrations have been violently dispersed by police in Baku. In February, when Azerbaijan staged early parliamentary elections, opposition parties accused Aliyev of limiting their ability to campaign and called for a boycott of the vote. Meanwhile, the World Bank warned that Azerbaijan faced the prospects of a severe "economic contraction" in 2020 due to the coronavirus and falling global prices for its main export, oil. In March, in a speech ostensibly about his plans to combat the pandemic, Aliyev intensified his attacks on the opposition -- describing them as "enemies who are among us," and a kind of "fifth column" of "traitors" whose "main goal is to destroy Azerbaijan." "The isolation of representatives of the fifth column will become a historical necessity" during the pandemic, Aliyev proclaimed. Looking back on that speech, Raufoglu says the crackdown Aliyev launched after Azerbaijan's July 12-16 military clashes with Armenia along their border is "unprecedented" even by Azerbaijani standards. "Increasingly, we see that Aliyev is trying to take advantage of the country's national crises -- whether it is about public health or a potential war with Armenia," Raufoglu says. A total of 11 Azerbaijani soldiers, including a popular general, were killed in the border clashes along with four Armenian soldiers. Baku and Yerevan have accused each other of starting the fighting. But Thomas de Waal, an expert on the Caucasus, tweeted on July 15 that it is "unclear" which side is responsible. "As soon as one side starts, the other responds, neither backs down," de Waal wrote. "The conflict sits deep in both nations. We see a rallying round the flag in both countries. That's useful to both governments [as it] distracts the people from economic woes and pandemic." 'Teach Them A Lesson' Indeed, the AXCP's leadership announced on July 13 that the opposition would not stage any political protests as long as fighting continued along the border. "We are behind our state and the army," AXCP leader Karimli declared. The next day, Azerbaijanis from all political persuasions gathered at Baku's Freedom Square for what initially appeared to be a spontaneous display of patriotism and support for the country's armed forces. But instead of deploying their usual forceful tactics to break up unauthorized demonstrations, police herded and ushered the crowd several kilometers across Baku to a national cemetery near parliament called Martyr's Alley. Martyr's Alley contains the graves of fallen national heroes from Azerbaijan's long-running conflict with ethnic Armenian separatists over Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. At the cemetery, late in the demonstration, a group of people emerged from the crowd and briefly stormed into the nearby parliament building before being removed by police. Opposition leaders claim the incident was a "provocation" staged by Aliyev's henchmen to justify the harsh political crackdown that would follow. In fact, they say, the AXCP's Qahramanli and Ibrahim did not even attend the July 14 rally. But the next day, on July 15, Aliyev made a nationally televised speech accusing the pro-democracy opposition of being "enemies" who were "worse than the Armenians." "We have won a great victory and the people supported us," Aliyev claimed. "The people came to Martyr's Alley to celebrate the victory and honor the memory of our martyrs, and some shameless elements cause riots there?" "This will not happen," Aliyev declared. "It is not the beginning of the 1990s. We have taught and will teach them a lesson." Aliyev said he'd been "informed" that "some opposition structures, including representatives of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, infiltrated the masses and tried to induce people to take illegal actions." "They were also among the lawbreakers and have already been identified," Aliyev said, adding that he would "not pay attention" to criticism from the Council of Europe or other "international organizations" about his crackdown on the opposition. Aliyev also said he would "block anti-Azerbaijani" candidates in the future from challenging his government and trying to "slander Azerbaijan." Raufoglu says the effort by police to direct the crowd toward parliament, as well as Aliyev's haste to blame the AXCP for storming the building, "raises many questions about what really happened" during the July 14 rally. "In this moment of rallying around the flag, Aliyev used the incident to immediately go after his political rivals," Raufoglu told RFE/RL. "For Aliyev to use that rally as a reason to go after the opposition is absolutely staggering -- even by Azerbaijan's standards." On Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced new public restrictions in Hampton Roads to curb a dramatic rise in the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19. The coastal region with its beaches, boardwalk and fun-in-the-sun allure is one of the states biggest tourist draws in the summer. But in a year of global pandemic, huge crowds dont mesh with public health safety. These stronger restrictions will apply to the states eastern region of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Williamsburg, Newport News, Poquoson, James City County and York County. While the share of people statewide testing positive for the virus is a little more than 7%, its nearly 11% in the eastern region. In some of those localities, the RTD reported, the positivity rate has reached close to 20%. Beginning at midnight Friday, public and private gatherings in the region will be capped at 50 people; the current statewide limit is 250. Restaurants will be limited to 50% capacity for indoor dining, will have to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. and will close for service at midnight. A health care assistant who raped a pensioner in her nursing home bed during the Covid-19 lock-down has been jailed for 11 years. The woman's family described how they have been unable to comfort their mother by hugging her as they normally would since the rape in April. The elderly woman remains terrified the man will return to her room. Her daughter told the court: We always said we will dread the day she loses her memory but now one day we hope she wakes up and doesn't remember. She described how finding a nursing home for their mother had been an emotional process but said the woman had felt happy and safe in the home. This animal took that security away, she said. We will never forget how that man single-handedly destroyed our Mam's life, she told the court. The 52-year-old man pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to raping the woman in her room at 3am on the morning of April 3, 2020 at a County Dublin nursing home. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody since his arrest in April. Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted the offence had taken place against a vulnerable elderly lady who was totally alone and helpless and was confined to her room due to the Covid-19 lockdown. He said this was an egregious breach of trust by a qualified and experienced healthcare worker. He noted a probation report showed matters of real concern to the court including that the man had little insight of the effect of his actions on the woman and that, although he accepted his actions were heinous and expressed remorse, it was felt it lacked depth beyond vocalisation. He took into account the man, who has worked in healthcare for 15 years, had entered an early guilty plea and had otherwise lead a blameless and hard-working life. Mr Justice McDermot imposed 12 years imprisonment and suspended the final year on strict conditions. The court heard how gardai were alerted after the elderly woman was found in a distressed state the following morning by another member of staff and said she had been raped by the accused. The woman's daughter, in a victim impact statement prepared on her mother's behalf, described how due to Covid-19 restrictions the family had been unable to accompany their distressed mother as she was taken in a garda car to hospital to be examined at a sexual assault treatment unit. She said the effect on their mother has been devastating. She is afraid of anyone coming into her room and checks the bathroom to make sure the man has not returned to the nursing home. The woman described talking to her mother on the phone late at night and reassuring her that the monster is in prison and can not return to her room to hurt her again. She said the family are devastated that she no longer has the spark she once did, and said their mother is traumatised to the point where they can see she has given up. She said the accused man had taken advantage of his position in the most despicable way. Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, said the Director of Public Prosecutions places this offence in the highest category on the scale. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is blaming delays on a new coronavirus stimulus legislation on efforts to restore the full deduction for state and local taxes that once provided property tax breaks for New Jersey residents. McConnell, R-Ky., used a Senate floor speech Thursday to decry what he called the House Democrats ongoing obsession with removing the Republican tax laws $10,000 cap on deducting state and local income, property and taxes taxes. Democrats are holding up help for struggling people over special tax cuts for rich people in blue states, said McConnell, who didnt propose his own $1 trillion legislation until Monday, five days before the $600 extra federal unemployment insurance payments expire and 10 weeks after the House passed a $3 trillion bill. The House measure removed the limit on deducting state and local taxes for two years. The cap disproportionately affected New Jersey and other high-tax states, many of them hardest hit by the pandemic. We would like to see that done but thats not the sticking point, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist. The sticking point is unemployment and the lack of state and local aid." The Senate bill does not include any aid to state and local governments and would cut the federal unemployment benefits to $200 a week while the House provided $875 billion in state and local assistance and would keep it the extra unemployment payments at $600. Though GOP lawmakers called the tax deduction an unfair subsidy for the high-tax states, New Jersey taxpayers received only 90 cents from Washington for every $1 paid in federal taxes in 2018, less than any other state but Connecticut, according to the State University of New Yorks Rockefeller Institute of Government. Taxpayers in McConnells state of Kentucky got back $2.41, more than any other state. These incoherent comments are the ramblings of a Republican leader whose party has for months, dithered and delayed and refused to confront the extraordinary crises facing us, and now, finds itself floundering in chaos and confusion as the nation begins falling over a cliff, said U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. Pointing fingers, lashing out at blue states as to blame for failing to put forward a national plan of action is a frustrating waste of the precious little time we have left to come together and get this done. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Studies show that middle-class homeowners were the ones hardest hit by the cap in New Jersey, seeing their taxes rise and their property values decline below what they otherwise would be. While wealthy Americans would see a larger individual tax break, far more middle-class taxpayers would benefit. Eight in 10 New Jerseyans who would receive a tax cut had an average income of $216,000 or less, according to a recent report by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, a progressive research group. McConnells bill would restore the full tax deduction for business lunches, while Senate Republicans added a provision to the earlier $2 trillion stimulus law that the Joint Committee on Taxation said gave 82 percent of the benefits to taxpayers making more than $1 million a year. Pallone, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the Democratic and Republican priorities are so far apart that it will be hard to get a new stimulus package. You can see why Im frustrated with McConnells plan and why its difficult to even come to an agreement, Pallone said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. A Chinese envoy on Wednesday urged the United States to stop politicizing the Syrian humanitarian issue and to immediately lift unilateral sanctions against Syria. China has always adopted a constructive and responsible approach in dealing with the issue of cross-border humanitarian mechanism for Syrians. In fact, it is the United States that should reflect on its actions, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. In addressing the cross-border issue, the United States voted six times against reasonable draft resolutions and amendments aimed at narrowing differences and finding solutions, he told a Security Council virtual meeting on Syria's humanitarian situation. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should stop politicizing the humanitarian issue, stop putting up a hypocritical political show. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should immediately lift unilateral sanctions against the Syrian people, instead of creating groundless excuses. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it should stop hegemony policy, regime change and bullying practices in the Middle East and other parts of the world, which had led to endless chaos and instability, said Zhang. China follows closely the humanitarian and economic situation in Syria. China is deeply worried that Syria is now going through severe economic collapse. The loss of currency value, rising unemployment, increased food insecurity and insufficient medicine supplies all add to the sufferings of the Syrian people, he said. The fact that unilateral sanctions gravely impact the humanitarian situation in Syria is undeniable. Years of economic blockade and illegal sanctions have worsened the socio-economic and humanitarian situations in Syria, and undermined the livelihoods of innocent civilians. At this critical time, unilateral sanctions further compromise Syria's capacity to effectively respond to COVID-19. Lifting unilateral sanctions is more important and urgent than ever, he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his special envoy Geir Pedersen, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have made repeated appeals for the waiving of unilateral sanctions. These appeals have also received the overwhelming support of member states. There should be a positive response to these appeals, he said. China urges relevant countries to demonstrate genuine sympathy and support for the Syrian people by lifting the sufferings they impose on them. The Security Council should fulfill its mandate and take concrete actions in this regard. China also requests a comprehensive report by the UN Secretariat on this issue, said Zhang. The Syrian government bears the primary responsibility to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria. It is encouraging to see continued efforts and progress in cross-line operations into both the northeast and the northwest of Syria. China calls on relevant parties to remove obstacles to cross-line operations, and give priority to providing humanitarian relief from within Syrian territory, he said. The international community should increase humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, on the basis of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. In this regard, China's position on the cross-border mechanism remains unchanged. Considering the current situation, China does not object to retaining the cross-border mechanism at this stage, he said. The Syrian issue should be addressed with a holistic approach, taking into account the political, counter-terrorism, security, humanitarian and other aspects altogether, said Zhang. China calls on relevant parties to respond to the cease-fire appeals by the secretary-general, strengthen dialogue and consultation, and actively promote a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process. China will continue to play a responsible and constructive role in the efforts to achieve a peaceful, just and proper settlement of the Syrian issue at an early date, he said. Monica Young denies she sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in her care at a school, which cannot be named for legal reasons A teacher accused of sex with a student, 14, as often as three times in the one day is alleged to have told him: 'If we get in trouble, it'll be big trouble, it'll be worth it'. Sydney geography teacher Monica Elizabeth Young, 23, sought bail at Burwood Local Court on Thursday afternoon after being charged with a string of aggravated sex offences. Her defence lawyer Gazi Abbas said Young had been 'languishing' behind bars since her sensational arrest earlier this month and could be waiting more than a year until she faced trial. Jail at Silverwater Women's prison was a 'jarring' experience for a young woman with no criminal record, Mr Abbas told the court, adding she was entitled to the presumption of innocence. But a police prosecutor, who gave her name only as Ms Schiemer, said that the case against Young was 'extremely strong'. 'There's actually CCTV of numerous events ... there is the statement made by the alleged that "if we get in trouble, it'll be big trouble, it'll be worth it',' the prosecutor said. 'There is knowledge of committing these crimes and of the seriousness of the crimes.' Young upon her engagement. She was joined in court on Thursday by her lawyer, mother, grandmother and father, who were saddened when her bail application was refused Mr Abbas said Young denies the charges and the Crown case was 'not overwhelming. 'There's no CCTV actually capturing the alleged incidents. The Crown case only goes entirely by his statement. 'The allegations are untested. It has not yet gone to court. She denies the allegations. It will go to trial.' Friends said the pair's wedding was 'not far off' The up-and-coming defence lawyer said Young could offer up $50,000 from her parents as surety, as well as her grandmother's home should she breach her bail conditions. Young appeared via video link from prison and only spoke to confirm she could hear the proceedings. 'Yes', she said. Mr Abbas told the court the case was the alleged victim's word against his client's. He said that Young would likely not face a trial until the end of 2021, due to delays in the District Court. Meanwhile, the lawyer said that Young's 'loving, caring' family had been unable to visit her in prison due to COVID-19 restrictions, which would also make it 'very difficult' to prepare her defence case. Mr Abbas told the court Young was offering stringent 'house arrest' bail conditions to stay at her grandmother's place. But the magistrate was not convinced that her circumstances had changed substantially since she was denied bail earlier this month at Bankstown Local Court. Teacher Monica Elizabeth Young (right) with her fiance. Ms Young has denied 'sexual impropriety' with a student The teacher was arrested and charged at her home earlier this month and has been 'languishing' in custody ever since Mr Williams said the 'only real change in circumstances is there is now a substantial surety perhaps up to $1 million with a house.' The magistrate added that almost 'every sexual assault matter is the victim's word against the accused'. Mr Williams refused bail and said she could expect a 'considerable period' in custody should she be found guilty at trial. The maximum custodial sentence for her offences is 12 years' imprisonment. However, she is fighting the charges. Daily Mail Australia has previously exclusively revealed how Young will seek bail at the New South Wales Supreme Court next month, which would be her final shot at liberty unless her circumstances change, she is found not guilty or charges are dropped. Ms Young's fiance has told media he is standing by Young and doesn't believe the allegations. Friends said their wedding was expected in the near future, but was not a ground of today's bail application. The case continues. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday vacated her official Lodhi Estate bungalow in the national capital, almost a month after the Centre had cancelled the government accommodation allotted to her with the direction to vacate the house within August 1. She would be staying for a few days in her Gurugram penthouse before shifting to central Delhi, where she has finalised a house, news agency PTI reported quoting sources. Renovations are currently going on in her new house in Delhi, it added. The Ministry of Urban Development issued a notice to Gandhi on July 1, asking her to vacate the bungalow, as she was no longer eligible for it after her security cover was downgraded in 2019. Priyanka has been assigned Z+ security with CRPF cover on the all-India basis, which does not have any provision for allotment or retention of government accommodation on that ground. She is not an SPG protectee now. Persons with Z+ security cover are not entitled to government accommodation. However, exceptions can be made only by the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA) based on security perception assessment by the MHA on their recommendation. "In view of this, she is no longer entitled to government accommodation and her allotment has been cancelled by the Directorate of Estate on 01.07.2020 with the direction to vacate the house within one month," the release had read. As per records, she has accumulated dues of Rs 3,46,677 as on June 30 and she has been issued noticed to clear these dues and rent for the period she vacates the accommodation. According to Urban Development Ministry sources, she has made online payment of balance amount due to her. Hence, now dues as on June 30 is nil against her. She was allotted Bangalow No 35, Lodhi Estate on February 21, 1997, on security ground as an SPG protectee. The CCA in its meeting on December 7, 2000, reviewed the guidelines on the allotment of government accommodation on security ground and decided that in future no private person, other than those who are SPG protectees, will be given government accommodation on security ground. Such allotment was to be done at the market rate i.e. 50 times of normal rent. In July 2003, it was decided to charge special rate of licence fee i.e. 20 times of the normal rent from such allottees. Heavy rains drenched the eastern Caribbean as a weather system strengthened into Tropical Storm Isaias late Wednesday while it passed south of Puerto Rico and headed for Hispaniola carrying the threat of flooding and landslides. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was expected to cross the Dominican Republican and Haiti, which share Hispaniola, on Thursday while following a path that could take it to the U.S. mainland by the weekend. I don't want people to lower their guards, because this system is quite dangerous, said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan. This is not (Hurricane) Maria, but it will bring a lot of rain. For a list of area-specific storm warnings, click here President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration request from Puerto Rico's governor, who also activated the National Guard. Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph late Wednesday. It was centered 265 miles southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and was moving west-northwest at 20 mph. The hurricane center said the storm was expected to swirl over Hispaniola and then pass between the eastern coast of Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas on Friday. It then could cross through the central Bahamas on Saturday and possibly move on to southern Florida and the Carolinas, but the center said it was too early to predict the path that far, saying there is "large uncertainty after it leaves the Caribbean. Forecasters warned that Isaias could drop 3 to 6 inches of rain, with up to 10 inches in isolated spots. Officials in Puerto Rico expressed concern about the potential for landslides and flooding and noted the U.S. territory is struggling with a spike in coronavirus cases while also still recovering from 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria and a string of earthquakes earlier this year that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in the island's south. Multiple power outages were reported across Puerto Rico on Wednesday night, with at least 96,000 customers without electricity. Puerto Rico's power grid was destroyed by Maria and the rebuilt system is fragile and susceptible to failures. Officials said more than 300 shelters across the island were prepared to receive people if needed and that more than 130,000 face masks were available. Diesel Price in Delhi Today 2020, Diesel Price Reduced News, Delhi cabinet reduces VAT on diesel, Delhi Govt, Arvind Kejriwal: The Delhi government on Thursday has reduced the price of diesel in the National Capital. Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75%. Diesel Price in Delhi Today 2020, Diesel Price Reduced News, Delhi cabinet reduces VAT on diesel, Delhi Govt, Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that the cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75% in a bid to release the economic burden on Delhiites due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the slash in VAT percentage, the price of diesel will now come down to Rs 73.64 from Rs 82, i.e by Rs 8.36 per litre. The rise in fuel prices had been hitting the pocket of travellers quite hard and had invoked nationwide outrage by opposition parties in June. The Delhi governments move to reduce fuel price comes days after launching a job portal. Announcing the move, he said many people, including traders, had been demanding a reduction in diesel prices. This was also affecting the budgets of industries and other establishments. He added that the Delhi government has been undertaking several steps to bolster the economy, including allowing streetside vendors to resume their work. In his media address today, Kejriwal informed that the job portal has been receiving a good response. Around 7,577 companies have registered themselves, leading to the advertisements of about 2,04,785 job vacancies. He added that about 3,22,865 people have applied for jobs on the portal. Delhi Cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75%. This will reduce price if diesel in Delhi from Rs 82 to Rs 73.64 i.e. by Rs 8.36 per litre | LIVE https://t.co/UDKzuSQJI9 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 30, 2020 Speaking about Delhis fight against Covid-19, the Chief Minister on Wednesday directed officials to follow Centres guidelines on doing a RT-PCR test on symptomatic patients, whose Covid-19 reports come out negative. In light of the reduction in Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the Kejriwal government has also delinked tie-ups with hotels, which were to be converted into Covid-19 facilities, in case there is a need for more beds. The total number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi are now at 1,33,310, including 10,770 active cases, 1,18,633 cured/recovered/discharged and 3,907 deaths. In the last 24 hours, Delhi reported a spike of 1,035 cases. The foreign affairs committee of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a legislation for consideration of the full chamber that seeks to set up an exchange programme for Indian and American students to study Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. The Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act was authored by John Lewis, the civil rights leader Democratic member of the House who passed away last week. It had been a long-running project for him. Lewis first introduced the bill in October 2011, two yeas after he led a congressional delegation to India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kings 1959 visit to India.. As the worlds oldest and largest democracies, the United States and India have long traditions of upholding these shared values championed by figures like Gandhi, King, and Congressman Lewis, Ami Bera, the Indian American congressman who co-sponsored the legislation said in a statement. But they are increasingly under threat in both countries. This legislation will help ensure those values endure and remind us that by holding true to them, we embody and live up to the best of our two nations. The bill seeks to authorise the state department to set up, in cooperation with the Indian government, an educational forum for scholars from the two countries focussed on studying Gandhi and King. It also seeks the development of a professional development training initiative on conflict resolution based on the principles of non-violence, and the establishment of a foundation to address social, environmental, and health priorities in India. A hospital technician has been charged with sexually assaulting three patients at two Toronto hospitals. Police say a 46-year-old woman was reported having been sexually assaulted on January 22, 2018. She was a patient at Toronto Western Hospital near Bathurst Street and Dundas Avenue. The second alleged sexual assault took place on September 14, 2018, police say. The patient was a 50-year-old woman at the Humber River Hospital, near Wilson Avenue and Keele Street. A third sexual assault was also reported at Humber River Hospital against a 36-year-old woman. Police allege this incident took place on June 10 this year. Syed Zaki, 48, of Toronto was charged with three counts of sexual assault on Tuesday, Toronto police said. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-1100 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). TY Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Tel Aviv Thu, July 30, 2020 13:08 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a7cab1 2 Art & Culture Israel,Benjamin-Netanyahu,The-Last-Supper Free An Israeli artist mocked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in a re-enactment of "The Last Supper" installed in central Tel Aviv, a day after people protesting against him in the city were beaten and bloodied. Artist Itay Zalait said the piece in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square, featuring a Netanyahu likeness perched over a long dining table and seated in front of a cake, represents "the last meal of Israeli democracy." Netanyahu is "the man who dined his heart (out) when the State of Israel beat a million unemployed people hungry for bread," Zalait told reporters. Protests have grown against the veteran premier over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the devastating economic crisis it has caused. The prime minister has been accused of leading a chaotic virus containment strategy as cases have surged and economically painful initial restrictions have been reimposed. Netanyahu says he has tried to strike a balance between protecting the economy and stemming transmission, a challenge faced by leaders across the world. Crowds of thousands have gathered in Tel Aviv and outside the prime minister's Jerusalem residence in recent weeks, with some demonstrators demanding Netanyahu's resignation. Tuesday's rallies were smaller than previous demonstrations, but the one in Tel Aviv turned violent. According to police and video taken at the scene, anti-Netanyahu protesters were beaten by unidentified individuals. A police investigation has been opened. Responding to images of bloody demonstrators, alternate prime minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz said: "A red line was crossed last night, when citizens exercising their right to protest were attacked." "I insist that the right to demonstrate be protected," added Gantz, Netanyahu's election rival who joined the premier in a centre-right coalition government. "We must not allow the violence to go unanswered." On Twitter, Netanyahu called on police to bring those responsible for the beatings to justice, but also said that threats against him and his family were equally unacceptable. "There is no room for violence for any reason," Netanyahu said. "There is no room for incitement and murder threats - explicit or implicit - against myself and my family, including the shameful threat of crucifixion today in Tel Aviv," he said. His use of the word "crucifixion" appeared to be in reference to the installation piece in Tel Aviv, which was a play on Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" and did not include an image of Netanyahu on a cross. Because of Mr. Flynns prior ties to Russian officials, F.B.I. agents had been scrutinizing him as part of the early stage of the investigation into Russias election meddling and whether any Trump campaign associates had conspired in that interference. But the bureau had decided to close its file on Mr. Flynn when his calls with the ambassador and his lies to his colleagues about them raised a new reason to be suspicious. The F.B.I. decided to question Mr. Flynn about the calls to see what he would say, and on Jan. 24, 2017, as the national security adviser to the newly installed President Trump, Mr. Flynn provided to two agents a false description of his calls. Soon after, Mr. Trump ousted him, saying it was because he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about the calls. The office of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel later appointed to lead the Trump-Russia investigation, eventually struck a deal with Mr. Flynns original legal team under which he would cooperate and plead guilty to one count of making a false statement to resolve his legal liability both for that interview and for failing to register as a paid foreign agent of Turkey in 2016 and then signing forms in 2017 lying about the nature of that work. But over time, Mr. Flynns case started to become a political cause for Mr. Trump and his supporters. Last year, Mr. Flynn changed legal teams and ceased cooperating with the Justice Department, and this year, he sought to withdraw his guilty plea. Mr. Barr then directed prosecutors to ask the judge to dismiss the case rather than sentence him. Mr. Flynns new defense lawyer, Sidney Powell, had privately lobbied Mr. Barr to appoint an outsider to scour the case file for material that could be used to accuse investigators and prosecutors of misconduct, engineering a similar outcome to the departments 2009 dismissal of a corruption case against a senator after his conviction. Mr. Barr did so, and the department has turned over to the defense files showing that the F.B.I. was aggressive when it interviewed him, violating bureaucratic protocol by unilaterally sending agents to talk to him even though there were unresolved deliberations with Justice Department leaders about how to do so and whether to alert the White House counsel. Among other things, the department also disclosed that the F.B.I. had decided to close the inquiry into Mr. Flynn before the issue of his calls and his lies to colleagues about them arose. Because the file was still open, however, the F.B.I. used it to question him. Patna, July 30 : Almost all parties have started preparations for the likely Assembly election in Bihar this year. The Congress, which is facing allegations of neglecting the backward community within the party, is now engaged in balancing the caste equations. Two days ago, the Congress tried to give a message to strengthen the caste matrix through nomination of district presidents. The party tried to appease Muslim voters by nominating Parvez Alam as the president in Bhagalpur district, while in the same district, nominated Abhyanand Jha and Vipin Bihari Yadav as executive president, in a nod to the upper caste and backwards. Similarly, while the responsibility of Sheikhpura district has been given to Sundar Sahni, the leadership of Patna city has been handed over to Sashiranjan Yadav. In addition, the Congress has made Sridhar Tiwari acting president in Bhojpur district, while Satish Kumar is president of Nawada district, and Bengali Paswan have been given the responsibility of acting president. A Congress leader also accepts this, saying on condition of anonymity, "While the Congress has tried to help the upper caste and Muslim communities through the nomination of these leaders, the backward community within the party itself has rebelled and it has also started trying to pacify the voices." Four of these nominated leaders have previously been in the Youth Congress. It is noteworthy that Kailash Pal, who was the state vice-president of the Congress, had resigned from all posts in the Congress Election Campaign Committee meeting in the past, in front of several senior leaders, who accused him of neglecting the backwards in the party. After this, the head of the election campaign committee and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Singh also had to come forward and he said that the Congress respects all communities and will take care of them. Kailash Pal expressed satisfaction over the preference of all the communities in the nomination of the district presidents and said that this is a good initiative. He said, "This is a good start. What else do we want in Congress? We only want social justice in the party. " Don't Call Me 'POC'! Assyrian woman in north Iraq, wearing traditional clothes. 'POC' shouldn't be the umbrella term to stuff non-White people under. It was about two years ago. I was announced on stage by the compAre as a 'WOC comedian'. I was puzzled -- why on earth was I being introduced as a round-bottomed cooking vessel? As it turned out it was my first encounter with the term 'Person (or in my case woman) of Colour'. 'POC', a US import, is a term widely accepted to describe non-White individuals but the phrase has never sat right with me for a number of reasons. False homogeneity What I've often wondered is how can you homogenise so many people with very distinct struggles into one big melting pot of a category? As someone who is British-born but Middle Eastern (not a term I'm fond of either -- but that's another debate for another day), I contended with barrages of the usual stereotypes: 'so how was the trip from Calais?' unoriginal nicknames like 'Jenanistan', and always being rostered to work Christmas and Easter as a junior doctor (sorry to disappoint but not everyone from the Middle East is Muslim). All the while, I'm watching my parents' homeland 'light up like a Christmas tree' as described on the 10 O'clock news. Experiences of someone, say of South Asian, Chinese or Black heritage will all inevitably be different and I cannot claim to know how it feels to be them. Similarly, 'person of colour' fails to acknowledge contrasting accomplishments. Diane Abbott recently reached her 33rd anniversary as an MP in the UK. Many publications chose to refer to her as the first woman of colour elected as an MP. There was certainly no shortage of disquiet from readers of Black heritage as to why she wasn't, specifically, celebrated as the first Black woman MP instead. This is currently all the more poignant given that Covid-19 has been affecting ethnic minority populations disproportionately, with discussions tending to generalize all non-White individuals in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Bottom line. A term such as 'person of colour' can lead to a tendency to overlook key differences, which is not only disrespectful but obstructive to understanding specific challenges and assisting subsequent progress. It's lazy If you asked me how I identified, it would be a mouthful (I am ethnically Assyrian via Iraq and Palestine) which most often requires a TED talk. If I know that someone identifies as specifically White, why shouldn't I expect them to demonstrate the same level of courtesy to me? I have in the past been guilty of resorting to describing myself as 'Middle Eastern' partly to spare myself navigating an awkward question, but also partly to spare the person on the receiving end feeling uncomfortable. 'POC' seems to serve White people a spoonful of the latter. It's a safe, neutral term as opposed to a specific racial descriptor that may risk being deemed inflammatory (I've seen my fair share of negative reactions both off and on stage when I've used words like 'Iraqi' or 'Palestinian'). 'POC' is also in the same league of laziness that justified a boss of mine muddling me and a South Asian colleague repeatedly for a year, despite neither of us looking nor sounding alike, only to comment that we were 'both of colour'. Being from an indigenous ethnic minority group from the Middle East (or BIPOC; a new version of the term I've stumbled across) presents itself with other issues. Threats to Assyrian existence in the Middle East are ever present, whether in the form of ISIS, or increasing pressure to strip identity and re-label us as 'Arab/Kurdish Christians'. Assyrians cannot freely refer to themselves as Assyrian in their own land. The least I owe them and myself is to proudly wear my ethnicity on my sleeve. Emphasis on skin colour Scientifically, 'POC' doesn't make much sense -- aren't we all 'of colour'? We all have melanin; just some more than others. Ethnicity is complex and not dependent on phenotypical skin colour. Genetics tells us colouring is a spectrum that occurs in all races and 'White' in the way we use it is a social construct. My White-passing aunt is no more 'White' than her bronze-skinned sister (my mother), yet based on her appearance she would feel uneasy referring to herself or being accepted as a person of colour. She's excluded by the very term she should technically be classified under. Segregation You're either White or you're 'of colour'. I met a Greek comic in London at a gig showcasing 'comedians of colour'. I thought as a Greek she would've identified as White; after all, aren't Europeans Caucasian? It was interesting to hear that while growing up in North America she felt uncomfortable describing herself as White and experienced persistent 'othering'. This is something I'm seeing more commonly. Rather than there just being a division between White and 'of colour', a further schism has developed between being Western White versus non-Western White -- who have as a result been absorbed under the umbrella of 'POC'. In addition to being simplistic, it encourages more division than connection and leaves the impression that 'Western White' is baseline. A false sense of diversity When I walked into a lecture theatre day one of medical school, it struck me that almost half of my year group was not White. That's pretty standard across UK medical schools now and may make you think it's more than representative of the country's demographics. In a year group of 350 or so students, however, you could count the number of Black students on both hands. When I walked into that same lecture theatre as a faculty member last year you could still count the number of Black students on both hands. At first glance you may think that the setting was diverse, but it was actually far from it. Diversity applicant schemes are especial culprits. Firstly, thanks for pitting us all against each other, and secondly; hiring someone who is 'of colour' doesn't necessarily make your environment diverse, it just massages the audit figures. So what's the alternative? I honestly think there should be no alternative. I had no choice in whether I would like to be called a 'person of colour'. A bunch of (likely) White academics in a stuffy basement office made that decision for me. Not to mention the fact that the term didn't emerge historically for its modern-day purpose. I don't believe that any collective term will ever be satisfactory. All we would be doing is exchanging one problematic label for another. In a world where we increasingly place more emphasis on an individual's personal preferences, perhaps we should sideline 'of colour' and focus more on inquiring how we all uniquely identify. And until 'POC' is officially retired from the lexicon, I'd appreciate if you'd please kindly refrain from calling me the 'P' word. Jenan Younis is a surgeon, stand-up comedian and current winner of the BBC New Voices award PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Baker International, a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services celebrating 80 Years of Making a Difference, continues to strengthen its leadership position in Engineering News-Record 's (ENR) latest industry rankings. The annual survey of the 500 largest U.S.-based design firms ranked Michael Baker in the top six percent (No. 31) for the second consecutive year, while moving up or maintaining its strong position in key practice verticals. "This year's ENR rankings demonstrate how our strategic investments in our business continue to position Michael Baker International for success," said Brian A. Lutes, Chief Executive Officer at Michael Baker International. "As we celebrate our 80th year as a Company, we remain committed to providing expertise, innovation and exceptional service to our clients and the communities we serve." Michael Baker ranked as a top-20 firm in several key business segments, including: Bridge The firm maintained its No. 5 ranking for the third consecutive year while growing overall Bridge business year-over-year. The firm maintained its No. 5 ranking for the third consecutive year while growing overall Bridge business year-over-year. Highways Michael Baker jumped seven places to No. 14 (from No. 21 last year) on the strength of the firm's ongoing work as General Consulting Engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and its pivotal role as the lead designer on the I-10 Corridor Express Lanes project in San Bernardino County, California . jumped seven places to No. 14 (from No. 21 last year) on the strength of the firm's ongoing work as General Consulting Engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and its pivotal role as the lead designer on the I-10 Corridor Express Lanes project in . Water Transmission Lines and Aqueducts Michael Baker's growth in this area helped the firm climb two spots to No. 8 (from No. 10 last year), further evidence of its leadership in Water. These latest rankings follow previous ENR rankings announced earlier this year where Michael Baker maintained strong positions in Transportation (No. 12), Water (No. 11) and Pure Design (No. 17). Michael Baker also moved up or maintained its ranking in Environmental Site Assessment and Compliance (No. 14, after not being ranked the previous year), Petroleum Pipelines (No. 18, an improvement of five places), Mass Transit and Rail (No. 22 for the third consecutive year) and Hazardous Waste (rising four places to No. 41). About Michael Baker International Michael Baker International, celebrating 80 Years of Making a Difference, is a leading provider of engineering and consulting services, including design, planning, architectural, environmental, construction and program management. The company provides its comprehensive range of services and solutions to support U.S. federal, state, and municipal governments, foreign allied governments, and a wide range of commercial clients. Michael Baker's more than 3,000 employees across nearly 100 locations are committed to a culture of innovation, collaboration and technological advancement to help solve challenges for clients and communities throughout the country. To learn more, visit www.mbakerintl.com. Contact: Julia Covelli [email protected] (866) 293-4609 SOURCE Michael Baker International Related Links http://www.mbakerintl.com Ghislaine Maxwell's attempt to stall the upcoming release of unsealed documents in a defamation case has failed. Judge Loretta Preska ordered the parties to 'proceed with unsealing the relevant materials,' rejecting Maxwell's new bid where she claimed the proposed redactions would still identify 'non-parties, including alleged victims'. 'The Court is troubled - but not surprised - that Ms. Maxwell has yet again sought to muddy the waters as the clock ticks closer to midnight,' the judge said. Judge Loretta Preska ruled that bombshell depositions would remain secret until at least next week after her legal team filed a last-minute appeal on Wednesday night. The documents, which contain hundreds of pages of potentially-incriminating testimony she gave to investigators as part of Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre's 2015 defamation case against her, were due to be released today. Maxwell's lawyers claim the documents still identify non-parties and other alleged victims, noting they will file their new proposed redactions at some point today. Ghislaine Maxwell has once again attempted to stall the upcoming release of unsealed documents in a defamation case, claiming the proposed redactions would still identify 'non-parties, including alleged victims' Judge Loretta Preska, who had initially ruled the documents must be unsealed today, agreed to keep them hidden until at least Monday while an appeal is filed to a different court Maxwell's attorney Laura Menninger says the proposed redactions by Giuffre's legal team contains 'errors which reveal the names of Nonparties, including alleged victims. For example, in [redacted] plaintiff proposes redacting the name of alleged victims in some places but not in others.' She adds: 'Both of these two alleged victims are represented by counsel and sought confidentiality for their depositions; neither has yet been afforded notice or an opportunity to be heard with respect to this unsealing. Plaintiff's error will result in their never having the opportunity to be heard.' Maxwell's lawyers also argue that in some instances, the names of non-parties - although redacted - would lead the person to be 'easily' identified due to the details given about them. Menninger writes: 'By way of example, plaintiff proposes redacting the name of an alleged victim of Mr. Epstein but includes all of the rest of the 'specific conduct' that would lead to the identity of the person (again, who requested confidentiality in the discovery process) to be easily ascertained by the media.' Giuffre's lawyer Sigrid McCawley quickly responded to the request, telling Judge Preska she still hadn't received Maxwell's unredacted letter, meaning she and her team can't see the redaction objections to their proposed redactions. On Wednesday, Maxwell's lawyers filed a last-minute appeal asking for Maxwell and Jane Doe's depositions remain sealed until at least Monday while they appeal to a Second District court in a last-ditch attempt to keep them under lock and key. Judge Loretta Preska, who sits as part of the Southern District, agreed to the request - but warned Maxwell's attorneys they are going over 'plowed ground', the New York Post reported. Maxwell's lawyers argued the depositions were confidential and under a protective order, and federal prosecutors in her sex trafficking case wrongfully got a hold of the documents and used them to form some of the charges against her. Maxwell's lawyers argued the depositions were confidential and under a protective order, and federal prosecutors in her sex trafficking case wrongfully got a hold of the documents and used them to form some of the charges against her Epstein victims are fearful that sex tapes and photographs featuring them being abused could be described as part of the unsealed evidence and eventually shown in court during Maxwell's criminal trial, DailyMail.com can disclose. Pictured: Epstein survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre They claim Maxwell was set up for a 'perjury trap', alleging Giuffre was 'privy to and participating in an ongoing criminal investigation' in 2015 and 2016 where Maxwell was a 'person of interest' in that case. Maxwell's attorney Ty Gee wrote that despite a court order that prevented Giuffre from handing over the deposition to law enforcement, the transcript was still leaked to New York prosecutors. Meanwhile, Epstein victims are fearful that sex tapes and photos featuring them being abused could be described as part of the unsealed evidence and eventually shown in court during Maxwell's criminal trial, DailyMail.com can disclose. High profile attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents six Epstein victims, says her clients are 'very concerned' and she hopes prosecutors will notify victims first if any footage of them is to be used in court. Another attorney, Florida based lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who also reps six Epstein victims, said his clients are 'incredibly embarrassed and upset' that footage could be aired in a courtroom. 'Any active prosecution that may involve video tapes or the fear of video tapes being utilized by the prosecution is going to bring about anxiety to my clients,' he said. 'Having said that my clients would want Ghislaine Maxwell to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, as well as any co-conspirators.' Of the six young women Kuvin reps in the Epstein case two were involved in the original case against the now deceased billionaire financier in 2007/2008. One of these women was in the probable cause affidavit, Kuvin says. High profile attorney Lisa Bloom, who represents six Epstein victims, says her clients are 'very concerned' about the footage The upcoming release of the unsealed documents could include details about Maxwell's sex life that her lawyers have previously tried to stop from being released, relating to a seven-hour, 418-page deposition Maxwell gave, which her legal team said was 'extremely personal, confidential'. They will also include communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 when Roberts made explosive allegations about them in court papers. In the papers Roberts claimed she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was just 17 at Epstein's command. The case ruled on last Thursday was originally brought by Roberts, now a 36-year-old mother-of-three who lives in Australia and goes by her married name Virginia Giuffre. She sued Maxwell in 2015 for defamation because Maxwell accused her of lying. Roberts said in court filings that Maxwell recruited her and other girls into a sex trafficking ring for 'politically connected and financially powerful people'. The case was settled in 2017 for an undisclosed sum but media organizations sued for documents in the case to be made public. During last week's hearing at Manhattan's federal court, Judge Preska said Maxwell's right to privacy was outweighed by the need for the documents to become public. The upcoming release of the unsealed documents could include details about Maxwell's sex life that her lawyers have previously tried to stop from being released, relating to a seven-hour, 418-page deposition Maxwell gave, which her legal team said was 'extremely personal, confidential' She went through the dozens of documents, which included Giuffre's depositions and various dull-sounding legal papers. The contents however could be explosive and may contain fresh evidence against the wealthy elite who socialized with Epstein. The lawsuit to release the documents was originally filed by the Miami Herald and their reporter Julie Brown, whose series on Epstein called 'Perversion of Justice' in 2018 put renewed focus on the case and led to his arrest last July. As a result there are thousands of pages of documents which are being released on a rolling basis. Each time a person's name comes up they are notified and given the chance to make objections to their name becoming public. There were two John Does in this latest batch but they did not make any complaints when approached to make any comments, according to court filings. The Second Circuit had already ordered 2,000 pages of documents to be made public and they were released last August, the day before Epstein killed himself. The documents included the unpublished manuscript of a memoir from Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts which detailed her years of abuse by him. The documents will also include communications between Maxwell and Epstein from January 2015 when Virginia Roberts made explosive allegations about them in court papers. In the papers Roberts claimed that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew (pictured together) three times when she was 17 at Epstein's command There were depositions from Epstein's pilots, his former associates and flight logs showing him traveling the globe with his victims and famous people such as Bill Clinton. Among those who have taken an interest in the defamation case are lawyers for a 'John Doe' who appears to be somebody who will be featured in the documents. His identity is unclear but the powerful men who have been accused of involvement with Epstein include former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barack. On Monday, Maxwell's legal team fought to have any incriminating nude photos and sexualized videos of Maxwell marked 'highly confidential' in her sex trafficking trial. Prosecutors and Maxwell's lawyers are currently hammering out an agreement on how sensitive documents in the high-profile case should be handled before they hand over to each other the evidence they plan to use at trial. The reference to videos appears in a proposed version of the agreement lodged by Maxwell's lawyers. The proposed order says any 'Highly Confidential Information' either side plans to use in the case remains sealed and can only be viewed behind closed doors with lawyers present. 'Highly Confidential Information contains nude, partially-nude, or otherwise sexualized images, videos, or other depictions of individuals,' the court documents said. The wording of the legal filing raises the prospect that the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York could be sitting on explicit photos and videos for their explosive case against Maxwell, the alleged madam to late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 16:07:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGSHA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China has developed a high-power electric locomotive, marking a major breakthrough in the country's railway technology. On Wednesday, an electric locomotive with a single-unit power of 28,800 kW and a traction force of 2,280 kN rolled off the production line of CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. The locomotive was jointly developed by CRRC Zhuzhou and China Energy Investment Corporation. It is composed of six sections and is 106 meters long. Dubbed "Shen-24", the locomotive has a maximum speed of 120 kph and can pull a 10,000-ton freight train on a 1.2 percent slope. Merely increasing the number of power units can not achieve ultra-high power and ultra-high traction in locomotives, said Liu Youmei, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, adding that it requires a comprehensive innovation of the system. The locomotive is not only more powerful but also smarter, safer and more environmental-friendly than previous models, said Wang Wei, a manager with CRRC Zhuzhou. After delivery, the locomotive will run on Shenmu-Shuozhou Railway in coal-rich provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi. The railway is one of the main energy-transportation arteries in the country. Enditem India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent Chinese claims in Bhutan, incursion in India are indicative of their intentions: Pompeo International pti-PTI Washington, July 30: China''s territorial claims in Bhutan and the recent incursion into Indian land are indicative of their intentions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding that Beijing under Preisdent Xi Jinping was trying to find out whether other countries are going to push back. Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated last month following the Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead. China warns India against review of One China Policy China recently staked claim over the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council and opposed funding to the project. "I think the actions are entirely consistent with what they have been signalling to the world for decades you might even argue since 1989 but certainly since General Secretary Xi (Jinping) came to power," Pompeo told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing on Thursday. Priyanka Gandhi moves out of Lodhi estate bungalow before Centre's deadline | Oneindia News The secretary of state said China has the desire to expand its power and reach. "They talk about bringing socialism with Chinese characteristics to the world. Claims that they have now made for real estate in Bhutan, the incursion that took place in India, these are indicative of Chinese intentions, and they are testing, they are probing the world to see if we are going to stand up to their threats and their bullying," Pompeo said. "I am more confident than I was even a year ago that the world is prepared to do that. There''s a lot more work to do, and we need to be serious about it," said the top American diplomat. In his testimony, Pompeo told lawmakers that India has banned 106 Chinese applications that threatened its citizens'' privacy and security. "Our diplomatic efforts are working and momentum is building to mitigate the threats that the Chinese Communist Party presents. All 10 ASEAN nations have insisted that the South China Sea disputes be settled on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). Japan led the G-7''s condemnation of China''s national security law targeting Hong Kong," he said. China not strategic threat to India: Chinese Ambassador The European Union condemned the law too and also declared China a systemic rival to us, he said. At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Secretary General Stoltenberg has called to make China a greater part of that alliance''s focus. We led a multilateral effort to ensure that the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation elected a director from a country that cared about intellectual property, the secretary of state said. "Our QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) -- the United States, Australia, India, and Japan -- has been reinvigorated. We''ve worked hard at this. Our diplomats have done wonderful work. I''m very proud of the progress we are making. In addition to these multilateral efforts, Department of Justice is cracking down on Chinese intellectual property threats," he said. The United States has sanctioned Chinese leaders for their treatment of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang province, imposed export controls on companies that supported, and warned US businesses against using slave labour in their supply chains, he said. The US has terminated special treatment agreements with Hong Kong in response to the CCP''s actions to deny freedom to the people of Hong Kong. "We closed our consulate in Houston because it was a den of spies," he said. Many Manitoba livestock farmers dont have enough food for their animals this fall and winter, so provincial farm groups are asking producers with extra straw, hay or alternative feed to sell their goods online. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Many Manitoba livestock farmers dont have enough food for their animals this fall and winter, so provincial farm groups are asking producers with extra straw, hay or alternative feed to sell their goods online. Manitoba Beef Producers, Keystone Agricultural Producers and Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association released a joint call to action Wednesday for farmers to come together to ensure livestock get fed. "Due to the impact of the last number of years, a lot of producers really are going into this year fairly, almost depleted in their feed stocks," said Carson Callum, general manager of Manitoba Beef Producers. Droughts and flooding in the past few years have disrupted the hay crop, Callum said. This summer has been better for timely rainfalls, but it hasnt been enough to reverse the built-up damage, he said. "Its a delicate balance," Callum said. "Theres a sweet spot that you need to have throughout the summer months to be able to grow proper crops. We can never control that." Its hard to know how many farmers are short on feed because conditions vary across the province, Callum said. Cattle farmers are affected, as are other livestock farmers whose animals feed on forage, like sheep and goats. "We just want to ensure that folks in the agriculture sector are supporting each other," Callum said. "If a crop producer has the ability to sell his perhaps damaged crop, or even put straw down and provide it to livestock producers, we really hope to see that." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Crop producers benefit by making money on the hay or straw they sell, Callum said. If livestock farmers dont have enough food for their animals in the fall, they may have to sell some of their stock. Fluctuations in weather that lead to feed shortages are nothing new, and its up to producers to help each other during hard times, Callum said. There are a number of ways producers can buy or sell straw, hay and alternative feed. The provincial government has a hay listing service on its website. Theres an option to specify location and whether the feed should be organic or weed-free. Facebook groups such as "Manitoba Hay And Feed For Buy/sell" and "Hay/Feed For Sale in Saskatchewan, Alberta & Manitoba" are updated frequently with people selling goods. Sometimes websites, including Kijiji and eBrandon, have listings for hay and straw. Producers can get information on how to source feed by contacting Manitoba Agriculture at 1-844-769-6224 or visiting one of its 30 offices. The website hayexchange.com also has hay listings in Canada and the United States. gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca (Newser) Some call it a floating city, a flotilla of 260 mostly Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos archipelago that is stirring diplomatic tension and raising worries about the threat to sharks, manta rays, and other vulnerable species in waters around the UNESCO world heritage site, per the AP. Yet the vast fleet is in international waters, outside a maritime border around the Galapagos and also outside coastal waters off Ecuador, which controls the archipelago. That means the fleet, one of the biggest seen in years off South America's Pacific coast, is likely to fish with minimal monitoring until its holds are full. The Chinese fleet is very close" to the edge of the exclusive economic zone around the Galapagos, which extends 200 nautical miles from the archipelago, said its governor, Norman Wray. story continues below He said that, because of overfishing in recent years, what we're seeing is that each time fewer species return to the Galapagos." Luis Villanueva, an officer with the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project, said Thursday that it was possible, though unproven, that long fishing lines from the Chinese vessels could be drifting into the exclusive economic zone. The US National Security Council tweeted that the US stands with Ecuador against any aggression directed toward their economic and environmental sovereignty. China maintains it is a responsible fishing nation" that respects Ecuador's measures to protect the environment and preserve marine resources. Despite the Chinese statement, Ecuador has expressed concern through diplomatic channels, and its navy is on alert for any incursion into Ecuadorian waters. (Read more Galapagos Islands stories.) The outbreak at Bradley, which plans to offer face-to-face classes next semester, is the latest sign of the challenges universities will face in trying to manage the pandemic on campus. Student athletes who returned to colleges earlier than their peers this summer are already testing positive at various schools, including at Illinois State University. Realizing the risks of increased spread, some colleges are exclusively offering online classes and limiting the number of students in residence halls. With just over a month before students are slated to resume classes, several trustees at Hamiltons Catholic school board are raising questions about whether masks should be made mandatory if students return to the classroom in September. The general consensus has been that, in situations where you cant support physical distancing, you should wear masks, said John Valvasori, trustee for Wards 8 and 14 of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB), at Tuesdays board meeting. The concerns were raised in light of the most recent plan for reopening Catholic schools in Hamilton, which consists of the most up-to-date information on the boards approach to returning to school in September. Similar to the plan issued by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), the Catholic school board is considering three scenarios for reopening: a complete return to school with enhanced health and safety protocols for students, a modified school day with small cohorts of students attending alternating school days, and a fully-online model that keeps students away from schools while taking classes through e-learning programs. The plan remains subject to approval by the Ministry of Education, however, and the ministry has yet to announce which scenario Ontario schools will follow. The province is expected to make a decision on which scenario schools will follow this week. HWCDSB staff presented a report to trustees at Tuesdays meeting outlining how the school board will accommodate and plan for each scenario, including the installation of water-hydration stations for students and making personal protective equipment, like hand sanitizer and gloves, available to staff and students. The report was created in consultation with Hamilton Public Health and with guidance from Ontarios Ministry of Education. Absent from the report, however, is guidance on whether students will be required to wear masks while in school, assuming the province determines that students should be physically present in classrooms. While each staff member, as well as bus drivers, will be provided with masks, students will not be. Were giving them to staff, I think we should be giving them to students, too, said Valvasori. Phil Homerski, trustee of Wards 12 and 13, suggested that the school board ask the province to consider making masks mandatory for students, especially those in larger secondary schools where physical distancing may be more difficult to manage. The board says its waiting on the ministry of education to provide guidance on mask-wearing policies. Hamilton schools are exempt from municipal bylaws that require masks to be worn indoors in local businesses and institutions because the city does not have jurisdiction over schools. The province, meanwhile, has jurisdiction over rules and regulations enforced in Ontario schools. Board staff also presented a survey to trustees that was conducted prior to the meeting, asking parents whose children were enrolled in Hamilton Catholic schools to indicate their comfort levels with various scenarios. According to the survey, the majority of parents who responded were comfortable with their children returning to school. Most parents also indicated concerns about managing their children if they are required to stay home, said David Hansen, HWCDSBs director of education. Its going to be a challenge for parents to maintain employment and work out how children are cared for, said Hansen. We know thats created a very large concern for a number of parents. #COVID19 UPDATE: New Jersey has 261 new positive cases of COVID-19, pushing our cumulative total to 180,970. Sadly, we must report an additional confirmed 16 COVID-19 deaths, pushing our total to 13,934 lives lost. Learn more: https://t.co/JW1q8awGh7. Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 30, 2020 Gov. Phil Murphy announced 16 new coronavirus deaths and 261 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours on Thursday as the rate of transmission of the virus remains above 1, a key benchmark in determining the spread of the disease. The latest update brings the death toll to 15,809 known and probable deaths and 180,970 total confirmed positive tests since the outbreak began nearly five months ago. That includes 13,934 lab-confirmed deaths and 1,875 probable fatalities. The state hit a one-day high in deaths, 468, on April 30 and a one-day high in new cases, 4,305, on April 3. The rate of transmission reported Thursday remained steady at 1.14, above the key benchmark of 1. That means that each new case is leading to more than one additional infection and the virus is spreading. The rate of transmission had been below 1 for weeks during the strictest parts of New Jerseys coronavirus lockdowns, but has wavered above and below 1 in July as more reopening steps have occurred. Murphy has said the increase above 1 is cause for concern. COUNTY-BY-COUNTY NUMBERS Atlantic County: 3,331 cases (12 new), 235 confirmed deaths (15 probable) Bergen County: 20,412 cases (25 new), 1,785 confirmed deaths (255 probable) Burlington County: 5,732 cases (14 new), 429 confirmed deaths (40 probable) Camden County: 8,240 cases (19 new), 516 confirmed deaths (55 probable) Cape May County: 803 cases (1 new), 81 confirmed deaths (5 probable) Cumberland County: 3,184 cases (7 new), 144 confirmed deaths (13 probable) Essex County: 19,441 cases (18 new), 1,857 confirmed deaths (243 probable) Gloucester County: 3,031 cases (14 new), 199 confirmed deaths (7 probable) Hudson County: 19,434 cases (6 new), 1,330 confirmed deaths (169 probable) Hunterdon County: 1,125 cases (0 new), 70 confirmed deaths (56 probable) Mercer County: 8,000 cases (14 new), 571 confirmed deaths (41 probable) Middlesex County: 17,626 cases (20 new), 1,197 confirmed deaths (206 probable) Monmouth County: 10,004 cases (21 new), 758 confirmed deaths (100 probable) Morris County: 7,109 cases (7 new), 677 confirmed deaths (151 probable) Ocean County: 10,356 cases (27 new), 946 confirmed deaths (68 probable) Passaic County: 17,384 cases (18 new), 1,091 confirmed deaths (151 probable) Salem County: 867 cases (1 new), 78 confirmed deaths (5 probable) Somerset County: 5,170 cases (8 new), 481 confirmed deaths (73 probable) Sussex County: 1,293 cases (2 new), 158 confirmed deaths (37 probable) Union County: 16,456 cases (21 new), 1,175 confirmed deaths (171 probable) Warren County: 1,326 cases (0 new), 157 confirmed deaths (14 probable) CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage Hospitalizations leveled off Wednesday after climbing for three days. There were 759 people hospitalized, according to state data. Of them, 123 people were being treated in critical or intensive care, including 51 people on ventilators. Murphy said Wednesday health officials are blaming indoor house parties for fueling a spike in positive test results. The governor said the dangers of indoor gatherings is the reason his administration has hit pause on things like reopening indoor dining. Over the past four days, we have reported roughly 2,000 new positive coronavirus test results. We are now back, plus or minus, to where we were roughly a month ago in the daily numbers of new cases, Murphy said during his briefing Wednesday. The state health commissioner, meanwhile, said the number of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who tested positive for COVID-19 has jumped 12% in April and 22% in June to up to 33% this month. The concern is younger people, who may not get hit as hard by the virus, will pass COVID-19 along to more vulnerable members of their family and community. The largest percentage of people who tested positive were ages 30 to 49 years old, with 56,731 or 31.6%, according to state data from the beginning of the week. Residents 50 to 64 years old were the second highest, with 49,579 or 27.6%, then 65-79 years old, with 25,146 or 14% and 18-29, with 25,138 or 14%. Nearly 10% of people tested were 80 or older (17,771) and only 2.3% of positive cases were between the ages of five and 17, and only 928 people up to age four tested positive, according to the data. The outbreak has been disproportionately deadly for older people. There have been 6,565 lab-confirmed COVID-19 deaths of people who were 80 or older, according to state data. There were 4,468 deaths of people ages 65 to 79, and 2,202 ages 50 to 64. According to the data, 592 people ages 30 to 49 died; 55 people ages 18 to 29, and two people in the state younger than 4 years old. As of early Thursday, there have been more than 17 million positive tests for COVID-19 across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. Of those, more than 668,000 have died and nearly 10 million have recovered, including more than 32,300 in New Jersey. There have been more than 151,000 deaths in the United States, by far the most in the world. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. A post on Mr Cains Twitter account announced the death. Mr Cain, a former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of US President Donald Trump, had been ill with Covid-19 for several weeks. It is not clear when or where he was infected, but Mr Cain was admitted to hospital less than two weeks after attending Mr Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June. Mr Cain had been co-chairman of Black Voices for Trump. We knew when he was first hospitalised with Covid-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, read an article posted on the Twitter account. He had trouble breathing and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We all prayed that the initial meds they gave him would get his breathing back to normal, but it became clear pretty quickly that he was in for a battle. Advertisement You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal... #HermanCain https://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz The Cain Gang (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020 Mr Cain, who had hoped to become the first black man to win the Republican nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Mr Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the Internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed then-president Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Mr Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Mr Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Mr Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Advertisement Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Mr Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after they had had dinner in Washington. Ms Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Mr Cain seeking job advice. Mr Cain said he could not remember Ms Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone. Polls in the weeks afterwards showed Mr Cains popularity had slipped considerably. Mr Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and life story to many Tea Party supporters and other conservatives. But he repeatedly fumbled under the scrutiny that follows a front-runner for the presidency. He gave a rambling response when asked by the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel whether he supported or opposed Mr Obamas policies in Libya. The videotaped interview went viral on the internet. Herman Cain embodied the American Dream and represented the very best of the American spirit. Our hearts grieve for his loved ones, and they will remain in our prayers at this time. We will never forget his legacy of grace, patriotism, and faith. Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) July 30, 2020 Mr Cains run for the presidency was unlikely, considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, he joked that his family was so poor it was po. His father worked three jobs as a caretaker, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the US Navy. Mr Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. Damn, with a resume like that, he must be a shoo-in to win prom king at the next Ku Klux Kotillian, especially considering the implications behind his Autozone vandalism. According to a search warrant affidavit written by Sgt. Erika Christensen: Continue Reading Below Advertisement "This was the first fire that set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of the city. Until the actions of the person your affiant has been calling 'Umbrella Man,' the protests had been relatively peaceful. The actions of this person created an atmosphere of hostility and tension. Your affiant believes that this individual's sole aim was to incite violence." So it turns out that Umbrella Man was an agent provocateur, a guy pretending to be a part of the protests and then looking to escalate violence from the inside. It's a sound strategy if you're a white supremacist shitbag since the media or the Government is more freely able to dismiss the cause of a movement when they can point to instances of violence and vandalism within that movement. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Now, we can discuss all day if the George Floyd protests would or wouldn't have escalated into riots without the aid of Umbrella Man, but certainly his presence at these protests, and the presence of others like him is a disturbing trend. Over the weekend, for example, peaceful demonstrations in Richmond, Virginia turned violent due to infiltration from White supremacists. Said Mayor Levar Stoney, in a news conference: New Delhi: Leaders in India expressed grief over the death of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Castro whom he described as one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century and a "good friend" of India. "I extend my deepest condolences to the government and people of Cuba on the sad demise of Fidel Castro. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted. Fidel Castro was one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2016 I extend my deepest condolences to the Government & people of Cuba on the sad demise of Fidel Castro. May his soul rest in peace. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 26, 2016 "Fidel Castro will remain a legend and a source of inspiration. The world will miss him," ANI quoted CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury as saying. Read | Fidel Castro: The Cuban guerrilla revolutionary who defied US for 50 years Yechury told reporters that he had fortune of meeting Castro 3-4 times. DMK president M Karunanidhi too paid rich tributes to departed Cuban revolutionary icon, hailing him as a 'lion cub' who grew to lead a rebellion in the South American country. "A lion cub who grew to become a respected revolutionary leader in a small country, Fidel Castro is one of the greatest leaders I can never forget," he said in a statement. Read | 'I am not a dictator. I will not maintain power with a machine gun': Here are 15 memorable quotes by Fidel Castro For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Starting Thursday afternoon, state troopers will be stationed outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland wearing their standard police uniforms and iconic campaign-style hats -- not riot or tactical gear. Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton said he wants his troopers to present an Officer Friendly look around the courthouse, which he hopes will set a new tone for the night ahead as Portlands demonstrations against police brutality enter their 64th straight night. WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- String Real Estate Information Services ("String"), the leading provider of title search, production and curative solutions, announced today the expansion and restructuring of their U.S. operations team. Amongst the additions is Brian Ferrito, who joins the firm as Vice President of Title Operations, transitioning from String's parent company, SitusAMC. Reporting to Director of Operations, Gokul Venkat, Brian will be managing String's newly structured onshore team, focusing on overall project management and customer satisfaction for secondary market title support. Brian, who previously served as Vice President of Operations at SitusAMC, brings over 20 years' experience in the residential mortgage and banking industry to the firm. "String has built a strong reputation as a leader in the title industry with a broad and innovative offering. I look forward to working with the talented team to support our client's secondary market title needs." - Brian Ferrito, Vice President, Title Operations With the expansion of U.S. Operations team, Kathryn Magee has been named Assistant Vice President of Title Operations, reporting directly to Brian. In her new position, Kathryn will be managing the title abstractor network and will also be supporting String's India team with title search quality. Kathryn also transitioned to String from SitusAMC, where she served as Assistant Vice President of Operations. "I'm thrilled to welcome Brian and Kathryn to String and I look forward to supporting their work to expand our firm's operational capabilities," said Prashant Kothari, Managing Director of String. Brian and Kathryn assumed their new roles on July 7th. About String Real Estate Information Services String (www.stringinfo.com) is the leading solutions provider to the title industry with 16 years' of specialized experience. String's mission is to help title agents build better, more efficient and cost-effective businesses by helping them lower costs, increase margins and improve operational efficiencies. String offers title search, production and curative services for a variety of secondary market players. String has won several accolades including the Smart CEO Future 50 Award, the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in the US & the MAP Vital factors Solutions Award. Contact For more information, please visit www.StringInfo.com or connect with one of our experts at [email protected]. SOURCE String Real Estate Related Links http://www.StringInfo.com Fort Polk, LA (71446) Today Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 73F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Showers and thundershowers during the evening giving way to periods of light rain overnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 36F. W winds shifting to N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Sources at the private hospital where Mitra was admitted to said he died due to heart and age-related ailments. "He was admitted to the hospital a few days back after his creatinine level was found to be high during a routine check-up. He was a patient of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and also had other age-related ailments," a senior official of the hospital said. Mitra passed away around 1.30 am following a cardiac arrest, the hospital sources said, ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Tarik Zeid has a passion for produce. The 21-year-old son of Food Fare owner Munther Zeid has channelled his love of all things fruit and veg into a new weekend farmers market outside the family grocery store at Portage Avenue and Mount Royal Road. "I like the farmers market feel because when I was younger we used to go to St. Norbert a lot and I just remember loving that, so its kind of my own twist on that," he says. "Youll find me there every hour its open... its my baby." The market pops up in the parking lot of 2285 Portage Ave. Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and features produce from local farms, as well as fruits imported from British Columbia and the United States. I believe its every parents dream and wish for their child to work in the family business with them, but at the same time retail is very tough and theres a lot of sacrifice required." Food Fare owner Munther Zeid The idea for a Food Fare farmers market came from a previous attempt in 1995, soon after the Zeid family purchased the Winnipeg grocery chain. The Maryland location held an outdoor market for one weekend that summer and while the event was a hit, the venture didnt last. "I was talking to Tarik about it and then he had started doing some research and pitched me on trying it outside the store and I said, Sure, go ahead," Munther says. "Weve been almost a month now and its been a great success." Munther works with many of his kids, nieces and nephews and hes happy to see Tarik taking his own initiative within the family business. "Im very proud," he says. "I believe its every parents dream and wish for their child to work in the family business with them, but at the same time retail is very tough and theres a lot of sacrifice required. JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Tarik started helping out in the stores in Grade 6 and has graduated from shelf-stocker to grocery boy to produce manager over the last decade. "Ive pushed him to go to university and once he gets his degree, if he still wants to be in retail thats fine with me." Tarik started helping out in the stores in Grade 6 and has graduated from shelf-stocker to "grocery boy" to produce manager over the last decade. "The main thing for me is serving customers," he says. "Everything is produce for me, so if theyre looking for a Manitoba new potato and you have it and they couldnt find it anywhere it makes their whole week." Hes pursuing a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of Manitobas Asper School of Business, but the Food Fare vegetable aisle is never far from his mind. Ill be in class looking at all the different produce its what interests me. Tarik Zeid "Ill be in class looking at all the different produce its what interests me," he says, adding that the market has been a chance to put what hes learned at school into practice. Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Its cool, its kind of like running my own business within a business, so its a really good learning experience." The St. James market fills a gap for neighbourhoods on the west side of Winnipeg, which would normally be served by the farmers market at the Red River Ex grounds during the summer. Unlike other markets, where farmers are required to attend to their own booths, Food Fare buys produce directly from farms and handles staffing and selling. "A lot of the farmers we do deal with prefer it that way just because they sell it and they dont have to worry about a whole day of selling and if people are going to show up," Tarik says. "Theyre just dropping it off and its faster for them and they can spend their time doing other things." The market has grown from two to seven local farmers over the last month and Tarik is looking for more Manitoba producers to partner with. The goal is to run the market through the fall for as long as the weather allows and he hopes to do it all again next year. eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @evawasney TULSA, Okla., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) today reported net income of $133.8 million for second quarter 2020 compared to $253.7 million for second quarter 2019. The decrease in second-quarter 2020 net income was primarily driven by reduced demand for refined products due to travel and economic restrictions related to COVID-19 and the negative impact of the lower commodity price environment on various aspects of the partnership's business. Diluted net income per common unit was 59 cents in second quarter 2020 and $1.11 in second quarter 2019. Diluted net income per unit excluding mark-to-market (MTM) commodity-related pricing adjustments, a non-generally accepted accounting principles (non-GAAP) financial measure, of 65 cents for second quarter 2020 was higher than the range of 35 cents to 50 cents previously provided by management in early May. Actual results benefited from additional product overages, higher-than-expected commodity prices and lower operating expenses, which more than offset the $12.9 million, or 6-cent per unit, prepayment costs associated with the early extinguishment of the partnership's notes due Feb. 2021 that had not been assumed in the previous guidance. Other results, including refined products and crude oil pipeline volumes, generally trended in line with the partnership's expectations for the quarter. Distributable cash flow (DCF), a non-GAAP financial measure that represents the amount of cash generated during the period that is available to pay distributions, was $209.5 million for second quarter 2020 compared to $314.8 million for second quarter 2019. "Magellan delivered results against the backdrop of a challenging environment for our industry and our nation that exceeded our expectations for the quarter," said Michael Mears, chief executive officer. "Our resilient business model and strong financial position allow us to confidently manage through current challenges while remaining focused on executing our long-term strategy to maximize value for Magellan's investors." Beginning in first quarter 2020, the partnership reorganized its reporting segments to reflect changes to its business in conjunction with the sale of three of its marine terminals during March 2020. Historical financial results have been restated to conform to the new segment presentation. An analysis by segment comparing second quarter 2020 to second quarter 2019 is provided below based on operating margin, a non-GAAP financial measure that reflects operating profit before depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and general and administrative (G&A) expense: Refined products. Refined products operating margin was $171.4 million, a decrease of $79.6 million. Transportation and terminals revenue decreased $67.9 million primarily due to lower demand during second quarter 2020 associated with travel and economic restrictions related to COVID-19 and reduced drilling activity in response to the lower commodity price environment. Revenues also decreased due to the sale of three marine terminals in first quarter 2020 and discontinuation of the ammonia pipeline in late 2019. These declines were partially offset by an increase in the average tariff rate in the current period as a result of the 2019 mid-year adjustment of 4.3% as well as contributions from the recently-constructed East Houston-to-Hearne pipeline segment that became operational in late 2019. Operating expenses decreased $29.4 million primarily due to the timing of planned integrity spending and more favorable product overages (which reduce operating expenses) as well as no costs in the current period associated with the sold or discontinued assets. Earnings of non-controlled entities increased by $7.5 million due to additional earnings related to the recent start-up of newly-constructed storage and dock assets at the partnership's Pasadena joint venture marine terminal as well as lower unrealized losses recognized in the current period on futures contracts used to hedge commodity-related activities at its Powder Springs Logistics joint venture. Product margin (a non-GAAP measure defined as product sales revenue less cost of product sales) decreased $47.7 million between periods due to the recognition of higher unrealized losses in the 2020 period on futures contracts used to economically hedge the partnership's commodity-related activities as well as lower gas liquids sales volumes as a result of lower economic blending opportunities and the impact of lower commodity prices on the partnership's other commodity-related activities. Crude oil. Crude oil operating margin was $128.3 million, a decrease of $34.9 million. Transportation and terminals revenue decreased $26.5 million primarily due to lower transportation revenue on the partnership's Longhorn pipeline as a result of less third-party spot shipments because of unfavorable differentials between the Permian Basin and Houston as well as the recent assignment of a customer contract to Magellan's marketing affiliate, with the related marketing activity recognized as product margin instead of transportation revenue. Lower tariff volume on Magellan's Houston distribution system resulted primarily from a change in the way customers now contract for services at the partnership's Seabrook joint venture export facility, and was offset by incremental revenue from the related new terminal transfer fee as well as by more contract storage utilized at higher rates. Operating expenses increased $7.2 million due to the timing of planned integrity spending, and other operating income was $9.8 million favorable primarily due to unrealized gains on a basis derivative agreement during the current period compared to losses in the 2019 quarter. Earnings of non-controlled entities declined $14.6 million between periods primarily due to decreased spot volumes on the BridgeTex pipeline and lower contribution from the Saddlehorn pipeline following Magellan's sale of a 10% interest in Feb. 2020. Product margin increased slightly as a result of crude oil marketing activities conducted to facilitate intrastate shipments during the current period. Other items. Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense decreased slightly between periods following the recently sold assets, and G&A expense decreased $10.2 million primarily due to lower incentive compensation accruals. Gain on disposition of assets was $4.6 million unfavorable due to the 2019 period benefiting from the sale of an inactive terminal along the partnership's refined products pipeline system. Net interest expense increased $18.9 million due to a $12.9 million debt prepayment cost during the current period and higher average outstanding borrowings, primarily as a result of borrowings made to fund the partnership's recent expansion capital projects. As of June 30, 2020, Magellan had $4.84 billion of debt outstanding, including $141 million outstanding on its commercial paper program, with $3 million of cash on hand. Financial guidance for 2020 As reopening efforts continue, travel and economic activity have increased from their April lows. However, the pace of recovery and length of time for the markets served by Magellan to return to more historical levels of refined products demand remain unclear. Management currently estimates annual 2020 DCF to be in the range of $1.0 to $1.05 billion. The midpoint of this range includes the following key assumptions for the second half of the year: Refined products pipeline volumes continue to be affected by the pandemic, with average base business volumes, excluding the impact of expansion projects, declining by 6% for gasoline, 12% for distillate and 40% for aviation fuel during the second half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Including the expected contribution from recent expansion projects, total refined products volumes during the second half of the year are expected to be relatively flat with the comparable 2019 period. Due to recent improvement in commodity prices, the partnership now expects to realize profits from its gas liquids activities during the second half of the year. Based on last week's price curve, fall blending margins are forecasted to average approximately 30 cents per gallon, with nearly 75% of the expected fall blending activity now hedged. Including actual results so far this year, net income per unit is estimated to be between $3.50 and $3.70 for 2020 based on the latest DCF forecast range, with third-quarter guidance ranging from 75 cents to 85 cents depending on the progress of continued recovery in the markets served by the partnership. Guidance excludes future MTM adjustments on the partnership's commodity-related activities. As previously announced, Magellan intends to maintain its quarterly cash distribution at the current level for the remainder of 2020. Based on the current distribution amount and number of units outstanding as well as the latest DCF forecast for the year, distribution coverage for 2020 is expected to be approximately 1.1 to 1.14 times the amount necessary to pay cash distributions for the year, generating excess cash of $75 to $125 million for 2020. Management does not intend to provide financial guidance beyond 2020 at this time but continues to target distribution coverage of at least 1.2 times once refined products demand and commodity prices stabilize and return to more historical levels. Capital allocation Management remains focused on managing Magellan's business for the long term and delivering value for its investors utilizing its historical disciplined approach. The partnership continues to make significant progress on its existing large-scale construction projects, which are nearing completion, and to evaluate well in excess of $500 million of potential organic growth projects to create incremental value for unitholders over the long term. Based on the progress of projects now underway, the partnership expects to spend approximately $400 million in 2020 and $40 million in 2021 to complete its current slate of expansion projects. A number of new, low-risk smaller projects were recently launched and expected to meet or exceed management's 6 to 8 times EBITDA multiple target. Magellan's west Texas refined products pipeline expansion began operations on July 1, with an additional 75,000 barrels per day (bpd) of capacity now available. The related new refined products terminal in Midland, Texas began service this week as well. Further, expansion of the Saddlehorn pipeline continues to progress, with an incremental 100,000 bpd of capacity expected to be available by the end of 2020. During 2020, Magellan's board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $750 million of common units through 2022. Through June 30, 2020, the partnership had repurchased 3.6 million units for $202 million, with no incremental units purchased during the second quarter. The timing, price and actual number of units repurchased will depend on a number of factors including expected expansion capital spending needs, excess cash available, balance sheet metrics, legal and regulatory requirements, market conditions and the trading price of the partnership's common units. Earnings call details Management will discuss second-quarter 2020 financial results and outlook for the remainder of the year during a conference call at 1:30 p.m. Eastern today. Participants are encouraged to listen to the call via the partnership's website at www.magellanlp.com/investors/webcasts.aspx. In addition, a limited number of phone lines will be available at (800) 954-0628, conference code 21965325. A replay of the audio webcast will be available for at least 30 days at www.magellanlp.com. Non-GAAP financial measures Management believes that investors benefit from having access to the same financial measures utilized by the partnership. As a result, this news release and supporting schedules include the non-GAAP financial measures of operating margin, product margin, adjusted EBITDA, DCF and net income per unit excluding MTM commodity-related pricing adjustments, which are important performance measures used by management. Operating margin reflects operating profit before depreciation, amortization and impairment expense and G&A expense. This measure forms the basis of the partnership's internal financial reporting and is used by management to evaluate the economic performance of the partnership's operations. Product margin, which is calculated as product sales revenue less cost of product sales, is used by management to evaluate the profitability of the partnership's commodity-related activities. Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure utilized by management and the investment community to assess the financial results of a company. DCF is important in determining the amount of cash generated from the partnership's operations that is available for distribution to its unitholders. Management uses this performance measure as a basis for recommending to the board of directors the amount of cash distributions to be paid each period and for determining the payouts for the performance-based awards issued under the partnership's equity-based incentive plan. Reconciliations of operating margin to operating profit and adjusted EBITDA and DCF to net income accompany this news release. The partnership uses exchange-traded futures contracts to hedge against price changes of petroleum products associated with its commodity-related activities. Most of these futures contracts do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. However, because these futures contracts are generally effective at hedging price changes, management believes the partnership's profitability should be evaluated excluding the unrealized gains and losses associated with petroleum products that will be sold in future periods. Further, because the financial guidance provided by management excludes future MTM commodity-related pricing adjustments, a reconciliation of actual results to those excluding these adjustments is provided for comparability to previous financial guidance. Because the non-GAAP measures presented in this news release include adjustments specific to the partnership, they may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies. About Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP) is a publicly traded partnership that primarily transports, stores and distributes refined petroleum products and crude oil. The partnership owns the longest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the country, with access to nearly 50% of the nation's refining capacity, and can store more than 100 million barrels of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil. More information is available at www.magellanlp.com. Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer Except for statements of historical fact, this news release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined by federal law. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: potential, plan, target, forecast, guidance, believe, estimate, expect, continue, commit, future, remain, resilient, intend, nearing, term, may, will and similar references to future periods. Although management believes such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual outcomes to be materially different. Among the key risk factors that may have a direct impact on the partnership's results of operations and financial condition are: impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic; impacts of the oversupply of crude oil and petroleum products; claims for force majeure relief by its customers or vendors; its ability to identify growth projects with acceptable expected returns and to complete projects on time and at expected costs; changes in price or demand for refined petroleum products, crude oil and natural gas liquids, or for transportation, storage, blending or processing of those commodities through its facilities; changes in the partnership's tariff rates or other terms as required by state or federal regulatory authorities; shut-downs or cutbacks at refineries, of hydrocarbon production or at other businesses that use or supply the partnership's services; changes in the throughput or interruption in service on pipelines or other facilities owned and operated by third parties and connected to the partnership's terminals, pipelines or other facilities; the occurrence of operational hazards or unforeseen interruptions; the treatment of the partnership as a corporation for federal or state income tax purposes or the partnership becoming subject to significant forms of other taxation; an increase in the competition the partnership's operations encounter; disruption in the debt and equity markets that negatively impacts the partnership's ability to finance its capital needs; changes in its capital needs, cash flows and availability of cash to fund unit repurchases or distributions; and failure of customers to meet or continue contractual obligations to the partnership. Additional factors that could lead to material changes in performance are described in the partnership's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the partnership's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2019 and subsequent reports on Forms 8-K and 10-Q. You are urged to carefully review and consider the cautionary statements and other disclosures made in those filings, especially under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements." Forward-looking statements made by the partnership in this release are based only on information currently known, and the partnership undertakes no obligation to revise its forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances. MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (In thousands, except per unit amounts) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2019 2020 2019 2020 Transportation and terminals revenue $ 506,405 $ 411,815 $ 967,197 $ 870,210 Product sales revenue 189,989 43,277 352,984 362,397 Affiliate management fee revenue 5,305 5,316 10,453 10,607 Total revenue 701,699 460,408 1,330,634 1,243,214 Costs and expenses: Operating 168,929 146,107 314,954 295,615 Cost of product sales 152,876 50,509 321,970 299,745 Depreciation, amortization and impairment 62,530 58,540 124,401 122,074 General and administrative 52,383 42,168 98,378 79,076 Total costs and expenses 436,718 297,324 859,703 796,510 Other operating income (expense) (5,024) 3,913 1,917 3,402 Earnings of non-controlled entities 40,785 33,689 72,040 77,349 Operating profit 300,742 200,686 544,888 527,455 Interest expense 51,406 69,259 111,572 125,159 Interest capitalized (5,134) (4,228) (8,588) (9,179) Interest income (338) (223) (1,998) (643) Gain on disposition of assets (4,646) (26,434) (12,887) Other (income) expense 4,570 1,446 6,620 2,253 Income before provision for income taxes 254,884 134,432 463,716 422,752 Provision for income taxes 1,181 589 2,350 1,345 Net income $ 253,703 $ 133,843 $ 461,366 $ 421,407 Basic net income per common unit $ 1.11 $ 0.59 $ 2.02 $ 1.86 Diluted net income per common unit $ 1.11 $ 0.59 $ 2.02 $ 1.86 Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for basic net income per unit calculation 228,647 225,351 228,603 226,461 Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for diluted net income per unit calculation 228,688 225,351 228,623 226,461 MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. OPERATING STATISTICS Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2019 2020 2019 2020 Refined products: Transportation revenue per barrel shipped $ 1.606 $ 1.675 $ 1.590 $ 1.626 Volume shipped (million barrels): Gasoline 70.8 61.3 132.9 127.5 Distillates 47.2 41.3 91.8 85.1 Aviation fuel 9.9 2.7 18.7 12.1 Liquefied petroleum gases 4.5 5.1 0.4 Total volume shipped 132.4 105.3 248.5 225.1 Crude oil: Magellan 100%-owned assets: Transportation revenue per barrel shipped(1) $ 0.977 $ 1.048 $ 0.961 $ 0.970 Volume shipped (million barrels)(1)(2) 80.5 47.7 159.9 122.8 Terminal average utilization (million barrels per month) 22.9 25.5 22.6 24.1 Select joint venture pipelines: BridgeTex - volume shipped (million barrels)(3) 38.8 32.2 76.5 69.3 Saddlehorn - volume shipped (million barrels)(4) 13.4 15.1 22.4 31.4 (1) Volume shipped includes shipments related to the partnership's crude oil marketing activities. Revenues from those activities are reflected as product sales revenue in its consolidated financial statements. Transportation revenue per barrel shipped reflects average rates on third-party volumes only. (2) Volume shipped in 2020 reflects a change in the way the partnership's customers contract for its services pursuant to which customers are able to utilize crude oil storage capacity at East Houston and dock access at Seabrook. Subsequent to this change, the services the partnership provides no longer include a transportation element. Therefore, revenues related to these services are reflected entirely as terminalling revenues and the related volumes are no longer reflected in the partnership's calculation of transportation volumes. (3) These volumes reflect the total shipments for the BridgeTex pipeline, which is owned 30% by Magellan. (4) These volumes reflect the total shipments for the Saddlehorn pipeline, which was owned 40% by Magellan through January 31, 2020 and 30% thereafter. MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. OPERATING MARGIN RECONCILIATION TO OPERATING PROFIT (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2019 2020 2019 2020 Refined products: Transportation and terminals revenue $ 347,630 $ 279,759 $ 657,201 $ 594,078 Affiliate management fee revenue 1,659 1,513 3,321 3,097 Other operating income (expense) 1,031 138 6,399 2,030 Earnings (loss) of non-controlled entities (2,950) 4,592 (3,997) 18,812 Less: Operating expenses 132,850 103,405 235,542 209,287 Transportation and terminals margin 214,520 182,597 427,382 408,730 Product sales revenue 184,695 34,463 341,977 347,449 Less: Cost of product sales 148,166 45,616 310,596 278,958 Product margin 36,529 (11,153) 31,381 68,491 Operating margin $ 251,049 $ 171,444 $ 458,763 $ 477,221 Crude oil: Transportation and terminals revenue $ 160,116 $ 133,637 $ 312,275 $ 279,295 Affiliate management fee revenue 3,646 3,803 7,132 7,510 Other operating income (expense) (6,055) 3,775 (4,482) 1,372 Earnings of non-controlled entities 43,735 29,097 76,037 58,537 Less: Operating expenses 38,764 45,917 84,470 92,689 Transportation and terminals margin 162,678 124,395 306,492 254,025 Product sales revenue 5,294 8,814 11,007 14,948 Less: Cost of product sales 4,710 4,893 11,374 20,787 Product margin 584 3,921 (367) (5,839) Operating margin $ 163,262 $ 128,316 $ 306,125 $ 248,186 Segment operating margin $ 414,311 $ 299,760 $ 764,888 $ 725,407 Add: Allocated corporate depreciation costs 1,344 1,634 2,779 3,198 Total operating margin 415,655 301,394 767,667 728,605 Less: Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense 62,530 58,540 124,401 122,074 General and administrative expense 52,383 42,168 98,378 79,076 Total operating profit $ 300,742 $ 200,686 $ 544,888 $ 527,455 Note: Amounts may not sum to figures shown on the consolidated statements of income due to intersegment eliminations and allocated corporate depreciation costs. MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME AND NET INCOME PER COMMON UNIT EXCLUDING COMMODITY-RELATED ADJUSTMENTS TO GAAP MEASURES (Unaudited, in thousands except per unit amounts) Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Net Income Basic Net Income Per Common Unit Diluted Net Income Per Common Unit As reported $ 133,843 $ 0.59 $ 0.59 Commodity-related adjustments associated with future transactions(1) 12,367 Excluding commodity-related adjustments $ 146,210 $ 0.65 $ 0.65 Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for basic net income per unit calculation 225,351 Weighted average number of common units outstanding used for diluted net income per unit calculation 225,351 (1) Includes the partnership's net share of commodity-related adjustments for its non-controlled entities. Please see Distributable Cash Flow ("DCF") Reconciliation to Net Income for further descriptions of commodity-related adjustments. MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P. DISTRIBUTABLE CASH FLOW RECONCILIATION TO NET INCOME (Unaudited, in thousands) Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2020 Annual 2019 2020 2019 2020 Forecast Range Net income $ 253,703 $ 133,843 $ 461,366 $ 421,407 $ 790,000 $ 835,000 Interest expense, net 45,934 64,808 100,986 115,337 220,000 220,000 Depreciation, amortization and impairment(1) 59,966 58,500 118,923 121,586 251,000 251,000 Equity-based incentive compensation(2) 10,890 4,256 6,040 (10,289) (10,000) (10,000) Gain on disposition of assets(3) (5,280) (16,280) (10,511) (11,000) (11,000) Commodity-related adjustments: Derivative (gains) losses recognized in the period associated with future transactions(4) 17,627 9,982 20,843 (4,938) Derivative gains (losses) recognized in previous periods associated with transactions completed in the period(4) (1,924) 47,593 71,214 (15,964) Inventory valuation adjustments(5) (1,820) (43,899) (9,446) 27,831 Total commodity-related adjustments 13,883 13,676 82,611 6,929 (13,000) (8,000) Distributions from operations of non-controlled entities in excess of (less than) earnings (793) 14,267 11,029 25,350 66,000 66,000 Adjusted EBITDA 378,303 289,350 764,675 669,809 1,293,000 1,343,000 Interest expense, net, excluding debt issuance cost amortization(6) (45,184) (50,827) (91,059) (100,459) (203,000) (203,000) Maintenance capital(7) (18,325) (28,982) (40,823) (53,302) (90,000) (90,000) Distributable cash flow $ 314,794 $ 209,541 $ 632,793 $ 516,048 $ 1,000,000 $ 1,050,000 (1) Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense is excluded from DCF to the extent it represents a non-cash expense. (2) Because the partnership intends to satisfy vesting of unit awards under its equity-based long-term incentive compensation plan with the issuance of common units, expenses related to this plan generally are deemed non-cash and excluded for DCF purposes. The amounts above have been reduced by cash payments associated with the plan, which are primarily related to tax withholdings. (3) Gains on disposition of assets are excluded from DCF to the extent they are not related to the partnership's ongoing operations. (4) Certain derivatives have not been designated as hedges for accounting purposes and the mark-to-market changes of these derivatives are recognized currently in net income. The partnership excludes the net impact of these derivatives from its determination of DCF until the transactions are settled and, where applicable, the related products are sold. In the period in which these transactions are settled and any related products are sold, the net impact of the derivatives is included in DCF. (5) The partnership adjusts DCF for lower of average cost or net realizable value adjustments related to inventory and firm purchase commitments as well as market valuation of short positions recognized each period as these are non-cash items. In subsequent periods when the partnership physically sells or purchases the related products, it adjusts DCF for the valuation adjustments previously recognized. (6) Interest expense includes debt prepayment costs of $8.3 million in the six months ended June 20, 2019 and $12.9 million in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, which are excluded from DCF as they are financing activities and not related to the partnership's ongoing operations. (7) Maintenance capital expenditures maintain existing assets of the partnership and do not generate incremental DCF (i.e. incremental returns to the unitholders). For this reason, the partnership deducts maintenance capital expenditures to determine DCF. SOURCE Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. Related Links http://www.magellanlp.com The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sagnarigu constituency in the Northern Region, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini is upset with governments suspension of the Fiscal Responsibility Act which requires the deficit to be kept at a maximum of 5 percent of GDP. He claims the move is absolutely wrong after calling on the Finance Minister who announced the Fiscal Responsibility Act deferment in his mid-year budget presentation to be sacked with immediate effect. God will judge NPP one day. The Finance Minister has no right to suspend that. He is not above the law. He is not an extraordinary citizen, A.B.A Fuseini said in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie. Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in his mid-year budget presentation last Thursday stated: From developments thus far, it is clear that the fiscal rules of a deficit not exceeding 5 percent of GDP and a positive primary balance enshrined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982) are neither feasible nor attainable targets in this emergency period of the COVID-19 Pandemic." The scale of damage and macroeconomic distortions caused by the pandemic is unprecedented in our countrys history. It may take a while to return to the pre-COVID-19 fiscal path. According to our revised fiscal framework, the economy is not likely to return to the 5 percent fiscal deficit threshold set in the Fiscal Responsibility Law sooner than 2024," he said. Consequently, as required by section 3(3) of the Fiscal Responsibility Law, the government will within 30 days present before this August House the necessary documentation that supports the suspension of the fiscal rules and targets for this year 2020, the minister added. Listen to Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini in an interview on Neat FM 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. Featured Video Uganda and Germany today successfully concluded government negotiations on the framework for development cooperation for the next two years. Germany committed a total of EUR 58.4 million in grants. Another EUR 15.0 million in grants is envisaged for the public finance management reform programme following the approval of the German Parliament. In addition, Germany is a main contributor to multilateral emergency funds aiming to mitigate the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Germany extended and up scaled the bilateral cooperation with Uganda concentrating on the two focus areas Renewable Energy and Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the area Good Governance and Human Rights. German cooperation aims at fostering Ugandas sustainable development by e.g. creating job perspectives for the youth, promoting private sector development, enhancing access to electricity or by promoting civil society as well as fiscal management. German cooperation has also included measures to mitigate the Coronavirus pandemic, also through multilateral actors. In the field of agriculture, Germany contributes in particular EUR 20.0 million to enhance access to affordable credits for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This is essential for agricultural enterprises in their efforts to develop their businesses, increase productivity and to create incomes as well as employment opportunities in rural areas, especially for the youth. In addition, Germany is upscaling its support to local administrations with the aim of enhancing their service delivery function and to farmers with the goal of fostering their market integration. Furthermore programme activities to securing land rights as well as sustainable fisheries management were extended. Stories Continues after ad Germany allocated the amount of EUR 19.8 Million for support to refugee hosting communities including EUR 16.8 million to improve the provision of water and sanitation services in refugee hosting communities. Germany will continue the promotion of renewable energy. There will be increased support to SMEs regarding access to renewable and efficient energy technologies as well as deepened promotion of mini-grids to bring electricity to marginalized villages far off from the national grid. The cooperation with vocational training institutes will be enhanced to increase the number of skilled electricians and solar technicians. Germany intends to increase the support to Ugandas public financial management reform programme (REAP) by EUR 15.0 million. This measure is still subject to approval of the German Parliament. The allocation is destined for strengthening domestic resource mobilization as well as creating a sound financial system based on efficiency, transparency and accountability, thereby improving Ugandas capacities to foster sustainable development. An additional EUR 9.0 million will be provided to support the areas of anti-corruption, accountability and transparency in public finance management as well as strengthening human rights and civil society. Germanys bilateral programmes are implemented by GIZ and KfW. All initiatives support Uganda in implementing its National Development Plan III, the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union. The negotiations as a result of the Corona pandemic held via videoconference between Kampala and Bonn paved the way for the Ugandan-German development cooperation in the period from 2021 to 2022. The talks were concluded by the signing of joint summary records on 29 July 2020 by Mr. Patrick Ocailap, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, MoFPED, for the Ugandan side and by the head of East Africa Division of the Federal Ministry of Development Cooperation, Mr. Niels Breyer, as head of the German Delegation. Partnership between Stem and Copec will help deploy Stems revolutionary energy technology in Chile and Colombia, accelerating energy transition MILLBRAE, Calif., July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stem, Inc. , the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven energy storage services, and Copec, a leading energy and mobility company and one of the most trusted brands throughout Latin America and with presence in the Southeast United States through Mapco, informed that their joint venture and strategic partnership will bring Stems technology to Chile and Colombia. The agreement follows the $30 million investment made in August 2019 in Stem by WIND Ventures, Copecs corporate venture capital (CVC). Under this agreement, Copec will deploy Stems intelligent storage solutions as part of its development strategy which aims to accelerate the energy transition focused on improving peoples quality of life expanding Stems international presence into South America. Copec will leverage Stems expertise in design, deployment, and project financing of energy storage projects. The companies will collaborate on expansion in the region, working with communities, regulators, utilities and commercial entities to incorporate Stems AthenaTM AI-enabled energy storage software solution in both Chile and Colombia, looking forward to contributing to more resilient, sustainable and consumer centric electricity markets, after the pandemic. The Athena platform has accumulated more than 14.5 million runtime hours, and Stem has more than 1,000 operating projects and 790MWh enrolled in its network. Today we face a critical global scenario as a result of the pandemic and Copec's main efforts are focused on facing the emergency, said Leonardo Ljubetic, chief corporate development and strategy officer of Copec. However, we also have the responsibility to keep our eyes on the future and on the challenges of global warming. Stem connects us to the forefront of smart energy management, which we believe is one of the keys in our goal of accelerating the energy transition and decarbonization of the matrix, he added. Story continues Chile has been one of the largest markets for storage in South America over the last three years, said John E. Carrington, CEO of Stem. Since engaging with the Copec leadership and seeing their commitment to a clean energy future, Stem clearly has the right partner to leverage a tremendous opportunity ahead. Moreover, with the addition of Copecs venture team, WIND Ventures , we look forward to unprecedented integration with entrepreneurs and startups driving change in energy, mobility and retail sectors across Latin America. Stem and Copec will focus exclusively on Chile and Colombia in the first phase of the partnership, with the potential to expand in South America. Initial projects include an energy storage installation at a Copec manufacturing facility located in Valparaiso Region, Chile, with several additional sites to be deployed in the coming months. Stems Athena platform will aggregate this stored energy, helping to create the regions first virtual power plant. Chile and Colombia are among the most favorable markets for renewable energy, with Chile having one of the highest potential for solar generation in the world. Chile and Colombia are projected to have a combined opportunity for energy storage nearing 1 GWh over the next decade, based on market estimates from Copec and its subsidiary Terpel. About Copec Copec is one of the leading energy companies in Central and South America. It was founded in Chile in 1934 and today is also present in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and the Dominican Republic through Terpel, and in the southeast United States through Mapco. With a robust network of over 3.000 fuel stations and over 1.200 convenience stores in the continent, the company also has leading presence in strategic sectors of the industry including aviation, electric generation, mining, fishing, and transport, among others. Always focused on customer service and innovation, Copec is also working to lead the change for a new era in mobility, energy and convenience, faithful to its promise to facilitate the life in movement. About Stem, Inc. Stem provides solutions that address the challenges of todays dynamic energy market. By combining advanced energy storage solutions with Athena AI, a world-class artificial intelligence (AI)-powered analytics platform, Stem enables customers and partners to optimize energy use by automatically switching between battery power, onsite generation and grid power. Stems solutions help enterprise customers benefit from clean, adaptive energy infrastructure and achieve a wide variety of goals, including expense reduction, resilience, sustainability, environmental and corporate responsibility and innovation. Stem also offers full support for solar partners interested in adding storage to standalone, community or commercial solar projects both behind and in front of the meter. Headquartered in Millbrae, Calif., Stem is directly funded by a consortium of leading investors including Activate Capital, Angeleno Group, BNP Paribas, Constellation Technology Ventures, Iberdrola (Inversiones Financieras Perseo), GE Ventures, Magnesium Capital, Mithril Capital Management, Mitsui & Co. LTD., Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, RWE Supply & Trading, Temasek and Total Energy Ventures. For more information, visit www.stem.com . Media Contacts Laurie Gibson Kickstart Consulting for Stem +1 (650) 815-1438 lgibson@kickstartconsulting.com Mary Magnani Clarity for WIND Ventures 415-867-3904 marym@clarity.pr PINCKNEY, MI People walking through the Pinckney Cemetery might not know it holds the graves of a father and son duo from Vermont who made their way to Michigan after they each fought in an early-American war. A veterans group hopes to change that by honoring Claudius Britton II, a Revolutionary War soldier, and his son, Claudius Britton III, who fought in the War of 1812, in an Aug. 8 ceremony thats open to the public. Grave markings for the soldiers will be dedicated. The 10 a.m. ceremony in the cemetery, 601-605 W. Main St., is being hosted by the Huron Valley Chapter Sons of the American Revolution and the Michigan Society of the War of 1812, featuring the Pinckney American Legion Post 419 and the MISSAR Color Guard. There will be a firing volley from the Legion, Revolutionary War era flags and maybe a Revolutionary War-era cannon, said Elijah Shalis, vice president of the Huron Valley Chapter Sons of the American Revolution and a member the Michigan Society of the War of 1812. It is important that we recognize people for their service, especially these two wars, Shalis said. We would not be a free country if we had lost them. Britton II was born in 1761 in Connecticut, according to research by Washtenaw County historian Ed Wall. In 1773, the family relocated to the town of Weybridge in what is now Vermont, making them among the first settlers in town. Britton II enlisted as a scout for the Vermont Rangers in 1777 at age 16, according to Walls research. In 1778, he was captured by British soldiers and taken prisoner and remained as such until being released in 1783. After the war ended, Britton II stayed in Vermont, married and had children, including Britton III,who later served in the War of 1812, although Walls research suggests this service was brief. Britton III and his father moved to Michigan and settled in Pittsfield Township in 1824, according to Walls research. They established a poor farm in the spot where the Washtenaw County Farm Park and recreation center is today. Another Washtenaw County connection comes from when Britton II applied for his war pension. To apply for a Revolutionary War pension, you had to have people vouch for your honesty and truthfulness, Shalis said. One of the people that Claudius Britton II had vouch for him with the court system was John Allen, the (co)-founder of Ann Arbor. They later moved to Livingston County, settling in Pinckney. Britton II. died in 1850, with his son dying a year later. More from Livingston County: Kensington Metropark closes splash pad after positive COVID-19 test Mt. Brighton says goodbye to golfing Pair of Livingston County jail inmates test positive for COVID-19 Expansion to Meet Increased Demand TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions, is pleased to announce expansion to meet increased demand by opening a new office in Peoria, Arizona. The new location adds production and sales capabilities to support increases in customers and orders. The new office in Peoria, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix is a new manufacturing facility. Its increased production will support the Page and Intercom division and the increase in demand for production of the MimioClarity line of classroom audio distribution systems, as additional orders ramp from a key customer. Gary LeCroy, Galaxy's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are thrilled to be opening a new office, production and sales in Arizona as our capabilities broaden and our reach expands to more of a national footprint. Our growing product line has been met with increased demand from existing and new customers." About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. Galaxy Next Generation (OTCQB: GAXY) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales. For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors Contact: IR@GalaxyNext.us p888-859-1274 SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599619/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Adds-Production-and-Sales-Capabilities-in-Arizona Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert will have a mansion full of ladies vying for his heart on the eighth season of The Bachelor. But the former Survivor star, 31, was left speechless when one suitress asked if he would court her with luxury goods if they dated. The eyebrow-raising question was made by marketing coordinator Laura Calleri, 24, during their first red carpet meeting. Meet The Bachelor's self-professed 'snob': Laura Calleri (pictured) asked Locky Gilbert for a designer gift during their first meeting After stepping out of the car in the teaser trailer for the show's August 12 premiere, the brunette beauty confidently asked how much Locky would spend on her. She told producers: 'I quite enjoy the Louis Vuitton handbag, nice Chanel earrings, Porsche Cayenne Turbo... I'm a snob.' Laura introduced herself to Locky, before asking him: 'When we're together how much will you spend on my birthday present?' A stunned Locky replied: 'What's the craziest gift you've been given?' Question: In a new trailer for the show, Laura introduced herself to Locky (pictured), before asking him: 'When we're together how much will you spend on my birthday present?' The price of love? She also revealed that she'd previously received a Louis Vuitton purse as a birthday gift, leaving the suitor shocked Laura then revealed that she'd previously received a Louis Vuitton purse as a birthday gift, leaving the suitor shocked. 'Aren't they a couple grand?' he asked. 'I can definitely get you a Louis "Vuiccon" bag in Bali, don't worry about that,' he later joked in a piece to camera about getting the star a designer knock-off. While not much is known about Laura, her Facebook profile says she is a marketing coordinator for RAC WA in Perth, where Locky is also from. Glam! Laura has boasted about living a lavish lifestyle with designer goods Have they crossed paths before? While not much is known about Laura, her Facebook profile says she is a marketing coordinator for RAC WA in Perth, where Locky is also from Meanwhile, in a previous trailer, the handsome suitor is seen fawning over contestant Steph, 26, after she revealed her obsession with beef burritos. Steph is first seen introducing herself to Locky on the red carpet, before he asks her a very important question: 'Do you eat burgers all the time?' Steph was quick to answer: 'Burritos are my favourite.' Love at first bite? Meanwhile, in a previous trailer, the handsome suitor is seen fawning over contestant Steph (pictured) after she revealed her obsession with beef burritos The couple then playfully argued about Steph's favourite burrito topping - spicy jalapeno sauce. Despite Locky admitting that he's not a fan of spicy food, the hunk was clearly still smitten with the slender beauty. 'First impressions of Steph, love a girl that loves a burrito,' he told producers with a smile. The Bachelor premieres on Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 The man accused of killing Sydney woman Samah Baker drove to McDonald's and went for a job interview with her body in the boot of the car, a court has heard. James Hachem, 34, from Hurstville Grove, pleaded not guilty in the New South Wales Supreme Court in June to murdering the 30-year-old in January 2019. Ms Baker was last seen when a friend dropped her home in Early Street, Parramatta, in the early hours of January 4. Relatives reported her missing later that day after failing to contact her. Ms Baker's body was never found. Samah Baker, 30 (pictured) was last seen after a friend dropped her home in Early Street, Parramatta, in the early hours of January 4 2019. Her body has never been found During a bail hearing at the New South Wales Supreme Court on Thursday, Hachem's Defence barrister Daniel McMahon argued the charges against his client were purely 'circumstantial' because no body had been found. 'There is no body, no crime scene,' Mr McMahon told the court, according to The Daily Telegraph. 'How then does he manage to kill Ms Baker without anybody knowing and without any evidence of a struggle?' Mr McMahon said. A search of bushland around Goulburn and South Nowra, in regional New South Wales failed to uncover any trace of the young woman. Mr McMahon told the court there was no proof the accused travelled to a rural area to dispose of a body. But Crown Prosecutors allege they have DNA evidence linking Hachem to the alleged murder. James Hachem is accused of murdering his on-again-off again lover in a 'crime of passion'. The court heard the pair were 'friends with benefits'. Crown prosecutor Fiona Gray told the court Hachem killed Ms Baker inside her apartment building before he stashed the body in his car while he went about daily life. The court was told he left her corpse inside the car for five-and-a-half hours after a pit stop to McDonalds in North Parramatta and later, a job interview. The car was parked inside the Westfield Shopping Centre at Hurstville for the duration of this time, the court heard. Ms Gray said Hachem was later seen buying a series of suspicious items including gloves, plastic bags and cleaning items before leaving Sydney towards Canberra. He also allegedly bought a tool to dig with. James Hachem, 34 (pictured) is accused of leaving Ms Baker's corpse inside the car for five and a half hours after a pit stop to McDonalds in North Parramatta and a subsequent job interview A later search of his family home allegedly uncovered Ms Baker's blood on a scrap of carpet hidden inside his wardrobe, prosecutors say. But Hachem's defence barrister said the scrap of carpet was 'at best peripheral forensic evidence' against him. Mr McMahon argued Ms Baker had a history of mental illness and self-harm, including threatening to throw herself in front of a train in a previous relationship. He also disputed allegations by the prosecution his client would seek to destroy evidence or pretend to be Ms Baker on social media if he was released on bail. Justice Geoffrey Bellew reserved his bail decision during Thursday's court proceedings. Hachem could remain behind bars for two-and-a-half years before his trial is heard. Ellen DeGeneres deciding to ignored all the bad things being said of her, repeatedly, is a bad move. If she thinks staying mum would make her look innocent, analysts claim that it makes her look nothing but arrogant. According to brand and PR expert, DeGeneres silence on all the issues she's involved in this year -being called mean, being called racist, being called sexist to her own LGBTQ-member, is going to backfire on her bad do so much. No one would believe she does not know what is happening in her own show. Not when she looks so hands-on with everything, sometimes even interacting with her staff playfully on national television. Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants commented on what Ellen's actions would lead to. "I think Ellen has been arrogant in her entire approach in dealing with the allegations and it's crazy for her not to accept responsibility for what is happening under her leadership," he said. "In Hollywood, the buck stops at the star's name on the door, not at the producer level. It would be impossible for her to not know what [was] happening within her own staff." This silence is further highlighted given that in a joint statement, the executive producers Andy Lassner, Ed Glavin, and Mary Connelly have acknowledged themselves the issue. The days of reckoning are near, since the workplace culture of the Ellen DeGeneres is now being internally investigated by Warner Media, as reported by Variety. The Variety also reported that the show's production company as well as distributor (Telepictures and Warner Bros. Television, specifically) set a memo to staff, who were informed that they will be interviewed regard to the on-set experiences. In mid-July, it was as if a dam broke and many of the current and former employees suddenly came forward to describe Ellen DeGeneres as someone akin to a monster. They claimed that Ellen's "be kind" mantra is only for show. She's also technically kind herself when the cameras were rolling. The employee said Ellen might be giving money and aid on her show, but this was only to perpetuate her good image. One Black woman said she had to endure so much at the workplace. She felt subjected to microaggressions and racist comments, one of which was about her box braids. Unlike the first round of comments which specifically named her as being mean and sexist (by a vlogger no less), this time, none of the allegations were directed at the host herself. ironically, this one was the one that triggered an investigation. Moreover, one of the employees said that Ellen DeGeneres is as responsible for the toxic culture as the ones directly perpetuating them. "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," one of the employees shared in the report. This employee also believe that Ellen is quite ignorant for just believing what the executive producers surround her are telling her. The employee said that if she is told one thing, she must do something beyond just believing. "it's her responsibility to go beyond that," the employee said. If she's going to keep quiet like nothing is happening just like she must have believed in the past that nothing bad was happening to her staff, she'll be done for in no time. People who test positive for coronavirus or display symptoms must now self-isolate for 10 days as Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned of a second wave starting to roll across Europe. The UKs chief medical officers said on Thursday that the period must increase from the current rule of seven days because of the risk individuals may still be able to spread Covid-19. In a joint statement, they said the change for those who experience the key symptoms of a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell is needed because of the low but real possibility of infectiousness up to 10 days. Their move came as official analysis said England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020. Mr Hancock earlier warned that a new spike in Covid-19 cases is clearly beginning to emerge in Europe as he said weve got to do everything to prevent it reaching the UK. I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and weve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it, Mr Hancock told Sky News. He said 10-day isolation measure was part of that, but so, too, are the measures were taking, for instance, to ensure that we dont directly bring cases back to this country where theres a big spike in cases. So, absolutely, on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening, he added. The chief medical officers for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said that it is now the correct balance of risk to extend the isolation period for those who test positive or have symptoms to 10 days. Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with Covid-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset, they said. Story continues Today the Chief Medical Officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have issued updated advice on the self-isolation period for symptomatic individuals or those with a positive test result increasing from 7 days to 10 days. More info: https://t.co/9zTCyeLFY3 Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) July 30, 2020 Anyone with symptoms who has a Covid-19 test that comes back negative does not have to continue with the isolation period. Government sources said the risk of people transmitting the virus seven days after onset of symptoms is pretty low and after 10 days it is even lower. But they said the move had been made to provide maximum protection and to keep UK disease levels as low as possible. Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, a Royal Academy of Engineering visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, said: This change is important. Given that there is now stronger evidence which shows a real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset, 10 days isolation seems very sensible. Meanwhile, Labours shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth described the Office for National Statistics analysis suggesting England had the worst death rate in Europe as a devastating moment. We can no longer hide from the fact the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes, he added. The analysis said that by the week ending May 29, the death rate in England was 7.55% higher than the average for the previous five years. Spain ranked second at 6.65%, followed by Scotland (5.11%), Belgium (3.89%) and Wales (2.78%). The excess mortality measure is seen as the best way to compare deaths during the crisis because it takes into account not just Covid-19 deaths but those from the indirect impacts of the pandemic, such as delayed access to healthcare. Mr Hancock also warned travellers that new countries could be added to the quarantine list in the coming days after passengers arriving in the UK from Spain were ordered to isolate for two weeks as cases there increased. He said ministers are looking at ways to reduce the 14-day period, possibly by the use of multiple tests, amid pressure from the tourism industry. The Government has also removed an exemption for health and care workers, who had originally been spared the 14-day quarantine process when arriving in England from high-risk countries. The move, which comes into effect on Friday, brings them in line with the general public and officials said it will help protect the NHS and social care system from the spread of coronavirus from overseas. (PA Graphics) But he said ministers are constantly considering whether to add countries to the quarantine list and when pressed if new nations could be added in the next few days, he replied: Yes. Government data showed the seven-day average of new cases in the UK had increased to just over 700 compared to around 550 in the second week of July. However, the figure remained far lower than at the start of May when the average was close to 5,000. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said President Donald Trumps call for a delay to the Nov. 3 presidential election is more about protecting himself from losing than concerns about safely voting during the coronavirus pandemic. Trump suggested widespread absentee voting, promoted by election officials in Michigan and dozens of other states, will cause the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history in a Thursday morning tweet. Whitmer disagreed in her own statement, saying the president is more focused on his chances in the 2020 election than providing voters with a safer alternative to voting in person as the number of COVID-19 deaths surpasses 150,000 Americans. The truth is that mail-in absentee voting is safe, simple, and patriotic so much so that the president and more than a dozen of his closest advisors have done it, Whitmer said. If we could hold an election in 1864 in the midst of a Civil War threatening to tear our country apart, we can and will hold one in 2020. Its time for the president to get his priorities straight and work with Congress on a bipartisan recovery package that protects our families, frontline workers, and small business owners. The president has spent several weeks sowing doubt about the outcome of the election, which is only 95 days away at the time of his tweet. Trump and his allies have floated baseless attacks on absentee voting while polling shows the president lagging behind presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in several key states, including Michigan. Trump tweeted Thursday: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Trump does not have the authority to change the date of the election. The date of a presidential election has never been changed and would require an act of Congress. Several of Michigans representatives in Congress pushed back against Trumps claims on Twitter Thursday. U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, said he feels safe and secure dropping off this primary election ballot in the mail. Mitchell, who represents a corner of Michigan that heavily supported Trump in 2016, tagged Trump in a tweet that said no reason to mess with our election date. States must ensure procedures to monitor accuracy with federal oversight. U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, released a lengthy statement warning that Trump may attempt to disrupt our free and fair elections, or a transition in power." It sent a shiver down my spine, as I hope it does all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Slotkin said of Trumps suggestion, adding. This is the President saying, if you want to help me, heres where to focus. Stay tuned as the propaganda arms for state and non-state groups amp up their campaigns to sow suspicion of election results should President Trump lose. Other Democrats also weighed in. We arent going to delay an election just because this impeached Presidents poll numbers are falling, said U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit. A sitting President is peddling lies and suggesting delaying the election to keep himself in power. Dont let it happen. Every AmericanRepublican, Independent and Democratshould be speaking out against this Presidents lawlessness and complete disregard of the Constitution, said U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint. Any Michigan resident can request an absentee ballot, thanks to voter-approved changes to the state Constitution in 2018. Michigans Aug. 4 primary is set for next week. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson mailed absentee ballot applications to all 7.7 million registered voters in May. Benson has said there is no evidence that widespread voter fraud is a result of mail-in voting, but expressed concern this week that election results could be delayed due to the surge in absentee ballots. Nearly 2 million absentee ballots had been issued for Michigans Aug. 4 primary election as of Tuesday, more than three times as many than were issued at the same point in 2016. About 903,000 had been returned, according to the Michigan Secretary of State. Benson is encouraging people who request an absentee ballot turn it in to their local clerk or a dropbox to ensure their vote is counted. Trump refused in an interview just weeks ago with Fox News to commit to accept the results of the upcoming White House election. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time, either, Trump said. In April, Trump said he wasnt considering the prospect of changing the election date. I never even thought of changing the date of the election, he said. Why would I do that? November 3rd. Its a good number. No, I look forward to that election. People with travel links to China, Iran, and Italy accounted for nearly two-thirds of initial Covid-19 cases outside mainland China in the pre-pandemic period between December 31 and March 10, a new study in the medical journal Lancet says. The study is the first of its kind to use publicly available global case data to describe travel exposure and case cluster characteristics among early Covid-19 cases in different countries, revealing where the first cases of Covid-19 outside China may have originated based on case travel histories. The study also found four large clusters and outbreaks triggered in different countries to be linked with transmission in faith-based settings. The novel coronavirus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province late last year before spreading within China and then triggering the worst global pandemic in recent histories. Scientists have been researching how the virus rapidly spread outside China March onwards when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a pandemic. Also read: China logs another 105 Covid-19 cases in new surge, silent about virus link in Xinjiang The new study published on Wednesday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal compiled publicly available information from the pre-pandemic period until March 10, the day before when the WHO declared it a pandemic. Of the first confirmed Covid-19 case in each affected country outside mainland China, almost two-thirds had travel links to Italy, China, or Iran. Study suggests 1 in 4 of these first cases originated in Italy, and 1 in 5 in China, the researchers found. The study said that many small clusters of household transmission were reported among early cases but clusters in occupational and community settings tended to be largersupporting the role of physical distancing to slow the spread of Covid-19. The researchers went through available data from 99 countries including India. As much as three-quarters or 75 countries outside mainland reported the first Covid-19 case in people who had recently travelled to an affected countrywith almost two-thirds of these first cases linked to travel to Italy (27%), China (22%), or Iran (11%), according to the new research. Incidentally, in January, the first two confirmed cases of Covid-19 then only known as an unidentified strain of coronavirus were reported in South Korea and Thailand, both with travel history to Wuhan in central China. In India, the first three Covid-19 cases were diagnosed in three students who had returned from Wuhan in the first evacuation flight launched by New Delhi. Our findings suggest that travel from just a few countries with substantial SARS-CoV-2 transmission may have seeded additional outbreaks around the world before the characterisation of Covid-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, says Dr Fatimah Dawood from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), who co-led the research. In this study, researchers examined publicly available online reports from national ministries of health and other government agency websites, social media feeds, and press releases on a daily basis to identify newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported between December 31, 2019, and March 10, 2020 (ie, during the pre-pandemic period, corresponding to weeks 1-11 of the outbreak). During the first 11 weeks of the Covid-19 outbreak, 32,459 Covid-19 cases were identified from 99 countries and locations outside mainland China. Travel to Italy was linked with half (3/6 cases) of the first-reported cases in Africa, and over a third (36%, 16/45) in Europe and the Americas (38%, 5/13). Travel to mainland China accounted for 83% (10/12) of the first reported cases in the Western Pacific and over half (57%, 4/7) in Southeast Asia. Seven or 44% of the first reported cases in the Eastern Mediterranean region had a history of travel to Iran. Analysing the data, the researchers found that household transmission was reported in three-quarters (76/101) of clusters, with an average of 2.6 cases in each cluster. By contrast, the 11 clusters related to community gatherings (ie, tour groups, faith-based groups, and dinner parties; average 14.2 cases per cluster), and the 14 clusters reported in non-health-care occupational settings (average 4.3 cases per cluster), tended to be largersupporting a possible role for physical distancing in slowing the spread of Covid-19, researchers said. One of the authors suggested the importance of coordinating with religious groups in preventing cluster infections. Four large clusters in our analysis, and large outbreaks reported elsewhere, have been linked with the transmission in faith-based settings, highlighting the need to partner with faith-based organisations when designing and implementing community mitigation efforts, said co-author Dr Philip Ricks from the US CDC. Limitations of the study include the fact that the first confirmed case in each country might not have been the first true case of infection in some countries, since early case detection efforts varied substantially. DALLAS, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) leverages the power of digitization to help facilitate the safe return to on-premise work environments providing location-aware technology and automated intelligence supporting COVID-19 contact tracing efforts in the event of an outbreak. Jacobs' ion is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data integration and visualization platform built on an open API framework to easily integrate with existing solutions or off-the-shelf sensors. By challenging a "business as usual" mindset, the Jacobs team leveraged the platform's mature technical foundation to add the necessary commercial off-the-shelf sensor components to make the solution viable in an accelerated timeframe. "This is a great example of Jacobs innovating at the speed of the market, as we leveraged our leading IIoT IP and deep domain knowledge of the clients on-premise operations to solve their toughest challenges with our ion solution and rolled out the first customer ready prototypes in less than a month," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions Senior Vice President and General Manager for Advancing National Security Jennifer Richmond. "We leveraged our scale across Jacobs to rapidly deploy new proprietary features and domain expertise to quickly release new functionality into the platform and rapidly fielded the solution by collaborating with our clients and our market facing operations teams a partnership that created an immediate feedback loop as we updated the solution in near real-time to shorten the deployment timeline." By implementing ion, a large global confidential client improved safety of personnel at the job site through monitoring of social/physical distancing and maximum occupancy for key areas, and by implementing an automated and robust contact tracing capability. The impact on operations has been significant, with one industry executive noting that the innovation is a game-changing solution for return-to-work scenarios in the construction and manufacturing industries in their new operational environment. The ion platform integrates hardware, IIoT devices, analytics and applications with a robust engine for rules, events, visualization and notifications into a single tailorable platform, available as Software as a Service (SaaS). The solution uses active monitoring to enhance security and reliability and automates processes for personnel safety and accountability with location tracking, mustering and emergency notification. Commercially available wearable technology is used to monitor worker interactions, while taking care to avoid phone and GPS-based solutions that can have a negative impact on personal privacy concerns. At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 27, 2019, and in particular the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law. For press/media inquiries: Kerrie Sparks 214.583.8433 SOURCE Jacobs Related Links http://www.jacobs.com Progress Singapore Party's Tan Cheng Bock and Workers' Party's Pritam Singh. (PHOTOS: Dhany Osman/Yahoo News Singapore) SINGAPORE Progress Singapore Party (PSP) chief Dr Tan Cheng Bock on Thursday (30 July) praised Leader of the Opposition (LO) Pritam Singh for pledging to donate 50 per cent of his additional salary, while calling out detractors. Singh, who is also Workers Party chief and a Member of Parliament (MP) in Aljunied GRC, had announced two days ago that he would be setting aside some $96,000 per annum before taxes to charitable and community causes, as well as the WP. In a Facebook post on his official account, Dr Tan who led the partys West Coast GRC team that earned the highest vote share among all the losing opposition teams called the gesture wonderful and generous and said it sets a good example for Singaporeans to emulate. It is sad and unbecoming, that some people have chosen instead, to cast aspersions on his intentions, he added. People make donations publicly and privately all the time on both sides of the political divide, Dr Tan wrote. It is far better to be gracious and welcome the gesture, than to continue to try to score political points. This is very disappointing, he added. In these difficult times, it is good to think of others and actively and intentionally help with what we have. This then, is truly #SGUNITED. Dr Tan also said he was very happy for Singh and that his appointment as the LO represents a significant maturing of our political process (though we still have some way to go). He also noted that apart from having resources and a salary increase, the appointment comes with additional responsibilities. Dr Tans comments come a day after former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng criticised Singhs move to publicly announce his intention to donate part of his LO salary. The public theatre of Pritam Singh donating part of his salary is already deepening the divide. We must stop expecting our politicians to engage in kumbaya political theatre, Cheng said in a Facebook post. Story continues Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongs wife and chief executive officer of Temasek Holdings Ho Ching shared Chengs post on Facebook and later, in a separate post, pointed out that several people have donated and continue to donate quietly, without making any public announcement. We are cheered by all forms of giving, including those who do it for virtue signalling, she wrote in another Facebook post. If we look at the philanthropy giving, there are clearly many more who give quietly in all sorts of ways, to all sorts of good causes, across the board in and outside of Singapore, she added. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: MND issues order to form 17 town councils, including Sengkang Singapore, Malaysia officially relaunch RTS Link project Dismissed: appeal against short detention for ex-SMU student who filmed woman in toilet MSF and Tan Chuan-Jin respond to viral post about elderly woman seeking more work Chandigarh The state information commission, Punjab, on Thursday directed all government, government-aided and private schools in the state to make public their building and fire safety certifications and schools affiliation by the education board. In case a school doesnt have a website, it will be mandatory to display this information prominently on the notice boards, and in case of schools with websites, this information will be displayed on both the forums, said the order by information commissioner Khushwant Singh. District Education Officers (DEOs) will ensure compliance with immediate effect. DEOs will also upload this information on their respective departmental websites, including the name of the schools that are not compliant and also a school compliant in one and non-compliant in the other two, adds the order. Schools will not evade sharing the complete status quo on all three points, fire and building safety certificates and board affiliation certificate. Each compliance or non-compliance must be clearly stated on the website, said the order. The order was pronounced after a petition filed by Kamaldeep Kaur of Amritsar against respondents project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and district education officer (elementary). The petitioner had asked for information about affiliation and safety certification of a privately-run school. However, the information received by the petitioner was incomplete, subsequent to which an appeal was filed. Theres a humongous public interest in taking a broader view of the issue of safety of children and staff in schools than confining it to one school. It is evident from the ongoing hearings of this case that some schools whether they are private, government-aided or government-operated may not be meeting and complying with the prescribed standards of building and fire safety norms set by the appropriate authority, said the information commissioner. The commission has asked the government authority to issue guidelines to schools for implementation of the order. It asked a representative of the appropriate authority to be present at the next date of hearing on August 25 to show evidence that the order is being complied with. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Thursday, July 30, 2020 Gerry Dworkin of Lifesaving Resources in Kennebunkport, Maine will conduct a Drowning Case Study Webinar for Personal Injury Attorneys on Monday, August 10, 2020 from 1 PM EST - 3 PM EST. Gerry Dworkin is an experienced Forensics Expert in drowning and aquatic injury cases with over 450 cases to date. Common practice for Gerry in all his cases is to develop a demonstrative exhibit for use during his deposition as well as at trial. Gerry presents this case study via the use of his pre-trial demonstrative exhibit during which time he identifies the materials reviewed; gives a description of the incident, including video surveillance of the incident itself; describes the required state code, as well as the Standard of Care principles (Industry Standards) that should have been implemented; and then his opinions as to how the facility breached those standards resulting in the tragic drowning death of a 62-year-old patron. This session should be of benefit to all personal injury attorneys, especially those engaged in drowning and/or aquatic injury litigation. Note: The webinar will include several graphic videos of two drowning incidents. Gerry regularly consults as an Aquatics Safety Forensics Expert and has consulted on over 450 cases to date. He is a professional Aquatics Safety & Water Rescue Consultant for Lifesaving Resources (www.lifesaving.com) and responsible for the development and conduct of training programs for the Public Safety & Rescue, as well as the Lifeguard & Aquatic Recreation Sectors. Gerry has conducted training programs throughout the U.S., as well as Internationally. For information/registration, please access the Lifesaving Resources' website at Gerry Dworkin is an experienced Forensics Expert in drowning and aquatic injury cases with over 450 cases to date. Common practice for Gerry in all his cases is to develop a demonstrative exhibit for use during his deposition as well as at trial. Gerry presents this case study via the use of his pre-trial demonstrative exhibit during which time he identifies the materials reviewed; gives a description of the incident, including video surveillance of the incident itself; describes the required state code, as well as the Standard of Care principles (Industry Standards) that should have been implemented; and then his opinions as to how the facility breached those standards resulting in the tragic drowning death of a 62-year-old patron. This session should be of benefit to all personal injury attorneys, especially those engaged in drowning and/or aquatic injury litigation. Note: The webinar will include several graphic videos of two drowning incidents. Gerry regularly consults as an Aquatics Safety Forensics Expert and has consulted on over 450 cases to date. He is a professional Aquatics Safety & Water Rescue Consultant for Lifesaving Resources (www.lifesaving.com) and responsible for the development and conduct of training programs for the Public Safety & Rescue, as well as the Lifeguard & Aquatic Recreation Sectors. Gerry has conducted training programs throughout the U.S., as well as Internationally. For information/registration, please access the Lifesaving Resources website at www.lifesaving.com, or call 207/967-8614. Prosecutors charged two men with capital murder Saturday in the fatal shooting of a Navy veteran whose body was found in a bayou in southeast Houston. On March 19, Texas EquuSearch volunteers found the body of Raul Mendoza, 23, floating in Buffalo Bayou near the 900 block of North York Street. He had been shot twice in the head. Jose Luis Nieva, 26, and Joseph Noel Godin, 27, were being held without bail Sunday in Harris County Jail. Mendoza, who worked for Continental Airlines, was last seen about 11 p.m. March 15 in the 3100 block of Garrow. Witnesses called police after observing a struggle near his car. Nieva later told detectives he and Godin were armed with a handgun and a rifle when they robbed Mendoza, according to the criminal complaint filed against him. Then they brought Mendoza to what they described as a "bridge over Buffalo Bayou." Nieva, known as "Polo," told detectives that although he had pointed a gun at Mendoza, it was Godin, who has a street name of "Bird," who fired the fatal rounds, according to the complaint document. Detectives later found a shell casing and blood at the scene. Texas EquuSearch teams and other volunteers began searching for Mendoza about 6 a.m. on March 17. They scoured the area and passed out fliers for two days until an aerial drone spotted the body. Upon questioning, Godin admitted he was there but said it was Nieva who shot Mendoza, according to the complaint. mike.glenn@chron.com (Natural News) The Senate GOPs proposal for the next round of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic relief legislation, has come under fire from some Republican senators for the inclusion of almost $2 billion to construct a new headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On Monday, Senate Republicans introduced the Heath, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act, the next round of pandemic relief meant to ease the burden of various measures meant to slow the spread of the disease. For the most part, the HEALS Act resembles the previous round of stimulus, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, its what has been added, specifically funds for the construction of new headquarters for the FBI that has raised some lawmakers eyebrows. (Related: New CARES Act only cares about big corporations local restaurants walk away with NOTHING.) HEALS Act mostly continues the work of previous stimulus As with the CARES Act, the HEALS Act will include $1,200 in direct payments to Americans. In addition, the income thresholds will remain the same as well. Individuals whose most recent tax return shows an adjusted gross income of $75,000 and below will receive the full $1,200, while those with an income over $99,000 wont receive anything. Meanwhile, the bill also continues federal unemployment insurance, albeit at a lot less than with the CARES Act. It also continues the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan package that encourages businesses to retain workers. The new bill also seeks to fix problems with its predecessor. The CARES Act was supposed to give people $500 in stimulus money for each dependent they claimed on their taxes for 2019; however, a loophole kept dependents who were 17 years old and up from being eligible for the $500, excluding many college students. In addition, the new bill also fixes a loophole in the old one that allowed around $1 billion in stimulus to be sent to dead Americans the new bill now specifies that people who died before January 1, 2020, cant receive payments. Finally, the new bill also includes more funding for schools, as well as a liability shield for hospitals, businesses, and other entities, while also providing for treatment, testing and vaccine funding. GOP senators question inclusion of FBI funding Of all the provisions in the HEALS Act, its the funding for the design and construction of a new FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. that has Senate Republicans questioning their partys own bill. I dont know. That makes no sense to me, said South Carolinas Sen. Lindsey Graham when he was asked about it by reporters. Meanwhile, Wyomings Sen. John Barrasso, who is a member of Republican leadership in the Senate has argued that the funding the FBIs new headquarters should not have been part of the HEALS Act. Instead, he stated that it should go through the annual government funding bills. To me, its not coronavirus related, Barrasso said. When asked by reporters on why the construction of a new FBI building was included in the HEALS Act, Senate Republicans directed them to the White House for answers. Well regarding that proposal obviously we had to have an agreement with the administration in order to get started, said Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnel. They insisted on that provision, added McConnel, who actually seemed surprised that the FBI funding was in the bill. You will have to ask them why they insisted that be included. On July 6, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows had already told reporters outside the White House that unrelated items sometimes get attached to legislation that is urgent. Everybody looks at this is the last train leaving the station so they want to attach some of those special interest needs to that, he said. I dont see it standing in the way of us getting a deal. Learn more about how the government plans to provide relief for businesses and workers affected by the coronavirus at Pandemic.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com Refinery29.com TheHill.com 1 C-Span.org 1 C-Span.org 2 The Hill.com 2 Albany, N.Y. Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in New York fell 33 to 586 on Wednesday, reaching a new low since March 17. Hospitalizations have fallen sharply since reaching a peak of more than 18,000 over multiple days in April. A total of 142 people are in intensive care units with the virus, down 12, and 72 are intubated, down four. Both of those totals are also new lows since mid-March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today during a conference call with reporters. The state conducted another 73,546 tests for the virus on Wednesday. New York now has 414,370 confirmed cases of the virus, including 777 new cases. The rate of positive tests was 1.06%, which is largely consistent with recent weeks. A total of 13 people died in the state due to the virus on Wednesday, bringing the statewide death toll to 25,145. Help for Utah Cuomo said the state is sending health staff and supplies to Utah to help a large hospital system there. He has announced several efforts in recent weeks to help a number of states and cities dealing with spikes in the coronavirus. Earlier this week, he detailed plans to send aid to St. Petersburg, Florida. More violations The State Liquor Authority and New York State Police are continuing efforts to crack down on bars and restaurants violating state reopening rules. Cuomo has been speaking about the issue for weeks now. He said the authority issued another 41 violations on Wednesday. The violations were found mainly in New York City and on Long Island Most of the states efforts have been focused on the New York City area, where Cuomo has said violations are more of a problem. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources How is your school reopening? See Central New York school district coronavirus plans Coronavirus under control in CNY, but vacation travel, college reopenings pose a threat Theyve waited months. Now 3 popular CNY diners face challenges in reopening amid pandemic Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, the signs and symptoms that may indicate infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have evolved. Initially, doctors in China described the common symptoms of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including cough, fever, and difficulty of breathing. But as the disease spread across the globe, the list has expanded, adding the loss of smell, loss of taste, diarrhea, fatigue, swollen eyelids, and toes and among others. However, one of the commonly reported symptoms by many patients infected with the novel coronavirus is the loss of smell. Most patients had reported being unable to distinguish scents during their battle with the infection. Now, a team of researchers at Harvard Medical school says they have found the reason why some people who get COVID-19 experience loss of smell. Called anosmia, the symptom is known as the earliest and most reported indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Health experts also said that anosmia could be a reliable and batter way to predict whether a person has the disease, other than other prevalent symptoms such as cough and fever. Why anosmia? The team set out to better understand how the sense of smell is affected in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. They want to shed light and focus more on the cell types most susceptible to contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In the study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, the team noted that altered olfactory function is a common symptom of COVID-19, but it is unclear why it happens. To arrive at their findings, the team identified cell types in the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb that express SARS-CoV-2 cell entry molecules. The team found that the virus attacks cells that support the olfactory sensory neurons, whose role focuses on detecting and transmitting signals from the nose to the brain. Also, olfactory sensory neurons do not express the gene that encodes the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor protein, which is used by the novel coronavirus to enter human cells. Instead, the ACE2 is expressed in cells that give metabolic and structural support to olfactory sensory neurons. SARS-CoV-2 viruses binding to ACE-2 receptors on a human cell, the initial stage of COVID-19 infection. Image Credit: Kateryna Kon / Shutterstock This means that the infection of non-neuronal cell types may be responsible for the presence of anosmia in patients with COVID-19. Our findings indicate that the novel coronavirus changes the sense of smell in patients not by directly infecting neurons but by affecting the function of supporting cells, Sandeep Robert Datta, associate professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS and senior author of the study, said. She added that, in most cases, the infections are unlikely to cause permanent damage to the olfactory neurons and lead to persistent anosmia. When the infection clears, the patient can regain the sense of smell. New clusters of symptoms In a separate report, scientists have found that COVID-19 symptoms come in six different clusters, which can help predict the patients who are at a heightened risk of severe disease and may require respiratory support. The team utilized a machine-learning algorithm to study data from more than 1,600 patients in the United States and the United Kingdom. The patients had COVID-19 and regularly logged their symptoms in an app called Zoe health from March to April. The team added the entries of an additional 1,047 patients in the U.S., U.K., and Sweden in May. The team found that while cough, fever, and loss of smell were usually highlighted as the three main symptoms of COVID-19 recently, they had a long list of additional symptoms, such as muscle pain, headache, confusion, diarrhea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath, among others. The six clusters include the flue-like with no fever, flu-like with fever, gastrointestinal, severe level one with fatigue, severe level two with confusion, and severe level three with abdominal and respiratory symptoms. The first cluster included symptoms such as headache, loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, and chest pain, without fever. The second cluster included headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, loss of appetite, and fever. The third cluster composed of headaches, loss of appetite, loss of smell, diarrhea, sore throat, chest pain, but without cough. The fourth cluster included headache, loss of smell, cough, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, and fatigue, The fifth cluster included headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, fever, cough, hoarseness, sore throat, fatigue, chest pain, confusion, and muscle pain, while the sixth cluster included headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, fever, cough, hoarseness, chest pain, sore throat, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The team also studied whether the patients experiencing a particular symptom cluster were more likely to need breathing support, such as oxygen or ventilator. They found that about 1.5 percent of those with cluster 1, 4.4 percent of those in cluster 2, and 3.3 percent of those in cluster 3 needed breathing support. For clusters 4, 5, and 6, the figures were 8.6 percent, 9.9 percent, and 19.8 percent, respectively. Further, about half of those in cluster 6 needed admission to a hospital, compared to just 16 percent in the people in cluster 1. These findings have important implications for the care and monitoring of people who are most vulnerable to severe COVID-19. If you can predict who these people are at day five, you have time to give them support and early interventions such as monitoring blood oxygen and sugar levels, and ensuring they are properly hydrated - simple care that could be given at home, preventing hospitalizations and saving lives, Dr. Claire Steves, consultant geriatrician, and study author, said. Zhao Xianzhen gives a speech at the symposium. [CCTV News] Zhao Xianzhen, Executive Member of the Women's Federation of Jiading District in Shanghai and General Manager of the district's Pinhai Restaurant, came into the spotlight after speaking at a symposium for entrepreneurs chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing on July 21. Xi urged efforts to spur the vitality of market entities and promote entrepreneurship at the symposium. Zhao, as the only female speaker at the symposium, is also secretary of the general Party branch of the Itinerant Party Member School in Nanxiang Town of Jiading and part-time president of the women's federation of the school, underlined the role of livestreaming in her speech. With the impact of the epidemic, all walks of life have attempted to promote their products through live broadcasts and expand their sales via online platforms, she noted, adding that the Pinhai Restaurant introduced its specialty dishes through live broadcasts during the closure of business to keep its brand polished. Zhao also promoted public spoons and chopsticks via livestreaming and put the hygienic measures in place in her restaurant, to allay customers' safety fears. "I was very excited to be provided with the opportunity to have a face-to-face communication with General Secretary Xi Jinping. We on behalf of more than 82 million individual businesses nationwide share the difficulties we have encountered and how we overcame them. I was greatly encouraged by General Secretary Xi's remarks at the symposium," Zhao said. Zhao Xianzhen learns about the business situation from an elderly self-employed businesswoman. [Shanghai Observer] Zhao, born in 1959, grew up together with the strides of China's reform and opening-up. She started her business as a vegetable vendor, and became a self-employed businesswoman in her 20s. When she just started her business, Zhao rode her old bicycle with two baskets full of vegetables from Jiading early in the morning to urban areas for selling every day. In 1994, she opened a delicatessen in Nanxiang and stepped on her self-employed career path. Later she pooled her money to open a restaurant. Zhao devoted herself to running the restaurant and attracted a large number of regular customers due to the tasty food and reasonable prices. Given her continuous efforts, she overcame the difficulties and obstacles on the start-up road, and finally owned her booming business. "Happiness will never befall us by itself. I firmly believe that happiness can only be created with our own hands. And when you live a good life, you should not forget to give back to society," Zhao said. The Women's Federation of Itinerant Party Member School in Nanxiang is the first women's federation of itinerant school in Shanghai. It serves female participants of associations of self-employed businesses and associations of private enterprises and women of mobile Party branches. After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Zhao took the lead in donating money and she donated 20,000 yuan (US $2,858) as special Party membership dues. She also raised money to purchase medical supplies such as ventilators worth nearly 300,000 yuan (US $42,870) for Central China's Hubei Province. Led by Zhao, 173 volunteers were organized to reinforce the on-duty work of traffic checkpoints and community-based epidemic prevention and control, and donated more than 2,000 packages of dim sum and over 60 boxes of vegetables to hospitals, communities and volunteers. Zhao Xianzhen distributes fruit and snacks to the elderly at a women club. [Shanghai Observer] Zhao has been granted honorary titles of "National Advanced Self-Employed People," "National Star of Filial Piety," "National Rural Female Talent" and "Shanghai March 8th Red-banner Holder" over the past years. Her family was also honored as the "National Most Beautiful Family" in 2019. During the epidemic period, she mobilized her family members to take active parts in epidemic prevention and control, contributing to the nationwide fight against the virus. "Every member of my family should stick to his or her post and take actions to help the anti-epidemic work," Zhao explained. "I will continue to do my business well. And at the same time, I will work with individual businesses, Party members and other women to strive for success in the new era," she added. Zhao Xianzhen (2nd, R) and her family members [For Women of China] (Source: Shanghai Observer and CCTV/Translated and edited by Women of China) The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is ready to sign a memorandum of understanding with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) regarding financial inclusion in Ukraine. NBU Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko said this during a meeting with IFC Regional Manager in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Jason Pellmar, the NBU press service reports. "Kyrylo Shevchenko confirmed his readiness to sign a memorandum of understanding with IFC, which includes further steps to increase financial inclusion in the country and develop financial technology," the statement reads. The NBU governor believes that cooperation between the National Bank and the International Finance Corporation will contribute to the development of the Ukrainian economy and the growth of citizens' involvement in the financial system. For his part, the IFC representative informed about the implementation in Ukraine of a technical assistance program entitled Ukraine Financial Inclusion for Growth Program. As Ukrinform reported, in early 2020, the National Bank of Ukraine, together with other financial market regulators, approved the Strategy for FinTech Development in Ukraine until 2025. The strategy provides for the development of the financial sector in five main areas: strengthening financial stability; promoting macroeconomic development and economic growth; development of financial markets; expanding financial inclusion; and the implementation of innovations in the financial sector. ish Afghan people, officials call for permanent ceasefire Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 2:35 PM In Afghanistan, the public and officials have called for a lasting ceasefire in the wake of the government and the Taliban's commitment to observe a three-day truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, starting Friday. Fawzia Koofi, a member of the government's negotiating team, said on Twitter Wednesday that she was "hoping for a lasting and permanent ceasefire." Sediq Sediqqi, the main spokesman for the Afghan president, said, "The people of Afghanistan demand a lasting ceasefire and the start of direct talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan." Ahmad Jawed Ahmady, a civil engineer, hoped for "peace forever." Ali, a shopkeeper in Kabul who only gave one name, said three days was not enough. "We want peace forever. We have the right to live in peace like other countries, we want our country to develop. We are all old and young tired of this war." On Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement declared the three-day ceasefire. But any attack by "the enemy" would be met with force and retaliation, he said. Kabul greeted the announcement with a note of caution. The Taliban announced the militants were putting down weapons for the Eid after President Ashraf Ghani signaled progress in a contentious prisoner exchange. The militants declared a similar three-day ceasefire at the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in May. The truce prompted widespread relief across Afghanistan, but it was short-lived, with the militants resuming deadly attacks straight afterwards. The prisoner exchange has been regarded as a first step toward broader talks between the government and the militants. Its implementation had faced hurdles since the deal was signed. Official data shows that bombings and other assaults by the Taliban have surged 70 percent since the militant group signed a deal with the United States. The US-Taliban deal "was not designed to bring peace to Afghanistan, but to facilitate a face-saving exit of US forces and engagement from Afghanistan," said Nishank Motwani, the deputy director at the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit. "The Taliban fundamentally believe that victory is theirs." Observers say the recent bloodshed highlights the Taliban's determination to push for broad control in Afghanistan. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Supreme Court has dismissed an application filed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) seeking for a review of the Courts judgement on the compilation of a new voters register. The dismissal of the application follows the refusal of the lead lawyer for the NDC, Tsatsu Tsikata, to move the party's application in court. Mr. Tsikata decided not to move the application due to the fact that he only received the response to their suit from the Electoral Commission (EC) while in court. According to Mr. Tsikata, he had not had the time to go through the ECs response hence could not speak to it. The NDCs lead lawyer further asked for an adjournment of the case, but the request was refused by the apex court. Meanwhile, officials of the NDC say the Supreme court was unjust to them. A member of the NDCs legal team, Abraham Amaliba told journalists after the proceedings that Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata could not have proceeded with the case without first appraising himself with the facts of the Electoral Commissions affidavit. ---citinewsroom (Natural News) Intense flashes of lightning struck Washington on Thursday night, July 23, after thunderstorm cell mergers coalesced over the city. The day marked the fourth day in a row of strong summer storms in some locations, abetted by the hot and humid conditions. Earlier, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Washington, Arlington and Alexandria, predicting that penny-sized hail would fall in the areas. Extreme weather display The Washington D.C. Lightning Mapping Array recorded about 126,500 instances of lightning discharge from 8 to 10 p.m. Chris Vagasky, a lightning expert for the Vaisala Group that operates the National Lightning Detection Network, said that there were about 3,000 lightning flashes within eight miles of National Park from 8:21 to 8:55 p.m. Several eyewitnesses stormed social media to describe the jarring bolts of lightning. Thunderstorm cell mergers contributed to the extreme weather conditions produced that night in the city. These are the result of a localized transient multi-cell cluster merging with another cluster coming from the west and the southwest. Experts say that the merging of separate masses of cloud water and ice may have supercharged the cloud system. Lightning forms when wind updrafts and downdrafts take place in the atmosphere, creating a charging mechanism that separates electric charges in clouds. Thats because these strong opposite wind currents cause water droplets, hail and other particles to collide and shed electrons to the bottom of the clouds. Experts said that many of the detectable electrical sources during the two-hour period were contained high within the cloud system, suggesting huge concentrations of lofted water and ice in cloud updrafts. They hypothesized that the combination of water and ice within a turbulent updraft initiated the electrical charge. These updrafts were very strong, as shown by an analysis of a small pocket of very unstable air feeding into the storm cluster. Its values are found to be between 3,000 to 3,500 Joules per kilogram. It takes about 1,000 Joules per kilogram to initiate a typical thunderstorm, which means the air currents during the thunderstorm were indeed beyond the normal range. (Related: Weather control technology now using lasers to cause rainstorms and lightning.) Furthermore, the storm released torrential rains that fall at a rate of over three inches an hour in some areas. Reagan National Airport collected 1.79 inches of rainwater in just 30 minutes between 9 and 10 p.m. The National Weather Service received more than half-dozen reports of flooding, situated mainly in Arlington, Alexandria, the District and Oxon Hill, as well as Prince William County. As a result, many cars were left stranded in some roadways, while the Nationals home opener against the Yankees was forced to halt mid-game. Meanwhile, the weather service received several reports of downed trees in the eastern part of the District and adjacent areas of Prince Georges County. Violent thunderstorms: a sign from the sky The violent thunderstorms were described as a sign from the sky, as several protests continued in the nations capital. Events were interrupted while reports of flooding, felled trees and strong winds came in. In June, for example, rioters defaced several historic monuments in the city, including a statue meant to honor the victims of communism. One inscription read BLM, which stands for the initials of the Black Lives Movement. Across the United States, protestors from the Black Live Movement looted and damaged stores. They also vandalized the Seattle Police Department headquarters and injured cops by throwing rocks and shooting fireworks. A member of the police was caught saying, These are criminal acts, not peaceful protests. Meanwhile, earlier in New York, a bright beam of lightning struck behind the Statue of Liberty. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org UK.News.Yahoo.com Phys.org SciJinks.gov A college student has told how he caught a 400-pound, eight foot long bull shark off the coast of Long Island Beach. TJ Minutillo, 21, who studies at Clemson University, captured the predator earlier this month after using a net of sea robin at Nickerson Beach. He told The New York Post he quickly released the shark back into the water after picturing it. His catch comes amid an uptick in shark sightings off the coast of Long Island; nine more have been spotted in less than a week, some just 75 feet from the shore. In Maine swimmer Julie Dimperio Holowach was killed by a great white off Harpswell on Monday. Manhasset resident Minutillo said: 'I've always been fascinated by the ocean in general so I think it's really cool to see them around. It can raise a bit of concern when you end up with a situation like the woman in Maine. Most of the time they're harmless. But freak things happen sometimes.' TJ Minutillo caught a 400-pound, eight foot long bull shark off the coast of Long Island Beach His catch comes amid an uptick in shark sightings off the coast of Long Island; nine more have been spotted in less than a week Long Island police have deployed helicopters and boats to search for sharks following several sightings of the underwater predator What is a Bull Shark? Bull sharks are some of the most likely types of shark to harm humans. This is because they prefer to swim in shallow waters similar to us. They range between 2.1 - 3 meters in length and weight 90-226 kilograms Bull sharks are known to be quite aggressive and resilient to fresh water but prefer to live in tropical areas. They are known to eat almost anything they find from fish to dolphins and sometimes attack humans. Source: National Geographic Advertisement Three sharks were spotted off the coast of Long Island on Wednesday afternoon alone, GMA reports. Long Island police have now deployed helicopters and boats to search for sharks following several sightings of the underwater predator. In Nassau County helicopters were sent up to spot sharks Wednesday. There have been at least six other sightings in the area this week. Nickerson beach lifeguard Ethan Grassini said he saw a six foot shark in chest deep water, swimming behind a school of rays. Further down the shore at Point Lookout beach a 10 foot long shark is said to have been spotted 75 feet off shore. Long Island is said to have seen double the usual numbers reported. Swimming was banned at several Long Island beaches on Monday after a lifeguard reported seeing a large shark. The 'significant size' shark was spotted by a Town of Hempstead lifeguard on a surfboard, town officials said in a tweet. Swimming was suspended at several beaches along Long Island's south shore as a precaution. Lifeguards in Hempstead snapped a photo of a dead skate fish that washed ashore with two massive shark bite marks on its fins. Lifeguard Logan Fitzgerald said of the shark he spotted: 'It came out of the water, spun around. Just didn't look like a dolphin. Definitely a shark.' Nassau County Executive Laura Curran tweeted: 'Just another day in 2020.' TJ Minutillo, 21, who studies at Clemson University, captured the predator earlier this month after using a net of sea robin at Nickerson Beach. He told The New York Post he quickly released the shark back into the water after picturing it. Long Island police and Maine Marine Patrol have deployed helicopters and boats to patrol for sharks following several sightings of the underwater predator and the fatal shark attack of a woman in Maine. A Nassau County Police Marine Unit helicopter pictured patrolling the waters at Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach in New York on Wednesday People go out in the ocean as a Nassau County Police Marine Unit boat patrols the waters at Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach, New York on Wednesday Marine experts believe the spike in shark sightings may be because of growing seal populations and the fact that both species are protected by law. Officials say that while shark attacks are rare, it is normal for great white sharks to be sighted in New England as the predators move north in search of seal colonies. There have been 13 shark attacks in 2020 alone, two of them fatal. The first fatality was in California and the second in Maine on Monday, marking the first deadly shark attack in the states history. The death this week of swimmer Holowach, who was killed by a great white off Harpswell, Maine, might have happened because the shark mistook her for a seal, authorities said. Swimmers off the New England states have learned to be more mindful in recent years due to a spate of sightings of great whites, the apex predator made famous in the movie Jaws. On Wednesday Nassau County Executive Laura Curran increased the number of patrols after two days of shark sightings on the South Shore, which led to the closure of Nickerson Beach, Jones Beach State Park and Long Beach. In Maine swimmer Julie Dimperio Holowach was killed by a great white off Harpswell Curran warned Long Island citizens to stay close to the shore, for beachgoers to swim in groups and avoid wearing shiny jewelry which sharks can mistake for the scales of a fish and to avoid swimming when bleeding. A shark that killed a man off Cape Cod in 2018 was also believed to be a great white. That was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than eight decades, while the death of Holowach on Monday was the first documented fatal shark attack in Maine history. One expert has told swimmers to avoid swimming at sunrise and sunset as the 'changing light conditions really favor predators'. New York has had at least 20 shark sightings in the past 12 months. Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said there have been just 12 confirmed shark bites in New York waters since 1837. The most recent shark bite occurred on Fire Island in 2018 after a 70-year stretch of no shark attacks in local waters. Paul Sieswerda, executive director of the marine research organization Gotham Whale, which has monitored sharks off the South Shore over the summer, has received reports of several different species of sharks in the area so far. 'Some of the sharks have been hammerheads, spinner sharks, thresher sharks and animals that tend to be at the surface,' Sieswerda said. 'There are a number of other sharks out there that stay below that have been there forever like sand tiger sharks, spiny dogfish, smooth dogfish and those are just natural sharks that pose no threat to humans,' he added. Still, officials say shark attacks are incredibly rare and the chances are one in 12million. The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria has signed an agreement with an American oil company, well-placed sources with close knowledge of the deal told Al-Monitor. One of the sources said the agreement to market oil in territory controlled by the US-backed entity and to develop and modernize existing fields was inked last week with the knowledge and encouragement of the White House. The sources named the company as Delta Crescent Energy LLC, a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The sources gave no further details about the company but would only say they had been in talks for a long time and that it had received an OFAC license to operate in Syria. Sinam Mohamad, the Syrian Democratic Council representative to the United States, confirmed via Whatsapp that Delta Crescent had signed an agreement with the autonomous administration but said she had no further details. Oil is the autonomous administration's principal source of income. The sources briefing Al-Monitor confirmed that Lindsay Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina who is close to President Donald Trump, had spoken to Mazloum Kobani, the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) yesterday and that Kobani had informed Graham of the deal and asked him to relay details of it to the US president. Graham confirmed that he had heard about the oil agreement from Kobane to CBS reporter Christina Ruffini, who then relayed this in a tweet. During his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Graham he was OK with the deal. The deal took a little longer senator, than we had hoped, and now were in implementation," he said. The sources told Al-Monitor that the US government had also agreed to provide two modular refineries to the autonomous administration but that these would only meet 20% of its refining needs. Delivery of the refineries have been held up by logistical hitches related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sources said. The Kurdish-led entity controls most of Syrias oil wealth, which is concentrated in and around the Rmelain fields close to the Turkish and Iraqi borders and in the Al-Omar fields further south. Before Syrias civil conflict erupted in 2011, the country used to produce around 380,000 barrels of crude per day. Production is down to around 60,000 barrels per day, much of it refined in makeshift refineries and transported by leaky pipelines causing massive environmental pollution. Oil is a politically radioactive topic, with the central government in Damascus accusing the United States of stealing its oil after Trump declared last year in the wake of Turkeys October incursion against the SDF that he was keeping some 500 US Special Forces in the Kurdish governed space for the oil. Despite steadily tightening sanctions on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the United States has turned a blind eye to ongoing oil trade between the Kurds and Damascus. A fair amount of the oil is also sold at cut rate prices to the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Ankara is every bit as sensitive about the oil as it's seen as the vehicle for cementing the Syrian Kurds self-rule project. Turkey has since 2016 been launching military operations against the SDF to disrupt its perceived attempts to establish a contiguous zone of control from the Iraqi border all the way to Afrin to the west of the Euphrates river and beyond. Turkey claims the SDF and its affiliates are "terrorists" because of their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, the rebel group that has been fighting for Kurdish self rule inside Turkey since 1984 and is on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations. The sources said US Special Envoy for Syria engagement reportedly had informed Turkey about the oil deal and that Ankara had not reacted negatively. Russia was also informed and had not expressed a view, though certain fields were kept outside the deal, so as to ensure that the Syrian people outside the Kurdish zone were not deprived of their share of the oil, one of the sources said. DENVER, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) announces Dr. Rebecca Gompf, Associate Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, at the University of Tennessee (UT), College of Veterinary Medicine, as the recipient of the 2020 ACVIM Lee & Inge Pyle Service Award. This award is presented annually to an ACVIM Diplomate in recognition of outstanding and dedicated volunteer service to the ACVIM for 10 or more years. Dr. Rebecca Gompf, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Cardiology) joined the UT College of Veterinary Medicine faculty in 1978 and has taught cardiology to students in every class that has graduated from the college since. She has trained interns and residents in cardiology, medicine, and radiology. Dr Gompf's dedicated record of service includes assuming the role as the secretary of Cardiology for the ACVIM for 33 consecutive years. In addition, during that time she served on seven ACVIM committees, leading four of those as the Chair. Her volunteer service also spanned numerous college and university committees and as chairperson of the Knox County Board of Health Advisory Committee. "Dr. Gompf's work within the ACVIM embodies the exact reason that we have the Lee & Inge Pyle Service Award. It can be summarized in one word: dedication. Her insight, together with her institutional memory, meant that her influence played an essential role in shaping the specialty of Cardiology and the College for the better. Organizations like ours owe their existence to dedicated people who give selflessly of themselves. For ACVIM, Dr. Becky Gompf is a model example of devoted service." Etienne Cote DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology, SAIM) The ACVIM is proud to present Dr. Rebecca Gompf with the 2020 ACVIM Lee & Inge Pyle Service Award. View a video honoring Dr. Gompf's accomplishments [INSERT LINK]. Additionally, please join us in extending our gratitude and congratulatory thoughts by leaving a comment on her KudoBoard. A user guide detailing how to post a comment is available here [INSERT LINK] if needed. About the ACVIM Based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine is the certifying organization for veterinary specialists in Cardiology, Large Animal Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, and Small Animal Internal Medicine. With more than 3,000 members, the ACVIM is dedicated to improving the lives of animals and people through the education, training, and certification of specialists in veterinary internal medicine, discovery and dissemination of new medical knowledge, and increasing public awareness of advances in veterinary medical care. www.acvim.org MEDIA CONTACT: April Sramek Marketing & Communications Manager 303.231.9933 ext. 122 [email protected] SOURCE American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for greater efforts to cultivate a large number of high-level talent with both integrity and ability to meet the development need of the Party and the country. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the requirement in an instruction on the country's graduate education. Xi said high-level talent are urgently needed, as socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and a new course of building a modern socialist country is unfolding on the basis of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and winning the battle against poverty. Xi also stressed the important role of graduate education in boosting innovation, catering for economic and social development, as well as modernizing the system and capacity for governance in China. Party committees and governments at all levels were asked to focus on improving graduate education to cultivate more high-level talent urgently needed by the country, so as to contribute to upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also made an instruction saying graduate education bears the task of boosting innovation and creation and serves as a cornerstone of China's development and social progress. Li called for efforts to implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to cultivate talent adaptable to multiple fields, with the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. A national conference on graduate education was held via video link on Wednesday. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Enditem Human sex trafficking ring busted in Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Q.R. Nine people were arrested and 14 young women rescued after police busted a prostitution ring in Playa del Carmen. La Fiscalia General del Estado de Quintana Roo says that investigative police officers completed a search warrant and captured nine people, including seven men and two women, for human trafficking. The Attorney General reports the capture of nine subjects for the crime of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The FGE says the bust took place in a building located on 5th Avenue in the Centro neighborhood of Playa del Carmen Wednesday. During their initial investigation, they found at least 14 women were forced to carry out sexual practices for services that were offered and promoted through various internet websites with prices in US currency. 14 women were rescued from Playa del Carmen sex ring La Fiscalia General del Estado de Quintana Roo says their search warrant lead to the arrest of Jesus P, Fabian D, Manuel B, Mario R, Jose M, Maria P, Jose R, Victor L and Monica C, as well as the rescue of 14 young woman. On site, police also seized several bags of marijuana and two vehicles believed used to transport people to the site. Whistleblower: Former Capt John Whitney, with the Vallejo Police Department, has alleged that some officers were in a 'Badge of Honor' fellowship that glorified the killing of civilians A former SWAT commander from California has made a series of bombshell accusations against the Vallejo police, including claims that officers who killed someone in the line of duty were celebrated and initiated into a secret society within the department. Former Capt John Whitney claims he was fired from his job in August 2019, after 19 years on the force, in retaliation for his efforts to investigate and root out the alleged misconduct involving some of his colleagues. Whitney, who currently serves with a different police agency in California, told Open Vallejo, which broke the story this week, that he first learned of a clandestine club, dubbed 'Badge of Honor,' within the department last year after the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Willie McCoy. Vallejo city officials have denied the existence of the 'Badge of Honor' fellowship, saying in a statement that Whitney's claims had been previously investigated and disproved. Whitney claimed that when an officer fatally shot a civilian in the line of duty, his colleagues would throw a barbecue in his honor and initiate him into their secret society by bending one of the seven-pointed stars on the police badge to mark the killing. Open Vallejo reported, citing interviews and photographic evidence, that of the 51 current and former Vallejo police officers who have been involved in fatal shootings since 2000, at least 14 had their badges bent. Whitney said officers who killed civilians in the line of duty were allegedly feted with barbecues and had the tips of their star-shaped badges bent (stock image of a Vallejo PD badge) At least half of the 14 cops had multiple star points bent, purportedly indicating multiple kills, according to officers who claimed to have seen the altered badges. Open Vallejo reported that three officers, Sean Kenney, Joe McCarthy and Steve Darden, accounted for almost a third of Vallejo's 30 fatal police shootings over the past 20 years. The recently promoted Lt Steve Darden is said to be the most lethal officer on the Vallejo force, having been involved in multiple shootings. Darden has denied that his badge has been bent Darden, who was promoted to lieutenant earlier this year and placed in charge of Vallejo's Hostage Negotiation Team, was believed to be one of the most lethal officers on the force. He denied that his badge has been tampered with, calling the allegation 'a lie.' Whitney said after he learned of the custom of bending badges to commemorate kills, he shared his concerns with Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan, City Manager Greg Nyhoff and then-City Attorney Claudia Quintana. Assistant City Manager Anne Cardwell said in a statement to The San Francisco Chronicle that the city was aware of previous complaints about badge bending. 'In conferring this evening with the City Manager, he noted that the Mayor had advised him last year regarding rumors of such a prior practice in years past at the Police Dept., and that he, the City Manager, then immediately consulted with former Police Chief (Andrew) Bidou, who indicated it had been previously investigated and such claims had not been substantiated,' Cardwell said. Mayor Sampayan, himself a retired police sergeant, said he saw bent badges during his years on the force, but he did not know the meaning of them at the time. Whitney said he first learned of the badge-bending tradition after the 2019 officer-involving fatal shooting of 20-year-old Willie McCoy (still image from body camera video) Whitney filed a claim of retaliation with the city in February, but it went unanswered, clearing the path for the former SWAT commander to file a lawsuit. Besides the supposed badge-bending tradition glorifying violence, Whitney claimed that former Police Chief Bidou instructed him to delete text messages related to the case of kidnapping victim Denise Huskins, dubbed in the media as the real-life 'Gone Girl.' In March 2015, Huskins, then aged 31, was abducted from her boyfriend's home in Vallejo and held in captivity for several days. During the investigation, Vallejo police publicly accused Huskins of perpetrating a twisted hoax reminiscent of Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel 'Gone Girl' about a wife who fakes her own kidnapping. Huskins' attacker, disbarred Harvard-educated lawyer Matthew Muller, in 2017 pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping charges and is currently serving a 40-year sentence. Huskins later sued the Vallejo Police Department for defamation and received a $2.5million settlement. Whitney also claimed that a former police chief told him to delete text messages related to the kidnapping of Denise Huskins (left), and called the victim a 'b****' Huskins' attacker, disbarred Harvard-educated lawyer Matthew Muller (left), in 2017 pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping charges. Huskins (right), who was previously accused by the police of perpetrating a 'Gone Girl'-style hoax, later won a $2.5million settlement Whitney alleged that Chief Bidou told a Vallejo Police Department spokesperson to 'burn that b****,' referring to Huskins. When Whitney was fired last year, ostensibly for deleting family photos from his work phone during an internal investigation into an information leak, the mayor of Vallejo stood by the captain. 'Frankly, I believe that because John spoke out about a negative culture on the Vallejo Police Department, his reputation was soiled by those that did not want any "dirty laundry" aired,' he wrote in a letter of recommendation for Whitney. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 10:01:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ROME, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Cagliari snapped their winless streak on Wednesday as they beat defending champions Juventus 2-0 while AC Milan continued their unbeaten run with a 4-1 victory over Sampdoria. The Bianconeri claimed their ninth consecutive victory on Sunday, so Maurizio Sarri made several changes to the starting line-up. Juventus dominated with 34 attempts but it was Cagliari who found the net as starlet Luca Gagliano took center stage with one goal and one assist, helping his side snatch their first three points since July. Elsewhere, AC Milan were up by three goals before the hour mark with Zlatan Ibrahimovic's brace and Hakan Calhanoglu's volley. Gianluigi Donnarumma performed well to deny a penalty but could do nothing to stop Kristoffer Askildsen's screamer. Rafael Leao sealed the match in the dying minutes with a curler from the edge of the box. Roma secured fifth place on the table as the Giallorossi edged past Torino 3-2 as Edin Dzeko, Chris Smalling, and Amadou Diawara were on target. Ciro Immobile is just one goal away from equalling the all-time record of Serie A goals in single season set by Gonzalo Higuain in 2015-16 season, as the Lazio striker collected his 35th goal, helping the Aquile conquer Brescia 2-0. The relegation battle intensified as a 2-1 victory over Udinese helped 18th-placed Lecce narrow the gap to Genoa to one point while Genoa were demolished by Sassuolo 5-0. In Wednesday's other Serie A matches, Fiorentina swept aside Bologna 4-0, and Hellas Verona dominated SPAL 3-0. Enditem M ark Zuckerberg called Instagram a threat that could meaningfully hurt Facebook before its acquisition of the photo-sharing app, a showdown in Congress has heard. The bosses of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google all fended off accusations that their companies stifle competition, under intense questioning before US lawmakers. Facebook boss Mr Zuckerberg faced renewed focus on its gobbling up of competitors by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. Jerrold Nadler, the Democrat head the House Judiciary Committee, said documents obtained from the company "tell a very disturbing story" of Facebook's acquisition of the Instagram. He said the documents show Mr Zuckerberg called Instagram a threat that could "meaningfully hurt" Facebook. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos testifies via video conference during the House Judiciary Subcommittee / Getty Images Mr Zuckerberg responded that Facebook viewed Instagram as both a competitor and a "complement" to Facebook's services, but also acknowledged that it competed with Facebook on photo-sharing. Some critics of Facebook have called for the company to divest Instagram and its WhatsApp messaging service. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Mr Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple answered questions about their business practices. They also confronted a range of other concerns about alleged political bias, their effect on US democracy and their role in China. The scrutiny of Big Tech could lead to new restrictions on its power, though forced breakups appear unlikely. The four CEOs were testifying remotely at a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, while most politicians sat, in masks, inside the hearing room in Washington. Among the toughest questions for Google and Amazon involved accusations that they used their dominant platforms to scoop up data about competitors in a way that gave them an unfair advantage. Mr Bezos said that he could not guarantee that Amazon had not accessed seller data to make competing products, an allegation that the company and its executives have previously denied. Regulators in the US and Europe have scrutinised Amazon's relationship with the businesses that sell on its site and whether the online shopping giant has been using data from the sellers to create its own private-label products. "We have a policy against using seller specific data to aid our private label business," Mr Bezos said in a response to a question from Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat. "But I can't guarantee to you that that policy hasn't been violated." Mr Pichai's opening remarks touted Google's value to "mom-and-pop businesses" in Bristol, Rhode Island and Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in the home districts of the antitrust panel's Democratic chairman, Rhode Island Rep David Cicilline, and its ranking Republican, Rep James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin. But the Google executive struggled as Mr Cicilline accused the company of leveraging its dominant search engine to steal ideas and information from other websites and manipulating its results to drive people to its own digital services to boost its profits. Mr Pichai repeatedly deflected Mr Cicilline's attacks by asserting that Google tries to provide the most helpful and relevant information to the hundreds of millions of people who use its search engine each day in an effort to keep them from defecting to a rival service such as Microsoft's Bing. As Democrats largely focused on market competition, several Republicans aired longstanding grievances that the tech companies are censoring conservative voices and questioned their business activities in China. "Big Tech is out to get conservatives," said Rep Jim Jordan of Ohio. In a tweet before the hearing, President Donald Trump challenged Congress to crack down on the companies, which he has accused, without evidence, of bias against him and conservatives in general. "If Congress doesn't bring fairness to Big Tech, which they should have done years ago, I will do it myself with Executive Orders," President Trump tweeted. Toronto police have arrested a 21-year-old man and are searching for another over a daylight killing in Scarboroughs Chester Le neighbourhood earlier this month. Police received reports of a shooting in a parking lot in the area of Morecambe Gate and Chester Le Boulevard, near Victoria Park Avenue, around 1:40 p.m. on July 4. There, officers found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to hospital where he died soon after. The man was later identified as Andre Charles, 43, of Toronto. In a Wednesday news release, police identified two suspects in the homicide. Shamar Bailey, 21, of Toronto, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder, police say. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Kwami Garrwood, 21, of Toronto. He is wanted for first-degree murder. Police say Garrwood is believed to be armed, violent, and dangerous. People are warned not to approach him and to call 9-1-1 if he is seen. Bailey is scheduled to appear in court by video link Thursday. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477. Abhya Adlakha is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @AbhyaAdlakha Burma Two Myanmar Soldiers Face Court-Martial for Karen Womans Murder A Karen State protest against military killings of civilians. / Karen Peace Support Network Naypyitaw Two soldiers are being tried at a court-martial for the murder of a Karen woman in Papun District in Karen State on July 16, Myanmars military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. Myanmars military has been investigating [the two] at court-martial for two days. They are charged with murder, desertion, drug abuse and holding weapons. We will take harsh action against them, Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun said. Action will be taken against them under the Defense Services Act for desertion. But for murder and weapon charges, there are penalties prescribed in the Penal Code. For murder, they will be punished under Article 302 of the Penal Code. The penalties will not be lighter than the ones prescribed in the Penal Code, added the military spokesman. The military said on July 20 that two privates based in Polohta Village in Papun District, each with their personal weapons, left their post without permission on July 16 and drank at a bar in the village. One of the soldiers attempted to steal a gold necklace from the female bar owner, which started a short fight between the two. She died at the spot as the soldiers firearm accidentally went off and the bullet hit her head and back. Thousands of residents staged protests at the military base in Papun on July 22 and July 28, demanding justice and that the districts outposts be closed. Though the military said it would take action against perpetrators, its statement described the incident as an accidental discharge, which is incorrect, said Saw Be from Katainghti Village, who participated in the protest. I dont have trust in the process because it says one thing and does another. What the [Tatmadaw] True News Information Team said about an unintentional discharge is not convincing the people, he told The Irrawaddy. We never want such cases to happen again, he added. The military spokesman said the case concerned individual personnel, but the Tatmadaw (military) as the institution will tighten discipline and more strictly regulate troops to prevent similar incidents, he said. But outposts cannot be removed, the spokesman said, because they were necessary for security reasons. He suggested that there is an instigation behind the demand for the removal of the outposts. Military outposts are for security reasons. The perpetrators committed the crimes personally. There are organizations that take advantage to instigate trouble from behind the scenes, he said. Major Saw Eh Doh Htoo of the Karen National Unions Brigade 5, in whose area the incident happened, denied the military allegation. It is impossible that the KNU instigated [the protests]. The most likely explanation was that social organizations spoke up with sympathy for the victim, he said. He said he had reported the case to KNU headquarters and Myanmars military. The case is likely to be discussed at the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC) meeting, he added. There was an exchange of fire between the military and the KNU, which is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, in May in Papun after the military reportedly attempted to remove two KNU COVID-19 inspection posts. Moreover, the two sides are still in dispute over the military reconstruction of a road between Papun and Thandaung, areas which are under KNU control. And there have been sporadic skirmishes as the two sides still cannot designate territories according to the NCA. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko You may also like these stories: Thousands of Villagers in Myanmars Karen State Protest Army Killings of Civilians By Allison Lampert MONTREAL (Reuters) - European airline and airport executives urged the Canadian government this week to allow a safe "restoration of travel" between Canada and Europe, adding industry pressure on Ottawa to remove coronavirus-related restrictions that have discouraged international air travel. In a letter dated July 27, top executives of nearly a dozen European airlines and airports, warned that "since many EU (European Union) countries and Switzerland require reciprocity to re-establish access, Canada's continued entry restriction and quarantine requirements are becoming problematic." The content of the letter, sent to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government ministers, was reviewed by Reuters. Airline trade group International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also asked Ottawa to replace quarantine restrictions with multi-pronged measures, including testing, to reduce transmission from travel. "We urge the Canadian government to remove the blanket travel restrictions to travelers from countries whose successful control of COVID-19 has significantly reduced risk to Canada," said IATA Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac on Wednesday by email. The EU has taken steps in recent weeks to relax travel requirements both internally and towards citizens of select other countries, including Canada, although Britain reintroduced a 14-day quarantine this week for arrivals from Spain. Canada's borders are closed to all non-citizens except for essential workers. Canadians who enter the country from abroad must self-isolate for two weeks. Trudeau has dismissed repeated calls from Air Canada to relax air travel restrictions to select countries. Experts say Canada is hesitant to relax restrictions on European travelers while maintaining strict rules against citizens from the United States, the country's largest trading partner, where coronavirus cases are rising. Story continues The July 27 letter was signed by executives from Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa Group, among others. Trudeau's office and Air France-KLM were not immediately available for comment. "Canada should look to remove the restrictions on travel to European Union and Swiss nationals and allow for a safe, cautious and sensible restoration of travel between two important trading partners," executives said in the letter. Executives pointed out that the EU and Switzerland are "safe jurisdictions" with many countries having lower infection rates than Canada. "Canada has made tremendous strides during the pandemic but it cannot remain isolated forever." (Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Additional reporting by Laurence Frost in Paris and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Paul Simao and Bernadette Baum) You will want to read these good stories that you may have missed. Purdue ranks fourth in the nation among public universities in CNBC Make Its 50 Colleges that Pay Off the Most ranking for 2020. Media Contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu 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. Media Contact: Kayla Wiles, wiles5@purdue.edu Researchers at Purdue have developed technology to create a hard metal surface that kills bacteria that try to attach to the surface. Media Contact: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org Recognizing the importance of addressing todays social justice issues, Purdue Global has updated its criminal justice and human services curriculum. Media Contact: Tom Schott, tschott@purdue.edu The Office of Indiana State Chemist, located at Purdue, is urging everyone who receives unsolicited packages of unidentified seeds in the mail presumably coming from China not to plant or dispose of the seeds since they could be spreading noxious weeds, plant diseases or invasive species. Media Contact: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu 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 purdue.edu. Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines: The effort comes after tracers talked to a couple of people who were at the function and who tested positive for COVID-19, he said. Brandy said he did not know the exact number and whether the positive cases were Lincoln-Way East recently graduated seniors or chaperones. A San Francisco Catholic priest, who called the pandemic a political ploy, chastised his parishioners for putting fears over faith and skipping Mass to avoid the remote possibility of dying from Covid. Father Joseph Illo wrote the letter in the July 26 Star of the Sea parish bulletin, challenging the severity of the coronavirus and urging Catholics to avoid media reports, which he said are aimed at unseating President Trump. During the pandemic we have chosen safety above sacraments, he said. Fear has replaced faith. The note comes after city officials criticized the church for violating health orders and sent a cease-and-desist order for indoor religious services held over several weeks. Then, in early July, city officials shut down a covert Catholic wedding at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, where guests were told to enter unseen through an underground garage. City officials, contacted by The Chronicle about the July 26 letter from Illo, blasted the message. It is absolutely irresponsible for anyone to use their spirituality to spread potentially deadly misinformation, said Mayor London Breed. Whether you are a religious or political leader, we all have a responsibility to serve and protect the public at all times, especially during a pandemic that has killed 150,000 Americans. San Franciscos most recent health order allows for religious services, but only outside and with a limit of 12 participants, unless they are members of the same household. The wedding that was shut down came just days after city officials had warned the archdiocese to stop holding illegal indoor events. Church officials were not cited for the incident. The newlywed couple, who were forced to move the ceremony outside, later tested positive for COVID-19, as did at least eight guests. Despite the incident, Illo told his parishioners in the bulletin that while the coronavirus is real, it has been overblown for political purposes. Illo also challenged coronavirus infection numbers, saying he believes that the news reports on hospitalization rates are largely unreal, and a media ploy designed to unseat President Trump. A proven means of unseating an elected official is to induce fear among the incumbents constituents, he wrote. The priest added that he knows thousands of people personally, but only three have contracted the virus, including a 94-year-old woman who has no symptoms and feels fine. He urged parishioners to stop paying attention to news and start looking at flowers, trees, the sky and the sea. You can break your addiction to the internet and the news cycles, he said. Reached Wednesday, Illo said he had no further comment and the bulletin piece speaks for itself. The Star of the Sea priest, however, is no stranger to controversy in San Francisco. He has been the subject of heavy criticism by parents at the Star of the Sea school since his appointment to the parish in August 2014. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In 2015, parishioners protested his ban on girls serving at the altar at Mass. He was also criticized for providing pamphlets to children before confession that included questions about masturbation, sodomy, abortion and vasectomies. He later apologized for the wording. In another incident, Illo reportedly demanded that a man order his wife to apologize after she complained about the priests actions at the school. The Star of the Sea school suspended operation in 2019. Even before his assignment in San Francisco, Illo drew national attention in Modesto, where he said in 2008 that voting for Barack Obama, who supported abortion rights, would necessitate a trip to the confessional. Voting for a candidate who promises abortion rights, even if he promises every other good thing, is voting for abortion, Illo told parishioners. It is a grave mistake and probably a grave sin. Archdiocese officials told The Chronicle on Wednesday that the Church by design is very decentralized. Our 90 pastors operate very independently, said spokesman Mike Brown. The Archdiocese does not maintain oversight of their homilies, blog posts or other communication with their parishioners. Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker graceo wrote: Hi all, I am transitioning from social work to business analytics and I would appreciate some profile evaluation here. Thanks in advance! Hi @graceo-- here are my responses to your questions below -Background and nationality: I would like to apply for business analytics. I am a Chinese (speaks Mandarin and Canto) but I've been in the US since high school where I graduated with a national honor roll. -Education Information: Went to UC Irvine for undergrad and studied sociology (took 3 stats classes and a game theory class, cumulative GPA was 2.8); then to USC for master and studied gerontology (took leadership/consumer marketing classes, cumulative GPA was 3.55). During school I also assisted in 3 academic researches, one of them was published. I interviewed participants and analyzed qualitative data using excel, NVivo and Visio. -GMAT/GRE: to be taken, I am studying for GMAT with , Veritasprep on youtube, 2020OG and our beloved gmatclub:) -Work experience and leadership: I worked at a nonprofit for 1.5 years. I evaluated client cases, made assessment on resources delivery and implemented quality assurance; coordinated events with community partners; designed surveys and analyzed data. I have 2 more work experiences--a month in movie development research and one year in school as project assistant -Community and others: Besides the nonprofit when I worked as a social worker and coordinator, I also volunteered for different organizations such as Red Cross and Autism Speaks. I have been playing the piano since I was 4 and I am on level 8. -Post Master goals: I'd like to work as a business analyst. I am interested in the "analyst" role. -Anything else? I actually grew up reading business magazines. I know I don't have a strong quant background, my undergrad gpa is low, I didn't study any business/data major, I don't have skills in analytics tools(python, R, etc) yet, and my gmat is scheduled for early December. Would it still be possible to apply for UCLA next year (2011)? I assume you mean 2021? How should I plan and convince the admission office? I would talk to people in business analyst roles and understand what you still need from your MBA to be considered for this role Also, I want to stay in California and I plan to apply to multiple schools (USC, UC Irvine, Cal State U's..) is there anything I should pay attention to? Nothing in particular--just apply to all the programs that interest you! Thank you so much for your help! _________________ The Committee for Public Education (CFPE) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) held a successful online forum on July 18 to discuss the dangers confronting educators and students in the coronavirus pandemic. Participants attended from across Australia and internationally. A video of the CFPE meeting Sue Phillips, national convenor of the CFPE, opened the forum by highlighting the spiralling COVID-19 pandemic and the criminal policy of governments internationally to reopen schools and force students and educators back into unsafe conditions. Phillips pointed to the escalation of outbreaks in Melbourne schools, which exposed government misinformation that schools are safe, and exposed the complicity of the teacher unions. David Brown, a teacher and member of the Socialist Equality Party in the United States, spoke on the dire situation facing American educators, who confront a homicidal drive by the Trump administration to reopen schools. He discussed the growing opposition among educators and other layers of the working class, including through the formation of rank-and-file safety committees in the auto plants. David Brown Tania Kent, a long-standing educator and member of the Socialist Equality Party in Britain, described the reckless herd-immunity policies of Boris Johnsons government. She noted the growing opposition of parents, who are threatened with fines by the authorities if their children are not sent back into the schools. Kent emphasised the need for the organisation of independent action of the working class. A lively discussion followed. The history and role of the unions was discussed, together with the need for rank-and-file safety committees to be formed in every school, university and workplace. Important contributions were made to the discussion by Mike Head, an academic and member of the SEP in Australia, and Evrim Yazgim, a leading member of the IYSSE at the University of Melbourne. They detailed the assault and restructuring of the universities, involving sackings and wage cuts that are being carried out in collaboration with the tertiary education union. After the forum, several participants spoke with the World Socialist Web Site. Ros, a secondary teacher from South Australia, said: I have been absolutely blown away by the number of COVID-19 cases in schools in Melbourne. You dont hear the truth about what is going on. The contributions from the international speakers, Tania and David, were great. I found it very interesting what David from the US said about the auto industry, where workers are saying enough is enough, and you are not sending us to work anymore in unsafe conditions. She continued: I have said this to some of my friends and workmates at schoolwe are either going to have to roll over and accept what is going on, that workers are going to be sacrificed for capitalism, or we are going to have to rebel and have an uprising of some kind. Ros concluded: I think the call for nationwide strike of educators by the SEP in the US is greatI wish it would happen here now rather than wait for it to get worse. I hundred percent support the call for the fight for rank-and-file communities taking unified action internationally. Im lost on how make that happen but would love to be part of the organisation, absolutely. Phoebe Phoebe, is a tertiary student in Melbourne. She spoke of the role of the state Labor government in Victoria. I didnt agree how the government used excessive use of the police on the Flemington and North Melbourne housing estates. Police were used in the hard lockdown, instead of bringing in health and social workers to support people who needed assistance. The premature opening of restaurants, businesses, etc., was the cause of this second wave of coronavirus. She added: I think rank-and-file committees are incredibly important for workers and students to unite. Trade unions arent offering the right type of safety protocols or adequate access to equipment, social distancing measures, or standing in opposition to the return to work. It is important to be able to oppose being sent back either to study or to work and not have to face consequences for standing up for your safety and rights. Ivan, a PhD student at Western Sydney University, said: I found it an interesting forum, particularly hearing about the union offer to the universities for a 15 percent pay cut. The union publication Advocate seems to be celebrating the agreements reached while also suggesting more job losses to come. Considering the profitability of the universities over the last decade, it is a terrible bowing out to the university CEOs by the union. The background on the true role of the unions as an extension of universities business was insightful. Susan, a primary school teacher in Melbourne, said: What governments are saying about schools being safe is a lie. Classrooms are oversized petri dishes. I read a quote the other day that resonated with me: Schools cannot control nits, how are they supposed to control COVID-19? Schools are being used across the world to keep the economy open. This puts teachers, students and families at risk. Im concerned that I am being compelled to work on-site with younger students and appalled that our colleagues in secondary schools who teach VCE [senior subjects] are teaching full classes face to face. Susan spoke on the role of the teacher unions. The fact that the government and the union do not publicise the number of outbreaks in schools shows they have something to cover up. They want parents to send their kids to school so they can continue working. CEOs, politicians, have the freedom to work from home and keep their kids at home. Teachers and the working class do not share this luxury. That is why in the first instance there were more cases in the well-travelled upper class, but now more cases in the working class. Teachers and the working class cannot rely on the unions to look after their safety or wellbeing. I agree with the unification of teachers, students, parents and academics independent of the union. It was really good to hear from teachers across the globe. We really are facing the same issues. It is not an American issue, nor is it an Australian or British issue. That too can be said for so many issues facing education across the world. Jack Jack, a university student at Latrobe University in Melbourne, said: I thought the international perspective was absolutely fantastic. We totally need to show more international perspectives, have international voices. We really need to push the fact that the systems or the circumstances affecting us are not unique to Australia. The macroeconomics that is hitting us, is prevailing, it is global. I think around COVID-19 there are many areas of misinformation, it was good the meeting pointed this out. Chiara, a 21-year-old in Melbourne now studying to become a teacher, also attended the CFPE forum. She responded: Its been frustrating and disheartening to see the blatant disregard governments have had for an industry that is very much the foundation for our society. Being able to hear about the specific demands mentioned in the meeting, highlighted how education workers and students can be fully considered within school shutdownsthat is, educators being economically supported, public funded psychologists being made available for vulnerable students, ensuring online learning is inclusive of all with internet access, and technology being made readily available. This was all important. These demands reveal what proactive action looks like, and how simple it can be, to not only invest in the safety of our society but prioritise education and combat the effects of the virus on our education systems. Campbell, a secondary teacher in regional Victoria, spoke with the WSWS about his experiences: What is happening at my school adds emphasis to the comments made at the CFPE-IYSSE meeting. This week we had a student testing positive in another school in our town. A teacher from my secondary college, whose partner works at the affected college, went home when it was confirmed. Its becoming quite real, with an understanding by a growing number of teachers that theyve been hung out to dry and that we are the guinea pigs for the education department. Educators are being blackmailed to go back to work because of the need to keep the economy running. He added: People are saying they havent heard from the union, there is no leadership there or direction, no support. So there is a growing disillusionment that belonging to the union is not all its cut out to be. Campbell concluded: Hearing first hand from educators, Tania and David, in Britain and the United States lent itself to a greater understanding of where were going and what theyve experienced. We all have to work internationally amongst all the working people across all the nations to ensure we can move forward. The CFPE urges all educators and students to contact us to discuss taking forward the fight for safe working conditions. Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation Twitter: @CFPE_Australia JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- A two-year-old child drowned in an Escatawpa pond Wednesday morning, according to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell. The boy had apparently wandered out of a home on Ann Road in the Escatawpa community and the pond was located on the same property. He was found by relatives, wh called emergency personnel. When deputies and paramedics arrived, the child was unresponsive. He was taken to Singing River Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. Ezell said the incident is being investigated, but no charges are expected. Missing truck driver safe GAUTIER, Mississippi -- A California truck driver reported missing after last being seen at an Interstate 10 rest area early Monday morning has been located and is safe. Gautier interim police chief said 47-year-old Dimitri Rai Williams had last been seen about 6 a.m. Monday morning at an I-10 east rest area as he was driving his 18-wheeler from Fresno, Calif., to Atlanta, Ga. Investigators learned Williams truck was followed into the rest area by a black SUV and, after parking his truck, Williams got into the SUV on the passenger side and had not been heard from as of early Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday evening, however, Williams came to the Gautier Police Department after his son saw news reports on his fathers apparent disappearance and alerted him. Williams told police he did not want to be found. Ingalls Avenue improvements to begin in September PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Road improvements on Ingalls Avenue between DeSoto Street and Market Street in Pascagoula are set to begin in September, according to a release from the City of Pascagoula. The $5.6 million project includes replacing water mains, sewer lines and storm drains, as well as new paving and new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant sidewalks. The project is being funded through a state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), with additional funding from the State of Mississippi, Jackson County and the City of Pascagoula. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2021. Ocean Springs man sets new state fishing record BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources certified six new state fishing records during its July meeting. Among the records certified was a catch by Tim Shivers of Ocean Springs, who set a new mark for Red Grouper with a catch of 22 pounds, 2.05 ounces. General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh has called on the public to stop referring to the Akufo-Addo administration as an NPP government. According to him, tagging the government with a political party name is unconstitutional. He expounded that government is about the person who is elected to lead the State, in this case will be President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not the New Patriotic Party. He said this while announcing that the CPP is poised to contest the 2020 elections and revealed the party will unveil its Presidential and Parliamentary candidates on Saturday, August 15. "In fact, should President Nana Akufo-Addo decide today to exit the New Patriotic Party, he will continue to be President because as much as he was elected on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, he is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. There's no NPP government . . . There has never been an NDC government. In our constitutional arrangement, it's not parties that form government but rather the person who has been elected," James Kwabena Bomfeh said during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'. He also described Ghana's constitution as a constitution of hypocrisy. To him, there are inconsistencies in the contitution. He believed the inconsistency is one of the reasons why people tend to call a government by a political party name. Speaking to host Nana Yaw Kesseh, he called for an overhaul of the 1992 constitution saying''the whole structure of the constitution and the politics we're doing under this fouth Republican dispensation, I want to conclude that the case for a constitutional overhaul is eminent and it's imperative''. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thu, July 30, 2020 07:00 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5af9a 2 SE Asia Jho-Low,Malaysia,1MDB,corruption,graft-suspect,Najib-Razak Free A fugitive financier being hunted by Malaysian authorities over his role in the country's multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal is hiding in the Chinese territory of Macau, Malaysian police said Wednesday. Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, is accused of being the mastermind behind the theft of billions looted from sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. The money was used to buy everything from a yacht to art in a fraud case that allegedly also involved former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. Malaysian police chief Abdul Hamid Bador said Low was in the semi-autonomous Chinese casino hub of Macau, but speculation about his whereabouts has previously placed him in various countries from the United Arab Emirates to mainland China. "He is there with all the filthy money," Abdul Hamid told AFP in a text message. Asked why he had chosen to reveal Low's location now, the police chief said allegations had been made that officers were "purposely slowing down on the effort to bring him to justice". Macau authorities said in 2018 they had received a request from the Malaysian government concerning Low but gave no further details. Charged in both Malaysia and the United States over the 1MDB scandal, Low has been accused by Najib's lawyers of being the mastermind behind the scam and tricking the former premier. Najib, who founded 1MDB, was on Tuesday sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined almost $50 million on corruption charges relating to the scandal, which contributed to the downfall of his government in 2018. The former leader is still to face the conclusion of a second trial that began in August last year centered on allegations he illicitly obtained more than $500 million. Design, science and the brain How future architectural design can strengthen human health. By MATTHIAS OLT B+H Architects Olt While our current work-from-home circumstances have some benefits, such as greater personal flexibility and the elimination of stressful commutes, many of us are also experiencing first-hand the impact of a limited, unvaried environment on our physical and mental health. We are, effectively, subjects in a global experiment in how environments impact human health and the evidence is mounting. Physio-sensory connection In 2019, visitors to Milan Design Week received a physio-sensory wristband on entry to the exhibition, A Space for Being. The band was the brainchild of Googles Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen, founder of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University. It was designed to measure how visual aesthetic experiences impact our health and wellbeing. The data collected informed a life-changing new branch of science called neuroaesthetics, the study of how sensory environmental input impacts human physiology and psychology. Photos courtesy of B+H Architects [enlarge] At University of British Columbia, the sight of curvilinear shapes and spaces activates a region in the brain that is our emotional control center in beauty judgments. In 1999, British neurobiologist Semir Zeki began using non-invasive brain imaging techniques to understand how and why humans respond to the arts. As sensor technology becomes more accessible (and wearable) this new branch in the study of brain science is focusing on how aesthetic experiences such as exposure to architecture, visual design, music and dance register in our brain and affect our bodys biological and emotional responses. The findings are compelling and have significant implications for the design of our built environments. Patterns and movement Recent physiological research demonstrated direct correlations between the lower stress indicators in the body and increased tactile experience with natural materials, visual access to nature and non-rhythmic sensory stimuli, such as hearing the wind or observing changing light patterns. Natural materials In recent Japanese studies, the touch and sight of wood was found to induce significant physiological and psychological relaxation, as compared to control materials of tile, steel, resin and marble. Indoor greenery Exposure to plants has not only proven to lower the release of oxyhemoglobin, a stress protein that affects the brain, but their intentional use in interior design can also mitigate the indoor air migration of aerosols. For example, foliage between work areas create micro-eddies and can limit the flow of air contaminants. Architectural bodybuilding Innovation in architecture occurs incrementally by subtle or not-so-subtle developments in scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, pandemics and socio-political reform. The growing findings from the study of neuroaesthetics, coupled with evidence from our personal experiences in quarantine is contributing to a far greater understanding of the direct link between environmental and human health. B+H is responding with increased urgency to better comprehend the link between natural systems and human response mechanisms. We are researching novel ways in which a buildings structural elements and design language can play a pivotal role in enhancing wellness. Drawing deeply on biophilic principles, we are exploring the ways in which natural materials, access to non-rhythmic sensory stimuli and organic shapes can apply across all scales, from the position of a body in a room to the planning of entire communities and cities. Access to natural greenery Exposure to plants, natural views and nature imagery plays a positive role in recovery and pain management inside care facilities, as demonstrated in Roger Ulrichs groundbreaking 1984 study. Recent research builds on these findings and suggests views of natural surroundings may benefit men and women differently. Men with obstructed views of nature demonstrated a decline in mental health, while women with obstructed views appeared to show a greater decline in physical health. The bottom line is that views of nature measurably boost health. [enlarge] Recent brain science suggests that the sight and touch of plant material, organic forms, wood surfaces as seen at the University of Windsor reduces the release of stress proteins. Improved focus Earlier this year, Oshin Vartanian, a psychologist at the University of Toronto, documented that while coherence and fascination were well-established dimensions in response to architecture, hominess emerged as a new dimension. Neuroscientists like Colin Ellard are using physical environments and immersive virtual reality to test mood, concentration and stress levels of people in varied surroundings. Positive emotion Ed Connor of Johns Hopkins University explored how specific shapes such as the smooth curves in the work of French-German sculptor Jean Arp create pleasant emotional responses. The shape of a space, a building, a street or a skyline can affect us. Rectilinear forms increase stress; sinuous forms reduce it. Vartanian conducted a functional MRI study that showcased photos of interior design projects with either a curvy or linear aesthetic. The results revealed that participants overwhelmingly favored spaces with curved furniture, fixtures and floor patterns over their angular counterparts. Most strikingly, Vartanians brain scans discovered that curved designs led to a burst of activity in the anterior cingulate cortex a cognitive area of the brain that triggers an emotional reaction whereas interior spaces bearing sharp corners and straight lines did not. In short, we are wired for an emotional connection to rounded forms. The form does matter. Promoting human health This latest research provides evidence that our immediate surroundings affect our brain functions beyond our consciousness. As architects and designers of the built environment, we have a responsibility to use this information to design better performing spaces that promote and support human health. Neuraesthetically informed design can lower breathing rates, blood pressure, pain and anxiety. In the past it has been hard to articulate the emotional and psychological impact of a positive aesthetic experience, but by combining the science with accessible sensor technology we have the gift of a new language. Technology can help us know ourselves better and the essential revelation is that the way we consciously think about space is not necessarily in line with how our bodies react to it. The body is a vast sensory system and its responses may well be different from the bias of our rational mind. The 2019 Milan Design Week exhibition showed that design affects our bodies in an immediate, direct and impactful way. People have agency over the environments they choose to inhabit and the global quarantine experiment has provided us all with a heightened awareness of the impact of space on our mental and physical health. Architectural solutions that evolve at the intersection of neuroscience, arts and technology will contribute to healthier communities and promote social cohesion, engagement and wellbeing. Matthias Olt is the design director with B+H Architects. Other Stories: Over 4,000 websites distributing fakes blocked in Russia in 2020 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov 14:38 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) More than 4,000 websites distributing fake information have been blocked at the request of prosecutors since the beginning of 2020, the press service of Russias Prosecutor Generals Office reports. The number of online fakes has increased due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the body. This year, prosecutors received over 340 notifications of the fake information dissemination. In order to block it, 153 requests were sent to the Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, as compared to 6 in the same period in 2019. As a result of consideration of 219 requests over 4,000 websites were blocked; illegal statements were delete from more than 25,000 resources, the statement reads. The Socialist Equality Party (US) appeals to our supporters in Louisiana to help secure ballot access for our presidential candidate Joseph Kishore and vice-presidential candidate Norissa Santa Cruz in the November general election. The SEP needs eight electors in Louisianaone from each of the states six congressional districts plus two at-largeto sign notarized affidavits stating that they will accept the nomination of the SEPs candidates should the SEP win the state in the general election. We ask all those willing to volunteer to contact the SEP as soon as possible. The response of the ruling class to the COVID-19 pandemic has completely exposed the bankruptcy of the capitalist system. After funneling trillions of dollars to Wall Street, the ruling class is now insisting that workers return to work, even as the pandemic is raging out of control. There is growing anger and opposition in the working class, which finds no expression within the two-party system. The Trump administration is escalating its drive to authoritarianism and dictatorship through the deployment of federal paramilitary forces in Portland and other cities. The Democrats are preparing to nominate Biden, a trusted representative of the financial oligarchy and the military-intelligence agencies. Masses of workers and youth are moving to the left, and there is growing support for socialism. The raging pandemic and the disastrous social crisis facing tens of millions of people is fueling explosive social conflicts. Widespread anger and opposition found initial expression in the wave of demonstrations that followed the police murder of George Floyd on May 25. But deeper issues are involved. The coming period will see a growing movement of the working class, in the US and internationally, against inequality, war, authoritarianism and the capitalist system. That is why it is necessary to build a new political leadership within the working class, one that unifies and mobilizes workers and youth on the basis of an international socialist program. The SEP's 2020 election campaign is giving a voice to all those who seek a genuine socialist political alternative to the capitalist system and its big-business parties, the Democrats and Republicans. Louisiana supporters, please contact us today to become an elector for your district to help get the SEP on the ballot. John Lewis could become the new Radio Rentals by loaning out white goods and sofas - as the chain's boss hints at a Waitrose tie-up with Amazon Fresh after the Ocado deal ends. John Lewis chairman Sharon White suggested some products - like furniture or electrical goods - could be rented out to customers. But a remark about the possibility of selling their products through other retailers has raised questions over whether they could team up with Amazon, as Ms White also told Waitrose staff they were looking at 'other routes'. Waitrose delivers food already itself but is looking to increase sales online in the future She made the remark in an update to partners this morning about the future of the business post coronavirus pandemic. The chairman of Waitrose's parent company admitted they were considering more supermarket closures and even turning not-needed shop spaces into houses. On Tuesday the US-based internet marketplace announced shoppers using the 1.17billion company's subscription Prime service can now get groceries delivered free. It replaces the previous system where Prime members - who already had to pay 7.99 - needed to pay an extra 2.99 for a food order. Amazon is to retrofit existing warehouses to store groceries for its new free Fresh service A MailOnline survey found how Amazon Fresh compared in cost to other supermarkets What is Amazon Fresh? Amazon Fresh is an Amazon Prime benefit available at no extra cost to existing Prime subscribers. Prime members in around 300 postcodes across Greater London and the South East (including London, Surrey, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire) can do their weekly shop on Amazon Fresh, with local produce, brands and artisan products, included in the cost of Prime membership. Amazon said delivery in two-hour windows is now free on orders over 40 and the minimum order value has been lowered from 40 to 15. Shops that come in under 40 will be charged a 3.99 delivery fee. Customers will be able to access between 12,000 and 15,000 products online including products from retailers and brands including Booths, Morrisons, Whole Foods Market, Pepsi, Danone, Arla, Warburtons and Britvic. Amazon Fresh customers will also be offered a selection of thousands of products from local producers including GAIL's Artisan Bakery, C.Lidgate and Paxton & Whitfield. Advertisement Retail expert Richard Hyman told MailOnline: 'I think Waitrose selling through Amazon Fresh would be a good fit. I do think it's a possibility. 'Amazon doesn't do anything in a small way. It hasn't entered food retailing to be an also-ran and it wants to accelerate things. That would be greatly aided by partnerships.' 'Amazon already have a partnership with Booths, which is sometimes called the "Waitrose of the North",' he added. The letter was sent by Ms White to John Lewis's 80,000 this morning and said it was targeting at least 100 million of savings in head office costs. It said the firm was transitioning to digital and speeding up sales online with John Lewis to become a 60 per cent online retailer and Waitrose to rise to over 20 per cent. She added: "We are looking at how we make our products available through other routes, reflecting the fact that Waitrose has a smaller presence in the convenience market than other supermarkets. "We also know that our customers are spending a lot on food delivery services. We see significant scope for us to grow in this area, and are actively exploring early opportunities." Waitrose had put some of its food through Ocado, but that deal ends this October. They also said they were exploring whether excess shop estate could be used for new mixed-use affordable housing. The company added it was considering creating a way for rental of its products and re-sale of used items. What is Radio Rentals? Formed in 1930, the company rented out radio sets. The rental service widened its spectrum to video recorders and televisions, before also including household and other technological items. In April of this year, it was announced the company would close all its stores for good and cut 300 workers amid the coronavirus pandemic. The business will continue to operate online under a new model. The permanent store closures and redundancies took place over the last three months. Referring to the Covid-19 crisis, the company previously said: 'These conditions are expected to continue to create a range of challenges and complex conditions for the Thorn business over coming months.' Advertisement Amazon's unveiling of its free Fresh food delivery scheme sent shockwaves through the industry this week. As long as Prime customers are in London and the south-east - including Surrey, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire - and spend more than 40 on Fresh orders they will get their groceries delivered free. The US e-commerce giant also plans to expand the free delivery to 'millions more' customers around the UK by the end of the year and speed up deliveries in a bid to capitalise on the booming online grocery industry. It is understood that Prime customers in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh will be among the first to benefit from the wider roll-out. The huge push will see current warehouses - also called fulfillment centres - adapted and expanded to be able to safely store the food from suppliers before it is delivered to buyers, It means suppliers, who include bakers and butchers, will have their goods transported to the hubs ready for Amazon to distribute themselves. The same will happen with any supermarkets who decide to opt-in to the ambitious new system. A MailOnline survey suggested a selected shopping basket ordered through it would be cheaper than the same Waitrose shop. But if a partnership does emerge it would place the firm's products in a much more affordable delivery system. A spokesperson for John Lewis said: 'It's early days and we are still exploring and developing our plans but we will give a further update in the autumn. 'In the meantime however we have identified that Waitrose has a smaller presence in the convenience market than other supermarkets and we will also make Waitrose food available in more John Lewis shops.' A spokesman for Amazon said he was unable to comment on the story. (TNS) Every Philadelphia School District student will have the tools to access digital learning in September, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Wednesday, pledging to connect the thousands of families who lacked internet access this spring when schools first went remote.Every student that needs it will have it, Hite said.He said the city, district officials, and internet service providers are hammering out details, which he hopes to announce soon. The school system will also continue to make free Chromebooks available for loan to any district student that needs one.Fleshing out the districts back-to-school plan, which will have students attend school fully virtually at least through Nov. 17, Hite said that parts of school buildings, as well as city recreation centers and libraries, would likely be opened to provide child care for families who need it. Child-care details, including capacity at such locations, remain unclear.The superintendent also said that while teachers will not be expected back in buildings, those who want to teach from schools will likely be given the green light to do so.Were already getting requests from some teachers who have said, Can I do this from my classroom? Hite said during a news conference.Teachers will offer lessons that students will be expected to access in real time but will also assign small-group work and work for students to complete on their own, Hite said. Attendance will be taken, and grades will be given.This is not going to look like review and enrichment like we did in the spring, Hite said. This is going to be school. The days are going to be more structured. What were asking teachers to do is going to be more structured.Hite said that it may be possible, once teachers are back in classrooms, to broadcast their lessons to remote students but that we are considering multiple paths.Meals and mental health services will be available for all students even during remote instruction.The new version of Hites back-to-school plan was announced Tuesday after intense pushback forced him to scrap a plan that would have brought most students into schools two days a week.The fears around the virus and the surging case counts created a dynamic we were not anticipating, the superintendent said.The school board is expected to sign off on Hites plan. A vote is scheduled for Thursday.Students who need special services and therapies will receive them all remotely under the plan.It is very complex, but were going to open with different services than we had in the spring to ensure that we can do as much as possible so that every student is receiving their services, said Malika Savoy Brooks, the districts academic chief.While students are out of buildings, the district will expand the number of capital projects and environmental remediation work it has planned, Hite said.If public health indicators allow, Hite wants students to get back to in-person instruction in the districts second marking period, with a hybrid in-person and digital model. (Officials said a 100% remote model would be available for those families uncomfortable with sending their children to school, though it may not allow for students to be taught by educators from their assigned school.)Hite emphasized that he worries about the effects of children missing more school.I also worry about the socialization that children are missing at a critically important age, particularly elementary-age children, Hite said. Teenagers have reached out, too, he said, begging him not to let the school year be entirely virtual.Our young adults arent equipped to remain isolated, and keeping them in isolation is problematic, the superintendent said.Prekindergarten students enrolled in district-run programs will begin the year virtually, Hite said Wednesday. But the districts decision does not affect children enrolled in city-funded prekindergarten programs run by other providers.The district has provided some guidance to the 86 charter schools it authorizes around reopening, but each individual school is responsible for its own plan. Many intend to follow the public school system, but others are opting for models that bring some students back to school for all or part of the week.Philadelphia School District teachers are scheduled to return to work Aug. 24. Students first day of school will be Sept. 2, pushed back from Aug. 31, if the board approves Hites proposed calendar changes. TEL AVIV - The Jordanian foreign minister has used diplomatic channels to urge Israel to respect the holiness of the al-Aqsa mosque complex/Haram Al-Sharif (also known as Temple Mount) in Jerusalem and to put an end to the ''provocations and violations'' there. The news was reported by Jordan's state-run news agency Petra. Ministry spokesperson Deifallah al-Fayez ''condemned the continued Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif'', the most recent of which was ''the Israeli occupation forces allowing hundreds of Jewish extremists to storm the mosque today''. Al-Fayez stressed that Al Aqsa Mosque, with its total area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship for Muslims only, adding that the Jerusalem Awqaf Department (JAD), which affiliated to Jordan, is the sole institution responsible for administrating the affairs of Al Aqsa Mosque. Israel on Thursday was celebrating Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of the temple where the mosque now stands and about 800 jewish worshippers carrying Israeli flags went to pray at the site. National Human Rights Commission of Korea Chairwoman Choi Young-ae speaks during a standing committee meeting held at the commission's office in central Seoul, Thursday. The commission has decided to begin an investigation into sexual harassment allegations raised against the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. / Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said Thursday that it will create an investigation team to look into allegations that the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon sexually harassed his secretary over four years. The state-run human rights watchdog noted its investigation will also encompass an accusation that the Seoul Metropolitan Government turned a blind eye to the victim despite her repeated complaints. The decision was made unanimously during a standing committee meeting presided over by NHRCK Chairwoman Choi Young-ae. "We have decided to begin an investigation as requested by the victim into sexual misconduct allegations raised against the former mayor," an NHRCK official said. Park, a former civic activist, human rights lawyer and three-term Seoul mayor, was found dead on Mount Bugak in Seoul at 12:01 a.m., July 10, after the former secretary filed a sexual harassment complaint with police, July 8. No more details about his actions are known yet, but many have suggested that he acted out of mounting personal pressure following the complaint. Kim Jae-ryun, the lawyer for the former secretary, claimed Park had touched the victim multiple times and had sent her "inappropriate" messages via Telegram over the past four years. The NHRCK's decision came two days after Kim and women's groups submitted a request asking the human rights watchdog to investigate the high-profile case. Kim and women's groups rejected a proposal by the city to launch an investigative committee to deal with the incident, claiming it was unqualified to handle the case as the local city government itself is one of the subjects of the investigation. The lawyer also called on the NHRCK to draw up measures to prevent any recurrence of sexual harassment by elected high-level government officials. Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced the results of its inspection of the city government carried out Tuesday and Wednesday, noting that the local administration had yet to draw up measures to protect and support the victim. The ministry said the city government should have come up with proper measures to guarantee anonymity of the victim and prevent her from suffering "secondary damage," asking it city to deliver detailed plans at the earliest possible date. In addition, the ministry called into question the effectiveness of the city government's system for dealing with sexual harassment cases, saying procedures to investigate incidents and take disciplinary action against wrongdoers were too complicated and slow-moving. "In particular, too many people and departments get involved in procedures to resolve these cases. This raises the risk of information leaks that could further traumatize victims," an official said. The ministry called on the city government to provide anti-sexual harassment training targeting high-level officials to help them better understand gender issues. During its inspection, the ministry reviewed reports of sexual harassment cases from over the past three years and interviewed those in charge of personnel affairs at the city government as well as employees in their 20s and 30s. The decision on whether or not to extend the on loans till December 2020 will be crucial in determining the pace of economic recovery, wrote Christopher Wood, global head (equity strategy) at Jefferies, in Greed & Fear, his weekly note to investors. Last Month Supreme Court said it is not considering a full interest waiver during the period but is asking to consider waiver of interest-on-interest for deferred payments during the period. SC asked the Central government and Reserve Bank of India to review the matter and slated it for further hearing in the first week of August. Can afford to do so? Have taken a hit due to the moratorium relief given to borrowers? Listen to this podcast to find what Hemant Kanoria, Chairman, Srei Infrastructure Finance has to say Vehicle checkpoint on the Pacific Highway on the Queensland-New South Wales border in Brisbane on April 15, 2020. (Patrick Hamilton /AFP via Getty Images) Queensland Virus Cluster a Result of Teens Alleged Shoplifting Trip The two teenage girls from Queensland who tested positive for COVID-19 had allegedly travelled to Victoria to shoplift expensive handbags before they returned to Brisbane, where they allegedly mislead authorities, News Corps The Australian reported on July 30. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: Im absolutely furious this has happened, that these two people have gone to Victoria, have come back and have given misleading information to authorities. The premier has since blocked all of Greater Sydney from travel to Queensland. According to The Australian, the two teens are under investigation over the alleged attempted theft of designer handbags from a high-end Melbourne store, and it is suspected they travelled to Victoria intentionally to do this. The teens are also facing criminal charges in Queensland for allegedly failing to declare their visit to Victoria and giving false information on state border declaration forms, The Australian reported. Queensland Health has issued a warning on July 29, asking community members on Brisbanes southside to remain alert as three new cases of COVID-19 were recorded. Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr. Jeannette Young said: Contact tracing is underway on all new cases. If you live in the areas of Logan, South Brisbane or Springfield and are feeling unwell please stay home and immediately get tested, she said. One of the teens is an employee at Parklands Christian College in Park Ridge, Brisbane. She and her companion visited restaurants, bars, an African grocer, a dental active, and Chatime Grand Plaza since returning from Melbourne. Dear _____, Theres Hope on the Other Side: a heartwarming devotional that delves into the saving love of God that ushers in wholeness, healing, and purpose amid the overwhelming toils in life. Dear _____, Theres Hope on the Other Side is the creation of published author Lisa M. Godwin, a loving family woman, board member of womens ministry, Bible study moderator, mentor, nonprofit organization member, and awardee of the Washington State University Women of Distinction. Godwin shares, Do you spend time wondering if you are the only one dealing with your personal struggle? Do you find it impossible to move past issues in your life and continue to get stuck? Do you wonder what God has to say about your pain, trauma, or past experiences? God does have the answers to what you have gone through or are currently going through. His words of hope are found in his Word to us, the Bible. Part of his plan for us is wholeness and healing. One of his names is Jehovah Rapha, the God Who Heals. His healing hand will be exemplified through each letter in this book. You will see how embracing Jesus as your Savior and Life opens the door to inexpressible joy and wholeness given only by him to his children. As a friend and sister in Christ, Lisa unveils her pain in such a way that provides you with the opportunity to see her pure and somewhat unusual authenticity. This book will bless and challenge you to join the battle and have victory. Be prepared to move to the next level in your relationship with the Lord. Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Lisa M. Godwins new book is an uplifting masterpiece that leads readers toward God and encourages them to partake in His love and healing benevolence in their lives. This book contains engaging thoughts and lessons that reinforce ones belief and trust in the Lord and His will in ones life. View the synopsis of Dear _____, Theres Hope on the Other Side on YouTube. Consumers can purchase Dear _____, Theres Hope on the Other Side at traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble. For additional information or inquiries about Dear _____, Theres Hope on the Other Side, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 04:12:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISTANBUL, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese association based in Turkey donated 50,000 surgical filter masks to a local nursing home in Istanbul on Wednesday as a sign of solidarity with the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the Turkey branch of the China Peaceful Unification Association delivered the masks to the Istanbul Directorate of Almshouse officials during a ceremony. The almshouse belonging to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been hosting 700 elderlies in its compound located on the Asian side of the city. "Today, our Chinese friends presented 50,000 masks. We will immediately distribute them to our guests and their caretakers in the afternoon," Oktay Ozten, director of the almshouse, told Xinhua at the ceremony. The directorate closed the doors of the nursing home in March when the coronavirus was first seen in the country, to protect the elderly from the pandemic. "So far, we do not have any COVID-19 case, thanks to our measures," Ozten said. Chen Wei, head of the Turkish branch of the China Peaceful Unification Association, told Xinhua that they want to grant the donation before the Eid al-Adha, which will be marked in the country with a four-day holiday starting from Friday. "We sometimes see some people walking on the streets of the city without wearing a mask," Chen continued. "Therefore, we want to make sure that nobody would get infected in the feast." Enditem For too many months city centres across Britain have resembled ghost towns. So the slow awakening in recent weeks, as shops, hair salons, pubs, cafes and restaurants began to reopen, has been a huge morale boost. The economy might be on life support but there was hope. Buoyed by this and desperate for a break, tens of thousands of us began flying off to the sun. Family holidays were no longer a lockdown fantasy but a real possibility. And then suddenly this week the mood changed again. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the UK faces a threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and in the UK within a fortnight after a 28 per cent increase in Covid cases since the start of the month On Saturday, holidaymakers returning from Spain were ordered into a 14-day quarantine after a spike in coronavirus cases in the country. And we were warned that similar measures may be applied to other popular destinations. The Prime Minister went further, warning that we face a threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and in the UK within a fortnight after a 28 per cent increase in Covid cases since the start of the month. That term second wave will have struck terror into the hearts of many, taking them back to early spring when the daily death toll was in the high hundreds, rising to more than 1,000 deaths a day at the peak in late April. But is Boris Johnson really justified in using such an emotive term? It is true that over the past four weeks Spain has seen an increase in numbers of confirmed Covid cases, as you would expect with the easing of lockdown almost 14,000 new cases to July 26. Yet it hasnt suffered even a slight upwards nudge in the number of deaths as would be likely if there were a genuine second wave. Just six people have died from Covid-19 in Spain in the past week compared with over 900 a day at the height of the epidemic in April. Moreover, there is a problem in using the number of recorded cases as a sign of a second wave, given that the more we test, the greater the number of cases recorded. And the rise is largely restricted to North-East Spain, especially Catalonia. So is it possible Spains second wave could be little more than a statistical illusion? Since May 10, the countrys daily figures for new cases of Covid-19 have included those diagnosed through antibody tests, which tell you whether you have been exposed to the disease in the past. In other words, someone who shows up as a new case in Spain today could actually have contracted the infection months ago. In Britain, by contrast, daily figures for new Covid-19 infections include only people who currently have the disease. This is just one reason among several that leaves some scientists less than impressed by the Prime Ministers inflammatory use of second wave. Boris Johnson pictured on a visit to Nottingham on Tuesday where he expressed fears over a second Covid-19 onslaught According to Linda Bauld, a professor in public health at Edinburgh University, what we are seeing now [in parts of Europe] is essentially localised spikes, while Paul Hunter, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, says it would take two weeks of a rising number of cases before we need to start panicking. But even if we do suffer a resurgence of Covid-19, now or in the autumn or winter, there is growing evidence it wont be as bad as the first wave for the following reasons: Test and Trace: Health Secretary Matt Hancocks world-beating track and trace phone app might have disappeared without trace after its trial on the Isle of Wight, but we do now have a manual test and trace system in operation. In spite of teething troubles which left some of the 25,000 staff running the system complaining of having nothing to do, it is working. In the week to July 15, for example, 355,597 tests were carried out in England and 3,953 people tested positive. Of these, 3,098 were contacted and 13,034 of their close contacts told to self-isolate for 14 days although no one knows how many of them did. It might be far from perfect, but it is better than at the height of the epidemic when people with mild symptoms were told not to bother the NHS and consequently had no idea whether they had the virus or not. Social Distancing: It is fast becoming a way of life for millions of Britons and will stop the virus spreading so quickly. Mask wearing, handwashing and the liberal use of sanitiser are also factors. Far fewer people are travelling cheek by jowl on public transport, too. Compared with early March, rail travel has fallen by 80 per cent, Tube journeys by 76 per cent, London bus journeys by 55 per cent and bus journeys outside London by 69 per cent. Fewer deaths: Fewer of us are as susceptible to the coronavirus now. According to Public Health Englands latest estimate, 6.5 per cent of Englands population (almost 3.7 million) have antibodies to the Covid-19 virus, indicating they are likely to be immune to further infection. Many more of us could have some degree of resistance to infection. Growing evidence suggests exposure to other coronaviruses, some of which cause the common cold, may offer some degree of protection, reducing symptoms if not protecting us altogether. Moreover, at the peak of the epidemic in April, many people were dying in care home outbreaks caused by NHS patients being discharged to the homes without being tested. It was one of the Governments greatest acknowledged failings and the same mistake is unlikely to be made again. We are also better informed about those at greatest risk people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, diabetics, the obese and frontline workers. Steps will be taken to protect them faster. Sadly, many of those most vulnerable to the virus the very elderly, and those with serious underlying heart and lung ailments have already succumbed to Covid-19. Better treatment: In the initial stages of the pandemic, there was a rush to boost the supply of ventilators to the NHS in the belief that this was the only effective treatment for people with the most serious symptoms. Since then, doctors have learned that administering oxygen via a mask the treatment Boris Johnson received in ICU at St Thomas Hospital is often more effective. In the initial stages of the pandemic, there was a rush to boost the supply of ventilators to the NHS in the belief that this was the only effective treatment for people with the most serious symptoms Proning lying patients on their stomachs to assist oxygenation of the blood has also proved a simple but effective technique to help seriously ill patients. And in June, a team from Oxford University found that a cheap, readily available anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, can reduce death rates among those on ventilators by a third, and among those on oxygen by 20 per cent. (It doesnt help people with mild symptoms.) Increased data: The Government now has access to data which should allow it to identify places where the disease is accelerating and to impose localised restrictions to stop it spreading just as happened in Leicester earlier this month and currently in Oldham. The most up to date figures show the number of new cases is rocketing upwards in Spain. It announced 6,361 new cases over the weekend, up from 4,581 the previous weekend. France announced 2,551 new coronavirus cases on Monday Moreover, we now have quarantine in place for travellers arriving from other countries something which didnt exist in January and February. Warm weather: Many viruses degrade in warm weather, which is why diseases such as flu tend to be seasonal. Covid-19 seems no different. In March virologists at the University of Maryland in the U.S. mapped outbreaks of the disease and found they were concentrated where average temperatures were between 5c (41f) and 11c (52f) and average humidity between 47 and 79 per cent which put Britain in the firing line in early spring. All in all, while we cannot for a moment relax our guard when it comes to this novel coronavirus, there are reasons to be, if not cheerful, then at the very least, hopeful. Six months after opening its first international office in London, the Seattle-headquartered sales engagement unicorn extends its influence in Europe with a new engineering office PRAGUE, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach , the number one sales engagement platform, today announced the opening of a new product development centre in Prague, Czech Republic, which further extends its footprint in Europe. From its new office in one of Europe's five growing tech hubs, Outreach will continue to modernise the European sales industry. The company is already the largest sales engagement company in Europe. The opening of the Prague office follows closely on Outreach closing a $50 million funding round and appointing Melissa Fisher as Chief Financial Officer earlier in June. The opening of Outreach's Prague office comes six months after Outreach opened its first international office in London. The local team will be led by Tomas Bergl, who is responsible for driving innovation for Outreach's European operations. Bergl has more than 15 years of experience working on technical challenges and designing cutting-edge collaboration products and services during his time at Microsoft, Skype, and Opera. Bergl joins Outreach's growing AI team including Abhi Abhishek and Eugene Ho, both Microsoft veterans with extensive experience in AI and communication platforms. "Prague is a natural fit for Outreach - it's a forward-thinking city, a leader in artificial intelligence research, and it is a place that is full of technical talent," said Manny Medina, chief executive officer and co-founder at Outreach. "Tomas brings invaluable experience creating products that bring people together and help them collaborate. His insights and experience will be invaluable as Outreach looks to further expand its footprint in customer engagement." "I'm excited to join Outreach and help further develop the technology solutions that are creating and leading the sales engagement category," said Bergl. "Our Prague-based team plays a crucial role in developing the next generation of artificial intelligence-driven solutions that will define the future of customer engagement. We have some of the best technical talent right here in Prague and I can't wait to continue building our team." The Prague team will be hosting an "open doors" event on August 13th at 18:00 CEST at the Visionary Building . This will be an opportunity to network and meet the Outreach team in-person while learning more about what the team is building. Space is limited. Interested parties can register here . Outreach's fast-paced growth was recognised by Deloitte, receiving the prestigious 2019 Technology Fast 500 award, which ranked Outreach the fourth fastest-growing technology company in North America. Outreach was also named to the 2019 Forbes' Cloud 100 and LinkedIn's Top Startups list. Outreach's great workplace culture was recognised by Inc.'s Best Places to Work, Seattle Business Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For, and the Puget Sound Business Journal's Best Places to Work in Washington. About Outreach Outreach is the number one sales engagement platform with the largest customer base and industry-leading usage. Outreach helps companies dramatically increase productivity and drive smarter, more insightful engagement with their customers. The company commissioned a recent Forrester study which highlights how Outreach provides an industry-leading ROI of 387 percent over three years and a payback period of fewer than three months since initial investment. More than 4,500 companies such as Adobe, Tableau, DoorDash, Splunk, DocuSign, and SAP depend on Outreach's enterprise-scale, unparalleled customer adoption, and robust AI-powered innovation. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io. PR Contact: Amanda Woolley pr@outreach.io Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/563661/Outreach_Logo.jpg Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Hon. Isaac Adongo, has asked the Vice-President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia to revise his notes as the 2020 elections wont be the usual talks about economics. He has therefore charged the Veep to "learn to know the difference between economics and the economy" as they are the focus of the 2020 electioneering campaign. In an interview on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia program, he explained that the Vice President is subtly trying to confuse Ghanaians ones again with his economic fantasies but I can assure him that 2020 is not about economics but the economy. "Listening to Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang gave me more hope and resilience that the country's economy will work again once the incompetent NPP administration is voted out by Ghanaians who deserves better. "We are tired of his coming out with cooked figures and write-ups. He should come out and engage Prof. Naana Opoku Agyemang in a proper paperless debate. "With the kind of spirited argument advanced by the knowledgeable Professor during her outdooring ceremony, I am more than convinced that Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang is the trump card for him (Veep Bawumia) to follow," he posited. The vice president, in a Facebook post, disclosed that the choice Ghanaians face on December 7th is between the records of John Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. "Thankfully both of them have records. John Mahama was Vice President and President for 8 years and Nana Akufo-Addo has been the president for three and a half years". Cataloging a number of achievements by the current administration, Dr Bawumia added that "it is not about what you say in opposition. It is about what you did in government. What matters ultimately to Ghanaians is how these two leaders were able to manage the economy and alleviate the suffering of the people when they were given the opportunity to serve." Watch video below Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - The top executives of four of the biggest tech companies testified virtually before the U.S. Congress on Wednesday. The House Judiciary Committee is investigating allegations that the big tech companies have unfairly stifled competition in digital markets, made too many acquisitions, and harmed consumers. The chief executives of Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook were grilled for more than six hours by lawmakers on a wide range of issues, but they sought to defend their companies as success stories. The executives explained how their companies are benefiting consumers, but are also facing stiff competition at the same time. Mark Zuckerberg was questioned about Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram, with members of the Congress arguing that the acquisitions were anti-competitive. The Facebook CEO was also asked if he planned to make a clone of Instagram if the startup did not agree to an acquisition. Zuckerberg replied that while acquiring Instagram in 2012, it was far from certain at that time that the company would become a competitor. Lawmakers accused Facebook of being too slow to remove misinformation on its platform, including conspiracy theories that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax. Zuckerberg replied that his company is taking steps to remove inaccurate claims. Jeff Bezos was asked whether Amazon uses data generated by third-party sellers who market their products through the Amazon Marketplace to compete against them. Bezos said that Amazon has a policy against using seller-specific data to aid its private label business, but he could not guarantee that that the policy has never been violated. Tim Cook was questioned about Apple's policies towards third-party app developers who have accused the company about not treating them fairly. When asked whether Apple entered into deal with Amazon to take lower fees, Cook said that any developer who meets the conditions for lower rates could get a similar deal. Sundar Pichai was asked about Google's core search business, including whether the tech giant stole content from other websites by leveraging its dominant search engine. Lawmakers also accused Google of manipulating results to guide users to its own digital services rather than third-party web sites. Pichai replied that Google tries to provide the most relevant and helpful information to people who use its search engine. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de In a first for the command, Air Force Special Operations Command has granted a religious accommodation waiver to a Sikh airman. Senior Airman Dominic Varriale was granted the waiver last month, according to an Air Force release. He serves as a geospatial intelligence analyst with the 11th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron. Read Next: Senators Demand 'Immediate Action' After Explosive Report on Navy Sex Trafficking Scandal With the help of his command leadership and the Sikh American Veterans Alliance (SAVA), an advocacy organization, Varriale was able to expedite the approval process, which normally takes up to three years, to only three months, the release states. "[The SAVA] sent me Air Force Instruction-approved religious articles of faith such as my operational camouflage pattern-colored turban," said Varriale, of Long Branch, New Jersey. "They also made it possible for me to speak to a Gurdwara [a Sikh place of assembly or worship] back in my hometown to get a proper letter of sincerity from a Sikh Temple." Lt. Col. Brian Lightsey, commander of the 11th SOIS, said Varriale welcomed the news when he found out about the approval June 7. "His reaction was immediate: It was part relief, part a sense of pride, but most importantly, it was evident to everyone in the room that it meant a great deal to him," Lightsey said. "Senior Airman Varriale was always a capable analyst beforehand, but I sincerely believe the practicing of his faith has provided the extra motivation to hone his craft as a mission analyst and to improve as an airman." Varriale thanked his command for its support. "My command has been extremely supportive every step of the way," he said in the release. "For a long time, the military had a more 'mind your business' attitude. With recent [diversity-focused] changes, there is a much larger interest in my religion and people are not afraid to ask and learn more." In February, the Air Force updated its dress and appearance policy, creating a comprehensive process for airmen to request waivers for religious apparel such as hijabs and turbans or facial hair worn for religious reasons. The policy update requires that airmen keep their appearance "neat and conservative." The Pentagon first released a policy in 2014 outlining how religious service members might apply for a waiver to wear otherwise-prohibited items -- such as a turban, headscarf or beard -- as a way of expressing "sincerely held beliefs." The policy states that such accommodations will be granted on a case-by-case basis and can be denied if the request is seen to interfere with wearing a uniform or helmet, or pose a health or safety hazard. Since then, the Army has led the services in granting allowances for religious troops. In 2017, it streamlined the process for Muslims and Sikhs to obtain waivers to wear beards, turbans and other religious headgear. While troops are required to receive case-by-case permission at the brigade level, the waivers, once approved, are now permanent throughout the soldier's career. The Air Force has granted several religious waivers over the years. Officials told Military.com in November 2019 that the service had just approved a sixth airman to receive such a waiver for his Muslim faith. It was granted to Staff Sgt. Abdul Rahman Gaita of the 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California. Weeks earlier, Airman Sunjit Rathour graduated Security Forces technical training at Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland, and became the first Sikh airman to secure "full religious accommodation, starting at Basic Military Training through Security Forces Apprentice Course, to wear a turban and remain unshaven in uniform," according to a separate release. He was also allowed to wear a necklace and bracelet in observation of his Sikh faith, the release added. Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa, an active-duty crew chief at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, was granted the same religious accommodation in accordance with Air Force policy in June 2019. In 2018, the service also allowed Capt. Maysaa Ouza, a Muslim JAG Corps officer represented by the ACLU, to wear a hijab. The Sikh Coalition, another organization that champions Sikh service members, applauded AFSOC's decision. "No Sikh American should ever have to choose between their faith and career," the group said in a statement provided to Military.com. "It's important to see Senior Airman Dominic Varriale become another proof-positive case study that Sikh articles of faith do not pose barriers and another meaningful step toward further ensuring equality of opportunity and religious freedom in the Air Force." Varriale was introduced to the Sikh faith during a trip to New Orleans in 2018. Growing up in a military family led him to join the service; his father was an Army warrant officer, and worked as a medical evacuation pilot and in military intelligence for 14 years, the release states. "The Sikh values and religion are anti-tyranny and anti-oppression," Varriale said. "Good morals are a huge principle within Sikhism, and the Air Force has only doubled-down on it through our core values. "Nothing I do religiously gets in the way of my job, which is the American way," he said. -- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214. Related: Air Force Allows Sikh Airman to Wear Turban and Beard TDT | Manama Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani has stressed strengthening cooperation with the Arab League and Egypt. This came in separate phone calls with League of Arab States secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. In his conversation with Gheit, the two sides discussed joint-Arab action and ways to intensify efforts aimed at strengthening cooperation within the framework of the league, in order to serve the interests of Arab countries and support security and stability in the region. They also reviewed the latest regional political developments and issues of shared interest. Meanwhile, in speaking with Shoukry, Dr Al Zayani praised strong fraternal relations between Bahrain and Egypt and their progress in various fields, thanks to the directives and care of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Egyptian President Abdelfattah El Sisi. The Foreign Minister underlined the Kingdoms full support of efforts made by Egypt to confront challenges and threats to its national security and stability. He affirmed that the security of Egypt is an integral part of the security of Bahrain, lauding the active and vital role of Egypt in defending Arab issues and protecting regional security. The Foreign Minister hailed the 2020 Cairo Declaration, launched by President El Sisi, to solve the Libyan crisis, by calling on the conflicting parties in Libya for an immediate ceasefire and support the national interest, so as to preserve the Libyan territorial integrity and foster peace and harmony. He also lauded the Egyptian House of Representatives stance in backing the leaderships efforts to protect Egypts borders and defend national security. The Egyptian Foreign Minister lauded historic fraternal ties binding Bahrain and Egypt, describing them as a model to emulate. He also underscored Egypts keenness on continuous cooperation between both countries in various issues. He commending Bahrains stances in supporting all measures taken by Egypt to maintain its security and stability, and wished the Kingdom further growth and prosperity. The Foreign Minister also received a phone call from Kenyas Foreign Affairs cabinet secretary Raychelle Omamo. During the call, they reviewed relations between Bahrain and Kenya and their progress, affirming the importance of developing these ties in various fields to serve common interests. The two sides also exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual concern. By PTI MUMBAI: The Bihar police team which is in Mumbai in connection with their probe into the alleged suicide by Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput did not follow established protocols, a Maharashtra minister said on Thursday. Minister of State for Home Shambhuraj Desai said what the Bihar police were doing was wrong. A team of the Bihar police arrived here on Wednesday to probe an `abetment to suicide' case registered against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in Patna connection with the death of Rajput. "The Mumbai police have registered a case from day one we are investigating it," he said. Desai said the Patna police have registereda case and a team has landed in Mumbai. "Whenever a police team from a state visits another state for investigation, there are some protocols which are to be followed, these were not followed," Desai told a news channel here. ALSO READ | Mayawati echoes concern over Sushant Singh Rajputs death, demands CBI probe Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had on Wednesdayruled out a CBI probe into the death of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on June 14. "The Mumbai police are investigating the case and there is no question of the case being handed over to the CBI," Deshmukh had said. Krishna Kumar Singh (74), Rajput's father, lodged a complaint against Chakraborty, the deceased actor's friend, and six others in Patna on Tuesday. A four-member team of the Patna police arrived at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection-I) of Mumbai crime branch, a police official had said on Wednesday. ALSO READ | ED writes to Bihar Police seeking FIR copy against Rhea Chakraborty in Sushant Singh Rajput case The Mumbai police have already questioned several people from the film industry. But in a surprising twist, the late actor's father, who had so far maintained silence about his son's death, lodged an FIR against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, for alleged abetment to suicide. The case was registered under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide). Updated 7/30/20 at 2:55 PM EST with information about a second GAO report. WASHINGTON Replacements for components that caused cost increases and program delays for two multibillion-dollar nuclear warhead programs have passed tests, putting the programs on track for new production dates, according to a top official from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). But Charles Verdon, deputy administrator for defense programs at the NNSA, pushed back Wednesday on a recent report from a government watchdog that warned the agency is moving too fast on another major warhead modernization project. The issue, found within the B61-12 and W88 Alteration 370 warhead programs, was first revealed by Verdon during last Septembers Defense News Conference. It involved commercially available capacitors that, during stress testing, did not give NNSA confidence they could survive the 20-30 years needed for these designs. Verdon emphasized then that the parts were not at risk of failure under normal circumstances, but that the agency was acting out of an abundance of caution for the long-term life of the weapons. All told, the B61-12, which was designed to replace Americas existing nuclear gravity bombs, will cost an extra $600-$700 million. The W88, to be used on future submarine launched ballistic missiles, will cost about $120-$150 million because of the capacitor issue, per agency figures. After the issue was discovered, the date for the first production unit for both warhead programs was delayed. The good news, Verdon said, is that those programs are now on track to hit the new targets and that the technical issues have been solved. The replacement components for the W88 have passed all their tests, while the B61 parts are on the same path much more extensive because there are more parts. But we are successfully moving through those now, Verdon said. The NNSA is a semiautonomous agency located within the Department of Energy. While the Pentagon develops the delivery systems for nuclear weapons, the NNSA produces and secures the warheads. Verdons comments came at an event co-hosted by the Mitchell Institute and the Advanced Nuclear Weapons Alliance. Story continues F-15E becomes first aircraft compatible with new nuclear bomb design Criticism of the program timeline Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report warning that the NNSA is overly optimistic about the timeline for its W80-4 program, which would be the warhead for the Air Forces future air launched cruise missile, known as the Long Range Standoff weapon, or LRSO. The GAO reported that the NNSAs plan to deliver the first W80-4 warhead by September 2025 is more than a year earlier than the programs own analysis says is reasonable for the $11.2 billion program. Given the importance of aligning the warhead production with the Pentagons development of LRSO, the government watchdog recommended using a later timeline target to avoid a program gap. However, Verdon pushed back on the idea the NNSA is being too aggressive, saying the goal is a good driver for the agency to keep pushing hard on the project. He also said that NNSA and the Pentagon are aligned on potential risks. We always work to make sure that they understand that there could be a slip, and that theyre planning of what a slip could be or what a slip could empower slip could impact their work, Verdon said. Theyre updated constantly about the progress. And if it becomes timing - if COVID becomes worse such that things do slow down - well already have, kind of, courses of action in place of which we can begin to develop if we do have to slow down. But right now we dont see a reason to take the foot off the gas pedal. GAO is also working on a report about the W87-1, which has a currently fiscal 2030 target operational date. That warhead is expected to go on top of the Air Forces Minuteman III replacement program, known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent. Next-gen ICBM program survives defunding attempt in House panel Verdon stressed close coordination between DoD and NNSA on the W87, noting the Pentagons needs oftentimes drive when we have to have certain components ready to do early flight tests or early ground tests. As to risks, he noted that agency leaders are looking at the lessons learned from the previous warhead delays, and have built in multiple schedule options to maintain flexibility. What were doing for the W87 is that we have baseline approaches, but we are carrying a number of different secondary and tertiary approaches to it, in case the baseline isnt met, he said, in order to maximize the chances of success for these in all cases. However, he also noted that this program is particularly dependent on new production facilities coming online as planned, which could be impacted by COVID or budget delays. The day after Verdon spoke, the GAO released a second report, looking at the broad NNSA weapons spending plans. The watchdog found that NNSA plans to spend $81 billion from fiscal 2021 through 2025, which is about $15 billion more (or about 23 percent greater) compared to NNSAs estimate for the same period in its fiscal year 2020 budget materials. As a result, GAO wrote, any proposed increase for a given program under the National Defense budget function may need to be offset by reductions in other defense programs to keep the defense budget within statutory spending limits. Potential delays Verdon said the agency has largely handled COVID well, with a plan implemented early that gave the laboratories flexibility to do as much telework as possible while focusing first on maintaining the current stockpile, and then prioritizing the nearest-term modernization programs. But he also pointed out that the pandemic could have unforeseen impacts down the line. One factor that could cause disruptions to NNSAs plan is the ongoing debate over the agencys budget. The NNSA received a massive spike in funding under the presidents budget request, following an internal fight that leaked out into the press. In nuclear spending fight, its Trumps Hill allies vs. White House budget office While the defense committees in both chambers have largely supported that funding, the House Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee which has jurisdiction over the DoE, and hence the NNSA has voted to cut the agencys budget, including stripping out $53 million for early work on the W93 submarine launched warhead. While the $53 million in NNSA funds is not a significant figure, any delay in the development of the W93 could delay the expected deployment, not just for America, but for the United Kingdom, which plans to buy a version of the warhead. And there is speculation in the nuclear community that former Vice President Joe Biden, should he win the presidency in Novembers election, would look to cancel the nascent program. Any broad cuts to the NNSA budget request will impact the warhead acquisition schedules, Verdon said, as the money is needed to set up new facilities which in turn would impact when work on the warheads can get underway. A policeman and another civilian were on Thursday injured when dynamite exploded at the branch of a commercial bank in Okeho, a town in ... A policeman and another civilian were on Thursday injured when dynamite exploded at the branch of a commercial bank in Okeho, a town in Oyo State. It was gathered that some armed robbers had on Wednesday attacked the bank. Three of the armed robbers were set ablaze by some youths in the town. The Public Relations Officer of the state Police Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, who confirmed the explosion of the dynamite, said that the armed robbers blew off the security door of the bank open with dynamite. After gaining entry, they went for the strong room and made away with some cash. He said that the Commissioner of Police, Joe Enwonwu visited the bank on Thursday in order to assess the level of damages. Fadeyi added that a mammoth crowd of angry residents who have gathered at the bank, requested him to release the arrested armed robbers to them in order to set them ablaze, but Enwonwu refused. Fadeyi said the crowd remained with the policemen who had gone there to examine the equipment still left in the banks premises and also assess the extent of damage. He said the CP appealed to the crowd to maintain a good distance to allow his men examine the premises but that they remained adamant. New dynamite exploded in the process, injuring a police man and a member of the angry crowd. Fadeyi said some of the mob attempted to attack the police but that the CP ordered his men to leave the scene to prevent the situation from degenerating to physical attacks. He said: The CP went early this morning for on-the-spot assessment of the robbery incident. He saw the suspects burnt near the banks gate. He discovered that four people were burnt. The security post of the bank shattered with dynamite while a police sergeant was shot dead by the bandits. The CP entered and assessed everywhere. They took cash from the strong room but we cant ascertain the actual amount. Then, police moved outside to assess other areas. The mammoth crowd still gathered. The mob wanted police to release the arrested two suspects to them but police refused. In the process, the mob attacked police, injuring one of our men. Police asked them to move away to give room for assessment but they did not respond. Pompeo insists China 'tide is turning' at contentious U.S. Senate hearing U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo testifies before Senate Foreign Relations Committee By Patricia Zengerle and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted on Thursday the "tide is turning" in dealings with China, citing international support for Washington's policies even as he expressed "dismay" at the number of countries supporting Beijing's new security law for Hong Kong. Reflecting rising tensions between the world's two largest economies, Pompeo stressed President Donald Trump's tough line on China at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in which he repeatedly clashed with lawmakers over administration policies. It was Pompeo's first public testimony before the panel in 15 months. "Under your watch, the United States has faced setback after setback on the world stage, ceding leverage and influence to our stated adversaries," said Senator Bob Menendez, the committee's ranking Democrat. Pompeo said other countries are supporting initiatives like the push not to use Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies' equipment in 5G networks and stepped-up maritime maneuvers in the South China Sea. "Our vigorous diplomacy has helped lead an international awakening to the threat of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). Senators, the tide is turning," Pompeo said. Washington and Beijing each recently closed one of the other's consulates and Pompeo recently announced an end to Hong Kong's special trading status. However, Pompeo also noted the difficulty of forming an international alliance, given China's economic strength. He said he was "surprised and dismayed" at the number of countries that backed Beijing's crackdown on the autonomy of Hong Kong. Pompeo also said Trump has not supported Russian President Vladimir Putin, but declined to directly address reports Russia offered bounties for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. "The proper people have been aware of every threat to our soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan." Story continues He defended the decision to remove thousands of troops from Germany, which some lawmakers have called a gift to Russia. Republican Senator Mitt Romney said senior German officials considered the withdrawal "an insult to Germany." Pompeo said Germany did not seem to recognize the threat from Russia, saying more U.S. sanctions could be unveiled over the construction of Moscow's Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Europe. [L2N2F11LT] Democrats on the committee released a report this week harshly criticizing Pompeo's tenure, saying he had harmed diplomacy by leaving jobs open for months, abusing career diplomats and promoting a culture of retaliation. Lawmakers asked Pompeo about Trump's abrupt firing in May of Steve Linick, the State Department's inspector general, who was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia and allegations that Pompeo improperly ordered a taxpayer-funded subordinate to handle personal errands. Pompeo denied wrongdoing, repeating earlier assertions that Linick had improperly leaked information. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Jonathan Oatis and Paul Simao) English Japanese TOKYO, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galvanize , the global leader in SaaS governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) software, today announced the strengthening of its Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) team with the hire of Hiroshi Oshima as country manager of its Japanese operation. Oshima will play a strategic role in leading and accelerating the long-term growth of Galvanize's APJ business. Oshima has over 15 years of software solution and country management experience, most recently serving as sales director for Astea International. Previously, he served as the country manager for HRBoss Japan, and held roles at SAP, Oracle, Blackboard KK, Sophos and Tokyo Electrons. Hiroshi brings the leadership and expertise required to successfully scale our business to meet the growing demand in the APJ market, said Laurie Schultz, president & CEO of Galvanize. Governance, risk and compliance has taken on a new role in todays post-COVID landscape and were thrilled to have Hiroshis steady hand and deep industry experience to navigate a critical market. Recent events have proven that GRC professionals should be the most sought after in any organization, said Oshima. Im proud to join a company that empowers GRC professionals to make the best decisions for their organizations with the actionable insights provided in real-time by the Galvanize platform. About Galvanize: Galvanize builds award-winning, cloud-based security, risk management, compliance, and audit software to drive change in some of the worlds largest organizations. We believe GRC professionals should be the most sought after people in an organization and were on a mission to unite and strengthen individuals and entire organizations through the integrated HighBond software platform. With more than 6,300 customer organizations in 130 countries, Galvanize is connecting teams in many of the Fortune 1,000 and S&P 500 companies, and hundreds of government organizations, banks, manufacturers, and healthcare organizations. Whether these professionals are managing threats, assessing risk, measuring controls, monitoring compliance, or expanding assurance coverage, HighBond automates manual tasks, blends organization-wide data, and broadcasts it in easy-to-share dashboards and reports. But we dont just make technologywe provide tools that inspire individuals to achieve great things and do heroic work in the process. Learn more at wegalvanize.com. Media contact: Peter McCormack galvanize@highwirepr.com Advertisement Britons are scrambling for staycation spots with campsites, B&Bs and holiday cottages booking up fast as tens of thousands of foreign stays were put on hold amid fears over a second wave of coronavirus. Not a single pitch, campervan space or lodge at any of the top 20 campsites in Cornwall or top 15 in Dorset are available for a week's stay for two adults from tomorrow, as lockdown-weary holidaymakers flock to the areas to enjoy a summer break. Parks and campsites across Britain have seen a boom in bookings recently, with Haven, Butlin's, Center Parcs and Hoseasons being inundated - and cottage bookings swept up. Those looking for sun-soaked day trips have started taking advantage of the country's beauty spots already, with huge crowds flocking to seaside spots in Cornwall and Devon on Thursday - leaving car parks jam-packed. Some opted for a day out at Westgate Gardens in Canterbury while others enjoyed a trip to the seaside in Brighton. MailOnline surveyed the 20 best campsites in Cornwall according to campsites.co.uk and found the likes of Little Trevothan Camping & Caravan Park in Helston and Polruan Holidays in Fowey are full until the end of August. Others such as Trethem Mill Touring Park in Truro are fully booked until the end of September - but are having to run at reduced capacity of about 50 per cent to ensure they follow social distancing requirements. Further sites in the likes of Newquay, St Austell, Par, Looe, St Columb Major, Padstow, Whitecross, Mevagissey, Redruth, Bude, Perranporth, Camelford, Marazion and Bude are also fully booked for at least the next week. In Dorset, there was limited availability for next week at two of the 15 sites, in Owermoigne and Wareham. But the rest are booked up until at least August 16, with three in the county not taking bookings until September. Those hoping for a last-minute stay in a holiday hotspot this weekend will find campsites for 150 a night or 200 a night for three-star hotels as demand soars. One four-star hotel on the beach in Newquay, Cornwall, comes in at nearly 350 a night, while a one-bedroom cottage in the Cotswolds will set you back 280 a night. Demand will also be boosted by rising temperatures, with Friday expected to be the hottest day of the year so far with 91F (33C) highs. Tourists enjoy the beach at Polzeath in Cornwall today amid a surge in visitors to the South West of England MailOnline surveyed the 20 best campsites in Cornwall according to campsites.co.uk and found the likes of Little Trevothan Camping & Caravan Park in Helston and Polruan Holidays in Fowey are full until the end of August Holidaymakers have flocked to Newquay in Cornwall, which is pictured today, as the UK experiences a staycations boom The Porth Beach Holiday Park in Newquay, Cornwall, is pictured today as holidaymakers descend on the South West Surfers head into the sea at Polzeath in Cornwall today as Britons make the most of the warm weather and go on staycations Car parks were jam-packed as revellers took advantage of the warm weather at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset A caravan site at Papermill Lock in Boreham, Essex, was another popular site for holidaymakers with many opting to eat outdoors to soak up the rays A caravan site at East Mersea in Essex was also a popular choice for holidaymakers who pitched tents and put up windbreaks to enjoy the sunshine Sunseekers were seen enjoying the warm weather sitting outside at a caravan site at Papermill Lock in Boreham, Essex Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased People sunbathing in Wandworth Park, London today as Britain endures a mini-heatwave with temperatures hitting 84F Sun-seekers flock to the seafront in Brighton as Britain endures another mini-heatwave as temperatures hit 84F today Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour Visitors to Westgate Gardens in Canterbury make the most of the warm late July weather by enjoying rides in punts on the River Great Stour The car parks are packed with vehicles as holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies People take the day off to enjoy a swim in the sea and to sunbathe on the sand as the weather hots up in Camber, East Sussex Sunbathers soak up the stunning weather in Brighton this morning as the sit in deck chairs on the beach and take pictures together Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies People sunbathing in Wandworth Park, London today as Britain endures a mini-heatwave with temperatures hitting 84F With Britain already basking in 84F (29C) today, sunseekers descended on coastal resorts such as Lyme Regis in Dorset and Camber in East Sussex to soak up the rays - mirroring pictures seen in May and early June before the rain swept in. The mercury will soar for two days - with temperatures higher than Spain - before more showers come in as we move into August. Foreign summer holidays are now looking increasingly risky after the Government's last-minute announcement on Sunday that those travelling from Spain now need to self-isolate for 14 days following a spike in cases. And sunseekers are set to make the most of the warm temperatures in the UK, with Britain set to bask in a mini-heatwave amid 84F (29C) highs today before a 95F (35C) scorcher tomorrow on the hottest day of the year so far. Meanwhile an exclusive poll for MailOnline revealed today that a quarter of Britons are planning to alter their holiday plans in the wake of the decision to re-impose quarantine restrictions on Spain. Some 25 per cent said they were considering changes and more than a third said they were now less likely to book a foreign holiday at all amid fears that other popular destinations could follow in having restrictions put in place. But the poll, conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, also found more than two in five people backed how the Government handled last Saturday's announcement which came with just five hours' notice. Mobile homes at Newquay in Cornwall are pictured today as Britons flock to the South West of England for a holiday An ice cream van is pictured on the beach at Polzeath in Cornwall today as the South West is swamped by visitors Two in five (42 per cent) people polled for MailOnline by Redfield and Wilton Strategies said they believed the Government handled the reintroduction of self-isolation requirements for travellers returning from Spain well or very well Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Tourists enjoy bodyboarding and surfing at the beach in Polzeath. Tourists are slowly returning to Cornwall after lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus were eased Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine and clear blue skies Meanwhile officials in St Ives, famed for its narrow streets, have introduced a 'keep to the left' policy in an attempt to ensure everyone can keep to the one-metre plus distance currently advised amid soaring visitor numbers. Car parks in the area are reaching capacity, and people are packing on to the town's popular beach and into cafes surrounding it. Guests have been advised to wear a facemask and to avoid cramming into smaller shops. How Cornwall's top 20 campsites are booked up Here is the latest availability at the top 20 campsites in Cornwall according to the Campsites.co.uk website, based on two adults booking for seven nights: Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay SEPTEMBER 12 Chy Carne Camping and Touring Park in Helston AUGUST 29 Court Farm Campsite in St Austell AUGUST 29 East Crinnis Holiday Park in Par SEPTEMBER 5 Looe Country Park in Looe AUGUST 5 Tencreek Holiday Park in Looe AUGUST 10 Trewan Hall in St Columb Major AUGUST 28 Padstow Touring Park in Padstow SEPTEMBER 14 The Laurels Holiday Park in Whitecross AUGUST 31 Tregarton Park in Mevagissey AUGUST 29 Globe Vale Holiday Park in Redruth AUGUST 22 Pencuke Farm in Bude SEPTEMBER 3 Polruan Holidays in Fowey AUGUST 23 Tollgate Farm Caravan and Camping Park in Perranporth AUGUST 31 Little Trevothan Camping & Caravan Park in Helston AUGUST 30 St Tinney Farm in Camelford AUGUST 29 Tower Park in St Buryan - TBC Trethem Mill Touring Park in Truro SEPTEMBER 30 Wheal Rodney Holiday Park in Marazion AUGUST 1 Willow Valley Holiday Park in Bude AUGUST 29 Advertisement Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, admitted earlier this week that some locals were still 'nervous' about the sudden rush of tourists, but said on the whole 'everyone is sticking to social distancing rules'. He told the Daily Mail: 'Generally everybody is quite happy. For local people it obviously feels a lot busier but by and large everyone is sticking to the distancing rules. 'Some of the historic towns like St Ives and Padstow have been close to capacity with people walking the streets. So again we're reminding people to consider going to other places and to be mindful that they do get busy. 'We have put into place a one way system and it's sort of adhered to but I'm afraid people can be a bit forgetful on holiday. I think for some of the locals even two metres, it's only six foot, so even if you're compliant with that distancing it can feel quite busy. 'So what we would say to people of a more nervous disposition is think about that and be prepared to go somewhere a little bit quieter - there will be times when it does feel a little busy. 'There is still nervousness from locals. There's still that shock. Places like St Ives in the winter they're a ghost town. I think by and large locals do feel that people are doing their best to stick by the rules and they know that we need it for the thousands of jobs. 'So for the vast majority it's probably best summed up that we need the tourism so we're going to have to accept it. In an ideal world they would prefer to have Cornwall to themselves. There are still some who are very nervous.' The collapse in foreign holidays has presented an massive opportunity for UK tourism by boosting the demand for staycations, after hotels, campsites and restaurants were allowed to reopen from lockdown on July 4. Business is now booming, and the Government's announcement on Sunday that those travelling from Spain now need to self-isolate for 14 days following a spike in cases has further boosted prospects. With the threat of other countries joining the list as cases rise across Europe, many are considering staycations in Britain rather than risk having to self-isolate for two weeks, particularly those who cannot work from home. Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on a hot day today Lyme Regis in Dorset is busy today with sunseekers, many of whom have gone on summer staycations to the area Jane Pendlebury, executive director of hotel industry association the Hospitality Professionals Association, told AFP: 'A UK staycation...carries much less disruptive risk,' Top 15 campsites in Dorset are looking busy Here is the latest availability at the top 15 campsites in Dorset according to the Campsites.co.uk website, based on two adults booking for seven nights: Back of Beyond Touring Park in St Leonards - AUGUST 16 Galton Campsite in Dorchester - AUGUST 19 Graston Copse Holiday Park in Bridport - AUGUST 31 Sandyholme Holiday Park in Owermoigne - AUGUST 2 Hook Farm in Lyme Regis - AUGUST 29 Longthorns Farm in Wareham - AUGUST 7 Monkton Wyld Caravan Park - TBC Primrose Fields Campsite 2021 (CLOSED FOR CAMPING FOR 2020) South Lytchett Manor Caravan and Camping Park in Lytchett Minster - AUGUST 29 Woolsbridge Manor Farm Caravan Park in Wimborne - TBC Birchwood Tourist Park in Wareham SEPTEMBER 1 Charmouth Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Charmouth - SEPTEMBER 12 Corfe Castle Camping and Caravanning Club Site in Wareham - SEPTEMBER 17 Old Bidlake Farm in Bridport 2021 (CLOSED FOR 2020) Pineapple Farm - PRIVATE BOOKINGS ONLY Advertisement 'Of course, the threat of regional outbreaks is real, but the restrictions imposed won't be as impactful - with returning home from within the UK far easier than doing so from abroad. 'Whilst we can't necessarily offer the same weather as the Balearics or the Canaries, what we can do is offer exceptional hospitality - albeit with necessary precautions in place,' she added. Tour operator TUI has taken the blanket decision to cancel all its planned holidays to mainland Spain until August 9. Meanwhile, British campsites and holiday home operators have enjoyed a surge in bookings. Graham Donoghue, chief executive of Sykes Cottages, told the BBC: 'News of Spain's travel restrictions at the weekend resulted in a 53 percent year-on-year rise in bookings. We're also seeing a steady stream of bookings for holidays in 2021 too.' The Whitbread group, which owns the Premier Inn hotel chain, said it had seen strong demand in summer bookings for hotel rooms in tourist hotspots since the beginning of July. The exclusive department store Fortnum and Mason is even offering a dedicated 'perfect staycation' package - including a picnic basket, champagne and tea, of course. But even if more Britons decide to stay put this year, it is unlikely to make up the shortfall for the tourism sector, which is pleading with the government for help to weather the crisis. VisitBritain, British tourism's lobbying body, estimates that the number of foreign tourists could fall by as much as 60 per cent this year due to the pandemic. Labour has already warned of an unemployment crisis, with rates rising faster than the national average in the English regions most dependent on tourism such as Cornwall, Yorkshire and the Lake District. Destinations popular with foreign tourists, such as Bath, are also struggling to draw in the crowds. The sight of a few tourists milling around the city's famous Roman Baths is in stark contrast to the usual throng that packs out the city, which normally welcomes around six million visitors a year. Surfers and holiday makers pack into the waters on the beach at Polzeath in Cornwall yesterday as temperatures start to rise The Waterside Holiday Park in Paignton, Devon, pictured yesterday, is among the sites which are experiencing high demand Motorhomes on a busy stretch of coastline at Leysdown on the Isle Of Sheppey in Kent yesterday afternoon Children, their parents and grandparents play in the sunshine at Elmhurst Caravan Park on the Isle of Sheppey yesterday Tourists are pictured on Tuesday camping at the picturesque Calda House near Inchnadamph in the Scottish Highlands 'It's not even a quarter of the business that we usually get. I'd say it's like 2 to 3 per cent,' Marcus Barnes told AFP as he cleaned the front of his souvenir shop. Staycation beauty spots are being 'blighted by vandals and litter' By Alan Shields, Sarah Ward and Ellie Forbes for the Scottish Daily Mail Beauty spots are being blighted by litter louts and vandals, politicians have warned. Tory MSP Murdo Fraser is calling for a police crackdown on the problems as people flock to the countryside. The most recent incidents have seen yobs damage trees, vandalise ancient ruins and leave tons of rubbish behind. One of the most iconic sites affected in recent weeks was the recently restored sign at John o' Groats, which was snapped off by visitors swinging on it. Mr Fraser wrote in The Scotsman: 'With the closure of many official campsites due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on overseas travel, it is perhaps no surprise we have seen a surge in this activity in recent weeks. But that is no excuse for some of the behaviour we are witnessing. There is no one simple solution to this problem. It will require agencies to work together to identify offenders and hold them accountable.' Among incidents at heritage sites during lockdown, six people have been caught carrying out illegal metal detecting, and a report was made of somebody digging at the Callanish Standing Stones on Lewis. Historic Environment Scotland said no serious damage was done but archaeology could have been disturbed. It also said it was 'horrified' the Castlelaw Hill Iron Age fort near Penicuik, Midlothian, had been used as a toilet. Meanwhile, a petition is calling for a 'congestion charge' for camper vans on the 516-mile North Coast 500 route. In a matter of days, more than 3,700 people joined a Facebook group documenting problems. Advertisement The local authorities have introduced new measures, such as limiting the size of groups visiting the city, in an attempt to woo potential holidaymakers. 'We think that if we can...have fewer people coming but staying longer, putting more into the local economy, actually getting more out of their visit, then that will be a more sustainable model for the future,' said Stephen Bird from the city council. The few intrepid tourists spotted on the streets seemed reassured. 'You're starting to see the sanitisation at hotels, the social distancing, so all in all I feel comfortable,' said Cieran Fowley, who lives in London. The website Pitchup.com, which sends 800,000 people a year to 2,000 UK campsites, says bookings are double last year's level. Some sites and parks are already taking strong bookings up to summer next year, throwing a lifeline to the industry. However, certain businesses are hiking prices by as much as 50 per cent for 2021 to try to make up for the money lost during the lockdown. The appeal of a British holiday has been boosted by a Government decision to slash VAT from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for the hospitality industry. As a result, Haven, Butlin's and Center Parcs have cut prices on new bookings by more than 10 per cent for the summer. The rush has put a huge strain on holiday companies. There is evidence of double bookings, resulting in trips being cancelled at the last minute. Haven said bookings at its 36 parks had soared by 96 per cent year-on-year. Its sister brand Butlin's also claims to be doing a roaring trade. Hoseasons has had to recruit extra phone staff to cope with the huge demand. Pitchup.com took its highest ever bookings on a single day on Sunday 6,100, representing around 18,000 people. It was double the number for any single day last year. Founder of the booking platform Dan Yates said there had been a clear switch to staycations. He said the new controls on travel to Spain, which include quarantine on return, were probably the 'final nail in the coffin' for foreign holidays. He added: 'British holidaymakers are unlikely to take the risk of not being able to work when they return which has likely been the catalyst for the surge in UK bookings.' Also read: Google is testing a new search refinement option for mobile users and it is pretty handy Google has recently been found to be testing a new shortcut for its Google Lens in the Google search bar. It has been seen in some devices that Google is placing a Lens icon directly in the search bar of the Google app, right next to the Microphone icon.Google Lens was launched in 2017, after the failure of Google Goggles. While Goggles was an intriguing app, Google did not manage it very nicely, and it kind of died a sad, lonely death back in 2014. After a while, Google introduced some of the utilities of Goggles in a brand-new app, named Lens.Google Lens uses an image recognition technology that has been developed by Google. It is designed in such a way that it provides relevant contextual information related to the objects it identifies, with the help of visual analysis based on a neural network.This tool was originally designed as a Camera for the Google Assistant. It can bring up any relevant information about anything it sees, on the basis of the given context and how a user applies it. It can tell the users about the flowers they recently took a picture of, and it can also show login info, read business cards and give the information to the user about the person, copy tracking numbers from receipts, etc.However, after a while, Google made Lens available in Google Photos and the Google Camera app, and for some other places too. There is a standalone Lens app also which is easily available in the Google Play Store. And now, Google is working on providing the Lens icon directly in the search bar.Although it is not rolling out for a wider audience at the moment, it gives hope that this functionality may become a permanent feature soon, and for everyone too. It is an amazing feature, and when it will be easily accessible in the search bar only, the efficiency and speed it will provide to the users can only be imagined at this moment. It will not only make work easier for people, but it will also make search results more relevant and refined. It will bring Googles Android app close to the Google app on iOS in functionality because iOS has had the built-in Lens feature for a while now. Besides this, the users will be able to input visual information along with their voice input in the search bar. This can take the search experience to another level.As per the recent reports, Google is paying a lot of attention to Lens lately. In July 2020, Gboard started supporting image pasting in the clipboard and replaced Google Search with Lens text selection.So, if you are also intrigued by the feature but you do not have it in your Google app as yet, you can easily download it from the Play Store and check it out yourself.Source: Androidpolice Read next: Beware Android Users! These 29 Photo Editing Apps On Google Play Store Are Spreading Ad-Based Malware Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:12:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAR ES SALAAM, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed and 87 others rescued after a boat capsized in Tanzania's Lake Tanganyika on Thursday. Martin Otieno, the Kigoma regional police commander, told Xinhua by telephone that the boat capsized at around noon after it was hit by a powerful storm. "Police and other security agencies are still searching to establish if there could be more victims because the boat had no record of number of passengers," he said. On July 16, Tanzania's weather agency warned of strong winds and high waves in Lake Tanganyika. The weather forecast said strong winds and high waves were likely to disrupt fishing activities and marine transport. On June 25, at least nine people were killed and 51 others injured after a boat capsized in Lake Tanganyika. Enditem The lawsuit claimed that the four had sold all-risk property insurance policies to the casino, which includes covering business interruption losses. The policies are all-risk, the lawsuit claims. In an all-risk insurance policy, all risks of loss are covered unless they are specifically excluded. Magic City Casino also noted in its complaint that it is not suing other insurers that sold policies that specifically excluded coverage for things such as viruses. The lawsuit argued that the casino could not operate due to the shutdown orders issued by Governor Ron DeSantis and local officials. The disputed policies contain identical sections about providing coverage for losses resulting from an order of civil or military authority, the compliant maintained. As a result of the presence of COVID-19 and the closure orders, plaintiff sustained a suspension of business operations, sustained losses of business income, and incurred extra expenses, the lawsuit said. Plaintiff has also sustained business income losses due to direct physical loss or physical damage at the premises of dependent properties. Magic Citys lawsuit does not specify how much money the casino is seeking in the case. The News Service of Florida said that, as of Tuesday, none of the insurers had filed a response to the lawsuit. Read more: Billionaire wades in with lawsuit over business interruption claims Magic City is not the only casino suing its insurers over pandemic-related business interruption insurance. A week ago, Las Vegas casino resorts Treasure Island and Circus Circus filed lawsuits against their insurer, also claiming that the insurance they purchased was an all risks policy. Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Saifuddin Soz on Thursday said he would sue the government for his "unlawful house arrest" since August 5 last year, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and termed the government's response in the Supreme Court that he was not under detention as "falsehood". "I take a strong exception to the government stand before the Supreme Court that I had neither been put under house arrest nor had any restrictions been imposed on me since August 5, 2019," Soz said in a statement ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor San Francisco Mayor London Breed is locked in a standoff with labor unions representing the citys 37,000 employees over $250 million in pay raises scheduled to kick in over the next two years. For weeks, negotiations over the raises have played out against the backdrop of the citys $1.5 billion budget deficit, the result of the ruinous economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. As city officials race to close that gap a balanced budget proposal is due to the Board of Supervisors by Saturday Breed has asked the leaders of the citys 35 unions to postpone raises for their workers for two years in an effort to stave off service cuts, or layoffs, which Breeds administration says will happen without deferrals. I do not believe it will be possible to both achieve our shared goals of preventing service and employment impacts and fund the promised wage increases for fiscal years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, Breed said in a letter last month to the San Francisco Labor Council. Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle The impasse heaps additional uncertainty onto an already precarious budget, which is being balanced on a number of delicate suppositions. Breeds proposal assumes voters in November will approve an overhaul to the citys business-tax structure, which contains provisions that would unlock up to $300 million for homelessness, mental health and other city services. If that measure fails, the city will have to come up with an additional $300 million or make painful cuts. The budget will also assume economic growth will return in January, which is precarious considering how weve seen this virus recede and then roar back, said Jeff Cretan, a spokesman for the mayors office. We are assuming that FEMA funds continue to flow through the end of the fiscal year, which really means we are assuming that Donald Trump doesnt wake up one day this fall and decide the emergency is over, he said of Federal Emergency Management Agency money. City workers and union officials have so far rejected the request for deferrals, pointing to the sacrifices theyve already made to save the city money: Labor contracts city workers signed last year stipulated that agreed-upon pay raises would be deferred for six months if the budget deficit exceeded $200 million. A 3% pay hike that was supposed to kick in this month now wont show up in workers pay checks until the end of December. Many also contend the city ought to honor the agreements it already made to employees responsible for the sometimes perilous, on-the-ground work of San Franciscos pandemic response. We are asking the mayor to take care of us while we take care of her city, said Theresa Rutherford, a nursing assistant who works at Laguna Honda Hospital and is a vice president at SEIU 1021, which represents thousands of San Francisco workers. We need the mayor to give us the ability to survive, so we can help take care of the people who are sick in our city her city and to help San Francisco get back on its feet. It is imperative for the city that we continue coming to work. This is not an increase thats going to change our lives. Its to keep us from going under, Rutherford said. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle All city workers are set to receive a raise on Dec. 26. Most employees nearly 35,000 will get a 3% increase and 2,300 police officers will get a 2% raise. Raises will total about $50 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year and $200 million in the following year. More than 175,000 San Franciscans have filed for unemployment benefits since March. No city employee has been laid off as a result of the pandemic. The city government is the second-largest employer in San Francisco, behind only UCSF. To prevent layoffs, labor officials have called on Breed to tap into the citys reserves or rainy day funds. We believe that spending down more, earlier would be prudent, and in the spirit and intent of stabilizing the citys workforce, which is so critical right now, said Rudy Gonzalez, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council. People have likened rainy day to more of a flood. Thats representative of the crisis were in right now. The administration is taking a very moderate approach. We think the times were in necessitate that we act more boldly, Gonzalez said. How many times are we going to go back to the same well and try to solve our budget issues on the backs of city workers? Before the pandemic, the city had set aside about $1 billion in multiple reserve funds. Breeds proposed budget would drain about half of that over three years, the most allowed under city law. That will leave about $500 million to address future risks including the $1 billion deficit the city is projected to confront three years from now. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. We still need reserves to help bridge that looming fiscal cliff, Cretan said. Breeds administration appears to be making some headway persuading the unions representing firefighters and police officers to postpone their pay increases. With the police, those negotiations may be complicated by the pledge made by Breed and Supervisor Shamann Walton to reallocate a portion of the departments budget to the citys Black community as reparations for systemic injustices. Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Exactly how Breed intends to deal with the raises in her coming budget proposal is still unclear. Negotiations can continue until October while the Board of Supervisors revises Breeds budget and returns it to her for her signature. If the unions dont agree to forgo their raises, we will be forced to lay people off, Cretan said. The mayor does not want anyone to lose their jobs. All we are asking is for our public sector workers to defer their raises so we can avoid layoffs and keep critical city services going. The citys union leaders say theyre steadfast in their opposition to any additional delays in their pay raises. The Labor Council, responding to Breeds letter from last month, said our affiliated unions do not support additional deferrals of pay raises. Gus Vallejo, president of IFPTE Local 21, a union with more than 5,000 members in San Francisco, said hes skeptical of the citys dire financial predictions. Its a well-worn tactic of the city, he said, to project as though the coffers are running dry and threaten cuts to obscure other options for saving money. I seriously doubt were going to have a billion-dollar deficit three years from now, he said. We are playing chicken, if you will, but in my experience, as someone told me 20 years ago, they always find the money. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday accused Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) of creating unnecessary fuss over its six MLAs merging with the Congress in the state and claimed that BSP boss Mayawati was acting under pressure from the BJP. His statement came hours after the Rajasthan high court issued notices to the Speaker, assembly secretary and the six MLAs, who had joined the Congress from BSP in September 2019. The court issued the notices on a petition by the BSP seeking disqualification of these MLAs. With two-third majority, a party can merge and defect, here all six merged into CongressMayawatis complaint is not justified as all six MLAs joined the Congress. I believe she is making statements on directions of the BJP. The way BJP is misusing CBI, ED, IT to threaten all has never been seen. Mayawati is also fearful and is making statements under pressure, Gehlot said outside the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur, where MLAs loyal to him have been camping. The BSP said Gehlots comments were baseless. BSP state president Bhagwan Singh Baba said the merger of six MLAs was illegal as a national party cannot be merged at state level without the approval of the party chief. The CM allegations are baseless. The BSP chief had conveyed her annoyance twice as Gehlot poached our MLAs. Its not the first time but in 2008 when they first poached, we had approached court and the Speaker. Then, the BSP was supporting the Congress at the Centre and there was no BJP at the Centre. Mayawati had stated that Gehlot wants to wipe out BSP in Rajasthan, he said. The final decision on this issue will be made tomorrow. Head of the Main Department of Ukraine's State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service in the city of Kyiv Oleh Ruban says the capital city may be designated as the "orange" zone according to the adaptive quarantine from August 1. "Kyiv will be in between the orange and red zones," he told the RBC Ukraine news agency, giving his forecast for the epidemiological situation from August 1. The final decision on this issue will be made tomorrow, July 31, he said. As reported earlier, Ukraine's government ordered that the green, yellow, orange, and red COVID-19 risk levels shall be introduced depending on the epidemic situation in a region or a separate administrative and territorial unit of the region (districts of a region (oblast), cities and towns, districts in cities and towns, as well as villages). Read alsoUkraine's health minister elaborates on hospitals' readiness for possible second wave of COVID-19 The risk level will be determined after an assessment of epidemic indicators and formalized by a decision of the State Commission on Industry-Related and Environmental Safety and Emergencies. The commission is headed by the prime minister with the interior minister and the chief of the State Emergency Situations Service as his deputies and the minister for communities and territories development as his first deputy. The yellow, orange, and red COVID-19 risk levels indicate a degree of the significant spread of COVID-19 in a particular territory of a region, the government explained. In keeping with the rules, public transport, schools and universities, shopping malls, cafes, and restaurants should be shut down when the red level is introduced. As UNIAN reported earlier, another 199 residents of Kyiv tested positive for the coronavirus in the past day. 30.07.2020 LISTEN The Advisor to President Akufo-Addo on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, has said free primary healthcare already exists under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). He thus questions the basis of former President John Mahamas promise to institute free primary healthcare for, especially children and the aged, should he win the 7 December 2020 polls. At the inauguration of his running mate Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said: Ladies and gentlemen, as a social democratic party, we seek to harness the best qualities in all our people to transform the destiny of our nation. In that direction, and as the fulcrum around which our health policy will evolve, we will before the end of 2021, introduce and begin the implementation of a Free Primary Healthcare Plan, he announced. He explained: This will make the provision of primary healthcare to all Ghanaians, young and elderly, free. Our free healthcare plan will guarantee a healthy people and provide the healthy workforce needed to accelerate our development, he added. Speaking to Kwabena Bobie Ansah on Accra100.5FMs The Citizen Show on Wednesday, 29 July 2020, Dr Nsiah-Asare asked: What is free primary healthcare? I realised he [Mr Mahama] said free primary healthcare, especially for children and the elderly. We already have the National Health Insurance Scheme which covers all primary healthcare activities, it covers secondary care and some tertiary care, he noted. According to the former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, As we speak now, if youre subscribed to the NHIS, you dont pay anything for healthcare, so, I dont know what he [Mr Mahama] is talking about when he says free primary healthcare. Dr Nsiah-Asare stressed: Primary healthcare activities in Ghana are covered by health insurance and for that matter, once youre holding a health insurance card, you dont pay anything at the point of care, so, its covered and, therefore, it is the same thing as free. He listed some of the primary healthcare activities as children going for weighing and immunisation, ante-natal care, child welfare; treatment of malaria, minor accidents, coughing, respiratory tract infections, diabetes and hypertension among others. All these are things that are covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme, he reiterated. In his view, Mr Mahama probably made the promise because he also wants to offer a free social intervention policy to the electorate since the Akufo-Addo government is implementing a free senior high school policy. ---classfmonline Pro-life group releases investigative report on dangers of abortion pill Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The pro-life group Live Action released an investigative report Monday that exposes the dangers the abortion pill poses to women and children. The report is part of Live Actions new campaign called Abortion Pill Kills, which aims to expose the history of the pill and the abortion industrys plan to expand the drug. It was written in consultation with the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNS. The abortion pills official name is mifepristone and it is sold in the United States as Mifeprex. Im happy that we have this campaign right now to make the nation wake up to the reality of why this industry is dangerous and how dangerous the abortion pill really is, Alison Centofante, Live Actions director of External Affairs, told The Christian Post. People are waking up to the reality of what this pill does. Weve got a series of videos on our landing page, on our website, she said. One documents the true story behind the abortion pill, it goes through the history of how it came to be and also looking at the financing, the push for its expansion, as well as the future of what the abortion industry wants to do with the pill. The videos are available on Live Action's Twitter page as well. The report goes into detail about the complications that often result from taking the abortion pill, which include severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding. According to the FDA, women can expect the bleeding to last 9 to 16 days on average, while 8% experience bleeding for more than 30 days. STOP SCROLLING. Right now the abortion industry is fighting for the largest expansion of child-killing since Roe v. Wade. Learn the true story behind the abortion pill and how you can put a stop to the killing. RT!#AbortionPillKillspic.twitter.com/PDubHGnOL0 Live Action (@LiveAction) July 27, 2020 It also debunks the big lie that abortion pills are safer than surgical abortions. Citing statistics from the FDA, the report points out that the abortion pill caused 24 maternal deaths between 2000 (the year it was approved) and 2018, and contributed to more than 1,000 hospitalizations and more than 4,000 total adverse events. According to the report, interest groups and individuals seeking to deregulate the abortion pill include the Population Council, which seeks to limit population growth. Donors to the Population Council include Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and the Packard Foundation. Buffet also funds the Ryan Fellowship, which gives funding to universities and institutions that train abortionists. One such university is The University of California San Francisco, which trains abortion providers through its Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. The Bixby Center has issued a call to end the excessive regulation of mifepristone. The release of the report comes just two weeks after a federal judge blocked the FDA from enforcing the requirements surrounding the distribution of the abortion pill. These requirements are known as a risk evaluation mitigation strategy or REMS. The REMS requires the abortion pill to be administered at a healthcare setting such as a clinic or hospital by a qualified medical professional. Under the FDA requirements, prescribers of the abortion pill must certify that they are capable of dating a pregnancy, diagnosing dangerous ectopic pregnancies, and that they will provide or arrange for surgical intervention in case of failure or complications. As the report notes, In 2016, under the Obama administration, the FDA extended the period women could take the abortion pill from the first 7 weeks of pregnancy to the first 10 weeks, reduced the required dosage of mifepristone from 600 milligrams to 200 milligrams, and reduced the number of required visits from three to two. While the United States grapples with the coronavirus, pro-abortion activists had sued to prevent the FDA from enforcing the requirement that abortion pills must be administered at an in-person medical appointment. They believed that making women go to a medical facility to have an abortion during the pandemic constituted an undue burden. Judge Theodore Chuang agreed. His ruling blocks the FDA from enforcing the REMS and allows the pill to be mailed or delivered to patients for the duration of the pandemic. In a statement, Lila Rose, the founder and president of Live Action, urged the FDA to go on offense against the abortion industry. The FDA should acknowledge the subversive tactics of the abortion industry and its allies, which are using a national pandemic to instigate abortion expansions that could remain long after the pandemic is over, she said. Most importantly, the FDA should acknowledge that the abortion pill, which kills children and destroys womens wellbeing, has always been a hazard to public health and should never have been approved for sale in the United States. The abortion pill has ended the lives of at least 3.7 million innocent children in the U.S. alone. The abortion pill will never be safe for children, or for women. The report emphasizes that the ultimate goal of the abortion industry is to continue to demedicalize until abortion pills are available over the counter in hopes of removing any requirement that licensed physicians be involved in the process. Live Action outlined some action steps, calling on the FDA to stop approving abortion drugs and resist the efforts by the abortion lobby to stop enforcing the REMS, and for the removal of all legal protections for abortionists and any clinician that prescribes the abortion pill. According to Centofante, a coalition of pro-life groups joined a letter calling on FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn to pull the pill from the market. We were able to solidify partners like Samaritans Purse, Susan B. Anthony List, Heritage Action, the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNS, the American College of Pediatricians, National Right to Life, and others to encourage Commissioner Hahn to acknowledge the way the abortion industry has subverted their protocols on this pill in order to fast-track it for consumption and to pull the pill from the market, she said. After a long, storied history in Chicago, Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Bronzeville plans to close next year, dealing a blow to the South Side community its served for more than 150 years. The shutdown follows a decision in May by Mercy, Advocate Trinity Hospital in Calumet Heights, South Shore Hospital in South Chicago and St. Bernard Hospital in Englewood not to pursue a planned merger. State lawmakers failed to set aside funding for the deal. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Republican State Rep. Bob Cupp, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice whos served in the House since 2015, has been selected as the next speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Cupp, of Lima, defeated Dayton-area state Rep. Jim Butler by a single vote in a closed-door GOP caucus meeting, according to a Republican lawmaker. The House then publicly elected Cupp 55-38, with all Democrats, as well as a handful of Republicans voting no. Immediately following the vote, Cupp was sworn into the office by state Supreme Court Justice Judith French. He will replace Larry Householder, whom legislators unanimously ousted from his leadership position earlier Thursday shortly after Householder was indicted on racketeering charges in what the FBI has described as a $60 million bribery scheme. Householder, a top political aide and three lobbyists, including the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, were arrested last week. Although hes lost his leadership role, Householder remains in the House, and an effort by Democrats to expel him on Thursday failed. Cupp has served in the Ohio House since 2015, meaning he will be term limited and forced to leave the legislature at the end of 2022. He previously served in the Ohio Supreme Court from 2007 through 2013. Before that, he served in the Ohio Senate. After the vote, Cupp pledged to members he would work to restore public trust in state government. He told reporters one of his first legislative priorities would be to re-examine House Bill 6, the nuclear bailout bill prosecutors said FirstEnergy bribed Householder to pass. Its a challenging time following a serious an unprecedented breach of trust, Cupp said in a brief address to members. As I stand before you on this podium, I know I am not alone in facing these issues. Prosecutors allege Householder and others accepted the $60 million, routed through political organizations that spent it on ads and other campaign expenses, to help elect Householder. In exchange, Householder pushed a bailout bill that will bring more than $1 billion to two plants owned by a former FirstEnergy subsidiary. FirstEnergy has not been formally named in charging documents, and no one from the company has been accused of wrongdoing. The speaker of the Ohio House is one of the most powerful jobs in state government. The speaker decides what legislation is debated and voted on and consequently, heavily influences what becomes law. Householder for instance, used the office to visibly push back against Gov. Mike DeWines moves to restrict public life to fight the coronavirus, arguing they were heavy-handed. But asked about DeWines handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Cupp signaled a possible change in approach. Cupp said DeWine had done his best dealing with the issue, and didnt want to air out his criticism. While there are differences of opinion, the virus is a serious thing affecting not only the people of Ohio, but the United States and people around the world. And so we need to do things that are appropriate. There are different parts of the state, where its impact will be different. And so maybe calibration to those conditions is important, he said. Asked whether he might pursue legislation to restrict the use of anonymous dark money political spending in Ohio, which Republicans and Democrats have called for in response to Householders arrest, Cupp said its a possibility. Were going to have to take a careful look at it, but I think yes, there is an interest in delving into that, he said. During Thursdays session, Democratic state Rep. Jeff Crossman, of Parma, moved to expel Householder from the legislature. Doing so under the Ohio Constitution would require a two-thirds vote. But Republicans killed the resolution, voting to table it before it could be voted on or debated. Four Northeast Ohio lawmakers state Reps. Dave Greenspan, of Westlake, Gayle Manning, of Lorain County, Scott Oeslager, of Canton and Tom Patton, of Strongsville, broke ranks with their fellow Republicans in voting against tabling the issue. After the vote, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said Republicans were shameful in blocking the measure. The Ohio House Republicans just showed the entire state how they really feel about the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history, Pepper said. Rather than joining Democrats to expel the former Speaker, they not only fought to keep him in office, but they cut off even having a debate about it. Speaking with reporters, Cupp held open the possibility the House may move to expel Householder in the future, since under the state Constitution, a lawmaker cant be removed from office twice for the same conduct. Were Householder to be convicted, he would be automatically expelled. As you know, he is unopposed for election in November. So I think maybe we dont want to use all our options at one time, he said. Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, the top Democrat in the House, issued a terse, one-sentence statement about Cupps election: We dont trust any of them. In contrast to the hyper-ambitious, colorful and sometimes combative Householder, Cupp is soft-spoken and not considered to be overly political, by politicians standards. Unification, thats the big thing. Hes a great listener, said state Rep. Gary Scherer, a Pickaway County Republican who was an early backer of Cupps speaker candidacy. He will listen to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle and will not be the combative type of leader that weve had before. Also in contrast to Householder, who previously left the state legislature in 2004 under a different investigation by the FBI, Cupp has a reputation for ethical conduct among his colleagues. Cupp said he had not imagined ever holding the job. My wife will still make me take the garbage out every Sunday night and haul it, and clean out the cat-litter boxes and all those kinds of things, he said. I like to do my own gardening, I like to mow my own lawn. And so none of those things are going to change, hopefully. And Ive told people if I think Im more than I am, they should tell me. DeWine issued a statement congratulating Cupp. Speaker Cupp is a man of integrity who will serve Ohio well. I look forward to working with Speaker Cupp and Senate President Obhof in the days ahead, DeWine said. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, praised Cupps selection as speaker in a Twitter post. Before getting elected to the House and after leaving the Supreme Court, Cupp worked for Yost in a senior legal role while Yost was state auditor. Bob Cupp, the last Boy Scout... I worked with him daily for two years. He is ethical, smart, wise (and decidedly not afraid to tell the boss that hes wrong!) Yost said. Federal law enforcement dispense tear gas as they confront demonstrators in Portland, Ore., on July 29, 2020. (Alisha Jucevic/AFP via Getty Images) Federal Officers Declare Unlawful Assembly in Portland, Fire Tear Gas Federal officers declared an unlawful assembly at the federal courthouse in Portland just before midnight Wednesday, using crowd control measures like tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. Officers ultimately succeeded in pushing the crowd away from the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, where people have tried for weeks to break in and damage the building. Multiple arrests were made, though it wasnt clear how many, and the crowd ultimately dispersed early Thursday. Neither state troopers nor Portland police officers were seen assisting federal officers, despite an agreement reached hours earlier between Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the federal government. Timelines given by Brown and federal officials differ in terms of the removal of federal forces. The governor said the withdrawal will begin on Thursday but federal officials said no officers are leaving until local and state officials prove they can protect the courthouse and other federal properties. Acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said the state would provide a presence on the night of July 30. Tonight, for the 1st time since violence was directed at federal facilities and people, the state of Oregon is going to cooperate in keeping the peace in Portland, he said in a statement on Thursday morning. The level of violence has been dropping all week, an encouraging sign, the official added. The Trump administration surged federal assets to Portland on July 4 after rioters began targeting the courthouse, threatening to overwhelm the officers stationed there. A pyrotechnic mortar explodes in the lobby of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., overnight July 2, 2020. (Department of Justice) A rioter kicks in temporary boarding at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 21, 2020. (Noah Berger/AP Photo) Women hold signs outside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 29, 2020. (Alisha Jucevic/AFP via Getty Images) In a video message, Brown described the nightly riotingwhich started in late Mayas protests. The peaceful non-violent protests led by Black Lives Matter activists have inspired the nation, and we have an opportunity to make real and lasting change, she said. The middle of the night confrontations in the streets of Portlandpeople throwing rocks and burning garbage cansthat has got to stop, she added later. Rioters have assaulted police officers with projectiles and lasers and caused significant damage at the courthouse, a nearby county building, and a slew of businesses in downtown Portland. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said federal law enforcement will not leave until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack, he added in a statement. President Donald Trump and a spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence sounded a similar message, setting up an interesting Thursday. Were not leaving until theyve secured their city, Trump told reporters at the White House. Later Thursday, Portland police officers cleared Lownsdale Park per a request from the Oregon State Police as part of the plan for federal officers to leave, Mayor Ted Wheeler said. Three Assam Rifles soldiers have just been martyred in Manipur. They were part of a 15 man squadron that is suspected to have come under heavy fire from a North-Eastern insurgent group, the PLA. Three Assam Rifles soldiers, have just been martyred, in a district of Manipur bordering Myanmar. The soldiers, who were part of a squad of 15, were sent out on an area domination mission, in the Chandel district, on Wednesday. They were ambushed by suspected PLA militia members, an insurgent group in the north-east. According to sources five others were injured, and are in critical condition. In June 2015, 18 soldiers laid down their lives in Chandel, when militants ambushed their convoy, in what was described as the worst casualties the army had suffered in recent years till then. A mixed group of militants, comprising of the NSCN(K) and the United National Liberation Front of Manipur, claimed responsibility for the 2015 attack. The Assam Rifles soldiers were first hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion, and were then ambushed using small arms less than 100 kms away from the state capital of Imphal. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area near the Myanmar border. Also Read: Rajasthan Crisis: CLP meeting chaired by Ashok Gehlot underway Also Read: Relief for Delhiites! Delhi government slashes Diesel price by Rs. 8.36 per litre In retaliation, Army special forces, along with Mi-17 helicopters of the IAF struck two militant camps, inflicting casualties. . The two camps are estimated to have had a total of about 150 militants. The PLA was founded in the late 1970s and is fighting for secession from India. They are not part of any ceasefire with the government, unlike the NSCN (IM) from Nagaland. As part of the ceasefire agreement, the NSCN have agreed to report the location of all its camps to the Indian Army. They have also signed a framework agreement with the government in August 2015, which PM Modi labelled a historic step towards peace in the north-east. Also Read: Delhi launches awareness campaign to deal with earthquakes By Laman Ismayilova Founded in 1950, the Institute of Manuscripts stores rich and rare collection of manuscripts covering all fields of the medieval sciences - medicine and astronomy, mathematics and mineralogy, poetics and philosophy, theology and law, grammar, history and geography, prose and poetry in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Arabic, Persian and other languages. The institute will mark its 70th anniversary this October. First Vice-President of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Isa Habibayli will oversee the implementation of the decision signed on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the institute. It treasures one of the richest book treasures in the world, preserves unique manuscript collections in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Arabic, Persian and other languages . The institute also keeps personal documents, old printed books, microfilms, photographs and other materials of prominent Azerbaijani figures of science and literature who lived in the 19th-20th centuries. There are more than 40,000 materials were collected in the Institute of Manuscripts. The oldest manuscript in the Institute of Manuscripts is Surah An-Nisa written on parchment in the 9th century. Dozens of books, monographs and scientific articles are regularly published by the institute. Every year, the institute's workers are taking part in prestigious scientific events in the country and abroad. Moreover, the institute holds numerous exhibitions for its visitors. For instance, manuscripts of famous Azerbaijani poetesses were displayed at Institute early in March. The exposition features manuscripts and archival photographs of ten poetesses. The exhibition aroused great interest among viewers. The activity of the institute has always been in the focus of local and foreign specialists. The institute is regularly visited by local and foreign guests. The Institute of Manuscripts is working on the digitization of manuscript monuments in accordance with world standards. In addition, an electronic catalog of manuscripts and an e-library are also available at the institute. Throughout its activity, the Institute of Manuscripts has established scientific relations with authoritative foreign libraries and scientific centers, and cooperation in this direction continues. The Institute of Manuscripts is a member of the International Association of Islamic Manuscripts at the Cambridge University and the International Society of Manuscripts. In 2005 and 2017, four unique manuscripts preserved at the institute were included in the register of the UNESCO World Memory Program. The institute annually publishes 3 collections ("Philological issues", "Manuscripts do not burn", "Scientific works"). --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz THE Muslim leaders based in Cebu urged their fellow believers in Islam to continue their sacrifices as they celebrate Eid al-Adha on Friday, July 31, 2020, amid the crisis brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Alex Minalang, director of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) Visayas, encouraged his fellow Muslims to help the efforts in slowing down the spread of Covid-19 by wearing masks and observing social distancing protocol. Hugging and shaking of hands are discouraged. Wearing of mask and using of alcohol are a must, he said. The pandemic, he said, has taught that not a single human being has control over the situation. Even the biggest and strongest country could fall down. But if we learn to sacrifice and detach ourselves from self-satisfaction and self-interest, we can help limit the spread of the virus and help save lives, he said in a statement. The NCMF Visayas leadership thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for declaring Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, a regular holiday by issuing Proclamation No. 985 on Wednesday, July 29. Eid al-Adha, which follows the major Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr in May, honors Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham in the Christian world) for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah. Sacrificing in the face of a public health crisis is in a way a submission to the command of the Almighty, believing a High Power is above all of the people and He has control over everything in this world, said Minalang. Eid al-Adha is a three-day celebration starting on July 31. In the Philippines, Republic Act 9849 mandates that Eid al-Adha must be observed as a regular holiday. This years observance is subject to existing community quarantine and social distancing measures. Aside from personal sacrifice, Minalang said Eid al-Adha also encourages sharing ones blessings to the community. Minalang said after the Eid al-Adha congregational prayer follows the Qurbani operationsthe slaughtering of animals such as cows, sheep or goats will follow. Story continues The meat of the slaughtered animals will be distributed to the Muslim families, especially the poor. Charity works are increased during this time, Minalang said. In Cebu, there are more than 28,000 Muslims. In the whole Visayas, there are more than 360,000 Muslims, according to Minalang. Based on the record of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Muslim population in the country in 2015 was 5.57 percent. However, a 2012 estimate by the NCMF stated that there were 10.7 million Muslims, or 11 percent of the countrys total population. (WBS) Today is shaping up negative for Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) shareholders, with the analysts delivering a substantial negative revision to this year's forecasts. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) forecasts went under the knife, suggesting the analysts have soured majorly on the business. Following the latest downgrade, the 17 analysts covering Las Vegas Sands provided consensus estimates of US$5.0b revenue in 2020, which would reflect a concerning 42% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Following this this downgrade, earnings are now expected to tip over into loss-making territory, with the analysts forecasting losses of US$1.39 per share in 2020. However, before this estimates update, the consensus had been expecting revenues of US$6.9b and US$0.38 per share in losses. So there's been quite a change-up of views after the recent consensus updates, with the analysts making a serious cut to their revenue forecasts while also expecting losses per share to increase. View our latest analysis for Las Vegas Sands The consensus price target was broadly unchanged at US$58.26, perhaps implicitly signalling that the weaker earnings outlook is not expected to have a long-term impact on the valuation. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. The most optimistic Las Vegas Sands analyst has a price target of US$73.00 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$49.00. These price targets show that analysts do have some differing views on the business, but the estimates do not vary enough to suggest to us that some are betting on wild success or utter failure. Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. We would highlight that sales are expected to reverse, with the forecast 42% revenue decline a notable change from historical growth of 1.5% 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 20% next year. It's pretty clear that Las Vegas Sands' revenues are expected to perform substantially worse than the wider industry. Story continues 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 Las Vegas Sands. Regrettably, they also downgraded their revenue estimates, and the latest forecasts imply the business will grow sales slower than the wider market. We're also surprised to see that the price target went unchanged. Still, deteriorating business conditions (assuming accurate forecasts!) can be a leading indicator for the stock price, so we wouldn't blame investors for being more cautious on Las Vegas Sands after the downgrade. That said, the analysts might have good reason to be negative on Las Vegas Sands, given its declining profit margins. For more information, you can click here to discover this and the 2 other concerns we've identified. Another way to search for interesting companies that could be reaching an inflection point is to track whether management are buying or selling, with our free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. 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 Delhi: In the latest development related to Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, actor's family has filed a caveat after Rhea Chakraborty moved the Supreme Court over the transfer of investigation to Mumbai Rhea Chakraborty filed a petition in the Apex court seeking transfer of investigation in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case to the Mumbai Police, Satish Maneshinde, her lawyer confirmed. She moved SC after Sushant's father lodged an FIR against Rhea and her family for cheating, exploiting and abetment to suicide. After which the Bihar team police flew to Mumbai to begin the investigation process. In the petition filed by the actress in the top court, she has sought transfer of the case to Mumbai citing a case cannot be investigated by two teams. Rhea's lawyer has said that when the investigation is already going on in Mumbai and details of it are being made available to the people, then it is illegal to file an FIR in the same case. Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020. Over 37 people have been questioned so far in relation to the actor. An autopsy report released Wednesday by a medical examiner in Argentina revealed that a man died of suffocation after a police officer knelt on his neck while trying to arrest him. Walter Ceferino Nadal was accused of stealing a hat by a supermarket employee June 24 in the northwestern city of San Miguel de Tucuman. Officer Jessica Gomez, who was near the store, requested backup after learning about the alleged incident. She chased after the 43-year-old man before she was joined by five other cops, including two who were able to bring him down to the ground before he died moments later in an ambulance. The lead prosecutor in the case, Adriana Giannoni, ordered an autopsy after the original police report indicated Nadal died of a heart attack. The autopsy showed that Nadal died from 'acute myocardial failure, secondary to violent cervical-thoracic compression'. None of the six police officers involved have been suspended or arrested. Walter Ceferino Nadal died June 24 after a police officer in San Miguel de Tucuman knelt on his neck while trying to arrest him after he was accused of stealing a hat from a supermarket and leading cops on a foot chase. An autopsy report released Wednesday showed that he died of suffocation and not a heart attack as indicated in a police report Josue Molina knelt on Walter Ceferino Nadal while he and other cops tried to restrain him. None of the police officers involved have been suspended, arrested or charged with Nadal's death A video shows several agents attempting to restrain Nadal, who several times clearly tells the police officers, 'I don't have anything. Check me.' Nadal, a father-of-five who was awaiting the birth of another child with his girlfriend, asked the cops to return his cellphone during the struggle as he was pinned face down against the sidewalk pavement. News outlets in Argentina reported that as Officer Josue Molina subdued Nadal by kneeling on his neck, a witness at the seen overheard Nadal say, 'I am lacking air, I am lacking air.' It was reminiscent of the May 25 incident in Minnesota in which George Floyd, a Black man, repeatedly said, 'I can't breath,' while Derek Chauvin, a white cop, knelt on the 46-year-old's neck for almost eight minutes after he was nabbed for allegedly using a fake $20 bill at a store. 'I was walking around the place and I came across that scene. It was all very violent. I did not understand anything,' the witness told local media outlets. 'I caught a glimpse of the bigger policeman rushing in and putting his knee to his neck. In a moment the man was silent and turned white.' A police officer performs CPR on Walter Ceferino Nadal moments before he died in an ambulance as he was being rushed to Padilla Hospital in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, on June 24. None of the cops who are part of the investigation have been suspended or arrested A cop provides medical assistance to Walter Ceferino Nadal after he led the police on a foot chase in Argentina on June 24 after he was accused by a supermarket worker of stealing a hat. Nadal, a 43-year-old father of five who was expecting the birth of a child with his pregnant girlfriend, died of suffocation after a cop knelt on his neck A separate video shows one of the police officers applying CPR to an unconscious Nadal, who died in the ambulance as he was rushed to Padilla Hospital. Nadal suffered fractures to the sternum and five fractured ribs as a result of the resuscitation maneuvers. Argentine news outlet Cronica reported that Giannoni has scheduled a meeting with medical experts for August 13 to review the new findings. Two of the cops involved in the investigation surrounding Nadal's death are set to meet with Giannoni on August 7 to provide testimony. Lucknow, July 30 : The King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on its canteen manager and a warning of disciplinary and legal action after insects and worms were found in the food served to doctors in the COVID-19 wards. The varsity has also set up a committee to keep a check on the quality of food at the canteen. The decision came a day after the Resident Doctors' Welfare Association (RDWA) complained of 'insects and larvae' in the 'dal' being provided to doctors on duty in the COVID-19 ward. "It is so inhuman to treat our frontline healthcare warriors with such grim facilities when governments world over are doing so much for their well-being," the RDWA said in its complaints to the KGMU administration. In an official statement, the KGMU has said that a food quality check committee consisting of representatives of Resident Doctors' Association, nursing association and employees' council had been formed. This committee will conduct regular surprise inspections and ensure that food quality at the university is continuously re-checked by the food security officer. A sample of the food prepared at the canteen will have to be sent for the same. The doctors on COVID-19 duty have also complained of poor accommodation provided to them. For this, the KGMU said that long term demand of the resident doctors will also be solved after discussion with the quarantine committee. The KGMU is the biggest medical facility that has been dealing with COVID-19 patients. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Trump administrations desultory Libya policy has left the U.S. helpless as its friends fight each other, its enemies grab strategic resources and American credibility sinks into the Saharan quicksand. The Libyan civil war is now at a dangerous inflection point: Government and rebel forces are facing off over the port city of Sirte, hometown of the former dictator Muammar Qaddafi and gateway to a coastal stretch of oil export terminals known as the oil crescent. But thanks to President Trumps equivocal positions over the conflict, the U.S. finds itself with little leverage over either side. The latest demonstration of the perils of American ambivalence is the seizure of vital oil facilities in the North African country by Russian mercenaries, undeterred by U.S. warnings to steer clear. The Trump administrations feeble response has been to sanction the Russian businessman who employs the mercenaries. This is no more likely to deter Moscow than the U.S. Africa Command publishing satellite images of Russian military jets in the Jufra airbase in May: Despite being called out, Moscow didnt withdraw the planes. In recent weeks, Trump has himself attempted to intervene in the Libyan civil war, by calling the principal foreign patrons of the two sides, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supports the government, and Egypts General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who supports the rebels, and urging them to support a negotiated settlement. Neither has since shown the slightest intention of reining in their favored belligerents. If anything, Egypt has ratcheted up tensions, with its parliament last week approving a direct military intervention in Libya. Trumps late, limp effort to broker a truce in Libya is doomed to go the way of his administrations other attempts at peacemaking in the Arab world from the disastrous deal of the century for the Israelis and Palestinians, to failed mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia over a giant dam on the Blue Nile, to its inability to end the feud between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Story continues In Libya, the failure is a direct consequence of Trumps refusing to pick a side. Although the U.S. formally recognizes the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, it has at various times viewed the rebel Libyan National Army as an ally in the fight against Islamist extremism never mind that the rebels count Islamist extremists among their fastest friends. Trump, with his characteristic fondness for authoritarians, has praised the rebel commander Khalifa Haftar. Trumps vacillation can be explained at least in part by the support that both Sarraj and Haftar receive from American allies; more to the point, both are championed by tough guys the president greatly admires. On Sarrajs side is Turkeys Erdogan, the world leader whose frequent calls to the White House are instantly put through to Trump. Theres also Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. The rebels are backed principally by Egypts Sisi, Trumps favorite dictator, and the United Arab Emirates, whose de facto leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, enjoys enormous clout in Washington. And then, of course, they have the support of the toughest of tough guys: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who meddles in Libya principally through the mercenary forces of the Wagner Group. (Haftar also has Emmanuel Macron in his camp, although Trump has long since lost his fondness for Frances president.) Unable to choose one side and incapable of mediating between them, Trump can only threaten economic punishment. But sanctions have limited effect in a civil war, especially when the prize control of enormous oil wealth is so valuable. As a result, in Libya as in much of the Arab world, the U.S. is doomed to be a mere spectator. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. With the addition of nearly 800,000 cases, Lex Machina is taking a major step forward in our mission to bring Legal Analytics to all areas of the law, said Karl Harris, CEO of Lex Machina Lex Machina, a LexisNexis company, today announced its expanded federal district court coverage, which gives users access to all commercially relevant federal civil cases in one place. Users can now find any federal district court case and use it as a jumping off point to discover key analytics including information about judges, law firms, attorneys, or parties. With the addition of nearly 800,000 cases, Lex Machina is taking a major step forward in our mission to bring Legal Analytics to all areas of the law, said Karl Harris, CEO of Lex Machina. This is the most cases weve ever added to our system at one time, giving users new capabilities and insights into the entire court system. Lex Machina began focusing on patent litigation and expanded to 16 different practice areas. Each expansion added more cases to the database, and Lex Machina already includes two million cases in federal district court within these practice areas. Todays addition of nearly 800,000 unlocks insights into a wider set of analytics that are relevant to any practitioner. Lex Machinas systems, including its Attorney Data Engine and Motion Metrics, run over all cases in the Lex Machina platform so users can immediately gain new insights with the expanded coverage. Enhanced capabilities include: Search for any case and view its up-to-date activity Keyword search across comprehensive coverage all dockets and downloaded documents View motion grant/denial rates for a judges full docket Analyze the complete list of cases for any judge, law firm, attorney or party Find out how busy a court is and with what types of matters Compare timing between courts or judges See the complete client list for a law firm Review a partys civil federal court history since 2009 Based on user feedback, we added functionality to find any case and get insights based on the full array of civil cases in federal district court, while maintaining our commitment to high-value, practice-area specific data that is most relevant to a particular matter, said Wade Malone, Co-Head of Product at Lex Machina. In reviewing the new comprehensive federal civil court data, Lex Machina discovered some exciting insights. For example, Judge Mary Catharine Rodgers of the Northern District of Florida saw the most cases overall with over 183,000 cases pending since 2009. Judge Rodgers is currently presiding over a large multidistrict litigation (MDL) master case involving alleged product liability defects in earplugs used by the military. When controlling for cases not associated under an MDL (a filtering capability Lex Machina designed), Judge James Rodney Gilstrap of the Eastern District of Texas saw the most cases with 8,265 cases. The Department of Justice appeared as counsel more often than any other law firm in the system, both on behalf of plaintiffs (53,117 cases) and on behalf of defendants (104,451 cases). The next most active law firms were The Maritime Asbestosis Legal Clinic with 30,137 cases representing plaintiffs and Shook, Hardy & Bacon with 62,085 cases representing defendants. The top plaintiff was Malibu Media, LLC, which filed a large number of copyright suits, although it has not filed any cases in 2020. The top defendant was 3M due to the previously mentioned earplug product liability litigation. Practitioners can gain access to the expanded dataset with Lex Machinas new Enterprise Package, a comprehensive option with increased coverage and new functionality. Benefits of the Enterprise Package include: Support any number of Lex Machina users in the organization Get access to unlimited functionality for all federal and state modules with no roadblocks or paywalls Access to new venues and case sets as soon as they are available This expanded coverage allows users to look both broadly at trends encompassing the full civil court docket and at practice-area specific insights. Todays expansion is not only an important milestone in the journey of Lex Machina since acquisition, but a key component in LexisNexis overall portfolio of analytics that empower lawyers to craft successful strategies and make data-driven decisions, said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO, LexisNexis North America. Webcast Lex Machina's new Enterprise Package For more information about Lex Machinas new Enterprise Package, please register here for the webcast, Lex Machina's new Enterprise Package: All Federal Cases - All Available Practice Areas - All in One Place, on July 30, at 9:00 am PDT. Join Wade Malone, Co-Head of Product at Lex Machina, Greg Lambert, Chief Knowledge Services Officer at Jackson Walker, and Jean O'Grady, Sr. Director of Research & Knowledge at DLA Piper, who will discuss the benefits of deploying Legal Analytics across different practice areas in your organization. The webcast will be moderated by Karl Harris, CEO of Lex Machina. About LexisNexis Legal & Professional LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis and Nexis services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 10,600 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. About Lex Machina Now celebrating the 10th anniversary of Legal Analytics, the Lex Machina platform fundamentally changes how companies and law firms compete in the business and practice of law. The company provides strategic insights on judges, lawyers, law firms, parties, and other critical information across 16 federal practice areas and select state courts. Lex Machina allows law firms and companies to predict the behaviors and outcomes that different legal strategies will produce, enabling them to win cases and close business. Legal Analytics was named Best Decision Management Solution (AI Breakthrough Awards, 2019) and Disruptor of the Year (Changing Lawyer Awards, 2019). Based in Silicon Valley, Lex Machina is part of LexisNexis, a leading global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics. For more information, please visit http://www.lexmachina.com. Flash As of Wednesday morning, 301,455 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Britain with a daily increase of 763, according to figures updated by the British Department of Health and Social Care. The figures for coronavirus-related deaths remain unavailable on the official website as Health Secretary Matt Hancock has ordered a review into the Public Health England's (PHE) data. Britain has taken more precautionary measures to prevent a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. People returning to Britain from Spain (including islands) from midnight July 25 will need to self-isolate for two weeks, with the country removed from the travel corridors list, the British government has announced. Meanwhile, the British government is expected to put more countries on its quarantine list "straight away" if coronavirus runs "out of control" in them, Sky News reported. An increase of COVID-19 cases in Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia are prompting concerns in the British government, according to the report. House GOP aides and even professional support staff on Capitol Hill say Republicans have made fun of them for wearing masks. After reporting Wednesday that Republican Rep. Louis Gohmert had tested positive for the coronavirus, Politico's Playbook had Hill staff write in anonymously about what they were experiencing at work. Aides reported that GOP lawmakers were often making staff come in. 'Ridiculing people for wearing masks is also not uncommon,' a GOP source said. Rep. Louis Gohmert, who is regularly seen on Capitol Hill not wearing a mask, tested positive for the coronavirus, Politico reported Wednesday. Now GOP aides are saying that the anti-mask sentiment among Republican offices is widespread An IT staffer reported that in Democratic offices mask-wearing is 'nearly universal.' While within Republican offices, 'it's probably under 50 per cent.' C-SPAN's cameras captured Rep. Louis Gohmert, sans mask, Tuesday on Capitol Hill outside the hearing room where lawmakers quizzed Attorney General Bill Barr for five hours. Barr was later tested for coronavirus because of his exposure to Gohmert House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on the House floor Wednesday night that members would have to wear masks in the House chamber from now on, after Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive for the coronavirus 'I think youd find a lot of offices in the anti-mask brigade are forcing staff to report to work even if they have legitimate concerns about their health,' the source continued. 'There is a general fear that saying anything critical of the current office policy - or lack of policy - will lead to retaliation.' One tech staffer, who services the offices of both Democrats and Republicans, reported that in Democratic offices mask-wearing is 'nearly universal.' While within Republican offices, 'it's probably under 50 per cent.' 'And some GOP offices ask why you are wearing a mask, which puts our staff in an awkward position - do you say because of the pandemic and risk the office taking that as a political stand? Do you take it off to make them feel better?' the staffer asked. 'I usually say something like, "Well, they told us we had to or we'll get fired or end up in HR or something," which generally satisfies most offices, and let's you dodge the political minefield that wearing a mask has become,' the chief administrative officer tech staffer continued. Staffers Politico talked to suggested the anti-mask snark wasn't peer pressure, but coming from above. 'While mask use isn't banned, it's also not encouraged, and has been derided on several occasions by the [chief of staff] and the member,' a scheduler to a House Republican member told Playbook. Another aide, whose co-worker had a COVID-19 scare, reported coming back into the office before the individual's test had come back negative. 'We were told to report to work as normal even before the test came back negative because the results were taking too long,' the GOP staffer said. 'I was left feeling guilty for teleworking even though I have an underlying health condition.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to Gohmert's positive test by announcing on the House floor Wednesday night that mask-wearing would be mandatory in the House chamber. She said on CNN later that mask-wearing would be implemented more broadly, including in hallways and in office buildings. Failure to mask-up would prompt sergeant at arms removal. 'The chair views the failure to wear a mask as a serious breach of decorum,' Pelosi warned from the rostrum. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wrote a letter to Pelosi Thursday yelling at the Democratic leadership for not accepting House Republicans' plan for reopening, which included taking the Trump administration up on its offer to provide rapid COVID-19 testing. But Pelosi and Senate Majority Mitch McConnell had decided together that the U.S. Congress wouldn't accept the tests because of the nationwide COVID-19 testing shortage. On Wednesday, Pelosi's No. 2, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, told reporters that leadership should reconsider its testing stance. Gohmert's COVID-19 case was discovered when the Texas lawmaker visited the White House to get screened for the virus before boarding Air Force One. He was supposed to accompany President Donald Trump Wednesday to his home state. The day before, Gohmert was spotted in the hallways of Capitol Hill mask-less and entered the Judiciary Committee hearing room with a bare face. The witness, Attorney General Bill Barr, had to be tested for COVID-19 because of his encounters with Gohmert. Barr tested negative. Playbook said that Gohmert returned to the Rayburn House Office Building after testing positive to inform his staff in-person what had happened. He also said, during a television appearance, that his brief mask-wearing may have contributed to him contracting the virus. 'I can't help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place if I might have put some germs, some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in,' Gohmert said. 'I don't know. I got it. We'll see what happens from here.' 'But the reports of my demise are premature,' the Texas lawmaker added. The White House tests individuals who will interact with the president by taking a sample using a nasal swab and then running it through an Abbott Laboratories point-of-care test, among others, which can deliver results in less than 15 minutes. The Texas Republican told CNN last month that he wasn't wearing a mask because he's tested regularly for COVID-19. 'But I keep being tested and I don't have it. So I'm not afraid of you,' Gohmert told the reporter, who had mentioned to the Texas lawmaker that asymptomatic people could be carrying the coronavirus. Gohmert also told the network that if he did contact the virus he would mask-up. 'I don't have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I've never had it. But if I get it, you'll never see me without a mask,' he said. Like other Republican aides reported, a Gohmert staffer told Playbook that the Texas Republican 'requires full staff to be in the office, including three interns, so that "we could be an example to American on how to open up safely."' The aide also suggested to journalists, 'When probing the office, you might want to ask how often were people berated for wearing masks.' Other lawmakers who have tested positive for the virus include GOP Sen. Rand Paul and Republican Reps. Mario Diaz Balart of Florida, Neal Dunn of Florida, Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania and Tom Rice of South Carolina. Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams also tested positive in March. "In the current volatile oil environment, this transaction will help Total Gabon first to concentrate on his main operated assets in order to make the most of it, and second to guarantee the future of the Cap Lopez Terminal with the consolidation of the volumes from two major actors in Gabon into the same terminal," commented Nicolas Terraz, President of Total Gabon . "We remain fully committed to Gabon as actor of the oil industry of the country. We shall continue to implement all plans to maximize the value of our operated production clusters at Anguille-Mandji and Torpille-Baudroie-Merou." 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. Britain secures 60 million doses of Sanofi/GSK coronavirus vaccine FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration By Alistair Smout and Matthias Blamont LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - Britain has signed a deal for up to 60 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), it said on Wednesday, its latest such arrangement as the race to tame the pandemic heats up. With its four deals so far, Britain has struck more coronavirus vaccine supply agreements than any other country, securing 250 million doses for a population of 66 million. But with no vaccine yet proven to work, a range of potential suppliers is seen as giving the best chance of success. "The fact remains that there are no guarantees," said business minister Alok Sharma. "It is important that we secure early access to a diverse range of promising vaccine candidates ... to increase our chances of finding one that works." Sanofi and GSK confirmed in a statement that regulatory approval for their vaccine could be achieved by the first half of 2021 if clinical data was positive. It is Sanofi and GSK's first deal to supply their experimental coronavirus vaccine to a country. Financial terms were not disclosed. Asked about the price, GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said only that GSK did not expect to profit from the product during the pandemic and any short-term earnings would be partly be reinvested into pandemic preparedness and donated to developing countries. With more than 20 vaccines in human trials, the move could stir concerns that rich countries, including the United States and those in Europe, are scooping doses in advance, potentially to the detriment of poorer nations. Last week, Britain struck deals for 30 million doses of an experimental BioNtech/Pfizer vaccine, and a deal in principle for 60 million doses of Valneva's potential shot, which followed a previously announced deal for 100 million doses of an experimental Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The EU and United States have secured 400 million and 300 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot respectively, while the U.S. government has also agreed to buy 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, with an option for 500 million more. Story continues The Sanofi/GSK vaccine combines Sanofi's S-protein COVID-19 antigen and GSK's pandemic adjuvant technology, and the first clinical trials are expected in September. Adjuvants are efficacy boosters that play a vital role in many traditional vaccines. Sanofi and GSK's vaccine uses a different approach from either the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines. Sanofi and GSK said talks to supply their vaccine to the EU, Italy and France were ongoing. The two firms hope to clinch a deal soon to provide 300 million doses to the EU, though two sources told Reuters that negotiations had stalled. Britain decided against joining the EU's vaccine purchase scheme in order to strike its own deals. (Reporting by Alistair Smout in London and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Potter) Utku Doganay of Principal Asset Services cleaning staff performs a deep clean of 'The Bunker by Fitness Playground' as it prepares to reopen to the public on June 12, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images) Tough NSW Gym Limits While Qld Bans All Greater Sydney Residents From the State Tighter restrictions will soon be in place for gyms to ensure social distancing and stronger hygiene practices as the number of COVID-19 cases in NSW continues to grow. Gyms across the state from August 1 will need to register a COVID-safe plan and have a dedicated hygiene marshal on-site to ensure social distancing, equipment cleaning and hand sanitiser availability. This includes 24/7 gyms that are otherwise unstaffed for certain periods. Fitness First gym in Kings Cross on Tuesday confirmed one person who attended an exercise class on July 20 had tested positive. NSW Health recorded 19 coronavirus cases on Wednesday two of which involved people in hotel quarantine and 10 others connected to the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, western Sydney, taking the size of that cluster to 85. Thai Rocks sister restaurant in Potts Point in Sydneys inner east was connected to two additional cases, taking the size of that cluster to seven, including a case linked to The Apollo restaurant, which is nearby. Both restaurants and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Rushcutters Bay were closed for cleaning. Two people subsequently discovered to have the virus had visited the club. Meanwhile, three Sydney schools have closed on Thursday after recording confirmed or possible coronavirus cases. The rising number of cases in Sydney has prompted Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to ban all Greater Sydney residents from the state from Saturday. Other restrictions imposed on NSW residents include a ban on entering Western Australia unless an exemption is granted. While travel to South Australia and Tasmania is permitted, people must quarantine upon arrival for 14 days. Travel to the Northern Territory and the ACT is allowed but people coming from hotspots must quarantine for 14 days, while NSW residents who return from Victoria must self-isolate for 14 days upon return. Sydney Two adult tigers were photographed in Arunachal Pradeshs Dibang Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in 2018 during the tiger estimation survey by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), according to the 656-page Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India report that was released on Tuesday. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has brought out the 2018 report. Dibang Valley holds unique importance for in-situ conservation of this unique and genetically diverse lineage of tigers as the local aboriginal community, Idu Mishmis, a sub-tribe of Mishmi and of Mongoloid origin, who speaks the Tibeto-Burman language, considers tiger as the ethnic groups elder brother, the NTCA has said in its report. In the Dibang-Kamlang-Namdapha block, the report has estimated the presence of 29 tigers based on scat samples and camera-trap images. The confirmation of the presence of tigers in Dibang Valley holds immense importance to the Idu Mishmis because large forest areas around the Dibang Valley Wildlife Sanctuary are being considered for diversion. The proposed 3,097 mega-watt Etalin Hydropower Project is likely to impact 1150.08 hectares (ha) of forestland and the Dibang Multipurpose Dam will impact 4,577.84 ha of un-classified state forest and other community lands. Both the projects are under different stages of consideration by the MoEFCC. In 2014, an adult tiger was photographed in the Dibang Valley during the estimation process. Molecular signs were also noted. Tiger presence is repeatedly being seen during camera-trap exercises. The Dibang Valley is an ideal natural habitat for tigers, said SP Yadav, member-secretary, NTCA. The 2018 estimation has recommended that discussions be conducted with the Idu Mishmis before proceeding with any legal notification of the sanctuary to be a tiger reserve. During a three-year-long camera trap-based study in the Dibang Valley Sanctuary and the adjoining Mishmi hills, 11 tigers, including two cubs, were identified by a team of researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), who had published their results in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in 2018. But, WII in a report titled, Wildlife Conservation Plan for the Impact Zone of Etalin HEP, said there was no tiger presence in the project area. These projects will impact both the tiger and its prey. Some of the prey cross the Talon river or they are found in abundance along the river like the Mishmi Takin. If the MoEFCC authorities consider the tiger to be an important species, then they will not consider projects that will be disastrous for the animals habitat. The community had always known about tigers presence in their homeland, said Anoko Mega, member, State Wildlife Advisory Board, Arunachal Pradesh. If at all a tiger reserve is declared in the area, the boundary should be demarcated after consulting the local indigenous population in a bid to ensure that there is no impact on human habitation, he added. The Idu Mishmi community members consider tigers as their kin with whom they have been co-existing through the generations. The Idu Mishmi Cultural & Literary Society (IMCLS), an apex community body, had written to NTCA and MoEFCC authorities in 2018, stating that the community would like to be consulted before proceeding with notifying the Dibang Valley Sanctuary to be a tiger reserve. Based on years of empirical research on ecological and social aspects of tigers in Dibang Valley, we strongly believe that the right strategy to develop a new kind of tiger reserve that is built not with fences and armed patrol guards, but around a cultural model. It is a culture, which has so far proven to be effective in saving the tiger, IMCLS had written. The 2018 NTCA report has cited that Arunachal Pradesh has large contiguous forests over 136,000 kilometres (km), including Pakke Tiger Reserves in the west; Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Mouling National Park, DEring Wildlife Sanctuary, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary in the centre; Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary in the north, and Kamlang and Namdapha Tiger Reserve in the east. Compared to earlier surveys this landscape unit shows a persisting low-density tiger population the largest tiger population of Arunachal Pradesh is within pockets of this landscape, it has said. The Trans Arunachal Highway a 1,811-km-long trunk road would become a barrier for the movement of the wildlife species in several of these corridors in the years to come, it has warned. SCHENECTADY Emotions were high Wednesday night, as an outdoor community meeting with city police ended abruptly after a crowd demanded police answer their questions and pressed them on an array of issues. It was the third such meeting that the departments two community relations officers, Lt. Ryan Macherone and Sgt. Nick Mannix, have held. They brought along several officers who patrol Schenectadys Central State Street neighborhood as well. Pastor Ron Butler of Grace and Mercy Church of God in Christ, which hosted the event, opened up by asking about transparency and excessive force. Macherone responded in part that for an officers conduct to exist in secrecy is not a good thing for the community, its not a good thing for the department, and said he backs a recently passed law in New York that opens police disciplinary records to the public. Our decisions that we make as a police department need to be reflective of the people in our community and what they want, said Macherone. Macherone told the crowd of about 60 people in the small church parking lot that he was committed to continuing to hold the forums no matter how uncomfortable they got. He didnt have to wait long for that to happen. Thearse McCalmon, running for state Senate in the 49th district, reminded the officers that taxpayers pay their salary and that they had an obligation to meet with them. Butler tried to keep the peace when the crowd grew restless. We came here to do one thing, we came here to ask the police department whats going on and how best they can help our community, he added. A woman in the audience asked about the confrontation earlier this month between a city man and patrolman. The police departments internal affairs and Schenectady County district attorneys office are conducting an internal probe into the altercation earlier this month between Officer Brian Pommer and Yugeshwar Gaindarpersaud that has heightened calls for police reforms. As a result, the city has banned officers from putting their knee on a suspects neck or head and is considering other changes. Citing the ongoing probe, Macherone said he was prohibited from talking about the case but would when he could. On another topic, the lieutenant said the police force needs to do more to help police cope with mental health matters. Im not asking you to feel sorry for us, Im telling you that it manifests itself in a lot of different ways and some of them are extremely ugly, and that could be police brutality he said. Lexis Figuereo, an organizer from Saratoga Springs, challenged Macherone, asking, what about our mental health? Fran Butler, the pastors wife, said her uncle died at the hands of police and that she and her husband had to deal with a situation where their son was stopped by the same officer five times in one week for driving a Mercedes Benz. Butler was interrupted by an incredulous Jamaica Miles when she mentioned that Grace and Mercy church were offering to house a police substation. What theyre bringing is not hope or peace or love, they bring violence and harm, said the community activist of the police. Madeline Charles of Schenectady drew applause when she appealed for police to answer some of the tough questions on people's minds instead of remaining silent or declining to comment. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Were asking for justice, were asking for somebody to stand up in the police department and give the correct training that they need because obviously theyre not trained to handle different issues and it is hurting us and its killing us, she said. You saying yall have mental challenges, we got mental challenges too. Macherone acknowledged the department would benefit from more training and Mannix said education is also a critical element to police reform. He explained that as part of that effort the department started having community members address new recruits. Mannix got into a back-and -forth with Figuereo about the lack of empathy that some cops show toward the public. Im a white male, Im a police officer, I dont know what you deal with, thats what it comes down to, said Mannix. Jame Lainge, 19, got into an argument when Butler cut short the meeting, shouting out to him, What do you have to do that is more than this? Explain that to me. She was among those who mingled around speaking with Macherone in a smaller group on the steps of the State Street church. Butler, who works for the county, expressed disappointment that the meeting ended the way it did and pledged to continue working with police to improve relations with the community. When we get the opportunity to be heard, we dont take advantage of it in a positive way, what came out of this, what can you honestly walk away saying you feel good about? he asked angrily. Theres a group of people who would rather be inappropriate than allow the process to take place. Miles, the Schenectady activist, complained afterward that it felt as if the church didnt want them to know about the meeting. She said they worked the phone making hundreds of calls, created a Facebook page, and sent out an email blast. Miles asserted that the police were ill-prepared for the questions from the crowd who pressed them on everything from transparency to the need for police to be more sensitive. She questioned why Police Chief Eric Clifford did not attend the meeting and reiterated calls for he and Mayor Gary McCarthy to enact 13 demands reform her group, All of Us , a community action group, have presented to the city. Hundreds of Hearst Magazines staffers across titles such as Esquire, Elle and Harpers Bazaar have voted in favor of forming a union, which will be one of the largest in the media industry. Thats the verdict, according to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal body that decides if an election can happen if a company (in this case, Hearst Magazines) declines to voluntarily recognize it. In May, nearly seven months after staffers revealed their intention to unionize with the Writers Guild of America East, the NLRB ruled that an election could take place in July. After receiving the mailed-out ballots, the NLRB counted them Wednesday and 241 staffers voted for the union, outweighing the 83 that voted against it. The results come just a few days after Troy Young was forced to resign as president of Hearst Magazines after The New York Times published an investigation into his lewd behavior and comments in the workplace. Those in top management are searching for his successor while Debi Chirichella, executive vice president, chief financial officer and director of global operations for Hearst Magazines, has taken the reins in the interim. Young is widely viewed as having spearheaded a fierce opposition campaign to the union, allegedly engaging in a number of union-busting tactics. The WGAE filed an unfair labor practice charge against Young with the NLRB, which deals with all kinds of labor disputes. Now that the results have been revealed, staffers will head to the bargaining table soon with Hearst management and sources said it could be beneficial not to have Young there, as long as chief content officer Kate Lewis isnt given more responsibility. Thats because they view her as having adopted the same hard line against a union. The workplace culture fostered by Young is understood to be one of the main reasons that staffers wanted to unionize. He separated print and digital, only to begin reintegration in 2018 without clear direction. There was also no structure for pay raises and reviews. Story continues In a statement posted to Twitter, the union said: Hundreds of us across 28 brands and several states voted for a fairer and more transparent workplace, and we cant wait to bring this energy to negotiations. A Hearst spokeswoman added: Weve been listening to our editorial teams aspirations for the company and will continue to address and act on them. Now, its time to forge a path forward together, to maintain Hearst Magazines focus on innovation and long tradition of creating highly informative, engaging content. A number of staffers at the likes of Vice Media, BuzzFeed, NBC Digital, Fortune Digital and Vox Media have unionized over the past few years during a period of large layoffs across the industry, which is being exacerbated by the pandemic, with most of those companies seeing steep job cuts. In the case of Hearst employees, they hope that unionizing will help them address diversity, transparency, compensation and overall editorial standards. They also believe it will enable them to have a better sense of layoff notices and severance pay, which is nearly always worked into collective bargaining agreements. Hearst is one of the few media companies not to make COVID-19-related job cuts. Its rival Conde Nast has cut both pay and jobs. For more, see: Troy Young Out as Hearst Magazines President Interim Hearst Magazines President Named, Search for Successor Begins At Hearst Magazines, Print Continues to Shrink Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Sen. Mark Warner isn't taking a breakup of U.S. tech giants off the table, but said Thursday he's wary of having their Chinese equivalents take their place. "I'm not in the break-'em-up category yet," said Warner, D-Va., when asked on CNBC's "Squawk Box" about how companies like Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon could be regulated. "These are all global companies. Frankly, to have them replaced by Alibaba or Baidu or Tencent Chinese companies may not be the better alternative," Warner said. "What I would rather start with, keeping breakup as a reserve option, is, what can we do to add more competition?" said Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a former businessman in the telecommunications industry. Warner's remarks came a day after four U.S. tech CEOs Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai of Google and Apple's Tim Cook testified before Congress on antitrust and anti-competitive behavior. The more than six-hour grilling before the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, led by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., touched on a wide range of topics, including a fixation from multiple Republican members on the alleged suppression of conservative speech. The executives defended their companies throughout the hearing against accusations of political bias and unfair competitive advantage in the marketplace. "Some of the CEOs' testimony was a little bit self-serving," Warner said on CNBC. But rather than immediately move to break up those tech giants, Warner said regulators should press for changes including increased transparency in how the companies handle the massive amounts of data they hoard from their users. "If we had data portability if you're tired of how you're being treated with YouTube or Facebook, you ought to be able to easily move your data to a new platform and still have it interoperable with those of your friends who remain on Facebook." "I think we ought to have more transparency. I think you ought to be able to know what your data is worth on an either monthly or quarterly basis, so we get rid of this misnomer that somehow these services are free," he said. "They take your data, they monetize it there's nothing wrong with that, but we ought to at least know as consumers how much that data is worth." "I think there are a series of pro-competition rules of the road that I would much rather use first before I immediately default to the breakup camp." The Verkhovna Rada has not received any draft law on elections in Donbas, says the chairman of the parliament Dmytro Razumkov. "As of today, as far as I know, the Verkhovna Rada, as far as I know, have not received any proposals from either profile Vice Prime Minister [Oleksiy Reznikov] or other subjects of legislative initiative (the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers and the head of state)", - said Razumkov at a press conference in Kharkiv on Thursday. The speaker also said that Ukraine is able to ensure the holding of elections throughout the state, if possible. On July 30, a resolution of the Verkhovna Rada came into force on the appointment of elections to local authorities for Sunday, October 25, this year. It is envisaged that on October 25 "regular elections of deputies of local councils and village, settlement, city heads" will take place, except for the annexed Crimea and the occupied territories of Donbas. "Elections of deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, deputies of local councils and village, settlement, city mayors in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and in certain districts, cities, towns and villages of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are not appointed or held," - says the resolution. In addition, "due to impossibility of ensuring the representation of common interests of the territorial communities of villages, towns and cities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, elections of deputies of Donetsk and Luhansk regional councils are not appointed or held." According to the document, the elections of deputies of local councils and village, settlement, city heads in these regions "will be appointed in the manner and terms established by separate laws, in the following conditions: the termination of the temporary occupation and armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, namely: the withdrawal of all illegal armed formations led, controlled and financed by the Russian Federation, the Russian occupation forces, their military equipment from the territory of Ukraine; restoration of full control of Ukraine along the state border of Ukraine; disarmament of all illegal armed formations and mercenaries operating in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine; restoration of constitutional order and law in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine; ensuring the safety of citizens of Ukraine living in the respective territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the city of Sevastopol, after full completion on the corresponding disarmament, demilitarization and reintegration procedures in the respective territories in accordance with the standards of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe." Regular local elections are not held in case of appointment of the first elections of deputies of relevant local councils and village, settlement, city heads for October 25, 2020, the resolution said. Nasas new car-sized robotic spacecraft is on its way to Mars in a mission to search for evidence of ancient life. The Perseverance rover successfully blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday at 12.50pm UK time on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake that shook southern California just 20 minutes before departure. Nasa launch manager Omar Baez said: We are on our way to Mars, there is no going back. It is the third mission heading to the Red Planet this month after launches by the UAE and China. The six-wheeled rover will now travel 314 million miles over a period of nearly seven months before attempting to land on a 31-mile crater named Jezero. Landing on Mars is notoriously difficult because of its thin and dynamic atmosphere and dust storms that rage on its surface a feat that has been described as seven minutes of terror. Nasa has succeeded in getting only a handful of functioning probes and rovers on to the Martian surface and more than half of all spacecraft sent there have either blown up or crashed. Just before lift-off, Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine said: Theres a reason we call the robot Perseverance because going to Mars is hard. Hello from space. Im in communication with my team at @NASAJPL, who will keep me company for the long trip. #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/W8hKaHSqfU NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 30, 2020 It is always hard. Its never been easy. In this case, its harder than ever before because were doing it in the midst of a pandemic. Satellite images suggest Jezero, located on the western edge of Isidis Planitia a giant impact basin just north of the Martian equator, may have been a lake more than 3.5 billion years ago, when Mars was warmer and wetter. Scientists believe evidence of microbial life could be preserved in the clay and muddy rocks in the crater, if it ever existed on the planet. Along with several sophisticated instruments that will gather information about Mars geology, atmosphere, and environmental conditions, the rover is also carrying a small 1.8kg helicopter. Called Ingenuity, the copter will fly short distances and will mark the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet. If successful, it could lead to more flying probes on other planets. Perseverance will also trial technologies to help astronauts make future expeditions to Mars. One such device includes an instrument, called Moxie, that will practise making oxygen from the planets atmosphere which is mostly made up of carbon dioxide. Thomas Zurbuchen, Nasas science mission chief, described the Perseverance mission as humanitys first round trip to another planet. The rover will package rock and soil samples in small containers that will be retrieved during future missions sometime in 2031. Scientists in the UK will help Perseverance select the Martian samples to be brought back to Earth. Expand Close An artists impression of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter (NASA/JPL-Caltech) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An artists impression of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter (NASA/JPL-Caltech) Researchers at Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum will identify samples that could contain evidence of past life and study the mineralogy and geochemistry of the different rocks found in the crater. Professor Mark Sephton, an astrobiologist at Imperial, said: I hope that the samples we select and return will help current and future generations of scientists answer the question of whether there was ever life on the Red Planet. With one carefully chosen sample from Mars, we could discover that the history of life on the Earth is not unique in the Universe. Sue Horne, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency, told the PA news agency: We will continue to explore the heavens so long as the Moon, Mars and the myriad celestial bodies beyond spark fires in our curiosity, and if Perseverance helps us find life on Mars, it will be a defining moment for humankind. The UK Space Agency is supporting these endeavours to explore our solar system with leading-edge robotics, and it is a credit to our expertise in the UK that researchers from both Imperial College London and the Natural History Museum are part of the international crack team working on this Nasa mission. UKs Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: Nasas Perseverance rover could help us answer the age-old question of whether life ever existed on Mars, and it is a credit to British scientists and their expertise that they are such a central part of these efforts. We will be paying close attention to the missions progress on Mars and looking forward to the launch of our own UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover in 2022, which will push the boundaries of space exploration once again. It is a busy week for Nasa, as the US space agency gears up to welcome two astronauts home as they attempt a splashdown off the Florida coast on Sunday. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will arrive in the Crew Dragon spacecraft, called Endeavour, which was designed and built by SpaceX. The duo will close out a mission that was designed to test SpaceXs human spaceflight system, including launch, docking, splashdown, and recovery operations, Nasa said. Sweeping reforms are needed to clear up a raft of concerns about the murky Murray Darling water market as the competition watchdog warns mum-and-dad farmers are suffering under free market reforms that unfairly advantage large corporate traders. But a report into water markets by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission declined to endorse irrigators' claims that market speculators are driving up prices. The consumer watchdog has called for sweeping reforms to install trust among farmers for the water trading market. Credit:Nick Moir Water prices in NSW and Victoria's southern Murray-Darling Basin surged last year as drought tightened its grip, prompting outcry from some farmers and irrigation industry representatives who accuse market investors who do not own land of predatory practices. The water market is worth an average of $1.5 billion but surged to $3.5 billion last year as supply dried up during the drought. Two Queensland women who tested positive to COVID-19 after partying in Melbourne went to "extraordinary lengths" to conceal their activites and re-enter their home state, police allege. Olivia Muranga and Diana Lasu have triggered a health emergency in south-east Queensland by returning from Melbourne and visiting schools, restaurants and a medical centre. Queensland health authorities are now scrambling to test residents across Brisbane's south and CBD, deploying "every single tool" to contain a possible COVID-19 outbreak. The women returned to Brisbane from Melbourne together on July 21, via a stopover in Sydney to catch a connecting flight. Glasgow-Based SEO Expert Publishes Link Building Classes on Youtube Craig_Campbell_SEO_Profile Glasgow based SEO expert whohas been doing SEO for 18 years Glasgow based SEO expert whohas been doing SEO for 18 years Glasgow, Scotland, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glasgow, Scotland: After nearly two decades in the Digital marketing industry, expert SEO consultant Craig Campbell has released an in-depth virtual marketing course on YouTube. The course is free to take and open to anyone interested in increasing their Google ranking. Campbells class will cover key topics including how to set up an organic link-building campaign and how to leverage guest posts to boost your SEO. The course, which can be found as a complete playlist on Campbells YouTube page, contains 200+ videos that range from 4 to 60 minutes long. Altogether, the classes add up to more than 2 hours of high-value content. Why has Campbell decided to release a class on link building in particular? The Glaswegian explained his decision, saying, Link building has been a big part of SEO for many years...Google has released a statement saying that it still is the number one ranking factor. But despite this, he has found that there is still some resistance to link building. Without a next-level link-building strategy, Campbell warns, the other aspects of your SEO strategy wont have the full impact. Campbell is passionate about helping others learn from his years of experience in the marketing world. In particular, Campbell wants to dispel any myths about SEO automation automatically being Black Hat. He says, Its 2020. Youve got to embrace technology; you dont have to do everything manually. In the course, Campbell covers how to use link building automation tools like SEO Autopilot, Money Robot, GSA, and Rankerx to take your strategy to the next level. For those interested in a more in-depth course, Campbell also offers a comprehensive link building class with more than 5 hours of content. Campbell covers topics like influencer marketing, local SEO strategies, PR outreach best practices, and more. This course includes access to exclusive, proven link-building strategies that Campbell has perfected over his years in the industry. Story continues About Craig Campell: Craig Campell is a Glasgow based SEO expert who has been working in SEO for 18 years. Campbell works with a small staff to provide customized SEO solutions for his clients, with whom he works very closely. Campbell is also a sought-after speaker on SEO and Digital Marketing and has spoken at countless conferences on the topics. You can listen to his podcast, Craig Campbell's Digital Marketing Podcast, on Spotify, Google Play, and SoundCloud. ### Attachment CONTACT: Craig Campbell SEO 0141 280 2411 Cyprus doesnt expect to see this year more than 20%-25% of the record 3.97 million vacationing visitors the Mediterranean island nation welcomed in 2019 because the coronavirus pandemic has so far shut out its key tourist markets, the countrys deputy tourism minister said Wednesday. Savvas Perdios said tourism-generated revenue will fall accordingly this year, and he warned that the industry may experience a longer-lasting impact from the pandemic than other sectors of Cyprus economy. People are likely be more cautious about traveling overseas, Perdios told The Associated Press. Tourism directly contributes more than 13% to Cyprus 22 billion-euro ($26 billion) economy. But Perdios said theres a silver lining to the gloomy forecasts as tourism arrivals are expected to eventually rebound with younger travellers leading the way. Cyprus managed to contain the spread of Covid-19 by imposing a strict lockdown and night-time curfew between March and June. Authorities hoped to attract vacationers after international commercial flights resumed on June 9. But the country also has taken a cautious approach to reopening to prevent a Covid-19 resurgence through imported cases. The government established a tiered system for travel restrictions that groups other nations based on their coronavirus infection rates. Travellers from some 21 medium-risk, Category B countries are required to obtain health certificates declaring them virus-free three days before boarding flights to Cyprus. Travellers from Category C countries must undergo a 14-day quarantine on arrival. The United Kingdom - Cyprus prime market for tourists - is set to be promoted to Category B on Aug. 1, but Perdios said the compulsory health certificates present an obstacle. British tour operators are reluctant to organize vacation packages to Cyrpusas long as the U.K. remains in category B. We expect that for as long as U.K. will be in Category B...we will be receiving approximately 25% of the usual performance of the market, mainly from individual travelers, Perdios said. Cyprus other key tourist markets - Russia and Israel - are currently relegated to Category C. At this stage, public health is the countrys top priority, No compromises could be done on health issues, Perdios said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The flag was lowered in Chengdu, China to express their sadness over the closure of the US consulate. This resulted in various reactions from netizens wherein many are deploring the worsening ties with the CCP, which is causing a real scuffle over the coronavirus crisis. The US embassy was officially vacated by the US on July 27. A big group was there to do more than witnessing the closing of the diplomatic building. A group of policemen were also there for crowd control and keep the onlooker inline, reported Meaww. The U.S. has always reacted that way The closure of the U.S. embassy by the Chinese was a move to retaliate the closing of the Chinese embassy in Houston. America made the first thrust and goaded China to answer in kind. One user commented that the U.S. moved first, while playing victim. Another user was affirmative stressing that having the embassy shut down by the CCP was nothing for China to crow about. Houston office was directing the theft of American IT, and even vaccine for COVID-19. Said user added that it was time for China to get shut down due to many illegal issues, like stealing from the U.S. The Twitter post added that when China has a consular office in any city in the USA that will be for spying. The consular office in Chengdu for the US is information gathering. Also read: Chinese Journalist Missing After Revealing Information on Real Wuhan Coronavirus Situation On the other hand, one mocked the U.S. saying that Americans are mad about information getting stolen by the CCP and Beijing. Taking time to highlight the abandonment of the Chengdu consular office. The user continued and said that the US steals information, punishes another robber. The user omitted that China has been caught in the cookie jar. Blame-Game It is a deuce as many well-known celebrities are blaming the White House for the botched handling of the coronavirus with US as one of the worst hit. But some specifics say that China is to blame for starting it. One of those opinions is not the same as others like this one who pointed out that it is the fault of Donald Trump and how the government reacts depends on the current leadership. According to his detractors, the president has not done the right thing, in a tweet by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman. Next, all Republican governors did not handle their state crisis well. Tweeting that Ron DeSantis is to blame for the COVID racked state, even showing an article that DeSantis kowtowed to Trump, not scientists. Okay, that aside, many are blaming China for releasing the virus, and they want the WHO and China t o pay for complicity. One user said it was imported and the buck stops with the leaders who can decide, including the democrats too. With the US Consulate closed and the Flag Lowered in Chengdu, then it will be onto the next move. Related article: Chinese Consulate in Houston Closed After Suspicions of Harboring Spies @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Brooklyn residents have been asked to limit their use of electricity, especially air conditioning units and washer-dryers, as parts of New York City faces massive power outages on the fifth consecutive day of sweltering temperatures. Mayor Bill de Blasio urged residents in the Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, South Park Slope, Greenwood and Sunset Park neighborhoods to decrease their output as Con Edison desperately tries to fix power issues that could result in blackout throughout the city. 'There is a problem in southern Brooklyn,' De Blasio said at his daily press briefing on Thursday. 'We've got to protect our electricity supply for all New Yorkers.' Con Edison is desperately trying to fix power issues in Brooklyn, New York that could result in blackouts in the wider area, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday The mayor urged residents in the Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, South Park Slope, Greenwood and Sunset Park neighborhoods to decrease their output. Map shows power outages in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon New York City is currently experiencing a heatwave with temperatures above 90 degrees On the list of appliances that could jeopardize access to electricity was microwaves. The warning came after the power supplier announced 96,600 customers would be affected on Thursday while they reduced voltage to 8 percent in West Brooklyn to protect equipment and maintain service as crews make repairs. The affected area also includes the Gowanus, Borough Park, Ft. Hamilton and Dyker Heights neighborhoods. The area is bounded on the north by Third Street and Fourth Street, by the Narrows and Gravesend Bay on the south, by Fort Hamilton Parkway and Fifth Avenue on the east and by Gowanus Bay and the Narrows on the west. The voltage has been decreased in the Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Flatbush and Bensonhurst neighborhoods too. 'If you have two air conditioners, use only one and set it to the highest comfortable temperature,' Con Edison told customers. Con Edison has asked people to avoid using the microwave, washer/dryers and unnecessary air conditioning The company said the equipment problems that they're fixing in these neighborhoods have no effect on the rest of the Con Edison system New York City has been battling a heatwave this past week with the temperatures around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Thursday was one of the hottest days of the year at a 94 degree high. The company said the equipment problems that they're fixing in these neighborhoods have no effect on the rest of the Con Edison system. Con Edison said it is in communication with New York City Emergency Management and that it will provide updates to affected customers directly as the situation warrants. After flattening the coronavirus curve, New Yorkers were told to brace for a summer West Nile Virus earlier this month after infected mosquitoes were found in the Bronx and Staten Island boroughs. As the city tries to bounce back from coronavirus shutdowns, like the rest of the country, residents have been mainly limited to their homes as businesses reopen with strict safety precautions. In recent weeks the mayor's press conferences have focused on an increase in gun crime, revamping the way law is enforced in the city, working with racial justice leaders and a plan for how to send children back to school safely. The VHP claimed Arabic is not included in the scheduled languages of the Indian Constitution New Delhi: Strongly objecting to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) appointing Arabic teachers in its schools in Kerala, the VHP on Wednesday demanded that the decision be withdrawn and Sanskrit language, which is the depository of the Bharatiya spiritual heritage, instead be made mandatory in the schools run by the TDB. The board is an autonomous body constituted under the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act XV of 1950. The board administers 1248 temples in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore and runs more than two dozen schools in the region. Insisting that three members in the board are nominees of the Left government, the VHP claimed Arabic is not included in the scheduled languages of the Indian Constitution and is studied more for reading, understanding and memorising the Holy Quran. Therefore, it said teaching of the language in the schools managed from the funds offered by the Hindu devotees in the temples is an inappropriate expense. This is yet another attack by the nominees of Left front government of Kerala upon the Hindus. Their money, offered by them to deities shall go for the teaching of Arabic language, said VHPs working president Alok Kumar as he demanded that the decision be taken back and also asked the people to resolutely fight against it. Travel expenses for sending the Secretary of State to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Washington have been revealed. Brandon Lewis represented Northern Ireland at the annual White House celebrations this year in place of Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill, who cancelled their planned trip to focus on the coronavirus outbreak. Figures from the NIO said the visit from March 10-14 cost taxpayers 6,531.57, covering travel, visas, accommodation and meals. Mr Lewis made the trip shortly after taking over from Julian Smith. The NIO sees the annual visit as a critical opportunity to engage with a range of key stakeholders in Washington DC. Almost 15,000 of travel expenses for other senior civil servants in 2020 was also revealed, including those of former NIO permanent secretary Sir Jonathan Stephens. After announcing his upcoming retirement at the start of the year, he took four working trips to Belfast in January and February costing 2,657 for his travel, accommodation and meals, as well as 195 spend on use of an official secure car. His replacement Madeline Allesandri took seven trips to Belfast in February and March, costing a total of 2,343. Expenses for NIO director Mark Larmour for trips to London and Dublin between January and February came to 3,218. Fellow NIO director Colin Perry had the same expenses for four trips to Belfast between January and February. Lindy Cameron, who had served as Sir Jonathan's deputy before being named as head of the National Security Cyber Centre, had expenses of 1,304 for travel to Wiltshire, Belfast and Dublin. Last week Mr Lewis defended accepting donations from wealthy Russian individuals with links to President Vladimir Putin, insisting they were British citizens. The Times listed Mr Lewis as having received 25,000 from Lubov Chernukhin, a banker and the wife of Mr Putin's former deputy finance minister, and 23,000 from Alexander Temerko, a former chief of a Russian arms company. Mr Lewis said the donations had been properly declared. YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. A group of 20-30 masked people threw chairs around and smashed the windows of a hookah lounge belonging to an Armenian businessman in the German city of Cologne on July 24 night, Zartonk Media reports citing Haypress. According to preliminary reports, the group met in smaller groups before entering the bar at around midnight. The Armenian owner of the bar revealed that one of the masked men who identified himself and the entire group as Azerbaijanis asked him if he was Armenian. The attackers then attempted to break into the hookah bar, breaking the bar windows with chairs. The police said considerable damage to property has been caused, but provided no more details. Law enforcement authorities are also assuming the incident was politically motivated and are now investigating the matter. In response to ARMENPRESS inquiry over the incident, Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said the Armenian Embassy in Germany, the Armenian community of Cologne, the Armenian Diocese of Germany, the German relevant authorities and the Cologne city police have been notified about the incident. They are aware of the situation. Investigation is underway, Anna Naghdalyan said. After the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Azerbaijanis living in different countries are regularly conducting provocative actions, attacking Armenians or their property. "We have all heard about the tech talent gap. Hundreds of companies have been trying to address it, yet here we are in 2020, and the gap remains," said Chris Coleman, President of Woz Enterprise. "Truly offering relief to this talent-starved industry, at scale, requires collaboration from the private, education, and government sectors. This apprenticeship model is the game-changer we have all been looking for." Through this program, apprentices learn while receiving a salary and gaining valuable work experience. Woz Enterprise builds and delivers the customized technology curricula that can result in credits toward a University of Phoenix Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT). "This unique program comes at a critical time as companies today are looking for solutions to adapt the skills of their workforce to match the velocity of change of their businesses." said Raghu Krishnaiah, Chief Operating Officer of University of Phoenix. "University of Phoenix is pleased to work with Woz U to provide an unprecedented education pathway that includes validated learning outcomes for community college graduates." The modern technology apprenticeship model launched this spring in 11 states in partnership with Infosys, a global leader in digital, IT, and consulting services. Selected candidates completed an intensive, eight-week pre-apprenticeship training program in one of seven technology tracks to gain essential day-one skills to start a career with one of Woz Enterprise's recruiting business partners. As full-time junior associates, these individuals then participate in a structured online learning program for 12 months. During this time, they continue working and earning a salary, which increases as they gain key competencies. Training hours can be applied for college credit at University of Phoenix, potentially shortening the time to obtain a BSIT. "We believe it is a great value proposition for all involved, allowing us to supply quality training to meet the staffing needs of the technology industry in America while providing income and great, flexible higher education opportunities to individuals. We are embracing new perspectives and forming dynamic alliances to inject creativity and ingenuity in the technology sector," said Coleman. Building on its initial, groundbreaking alliance with University of Phoenix and Infosys, Woz Enterprise will be working to expand and broaden the scope of the apprenticeship program. For more information about Woz Enterprise modern technology apprenticeships, please visit https://woz-u.com/enterprise/apprenticeship. For media inquiries, please contact Ana Pereira at [email protected]. About Woz Enterprise Woz is an Arizona-based digital learning eco-system designed to train, cultivate, and upgrade talent in technology fields to meet the workforce needs of today and the future. As a division of Woz U, Woz Enterprise helps recruit, retrain, and retain qualified employees with flexible, customizable, career-focused training content, with the option to white-label programs using our proprietary learning experience platform. With a curriculum that is updated every two weeks, we are empowering individuals in high-demand technology careers and helping to close the skills gap while adhering to global technology education and business standards. We help companies achieve their objectives by providing valuable technology training tools to upskill their workforce and ultimately grow their business. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs from select locations across the U.S. as well as online. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. SOURCE Woz Enterprise Related Links https://woz-u.com Nancy Pelosi has said lawmakers will be thrown out of the House of Representatives if they refuse to wear a mask, after the US recorded more than 150,000 coronavirus cases. Under new regulations announced on Wednesday, representatives must wear a mask at all times while in the chamber, removing it only to address the house. Face coverings may be removed temporarily in office buildings to eat, drink, hold meetings and do interviews. Anyone found flouting the rules will get booted out of the chamber. Democrat Rep Pelosi, 80, said the regulations introduced four months after the pandemic first took hold in the US would come into effect at 8am on Thursday morning. The chair would...like to remind members that the speaker has the authority to direct the sergeant at arms to remove a member from the floor as a matter of decorum, Pelosi warned when announcing the mandate. To reiterate, the chair views the failure to wear a mask as a serious breach of decorum. Recommended McConnell and Pelosi trade barbs as coronavirus deal remains elusive The ruling came just hours after Republican congressman Louie Gohmert tested positive for Covid-19. He had been due to travel with the president. In a statement issued via video on Twitter, the 66-year-old claimed he had been tested twice in the White House before he was set to make the trip to Texas. Mr Gohmert said that he was asymptomatic and appeared to suggest that he may have contracted the disease by wearing a face mask. It is interesting, and I dont know about everybody, but when I have a mask on, Im moving it to make it comfortable, and I cant help but wonder if that puts some germs in the mask, he said in the video. Recommended How America reached its latest tragic coronavirus milestone Mr Gohmert is not the only lawmaker to have caught the virus. In March, Senator Rand Paul was widely criticised after visiting the members gym while waiting for a test, which subsequently came back positive. Republican Rep Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida and Democratic Rep Ben McAdams of Utah also tested positive earlier this year. According to the GovTrack.us website, at least three Democrats and seven Republicans said they were diagnosed or tested positive for the disease. Coronavirus cases and deaths have continued to surge in the US after some states lifted lockdown restrictions in April. On Thursday morning, US officials reported 63,255 new cases, bringing the total to 4.5 million. More than 153,000 people have died with the virus in the US while 2.2 million have recovered. Andhra Pradesh recorded 10,093 Covid-19 cases on the 29th of July the highest for any state in India, even higher than Maharashtra who reported 9,211 cases on the day. It was also the highest single-day surge for the state. Andhra Pradesh has averaged 7,376 cases daily between the 22nd and the 28th of July and witnessed an alarming spike in the last couple of weeks. Surge in Cases in Last Few Weeks From being at 8th spot in the total virus-load, the state has jumped to the 4th spot among 13 other major states of the country in just a fortnight. With 1,10,297 cases on July 28, Andhra stood only behind Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Cases in the state have surged since July 14 and it recorded a whopping 77,278 cases in the last couple of weeks, which indicates that 70% of its total case-load has been recorded in merely 14 days. The states case-load has also increased by more than 3 times in the last couple of weeks. Its growth multiple of 3.34 in this time-frame is by far the highest amongst the 13 major states of the country, even higher than Karnataka. Rise in Positivity Rate But Better Than Most States The sudden surge in the number of positive cases has been a direct consequence of the high numbers of testing in the state, with a large sample being from the containment zones. The Positivity Rate in the state has gone up from 1.14% on June 15 to 1.64% on June 30 and then from 2.91% on July 15 to 6.3% on July 28. However, its Positivity Rate remains below the National Average of 8.69% and lower than most of the other major states. Increase in Death Toll But Mortality Rate Remains Low With a total of 1,148 fatalities on July 28, the overall Mortality Rate (MR) in the state stood at 1.04%, remaining lower than most other states. It indicates that the state has done a great job in containing the number of Covid-19 deaths. However, the rise in the number of cases has also seen an increase in the number of fatalities. The weekly number of deceased due to Covid-19 has gone up from 65 for the week ending July 7 to 156 on July 14 and then from 350 on July 21 to 390 on July 28. 740 of the total 1,148 deaths till the July 28, i.e. 64.46% of fatalities have been reported in only 14 days. Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari See 4-5 Times Rise Andhras most populous district East Godavari, with a population of approximately 50 lakh, has the maximum case-load in the state and has seen its cases rise five-fold in the last two weeks. Kakinada, the district headquarters, has emerged as a major hotspot though large crowds of people are still located in markets and other public places. Visakhapatnam, the largest city in the state, had done a remarkable job in containing the spread of the virus and reported just 542 cases till the end of June. It was an exception amongst the big and major cities of the country, most of which had been severely affected by the pandemic. However, cases started to rise at a faster rate in July and the district has witnessed an alarming rate of 5,288 cases in the last week itself (July 22-28), which implies that the last 7 days have accounted for more than two-thirds (68.52%) of the total virus case-load in Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh has so far done a commendable job in controlling the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. However, as the infection surges, the next two to three weeks will be crucial in its fight against the pandemic. A group known as the Young Nigerian Professionals says the comment of Mamman Daura, nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari, on zoning, w... A group known as the Young Nigerian Professionals says the comment of Mamman Daura, nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari, on zoning, was taken out of context. In an interview with BBC Hausa, Daura had said it is better for competence to prevail over zoning. This turn by turn, it was done once, it was done twice, it was done thrice It is better for this country to be oneit should be for the most competent and not for someone who comes from somewhere, he had said. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural group, had said Daura should have opposed zoning before the 2019 elections. Responding,Ohanaeze Ndigbo, apex Igbo socio-cultural group, had said Daura should have opposed zoning before the 2019 elections. On his part, Edwin Clark, elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), asked the presidents nephew not to jeopardise the countrys unity with his comments. But Charles Folayan, a spokesman of the group, said those who criticised Daura over his comments did not take time to study what the elder statesman said. The reactions of the socio-cultural groups like Ohanaeze, Afenifere among others to Malam Dauras remarks were too quick, that they did not appreciate the substance of his important comments, he said. Any politician or leader in fact, that is serious with the development and growth of this country will tell you that Nigeria needs to move away from that pattern of zoning baton-leadership. It does not, and cannot guarantee us the kind of credible and sophisticated leadership Nigeria needs at this point. Nigeria needs competent leadership that must not be put in doubt. And this competent leadership can come from any zone of the country: whether the south-east, the south-south or the south-west, the north-east, the north-central or the north-west. What we want to have on the ballot are options that offer us credible and meritocratic leaders, not leaders based on ethnic or religious sentiments. It is unfortunate that leading socio-cultural groups in the country have clothed these innocuous and critical commentary with the garb of ethnicity. Folayan advised people to reserve their comments until the full interview is aired by BBC Hausa. The complete interview is yet to be aired on BBC Hausa. People have not listened to the full interview and the media is picking points already. BBC Hausa will air it on Saturday until the full interview is concluded, we should reserve our comments, he said. michael barbaro From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. archived recording [SOUNDS OF PROTESTS] michael barbaro As protests and unrest over racial justice and policing continue to erupt across the U.S. archived recording (mark mccloskey) These radicals are not content with marching in the streets. These are the people who will be in charge of your future and the future of your children. michael barbaro speaker after speaker at the Republican National Convention this week archived recording (patricia mccloskey) When we dont have basic safety and security in our communities, well never be free to build a brighter future for ourselves, for our children or for our country. michael barbaro have put them at the center of their appeal to a key group of voters. archived recording (patricia mccloskey) Theyre not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities. They want to abolish the suburbs altogether. michael barbaro Today: My colleague Emily Badger on the power of the suburban vote. archived recording (sean purnell) If youre a traditional democrat whos become disillusioned with how radical your party has become, then stand with us. You are most welcome. michael barbaro And the Republican Partys pitch to win it back. Its Wednesday, August 26. Emily, you have been thinking a lot about the upcoming election and how suburban America fits into it. Why are we hearing so much about that demographic right now at the Republican National Convention? Because it feels like such a specific and explicit form of outreach. emily badger So suburban voters have really been the focal point of presidential elections going all the way back to the 1960s. We have seen this pattern over time where its increasingly clear that voters in cities are going to vote Democratic, rural voters are going to vote Republican. All of the suspense, the whole ballgame, is in the suburbs. And so, you know, these are the voters that we have been fighting over for a very long time, and so its not surprising that coming down to the last couple months of this election that these are the voters that were talking about. michael barbaro Right. So when we think about purple America, swing America, were really talking about the suburbs. emily badger Thats right. michael barbaro Well, where does that story of politics and the suburbs start? emily badger Well, I have been thinking a lot this year about 1968 in particular. [music] 1968 was this really pivotal year for a lot of reasons in American politics. We think about what was happening in the country at that moment. archived recording Good evening. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, 39 years old and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the leader of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement in the United States, was assassinated in Memphis tonight. emily badger Martin Luther King gets assassinated in the first week of April. archived recording 1 [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] archived recording 2 Police report that the murder has touched off sporadic acts of violence in a negro section of the city. emily badger There is a wave of civil unrest that happens not just in one or two cities, but in more than 100 cities across the country. archived recording 1 Police report having made more than 600 arrests, with over half these still in custody. Three deaths have been reported so far. archived recording 2 Some of the worst trouble of the day occurred in Washington D.C., the very heart of the nation. archived recording 3 In some negro ghettos, there was looting, arson and bloodshed during the night. archived recording 4 4,000 National Guard and federal troops are in this uneasy town tonight. archived recording (richard j. daley) We shoot to kill any arsonist, or anyone with a molotov cocktail in their hand in Chicago. archived recording [POLICE RADIO CHATTER] archived recording (richard j. daley) And to issue a police order to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting. speaker Well, Im saddened and angered by what has happened. Weve marked the death of a man of peace, a man of goodwill with colossal violence, destruction and death. I would insist that law and order must prevail, and I am of course angered by the needless, silly, stupid destruction that Ive seen in both Washington and Baltimore. I never believed this could happen in our nations capital, or in my city. emily badger Out of this moment, there really emerges, you know, this very strong backlash, particularly among a white middle class suburban voters, against all of this unrest and against the sense that theres crime and theres violence, and were fed up with it. We just want order. michael barbaro And as a reminder, what do the suburbs in America look like at this point in the 1960s? Because my sense is that the concept of a suburb, right, these kind of planned communities on the edges of cities tidy yards, white picket fences that thats kind of new in this moment. emily badger Yeah. So we see this huge explosion of suburbia after World War II. archived recording At last, the Bryants have all the space they need. emily badger And the people who were able to move to suburbia in that moment are not sort of representative of the entire American population. Its very specific groups of people who get to go. archived recording The home theyve always dreamed of, the happiest investment they have ever made. emily badger So its primarily white residents who get to go. archived recording The separate dining room is another feature that delights Margaret Bryant in her new home, for it permits her to enjoy her guests while entertaining graciously. emily badger Its primarily middle class and upper income white residents who get to go. archived recording The patio, easily reached through a sliding glass doors, provides an outdoor living room ideal for separate activities. emily badger So in this moment in the 1960s, when we talk about the suburbs, they are racially exclusionary by design. It is intentional that African-Americans cannot move out there at that point. archived recording This is how American families are living in their new homes. emily badger And so the Civil Rights Movement begins to threaten that sense of exclusion, because now were talking about busing. Now were talking about fair housing. Were talking about whether or not its fair for homeowners to be able to say, I dont want to have Black neighbors, for realtors to say, I dont want to work with Black homebuyers. And at the same moment, we also see the rise of a number of politicians, who are themselves sort of suburban politicians, who figure out how to give voice to that anxiety. How to take this growing group of the electorate who live in the suburbs and turn them into a voting block where you are speaking directly to their concerns about their own suburban security. michael barbaro And of course, 1968 is a presidential election year. So how do we see all of that play out? archived recording [MENACING MUSIC] emily badger So archived recording (richard nixon) In recent years, crime in this country has grown nine times as fast as population. emily badger We see Richard Nixon increasingly make law and order a centerpiece of his stump speeches. archived recording (richard nixon) We owe it to the decent and law abiding citizens of America to take the offensive against the criminal forces that threaten their peace and their security. emily badger And he is talking more and more about crime archived recording (richard nixon) I pledge to you, the wave of crime is not going to be the wave of the future in America. emily badger spending more money on the police. archived recording (richard nixon) Dissent is a necessary ingredient of change, but in new system of government that provides for peaceful change, there is no cause that justifies resort to violence. emily badger Sort of speaking to these issues about, you know, how you should be able to protect what you have earned as a kind of hardworking American whos bought your way into the suburbs. archived recording (richard nixon) Let us recognize that the first civil right of every American is to be freed from domestic violence. emily badger You should be able to protect that without fear that all of this chaos thats happening in cities is going to come to your doorstep. archived recording (richard nixon) So I pledge to you, we shall have order in the United States. archived recording [CROWDS CHANTING] emily badger And then we get to the Republican National Convention in 1968 in Miami. archived recording (richard nixon) All right. Thank you very much. emily badger Which is actually taking place at a moment when there is unrest happening in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami. archived recording (richard nixon) We make history tonight, not for ourselves, but for the ages. emily badger And Richard Nixon gives this speech where he talks about archived recording (richard nixon) As we look at America, we see cities enveloped in smoke and flame. We hear sirens in the night. emily badger cities enveloped in smoke and flame. archived recording (richard nixon) We see Americans hating each other, fighting each other, killing each other at home. emily badger And he devotes a long passage to talking about law and order. archived recording (richard nixon) The American Revolution was and is dedicated to progress, but our founders recognized that the first requisite of progress is order. emily badger And one of the things thats most striking to me about that speech is he even says archived recording (richard nixon) And to those who say that law and order is the code word for racism, there and here is a reply. emily badger this emphasis on law and order is not racist. archived recording (richard nixon) Our goal is justice justice for every American. If we are to have respect for law in America, we must have laws that deserve respect. Just as we cannot have progress without order, we cannot have order without progress. And so as we commit to order tonight, let us commit to progress. michael barbaro Right. Hes giving white suburbanites permission to be upset to be fearful. emily badger Hes giving them not only permission, but hes giving them a language to talk about their grievances that doesnt sound like the language of racism. It sounds instead like the language of property values and quality schools and security and prosperity. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. archived recording (richard nixon) For the past five years, we have been deluged by government programs for the unemployed, programs for the cities, programs for the poor, and we have reaped from these programs an ugly harvest of frustration, violence and failure across the land. emily badger And he also sort of says that he is speaking to archived recording (richard nixon) It is a quiet voice in the tumult of the shouting. It is the voice of the great majority of Americans, the forgotten Americans, the non-shouters, the non-demonstrators. emily badger the forgotten and the silent Americans who are not demonstrating. Those people who are sort of silently watching everything thats happening in America from their quiet neighborhoods in the suburbs. Those are the people who he wants to speak to. archived recording (richard nixon) Theyre not racist or sick. Theyre not guilty of the crime that plagues the land. They are Black and they are white. michael barbaro Right. And this is where we get that phrase that Nixon uses in 1968, and youve begun to hint at it: the silent majority. emily badger Right. archived recording [APPLAUSE] michael barbaro And Emily, what is our understanding of the role that this strategy ultimately played in that election? emily badger 1968 is this year when suburban voters deliver the presidency to Richard Nixon, and suburban voters and their preferences become central to American politics. And they have largely been central to presidential elections ever since then. michael barbaro So how do we see that play out in the years that follow? emily badger So after 1968, as it becomes clear that suburban voters are the swing voters, the pivotal voters in American elections, their concerns come to dominate not just what the Republican Party is doing, but also what the Democratic party is doing. And so these are themes that we hear from Ronald Reagan. archived recording (ronald reagan) Crime is an American epidemic. It takes the lives of 25,000 Americans. It touches nearly one-third of American households. emily badger Theyre also themes that we hear from Bill Clinton. archived recording (bill clinton) Let us roll up our sleeves to roll back this awful tide of violence and reduce crime in our country. We have the tools now. Let us get about the business of using them. emily badger And this carries us all the way through to 2016, when Donald Trump comes on the scene. archived recording (donald trump) We have a situation where we have our inner cities, African-Americans, Hispanics are living in hell because its so dangerous. You walk down the street, you get shot. michael barbaro Right. And Emily, I feel like when most people think about the 2016 campaign, they probably think about Trumps language and his message around immigration. But it wasnt just limited to that. I covered the 2016 Republican National Convention, and I remember that Trump archived recording (donald trump) I have a message to every last person threatening the peace on our streets. michael barbaro explicitly modeled his message that year on Richard Nixons message from 1968, and that he was not bashful about it. archived recording (donald trump) When I take the oath of office next year, I will restore law and order to our country. michael barbaro I actually wrote a story about this. And around that time, Trump said and Im going to quote from him I think what Nixon understood is that when the world is falling apart, people want a strong leader whose highest priority is protecting America first. The 60s were bad really bad and its really bad now. Americans feel like its chaos again. emily badger Yeah. I mean, he picked up these themes in 2016 in such a forceful way that almost felt kind of discordant with what was going on around us in America at the time. archived recording (donald trump) You look at Baltimore. You look at the violence thats taking place in the inner cities Chicago. You take a look at Washington, D.C. We have a increase in murder. emily badger So he was speaking a lot about these tremendous crime spikes. There were some cities where crime was increasing at the time, but we were still in one of the lowest crime eras that weve had in decades in America. michael barbaro Right. archived recording (donald trump) But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists. This American carnage stops right here and stops right now. [APPLAUSE] emily badger But it remains true at the same time that, even as crime has fallen precipitously in America, fears about crime and law and order have always remained really strong for many people. And we consistently see in polling across time that Americans believe that crime is increasing even when its declining that they believe that it is worse than it really is. So it is possible for Trump to tap into those fears, I think, even in a moment where it looks like crime is at a historic low. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. And Emily, what do we know about how this message in 2016 landed in the suburbs? emily badger So the 2016 election is, again, most closely fought in the suburbs. Trump gets wiped out in big cities and in the densest places in America. Hillary Clinton fares even worse in rural America than Barack Obama did. And then, in these in-between places in the suburbs, it is incredibly closely contested to the point where whether or not Trump won the suburbs is heavily dependent on exactly how you define them. And so this launches us into the Trump administration itself, when white, college-educated suburban women in these highly educated suburban districts wind up being pivotal to the backlash against Trump. They wind up giving Democrats control of the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterms. michael barbaro So that would seem to set up the suburban white woman voter as an essential maybe the essential demographic for the 2020 presidential race. emily badger Its clear in 2018 that, as Trump has lost a lot of support, particularly among white women, among white suburban women, that if he is going to gain ground in the 2020 election, he is going to need to win some of those women back. So we see that coming. We know that thats going to be an issue in 2020. But I think what we dont see coming archived recording [CROWD CHANTING] archived recording (police officer) You need to disperse. Gas will be deployed if you do not disperse. emily badger is that were going to be back in this moment a couple months before the 2020 election, where we are again talking about racial unrest in the United States. michael barbaro Just like in 1968. emily badger I think if youre Donald Trump, you look at this moment and thats what you think. [music] michael barbaro Well be right back. archived recording (ronna mcdaniel) Good evening. Im Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, and on behalf of everyone in our party and President Trump, thank you for tuning in as we kick off this historic convention. michael barbaro So you know, Emily, I was watching the Republican National Convention on the opening night, and having heard you now explain the messaging from the R.N.C. in 1968, its sort of astonishing just how much the messaging from the R.N.C. in 2020 hits the same notes. emily badger There are these exact same themes and even identical language about archived recording (donald trump jr.) Its almost like this election is shaping up to be church, work and school versus rioting, looting and vandalism. emily badger cities on fire, looting, vandalism. We dont have law and order. We need to restore law and order. And its coming from archived recording (donald trump jr.) Law and order is on the ballot. emily badger speaker archived recording (vernon jones) They call it defunding, and its a danger to our cities, our neighborhoods and our children. emily badger after speaker archived recording (jim jordan) Look at whats happening in American cities, cities all run by Democrats crime, violence and mob rule. emily badger after speaker. Its really a theme that they return to throughout the night, and its embedded in this idea that this is what will happen in a Democratic administration. Were seeing all of this chaos in cities that are run by Democratic mayors that have long been strongholds of Democratic politicians. archived recording (kimberly guilfoyles) Just take a look at California. It is a place of immense wealth, immeasurable innovation, an immaculate environment. And the Democrats turned it into a land of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets, and blackouts in homes. emily badger And if we give Democrats control of the entire country, this is what you can expect in your community where you live too. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. And it felt like the sort of ultimate example of this was this couple from St. Louis who were given a prime speaking spot on the first night of the Republican Convention. This is the couple who, back in June, drew a lot of attention when images surfaced of them standing in the front of their mansion pointing guns at protesters as those protesters walked in front of the couples house on their way to a protest in front of the local mayors house. emily badger Yeah. So this was a segment and a pair of speakers who I dont think we could have expected to see in any prior Republican National Convention. We have this couple mark mccloskey Good evening, America. emily badger Mark and Patricia McCloskey. archived recording (mark mccloskey) We are Mark and Patty McCloskey. Were speaking with you tonight from St. Louis, Missouri, where just weeks ago you may have seen us defending our home as a mob of protesters descended on our neighborhood. emily badger And they live on a gated, very upscale street in St. Louis thats technically inside the city, but has very much sort of the trappings of suburbia. And theyre speaking to us from what looks like a couch in their living room or their sitting room, and theyre both wearing blazers. archived recording (mark mccloskey) Not a single person in the out-of-control mob you saw at our house was charged with a crime. But you know who was? We were. They have actually charged us with felonies for daring to defend our home. emily badger And one of the things that was most striking to me about their segment was that, in contrast to a lot of the other politicians who spoke with really sort of forceful rhetoric, they had this calming presence. archived recording (patricia mccloskey) What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country. And thats what we want to speak to you about tonight. archived recording (mark mccloskey) Thats exactly right. emily badger Even as they were saying, you need to worry about mobs coming for you in your quiet neighborhood around the country. And it is Patricia McCloskey who specifically tells us archived recording (patricia mccloskey) Theyre not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities. emily badger Not only do Democrats want to spread chaos into the suburbs archived recording (patricia mccloskey) They want to abolish the suburbs altogether by ending single-family home zoning. This forced rezoning would bring crime, lawlessness and low quality apartments into now thriving suburban neighborhoods. emily badger the want to make it such that you cant have sort of your nice, quiet suburban neighborhood full of single-family houses. archived recording (mark mccloskey) The Democrats have brought us nothing but destruction. archived recording (patricia mccloskey) When we dont have basic safety and security in our communities, well never be free to build a brighter future for ourselves, for our children or for our country. Thats whats at stake in this election, and thats why we must re-elect Donald Trump. michael barbaro So here again, as in 1968, we have a focus on housing regulations as a way of talking about this. emily badger Yeah. When she says that the Democrats want to abolish the suburbs, she is alluding to a piece of the 1968 Fair Housing Act again, were coming back to 1968 that the Obama administration had adopted a rule trying to encourage communities all over the country, not just the suburbs, to embrace integration. And earlier this summer, the Trump administration rolled back that rule, and Trump announced that the suburban housewives of America should be thrilled that I have done this, and your very quality of life you will not have control over if the federal government will come in and remake your neighborhood. michael barbaro Hmm. The other parallel that felt most overt to me, Emily, was this recurring message that all this talk, as in 1968, is not racist. But in this case it wasnt the Republican nominee. It wasnt Donald Trump saying this. It was Republicans of color. It was, for example, Kim Klacik archived recording (kim klacik) My name is Kim Klacik, and Im running for Congress in Marylands 7th district. michael barbaro a Black woman running for Congress in Baltimore. And shes running on a message that Democrats have let Baltimore down. archived recording (kim klacik) Sadly the same cycle of decay exists in many of Americas Democrat-run cities. And yet the Democrats still assume that Black people will vote for them no matter how much they let us down and take us for granted. Were sick of it. Were not going to take it anymore. michael barbaro And we also heard a similar message from Tim Scott archived recording (tim scott) We live in a world that only wants you to believe in the bad news racially, economically and culturally polarizing news. The truth is, our nations arc always bends back towards fairness. michael barbaro a Black senator from South Carolina, and from Nikki Haley archived recording (nikki haley) In much of the Democratic party, its now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country. This is personal for me. michael barbaro who is of Indian descent, and who was Trumps Ambassador to the United Nations. emily badger Yeah. We also heard something similar from Herschel Walker, who is the former football player who has had this very long-running, almost four-decade long relationship with Donald Trump, who is also African-American, and effectively said archived recording (herschel walker) It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald. The worst one is racist. I take that as a personal insult that people would think Ive had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People who think that dont know what theyre talking about. emily badger You know, I am offended by the idea that anyone would think that I have been friends with a racist for the last 37. archived recording (herschel walker) Just because someone loves and respect the flag, our national anthem and our country, doesnt mean they dont care about social justice. I care about all of those things, so does Donald Trump. michael barbaro So Emily, from Trumps point of view, this strategy would seem to have a very solid track record. So is there any reason to think that it would not work now in 2020? emily badger One big reason is that the suburbs themselves have changed dramatically since the 1960s. The women who live in the suburbs today are much more racially diverse. Theyre more economically diverse. When we talk about suburban voters in suburbia today, it is much less clear exactly who were talking about, because its no longer just middle class and upper income white voters who are living in these communities. Theres poverty in these communities. There are immigrant communities who live in the suburbs. And so this is not the voting bloc that Richard Nixon was speaking to in 1968 or the voting block that it seems like Donald Trump has in mind. But the other reason why I think we should be really skeptical is that we see in polling data that voters in the suburbs today, majorities of them are supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. Theyre supportive of these protests. Theyre even participating in these protests. And so theyre really sort of not necessarily receptive to the issues that Trump is trying to elevate, but hes also trying to get them to focus on a set of issues which are not their primary concern right now. I mean, between the pandemic and the collapse of the economy and millions of Americans losing their health care as a result of that, you know, those are the three issues that really sit at the top of suburban voters and female voters concerns when we ask them what theyre concerned about right now. michael barbaro Mm-hmm. But it does seem like there might be an X factor here that Donald Trump has been priming suburban voters for. And an example of that would be whats going on right now in Wisconsin archived recording [CROWD CHANTING] michael barbaro where there are protests against the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, and those protests have turned into fires and looting. archived recording (police officer) You need to disperse. Gas will be deployed if you do not disperse. michael barbaro On top of the situation that we have had in cities like Portland. And could it be that the polling that youre referring to is not quite up to date, and that there may be voters who hear the president talking at this convention and think to themselves, I do support Black Lives Matter, but I dont support this. I dont support what Im seeing on my television screen in places like Kenosha, Wisconsin. emily badger I think the biggest unknown over the next two months, which could play to the presidents advantage, is that there will be more Kenoshas. And I think we dont know at this point how more scenes like that might change or erode public opinion about these issues in the months to come. but I think that in order for this strategy to work for Trump, suburban women need to not only become concerned about these scenes, but they have to believe that their own neighborhoods are threatened in this moment. And the question is, will suburban voters really see it that way in 2020, or has simply too much changed since 1968? michael barbaro Well, Emily, thank you very much. We appreciate it. emily badger Yeah. Thanks for the conversation. michael barbaro Well be right back. [music] Heres what else you need to know today. archived recording (melania trump) I want to acknowledge the fact that, since March, our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy, Covid-19, swept across our beautiful country and impacted all of us. michael barbaro On the second night of the Republican National Convention, First Lady Melania Trump confronted a topic that has been largely missing from the proceedings so far the painful impact of the coronavirus pandemic. archived recording (melania trump) My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one, and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering. I know many people are anxious and some feel helpless. I want you to know, youre not alone. michael barbaro The First Lady focused much of her speech on appealing to women and mothers by seeking to portray her husband as their protector. archived recording (melania trump) To mothers and parents everywhere, you are warriors. In my husband, you have a president who will not stop fighting for you and your families. I see how hard he works each day and night. And despite the unprecedented attacks from the media and opposition, he will not give up. In fact, if you tell him it cannot be done, he just works harder. michael barbaro And on Tuesday, in a sign of the pandemics ongoing economic toll, American Airlines said it would furlough 19,000 workers when its federal financial aid, which totaled nearly $6 billion, comes to an end this fall. By October, the airline will have reduced its workforce by 30 percent. Americans rivals, Delta and United, say that they too may need to cut jobs this fall. The announcements are likely to increase pressure on Congress to pass new economic relief, something that lawmakers have been unable to do for weeks. [music] A statue in a Tel Aviv square of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enjoying a Last Supper feast added new bite on Wednesday to mounting protests against his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Netanyahu, whose popularity has plunged in opinion polls amid 21.5% unemployment, said his depiction in a mock tableau of Jesuss final meal before his crucifixion, was tantamount to a death threat. In the installation, Netanyahu sits alone at a grand 10-metre (33 ft) long table, with two candelabras, grabbing at a huge cake resembling an Israeli flag. Performers, part of an artwork by Israeli artist Itay Zalait, lie on the ground near an installation that includes a sculpture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting at a table recalling the famous "Last Supper", amid a wave of almost daily protests against Netanyahu's alleged corruption and his government's handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Israel July 29, 2020. (REUTERS) Moet & Chandon champagne, Chivas Regal scotch and Courvoisier cognac are placed alongside a heaping spread of fruit and meats, accompanied by a single cigar, to allude to the corruption allegations against Israels longest-serving premier. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in three corruption cases against him, which include allegations he illegally received gifts of champagne and cigars from affluent businessmen. His trial, the first for a serving Israeli prime minister, opened in May and witnesses are to begin testifying in January. People use their phones to document an artwork by Israeli artist Itay Zalait, that includes a sculpture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting at a table recalling the famous "Last Supper", amid a wave of almost daily protests against Netanyahu's alleged corruption and his government's handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, displayed at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Israel July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (REUTERS) Many people refer to (Netanyahu) as a genius - Mr Economy, Mr Security - hes more than anyone else, hes like the son of God, Zalait said, standing next to the sculpture. Mr. Economy ... people dont have food to bring for their children, he said. Netanyahu, who has drawn accusations of autocratic rule by using emergency regulations to fast-track social distancing edicts, took to Twitter to term the exhibit a shameful threat of crucifixion. Israeli artist Itay Zalait, center, and his team work on an installation depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a mock "Last Supper" at his studio in Ramat Gan, Israel, Sunday, July 26, 2020. The installation, placed in a central Tel Aviv square on Wednesday, in the latest twist in a summer of protests against Netanyahu and his lengthy rule. (AP) The Last Supper, as depicted in a 15th century mural by Leonardo da Vinci, shows Jesus at the table with his apostles in Jerusalem. The mural, one of the most famous paintings in the world, is in a Milan convent. Zalaits work is displayed in Tel Avivs Rabin Square - where several anti-Netanyahu demonstrations have been held this summer. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter The Lehigh Valleys unemployment rate for June was 14.2%, up one-tenth of a percentage point from Mays 14.1%, according to new data this week from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The update comes as the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation expires July 31. That automatically added $600 to state unemployment compensation claims as an extra measure of help with the coronavirus pandemic that largely shut down the nation's economy beginning in mid-March. For the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area, unemployment that had been hovering below 5% since April 2017 began to creep up in March before nearly tripling to 16.7% in April, state L&I figures show. (Above chart not displaying? Click here.) For June, the local unemployment numbers are slightly worse than the Pennsylvania and national rates of 13% and 11.1%, respectively, according to the state data released Tuesday. (Above chart not displaying? Click here.) The better news for those out of work is that employers are hiring, according to the Workforce Board Lehigh Valley. Online job postings have risen from 3,902 in June 2019 to 6,606 last month, the local board says. The top occupations for the Lehigh Valley are laborers/freight, stock, material movers; registered nurses; heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers; retail salesperson; and janitor and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners. Pennsylvania CareerLink Lehigh Valley offers a list of hundreds of openings on its Jobs Portal at careerlinklehighvalley.org. The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. notes that the drop in the unemployment rate from Aprils record-high 16.7% coincides with Lehigh Valley entering the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolfs business reopening plan June 5 and the green phase June 26. Wolf has since re-imposed some statewide restrictions to bars and restaurants and public gatherings after a rise in COVID-19 cases in certain parts of the state in July. Nancy Dischinat, executive director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, stresses that those out of work can best use this time by increasing their skill level with a degree, certificate, credential or credits. The "wow" factor of being able to get by with unemployment compensation only lasts a short period, she noted. Its a whole new ballgame of people that were never really unemployed before became unemployed and all of a sudden they not only got unemployment compensation but they got additional help due to the pandemic, Dischinat told lehighvalleylive.com. How to handle unemployment compensation after July 31 is a fiercely contested part of the debate as Congress negotiates the latest relief legislation. Democrats want to bring back the federally funded $600-a-week unemployment bonus that is expiring, saying its a way to keep families and the economy afloat in a time when there are far more people out of work than jobs available. Republicans argue the current amount is so high that it encourages people to remain on unemployment. They want to reduce it in two steps: First, by cutting the benefit by two-thirds to $200 a week through September. Then they want to switch that flat rate to a percentage in which the unemployed would receive benefits equal to no more than 70% of their previous incomes in November and December. According to Dischinat, the last payable week for the $600 is 7/25/20, with no assurances it will be extended. The extension is good for 13 weeks and the last payable week on the extension is 12/25/20, she wrote by email. There is a 13-week federal extension and then another 13-week state extension. All expire on 12/25/20, whichever comes first. Here is more from the Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, including its snapshot of the workforce in Lehigh and Northampton counties as of Tuesday, plus CareerLink fliers in both English and Spanish. The unemployment rate may differ because the Labor and Industry figures are for the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Warren counties. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. There is much frustration over the new and sudden quarantine rules imposed on holidaying. The question is whether the rules are fair, with very little notice given. Holidays must be pre-planned, booked in advance to suit the work schedule, family finances, among other considerations. by Victor Cherubim Wear a mask, dont wear a mask; work from home, go back to work; start to enjoy life once again, but with restrictions; go on holiday, dont go on holiday to Spain, come back from your holiday in Spain and be quarantined for 14 days on your return, without pay and many, many odd restrictions have made life difficult, if not impossible. This is partly a function of a fast moving and an unprecedented situation caused by the pandemic. Families are singing the new melody: oh my darling quarantine? To go or not to go is the question. But more simply, it is where and when to go? The public in Britain and in many other parts of the world, are slowly but steadily becoming risk averse. Psychologists are of the opinion that in days and months to follow, the pandemic would have created a new psychosis. The Second Coming There is much frustration over the new and sudden quarantine rules imposed on holidaying. The question is whether the rules are fair, with very little notice given. Holidays must be pre-planned, booked in advance to suit the work schedule, family finances, among other considerations. We are told that there was a sudden change of mind by authorities, by follow the science experts, about the spike in Europe and perhaps, a fear a second coming of the Coronavirus infection, couldwell spread in the UK. What will a second coming look like? Will the second coming of the COVID-19 virus look like more lockdowns, more remote working, more track, trace and incubate? Will we have to shut down Boroughs instead of Cities, Streets instead of whole Towns, and even individual business offices. We are assured, it may never come to that. We haveexperienced the first phase of action which was Protection, second phase Job preservation, the third phase, to rebuild the economy. Of course, the NHS has now more capacity, medics are now better equipped to treat the virus, Britain is stockpiling upon PPE, new field hospitals and ICUs are in operation, the economy and social activity having adapted to the new normal in the past 4 months to deal with containing the virus spread. Would it be not as devastating to our physical, psychological, social, and economic health as the first wave, when we were thoroughly unprepared? Could it be going over the top to think of what we have had to go through in the first homecoming? Could we afford a second coming? These are some of the considerations of governments and the public. 31.7 billion has been claimed for 9.5 million furloughed employees on Government paid leave of absence from work. This is alongside 7.6 billion for 2.7 million self-employed. Meanwhile, more than a million businesses have claimed 33.7 billion in Bounce Back loans, and many have made workers redundant but many more have gone under, not to Australia. The furlough scheme prevented major rise in unemployment, but it hoped to be wound down from August 20,2020 and completely removed at the end of October 2020 with losses climbing and set to hit almost 10% of UKs workforce by the end of the year. Further, the British economy has contracted by 25%with four (4) months. Researchers say.the economy has reverted to the position 18 yearsprevious. What is the new virus nationalism? One of the by products of the Coronavirus pandemic is the need for vaccine development. There appears to be a new nationalism on the horizon. The UK Government is considering restrictions targeting regions within countries, to enforce stringentquarantine for travel to areas, like Catalonia, Aragon, and Navarre, in Spain, until a vaccine is developed. Although in everybodys knowledge, Sri Lanka is on the excluded list for UK holiday makers, but Ministers we are told are also looking at the spike in Luxembourg, Belgium, and Croatia. Besides, the fear is that the wealthy countries are able well in advance to sign deals for vaccines that have yet to be approved and may not even work. The latest contract already signed by UK is with British Pharmaceutical company, Glaxo SmithKline (GSK) and its partner Sanofi Pasteur in France for 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that they are developing. UK has already a deal for 100 million doses of the Oxford University/Astra Zeneca vaccine and for 90 million doses of two other Company platforms. We are informed that the Government accepts it could lose money on some if they do not work. The claim by Vaccine researchers in UK is that: we will be the vaccine supplier to the world. The United States policy too is to prohibit US companies from supplying their research vaccine elsewhere in the world until its own needs are met first. We note that there are promising results recently from Moderna Inc, in Cambridge, Mass. USA, which has begun large scale Phase 3 trials and is expecting a breakthrough by Thanksgiving Day. Modernasshare price has increased over the few months from $50 to $79.69 today buoyed by US Government support. The European Union too is working as a bloc to buy vaccines that are not produced in the US, with preference for 400 million doses of the Astra Zeneca developed vaccine. What can Sri Lanka and other countries now do? Instead of awaiting for a vaccine for COVID-19, which will be rationed on basis of Vaccine Nationalism, by the wealthy developed national candidates, Sri Lanka and many small nations, like Vietnam, can take adequate precautions to prevent the spread of a second wave of COVID-19 by researching a Track and Trace Smart Phone App within our Universities. Track and Trace App uses Bluetooth technology to log all those who have been in close contact with a positive case, and alert them to take a test or self-isolate for 14 days. This is one key part of the surveillance programme going forward. Germany has Corona Warn App which has now been installed by around 16 million people but with 83 million Germans in total, experts say more than half the population need to have an App before it is truly effective. Testing is the only viable way of doing a Check-In on Coronavirus, in the absence of a difficult to get vaccine. We have no doubt that this possibility will be pursued by the Health Authorities and the Government of Sri Lanka, without awaiting a Second Coming. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate the end of the Hajj pilgrimage, but the effects of the pandemic are already being felt globally, ahead of the festivities. Muslims around the world are preparing for Eid al-Adha to celebrate the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. But the effects of the pandemic are already being felt globally, ahead of the festivities. Al Jazeeras Sara Khairat reports. Subscribe to the Wake Up, cleveland.coms free morning newsletter, delivered to your inbox weekdays at 5:30 a.m. Weather Mostly cloudy skies are expected today. Highs will stay in the low 80s, but it will be a bit muggy. It will remain mostly cloudy overnight with lows in the mid-60s. Read more Local scores: Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland 0 The headlines Hospital high: Ohio hospitals treated a record number of patients with coronavirus on Tuesday, who arrived at facilities just weeks after case numbers started to rise, Laura Hancock reports. Hospitals had 1,122 coronavirus patients Tuesday, including 348 in intensive-care units and 174 on ventilators. The previous high was in late April when hospitals saw 1,103 COVID-positive patients. Cleveland debate: Presidential debate site selections are normally a meticulous process carried out months in advance. But the plan for the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University to host the first presidential debate came about in a week after the University of Notre Dame dropped out. Seth Richardson reports the debate commission approached the Clinic, in part because the Clinic was chosen in June to be the health security adviser for all presidential debates. The hospital reached out to CWRU. Subtext: Cleveland.com has started a new, free Subtext account to send coronavirus updates. Every day, well send updates about the virus -- confirmed cases, major cancellations, relevant scientific information and more. You can even text us back. Go to https://joinsubtext.com/ohiocoronavirus and enter your phone number. Or send a text to 216-279-7784. Did we mention its free? This Week in the CLE: How do you plan a presidential debate in Cleveland without talking to the mayor first? Were talking about the debate at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University on This Week in the CLE. Secret Service: News that the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University would host the first presidential debate of 2020 came as a surprise to the local branch of the U.S. Secret Service, which must scramble to devise a detailed security plan ahead of the Sept. 29 event. Cory Shaffer and Evan MacDonald report that typically the agency has several months to plan for a moment that often draws international media and thousands of protesters -- now in the middle of a pandemic that has left local governments and organizations strapped for cash. New numbers: Newly reported confirmed and probable coronavirus cases were up 1,396 on Wednesday, and a total of 87,893 people have had the infection, reports Laura Hancock. Forty more people have been reported dead with COVID-19 since Tuesday, which is nearly double the 21-day rolling average of newly reported deaths of 21. Cleveland numbers: The Ohio Department of Health notified Cleveland of 54 new cases of COVID-19 coronavirus that were confirmed in the city, Robert Higgs reports. The new cases lift Clevelands total confirmed cases to 4,155. No new deaths were reported. Emergency extended: Mayor Frank Jackson on Wednesday extended his proclamation of civil emergency for the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis through Aug. 31. The proclamation, which Jackson first declared March 11, clears the way for city departments to recommend steps the city should take toward checking the virus, Robert Higgs reports. Householder replacement? Kevin Black, who lost a dark-money-drenched 2018 Republican primary election to Larry Householder, thinks he has a good shot at taking over the scandal-ridden House speakers seat if/when Householder leaves office. Jeremy Pelzer reports Householder is likely to be re-elected this fall unless he withdraws from the race. Black said it would be too much trouble to file as a write-in candidate this year, so hes willing to be patient. Attorney General Dave Yost. (Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland.com) Revoking Householder: Ohio House Republicans efforts to revoke House Speaker Larry Householders leadership role could be complicated by a legal disagreement with Republican Attorney General Dave Yost. Andrew Tobias reports House Republicans are set to meet this morning to remove Householder as speaker. But Yost says in his offices opinion, the Ohio Constitution requires the state legislature to pass a new law to remove a House speaker from the job, requiring a majority vote from the Ohio Senate and Gov. Mike DeWines signature. Remote classes: The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is considering recommending all Cuyahoga school districts use virtual education for the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, a spokesman tells Brenda Cain. The Ohio Education Association has urged school districts in red or purple-alert counties to teach students remotely. Cuyahoga is one of 23 counties throughout Ohio that qualify as red under the states color-coded coronavirus alert system. Nursing homes: At least 2,335 patients of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died with coronavirus, accounting for more than two-thirds of theCOVID-19 deaths in Ohio, according to updated information released Wednesday night by the Ohio Department of Health. This is up 98 deaths from 2,237 a week ago, Rich Exner reports. A still from a Valley View police dash cam shows the aftermath of a fight between the Hells Angels and Mongols biker gangs that left one fatally shotand one stabbed. Motorcycle gangs: The Hells Angels and Mongols motorcycle gangs decades-long feud sparked dozens of incidents of violence over the years in cities across the country, reports Adam Ferrise. Valley View, a quiet suburb with an estimated population of 1,997, saw a fight Saturday evening in the parking lot of a Shell gas station that ended with one member of the Mongols stabbed and a Hells Angels member dead from a gunshot wound. Federal agents: Federal authorities said Wednesday that Cleveland will get 25 federal agents over the next several months to stem a spike in violent crime, John Caniglia reports. Nearly $10 million in federal money also will go toward hiring 30 Cleveland police officers and seven state officers. Sugary drinks: Cleveland City Council unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would prohibit restaurants in the city from offering kids meals that include sugary drinks as the only beverage, Robert Higgs reports. It will require restaurants by the end of January 2021 to provide children with a healthy beverage option such as milk, water or juice. The law still would allow customers to obtain sugary drinks, such as soda, but through a separate purchase. No-bid contract: A Cuyahoga County Council committee signed off Wednesday on another $15 million, no-bid contract to have eight contractors modify county-owned buildings to accommodate issues related to the coronavirus pandemic. Courtney Astolfi reports the contract would provide for each of the contractors to receive up to $1.875 million for projects such as modifying areas to allow for social distancing, updating ventilation and automating sinks and drinking fountains. The county earlier approved another $15 million, no-bid contract for eight other contractors to do similar work. Rental assistance: Cuyahoga County residents seeking rental assistance because of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic filed thousands of applications since a program went live earlier this month, and officials continue to brace for more, reports Eric Heisig. As of Wednesday morning, 3,070 people in the county submitted applications for the program co-administered by the CHN Housing Partners. The total amount of rent relief sought by Clevelanders so far is $2.3 million, while renters in communities outside the city limits sought about $2.7 million. Foster children: The Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services is considering options to overcome a shortage of places to house foster children, including raising the rate it pays foster families and residential facilities, Courtney Astolfi reports. Mayoral loyalty: Mayor Frank Jacksons loyalty to former Public Safety Director Michael McGrath is mystifying, writes columnist Leila Atassi. Now it seems that loyalty might have jeopardized the citys progress on the path toward reforming Clevelands beleaguered police department. Jackson stood by McGrath for more than a decade on the grounds that McGrath was a disciplinarian who enforced accountability among the rank-and-file despite clear evidence of his laxity before and after the implementation of the consent decree. Resolution: A resolution introduced by Cleveland City Council Wednesday calls on the Ohio General Assembly to repeal scandal-tainted House Bill 6, the $1.3-billion bailout for the Davis-Besse and Perry nuclear power plants. Robert Higgs reports that the resolution doesnt carry any force of law, and coming from an all-Democratic council, would have debatable influence on the Republican-dominated General Assembly. Racism health crisis: Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and three members of a county-appointed advisory council used a City Club of Cleveland forum on Wednesday to discuss their efforts to combat racism. Courtney Astolfi reports the county recognizes a list of problems that need addressing, including housing, the criminal justice system, economic development and job opportunities. Budish said the advisory council can choose to focus its efforts on one or two problems, or take a broad approach and suggest solutions to many. Swastika: University Heights police have released a photo of a man who painted a swastika and several other offensive images and words on businesses over several days. Kaylee Remington reports on the images painted between July 21 and Sunday at Friedman, Leavitt & Associates, Waxman Torah Center, Mikas Wig Boutique for Women, and a covered walkway between Roses Tailoring and Heinens, a University Heights police report says. Online complaints: Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee accused Amazon, Facebook and Google of stealing intellectual property from smaller online companies and criticized their handling of disinformation meant to sway elections. Sabrina Eaton reports Ohios Jim Jordan, a Republican, accused the companies of waging an anti-conservative vendetta. Library aid: Ohios 251 public library systems will get a total of $18.3 million in federal CARES Act money to help offset unanticipated costs of sanitizing their buildings, and buying supplies like hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, thermometers, face shields and plexiglas shields to keep workers and patrons safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Sabrina Eaton reports that the state of Ohio will give each public library building up to $25,000. Coronavirus tests: Rite Aid has opened four additional Cleveland coronavirus self-swab testing sites. Kaylee Remington reports the free testing begins today at Franklin Boulevard, and Superior, Chester and Clark avenues. St. Peter Chanel: St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford, which opened in 1956, came crumbling down Wednesday morning. David Petkiewicz has photos of the high school, which closed after the 2012-13 school year, that is being torn down to make way for future use by the Bedford City School District. The $1.7 million project is being overseen by the Cuyahoga Land Bank, its largest demolition job to date. Guitar solos: The piece de resistance of guitar playing is the solo. And Troy Smith picked 100 of the greatest guitar solos of all time, limited to artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To narrow things down further, he did away with live solos. The rankings take into account technique, influence, emotion and all-around awesomeness. Shark attack: Marine and environmental scientist Apryl Boyle reviews shark attack scenes from films including Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, Finding Nemo, and more, for cleveland.coms sister site, Vanity Fair. Great Lakes: Great Lakes Brewing Co. has closed its restaurant and patio to "re-examine" its operation, Marc Bona reports. The restaurant is pivoting to a "new service model more appropriate for our current health climate." Other headlines Coronavirus restrictions and closings in Ohio for Thursday, July 30, 2020 Read more Five family members found dead in Elyria home, police say Read more Double-homicide victims found in burning Akron house were related by marriage Read more Man indicted in fatal East Cleveland shooting that stemmed from argument Read more Former Conneaut councilman sentenced to 18 years after sexually assaulting several teens Read more Federal prosecutors charge Cleveland man with carjacking in Mayfield Heights case Read more Hydroxychloroquine no longer can be sold in Ohio pharmacies as coronavirus treatment Read more Northeast Ohio lawmakers urge state regulators to reconsider Lake Erie wind farm ruling Read more North Olmsted City Schools to offer online virtual academy option for 2020-2021 Read more Fairview Park City Schools Parkview Early Education Center prepares for full-capacity return Read more Summit County Common Pleas Court extends coronavirus protections, suspends most trials for another month Read more Woman files suit against Parma police and corrections officers, alleges excessive force Read more ArcelorMittal, the steelmaker in Cleveland, to lay off or cut 454 workers because of COVID-19 Read more I-X Christmas Connection canceled due to COVID-19 concerns Read more CLAYTON, Mo. - St. Louis Countys prosecutor announced Thursday that he will not charge the former police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, a dramatic decision that could reopen old wounds amid a renewed and intense national conversation about racial injustice and the police treatment of people of colour. Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bells decision marked the third time prosecutors investigated and opted not to charge Darren Wilson, the white officer who fatally shot Brown, a Black 18-year-old, on Aug. 9, 2014. A St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Wilson in November 2014, and the U.S. Department of Justice also declined to charge him in March 2015. Civil rights leaders and Browns parents had hoped that Bell, the countys first Black prosecutor who took office in January 2019, would see things differently. My heart breaks for Browns parents, a sombre Bell said during a news conference. I know this is not the result they were looking for and that their pain will continue forever. Describing the announcement as one of the most difficult things Ive had to do, Bell said that his office conducted a five-month, unannounced, review of witness statements, forensic reports and other evidence. The question for this office was a simple one: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown he committed murder or manslaughter under Missouri law? After an independent and in-depth review of the evidence, we cannot prove that he did, Bell said. But, he said, our investigation does not exonerate Darren Wilson. Wilsons attorney, Jim Towey, said it was clear after three investigations that Wilson did nothing wrong. We all had the same conclusion: There was no crime, Towey said. I am just hoping that everybody gets to have some closure, particularly the Brown family, he said. The shooting touched off months of unrest in Ferguson and made the St. Louis suburb synonymous with a national debate about police treatment of minority people. The Ferguson unrest helped solidify the national Black Lives Matter movement that began after Trayvon Martin, a Black 17-year-old, was shot to death by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida in 2012. The issue has taken on new life since George Floyds death in Minneapolis in May after a white police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed Black mans neck for nearly eight minutes. Ferguson is among the cities around the world that has seen protests since Floyds death. This is a time for us to reflect on Michaels life, to support Michaels family and to honour a transformative movement that will forever be linked to his name, Bell said. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, a Ferguson protester and educator who has become a national voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, said she is pained that there is still a gaping wound for Browns family. She said she knows that the system must change. Im not disappointed Im fed up and ever more committed, truth be told, Cunningham said. The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading St. Louis activist, agreed that the system is at fault, not Bells investigation. What came out of this is a recognition that the system is set up to protect police officers. We now need to begin to address the legislation the police hide behind, Gray said. Scott Roberts, senior director of criminal justice campaigns at Color Of Change, a national racial justice organization, said in a statement that Bells announcement perpetuates a criminal justice system that fails Black communities by allowing police to operate with impunity. Bell who ran as a reform-minded prosecutor promising to eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders and to increase the use of programs that allow defendants to avoid jail time faced no restrictions in re-examining Browns death. Wilson was never charged and tried, so double jeopardy was not an issue. There is no statute of limitations on filing murder charges. As the news conference drew to a close, an activist who said he is a friend of Browns father erupted in anger. Its over! One term! Tory Russell, 36, of St. Louis, screamed at the prosecuting attorney. Police officers gently led him from the room. Russell later told The Associated Press that he had just spoken with Michael Brown Sr. He is hurting, and hes not accepting of this. The shooting happened after Wilson told Brown and a friend to get out of the street as they walked down the middle of Canfield Drive. A scuffle between Wilson and Brown ensued, ending with the fatal shot. Wilson said Brown, who was not armed, came at him menacingly, forcing him to fire his gun in self-defence. Browns body remained in the street for four hours, angering his family and nearby residents. Bells predecessor, longtime prosecutor Bob McCulloch, was accused by critics of swaying the grand jury to its decision not to indict Wilson an accusation he emphatically denied. Wilson resigned days after McCullochs Nov. 24, 2014, announcement that the grand jury would not indict the officer. The Justice Department also declined to charge Wilson, but issued a scathing report citing racial bias in Fergusons police and courts. A consent agreement calls for sweeping reforms that are still being implemented. Bell, a former Ferguson councilman, upset McCulloch, a staunch law-and-order prosecutor, in the 2018 Democratic primary and ran unopposed that November. Bell, who, like McCulloch, is the son of a police officer, formed a special unit to look into officer-involved shootings like the one in Ferguson, as well as cases of potential wrongful convictions. Browns mother, Lesley McSpadden, asked Republican Gov. Mike Parson to reopen the investigation of Wilson in 2018, but Parsons office said it had no legal authority to appoint a special prosecutor. ___ Associated Press reporter Aaron Morrison in New York City and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report. ___ Explaining AP style on Black and white: https://apnews.com/afs:Content:9105661462 ___ This story has been corrected to show that Trayvon Martin was not killed by a white officer. The Nigerian Army Headquarters says a depressed soldier serving in 2 Battalion of 21 Special Armoured Brigade, Bama, Borno State, went berserk, shot and killed an officer on Wednesday. The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Sagir Musa, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Mr Musa, a colonel, said the incident occurred when the soldier approached the officer who was standing in front of the Units Headquarters making a phone call. READ ALSO: He said the soldier is in custody undergoing investigation while the general situation in the unit remains calm. According to the army spokesperson, the remains of the deceased officer has been evacuated to 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital. Investigation into the case has since been instituted to determine the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident. The family of the deceased has already been contacted. The Nigerian Army sympathises and condoles with the family at this trying moment, and pray to the Almighty God to repose the soul of the departed and grant his family and other loved ones the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. May his gentle soul rest in peace, he said. Some 386 soldiers recently resigned their commission from the Nigerian Army citing loss of interest. (NAN) We are currently living in a world where working from home isnt just an option, it is the norm. As such, almost all of us have done something to ensure a comfortable working environment. Some have gotten a nice desk to ensure optimal ergonomics, while others are ensuring a fast and stable internet connection so that the all-important meetings happen without any interruptions. However, most people tend to forget about the most important tool in any work from home situation, their laptop. As with any profession, the right tools can lead to a better working environment and the same holds true for your laptop. Most people assume that any laptop is a good enough device for working from home. However, thats not exactly true. There are certain things you should consider when looking for a good work from home laptop. Security The last thing anyone wants is to fall victim to a malware attack. This problem is compounded when one has to take into account a lockdown or quarantine situation where you may not have the tools or assistance to purge your computer of any nasty malware. Durability Damaged laptop parts or components can be notoriously difficult to fix or replace, even on normal working days. So image how tough this can be when you are working from home and dont have ready access to your companys IT team for a quick fix. Accessories When you are working from home, you may need to connect a host of other accessories that may be a part of your work, or could improve your experience. These accessories could be anything and as such, the laptop should be versatile enough to handle anything that you may throw at it. IT support When you are working from home, your companys IT Team may not be as easily accessible. Even if you do get in touch with them, they may only be limited to providing remote support for any issues that you may be facing in your laptop. Thankfully, finding the right work from home laptop can be easy if you know what to look for. Lenovos ThinkPad line of laptops is pretty well known when it comes to business laptops. These laptops are specifically designed for professional and as such, cover everything that they may require. Whether they are working from the office or from their homes. In order to ensure a secure working environment, ThinkPad laptops are equipped with the companys ThinkShield Security the promises to offer end-to-end security. Not only that, but each Lenovo ThinkPad laptop is built on a secure site to ensure utmost security. So you can be sure that your work is safe and secure from prying eyes. The Lenovo ThinkPad series may look slim and svelte, but it is quite strong. How strong? Well, Lenovo notes that every ThinkPad is tested against 12 military-grade requirements. Not only that but they also undergo over 200 quality checks. In other words, they should be able to handle anything your home environment has to throw at it. In order to ensure versatility, Lenovo ThinkPads are equipped with a myriad of ports to ensure that you can connect a whole host of accessories ranging from the complex to the simple. The laptops are also compatible with a range of Lenovos own accessories, so you can be sure of compatibility. Lenovo has also promised that every ThinkPad will come with Premier Support that offers direct, round-the-clock access to Lenovos own team of engineers. These engineers are skilled enough to resolve most hardware or software related issues without the need for you to reach out to your IT team. As one can see, Lenovos ThinkPad lineup comes with a whole host of features that make it ideal for the modern professional that has to work from home. These laptops are available in a variety of configurations, so users are sure to find one that best suits their needs, requirements and budget. [Sponsored Post] Defeating Daesh Highlights of the Week July 29, 2020 U.S. Central Command CJTFOIR SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 29, 2020 -- Our partners in Iraq and Syria are leading the way to find and eliminate Daesh fighters and their finance, logistics, and media networks. "Stronger border security will disrupt ISIS smuggling networks," said Col. Myles B. Caggins III, Coalition military spokesman. During the week of July 22 - 28, 2020, the following actions happened in Iraq: July 22: Based on intelligence, a force from the 3rd Regiment, 8th Infantry Brigade, 7th Division, alongside Military Intelligence Detachments, located and seized a cache of ammunition and Daesh documents during a search operation in Rawa district, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2912711038958382 July 22: Field Detachments from Baghdad Intelligence and Security Directorate, in coordination with the 2nd Division Iraqi Federal Police, located a cache of ammunition containing a number of mortar rounds, west of Baghdad. The seized cache was subsequently destroyed by the Field Engineering Detachment. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2913097065586446 July 23: Based on intelligence, troops from the 10th Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Regiment located a hideout containing a number of explosive devices in al-Jilood area, al-Karmah, Anbar province. The captured explosive devices were subsequently destroyed by the Field Engineering Detachment. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2913744785521674 July 24: The 15th Infantry Division carried out a search and clearance operation to capture wanted criminals, clear explosive remnants of war and improve stability and security in Faqiruk mountain range, Zummar district, Ninawa province. A grenade, ammunition and two explosive devices were located and subsequently destroyed by the Field Engineering Detachment. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914560788773407 July 24: The 16th Infantry Division commenced an operation to clear war remnants in al-Shahwani neighborhood in old Mosul area, Ninawa province. The operation aimed to mitigate the risks to the health and livelihoods of affected communities and to reduce the threats to peace and security. A number of explosive devices, explosive belts, hand grenades, rockets, launchers, damaged artillery and mortar rounds, detonators, wireless radios, rifles and decomposing corpses were found. The seized materials were removed from the site and subsequently destroyed by the Field Engineering Detachment. Additionally, 13 villages were searched and security check was performed on all residents. A tunnel containing ammunition was located in al-Sayed Hamad village and was subsequently destroyed by the Field Engineering Detachment. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914597802103039 July 24: As part of efforts to counter terrorism, a combined force from the 2nd and 3rd Regiments, 4th Infantry Brigade, 1st Division alongside Military Intelligence Detachments, located a cache of weapons and ammunition south the expressway in al-Rutba, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914921112070708 July 24: Based on intelligence, a joint force from the 3rd Regiment, Commando Brigade, and the Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Platoon, al-Jazeera Operations Command, captured a terrorist wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary in an ambush in al-Qaim, Anbar province. Separately another joint force from the 3rd Regiment, Commando Brigade with the Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Regiment, 8th Division, al-Jazeera Operations Command and in coordination with Haditha Tribal Crowd located a number of explosives and ammunition in al-Qaim and Haditha in Anbar. The seized materials were removed from the site according to Explosives Safety Standards. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914921705403982 https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914922262070593 July 24: Based on intelligence, Field Detachments from Kirkuk Intelligence and Security Directorate located a cache of ammunition belonging to Daesh in al-Riyadh sub-district, Hawija district, Kirkuk province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2914962735399879 July 24: Intelligence Detachments from Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MoI) captured three terrorists wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary in separate areas of Kirkuk provinces. In a concurrent operation, a cache of ammunition, remnants from Daesh, was seized on al-Mukaishefa Island. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=150659879969210&id=101662361535629 July 25: In an intelligence-led operation, Detachments from Baghdad Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MoI), captured three Daesh terrorists wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary in three simultaneous raids in al-Taji, al-Dora and al-Zaydan areas, Baghdad province. The captured terrorists had worked with the so-called "Wilayat the South" and participated in several terrorist attacks against Iraqi Security Forces. The captured terrorists were handed over to the appropriate authorities. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151061943262337&id=101662361535629 July 26: Based on intelligence, a joint force from the 3rd Regiment, Commando Brigade and the Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Platoon, al-Jazeera Operations Command, ambushed a Daesh terrorist wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary at a check point in Haditha, Anbar province. The captured terrorist had worked with the so-called "Wilayat Anbar" during Daesh occupation of the city. The captured terrorist was handed over to the appropriate authority. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2916351905260962 July 26: Based on intelligence, the 15th Infantry Division carried out a search operation to capture wanted criminals, clear explosive remnants of war and improve stability and security in north Sinjar district, Ninawa province. A number of ammunition and mortar rounds were located and subsequently destroyed. July 26: Based on intelligence, a joint force from the 2nd Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade and the Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance Regiment, 8th Division, located a terrorist hideout containing explosive devices and explosives in the T1 area, al-Qaim, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2916593215236831 July 26 - 27: Salah Ad-Din Operations Command launched a large scale search and clearance operation along the banks of al-Eziam River east of Salah Ad-Din province towards the border with Samarra Operations Command, to enforce security and stability in these areas. Forces from the 1st Regiment, Commando Brigade, SWAT Regiment, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and Communication Unit from Salah Ad-Din Police Directorate and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), with the support of Iraqi Army Aviation, participated in the operation. Four safe houses and a cache of ammunition were located and subsequently destroyed. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151427946559070&id=101662361535629 https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2917433068486179 July 27: Intelligence Detachments from Iraqi Ministry of Interior captured four terrorists wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary in separate areas of Kirkuk province. The captured terrorists were handed over to the appropriate authorities. Additionally, a cache of ammunition containing 40 rockets and two artillery system, remnants from Daesh, was seized in the village of Shallalat, Kirkuk province. The seized cache was removed from the site according to Explosives Safety Standards. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151801533188378&id=101662361535629 July 27: Based on tip-off from Mosul residents, a joint force from Karama Police Directorate, Ninawa Police Command and Ninawa Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Iraqi Ministry of Interior, captured four Daesh terrorists in different areas across Mosul city. One of the captured terrorist had worked with the so-called "al-Hisba" and the rest had worked as Daesh fighters with the so-called "Army of Soldiers, General Camps and Nahawand Combat Team" during Daesh occupation of the city. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=151818703186661&id=101662361535629 July 27: Based on intelligence, the 73rd Infantry Brigade, 15th Division, conducted a search and clearance operation to capture wanted criminals and clear war remnants in al-Ayyadhiya mountain range, Tal Afar district, Ninawa province. An anti-tank rocket, a grenade, anti-drone round, a mortar round and a homemade explosive device were located. In a concurrent operation, a force from the 1st Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Division alongside Military Intelligence Detachments located a cache of ammunition and explosive devices in al-Dhila area, south al-Rutba district, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2917413471821472 July 27: Based on intelligence, a joint force from the 2nd Regiment, 8th Infantry Brigade and Military Intelligence Detachments, 7th Division, in coordination with the Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) and Anah Provincial Police, located a cache containing explosive devices, explosives and Daesh publications in Wadi al-Qasr, Anah district, Anbar province. In a concurrent operation, a force from the 1st Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade, 8th Division located a cache of explosive devices in al-Mashare' area in al-Qaim, Anbar province. All the seized materials were removed from the site by the Field Engineering Detachment according to Explosive Safety Standards. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2917704495125703 July 27: Based on intelligence, a force from the 1st Regiment, 39th Infantry Brigade, 10th Division alongside Military Intelligence Detachments captured two terrorists wanted by the Iraqi Judiciary in Albu Sha'ban area, Ramadi, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2917703725125780 July 28: In a concurrent operation a joint force from the Intelligence Unit, Jazeera Operations Command and the Reconnaissance Regiment, 8th Division located a cache of ammunition in al-Ubaidi area, al-Qaim District, Anbar province. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2918168661745953 July 28: Based on intelligence, a force from the 32nd Brigade, 8th Division alongside Military Intelligence Detachments located a tunnel that was used as a hospital to treat Daesh wounded terrorists before the liberation https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2918171035079049 July 28: Based on intelligence, a force from the 4th Regiment, 22nd Brigade, 6th Division, alongside Military Intelligence Detachments located a number of explosive devices in al-Nabai'i desert, north of Baghdad. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2918264371736382 July 28: Based on intelligence, a force from the 1st Regiment, 39th Infantry Brigade, 10th Division, alongside Military Intelligence Detachments located a cache of rockets in Albu Faraj area, Ramadi, Anbar province. The seized cache was removed from the site by the Field Engineering Detachment. https://www.facebook.com/mod.mil.iq/posts/2918293351733484 Removing Daesh fighters, weapons and explosive material remains a top priority as Daesh continues to plot attacks against innocent civilians and our partners throughout Iraq and northeast Syria. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address J. Nicholas Thompson became the CEO of Aukett Swanke Group Plc (LON:AUK) in 2005, 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 Aukett Swanke Group. See our latest analysis for Aukett Swanke Group How Does Total Compensation For J. Nicholas Thompson Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? According to our data, Aukett Swanke Group Plc has a market capitalization of UK3.2m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK231k over the year to September 2019. That's a modest increase of 4.1% on the prior year. Notably, the salary which is UK210.0k, represents most of the total compensation being paid. For comparison, other companies in the industry with market capitalizations below UK155m, reported a median total CEO compensation of UK292k. So it looks like Aukett Swanke Group compensates J. Nicholas Thompson in line with the median for the industry. Furthermore, J. Nicholas Thompson directly owns UK328k worth of shares in the company. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK210k UK198k 91% Other UK21k UK24k 9% Total Compensation UK231k UK222k 100% On an industry level, around 66% of total compensation represents salary and 34% is other remuneration. According to our research, Aukett Swanke Group has allocated a higher percentage of pay to salary in comparison to the wider industry. If total compensation veers towards salary, it suggests that the variable portion - which is generally tied to performance, is lower. Aukett Swanke Group Plc's Growth Over the past three years, Aukett Swanke Group Plc has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 23% per year. It achieved revenue growth of 7.7% over the last year. This demonstrates that the company has been improving recently and is good news for the shareholders. It's good to see a bit of revenue growth, as this suggests the business is able to grow sustainably. While we don't have analyst forecasts for the company, shareholders might want to examine this detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues Has Aukett Swanke Group Plc Been A Good Investment? Given the total shareholder loss of 26% over three years, many shareholders in Aukett Swanke Group Plc are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. Therefore, it might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously. In Summary... As previously discussed, J. Nicholas is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. At the same time, the company has logged negative shareholder returns over the last three years. But earnings growth is moving in a favorable direction, certainly a positive sign. It's tough for us to say CEO compensation is too generous when earnings growth is positive, but negative investor returns will irk shareholders and reduce any chances of a raise. CEO compensation is a crucial aspect to keep your eyes on but investors also need to keep their eyes open for other issues related to business performance. That's why we did some digging and identified 3 warning signs for Aukett Swanke Group that investors should think about before committing capital to this stock. Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity 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. Lady Amelia Windsor is known for her boho style, but she switched up her usual look by donning a chic black slip dress to go food shopping in West London yesterday. The royal, 24, who is 39th in line to the throne, stepped out of her London residence in Notting Hill to pick up some groceries from her local supermarket, and was snapped carrying two large cucumbers. The heiress and model, who is the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, was seen wearing a stylish and simple black slip dress and later donned a matching black face covering before entering the shops. Lady Amelia Windsor appeared relaxed as she stepped out for some food shopping in the West London yesterday The heiress and model, who is the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, was seen wearing a stylish and simple black slip dress and matching cardigan Her minimalistic dress was paired with a matching black cardigan and she carried both a pink floral tote bag and an oversized wicker handbag. While listening to music through white headphones, she donned yellow and green deck shoes and wore a red hair scrunchie around her wrist. Her balayage blonde hair was loose around her shoulders and the royal went make-up free to show off her natural glowing complexion. She is regularly snapped out and about in her local neighbourhood of Notting Hill, where she enjoys a vast-array of hobbies including pottery and ballet classes. Lady Amelia wore a stylish and simple black slip dress and later donned a matching black face covering before entering the shop Her minimalistic dress was paired with a matching black cardigan and she carried both a pink floral tote bag and an oversized wicker handbag, which saw two large cucumbers hang out the top Amelia has modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers. She is represented by Storm models, which also looks after the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Additionally she has been named as a contributing editor in Tatler Magazine, and reportedly interned at jewellery house Bulgari, during her time studying at Edinburgh university. Despite most of the royals keeping their private life off social media, Amelia is a big fan of Instagram and regularly shares glimpses at her glamorous life with her followers. While listening to music through white headphones, she donned yellow and green deck shoes and wore a red hair scrunchie around her wrist Her balayage blonde hair was loose around her shoulders and the royal went make-up free to show off her natural glowing complexion Lady Amelia has a blossoming following of 83,700 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts snaps from glamorous fashion events, as well as her adventures exploring trendy parts of the capital. Lady Amelia fled to her parents' house in Cambridge in late March, joining the Londoners escaping to visit their second homes at the start of the UK's coronavirus-related lockdown. She shared a snap of the city dated 23 March, a week after the government advised against all non-essential travel and fears mounted that capital dwellers could be spreading the disease across the country. Victim: Pat McCormicks body was dumped in a Co Down lake A woman is set to face prosecution for her alleged involvement in events surrounding the killing of a father-of-four whose body was dumped in a lake, it was confirmed today. Lesley-Ann Dodds, 22, is charged with aiding and abetting William Pat McCormick's murder and perverting the course of justice. Mr McCormick's body was discovered in a stretch of water in Ballygowan, Co Down in July last year. Despite decomposition, post-mortem examinations established the 55-year-old had sustained multiple rib fractures. He was last seen alive more than a month previously. David Gill, 27, of Ballyglighorn Road in Comber, Co Down, is currently in custody charged with carrying out the murder on May 30, 2019. Expand Close Lesley-Ann Dodds is accused of aiding the murder of Pat McCormick / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Lesley-Ann Dodds is accused of aiding the murder of Pat McCormick Police claim Dodds lured Mr McCormick to her flat in the town by a phone call on the night he died. At the time she was said to have been in a relationship with the victim, while also engaged to Gill. Both defendants deny the charges against them. The case against Dodds, now of Mountcollyer Avenue in Belfast, was mentioned on Thursday at Newtownards Magistrates' Court. Indicating an intention to seek a Crown Court trial, a prosecution lawyer confirmed: "It's proceeding on indictment." A three-week adjournment was granted to link in with Gill's case. District Judge Mark Hamill said a date for a preliminary enquiry will be fixed at that stage. Hanover: After 13 years of suspicion, setbacks and false sightings, investigators have turned the spotlight on a very unremarkable place in the hunt for the world's most famous missing person. Here, on an allotment squeezed between a busy road and river on the outskirts of the German city of Hanover, police officers, sniffer dogs, an excavator and ground-penetrating radars have spent three days searching for a break in a case that has captivated the world: who snatched British girl Madeleine McCann from her bed in Portugal in 2007? The allotment searched by police on the outskirts of Hanover, Germany. Credit:Getty Images The operation looks ominous but the excavation method - police dug up the ground and took away skip bins filled with dirt and debris - doesn't exactly look like the sort of painstaking, forensic method usually deployed in the search for a body. The search came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night after police packed up and abandoned the site. We don't know what they were looking for and whether the team left empty-handed. Were they actually looking for human remains? Evidence connected to Madeleine's abduction? Or something else entirely? Eastman Periodontics and Implants Celebrates Four Decades in Practice I was looking for quality, but I got more than that. I got quality, honesty, and integrity. The Eastman Periodontics and Implants team has now been providing high-quality and trusted periodontal care for 40 years. Esteemed periodontists, Drs. Lindsay Eastman, Christie Eastman-Craighead, and Justin Craighead have been honored to serve their community and look forward to not only continuing to offer honest periodontal care, but further their field with innovative techniques and minimally invasive alternatives. I was looking for quality, but I got more than that. I got quality, honesty, and integrity, says a long-time patient of Dr. Eastman. According to many, this practice offers an experience unlike many others; a personal one. Dr. Lindsay Eastman founded Lindsay B. Eastman, DDS, MS, PA in Bradenton, Florida in 1980. A periodontal specialist, he was already qualified to offer expert gum disease treatment, soft tissue grafting, and dental implant surgery, among other treatments. A life-long learner, he continues to expand his skillset with the latest techniques to ensure his patients receive the highest quality services that minimize pain, reduce healing times, and maximize the effectiveness of treatment. As a result, he was not only one of the first in the United States to be trained in computer-guided dental implant surgery, which takes the guesswork out of implant placement, but one of the first in his area to offer LANAP, the only FDA-cleared laser periodontal disease technique. Beyond what was taught to him, Dr. Eastman combined his training and certifications with practical experience to develop his own less invasive techniques including a unique approach to gum grafting that drastically reduces patients pain. Over the last 40 years, Dr. Eastman and his team have made significant advancements in their technology, their team, and their treatments. The PerioLase MVP-7 dental laser, cone beam CT scanner, OralDNA tests, Piezosurgery, and plasma rich growth factors all play their part in a transformational and comfortable treatment experience at Eastman Periodontics and Implants. In 2014 Dr. Eastman opened his second practice, Eastman Periodontics and Implants, in Lakewood Ranch, FL before two new periodontists, his daughter and son-in-law Drs. Christie Eastman-Craighead and Justin Craighead, joined the practice in 2016. In fact, Dr. Craighead is one of the only dual specialists in periodontics and prosthodontics in the state of Florida. Together this team of educators and distinguished periodontists has performed thousands of successful gum disease treatments, dental implant placements, and tooth extractions. A family practice, Dr. Eastmans team continues to provide the same patient-centered values that he founded the practice on. As Dr. Eastman stated, We will go above and beyond to make sure our patients are cared for. Thats what Im passionate about, coming to work and saying, lets make it a great day by changing a patients life. Those interested in receiving high-quality periodontal care from a team of respected periodontists can schedule a personalized appointment at either of their two locations in Bradenton or Lakewood Ranch, FL. More information on the treatments they offer or the technology they use can be found on their website at http://www.eastmanonline.com. About the Periodontists Eastman Periodontics and Implants was founded by Dr. Lindsay Eastman in 1980. Now with two locations in Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, FL, Dr. Eastman also has two associates, his daughter Dr. Christie Eastman-Craighead and his son-in-law Dr. Justin Craighead. Dr. Eastman is a respected authority in periodontology with experience implementing revolutionary techniques and developing ones of his own, he continually sets and surpasses the bar for periodontal care. A skilled and published periodontist, Dr. Eastman-Craighead received her Doctorate of Dental Medicine Degree and her Professional Certificate in Periodontics from the University of Florida. Dr. Craighead is both a periodontist and a prosthodontist, a feat rarely accomplished by clinicians across the country. The team at Eastman Periodontics and Implants blend the latest, minimally invasive technology with an honest approach to care. To learn more about these doctors, the services they offer, or their cutting-edge practice, visit http://www.eastmanonline.com or call 941-792-3899 for the Bradenton location or 941-351-3000 for the Lakewood Ranch location for a personalized consultation. Celebrities entertain us with their skills and charisma but the truth is that even they go through several highs and lows in life, while also dealing with the pressure of work at the same time. These actors act like a superhero on-screen but in reality, they sometimes battle serious diseases, behind the screens. We take a look at 8 celebrities who fought deadly diseases like a hero and came out victorious. 1. Amitabh Bachchan Twitter/Sr Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan is synonymous with the Shahenshah of Bollywood but when it comes to his health, he has gone through some major problems, especially at the beginning of his career. While shooting a scene for his movie Coolie, the actor ruptured his spleen. As per reports, he was announced clinically dead but as time passed, he recovered and even resumed filming after a year. He was yet again diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 1984 and he also slid into depression after that. However, the actor fought like a true hero and also overcame the deadly disease. 2. Saif Ali Khan Viral Bhayani Back in 2007, Saif Ali Khan was rushed stat to Lilavati Hospital as the actor complained of severe chest pain. As per doctors, he had a minor heart attack and was diagnosed with Myocardial Infractions, which happens to be hereditary in his family. After a proper routine of medication, the actor became fine but sadly, the condition did not cure to its fullest. 3. Hrithik Roshan Twitter/Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan gave a scare to his fans, in 2013, when he was diagnosed with a brain clot. While we already know that the actor has performed several dangerous stunts in his movies, turns out, that the excruciating headaches that happened at the time, led to the clot. His MRI had revealed that he had Chronic Subdural Haematoma, which is associated with brain injuries. 4. Anurag Basu Twitter/Anurag Basu Not many know this, but even the Barfi director Anurag Basu had a 50% chance of survival, after being diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia, a type of blood cancer. While admitted in the hospital, he wrote scripts for his movies like Gangster and Life In A Metro. The director was told he had only 2 months, and yet he fought like a true hero and came out stronger. 5. Shah Rukh Khan Twitter/Iamsrk Over the last 25 years, even the King of Bollywood has gone through several surgeries, but the actor's spirit remained undefeated. SRK has had eight surgeries to date and has gone through a lot of physical pain. But none of that has deterred his zeal and passion for entertaining us. 6. Rajinikanth Twitter/Rajinikanth_FC We call him Thalaiva for a reason. Rajinikanth was admitted in the hospital for fever and feeling breathless but turns out the actor was suffering from liver and lung infections. Rajinikanth fought the odds and proved that he is a Thalaiva, a leader. 7. Lisa Ray Facebook/Lisa_FC Canadian-Indian actress, Lisa Ray did a few movies at the beginning of her career but was later diagnosed with cancer of blood cells. The actress did not give up and fought the disease very bravely. In 2010, a year after being diagnosed she declared that she was cancer-free. 8. Salman Khan Twitter/Salman Khan Salman Khan too was admitted in hospital after being diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia, a disease in which a person experiences excruciating pain in the jaw as well as the face. The actor suffered serious pain due to this and yet he battled the condition courageously. As New Nautical Coatings positions itself to be the leading provider of specialty marine coatings, well managed financial operations and execution of strategic initiatives is critical to meeting the companys goals New Nautical Coatings, Inc., parent company of Sea Hawk Paints, Blue Water Marine Paints, Flexdel/Aquagard Paints and Hawk Epoxy today announced the appointment of Doug Laue to chief financial officer. Based at the companys headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, his responsibilities include overseeing all financial strategy, management, and reporting, as well as executing key business improvement initiatives. As New Nautical Coatings positions itself to be the leading provider of specialty marine coatings, well managed financial operations and execution of strategic initiatives is critical to meeting the companys goals, said Erik Norrie, New Nautical Coatings CEO. Doug brings over 20 years of successful contribution providing strategic, tactical and financially responsible leadership for top companies to this newly created position, making him the ideal person to join our executive team for the continued execution of our business strategies, Norrie added. Prior to joining New Nautical Coatings, Doug spent nine years as the CFO of Davidoff of Geneva, Inc. Before that he served as CFO of several businesses in Florida and Massachusetts and a manager at Ernst & Young LLP. Doug is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Dartmouth College Tuck Executive Program, and a certified public accountant. A trendsetter of marine bottom paints, New Nautical Coatings, Inc. was established in 1978 and is dedicated to bringing only the highest quality products and customer satisfaction to todays mariner. New Nautical Coatings is family owned and operated with a commitment to excellence. It provides a wide array of application specific marine coating products that include the Sea Hawk, Blue Water Marine, Flexdel/Aquagard, and Hawk Epoxy branded antifouling systems, primers, solvents, and resins. Now offering innovative products globally, New Nautical Coatings, Inc. has enjoyed unprecedented growth and continues to grow as its brands become more in demand worldwide. For more information, contact Michael O'Keene at (727) 523-8053 or visit http://www.newnauticalcoatings.com. A new book, titled 'Adomnans Lex Innocentium and the Laws of War' and published by a Birr author details what many would regard as the most notable single event in the history of Birr. The work of Jim Houlihan, the book tells the story of Lex Innocentium, also called the Law of the Innocents or Cain Adomnain. In one early source, the law is referred to as The Great Law of Birr and sought to protect civilians in time of war, making it as relevant today as it was in 697 AD, when it was enacted. The book is dedicated: To the people of Birr, from this generation to future generations, about something remarkable that happened in their native place many many generations ago. To the people of Ireland, so they may learn of one of the great treasures of their heritage. To the custodians of the Geneva Conventions, so they might know of and be inspired by one who went before them. Former state solicitor and retired member of local law firm, D.A. Houlihan & Son, Jim outlined to the Tribune where the premise for his new book came from. With a great interest in history, Jim became aware in the 1990s of this law and its enactment in Birr in 697 AD. I am interested in history but I hadn't realised it had happened in Birr. I also realised in 1997 it would be the 1300th anniversary of its enactment and I said we should do something to mark the occasion in some way. We got a committee together and organised a superb weekend of events in Birr to celebrate that. From there, Jim maintained a strong interest in this law and completed an MA and PhD on this subject, which he later adapted into his new book. The law of war refers to the component of international law that regulates the conditions of war (jus ad bellum) and the conduct of warring parties (jus in bello). The United Nations police one aspect while the International Red Cross monitors 'jus in bello'. So, Jim decided to treat this law from the point of view of a law of war. The reason being, the provision of it, was intended to protect women, children, clerics and other non arms bearing people in times of conflict. In later times, it began to deal solely with the protection of women. I then looked at it in the context of its place within the laws of war. Was it the first law, the last one, the middle one? Where did it come in? Jim decided to also look at where this law comes into the history of the laws of war. I expected to find laws similar in Greek, Roman and even early Christian times but the fact is that I couldn't find anything, he noted. According to the author, he could only find one historian, who knew about this law and he wasn't aware that its terms could be checked and were available to examine. Outside of Ireland, nobody knows anything about this law. And in Ireland, it is only treated by historians in passing but there has been hardly anything in-depth about it. Anyway, having gone into considerable detail, I came to the final conclusion: it was the first and only law in the Western world for the protection of civilians, innocents in the first Millennium of the Christian era. Jim also had an article on this law published in the International Review of the Red Cross where his main case was that Adomnan, the abbot of Iona, who came to Birr to enact this law, should be rightly and properly regarded as the father of international humanitarian law. Yes, it is a sweeping statement but that is what the book is all about, Jim continued. The writer explained he could see from Adomnans other writings that he had a deep concern for innocents and when he came to Birr in 697 AD, it would have the greatest of occasions in the history of Birr. There is a list of 91 names, who guaranteed the law, at the time and this, according to Jim, is a pretty unique document to have so much detail of a meeting in Ireland so long ago. It was this incredible occasion where the law was enacted, he enthused. Unfortunately, there are no details on whether the law had the effect that was intended as in those days, the Irish legal system didn't record judgements like it does today. We don't know but there are mentions of it right down through the centuries here and there, Jim pointed out. There is also a copy of the law, made in the 1600s by Micheal O Cleirigh (c. 1590 1643), the chief author of the Annals of the Four Masters, which is available in Brussels and Jim has been to visit this vital document. Looking to the future, Jim said he would like to see Birr recognised as an early Geneva and to see a monument somewhere in the town to mark this significance of this Meanwhile, the author thanked Offaly Heritage for their assistance towards the cost of producing this fascinating book and it's available to purchase at offalyhistory.com, or direct from the publishers www.fourcourtspress.ie/books Coalition urges Congress to extend and expand provisions that allow school districts to feed millions of children. A high-profile coalition of educators, activists and philanthropists including the American Federation of Teachers, the NAACP and the charity World Central Kitchen is urging Congress to extend and expand emergency provisions that allow school districts nationwide to feed millions of children during the coronavirus pandemic. We are urging you to rapidly pass legislation to address the nations hunger crisis, the group writes in a letter. This is a national humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action and innovation across several fronts. The July 6 letter is addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy. It was given to The Associated Press on Thursday in an attempt to apply pressure on lawmakers for action on the HEROES Act. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents 1.7 million school employees, told the AP she and the signatories are hoping for immediate help and a long-term, structural rethinking of food in America. In a terrible pandemic with terrible unemployment, with terrible food insecurity, why are we not doing more? she asked. It really is reimagining our public assets, our public institutions, to be a real safety net for people. Amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, school lunch worker Brenda Alexander prepares to distribute meals at an apartment complex in Dallas, Texas [AP Photo/LM Otero] [Daylife] Another signatory, chef Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, which has distributed 35 million meals since the pandemic began, said: We need to go bold. If we dont go bold now, when? The pandemic has killed more than 150,000 people in the United States, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It has closed schools and businesses and devastated the economy, costing tens of millions of people their jobs. President Donald Trump has pushed for schools to reopen even threatening to withhold federal funds from districts that remain closed despite health officials concerns about spreading the deadly virus. During the pandemic, the US Department of Agriculture has issued a series of waivers to make it easier for schools and community organisations to serve free meals through federal nutrition programmes. These waivers have allowed for a variety of innovative strategies, such as drive-through pick-up of childrens meals by adults, lifting area eligibility rules to reach more families and distributing multiple days meals at once. The group is pushing the Republican-led Senate and Trump to adopt the HEROES Act, which extends unemployment benefits to some workers and expands the rules under which school districts can distribute food during emergencies. The measure has already been passed by the Democratic-led House. The coalition also is seeking a 15 percent increase in food stamp assistance, also known as SNAP, and an extension of the programme that allows children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school to get extra food benefits. The letter was signed by a broad coalition of advocates and social groups, including the Hispanic Federation, the National Immigration Law Center, the Emerson Collective, Share Our Strength and Hunger Free America. A family picking up school lunches served out of a school bus at an apartment complex in Dallas, Texas [AP Photo/LM Otero] The coalitions letter points out that six in 10 students in California and Kentucky are eligible for federally subsidised meals, while in New York the number is just under half of all students. Pelosi and McCarthy represent California, McConnell represents Kentucky and Schumer is from New York. Andres told the AP he hopes $900m can be set aside for school meals and waivers can be extended for poor families. But he also argued that money needs to be invested long term in farmers to bring them into the equation. I dont think we want to see images of an America with long lines of cars waiting for their weekly box of vegetables and fruits. This shouldnt be happening, he said. Lets try a 360-degree, three-dimensional approach. The coalition said it believes that schools with often the biggest kitchen in the neighbourhood should be transformed into community kitchens during moments of crisis. Theres so much food insecurity in the country right now, why cant we more robustly use school kitchens in conjunction with restaurants and other places? Weingarten asked. Andres said school meals should not be political. There are hungry children in red and blue states, he said. But he specifically called out McConnell for not tackling food issues in the Senate or his own state. Im expecting better from a leader like him, Andres said. In response, a representative for McConnell said on Thursday the senator was proud to have to helped shepherd $25bn in food assistance into law earlier this year as part of the CARES Act. The representative also pointed to comments McConnell made to PBS on Wednesday in which he said making sure children are well-fed is extremely important. More ratings numbers are in and it shows Ninja Warrior (848,000) and Farmer Wants a Wife (754,000) are slugging it out in the Reality race. Bachelor in Paradise (517,000) takes some comfort in topping the younger demo. Seven: 28.4 Nine: 28.1 10: 18.3 ABC: 17.1 SBS: 8.1 Timeslot wins: The Chase: 681,000 / 482,000 Seven News: 1.24m / 1.18m A Current Affair: 860,000 Australian Ninja Warrior: 848,000 Have You Been Paying Attention?: 597,000 You can read more here OzTAM Update: Nielsen have advised the good news that they expect to release an additional day of data at 3pm today, which is earlier than anticipated. As a result, they expect the Overnight TV ratings service will return to normal as of tomorrow (31 July) a day ahead of schedule. The amended timetable is as follows which will include the corresponding Consolidated data : Today (Thursday, July 30th): 9am Data release for 27 July 12noon Data release for 28 July 3pm Data release for 29 July Tomorrow (Friday, July 31st): Return to normal delivery schedule (9am data release for 30 July) We extend our thanks for your patience while Nielsen worked through the issues of the past week. Health minister Raghu Sharma said on Wednesday that plasma therapy has proved effective in defeating coronavirus (Covid-19) in the state. There is a need for plasma to treat serious patients of coronavirus disease, said the minister, appealing corona survivors to donate plasma. He said plasma donation is the great act of kindness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sharma said that treating serious corona patients with plasma therapy was started at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur and it has been 100% successful. Permission has been sought from ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) to start treatment with plasma therapy at other medical colleges, he said. At present, patients are being treated with plasma therapy and given new life at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota and Udaipur, the minister said. Sharma said that soon Bikaner and Ajmer will get permission to start treatment with plasma therapy. He said micro-level planning is being done by the government to start plasma therapy at hospitals in each district headquarters. He said all this would become effective when more and more survivors donate plasma. He said that the government, understanding the importance of plasma therapy, has set up Plasma Bank at SMS Hospital. He said that there will be no weakness or any problem after donating plasma and with this, lives of many people could be saved. According to the medical experts, any person aged between 18 and 60, who was tested corona positive through RT-PCR test having symptoms of fever and cough and has turned negative after treatment of 14 days, can donate plasma. The health minister said that at present the biggest problem is corona infected people not having any symptoms. The top priority is to identify asymptomatic people and treat them. He said that the government would buy 12,000 pulse oximeters to identify such people. He said that if asymptomatic people are identified on time, spread of corona infection could be controlled to a great extent. Sharma said that although compared to the country, the spread of coronavirus infection in Rajasthan is less, but it could be stopped by remaining alert and cautious. He said that all the district collectors have been directed to impose local lockdown as per the requirement, but it is not the complete solution. He said that the increasingly vicious circle of the virus could be broken if the general public follow the protocol that is not to go out without any important work; wear a mask while going out; avoid going to crowded places and frequently wash hands with soap. A doctor on a coronavirus ward has realized he 'cannot save everybody' as deaths mount in Texas. Dr Joseph Varon, 58, is the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston and has been battling to save COVID-19 patients since February. 'I'm afraid that at some point in time I'm going have to make some very serious decisions,' he said. 'I'm starting to get the idea that I cannot save everybody.' Dr Varon tends to around 40 patients every day and has signed more death certificates in the last week than at any point in his career. Many of those in Varon's COVID-19 unit needed nasal tubes to help them breathe and some required intubation - where a tube is inserted through the neck into the windpipe. Jonnie Harrison, 70, sleeps in a bed next to her husband Riley Harrison, 67, at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, on July 25 Dr Joseph Varon (pictured checking his phone after getting home from work), 58, is the chief medical officer at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston and has been battling to save COVID-19 patients since February Dr Varon hugs Christina Mathers, 43, a nurse from his team who became infected with COVID while working at the hospital During one afternoon at work the physician and his team rushed to resuscitate a patient, performing CPR on the man who was later pronounced dead. Medical personnel covered his body in white sheets and wrapped it in a biohazard bag. As the coronavirus pandemic shows little signs of abating healthcare workers on the frontlines often fall prey to the virus that has killed around 150,000 people in the United States. Varon's team is no exception. Christina Mathers, a 43-year-old nurse at UMMC, was told she tested positive for COVID-19 last week after she reported feeling ill during her shift. Dr Varon tends to around 40 patients every day and has signed more death certificates in the last week than at any point in his career. Pictured, talking to his wife Sarah after getting home from work 'That's the hardest thing to ever hear... It messes with you,' said Mathers, who has been working every other day since April 29. 'But I wouldn't go anywhere else but here.' Varon said dealing with the virus has been incredibly challenging for medical professionals. 'Throughout my life, I have been in major disasters,' he said. 'Nothing has been as difficult to deal with (as) COVID.' One of those disasters was when Varon worked as a hospital intern during an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. Riley Harrison, 67, said he started feeling out of breath at work and struggled to get enough air in his lungs to call his wife, who also tested positive for the virus. Now, they are both hospitalized at UMMC. During one afternoon at work the physician and his team rushed to resuscitate a patient, performing CPR on the man who was later pronounced dead Flor Trevino, 39, a nurse, prepares a body to be transported to a morgue after they died during an intubation procedure 'I couldn't breathe,' Riley said in a whisper as oxygen flowed through tubes in his nose. 'If you got a death wish, play with COVID.' Medical experts and officials have been sounding the alarm on the growing number of young people who are falling ill with COVID-19, warning they should not discount it as a virus dangerous for elderly people alone. Eighteen-year-old Larissa Raudales had trouble breathing and said her lungs hurt when she was taken to UMMC. With medication, she was starting to feel better. 'I was terrified... I thought I couldn't breathe anymore,' she said. 'I just thought I was going to practically die right there.' Riley Harrison, 67, who has been hospitalized with COVID-19, lies on a hospital bed as he watches television A death note written by Dr Varon about a COVID-19 patient who died while being intubated Dr Varon wore personal protective equipment (PPE), as he checked on COVID-19 patients at the Texas hospital on July 10 Texas, along with California and Florida, has emerged as one of the new national hot spots. So far in July, the state has more than doubled its cases to more than 400,000 total. Deaths rose by 32 per cent, or more than 1,000 lives lost, in the last week alone. But lately the number of new cases has slowed and hospitalized COVID-19 patients are down from record highs. Dr. David Persse, the health authority for the Houston Health Department, said hospitals in the area were 'struggling' as they dealt with a shortage of personnel to tackle a crisis that has been dragging out for months. 'The people who work in hospitals are exhausted... It takes a physical and an emotional toll on you,' he said. 'It's not always been pretty but it's been functional, and this is why we call it a disaster.' Fleabag's 'Hot Priest' Andrew Scott has been admitted to hospital for surgery. The actor, 34, is undergoing minor surgery, which has forced the live-streamed theatre show in which he stars, to be halted. The Irish star was due to front five performances of Three Kings, from July 29 to August 1, but the Old Vic theatre confirmed the remaining productions would be rescheduled. Oh no! Fleabag's 'Hot Priest' Andrew Scott has been rushed to hospital for minor surgery A tweet said: 'We are sorry to let you know that Andrew Scott is now in hospital to undergo minor surgery and we therefore need to reschedule this week's performances of #OVInCamera #OVThreeKings. 'The issue isn't serious (or COVID-19 related) and we are expecting Andrew to have a speedy recovery. He sends his love and apologies and says he'll see everyone next week.' MailOnline has contacted Andrew Scott's representatives for comment. Star of the stage: The production is part of the In Camera series, which the theatre says is 'crucial in igniting the box office Halted: The actor, 34, is undergoing surgery, which has forced the live-streamed theatre show, in which he stars, to be suspended The production is part of the In Camera series, which the theatre says is 'crucial in igniting the box office now all our usual channels of revenue have been entirely wiped out'. Stephen Beresford penned the new play about 'fathers and sons, the gifts and burdens of inheritance, and the unfathomable puzzle of human relationships'. The production, directed by The Old Vic's artistic director Matthew Warchus, is being streamed live from the stage, with the empty auditorium as a backdrop, for just five performances. The Old Vic says its In Camera series is a 'creative experiment and also crucial in igniting the box office now all our usual channels of revenue have been entirely wiped out and we fight to preserve this beloved theatre for our audiences, surrounding schools and communities, staff, crew, and the myriad of writers, performers and creatives that work with us'. The famous theatre remains closed to the public. However, the Government has announced that indoor performances with socially-distanced live audiences will be allowed, subject to the success of pilots, from August 1. Adapting: The production, directed by The Old Vic's artistic director Matthew Warchus, is being streamed live from the stage Andrew shot to worldwide fame as the 'Hot Priest' in critically-acclaimed drama Fleabag, alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Despite earning huge support from fans, The Priest and Fleabag's romance came to an end when he decided to maintain his faith in the series' final episode. The show was also beloved by fans for Phoebe's breaking of the fourth wall in scenes, which Andrew said would cause fans to 'scream in their living rooms.' Later this year Andrew is also set to star in Showtime's adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith classic The Talented Mr Ripley about the famous conman who manipulates his way to the top of London society. The acclaimed actor added that despite doubts, he believes viewers can adapt to intellectual pieces of television in the newfound era of binging and box sets. Along with his role in Fleabag, Andrew is also renowned for his performance as Jim Moriarty in Sherlock opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. Two violent encounters between motorists and racial-justice demonstrators are the latest in a string of incidents that have left activists injured or dead, in some cases attracting criticism that police and prosecutors are not taking such threats seriously enough. Two violent encounters between motorists and racial-justice demonstrators are the latest in a string of incidents that have left activists injured or dead, in some cases attracting criticism that police and prosecutors are not taking such threats seriously enough. Authorities in Aurora, Colorado, and Austin, Texas -where the weekend incidents occurred - have not filed charges against the motorists who engaged with protesters. They say the cases highlight the difficulties they often face in trying to unravel these incidents, which are often clouded by claims of self-defence or lost or disoriented drivers. "Right now, we are getting co-operation only from one side, the Jeep driver," said Matthew Longshore, the public information officer for the Aurora Police Department. "He is telling us his Jeep was surrounded. He felt threatened, and felt he was going to get injured, so he needed to get out of there." Austin police released a statement saying they are trying to reconcile eyewitness accounts that offer "different versions of the incident". Since the eruption of coast-to-coast protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in late May, dozens of motorists have been recorded driving their vehicles into marchers on city streets or highways. The encounters have produced videos of protesters leaping to safety or being rammed by vehicles, the latest sign of the nation's political and cultural division. Researcher Ari Weil, of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) at the University of Chicago, has documented 75 cases of drivers moving into protests between May 27 and July 7 - 68 involving civilians and seven involving law enforcement. Prosecutors had filed charges in 33 of those cases, with drivers accused of recklessness or felony assault and, in one case, facing a state hate-crime charge. Mr Weil, the deputy research director at CPOST, said the use of vehicles as weapons has characteristics of the attacks that Islamist extremists urged followers to embrace over the past decade. In recent years, Mr Weil has seen white-supremacist groups in the United States embrace and share memes that glorify the use of cars against protesters, some of which refer to the 2017 killing of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Ms Heyer died after a self-avowed white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd that had gathered to oppose a Unite the Right rally. The incidents highlight just how dangerous some protests have become, including demonstrators now arming themselves to try to self-police their events. "A protester has to be protected the same way that a citizen who is just walking down the street and gets attacked would be protected by law enforcement," said Chris Stewart, a civil rights attorney in Atlanta. "So, if someone is using a deadly weapon which is a car, it would be mind-boggling that they wouldn't be charged because a vehicle is a weapon." But Mr Stewart said he doubts that the Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr has the political will to take on any of these cases as hate-crime or civil rights violations. "I can barely get the Department of Justice involved in my cases of outright murder on video of black men," Mr Stewart said. "So they darn sure are not going to get involved in these." Vehicle intrusions re-emerged with deadly consequences over the weekend as demonstrators came out to oppose President Donald Trump's deployment of federal agents to Portland, Oregon. On Saturday, gunfire erupted in Austin and Aurora when motorists and protesters encountered one another. In Austin, a motorist shot and killed a demonstrator who had been carrying an assault rifle. Some Austin protesters had begun arming themselves because they had been seeing armed counter-protesters, said Iana Witham (35) who knew the shooting victim. In Aurora, two protesters were wounded during a march on an interstate highway. The shooting happened after a motorist in a Jeep drove into the demonstrators, apparently prompting a protester to start shooting to get the driver to stop. ( Washington Post) Washington Post Despite his massive success, fashion designer Tan Francecan relate to 27-year-old Chloe Potter, who lives paycheck to paycheck and spends her spare time growing her side hustle, which she started from her apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before he became known as the fashion expert on Netflix's hit series "Queer Eye," France launched his clothing brand, Kingdom & State, from his apartment. For two and a half years, "I shipped from my apartment, I did all my office work from my apartment, I pretended I had three employees, so I had three different emails, just so I seemed more legit," the 37-year-old tells CNBC Make It while reacting to a Millennial Money episode featuring Potter. Potter, who worked at a start-up in Charlotte and was making $38,000 a year as of August 2019, founded a small-batch coffee roasting company, Levitate, in June 2018. Currently, she's living in Florida with family and working at a coffee shop in Fort Lauderdale. Her long-term goal is to open her own coffee shop. Right now, she's not concerned about Levitate making money. "I don't expect to profit from my business until at least three to four years in," she told CNBC Make It last year. That's similar to the mindset France had when he started his fashion brand in his early 20s. If you're self-funding your business, you probably shouldn't be paying yourself "for quite some time," he says. "I waited three years to start paying myself. I had a job on the side that paid for my cost of living, but as far as my business was concerned, every penny that I earned went back into the business. That's, in my opinion, how you build a sustainable business." The 2020 Campaign team of former President John Dramani Mahama is asking Ghanaians to ignore the comical games by Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to divert attention from the important things that matter to Ghanaians. This follows Bawumia's recent post on social media in which he adduced 50 reasons to back his claim that President Nana Akufo-Addo has been a better President than Mr Mahama. A statement issued by the Mahama campaign team signed by spokesperson James Agyenim-Boateng, on Thursday, 30 July 2020, said: This deliberate and comical attempt by Dr Bawumia to divert attention is as a result of the immense pressure he has come under after paling into insignificance following the selection of Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as running mate to Mr John Mahama in the December 2020 elections. The Mahama team said: Prof Opoku-Agyemangs sterling presentation at Mondays ceremony in Accra, where she was out-doored as running mate, and her understanding of the challenges confronting our country, as well as her realistic and concrete achievable policy response to some of these challenges have clearly unsettled the Vice-President. Read full statement below: IGNORE BAWUMIAS DIVERSIONARY ANTICS We have become aware of a Facebook post by Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, who is the Chairman of the Governments Economic Management Team (EMT), which clearly seeks to divert attention from the pressing issues that are engaging Parliament and the people of Ghana in relation to the 2020 Mid-Year Budget Review under section 28 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921). This deliberate and comical attempt by Dr Bawumia to divert attention is as a result of the immense pressure he has come under after paling into insignificance following the selection of Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as running mate to Mr John Mahama in the December 2020 elections. Prof Opoku-Agyemangs sterling presentation at Mondays ceremony in Accra, where she was out-doored as running mate, and her understanding of the challenges confronting our country, as well as her realistic and concrete achievable policy response to some of these challenges have clearly unsettled the Vice-President. While Dr Bawumia prefers to focus on his maligned economic analysis, Prof Opoku-Agyemang has chosen to focus on the critical issues of the economy, which bother on the quality of life of Ghanaians. It is instructive for the Vice-President, who is the head of the EMT, to note that there is a vast difference between economics and the economy. While economics focuses on the vexed matter of indicators, the economy focuses on measures aimed at improving the quality of life of the people, such as reducing child mortality, improving access to quality education, improved healthcare delivery, maternal mortality, creating equal opportunity and sustainable jobs. It is obvious that this elevated level of political discourse leading into the 2020 election is one that Dr Bawumia is ill-equipped to deal with and he is, therefore, desperately forcing his status quo to remain. While it is important to digitise and improve the quality of public service delivery, it is not a substitute for the difficult task of building infrastructure and social systems to anchor the development of the country. There are, therefore, measures to determine the success or otherwise of digitisation and public service improvement. The World Banks Ease of Doing Business Report and the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) are internationally-accepted standards of measuring how effective supposed improvements have impacted service delivery. Ironically, while the Vice-President continues to tout his so-called digitisation agenda, the capacity of the public sector to support the private sector to improve Ghanas business environment has consistently worsened. On the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia, Ghana recorded its worst Ease of Doing Business ranking of 120 in 2017, moving from 108 in 2016. The 2019 ranking puts Ghana at 118. While President Mahamas worst performance was 114 in 2015, it is important to note that President Akufo-Addos best performance, with Dr Bawumia as the head of the EMT, is 114 in 2018. Put simply, Akufo-Addo and Bawumias best record on the Ease of Doing Business ranking does not even surpass Mahamas worst record on that ranking. Unlike the Ease of Doing Business Report, where the lower the ranking the better it is for a country, the CPI is the reverse, such that the higher the ranking, the better. A very important principle and objective of digitisation in public service delivery improvement is to eliminate human interference and thereby reduce the opportunities for corruption by public officers. Therefore, one would have expected that Dr Bawumias digitisation agenda would lead to an improvement in Ghanas CPI rankings. Sadly, that is not the case. Ghana recorded its worst CPI ranking of 40 in 2017 and only improved slightly to 41 in 2019. Mr Mahamas worst was 43 in 2016 and 47 in 2015. Here again, the Mahama administrations worst record of 43 in 2016 on the CPI ranking is better than that of Akufo-Addos best record of 41 in 2019. From the presentation of the 2020 Mid-Year Budget Review by the Minister of Finance and the on-going debate in Parliament, we have made the following observations, which require the urgent attention of the Vice-President and Chairman of the EMT: 1. The people of Ghana want to know how the Akufo-Addo government spent over 11 billion Ghana cedis on COVID-19 without any meaningful improvement in the fight against the spread of the virus. For example, medical doctors, nurses and other health professionals consistently lament the inadequacy of Personal Protective Equipment, leading to some of them needlessly being infected and dying of COVID-19. 2. Ghanaians want to know how the government spent 54.3 million Ghana cedis on food packages in less than 3 weeks of lockdown in selected parts of the country, especially when many vulnerable people say that they did not benefit. 3. The government has failed to explain to Ghanaians how it provided parallel fiscal numbers to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank; in December 2019 (as part of the Article IV consultations), which differed from what the Minister of Finance was requesting Parliament to approve at the time; and in March and May 2020 when the government presented the same parallel fiscal numbers simultaneously to Parliament and the IMF negotiating team at the time the government applied for the US$1 billion COVID-19 Rapid Credit Facility (RCF), which represents 100% of Ghanas allowable quota for borrowing from the Fund. 4. It is important to point out that borrowing to the limit of Ghanas 100% quota from the IMF implies that Ghana has hit its borrowing limit with the Fund, at least for the time being. 5. We note further that the figures presented to the IMF show that the government has been in breach of the 5% budget deficit ceiling stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982) as follows: - 2018 (7%) 2019 (7.5%) 2020 (projected to be 14% which includes only 2.5% as extra COVID-19 expenditure). 6. That the disparity in these parallel fiscal numbers from 2017 to 2020 between the Government of Ghana and the IMF are the results of consistently treating the energy sector arrears and the banking sector bail out costs as footnotes in the appendices to the budgets (or not showing them at all as in 2017 and 2020). 7. The 2020 Mid-Year Budget Review shows that the increase in the projected budget deficit from 4.7% to an estimated 14% includes only 2.5% of COVID-19 expenditure. Therefore, the substantial increase relates to non-COVID expenditure, which the government has failed to explain. 8. By not making the distinction between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 expenditure in the Mid-Year Budget Review, the Akufo-Addo government is simply deceiving Ghanaians that all the exponential budget deficit, loans and expenditure for 2020 are attributable to COVID-19. This is most unfortunate because the government is simply using COVID-19 to cover up its reckless management of the huge taxes and loans. It is regrettable that at this juncture, the reputation of Ghana is at stake, particularly as global institutions such as the World Bank, Fitch, Moodys and Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) have all made disclosures, which are consistent with the IMFs revision. Dr Bawuimas Facebook post is just an attempt to distract public attention from the very woeful economic performance that has been exhibited by the Akufo-Addo government in the 2020 Mid-Year Budget Review. It is even more shocking to observe that at a time when the nation is confronted by such serious economic issues, which have forced the government to borrow to its very quota limit from the IMF, Dr Bawumia would still have some spare time to take to social media to engage in his trade mark comical, frivolous, ludicrous, outrageous and diversionary antics. Finally, the point must be emphasised that when the story of the Akufo-Addo government is told, it will be a litany of lies, falsehood, deceit, dishonesty and manipulation of figures under the auspices of Dr Bawumia as Chairman of the EMT. The Attorney General has opined that there is no obligation on the central government to pay the GST compensation shortfall to states and the GST Council has to decide on ways to make good any shortfall, sources said. After the GST Council's meeting in March, the Centre had sought views from Attorney General K K Venugopal -- who is the chief legal officer of the government -- on the legality of market borrowing by the council to make good any shortfall in the compensation fund. The AG in his view said there is no obligation on the central government to pay the GST compensation ... New Delhi, 30 July : The Delhi Police claimed to have solved a case of cheating with the arrest of one person in Surat, Gujarat. According to the police, a retired school vice-principal was duped of Rs 1,05,000 from his pension account. A person, posing as an executive officer of Paytm, asked him on phone to share his card number and four-digit card verification value (CVV) for updating his Paytm KYC (know your customer) details, in Jamia Nagar of southeast Delhi. During the investigation, details of bank account, Paytm, mobile phone and IP address of transaction were collected and the district cyber cell team succeeded in tracing the accused Abdur Rehman, 32, in Surat. On July 27, the police arrested him from his house. He accomplice is absconding. Interestingly, a day after Rehman's arrest the entire cheated money was deposited in the complainant's bank account by a relative of the accused. During interrogation, Rehman said he was jobless. Two years ago, he came in contact with one Tahir, also from Surat, and started committing online fraud. After the crime, they shared the money equally, said R.P. Meena, DCP, South East Delhi. A bill to permanently allow outdoor drinking in Atlantic City is headed to the governors office. The New Jersey Senate unanimously passed S-1591 Thursday (39-0), allowing for the creation of specific outdoor properties as open container areas. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) will determine what areas within the citys Tourism District will be designated open container areas, opening the possibilities that areas along the beach and boardwalk could see beer and mixed drinks being downed by residents and tourists over the age of 21. In June, a companion bill (A299) was unanimously approved by the state Assembly (78-0). Outdoor alcohol consumption was temporarily allowed in Atlantic City after Mayor Marty Small Sr., a Democrat, signed an executive order in June. The city issued the order to help establishments bring in some revenue after the coronavirus cut a lot of income into restaurants and bars. The executive order was scheduled to end after the state of emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic was terminated by the state. However, the new bill would make outdoor consumption permanent. With our bars and restaurants relying on outdoor dining and take out to make ends meet and keep our families employed, this bi-partisan bill enhancing our guests vacation experience will help our mom and pop hospitality businesses get through this challenging time and thrive down the road, Senator Chris Brown, a R-Linwood, told NJ Advance Media. Brown, along with Senator James Beach, D-Burlington and Camden, were co-sponsors of the Senate bill. While the city has a temporary open container order in place now, to implement it permanently could completely transform Atlantic Citys Tourism District, Beach said. Especially during the warmer months, and even into the fall, this would make Atlantic City a much more attractive destination, setting it apart from other Shore towns along the east coast. Small Sr. told NJ Advance Media he was pleased the legislature passed the corresponding bills. I thank the legislature for passing the permanent law for Atlantic City, Small Sr. said. My administration was extremely proactive in getting that done for now via executive order. The businesses and visitors are happy, and I know that we can execute this in the city of Atlantic City. It gives an extra amenity when you are on the Atlantic City boardwalk and other areas where it is allowable. The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Phil Murphy and awaiting his signature. A Murphy spokeswoman declined to comment on pending legislation. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 05:13:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran Wednesday recorded 2,636 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections to 298,909. Meanwhile, a Chinese association based in Turkey donated 50,000 facial masks to a nursing home in Istanbul. Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said the pandemic has so far claimed the lives of 16,343 Iranians, up by 196 in the past 24 hours. Besides, 259,116 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 4,027 remain in critical condition. A Chinese association based in Turkey donated 50,000 surgical filter masks to a local nursing home in Istanbul on Wednesday as a sign of solidarity with the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the Turkey branch of the China Peaceful Unification Association delivered the masks to the Istanbul Directorate of Almshouse officials during a ceremony. The almshouse belonging to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been hosting 700 elderlies in its compound located on the Asian side of the city. Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases rose to 272,590 with the registration of 1,759 new infections. The recoveries increased to 228,569 with the reporting of 2,945 newly recovered cases, and the death toll reached 2,816 with the reporting of 27 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday embarked on the first day of their Hajj rituals in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims started the major Islamic pilgrimage after finishing four days of hotel isolation in Mecca and prior to that a week-long quarantine at home, as part of the preventative measures to guard against COVID-19. Turkey confirmed 942 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections to 228,924, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. Meanwhile, 14 people died from the virus, taking the death toll to 5,659, and the total recoveries rose to 212,557, he said. Turkey will impose no further restrictions against COVID-19 for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, Koca said but urged citizens to take precautions. "Celebrate the Eid by phone and please visit graveyards after Eid," the minister told reporters at a press conference following a meeting with the Coronavirus Science Board. He urged the public not to kiss, shake hands or hug each other during the holiday and asked people to stay in the livestock markets as little as possible. In Iraq, the Health Ministry recorded 2,968 new cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, and 68 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,603. About 2,399 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 83,461. Iraqi Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili said on Wednesday that the country will witness a new wave of COVID-19 infections. "The infections are still high and Iraq is still in the first wave of COVID-19 infections," al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA). Al-Jumaili attributed the expected new wave to the absence of anti-coronavirus drugs, as well as the lack of compliance of the citizens with the preventive measures, according to INA. Kuwait reported 754 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 65,903 and the death toll to 444, the Health Ministry said in a statement. The ministry also announced the recovery of 786 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 56,467. Egypt registered 409 daily new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 93,356, and the death toll from the disease rose to 4,728 after 37 fatalities were added. Israel recorded the highest daily hike in COVID-19 infections with 2,006 new cases confirmed, taking the total confirmed cases to 68,299. The death toll in Israel rose to 491 after five new fatalities were added. Oman reported 665 new coronavirus cases, raising the tally of infections to 78,569, including 412 deaths. In Morocco, the tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 22,213 with 826 new infections recorded in the past 24 hours, while the death toll rose to 334. Palestine recorded on Wednesday 520 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the deadly virus in the Palestinian territories to 14,458 with 82 deaths. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 375 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 59,921. The death toll remained 347 and 297 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 53,202. The Qatari health ministry announced 273 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 110,153. Meanwhile, 246 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 106,849, while the death toll increased by two to 169 in Qatar. Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 182 cases to 4,202 while the death toll went up by one to 55. Enditem Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. South Africa, 30 Jul 2020 - Social media tools are highly popular in this advanced world, and social platforms like Facebook, youtube, Instagram, TikTok, and much more used by many entrepreneurs to improve business growth as social media has a great level of power that can help to enhance the business efficiently. Social media platforms used by every individual around the globe to boost the business, and some individuals also use it for fun. There are many individuals who use social networking tools to get popular as soon as possible. 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Website : https://buysocialmediamarketing.com/ EMAIL: hello@buysocialmediamarketing.com An 80-acre holding near Macroom in West Cork was successfully sold by public auction last week at the Castle Hotel by local agent Killian Lynch. The farm last featured on these pages on the 7th of July last is the townland of Scrahan, 4km west of the Gaeltacht village of Coolea, 8km from Ballymakeera village and a 20-minute drive from Macroom. Another nearby point of interest is The Top of Coom Irelands highest pub, which is just 5km away. This farm also formed part of a larger holding that was for sale back in Autumn 2018. As one of the first public auctions to take place in Munster since the end of the lockdown, there were plenty of eyes focused on this even to see what would ensue and a good turnout was evident on the day in the Castle Hotel, in spite of the continuing Covid crisis. The residential holding featured a traditional farmhouse in need of complete renovation, along with a range of outbuildings. The property is divided into three separate sections and includes arable grazing lands as well as mountain land that could be used for forestry. Keen interest was expected from both farming and non-farming sectors and the property was pitched (rather conservatively as it turned out) at 275,000 (3,400/acre). According to the man wielding the gavel on the day, the opening bid of 270,000 was already very close to the guide price. A number of bids quickly ensued from three active bidders, bringing the price up to 345,000. There was a short recess, after which the farm was declared on the market. The bidding resumed with two active bidders remaining and the hammer came down on a final selling price of 380,000 a price which was, incidentally, considerably higher than the price guide on the original 127-acre holding two years ago. It was 105,000 above the guide price and translated as 4,750 per acre. Killian described the result at a great outcome. According to the auctioneer, it was a neighbouring party who was the happy purchaser and the farm was an outside farm belonging to one happy vendor I believe that the bidders were all of a farming background. PONTOON BEACH Madison County Transit will receive $12.5 million as part of the federal CARES Act to offset the cost of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao made the announcement as part of a larger funding package for mass transit agencies under the CARES Act, the first stimulus package to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nations public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them, Chao said. MCT Managing Director SJ Morrison said the money would be going toward a wide variety of expenses, ranging from safety-related improvements to general operating cost. He said it will help pay for all the transit districts personal protective equipment, additional cleaning and sanitizing equipment, and staffing. We have retrofitted our buses with Plexiglas barriers for the drivers, he said. There has been signage; we have bought air purifiers for our facilities. Those expenses have mounted quickly. We know many of our nations public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19, said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency. In addition to safety equipment and personnel costs, Morrison said the money can also be used for some capital and operating expenses. We are a public body that depends on tax revenue, he said. We are going to be using some of these funds to offset revenue losses. He noted that, in addition to less tax revenue, ridership is down and for several months MCT was operating a fareless system to minimize personal contact between the drivers and passengers. He said they may also consider capital improvements related to permanent changes required by new safety and sanitizing standards, as well as permanent equipment to do those operations. Morrison said those changes would have to be considered by the board. Whats been tricky about this is that all along, weve been learning as we go, he added. And thats not just MCT; its the world. He noted that at first much of the discussion was about sanitizing surfaces. Then it was, Wait a minute, its airborne, so we have to get masks and filters, Morrison said. We have done our best to keep up with the guidance form the CDC, IDPH. Madison County Health Department has been very helpful. He also praised federal legislators for making the funds available. Several of them touted the funding announcement. Madison County has been one of the communities hit hardest by COVID-19 in Southern Illinois, said U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. This funding will help Madison County Transit respond to the ongoing pandemic and keep both public transit employees and customers safe. Essential workers rely on bus services in Madison County to get them to their jobs, said U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville. This funding from the Department of Transportation will help ensure their commutes and travels remain as safe and reliable as possible during these challenging times. Also responding was U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville. We supported the bipartisan CARES Act because it provided much-needed funding to ensure vital local services like transit continue safely and uninterrupted, said Davis. This grant will allow Madison County Transit to do just that. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will continue to advocate for transit funding for the Metro East and Illinois at-large. Morrison said they also plan to restore some services in the near future. He said the immediate plan is to bring it back to about 80 percent. Some service is not coming back, he said. He said MCT also plans to expand service at Gateway Commerce Center. Before the pandemic the board had approved new services for the warehouse and logistics district, including implementing shuttle and express routes from Alton and Collinsville directly to Gateway. Morrison said part of the issue was coordinating services so it hit at peak shift changes. He noted there are 27 unique shift times, but three peak windows they needed to hit. The plan is to increase service during the peak times and decrease service through long periods during midday. Morrison noted that 90 percent of shifts will fall into those peak times, and some employers will have to make adjustments in shift times to take advantage of that. Details of the plan will be announced in the near future. Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress on Friday held rail and bus roko agitation across the state to protest the Centres demonetisation move and the cash crunch. The call for the agitation was given by Gujarat Congress two days ago, alleging that the Narendra Modi government had failed to address the issue of shortage of cash. Responding to the call, large number of Congress workers and leaders, including those from the partys student wing NSUI, blocked roads in cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Surat, Vadodara, Chhota Udepur, Limdi, Morbi, Himmatnagar, Mehsana, Valsad, Bardoli, Dahod and many other parts of the state. At several places, such as Rajkot, Himmatnagar, Nadiad, Surat and Bharuch, protesters also stopped trains by squatting on the tracks or climbing onto the locomotives, prompting the police to detain them. According to police, hundreds of protesters were detained across the state by police for trying to stop buses as well as trains. In Ahmedabad, 136 Congressmen, including 44 women workers, were detained for stopping the state transport buses at the citys main bus depot in Geeta Mandir area. We had deployed large number of force to stop the agitators from blocking the buses at Geeta Mandir. During evening, we have detained 136 Congress workers for trying to stop the buses. We have released them afterwords, Assistant Commissioner of Police (K division), Chintan Teraiya, said. Talking to reporters, city Congress chief Chetan Raval slammed the Centre over the unavailability of cash. The situation is worsening by the day, as people are unable to withdraw their own money from banks and ATMs. Despite standing in queue for hours, people are going home empty handed. This protest is to highlight the issue of mismanagement by the government, Raval, who led the protest, said. In Valsad, at least 10 NSUI members, led by their president Mahesh Patel, were detained for setting ablaze Modis effigy. In Surat, several Congress workers were detained for showing black flags to BJP chief Amit Shah, who arrived there to attend a mass-wedding function this evening. Black flags were shown when Shahs convoy passed from Maharana Pratap Chowk area of Ghodadara area of the diamond city, said police. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Healthcare workers screen patients Wednesday at St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) California has broken another record for the number of coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, cataloging at least 189 deaths Wednesday, according to a Los Angeles Times count of Californias 58 counties. It was the second consecutive day and the fourth time this month that the state has broken its single-day death record; on Tuesday, 174 deaths were recorded. The rising death toll comes more than a month into a surge of new COVID-19 cases that came with the reopening of the economy. Just before the Fourth of July weekend, officials imposed new restrictions with hopes of slowing the spread of infections. California has now recorded nearly 9,000 deaths since the pandemic began. Although it is often noted that the state has seen far fewer fatalities than New York where 32,653 people have died other nations have endured far smaller death tolls than California. The cumulative coronavirus-related death toll is about 1,000 in Japan, 300 in South Korea, 176 in Australia, 22 in New Zealand and 7 in Taiwan. Japan and South Korea each have populations greater than that of California. Countries that have done a much better job of slowing infections have done so through the widespread wearing of masks, quarantining of travelers, aggressive testing and contact tracing, isolating the sick and strict safety protocols. In countries such as New Zealand, the pandemic control strategy never became politicized, unlike in California, where a number of people are vociferously opposed to wearing masks. "Everybody was united in the message, and they did it, they took care of it. And really controlled the outbreak in their country," said Dr. Otto Yang, professor of medicine and associate chief of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. At least 12,285 new coronavirus cases in California were reported Wednesday, a new single-day record for cases. The last time the daily case record was broken was July 22, when 12,062 cases were recorded. Wednesday also marked Los Angeles Countys worst single-day tally of coronavirus cases and deaths, although that count was partly a result of a backlog in data reporting. Story continues At least 91 deaths were reported in L.A. County on Wednesday, breaking a single-day record set May 19, when 84 deaths were recorded. L.A. County also reported at least 4,793 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, breaking the single-day record of July 16, when 4,506 cases were recorded. L.A. County now has a cumulative coronavirus death toll of at least 4,518, more than half the state's total of at least 8,912. There are at least 183,456 confirmed cases in L.A. County; statewide, the total is at 485,831 cases. Across the U.S., more than 150,000 people have died of COVID-19, a death toll larger than that of any other nation. By various measures, the coronavirus pandemic is now worse in many areas of California than it was in the week leading up to Memorial Day some bleaker than others. The San Joaquin Valley, an eight-county region of the Central Valley stretching from Stockton to Bakersfield, is one of the regions where pandemic conditions have deteriorated dramatically. In the weeklong period that ended on Memorial Day, 42 residents of the San Joaquin Valley died of the coronavirus; in the seven-day period that ended Monday, 105 residents had died. Deaths are also on the upswing in the seven-county Sacramento region. Over the same time period, weekly deaths rose from 4 to 25. The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area has seen its weekly death toll nearly triple in the same time period from 20 to 57; San Diego Countys weekly death toll doubled over the same time period, from 28 to 55. The five-county Southern California area L.A., Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties has seen weekly deaths increase from 357 to 493 in that same time period, an increase of 38%. There are some signs that Californias most recent surge while still growing has started to slow down. For the week that ended Tuesday, the state recorded an average of 9,157 new confirmed cases daily, a 2% increase from the previous week. Thats a much slower increase than what happened in the week that ended July 14, when the daily average of new cases was 8,902, a 20% jump from the previous week. In addition, the rate at which coronavirus tests are coming back positive has been stable in recent weeks statewide. A Times analysis found that Californias seven-day coronavirus positive test rate has generally stayed between 7% and 8% since July 5. Also, the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus statewide is estimated to be 1.02 meaning every infected person, on average, transmits the virus to 1.02 other people. But looking at the average conceals the deep problems in harder-hit areas of California. In the San Joaquin Valley, the transmission rate of the virus is as high as 1.4, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said this week at a media briefing in Stockton, which tells us we have a great deal of work to do to get transmission rates down here in the Central Valley. In some hospitals in the Central Valley, 65% of regular beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, Ghaly said. Federal medical teams have been dispatched to hospitals in the Central Valley and Southern California. In the Central Valley, youre not anywhere close to being under control there, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Franciscos Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. When we think of a state, our average numbers look better, but we cannot forget that in the middle of the state, the numbers look worse. The same problem can occur on the county level, where a county overall might look good, but there are communities that still have high rates of transmission, Bibbins-Domingo said. And unless we focus our attention on the areas where there is high rates of transmission, we are not going to get either the county or the state under control, Bibbins-Domingo said. And thats one of the fallacies in California just constantly looking at the average effects, whether its statewide or within a county. Times staff writers Priya Krishnakumar and Andrea Roberson contributed to this report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Emergency personnel in Taunton pulled a 2-year-old child out of a swimming pool on Wednesday, authorities said. At roughly 5 p.m., Taunton police and fire personnel responded to a home on Washington Street and pulled the unresponsive child from the pool, Police Chief Edward J. Walsh and Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw said in a joint statement. Rescue officials gave CPR to the child, they said. The child was taken in a Brewster ambulance to a nearby hospital, then flown to a Boston hospital, authorities said. The child was reported to be breathing on their own, they said. I commend the work of the officers for arriving on scene as quickly as they did, within one minute of the initial call, Walsh said, in the statement. The quick actions of both the police and fire personnel is a testament to their training and ability to act under very stressful circumstances. The Taunton Police Department is investigating the incident. TUSAYAN, Ariz. Along a stretch of highway leading to the Grand Canyon, theres a hint of an upcoming election: hand-painted signs encourage voters to choose the candidate who says shell represent everyone. Clarinda Vail is challenging the incumbent Mayor Craig Sanderson to oversee Tusayan Arizonas tiniest town near the states biggest tourist attraction. About 240 people are registered to vote in Tuesdays primary that will decide the winner of the nonpartisan race. Vail and Sanderson have sparred for years over plans for a massive development that seeks to capitalize on the millions of people who drive through Tusayan on their way to the Grand Canyons more popular South Rim. The timelines for more small-town matters such as housing, internet and a sports complex also have been points of contention. Hanging over the election is a state attorney generals investigation of voter registration in Tusayan. A spokeswoman for the office wouldnt elaborate on the scope or timeline. Vail said she asked for the investigation after seeing that an employer in town emailed workers to say they could use the business address as their own. Sanderson said that doesnt necessarily indicate fraud but doesnt endorse illegal activity. Sanderson has done much of his campaigning online, counting the towns response to the coronavirus pandemic, internet service for residents and the start of a housing development as accomplishments. Sanderson, the chief pilot for Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines, is the second person to be elected mayor of Tusayan. Vail is the property manager for Red Feather Properties Limited Partnership. Whoever wins will serve a two-year term. Vail caught the attention of residents when she proposed returning surplus town revenue to residents in the form of an initial $6,000 per-capita payment as an economic boost, then $3,000 annually. Sanderson called it a bribe while also proposing monthly coronavirus-relief payments of $1,000 for those in need. The towns attorney and a memo Vail sought from a former state attorney general disagree on whether Vails plan is possible. Sanderson moved to Tusayan several years before it became a town in 2010 under a state law that gave communities of at least 500 people that are within 10 miles (16 kilometres) of a national park or monument the chance to incorporate. Tusayan was the only community eligible. Incorporation was seen as a way for residents in town to buy or rent homes not owned by their employers. The 144-acre (58-hectare) town where hotels, gifts shops and restaurants line the highway has few parcels of private property. Most people lose their housing when they lose their jobs. Doria Kootswatewa lives in a one-bedroom apartment with her 9-month old son, and her boyfriend and his sister, who both work at a fast-food restaurant. They said theyd like to have more dining options in town, a large laundromat so they dont have to travel more than an hour to Flagstaff to wash clothes and buy groceries that are more affordable in a bigger city. If we decide to stay longer, a bigger house would be better, Kootswatewa said. The housing development in town was made possible by an Italian real estate developer that has eyed growth in Tusayan since the 1980s. Stilo Development Group USA gave the town two plots of land in exchange for rezoning and annexing Stilos properties. One of the 20-acre plots cant be developed until Stilo gets approval for an easement from the U.S. Forest Service to access its own property. An off-grid housing project on the other piece of town-owned has been stalled for more than 18 months because the town didnt have approval to build in a flood plain. Sanderson blames Vail for challenging a town ordinance that made Tusayan its own flood administrator. She contends the town couldnt be trusted in that position. Vail often is seen as the face of opposition in Tusayan although her concerns about Stilos development plans are shared widely across the region, including by Grand Canyon National Park, environmentalists and other residents. Sanderson accuses Vail of looking out only for her familys economic well-being as one of the few landowners in town and being afraid of the competition more development would bring. He said Vail has stymied progress. I dont look at the short view, I look at how to change things over the course of history, he said. Vail said her outspoken nature isnt about competition its about making sure the towns actions reflect the residents needs and revenue is spent wisely. She said Sanderson and the town appease corporate interests. If were going to argue or disagree all the time, you still have to have important conversations, she said. The report also found that in 2016, the unemployment rate among Black residents was 11 percent, compared with 5 percent for white residents, and the mortality rate for Black infants was 2.5 times higher than for white babies, from 2011 through 2015. When someone doesnt look at racism and equity every day like I do, it can be hard to connect those dots, Mr. Boyd said. So thats why if we declare racism and racist attitudes and racist structures as part of this overall public health crisis, we can see how racism literally can kill people. Mr. Boyd said that the coronavirus pandemic and the recent protests for racial justice sparked by police killings of Black people including Ms. Taylor in Louisville and George Floyd in Minneapolis had given these centuries-old problems new urgency. Ms. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician, was shot and killed on March 13 by Louisville police officers who entered her home using a battering ram while executing a search warrant. The police have said that they returned fire when Ms. Taylors boyfriend shot an officer in the leg. Several investigations into Ms. Taylors killing are underway. One Louisville officer was terminated in June; two other officers have been placed on administrative reassignment. On Wednesday morning, the mayor wrote on Twitter that he shared the frustration at the pace of justice as we all await the results of the investigations into Ms. Taylors killing. Some residents on social media criticized the proposed declaration, responding to the mayors tweet and Facebook post about the news with calls to bring justice for Ms. Taylors family. Other residents saw the move as a distraction. BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Red Cross societies in China have helped relocate more than 23,200 people affected by floods and waterlogging since the flood season started this year, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) said on Wednesday. Red Cross societies in flood-stricken provinces, including Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong, Shanxi, and Sichuan, have sent out more than 15,100 rescuers and volunteers in 450 teams to assist with disaster relief, the RCSC said. The RCSC pledged further efforts to help search, rescue, and relocate people stranded in floods, deliver disaster-relief supplies, and build temporary settlements. Enditem Aquarium of the Pacific Relaunches Magellanic Penguin Encounters Long Beach, California - The Aquarium of the Pacific is now offering its popular Animal Encounter program with Magellanic penguins. Participants will have the chance to sit next to a penguin as it waddles around outside the June Keyes Penguin Habitat before the Aquarium opens to the public in the morning. An Aquarium educator will accompany participants and teach them about the Aquariums penguins, where this species lives in the wild, what they eat, and how the Aquarium cares for them. Participants are encouraged to bring their camera or phone to take photos. Meet with the Aquariums staff members who care for penguins and get up close to these fascinating birds during this thirty-minute program. Penguin Encounters require a minimum of two and a maximum of four participants, limited to one household group. Participants must be at least 7 years old. Advance reservations are required. Once booked, Animal Encounter participants must complete a waiver and release form. Participants must wear closed-toe shoes and facial coverings, social distance from staff members at all times and will have their temperatures taken prior to entering the Aquarium. For more information about the Aquariums safety protocols, please visit aquariumofpacific.org/visit/aquarium_safety. WHEN: Offered daily at 8:30 a.m. Penguin Encounters must be booked at least 48 hours in advance. WHERE: 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802 COST: $150 per person, $135 per Aquarium member. Includes Aquarium admission (currently only outdoor exhibit areas are open). INFO/RSVP: (562) 590-3100 or visit pacific.to/penguinencounter AQUARIUM: The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored by scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in search of sustainable solutions. The Aquarium is dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature's services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Home to more than 12,000 animals, Aquarium outdoor exhibits include Shark Lagoon, Lorikeet Forest, June Keyes Penguin Habitat, the Molina Animal Care Center, moon jelly touch tank, and the Seals and Sea Lions Habitat. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium offers educational programs for people of all ages through its Online Academy, which is free to everyone. The Aquarium offers memberships with unlimited FREE admission for 12 months, VIP Entrance, and other special benefits. NOTE: THE AQUARIUM IS CURRENTLY FEATURING OUTDOOR AREAS ONLY. Please visit the Aquariums website for the latest information at aquariumofpacific.org or call (562) 590-3100. By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 30, 2020 | 01:12 PM | PADUCAH On Wednesday, someone called the Paducah Police Department and told them that 23-year-old Tyreik Simmons had been shot and was being taken to a hospital. Officers met the vehicle at the hospital and helped Simmons inside. They were able to speak with him briefly, and he reportedly told them that 20-year-old William Moore had shot him. A witness confirmed the information. Simmons was later taken to an out-of-state hospital in critical condition. Detectives say they were able to determine that Moore was "playing" with a handgun. Moore reportedly pointed the gun at Simmons and pulled the trigger, shooting Simmons in the face. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Moore and began searching for him. At 6:45 p.m. officers responded to a disturbance near Stonebrook Drive. When officers arrived on the scene, Moore ran out of the back door into a wooded area. Officers and McCracken County deputies began searching the wooded area with K9 officer Don. The search eventually forced Moore out of the wooded area and he was arrested. After an interview with detectives, Moore admitted to the shooting and told officers that he didn't realize the gun was loaded. Moore was released from jail Monday and is on probation after he previously pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, third-degree criminal mischief, fleeing or evading police, and tampering with physical evidence. Moore was previously arrested in 2019 after several people reportedly saw a man fire three shots at another man in an alley behind The Church of the Nazarene's family center. One of the rounds had struck the building. Several people sitting in a line at a fast food restaurant observed the incident. Moore was spotted nearby, and fled on foot. He was arrested after a brief chase, and the handgun was allegedly found in a trash can Moore had run past. The Paducah Police Department has released additional information in the case of a Paducah man accused of shooting someone in the face at an apartment on North 7th Street. A British holidaymaker was badly injured after jumping into the sea from cliffs near the Ibizan party resort of San Antonio and smashing onto rocks. The tourist, who is in his 30s, is said to have suffered a serious spinal cord injury after trying to tombstone into the water from a height of nearly 70ft. The accident happened at a spot called Cap Negret north of San Antonio, which is well-known in Ibiza as one of the best places on the island to see the sun go down. The alarm was raised around 3pm on Wednesday by other tourists, who are believed to have pulled him from the water before help arrived. A British holidaymaker was badly injured after jumping into the sea at a spot called Cap Negret (file photo) on the island of Ibiza Firefighters led the rescue, although local police, Civil Guard and paramedics were also mobilised by a regional government-run emergency response coordination centre. The unnamed Briton has been admitted to the intensive care unit of Ibizas Can Misses Hospital. Separately, it emerged yesterday a 26-year-old Briton had been seriously hurt after plunging from a third-floor apartment in the Majorcan capital Palma. It was confirmed today that the man lived at the property with his girlfriend. He landed in an internal patio but survived after his fall was cushioned by a plant. Police have launched an investigation. In August 2018 a British holidaymaker died in Ibiza after leaping off a cliff and hitting rocks in a freak accident while celebrating his 24th birthday. Paul Gardner, from North Shields, dived into the sea at a cove near San Antonio called Cala Gracio. He was said at the time to have hit rocks as he leapt from a height of around 20ft in a misjudged attempt to reach deep water. Paul had only flown out to Ibiza from Newcastle Airport with friends two days before the tragedy. They stayed at the four-star Hotel Orosol in San Antonio. A 29-year-old man suspected of paying people to carry out a string of arson attacks in London has been arrested. In the early hours of Thursday morning, Met Police officers carried out a search warrant at an address in Northolt, north-west London. Trained firearms officers used a tactic known as "containment and call out" or "dig out" used to arrest suspects officers believe are dangerous and could be in possession of weapons. Police arrested the 29-year-old man on suspicion of three counts of conspiracy to commit arson, one with intent to endanger life in relation to three incidents in April 2020. The arrest forms part of an investigation under Operation Eternal the most significant operation the Met has ever launched against serious and organised crime. Details of Britains biggest ever crime-busting operation revealed It came after the encrypted Encrochat communication system used by organised criminals was hacked by law enforcement, leading to hundreds of arrests across the country. Detective Sergeant John Cowell said the linked series of arson attacks could have "killed or seriously injured many people". The suspect in this case is alleged to have paid individuals to burn down houses and set fire to vehicles on behalf of other alleged criminal associates," DS Cowell said. Our top priority is tackling violence on the streets of London, and we will continue to target those involved in the most serious offences which cause unimaginable harm and blight our communities. This is just one of many investigations which will continue at pace over the coming months. We will not stop until we have seen these cases through the courts and brought those behind these crimes to justice. The Encrochat communication operation saw British law enforcement agencies seize guns, drugs, and millions in cash after dropping the net on organised crime groups across the UK. They said suspected Mr Bigs were arrested, criminal gangs that were untouchable for years were broken up, and more than 200 murder plots were thwarted during the international law enforcement operation. Sir Francis Drake, for whom San Francisco's iconic Sir Francis Drake hotel on Union Square is named, was one of the world's first frequent travelers. Along with numerous transatlantic trips exploring the New World, he also circumnavigated the globe by ship in the 1500s. Encyclopedia Britannica says he was "the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan age" and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1580. As a vice-admiral in the British Navy, he helped crush the Spanish Armada, a turning point in British history. Those swashbuckling feats are what Drake has been known for over five centuries-- and part of the reason we have seen hotels, bays, streets and statues built in his honor. But there's a dark side to his life as well. According to the very first line of his biography on History.com, "Sir Francis Drake participated in some of the earliest English slaving voyages to Africa and earned a reputation for his privateering, or piracy, against Spanish ships and possessions." Historical records show that he made three trips to Guinea and Sierra Leone in the mid-1500s, enslaving around 1,300 Africans, which likely meant about three times as many died. As the Black Lives Matter movement has blossomed recently and the U.S. has become swept up in rethinking how it honors historical figures with ties to slavery and racism, tributes to Drake have come into question. Should a hotel in the heart of a progressive city like San Francisco be named after Drake? And is there a movement to change the hotel's name? Kimpton Hotels, part of IHG, the giant British hotel group, manages the Sir Francis Drake hotel. According to a spokesperson, "Kimpton has been working with property ownership to evaluate a name change and potential rebranding of the property." Jessica Christian / The Chronicle The hotel, currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is owned by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, a REIT which owns several hotels in the Bay Area and across the U.S. At press time, the company had not responded to SFGATE's request for more information about the possible name change. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. Based on the recent re-examination of Drake's history, officials at Sir Francis Drake High School in Marin County have started to cover and remove the high school's name after deciding to rename it. School administrators emphasized its recognition that the name Sir Francis Drake and the school's Pirates mascot do not align with the school's values. The announcement comes as a Sir Francis Drake statue in Larkspur, also in Marin County, was removed early Wednesday ahead of a protest planned for Thursday to call for the statue's removal. Also, there's movement afoot to rename Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, which runs 35 miles through the heart of Marin County. The Bay City News Service contributed to this report Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE weekly email updates! SFGATE participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The large compound holds buildings painted in vivid colours. Patients waiting for their turns sit silently on wooden benches lined up in open corridors. Mothers with new-borns and older children, elderly women and a lone, taciturn ageless man ready to meet the counsellors and medical staff. One would think that the people who visit the compound have the regular ailments one would encounter in any healthcare centre around the globe. However, all of these visitors have a harrowing story to tell. One night, unknown assailants entered my village. At that time, I was just outside the village and I was able to hide but I could still see what was happening. The attackers killed my children, my wife, and they looted all of our possessions. I was able to escape and take refuge in Bunia where I received help from my son to set up a small fishing business, the man was able to share. I crossed paths with my villages attackers once again in Bunia on my way back from fishing. They abducted me and took me to their camp. There, they forced me to rape two women, each in turn, day and night. If I refused, they would threaten and beat me, he said. We spent four days like this, the women and I, without much to eat. One day, my captors sent me to fetch water in the forest; that is when I managed to escape and flee back to Bunia. I did not find my son but I reached the IDP camp in Bunia. This is where I live now and where I was made aware of the work of SOFEPADI. The staff at the Karibuni Wa Mama (Welcome, mothers) medical centre help heal many wounds - physical and psychological, and go even further in healing survivors. The centre is managed by the NGO Solidarite feminine pour la paix et le developpement integral (Female Solidarity for Peace and Integral Development) - SOFEPADI. SOFEPADI was founded 20 years ago by 24 women in Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their first objective was to campaign for peace and to promote womens empowerment and human rights. SOFEPADI soon opened another branch in Beni, North Kivu, to join the fight against impunity for sexual violence in both Provinces. A decade ago, they expanded their activities by taking over the medical care of victims of sexual and gender-based violence, an activity previously carried out in the region by Doctors without Borders. A holistic approach to healing The staff at SOFEPADI have adopted a holistic approach to healing survivors. A medical doctor oversees general visits, the provision of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and testing, and family planning. Another unit provides psychosocial care to deal with victims trauma and rehabilitation, while one more offers vocational training for survivors to help them become financially independent. Because of the current situation in Ituri, we are working with internally displaced people. In 2019, we treated 1,305 victims of sexual violence. Among them, half were internally displaced people, said Noella Alifua, one of SOFEPADIs coordinators. We go in the field with our mobile clinics and treat the displaced where they have ended up. Victims of violence are the majority of those we assist. We treat them free of charge thanks to funds from our partners. Our centre does not generate enough revenue for other field activities, she added. The civil war in the DR Congo officially ended in 2003 however, pockets of conflict continue in certain regions of the country. In Ituri, inter-ethnic violence, which erupted in December 2017 has resulted in hundreds of deaths, serious human rights abuses, including brutal acts of sexual violence and the displacement of half a million of people throughout Ituri and neighbouring provinces. Almost 57,000 people have sought refuge in Uganda. In January 2020, a report by the UN Joint Human Rights Office in DR Congo detailed the violence in Ituri, stating that these abuses may constitute crimes against humanity. In an update issued in May, the Office further reported that between 1 October 2019 and 31 May 2020, armed assailants killed at least 531 civilians in Ituri 375 of them were killed since March, when the violence soared. For SOFEPADI, insecurity has become a big concern, specifically for their mobile clinics that reach survivors in remote areas. Noella recalled that one of her teams narrowly escaped an attack in Mahagi, a territory 170 kilometres Northeast of Bunia. What is extremely concerning in conflict zones is that women are the most affected, Alifua said. The first steps to justice Recently, SOFEPADI added a new segment to their activities: providing legal aid for survivors and training for civil society actors on the body of Congolese law criminalising sexual violence; as well as increasing the awareness of members of the judiciary on sexual and gender-based violence. It is optional; we only assist those who want justice. We cover all legal costs from start to finish, Alifua said. There may be rulings by the courts, but the perpetrators are often people who do not have the means to pay reparations. That is discouraging for victims. So far, SOFEPADI has helped file over 1,500 cases against alleged perpetrators in the courts. Weve also obtained rulings, but reparations remain a problem, she pointed out. Seeing that the outcomes of cases has not always been favourable, some families have opted for out of court settlements with the perpetrators. For Gloria Malolo, Human Rights Officer with the Joint Human Rights Office in Bunia, reparations primarily bring victims a sense of relief that the harm they suffered has been redressed, but also strengthen the populations trust in the justice system. This is the struggle the Joint Human Rights Office has engaged in, because if a victim tells you that they have no interest in going to court because they know the harm they suffered will not be remedied, you can tell from the start that the victim will not be interested, she said. And this represents a roadblock in a whole system that would normally go in the direction where the victim could recover everything they have lost - morally or physically - and feel they have obtained redress for what they endured. In Bunia, the Joint Human Rights Office supports the judiciary in the fight against sexual violence by providing funds to support judicial investigations and Mobile Courts and providing protection for victims and witnesses so that they can participate in the proceedings safely. The Offices support in the fight against impunity does not end with the pronouncements of judgments; the Office also advocates for courts and relevant actors to pursue all other possible legal avenues for redress when perpetrators are not able to pay financial reparations. In this fight against impunity, SOFEPADI is among the first entry points for victims who seek justice. With the aim of uncovering the truth, the staff at Karibuni Wa Mama collect medical details to strengthen cases filed with the courts. The victims start at SOFEPADI. They recount the facts of their ordeal and bring elements that allow SOFEPADI to start managing them as patients. When victims arrive with the marks of their injuries, SOFEPADI is able to deliver medical certificates and take photo evidence that could help to uncover the truth, Malolo pointed out. The military or civil court will then use those elements to uncover the truth, since the magistrates will only get the opportunity to listen to the victims months after the events she added. The traces would have disappeared, even when it comes to rape, the wounds would have healed. But all the elements gathered by SOFEPADI, already at the level of first contact, will allow the judge or the magistrate to find out what happened. 30 July 2020 Prices sister and a girlfriend, the mother of one of his children, disputed the police account. The girlfriend said he was with her the night of the killings. She said she remembers because police questioned her about the case before and after Price died, and even, she said, dangled the $50,000 reward. The girlfriend said its mighty strange how this is all coming out once hes deceased. Ontario is the first province to require students from Grades 4 to 12 wear face masks all day when they return to school this fall, with younger students encouraged to do so to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Children in all elementary grades will return to class full-time this September, as will secondary students in some smaller boards, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Thursday. But teens in large urban boards including all public and Catholic schools in Greater Toronto will be in classes half-time and learning online from home the rest, Lecce said. The recommendations are based in part on advice from experts and actually go even further by mandating masks for older kids who say research shows younger children dont transmit the COVID-19 virus as easily as teens and adults. However, the province came under considerable fire for not implementing recommendations contained in a report released Wednesday by Sick Kids hospital, which said smaller classes and physical distancing are critical. In elementary schools, classes will be cohorted and kept separate from others, but sizes will remain as is with 20 students from Grades 1 to 3, and an average of about 25 in Grades 4 through 8 though given thats an average, some classes are much larger than that. High school students will be in groups of 15 teens when they are in school, on alternate days or otherwise modified schedules. I was really surprised when I read the Sick Kids report, and then as a parent of a child in elementary school under Grade 4 I dont see any of those things reflected in the plans for my kid, said Toronto mother Eloise Tan, whose 5-year-old son is going into senior kindergarten. Sick Kids recommended one-metre apart for elementary students, she noted, and there are over 30 kids to begin with in his class. Its fine that they are going to be cohorting them, but there is no move to reduce the class size. The governments announcement for reopening schools for Ontarios two million elementary and high school students comes as other provinces release details of their decisions to also send kids back full-time. Nova Scotia is the only other province to mandate mask wearing, but only for high school students in hallways and on buses. The province will now wait to hear from school boards by Aug. 4 about how they will implement fall reopening plans, in particular for high school students in class half-time. Schools all of which were shut down after March Break will be allowed to restart extracurricular sports and clubs, as long as physical distancing can be maintained. NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles said the provinces $309 million for personal protective equipment, staffing, cleaning supplies and other measures falls far short of whats needed. Its clear that the Ford government has put together the lowest cost, bargain-basement scheme that they could come up with, and it is going to put both our kids health and their academic success at risk, said Stiles, saying more teachers and custodians need to be hired so kids can return to smaller, safer classes. Classrooms were already overcrowded, and the Ford government is sending kids right back into those packed classrooms. Harvey Bischof, head of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said while he welcomed the news on face masks, he called the provinces announcement a half-baked scheme weeks before the reopening of school. The savings they achieve now in the long run, they will pay for in students who fall behind in their education, he said. Ford acknowledged Thursday that the school shutdown has been hard on families to balance work and child care, while kids have been separated from friends and other kids their own age. We want to get our kids back to school, but it has to be done safely. The province said it will spend $60 million for PPE for educators, $80 million for additional staffing and $25 million for cleaning supplies. It is also spending $50 million to bring in 500 additional public health nurses to work in schools, in part to help with targeted COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic students. Lecce said about 1,300 new caretakers will also be hired in the next month. The aim is to preserve one-metre of distancing in conjunction with masking, he said. (With that), in addition to increased hand hygiene, in addition to the screening protocols, the testing, the embedding of public health nurses and likewise the use of masking, we believe this will be safe for both elementary and for high schools in Ontario. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 55,000 support staff in Ontario schools, said the province needs to spend $272 million alone to hire one extra caretaker per school to ensure proper cleaning. The Ontario Liberals had estimated $3.2 billion in one-time spending for teachers, caretakers and additional space for classes of 15. But Lecce said Ontario is spending more than double what British Columbia is, per capita and that what weve also signalled though, is were going to be responsive to the risk, he said. And were going to be there for our students, for our school boards, our educators were not going to let them down. All four teachers unions issued a statement saying the government is jeopardizing the safety of students, educators and all Ontarians by severely underfunding the reopening. Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, said two-metre physical distancing and mask wearing have been required for indoor activities across the province. COVID-19 does not distinguish between a grocery store and a classroom, between a coffee shop or school hallways. Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist with the University of Toronto, said while he approves of the flexibility the province has provided families can opt to keep their kids learning at home and other measures, if you are looking for wrinkles in the plan, (physical distancing) is going to be one of them. I think the key thing here is implementation, he said. How well is this going to be implemented in a real-world setting, and to what extent can kids adhere to physical distancing? He said schools will have to start looking for spaces within the buildings or elsewhere to keep classes smaller, or have teachers head outdoors with their students. I expect to see a lot of creative solutions for keeping kids (apart), he said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:43:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force had dispatched troops to 3,749 operations of flood relief by July 28, as floods are wreaking havoc in many places in China, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. The troops helped evacuate 137,000 residents affected by the floods, Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the ministry, said at a press conference. Many soldiers were sent multiple times to carry out the relief operations that involved a total of 725,000 head counts, Ren added. Enditem PUNE: In an affidavit submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) regarding the High Capacity Mass Transit Project (HCMTR) project, the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has asked the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to seek the ministrys clearance before launching the plan. Activists have raised objections regarding the outer ring road project before the countrys environmental watchdog. NGT, while hearing the petition, asked the ministry of environment and forests to submit their say on the project. The ministry, in its reply, stated objections. The questions raised by the ministry include why a 40-year-old project is being forced upon residents despite public opposition? why politicians and administration are taking interest in the project when the government machinery is falling short of funds due to the Covid-19 pandemic? and why PMC is circumventing the procedure of environmental clearance for HCMTR? Sarang Yadwadkar, urban planner and one of the petitioners, said, HCMTR was planned 40 years ago and was meant only for public transport, but now the plan is converted for private transport. The project would badly impact the environment causing massive air pollution and many buildings would need to be demolished. Nagrik Chetna Manchs activist Qaneez Sukhrani said, On what grounds have an outdated plan of HCMTR been approved by PMC? How can it go ahead without having the environment clearance? The activists said that the issues raised by the ministry in the affidavit are in line with their concerns. Artist's rendering of PIDC's vision for Navy Yard Historic District Core district, which would combine historic buildings and new construction. Read more Ensemble Real Estate Investments of Long Beach, Calif., and Philadelphia-based Mosaic Development Partners have been selected to lead a major redevelopment push at the South Philadelphia Navy Yard that will include millions more square feet of labs and offices, and for the first time an around-the-clock residential population at the former military base. The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., which manages the Navy Yard on the citys behalf, said in a release Wednesday that Ensemble and Mosaic were chosen for the 109-acre redevelopment project because they demonstrated an understanding of PIDCs mission and shared a strategic vision for the Navy Yard to drive business growth and job creation for Philadelphia. The project is expected to draw $2.6 billion in new private investment, PIDC said. Ensemble developed the Navy Yards Marriott hotel and later acquired several other buildings there from the tracts previous main developer, Liberty Property Trust, making it the largest private property owner at the former base. Mosaics projects have included the Eastern Lofts apartments in Brewerytown. The team was selected from a shortlist that included developers such as Houston-based Hines, Washingtons Hoffman & Associates, and Trammell Crow Co., a subsidiary of Dallas-based commercial real estate company CBRE. Gilbane Development Co., the Rhode Island-based developer that was recently picked by Amtrak to help revamp 30th Street Station, also had been under consideration. The Navy Yard has fulfilled its initial promise of becoming a thriving center for business, innovation, investment, talent, and jobs, Mayor Jim Kenney said in the statement. The exciting new partnership with Ensemble/Mosaic will not only build on this track record but will also bring new ideas and energy to the Navy Yard while ensuring that equity and inclusion are at the forefront. The Navy Yard, which employed 40,000 at its peak, came under city ownership in 2000 after the U.S. Defense Department decommissioned the site as a military base. Under PIDCs watch, Liberty Property Trust turned a centrally located 80-acre section of the former barracks into whats known as the Corporate Center, a collection of contemporary buildings some by renowned architects comprising 800,000 square feet of office and lab space. When Liberty decided to cease work on office projects such as those at the Navy Yard in 2018, nearly all of the Corporate Centers development parcels had been built on or spoken for, setting the stage for a next phase of work at the 1,200-acre property that now will be undertaken by Ensemble and Mosaic. Part of that work is to transform 12 acres northeast of Urban Outfitters Inc.s headquarters campus into whats being called the Historic Core District, which PIDC has said would become the Navy Yards downtown. The section, largely bounded by 11th and 12th Streets, between Flagship Avenue and Normandy Place, is seen as accommodating 1,000 to 1,500 apartments in restored buildings, along with restaurants and shops to serve residents and nearby office workers and lab techs, PIDC officials have said. The other site in PIDCs new development push is being called the Mustin District, after the former Henry C. Mustin Naval Air Facility airfield that once occupied much of the tract. Its 97 acres extend east from League Island Boulevard. Officials have said the district could support as much as three million square feet of new office, lab, and production space, emulating the Corporate Centers atmosphere, and could also potentially accommodate residential buildings along its quarter-mile waterfront. PIDC said it expects to finalize a development agreement with Ensemble and Mosaic shortly so the team can begin working on concrete plans for the sites in 2021. Plans call for substantial participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in the projects construction and operation and for a diverse ownership structure, aided by a crowdfunding component that allows many small investors to hold stakes in the development, the agency said. A share of net income from the project will also be allocated toward a charitable foundation to create educational and work opportunities for young Philadelphians, PIDC said. The prior work at the Navy Yard has set an extremely high bar, Mosaic co-owner Gregory Reaves said. We are eager to apply our development model and expertise to bring unique perspective and solutions to the development team and create opportunities for disenfranchised businesses and communities. Chennai, July 30 : Leaders of different political parties in Tamil Nadu on Thursday condemned the tying up of saffron cloth on the iron railings of the statue of late DMK Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai by some unidentified miscreants in Kuzhithurai in Kanyakumari district. The DMK president M.K. Stalin, PMK founder S. Ramadoss and MDMK general secretary Vaiko condemned the act and demanded the state government to take strong action against those who did this. According to Stalin, those who do not have an identity of their own are showing their anger at late leaders. Tension prevailed in the area where the statue was located with cadres belonging to DMK and MDMK gathered at the spot and demanded action against the miscreants. Apart from the saffron cloth, waste items like dried flowers, old bulbs were found on the pedestal which were removed. in the face of rising Corona of infection, pay a result in Amsterdam and Rotterdam is the first Dutch cities, a mask of duty. This applies particularly lively squares, streets and shops, shared with the cities on Thursday. The mask duty is to the 5. August, apply to all persons over the age of 13. In Amsterdam around the red light district, the Kalverstraat main shopping street and popular markets you will not be allowed without a mask visited. The requirement does not replace but, as a rule, a safety distance of 1.5 meters apart, stressed the authorities. Amsterdam had already been taken for the red light district and the downtown area of strict measures. Thus, tourists were encouraged to visit the city on the weekends. Especially due to the influx of tourists, the safety distance can not be met often. The Dutch government rejects a General mask of duty so far, it has allowed regional bids. So far, in the Netherlands only in public transport, and a face mask this also includes the ferries belong to. more Stringent mask duty to intensify in Parts of France in France, several cities because of the sharp rise in cases of infection and their Corona pads. In Belgium, adjacent to the Departement of Nord, the authorities announced on Friday stricter restrictions. Probably a mask obligation should also be introduced in the Free. The French government had imposed a country-wide mask compulsory for all publicly accessible spaces. in the port city of Saint-Malo in Brittany, which attracts this summer, tens of thousands of domestic tourists, the Corona pads tightened. According to the city administration every eleven years, the walls in the old town and on the town of a mouth have to wear nose protection. In Central France, Orleans will have to be covered from Friday and also on markets for the mouth and nose. In addition, a mask is mandatory in the evening from 21.00 o'clock on the Banks of the Loire. There were bustling around in the past few weeks a number of people. In the inner cities of the southern French cities of Bayonne and Biarritz, a mouth-nose protection is starting next week, according to the authorities, is also required. Biarritz will also lock the beaches at night to prevent beach parties. Updated Date: 30 July 2020, 15:19 Uzbek authorities seemed to be prepared for the looming health crisis once it became apparent the coronavirus was becoming a global pandemic. The first official case in Uzbekistan of the virus -- which first originated in China -- was reported on March 15. A week later, Uzbekistan closed all its borders and the government ordered quarantine centers set up to temporarily house mainly migrant workers that would be returning from abroad in the coming weeks. It also created a special department to run the centers. Although Uzbekistan seemed to be doing quite well in confronting the coronavirus early on, the situation soon seemed to start spiraling out of control. But was it ever really under control? RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, reported on January 17 about a wave of flu that had hit the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. It was the usual annual flu, but the childrens department of the Tashkent provincial hospital was overwhelmed and children -- some with high fevers -- were forced to sit or lie down and wait on the floor of the hospitals reception area. Tashkent is, of course, in Tashkent Province, and so is most of the country's money, its fanciest stores, and the best-equipped medical facilities. If that was the situation at one of main hospitals in Tashkent Province, one can only guess what the conditions were like in some of the regional hospitals far from the capital. Officials in Kazakhstan reported their first cases of the coronavirus on March 13, just two days before Uzbek authorities made their announcement. On April 1, Kazakhstan reported 369 registered cases of coronavirus in the country, while Uzbekistan reported it had 172. On April 16, Kazakhstans Tengrinews website reported that Uzbekistan has passed Kazakhstan in the number of those ill with coronavirus. The report said that as of "April 15 at 22:30" in Uzbekistan there were 1,302 registered cases of the coronavirus, while in Kazakhstan the figure was 1,295. That Uzbekistan would have more cases than any other country in Central Asia seemed inevitable: the population of Uzbekistan is more than 34 million, while Kazakhstan, the next most populous country in Central Asia, has some 18.7 million people. Perhaps even more importantly, at least 2 million Uzbek citizens -- some say this figure may actually be double -- are migrant laborers working abroad, most of them in Russia. On May 29, Uzbek First Deputy Labor Minister Erkin Muhitdinov said nearly 500,000 of these migrant workers had already returned to Uzbekistan because they had lost their jobs in other countries. More have come home since then and most came through Russia, by bus or car, often spending time in makeshift camps on the Russian-Kazakh border with hundreds of other migrants waiting for permission to cross into Kazakhstan and make their way back to Uzbekistan. The chance of being infected and spreading the virus in such conditions should have noticeably increased under such circumstances. But for some reason, the number of reported cases in Kazakhstan continued to climb, while in Uzbekistan the number rose only slightly and, to date, Uzbekistan has not reported a single day of double-digit deaths, very unusual when compared with four of its five neighboring countries. (Turkmenistan claims to not have had anyone die from COVID-19.) As of July 29, Kazakhstan had more than 86,000 reported infections and 793 deaths from the coronavirus, while Uzbekistan had some 22,100 cases and just 127 deaths. Good Idea That Didnt Quite Work Uzbek authorities did establish quarantine areas in every province, but there were problems with them from the very beginning. Less than two weeks after the announcement of the first case of the coronavirus in Uzbekistan, there were already more than 28,000 people in quarantine centers. Many such places crammed beds into a limited number of rooms and often four, six, or even more people were sleeping in the same room. Some areas were actually cargo containers arranged in rows that resembled refugee camps. Hastily arranged dining facilities were often spaces accommodating dozens of people at one time. Kyrgyzstans newly appointed health minister, Sabirzhan Abdikarimov, said on April 3 that such quarantine centers in his country created conditions for spreading the virus. No Uzbek official has said such a thing, but on July 20, Ozodlik reported that of 566 cases of the coronavirus registered in the previous 24 hours, 110 were in quarantine centers. On July 15, Ozodlik reported that of 494 new cases registered in the previous 24 hours, 303 were in quarantine areas. There have also been reports of ill treatment and some suicides in these quarantine areas. Small wonder there have been riots in some of the centers, such as the one at the Urtasarai quarantine center in Tashkent Province on July 9. Some people there complained they had been waiting nearly a month to be cleared to leave and go home, even though the standard observation period is 14 days. No Hospital Space, No Medicine If it was heavily burdened before, the health-care system now appears to be severely overloaded. Dilorom Abduvahabov is a doctor who was assigned to ambulance duty. He has sent messages to authorities to tell them he and his co-workers do not have the proper protective clothing for their work, but he told Ozodlik his appeals have gone unanswered. People complain that when they call for an ambulance they are often advised to call a different number. Many consider it useless to even try to call for an ambulance. For those fortunate few who do manage to have an ambulance come to their home, there is often no room at any hospitals. And not only have some of the cash bonuses promised to medical workers been slow in coming, in some cases their regular wages have not been paid on time. Additionally, Ozodlik reported doctors, nurses, and workers at quarantine centers were being forced to sign a waiver promising not to make any claims against the government if they contract the coronavirus. A Eurasianet report from July 24 noted shortages of medicine and ambulance services so overwhelmed that there is almost no possibility of help in a regular emergency. Ozodlik has reported that people have bought almost all of the medicine available -- even that which does nothing to help coughs, fever, or breathing problems -- and that some are turning to the black market to buy medicine of unknown origin and dubious quality. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has criticized various government officials, including the health minister, for their failures to control the spread of the virus, and all 11 district chiefs of Tashkent had to appear on television and apologize for failing their constituents in the fight against the coronavirus. The coronavirus has also killed many health-care workers, including Holishon Jalolova, who according to her family had been working with a fever because of the crush of people with the coronavirus at the hospital in Tashkent's Yakkasaray district. Jalolova's daughter, Mukambar Umarova, 48, said her mother worked in the Disease Control and Prevention Department for 20 years but that she herself had been tested too late for COVID-19 and shouldn't have been working while sick. Umarova added that her mother had not been given the extra wages and added benefits that had been promised to health workers by the government. RFE/RLs Uzbek Service contributed to this report If Americans were to enumerate countries in which teaching false history is (or was) sanctioned by the government, the U.S.S.R. would place near the top. Yet, in 1988, the former Soviet Union canceled final history exams due to decades of inaccurate teaching. That decision affected 53 million students who were aged 6-16. (If only Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton were as wise and honest as former Soviet leaders) The Los Angeles Times covered the story 32 years ago. It reported, The government newspaper Izvestia explained that the extraordinary decision is intended to end the passing of lies from generation to generation, further consolidating the Stalinist political and economic system that the current Soviet leadership is trying to end. The Times went on to report, The guilt of those who deluded one generation after another, poisoning their minds and souls with lies, is immeasurable Today, we are reaping the bitter fruits of our own moral laxity. We are paying for succumbing to conformity and thus to giving silent approval of everything that now brings the blush of shame to our faces and about which we do not know how to answer our children honestly. What stunning commentary from a state-run newspaper in a totalitarian society. Ironically, it was around that time that the phrase revisionist history was gaining popularity among political conservatives in America. While the phrase was intended to be pejorative, the fact is that what critics referred to as revisionist history was (and is) about correcting the historical record. As is the case with just about everything of importance in American society, the teaching of history has become increasingly politicized. Of course, there was little need for overt politicization when everyone was taught the same flawed, jingoistic historical lessons. (I am reminded of Napoleons famous rhetorical question, What is history, but a fable agreed upon?) Americas record on race, especially as it regards to slavery, is arguably the most controversial battleground in the cultural war for historical accuracy. Slavery, as well as the near genocide of Indigenous peoples, constitute Americas original sin even before this land became known as America. However, only relatively recently has that view begun to take hold in our school systems from elementary to postsecondary institutions. As was the case in the former Soviet Union, many American educators have first had to learn history for themselves before they were qualified to teach our children. The fact is that history has always been subject to being revised. Indeed, such is the literal job of historians. The word revise has a Latin root that means to look at again. History is always worth a second or third look. Understanding this reality, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell created a podcast called Revisionist History. According to the podcasts website, Each week for 10 weeks, Revisionist History will go back and reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood. Gladwell has taken a page figuratively and literally from educators such as Howard Zinn. Zinn wrote A Peoples History of the United States, which has been both highly praised and roundly criticized for its controversial (i.e., mostly accurate) re-telling of American history. People like Zinn, Gladwell and 1619 Project author Nikole Hannah-Jones cut against the grain of Americas mythology about itself. It is depressing that truth-seeking causes such alarm. Platos allegory of the cave is instructive as an explanation of why light causes disorientation, disruption and even pain. This is easiest to understand if one considers the fact that people increasingly dont even agree about what is happening in the present. (Was Barack Obama a good president? Is Donald Trump?) Some try to build a proverbial wall around certain established facts, protecting them from outside invaders who would destroy them. Yet, as the Chinese found out, even a well-fortified and high wall eventually will be overcome. The teaching of history is important because it is far more than the mere memorizing of facts. History is an integral component of our individual and collective identity. We fight over history because our story helps to define who we were, who we are and who we strive to be. Fables and myths make great storytelling, but truth makes great nations. Larry Smith is a community leader. Contact him at larry@leaf-llc.com. French President Emmanuel Macron's popularity shot up by six points in July to reach the 50% threshold in an opinion poll on Wednesday, after clinching a deal with other European leaders on an economic recovery package and reshuffling his government. In the Harris Interactive poll for LCI TV, half of respondents said they were confident in Macron's policies for France, only the second time since April 2018 the French president reached the 50% mark. The poll was taken on July 21-23, shortly after the 27 EU leaders agreed on a 750 billion euro stimulus that Macron said was "historic" and that should see France receive at least 40 billion euros in grants to help recovery from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Macron also changed his prime minister in early July and reshuffled his government. The new prime minister, Jean Castex, saw his first popularity rating stand at 56% in the same Harris poll, higher than the 51% his predecessor, Edouard Philippe, had. (REUTERS) The scene in the Camross Park area of Newtownabbey after the arson attack. Photo by Jonathan Porter / Press Eye. A car has been destroyed in a Newtownabbey arson attack. Police are appealing for information following the incident in the Camross Park area in the early hours of Thursday morning. Inspector Graham said: Shortly after 5.15 am, it was reported that a Volkswagen Passat parked in the area had been set on fire. "It is reported that a window on the vehicle was smashed and an accelerant poured in through the window and set alight. The Fire Service attended and extinguished the fire, thankfully no one was injured however the vehicle was completely destroyed. Enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and we would appeal to anyone with any information to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 213 30/07/20. You can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ . You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ South Africa: President Ramaphosa to chair virtual PICC meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa will today chair the inaugural meeting of the newly constituted Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission Council (PICCC) for the 6th Administration. The PICCC brings together Cabinet Ministers, Premiers, Mayors and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in discussions and planning on the country's infrastructure objectives. This meeting will outline the Councils objectives and expected outcomes for the 6th Administration. The meeting will also deliberate on progress made following the recently held Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium infrastructure and South Africa's infrastructure investment plan. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-07-30. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Amsterdam today ordered the wearing of face masks in busy places including its famed red light district in order to limit the spread of coronavirus. The move comes despite Dutch public health authorities saying yesterday there was still not enough evidence about the effectiveness of masks to warrant a nationwide order. The Netherlands is one of the last holdouts along with the Nordic nations against widespread use of masks, with many European nations having imposed tougher rules for the wearing of face coverings. The red light district reopened on July 1 after a nearly three-month coronavirus shutdown, with brothels required to take extra sanitation measures. Sex workers are seen behind windows at the red light district in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 24 April 2015. Dutch authorities announced today that visitors to the capital's red light district, as well as other areas of Amsterdam and the central city of Rotterdam, will be ordered to wear face masks Amsterdam safety authorities said wearing a non-medical mask would now be mandatory from August 5 in busy places including De Wallen - the canalside district where sex workers ply their trade from behind glass-fronted, red neon-lit booths. In the port city of Rotterdam it will also be compulsory from August 5 to wear masks in key shopping districts and covered malls. The rules apply to people aged 13 and over in both cities. Those who do not comply risk a fine, the size of which has yet to be determined. People walk in the red light district of Amsterdam on July 1, 2020, when Dutch brothels reopened after a long coronavirus shutdown On Wednesday, the Dutch government's Outbreak Management Team said it saw 'no evidence' to make the wearing of masks compulsory but said regional authorities may take different measures. But Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued a fresh appeal for people to stick to social distancing measures after coronavirus infection rates rose again over the past week, especially among young people. The Netherlands has reported a total of 6,145 deaths - half of whom were people aged 83 years or more - and more than 53,000 cases since the outbreak began. Alberta overhauls system to clean up old oil and gas wells, with 90,000 sitting idle The Alberta government is revamping how it regulates oil and gas producers in an attempt to start addressing the province's swelling inventory of inactive oil and gas wells. The biggest change will be introducing a requirement for companies to spend a minimum amount of money every year toward cleanup of oil wells, pipelines and facilities. Alberta has more than 90,000 inactive wells, in addition to 73,000 abandoned wells that have been dismantled but not fully reclaimed. The estimated cost of cleanup varies greatly but is considered to be in the tens of billions of dollars. The government will formally announce the new program on Thursday. Many experts are welcoming the changes, even though it may not result in companies having to spend more money on reclamation work. Energy Minister Sonya Savage is hopeful the new annual targets will help to address the problem. "It's like paying down a mortgage. You've got a target and every year you're chipping away at it, paying it down and eventually you'll have that mortgage paid off. That's what the inventory reduction and the requirement for annual spending targets will do," she said in an interview. "Over time, we will get that cleaned up." Julie Debeljak/CBC Savage said companies may be required to spend at least four per cent of the estimated cost of their inactive wells, which would increase over time. Still, the exact percentage is still to be determined and it's not clear whether there will be any enforcement, which will be the responsibility of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). "We'll work with industry to make sure they can reach those targets. You can't be setting targets too high that they can't meet. That's not helpful for anyone," she said. "The AER will work on what kind of feasible penalties, if any, there would be. But we're telling them these [spending targets] need to be mandatory." The provincial government will give the regulator extra powers to gauge the financial health of companies, with the goal of intervening earlier when producers begin to struggle, which raises the risk that their cleanup liabilities may not be addressed. Story continues CBC That's a good approach, according to Tristan Goodman, president of the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, which represents small- and medium-sized oil and gas producers. He worked at the AER several years ago. "As a former regulator, what you're looking for there is to understand the financial position of those companies and how to make sure that the companies know the regulator is paying greater attention to them." Goodman said the finer details of the changes will be important, but in general, he supports the overhaul of the program. At this point, he said, it is not clear whether there will be an added financial burden on industry, depending on how much individual companies are already spending on cleanup. "I think in some cases there could be. I think that is acceptable," he said. "The best outcome is to make sure companies are consistently spending and consistently reclaiming as they go, and when that doesn't happen, that's when you get into a situation where you do have a potential broader problem." To this point, Alberta has relied on a liability management system that is supposed to make sure companies are financially healthy enough to pay for cleanup later on. If a company's estimated assets fall below the cost of its environmental liabilities, the AER can collect a security deposit. But the regulator has been using a formula based on out-of-date commodity prices that inflated the assets of companies. As a result, companies were not asked to put down large enough security deposits for future cleanup. The energy minister is describing the changes as a bold step after decades of inaction by former governments, even as the problem grew larger year after year. Some critics have called for the introduction of timelines for when wells need to be cleaned up similar to the rules in some other jurisdictions in North America. Savage said timelines would be ineffective because other provinces and states don't have the same magnitude as Alberta's number of inactive wells. The total cleanup bill and possible environmental damage from inactive wells is a difficult problem to tackle, said Lucija Muehlenbachs, an economist at the University of Calgary who specializes in the energy industry. "We're in so much trouble. I think, with the liabilities situation of old oil and gas wells in Alberta, that this program probably won't change that much, but it's certainly a step in the right direction," she said. "We will have inactive wells and probably a lot of inactive wells for many years to come." CBC Landowners will now have a way to address old wells on their property that are sitting idle as they will be able to nominate sites to the regulator for cleanup. The oil and gas company would then have to justify why it is not reclaiming the well. "I've been trying to get governments to address this for decades," said Keith Wilson, a property rights lawyer. "I do think this is a positive for landowners, a positive for the environment." Alberta's existing rules for regulating the cleanup of old wells were "a farce," said Wilson, and the new system will start addressing the longstanding problems with inactive wells in the province. The changes come at a time when the industry is in a precarious position with historically low commodity prices in recent months. Many critics were lobbying the provincial government to introduce stricter rules, although they also acknowledged there couldn't be too much of a burden on industry, or else many companies could become insolvent and more wells would be left without an owner. Maharashtra Polices coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-related death toll reached 100 on Thursday after two more personnel one each from Mumbai and Thane city succumbed to the viral outbreak. The state police department had also recorded 138 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, as the tally rose to 9,066. Mumbai Polices head constable Bharat Laxman Patil (56) from Navghar police station had died of Covid-19 at Bandras Gurunanak hospital at 1.10pm on Tuesday (July 28). Patil was diabetic and was undergoing treatment at the hospital for the past 19 days, when he initially showed symptoms for Covid-19. He lived in Dombivali with his wife and two sons. He was posted as a special writer and was coming to the office twice a week. He is suspected to have contracted SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, from one of his colleagues, said a constable, who was a close friend of Patil. Many personnel from Navghar police station has tested Covid-19 positive following a spike in viral outbreak cases in the Mulund area, the constable added. Dilip Ramchandra Bagul (39), who was attached to the Vishnu Nagar police station in Thane city, also died of Covid-19 on Tuesday. RN Mungekar, a senior inspector at Vishnu Nagar police station, said that Bagul was coming to work regularly until he was admitted to a hospital on July 25 after he complained of difficulty in breathing and stomach pain. He died at MX Hospital in Dombivali. Its not clear how he (Bagul) contracted the disease, Mungekar said. He lived at Kopar near Dombivali with his wife and two children. Assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Bandra division, Mumbai Police, Dattatray Bhargude, and three of his staff have also tested Covid-19 positive. Maharashtra Polices 864 personnel have found to be infected by the pathogen in the past five days and seven have died of the viral infection during the same period. Altogether, 9,096 Maharashtra Police personnel have tested Covid-19 positive to date, including 937 officers. Vinayak Deshmukh, assistant inspector general (law and order), Maharashtra Police, said 7,084 police personnel have recovered from their viral infection. Mumbai Police authorities have initiated mass rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests for personnel in the 44-55 age group for early detection of the viral strain. The RAD tests were conducted among 3,466 police personnel, of whom 77 tested Covid-19 positive earlier this week. Data showed, 3,800 Mumbai police personnel has been found to be infected, and 55 have died of the contagion. Mumbai Polices mortality rate is at 1.34%, as compared to the citys at 5.83%, according to an internal report prepared by Maharashtra Police in early July. Mumbai Polices serious and deceased category accounted for 88% and 82% of the personnel, respectively, who were above 50 years old, the report stated. Naval Bajaj, joint commissioner (administration), Mumbai Police, and also the nodal officer designated by the Maharashtra government for Covid-19 management for the citys police force, has compiled the report. Mumbai Police comprises over 45,000 personnel. (With inputs from Suraj Ojha) WASHINGTON Black youth detained in juvenile justice facilities have been released at a far slower rate than their white peers in response to the coronavirus, according to a new report that also found that the gap in release rates between the two groups had nearly doubled over the course of the pandemic. The report, released this month by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, illustrates one more disparity the coronavirus has exacerbated for Black children, who are disproportionately funneled into the juvenile justice system. At the outset of the pandemic, juvenile public defenders and youth advocates worked to free thousands of children from detention facilities as public health officials warned that correctional institutions were becoming virus hotbeds. Judges and state leaders have taken measures to halt intakes of low-level offenders and to send nonviolent and vulnerable detainees home. But the Casey report, based on a survey of juvenile justice agencies in 33 states, found that many Black children ages 10 to 17 had been left behind. In February, before the coronavirus was widespread in the United States, the white release rate was about 7 percent higher than the Black release rate, the report found; by May, that gap rose to 17 percent. Its clear that the juvenile justice system does not value Black life even during a worldwide public health pandemic, said Liz Ryan, the president and chief executive of Youth First Initiative, an advocacy group that campaigns against youth incarceration. Juvenile detention agencies inaction during Covid-19 has exacerbated racial disparities and is utterly irresponsible and disgraceful. Partnership leverages unprecedented reach of two operators and joint orbital rights at 48East, notably over the MENA region Collaborative operating model will optimize the satellite's commercial potential, paving the way for the fastest possible ramp-up Regulatory News: Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) and Intelsat S.A. have signed a long-term partnership agreement securing the 48East orbital position. EUTELSAT QUANTUM will be located at the position, where the operators both have orbital rights. Expected to be launched by the end of 2020, EUTELSAT QUANTUM is a full expansion satellite providing premium capacity with unprecedented flexibility features. Its ground-breaking software-based design enables users to actively define and shape performance and reach to meet their specific requirements. The 48East position, with its extensive coverage, notably of the MENA region, is ideally placed to address, amongst others, the unique needs of government users. Under the agreement, the capacity on EUTELSAT QUANTUM will be distributed by Eutelsat and its subsidiary, Eutelsat Americas Corp. and Intelsat and its subsidiary, Intelsat General Communications LLC (IGC), thereby maximizing the commercial potential of the satellite and creating conditions for the fastest possible ramp-up of the satellite. Each partner will benefit from the commercial reach of the other, notably in the government vertical, where IGC plans to offer the EUTELSAT QUANTUM satellite payload with additional security enhancements including secure and protected payload management, customized power allocation and on-demand beam forming. The resulting collaboration will enable the EUTELSAT QUANTUM payload to meet the U.S. government's most demanding Information Assurance (IA) and Cybersecurity requirements. Commenting on the agreement, David Bair CEO and President of Eutelsat America Corp said: "We are delighted to partner with Intelsat to optimize the commercial potential of the assets represented by the 48East position and the innovative features of EUTELSAT QUANTUM. This ground-breaking satellite has already attracted significant interest from potential Government customers, and we are also excited to team with industry leading systems integrators to provide this unique capability as part of a high value solution". IGC Regional Vice President Rick Henry further commented: "Our collaboration with Eutelsat brings together the best minds in the industry to quickly meet the unique needs of our government customers through an innovative operating model and satellite deployment. This type of industry collaboration is truly a 'win-win' for everyone, and we look forward to a productive, long-term partnership with Eutelsat at 48East." About Eutelsat Communications Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Around 7,000 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,000 men and women from 46 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service. For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com www.eutelsat.com Follow us on Twitter @Eutelsat_SA View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200729005853/en/ Contacts: Media Joanna Darlington Tel.: +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com Investors Joanna Darlington Tel.: +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com Cedric Pugni Tel.: +33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com The spare parts dealers at Abossey Okai in the Greater Accra Region say they will suspend the locking up of retail shops of foreigners. They said they will wait on the Retail Trade Committee to do its work. The 20-member committee under the auspices of the Trade and Industry Ministry is to ensure that all foreigners trading within the local retail market comply with the relevant regulations notably the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act (865). The law bars foreigners from engaging in retail trade in Ghana. The spare parts dealers on Tuesday night locked up over 60 shops of Nigerian Traders in the Abbosey Okai area, resulting in the arrest of some of their leaders. The Co-Chairman of the Spare Parts Dealers Association, Clement Boateng, told Citi News that a meeting held with the government had concluded and that they backed down and allowed the Committee to do its work. If both the Minister [for Trades and Industry] and the committee do their work, we wont have any problem with anybody. We will retreat, sit back and let the committee work. But so long as the committee doesn't do what it is supposed to do, the agitations will continue, Mr. Boateng warned. Meanwhile, the National President of the Nigerian Traders in Ghana, Chukuemeka Nnaji, told Citi News that his side was also engaging the authorities. He urged them to remain independent in its assessment of the issues. I am calling on authorities to do what is right and not follow the illegalities of GUTA [Ghana Union of Traders Association]. They cannot close my shop without any information and I allow it to go that way. He had previously called on the government to protect his fellow members at Abossey Okai from threats and intimidation from the Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA). ---citinewsroom A day after India welcomed its first batch of five combat-proven Rafale fighter jets, Pakistan's nefarious design was exposed yet again. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Thursday accused India of "disproportionate arms buildup", adding that it "could also lead to an arms race in South Asia", according to Pakistani news portal The Tribune. Trying yet again to draw unnecessary global attention, Pakistan begged that the "world community must dissuade India". Known for air-superiority and precision strikes, the Rafale jets are India's first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi Su-30 jets were imported from Russia in 1997. The Rafale jets will give the Indian Air Force (IAF) a strategic edge and strengthen the air power of the country. Interfering yet again in India's internal affairs, Pakistan claimed that "India continues to amass military capabilities beyond its genuine security requirement", as reported by The Tribune. An envious Pakistan also claimed that "India has nuclearised the Indian Ocean and continues to increase the readiness of its arsenal through measures such as canisterisation of missile systems". Pointing a finger at India's nuclear capability, it further said that "India continues to expand and modernise its nuclear arsenal both in terms of type and number of delivery systems", Pakistan, globally known to breed and harbour terrorists, blamed India's "offensive security doctrine and force postures, which are adversely affecting strategic stability in South Asia". Calling India's attempt to secure its armed forces, Pakistan called it India's "narrow commercial interests". It also said that the "arms buildup is being aided and abetted through a policy of exemptions, waivers and supply of advanced equipment, technology and weapons". It, however, announced that "Pakistan remains confident of its ability to thwart any ill-considered act of aggression". On July 29, the combat aircraft landed at the Ambala Air Force base at around 3:14 PM to a rousing reception, nearly four years after India inked an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 Rafales. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the arrival of Rafale jets, and tweeted in Sanskrit, saying there is no virtue like protecting the nation and there is no vow like defence of the nation. As soon as the aircraft touched down at the airbase, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, "The Birds have landed safely in Ambala." Giving a veiled warning to China, he said, "I would like to add, if it is anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity." Each jet was given a special water cannon salute at the strategically-located airbase in the presence of top IAF brass including Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria, who had played a key role as lead negotiator in the procurement of the jets. The fleet, which took off from Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on July 27 morning, had a planned stopover at Al Dhafra airbase in the UAE and began its onward journey July 29 morning. The Rafale jets established contact with Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Western Arabian Sea and were escorted by two Sukhoi 30 MKIs after they entered the Indian air space. By PTI JAIPUR: Congress MLAs huddled in a hotel here for the last fortnight will continue to camp together till the Rajasthan Assembly meets on August 14, a party leader said Thursday. This was discussed at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held at the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying since the July 13. "All legislators will remain united and stay together till August 14," Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi said after the CLP meeting chaired by Gehlot. After rebuffing a Cabinet proposal three times, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday agreed to convene a session of the Vidhan Sabha on August 14. Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot are locked in a tussle for power in the state. Altogether, there are 107 Congress MLAs in the 200-member assembly, but Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs have openly defied a party whip. ALSO READ | Rajasthan crisis: HC sends notices to Speaker, six BSP MLAs on merger with Congress At one point, Pilot claimed that 30 Congress MLAs were with him. But the Gehlot camp claims that with the support of independents and allies it has the majority support in the House. The Congress numbers include six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs who merged as a group with the ruling party after the 2018 assembly polls. The merger is now being challenged in the high court by the BSP and a BJP MLA. The BJP has 72 MLAs in the House. While saying that the loyalist MLAs will stay together till the session begins, Mahesh Joshi did not clarify whether they will continue at the same hotel. "It will be decided where to stay," he told reporters. But he ruled out any location outside the state. Joshi said the minister will take care of their departments during this period, adding that they have been going to the Secretariat. Before the CLP meeting a core group discussed the Gehlot group's strategy. The 19 MLAs in the rival Sachin Pilot camp are also said to be camping together at hotels in Guragon near Delhi. The Gehlot camp had indicated that it may seek a vote of confidence when the House meets, but refused to specifically state that this is a part of the session's agenda. Photo by Tim Gouw from Pexels Regular assessment of your own mental health risk in the business. Make employees aware that your mental health is also their lifeline. Education about mental health especially under Covid-19 lockdown. Self help tools and techniques to limit the effects of mental illness. Professional resources available to support those in need. Regular assessment Mental Do I have a work routine that reduces the stress of decision-making? Is there enough information available for me to manage the business? Is the business largely self organising? Am I mentally alert when the going gets tough? Emotional Do I have balance in my moods at work? Do I share my feelings with co-workers? Do I have an emotionally supportive work team? Do I have solid relationships with critical team members? Physical Do I have a regular exercise routine? Do I spend time in nature? Do I sleep well? Do I eat well? Spiritual or purpose driven Is there a meaningful connection to the work I do? Are my business goals supporting my life goals? According to Alexanderforbes.co.za, it's been estimated that as many as 25% of South African employees will be diagnosed with depression over their course of employment. The figures for anxiety and panic disorders during the Covid-19 pandemic is much higher at around 55%, according to an Askafrica survey.The cost of poor mental health can and will have a drastic effect on your business, even so far as a marginal loss of profit.In South Africa, each employee usually supports at least three other people. So, an SME owner with five employees supports approximately 18 people. The annual yearly loss for employees of an average size SME which collapses when the owner gets mentally ill is just under R2m p/a for 18 dependants.This can have a devastating effect on livelihoods. SME owners are the lifeblood of many families besides their own.According to PayScale, the median wage of any South African resident is R30,765 per month. The annual yearly loss for those 18 dependants is R1,84m.These numbers tell an interesting story.So, what can an SME owners and employees do to minimise losses?Employees should be aware that keeping the owner in a great state of mind is hugely important for the survival of their families.This is what we recommend.SME owners should start with themselves by assessing their awareness on each of these four mental health and building resilience categories. To get an accurate reflection, set up a scale to rate each question below. You can also ask close friends or family members to rate you.Once you have assessed yourself, focus on three or four improvement areas where you think quick wins can be made. At some point in the future, you may want to get your senior employees to do the same assessment.Look out for the next article in the series: #MentalHealth4SMEs: Are you getting enough sleep? John Lewis was celebrated as an American hero during his funeral Thursday as former President Barack Obama and others called on people to follow Lewis' example and fight injustice. Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko and representative of the European Commission Katarina Mathernova discussed cooperation to stimulate the Ukrainian economy. "Ihor Petrashko discussed with the representative of the European Commission aspects of cooperation to stimulate the economy," the Government portal reports. In particular, on July 29, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Ihor Petrashko and Katarina Mathernova, the Deputy Director General (DDG) for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, held a meeting via video conferencing. The meeting was attended by representatives of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, who are responsible for economic cooperation and agriculture. The minister expressed gratitude to the EU for its constant and significant support for the economic stability of Ukraine. He also spoke about the state of implementation of a comprehensive state program, developed by the government, to stimulate the economy to overcome the negative consequences of COVID-19. In addition, during the conversation, the parties discussed the current state of land reform in Ukraine, mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized businesses, the development and support of farming, and other important issues. ish And the thing is, I imagine initially that day, the troopers thought that they had won the battle. You can imagine the conversations they had afterwards. You can imagine them saying, Yeah, we showed them. They figured theyd turned the protesters back over the bridge; that theyd kept, that theyd preserved a system that denied the basic humanity of their fellow citizens. Except this time, there were some cameras there. This time, the world saw what happened, bore witness to Black Americans who were asking for nothing more than to be treated like other Americans. Who were not asking for special treatment, just the equal treatment promised to them a century before, and almost another century before that. When John woke up, and checked himself out of the hospital, he would make sure the world saw a movement that was, in the words of Scripture, hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. They returned to Brown Chapel, a battered prophet, bandages around his head, and he said more marchers will come now. And the people came. And the troopers parted. And the marchers reached Montgomery. And their words reached the White House and Lyndon Johnson, son of the South, said We shall overcome, and the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. The life of John Lewis was, in so many ways, exceptional. It vindicated the faith in our founding, redeemed that faith; that most American of ideas; that idea that any of us ordinary people without rank or wealth or title or fame can somehow point out the imperfections of this nation, and come together, and challenge the status quo, and decide that it is in our power to remake this country that we love until it more closely aligns with our highest ideals. What a radical ideal. What a revolutionary notion. This idea that any of us, ordinary people, a young kid from Troy can stand up to the powers and principalities and say no this isnt right, this isnt true, this isnt just. We can do better. On the battlefield of justice, Americans like John, Americans like the Reverends Lowery and C.T. Vivian, two other patriots that we lost this year, liberated all of us that many Americans came to take for granted. America was built by people like them. America was built by John Lewises. He as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideals. And someday, when we do finish that long journey toward freedom; when we do form a more perfect union whether its years from now, or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America. And yet, as exceptional as John was, heres the thing: John never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do. I mentioned in the statement the day John passed, the thing about John was just how gentle and humble he was. And despite this storied, remarkable career, he treated everyone with kindness and respect because it was innate to him this idea that any of us can do what he did if we are willing to persevere. He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great courage, that in all of us there is a longing to do whats right, that in all of us there is a willingness to love all people, and to extend to them their God-given rights to dignity and respect. So many of us lose that sense. Its taught out of us. We start feeling as if, in fact, that we cant afford to extend kindness or decency to other people. That were better off if we are above other people and looking down on them, and so often thats encouraged in our culture. But John always saw the best in us. And he never gave up, and never stopped speaking out because he saw the best in us. He believed in us even when we didnt believe in ourselves. As a Congressman, he didnt rest; he kept getting himself arrested. As an old man, he didnt sit out any fight; he sat in, all night long, on the floor of the United States Capitol. I know his staff was stressed. But the testing of his faith produced perseverance. He knew that the march is not yet over, that the race is not yet won, that we have not yet reached that blessed destination where we are judged by the content of our character. He knew from his own life that progress is fragile; that we have to be vigilant against the darker currents of this countrys history, of our own history, with their whirlpools of violence and hatred and despair that can always rise again. VPLS, a technology solutions provider offering cloud-to-edge computing and services, announces that it is now authorized to participate in HPEs National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) Indirect Fulfillment Partner Program under HPEs NASPO ValuePoint Server/Storage MNNVP-134 agreement for California. VPLS secured the same designation for the State of Hawaii in 2019. The NASPO ValuePoint contract allows public entities to purchase HPEs industry-leading storage and server solutions from VPLS via a pre-negotiated cooperative contract. Our team is excited to be one of a few select partners to be listed as an Indirect Reseller for HPEs NASPO contract for California, states John Minnix, VP of Sales and Marketing at VPLS. VPLS has been a dedicated partner to government agencies for many years, and this new designation allows us to continue offering state, local, and educational organizations with the excellent service and solutions they need to achieve their IT objectives. As an HPE Partner for over eight years, VPLS has both the technical and industry expertise required to address the various IT needs of government agencies and school districts. Recently, VPLS completed a network refresh for the City of Beaumont, the third fastest-growing city in California. In addition to its strong partnership with HPE, VPLS is also on the HPE NASPO contract for Aruba Wireless, as well as the NASPO contracts for RUCKUS, Extreme Networks, Cisco Systems, and other industry-leading technology partners. About VPLS VPLS understands the technology and IT challenges that businesses and teams face in todays competitive global environment. Trusted by more than 7,000 enterprise clients worldwide, VPLS is a leading provider of cloud-to-edge computing and services, including colocation, hosting, backup and DRaaS, data center, and security. With this robust portfolio of IT solutions and a team of industry experts, VPLS partners with businesses to solve their most complex technology challenges. Our carrier-neutral data centers are HIPAA, IDS, ISAE, SSAE, SOC2, and PCI DSS compliant, and supported by a global network backbone with over 400 Gbps of transit capacity, making VPLS the ideal on-ramp to the internet and public clouds like Amazon, Azure, Google and Oracle. VPLSs network and security operations centers in Reston, VA; Los Angeles, CA; Orange, CA; and Bangkok, Thailand provide 24/7 managed service support offering help desk, managed server, managed security, managed switch, and managed wireless services. VPLSs team of solution technologists, with over 200 IT certifications and growing, strategically partner with brands like Cisco, Dell, Fortinet, HPE, Palo Alto Networks, Ruckus, Extreme Networks, and Supermicro, to deliver the ideal hardware and software for your IT environment. Learn more about VPLS at http://www.vpls.com. By Roslan Khasawneh SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The family that owns beleaguered Singaporean oil trader Hin Leong Trading (HLT) is seeking to block a request from creditor OCBC that overseers be appointed for Xihe Holdings and four of the family's other subsidiaries to recoup its debt. Oversea Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) OCBC.SI applied last week for the Singapore High Court to appoint judicial managers over Xihe, owned by the family of Hin Leong founder Lim Oon Kuin, known as O.K. Lim. Kenny Lim Oon Cheng, Xihe Holdings interim chief executive, said in a July 28 affidavit reviewed by Reuters that granting OCBC's request will "disrupt the constructive discussions that the Xihe Group has had with third parties including lenders". It could also result in a fire sale of its assets and "a destruction of value" for shareholders including lenders, he added. OCBC's application is an attempt to obtain a "backdoor" ruling to freeze the Lim family's assets in Xihe Group "to protect their interests as lenders to HLT" and its other shipping company Ocean Tankers Pte Ltd, Kenny Lim also said. HLT owes OCBC $250 million. The case which was heard at the Singapore High Court on Wednesday has been adjourned up to Aug. 13 to allow the banks working on the restructuring process with Xihe group to continue, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter who declined to be identified. Xihe "and its lenders have adjourned court proceedings to work together towards a consensual restructuring," the group of companies said in a statement on Wednesday. OCBC declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Kenny Lim is the brother of O.K. Lim, who with his son Evan Lim Chee Meng and daughter Lim Huey Ching own 77 companies under Xihe Group, which consists mainly of Xihe Holdings and Xihe Capital. Xihe Group owns 136 ships ranging from coastal barges to very large crude carriers (VLCCs). HLT and Ocean Tankers were placed under court-appointed interim-judicial management to restructure billions of dollars of debt after a crash in oil prices revealed a massive, years-long fraud at the trading house. Story continues OCBC's ship mortgage claims against Xihe Holdings through four of its subsidiaries totalled about $130 million which is below the estimated $170 million in net asset values of those subsidiaries, Kenny Lim said. As each subsidiary owns only one or two ships, it "makes no sense to say that the business has to be rehabilitated", which is what a judicial manager is used for, he said. The total valuation of the entire Xihe Group fleet is about twice the total amount of the $995 million in loans held against the company, Xihe's financial advisor Nicky Tan Ng Kuang said in separate July 28 affidavit reviewed by Reuters. Xihe Group has been in discussions with five different bridge financiers, including a leading Wall Street investment bank, Tan said, while it has also identified and is in discussions with at least six potential financiers, including a regional listed company. Tan said that the Xihe Group is also in talks with at least 84 parties on the potential sale of its vessels, adding that the company has sold four vessels so far. Xihe is also in negotiations with "a large multinational commodities and trading company" for the charter of two vessels which would generate about "$200,000 in charter income per month for each vessel," he added. Lim, Xihe Group, their lawyers and financial advisor did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Roslan Khasawneh, additional reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Jason Neely) Tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenadesinstruments of violence frequently seen in authoritarian states and war zonesare now local reporting hazards in Portland, Oregon, where protests against police brutality persist. Numerous photojournalists covering the Portland protests have reported bodily injuries from munitions and chemical weapons, as well as direct physical assaults. Increasingly, such violence directed at journalists seems inevitablea matter of when, not ifas President Trump deploys federal agents to install his version of law and order. They have been shooting a lot more aggressively, a lot more flash-bangs, Mason Trinca, a freelance photographer who has covered the protests for the New York Times, says. It was very clear that they were not de-escalating at all. In the wake of the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, attacks against journalists have intensified. Since Floyds killing, Portlands independent Police Review Board has received seventy-six complaints against the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). In June, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon filed a class-action lawsuit against the PPB and the City of Portland, citing numerous examples of police attacks against the press, to stop the Portland police from assaulting news reporters, photographers, legal observers, and other neutrals who are documenting the polices violent response to protests over the murder of George Floyd. Last week, a US District Court judge in Oregon granted a temporary restraining order affirming that federal agents deployed to the city must allow journalists to move freely and without harm. To Portlands photojournalists, the recent presence of federal law enforcement agents is more unpredictable than that of local police, with whom they might have preexisting relationships. The feds arrived looking like they came out of Kandahar, John Rudoff, a veteran photographer who syndicates through Sipa and the Associated Press, says. They shoot everything that moves. Federal police hit Rudoff with rubber bullets on two different nights, in the shoulder and leg, respectively. In an account provided to the Committee to Protect Journalists and described to CJR, Rian Dundon, a freelancer for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, said a federal agent threw him to the ground, causing him to fall on top of a tear-gas cannister, which exploded beneath him. As he tried to leave, with his hands up, the same agent pinned him, held a nightstick to his neck, and yanked his press tag away. While he was pinned, Dundon inhaled chemical fumes. I dont know what I am being gassed with, Dundon said about chemical agents dispersed during the protests hes covered. I know that it hurts. I spend a lot of time on the pavement on my knees, and sometimes on my back, getting views from behind the barricades. The only thing I can do is be as marked up as I can and just hope I dont get killed. Trinca, the Times freelancer, moved to Portland from the Bay Area eight months ago. He wanted to get away from hard news and focus instead on bigger narrative stories. Because of covid-19 and the risk of infection, he initially avoided covering the protests. But when Trump deployed federal officers, national editors reached out to him, and he took the Times assignment. Sign up for CJR 's daily email As a freelancer, Trinca says, it was important for him to know that the Times would provide legal assistance if he was arrested or detained. The Times also offered hazard pay and protective gear, including a ballistic vest, helmet, and gas mask. The latter is now mandatory for those covering the front line, Trinca says, though hes not eager to wear it. When you put the mask on you kind of immediately disconnect as a human, he says. Youre almost yelling at people through your mask. You feel like youre an astronaut, yelling into a space suit. Youre kind of photographing shapes and sounds and textures at that point. Away from the front line, Trinca says, an N-95 allows me to talk to and engage folks. If you dont look human, your images wont feel like theyre human. Dundon has no gas mask, and no big news organization assigning him. In the past week, hes managed to publish three photos in The Atlantic and one in The New Yorker, for a total of $400. Despite the low pay, Dundon says he remains committed to documenting the story. Without a gas mask, he has been forced away from the front line; hes been working the edges, taking quieter pictures, focusing on the broad base of support for the protest and asking permission of protesters, who in the past have been suspicious of journalists. Indeed, Rudoff, the veteran photographer and one of the plaintiffs in the ACLU suit, noticed a change in protesters attitudes toward journalists. Since the federal police arrived, he says, I have had a half dozen people thanking me for being there. Rudoff has covered violent protests in other countries, and compared clashes in Portland to some he witnessed in Hong Kong last year. The level of violence and the level of munitions that the feds are using is astonishing. He says he makes it a point not to blend in with protesters: His helmet and flak jacket have press written on both sides, and he wears blue jeans or light-colored pants. I spend a lot of time on the pavement on my knees, and sometimes on my back, getting views from behind the barricades, he says. The only thing I can do is be as marked up as I can and just hope I dont get killed. Paula Bronstein, a veteran conflict photographer, has worked in Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Though she has lived a big portion of her life outside of the US, she started her career in Oregon in the 1990s, working for newspapers. For the past ten days shes been freelancingfirst for the Washington Post and then for the Wall Street Journal, often for ten or twelve hours per day. The Post paid her its standard rate with no hazard pay, while the Journal increased its typical daily rate, owing to threats of violence and covid-19, Bronstein says. The Journal also provided her with a gas mask, covid masks, and a neon press vest. She has a security check-in at least once a day. Despite these precautions, Bronstein was injured last week when a federal agent body-slammed her. I was running away from the building but only made it to the sidewalk, she says. I dont think the guy even saw me. It was like a rugby body slam, and he kept on going. Bronstein, who says she has lower-back pain and a pretty serious black-and-blue mark above my elbow following the incident, went back to work the next day. On Monday, the Washington Post reported plans by the Trump administration to send more federal agents to Portland. That day, Rudoff had ended his work around 3:30am. An acquaintance and video journalist from Los Angeles had been hit in the arm with a marking round while she worked alongside him. She had a white press helmet and a fluorescent yellow press vest, he wrote in an email. So it fucking goes. Editors note: Yesterday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced that the Trump administration has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. NEW AT CJR: What the lawyers who sue the press think of the press, and media law Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Nina Berman is a photographer and an associate professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism New Delhi, July 30 : A few hours after being sentenced to jail for four years in a corruption case relating to a defence deal, the Delhi High Court in a major relief to ex-Samata Party President Jaya Jaitly, suspended the sentence awarded to her. The orders were passed by a single judge bench of the high court presided over by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait on Thursday after he admitted the appeal filed by Jaitly through senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi seeking suspension of her conviction and the sentence awarded later. Jaitly's legal team moved the high court soon after the sentence was pronounced. Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sentenced Jaitly to four years in jail in a corruption case relating to a defence deal. Two other convicts and Jaitly's former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and Major General (Retd.) S.P. Murgai were also awarded a similar jail term by the court. While Jaitly approached the High Court on Thursday, the other convicts are likely to move the court on Friday. Earlier in the day, CBI judge Virender Bhat directed the trio to surrender before the court before 5 p.m. on Thursday. They have also been fined Rs one lakh each. The genesis of this case lies in a sting operation conducted by a news website Tehelka in 2000-2001 termed "Operation Westend" to expose the corruption in defence procurement deals in India. Tehelka had made the operation public in mid-March 2001. On July 20, twenty years after a sting operation was done to expose alleged corruption in a defence deal, the court had convicted Jaya Jaitly, Major General S.P. Murgai and Gopal K. Pacherwal in the case. On the basis of the sting, an FIR was registered against the four persons - Jaya, Major General S.P. Murgai, Gopal K. Pacherwal and Surender Kumar Surekha but the latter turned approver for the CBI. The CBI filed the charge sheet against Jaitly and others in 2006. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Jaitly entered into a criminal conspiracy with Murgai, Surekha and Pacherwal in 2000-01 and obtained Rs two lakhs as gratification for herself or for any other person from Mathew Samuel, representative of fictitious firm M/s Westend International, London. She did it to exercise influence upon public servants for getting supply orders for defence equipment i.e. Hand Held Thermal Cameras (HHTC) from the Ministry of Defence for the said fictitious firm. It is alleged that a number of payments were made to Major General S.P. Murgai for his services in this regard and Rs one lakh was paid to Surekha for his assistance in the matter. As Dana Hoyt winds down a career in education after more than 30 years, including making history as Sam Houston State Universitys first female president, she now has one more accolade to add to her resume. On Thursday in a virtual event held by the Conroe Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, Hoyt was named the 2020 ATHENA Award Winner. I consider her an amazing member of our community and a dear friend, said Congressman Kevin Brady in a video segment. She joined Sam Houston State University as the vice president for finance and operations and soon made history as the first female vice president for the university. And wow, did great things happen. She embodies all the attributes of an ATHENA winner and Ive seen first hand her professional capabilities, her leadership, her grace and her savvy. Hoyt was also instrumental in bringing the first SHSU medical school to the county with the Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. The ATHENA Leadership Award program is an international program designed to honor women for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. Thursdays event marked the third annual ATHENA event for the Chamber. Like many other events during this time of the pandemic, it was driven online due to the COVID-19 threat. The virtual event held via ZOOM had nearly 100 participants who were eager to offer encouragement to fellow female leaders. A call for nominations was put out to Chamber members and the community earlier in the year. Criteria for nominees include to demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession, provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in the Conroe and Montgomery County community and actively assist women in achieving their full leadership potential. New this year an additional criteria focusing on leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic was created by the Chamber. The additional criteria included demonstrate extraordinary leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of health care, small business, nonprofit, first responders, education and financial sectors. This years nominees included: Sonya Brazeal, Summer Day, Amanda Van Dusen, Natalie Goertz, Missy Herndon, Echo Hutson, Dana Hoyt, Meredith Jurica, Corrina Meadors, CarrieRae Munson, Linda Nelson, Shannon Overby, Kim Phillips, Jean Radach, Elaine Roberts, Monette Smith, Angela St. Julien and Rita Wiltz. Finalists were Natalie Saikowski Goertz, Dana Hoyt, Missy Herndon, Meredith Jurica, Linda Nelson, CarrieRae Munson and Jean Radach. All nominations were sent to the ATHENA International where a panel selected the finalists and recipient. In a live segment at SHSU with her friends and supporters in the room, Hoyt accepted the award. Im very, very honored. This is an amazing group of women, she said. They are wonderful speakers and have wonderful programs. To be in with that group is a nice compliment. Hoyt also noted that she would be finishing her tenure with the university in August as she retires after 10 years with SHSU. (Retirement) makes me even more appreciative of this award and of women in leadership, she said. Starting out as a CPA in 1984, Hoyt entered the education field at Texas Womens University in 1986. Since then shes held roles at the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver (Colorado), the University of Colorado at Denver, Southern Methodist University and finally SHSU in 2009. Hoyt was the keynote speaker for the ATHENA Luncheon in 2019 and said she was so impressed by the caliber of the event and the qualities the ATHENA Leadership program represented. She noted courage and enlightenment as two particular categories that stood out to her. I dont think you can be a great leader without taking some risks and moving things ahead. Courage is one of the characteristics of somebody who can move an organization forward, she said. Debra F. Sukin, chief executive officer of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital and regional senior vice president of Houston Methodist, was Thursdays keynote speaker. She said anyone can be a successful leader with passion. You must have thick skin, not be diminished by others with a difference of opinion, be resilient because others may prejudge that youre too young or too old or dont have enough experience, she said. They may compare you to past leaders. But dont waiver. Every leader brings a unique set of skills to an organization. She said this global pandemic has highlighted the need for leaders to think creatively and to do the right thing, even when its not popular. She encouraged the continued use of masks, social distancing and handwashing noting that they are still the best tools in fighting COVID-19. We will show the rest of the state and country how we can each make a difference in our community, Sukin said. Woodforest National Bank was a presenting sponsor of the event. For more information about the chamber, visit conroe.org. shernandez@hcnonline.com EDWARDSVILLE From learning more about COVID-19, to critical thinking regarding racism, to preparing for college, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Centers Upward Bound (UB) EC/BEM program students delved into these topics and more during Zoom sessions during the summer. The sessions, which began Monday, June 15, ended Friday, July 24 with program participants receiving complementary lunches and gift bags in a socially-distanced fashion at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. The program serves high school students in East St. Louis, Cahokia (EC) and Brooklyn, the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, and Madison (BEM). Approximately 100 students participated in the summer session. MINSK, Belarus - Belarusian authorities on Thursday accused more than 30 detained Russians of plotting terror attacks amid a presidential election campaign, allegations that Russian officials angrily rejected. The grave accusations mark an unprecedented spike in tensions between Russia and Belarus, which are neighbours and traditionally allies. Independent observers and opposition supporters in Belarus have dismissed the alleged terror plot as a campaign stunt by President Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian leader who is seeking a sixth term in next months election. The Belarusian State Security Committee, still known by its Soviet-era name KGB, said it detained 32 people from private Russian military firm Wagner early Wednesday at a sanitarium outside the capital of Minsk. Another person was detained in the countrys south. Security Council Secretary Andrei Ravkov said Thursday that the Russians are facing a criminal probe on charges of plotting terror attacks in Belarus. He claimed that Belarusian authorities were searching for another 200 Russian militants believed to be in the ex-Soviet nation. The Kremlin responded by urging Belarus to explain its action and to fully respect the detainees rights. There is no information about any wrongdoing of the Russians that may have caused the detention., Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He shrugged off the allegations of the Russians involvement in efforts to destabilize Belarus as nothing but innuendo. After being summoned by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Russian Ambassador Dmitry Mezentsev also dismissed the accusations as unfounded. He said the Russians were en route to an unspecified country and checked into the sanitarium near Minsk after they missed a connecting flight at the capitals airport. Mezentsev demanded immediate consular access to the detainees and urged Belarusian authorities to show their evidence against the Russians. The Wagner company is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The firm has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to eastern Ukraine, Syria and Libya. Many observers have pointed out that Belarus long has provided a transit corridor for sensitive Russian operations abroad. Lukashenko is campaigning to remain in office amid an upsurge in opposition protests fueled by public fatigue with his iron-fisted rule and a painful economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Some observers see the detention of the Russians as an attempt by the president to mobilize public support in the Aug. 9 election. Amid a sharp drop in his popularity, Lukashenko has to turn to theatrical gestures to scare everyone and to try to stem the wave of protests, Alexander Klaskovsky, an independent political analyst based in Minsk, said. Throughout his 26-year rule, Lukashenko has relied on cheap Russian energy and loans to keep his nations Soviet-style economy afloat. Belarus and Russia have a union deal envisaging close political, economic and military ties, but Moscow has recently cut some of the subsidies, arguing that Belarus must accept closer integration to receive energy resources at a discount. The Belarusian leader has bristled at Russian demands and accused the Kremlin of harbouring plans to deprive Belarus of its post-Soviet independence. The new scandals help remind the Kremlin that it needs to pay for loyalty, Klaskovsky said. Belarus Investigative Committee said Thursday it was also investigating whether the detained Russians could have been involved in preparations for staging mass riots as part of a criminal probe against a jailed opposition blogger, Sergei Tikhanovsky. He has been in custody since May on charges of attacking a police officer, which he rejected as a provocation Tikhanovskys wife, Svetlana, who is challenging Lukashenko in the election, dismissed the new accusations against her husband as absolutely unlawful. Election officials rejected attempts by two other potential presidential challengers to register for the race. Over 20,000 Tikhanovskayas supporters gathered Thursday at her rally in Minsk, the biggest since the start of the campaign. Many participants dismissed the official claims of a Russian subversion plot as a sham. We are worried about the lack of money to buy food and medicines, not some mythical enemies and plots, retiree Nikolai Ostapchuk, 72, said. No one believes in these thriller stories about Russian militants, which are intended to switch our attention, scare us and keep us at home, said 43-year-old driver Dmitry Furkovsky. - Daria Litvinova and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. M att Hancock has hinted that the self-isolation period could be extended for people with coronavirus symptoms, as he warned a "second wave" of cases is "starting to roll across Europe". Asked to confirm reports that the self-isolation period will be extended from seven to 10 days, Mr Hancock told Sky News: "This is a decision which is clinically led. The chief medical officer will be setting out details later today. "I can't steal his thunder but what I will say is we will always do what is necessary to protect people and we are guided by the clinical judgements and science in this." As fears of a second spike in cases mount among health leaders, the Health Secretary also said there was a "serious concern" about a rising number of positive cases in nearby countries. "There is a serious concern about a second wave which is clearly now moving across Europe and we need to take action to protect this country and the people in it," Mr Hancock said. He added: "I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and weve got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it. "The measures that the chief medical officer will set out later are part of that but so too are the measures were taking, for instance to ensure that we dont directly bring cases back to this country where theres a big spike in cases. "So absolutely on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening." The Health Secretary also said ministers were investigating ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals to the UK from at-risk countries. UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /38 UK stays alerts during Coronavirus - In pictures People wearing PPE sit on bench's at Earl's Court Station Reuters Worlds End Nurseries in Chelsea opens for business. Customer Nika Kucifer is shown flowers by Janson Lotery Nigel Howard Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing the nation about coronavirus (COVID-19) from 10 Downing Street, London. PA Coronavirus Covid-19 Colour Coded Alert System A sign is pictured explaining that the road has been narrowed to aid social distancing when using Camden High Street AFP via Getty Images Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard Phil Spencer, Cheshire coach of the year 2019 photographed in action at the Bowdon Lawn Tennis Club coaching 9-year-old club member Gigi Welch on the first day the prime minister is allowing family members to enjoy unlimited outdoor activities and various sports played with social distancing on May 13, 2020 in Bowdon Getty Images A golfer plays the first hole while wearing a face mask at West Essex Golf Course Getty Images Pedestrians and cyclists make their way across London Bridge following prime minister Boris Johnson's advice for people to return work if possible but not use public transport. Daniel Hambury Two men wear face masks on the London Underground Jubilee line PA Key workers in Birmingham city centre, as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA Coronavirus-themed street art by mural artist and illustrator KMG in Camden PA Traffic is seen on the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour near Heathrow Airport i AFP via Getty Images A member of staff take a trolley from customers for disinfection at a garden centre in Caerphilly, Wales, as minor changes to lockdown restriction begin across Wales PA Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard A woman wearing a protective face mask and gloves is seen walking past a mural, Reuters Pedestrians pass heavy traffic passing over Tower Bridge in London, PA Commuters wait to board a train at Canning Town underground PA A satellite image shows Trafalgar Square in London via Reuters A member of staff hands over a coffee from behind a plastic protective screen at a branch of Pret a Manger in central London PA A general view of Old Compton Brasserie in an empty Soho Daniel Hambury Cyclists exercise in The Meadows in Edinburgh as the UK continues in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A general view of Gerrard Street in an empty Soho Daniel Hambury A man wearing a protective face mask is seen at Westminster tube station, Reuters Workers carry a pane of glass on a construction site near Guildford AFP via Getty Images Commuters wearing PPE (personal protective equipment), including a face mask as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, wait to catch a red London bus in the morning rush hour AFP via Getty Images Traffic crosses Waterloo Bridge PA Pedestrians and cyclists make their way across London Bridge Daniel Hambury Commuters on the Jubilee line Nigel Howard According to reports this week, returned travellers would need to quarantine for eight days before being tested, and then only remain in quarantine for another two days should they test negative. Asked about the reports, Mr Hancock said: "Were always looking at how we can have the least-possible burden of the measures that we have to put into place so that is something on which were doing some work but well only come forward with a proposal when were confident that it is safe to do so. "So again this is very much guided by the clinical science and the CMO (chief medical officer) will be speaking on it later today, but the broader point is that theres a serious concern about a second wave thats clearly now moving across Europe and we need to take action. "If that means increasing the number of days that people who test positive have to self-isolate then so be it because these measures are necessary to keep people safe." But Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast that the Government was "not ready to make changes" on the length of the quarantine period. "We are not imminently making an announcement on it because that work is not concluded," Mr Hancock confirmed. "Until it is absolutely safe to make that sort of change, we won't do so. But it is something we are working on." He added: "We won't be making changes on that in the next few days." Supports various debt facilities as part of NAC's US$6 billion COVID-19 debt restructuring program WILMINGTON, Delaware and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilmington Trust, a leader in corporate and institutional trust services, announces it has been appointed security trustee for Irish-based Nordic Aviation Capital ("NAC"), as part of the NAC's landmark US$6 billion debt restructuring, pursuant to a solvent scheme of arrangement sanctioned by the Irish High (Commercial) Court on 21 July 2020 following overwhelming creditor approval. The transaction allows NAC to standstill on and defer principal and interest payments on its debt for the next 6 to 12 months, amid the serious impact on the aviation industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As security trustee, Wilmington Trust will hold security in respect of a pool of 236 aircraft supporting various NAC debt facilities. "We're proud to have helped ensure a successful transaction that will allow NAC flexibility with its lenders during this unprecedented time," said Jean-Christophe Schroeder, Senior Vice President, Wilmington Trust. "Our appointment as security trustee highlights our continued leadership in loan agency services, particularly in the aviation industry." NAC is the industry's leading regional aircraft lessor serving approximately 75 airline customers in over 50 countries. NAC's current fleet of almost 500 aircraft includes ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Dash 8, CRJ900/1000, Airbus A220 and Embraer E-Jet family aircraft. Wilmington Trust worked with Watson Farley & Williams as legal counsel on the appointment. The team supporting the transaction includes Elaine Lockhart, European Head of Agency; Caroline Magee, Managing Director Sales; Chris Hurford, Vice President; and Keith Reader, Vice President. Wilmington Trust is a leading provider of services to the loan market, including independent loan agency services, for some of the largest and most complex restructurings in the U.S. and Europe. Taking a non-lender role, the firm acts as a neutral, impartial agent on new originations and successor appointments. Its tenured staff, combined with its financial stability and quality of service make Wilmington Trust the agent of choice for banks, funds, debt advisors, and lawyers in need of an independent agent. Wilmington Trust is backed by the strength and stability of its parent company, M&T Bank, with $124.6 billion in balance sheet assets as of March 31, 2020. To learn more about Wilmington Trust's loan agency capabilities, visit the firm's Loan Agency Services webpage. ABOUT WILMINGTON TRUST Wilmington Trust, N.A. provides Corporate and Institutional Services including institutional trust, agency, asset management, retirement plan, agency, asset management, and administrative services for clients worldwide who use capital markets financing structures. Wilmington Trust provides direct trust, custody, and fiduciary services for retirement plans, companies, foundations, organizations and financial institutions. Wilmington Trust also provides Wealth Advisory services with a wide array of personal trust, financial planning, fiduciary, asset management, and family office solutions designed to help high-net-worth individuals and families grow, preserve, and transfer wealth. Wilmington Trust maintains offices throughout the United States and internationally in London, Paris, Dublin, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.WilmingtonTrust.com. MEDIA CONTACTS: Maya Dillon, Head of Communications, Wilmington Trust (212) 415-0557 Paul Merchan, Peppercomm (212) 931-6172 Wilmington Trust is a registered service mark. M&T Bank Corporation's European subsidiaries (Wilmington Trust (UK) Limited, Wilmington Trust (London) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (London) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (Dublin) Limited, Wilmington Trust SP Services (Frankfurt) GmbH and Wilmington Trust SAS) provide international corporate and institutional services. M&T Bank Corporation's US subsidiaries [Wilmington Trust Company (operating in Delaware only) Wilmington Trust, N.A., M&T Bank and certain other US affiliates] provide various fiduciary and non-fiduciary services, including trustee, custodial, agency, investment management, and other services. Loans, credit cards, retail and business deposits, and other business and personal banking services and products are offered by M&T Bank, member FDIC. Not all services are available in all jurisdictions. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/872910/Wilmington_Trust_Logo.jpg Ankita Lokhande, who once dated Sushant Singh Rajput, on Wednesday, shared a cryptic post on her social media that read "Truth Wins." Her post came a day after an FIR was lodged against Sushant's rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty by his father. Ankita, who was in a relationship with Sushant for about six years before calling it quits in 2016, posted a black-and-white image on her Instagram with "TRUTH WINS" written in the centre. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ankita Lokhande (@lokhandeankita) on Jul 28, 2020 at 11:53pm PDT Now, Sushant's sister Shweta Singh Kirti has reacted to Ankita's post. Shweta, who lives in the US with her family, commented, "God is always with the truth..." On Sushants one month death anniversary, Ankita had shared a picture of a diya and white flowers against the backdrop of her mandir. Along with the picture, she wrote, CHILD Of GOD. She even supported the peaceful candle protest held for Sushant on social media recently. His fans have been demanding a CBI inquiry in Sushants case. She shared a picture of a candle on Instagram and wrote, HOPE, PRAYERS AND STRENGTH !!! Keep smiling wherever you are. Ankita and Sushant had met on the sets of their very popular show Pavitra Rishta. Post Sushant's demise, Ankita had met with his father at his Mumbai residence and later travelled to Sushant's hometown in Patna, too. Latin America, where economic growth has already been slowing in recent years, is expected to see an economic contraction of 8% to 10% this year as a result of the coronavirus and associated quarantine measures Latin American should turn its infrastructure investment focus toward digital technologies and away from physical infrastructure to stimulate its economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) said on Thursday. Increasing digitalization of public services like water, electricity and internet could lead to gross domestic product growth of 5.7 percent over 10 years in the region, equivalent to $325 billion in additional income during that time, the IADB report said. Latin America, where economic growth has already been slowing in recent years, is expected to see an economic contraction of 8% to 10% this year as a result of the coronavirus and associated quarantine measures, IADB President Luis Alberto Moreno told Reuters this week. Drones and satellite technology, among others, could contribute to improvements in the planning and engineering stages of construction projects and land acquisitions, the report said. "For too long we've focused on bricks, pipes and other hard assets," said Agustin Aguerre, head of the IADB's infrastructure department. "Digital technology allows us to better understand how people use our roads, consume electricity and water." Data will also help predict maintenance needs and generate additional savings, the report said. If efficiency increases and prices drop, poorer sectors could see their average income increase 28% more than more wealthy sectors over 10 years. Latin America is behind in internet access and download speeds are some 10 times slower than in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the report said. Countries should update their regulatory frameworks to make sure that digitalization can be translated into tangible benefits for consumers, it added. Search Keywords: Short link: IAF Rafale aircraft touching down at Air Force Station on its arrival after covering a distance of nearly 8500 km from France to India, in Ambala, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The aircraft will be a part of 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows, which was resurrected on Sept 10, 2019. Photo: PTI. By Press Trust of India The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a premier 'Miniratna' company of Government of India, has called for online applications from eligible and interested ITI qualified candidates looking for apprentice jobs for filling 358 Trade Apprentices (350) and Technician (08) vacancies in multiple trades/disciplines through direct selection on a fulltime basis to be posted at CSL Kochi in Kerala, India. The application-cum-registration process towards same closes on August 4, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Trade Apprentices and Technician Organisation Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Educational Qualification ITI in relevant trade (Trade Apprentices) and Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Desirable Job Location Kochi Salary Scale Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 9,000 per month Industry Shipping Application Start Date January 1, 1970 Application End Date August 4, 2020 CSL Apprentice Jobs:Age Criteria And Fee Candidates interested in applying for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment meet the age criteria as per the CSL norms, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved categories as specified in the notification. There is no application for fee for filling Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment. UPSC CMSE 2020 Recruitment For 559 Medical Officer/GDMO Posts, Apply Online Before August 18 CSL Apprentice Jobs: Educational Criteria, Eligibility Desirous candidates applying for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment must have passed ITI in relevant trade (Trade Apprentices) and Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) for Technician posts from a recognised Board as detailed in the advertisement. CSL Apprentice Jobs: Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment will be done through Shortlisting, Academic Performance and Certificate Verification. Candidates selected for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment will be paid a stipend in the scale of Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 9,000 per month. National Education Policy 2020:Focus on 'Reforms' In School, Higher Education. Check Highlights Here CSL Apprentice Jobs: How To Apply Candidates applying for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment must register online on the official CSL website here at through OTR, and submit their applications on or before August 4, 2020. Read the detailed notification about Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment for Trade Apprentices and Technician posts here Good Morning America On the eve of the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, President Joe Biden held a formal news conference at the White House Wednesday, answering reporter questions on his handling of the pandemic, the economy and legislative agenda, characterizing the country as unified -- but not as much as it could be -- and raised eyebrows by saying Russia was likely to invade Ukraine. "It's been a year of challenges, but it's also many years of enormous progress," Biden said to begin, ticking through his administration's successes before fielding questions from reporters. With Biden facing the limits of what he can accomplish with an evenly-divided Senate, unable to get either his signature social spending package or major voting rights reform through Congress in recent weeks, and with the pandemic still raging well into its second, his approval rating in polls has hit an all-time low. Isle of Man Ship Registrys QUALSHIP 21 status confirmed by US Coast Guard The Isle of Man Ship Registry has retained its place within the United States Coast Guards QUALSHIP 21 programme, designed to recognise foreign-flagged vessels that maintain the highest safety and quality standards. Isle of Man Ship Registry director Cameron Mitchell said continued inclusion in the scheme through to July 2021 was great news for the registry and its clients, representing further independent verification of the quality of the Manx fleet. Entry into the programme is based on data gathered during Port State Control inspections in the United States. In order for a flag state to qualify, it must have a three-year average detention rate below the 1.0% threshold. A total of 132 safety examinations were carried out on Manx ships in the United States last year, resulting in zero detentions, and a rolling detention ratio of 0.48%. Cameron said: The Isle of Man Ship Registry prides itself on being an internationally respected quality flag of choice, and were delighted this dedication to quality and safety has been recognised once again by the U.S Coast Guard. As an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001-certified organisation, the Isle of Man Ship Registry is committed to upholding the highest international standards, including robust performance monitoring of ships on the register to help ensure less scrutiny of our flagged vessels around the world. Achieving a three-year average detention ratio in the U.S. of just 0.48% is testament to the expertise and hard work of the entire ship registry team, our clients and ship operators. The QUALSHIP 21 program rewards quality vessels, their owners and Flag Administration for their commitment to safety and quality. A quality vessel is associated with a well-run company, is classed by an organisation with a quality track record, is registered with a Flag Administration with a superior Port State Control record, and has an outstanding Port State Control history in U.S. waters. By adhering to the highest maritime standards, participants in the QUALSHIP 21 programme are offered incentives including certificates, name recognition, and a reduction in Port State Control examination frequency. As a result of the very strict inclusion criteria, only a small percentage of all foreign-flagged ships that operate in the U.S. earn QUALSHIP 21 status. Of the 2,936 vessels enrolled in the programme at the end of 2019, 72 were Isle of Man-flagged. Writing to the Isle of Man Ship Registry, Commander JT Boyle US Coast Guard Chief Port State Control Division, said: We would like to congratulate Isle of Man on its qualification for continuance in the United States Coast Guards Quality Shipping for the 21st Century (QUALSHIP 21) Program. Your commitment to quality shipping was evident as merchant vessels flagged by your registry that called on U.S. ports have compiled an excellent Port State Control record in the past three calendar years. As a result, your Administrations three-year detention percentage is below the 1.0% threshold that is required for inclusion into the QUALSHIP 21 program. Once again, congratulations for your exceptional commitment to quality. From left: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (Associated Press) Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man in the United States, made his first appearance ever before a congressional committee Wednesday. It did not go well. The hearing, held by a House Judiciary Committee panel, featured almost five hours of sharp criticism by lawmakers of shockingly anti-competitive practices allegedly deployed by Amazon and three other dominant technology companies Alphabet, Facebook and Apple. Although Republicans at the hearing seemed more concerned about instances of alleged bias against conservatives, members from both parties hammered Bezos and his counterparts for seeming to use their positions as gatekeepers of crucial platforms to advance their own interests, harm competitors and abuse the public. The panel has been gathering information for more than a year about the companies' possible violations of U.S. antitrust law. The hearing gave the four leaders the chance to rebut evidence the panel collected from internal company documents and testimony from their competitors and customers. They were not persuasive. The four companies' products and services overlap, but each has a near-chokehold over one or more multibillion-dollar markets. Amazon is responsible for about 40% of e-commerce in the United States and holds a similar lead in the market for hosting internet-based services. Alphabet's Google handles more then 90% of the world's internet searches, and its YouTube user-generated video platform is the most popular in the United States. Facebook is the world's largest social network and, along with Google, dominates online advertising. Apple doesn't corner the market on any products or services, but the only way to sell software and services to the roughly 1 billion iPhones and iPads in use worldwide is to pass through Apple's App Store. The CEOs insisted that they face rigorous competition and are focused on delivering the best possible products and experiences for consumers. But lawmakers offered example after example of the companies appearing to use their market power to distort the competitive landscape, and the answers offered by the CEOs were singularly unsatisfying. Bezos, for instance, acknowledged that Amazon used data aggregated from other sellers on its platform to develop competing products. Alphabet's Sundar Pichai struggled to explain what his company's data policies were and whether it adjusted its search engine to favor its own products and harm competitors. Story continues Apple's Tim Cook sought to defend the company's practice of demanding 30% of the revenue app developers collect from their sales as an enormous discount from the software distribution costs of yore, as opposed to a toll that it forced developers to pay. And Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg had to admit that yes, his company has a history of buying up companies that it perceived as threats to its business. (Several Republicans on the panel honed in on complaints of anti-conservative bias, but bizarrely focused on Facebook's decision to remove a video that dangerously touted hydroxychloroquine as a "cure" for COVID-19 that removed the need for wearing a mask after it had garnered 20 million views. "If Facebook is out there trying to repress conservative speech," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), "they're doing a terrible job at it.") One potential hurdle for Big Tech's critics is that U.S. antitrust law is uniquely focused on preventing harm to consumers, not to competitors. And because many of the products and services that Big Tech companies offer are free to use, it isn't automatically clear how consumers are harmed when the companies compete unfairly. That's an issue for Congress to explore. In the meantime, though, the panel is assembling a powerful case for regulators to pursue. The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department have launched investigations into multiple Big Tech companies, as have many state attorneys general. If Wednesday's hearing is any guide, the companies have much to answer for. Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The presidential council of the government of national accord (GNA) Wednesday declared four days of holiday to celebrate Eid el Adha, feast of the sheep sacrifice for Muslims, an official source said here By PTI PESHAWAR: At least ten people were killed as two rival groups clashed over the ownership of a property in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said. The bloody armed clash occurred in Dir Upper district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Nine persons from one group and one from the other group were killed in the gun battle, police said. Police did not provide more details. MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 29, 2020 /CNW/ - Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust ("the Trust") (TSX: MRT.UN) today is pleased to announce its financial results for the six month period ending June 30, 2020. These results have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). Also included is a brief operational and liquidity update as we continue to focus on managing through the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impact. Financial Highlights Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, In thousands of dollars, except per-unit amounts 2020 2019 2020 2019 Revenue from real estate properties $59,300 $67,008 $125,673 $137,462 Net operating income 27,200 36,957 62,028 74,817 Fair value losses on real estate properties (111,430) (24,602) (232,547) (30,282) Net (loss)/income (98,814) (4,701) (201,369) 12,214 Funds from operations 13,152 21,999 33,110 45,085 Adjusted funds from operations 10,032 15,838 23,763 32,697 Amounts presented on a per unit basis Net (loss)/income basic ($1.60) ($0.08) ($3.29) $0.20 Net (loss)/income diluted ($1.60) ($0.08) ($3.29) $0.20 Funds from operations basic $0.21 $0.36 $0.54 $0.74 Funds from operations diluted $0.21 $0.35 $0.53 $0.71 Adjusted funds from operations basic $0.16 $0.26 $0.39 $0.54 Adjusted funds from operations diluted $0.16 $0.26 $0.39 $0.53 Distributions per unit $0.16 $0.24 $0.40 $0.48 CONSOLIDATED OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE THREE MONTH PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2020 Revenue from real estate properties includes contracted rent from tenants along with recoveries of property expenses (including property taxes). Revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2020, decreased 11.5% to $59.3 million from $67.0 million for the same period in 2019. This decrease is primarily due to reduced recoveries of operating costs and the rent relief granted to Obsidian Energy Limited ("Obsidian"). On March 30, 2020, the Trust announced the conclusion of its discussions with Obsidian regarding its tenancy in Penn West Plaza. It is estimated that this abatement will represent an annual reduction in the Trust's net operating income in the range of $6.5-$7.0 million. Allowance for doubtful accounts The Trust has $24.3 million in Q2 2020 rent arrears outstanding as of June 30, 2020. IFRS requires the Trust to establish an expected credit loss on these arrears taking into account the credit worthiness of the tenants responsible for the arrears. The Trust concluded that the most effective manner in establishing such an allowance was to consider the different components relating to (a) abatements granted through CECRA participation; and (b) future expected credit loss (including failed tenants). Abatements typically do not get recorded through the allowance for doubtful accounts and instead are considered to be a lease modification and are recorded on a straight-line basis throughout the life of the lease. A bad debt expense of $5.5 million has been recorded in relation to the above arrears. Fair market value adjustments The Trust records its income producing properties at fair value in accordance with IFRS. The financial results include fair value adjustments that are more significant than previous periods (for both the three month and six month periods). These adjustments are a result of the Trust's regular quarterly IFRS fair value process and include the impact of COVID-19 on the enclosed regional centres from the challenging retail landscape. In accordance with this policy, the following fair value adjustments by segment have been recorded: Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Retail enclosed regional centres ($74,072) ($29,446) ($170,886) ($40,556) Retail community strip centres (9,358) (2,572) (10,292) 10,305 Office (26,652) 8,183 (50,204) 423 Industrial (1,348) (767) (1,165) (454) ($111,430) ($24,602) ($232,547) ($30,282) The IFRS value of the Trust's enclosed mall portfolio has been reduced by $170.9 million since December 31, 2019. This included an average cap rate adjustment of 25 basis points in the first quarter along with changes in cash flow parameters in the second quarter. The second quarter changes represent changes to inputs into the forecasting of cash flows, including normalized vacancy rates, market rental rates, releasing assumptions and credit assumptions. The revised inputs into the discounted cash flow models have resulted in lower fair market values and higher implied overall cap rates. Reported net loss for three months ended June 30, 2020, was $98.8 million as compared to net loss of $4.7 million in 2019. This change was attributed to the fair value losses recorded in 2020. COVID-19 UPDATE In March 2020 the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") resulted in governments enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus. These measures, included the implementation of travel bans, quarantine periods and physical distancing, and have contributed to an economic recession along with material disruption to business. Governments have reacted with interventions intended to stabilize economic conditions. The duration and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is unknown at this time, although the curtailment of spread in Canada is encouraging. Management has concluded that it is important for the Trust to play an important role in helping the tenants that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. As such, the Trust is participating in the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance ("CECRA") program as described below and have also been in discussions with larger tenants on a case-by-case basis to determine rent payment solutions. The Government of Canada has partnered with the provincial governments to deliver the CECRA program. The program is intended to provide relief for small business tenants of commercial landlords who are experiencing financial difficulties during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Over the course of the program, property owners that participate in the program will reduce rent by at least 75% for the months of April, May, June, and July 2020 for their small business tenants that qualify. The Government of Canada, via a forgivable loan, will cover 50% of the rent, with the tenant paying up to 25% and the landlord forgiving at least 25%. COLLECTIONS UPDATE Due to non-essential business closure orders issued by the various provinces in Canada, the majority of the Trust's retail tenants were closed for portions of the second quarter. The easing of these restrictions varied by province and by industry. All of the Trust's enclosed malls are now open and the vast majority of tenants are allowed to operate. The following is an analysis of collections by segment, by month, including expected collections for July 2020: Approximate Contribution to Percentage Collections as of July 28, 2020 Revenue April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 Industrial 1% 76% 71% 69% 67% Office west 23% 99% 98% 98% 99% Office east (Ontario and Quebec) 20% 89% 86% 78% 80% Retail community strip centres 15% 80% 78% 76% 81% Retail enclosed regional centres 41% 39% 39% 46% 56% Total 100% 70% 69% 70% 75% Management is working with all tenants that have arrears to review their situation and to consider rent payment solutions as necessary. OPERATIONAL UPDATE In response to the decline in collections, there has been a deferral of discretionary capital spending. Also, available deferrals of sales taxes, payroll taxes, property taxes and utility payments offered by the various levels of government have been acted upon. However, most of these deferrals initially acted upon have been reversed by the end of the second quarter. The amount of PCME spending for 2020 will be less than typical levels. Discretionary spending is being reviewed in order to consider deferrals to later periods. The Trust has narrowed the scope of its capital expenditure program to ensure the availability of resources. Leasing capital will still be spent as opportunities arise in addition to capital needed for any structural or safety purposes. The development project at The Centre in Saskatoon is ongoing and the project at Pine Centre in Prince George is complete, pending the lease up of the remaining space. FINANCIAL UPDATE The Trust has available liquidity of $54.0 million as of June 30, 2020, and also has an unencumbered asset pool of $327.7 million in order to raise necessary capital, if required. Available liquidity as of December 31, 2019, was $51.9 million. Amount Line of credit availability $47,694 Cash 6,257 Liquidity 53,951 Estimated upfinancing closing in Q3 2020 75,000 Asset held for sale (closing August 2020) 6,800 Pro-Forma liquidity $135,751 The Trust is working on a number of financings which will provide additional upfinancing proceeds of approximately $75.0 million. All of these financings are mortgages that mature in the third quarter of 2020. Further, there is an asset that is under contract for sale which is expected to close in August 2020 for estimated proceeds of $6.8 million. This asset is known as Home Base in Ottawa, and has been vacant for the last two years. Net Operating Income, Funds from Operations This press release and accompanying financial information make reference to net operating income and funds from operations on a total and per unit basis. Net operating income is defined as income from property operations after operating expenses have been deducted, but prior to deducting interest expense, general and administrative expenses and fair value gains/(losses). The Trust presents FFO in accordance with the Real Property Association of Canada white paper on funds from operations and adjusted funds from operations for IFRS. FFO is a non- GAAP measure that is widely accepted as a supplemental measure of financial performance for real estate entities. In accordance with such white paper, the Trust defines FFO as net income adjusted for fair value changes on real estate properties and gains/(losses) on the sale of real estate properties. Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis The Trust's Q2 2020 Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis will be made available on the Trust's website at www.morguard.com and have been filed with SEDAR at www.sedar.com Conference Call Details: Date: Thursday July 30, 2020 4:00 p.m. (ET) Conference Call #: 416-764-8688 or 1-888-390-0546 Conference ID #: 16342298 About Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust The Trust is a closed-end real estate investment trust, which owns a diversified portfolio of 48 retail, office and industrial income producing properties in Canada with a book value of $2.8 billion and approximately 8.3 million square feet of leasable space. SOURCE Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust For further information: Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust, K. Rai Sahi, President and Chief Executive Officer, T 905-281-4800; Andrew Tamlin, Chief Financial Officer, T 905-281-4800 Related Links http://www.morguardreit.com At the height of Israels coronavirus lockdown this past March, most residents lives shrunk to four walls. Parks were shuttered, same with beaches, and walks outside were limited to no more than a city block. Worse still, efforts to slow the spread of the pandemic arrived right at the beginning of the Passover and Easter holidays, when large gatherings, suddenly prohibited, are the norm. It was an unprecedented kind of solitude. But not for Yael Einhar, a community organizer in the town of Rehovot who is also a member of an urban kibbutz, a city-based offshoot of the iconic Israeli communal living setup. Within a matter of days, her fellow kibbutzniks, who live among several apartments in a seven-story tower, subdivided into groups of 10were taking action. They then created an impromptu school, where members would alternate between teaching and working, organized food runs to local markets and even carved out time for group exercise sessions. And unlike the rest of the country, they were able to host a normal-ish Passover seder. It was really a lonely and scary time for the country, but for us it was a totally different experience, said Einhar, a mother to five-year-old twins. We are accustomed to responding quickly to a changing reality. Photo: Courtesy of Yael Einhar As COVID-19 continues to surge in the U.S., hopes for a return to pre-pandemic life are rapidly slipping away. Families are trying to adjust to the new normal of staggered school days and, for some, solely online learning. In the midst of this tumult, the communal feel and flexibility of the urban-kibbutz model may hold the key to keeping families safe, sane, and together in the coronavirus era. To live in a community during a crisis is crucial; you do things together you cant do alone, explained Nomika Zion, a social and political activist and cofounder of the urban kibbutz Migvan in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. According to Zion, urban kibbutzim emerged as a more progressive and diverse reimagining of their agrarian predecessors, while also helping members reconnect to the social-responsibility aspects the of the original kibbutz movement during the 1960s and 1970s. Story continues The number of urban kibbutzim are slowly increasing: Zion says there are now around 275 across Israelranging from religious to secular, small and large, Jewish and Arab. Some are in dense cities, and include families renting out individual apartments on the same floors; others, like Zions, are situated in more suburban settings, with members living in private homes. Some pool resources (much like traditional kibbutzim) to cover food and other expenses, while others operate with more autonomy. And while all have different social missions, each maintains a commitment to improving the collective welfare of the areas in which they call home. We believe you can build another model of social and human life with more solidarity and responsibility, Zion added. On the surface, the concept of an urban kibbutz may seem out of touch with Americans who prize individualism. Still, its impact can already be felt on a global scale. Although his vision ultimately unraveled, WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann brought a kibbutz-like zeal to shared working, living, and schooling spaces, or what he called Kibbutz 2.0. Hardly a surprise since Neumann was raised partly on a kibbutz. Then there is Venn, a real estate development firm established in Israel thats created live/work/share communities in Brooklyn, Berlin, and Tel Aviv. All three outposts share kibbutz-like values such as community organizing and volunteering, communal meals and events, and in the case of their Israel site, the creation of a kindergarten. Photo: Courtesy of Venn During the March coronavirus wave, this was put on full display at each location, explained Venn cofounder Chen Avni. At that time, residents came together to deliver food to their surrounding communities, support their local small businesses, conduct online yoga classes and book clubs, and, in the case of their Tel Aviv location, develop impromptu classes for children. In the U.S., similar schemes have also popped up during the pandemic. In San Francisco, for instance, residents of the Bernal Heights neighborhood rallied together during early lockdown to form kibbutz-like communal services such as a bakery and kids newspaper. And down in Los Angeles, a more hybridized kibbutz-like styleblending the in-person and onlinewill make its debut via Star Building Groups Ohana Star platform. Based on the Hawaiian concept of neighborhoods as extended families, Ohana will connect residents of multifamily buildings to an online system that encourages the sharing of resources, talents, and basic needs. Our culture has historically not been about sharing, but thats something of the past, said Star Building Group manager Paul Jenkins. Back in Israel, which, like the U.S., is experiencing a second coronavirus wave, Einhar is preparing to move to a new apartment complex where she will join an even larger cohort of fellow kibbutzniks. While navigating COVID-19 remains a balancing act, she feels a degree of hope that her setup will create some semblance of normalcy for her family. This is a movement that centers on community, she said. Something we need now more than ever. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest Former President Barack Obama will eulogize the late Rep. John Lewis at his funeral in Atlanta on Thursday, a source familiar with the planning told NBC News on Wednesday. Lewis, who was known as the conscience of the Congress and a leader in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, died at age 80 earlier this month of complications from pancreatic cancer. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the news. "He loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise. And through the decades, he not only gave all of himself to the cause of freedom and justice, but inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example," Obama said in a statement after Lewis' death. Lewis famously broke ranks with Hillary Clinton, then a Senator from New York, and former President Bill Clinton, with whom he had a close friendship, during the 2008 Democratic presidential primary to support her rival, Obama, who would then become the party's nominee and the nation's first Black president. Image: Congressman John Lewis (Jeff Hutchens / Getty Images file) Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush will be in attendance, while the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Clinton is also expected to be there. However, Deanna Congelio, a spokeswoman for former President Jimmy Carter, 95, and first lady Rosalyn Carter, 92, told NBC News the Carters will not attend. Carter, who is the oldest living president and a cancer survivor, was previously a Georgia state senator and served as governor of the state from 1971 to 1975. The Carters are not traveling these days but are sending their condolences in writing," Congelio said. Lewis' services will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Thursday and will not be open to the public. He will then be buried next to his wife, Lillian, at South-View cemetery. Lewis had laid in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda earlier this week, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers and members of the public paid their respects. He also had a ceremony in Selma, Alabama, at the sight of a voting rights march known as Bloody Sunday. IRGC fires underground ballistic missiles on 2nd day of massive drills Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 10:52 AM The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has, in an unprecedented maneuver, fired ballistic missiles from underground launch facilities on the second day of its major naval and aerial drills in southern Iran. The IRGC's Public Relations Department said in a statement on Wednesday that ground, aerial and naval operations were carried out against positions of the hypothetical enemy on the second day of the final phase of the exercises, codenamed Payambar-e A'zam (The Great Prophet) 14. The final phase kicked off on Tuesday across land, air and sea in the general area of Hormozgan Province, west of the Hormuz Strait and in the Persian Gulf. The drills involved units of the IRGC's Aerospace Division and Navy. The statement further said the IRGC Aerospace Force applied modern tactics and military equipment to display the elite force's extensive capabilities to counter potential enemy threats. The statement then hailed the successful firing of ballistic missiles from "the depths of the ground," which were fully camouflaged, emphasizing that such an achievement can confound the enemies' intelligence forces, and seriously challenge their calculations in case of a military confrontation. Head of the IRGC's Aerospace Division Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said, "For the first time in the world, we fired ballistic missiles from a location deep underground, which means the buried missiles suddenly break the ground open, without using common launch pads and facilities, and hit their targets with accuracy." During the maneuvers, the IRGC'S Sukhoi Su-22 bombers also struck designated targets on Faror Island with winged bombs. A vast array of smart bombs were dropped to blow up the hypothetical enemy's targets with great precision, said the statement, adding that the mock targets had been carefully designed to be much smaller in size than the actual objects. The IRGC forces also practiced a missile combat operation by firing surface-to-surface Hormuz and Fateh (Conqueror) missiles as well as a ballistic missile at the designated targets. The air defense units also exercised pinpoint firing at certain aerial targets. Various homegrown unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including Shahed-181 (Witness-181), Mohajer (Immigrant), and Bavar (Belief), attacked and successfully destroyed their targets, while various types of anti-ship and surface (coast)-to-sea missiles were fired in the exercises. The IRGC forces also exercised mine-planting operations, and tactics to cut off the supply lines of the hypothetical enemy. Several units from IRGC's Navy and Aerospace Division took part in the maneuvers, which featured missiles, vessels, drones, and radars, and were designed to practice both offensive and defensive missions. The IRGC forces were slated to conduct missile, drone and mine-planting operations against mock enemy targets during the drills. They were also scheduled to practice tactics to cut off the connection lines of enemy vessels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A classic wooden boat heads into the channel toward First Lake.**Due to the pandemic, traffic is currently limited on the five-mile long roadway to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Construction began in 1929 when Franklin Roosevelt was governor. He returned six years later for the opening, this time as president.**Waiting for permission to reopen, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad remains idle in Thendara.**For nearly three decades, the annual Antique Wooden Boat Show has been held in Old Forge. This year's event had to be cancelled because of the coronavirus.**People and deer peacefully coexist in Old Forge. Visitors love them. Residents, not so much.**A tree grows through the roof of Hoss's Country Corner in the town of Long Lake. The general store is open for business but had to cancel its annual author's night event this year.**In years past, hikers were encouraged to climb the steps of the restored Bald Mountain fire tower, the most visited tower in the Adirondacks. Today, the lookout is closed due to COVID.**A secluded spot on Minerva Lake.**Thewill not cruise the Fulton Chain of Lakes this summer due to COVID-19. "Captain Paul" has put his boat and his company up for sale.**Logging was once the dominant industry in the Adirondacks. Deforestation in the 1800s led to the creation of the Adirondack Park.**On top of Whiteface Mountain, one of the Adirondack High Peaks.**Built in 1874, the North Creek Station helped make Adirondack tourism possible. It is the site where Theodore Roosevelt learned he was soon to become president, after the assassination of President McKinley.**The Adirondack Hotel on Long Lake was built in 1898, replacing an earlier hotel that was destroyed by fire.**With three boats on the water and a few changes to the schedule, the Lake George Steamboat Company is offering sightseeing and dinner cruises this summer. But the annual "Rock the Dock" event has been cancelled.**The owners of the Strand Theater in Old Forge continue to make improvements as they wait for permission to reopen.**The hotel registration book from 1922 is still at the front desk at the Woods Inn in the town of Inlet.**Taking wedding pictures at 4,867 feet on the summit of Whiteface Mountain.**Now a restaurant, the nearly century-old Big Moose Station sits at a higher elevation than any train station east of the Mississippi River.**Fishing on Fourth Lake is one of the few things that hasn't been affected by the pandemic.**The owners of the Strand Theater in Old Forge display their vast collection of cameras for all to see. "People now just drop them off. Sometimes on our way out the door we'll find a box of cameras on the step."**The Mountainman Outdoor Supply store in Old Forge is still limited to curbside pickup of kayaks. Business is good although boat, bike and gear rentals are indefinitely suspended.**The rising price of lakefront property means that not everyone can afford to live like a 19th century industrialist in one of their great camps.**Annual snowfall records are posted Inside the Old Forge government offices. The economic well-being of the town rises and falls with the total number of inches.**Social distancing on Minerva Lake.**Dave Rowe, owner of the Donut Shop in Eagle Bay, twice had a deal to sell the business and move to Florida. But both deals fell through.**The Enchanted Forest/Water Safari park has not been given permission to open due to the pandemic. Smaller businesses in the area depend on the tourist traffic generated by the family-friendly attraction.**The owner of this former Howard Johnson's in Old Forge recently restored the exterior using the iconic restaurant chain's signature colors.**White Lake is one of few spring-fed lakes in the Adirondack Park. This year's Fourth of July picnic, blessing of the fleet and boat parade all fell victim to the pandemic.** TOI Three Assam Rifles personnel have been killed along with 6 wounded after an ambush by who are suspected to be PLA militants in Chandel, Manipur which is along the border with Myanmar, according to reports. Read more Here's more top news of the day: 1) Since The Lockdown Began, This Group Of Cyclists Have Been Feeding The Homeless In Manipur FACEBOOK When the lockdown was announced in March, cyclist Philem Rohan Singh from Manipur was on his way Delhi to Japan as part of a campaign by the Paralympic Committee of India with a theme of 'inclusion dignity and respect. Read more 2) Against All Odds, 105-Year-Old Asma Beevi Is The Oldest Patient In Kerala To Beat COVID SheThePeople With this, she became the oldest patient in Kerala who was cured of the disease, which early saw an aged couple -- 93-year-old man and 88-year-old woman, was the previous elderly to have been cured. Read more 3) As India Records 52,123 Cases In A Day, Every Fifth COVID Case Reported Was From Andhra Pradesh Representational Image At 10,093, every fifth positive case reported in India on Wednesday was from the state. It also became the fourth state in the country in terms of the number of positive cases reported. Read more 4) Ahmedabad Man Drove 2,740 Kilometres To Save COVID+ Wife's Life Who Suffered Over 70% Burns BCCL To save his wife's life who suffered more than 70 per cent burns and was also infected with COVID, a Jamalpur man went on a 2,740 kilometre journey during the lockdown to get skin for her graft procedure. Read more 5) Kerala Businessman Takes His New Mercedes, Trucks For A Road Show; All Vehicles Get Impounded Facebook So, Roy took his brand new BS6 Mercedes-Benz GLE, said to be the first to be delivered in India for a roadshow, along with a number of Torus trucks. Read more Dai Freyr was meant to represent Iceland at this years Eurovision Song Contest with his now-viral hit Think About Things, but obviously, that didnt happen. While the song contest itself was canceled, Netflixs new comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga barreled into our lives, bringing a bunch of quarantined Americans a whole new soundtrack of potential future karaoke staples. Theres just one problem: Husavik, the highly infectious anthem that serves as the climax of the film, has a chorus that even the most dedicated listener will struggle to decode. So, we reached out to Freyr to see if he could help, and he did his best to walk us through the hook weve been mumbling our way through for weeks. The problem? He didnt quite understand the lyrics at first, either. Despite having to Google the Icelandic, Freyr did enjoy the film, saying, Its funny to me to see an American take on the global phenomenon. Hes been working toward Eurovision since 2017 when the song he sent in, Is This Love?, made it into the local Icelandic final Songvakeppnin. Performed by his totally-made-up-just-for-Eurovision band consisting of his wife, his sister, and a few friends (two of whom did not actually play instruments), they ended up coming in second place. Since that moment, Ive been able to work as a full-time musician, Freyr said. So it just worked out really well for me as a career move. He was excited when his newest entry won a place in Eurovision itself this year, that is, until he discovered the whole competition had been canceled in the worst way: on Twitter. I was alright, he told us. There are people who have had much worse experiences out of COVID than just me not getting to compete in Eurovision. And before you go there, no, he did not ask the elves for help with any of this. (Perhaps because they quite notoriously go too far.) Ive never asked elves for anything, and I dont remember elves affecting my life in any way, Freyr said, before informing us that he was currently right near a local elf college. Which is apparently a place where elves themselves go to college to learn. Its a rock, basically, he said. But thats where they live. They live in like the lava formations. The more you know. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:33:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (C) touches fists with a lab technician at a new Fire Eye laboratory in Nis, southeastern Serbia, on July 30, 2020. The new Fire Eye laboratory for detection of COVID-19 opened in Nis on Thursday, becoming the country's second after the first in Belgrade. (Government of Serbia/Handout via Xinhua) BELGRADE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A new Fire Eye laboratory for detection of COVID-19 opened in Serbia's southeastern city of Nis on Thursday, becoming the country's second after the first in Belgrade. According to a press release from the Serbian government, the new testing lab has a capacity of 1,000 samples per day. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Chen Bo, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and the Mayor of Nis Darko Bulatovic attended the ceremony at the Clinical Center of Nis. According to the press release, Brnabic said in her speech that the new laboratory will expand the scope of testing further, which will help the country to cope with the ongoing peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, and get better prepared for the expectedly more difficult situation in the autumn. The laboratory was built from zero in just three months, Brnabic reminded, expressing gratitude to Chinese partners and for the donation of equipment. Brnabic reminded that Serbia's testing capacities increased 20 times since the beginning of the outbreak in March, and that the country so far has processed around 650,000 samples. Ambassador Chen said that the speed and efficiency in the construction of the new laboratory are exemplary in the joint fight against COVID-19 between Serbia and China through cooperation in the field of health and new technologies. "Chinese companies in Serbia are actively participating in the fight against the virus, and they are fighting together with Serbian friends for economic recovery," she said. The government of Serbia financed the new laboratory with around 3.5 million euros, while the Chinese Zijin Copper donated 500,000 euros, the release revealed. The two Fire Eye labs, one in Belgrade with a capacity of 2,000 samples per day and one in Nis, were built by the Chinese BGI Group, whose experts arrived in Serbia in late March. Serbia's Ministry of Health announced on Thursday that 321 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the past 24 hours, while seven people died. Currently, 4,353 people are hospitalized across the country, 150 of them on ventilators. So far, Serbia has reported 25,213 confirmed cases, including 565 deaths. Enditem The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked for a copy of the FIR registered by Bihar Police against Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said on Thursday. The agency will study the police FIR to assess if it merits a probe under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA). Sushant Singh Rajputs father, Krishna Kumar Singh, has alleged in his complaint to the Bihar Police that there was a transaction of Rs 15 crore from one of the accounts of his son. He has also alleged that Chakraborty had kept Rajput away from his family and completely in her possession, and that she was also handling his bank account. If the case merits an investigation, the ED will probe if anyone used the actors income for money laundering and creating illegal assets. On Tuesday, the actors father had lodged an FIR against Chakraborty, her family members and six others on charges of alleged abetment to suicide. The Bihar Police lodged a case under various IPC sections, including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide). The Supreme Court, earlier on Thursday, dismissed a PIL seeking transfer of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajputs death from Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A bench, comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, said that the Mumbai Police should be allowed to complete the investigation and if there is a, then a plea should be filed before the Bombay High Court. The actress had moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a stay on the investigation by the Bihar Police on the FIR filed against her by Sushant Singh Rajputs father for allegedly abetting the suicide of his son. The Mumbai Police is already investigating the actors death. Meanwhile, a Bihar police team has also reached Mumbai to investigate the allegations against Rhea Chakraborty. Masterchef judge Jock Zonfrillo and his wife Lauren have sold their 'soul restoring retreat' for $1.2million. The Zonfrillos' four-bedroom home is named 'Caledonia' and located on 4.25hectares of land in Summertown in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia. The sprawling property features a 'dream kitchen', wine cellar, three-car garage and views of the expansive, green property as well as the neighbouring farm. Zonfrillo and his wife moved into the house in April 2016 but listed it for sale in January and finally sold it on July 23. Masterchef judge Judge Zonfrillo (right) and his wife Lauren (left) have sold their 'soul restoring retreat' of a home for $1.2 million The Zonfrillos' four-bedroom home (pictured) is named 'Caledonia' and located on 4.25 hectares of land in Summertown in the Adelaide Hills region of SA The house's kitchen, where Zonfrillo has cooked for the last three years, has blue soft close drawers, white marble bench tops and solid brass handles. There is also a large verandah and terrace with views of the property to entertain guests and an underground wine cellar. Some high-tech features include Amazon Alexa voice-activated lighting, a satellite NBN connection, and a 3kw solar system with 12 panels. 'When your home is your haven, escape to 'Caledonia'. A soul restoring retreat from the everyday,' the property description reads. 'Celebrating good times, good food, family & friends with a focus on luxurious yet un-complicated entertaining & living.' Caledonia was the name the Romans gave to modern-day Scotland, which is likely a reference to his Italian and Scottish heritage. Zonfrillo owns Restaurant Orana in Adelaide and is the founder of the not-for-profit Orana Foundation, which aims preserve Indigenous cooking and ingredients. The house's kitchen (pictured), where Zonfrillo has cooked for the last three years, has blue soft close drawers, white marble bench tops and solid brass handles. There is also a large verandah and terrace with views of the property to entertain guests and an underground wine cellar (pictured) The sale comes as the chef is facing scrutiny over his Indigenous food-focused charitable foundation's use of a $1.25million taxpayer-funded grant. The South Australian government grant was handed to Zonfrillo's Orana Foundation three years ago in exchange for completing projects, including a database of Indigenous ingredients which is yet to be delivered. Meanwhile, questions have emerged about why two companies the celebrity chef is a director of pocketed almost $500,000 from the foundation in recent years. In a statement, the foundation said the database is 'complete' and has been handed to an Indigenous intellectual property expert, Dr Terri Janke, for the 'next stage' of the project. The foundation claims it has until September 30 of this year - or about six more weeks - to deliver the database. 'The Orana Foundation stands by the timing of the Indigenous Food Database delivery and the use of all funds to date,' the foundation said in a statement, dated July 7. 'There is a reason an Indigenous database of its kind hasn't existed in Australia until now: it's time consuming, labour intensive, requires extensive funding, and must have a committed team of resilient and passionate people to make it happen.' Long-time manager Greta Wohlstadt has quit the restaurant and there are now rumours it will never reopen after being forced to shut down due to COVID-19. India and Bangladesh appreciate mutual sensitivity and respect in building further on their close relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The assertion came after Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen's reported remarks that Indian government and society have an obligation to prevent any development that can fracture the historic ties with Bangladesh. According to a media report, the Foreign Minister's remarks were in response to the August 5 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Asked about his remarks, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We are confident that both sides appreciate mutual sensitivity and mutual respect in building further on this relationship." "India-Bangladesh relations are exceptionally close and you would have seen the recent remarks by EAM (S Jaishankar) where he has said that Bangladesh is a role model of good neighbourly relations in this region," he said. Asked about a Bangladeshi media report claiming that the locomotives handed over to Bangladesh recently by India were second-hand, Srivastava said, "We have seen other mischievous stories from the same source which pertain to our ties with Bangladesh." "It is my understanding that these locos have been provided from our existing inventory based on a specific request and an urgent requirement of Bangladesh," he said. India handed over 10 railway locomotives to Bangladesh at a virtual ceremony earlier this week. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 13:56:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SINGAPORE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) and Department of Statistics (DOS) on Thursday released survey reports about business expectations showing pessimistic views for the remaining year. The survey report released by EDB, Business Expectations of the Manufacturing Sector, showed that a weighted 24 percent of manufacturers expect business conditions to improve, while a weighted 31 percent foresee a weaker business outlook in the second half of 2020, compared to the second quarter. Overall, a net weighted balance of 7 percent of manufacturers anticipate a less favorable business for the July-December period, compared to the second quarter. That is a big improvement from the previous edition of this survey report, which was released this April and showed a net weighted balance of 56 percent of manufacturers predicted a softer business situation for the April-September period, compared to the first quarter this year. As for the third quarter of 2020 only, a net weighted balance of 6 percent of manufacturers predict output to decrease in the period, compared to the second quarter; and a net weighted balance of 7 percent of manufacturers plan to hire fewer workers in the third quarter than in the previous quarter. The survey report released by DOS is Business Expectations of the Services Sector which showed that a weighted 9 percent of service firms are optimistic about the business conditions in the six months starting this July, while a weighted 40 percent of such firms foresee slower business. Overall, a net weighted balance of 31 percent of service firms anticipate less favorable business conditions for the second half of this year. The previous edition of this survey report, which was released in April, showed a net weighted balance of 58 percent of service firms anticipated less favorable business conditions for the six months ending this September. As for the third quarter only, the new survey report for services sector showed that a net weighted balance of 29 percent of service firms forecast operating receipts to decrease in the quarter, and a net weighted balance of 21 percent of service firms expect to decrease hiring activities for the third quarter. Enditem TORONTO - As sponsors cut ties with WE Charity and it faces scrutiny from MPs, donors and the Canadian public, experts say the organization must tackle the question of how to move forward financially. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Marc Kielburger, screen left, and Craig Kielburger, screen right, appear as witnesses via videoconference during a House of Commons finance committee in the Wellington Building in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The committee is looking into Government Spending, WE Charity and the Canada Student Service Grant. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick TORONTO - As sponsors cut ties with WE Charity and it faces scrutiny from MPs, donors and the Canadian public, experts say the organization must tackle the question of how to move forward financially. The organization, which stepped away from running a $900-million student volunteer program for the federal government amid concerns about how the contract was awarded, has spent the last few weeks laying off workers, cancelling their star-studded stadium events and launching a restructuring of the 25-year-old youth empowerment charity. Appearing before a parliamentary committee earlier this week, WE co-founder Craig Kielburger said recent criticism is "killing" the organization, which is "being raked over the coals." A number of sponsors including Royal Bank of Canada, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Good Life Fitness and Virgin Atlantic Airways have ended their relationships with the charity in what WE called a mutual agreement. DHL and WestJet Airlines Ltd. have said they are considering following suit. Caroline Riseboro, the president and chief executive of Trillium Health Partners Foundation, said charities going through a scandal should get in touch with their most loyal donors and be candid about what is going on. She wouldn't comment on WE specifically, but recommends that any charity facing scrutiny and financial troubles admit when they are wrong and perhaps, do a governance review or consider some painful departures of top executives. Co-founders Craig (left) and Marc Kielburger introduce Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau as they appear at the WE Day celebrations in Ottawa, Tuesday November 10, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Some of those steps are already underway at the charity. WE has announced it will reimburse the government for all funds it received for the volunteer program and waive costs it already incurred as it prepared to administer the program. It is also launching a formal organizational review and said it will hire a chief risk and compliance officer. "By making these changes within our organization," WE said in a statement, "we believe we can move forward to the next 25 years ... focused on what matters most: the communities and youth we serve." As it works to shore up relationships with its donors and partners, there's no doubt WE can survive on some of the assets it already has, said Mark Blumberg, a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP specializing in non-profit and charity law. WE Charity's T3010 financial forms it filed to the federal government show it owns $43,724,082 in land and buildings outside Canada last year and had $6,288,180 in capital assets outside the country. "They're sitting on $45 million (in real estate). They could probably last for another 200 years," Blumberg said. "They can cut their costs and they are already letting go of a lot of people." Real estate is a simple way to tackle money issues in troubled times, but not all charities have properties, said Blumberg, who is behind charitydata.ca, a tool offering transparency around the finances of registered Canadian charities. His firm analyzed 84,181 T3010 financial filings registered charities made in 2017 and found their biggest income source was governments, which gave $184 billion to philanthropic organizations in 2017. Most government money goes to universities and hospitals, he said. (Using a different metric, WE said less than one per cent of its operating budget comes from government.) That means other charities tend to focus on revenues streams like gifts-in-kind or donations, he said. For WE, that may be easier said than done. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. It's unclear whether sponsors that have cut ties with WE plan to return, and other donors may be hard to come by at the moment. "If there's a huge cloud over a group or there's a lot of discussion about a group and some of it's not positive, the last thing you're going to be running to do is to give them money until that cloud has been dealt with and settled and there's more information," Blumberg said. Riseboro said if you're a charity who received a donation to cover real estate, you can try to go back to that donor and ask to reallocate restricted funds to keep you afloat. However, reaching out to any sponsor or donor again will take some due diligence and extra effort, said Riseboro, who raised more than $2 billion in her 20 year career and was previously a chairwoman of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. "You can go back to sponsors, but you've got to show that you've made the necessary changes at your organization," she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Michigan reported 996 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday. State officials attributed the spike in cases, up from 669 new cases on Tuesday, to a backlog of test results received from a commercial lab. In other coronavirus news: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued executive orders that will allow Detroit casinos to reopen at 15% capacity, while tightening restrictions on northern Michigan bars and social gatherings. Another order clears the way for colleges and universities to convert large spaces into classrooms. Heres all the latest on COVID-19 Michigan going into Tuesday, July 28. Michigan reports 996 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, July 29, but attributes spike to backlog The state reported 996 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, but attributed about 300 of the cases to a backlog of test results received from a commercial lab. Two new deaths also were reported. The state had been averaging more than 600 cases a day, but Wednesdays report pushed that average to more than 700 for the first time since May 2. Wednesdays report by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services noted that due to a backlog of test results received from a commercial laboratory, todays new daily confirmed case count contains approximately 300 that are attributable to older lab results. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Michigan now has 80,172 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. There are currently 6,172 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 now averaging 703 new cases, and four new deaths per day. Detroit casinos can reopen at 15% capacity, Whitmer orders Detroit three casinos will be able reopen at 15% capacity starting Aug. 5, Whitmer ordered Wednesday. Casinos will need to conduct a daily entry screening, including a temperature screening, of customers and employees. Visitors must wear a face-covering except while eating or drinking or for identification purposes. Employees, including dealers, must also wear masks. The governors order wont allow casinos to operate some of their usual features, like buffets, live events, coat checks or buffets. They also cannot allow smoking. Whitmer order tightens restrictions on northern Michigan parties, bars Another executive order issued Wednesday tightens restrictions on social gatherings and closes indoor bar service in northern Michigan starting July 31. Regions 6 and 8, the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, are in Phase 5 of the states economic reopening plan, while the rest of the state is in Phase 4. The northernmost regions had looser restrictions than the rest of the state on indoor social gatherings, allowing up to 50 people. That number, however, is now in line with the rest of the state and indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Whitmer order clears the way for colleges, universities to convert large spaces to classrooms Whitmer on Wednesday also signed an executive order clearing the way for colleges and universities to convert large spaces into classrooms without needing to go through the typical inspection and approval process from the state Bureau of Fire Services. Our college students and educators have made tremendous sacrifices over the past four months to protect each other from the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to instruction in the fall, Michigans colleges and universities are working tirelessly to provide a safe environment for students and staff, Whitmer said in a statement. I am committed to doing everything in my power to remove barriers for individuals, business and schools to fight COVID-19. This order will make it easier for our colleges and universities to educate Michigans college students in the most safe and efficient way by ensuring everyone can maintain safe physical distancing. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in Michigan, every university in the state canceled in-person classes this spring. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. 42 COVID cases linked to Christian youth camp in Gladwin County Public health officials are now aware of more than 40 confirmed cases of COVID-19 tied to a summer camp in Gladwin County and they say hundreds more were potentially exposed. At this point we are aware of 42 cases attributed to The Springs Ministries Camp in Gladwin County, said Steve Hall, health officer with Central Michigan District Health Department. In terms of how many people were potentially exposed, there were over 230 campers between the two camps. The camps were held July 12-17 and July 19-23. Springs Ministries, located at 1950 N. M-30 in Gladwin, about 50 miles northwest of Bay City, is now temporarily closed, the last two weeks of camp canceled, according to an update posted on The Springs Ministries Facebook page and its website. The camp had been in session for three weeks before closing after a camper and many staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to the post. Sorry, but your browser does not support frames. Kent Countys coronavirus data improving after heat wave likely caused surge, health leader says A surge of coronavirus cases in mid-July in Kent County, along with other parts of Michigan, might be tied to recent high heat in the region, a county health leader says. People have been inside more, said Kent County Health Director Adam London. They dont like being out in this weather too long. With more people indoors in air-conditioned environments, theres a higher risk for transmitting the virus. Regardless of the reason, that mid-July surge in new daily cases seems to have subsided. Over the last seven-day period, Kent County has experienced a 23 percent decline on average in new daily cases reported. Kent County data shows the county was averaging 77 COVID-19 cases per day in mid-July. During the last week, the number has dropped to an average of 59 cases per day. London said the July 4 holiday, with more people gathering, also likely contributed to the mid-July increase in cases. 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 executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here . 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: Wedding with more than 100 attendees linked to 5 confirmed coronavirus cases near Detroit Multiple students living in Michigan State Universitys Holmes Hall test positive for COVID-19 When an employee tests positive for coronavirus, Michigan businesses have to weigh the pros and cons of transparency Parliament has approved a loan facility agreement of 101,760,002.01 between the government and the Standard Chartered Bank, London, to finance the design and construction of drainage and ancillary sewage system of Nima drain from Kawukudi to the Odaw River Basin. The construction, when completed, would nip in the bud the perennial floods mostly resulting in the loss of lives, livelihoods and properties and disruption of economic activities with its consequent financial loss to the country. The Nima drain takes its source from the western part of the airport and runs through the Airport city, Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Mamobi, Nima, Asylum Down, Circle and finally discharges into the Odaw stream at Circle near the Hawkers' Market. The stretch through Mamobi, a low income and heavily populated community was improved through a storm water project in the community, involving the construction of a 1.2km rectangular box drain measuring 5.0m wide by 2.5m deep and stretches from the Kanda highway close to the Kawukudi junction to the culvert on the Nima road. The agreement was presented to the House on June 23, 2020 by the Deputy Minister for Finance, Abena Osei Asare, on behalf of the Minister of Finance and referred to the Finance Committee for consideration and report. Background The Mamobi community has, for many years, been experiencing perennial floods, mostly resulting in the loss of lives, livelihoods and properties and disruption of economic activities with its consequent financial loss to the state. Unfortunately, waste management in the community was very poor and the bulk of the waste generated from the community ended up in the Nima stream. The channel banks in the community are degraded due to bank erosion and most building structures along the banks have collapsed into the drain. Project Scope The project covers works to be undertaken on the already existing Nima drain in the Accra Metropolitan Area, which include rehabilitation and enhancement of Nima drain PH.2 (3300M) from Nima road to Odaw River. This is a major intervention which would be integrated with the city of Accra through a holistic resolution of pressure and problem zones together with the generation of city space elementsbackfilling the side banks on phase one (stretch between Obasanjo highway and Mamobi highway) and construction of a rectangular (closed) section between Obosanjo highway and Mamobi highway. There would also be the construction of a rectangular (closed) section on the stretch between Mamobi highway and Kojo Thompson Avenue, which comprises the necessary works for the foundation of the enhanced area over the new closed drain; and modification of the existing output of the Nima drain into the Odaw River rotating it to a 45 angle output. The total financing amount is up to 101,760,002.01 made up of EKF facility of up to 91,375,307.01 and a commercial facility of up of 10,384,695.00. ---Daily Guide Beatriz Basurto, 19, with Josefa Hernandez, 70, at a food giveaway on July 19 in Oxnard. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Beatriz Basurtos father is quick to point out that she the 19-year-old middle child is the most responsible of his children. Shes the one with a well-paying job as a Mixtec interpreter for farmworkers in Oxnard while attending college full time. Shes the one who picks up the tab when they go out for lunch and shoves $20 into his pocket because she figures he could use it more than she can. But shes also the one with perhaps the most uncertain future and greatest disadvantage of all the siblings. Three years ago, Basurto missed her chance to apply for immigration relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA. The Obama-era program allows immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and are currently without legal status the opportunity to live and work legally in the U.S. Basurtos youngest brother and sister are U.S.-born citizens. Her older brother and sister, born in Mexico, like her, managed to obtain DACA before Trump began to unwind the program in 2017. Basurto, then 16, was about to apply and suddenly, DACA was done. At the time, Basurto confided in her father in their native Mixtec, the Indigenous language spoken in the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero. Its too bad I wasnt born here, Papa. Theres nothing we can do about that, he replied. Dont give up. Basurto is among tens of thousands of immigrant youth whom the Trump administration has effectively kept out of DACA, radically changing the trajectory of their lives. Their lack of DACA status has altered relationships, bred resentment and sparked awkward silences between family members who have legal status and those who dont. Beatriz Basurto gives food to Elvira Gavarie Urenda, 80, at a food giveaway in Oxnard on July 19. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) It has led to heightened pressure to excel and guilt among those who were bolstered by the program. Its even prompted children to question the decisions their parents made long ago to migrate to the U.S. In June, Basurto thought she had been given a second chance when the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner in its attempt to shut down DACA. The decision cleared the path to accepting new applications from a previously excluded group of more than 65,000 children now eligible to apply for DACA for the first time, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan D.C.-based immigration think tank. Story continues But Basurto's hopes were dashed Tuesday when Trump announced he would not accept new DACA applications. The move defies the Supreme Court decision and a federal District Court ruling in Maryland ordering immigration officials to accept new applications, experts and lawmakers say. It probably will face renewed legal challenges in the courts. As Basurto watches DACA open opportunities for her older siblings and peers, she has seen her own prospects dwindle. At the same time, she has noticed complacency set in among some DACA recipients, while her own hardship bred resilience, motivation and social activism. A food giveaway in Oxnard on July 19. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) I have a life outside of DACA, Basurto said. DACA does not define who I am. Still, she had plans to apply for DACA as soon as she got word that the government would accept new applicants mostly to give her parents peace of mind. You cant really translate DACA in Mixtec, she said. For them, it just means Im protected and dont have to return to Mexico. California is home to the largest number of DACA recipients in the nation and led the legal challenge to the Trump administrations efforts since 2017 to do away with the program. The University of California, under the guidance of President Janet Napolitano who crafted the DACA policy as U.S. Homeland Security secretary was a lead plaintiff along with the state and other California entities and individuals in the Supreme Court case. Young people who have aged into DACA eligibility over the last two and a half years but have been unable to apply represent an acutely vulnerable group, said Roberto Gonzales, a Harvard University sociologist who wrote a book based on a 12-year project following 150 young people and DACA recipients around the L.A. area. They have come of age under DACA, Gonzales said. They've seen older siblings receive driver's licenses, take after-school jobs and plan for their futures. But at a time when their citizen friends are participating in these important rites of passage, their progress has been stalled. Initially, Basurto and her parents were afraid of handing government officials the familys personal information, as required in the application process, which confused them. They decided to test the waters with her two older siblings, allowing them to apply before submitting Basurtos application. When they qualified, Basurto started her application. Then Trump made his first move to end the program. "I have a life outside of DACA," Beatriz Basurto said. "DACA does not define who I am." (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) The missed opportunity left Basurto feeling like an outcast and resentful about her place within her family, she said. Her ambivalence was especially strong toward her U.S.-born siblings a 10-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister whom she said she loved dearly but couldnt bear to be close to any longer. She stopped talking to them. I just felt a lot of anger during that time, Basurto said. They were too young to understand how the sheer luck of being born in the U.S. gave them more leverage and opportunities than Basurto. Other immigrant youth, like Rotzely, directed their anger toward their parents. Rotzely, who gave only her first name because she is in the country without legal status, was three months shy of turning 15 when she got the last document to complete her DACA application in 2017. I got it," Rotzely called and told her mother. "I finally got the letter that weve been waiting for. Her mother hesitated. Then she told her: Its too late. Her fathers side of the family had tried to persuade her mother to leave Mexico for the U.S. before she gave birth to Rotzely. But she was nine months pregnant and feared complications along the journey. The lost opportunity weighed heavily on Rotzely, who is now 17. She decided to wait until after I was born. I resented her." Rotzely was 3 months old when she and her mother made the trek north. The teen didnt talk with her mother and grew distant from her family. She still did her chores, kept up her grades and ate dinner with them almost every day, but would find any chance to retreat into her room and into herself. Her mother enrolled her in a youth program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, where Rotzely found others who had also missed qualifying for DACA. Eventually, her anger faded. Rotzely, who earns stellar grades, said shes hunted for a part-time, after-school job since last year to help her save for college. But her lack of legal status has made it tough. "I see how all my friends easily just go to a restaurant or like a known place like Starbucks or McDonalds and work there, and I have to find all these special jobs that will just pay me cash," she said. "Its just a constant reminder that I wasnt born here and that this country wont see me the same as other people." Just outside Los Angeles, sisters Lisette and Kathy are a California success story: Lisette, 21, attends UCLA, and Kathy, 18, UC Santa Barbara. Though theyre close in age, Lisette said she grew up taking care of Kathy. Their parents who brought them illegally to the U.S. from Central America when they were 6 and 3 years old, respectively had to work odd jobs nonstop to make ends meet. Lisette asked to keep their last name and certain identifying details private to protect her family from potential retaliation. The sisters are close, quick to laugh and echo each other. But theres a big divide: Lisette is a DACA recipient; Kathy was just shy of being able to apply. Their little brother, roughly a decade behind, is a U.S. citizen. I never got upset my parents were always at work, Lisette said. Eventually I started to understand that my responsibility was to take care of my siblings. When an uncle found out about DACA, Lisette let herself think for the first time about college and working to support her family. She applied. It meant the world to have it, she said. But Kathy struggled with feelings of guilt and frustration when she went days at a time without seeing her older sister because Lisette worked such long hours, on top of school. There was just the glaring fact I couldnt ignore, Kathy said: Lisette had DACA; she didnt. It wouldve been easier if I couldve shared the burden with her, but I just couldnt, Kathy said. Jaclyn Kelley-Widmer, associate clinical professor of law at Cornell law school, said she has represented a number of clients with DACA whose younger siblings "just barely missed the cutoff" when the program was put on hold, and who are again left insecure. "Those who do have DACA feel the arbitrariness of a system that blessed them with the ability to work lawfully and not be afraid in their day-to-day lives, and yet their siblings or their parents are in this limbo," she said. It creates a lot of anxiety for the person who has to be the one DACA recipient holding that load for the family. Luckily, Lisette and Kathy's little brother, age 10, doesnt seem too aware of the tension he cares only about video games, they joked. I am just extremely glad he wont have to go through what we have to go through, Lisette said. Back in Oxnard, Basurto said that she eventually let go of the resentment toward her U.S.-citizen siblings. She told herself, I have to pick myself up and pick up my own community because nobody else is going to do it. She started to volunteer as a Mixtec interpreter. She provided translation services and helped create food drives for Mixtec farmworkers affected by the 2017 Thomas fire in Ventura County. It became a full-time job; she didn't need DACA to make a living. Although federal law prohibits employers from hiring someone residing in the country illegally, there is no law prohibiting such a person from starting a business or becoming an independent contractor like Basurto. Her older siblings who qualified for the program moved on with their lives. Her brother travels the state making artwork for buildings, and her sister has an office job and cares for her children. Unlike Basurto, they never got involved in advocating for their community. My older siblings live normal lives. They go to work and back home to their families," she said. I think outside myself. I speak for folks who dont have confidence or the safety to advocate for themselves." Sometimes Basurto ponders what her life would have been like with DACA. She thinks of the DACA recipients pacified by their new entry into something resembling an American life. In a way, she believes, DACA stunted the same youth-led nationwide activism that won DACA protections in the first place. I know folks who ended up getting DACA and forgot that there are folks who fought for it and those who are still undocumented, Basurto said. If I had gotten DACA, I would have most likely become one of those folks. The end of DACA could be seen as a blessing, Basurto argued. It reawakened a movement. Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has described the delay in the process of getting a coronavirus test as a complete waste. Gates la... Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has described the delay in the process of getting a coronavirus test as a complete waste. Gates lamented that the duration of getting a COVID-19 test results has defeated the purpose for which they are carried out. He said COVID-19 test was aimed at getting patients isolated on time to prevent the spread of the virus, but the delay in getting test results has defeated such aim. The business mogul said people need to get results sooner so that they can change their behaviour so theyre not infecting other people. Speaking with CNBC, Gates said: The simplest thing, which has to do with such insanity, is you should not reimburse somebody for getting a test that it takes more than 48 hours to get the result back. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. Greater Geelong has emerged as a new front in Victoria's battle against coronavirus after the region recorded an increase in cases linked to a nursing home and an abattoir. Premier Daniel Andrews moved all of regional Victoria a step closer to Melbourne-style restrictions on Thursday when he declared masks or face coverings would be mandatory across the state from Monday. In a further tightening of restrictions, residents of Greater Geelong, Colac Otway, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains and the Borough of Queenscliffe are now banned from having visitors in their homes. Soldiers help police at a roadside checkpoint on the Geelong Freeway as Melbourne went into lockdown in mid-July. Credit:Jason South Those six local government areas in the Geelong corridor now accounted for 159 of the 255 active cases in regional Victoria, Mr Andrews said. Actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani took her Insta-fam on a trip down memory lane and shared a magazine cover featuring her. The issue is dated June 1998, when she was a model. She also participated in the Miss India pageant that year. Sharing the blast from the past, Smriti wrote, When your Mom shares one from her stash of your photographs... you cherish not the image but the emotion ... a Mom who keeps every paper cutting , school report, photograph ... Im sure you have one too , a mother you mean the world to #tbt #mom. Actor Karishma Tanna commented, Ohhhooo beauty. aa kaun che (who is this)? Actor Hina Khan dropped a heart emoji on the post. Beautiful and inspiring, inside and out, chef Suvir Saran wrote. Also read | Sonu Sood remembers his first birthday after coming to Mumbai: I was feeling alone, had tears in my eyes Earlier this month, Smriti celebrated two decades of her popular show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She played the matriarch Tulsi Virani in the serial, which ran for several years. To commemorate the anniversary, she shared a throwback video of one of her first scenes with co-star Sudha Shivpuri, who played Baa. Smriti said that she was nervous as hell because it was conveyed to producer Ekta Kapoor that she did not have the talent to carry the show on her shoulders. 20 years ago this was possibly one of my first scenes with Sudha Aunty. I raced through my lines ,nervous as hell coz @ektarkapoor was called to the shooting floor by the director who told her the project was a sure shot flop since the girl cast as Tulsi did not have the talent to see it through. Upon enquiring why I was not unleashing my full potential as an actor I told her can I play the character as I deem fit instead of being told how to emote? I promised her Id take help of every colleague possible if I felt I cant measure up alone. EK said done and the rest was TV history, she wrote, thanking everyone from the team. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former President John Mahama celebrated the 28th Anniversary of his marriage to his wife Lordina by presenting her with a bouquet of flowers. The former president made this known in a post yesterday (July 29) on his social media channels. Photographs shared by the NDC flagbearer show the former First couple standing either side of a giant bouquet of an assortment of flowers. Other photographs reveal that that the former first family also held a family lunch to mark the occassion. According to Mr Mahama's biography online, he married Lordina Mahama (nee Effah on July 29, 1992. They have five children named Shafik, Shahid, Sharaf, Jesse and Farida. 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. Featured Video Scientist sticks by Boss car speed as Deputy PM denies links THAILAND: A Chulalongkorn scientist who concluded that Red Bull scion Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhya drove his car at 177km/h in the infamous 2012 hit-and-run case is sticking by his evidence and says he was never told the speed was later adjusted to nearly 100 km/h less. accidentsdeathpolice By Bangkok Post Thursday 30 July 2020, 11:39AM Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhya was accused of killing a police officer in 2012. On the right is his damaged Ferrari that experts maintain was driving at speeds of 177km/h when the collision occurred. Photo: AFP. Sathon Vijarnwannaluk, a physics lecturer at the universitys Faculty of Science, was a member of the original evidence collection team and has told a talk show on Thairath TV that he is sceptical about police officers new conclusion that the Red Bull heirs Ferrari was not exceeding 80km/h. Soon after the accident, the lecturer said he examined CCTV footage taken from a showroom in Soi Sukhumvit 53, around 100 metres from the crash scene. Since that was the only footage available, he said he decided to calculate the cars speed based on the moment it passed the camera. Mr Sathon said the car seemed to be travelling very fast since it appeared on the screen at 05.34.17 and left before 05.34.18. The distance between the two points was about 31 metres. He admitted he had not been able to produce a precise calculation at the time, so he merely concluded the car had travelled around 30 metres in less than one second. He therefore concluded the car must have travelled at a speed faster than 108km/h. In a phone interview with the Bangkok Post, he said his calculation was based on the time which appeared on the CCTV, so its scientifically based. Two teams of specialists calculated the cars speed at the crucial moment, he said, and each could have produced a different result depending on the starting point it used. Nevertheless, Mr Sathon said his team concluded the Ferrari had travelled at 177km/h and the other team 174km/h. Two new specialist witnesses, police majors, inspected the damage to the Ferrari and the victims motorcycle. They compared it to other accidents and agreed the Ferrari had not exceeded 80km/h. Prawit denial Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday (July 29) denied speculation that his family had influence over the decision to drop the manslaughter charge against Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya in June. According to media reports, Gen Prawits brother, Admiral Sitthawat, was chairman of the now-dissolved National Legislative Assembly (NLA) committee when Mr Vorayuths lawyer, Samak, petitioned it to have the charge dropped. The reports said the committee later asked prosecutors to send Vorayuths case file back to the police to reconsider his indictments, citing new witnesses. The move effectively killed the case against the young heir. My family has never known [Mr Vorayuths] family, Gen Prawit said. Personally, I have never known him. He said the accusation that Adm Sitthawat was involved in the decision to drop the charges Mr Vorayuth was surprising because Adm Sitthawat did not have the power to do so. Mr Samak, Mr Vorayuths lawyer, previously petitioned the panel to provide justice and postpone forwarding the Office of Attorney-Generals prosecution files to court. Gen Prawit stressed neither he nor any member of the Prawit family could have forced the charges to be dropped. Family plea Elsewhere the Yoovidhya extended family has urged the Red Bull scion to step forward and clear public doubt over his controversial case. In a letter dated yesterday and signed by Yoovidhya brothers and sisters, extended family members offered their utmost apology to the public over the decision by prosecutors to drop all charges against Mr Vorayuth, which stirred an outcry among citizens. While we cannot renounce our Yoovidhya blood ties with Mr Vorayuth, we can say that since the case began, Mr Vorayuths immediate family has never consulted us over the issue, the letter said. We also do not agree with Mr Vorayuths many decisions in the case. The letter was signed by Suthirat, Panadda, Sarawut, Sakchai, Jirawat, Supreeya and Nucharee Yoovidhya and Saipin (Yoovidhya) Phahonyothin. They said Mr Vorayuth should explain himself to provide clarity on his case and reduce negative public sentiment affecting everyone in the Yoovidhya family. PARIS - A longtime chief of the violent Basque separatist group ETA was freed Thursday from a French prison, swapping a jail cell for house arrest in Paris with an electronic monitoring bracelet. Jose Antonio Urruticoetxea Bengoetxea, known by the alias Josu Ternera, will only be able to leave his residence on pre-agreed days and at hours determined by the Paris Court of Appeal. It ruled on Wednesday that he should be released from Paris La Sante prison. He was freed Thursday morning. Supporters opened umbrellas to shield from view the car in which Ternera is thought to have been driven away. As well as ordering the electronic tracking bracelet and house arrest at his Paris residence for a minimum of six months, the court also banned Ternera from leaving mainland France. ETA, whose initials stand for Basque Homeland and Freedom in the Basque language, killed more than 850 people during a decades-long violent campaign to create an independent state in northern Spain and southern France. The militant group gave up its arms in 2017 and then disbanded after being weakened by a sustained police effort to dismantle its operations and arrest its leaders. Terneras son, Egoitz Ternera, said being out of prison will allow his father to better prepare his defence against French and Spanish legal proceedings still outstanding. This is a new phase in the judicial process. The presumption of innocence is taken into account, he will be able to defend himself as a free man, the son said. In October, the Paris court will weigh appeals against sentences for terrorism and other charges handed down to Ternera when he was on the run. He also faces Spanish efforts to extradite him and an outstanding European arrest warrant. His son said that Ternera is in fragile health having undergone surgery for a condition he didnt elaborate on. There was a five-month wait before he was operated on. That operation should have been done urgently after the arrest. Now, he will be able to get the treatment adapted to his condition, he said. We can only be relieved by this outcome. Ternera was arrested in a French Alps town in May 2019 after 17 years on the run. He had been the most wanted ETA member since 2002. ___ AP Writer John Leicester contributed from Le Pecq, France. Read more about: Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham held up his mask with the words "2020 Census" as he testified this week before a U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill. Read more On Saturday, a caravan of cars and bikes will travel through North and West Philadelphia specifically Strawberry Mansion, Mantua, and Belmont playing music and encouraging participation in the 2020 Census in neighborhoods that the Census Bureau has historically undercounted and that are trailing in responses. Its part of a larger push to get Philadelphians and residents throughout the region to fill out the 2020 Census, which the federal government uses to count every person living in the country and to distribute hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments for services such as housing, health care, infrastructure, and schools. Stephanie Reid, executive director of Philly Counts, the citys initiative to make sure residents are counted, said that because funding for recovery from the pandemic will be tied to new census data, this census is more important than any recent census. We know we need every penny that the city deserves coming into the city for recovery, Reid said. Philly Counts and the Census Bureau had to scrap plans to encourage census participation at sporting events, festivals, and other large gatherings that have been canceled because of the pandemic. In addition to the socially distanced caravan of about 20 cars and some bikes taking to the streets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, census workers have been standing outside grocery stores, pharmacies, coin laundries, and food distribution centers asking people to answer census questions. City employees are hanging census information on 300,000 doors in 93 Philadelphia neighborhoods where response rates lag behind the national average. They have been giving out masks when they talk to residents about the census, and they plan to focus on parks and business corridors next. As of Tuesday, 51.6% of households in the city had responded to the census, below Pennsylvanias 65.8% self-response rate and New Jerseys 64.6% rate. For the first time, the Census Bureau also is emailing millions of people in areas with low response rates to encourage them to fill out the census, using the email address 2020census@subscriptions.census.gov. The bureau also will mail additional paper questionnaires in areas where response rates are low. Households have until Oct. 31 to respond to the census. We continue to look for all the options, all the different alternatives that are available to reach out to people to remind them there is still time, said Fernando Armstrong, director of the Census Bureaus Philadelphia Regional Office. READ MORE: Possible positive coronavirus side effect? More people may fill out the 2020 Census online. Next month, Census Bureau workers will start to visit households in the region that havent yet filled out census forms online, by phone, or by mail. Workers will be equipped with smartphones to record responses and masks as a pandemic precaution. Spending the five or 10 minutes to do the census online or over the phone means someone wont need to come to your door during the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Pa.), who came up with the idea of the census caravan and will join Census Bureau employees and local and state elected officials Saturday, said in a statement. READ MORE: Here's some info you need to know about the 2020 Census Armstrong said the design of the 2020 Census, which encourages online response and uses smartphones and tablets to record in-person responses, has made counting the population during a pandemic possible. If the design had been the same as we did in 2010 or in 2000, it would be a very, very scary outcome, he said. Considering that everyone, every single area, every single city and neighborhood is challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and everything else that comes with it, I think we are doing well. Overall census response rates are higher than what the Census Bureau expected, he said. Survivors of sex trafficking and those who investigate it in the city share their stories. Baltimore, Maryland Taylor* was 13 when she first became a victim of sex trafficking. She had recently escaped from an abusive home and was living on the streets of Baltimore. She was too young to work legally, but a close friend told her that she could make money by giving massages. Anxious to make a living, Taylor agreed. When I got out [to the hotel where the job was supposed to be] it wasnt what I expected, she said. I got there, and they wouldnt let me leave. It turned out that her friend was recruiting girls for a human trafficker. The traffickers forced Taylor to live and work out of hotels for the next two years. A hotspot for human trafficking Baltimore, Maryland is a hotspot for human trafficking, according to experts. The confluence of highways, including the I-95 corridor that connects Baltimore to other nearby cities like Washington, DC and New York City, combined with the proximity to several major airports, a plethora of hotels and casinos, and extreme poverty beside extreme wealth, has created the perfect conditions for the trafficking industry to thrive. Several interstate highways cut through the heart of the city, running on the east and west of the Baltimore port. Thousands of trucks, cruise lines, and cargo ships pass through Baltimore each year. Meanwhile, deep social divisions and a long history of racial and economic inequality also mark the local landscape. More than 100 years of segregation and racist housing and economic policies have divided Baltimore into an L-shaped corridor that runs north to south, where an advantaged majority white population lives, and a butterfly-shaped majority Black area spreading through the east and west of the city. The white L, as it is known, enjoys access to public transportation, bike lanes, and quality grocery stores. The majority Black neighbourhoods, meanwhile, are plagued by urban blight; dotted with boarded-up abandoned houses. These neighbourhoods experience gun violence paired with police brutality, including the now infamous 2015 murder of a 25-year-old Black man named Freddie Gray. Today, neighbourhoods that are less than 50 percent Black receive almost four times the amount of investment as those where more than 85 percent of the population is Black, according to the Washington DC-based think-tank the Urban Institute. These differences play out even in life expectancy, with a 20-year gap between the citys wealthiest neighbourhoods and its poorest. And inequality extends past the citys borders and into the suburban sprawl. Poverty rates are high in Baltimore city, where there is a clear race-and-wealth divide between impoverished neighbourhoods and more affluent ones [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] At more than 20 percent, Baltimore citys poverty rate is around double the national average. Maryland itself, in contrast, consistently ranks as one of the wealthiest states in the country in regards to average income and economic opportunity. Some of the countrys wealthiest people live in a state whose largest city is plagued by poverty. What this means is that those who can afford to pay for sex live within close proximity to those most likely to be targeted by traffickers. As a result of this and its proximity to other large East Coast cities, Baltimore has one of the highest rates of human trafficking cases in the country. Washington, DC just 64km (40 miles) away is believed to have the highest rate. According to local law enforcement, people engaged in commercial sex work in Baltimore often make more money than those in other cities, and that fact is what motivates traffickers from other parts of the country to flock to Maryland. Poverty In Pennsylvania Station, Baltimores main train station, flashing billboards tell onlookers how to spot the signs of human trafficking unrelated girls with matching tattoos, for example and which numbers to call if they see something suspicious. Awareness among the general population is growing, but the problem is intractable. The city is both a destination for human traffickers and a source of victims [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] I think the I-95 highway plays a huge role in it. We also have an airport with really inexpensive flights. Were a hub for those airlines, and that certainly contributes to it, said Amanda Rodriguez, the executive director of Turnaround Inc, a Baltimore-based organisation that provides services to victims of human trafficking. Rodriguez is a lawyer who spent years prosecuting human trafficking cases in the Baltimore area before she began working for Turnaround. I think trafficking is also related to socioeconomics in Maryland, she said. We have a lot of poverty, and its right next door to a lot of wealth, so you end up with people who can buy sex and people who are desperate. Poverty, in general, is a vulnerability that we need to address if were going to address trafficking. They approach you like mother figures Jennifer*, a soft-spoken woman in her late 40s with flecks of grey in her hair, described her childhood in Baltimore as destructive. Her cousin and his friends sexually abused her repeatedly from the age of seven to 13. My mother just wasnt around, and my grandparents werent watching, she said. Later in life, Jennifer worked a steady job for years before an abusive relationship, and chronic stress drove her to alcoholism. She fell into depression and lost her job. I lost my house, my car, my dog, my kid, she explained. I lost it all, and I was on the streets for a while. I lost a sense of purpose. Roughly 1 percent of Baltimore citys population is homeless, which puts people at greater risk of trafficking [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] Jennifer began spending time in nightclubs, and she was often in need of a place to sleep. That was when traffickers began offering assistance. Sometimes, it was men who approached her, but on other occasions, it was women. You have the women that have been groomed. Theyve been through it and now, theyve graduated a little bit, and now, theyre working to get you to do things so that they dont have to, she said. They approach you like mother figures. They approach you in the nicest way. [But] you have to know that its not for free. Opioid epidemic Homelessness and housing insecurity can put people at risk of being trafficked. On any given night in Baltimore, there are estimated to be around 6,500 people experiencing homelessness, or roughly 1 percent of the citys population. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a non-profit, estimates that one in six of all missing children is a victim of human trafficking. Many of the victims have complex histories of sexual abuse, trauma, and addiction, experts said. Baltimore was once dubbed the heroin capital of America, but fentanyl now poses a bigger problem [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] In a country that has endured an opioid epidemic since the 1990s, Baltimore still stands out. More than a thousand people in the city die each year from overdoses. Heroin, in particular, has devastated the city since as early as the 1960s, and Baltimore was once dubbed the heroin capital of the United States. Now, much of that heroin has been replaced by the cheaper and even more deadly fentanyl, but the high rates of addiction and overdoses continue. Baltimore, today, has one of the highest overdose fatality rates in the country. Addiction, coupled with the high rate of poverty in the city, creates ample opportunity for children to be neglected or abused, experts said. This, in turn, puts those children at risk of being trafficked. Those who have histories of abuse or neglect or are runaways are especially vulnerable, as are people who have experienced some sort of trauma, explained Janniece Phillips, a programme manager with the Araminta Freedom Initiative, another organisation that provides services to survivors of human trafficking in Maryland. Araminta is currently working with 18 survivors and their children in Baltimore. Most of the survivors are 15 or 16 years old. Hidden trafficking Special Agent Kelly Baird, who leads a team with Homeland Security that investigates human trafficking in Baltimore, said that sometimes traffickers pick victims up directly off the streets. I had a case in which two men had a longstanding relationship. They werent related, but they still considered themselves father and son, and they were very active in recruiting women and children right off of the street, Baird explained. One victim had been a chronic runaway. They rolled up next to her in their Chevy and started talking and, knowing that she had nowhere to go, she got in the car with them. For several months, the victim was expected to engage in commercial sex acts in exchange for food and a place to stay. She was 15 years old. A human trafficking survivor makes candles at the Well community centre in Baltimore [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] She was made to visit customers across the city, and was frequently put in danger. One customer cut her hand so badly that she had to seek medical attention. Eventually, the sheriffs department in a nearby county learned about the two men while investigating a separate case. The department contacted Homeland Security, which eventually located several of the mens victims, including one who was addicted to heroin. Following an investigation, one of the men was indicted and entered into a plea agreement. The other was murdered before charges were brought against him. Local law enforcement works hand in glove with Homeland Security to tackle these cases, the special agents said. Patrol officers are the eyes and ears on the ground. Investigators, meanwhile, rely heavily on data mining and search warrants to investigate cases, essentially trawling the internet to figure out where traffickers advertise to potential customers. In previous years, a website called Backpage.com advertised prostitution, but the site was taken down in 2018. Some officials have argued that Backpage was useful because it allowed law enforcement to easily obtain the phone numbers, email addresses, and other details about the traffickers paying for ads. Once the agents locate a victim, they can use conventional investigative techniques, such as interviews, to discover more details about the traffickers. But the internet is often where they find the victim in the first place. Trafficking has become more opaque since Backpage.com was taken offline, investigators said. Instead of one website, now, there are many. A destination and a source John Eisert, special agent in charge for Homeland Security investigations in Baltimore, said that the opioid epidemic and other drug problems plaguing the city contributed to the prevalence of human trafficking. We have major trucking lanes and a major port. Theres a convention centre, sporting events; theres a booming tourist industry with hospitality, so hotels and motels. It creates a certain problem set, said Eisert. But theres also the opioid epidemic thats coming across the state of Maryland. It is very prevalent here. According to the Polaris Project, which operates the US National Human Trafficking Hotline, traffickers often use addiction to manipulate their victims. Human trafficking is one of the top priorities for human services investigations across the country, Eisert said. But Baltimore has its work cut out for it. Some cities are destinations for human traffickers, and some are sources of trafficking victims, but Baltimore is both. Were a hub city, while other cities are just a transit city. Theres turnover in the victims we see and the targets we see, but its a constant, unfortunately, he explained. A happy childhood Despite the citys problems, Taylor remembers her childhood in Baltimore fondly. From early childhood until about the time she turned 10, living in Baltimore was amazing, she said. We had block parties, I was in a marching band, I went to camp, she remembered. It was fun growing up, but then things started to change. Taylors parents were separated and both living in poverty, but things did not really start to fall apart until there was a series of incidents of sexual abuse in her family. Crime rates are high in run-down Baltimore neighbourhoods [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] Everything in Taylors life began to shift as she hit puberty. Suddenly, it became harder to ignore the crime that plagued her neighbourhood. Taylor witnessed one of her cousins being raped. Her brother was molested and raped by her cousins boyfriend who lived across the street, and Taylor, too, was molested by a cousin. As Taylor described her experience, the words poured out of her as though she was just beginning to understand the emotional complexity of her story. She cried as she described how her childhood experiences led to her being trafficked. Taylor felt like she could not talk openly to anyone about her experience of sexual abuse because her brother had already gone through something similar. I thought people would think that I was only saying it because he said it, she admitted. Taylor started to rebel and began to clash with her mother. My mother thought that beating people was OK. She wanted us to suck it up, she said. My siblings could, but I couldnt. I wasnt OK with my mom beating me with an extension cord or a shoe or whatever. Sometimes, Taylors mother would kick her out of the house. On other occasions, Taylor ran away from home. In the shadows While the majority of prosecuted trafficking cases in Maryland are sex trafficking cases, labour trafficking is also taking place in the shadows. Experts said that labour trafficking can be harder to detect because the victims are often immigrants who are reluctant to report the abuse. The majority of the cases are sex trafficking because its far more prevalent and easier to detect, Baird explained. Labour trafficking is in the dark, its in the quiet, and to a certain extent, people are more reticent to report, as well. In one recent case, for example, a woman from Zimbabwe was held in slavery for around eight years. She had been recruited to work as a domestic servant and was promised money and an education, but none of those promises materialised. She was exploited the whole time she was here, Baird said. She also didnt want to disappoint her family at home, so she had all of these financial and social pressures that account for why she stayed in the situation. After four years working in captivity, the traffickers started letting her attend church services. When, years later, she eventually described her living situation to her pastor, he told her to put her belongings in a bag, go outside, and he would rescue her. A survivor of human trafficking makes soap at the Well in Baltimores Curtis Bay neighbourhood [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] The difficulties with labour trafficking are that its very insular. Neighbours knew her. The traffickers gave her permission to attend church services, so the parishioners knew her, but she was given rules. She had to tell people that she was a family friend, she couldnt tell them that she was working, Baird explained. For years, the victim did as she was told. The traffickers would threaten her by withholding her passport and threatening to send her home, Baird said. Today, she has a visa that allows her to remain in the US, and she can access services like subsidised housing. She started attending school to become a nurse. Safe harbour laws The states human trafficking laws recognise that immigration status can be used to extort victims, and it allows officials to prosecute any case in which a victim is persuaded, induced, or enticed into trafficking. Still, Maryland has not yet passed a safe harbour law that prohibits the criminalisation of minors for prostitution. Thirty-four states, including Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota and Tennessee, have passed safe harbour laws. According to Turnarounds Rodriguez, politically conservative states sometimes have an easier time passing safe harbour laws because legislators tend to view human trafficking as a humanitarian issue. Since Maryland is a majority Democratic state with a large Republican population, policy issues can get bogged down in discussions about the approach. If you had asked me even five years ago, I would have said that Maryland is doing really well, especially policy-wise, Rodriguez said. Maryland was number two in the nation introducing vacatur laws related to trafficking. But were seeing other states moving forward, and Maryland doesnt seem to be doing that. Maryland is a deeply purple state, so because those two ideas work against each other, it can be hard to get the ball moving. Were often really late in terms of introducing things, she continued. There have been a lot of conservative states that have introduced safe harbour and gotten it passed. Law enforcement and others in the city are learning, however, that trafficked women and children are victims and survivors, not criminals. Marylands laws were amended as recently as 2015 to allow a person charged with prostitution to defend him or herself by arguing that they are a victim of human trafficking operating under duress. Over the past several years, Baltimore Citys Human Trafficking Collaborative has brought together law enforcement, prosecutors, non-profits, healthcare providers, and state and city agencies to combat trafficking and support victims. Places like Turnaround Inc and Araminta are all part of that collaboration. Changing perspectives and increasing awareness Thomas Stack, the Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Baltimore Mayors office, said his view of the issue had radically changed since he first began investigating human trafficking cases and shutting down Korean-run massage parlours over a decade ago. I started to change the way I looked at things and went 180 degrees, Stack said. I went from nail them and jail them to seeing the girls in prostitution as victims. A survivor of sex trafficking shares her story [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] When Stack started working in the police vice unit in 2000, human trafficking was not a commonly used term, he recalled. But over the years, as he encountered more victims, his outlook began to evolve. Stack gained a greater understanding of the relationship between poverty, the abuse of runaway children, and prostitution, and discovered that shutting down massage parlours and arresting people was not going to address the issue at its root. Today, the citys law enforcement and the members of the Human Trafficking Collaborative take an approach that puts the victims first. Each hospital in the city has a representative tasked with understanding how to identify victims of trafficking if they seek medical attention. Members of law enforcement visit local schools in at-risk areas and talk to the students. In March 2019, Baltimore launched a secret programme that allows law enforcement to call a local hospital at a moments notice to ask for services for trafficking victims. An official just has to use a specific code word and the healthcare providers automatically know that a human trafficking victim will soon arrive. A forensic nurse, a victims advocate, and security guards are made available immediately. It is a coordinated effort that ensures trafficking victims get immediate support that is free and anonymous. The victims phones are put on airplane mode and security guards with canines make sure the trafficker cannot hunt the victim down. The awareness is definitely increasing, especially with the first responders coming into contact with the victims, said Phillips from Araminta. Instead of victims being punished for being victims, the response is to ask what their needs are and what we can do to help them recover. An uneasy neighbourhood The Curtis Bay neighbourhood in southern Baltimore is one of the areas of the city that advocates for trafficking victims often point to as a place of extreme vulnerability. More than 39 percent of families there live in poverty, according to recent government statistics. The neighbourhood is also a place where long-distance truck drivers pass through the city to make deliveries near the port. There are casinos and strip clubs nearby, and the neighbourhoods Fairhaven Avenue is known for prostitution. Mangled underwear at a corner in Baltimores Curtis Bay neighbourhood [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] At first glance, Curtis Bay looks like any run-down post-industrial neighbourhood from which businesses have slowly vanished. The grey streets are dotted with small homes that were built to provide cheap housing during the post-World War II population boom. There are a few dingy bars, numerous tobacco shops, and convenience stores selling Baltimores signature snowballs a cup of fluffy, shaved ice drenched in sweet, artificially flavoured syrup. During the day, the streets are quiet. The port and trucking lanes loom to the east. But there is an overwhelming feeling of unease in the neighbourhood. Residents warn against visiting the local gas station, noting that there are frequent gunfights between rival gangs. The local shops discreetly sell scales for measuring heroin or other drugs. The unemployment rate is usually around 11.8 percent compared to 7 percent across Baltimore and 4.5 percent in Maryland as a whole. Residents look at outsiders with suspicion, assuming that they are in search of drugs or prostitutes. The vice unit for Baltimore City Police has been working in the area to curb the demand for commercial sex, according to people familiar with the matter. Women living in the area, however, said that potential customers still pass through the neighbourhood regularly. Meredith*, a trafficking survivor who lives in the area, said that men often approach her for sex when she walks down the street in Curtis Bay, but now, she has learned to fend off their advances. She said the neighbourhood has a drug and alcohol epidemic. Around 9 percent of all deaths in the area are caused by drugs or alcohol, according to government statistics. Theres drug dealing and drug addicts, and theres a lot of violence, people shooting everybody, she said. And theres prostitution along with the drug addiction. Welcome at the Well On a corner of the main thoroughfare of Curtis Bay, a long street lined with run-down convenience stores, is the Well, a community centre located on the bottom floor of a plain red brick office building where women can come together to heal. The centre shares the unassuming building with a cardiologist, a clinical therapist, and a church. The Well, which opened in 2015, is the brainchild of Mandy Memmel, a Baltimore resident with sparkling blue eyes, a gentle but firm demeanour, and a background in church ministry. A bulletin board at the Well in Baltimore [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] The centre opens its doors to women who have experienced sexual exploitation, abuse, and addiction. It also offers a long-term mentorship programme to women who are looking to rebuild their lives, and every year it offers hundreds of mentorship sessions on everything from housing to how to obtain an ID or birth certificate and dealing with trauma. Around 35 women went through the organisations mentorship programme in 2019. The Well also has a social enterprise on site, called Hons Honey, where the women make soap and other bath and beauty products from honey, essential oils, and other natural products. Hons Honeys office space is filled with women and the pungent smell of flowery soap and essential oils. The proceeds from the products are used to offer survivors part-time employment. For many of the women, it is the first job they have ever had. On the wall of the Well is a sign that reads We loved you from the moment we saw you. The organisations philosophy combines radical acceptance with a belief that love and meaningful, supportive relationships can help people heal from childhood trauma and sexual exploitation, including human trafficking. Women from the neighbourhood arrive in the office each day with their children. Am I still welcome here even though I havent been here in a while? asked a woman walking into the front office with her daughter in the middle of the afternoon. The woman was middle-aged, but she spoke with the timidity of a child. You bet you are, responded the woman at the front desk. Volunteers from the Well often walk around the Curtis Bay neighbourhood offering care packages with toiletries, clothes or sandwiches for the women and girls working on the streets. Those they encounter are aged anywhere between 15 and 60 years old, the volunteers said. They let them know that they can always come to the centre for a shower, food, or just a rest. Unconditional love Women like Jennifer, who was raised in Curtis Bay, have found refuge at the Well. Jennifer now helps other vulnerable women and trafficking victims. I walk through the streets, and I go up to them, and I ask how they are. If you walk up and down Fairhaven [Avenue,] you will see them. We go and hug them and talk to them. We find out whats going on and if theres anything they need, she said. Healing with them helped me overcome what happened to me. Human trafficking survivors are given part-time employment at Hons Honey at the Well [Joe Giordano/Al Jazeera] Jessica*, 49, another survivor who spends time at the Well, said her mothers boyfriend raped her when she was just three years old. Later, she experienced behavioural issues and was plagued by nightmares. As a very young adult, she developed a cocaine addiction. Everything that I hated and everything I despised is who I became, she said, describing that period of her life. I had no emotion. I was mechanical. I was a soulless shell. Today, Jessica said that the friendships she has built at the Well have been transformational. I need the Well for emotional stability. I always have someone there to lean on, she reflected. The genuine and unconditional love that Ive found here is something that everyone needs, but a lot of people will never find. *All names of survivors of human trafficking have been changed to protect their privacy. Phair: In the middle of the night. Its like some little spirit comes out of me, and the genie is out of the bottle. When the world is asleep, I have more room. During the beginning of the pandemic, I did this weird thing. I live two blocks from the beach and there was a bioluminescent bloom going on in L.A., and it was spectacular. We werent supposed to go down to the water, but I would sneak down with my mask and gloves. During the pandemic, I do my functioning things in the daytime, but my artist self has become a night-timer. There were other night-timers out there in the darkness; I passed a surfer coming up at 3 in the morning, wet from the ocean, whod just done a session. I have all my big ideas late at night. I have all of my big moments of understanding. Barack Obama has brought up sex assault allegations against Donald Trump, slammed the president's 'nativist, racist and sexist' agenda and told George Clooney the November 2020 election keeps him up at night during a series of fundraisers for Joe Biden. Over the last two months, the former president has been dialing into virtual chats for Democrat donors, who pay up to $250,000 a ticket, in a bid to help his former VP win the White House. On Tuesday, he told Clooney that fears of voter suppression and an effort by Trump to question the legitimacy of the election is stopping him from sleeping. During similar events over the last few weeks, that have raised $24million, Obama also mentioned accusations of Trump assaulting women, according to the New York Times. In conversation with the billionaire Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, during that event he spoke out on the state of American democracy under the current administration, even making a loose reference to Nazi Germany. He made the scathing series of attacks without mentioning Trump by name. Barack Obama has brought up sex assault allegations against Donald Trump, slammed the president's 'nativist, racist and sexist' agenda and told George Clooney the November 2020 election keeps him up at night during a series of fundraisers for Joe Biden Over the last two months, the former president has been dialing in to virtual chats for Democrat donors who pay up to $250,000 a ticket in a bid to help his former VP win the White House Since leaving office Obama has largely refrained from publicly criticizing his predecessor by name. With less than 100 days to go until the election, he has reportedly become considerably more caustic. During his conversation with Pritzker, Obama spoke out about how Donald Trump has a support base that filters out any contradictory information. Its just glued to Fox News and Breitbart and Limbaugh and just this conservative echo chamber and so, theyre going to turn out to vote, Obama said, according to the Times. What he has unleashed and what he continues to try to tap into is the fears and anger and resentment of people who, in some cases, really are having a tough time and have seen their prospects, or communities where they left, declining. And Trump tries to tap into that and redirect in nativist, racist, sexist ways, he continued. Obama also criticized Trumps seeming obsession with the preservation of Confederate monuments during the coronavirus pandemic, calling it his number one priority which gives you a sense of what this is about. The former president warned that another four years of the Trump administration and its darker impulses could have dire consequences in the long term. The endpoint of that we saw in Europe 60 years ago, 70 years ago what happens when those things get unleashed, he said, in a seeming opaque reference to Nazi Germany. If you dont nip that in the bud, bad things can happen. Among the most quote, unquote civilized societies. In two months of participating in fundraisers for Biden, Obama has raised approximately $24 million for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Obama has praised Bidens character and hailed him as a future great president, apparently even pushing back against donors who have attempted to voice constructive criticism Clooney, meanwhile, said this years election should be a simple choice for all those at the ballot box come November. Like, this is easy, he said. Theres two candidates here. One claims that our first Black president wasnt a citizen, and the other was his vice president. During their event, Clooney and Obama also shared a number of humorous moments. Obama was routinely interrupted by a dog barking, while Clooney appeared to have the same problem, even accidentally muting himself on occasion. According to event attendees, after the former president asked him a question, Clooney apologized for the barking and joked that his dogs 'must be Tea Party members because every time you started talking about Obamacare' the barking would start. The two men also spoke about the difference in the way Trump has dealt with a varying degree of issues compared to that of Biden. Clooney made the comparison that Biden clearly cares for and stands with the Black Lives Matter protests, while Trump has decried the unrest calling it the work of 'terrorist organisation' Antifa. Billed as a virtual conversation between Clooney and Obama, the event sold out all tickets ranging from $250 per person all the way up to $250,000. Clooney and Obama also shared a number of humorous moments. Obama was routinely interrupted by a dog barking, while Clooney appeared to have the same problem, even accidentally muting himself on occasion In urging his support for his former Vice President in similar events this week, Obama also made mention of past accusations of Trump assaulting women, according to the Times Despite leaving office nearly four years ago, Obama remains one of the Democratic Partys most prolific figures in helping to draw in both large and small contributors alike. In two months of participating in fundraisers for Biden, Obama has raised approximately $24 million for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Across a number of his other fundraising efforts Obama has routinely accused Trump of stoking hate and fear. During a separate event with LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman, Obama called out Trump for stoking an anti-Asian sentiment when he referred to coronavirus as the kung flu and Chinese virus. That still shocks and pisses me off, Obama said of the comments, adding that he hoped the seriousness of what he was saying was resonating through the screen. We already saw this guy win once, he said. After he bragged about physically assaulting women and that didnt seem to matter. So, enough said. Lets get to work. Obama has praised Bidens character and hailed him as a future great president, apparently even pushing back against donors who have attempted to voice constructive criticism, according to the Times. We have a worthy candidate and we have a worthy platform, Obama said in one such conversation. But you know what, lets not be so sophisticated that we are constantly finding reasons why this isnt good enough or the candidates not doing this or the campaign seems to not be getting that quite right. (Newser) Authorities on Wednesday announced an arrest in an arson fire that destroyed much of the Arizona and Maricopa County Democratic Party headquarters. Phoenix police said 29-year-old Matthew Egler was booked on one count of arson of an occupied structure. No information about a possible motive was disclosed and it was not immediately known if Egler had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Egler previously volunteered with Maricopa County Democrats but was banned from continuing because of behavioral issues, the Arizona Republic reports. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by todays news, but appreciate the swift action by law enforcement to ensure that the suspect is in custody," state and county Democratic leaders said. Arizona Republican Party leaders also condemned the fire. story continues below The blaze occurred early Friday in a business district a few miles north of downtown Phoenix. Investigators said evidence indicated the fire was an act of arson. The building is the longtime home of both the state and county Democrats, the AP reports. The northern portion of the building, which houses the operations for Maricopa County Democrats, was a total loss, said Steven Slugocki, the county chair. Damage was less extensive in the state partys portion of the building, he said. The fire destroyed computers, tablets, phone-banking equipment, campaign literature, and years of candidate and organizing information, Slugocki said. It also burned political memorabilia accumulated over decades, including campaign materials for John F. Kennedy, he said. (Read more Arizona stories.) Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), presents a certificate of order at a ceremony to promote Xu Zhongbo, political commissar of the Rocket Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, to the rank of general, in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2020. The ceremony was held by the CMC in Beijing. (Xinhua/Li Gang) BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Wednesday presented a certificate of order at a ceremony to promote Xu Zhongbo, political commissar of the Rocket Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, to the rank of general. The ceremony was held by the CMC in Beijing. General is the highest rank for officers in active service in China. Xi offered congratulations to Xu for his promotion. Xu Qiliang, CMC vice chairman, announced the order of promotion at the ceremony, which was presided over by CMC vice chairman Zhang Youxia, and attended by CMC members Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin. "We're excited for buyers to check out the stunning Yosemite floor plan, a versatile home with a lot to offer," said David Vitek, Utah Division President. "This event will also provide a great look at Summerfield Estates' spacious homesites and beautiful location." COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS: New homes from the low $400s Rambler and two-story floor plans 3 to 8 bedrooms, up to 4,789 square feet Birch cabinets, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, 9' main-floor ceilings and more included 9' daylight basements on select homesites PRIME LOCATION NEAR: East Bay Golf Course Downtown Provo Provo Towne Centre Brigham Young University (BYU) (BYU) Utah Valley University (UVU) Provo City Center Temple Summerfield Estates is located at 716 South 1400 West, Provo, UT 84601. For more information, call 385.338.3098. About Century Communities Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is a top 10 national homebuilder. Offering new homes under the Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuildingincluding the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Colorado-based company operates in 17 states across the U.S., and offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loan subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com. SOURCE Century Communities, Inc. Related Links www.centurycommunities.com Sonu Sood may be a villain in movies but he is truly a real-life hero. From reuniting migrant workers with their families to providing them food shelters, Sonu has done everything he could to aid these people during the COVID-19 global health crisis that has crippled lives of so many people. His fans call him a messiah of migrants and he truly is one. To add to that, he has done something more on the occasion of his 47th birthday today that makes us think if there is really anything this man cant do. On Thursday, he took to his Twitter account to announce as many as three Lakh job offers for the migrant workers who in these difficult times have lost their jobs. Sood wrote, " Pravasi Rojgar.com 3 , PF,ESI AEPC, CITI, Trident, Quess Corp, Amazon, Sodexo, Urban Co , Portea #AbIndiaBanegaKamyaab." This translates to, "For my overseas brothers on the occasion of my birthday Pravasi Rojgar.com. My contract for 3 lakh jobs. All these provide good salary, PF, ESI and other benefits. Thanks AEPC, CITI, Trident, Quess Corp, Amazon, Sodexo, Urban Co, Portea and all others.#AbIndiaBanegaKamyaab." In a bid to provide the much-needed support to workers in finding the right job opportunities in various sectors across the country, the app was launched on Wednesday. Sood has come out with a free of cost online platform called Pravasi Rojgar, which will provide all the necessary information and right linkages to find suitable jobs. As per the reports, the 47-year-old actor, in a statement, said, "Lot of thinking, planning and preparation have gone into designing this initiative over the last few months, in order to ensure that it is holistic and builds on the work already being done in the country. "Extensive consultations have been held with top organisations that're involved at the grassroots level in skilling and placing the youth below the poverty line, NGOs, philanthropic organisations, government functionaries, strategy consultants, technology start ups and above all the returned migrants whom I have helped, he added. According to the release, the online platform has over 500 reputed companies related to construction, apparel, healthcare, engineering, BPOs, security, automobile, e-commerce and logistics sectors, offering job opportunities. Not only that, Sood had earlier donated over 1,500 PPE kits to doctors across Punjab and provided his Mumbai hotel for the accommodation of the frontline healthcare workers. He has also been feeding thousands of underprivileged people along with providing meal kits to migrants in the Bhiwandi area during the holy month of Ramadan. More than just for acting, Sonu Sood should be celebrated for what a wonderful human being he really is. Seattle residents have said calls to half the police budget are 'radical' and 'irresponsible' after violence and vandalism spread throughout the city during protests. Around 300 people who phoned in to a city council meeting on Wednesday night said the redistribution of around $85million in funds will 'hurt the vulnerable'. 'Defunding the police is a radical experiment that will hurt the vulnerable,' one woman claimed. 'Why are you defunding the police when many of you have called on the SPD for protection recently? We know you have. Why are you cutting protection for everyone else?' Seattle residents have said calls to half the police budget are 'radical' and 'irresponsible' after violence and vandalism spread throughout the city during protests 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, Washington The council is reviewing budgets all-round in order to account for the coronavirus pandemic which has closed schools and resulted in high unemployment. After the blow to the economy due to the outbreak, requests for the redirection of taxpayer funds away from the police department specifically have come to the forefront amid continuing unrest over police brutality. Seattle officers have been seen clashing with protesters and other civilians. Images show a volunteer nurse being blasted as she helps someone at Seattle Central College protesting against police brutality. Federal law enforcement, sent to protect federal building from damage, are said to have left the city this week after complaints they were only antagonizing the situation. The city asked for them to leave and said its own force could take care of any unrest. Earlier in the month, police cleared out the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHOP) which was occupied by locals in protest. July 25: A nurse was pepper-sprayed by cops in Seattle while providing support to protesters July 25: Omari Salisbury, center, livestreams police and protest activity, during a Black Lives Matter protest near the Seattle Police East Precinct headquarters The caller on Wednesday said the city should be 'protecting your own'. 'Why are you cutting protection for everyone else?' the caller asked. 'Why have you not denounced violence or arson by rioters or injuries to SPD officers? Your own employees. That is unconscionable. 'You should be protecting your own employees when they are injured on the job by violent attackers.' Another caller said: 'Seattle City Council, you are irresponsibly not fully representing your constituents by making the reckless decision of defunding our police department by 50 percent.' On the other hand 90 percent of the callers during the three-and-a-half-hour were in support of taking money out of the Seattle Police Department for the rest of the year. Some callers said the city police have shown in recent weeks their priority is not to protect the community and maintained that the distribution be reviewed. The new budget plan for the rest of the year to address a $378million shortfall and a vote would take place on August 10. It would reduce the department's funding by $85million until the end of 2020. The proposed budget for 2021 is over $400million. The decision had been delayed in order to hear from the public. July 1: The city recently asked for federal agents to leave and said its own force could take care of any unrest. Seattle police enter the East Precinct in Seattle after clearing out the CHOP zone The Seattle Police Officers Guild said it has collected more than 20,000 signatures for a Stop Defunding petition. Seattle police union leader Michael Solan (right) spoke to Fox News earlier on Wednesday opposing the idea of using funds intended for patrolling, overtime and more 'Nothing less than defunding will begin to heal the violence committed by police against Seattle's Black, Brown and Indigenous communities,' one resident told the meeting. The Seattle Police Officers Guild said it has collected more than 20,000 signatures for a Stop Defunding petition. Seattle police union leader Michael Solan told Fox News earlier on Wednesday that the cut would mean decreasing the force by 100 cops. It's also expected to take away from training, overtime pay and patrolling. A caller said that would be a good thing. 'He's right, let's fire the officers who think it's okay to tear gas citizens of their own city and instead give money to communities who have been suffering at the hands of police for decades,' the resident said. A different caller told the meeting: 'If the budget is not cut by $85 million, if you think what you've seen is bad, it'll only get worse.' Another said: 'SPD is already understaffed and with the city growing rapidly, calls for service are increasing. I do not want less officers, I want more officers who are able to respond to priority calls in seven minutes or less. We don't live in Utopia.' President Muhammadu Buhari reiterates his call on Nigerians to continue to exercise patience and understanding over the inconveniences created by precautionary measures taken for COVID-19, especially the regulations on places of worship. In his Sallah message to Muslims on the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir celebration, President Buhari said the outbreak of coronavirus has made it difficult for people to gather in places of worship as they are used to, urging worshipers to abide by the guidelines for the safety of their lives, and loved ones. The coronavirus has had devastating adverse impacts on our social, economic and spiritual lives. The preventive guidelines we have introduced to contain the spread of this deadly disease have unfortunately limited peoples freedom to gather and worship in large numbers in Mosques and Churches. Every measure that has been introduced to contain this disease may have its unintended consequences on the daily lives of our people, and I, therefore, call on Muslims and other faithfuls to continue to show more understanding with the government as we take correct steps to protect our people through the social distancing. No elected government would intentionally take away its peoples religious freedom by limiting the number of people that will gather in worship centres at the same time. The guidelines are dictated by necessity in order to safeguard public health and should, therefore, not be perceived as infringement on peoples right to worship. President Buhari commended the sacrifices of Muslims and Christians in abiding by the COVID-19 guidelines for the good of society, assuring that: On our own part, we shall continue to provide economic reliefs to the people to minimize the unintended hardships these guidelines have inflicted. The president reminded worshippers that COVID-19 is a worldwide affliction with Churches and Mosques closed around the world, while social distancing has been imposed to safeguard public health. READ ALSO: While wishing Muslims a happy celebration, the president called on worshipers not to forget the symbolic significance of the sacrifices of the Eidel Kabir. Muslims should imbibe the noble virtues of our great prophets in order to establish closer connectivity between religious teachings and practice. We can create the greatest impact by putting into practice the noble teachings of our religion. In whatever we do in life, we must put the fear of God in our daily activities in order to make our society better. The president reminded Nigerians of his efforts to root out corruption in the country, stating that the efforts had so far brought a lot of changes in the countrys polity. He appealed for more support and understanding as investigations are carried out on both legacy and fresh cases. The purpose of the comparative study is to demonstrate safety and efficacy of BioChaperone Lispro (BC Lispro) using Tonghua Dongbao (THDB) lispro as the drug substance. Lispro (BC Lispro) using Tonghua Dongbao (THDB) lispro as the drug substance. In nine previous studies, BC Lispro demonstrated significant improvement compared to Humalog , Aspart and Fiasp , while also proving to be safe and well tolerated. , Aspart and Fiasp , while also proving to be safe and well tolerated. Trial design approved by BfArM and FDA to enable pivotal Phase 3 trials in Europe and U.S. Regulatory News: Adocia (Euronext Paris: FR0011184241 ADOC- the "Company") (Paris:ADOC), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases with innovative formulations of approved proteins, announced today the initiation of a comparative study to demonstrate safety and efficacy of BC Lispro using with insulin lispro manufactured by Tonghua Dongbao in patients with type 1 diabetes. The authorization from the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices Bundesinstitut fur Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) was granted on July 21st, 2020. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the Investigational New Drug (IND) application on July 29th, 2020. The approvals by BfArM and the FDA ensure a clear path to initiate pivotal Phase 3 trials for BC Lispro in Europe and the U.S. following a successful comparative study. "We are pleased to obtain the approval from the German BfArM and the U.S. FDA to initiate this comparative study required before Phase 3," commented Olivier Soula, Deputy CEO of Adocia. "We thank Tonghua Dongbao team for this impressive work which is an important step to deliver this product to patients worldwide." The CT037 study compares BC Lispro manufactured with insulin lispro from Tonghua Dongbao to US-approved Humalog and EU-approved Humalog reference products so the results allow to address US and EU markets. Additionally, the study also includes the comparison with BioChaperone reconstituted with Humalog (Eli Lilly), as used by Adocia in previous Type 1 diabetes trials. The four arms of the CT037 trial: BioChaperone with insulin lispro from Tonghua Dongbao with insulin lispro from Tonghua Dongbao BioChaperone reconstituted with Humalog reconstituted with Humalog US-Humalog alone alone EU-Humalogalone The randomized, double-blind, crossover trial will be performed in Germany with 28 type 1 diabetes patients, coordinated by Profil, a German full-service CRO specialized in diabetes and obesity. About BioChaperone Lispro BioChaperone Lispro (BC Lispro) is an ultra-rapid formulation of prandial insulin lispro that incorporates Adocia's BioChaperone proprietary technology. BioChaperone is designed to enable the acceleration of insulin absorption. BC Lispro has previously demonstrated an accelerated insulin action profile across nine Phase 1/2 studies in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared to insulin analog lispro (Humalog, Eli Lilly) and insulin aspart (Novolog, Novo Nordisk), administered either with insulin syringes or by insulin pumps. Moreover, BC Lispro U100 has demonstrated significant improvement in terms of performance compared to Humalog across six clinical studies. Since 2018, Adocia and Chinese company Tonghua Dongbao have a strategic alliance to develop and commercialize BC Lispro in China and other Asian and Middle East territories. In addition, Tonghua Dongbao supplies Adocia with insulin lispro and insulin glargine globally (with the exception of China), enabling Adocia to advance its key programs BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo and to diversify partnership opportunities. Adocia retains the rights to develop BC Lispro in the US, Europe, Japan and Latin America and the formulation is already set for licensing in these regions. For more information on BC Lispro, please visit our website: www.adocia.com/products/biochaperone-ultra-fast-analog-insulin About Adocia Adocia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that specializes in the development of innovative formulations of therapeutic proteins and peptides for the treatment of diabetes and metabolic diseases. In the diabetes field, Adocia's portfolio of injectable treatments is among the largest and most differentiated of the industry, featuring five clinical-stage products and three preclinical-stage products. The proprietary BioChaperone technological platform is designed to enhance the effectiveness and/or safety of therapeutic proteins while making them easier for patients to use. Adocia customizes BioChaperone to each protein for a given application. Adocia's clinical pipeline includes four novel insulin formulations for prandial treatment of diabetes: two ultra-rapid formulations of insulin analog lispro (BioChaperone Lispro U100 and U200), a combination of basal insulin glargine and rapid-acting insulin lispro (BioChaperone Combo) and one combination of a prandial insulin with amylin analog pramlintide M1Pram (ADO09). The clinical pipeline also includes an aqueous formulation of human glucagon (BioChaperone Glucagon) for the treatment of hypoglycemia. Adocia preclinical pipeline includes three products: a combination of rapid human insulin analogues and Pramlintide (BioChaperone LisPram), a combination of insulin glargine with GLP-1 receptor agonists (BioChaperone Glargine GLP-1) for the treatment of diabetes and a ready-to-use combination of glucagon and a GLP-1 receptor agonist (BioChaperone Glucagon GLP1) for the treatment of obesity. In 2018, Adocia and Chinese insulin leader Tonghua Dongbao entered a strategic alliance. In April 2018, Adocia granted Tonghua Dongbao licenses to develop and commercialize BioChaperone Lispro and BioChaperone Combo in China and other Asian and Middle Eastern territories. The licensing agreements included USD 50 million upfront and up to USD 85 million development milestones, plus double-digit royalties on sales. In June 2018, Tonghua Dongbao agreed to manufacture and supply active pharmaceutical ingredients insulin lispro and insulin glargine to Adocia globally, excluding China, to support Adocia's portfolio development and commercialization. Adocia aims to deliver "Innovative medicine for everyone, everywhere." To learn more about Adocia, please visit us at www.adocia.com Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning Adocia and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Adocia considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the estimates contained in such forward-looking statements will be verified, which estimates are subject to numerous risks including the risks set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Universal Registration Document filed with the French Autorite des marches financiers on April 22, 2020 (a copy of which is available at www.adocia.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Adocia operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Adocia or not currently considered material by Adocia. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Adocia to be materially different from such forward-looking statements. This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Adocia shares in any jurisdiction. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005656/en/ Contacts: Adocia Gerard Soula Chairman and CEO contactinvestisseurs@adocia.com Ph.: +33 4 72 610 610 Adocia Press Relations Europe MC Services AG Raimund Gabriel adocia@mc-services.eu Ph.: +49 89 210 2280 Adocia Investor Relations USA The Ruth Group Tram Bui tbui@theruthgroup.com Ph.: +1 646 536 7035 After the lynching of 90-year-old Akua Denteh, a 69-Year-Old Madam Hawa Yakubu, one of the 17 old women reserved for lynching on the orders of a so-called soothsayer called Hajia Filipina over witchery, has recounted her ordeal. Even though Hawa Yakubu was tortured, fortunately, she was able to survive the ordeal. However, her colleague, Akua Denteh, could not survive the dastardly act at Kafaba in the East Gonja District in the Savannah Region last Thursday. The lynching of 90-year-old Akua Denteh has sparked national outrage and almost every person who matters in the country has condemned the illegal action. Recounting her ordeal yesterday, Hawa Yakubu said she was tortured by Hajia Filipina and her gang and almost died and had to be admitted to the Salaga Government Hospital. According to her, she was at home that Thursday when Hajia Filipina and her gang came to her house to forcibly take her away because she was mentioned by the soothsayer as a witch. I was about to have a bath, but they refused to allow me to shower and dragged me out of the house, she said amid tears. She disclosed that the people started caning and hitting her with objects and she cried aloud and begged them that she was not a witch. She said sensing that she might die as a result of the incessant beatings, she had to pretend that she was a witch for them to stop the physical attacks. She insisted that she had to admit that she was a witch in order to save her own life. Hawa Yakubu appealed for support on her sick bed, adding that the beatings have made her so weak that she fears she could die. According to sources, Hajia Filipina who is currently on the run was brought to Kafaba to exorcise the land of witchcraft and ended up labelling 18 old women, including Akua Denteh and Hawa Yakubu, of being part of a so-called witchcraft group. The Chief of Kafaba, Seidu Yahaya, is currently in the grip of the police over the incident. Key Suspects Also, some names have started popping up as possible culprits in the murder case, but the police are still searching for them. One Sanje who is alleged to have hosted Hajia Filipina to facilitate her illegal 'operations' has been mentioned as well as one Aliu, a teacher. Other suspects, mentioned as Bumaye, Ashley and Manafo, are also on police radar. ---Daily Guide As the government announced several new reforms under the New Education Policy on Wednesday, a clip of Sushant Singh Rajput's video is going viral where he is stressing on the need to have coding in the school curriculum. "65% of the students who are going to kindergarten this year will do jobs in technology that we haven't invented yet," he says in an old interview adding that in a situation like this, even schools are clueless as to what to teach to students. Sushant says that coding will have to be included in the curriculum as this is going to be the language that we will need in the next few years. He also says that in the global education structure, focus is being laid on emotional efficiency and how to deal with unknown situations. "Initially the change was constant, but now the rate of change is changing. And in situation when we don't know what to do, emotional stability is needed," he adds. Watch the video here: Govt of India in 2020:- Coding will be taught from Class VI onwards.- Focus will be on Artificial Intelligence.Sushant Singh Rajput in 2019:- In few years, coding will be made mandatory.- Focus will be on Emotional Quotient.#NewEducationPolicy #SushantSinghRajput pic.twitter.com/xFM90JFvMe Harish S Itagi (@HarishSItagi) July 29, 2020 Among many other reforms announced, the government announced that coding will be taught from Class 6 onwards. The announcement was made in by Education Ministry officials at a press conference, which held in the presence of Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meet on Wednesday. In the press meet, School Education secretary Anita Karwal listed out some 'path breaking reforms' in the policy, which involved inclusion of coding in class 6th curriculum. With this, many are seeing Sushant's views on technology and education as prophetic. In fact, Sushant had passion for astronomy and stars and owned a his Meade telescope which he used to see the Saturn rings, Jupiter moons, and on the days of clear skies, even the Andromeda Galaxy. Actors have remembered as someone who had more books in his vanity van than costumes for the shoot. The young actor who died by suicide in June was an engineering graduate who had cracked the national-level entrance test with a single-digit rank. Cabinet approves new National Education Policy; renames MHRD as education ministry The union cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which will replace the 10+2 structure of school curricula by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively, paving way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country. The cabinet also decided to rename the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) as ministry of education. The new policy aims at universalisation of education from pre-school to secondary level with 100 per cent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in school education by 2030 by bringing back 20 million out-of-school children into the mainstream The union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the National Education Policy 2020, making way for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors. This is the first education policy of the 21st century and replaces the thirty-four year old National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986. Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and is aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student. Ensuring Universal Access: NEP 2020 emphasizes on ensuring universal access to school education at all levels - pre-school to secondary. Infrastructure support, innovative education centres to bring back dropouts into the mainstream, tracking of students and their learning levels, facilitating multiple pathways to learning involving both formal and non-formal education modes, association of counselors or well-trained social workers with schools, open learning for classes 3,5 and 8 through NIOS and State Open Schools, secondary education programmes equivalent to Grades 10 and 12, vocational courses, adult literacy and life-enrichment programmes are some of the proposed ways for achieving this. About 20 million out-of-school children will be brought back into main stream under NEP 2020. Early Childhood Care: With emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education, the 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under school curriculum, which has been recognised globally as the crucial stage for development of mental faculties of a child. The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/pre schooling. NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8. ECCE will be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions, including Anganwadis and pre-schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum. The planning and implementation of ECCE will be carried out jointly by the ministries of HRD, women and child development (WCD), health and family welfare (HFW), and tribal affairs. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: Recognising Foundational Literacy and Numeracy as an urgent and necessary prerequisite to learning, NEP 2020 calls for setting up of a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by MHRD. States will prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary schools for all learners by grade 3 by 2025. A National Book Promotion Policy is to be formulated. Reforms in school curricula: The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for holistic development of learners by equipping them with the key 21st century skills, reduction in curricular content to enhance essential learning and critical thinking and greater focus on experiential learning. Students will have increased flexibility and choice of subjects. There will be no rigid separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extra-curricular activities, between vocational and academic streams. Vocational education will start in schools from the 6th grade, and will include internships. A new and comprehensive National Curricular Framework for School Education, NCFSE 2020-21, will be developed by the NCERT. Multilingualism: The policy has emphasised mother tongue/local language/regional language as the medium of instruction at least till Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond. Sanskrit will be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language formula. Other classical languages and literatures of India will also be available as options. No language will be imposed on any student. Students will participate in a fun project/activity on The Languages of India, sometime in Grades 6-8, such as, under the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat initiative. Several foreign languages will also be offered at the secondary level. Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardised across the country, and national and state curriculum materials developed for use by students with hearing impairment. Assessment Reforms: NEP 2020 envisages a shift from summative assessment to regular and formative assessment, which is more competency-based, promotes learning and development, and tests higher-order skills, such as analysis, critical thinking, and conceptual clarity. All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 which will be conducted by the appropriate authority. Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, but redesigned with holistic development as the aim. A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), will be set up as a standard-setting body. Equitable and Inclusive Education: NEP 2020 aims to ensure that no child loses any opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. Special emphasis will be given on socially and economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs), which include gender, socio-cultural, and geographical identities and disabilities. This includes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund and also Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups. Children with disabilities will be enabled to fully participate in the regular schooling process from the foundational stage to higher education, with support of educators with cross disability training, resource centres, accommodations, assistive devices, appropriate technology-based tools and other support mechanisms tailored to suit their needs. Every state/district will be encouraged to establish Bal Bhavans as a special daytime boarding school, to participate in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities. Free school infrastructure can be used as Samajik Chetna Kendras Robust Teacher Recruitment and Career Path: Teachers will be recruited through robust, transparent processes. Promotions will be merit-based, with a mechanism for multi-source periodic performance appraisals and available progression paths to become educational administrators or teacher educators. A common National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) will be developed by the National Council for Teacher Education by 2022, in consultation with NCERT, SCERTs, teachers and expert organisations from across levels and regions. School Governance: Schools can be organised into complexes or clusters which will be the basic unit of governance and ensure availability of all resources, including infrastructure, academic libraries and a strong professional teacher community. Standard-setting and Accreditation: NEP 2020 envisages clear, separate systems for policy making, regulation, operations and academic matters. States/UTs will set up independent State School Standards Authority (SSSA). Transparent public self-disclosure of all the basic regulatory information, as laid down by the SSSA, will be used extensively for public oversight and accountability. The SCERT will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF) through consultations with all stakeholders. Higher Education: NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GRT) in higher education including vocational education from 26.3 per cent (2018) to 50 per cent by 2035. Higher education institutions will add 35 million new seats. Holistic Multidisciplinary Education: The policy envisages broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic Under Graduate education with flexible curricula, creative combinations of subjects, integration of vocational education and multiple entry and exit points with appropriate certification. UG education can be of 3 or 4 years with multiple exit options and appropriate certification within this period. For example, Certificate after 1 year, Advanced Diploma after 2 years, Bachelors Degree after 3 years and Bachelors with Research after 4 years. An Academic Bank of Credit is to be established for digitally storing academic credits earned from different HEIs so that these can be transferred and counted towards final degree earned. Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERUs), at par with IITs, IIMs, will be set up as models of best multidisciplinary education of global standards in the country. A National Research Foundation will be created as the apex body for fostering a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education. Regulation: Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as a single overarching umbrella body for the entire higher education, excluding medical and legal education. HECI will have four independent verticals - National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) for regulation, General Education Council (GEC) for standard setting, Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) for funding, and National Accreditation Council (NAC) for accreditation. HECI will function through faceless intervention through technology, and will have powers to penalise HEIs not conforming to norms and standards. Public and private higher education institutions will be governed by the same set of norms for regulation, accreditation and academic standards. Rationalised Institutional Architecture: Higher education institutions will be transformed into large, well resourced, vibrant multidisciplinary institutions providing high quality teaching, research, and community engagement. The definition of university will allow a spectrum of institutions that range from Research-intensive Universities to Teaching-intensive Universities and Autonomous degree-granting Colleges. Affiliation of colleges is to be phased out in 15 years and a stage-wise mechanism is to be established for granting graded autonomy to colleges. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that every college would develop into either an Autonomous degree-granting College, or a constituent college of a university. Motivated, Energized, and Capable Faculty: NEP makes recommendations for motivating, energizing, and building capacity of faculty thorugh clearly defined, independent, transparent recruitment, freedom to design curricula/pedagogy, incentivising excellence, movement into institutional leadership. Faculty not delivering on basic norms will be held accountable. Teacher Education: A new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, will be formulated by the NCTE in consultation with NCERT. By 2030, the minimum degree qualification for teaching will be a 4-year integrated B.Ed. degree. Stringent action will be taken against substandard stand-alone Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs). Mentoring Mission: A National Mission for Mentoring will be established, with a large pool of outstanding senior/retired faculty including those with the ability to teach in Indian languages which would be willing to provide short and long-term mentoring/professional support to university/college teachers. Financial support for students: Efforts will be made to incentivise the merit of students belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and other SEDGs. The National Scholarship Portal will be expanded to support, foster, and track the progress of students receiving scholarships. Private HEIs will be encouraged to offer larger numbers of free ships and scholarships to their students. Open and Distance Learning: This will be expanded to play a significant role in increasing GER. Measures such as online courses and digital repositories, funding for research, improved student services, credit-based recognition of MOOCs, etc, will be taken to ensure it is at par with the highest quality in-class programmes. Online Education and Digital Education: A comprehensive set of recommendations for promoting online education consequent to the recent rise in epidemics and pandemics in order to ensure preparedness with alternative modes of quality education whenever and wherever traditional and in-person modes of education are not possible, has been covered. A dedicated unit for the purpose of orchestrating the building of digital infrastructure, digital content and capacity building will be created in the MHRD to look after the e-education needs of both school and higher education. Technology in education: An autonomous body, the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), will be created to provide a platform for the free exchange of ideas on the use of technology to enhance learning, assessment, planning, administration. Appropriate integration of technology into all levels of education will be done to improve classroom processes, support teacher professional development, enhance educational access for disadvantaged groups and streamline educational planning, administration and management. Promotion of Indian languages: To ensure the preservation, growth, and vibrancy of all Indian languages, NEP recommends setting an Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation (IITI), National Institute (or Institutes) for Pali, Persian and Prakrit, strengthening of Sanskrit and all language departments in HEIs, and use mother tongue/local language as a medium of instruction in more HEI programmes. Internationalization of education will be facilitated through both institutional collaborations, and student and faculty mobility and allowing entry of top world ranked universities to open campuses in our country. Professional Education: All professional education will be an integral part of the higher education system. Stand-alone technical universities, health science universities, legal and agricultural universities etc will aim to become multi-disciplinary institutions. Adult Education: Policy aims at achieving 100 per cent youth and adult literacy. Financing Education: The centre and the states will work together to increase public investment in education sector to reach 6 per cent of GDP at the earliest. HIGHLIGHTS New 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling with 3 years of Anganwadi/pre-schooling Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no rigid separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in schools ; Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships Teaching up to at least Grade 5 to be in mother tongue/ regional language Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card, tracking student progress for achieving learning outcomes GER in higher education to be raised to 50 percent by 2035; 35 million seats to be added in higher education Higher education curriculum to have flexibility of subjects Multiple entry / exit to be allowed with appropriate certification Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture Light but Tight Regulation of Higher Education, single regulator with four separate verticals for different functions Affiliation system to be phased out in 15 years with graded autonomy to colleges NEP 2020 advocates increased use of technology with equity; National Educational Technology Forum to be created Emphasis on setting up Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups Promotes multilingualism in both schools and HEs; National Institute for Pali, Persian and Prakrit , Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up NEP 2020 has been formulated after an unprecedented process of consultation that involved nearly over 2 lakh suggestions from 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, 6,600 locks, 6,000 ULBs, 676 districts. The MHRD initiated an unprecedented collaborative, inclusive, and highly participatory consultation process from January 2015. In May 2016, Committee for Evolution of the New Education Policy under the chairmanship of former cabinet secretary, late TSR Subramanian, submitted its report. Based on this, the ministry prepared Some Inputs for the Draft National Education Policy, 2016. In June 2017 a Committee for the Draft National Education Policy was constituted under the chairmanship of eminent scientist Padma Vibhushan, Dr K Kasturirangan, which submitted the Draft National Education Policy, 2019 to the human resource development minister on 31 May 2019. The Draft National Education Policy 2019 was uploaded on MHRDs website and at MyGov Innovate portal eliciting views/suggestions/comments of stakeholders, including the public. Xiaomi launched its new budget handset the Redmi Note 9 earlier this month in the country. The new smartphone is now the third handset alongside the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max. The highlight features of the phone include a quad-camera setup at the back, a large 5,020mAh battery and it is also the first handset in India to introduce the MediaTek Helio G85 processor. The Redmi Note 9 is priced at Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant while the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant comes with a price tag of Rs 14,999. There is also a 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant but the pricing has not been revealed. The handset will go on sale via Amazon and Mi.com starting at 12PM noon. Sale offers include a 5-percent instant discount on HSBC Cashback cards, a 5-percent cashback for Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit card users with Prime subscription, and a 3-percent cashback for the same non-Prime cardholders. Apart from that there is the option of no-cost EMIs for select cards. REDMI NOTE 9 SPECIFICATIONS The smartphone features a 6.53-inch 'Dot Display' which means it comes with a hole-punch design. However, unlike the Note 9 Pro series, it has the hole sitting on the top left corner. The display offers 19.5:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The handset is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 processor with up to 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of storage with the option of expansion using a microSD card of up to 512GB. The quad-camera setup at the back features a 48-megapixel Samsung GM1 sensor with an f/1.79 lens. There is also an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.4 lens. At the front, there is a 13-megapixel camera sensor for selfies. Other features include 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C port, an infrared blaster and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a fingerprint sensor at the back along with P2i hydrophobic nano-coating. The 5,020mAh battery 22.5W fast charging along with 9W reverse charging. Xiaomi is also bundling the fast 22.5W charger in the box. The phone will be offered in three colours- Aqua Green, Arctic White, and Pebble Grey. Amid worsening ties between US and China, the University of Texas, whose work has contributed to some promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates has been contacted by FBI over allegations that Chinese consulate in Houston had sought to obtain such research, reported South China Morning Post. The US recently ordered China to close its Consulate General in Houston over allegations of espionage. China retaliated by ordering the US to close its Consulate General in Chengdu. The University of Texas, as per the report, told faculty and research staff in an email on Monday that it was notified of the investigation by the FBI last week. FBI agents would contact university researchers about the alleged role of the consulate and "efforts by the Chinese government to illegally procure research from American universities, including coronavirus vaccine research", according to the email, cited by South China Morning Post. "We want to make you aware of an ongoing and evolving national situation that may affect some members of our research community," read the email. The re-opening of manufacturing plants and other workplaces across Mexico led by the administration of president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has resulted in a devastating upsurge of the COVID-19 pandemic across auto plants and maquiladora sweatshops that supply the highly interconnected North American economy. In the month of June, exports increased 76 percent, while confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mexico soared from 90,000 to 230,000. This week, coronavirus cases shot past 400,000 and deaths surpassed 45,000. Only the US, Brazil and the UK have recorded more deaths. These figures are widely recognized to be a vast underestimation of the infection and death toll due to lack of testing. For instance, data from The Economist based on excess deaths as of July 6 found that 78 percent of deaths linked to the COVID-19 pandemic were not reported in Mexico City. Rio Bravo Lear Corporation workers on the bus and inside the plant in late July, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (Facebook) At the General Motors Complex in Silao, where workers assemble GMs most profitable pickup trucks, the Generando Movimiento (Generating Movement) rank-and-file group reported to the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter that the seventh worker at the plant had died from COVID-19. The company and the trade unions have denied any deaths. Workers who live in the neighborhood of the latest victim found out about her death when she was buried last Saturday. Her family members say that she got infected of COVID at GM. All her family is now infected, one worker wrote. Her name was Rocio and she was barely at the West Hallthe training and testing area for new hires. Expressing sorrow for her death, several co-workers denounced the company for placing production above everything else. Generating Movement explained that the plant is running at 100 percent capacity, even though the state of Guanajuato, where the plant is located, is on red alert over COVID-19. This ostensibly means automakers can only run at 30 percent of capacity. To compensate for vulnerable workers [those off work because of health conditions], others are being forced to work overtime, the group explained. Across the United States, GM has struggled with high absenteeism as workers oppose being exposed to the virus. At the plants in Flint, Michigan and Fort Wayne, Indiana, which produce Silverado and Sierra pickup trucks like those built in Silao, GM increased production to three shifts last month and added Saturday shifts to increase supply of its profit-rich trucks, indicated by Detroit News. Recognizing the importance of a joint struggle against the reckless drive to expand production across North America, the Generating Movement group at Silao told the Autoworker Newsletter, We oppose the claim made by the UAW [United Auto Workers] that the plants in the United States must stay open, placing production above workers safety. This refers to a recent statement by UAW Local 598 President at GM Flint Assembly, Eric Welter, who said workers must push on, adding, People want our product and if we dont deliver that product, thats our job security. Once the pandemic began to sweep across manufacturing plants and other workplaces, the North American auto industry was only shut down by a wave of wildcat strikes across the United States and Canada that began in mid-March and spread in early April across Mexican sweatshop maquiladoras. These independent actions by workers, against the resistance of management, the governments and the trade unions, saved countless lives. Shortly after the auto industry in the US and Canada re-opened, the Lopez Obrador government bowed to the demands from the Trump administration and declared that production of cars, auto parts and other key supplies for US corporations was essential. This has led to widespread outbreaks across Mexican plants that the corporations and their union stooges are covering up. In Matamoros, which borders Brownsville, Texas, workers at a maquiladora that makes car battery chargers for US-based Schumex-Shumacher reported to the Autoworker Newsletter a second COVID-19 death. Infections are on the rise here. On top of the union delegate, a co-worker recently passed away from COVID. Massive infections and deaths are being reported at other Matamoros companies. The Schumex plant closed only in April after workers staged a wildcat strike. However, production re-started almost immediately for volunteers by offering a bonus. Most co-workers who got infected worked during the most critical stage of the quarantine, the worker explained. We have hand sanitizer all over the plant, get sanitized when entering and leaving, but facemasks are of terrible quality. The medical and administrative staff get N95 facemasks and shields. We, the workers, are replaceable. At the auto parts plant Tridonex Cardone in Matamoros, workers carried out several wildcat strikes this month to oppose the coverup of a COVID-19 outbreak by management, which has fired dozens of militants. Last week, workers reported three new COVID-19 deaths on their social media groups, bringing the total to five. The maquiladora continues to operate at full capacity; only the workshop area was closed, a worker wrote on Facebook. Another added: What a shame! I was able to meet two of those excellent people and co-workers. It truly makes me angry how the company acts like nothing is going on and only cares about production. In Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas, workers at Lear Corporations Rio Bravo maquiladora, which makes car seat covers, reported that social distancing measures are not being enforced either inside the plant or in buses that transport workers to their jobs. Before the plant closed temporarily in late March, a COVID-19 outbreak resulted in at least 20 deaths. The health authorities are helping cover up the deaths among workers. Last week, the secretary of health of the state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located, claimed that COVID-19 deaths among maquiladora workers in the state had increased from 17 to 25 since the June 1 federal reopening. However, investigative journalists at La Verdad had documented at least 27 deaths by mid-May in only two maquiladoras, including Rio Bravo. Companies have also had a free hand at firing workers who protest the lack of health protections. At least ten workers at the Swedish-based refrigerator manufacturer Electrolux in Ciudad Juarez denounced the corporation for firing and blacklisting them after protesting on April 7. The plant closed temporarily in response to unrest, but only after two workers had already succumbed to COVID-19. A fired Electrolux worker told Mexico Webcast: We demanded safety measures since there were no good conditions [to work]; no one was wearing masks or had hand sanitizer. There was no safe distancing. All workers left in group and traveled on buses without safety measures. Laurie Ann Zimenez-Fyvie, a top Microbiology researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warned Forbes Mexico on Tuesday of a catastrophic scenario if the economic reopening and lack of testing continues into October, the beginning of the flu season that lasts until March 2021. This would highly compromise hospital occupancy and radically increase deaths, she said. The government should not have forced its citizens to choose between going out to work in order to eat or get infected with COVID. People need to have assistance and the appropriate safety measures: information to better take care of themselves, supplies and economic support, Zimenez-Fyvie concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 22:04:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia did not send people to Belarus to destabilize the situation there ahead of the presidential election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. "Belarus and Russia are the Union State. It is an ally, the closest partner. Therefore, this is surely out of the question," Peskov told a daily briefing. He confirmed that Moscow knew 33 Russian citizens were detained on Wednesday in Belarus and 200 others are still wanted. "There is no information about any illegal actions of them that could become a reason for the detention," he said, adding he looks forward to clarification of the incident. On Wednesday night, 32 militants from the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group were detained near Minsk, with another found and detained in the south of the country, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported. "Information was received about the arrival of more than 200 militants in Belarusian territory to destabilize the situation during the election campaign," Belta said, citing law enforcement agencies. Presidential elections in Belarus will take place on Aug. 9. Enditem We are tremendously honored to be recognized on the MSP 501 list for our innovation and leadership in the MSP space, said Tim Conkle, CEO of Roland Technology Group. Roland Technology Group has been named as one of the worlds premier managed service providers and one of the top MSPs in Texas on the prestigious 2020 annual Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings. For the 13th year, MSPs from around the globe completed an exhaustive survey and application this spring to self-report product offerings, annual total and recurring revenues, profits, revenue mix, growth opportunities and company and customer demographic information. Applicants are ranked on a unique methodology that weights revenue figures according to long-term health and viability; commitment to recurring revenue; and operational efficiency. Channel Futures is pleased to name Roland Technology Group to the 2020 MSP 501. We are tremendously honored to be recognized on the MSP 501 list for our innovation and leadership in the MSP space, said Tim Conkle, CEO of Roland Technology Group. One of the things we are most proud of at Roland is our ability to help clients leverage innovative technology solutions to achieve desired business outcomes. Each and every day, our data-driven, business-driven model helps Texas businesses exceed expectations and deliver results internally and externally. Roland Technology Group is among good company on the MSP 501 list with 11 other members of The 20, a leading MSP consortium for growth-minded managed service providers. In the 13 years since its inception, the MSP 501 has evolved from a competitive ranking list into a vibrant group of service providers, vendors, distributors, consultants and industry analysts working together to define the growing managed service opportunity. These benchmarks are what local businesses should examine when choosing a managed service provider with the experience, skill set, business knowledge and defined strategy to help them succeed in this fast-changing digital landscape, says Kris Blackmon, Senior Content Director, Channel Partners and Channel Futures. In all of the managed service providers that Texas has to offer, Roland Technology Group stands as a shining example of excellence. Ten MSP 501 special award winners will be recognized at the MSP 501 Awards Gala at Channel Partners Virtual: Digital Events for the Modern Channel on September 8 10. Nominations for these special awards, including Digital Innovator of the Year, Executive of the Year and the Newcomer Award, were included in the MSP 501 application, and all candidates were encouraged to submit for them. The data collected by the annual MSP 501 program drives Channel Partners and Channel Futures market intelligence insights, creating robust data sets and data-based trend reports that support our editorial coverage, event programming, community and networking strategies and educational offerings. It serves as a lynchpin to dozens of programs and initiatives. The complete 2020 MSP 501 list is available at Channel Futures. Background The 2020 MSP 501 list is based on data collected by Channel Futures and its sister site, Channel Partners. Data was collected online from Mar. 1 through June 30, 2018. The MSP 501 list recognizes top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, profit margin and other factors. About Roland Technology Group Roland Technology Group has been providing expert level IT support since 1986, helping hundreds of businesses increase their productivity and profitability by making IT a streamlined part of operations. Our mission is to deliver the latest technology consulting, services, maintenance, and support as a cost-effective IT solution for small-to-medium size businesses in order to maximize their productivity and profitability. Learn more at http://www.rolandtechnology.com About Informa Tech Channel Futures, Channel Partners Online, Channel Partners Conference & Expo and Channel Partners Evolution are part of Informa Tech, a market-leading B2B information provider with depth and specialization in the Information and Communications (ICT) Technology sector. We help drive the future by inspiring the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through our market-leading research, media, training and event brands. Every year, we welcome 7,400+ subscribers to our research, more than 3.8 million unique visitors a month to our digital communities, 18,200+ students to our training programs and 225,000 delegates to our events. Israeli police arrested another two Israeli-Arabs and charged them with spying for Hezbollah. The two had been recruited while on a trip to Turkey in December 2019. The recruiters were two Israeli-Arabs who had been suspected of espionage but who fled to Lebanon before they could be arrested. From Lebanon the married couple continue to seek out Arab-Israelis who might be recruited. This can be done via the Internet, which is regularly monitored by Israeli intelligence for such activity. The recruiters offer money for obtaining low-level information about Israeli military operations in northern Israel where most Arab-Israelis live. Israel first became aware of how extensive this Hezbollah recruiting operation was in 20016 when they captured many Hezbollah facilities during the 2006 war in Lebanon. Also captured were many Hezbollah operatives who were interrogated. Israel learned a lot about Hezbollah intelligence gathering activities. Hezbollah intel operations were more widespread and energetic than the Israelis believed. In addition to information collected electronically (like cell phone numbers of Israeli soldiers), there was apparently a network of spies within Israel. Most Arab-Israelis live in northern Israel, and some appear to have been on Hezbollahs payroll. Since these 2006 revelations Hezbollah has openly boasted of its spy network along the Israeli border and inside Israel. Hezbollah agents are constantly photographing Israeli border guard activity, and sometimes sneaking across the border to do so. Then there is the growing number of Israeli Arabs are also spying for Hezbollah. Mainly Hezbollah wants better target information for its 50,000 Iranian supplied rockets and missiles. Since 2006 there has been a growing problem with the loyalty of Israeli Arabs, who make up 20 percent of the population. A 2007 opinion survey of the Israeli Arabs revealed some scary attitudes. For example, 48 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel in 2006 were justified, even though Israeli Arabs suffered a disproportionate number of the Israeli casualties simply because most Israeli Arabs live in the north. Moreover, half saw the Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, which triggered the 2006 war, as justified, and 89 percent considered the Israeli attack on Lebanon a war crime. Only 44 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attack was a war crime. A third of Arab high school and college graduates don't believe that six million Jews were killed during World War II compared to 28 percent of all Israeli Arabs. Israeli Arabs also have fears like the possibility of mass expulsions from Israel (60 percent), or transfer of their communities to a new Palestinian state (62 percent). In fact, 68 percent would prefer to live in Israel even if there were a peace deal that led to the creation of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, 63 percent of Israel Jews avoid entering Arab towns or neighborhoods, and 68 percent fear civil unrest among Israeli Arabs. Since 2007 these anti-Israel attitudes among Arab Israelis have gotten worse and Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) try to take advantage of it. ISIL has been the most successful, mainly because it is the most radical Islamic terrorist group and that appeals to the young (especially teenage) Moslem males who are big fans of Islamic terrorism. At least fifty Israeli Arabs are known to have joined ISIL and most appear to have died there or otherwise disappeared from view or at least contact with their families back in Israel. At least seven Israeli-Arabs were confirmed dying while fighting for ISIL. In many instances Israeli-Arab activities that help Hezbollah have nothing to do with actually spying. In 2010 Israeli police arrested an army NCO and charged him with treason for supplying information on border security, along the Lebanese frontier, to a local drug smuggling gang. The NCO, who worked on vehicle maintenance in a northern Israel army base, also provided the names of seven local civilians who were also working for the drug gang. Five of these were arrested. What was most troublesome about this was that the drug gang was known to work with Hezbollah, which controls most of southern Lebanon. The NCO provided information on which border posts were having problems with their surveillance equipment, or other gear, and what the patrol schedules were. The drug gangs bring their stuff in from Lebanon, where Hezbollah has to be paid off. Information on the Israeli military is very valuable, and it's believed that Hezbollah was getting what the Israeli sergeant was passing on to the drug gang. The Israeli NCO said he did it for the money offered by the drug smugglers. Carter, 95, issued a statement when the civil rights icon passed away on July 17, saying that Lewis "made an indelible mark on history through his quest to make our nation more just" and "never shied away from what he called "good trouble" to lead our nation on the path toward human and civil rights." Thursday's events will cap a series of memorial ceremonies paying tribute to the late congressman, who served as the US representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District for more than three decades and was widely seen as a moral conscience of Congress because of his decades-long embodiment of the nonviolent fight for civil rights. Lewis died at the age of 80 following a six-month battle with cancer, a loss that sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes to his life and legacy across the country. As part of a series of events honoring Lewis over the past week, his body lay in state at the US Capitol in Washington, a tribute reserved for the most distinguished government officials and military officers. Within less than a week, three Palestinian men were killed by fellow Palestinians in acts of revenge, gang activity and a possible contract killing. Palestinians, especially in Jerusalem, have voiced serious concerns about the collapse of social order and ensuing chaos. Khalil Assali, the publisher of the Jerusalem-focused news site Akhbar el-Balad, told Al-Monitor that Israel doesnt care about what happens in East Jerusalem and the Palestinians are unable to stop the killings. Some of the killings are often struggles over land or at times over petty issues, while in other cases there are clear signs of contract killings, Assali said. He pointed out that there are a lot of weapons in Jerusalem as well as criminal activity by both Jewish and Palestinian citizens, all of whom have plenty of personal weapons. Drugs are also part of the problem. Thugs are running the city and blackmail is rampant. Israeli police are aware of everything and they do not get involved. National and Islamic forces are also apathetic, they care only for their own, Assali added. Hijazi Risheq, who heads the East Jerusalem Merchants Committee and is the secretary of the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce, told Al-Monitor that the recent incidents pose more questions than answers. Where do the weapons used for these murders come from? Who benefits from the breakdown of the Palestinian social fiber? Risheq says that the chaotic security situation is the result of the Israeli occupiers caring only about their own security and safety and failing to fight crime and take the steps needed to prevent it. The Israelis allow weapons to [trade] freely in the city of Jerusalem while they ban the Palestinian security forces from [doing their jobs]. The secretary of the Fatah branch in the Nablus neighborhood of Balata, Imad Dweikat, was killed by a Palestinian security officer after a scuffle broke out on July 27 as the security forces were trying to close a supermarket due to the coronavirus outbreak. Fatahs deputy head Mahmoud Alloul paid a visit July 27 to the Dweikat family and promised them that a full investigation will take place and that those responsible for the killing will be held responsible. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued a statement July 26 calling for restrictions on the use of live ammunition and efforts to stop arms from being used to settle personal conflicts. In Kufr Aqab, a Jerusalem neighborhood beyond the wall, a fight between families ended July 26 with the burning of a home and the death of Ghazi al-Mahloos. A resident of Bethlehem was killed in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shufat, allegedly while sleeping, in what some press reports are calling a contract killing. In Jenin, a man from Hebron was killed June 21. The circumstances surrounding the killing are unclear. Miki Rosenfeld, spokesman of the Israeli police in Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor, Police activities take place in all areas of Jerusalem to prevent and respond to criminal incidents. Units patrol regularly in all the different neighborhoods and respond to all levels of incidents. Police officers are in close contact with the leaders of the communities to deal with tensions and improve police-community relations. Rosenfeld also said that the case of Mahloos, who died in an East Jerusalem hospital, is being investigated. The Palestinian NGOs Network expressed concern July 26 over the economic, social and security effects of the lockdown, saying, The current situation calls for unity and joint efforts to stand up to the [US peace plan] and the annexation plans" and calling for a "serious investigation into the Fatah official's death. The political and health crises with their economic implications have put the Palestinian region, especially Jerusalem, in a very precarious situation, with citizens left vulnerable in the absence of security. While in much of the Palestinian areas the government appears to be staying on top of security matters, the situation in East Jerusalem especially in the no-man's-land beyond the wall and hence off limits to Palestinian security forces is a source of concern to those living in these areas. Palestinians in Jerusalem have little confidence in the Israeli police, which they feel gives only lip service to fighting crime in Palestinian areas. Serbias Finance Ministry has launched a terrorist financing and money laundering probe into journalists and nongovernmental organizations that critics say is a blatant attempt at intimidation by President Aleksandar Vucics government. The ministry has requested bank information since the start of 2019 from 20 individuals and 37 nongovernmental organizations and institutions known for their work on human rights, transparency, and exposing corruption, according to documents published by TV Newsmax Adria Serbia on July 28. The ministrys order cites the need to determine whether the listed organizations and individuals have anything to do with terrorist financing or money laundering. Zeljko Radovanovic, who heads the ministrys anti-money-laundering unit, said the requests were standard procedure and not directed at government critics. "We need to check if there are donors, or if there are any donors that carry a certain amount of risk," he said. But those on the list and others point out that the move is mostly targeted at critics of Vucics government. The list includes individuals and organizations that have advocated for Serbias EU accession and associated reforms. Amnesty Internationals Europe director, Nils Muiznieks, called the move a blatant act of intimidation and the latest in an ongoing campaign by Serbian authorities to silence critics. This kind of arbitrary investigation that specifically targets those critical of the government undermines the right to freedom of expression and threatens freedom of the press, he added. The list includes the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Serbias two main journalist associations, as well as rights group such as the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and Civic Initiatives. Its a clear effort to intimidate government critics" as Serbia slides further "towards authoritarianism, Florian Bieber, the director of the Center for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, wrote on Twitter. A member of the European Parliament, Tanja Fajon, said the investigations appear to be an effort to apply pressure. "Most of the civil society organizations, media, and individuals investigated for money laundering by the Serbian Government have been among the primary advocates for pro-EU reforms and supporters of EU values in Serbia," said Falon, who chairs a parliament committee on EU relations with Serbia, which is trying to join the bloc. The director of the Center for Investigative Journalism, Branko Cecen, who is also on the list, said that the request for bank information was an abuse of institutions for the sake of settling accounts with critics of the government. He advised the government to investigate itself if it wanted to tackle money laundering. Under Vucics conservative ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), human rights organizations have documented a steady erosion of democracy in the Balkan country. The U.S.-based Freedom House has said that since the SNS came to power in 2012, it "has steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties, putting pressure on independent media, the political opposition, and civil society organizations." With reporting by AP, AFP, NOVA.rs, and TV Newsmax Adria Serbia Cabinet under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given approval to a new education policy for the 21st century. It is important, as for 34 years there were no changes in the education policy, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar. Indeed National Education Policy (NEP) seems to be a breakthrough in the education system of India that remained untouched for decades. The major highlights of the new NEP isnt one but a host of such reforms which will take the Indian education system at par with the global standards. NEP 2020 introduces the 5+3+3+4 structure of school education, which aims at transforming circular and pedagogical structure from the existing 10+2 years to a more inclusive foundational to secondary state transition. This will correspond to age groups 3-8, 8-11, 11-14 and 14-18 years respectively. This will not only replace the old rules but will also restructure school and higher education to make more flexible with an integrated approach. The other salient features of the NEP 2020 are that the 10+2 board structure is dropped; upto 5 preschool, 6 to 8 mid school, 8 to 11 high school, and 12 onwards graduation. Any degree course is limited to four years, while students can opt for vocational courses sixth standard onwards. Providing more power to students, students from class eight to 11th can now choose subjects while all graduation courses will now have major and minor subjects, while MPhil has been discontinued. Yet another bold step by the government is that it has merged UGC and AICTE and hence all higher education will be governed by only one authority. Students and universities usually struggled with different grading, but NEP makes it imperative for all universities government, private, open, deemed, vocational and others to have same grading and other rules. Even for teachers, the government will set up new Teacher Training board for all kinds of teachers in the country, which no state can change. Every college will have same level of accreditation, and based on its ratings, colleges will get autonomous rights and funds. The government will also create new basic learning program for parents to teach children upto three years in home and for preschool too. It also emphasizes on learning in mother tongue till class 5, and activity-based learning below class 2. The subjects will be introduced between classes 3 to 5 while coding and internship will start from class 6 and multi-disciplinary, flexible choice of subjects in classes 9 to 12. NEP 2020 also opens up multiple doors for entry and exist for the students in any course. It will also bring in credit system for graduation and for each year student will get some credits which they can utilize if they take break in course and resume it again to finish it. Even the school exams will be conducted twice a year semester wise and the subjects will be reduced to core knowledge of the subject only. NEP also makes mandatory for schools/colleges/universities to focus more on student practical and application knowledge. Giving more power to students, if they complete only one year of their graduation, they will be given basic certificate, for two years diploma certificate and if they complete the full course, they will get degree certificates. This will ensure that unlike the current times, no year of the student will be wasted if s/he takes a break in middle of the course. Also, all the graduation course feed of all universities will be governed by single authority with capping on each course. These changes in the board structure, which seek to make the exams a test of core competencies, will be implemented from the 2021 academic session, while the new university entrance test will be implemented for college admissions in the 2022 academic session. Apart from these, there are several other reforms that will transpire the Indian education system to a whole new one. Academia and industry leaders have poured in their thoughts on NEP 2020. Below are some of them: Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder at SAI International Education Group and Advisor (Rank of Minister of State), Govt. of Odisha The much-awaited New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, has got the Cabinet approval today. The document is based on foundational pillars of access, affordability, equity, quality and accountability. With the flexibility for the choice of subject across streams it is aimed at building skills in their subjects of interest. The three language early foundational based learning will improve focus on Indian Classical Languages. Each State is proposed to have a State School Regulatory Authority to monitor the School education. Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur We welcome the move made by The Cabinet to rename the HRD ministry to the Education ministry as the role of the department is to further and provide education. Allowing global institutes to set up campuses in India is also a positive move as it will increase competition because it will open up our education system and it will also help sustain high talent in the country as students dont have to move out to pursue education. Changing the pedagogical structure from a 10+2 system to a 5+3+3+4 system is in line with international educational standards. Due to the small structure of our IIMs and IITs, despite having ample talent, they were unable to figure in top 100 institutes of the world. Allowing technical institutes to become multi-disciplinary will help IIMs and IITs to start other departments like medical etc and make their size bigger and allow them to admit more students. This will enable them to compete with the elite institutes of the world and become at par with them in the coming years. Diversification makes education more complete and helps increase intellectual outcome. Overall, the changes have been made according to the global system of education. This will also help attract foreign students to India and help the economy as well. Sumeet Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, LEAD School The New Education Policy has introduced pathbreaking reforms. Few points that stand out: 1. Recognising the importance of Early Childhood Education with its 5+3+3+4 formula - some of us working in ECCE for the last 12 years couldn't be happier! 2. The move towards flexible entry and exit and breaking down the barriers between Arts, Commerce and Science. This will herald a new era of cross-disciplinary learning. 3. One that is problematic is the insistence of mother tongue till Class 5. This is against the principle of choice. Parents should choose the medium they want their children to learn in. Dr. Akhil Shahani, Managing Director, Shahani Group The New Education Policy should have been implemented years ago to enable India's education system to catch up with that of other fast-developing nations in Asia. The focus on light government regulation, multidisciplinary institutions and creating equivalence of vocational and academic streams are welcome, but these have been a part of other countries' education models for years. It would have been good to have some more innovative ideas implemented like recognition of pathway/twinning programs with foreign universities, permission for for-profit firms to set up schools & colleges, allowing corporate CSR funding for primary research in universities and allowing universities to offer online degrees to outside their geographical jurisdiction. As education is a state subject, it is important for the central government to create a mechanism to ensure each state implements these new policies effectively. Col. (Retd.) Gopal Karunakaran, CEO, Shiv Nadar School We congratulate the Government for formulating a forward-looking, inclusive policy that will go a long way towards creating an equitable and vibrant knowledge society. It signals the Governments intent to implement sweeping reforms in the education system. The stated aim to provide foundational literacy and numeracy skills to all Indians in the next five years is laudable and will help India shed the stigma of illiteracy. The policy has many positive aspects, such as free and compulsory education for students, reintegrating school dropouts into the education system and the emphasis on mother tongue, classical languages and physical skills. All this was long-overdue. Shiv Nadar School has, since its inception, promoted experiential learning, skill development and research and technology based education which is at the core of the new education policy. It is quite futuristic as it commits to making online learning and virtual classrooms accessible to every student in regional languages. By coopting the States to co-create curriculum and setting up a National Education Commission headed by the Prime Minister, the policy has laid a transformational foundation for the education system. The key is in execution, and we look forward to its implementation. Dr Jitin Chadha, Founder & Director, Indian School of Business & Finance (ISBF) The approval of a new education policy, after over three decades, is certainly a welcome development. Given the centrality of education in nation-building, we certainly think this will help focus efforts in future. The Draft NEP released by the government earlier talked about various reforms in Indian higher education, and we firmly believe that in higher education, none are as important as providing impetus and a seamless path to forging effective collaborations between Indian institutions and their global counterparts. This will enable us to create the highest possible quality of human capital, which will be a necessary and key differentiator in the post-COVID world where labour markets will become flatter than ever before. Ramananda SG, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Pearson India The National Education policy has certainly made bold and historic reforms towards the quality of education and improving student learning outcomes. It is not only designed to directly address the gaps which were prevalent earlier but also recognises the importance of EdTech as a medium. The announcement regarding 6% public investment of the GDP in education sector will provide a much needed boost to the quality and scope of education in the country. In a bid to ramp up digital and education becoming multilingual, the accessibility will increase across the country as institutes will introduce multi-disciplinary platforms. Integration of creative combinations of subjects, specialised learning, character development, blended learning, inter disciplinary methods, and flexible curriculums will help strengthen emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem solving skills of students making headway for a bright future in the 21st century. In higher ed, multiple exit options in degree courses will give a boost to vocational qualifications and practical knowledge which is the need of the hour with changing times globally. While there are many aspects still to retrospect, the charter is truly a testimony of quality consultation and deep thinking, hence unlocking the construction of a new nation. WASHINGTON - Public schools in the nations capital will open this fall with full-time computer distance learning, as officials have abandoned their initial plans to use a combination of distance and in-person instruction. Mayor Muriel Bowsers announcement Thursday was widely expected as all surrounding school districts in northern Virginia and southern Maryland had already made the same decision. Bowser had initially planned to use a hybrid model with most students attending classes inside school buildings two days per week. But in the face of newly rising COVID-19 infection numbers, a scheduled mid-July announcement of the hybrid plan was abruptly delayed minutes before the press conference. Paul Kihn, Washingtons deputy mayor for education, said the school district had solicited input from thousands of parents. Overwhelmingly you asked us to prioritize health and safety, he said. Bowser said the decision was due to a combination of virus metrics, parental concerns and opposition from the teachers union to opening up public school buildings. The Washington Teachers Union, which had been promoting the Twitter hashtag #OnlyWhenItsSafe, said in a Thursday tweet: DC Teachers are willing to return to in-person learning, if health and safety concerns are addressed to ensure the health of our teachers, students and communities. In the meantime, were committed to ensuring great virtual learning for our students. The distance learning model will be in place for the entire first term, which ends on Nov. 6. Bowser said they still hoped to shift to the hybrid model for the second term, beginning Nov. 9. After saying they had successfully blunted the infection curve in the city earlier this summer, health officials say the infection numbers have slowly crept upward, reaching triple digits last week for the first time since early June. Bowser had taken a number of unprecedented steps in response, including making face masks mandatory outdoors for most people and declaring that anyone visiting or returning to Washington after nonessential travel to an area considered a hot spot must quarantine for two weeks. (Newser) An Australian Outback pub has banned emus for "bad behavior," and erected barriers to prevent the large, flightless birds from creating havoc inside. Locals and tourists have been bemused by the antics of the emus eager to steal food from people in Yaraka, a remote Queensland outpost with a permanent population of 18. But things took an intolerable turn last week when two of the birds, Carol and Kevin, discovered they could climb the front stairs of the Yaraka Hotel, the only pub, publican Chris Gimblett said Tuesday. "They've learnt to walk up the front steps of the hotel, which has been causing just a few issues," especially with the amount of their waste, he said. story continues below Gimblett solved the problem by stringing a rope across the top of the stairs. A sign advises customers to replace the rope once they enter because "emus have been banned from this establishment for bad behavior," the AP reports. The inquisitive emus are not yet clever enough to duck under the rope to get inside the pub. Visitors staying at the Yaraka trailer park have been surprised by the lengths emus will go to steal food and drink, Gimblett said. "If you've got a mug of coffee on the little table by the door, they will drink all the coffee, without spilling it," he said. "You just discover that your mug's empty. They're just eating machines," he added. "We're in lockdown mode," Gimblett said of his barricaded pub. "At least it's emus and not coronavirus." (Read more Australia stories.) Toronto will launch a legal challenge of new provincial legislation that critics believe makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants, the mayor and city council decided Wednesday. Only councillors Michael Ford (Ward 1 Etobicoke North) and Stephen Holyday (Ward 2 Etobicoke Centre) voted against the motion by Coun. Gord Perks (Ward 4 Parkdale High Park), tabled on the second day of councils last meeting of the summer. The city will challenge parts of Bill 184 on the basis that they are contrary to the rules of procedural fairness and natural justice, according to the motion. Mayor John Tory said that while the legal action would be an uphill battle, we cant win if we dont try. Key are provisions in the legislation that make it possible for landlords to apply for eviction orders without a hearing for tenants who fall behind on a rent repayment plan, including tenants who fell behind on their rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 6,000 tenants across Ontario are facing eviction applications over unpaid rent, submitted by their landlords during the pandemic. Wednesdays council vote followed on the heels of a confidential report by the citys solicitor general, distributed on Monday night, advising councillors on the possibility of a legal challenge. The Star has not seen a copy of the report but two sources with knowledge of the document who werent authorized to discuss its contents publicly said on Tuesday that it recommended against a court fight. A spokesperson for Steve Clark, the minister of municipal affairs and housing, was aware of the advice given to the city by the solicitor, and said the new law actually benefits tenants. We are confident that the advice given to the City of Toronto by their own solicitor to not challenge the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act is the right advice because Bill 184 clearly increases compensation for tenants, encourages mediation which is already done in seven other provinces, and promotes repayment agreements over evictions, said Julie ODriscoll, director of communications for the minister. Several councillors raised concerns with the new law during the meeting, pointing out that it undermines the citys own efforts to provide affordable housing. We need to be focused on keeping people in their housing and this legislation makes that more challenging, said Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19 Beaches-East York). Coun. Mike Layton (Ward 11 UniversityRosedale) said he feared the law would increase the number of people living on the street. It will cause a homeless crisis in this city like we have never seen before. The changes in the new law, which are retroactive to the start of Ontarios state of emergency in March, have sparked concern among housing advocates and some legal experts that tenants will be pressured into repayment plans they cant afford and be evicted without hearings if they then fall behind on payments. Some landlord representatives, meanwhile, have argued that its reasonable to offer alternate dispute-resolution channels between landlords and tenants. A provincial moratorium on residential evictions, which was put in place during the COVID-19 crisis except in cases deemed urgent by the LTB, is set to be lifted at the end of this month. Tory has faced calls to impose an eviction suspension of his own within the city of Toronto, but has pushed back against the suggestion, saying that he doesnt have the authority to do so. Councillors also voted on Wednesday to look at expanding housing options in the so-called yellow belt of the city to include a greater variety of housing. The goal is to expand the citys missing middle, housing types, ranging from duplexes to lowrise walk-up apartments in areas dominated by single-family homes. Councillors also voted to freeze their salaries and the salary of the mayor in 2020, along with performance pay increases for non-unionized staff, in light of the massive shortfall the city is facing from fighting the epidemic. With files from Francine Kopun Victoria Gibson is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering affordable housing. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: victoriagibson@thestar.ca Seth Rogen, who is Jewish, drew criticism over his remarks about Israel this week Seth Rogen is facing backlash from supporters of Israel after saying that he was fed a 'huge amount of lies' about the country as a child and didn't know the Jewish state was created where Palestinians were already living. The Hollywood actor, who attended Jewish schools and camps growing up in Canada, opened up this week about his Jewish heritage in an interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. 'As a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life,' the actor said of his experience in Jewish schools. 'They never tell you that, "Oh, by the way, there were people there". They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the f***ing door's open. They forget to include the fact to every young Jewish person.' More than 700,000 Palestinians fled during the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel, according to UN estimates. The remarks drew strong backlash from pro-Israel quarters, however. 'So should 9 m. Israelis just turn off the lights & call it quits?' tweeted David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Rogan (right) was speaking with Jewish comedian Marc Maron (left) when he made the controversial remarks 'Forget age-old links & prayers? Forget the refuge given to millions of Jews? Forget sovereignty? All just to make cosseted Rogen happy?' added Harris. Others questioned Rogen's remarks about whether Israel makes sense as a refuge for Jewish people. Rogen said on the podcast: 'If it is for truly the preservation of Jewish people, it makes no sense, because again, you don't keep something you're trying to preserve all in one place especially when that place is proven to be pretty volatile, you know?' Shiri Moshe, a foreign policy analyst, tweeted: 'Lots to unpack in Seth Rogens claims, but the argument that Israel makes no sense as a means of preserving Jewish life is particularly ludicrous.' Moshe said that Israel served as a refuge for 'airlifted Iraqi, Yemenite and Ethiopian Jews found a safe haven, along with the majority of Mizrachi refugees.' 'And to argue that Israel is "pretty volatile" and therefore unsafe for Jews by that measure, considering Jewish history, most of the world should be off-limits to us. Such nonsense,' Moshe added., Lahav Harkov, an Israeli journalist, tweeted: 'I feel like @Sethrogen's comments are made from a position of really, really great privilege - and ignorance - if he can't understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world. I just hope he appreciates it.' Another Jewish Israeli journalist, Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll, wrote that Rogen's remarks were the result of 'the propoganda [sic] of the anti Israel movement.' The 38-year-old actor was being interviewed to promote his new film The American Pickle. The comedy centers on a Jewish immigrant in the 1920s who falls into a vat of pickle brine, is preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn Some pro-Palestinian groups applauded Rogen's remarks, however However, pro-Palestinian groups and critics of Israel applauded Rogen's remarks on the divisive subject. 'Thanks @Sethrogen for criticising the colonial myths about Israel's creation. 700,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed by Israeli apartheid,' tweeted the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, a group supporting the controversial 'Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions' movement. Both Rogen and Maron, who is also Jewish, said in the podcast that they would never live in Israel. Maron acknowledged: 'We're gonna p**s off a bunch of Jews.' Following the podcast, Rogen has made limited comments about the controversy, but in replying to one critical tweet he wrote: 'Ive been to Israel a few times. My parents met there.' In another reply to an angry remark, he tweeted: 'For a Jewish person, you really cant take a joke.' Rogen, a 38-year-old actor, was speaking to fellow comedian Maron to promote his new film The American Pickle. The comedy centers on a Jewish immigrant in the 1920s who falls into a vat of pickle brine, is preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 04:41:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIEV, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine began negotiations with an Iranian delegation on compensation for the plane of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), which was shot down near Tehran earlier this year, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Facebook on Thursday. "Today in Kiev, Iranian delegation started the negotiations on compensation for Iran's shooting down of the Ukrainian International Airlines PS752 flight. We have been striving for a long time to start the negotiation process, and I welcome the beginning of negotiations," said the diplomat. Kuleba noted that the process would not be easy, but Ukraine will do everything to achieve maximum compensation for the relatives of the victims of the plane crash. The Boeing-737, en route from Tehran to Kiev, was shot down by two rockets shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on Jan. 8. The tragedy resulted in the deaths of all 167 passengers and nine crew members on board, who were citizens of Ukraine, Iran, Canada, Sweden, Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom. Later, Iran's armed forces confirmed that an "unintentional" launch of a military missile by the country was the cause of the incident. The transcript of the black boxes from the plane confirmed the fact of illegal interference with the plane. Earlier this month, Kuleba said it was too early to blame human error for the downing of the airliner and that many questions remained unanswered. Enditem A man wearing a face mask walks before the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, NSW, Australia on July 22, 2020. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images) NSW Government Supports Optional Face Mask Wearing Amid Calls to Make it Mandatory New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she believes mask-wearing should be optional during a press conference on July 29. Meanwhile, the Committee for Sydney group has called for it to be mandatory, fearing a return to strict lockdowns much like Melbourne is experiencing. Weve said from day dot in February that its completely optional, said Berejiklian. If teachers or any other professional worker wants to wear a mask, its entirely appropriate for them to do so if thats what they want to do, she said. But the health advice says anybody who cant maintain good social distancing should be wearing the mask and that advice, has been consistent since February, Berejiklian explained. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks to the media at a press conference at Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia on July 8, 2020. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) The Committee for Sydney believes not enough people are wearing masks to effectively stop the virus. The Committee of Sydney advocates across multiple sectors for the benefit of Sydney. The real hope here is that if enough people wear masks, we can avoid the more draconian optionsavoid a second lockdown and a repeated start-stop-restart cycle which would devastate our economy and cause intense hardship with consequences for years, a media release for the committee reads. Last week while talking to Ben Fordham on Sydney radio station 2GB, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the NSW approach to face-covering gives people the chance to exercise that common sense and follow health guidelines. On July 23, Victoria became the first state to make mask-wearing mandatory. Police have said they would use discretion for the first seven days when it comes to handing out fine. However, over 20 $200 (US$140) fines have been handed out, and over 150 cautions served. Long, tall Sally would not be happy with this new study. Why? Because in this time of pandemic, to be tall may not be an advantage as a study claims that taller people have a higher risk of acquiring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to researchers, tall people have a greater risk of getting coronavirus, which is another clue on how the virus spreads. A survey of more than 2,000 people in the United Kingdom and United States showed that men and women above six feet tall have greater risk of getting COVID-19. However, the results of the survey on women are not reliable since there were so few women in the study. Of the 2,000 people surveyed, including 1,000 in the UK and 1,000 in the U.S., 339 people were over six feet tall. According to NZ Herald report, the survey added weight to the theory that coronavirus is airborne. The researchers noted that the findings do not necessarily mean that tall people are somehow genetically more vulnerable to the infection. But instead, they believed that the results indicate COVID-19 spreads through tiny particles called aerosols that linger in the air after being exhaled. They said taller people would be at no more risk if the virus was mainly spread through coughing or sneezing, which produce larger droplets that fall to the ground quickly. According to Daily Mail, the results of the survey were analyzed by a team of data scientists in the UK, Norway and the U.S. led by experts at the University of Oxford. Survey respondents were asked about their employment status, income, how they travel, if they socialized a lot or live with other people, among other factors that may affect a person's risk of infection with COVID-19. The analysis has yet to be scrutinized by fellow scientists and the link between height and coronavirus was only seen in the UK with the researchers not offering an explanation for this. So far, health officials have ruled out that COVID-19 is airborne. But the World Health Organization (WHO) recently admitted that they are reviewing "emerging evidence" that it is. Airborne transmission is when a virus could be spread through inhalation of very small droplets called "aerosolized droplet nuclei or aerosols" that are able to stay suspended in the air for longer periods of time or even after a person has left the area. Thus, taller people wouldn't be at any higher risk if the transmission of coronavirus is mainly through larger droplets. They will be more exposed to aerosols for being tall, according to the experts' theory. According to Professor Evan Kontopantelis of the University of Manchester, if SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was proven to spread via aerosols then it would have huge implications for controlling the disease. He said this could mean that wearing a mask is more important than thought. Discussing the findings, Kontopantelis said the results of the survey suggest aerosol transmission is really possible. "This has been suggested by other studies but our method of confirmation is novel. Though social distancing is still important because transmission by droplets is still likely to occur, it does suggest that mask wearing may be just as if not more effective in prevention," he noted. He also pointed out that air purification in interior spaces should further be explored. Check these out: The 'Famous' Stolen Teddy Bear With Dead Mom's Last Message Returned to Owner Heroes in Orange: 3 Inmates Save the Life of a Deputy Texas Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of Teen Girl at Hollywood Street Race AFT Pharmaceuticals (NZX.AFT, ASX.AFP) has signed an exclusive Maxigesic IV licensing and supply agreement for Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, countries with a combined population of more than 53 million*. The agreement is with the Cyprus based multinational pharmaceutical company, Medochemie, which earlier this year signed a licensing agreement for Maxigesic IV for Ukraine and the nine countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. AFT Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Dr Hartley Atkinson says: We are delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Medochemie. It is a strong, dynamic partner in this region and its business teams have an excellent understanding of their local markets. Maxigesic IV regulatory approvals in the six European countries covered by this agreement are expected to conclude in the next few months, with sales then expected in the 2021calendar year. Maxigesic IV (Paracetamol 1000mg+ Ibuprofen 300mg solution for infusion) is an intravenous formulation developed as a line extension to Maxigesic tablets, for use post-operatively in hospitals when patients cannot take a medicine orally. A major Phase 3 clinical trial conducted in the USA found that Maxigesic IV provided significantly better pain relief than either paracetamol (acetaminophen) IV or ibuprofen IV alone in the same doses.** Following on from the registration of Maxigesic IV in Australia and New Zealand in mid-2019, AFT has now licensed the medication in more than 90 countries. Meanwhile, the tablet form of Maxigesic has been licensed in more than 125 countries References * 2019 population. Source: Statista, 2020 **Daniels, S.E, Playne, R., Stanescu, I., Zhang, J., Gottlieb, I.J, Atkinson, H.C. (2019). Efficacy and safety of an intravenous acetaminophen/ibuprofen fixed-dose combination after bunionectomy: A randomized, double-blind, factorial, placebo- controlled trial. Clinical Therapeutics 41 (10): 1982-1995. Research sponsored by AFT Pharmaceuticals. Source: AFT Pharmaceuticals (NZX.AFT, ASX.AFP) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. 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Quoting a survey by think-tank Indonesia Development and Islamic Studies, the minister said that last year Rp 28.4 trillion (US$1.9 billion) in sales of sacrificial livestock was recorded, equal to 181,000 tons of meat, with 3.5 million people participating in the ritual. Meanwhile, in light of the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the number of participants this year is predicted to fall to 2.3 million people, with Rp 20.5 trillion in sales expected. Read also: Muslims in Jakartas 33 red zones should avoid Idul Adha mass prayers Sales of sacrificial livestock require well planned and trustworthy management to add to the communitys welfare, as well as to decrease meat imports and empower local farmers with the goal of becoming self-sufficient in the production of halal meat, Fachrul said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. During Idul Adha, Muslims who can afford it are encouraged to perform qurban (sacrifice) in which they buy cows, sheep or goats to be slaughtered, with the meat distributed to the poor and needy. Fachrul added that the ritual helped increase meat consumption, with Indonesias level of meat consumption currently lower than neighboring countries Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. "Meat consumption in Indonesia is around 2.6 kilograms per capita, while in other countries it is around 4.5 kilograms per capita," he said. (aly) Advertisement A sculpture depicting a whirl of cream topped with parasites has been unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square. The installation on the Fourth Plinth - home to a rolling commission of public artworks - was postponed by four months because of the impact of coronavirus. But the 'dystopian' artwork - topped with a cherry, a drone and a fly - has now been unveiled. Passers-by will be able to use their mobile phones to live-stream what the camera-equipped drone can see or people can log in to a website remotely. Described as representing 'exuberance and unease' and a 'monument to hubris and impending collapse', The End, by British artist Heather Phillipson, will stay in place until spring 2022. A sculpture depicting a whirl of cream topped with parasites has been unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square today Described as representing 'exuberance and unease' and a 'monument to hubris and impending collapse', The End, by British artist Heather Phillipson, pictured, will stay in place until spring 2022 The installation on the Fourth Plinth - home to a rolling commission of public artworks - was postponed by four months because of the impact of coronavirus but the 'dystopian' artwork - topped with a cherry, a drone and a fly - has now been unveiled Passers-by, pictured inspecting the artwork today, will be able to use their mobile phones to live-stream what the camera-equipped drone can see or people can log in to a website remotely The 13th Fourth Plinth commission is the tallest so far - at nearly 31ft (9.4m). It replaces artist Michael Rakowitz's recreation of a protective deity destroyed by Islamic State in Iraq. Ekow Eshun, chairman of the Fourth Plinth commissioning group, described the new work as 'audacious and beguiling'. 'It expresses something of the fraught times that we're currently living through while also standing in conversation with the artistic and social history of Trafalgar Square,' he said. 'I'm sure this this will be a hugely popular commission that will inspire everyone who sees it physically and experiences it digitally.' The 13th Fourth Plinth commission is the tallest to appear so far - at nearly 31ft (9.4 metres) and was admired by tourists today The powerful piece replaces artist Michael Rakowitz's recreation of a protective deity destroyed by Islamic State in Iraq Ekow Eshun, chairman of the Fourth Plinth commissioning group, described the new work as 'audacious and beguiling' Ms Phillipson said the sculpture was not necessarily meant to be 'pessimistic' but was also 'hopeful' and signalled a 'chance of radical change' The Fourth Plinth commissions have seen many memorable works over the years, including Marc Quinn's sculpture of pregnant Alison Lapper, and Yinka Shonibare's scaled-down replica of HMS Victory, contained in a glass bottle. Antony Gormley created One & Other, in which people - including a man who posed naked - took it in turns to spend an hour on the plinth. Justine Simons, London's deputy mayor for culture and creative industries, said: 'The Fourth Plinth is the world's most famous public art prize and each new sculpture breathes fresh life into our public realm. 'When Heather's work was selected two years ago, we could never have imagined the world we find ourselves in today, but we always knew this sugary swirl with a dystopian flavour would spark a conversation.' The artist said she felt 'mixed emotions' about the unveiling. 'Obviously it's a strange time to be doing anything right now... But it also felt like it was never going to be the right time so maybe it was the right time to just let it happen,' Ms Phillipson said. Yinka Shonibare's scaled-down replica of HMS Victory, contained in a glass bottle, was one of the previous occupants on May 24, 2010, pictured left, as was David Shrigley's 'Really Good' in 2016, pictured right Katharina Fritsch's picece entitled Hahn/Cock stands on the Fourth Plinth on July 25, 2013, pictured left, before later being replaced by Gift Horse by Hans Haacke, pictured right, in March 2015 A marble sculpture by British artist Marc Quinn entitled 'Alison Lapper Pregnant' was displayed from 2005 to 2007, pictured left, while a 4.1m high bronze sculpture of a boy on a rocking horse, dubbed Powerless Structures, pictured right, was unveiled in 2012 by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset 'For me, we've been at a point of some kind of implosion for a long time. When I was thinking of this work there was a sense... of an undercurrent that was already there. 'I came up with the idea in 2016 which was already, for me, quite a tricky political moment', she said, because of the 'Brexit (vote) and the rumblings of Trump's imminent election' in the US. 'This feels like a continuation of that ... the idea of something being on the verge of collapse. The pandemic ... attunes them to a slightly higher frequency.' Ms Phillipson added the sculpture was not necessarily meant to be 'pessimistic' but was also 'hopeful' and signalled a 'chance of radical change'. But she said: 'We are still in a state of collapse.' Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has launched an extraordinary attack on smaller parties in the Dail saying he was embarrassed to share the Chamber with them. Amid fractious exchanges over speaking time, Mr Varadkar made the highly unusual step of intervening on behalf of the Government to accuse some TDs of arrogance and nastiness and abusiveness. He said: You shout us down in the same way you bully people online. Day in and day out you try to bully people in here because they come from a larger party or a government party. The Government parties have moved to change the speaking arrangements in the Dail so that their backbench TDs can get better speaking times more frequently. Smaller parties and Independents have fought furiously against the move. However, Mr Varadkar said he wanted people to understand that opposition parties have 74pc of the speaking time even though they less than half the seats. Im embarrassed to be a member of this Chamber tonight quiet frankly because of the behaviour of some of the parties, he said. During testy exchanges, he added: I want to people at home to listen to the number of times Im interrupted when I just try to say a few words in this chamber because of the arrogance and nastiness and abusiveness of the smaller parties and far-left parties in this House. They try to dominate this chamber and anytime anyone from Government stands up, anything any minister tries to speak, any backbencher tries to make a point, you shout us down in the same way you bully people online. Day in and day out you try to bully people in here because they come from a larger party or a government party. This comes as the Dail was adjourned amid scenes of disorder on the last night of its first session since the election. A bitter row over future speaking rights forced a ten-minute suspension by new Leas Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly after Rise TD Paul Murphy repeatedly refused to resume his seat. He said attempts to reformulate speaking slots were an effort to marginalise left-wing groups, allowing Government parties to make much of the parliamentary running. He was supported by Socialist Party deputy Mick Barry and by Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit. At one point, as Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy was attempting to make a point, she called out Ah, Richard, please, amid continuing barracking and uproar. Expand Close Rise TD Paul Murphy Picture: Collins / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rise TD Paul Murphy Picture: Collins Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, a former minister and now deputy chief whip, angrily accused splinter group TDs of telling lies about the new arrangements. He said backbenchers had missed out in the last Dail and were looking to have speaking rights too, insisting that their popular mandate was no less valid than that of left-wingers Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath called on the chair to force Mr Griffin to withdraw the word lie, which is not permissible under standing orders. But several TDs were on their feet and shouting over each other at this point. Mr McGrath himself became overheated, asking if the Fine Gael heavy bootboys, the Heavy Gang on 1973-77 were back. He added in overwrought fashion: They might silence us, but they wont silence the people out there. After repeatedly beseeching that TDs pay attention to rulings from the chair, Ms Connolly declared: People in Ireland are watching this. I would ask you to stop this. Repeated attempts to raise points of order were denied, with the Leas Cheann Comhairle accusing Deputies of attempting to dance on the head of a needle on point of orders. The behaviour in the chamber was a disgrace, she said, calling for a little respect." Brid Smith of PBP said a majority Government was attempting to silence the Opposition, and it was the Blueshirts and Fianna Fail in a dictatorship. Roisin Shortall of the Social Democrats said there was an attempt to maintain the convention whereby speakers were allowed in order of the size of party on the first round of legislation, and there was no defence for it. All that was being sought was that a very harmonious and effective procedure from the last Dail be maintained. The Business Committee recommendations and all attempts at compromise were being ignored. But the session descended into farce when an attempted amendment from the loudest critics fell on a technicality Paul Murphy TD had failed to sign the declaration paper as a teller, and under Standing Order 82 the amendment was deemed defeated. The new Dail speaking arrangements approved by 86 votes to 63 at 10.53pm. But state and federal officials issued contrasting interpretations of their own agreement. Wolf said there was no guarantee that federal officers would leave Portland, as the governor had said. Instead, the forces that had been at the front lines of the demonstrations would remain in the city, on standby, until Trump officials were satisfied with the effectiveness of the state and local response. JOHANNESBURG, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Covid-19 Commenting on the impact of Covid-19, Sappi Chief Executive Officer Steve Binnie said: "In response to the impact that the pandemic is having on people's lives, we have developed a comprehensive Covid-19 action plan where our priority remains the health and safety of our employees and their families. Our mills and other facilities apply stringent guidelines to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. This ensures our operations continue to operate in a safe and uninterrupted manner where demand for our products permit. During the quarter we continued to focus on the preservation of liquidity and cash flow through cost containment initiatives, a reduction in capital expenditure, delays to major annual maintenance shuts, furloughing of staff where possible and a focus on optimising working capital. We continue to work closely with our customers and suppliers as we systematically increase activity and output in response to market demand and we support our local communities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and the ensuing socio-economic consequences." Q3 financial results Turning to the results for the third quarter, he stated: "The overall economic effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdowns, changes in consumer behaviour and logistical challenges had a severe impact on the business in the quarter. Previously weak graphic paper and dissolving pulp (DP) markets were further affected by significant declines in demand and lower sales prices. Our packaging and specialities business increased sales volumes during the quarter and has proven resilient in the current difficult economic circumstances. This segment continues to support our strategy to diversify the group's product portfolio into higher margin and growing segments." Financial summary for the quarter Severe impact from Covid-19 on profitability EBITDA excluding special items US$26 million (Q3 2019 US$118 million ) (Q3 2019 ) Loss for the period US$73 million (Q3 2019 Profit of US$8 million ) (Q3 2019 Profit of ) Net debt US$1,977 million (Q3 2019 US$1,728 million ) (Q3 2019 ) EBITDA from packaging and specialities segment increases 109% For the quarter dissolving pulp (DP) and graphic paper sales volumes were 29% and 40% lower respectively. In response, a number of cost containment initiatives were implemented which, along with a positive currency movement, resulted in fixed costs being US$67 million less than the equivalent quarter last year. Consequently, the group generated EBITDA excluding special items of US$26 million compared to US$118 million in the equivalent quarter last year, which led to a decline in profitability and a loss of US$73 million for the quarter. The growth of the packaging and specialities segment continued, with sales volumes increasing by 11%, which combined with lower input costs and delayed annual maintenance shuts at Ngodwana and Tugela offset some lower selling prices. The DP segment experienced a rapid downturn in demand as retail stores globally were shut in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and clothing sales were particularly hard hit. This led to a chain reaction throughout the supply chain as orders were cancelled. There were some volume gains in the Chinese market which partially offset greater volume reductions from our major customers. In response to the lower demand, curtailment was taken and some production was switched at Ngodwana and Cloquet mills from dissolving pulp to paper pulp for internal consumption as well as external sales. The lockdowns and the corresponding economic slowdown had a serious impact on graphic paper demand. Many companies including retailers and consumer related businesses reduced advertising spend and printers halted production. This led to significant declines in sales volumes across Europe and in key export markets. Despite areas of strength in packaging and specialities, EBITDA for the region slipped into a loss for the quarter. In North America, strong sales volume growth in the packaging and specialities segment was insufficient to offset the unprecedented reduction in demand for graphic paper and dissolving pulp which arose from the Covid-19 crisis. While Covid-19 had relatively little impact on the packaging sales volumes in the South African business, DP and other paper products experienced significantly weaker demand, which impacted sales and profitability in the quarter. The postponement of the Ngodwana, Tugela and Saiccor annual maintenance shuts, weaker Rand/US Dollar exchange rate and lower input costs were mitigating factors. Newsprint and uncoated woodfree volumes were severely impacted by the lockdown in South Africa, declining by more than 60% year-on-year. Outlook As indicated in the Covid-19 update issued on the 30th March 2020, we will not be providing a profit forecast or guidance as the potential impact of the virus cannot be estimated reliably. We expect the slow recovery in our markets to progress in the coming quarter and estimate sales volumes of 75% and 70% of prior year levels for DP and graphic papers respectively. Current liquidity headroom in the group remains good, with cash deposits at the end of the quarter of US$190 million and committed revolving credit facilities of approximately US$503 million. As previously communicated, due to the uncertainty regarding short-term trading conditions and to ensure we have adequate liquidity for the duration of this difficult period, we negotiated the suspension of our credit facility financial covenants from June 2020 to March 2021. This suspension is subject to customary conditions for this kind of relief, which only apply during the suspension period, and include no dividend payments, limitations on incurrence of indebtedness, maximum capex spending limits, a minimum liquidity requirement and no M&A activity without prior bank approval. Demand for DP appears to have reached a low point in late May. Subsequently we have seen a steady recovery in demand. We will continue to make some additional paper pulp at Cloquet for internal use, foregoing some less profitable DP sales. Pricing remains under pressure as viscose staple fibre pricing and operating rates remain at depressed levels. Logistics problems at the Durban port, and a reduction in the number of container ships docking in South Africa, partially as a result of port issues in Cape Town, are currently hampering a further recovery in sales volumes. The packaging and specialities segment continues to grow, and with much of our volumes sold into the food and hygiene sector, should be more resilient during the crisis. As lockdowns ease in various parts of the world and various industries recover, we expect demand for products such as release liner and digital imaging to accelerate and qualification of new products to resume. We believe that the decline in graphic paper demand in Europe and the US due to Covid-19 reached a low in June, and a slow recovery is underway as economies open and retail and advertising activity increase. Significant capacity reduction in the US and Europe by our competitors, along with our own paper machine closures at Westbrook and Stockstadt mills, should result in improved operating rates in the new financial year. As a result of the force majeure declaration at the Saiccor expansion project, completion is now estimated in the third quarter of FY2021. Work on the expansion recommenced fully in July. All remaining material discretionary projects and major maintenance shuts have been moved out as late as practically possible. As a result, capital expenditure in the last quarter is expected to be approximately US$110 million. The full results announcement is available at www.sappi.com There will be a conference call to which investors are invited. Full details are available at www.sappi.com using the links Investors | Latest financial results Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this release that are neither reported financial results nor other historical information, are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements that are predictions of or indicate future earnings, savings, synergies, events, trends, plans or objectives. The words "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "assume", "positioned", "will", "may", "should", "risk" and other similar expressions, which are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends and which do not relate to historical matters and may be used to identify forward-looking statements. You should not rely on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are in some cases beyond our control and may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements (and from past results, performance or achievements). Certain factors that may cause such differences include but are not limited to: the highly cyclical nature of the pulp and paper industry (and the factors that contribute to such cyclicality, such as levels of demand, production capacity, production, input costs including raw material, energy and employee costs, and pricing) the impact on our business of a global economic downturn the COVID-19 pandemic unanticipated production disruptions (including as a result of planned or unexpected power outages) changes in environmental, tax and other laws and regulations adverse changes in the markets for our products the emergence of new technologies and changes in consumer trends including increased preferences for digital media consequences of our leverage, including as a result of adverse changes in credit markets that affect our ability to raise capital when needed adverse changes in the political situation and economy in the countries in which we operate or the effect of governmental efforts to address present or future economic or social problems the impact of restructurings, investments, acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic initiatives (including related financing), any delays, unexpected costs or other problems experienced in connection with dispositions or with integrating acquisitions or implementing restructuring and other strategic initiatives and achieving expected savings and synergies, and currency fluctuations. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise. SOURCE Sappi North America, Inc. Related Links http://www.sappi.com Amber Heard was spotted enjoying a day out in Soho with her girlfriend Bianca Butti following the end of ex-husband Johnny Depp's dramatic libel case. The actress, 34, held hands with her love, 38, as they stepped out in Soho, in the wake of dramatic revelations heard in court. The Aquaman star looked stunning in a muticolour patterned dress, boots and sunglasses, while Bianca opted for a white shirt, jeans and a grey sun hat. United front: Amber Heard was spotted enjoying a day out in Soho with her girlfriend Bianca Butti following the end of ex-husband Johnny Depp 's dramatic libel case On Tuesday Amber fought back tears outside London's High Court as she said it had been 'incredibly painful' to relive the break-up of her marriage to Johnny, 57, following the end of his 16-day libel trial. The couple went mask free for their outing as they made the most of the sun on their day off following the intense trial. They looked very loved-up as they donned sunglasses as Amber turned heads in the strappy midi. Strong together: The actress, 34, held hands with her love as they stepped out in Soho, in the wake of dramatic revelations heard in court Stylish pair: The Aquaman star looked stunning in a muticolour patterned dress, boots and sunglasses, while Bianca opted for a white shirt, jeans and a grey sun hat Defiant: Actress Amber has been out and about in the capital following the end of her ex Johnny's historic libel trail Fashionistas: The couple wore contrasting styles as they headed out together to make the most of the summer Actress Amber has been out and about in the capital following the end of her ex Johnny's historic libel trail. On Tuesday Amber fought back tears as she delivered an emotional closing statement, following what's been dubbed 'The Trial of the Century.' She said: 'I travelled to the UK to testify in these proceedings as a witness to assist the Court. 'After obtaining a restraining order in 2016 and finalising our divorce, I wanted to move on with my life. I did not file this lawsuit and, despite its significance, I would have preferred not to be in court. Stepping out: The couple went mask free for their outing as they made the most of the sun on their day off following the intense trial Moving on: On Tuesday Amber fought back tears as she delivered an emotional closing statement, following what's been dubbed 'The Trial of the Century' Day out: They looked very loved-up as they donned sunglasses as Amber turned heads in the strappy midi Splashing the cash: The loved-up couple went into a jewellery store as they enjoyed their day off in the capital Legal wranglings: Amber has been involved in the high profile case whose judgment isn't expected until September 'It has been incredibly painful to relive the break-up of my relationship, have my motives and my truth questioned, and the most traumatic details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast around the world. 'I stand by my testimony in court and I now place my faith in British justice. Amber Heard's statement in full I travelled here to the UK to testify as a witness to assist the court. After obtaining a restraining order in 2016 and finalising my divorce, I just wanted to move on with my life. I did not file this lawsuit and, despite its significance, I would have preferred not to be here in court. It has been incredibly painful to relive the break up of my relationship, have my motives and my truth questioned, and the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast around the world. I stand by my testimony and I now place my faith in British justice. Although I did not bring this lawsuit, I am aware of the precious resources being consumed by his litigation and will be glad to see those resources redirected to more important legal matters delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate the dedication, the hard work and support of the defence legal team, as well as my UK and US lawyers. I also wish to extend my thanks to the very diligent and kind court staff and the police, who have been so sensitive in ensuring my safety and protection so that I could testify in safety. And finally, my heartfelt thanks for the tremendous outpouring of support and the many messages I have received from around the world. You have given me so much strength and I send it back to you. Advertisement 'Although I did not bring this lawsuit, I am aware of the precious resources being consumed by his litigation and will be glad to see those resources re-directed back to more important legal matters already delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 'I appreciate the dedication, hard work and support of the defence legal team, as well as my UK and US lawyers. 'I also wish to extend my thanks to the very kind and diligent court staff and the police, who have been so sensitive in ensuring my protection so that that I could testify in safety. 'And finally, my heartfelt thanks for the tremendous outpouring of support and the many messages I have received from around the world. You have given me so much strength and I send it back to you.' As Amber turned to go back into court, boos rang out from Depp's supporters who have been outside the High Court in large numbers on the final day of the 16-day hearing. The Pirates of the Caribbean star received a rapturous welcome upon his arrival this morning and signed autographs as dozens of fans made their presence known, armed with flowers, gifts and banners reading: 'Justice for Johnny' and 'Abuse has no gender. Men can be victims too.' The end of his sensational libel trial against The Sun newspaper will also have a major impact on another high-profile case the Hollywood star is bringing against ex-wife in the US. Judgement in the High Court trial in London is not expected to be delivered by Mr Justice Nicol until late September, giving Johnny's lawyers enough time to prepare for his US defamation case against Amber, which is expected to get underway next January. In the US proceedings, Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over a 2018 article she wrote in the Washington Post in which she describes herself as being a domestic abuse survivor. Although Depp is not specifically named, his lawyers allege that it is obvious that the article refers to him and labels the actor of being a domestic abuser. The three-week libel trial against The Sun in London, in which Depp hopes to win 350,000 in damages, has widely been seen as a 'dress rehearsal' for the US hearing, which will take place in Virginia. It will feature all the same witnesses that appeared on behalf of either Depp or Heard in London and is also based on the same bombshell evidence that was produced at the High Court over the past few weeks. Screen star: Johnny Depp raised a clenched fist above his head as he departed the High Court in London for the final time on Tuesday Words: Amber Heard's statement in full delivered on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Tuesday Drama: Johnny is also bringing a US defamation case against Amber (pictured outside the High Court on Tuesday), which is expected to get underway next year The US hearing will also result in Depp and Heard returning to the witness box again to divulge details of their stormy relationship, which have already generated widespread publicity around the world. Defamations from the former Hollywood couple and their witnesses have already been filed in the US, with the war of words between their respective camps already underway. Depp's defence in the US also mirrors the one that has featured at the High Court; that it was Heard and not him who was physically abusive in their relationship and that he is the victim of a 'hoax' orchestrated by her and her associates. But legal sources have indicated that a potential 'round two' of the Depp-Heard now depends on the outcome of the London libel hearing and could be settled even before it comes to court, depending on Justice Nicol's judgement. On the final day of the blockbuster trial, Depp's lawyer laid into 'compulsive liar' Amber and claimed her evidence has been littered with inconsistencies. Johnny was present to hear his barrister David Sherborne deliver his final submission, following a trial which has gripped the showbiz world with sensational details of his marriage to the Aquaman actress. Amber was accused of being a 'compulsive liar,' which, the court was told, calls into question her evidence and claims that she was a victim of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Depp. Supportive: Amber was flanked by her girlfriend Bianca for much of the trial which dredged up much of her relationships The court heard a recording, which was also played earlier in the trial, in which she admits to hitting him, as Depp's legal team alleged Heard has a 'propensity for violence'. Depp is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), 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?' Amber and Johnny 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 finalised in 2017. SINN Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has been appointed to the high-profile role of chairman of the influential enterprise, trade and employment committee. The news was confirmed by his party president Mary-Lou McDonald yesterday. It came after Limericks polltopper turned down a front-bench role in favour of this position. Mr Quinlivan said he hopes to strike a balance between getting people back to work in a post Covid-19 pandemic world, and protecting the rights of workers. Its important businesses get the supports they need ,but its critically important they dont use this opportunity to diminish workers rights and cut pay. Thats something we will be holding not just businesses, but governments to account on, the City TD told the Limerick Leader. Mr Quinlivan hopes his role can have an impact on Limerick, which has eight out of 10 of Irelands unemployment blackspots. As main opposition, Sinn Fein has its pick of the committees. I think our front bench team is excellent, they are very strong. Sinn Fein never had five committees before, so we will work together and try and make sure workers and families are protected. Well make sure we scrutinise them properly and so be no attacks on workers, he pledged. Ms McDonald said: This is the first time a Sinn Fein TD has held this important role and is reflective of the change that people voted for in February's election. Maurice brings an immense wealth of experience to this position and I have no doubt he will do an excellent job in his new role. Mr Quinlivan was his partys spokesperson on enterprise, trade and employment in the latter part of his maiden Dail term.. "The enterprise, trade and employment committee will play a very important role in providing vital oversight as we face the unprecedented challenges in trying to rebuild society in a way which delivers a fair recovery for all at a time of crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sinn Fein president said, The committee needs to hold the government to account and ensure that we see a society that facilitates the growth of enterprise, while protecting the rights of workers. Its anticipated the committee will sit for the first time in September. MIDDLETOWN The Kiwanis Club of Middletown. On July 11, we hosted a Stuff a Truck event July 11, in coordination with Jeff Myjak, founder of Cans 4 a Cause, to raise money for the Kiwanis Program, Warm the Children. This event was so highly successful that we are in week two of separating and counting so all that bottles/cans collected can go to the redemption center, said club president Kathy McPherson. We not only filled the truck, but filled a dump truck, three pick up trucks, and the trunks of all the volunteers, collecting an estimated 70,000 cans and bottles. Red Cross needs local volunteers FARMINGTON Experts say we are in for a busy hurricane season this summer and the American Red Cross needs volunteers to help in our community. The coronavirus pandemic will make it challenging to deploy trained disaster volunteers from other parts of the country should an emergency occur. In light of this, the Red Cross is asking you to be ready to help your community, said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Train now to be a Red Cross volunteer and answer the call to help if the need arises here in our region. Full information on volunteer opportunities is available here. Shelter held: There is a special need for volunteers to support sheltering efforts. Because of COVID-19, the Red Cross is placing those needing a safe place to stay in emergency hotel lodging when possible. If hotel stays arent possible, then the Red Cross will open traditional shelters. To help keep people safe, we have put in place additional precautions and developed special training. Volunteers are needed to help staff shelter reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information collection and other vital tasks to help those we serve. We have both associate and supervisory level opportunities available. Health services support: RNs, LPNs, LVNs, APRNs, NPs, EMTs, paramedic, MD/DO or PAs with an active, current and unencumbered license are also needed in shelters to help assess peoples health. Daily observation and health screening for COVID-19-like illness among shelter residents may also be required. RNs supervise all clinical tasks. Roles are also available for Certified Nursing Assistants, Certified Home Health Aides, student nurses and medical students. We need volunteers who can provide care as delegated by a licensed nurse in shelters. This could include assisting with activities of daily living, personal assistance services, providing health education and helping to replace medications, durable medical equipment or consumable medical supplies. If you are interested in helping, should a disaster occur, go to redcross.org/volunteertoday or contact Sarah Scheel: sarah.scheel@redcross.org, 860-426-5795. Be sure to review the CDC guidance for people who are at higher risk for severe illness, consult your health care provider and follow local guidance. Warning: Dont plant strange seeds HARTFORD The Connecticut Department of Agriculture and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station have been notified that several Connecticut residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China, according to a statement. 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. Unsolicited packages of seeds have been received by people in several other states across the United States over the last several days, according to the statement. Do not plant these seeds, the departments said. CT DoAg and CAES encourage anyone who receives an unsolicited package of seeds from China to immediately contact their state plant regulatory officials, Dr. Kirby Stafford at 203-974-8485 (Kirby.Stafford@ct.gov) or Dr. Victoria Smith at 203-974-8474 (Victoria.Smith@ct.gov ). Hold on to the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until contacted with further instructions. Invasive species wreak havoc on the environment, displace or destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops. Taking steps to prevent their introduction is the most effective method of reducing both the risk of invasive species infestations and the cost to control and mitigate those infestations, the department said in a statement. Epilepsy Foundation holding no mud challenge MIDDLETOWN The Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut has canceled its traditioanl Mud Volleyball Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic and state regulations surrounding large gatherings. Instead, in partnership with 102.9 The Whale - The "No Mud" Mud Volleyball Challenge is being held, according to a statement. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, seizures havent stopped and neither have we. The demand for epilepsy support and services continues. While we are disappointed that we cannot hold our 34th Annual Mud Volleyball Tournament, we are excited to launch our new virtual No Mud Mud Volleyball fundraiser challenge with 102.9 the Whale, said Linda Wallace, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. Participants will select their favorite 102.9 the Whale host and join their respective team- Picozzis "Pandemic Pounders" or Sabs "COVID Crushers". Once participants join a team, they will be able to buy a t-shirt in support of their selected team and host. After joining a team and buying a t-shirt, they will receive a fundraising link which we encourage them to share with their friends and family, and start collecting donations. The top eight individual fundraisers on each team will get to play in a special one-time exhibition match at the 2021 event. This match would be separate from your regular team games. Prizes will be awarded. The No Mud Mud Volleyball Challenge ends on August 31st. All t-shirt sales and donations go to support people with epilepsy in Connecticut. For more information and to register, go to https://www.epilepsyct.com/mud-volleyball.php BEIJING, July 30 -- The Chinese PLA Army and Air Force will send troops to Russia to participate in the International Army Games (IAG) 2020 held from August 23 to September 5, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. The PLA Army's troops will participate in five competitions, namely the "Tank Biathlon", "Safe Environment", "Masters of Armored Vehicles", "Army Scout Masters", and "Open Water" competitions, Ren introduced, adding that PLA Air Force will take part in the "Airborne Platoon" competition. "At such a critical moment in fighting COVID-19, the Chinese military's participation in Russia's IAG aims to further strengthen the strategic cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries and deepen their practical cooperation in military training," Ren stressed. The spokesperson pointed out that the participation of China will also facilitate its friendly exchanges and mutual learning with other participating militaries and serve as a way to continue improve the Chinese militarys own training level and combat readiness. In a big day for earnings releases, European majors Shell and Total reported on Thursday surprise profits for the second quarter, thanks to strong oil trading business when prices were highly volatile. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) reported adjusted earnings of US$638 million, a whopping 82-percent plunge compared to the earnings for the second quarter of 2019, but well above analyst expectations for a loss, thanks to very strong crude and oil products trading. On a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis Shells proxy for net profit the group reported a loss of US$18.377 billion attributable to shareholders, due to an impairment charge of US$16.8 billion post-tax as it revised its price assumptions and the market fundamentals. The charge was at the lower end of the range that Shell provided a month ago. Frances Total (NYSE: TOT) also booked an adjusted profit for the second quarter, of US$126 million, down by a massive 96 percent from Q2 2019, but again beating forecasts because of strong oil trading performance. These results are driven in particular by the outperformance of trading activities, once again demonstrating the relevance of Totals integrated model, Totals CEO Patrick Pouyanne said. Despite the dramatic fall in earnings and an impairment charge of US$8.1 billion, mostly in Canadas oil sands, Total kept its dividend intact. Italys Eni (NYSE: E), however, wasnt spared a brutal second quarter, and reported a loss, further cut capex and operating costs, and changed its dividend policy tying it to the price of Brent and cut the dividend. The dividend will no longer be a fixed amount, in an environment increasingly subject to high variability, CEO Claudio Descalzi said. Eni also took an impairment charge, like it warned earlier this month. Shares in Eni crashed as much as 7 percent pre-market in New York on Thursday. Across the Atlantic, ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) reported Q2 earnings of US$300 million, down from US$1.6 billion for the same period last year, and below analyst expectations. The performance in Q2 2020 was attributable to weak realized prices, coupled with our rational economic action to curtail production in favor of expected higher future prices, chairman and CEO Ryan Lance said. Canadas Husky Energy (TSE: HSE) swung to a loss of US$226 million (C$304 million) for the second quarter, compared to net earnings of US$275 million (C$370 million) for Q2 2019 due to the demand crash and production curtailments. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Remarkable news Thursday evening prior to the British GP at Silverstone. Sergio Perez of Racing Point is not allowed to participate in the F1 weekend because he tested positive for the coronavirus. A heavy disappointment for driver and team. Especially now it's clear that Perez also has to miss the second GP at Silverstone. F1 journalist Chris Medland, for example, notes that the mandatory self-isolation period for people infected with corona in the United Kingdom has recently been tightened by the government. So instead of seven days Perez has to go through ten days without contact. A big disadvantage for him and the team since we are in the middle of a triple-header. It could have been even worse. If the mandatory two weeks were used as is often advised in the Netherlands, it would have been questionable whether Perez would have been allowed to travel to Spain after the second race in England. This still remains an unknown fact though. Today the UK increased the self-isolation period for anyone testing positive for COVID-19 from seven to ten days, so that change would rule Perez out of next week's race as well. What is most important is his health - that he recovers and is OK to return soon #F1 #BritishGP https://t.co/dSwZQPl9Ks Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) July 30, 2020 Every so often, the world of tennis is thrown into the spotlight for reasons that have littl Vadim Drobot: why the new investment law will completely change the economy of Ukraine The draft law "About state support for investment projects with significant investments" provides for the introduction of the institution of a special investment agreement, which will be concluded between the investor and the Government of Ukraine in the framework of the investment project with significant investments. The law should regulate the procedure for preparing applications and making a decision on the expediency or expediency of concluding a special investment agreement and determine the guarantees of the rights of investors implementing investment projects with significant investments. Why is attracting investment to Ukraine a problem? "Very few investment projects are being implemented in Ukraine. Investors prefer the markets of the Czech Republic, Poland, and other European countries. Ukraine occupies a much worse competitive position for investors. Firstly, there are no reliable instruments to support foreign investment. Secondly, corruption. Investors are discouraged by the lack of guarantees ", says Drobot Vadim Vadimovich, an investment expert. Ukraine is attractive for investment with its resources and cheap labor. The agricultural sector and the IT sector are well developed here, which is now developing even more dynamically. In addition, the automotive and aviation industries are also becoming competitive. Today, there is a need for competent state regulation of investment activities and the new investment law has this goal. "The project is being implemented in the field of infrastructure, logistics, tourism, healthcare, education, sports. The state will provide tax incentives for up to 5 years, which is a very important point for investors since tax rules are often changed in Ukraine. If we continue the topic of corruption, then the legislator will also I found a way out. After the conclusion of the contract, investors will receive support from an investment manager throughout the entire time, " explains Vadim Drobot. In connection with the quarantine, there are fears that unemployment will rise by 10-12%. The service sector will suffer the most, and the country needs jobs. The timely implementation of this law will help the economy. But why should foreigners invest in another country during a crisis? "The law is also designed for the domestic investor. There are many industries that need financing. There is also such a hope that the Ukrainian economy will acquire a production direction and the country will complete European integration. Either we change the investment climate or continue to borrow money," says Vadim Drobot. We hope that investors will trust the new legislation and the situation will change over time. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more United States government agencies will remain active in the information technology market, despite the impact of COVID-19 on agency operations. In fact, there is some evidence that the occurrence of the virus has spurred agencies to improve IT resources. For example, the General Services Administration (GSA) in early July launched a new contracting vehicle offering a potential US$50 billion in federal acquisition of IT products and services. IT providers will have until Aug. 5, 2020 to apply for participation in the program. In addition, GSA extended an existing IT procurement program and added $7 billion to the programs potential contract coverage. Both programs are directed to small and disadvantaged IT providers with a Small Business Administration status known as 8-A companies. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present new challenges and obstacles to many of GSAs partners in the small business community, we are doing all we can to help keep this important part of the federal IT ecosystem vibrant and successful, said Laura Stanton, GSAs acting assistant commissioner of the Office of IT Category, in a recent blog posting. As we all navigate new realities and requirements, GSA is working to ensure small businesses have the opportunities to thrive, she said. Streamlined Contracting Promised Both the current and new information technology contracting programs are classified as Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicles. Under the GWAC concept, vendors register as qualified information technology providers for the relevant contract vehicle. To quality, companies must go through a rigorous evaluation process which includes meeting standards for technical competency and demonstrating that a vendor is responsible and responsive. Additionally, the company must be able to show why its pricing should be considered fair and reasonable, according to Larry Allen, managing director of the federal market access practice at BDO-USA, which provides contract advisory services. The one-time vendor qualification process makes contracting more efficient for both agencies and IT providers. Once qualified, vendors become eligible to compete for separate specific task order projects from multiple federal agencies, with awards made on the basis of project requirements. However, vendors who qualify for a GWAC program are not guaranteed any real business. What theyve really won is the right to compete for business that federal agencies wish to place, Allen told the E-Commerce Times. Vendors Look to the STARS for Business The total of $57 billion in potential GWAC contracts will be administered through two procurement vehicles designated as Streamlined Technology Application Resource for Services (STARS) programs. GSA sets funding ceilings for each program indicating the total value of eligible contracts. Actual funding for a specific task order is provided by the federal agency using the contract vehicle. Here is how the additional contract opportunities will work: GSA STARS II Contract: Since the beginning of this program in 2011, GSA has made $15 billion worth of contracts eligible for participation. More than 50 federal agencies have used the vehicle. In late June the agency once again raised the ceiling for the program by $7 billion worth of eligible contracting while extending the duration of the program. As a result of the extension, new STARS II task order contracts may be awarded through Aug. 30, 2021. Work may continue through June 30, 2022. The type of IT work generally is limited to custom programming, system design, facilities management, and other computer related services. GSA noted that 787 industry partners (i.e. eligible vendors) will remain on the STARS II contractor roster during the procurement extension period. GSA STARS III Contract: When this new, $50 billion program opens later this year, it will be operated in similar fashion to STARS II. But in addition to a significant boost in the funding level, the scope of work will be broadened. The program will support customized IT services-based solutions which can be tailored to meet an agencys unique mission needs, GSA said. Project scope will include new and emerging technologies which may evolve over the life of the contract, such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and virtual reality. A significant element is that the program will be open to a wide swath of potential vendors. Current vendors for STARS II will need to re-qualify for STARS III. STARS III will offer updated technology solutions, like a greater range of cloud-based offerings, cybersecurity solutions, and newer commercial IT products. It may also feature new contractors, Allen noted. GSA went through an internal business case process to determine whether the creation of STARS III was justified. The business case was approved, and on July 6, 2020 GSA issued a request for proposals (RFP) for IT vendors to submit their qualifications. Disappointing Issue Emerges The good news for vendors related to the STARS programs is somewhat offset by GSAs recent decision to terminate another GWAC program. After reviewing the Alliant 2 Small Business vehicle, which also covered IT procurements, GSA closed the program. According to industry sources, the administration of the program led to a significant number of challenges, or protests of contract awards. GSAs explanation for the cancellation was that since the program was launched in 2018, the federal governments requirements have evolved. A D V E R T I S E M E N T The Alliant small business program and both STARS programs address different types of small businesses, and are different programs, said Allen Hill, GSAs acting deputy assistant commissioner, in the Office of IT Category at GSA. Each GWAC is a separate entity and program. While the Alliant-2 GWAC had a $15 billion ceiling, no funds were obligated on the program. GSA is working on a new approach for small business GWACs to strengthen, innovate, and better respond to changing technology needs and security threats, Hill told the E-Commerce Times. I think GSA did make the right decision. While there are few public details around the protests, they dragged on for considerably more time than most. The costs and time invested were considerable. This had the net effect of making the pricing and solutions offered under the original RFP stale and obsolete. GSA would have had to scrap everything and start over anyway, said BDOs Allen. More Is Needed The recent changes GSA has made are part of a major effort to revise and upgrade the agencys information technology contract process for small and disadvantaged providers. GSA is committed to finding ways for our GWACs to reflect the current IT marketplace so that we can maximize the opportunities, for such companies, said GSAs Stanton. One goal is to create opportunities in such areas as cybersecurity, emerging technology, and IT supply chain risk management. As salutary as these proposed changes might be, GSA still has more work to do according to Roger Waldron, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. GSA needs to be more specific on why it cancelled Alliant-2 for small business contract, and to publicly and proactively engage with the small business community on the content and timing of the agencys future plans, he said. The current uncertainty about GSAs contract portfolio is already roiling the market, Waldron said in a recent blog posting. The Coalition offered to work with the agency to address continuing contracting issues. Tata Motors (NYSE:TTM) Q2 2020 Earnings Call , 4:30 p.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good day, everyone and ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by. Welcome to the TTM Technologies second-quarter 2020 financial results conference call. During today's presentation, all parties will be in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, the conference will open for questions. [Operator instructions] As a reminder, this conference is being recorded today, July 29, 2020. Sameer Desai, TTM's senior director of corporate development and investor relations, will now review TTM's disclosure statement. Sameer Desai -- Senior Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations Thanks, Dan. Before we get started, I would like to remind everyone that today's call contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to TTM's future business outlook. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to one or more risks and uncertainties, including the factors explained in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this presentation. TTM does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of these statements whether as a result of new information, future events or other circumstances, except as required by law. Please refer to the disclosures regarding the risks that may affect TTM, which may be found in the reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, the registration statement on Form S-4, and the company's other SEC filings. We will also discuss on this call certain non-GAAP financial measures such as adjusted EBITDA. Such measures should not be considered as a substitute for the measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP and we direct you to the reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP measures included in the company's press release, which was filed with the SEC and is available on TTM's website at www.ttm.com. I will now like to turn the call over to Tom Edman, TTM's chief executive officer. Please go ahead, Tom. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thank you, Sameer. Good afternoon and thank you for joining us for our second-quarter 2020 conference call. These continue to be unprecedented times, and I hope that all of you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. I'll begin with an update on how COVID-19 has impacted our business, followed by a review of our business strategy, including highlights from the quarter, and by a discussion of our second-quarter results. Todd Schull, our CFO, will follow with an overview of our Q2 2020 financial performance and our Q3 2020 guidance. We will then open the call to your questions. I am pleased to report that in the second quarter of 2020, TTM generated revenues and non-GAAP EPS above the guided range. Our diversified end markets allowed us to grow revenues year on year despite weakness in the automotive and commercial aerospace end markets. In addition, strong operational execution overcame production inefficiencies and extra costs due to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has created operational difficulties, macro-economic uncertainty, and employee concerns. I am extremely proud of how TTM employees have worked to deliver excellent performance despite the formidable and unprecedented challenges of this environment. Finally, I'd like to highlight that we've received the proceeds of the mobile business unit divestiture and have applied them to repay our term loan B, which has driven our net debt-to-EBITDA ratio to approximately 2.1. have had approximately 65 employees in North America and one in Asia, who have tested positive for COVID-19 this year, with many returning to work after being cleared following testing and quarantine protocols. We continue to use contact tracing and quarantine individuals who were in close contact with the infected team member, in addition to deep cleaning affected work areas. We also continue other measures such as extensive internal communications, masking, temperature checks, and proper distancing in our facilities worldwide. Because of the stringent preventative measures in place and our culture of transparency and communications, these events have had minimal impact on our manufacturing operations to date. Moving on to the mobility divestiture, on April 19, we announced that we closed the divestiture of our mobility business unit to AKMMeadville, a Chinese consortium, for an enterprise value of $645 million. We had previously commented that it could take up to August 7 to receive the proceeds from this transaction due to the process of remitting funds from China to the U.S. I am pleased to report that we have received the majority of the proceeds earlier than expected and today, we were able to repay $400 million of our term loan. This transaction provides us the balance sheet flexibility to continue the journey to increase TTMs focus on differentiation and less capital-intensive, less seasonal, long-cycle end markets. Finally, on April 29, we issued a press release that discussed the restructuring of our E-MS business unit, this restructuring involved closing two plants and absorbing one into our commercial sector operations. We had said previously that the complete wind down of these two plants would take place through 2020 as we support our customers during their transition to other suppliers. As we support last time buyers for these two plants, we saw sequential growth in Q2. But we continue to be on track for final shipments by the end of 2020. The strategic rationale for this move is based on TTMs increasing focus on differentiated higher margin products such as PCBs and RF components and sub-assemblies. Additionally, local government authorities have communicated to TTM that they intend to expropriate the land where the Shanghai E-M Solutions facility is located. Now I'd like to review our end markets. All historical reported and market disclosures exclude the mobility business unit. The end market disclosures still contain all of the E-MS segment revenues. For more details on end market disclosures, please refer to our press release for the second-quarter earnings.The aerospace and defense end market represented 32% of total second-quarter sales, compared to 33% of Q2 2019 sales and 37% of sales in Q12020. We expect sales in Q3 from this end market to represent about 36% of our total sales. We continue to see solid growth in our A&D segment, with Q2 revenues up 8% year on year and A&D program backlog growing to yet another record level of $647 million, compared to $504 million in the year-ago quarter. Weakness in the commercial aerospace end market was more than offset by strength and defense. Growth in the defense market is a result of our strong program alignment and key programs for -- key bookings for programs such as AESA radar systems in F-35 and F-16 fighter jets. The medical industrial instrumentation end market contributed 21% of our total sales in the second quarter compared to 17% in the year-ago quarter and 18% in the first quarter of 2020. We saw strength in our medical and instrumentation customers that was partially offset by weakness in our industrial customers, particularly in our E-MS segment, as we wind down two of the plants and that business unit.Much of the strength in medical stemmed from the support provided by a number of our facilities to the urgent needs for critical medical equipment, such as ventilators and patient monitoring equipment to combat the pandemic. Our facilities came through in a big way to meet these needs, as we placed first priority on these critical customers. For the third quarter, we expect this market to be 20% of revenues as the year-on-year demand trends from Q2 continue into Q3 albeit at a slower pace. Networking communications accounted for 19% of revenue during the second quarter of 2020. This compares to 19% in the second quarter of 2019 and 16% of revenue in the first quarter of 2020. Year-on-year growth was driven by demand for 5G infrastructure. In Q3, we expect this segment to be 17% of revenue as deployment for 5G infrastructure takes a pause after a strong first half. Sales in the computing storage peripherals end market represented 13% of total sales in the second quarter compared to 11% in Q2 of 2019 and 12% in the first quarter of 2020. This end market grew 27% year on year from strength in our semiconductor and data center customers. We expect revenues in this end market to represent approximately 12% of third-quarter sales. Automotive sales represented 12% of total sales during the second quarter of 2020 compared to 18% in the year-ago quarter and 14% during the first quarter of 2020. Automotive sales declined year over year due to COVID-19-related OEM factory closures, as well as end market demand weakness. Approximately 40% of the year-on-year decline was due to weakness in the E-MS plants that are being shut down. We expect automotive to contribute 11% of total sales in Q3, with ongoing global weakness in demand expected. We expect our PCB sales in Q3 to decrease by 15% sequentially from the second quarter and to decline year on year by approximately 32%. Next, I'll cover some details from the second quarter. Note that all of the following operations and metrics exclude the mobility business unit. During the quarter, our advanced technology business, which includes HDI, Rigid-Flex and RF subsystems and components, accounted for approximately 27% of our company's revenue. This compares to approximately 25% in the year-ago quarter and 27% in Q1. We are continuing to pursue new business opportunities and increase customer design engagement activities that will leverage our advanced technology capabilities in new markets. Capacity utilization in Asia-Pacific was 70% in Q2 compared to 60% in the year-ago quarter and 50% in Q1. Our overall capacity utilization in North America was 63% in Q2 compared to 62% in the year-ago quarter and 67% in Q1. Our top five customers contributed 26% of total sales in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 31% in the year-ago quarter and 32% in the first quarter of 2020. Raytheon technologies was our largest customer, accounting for 11% of sales in the second quarter versus 12% in the year-ago quarter and 14% in Q1. At the end of Q2, our 90-day backlog which is subject to cancellations was $463.2 million, compared to $416.8 million at the end of the second quarter of last year and $497.7 million at the end of Q1. Our PCB book-to-bill ratio was 1.02 for the three months ending June 29. I think I'd like to conclude by, again, thanking our employees for continuing to contribute to TTM and our critical mission of inspiring innovation for our customers. Their efforts are particularly appreciated during these times by our customers in critical essential areas like the medical industry. Despite the COVID-19-related challenges we faced in the first half of this year, our businesses performed better than expectations as a direct result of operational excellence, end market diversification, and concerted efforts to engage and support our customers. We've also taken positive strategic moves that will strengthen TTM for the long term. As I look toward the second half and beyond, I am cautiously optimistic about our continued growth prospects in key sub segments such as defense, data center, 5G, and medical, while we expect a slower and longer-term recovery in the automotive and commercial aerospace markets. Now Todd will review our financial performance for the second quarter. Todd? Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer Thanks, Tom, and good afternoon, everyone. As Tom mentioned earlier, on April 19, TTM announced the closing of the sale of its mobility business unit. As such, the disclosure of TTMs GAAP results reflects the mobility business unit as a discontinued operation to facilitate comparison of TTMs results to previously issued guidance. I will also discuss non-GAAP financial information which includes the results of the mobility business unit. The E-M solutions business unit has also included in the results we have reported. Please refer to the earnings schedule for additional details on the exited businesses and continuing operations. For the second quarter, GAAP net sales from continuing operations were $570.3 million, compared to $526.9 million in the second quarter of 2019 and $497.6 million in the first quarter of 2020. The year-over-year increase in revenue was due to increases in our medical, industrial and instrumentation, computing, aerospace and defense, and networking and communications end markets, partially offset by declines in our automotive end market. GAAP operating income from continuing operations for the second quarter of 2020 was $23 million, compared to $29 million in the second quarter of 2019 and $16.2 million in the first quarter of 2020. On a GAAP basis, net income in the second quarter of 2020 was $192.8 million or $1.79 per diluted share. These numbers include a net gain of $183.1 million from the sale of the mobility business unit. This compares to net income of $3.4 million or $0.03 per diluted share in the second quarter of last year and a net loss of $1.2 million or $0.01 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2020. The remainder of my comments will focus on our non-GAAP financial performance. Our non-GAAP performance includes our divested mobility business unit but excludes M&A-related costs, restructuring costs, certain non-cash expense items, and other unusual or infrequent items. We present non-GAAP financial information to enable investors to see the company through the eyes of management and to facilitate comparison with expectations in prior periods. For the second quarter, net sales were $601.1 million, compared to $633 million in the second quarter of 2019 and compared to first-quarter net sales of $610.8 million. The year-over-year decrease in revenue was due to only three weeks of the mobility business unit in this year versus a full quarter last year and declines in our automotive end market partially offset by growth in our medical, industrial instrumentation, computing, aerospace and defense, and networking and communications and markets. Gross margin for the second quarter was 17.8% compared to 13.6% in the year-ago quarter and 14.5% in the first quarter of 2020. The year-over-year increase in gross margin was due primarily to the growth from continuing operations in the markets discussed above, as well as the sale of the mobility business unit, which lost money in the prior year. Selling and marketing expense was $16 million in the second quarter or 2.7% of net sales versus $17.5 million or 2.8% of net sales a year ago and $16.9 million or 2.8% of net sales in the first quarter. Second-quarter G&A expense was $31.4 million or 5.2% of net sales, compared to $27.2 million or 4.3% of net sales in the same quarter a year ago and $30.9 million or 5% of net sales in the previous quarter. In the second quarter, R&D was $5.1 million or 0.9% of revenues, compared to $4.5 million or 0.7% in the year-ago quarter and $4.9 million or 0.8% of revenues in the previous quarter. Our operating margin in the second quarter was 9.1%. This compares to 5.9% in the same quarter last year and 5.8% in the first quarter of 2020. Interest expense was $15 million in the second quarter, a decrease of $2.4 million from the same quarter last year due to lower interest rates. During the quarter, we recorded $1.8 million of foreign exchange losses. Government incentives reduced the loss to $0.7 million or approximately $0.01 of EPS. This compares to a gain of $4.4 million or approximately $0.04 of EPS in Q2 last year and a gain of $3.9 million or approximately $0.03 of EPS in Q1 of 2020. Our effective tax rate was 15% in the second quarter. Second-quarter net income was $33.3 million or $0.31 per diluted share. This compares the second-quarter 2019 net income of $21.3 million or $0.20 per diluted share and first-quarter 2020 net income of $19.6 million or $0.18 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $80.3 million or 13.4% of net sales, compared with second-quarter 2019 adjusted EBITDA of $82.9 million or 13.1% of net sales. In the first quarter, adjusted EBITDA was $82.1 million or 13.4% of net sales. Our balance sheet and liquidity positions remain strong. Cash flow from operations was $119 million in the second quarter, inclusive of $68.1 million of accounts receivable collected from the mobility business after we closed the sale. This compares to at $86.1 million in the same quarter last year. In addition, as Tom mentioned, we received $240 million of proceeds from the mobility sale during the second quarter. Since quarter-end, we have now received all the remaining proceeds from the sale. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the second quarter of 2020 were $694.7 million, and at the end of the second quarter, our net debt leverage ratio was 2.1. And today, we repaid $400 million of our term loan B. Depreciation for the second quarter was $26.1 million. Net capital spending for the quarter was $22.4 million. Finally, I'd like to give a picture of the business on a non-GAAP basis for continuing operations, excluding the two E-MS plants that we are closing. Revenue for the second quarter was $548.9 million and grew 13% year on year. Operating margin was 9.9% and grew from 9.5% last year. Now I'd like to turn to guidance for the third quarter. Looking ahead, we believe that COVID-19 may cause end market demand weakness, supply chain disruptions, as well as inefficiencies within our own production. Taking this into account, we expect total revenue for the third quarter of 2020 to be in the range of $470 million to $510 million. We expect non-GAAP earnings to be in the range of $0.16 to $0.22 per diluted share. This guidance does not include any contribution from the mobility business unit but still includes revenue and operating results from the two E-MS plants that we are closing. The EPS forecast is based on a diluted share count of approximately 107.5 million shares. Our share-count guidance includes dilutive securities, such as options and RSUs, but no shares associated with our convertible bonds, which is a function of our future stock price. As a reminder, for every dollar increase in the average share price above $14.26 during the quarter, our shares outstanding would increase by approximately 1.5 million shares. We expect that SG&A expense will be about 8.7% of revenue in the third quarter and R&D to be 1.1% of revenue. We expect interest expense to total about $15 million. And finally, we estimate our effective tax rate to be between 13% and 17%. To assist you in developing your financial models, we offer the following additional information. During the third quarter, we expect to record amortization of intangibles of about $10.9 million, stock-based compensation expense of about $4.7 million, non-cash interest expense of approximately $3.4 million, and we estimate depreciation expense will be approximately $22.7 million. Finally, I'd like to announce that we will be participating virtually in the Jefferies Industrial Conference on August 5, the Needham Industrial Technology Conference on August 10, the Jefferies Semiconductor Hardware and Telecom Summit on September 2 and the Deutsche Bank Leveraged Finance Conference on October 2. That concludes our prepared remarks. Now, we'd like to open the line for questions. Dan? Questions & Answers: Operator Thank you, sir. At this time, we'll open the floor for questions. [Operator instructions] We'll take our first question in queue comes from William Stein, SunTrust. Please go ahead. William Stein -- SunTrust Robinson Humphrey -- Analyst Great. Thanks for taking my question and congrats on the good results. I'm hoping you can comment on the trends expected in E-MS in September and beyond, maybe the linearity of the decline over time. And what is the sort of final level, the level at which you'll still have business from the one facility but the other two are no longer contributing? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Sure. Yeah. So that one facility and when we really talk about E-MS and, you know, just to make that clear for you. Well, we're going to -- that facility has already been integrated into our PCB operations and that facility runs at, you know, anywhere between $40 million and $50 million a year. So you're going to -- that facility already incorporated into PCB operations, the balance of the two facilities will be winding down again in Q3 and Q4. There it's hard to forecast exactly how we're going to wind them down. But you could pretty much say bring them down equally each quarter, down to -- you know, effectively, at the end of Q4, will be shut down. So reasonably smooth transition as we move to close those facilities. William Stein -- SunTrust Robinson Humphrey -- Analyst And then one follow-up if I can. Talk about the progress that you're making in trying to bring the RF capability that was acquired in the Anaren business, two, the non-defense end market, in particular, automotive or any others, for that matter. Any progress in that? Thanks. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Yes, sure. So yeah, we've actually there are a few areas of focus there. And if you start thinking about RF performance and the importance of RF speeds and particularly where they're becoming more challenging, think about networking, optical networking, some medical activity, and then, yes, you have automotive. And so we've been working on efforts in all of those areas. Yeah, to address automotive in particular, as we're moving into a 77-gigahertz world, what we're finding is, you know, our customers are challenged in terms of improving RF performance and that is particularly true of customers that are smaller customers who may be resource constrained. And so we've been working with those customers in a number of efforts, one, to handle the thermal challenges that can come as you start to push RF performance and also with fine lines or you're going to start running into potential thermal challenges and we've been working on modules to address that. We've also been working with several accounts on developing modules specifically for some of their sensor needs. As you know, particularly in the automotive world, you will typically work on a development cycle that starts two, sometimes even three, years before model release. So these efforts are you know, some of them are into prototyping stage. Some are still earlier. We've got a variety of those engagements but pretty excited about the momentum that we're gaining there. Not yet turning into material revenue, but certainly, we're making good progress with those efforts, and I think we're contributing to solving customer problems. William Stein -- SunTrust Robinson Humphrey -- Analyst Thank you. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator Our next question comes from Matt Sheerin with Stifel. Please go ahead. Matt Sheerin -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Yes. Thank you. A couple of questions for me, Tom. First, on the automotive outlook, you sound maybe a little bit more cautious than other components suppliers that have issued guidance and I'm trying to figure out how much of that is based on the E-MS weakness. And perhaps -- and I think at the end of your commentary on auto, you talked about the PCB business there. So maybe you could go over those numbers again, but just trying to figure out where you sit in terms of the cycle and when would you expect a bigger uplift in terms of demand in order pools. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Sure. Thanks. Yeah. Thanks, Matt. Yeah, what I'll do is -- let me talk to this taking out the E-MS. And you're right, we tried to give some visibility to that as I went through the earnings script. But to give you a little bit more information on this, pulling out E-MS and if you start to look at second-quarter performance quarter on quarter, we were down you proximately 21% and if you think about unit volume overall in the automotive market down substantially more than that. Now, then you look at the third quarter, and in the third quarter, we're looking at being down approximately 31% year on year. And if you look sequentially, down about 15%. So what's going on? If you start to look at our customers and as they look at printed circuit boards versus other components, the longer-lead-time components, what they'll do with printed circuit boards, and what we saw in the in the second quarter was as our tier 1 part supplier customers started to service their OEM requirements, they were able to pull early, relatively early in the second quarter from our hub inventory to help the start-up efforts of their customers, which really started in May. And so we saw some heightened revenues as a result, but what we're also seeing was a sharp decline in bookings. So that bookings decline then starts to feed into some of the weakness that we're guiding toward in the third quarter. And so as we now look at the third quarter, we are tracking bookings very carefully. And what we have seen is, since really June, the beginning of June, where we sort of hit our low point, we've seen sequentially almost every week an improvement in those bookings. And so as we look at that that bodes well for shipments in the hub and then bookings and then revenue that we would see as we move into late into the third quarter into the fourth quarter. So, you know, as we look sequentially, yes, third quarter, we should be down. But then as you look ahead into the fourth quarter, I think that bookings trend is a nice pot of positive indicator of what we would expect to see in the fourth quarter. Matt Sheerin -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst That's helpful. I know last quarter time, you talked about some actually, several design wins in automotive, leveraging your technologies across the various sectors. Could you update us on those trends? And are you still seeing positive content, particularly like trends toward electrification? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Yeah. So interestingly, you know, this quarter, what we saw is still a nice movement in terms of overall bookings. Program bookings in automotive, we booked about 43 programs, nice program value overall of about $203 million. But the ADAS bookings were not as strong as we've seen in some of the past quarters. I don't make a trend out of one quarter. What I like seeing is that very strong lifetime program bookings. I think there may be a little bit of a pause of some of the new product efforts in our customer side that would lead to a little bit a bit of a slowdown on the ADAS-related programs. But overall, a good indication that customers are continuing to move forward with their longer-term plans in terms of programs themselves. So hopefully, that gives you a feel for it. Matt Sheerin -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Absolutely. And on the just changing subjects to the aerospace and defense. And it sounds like you're seeing really so strong demand on the military side. Could you remind us what the breakdown is commercial versus defense in that sector? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Yes. So 2019 full-year numbers. We were -- about 18% of our aerospace and defense business was commercial aerospace. The balance was defense. Now, obviously, with commercial aerospace demand worsening through 2020, that will come substantially down in terms of commercial aerospace as a percentage of those revenues. But to begin with, they already were relatively small as a percentage. What we have seen is that the defense side of the business more than makes up for that. That's why we're still seeing very strong ongoing growth, about 8% in the second quarter and, as we look forward, why we're still continuing to be optimistic here in terms of that overall aerospace and defense business. And that's really fed by, again, by our radar position and then the program breadth that we have in on the defense side. So hopefully, that gives you a feel for the split. Matt Sheerin -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Sure enough. Thanks a lot. Operator The next question in queue comes from Steven Fox, Fox Advisors. Please go ahead. Steve Fox -- Fox Advisors -- Analyst Thanks. Good afternoon. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Hi, Steve. Steve Fox -- Fox Advisors -- Analyst Hi. I guess just to back up to the Q2 results on continuing operations basis, relative to your original guidance, there was some significant top-line upside, and you sort of cited some of the markets that look like contributed to it. But maybe you can just sort of call out within each segment what was most surprising to you relative to guidance. And then associated with that, maybe I got this wrong, but it looks like the drop down from the top-line upside was greater than you normally would target. I'm wondering if you would agree with that. And if so, what drove that? Thanks. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Sure. I'll give a general comment on the second part, and Todd, you can jump in there as well. On the top-line performance, you know, I think we were very pleased. Obviously, we were able to perform ahead of forecast in a number of our end markets. If you look at the medical, industrial instrumentation area, that was one area where we outperformed versus our guidance, driven by really a combination of two things: medical demand and then instrumentation demand being strong. Network and communication, we also did better than we had expected there, mainly the networking sorry, the telecom side driving that, the 5G growth being stronger than we had been forecasting. And then computing also had tremendous upside against our forecast, mainly data center, demand semiconductor remains strong, but data center demand stronger than we had forecast. And if you tie all that back to COVID and what was going on with our customers, I think most of it, that really does make sense that we would see that kind of growth in the quarter with that growth sort of normalizing as we go back and as we move into the third quarter. So how that contributed? You know, particularly, we saw some tremendous utilization improvements in several of our facilities in Asia. They performed very well operationally. And then also on the North America side, from an operation standpoint, we had been deliberately careful given absentee rate concerns with COVID about our ability to push production out, and the teams did an amazing job in North America as well. So I'll stop there. Todd, any further comments? Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer Well, I think you hit the nail on the head relative to Q2 performance, relative to the guidance or expectations that we have said going into the quarter. As Tom mentioned in his comments and particularly in the medical area, where we were asked to really stretch ourselves by customers on a rather urgent basis, and we rally to do that as a group. As you look into Q3 and what's happening, you're seeing a calming down in some of those markets. So where medical and industrial instrumentation was very strong in Q2, with very little notice, if you will, it's tapering off here. The initial surge in ventilators are slowing down here. As you go into Q3, kind of getting back to a more normal pattern. We're also seeing -- and I think you've seen with some of the other commentary out in the street, data centers are pausing a little bit in Q3. We've seen that from some of the chip companies who have made some comments to that effect. And Tom mentioned in his comments that 5G is pausing a little bit in Q3. A lot of the 5G growth in the first half of the year was driven in Asia, particularly China, and with what's going on there politically and otherwise, they're definitely pausing a little bit in Q3. And we're seeing some of that filter down into our business expectations for the quarter. Operationally, as Tom pointed out, we executed pretty well. In Q2, a lot of the upside in profit was really driven by the revenue and execution. And as we look at Q3, you know, yes, we're declining quarter to quarter, but a lot of that is really top line. In fact, all of it is just top line-driven. So when we look at the impact and even with essentially $100 million or $110 million, if you take the midpoint of guidance drop sequentially in revenue, the incremental margin drop is much smaller than that. And so we're doing a pretty good job in managing the costs both up and down as we try to respond to the revenue levels that we're experiencing. Steve Fox -- Fox Advisors -- Analyst Great. That's very helpful. Thank you. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Steve. Operator Our next question in queue comes from Mike Crawford. B. Riley. Please go ahead. Mike Crawford -- B. Riley FBR -- Analyst Thank you. On aerospace and defense front, I imagine the large platform programs keep you pretty well-insulated via budget cycle in this election year. We're working on Asia, and F-35, F-16 that stays pretty much the same. But are there some new programs that you're looking to either get on or to ramp up that will require that new government '21 budget before you can get started and so could you talk about any of those opportunities? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer You know, that's an interesting question, Mike. Well, we have seen -- and you can see that in our overall program backlog moving up over 640 now. There has been tremendous momentum with the programs that we're involved in. And a major part of our focus through the years has been to be in, not just in a broad set of programs to beat, but to have depth in the right programs. Now, those programs are particularly where we have depth of involvement usually involve our RF capability and, therefore, are usually tied to radar systems and radar requirements. At this point, while it's always good to have a solid budget backdrop that's not essential with these programs because they're viewed as core programs and so whether it's the fighter jet programs that we mentioned, whether it's upgrades with some of the naval ships that are out there, whether it's the LTAMDS-type missile programs, the need to move to AESA radar is a core requirement of all the armed services. And so, with that backdrop, I'm not I'm not we're not viewing any particular program as being dependent on budget requirements in terms of driving our overall growth, as I think we've got a nice solid set of core programs that will be funded, going forward, that will really provide that strong backdrop to drive our growth at this point. Mike Crawford -- B. Riley FBR -- Analyst OK. Thank you. I'll just ask one other question subject. So on automotive vertical, I'm not sure if I heard exactly what conventional PCBs was as a percent of automotive sales in 2Q and then if there's been any change on where you think that mix might change for 2H '20 or '21 or beyond. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Yeah. So we provide that number on an annual basis because I think it's sort of misleading to provide it on a quarterly basis. It moves around quite a bit. But as you know, we were over 20% in terms of content from the non-conventional printed circuit boards at the end of last year. What we're seeing right now is this year should lead to more than likely another increase in that percentage with electrification continuing to occur. So I expect that to happen as we move through the course of the year so that, again, we report that number, really, in the first quarter of next year. We should see a pretty solid increase in that percentage. Again, as we see growth on the sensor and on the infant infotainment side of the business balanced again in the face of what is really could to be a challenging year. So if you have, you know, a portion of the market that continues to grow, albeit slowly, in the face of overall unit volumes dropping, you're going to see that percentage increase. So that's what I would expect to see as we move toward the second half. Mike Crawford -- B. Riley FBR -- Analyst OK, great. Thank you very much. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator Our next question comes from Jim Ricchiuti with Needham & Company. Please go ahead. Mike Cikos -- Needham and Company -- Analyst Hi, team. Yeah, Mike Cikos here instead of Jim Ricchiuti. A couple of quick questions for you, the first being on the E-MS business. I just wanted to make sure I heard it correctly in the prepared remarks. But was there a comment that some of this business may have seen a temporary benefit if customers were trying to place orders ahead of your wind down? Did I hear that correctly? And if so, did you quantify what that benefit was? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer So you'll find -- in the tables and the press release, you'll find some really nice data on the split. So with both mobility and then also E-MS, so you'll be able to do the math, if you will. But just to give you a feel the we did talk about E-MS being up from last year because of the last time buys and that that's just a short-term situation overall. And I should let me caveat that. It's actually up sequentially. But you can sort of remove that noise, if you will, by referring to those tables. And then you can really see where the printed circuit board business the ongoing business will be here as we go through -- as we look at the year to date, at any rate, for TTM. Mike Cikos -- Needham and Company -- Analyst OK. Thank you for that. And I'll have to circle up on those tables. And just another -- I know, again, it's a little difficult to forecast because we're expecting this winddown through the back half of 2020. But is there -- I guess can you help us understand what you're baking into your Q3 sales guidance for the E-MS division? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Why don't I do this if let me just walk through you approximately. If you look at the printed circuit board business, and you look at where we're going to be year on year with the end markets that can probably give you a feel for it. And so if you think about the guidance and if you look year-on-year aerospace and defense, we should -- in printed circuit board, we should be up about 4%. Of course, it is very little E-MS content there. Automotive, where there's obviously more EMS content, for PCBs only, we should be down about 31% year on year. If you look at computing, we'll be roughly flat year on year. MII, where there is some E-MS content, we should be up roughly nine percentage points with PCB. And then if you look at networking comp, down roughly 9%, 8.7 or so there. So that should give you a feel for where we are on the PCB side. Todd, any more guidance you'd like to provide on the table? Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer Yeah. I can help them out a little bit. You don't have the benefit of the table that is an exhibit to the press release. But when you look at that, you'll see that the two plants that we're talking about that are being closed only contributed about $21 million of revenue in the second quarter. And if you look at Q3 and Q4, although the numbers can fluctuate a little bit, it's going to be in that neighborhood, plus or minus 5 million. So it's relatively immaterial. And it's not going to have a huge swing one way or the other, as we can see it right now. Mike Cikos -- Needham and Company -- Analyst It's helpful, very helpful. And then one final, if I may, just coming to the COVID-19 pandemic and how you guys have been handling this. Again, with the results in the outside and the execution from you guys, wanted to get a sense, have costs that you guys are currently incurring to help with the contact tracing or protecting your personnel. Are those fully reflected in Q2 results? And should we assume a continuation of that in Q3, or is there a potential step down as things somewhat normalize and most of those upfront costs are, hopefully, behind you at this point? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Go ahead, Todd. Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer Maybe I'll take a shot at it. So yes, we incurred costs, and they're a little here and a little there, things like deep cleaning and more frequent cleaning, masks, equipment for temperature checking, obviously, the time spent doing contact tracing. And we follow up with all of our employees on a daily basis. So there's a lot of, I'll call, hidden costs, a little here and a little there, and they're difficult to capture. There's some things that are a little more direct, like I said, the masks or something like that. And then there's the whole issue of productivity. So those costs are expensed as incurred, and they are reflected in our Q1 and Q2 numbers as we've incurred those costs. And we as best as we can, we've tried to include our expected costs associated with that in our Q3 guidance. COVID is not going away. I think if you look at the stats, it's being rather difficult, obviously, when you look around the nation, particularly in the U.S., and it's even starting to rear its head again in Hong Kong. So we're very concerned. And we're being very vigilant with our people and our sites to make sure that we're taking care of our people. And we're very fortunate that those that are getting sick or not getting sick at work, we're trying to protect our people at work. But there will continue to be costs associated with that. We are going to continue to do our protocols to protect our people as best as we can within the work environment. But those costs are reflected already in our forecast. Mike Cikos -- Needham and Company -- Analyst Thank you for the color, guys. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Sure. Operator We'll take our next question in queue, comes from Paul Coster with JP Morgan. Please go ahead. Paul Chung -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Hey, guys, it's Paul Chung on for Coster. Thanks for taking my question. So just on your long-term kind of operating margin targets for 12% to 14%. Now that you've--you sold the mobile business, and you're exiting parts of E-MS, can you give us a sense for the timeline to hitting that long-term range? And then can you also comment on the kind of seasonality of your operating margins now? Is it fair to kind of assume a lot less volatility between the quarters moving forward particularly in 1Q and 2Q? Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer Tom, do you want to try to run that take a try at that? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Absolutely. So let me take the second question first, and that is seasonality. So we used to have very, very major seasonality impacts when we were when we had a large element of the consumer business. With the sale of our Mobility business unit that gets us out of a big piece of that. Now there still be some subtle differences. We still have Chinese New Year in the first quarter and that impacts our ability to produce and our customers' ability to produce and so there always tends to be a little bit of an impact there. And oftentimes in Q3, particularly in North America, you have vacation season. This year is a bit weird because of COVID. But generally speaking, we see a little pattern there. But I don't think that seasonality well, I know the seasonality won't be as pronounced as it was in the past. And I'm not even sure how significant it will be, but you will see some subtle differences, with Q1 and Q3 probably being the most impacted. In regards to your first question on targets, I think we made the comment in my notes that if you take out the businesses that we either have exited or the two plants that we're closing. Our operating margin would have been about 9.9% this past quarter. And so that's an indication of the improvement in the financial model that we're driving toward. So our goal of getting the 12% to 14% doesn't seem so far away now. We do need top-line help. We have plants, particularly in Asia, that are not as utilized as they need to be in terms of their financial contribution. And so we need some top-line growth to get there. But assuming the economy rights itself here from the COVID buyers, and that's a big if, I'm not I don't have a great crystal ball. They're looking at '21 or '22. But assuming those are more normal years and we have our organic revenue growth, that we would expect in that four to the mid-single digits kind of number. It's a two-year stretch there. We need to get a few hundred million dollars of top line, 200 million to, let's say, 300 million to get us into that solid into that margin range. And those are levels we've been at before in different end markets. We just need the end markets to kind of get their strength back. We saw some of that in Q2, but we're seeing some of it slide a bit back in Q3. We need to kind of get some of that consistent growth, which comes from a healthy economy. And that's the big wildcard right now. Paul Chung -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Got you. And then just a follow-up on that 200 to 300. Is acquisitions kind of in the cards? Are you now focused on the existing business now? It has been two years since you bought Anaren, and you seem to kind of add to your portfolio around two to three-year gap. So are you on for another one? Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thanks, Paul. Yeah. Sure. I'll jump on, on that one. So the 200 to 300 that Todd was referring to really is about our organic efforts to grow the business and we believe we can get there as we return to more normal times and as we look at the real macro factors driving our growth rates and our end markets. So that's Oregon. But you're certainly right. From a balance sheet perspective, we're in a very strong shape now, really pleased to see that. The company, though, pursues M&A as part of our overall strategic growth. And we've identified a few areas of focus. One is to continue to look at our footprint, make sure that we've got the right footprint from a customer-support perspective. The other and bigger thrust of our M&A efforts will be to continue to deepen our engagement on our RF side of the business both from an aerospace and defense standpoint and also commercially. So we will continue to move forward with that strategy. When those opportunities materialize, it's always difficult to estimate, but it's a process that we run as a regular part of our core one of our core processes. So we continue to work that. And in the meantime, as we've informed our investors consistently, our first priority was to pay down the debt. We've done that. We are really pleased with the shape of our balance sheet, and we'll continue to work our strategies for growth. So hope that gives you an answer, Paul. Paul Chung -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst Yeah. Perfect. Thank you. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Thank you. Operator There are no more questions in the queue at this time. I will now turn it over to Tom Edman for closing remarks. Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Great. Thank you very much and thank you all for joining us. I'd just like to close by summarizing some of the points that I made earlier. First, we delivered revenues and earnings above the guided range, despite COVID-19-related challenges in labor productivity, which really is a demonstration of our focus on operational excellence. Second, our end market diversification has allowed us to has allowed our continuing operations to grow despite weakness in a couple of sub segments. Third, we received proceeds from the sale of the mobility unit, divestiture and repaid our term loan. So in closing, I'd like to thank our employees, our customers, of course, you, our investors, for their and your continued support as we navigate challenges around our businesses associated with COVID-19. We will continue our long-term strategic focus on diversification, differentiation and discipline. And so with that, I'll close the call. Thank you again for joining us and ask that you all stay safe. Thank you very much. Operator [Operator signoff] Duration: 60 minutes Call participants: Sameer Desai -- Senior Director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations Tom Edman -- Chief Executive Officer Todd Schull -- Chief Financial Officer William Stein -- SunTrust Robinson Humphrey -- Analyst Matt Sheerin -- Stifel Financial Corp. -- Analyst Steve Fox -- Fox Advisors -- Analyst Mike Crawford -- B. Riley FBR -- Analyst Mike Cikos -- Needham and Company -- Analyst Paul Chung -- J.P. Morgan -- Analyst More TTM analysis All earnings call transcripts Indias position on the border standoff with China was backed on Thursday by Australia, which said it opposed attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as that could increase the risk of instability. Australian high commissioner Barry OFarrell conveyed his countrys position to external affairs minister S Jaishankar during a meeting, at which the two sides discussed developments across the Indo-Pacific region amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Australian side urges restraint along the LAC and supports continued moves towards de-escalation, said a statement from the Australian high commission. As I told the external affairs minister of India today, Australia opposes any attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo, which only serve to increase tension and the risk of instability, OFarrell was quoted as saying in the statement. It is important that the bilaterally-agreed principles and norms that have helped prevent escalation or miscalculation in the border areas over many decades continue to be observed, the statement added. India has repeatedly said in recent weeks that it is opposed to any unilateral efforts to change the status quo along the LAC, along which tens of thousands of Indian and Chinese troops continue to be deployed. There has been growing convergence between India and Australia on security issues and the role of China in the Indo-Pacific in recent months. The two sides elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed an agreement for reciprocal access to military logistics during a virtual summit last month. Australia, which is set to be invited to join the Malabar naval exercise conducted by India, Japan and the US, has also backed Indias calls for reform of international bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and sought a probe into the origins of the pandemic. During a meeting of the US and Australian defence and foreign ministers in Washington on Tuesday, the two countries envisaged a key role for India in defence cooperation and post-Covid-19 recovery efforts in the Indo-Pacific. The Australian missions statement further said that Australia remains vigilant about strategic trends inimical to our vision of the region even as it focuses on the health and economic impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. Australia envisages an Indo-Pacific that is an open, free, rules-based region that is resilient to coercion and supported by inclusive institutions, the statement said. Territorial disputes and competing claims should be resolved peacefully by the claimant countries, and in ways consistent with international law, it added. Australia also continues to be deeply concerned by Chinas actions in the South China Sea that are destabilising and could provoke escalation, the statement said. On July 23, Australia lodged a note with the UN Secretary General refuting Chinas unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea. It added: It rejects Chinas claim to historic rights and internal waters, its assertion of certain maritime zones, and its contention there is wide international recognition of its South China Sea sovereignty claims. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Rating Action: Moody's assigns Aaa to City of Seattle, WA's LTGO Bonds, 2020A and 2020B (taxable); outlook stable Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 New York, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned Aaa ratings to the City of Seattle, Washington's $79.1 million Limited Tax General Obligation Improvement and Refunding Bonds, 2020A and $11.4 million Limited Tax General Obligation Improvement Bonds, 2020B (Taxable). Concurrently, Moody's has affirmed the Aaa ratings on the city's $262.8 million in general obligation unlimited tax bonds, as well as the Aaa ratings on the city's $627.4 million in general obligation limited tax bonds. The rating outlook is stable. RATINGS RATIONALE The Aaa ratings reflect the city's large tax base that forms the economic center of the State of Washington (Aaa stable) and the region includes some of the world's most well-known international corporations, including Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing. Although the coronavirus pandemic is having a significant impact on general economic conditions, particularly for the aerospace and leisure and hospitality sectors, we expect strong underlying fundamentals will help to mitigate some of these challenges. High property values are driven by socioeconomic measures that are amongst the strongest in the country for a large city, though we anticipate some softening as the coronavirus pandemic wears on. The city's financial profile, which has historically been characterized by healthy reserve levels and liquidity, will experience some weakness in the near-term as substantial declines in revenue are anticipated as a result of the coronavirus. The ratings also incorporate a very strong management team with prudent institutionalized financial practices. The city's debt profile is manageable, consisting entirely of fixed-rate obligations, and pension and OPEB liabilities are moderate. The absence of a rating distinction between the city's unlimited tax general obligation and limited tax general obligation ratings reflects the strength and broadness of the full faith and credit pledge in Washington, which Moody's rates at the same level as an unlimited tax general obligation pledge. Story continues RATING OUTLOOK The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the city's currently strong financial profile will provide some cushion from the effects of the coronavirus. While we expect elevated levels of unemployment and depressed levels of spending to result in lower overall tax revenue for the city, we also expect that the city's management team will find ways to address projected revenue shortfalls in ways that allow the city to maintain an overall healthy financial profile. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS - Material weakening in the city's finances - Prolonged deterioration in the economy and tax base - Substantial growth in debt and/or pension liabilities LEGAL SECURITY The limited tax general obligation bonds are secured by the city's full faith, credit, and resources and pledge to levy taxes annually within the constitutional and statutory tax limitation provided by law without a vote of the people. USE OF PROCEEDS The 2020A bonds will be used to pay for various elements of the city's capital improvement program as well as refinance for savings certain outstanding obligations of the city. The 2020B bonds will be used to pay for various elements of the city's capital improvement program as well as make funds available to its affordable rental housing program. PROFILE Seattle is the economic center for the Pacific Northwest. The city is a full-service city, with a relatively affluent population of nearly 747,300, a large and well-educated labor force, and ties to the broader metropolitan area including the cities of Bellevue and Everett. 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. 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In 1982, when Amitabh Bachchan met with a serious accident on the sets of Coolie and then spent several weeks at Mumbais Breach Candy Hospital, all of India prayed for him. As Bachchan hovered between life and death, the nation held its breath, begging God to save the biggest star the country had ever seen. When Bachchan tested positive for Covid on July 11 this year, the news caused widespread shock all over the country. The hospital made it clear that the condition was not life-threatening but no 77-year-old with co-morbidities can afford to take Covid lightly. And so, even though the situation was nothing as serious as 1982, a worried nation still prayed for him. Bachchan was so overwhelmed by expressions of support and concern that he tweeted on July 17, on behalf of himself and his family Our well-wishers, our fans have ever given us unstinting love, affection, care and prayer. We express our bountiful, gracious gratitude to you. Apart from the fact that this episode of illness was not potentially fatal unlike the 1982 episode, there was one other important difference. This time around, Bachchan got hate messages from social media trolls. Some not only wished him ill, they also hoped that he would die of the virus. ALSO READ: The Covid Puzzle Who would hate a 77-year-old man, the idol of millions, whose work has given so much joy and pleasure to the world, enough to send him such hateful messages? The short answer appears to be that social media attracts vermin and then brings out the worst qualities in them. It could be that there were no low-life haters in 1982. But it could also be that they have always been around. They just didnt know to transmit abuse anonymously. Social media has given them a means of directing hate at pretty much any target they want. Given Bachchans current public persona as a kindly old man who gives away money on Kaun Banega Crorepati, you might expect him to ignore the haters. But, in a stunning return to the persona that made him a star --- the angry guy from Zanjeer and Deewar, who wouldnt take abuse from anyone --- Bachchan chose to hit back. On his popular blog, he posted a response to one anonymous troll. It began. Hey Mr Anonymous You do not even write your fathers name because you do not know who fathered you. He ended with a threat. If by Gods grace I survive and live, you shall have to be weathering the swipe storm, not just from me but on a very conservative level, from 90+ million followers that extended family shall, in the flash of an eye become extermination family. All I shall say to them is: Thok do saale ko! It ended with a stanza in Hindi (containing not very nice things) and Bachchan finished with: May you burn in your own stew. That response was out of tune with the tone of the blog which is generally benign. So it offered one indication of how angry Bachchan must be. He is not the only angry one. All over the world, celebrities have been incensed by the abuse and negativity directed at them from strangers. George Clooney has said that he tries not to read what it says on the internet because of the terrifying levels of hatred. The British star Stephen Fry went off Twitter for a while because of abuse. In India, Sonakshi Sinha has done the same thing. Why do people spend so much time tweeting hateful things (which they often dont even really mean) to strangers? Does it make them feel powerful? Does it compensate for some inadequacy in their mental make-up? In the case of people who tweet or send abuse to women, the tone of the messages can be so full of sexual references that chances are that the senders are sexually inadequate men who can only get their kicks this way. The actress Swara Bhaskar is a frequent target of right wing trolls because she is vocal about her liberal views. But after she acted in Veere di Wedding, playing a character who once used a vibrator, a large chunk of the tweets about her have focused on masturbation and Swaras finger (presumably from people who have not seen the movie or are not sexually knowledgeable enough to know what a vibrator is). Other actresses may have been intimidated by this torrent of misogynistic, sexually-loaded abuse but Bhaskar has given it back to the haters. Her bio on Twitter proudly reads: Introduced the vibrator to the Indian silver screen and gave employment for years to come to countless trolls and vermin. It isnt just stars who suffer. Asked why she filtered replies to her tweets, the journalist Rohini Singh tweeted, The onus of respectful engagement is on men. Sexual innuendos, abuse, and slander isnt an alternative view that women should listen to. How does one handle trolls? I can sympathise with those who have left Twitter because it is pointless to expect the platform to act against the abusers. Even when Twitter does act against a habitual offender, he is back in business with a new account. And while some of the abuse does come from sickos and perverts, a lot of it comes from organized troll farms where employees are asked to intimidate and abuse specific targets. The people who run these farms understand technology. So each time Twitter tries to block abusers, the managements of the Bot Farms, and control rooms find new ways to outwit the Twitter authorities. In the case of Facebook, as recent protests in the US have demonstrated, the operation is designed to support hatred and fake news. I am rapidly coming around to the view that if you use social media --- and even if you arent Amitabh Bachchan --- the only way to survive is to block haters and to fight back. I know people who say you should just ignore bots, which sounds reasonable , but if you come across a real-life sicko or a two rupee Twitter assassin, then blocking or ignoring is not enough. In the words of Tiger from Hum, there are two kinds of cockroach in the world. And as Amitabh has reminded us, thirty years after he uttered that dialogue, you dont need to let either survive. To read more on The Taste With Vir, click here Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. A terrified ex-servicewoman silently mouthed 'help me' from a window moments before she was stabbed to death by a cocaine-fuelled killer who also tried to cut her head off. Ex-military climbing instructor Sarah Hassall, 38, was overpowered by 20-stone Brian Manship who she had known for six hours. She was found naked with 22 stab wounds and Manship had tried to cut her head off in a 'frenzied' knife attack, a court heard. The 'drug-fuelled' knifeman fled and was captured by armed police in woodland 10 hours later. Manship, who sat in a grey sweatshirt on a video link from Long Lartin Prison, admitted murder and was today jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 20 years. Sarah's estranged husband, Graham Hassall, read out a statement during Manship's sentencing today at Swansea Crown Court and said it was the last thing he could do for his 'wife and best friend'. Sarah Hassall (pictured), 38, was stabbed to death by Brian Manship after the pair met in the Skinny Dog pub at Pontypridd, South Wales, in October last year The court heard Sarah had struggled to adapt to civilian life after a distinguished military career and she had turned to alcohol to cope. Sarah met Manship, 38, in the Skinny Dog pub at Pontypridd, South Wales, in the early hours of the morning and agreed to go back to his flat to take cocaine and have sex. Prosecutor Michael Jones QC said: 'At 7.45am the next morning neighbour Philip Iveson heard banging and a woman screaming: 'Get off me, get off me.' The noises were as if someone was being chased around. 'Mr Iveson heard her shout: 'I will have sex with you again. I won't tell anyone, just let me go.'' Manship, pictured, 38, was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 20 years The court heard Mr Iveson went outside and saw Sarah in the living room window of Manship's flat. Mr Jones said: 'Her hair was all over the place as if she had been dragged about - she was banging on the window and repeating the words: 'Help me'. 'Mr Iveson said it was haunting because she was too terrified to speak the words. He then heard a man's voice saying: 'Get the f*** back in here.'' Neighbour Nicky Durant heard 'horrible, sinister screaming' on the morning of October last year which the prosecution said was silenced by Manship murdering his vulnerable victim. Police arrived and found Sarah naked except for her socks on the floor of the blood covered flat. Manship jumped through a bedroom window to escape. Mr Jones told Swansea Crown Court: 'Sarah had been subjected to a savage, sustained and sadistic attack. 'She had been stabbed 22 times, slashed seven times and a major artery was severed. It was a prolonged, vicious and ultimately fatal attack.' Armed police officers arrest Manship as he emerges from bushes after he murdered Sarah CCTV footage showed the pair getting into a taxi together on the High Street before being driven towards the flat. Another clip captured police catching Manship hiding in the woods while wearing blood-soaked jeans. Paramedic Lee Morgan told police: 'It looked like her neck had been hacked in an attempt to decapitate her. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen.' Father-of-one Manship hid two 'bloodied' kitchen knives under a mattress and had tried to cover Sarah's body with a curtain and before fleeing. A CCTV still showing Manship and Sarah getting into a taxi on the High Street and then being driven towards the address in Pontypridd before the fatal knife attack Graham Hassall, the estranged husband of Sarah, leaving Swansea Crown Court in Wales. He read out a statement addressed to Manship during the sentencing today The court heard there was consensual sex between them after they had drunk vodka and taken cocaine in Graig Y Wion Court, Pontypridd. Manship launched the knife attack after accusing Sarah of trying to steal from him. This is our sons birthday, he cried for her wearing her coat: Heartbreaking message from husband to wife's killer A statement from Graham Hassall was read out at Swansea Crown Court during the sentencing of Brian David Manship. He said the statement was the last thing he could do for his 'wife and best friend.' Addressing Manship, the statement read: 'Not only did you exploit a vulnerable person, you went on to kill her in the most horrible way possible, in a protracted and fear inducing manner. 'She pleaded for you to let her go. I live with those thoughts and visions every single day. 'I have no doubt her last thought was her very young children she left behind. The time of writing this is the eve of our son's ninth birthday. 'He cried for her wearing her coat which shows her diminutive size. 'It will be sad each Christmas, birthday, family meal.' Advertisement Sarah's soldier husband Graham, 51, told Manship in a victim impact statement: 'Not only did you exploit a vulnerable person half your size you went on to knife her in a protracted manner. 'There were bruises and scratches on her tiny face but they are a mere fraction of the numerous knife wounds you inflicted on her. 'I live with those visions every single day. I have no doubt that her last thought was for her two tiny children she left behind.' Sarah had previously served with both the RAF and the Royal Engineers for 14 years. But she left the forces after failing a compulsory drugs test and later separated from husband Graham. The mother-of-two from Chelmsford, Essex, was due to visit her two sons Owain, 10, and Evan, eight, on the day she was murdered. After Manship was arrested he said: 'I'm quite pleased the police caught me, I can get a good night's sleep now.' Manship, who had a previous history of controlling behaviour and violence towards women, wrote a letter to the court saying he was 'sorry and remorseful'. Peter Rouch, defending, said: 'He thought she was trying to steal from him when he was fuelled by a cocktail of drink and drugs. 'He over-reacted and assaulted her but has no recollection of using the knives.' Judge Keith Thomas told Manship: 'Sarah Hassall was a much-loved mother. sister and wife - this was a tragic and senseless loss of life. 'Sarah found it difficult to adapt to civilian life when she left the Army to bring up her two sons and turned to alcohol as her life spiralled downwards. 'She was getting her life back on track when she met you. A neighbour saw Mrs Hassall at the window saying: "Help me, help me." 'You berated, belittled and attacked Mrs Hassall who was a much smaller person in stature and no match for you in any physical attack.' 'By 8.24 that morning Mrs Hassall was fatally injured and you had left by a window.' Soldier Mr Hassall, who lives near Monmouth, South Wales, wept as the judge sentenced his wife's killer. Adventurous Sarah was a member of RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue team in Moray, Scotland in the early years of her military career. New Delhi, July 30 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating Mauritius Supreme Court building through a video conference on Thursday, said that India's development cooperation with its regional partners was unconditional and without any quid pro quo. The Supreme Court building in Mauritius is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis. The landmark project has been completed amidst the Covid pandemic, with a grant assistance of USD 28.12 million from the government of India, a statement of the ministry of external affairs said. Inaugurating the building jointly with Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister Modi during his video address said, "India's development cooperation does not come with any conditions, nor is it influenced by any political or commercial considerations." The indirect reference to unconditional development cooperation in the region was a dig at China which is known to be predatory and imperialistic in all its development projects in foreign countries. The core principle for development cooperation, PM Modi said, "is respect for our partners and the central motivation is sharing of our development lessons." Prime Minister Modi said that the development cooperation with Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach to development partnerships. Noting the importance of human-centric approach as the underlying philosophy of India's development cooperation, he commended the role of people-oriented infrastructure projects in further cementing the close ties between India and Mauritius. This, he emphasized, distinguishes the Indian development cooperation as marked by the core values of 'Respect', 'Diversity', 'Care for the Future', and 'Sustainable Development'. Prime Minister Modi said that the new Supreme Court building with modern design and state-of-the-art facilities will be a fitting seat for the Mauritius judiciary, and a symbol of cooperation as well as shared values of India and Mauritius. He also pointed out that the project had been completed on schedule and at a cost below initial estimates. In line with India's vision of 'SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region', the new Supreme Court building demonstrates India's role as a reliable partner of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean region as also India's steadfast commitment to strengthen the future-oriented partnership between the two countries. Noting that India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius, Prime Minister Modi expressed his confidence that the India-Mauritius partnership is destined to soar even higher in the coming years. Prime Minister Jugnauth expressed his deep appreciation for India's support for the project as reflective of the close ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. "Our country, our people are grateful for your support," he told PM Modi. Quoting PM Modi's Prayagraj speech in March this year, PM Jugnauth said that his government held the same values and vision of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' (Together, for everyone's growth, with everyone's trust). "Today's event bears out the depth of our determination and commitment to our modernization endeavour for the well being of our people. This is sacred for us and I know, Modi ji, that we both share this philosophy," PM Jugnauth said. He noted that the construction of the Supreme Court Building with Indian assistance is a new milestone in the modernization of infrastructure in Mauritius and will help make the Mauritius justice system more efficient, accessible and inclusive. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text When Florida students return to school next year, there will be a new safety measure in place thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last June. Alyssa's Law, named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, a victim of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, requires all Florida public and charter schools to implement a mobile system that silently alerts law enforcement and first responders of potentially life-threatening situations -- from shootings to medical emergencies. But one Florida school is ahead of the pack. Coral Springs Charter School installed and began testing a panic alert system in February before the spread of the novel coronavirus. ABC News saw the system in action before the pandemic with assistance from Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow, 18, was also killed in the Parkland shooting. MORE: Why it Matters: Parkland shooting survivors on what's driving them to vote It's been more than two years since a grieving and angry Pollack told President Donald Trump at a White House meeting, "There should've been one school shooting and we should've fixed it." Now, Pollack said he hopes the launch of his new program, School Safety Grant, and the implementation of ALERT, or Active Law Enforcement Response Technology, will be one fix when gun laws fail. The School Safety Grant, Pollack says, will help fund school safety enhancement nationwide by distributing grants. Police departments will be awarded up to $40,000 and $20,000 per campus for school districts. But its not just schools, says Lee Mandel, CEO of IntraLogic Solutions. Hospitals, movie theaters, houses of worship and other mass-gathering locations will be eligible. The grants will cover the full implementation, full deployment and all the software for life, says Mandel. IntraLogic Solutions, along with the other School Safety Grant partners, Actuate and SaferWatch, are initially donating up to $20 million worth of software licenses and deployment services that will allow grant recipients to use their existing infrastructure to connect them to their local police departments. Story continues ALERT gives police access to real-time surveillance cameras within a building once a panic button is hit during an active incident or a button is hit on a phone application. Dispatchers can then identify and track a suspect's location, and relay crucial information to officers as they respond. "When they arrive on the scene, they know exactly where to go, how to get in, where the shooter is," Mandel told ABC News. Mandel began developing the ALERT software after 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. "It really hit home," Mandel said. "And we said, 'How can we make a difference?'" Mandel said he met Pollack shortly after the Parkland shooting that killed 17 and injured 17 others. Since his daughter's death, Pollack has been involved in legislative efforts, including the signing of the School Safety Bill in Florida, that in part raised the minimum age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21, banned bump stocks and imposed a three-day waiting period to purchase a gun. "For me, it's always been about school safety," Pollack said. "I don't want to debate about anything else." MORE: COLUMN: There's no undoing the pain of the Parkland massacre, but it won't define me or my school "If this type of software was in place ... she'd be alive today," Pollack said. "There were so many miscommunications, human errors, people not trained properly," he continued. "This makes police departments efficient. It takes them into the 21st century of response." Identifying and solving the problems Coral Springs police were the first to enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the day of the shooting. The department is the first in the nation to receive ALERT. PHOTO: People look on at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 18, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) "[Marjory Stoneman Douglas] had a good camera system, but the department didn't have access," Coral Springs Police Chief Clyde Parry told ABC News. "Without us being able to tie in and look at the cameras, it obviously hampered our response in that situation." He noted that at one point information was delayed by as much as 20 minutes and officers believed the shooter was on the third floor when in reality he had left the building. Another problem, Parry said, was the fire alarm. "It was hard for some of the students to hear ... any announcements over the intercom," he said. "We're going to look at being able to disable the fire alarm remotely so that now we can give clear directions, 'A code red has been called -- enter your classroom, lock yourself down,' you know, so that those things, you know, can't happen again." "We looked under every rock, we turned every leaf over," Parry said. "It's important to go through them thoroughly, vet them and find out what did I do good. What did I do bad? What can I fix for the next time?" Coral Springs police has begun working toward interoperability between fire departments and the sheriff's office. They have also established mutual aid agreements with the jurisdictions around them so that they are able to respond to events if they are within striking distance. As for the ALERT technology, "It's life changing," Parry said. "It's taking us from being in a rowboat to being in a starship." MORE: 2 Parkland teens, Sandy Hook dad die from apparent suicides: How to help with suicide prevention Parry told ABC News that information given during 911 calls can often be unhelpful if the caller is under stress and shock. "With this technology, it allows us to be able to have well-trained people give defined answers and directions of where to travel, exactly where the problem is," he said. "If you have a camera and I'm looking for somebody who's wearing black pants in a maroon shirt ... you can do that. You can give a direction of travel. You can tell them which area to enter the school. More importantly, which area not to enter the school, [like] if we see that somebody is maybe set up in a sniper situation." "In some instances I imagine it will go faster than even receiving our first 911 call," Parry said. "In any emergency, where seconds matter ... this is technology that is going to trim off as many seconds as you can." Although this technology is a step forward, those on the receiving end are confident it is not an end-all, be-all solution. "Shooters are constantly evolving and are constantly learning," Parry said. "You can never rest on your laurels.'" "But it will bring school safety to a different level than what we have right now. And I am excited about it. I look forward to it. And I'm embracing it," Parry added. Coral Springs Charter School, located just two miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, is also a grant recipient. PHOTO: Police keep the campus secure as students arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the first day of school on Aug. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) "When it's literally down the street from you, I think that has much more of a significant emotional impact," Principal Gary Springer told ABC News. "Parkland is not just our neighbor. They're literally a family member." Springer's school sits on a 200,000-square-foot campus, and houses 1,700 students from grades 6 to 12 and 150 faculty members. MORE: 'Sobering' photos show what kids think about dying in a school shooting "I think it's really crucial that we're able to have the latest and greatest technology ... at our fingertips," Springer told ABC News. "For our first responders to have instant access into our building and a bird's-eye view ... into what's going on at our school at any time during the day, I welcome that." The school has upward of 100 cameras throughout the building. "This provides immediate response in order for the situation to be controlled at a greater rate," he said. "The school now has the ability to automatically set off the panic alert and that'll shut down the school. And what that'll do is immediately alert first responders upon arriving on the scene. They will already have access to a full picture of the school, which includes an overlay of the entire footprint of the school that allow someone to communicate with first responders and automatically unlock the doors that are on lockdown." ALERT demonstration ABC News was there in February as Coral Springs police used ALERT for the first time at Coral Springs Charter School. Officers were prepped beforehand by Coral Springs Director of Emergency Management Alex Falcone. The drill began when Coral Springs Police Department communication center manager Kathy Liriano received an alert that a panic button was hit at the school. Liriano immediately alerted police, then took over the school's PA system to address the shooter. "Police are on scene. Shooter, drop your weapon," Liriano said. "Once they start talking over the intercom, the shooter may realize, 'All right, the police are here,' and they may abandon what they're doing and try and escape or ... shoot themselves. We know that a lot of these active killers have [died by] suicide once the police show up," Parry said. Liriano then relays crucial information to officers, including the race of the suspect and their clothing. With the school on lockdown, she is able to unlock the door for police. And as officers rush to the scene, the dispatcher continues to track the shooter in order to give police step-by-step directions to locate and apprehend the shooter upon their arrival. MORE: How to talk to kids about the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton On the first drill, Coral Springs police apprehended the shooter in less than four minutes. The officers then conducted a second drill in which the shooter entered the school and moved at random. "What we're really going to try to test with this is how quickly we can guide officers through the hallways. We're going to test using a lot of different cameras. We're gonna test using all of the features that the system has to offer," Falcone told ABC News correspondent Victor Oquendo. "They're going to have to search the school and they're gonna have to rely on the information provided to us from the software in order for them to find them." But a few minutes into the drill, Liriano selected a button that opened up nearly 300 camera views at once. "We'll disable that button so you can't accidentally click 10 cameras at the same time, because otherwise you're going to have too much on the screen," Mandel told Liriano. "This is an excellent opportunity for us, so we want to make sure that we drill and we drill hard because if we can identify issues now on a safe day in a controlled environment, we can fix that," Falcone said. They then elected to restart with a new drill. This time officers apprehended the shooter just one minute after entering the building. Mandel says the purpose of the drill was to locate additional features and challenges of the software to make it efficient and effective for users. Following the drill, the company removed the feature. After the drill, 15-year veteran Coral Springs Officer Robert Cherry is impressed, calling ALERT an incredible tool. "It gives us a huge advantage to know exactly where the suspect is at any given moment and a school of this size, you never know where they can be," Cherry said. MORE: Are bulletproof doors the future of school safety? This school district is testing them out Cherry was a first responder to the Parkland shooting. "It's invaluable to have if, God forbid, there's another incident like that," Cherry said about the software. For that reason, Pollack said he hopes this technology expands nationwide and is the future of responding. "In my head," he said, "my daughter will be saying, 'Well, look what we did now, Daddy.'" Exclusive: New technology in Florida school could be lifesaving in active shooter incidents, police say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 15:11:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HERAT, Afghanistan, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Three travelers have been confirmed dead and five others injured as a blast struck a mini-bus in the western Herat province on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman Jilani Farhad said Thursday. The blast struck the mini-bus in Hajji Abas area of Herat city on Wednesday night, killing three commuters and wounding five others, the official confirmed. Women and children are among the victims, the official added. Provincial police chief Abidullah Norzai has also confirmed the incident without pointing finger at any particular group, and said that investigation has been initiated into the deadly incident. Enditem NK varieties available for 2021 include all three of the most in-demand traits: Enlist E3 soybeans, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans and LibertyLink GT27 soybeans. As effective herbicide options become more limited, this expansive trait portfolio empowers growers to create the best weed management programs for their specific situations and maximize profit potential. "There's enough in agriculture that's out of growers' hands. Soybean trait choice shouldn't be," said Eric Miller, NK soybeans product manager. "The broad selection of herbicide-tolerant traits found in NK soybeans gives growers control over their weed management programs." A recent survey conducted by NK further demonstrates the need for soybean trait choice. When asked about the most important factors in soybean trait decisions, weed control effectiveness on resistant weeds and flexibility of herbicide and chemical options were consistently the top two factors cited by growers. Each trait offers its own unique benefits: Featuring one of the newest traits on the market, Enlist E3 varieties offer tolerance to three modes of action: 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend varieties are known for their consistent performance and tolerance to dicamba and glyphosate. LibertyLink GT27 varieties provide strong yield and agronomics for growers looking to manage weeds with glufosinate and glyphosate. Access to these traits is made possible by a state-of-the-art trait conversion capability that enables Syngenta to bring the latest, most desirable trait packages to market with the newest genetics. Combine these trait offerings with more than 50 years of breeding experience, and NK is able to offer growers varieties that protect soybean yield potential in even the toughest environments. Innovation continues: As growers start to consider their corn and soybean seed selections for next season, Syngenta is releasing 21 new soybean varieties for 2021. "Because every field is different, NK is committed to research and development that helps ensure success no matter the location," Miller said. "By minimizing risk with NK soybeans, growers can maximize their return on investment potential." To learn more, contact a local NK retailer or visit www.NKseeds.com. Join the conversation online connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social and follow @NKSeeds on Facebook and Twitter. About Syngenta Syngenta is one of the world's leading agriculture companies. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. With 28,000 people in more than 90 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to improving farm productivity, rescuing land from degradation, enhancing biodiversity and revitalizing rural communities. To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS. Web Resources: NK Seeds NK Soybeans Syngenta Seeds Syngenta Newsroom Syngenta U.S. Thrive Magazine Know More Grow More Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as 'expect', 'would', 'will', 'potential', 'plans', 'prospects', 'estimated', 'aiming', 'on track' and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. 2020 Syngenta. 2001 Butterfield Road, Suite 1600, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Important: Always read and follow label and bag tag instructions; only those labeled as tolerant to glufosinate may be sprayed with glufosinate ammonium-based herbicides. LibertyLink, Liberty and the Water Droplet logo are registered trademarks of BASF. GT27 is a trademark of M.S. Technologies and BASF. HERCULEX and the HERCULEX Shield are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, LLC. HERCULEX Insect Protection technology by Dow AgroSciences. ENLIST E3 soybean technology is jointly developed with Dow AgroScience LLC and MS Technologies LLC. The ENLIST trait and ENLIST Weed Control System are technologies owned and developed by Dow Agrosciences LLC. ENLIST and ENLIST E3 are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Roundup Ready 2 Yield, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend, Genuity, Genuity and Design, Genuity Icons, YieldGard VT Pro and Design are registered trademarks used under license from Monsanto Technology LLC. Under federal and local laws, only dicamba-containing herbicides registered for use on dicamba-tolerant varieties may be applied. See product labels for details and tank mix partners. Golden Harvest and NK Soybean varieties are protected under granted or pending U.S. variety patents and other intellectual property rights, regardless of the trait(s) within the seed. The Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend traits may be protected under numerous United States patents. It is unlawful to save soybeans containing these traits for planting or transfer to others for use as a planting seed. Only dicamba formulations that employ VaporGrip Technology are approved for use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans. Only 2,4-D choline formulations with Colex-D Technology are approved for use with Enlist E3 Soybeans. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Syngenta Related Links www.syngenta.com The one-hour session will include discussion on the value price segmentation can bring to the customers experience and how it can drive significant profitability to a companys bottom-line. To help organizations interpret customer willingness-to-pay and segment price accordingly, Vendavo, the market leader in commercial excellence solutions, today announced it will host a new webinar, AI-Driven Pricing Segmentation for B2B Profitability on August 4 in the EU and August 5 in the US. Led by Darius Fekete, Business Consultant at Vendavo, the one-hour session will include discussion on the value price segmentation can bring to the customers experience and how it can drive significant profitability to a companys bottom-line. Participants will also learn: Six expectations from improved pricing segmentation on profitability AIs role in the development of customer segmentation A 3-step process for building your iterative cycle A distribution case example achieving a margin uplift, improved customer satisfaction and higher win-rates The webcast will be broadcasted twice to cover EU and US time zones. On August 4th at 14:00 CEST the EU webcast will be broadcasted learn more and register here. On the following day, August 5th at 10:00 AM PT the US will be broadcasted learn more and register here. About Vendavo Vendavo powers the shift to digital business for the worlds most demanding B2B companies, unlocking value, growing margin and accelerating revenue. With the Vendavo Commercial Excellence platform, companies develop dynamic customer insights and optimal pricing strategies that maximize margin, boost sales effectiveness and improve customer experience. With an annual margin improvement totaling more than $2.5 billion across companies in chemicals, distribution, high-tech and manufacturing, Vendavo delivers cutting-edge analytics and deep industry expertise that help companies stay one step ahead. Vendavo is headquartered in Denver, CO and has offices around the globe. Learn more at Vendavo.com. The Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) has called for online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling 158 vacancies to the post of Personal Assistant/Stenographer through direct selection to be posted in various departments of the Uttarakhand government on a fulltime basis to be posted in the State of Uttarakhand, India. The application-cum-registration process towards same starts from July 31, 2020 onwards, and closes on September 14, 2020 with September 16, 2020 as the last date for paying the examination fee. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Personal Assistant/Stenographer Organisation Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Educational Qualification Intermediate/Class 12 or equivalent Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Typing Job Location Uttarakhand Salary Scale In the range of Rs. 25,500 to Rs. 1,12,400 per month as per the designation Industry State Service Application Start Date July 31, 2020 Application End Date September 14, 2020 Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts through UKSSSC Recruitment must have completed 18 years of age and not be more than 42 years, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved categories as specified in the notification. Candidates must remit a prescribed amount of Rs. 300 (Gen/OBC of Uttarakhand) and Rs. 150 (SC/ST/PWD and EWS of Uttarakhand) as examination fee through online (net-banking/credit/debit payments gateways) mode only on or before September 16, 2020. National Education Policy 2020:Focus on 'Reforms' In School, Higher Education. Check Highlights Here Educational Criteria And Eligibility Desirous candidates applying for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts through UKSSSC Recruitment must have passed Intermediate/Class 12 or equivalent from a recognised University/Institution, and must have a good typing speed with 80 w.p.m etc. as detailed in the advertisement. Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts through UKSSSC Recruitment will be done through a Written Examination, Skill Test and Interview. Candidates selected for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts through UKSSSC Recruitment will be paid emolument in the range of Rs. 25,500 to Rs. 1,12,400 per month as per the designation. ONGC Recruitment For 4,182 Apprentice Posts, Apply Online Before August 17 How To Apply Candidates applying for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts through UKSSSC Recruitment must register online on the official UKSSSC website at https://uksssconline.in/Public/Index.aspx through OTR from July 31, 2020 onwards, and submit their applications on or before September 14, 2020. Read the detailed notification about UKSSSC Recruitment for Personal Assistant/Stenographer posts here https://sssc.uk.gov.in/files/steno27.pdf Lawyers for a garda who is facing trial for allegedly threatening to kill his wife have asked a court to order the media not to publish his name. The Dublin-based officer is charged with threatening to kill or cause serious harm to his then-wife on dates in October 2012. He is also charged with coercing her at the same address outside Dublin on the same dates. At a District Court earlier this month Judge Paula Murphy made a temporary gagging order preventing the publication of the defendant's name. Judge Murphy said she was restricting the reporting until such time that the full facts of the issue were put before the circuit court. The matter was sent forward for trial on that date and appeared for mention at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today. Breffni Gordon BL, defending, told Judge Melanie Greally that he was asking the court to restrict the publication of his client's name until the trial when the the matter can be thoroughly explored by the trial judge. He said there has been some reporting of the matter to date. He said his application was for the continuation of the restrictions imposed by Judge Murphy. The court heard that the media have a right, as recognised by the High Court, to bring an application to the court to have any order restricting reporting set aside. He said since the ruling by Judge Murphy no member of the media have brought any application to the court. He said at that hearing solicitors for the State indicated the DPP would revisit the matter. 'Deeply private' material He said that there is deeply private material set out in the book of evidence. He said that if the media are allowed to name him, there is a risk other parties would be identified that should not be. Dean Kelly BL, for the DPP, told the court that the test for restricting the publication of particular material was whether publication would affect the right to a fair trial. Judge Greally said that she was not convinced that the publication of the defendant's name would affect his ability to get a fair trial but said that the privacy rights of third parties could be compromised by publication. Mr Gordon said there has already being extensive reporting of the case and that some of this could be considered prejudicial. Judge Greally said there is an obligation on media to report matters responsibility and not to report matters that would affect fairness of trial. I dont believe publication of his name would present a real risk of an unfair trial, she said, but added that publication of some of the details are capable of compromising rights of third parties and have the potential to compromise right to fair trial. She adjourned the matter for a full hearing on September 23, next. BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Bilibili, a popular Chinese danmaku video website, recently told the old web video editor to go offline. The new version of cloud clipping has been put online. It can be operated directly in a web browser without downloading. Compared to the old Web video editor, the new cloud Clipping is a complete upgrade to the user experience. 1. Operating environment and loading speed The old version of The Web video editor can only be opened in the Chrome browser environment, will occupy a certain amount of local memory, computing resources for processing operations, to smooth the use of the need for a specific device threshold. The new cloud clips are available in Chrome, Opera and Edge, 360, and Firefox, and load much faster than the old version. 2. Cloud rendering technology architecture Older versions of the Web video editor can only be used on fixed PC devices, but changing the method causes all the material to go offline. The newly launched cloud clip supports local + cloud rendering, eliminates the need for fixed devices, and allows users to make videos on multiple occasions on different methods. 3. Seamless interaction of multi-terminal contributions The newly launched cloud clip is fully compatible with the subtitles, filters, special effects, and other mobile editor materials. The mobile draft can be synchronized to the web cloud clip for secondary refinement in the form of a timeline project, enabling users to produce more detailed videos. 4. Function The new library is different from the old one, with fewer full-length video types but more "widgets." There are rich subtitle effects, transition effects, particle effects, and so on, providing more tool choices for content creators. Timeline editing mode is easy to operate, supports various audio and video formats, generates 4K video files at the highest level, and renders in the cloud without export, which can be submitted directly. To lower the threshold of video production, encourage more users to create and enrich original content. This new version of cloud clip Bilibili once again chose Meishe Network Technology to carry out in-depth technical cooperation, further recognized the mechanical strength of Meishe Network Technology. Meishe Cloud Editing is a new generation of high-end B/S cloud architecture nonlinear editing systems, which integrates video editing, creative packaging, and special effects. It is based on the broadcast level of image processing engine. It is specially designed for the whole industry customers, with video and audio clips, various professional types of subtitles, special effects packaging, stickers, transfer, filter effects, audio editing, one-button theme packaging functions. Support 4K high-definition multi-standard multi-frame rate multi-format mixing, image, and audio processing effects align with the STATE Administration of Radio, Film, and Television standards. Using the latest WebAssembly technology of the browser and based on the powerful video and audio processing architecture of Meishe Network Technology SDK, it integrates the traditional professional non-editing function based on comprehensive coverage of the production function of short Internet video, to realize that everyone can quickly produce professional and high-quality video. It can also be customized for access and development according to customers' needs, which can be widely used in various industries to build video post-production cloud editing platform requirements. Cloud clip solution is also seamlessly compatible with Meishe Network Technology mobile SDK project, and supports the export of FCPXML, AAF, EDL timeline sequence, which brings great convenience to post-production workflow, reduces the production time, and improves the production efficiency of content. The product matrix of Meishe Network Technology includes video shooting and editing SDK, intelligent editing solution, smartphone solution, face + beauty/sticker solution, cloud editing, virtual anchor, video packaging custom design, and other services. Its whole process function from shooting to editing covers all the current mainstream video gameplay. Has flexible technical architecture, using multithreading, CPU and GPU collaborative mechanism of pretreatment, natural language processing algorithms, such as technology, head manufacturers agreed by various industries both at home and abroad, with such as Millet, OPPO, Vivo, Bilibili, Migu, Cheetah mobile, Yingke, Mango TV, KEEP, Fang Tianxia, Small Red-lip depth of technical cooperation in various fields such as head customers. Besides, it cooperates with traditional enterprises such as National Electricity Network, radio, and television to promote Toutiao APP and financial media in government and enterprise. In the future, Meishe Network Technology will make use of the technical advantages of traditional video and audio processing to provide developers with more innovative gameplay and imagination space, empower more industries, apply to a broader range of scenarios, and realize the value of cross-platform! CONTACT: Company Name: Beijing Meishe Network Technology Co., Ltd. Person: Miranda Phone: 0086+15801332014 Email: zhaojing@cdv.com Website: http://www.meishesdk.com SOURCE: Beijing Meishe Network Technology Co., Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599650/Meishe-Network-Technology-Helps-Bilibili-to-Launch-a-New-Version-of-Cloud-Clipping-and-Upgrade-the-User-Experience At least two bomb blasts were recorded in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, on the eve of Sallah celebrations. A resident discl... At least two bomb blasts were recorded in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, on the eve of Sallah celebrations. A resident disclosed that the first blast occurred around Gwannge, a resident area, around 6pm. According to a security source, the other blast happened around a place where cars are sold at Mairi in the state capital. Residents were preparing for Sallah when the bombs went off. While confirming the incident, Mohammed Aliyu, commissioner of police, said one person was killed while 16 others sustained injuries. Aliyu told NAN that though the cause of the explosions had not been ascertained, detectives had been dispatched to the areas. We have dispatched our explosive ordinance detection (EOD) team to investigate the incidents and to determine whether improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were used, he was quoted to have said. Right now, I am at the Specialist Hospital where we have 16 persons with one dead, so far. It is unclear if Boko Haram insurgents are behind the attacks which happened 24 hours after the convoy of Babagana Zulum, the governor, was attacked in Kukawa local government area of the state. Boko Haram has continued to operate in different parts of the north-east, especially in Borno state despite the claim of the government that the sect has been defeated. Reacting to the attack on his convoy, Zulum had said he would mobilise hunters to protect the people if the military is unable to secure them. Residents were preparing for Sallah when the bombs exploded in Maiduguri. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung The government is being urged to drop its "blind optimism" regarding a near-term economic rebound for the country, as this will end up undermining public trust toward policies amid lingering COVID-19 related uncertainties, experts said Thursday. Such a view comes at a time when President Moon Jae-in and his administration are bragging about the outcomes of their efforts to curb economic damage from the global spread of the coronavirus. President Moon recently said the local economy has yielded "miraculous results" in terms of defending against the coronavirus-induced fallout in the first half of the year The President also expects the economy to bounce back from the third quarter after hitting bottom in the second, citing a series of economic indices showing signs of a rebound. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki has also backed up the claim, saying the economy will be on a similar track toward recovery in the third quarter as the Chinese economy. China's GDP growth reached 3.2 percent in the second quarter after hitting bottom with a contraction of 6.8 percent in the first. Economists, however, remain pessimistic over the administration's confidence, saying the chances are very slim for the real economy to recover from the coronavirus shock no later than the end of the year. "Despite the government's optimism, the people are not feeling any actual signs of an economic recovery," Yonsei University economist Sung Tae-yoon said. The public will feel more and more disappointed by the government's economic policies if the President and the financial authorities keep underlining a few positive economic indices without commenting on the negative factors, according to the professor. "This will also end up weakening the credibility of its policies," he said. "If the economic outlook remains promising enough to achieve such a short-term rebound, the government will drop pump-priming measures introduced to minimize the economic damage from the virus, but this is not the case for now, which is in contrast to the government's outward confidence." The economy appears to be on track for recovery in the latter half of the year due to the statistical base effect, he said. "The global economy suffered major shocks from the unexpected virus outbreak in the first half of the year, so indices in the second half of the year look to be better than those from the first half. But this does not mean that the economy has achieved an actual rebound." Noh San-ha, another economist at the Korea Capital Market Institute, also shared a similar view, saying it is de facto impossible to predict whether the economy will recover in the latter half of the year. "The government's optimism apparently comes in consideration of the base effect," he said. "But this has little to do with an actual economic recovery. Uncertainties surrounding the virus remain in place for now, so it is tough to predict whether the economy will bounce back in a short period of time." "When uncertainties are cleared away and consumer confidence returns, the economy may be able to report outstanding growth, but this is nothing more than a best-case scenario," he said. "We still need to wait and see whether the virus spread will come to an end here and abroad." Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Lee Ju-yeol also did not express confidence in a potential economic rebound this year. "The coronavirus spread has been accelerating in July, and pessimistic scenarios surrounding the virus are being rekindled as it shows no signs of subsiding," Lee said in a recent monetary policy board meeting. "The local economy remains in an uncertain situation as no one can say for sure when the crisis will end, so we have to continue monetary easing policies," he said. The Parliamentary labour committee asked for the universalization of social security to cover migrant workers and the unorganized domestic workers even as it adopted a report on the much-awaited Social Security Code on Wednesday. The parliamentary committee, led by Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, demanded the creation of an unemployment insurance or social security fund which can come handy for workers at the time of job losseswhich has also happened because of the coronavirus disease pandemicand special social security numbers for migrant workers so they can avail the benefits of government schemes. The panel has also sought an expansion in the definition of migrant workers, adding that the proposed social security fund must cover all workers who are not covered under provident fund or Employees State Insurance. While there are social support measures such as MGNREGA for rural workers, the social security fund can provide immediate financial help if an unorganized sector worker loses job. The panel has also expanded unorganized sector to include workers who are hired through contractors, those who join a factory directly and the self-employed workers. According to two members of the panel, the social security fund or the unemployment fund can be created with contribution from employers and employees, through donations and even using CSR funds. This fund can be helpful for workers in case of job losses and in situation arising out Covid-like situations, a panel member said. Meanwhile, the code, one of the four key measures of labour sector reforms, face opposition from CPI(M)s Elamaram Kareem and a DMK member, who are also likely to push a dissent note to register their protest. According to a senior leader, DMKs D Ravikumar, K Subbarayan of CPI and a Congress leader demanded that the meeting on Wednesday should be deferred as many people could not attend due to Covid-related reasons. According to government estimates, 1.09 crore migrant workers have returned home in the past three months after the pandemic swept India. A portable social security number for Indias unorganized workforce is a key issue for the labour committee. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in an hour-long Yoga session with top police officers of the country on Saturday, who gathered at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad for an annual conference focusing on cross-border terrorism, infiltration and radicalisation of youth. Later, he paid tributes to Martyrs Column at SVPNPA here, where he placed a wreath. The Prime Minister also paid floral tributes to Patel at his statue at SVPNPA, and planted a sapling on the Academy premises. The three-day conference of the Directors General of Police (DGPs) of all states was inaugurated in the city on Friday by home minister Rajnath Singh. Union ministers of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju and Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, besides national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi are among those attending the event. The Prime Minister would spend the entire day in deliberations with the top police officers before flying back to Delhi this evening. "Issues like cross-border terrorism, radicalisation of youth and attempts to lure Indians to Middle East terrorist groups, like Islamic State, and other matters of internal security will be discussed at the meeting," official sources said. Filling up of vacant posts in various police forces, reforms in police forces, menace of narcotics smuggling and human trafficking will also be discussed extensively during the conference. The Prime Minister and Home Minister will interact with the top police officers and get their feedback about the internal security situation and various aspects of police personnel, the sources said. This is for the third time since Independence that the conference is being held outside Delhi. It was held in Guwahati in 2014 and Kutch in Gujarat last year. The idea of holding the meeting of DGPs and IGPs outside Delhi was mooted by Modi after he assumed power in 2014. The conference is being attended by around 100 DGPs of states, Director Generals of Central paramilitary forces and their Inspectors General. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo has accused the Akufo-Addo government of underreporting the countrys fiscal deficit in the presentation of the mid-year budget review last week. Mr. Adongo took on the government insisting that the Finance Ministers 2020 deficit projected at 11.4 percent is a matter of contention. According to him, the deficit must rather be 15.6 percent. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the presentation said the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in revenue shortfall of GH13.6 billion and unanticipated but necessary expenditures of approximately GH11.7 billion. This will result in a projected fiscal deficit of 11.4% of GDP. This is above the 5% limit as stated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982), he stated. But on The Point of View on Citi TV, the Bolgatanga MP who is also a member of Parliaments Finance Committee questioned the governments basis for arriving at the projection. For him, points made by the Finance Minister to the effect that the total foreign and domestic borrowing to finance the deficit is GHS 44 billion are false because of the lack of correspondence in the financial figures that were presented. He argued the GHS 4.9 billion project loans, GHS 8.2 billion programme loans, US$ 2 billion Eurobond which converts to GHS 11.4 billion, pushes the total external source of borrowing to GHS 24.7 billion albeit financing the same deficit with domestic borrowing of GHS 32 billion the total foreign and domestic borrowing to finance the deficit is rather GHS 56.7 billion and not GHS 44 billion per the Ministers data. Isaac Adongo, thus insisted that, the 2020 total projected expenditure has been understated by GHS 12 billion. Paragraph 444 exposes the manipulation in the fiscal table where he is reporting expenditure of GHS 97 billion when he should be reporting GHS 109 billion in the fiscal table. If you have GHS 53 billion of your own money to spend, and you are spending GHS 109 billion, [you need to borrow an addition GHS 56 billion] and that is exactly my point. If you are appropriating GHS 109 billion, then your deficit cannot be GHS 44 billion because your own money is GHS 53 million. They are understating the deficit, so if you take the GHS 56 billion, then you are now getting a deficit of 15.6 percent and not 11. 4 percent, he claimed. In the mid-year budget review, the Finance Minister requested for a supplementary budget of GHS11. 8 billion, to support the government's expenditure for the rest of the year towards the implementation of various initiatives to strengthen the economy. The supplementary estimates have since been approved by parliament. CARES not a proper plan for recovery On the governments GHS100 billion initiative known as the COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) scheme to help the country recover from the economic shocks brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Isaac Adongo said, the program is misplaced given the uncertainty of who takes over as government after the 2020 polls. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator wondered why a new project will be introduced in a mid-year budget review ridiculing the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that it cannot use the CARES programme as a fiscal recovery strategy to plan for the incoming NDC administration to be led by the opposition leader, John Dramani Mahama. That shouldnt be in the 2020 review because you dont come to a mid-year budget review and introduce new items, you are supposed to give us updates on your existing programs. So if you come and you are talking about 2021, who said, he will be in government? He cannot plan for the next President. Who said, he will be there and be the one to implement it. That is why there is a framework for planning. That is why he has done the social and economic framework for planning for four years, so he should stay with that. He cant be planning for the next government and John Dramani Mahama, Mr. Adongo retorted. ---citinewsroom NEW HAVEN - After a Superior Court judge ordered Rabbi Daniel Greers home confinement to be terminated because of substantially strengthened improvements in COVID-19 measures within the states prisons, Greer reported to the courthouse Thursday and was taken back to prison. Greer, who was convicted last September on four counts of risk of injury to a minor, was sentenced in December to 20 years in prison, to be suspended after serving 12 years. New Haven Superior Court Judge Jon M. Alander, who presided over the jury trial and imposed the sentence, ordered Greer incarcerated on the day of the sentencing, Dec. 2. Alander rejected a bid by Greers attorneys to let him remain free while they appealed the conviction. But on April 24 Alander agreed to a motion by attorneys David Grudberg and Richard Emanuel to release Greer and put him under house arrest at his home in Westville. The attorneys said COVID-19 was exploding in the states prisons and that Greer, then 79, was at heightened risk of severe, life-threatening illness from the virus. Alander at that point called his order a temporary release from prison until the crisis abates. The order was for 45 days, until June 8. Alander then extended his order, which expired Thursday. But on Tuesday he rejected a motion by Greers attorneys that sought to extend the release order by another 90 days, until the end of October. Greers initial release was strongly opposed by Eliyahu Mirlis, the victim in the crimes. Mirlis has asked that his name be made public despite the sexual nature of the offenses. When he imposed the sentence in December, Alander cited the trial evidence that Greer repeatedly sexually abused the victim over many months. Alander called this a monumental betrayal and a colossal violation of trust. Greer initially had also been charged with four counts of second-degree sexual assault. But on the last day of testimony in the September 2019 trial, co-counsel William Dow III cited a state statute concerning a statute of limitations on those charges. Alander then dismissed those counts. In his Tuesday ruling, Alander wrote: I granted the defendant a temporary release from prison because the high incidence of COVID-19 within Connecticuts prisons combined with the then-existing lack of sufficient PPE for correction staff resulted in an unacceptably high risk of the defendant developing serious complications from COVID-19 illness due to his advanced age and asthma. Those conditions no longer exist to the degree necessary to warrant an extension of the defendants temporary release from incarceration. Alander noted: The incidence of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 within Connecticut and, most importantly, within its prisons has fallen dramatically. He said in April, when he granted Greer the temporary release, Connecticut was experiencing more than1,000 new COVID-19 cases every day. That figure has now decreased to less than 100 each day. Alander added that the number of incarcerated individuals in state prisons known to be ill with the virus has also decreased substantially. In addition, Alander cited steps taken by the state Department of Correction to guard against the virus spreading. D.O.C. has entered into a settlement agreement resolving litigation concerning the presence of COVID-19 in its prisons, Alander said. The agreement establishes a five-person panel to monitor the provision of sanitation, hygiene supplies, personal protective equipment, testing, quarantining, medical monitoring and treatment of COVID-19 for people in D.O.C. custody. While the defendants increased risk regarding COVID-19 due to his advanced age and medical condition has not changed, Alander said, D.O.C.s ability to provide reasonable protections against that risk has been substantially strengthened. In his order, Alander also denied a request by Greers attorneys that the release order be extended while they go through an appellate court review of the case. The attorneys said an extension would permit Greer to receive newly-required medical treatment. In their motion seeking the extension, filed July 17, the attorneys said one of Greers doctors recently recommended he undergo surgery . The attorneys also said Greers primary care doctor has referred Greer to a specialist for others issues. The attorneys said Greers primary care doctor, Dr. Robert Henry, reported Greer, in the attorneys words, continues to have severe health issues that place him at risk, particularly during the current crisis. The prosecutor in the Greer case, Senior Assistant States Attorney Maxine Wilensky, who objected to the home release, could not be reached for comment on the attorneys contentions and on Alanders ruling. But Grudberg spoke about the ruling Thursday morning as he stood outside the courthouse with Emanuel, shortly after they brought Greer in to surrender to judicial marshals. Were very disappointed by the courts ruling, Grudberg said. We continue to believe that COVID-19 remains a grave threat within the prison system, especially for an 80-year-old with underlying health conditions. Hes at greater risk of illness or death if he contracts the disease. Grudberg added that he thinks, The nature of the correctional system makes it difficult, if not impossible, to control the virus. In their motion for an extension of home release, the attorneys said that although Connecticuts infection and hospitalization rates for COVID-19 have declined, the record surge in other parts of the country poses a significant threat of another spike in Connecticut. The attorneys claimed that keeping Greer under house arrest would protect him from a novel, deadly disease that has already claimed seven lives in the Connecticut prison system and hundreds more prisoners nationwide. The attorneys countered Wilenskys assertion Greer would pose a flight risk if he were to remain out of prison. The defendants track record over the last three months speaks for itself. They said he had complied with all the conditions of the release and he poses no threat to anyone. Speaking outside the courthouse, Grudberg remarked about Greer: He said from the beginning, I aint going anywhere and hes been true to his word. Contact Randall Beach at randall.beach@hearstmediact.com Nearly a dozen Northern Ireland branches of high street travel agent TUI are at risk of permanent closure after it announced plans to shut 166 stores in the UK and Ireland. TUI's move is the latest signal of the crisis sweeping the travel industry as a result of Covid-19. The industry reacted with disappointment to the UK government's decision to impose a 14-day quarantine on tourists returning from Spain due to its growing level of coronavirus cases. The quarantine also covers Spain's Canary and Balaeric Islands. TUI, the UK's biggest tour operator, announced it is shutting around one third of its total of 516 stores. The decision was made following changes in customer behaviour, the firm said in a statement. Around 350 retail stores will remain following the closures. However, it would not comment on which Northern Ireland stores were at risk as a consultation is taking place. Tory MPs are putting pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to introduce coronavirus testing at airports to cut the 14-day quarantine. And a group of 47 airlines, airports and tourism leaders - including Belfast International Airport chief executive Graham Keddie - have also called on the Prime Minister to introduce virus tests for those arriving in the UK. TUI said stores which are have reopened since the pandemic are not at risk of closure. But only one of its 12 Northern Ireland stores - a branch at Waterloo Place in Londonderry - have so far reopened. The shutters remain down at branches in Armagh, Coleraine, Lisburn, Newtownards, Ballymena, Craigavon, Omagh, Dungannon and Newry - as well as two branches in Belfast's CastleCourt Shopping Centre and on Bloomfield Avenue. The chain has 10 stores in the Republic and is based in Germany. Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, said: "We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it's in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do. "It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions, look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty and also offer a modern customer service." TUI is the latest high street chain after bakery chain Greggs and bookseller Eason to indicate that it won't reopen at least some of its shops following lockdown. Greggs is closing three of its 21 stores - while Eason has shut all seven of its remaining Northern Ireland stores. Glyn Roberts, the chief executive of Retail NI, hoped TUI would provide clarification on which stores will be affected by the closure plans. "It's fair to say that this was a company which was facing a significant challenge before Covid-19 due to the growth in online holiday bookings," he said. "And in other businesses such as Eason which have also faced troubles before Covid, Covid-19 has now almost finished them off. "There are not just the effects from the numbers of jobs lost in retailers, but closures like TUI and Eason also had a knock-on effect as footfall into the area is diminished." The pandemic and lockdown have had a catastrophic effect on demand for overseas holidays, with many bookings cancelled after quarantine was introduced. Yesterday easyJet cancelled a number of its flights. In a letter to Mr Johnson, the bosses of British Airways, easyJet and Jet2 demanded a more "nuanced" policy than the 14-day quarantine. They called for the introduction of regional travel corridors to replace the blanket requirement of 14-day quarantine for anyone returning from an at-risk country. Transport Secretary Grant Schapps cut his family holiday in Spain short as a result. As he returned to the UK, he defended the UK government's decision. "I very much understand, it obviously had an impact on me and my family, and I'm very, very sorry and upset for the thousands of Brits who are either away or perhaps even haven't managed to go away this summer as well to Spain," he said. "But it's absolutely essential we acted when we did, it's why all four nations of the UK acted together and the figures since have turned out to justify that action. "We have to, I think, have a clear message and make sure we act by adding entire countries to that list for the time being." People who test positive for coronavirus or display symptoms must now self-isolate for 10 days as Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned of a "second wave starting to roll across Europe". The UK's chief medical officers said on Thursday that the period must increase from the current rule of seven days because of the risk individuals may still be able to spread Covid-19. In a joint statement, they said the change for those who experience the key symptoms of a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell is needed because of the "low but real possibility of infectiousness" up to 10 days. Their move came as official analysis said England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020. he village of Tsakhuma in the Vhembe district of South Africas Limpopo region is proof positive that communities can find solutions to their problems. Like many rural areas in South Africa, Tsakhuma lacked access to water for bathing, cooking, washing and chores, and the burden of fetching water fell on its girls and women. There was a general water shortage all over Tsakhuma, says villager Florence Negondeni. We would sometimes go for weeks without access to water. The problem arose, in Negondenis view, when district municipal authorities installed a new water scheme in Tsakhuma without consulting community members. The new system lacked a maintenance plan, and breakdowns contributed to water scarcity. Fed up with the situation, Negondeni began to study the history of the community and region for clues that might improve its water security. Shortages made me think about ancient areas in the mountains, where our people used to get water, she says. Villagers discovered a number of springs in the mountains nearby. After undertaking a cost analysis of equipment to supply water from the springs to the village, the community members pooled funds to buy it, and set up their water scheme. The African Water Facility, hosted and managed by the African Development Bank, supported the establishment of the community scheme, which has water reserves for more than a year, at a cost of about $7,850. The sum was raised from the 113 village households. On a monthly basis, the community members contribute R20 (approximately $1.50) each to maintain and service the pipeline, Florence added. South Africas Water Research Commission (WRC), which funds, facilitates and disseminates research on water-related innovation, invited Florence to present her project. The Commission has since begun mobilizing financing to roll out similar initiatives. As a result, Tsakhuma now has 11 communal groups, led by women, that supply 4,000 people with water for multiples uses. Tsakhuma is a model for community-based solutions to water supply in rural and peri-urban areas, says Omari Mwinjaka, coordinator of the African Water Facility. We are working with partners to implement, up-scale and replicate this model to other areas in Africa. The African Water Facility provided $1.45 million in grant funding to The Water Research Commission to assess the benefits of community-driven water planning. Funds will also go to implementing multiple use water systems in six villages in Limpopos Vhembe and Sekhukhune districts, which are among the countrys poorest. The African Water Facility, founded in 2004, is wholly Africa-owned and managed, and is the only Project Preparation Facility operating in Africa that focuses exclusively on the water and sanitation sector. Since 2006, AWF has funded 119 projects at a cost of 167 million across the continent and mobilized over 1.5 billion in downstream investment. One of the African Water Facilitys objectives is to deploy small but catalytic investments, or provide seed funding to projects that can be replicated or piloted using innovative or alternative business models and technologies aimed at helping communities especially women and children improve their quality of life, create employment, and reduce stunting in children, said Wambui Gichuri, the Banks Acting Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank Group. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires A man with severe liver cirrhosis (scarring due to chronic liver diseases), who was cut off from hospitals and cellphone network due to the recent floods in Assam, was given a tele-consultation by doctors from a city hospital after his wife and friend managed to get him on a boat and take him to an area with network coverage. The patient, Lalchand Biswas, who lives near Guwahati, was semi-conscious,had breathing difficulty and had a swollen abdomen two weeks ago. He was stuck in his house because of the floods and hadnt been able to visit a doctor or get the medicines needed to stabilise his condition. I work for an outreach programme under which I had examined the patient in February or March. I got a distress call from Biswass friend Mohfisur Rehman who informed me of his condition. I thought of giving him a tele-consultation immediately but he was in an area where there was no cellphone network. So Rehman arranged for a small boat and carried Biswas and his wife to a place where we could get reception, said Dr Ushast Dhir, consultant, department of surgical gastroenterology and liver transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. He had hepatic encephalopathy a decline in brain function as a result of severe liver disease leading to a build-up toxins in the blood stream, the doctor said. When we started the video call, I had to show Rahman how to do an abdomen examination. I was able to establish that he had severe disease and needed immediate treatment. I prescribed him medicines. The challenge was not only to get the medicines as many hospitals and pharmacies were closed but also to administer it, said Dr Dhir. As Rahman is a pharmacist, he was able to get the medicine within the hour. He also knew how to administer the medicines and it was done on the boat itself. Biswas was monitored for six hours, with another dose of the medicine being given at a three-hour interval, said Dr Dhir. Currently, the hospital, through some philanthropic organisations, has been able to ensure supply medicines for a month to Biswas. What we are trying to do is to get help from various organisations to bring Biswas to Delhi for a liver transplant. That is the only option left as his disease has progressed, he said. The flood situation in Assam improved further on Thursday though one more person lost his life taking the toll to 108 in the calamity, an official bulletin said. According to the daily flood report of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) one person drowned in the flood water in Mikirbheta area of Morigaon district on Thursday taking the toll to 108. The toll in the landslides triggered by the flood stood at 26 taking the total number of deaths to 134, it said. The ASDMA reports said over 12.01 lakh people are in the grip of floods in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Darrang, Baksa, Barpeta, Chirang, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar and Dibrugarh districts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON LAPU-LAPU CITY -- A 25-year-old female trafficker was sentenced to a total of 17 years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted trafficking, possession of child sexual exploitation materials (CSEM), and child abuse. Jade (real name withheld to protect the victim's identity) entered on Wednesday, July 29, a plea agreement before Judge Christine Muga-Abad of the Regional Trial Court Branch 70 in Lapu-Lapu City (also a designated Family Court). In a decision rendered through video conferencing, Muga-Abad also ordered the trafficker to pay P600,000 in fine, P500,000 in moral damages, and P100,000 in exemplary damages. Jade was arrested in Lapu-Lapu City on April 6 by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) while lockdown was in effect. She was issued an arrest warrant for sexually abusing her underage female cousin and livestreaming the abuse for a paying online child sex offender, in a case of online sexual exploitation of children (Osec). Considered children at risk, her three children, all under seven years old, were brought to the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Central Visayas. Seeking justice for victims of Osec does not stop even with the ongoing pandemic. The arrest of the trafficker and her eventual conviction happened despite the constraints posed by community quarantines. This is a testament to the tenacity of our partners in the Philippine criminal justice system in our shared goal of putting an end to this disturbing crime threatening our children. May this conviction remind criminals engaging in this crime that the risk of getting caught and spending several years in prison is real and that its not worth taking, said lawyer Lucille Dejito, IJM Cebu Field Office director. WCPC-VFUs arrest of Jade and rescue of her children-at-risk in the midst of the lockdown is a testament to its relentless commitment to hold traffickers accountable and create a safe place for children, overcoming the limitations brought by the pandemic, Dejito added. Story continues Hope is the one thing that, most of the time, keeps us going. This conviction is definitely a ray of hope in this time of pandemic, said Public Prosecutor Antonio Aseniero. The trafficker entered guilty pleas to offenses under Republic Act (RA) 9208 as amended by RA 10364 (Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), RA 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law), and RA 9775 (Anti-Child Pornography Act) in relation to RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act). Her original charges were also violations of these same laws. Under plea agreements, the accused pleads guilty not to the original charges but to other similar offenses, usually before a court trial starts. This protects child victims from the possibility of having to testify against perpetrators who are often family members or neighbors -- a process that may cause re-traumatization. Plea agreements are one of the promising prosecution practices noted in the IJM-led study, Online Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Philippines: Analysis and Recommendations for Governments, Industry and Civil Society. Jade abused her female cousin from 2016 to 2018, from the age of 11 to 13. The minor was rescued on July 31, 2019, following a case referral from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (Picacc). The FBI, who forwarded the referral in March 2019, was then investigating Alan Dennis Wolff, a US based child sex offender, who paid and directed Jade to abuse her underage cousin in order to produce new CSEM to send to Wolff online. In exchange for payments from Wolff, Jade also livestreamed the sexual abuse of her cousin to him. Following the rescue of the victim, WCPC-VFU filed complaints against Jade for violations under Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Anti-Child Abuse Law and Anti-Child Pornography Act in relation to Cybercrime Prevention Act. On February 26, 2020, Judge Muga-Abad issued an arrest warrant against Jade, whose arrest took place five weeks later. Meanwhile, Wolff pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children before a court in Minneapolis, Minnesota in December 2019. So far in IJM-supported cases, 90 persons have been convicted in the Philippines for Osec since 2011. IJM has supported Philippine law enforcement agencies in operations that led to the arrest of 256 Osec perpetrators and the rescue of 669 victims and children-at-risk across the country. One may report a suspected case of Osec by texting ENDOSEC (space) (incident details) to 7444-64 for Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers; or directly connect with WCPC at (032) 410-8483 for Visayas, and 0917-180-6037 or 0928-604-6425 for Mindanao. (PR) Andy Pendlebury became the CEO of RTC Group plc (LON:RTC) in 2007, 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 RTC Group. See our latest analysis for RTC Group How Does Total Compensation For Andy Pendlebury Compare With Other Companies In The Industry? Our data indicates that RTC Group plc has a market capitalization of UK5.3m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as UK593k for the year to December 2019. That's a notable increase of 23% on last year. We think total compensation is more important but our data shows that the CEO salary is lower, at UK260k. For comparison, other companies in the industry with market capitalizations below UK154m, reported a median total CEO compensation of UK291k. Hence, we can conclude that Andy Pendlebury is remunerated higher than the industry median. Moreover, Andy Pendlebury also holds UK258k worth of RTC Group stock directly under their own name. Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK260k UK260k 44% Other UK333k UK222k 56% Total Compensation UK593k UK482k 100% Talking in terms of the industry, salary represented approximately 66% of total compensation out of all the companies we analyzed, while other remuneration made up 34% of the pie. RTC Group pays a modest slice of remuneration through salary, as compared to the broader industry. If total compensation is slanted towards non-salary benefits, it indicates that CEO pay is linked to company performance. RTC Group plc's Growth Over the past three years, RTC Group plc has seen its earnings per share (EPS) grow by 1.8% per year. In the last year, its revenue is down 4.2%. We would argue that the lack of revenue growth in the last year is less than ideal, but the modest EPS growth gives us some relief. In conclusion we can't form a strong opinion about business performance yet; but it's one worth watching. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow. Story continues Has RTC Group plc Been A Good Investment? With a three year total loss of 37% for the shareholders, RTC Group plc would certainly have some dissatisfied shareholders. So shareholders would probably want the company to be lessto generous with CEO compensation. To Conclude... As previously discussed, Andy is compensated more than what is normal for CEOs of companies of similar size, and which belong to the same industry. While we have not been overly impressed by the business performance, the shareholder returns have been utterly depressing, over the last three years. This doesn't look good when you see that Andy is earning more than the industry median. Taking all this into account, it could be hard to get shareholder support for giving Andy a raise. We can learn a lot about a company by studying its CEO compensation trends, along with looking at other aspects of the business. We identified 2 warning signs for RTC Group (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Important note: RTC Group 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. Co-founder of The Lincoln Project Steve Schmidt, talking to Joy Reid on Wednesday: (NBC) The co-founder of Republican anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project has called congressman Louie Gohmert Americas craziest and dumbest congressman, following confirmation he tested positive for coronavirus. Steve Schmidt co-founded the Republican political action committee that is aiming to prevent the reelection of Donald Trump, alongside George Conway, the husband of the presidents adviser Kellyanne Conway. The 50-year-old worked on the political campaigns of former US president George W Bush, former Republican presidential nominee John McCain and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, before setting up the group. Mr Gohmert tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday during a routine test before he was scheduled to take a trip to Texas with the president, amid a major spike in cases in his home state. The 66-year-old, who has publicly opposed masks and refused to wear face coverings while walking through Congress, recently said that he would only wear one if he tested positive for coronavirus, according to Newsweek. On Wednesday, speaking to host Joy Reid of NBCs The ReidOut, Mr Schmidt said: When I say hes Americas dumbest and craziest congressman, Im serious about that. And hes not competing in an era where theres not a lot of other competition. In the era of crazy, right, this is like Ali, Foreman and Frazier, the big time great heavyweights all fighting each other, Mr Schmidt said referencing some of the countrys greatest ever heavyweight boxers. So hes got a lot of competition in that space, and this is just a person who, when you think about Louie Gohmert, you think about Americas crazy people. Throughout the pandemic there has been a number of people who have felt that wearing a face mask goes against their individual liberties, and have refused to abide by executive orders that made them mandatory in numerous states. Mr Trump refused to wear a mask until July, and his initial attitude was adopted by some supporters of the president, who feel that by not wearing a mask, they are showing their support for him. Story continues My statement about todays diagnosis: pic.twitter.com/qvf7zIcgdN Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) July 29, 2020 After it was announced that he had contracted coronavirus, Mr Gohmert published a video statement to twitter, where he said: The reports of my demise are a great deal premature. I dont have any of the symptoms that are listed as part of Covid-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus. Mr Trump, alongside other Republicans, has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as kung flu, or Wuhan virus, and both phrases have been criticised for blaming the pandemic on a single country and group of people. The congressman added that he has worn a face mask more in the last couple of weeks then he has in the four months since the pandemic hit the US. I cant help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place if I might have put some of the virus onto the mask and breathed it in. I dont know, he added. According to Johns Hopkins University some 4.4m people have now tested positive for coonavirus in the US and the death toll has reached 150,765. The Independent has contacted Mr Gohmert for comment. Read more Republican tests positive for Covid-19 after refusing to wear mask On Thursday, July 30, at 14:00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled "Who Destroyed Ukraine's Horse Breeding and How to Save the Industry, and Why? The Opinion of the Heads of Horse Breeding Enterprises." Participants include Director of Oleksandria stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Oleh Rodionov; Director of Dubrovsky stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Vadym Danylevsky; Director of Lozovsky stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Ihor Dubovyk; former Head of Odesa Hippodrome Kostiantyn Savchyts; President of the Anti-Corruption Entrepreneurial front Ihor Yehorov; lawyer Sabina Knysh, as well as other directors of state-owned horse breeding organizations (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. By Kelly Chibale Stories Continues after ad The news that the University of Oxford has developed a coronavirus vaccine that appears safe and has triggered an immune response, is an encouraging step in our long journey toward returning to normality. It also provides the opportunity to join forces to tackle the pandemic and highlight Africas scientific leadership. Africas first #COVID-19 case was found in Egypt in February. By May, it had completed its spread across the continent, with Lesotho the final country confirming a case. Today, we are slowly edging towards a million cases while almost 20,000 people have lost their lives. But how we are impacted goes beyond these numbers. In February you wouldnt have thought twice about hugging a friend or an elderly relative. Now you hold back, unsure of the risk. And of course, there is the cost to the economy: scores of people have lost their jobs, with thousands fighting for the few that remain. Social distancing and the restrictions put in place by governments have been crucial in helping us manage the pandemic, but we cant stay distanced forever. Thats why the news around the University of Oxford vaccine is so welcome. Never before have we seen such encouraging results so early in the process. While we still have a long way to go before we arrive at a safe and effective vaccine, these results give us hope that a vaccine is possible, and we are on the right path. Building on these initial results, the University of Oxford trial will now move to expand the number of participants to ensure the results can be repeated across regions and help identify any potential side-effects. South Africa is one of four countries where clinical trials are being held. This is happening as scientists across continents join forces in an array of other vaccine trials. A final vaccine, albeit not guaranteed, may still be many months, (or possibly even years) away, but when it arrives, we can be assured it will be safe and effective. I have dedicated my career to researching and finding solutions to some of the continents most stubborn diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. But never before have I seen so much interest or focus on health science and research. At the same time, we have to debunk misinformation and conspiracy theories. Sometimes, it can be an innocent mistake; misinformation spreads so easily because it taps into our fears and doesnt need to include any truths. But the impact can be dangerous and damaging. First, it perpetuates the belief that Africa cant be a source of health innovation. Second, it could discourage the next generation of researchers why dedicate your life to science and finding solutions for someone on the Internet to dispute your work and sometimes even slander you?. More than ever, we need to encourage dialogue between scientists and our communities and share the tremendous benefits of science. The Coronavirus has provided us with a golden opportunity to contribute and participate in a global priority. It is also essential. Africa is genetically the most diverse continent on earth. We need to ensure that the different regions in Africa are part of clinical trials, so that a vaccine and its dosage and frequency is tailored for the use of our specific populations, rather than being brought in from the global North. Currently, less than two percent of clinical trials globally are conducted in Africa. We need to change this and ensure that African perspectives are considered during the clinical testing of medicines and vaccines. By being active participants, we can help ensure vaccines and treatments will work here. It also gives us capital to demand equal and early access to successful vaccines. But it also goes beyond this, to something much bigger. We are experiencing a global pandemic, the likes of which has not been seen in over a century. Helping find the solution allows us to build our research institutions and capacity, which, in turn, helps better prepare our infrastructure for future pandemics and creates jobs. Clinical research requires the services of scientists, nurses, and technologists to name a few, so you can imagine the array of meaningful, knowledge-based opportunities they can create for young Africans not just in direct jobs, but also in indirect jobs. As somebody who grew up in townships and villages, I can vouch for the power of a science-driven job to change the life of a young person. It is also our responsibility to get involved. As Africans, we cannot demand equitable access or distribution of a vaccine if we do not participate and contribute ourselves. This is an opportunity for African scientists to lead, to earn respect and credibility and to show that we can be at the forefront of doing clinical trials. Every day I interact with some of the biggest and brightest scientific minds. And it isnt just in South Africa where I am based. Across the continent there is a cadre of scientists working on solutions to some of Africas biggest problems. It is time we celebrated and amplified our scientific expertise. It is time we became more active participants in the global scientific community. As scientists across the world continue their work, I call upon all citizens in Africa to become partners in the quest for a #COVID-19 vaccine. Only through our joint efforts and trust in science can this virus be defeated. Kelly Chibale, PhD, FRSSAf, FRSC, FAAS, MASSAf is professor of organic chemistry at the University of Cape Town, the Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery and Development and the founder and director of the H3D Drug Discovery and Development Centre at UCT. As a gray Buick SUV approached the man holding a Black Lives Matter sign on a street in Harrison, Ark., the driver slowed down. "What about White lives?" the woman in the passenger's seat yelled out. "We matter, too!" "You're a White man!" the driver exclaimed, adding an anti-Semitic slur as they sped away. Over the three days Rob Bliss held the sign in the sweltering July heat in Harrison, a town known as a haven for white supremacists and home to the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, similar interactions happened again and again. There was the man in a white Chevy who pointed at Bliss and yelled: "Get your ass out of town!" Or the two men who approached Bliss separately outside of a Walmart Supercenter. "I'm tired of seeing this," said a middle-aged man, pointing at Bliss's sign. "This right here is the biggest hoax there ever was." An older man added, "It's the next thing to ISIS." The most frightening interaction, Bliss said, was when a man in a cream-colored Camry drove by flipping him off and moments later returned to warn, "About 10 minutes, I'm gonna be back. You better be f------ gone." "That guy was definitely implying that he was going to go get his gun and come back, which is terrifying," Bliss, 31, told The Washington Post. Bliss is a director and producer based in Los Angeles and is known for making viral stunts aimed at socially conscious messages - including a video from 2014 when he recorded a woman being constancy heckled while walking around New York. Bliss captured his interactions in Harrison, and scores more, on a GoPro camera that he strapped to his chest and peeked out a hole in his T-shirt. He edited his footage down to a two-minute video, which he argues provides vivid firsthand evidence that racism is alive and well in parts of the country. "People in the U.S. believe that there is only institutional racism or biases or subconscious racism," Bliss said. Bliss's video swiftly went viral after he uploaded it Monday, various uploads of the video on YouTube and Twitter have gotten roughly 3 million views as of early Thursday. It also circulated widely on Facebook with the bold title, "Holding a Black Lives Matter Sign in America's Most Racist Town," and with a lead image of him holding the sign in front of a white supremacist billboard. Bliss is among many young activists who have brought the Black Lives Matter movement to unlikely towns. Three young women in southern Virginia, inspired by the activism of older generations at the protests around the country, started a Black Lives Matter chapter there. An analysis from The Post found that from the end of May through June, Pennsylvania had over 400 protests. And young people have led protests in smaller towns across the country, including in Aledo, Texas; Canton, Mo.; and Woburn, Mass. For Bliss, the decision to go to Harrison was simple: he felt like many of the protests were "preaching to the choir." "These conversations should probably be happening in places where you wouldn't expect them if you really want to take that leap and get people to better understand you're fighting for," he said. In fact, his video isn't the first Black Lives Matter moment in Harrison. In June, 10 days after George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody, a group of young people, almost all White, held a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Harrison. As they made their way toward the town square, they were heckled while armed White men patrolled the sidewalks and stood on rooftops. Harrison, a northern Arkansas town of just over 13,000 people, is known for its connections to white supremacy and its history is steeped in racism. Following the abolition of slavery, Harrison had a burgeoning Black community. But in 1905, when a group of Black men were put in jail for an alleged crime, a mob of White men broke in, beat them, sparking a series of lynchings and home razings. The riots eventually drove out all but one African American resident, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Today, Harrison still boasts white pride billboards, which some in town have tried to combat with competing signs saying, "Love Your Neighbor." From Bliss's experience, racism is alive in Harrison. "I am now a professional lip reader when it comes to 'all lives matter' and I have seen so many middle fingers I could draw them," he said. On average, he spent about eight hours a day outside holding his sign, he said. On July 9, his first day, he posted up at a busy intersection. The following two days were outside a Walmart Supercenter. In the video, Bliss shows an interaction with a manager at Walmart who asks him to leave. Bliss responded by showing him Walmart's statement in support of Black Lives Matter, but the manager held firm. Walmart did not immediately respond for comment on the video. Bliss said he was aware that his privilege as a White man allowed him to hold the Black Lives Matter sign without feeling constant threat. "Because those people see me as one of them, because I'm a White male, it allows me to go things and say things in places that other people would not be able to," he said. "I feel that's a responsibility that I have." Bliss said some people tried to talk to him about his stance, but others were just angry. "I'd be ashamed to be a White boy carrying that stupid sign," a man shouted from his white SUV. His video, though, ends on a glimmer of hope. A young woman silently walked up to him, giving him a thumbs up, and handing him a note of support. "Ignore the haters," it said. "You're being peaceful. What you're doing is good." It was the ending Bliss felt made the most sense for the video. "I felt it was symbolic that you have a video filled with people who are baby boomer-age and up who are coming at me pretty viciously," Bliss said, "and then this pretty young woman, the future of the U.S., is handing me a note saying to not lose hope and that felt really powerful to me." - - - Video link: https://wapo.st/3387vNJ Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany Thu, July 30, 2020 07:20 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5c85b 2 World Germany,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,ventilator,COVID-19-death-toll,COVID-19-infection,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free One in five patients hospitalized in Germany over the coronavirus succumbed to the disease, with the fatality rate rising to 53 percent for those who received ventilation, a study showed Wednesday. Data of 10,000 patients admitted to 930 German hospitals between February 26 and April 19 were analyzed by the German Interdisciplinary Association of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, the Technical University of Berlin and AOK health insurance group's research arm WIdO. Hospitalized male patients had a higher mortality rate than women, with 25 percent compared to 19 percent. Older patients were also significantly more vulnerable, as 27 percent of patients in their 70s died while 38 percent of those above 80 years old failed to pull through. "These high mortality rates clearly show that a relatively high number of patients with a very serious course of disease were treated in hospitals," said Juergen Klauber, director of WIdO. "Such serious course of diseases mainly affect older people and people whose health is already compromised, but also occur in younger patients," he warned, urging the population to take necessary precautions to prevent new infections. Of the 10,021 patients, 1,727 were given mechanical ventilation. While almost twice as many who received ventilation were men, the mortality rates were similar gender-wise, the study said. Patients were staying in hospitals for an average of 14 days, with those not on ventilation hospitalized for an average of 12 days while the duration for those who needed help breathing rose to 25 days. Reinhard Busse, professor of healthcare management at TU Berlin, noted that on average, 240 days of ventilation would be required for every 100 hospitalized patients. "These are important numbers to prepare for a second wave of the pandemic. However, we do not anticipate any problems with normal hospital beds, even with high infection rates," he added. Thanks to its decentralized healthcare system, Germany has been able to significantly ramp up its capacity to treat COVID-19 patients, avoiding scenes like in Italy where some hospitals were overwhelmed by the sudden huge caseload. However, health experts have urged against complacency, with the head of the RKI disease control agency, Lothar Wieler, repeatedly urging the population to keep to hygiene rules like social distancing or mask wearing. With the summer holiday season in full swing, politicians are also watching anxiously at infection numbers which have ticked up in recent weeks. As of Wednesday, Germany has recorded 206,926 cases of infections including 9,128 deaths. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Thursday accused the Centre of continuing to remain 'silent' on the territorial government's requests for funds to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and said the situation was being managed by using its own funds. He also said the government would decide its stand on extension of lockdown beyond July 31 or relaxation of curbs at a meeting of the cabinet slated for Friday. "We have made repeated pleas to the Centre to earmark funds to manage the pandemic situation by strengthening the hospitals with equipment and manpower. The Centre however, continues to remain silent which is a matter of concern for the administration," the chief minister told reporters in a video interaction. He said the territorial government was spending from its own funds and also by utilising the COVID-19 fund attached to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to purchase equipment to strengthen facilities in hospitals to treat patients. Narayanasamy said the territorial administration had soughtRs 225 crore initially from the Centre and the total requirement to purchase ventilators, PPEs, monitors and also to post additional health professionals would be Rs 975 crores. "We have projected the demand to the Centre repeatedly but all our pleas had evoked no no response," he said. He said the number of fresh cases of pandemic was on the rise in Puducherry, adding "the big challenge the government is facing here is non-availability of adequate beds in government-run hospitals to handle the increase in number of patients. He said that the government had approached private medical college hospitals to accommodate patients by earmarking sufficient beds, adding On a possible extension of lockdown beyond July 31, the chief minister said: "We will take the decision after considering the easing of curbs by the Centre under Unlock-3 and also the announcement of the Tamil Nadu government to extend the lockdown till August 31."Narayanasamy further said factors such as protection of lives of the people and also ensuring financial resources for the government to face the challenge would be weighed and an appropriate decision would be taken. The Chief Minister said the government had decided that only residential premises of the person identified as COVID-19 patient alone would be isolated and declared as a containment building instead of announcing the entire street or a stretch of 20 metres as containment zone. (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.) ATLANTA - Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, died Thursday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this May 31, 2014 file photo, Herman Cain addresses the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, La. Cain has died after battling the coronavirus. A post on Cain's Twitter account on Thursday, July 30, 2020 announced the death. (AP Photo/Bill Haber, File) ATLANTA - Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, died Thursday of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. Dan Calabrese, who authored a post on Cain's website announcing the death, told The Associated Press that Cain died at an Atlanta hospital early Thursday morning. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. Its not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. A photo taken at the rally showed Cain, without a mask, sitting closely to other people who also were not wearing any face coverings. A statement on his Twitter account said he tested positive for COVID on June 29 and was hospitalized July 1 because his symptoms were serious. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, Calabrese wrote in the website post Thursday. Trump offered his condolences in a tweet on Thursday in which he said he had also spoken by telephone to Cain's family. He later started his news conference at the White House with a mention of Cains death. He was a very special person ... and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus, Trump said, using the moniker he often ascribes to the new coronavirus, which was first detected in China. He added, We send out prayers to Hermans great wife, Gloria ... And I have to say, America grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans that had their lives taken by this horrible, invisible enemy. Cain, who had hoped to become the first Black politician to win the GOP nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed President Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Cain said he could not remember Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone, but polls conducted in the weeks afterward showed his popularity slipping considerably. Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and up-by-the-bootstraps life story to many tea party supporters and other conservatives. He first ventured into national politics in 1994 when he publicly challenged President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, on his proposal to force employers to buy health insurance for their employees. For many, many businesses like mine, the cost of your plan is simply a cost that will cause us to eliminate jobs, Cain told Clinton. What will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate? Afterward, the restaurant industry used Cain as a spokesman as it campaigned against Clintons plan, which ultimately failed. Cain served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. After moving back to his native Georgia, he ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2004. He lost to Rep. Johnny Isakson in the primary. Less than two years later, Cain was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his colon that had spread to his liver. He recovered and later credited God with persuading him to run for president after Obama, a Democrat, took office in early 2009. Thats when I prayed and prayed and prayed," Cain told an audience of young Republicans in Atlanta. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. Youve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure? Cain projected a self-confident image that at times bordered on arrogance. He referred to himself in the third person, and his motivational speaking company was named T.H.E. New Voice Inc. The acronym stood for The Hermanator Experience. Cain's run for the presidency was unlikely considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, his father worked three jobs as a janitor, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically Black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the U.S. Navy. While it was a good job, Cain said his ambitions were in the corporate world. He wanted to be president of something ... somewhere, he later wrote. He worked first for Coca-Cola, became a vice-president with Pillsbury, then was appointed to run its struggling Burger King unit in the Philadelphia area. His success prompted Pillsbury officials to ask Cain to take over its floundering Godfathers Pizza chain. Cain said he returned the franchise to profitability. The centerpiece of Cains presidential campaign was his 9-9-9 plan, which would have replaced the current tax code with a 9% tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. Cain said the plans simplicity would stimulate the economy by giving investors certainty. If 10% is good enough for God, 9% ought to be good enough for the federal government, he told crowds. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Numerous Republican politicians, party activists and conservative political commentators mourned Cain's death on social media Thursday. Romney tweeted, Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Cain was a fierce advocate for conservative principles across the board," while Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, referring to Cain as one of his closest friends, remarked that Herman ... lived the American dream and aspired to share his success with others. Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. ___ Associated Press reporter Kate Brumback contributed to this report. Chubb Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg told CNBC on Thursday the insurance industry is confronting an event like no other when it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic. "It has no time limit, and it has no geographic bounds," Greenberg said on "Squawk Box." "For business interruption, the loss is essentially infinite, and insurers have a finite balance sheet." "So, the insurance industry's ability to take pandemic risk is very limited," he added. The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted how property and casualty insurance companies typically do not cover pandemics. However, as the crisis has forced the closure of a record number of businesses, with losses estimated to be $1 trillion, according to the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the industry has initiated a conversation with the government about a subsidized response to business interruption insurance. Greenberg said that in a situation like a pandemic, the cooperation between public and private entities is critical. Chubb has released a two-prong proposal in that spirit: one program for small business and one for medium and large business. Small businesses would receive a predetermined payout based on payroll if a pandemic lockdown were to be declared, while medium and large businesses would receive an indemnity-based payout. In each case, the insurance industry would assume up to $15 billion, which grows over the next 20 years. In a unique move, the government would assume the rest of the risk in Chubb's proposal. "The government takes the tail risk, and limits the amount of liability insurance the company would take," said Greenberg. "Insurers could play a broader role in assuming coverage in the future, should we have future pandemics." Greenberg highlighted the unprecedented need this pandemic has revealed for payouts. "Fundamentally you're equating, just for business interruption, losses very close to those of Hurricane Katrina," Greenberg said, referring to the deadly 2005 storm that caused over $100 billion in damage. And the expenses don't stop at business interruption. "We still have to pay workers compensation, liability protections, and all kinds of other insurance exposures that will be incurred," Greenberg added. The death toll from Covid-19 in the US crossed 150,000 on Wednesday, the highest in the world, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage The bleak milestone comes amid signs that the nations outbreak is beginning to stabilise in the Sun Belt but heating up in the Midwest, fuelled largely by young adults who are hitting bars, restaurants and gyms again. The Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker put the nations confirmed infections at nearly 4.4 million, also the highest in the world. The current surge in the number of people infected and killed by the disease has been accompanied by a burgeoning outbreak of misinformation and conspiracy theories about supposed cures and the effectiveness of masks. Early cases linked to China, Italy, Iran People with travel links to China, Iran, and Italy accounted for nearly two-thirds of the initial cases outside mainland China in the pre-pandemic period between December 31, 2019 and March 10 this year, a study published in the medical journal Lancet says. The study says one in four of the first cases originated in Italy, and one in five in China. It also found four large clusters and outbreaks triggered in different countries to be linked with transmission in faith-based settings. Scientists have been researching how the coronavirus rapidly spread outside China since March when the World Health Organization declared the disease a pandemic. Meanwhile, the Emmy Awards show, slated for this September, may go virtual due to the pandemic, with celebrities having to appear online. U.S. Bases In The Persian Gulf Go On Alert After Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles Radio Farda July 29, 2020 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched underground ballistic missiles as part of a drill involving a fake U.S. aircraft carrier during military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the IRGC fired a missile from a helicopter targeting the same carrier. Drones separately targeted the bridge of the fake carrier, according to the state TV on July 29, which did not immediately air footage of the launches or the drone attack, nor did it identify the missiles used in the drill. The U.S. military said that ballistic missile fire detected from the exercise resulted in U.S. troops being put on alert at Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Al-Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command in Qatar. Troops sought cover during that time. "The incident lasted for a matter of minutes and an all clear was declared after the threat ... had passed," said Central Command spokeswoman Beth Riordan. Both bases are hundreds of kilometers away from where Iran put the replica aircraft carrier. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have been on the rise since 2018, when the United States withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions that have battered the Iranian economy. In January, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad. Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq. Washington is also pressing for the extension of a years-long UN weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October. A recent incident over Syria involving an American jet fighter approaching an Iranian passenger plane also has renewed tensions. Footage of the first day of drills broadcast on state television on July 28 showed a missile fired from a helicopter leaving a trail of smoke before appearing to smash into the side of the fake warship. Other footage from the exercise dubbed Payambar-e Azam 14 (The Great Prophet) showed speedboats encircling the replica, commandos rappelling onto the deck of the vessel, and scuba forces underwater. Anti-aircraft batteries were seen firing from a location that the report described as being near the port city of Bandar Abbas. Land-based trucks also launched missiles and troops used shoulder-fired missiles. The U.S. Navy condemned the "irresponsible and reckless behavior by Iran," calling it an attempt "to intimidate and coerce." With reporting by AFP Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/u-s-bases-in- the-persian-gulf-go-on-alert-after-iranian -missiles-hit-nearby/30753981.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A report published last month exposed egregious levels of wage theft targeting international students in Australia. It also warned that the so-called reopening of the economy and the desperate situation of international students experiencing financial hardship amid the COVID-19 crisis means they will be more vulnerable to exploitation and to worsening working conditions. Written by Professor Bassina Farbenblum (University of New South Wales) and Associate Professor Laurie Berg (University of Technology Sydney) in conjunction with the Migrant Worker Justice Initiative (MWJI), the report analysed data from a 2019 survey of 5,968 international students, as part of the Information for Impact project funded by StudyNSW. The respondents were nationals of 103 countries. The highest number were from China (24 percent), followed by India (14 percent). Half of respondents aged over 20 had received less than the basic statutory minimum wage of $18.49 per hour for 20-year-olds and $18.93 per hour for 21-year-olds in permanent positions while employed in their lowest-paying job. Over three quarters (77 percent) were paid below the minimum casual rate of $23.11 per hour for 20-year-olds and $23.66 per hour for 21-year-olds. Over a quarter of respondents (26 percent) earned $12 or less per hour. The report noted that this figure has remained unchanged since the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey in 2016, despite marginal rises to statutory minimum wages since that time. The proportion of international students who reported that they speak fair or poor English on $12 or less per hour was 39 percent. The report also noted that a stark outlier was Chinese students who fared far worse than others at the most egregious levels of underpayment. In their lowest-paid jobs, well over half (54 percent) were paid $12 per hour or less. Approximately one in ten were paid less than $10 per hour and 83 percent earned less than the minimum wage for casuals. In an interview with the WSWS, one Chinese student in Brisbane said: I have rarely heard of Chinese students ever getting the legal minimum wage. The maximum wage I have ever received is $18 per hour and the lowest wage Ive ever received is $12 per hour. One in five respondents reported working very long hours and 9 percent had not been paid at all for a period. Of the students surveyed who experienced problems at work, almost two thirds did not try to access help or seek information to address the problem according to the MWJI analysis. The authors pointed out that 48 percent of respondents said that they feared losing their jobs if they complained. They write that this concern is likely accurate, as 7 percent of all respondents reported that they had in fact lost their jobs as a result of a complaint. This would be a substantial proportion of those who had raised issues at work. Thirty-eight percent said that they did not seek information or help for fear of affecting their current or future visas. Like young workers, students and other casual and part-time workers across Australia and internationally, many international students lost their casual jobs as a result of limited social distancing measures introduced in response to the spread of COVID-19. International students are excluded by nationalist and anti-democratic laws from almost all government assistance, leaving those that lost jobs with no income and unable to pay for accommodation, living expenses or their exorbitant course fees. Many are no longer able to rely on assistance from family members in their home countries, who are also experiencing financial hardship brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. Interviewed by Equal Times last month, Indian student Ajay is studying for a masters degree in data science at Melbournes Monash University. His course will cost $80,000. After the 25-year-olds cafe job was suspended in March, he was left with just $50 in his bank account. With the pro-business reopening of the economy in Australia, the report noted that international students will be even more vulnerable to exploitation due to their highly precarious financial status and desperation for work in a more tightly constrained labour market. The authors added that this will likely lead many to accept even poorer working conditions and intensify the factors that deter international students from seeking help or taking action when problems arise. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Professor Berg said: The government cannot treat international students and their labour as a utilitarian commodity. During COVID-19, many international students were essential workers in aged care, supermarkets, food delivery and cleaning, keeping Australians safe, fed and cared for. Yet the government turned its back on those who lost jobs and has failed to seriously address exploitation among those who are working. The report also pointed to the fact that many international students could not return home due to borders being closed, flights being unaffordable or unavailable or because they did not want to jeopardise their return to Australia to study amid uncertainties around the spread of the pandemic. However, increasing financial hardship, concerns over their health and inadequate online learning support led tens of thousands of international students to return home when lockdowns were introduced in March. Most planned to continue their studies in Australia once COVID-19 had abated. As a result of the reckless back-to-work drive, dictated by corporate profit interests, Australia has in recent weeks seen a resurgence in COVID-19 cases and has closed its international and most state borders. There have been several thousand new cases since the beginning of July, the majority in the state of Victoria. According to the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), approximately 120,000 students or 20 percent of total international enrolments in Australia are currently blocked from entering the country due to the border closure, of which nearly 7,000 are stranded in India. The federal government announced earlier this month that a pilot program to bring small numbers of international students back for the coming semester would be suspended. The Safe Passage pilot program was tabled by the Canberra-based Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Canberra (UC) in early June. They proposed to fly 350 international students to Canberra this month. It was accompanied by a similar plan for 800 students to return to South Australia. According to the ANU and UC, the program included stringent pre-departure and post-arrival testing and 14-day isolation upon arrival in Australia. Federal education minister Dan Tehan told PIE News that the programs would only go ahead with the reopening of internal state and territory borders within Australia and the return to on-campus learning for the benefit of domestic students and the international students who are already in Australia. ANU undergraduate student Harpragaas Singh, currently stuck in the northern Indian state of Punjab and unsure if he had even be shortlisted for the pilot program, told SBS: I am totally disappointed with the way they are handling the situation for students and all other temporary visa holders who are currently stranded offshore. Universities across the country are pleading with the federal government to reconsider the proposals, but not out of concern for the future education of their international students. International students have been treated by universities as cash cows for decades, bringing in $39 billion last financial year, amid decades of funding cuts by Labor and Liberal governments. The universities estimate they could lose up to $19 billion over the next three years due to lower international student numbers stemming from the pandemic. Concerned over the pandemics impact on Australias competitiveness on the world market for international students, the Department of Home Affairs, the federal government body in charge of immigration, announced minor changes to highly sought-after post-study visas for international students. Under the visa subclass 485, international students who have completed two years of study in Australia are eligible to work in Australia for between 18 months and 4 years. Previously, students were required to be present in Australia for at least 16 months to be eligible. Among the changes are the granting of student visas to new students offshore, free visa applications and counting online study while abroad toward requirements for the post-study work visa. However, the changes do not help international students who chose to defer their studies as the pandemic began to spread in March. The situation confronting international students is a graphic expression of the social crisis being inflicted on the entire working class by governments and the corporate elite that they represent. This underscores the need for a fight to unify international and domestic students, as part of the struggle to build a socialist movement aimed at establishing free higher education for all, and decent paid permanent jobs as a fundamental social right. Frank LoPinto (left) teaches an in-person martial arts class while in front of the camera for a simultaneous in-person class at his Kaizen Martial Arts of N.J. in Mount Laurel. Read more Gina Ward marked the five-year anniversary of her yoga studio with a celebration class in March and hugs and high fives from her students. Last month, she gave up her rented space in Cherry Hill to teach all her classes online. I knew Id maybe be able to have five people plus one teacher in my space, and thats expensive to open up for just a few people, said Ward, 43, who was diagnosed with leukemia last spring and then confronted this spring with the task of managing her small business, Heart and Grit Power Yoga, as the coronavirus pandemic walloped the global economy. She now rents a small space in a friends home that doubles as a business so she can teach yoga on Zoom several times a week. It was definitely not something that was in the books, she said. Online yoga had not even occurred to me as a possibility. A few weeks after Ward ended her studio lease for health and financial reasons, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said indoor recreational activities including archery, dance, yoga, and theater programs could reopen at 25% capacity, excluding employees. The directive, formally called Order 157 and released July 21, carried additional stipulations. Students in a martial arts class, for instance, were prohibited from sparring or practicing close-contact drills, and clients were ordered to wear masks if they were not at least six feet from others. In Pennsylvania, gyms and fitness centers have been allowed to reopen at 50% capacity. READ MORE: Philly gyms are reopening, but restrictions and a worried public have them wondering if they can survive For bigger locally owned businesses, the steep drop in capacity was a blow, but with the potential for a rebound a guarantee not promised to boutique fitness studios based on their small classes with individualized attention. And in the thick of summer, business owners said fewer clients have attended their classes, abandoned in favor of vacation or the couch. Those who have continued to attend exercise classes in person now reckon with the added hurdle of wearing masks. How can I teach anyone to inhale through their nose and exhale through their mouth with a mask on? said Satima Fisher, owner of Relax and Hang Aerial Yoga in Philadelphia. Thats the primary principle of yoga. Others have opted to exercise from home, where they follow a livestreamed class and forgo in-person instruction to be spared from their peers sweat and labored breathing. READ MORE: Is it safe to return to the gym? How to protect yourself against the coronavirus as gyms reopen. I started every class with hugs and high fives, so I definitely miss that, Ward said, but Ive connected with more people all over the place. Its been really great. Its forced this yoga community to really play a little bigger. And yogas not about a building, so its kind of, maybe, brought us back to the purpose of it all. Even at gyms that are now allowed to be open again, in-person attendance is often low, said Frank LoPinto, who has owned Kaizen Martial Arts of NJ with his wife, Stacie, since 2005. People are still apprehensive to come out, even though we are offering in-person classes, he said. Still, probably about 80% of people are staying home and doing it online. LoPinto, 54, livestreams in-person classes for his students who choose to stay home. Those who show up to the gym, a 5,000-square-foot facility in Mount Laurel, claim a square-shaped and socially distanced practice area as a video camera records the training. And as an instructor leads the in-person class, another instructor is on the Zoom call, monitoring students training at home. We have a very interactive way that we work with students at home, said LoPinto, who earned a doctorate in operations research and taught at LaSalle and Rowan Universities before he became a martial arts instructor teaching a mix of karate, Krav Maga, and tae kwon do. We have someone at the computer who is actually doing that. HELP US REPORT: Are you a health care worker, medical provider, government worker, patient, frontline worker or other expert? We want to hear from you. Though he has loyal students who regularly attend class, he said, business generally lulls in the summer. He can still pay bills, but its generally not a great time to get new students. Now with the uncertainty of whats going to happen schools starting, other sports there are a lot of questions, he said. The prospect of the phone not ringing thats the thing thats a little more troublesome. With heavy rainfall across the state, landslides and increase in water level of rivers have been reported from many areas in Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours. In Mussoorie, a makeshift residential dwelling and two temporary shops got damaged completely due a landslide that was triggered by overnight rains near Tehri bus stand. One whole sidewall of the dwelling caved and all stocks of the shops were buried under debris. Kavita, a slum dweller who lost her home due to the landslide said, We have been living here since the past fifty years and have not seen such landslide earlier. Officials from district administration rushed to the spot and helped those affected and shifted them to safer places. The India Meteorological Department on Thursday afternoon predicted that heavy rainfall with intense spells is likely to occur at isolated places in Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand on Friday. The MeT department has issued an orange alert for Friday urging district administrations to be prepared. It has further issued a yellow warning watch of heavy rainfall in different districts across the state from August 1-3. The water level of Ganga was flowing just near the warning level of 293 metre in Haridwar on Wednesday evening. As precautionary measure district administration cautioned villagers and slum-dwellers residing nearby Ganga river, directing them not to go near the river bed for the next 24 hours. As per Central Water Commission observatory at Neel Dhara at 5:30 pm the water level of Ganga reached 292.90 metre -which is just below the warning level (293 metre). Last night SS Rajamouli took to his Twitter to break the news that he and his family have been tested COVID positive. This breaking news shook the nation as yet another stalwart is diagnosed with the virus. The South industry expressed their concerns for the filmmaker and his family and superstar Mahesh Babu too shared his concern. Take care sir... Wishing you and your family a speedy recovery!! Mahesh Babu (@urstrulyMahesh) July 29, 2020 SS Rajamouli had tweeted saying, My family members and I developed a slight fever few days ago. It subsided by itself but we got tested nevertheless. The result has shown a mild COVID positive today. We have home quarantined as prescribed by the doctors. All of us are feeling better with no symptoms but are following all precautions and instructions... Just waiting to develop antibodies so that we can donate our plasma Reading this tweet, Mahesh Babu soon replied saying, Take care sir... Wishing you and your family a speedy recovery!!For those who dont know Mahesh Babu and SS Rajamouli are going to collaborate soon for a film. The director wants to wrap up shooting for RRR featuring Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt, but due to the pandemic the film has been stalled and the makers will make a proper plan and resume shooting. And post, SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu will work on their next. Fans cant wait for this outing as this one will be iconic. Focus Data Solutions is pleased to be ranked #232 in a field of 501 service providers from around the world. Focus Data Solutions https://www.focusdatasolutions.com/ has been named as one of the worlds premier managed service providers on the prestigious 2020 annual Channel Futures MSP 501 rankings. The MSP 501 is the worlds first, largest and most comprehensive survey and ranking list in the IT channel. Focus Data Solutions is pleased to be ranked #232 in a field of 501 service providers from around the world. "We are so excited to receive this honor," said President/CEO Elizabeth Chisman Moon. "Our team works hard everyday to serve our clients with the best MSP practices and client service possible. This is a great way to recognize our team and their accomplishments. This is the 13th year Channel Futures has run the global listing on managed service providers. The list is determined from an exhaustive survey and application with submissions self-reporting on product offerings, annual total and recurring revenues, profits, revenue mix, growth opportunities and company and customer demographic information. Applicants are then ranked on a unique methodology that weights revenue figures according to long-term health and viability; commitment to recurring revenue; and operational efficiency. The 2020 winners are truly the best examples of innovation, business acumen and strategic savvy on the planet. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 2020 winners and gratitude to the thousands of MSPs that have contributed to the continuing growth and success of both the 501 and the thriving managed services sector, stated Kris Blackmon, Senior Content Director at Channel Partners and Channel Futures. The complete 2020 MSP 501 list is available at Channel Futures. Background The 2020 MSP 501 list is based on data collected by Channel Futures and its sister site, Channel Partners. Data was collected online from Mar. 1 through June 30, 2018. The MSP 501 list recognizes top managed service providers based on metrics including recurring revenue, profit margin and other factors. About Focus Data Solutions An award-winning services provider, Focus Data Solutions matches your business goals with the technology and management to see it through. We are your partner for everything IT, with the passion and technological expertise to easily develop and deliver solutions that will drive your business forward. As a woman-owned business servicing client across industries, Focus Data Solutions provides IT Essentials, IT Security and IT Strategy services in the Northern Virginia and D.C. Metro area. More than simple a-la-carte solutions, Focus Data Solutions partners with you to provide comprehensive strategies that are formulated for optimal IT management and maintenance. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 01:57:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on July 31, 2020 shows the bomb blast site in Pul-e-Alam city, Logar province, Afghanistan. At least eight civilians were killed and 30 others wounded when a car bomb explosion took place in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province on Thursday evening, spokesman of the Interior Ministry confirmed. (Photo by Ahmadi/Xinhua) KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least eight civilians were killed and 30 others wounded when a car bomb explosion took place in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province on Thursday evening, spokesman of the Interior Ministry confirmed. "The incident occurred at 7:40 p.m. local time in Sharwal Square of Pul-e-Alam city, capital of Logar. The initial information indicated that eight civilians were martyred and 30 wounded," spokesman Tariq Arian tweeted. Several children were among the victims. The provincial sources said 15 people were killed and 35 wounded, adding that several military personnel were also affected in the explosion. The incident came ahead of a ceasefire between Taliban militants and the government security forces. The two sides have agreed on a three-day ceasefire during Eid al-Adha, the annual religious Festival of Sacrifice. Taliban militants denied involvement of in the attack. The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,280 civilians were killed and over 2,170 others wounded due to fighting in the country in the first six months of 2020, according to figures of United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 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. LOS ANGELESThis week the Trump administration, on the heels of his executive order in May, requested via the National Telecommunications and Information Agencya branch of the Commerce Departmentthat the Federal Communications Commission review Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The CDA serves as the foundation of online free expression. Section 230 allows free expression online by specifically protecting internet platforms and providers from legal responsibility for the content of user posts. But the law has recently come under scrutiny from both sides of the aisle in Congress, with a series of new bills aimed at rolling back the protections afforded by Section 230. The new NTIA document calls on the FCC to alter Section 230 in a way that requires platforms to engage in good faith content moderation, or face a loss of the Section 230 liability protections. But some who oppose the proposed bills say what the NTIA is asking would be unconstitutional. Theres no way for the FCC, the FTC, or any court to decide what constitutes good faith content moderation, said James E. Dunstan, general counsel for the online rights group TechFreedom, in a statement. It would require the government to examine the content of Internet speech, which the First Amendment clearly forbids. Dunstan called the NTIA request a monumental waste of the FCCs time. In addition, according to an analysis by Mike Masnick of TechDirt, the request would also be unconstitutional because the FCC has no authority to interpret or rewrite laws passed by Congress. Only courts may interpret the law in any legally binding way, and only Congress has the authority to revise Section 230, or any federal law. The FCC, Masnick notes, has also surrendered its authority to regulate the internet. When the current, Republican-led FCC voted to repeal net neutrality regulations in 2017, the repeal reclassified the internet as an information service, rather than a telecommunications service. The change transfers authority over the internet to the Federal Trade Commission, which has very limited ability to regulate online speech. As with net neutrality, the current FCC remains divided along partisan lines over the proposed Section 230 rollback. Photo By Junior Teixeira / Pexels So you've gotten orders to report to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for Army basic training. Welcome to the largest TRADOC (Training and Doctrine Command) post in the entire Army! Basic combat training, often referred to as just basic or BCT, is the introduction those wanting to serve as soldiers receive as they enter the Army. It is life-changing and something that you always will remember and look back on. Here at Fort Jackson, you'll soon come to learn the phrase: "Victory Starts Here -- Right Here!" Where is Fort Jackson Basic Training? Fort Jackson is in Columbia, South Carolina, and is the U.S. Army 's main training center for Basic Combat Training. Our drill sergeants train 50% of the Army's Basic Combat Training trainees, and at least 60% of all females enter the Army every year. Fort Jackson makes sure new soldiers are well-trained, disciplined, motivated and physically fit warriors who can live as prime examples of the Army's core values. You will need to get used to these values, too, and start memorizing them: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. Just use the acronym LDRSHIP (leadership) to help you remember! What Units Are at Fort Jackson? Fort Jackson's main mission is training in excess of 48,000 basic training trainees and 12,000 additional advanced training trainees and soldiers every year. It's time to get excited about all the amazing things you're going to learn at Fort Jackson basic training. Remember, it won't be easy, but it will be worth it. How Long Is Army Basic Training? Basic training at Fort Jackson takes 10 weeks to complete. Unlike high school or college, where you may have been in class and studying around six hours a day, the Army trains for about 12-14 hours a day, six days a week. You'll come to love Sundays, unless you've managed to "earn" some extra-duty time during the week. There isn't a whole lot of sitting in classrooms, either. While we can't reveal too many secrets (because where would the fun be in that?), we can give you an idea of what happens in BCT. Week 0: Zero Week You are a brand-new trainee in a new, kind of scary environment. It might even be your first time away from home. Zero week is called reception, where all trainees complete administrative actions required to become a part of the Army. Simple things such as medical examinations, setting up pay and initial issue of equipment are all part of zero week. You'll get assigned to a company, platoon and infantry battalion (there are 11 battalions) in either the 165th Infantry Brigade or the 193rd Infantry Brigade. Weeks 1-3: Red Phase Training officially begins. You'll get to meet the drill sergeants who will be with you for the remainder of basic. This can be a tough time for trainees due to the adjustments, but when you look back later, this phase was easy! Most classroom-type training occurs during your first three weeks, you'll learn about: Ballistics and rifle marksmanship fundamentals Personal financial management Law of land warfare Uniform Code of Military Justice (Military law) Land navigation (using a map and compass) Physical readiness Nutrition Rappelling and navigating rope bridges Drill and ceremony Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) defense Fieldcraft Patrolling Weeks 4-5: White Phase This phase is sometimes called the rifleman phase, qualification phase or shoot phase. Your focus now -- how to identify, track, target and effectively engage targets with a rifle. This is called marksmanship. Since marksmanship training is progressive, it will get harder and harder as you move through the phases. You'll learn a variety of things about firearms, such as: How to zero a rifle. How to align the rifle sights to hit targets at different distances. How to engage targets at various distances. How to engage targets at various distances using three positions: Prone supported (lying down with a brace to hold the weapon steady), prone unsupported (lying down using only your hands to hold the weapon steady) and kneeling unsupported (one knee on the ground, resting the weapon on the other knee). Sounds fun, right? How to engage targets at various distances with limited time. How to prioritize and engage multiple simultaneous targets at various distances with limited time How to engage targets at various distances, with limited and variable amounts of time, with a changing number of simultaneous targets available at any particular time. This one is important, as it defines if you pass a major requirement of basic training: rifle qualification. Weeks 6-9: Blue Phase If you make it this far, you're almost there! Now you will be given opportunities to combine all of the skills you have learned in earlier phases of training to complete advanced combat tasks. But there is still a lot to learn: Close combat and use of aiming tools, such as lasers and optics Patrol and attack as a squad Maneuver and engage targets as part of a team Employ "crew-served" and more powerful weapons M240B machine gun AT4 anti-tank rocket launcher M203 40mm grenade launcher Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT -- fighting in a city) Convoy defense Improvised Explosive Device (IED) defeat Long-distance road marching with combat load Forward Operating Base (FOB) operations Control point operations Week 10: Graduation The final week of basic training at Fort Jackson is all about you and your family. After completing the final training events, which include a week of field training and a 15km march in 'full battle rattle,' you'll finally get to spend the day with family and friends on Family Day. The next day, your loved ones can watch you graduate Basic Combat Training and become soldiers in the greatest military institution in the world: the U.S. Army! The day after graduation, new soldiers head to the next phase of their training -- Advanced Individual Training (AIT) -- to learn their military occupation. Read the original article on Sandboxx. Interested in Joining the Military? We can put you in touch with recruiters from the different military branches. Learn about the benefits of serving your country, paying for school, military career paths and more: sign up now and hear from a recruiter near you. Sen. Chuck Schumer on Thursday morning painted a bleak picture of coronavirus stimulus negotiations with Republicans and Trump administration officials, prodding President Donald Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell to quickly find unity and build toward a comprehensive deal as millions of Americans face unemployment and eviction. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer, the minority leader, blasted his counterpart McConnell for accusing Democrats of not engaging, noting Democrats in the House of Representatives passed a $3 trillion package more than two months ago. Schumer added that McConnell refuses to go into the room during recent sit-downs between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans are like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall, the New York Democrat said. Trump and Mnuchin hinted Wednesday that they were prepared to cut a pared-down stimulus package focused on a short-term extension of enhanced unemployment benefits and protecting renters from an expected wave of evictions. But Schumer hammered Trump for not working with Democrats on a wide-ranging bill and argued Republicans were being stingy and divided at a time when the nation faced generational crises in public health and the economy. Were trying to negotiate; the Senate Republicans are not, Schumer said. Its clear that Senate Republicans dont have a unified position on anything. McConnell told PBS Newshour on Wednesday that as many as 20 Republicans may not vote for any package at all not even the $1 trillion GOP plan McConnell unveiled Monday, because they think weve already done enough in terms of stimulus funding. But McConnell accused Washington Democrats of potentially letting relief run dry to suit their partisan goals. The coronavirus does not care that we are divided. The coronavirus will not care if Washington Democrats decide it suits their partisan goals to let relief run dry. The American people are hurting and Congress should have their backs. Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) July 29, 2020 The Republican proposal would provide a $200 bonus to unemployment benefits, a $400-reduction from a weekly enhancement that expires Friday; $105 billion to help schools reopen nationwide; $16 billion for coronavirus testing; $190 billion to refresh a small business loan program; a second round of direct checks to tens of millions of Americans; and liability protections for businesses so they wont face lawsuits over coronavirus cases. Schumer argued McConnell would torpedo all relief Americans are counting on without a giant corporate immunity provision attached. The GOP proposal also does not include nearly $875 billion that Democrats want to allocate to states and local governments in both Republican and Democratic communities, which face unprecedented budget shortfalls and have already laid off more than 1.5 million public employees, including teachers, first responders and health care workers. They want big bailout money for Democrats that ran cities terribly, Trump alleged of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday. Schumer noted that Trump has called the GOP proposal semi-irrelevant, demonstrating that Republicans are tied in a knot and cant get anything done. The president seems to endorse a different policy every time he finds a microphone, Schumer alleged. He noted that the president consistently pushes, however, for the final package to include hundreds of millions of dollars in White House renovations and $175 billion for a new FBI building that Schumer alleged could boost the value of (Trumps) own hotel just down the block on Pennsylvania avenue. Republicans have said they dont want the new FBI building included in the stimulus, prompting Trump to suggest Republicans should go back to school and learn. Its a bad building. Meadows on Wednesday evening came out of a meeting on Capitol Hill and told reporters were nowhere close to a deal. The lack of a deal by Friday places enhanced unemployment benefits in jeopardy and delays stimulus checks to tens of millions of Americans, among a host of other provisions in both Republican and Democratic proposals. Related Content: The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged Nigerians to continue to expose the alleged huge corruption in President Muhammadu Buhari-l... The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged Nigerians to continue to expose the alleged huge corruption in President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. PDP said no amount of intimidation, propaganda, and blackmail should stop Nigerians from exposing the corruption in the Buhari-led government. A statement by PDPs National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said its the duty of Nigerians to always speak out against corruption. He said: The stench of humongous corruption oozing out of an administration that claimed to have come to clean an alleged Augean stable have constituted a huge embarrassment to Nigerians in the face of economic, political and security misery confronting our people in the last five years. We stand with Nigerians in stating that no amount of propaganda, blackmail, threats and intimidation from the APC and the Buhari Presidency will stop them from continuing to expose the monstrous corruption being perpetrated by APC leaders and government officials under this administration. Robert De Niro emerged in his native New York on Wednesday after claiming the coronavirus pandemic has diminished his multi-million-dollar earnings, prompting him to halve his estranged wifes credit card allowance. Lawyers acting on the 76-year old's behalf made the claim on Monday during his ongoing court battle with second wife Grace Hightower over the terms of their divorce. Making his first public appearance since disclosing details of his annual income, De Niro wore a precautionary face mask as he climbed from his car. Mean Streets: Robert De Niro emerged in his native New York on Wednesday after claiming the coronavirus pandemic has diminished his multi-million-dollar earnings Dressed in a casual a polo shirt, shorts and cap, the celebrated actor looked relaxed while making his way onto the sidewalk. De Niro - who has spent the coronavirus lockdown at his upstate New York compound in the village of Gardiner- also revealed a thick, bushy beard beneath his white face covering. Just two day earlier an emergency hearing was called after De Niro halved Hightower's monthly American Express credit card limit, cutting it from $100,000 to $50,000. New York, New York: Dressed in a casual a polo shirt, shorts and cap, the celebrated actor looked relaxed while making his way onto the sidewalk in his home city The pair confirmed their separation in November 2018 after 21 years together. Caroline Krauss, De Niro's attorney, told the judge that De Niro had to reduce her allowance because his businesses and career had suffered since the pandemic hit. She said his Nobu restaurant and hotel empire - founded in 1994, now with 41 restaurants and 18 hotels in North and South America, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia - lost $3 million in April and another $1.87 million in May. Battle: Lawyers acting on the 76-year old's behalf discussed his finances on Monday during his ongoing court battle with second wife Grace Hightower over the terms of their divorce On Monday it emerged the chain took 14 loans from the U.S. small business relief program for as much as $28 million, according to government filings. He also owns The Greenwich hotel, which has been largely empty due to the pandemic. Krauss said he also had to pay investors $500,000 on a capital call, which he borrowed money from his business partners to make, 'because he doesn't have the cash,' she said, according to The New York Post. Tough times: The Greenwich hotel, owned by De Niro, has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic Business venture: De Niro also founded the Nobu restaurant chain with Nobu Matsuhisa 25 years ago She explained that under the terms of their 2004 prenuptial agreement De Niro is required to pay Hightower $1 million a year as long as he's making $15 million or more in income, and if his income declines, so do his payments to her. 'His accounts and business manager says that the best case for Mr De Niro, if everything starts to turn around this year, he is going to be lucky if he makes $7.5 million this year,' Krauss said. She said that proceeds from De Niro's latest film - Netflix's The Irishman, nominated for 10 Oscars - have mostly already been paid out and he is likely to get just $2.5 million in 2020 and 2021. Wealthy: De Niro, pictured at the Oscars in February 2020, is worth more than $500 million And a movie project that De Niro was scheduled to begin filming this summer in Oklahoma has been put on hold, Krauss explained. She said that 'these people' - seemingly a reference to Hightower and their children - placed great financial demands on De Niro, preventing him from retiring. 'These people, in spite of his robust earnings, have always spent more than he has earned,' Krauss said, according to the paper. 'So this 76-year-old robust man couldn't retire even if he wanted to because he can't afford to keep up with his lifestyle expense.' Diminished earnings: It's understood that proceeds from De Niro's latest film - Netflix's The Irishman, nominated for 10 Oscars - have mostly already been paid out and he is likely to get just $2.5 million in 2020 and 2021 She said that De Niro has begun cutting back his own spending 'dramatically.' Hightower's lawyer, Kevin McDonough, said it was laughable to suggest that De Niro had fallen on hard times. 'The idea that Mr De Niro is tightening his belt is nonsense,' he said. 'Mr De Niro has used the COVID pandemic, my words would be, to stick it to his wife financially. You looking at me? De Niro became an international star after playing troubled Vietnam vet Travis Bickle in 1974 film Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese Punching: He won the Academy Award for Best Actor following his portrayal of boxer Jake LaMotta in Scorsese's 1980 blockbuster Raging Bull 'I'm not a believer that a man who has an admitted worth of $500 million and makes $30 million a year, all of a sudden in March he needs to cut down [spousal support] by 50 per cent and ban her from the house.' Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Matthew Cooper issued a temporary ruling that De Niro could keep Hightower's credit card limit at $50,000 a month. But he ruled that De Niro should pay her $75,000 so she can find a summer home for their two children, while De Niro and his other children remain in his three-house compound upstate. 'I am not requiring at this point that Mr De Niro restore the credit card to $100,000,' Cooper said. '$50,000 seems to be certainly enough to avoid irreparable harm.' Google wants to make its smart displays more fun. Today, its adding a handful of new games that you can play with Google Assistant on smart displays like the Nest Hub Max. If youre a trivia fan, you might choose to play Jeopardy! hosted by Alex Trebek, Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Trivia Crack. There are also wordplay games, a drawing game and Googles version of an escape-the-room challenge. Google Assistant was already capable of playing a few voice-based games. All you had to do was say, Hey Google, lets play a game. But the titles added today take advantage of smart displays, combining the screen with voice and touch controls. Google plans to focus more on smart display games and says it will launch more titles by the end of the year. We had some idea this was coming. In June, Google released a handful of developer tools meant to make Google Assistant more capable. As part of that update, it announced Continuous Match mode, which allows a devices mic to temporarily remain open instead of only listening after the Assistant finishes speaking. Google said that would allow for more realistic back-and-forth conversations with the Assistant and allow for some fun interactions. At the time, we learned that web game maker Coolgames was using the Continuous Match feature to create a new Guess The Drawing activity. That game lands on Google smart displays today. Youll guess whats being drawn on screen as quickly as you can, and youll be able to compete real-time with other players or just challenge yourself. As Google makes it easier for developers to work with Assistant and everyone searches for new home-based activities, the company says this is just the beginning. We can expect new titles to arrive throughout the year. Police in Thailand say they are investigating the death of a defence witness to a fatal hit-and-run case involving the heir to the Red Bull billions - days after it emerged his testimony helped clear the scion of wrongdoing. Charuchart Martthong was killed early today in a motorbike accident in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Earlier this week Charuchart was named as a key witness who told investigators that Red Bull heir Vorayuth 'Boss' Yoovidhya was not speeding when his Ferrari struck and killed a policeman in Bangkok in 2012. His account, apparently delivered several years after the incident, led police and prosecutors to drop all charges against Vorayuth, sparking public outrage at the perceived culture of impunity enjoyed by Thailand's rich and powerful. Vorayuth Yoovidhya, pictured centre, had faced charges of speeding, hit-and-run and reckless driving causing death. Here he was taken by a plain-clothes police officer for investigation following the hit-and-run in 2012. A key witness in the case, who claimed Yoovidhya was not speeding and whose testimony resulted in the dropping of all charges, has died Charuchart Martthong was killed early today in a motorbike accident in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Images have been published on Facebook supposedly showing the scene of the crash Police spokesman Col. Krissana Pattanacharoen (pictured) says the motorbike crash which killed Charuchart Martthong was now being investigated. He said another person involved in the collision was recovering in hospital, adding police had not ruled out anything The outcry prodded embattled Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha to set up an investigation into why the high-profile case was dropped years before the statute of limitations on several charges - including reckless driving - expired. The probe Prayut ordered - as well as two others the police and attorney general said they would conduct after last week's furore erupted - would likely have seen Charuchart questioned again. But police said he was killed on Thursday in a motorbike accident, and they were investigating the cause. 'Police are gathering forensic evidence and witnesses,' deputy police spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen said in a statement. The witness who died had claimed Vorayuth Yoovidhya was not speeding when his Ferrari allegedly struck and killed a policeman in Bangkok in 2012. Pictured: The scene of the crash, with the damaged Ferarri and motorcycle The Ferrari that was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident pictured during investigation at Thong Lor police station in Bangkok on September 3, 2012 In relation to the hit-and-run in 2012, Vorayuth Yoovidhy (second from right) had charges against him dropped. In what appears to be a nightclub, he is seen here with friends in 2014 Five years after the fatal hit-and-run, in April 2017, Vorayuth Yoovidhy was seen leaving a 6.5million home in Knightsbridge, West London, with his parents, before climbing into a vehicle with blacked-out windows Vorayuth Yoovidhy's father Chalerm Yoovidhya, the oldest of 11 siblings, is Thailand's fourth-richest man. Yoovidhy (pictured) in March 2012 He said another person involved in the collision was recovering in hospital, adding police had not ruled out anything. When authorities said last week that all charges had been dropped against Vorayuth - who has been living expansively abroad for years - it cleared the way for him to return, prompting outrage among social media-savvy Thais. The hashtag #BossYoovidhya started trending, and gained new life Thursday on news of Charuchart's death, putting fresh focus on a case that has gripped the country for years. The public scrutiny has also apparently split the Red Bull family - one of Thailand's richest - prompting one faction into releasing a rare public statement distancing the businesses from Vorayuth. Eight members of the sprawling Yoovidhya clan - mostly aunts and uncles - broke ranks to decry the 'unbearable effect' the case had on the family name. 'All family members... reaffirm that we respect the law and adhere to judicial processes which give equal justice,' they said in an open letter. The letter demanded Vorayuth 'wholeheartedly explains' his role in the incident 'to the rest of Yoovidhya family as well as to society and the media as soon as possible'. The issue is a fresh conduit for anger at Thailand's super-rich as the coronavirus epidemic flattens the Thai economy and threatens millions of jobs. It is also stoking anger at the military-backed government of Prayut, which enjoys close alliances with Thailand's billionaire clans. In December 2014, Vorayuth (second from left) was photographed smiling with a group of friends in Thailand Vorayuth (third from left) appeared with a group of all ages in traditional Japanese clothing on a trip to Japan in August 2015 Following the death of the alleged hit-and-run in 2012, 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, the Yoovidhyas put up $15,000 bail at the police station and went home, but he never showed up for a formal indictment. He avoided the charges against him by claiming to be ill or working overseas whenever a hearing was scheduled. In 2017, he left Thailand and 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. 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. The handling of the case led to bitter criticism of the police and prosecutors, and accusations that the wealthy, well-connected family has in effect been exempted from justice. Christine Lampard has thanked Brian Blessed for brightening up our morning after the actor turned the air blue ranting about Covid-19 on live TV. The 83-year-old actor told the virus to bugger off during an appearance on ITVs Lorraine on Thursday morning, prompting Lampard, who was standing in as host, to apologise to viewers. Lampard later told her 540,000 Instagram followers: Its almost the weekend! And a big thank you to #brianblessed for brightening up our morning and the personal Grampy Rabbit dedication too. Blesseds outburst came as he appeared via video call to mark the 40th anniversary of cult film Flash Gordon, in which he played Prince Vultan. After speaking of his admiration for the NHS, he said: This Covid virus, I really want to say one swear word, bugger off. We will beat it, it will go away. I believe in the human spirit and we are showing immense courage in this country, down to the NHS. Expand Close Brian Blessed (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Brian Blessed (Yui Mok/PA) Lampard promptly apologised, saying: It has been the most extraordinary time. Video of the Day Im sure some of us would use even a stronger word than that, but obviously we cant and we will apologise for any bad language. The veteran actor, known for his booming voice and towering presence, was made an OBE in 2016 for services to the arts and charity. "If this year has taught us anything, it's the importance of our health and the value in taking every opportunity to protect it," said Richard Shaffer, senior vice president of field and market development at Colonial Life. "As we head into enrollment season this fall, workers across the country need to take time to ensure they're protecting their families, finances and futures against unexpected events." Surprisingly, those who are the least confident in their knowledge of benefits available are most likely to rush through the enrollment process. Nearly 90% of consumers reported not understanding their benefits "at all" said they plan to spend less than an hour on enrollment this year. "Especially in today's environment, offering benefits isn't enough," Shaffer said. "To make the investment pay off, employers must ensure employees take the time to understand, value and participate in the benefits enrollment process." With millions of Americans still working at home, effective benefits communication is more challenging than ever. Business and human resources leaders must make sure they're providing opportunities for their employees to learn basic information and ask questions, even in a virtual environment. *Online research administered March 2330, 2020 by Dynata on behalf of Colonial Life among 1,200 U.S. adults. About Colonial Life Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company offers critical support to America's workers and their families when the unexpected happens. The company is a market leader in benefits education and delivery, innovative enrollment technology and customer experience. A subsidiary of Unum Group, Colonial Life provides disability, life, accident, critical illness, cancer, dental and vision benefits that protect millions of customers and their families. For more information, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. SOURCE Colonial Life Related Links http://www.coloniallife.com British-Japanese artist Rina Sawayama has accused the Mercury Prize of creating a form of 'borer control' because of stringent rules on who is eligible to enter. Rina, 29, who was born in Japan but has lived in London since she was a child, has expressed her heartbreak over not 'being British enough' to enter the Mercury Prize or the BRITs because of a nationality clause. Both the Brit and Mercury Awards, both flagships of the British music prize, have clauses which says artists must hold a British or Irish passport to be eligible to enter as a British artist. Depsite her album SAWAYAMA being hailed as the 'strongest of the year' by Elton John, Rina is not eligible for consideration. Speaking to Vice, Rina called the rules 'problematic' and urged the shows to redefine what 'Britishness' is in their rules, to allow those without British or Irish passports to enter. British-Japanese artist Rina Sawayama (pictured) says British Award shows are creating a form of 'borer control' with their stringent rules on who can enter Rina, pictured during London Fashion Week, insisted that she has lived in Britain for 'most of her life' and expressed her pain at 'not being british enough' to enter the award shows 'If arts awards are creating their own sort of version of border control around their eligibility, I think that's really problematic.' Taking to Twitter yesterday, Rina insisted that she has lived in Britain for 'most of her life' and expressed her pain at 'not being British enough' to enter the award shows. 'I've lived here 25 YEARS (most of my life) but I am not British enough to even be ELIGIBLE for the 2 biggest UK Music awards. I just wanna dream the same dream as everyone else.' According to the terms and conditions of the Mercury Prize Limited, artists are considered of British or Irish nationality if they hold a passport and/or a birth certificate for either the United Kingdom or Ireland. Rina has Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which means she does not hold the right of abode in the United Kingdom but has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on her stay and she is free to take up employment or study. Rina, pictured during London Fashion Week, has Indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which means she does not hold the right of abode in the United Kingdom but has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on her stay Part of the entry process involves sending proof of citizenship, such as a scanned passport, to the organisers. The Mercury Prize rules also state bands or groups are eligible if half or more of the signed members are British or Irish. However if 30 per cent of the group are British or Irish and the majority have their principal place of residence in the United Kingdom or Ireland, they are allowed to enter. Rina called the decision was 'heartbreaking' and said it felt 'othering' to not be included in the award shows. The artist went on to urge British award ceremonies to reconsider what they define as 'Britishness' and to change the rules regarding indefinite leave. 'What I just want is for all the awards to look into indefinite leave and change the rules to what Britishness means to them'. Rina, pictured attending the BAFTA Awards last year, was born in Niigata, but she was raised in London from a young and would only visit Japan to go to summer school The BRIT awards also have a nationality clause stating to be eligible for the British Solo Artists categories or other British categories, artists must be UK passport holders. A BPI spokesperson commented: 'Both The BRIT Awards and the Hyundai Mercury Prize aim to be as inclusive as possible within their parameters, and their processes and eligibility criteria are constantly reviewed.' Rina was born in Niigata, but she was raised in London from a young and would only visit Japan to go to summer school. In 2019, Rina was the recipient of a grant from BPI, which provides targeted grants specifically to UK artists that have the elements in place for international success, but who need additional support in order to seize opportunities outside the UK. According to Rina, she would be able to enter the shows with dual citizenship, however her country of her birth does not allow dual nationality. She explained to the publication that while she has considered getting a British passport instead of a Japanese one, she does not want to cut ties with her birth place, where the rest of her family still live. Several people were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a driver in Harrisburg went the wrong way down Green Street, struck another car and fled on foot, police said. A driver and two passengers were headed north on Green Street around 1 p.m. against the streets one-way traffic pattern, according to Sgt. Kyle Gautsch. The driver hit the side of another vehicle at the Verbeke Street intersection, then hopped out of the car and ran away, police said. The passengers of the vehicle that caused the hit-and-run were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The other driver was taken for evaluation, according to police. Both vehicles were significantly damaged in the crash, Gautsch said. No charges have been filed. Harrisburg police are investigating. READ MORE: Released killer accused of raping guest at Pa. hotel where he worked: cops Its been 8 years since Kortne Stouffer disappeared. Her family, friends continue to hold out hope for answers. Body pulled from Susquehanna River Theyre afraid that the answers will be used against them, as it was unfortunately produced in the 1941 period with the Japanese Americans, said Kenneth Prewitt, who served from 1998 to 2001. Sixty years ago, were still talking about that. It cast a very long shadow over the census, and what were going through now will cast another very long shadow. If they are afraid that it will be used against them as a group, then they have a reason to sort of dodge it and not respond to it and hide out. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi Thursday vowed to further cooperation and mutual development besides keeping the South China Sea "a sea of peace." Speaking during a video conference, Wang noted that while it would be a protracted fight against COVID-19 globally and that the virus could stay for long, China and Indonesia are ready for an express travel channel. "China and Indonesia should arrange for an express travel channel. This will help economic recovery and resumption of various businesses," he said. Wang also said China and Indonesia's investment and business development proved to be robust in the first half of 2020, reflecting the strength and vitality of economic ties between the two sides. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the country hopes to set up a travel link with China as soon as possible, so that businesses roiled by the pandemic could get a boost. She also welcomed more Chinese investment, according to a statement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a video conference with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi in Beijing, China, July 30, 2020. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang: South China Sea a 'sea of peace' Issues surrounding the South China Sea, a flash point in China-U.S. relations, were also discussed in the meeting. Wang said China will work with ASEAN countries to keep the South China Sea "a sea of peace" and "a sea of friendship." He said China and other countries in the region were pushing for negotiations for a code of conduct, and to ensure that peace and cooperation stays the theme in South China Sea. Wang said the U.S. unilateral sanctions without legal grounds had been harmful in the international arena, especially as the world faces unprecedented challenges. Masudi said that a stable and peaceful South China Sea is crucial for all members in the region, and that Indonesia will work with China to keep it stable and prosperous. A Palestinian refugee with African lion cubs outside his house at Al-Shabora refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Al-Jamal has eventually achieved his dream of raising lions at home after acquiring the two cubs. His family have named the female cub Mona, an Arab name, while the male lion cub was named Alex. (Image: Reuters) The MDS Virtual Congress will take place from 12 to 16 September 2020. Lyon, 30 July 2020 - Theranexus, a biopharmaceutical company innovating in the treatment of neurological diseases and pioneer in the development of drug candidates modulating the interaction between neurons and glial cells, will present the Phase II results of its drug candidate THN102 for Parkinson's disease at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, due to take place from 12 to 16 September 2020. The presentation, entitled "THN102, an association of modafinil and low dose flecainide, in the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated with Parkinson's Disease: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study," will be given by Professor Jean-Christophe Corvol from Pitie Salpetriere Hospital and the Brain Institute, a Parkinson's disease specialist and principal investigator for the trial. THN102 was well tolerated by these often fragile patients. The reduction in daytime sleepiness, the primary efficacy endpoint, was successfully met, and THN102 also significantly increased the proportion of patients no longer presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness for the duration of the treatment. The trial demonstrated the efficacy of THN102 in doses of THN102 200mg modafinil/2mg flecainide ("THN102-200/2"), with significant superiority over the placebo in reducing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS - the most widely used sleepiness scale, ranging from 0 to 24). The ESS score improved by 3.9 points in patients after treatment with THN102-200/2. This improvement is highly significant (p=0.01) compared with that achieved by the placebo (2.4 points). The proportion of patients no longer presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness for the duration of the treatment (commonly defined as ESS<11, Johns, 1997) was considerably higher with THN102-200/2 than in the placebo group (27.5% versus 16.2% - p=0.05). For Professor Jean-Christophe Corvol: "The positive results obtained by THN102 in this trial represent a major breakthrough in treating excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson's disease, which affects approximately 40% of patients. There is currently no treatment for this debilitating symptom, and the congress is an excellent opportunity to inform specialists of this new development." "We would like to thank the organizers of this prestigious scientific congress for accepting our proposal to present the latest results of THN102 for Parkinson's disease. THN102 is currently the only treatment with demonstrated efficacy for this indication, which affects nearly 2 million people worldwide," explains Franck Mouthon, Chairman and CEO of Theranexus. Seventy-five Parkinson's patients with debilitating excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) were treated in this trial conducted in Europe and the United States. It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with a one- to two-week washout period between each successive two-week treatment period. The treatments were given in random order and consisted of: THN102 200mg modafinil/2mg flecainide, THN102 200mg modafinil/18mg flecainide, or a placebo. About excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson's disease[1] Excessive daytime sleepiness is the inability to stay awake and alert during waking hours. It can also cause unpredictable and irresistible sudden sleep attacks. Sleepiness generally manifests itself during periods of inactivity (or reduced activity), such as reading or watching television, but it can also occur when driving if the car is at a standstill, for example when stuck in a traffic jam. The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness is higher in Parkinson's disease patients than in the general population. It is thought that around 40% of people with Parkinson's disease suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. These sleepiness episodes may be aggravated by dopaminergic drugs, and their frequency increases as the disease progresses. Treating excessive daytime sleepiness is complex. A first step may be to try to improve nighttime sleep, but often, in the absence of a suitable pharmacological treatment, the approach involves lessening the sedative effects of dopamine agonists during the day by reducing the dose or replacing them with L-Dopa. This requires a delicate balance in order to maintain control over motor symptoms in these patients. Unfortunately, excessive daytime sleepiness often fails to respond to these changes; in these cases it is thought to be linked to impairments to some arousal circuits in the brain. Modafinil is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat this symptom, but there is little evidence of the efficacy of this treatment in clinical trials. More information is available on the France Parkinson association website https://www.franceparkinson.fr/somnolence-diurne-excessive/ (in French). [1] Adapted from the factsheet on excessive daytime sleepiness from French patient advocacy group France Parkinson ABOUT THERANEXUS Theranexus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that emerged from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in 2013. It develops drug candidates for the treatment of nervous system diseases. Theranexus identified the key role played by non-neuronal cells (also known as "glial cells") in the body's response to psychotropic drugs (which target the neurons). The company is a pioneer in the design and development of drug candidates affecting the interaction between neurons and glial cells. The unique, patented technology used by Theranexus is designed to improve the efficacy of psychotropic drugs already approved and on the market, by combining them with a glial cell modulator. This strategy of combining its innovations with registered drugs means Theranexus can significantly reduce development time and costs and considerably increase the chance of its drugs reaching the market. The proprietary, adaptable Theranexus platform can generate different proprietary drug candidates offering high added-value for multiple indications. Theranexus is listed on the Euronext Growth market in Paris (FR0013286259- ALTHX). More information at: www.theranexus.com Contacts THERANEXUS Thierry Lambert Financial and Administrative Director investisseurs@theranexus.fr ACTUS finance & communication Thomas Segouin Investor Relations +33 (0)1 53 67 36 75 theranexus@actus.fr FP2COM Florence Portejoie Media Relations + 33 (0)6 07 76 82 83 fportejoie@fp2com.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: m2lxlJxmlGqVx3FtZ5yabGdobZdpw2LImWbHxZRpY5icbHCWmWuWa5eZZm9lmmln - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64541-theranexus_pr_movement_disorders_society_vdef.pdf Ministers have increased the Covid self-isolation period from a week to 10 days as health chiefs admit patients can be infectious for longer than they thought. The UK's chief medical officers said today there is a real possibility that people can pass the virus to others up to nine days after symptoms. The risk appears to be 'low', however. A growing body of evidence shows that people can still be shedding the virus up to nine days after they show symptoms. Whether they are contagious is unclear, but it cannot be ruled out. Scientists today welcomed the news and said Britain is 'finally' following the science. There have been concerns 'for some time' that the seven-day isolation period in place since March was not long enough, they say. But now, the rules bring the UK in line with other European countries and guidance from world health officials, who say people should only leave isolation 10 days after symptom start. Although the move comes four months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson first told Britons to self isolate for seven days if they had tell-tale symptoms or a positive test result, scientists said the UK is at a 'critical stage' of controlling the disease. The virus is circulating at much lower levels but because lockdown is relaxed, there is potential to spread the virus further than at the start of the pandemic. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned today of a 'second wave starting to roll across Europe' after Boris Johnson admitted he was extremely concerned about the possibility of a second spike. Scientists say Britain is finally following the science after increasing the Covid-19 self-isolation period from seven days to ten. Pictured: Women wearing protective masks in Basingstoke, July 23 Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned today of a 'second wave starting to roll across Europe' Announcing the new rules today, the UK's chief medical officers said it is 'now the correct balance of risk' to extend the isolation period. Anyone with symptoms who has a Covid-19 test that comes back negative does not have to continue with the isolation period. In a statement today, they said: 'Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with Covid-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset.' What are the self-isolation rules? The Government announced today it is set to change the current rules on self-isolation. WHAT ARE THE CURRENT RULES? Patients who are confirmed to have Covid-19 or who have a cough, fever or loss of sense of smell or taste are currently told to stay at home for seven days. Those who are a 'close contact' of a confirmed case or people arriving back from a country under quarantine rules must isolate for 14 days. The Government's website states that anyone displaying symptoms should not leave the house, even to go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital (unless necessary). It states: 'After seven days, or longer, if you still have symptoms other than cough or loss of sense of smell/taste, you must continue to self-isolate until you feel better. 'You do not need to self-isolate after seven days if you only have a cough or loss of sense of smell or taste, as these symptoms can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.' WHAT WILL THE NEW RULES BE? People who test positive for coronavirus are to be told to stay at home for 10 days - up from the current seven-day self-isolation period, it was revealed today. The change - which also applies to anyone who has symptoms - comes amid fears of a surge in infections in the coming weeks. The move came after Boris Johnson admitted he was extremely concerned about the possibility of a second spike and claims that the UK could be a fortnight behind Europe, where cases are rising again. The Government's website states: 'Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with COVID-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between 7 and 9 days after illness onset.' Advertisement Dr Julian Tang, an honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences, University of Leicester, said: 'There have been concerns about the former seven-day isolation cut-off for sometime now because it just didn't tally with the evidence. 'Finally, now it does.' Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine, University of East Anglia, said: 'In the light of these observations the previous UK isolation period of seven days was too short and the news that UK advice has now been brought in line with WHO advice is to be welcomed.' The World Health Organisation (WHO) says symptomatic patients should self isolate for 10 days after symptoms start, plus another three without symptoms. It says 10 days is enough for asymptomatic patients who have been found through testing. This is based on evidence from four studies which could not find viable virus particles in most Covid-19 infections after this point. Government sources said the risk of people transmitting the virus seven days after onset of symptoms is pretty low and after 10 days it is even lower. But they said the move had been made to provide 'maximum protection' and to keep UK disease levels as low as possible, amid fears of a surge in infections in the coming weeks. Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, a Royal Academy of Engineering visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, said: 'This change is important. 'Given that there is now stronger evidence which shows a real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset, 10 days' isolation seems very sensible.' Recent studies have shown that in some cases, traces of the infectious virus can still be recovered from respiratory secretions up to nine days after symptom onset. 'This, in theory, means that such people may be capable of transmitting the virus,' warned Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. Welcoming the change in rules, Professor Openshaw said: 'We are now in a critical stage of controlling the disease. Keeping infection rates low is vital and extending the period of isolation to 10 days brings us in line with some other European countries.' Professor Rowland Kao, University of Edinburgh, said the ability for an infected individual to spread the virus has increased. ARE CASES ON THE UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for a fortnight but deaths have barely changed and hospital admissions are still flat, according to official figures. Department of Health statistics show 726 people are testing positive for the life-threatening virus each day, on average. It is 33 per cent higher than the average of 546 recorded exactly three weeks ago, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. But the number of Brits being diagnosed with Covid-19 is much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being recorded each day during the height of the crisis but this is likely to be a massive under-estimate due to a lack of testing. Fewer than 20,000 people were getting swabbed for the virus on a daily basis in April. Now more than 100,000 tests are being processed each day. The number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. Hospital admissions another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 100 people are still being admitted in England each day. However, scientists from King's College London believe cases could still be on the rise. Data from a symptom-tracking app the team runs estimates 2,110 people are being struck down with the virus each day in the UK up from 1,884 last week. But the academics believe the outbreak is stable. Testing figures do not show the true number of people infected because many people catch the virus but never test positive for it, either because they don't realise they are sick, because they couldn't get a test, or because their result was wrong. Advertisement The Sir Timothy OShea professor of veterinary epidemiology and data science said: 'With the lifting of restrictions we are experiencing, it is expected that each infected individual will have a greater potential to infect others on average, as the reduction in restrictions implies the opportunity for greater contact. 'And this means that the absolute potential per transmission in the period from seven to 10 days after a positive test (or symptoms occur) is also greater than it would have been during lockdown. This is therefore a sensible precautionary measure.' Dr Tom Wingfield, a senior clinical lecturer and honorary consultant physician, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, also said the move was 'particularly timely'. Mr Hancock earlier warned that a new spike in Covid-19 cases is 'clearly' beginning to emerge in Europe as he said 'we've got to do everything' to prevent it reaching the UK. He said on SKy News: 'I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and we've got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it.' He said 10-day isolation measure was 'part of that, but so, too, are the measures we're taking, for instance, to ensure that we don't directly bring cases back to this country where there's a big spike in cases'. 'So, absolutely, on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening,' he added. His comments came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted he was extremely concerned about the possibility of a second spike and claims that the UK could be a fortnight behind Europe, where cases are rising again. Mr Hancock also warned travellers that new countries could be added to the quarantine list in the coming days after passengers arriving in the UK from Spain were ordered to isolate for two weeks as cases there increased. He said ministers are looking at ways to reduce the 14-day period, possibly by the use of multiple tests, amid pressure from the tourism industry. But he said ministers are constantly considering whether to add countries to the quarantine list and when pressed if new nations could be added in the next few days, he replied: 'Yes.' Government data showed the seven-day average of new cases in the UK had increased to just over 700 compared to around 550 in the second week of July. However, the figure remained far lower than at the start of May when the average was close to 5,000. It comes as official analysis said England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe in 2020 so far. The analysis by the Office of Nation Statistics revealed that by the end of May, the death rate in England was 7.55 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years. Spain ranked second at 6.65 per cent, followed by Scotland (5.11 per cent), Belgium (3.89 per cent) and Wales (2.78 per cent). The excess mortality measure is seen as the best way to compare deaths during the crisis because it takes into account not just Covid-19 deaths but those from the indirect impacts of the pandemic, such as delayed access to healthcare. Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth described the Office for National Statistics analysis suggesting England had the worst death rate in Europe as a 'devastating moment'. 'We can no longer hide from the fact the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes,' he added. Your browser does not support the audio element. Functional forces in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong have seized two metric tons of strawberries originating from China with an amount of pesticide residues three times higher than the allowable limit. The strawberries were found on a truck on its way to Lam Dongs capital city of Da Lat on July 24. P.T.S., a 29-year-old man from Ho Chi Minh City, claimed to be the owner of the strawberries, saying he had bought them for VND50,000-60,000 (US$2.16-2.59) per kilogram from a connection on social media. However, invoices and documents produced by S. showed the consignments owner is Nguyen Thi Nhung and the cargo was part of ten metric tons of strawberries imported to Vietnam through a border gate in the northern province of Lao Cai on July 2 at a dirt-cheap price of VND5,000 ($0.22) per kilogram. According to the documents, the strawberries, packaged in 123 foam boxes, were transported by air from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City before being trucked to Lam Dong. The documents also included required phytosanitary certificates. Police examine a foam box of strawberries heading to Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, July 24, 2020. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre The only strange thing was that the strawberries and their leaves were fresh as if they had just been picked despite the 22-day transportation. The functional forces thus took them for pesticide residue analysis, the results of which showed that there were 0.063 milligrams of Abamectin, an active ingredient in pesticides, per kilogram of the strawberries, three times higher than the allowable limit in Vietnam. Abamectin is jointly evaluated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to be toxic with an acceptable daily intake of 0-0.002 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Since July 22, police in Lam Dong have seized more than ten metric tons of strawberries imported from China to Da Lat by road and by air. Initial verification showed all these consignments had violated import procedures and the pesticide residue limit, according to the police. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 10:15:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were injured when an explosion occurred Thursday morning in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, in northeastern Japan, fire department officials said. Police and fire personnel at the location of the explosion in Koriyama city are investigating the cause of the explosion which occurred at around 9:00 a.m. local time. According to eye witnesses working in a nearby bank, the explosion may have occurred at a restaurant, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported. Emergency personnel believe the explosion, which completely blew out the outer walls of the building leaving only its steel frame remaining, may have been the result of a gas leak. First responders were alerted to the explosion in the city of around 323,000 people by a passerby who heard a loud blast shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time, according to local media accounts. Multiple firetrucks and ambulances were dispatched to the site where the injured, two of whom were unable to walk, were rushed to hospital while the blaze was tackled, the accounts also said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 19:22:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Chief of Defence Forces General Affendi bin Buang on Thursday expressed gratitude to China for the assistance in Malaysia's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Affendi made the remarks during a virtual reception hosted by the Chinese embassy in Malaysia to celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, which falls on Aug. 1. In his congratulation message, Affendi took note of the close ties shared by both countries and both militaries which were extended to the fight against COVID-19. "I take this opportunity as well to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the government of China and PLA for their support and donation of healthcare supplies as well as sharing your experiences with Malaysia in combating COVID-19," he said. "We do hope that both countries shall maintain consistent communication and promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields, in a joint effort for regional peace and stability during this trying circumstances," he said. Affendi also expressed his confidence in the continued cooperation between both countries, which would continue to strengthen their defense collaboration and achieve greater heights in bilateral cooperation. For his part, Defense Attache of Chinese Embassy in Malaysia Zhang Ge recounted the wide and positive role the PLA has played in securing peace and stability while actively participating in peacekeeping operations and international efforts in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief including in combating COVID-19. "In the fight against the spread of COVID-19 epidemic, the PLA has actively engaged in international anti-epidemic cooperation with the militaries of many countries and has provided epidemic control supplies to the militaries of more than 20 countries, including Malaysia," said Zhang. "Military-to-military relations are an important part of the overall bilateral ties," he said, adding "the two sides are committed to further enhance existing defense cooperation between the two countries and join hands in safeguarding regional peace and stability," he added. Enditem A permanently altered geopolitical landscape is layed out for all to see in this year's joint statement on Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) Consultations. Released this week, it shows the breadth of the foreign policy synchronisation on pressing regional issues including Hong Kong, Taiwan, actions in the South China Sea and regional security, to name a few. Although Foreign Minister Marise Payne chose not to echo US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's more combative remarks, the proof is in the pudding: the joint statement places the spotlight firmly on Beijing. Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Washington this week. Credit:Pool AFP The successful consultations send a clear message to those who find themselves either for the first time, or repeatedly, in the crosshairs of Beijing's coercive tactics there is no unifying factor greater than that of a collective resistance to common threat. Xi Jinping's assertive China has rendered Deng Xiaoping's maxim "hide your strength and bide you time" a relic of foreign policy long gone. However, Beijing's miscalculation of the scale of the global resistance, combined with fanatical nationalism predicated on historical grievances, the so-called "century of humiliation", has undermined its pursuit of shaping and shifting the global narrative to its favour. A man in Uganda has been convicted, inter alia due to the killing of rare mountain gorillas to eleven years in prison. The 25-year-old animal, named Rafiki, was found in June in the Bwindi impenetrable rainforest in southwestern Uganda with deep spear wounds, dead. Then, four suspected poachers had been arrested, informed the Ugandan wildlife authority, UWA on Thursday. They had allegedly killed next to the Gorilla, a Bush pig and an antelope. Three of the men denied the deeds, a well-known, however guilty, as the Wildlife officer. A court has sentenced him accordingly, to eleven years in prison. The process against the other three still run. "We are pleased that justice has been restored," said Bashir Hangi, a spokesman for the UWA. The judgment will show the other poachers that the laws can catch up. The poaching in Uganda and other African countries has increased according to experts, since the beginning of the Corona-crisis. Because of the pandemic worldwide flights had been suspended and borders closed, thus, for the protection of animals, extremely important tourism revenue to stay away. In addition, many people have left in Uganda and elsewhere because of the Corona measures in the cities and returned to their home villages, where there is little work. The people poaching often, because of the flesh of the animals, not primarily because of the value of an animal or of a body part, such as Rhino Horn. mountain gorillas are highly endangered, there are only about 1000 animals on earth. They live only in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. The Population had recovered, according to the world conservation Union (IUCN) in recent years, however, something. Updated Date: 30 July 2020, 10:19 In his testimony Thursday, Trudeau said he did not learn that public servants were recommending that the Toronto-based WE Charity administer the program until a briefing before a cabinet meeting on May 8. He said he had expected that the Canada Service Corps, an existing government youth initiative, would manage the program, but was told it could not scale up to deliver it. Renovations are currently going on in her new house in Delhi. New Delhi: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra vacated her official Lodhi Estate bungalow on Thursday. An official statement issued by the Congress said Priyanka Gandhi handed over the possession of her 35, Lodhi Estate bungalow, "previously allotted to her on security grounds", to the CPWD today. Sources close to her said she will be staying for a few days in her Gurgaon penthouse before shifting to central Delhi, where she has finalised a house on rent. Renovations are currently going on in her new house in Delhi, they said. "She will be residing in a temporary accommodation until a more permanent accommodation in Delhi rented by her is ready for use," an official communication from the Congress party said. Earlier in the day, a team of central PWD officials visited her house and took the keys of the Lodhi Estate bungalow. The party said CPWD junior engineer P Senthil Kumar in the presence of CE Vikas Rana, Yogesh Kumar Kardam (AE-PAWD-I, CPWD) Manoj Kumar Chauhan (AE CPWD Services), B S Rana (JE PAWD-I, CPWD) accepted the keys on behalf of the CPWD after a full inspection of the house and after finding that it was handed over in good condition. "They have issued her a 'vacation report' for the premises on behalf of the CPWD," the party said. "Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also passed on to the CPWD and the Directorate of Estates, a full inventory of privately installed fittings, fixtures etc," it said. The Congress claimed that she has paid all electricity, water and previous dues and is awaiting the final assessment for the license fee of the month of July from the Directorate of Estates due to her on July 31, to close all accounts with reference to the allotment and subsequent cancellation of the lease of the government bungalow. The Ministry of Urban Development issued a notice to Priyanka Gandhi on July 1, asking her to vacate the Lodhi Estate bungalow before August 1, as she was no longer eligible for it after her security cover was downgraded last year. The said house has since been allotted to BJP's media department in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni. Lucknow, July 30 : Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, met the families of circle officer Devendra Mishra and station officer Mahesh Kumar Yadav, both of whom had been killed in the Bikru massacre in Kanpur on July 3. The Chief Minister spent about 30 minutes with the families and assured them of all help from the government. Eight policemen, including Devendra Mishra, had been shot dead by gangster Vikas Dubey and his men when they went to arrest him in Bikru village in a case of attempt to murder in the wee hours of July 3. Six members of the gang including Vikas Dubey were later killed in police encounters. On a Thursday evening in July, exactly 131 days since I had last tucked my feet under a restaurant table, I attended a wine dinner. This being 2020 and all, it was a virtual dinner, but the ritual of it made me feel somewhat whole again. Roma, an Italian restaurant in Rice Village, has hosted online wine dinners every week since April 29. Given the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, owner Shanon Scott needed a contingency plan. He decided to bring hospitality into peoples homes. Guests register through the website, pick up their food and bottles of wine shortly before the event, return home and log on to Zoom promptly at 7:30 p.m., as one would for a dinner reservation. A representative of the featured winery typically the winemaker leads a discussion around the wines. Scott and chef Angelo Cuppone often drop in to talk about the food. Jeremy Parzen, a wine writer, educator and media consultant, has been in attendance since the beginning and took over as the host in mid-June. He says the dinners have become so popular they now sell out every week. While Roma receives a steady stream of takeout orders, the revenue from the virtual events is the restaurants lifeline. People like to have wine dinners in their pajamas, he said. And not having to drive after they consume a bunch of wine. I must admit: Being in the comfort of my own home with a computer screen distancing me from other diners, my instinct was to stay in the quar-dress I had worn for several consecutive days prior, and eat my food from the provided takeout containers, as per (the new) usual. But when I returned home from picking up my dinner, I suddenly felt the need to recapture my past self. So, I showered, and even washed my hair. I put on my favorite blouse, which I hadnt worn since March (but paired it with athleisure shorts; lets not get carried away here). I decluttered and cleaned my dining room table, these days used as a hybrid desk-closet, and set it with plates, cutlery and glassware. I even gave the bread its own plate, with a little ramekin for dipping olive oil. It was all so simple, but gave me a glimpse back to the Before Times. I arrived a fashionable three minutes late and waved to the three dozen faces staring back at me through their Zoom squares. On HoustonChronicle.com: Your complete guide to the Houston-made Black Is Beautiful beers The guest winemaker that week was Alicia Lini, a pioneer in Italys Emilia-Romagna region who showed the world that Lambrusco the often cloyingly sweet, mediocre bubbly can be a high-quality, complex and food-friendly wine. The Roma dinner featured three of her Lini 910 wines: the Labrusca Rosato, the Labrusca Rosso, and the Scuro In Correggio Rosso. To pair, guests enjoyed chef Cuppones arugula salad with figs, mortadella and Fontina cheese; four-cheese ravioli with confit cherry tomatoes and basil; and a honey-glazed pork chop with grapes and pearl onions. Lini, who generously agreed to be on the call despite it starting at 2:30 a.m. Italian time, introduced her family winery and spoke about each wine, Lambrusco in general, and the region she calls home as guests ate and drank. The discussion loosely followed the courses and each wine pairing, but allowed for flexibility in attendees pace. Some actively participated, asking questions or complimenting the food and wine, while others were happy just to listen. Parzen says they limit attendance to 25 spots, simply to make every square fit in gallery view on Zoom. I found that it made for a relatively intimate gathering, but large enough that timid people could observe without the social pressure of making conversation. Parzen admits the first dinners were a little clumsy and not particularly well-attended. As time went on, the team smoothed out kinks. The dinner I attended still had its moments of awkwardness, such as people forgetting to mute and the occasional technical glitch. These nuisances are now so ingrained in our new normal, theyre easy to brush passed. And they dont stop the guests from enjoying themselves. Parzen estimates that a third of people at each dinner are new to the event, with the rest repeat diners, who often bring new people into the fold. The night I dropped in, one regular couple had three friends in attendance, first-timers who they had introduced to the gatherings. Others knew each other too; its an opportunity for people to socialize with friends and neighbors they havent been able to see in a long time. Restaurant owners retooled and even overhauled their operations to survive during the pandemic. Some started offering grocery items, produce boxes or take-and-bake meals. Many are selling alcohol to-go, made possible with Gov. Greg Abbotts new orders on wine, beer, and eventually mixed drinks. On HoustonChronicle.com: Ranch Water is now in a can, still 100% Texan Romas wine dinners are a pretty good deal: $89 per individual and $119 per couple for a three-course meal and three bottles of wine. Past featured wineries, all Italian, include Tinazzi, Pellegrino and Antonutti. The printed menu provided with the meal lists prices for each wine, giving diners the opportunity to purchase additional bottles at a discount, which also helps the restaurant. The bottom line is the restaurant wouldnt be open right now if it werent for these dinners, said Parzen. We all want Roma to be there when things open up again. When Parzen asked for a show of hands at the beginning of the meal, only a few people said they had tasted Lambrusco before. By the end of the evening, positive reviews of Linis offerings were rolling in. Romas virtual dinners are just as much a forum for community and socialization as they are for discovering and learning about wine. Amos Benning, who regularly attends the dinners with his wife, Michelle, was delighted to be introduced to Lambrusco. As Lini said buonanotte before logging off, Benning unmuted to offer some parting words. For me, wine is all about friendship and about people. Its a social lubricant and an opportunity for us to meet others, he said. I am so happy to meet all of you who are on this platform this evening. emma.balter@chron.com HYDERABAD, India, July 29, 2020 (Morning Star News) A pastor arrested in Nepal in March on charges that violate religious rights, and then re-arrested moments after release in April, was released after paying an exorbitant bail this month, sources said. First arrested on March 23 on charges of spreading false information for saying prayers can heal the novel coronavirus, pastor Keshab Raj Acharya had been released on April 8 only to be re-arrested moments later on charges of outraging religious feelings and proselytizing. After more than three months in prison, where he led several prisoners to faith in Christ, he was released on July 3 after paying bail equal to about $2,500, sources said. It was very difficult for me, Pastor Acharya told Morning Star News. I would think of my little children and my wife, and I would cry out to the Lord in prayer. I would look up at Him in hope that if it is in His will that I should be put through this, He would get me out of this. Government officials and police worked together against him, he said. They were laying a thorough plan to make sure I would stay in the jail for a longer period, Pastor Acharya said. The charges against the father of two young children violate a freedom of religion agreement to which Nepal is a signatory, rights advocates and Christian leaders in the Himalayan country said. During his initial imprisonment in the Pokhara jail, he met a young man who was so discouraged he was contemplating suicide, he said. Soon he became very close to my heart like a younger brother. I prayed with him and encouraged him to put his trust in Lord Jesus, Acharya said. Soon the Lord filled his life with hope and joy. He was the first person who turned to Jesus during my stay in the Pokhara jail, and soon a few more turned to the Lord. After 17 days in the Pokhara jail, he was able to distribute Bibles to inmates before being released on bail and quickly re-arrested, he said. They were overjoyed to receive them, Pastor Acharya told Morning Star News. I was released on bail after my wife paid 5,000 Nepalese rupees [US$41] on April 8, but after few minutes I was again taken into custody. When he asked why officers were arresting him again, police said he had gone against Nepalese religious customs by distributing gospel tracts in several places, he said. Officers further questioning him mocked and harassed him as they ordered him to explain each photo they found in the cell phone they had confiscated from him, he said. Pastor Acharya had stored files of and about gospel tracts on his mobile phone. Seeing photos of different areas of Nepal and people he had met there, the officers mocked him, saying he had been to every district, and that the photos were solid evidence against him, he said. They ridiculed, Oh, you have gone all around this country preaching about Christ against the Sanathan Hindu culture and customs. You are a threat to our nation. You should not be let go that easily, Pastor Acharya said. When he asked officers why he was held in custody so long despite cooperating in every possible way, they spoke respectfully to him while at the same time fabricating false charges against him, he said. The officers told me, Sir, you are not a criminal. You are a man of God. The Lord will save you, but they would twist the context of my narration and write statements on their own to only make the cases against me stronger, Acharya told Morning Star News. Only when I was produced before the judge did I get to know what all they have written about me. And, each time I was surprised to see the police twisting my statements and presenting them before the court so that the judge would really think I am a threat to national security. Police filed charges of outraging religious feelings and proselytizing, and on April 19 a Kaski District judge set a bail of 500,000 Nepalese rupees (US$4,084), considered disproportionately high for the level of charges against him. Every time I had asked the police to show me the statements they have written about me, they did not allow me to read them and took my signatures without me reading a word, the pastor said. When inmates asked him why he was incarcerated, during the course of conversation he would share the gospel with them, including backslidden believers, he said. Some of them even asked me to baptize them and told me that they desire to return to the Lord, he said. I was not even a month inside the prison that I had developed a strong friendship with the inmates. It was only the love of Christ that was comforting me, even through the mental torture and extreme physical discomfort. Transfer to Dolpa After 25 days, police planned to transfer him to the more remote Dolpa District jail, which has a reputation for mistreatment and poor conditions. On May 13 officers arrested him from court premises on a third set of charges and sent him to the Dolpa jail. They treated him like a most-wanted criminal, stopping at every police station along the way and frequently changing the personnel taking him on the three-day trip, he said. Some of the police personnel who accompanied me did not wear masks, Pastor Acharya told Morning Star News. I was offered food in plates that were not clean, and especially since the COVID-19 spread in Nepal was rising, I had concerns about safety and hygiene. But I gave thanks and ate whatever they offered. Accusing Pastor Acharya of printing and distributing gospel tracts, the Dolpa District Attorneys office on May 21 filed charges under the Nepal Criminal Codes Section 158(1), which prohibits converting anyone from one religion to another, and Section 158(2), which prohibits undermining ones religion with the intention of converting another person. He was denied bail on May 22, but more than a month later the district judge reviewed the order decided to release him temporarily on bail of 300,000 Nepali rupees about $2,500. Five days after the order, he was released on July 3, he said. Pastor Mukunda Sharma, executive secretary of Nepal Christian Society, told Morning Star News that Christian individuals and organizations concerned about religious freedom around the world came forward to extend support in prayer and action. The Nepal Christian Societys Rapid Response Team formed a three-member committee to work on his case soon after hearing about it, he said. We had talks with the police officials at all the three police stations where Pastor Acharya was framed in cases of spreading false information that prayers could heal COVID-19 and outraging religious feelings and proselytizing Hindus to Christianity, Pastor Sharma said. Since Nepal is a secular state and the constitution of Nepal guarantees religious freedom and the freedom of expression to all the citizens equally, the committee studied Pastor Keshabs case and came to the conclusion that he had been falsely framed in cases that are against the Nepalese law of the land and also international human rights laws. The society hired Supreme Court lawyer Govinda Bandi and petitioned the court, but their pleas were rejected. All through the imprisonment, Pastor Acharya was treated like a notorious criminal. His hands were tied behind as police shifted him from place to place, he said. Worried by the arrest and inhumane treatment of Pastor Keshab Acharya, the Nepal Christian Society along with individuals and organizations from across the globe petitioned the attorney general of Nepal, Mr. Agni Kharel, to drop all the wrongful charges against Pastor Acharya and uphold the freedom of religion and belief. Thankful for Support Pastor Acharyas wife, Junu Acharya, told Morning Star News she wished to thank all who have prayed for and supported her family throughout the ordeal. Unable to pay the rent on their worship facility, she added, the church has vacated the building. Outraging religious sentiments under Section 158 of the Nepal Penal Code is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 Nepalese rupees (US$403). Under Section 156, it is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 Nepalese rupees (US$163). While Nepals 2015 constitution establishes it as a secular and democratic republic, its definition of secular appears to protect Hinduism and allows others only to worship in their own faiths. Article 26 forbids anyone to convert a person of one religion to another religion, or disturb the religion of other people. Advocacy groups have detected increased enforcement and other anti-Christian efforts as officials seek to placate Hindus incensed that the new constitution did not re-establish a more prominent place for Hinduism. A landlocked country between the giants of India and China, Nepal is said to be more than 75 percent Hindu and 16 percent Buddhist. Christians are estimated to make up nearly 3 percent of Nepals population, and Muslims 4.4 percent. Legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedoms allied attorney in Nepal said Christians who were once primarily hit with false accusations of forcible conversion are now being charged with preaching or speaking about their faith publicly. An increase in persecution of Christians in Nepal began after a new criminal code was passed in October 2017, which took effect in August 2018. By criminalizing conversions, Nepal has infringed on the fundamental freedom of religion or belief which is guaranteed not only by its constitution but also secured by several international covenants, according to ADF-International. Nepals constitution prohibits the attempt of religious conversion, according to an ADF press statement. At the same time, Nepal is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, an international treaty explicitly protecting freedom of religion and expression. Nepal is ranked 32nd on Christian support organization Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Morning Star News During the Board meeting on July 30, 2020, the Directors reviewed and approved the annual financial statements for FY 2019-20, ended March 31, 2020. Consolidated financials m 2019-20 (12 months) 2018-19 (12 months) Change Revenues 25.5 29.7 (4.2) Current operating income (2.9) 0.1 (3.0) Pre-tax current income (6.5) (3.8) (2.7) Consolidated net income (6.9) (3.8) (3.1) Net income (Group share) (6.4) (3.0) (3.4) Key developments Following two years of commercial development driven in particular by major investments, GECI International ("the Group") closed out FY 2019-20 with a significant contraction in revenues, particularly for the Technology Consulting business, compounded by the first consequences of the health crisis. The subsidiary ETUD Integral was affected by the unfavorable environment for the automotive sector and the shutdown or deferral of certain projects waiting for a recovery to start up from September 2020. However, the Digital Transformation division showed better resilience, with its business maintained at comparable levels to the previous year. Taking into account the downturn in its business and therefore its profitability, the Group has had to launch a deep reorganization, which began in September 2019 and has been ramped up significantly with the start of the health crisis. This transformation plan is focused in priority on turning around the Group's financial position through a drastic fixed cost reduction and savings plan (notably reducing overheads and administrative costs, as well as optimizing processes), with its effects to be seen from FY 2020-21. To support its turnaround, the Group signed a binding letter of intent on July 2, 2020 with Yorkville Advisors (the "Investor") with a view to setting up a financing agreement for up to 10m[1]. The arrangement of this financing is dependent on approval by shareholders during the extraordinary general meeting convened, as well as prior approval of a prospectus by the French financial markets authority ("AMF"). The Company will therefore be inviting its shareholders to an extraordinary general meeting on October 13, 2020 and will shortly be submitting a prospectus to the AMF for approval. Setting up this new financing would give the Group sufficient financial resources to cover its obligations and its cash requirements over the short and medium term. The Company would therefore have liquidity reserves that would be decisive in order to further strengthen its working capital for the next 12 months and redeem the existing bond financing at maturity (requirements estimated at around one third of the overall total). The Company will also be able to use the financing put in place to strengthen its financial structure (by around 1m), to support its redeployment strategy and to capitalize on new development opportunities. Earnings The Group's full-year revenues at March 31, 2020 came to 25.5m, down 14% year-on-year. International operations represent 23% of the Group's full-year revenues. The breakdown of the Group's operations between its various markets is as follows: 80% for Digital Transformation and 20% for Technology Consulting. Current operating income came to -2.9m, compared with +0.1m at March 31, 2019. The work launched to reduce operating costs did not make it possible to offset the contraction in the Technology Consulting business. Net income (Group share) represents -6.4m, compared with a -3m loss at March 31, 2019. It includes -3m of non-current expenses, with losses and provisions relating to the tax inspections concerning the EOLEN Group companies, acquired in 2015 (0.8m), and the writedown of customer relationships and goodwill (1.9m). Financial position After factoring in earnings for the year, shareholders' equity (Group share) represents (4.9)m, compared with (0.2)m at March 31, 2019. This includes a total of 2.2m for the capital increases carried out through (i) the conversion of part of the ORNAN bonds issued on February 13, 2019[2], (ii) a new share issue linked to compensation for the ORNAN contract[3], and (iii) the exercising of the BSAR A redeemable warrants[4] freely distributed following the general meeting on July 28, 2017. The Group's net debt came to (12.6)m at March 31, 2020, compared with (10.2)m at March 31, 2019. This amount includes the outstanding bonds not yet converted (1.1m), the advances granted by the factor (3m) and the restatement of lease charges under IFRS 16 (3.3m). Bank debt was reduced by 0.9m to (1.5)m, compared with (2.4)m at end-March 2019. Cash and cash equivalents totaled 1.2m, compared with 4.0m the previous year. The use of economic support measures (furlough arrangements, deferral of social security charges, tax and loan instalments, etc.) has enabled the Group to safeguard its cash position in the short term. Negotiations are underway to stagger payments for the deferred social security and tax liabilities. The Company has already obtained moratoriums for its tax liabilities. The new financing set up would enable the Group to further strengthen its financial resources to cover its obligations and its cash requirements over the short and medium term. Outlook The health crisis has accelerated the need for the Group to adopt changes and adapt to the new challenges faced, while enabling it to extend its projects looking into emerging opportunities. The Group is therefore still ambitious to embark on a new development phase, while continuing to adjust its costs, in order to return to a balanced financial position then profitability. The subsidiaries are optimizing their costs, renewing their processes, repositioning themselves on more sustainable niches with stronger margins, and more generally redeploying their strategy by exploring new opportunities for diversification into promising activities, driven by innovation and strong value-added services. Alongside this, the Group is moving forward with its strategy to develop partnerships with innovative companies to further enhance its range of smart solutions and services, particularly for Cybersecurity and Intelligent Traffic Management Systems, while capitalizing on new development opportunities in a world that is undergoing a transformation. To finalize its turnaround, the Group needs to return to a healthy financial position by further strengthening its business through financing with ORNAN bonds. This vital operation will enable the Group to consolidate its restructuring and support its redeployment. Proposed transfer to the Euronext Growth market With regard to the proposal to transfer the listing of GECI International securities to the Euronext Growth market, following a review process lasting several months, Euronext has informed the Group that the timeframe for reviewing its transfer will be extended. This proposed transfer has therefore been deferred to a subsequent date, but is still moving forward, and the market will be informed about its progress. Next date Availability of the 2019-20 annual financial report on July 31, 2020, after close of trading General meeting on October 13, 2020 ABOUT GECI INTERNATIONAL __________ "Smart Solutions for a Smart World" The GECI International Group is the Digital Transformation and Technology Consulting specialist, providing its clients, from key accounts to SMEs and startups, with smart solutions and services. Backed by a network of partner companies and expert capabilities worldwide, GECI International is positioned, with agility, across the entire value chain for projects: consulting, integration, IT outsourcing and training. The GECI International Group is listed on the regulated market Euronext Paris - Compartment C - and is part of the CAC Small and CAC Technology indices. GECI International is eligible for the SRD long-only deferred settlement service. ISIN (shares): FR0000079634 - GECP / ISIN (BSAR A warrants): FR0013266764 - GECBT CONTACTS __________ GECI International - Investor Relations Tel: +33 (0)1 46 12 00 00 / relation.investisseurs@geci.net CALYPTUS - Cyril Combe Tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 68 68 / geci@calyptus.net [1] As announced on July 3, 2020, this agreement includes provisions to issue a maximum of 1,000 bonds redeemable in cash or new shares (ORNAN), with a nominal value of 10,000 each. This 10m financing will be able to be used, at the Company's discretion, in 10 instalments of 1m each over a total period of 30 months, without any obligation to draw down. [2] On February 13, 2019, the Company issued 400 ORNAN bonds (unit value of 10,000), without any BSA warrants attached. At March 31, 2020, 232 ORNAN bonds were converted (including 20 from the previous financial year in 2018-19), with 40,580,084 new shares created (including 1,818,181 the previous year). [3] On March 9, 2020, the Company issued 3,000,000 shares to the investment fund Yorkville to pay 93,300 of compensation. [4] As authorized by the extraordinary general meeting on July 28, 2017, the Group freely awarded 77,326,418 BSAR A warrants to the Company's shareholders on July 31. During FY 2019-20, 13,412 free BSAR A warrants were exercised, with 3,353 new shares created, for a total of 905.31. The agreement runs through to July 31, 2021. The BSAR A warrants are listed on Euronext. ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: m5qbY5xtZ2+cm3JsYcuXb2plaZpkmZLJbpfHlmFrlZuUmmxklW9napfKZm9lmmxu - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64578-geci_cp-resultats-20_21_30jul2020_ve.pdf I understand that the last couple of weeks have been difficult for our caucus and party, and I have had many candid conversations with members of the Democratic caucus on this matter. The feedback is positive and demonstrates continued support for me and my leadership roles, Madigan said in a statement issued Thursday night. I have no plans to resign. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Responding to an unprecedented fiscal crisis, the Santa Fe City Council approved a new budget Wednesday night, as the city continues to assess the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, the budget is 18% lower than it was last year, coming in at $319 million. The General Fund declined by 10% specifically. Mayor Alan Webber, whose office crafted the budget before it was presented to the council, said the pandemic completely disrupted the normal budget-making process that normally wraps up in the spring. We basically had a budget that was done, he said. And then the world changed. City officials praised the budget for including no extra furloughs or layoffs for employees beyond Sept. 4. Positions will be eliminated in certain departments, though, with employees in those positions being moved elsewhere. Others who qualify will be offered early retirement with lump sums of $15,000, after which their positions will go unfilled. The city also used $22 million of cash surplus to help balance the budget, along with a series of steep cuts in some city departments and divisions. The levels of cuts vary widely across the 22 separate department and agency budgets, and all were approved by the Council Finance Committee in a series of budget hearings over the past week. For example, the Arts and Culture Division saw its budget shrink by more than half, while Human Resources saw just a 2% decrease. The budgets for the Recreation and Economic Divisions decreased by around 25%. Councilor Roman Abeyta, head of the Finance Committee, said a 2% increase to Community Services was to ensure that essential services are provided during the pandemic. The passage of the budget comes more than two months after Webber announced a projected $100 million budget shortfall for the city as the coronavirus devastated much of Santa Fes tourism-based economy. Since the fiscal crisis started, the city has issued two rounds of furloughs for city employees, the first of which was criticized for disproportionately impacting lower-wage workers. The projection later shrunk to $82 million once the Mayors Office announced the proposed budget on July 13. Included with the budget announcement was a plan to reorganize much of the citys government, with many divisions being consolidated into three new departments: Community Engagement, Community Development, and Community Health and Safety. While the reorganization will not be voted on until late August, many were critical of how it appeared to impact the budget-planning process. The budget was presented as if the reorganization had already happened, Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler said during the meeting. City Attorney Erin McSherry said the council can make adjustments if the budget does not reflect the reorganization. In a phone interview, Abeyta disagreed that the budget currently reflects the proposed reorganization. Union representatives voiced similar concerns, specifically those representing some city employees and firefighters. This is where the confusion sets in, that the city is willing to create more management positions rather than filling current positions within our fire department, said Adan Lopez, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2059. And while this budget will be submitted to the state Department of Finance and Administration just days before the deadline, the budget-making process will continue. The city plans to hold quarterly meetings to adjust the budget when the pandemics effect on revenues is fully realized. The budget this year is as much a process as it is a plan, Webber said. To the Editor: Regarding 14 colleges in NY likely to perish in coronavirus pandemic, new analysis says, Syracuse.com, July 27, 2020: As the current and former leaders of the St. Lawrence University Alumni Association, we were greatly concerned with and alarmed by the lack of reporting and context in Geoff Herberts report, which stated that St. Lawrence was among 14 New York state institutions of higher learning most likely to perish amid the coronavirus pandemic. Herberts story, which drew from a blog post highlighting an ongoing study conducted by New York University professor of Marketing Scott Galloway that evaluates endowment values and international enrollment figures, among other measures, was far from complete. Galloways blog post was not peer reviewed nor offered as a paper in any credible academic setting. In his analysis, Galloway posits that should the pandemic endure, schools like St. Lawrence could face closure. Neither Galloways blog post nor Herberts story reflect the plans institutions like St. Lawrence, Skidmore College and Fordham University all on Galloways list of schools that could close have made to weather the pandemic, to invest wisely in endowments that sustain their vast programmatic offerings and to manage a long-anticipated cyclical enrollment decline coming in the next few years. A complete report would have included the voices of higher education experts, faculty and administrators, students, philanthropists who support higher education institutions and policymakers in Albany and Washington. We are disappointed that Syracuse.com and The Post-Standard did not offer their readers a more complete report that could have provided context about how institutions like St. Lawrence plan to survive and thrive in the 2020s. Are there strong headwinds facing higher education in New York state? Yes. Can our institutions weather the pandemic and economic decline? We believe the answer is yes. As the current and former leaders of one of the nations greatest alumni networks St. Lawrence has been ranked no. 4 in the nation for the reach and scope of its alumni engagement by the Princeton Review we want to assure readers that ours is an institution rich with resilience and spirit. Further, our alma maters plans to reopen were developed in consultation with stakeholders and local public health officials and in accordance with guidance from federal and state agencies.; we are in the midst of a comprehensive campaign to raise $225 million; and St. Lawrence met its enrollment goals for the coming academic year. St. Lawrence will weather the storm its alumni and community will see to that and we hope our peer institutions will do the same. Susan Eichman North 76, Woolwich, Maine President, St. Lawrence University Alumni Association Former St. Lawrence University Alumni Association presidents: Cortney E.V. Terrillion 99, Greenwich, Connecticut Edward J. Forbes 02, Pound Ridge Stephen Todd 92, Watertown Deena Giltz McCullough 84, Plattsburgh Kenneth Polk 91, Williamsville Alexandra Kirby Taylor 89, Darien, Connecticut Jeffrey D. Honeywell 80, Glenmont Joseph P. Richardson 63, Slingerlands Douglas L. Brown 63, Lake Placid Jonathan Wheeler 80, West Hartford, Connecticut Ruth Budlong 54, Windsor, Connecticut Justin Trudeau gets a chance to douse the flames of a scandal that's overshadowing the Canadian government's pandemic response in rare testimony before lawmakers. The prime minister will appear Thursday afternoon before a parliamentary committee examining how a charity with close ties to his family was awarded a contract to administer a CA$900 million ($674 million) student-aid program. While the decision was rescinded and Trudeau apologized for not recusing himself, it's taking a toll. The prime minister is facing his third ethics investigation since coming to power in 2015 and his approval ratings are falling. The crisis weakens Trudeau politically, with the governing Liberals needing the support of at least one other opposition party to pass legislation. The scandal has also implicated his finance minister and Trudeau is facing calls to drop him amid Canada's sharpest economic downturn since the Great Depression. "This isn't going to end well for them because they think they can simply bluster their way through it," said Robin Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy in Ottawa with expertise in crisis management. The prime minister is scheduled to speak via video conference at 3 p.m. in Ottawa, followed by his chief of staff, Katie Telford. Their appearance comes on the heels of testimony by Craig and Marc Kielburger, the co-founders of WE Charity. Although Trudeau's wife, mother and brother have all made paid appearances at WE events, the pair denied the organization was given an inside track on the student-aid contract. "We were not chosen for this work because of our relationship with politicians," Craig Kielburger said Tuesday during a four-hour appearance before the same committee. Finance Minister Bill Morneau, whose two daughters have ties to WE, acknowledged last week he accepted more than CA$41,000 in travel expenses from WE for family trips to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017. Though he repaid the money and apologized, the opposition Conservatives are calling for his resignation. Two other ranking Liberals have also come under fire. Bardish Chagger, who as youth minister signed the recommendation to give the contract to WE on the advice of the public service, was the first cabinet member to testify, and the Kielburgers revealed they also held talks with Mary Ng, minister of trade and small business. In addition to blemishing Trudeau's brand, the scandal is hurting WE itself. While they refuted claims their group was in need of a financial lifeline, the Kielburgers said the charity has been "raked over the coals" as a result of the scandal. Major firms including Royal Bank of Canada, Telus and Loblaw Companies have cut ties with the organization. "After reviewing our partnership, RBC and WE Charity have reached a mutual agreement to end all sponsorship and donation programming" RBC spokeswoman Gillian McArdle said in a statement Tuesday. Students have also been left in the lurch. While the Canada Student Service Grant represents just a fraction of the CA$9 billion in support for students pledged so far, it is still without an administrator. The program would have provided postsecondary students with up to CA$5,000 for volunteering over the summer. Trudeau is likely to highlight those unfulfilled needs in his testimony Thursday, as well as reiterate his government's focus on getting money out the door as quickly as possible to cushion the blow from Covid-19 shutdowns. But the prime minister has already been reprimanded twice for ethical lapses: once for a 2016 vacation at a private island belonging to the Aga Khan, and again in 2019 election for intervening in a criminal case against Montreal-based construction giant SNC-Lavalin Group. So putting the WE scandal behind him will be no easy feat. "The problem is that it feeds an established narrative of entitlement and privilege and lack of respect for the very codes that all elected officials are empowered by law to obey," Sears said. Michael Flynn's attempts to have his guilty plea dismissed is now headed for review by the full US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The full panel of the Washington, DC, Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to reexamine the legal fight over Michael Flynn's guilty plea from the Mueller investigation. Last month, a three-judge panel from the appeals court ordered a lower federal district judge overseeing the case involving the former Trump national security adviser to dismiss it. Thursday's order vacates that decision and could result in a complee reversal of the three-judge panel's decision to toss out the case. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A key federal appeals court in Washington DC agreed Thursday to reexamine the fight over whether former Trump national security adviswer Michael Flynn's guilty plea can be summarily dismissed. The new order from 10 members of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit comes a little over a month after a three-judge panel there ordered a lower federal district court judge who is overseeing the case against Flynn to dismiss the prosecution at the Justice Department's request. Flynn remains the most high-profile former Trump administration official to face criminal charges from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. He first pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russian's ambassador to the US at the time, Sergey Kislyak, regarding US sanctions against Russia. The retired Army lieutenant general who famously led chants of "lock her up" about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Republican National Convention cooperated with Mueller's investigators in the Russia probe. But he later shifted course before a federal judge could issue his final sentence by hiring new attorneys who took a more combative stance questioning the original FBI investigation. DOJ later changed tactics in the Flynn case too over the objections of some of the original Mueller prosecutors, prompting an outcry from House Democrats who earlier this week peppered Attorney General William Barr with questions about the controversial decision. Story continues Thursday's order by the court is itself a monumental development. The full panel that will hear the case consists of more judges appointed by Democratic presidents (7) than those appointed by Republicans (3), which could result in a reversal of the three-judge panel's decision to toss out the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for Aug. 11. One DC Circuit judge, Gregory Katsas, a former Trump White House lawyer, is not participating, acccording to Thursday's court order. In its 2-1 decision last month, the appeals court had overturned US District Judge Emmet Sullivan's decision to bring in a retired federal judge and veteran prosecutor to argue against DOJ's motion to dismiss Flynn's case. Sullivan was planning to hold a July 16 hearing to weigh whether to toss out the case against Flynn but he later postponed that session because of the appeal. The appeals court ruled that Sullivan did not have the authority to prolong Flynn's prosecution or examine the Justice Department's motivation for wanting to drop the case. "This is not the unusual case where a more searching inquiry is justified," Judge Neomi Rao, a Trump-appointed judge, wrote in the majority opinion. Rao was joined by Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, an appointee of President George H.W. Bush. Read the original article on Business Insider Shin Jong-chul, 88, poses for a photo in front of Chungin Pharmacy which he has operated for more than 60 years in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of Goesan County Office By Jun Ji-hye Shin Jong-chul, who has operated a pharmacy for more than 60 years at a rural village in Goesan, North Chungcheong Province, donated his pharmacy to the county, so the old wooden building can be transformed into a tourist attraction. Goesan County Office said Thursday that the 88-year-old pharmacist had donated to the county his pharmacy, called Chungin Pharmacy, with a size of 33.72 square meters as well as its 73-square-meter site, June 25. Shin also donated old medicine cabinets, his diary and books, hoping to preserve the old pharmacy for posterity. The county office will preserve the old building and site, and utilize them as a tourist spot, it said, noting that other tourist attractions near the pharmacy include a 200-year-old Zelkova tree and a dolmen. Mural paintings that decorate the walls of the pharmacy have made the old building more attractive, the office said. Shin opened the pharmacy in the small village back in 1958 and has since been an important member of the community dispensing medicine and health products to local residents. As a highly respected elder of the village, he has been invited to weddings of more than 1,700 couples as a marriage officiant. He has even guaranteed to pay the debts of hundreds of residents, and has already been helping to pay off debts for some, estimated at about 1 billion won ($840,000), over 40 years. Shin's story has been featured in several magazines as well as TV programs such as "Hometown Report," the county office said, noting this has made his pharmacy one of the most famous places of the town. "We will make full efforts to heighten the value of Shin's pharmacy as a cultural heritage spot so it can long remain in the memories of townspeople and visitors," said Lee Cha-young, who heads the county office of Goesan. World's premier space agency NASA is all set to send a life-hunter to Mars on July 30. NASA's Perseverance rover will search for signs of life past or present on the Red Planet. According to NASA, Perseverance will land on Mars in February 2021 and the rover will use several high-end instruments including 23 cameras to examine the climate and geology of the Red Planet. We're going to Mars, and you can come with us. Our @NASAPersevere rover is set to launch tomorrow on its mission to look for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. NASA TV coverage begins at 7am ET. How to watch: https://t.co/mzKW5uV4hS pic.twitter.com/E5gyANfZbT NASA (@NASA) July 30, 2020 Perseverance will bring all human senses to Mars. It will sense the air around it, see and scan the horizon, hear the planet with microphones on the surface for the first time, feel it as it picks up samples to cache, perhaps even taste, it in a sense, as it performs chemical analyses of the dust," said NASAs Thomas Zurbuchen during a press conference on July 20. After landing on the surface of Mars, Perseverance will release a small helicopter called Ingenuity from its underside. We as human beings have never flown a rotorcraft, a helicopter, anywhere outside of Earths atmosphere, so its really a Wright Brothers moment on another planet, said MiMi Aung, Ingenuitys lead engineer, during the press conference. The first interplanetary helicopter, Ingenuity, is ready for liftoff on a 7-month voyage to Mars. Read more about the aeronautical innovators at @NASAJPL & @NASAAmes who worked together to prepare for @NASAPersevere's #CountdownToMars: https://t.co/eTtcX9Ao01 pic.twitter.com/X83dI03G0W NASA (@NASA) July 30, 2020 Aung added that Ingenuity will remain in air only total of 15 minutes at most, but such helicopters could be used in the future to carry out research in inaccessible areas. Aung noted that helicopters like Ingenuinty can also serve as scouts for rovers and astronauts. Perseverance will will also carry an instrument which will be used to extract oxygen from the carbon dioxide in thin atmosphere of Mars. Perseverance is also the bridge between science and human exploration that demonstrates how the two can support and reinforce each other, said Zurbuchen. The Foreign Affairs Minister has previously said he needs them for security reasons as he travels to the North frequently. The Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Justice Minister are meant to be the only officials allowed a State car and garda driver. The Sinn Fein leader says Simon Coveney, who is no longer the Tanaiste, should not have access to them. "It seems that the former Taoiseach now the Tainiste (Leo Varadker) made the running on it. It also seems that the current Taoiseach and the future Tainiste (Micheal Martin) was left in the dark about it. "You might regard it as a storm in a teacup, although it is public money which makes it a serious issue." She said the controversy over the State car reflects how the government in her words is "very disorganized, very chaotic and shambolic." Advertisement Yesterday, a spokesperson for the government revealed that the former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar intervened to ask if Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney could keep his State car and driver service. The secretary general in the Department of the Taoiseach, at the request of the previous Taoiseach, did call the secretary general of the Department of Justice to ask if it was appropriate, on security grounds, for Minister Coveney to retain a security service, the spokesman said. An Garda Siochana acted on this request, and this is a matter for An Garda Siochana as it is a security issue. Bahujan Samaj Party boss Mayawati on Thursday waded into the row over the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, saying that it would be better that the Central Bureau of Investigation takes up the probe rather than police officers of Bihar or Maharashtra. She also attacked the Congress for speaking in two voices in Maharashtra and Bihar, accusing the party of using the case to serve its political interests. Mayawatis remark came days after the 34-year-old actors father KK Singh filed a complaint with Bihar police accusing actor Rhea Chakraborty and six others of abetting the actors alleged suicide. A team of Bihar police was also sent to Mumbai. This line of investigation appeared to be a contrast to the probe by Mumbai police that was seen to be focused at exploring the professional rivalry angle. Rajput was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in Mumbai suburb Bandra on June 14. In two tweets, Mayawati referred to the mystery around Sushant Singh Rajputs death. The mystery around the death of a young actor of Bihar origin Sushant Singh Rajput is deepening following new facts emerging every day and his father filing an FIR with Patna police. Now it would be better if the case was investigated by the CBI instead of Maharashtra and Bihar police, Mayawati said in a tweet. Rhea Chakraborty has already moved a petition in the Supreme Court to request that the Bihar police probe be transferred to Mumbai police which was already investigating Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Maharashtra home minister and Congress leader Anil Deshmukh has rejected demands for a CBI probe into the actors death on more than one occasion, insisting that the Mumbai police is doing a fine job. Congress leaders in Bihar, like most other state politicians, have supported demands for a CBI inquiry. Mayawati referred to this difference in the stand taken by Congress leaders in Maharashtra and Bihar, asserting that this implied that their real objective was not to get justice for Sushant Singh Rajputs family but use it to serve their political interests. This is not appropriate. Maharashtra government should get serious (about the case), she said. Mayawatis pointed attack that aimed at Congress leaders comes against the backdrop of worsening ties between the two opposition parties that had, ahead of the 2019 elections, considered having some kind of an agreement. The BSP had an alliance with Akhilesh Yadavs Samajwadi Party for the general election but it collapsed after the elections. Mayawati has been particularly upset with the Congress last year after the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan lured the BSPs 6 lawmakers in the state to join the Congress rather than support the state government from outside. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Thu, July 30, 2020 09:00 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a67769 2 Entertainment Lollapalooza,music,music-festival,coronavirus,pandemic,united-states,Chicago Free The popular Chicago festival Lollapalooza, which was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be streaming a special free four-day broadcast on YouTube this week, featuring both iconic past sets and new performances. The new live performances at Lolla2020 will include artists such as Alison Wonderland, H.E.R., Kaskade, Louis the Child, The Neighbourhood, Vic Mensa, and Yungblud. Archive sets from the festival's six international editions as well as the Chicago original will feature performances by Paul McCartney, Metallica, The Cure, Tyler, The Creator, Lorde, Outkast, Arcade Fire, Chance the Rapper, LCD Soundsystem and Run the Jewels, among others. There will also be special appearances from Common, Lars Ulric, Michelle Obama, Chuck D, and LL Cool J, a David Bowie tribute, talks and other events. Lollapalooza's sets have been streamed on YouTube for some years now, but this will be the first digital-only performance. The festival is also teaming up with three charities: Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, Equal Justice Initiative, and When We All Vote and will match donations up to $10,000. As pandemic regulations continue, virtual concerts have become a staple over the last few months. EDM fest Tomorrowland set the bar for virtual festivals high last weekend. Its digital avatar Tomorrowland Around The World saw over one million viewers tune in live -- double Tomorrowland's annual attendance numbers. Lolla2020 will stream from July 30 to August 2, 2020 beginning at 6 p.m. EST, on YouTube. The full schedule of performers is set to be revealed on Wednesday, July 29. See more here. Current research has largely focused on the role of maternal stress as a key contributor to negative outcomes in the time period immediately leading up to and following births. However, there is little research on ways to protect families from these outcomes by determining factors that promote resilience or protect against stress. Realizing this gap, Fathima Wakeel, associate professor at the Lehigh University College of Health , is exploring the relationship between stress and the way internal and social protective resources, which she has coined as "personal capital," affect the health of reproductive-aged women in vulnerable communities. According to Wakeel, it is likely that immigrant women in the U.S. have endured stressors and other health risks over their life course, yet their reproductive health has not been widely researched. She and her colleagues aim to qualitatively explore culturally relevant components of personal capital, create measures based on these findings, and validate these personal capital measures through a survey questionnaire incorporating information about reproductive health, stress, and personal capital factors. The researchers will develop important insights into the relationship between a balance, or imbalance, of stress with personal capital and how this interaction relates to reproductive health and reproductive behaviors. These insights will form the basis for the design of future interventions to improve reproductive health outcomes. "The reproductive health of immigrant women in the United States remains largely underexplored, despite the likelihood that they have endured substantial stressors and other health risks over the life course. As the study will be conducted in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which comprises individuals with socioeconomic challenges, a large Spanish-speaking population and a large population of recent Hispanic immigrants, findings from this study will have important implications for population health policies and programs to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of women in these vulnerable groups," said Wakeel. The study, Reproductive Health, Stress, and Personal Capital in South Bethlehem, is being funded by a Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program (CURE) grant. Under the CURE program, health research grants are awarded for clinical and health services and biomedical research. College of Health professor Halcyon Skinner, College of Education professor Patricia Manz and College of Arts and Sciences professor Sirry Alang will collaborate on the research. Drawing from conclusions in her work during a population health study known as the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby (LAMB) study, Wakeel identified the importance of exploring the development and measurement of protective resources against stress during pregnancy. These resources potentially include internal resources (i.e., self-esteem and mastery), which have been associated with higher infant birth weight and decreased risk of intrauterine growth retardation; partner support and social network support, which are linked to increased fetal growth and higher infant APGAR scores (the test given to newborns to determine physical health); and neighborhood support, which may play an indirect role in lowering women's risks of adverse obstetric outcomes. "My long-term research goal is to conceptualize and measure personal capital, which women may draw upon to help reduce their exposure to or cope with stress and achieve healthy perinatal outcomes," said Wakeel. "Importantly, by learning what these resources are, how they may differ among different cultural, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic groups of women, and how they develop across the life course, we can develop programs and policies that help build personal capital among vulnerable groups of women and ultimately promote health equity at the population level." Evidence suggests that stress before and during pregnancy is a primary risk factor for poor outcomes. According to Wakeel, harmful childbirth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age account for more than 40% of all newborn deaths in the United States and have contributed to significant increases in childhood morbidity in recent decades. With this study, Wakeel and her colleagues hope to influence policy and build resources for women in vulnerable populations and beyond. ### WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) said, for fiscal 2020, the company now expects non-GAAP earnings per share in a range of $10.65 to $10.95, revised from prior guidance range of $10.45 to $10.75. Total revenues are now projected in a range of $5.55 billion to $5.60 billion, revised from prior guidance range of $5.23 billion to $5.33 billion. Second quarter non-GAAP earnings per share was $3.11, an 18 percent increase from the second quarter of 2019. On average, 20 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report profit per share of $2.59, for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items. Second quarter net product sales were $1.45 billion, compared to $1.20 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Analysts expected revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter. 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. Sri Lanka will resume flights to repatriate its citizens stranded overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic, a top official said on Wednesday. The government halted the repatriation of its citizens from various countries from July 14 in view of the increasing number of cases. Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Additional Secretary to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said two flights have been scheduled for July 31 and August 1 to repatriate Sri Lankans from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Nearly 600 Sri Lankans are expected to return via the two flights. "We had to temporarily halt the repatriation flights from July 14 due to a sudden spike of COVID-19 infections in a drug rehabilitation centre. We have been able to successfully control it. This means that the space in the quarantine centre has been made free," Colombage said. The next few flights have been scheduled predominantly focussing on the Middle East, especially countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Over 500 coronavirus cases reported from a drug rehabilitation centre in the north-central region had raised fears of a second wave of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, which reopened its businesses in mid-May. It was suspected that the infections at the drug rehabilitation centre was caused by an ex-pat worker who returned from Dubai. Admiral Jayanath Colombage said nearly 50,000 Sri Lankans stranded overseas have registered with their relevant embassies requesting to be repatriated. As a majority of these Sri Lankans have lost their jobs and places of residence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the responsibility of the government to assist them and repatriate them, he said. Also Watch: Colombage said once they are repatriated, attention will be focused on creating and granting jobs for these Sri Lankans, the Colombo Gazette reported. Sri Lanka has so far reported 2,810 cases. The virus has claimed 11 lives, while 600 are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the country. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The Smart Glass market is anticipated to reach around USD 8,223 million by 2026 according to a new study published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the automotive segment dominated the global smart glass market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the market revenue during the forecast period. Several stringent energy consumption regulations passed by governments worldwide have boosted the adoption of smart glass. Growing concerns regarding environment, increasing need to reduce energy consumption, and growing demand from the automotive sector further support the growth of this market. Additionally, the increasing adoption of energy efficient buildings and reducing operation costs would boost market growth during the forecast period. Other factors supporting market growth include supportive government regulations, increasing awareness, and technological advancements. Increasing investments by vendors in technological advancements coupled with research and development further boost the market growth. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-glass-market/request-for-sample The smart glass market is majorly driven by factors including increasing energy concerns, and environment consciousness across the globe. The decreasing cost of electrochromic materials has encouraged consumers to switch to smart glass. Limited awareness among consumers had restricted the adoption of smart glass in the past. However, with significant government initiatives and substantial investments, the development of smart glass market has accelerated significantly. North America generated the highest revenue in the smart glass market in 2017. The increasing awareness among consumers, and rising awareness regarding energy efficient buildings drive the market growth in the region. Consumers are adopting smart glass owing to stringent government regulations regarding energy consumption, and the need to reduce operation costs. Numerous key players have adopted partnership and expansion strategies to increase their share in the North America smart glass market. The different end-users of smart glass include automotive, architecture, consumer goods, and others. In 2017, the automotive segment accounted for the highest smart market share. The use of smart glass in windows, doors, and windshields in automotive reduces the heat accumulation in vehicles. The consumer electronics segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR. Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-glass-market The well-known companies profiled in the smart glass market report include Asahi Glass Co., DuPont, Gentex Corporation, SPD Control Systems, View, Inc., Corning Incorporated, Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd., RavenBrick LLC, Switch Materials Inc., Scienstry, Inc., ChromoGenics AB, and Innovative Glass Corporation. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers. Smart Glass Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Type Active Smart Glass Passive Smart Glass Smart Glass Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Technology Suspended Particle Display Liquid Crystals Micro-Blinds Nanocrystals Others Smart Glass Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by End-User Automotive Architecture Consumer Goods Others Smart Glass 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/smart-glass-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. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com Braeside, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/30/2020 -- Spices have been in use for a very long time in human history. Their presence in food is quite important, as they bring out the unique taste of cuisines, at the same time, making them attractive and appealing to the sight of people. Also finding use as preservatives for industrially processed food, they give canned products a longer shelf life. As food or as medicine, the importance of spices in the life of humans cannot be overlooked. In Australia, The Spice People, a spice making company, offers for sale Chilli Chipotle, Fenugreek Leaves, and Smoked Salt to the Australian people. Answering a query, The Spice People's spokesperson said, "Our sole aim is to connect people with spices in an enriching culinary adventure that makes eating fun, interesting and wholesome. It is not just our motto, it is infused into the way we do things, and we do what we can to add that extra bit of spice to life, which is why we are called The Spice People. But, more than that, we seek to offer an experience that opens up the cultures of the world at your dinner table, and we've worked hard to make that easily achievable in your home. We hope you can add a bit of spice to your life with our aromatic and flavoursome products." One of their flavoursome products is the Chilli Chipotle. The Chilli Chipotle Ground peppers are smoked, dried Jalapeno chiles. They appeared when the Aztecs used to add dried chilli to food as a preservation method. They have a rich smokey flavour, with nutty, leathery notes that blend well with other strong flavours. It can be used in soups, stews and casseroles. It also has a variety of health benefits to defend against intestinal diseases and aid in weight loss. People who need to buy Chilli Chipotle in Australia, can do so on the The Spice People's website. The Spice People's spokesperson further commented on the sale of their Fenugreek Leaves, "Fenugreek leaves, also known as methi leaves, are obtained from the fenugreek plant, which is a member of the legume family. The dried and highly aromatic leaves have a pale green colour and a bitter and nutty taste. At The Spice People, we carry these fenugreek products; fenugreek seeds ground, fenugreek seeds whole and fenugreek leaves (methi). Fenugreek is rich in protein and fibre and has many health and medicinal properties that can help the cardiovascular system, blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack." Despite the many challenges brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic all over the world, buying spices in Australia is incredibly easy, as customers can make their orders online, in a remarkably seamless manner, and have their orders delivered to them in no time. To Purchase Fenugreek Leaves, customers can visit The Spice People's website to get that done, as they deliver spices Australia-wide. About The Spice People The Spice People is a spice making company based in Australia, whose sole aim is to make eating fun, adventurous and exciting. They make efforts to connect people with spices in an enriching culinary adventure like no other. People who need the Best Smoked Salt in Australia, should visit The Spice People for purchasing this spice. As schools scramble to plan for the upcoming school year, they face yet another new and vexing wrinkle: the sudden surge of interest in learning pods. Also called microschools or pandemic pods, all three terms describe the phenomenon of informal groups of parents who are looking for some kind of educational continuity and child care for their children as they enter an uncertain fall. Some parents are simply looking to share costs of child care and get help with facilitating a school districts online program. Others are seeking an educational alternative to what they see as a chaotic school year that will offer their children little in the way of traditional instruction. These groupings raise a host of questions for families and school leaders alike, chief among them: How will learning pods affect district finances and further exacerbate educational equity? Its often the most affluent parents who can afford these arrangements that could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month, even though concern about the upcoming school year is universal. In multiple surveys, Black and Latino parents have consistently been less enthusiastic than white parents about a return to in-person learning. But poverty rates in those communities are higher than among white families, making it more challenging overall for them to just opt out of the districts program. I worry about how those pods will ultimately exacerbate inequities and potentially undermine support for education as a public good, said Jessica Calarco, an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University, whose research focuses on schools, education, and privilege. And parents are grappling with the same questions, even as they search for alternatives that can allow them to juggle schooling, parenting, and working full-time. Jeanne McCabe lives in Lafayette Hill, an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, and her 5-year-old twins are about to start kindergarten. But like millions of children across the country, they wont start this fall in a school building. The district currently says it will offer either full-time virtual education or a hybrid schedule that will allow children in buildings twice a week, with the remaining instruction at home. Early this month, McCabe connected with a group of parents interested in banding together with other families in the same boat. Within days, that group swelled to more than 200 parents, McCabe said, spawning spinoff groups and an online marketplace of parents, teachers, and tutors offering educational services or child care. It feels a little crazypeople are popping in there and saying, I have these credentials, and Im available to oversee your learning pod. I feel like its going to become this case of the most credentialed teacher getting sold to the highest bidder for a learning pod, which is bananas, McCabe said. And it makes her deeply uncomfortable. I just feel conflicted about the whole thing. I know its so exclusive in a way that makes me ill, and its not something that I want to condone and participate inbut I dont know what else Im going to do, McCabe said. Im just this parent of 5-year-old twins with a full-time job that requires me to be in six meetings a day. There arent data on how many families are taking this route, but anecdotes abound: Facebook groups for organizing pandemic pods exploding in popularity and splintering off into niche subgroups; states seeing steep increases in the number of families filing to home-school; and homeschooling organizations across the country being inundated with phone calls from parents exploring the option. Theres some power in being able to bring some control to a situation that feels out of control, said Talitha Anyabwele, a long-time homeschooling parent now living in south Florida. Anyabwele has created an Afrocentric curriculum and has seen an uptick in parents reaching out to her for information on her educational system. Helping them find the empowerment in that is what Ive really been priding myself in doing, she said. If you can afford it, if you have the privilege of being able to work at home, there is a great opportunity here for impacting your children in a very powerful way. And choosing to separate from the ever-changing mandates of a public-school system is a burden lifted for some parents, she said. I dont have to wait for someone else to tell me whats going on in my household anymore. Lost Dollars Rachel Coleman, the co-founder and executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a national advocacy and research group, estimates the organization is getting 10 times as many calls and emails compared to this time in a normal year from parents inquiring about homeschoolinga surge that started right after President Trump first called for schools to reopen for in-person classes this fall. At the same time Trump made his pronouncement, infection rates in several states were on an upswing. Most of the parents who reach out to Colemans organization are not planning on forming pods; rather, most have children with underlying health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, said Coleman. If parents want to fully withdraw their children from public school and go it alone, they need to be aware of the hoops they may have to jump through to re-enroll their kids in the future. There can be challenges, said Coleman, particularly for high school students who are earning academic credits toward a diploma. Because of that, she suggested that it may be easier for older students to stick with the school districts offering. Sometimes districts will let children take a test, or they may have to put together a package or portfolio of documents to show what they know to transfer back into high school at a later date, she said. Our advice for parents home-schooling for high school is to do the districts virtual program if they offer one, Coleman said. If not, Coleman recommends taking online community college courses or participating in an accredited online high school program that gives students credits, although she cautions about enrolling in some for-profit online charter schools that have a long history of poor academic quality. For districts, there may be serious financial considerations if families opt to forgo the district options altogether and unenroll their children from school. This would be on top of funding cuts already projected for many districts as tax revenues drop due to the economic shock of the coronavirus business closures. Slower enrollment, whether linked to parents choosing not to enroll or just not moving into the school system, is already being seen in some locales. In Montgomery County, Md., for example, Superintendent Jack R. Smith said the system had projected 2,500 new students for the academic year that begins in late August. But as of July 1, only 300 new students had enrolled, Smith said in a press briefing. If parents choose to home-school independently from the districtwhether in groups or individuallyschool systems stand to lose substantial amounts of money tied to enrollment, said Aaron Garth Smith, the director of education policy at the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, and an expert on school finance. In terms of the actual effect on district finances, its really complex, he said. It really depends on how the local funding formula interacts with state funding. But while its difficult to make universal statements about school funding, the impact of losing an unexpectedly high number of students would be meaningful for many systems. For most districts, even losing 1 percent or 2 percent of students youre going to lose a lot of funding, Smith said. School districts that rely more on local dollarswhich are usually more-affluent districtsare cushioned from the financial pinch of enrollment loss, compared to districts that rely heavily on state and federal funding tied to per-pupil enrollment, said Smith. Some states are considering holding districts harmless for their enrollment losses by basing funding on last years enrollment numbers. That will have a negative effect on the schools where enrollment goes up, said Smith. But the idea has fans among some school districts, such as Durham Public Schools in North Carolina, where district officials are worried that parents may homeschool for the first part of the school year, and then send their children back to school once coronavirus cases drop and in-person classes resumeand, crucially, after official enrollment tallies have been taken and per pupil money allocated. North Carolina has seen a swell of parents filing with the state to home-schoolso much so that the first day families could file online with the state to homeschool, the system crashed from the traffic according to the Associated Press. Theres also concern about how homeschoolingwhether in pods or individuallycould affect students education said Jennifer Wildman, the superintendent of Mammoth United School District, which serves a ski resort town in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains. When Wildman started to hear rumblings of parents looking into home schooling, she said she grew concerned that pulling students completely out of the public school system would cause more potentially harmful disruptions to their educations, on top of schools closing last spring. But, unhappy with remote learning this spring, a number of parents, including teachers in Mammoth USD, werent keen to repeat the experience, said Wildman. A few [teachers] went overboard, she said. They did Zoom classes in the evening. There were frustrations around Google Classroom and some of the expectations. Wildman heard from parents that some of our teachers were requiring too much and some not nearly enough. She responded by creating two distance learning tracks: The first is more hands-on with students interacting through teleconferences with teachers every day. That track is positioned to transition into in-person classes once coronavirus case numbers go down. The second track is a long-term independent study program that is more self-driven with separate assignments and only weekly check-ins with a teacher. Its not a flawless system, said Wildman. Because of state rules, only 10 percent of students can participate in the more hands-off track, and she expects the district will reach that cap. But shes hoping the added option will keep her families enrolled in the district. Balancing Equity Concerns Like so much in this pandemic, the focus on learning pods is exposing inequities in access, funding, and educational opportunity that have been around for a long time. Some parents are trying to navigate the difficult equity issues themselves. Kristin Thomas Sancken, a parent in Charlottesville, Va., has two daughters entering 5th and 1st grades. Her older daughter was already being homeschooled because of special education needs. But Sancken loves the diverse public school that her younger daughter attends. She posted on a neighborhood group to see if anyone was interested in forming a learning pod, and got a gratifying number of responsesbut they were all from middle-class white families like her own, which does not reflect the schools demographic makeup. I need to figure out how to do this in an equitable way, Sancken said she was left thinking. So the parents are reaching out to other families in the school and to community organizations to try to get a broader representation. Shes still not sure how its going to work. In my wildest dreams, this would be something that would really bring our community together and bring parents together in a new way, she said. Abby Paske, an elementary science teacher in Berkeley, Calif., and a parent of a rising kindergartner, a 5th grader, and an 8th grader, said that parents should wait to form pods or other informal groups after school districts group their children into classrooms. Because classes themselves are often balanced among different demographics, parents can at least work within a grouping that might be more diverse than just reaching out to their small networks. Theres clearly lots of parents who have the bandwidth to think about this, Paske said. Since parents are already freaking out, she said, lets take a quarter of that freak out and put it towards equity. We can make it that much better in the end. Sharon Foley, a parent of a rising 3rd grader and a kindergartner in Austin, Texas, said she hopes that some good might come from the painful reckoning. She is considering organizing a pod, and thinking about how she can be a broader community resource. Its really uncomfortable in the moment. But I actually think that parents are going to be so much more engaged than they have been about whats actually happening in their schools, she said. Calarco, the Indiana University researcher, offered a multipronged approach that might help parents and address equity concerns. If parents are looking for more instructional support, fixing that problem should be led by districts, who could focus on small classes and fairly paid teachersa costly solution, but the fairest one for all, she said. If child care or social interaction is the main concern, the child-care co-ops are more equitable than learning pods. While that approach is not perfect, parents can get support without draining resources from public education. If theyre purely for social purposes, then at least they dont give privileged students an extra leg up in school, she said. And arguably, theyll also be better for kids mental health, in that they reduce the pressure on students to be spending all their time thinking about school. In this time of unrest when we talk a lot about Black bodies, particularly the treatment of them by police, its important to remember how the civil rights activists of the 1960s used their bodies in service to social protest. Some gave their lives while others risked their lives time and again. Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia congressman who died July 17 at age 80, didn't hesitate to put his body on the line. During Nashvilles 1960 drugstore lunch counter sit-ins, he was pulled off a stool and beaten. As one of the original Freedom Riders in 1961, he was beaten at a Greyhound station in South Carolina, then arrested and jailed when the bus reached Birmingham, Alabama. His beating in 1965 on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, by a state trooper who fractured his skull became the defining image of Bloody Sunday and the quest for Black voting rights. As a congressman, he led annual pilgrimages to the bridge to remind us that for every victory gained, there was more that needed to be done to create the beloved community free of poverty, racism and violence that his friend and mentor Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned. It must be done because the struggle is not over," Lewis told former Tennessean opinion writer Dwight Lewis in 1998, about his insistence on leading nonviolent protests. We have not yet created the beloved community. We have not yet created a truly interracial democracy in the South or in America. So the fight is an ongoing fight, and I have said from the beginning that our struggle is not one that lasts one day, or one month or one year. It is a struggle of a lifetime, and maybe another. 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. John Lewis was the last of the civil rights eras lions, the small group of Black men and women whose strategy propelled the movement. As Dwight Lewis notes, it may be fitting that he and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, field lieutenant for King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who also died July 17, exit at what seems to be the beginning of a new civil rights movement. Story continues More: 'Giant of a man': Three former presidents to attend John Lewis' funeral in Atlanta More: John Lewis: A final day of tribute in Washington as some lawmakers push to honor legacy with voting rights bill More: A nation John Lewis helped unite salutes him on his final journey across Selma bridge Lewis told "CBS This Morning" in June that the Black Lives Matter protests, building in momentum since the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin at the hands of a Florida neighborhood watchman to the death of George Floyd under a Minneapolis police officers knee in May, felt very different larger and more inclusive than other uprisings since the '60s and he was hopeful for greater change. If it becomes necessary to use our bodies to help redeem the soul of a nation, we must do it, he told Gayle King. His last public appearance was a quiet Sunday morning visit in June to Black Lives Matter Plaza across from the White House. Lewis spent his life being guardian of the beloved community ideal in his calm authority and focused leadership on and off Capitol Hill. The standard he bore, and the struggle of his lifetime, now passes to another generation. Remembering John Lewis John Lewis was Americas moral compass, both in Congress and in the Civil Rights Movement. His death passes the torch to a new generation. Monday, look for USA TODAYs special, 40-page print edition commemorating his life on newsstands and to purchase online here. In USA TODAY's special commemorative edition we explore the legacy Lewis leaves behind and the road ahead for civil rights. The issue contains the obit, appreciation, reflections from civil rights veterans and younger activists; essays and memories from Jesse Jackson, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Rep. Terri Sewell, Donna Brazile and Kristen Clarke; as well as a beautiful photo essay and his most famous quotes. The issue is on newsstands until Aug. 25 and can also be ordered online. Reach Nichelle Smith at nysmith@usatoday.com and Twitter: @NicSmith312 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Column: John Lewis pledged heart and body to redeem a nation's soul MLAs huddled in a hotel here for the last fortnight will continue to camp together till the Assembly meets on August 14, a party leader said Thursday. This was discussed at the Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held at the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister are staying since the July 13. "All legislators will remain united and stay together till August 14," chief whip Mahesh Joshi said after the CLP meeting chaired by Gehlot. After rebuffing a Cabinet proposal three times, Governor Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday agreed to convene a session of the Vidhan Sabha on August 14. Gehlot and his now sacked deputy Sachin Pilot are locked in a tussle for power in the state. Altogether, there are 107 Congress MLAs in the 200-member assembly, but Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs have openly defied a party whip. At one point, Pilot claimed that 30 Congress MLAs were with him. But the Gehlot camp claims that with the support of independents and allies it has the majority support in the House. The Congress numbers include six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs who merged as a group with the ruling party after the 2018 assembly polls. The merger is now being challenged in the high court by the BSP and a BJP MLA. The BJP has 72 MLAs in the House. While saying that the loyalist MLAs will stay together till the session begins, Mahesh Joshi did not clarify whether they will continue at the same hotel. "It will be decided where to stay," he told reporters. But he ruled out any location outside the state. Joshi said the minister will take care of their departments during this period, adding that they have been going to the Secretariat. Before the CLP meeting a core group discussed the Gehlot group's strategy. The 19 MLAs in the rival Sachin Pilot camp are also said to be camping together at hotels in Guragon near Delhi. The Gehlot camp had indicated that it may seek a vote of confidence when the House meets, but refused to specifically state that this is a part of the session's agenda. (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.) We're sorry, you encountered a page that doesn't exist. Sr Margaret Jordan, Convent of Mercy, Longford Town, Longford The death occurred, peacefully, in the loving care of The Staff of Laurel Lodge Nursing Home, Longford, on Tuesday, July 28 of Sr Margaret Jordan, formerly of Granard and Lanesboro, and late of Lislum, Ballymahon County Longford. Predeceased by her parents Catherine and James and her sister Eileen Scully (Galway). Deeply regretted by her brothers Bernie and Andrew, her sister Kathleen Mahon, brother-in-law Desmond, sister-in-law Maureen, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, her Mercy Community, relatives and friends. Rest In Peace. Sr Margaret's Funeral Mass will be celebrated this Friday morning, July 31 at 11am in Saint Mel's Cathedral, Longford followed by burial afterwards in Ballymacormack Cemetery. The Funeral will be streamed live on longfordparish.com or cablecomm, channel 84. Due to government and HSE Regulations Sr Margaret's Funeral Mass will be private please, for her Family, Mercy Community and very close friends (Max 50 People). Those who would like to attend but cannot do so due to these restrictions may leave a personal message in the condolence section on RIP.ie. The family and her Mercy Community would like to thank you for your consideration and cooperation at this difficult time. John Hopkins, Leitrim, Newtownforbes, Longford The death occurred, peacefully, at home surrounded by his loving family, on Tuesday, July 28 of John Hopkins, Leitrim, Newtownforbes, Longford. Predeceased by his parents Joseph and Josephine, by his grandson Daniel and by his brothers Joe and Gerry. John will be sadly missed and remembered with love by his family, wife Noeleen, daughters Mary, Eileen, Siobhain, Sheila and Mairead, sons Sean, Gerard and Brendan, sisters Nancy, Olive, Margaret and Maura, brothers Mick and Thomas, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, grandchildren ,great-grandchildren,nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends. May he rest in peace. Reposing at his residence on Wednesday, July 29 for family, friends and neighbours to call. Removal on Thursday, July 30 to arrive at St Marys Church, Newtownforbes to arrive for Mass of the Resurrection at 12 noon. Interment afterwards in Newtownforbes Cemetery. Those who would have liked to attend but are unable to due to current restrictions, may leave their personal messages in the condolences section on RIP.ie. Family flowers only please, donations, if desired, to Longford Palliative Care, c/o Glennon Funeral Directors or any family member. Thomas Mulligan, Larkfield, Dring, Longford The death occurred, suddenly, in New York, on Monday, July 27 of Thomas Mulligan, USA and formerly of Larkfield, Dring, Co Longford. Predeceased by his father Tom and brother Vincent. Deeply regretted by his loving wife Tara, heartbroken mother Rose, brother Sean, sisters Rosaleen and Teresa, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces and a large circle of friends. Rest in Peace. In accordance with Government Covid-19 guidelines, the family home is private please. Messages of sympathy can be left in the condolence section on RIP.ie. Funeral arrangements later. If you wish to have a death notice published on www.longfordleader.ie you can email it to newsroom@longfordleader.ie And if you wish to submit an obituary for publication in the Longford Leader, you can submit it along with a photograph of the deceased to newsroom@longfordleader.ie KOLKATA: The Kolkata Airport authorities on Thursday (July 30, 2020) said that all flight operations will remain suspended on lockdown days in West Bengal. Through its official Twitter handle, the Kolkata Airport informed that flight operations at Kolkata Airport will remain suspended on following lockdown days as announced by West Bengal government: 5th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th & 31st August 2020. It also urged the passengers to contact the concerned airlines for changes in flight schedules. Flight operations at #KolkataAirport will remain suspended on following lockdown days as announced by West Bengal Govt: 5th,8th,16th,17th,23rd, 24th & 31st August 2020.Passengers are requested to contact concerned Airline for changes in flight schedule. @HomeBengal @AAI_Official Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) July 30, 2020 It may be noted that the state government had on Wednesday written a letter to the Centre urging it to suspend all flight operations in the state on days of complete lockdown in August due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. In his letter to Civil Aviation Secretary PS Kharola, state Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay asked for a halt of flight operations on - August 5, August 8, August 16-17, August 23-24 and August 31. The letter also added that there will be no complete lockdown on August 2 and August 9. The official letter stated, "I am now directed to inform you that on August 2, and 9, 2020 there shall be no complete lockdown in West Bengal. and, as such, there will now be complete lockdown only on the following days: 1) 05-08-20, 2) 08-08-20, 3) 16-08-20, 4) 17-08-20, 5) 23-08-20, 6) 24-08-20, and 7) 31-08-20. The request for stopping all flight operations on these days in West Bengal is reiterated." The normal life across West Bengal was crippled on Wednesday amid the 24-hour complete lockdown, the third within a week, which saw over 4,500 people being arrested for breaching anti-COVID-19 guidelines. Officials said a total of 4,664 people were arrested from across the state, including 1,094 in Kolkata alone, for violating the anti-COVID guidelines and precautions aimed at breaking the transmission chain of the surging infection. Wednesday's lockdown was part of the state government's plan to implement two lockdowns every week and similar exercises were carried out in the state on July 23 and 25. The government had earlier admitted community transmission of COVID-19 in the state. All public transports, government and private offices, banks and other commercial establishments, barring those dealing with essential services, remained closed on Wednesday. Medicine shops and health establishments were open as they were kept outside the purview of the complete lockdown. Petrol pumps too were allowed to function. Flight operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here were suspended following a request by the state government to the Civil Aviation Ministry. Long-distance trains too were rescheduled due to the lockdown. Police patrolled all major traffic intersections in the metropolis to keep a check on people venturing out of their homes without any valid reason. Special police teams were seen patrolling various parts of the city, particularly in containment zones. In several places, police were seen even punishing the lockdown violators by making them do squat, while barricades were put up in various parts of the state. Schools, colleges and other educational institutes have remained closed in the state since late March when the first phase of the nation-wide lockdown started. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Tuesday said the decision on biweekly total lockdown till August end was taken after consulting experts to check the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the state. Total lockdown will be in place on August 5, 8, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 31, she had said. (With Agency Inputs) The approval rating of governors handling of the coronavirus pandemic has fallen all across the US since April, as states are still struggling to tackle the outbreak. A survey conducted by researchers at universities, including Harvard, Northeastern, Northwestern and Rutgers, found that governors in 44 of the countrys 50 states have lower approval ratings from their citizens on their handling of the pandemic then they did in April. A majority of states went into lockdown in April and implemented social distancing measures in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus, as coronavirus cases rose across the US. The survey from the Covid-19 Consortium for Understanding the Publics Policy Preferences Across States, found that in more than two-thirds of states the approval rating of the governor has dropped more than 10 percentage points since April, according to The Hill. Despite a period where daily case totals fell, the amount of positive coronavirus tests in the country has risen dramatically over the last six weeks, following the easing of lockdown measures in a majority of states. According to Johns Hopkins University some 4.4 million people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the US and the death toll has reached 150,765. Recommended Trump gets defensive over plummeting polls In the poll, that was conducted over two weeks in early July and included responses from 19,052 adults, only five states showed an improvement in the governors approval rating. Republican Maryland governor Larry Hogan had the highest approval rating in the poll, with 76 per cent of his constituents saying they agreed with his handling of the pandemic. He was followed by Vermonts Republican governor Phil Scott on 75 per cent and Democrats Gino Raimondo of Rhode Island and Andrew Cuomo of New York on 71 per cent. New York was the epicentre of the pandemic in the US earlier in the year and recorded its highest daily death total of 799 people on 9 April. However, Mr Cuomo, who implemented various social distancing measures and mandated masks in April, saw the states daily death total drop to zero on Wednesday. Recommended US suffers worst economic decline on record in second quarter Of the six governors with the highest approval ratings in the survey, three of them were Democrats and three were Republicans. However, Republicans dominated the list of the governors with the lowest approval ratings, with Iowas Kim Reynolds faring the worst with only 28 per cent of her states residents agreeing with her handling of the virus. Ms Reynolds, who met with the president at the Oval Office in May, has so far resisted mandating face masks, despite 15 health professional groups in the state urging her to sign an executive order to make them compulsory, according to the Des Moines Register. In total, 12 of the 15 most popular governors have made wearing face masks mandatory in their states, while only two of the 16 officials with the lowest ratings have done the same. Just above Ms Reynolds in the survey was Arizona governor Doug Ducey on 30 per cent and Greg Abbott of Texas on 38 per cent, as both officials have seen their states record a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases over the last month. Both states have recorded their highest daily coronavirus case totals multiple times over the last month and their governors have halted the reopening of businesses in order to get the virus under control. Overall, 14 of the 15 worst performing governors in the survey were Republicans, with Hawaiis David Ige the only Democrat in that category on 37 per cent, which represents a two per cent rise from April when he had the worst approval rating in the US. Co-author of the study Matthew Baum, the Marvin Kalb professor of global communications at Harvards Kennedy School, said that governors who were proactive in taking measures fared the best in the results. In general, governors that have sought to reopen have been out in front of their citizens. Theyve moved faster than the public was comfortable moving, He said. The governors who are doing really well are the ones that have acted most proactively, Mr Baum added. Recommended Former presidential candidate Herman Cain dies with coronavirus However, despite the fall in a majority of governors ratings in response to their handling of the pandemic, only five governors had a worse result in the poll than president Donald Trump. The president has seen a decline in support in numerous polls over the last few months, after his responses to the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests were criticised. Only residents in Arizona, Iowa, Missouri and Georgia rated their governors response to the pandemic as better than the president, and citizens in Tennessee rated Mr Trump the same as governor Bill Lee on 34 per cent. File Photo Imphal: Three Assam Rifles personnel have been killed and six others injured in an attack by suspected militants in Manipur's Chandel district, army sources said. PhotoThe miscreants carried out an IED explosion and opened fire at the Assam Rifles personnel when they were patrolling near the India-Myanmar border. Advertisement The bodies of three deceased jawans have been sent to Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Hospital, Imphal for post mortem. The injured have been shifted to a military hospital in Manipur's Kangpokpi district, the sources said. PhotoSecurity forces suspect the involvement of banned outfit People's Liberation Army in the attack. Dozens of students rallied in Thailand on Wednesday to demand from the government greater gender rights and an end to what they called outdated curriculum and discriminatory rules on uniforms and haircuts. Onlookers in Bangkok cheered and applauded as students of mixed ages carrying placards and banners and rainbow flags, fans and umbrellas marched to the education ministry in protest at a school system they said was far behind the times. The group included secondary school pupils and some older students. They took aim in particular at rules that prescribe specific hair length and styles for male and female students. SEE PHOTOS: Thai students rally for gender rights, school uniform and haircut rules in Bangkok What about students of other genders? This is something the ministry needs to consider because it is normal to be diverse, said Panupong Suwannahong, 19, a protest organiser. The school uniform segregates the students genders. The demonstration comes amid an increase in student-led political protests in Thailand in recent weeks. The group, however, said it had no ties to an anti-government movement. On the steps of the ministry and in front of its permanent secretary, student Pimchanok Nongnual, 19, shaved her hair with electric clippers in protest at suffocating gender rules. What about gender fluid or non-binary students? said Pimchanok. Although it is a largely conservative Buddhist society, Thailand has a reputation for openness and free-wheeling attitudes and has a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) social scene. Its cabinet backed a civil partnership bill on July 8 to recognise same-sex unions with almost the same legal rights as married couples, in one of Thailands most liberal moves yet. However, activists say its education system is reluctant to respond to changing attitudes. Nattapat Satavelarot, 17, tore up a textbook on health and hygiene, rejecting what he called a discriminatory curriculum. I want teachers to be educated about LBGTQ rights and they need to understand that students consisting of many genders is not a taboo, Nattapat said. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Some 97 MPs voted against Rached Ghannouchi, veteran leader of Ennahdha, falling short of 109 needed to overthrow him. Tunisias parliament speaker has narrowly survived a confidence vote, but his slim margin of victory may only deepen the countrys political divisions after the resignation of the prime minister. Some 97 members of Parliament on Thursday voted against Rached Ghannouchi, veteran leader of the Ennahdha party, falling short of the 109 needed to overthrow him. However, with Ennahdha and the conservative Karama party boycotting the vote to show their opposition to the motion, only 16 members of Parliament gave him formal support. Ghannouchis narrow margin of victory may indicate that Ennahdha will now face fiercer opposition in Parliament from parties that voted against him, potentially complicating efforts to agree on a new government. The vote comes two weeks after Tunisias government collapsed less than five months into its term, following corruption allegations against the prime minister, which he denied. Both the confidence vote in Ghannouchi and the collapse of the short-lived government stem from an election last year that produced a deeply fragmented Parliament in which Ennahdha, as the biggest party, won only a quarter of the seats. Political scandal President Kais Saied, a political independent who won a separate election in a landslide last year, has nominated a new candidate for prime minister who must now propose a government that can win majority support in the divided parliament. On Saturday Tunisias interior minister Hichem Mechichi was appointed to form the next government, the presidents office said. The 46-year-old lawyer succeeds Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned as prime minister earlier this month. 200720063827064 He now has a month to form a government, which will then face a parliamentary vote of confidence and will need an absolute majority to succeed. Failing that, Parliament will be dissolved and new elections will be held within three months. Fakhfakh resigned after just five months in office, amid a political scandal that saw critics, including Ennahdha, accuse the head of government of abusing his authority for personal gain. In June, an independent legislator published documents showing Fakhfakh owned shares in companies that won government contracts worth 44 million dinars ($15m). The political crisis has come at a difficult moment for Tunisia, where the global pandemic has crashed the economy just as the government was seeking to agree on reforms aimed at reducing public debt while boosting growth and creating jobs. With Rafales touching down, IAF looks to raise squadron strength from 31 to 42 India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 30: It was a proud moment for India, when the first lot of Rafale fighter jets touched down at Ambala on Wednesday. Rafale: First batch of 5 Fighter Jets land at Ambala airbase after covering nearly 7,000 Km|OneIndia The five jets are part of the 36 ordered from Dassault Aviation of France. While this marks a major increase in terms of air power, the Indian Air Force is looking to build its strength to a 42 fighter jet squadron ie is 18 jets in each. Currently, there are 31 squadrons and this includes five with MiG-21s and the assessment is that there is a need for 42 squadrons in order to tackle a two-front war with Pakistan and China simultaneously. The next few years would be crucial as the remaining 31 Rafales will be delivered. In addition to this, the 20 LCA Tejas will be inducted into the existing fleet of 20 Tejas fighters. India has also gone back to Russia to order and additional 33 fighter jets, which would include 21 MiG 29. This would add to the existing fleet of 59 jets. Also Read: India is also buying 12 Sukhoi 30 MKI. Beside the Tejas and Rafale, the IAF is also looking for 230 other jets. This would be made good by the 83 Tejas Mark1A fighters, which is set to come with 43 improvements over the existing Tejas. Further, the Indian Air Force would also look to procure 114 fighter jets under the strategic partnership model. Lockheed Martin's F-21, Boeing's F/A-18IN, Eurofighter Typhoon, French Dassault's Rafale, Swedish Saab's Gripen and Russian MiG-35 and Sukhoi 35 are in the tender race. On Wednesday two Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets escorted 5 Rafales into India. At Ambala, upon landing the Rafales got a water cannon salute. These jets will be inducted into the No. 17 squadron-The Golden Arrows. The remaining 31 Rafales will arrive by 2023. Legendary Reggae/dancehall artiste, Samini has expressed disappointment in his prodigy, Stonebwoy, over the latter's friendship with Dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale. A viral video circulating on social media captured an unhappy Samini issuing a caution message to Stonebwoy. Samini wondered why Stonebwoy, knowing the nasty things Shatta Wale has said about him (Samini), would still go ahead to bond with the ''My Level'' hit maker. He narrated in the video that, following Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale's treaty, the two have been secretly planning a unity concert, disclosing it took Shatta Wale to phone and inform him about the show. Samini asked why his own music son failed to tell him about the event earlier before Shatta Wale's call. The over 12 minutes video saw Samini feeling betrayed by Stonebwoy. He said he expects his son to tell Shatta Wale to personally settle his beef with him (Samini) before they both could engage in any peace project. ''Stonebwoy, you know how me and you dey. I dey expect that this thing wey you people plan that you go link me and tell me say this is wagwan. I don't expect Bandana to be the one that linked me to tell me about it. ''I expect my son, Stonebwoy, to tell Shatta Wale that until he finishes what he started with, he can't come down to his level to come and clash him because it is not his fight. It is not his beef yet. I come from 2003/2004 with you, Bandana, when you did 'Moko Ho' and I did my album with 'Linda' on it. So, how do you then come to clash my son who came out in 2008 or something? And how is that even fair? How is that a fair comparison?'' he fumed. He also expressed shock over a programme they both attended and showed Ghanaians they had ended their conflict. ''The truth always has to be the truth. How did it end up that, all of a sudden, it's beef and it has to be a clash, and it has to be between you and Shatta Wale. It is a mismatch. We know that. Even the first Dancehall competition that you guys did at Labadi Beach that apparently Bandana was part of it, I was shocked...'' As to why Samini is addressing this issue now, he said; ''Every time, there is propaganda. Every time, there is fake vibes. Every time, there is people trying to put square pegs in a round hole. There is people trying to fabricate things and put things where they're not meant to be just to make me look a certain way, and I'm always quiet, minding my business, just doing my music; making sure I stay relevant and stay in there. That's the only way I can prove anything anybody is trying to fabricate wrong or anything anybody is trying to say about me to not manifest; all I do is hard work''. Video below: View this post on Instagram #ghanatoafrica #ghanaontheglobe #africatotheworld A post shared by Trendz&Trendy (@trendzntrendy) on Jul 29, 2020 at 11:18am PDT Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video At a time when the global economic recovery was complicated by the unabated COVID-19 pandemic and anti-globalization sentiment, China brought to the table a new development pattern. During a symposium with entrepreneurs last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to give full play to the advantage of a huge domestic market, so that a new development pattern will gradually be created whereby domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay. Analysts say the new development pattern charts the course for China's high-quality economic development, which requires stronger endogenous driving forces amid mounting external uncertainties. DOMESTIC MARKET AS MAINSTAY Boasting the world's largest industrial system, China has over 123 million market entities and over 170 million skilled professionals, as well as a population of 1.4 billion that includes 400 million middle-income earners, which makes it a necessity for the world's second largest economy to make the domestic market a mainstay of the new development pattern. China has worked to tap the potential of the domestic market from both the demand side and the supply side. On the demand side, the country pledged to unleash the potential of consumption by stimulating consumer spending and increasing public spending, as well as expanding investment in infrastructure and emerging strategic industries. The commitment was evidenced in the annual government work report released in late May, which gave priority to stabilizing employment and ensuring living standards against the COVID-19 epidemic's economic fallout, urging efforts to boost consumption and expand investment in a mutually reinforcing way. As the epidemic slowed business activities and dented the job market, China slashed fees for firms to help ensure they keep employees on the payroll, having refunded 63.6 billion yuan (about 9 billion U.S. dollars) to over 4.3 million firms in the first half of this year and benefited around 100 million people. Official data showed that China's surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 5.7 percent in June, 0.2 percentage points lower than that of May, while a total of 5.64 million new urban jobs were created in the first half of the year, completing 62.7 percent of the annual target. In a bid to stimulate new consumption demand and promote industrial upgrading, China has vowed to step up investment, especially in new infrastructures like 5G, AI and cloud computing. New infrastructure investment is estimated to reach 17.5 trillion yuan for 2020-2025, representing an annualized growth rate of around 21.6 percent. A brand new information consumption market to be created by the new infrastructures will help spawn new drivers of domestic demand that can in turn stimulate the growth of infrastructure, said Zhu Keli, a researcher on the new economy with the Development Research Center of the State Council. On the supply side, China has taken multi-pronged measures to protect the supply chain from succumbing to epidemic shocks. Building on earlier efforts to advance the resumption of production, the country has ramped up tax and fee reductions and provided firms with low-cost loans to help them tide over difficulties. The country will be unswerving in deepening supply-side structural reforms, which will help improve the quality of the domestic economy, analysts say. EXPLORING FRESH OUTBOUND OPPORTUNITIES Chinese companies should better diversify their target markets and shift more focus to developing countries as the pandemic ravages many of the country's traditional key trading partners, said Yan Yilong, an associate professor with Tsinghua University. As a transcontinental program that improves connectivity and increases trade, the Belt and Road Initiative will play a pivotal role in helping Chinese companies explore new overseas opportunities, Yan added. During the first half of 2020, China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road saw a slight decline of 0.9 percent year on year to 4.2 trillion yuan, 2.3 percentage points lower than the country's overall decrease in foreign trade. For years, China has been encouraging enterprises to expand their operations globally to better leverage external markets and resources. The trend will be accelerated over the coming years, as more companies realize the importance of a globalized approach. Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo's chairman and CEO, said the new development pattern has important bearings on the country's economic security. The normal operation of Lenovo's plants in Brazil and other countries bolstered the company's output when the epidemic erupted in China, while the subsequent recovery of domestic demand also helped strengthen its global supply chain, Yang said. Despite the impact of COVID-19, China has reiterated that it will continue to broaden market access and open up its service sector, vowing supportive measures to shore up foreign investment and trade. "China's opening-up and sharing growth opportunities with other countries will also benefit its own development in turn," Yan said. In its latest efforts to open the economy, China unveiled a new negative list for foreign investment in late June, cutting the number of sectors that are off-limits for foreign investors to 33 from 40 in 2019. China's opening-up measures amid the pandemic have helped stabilize the international industrial and supply chains and promote a virtuous cycle of the global economy, said Hu Xiaolian, chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China. Mumbai, July 30 : Disappointing quarterly results, along with the global markets' downturn, depressed the Indian equity market on Thursday. The global markets were impacted as the Federal Reserve's pledge to use all its tools to support the US economy failed to reassure investors about a stalemate on fiscal support and rising coronavirus cases. Investors were also wary ahead of data that is likely to show that the US economy shrank during the second quarter at the steepest pace since World War II. Consequent to derivatives expiry, the key equity indices fell sharply during a volatile trade session. Besides, market breadth was negative on both the BSE and the NSE. Sectorally, the top gainers were the BSE Healthcare and IT indices, while top losers included BSE Telecom, Oil and Gas, Bankex and Power indices. Index-wise, the NSE Nifty50 closed at 11,102.15, down by 100.70 points or 0.90 per cent from its previous close. The Sensex closed at 37,736.07, lower by 335.06 points or 0.88 per cent from the previous close of 38,071.13. It had opened at 38,262.83 and touched an intra-day high of 38,413.81 and a low of 37,678.42 points. "Indian markets have broken the recent pattern of one day up - one day down by falling for two consecutive sessions," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities. "Whether this will lead to a change in short term trend to down will be interesting to watch." On technical levels, Jasani said that while the Nifty has corrected sharply, "the short term uptrend has not yet reversed". "This would reverse with a close under 11,056. Downside targets in this scenario are at 10,930. Any pullback rallies could find resistances at 11,160-11,200," he said. According to Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services: "Global markets faded as a status quo in policy by the US Fed Reserve failed to offset tepid business outlook and resurgence in virus cases around the world. Indian markets also closed in the negative, in spite of a positive opening. Unlock 3.0 failed to enthuse, as earnings results took priority and markets turned volatile in the expiry session." "Financials led the losses for the benchmark index. Investors will be looking at commentary emerging from today's meeting between the PM and key economic regulators. Stock specific action expected to continue." Bangladesh police are searching for blogger Asaduzzaman Noor, also known as Asad Noor, who is accused of spreading rumours and defaming Islam on Facebook. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on authorities to drop the charges. The Chhatra Leagues local leader filed a case under the Digital Security Act (DSA) against Noor on July 14 accusing him of spreading rumours and defaming Islam on Facebook and other digital platforms through defending a Buddhist monk and 10 Minute School, a pro-LGBT educational platform. The Chhatra League is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League who are currently in power in Bangladesh. On July 13, police began searching for Noor who has consistently been in hiding for the last six years. In December 2017, Noor was accused of hurting religious sentiments only to be released on bail in August 2018. After pressure from radical Muslim groups, Noor was re-arrested and only released in January 2019. The current charges against Noor are in response to his recent videos on Facebookdenying allegations against Shankaranondo, a Buddhist monk, who is accused of the illegal seizure of a Buddhist temple located in the southeastern city of Chittagong. In response to the allegations, Noor mentioned on a Facebook post on July 16 he is being targeted for advocating for the Buddhist community in Bangladesh. With encouragement from the local government, Islamic groups in Bangladesh protested the Facebook post on the streets of Chittagong on July 17. On July 18, police reportedly harassed Noors family at their home in Amtoly, a town in the southern district of Barguna. The BMSF said: We strongly condemn the misuse of Digital Security Act (DSA). We call on Bangladesh government to scrap the DSA. The IFJ said: The police search for Noor and harassment of his family shows the degree of the authority's colossal misuse of the Digital Security Act in Bangladesh. The IFJ calls on the government to immediately withdraw the charges against Asad Noor and ensure his safety. The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Speaker and Secretary of the Legislative Assembly, and six BSP MLAs in the state on a plea challenging the merger of these representatives with the Congress party. The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Speaker and Secretary of the Legislative Assembly, and six BSP MLAs in the state on a plea challenging the merger of these representatives with the Congress party. The High Court has asked the respondents to file their response by August 11. The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar challenging the merger of six BSP MLAs in the state with the Congress party amid the ongoing political crisis. Also read: Telangana CMs master plans of new Secretariat building Also read: China-Russia S-400 Deal: Moscow accuses Beijing of spying, postpones S-400 delivery Advocate Dinesh Garg had moved a petition, on behalf of BSPs national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, challenging the merger of the MLAs. Notably, BJP MLA Madan Dilawar had also moved two petitions in the High Court against the merger. However, a single-judge bench of Justice Mahendra Goyal had refused to grant urgent listing to Dilawars plea in the matter. The High Court, in relief for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led government, had on Tuesday dismissed Dilawars earlier plea seeking directions to quash the merger. The development comes as Rajasthan Congress is reeling in a political crisis after simmering differences between Gehlot and his deputy Sachin Pilot came out in the open. Pilot, along with 18 other MLAs supporting him, is reportedly staying at a Haryana hotel. Congress leaders have alleged that Pilot camp is staying in the Haryana hotel in BJPs hospitality. They have also accused the BJP of attempting to topple the Gehlot-led Rajasthan government. Also read: US condemns killing of its citizen in Paks courtroom as shameful tragedy VinUni is adopting students who previously studied in the United States Aiming to facilitate the learning needs of thousands of overseas Vietnamese students who have been returning home due to the global health crisis, international joint training programmes between local and foreign universities have been carried out over the past few months. Praising the direction of the prime minister and the message of Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha, VinUniversity and US Cornell University last week signed a co-operative memorandum to develop the programme named Study Away. Accordingly, the scheme is reserved for Cornell Universitys overseas local students who are unlikely to come back to the United States in the near future. VinUni will adopt the students and support them to continue their US curriculum and study in their hometown. In line with the movement, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and New Zealands government agency Education New Zealand last week also signed a strategic engagement plan on education in the 2020-2023 period. The framework includes joint programmes in the tertiary sector, innovative education models in blended and online delivery, continued collaboration to improve institution-to-institution partnerships for English language training, and alumni engagement. International universities in the nation such as RMIT Vietnam and Broward Colleges have implemented similar programmes since the pandemic broke out. As many overseas Vietnamese return to their homeland, the mission of local universities is to offer the most favourable learning climate for the students. On the other hand, that is also a great opportunity for the collaboration between Vietnamese and overseas universities, following the statement of Minister Phung Xuan Nha. According to the MoET, there are about 200,000 overseas Vietnamese students who have mostly studied in the US, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Moreover, New Zealand in 2018 also recorded more than 2,700 Vietnamese students, consisting of 600 secondary school students. There was also an on-year growth rate of 8 per cent in the number of students studying at universities there. Melvyn Lim, director at Cambridge International School, told VIR that Vietnam is a huge and promising education market. Specifically, the income level of local citizens has increased, and therefore more and more people can afford to pay higher-level fees for a good education or send their children overseas. As a result, the trend of investment in local education will keep rising, Lim said. Notwithstanding, amid the pandemic, a large number of overseas students have yet to come back to Vietnam due to the travel restrictions on international flight routes. According to Rohit Verma, principal of VinUni, the trend of international joint training programmes also lures overseas professors into the country, facilitating the learning and studying demand for students. Vietnam has 70 universities providing international educational curricula and 352 joint training programmes. Currently, the MoET is building up a standard kit to monitor the quality of joint training and distance learning programmes, aiming towards the goal of fully monitoring all universities in Vietnam. Mai Van Trinh, head of the MoETs Quality Control Department, said that universities in Vietnam have sizably changed the awareness in quality assessment. Instead of focusing on traditional training activities based on classes and physical institutions, the schools have been steadily applying distance learning or joint training methods. The reversal is also a prerequisite for developing standards to assess the quality of joint training and distance learning programmes, said Trinh. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Jeff Bezos was born into family wealth in Albuquerque, but not the monetary kind. Thats how the Amazon founder and CEO described his humble New Mexico roots in his opening comments in virtual testimony before a U.S. House antitrust subcommittee Wednesday. The panel is investigating whether companies such as Amazon, Apple and Facebook have too much power and harm competition. Bezos, 56, told lawmakers he was born to a teenage mother in Albuquerque. Forbes magazine lists him as the worlds wealthiest person, with his wealth estimated at $180 billion. It was difficult for her, he said. When they tried to kick her out of school, my grandfather went to bat for her. After some negotiation, the principal said, OK, she can stay and finish high school, but she cant do any extracurricular activities, and she cant have a locker.' Bezos said his grandfather took the deal and his mother, Jackie Gise, who was 17 at the time, was allowed to finish school. But he told lawmakers his mother wasnt allowed to walk across the stage with her classmates to get her diploma. His testimony did not mention where Jackie attended high school. Determined to keep up with her education, she enrolled in night school, picking classes led by professors who would let her bring an infant to class, he said. Bezos said his mother would show up with two duffel bags one full of textbooks and one packed with diapers, bottles, and anything that would keep me interested and quiet for a few minutes. In his testimony, Bezos said his adopted father, Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, received a scholarship to college in Albuquerque, which is where he met my mom. You get different gifts in life, and one of my great gifts is my mom and dad, he said. They have been incredible role models for me and my siblings our entire lives. Bezos said Miguel adopted him when he was 4. According to his biography, the family moved to Houston after Miguel graduated from the University of New Mexico and went to work as an engineer for Exxon. Bezos was born Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen. His biological father, Ted Jorgensen, owned a bike shop. During his congressional testimony, Bezos also discussed the humble beginnings of Amazon, which he started 26 years ago after walking away from a job with a New York investment firm. Bezos said he started with the long-term mission of making it Earths most customer-centric company. W iley is facing calls for his MBE to be removed after posting a series of anti-Semitic social media posts. The Grime rapper, whose real name is Richard Cowie, was widely condemned for the anti-Jewish posts which he started sharing on Twitter on Friday. He was banned from the social media site on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the musician has insisted he is not racist and apologised for generalising in his comments. Wiley has been banned from Twitter after the series of anti-Semitic tweets / PA On Thursday, barrister Jeremy Briar, 39, wrote an open letter to the Cabinet Office outlining why he believes Wiley should have his MBE forfeited. The rapper was made an MBE for services to music in 2018 but, according to Sky News, he said he would be willing to give it up as he never wanted it. Mr Briar, a barrister and legal commentator, posted his open letter in an eight-tweet thread on Thursday. He wrote: Dear Sir or Madam, I have strong reasons to believe that the honour of MBE bestowed upon the musician Richard Kylea Cowie Jr (Wiley) should be forfeited by reason of his extraordinary and sustained publication of vicious antisemitic views, during the period 24-26 July 2020. Mr Brier later said: When we give out honours we are effectively bestowing a real legitimacy on that person as a servant of our country and someone that has done very good deeds or contributed in a significant way. As a country we cant be seen to say yes, we give the cloak of respectability to people with extreme racist views. I think we as a country should care about who gets our honours. It comes after Wiley apologised in an interview with Sky News. Facebook has permanetly removed Wiley's personal Facebook and Instagram accounts / Getty Images He said: I just want to apologise for generalising and going outside of the people who I was talking to within the workspace and workplace I work in. My comments should not have been directed to all Jews or Jewish people. I want to apologise for generalising, and I want to apologise for comments that were looked at as anti-Semitic. Im not racist, you know. Im a businessman. My thing should have stayed between me and my manager, I get that. When asked if he accepts his comments were anti-Semitic, he told Sky News: My comments should not have been directed to all Jews or Jewish people. Wileys manager John Woolf, who is Jewish, said A-List Management had cut all ties with the musician following the series of social media posts. The Campaign Against Antisemitism has said it will contact the Cabinet Office to ask for Wileys MBE to be revoked. According to Sky News, Wiley said he would be willing to give it up as he never wanted it. He told the broadcaster: I never felt comfortable going to get it. Just look at Britains colonialism history. The race for the gavel of the House Appropriations Committee is moving from behind closed doors to a public battle pitting seniority against the power of relationships. Three subcommittee leaders Reps. Rosa DeLauro, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Marcy Kaptur are vying to replace retiring Chair Nita Lowey, the first woman to lead the influential committee. And the contest is heating up after months of quiet jockeying, which briefly paused because of the pandemic and as Lowey wrapped up her farewell appropriations tour. The lower chamber is on track to pass nearly all of its fiscal 2021 spending bills by months end. DeLauro (D-Conn.) a liberal firebrand and long-time ally of both Lowey and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been considered the heir apparent since she promptly declared her candidacy following Loweys retirement announcement last year. But Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has proven to be a more formidable opponent than previously thought, according to aides and lawmakers watching the race. The Florida Democrat has a savvy team behind her, pitching new policy ideas against DeLauros more senior standing within the Democratic caucus. Kaptur is seen as something of a long-shot, even though she is actually the most senior Democrat on the panel. I have to put Rosa as the favorite, said one House Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous in order to talk candidly about the race. Most people think that shes Nancys preference. Debbie is probably the most aggressive of the three, but to me, she has the hardest lift to jump that far in seniority, the lawmaker added. I dont see her having the same natural base of support that Rosa does. Wasserman Schultz is expected to draw support from freshman members who are eager to see more generational diversity in the leadership ranks in addition to some of the most vulnerable frontline members. The Florida Democrat, who once served as DNC chair until she was ousted during the 2016 campaign, has raised or contributed nearly $816,000 this cycle to frontline members and candidates in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees Red to Blue program, according to her campaign. Story continues Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), a co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, is one senior member whos backing Wasserman Schultzs bid. I think that Debbie has demonstrated the leadership experience and has the policy and political acumen to be an incredible chair, Murphy said. Her outreach is making a difference. Wasserman Schultz said in an interview that shes running to bring the appropriations process into the 21st century. She said she wants to ensure that every member understands how the process works and in turn, that everyone has a chance to leave their mark on annual spending bills. Earlier this month, she unveiled a proposal to create an advisory panel focused on equity, justice and diversity in the appropriations process. The plan won praise from House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), which was privately seen as a boon for her candidacy and a potential signal of his support for her bid. This plan presents an opportunity to begin to repair faults that have perpetuated disparities within this country for far too long, Clyburn said in a statement earlier this month. Wasserman Schultzs proposal would draw on a funding plan that Clyburn previously proposed to combat poverty. Many also saw the plans release as strategic, coming on the same day that House appropriators marked up their fiscal 2021 funding bill for the departments of Labor, HHS and Education the measure helmed by DeLauro. In the short time since Ive released it, Ive had a lot of members move in my direction as a result, Wasserman Schultz said. When asked about the more senior standing of her two opponents, the Florida Democrat noted that all three candidates have spent the same amount of leading appropriations subcommittees. Wasserman Schultz chairs the subcommittee that funds military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs. DeLauro sits atop the powerful Labor-HHS-Education panel, which divvies up the largest chunk of federal discretionary spending, aside from the Defense subcommittee. Kaptur chairs the Energy-Water subcommittee, which oversees a smaller slice of funding than the other two panels. Seniority in our rules is a factor, but not the determining factor in the choices that members make, Wasserman Schultz said. DeLauro one of the longest-serving appropriators and a champion of the public health community is known as a leader on a number of issues, including womens health, trade, agriculture and nutrition. In her own interview, DeLauro played up her decades as an appropriator and legislator, in addition to her track record of working across the aisle with senior GOP appropriators like Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and getting legislation signed into law. Fellow Connecticut Democrat Rep. John Larson recently sent a letter to the caucus stumping on her behalf, noting that the whip team for her bid is over 35 members strong. People know what my track record is, DeLauro said. They know who I am. They know what I am about. They know that Im open to ideas. They know that I will listen. They know that I respect their views and that I will provide them with the tools that they need to be able to do their jobs. In announcing her candidacy last year, DeLauro touted her relationships with Lowey and Pelosi, noting the trio used to be called the DeLoSis a band of women who fought for womens health at a time when womens issues were on the fringe of our political discourse. But when asked about the importance of those relationships, DeLauro downplayed the ties, which could still play a key role in determining the next chair. I have long-standing and personal relationships with a lot of people, a lot of members, she said. People take you for who you are, what youve done and how you work individually with them. Kaptur has been less publicly aggressive about her bid for the gavel, though she can boast that shes the most senior appropriator on the committee and the longest-serving woman in Congress. She was previously passed over for the position in 2012, when she lost to Lowey. The Ohio Democrat is also seen as having a more conservative disposition, hailing from the industrial Midwest, thats somewhat out of step with more progressive swaths of the Democratic caucus. But Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a member of the progressive Squad and a senior member of Kapturs whip team, praised her bid in a statement. Since I arrived here as part of the most diverse freshman class in history, Rep. Kaptur has been eager to partner with me and my colleagues on a whole range of issues, especially on water and housing justice, Tlaib said. Like a lot of my colleagues, Im proud to support Rep. Kaptur for chair because of how deeply committed she is to working in partnership to combat poverty in all of our districts. Kaptur said in an interview that she feels an obligation to run, not just because of her decades of experience as an appropriator, but because the Midwest is largely left out of the leadership ranks. I respect seniority. Its the only fair way in a place that has so many other crosscurrents happening, with members either coming from large states with a lot of votes, or wielding money and influence, she said. The region that I represent, the industrial Midwest and the Great Lakes region, has trouble gaining footing here, she said. And whats interesting is that, politically, its the region that Democrats have to fight harder for now. Its still early for members to publicly declare their allegiance in the race. DeLauro, Wasserman Schultz and Kaptur must ultimately seek the support of the Steering and Policy panel that influences leadership selections when the 116th Congress comes to a close next year. In a closed-door vote, that group will choose who to recommend as the spending committees top Democrat. But lawmakers can still request a vote from the full caucus, even if the Steering and Policy panel endorses another member. Its a good problem to have three immensely smart and qualified women competing for that spot, said Matt Dennis, a senior vice president of the lobbying firm CRD Associates and a former spokesman for House Appropriations Committee Democrats. Whats important in that role is the ability to listen to and learn from colleagues, help them get results, and lead on tough issues, and each of them has shown they can do that, he said. I just really remember that moment because during the time, Black women werent really on the cover, said Scheherazade Tillet, who is also an artist. But (because of Oprahs) body image, her skin tone, that was a radical move. I remember when O came out and buying the magazine because I was seeing the iconic Oprah, but also who Oprah is as a Black woman. So to put Breonna Taylor on the cover for the first time, for her to do that shift, speaks volumes not only to the movement, but to the ones who feel like Breonna Taylor is them. Rep. Russ Diamond (seen here at a Capitol demonstration on May 15, 2020) has been one of the loudest opponents of a Wolf administration order requiring most people to wear a mask while in public. Read more Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News and other news organizations across Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG One day after Pennsylvanias top health official denounced transphobic attacks against her, a Republican lawmaker co-opted her call for acceptance to address hateful and intolerant comments directed towards the unmasked community. Rep. Russ Diamond of Lebanon County released a statement Wednesday that mimicked remarks Health Secretary Rachel Levine made in response to recent demonstrations of harassment against her. Diamond has been one of the loudest opponents of Levines order requiring most people, barring a health issue, to wear a mask while in public. Your actions perpetuate a spirit of intolerance and discrimination against unmasked individuals and specifically individuals like myself who are outspoken about it, Diamond wrote on official House letterhead. The sentence, like many in his statement, pulled directly from Levines remarks on discrimination and harassment against the LGBTQ community. As the face of Pennsylvanias coronavirus response, Levine has been repeatedly ridiculed and attacked on social media and, at times, in public for being transgender. Diamond denied he was mocking Levine, though in a text message to Spotlight PA he falsely equated being transgender to a lifestyle choice. When asked if he was comparing discrimination against transgender people to the treatment of people who choose not to wear a mask, Diamond said he just thought it was ironic. The release accurately speaks to those who have attacked, maligned, and threatened me, as well as others, since I first questioned the ridiculous mask policy months ago, Diamond said. Her policy allows for exceptions that apply to a lot of people, yet all we hear is, You must wear a mask. Asked about Diamonds statement, Levine said Thursday it represented another example of harassment against LGBTQ individuals. Never mind using my words as a comment on me, she said during a news briefing in Lancaster. Really, what I worry about is the other LGBTQ individuals in the commonwealth who regularly face intolerance and harassment and sometimes overt violence. Gov. Tom Wolf again defended Levine and called on the House to formally reprimand Diamond over what he called a thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community. To equate any disrespect for those not wearing masks to the decades of disrespect, threats, and violence against our LGBTQ community goes far beyond the hallmarks of a decent society, Wolf said in a statement. For these actions to come from a legislator elected to fairly represent all his constituents is simply unforgivable. April Hutcheson, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, also called on Republican leaders to take aggressive action right now to show Pennsylvania that this is not acceptable behavior from our elected officials. In separate statements, spokespeople for House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre) said discrimination in any form is wrong. Rep. Diamonds letter is his own statement, Mike Straub, a spokesperson for Cutler, said. We will continue to work to rebuild and restore Pennsylvania to the benefit of all of our commonwealths residents. Jason Gottesman, a spokesperson for Benninghoff, said, All members of the House of Representatives both Republican and Democrat are elected individually and have the tools to communicate individually without carrying the endorsement of any one caucus or the whole House. Discrimination in any form is wrong and we continue to encourage all members to communicate professionally and courteously, he continued. Diamond, first elected in 2014, has seen his profile grow since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic among people who oppose Wolfs handling of the public-health crisis and dont want to cooperate with the statewide universal masking order. In March, he sponsored a resolution to terminate Wolfs disaster declaration, which was advanced by Republican leaders and passed by GOP lawmakers and a handful of Democrats. Wolf argued he was within his constitutional rights to approve or veto the resolution, a dispute that ended up in the state Supreme Court. The justices ruled in Wolfs favor. Diamond has also introduced a resolution urging Levine to resign from her position as health secretary, in part, because she removed her mother from a personal care home as coronavirus cases peaked in long-term care facilities. Levine said she did so at her mothers request. The lawmaker has also generally refused to wear face coverings while in the Capitol, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls universal mask wearing one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus. In a July 12 blog post, Diamond called into doubt the use of masks and social distancing, saying the effects of self-isolation are cruel and inhumane. He has also claimed that universal masking is dehumanizing to children, and recently shared a meme that stated, A masked child is an abused child. Hutcheson, the Health Department spokesperson, said every public health expert worldwide agrees that in the absence of a vaccine, wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing your hands are the best tools for preventing COVID-19 from killing thousands of Pennsylvanians. This is about saving lives. It is not about infringing on anyones freedom, it is truly about saving lives, she said. If a simple piece of cloth over your face can do that, then we need it. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. LONDON - Scientists at Imperial College London say they are immunizing hundreds of people with an experimental coronavirus vaccine in an early trial after seeing no worrying safety problems in a small number vaccinated so far. Dr. Robin Shattock, a professor at the college, told The Associated Press that he and colleagues had just finished a very slow and arduous process of testing the vaccine at a low dose in the initial participants and would now expand the trial to about 300 people, including some over age 75. Its well tolerated. There arent any side effects, he said, adding it was still very early in the study. Shattock, who is leading the vaccine research at Imperial, said he hopes to have enough safety data to start inoculating several thousand people in October. Since COVID-19 infections have dropped dramatically in Britain, making it difficult to determine whether or not the vaccine works, Shattock said he and his colleagues are also looking to test their vaccine elsewhere. Were looking very carefully at the pandemic, at the numbers where the hot spots are and talking to collaborators that have the facilities to do these kinds of studies, he said. The Imperial vaccine uses synthetic strands of genetic code based on the virus. Once injected into a muscle, the bodys own cells are instructed to make copies of a spiky protein on the coronavirus. That should in turn trigger an immune response so the body can fight off any future COVID-19 infection. Earlier this week, the worlds biggest coronavirus vaccine study started in the United States, with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers getting immunized with shots created by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc. Several other vaccines made by China and by Britains Oxford University, based on different vaccine technologies, began smaller final-stage tests in Brazil and other hard-hit countries earlier this month. The World Health Organization has said multiple vaccine approaches are necessary for COVID-19, noting that the usual success rate for vaccine development is about 10%. Shattock said there were numerous coronavirus vaccines now in clinical trials, and he predicted that at least some of them would prove to be effective. We have 20 vaccines in clinical trials, (so) we can be pretty confident that at least two of those will work, he said. It really depends on how strong the immune response needs to be to provide protection. Shattock said he was optimistic the Imperial vaccine would work, but must await the scientific data from the trial. Im just going to hold my breath and wait to see, he said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 By Fidan Babayeva Trend: The import of products from Austria to Azerbaijan increased by 6.1 percent and reached $34.05 million from January through June 2020, Trend reports referring to the statistical bulletin of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee. Austrias share in the total import volume of Azerbaijan increased from 0.46 percent to 0.68 percent of the total volume. The export of Azerbaijani products to Austria decreased by 3.7 percent from January through June 2020 compared to the same period of 2019. In accordance with the data, the export of Azerbaijani products to Austria amounted to $54.9 million from January through June 2020, while a year earlier - $257.7 million. Austrias share in the total export volume of Azerbaijan increased from 1.18 percent to 1.34 percent of the total volume. The foreign trade operations between Azerbaijan and Austria amounted to $137.4 million, which is 8.9 percent less than in the same period of last year. The foreign trade balance of the two countries for the reporting period was positive and amounted to $69.3 million. Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $12.7 billion from January through June 2020, which is 34.1 percent less than in the same period of 2019. The balance of foreign trade turnover on an annualized basis decreased by 10 percent and remained negative, amounting to $2.7 billion. (1 USD = 1.7 AZN on July 30) --- Follow the author on Twitter: Fidan_Babaeva Hochtief, a global infrastructure group with major presence in the GCC region, said one of its key subsidiaries Cimic Group has signed an exclusivity agreement with UK-based Elliott Advisors for a 50 per cent equity partnership in its Australian-based mining unit Thiess. Hochtief holds a 77.1% stake in Cimic Group, an Australian multinational contractor active in the engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources and telecommunications sector. Cimic said it is in advanced negotiations with funds advised by Elliott Advisors regarding the potential investment by Elliott into 50% of the share capital of Thiess, the worlds largest mining services provider, which would provide joint control of Thiess to Cimic and Elliott. The introduction of an equity partner into Thiess would capitalise on the robust outlook for the mining sector and provide capital for Thiess continued growth, while enabling CIMIC to maintain its strong balance sheet, it stated. Advanced negotiations will conclude in the coming weeks with the inking of a share purchase agreement that will be subject to the customary conditions including all regulatory approvals, it added.-TradeArabia News Service To the Times: Once again Christine Flowers does not get it, this time about the statue of Christopher Columbus and why it is offensive. The issue is not about disrespecting Italians or Italian Americans. It is not about denying history. It is only about revising history to the extent that history as it has been presented has been wrong and incomplete. The people calling for the statue to be removed are not gullible as she says. Their righteous indignation is not misplaced but comes from knowledge of what really happened when Christopher brought the expansion of [western civilization] beyond the European circle. These Italian wayfarers did not courageously [bring] the culture and rich traditions of the Old World to the New, and permit the blending of those cultures to create a new and unique society. They tried their darndest to eradicate the rich cultures and traditions that existed in the lands they had not known existed. People from Europe did not share their monotheistic faith with the people here to so they may have its benefits. They imposed their religion on the non-Christians they met and used their faith to justify atrocious acts against the people and the natural environment they found here. The people here had their own religions that brought much benefit to them and the land, waters, flora and fauna they lived in harmony with. Flowers says that as an immigration attorney she resists and rejects the demonization of one group by another, based on misrepresentation, but that is exactly what she does in her piece and is what history has done in how it has represented in what Columbus did. She speaks of the Columbus statue as representing a system of order, the extension of legal processes and systems to a world where no order previously existed. How dare she? There were very old, complex, and stable civilizations up and down this continent which had existed for thousands of years. Christine Flowers belittles these indigenous peoples, just as European versions of history have done for so long, and that is what the statue of Columbus represents, even as it honors an Italian man who was a terrific sailor and also a conqueror who wreaked havoc on many, many other people and places. At the start of her piece Flowers says that those who want the statue removed are no match for those who understand order, process, dignity and the power of the law. Oh, these people understand all too well what the order, process and power of the law is. Some are inclined to deface and pull down the statue because they know how the process is likely to go: that those in power will not employ the legal process with dignity, but will use their positions to silence others and get their own way. It should not be that way. I agree that an orderly discussion and decisional process would be best, and maybe people should try to have this happen, but what history has shown us is that often white people will use their power to exploit whomever they can to get what they want. That is what the statue of Columbus represents. As Massachusetts school districts continue to form reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year, educators are pushing to return to the classroom remotely. Massachusetts Teachers Association held a virtual meeting Wednesday night, during which union leaders and members spoke out against a return to in-person learning this September. Educators across Massachusetts miss their students and are eager to resume learning in person as that is how education is supposed to be, the MTA board of directors said in a statement. Our greatest collective obligations, however, are to keep students, educators, families and communities out of harms way and to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19 in our communities and across the state. Therefore, the districts and the state must demonstrate that health and safety conditions and negotiated public health benchmarks are met before buildings reopen. MTA leadership said that until such criteria is met, We will refuse to return to unsafe school buildings and we will use the 10 additional days at the start of the 2020-2021 school year before instruction of students begins to redesign learning. MTA is the largest teachers union in the state, representing 110,000 educators throughout Massachusetts. This push to start the school year remotely comes days after state education officials announced a delayed start to the school year. Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley announced on Monday that Massachusetts school districts can delay the start of the school year by up to two weeks. Districts must start no later than Sept. 16. The decision was made following discussions with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, AFT-Massachusetts and the Boston Teachers Union. The school year will be reduced from 180 days to 170 days to allow school districts the additional 10 days to prepare for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Students must receive a minimum of 850 and 935 hours of structured learning time for elementary and secondary students, respectively. Structured learning time is defined in the regulations as time during which students are engaged in regularly scheduled instruction, learning activities, or learning assessments within the curriculum for study of the core subjects and other subjects. In addition to classroom time where both teachers and students are present, structured learning time may include directed study, independent study, technology-assisted learning, presentations by persons other than teachers, school-to-work programs, and statewide student performance assessments. Massachusetts school districts must create three educational plans: a full return to in-person classroom, a hybrid of in-person and remote learning and fully remote learning. Many districts have said social distancing mandates will force them to offer a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, welcoming students back to the classroom physically on a rotating basis. Massachusetts school districts pivoted to remote learning in mid-March amid a growing number of coronavirus cases, leaving educators scrambling to teach their students. Some offered remote classes over Zoom while other districts relied on take-home work packets for students. In recent weeks, state education officials have outlined reopening protocols for in-person and remote learning. In-person learning Major facility changes will occur in most schools, including but not limited to: reconfiguration of desks in classrooms to allow for social distancing; limiting traffic in hallways; and installation of additional hand-washing hand sanitizing stations. State guidance calls for students to spend as much time as possible with a single group of students, rather than shifting from room-to-room and mixing with other groups of students. Outdoor spaces should also be considered, weather allowing. As feasible, consider the use of outdoor spaces for classes, breaks, meals, and other activities. Some jurisdictions have considered tents, platforms, and other not-permanent structures in spaces adjacent to buildings, such as courtyards, play areas and parking lots. There is no maximum classroom size number in the state guidelines though larger cohorts of students will need to utilize larger classrooms or alternative spaces, such as auditoriums and libraries. For larger spaces, districts are recommended to break up such rooms with temporary walls or dividers into smaller classrooms. Some jurisdictions are considering installing temporary floor-to-ceiling walls to maximize cohorts in larger spaces, according to the state guidance. Be mindful that temporary barriers may not block sound as well as permanent walls. While some states are utilizing plexiglass barriers to help with physical distancing between desks, Massachusetts education officials have recommended against this in classrooms. Classrooms will feature student desks facing forward with at least 3 feet from seat edge to seat edge, the reopening guidance states, though 6 feet is encouraged when possible. All students will have assigned seating in their classrooms. COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people cough, sneeze or talk. Research suggests the droplets only travel up to three feet, Sandra Nelson, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told state education officials last month. All staff and students in second grade and older will be required to wear masks. Students in kindergarten and first grade will be encouraged, but not required to wear masks. Parents or guardians will be expected to supply their children with reusable masks which should be washed daily. Schools will have extra disposable face masks available if needed. Students are recommended to have at least two mask breaks per day for recess and mealtime. During these times, students must be at least 6 feet apart. Consider using tape or other markers to identify where students should be to maintain 6 feet of separation, the guidance states. Handwashing facilities or hand sanitizer must be available upon entering and leaving this space. Provide napkins or paper towels for masks to be set on (inside face up) when removed. Consider adding signage in mask break areas on how to properly put on and take off masks. As mask-wearing is recommended for children younger than second grade, it is important to note that these students may need additional mask breaks during the day. Playgrounds can be used during recess - with limitations. Staff must monitor students, who will be required to wear masks and physically distance on playground equipment. Bus transportation School transportation will significantly differ when students return to in-person learning this fall. All staff and students, regardless of age, will be required to wear masks at all times. Exemptions to the mask mandate will be made for students with medical and/or behavioral reasons. Bus drivers and monitors will be trained on watching for possible symptomatic students. If a student shows symptoms of being sick while getting on the bus, state education officials said they should not be allowed to board and their caregiver should take them home. That protocol assumes a parent or guardian is waiting at the bus stop with the student. Upon boarding the bus, students will go to assigned seats, with students seated no more than one to a bench, alternating sides for each row. Children from the same household will be allowed to sit together but all others will be required to maintain at least three feet of physical distance while seated. The new guidelines will significantly decrease the number of students on each bus. An 83-passenger bus in operation will now be able to seat up to 27 passengers - 33% capacity. A 47-passenger bus is now limited to 15 passengers. A 14-passenger bus may only be used to transport 6 people. With the decreased capacity, Massachusetts school districts will encourage parents and guardians to utilize alternative modes of transportation, from driving children to school daily, carpooling with a specific group of families or children walking to school. Remote learning Remote learning for school-aged children this fall will look significantly different from remote learning offered by Massachusetts school districts this past spring. Following statewide school closures this spring, districts could chose two educational models for the remainder of the school year: resources and supports, which included sending packets and assignments home to students; or instruction and services, which included structured learning time, teletherapy, and video conferencing. For the 2020-2021 school year, schools must offer only the latter learning option, offering remote students a regular and consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies including frequent interactions with teachers and other staff members to ensure participation. The consistent schedule of classes, interventions, services, and therapies must include time students spend interacting directly with teachers and related service providers on a regular basis, as well as some independent work time, as appropriate, and opportunities for interacting with classmates, the guidance states. Synchronous remote lessons or tele-therapy sessions can be provided via telephone or video conferencing. Students might also benefit from asynchronous pre-recorded videos of lessons to follow at home. For students receiving the majority of their daily instruction through special education, teachers and therapists should assign supplemental work (beyond lessons taught synchronously or asynchronously) during the school day that can be accomplished independently with guidance from and accountability to the teacher or therapist. For both in-person and remote learning grades are back, as is state testing. While many schools transitioned away from offering a letter grade this past spring, student performance will be graded across in-person, hybrid and remote learning. State education officials have encouraged districts to prioritize bringing student groups considered high risk of falling behind their classmates back to in-person learning full time, including: Students with disabilities and English learners, particularly those with more intensive needs Students whose parents/caregivers report that they do not have access to reliable internet or a suitable learning space at home (particularly students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity and students in foster care or congregate care) Students who are significantly behind academically Students who were disengaged and/or who struggled significantly during previous remote learning periods Early learners (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade) Ultimately, families will decide whether their children will attend in-person classes or continue remote learning. All schools must offer comprehensive curriculums for remote learning, including meeting the specialized needs of children with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners. Parents with children who have pre-existing medical conditions are encouraged to speak with their pediatricians to discuss their individual medical needs. In weeks leading to the start of the school year, thousands of parents across the state have told their district leaders they intend to enroll their children in fully remote learning. Springfield Public Schools, the third-largest school district in Massachusetts behind Boston and Worcester, conducted a survey this summer and found about 30% of parents wanted to enroll their children in the fully remote learning option. District officials plan to check in with parents again in weeks ahead of the school year starting to confirm enrollment preferences. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs shows the majority of Americans believe such safety measures are necessary for schools to reopen. Of those surveyed, less than 8% believe K-12 schools should reopen for normal in-person instruction. About 14% sought to have schools reopen with minor changes while 46% believe major adjustments are necessary for the safety of students and staff. An additional 31% said they dont believe schools should reopen this fall, but should instead continuing remote learning. Shift to remote learning mid-year Districts across the state will likely shift to fully remote learning, either for short or extended periods this fall if members of the school community test positive or the number of cases locally spike. Education officials emphasize that families are the most important first line of defense for monitoring symptoms. Students are expected to stay home if they exhibit symptoms of COVID-19. If a student or school staff member exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, they must get tested with the result returning negative prior to returning to school. If their test returns negative, they must stay home until they are asymptomatic for 24 hours. If their test returns positive, they must remain at home. Notify the school of the results, the local board of health and people with whom the staffer has been in close contact with recently. If the child was at home when their parent or guardian learned of the possible exposure, they should be kept at home and be tested four to five days after their most recent exposure to the person. The school will determine when the last time the student or staffer was on school grounds two days prior to the onset of symptoms - or testing if they were asymptomatic. The school must close off areas visited by the positive student or staffer so they can be cleaned and disinfected prior to reopening. If the student or staffer traveled on the school bus, it must be disinfected as well. For elementary school: Communication will be sent to other families in the students class to notify them of a positive test without naming the person. Those who may have gotten within six feet of the student are staffer will be urged to get self-quarantine and get tested four to five days after their last exposure to the person. If they choose not to get tested, they must remain home for 14 days. For middle and high school students: As students in upper grades shift between classrooms more, the school will contact staffers and families of students in classes throughout the students scheduled day. Students who were within six feet of the individual in class or on the school bus will be urged to get self-quarantine and get tested four to five days after their last exposure to the person. If they choose not to get tested, they must remain home for 14 days. If there is more than one confirmed COVID-19 case (students or staff) in the school at one time, or if there is a series of single cases in a short time span, school leaders and the superintendent should work with the local board of health to determine if it is likely that there is transmission happening in school, state guidance says. When there is in-school transmission beyond a single classroom or cohort, school officials may close part of the school or the entire school for several days for an extensive cleaning - likely one to three days - or close the school fully or partially for two weeks to allow for a school-wide quarantine period. If multiple cases are present in multiple schools, district officials must consult with the local board of health in determining if there will be a district-wide closure for several days or weeks. If a school decides to close, it will immediately transition to remote learning. The symptoms of COVID-19 include: Fever (100.4 Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough) Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath New loss of taste or smell Sore throat Headache when in combination with other symptoms Muscle aches or body aches Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms A list of test sites is available here, and Massachusetts also has an interactive testing map. Additionally, every school should maintain a list of available testing sites. Related Content YEREVAN, 30 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 30 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.74 drams to 485.16 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.02 drams to 570.26 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.09 drams to 6.60 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.27 drams to 630.76 drams. The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals. Gold price up by 202.15 drams to 30430.63 drams. Silver price up by 12.88 drams to 379.58 drams. Platinum price down by 24.36 drams to 14662.36 drams. VIOLA, Wis., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GoMacro, known for its organic, plant-based nutrition bars, announced today that all residences, businesses, and schools in Viola, Wisconsin, will be powered by 100% renewable wind energy thanks to a new partnership with the Village. GoMacro worked with the Viola Municipal Electric Utility, the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group, and renewable energy advisors to design and ratify a program to replace all traditional energy sources in their community with wind power. In the first known arrangement of its kind in the country, GoMacro will cover the additional costs of purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) for the entire municipality, effectively subsidizing all Viola residents' use of renewable energy, so that residents won't see any difference on their energy bills. The initiative went into effect beginning with the August 2020 billing cycle. Founded and headquartered in Viola, GoMacro has been utilizing 100% renewable energy to power its production facility since December 2018. The company's journey to green manufacturing began in summer 2017 with the installation of 844 solar panels on the roof of its production facility. The majority of the solar power generated is used by GoMacro and the excess is sold to the Village of Viola at a wholesale price. To supplement the panels on cloudy days and at night, GoMacro purchases renewable energy credits (RECs) from the Rugby Wind Farm in North Dakota. A "REC" is an energy commodity that attributes value to the green energy attributes of a source of renewable electric generation, such as wind or solar power. "With the infrastructure in place for our needs, we saw an opportunity to reach beyond the walls of our facility and make wind power available to everyone in the community that we're proud to call home," said Jola Sonkin, co-founder and CEO of GoMacro. The Village of Viola now purchases wind RECs from a group of midwestern municipal utilities referred to as the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group (UMMEG). UMMEG obtains these RECs used in Viola from wind turbines located in Rugby, North Dakota, as well as a small percentage from nearby Cashton Greens Wind Farm. The purchase of these RECs helps to displace the use of non-renewable power sources and supports the demand for renewable energy in the region. "We're very grateful for the collaborative effort of everyone involved, and for the opportunity to share the benefits of 100% renewable energy with our neighbors," said Sonkin. "This project is really a testament to the power of companies, communities, and public services coming together to create a more sustainable future for everyone involved. Though it was the first of its kind in our state, we hope this project will encourage other companies to think creatively and use their resources in a way that creates large-scale change both inside and outside their doors." About GoMacro Mother-daughter owned and based in a small rural community, GoMacro's mission is to spread awareness for a balanced, plant-based lifestyle with products that have positive effects on the world and inspire others to have a healthy body, sharp mind and bold spirit. Since 2004, we've remained dedicated to responsible sourcing, sustainable practices, and high-quality ingredients. All GoMacro MacroBars are Certified Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Kosher, Non-GMO, C.L.E.A.N., R.A.W., and Soy-Free. Learn more at gomacro.com. Media Contact: Emaleigh Dudley, 585-245-1634, [email protected] Related Links Our Mission Sustainability SOURCE GoMacro It's too easy to miss brilliant streaming shows, movies and documentaries. Here are the ones to hit play on or skip, including a perfectly-formed series on a new streaming platform, and the TV adaptation of a popular book series. Inspired Architecture Shelter, from Friday Shelter, the new streaming service for architecture enthusiasts, is all about elegance, efficiency and utility of design. It's an ethos strikingly reflected not just in the buildings profiled in Shelter's first original Australian production, but in the production itself. The ingeniously designed cottage in Mudgee, featured in Inspired Architecture. Each instalment of Inspired Architecture is small but perfectly formed, a bit like a tiny Grand Designs after the fact. The episodes run only about 15 minutes each, but that seems the perfect length of time for director Jim Lounsbury (The Meaning of Vanlife, The Infinite Lens) to spend profiling each of these six isolated but inspiring and distinctly Australian structures. There's an almost magical quality to the way the series opens with an aerial shot moving across the hilly sheep country outside Mudgee, NSW. At first, it looks as though there's no house there at all, but then one little patch of brown begins to stand out against the weathered terrain. It looks something like a corrugated copper box, but it turns out to be an ingeniously designed and exceedingly functional little cottage. Mexico City: Authorities have exhumed 32 bodies and nine heads from several clandestine graves this week in a southern Mexican state plagued by kidnappings and murders, said officials. The remains were unearthed between Tuesday and Thursday in 17 pits on a hill in the village of Pochahuixco, part of the municipality of Zitlala, a region beset by turf wars between drug cartels. The discoveries are terrible, Guerrero state security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said, adding that the victims include 31 men and one woman. The remains were taken to the state capital, Chilpancingo, to be identified, Alvarez said in a statement yesterday. No arrests have been made in the case. The bodies were found in 17 of 20 pits that were dug up by investigators. Seven were found on Tuesday, five on Wednesday and the rest on Thursday in various states of decomposition. No other remains were found but soldiers are scouring the region for any other hidden graves. No arrests were made. Drug cartels have been burying their victims in hidden graves across the country for years, and authorities regularly find human remains. At the border between the western states of Jalisco and Michoacan, for instance, 75 bodies were unearthed from 37 clandestine graves between late 2013 and early 2014. Guerrero has been plagued by a series of mass kidnappings, including 12 people abducted in the municipality of Ajuchitlan del Progreso last week. The clandestine graves were found after authorities received an anonymous tip about a camp where people were being held, Alvarez told AFP. When they arrived at the site on a hill, they found a kidnap victim as well as two cars, a motorcycle and bulletproof vests. Soldiers and police also found four heads inside a cooler that could be linked to nine bodies that were found on a roadside in the town of Tixtla a few days ago, he said. The Ardillos and Los Rojos drug gangs are fighting over territory in the Zitlala region, the security spokesman said. There are a lot of murders, a lot of abductions, he said. Guerrero is one of the countrys most violent states and a major opium poppy grower. Last weekend at least 24 people were killed in the state. Los Rojos have also been battling the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel. In the Pacific resort of Acapulco, the Beltran Leyva gang and the Independent Cartel of Acapulco battle for supremacy. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Trump, speaking in front of stacked oil barrels, also played down the difficulties of the U.S. oil and gas industry, which is still struggling with the pandemic economic downturn and global oversupply that briefly drove oil prices into negative territory this spring. Prices have rebounded to around $40 a barrel, still below what some producers here need to break even. An ancient statue of Lord Shiva that was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and was later smuggled to UK, in they year 1988 is set to return to India. The statue is reportedly 4-feet tall. This statue was stolen from Gateshwar temple in Baroli, Rajasthan. An ancient and priceless statue of Lord Shiva, stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, is set to be returned to its rightful place in India. The 4-foot tall statue created in the late 9th Century Prathihara style of Rajasthan is said to have been stolen from the Gateshwar temple in Baroli, Rajasthan in 1998. It later emerged that the statue had been brought to the United Kingdom where it was discovered amongst the collection of a wealthy private collector. Following the combined efforts of the British authorities and Indian officials, the statue was voluntarily handed over by the collector to the Indian High Commission in London in 2005. Since then, the statue of Shiva striking a chatura pose with Jatamakuta and Trinetra has taken pride of place at the historic and grand India House in the heart of London. In 2017, officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) were invited to inspect the statue, confirming that it was indeed the statue stolen from the temple in Baroli. The statue is now all set to be returned to its original home in Rajasthan. Also read: Qatar Investment Authority likely to invest $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio Also read: West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra dies at 78 Its the latest in a string of priceless artefacts and antiquities taken from India and which have been tracked and traced in operations carried out by the Indian government and its counterparts in the UK, USA, Australia, France and Germany. Among the prominent examples include the famous Brahma-Brahmani sculpture which was stolen from the World heritage site Rani-Ki Vav and returned to the ASI in 2017. The following year a 12th Century Bronze statue of Bhagawan Buddha was restituted to the High Commissioner by the London Metropolitan Police. This was handed over to the Minister of State for Culture by the Finance Minister in 2019. On August 15, 2019, another two antiques a 17th Century Bronze idol of Navanitha Krishna and a 2nd-century limestone Carved Pillar motif was returned to the High Commissioner by the Embassy of the United States. Also read: Agri-loans hiked by 11.9 % in Andhra Pradesh For all the latest World News, download NewsX App Nicki Minaj bared her baby bump in her underwear as she sat in bed for a new Instagram video she posted Thursday. The 37-year-old, who is expecting her first child by her husband Kenneth Petty, was mouthing joyfully along to her new single Move Ya Hips. Move Ya Hips is a collaboration between Nicki, ASAP Ferg and MadeinTYO; it was released online that same day. Mother to be: Nicki Minaj bared her baby bump in underwear as she sat in bed for a new Instagram video she posted Thursday In her new Instagram video Nicki accessorized her look with a glittering watch as well as a jeweled medallion that read 'QUEEN'. Nicki's fourth studio album, which she released in 2018, was entitled Queen and her Beats 1 broadcast show is entitled Queen Radio. For her video plugging Move Ya Hips, Nicki also wore a pair of pink-rimmed shades that complemented her blonde and bubblegum wig. At one point she also lifted her Versace blanket and draped it over herself, pulling her best smoldering supermodel stare. Family way: The 37-year-old, who is expecting by her husband Kenneth Petty, was mouthing joyfully along to her new single Move Ya Hips Making it happen: Move Ya Hips is a collaboration between Nicki, ASAP Ferg and MadeinTYO and was released online that same day As Thursday wore on she posted a throwback picture of herself on holiday a few months ago to Trinidad And Tobago, where she was born. 'While I was in Trinidad earlier this year, I had the worst morning sickness of all time. Didnt know morning sickness could last all day either,' she wrote. Nicki, who could be seen posing by the pool in her snap, added: 'But nevertheless, this is one of the pics I took b4 you could see my lil baby bump.' Last year, 10 days before Halloween, Nicki announced on Instagram that she was married to Kenneth, who goes by the nickname 'Zoo.' Branding: In her new Instagram video Nicki accessorized her look with a glittering watch as well as a jeweled medallion that read 'QUEEN' Connections: Nicki's fourth studio album, which she released in 2018, was entitled Queen and her Beats 1 broadcast show is entitled Queen Radio Last year during their whirlwind romance Nicki included him in the lyrics to her single Megatron: 'I f***him like I miss him. He just came out of prison.' Kenneth spent seven years behind bars for first degree manslaughter, which he pleaded guilty to after being charged with second degree murder, TMZ reported. Citing insiders in law enforcement, the website claimed that Kenneth shot one Lamont Robinson three times on a street corner in Queens in April 2002. Kenneth and some associates allegedly drove to a point across the street from Lamont, whereupon Kenneth emerged from the vehicle and walked over to his victim before firing into his stomach. Looking fab: For her video plugging Move Ya Hips, Nicki also wore a pair of pink-rimmed shades that complemented her blonde and bubblegum wig Using what she's got: At one point she also lifted her Versace blanket and draped it over herself, pulling her best smoldering supermodel stare Lamont identified a photograph of his killer to police before dying in the hospital shortly after being shot, per court documents. An investigator dismissed the reason for the shooting as 'bulls***' to TMZ, whose sources theorized that the violence was gang-related. Kenneth, 41, earned his sex offender status after being convicted in 1995 of the first degree attempted rape of a 16-year-old girl. He made use of a 'knife/cutting instrument' during the crime, according to public records from the New York Division Of Criminal Justice Services. There is less than 100 days left before the US presidential election on November 3 - JIM WATSON,DOMINICK REUTER/AFP via Getty Images US voters in six key battleground states believe the coronavirus crisis is out of control in America and plan to back Joe Biden over Donald Trump at the election, according to exclusive polling for The Daily Telegraph. A clear majority of respondents in Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin want Mr Trump, the US president, to change course on his handling of the pandemic. At least a quarter of voters those states feel unsafe just leaving their house or going shopping because of the virus, according to the polling, underscoring the real fear felt by many in the country. Those concerns have helped push Mr Biden into a poll lead in all six states - a result which if replicated on election day would almost certainly give him a big victory. The findings come in polling being done for this newspaper by Redfield & Wilton Strategies every month to track the mood of voters in some of the most critical swing states. Biden ahead where it matters The six states selected were the ones which Mr Trump won by the narrowest margins in the 2016 election. If he loses just a handful of them it is likely he will be a one-term president. The latest round of polling was conducted between July 19 and July 24. Between 700 and 1,100 people were asked for their views through online surveys. The results offer a snapshot of voters thinking and paint a bleak portrait for Mr Trumps hopes of beating Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, come November 3. Mr Biden was ahead by one percentage point in North Carolina, seven points in Florida and Pennsylvania, eight points in Arizona, 10 points in Wisconsin. and 12 points in Michigan. Such leads, aside from North Carolina, were well beyond the margin of error. Given US presidents normally win re-election in the modern era the sizable gaps will be a cause for concern for the Trump campaign. Of course like all polls the findings should be taken with a pinch of salt - there remains three months to go in the campaign and Hillary Clinton had a poll lead throughout the 2016 race before her defeat. Story continues Voters fear pandemic will get worse Digging into the stats there are indications of deep concern about the state of the coronavirus crisis, which has claimed 150,000 lives in America, as well as Mr Trumps handling of it. Asked if Mr Trump should change his current approach to coronavirus, between 55 and 61 power cent of voters said yes in each of the six states. The finding may help explain why in recent weeks the president has abruptly started to wear a mask and urged others to do likewise as he adopts a more somber tone about the virus. Voters in the swing states also have concerns about what comes next in the pandemic. A clear majority in all six states thought the worst is yet to come when it comes to the outbreak in America. Asked if they thought the coronavirus situation was coming under control in the US, another clear majority of respondents disagreed - despite Mr Trumps at times upbeat assessment of the situation. Other answers suggested similar. More than half of respondents in all six states said they always wear a mask when leaving home. Up to three quarters said they did so in shops. There was more of a mixed response about school reopenings, with narrowly more parents saying they would send their children back to class in person than saying they would not. Taken together, the responses suggest that most voters in swing states remain worried about the state of the pandemic in America and disillusioned with Mr Trumps approach. Chinks in Biden's armour However it is not all good news for Mr Biden. Attack lines pushed by the Trump campaign appear to have a receptive audience in some cases and the president enjoys a lead on some critical issues. The economy remains the strongest suit for Mr Trump, a property mogul and former Apprentice host whose reputation for decades was built around his business savviness. Asked explicitly if Mr Trump or Mr Biden is more likely to lead a strong economic recovery, respondents in five of the six states said Mr Trump, albeit by single digits. Voters faced with 15 different characteristics linked to being president also often agreed Mr Trump can get the economy moving again, more than almost any other characteristic. Mr Biden, the former US vice president, scored highly on can work with foreign leaders and understands the problems afflicting Americans. The responses suggest that even though the economy has collapsed as the US went into lockdown due to coronavirus many voters believe Mr Trump is well placed to rebuild it. Two other points Mr Trump emphasises also appear to be reflected in the polling. The first is enthusiasm - a critical factor for actually getting voters out to the polls on election day. Out of those respondents who said they would vote for Mr Trump between 54 to 67 per cent said they were very enthusiastic to do so. The figure for Mr Biden was in the 40s. Most Biden backers also said they would vote for him primarily because they opposed Mr Trump rather than supported his candidacy. It was the reverse for Trump backers. Secondly, the Trump campaign has relentlessly been raising questions about Mr Bidens mental acuity, pushing out video clips of the 77-year-old tripping over his words. Asked to pick who is in good physical and mental health more voters in five of the six states went for Mr Trump over Mr Biden - a result that suggests the attacks could prove effective. As for Kanye West, the rapper who unexpectedly announced this month that he will stand for the presidency, a clear majority of those polled thought he was not serious about running. Just five months after submitting their application, Kansas City Southerns presidential permit for a second international railroad bridge in Laredo was approved Wednesday. President Donald Trump signed the permit during his visit to Midland, lauding it as a measure to export Texas crude to Mexico. This new rail bridge will be constructed adjacent and just to the south of the current rail bridge west of downtown Laredo, according to Warren K. Erdman, executive vice president of administration and corporate affairs at KCS. On a given day the bridge will serve crossings of anywhere to 23 to 30 trains per day. It is reaching its capacity, he said. This second bridge will allow for operation in both directions simultaneously, moving trains out of Laredo faster, Erdman said. KCS is currently conducting design and engineering studies on the structure, and wont know the final cost of the project until theyre completed in eight to 12 months time. They will concurrently be working to obtain the required construction permits, Erdman said. The company is hoping the new bridge will be completed in two to three years. The construction of this second rail bridge is considered the first of two phases to help alleviate traffic in downtown and west Laredo. In the future, KCS is planning to construct a flyover railroad through the city. Rep. Henry Cuellar noted he added language to the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements bill to address blocked rail crossings such as those in Laredo. Mayor Pete Saenz said that Laredoans will be extremely appreciative when they dont have to wait as long at train crossings. KCS applied for this permit March 3 and was approved less than five months later an extremely fast timeline for a presidential permit award. Erdman said KCS was not aware that Trump would be signing the permit during his visit to Midland until a few days before, but that they were extremely grateful. Rep. Henry Cuellar said it was one of the fastest presidential permit approvals hes ever seen. A total of 470 new .ie domains were registered in Kilkenny in the first half of 2020 (H1: 1 January30 June), a 6% year-on-year increase, according to new figures released today by IE Domain Registry in its latest .ie Domain Profile Report. There were 20,577 new .ie domain registrations in Leinster (up 25% year-on-year) and 33,286 across the island of Ireland, a 26% year-on-year increase. Over 40% of all new registrations in Ireland occurred in the two months of May and June, as businesses reacted to the consequences of the Government's first closure orders. IE Domain Registry, which manages and administers Ireland's country domain name, .ie, said the increase suggests that more companies, self-employed business owners, and independent professionals have gone online since the lockdown to maintain their revenue streams, stay in contact with customers, and expand into new markets. Commenting, David Curtin, Chief Executive of IE Domain Registry, said: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a noticeable effect on new .ie registrations in Kilkenny and the island of Ireland. This significant digital expansion suggests that all business owners and entrepreneurs, whether theyre in urban or rural areas, understand that having a trusted, uniquely Irish online presence is absolutely crucial in a time of lockdown, when nearly all physical premises are shut and footfall is extremely low or non-existent. Having an online presence means that these businesses can stay in contact with their customers, build on their relationships, and, most important of all, continue to sell to them through an online store, click-and-collect service, or voucher booking system. Irish SMEs ability to cater to consumer choice and comfort, by providing both an online experience and an in-store shopping experience, will be key to Kilkenny and the country's economic recovery in 2020 and beyond. Other key .ie stats .ie domains now account for 50.7% of all hosted domains in Ireland, followed by 32.6% for .com, the main competitor. 59% of all new .ie registrations in H1 2020 were by companies or the self-employed. New .ie registrations by individuals increased by more than 35% YoY in H1 2020. Great Britain accounts for the majority of internationally registered .ie domains. New registrations in H1 2020 increased by 13% year-on-year (from 635 to 718). New .ie domain registrations that include a fada increased by 13% (39 in H1 2019 vs 44 in H1 2020). 41% of .ie websites now have a security certificate. In line with increased public awareness of climate action, green-related keywords in .ie web addresses (such as clean, solar, and sustainable) increased by 33% year-on-year in H1 2020. Only 51% of the 220 TDs and Senators in the Oireachtas have a uniquely Irish .ie website. Among the new Government parties, 52% of Fianna Fail representatives have a .ie website, 57% of Fine Gael, and 56% of the Greens. The increase in new .ie domain registrations has been helped by IE Domain Registrys liberalisation policy, which was implemented in 2018, making it easier and faster to get a .ie, said David Curtin. While applicants still must prove their connection to Ireland, which is then manually verified by IE Domain Registry, they no longer need to prove their claim to a particular .ie domain. Business owners and people in Ireland have clearly indicated that their online identity of choice is a .ie website address and a .ie email extension. Mr Dan Kwaku Owusu Amponsah, Dormaa Municipal Disease Control Officer, on Thursday said all 40 persons infected with COVID-19 in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region have been treated and discharged. He stated that out of the 40 cases, seven(7) were symptomatic and moderately ill and three out of the seven received treatment at home whilst three were isolated at an undisclosed health facility in town and one at the Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital. Mr Owusu Amponsah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to response to an enquiry on the management and containment of the disease in the Municipality to check infections and spread. The Disease Control Officer disclosed that 33 out of the 40 cases that were asymptomatic and moderately ill were treated at home and other undisclosed medical facility within the Municipality. He indicated that half of the persons who were infected with the virus fell within the youth bracket and the others were elderly people. Mr Owusu Amponsah called on Ghanaians to strictly observe social distancing and the hygiene protocols to check the spread and manifestation of coronavirus in the area. 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 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio House of Representatives has voted unanimously to remove Larry Householder as Ohio House speaker a little more than one week following his arrest on federal corruption allegations. Members approved the measure swiftly without debate in a Thursday morning session. The vote was 90-0, with 9 members, including Householder, absent. Additional yes votes could trickle in as Thursday continues some of the absent members were nearby but missed the vote since it happened so quickly. The move doesnt remove Householder from office entirely it just removes him from his job as Speaker, a powerful position that schedules House votes and decides what will be voted on. Householder remains in office, and is up for re-election in November. Householder, a political aide and three lobbyists, including former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, were arrested last Tuesday in what federal authorities described as a $60 million bribery scheme. They were formally indicted on Thursday, minutes before the vote. The FBI says FirstEnergy funneled the money to Householder and his allies, including a network of shadowy political groups, to help elect Householder as speaker, in exchange for a nuclear bailout bill worth more than $1 billion that Householder pushed through the legislature. With Householder removed as speaker, House Republicans are working behind the scenes to pick a new one, with state reps. Jim Butler, of suburban Dayton, and Bob Cupp, of Lima, emerging as the lead candidates. Cupp is a former Ohio Supreme Court justice, while Butler served under Householder as the number-two ranking House Republican. House Republicans said the plan is to hold a private vote for Butler or Cupp behind closed doors, and then vote unanimously for the winning candidate in a later, public vote to make it official. They were scheduled to meet privately immediately following the session, but the caucus was delayed until 1:30 p.m. so additional representatives could make it to Columbus. State Rep. Jon Cross, a Kenton Republican who was a close Householder ally, said following the vote he thinks Republicans will be able to unite behind either candidate. Im hoping we can make a very unified decision, get together and vote and get this done, he said. State Rep. Jack Cera, a Belmont County Democrat and longtime state legislator, said hes saddened by Thursdays vote. He said the Householder episode illustrates the need for campaign-finance reform. The public going back years and years has thought that all politicians are crooks. And stuff like this paints us all with the same brush. And weve got to do something about the money in the political system if we want to change that, he said. Kyiv will initiate the extradition of fighters detained in Belarus. "The SBU [the Security Service of Ukraine] will initiate the issue of extradition of the fighters detained in Belarus," the SBU press center told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday. As it became known, the Prosecutor General's Office is directly involved in extradition issues. "The SBU comes up with an appropriate initiative to apply for the extradition of these persons through the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine as provided for by legal procedures," the press center said on Thursday. The SBU claims that they have collected enough evidence about the war crimes of PMC Wagner in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "All these persons, like anyone who participated in the seizure of Ukrainian territories and other war crimes, must be brought to justice and punished under Ukrainian law," the SBU stressed. Recently, the state Belarusian news agency BelTA said that law enforcement officials of Belarus detained 32 "militants of foreign private military company Wagner" near Minsk, and another person was detained in the south of the country. On Wednesday evening this information was confirmed by KGB Chairman Valery Vakulchik at an urgent meeting of the Security Council of Belarus. On Thursday morning, State Secretary of the Belarusian Security Council Andrei Ravkov said that the Russians from the Wagner PMC detained near Minsk were testifying. PHOENIX and OMAHA, Neb., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, and Securities America today announced the successful recruitment of Heritage Harbor Financial Associates, an independent financial advisory business headquartered in Port Jefferson Station, N.Y., with three offices across Long Island that oversee $150 million in total client assets. Heritage Harbor, which is affiliating with Securities America for advisory and brokerage solutions, encompasses seven financial professionals who provide financial planning, asset management, wealth management and insurance solutions for high-net worth individuals and families across the country. Securities America is a subsidiary of Advisor Group, which also includes FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, Royal Alliance Associates, SagePoint Financial, Securities Service Network, Triad Advisors and Woodbury Financial Services. Jim Nagengast, CEO and President at Securities America, said, "We are delighted to welcome Heritage Harbor Financial Associates to the Securities America and Advisor Group communities. Heritage Harbor's financial professionals are ambitious, growth-minded and collaborative, and as such, they are a terrific cultural fit with our firm. With Securities America's advisory platforms, technology, services and support, along with the scale and resources of Advisor Group, we will help Heritage Harbor enhance its capabilities and reach new levels of success." Founded by Managing Partners Scott Zambelli and Michael Butensky in 2010, Heritage Harbor began as a provider of insurance products and has expanded into financial planning, asset management and wealth management services. With Securities America, Zambelli and Butensky, along with financial professionals Fred Azzurro, Amanda Gonzalez, John Thomson, John Dinkelmeyer and Denise Chiarella, office manager Stacey Roser and staff, plan to continue growing their full suite of capabilities and explore acquisition-based expansion opportunities. "Securities America is known across the wealth management industry for its can-do, collaborative approach to helping financial professionals like us reach their business goals," Zambelli and Butensky said in a joint statement. "We are focused on growth and serving our clients to the best of our abilities, and with the investment strategies, technology stack and practice management support provided by Securities America and Advisor Group, we will have the tools we need to expand our offerings to our clients and grow our business." Jamie Price, CEO and President of Advisor Group, said, "On behalf of our network of wealth management firms, we congratulate Securities America on the successful recruitment of Heritage Harbor Financial Associates to its platform. Our job every day is to provide the technology, services and other resources that financial professionals need to raise their businesses to their full potential. We do this because providing industry-leading infrastructure and support to financial professionals promotes our mutual success. As always, our mission is to be in the corner of our financial professionals." About Securities America Securities America is part of Advisor Group, the nation's largest networks of independent wealth management firms. Headquartered in Omaha and founded in 1984, Securities America supports approximately 2,600 independent financial professionals with innovative technology and wealth management platforms, practice management and business growth tools and a personalized service culture. The firm's flexible, multi-custodial approach supports a range of business models including Super OSJs, independent RIAs, RIA-only advisors, hybrid advisors and financial institutions. For more information visit https://www.securitiesamerica.com/. Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., member FINRA / SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. and Arbor Point Advisors, LLC. About Advisor Group Advisor Group, Inc. is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 11,300 financial professionals and overseeing over $450 billion in client assets. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Advisor Group, Inc. subsidiaries, FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities services are offered through Investacorp, Inc., Securities America, Inc., and Securities Service Network, broker-dealers and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, Investacorp Advisory Services, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisor, Inc., SSN Advisory, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisor Group, Inc. is a holding company. Advisor Group, Inc. is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Advisor Group, Inc. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379 Media Inquiries Joseph Kuo / Chris Clemens Haven Tower Group 424 317 4851 or 424 317 4854 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Advisor Group, Inc.; Securities America Related Links https://www.advisorgroup.com Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the global fog computing market is anticipated to reach USD 934 million by 2026. Fog computing helps in enhancing the efficiency as well as data computing competencies for cloud computing. The major use of fog computing is to enhance efficiency however, the use of fog computing can also be done for security and compliance reasons. Fog computing is used in several applications including, smart city, smart buildings, smart grid, vehicle networks and software- defined networks. Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/fog-computing-market On the basis of components, the market is segmented into hardware and software. The software market is growing at a highest CAGR and has accounted for the largest share attributed to low cost, increasing functionality, as well as advancements in features & designs. Furthermore, the constantly decreasing costs of sensors, storage devices, and semiconductor devices is one of the factor which is fueling the market growth of hardware in fog computing. Another factor responsible for the market growth of fog computing is the developments in network technology resulting in reduction of OPEX across business organizations. Currently, the market for fog computing is dominated by North America with countries including, US and Canada taking initiatives to promote the adoption of IoT in the region. Also, Europe is the second largest market after North America, which is also experiencing growth in the adopting of fog computing and IoT. However, APAC is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period attributed to the increasing awareness of fog computing in these regions. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/fog-computing-market/request-for-sample Major companies profiled in the report include Cradlepoint, Inc., PrismTech, FogHorn Systems, Cisco Systems, Inc., Crosser Technologies, Nebbiolo Technologies, Microsoft Corporation, Intel Corporation, Fujitsu, Arm Holding Plc., and ADLINK Technology Inc. Key Findings from the study suggest North America is expected to command the market over the forecast years. APAC is presumed to be the fastest growing market, with highest CAGRover the forecast period. The fog computing market is presumed to develop at a CAGR of over 62.6% from 2018 to 2026. The fog computing technology is used in applications such as building & automation, smart energy, transportation & logistics, smart manufacturing, connected health, and others. Among the application segment, smart manufacturing is expected to hold the largest share. This is due to the several number of sensors required for varied functions in manufacturing facilities, that generates enormous amount data. Fog computing helps manufacturing companies to reduce operating cost by making use of real-time data to take efficient decisions. Check for discount: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/fog-computing-market/request-for-discount-pricing Fog Computing Market Size And Forecast By Hardware Routers/Gateways Switches Controllers Sensors Others Fog Computing Market Size And Forecast By Software Fog Computing Platforms Custom Application Software Fog Computing Market Size And Forecast By Service Professional Service Training Service Fog Computing Market Size And Forecast By Application Smart Homes/Smart Cities Smart Energy Smart Manufacturing Connected Healthcare Smart Transport Others Fog Computing Market Size And Forecast By Regions North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific China Japan Latin America Brazil Mexico Middle East & Africa Make Inquiry about this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/fog-computing-market/inquire-before-buying 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. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The Jesuit review Civilta Cattolica said that the problem of abuse of power by senior nuns 'has not so far had sufficient attention' Some senior nuns are abusing their power, including by denying sisters healthcare and warm clothes, a report in a Catholic journal said on Friday. The Jesuit review Civilta Cattolica said that the problem of abuse of power by senior nuns "has not so far had sufficient attention". The abuse "mostly does not take the form of sexual violence and does not concern minors," the journal noted. Some mother superiors cling to power for decades or bring members of their own family to live in the convent to be "hosted and cared for for free". These relatives can end up being buried with members of the convent. One mother superior "took her mother into the sisters' community until her death, allowing her to share the community space for about 20 years." "Every summer she left the community to take her mother on holiday," the article said. Being a superior, in some cases, "seems to guarantee other exclusive privileges, such as taking advantage of the best medical care, while a simple nun cannot even go to an optician or dentist, because 'one has to save money'", it said. Some nuns have requests for warm clothes turned down because the convent says it doesn't have money. "The superior's closet is full of clothes bought with community money without consulting anyone, while others barely have a change of clothes," the report said. "Unfortunately, for some sisters this is the daily reality: a reality that for the most part they can't make known, because they don't know where to turn, or for fear of retaliation." Complicity between the mother superior and the convent bursar "ends up allowing complete control of assets". The message that is given is that "governing is synonymous with privilege, to the detriment of the weakest", while the convent "is more like a prison than a community". In January, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz revealed that former nuns "abandoned" by the Catholic Church, including some who became prostitutes to survive, had been sheltered at a Vatican residence set up by Pope Francis. In some cases, mother superiors had withheld documents from nuns who wanted to leave the convent, and in others nuns were just told to leavet, the Brazilian cardinal said. Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has often focused on helpless members of society, whether migrants fleeing persecution and famine, or the homeless, prisoners and prostitutes. Search Keywords: Short link: Cape May County health officials reported four new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, including one case of an out-of-county resident. There are no new deaths. To date, there are 975 positive cases and 81 deaths in the county. The Cape May County COVID Recovery Task Force announced Thursday that the Safely Together public health campaign will enter its second phase. In the second phase, businesses are asked to commit to staying open by Making the Pledge to follow best practices and health and safety protocol to limit the spread of COVID-19. Individuals also are asked to follow health protocols and frequent local businesses that have Made the Pledge. Weve been encouraged by widespread participation in the Safely Together campaign so far, and in the corresponding health metrics showing that, despite the influx of summer visitors swelling the countys population, the spread of COVID-19 has remained reasonably slow and controlled, said Will Morey, county freeholder co-chair of the Task Force. The addition of the pledge is designed to extend outreach and get folks firmly in the mindset of following health protocols, which will help our community stay healthy and our businesses stay open for the remainder of the summer season." Those wishing to participate can visit www.SafelyTogetherCMC.com to fill out a form. They are then provided with content to post on social media letting others know they will follow CDC protocols, keep up-to-date with best practices, support local businesses and do everything they can to keep themselves and others safe. Were all in this together, and the pledge serves to reinforce that were approaching reopening and staying open safely together as a community, said Len Desiderio, county freeholder and co-chair of the Task Force. We want our residents and visitors, as well as businesses and organizations, to take care of one another by sticking to the simple best practices from health experts. We can do this by working together! Safely Together is a county-wide educational campaign that reinforces the message that the Cape May County community is committed to working together to ensure the safety of those living in and visiting the area. The campaign includes digital, print, billboard, social media and broadcast ads that include various messaging regarding the importance of social distancing, wearing face coverings and hand sanitizing. The Cape May County Chamber is trying to get funds from Gov. Phil Murphy's latest program to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Murphy announced the Small Business Lease - Emergency Assistance Grant Program last week. It allows businesses in 64 eligible municipalities to apply for grants of up to $10,000 for lease costs. None of the eligible locations are in Cape May County, where the pandemic has taken a devastating toll on local businesses already operating in uncertainty due to the areas reliance on seasonal tourism, according to a news release from the Chamber. The Cape May County Chamber is taking action with the goal of influencing Murphys thinking on locations that should be included in the program. Our businesses need commercial rent relief as much as any of the 64 municipalities listed, noted Vick Clark, Chamber president. They are already struggling due to an abbreviated summer season, and we will do all we can to advocate for their inclusion, added Clark. The Chamber has been in communication with state legislators and business/industry associations to coordinate efforts in requesting Cape May Countys inclusion in the program, according to the release. The Chamber will continue to provide updates on progress toward this goal via social media channels and e-mail blasts. Atlantic County officials Thursday reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths. The new numbers bring the county totals to 3,497 and 239, respectively. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The three deaths included a 48-year-old Atlantic City man, a 70-year-old Egg Harbor Township man and an 81-year-old Hammonton woman. Four of the new cases came from Atlantic City. Egg Harbor Township (3), Galloway Township (3), Hamilton Township (3), Hammonton (3), Absecon (2), Pleasantville (2), Linwood (1) and Ventnor (1) also reported cases. NJ Transit is resuming the collection of cash fares and front door boarding on buses which have protective barriers installed around the bus operator starting Monday. As part of NJ Transits "Your Ride to Recovery," the protective devices are being installed throughout the bus fleet to provide a barrier between the operator and customers, according to a news release from the agency. Cash fares and front door boarding will remain temporarily suspended on buses which have not yet had the barrier installation. Now that weve installed hundreds of protective barriers near Bus Operators to protect both Bus Operators and customers, we can safely and efficiently resume the collection of cash fares, following the July 6th resumption of the collection of cash fares on board trains, said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett. I am confident that by using best practices and health guidelines, weve taken the necessary steps to resume these services as safely as possible. Unemployed workers in New Jersey received more than a half-billion-dollars in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, or FPUC, last week, with the newly expired federal unemployment supplement program driving the total amount of COVID-related benefits to $12.4 billion in the past 19 weeks, officials said Thursday. The $600 weekly unemployment supplement that had been available since April has put $7.5 billion into the pockets of out-of-work New Jerseyans, officials said in a news release. The last day to collect the benefit was July 25, so most eligible workers will see their final supplemental payment in the next week. Because it is a federal program, FPUC cannot by law continue to be offered in New Jersey beyond the benefit week ending July 25, unless Congress passes new legislation, according to the release. However, the payments will continue to be made on all eligible claims for the weeks ending April 4 through July 25 -- even after the program ends. About 840,000 people claimed the benefit last week. State and federal unemployment benefits continue to be a vital wage replacement source for so many of our colleagues, friends and neighbors, said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. While these benefits are providing a safety net for countless families, we are reminded everyday that some are continuing to have issues with their claims. We are throwing every resource we have at these complicated outstanding claims, and working to get everyone a determination quickly. The number of new unemployment applications rose last week, with 28,063 initial claims for the week ending July 25, an 8.8 percent jump over the prior week, according to the release. That brings the total to 1.44 million new claims since COVID-19 sidelined as many as one in four workers starting in mid-March. There is no briefing with state officials Thursday to update residents on the spread of COVID-19. However, Gov. Phil Murphy is scheduled to appear live at 7 p.m. on Ask Governor Murphy, hosted by WBGO, WNYC and WHYY. So far, Atlantic County has reported 3,475 cases with 236 deaths and 1,926 cleared as recovered. Cape May County has reported 971 cases with 81 deaths and 773 designated off quarantine. Cumberland County has reported 2,694 cases with 144 deaths. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Shortages of everything from drugs to equipment and personal protective equipment has resulted in demonstrations and protests by doctors and patients families, and this week resulted in the arrest of a doctor in the southern state of Chiapas for alleged abuse of authority, despite the fact his family said he was just trying to get needed medications for a patient. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers blasted off for the red planet Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. NASAs Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the worlds third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach their destination in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles (480 million kilometres). A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket stands ready for launch on pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The mission will send the Mars rover named Perseverance, to study the red planet. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The plutonium-powered, six-wheeled rover will drill down and collect tiny geological specimens that will be brought home in about 2031 in a sort of interplanetary relay race involving multiple spacecraft and countries. The overall cost: more than $8 billion. NASAs science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen, pronounced the launch the start of humanitys first round trip to another planet. Oh, I loved it, punching a hole in the sky, right? Getting off the cosmic shore of our Earth, wading out there in the cosmic ocean," he said. Every time, it gets me. Alexander Mather, of Burke, Va. stands next to a model of the Mars 2020 rover he named in a contest during a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Mather, submitted the winning entry in NASA's "Name the Rover" essay contest, making the case to name the Mars 2020 rover "Perseverance." (AP Photo/John Raoux) In addition to potentially answering one of the most profound questions of science, religion and philosophy Is there or has there ever been life beyond Earth? the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the 2030s. Theres a reason we call the robot Perseverance. Because going to Mars is hard, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. In this case, its harder than ever before because were doing it in the midst of a pandemic. Shortly after liftoff, Perseverance unexpectedly went into safe mode, a sort of protective hibernation, after a temperature reading triggered an alarm. But deputy project manager Matt Wallace later said that the spacecraft appeared to be in good shape, with its temperatures back within proper limits, and that NASA will probably switch it back to its normal cruise state within a day or so. This photo provided by NASA, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches at Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's Perseverance blasted off atop an Atlas V rocket Thursday morning. It's the first step in an ambitious project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP) Everything is pointing toward a healthy spacecraft ready to go to Mars and do its mission, he said. NASA's deep-space tracking stations also had some difficulty locking onto signals from Perseverance early in the flight but eventually established a solid communication link, Wallace said. The U.S., the only country to safely put a spacecraft on Mars, is seeking its ninth successful landing on the planet, which has proved to be the Bermuda Triangle of space exploration, with more than half of the world's missions there burning up, crashing or otherwise ending in failure. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The mission will send a Mars rover to the Red Planet to search for signs of life, explore the planet's geology and much more. (AP Photo/John Raoux) China is sending both a rover an orbiter. The UAE, a newcomer to outer space, has an orbiter en route. Its the biggest stampede to Mars in spacefaring history. The opportunity to fly between Earth and Mars comes around only once every 26 months when the planets are on the same side of the sun and about as close as they can get. The launch went off on time at 7:50 a.m. despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake 20 minutes before liftoff that shook NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is overseeing the rover. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The mission will send a Mars rover to the Red Planet to search for signs of life, explore the planet's geology and much more. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Launch controllers at Cape Canaveral wore masks and sat spaced apart because of the coronavirus outbreak, which kept hundreds of scientists and other team members away from Perseverances liftoff. That was overwhelming. Overall, just wow! said Alex Mather, the 13-year-old Virginia schoolboy who proposed the name Perseverance in a NASA competition and watched the launch in person with his parents. About an hour into the flight, controllers applauded, pumped their fists, exchanged air hugs and pantomimed high-fives when the rocket left Earth's orbit and began hurtling toward Mars. An Atlas V rockets lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center with NASA's Perseverance rover on its way to Mars, Thursday, July 30, 2020, at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built, a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers is part part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. (AP Photo/John Raoux) We have left the building. We are on our way to Mars, Perseverances chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, said from JPL. If all goes well, the rover will descend to the Martian surface on Feb. 18, 2021, in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror, during which the craft will go from 12,000 mph (19,300 kph) to a complete stop. It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones that will enable Earthlings to vicariously tag along. Perseverance will aim for Jezero Crater, a treacherous, unexplored expanse of boulders, cliffs, dunes and possibly rocks bearing the chemical signature of microbes from what was a lake more than 3 billion years ago. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes. It also will release a mini helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet, and test out other technology to prepare the way for future astronauts. That includes equipment for extracting oxygen from Mars' thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The plan is for NASA and the European Space Agency to launch a dune buggy in 2026 to fetch the rock samples, plus a rocket ship that will put the specimens into orbit around Mars. Then another spacecraft will capture the orbiting samples and bring them home. Samples taken straight from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered the Holy Grail of Mars science, according to NASAs now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard. To definitively answer the life-beyond-Earth question, the samples must be analyzed by the best electron microscopes and other instruments, far too big to fit on a spacecraft, he said. Ive wanted to know if there was life elsewhere in the universe since I was 9 years old. That was more than 60 years ago, Hubbard said from his Northern California cabin. But just maybe, Ill live to see the fingerprints of life come back from Mars in one of those rock samples. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Beijing today warned the UK it will 'pay the price' for treating China like a 'hostile country' amid rising tensions over Hong Kong, coronavirus, Huawei and human rights abuses. China's ambassador to the UK said Britain will have to 'bear the consequences' of its foreign policy decisions and that will mean losing the benefits of being Beijing's 'partner' unless it changes tack. Liu Xiaoming also claimed some British politicians appear to be 'clamouring for a new Cold War' as he insisted China wants to be the UK's 'friend'. Mr Liu's comments are likely to prompt a further deterioration in relations as an ongoing diplomatic war of words showed no signs of abating. Beijing's Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming today warned Britain will 'pay the price' if it treats China as a 'hostile' country The UK and China have clashed repeatedly in recent months. The Government announced earlier in July that it was U-turning on the decision it made in January to grant Huawei a role in building Britain's new 5G network. The Chinese tech giant has now been banned from the network and all of its existing 5G technology will be stripped out by 2027 over national security concerns. Meanwhile, Beijing's decision to impose a controversial national security law on Hong Kong prompted the UK to announce a path to citizenship for three million Hong Kongers with British National (Overseas) status. The Government has also accused China of 'gross and egregious' human rights abuses against its Uighur population in Xinjiang province while also backing calls for an international probe into the origins and handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak. These flashpoints have prompted Beijing and the UK to fire numerous broadsides at each other but Mr Liu insisted today that China has never threatened Britain. He told a press conference: 'I want to set the record straight. We made no threats. We threatened nobody. 'We just let you know the consequences. People regard some of my remarks as threatening words. I think they quote my remarks out of context. 'I said China wants to be friends of the UK. China wants to be the UK's partner. 'But if you do not want to be our partners and our friends, you want to treat China as a hostile country, you will pay the price. 'It is very clear. You will lose the benefits of treating China as opportunities and as friends and you will bear the consequences of treating China as a hostile country.' Mr Liu accused Britain of reckless slanders over comments relating to the treatment of the Uighur population. He attacked the Government for criticising Chinas Xinjiang-related policies' as he claimed the UK had 'interfered in Chinas internal affairs by raising the so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang'. These actions have seriously poisoned the atmosphere of China-UK relations, he added. He said that the Chinese government does not 'want to threaten, challenge or replace anything' as he took aim at UK critics of Beijing's actions. History has proved and will continue to prove that China is always a defender of world peace, a contributor to global development and upholder of international law,' he said. A stronger China will make the world a more peaceful, stable and prosperous place. However, some British politicians cling to the Cold War mentality and uphold the remarks of anti-China forces outside and inside the UK. They play up the so-called China threat and see China as a hostile state, threatening a complete decoupling from China, and even clamour for a new Cold War against China. Gov. Jerry Brown presents proposals to roll back public employee pension benefits in 2011. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) For two decades, it was a treasured perk for some county employees across California: the ability to boost their pensions by cashing out unused vacation or sick leave, or working extra hours, at the end of their careers. In some cases, workers received more in pension payments than they earned while working. But with the state's economy struggling and a pension crisis looming, then-Gov. Jerry Brown backed a sweeping reform measure in 2013 that prohibited county workers from "pension spiking." Labor unions sued to overturn the new law. On Thursday, in one of several closely watched pension cases, the California Supreme Court sided with the state, unanimously upholding a provision of the 2013 law that prohibited pension spiking by county workers. In a decision written by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, the court said the law that ended pension spiking for county employees was enacted "for the constitutionally permissible purpose of closing loopholes and preventing abuse of the pension system." It was the second time in less than two years that the justices weighed in on a pension issue without touching a broader question of extreme significance to workers as well as governments the fate of the so-called California Rule, a 65-year-old legal doctrine that strongly protects public pensions for all government workers except new hires. David E. Mastagni, who represented Alameda County employees in the case, said he was disappointed for them but glad the California Rule survived. Thursday's decision could be perceived as a "chipping away" of the rule, he said, but it indicated the court would limit rollbacks of pension benefits to narrow "modifications just to address perceived abuses or loopholes." Public pensions are calculated based on a workers highest year of earnings, and some public pension plans allowed spiking. Unions and public employee groups contended that the anti-spiking provision conflicted with decades of court decisions upholding the California Rule. It made California's public pension protections among the strongest in the country. Story continues The rule guarantees workers the pension they would be due under the benefit package in place on the day they were hired. Pensions are considered constitutionally protected contracts. The formula for calculating retirement income could be changed only in a way that was neutral or advantageous to the worker, according to the rule. Some business groups and others had urged the court to use the legal challenges to Brown's pension package as a vehicle for weakening the California Rule, which would have affected public employees across the state. The court refused, writing instead a narrow decision. "We have no jurisprudential reason to undertake a fundamental reexamination of the rule," the court said. In the ruling, the court said that lawmakers "must have the authority, discretion, and flexibility" to address such issues as pension spiking. Requiring the government to offer a benefit to offset the elimination of pension padding would "significantly undermine" the Legislature's efforts to close loopholes, the court said. The decision on spiking applies to 20 counties that administer their pension plans under the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, which the 2013 law amended. L.A., Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties are among them. The city of Los Angeles has a separate pension system. Most state employees can still use accumulated sick leave to buy additional service credit, said Michael Jarvis, managing labor relations consultant for the law firm of Mastagni Holstedt. The 2013 pension law did not change that. At California State University, Jarvis said, it takes 250 days of sick leave to get one additional year of service credit, raising the employee's pension from 1.5% to 3% a year. Timothy K. Talbot, who represented the employees of Contra Costa and Merced counties in Thursday's case, said the ruling would be "very disappointing and devastating" to his clients because "they were relying on that benefit," which he called "vacation cash-out." The benefit was part of court-approved settlements dating to the late 1990s and was used by the counties to lure people to work for them, he said. Ted Toppin, chairman of Californians for Retirement Security, a 1.6-million-member coalition of public employees and retirees, expressed relief that the decision "unequivocally" upheld the California Rule and protected "the retirement security of California public servants working on the front lines to protect Californians during the pandemic." But he said the ruling did "seem to undermine the retirement security of Alameda County sheriff deputies," one of the groups of employees who filed suit. "Their employer and retirement system made a promise to them that the court decision now allows them to break," Toppin said. "That is unfair and unfortunate. If public employers make a pension commitment to their workers, they should keep it." Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose office argued in favor of the 2013 law, did not comment on the ruling. In another unanimous pension decision last year, the state high court said the government could reduce pension benefits without running afoul of the California Rule. The court in that case upheld Californias 2012 repeal of an air time benefit that allowed state workers to buy credits toward retirement service. China warned on Thursday that a "forced decoupling" of its economy with India, following a clash in Eastern Ladakh last month that killed 20 Indian soldiers, would hurt both countries. The Chinese ambassador said China was not a strategic threat to India and that the "general structure that we can't live without each other remains unchanged". The statement came after New Delhi's recent moves to ban or sideline Chinese business interests in one of the world's biggest markets, even as the border remains tense with many more troops on the ground than usual. "China advocates win-win cooperation and opposes a zero-sum game," Ambassador Sun Weidong wrote on Twitter. "Our economies are highly complementary, interwoven and interdependent. Forced decoupling is against the trend and will only lead to a 'lose-lose' outcome." Officials of the nuclear-armed neighbours have been talking regularly to de-escalate the border standoff after the June 15 clash in the Galwan Valley of India's Ladakh region when the Indian officials said soldiers were beaten to death with rocks and clubs. Indian officials say Chinese troops have intruded on to its side in the remote western region, while China says it has not breached the disputed border and has asked India to restrain its frontline troops. The Ministry of External Affairs said in an online briefing that a troops disengagement process as agreed by the two sides had yet to be completed, and that another round of commander-level talks would be held soon. "We expect that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest," spokesman Anurag Srivastava said. Analysts say the worst fighting between the giant countries in decades is likely to push India closer to the United States, both strategically and in trade. China and India fought a brief border war in 1962 and China is a close ally of Pakistan. Kate Garraway was seen stepping out near her London home on Thursday after revealing she has reached her 'limit' with a run of terrible luck. The Good Morning Britain host, 53, looked stylish in a belted tie-dye maxi dress as she popped out to the shops to pick up some essentials while wearing a face mask. Kate was also leaving the corner shop with a bunch of bananas and a block of butter in her hand, while heading back to her family car. Reached her limit: Kate Garraway was seen stepping out near her London home on Thursday after revealing she has reached her 'limit' with a run of terrible luck Kate teamed her wrap dress with a pair of neutral sandals, while going make-up free and wearing her blonde locks loose. Kate's outing comes days after she 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 TV 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. Stepping out: The Good Morning Britain host, 53, looked stylish in a belted tie-dye maxi dress as she popped out to the shops to pick up some essentials while wearing a face mask Out and about: Kate teamed her wrap dress with a pair of neutral sandals Speaking to co-host Ben Shephard on Monday morning, Kate 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!' 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... Shopping: Kate was also leaving the corner shop with a bunch of bananas and a block of butter in her hand, while heading back to her family car Candid: Kate's outing comes days after she 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 Trying times: The TV presenter was left shaken following the incident, which occurred as she hurried back to see ailing husband Derek Draper Speaking to co-host Ben Shephard on Monday morning, Kate 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' '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. Scary: Referring to the accident she added: 'It was the first time that I had been out with the kids in the car' Day out: 'Leaving London, going to meet some friends in Kent, in a socially distanced way at lovely Port Lympne Safari Park' Panic: 'On the way back we suddenly exploded. It's that moment where you think I cant control the car' '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. 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. 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 '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.' Terrifying! The Good Morning Britain presenter was left shaken following the incident, which occurred during her first family trip without husband Derek Draper 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' 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.' United States biotech company Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine prompted a vigorous immune response. It alleviated the novel coronavirus from reproducing in the monkeys' noses and lungs. The factor that Moderna's vaccine prevented the coronavirus from replicating in the nose appeared to be necessary for avoiding transmission towards others. This vaccine was created by Moderna and government researchers to allow animals to rapidly clear the infection from their lungs. Monkeys provided with Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine who were directly infected were able to combat the virus, rapidly clearing it from their lungs, reported The New York Times. Such results do not ensure that the vaccine will have the same effect on people. The results, however, are deemed promising and an achievement in tackling the pandemic. The same effect did not ensue when the vaccine for the University of Oxford was put on trial on monkeys. However, the vaccine was able to prevent COVID-19 from entering the lungs of animals and making them ill, indicated Rappler. The research study had 3 groups of 8 rhesus macaques receive either the vaccine or a placebo at 100 micrograms and 10 micrograms, reported another article from Rappler. It is seen overall as a bad sign for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine's capacity to work in humans if an experimental vaccine fails in monkeys. This kind of research study is considered vital because infecting people deliberately, though occasionally done, is not a regular practice. Also Read: Bringing Comfort During a Crisis: Perks of Camping Amid COVID-19 Every vaccinated macaque procured large levels of neutralizing antibodies that target a part of COVID-19 used to permeate cells. The monkeys distinctively received higher dose levels from the antibodies than such detected in humans who came to recover from COVID-19. Clinics around the country undertook a Phase 3 trial of the vaccine candidate on Monday from the Massachusetts-based biotech firm with the purpose of enrolling 30,000 people for effectiveness and safety testing. "The virus was cleared very rapidly in the vaccinated animals," according to Dr. Barney S. Graham, the senior author of a report in "The New England Journal of Medicine," and the deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. According to the authors of the research study, the authors indicated that the vaccine also prompted the production of T-cells, a different immune cell, that could have prompted the bolstering of the general response. A major concern is that currently developing vaccines could misfire by boosting rather than mitigating the illness. Graham's team coordinated with Moderna to create the said vaccine. Unvaccinated animals in the control group were not quickly cured of COVID-19. The supposed vaccine-associated enhancement of respiratory disease (VAERD) has been connected to the production of the aforementioned T-cells, but such cells were not produced amid the experiment, which alludes that the vaccine would not misfire. Four weeks following the monkeys' reception of their next injection of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, they were exposed to the virus, both through the nose and to the lungs through a tube. Related Article: Could Future Pandemics Come From Space? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Protesting former Debenham's workers have postponed this Saturday's planned national demonstration. Local actions and pickets will take place but the scheduled national protest for August 1 has now been put off to allow settlement talks. In a Facebook statement the demonstrating worker's announced the decision. "We have decided to postpone the national protest until Saturday 8 August to give time for talks to progress regarding a settlement for Debenhams workers. "This is at the request of the leadership of Mandate. Local actions and pickets will take place as usual instead this Saturday." A similar announcement was made on Twitter. Debenham's workers have been protesting for more than 100 days in an attempt to secure better redundancy packages. The Irish operation of Debenhams was placed into liquidation this spring and former staff claim the packages offered to them were unfair. They are set to receive statutory redundancy payouts of two weeks of salary per year of service. Workers are demanding four weeks pay per service year. Debenham's workers voted overwhelmingly to strike in response to the redundancy packages offered and have blocked stock from leaving the chain's stores and warehouses. Liquidator KPMG intends to use proceeds of the liquidation of the Irish businesss assets to pay off key creditors, such as the Revenue Commissioners and other State bodies. The Taoiseach Micheal Martin and junior Enterprise Minister Robert Troy are meeting the Debenham's workers today. Mr Martin has sharply criticised the treatment of the workers by Debenhams in the Dail in recent weeks. Debenhams operated 11 stores in Ireland, four in Dublin, two in Cork and stores in Newbridge, Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Waterford. In April the Department chain wrote to staff members informing them of their decision to make a liquidation application under the Companies Act 2014. Prior to the Covid-19 crisis, the Debenhams chain was facing financial difficulties and plans were in train to close a number of UK stores. As soon as the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 were confirmed in Da Nang and Quang Ngai, many firms have re-implemented pandemic prevention measures starting early this week. Workers of Power Transmission Company wear masks at work. Many firms are re-implementing pandemic prevention measures starting early this week. VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Ha Big companies such as Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Masan Group, supermarkets and transportation services providers have all required employees to wear masks, measure body temperature, practice social distancing and work from home. Vinatexs director general Le Tien Truong said the companys employees are obligated to fill in health declaration forms, wear face masks, sanitise hands and remain at least one metre from other people. Employees are also requested not to travel to infected areas. EVNs representative also said the group on Monday requested body temperature checks for staff members and visitors to the office. In case of fever or other symptoms, it requires workers to stay at home until they are confirmed to be virus-free. Staffs returning from Da Nang are asked to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. All employees and guests coming in and out of the corporate headquarters are required to wear a mask and have their temperature checked. Group meetings will be conducted online or with distancing measures. The electricity units in Quang Nam and Da Nang have to declare and conduct epidemiological investigations on people whom may come into contact with infected people and suspected infected people to monitor or put in isolation. Transportation services such as Grab and Be are also taking serious measures in response to the pandemic. Grab and Be requests drivers to fill in health declaration forms once a day and requires both drivers and passengers to wear face masks while travelling. Passengers have the right to cancel the ride if the driver does not wear face masks, and vice versa, a Grab Vietnam representative told vnexpress.net. Grab has also paused its GrabCar, GrabTaxi, GrabCar Plus and GrabCar Business operation in districts of Hai Chau, Thanh Khe, Son Tra, Ngu Hanh Son, Cam Le and Lien Chieu of Da Nang. F&B firms and supermarkets are restarting pandemic prevention mode as well. Golden Gate restaurants in Da Nang will be closed starting Monday, its representative said. In Hanoi and HCM City, customers are required to wash their hands and have their temperature taken before entering the restaurant. Big C said they have stocked enough goods and pledged not to increase prices. The supermarket chain also boosted sales through online and phone services for each supermarket, as well as increased deliveries to customers. "We offer free shipping with totals from VND200,000 within 10km," a Big C representative said. Eight new cases of COVID-19 in central Vietnam were reported on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of infections in Vietnam to 446. VNS Hospitals will be shut if lax on COVID-19: committee Hospitals that fail to satisfy COVID-19 prevention and control regulations will be closed, said an urgent letter on Tuesday from the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, has dismissed a petition seeking a CBI enquiry in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. The petition, filed by one Alka Priya, demanded a CBI probe into the incident. Priya, in her petition, claimed that Rajput was a good person,adding that the actor had sponsored several children to NASA. The bench said it does not know whether the person was good or bad and stated that the matter is being investigated by Mumbai Police. We are not on whether the person was good or bad. The matter is being investigated by Mumbai Police. We are dismissing it, the bench said. Also read: Mayawati wades into row over Sushant Singh Rajputs death The case of actors death took a new turn after his father, Krishna Kumar Singh, filed a complaint with Bihar police earlier this week accusing his rumoured girlfriend and actor Rhea Chakraborty, and six others, for the actors alleged suicide. The Bollywood actor died by suicide on June 14. KK Singh alleged that Chakraborty had kept the actor from his family and completely in her possession. She was also handling his bank account, he alleged. At one point of time, my son decided to give up films, settle down in Coorg and pursue farming. He was blackmailed by Chakraborty who threatened him that she would make his medical history public and let the world know that he was mentally unstable, putting his career in jeopardy, the father stated in the FIR. Two kayakers were taken into safety after one of them overturned in the Detroit River. On Monday, agents from the Gibraltar Border Patrol Station rescued the kayakers, who were reported missing. The Police Department received a 911 call from the father of one of the kayakers, who reported them missing. The agents began the search shortly after 10 p.m., after the Grosse Ile Police Department contacted the Border Patrol station to report that the kayakers were missing near Stony Island, located just east of Grosse Ile, where Grosse Ile Parkway intersects the island. Gibraltar stations Marine Unit, which was patrolling the Detroit River in the Border Patrols 27-foot SAFE boat, began a systematic search of the area and was able to locate the kayakers by 10:45 p.m.. One of the kayaks had overturned and the person was in the water when they were found. Both individuals were described as being in good health, despite their adventure. The agents pulled them from the water and transported them to shore on the Border Patrol vessel. They declined medical attention. Rescues such as this demonstrate the Border Patrols commitment to the safety of the local boating community, and border safety in general, as part of our daily operations, said John Rodrigue, Gibraltar station patrol agent in charge. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nations borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel. A federal magistrate extended his previous restrictions against use of force by Oakland police Wednesday, prohibiting officers from using tear gas or flash-bang grenades against demonstrators, except when necessary to prevent serious injury or substantial property damage, and barring all use of wooden or rubber bullets and pepper-ball projectiles. Chief U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero had issued a temporary restraining order June 18 imposing similar restrictions on police during the protests that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Protest groups sought the order after police fired tear gas and other projectiles at demonstrators during the May 29 weekend. Unlike the restraining order, which had been extended several times before expiring Wednesday, Speros injunction will remain in effect indefinitely. It also goes further than the restraining order by imposing the same restrictions on sheriffs deputies and any officers from other communities who are called in to aid Oakland police in the demonstrations. Another new provision requires officers to wear face masks and gloves at protests during the coronavirus pandemic. Based on the injunction, demonstrators should expect Oakland police will be more respectful of their rights, said Dan Siegel, a lawyer for groups that sought the order. He said he would have preferred an outright ban on police use of tear gas. But Siegel said Speros order may be the strongest so far among police restrictions also issued by judges in Seattle, Portland, Denver and Dallas. According to published reports, Spero said at a hearing Tuesday that police may need tear gas or similar weapons when demonstrators start throwing rocks and bottles at them. A lawyer for the city was also quoted as saying other police agencies would refuse to aid Oakland officers if they were forbidden to use chemical weapons. Officer Johnna Watson, a police spokeswoman, said Oakland police will continue to abide by the court orders. The Police Department had previously opposed restrictions on use of force during demonstrations, but had accepted the terms of Speros restraining order and agreed to some limits on officers conduct. Speros injunction said police could use tear gas, flash-bang grenades or foam-tipped projectiles only if there is an imminent threat of physical harm to a person or significant destruction of property, and if other techniques, such as simultaneous arrests or police formations, have failed or are not reasonably likely to mitigate the threat. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The use of such weapons must be authorized by a police commander, and they must be targeted at the specific imminent threat, not fired indiscriminately into a crowd, Spero said. Before using tear gas or similar weapons, the magistrate said, police in most circumstances must make at least two announcements, using loudspeakers audible to the crowd, asking demonstrators to leave and telling them they will be subject to arrest if they remain. The announcements will not be required, he said, only if an immediate risk to public safety or significant property damage makes it impossible to do so. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Queensland recorded three new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, including two linked to a previously identified Sydney cluster. A couple who returned to the Sunshine State from Sydney and had dined at the coronavirus-stricken Apollo restaurant tested positive to the deadly respiratory infection overnight. The couple have been praised for choosing to self isolate at home upon returning to Queensland, limiting their risk of contributing to community transmission. On Wednesday, state authorities confirmed they would close Queensland's borders to greater Sydney from 1am on Saturday. During the press conference on Thursday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new cases confirmed they made the right decision in closing the borders. A couple who returned to the Sunshine State from Sydney and had dined at the coronavirus-stricken Apollo restaurant tested positive to the deadly respiratory infection overnight 'We've seen that today, its sensible to close the border to anyone from greater Sydney,' Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young agreed. The third case identified on Thursday was a man in his 20s who returned from the United States. 'That is the best scenario we could have hoped for,' Ms Palaszczuk said during a press conference on Thursday morning. The three new cases are unrelated to Olivia Winnie Muranga and Diana Lasu, the two 19-year-old women who reportedly gave false declarations on their border passes to enter Queensland after travelling to Victoria. The women - as well as a third who has not yet been identified - attended an illegal party in Victoria with up to 30 guests. They were fined at the time, and Queensland Police have since worked alongside Victoria Police to ensure that no other Queenslanders were in attendance. During the press conference on Thursday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new cases confirmed they made the right decision in closing the borders Olivia Winnie Muranga (left) and Diana Lasu, (right) both 19, arrived together in Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney on July 21 Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll on Thursday revealed 40 people have been caught lying to authorities while crossing the Queensland border. 'From the beginning of this, we have issued well over 1100 infringement notices and 40 people have made false declarations at our borders,' she said. 'I have asked the ones issued recently, in particular to these women, the infringement notices to be renewed and for them to actually go before the court. 'This is purposefully so to send a message that we will not tolerate this behaviour at our borders.' She said during the conference that she was 'very disappointed' with the behaviour of the three women involved in Wednesday's cases, and had referred their matters to the courts. 'They went to extraordinary lengths to be deceitful, deceptive and quite frankly criminal in their behaviour,' Ms Carroll said. One of the women has cooperated with Queensland authorities in contact tracing since she arrived back in the state, and any person who could have been exposed to the disease has been notified. The second woman is refusing to cooperate or share details of her travels over the course of the last week. Between them the teenagers visited 11 different venues in Brisbane while infected with COVID-19 'I'm very worried about the second individual who has not been cooperative and has not shared where she's been, so we haven't been able to contact those venues,' Dr Young said. She could be subject to further charges if she refuses to assist in the investigation. Officers reportedly seized the women's mobile phones for analysis when they first suspected they were not being truthful about their movements, The Australian reported. A third case was identified on Wednesday and was a relative of one of the two women who travelled interstate. The test results for the third traveller have not been released yet. 'These people have deliberately deceived us, that's what we'll allege to the court,' Queensland's Deputy Police Commissioner said. 'They deliberately falsely said where they've been.' Police will be pushing for the women to face court for their actions, and an investigation into what exactly they got up to in Victoria is still underway. More to come. How does a Mars rover stick its landing, you ask? Well, NASA is referring to the critical moment as the 7 minutes of terror. Compared to Earth, Mars has a very thin atmosphere. When astronauts land they can uses parachutes to safely descend. However, landing on Mars takes a bit more work. Engineers require a combination of techniques, including rockets, to slow the spacecraft down from its 12,000-mile-per-hour plummet to Mars. Obviously, such innovations dont come easily. Numerous attempts to land on the Red Planet have resulted in crashes, explosions and a casualty rate exceeding 50 percent. The U.S. became the first nation to land a spacecraft on Mars with the twin Vikings in 1976 and has continued to successfully land on the planets surface seven times since. This time around the latest rover, dubbed the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover by NASA, will use the same landing method as the Curiosity rover in 2012. The mission landing system includes a parachute, descent vehicle and the sky crane maneuver method. Both Curiosity and Mars 2020 will use a system called the sky crane. This involves the final step in which the rover, attached to a platform with retro-rockets, will lower down close to the surface of Mars within about ten meters of the surface, project scientist Kenneth Farley told the Associated Press. The rover will then be hauled to the surface using the crane. When it touches down, the cables are cut and the platform with rockets will fly away. Folks, look at the sky crane landing system and think, is this crazy? Well, the answer is no, NASA research scientist Bethany Ehlmann told the Associated Press. Its a product of careful, reasoned engineering thought because basically it allows you to land only the mass that you want and not land the whole carrier vehicle, which is a lot less difficult. Perseverance will land with all the latest tech and the most cameras and microphones ever assembled on a rover to capture sounds and images on Mars. Story continues If you enjoyed this story, you might want to check outA the best photos of Earth taken from space. More from In The Know: Hubble space telescope turns 30 9 lightweight sweatshirts perfect for a cool summer night Shop our favorite beauty products from In The Know Beauty on TikTok Subscribe to our daily newsletter to stay In The Know The post NASA calls the Mars 2020 Perseverance rovers landing 7 minutes of terror appeared first on In The Know. Foreign media have spoken highly of the Vietnamese Governments response following newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community, voicing a belief that the country can bring the situation under control. Medical workers take care of a COVID-19 patient at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Dong Anh district, Hanoi An article in Bloomberg News on July 28 noted that the Vietnamese Government has worked to contain a sudden flare-up in community infections, making face masks mandatory once again. The same day, Japans Nikkei newspaper reported that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered tighter border and immigration controls in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Diplomat magazine published an article that said Vietnam will likely be able to bring this next wave of COVID-19 under control, thanks to its experience and improved readiness in terms of equipment. Vietnam has a lot of experience in battling against pandemics, not only COVID-19, the article said. Vietnam suffered from the SARS outbreak in 2003, and was the first country to bring it under control. The Vietnamese Government took measures early on to contain the spread of COVID-19, and it has successfully controlled two previous waves, in January and March, illustrated by its current low case count and zero deaths, it said Hence, the Government can be optimistic that with its previous experience it can handle the next wave well, the article noted. With stringent action, Da Nang may well be able to control the community transmission of COVID-19 and Vietnam will be able to handle this second wave. The author went on to say that, importantly, this time Vietnam has more advanced equipment, as it has been fighting the pandemic for half a year. Vietnams medical equipment has improved, enabling it to implement more effective actions on a larger scale to counter the virus, it added. Due to the new cases in Da Nang, several provinces now require people, especially those who have come back from the central city, to use mobile apps such as NCOVI and Bluezone to update their health status regularly so that local administrations can closely monitor the pandemic situation and respond in a timely manner. The article quoted Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, as saying that given what it has done so far as well as what it is doing currently, Vietnam is expected to be able to maintain the fight against the virus before a vaccine becomes available./. VNA BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Austria's producer prices continued to decline in June, figures from Statistics Austria showed on Thursday. The producer price index declined 2.1 percent year-on-year in June, following a 2.6 percent fall in May. The decline in producer prices was mainly driven by a fall in energy prices and intermediate goods by 8.0 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, prices for capital goods rose 0.9 percent in May and those for consumer goods increased 1.0 percent. On a monthly basis, producer prices rose 0.2 percent in June, following a 0.4 percent decrease in the preceding month. In the second quarter, producer prices declined 2.3 percent yearly and fell 1.7 percent from the previous quarter. 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. Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine are set to begin a "full and comprehensive" ceasefire at midnight on Monday, AP reports. Why it matters: The Ukrainian government says that the ceasefire, if upheld, could pave the way for implementing other clauses of the 2015 Minsk peace deal, which largely ended major combat but hasn't stopped sporadic clashes between the sides. "Where is Job Sikhala right now? Where is Gift Ostallos right now? Where is Obey Sithole right now? Where is Makomborero Haruzivishe right now? They are all in hiding and are being hounded by a predatory thuggocractic State led and being presided over by one Emmerson Mnangagwa," he charged. Islamist radical organisations in parts of the country including Kerala and Kashmir are being supported and funded by Turkish outfits backed by Recep Tayyip Erdogans government in Ankara, people familiar with the development have told Hindustan Times. There is an effort to radicalise Indian muslims and recruit fundamentalists coordinated from Turkey, a senior government official said, underlining that a recent assessment in New Delhi had noted the emergence of Turkey as the hub of anti-India activities next only to Pakistan. Ankaras attempt to expand its influence among South Asian muslims comes against the backdrop of President Erdogans continuing pitch to challenge Saudi Arabias dominance in the Islamic world at a global level and offering a reshaped, conservative Turkey with Ottoman traditions as the model for other Islamic nations to follow. The reconversion of the Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia to a mosque last week was a giant step in this direction, counted by commentators as a milestone in Turkeys rebirth as a powerful, muslim nation. The church had been converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul - and from mosque to museum in 1934. The change fits in with Erdogans long-term plan to project himself as a global protector of muslims, much like the Ottoman Caliphs. He had last year taken baby steps to build an alliance of non-Arab Islamic countries along with a handful of countries including Pakistans Imran Khan and Malaysias Mahathir Mohamad. Iran and Qatar were also roped in. Pakistan watchers say Islamabad latched on to Turkeys Erdogan after India deepened its ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Imran Khan, however, backed out of the meeting at the last minute due to pressure from Riyadh but has made up by feting Erdogan - called Sultan by some supporters - at home, even emulating some of his policies back home. Officials believe that Erdogans political agenda has driven his government to expand its influence with South Asian muslims, particularly those in India. Indian officials said the Turkish government had funded Kashmirs hardline separatist leader such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani for years. But it is the rapidly expanding scale of the effort that recently nudged security agencies to carry out an extensive review. The Erdogan government has been funding religious seminars in India, recruiting fundamentalists to radicalise people and even take freshly-minted radicals on all-expense trips to Turkey to reinforce their learnings. The security review also referred to a Kerala-based Islamist radical organisation that had been funds from Turkey for some time. We are also aware of some people from this group travelling to Qatar to meet some people from Turkey to seek funding for their activities, a government official said. That amounts as high as Rs 40 lakh are being offered to preach radical Islam in Kerala. Besides, officials said Turkey, along with Pakistan, have also been funding Zakir Naik, the controversial Islamic preacher accused of radicalising muslims, via Qatar, a senior official said. Turkey has become Pakistans new Dubai at a smaller scale, the official added, a reference to the United Arab Emirates city that used to be a second home to Pakistans ISI between 2000 and 2010 and the epicenter of anti-India activities in west Asia. During this decade, Pakistans ISI was able to radicalise some Indians and turn them against their own country. It is also here that the founders of terror group Indian Mujahideen were first radicalised. Since 2014, however, the United Arab Emirates has turned into one of Indias closest partners with no protection or sanctuary for anyone indulging in anti-India activities. Turkey also stepped in early this year when protests broke out over Indias amendment to the citizenship laws, not just to criticise the change that was perceived to potentially hurt the interests of muslims but also with money to keep the protests going, according to an intelligence assessment accessed by HT. Indian security officials believe that much of this radicalisation effort being bankrolled by Ankara was being carried out in coordination with Pakistans deep state. To be sure, Erdogan was the only world leader to speak out against India in the UN general assembly over Kashmir. On a visit to Pakistan earlier this year, he went on to assert that Kashmir is as important to Turkey as it is to Pakistan. Kashmir is and will be the same for us. It was Canakkale yesterday and it is Kashmir today, he said in February. Turkey is the only country that actively backs Pakistans Kashmir agenda in OIC and is also forging close economic ties with China. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON AYODHYA: The holy town of Ayodhya the birthplace of Lord Ram is being fully decked up ahead of the bhoomi pujan or the ground-breaking ceremony, which marks the formal beginning of the Ram temple construction, scheduled to take place on August 5. According to reports, Ayodhya is being cleaned up and efforts are being taken to give a whole new look to the ancient city. The Ayodhya district administration has launched a massive cleanliness drive in view of the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of Ram temple on August 5, which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A team of 500 sanitary workers has been working round-the-clock to deck up the temple town. The main thoroughfares of Ayodhya are being decorated with graffiti and paintings depicting scenes from the Ramayan. According to Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh Updadhyaya, ward-wise meetings are being conducted to make Ayodhya ready to welcome the PM on August 5. Officials who were involved in the management of Kumbh Mela last year have been deployed to look after every aspect of the grand function on August 5. A team of BJP workers led by Ayodhya MLA Ved Prakash Gupta is reaching out to every household to make sure all houses in the temple town are decorated with lights and earthen lamps. Around 1.25 lakh lamps would be lit during the event. Locals have been asked to decorate their houses with yellow colour, rangoli, and flowers, decorative lights and earthen diyas for bhoomi pujan day. Several Hindu religious trusts, including spiritual guru Morari Bapu has announced a donation of Rs 5 crore from his Vyaspeeth to Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust. The Centre-appointed temple trust has also appealed to people to donate cash instead of jewellery for the construction work. Through online donations in the past four months, the trust has received around 6 crore in its two bank accounts in SBI branch, Ayodhya, sources said. The Trust is also sending acknowledgment receipts of donations along with a letter of appreciation to the donors. It has also come to light that the idol of Ram Lalla is likely to don a green coloured attire with a saffron border on August 5 when `bhoomi pujan" will be done for the construction of a grand temple at Ayodhya. The attire will have "navratnas" stitched on it and is being readied at a shop in Ayodhya whose owners have been stitching clothes for Ram Lalla for four generations. Champat Rai, General Secretary, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust said that decision on the dress of Ram Lalla will be taken by chief priest Satyendra Das. "Dress of God will be decided by the chief priest Satyendra Dasji Maharaj. As per my information, every planet has a colour. Each day has a colour. Wednesday has also a colour," Rai said. Rai said that coronavirus guidelines will be followed at the event and only a limited number of people will be allowed to participate. "We will try that not more than 125-150 people attend the event. The guidelines of the government will be followed," he said. "I will request people not to travel to Ayodhya for the event. Everyone should celebrate the event at their own places by lighting lamps and diyas. Pray that India becomes free from coronavirus," he said. Prime Minister Narendra 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 Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra 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. The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, held its second meeting earlier this month. In March this year, the `Ram Lalla` idol was shifted to a temporary structure. The apex 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. Amaravati, July 30 : Andhra Pradesh's Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government on Thursday said it remained committed to introducing English as the medium of instruction in government-run schools but claimed that its stand is not in conflict with the National Education Policy (NEP) announced by the Centre. Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh told reporters that the government stands by its decision to introduce English, noting that the NEP says the medium of instruction should be home language or mother tongue, "wherever possible". He said while the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government remained committed to English medium, it was not neglecting Telugu. He said since the matter related to English medium is in the Court, it was not fair to speak about it. He, however, said reports that appeared in a section of the media had not touched the core issue. "We have taken the opinion of parents and 95 per cent were in favour of the government decision which was taken after careful consideration and consultations with the NCERT," he said. The Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government plans to introduce English as a medium of instruction from classes 1 to 6 from 2020-21 academic year, while in classes 7 to 10, it would be added gradually in the next four years. In April, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had set aside the government order, saying that children and parents should be given the choice in the language of learning. The state government has challenged the High Court order in the Supreme Court. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy stated recently that the government will go ahead with the decision of introducing English medium for Class 1 to 6, though some vested interests have tried to block the move. "We moved the Supreme Court and our resolve is firm and we will go ahead with the reforms," he said. He said two surveys have found that parents want English medium education for their children. The Education Minister said they thoroughly discussed the NEP 2020 and will apprise the Chief Minister about the outcome. He claimed that the NEP carried many of the recommendations made by the state government, as Jagan Mohan Reddy has been ahead of time to visualise a level playing field to all students. He said the Chief Minister wanted education to be accessible, affordable, have equity, quality and accountability and all these reflect in the NEP 2020. He has been advocating that poverty should not be a barrier to higher education and the policy says that no one should be deprived of education. "Amma Vodi has been launched to incentivise mothers to send their children to school and the NEP talks about incentivising parents by cash transfers to bring down the dropout rate. Our government has brought in legislation to monitor and regulate the education in corporate education institutions and the NEP clearly states that education is not a commercial activity," he said. The minister alleged that the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government behaved like a brand ambassador to corporate education and went about closing down government schools but the YSRCP government has revived them and under "Nadu Nedu", it is improving the infrastructure. NEW YORK and LONDON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Symphony Talent, a global company that helps recruitment leaders transform the talent experience through software and services, released today three enhancements to its SmashFlyX programmatic job advertising solution. The features - goal-based auto-campaigning, Connected TV (CTV) advertising, and global ad hoc job posting - increase ad management efficiency and broaden employer brand awareness in video-based mediums. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Euro area unemployment rate sat at 7.4% in June, and the U.S. LaborDepartment reported 31.8 million people were claiming unemployment insurance. With more people working and sheltering at home, a recent study found that 75 percent of respondents are watching more streaming content than before the pandemic. "There is an exceptional opportunity for organizations to ensure job seekers are aware of the roles they're hiring for now, as well as roles that may open up down the line," said Roopesh Nair, CEO of Symphony Talent. "Amidst a lot of uncertainty, companies can still build pipelines of talent for engagement with potential hires." Furthering its breadth and depth of automation and omnimedia campaigning, SmashFlyX's new features include: Goal-based auto-campaigning: The first completely automated approach to recruitment advertising campaigns. The first completely automated approach to recruitment advertising campaigns. SmashFlyX will automatically search the CRM for well-matched candidates for a job; if there aren't enough by location or skill, it will recommend or boost advertising spend for that job to increase exposure and generate new applicants. Set your average time-to-fill goals once for every job type upfront, then proprietary machine learning will continually compare your actual time-to-fill to your goal, self-optimizing channels and spend to reach it. Connected TV advertising: According to a SpotX survey, CTV viewership has grown to reach 50% of the top five EU markets, and the median age of viewers is 43. Additionally, CTV ads show consistently higher completion rates (95%) than desktop (75%) and mobile (72%). According to a SpotX survey, CTV viewership has grown to reach 50% of the top five EU markets, and the median age of viewers is 43. Additionally, CTV ads show consistently higher completion rates (95%) than desktop (75%) and mobile (72%). SmashFlyX targets viewers by occupation on the flat screens they watch every day, from Hulu to Sling TV. You upload your employer brand video ad, preview it on the appropriate channel, then SmashFlyX automatically tags, tracks and geotargets the campaign. Global ad hoc job posting: In traditional job distribution, if you need to post one job it's manual and separate from the rest of your data. SmashFlyX allows you to browse 8,000+ job boards - including Totaljobs, StepStone, and Naukri.com- and simply click to post for one job requisition. "We see companies investing resources on advertising that lacks the data to prove effectiveness," said Simon Phillips, Symphony Talent's managing director, Europe. "Our platform leads the way in intelligence, automation and accountability, making recruitment advertising stress free." Symphony Talent won an HRE Top Product Award in 2018 for its programmatic advertising solution, and last month made it a core module of its SmashFlyX talent marketing platform, fully integrated with CRM and career sites. The company has extensive creative and brand service expertise, supporting companies not only in advertising strategy and execution, but creating ad campaigns, assets and videos. More About Symphony Talent Symphony Talent is a global leader in transforming employer brand experiences through talent marketing software and services. Its talent marketing platform, SmashFlyX, unifies CRM, career site, talent mobility and programmatic advertising to help talent acquisition teams automate tasks for efficiency and empower interaction. Symphony Talent has won major awards in creative and employer brand services for EVP strategy, employer brand campaigns, career site design, and more. The company supports more than 600 customers across the globe, with headquarters in New York, London, Bangalore, and Belfast. Visit symphonytalent.com to learn more, and follow us on Twitter @SymphonyTalent_ and @SymphonyT_EU. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/951515/Symphony_Talent_Logo.jpg OTTAWA - A timeline of events regarding the Canada Student Service Grant program, based on public documents, events and statements from cabinet ministers, government officials, and WE Charity: Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 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. Members of the House of Commons finance committee will meet this afternoon to figure out the details of Trudeau's planned testimony.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA - A timeline of events regarding the Canada Student Service Grant program, based on public documents, events and statements from cabinet ministers, government officials, and WE Charity: March 6, 2020: WE Charity staff prepare a concept paper on service learning for public servants at Employment and Social Development Canada. April 5: Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk over the phone about how to help students whose summer job and volunteer opportunities were vanishing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Department officials are tasked with considering options the next morning. April 7: Small Business Minister Mary Ng and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger have an introductory phone call in which Ng asks WE to send what it calls a "pre-established proposal" to help young people launch businesses. April 7 or 8: Morneau's office contacts the WE organization, among other groups, to get their input on potential programs. Morneau says the call was on April 7 while WE says it was April 8. April 9: WE Charity sends the unsolicited proposal for a youth business program to Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, Ng, Morneau and Trudeau's office. The price tag is between $6 million and $14 million to provide digital programming and $500 grants, plus "incentive funds," for 8,000 students. April 16: ESDC officials mention WE in the context of the student program in an email discussion with Finance officials. April 18: Morneau's officials raise the idea of partnering with a non-profit, or for-profit group to administer the program. (ESDC officials suggest the same day that WE might be an option.) Morneau said it was the first time he was involved in any talk about WE and the grant program. April 19: Wernick contacts Craig Kielburger. WE says the call was to discuss launching a youth service program in the summer and that Wernick asks Kielburger to develop a proposal to fulfil that objective. During the call, Wernick learns of the April 9 proposal for a youth business program and Kielburger agrees to send both proposals. April 20: Morneau's office contacts WE to ask about its ability to deliver a volunteer program. An official's record of the call notes "WE Charity will re-work their 10-week summer program proposal to fully meet the policy objective of national service and increase their current placements of 8,000 to double." April 21: Morneau approves going with an outside organization to run the volunteer program, but no specific group is chosen. WE's youth entrepreneurship program proposal is included in annex nine of a briefing package about a student aid program that goes to the Prime Minister's Office, chief of staff Katie Telford later tells the finance committee. The proposal is declined. April 22: Trudeau announces a $9-billion package of student aid, including the outline of a volunteer program paying students up to $5,000 toward education costs, based on the number of hours they volunteer. WE sends Wernick an updated proposal to reflect the announcement. The message is forwarded to Chagger, Ng and Morneau. April 26: Morneau speaks with WE co-founder Craig Kielburger, but told the finance committee neither of them talked about the Canada Student Service Grant program. Craig Kielburger later tells the committee he only brought up the youth business proposal, not the grant program. April 27: Volunteer Canada, a charity that promotes volunteering and helps organizations use volunteers well, meets Chagger and raises concerns about paying students hourly rates below minimum wage and calling it volunteering. May 4: WE sends a third proposal to ESDC, this time with more details and specific to the grant program. Finance official Michelle Kovacevic, who was working on the program, told the finance committee she received it May 7. May 5: Chagger goes to a special COVID-19 cabinet committee with the recommendation to go with WE for the program. Neither Morneau nor Trudeau is at the meeting. The same day, a member of the Prime Minister's Office policy team speaks with WE as part of stakeholder consultation, but then directs the organization to ESDC. WE begins incurring eligible expenses. May 8: Trudeau finds out that WE is being recommended to run the student-volunteer program hours before a cabinet meeting. He later tells the finance committee that he pulled the item from the agenda and sent it back to the public service for more due diligence because of how the deal could be perceived. May 21: The public service comes back to Trudeau, he tells the finance committee. The recommendation to go with WE doesn't change. May 22: Cabinet, including Trudeau and Morneau, approved handing the reins of the program to WE. May 23: The public service officially begins negotiating a contribution agreement with WE, which would have paid up to $43.5 million in fees to the group. May 25 to June 3: In a series of meetings with Volunteer Canada, WE suggests the target for placements through the program had gone from 20,000 to 100,000. June 12: WE co-founder Marc Kielburger says in a video chat with youth leaders that he heard from Trudeau's office about getting involved in the volunteer program the day after it was announced by the prime minister. He later backtracks, saying the contact came the week of April 26 from Wernick, and not the Prime Minister's Office. June 23: WE Charity Foundation signs a contribution agreement with the federal government. WE signatories include Scott Baker, named as president of the one-year-old foundation and executive director of WE Charity, and chief financial officer Victor Li. Chagger signs for the government. June 25: Trudeau unveils more details about student aid. A government release notes that WE will administer the student-volunteer program. June 26: Facing questions about WE, Trudeau says the non-partisan public service made the recommendation, and the government accepted it: "As the public service dug into it, they came back with only one organization that was capable of networking and organizing and delivering this program on the scale that we needed it, and that was the WE program." July 3: Citing the ongoing controversy, WE and the Liberals announce a parting of ways and the federal government takes control of the program. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion tells Conservative and NDP ethics critics in separate letters he will examine Trudeau's role in the awarding of the agreement because of the prime minister's close ties to the group. July 9: WE says it has paid Trudeau's mother Margaret about $250,000 for 28 speaking appearances at WE-related events between 2016 and 2020. His brother Alexandre was been paid $32,000 for eight events, and Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau received $1,400 in 2012 for a single appearance. The organization says Trudeau himself has never been paid by the charity or its for-profit arm. July 13: Trudeau apologizes for not recusing himself from discussions about WE over his family's longtime involvement with the organization. Morneau also issues an apology. July 16: Dion says he will investigate Morneau's actions in the affair. Chagger testifies at the finance committee, saying Trudeau's office didn't direct her to go with WE. July 21: Ian Shugart, clerk of the Privy Council, tells the Commons finance committee there is no evidence to suggest Trudeau spoke with WE before the organization was awarded the deal to run the student-volunteer program. July 22: Morneau tells the finance committee he just repaid over $41,000 to WE for travel expenses the organization footed for the minister and his family. The Opposition Conservatives call for Morneau to resign. Trudeau's office says he and Telford have agreed to testify before the committee with a date and time to be set. The House of Commons ethics committee also calls on Trudeau to testify, and votes to seek copies of records for Trudeau and his family's speaking appearances dating back years. Six opposition members outvote five Liberals to have that committee start its own investigation. July 23: Conservatives and New Democrats ask Dion to launch a new probe of Morneau over his travel expenses. Jen Zoratti | Next A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. July 27: A copy of the contribution agreement with WE Charity Foundation is filed with the finance committee. It lays out the details of the program, including a provision for a maximum contribution of $543.53 million $500 million for grants, and $43.53 million to WE. July 28: Craig and Marc Kielburger testify over four hours of sometimes testy interactions with MPs on the finance committee. The co-founders of WE Charity say their history and experience, not ties to Liberal cabinet ministers, landed the group the deal to run the volunteer program. They add they would have never agreed to take part in the program had they known it could jeopardize the work the WE organization has done over 25 years. They also say WE estimated the cost of the program to be between $200 million and $300 million. July 29: The Conservatives call on the federal ethics czar to widen his probe of Trudeau to include travel expenses WE covered in addition to speaking fees for his mother, wife and brother. Dion sends letters to the Tories and NDP saying he is expanding his probe of Morneau to look into the $41,000 in WE-sponsored travel. July 30: In a rare event, Trudeau testifies before the House of Commons finance committee and lays out when he first learned about WE's involvement in the Canada Student Service Grant program. He says WE Charity didn't receive any preferential treatment in the process. He also says it is now unlikely the grants will be rolled out. Telford also appears before the committee. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2020. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Dongfeng Motor Group Company Limited (Dongfeng Group), a Hong Kong-listed company engaged in auto-related businesses, said on July 27 it intends to file for an initial public offering of RMB ordinary shares and go public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange's ChiNext Market. According to the announcement, Dongfeng Group plans to issue not more than 957 million A shares for the domestic listing with par value of 1 yuan per share. The RMB shares to be issued shall not exceed 10% of the company's issued share capital upon completion of the A share issuance and exclude any possible shares to be issued based on an over-allotment option. (Photo source: Dongfeng Motor's WeChat account) After deducting the issuance expenses, the proceeds of the A share issuance are expected to be used for the premium new energy PV project under its all-new brand VOYAH, the R&D of next-generation automobile and cutting-edge technologies, the construction of digital platforms, and the replenishment of working capital, said Dongfeng Group. (Photo source: Dongfeng Motor's WeChat account) The automaker announced on July 17 its all-new premium EV brand dubbed VOYAH(in Chinese, "Lantu") with the logo unveiled in the meantime. VOYAH, the homophone of blueprint in Chinese, is positioned as a premium smart EV brand that completely eliminates range and charge anxiety for drivers. According to You Zheng, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Motor Corporation (Dongfeng), the newborn brand is fire new in such aspects as strategy, organization mechanism, business model and operational team. Dongfeng said earlier this month it was going to launch in mid-July the "h" brand, namely, VOYAH, that focuses on premium new energy PVs. Dongfeng's "h" business unit was founded in April 2019 for the development of "h" brand. Reportedly, the "h" brand will inherit Dongfeng Renault's Wuhan plant, which will be renovated later. The plant has to-day featured annual capacities of 150,000 complete vehicles and 50,000 engines. The state-owned automaker is operating four self-owned PV brandsFengshen, Fengguang, Fengxing and Venucia, most of which are priced below 150,000 yuan ($21,425). With the consumption upgrading in China's automotive marketing, the share of mid-/high-end vehicles priced between 200,000 yuan ($28,566) and 350,000 yuan ($49,990) is growing rapidly, and this is the only market where Dongfeng's electrification and intelligent connectivity technologies can be developed with a proper cost effectiveness, said You Zheng. Story Highlights Record-high 66% in sub-Saharan Africa lacked money for food in past year 2019 marks the seventh consecutive yearly increase 82% in drought-stricken Zambia said they didn't have enough money for food WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 66% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa reported that there were times in the past year when they did not have enough money for food that they or their family needed. This figure marks a new high in nearly 15 years of World Poll research on the subcontinent and the seventh consecutive year of increases since 2012 when 51% said they had lacked money for food that they or their family needed. Line graph. Trend line showing the percentage of people in sub-Saharan Africa who said they had been unable to afford food that they or their families needed at times in the past year. According to the FAO's 2019 report The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, conflict, drought, climate change and economic downturns have all contributed to the state of increased hunger in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years. This situation will likely be further compounded in 2020 by an economic slowdown resulting from COVID-19 and the worst locust swarms to hit East Africa in 70 years. People are struggling to afford food in all corners of the African subcontinent, with 17 of 35 sub-Saharan African countries surveyed reaching new historical highs or matching previous highs on this measure. Among them are several of Africa's larger economies -- Nigeria (75%), South Africa (63%) and Ethiopia (57%). In Zambia, where the worst drought in a century slowed famed Victoria Falls to a trickle, 82% of adults in 2019 reported not having enough money to buy food, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa and one of eight countries in Africa where at least three in four adults said they lacked money for food. Zimbabwe, once a breadbasket of Africa, is also notable among countries on the subcontinent suffering from the most food hardship. Last year, 81% of Zimbabweans reported they did not have enough money to afford food, but as recently as 2011, 39% said the same. A confluence of weather events and economic mismanagement has contributed to rising food prices in the country, including a doubling in the price of maize, a Zimbabwean staple. Today, the World Food Programme estimates that half of Zimbabwe's 15 million people need food aid. 10 African Countries Where People Are Struggling Most to Afford Food Have there been times in the past 12 months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed? Yes % Zambia 82 Rwanda 81 Zimbabwe 81 Lesotho 78 Sierra Leone 76 Congo Brazzaville 76 Nigeria 75 Guinea 75 Eswatini 74 Gabon 74 2019, ranked by percentage yes Gallup World Poll The gap in the affordability of food between the highest and lowest income groups of Africans has narrowed significantly in recent years. In 2012, there was a 31-percentage point gap on this measure between the region's richest 20% and its poorest 20% (64% vs. 33%). Seven years later, the difference has shrunk to just 14 points (71% vs. 57%), as those in the top income group are now 24 points more likely to say they have lacked money for food in the past 12 months. Line graph. Trend line in the percentage of Africans in the poorest 20% and richest 20% who were struggling to afford food that they or their families needed at times in the past year. Bottom Line Despite relatively weak healthcare systems, sub-Saharan Africa as a whole has largely avoided, so far, the worst of the global coronavirus pandemic. However, it is unlikely to escape the economic fallout, which threatens to exacerbate a food situation already trending in the wrong direction. On June 8, the World Bank forecasted that coronavirus-related economic turmoil could lead to Africa's first recession in 25 years, with growth as low as -2.8%, the lowest on record. While 60% of African workers are estimated to work in agriculture, the subcontinent's own food security remains closely linked to the overall health of global trade. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the number of people living in "acute food insecurity" could more than double in Africa this year, according to World Food Programme projections. This major global crisis comes at a particularly difficult time, on the heels of seven years of consistent increases in Africans' inability to buy food. As African governments maintain little fiscal ability to soften the economic blow of coronavirus in their own countries, international efforts to renegotiate African debt and maintain open trade may prove nearly as key as the international community's ability to rally food aid. Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works. I indicated that one of the reasons for the creation of the new Regions was to accelerate the process of development to all parts of the country. So, you can understand my excitement at the commencement of the Damongo Water Supply Project, because the pledge of extending development to all parts of Ghana is unfolding. These were the words of President Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, 29th July, 2020, when he cut the sod for the construction of the Damongo Water Supply Project. The existing Damongo Water Supply System is based on water abstraction from an irrigation dam. However, since 2005, the plant has not been in operation due to siltation issues, resulting from unfavourable climatic conditions. This situation has, thus, led to inhabitants of Damongo having to resort to private hand-dug wells and boreholes fitted with hand pumps for their water needs. In recognition of these difficulties, as well as the result of population growth and the new status of Damongo as the capital of the Savannah Region, Government has decided to provide a befitting Water Supply System to ensure the supply of reliable potable water to meet the water demands of Damongo and its environs, for the rapid development of the Savannah Region, he said. The President continued, Government has secured a credit facility of forty-nine million United States dollars (US$49,000,000.00) from the UK Export Finance and Deutsche Bank AG. The construction of the Water Supply System, he explained, is aimed at meeting the water demands for Damongo and its surrounding communities until 2040, in line with Government Policy, with the Water Supply System projected to serve a population of some 68,000 people, with an expected average water demand of about eight thousand, eight hundred cubic metres per day. The Project, upon completion, will, in addition to the Damongo township, supply potable water to the following communities: Yipala, Banyasi, Ntereso, Fulfoso, Sumpini, Busunu, Kebiesu, Tailorpe, Alhassan Kura, Jonokponto, Achubunyo, Soalepe, Canteen, Frafra Settlement No.3, Boroto, and Nabori. President Akufo-Addo was confident that the project will help alleviate poverty, and improve the living standards of the beneficiary communities, as the Region can boast of key tourist attractions such as the Mole National Park, Larabanga Mosque and the Mystic Stone. I entreat the beneficiary communities to help guarantee the sustainability and protection of this infrastructure. Government will continue to provide socio-economic infrastructure across the country, so that all Ghanaians can fulfill the dreams and aspirations of our forebears, who envisioned us to be a free, democratic, prosperous and happy Ghana, he added. With the Damongo Water Project being in line with Governments agenda of providing Water For All, the President assured that Government will not relent in its efforts at delivering on this agenda. Thus far, the following water projects are underway, in response to the rising demand for water in the underlisted areas Yendi Water Supply Project in the Northern Region; Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area Water Supply Project in the Ashanti Region; Kpong Phase II in the Eastern Region; Tarkwa Water Supply Project in the Western Region; Sekondi Takoradi Water Supply Project in the Western Region; Keta Water Supply Project in the Volta Region; Techiman Water Supply Project in the Bono East Region; Sunyani Water Supply Project in the Bono Region; Wenchi Water Supply Project in the Bono Region; and Assin Fosu Water Supply Project in the Central Region. The Damongo Water Project will ensure that improved water supply, in terms of quality, quantity and reliability, is easily accessible to the people of Damongo and surrounding communities I urge the contractor, the renowned Biwater International Limited, to complete this project on schedule, and help deliver potable water to the beneficiary towns and communities, he emphasised. After losing their jobs in the pandemic, now thousands of Houstonians face the possibility of also losing their homes through eviction in August, resulting in a punishing double strike to Texas families. For millions of Americans, the CARES Act helped grant federal protection from eviction during the pandemic. But that federal protection ended on last Friday, July 24, and it's left hundreds of thousands of Texans without a safety net. According to a Census survey, forty percent of Texas renters said they were unsure if they could make August's rent. Several Texas cities have passed ordinances to provide some sort of relief to tenants who fail to pay rent. A Dallas ordinance now requires landlords to give tenants 60 days to pay the rent, but Houston doesn't yet have a similar ordinance for renters. Housing advocates have asked Mayor Turner to put an eviction grace period ordinance on the city council's agenda for Houstonians who can't make August rent. That grace period hasn't happened. I am concerned that a moratorium does not remove the financial obligation and increases the hole people would have to dig themselves out from under," Mayor Turner said through spokesperson Mary Benton in a report by the Houston Chronicle. WAITING FOR NEXT CHECK: When will my next stimulus check arrive? It's estimated that if there's not relief for renters soon, Houston will face a serious housing and homelessness crisis, said Managing Attorney for Lone Star Legal Aid's Jon-Ross Trevino. "With the end of the CARES Act, a lot of households were relying on that money to pay household expenses and rent," Trevino said. "Now that money has slowly started to run out. They're struggling to pay their bills." Trevino said that on July 25, the day after the federal protection for tenants ended, Lone Star Legal Aid received 1,358 applications for eviction help. According to Lone Star Legal Aid, the agency saw a 23 percent jump in eviction applications from the same date last year--from January 1 to July 25. "This is a huge issue for Houston. We're in the middle of a public health crisis. It's just going to turn into a housing crisis," Trevino said. "When everyone should be listening to public health officials and staying home, now they're continuing with eviction proceedings." What is now a sobering reality for Trevino is what could happen next to Houston renters left without a place to call home in the middle of a pandemic. "I'm worried about the situation where individuals will be if they get evicted," Trevino said. "If they don't have family structure when they get evicted, they won't have anywhere else to go. When they get evicted, they'll have to live in their cars or they'll have to live on street." NO PLACE TO GO: Texas renters unsure if they can make their next rent payment Shelters are not necessarily the answer for Houstonians looking for a place to land after an eviction, Trevino added. "What I'm hearing from people is that the shelters are full or they're not taking people," Trevino added. "They'll have to take less people or they're not open. It's extremely difficult for people to land another place. Landlords are requiring something like two months deposit plus a credit check. For individuals who are already struggling to pay their rent, to have to come up with that money on top of everything else that's going on, obviously they're struggling to do that." Trevino said he's more concerned about what's coming up in August now that the CARES Act help has gone away. "I'm not normally an alarmist," Trevino said. " This is an unprecedented situation. This is something we've never seen before. The normal consequences are that they'll be homeless, but there are health implications with coronavirus. They will be more exposed. It raises the stakes." Trevino said that if you do receive a notice to vacate, act quickly to fight the eviction. "If a tenant finds themselves in an eviction situation, act as quickly as possible," Trevino said. "The eviction process is extremely fast and unforgiving. They should know their rights before they do anything. This is nothing that you should be going through alone." Trevino is encouraging all Houstonians who are facing eviction or struggling to pay rent to discuss this with Lonestar Legal Aid and potentially go to the online application process for assistance. "Tenants are sometimes getting locked out by landlords or getting their electricity shut off," Trevino added. "It becomes an unlivable situation. We've been filing lawsuits to get their power back and fight for their legal rights." alison.medley@chron.com by Nirmala Carvalho The young womans family and ancestors have been protecting nature for a long time. She feels that the lived experience which I have and the education which I have pursued along with research work has enabled me to understand the role of indigenous communities in combating climate crisis and I feel it is us youth who have to be the front-liners for climate action. Mumbai (AsiaNews) United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Archana Soreng, a young tribal Catholic woman from Sundergarh (Odisha), to a new Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. The young woman, who is passionate about indigenous issues and climate change, will work together with other young leaders to provide advice and suggestions as to how to address the worsening climate crisis during COVID-19. Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar visited Archana Soreng this morning. In a statement that acknowledged that Climate change and global warming has become a burning issue of the day in the present situation, the prelate congratulated the young Catholic woman from Sundargarh district, for her appointment by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to his new advisory group comprising seven young climate leaders from around the world who will provide perspectives, ideas and solutions to tackle the worsening climate crisis. Soreng, the archbishop noted, is the former national convenor of the Tribal Commission at Adivasi Yuva Chetna Manch, All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF). As a student she has shown leadership in given situations. I am hopeful she will do well, taking Indian climate issues at UN level. I wish her all the success as a promoter of traditional knowledge and practices and contribute to global efforts on climate change. Archana Soreng spoke to AsiaNews about herself. My family and ancestors have been protecting nature and the forest through traditional knowledge and practices. My own father practised indigenous medicinal practices. For this reason, I feel [that] the lived experience which I have and the education which I have pursued along with research work has enabled me to understand the role of indigenous communities in combating climate crisis and I feel it is us youth who have to be the front-liners for climate action. Indigenous communities have been protecting their forest and nature through their community-led forest protection committees with the help of their traditional knowledge and practices. If we talk about plastic pollution, community members have alternate ways [. . .] such as using leaf plates, carpets made out of the date leaves, also using cow dung for mopping the floor. Even in terms of preventing forest fires, they have been going in the forest, especially in summer, making forest lines using their sickles, among the dried leaves to prevent forest fire. Even if the forest fire starts, they collectively stop it. With respect to water scarcity they have used their traditional knowledge and practices for water rejuvenation. Currently, Archana is in Odisha, working as research officer in Vasundhara, an action research and policy advocacy organisation, working on natural resource governance, tribal rights and climate change. I have been working on documentation preservation and on the promotion of traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous communities [. . .] in combating the climate crisis. To save his wife's life who suffered more than 70 per cent burns and was also infected with COVID, a Jamalpur man went on a 2,740 kilometre journey during the lockdown to get skin for her graft procedure. Misbah Kharawala, 23, was making tea at her house when her clothes caught fire. She suffered severe injuries and burns. She was rushed to hospital amid severe injuries. The doctors told the family that it is highly unlikely that Misbah, who is also coronavirus positive, could survive 71 per cent burns. Since Gujarat has no skin bank, her husband Faisal Kharawala travelled to a skin bank in Belgaum 1,370 in Karnataka, and brought back the graft material before sepsis hit Misbah. Doctors were worried because the coronavirus had lowered the chances of Misbah surviving the burn injuries. BCCL According to a report in The Time of India, during Ramzan, Misbah, 23, suffered burns in her kitchen while she was brewing tea for the family on May 9. Within moments, she was fighting for her life. Frantic calls were made that night as hospitals refused to admit her since she came from Jamalpur, a containment zone. Finally, a bed was arranged for Misbah at LG Hospital. Another tragedy struck the couple two days later when Misbah tested positive for COVID and had to be shifted to SVP Hospital. I was from Jamalpur so no hospital wanted to admit me. Finally our constituencys MLA Imran Khedawala managed to secure a bed at LG Hospital, Misbah told TOI. Misbah recovered from COVID by May 14. The skin reached us at 7am on June 17 and within one hour Misbah underwent her first surgery with combined application of autograft and homograft, Dr Bhatia told TOI. On July 4, she received an autograft. Qualcomm cited the delay in iPhone 12 5G as one of the reasons for lowering the sales projections for the next quarter. Heres everything you need to know. You may have to wait longer for 5G iPhones this year. Apples new chip partner Qualcomm in its Q3 earnings report has hinted at the same. The chipmaker cited the delay of a global 5G flagship phone launch as one of the reasons for lowering fiscal fourth-quarter earnings projections. The 5G flagship phone here is widely assumed to be the iPhone 12. TheVerge pointed out that Apples iPhone 12 is the only big enough smartphone that required Qualcomm to disclose the material impact in the report. It further said that Apple is the only big brand left to release a flagship phone this year. The company typically releases its iPhones in September. "We're seeing a partial impact from the delay of a flagship phone launch. And so what we've seen is a slight delay that pushes some of the units out from the September quarter to the December quarter for us," Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala told Reuters in an interview. Qualcomms new report also corroborates recent rumours that Apple may delay its 5G iPhones. The company is said to have been grappling with the Covid-19 disruptions such as production slowdowns. The launch event, however, may go as per schedule with a focus on the LTE models. In case you did not know, Apple and Qualcomm just last year called a truce to reach a $4.5 billion settlement. The agreement is likely to help Apple get back in the 5G race currently led by the likes of Samsung and Huawei. The agreement also helps Apple buy some time before it begins to develop its mobile chips. Apple last year acquired Intels smartphone modem business for $1 billion. Already, the company has started making inroads for an in-house chip with Apple silicon. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the move will help the National Capital's economy recover from the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic The Delhi government reduced the Value-Added Tax on diesel by almost half on Thursday, which will result in a relief of Rs 8.36 a litre to consumers, saying the move will help the city's economy recover from the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the reduction in VAT from 30 percent to 16.75 percent during a virtual press briefing and said traders and industrialists had demanded it. The diesel price will now come down from Rs 82 to Rs 73.64 in Delhi, he added. In May, Delhi government had increased VAT on petrol and diesel to 30 percent each, leading to an increase of Rs 1.67 and Rs 7.10 in the prices of the two fuels, respectively. Kejriwal said reviving the economy is a serious challenge but it will be achieved together with the two crore people of Delhi, like they have helped in bringing the virus under control. "The traders, industrialists and people had demanded that VAT on diesel be lowered as it was causing distress to them. I think this decision will help in giving a push to Delhi's economy. I appeal the traders, shopkeepers and industrialists to open their establishments but maintain precaution. Together we will bring Delhi's economy back on tracks," he said. The chief minister said he will virtually interact with industrialists and traders in the coming days to understand their problems so that additional efforts are made to solve them. The Delhi government in the past one week took several steps, like allowing street vendors and hawkers and launched a jobs portal, to revive the economy of the city, he said. The jobs portal has received a massive response and 7,577 employers have registered on it to offer over two lakh jobs, Kejriwal said. More than 3.20 lakh job-seekers have also registered on the portal, he added. China reported 101 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the highest since April, according to the national health commission (NHC) on Wednesday, as Beijing is expanding nucleic acid testing and contact tracing for new clusters mushrooming in various cities. Fear also gripped Hong Kong, which is in the spotlight of a US-China tussle these days, whose leader Carrie Lam warned that the city is on the brink of a large-scale outbreak of the coronavirus and urged people to stay indoors as much as possible. Lam said, We are on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives. I appeal to you to strictly follow social distancing measures and stay at home. In China, 89 cases were reported from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in a record single-day spike. It took the total number of infections in the province to more than 320. Also on Wednesday, the BBC reported that US attorney general William Barr will undergo a Covid-19 test since he had recently come into contact with Texan Republican congressman Louie Gohmert, who has tested positive. Barr had reportedly met Gohmert while testifying before the House judiciary panel on Tuesday. Coronavirus deaths in the US rose by more than 1,200 on Tuesday, the biggest one-day increase since May. California and Florida reported a one-day record spike in deaths on Tuesday, together accounting for 362 of the 1,227 new fatalities. US President Donald Trump issued a stout defence of the antimalarial drug HCQ as treatment for Covid-19, hours after social media companies took down videos promoting its use as misinformation. In Saudi Arabia, Muslims began the hajj on Wednesday, circling Islams holiest site along socially-distanced paths in this years downsized pilgrimage. Richmond Times-Dispatch RICHMOND With Congress preparing to debate relaxing restrictions on emergency aid to state and local governments, Gov. Ralph Northam is sending almost $645 million in federal funds to localities to help them weather the coronavirus crisis and its economic repercussions. The money is the second half of the $1.3 billion in federal aid under the CARES Act that Virginia is allocating for local governments to use under current rules that limit spending to expenses directly related to combating the spread of COVID-19. The state distributed $644.6 million to localities in early June, based on population. Together, the allocations represent 45% of the $3.1 billion Virginia received from the federal government last spring with the recommendation that it use at least 15% of the money to help localities. Only Fairfax County, with more than 1 million people, received a $200 million payment directly from the federal government under the CARES Act. We are giving them almost half of Virginias entire allocation, Northam said Tuesday. Thats a big deal. However, the governor also challenged local governments to step up and use their share of the money to help entities within their borders to cope with the COVID-19 emergency. This money will help them do the things that we all want to see from rent assistance and eviction protection, to food security, to [personal protective equipment], and tools to help educate children, he said. Northam said the state will require localities to be accountable for how they spend money to make sure this gets done the right way. Congress is girding for negotiations over a new stimulus relief package that, at a minimum, appears likely to give state and local governments some of the flexibility they have sought to use the money to compensate for lost tax revenues, including taxes on sales, meals and lodging, and event admissions local governments rely upon to reduce pressure on property taxes. We have been begging them for flexibility, so thats good, Senate Finance and Appropriations Chairwoman Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, said Tuesday. But we also have to have more money. They are just not being realistic about the needs of the people of this country, Howell said. The $1 trillion HEALS Act that Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate introduced on Monday does not include any additional money for state and local governments, only loosened rules for using the $150 billion reserved for them in the CARES Act. In contrast, Democrats in the House of Representatives included an additional $1 trillion for state and local governments in the HEROES Act adopted more than two months ago, or about one-third of the $3 trillion legislative package. Virginia has obligated about $500 million of the $1.8 billion in federal aid it received under the CARES Act for its expenses in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, primarily for COVID-19 testing and contract tracing of positive cases, as well as protective gear for health care and public safety workers and a Medicaid stipend for nursing homes to use to pay staff. The state also has used about $91 million of the federal money to pay additional expenses of state agencies in dealing with the health and economic crises. Northam also has reserved $50 million for mortgage and rental housing relief and $70 million for a new grant program for small businesses that he announced Monday. State officials said local governments have borne the brunt of a sharp decline in consumer spending that has reduced sales tax revenues, as well as tax revenue from food and beverages, lodgings and admissions that has disappeared because of the near shutdown of the states hospitality industry. What Im hearing from local governments is theyre desperate for the money and they feel that doing it on population is a fair way to go, Howell said. Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne said the states decision to allocate the money based on population will help all localities, especially if Congress loosens the rules on how they can spend it. However, the state will require local governments to certify that they will abide by federal restrictions on how the money can be used, and complete an online survey to report how they have spent the money distributed to them last month and how they plan to use funds in the second round. Localities will have until Aug. 10 to complete the certification and survey, and the state will send the money within five business days of receiving the information. The whole idea is to be accountable, Layne said. Its also to use the money in the best way. House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, said the distribution of money to localities is going to be very helpful. Torian said Congress also can help state and local governments as it considers the next emergency relief package. Im not sure if they are going to provide us more new resources, he said. If not, I hope they provide us some flexibility. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced it is canceling the fall portion of its upcoming season because of continued concerns about coronavirus and will make a decision about the winter and spring periods of its 2020-2021 season by the end of this calendar year. The fall period included 37 concerts and 14 programs scheduled at Symphony Hall from Sept. 16 to Nov. 28, according to a statement issued Thursday. It is heartbreaking for all of us associated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to continue to put the live concert experience on hold while the COVID-19 pandemic runs its course, Mark Volpe, the CEO of the orchestra said in a statement. During these difficult times, we look to the orchestras past and find great inspiration in its 139-year legacy and its enduring spirit through the many historic upheavals of the 20th century, including two World Wars and the Great Depression. The BSO, with the support of its devoted donors and subscribers, has a tried-and-true track record for overcoming difficult times and we are determined to get to the other side of this pandemic as well. We wish the very same for all who are affected by the COVID-19 health crisis. With fall performances canceled, the BSO said it will create online content inspired by the success of BSO at Home and the Tanglewood 2020 online festival, which generated 13 million interactions on its website and social media since March 23. Details about online programs are slated to be released in September. It is so important to continue to persevere and keep hope in our hearts, even though it will be longer than we had imagined before we are able to return to live performances with our cherished BSO, Music Director Andris Nelsons said in a statement. Although there is no substitute for the live concert experience and being together with the wonderful BSO musicians and our loyal audience membersand hearing the glorious music-making of the BSO in Symphony HallI hope this online offering, along with the one we are creating for our dear BSO fans this fall, will help support and bring light to our community during a time of loss. I am committed to staying focused on a time when we will all be together againappreciating our music community on a whole new level due to the long period of absence from each others company. The BSO said it will suspend all patron subscriptions for the upcoming season and will contact ticket buyers in September about options for suspending subscriptions, including ticket donations, credits and refunds. If live concerts return in the winter or spring, subscribers will get priority for purchasing tickets. Subscriber seats will be held for the 2021-2022 season, the BSO said. Related Content: By PTI KATHMANDU: The Nepal government on Thursday resumed the mountaineering activities five months after they were halted due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official has said. The government has opened mountain peaks for climbers and has started issuing climbing permissions. "The cabinet meeting ten days ago decided to resume the mountaineering activities and the decision is being implemented from Thursday," Meera Acharya, director at Department of Tourism, told PTI. She said now mountains are open for this year's autumn season and the permissions will be issued to the interested climbers. However, the government is still discussing the modality of quarantine for international visitors, coming for mountaineering activities, she informed. "We have not yet received specific instructions from the ministry regarding the matter." Mountaineering activities could not take place in the spring season as climbing permission was put into halt after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal has so far reported 19,547 cases of coronavirus with 52 deaths, according to local media. Nepal has also lifted a three-month-long lockdown, allowing most of the services to resume operation, though the Health Ministry has asked people to maintain social distancing and hand hygiene in public places as precautionary measures. Hotels, trekking and mountaineering services have also come into operation, though the regular international air services will remain closed till August 16. Tourism and mountaineering are among the man sources of revenue for the Nepal government. Last year, Nepal issued a record 381 permits for Mount Everest costing USD 11,000 each. In a major development on Thursday in the case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, the Bihar government has hired Indias former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi to oppose Bollywood actress Rhea Chakrabortys interim prayer that the probe by the states police be stayed till the Supreme Court decides her plea on transfer of investigation from Bihar to Mumbai. Principal additional advocate general, Bihar, Lalit Kishore confirmed that Nitish Kumars government is set to oppose Rhea Chakrabortys plea before the top court and support Sushants family in the case. The caveat has already been filed, he said. Soon after Rhea moved the Supreme Court, Sushant Singhs family filed a caveat seeking that her petition not be allowed to be heard ex-parte in their counter-petition. The familys lawyer Vikas Singh will be present in the court for the proceedings. Caveat is a type of petition filed to pre-empt any ex-parte order on the plea filed by opposite side. Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused of abetting Sushants suicide, moved the apex court on Wednesday pleading for the transfer of the investigation from Bihar to Mumbai, as the investigation in Mumbai was still pending. Following pressure by Sushants family members, the Bihar government is also likely to recommend a CBI probe into the mysterious suicide of the actor. Officials at the state police headquarters said he police was already investigating the case, but the government might recommend a CBI inquiry into the matter in following the demand of the bereaved family members. Officials said a four-member Patna police team has made progress in the case and had extensively interrogated six members including cook of the actor. The official said that Bihar government had the right to recommend a CBI probe. The government is waiting for the return of police team from Mumbai after collecting evidences. The Patna police team also visited Kotak Banks Bandra West branch in Mumbai where the late actor had an account. The visit of the Patna police team has caused friction with Maharastra with the states minister of state for home Shambhuraj Desai alleging that Bihar policemen did not follow protocol. Whenever a police team from a state visits another state for investigation, there are some protocols which are to be followed. These were not followed, Desai told a news channel. But Central Range IG (Bihar) Sanjay Singh told HT that the Patna police team left Bihar following his order and informed Mumbai police when team arrived there. Y V Giri, a senior advocate in the Patna high court said that if Sushants family moves the SC for a CBI probe, court will hear the plea and recommend the probe. He said if state government wants to transfer the matter to the CBI, it can also do so legally. Another senior advocate Yogesh Chandra Verma told reporters said that Bihar government is well within the right to recommend a CBI probe. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has asked Bihar police to give the copy of the FIR registered by it. The ED is likely to probe into the alleged money laundering angle in the sensational case. Reports had claimed that the actors father in his complaint had mentioned that around 15 crore was transferred to various unknown accounts from Sushants bank account. The central probe agency has stepped in to probe the alleged financial irregularities in the late Bollywood actors two companies Vividrage Rheality and Front India for World Foundation. Rhea and her brother Showik are the directors in the first company. Showik is also a director in the second one. WASHINGTON President Donald Trump, lagging in the polls and confronted by fresh evidence of an economic collapse and an escalating public health crisis, on Thursday suggested delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election as he pushed unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic will result in fraud. It was the first time Trump publicly raised the idea of pushing back the balloting. Shifting the election is virtually impossible, but the mere suggestion of delay was extraordinary in a nation that has held itself up as a beacon to the world for its history of peaceful transfer of power, including during the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II and marked another bracing attempt by Trump to undermine confidence in the American political system. The date of the presidential election the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year is enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change, including agreement from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. Regardless, the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay in the end of Trump's term noon on Jan. 20, 2021. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," Trump tweeted Thursday. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Trump's tweet came just minutes after the government reported that the U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9% annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7%. With just over three months until Election Day, Trump trails in the polls nationally and across battleground states, and some surveys even suggest traditionally Republican-leaning states could be in play. While Trump has come back before after trailing consistently in the polls throughout 2016, the survey data has raised the possibility that he could face a landslide loss if he doesn't turn things around. Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on November's election and the expected pandemic-induced surge in mail-in and absentee voting. He has called remote voting options the "biggest risk" to his reelection. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the GOP. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting, even in states where all votes are mailed in. Five states already rely exclusively on mail-in ballots, and they say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor doesn't disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that all forms of voter fraud are rare, including absentee balloting. One Republican governor, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, quickly shot down Trump's idea: "Make no mistake: the election will happen in New Hampshire on November 3rd. End of story. Our voting system in NH is secure, safe, and reliable. We have done it right 100% of the time for 100 years this year will be no different." Hogan Gidley, the Trump campaign's national press secretary, pointed to the delays in counting votes in New York's primary. "The President is just raising a question about the chaos Democrats have created with their insistence on all mail-in voting. They are using coronavirus as their means to try to institute universal mail-in voting, which means sending every registered voter a ballot whether they asked for one or not. " Trump refused in an interview just weeks ago with Fox News to commit to accept the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote. "I have to see. Look ... I have to see," Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on "Fox News Sunday." "No, I'm not going to just say 'yes.' I'm not going to say 'no,' and I didn't last time, either." Trump and many members of his administration have previously availed themselves of absentee voting, but Trump has sought to differentiate that from a growing push by states to mail all registered voters either ballots or absentee request forms. Most states are still finalizing their plans for November, although California has announced plans to send ballots to all registered voters for the fall election along with having in-person voting options available. A small number of states also sent ballots to voters during the primaries, but most states are not expected to do so in November. Instead, voters will have to request an absentee ballot if they want to vote at home. Voters and public health officials have expressed concerns about the potential dangers for spreading the virus during in-person voting, and states have reported difficulty filling poll worker positions given the pandemic. Trump's stated concern for poll safety defies his otherwise aggressive push to "reopen" the nation from partial shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus, even as rising confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths have pushed the U.S. to the top of the list for the world outbreak. "He has absolutely no power to do this," said Wendy Weiser, director of the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's Law School. "And Congress is not going to vote to change the statute that has governed for decades and decades when and how we hold elections. This is just sowing chaos." Last month, Trump told supporters in Arizona that "This will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country." There appears to be next-to-no appetite in the Capitol for a change to the Nov. 3 election. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi replied to Trump's tweet by tweeting a quote from the Constitution assigning Congress the power to set the timing of elections. Democrats have pushed to include billions of dollars in the next coronavirus relief bill to fund election security and accessibility improvements for this year's vote, but Trump and Republicans have so far resisted those efforts. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not respond to questions about Trump's tweet on the way to the Senate floor Thursday morning. Just months ago, in April, Trump had ruled out the prospect of trying to change the election. "I never even thought of changing the date of the election," he said. "Why would I do that? November 3rd. It's a good number. No, I look forward to that election." "I'm not thinking about it at all," he added. "Not at all." And in March, Trump opposed moves by several states to delay their presidential primaries because of the coronavirus. Attorney General William Barr, speaking to a House committee earlier this week, claimed there was "a high risk" that mail-in voting would lead to "massive" fraud. He said he had no "reason to think" the upcoming election would be rigged. But he said he believed "if you have wholesale mail-in voting, it substantially increases the risk of fraud." Rep. Cedric Richmond, D.-La., asked Barr at the hearing whether a sitting U.S. president could move the election date. Barr responded: "Actually, I haven't looked into that question under the Constitution." A former Nigerian attorney-general and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke, has given the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, seven days ultimatum to retract alleged defamatory statements made against him. Mr Adoke issued the ultimatum on Wednesday through his lawyers led by Paul Erokoro, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The alleged defamatory statements were made at the ongoing hearing of the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) arbitration case in England. Mr Adoke also asked Mr Malami to tender a public apology for making statements which he knew to be untrue and defamatory against his person. Mr Erokoro said Mr Malamis statements were not true and have negatively affected Mr Adokes image because the court proceedings were on live television in Nigeria and on social media around the world. SEE FULL LETTER BELOW. PAUL EROKORO & Co Legal Practitioners, Arbitrators and Notaries Public No. 7B, Suez Crescent, Ibrahim Abacha Estate, Wuse Zone 4. Abuja 28th July, 2020 Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, Hon Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice Headquarters, Abuja. Sir, FALSE EVIDENCE ABOUT MR. MOHAMMED BELLO ADOKE, SAN, IN THE P&ID CASE BEING HEARD IN ENGLAND We act for Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation, hereinafter referred to as our client or as Mr. Adoke. We have our clients instructions to write to you and firmly protest the numerous, untrue and defamatory statements that you made of and concerning our client in the Witness Statements that you filed at the High Court of Justice of England and Wales in Claims No. CL 2018-000182 and 2019-000752 (the proceedings between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID)). Our client had earlier protested to you in person and now wishes to formalize his protest and demand redress. Background On the 13th day of July, 2020, counsel to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while presenting the governments case during a virtual hearing at the High Court in England, repeatedly described our client as corrupt and cited your written evidence as his source. The court proceedings were on live television in Nigeria and on social media around the world. Newspapers also gave prominent coverage to the defamatory words attributed to you. Our client has now obtained copies of your witness statements and found to his shock that you actually swore to the offending words in several paragraphs of your 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th witness statements filed on the 5th December, 2019, 22nd January, 2020, 6th March, 2020, and 8th June, 2020, respectively. The following are some of the untrue statements that you made about our client: a. In paragraph 11.4 of your Fourth Witness Statement: there is good reason to believe that Ministers at the highest level were involved in a corrupt scheme to steal money from Nigeria by entering into the contract which is the subject of these proceedings and failing properly to defend the subsequent arbitral proceedings. READ ALSO: b. In paragraph 23 of your Fourth Witness statement: Until the arrival of President Buhari in 2015, a continuing feature of corruption in Nigeria was the involvement of Government officials at the very highest level. The OPL 245 case before the English High Court provides a good example of this: 23.1 The Attorney General of Nigeria made representations to Mr Justice David Steel in the English Commercial Court that the Nigerian Government approved the release from an English freezing injunction of a balance of US1 billion in a depository account held with JP Morgan. Advertisements 23.2 Following that release, those sums were paid to Malabu, a company controlled by former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Daniel Etete, and furthermore, in a substantial part found their way to, and personally benefited, the Attorney General at the time who had made the representations to the English Court and President Goodluck Jonathan. The most senior people in the Nigerian Government were therefore involved in the fraud, and willing to mislead the English Court, to effect it. C. In paragraph 24.4 of your Fourth Witness Statement: The OPL 245 case involved large-scale corruption and fraud at the highest levels of Nigerian government. In addition to the English proceedings mentioned above, the EFCC has brought charges against the former Nigerian officials and the major oil companies involved in the OPL 245 deal. This includes Former Justice Minister Mohammed Adoke who has been charged by the EFCC with corruption and money laundering for receiving funds as payment for the negotiations he allegedly brokered between Shell, Eni and Malabu for OPL 245 In 2017, Italian prosecutors in Milan also brought charges against executives from Shell and Eni on international corruption charges, and their prosecution is ongoing. d. In paragraph 19.3 of your Sixth witness statement: The Arbitration was thinly defended by the MPR, with a view to ensuring an award in P&IDs favour: 19.3.1 The Arbitration was conducted on the direct instructions of the Attorney General at the time, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, who is heavily implicated in the OPL 245 case (referred to at paragraph 23 of my Fifth Witness Statement), one of the highest level corruption cases in Nigerian history. 19.3.2 Mr Adoke hand-picked the defense team for the Arbitration, and then proceeded to run the Arbitration without any apparent oversight or involvement from individuals within the MPR. e. In paragraph 105.1 of your Sixth Witness Statement: When the Arbitration was commenced in 2012, FRNs legal team was selected under the instructions of the Attorney General at that time, Mr. Adoke, who is heavily implicated in the OPL 245 case, one of the largest scale corruption cases in Nigerian history. He hand-picked FRNs defense team for the Arbitration, ignoring the suggestions of the Legal Director to the MPR. Thereafter, the day to day conduct of the case was handled by the MPR. f. In paragraph 105.4 of your Sixth Witness Statement: Twenty Marina, on the instructions of Mr Adoke, defended the Arbitration so poorly that P&ID BVI were able to obtain the Awards in respect of jurisdiction and liability without any significant resistance. In particular: 105.4.6 Twenty Marina consistently failed to obtain instructions from Mr Adoke in sufficient time to make submissions at case management hearings, which led to a number of adverse case management decisions being made against MPR. ir Sixth Witness Statement: Mr Adoke, who is implicated in large-scale corruption, selected FRNs external counsel and arbitrator against recommendations. h. In paragraph 114.2 of your Sixth Witness Statement: In December 2010, Mr Adoke communicated to Mr Armanna the corrupt payments required to re-allocate the OPL 245 license to Eni and Shell, namely a payment of US$1,092,040,000 to Mr Etete together with a signature bonus of US$207,960,000. i. In paragraph 114.4 of your Sixth Witness Statement: Mr Etete retained US$250 million for his personal benefit, and used the balance of funds transferred from the escrow account to remunerate Mr Adoke as well as a number of other individuals within the Nigerian Administration that had facilitated the deal. j. In paragraph 115.6.3 of your Sixth Witness Statement; In the context of the known fraudulent activity surrounding the GSPA and the Arbitration, and in particular P&IDs Nigeria attempts to buy influence within the MPRs legal team, FRN is treating the activities of Mr Adoke and Mr Shasore as highly suspicious. When considered in the context of the thinly defended arbitration described below, FRN considers that this pattern is consistent with the fraudulent procurement of the Final Award by P&ID BVI. Our client protests the above assertions in your said witness statements and asserts that the quoted parts of your evidence are, to your personal knowledge, untrue, for the following reasons: In paragraph 21 of your Fourth Witness Statement, you acknowledged that the President is vested with all the executive powers of the Federation under section 5(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the FRN as amended and he may choose to exercise these executive powers either directly, through the Vice President or through Ministers of the Government of the Federation or other officers of the public service of the Federation. 2. In your letter of 20th September, 2017, addressed to the Acting Chairman of EFCC, you had explicitly adviced that a review of the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement did not disclose a case against Mr. Adoke. In effect, you had, as Attorney-General, exonerated Mr. Adoke of any wrongdoing in relation to the OPL 245 settlement agreements, contrary to your evidence in the English Court. 3. In its judgment in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/446/2017 (Mohammed Bello Adoke V. Attorney-General of the Federation), the Federal High Court of Nigeria agreed with your legal advice and declared that Mr. Adoke could not be personally responsible or liable for the actions that he took as Attorney-General of the Federation in relation to the OPL 245 settlement agreements as he was merely executing the instructions of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That judgment was delivered during your tenure as Attorney-General and there was no appeal. 4. You are aware that the President at the material time, Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan, whose orders Mr. Adoke carried out, has not been charged with any offence, despite extensive investigations by your administration. 5. You are aware that the Prosecutor in the Italian criminal proceedings that you referred to in your evidence had been severely criticized for attempting to conceal the fact that the N300 million that Mr. Adoke is alleged to have received from Malabu Oil was in fact a loan that he had taken from Unity Bank PLC, to buy a house. When he could not raise the balance of the purchase price, the vendor sold the house to the Central Bank of Nigeria and Mr. Adoke had to pay back the loan. Unity Bank Plc and the Central Bank have confirmed these facts and furnished your office with documentary evidence of the loan and purchase transactions. 6. At the same time as you were characterizing our client as a corrupt villain, you were also urging his truthfulness on the English Court. In paragraph 11 of your Fifth Witness Statement, you relied on the truth of Mr. Adokes statement to the EFCC to impugn the credibility of Ms. Grace Taiga. How can Mr. Adoke be honourable and dishonourable at the same time? 7. In paragraph 26 of your fifth Witness Statement, you admitted that / have not seen any direct evidence implicating Mr. Adoke in the P & ID fraud . You added that investigations are ongoing. As investigations were ongoing, there was no legal or moral basis for you to label our client as corrupt. 8. You admitted in paragraph 11.5.3 of your Sixth Witness Statement that Mr. Adoke refused a gift of money from the lawyer that he had appointed to conduct the arbitration. Yet, instead of lauding him, you accused him of being corrupt. 9. In paragraph 31 of your Fifth Witness Statement and in several other parts of your evidence, you criticized the sitting Attorney-General for exercising his statutory and constitutional powers to appoint a lawyer to represent the government. According to your evidence, the Attorney-General must accept the recommendation of his staff, in this case, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Petroleum. Meanwhile in paragraph 19.3.3 of your Sixth Witness Statement, you referred to evidence that the same Mr. Dikko had collected a bribe from P&ID associated companies. In the light of your accusation against Mr. Dikko, Mr. Adoke ought to be commended for his good judgment and prescience when he refused Mr. Dikkos recommendation. 10. While accusing Mr. Adoke of corruption for having single-handedly appointed Mr. Shasore as Counsel, you admitted in paragraph 163 of your Sixth Witness Statement that you also single-handedly appointed Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, to replace Mr. Shasore. Our client notes that you have not accused yourself of corruption in that regard. Our client is astounded by your failure to inform the English court that under Nigerian law, any person charged with or accused of a crime MUST be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Rather, you pronounced our client guilty, even when you were fully aware that his trial had not even commenced. The Attorney-Generals oath of office includes an undertaking to protect and defend the Nigerian Constitution. The constitutional right to fair trial is severely breached when the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria urges the court of a foreign jurisdiction to regard and even pronounce a Nigerian guilty of an offence without a trial. It was your unfortunate and wrongful pronouncement of guilt on our client that emboldened the FRNs counsel in England to tell the whole world that our client is corrupt. This has done incalculable harm to our clients name, reputation and standing in society. Our client will suffer even more harm if the English Court, misled by your evidence, makes an adverse finding against our client. It is for this, among other reasons that the first duty of the Attorney-General and indeed all counsel, is to the Court. Seised as you are of all the facts and Investigation Reports, you are well aware that our client became Attorney-General of the Federation on the 6th day of April, 2010, whereas the negotiations for the Gas project had been on from 2009. It is on record that our client only became aware of the P&ID matter when the Ministry of Petroleum Resources requested in 2013 that he appoint an arbitrator as well as counsel. Our client finds it remarkable that you found no fault in the appointment of the arbitrator but found fault with the appointment of counsel, even though the two appointments followed the same process. For this reason, our client is forced to conclude that your vilification of his name is merely a case of giving the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Our client asserts that even though he appointed Mr. Shasore as counsel, Mr. Shasores legal fees were paid by the administration of President Buhari, long after our client had left office, a fact well known to you. It is also on record that our client was not involved in any of the negotiations with P&ID for settlement, which all took place under your watch. The initial proposal for settlement was delivered to President Jonathan. The President referred the matter to our client for his advice. Our client advised the President to leave the matter to the in-coming administration, since the Presidents tenure was ending in 8 days. You also conceal these facts from the court even though the records have been in your office all along. If our client had been part of any corrupt scheme with P&ID as you claimed in your evidence, surely our client would have jumped at the chance to give P&ID a favourable settlement. Please note in this regard that the Final Award was issued in July 2015, months after our client had left office. Your evidence was therefore unfair and uncharitable to our client because you are aware that all the attempts at settlement with P&ID took place under your tenure as Attorney-General, a fact you freely admitted in your witness statements. Recently, your government requested the United States Government for information on all bank accounts owned by our client and President Goodluck Jonathan, in that country. Our client asserts boldly that throughout his stay in government, he had no foreign account. He only opened a student account when he became a student at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands in 2016. Your office is aware that the funds in that account are less than 100. You therefore owed it as a duty to also tell the English court that the US authorities found no accounts belonging to our client. Rather, you concealed those facts from the court. Our client wishes to remind you that the Attorney-General of the Federations duty to protect the interest of the Federal Government does not empower him to trample on the constitutional rights of citizens. Qur Clients Demands (1) Our client demands that you retract the false evidence that you gave to the English Court, regarding him. (2) Our client demands an apology for the harm you have done to his name. (3) Our client demands that you instruct your counsel in England to cease and desist from repeating the allegations of corruption and other defamatory imputations broadcast about our client. (4) Our client demands that you instruct your counsel in England to move the English Court to redact the records of that Court and remove the offensive references to our client. (5) Our client demands that you propose appropriate monetary compensation for the violation of his constitutional rights and for the damage to his reputation. (6) Our client will appreciate it if you meet his demands within seven days of your receipt of this letter. Our sincere regards, as always. Yours faithfully, For: PAUL EROKORO & CO. PAULEROKORO, (SAN) Cc: Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN Houston is launching a targeted public information campaign officials hope will get critical information about COVID-19 into communities that need it most and help the city contain the virus in August. The campaign, called Better. Together or Todos Juntos. Mejor in Spanish, will include sending health department workers to canvass communities with high rates of transmission, leaving pamphlets on doors and speaking with residents in those areas. Quite frankly, we have concluded that we have no choice but to go directly into the neighborhoods, go door to door, provide the info that people should be receiving, Mayor Sylvester Turner said in announcing the renewed effort. The campaign also will include multimedia advertisements, public signage, tool-kits for businesses and organizations and virtual education sessions. The city initially launched Todos Juntos. Mejor in mid-July as it became clear that the virus was disproportionately affecting Latino communities. Latino Houstonians have accounted for roughly 40 percent of citys 45,415 COVID-19 cases and 45 percent of its 432 deaths. The Todos Juntos. Mejor campaign sent out 71,000 fliers, 71,000 text messages and made 400,000 robocalls in July, Turner said. District I Councilmember Robert Gallegos, city councils lone Hispanic member, said he thinks the canvassing effort will help deliver those messages. With these numbers, we have to try everything we can, Gallegos said. They will be taking this out into all communities, but especially the Hispanic communities, since were getting hit the hardest. He said part of the messaging will be to ensure undocumented citizens that they will not be punished or questioned at the citys free testing sites. The campaign emphasizes the four practices that work best to limit transmissions: wearing masks, social distancing, getting tested and washing hands. Turner said he hopes the campaign will help arm residents with the information they need to contain the virus in August. The positivity rate the share of COVID-19 tests that come back positive in Houston currently is 23 percent, Turner said. The hope is to get that down to 5 percent by the end of August. This is the month we turn this around. Not just in the hospitals, but we turn it around in our community, Turner said. dylan.mcguinness@chron.com A year ago, Francia Marquez was attacked with grenades and automatic weapons, targeted for defending clean water against mining pollution in the black community where she lived in Colombia's southwest Cauca department. At the time, Colombia was en route to becoming the most dangerous country in the world for environmental activists, according to the NGO Global Witness. As both a black woman and community leader, the 38-year-old was at particularly high risk for targeting in the region, which is blighted by pollution from gold mining as well as drug trafficking. In 2019, more than a third of the 64 activists murdered in Colombia were in Cauca, where Marquez worked, according to Global Witness. That means the region's deaths were higher than in all of Mexico, where 18 people were killed, and similar to Brazil's tally of 24. The two countries had the fourth and third-highest numbers of activist murders respectively for that year. As a black activist, Marquez is no stranger to what she denounces as "structural racism." In 2014, she was forced to leave her community in the town of La Toma due to threats after she campaigned against illegal mining and its rampant use of mercury. She had previously made a name for herself resisting a planned hydroelectric project. Water, for her, is more important than any financial consideration -- in fact, it was this mentality that pushed her to study environmental legislation to better defend the rights of black and indigenous communities. Several months before the attempt on her life, Marquez was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize -- but the increased visibility didn't deter her assailants from their attack. - An uneven fight - Now under state protection, Marquez lives far from her home region, but she hasn't let fear mar her commitment to the environment. Colombian environmental activist Francia Marquez says the fight is uneven considering "the weapons with which they kill us social leaders, but it's obvious that our voice is a threat" / AFP The "need for structural transformation to avoid the ecological crisis facing the planet" clashes with the desire for "the accumulation of capital," Marquez told AFP. The fight, she said, is uneven considering "the weapons with which they kill us social leaders, but it's obvious that our voice is a threat." It's a complex issue in a region that is no stranger to enduring conflict. In 2016, a historical peace deal brought an end to a half-century of armed resistance by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) left-wing rebels. FARC guerrillas, as well as guerillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN) left-wing rebel group, plus drug-traffickers, illegal miners and right-wing paramilitaries continue to fight each other and the armed forces for control of the region's lucrative resources. In the middle of it all are environmental activists like Marquez and the communities that live in the region. "We started receiving death threats in our territory when we found ourselves faced with mining grants that had been authorized... to multinational companies and foreign third parties that viewed our territory simply as a potential for extracting riches." - 'Upsurge in violence' - For the black, indigenous and peasant communities, Colombia's peace deal has not lived up to expectations, and "now we're experiencing the upsurge in violence," Marquez said. For the black, indigenous and peasant communities, Colombia's peace deal has not lived up to expectations, and "now we're experiencing the upsurge in violence," said environmental activist Francia Marquez / AFP But when it comes to the environment, "human activity is constantly destroying ecosystems." "In the countryside, all economic projects in one way or another affect the environment: illegal and legal ones," she added. "Legal projects like sugar cane in the region affect the environment... but so too does illegal and unconstitutional mining. "By unconstitutional, I'm talking about mining promoted by the Colombian state but without rules to ensure responsible mining in environmental terms." Marquez says the value extracted from mining doesn't justify the damage done to the environment. There's additionally the government battle against the cocaine trade, in which it has long tried to destroy illegal coca plantations through fumigation. "We fumigate the coca but we poison the river, we poison the territory, we poison the community's meagre food sources," said Marquez. The communities she's struggled to protect are now faced with the coronavirus pandemic in addition to government neglect and armed conflict. But Marquez isn't cowed. "All my life I've been at risk," she said. Phil Hogan has thrown his weight behind a public campaign by the European Commission seeking new tax powers that puts him at odds with the Government here. Writing in today's Irish Independent jointly with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ireland's representative on the EU Commission says new EU-wide taxes should be raised directly by Brussels to help fund a 750bn rescue package to fight the effects of Covid-19 without landing the entire bill on member states. Their article is an unusual direct appeal to the Irish public to support a plan opposed by Government, including the Fine Gael colleagues who nominated Mr Hogan to his post for a second term last year. Ireland and other EU member states prize their unique right to levy taxes and some experts here also fear the EU proposals could threaten the amount of corporation tax paid here by technology giants that would be hit. Read More Most of the funding for the EU's Covid rescue package will be borrowed and repaid by member states, but the Commission's idea includes a plan for Brussels itself to collect an EU-wide levy from big technology companies, as well as taxes on environmentally unfriendly plastics and imports. Micheal Martin insisted at an EU leaders' summit on July 17 that Ireland would not agree to a new tax on the technology sector, which is one of Ireland's biggest employers as well as a major tax contributor here. "The full implications of that at a time of such unprecedented economic upheaval needs to be thoroughly examined until someone commits to that," he said. "We will not be supporting that at this meeting, as essentially we need to know the consequences of such measures." Ireland was among a number of countries that also opposed previous Commission plans for an EU-wide digital tax, that would have cost the affected companies 3pc of their European turnover. Under the old plan, member states would have collected the money but the new plan would boost the power and income of the Commission itself. Davy Stockbrokers chief economist Conall MacCoille said the EU's most recent proposals could come at the expense of the Irish Exchequer, which is increasingly dependent on large corporate taxes paid by a handful of big companies. A levy on the EU-wide sales by some of those Irish taxpayer companies could reduce their taxable profits here, he said. Read More Economist Seamus Coffey, of UCC, said the potential impact of the EU's latest tax proposals was unclear - in the case of companies taxed here only on profits generated in Ireland the impact would be minor. Where large corporations have moved intellectual property assets to Ireland - as a number have since 2015 - a levy could lower the related profits, and therefore tax bills, he said. Corporate tax receipts have become increasingly important to Ireland, but remain volatile and hard to predict because so much of what falls due here is a result of cash moving within corporations rather than in the domestic economy. In cash terms, though, the corporate tax paid here has doubled since 2015 to more than 10bn, and could overtake VAT this year as the second most important source of State revenue, behind only income tax. Tech companies in the Commission's sights are also big employers in Ireland, more so than in other EU states. The Department of Finance says Ireland will continue to oppose any EU-level action to change tax rules. Oil prices posted gains once again on Wednesday on the back of bullish data from the EIA, but analysts are warning that plenty of downside risks remain. The EIA reported a huge drawdown in crude inventories on Wednesday, with a drop of 10.6 million barrels. That was enough to lift crude prices. But several analysts argued this week that the bigger picture is murkier, with economic and pandemic-related risks looming. While upwards momentum has stalled over the past month, we still think prices are overdue a downwards correction to reflect the flattening of oil demand recovery and the darkening of economic prospects, Standard Chartered analysts wrote in a note. The investment bank added that consensus views on the oil market balances in the second half of the year have weakened significantly over the past month. We now only rarely hear talk of V-shaped demand recoveries and extremely tight markets, the views that allowed Brent to rally beyond USD 40/bbl, Standard Chartered said. Instead the main talk among traders seems to have shifted to precisely how much demand will disappoint and how long will it take to normalise inventories. That assessment stands in stark contrast to the behavior of crude prices in the last six weeks. Volatility has vanished, with WTI remaining rooted at about $40 per barrel, and Brent a few dollars more. Prices have been stuck at those levels even as the optimism surrounding economic re-openings has dissipated. The only sign of a more pessimistic outlook creeping into oil markets is the shift from backwardation towards contango. As Standard Chartered pointed out, the discount for front-month Brent contracts relative to fourth-month Brent contracts has widened over the course of July. Related: Oil Rallies On Biggest Crude Inventory Draw Since 2019 In our view, Brent above USD 40/bbl seems increasingly discordant with the flow of news regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the outlook for the global economy, and particularly jars with increasingly bearish oil market fundamentals, Standard Chartered analyst concluded. However, on the flip side, U.S. gasoline demand jumped in latest EIA data through July 24, rising to 8.8 million barrels per day (mb/d), ending several weeks of decline, at least temporarily. That level of consumption is the highest in four months. Moreover, the surge in cases in the United States has eased ever-so-slightly, with key states such as Texas, Florida and California seeing infections coming down from recent peaks. This could be a sign of retreating demand risks from possible slowdowns or targeted lockdowns, but the prospect of a second wave later in the year still presents looming risks, ClearView Energy Partners wrote in a note to clients. The second wave in the U.S. may be plateauing for the time being, and the rebound in gasoline demand combined with the drawdown in inventories boosted oil prices midweek. But the sentiment shifts from week to week, and it is not clear that the prevailing wisdom that oil markets would be in a substantial supply/demand deficit in the second half of the year will pan out. On Tuesday, Rystad Energy warned that the loosening of the OPEC+ production cuts could lead to a renewed surplus for the next four months. Related: Could Rising US-China Tensions Change Global Energy Markets? Global supply is expected to increase rather significantly over the next several months, outpacing expected demand increases. OPECs experiment to increase production from August could backfire as we are still nowhere near out of the woods yet in terms of oil demand. The overall liquids market will flip back into a mini-supply glut and a swing into deficit will not happen again until December 2020, Bjornar Tonhaugen, Rystad Energys Head of Oil Market Research, said in a statement on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Tonhaugen stuck with that thesis, despite the price increase on the back of EIA data. Rystad pointed to the unexpected rise in infections in Europe, a negative development that has yet to be factored in to market expectations. In fact, data from Europe shows a decline in road traffic as virus cases rise. [D]ont be fooled by todays price gains, they may be cancelled as soon as production exceeds demand, which is around the corner, and as this is expected to last for some time, traders will race to price it in, Tonhaugen said. By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Emily Ratajkowski showed off her taut midriff in a summery white ensemble when she stepped out in New York this Thursday. The 29-year-old could be seen enjoying a walk with her beloved dog Colombo and a female pal who held the pooch on a leash. She and her friend were also glimpsed sitting down to an alfresco lunch in the sidewalk patio of a New York restaurant. Out and about: Emily Ratajkowski showed off her taut midriff in a summery white ensemble when she stepped out in New York this Thursday Emily buttoned on a collared white crop top with fashionably wide sleeves, slipping into a matching high-waisted skirt. Accessorizing with a pair of sleek sunglasses, she balanced on an open-toed pair of white stilettos as she pounded the pavement. The supermodel made sure to take the precaution of bringing a face mask as she stepped out amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Emily, her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard and their dog spent much of lockdown at her parents' house in Los Angeles. On the go: The 29-year-old could be seen enjoying a walk with her beloved dog Colombo and a female pal who held the pooch on a leash Chowing down: She and her friend were also glimpsed sitting down to an alfresco lunch in the sidewalk patio of a New York restaurant Legs for days: Emily buttoned on a collared white crop top with fashionably wide sleeves, slipping into a matching high-waisted skirt Hoofing it: Accessorizing with a pair of sleek sunglasses, she balanced on an open-toed pair of white stilettos as she pounded the pavement Careful: The supermodel made sure to take the precaution of bringing a face mask as she stepped out amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic Off she goes: Emily, her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard and their dog spent much of lockdown at her parents' house in Los Angeles They fled New York City while it was the American epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and flew to Los Angeles on April 15. The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention had issued an advisory on March 28 asking 'residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.' However in late June as COVID-19 cases spiked dramatically in California, Emily and Sebastian crossed back to New York. Emily has also recently returned to her natural brunette hair color after briefly going blonde as a promotion for Kerastase. Cross country: They fled New York City while it was the American epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic and flew to Los Angeles on April 15 Timeline: A CDC advisory on March 28 asked 'residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately' Back east again: However in late June as COVID-19 cases spiked dramatically in California, Emily and Sebastian crossed back to New York Return to form: Emily has also recently returned to her natural brunette hair color after briefly going blonde as a promotion for Kerastase For over two years the sizzling sensation has been the face of Kerastase, a Paris-based brand that is a subsidiary of L'Oreal. She went blonde in the second half of June but last week she posted some bra and bikini snaps revealing her hair was brown again. 'I've never colored my hair or changed the length significantly in my entire life!' she dished in a statement after she debuted her blonde look. Details: For over two years the sizzling sensation has been the face of Kerastase, a Paris-based brand that is a subsidiary of L'Oreal Rollout: She went blonde in the second half of June but last week she posted some bra and bikini snaps revealing her hair was brown again When the coronavirus pandemic first took hold in the US, many predicted that stay-at-home orders would lead to a surge in births. However, just the opposite is true and, as it turns out, Americans have not been getting pregnant. In addition to the unsteady economy, couples are also likely experiencing fear and anxiety over the public health crisis and its uncertain end. Fertility rates have been steadily declining over the last several years and some believe the COVID-19 crisis could cause these rates to plummet. Demographers and public policy experts say fewer children will mean not enough healthy, young workers to keep the economy going and replace the aging US population. One report has even predicted that as many as 500,000 fewer babies could be born, which coupled with the death toll from the virus, could lead to a stagnating economy. One report estimates that between 300,000 and 500,000 fewer children could be born in 2021 due the coronavirus pandemic (file image) Birth rates in the US have been declining by around 2% annually prior to the pandemic and were at their lowest ever in 2018 at 59.1 births per 1,000 women (above) 'I have every expectation that the birth rate and number of US births will diminish,' Dr Kenneth Johnson, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, told DailyMail.com. 'Survey data already suggest woman are planning to delay births as well as delay marriage...I expect many couples to simply decide to delay having children.' According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the general fertility rate in 2018, the last year for which complete data is available, was 59.1 births per 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44. This is a decrease of two percent from 2017 and the lowest rate ever recorded in the US. It's also the fourth year that the rate declined following an increase in 2014. Prior to that, the fertility rate had been falling between 2007 to 2013, the NCHS said. Johnson adds that there are economic factors to consider. The pandemic has plunged the US into a recession that will likely last for many months with an unemployment rate at 11.1 percent. But the Great Recession of 2008-09 already caused a drop in births. In 2007, the birth rate was 69.1 births per 1,000 women. By 2012, the rate fell by nine percent to 63.births per 1,000, which means about 4,000 fewer births occurred. 'US birth rates diminished following the onset of the Great Recession and have yet to recover,' Johnson said. 'Now the country faces an economic decline even greater than that during the recession, plus considerable health risks to the population and a reluctance to visit health care facilities for non-emergency care.' However, myths have persisted that when people are stuck at home with their romantic partners during crises - such as blizzards, earthquakes or blackouts - there is a spike in births nine months after the event. But the COVID-19 pandemic is not simply an event in which a couple is stuck at home for two or three days but several months of lockdowns, job insecurity and economic loss. Rates fall during a recession, as experienced during the Great Recession which saw a 9% drop from 2007 to 2012 (above) Pandemics also result in a drop in rates with a 12.5% decline in births every time there was s spike in death during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 (above) In fact, past pandemics have also led to a decline in births, such as the 1918-20 Spanish Flu pandemic. A report from the Brookings Institution compared death rate due to influenza and pneumonia during that period with the rate of births per 1,000 people. With every wave that showed an increase in deaths, a major drop was seen in births. For example, between April 1918 and September 1918, deaths skyrocketed by around 350 percent. During those same five months, births fell by 10 percent. 'Each spike in the Spanish Flu epidemic led the birth rate to fall roughly 21 births per 1,000 population,' the authors wrote. 'This represents a 12.5 percent decline. Note that when the death rate dropped again, birth rates returned to normal levels, but did not 'overshoot,' implying fewer births overall.' The Brookings Institution predicts that between 300,000 and 500,000 fewer children will be born in the US in 2021 due to the pandemic. Not only is that a huge drop from 2019 - 10 percent - it also means there will the number of babies born will never be greater than the number of Americans who've died from COVID-19, which currently sits at more than 150,000. Johnson estimates that in the last decade, there have been six million fewer births in the US compared to how many there would have been had the fertility patterns before the recession in 2007 been sustained. So, in regards to future, fertility, what will happen to all those births that didn't occur in 2020 and 2021? 'Most of the decline in fertility since the recession has been to women in their 20s. Many of them are now in their 30s,' Johnson said 'So a key question is: how many of those births that have yet to occur have been delayed and how many will be foregone entirely?' Seems like every day the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting us to yet another brand of hand sanitizer that has been found to contain methanol a toxic substance also known as wood alcohol. The FDA calls it the do-not-use list. The FDA began in late June to list the brand names and NDC numbers of hand sanitizers that consumers should avoid because of a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol, or wood alcohol, is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested. Today, we continue to warn consumers and HCPs about dangerous alcohol-based hand sanitizers containing methanol (wood alcohol) and taking additional action to address concerning products: https://t.co/BP0UeGQeyj pic.twitter.com/bZQILEwMQ2 FDA Drug Information (@FDA_Drug_Info) July 27, 2020 Why did this happen? With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic health officials were, and still are, encouraging people to wash their hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds to prevent the spread of the disease. (Pa. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine told us to wash our hands for the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.) In the absence of soap and water, hand sanitizer can be used. Thus, the hand sanitizer business exploded as demand surged. In the early weeks of the pandemic, hand sanitizer became hard to find. And, cases of price gouging were mounting. FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hain said in a statement, Unfortunately, there are some companies taking advantage of the increased usage of hand sanitizer during the coronavirus pandemic and putting lives at risk by selling products with dangerous and unacceptable ingredients. Consumers and health care providers should not use methanol-containing hand sanitizers. What is an NDC number? The National Drug Code directory provides each drug with a unique, 10-digit, 3-segement number. That number identifies the labeler, product and size of the package as well as the strength, dosage form and other information related to the product, according to the FDA. The number serves as a universal product identifier for drugs. You can find the NDC number on the package or on the package insert. Where can I find the list of brands to avoid? The FDA maintains a list on its website. It currently has 87 entries. Each entry lists the name of the manufacturer, the distributor, the date the FDA added it to the list, the product, NDC numbers if available and the status. The status usually says the hand sanitizer was either tested and found to contain methanol or was made in a facility where other sanitizers that contain methanol were made. The latest brands added to the list on Tuesday are: Albek de Mexico, SA de CV Clear Advanced Hand Sanitizer with 70 percent alcohol, extra soft with glycerin and aloe NuuxSan Instant Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer NuuxSan Instand Hand Sanitizer Assured Instant Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer with Aloe and Moisturizers Assured Instant Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer with Vitamin E and Aloe Modesa Instant Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizers and Aloe Vera Modesa Instant Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer with Moisturizers and Vitamin E Why is methanol dangerous? Methanol is not a suitable ingredient. Methanol is often used in fuel and antifreeze. It can be toxic if absorbed through the skin or ingested. Exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, blurred vision, permanent blindness, seizers, coma, permanent nervous system damage and death. People should not ingest methanol. Unfortunately, the FDA has seen cases where people have swallowed hand sanitizer that has resulted in blindness, cardiac effects, hospitalizations and even death. The FDA said the number of cases reported to poison control centers and health departments is escalating. The FDA says it has found hand sanitizers that contain from 1 percent to 80 percent methanol. What is the FDA doing to resolve the situation? In addition to maintaining the list of hand sanitizers to avoid, the FDA has issued recalls and established import alerts to keep the products from entering the country. The recalls encourage retailers to remove the products from store shelves and online markets. Producing, importing and distributing toxic hand sanitizers poses a serious threat to the public and will not be tolerated, the FDA said. Are there hand sanitizers approved by the FDA? No. Even if the label says it is FDA-approved, it is not. There are no hand sanitizers approved by the FDA. What should I look for when buying hand sanitizer? Consumers must be vigilant when buying hand sanitizer. The main ingredient should be at least 60 percent ethanol (ethyl alcohol). There are cases of hand sanitizer being labeled as ethanol but actually containing methanol. If the brand is not a name you are familiar with, it may be best to avoid it. Check the country of origin - many of the toxic hand sanitizers were made in Mexico. Recently, however, the FDA recalled a hand sanitizer made by a distillery in Tennessee. And, some of the toxic brands were sold at familiar retailers such as Walmart and Target. READ MORE Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. Agboola Ajayi, the deputy governor of Ondo State, is expected to officially announce his move to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and will be adopted as the candidate of the party for the October 10 governorship election, multiple sources close to Mr Ajayi and the ZLP have told this newspaper. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Ajayi who lost the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to Eyitayo Jegede, has completed plans to join ZLP having met with state and national leaders of the party. One of those who is said to have endorsed Mr Ajayi is a former governor of the state, Olusegun Mimiko. Mr Mimiko is the leader of the ZLP in Ondo. He was adopted as the partys presidential candidate for the 2019 general elections but suspended his presidential candidacy to run for senator in Ondo West. He lost the senatorial election. Three associates of Mr Ajayi and two of Mr Mimiko confirmed that both parties held a series of meetings, mainly in Abuja, which ended on Wednesday with a resolution that Mr Ajayi will be announced next week as the ZLP candidate. The officials asked not to be named because they were not authorised to talk to the media and a formal announcement was yet tot be made. The deputy governor returned from Abuja yesterday (Wednesday), he has made all consultation with leaders of the party and he will unveil his new party before Monday, an aide who spoke under anonymity disclosed. Another close associate of Mr Ajayi told PREMIUM TIMES that it is true that hes moving to ZLP because the party has existing structure in the state. We want to play on Mimikos template and populate it. Theres still room for substitution of names with INEC. The party will just withdraw the name of the person put there as a decoration. We expect the deputy governor to officially announce before next Monday. Mr Ajayis name would be used to replace that of the governorship candidate of ZLP, Rotimi Benjamin, this newspaper learnt. Such substitution is still allowed now based on the timetable released by the electoral commission, INEC. When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Tope Okeowo, did not deny nor confirm the development. The State Chairman of ZLP, Joseph Akinlaja, is yet to respond to PREMIUM TIMES enquiries as of the time of filing this report. A three-horse race? Mr Ajayis ZLP candidacy is expected to increase to three, the major candidates for the October 10 election. Although INEC has cleared 17 parties for the election, it was expected to be a two-horse race between Mr Jegede of the PDP and incumbent governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Mr Ajayi, who recently decamped from the APC to the PDP and now to the ZLP, will now be expected to challenge his former allies for the governorship position. WASHINGTON A Senate committee abruptly canceled a confirmation hearing Thursday on a controversial former generals nomination to a top Pentagon post after a furor over offensive remarks he made about Islam and other inflammatory comments. The nomination of retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata to be the Pentagon's under secretary for policy was already under fire from Senate Democrats, who sent a letter to him this week calling for him to withdraw. Tata, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a Fox News commentator, has been working in the department as a senior adviser. It wasn't clear Thursday if his nomination would be withdrawn. According to media reports, Tata posted tweets in 2018 calling Islam the most oppressive violent religion I know of, and he called former President Barack Obama a terrorist leader, and referred to him as Muslim. The tweets were later taken down. The Senate Armed Services Committee chair, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., announced the hearing's cancellation shortly before it was scheduled to start. There are many Democrats and Republicans who didnt know enough about Anthony Tata to consider him for a very significant position at this time, Inhofe said. He said the panel didn't get required documents from Tata until Thursday. "As I told the president last night, were simply out of time with the August recess coming, so it wouldnt serve any useful purpose to have a hearing at this point, and he agreed. Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagons chief spokesperson, told reporters that Tata continues to work as an adviser to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The department was looking forward to Gen. Tata having the opportunity to share his experience and success leading large public organizations, public sector organizations, and his extensive national security experience with the committee today, Hoffman said during a Pentagon briefing. Asked if Esper supported Tatas tweets on Islam, Hoffman said, The general himself has stated that he does not believe or support the comments he made. He issued a letter to the committee retracting those statements. The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said the senators had a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, and Inhofe did the right thing by canceling the hearing. '"Its fair to say members on both sides of the aisle have raised serious questions about this nominee," Reed said. According to a statement from the senators who sent the letter, Tata walked back his statements, many of which he deleted, only after his nomination became public. They said Tata referred to the tweets as an aberration in a four-decade thread of faithful public service. The letter to Tata, signed by nine Democratic senators and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, said, Your letter to committee leadership appears to be a conveniently timed retraction by someone who has suddenly realized his nomination is in jeopardy. But your multiple past statements cannot be dismissed simply as an aberration. Islamic groups have repeatedly called for lawmakers to oppose Tata's nomination. And they hailed the hearing cancellation. If Mr. Tata truly does not have enough votes to proceed, his defeat will represent a victory over anti-Muslim bigotry, and for the principle that hatred has no place in our government, said Robert McCaw, government affairs director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Tata, who retired in 2009 after 28 years in the Army, served in a number of command and combat jobs. When librarians in the Lake Tahoe area considered issuing a statement in support of Black Lives Matter this week, the local sheriff made his opposition clear in a public letter: Dont bother calling 911. Good luck with any disturbances. The spat in Douglas County located near South Lake Tahoe in Nevada illustrates rising tension surrounding issues of policing, law enforcement and racism. In a letter sent Monday to the public library board, Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley said he thinks there is no evidence of systemic racism in law enforcement. Citing property damage and violence during recent protests, he said that supporting the Black Lives Matter movement means supporting violence in the community. Due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriffs Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help, Coverley wrote. I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior, since those are just some of the recent calls my office has assisted you with in the past. In a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, the library board planned to consider issuing a diversity statement that welcomed everyone and denounced violence, racism and disregard for human rights. We support #Black Lives Matter, the statement said. We resolutely assert and believe that all forms of racism, hatred, inequality and injustice dont belong in our society. The meeting was canceled and will be rescheduled, county officials said. Instead, library director Amy Dodson met Tuesday with Coverley to discuss the statement and their differing views. We agreed that we both support the people of Douglas County and this may have been an unfortunate circumstance of misunderstanding, Dodson said in a joint statement. The library respects and supports the work of the Douglas County Sheriffs Office and appreciates everything they do to keep our community safe. 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. Coverley said on Tuesday that he was trying to understand the intent of their proposed diversity statement. He clarified that the Sheriffs Office will respond to 911 calls at the library. This has been a difficult time to be a law enforcement professional and can be disheartening when we perceive that our office may be under attack, he said. My response was rooted in my belief that these issues need to be openly discussed in a way that values diversity and law enforcement. Anna Bauman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: anna.bauman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @abauman2 Silent Pool Gin makers sign new distribution deal The UK makers of Silent Pool Gin have signed a new distribution deal with Proof Drinks. The super-premium brand, based in West Sussex has seen significant growth over the last year and sought a new partner to focus on the next phase of its development. After more than five years working with CASK Liquid Marketing, Silent Pool's new contract with Proof Drinks will start on 5 August. Ian McCulloch, managing director of Silent Pool Distillers, said: "As the market is develpoing rapidly in these uncertain times, we felt it the right time to undertake a new approach for our next phase. We thank CASK Liquid Marketing for doing a fantastic job of helping us build the brand to this point and wish them well for the future." Jeremy Hill, managing director of Proof Drinks, said: "As specialists in the premium drinks trade, we couldn't be moore pleased about our new partnership with Silent Pool Gin. This is an exciting time for the business and we look forward to supporting them through the next phase." To support its transformation Silent Pool Gin has also created the new role of global sales director, to lead the company's expansion in the UK and global markets. The role will be filled by Adam Dobson, who has more than 20 years' experience in the global drinks market in the on- and off-trade. He joins Silent Pool from Atom Brands where he held the roles of global commercial manager, global head of commercial and, more recently, global VP, market strategy. Previous to his role at Atom, Adam was at Diageo for 10 years and played a key role in launches for the likes of Smirnoff and Haig Club. 30 July 2020 - Bethany Whymark Figure 1 Fosterville Location Map Fosterville Location Map Figure 2 Longitudinal Project of Fosterville Gold Mine Longitudinal Project of Fosterville Gold Mine Figure 3 Longitudinal Project of Swan Reserve Mineralization Longitudinal Project of Swan Reserve Mineralization Figure 4 Robbins Hill Location Plan Robbins Hill Location Plan Figure 5 Robbins Hill: Longitudinal Projection of Cure Mineralization Robbins Hill: Longitudinal Projection of Cure Mineralization Figure 6 Robbins Hill Schematic Cross Section Robbins Hill Schematic Cross Section Figure 7 Longitudinal Projections of Cygnet and Cygnet Splay Fault Mineralization Longitudinal Projections of Cygnet and Cygnet Splay Fault Mineralization Figure 8 Phoenix Gold System Schematic Cross Section Phoenix Gold System Schematic Cross Section Figure 9 Long Projection of Harrier Mineralization Long Projection of Harrier Mineralization Figure 10 Harrier Schematic Cross Section Harrier Schematic Cross Section Infill drilling into the Swan Mineral Reserves intersects higher than expected grades with visible-gold; results highlight potential to add ounces to existing Mineral Reserves Key intercepts: 976 g/t Au over 7.4 m (ETW 7.0 m); 933 g/t Au over 6.4 m (ETW 5.8 m); 416 g/t Au over 6.8 m (ETW 5.6 m); and 222 g/t Au over 8.1 m (ETW 7.3 m) Drill results at Robbins Hill confirm substantial scale of mineralized system; new intercepts identify potential Mineral Resource extensions and new mineralization surrounding the Curie Fault Key intercepts: 30.8 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 2.9 m) Curie Fault; 10.6 g/t Au over 1.6 m (ETW 1.6 m) Curie Fault; 9.6 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 3.7 m) Curie Fault; 7.7 g/t Au over 3.7 m (ETW 2.8 m) Curie Fault; 5.0 g/t Au over 17.8m (ETW 11.7m) Curie Fault; 68.1 g/t Au (1) over 4.4 m (ETW 3.2 m) Herschel Fault Visible-gold intercepts in holes RHD413 (Curie) and RHD411A (Curie HW) Drilling of the Cygnet target demonstrates growth potential outside existing Mineral Resources Key intercepts: 13.6 g/t Au over 6.6 m (ETW 5.9 m); 12.7g/t Au over 2.1 m (ETW 2.1 m); and 5.4 g/t Au over 9.7 m (ETW 8.0 m) Drilling of the Harrier target intersects significant mineralization outside existing Mineral Reserves Key intercepts: 20.9 g/t Au over 5.9 m (ETW 5.5 m); 22.8 g/t Au (1) over 4.3 m (ETW 3.7 m); and 24.5 g/t Au over 3.8 m (ETW 3.8 m) Abbreviations include: (1): visible-gold; g/t Au: grams per tonne gold; ETW: estimated true width TORONTO, July 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (Kirkland Lake Gold or the Company) (TSX:KL) (NYSE:KL) (ASX:KLA) today announced new high-grade results from surface and underground drilling at the Fosterville Mine in Victoria, Australia. Recent infill drilling in the Swan Zone has returned intercepts with higher than anticipated grades and visible-gold near the intersection of the Swan Fault and the Swan Splay structure. Surface drilling has continued to target additional growth in the Robbins Hill gold system to assess the potential of further Mineral Reserve expansion. Underground growth drilling programs have also progressed in the Lower Phoenix gold system targeting the Cygnet Fault, and in the Harrier gold system targeting the Harrier Base Fault, where encouraging results have been returned. Drill results reported are from 44 holes (6,803 m) from the Swan infill drilling program and 111 holes (59,311 m) from step out, extension and infill drilling at Robbins Hill, Cygnet and Harrier (Figures 1 & 2). Story continues Tony Makuch, President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, commented: Drilling at Fosterville continues to demonstrate the significant size and scale of the mineralized structures, all of which contain quartz veining with visible-gold and all of which have the potential to host additional Swan or Swan-like zones. At the Swan Zone, results from new infill drilling include higher than expected grades, which is encouraging as we work towards our next Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource update. In particular, the infill results confirm that the area where the Swan Fault and Swan Footwall Splay intersect contains more gold than currently modelled. At Robbins Hill, exploration activities are progressing well with recent surface drill results significantly expanding the size of the mineralized system and demonstrating the potential for continued Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve growth along both the Curie and surrounding mineralized structures. Encouragingly, drilling and recent modelling of newly-acquired 3D seismic data clearly establish the potential for other mineralized structures within the Robbins Hill area, where there are several historical open pits with plunge extents to be investigated. The new twin underground exploration ramp we are developing will be extremely important for the future exploration of these areas as well as Robbins Hill itself. The ramp is advancing well, having been driven over 1,330 m to the end of June. Drill results at Cygnet and Harrier also continue to return encouraging results. At the Cygnet structure, approximately 125 m footwall to Swan, new drilling returned multiple significant intercepts beyond the northern extent of the existing Mineral Resource. There are several high-grade intersections with visible-gold in the Cygnet system, which extends over a 750 m strike length and 300 m vertically. At Harrier, new drilling returned high-grade mineralization outside of the existing Mineral Reserves, and also demonstrated the continuity of the Harrier structure for an additional 400 metres down-plunge-plunge, with the system remaining open for further expansion. As with Lower Phoenix and Robbins Hill, the exploration potential at both Cygnet and Harrier is substantial and we are increasingly confident that significant new Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources can be identified with further drilling. Exploration activities at Fosterville ceased in late March as part of the Companys COVID-19 response, which included the suspension of all non-essential work. Prior to this time, work on the exploration program was advancing with four surface drills and nine underground drills at Fosterville on the mine lease and three surface drills on regional projects. With the suspension of exploration work, all surface drilling was discontinued and underground drilling was reduced to three drills, all being dedicated to supporting operations and sustaining capital drill requirements. Discussions and proactive planning with drilling contractors were undertaken in early April to manage COVID-19 risks with strict control measures being implemented to support a resumption of exploration drilling. By the middle of the month, two underground drills and two surface drills were deployed. The ramp up of operating drills has continued, with the current fleet standing at four surface drills at Robbins Hill and six underground drills active at the Fosterville mine. Regional exploration drilling remains suspended as part of the Companys ongoing response to COVID-19. Swan Infill Drilling Programs Infill drilling into the Swan Mineral Reserves since the December 2019 Mineral Resource and Reserve update has returned results with higher than expected grades, demonstrating the potential to increase the mines Mineral Reserves in this zone with further model updates. Intercepts of significant high-grade, visible-gold mineralization of substantial width were returned in a zone where the Swan Footwall Splay intersects the Swan (Figure 3). Two infill holes into this zone returned gram-meter (gold grade x estimated true width) intercepts greater than 5000 gram-m, with a further three intercepts returning greater than 1000 gram-m, with the key intercepts listed below: 976 g/t Au over 7.4 m (ETW 7.0 m) in hole UDH3167, incl. 5,710 g/t Au over 1.3m (ETW 1.2 m); 933 g/t Au over 6.4 m (ETW 5.8 m) in hole UDH3405, incl. 6,202 g/t Au over 1.0 m (ETW 0.9 m); 416 g/t Au over 6.8 m (ETW 5.6 m) in hole UDH3392, incl. 3,510 g/t Au over 0.8 m (ETW 0.7 m); 222 g/t Au over 8.1 m (ETW 7.3 m) in hole UDH3169, incl. 1,684 g/t Au over 1.0 m (ETW 0.9 m); and 156 g/t Au over 9.2 m (ETW 8.6 m) in hole UDH3360, incl. 307 g/t Au over 1.7m (ETW 1.6 m) These results demonstrate the continuity of extremely high-grade, visible-gold mineralization along the structural intersection of the Swan Fault and Swan Footwall Splay, which plunges gently towards the south. Recent mine development into this zone also confirms the continuity of this mineralization, with this new information expected to result in the addition of new ounces in this area as part of future Mineral Resource model updates. Mine production in the zone of current infill drilling and development is expected to extend through the 2020 2023 period. Further infill drilling targeting this intersection area is scheduled for the second half of 2020, which will establish increased drill density and has the potential to support Mineral Reserve growth. In addition, recent drill platform development has been completed and will support continued infill drilling of the down-plunge Swan Inferred Mineral Resources. Drilling using the new platform infrastructure has commenced with three rigs currently in operation. Robbins Hill Drilling Programs The drill results reported were drilled from late Q4 2019 and through the first half of 2020 by up to six surface diamond drills operating in the Robbins Hill area. The primary target was gold mineralization along the west-dipping Curie Fault, one of the controlling structures for mineralization at Robbinss Hill. Programs have included infill drilling within the existing Mineral Resource, and extension and step out drilling along the Robbins Hill Curie Fault mineralization trend. Four surface drills are currently operating at Robbins Hill focused on Mineral Resource extension including identifying the potential high-grade shoot down-plunge. Drilling programs in the second half of the year will expand to cover targets generated from the interpretation of 3D seismic data integrated with other geophysical data sets (Figure 4). Extension Drilling Twenty-seven surface drill holes for a total of 23,173 m were drilled targeting the down-plunge extensions of existing Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves on the Curie Fault. The objective of this surface program is to obtain sufficient drill coverage to assess Mineral Resource potential down-plunge southwards to the ~11500mN before the end of 2020. The results of this drilling to date support the potential extension of Curie Fault mineralization approximately 950 m down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves (Figure 5). Additional drilling is required to establish continuity over this 950 m area. Key sulfide-gold bearing intercepts include: 30.8 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 2.9 m) in hole RHD355; 9.6 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 3.7 m) in hole RHD365; 7.7 g/t Au over 3.7 m (ETW 2.8 m) in hole RHD387B; 10.6 g/t Au over 1.6 m (ETW 1.6 m) in hole RHD374; and 4.9g/t Au over 17.8m (ETW 11.7m) in hole RHD400A Results down-plunge of the current Mineral Reserves show southerly plunging zones of high-grade gold mineralization within the broader, lower grade mineralized Curie Fault system. The main zone of highgrade mineralization that supported the Robbins Hill maiden Mineral Reserve is located where the west dipping Curie Fault structure transects and offsets a felsic dyke that has intruded along an anticlinal fold axis. Other zones of dilation and high-grade mineralization are emerging along the Curie Fault as it transects the folded sequence, as represented by a grouping of higher-grade results including RHD408 and RHD387B (Figure 5). These zones are typically represented by zones of extensional veining and disseminated sulfide gold mineralization, but often have stibnite-enriched quartz veins indicating a high potential for visible-gold mineralization. Two recent diamond drill holes in RHD413 and RHD411A have intersected visible-gold mineralization at depth as part of this program, further reinforcing the growth potential in this area. RHD413 intersects the Curie Fault approximately 950 m down-plunge from Mineral Reserves where the hole transects the eastern limb of an anticline. The structure hosts a 0.6 m wide brecciated to massive quartz vein containing 2-3mm slugs and specs of visible-gold which run parallel to a stylolite approximately 50 mm from the lower vein contact. The vein is surrounded by disseminated sulfide mineralization and tension veining, which is more prevalent in the sandstone dominated footwall, extending for approximately 2 m from the vein. This visible-gold occurrence is the deepest and southernmost observed occurrence on the Curie Fault to date (Figure 5). Further to this, visible-gold mineralization has been intersected in other structures adjacent to the Curie Fault. RHD411A intercepted two westerly dipping quartz veins of 150-200 mm thickness approximately 60 m hangingwall of the Curie Fault (Figure 5). The two veins contain strong laminations and stylolitic textures, the lower of which contained a spec of visible-gold. Disseminated stockwork veining and sulfide mineralization, whilst relatively constrained on the hangingwall, extends at least 3 m into the footwall of the structure. A significant part of the planned drill programs at Robbins Hill for the remainder of 2020 will aim to further define the continuity and extent of these high-grade mineralized shoots down-plunge, which are open for expansion at depth. In addition to results returned from the continued expansion drilling targeting the Curie Fault at Robbins Hill, a significant intercept containing visible-gold on the adjacent Herschel Fault was returned. Hole RHD408 contained an approximate 100 mm wide quartz interval containing a quartz vein bearing visiblegold and stylolitic textures surrounded by a halo of disseminated sulfide mineralization with an estimated true width of 3.2 m. Key visible-gold bearing intercept: 68.1 g/t Au over 4.4 m (ETW 3.2 m) in hole RHD408, incl. 747 g/t Au over 0.35 m (ETW 0.3m) The Herschel Fault occurs approximately 200 m hangingwall to the Curie Fault at the northing of intersection (Figure 6) Surface drilling targeting Curie has incidentally intersected the Herschel Fault through recent drill programs. Initial interpretations suggest that mineralization is orientated on the north-south trending west-dipping fault and requires further drilling to determine its strike, dip and downplunge lengths. There is potential connectivity with mineralization associated with the Robbins Hill pit towards the north, which also has occurrences of visible-gold mineralization, However, further drilling and interpretation work is required to confirm this. The intercept for RHD408 demonstrates the potential for high-grade visiblegold mineralization along the structure, and vectoring in on its location and determining its extent will form part of future drill programs in the Robbins Hill area. Step out drilling Six step-out drill holes, totaling 7,343m demonstrate that mineralization on the Curie Fault persists over a 2 km distance to the south of the existing Robbins Hill Mineral Reserves (Figure 5). Intercepts from this drilling demonstrate the scale and growth potential of the Robbins Hill mineralized system which has the potential to similar in size and scale to the Phoenix system (approximately 3.5 km in strike length) at Fosterville. Drill holes RHD395, RHD376 and RHD379 targeted the Curie Fault beyond 1.5 km to the south of Mineral Resources, and each hole intersected significant quartz-dominant stockwork disseminated sulfide mineralization. The intercepts for RHD395 and RHD376 were characterized by increased sulfide mineralization at a fault in an oblique-oblique structural setting on the eastern limb of a parasitic anticlinal fold. Drill hole RHD379 intersected the Curie Fault, adjacent to an up-dip syncline axial plane, with east dipping mineralized structures also identified in the hanging-wall (Figure 5). The most southern sulfide-gold bearing intercepts include: 2.9 g/t Au over 2.6 m (ETW 2.0 m) in hole RHD395; 2.5 g/t Au over 5.3 m (ETW 4.6 m) in hole RHD376; and 1.8 g/t Au over 7.9 m (ETW 7.6 m) in hole RHD379 The demonstrated extent and scale of the system highlights the opportunity through further drilling to realize substantial Mineral Resource growth. High-Resolution 3D Seismic Survey The Company completed a high-resolution 3D Seismic survey in the northern part of the Fosterville Mining License over the Robbins Hill mineralization trend. The survey was the first of its kind to be undertaken in Victoria for gold exploration and provides a high-resolution 3D dataset to a depth of over 1 km for detailed planning of future of underground development. The survey area was approximately 6 km2 with data collected along 12.5 m spaced eastwest lines (Figure 4). Initial processing of the 3D seismic data was completed in April with fold resolution defined to 30 m and significant structural trends identified. Interpretation of this data is underway and combined with other geophysical datasets target generation work is progressing. The seismic data will contribute to the geological understanding and aid future exploration and development of the Robbins Hill area. Robbins Hill Underground Decline Development Underground development of the Robbins Hill ramp commenced in January this year and has progressed ahead of schedule, advancing a total of 1,336 m to the end of June. The recent arrival of a smart jumbo will provide increased development capacity and we will be targeting a total of 3,380 m of development at Robbins Hill in 2020. The development will be used as an underground drill platform for exploration diamond drilling activities as the ramp progresses. Cygnet Drilling Programs Recent drilling exploring the northern extensions of the Cygnet Mineral Resources have returned encouraging results with three returning intercepts greater than 30 gram-meters (Figure 7). The Cygnet Fault key intercepts include: 13.6 g/t Au over 6.6 m (ETW 5.9 m) in hole UDH3398; 10.8 g/t Au over 2.9 m (ETW 2.9 m) in hole UDH3207A; and 5.4 g/t Au over 9.7 m (ETW 8.0 m) in hole UDH3206 These results demonstrate the potential for further expansion of Cygnet Mineral Resources to the north and exploration drill programs during the second half of 2020 will initially target up to 250 m beyond existing Mineral Resources. In addition, infill drill results into the Cygnet Mineral Resources continue to return encouraging results and both Cygnet and subsidiary structures Cygnet Hangingwall and Footwall Splays contain significant mineralization(Figure 7 & 8) including key intercepts: Cygnet Infill 12.7 g/t Au over 2.1 m (ETW 2.1 m) in hole UDH3196; 11.0 g/t Au over 8.5 m (ETW 5.7 m) in hole UDH3492; 8.1 g/t Au over 4.9 (ETW 4.2 m) in hole UDH3485; 9.4 g/t Au over 3.1 m (ETW 2.0 m) in hole UDH3417A; and 6.1 g/t Au over 6.0 m (ETW 5.6m) in hole UDE279 Cygnet Splays 36.6 g/t Au over 2.2 m (ETW 1.9 m) in hole UDH3492, incl. 168 g/t Au over 0.4 m (ETW 0.3 m); and 4.2 g/t Au over 4.3 m (ETW 4.1 m) in hole UDH3206 Infill drill programs into Cygnet will continue throughout the second half of 2020, with the objective to increase resource confidence to enable mineral reserve evaluation in this zone at the end of the year. Harrier Drilling Programs Recent drilling exploring the down dip and southern extensions of the Harrier Base Fault have returned encouraging results, demonstrating continued growth opportunity in the Harrier system. High-grade sulfide mineralization has been intersected on the Harrier Base Fault between the 4150 and 4250mRLs (Figure 9), displaying grades and widths with significant potential to support further Mineral Reserve expansion in this zone. The Harrier Base Fault key intercepts outside of December 2019 Mineral Reserves include: 20.9 g/t Au over 5.9 m (ETW 5.5 m) in hole UDH3045 incl. 295 g/t Au over 0.3 m (ETW 0.3 m); 22.8 g/t Au (1) over 4.3 m (ETW 3.7 m) in hole UDH3474A; 24.5 g/t Au over 3.8 m (ETW 3.8 m) in hole UDH3497; 12.0 g/t Au over 3.8 m (ETW 3.7 m) in hole UDH3498; 8.3 g/t Au over 9.4 m (ETW 9.3 m) in hole UDH3510; and 5.2 g/t Au over 6.9 m (ETW 6.8 m) in hole UDH3499 In addition, drilling targeting the Harrier Base Fault down-plunge demonstrates that continuity of mineralization extends a distance of approximately 400 m down-plunge of the lowest Mineral Reserves and is open for further exploration targeting. Mineralization grades and widths of significance occur along this plunge extent and include: 8.1 g/t Au over 4.5 m (ETW 3.9 m) in hole UDE239; Further to this, drilling extended below the Harrier Base fault has outlined the stratigraphic and structural framework to assist with further target generation in the Harrier zone (Figure 10). Structures footwall to the Harrier Base have displayed evidence of sulfide mineralization (Wagtail) and present future targets at depth. The Harrier gold system has now been defined over a down-plunge extent of approximately 3.4 km and remains open for expansion. Future drilling in the Harrier zone will test target strike and dip extensions of known mineralized structures such as the Harrier Base Fault as well as adjacent trends of known and interpreted mineralization. Qualified Persons Troy Fuller, MAIG, Director of Exploration, Australia, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this News Release. For further information regarding the Companys 2019 Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources estimates for the Fosterville Gold Mine, please refer to the Companys News Release dated February 29, 2020 and the Technical Report entitled Updated NI 43-101 Technical Report Fosterville Gold Mine In the State of Victoria, Australia effective December 31, 2018. Drilling and Underground Sampling Assay QAQC Kirkland Lake Gold has in place quality-control systems to ensure best practice in drilling, sampling and analysis of drill core. All diamond drill hole collars (Table 2) are accurately surveyed using a Leica TS16 Total Station instrument and down-hole deviations are measured by either electronic gyro or single-shot instruments. Sampling consisted of diamond drill core that was either full core (i.e. for Swan drill samples) or half core sampled. Half core samples were cut longitudinally in half with a diamond saw; one-half of the drill core was sent to an independent laboratory for analysis and the other drill core half retained for reference. Sample pulps are returned from the assay laboratory for reference and future geological or metallurgical studies. Drill core sample intervals vary between 0.3 and 1.2m in length and were determined from logging of sulfide and visible-gold to geological boundaries. Samples containing visible-gold or considered likely to contain visible-gold were separated from sulfide gold samples and dispatched independently for assaying. At the laboratory visible-gold jobs were processed through a single pulverizer and material barren of gold (quartz wash) was crushed before and after each sample to minimize the potential for gold to contaminate successive samples. Assays are either based on 25-gram fire assay. Mean grades are calculated using a variable lower grade cut-off (generally 2 g/t Au) and maximum 2 m internal dilution. No upper gold grade cut is applied to the data. However, during future Mineral Resource studies the requirement for assay top cutting will be assessed. The samples were assayed at On Site Laboratory Services, an independent laboratory in Bendigo, Victoria. The facility is registered under ISO 9001:2015 (CERT-40147) and operates in accordance with ISO/IEC17025 (accreditation no. 20456) under National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA). About Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a growing gold producer operating in Canada and Australia that produced 974,615 ounces in 2019. The production profile of the Company is anchored by three high-quality operations, including the Macassa Mine and Detour Lake Mine, both located in Northern Ontario, and the Fosterville Mine located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Kirkland Lake Gold's solid base of quality assets is complemented by district scale exploration potential, supported by a strong financial position with extensive management expertise. For further information on Kirkland Lake Gold and to receive news releases by email, visit the website at www.kl.gold . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to planned exploration programs, costs and expenditures, changes in Mineral Resource estimates, potential growth in Mineral Resources, conversion of Mineral Resources to proven and probable Mineral Reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future exploration potential, project economics, timing and scope of future exploration, anticipated costs and expenditures, changes in mineral resources and conversion of mineral resources to proven and probable reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity, metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed as a category of mineral resource. A mineral resource that is classified as "inferred" or "indicated" has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "indicated mineral resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable reserves. 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. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include, among others, risks related to international operations, risks related to obtaining the permits required to carry out planned exploration or development work, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of gold, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Companys Annual Information Form, financial statements and related MD&A for the periods ended December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 and other disclosures of "Risk Factors" by the Company and its predecessors, which are filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces in Canada and available on SEDAR. Although the Company has attempted to identify key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause unanticipated and unintended results. 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. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates All resource and reserve estimates included in this news release or documents referenced in this news release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") - CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, which established standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. These definitions differ materially from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty 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 pre-feasibility studies, except in very limited circumstances. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource exists, will ever be converted into a mineral reserve or is or will ever be economically or legally mineable or recovered. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Anthony Makuch, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director Phone: +1 416-840-7884 E-mail: tmakuch@kl.gold Mark Utting, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations Phone: +1 416-840-7884 E-mail: mutting@kl.gold Table 1: Drill Assay Intercepts for the Swan Fault, Curie Fault, Curie Hangingwall Fault, Curie Footwall Fault, Herschel Fault, Cygnet Fault, Cygnet Hangingwall Splay, Cygnet Footwall Splay and Harrier Base Fault at Fosterville Gold Mine. (The results are later than those used for the December 31, 2019 Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves update of The Fosterville Gold Mine) Hole ID From (m) To (m) Downhole Interval (m) Estimated True Width (m) Gold Grade (g/t Au) Geological Structure Swan Fault Mineralization UDE285 654.6 657.5 2.9 1.9 2.9 Swan Fault UDH3167(1) 74.35 81.7 7.35 7.0 976 Swan Fault Including(1) 74.75 76 1.25 1.2 5,710 Swan Fault UDH3168(1) 87.45 91.9 4.45 4.0 99.2 Swan Fault Including(1) 89.35 89.65 0.3 0.3 1,270 Swan Fault UDH3169(1) 82.6 90.7 8.1 7.3 222 Swan Fault Including(1) 83.1 84.1 1.0 0.9 1,684 Swan Fault UDH3185(1) 135 141.45 6.45 4.1 50.9 Swan Fault Including(1) 140.25 140.75 0.5 0.3 546 Swan Fault UDH3267(1) 108 113.8 5.8 5.3 53.0 Swan Fault Including(1) 111.35 111.65 0.3 0.3 890 Swan Fault UDH3269(1) 101.2 113.05 11.85 10.7 55.1 Swan Fault Including(1) 111.3 111.65 0.35 0.3 1,520 Swan Fault UDH3271 102.9 119.35 16.45 14.3 9.1 Swan Fault UDH3272(1) 107 117.3 10.3 9.3 157 Swan Fault Including(1) 107.7 109.1 1.4 1.3 1,122 Swan Fault UDH3274(1) 115.9 119 3.1 2.7 31.4 Swan Fault Including(1) 117.8 118.15 0.35 0.3 243 Swan Fault UDH3276(1) 106.5 110.2 3.7 3.6 551 Swan Fault Including(1) 107.85 108.25 0.4 0.4 5,010 Swan Fault UDH3278(1) 116.2 123.7 7.5 6.8 67.6 Swan Fault Including(1) 116.5 117.4 0.9 0.8 479 Swan Fault UDH3279(1) 125.15 129.55 4.4 3.7 35.5 Swan Fault Including(1) 125.45 125.75 0.3 0.3 374 Swan Fault UDH3280(1) 110.2 121.8 11.6 10.9 28.9 Swan Fault Including(1) 116.8 117.3 0.5 0.5 425 Swan Fault UDH3281(1) 116.4 126.86 10.46 10.0 17.3 Swan Fault Including(1) 122.5 122.9 0.4 0.4 123 Swan Fault UDH3282(1) 132.1 141.15 9.05 5.8 9.5 Swan Fault UDH3283 107.1 120.75 13.65 12.5 16.7 Swan Fault Including 112.3 113 0.7 0.6 122 Swan Fault UDH3284 102.5 116.9 14.4 14.1 7.4 Swan Fault UDH3320 113.4 118.05 4.65 3.8 12.8 Swan Fault UDH3322 124.7 127.95 3.25 2.8 28.3 Swan Fault UDH3324 124.8 130.7 5.9 4.8 7.3 Swan Fault UDH3326(1) 122.8 124.6 1.8 1.6 228 Swan Fault Including(1) 123.7 124 0.3 0.3 1,310 Swan Fault UDH3328 136.7 137.1 0.4 0.3 3.9 Swan Fault UDH3332 134.5 136.7 2.2 2.0 21.5 Swan Fault UDH3334 142.75 144.7 1.95 1.3 17.3 Swan Fault UDH3360(1) 115.05 124.2 9.15 8.6 156 Swan Fault Including(1) 115.05 116.7 1.65 1.6 307 Swan Fault UDH3361(1) 104.7 116.55 11.85 10.3 68.9 Swan Fault Including(1) 109.2 110.5 1.3 1.1 530 Swan Fault UDH3362(1) 110.7 125.05 14.35 10.2 54.6 Swan Fault Including(1) 112.9 114 1.1 0.8 581 Swan Fault UDH3364(1) 98.85 115.1 16.25 15.3 18.2 Swan Fault Including(1) 106.8 107.85 1.05 1.0 200 Swan Fault UDH3365(1) 99.4 113.3 13.9 11.3 40.8 Swan Fault Including(1) 108.1 109 0.9 0.7 515 Swan Fault UDH3367(1) 103 114.1 11.1 10.1 13.9 Swan Fault Including(1) 104.9 105.6 0.7 0.6 114 Swan Fault UDH3384(1) 76.1 83.05 6.95 6.5 70.0 Swan Fault Including(1) 79.5 79.95 0.45 0.4 870 Swan Fault UDH3385(1) 79.3 87.25 7.95 7.5 13.8 Swan Fault UDH3386(1) 71.7 74.4 2.7 2.7 63.7 Swan Fault Including(1) 71.7 72.1 0.4 0.4 351 Swan Fault UDH3387 84.4 90.5 6.1 5.3 7.6 Swan Fault UDH3389(1) 65.5 72.15 6.65 5.8 94.2 Swan Fault Including(1) 70.35 71.85 1.5 1.3 400 Swan Fault UDH3390(1) 75.3 81.1 5.8 5.7 89.6 Swan Fault Including(1) 78.75 79.65 0.9 0.9 518 Swan Fault UDH3391(1) 74.7 85.45 10.75 10.8 9.6 Swan Fault UDH3392(1) 81.8 88.6 6.8 5.6 416 Swan Fault Including(1) 86.4 87.2 0.8 0.7 3,510 Swan Fault UDH3393 87.4 92 4.6 4.6 11.9 Swan Fault UDH3405(1) 125.6 131.95 6.35 5.8 933 Swan Fault Including(1) 127.65 128.6 0.95 0.9 6,202 Swan Fault UDH3406(1) 122.75 128 5.25 3.7 55.3 Swan Fault Including(1) 123.9 124.4 0.5 0.4 296 Swan Fault And(1) 125.5 126 0.5 0.4 251 Swan Fault UDH3407 115 119 4.0 2.8 2.7 Swan Fault UDH3408(1) 108.45 114.3 5.85 5.8 74.2 Swan Fault Including(1) 109 109.3 0.3 0.3 1,080 Swan Fault Curie Fault Mineralization RHD327 450.20 453.50 3.3 3.2 7.3 Curie Fault RHD355 760.95 764.50 3.55 2.9 30.8 Curie Fault RHD357 1,500.35 1,500.85 0.5 0.5 5.2 Curie Fault RHD358 744.90 748.85 3.95 3.0 1.4 Curie Fault RHD360 671.50 674.85 3.35 3.1 0.4 Curie Fault RHD361 716.05 718.35 2.3 1.7 0.8 Curie Fault RHD362 368.40 370.50 2.1 2.0 0.1 Curie Fault RHD364 754.45 759.85 5.4 4.7 4.5 Curie Fault RHD365 780.90 785.50 4.6 3.7 9.6 Curie Fault Including 782.10 782.60 0.5 0.4 19.9 Curie Fault RHD366A 825.30 826.70 1.4 1.2 1.4 Curie Fault RHD366D 873.70 874.40 0.7 0.6 4.7 Curie Fault RHD367 755.85 760.00 4.15 3.3 3.3 Curie Fault RHD369 796.05 797.15 1.1 1.0 0.5 Curie Fault RHD374 1,252.30 1,253.90 1.6 1.6 10.6 Curie Fault RHD375 771.60 774.00 2.4 1.6 10.8 Curie Fault RHD376 1,107.90 1,113.15 5.25 4.6 2.5 Curie Fault RHD378 844.25 849.35 5.1 3.6 2.4 Curie Fault RHD379 795.90 803.75 7.85 7.6 1.8 Curie Fault RHD386 822.70 827.10 4.4 2.8 4.3 Curie Fault RHD387B 804.35 808.00 3.65 2.8 7.7 Curie Fault RHD392 862.55 864.35 1.8 1.2 2.8 Curie Fault RHD394 745.85 747.10 1.25 0.9 0.7 Curie Fault RHD395 1,181.15 1,183.75 2.6 2.0 2.9 Curie Fault RHD397 773.50 775.20 1.7 1.6 4.5 Curie Fault RHD398 803.20 807.45 4.25 3.4 0.9 Curie Fault RHD398A 834.25 835.20 0.95 0.8 1.1 Curie Fault RHD400 823.40 835.60 12.2 7.6 2.2 Curie Fault RHD400A 816.25 820.20 3.95 2.5 2.0 Curie Fault And 828.25 846.00 17.75 11.7 5.0 Curie Fault RHD402 715.45 717.20 1.75 1.5 8.2 Curie Fault RHD402B 681.65 684.50 2.85 2.6 5.3 Curie Fault RHD408 756.10 760.65 4.55 3.8 4.3 Curie Fault RHD413 (1) Visible-gold observed at 114m downhole. Results pending Curie Fault Curie Hangingwall Fault RHD411A (1) Visible-gold observed at 829m downhole. Results pending Curie HW Fault Herschel Fault Mineralization RHD408(1) 309.20 313.55 4.35 3.2 68.1 Herschel Fault Including(1) 309.60 309.95 0.35 0.3 747 Herschel Fault Cygnet Fault Mineralization UDE279 259.70 265.65 5.95 5.6 6.1 Cygnet UDE283 343.25 343.55 0.3 0.2 11.4 Cygnet UDE284 350.70 352.60 1.9 1.4 2.6 Cygnet UDH3196 404.10 406.20 2.1 2.1 12.7 Cygnet UDH3204A 375.95 378.30 2.35 2.0 5.6 Cygnet UDH3205 378.75 383.30 4.55 3.7 5.4 Cygnet UDH3206 296.80 306.50 9.7 8.0 5.4 Cygnet UDH3207A 271.10 274.00 2.9 2.9 10.8 Cygnet UDH3208 410.50 410.80 0.3 0.2 1.9 Cygnet UDH3398 288.30 294.90 6.6 5.9 13.6 Cygnet UDH3399 274.15 274.45 0.3 0.3 0.1 Cygnet UDH3402 268.40 270.40 2.3 2.2 13.1 Cygnet UDH3404 308.70 310.20 1.5 1.2 5.7 Cygnet UDH3414 364.40 367.75 3.35 3.1 6.4 Cygnet UDH3415 371.40 372.10 0.7 0.7 0.1 Cygnet UDH3417A 351.20 354.30 3.1 2.0 9.4 Cygnet UDH3441 378.90 381.60 2.7 2.6 5.6 Cygnet UDH3479 215.30 215.70 0.4 0.4 0.7 Cygnet UDH3480 222.20 222.70 0.5 0.2 2.0 Cygnet UDH3482 226.00 227.25 1.25 1.1 4.2 Cygnet UDH3484 260.20 265.80 5.6 5.1 5.0 Cygnet UDH3485 284.05 288.90 4.85 4.2 8.1 Cygnet UDH3486 243.00 243.40 0.4 0.4 0.6 Cygnet UDH3492 48.00 56.50 8.5 5.7 11.0 Cygnet Cygnet Hangingwall Splay Mineralization UDH3482 208.25 210.45 2.2 1.9 36.6 Cygnet Hangingwall Splay Including 208.25 208.60 0.35 0.3 168.0 Cygnet Hangingwall Splay Cygnet Footwall Splay Mineralization UDE281 336.50 337.20 0.7 0.6 2.4 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3206 343.55 347.80 4.25 4.1 4.2 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3207A 283.80 285.20 1.4 1.4 6.9 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3162 329.35 330.90 1.55 1.3 3.6 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3400 280.40 280.90 0.5 0.5 0.0 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3401 273.80 274.10 0.3 0.3 12.1 Cygnet Footwall Splay UDH3485 316.10 319.40 3.3 2.1 3.3 Cygnet Footwall Splay Harrier Base Fault Mineralization UDE214 244.60 247.30 2.7 1.8 2.7 Harrier Base UDE222 262.30 264.10 1.8 1.7 0.5 Harrier Base UDE239 382.85 387.30 4.45 3.9 8.1 Harrier Base UDE268 408.50 409.80 1.3 0.8 6.0 Harrier Base UDE292 385.00 388.60 3.6 3.4 2.3 Harrier Base UDE295 387.25 390.00 2.75 2.5 2.6 Harrier Base UDE298 395.25 396.05 0.8 0.7 4.7 Harrier Base UDE300 260.30 264.20 3.9 3.1 6.7 Harrier Base UDE301 287.60 298.00 10.4 6.0 2.0 Harrier Base UDE302A 310.65 311.75 1.1 0.6 0.0 Harrier Base UDE308 521.00 521.70 0.7 0.5 3.9 Harrier Base UDE310 458.60 459.20 0.6 0.6 7.6 Harrier Base UDE316 476.70 477.65 0.95 0.8 4.5 Harrier Base UDE320 440.40 443.65 3.25 1.4 4.0 Harrier Base UDE321 465.00 465.90 0.9 0.8 4.0 Harrier Base UDE325 489.30 491.00 1.7 1.6 3.8 Harrier Base UDE329 555.95 563.45 7.5 5.8 0.3 Harrier Base UDE339A 409.70 411.85 2.15 2.0 2.6 Harrier Base UDH3000 214.90 216.00 1.1 1.0 3.1 Harrier Base UDH3001 202.60 208.00 5.4 5.4 4.0 Harrier Base UDH3002 207.45 207.80 0.35 0.3 2.0 Harrier Base UDH3003 217.90 218.35 0.45 0.4 11.7 Harrier Base UDH3004 210.80 214.00 3.2 3.2 6.2 Harrier Base UDH3005 219.00 219.60 0.6 0.6 7.1 Harrier Base UDH3006 226.75 228.75 2.0 1.9 8.4 Harrier Base UDH3007 215.30 216.40 1.1 0.8 5.4 Harrier Base UDH3029 230.45 232.60 2.15 2.1 11.6 Harrier Base UDH3042 233.25 233.80 0.55 0.5 2.9 Harrier Base UDH3043 245.90 247.10 1.2 1.1 3.8 Harrier Base UDH3045 230.50 236.40 5.9 5.5 20.9 Harrier Base Including 232.20 232.50 0.3 0.3 295 Harrier Base UDH3046 248.45 249.50 1.05 1.0 3.2 Harrier Base UDH3048 234.25 234.80 0.55 0.5 3.5 Harrier Base UDH3050 244.00 244.95 0.95 0.9 6.2 Harrier Base UDH3052 238.85 240.60 1.75 1.7 5.0 Harrier Base UDH3053 243.55 244.00 0.45 0.4 2.5 Harrier Base UDH3474 245.70 246.10 0.4 0.4 3.5 Harrier Base UDH3474A 250.70 255.00 4.3 3.7 22.8 Harrier Base UDH3488 222.50 223.40 0.9 0.9 0.6 Harrier Base UDH3489 222.90 228.35 5.45 4.1 4.4 Harrier Base UDH3490 253.25 254.20 0.95 0.7 4.5 Harrier Base UDH3491 246.45 246.80 0.35 0.3 3.9 Harrier Base UDH3494 241.25 249.10 7.85 7.6 3.8 Harrier Base UDH3495 256.60 260.80 4.2 4.2 5.6 Harrier Base UDH3496 260.70 266.35 5.65 5.7 4.1 Harrier Base UDH3497 289.50 293.30 3.8 3.8 24.5 Harrier Base UDH3498 253.10 256.85 3.75 3.7 12.0 Harrier Base UDH3499 272.85 279.70 6.85 6.8 5.2 Harrier Base UDH3500 268.95 269.61 0.66 0.6 6.4 Harrier Base UDH3510 237.50 246.90 9.4 9.3 8.3 Harrier Base UDH3512 254.08 254.23 0.15 0.15 18.5 Harrier Base Notes: (1) Visible-gold observed in drill intercept. Swan drill intercepts greater than 1,000 Gram-Meter (gold grade x estimated true width) are shown in bold text; Non-Swan drill intercepts greater than 15 Gram-Meter are shown in bold text. To view the figures associated with this release, please visit the following links: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/912e2ccb-42ad-4944-91d3-9020824f5a75 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15e16e4b-1b88-41f2-8fa4-bd68d312f2e3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4e853b79-e916-4756-8612-8eb84988aa72 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f46d96d0-0c62-4a38-8aeb-8f41a2fb6f99 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8ab33af3-6c0b-4db6-835f-7ae7a968b7b7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1d1aa967-1b47-4419-b543-bb495e41bb3f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f6d08da-7697-467e-a4d4-198b31ee1abd https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c0126dbe-998f-4ea1-888e-f23ac820fc03 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9a2cbbf9-7169-4673-9625-7851d65cfa06 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/89ef17c2-e3e0-47b9-bcc2-0e17c592c87b Italy's interior ministry on Wednesday said it was finding the migrant situation "much more complex" than in previous years and was upping returns to Tunisia as it struggled to house new arrivals. The coronavirus emergency and the consequent very serious economic crisis that has hit not only the countries of North Africa hard, (is) feeding an exceptional flow of economic migrants" across the Mediterranean, it said. Many land on the holiday destination of Lampedusa island, as sunbathers paddling in crystal waters look on. "Autonomous landings on the Italian coasts have more than multiplied in a very short period of time," the ministry said, referring to small boats which make it across from the coast of North Africa without being intercepted. CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH There were also "organisational complexities" linked to coronavirus, for new arrivals who need to be tested then kept in isolation for a set period of time -- and some have been breaking quarantine rules, enraging local populations. Many of the autonomous landings have been on the picturesque but tiny Lampedusa, which lies close to North Africa, and has seen a rise in the number of small boats landing there from Tunisia in particular. Nearly half of the 11,000 or so migrants who had made shore in Italy as of last week had set off from Tunisia, and most of those were Tunisian citizens, official figures show. Other arrivals largely set off from war-torn Libya. "The EU must immediately step up" and re-start the redistribution across the bloc of newly-arrived asylum-seekers, "particularly in this phase of high sanitary and health risk", Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said. More than 300 people, mainly Tunisians, arrived in Lampedusa during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday on board 13 boats. Italian media said that had pushed the numbers at the island's reception centre to over 1,000. Newly-arrived Tunisians could be seen lining up along the port -- one woman holding a toddler, another clutching a kitten -- before many were placed on a ferry to take them to mainland Sicily, an AFP photographer said. In a video posted by the Corriere della Sera daily, holidaymakers splashing in the shallows watched as migrants clambered out of their boat onto the rocks on one side of the bay. The ministry said 410 migrants had been transferred from Lampedusa on Wednesday. While people are moved on from the small centre on a regular basis, it soon overcrowds again. For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here Italy's interior minister Luciana Lamorgese met with Tunisia's President Kais Saied and its interior minister in Carthage on Monday to express "strong concerns" about the recent influx of migrants from Tunisia. Flights for repatriation to Tunisia resumed on July 16, with 80 Tunisian citizens returned since the end of the lockdown, the ministry said Wednesday, adding that its aim was "to increase the number of weekly returns". It also said it hoped to be able to deploy two ships in the coming days to be used to quarantine migrants, each capable of housing up to 600 people at a time. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 23:56:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SKOPJE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A heatwave will hit North Macedonia in the next two days with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, the Health Ministry said in a press release on Thursday. A yellow weather warning has been issued, said the ministry, calling on citizens to abide by heatwave safety measures. The ministry recommended all citizens spend as much time in air conditioned spaces and avoid direct sun exposure by wearing sunglasses and hats. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:49:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A court in southwestern Uganda has sentenced a man to 11 years in jail after he was found guilty of killing a mountain gorilla and other wildlife in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The poacher, named Felix Byamukama, pleaded guilty to counts of trespassing in a protected area, killing a gorilla, a duiker and a bush pig, and illegally possessing meat from the bush pig and duiker, state-backed conservation group the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said in a statement on Thursday. Byamukama was arrested on June 4 together with his three accomplices, following the death of Rafiki, a silverback belonging to the Nkuringo gorilla group. His accomplices denied the charges and were remanded in Kisoro prison in Uganda's Western Region. Sam Mwandha, UWA executive director, welcomed the ruling, noting that justice had been done for Rafiki. "We are relieved that Rafiki has received justice and this should serve as an example to other people who kill wildlife. If one person kills wildlife, we all lose; therefore, we request every person to support our efforts of conserving wildlife for the present and future generations," Mwandha said. Mountain gorillas are one of Uganda's major tourist attractions, as the country hosts over 50 percent of the global population of mountain gorillas, according to figures from the UWA. Enditem As coronavirus cases are spiking across the United States, questions and debates are cropping up about how risky it is to go to barbecues, parties and more. A tool created by the Georgia Institute of Technology may offer some insight. Using information from APIs COVID Tracking Project as well as population data from the 2019 U.S. census, the universitys online map projects the threat level of going to gatherings in all 50 states, breaking down the risks county by county. The virtual tool, created as the COVID-19 pandemic first began to ramp up in the United States, calculates the estimated chance that at least one positive coronavirus patient will be present at an event, taking into account the gatherings size and location. In Massachusetts, the risk level differs significantly county by county. The likelihood of someone with COVID-19 showing up to a 100-person event ranges from as low as 16% in Franklin County to as high as 55% on Nantucket. Whereas, in other states, like California, Michigan and Texas, the threat of a coronavirus patient attending a gathering of 100 individuals varies far more greatly. For instance, in Presque Isle County, located on the northern tip of Michigan, the risk level is 1%, while in Saint Joseph County, situated on the southern edge of the state, the threat is 90%. As part of its calculations, Georgia Techs model, called the COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool, assumes there are 10 times more cases than the number actually being reported, so in places with more testing availability, the risk level may be lower than what the map presents. The overall goal of the project is a simple one: to see how likely it is that one or more infected individuals shows up to an event, big or small. The model is simple, intentionally so, and provided some context for the rationale to halt large gatherings in early-mid March and newly relevant context for considering when and how to reopen, the universitys website said. How risky engaging in certain pre-pandemic activities is depends on a slew of factors, doctors have said, from the number of people gathering for an event to which state those individuals are in. Dr. Armando Paez, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, told MassLive earlier this summer that different states are in varied stages of their outbreaks. This, in part, causes transmission rates to differ substantially. Another reason for the discrepancies may be the differing responses public officials have taken to combat the pandemic. While states like Massachusetts and others have mandated mask-wearing in most public settings - a proven technique of reducing the transmission of the disease - other areas of the country have not issued such restrictions. It can be difficult, though, to try to completely explain why one state may be successfully bringing down their coronavirus caseloads more than another, according to the Baystate doctor. Its really hard to compare Massachusetts to other states, but what we know is we learned a lot from the epidemic, Paez said in late June. We know that masking helps. We know that hand-washing helps to prevent infection. We know that physical distancing really helps. The United States is currently leading the world in the number of cases of and deaths due to the viral respiratory infection, with roughly 4.4 million COVID-19 patients and more than 150,000 coronavirus-linked fatalities confirmed, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Across the country, though, each states number of daily reported cases of the disease has differed substantially. While Florida, Texas and other states that are seeing surges in their COVID-19 caseloads have reported thousands of new cases every day for the past several weeks, Massachusetts, prior to July 29, was confirming fewer than 300 new daily cases for numerous weeks now. However, risks remain for the commonwealth, and the threat of someone with the coronavirus going to an event in the state is high, even if it is a small gathering, according to Georgia Techs modeling. While there is a less than 10% chance of a COVID-19 patient showing up to a 10-person event in any of Massachusetts counties, the risk level grows significantly even if only a few more dozen people show up. For a gathering of 50 people, the threat is 30% or greater for multiple highly populated counties in the state, including Bristol, Norfolk and Suffolk counties. Events that host more than 100 are even more troubling. It is nearly certain that, for a 500-person gathering in Massachusetts, someone will show up with the coronavirus, the universitys online map showed. The risk level for such large-scale events is more than 90% for the majority of the commonwealths 14 counties. Despite the transmission risks presented by Georgia Techs virtual tool, multiple cases have been reported in the commonwealth of dozens or more individuals gathering in tight quarters and violating social distancing guidelines. At the Ming Dynasty, a popular Chinese restaurant in Marshfield, more than 100 people, many without face coverings, gathered inside the business earlier this month, apparently in violation of several restrictions aimed at staving off transmission fo the virus. Bay State Cruise Company was also slapped with a cease and desist order after a photograph of one of the companys ships in Boston Harbor showed numerous passengers in close proximity to one another. The company said the ship was sailing at 33% of its 150-person capacity, though authorities in their order said the business offered services that are not permitted to be open during the current phase of the states coronavirus reopening plan, NBC Boston reported. Because of a lack of testing in some states and the high risk of exposure to COVID-19, Georgia Techs model supports the ongoing need for social distancing and protective measures, even at small events, according to the university. Related Content: AZLE, Texas, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- So much is happening around the country right now with COVID-19 that many people fear that the basic services they rely on could be gone for some time. Everything from mechanics to window washers are forced to stay home with the fear of catching something. However, one company and its dedicated workers understand that their work does not stop when a new issue arises. They are ready for anything and want to get their community the help it needs at any time. At Double L Plumbing, they understand that finding the right Commercial & Residential Plumber in Azle can be very hard. Plumbing is a service that people seem to never realize they need until it's too late. By knowing that Double L is always ready to help local customers get the service they need, residents of Azle can rest easy knowing that help is just a simple phone call away. With their residential offerings, Double L is able to use their modern plumbing techniques to take care of a variety of issues. In addition, they are also able to take care of a number of commercial plumbing needs to keep commercial businesses running without any issues. To ensure that every customer is getting the best experience possible, Double L only uses the best equipment and appliances when completing their jobs. They are able to reach a property, assess the issues, and come up with the best solution possible to make sure everyone is satisfied with the job. Taking a look at their record of great customer reviews, it is easy to see why so many call this brand when they need a plumber in Azle, TX. With such a broad range of services to offer, Double L is ready to take on whatever comes their way. With clogged drains and backups being a common issue for many, Double L is able to assist homes and businesses with these common issues in no time at all. For more thorough issues that require repairs and more investigation, they are able to use modern cameras and tools to find the source of a problem and get rid of it with ease. When looking to get a new system installed, Double L once again has everyone covered with many installation options available. About Double L Plumbing: Double L Plumbing proudly serves the Azle community and is eager to take care of any plumbing needs. From getting a clog taken care of to having an entirely new system installed, these guys do it all. Reach out to see how they can help take care of any plumbing issue. Media Contact: Double L Plumbing [email protected] (817)-444-3100 https://doublelplumbingservice.com/ Related Links About our Company Our Residential Services SOURCE Double L Plumbing Related Links https://doublelplumbingservice.com The Kolkata Airport on Thursday announced that restrictions on flights arriving in Kolkata from six cities--Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad has been extended till August 15, amid the prevailing coronavirus crisis. The step has been taken as these cities are COVID-19 hotspots. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter it said, "The restriction on arriving flights to Kolkata Airport from 6 cities viz Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur & Ahmedabad has been extended upto 15th August 2020." On July 17, the Kolkata Airport had announced that restrictions on flights arriving in Kolkata from these six cities have been extended till July 31. Earlier on July 4, the state government restricted the flight movements to Kolkata airport from the six metro cities till July 19. The West Bengal government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to suspend flight operations to Kolkata from high-risk cities. The airlines that will be impacted include Indigo, Spicejet, Vistara, and Air India. Airlines are operating on domestic routes with upto 30 per cent network capacity, as per the DGCA orders. West Bengal reported 46 COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, the highest number of single-day deaths so far, pushing the toll to 1,536, the health department said. The state's caseload shot up to 67,692 with a record 2,434 fresh cases, it said in a bulletin. The number of active cases stood at 19,900. Since July 29, 2,140 patients recovered from the disease, improving the discharge rate to 68.33 per cent, the bulletin said. Srinagar, July 30 : The Jammu and Kashmir Police have been put on high alert for the ensuing fortnight after intelligence reports said that subversive elements were planning to disrupt peace during the next 15 days. Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh took a meeting of senior officers on Thursday and directed the security forces to remain on high alert for the ensuing fortnight. The DGP directed the security forces to ensure that Eid celebrations and events connected with the country's Independence Day pass off peacefully. Security forces are facing an additional challenge in J&K this year because the first anniversary of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories fall on August 5. The DGP directed the supervisory officers to regularly inspect the security forces deployed on operations, on static guard and other duties. The police chief said the security forces have been doing a commendable job by carrying out operations against militants and maintaining the law and order. "We cannot afford to lower the guard since the gains made during the last few months have to be consolidated," he said. Effects of collective fight against Covid-19 by the police, Central armed police forces and the civil administration were also discussed at the meeting, a police spokesman said. The DGP said that all efforts must be put in place to enhance the security of vulnerable people and places. He said officers can take decisions keeping in view the local requirements. He said logistics such as bullet-proof bunkers fitted with CCTV cameras have been provided and advised the officers that these resources must be made good use of. He advised that incidents of sensitive law and order nature must be recorded and later analysed. He said plasma donations by police personnel, an initiative under the supervision of Additional Director General (ADG), Coordination, S.J.M. Gillani, has been appreciated by the civilians as precious lives are being saved through this attempt. He said a list of police personnel who can be screened for plasma donation should be prepared at the district and other levels in the police department. Hey 19: The Wild True Story Of America's First Women-Led Terrorist Group In the 1970s, a gang of activists made history as the firstandonly American terrorist group founded and led by women. They bombed the Capitol, broke their friends out of jail, and, 40 years later, some are still at large. It was 1981 and Marilyn Buck, Susan Rosenberg, and Judy Clark had spent days casing Co-Op City, a housing complex in the Bronx. Hours passed as they watched people and businesses, including the armored trucks that ferried cash to and from a bank. They were there to help the Family, a group of self-styled revolutionaries who robbed the rich and powerful to fund radical black political activities. Finally, on June 2, the group made their move, targeting an armored Brinks truck outside a Chase Manhattan branch, making off with more than $250,000. The three women waited in the getaway car, ready to flee. But the heist didnt go as planned. Family member Tyrone Rison opened fire, killing one of the trucks couriers and wounding another. ADVERTISEMENT It wasnt the first time the Family had made headlines. A few years earlier, the radical activists, along with Buck, had helped Assata Shakur (a.k.a. Joanne Chesimard), a leader in the Black Liberation Army, escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey. Now with the Brinks robbery, however, it was suddenly Buck, Clark, and Rosenbergwho escaped arrest but were identified in later witness testimonywho found themselves in the spotlight. The women had been essentially unknown to the FBI before the robbery, because they werent really members of the Family. In fact, the trio of women were rulers of their own radical organization, M19, believed to be the firstand to date onlydomestic terrorist group founded and led by women. And until that botched heist, they had managed to stay completely beneath the Bureaus radar. M19short for the May 19th Communist Organization and named after the birthday shared by Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X and Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minhhoped to start an insurrection that would destroy Americas sexism, racism, and dangerous imperialism. The group included men in its ranks, but they were vastly outnumbered. And in its brief existence, M19 carried out a series of terrorist attacks, including the bombing of one of the countrys most iconic buildings. But even as radical terrorists, they faced deep-seated misogyny, and their legacy was largely ignoreduntil now. This year, author William Rosenaua military analyst whose resume includes work as a counterterrorism expert at the State Departmentreleased his history of the group, Tonight We Bombed the U.S. Capitol: The Explosive Story of M19, Americas First Female Terrorist Group, a book he says he wrote in part because no one else had. I was shocked to find out that no one had ever written anything really substantial about them before and I found their [story] absolutely compelling, Rosenau says. In the early 20th century, women in the United States had played important roles in [groups like] the Weather Underground, but there was no comparable group that was actually organized and led by women. None of the surviving members of M19 would agree to an interview for Rosenaus book, but he wasnt deterred, spending hours combing through newspaper articles, declassified FBI documents, and grand jury transcripts and testimony. He also found a treasure trove of papers that Rosenberg donated to her alma mater, Smith College, as well as an unfinished memoir by one of M19s two male participants, Alan Berkman, donated by his widow after his death in 2009. Rosenau says he was also fascinated by the groups endurance. Founded in the late 70s, M19 existed until approximately 1985, long after many of the groups extremist peers had either disbanded, fled, or been arrested. And whats more, they only folded because its core members were finally caught, not because their ideals had in any way softenedif anything, theyd grown more extreme. M19 first formed in 1978, and by 1979, they had issued their manifesto. In it, they stated their mission to be revolutionary anti-imperialism and declared the United States a parasite on the Third World. Unofficially, M19 was an offshoot of the Weather Underground, a radical group that counted Clark as a member. The WUs platform centered on black power and anti-Vietnam War measures. Classified by the FBI as a domestic terrorist group, it gained notoriety for the bombings of banks and various government buildings in 1971 and 1972. They stated their mission to be revolutionary anti-imperialism and declared the United States a parasite on the Third World. By 1977 the Underground was defunct. Clark, along with some others from the organization, wanted to further her revolutionary work, but with a focus on what she saw as the U.S. governments cruel and brutal treatment of minorities and womenlesbians in particular. Now, M19s members saw themselves as part of a bigger liberation movement in which, according to their manifesto, the oppressed nations within the U.S. are preparing themselves to wage a full-scale peoples war against the enemy that has entered its final decline. It was radical, heady stuff for a group of white women who, for the most part, came from middle-class, well-educated backgrounds. In addition to Buck, Clark, and Rosenberg, M19 included Silvia Baraldini, Donna Joan Borup, Elizabeth Betty Ann Duke, Linda Sue Evans, Laura Jane Whitehorn, and two men, Alan Berkman and Timothy Adolph Blunk. At its formation, the groups members ranged in age from their late 20s to their late 30s. Donna Borup, 1981 Clark had perhaps the most extreme upbringing. Petite with brown hair, she was once described by an admirer, according to Rosenau, as having sparkling eyes. She grew up in New York where her father belonged to a Marxist-Leninist group before joining the Communist Party USA. The family even moved to Moscow for a spell. They eventually ended up back in Brooklyn where her parents grew disillusioned with communism. Clark, according to Rosenau, lamented her parents political shift. I couldnt bear the loss of community and ideology and purposefulness in my life, she would later write in the 1998 anthology, Red Diapers: Growing Up in the Communist Left. I would be the keeper of the flame in my family. The others had similar, if not quite as radical, childhoods. Rosenbergs parents were Manhattan liberals, participating in various social justice marches and demonstrations. While attending the City College of New York, Rosenberg sported a big afro and, according to Rosenau, found inspiration in the revolutionary women of Vietnam. I saw the women of Vietnam rise up as part of their nation to say, Were going to have our own destiny, she once said in an interview. I had never seen anything like that. And I wanted to be like that. She also worked as a drug counselor at the Lincoln Detox Center, a drug treatment program where she would eventually meet Black Panthers associate Mutulu Doc Shakur. A central figure in the Familywho would later become a stepfather to Tupac ShakurShakur was instrumental in the prison break of his friend, Assata Shakur. Meanwhile, Buck, born and raised in Texas, inherited her activist leanings from her father, an Episcopal priest who advocated for integration, angering segregationists who once burned a cross on the familys lawn. With high cheekbones and a fashionable wardrobe that included knee-high boots and oversized sunglasses, she looked more like a model than a radical activist. In high school, too, Bucks intereststhe campus newspaper, yearbook, drama club, and knittingdidnt hint at her revolutionary future. That came later when she enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where she honed her interest in the left-wing student movement. Other M19 members followed divergent paths that led them to the same place. Baraldini was born into a rich family in Rome, where she admitted that she lived a very privileged, protected life, according to Rosenau. Eventually, though, she migrated to the United States and became political in college. A tomboy, Borup grew up in a working-class New Jersey family before joining members of the Moncada Library, an anti-imperialist community organizing center. Meanwhile, Whitehorns grandfather had been a member of the Socialist party, and the New York native became politically active while studying at Radcliffe. Born in 1945, Whitehorn was the oldest of the women, and her leanings were also influenced by her sexual identity. My lesbianism makes me a better anti-imperialist, she once said, according to Rosenau. It was Duke, however, who underwent the most profound evolution. As Rosenau writes, friends described her as a typical sorority sistera prom girl with a beehive hairdo. But after graduating college, marrying, and having two kids, the Texas-born Dukes worldview transformed. By 1967, she had remarried and was supporting the farmworkers strike in the Rio Grande Valley. As their politics intensified, the women of M19 eventually crossed paths through groups like the Weather Underground, where some experienced serious consequences from their involvement. In 1969, Clark was arrested for her participation in the Undergrounds Days of Rage anti-Vietnam War protests in Chicago and served nine months in jail. Surveillance photo of Linda Sue Evans Despite their street cred, however, the women of M19 often faced sexism from within the activist community. As a member of Students for a Democratic Society, Buck appeared at a conference to give a speech about women and revolution, only to be harassed with lewd, profane jeers and wolf whistles. Even as she continued to find work among the young radicals she admired, she was still a lonely feminist voice within the male-led, macho SDS organization, Rosenau writes. Before M19, these women had been going to protests, handing out pamphlets, hosting film screenings, making signs, and otherwise helping out their male counterparts. But they wanted more. And after the Weather Underground splintered, they saw a chance to take control. They wanted to keep this armed struggle going but they thought the Weather Underground had made an important number of mistakes, Rosenau says. There was its misogyny, for starters, and they didnt like that they were often left out of the bigger missions, relegated to secondary tasks. But it went even deeper than that. Rosenau says that while members of the WU saw themselves as leaders of the global revolution, M19 believed its mission as anti-imperialists meant they shouldnt center themselves in the fight but, instead, support third-world revolutions. Soon they were staking out targets in disguises that included wigs and sunglasses, assisting with armored truck robberies, and busting their associates out of prison. In 1979, in addition to helping free Assata Shakur, M19 also helped break William Morales out of prison. Morales was a member of FALN, a Puerto Rican nationalist group. To date, both Chesimard and Morales remain at large and are on the FBIs Most Wanted list. Susan Rosenberg Even in association with the Family, however, the women of M19 resented taking on an administrative role, or what Rosenau describes as a criminal-revolutionary take on Cold War Americas division of domestic labor. The men would take on the heavy lifting of robberies and bombings, leaving the women behind to print fake IDs, line up safe houses, provide perimeter security during operations, and drive getaway cars. It wasnt enough. So M19, its members ensconced in clandestine homes and apartments, started making its own bombs in preparation for what would be its biggest action. It was 1983, and Ronald Reagan had been elected on a promise to shrink the U.S. government while expanding its military reach. M19 aimed to stop Reagans push for American imperialism, and terrorism was part of that plan. On November 6, 1983, two female members of M19 arrived in Washington, D.C., in a car registered to Buck. Using a false name, one of them checked into a motel near their target. The next night, at 10:48 p.m., an unidentified man called the U.S. Capitol switchboard and warned them to evacuate the building. Listen carefully, Im only going to tell you one time, he said to the operator. There is a bomb in the Capitol building. It will go off in five minutes. Evacuate the building. Ten minutes later, a bomb detonated in the buildings north wing. It was loud enough to make my ears hurt, a jogger outside said, according to Rosenau. It kept echoing and echoingboom, boom. Aftermath of U.S. Capitol bombing, Nov. 7, 1983 No one was hurt, but the explosion caused more than $1 million in damage. The explosive load blew doors off their hinges, shattered chandeliersand sent a shower of pulverized glass, brick, and plaster into the Republican cloakroom, writes Rosenau. Security guards gagged on the dust and smoke. It wouldnt be the groups only bombing. Over the course of only two years, M19 bombed several locations, including an FBI office, the South African consulate in New York, and Washington D.C.s Fort McNair and Navy Yard (twice). But even as they grew more violent, M19 confounded terrorism experts. The question of women and terrorism was a particularly vexing one for the specialists, Rosenau writes. Even though women had been key figures in terrorist groups during the 1970sBernadine Dohrn of the Weather Underground and Ulrike Meinhof of the Baader-Meinhof Gang were two notable examplesexperts at the time tended to frame terrorism as a largely male enterprise. How could women participate in such savagery? It was a violent new world for the M19 women to navigate, one that forced them to make difficult choices. Clark, for example, wanted to be a mother and asked her M19 comrade, Alan Berkman, to donate sperm. She gave birth to a daughter in November 1980. At first, Rosenau writes, she was a doting new mother, [but] the May 19th women were single-minded in their pursuit. There was no room for motherhood. At least at that moment. Eventually, Clark agreed, reluctantly allowing her child to be raised collectively by the group so she could remain focused on its mission. However, none of the women, according to Rosenau, were interested in the broader feminist movement of the era. M19 supported womens liberation, but they saw themselves as quite different from feminists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinemwho were worried about equal pay and the Equal Rights Amendment, he says. They thought womens liberation would only come about as a result of a broader revolution. Clark was the first to be arrested, in October 1981, just months after that fatal Brinks robbery. The group persisted, however, and before its final demise, the members of M19 grew even more radical. M19 saw themselves as quite different from feminists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. They thought womens liberation would only come about as a result of a broader revolution. I think they were certainly moving toward more extreme violence, Rosenau says, citing recovered documents that detailed new targets as well as potential assassination hits. Among their potential targets, according to an In Progress file that included detailed surveillance notes, diagrams, and photographs, were the Marine Corps Air Station in Quantico, VA, and the Old Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., near the West Wing of the White House. Other possible targets, Rosenau writes, included federal prosecutors, grand jurors, and high-ranking military officers. They were planning to keep this thing going as long as they possibly could, he says. But while most of them were able to elude authorities for years, the law did finally cause the group to break down. In 1985, sensing that the feds were closing in, Berkman and Duke planned to flee to Cuba, only to be pulled over by FBI agents in Pennsylvania who discovered, among other items, a loaded shotgun and a silencer-equipped 9mm pistol. The arrest also led to the FBIs discovery of a garage key in Dukes purse. When the feds raided the garage, they found a stockpile of cash, weapons, and pamphlets such as The Womens Gun Pamphlet and Five Steps to Good Shooting. The garage was also stocked with 86 pounds of dynamite, stored so haphazardly that it made the space a literal ticking time bomb. The FBI dusted for fingerprints and found enough to link the place to every member of the group and make more arrests. Surveillance photo of Marilyn Buck The fallout was swift. Buck was convicted on various crimes, including the Brinks robbery and the 1983 U.S. Senate bombing. She served time until July 2010, and was released less than a month before her death, at age 62, from cancer. Duke and Borup remain fugitives to this day. Duke jumped bail and fled the country in 1985. Borup, who was arrested in 1982, failed to appear at trial, and is currently on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorist list. Convicted a year before the garage raid in 1984, Susan Rosenberg remained behind bars until 2001 when then-President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence. Clark was paroled in 2019, after nearly 40 years in prison. Theyve been forgotten[but] their stories still have a lot to tell us about our own history, about terrorism, and about who becomes a terrorist and why, Rosenau says. Its all about belief and belonging and there are things that we can tease out of their story that still have relevance today. By Rachel Leibrock This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! More from BUST How China's First Female Emperor Schemed Her Way To The Top Your Feminism Isn't Intersectional If It Doesn't Include Prison Abolition We Know The Schuyler Sisters Now, Meet The Other Real-Life Women Behind "Hamilton" The value of the Syrian pound has dropped again, as the price of gold in the country has shot up writes Sowt al-Asima. The Syrian Pound saw a new decline in its value against foreign currencies on Wednesday morning, amid great demand for foreign currencies in Damascus. The exchange rate of the US dollar is 2,200-2,300 Syrian pounds, the euro sells for 2,600-2,700 pounds, the Turkish lira sells for 330 Syrian pounds, and 3,250 Syrian pounds for a Jordanian dinar. The Central Bank maintained the old rates, with the exchange rate of the US dollar recording 1,256 Syrian pounds for banks and private banks as well as imports and exports, 1,250 pounds for external transfers, while the pound officially registered a decline against the high euro exchange rate globally, reaching 1,473 Syrian pounds. Gold prices in the capital markets of Damascus witnessed a remarkable increase after remaining stable over the past two days, affected by the global rise of the ounce on the global stock exchange markets. The price of a gram of 21-carat gold reached 105,000 Syrian pounds, which is 10,000 pounds per gram. Eighteen-carat gold amounted to 90,000 Syrian pounds for the gram. The Syrian ounce reached 3,725,000 Syrian pounds, in line with its international price, which rose to 1,956 US dollars. The gold dollar registered 1,900 Syrian pounds. The price of the Syrian pound gold saw an increase to 855,000 Syrian pounds, the 22-carat gold lira amounted to 900,000 Syrian pounds, while the price of raw silver reached 9,000 Syrian pounds for a gram. 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. Why it matters: Billions of computers that are currently in use rely on a feature called Secure Boot to ensure malware has one less way of penetrating your computer. However, a new flaw discovered in one of the most widely used bootloaders can render that protection useless and will be a nightmare to fix. Last month, researchers at antivirus company ESET discovered a new type of ransomware had been circulating in the wild, locking out users from accessing important data on their computers. The silver lining was that if you had a UEFI feature called Secure Boot turned on, that would prevent the malicious code from being loaded during system startup. Microsoft introduced Secure Boot with Windows 8 as a new mechanism that would ensure the integrity of all code that is being run until the operating system is initialized and takes over. These pieces of code need to be signed with a root key by Microsoft under the Third Party UEFI Certificate Authority, which is a great way to improve the overall security of your PC. However, researchers from security firm Eclypsium found a way that Secure Boot can be compromised in its current implementation. Specifically, they discovered that GRUB2 -- which is a program used in pretty much all computers running Linux distributions -- has a vulnerability that can make it possible for malware to be slipped into the boot process. The flaw dubbed "BootHole," is essentially a buffer overflow issue that stems from the way the GRUB2 boot loader reads the content of the main configuration file found in the EFI system partition. All an attacker needs to do in order to install a rootkit malware is load a modified version of GRUB2 with long strings of text in the grub.cfg file, which isn't digitally signed and thus doesn't get flagged during Secure Boot. This exploit works because of a special relationship between GRUB2 and Secure Boot that allows makers of Linux distributions to use something called a "shim" bootloader. This was done for practical reasons so that the maintainers of these Linux distributions can update GRUB2 binaries and sign them with their own certificates instead of having to go through Microsoft to do. As for Microsoft, the company acknowledged the issue in a security advisory, as did other affected parties such as HP, VMware, Debian, Canonical, Red Hat, and SUSE. The Eclypsium researchers noted that only one vendor performs a signature check on the main GRUB2 configuration file, meaning there are potentially billions of systems affected by BootHole. Mitigating the issue will be particularly hard, as this will be a multi-stage process that starts with patching GRUB2. Then makers of Linux distributions need to update their installers, bootloaders, disaster recovery images, and shims. Then those shims will need to be signed by the Microsoft Third Party UEFI Certificate Authority, while the old ones need to be revoked in firmware on all affected systems. This has led to boot failures in the past, as manufacturers have different implementations of this process. One officer noted that he saw a handful of people leave after the announcements were made. Police said they repeated the warnings at 19th and Farnam, 13th and Howard Streets and 12th and Howard. At the Farnam Street bridge over Interstate 480, the announcement changed to you are under arrest. Police said walking in the street can be extremely dangerous and is against the law without prior authorization and planning with local authorities. There are numerous examples across the country of protesters taking to the street and being struck and even killed by motorists, police said. In its statement Wednesday, the department said Matthews did not contact police for safety assistance and had not obtained a parade permit. Matthews said he never will tell the police about his organizations plan for a rally or march. We at proBLAC will never, ever ask an oppressive system if, when and how we can protest against their oppression, he said. The police want us to stay on the corner. They want us to be docile. They want us to not make noise. They want us to be submissive and they want us to be weak. Because when we are weak, we can be controlled. Physically imposing and charismatic, former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui spanned Taiwans modern history and was native to the self-governed island Taipei: Former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui, who brought direct elections and other democratic changes to the self-governed island despite missile launches and other fierce saber-rattling by China, has died. He was 97. Taipei Veterans General Hospital said Lee died Thursday evening after suffering from infections, cardiac problems and organ failure since being hospitalised in February. Lee strove to create a separate, non-Chinese identity for Taiwan, angering not only China, which considers the island part of its territory, but also members of his Nationalist Party who hoped to return victorious to the mainland. Lee later openly endorsed formal independence for the island but illness in his later years prompted him to largely withdraw from public life. President Lees contribution to Taiwans democratic journey was irreplaceable and his death is a great loss for the country," current President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement. Tsai's predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou of the Nationalists, who earlier served in Lee's Cabinet, said Lee's contribution to Taiwan's democratisation deserves recognition from the people". Although former president Lees political philosophy has undergone tremendous changes after his resignation, former president Ma is still grateful for his dedication to the country and believes that history will have a fair and objective evaluation," a statement from Ma's office said. Physically imposing and charismatic, Lee spanned Taiwans modern history and was native to the island, unlike many who arrived with Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, at the end of the Chinese civil war. At times gruff, at times personable, he left little doubt he was the man in charge in almost any setting. A leader must be tough and strong enough so he can put an end to disputes and chaotic situations, he wrote in his autobiography. He was born in a farming community near Taipei on 15 January, 1923, near the midpoint of Japans half-century colonial rule. The son of a Japanese police aide, he volunteered in the Imperial Japanese Army and returned to Taiwan as a newly commissioned second lieutenant to help man an anti-aircraft battery. He earned degrees in Japan and Taiwan, as well as at Iowa State University and Cornell University in New York. He worked for the US-sponsored Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, which sought to encourage land reform and modernise Taiwanese agriculture. He was a member of overwhelmingly Buddhist Taiwan's Christian minority. In 1971, Lee joined the governing Nationalist Party. As a descendant of the people who migrated to the island from China in the 17th and 18th centuries, he was part of the partys effort to broaden its base beyond the 1949 arrivals from the mainland. He was Taipei mayor, Taiwan province governor and vice president before succeeding to the presidency in 1988. In his early years as president, Lee met significant resistance from Nationalist hard-liners who favoured the partys tradition of mainlander domination and resented Lees native status. He beat back the resistance, largely by giving his detractors important political positions. In 1990, Lee signaled his support for student demands for direct elections of Taiwans president and vice president and the end of reserving legislative seats to represent districts on the Chinese mainland. The following year he oversaw the dismantling of emergency laws put into effect by Chiang Kai-sheks government, effectively reversing the Nationalists long-standing goal of returning to the mainland and removing the Communists from power. Communist China saw the democratic steps as a direct threat to its claim to Taiwan, and its anger was exacerbated when Lee visited the United States in 1995. To Beijing, Lees visit to Cornell signaled the United States was willing to accord special recognition to the ruler of a renegade Chinese province. The US made sure Lee did not meet with high-ranking American officials, including then-President Bill Clinton, but its attempts to dampen Chinese anger were unsuccessful. China soon began a series of threatening military maneuvers off the coast of mainland Fujian province that included the firing of missiles just off Taiwans coast. More missiles were fired immediately before the March 1996 presidential elections, and the US response was to send aircraft carrier battle groups to Taiwans east coast in a show of support. Taiwanese were uncowed and the elections went ahead, with Lee victorious. In a celebrated interview in late 1996, Lee declared that relations between Taiwan and China had the character of relations between two separate states. This was heresy, not only in the eyes of Beijing, but also for many Nationalists, who continued to see Taiwan as part of China, and looked forward to eventual union between the sides, though not necessarily under Communist control. In 2000, Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party as president, ending a half-century of Nationalist monopoly. His election was virtually guaranteed by a split in the Nationalist Party, which had two representatives in the race. The retiring Lee had supported one of them but was still blamed for the split, and the party moved to expel him. In 2001, supporters of Lee formed a new pro-independence party. The Taiwan Solidarity Union also wanted to break the cultural and political connection between the island and the mainland. Lee himself backed away from wanting a formal declaration of independence for Taiwan, insisting it already was, given the island was not Chinese Communist-controlled. In 2012, he backed independence-minded candidate Tsai of the DPP, who lost to Ma, an avatar of closer ties between China and Taiwan. Tsai ran again and was elected in 2016, upping tensions again with China. Lee was ailing by that time and played little role in the election. Tsai won re-election this year by a healthy margin over her Nationalist challenger. Lee is survived by his wife of seven decades, Tseng Wen-hui, and their two daughters. A son died in 1982 from cancer. There was no immediate announcement about funeral arrangements. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 11:04:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The White House announced Wednesday that it would withdraw roughly 11,900 U.S. troops from Germany, in a sweeping troop re-organization that has brought condemnation from both parties in the U.S. Congress, as well as from European allies. The pullout has spurred concern among U.S. lawmakers who contend that the forces are not there to protect Germany, but rather to provide a base for operations in the Middle East, as well as a symbolic barricade against Russia. The move also irritated Germany's government. Germany's Bavaria State's Minister-President Markus Soeder on Wednesday blasted the U.S. move, saying Germany hoped the next U.S. president would reverse the plan. "We very much regret the U.S. government's decision. Unfortunately, this puts a burden on the German-American relationship," Soeder said, contending that the withdrawal had no strategic purpose and would weaken the NATO alliance. "We are now waiting to see if the decision will last," Soeder said. German lawmaker Peter Beyer, also the transatlantic coordinator for Chancellor Angela Merkel, echoed those thoughts, saying the sweeping pullout was "completely unacceptable, especially since nobody in Washington thought about informing its NATO ally Germany in advance," as quoted in Germany's Rheinische Post news publication in June. At a White House briefing on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters: "We don't want to be the suckers anymore," reiterating his contention that NATO allies are taking advantage of the U.S. generosity. "We're reducing the force because they're not paying their bills. It's very simple," Trump said. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said some U.S. troops would be deployed to the Black Sea region and others might temporarily take up positions in the Baltics. Others would permanently move to ally Italy, and the U.S. military's headquarters would move from Germany to Belgium. At a Pentagon briefing, Esper said the move would boost U.S. strategic interests, and prepare the military for "a new era of great power competition." William Courtney, a retired U.S. ambassador and now an adjunct senior fellow of U.S. nonprofit global think tank RAND Corporation, told Xinhua that while Trump may have initiated or accelerated the shift, senior Defense Department officials also point to military strategy as a reason. However, any move back to U.S. soil of a combat brigade team, which comprises around 4,000 soldiers, would signal to Moscow that Washington was less committed to protecting Europe. "Permanently-stationed defending forces are more visible and pose a greater obstacle to any potential aggressor than do rotating forces, which may be absent or unable to return to Europe if a crisis emerges," Courtney told Xinhua. "By unsettling the NATO alliance once again, Trump's actions are likely to reduce Europe's confidence in U.S. support for its security," Courtney said. Explaining Trump's myriad reasons for the drawdown, Republican Strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua that "Trump likes to keep promises. And he made the point that the U.S. was going to draw down troops around the world, and he's now living up to that." O'Connell added that the American public does not like being seen as the world's police. "Obviously there is an effort to get NATO to pay their bills, but there's also a yearning among the American public to draw down our presence around the world. But that doesn't mean weakening the efficiency and effectiveness of the American military abroad when it's needed," O'Connell said. Meanwhile, the White House is weighing the possibility of reducing U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula. The move has drawn harsh criticism from inside Trump's own party, as well as from U.S. experts. U.S. media reported recently that the Pentagon had given the White House options for the possible reduction of the U.S. troop presence in South Korea, amid a battle with Seoul in which Washington is demanding significantly more cash to keep U.S. forces there. Enditem WESTPORT The states top economic official said Thursday shutting down part of the state could be an option to combat spikes in COVID-19, a potential strategy that Gov. Ned Lamont later said he did not support. Some communities have seen recent increases of COVID cases, particularly among teenagers and young adults. For example, Greenwich health officials have reported spikes after instances of young people attending large gatherings while not practicing social distancing. David Lehman, commissioner for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, suggested the partial shutdown scenario in response to a question by Westport First Selectman James Marpe during Thursdays ReOpen Westport Advisory Team meeting. I think if we do see increased virus, or significantly increased virus, I think were prepared to take very quick action and address it, Lehman said. That could mean whether its industries, activities, certain regions could there be small lockdowns? I think thats possible. Lehman said a culture of compliance and self-policing has been key in the states success mitigating the virus so far. But, he said, the states reopening team has also done war-game planning in case there is a second wave of the novel coronavirus and people should not become complacent. Im cautiously optimistic that were not going back to those dark days of late March or early April because thats not anything we should have to repeat, he said. Lehman later told Hearst Connecticut Media the state is in a different position than it was in March when the governor first established stay-home directives. Now, officials have a lot more knowledge of the virus and where it is and how much it is spreading Were doing a lot more testing, he said. So the risk of a full state shutdown is low. ... A states ability to kind of dial up and down activity is a lot better now. As with all executive orders, ones that would restrict some activities in parts of the state and not others would need to be vetted by lawyers in the governors office. Still, if there were a localized outbreak, the governor could conceivably order restaurants in Fairfield County, for example, be pared back to 25 percent capacity from 50 percent. Do I think thats in the toolbox? Yes, Lehman said. Have we had to consider it yet? No. ... I think it depends on what is the incidence in that region. Administration officials said the idea of state-ordered targeted shutdowns as a possible response had been discussed. But late Thursday, the governor had another take on the scenario. Id put it a different way, Gov. Ned Lamont said during his afternoon briefing. Generally, Ive thought about the state as one. So when it came to bars and restaurants, I didnt want people driving back and forth across the state to go around Westport to find a bar somewhere else. That didnt seem to make good sense to me. Lamont did say there was one situation that might warrant unique treatment. I think when it comes to schools though, I can see why youd break that down on a county basis, he said. If there were to be a spike or more community spread in one region than another, that might impact how the state handles schools, because, Lamont said, they are by definition a lot more local. Staff writer Dan Haar contributed to this report. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Photo credit: ARIELLE TCHIPROUT From Cosmopolitan Last Friday, while my mother was busily preparing our Shabbat dinner lighting candles and unwrapping freshly-baked challah bread my Twitter feed was alight with antisemitism. Wiley, an established rapper often dubbed the godfather of grime was just getting started on his 48-hour Twitter rant about Jews to his almost 500,000-strong following (thats at least 200,000 more than the entirety of the UKs Jewish population). He called Jewish people "snakes", and "cowards"; he accused us of being responsible for the slave trade, that we are the "law" and laughed that he didnt care about Hitler. Even more alarmingly, he received hundreds of likes and retweets; many people, including other rappers who jumped to his defence, said he was simply "speaking truth." As I scrolled through Wileys tirade, my heart pounded but not because this hatred shocked me. Sure, I had never seen an antisemitic outburst from a famous person as consistent, sustained and obvious as this. But I had heard every one of his insults and conspiracy theories before. That Jews and particularly Israelis are responsible for all the worlds evils. That Jews control the banks, world politics and media. That Jews are "slippery" and sly. That the Holocaust has been exaggerated. I know many people who were rightly outraged when they read Wileys tweets, and who felt disgusted and hurt on behalf of Jewish people. I was grateful for this response, and yet my heart was beating so hard because I wanted to scream: "Now do you see it? Now do you believe us? Now, finally, will you listen?" Im a 25 year-old British-Israeli Jewish woman, and I have experienced antisemitism my whole life. But, up until now, I have felt my concerns ignored or dismissed. There seems to be a widespread assumption that antisemitism started and ended with the Holocaust, but this couldnt be further from the truth. Antisemitism existed long before World War II (in the form of expulsions, pogroms and blood libels) and, because engrained stereotypes dont just disappear, it continues to exist now, although now its often skilfully disguised behind criticism of Israel (note: you can criticise Israel without being antisemitic, but discussions surrounding Israel tend to be convenient breeding grounds for Jew-hate). Story continues Photo credit: ARIELLE TCHIPROUT Its important to note that I havent been systemically oppressed or held back by my Jewishness. Im half Ashkenazi (European) meaning that I experience, and benefit from, white privilege. Im aware that Jews of colour suffer discrimination on all sides, and Orthodox Jews, whose identity is more visibly obvious, often bear the brunt of the increase in antisemitic hate crimes in recent years. I cant speak for the entire vibrant and diverse Jewish population, only from my lived experience, as a liberal practicing Jew growing up in London. And that involves feeling othered, disdained, and fearful. I was the only Jew in my year at school, and I experienced antisemitic comments regularly. I was teased for my Jewfro (leading me to obsessively straighten my hair), and kids would sing Borats parody Throw The Jew Down the Well song when I entered a room. I remember a group of boys staring and giggling at me during a Holocaust Memorial assembly, while another boy leaned behind me and whispered "synagogue monkey" into my ear with such venom I felt faint. My school did nothing about it. When tensions flared up in Israel, my classmates would raise this with me at any opportunity, as if I a 13-year-old girl who still played with Bratz dolls was somehow responsible. During these times, Id feign sickness to avoid going in. My mum gave me strict instructions not to wear my Star of David necklace above my clothes. She felt it wasnt safe. I can understand why she felt that way. My parents had received late-night phone calls saying, "die Jew, die, and Ill spit on your body" as well as the wittier but no less terrifying "do your daughters need to learn to concentrate? They should go to concentration camps". They followed this up with the police, but nothing came of it. One of my five sisters was assaulted on a bus by a classmate who shouted "dirty Jew". When she went to the school, she was told she "must have provoked him." Another sister was called a "baby killer" on her personal Facebook page, and when she called in to a radio station to tell a prominent politician about her experiences with antisemitism, he told her that antisemitism doesnt exist in this country anymore and if she is experiencing it, she should leave (which she did she now lives in Tel Aviv). My other sisters have received disparaging comments (for example, "classic Jew looking after the money" and "youd be hot if you werent Jewish") and I have regularly heard the comment "so Jewish" casually dropped into conversations when describing someone who is stingy or money-grabbing. Photo credit: ARIELLE TCHIPROUT When Corbyn became leader of the Labour Party, with his known links to Holocaust deniers, his off-cuff offensive comments and his inability to condemn antisemitism, my family and I were scared. Our grandparents and great-grandparents were forced to flee Russia, Poland, Bulgaria and Egypt; we know the consequences of antisemitism going unchecked. And although antisemitism started gaining attention in the press, I still felt that most people (within my own left-wing echo chamber) dismissed, downplayed or straight-up denied it. Meanwhile, I was noticing an uptick in antisemitic comments online. The antisemitic hashtag #JewishPrivilege, suggesting Jews are responsible for oppression of other minorities, was trending earlier this month. And still, whenever I have tried to speak out about these incidents, I have felt myself shouting into the abyss. Can anyone see me? Does anyone care? So, in a strange way, seeing the confidence and blatancy of Wileys antisemitism was a relief. It pulled all the dirt and grime (pardon the pun) of antisemitism right up to the surface, clear as day for everyone to see. This isnt just a man on a rampage these are stereotypes, conspiracies and deep-rooted beliefs that have existed for centuries and will continue to exist, unless we do something about it. At least if we know where the pain is, we can start to heal. "I want to show that Jewish culture isnt just about suffering and survival, but chicken soup and excitable dancing" As many people with good intentions took a 48-hour social media hiatus under the hashtag #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate to protest Twitters handling of the incident, I did the opposite. I have been silent for so long; now is the time to get loud. Finally feeling emboldened to speak out about my experiences with antisemitism, I have shared educational resources online, alongside moments of Jewish joy; I want to show that Jewish culture isnt just about suffering and survival, but chicken soup and excitable dancing. The response has been heartening, and I know we have the extremely important Black Lives Matter movement to thank for that I have noticed that people seem much more willing to listen, understand and engage with minority experiences. Although Wiley sought to attack Jews under the guise of defending BLM, Im hopeful that the result has been the opposite; less division, and more empathy and solidarity than ever before. Many people have messaged me asking if Im okay, and I appreciate the concern and well-wishes. But, actually, I feel great like a weight has been lifted. Although the antisemitism of recent years has been traumatic, I now feel liberated to discuss my Jewishness, with all its accompanying pain, sadness, love and spirit, without fear of dismissal. For the first time, I feel seen and heard. Maybe not by everyone, maybe not quite yet, but the conversation about antisemitism is finally cracking open. I hope it lasts. Follow Arielle on Twitter and Instagram. Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. SIGN UP You Might Also Like HAMBURG, Germany and BAODING, China, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH becomes the world's first series supplier of solid-state LiDAR for China's largest SUV and pick-up truck manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM). The newly developed ibeoNEXT Solid State LiDAR is used in the SUV model WEY. Ibeo has commissioned ZF Friedrichshafen AG to produce the sensors and the control unit. GWM has commissioned Haomo Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of GWM, to develop the L3 autonomous driving system. China is the world's largest car market with the fastest growing segment for automated driving. Following the signing of a letter of intent in 2019, Ibeo has already been in pre-development with Great Wall Motor for a year. The official project started with the signing of the contract by both parties on 13.07.2020. In the future, Ibeo will supply a system that enables a Level 3 highway pilot to drive semi-autonomously at Level 3. This enables fully automated driving over longer distances on the highway. The system comprises the new ibeoNEXT Solid State LiDAR, a control unit and perception software that recognizes objects and thus enables safe driving in interaction with other systems. GWM will be using Ibeo technology for the future series production models of its premium WEY SUV, the LiDAR system will be applied in series starting in 2022. LiangDao Intelligence is responsible for the testing and validation of the full set of LiDAR systems. "With accumulating many years of technology in the field of autonomous driving, we are very determined to invest in the mass production of intelligent vehicles," says Kai Zhang, Chairman of the board of Haomo Technology, "We think highly of the solid state ibeoNEXT LiDAR designed by Ibeo and it will act as a key role in our sensor fusion system. Haomo will be responsible for the integration of the whole system to ensure the safety and reliability of the system. Through the cooperation with Ibeo and LiangDao, Haomo will provide GWM with the world's leading automated driving products." "The LiDAR series contract with Great Wall Motor is one of the largest ever signed worldwide. For Ibeo, the cooperation is an important milestone with which we are further extending our global technological leadership in the field of LiDAR. We are the first supplier in China to use LiDAR sensors to enable Level 3 automated driving in a production vehicle there," says Dr. Ulrich Lages, CEO of Ibeo. "Together with Great Wall Motor, we will further develop our sensor systems and solutions for autonomous driving. We are proud to have a strong validation partner in LiangDao on board." "Since the very beginning of the foundation of LiangDao, we set our vision to enlighten future mobility and enhance the driving safety. It is our great pleasure to cooperate with the worldwide leading LiDAR company Ibeo and apply the advanced technology on WEY platform. Nobody has actually done this before and we hope through our efforts we can open a new era together for highly automated driving in China," says Dr. Xueming Ju, CEO of LiangDao. About Great Wall Motor Great Wall Motor is a world-renowned SUV manufacturing company, listed in Hong Kong H-shares and domestic A-shares in 2003 and 2011 respectively, with total assets of 110.547 billion yuan by the end of 2017. At present, it owns four brands of Haval, Great Wall, WEY and Ola, with products covering three categories of SUVs, sedans and pickups, and has built four vehicle production bases in China, with independent supply capabilities for core components such as engines and transmissions, with more than 40 subsidiaries and 70,000 employees. For further information see http://www.gwm-global.com. About Ibeo Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH has established itself as a global technology leader for LiDAR sensors (English acronym for Light Detection And Ranging) and the associated products and software tools. This technology is used as an assistance system in cars and in the field of autonomous driving. It is Ibeo's goal to reinvent mobility by enabling cars to become cooperative partners in the driving process, thus making transportation safer. Ibeo employs a total of around 400 people at its Hamburg, Eindhoven (Netherlands) and Detroit (USA) sites. Since 2016, the automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG has held a 40 percent stake in Ibeo through Zukunft Ventures GmbH. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018. For further information see www.ibeo-as.com About LiangDao LiangDao Intelligence is a big data solution provider for perception system and autonomous driving testing&validation, with the core competences being LIDAR applications and multi-sensor fusion.The company is devoted to the field of autonomous driving and intelligent transportation, providing solutions such as testing and validation for automated driving systems, automatic function iteration services driven by big data, as well as roadside sensing fusion. LiangDao Intelligence is a high-tech company with its headquarter in Beijing and one R&D center in Berlin. For further information see www.liangdao.ai. SOURCE Ibeo Automotive Systems Related Links http://www.ibeo-as.com Two women have been charged with attacking a Wisconsin state representative. On Wednesday, Samantha Hamer, 26, and Kerida OReilly, 33, were each charged with one count of being a party to substantial battery, according to the Associated Press. The pair turned themselves over to police after surveillance footage was released by authorities who wanted to speak with two people of interest. Wisconsin senator Tim Carpenter was assaulted outside the states Capitol last month, after filming a Black Lives Matter protest when walking to his office. During the protest on 23 June, two women allegedly broke off from the group of 200 to 300 demonstrators and approached Mr Carpenter, after they saw the senator filming the protest. Demonstrators had demanded media leave the protest earlier in the night, and one of the women shouted at the senator: Hey youre not recording, as she reportedly grabbed his phone. Recommended Two women arrested for attacking senator filming Wisconsin protests The senator refused to give his phone to the women and after he wrestled his device away from them, one of the pair allegedly punched him as another demanded he delete the footage. Mr Carpenter claims he then fell to the ground and was beaten by a group of people. His phone and glasses were taken but later returned. A member of the press who was still covering the protest corroborated the senators version of events to the police. The senator was treated by paramedics later that night for pain in his head, neck, ribs and arms, but declined to go to hospital. Protests against police brutality and racism have taken place all across the US over the last couple of months, following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd while in the custody of a then Minneapolis police officer. Two statues outside of the states Capitol were toppled the night of the protest on June 23 and Molotov cocktails were thrown into a government building, in addition to the alleged assault. Ms OReillys attorney Nathan Otis told the AP that his client did not commit any crime and added that as the case progresses the lack of evidence against her will become clear. They reported that Ms Hamer has not yet been appointed an attorney and was placed on leave on Monday at her job as a social worker with the Mount Horeb School District. If convicted, the women could be fined up to $10,000 (7,700) and jailed for up to three-and-a-half years. Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was ousted Thursday from his role as speaker in a unanimous and bipartisan vote, following his arrest in what prosecutors called the largest bribery scheme" in state history. Rep. Larry Householder is the first Ohio House speaker ever removed by the chamber, according to the Ohio History Connection. For now, he still retains his seat in the GOP-led legislature. Remaining members of Householders leadership team had said he deserves the presumption of innocence but that he lost the trust of his colleagues and the public and couldnt effectively lead the House. Householder did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FBI agents raided Householders farm in Glenford, about 45 miles east of Columbus, on July 21. The 61-year-old Householder, regarded as one of the state's three most powerful lawmakers, was taken into custody and charged with racketeering conspiracy, officials said. Also arrested and charged were the speaker's adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, 44; former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matthew Borges, 48; and prominent lobbyists Neil Clark, 67, and Juan Cespedes, 40, authorities said. A federal grand jury formally indicted the five on Thursday, charging each with a single count of racketeering. The defendants are behind "what is likely the largest bribery, money laundering scheme ever perpetrated against the people of the state of Ohio," U.S. Attorney David DeVillers told reporters. The charges are connected to House Bill 6, officials said, a bill signed into law last year that bailed out two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio to the tune of $1.5 billion. Householder played a key role in passing the financial rescue, which included new fees on electricity bills in Ohio and will direct more than $150 million annually, through 2026, to the plants near Cleveland and Toledo. The center of the scheme, officials said, was the formation of a tax-free non-profit called Generation Now that was supposed to be a social service organization. Instead, it was allegedly Householder's personal account, funded by an energy company, to wield political power and pass the bailout, authorities said. Story continues Generation Now was allegedly used to funnel $61 million in "dark money," DeVillers said last week. "Make no mistake, these allegations are bribery, pure and simple," DeVillers said. "This was a quid pro quo. This was pay to play." "While [Householder] is entitled to his day in court and a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, it has become abundantly clear that he has lost the trust of his colleagues and the public, and is unable to effectively lead this chamber," House Republicans said in a statement Tuesday. Householder had ignored calls for his resignation from colleagues in both parties. A decision on when to schedule a vote to choose a new speaker will be made by Assistant Majority Floor Leader Anthony DeVitis, of Green. This is the most important thing that weve done today," said GOP Rep. Bob Cupp, a former Ohio Supreme Court justice who, along with Householders No. 2, Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Jim Butler, is a potential candidate to be the next speaker. "There is no doubt that people feel betrayed, used, and it's been a stain on the House, and people want to make sure we begin anew. Three other potential candidates to be the next speaker Reps. Rick Carfagna, Tim Ginter and Craig Riedel withdrew from the race Wednesday and threw their support to Cupp. Opinion Article 30 July 2020 Providing a quality guest experience is more important than ever for hoteliers seeking to compete in the post-COVID-19 world. Much has been said over the past six months about social distancing, mask etiquette, and the need for greater vigilance in protecting public health. No question this is table stakes, but the goal of hospitalityproviding a positive guest experienceis more paramount than ever. Here are five reasons why hoteliers need to be at the top of their game right now when engaging with guests: 1. Travel is more stressful than ever Every guest that visits your hotel is aware they are taking a risk by leaving home. Many of them are placing themselves in the care of other businesses out of financial necessity. Travelers have so much to consider when they leave their homes, from being mindful about washing their hands to keeping distance from others while indoors and complying with local mandates regarding masks. Now is the time to confirm, not betray, the trust these consumers have in hospitality. Fortunately (or not), hoteliers are used to being in this position. Operators have been there to soothe the worries of weary travelers for years thanks to the stress brought on by the transportation industry. Whether it be highway traffic or air travel woes, hoteliers have heard it all and are well prepared for guests under pressure. A hotel stay with an operator who can provide a relaxing experience is like finding an oasis in a desert of anxiety right now[1]. Guests will remember the properties that took their needs into account and made them feel at homeas well as those who didn't. This brings us to my next point: 2. Word of mouth has never been more influential Consumers love reviews from their peers because they help peel back the frills associated with a business and get to the point of what worked and what didn't. U.S. occupancy reached 42.2 percent in June, and with so few Americans traveling everyone wants to know what their stay was like. Everything about the guest experience is amplified right now, both the good and the bad. On top of this, individual experiences are being relayed to more people than ever before. It is extremely important for hotels to follow up with guests to solicit reviews post stay. It is even more important to make an impression on travelers while they are on property, either through exemplary service or with amenities. One of the best ways hotels can improve guest satisfaction right now is by communicating with guests on their terms which may be very different than their terms pre-COVID-19. This is not so easy in practice, however, because: 3. The way hotels communicate with guests has evolved Hoteliers have traditionally loved the front desk as a marketing tool because it puts guests face-to-face with a hotel's greatest asset: its associates. Having someone to interact directly with guests, informing them of your property's latest changes and speaking to them about how to improve their stay had been a terrific way to introduce (and upsell) a guest until social distancing took hold. Mobile check-in has been gaining steam in hospitality for a decade, but today many guests have shown a desire to skip the front desk for the entire length of their stay[2]. Since hoteliers are struggling to speak with guests directly, they have turned to technology to create new touchpoints.Text-based messaging between guests and operators is growing in prominence, as have voice assistants which can be used to automate low-level guest requests and facilitate live socially distant communications. Hoteliers pride themselves on understanding what guests want and need, and right now they need to be interacted with on their own terms. If this means foregoing personal contact for digital discussions in the short term, it may be necessary. In sum, guest preferences have changed with this pandemic, and so hoteliers' service channels need to adjust as well. Hotels require a robust communication plan to keep contact with their guests and ensure they come back again, because: 4. Ancillary revenues have fallen In recent years, hotels across the industry have toiled to transform their F&B components from expensive side businesses into major profit centers. Spas have been elevated to take a life of their own within hospitality. And agreements with local businesses have created untold opportunities for hotels to increase revenue outside of the guestroom. Sadly, almost all of these opportunities dried up following the rise of COVID cases in March, and until the tide shifts, hotels will be relying heavily on room revenue to keep them afloat. It's easy to see how occupancy rate and average daily rate (ADR) aren't the only revenue-generating areas of the hotel that have taken a hit. Room service may be making a comeback in this post-COVID-19 era after nearly being eliminated over the past decade, but operators can't rely on this trend to recoup the losses they've seen in ADR. The in-room dining numbers are simply dwarfed by the decrease in occupancy. This is another reason to stay in contact with your guests, ensure they had a positive stay experience, and correct any issues that may have arisen before, during and after their stay. After all 5. Hotels are banking on guests' business next year Hospitality just came away from a protracted cycle characterized by record-breaking performance in nearly every metric. Demand has never been more pent up than it is today. Americans want to travel, and one day they will hit the road en masse once more. When they do it will be to the properties, brands, and locations that treated them best when they were at their lowest. Hoteliers are forming relationships today with 2021's guests, but this process should go beyond seeking positive reviews and follow-up emails. Operators would do well to remember each guest who took it upon themselves to visit their property in 2020, analyze their preferences, and be ready to serve them when the travel landscape improves. These are more than just your hotel's most reliable customers; they are your most effective marketing tools and potential brand ambassadors as well. This challenging period can give rise a moment a moment to foster a deeper connection to guests. Capitalizing on this connection is more important right now than ever before. Travelers want to know that the hotel they are trusting with their stay is on the same team as them about safety and comfort. Their experiences during this period will not be forgotten. It's easy to get mired in the obstacles inherent in doing business during this pandemic, but this is also a moment for hoteliers to do what they do best and remember the guest. [1] https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/How-Advisors-Can-Combat-Travelers-COVID-19-Anxiety [2] https://www.hotelexecutive.com/feature_focus/6463/why-mobile-check-in-is-2020s-biggest-hotel-tech-trend The Willis City Council has approved a resolution to approve a voluntary petition for annexation of approximately 50.65 acres of land. City Attorney Larry Foerster said during the virtual council meeting last week that the land is in a drainage area and creek area that lies roughly in the middle of the Moran Ranch tract. City information states that is in the George W. Lonis Survey Abstract 313 and in the F. K. Henderson Survey, Abstract 248. The action also approved an annexation service agreement and set a public hearing on proposed annexation for Aug. 18 at 5:30 p.m. The Moran property was purchased in October 2019 by Houston-based Satya Inc. and Stolz Partners of Alpharetta, Ga. The 500-acre tract across Interstate 45 from The Woodlands Hills development is expected to be a residential community of more than 850 homes and multiple commercial sites, according to previous reports. According to city information, as of June an escrow has been established for the Moran Ranch development, which city officials reported at the time was in the predevelopment design and agreement stage. Foerster said the city has approved three other agreements with Moran Ranch and the Municipal Utility District 176, which will be serving the Moran Ranch tract. Those agreements include an agreement with the MUD, a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone reimbursement agreement with the developer, MRSS partners, and a development agreement passed at last months meeting. By which among other things you approved the concept plan of Moran Ranch over phases, Foerster said to the council. Today they have submitted the first of several annexation petitions, voluntary annexation petitions. Foerster said the city has not done an annexation since the law changed in the Texas Legislative session last year. Under the new law a property owner can simply enter in an annexation service agreement with the city, he said. After entering into that annexation service agreement and after one public hearing the city can approve the annexation of the property. Over the years, in previous annexations, Foerster said the city approved an annexation plan which sets out all of the municipal services that are provided by the city and any of those that are not provided by the city such as garbage collection, fire protection, health protection served by other governmental entities or by private waste management collection company. This annexation service agreement merely tracks what we have always done through an annexation service plan, Foerster said. It provides the annexation services that we will be providing when each phase of the Moran Ranch tract is approved. This first portion is just a drainage area, so it doesnt really require zoning, he added. The annexation service agreement sets out everything, all the services will be provided and subject to the agreements weve already made that is the development agreement, TIRZ agreement, so forth. The council unanimously approved the resolution to accept the petition for 50.65 acres, approve the annexation service agreement that he said has been reviewed and approved by the MRSS Partners, and by the municipal staff, and set the public hearing for the next meeting. At which time any public comment can be entertained on this proposed first phase of annexation tract and then you can have the first reading of the annexation ordinance, Foerster said. The second reading would be at your second meeting in September. mellsworth@hcnonline.com TDT | Manama The Ministry of Education issued a circular yesterday directing all private educational institutions to adhere to a set of procedures for the new academic year starting in September, our sister paper Al Ayam reports. These steps are in line with the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, ordering the Education Ministry to prepare for both the return to regular classes and for the continuation of distance education. This is to be done for both private and public schools, said HRH the Crown Prince. According to yesterdays circular for private schools, four steps are to be followed. The first is to take all necessary measures for the return to classes, adhering to all health precautions stipulated by the National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19), to deal with the disease. All directives related to health must be implemented, including ensuring social distancing, sterilizing school facilities periodically, and providing sterilizers and other hygiene supplies. The second is to ensure that the distance learning service continues to be provided to students at all levels. The third is to do all that is necessary to achieve interactive communication between students and teachers through electronic means so that students who do not attend regular classes can follow lessons from their homes. The fourth is to allow parents to have the option of sending their children back to regular schooling or having them continue with distance learning, according to the aforementioned measures. The circular, which was addressed to the directors and managers of private educational institutions, noted that the Education Ministry will send a guide on all health and safety precautions before the start of the new academic year. Schools will need to comply with the instructions contained therein, stated the circular. By PTI SRINAGAR: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Saifuddin Soz on Thursday said he would sue the government for his "unlawful house arrest" since August 5 last year, when the Centre revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and termed the government's response in the Supreme Court that he was not under detention as "falsehood". "I take a strong exception to the government stand before the Supreme Court that I had neither been put under house arrest nor had any restrictions been imposed on me since August 5, 2019," Soz said in a statement here. He said the government has resorted to "falsehood as it had unlawfully incarcerated me since August 5, 2019". "All this while, I was not allowed to move out of my premises. I left my premises twice, when I had to visit my ailing sister and I went to Delhi on 17th September, 2019 to 21st September, 2019 and 15th December, 2019 to 21st December, 2019 for seeking medical advice. Whenever I went out of my premises since August 5, 2019, I had to obtain permission from the government," he said. The former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president added that he has decided to sue the government for his "unlawful" house arrest. "I have decided to sue the government for my unlawful house arrest since August 5, 2019. I will further sue the government for compensation for the incarceration and illegal suspension of civil liberties to which I am entitled under the Constitution," he said. In an affidavit before the Supreme Court, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had said Soz was "never detained nor under house arrest" and there are "no restrictions on his movement subject to security clearance". The government's affidavit came in response to a petition by Soz's wife, seeking her husband's release from "illegal detention" and to be brought before the court. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference at the Capitol on July 29, 2020 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Pelosi Mandates Masks in House of Representatives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on July 29 announced that masks would be mandatory inside the House of Representatives and threatened lawmakers who break the rule with ejection from the premises. Members and staff will be required to wear masks at all times in the Hall of the house except that members may remove their mask temporarily when recognized, Pelosi said. Pelosi made the announcement not long after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said that he tested positive for COVID-19. Im asymptomatic. I dont have any of the symptoms that are listed as part of COVID-19, but apparently I have the Wuhan virus, Gohmert said in a video shared with his followers. In the brief announcement, Gohmert appeared to blame the mask for contracting the virus. It is interesting and I dont know about everybody but when I have a mask on Im moving it to make it comfortable, and I cant help but wonder if that puts some germs in the mask, Gohmert said. During the early stages of the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization advised against masks. Since then, both organizations changed course and now recommend masks. A review of scientific studies (pdf) released in April found that while there were no randomized control trials showing direct evidence that masks can help stop the spread of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus, also known as the coronavirus. a growing number of studies and case reports showed indirect evidence that masks can help. A similar review published in The Lancet in June likewise found no direct evidence of the effectiveness of masks but concluded, based on 44 comparative observational studies, that face mask use could result in a large reduction in risk of infection. Pelosi signaled that she would have little tolerance for violations of the policy and said she would direct the sergeant at arms to remove lawmakers and staff who breach it. The chair would further inform members and staff that they will not be permitted to enter the Hall of the house without wearing a mask, the speaker said. The chair would also like to remind members that the speaker has the authority to direct the sergeant at arms to remove a member from the floor as a matter of decorum, she added. To reiterate the chair views the failure to wear a mask as a serious breach of decorum. The House will have masks available at the entrance for those who forget to bring one. Gohmert is not the first lawmaker to test positive for the virus. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tested positive in March. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) tested positive earlier this month. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said in May that he and his wife tested positive for CCP virus antibodies MONTCALM COUNTY, MI -- A man was found dead in a Montcalm County home after a standoff with police Thursday, July 30. Michigan State Police found the mans body in his residence after entering the home hours after first arriving on scene. Troopers from the Lakeview Post arrived earlier this morning to perform a wellness check of the man, according to police. The man, who hasnt been publicly identified by police yet, was found dead in his home around 11 a.m., police said in a news release. No one else was injured or found inside the home at Coral Road and Main Street. Police said in the news release that the man apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Michigan State Police were in a standoff at the residence after gunshots were fired from inside the residence after they arrived. Related: State police in standoff after shots fired from West Michigan home No troopers were injured and troopers did not return fire, police said in the news release. More on MLive: No state hates social media more than Michigan, according to social media Dunkin announces plans to close 800 locations across the U.S. Parking ban partially lifted at Muskegons Pere Marquette curve Good morning, Bay Area. Its Thursday July 30, and a downtown San Francisco fire still burns as officials investigate its cause. Heres what you need to know to start your day. More than 150,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19, a somber benchmark that stands alone in defining the toll of this pandemic on the United States. Thats nearly as many people as all the residents of Hayward. More Americans died in the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic than in World War I or the Vietnam War. Its two or three times as many deaths as are attributed to the flu each year. But the rate at which COVID-19 patients are dying varies by region. While that measure doesnt included the missed or untested cases, it does provide clues about how a regions response can impact how deadly infections can be. Read more from reporter Erin Allday. More: From the Bay to L.A. to the Central Valley: Charts show the new coronavirus hot spots bordering the Bay Area. Only a matter of time: San Mateo County businesses face renewed closures with watch list designation. Sanctuary city for all businesses: California cuts off coronavirus aid to two cities that refuse to follow health orders. Chronicle Exclusive Photos by Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle A 10-year-old Yemeni girl is stranded alone in Egypt after the Trump administration denied the girl a visa, despite granting one to her parents and three siblings. Her parents, who recently settled in San Francisco, are desperate to bring her home. But it may take months until the girl reunites with her family. The Salehs are among thousands of families whose lives have been upended by the sweeping immigration restrictions, Tatiana Sanchez reports. Firing up the oven for a cause Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle Gina Ledor, 17, felt helpless. She wanted to support the Black Lives Matter movement but didnt want to risk infecting her parents if she attended protests, but she didnt have money to donate to the cause. Since she was baking during quarantine to pass the time, she figured baked goods would be a perfect way to encourage donations and spread the word to other bakers. Now Gina and a group of East Bay bakers have raised thousands of dollars. Read more. Why are some local craft breweries making imperial stouts in the middle of summer? Natural wines inevitable and problematic entry into the wellness industry. Appalled Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle 2019 Vallejos mayor and family members of people who have been killed by city police said they were angry but not surprised by an ex-captains allegation that some officers commemorated fatal shootings by bending the tips of their badges. It kind of backs up what everybody has been saying or hearing, said Marc McCoy, the older brother of Willie McCoy, a 21-year-old man who was shot to death by Vallejo officers last year after he fell asleep in his car in a Taco Bell drive-through. Theres a lot of (police) shootings in Vallejo, and the majority of shootings, they dont seem to be justified. John Whitney, a former Vallejo police captain, leveled the bombshell list of allegations yesterday as he accused the department of firing him for flagging misconduct. Read more. Around the Bay Hot spots: Inferno that damaged, destroyed six buildings in S.F. still burning as investigators search for clues. Budget woes before the pandemic: San Francisco to float its school district a $15 million lifeline. Health care options: Covered California extends enrollment deadline through August due to coronavirus. Update: A San Francisco Catholic priest, who called coronavirus fears overblown and a political ploy, chastised his parishioners for putting safety above sacraments. Previously: They defied health rules for a storybook San Francisco wedding. The virus didnt spare them. Layoffs possible: S.F. Mayor Breed, unions in standoff over $250 million in raises for city workers. 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. Word of mouth: Tesla limits information to employees about virus exposure at Fremont plant. State commission hasnt acted on prices, but could: Uber cant be sued for undercutting taxi prices, California Supreme Court says. Any and all lawful necessary steps: Oakland passes measure to block federal officers as Trump withdraws from Portland streets. The open outdoors: Which outdoor areas are open, closed around the Bay Area going into August? More from Tom Stienstra: An ode to Mount Tam. The first time I ever made the decision to call 911: Whos actually causing damage at anti-police protests? Its not who you think, writes columnist Justin Phillips. Datebook Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle Mike Park should have aged out of the punk rock clubhouse many moons ago. At 50 years old, he has white hair covering his constantly plotting, planning and worrying skull. Since May 1996, he has run an independent record label, Asian Man Records, out of his parents garage in Monte Sereno, a tiny exurb outside of Los Gatos in the South Bay. Its an unlikely success story born out of hard work, the DIY spirit, punk ethics and a lot of luck that saw the label grow from plucky ska-punk purveyors to one of the most respected and influential labels in independent music. Read more. More from Datebook: In SF Shakes King Lear, the actors cant see each other, but you can. Oaklands Wolfman bookstore, too narrow for social distancing, closes permanently. Review: The Go-Gos reminds why the bands legacy is great, even if this film about them isnt. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass canceled, but organizers plan to move festival online. Bay Briefing is written 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. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans shot down President Donald Trump's suggestion to delay the November election until 'people can properly, securely and safely vote.' Trump does not have the power to delay the election. That would take an act of Congress and even the president's top allies on Capitol Hill made it clear Thursday that would not happen. McConnell pointed out elections hadn't been delayed in the past and did not need to be now. 'Never in the history of the country through wars, depressions, and the Civil War have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time. And we'll find a way to do that again this November 3,' McConnell told a local Kentucky television station. He confirmed he expected the election to take place on November 3. 'That's right. We'll cope with whatever the situation is in the election on November 3 as already scheduled.' Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell shot down President Donald Trump's suggestion to delay the November election Even some of President Trump's top Republican allies on Capitol Hill disagreed with his suggestion to put off the November 3 contest Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (left) and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (right), two top Trump allies, said the election should not be delayed Other Republicans agreed. 'I don't believe we should delay the elections. Delaying the election probably wouldn't be a good idea. I think we can be able to safely vote in person in November,' said Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally on Capitol Hill. Senator Rick Scott, another Trump ally, said he 'doesn't agree with delaying the election.' Senator Chuck Grassley, the president pro temp of the Senate, said the country would follow the law when it came to the election date. 'All these things are pretty well set and have been going on for decades. And so we're a country based on the rule of law so nobody's going to change anything until we change the law,' he said. Senator Ted Cruz said election fraud should be investigated but that doesn't mean postponing the election. 'I think election fraud is a serious problem and we need to fight it and stop it. But no, we should not delay the election,' he said. And House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is also close to Trump, said there should be no delay. 'Never in the history of the federal elections have we not held an election and we should go forward,' he said. Trump's pronouncement came right after news the U.S. economy shrank by 33 per cent in the April-June quarter. That number marks the worst quarterly plunge ever and comes as the coronavirus pandemic has shut down businesses, thrown tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment to 14.7 per cent. Trump has banked his re-election chances on a strong U.S. economy. Voters give him high marks on his economic policy but have dinged him for his handling of the coronavirus and race relations. Democrats accused the president of attempting to distract from the terrible economic news. 'Trump's threat is nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract from today's devastating economic numbers that make it clear his failed response to the coronavirus has tanked the U.S. economy and caused tens of millions of Americans to lose their jobs. Trump can tweet all he wants, but the reality is that he can't delay the election, and come November, voters will hold him accountable for his failures that have led to catastrophic consequences for the American people,' said Democratic National Committee spokesperson Lily Adams. Trump tied his suggested to delaying the election to his complaints about mail-in voting, which he has repeatedly complained will lead to vote fraud. Numerous studies have shown very little voter fraud in the United States via mail-in voting. 'With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???,' Trump tweeted. New jobless claims ticked up again last week, following 15 straight weeks of declines from the peak in late March, when the coronavirus shutdowns initially hit President Donald Trump suggested delaying the November election until 'people can properly, securely and safely vote' Market reaction: How Dow went down over Trump tweet WHO DOES DECIDE WHEN U.S. VOTES? The White House has little to no say in the timing of the election - it has already been set down by Congress . The Constitution sets a limit on the president's term of January 20 and puts the responsibility for choosing a new one on the Electoral College - made up of the states' electors. It then spells out that Congress has to pick the date for choosing the electors, which must be the same across the country. Initially states did not all choose the electors by popular vote, but as they did, and with the advent of instant communication in the form of the telegraph, it became clear there had to be a national election date. In 1845, Congress set the date of the presidential election itself for the first time, as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. It has not been changed since, and would need an act of Congress to change it. Given the Democrats' hold on the House that seems impossible. But there is some room for the White House to pressure states to put off elections for a few weeks. The constitutional requirement that they choose their electors does not set a date - but in 1948 Congress did, as 'the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December.' In theory, states could delay their elections to closer to that date - but that would take the country to the brink of a constitutional crisis and appears highly unlikely to happen. Advertisement Hogan Gidley, the spokesperson for President Trump's re-election campaign, said the president was merely questioning the legitimacy of mail-in voting. 'The President is just raising a question about the chaos Democrats have created with their insistence on all mail-in voting. 'They are using coronavirus as their means to try to institute universal mail-in voting, which means sending every registered voter a ballot whether they asked for one or not. 'Voter rolls are notoriously full of bad addresses for people who have moved, are non-citizens, or are even deceased. Universal mail-in voting invites chaos and severe delays in results, as proven by the New York Congressional primary where we still don't know who won after more than a month,' Gidley said in a statement. Attorney General Bill Barr was asked at a Tuesday hearing on Capitol Hill if the president has the power to delay November's contest. 'Actually I haven't looked into that question under the Constitution. I've never been asked the question before, I've never looked into it,' he said. Barr also said he had 'no reason to think' that the upcoming election will be 'rigged.' The date of general election is statutorily set as 'the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November' or 'the first Tuesday after November 1,' according to the 1845 law passed by Congress. Only new legislation could change that date. Additionally, Article II of the Constitution declares Congress - in effect - sets the election date: 'The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United States.' But Trump's tweet could stoke fears already present among Democrats the president will use his executive powers - such as declaring martial law - to suppress voter turn out in Democratic areas such as big cities. Polls show presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading in national polls and in many of the battleground states that will decide the contest. Biden has warned that Trump could seek to nullify and try to delegitimize November's contest should he lose. 'Mark my words: I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can't be held,' Biden said at a virtual fundraiser in April. And Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan called Trump's decision to send in federal forces to U.S. cities with demonstrations taking place in support of the Black Lives Matters movement is a 'dry run for martial law.' Durkan said President Trump, 'clearly targeted cities run by Democratic mayors. He's said so himself.' 'He's using law enforcement as a political tool,' she told CNN earlier this week. 'I hate to say it, but I really believe that we are seeing the dry run for martial law. This is a president that is using law enforcement and federal forces for political purposes and that should be chilling to every American.' Trump also suggested Thursday that mail-in voting would allow foreign interference in the election. 'Mail-In Voting is already proving to be a catastrophic disaster. Even testing areas are way off. The Dems talk of foreign influence in voting, but they know that Mail-In Voting is an easy way for foreign countries to enter the race. Even beyond that, there's no accurate count!,' he tweeted. Many states have opted to expand mail-in voting options for November's contest because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Trump has railed against these decisions and the Republican Party has created a $20 million legal fund to fight them. The president, who is a resident of Florida, has voted absentee in several elections, including the state's presidential primary earlier this year. Vice President Mike Pence and several other members of his administration have also voted absentee. But Trump argues voting absentee is different than wide-spread mail-in voting. He has attacked mail voting nearly 70 times since late March in interviews, remarks and tweets, including at least 17 times this month, according to a tally by The Washington Post. Attorney General Bill Barr said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday he had 'no reason to think' that the upcoming election will be 'rigged' Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has warned President Trump could try to delay the November contest Polls have shown most Americans - including Republicans - favor absentee voting as the coronavirus pandemic continues. In the event of extenuating circumstances, like traveling for work during the time of an election or being bed-ridden, voters in most states can apply for absentee ballots to cast their vote by mail ahead of the election date. There are five states Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington that already hold their elections by mail-in voting. Long lines have plagued several states during their primary elections the past few months. The number of polling places have been limited because of a shortage of workers due to the virus. Social distancing measures also mean the voting process takes longer. In Georgia's June primary, voters waited in line for hours without being able to cast a ballot as a shortage of poll workers and social-distancing precautions caused by the coronavirus contributed to the problem. Some precincts were closed due to lack of election officials available to work and official limited the number of people allowed into the ones open to prevent the virus from spreading. Voters took to Twitter to post photos of the long lines and point out the polling places that hadn't opened as scheduled at 7 a.m. Technical issues with the new voting system - which combines touchscreens with scanned paper ballots in races for president, Senate and dozens of other contests - brought voting to a stand still. Voters wait in line in Fulton County in Georgia's primary election on Tuesday In May President Trump threatened to hold federal funds from states like Michigan, which was mailing absentee ballots to all registered voters. Trump has also criticized California's mail-in balloting initiative, where registered voters have been sent ballots without having to formally request one. Republicans have filed a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsome's move. Republicans long have been suspicious that making voting easier would elect more Democrats. Young people, for instance, tend to tilt more Democratic, but are also less likely to vote in-person. Additionally, Republicans have long complained about 'ballot harvesting' - their term for the process where someone (usually a party volunteer) collects absentee ballots from a group of people and mails them for them. Democrats call it ballot collecting. In two-thirds of the states, any qualified voter may vote absentee without offering an excuse, and in one-third of the states, an excuse is required, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But many states - including West Virginia and Virginia - are adding fear of the coronavirus as a valid excuse to request an absentee ballot. America's economy shrank by a record-breaking 33% in last three months in biggest slump EVER as coronavirus takes unprecedented toll - and ANOTHER 1.4 million applied for unemployment in last week The U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 33% annual rate in the April-June quarter - by far the worst quarterly plunge ever - as coronavirus shut down businesses, throwing tens of millions out of work and sending unemployment surging to 14.7%, the government said Thursday. The Commerce Department's estimate of the second-quarter decline in the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, marked the sharpest such drop on records dating to 1947. The previous worst quarterly contraction, a 10% drop, occurred in 1958 during the Eisenhower administration. Last quarter's drop followed a 5% fall in the January-March quarter, during which the economy officially entered a recession triggered by the virus, ending an 11-year economic expansion, the longest on record in the United States. The figures are potentially devastating to Donald Trump's re-election - and came from the three months which included his re-opening push and claiming the U.S. was entering a 'transition to greatness.' But Trump did not react to the figures - instead 16 minutes after their release he suggested delaying the November election because of his claims that mail-in voting will make it 'inaccurate and fraudulent.' He has no legal power to do so; Congress sets the date of elections and if he does not win a second term, his departure from office on January 20 is legally mandated. In a second blow, weekly jobless statistics shows showed 1.4 million new unemployment claims - the second week in a row they have gone up. Stock markets opened down with the Dow Jones falling more than 300 points - although analysts said investors were more spooked by Trump's election delay proposal than by the economic growth figures, which were in line with expectations. By 10am it had lost 500 points. Markets have largely been bolstered by the Federal Reserve vowing to keep interest rates near zero and injecting huge amounts of cash to keep the biggest companies, especially banks, afloat. The Labor Department's report Thursday marked the 19th straight week that more than 1 million people have applied for unemployment benefits. Before the coronavirus hit hard in March, the number of Americans seeking unemployment checks had never exceeded 700,000 in any one week, even during the Great Recession. All told, 17 million people are collecting traditional jobless benefits, a sign that unemployment checks are keeping many American families afloat financially at a time of big job losses and agonizing economic uncertainty. The pain could soon intensify: a supplemental $600 in weekly federal unemployment benefits is expiring, and Congress is squabbling about extending the aid, which would probably be done at a reduced level. The contraction last quarter was driven by a deep pullback in consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of economic activity. Spending by consumers collapsed at a 34% annual rate as travel all but froze and shutdown orders forced many restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and other retail establishments to close. That followed a 6.9% pace of decline in the January-March period. Major retailers including JC Penney and Neiman Marcus have filed for bankruptcy. Business investment and residential housing also suffered sharp declines last quarter, with investment spending sinking 27% and residential housing plunging 38.7%. State and local government spending, diminished by a loss of tax revenue that forced layoffs, also fell at an annual rate of 5.6%. But overall government spending was up 2.7%, powered by a 17.4% surge in federal spending, reflecting the more than $2 trillion in relief packages that Congress enacted to provide $1,200 payments to individuals, aid to small businesses and supplemental unemployment benefits. The job market, the most important pillar of the economy, has been severely damaged. So far, about one-third of the lost jobs have been recovered, but the resurgent virus will likely slow further gains in the job market. Trump slump: Donald Trump's economy collapsed by 32.9% - a record figure - in April, May and June of this year as coronavirus chaos spread Jobless toll: Millions have been thrown out of work in the chaos caused by the virus - including these job seekers in Omaha, Nebraska So dizzying was the contraction last quarter that most analysts expect the economy to manage a sharp bounce-back in the current July-September quarter, perhaps of as much as 17% or higher on an annual basis. Yet with the rate of confirmed coronavirus cases now rising in a majority of states, more businesses being forced to pull back on re-openings and the Republican Senate proposing to scale back the government's aid to the unemployed, the economy could worsen in the months ahead. The Trump administration is betting against that outcome in asserting that the economy will undergo a V-shaped recovery in which last quarter's plunge would be followed by an impressive rebound in the current quarter a hoped-for dose of good news that would be reported in late October, not long before Election Day. Yet many economists are talking about a different letter of the alphabet. Noting that the economy can't fully recover until the pandemic is defeated or a vaccine is widely available, they envision a W-shaped scenario, in which a rebound in the current quarter would be followed by a sustained period of tepid growth or even outright recession. 'The markdowns are coming because of the clear economic damage the virus is doing,' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, who said he believes the economy is losing jobs this month after two months of gains. 'We are going in reverse here,' Zandi said. Analysts warn that the outlook could darken still further if Congress fails to enact enough financial aid to replace the expiring $600-a-week federal boost in unemployment benefits or provide sufficient help for businesses and state and local governments. Senate Republicans released a $1 trillion proposal on Monday that falls far short of a $3 trillion measure the House has passed, leaving an enormous gap for Democrats and Republicans to bridge as some elements of Congress' earlier emergency relief programs run out. Carnage: Consumer spending plunged - forcing businesses to close Recent reports sketch a cautionary picture of the economy, with weekly applications for unemployment benefits still topping 1 million and consumer confidence falling sharply, with big declines in Michigan, Florida, Texas and California, all of which suffered a resurgence in confirmed virus cases. Yet in a more hopeful sign, sales of new and previously owned homes have been rising after sharp declines in the spring, thanks to ultra-low mortgage rates. And it was reported Wednesday that the number of Americans signing contracts to buy homes jumped 16.6% in June after a record 44% gain in May. Economists regard increased government aid as essentially a stop-gap action to keep the recession from deepening further. The most critical need, they agree, is to control the virus, most likely through a vaccine that most likely won't be widely available until next year. 'If you tell me what will happen to the virus, I will tell you what will happen to the economy,' said Sung Won Sohn, a business and economics professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. 'At the moment we are seeing rollbacks and a slowing in activity' because of the upsurge in virus cases. Sohn noted that the economy needed 6 years to regain the ground it had lost in the 2007-2009 Great Recession. This time, he said, the recovery will likely take even longer. Asked about Russian arming of Afghan jihadists so they can attack American troops, the president of the United States replied, Well, we supplied weapons when they were fighting Russia, too. Yup, he did say that. Its a page right out of the same Blame-America-First textbook that caused Republican and conservative heads to explode when President Obama spent eight years saying the same things. And lets not pretend that this is President Trumps first reprehensible remark along these lines. At the very start of his administration, when the president tried to explain why he respects Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, the interviewer, Bill OReilly, correctly countered that Putin is a killer. Trump replied, There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Hard to stomach then. Harder to stomach now. We are four years down the road, four years of Russia being the same menace it has always been. Yet the president hasnt changed either. The latest humdinger came in an interview by Axioss Jonathan Swan, who asked very fair questions and gave the president every opportunity to explain himself. Heres the video. But be forewarned: Its a little under four minutes of sheer excruciation. Let me back up a bit. Im a buff on the American support to the Afghan mujahideen in their jihad against the Red Army. I wrote about it at length in Willful Blindness, my memoir about prosecuting terrorists, the most prominent of whom had fought against the Russians and recruited Muslims around the world to join the jihad. In convicting the Blind Sheikh and his confederates, we proved the scale of the CIA support, and how it was matched and distributed by Islamic regimes. There is no doubt that it was decisive in the chain of events that led to Moscows humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989. That was a major domino in the collapse of the Soviet Union less than three years later. Of course, in our support for the Afghan mujahideen can also be found the seeds of global jihadisms rise and the emergence of the Taliban. Nevertheless, the demise of the USSR is among historys greatest triumphs of liberty. Naturally, Putin, the former KGB agent, continues to rue it as the 20th centurys greatest geopolitical catastrophe. Consequently, when it was first reported a few weeks back that Putins regime may have been paying bounties to the Taliban for killing American troops, my instant reaction, as noted in this column, was: Of course the Russians would fund Taliban attacks on Americans. Story continues Whether the specific bounty intelligence was accurate is beside the point. Incorrigibly hostile Russia craves its former hegemonic status as Americas global rival. Russia already has an alliance with Iran, a jihadist regime that veritably defines itself by supporting anti-American terrorism. The Taliban is a longtime beneficiary of support from Russia-backed Iran, and it is currently trying to humiliate the United States, just like its Afghan precursors humiliated the Soviets, by making the Trump withdrawal look like a case of the mujahideen kicking us out of their country. Does President Trump see it that way? Does he think the Russians are encouraging lethal Taliban operations against our troops? It is not clear what he thinks which is a problem, but not as much of one as his insouciance on matter. In the interview, Swan noted that President Trump has been speaking regularly with Putin Axios reports that theyve had eight conversations since the bounty story first broke. Naturally, Swan asked Trump whether he raised with Putin the alleged payment of bounties by Moscow for Taliban attacks on American troops. The president responded, I have never discussed it with him. Asked why not, Trump replied, That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly thats an issue a lot of people said was fake news. The president later elaborated that the other things up for discussion principally included nuclear proliferation, which he wants you to know is even more important than global warming. He senses Putin would like to make a grand deal on nukes, as would Trump. Sound familiar? It is a Trump tic to claim that a lot of people say something when the president wants to believe the something in question but isnt confident about it. But who cares what a lot of people say about an intelligence report? A lot of people are not the commander-in-chief. It is the president who gets the best intelligence reports our $60 billion per annum intelligence community can provide. It is what he says about an intelligence report that matters. For a moment, lets ignore the history recounted above. Lets pretend there were not already commonsense reasons to believe that Russia abets jihadist attacks against Americans. The stubborn fact is that we now know, as does the president, that there is fresh U.S. intelligence reporting to that effect. The White House obfuscates the presidents knowledge about this reporting. The president peremptorily insisted to Swan that the information never got to my desk. But it appears to have been summarized in at least one presidential daily briefing (the PDB memo) that the president received from our intelligence agencies earlier this year. While strenuously maintaining that Trump was not orally briefed on the matter, the White House tends to deflect questions about the PDB. It doesnt take a quantum physicist to deduce that a written memo Trump received describes Russian support for the Taliban White House officials have confirmed as much to members of Congress. But lets put that aside, and the related squabbling over whether he was given such a PDB but didnt read it carefully enough. No matter when and how the president first learned of the intelligence, he was certainly aware of it once it was publicly disclosed a few weeks ago. Since then, Trump has spoken with Putin eight times. Obviously, then, it must be asked (a) Why would an American president refrain from confronting the Russian dictator on this matter especially a president such as Trump, who has (rightly) faulted his predecessor for weakness in confronting Russia; and (b) Why would an American president be having regular conversations with the Russian dictator, as if the latter were an ally, when Russia has demonstrated time and again that it is hostile and when we now have specific intelligence that it is taking hostile action? The answers appear to be indistinguishable from President Obamas rationale for courting Iran: (a) President Trump wants to negotiate a nuclear-weapons pact with a hostile regime that notoriously violates international agreements, and fears that raising the contentious issue of the regimes promotion of terrorism might mar the mood; and (b) if its true that Russia is backing Afghan jihadist attacks against American troops, the president rationalizes that this is understandable because America supported Afghan jihadist attacks against Russian troops in the 1980s. The president is thus drawing a repulsive equivalence between our support of the Afghan jihadists against Russia to liberate Afghanistan from Soviet tyranny and Russias support of Afghan jihadists against Americans to collapse Afghanistan into sharia fundamentalism. This is no different, really, from the equivalence the president drew four years ago between Putins covert operations and our own the former to crush dissent and fortify a thug state, the latter to protect American liberties, including dissent, and safeguard free nations from enemy attacks. It is really not that hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Or at least it shouldnt be. An American president needs to know the difference. More from National Review A historic 1936 Oceanside building designed by a noted local architect is getting a new luster and another life, as a restaurant with a tribute to the structures ink-and-paper heyday. The Blade-Tribune newspaper building on Seagaze Drive, a half-block west of Coast Highway, has a distinctive art deco style and the solid, poured-in-place concrete look of a structure intended to be a pillar of the community. Its large, multi-paned windows fill the interior with light. It had that strong edifice that you wanted a newspaper to have, said John Daley, an Oceanside native and area historian. He remembers picking up bundles of newspapers at the building to deliver to downtown homes and businesses when he was an 8-year-old boy. It had a strong, industrial look, Daley said. There was a printing press. It was an industrial plant, as well as a newsroom bustling with reporters and editors. Advertisement The new owner is Donia Ackad Yuhong, a real estate agent in Encinitas. She said she plans to open a restaurant there, maybe Italian, Mexican or something with a fusion of cultures, and shes in the process of getting the required permits. The inside will be filled with the history of the building, she said. I love history. It bothers me when people want to erase the history or destroy the history. The old Blade Tribune and News sign was uncovered with stucco was removed from the buildings exterior. (Union-Tribune photo by Howard Lipin ) The original Oceanside Blade building was constructed elsewhere downtown in 1893. In the 1970s, it was moved to the citys Heritage Park Museum, near the Mission San Luis Rey, where it sits with a group of historical buildings open to the public. The concrete structure on Seagaze has been closed for years. It was the last project of architect Irving Gill, who died in 1936 in Carlsbad. Gill also designed Oceansides first City Hall, built in 1934, which now houses the Oceanside Museum of Art, and the Americanization School built about 1930 on Center Street. Some of the architects best-known buildings include The Bishops School in San Diego, the George W. Marston House in Balboa Park, and the La Jolla Womans Club. 1 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 Sunlight shines through the windows and hits the concrete floor of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 Jesus Flores Installs windows in the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 The inside of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 The inside of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) Gill arrived in San Diego in 1893 and his career peaked between 1910 and 1920, according to a 1997 column in the Union-Tribune. He liked simple designs with straight lines and arches, and embraced the use of concrete. The Blade-Tribune occupied the Seagaze Drive building until it moved to a new, larger building on South Coast Highway in the 1960s. That newspaper became the Blade-Citizen, which became the North County Times, which was eventually purchased by and became part of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Once the newspaper moved out, the building on Seagaze became a furniture store operated for more than 30 years by a partnership of three retired Marines, now deceased. Part of the building has been occupied by a barber shop, Carmens, for years, and that business is expected to stay. A barber working there Friday said he knew nothing about the restaurant plans, but hed be glad to see something open in the building. Yuhong said she knew little of the buildings history when she purchased it last year. Her initial plan was to turn it into apartments, but her contractor told her the building had a history and was designed by a famous architect. Thats how the whole thing started, Yuhong said. A restoration of the buildings front facade uncovered the original sign that reads Blade Tribune and News along with other details that had been obscured by stucco since the 1950s. The name is a combination of three different newspapers that for a time operated as one, evidence of the regions still-evolving and convoluted journalistic history. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Lawyers acting on behalf of Samuel Adam Forster also known as Samuel Adam Mahama have reportedly responded to the extradition request from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) headed by Martin A. B. K. Amidu, who is investigating the 4 million Euro Airbus SE bribery scandal. The lawyers based in London, UK, where Adam Mahama is domiciled, reportedly acknowledged receipt of the Amidu letter which is asking the former President's brother to come to Ghana voluntarily to be interrogated for his involvement in the scandal. However, the lawyers have written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying they will be advising their client accordingly but did not state whether or not they will ask him to honour the invitation. Letter Delivery He reportedly received the letter and the ticket for his voluntary travel to Ghana but allegedly refused to act as requested. The letter was said to have been delivered by hand to his mail box at his London address and sources say he later received it, prompting the action from the UK lawyers. No Travel The former President's brother was expected to voluntarily join the stranded Ghanaians who were returning home on Tuesday on a chartered flight by government, but he was nowhere to be found on the flight. It is still unclear why Adam Mahama, who is being sought alongside three other foreigners through an International Police Organization (Interpol) Red Notice, could not honour the invitation even though the ticket which was bought by Mr. Amidu's office and was delivered to the London home of the suspect last Saturday. 'Unveiling' Mahama Last Friday, the Special Prosecutor (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 Samuel Adam Foster, aka Samuel Adam Mahama, described as Intermediary 5 in the investigations, and three other foreigners, who have been mentioned as individuals who collected or were paid around 4 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 had said in a fresh statement last 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 United Kingdom to return to Ghana on Monday, July 27, to face prosecution over the alleged Airbus bribery case. Mr. Amidu then said in the statement that he is being attacked by persons close to Mr. Mahama who he said are 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 letter with reference number OSP/SCR/2D/34/20 dated 24th July 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 27th July 2020 (sic). Blood Brother According to Mr. Amidu, This Office's letter states, amongst other reasons for the letter to the said Ministry, that Samuel Adam Mahama's elder brother of the full blood who without doubt and 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 20th June 2020 fortunately containing suspected admissions that he is 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 (sic). 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 Special Prosecutor 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 10th July 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. ---Daily Guide Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed an executive order tightening restrictions on social gatherings and closing indoor bar service in northern Michigan starting July 31. Regions 6 and 8, the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, are in Phase 5 of the states economic reopening plan, while the rest of the state is in Phase 4. The northernmost regions had looser restrictions than the rest of the state on indoor social gatherings, allowing up to 50 people. That number, however, is now in line with the rest of the state and indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. The limits on outdoor gatherings are still 100 people in most of the state and 250 people in regions 6 and 8. Northern Michigan will join the rest of the state, as well, in closing indoor service at bars that earn more than 70% of their gross receipts from alcohol sales. That rule has been in place in the southern part of the state since July 1. As we see COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Michiganders cannot afford to drop our guard. We must take every step possible to save lives, protect the brave men and women on the front lines, and avoid overwhelming our healthcare system while we continue to combat COVID-19, Whitmer said in a press release. After seeing a resurgence in cases connected to social gatherings across the state, we must further limit gatherings for the health of our community and economy. By taking these strong actions, we will be better positioned to get our children back into classrooms and avoid a potentially devastating second wave. The governors office in a press release cited recent super-spreader events tied to Harpers bar, the Saline house party and a 4th of July gathering at Torch Lake. The order also allows the Detroit casinos to reopen at 15% capacity. They must screen customers and employees at entry, including by taking their temperatures, and people must wear masks except when eating, drinking or removing them for identification purposes. Another order updates workplace COVID-19 requirements. Read the orders here and here. There have been 80,172 confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan and 6,172 deaths. The states low point in seeing new cases was on June 10, when the states 7-day moving average of new confirmed cases dropped to 150 per day. As of July 25, the states 7-day moving average was 636 cases per day. 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 executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here. 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/. Related stories: Michigan reports 669 new coronavirus cases for Tuesday, July 28 Wednesday, July 29: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan Gov. Whitmer expected to tighten restrictions on parties, bars in northern Michigan By Trend Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs at the Italian Senate held hearings over the latest military provocations of Armenia against Azerbaijan with the participation of Azerbaijani Ambassador to Italy Mammad Ahmadzade, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani embassy. Opening the hearings, the Standing Committee Chairman Vito Petrocelli said that the events have caused serious concern in the Italian Senate and stressed the importance of holding discussions on this topic. Then Ambassador Mammadzade made a speech on this issue. Reminding Armenia's territorial claims to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, he informed about its military aggression against Azerbaijan and the consequences, as well as the documents adopted by numerous international organizations, including four UN Security Council resolutions on the necessity of removal of Armenian armed forces from all the occupied Azerbaijani territories. He stressed that Armenia ignores all these documents and spoke about the destructive actions of the Armenian side aimed at delaying the negotiation process, maintaining the status quo, carrying out illegal activities in the occupied Azerbaijani territories and continuing violation of the ceasefire. The ambassador spoke about the military provocations of Armenia, carried out from July 12 against Azerbaijan in the Tovuz district direction of the state border, the goals pursued by the leadership of Armenia. He noted that strategic transport infrastructure routes run through the territory of the Tovuz district, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline transporting oil to Italy, and the Southern Gas Corridor, through which natural gas transportation will begin in a few months. "Its no coincidence that the military provocations of Armenia in this territory took place several months before the commissioning of the Southern Gas Corridor," Ahmadzade stressed. The ambassador also expressed gratitude to the Italian MPs, who supported the fair position of Azerbaijan and made relevant statements. He noted that the Armenian side is spreading misinformation, Armenian radical groups have attacked the diplomatic missions of the country and Azerbaijanis living abroad. Ahmadzade reminded the Joint Declaration on Strengthening Strategic Partnership, signed between the two countries during the state visit of Azerbaijans president to Italy. He said that by the declaration Italy expressed support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, and the settlement of the conflict on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act principles, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders. The meeting was continued with comments and a session of answers and questions from Italian senators on the events under discussion. It was pointed out that dialogue and negotiations are important for resolving the conflict, as well as the fact that the UN Security Council resolutions are the main basis in resolving it. The importance of increasing the efforts of the Italian government to resolve the conflict was also stressed. The meeting was broadcasted live on the "Senato TV" Italian channel and on the Senates pages in social networks. 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 Stephan von Schuckmann has been in charge of the Car Powertrain Technology Division based in Saarbrucken, Germany since Autumn 2018. The business administration graduate joined the ZF Group in 2003 and has held various management positions including Commercial Director of ZF Lenksysteme Hungaria Kft. in Eger, Hungary, and Head of the Global Aftermarket and Small-Series Business Unit at ZF Lenksysteme GmbH in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany. In 2015, von Schuckmann moved to the Car Powertrain Technology Division as Senior Vice President for Finance, Controlling, IT, and Process Management before taking over as head of the division. Von Schuckmann's appointment to ZF's Board of Management from January 1, 2021, coincides with a significant change in the Group structure. At this time, a new division will be created from the two current Car Powertrain Technology and E-Mobility divisions. With this step, ZF will combine its competencies in order to better address the increasing electrification in passenger cars, improve customer proximity and further accelerate the transformation to plug-in hybrids and electric drives. In the future, ZF will no longer develop driveline components for pure combustion engine vehicles. "With Stephan von Schuckmann as head of the new division and member of the Board of Management, we have gained a leader from our own ranks who knows the car driveline sector extremely well. He will strengthen ZF's position in the field of e-mobility," said Dr.-Ing. Franz-Josef Paefgen, Chairman of ZF's Supervisory Board. Acknowledgements to Michael Hankel Dr. Paefgen thanked Michael Hankel, who will leave ZF's Board of Management on December 31, 2020, for his long-standing commitment: "Michael Hankel has successfully contributed to the realignment of the entire Group. He has shown outstanding commitment to the digitalization of ZF production by introducing smart industry applications. The worldwide introduction of the ZF Production System is a credit to him. He has made a significant contribution to the fact that the company today has a globally efficient production network. On behalf of the company, we wish him all the best for the future." Michael Hankel joined the Board of Management of the former ZF Sachs AG in Schweinfurt in 2003, where he was responsible for the Chassis Division. In 2007, he became Chairman of the Board of Management of ZF Lenksysteme GmbH in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany. Since 2013, Michael Hankel has been a member of the ZF Board of Management where he is responsible for the Car Powertrain Technology and E-Mobility Divisions, Corporate Production, and key account management for passenger car customers in Europe and North America. ZF Friedrichshafen AG ZF is a global technology company and supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving, and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies different kinds of vehicles. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions and protecting the climate. ZF, which acquired WABCO Holdings Inc. on May 29, 2020, now has 160,000 employees worldwide with approximately 260 locations in 41 countries. In 2019, the two then-independent companies achieved sales of 36.5 billion (ZF) and $3.4 billion (WABCO). For further press information and photos please visit: www.zf.com SOURCE ZF Related Links https://www.zf.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:16:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The leader of the Scottish Conservatives quit Thursday without notice in a move seen as a setback to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Jackson Carlaw, who only took over the job as leader of the Scottish Conservatives six months ago, said he had been thinking hard about his role as leader over the summer months. The Scottish Conservatives, officially the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party, is the second largest party in the Scottish Parliament, behind the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) led by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Political commentators in Scotland have speculated that the Conservatives face a battle to prevent the SNP winning a majority in next year's Holyrood elections. Despite Sturgeon's ambitions to push for Scottish independence, Johnson has insisted he will not agree to a new referendum. In a statement, Carlaw said he did not believe he was the best person to lead the case for Scotland remaining in Britain, and he had decided to stand down with immediate effect. Carlaw said he was confident he was leaving the party in good heart, with time to elect a new leader to prepare for the elections next year. Senior politicians from different parties in the Scottish parliament said they had no idea of Carlaw's intention to resign until he quit. The search for a successor has already started. Currently the SNP has 61 seats, with the Scottish Conservatives holding 31 and the Scottish Labour 23. The rest are held by minority parties. The opposition's total denies the SNP an overall majority at Holyrood. Enditem By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan ranked first among the largest gas importers to Turkey in May, local media reported with reference to Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority on July 29. According to the statement, in May, Turkey imported 881 million cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan, which is a decrease by 35 million cubic meters compared to April. Moreover, Turkey received 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan in the period between January and May. It should be noted that last year natural gas imports to Turkey from Azerbaijan amounted to 9.5 billion cubic meters. Earlier, it was reported that Azerbaijans share in the total volume of gas supplies to Turkey in 2019 amounted to 21.2 percent. Additionally, Azerbaijan supplied 63.2 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey during the period of 2009-2019. Azerbaijan supplies gas to Turkey only from Shah Deniz field. The supplies have been made since July 2007. Turkey imports Azerbaijani natural gas through the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and TANAP. In the first quarter, the average daily throughput capacity of the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline was 33.6 million cubic meters of natural gas. The first gas supplies to Turkey via TANAP started on 30 June 2018 as planned. During the period of January and June of this year, 1.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to Turkey via TANAP. Since commissioning, TANAP has transported over 6.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey. TANAP Project aims to bring natural gas produced from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz-2 gas field, and other areas of the Caspian Sea, primarily to Turkey, but also on to Europe. The TANAP Project, along with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) form the elements of the Southern Gas Corridor. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz EU measures restricting exports to HK a 'wrong' move: Chinese Mission to the EU Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/7/29 9:42:48 The Chinese Mission to the EU on Wednesday opposed EU's "wrong" move of setting out measures restricting exports to Hong Kong and urged the EU to respect China's decision to adopt the national security law for Hong Kong. China is firmly against the EU's wrong moves and has made serious representations with the EU, said the spokesperson of the Chinese Mission to the EU in a statement on Wednesday. The Council of the EU on Tuesday agreed to a package of measures, including the restriction of exports of specific sensitive equipment and technologies to Hong Kong, as a response to the national security legislation for Hong Kong, media reports said. The Chinese spokesperson said it is the Chinese people, notably the Hong Kong people, who are in the best position to tell if the "One Country, Two Systems" has been well implemented or not, rather than the EU. The vast majority of Hong Kong residents are of the view that the national security law will contribute to the protection of their rights and to the maintenance of long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said in the statement. "We urge the EU to truly respect China's position on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and to stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs in any way," the spokesperson said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mezcal Market Research Report by Product (Mezcal Anejo, Mezcal Joven, and Mezcal Reposado), by Distribution (Supermarket & Hypermarket, Online, and Convenience Store) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19 New York, July 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Mezcal Market Research Report by Product, by Distribution - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941295/?utm_source=GNW The Global Mezcal Market is expected to grow from USD 322.85 Million in 2019 to USD 1,014.47 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.02%. Market Segmentation & Coverage: This research report categorizes the Mezcal to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets: "The Mezcal Anejo is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Product, the Mezcal Market studied across Mezcal Anejo, Mezcal Joven, and Mezcal Reposado. The Mezcal Joven commanded the largest size in the Mezcal Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Mezcal Anejo is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Online is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Distribution, the Mezcal Market studied across Supermarket & Hypermarket, Online, and Convenience Store. The Supermarket & Hypermarket commanded the largest size in the Mezcal Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Online is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. "The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period" Based on Geography, the Mezcal Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Americas commanded the largest size in the Mezcal Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Company Usability Profiles: The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Mezcal Market including BECLE SAB DE CV, Craft Distillers, Destileria Tlacolula, Diageo Plc, El Silencio Holdings Inc., Fidencio Mezcal, Gem & Bolt LLC, Ilegal Mezcal, S.A., Lagrimas de Dolores, Los Amantes Mezcal S.A. de C.V., Mezcal Amores, Mezcal Vago, Pernod Ricard SA, Rey Campero, Scorpion Mezcal, and William Grant & Sons Ltd. FPNV Positioning Matrix: The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Mezcal 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 the market 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 Mezcal Market? 2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Mezcal Market during the forecast period? 3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Mezcal Market? 4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Mezcal Market? 5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Mezcal Market? 6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Mezcal Market? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05941295/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 30 July 2020 Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful. European Investment Bank /ISIN XS2194790262 Pre-stabilisation Period Announcement Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg (contact: Iason Ioannidis; telephone: +49 711 127 12822) hereby gives notice, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation EU/1052/2016 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014). The securities: Issuer: European Investment Bank (Aaa/AAA/AAA by Moody's, S&P) Guarantor (if any): n/a Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 300 million Description: Tap of 0% 15 November 2035, RegS, Bearer, Off the Issuer's EMTN Programme Listing: Luxembourg Stock Exchange, regulated market Offer Price: 101.88 Other offer terms: n/a Stabilisation: Stabilisation Manager(s): DekaBank, LBBW, Nomura, SEB Stabilisation period expected to start on: 30 July 2020 Stabilisation period expected to end no later than: 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over?allotment facility: The Stabilisation Manager(s) may over?allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Over the counter (OTC) In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilisation Manager(s) may over?allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time. Any stabilisation action or over?allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules. This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction. This announcement and the offer of the securities to which it relates are only addressed to and directed at persons outside the United Kingdom and persons in the United Kingdom who have professional experience in matters related to investments or who are high net worth persons within Article 12(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in the United Kingdom. In addition, if and to the extent that this announcement is communicated in, or the offer of the securities to which it relates is made in, any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the "Prospectus Directive") before the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive (or which has been approved by a competent authority in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State in accordance with the Prospectus Directive), this announcement and the offer are only addressed to and directed at persons in that Member State who are qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (or who are other persons to whom the offer may lawfully be addressed) and must not be acted on or relied on by other persons in that Member State. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offer of securities in the United States. Bow Valley College in Calgary, Alberta, is a publicly funded College that has announced a pathway program with Chitkara University, India, in the faculty of healthcare for students. Chitkara students who have graduated from any stream of healthcare programs can now transfer to the Health & Human Services Management (HHSM) one-year post-diploma certificate at Bow Valley College through Chitkara University. Eligible candidates will be offered a letter of acceptance from Bow Valley College in Canada. The students will apply for their study permit and go through four weeks of orientation programing at Chitkara University, before coming to Canada. Nursing and healthcare programs are much sought after and completing them offers promising careers in Canada. Amid uncertain circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this pathway ensures that students can continue to achieve their international study goals during this time. The first cohort under the HHSM post-diploma certificate arrangement is expected to start in January 2021, based on the easing of travel and other restrictions in Canada. An innovative healthcare program, HHSM combines elements of business study and managing the Canadian Health system to prepare students for management positions in the Canadian healthcare sector. Students who will graduate from Bow Valley College will be eligible to apply for a post-graduate work permit in Canada or even pursue other diploma programs from Bow Valley College or a degree with a public university pathway partner. Speaking about this innovative pathway, Bow Valley Colleges Vice President, Academic Dr. Misheck Mwaba, said that, "This partnership is a significant step in providing our international learners with a seamless pathway leading to a unified system of lifelong learning. We offer global education with learning outcomes aligned to industry-validated competencies and skills in healthcare. International students are an important part of Bow Valley College's student body, and this announcement reflects their importance to Canada and our local community. We continue to shape the future of education and make all learning count through leading practices and partnerships." Chitkara University's Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Madhu Chitkara, said, "the pathway program is being launched at a very appropriate time. Given the current situation, students will be able to continue their education while keeping their dreams of international education intact. We have a formidable and robust faculty of Healthcare at Chitkara University that spans across programs of Nursing, Optometry, Pharma programs, allied healthcare etc. Canada is a favourable and rewarding choice for healthcare careers, and our partnership with Bow Valley College in Canada will help our students realize their dreams of studying and working in Canada while serving humanity." This initiative opens the door for Indian students to equip themselves with the skill sets and education that is required to work in a stringent and highly regulated healthcare sector in Canada. There is a gap in the demand and supply of foreign-educated healthcare workers in Canada and education from a public college like Bow Valley can significantly help address the need for Canadian educated healthcare professionals to fill different positions in the healthcare sector, be it in the province of Alberta or anywhere in Canada This is a featured content. Arshad Khan By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Wednesday turned out to be a gloomy day for Indias aviation sector as two leading airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet reported record quarterly losses. IndiGo posted its biggest quarterly loss at Rs 2,844 crore during Q1 of FY21, while SpiceJets net loss was at Rs 807.08 crore for the quarter ended March 31 FY20. Both airlines blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for their dismal performance. While the two figures are for two different quarters and does not put performance of the airlines in the same league, it certainly speaks of the deep crises faced by the industry, especially SpiceJet. The carriers auditor in a note has raised significant doubt on the companys existence as a going concern. We draw attention to Note 11 in standalone Ind AS financial statements which, indicate that the company has accumulated losses and its net worth has been fully eroded, the company has incurred a net loss during the current and previous year and, the companys current liabilities exceeded its current assets as at the balance sheet date, auditor SR Batliboi & Associates LLP, said. These conditions, along with other matters... cast significant doubt about the companys ability to continue as a going concern, it added. Promoter Ajay Singh, however, is optimistic about the future of his airline. Singh said that two key factors that had adversely impacted SpiceJets performance was the COVID-19 pandemic that started affecting demand from mid-February and grounding of the 737 MAX, which has been out of service for over a year now. ... Im confident that things will only improve in the times to come.As for IndiGo, its number one priority remains its cash balance. The carrier said it had a total cash balance of Rs 18,449.8 crore. It has already reduced its workforce by 10 per cent and is implementing steeper paycuts to offset the impact of Covid-19 on its revenue. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 17:27:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least three paramilitary troopers belonging to Assam Rifles were killed and five others wounded in a militant attack in India's northeastern state of Assam, local media reports said Thursday. The paramilitary troopers were ambushed at Khongtal in Chandel district, about 100 km south of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. "A squad of 15 Assam Rifles soldiers were on an area domination patrol in Khontal last evening when they came under attack from suspected militants," a local media report said. "The patrol was first hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion, followed by the ambush with small arms that left three dead and five wounded." So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility of the attack, and an official statement about the incident is awaited from Assam Rifles. Manipur is a conflict-ridden state in India's northeast. Several separatist groups in the state, often targeting Indian armed forces, have run long-armed insurgency demanding separation from the Indian union. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) The Department of Social Welfare and Development has reported that more than 10,000 locally stranded individuals have already been sent back to their provinces since the first week of July. During the House of Representatives Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability hearing on Thursday, DSWD Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Encabo said 10,361 LSIs were already sent home since the start of the send-off program Hatid Tulong. Broken down, 1,673 were sent home to areas in Mindanao on July 4; 569 were back to areas in Luzon on July 5; 1,268 were sent home to provinces in Caraga on July 25; 1,417 were sent home to various regions in Luzon on July 26; 676 were back home in Eastern and Western Visayas, except Bohol, on July 27; 687 were sent back to Caraga on July 28; and 991 were sent back to Zamboanga on July 28. The DSWD added that 4,071 others were sent back to their provinces, but did not specify the date. The department added that all qualified LSIs were given a 2,000 cash assistance, while those with children were given additional 1,000 each. Aside from cash, food and non-food assistance like sleeping kits and sanitary kits were also given to them. As for LSIs staying at the Philippine Army gymnasium and at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, DSWD said it has assisted 87 individuals including their children who are Zamboanga-bound on Wednesday. Some who are still in the area are being given assistance while waiting for trips back to their provinces. On the other hand, Labor Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez said the department was able to send more than 6,000 LSIs to their provinces. The 2,000 plus Caraga-bound LSIs left in the Rizal stadium were also already assisted, he said. The implementation of enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila to control the spread of COVID-19 left thousands of Filipinos locked in the capital, without a source of income nor a place to stay. The government is currently ramping up efforts to bring these residents back home to also prevent transmission of the virus among them. The Department of Interior and Local Government, the lead agency handling issues related to LSIs, said last week that 8,408 residents will be brought home to their provinces through the program, which is more than the initial 4,000-target. By Hamza Ameer Islamabad, July 28 (IANS) Senate of Pakistan, the upper house of parliament, passed a resolution, lauding Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, calling on the government to confer him with the countrys highest civil award "Nishan-e-Pakistan". This is a shocking affront to the Government of India and once again highlights Pakistans unequivocal support to Kashmiri separatist hawks like Geelani. It will obviously evoke a strong response from an already angry Indian government which has fulminated against Pakistans 30 year proxy war in Kashmir. The resolution was unanimously passed in the Senate of Pakistan with a complete consensus over what they called "relentless" struggle of Syed Ali Geelani. The government and the opposition benches, praising the ailing Kashmiri leader for his "unwavering commitment, dedication, perseverance and leadership", moved the resolution jointly. The resolution also appreciated Geelani for "exposing Indian atrocities, suppressive measures and human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir". The move comes in wake of the one-year completion of revocation of special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir by the Modi government. On August 5, 2019, India abrogated Article 370 and 35A and changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been in a state of lockdown with curfew imposed in the valley. Syed Ali Geelani, leader of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat has been supportive of Pakistan's case against India on Kashmir, calling for independence from India and unification with Pakistan. Geelani, along with other leaders of the hurriyat, have been detained several times in the past as Kashmir valley continues to stay under detention, curfew and communication blackout. The 90-year-old has been sick and put under house arrest over which Pakistan has expressed deep concern and termed it "unjustified" as he being in feeble health condition. The resolution passed in the Senate of Pakistan has proposed the federal government to change the name of Pakistan University of Engineering Technologies (PUET) in Islamabad as Syed Ali Shah Geelani University of Engineering and Emerging Sciences (SGUEES). "Include the lift and struggle of Syed Ali Shah Geelani in the educational curriculum at federal and provincial level and mobilize world conscience to help Gillani get best available treatment at a place of his choice," read the resolution. Pakistan's step has come hours after Geelani's announcement to observe a strike on August 5 and August 15 in Jammu and Kashmir in protest against the abrogation of special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. "August 5 is one of the darkest chapters of Kashmir. They day should be observed as an awareness day and the Kashmiri diaspora around the world should protest outside Indian embassies," Geelani said in a statement. --IANS hza/in 6 Christian families in India given ultimatum: Deny Jesus or flee Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Police in India have ordered six Christian families to either renounce their faith or flee their homes after they reported being brutally attacked by a radical Hindu mob. Joginder Bhuya, a Christian, told persecution watchdog International Christian Concern that he reported the attack to the Latehar District Police station of Jharkhand state on July 5. But instead of filing a report, officers gave Bhuya an ultimatum, saying they must either convert back to Hinduism or abandon their homes and leave the village. I thought the police are there to protect and serve justice, but the police spoke exactly what the religious fanatics have been telling us, Joginder said. Earlier, Hindu village leaders had convened a meeting to discuss the fate of Christian villagers who had refused to renounce their Christian faith. There, it was decided that the Christians would be chased out of their homes and the village if they didnt abandon their faith and re-convert to Hinduism. When the Christians refused to accept Hinduism, they were attacked. They tied our hands and legs with a rope, Bhuya recalled. All the mens hands and legs were tied with the rope. That way they might have thought that we cannot defend ourselves. They also misbehaved with our women and kicked them all over their body. They punched us on our faces and back. It was a very pathetic and helpless situation for us. Bhuya managed to escape and then ran to the police station where he informed police about the attack. Around the same time, the Hindu villagers also reached the police station where they pleaded their case to officers who supported kicking the Christians out of the village. Attacks on Christians in India have been on the rise since Narendra Modi of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party took office as prime minister in 2014. A report from the Delhi-based Evangelical Fellowship of India has documented 135 cases of persecution against Christians in the first half of 2020. The group estimates that actual numbers might be much larger, but says that many instances of persecution go unreported due to fear among the Christian community, a lack of legal literacy and the reluctance/refusal of police to register cases. The police have been very reluctant and slow to register FIRs in these cases involving recognizable offenses despite being duty-bound to do so under Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it notes. Even in the cases registered with the police, most never come to court. In March, Christians in Uttar Pradesh state were falsely accused of forcefully converting Hindus to Christianity and were subsequently brutally beaten by a drunken police officer who then ordered them to pose like Christ on the cross. Christian rights activist Dinanath Jaiswar from the advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom said that police in Uttar Pradesh have time and again unleashed their anger against minorities. It appears the Hindu extremist groups are closely working with the police officers to target Christian worship, he said. In July, a woman in Redhadi, a village in Indias Khunti district, who had recently converted to Christianity, was brutally murdered by four youths associated with a Hindu fanatic group. The woman was the fifth Christian to be murdered in India in the last two months. Previous killings included a woman, a teenager, and a pastor all targeted for their faith. The killings took place in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra. India is ranked No. 10 on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian. The group notes that Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith including Christianity is viewed as non-Indian, it says. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans rejoiced in late March when it was revealed that Christopher Meloni will return as Elliot Stabler in a new SVU spin-off called Organized Crime, reuniting with Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson. Meloni, 59, set the Internet ablaze when he shared a selfie with Hargitay, explaining on Sirius XM's The Jess Cagle Show how the reunion selfie came to be. He also shed some light on how his Elliot Stabler character has changed, since he was last seen on SVU in 2011. Elliot returns: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans rejoiced in late March when it was revealed that Christopher Meloni will return as Elliot Stabler in a new SVU spin-off called Organized Crime, reuniting with Mariska Hargitay's Olivia Benson Selfie: Meloni, 59, set the Internet ablaze when he shared a selfie with Hargitay, explaining on Sirius XM 's The Jess Cagle Show how the reunion selfie came to be When Cagle asked where Meloni and Hargitay were when they took the selfie, the actor said he was simply in the neighborhood. 'She has some digs out in the country there, so I was out there visiting and doing other stuff and I thought, "Why not just drop by for a spot of tea?"' he said. 'So thats what we did. We broke bread, we had some laughs,' he said, adding they can be 'away from each other' for many years and 'just pick up where we left off.' Visiting: When Cagle asked where Meloni and Hargitay were when they took the selfie, the actor said he was simply in the neighborhood Laughs: 'So thats what we did. We broke bread, we had some laughs,' he said, adding they can be 'away from each other' for many years and 'just pick up where we left off' When Cagle asked if he's started filming Organized Crime, Meloni referred to it as a 'pandemic production.' 'You know, everything is just insane, he said. 'You get new edicts out of New York City and New York state, and for good reason. And then you get new rules and regulations coming out of Universal, and then from the unions.' 'You have to service a lot of masters right now, just to make sure everybody is safe, right? Whats the new norm for shooting?' he added. Pandemic production: When Cagle asked if he's started filming Organized Crime, Meloni referred to it as a 'pandemic production' Edicts: 'You know, everything is just insane, he said. 'You get new edicts out of New York City and New York state, and for good reason. And then you get new rules and regulations coming out of Universal, and then from the unions' He added that the, 'writers are breaking rocks, trying to figure out the arc of the story, who the characters are and how they interact, and I have yet to see a script.' While Meloni hasn't seen a script yet, he added his thoughts about how Stabler has changed in the past nine years since he was last seen on SVU. He said that he didn't find his character regressing 'particularly interesting,' admitting he was 'flawed' but his 'heart was always in the right place.' Stabler: While Meloni hasn't seen a script yet, he added his thoughts about how Stabler has changed in the past nine years since he was last seen on SVU Heart: He said that he didn't find his character regressing 'particularly interesting,' admitting he was 'flawed' but his 'heart was always in the right place' 'I think it was his sense of injustice that just brought out the worst aspects of him. I think age, a mellowing, maybe not in his passions but in how he went about doing his job,' he added. 'I think he has evolved, I think hes in a good place now with his family, I think hes at a much better place with himself vis-a-vis the world, he shared. There is no word yet on when Organized Crime will start filming, or when it may air on NBC. Filming: There is no word yet on when Organized Crime will start filming, or when it may air on NBC Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra will join the Jan Akrosh Din protest called by the Opposition parties on November 28 against the demonetisation decision of the Centre. Party spokesperson Nawab Malik said NCP had initially welcomed the move to scrap Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination notes. However, the implementation has not been proper since the decision was taken without proper planning, he said. This has resulted in economic anarchy and farmers, farm labourers, small industries, labourers, traders and poor people have suffered, he said. Malik said party workers will come out on the streets to highlight the problems of the common man. Congress has also organised protests in all parts of the state on Monday. FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. WASHINGTON - The head of U.S.-funded global media has ordered an investigation into the posting of a video package featuring former Vice-President Joe Biden on a Voice of America website and affiliated social media accounts. Agency for Global Media chief Michael Pack said Thursday his staff is looking into the segment that it called pro-Biden and weighing disciplinary action against those responsible. The content, which appeared on the VOAs Urdu-language website and its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts this month, has since been removed and may have violated federal law, the agency said. Pack has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for initiating a major shakeup of the agency that oversees VOA and its sister networks. Many Democrats fear he wants to turn the outlets into Trump propaganda machines. His response to the video package could intensify those concerns while heartening VOA critics, including at the White House, who believe the agency is biased against Trump. The content at issue featured a video that can only be described as an apparent election advertisement for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice-President Joe Biden, AGM said of the segment on a voter mobilization campaign, known as Million Muslim Votes, that highlighted Biden speaking to Muslim Americans. AGM said its management is concerned that the video, which carried the VOA logo, may have been intended to affect votes among the Urdu-speaking Muslim-American community in the upcoming November election. It also noted that two of Trumps biggest congressional foes Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashid Tlaib of Michigan were featured in the video, which was flagged late Tuesday by conservative activists. Pack has been struggling to tamp down conservative anger at his decision to wholesale fire the heads of all of AGMs broadcasters and a non-profit technology fund. In a statement, Pack said he wanted to find out who was responsible for this significant content and editorial breakdown and determine whether it violates the Hatch Act, which governs political activity of federal workers. USAGM staff members who attempt to influence American elections will be held accountable, he said. Our networks comprise the U.S.s megaphone to the world, and this invaluable instrument is generously funded by the American people. To safeguard our agencys reputation and the integrity of our content, I will continue to ensure that violations of journalistic standards and principles are dealt with swiftly and fairly. Congressional aides familiar with the matter said several VOA contractors had been responsible for the content but could not say if any action had been taken against them. The aides, who werent authorized to discuss the matter publicly, spoke on condition of anonymity. In addition to the mass firings, Pack has also initiated a review of visas for foreign employees, many of whom bring critical language skills needed to communicate with the foreign populations that are the primary audiences for AGM broadcasts, and undertaken a security review of how foreigners are hired. Pack, a conservative filmmaker and associate of former Trump political adviser Steve Bannon, has defended the moves as necessary to overhaul the agency, which critics have long said is beset by bureaucratic and journalistic issues. That criticism exploded earlier this year when the White House attacked VOA for its coverage of COVID-19. Democrats, who suspect Pack wants to promote Trump over broader American values and interests, and some Republicans have demanded explanations for his abrupt dismissal of the heads of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Open Technology Fund. The director and deputy director of VOA resigned within days of Pack taking control of AGM in early June. A small Canadian mining company says it has found a way to mine nickel without spewing a ton of carbon into the atmosphere an engineering challenge that no less than Elon Musk says is the key to producing the energy to power the world's future transportation needs. Canada Nickel Company is in the midst of setting up a facility near Timmins, Ont., that CEO Mark Selby said can extract the metal virtually carbon-free. At least one prominent nickel user is excited. Musk, the CEO of electric car company Tesla, needs nickel to satisfy his company's insatiable appetite for batteries. The process hinges on the rock in question being what's known as serpentine rock, a type of mineral-rich ore that sucks carbon out of the atmosphere when exposed to air The company's property sits on one of the dozen largest known deposits of nickel sulphide on Earth, and about 90 per cent of it is the type that can absorb carbon, Selby said in an interview with CBC News. "When they are exposed to air, they naturally absorb CO2 in a spontaneous reaction." That's an obvious advantage, but the appeal doesn't end there. Conventional mining often uses a lot of natural gas and diesel to power activities, but that's not the case in Northern Ontario. "All of the electricity ... will be hydroelectric and because we have access to it, we can also look at using hydroelectric trolley trucks and electric shovels in place of diesel-powered ones," Selby said. Many metal mines also have to ship the raw material over extensive distances for processing, and there's a similar process for waste product. But that, too, won't be the case at the company's one-stop-shopping site. "The beauty of it is that there's nothing that we have to specifically invent here," Selby said. "It's just taking a bunch of existing technologies and taking advantage of the location of where we're at." Story continues Norm Betts/Bloomberg News In order to produce the amount of nickel needed for an electric car battery, a conventional nickel mine would produce about four tonnes of carbon dioxide. Canada Nickel's approach could get that down to practically zero. The project faces a few hurdles, including environmental assessments by local authorities, as well as a number of internal assessments about profitability and determining exactly how much carbon dioxide the rock in question will be able to remove from the atmosphere. It's on track for approval sometime next year and to start producing maybe a year after that if all goes well. Project could bring hundreds of jobs The result could be one of the largest nickel sulphide mines in the world, a $1 billion investment that will produce hundreds of jobs for decades to come for the local economy and take a much lighter environmental toll than other forms of nickel mining. "Timmins is one of a very handful of unique locations globally that could really make that happen," Selby said. Musk had a message for nickel miners in the company's second-quarter earnings call earlier this month: "I'd just like to re-emphasize, any mining companies out there, please mine more nickel," Musk said. "Wherever you are in the world, please mine more nickel and don't wait for nickel to go back to some high point that you experienced some five years ago or whatever, go for efficiency." Nickel has a high energy density, which makes it especially useful for cathodes. The metal is doubly in demand because Tesla is in the process of phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries. "Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way. So, hopefully, this message goes out to all mining companies. Please get nickel," Musk said. About half of the nickel in the world currently comes from the South Pacific either from the Philippines, Indonesia or the tiny island nation of New Caledonia. On paper, Canada Nickel's facility would be an ideal supplier for Tesla because it is closer to the company's production chain in California and to Nevada, where it makes batteries which is perhaps why Musk welcomed news of the project on his Twitter feed recently. Selby said the idea for the project has been in the works for a while, but the interest Musk has drawn to the venture could be serendipitous because of the attention he commands. "It's good to have a good idea, but it's also good to get the timing right," he said. Menlo Church launches new probe after dismissed children's volunteer revealed as pastor's son Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Elders at Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California, have launched a supplemental independent investigation into concerns raised about the circumstances under which a volunteer, revealed as the pastors son, was allowed to work with children despite confessing to having an attraction to minors. While many of you know that the Board took immediate action upon learning of these concerns, we understand our initial investigation could have gone further and included specific expertise in child safety and sex abuse issues, and it could have been informed by conversations with a wider group of people, the elders said in a statement to the 4,000-member congregation on Saturday. Based on the feedback weve received, we are initiating a supplemental independent investigation into concerns raised about the volunteer. Pastor John Ortberg was asked to go on personal leave from the church on Nov. 22, 2019, while an investigation of concerns raised by a third party about a then unidentified church volunteer was conducted. Earlier this month, Daniel Lavery, a trans-identified woman who is Ortberg's estranged daughter, revealed in an extensive thread on Twitter that the volunteer is her brother John Ortberg III. The volunteer was my brother, John Ortberg III. When we last spoke, he admitted to seeking out unsupervised contact with children (including overnight travel) for well over a decade, Lavery wrote. I believe his unique relationship to my father, John Ortberg Jr., is the sole reason why John Jr. went out of his way to protect his secret and facilitate his continued contact with children. In January, without revealing Pastor Ortbergs relationship to the volunteer, the elders said their leader exhibited poor judgment but no harm had come to any minor in the Menlo Church community based on the findings of an investigation. Beth Seabolt, chair of the congregations elder board said Pastor Ortberg failed to take the required steps to prevent the person from volunteering with minors at the Menlo Park campus and did not consult anyone else at Menlo Church about the situation. She noted that as soon as the church was made aware of the concern about the volunteer, they informed the church and brought in an independent investigator but did not find any misconduct in the Menlo Church community. The elders reiterated this earlier this month. Pastor Ortberg, who returned to the pulpit in March, apologized for his "shortcomings" in a letter to the church on July 6. "When my son first spoke to me, I should have immediately asked our church Elders for counsel and I should have exerted my full influence to ensure that he did not volunteer again at any event with kids and youth," Ortberg wrote. "I am deeply sorry about my poor judgement and acknowledge that I betrayed my sacred trust as Senior Pastor. I have sought forgiveness from God, from our church Elders, our staff, and from our congregation." With the latest discussions surrounding the revelation about Ortbergs relationship to the volunteer, the church elders who chose not to name the volunteer acknowledged that they needed to have been more transparent, and explained that they were conducting the supplemental investigation to bridge that breach. After carefully listening to our community these last several days about the investigation into a former church volunteer, we want to first acknowledge the Boards ownership in what we have done to contribute to the pain and distrust many of you are feeling right now. Fundamentally, we did not provide the transparency that our community deserves and as a result have eroded the trust some of you place in our leadership, the elders said. A new committee, comprised of representatives from elders, staff, parents and volunteers, will also be created by the elder board to provide transparent oversight of the new investigation and ensure all impacted perspectives are represented, the church leaders said. We also have directed staff to conduct a full audit of policies, practices and training related to child and youth safety, to be led by an independent outside organization with expertise in this area and are committed to conducting regular audits on an ongoing basis. Our staff and volunteers run incredible ministries for children and youth. Our community deserves to have full confidence in their work and that the systems safeguarding our children and volunteers are best-in-class. The prosecution in the case of a man accused of the murder of Michael Barr at the Sunset House pub today closed its case by saying that the defendant would have to be an "extremely unlucky" man if he was not involved in the killing. Liverpool native David Hunter, with an address at Du Cane Road, White City, London, is pleading not guilty before the Special Criminal Court to the murder of Mr Barr (35) at the pub in Summerhill in Dublin on the night of April 25, 2016. Tyrone native Mr Barr was shot seven times - five times in the head - after two men wearing masks entered the pub after 9pm. Giving his closing speech, Mr Dominic McGinn SC, for the State, said that "there could be no reasonable doubt" of Mr Hunter's involvement unless the court was to believe that he had been "extremely unlucky with all of these coincidences" that had been offered in his defence. Mr McGinn told Mr Justice Alexander Owens, presiding, that DNA evidence on a ski mask, which had a mixed profile with one 61% contributor, matched the DNA profile taken from a cigarette butt and ear-plugs used and discarded by Mr Hunter when in custody. Counsel said that ballistics could match the guns used in the murder to those found in an Audi A6 on the Walsh Road in Drumcondra, Dublin 9, shortly after the shooting. The Audi also contained four rubber masks and one ski-mask. Next to the car, which the occupants tried to burn out was a dropped mobile phone. In a voluntary statement to gardai, Mr Hunter had said that the ski-mask was his but that he had dropped it in a car driven by another man when he visited Ireland two months before the murder on a car-stealing exercise. Mr McGinn said that while CCTV evidence was used in the case regarding the Audi, it was "limited how much could be gleaned from it". Counsel said that CCTV would be useful, however, to timing the movement of the vehicle, which was outside The Sunset House for 29 seconds before making its way to Walsh Road. Mr McGinn said that many conclusions could possibly be drawn in the case but that "all scenarios bar one" pointed to Mr Hunter's guilt and that this one scenario was "inexorably unlikely". Counsel described the murder as "meticulously-planned" and he noted the discovery of a lock-up on the North Circular Road containing guns, masks, caps and scarves. He asked why a member of the murder team would use a ski-mask found in a car two months beforehand if brand-new masks, still in their packaging, were available for use from the lock-up. Mr McGinn referenced four phones used on the night of the murder that gardai tracked through cell-site data after one of them was secured from the scene of the burning car. Less than an hour after the murder, one of these phones contacted a phone believed to belong to Mr Hunter. Mr Hunter, who did not give direct evidence, had said in his statement to gardai that he had taken a call from a man looking to buy a car he was selling on the night. Mr McGinn said that Mr Hunter admitted that he bought a new phone in Holyhead before he boarded a ferry for Dublin, two days before the killing. The prosecution believes this phone to be Mr Hunter's at the time because of calls received on it by his then-girlfriend. In the hours before the murder, the prosecution claim, the four Irish phones only call or connect with each other but after the killing one begins calling other numbers, one of which is alleged to be Mr Hunter's phone. Mr McGinn said that "it is not reasonable in our submission that less than an hour after being involved in a murder that someone would ring up about buying a car and talk for seven minutes". Counsel also pointed to the unusual travel plans of Mr Hunter in that the accused had said he had sold his car so that he could get to Spain to enroll in a residential rehab facility but had "spent half the value of the car on two tickets". A second ticket had been booked in the name of 'Tom Wood', about whom, counsel said "we have no explanation" - Mr Wood did not board the flight to Malaga. Counsel said that it didn't make sense that if Mr Hunter had in two months before the killing, come to Ireland on a "money-making" exercise to steal cars, why did he return to Liverpool the next day when he failed to steal one in his first night in Ireland. "It doesn't hang with reality," said McGinn. Counsel added that on the night of the murder,it had been claimed by the defence that Mr Hunter's battery had died and that this period coincided with the use of the four "murder phones". Mr McGinn said that Mr Hunter had travelled with his girlfriend but the pair were apart around the time of the killing, "so she couldn't say he didn't kill Mr Barr". Counsel said that a call from Mr Hunter's girlfriend to him at 10.22pm pointed towards the pair not being in each other's company at the time of the murder, which is believed to be at 9.30pm. "If these are reasonable coincidences, Mr Hunter is extremely unlucky with all these coincidences," concluded Mr McGinn, adding that there could be "no reasonable doubt about David Hunter's involvement" in the murder of Mr Barr. The three-judge court will hear tomorrow the closing speech from his defence barrister, Ms Roisin Lacey SC. WHAT! INCREDIBLE! The French exclaim 'incroyable'. Barbaric, heinous, abominable, gory, abhorrent, detestable, macabre A 90-year decrepit, frail, mother of seven murdered in cold blood. Where is our sense of humanity? See young, energetic women flocking the woman and exclaiming Alahu-akbar; (nothing to do with Mohammedanismand Imam Wakaso strengthens this belief when he calls the barbaric act 'haram'). See energetic young men standing by, looking askance and perhaps telling one another, Hei, witch, you deserve it; you have turned all the young men here wee smokers; and all the women are unable to get suitable marriages. And in her weak state, asking her son, How are you? They came to pick me up again and beat me. I need water to drink. Her son, Dominic, tells a sad tale. A woman called Memuna, born in the 1930s, had not had any school education and had struggled in life at the village close to Kafaba near Salaga in the Savannah Region. She had been whisked from the village to the south as a teenager, apprenticed to a koko seller. Some layabouts at the Accra Railway Station had defiled her at the age of 13, resulting in a pregnancy. She had had to return to her village where she was delivered of a father-less son. She was espied by a 70-year-old man who had married her at the age of 15 as his fourth wife, and had given birth to four children; and by the time of her husband's death at the age of 80, she was only 25. Now, with five mouths to feed, she used to go to the farm to pick shea nuts to make shea butter, picked firewood from the farm, and collected water from a well three kilometres away. She was bitten three times by a python, a rattle snake and a viper. She survived, because she had a will for survival. She again got married, this time to a truck driver with whom she produced three children, a boy and two girls. The truck got involved in an accident at Amantin while carting charcoal to the south, and he died. She was forced to flee the village and come to the south to try her luck again, this time as a kaya-yee. She managed to send money to her mother to erect a two-room swish house. At 60, she decided to return to the village, this time with four father-less children. Only one of the children had been to school: the others had become drug addicts and were engaged as watchmen, fufu-pounders at chop bars and as domestic servants Meanwhile, Mrs. Gladys Duncan (not her real name) was living in a bungalow bequeathed to her by her late husband, Mr. Timothy Duncan at Ridge, Accra. On her 90th birthday, one of her three children, an engineer, bought her a Mercedes Benz; her second child, a female medical doctor strictly watched her health, always sending her medication; her third child, a woman-lawyer, paid frequent visits to her with her kids who would bombard her with so many questions: Why is your hair so white? Why is your back bent? Why is there a gap in your teeth and Gladys would only tell them: By and by you will grow. The female-doctor would lecture the type of food she should eat and those to avoid; the mild physical exercises to build a strong physical body. The domestic servants attended to her, taught her how to change her diapers and how to massage her and dress her daily. Akua Denteh's story might not be too different from Memuna's. Then, at the age of 90, a native doctor was invited to the village to cast an evil spell afflicting the village poverty, lack of rain for a long period of time, frequent deaths and the soothsayer pointed at Akua Denteh. If she deserved to die, why didn't the deity itself kill her? And why should somebody unrelated to her, murder her? You could see the women of Akua's house wailing and throwing themselves downovercome by grief. All the world's a stageLast scene of allIs second childishnesssans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. In 2020, the Ghanaian society has come a long way to discard unhelpful 17th century traditions. We still have the Gambaga Witches' Camp in the North East Region, the Kpatinga Witches' Camp, the Gnani Witches' Camp in the Yendi Municipality and the Kukuo Witches' Camp in the Northern Region. Why do these camps harbour only female (witches) and no males (wizards)? Misogyny? Witchcraft, hallucinogen and sorcery have a long historyin ancient Greece and ancient Rome. In 789 AD Charlemagne who had imposed Christianity upon the people of Saxony, proclaimed: If anyone, deceived by the Devil shall believe, as is customary among pagans, that any man or woman is a night-witch and eats men, and on that account burn that person to death he shall be executed. In France, Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), daughter of a tenant farmer, born around 1412 in the village of Domremy, was burnt at the stake in 1431 in Rouen on a 70-charge indictment, including witchcraft, heresy, hearing from angels and God and breach of the divine law by dressing like a man (cross-dressing). Joan of Arc who led the French force against England in the 100 Years' War, kept brandishing a banner, not carrying a weapon was beatified in 1909 at the Notre Dame cathedral where she was canonised by Pope Pius X in 1920. Around 1300, the fear of witches spread gradually throughout Europe. Witches were believed to commune with spirits, transform into animals (lycanthropy), gain love by charm, harm enemies, experience euphoria and 'fly to the witches' Sabbath. In the English folktales, witches flew on broomsticks or distaffs or occasionally rode upon unwilling human beings (hag-ride). Witches were depicted as wicked old women with wrinkled skin and tall hats, always clothed in black with warts on their noses and claw-shaped fingernails- riding by night, having secret nocturnal meetings, making sacrificial infanticides, practising cannibalism. It is sad to see video clips of five-year-old put in shackles and denied food and water at a prayer camp, and sometimes with the five-year-old girl held by the hair, tossed up and down, turned round and round by the priest and his cronies with the girl's mother praying and singingall for exorcising witchcraft. Well, the Yagbonwura Tuntumba Bore Essa, the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, has condemned the atrocious act. The Women in Law and Development has made references to constitutional and mandatory provisions: Article 13 of the 1992 Constitution which guarantees the right to life and the prohibition of anyone taking another person's life; Article 15 which guarantees the dignity of all Ghanaians; Article 19 which guarantees the right to a fair trial (and not yielding to trial by ordeal); the provision of Section 1 (b) and 1 (d) of Domestic Violence Act, 2007 as amended; the statutory provision of Section 20 and 23 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act prohibiting the abetment of crime. The First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, among others, has sent a delegation to commiserate with the family, declaring: 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. Chilling! Africanus Owusu-Ansah [email protected] KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - An opposition-ruled state called Thursday for early elections, thwarting attempts by Malaysias governing alliance to take over the state through defections. Shafie Apdal, chief minister of Sabah state on Borneo island, dissolved the state parliament to pave the way for polls after a ruling party politician claimed he had the support of a majority of lawmakers to form a new government. The attempted takeover of Sabah, a poor but resource-rich state, was reminiscent of how current Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took power in March after defecting from the then-reformist government to form a new Malay-centric government. Then-leader Mahathir Mohamad resigned in protest. Muhyiddins alliance has since taken control of many states after lawmakers defected. The opposition now controls only Sabah and two of the countrys richest states, Selangor and Penang. Shafie said he was reluctant to call for snap polls during the coronavirus pandemic but that he had no choice because of harassment and bribery of state lawmakers to switch their allegiance. Some of those who supported him have defected. They think Sabah (lawmakers) are like souvenirs, easily bought and sold ... but I think Sabahans have more integrity than that, Shafie told a news conference after obtaining the state rulers approval to dissolve the assembly. We think its time to return the mandate to the people. We will face the challenge and let the people decide, he added. An election must be held within 60 days. Musa Aman, who was former Sabah chief minister and a governing party politician, has sought to meet the state ruler after claiming late Wednesday he has enough numbers to form a new government. The bid to topple Shafies government came after Muhyiddins government last month dropped 46 graft charges against Musa. Sabah and neighbouring Sarawak on Borneo hold about a quarter of parliament seats and are seen as crucial for political leverage. The two states, which are rich in oil and timber, have a greater level of autonomy in administration, immigration and judiciary. Kiehls Since 1851,the New York City-based apothecary and creator offine quality skin and hair care has now reachedyour doorstep as it launches its first-ever E-Commerce website in India, kiehls.in. The website was launched in June with an aim to cater to all skin-care needs of the Indian consumer with effective and tested Dermatologist Solutions and Men's Grooming ranges in addition to the iconic formulas like Calendula Range, Clearly Corrective Range etc. The new E-Boutique is intuitive, user-friendly and aspires to replicate the Kiehls experience digitally. With a sophisticated user-interface designed to make shopping online a fulfilling experience, the website is optimized for mobile phones and desktops. To make the browsing and navigation process simpler for the consumer, the E-Boutique gives various into separate sections such as Bestsellers, New Arrivals, Brightening, Anti-ageing, and Gifts. Some of the key features of the newly launched website include Kiehls Koncierge and Healthy Routine Finder along with the exciting Always on Offers functionality. Kiehls Koncierge is a Live Chat feature that provides E-consultations and elevates the online customer experience through complimentary and individualized skincare consultations by providing them with tailor made skins solutions according to the concerns shared with the E-Kiehls Customer Representatives. The Chat facility is from Monday-Friday, 10am -4pm. is a Live Chat feature that provides E-consultations and elevates the online customer experience through complimentary and individualized skincare consultations by providing them with tailor made skins solutions according to the concerns shared with the E-Kiehls Customer Representatives. The Chat facility is from Monday-Friday, 10am -4pm. Always On Offers: The brand has always embraced its patrons through various exclusive online offers on every purchase and continues to do the same on its digital platform through the Always on Offer This offering enables consumers to have access to their favourite Kiehls products and exciting offers whenever they visit the site. The driving force of Kiehls vision is the try before you buy initiative, which allows clients to try products before they purchase. The brand continues to uphold the policy with its E-Boutique by offering complimentary samples and free shipping pan India on every order. The brand has always embraced its patrons through various exclusive online offers on every purchase and continues to do the same on its digital platform through the This offering enables consumers to have access to their favourite Kiehls products and exciting offers whenever they visit the site. The driving force of Kiehls vision is the try before you buy initiative, which allows clients to try products before they purchase. The brand continues to uphold the policy with its E-Boutique by offering complimentary samples and free shipping pan India on every order. Healthy Routine Finderis another key feature where one can take a quiz to find skincare solutions best suited to their needs. This tool is broadly categorised into two parts which suggest simple and advanced routines respectively. With respect to the launch of the website, Shikhee Agrawal, AVP, Kiehls India said, We are ecstatic to bring finest apothecary skincare right at the doorstep as it is no surprise that skincare is self-care, thats why we bring you the opportunity to experience luxury skincare from the comfort of your house. India being a diverse country, we aim to cater to different skin types in varied weather conditions and skin concerns by providing efficacious solutions and customised regimes. As Kiehls recapitulates to connect generations through memories, tradition and skincare with its time-proven formula, we are indeed grateful to embark on this journey with you, digitally. Nothing says, 'I care', more than good skincare itself. Kiehls extends to its consumers the finest skincare apothecary and at the same time ensure that all safety guidelines are met as the brand launches its E-Boutique to refill ones skincare digitally through its newly launched E-Boutique. PORTLAND, Ore., July 30, 2020 /PR Newswire/ -- Lewis & Clark Law School is now offering its Master of Studies (MSL) in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law through a distance-learning online option, allowing the school's specialty program to be available to students around the world Lewis & Clark Law School The online MSL in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law builds on the law school's environmental law Master of Studies program, and is specifically designed for college graduates who want to more effectively work on today's global environmental issues. Applications for the Fall 2020 cohort are now being accepted. Interested students can apply, here. GRE or LSAT scores are not required to apply. Prospective students around the world can now obtain the MSL degree from one of the highest-ranked environmental law programs in the United States without the need for relocation. For years, the on-campus Environmental Law MSL has provided non-lawyers an effective way to advance their career with this specialization. Previous graduates of the in-person MSL in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law at Lewis & Clark have described this program as a challenging, exhilarating, and career-enhancing experience. "At Lewis & Clark Law School, we are committed to offering our top-ranked faculty, curriculum, and educational opportunities on a new platform. With the restrictions of COVID-19, this new online version of our Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law MSL will offer students the opportunity to earn a valuable education online. We are excited to provide this innovative learning opportunity to people around the world," said Lucy Brehm, Associate Director of the Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Program at Lewis and Clark Law School. The online courses are taught by some of the nation's leading scholars. Learn more about the Lewis & Clark Law School Faculty here. Lewis & Clark's Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law MSL will include courses such as: Environmental Law Administrative Law Climate Change Energy Law International Environmental Law Environmental Justice Water Law The courses will integrate advanced online learning methods, such as self-paced and interactive video lectures and virtual online office hours each week with faculty, with the ability for students to discuss and collaborate online. For more information about the Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law program, please visit us online, email: [email protected] or call: 503-867-8058. CONTACT: Megan Ablondi [email protected] (239) 325-4407 SOURCE Lewis & Clark Law School Related Links http://www.lclark.edu Amazing work of volunteers who support vulnerable residents praised by Clwyd South MP This article is old - Published: Thursday, Jul 30th, 2020 The amazing work of volunteers who support vulnerable residents in the area has been praised by the MP for Clwyd South. Simon Baynes MP, made a socially distanced visit, along with his constituency office staff, to Rhos Community Cafe on last week to learn more about how the team have been providing those in need with food parcels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cafe, which is based at Berlin House, Market Street, provides food boxes to 200 residents in Rhos, Penycae, Johnstown area every week, including people from the Portuguese and Polish communities. It first opened its doors in 2012, providing a safe space for people in the community. Mr Baynes was given a tour of the cafe by Manager, Grace Lockhart, a trained Church Minister and leader of the church that meets in the cafe, which is connected to The Community Church in Wrexham. He also met volunteers Jason Parry and Stacey Murphy, who have helped at the cafe since 2013 and 2012 respectively. The Community Cafe has been supported by Steven Morgan Foundation, Moon Dance, and with grants from the Welsh Resilience Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund. They have also received donations from Rhos Community Council, AVOW, the Rotary Club, and Tesco Bags of Help. Rhos Community Cafe are also now exploring opportunities to work with Wrexham Food Bank. Food is currently donated to the Community Cafe by supermarkets and charities such as Tesco in Cefn Mawr, Asda, Bookers and Rhos and Rhostyllen Co-op. Rhos Community cafe manager, Grace Lockhart, said: Were incredibly grateful for Simons support and are really proud to be able to help members of our local community during these unprecedented times. We want anyone whos struggling to know that were here and ready to support you, so please get in touch if you need help. Simon Baynes MP said:Rhos Community Cafe have played an absolutely vital role supporting the local community during the Coronavirus pandemic. And I was incredibly impressed to see first-hand the amazing work they do providing food parcels and emotional and wellbeing support to vulnerable residents. My constituency office staff have also volunteered to step in and help support the Community Cafe by collecting food from supermarkets and delivering parcels to vulnerable residents locally. If anyone is interested in volunteering, Id encourage them to get in touch with Grace Lockhart at the Community Cafe on 01978 447477. When you consider that these agencies have the ability to seize different types of property wherever they operate, the scope of the entire program is just so large, said Jennifer McDonald, senior research analyst at IJ and the author of the report. The reason we focused on cash seizures at airports is because weve heard they are some of the most abusive. New film Everyday Miracles follows preachers son who moves in the power of healing (trailer) Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The new faith-based film Everyday Miracles about a pastor's son who's running away from his past will soon be available via On Demand, Digital and DVD The film will be released on Sept. 1 and stars acting veteran Gary Cole (VEEP, Entourage), Erik Smith (A Walk to Remember) and Zoe Perry (Young Sheldon). The film is dedicated to my sister, Mary Pat, who passed away from complications from aplastic anemia. During her treatment, she needed a bone marrow transplant and I was the only possible donor. So I guess it wasn't that big a stretch to start writing a story about a man with miraculous gifts who attempts to save his sister's life, writer and director Marty Madden (Musical Chairs) told The Christian Post. Everyday Miracles is centered around faith healer, Cotton (Smith), who is trying to run from his troubled past. After being taken in by a horse rancher (Cole) and his family, Cottons new life is soon tested when his overbearing mother (Lusia Strus) tracks him down and tries to pull him back into the life he had escaped, the synopsis reads. Cotton is desperate to avoid his past life which could jeopardize a possible future with his love interest, Perry. When a painful revelation comes to light, he must lean on his new family and learn to trust again. Through his journey, Cotton learns the value of compassion and family through hard work and selflessness. Madden said he thought the time he spent with his sister before she died was to help her, but instead she was the one who was teaching him valuable life lessons. The movie, which is being released during the global coronavirus pandemic and state lockdowns, tackles such topics as grief and loss, as well as hope and faith, courage and strength. While we were making this film, we could have never imagined this is the world wed be releasing it into, the filmmaker said of the pandemic and worldwide lockdowns. Though so much seems uncertain now, we hope this film is able to bring some hope and happiness to those who need it most. Films have the incredible power to move and inspire especially in times of trial. Everyday Miracles is a film that families will enjoy watching together, Madden told CP. Everybody feels misunderstood sometimes, especially by those closest to us even family. We can all feel lost and alone. I hope this film reminds people that we are never truly alone and that there is always someone to turn to and to help us through the darkest times. The family film was produced by James J. Bagley and Tom Tangen and will be distributed by Cinedigm. View the trailer premiere below: Baramulla (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 29 (ANI): An Army porter was killed in an unprovoked ceasefire violation initiated by Pakistan on Wednesday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla by firing mortars and other weapons, according to Chinar Corps, Indian Army. The ceasefire violation began in the afternoon in the Uri sector, in which the Army porter suffered injuries and later died. "Pakistan initiated an Unprovoked Ceasefire Violation (CFV) today afternoon along the LoC in Uri Sector, #Baramulla by firing Mortars and other weapons. One Army porter, who was injured in CFV, succumbed to injuries. Befitting response was given," Chinar Corps tweeted. The Indian Army strongly retaliated to the unprovoked ceasefire violation. (ANI) But as officers searched the bloodstained baby blue two-story house near the corner of Langley Avenue and 92nd Place for additional victims Monday evening, they made another discovery: a cache of weapons that included an AK-47 style rifle; four handguns two with laser attachments; ammunition; and body armor, according to police and prosecutors. Officers also recovered about $900 in pills and $550 in marijuana and a digital scale. Andrew Duncomb (pictured) was knifed in the back during a protest in Portland last weekend in what he claims was a targeted attack because he's a conservative journalist A videographer who was knifed in the back during protests in downtown Portland claims he was targeted because of his conservative activism. Shocking video captured the moment Andrew Duncomb, 25, was stabbed while he was out filming footage of protests by Portland's Mark O Hatfield federal courthouse early Saturday morning. Duncomb, who is black and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, told Oregon Live he had traveled to the city from Northern California because he wanted to offer a more complete view of the situation than what has been portrayed in the mainstream media. Over the past several weeks photos and videos have emerged of federal troops using aggressive tactics like tear gas and pepper balls to break up crowds of protesters who repeatedly tried to breach a fence surrounding the protest. 'My main goal was to show that it wasn't just the feds creating the problems,' he said. But Duncomb's trip took a very unexpected turn when he was attacked hours after he arrived on Friday. Now he says: 'I was stabbed for being a conservative journalist.' Shocking video captured the moment Duncomb, 25, was stabbed while he was out filming footage of protests by Portland's Mark O Hatfield federal courthouse early Saturday morning Duncomb has built an impressive online following with the videos he films of demonstrations and other political events under the moniker 'Black Rebel'. He believes that people familiar with his work - which frequently features staunch defenses of conservative causes - had alerted activists that he would be at the Portland protest soon after he arrived. He said that he and a few friends that were with him noticed a group of people was trailing them just before 2.30am on Saturday. After traveling a several blocks with the people still on their tail, Duncomb said he handed his camera to a friend before he decided to confront one of the men in the group. In the video obtained by Oregon Live that friend is heard saying: 'Someone's stalking us,' as Duncomb is seen walking up to the man, whose face was obscured by a respirator and goggles. 'Hey buddy, why are you following us?' Duncomb says as he approaches the man from behind and places his arm around the man's shoulder. A split-second later the man is seen thrusting a knife into Duncomb's lower back without saying a word as Duncomb falls backward and shouts: 'Ow!' Video shows Duncomb (left) placing his arm around a man he believed was stalking him (right) and saying: 'Hey buddy, why are you following us?' A split-second later the man is seen thrusting a knife into Duncomb's lower back without saying a word as Duncomb falls backward and shouts: 'Ow!' The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Blake David Hampe, looks toward Duncomb as his friends shout: 'Did you just stab him?' 'The adrenaline just soared through me,' Duncomb recounted. 'I had a can of bear mace and a knife on me, too. But I didn't want to endanger innocent bystanders.' Blake David Hampe, 43, (pictured) was arrested and charged for attacking Duncomb He was then transported to a hospital, where he learned the blade had come within inches of his spinal cord. The knife-wielding man, identified in court records as 43-year-old Blake David Hampe, was arrested by police at the scene. Hampe was charged with second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon and is now being held in jail on $250,000 bond. A probable cause affidavit quotes Hampe as telling investigators that Duncomb had 'set up' on him and tried to choke him, though that version of events was not supported by the video. Duncomb maintains that the attack was planned - but says it isn't going to deter him from continuing his coverage when his wound heals. 'I'm not going to let them intimidate me for going back out,' he said. 'I wasn't meant to die. It wasn't my time to go.' Duncomb said the incident won't stop him from covering demonstrations and sharing his conservative views in the future. The 25-year-old videographer is pictured at a march in DC Duncomb spoke out about the incident on Wednesday, which marked the 63rd consecutive night of protests in Portland. It came as the Trump administration and Oregon leaders declared victory after it was announced that federal agents would finally begin withdrawing from the city - though it remains unclear whether that agreement will reduce tensions. Oregon Gov Kate Brown said Wednesday agents with US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement will begin pulling out of the city's downtown area on Thursday, but Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf wouldn't specify where they would go. He insisted a federal presence would remain in Portland until the Trump administration was assured the agreement was working and the Oregon State Police was sufficiently protecting federal property. Many demonstrators are peaceful, but smaller numbers have thrown fireworks, flares, rocks and ball bearings at federal agents, used green lasers to blind them and spread graffiti over the face of the Mark O Hatfield Federal Courthouse. President Donald Trump earlier this month sent federal authorities as protests against racial injustice increasingly targeted US government property, including the stately courthouse in downtown Portland. The deployment appeared to have the opposite effect, reinvigorating demonstrations with a new focus: getting rid of the federal presence. The de-escalation plan calls for the US Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service agents to remain inside a fence set up around the federal courthouse, along with some state police, to keep protesters out. State police will also be outside the fence to keep protesters back. 'I want to be clear about this, the entire DHS law enforcement presence in Portland will remain in Portland, whether they're staying inside the courthouse, next door or a different location.' Duncomb spoke out about the incident on Wednesday, the 63rd consecutive night of protests in Portland. Pictured: Crowds gather outside the Multnomah County Justice Center Demetria Hester leads the Moms For Black Lives Matter march towards the Multnomah County Justice Center on Wednesday evening Former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women. The 49-year-old, who represented Dover from 2010 to 2019, was accused of three counts of sexual assault against the women, and stood trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. He was found guilty of all three on Thursday, and sighed and looked at his lawyer when the jurys unanimous verdict was returned. Elphicke is due to be sentenced on 15 September and the judge, Justice Whipple, said: All options remain very much on the table, including the possibility of an immediate custodial sentence. Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke arriving at Southwark Crown Court in London where he is on trial accused of three counts of sexually assaulting two women. (PA) The first sexual assault charge related to an incident in Elphicke's London home in summer 2007, when he was accused of kissing and groping a woman in her early 30s while his wife, Natalie Elphicke, was away for the night. The complainant, who cannot be identified, said Elphicke then chased her round his home, chanting: "I'm a naughty Tory. The second complainant, a parliamentary worker in her early 20s, who also cannot be identified, alleged Elphicke tried to kiss her then groped her after sharing a drink in Westminster in April 2016. He allegedly told her afterwards: "I'm so naughty sometimes. Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, with wife and MP for Dover Natalie Elphicke, leaving Southwark Crown Court in London. (PA) The same woman alleges Elphicke ran his hand up her thigh towards her groin the following month. Elphicke told jurors he was under a "misapprehension" when he kissed the first woman in 2007, and stopped the moment it became clear she did not welcome his advances. He denied groping and chasing her. Elphicke told jurors he wanted an affair with the parliamentary worker, but denied sexually assaulting her, telling the court he had not touched the woman inappropriately. I felt very strongly about her. She was really lovely and I lost my head over her, he said. The father-of-two was accompanied to court each day by his wife, his successor as Dover MP in 2019, but told jurors he is struggling to save his marriage. Elphicke said: It hangs by a thread. Ive made a complete mess of everything. Story continues Charlie Elphicke, left, pictured with Boris Johnson, centre, during the Tory leadership campaign in 2019. (Getty) Natalie only found out about his desire for an affair with the parliamentary worker when she examined the case details during the coronavirus lockdown, he said. She accompanied him to the trial every day, he told the court, but she never gave evidence and did not sit in the courtroom as her husband gave evidence, instead sitting in a quiet side room. Elphicke told jurors he had an affair with a woman in her 20s between 2015 and 2017. She also cannot be identified for legal reasons. However, jurors decided Elphicke was guilty of sexual offences, not infidelity, against two women. The tax lawyer entered parliament in 2010 and in 2015 was made a whip for David Camerons government, responsible for party discipline. Charlie Elphicke was accused of three counts of sexual assault against two women. (PA) He became a backbencher under Theresa Mays premiership a year later and the parliamentary worker, who challenged Elphicke about groping her, said the demotion humbled him massively. The party whip was suspended from Elphicke in 2017 when the sexual assault allegations were passed to police, though it was reinstated a year later when May faced a confidence vote. It was removed again later. Prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC accused Elphicke of lying to the jury in denials that he assaulted the two women a decade apart. She said witness testimonies from the complainants were "almost identical" to each other, despite being from two women who did not know each other. Todd White repents of failing to preach 'the whole Gospel,' calls out American Church Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Lifestyle Christianity leader Todd White has publicly repented for failing to preach the whole Gospel and criticized the American Church for refusing to address sin and repentance to a watching world. In an emotional message delivered Sunday, White, a former drug addict turned evangelist, revealed he recently underwent a season of painful pruning where God impressed upon him the importance of preaching on the topic of sin and the need for a Savior. If people dont know theyre sinners, they wont see their need for a Savior, the Watauga, Texas-based pastor said. This is hard for people. This is hard for me, because I feel like I haven't preached the whole Gospel. And I repent. I repent. You have no idea. I will not be responsible. I believe that when I preach that the blood of people is on my hands. Im convicted. I am not perfect but I am strongly convicted. I feel like I just met Jesus again. There's just this rekindled thing inside of me. This has been the hardest season of my life. I'm like, Lord, what are you doing? He said I'm pruning every branch that you have. I'm like, It's not OK. It hurts. And He said, If you were dead, it wouldn't hurt. There are parts of you that need to die, so Im going to kill them. The pastor has previously been criticized for promoting the prosperity gospel, which teaches in part that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth. Such blessings can be obtained through positive confessions of faith and the "sowing of seeds" through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings. Costi Hinn, nephew of Benny Hinn, denounced White as one of the most famous next generation versions of his uncle and others. White was also featured alongside other prosperity teachers, including Hinn and Joel Osteen, in the Netflix film "American Gospel," which examines how the prosperity gospel ... has distorted the Gospel message, and how this theology is being exported. After viewing "American Gospel," White condemned the film as demonically inspired." But in his sermon Sunday, the evangelist said he believes God is correcting him for failing to preach the whole Gospel in the past. Nevertheless, Lord, your grace is sufficient for me, he said. White revealed that the writings of famed theologian Charles Spurgeon and evangelist Ray Comfort have been rocking him. He referenced Comforts parachute illustration, which explains the dangers of embracing Christianity in hopes of achieving a better life. When you come into the Gospel because you come in for a better life, youve come in for the wrong Gospel, he stressed. When you come to Jesus because Hes going to give you this and give you this, you really didnt surrender. The Bible says we are dead in our sin, White said. We have to somehow get to people and not just promise them a better flight. Am I the only one thats convicted to the core? This isnt legalism, its the truth. There is a day of wrath coming. Its no joke. We have to know that weve sinned against God. I saw this when I got saved. And for some reason, it's taken me 16 years to explain it. And I feel like I've just seen something completely brand new. What I won't ever do is take the miraculous out of the Gospel. It's a miracle that I can come to Jesus through all my junk and all my sin and Him say, Not guilty. That's a miracle. The Church in the U.S. has largely overlooked the reality of sin and the need for a savior, White said. The Gospel brings conviction, he said. Righteousness is the answer. I want to be convicted of sin, leave my sin, leave that, and enter into being convicted of righteousness. Thats the goal of the Gospel. What is the sign of repentance? That you hate sin. Your goal as a Christian is to be conformed into His image, is to be transformed into His image, into His likeness, and to actually walk like Christ walked. Jesus didnt despise sinners, but He hated sin and He addressed it all the time. He said words like sinners to people that were in sin. Yet He loved them and everybody followed Him. What has flip-flopped in the Church today? White warned that one day, every human will face the Lord,. I've been going through it, buddy. I've been in a new place to bring the reality of the law into a witness, to show a person their need for grace," he said. "How can you want to be found if you don't know you're lost? How can you want to see if you don't know you're blind? How can you want to live if you don't know that you're dead? White said he believes theres a movement on the earth of twisted demonic stuff, adding, We do not have a license to live however we want. Thats not true. Thats not the Gospel. We live like Christ, we be imitators of God. If we dont see that we sinned against a holy God, there really cant be repentance, and thats it. Totally different. Who is this Todd guy? This Todd guy got hammered by the Lord. Hes still doing. Its a hammering and pruning and its a good thing. He loves me. Were about to step into something beautiful and wonderful. He concluded: We have to get it right, our foundation has to be completely solid, and there cant be any holes. This is the Gospel. Watch White's full message below. The founder of Sydney startup Q-CTRL says quantum computing could deliver new tools for drug development during future pandemic scenarios and Australia should invest now to reap the benefits. Michael Biercuk, who is a professor of quantum physics and quantum technology at the University of Sydney. said global reports that quantum technologies could help solve the COVID-19 crisis were "disingenuous" because the sector is still too young to deliver practical applications. However, scaling up research and development now could help with medical research in the decades to come. Professor Michael Biercuk says the country must think in decades when considering research investment. Credit:Jessica Hromas "The first thing to realise is that the time scales are not unfavourable. [For example], SARS was in 2003 so 17 years ago, we had that massive outbreak. And in 17 years from now, or even less, we certainly believe quantum will be at a more advanced stage," Professor Biercuk said. Quantum computing harnesses the powers of quantum mechanics to process information more efficiently than traditional computers. It's hoped that quantum technologies will eventually have uses in defence, artificial intelligence and pharmaceutical development. Fit & Flex, the latest entrant in the breakfast cereal category, has launched their granola brand in the market with a clear focus on health enthusiasts who dont want to compromise on taste for a healthy meal. The Ahmedabad based brand is already well-established in Gujarat with its presence in a large number of retail stores and e-commerce sites. Now, the brand is set to grow its footprint nationally. As part of their growth plan, the brand has handed their digital duties to Garage Worldwide following a multi-agency pitch process. Speaking of the association, Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO of Garage Worldwide said, It is always most exciting to partner a brand when it's in its early stages. Food and health are both evolving so drastically in India while our large food brands remain traditional for the most part. We have a chance here to create a brand thats truly built for the present and future - both in terms of product and communication, and we are most thankful to the Fit & Flex team for this opportunity. On the partnership, Pathik Patel, Founder and Director of Fit & Flex mentioned, We started the Fit & Flex journey 6 months back and are expanding at a very rapid pace across India. The future looks bright as well as challenging. Digital and social media will play a crucial role in establishing Fit & Flex as a granola brand. We wanted an agency which has the right mix of creative, strategy and technical knowhow and Garage has ticked all these boxes. For a young brand like us, having a right team at the very beginning of our journey is of utmost importance and I am hopeful with Garage, we have a strong team who will help us position Fit & Flex as a truly global brand. Wyoming lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that, if adopted by the Legislature later this year, would allow workers whose hours have been reduced by their employers to seek unemployment benefits to make up for wages they otherwise would have been able to earn. Called a short-term compensation plan, the proposal would theoretically allow cash-burdened employers to avoid laying off or furloughing valuable employees while lessening the burden on the states unemployment trust fund: a win-win-win scenario for the state, workers and business owners alike as unemployment rates remain persistent across Wyoming heading into August. The bill passed unanimously by the Joint Committee on Minerals, Business, and Economic Development with few amendments Tuesday morning and, if adopted, would stand up the program under the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services with approximately $177,000 in funding appropriated by federal coronavirus relief. Common in many states around the country, Wyoming has never adopted a short-term compensation plan as part of its unemployment services. Some, like Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, questioned the long-term administrative costs of standing up a program, particularly given a federal provision requiring states to keep it on the books for a minimum of five years. For the states that have adopted them, however, short-term compensation plans have proven to be extremely popular, with just one state backtracking support for the program nationwide, according to Department of Workforce Services Director Robin Sessions Cooley. While there was no hard data to support a cost-benefit case on the employer side, Sessions Cooley told committee members that the program would likely result in fewer unemployment claims filed with the state, fewer layoffs and fewer hits to the employers experience rating, citing statistics from short-term compensation programs in states like Colorado and Texas in the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As business people, you recognize the cost of hiring and training individuals is tremendous, she said. This will keep them attached to you and develop their loyalty to your business, and then theyll come back and youll have a workforce you dont have to train. Incidentally, this is going to save money for employers. Relief for major businesses The Joint Minerals Committee also advanced legislation Tuesday intended to provide up to $1.5 million in payroll relief for businesses in sectors like oil and mineral extraction that are considered too large to receive funding from the states existing business relief programs passed earlier this year. The bill, which passed with all but one committee member in favor, would grant a share of hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency relief funding set aside by the Legislature earlier this year to any business with more than $10 million in payroll and $1 million in annual property tax payments that, for some reason, were not eligible for emergency funding from the federal coronavirus relief bill, a category that includes a number of manufacturing, mining and extraction companies. To qualify, businesses need to prove at least a 25% year-over-year loss in revenues, sales or production at the height of the pandemic, which includes the months of April, May and June, and must commit to staying within the state. While not significant in the budgets of most major companies across the state, Rep. Don Burkhart, R-Rawlins who carried the bill said the legislation was intended to help support the states largest employers, which have otherwise been shut out from emergency relief funding. While there is language contained in the bill that specifies the funds should be used only for specific purposes and was intended to keep people employed, Laramie Sen. Chris Rothfuss the only lawmaker to vote against it suggested the lack of sideboards for the money contained within the bill could potentially be used by commodities-driven businesses that routinely see volatile revenues. Without proper restrictions, Rothfuss suggested, those businesses could take advantage of a bad year in the market by using their poor performance to qualify for money that could then be used to offset the cost of $1.5 million in payouts to executives, particularly given that lost revenues dont necessarily mean that a business is no longer profitable. I dont think thats the intent of this bill its to make workers whole again but Im concerned that is a viable scenario, he said. While the trona and oil industries, which supported the bill, pushed back on this idea, representatives for the Wyoming Mining Association and Sinclair Oil successfully lobbied the committee to narrowly overturn a provision in the bill that would have required them to keep 90% of their March payroll employed through the year 2023, arguing it was unrealistic. Jody Levin, a lobbyist representing the states trona mining interests, went so far as to argue that with current market conditions and uncertainty, most trona companies would likely not take the funds under that standard while Adam Suess, Sinclair Oils vice president of government and external affairs, argued that his companys losses included not just a decline in demand, but the lost expense of capital costs and the pressures of international demand. An amendment to reverse the requirement was eventually brought by Biteman, who argued the provision would impact the companies that are hurting the most while rewarding those on solid footing, unlike coal and oil. To maintain that 90% threshold is unrealistic and ties the hands of companies that might take advantage of this program, he said. While Burkhart pushed back, arguing that the amendment could open the door to businesses taking the money and moving manufacturing jobs out of the state, Bitemans amendment eventually passed 7-6. When will these go into effect? As of now, it is unclear when the Legislature would ultimately vote on the two bills. While the funds need to be expended prior to the late December deadline set by the feds, Legislative leadership has not set a date for when it will convene in a second special session after calling off a tentative date in June. However, officials like House Speaker Steve Harshman, R-Casper, and others have hinted a second session will likely take place after the primary elections in mid-August, most likely in late summer to early fall. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought the FIR filed by Sushant Singh Rajput's father to examine his complaint against Rhea Chakraborty over siphoning off Rs 15 crore. A source has confirmed to Moneycontrol that the central agency has sought for a copy of the FIR filed by Sushant's father against Rhea Chakraborty. The late actor's father KK Singh had, on July 28, lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, under various sections of the IPC including abetment to suicide, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, etc. Following this, Chakraborty had moved the Supreme Court, seeking the transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai. Citing the FIR filed by Sushant's father, the source told Moneycontrol, that there are allegations of Rs 15-17 crores being siphoned off by Rhea Chakraborty and her family members from the late actor's bank accounts. The FIR added that the money was transferred to anonymous bank accounts by Rhea, her family members and her accomplices, over a period of time. ED would look into the money laundering aspect mentioned in the FIR. The agency can take up the case as Rhea has also been booked under Section 420 of the IPC, in which ED has jurisdiction to investigate. The section deals with cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. Sushant Singh Rajput was the owner of three start-up companies, of which two were co-owned by Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, as per details provided by Mumbai Police in their investigation. While Sushant alone was the Dirctor of Innsaei Ventures, Vividrage Rhealityx had Sushant, Rhea and Showik as directors; and Front India for World Foundation had Sushant and Showik as directors. Besides, two companies had addresses of a flat in Ulwe, Panvel, which reportedly belongs to Rhea's father. Vietnams labour sector is strongly integrating globally. Director general of the General Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Truong Anh Dung talked on plans to renovate training and improve the quality of human resources to meet rising demands. Director general of the General Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Truong Anh Dung The movement of young Vietnamese labourers to ASEAN countries and other countries worldwide has been a rising trend in recent years. How is the vocational system in Vietnam prepared to latch onto this? The first important move is that Vietnam has built a national qualification framework compatible with the national qualification framework of ASEAN countries. Second, Vietnam has developed and implemented mutual recognition agreements in education and training between Vietnam and other ASEAN members, creating a premise to promote training and integration in vocational training. Occupations such as accountants, architects, dentists, doctors, engineers, nurses, surveyors, and tourism staff are accredited by ASEAN governments, and processes have been set up for highly-skilled labour and experts working in the region. Third, Vietnam has received transfers and organised international-branded training programmes in some fields of agriculture from countries such as Australia, Germany, and Malaysia. This helps the Vietnamese labour force in some key industries to become ready to integrate more effectively into regional and worldwide labour markets. What do you think about the prospects of international co-operation for Vietnam in the field of vocational training? When we promote international co-operation towards mutual recognition of capacity, qualifications, and labour, we will integrate more effectively. Therefore, international co-operation on training high-quality human resources is an important solution to innovate and improve quality of the vocational system. We are also utilising the support of developed countries, including their experiences and resources in supporting vocational training in Vietnam. For example, co-operation on official development assistance has contributed to the development of high-quality schools and key industries in Vietnam. The most effective training model that many developed countries are applying is the training model in combination with enterprises and schools participating in training, or the diversion after high schools and vocational training. Although Vietnam has tried its best, I must admit that Vietnam does not yet have much experience in attracting businesses, vocational institutions, or various associations to participate in professional development compared to many other countries in the world. Vietnam is studying other countries in organising ramifications after junior high schools and high schools through vocational programmes so that workers will soon have a career orientation and equip skills. Singapore, a highly developed country, requires lower secondary students to enter vocational schools twice to learn, and the rate of apprenticeships in Singapore is over 50 per cent. Other countries such as New Zealand and some European nations are also examples. New Zealand was one of the first countries to successfully build a national qualification framework. They have policies to attract learners into key occupations to attract students into priority occupations in certain periods. Students who want to have a diploma or practice certificate must go through the training system. This certificate is not valid forever and will be reevaluated after a certain time. This creates competitiveness and qualifications for New Zealands vocational system in the world labour market. In the context of the labour movement and pandemic impact, what are the general directorates solutions to attract trainees and improve the quality of human resources in this country? In the first half of 2020, many activities in this field here have been delayed. However, we have been rapidly transitioning flexible training plans, organising enrollment and online training to suitable professions and subjects. As a result, in the first six months of 2020 we achieved 70-80 per cent of the plan compared to 2019. In June and July, schools promoted counselling, career guidance, and enrollment for trainees. Many schools have received thousands of records. As the labour market undergoes a drastic change due to the pandemic, we are also focusing on retraining and continuing training for workers up to 46 per cent of the trainees we recruited recently are from this group. VIR Hoang Oanh Repatriated citizens: high-quality human resources for post-Covid-19 The number of repatriated citizens in the post-Covid-19 period is expected to increase, which will put pressure on the labor force and social security. Xerox announced the launch of its Team Availability App, a quick-to-deploy, real-time solution for organizations that need to understand employee availability and location. Knowing where and whether employees are working is critical to managing flexible work environments, where the percentage of employees sharing time between home and work locations grows. Organizations are actively supporting and investing in technology solutions for a hybrid workforce. A recent global business survey commissioned by Xerox shows 58% of respondents plan to change their work from home policy within the next year. This new acceptance of a hybrid workforce has also revealed technology gaps, with companies increasing investment in remote technology resources (55%) or a hybrid of remote and in-office resources (40%). Managing a distributed workforce during a continued pandemic presents unique challenges no organization has experienced before, said Joanne Collins Smee, executive vice president and chief commercial, SMB and channels officer, Xerox. Organizations need to know who is available and where so they can make better decisions when allocating resources and work. This tool provides real-time knowledge to managers with distributed employee populations. Unlike other attendance management tools, which need to plug into IT infrastructure and take weeks to implement, the Team Availability App is ready in just hours. Once populated, the app provides authorized users with customizable and privacy-protected data for strategic decision making. Xerox is rolling out the app across the company to support its Path Forward plans to manage a phased approach to returning to the workplace safely. Xerox is leveraging the app with its employee population to conduct daily health checks for exposure related to COVID-19. Tracking of this activity allows for a safe and phased return to the workplace. The U.K.s prestigious Imperial NHS Trust was the first organization to pilot the Xerox Team Availability App to access the status of essential workers across the Trust and its newly assigned locations at the height of the pandemic. Its important for a healthcare provider to know which caregivers are available when to support patients, and thats even more critical in a pandemic, said Linda Watts, joint clinical systems programme manager, Imperial NHS Trust & Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, head of health records, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. The Xerox Team Availability App was deployed at lightning speed, and we got updates from staff on their availability in real-time. As a result, we could always make sure our patients were covered. DUBLIN, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Corporate Reputation of Pharma in 2019 - The Patient Perspective - Respiratory Edition - The Views of 91 Respiratory Conditions Patient Groups" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This is the 5th edition of the report series. These 2019 results are drawn from a survey of respiratory-conditions patient groups, conducted November 2019 - February 2020. About the 2019 Survey of Respiratory-Conditions Patient Groups 2019's 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups were headquartered in 30 different countries. The 91 respiratory-conditions patient groups had the following geographic remits: 3% an international remit; 63% a national remit; 19% regional (within one country); and 13% local. On the relationships that respiratory-conditions patient groups had with pharma 79% of the 91 respiratory-conditions patient groups responding to the 2019 survey worked with at least one pharma company. What this Report Contains Industry-wide analyses: The 2019 respiratory-conditions 'Corporate-Reputation' report examines the issues of importance to patient groups specialising in respiratory conditions, including: levels of industry innovation; access to treatments; transparency of the industry; and drug pricing. Analyses are reinforced by extensive feedback from 2019's respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups [found in Appendix I], organised according to the country headquarters of the respondent patient groups. Individual company analyses: The 13 pharma companies are reviewed by 2019's 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups for overall corporate reputation, and for performance at 12 individual indicators of corporate reputation. Key Industry-Wide Findings The different types of respiratory-conditions patient groups varied considerably in their views on pharma. Although the 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups reported an improvement in the pharmaceutical industry's corporate reputation in 2019, the various different types of respiratory-conditions patient groups held diverse opinions on the subject. While 77% of 2019's 18 respondent pulmonary-fibrosis patient groups thought the pharma industry had an Excellent or Good corporate reputation, only 33% of 2019's respondent pulmonary-hypertension patient groups said the same. The varied attitudes of respiratory-conditions patient groups can, in part, be explained by whether they perceive the pharmaceutical industry's commitment to innovation and the provision of drug treatments to be effective in their specific respiratory specialties. For example, the Spain-based Asociacin Nacional de Hipertension Pulmonar [National Association of Pulmonary Hypertension] called for: Mayor investigacion para medicamentos que puedan llegar a curar a los pacientes. [More research into drugs which could result in a cure for patients.] On Innovation and Drug Treatments Since 2016, respiratory-conditions patient groups as a whole have taken a more negative view of the industry's ability to innovate and produce high-quality products of benefit to patients [see charts below]. For 2019: 45% of the 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups rated the pharmaceutical industry as Excellent or Good at innovation - compared with a high of 62% in 2016. 52% of the 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups described the industry as Excellent or Good at providing high-quality products - compared with a high of 77% in 2016. Looking at the equivalent numbers for the various types of respiratory-conditions patient groups: cystic-fibrosis, COPD, and pulmonary-fibrosis patient groups were most enthusiastic about the pharma industry's innovatory skills, as well as its ability to produce treatments of benefits to patients. The most negative of the respiratory-conditions patient groups on these two issues were those specialising in pulmonary hypertension. The varied different types of 2019's respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups shared a common viewpoint on one subject area, however - the pharma industry's pricing policies. The vast majority were negative on pharma's performance at this topic. Only 9% of the 91 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups believed the pharma industry to be Excellent or Good at having fair pricing policies. Just 14% thought pharma transparent in its pricing policies. Key Company Findings Boehringer Ingelheim was ranked overall 1st out of 13 companies for corporate reputation in 2019 by the 60 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups familiar with the company. Boehringer was also ranked 1st for 11 of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation. The exception was transparency in the funding of external stakeholders, for which Boehringer was ranked 2nd out of 13 companies. GSK was ranked overall 2nd out of 13 companies for corporate reputation in 2019 by the 61 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups familiar with the company. GSK was ranked 1st for one of the 12 indicators of corporate reputation: transparency in the funding of external stakeholders. AstraZeneca was ranked overall joint 3rd out of 13 companies for corporate reputation in 2019 by the 51 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups familiar with the company - a jump of four places over AstraZeneca's 2018 overall ranking for respiratory conditions. AstraZeneca was ranked overall 1st in 2019 out of 6 companies being judged for corporate reputation by partner respiratory-conditions patient groups. Roche/Genentech was also ranked overall joint 3rd out of 13 companies for corporate reputation in 2019 by the 52 respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups familiar with the company. Comparing the corporate reputation of just the 10 largest pharma companies (big pharma') working in the subject area of respiratory conditions, 2019 v. 2018 To enable peer-to-peer comparisons of the results, PatientView has also recalculated the overall respiratory-conditions rankings (across the 12 indicators of corporate reputation) for only 10 of the 14 largest, multinational, multi-therapy pharma companies included in these 2019 respiratory-conditions analyses. The 2019 big-pharma' respiratory-conditions results provide a different perspective on how the largest pharmaceutical companies fare for corporate reputation in this therapy area - enabling true peer-to-peer analyses. A note about COVID-19 and this study's results COVID-19 should have a relatively limited impact on many of the results of the study, because the survey took place (November 2019 to late-February 2020) largely before the crisis became global. However, early announcements about COVID-19 by some pharma companies (during January and February 2020) may have influenced the views of respiratory-conditions patient groups responding to the survey during those last two months of the survey. Key Topics Covered Executive summary Relationships that respiratory-conditions patient groups have with pharma, 2019 Industry-wide findings, 2019 Rankings of 13 pharma companies, 2019 (v. 2018) among respiratory-conditions patient groups familiar with the companies Rankings of 6 pharma companies, 2019 (v. 2018) among respiratory-conditions patient groups that work with the companies Profiles of the 13 companies, 2019 (v. 2018) Appendices What respiratory-conditions patient groups say on pharma (and how the industry can improve), 2019/2020 Profiles of respondent respiratory-conditions patient groups, 2019 Companies Mentioned AstraZeneca Bayer Boehringer Ingelheim Bristol Myers Squibb Chiesi Farmaceutici Eli Lilly GSK Merck & Co/MSD Novartis Pfizer Roche/Genentech Sandoz Sanofi For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w77p6s 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 On March 23, when Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff announced the Stay Home, Work Safe order for San Antonio and Bexar County with the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19, many of us, including the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce staff, quickly transitioned to working from home. While many of us have had the flexibility to stay home, stay safe and protect our families, there is a segment of our workforce that has not had the same luxury: essential workers. Those essential workers include front-line workers health care employees, police officers and firefighters. But they also include employees who work for exempted businesses that provide services needed by the public during this crisis, including grocery stores, banks and credit unions, transportation service, child care facilities, construction companies, funeral homes, gas stations, home-maintenance businesses, hotels, news media, restaurants, trash-collection services, water and electric utilities, and more. These folks have worked unselfishly and very hard over the past four months to meet our needs, and we believe it is time to take a few moments to thank them for their epic feats. The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce is proud to serve on a committee of San Antonio companies and organizations, including iHeart Media, NuStar, San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Visitor Alliance, United Way, University Health System, UT Health San Antonio, Valero, Walmart and Whataburger, that launched the #weheartSAheroes community celebration in late June to recognize and honor the dedication, contributions and sacrifices of San Antonios essential employees. Now, we welcome and encourage all San Antonians to join us in expressing gratitude to essential workers by capturing your show of thanks, which can be as simple as making heart hands, decorating your car or lawn, or recording a short video; sharing it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram; and using #weheartSAheroes. You can also participate in the iHeart Heroes coloring contest by visiting q1019.iheart.com/heroes/ to download a coloring sheet. Remember to upload it when you are finished for a chance to win Whataburger for a year. You can also leave a heartfelt and personal message for the special hero in your life by calling the iHeart Hero Hotline at 210-785-2121, and it will be played on the air. Let us also remember the best way we can thank our communitys essential workers is to keep them safe. You can do your part and be a hero by simply wearing a mask whenever you go out. We invite you to take a picture in your mask and post it using #SAheroeswearmasks. With the campaign concluding this month, we would like to express our gratitude to the businesses, organizations and residents who have already shared their creative photos and messages on social media to thank the unsung heroes of our city. And, most of all, we would like to openly thank each and every one of San Antonios essential workers for getting up each day, putting their safety on the line and addressing the needs of our community. You represent the best of us! You have our deepest gratitude, and you are truly San Antonios heroes! To see the incredible outpouring of thanks for our essential workers, visit bit.ly/weheartSAheroes. Richard Perez is the president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Los Angeles wants to pay people who test positive for coronavirus to quarantine - even if they are in the country illegally. City councillor David Ryu has proposed setting aside $25million for the 'salary replacement' scheme, which would pay to keep people at home for two weeks. While California has already brought in sick leave laws that guarantees money to workers who stay home, undocumented migrants cannot qualify for the scheme. Los Angeles wants to create a $25million fund that would extend paid sick leave to undocumented migrant workers who catch coronavirus (file image, a test site in LA) Since migrants are statistically more likely to get coronavirus and more likely to work jobs which require face-to-face interaction, Ryu argues that excluding those who are here illegally from the scheme does not make sense. To qualify, Ryu says people must submit to a coronavirus test and must provide information to contact tracers to help slow the pandemic down. In his motion, filed Wednesday, he says 50 per cent of people are currently refusing to give information to the tracers, hampering efforts to bend the curve of infection. The homeless and those with criminal records could also qualify for the payments, Ryu said. 'It is incumbent on the City of Los Angeles to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of all, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or immigration status,' he added. California has been providing free hotel rooms to homeless people with coronavirus so they can be quarantined. The money would pay the salary of any worker - including illegal migrants, the homeless and those with criminal records - to stay home for two weeks (pictured, an LA testing site) The state has seen its daily coronavirus infection totals soar in the last two months, from an average of 2,553 cases per day in the week up to May 30, to an average of 9,859 in the week up to July 25. That forced governor Gavin Newsom to reimpose lockdown in some areas, and to cancel the planned opening of indoor restaurants, bars and gyms. Los Angeles was hit with tougher measures that included closing houses of worship, hair salons and malls after emerging as the worst-hit region in the state. Overall, America has now confirmed more than 4.4million cases of the virus, by far the world's highest total, and has seen more than 150,000 people die. India saw 31 children die by suicide every day in 2020; experts say Covid upped psychological trauma IIT-Bombay student jumps to death from 7th floor of hostel building, cites depression in 'suicide note' Let Police do its job: SC refuses CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput's case India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, July 30: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a PIL filed by by Alka Priya seeking Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said, "Let the police do their job, it's about jurisdiction. ''Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show,''the court said. Meanwhile, late actor's father lodged an FIR against his rumoured actor girlfriend Rhea Chakaraborty and six others, including her family members, for abetment to suicide, police said on Tuesday. Sushant Singh Rajput's father files case against actor Rhea Chakraborty The late actors father K K Singh lodged an FIR with Rajiv Nagar police station under various sections of IPC including 306 (abetment of suicide) on July 25, Additional SHO Jogendra Kumar said. A four-member team of Patna police is in Mumbai for investigation. Mumbai police is already probing the alleged suicide case, and has questioned several Bollywood bigwigs including filmmakers Mahesh Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Rhea Chakraborty has also recorded her statement. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News Sushant Singh Rajput's case: Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta interrogated for 3 hours The case has been lodged under various sections of IPC including 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 306 (abetment of suicide). Rajput's suspected death by suicide has also triggered a debate on alleged nepotism and favouritism in the Hindi film industry. Several top production houses had allegedly boycotted the Patna-born actor, causing him distress and compelling him to end his life. New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Indian Army troops have been rushed to Uttarakhand's border Pithoragarh district for rescue operations after heavy rains caused havoc in the area. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Indian Army troops have been rushed to Uttarakhand's border Pithoragarh district for rescue operations after heavy rains caused havoc in the area. Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, July 30 : Indian Army troops have been rushed to Uttarakhand's border Pithoragarh district for rescue operations after heavy rains caused havoc in the area. An army column was deployed to Munsiyari and Dharchula areas to assist the local administration after the region witnessed flash floods and cloudbursts on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving several villages cut off. "A rescue column of Indian Army was mobilised to carry out evacuation of stranded people in three villages," said a senior Indian Army Officer. The roads connecting to various villages were cut off after connecting roads were washed away due to overflow of water in 'nalas' and Gori Ganga river in Munsiyari area. The army said that the rescue operation which is spear-headed by troops is still in progress. Damage to public property was also reported from several villages of the district. Munsyari and Dharchula had received 24 mm and 179 mm rainfall, respectively. The rain spell blocked many internal roads in Lumti, Jarajibli, Mori, Galati, Bangapani, Baram, Chhori Bagar, Banabagar, and Galati villages. A dozen villages got disconnected from district headquarters after an important bridge connecting Munsiyari with Jauljabi was washed away. The road was also used by villages along the China border. Seeing the havoc, the Indian Army was called out to assist in rescue operations. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Philip Pullella (Reuters) Rome Thu, July 30, 2020 18:03 538 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a9a5b6 2 Entertainment Andrea-Bocelli,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli apologized on Wednesday for appearing to belittle the coronavirus by saying he didn't know anyone who had gone into intensive care, comments that angered many and set off a storm of criticism on social media. In a video on Facebook, Bocelli asked forgiveness for any suffering, saying "it was not my intention to offend those who have been struck by COVID". Speaking at the Senate on Monday, Bocelli said he believed the situation could not have been as serious as authorities were saying because he did not know anyone who had to go into intensive care. He urged people to disobey rules still in place. Health officials criticized him and outrage flared on social media, with a Twitter hashtag #BocelliVergognati (Shame on you, Bocelli) going viral. "Stick to singing!" one person tweeted, adding that the blind superstar was fortunate enough to spend the lockdown "in your massive villa and not have anyone in your family die." More than 35,000 Italians have died from the coronavirus. . One tweet urged Italy's artists' copyright group to strip Bocelli of royalties and another said his comments were nonsense "whether you are from the right or the left". A club in a town in Bocelli's native Tuscany yanked one of his most famous songs from its juke box. Bocelli's original comments surprised many because he was a symbol of national unity at the height of the lockdown on Easter Sunday when he sang in an empty Milan cathedral in a live-streamed solo performance called Music for Hope. "To all those people who felt offended or suffered because of how I expressed myself undoubtedly not in the best possible way and the words I used, I ask that they accept my sincerest apologies, as my intention was quite the opposite," he said in his apology. She has headed back to London after spending lockdown at her mother's countryside estate. And Binky Felstead took her daughter India, three, to the pond to feed the ducks on Wednesday. The Made In Chelsea star, 30, cut a casual figure in a white T-shirt and green patterned flared trousers for the outing. Doting mum: Binky Felstead took her daughter India, three, to the pond to feed the ducks on Wednesday Binky opted for comfort on her feet with a pair of flip flops and wrote her brunette hair down. The reality star showcased her natural beauty by going make-up free for the walk. Binky looked like she had her hands full as she watched her daughter ride her scooter. Casually-clad: The Made In Chelsea star, 30, cut a casual figure in a white T-shirt and green patterned flared trousers for the outing Summery: Binky opted for comfort on her feet with a pair of flip flops and wrote her brunette hair down Pretty: The reality star showcased her natural beauty by going make-up free for the walk and donned a face mask as they headed to a bakery Caring: Binky helped India carry her scooter onto the pavement At one point the mother-of-one had to run to keep up with the toddler, who looked just like Binky in a yellow T-shirt and patterned trousers. After arriving at the park, the pair looked out at the pond and India seemed mesmerised by the ducks and geese. It looks like Binky and India won't be in London for long as the star took to Instagram on Thursday to share a video of her daughter sticking stickers onto a Trunki- a suitcase designed for children. Last week Binky headed back to London after spending lockdown at her mother's countryside estate Sunshine: The duo were making the most of the sunny weather Last week, Binky moved into her newly-renovated home with boyfriend Max Fredrik Darnton after spending lockdown at her mother's house in the countryside. The TV personality thanked her 'amazing' beau as she celebrated her 30th birthday with a low-key celebration with her family last month. The Made In Chelsea star also posted pics from her daughter's third birthday and told fans she is 'the best thing that ever happened to me.' Binky shared a series of photos from her day to Instagram that showed her lavish breakfast spread with croissants, champagne and homemade bread. The star posed with giant rose gold balloons in the shape of '30' and a stunning display of rustic flowers. Making of her: Binky previously described India as the 'best thing that's ever happened to me' Feed the birds: India looked interested in the pigeons in the park Family: The pair have just moved into their newly-renovated house with Binky's boyfriend Max Jet-setters: And it looks like Binky and India won't be in London for long as the star took to Instagram on Thursday to share a video of her daughter sticking stickers onto a Trunki She penned: 'Yesterday I turned 30 and it feels great! Im proud and grateful for the last 30 years. I have achieved and done so much more than I have ever dreamt of.... and I'm beyond excited for the future! 'Thank you to my amazing boyfriend for making such a humungous effort for India and I - you're truly incredible and we are so lucky to have you.' (sic) The reality star set up home with boyfriend Max in late 2019 after just one year of dating. The former MIC favourite and Max, who is managing director at a global executive search and consulting firm, have been in a relationship since January 2019 after meeting at countryside private members' club Soho Farmhouse. Making memories: The toddler gazed out over the pond and Binky beamed with happiness Run, run as fast as you can: India was keen to explore during the outing Follow me mum! Binky was certainly kept on her feet by her daughter Parenting duties: Binky looked a little tired at one point Binky shares daughter, India with ex-boyfriend and former Made In Chelsea co-star Josh Patterson. In November, Binky and Max took the next step by buying a home together in Barnes, west London. The reality star recently admitted the relationship is so serious that she and Max have already discussed having children in the not too distant future. Co-parenting: Binky shares daughter, India with ex-boyfriend and former Made In Chelsea co-star Josh Patterson Wait for me! At one point the mother-of-one had to run to keep up with the toddler Protective: Binky kept a tentative hand on India as they tried to cross the road She told MailOnline in an interview earlier this year: 'I think you always want what you are one of. I am one of three, so I've always had three in my head girl, boy, girl.' Asked whether she could see this happening with Max, Binky replied: 'I wouldnt be mentioning it [my relationship with Max] if I didn't think it had any legs. 'He is really great. I am very happy.' Safety lesson: Binky had a work with India after the toddler nearly went over a road over her scooter The mother-of-one took out her phone to capture some photos ST. LOUIS Area public and private researchers are developing a system of remote sensors, artificial intelligence and autonomous drones run on sustainable energy to track the health of crops in real time. The FieldDock project, led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, looks to help scientists and farmers alike to breed and grow crops more efficiently and with less human labor. In mid-July, it received its first major dose of government funding, $1.4 million, from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation. In the face of climate change, growing environments are becoming less predictable, said Danforth Center researcher and FieldDock founder Nadia Shakoor. We cant rely on Farmers Almanac for the last 30 years with historical data because things are changing so much. Shakoor started the project in June. Her company, Agrela Ecosystems, previously developed an energy-efficient smart-crop monitoring station called PheNode. This time, she assembled a team of engineers and experts in plant genetics and remote sensing researchers at St. Louis University and engineers from the St. Louis company Integrated Systems Engineering Inc. They have also partnered with farms across the country to test the technology in the field. At its most basic, Shakoor is trying to solve an age-old problem: Plant breeding takes a lot of time and manual labor. Researchers head to the fields with clipboards and measuring sticks. They pluck out plants by their roots, bring them back to the lab, and then start their analysis. So theres a lot of steps, she said. It takes time. Her team envisions FieldDock as a platform to collect information from on-the-ground sensors and cameras secured to a drone, combine it with plant genetics, and analyze it at the edge of a farm field. This way, they hope, plant breeders would no longer need to spend weeks in the lab to understand whether their crops perform well. Shakoor hopes that the answer could be received in minutes. Farmers are interested, too. This technology, it just really intrigued the heck out of me, said Dwane Roth, a third-generation farmer at the Roth Family Farm in Kansas and one of Shakoors field partners. Roths nephews, who are taking over the familys farming business, are growing corn, wheat, sorghum and sunflowers. In western Kansas, where the farm is located, water quantity and quality can be a big issue. Several years ago, Roth started using in-ground sensors to monitor soil moisture. Prior to that I wasnt a big believer in technology, he said. I just didnt think the probes could save enough water. But we actually found out we saved quite a bit. In some cases, Roth discovered, crops did not need as much water as they thought they would, so farmers were able to preserve water in case of future droughts. Youre not only saving water by not over watering, youre saving nutrients, he added. Youre not pushing those nutrients down. Youre letting the plants use all the nutrients available and still be very healthy. The Roth farm is also one of several testers of Shakoors early project, the smart farm station PheNode. PheNode is a solar-powered system connected to sensors that, in addition to soil moisture, can measure dozens of other parameters, including air temperature, humidity, wind speed, light and more. Its like a weather station for crops, Shakoor said. And its one of the building blocks of the FieldDock project. Now, with FieldDock, scientists are tackling the challenge of combining multiple technologies together, adding a drone component and a computer to process as much information as possible on the spot. The end-goal is to make the station fully autonomous. Algorithms that can estimate plant health and predict crop yield already exist. Its the integration piece thats missing, said Vasit Sagan, a professor at SLUs Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, who is developing artificial intelligence algorithms and drone technology for the project. Sagans team at SLU is training computers to tell healthy crops from those not doing well, and teaching drones to fly without a human operator and come back to their charging stations. The goal is to convert all of this data into color-coded maps, with suggestions about where to put fertilizer, for example, delivered directly to a farmers tablet. This way, farmers will be able to make decisions about their crops in real time. Bringing different technologies together and making them work as a single system is what most excites the leader of the engineering team, Integrated Systems senior engineer Paul Buschmeyer. I like watching the lights come on, he said. Being able to stand back and say, All that stuff that we drew on a whiteboard? Look at that. It really works. The team still faces many challenges. In addition to building an inexpensive prototype for commercial manufacturing, scientists have to deal with regulations surrounding flying commercial drones, for instance. Still, they think that automated agriculture is the future. Digital farming and efficient, sustainable farming is what really drives the future of agriculture, said Sagan. That nexus, of agricultural technology and geospatial science, is exciting, he said. For farmers like Roth, it may be simpler: Producers put in long hours, he said. Thats just the life a farmer chooses. But itd be awfully nice, Roth continued, to check the crops, get the chores done, and go home a little earlier maybe even before dark once in a while. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Acronis SCSVets, an Arizona-based nonprofit dedicated to providing post-military IT job training and certification to under and unemployed veterans, as well as military spouses and transitioning service members, is slated to graduate at least 100 students by the end of 2020. At zero out-of-pocket cost to participants, the program is making a real impact on individual lives, as well as the larger economy. Based on the average post-graduation salary of its participants, Acronis SCSVets will help bring up to $1.26 million in yearly tax revenue and social services savings to the economy via its 2020 graduates alone. In the words of one of those graduates, Russell Corathers, "Acronis SCSVets helped me create a solid foundation from which I built additional skills for a bright career, rather than a dead-end job." The program, which is helping close the gap between Arizona's nearly 14,000 open cybersecurity positions and the lack of qualified professionals available to fill them, has maintained its high-touch training approach, even as operations turned virtual due to COVID-19. The cohorts currently moving through the program, as well as those in the pipeline and the first graduates from May, are a highly diverse group. In fact, more than 45% of Acronis SCSVets participants identify as a racial or ethnic minority. In the coming months, the nonprofit will further diversify its physical reach beyond Phoenix with a new cohort in Tucson. This year, Acronis SCSVets also became one of a select few training programs designated as a nationally-approved Department of Defense SkillBridge provider. Through SkillBridge, separating service members can be granted up to 180 days of permissive duty to train full-time with Acronis SCSVets. During this time, they are provided the invaluable opportunity to prepare for a self-sustaining civilian career in cyber. All branches of the military are eligible. About Acronis SCSVets Acronis SCSVets is a Scottsdale-based nonprofit committed to reducing veteran and military spouse under and unemployment and eliminating America's cyber workforce shortage by arming participants with the credentials, skills, and resources they need to pursue self-sustaining cyber careers. SOURCE Acronis SCS Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 03:02:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Amid worsening insecurity in northeast Nigeria, the protection of 1.8 million displaced civilians is a major concern for the United Nations, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday. The deteriorating situation also directly affected aid operations, with three aid workers killed and a UN helicopter damaged by gunfire in Borno State earlier this month, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The protection of civilians remains a major concern for the UN," Haq told a virtual press briefing. "Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the crisis in the northeast region, now in its 11th year, shows no sign of abating, with fighting and attacks escalating in recent months," he said. Following attacks by armed groups and clashes with government forces, more than 40,000 people have been newly displaced to already congested camps and host communities in May and June alone across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, the spokesman said. "Our humanitarian colleagues say that there have been gross violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law," he said. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated vulnerabilities and needs across northeast Nigeria, with 10.6 million people now in need of assistance, up from 7.9 million in January, he said. Less than 30 percent of the more than 1 billion U.S. dollars of the required humanitarian funding for 2020 has been received so far, he said. Enditem Lee Teng-hui, who led Taiwan from dictatorship to democracy in the 1990s, reshaping the island's relationship with China along the way, has died. He was 97. Lee died Thursday evening at Taipei Veterans General Hospital after suffering septic shock and multiple organ failure, the hospital said in a statement. He had been hospitalized since February after choking on a drink and subsequently suffering heart failure and aspiration pneumonia. As Taiwan's first native-born president, Lee instituted direct elections for parliament and the head of state, focusing government on domestic issues and away from the one-China legacy that had dominated Taiwanese politics since the Chinese civil war four decades earlier. In doing so, he set Taiwan on a path of solidifying its separate status from the mainland and earned the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party, which branded him "the sinner of 10,000 years" and a "rat." Lee, known in Taiwan as "the father of reform," was appointed president after the sudden death of Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek's son, Chiang Ching-kuo, in 1988. In 1996 he became Taiwan's first leader to be democratically elected. Despite being a member of the Kuomintang, a party which seeks Taiwan's eventual unification with China, throughout his 12 years in office, Lee became an increasingly vocal advocate for Taiwan to be accepted as a state separate from the mainland later in his career. Lee came to power as Taiwan was just emerging from almost 40 years of often brutal dictatorship. Chiang and his son governed Taiwan after fleeing to the island in 1949 having lost the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong's triumphant communists. The Chiangs brought with them their entire state apparatus from China, under which Taiwanese were viewed as Chinese and any assertion of a separate identity was harshly suppressed. Under Lee, Taiwan abandoned the long-standing Kuomintang claim to govern mainland China, acknowledging that both Taiwan and China are under separate rule. Lee laid out his views on a new national identity for Taiwanese in his 1999 book, "The Road to Democracy". "The idea of the 'new Taiwanese' (...) transcends the differences between those whose ancestors were indigenous inhabitants of the island, early immigrants from continental China, or more recent migrants to Taiwan during and after the Communist takeover of the mainland," he wrote. "The new Taiwanese must establish a clear self-identity in order to be masters of their own destiny." This push toward formal independence irked China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan. In the run-up to the 1996 presidential election, China fired missiles and held military exercises close to Taiwan. The U.S. sent two aircraft carriers in a show of support for Lee. In July 1999, Lee overturned Taipei's decades-long insistence that it was the rightful ruler of China by declaring relations across the strait should be on a "state-to-state" basis, a move that China considered close to a declaration of independence. "He led the country at a time when the democracy movement was on the rise," President Tsai Ing-wen said in a Facebook post Thursday. "Caught between authoritarian pushback and democratic ideals, he shepherded Taiwan through a quiet revolution and made Taiwan a Taiwan for the Taiwanese people." Lee was born in the farming community of Sanzhi on the northern tip of Taiwan on Jan. 15, 1923, while the island was under Japanese control. The son of a police detective, Lee won a scholarship at the age of 18 to study at Kyoto Imperial University in Japan. After Japan ceded control of Taiwan to the Republic of China following its defeat in the Second World War, Lee returned to Taiwan in 1946, a year before Nationalist soldiers massacred thousands of Taiwanese protesting their new government's corruption and economic mismanagement. Under Lee's leadership, the government published a report on the massacre in 1992, providing the first official public acknowledgment of the incident. He studied agricultural science at National Taiwan University, and in 1951 received a scholarship to enroll in a master's degree in agricultural economics at Iowa State University. After graduating, he then taught at Taiwan National University before returning to the U.S. to complete his doctorate in agricultural economics at Cornell University in 1968. Lee joined the Kuomintang in the early 1970s. At the time, the party controlled both the presidency and the main legislative body. Members of the legislature still represented areas across China as a form of "shadow government" to rival the Communist one in Beijing in an arrangement that effectively disenfranchised native Taiwanese. The following year, he was tasked with developing the island's agriculture industry as a minister without portfolio, at the time the youngest person ever to hold such a post. In 1978, Lee was appointed mayor of Taipei before becoming vice president in 1984. Before he died in 1988, President Chiang Ching-kuo groomed Lee with an eye to making him his appointed successor. In 1984 Chiang arranged for Lee to go on a trip through east Taiwan with James Lilley, the then director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy in the absence of formal ties, to build understanding between the two men. "In public, he toed the party line, but in private he voiced strong opinions and was a Taiwan patriot," Lilley wrote of Lee in his autobiography. "More so than his mainland Chinese colleagues in the Taiwan government, Lee identified with his people, and he believed in them." After assuming the presidency four years later, Lee threw himself into dismantling the institutions set up for governing China rather than Taiwan. He persuaded the representatives of the legislature to resign and seek direct election from Taiwanese constituents. He then pushed through direct polls for the presidency, garnering 54% of the vote in the first democratic election in 1996. While Lee remained suspicious of China's desire to take control of Taiwan, he accelerated the tentative opening up of direct ties with the island's giant neighbor after years of hostility. Between 1990 and 1991, Lee's administration set up three organizations -- the Mainland Affairs Council, the National Unification Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation -- to handle cross-strait issues with China, laying the foundations for billions in Taiwanese investments in the mainland over the following decades. After Lee stood down in 2000, factional fighting in the Kuomintang handed the presidency to Chen Shui-bian of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, ending 50 years of KMT rule. Lee was expelled from the party in 2000 after party members blamed him for the loss because he chose Lien Chan over James Soong as the presidential candidate. This angered Soong, who ran as an independent candidate, thus splitting the KMT votes and allowing Chen win. Lee also caused a stir in 2007 when he visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo where his older brother is enshrined. His brother served in the Japanese navy and died while on duty in the Philippines in 1945. Lee is survived by his wife, Tseng Wen-hui, and their two daughters. Their son died of cancer in 1982. Nine months before the next presidential election in Iran, concerns over the coronavirus pandemic has pushed competition over the post of president of the Islamic Republic to backstage. Unofficial campaigning for presidential election in Iran usually starts as early as the inauguration of the second term of the incumbent President. Iranian media have lined up possible candidates several times before the pandemic overshadowed everything including the presidential race. Last week when the last acts of the controversy over choosing the head of the State Auditing Organization was playing out, almost every report on the case also noted that Mehrdad Bazrpash who was finally chosen for the post is going to use the position as a step on the ladder to the presidency. In fact, Bazrpash was a candidate in the 2017 presidential election, but in an odd way, he missed the deadline for registering his candidacy at the Interior Ministry. During the past week, as over 150 MPs mainly those affiliated with the ultraconservative Paydari Front lent him their support, many media reports pointed out the fact that Bazrpash would be the front's candidate for the 2021 presidential election in May 2021. Regardless of the controversy over his credentials, he is an example of a "young revolutionary" president as Supreme Leader AIi Khamenei has determined. He is an ex-Basij (IRGC militia) member and has been in charge of a leading car manufacturing company for many years. Another political figure who has been presenting himself as a candidate for quite some time is former State TV IRIB Chief Ezatollah Zarghami. Despite his hardliner background, Zarghami has been presenting himself as an advocate of human rights and civil liberties on every possible opportunity, defending women and youths in a way he never did when he was Culture Minister and later as head of the IRIB. Currently a vocal member of the Cyberspace Task Force that operates under President Rouhani, he comes from a background in IRGC which makes him a revolutionary, although he is not as young as Bazrpash and has no track record in managing economic institutions. According to leading economic website Eqtesad News, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeesi have made it clear that they will not run for president in 2021. However, denying intentions at this stage and a change of decision a couple of months before the election has been a routine practice in Iran since 1997 when Khatami announced his candidacy in late March for the election in May while he kept denying he had any intention to run during the preceding year. Like Raeesi, Majles Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has also been a candidate in the previous round of presidential election in 2017, but although he has never concealed his ambition it is unlikely that the Majles and even Khamenei would allow him to run for president. He is already the head of one of the three powers of the government. Two "young revolutionary" men are also being mentioned as potential candidates and some have even said Khamenei might support their candidacy although the Supreme Leader never names a candidate. But Iranians have seen candidates or kingmakers who portray a certain person as someone "liked" by Khamenei. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi and Ayatollah Ali Jannati said that about Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 election. The two "young revolutionaries" are Mostazafan Foundation chief Parviz Fattah and Vice-President for Scientific affairs Surena Sattari. The latter has been lately taking part in public events after a long time of silence and Fattah started his campaign-like activities a year ago. Recently while going around to oversee economic projects, he keeps portraying himself as someone close to former IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani. Fattah comes from an IRGC background indeed. None of the two have ever grown long beards probably hoping for popularity among younger Iranians. Eqtesad News also names Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri, Tehran City Council Chief Mohsen Hashemi and former Majles Speaker Ali Larijani as potential candidates for the 2021 elections. From among the trio, Larijani is less likely to be willing to run as the modest number of votes he won in the 2005 presidential elections was an embarrassment. Fararu news website has recently named several conservative individuals as potential candidates. They are: Raeesi, Qalibaf, Fattah and Bazrpash as well as MP Alireza Zakani, former Ahmadinejad cabinet minister Ali Nikzad, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and Islamic Propaganda Organization Chief Mohammad Qomi, who has been characterized by Fararua as "a young cleric with a smile." There are many other lists of possible candidates for the 2021 presidential election in Iran and some political figures appear in more than one list. One of the most interesting combination of possible candidates has been named by the Mashad-based Shahrara News. It includes outspoken former MP Ali Motahari, Communication and Information Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Parviz Fattah, Surena Sattari, Mehrdad Bazrpash, Saeed Jalili, Es'haq Jahangiri, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Javad Zarif, Ali Larijani and former reformist MP Mohammad Reza Aref, some of whom lack "one or two criteria of a young revolutionary candidate well-versed in economics." The four or six candidates to run officially for the post need to be vetted by the hardliner Guardian Council first. Some even say that they should meet with Khamenei beforehand and get his go-ahead to run. One of the Government's own junior ministers abstained on a vote on one of its own bills. The position of two leading Green Party TDs hung in the balance after they failed to back the Governments position on a bill relating to evictions and rent freezes. Green Party junior minister Joe OBrien abstained on the final vote of the Residential Tenancies Bill which was being debated in the Dail after his party colleague Neasa Hourigan voted against it. A senior Government source told the Irish Examiner: It is very hard to see how his position can be justified. It undermines the stability of the whole coalition. While there may be sympathy for Joe personally, you just cant do that as a minister. The decision of a junior minister of a government to fail to support its own legislation is a very serious situation and normally is a signal of a willingness to resign from office, said one senior government source. The Green Party were struggling to contain the fall-out of the situation as a meeting of the parliamentary party took place to discuss the impact of Mr OBrien and Ms Hourigans decision. In a statement released on social media, Mr OBrien said: Re tonight's vote: The issue of homelessness is an extremely important one for me, Ive worked in the area, Ive been a whistleblower in the area, I have friends who work in the NGOs and I feel we need to do everything we can to tackle it. Im elected in part to be a legislator. I wasnt convinced that this piece of legislation was the best we could have done in what are, to be fair, unusual circumstances. This was mainly due to its extremely rushed nature. I had read enough and heard enough to make it clear to me that it could have been stronger in terms of preventing and reducing homelessness. The issue here was not dedicating sufficient time to a piece of legislation that could have profound consequences on people's lives, he said. I knew my vote was not going to defeat the bill but I felt I also had to give a signal that how it was done was not good enough, he said. The Irish Examiner has confirmed that the three party leaders Eamon Ryan, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar spoke about Mr OBriens abstention and it is understood they agreed to allow this remain an internal Green Party matter. The sense was that it would be unfair to seek his head for what was termed a first offence. Earlier: Neasa Hourigan resigns as Green Party whip before voting against Govt By Daniel McConnell, Political Editor Dublin Central TD Neasa Hourigan resigned the Green Party whip ahead of her decision to vote against the Governments legislation on rent freezes and eviction ban for those impacted by Covid-19. On Thursday in the Dail, Ms Hourigan backed a Labour Party amendment which would have extended the legislation to all tenants. The Dublin Central TD has confirmed she took the decision to abdicate her position as her partys whip before the vote. She has said she informed her partys executive council by writing to tell them of her decision. While Ms Hourigan has said it is not her intention to leave the Green Party, she has said it is now up to the party to decide her fate. "I have significant concerns as to the impact of this legislation on levels of homelessness across the state. I do not believe it takes into account the scale of the Coronavirus pandemic and the need to keep people safe in their homes. Eviction due to sale is directly in conflict with Green Party policy and so I am unable to support this bill," she said. Ms Hourigan also voted against the government on multiple amendments to the bill. Meanwhile, Junior minister and Dublin Fingal TD Joe OBrien abstained in the final vote on his own governments Bill. The fate of Ms Hourigan and Mr O'Brien were the topic of discussion at a parliamentary party meeting of the Greens on Thursday night. When authorities in Belarus conducted a high-profile operation to detain some 33 suspected Russian mercenaries near Minsk on July 29, officials were quick to connect the incident with the country's August 9 presidential election. The BelTA state news agency said the men -- and perhaps dozens more still at large -- were in Belarus to "destabilize the situation in the country ahead of the election." But most analysts see an even more complex scenario being played out, one in which Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has found a convenient opportunity to discredit and contain a growing opposition movement and to exert even stricter control over an election in which the authoritarian ruler is seeking a sixth term as president. A hastily organized meeting of some members of Belarus's Security Council on July 30 decided to impose stricter security measures at public events, a move that Belarusian political analyst Valery Karbalevich said was aimed first of all at a planned opposition rally in Minsk set for July 31. Security checkpoints will be set up and everyone will be thoroughly searched by police, Karbalevich said in an interview with Current Time, a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "This is all being done in order to sharply restrict the number of people attending the demonstration and to cut way back on the protest wave in general because the authorities are genuinely concerned about its scope," he said. "This is a tactic in the election campaign that the authorities are using in order to cool the protest ardor," he concluded. 'A Clear Signal' Belarusian economist and political commentator Syarhey Chaly added that Lukashenka could try to connect the opposition to the supposed Russian plot in order to justify a crackdown. "In addition," Chaly told Current Time, "it is a clear signal to the West that if something serious happens here along the lines of 'Bloody Sunday' [a violent crackdown by authorities against protests in the wake of the December 2010 presidential election] that they should keep in mind that [Lukashenka] isn't just fighting against internal opposition, but against an attempted coup inspired by Russia." But this begs the question of what the arrested Russians were doing in Belarus in the first place. Belarusian media identified the men, aged between 22 and 55, as employees of the Vagner private security firm. The passports and other documents shown on Belarusian television seemed to confirm this, said Russian analyst Ruslan Leviyev, the founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team project, which has extensively researched the activities of Russian mercenaries abroad. "The majority of them have long been known to us," Leviyev said. "Their names are available on the Internet as people who have fought for the Vagner Group. Some of them fought before joining Vagner in the Donbas region [in eastern Ukraine]. Then they joined Vagner and were in Syria, some of them in Libya. And now they are traveling on some other business." Vagner is one of the best-known of several Russian private paramilitary companies that have come into being over the past decade. The company is widely believed to be controlled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime associate of Vladimir Putin who once served as the Russian president's chef. Prigozhin has previously denied any links to the group, though various investigations have linked him to its activities. Prigozhin is also believed to have created and funded the Internet Research Agency, an online "troll farm" that U.S. authorities have charged with waging a propaganda-and-influence campaign in a bid to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Close Secrecy Vagner's operations have always been held in close secrecy, in part because mercenary activity is illegal under Russian law and in part because the group is widely believed to operate in close cooperation with Russian military intelligence. Vagner fighters have been documented in Ukraine, Syria, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya. The Russian government denies that it cooperates with private paramilitary organizations. Analysts say it is beyond unlikely that the Vagner mercenaries were on a mission in Belarus. They were staying together in a resort outside of Minsk and were wearing paramilitary clothing, for one thing. For another, these were not special operations forces or undercover agents. "They are fighters, real participants in combat operations," said Chaly. "These are people who are trained and equipped to carry out military operations. They aren't intended to carry out diversions or some sort of terrorist acts. They have a completely different purpose." Leviyev said the most likely explanation for why the Vagner mercenaries were in Belarus was that the firm is using Minsk as a transit point because Russia's commercial air traffic has been dramatically curtailed because of the global coronavirus pandemic. "Here in Russia you can't fly to Turkey, but from Minsk you can," he said. "And from Istanbul you can fly to Syria, Libya, Sudan, or wherever." Belarusian media showed that the fighters had passports for foreign travel, which would not be required for Russians whose final destination was Belarus. In addition, they were carrying Sudanese currency and Sudanese SIM cards. Sudan, however, might not have been the ultimate destination for the group. A Current Time investigation in February 2019 found that M-Invest, a company controlled by Prigozhin, had signed contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry for military transport around Africa and the Middle East. RFE/RL's Russian Service in 2019 reported on mysterious Russian military flights between Khartoum, Sudan, and Libya. Despite Lukashenka's public demands for an explanation from Russia about the presence of the mercenaries in Belarus, analysts say it is unlikely that Minsk was not aware of what Vagner was doing. "If Belarus is really being used as a transit corridor," Karbalevich said, "then I think this is not the first time it has happened." Karbalevich added, however, that it is possible that Minsk was not fully informed about the details of this particular group of mercenaries. "Maybe Moscow decided that since there is an agreement, then maybe it isn't necessary to report about every group, give the names of all the people," he said. "This is possible." Karbalevich resolutely rejects speculation that Lukashenka will use the incident as a pretext for declaring a state of emergency or postponing the August 9 election. "There is no point in dragging out this politicized process any longer by postponing things for six months or a year," he told Current Time. "That would mean that for half a year the country would be in a tense, politicized state, and I think that is absolutely not what Lukashenka wants." "He dreams of getting this all over with as quickly as possible," Karbalevich concluded. "Of seeing August 9 and 10 pass quickly and of quickly getting his 80 percent of the vote. And he'll deal with any protesters with his security structures." Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by Current Time correspondent Irina Romaliiskaya. Current Time correspondent Ksenia Sokolyanskaya and RFE/RL's Russian Service also contributed to this report. Holiday giant Tui is closing 166 High Street stores in Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the UK's biggest tour operator has announced. The decision was made following changes in customer behaviour as a result of the pandemic, the firm said in a statement, with the Anglo-German company calling COVID-19 the 'greatest crisis' the travel industry has ever faced. Tui said that it would seek to move 70 per cent of the 900 staff affected by the closures to homeworking sales and services roles, and it would aim to relocate other employees in the remaining high street stores. It announced it would cut 8,000 roles worldwide after posting losses of 747million in 2020 compared to 255million in the same period last year. The announcement comes after Tui cancelled all flights to Spain up to and including August 9 after the government struck the country off the UK's list of safe destinations and re-imposed a 14-day quarantine period on arrivals last week. The timing of the shock U-turn has sparked widespread fury within the industry amid fears it will be the 'final nail in the coffin' for some tourism firms. The global airline industry has been hammered by the impact of coronavirus, with the huge slump in demand for international travel leading to thousands of planes being grounded and staff numbers slashed. In a statement released today, Tui's UK and Ireland managing director Andrew Flintham said: 'We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it's in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do. Holiday giant Tui is to close 166 high street stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland , the UK's biggest tour operator has announced The decision was made following changes in customer behaviour as a result of the pandemic, the firm said in a statement, with the Anglo-German company calling COVID-19 the 'greatest crisis' the airline and travel industry has ever faced Tui is the latest casualty of the coronavirus crisis as travel and retail firms are hit hard by the collapse in demand for in-store goods and flights abroad How coronavirus, travel bans and lockdowns have wreaked havoc on the travel industry This week Ryanair revealed losses of 168million during the 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 British Airways faced an 'immediate' strike threat from union bosses over job cuts amid fears over further travel chaos to families trying to plan a holiday abroad. Unite leader Len McCluskey claimed BA chief executive Alex Cruz had 'published a timetable to fire and rehire thousands of your workforce on August 7'. Mr McCluskey also told how MPs and newspapers alike have condemned the actions of the Spanish boss, adding: 'Perhaps you don't understand that the British sense of fair play runs deep in the psyche of the British people.' BA has so far used state furlough schemes, accessed 300million of UK government loans and retired its fleet of 747 jumbo jets earlier than planned. The carrier, owned by International Airlines Group, has also gone on a huge job-cutting plan, having originally said it would axe up to 12,000 roles. It struck a deal with its pilots union last week to make fewer people redundant - 270 down from plans for 1,250 redundancies - in return for other staff taking pay cuts. However, sources close to the airline said it was false to say all BA staff face dismissal or will have to sign a new contract from August 7. The pandemic came at a time the industry was already strained due to concerns over fierce competition and low consumer confidence. In March regional carrier Flybe went bust and in September last year Thomas Cook collapsed stranding 150,000 UK holidaymakers abroad. Meanwhile, Richard Branson has controversially begged the British government for an emergency loan to rescue Virgin Atlantic from collapse. Virgin Australia has entered voluntary administration. Advertisement 'It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions, look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty and also offer a modern customer service. 'Customer behaviours have already changed in recent years, with 70 per cent of all Tui UK bookings taking place online. 'We believe COVID-19 has only accelerated this change in purchasing habits, with people looking to buy online or wishing to speak with travel experts from the comfort of their own home. 'We have world-class travel advisers at Tui, so we hope many of them will become homeworkers and continue to offer the personalised service we know our customers value.' Tui has already closed down 70 travel agent stores in France, with job losses of nearly 600 in the European nation. It's hoped the restructure 'should then enable Tui France to break even from 2021 onwards'. Tui said that going forward they will focus on the 'high-margin business with a few core brands' as it plans to cut costs globally by 30 per cent. In a statement Tui said: 'The project foresees a reduction of 583 jobs, in the scenario of the closing of all own retail shops, which is approximately 60 per cent of the current Tui France staff base.' 'The changes are now being discussed with the relevant committees and employee representatives in France.' It added: 'Tui France was already loss-making before the pandemic. In a structurally challenging market with a high cost structure and low margins, the company had been making losses in recent years. 'In the wake of the corona pandemic, the situation for Tui France has again deteriorated significantly. A far-reaching package of measures is now needed to create a perspective for the company within the group.' The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) today condemned what it called 'the government's failure to act to save the travel trade industry'. Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the TSSA which represents staff in the travel trade industry said 'We have been warning for weeks that High Street travel shops could become a thing of the past unless the government took urgent action to help our industry navigate this crisis. Today's announcement by TUI means that Ministers must sit up, smell the coffee and act without further delay. 'We need a bespoke package of measures to save our travel industry. I call on TUI and other employers to engage with our union so we can jointly lobby government for this to happen.' Fritz Joussen, chief executive of the troubled giant, said the company should 'emerge from the crisis stronger'. He added: 'It will be a different Tui and it will find a different market environment than before the pandemic. This will require cuts: in investments, in costs, in our size and our presence around the world. 'We must be leaner than before, more efficient, faster and more digital.' The company's report said: 'The tourism industry has weathered a number of macroeconomic shocks throughout the most recent decades, however the Covid-19 pandemic is unquestionably the greatest crisis the industry and Tui has ever faced.' It added that losses also came as a result of the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft after two crashes with other airlines. This week Ryanair revealed losses of 168million during the 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. In statement, Tui's UK and Ireland managing director Andrew Flintham said: 'We want to be in the best position to provide excellent customer service, whether it's in a high street store, over the telephone or online, and will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do' The UK's biggest tour operator posted losses of 845.8 million euro (747m) in the first half of 2020, compared to 289.1 million (255m) in the same period 12 months previously 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 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. 'NO travel is risk free': Number 10 warns travellers that ANY country could be suddenly added to the quarantine list as Jet2 cancels all its Spanish holidays and travel firms warn of a wave of cancellations across France, Italy and Greece Downing Street risked causing more confusion among British holidaymakers and travel firms, 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. No10 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. 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'. Advertisement 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. Meanwhile British Airways faced an 'immediate' strike threat from union bosses over job cuts amid fears over further travel chaos to families trying to plan a holiday abroad. Unite leader Len McCluskey claimed BA chief executive Alex Cruz had 'published a timetable to fire and rehire thousands of your workforce on August 7'. Mr McCluskey also told how MPs and newspapers alike have condemned the actions of the Spanish boss, adding: 'Perhaps you don't understand that the British sense of fair play runs deep in the psyche of the British people.' It comes as the government advised against all but essential travel to Spain after the emergence of a second wave of coronavirus in parts of the country. BA has so far used state furlough schemes, accessed 300million of UK government loans and retired its fleet of 747 jumbo jets earlier than planned. The carrier, owned by International Airlines Group, has also gone on a huge job-cutting plan, having originally said it would axe up to 12,000 roles. It struck a deal with its pilots union last week to make fewer people redundant - 270 down from plans for 1,250 redundancies - in return for other staff taking pay cuts. However, sources close to the airline said it was false to say all BA staff face dismissal or will have to sign a new contract from August 7. In the letter, Mr McCluskey said he had himself received a letter from Mr Cruz on Sunday but was 'both staggered and offended' by his arrogance. A fleet of British Airways Boeing 747 standing at London Heathrow Airport (file picture) Unite leader Len McCluskey (left) wrote to British Airways chief executive Alex Cruz (right) Airlines are refusing to cancel flights to Spain despite Government advising against all but essential travel Airlines are refusing to cancel flights to Spain - despite the Government advising against all but essential travel. The move puts hundreds of thousands of British families in limbo and at risk of losing thousands of pounds. It also puts the airline industry at odds with the UK Government by 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 following the collapse of air travel, have snubbed the Government and continue to offer the flights. This means families will potentially lose their holidays and their money. People could ignore the Government and take their flights. But they would have to quarantine for 14 days when they get back and their travel insurance may be void. Alternatively, they could cancel their trip without any guarantee of a refund. British Airways and easyJet have suggested they will offer vouchers for future flights, rather than a refund, for those who cancel. Ryanair has refused to offer anything. It even suggested people who changed their flights could incur charges of up to 95 per person. The Civil Aviation Authority said there was nothing it could do to ensure those with a flight-only booking got a refund. It suggested they claim money back from a travel insurance policy, but most insurers have clauses that reject any claims linked to coronavirus. Advertisement The union boss wrote: 'In the opening paragraph you state 'it has taken this long for you to realise and accept this'. 'This reference infers that I am only now understanding the financial difficulties that British Airways face. How dare you suggest such a thing. 'I have attempted for months to try to get you to understand the need to treat your workers with respect and dignity and this is the only way to get through this pandemic together. 'It is your staff, not you, that have for many years, built the good name of British Airways and contributed billions of pounds to its profitability year on year.' Mr McCluskey added that Mr Cruz and his management team had 'dragged the good name of British Airways through the mud'. The union leader continued: 'Have you ever asked yourself why so many MPs from all parties, at the highest level, have condemned British Airways or why newspaper and media outlets have been appalled at your actions? 'Perhaps you don't understand that the British sense of fair play runs deep in the psyche of the British people.' Mr McCluskey added: 'My shop stewards and reps speak to members constantly, dealing with the stress, anxiety and heart ache caused by your management style and strategy. 'Instead of criticising Unite reps, you should actually listen to them, instead of pretending to do so in order that you can tick some consultative process box and you might, at long last, realise that the only way to have a lasting peace and avoid months/years of industrial unrest is to work with us to achieve an acceptable way forward. 'You have now published a timetable to fire and rehire thousands of your workforce on August 7. We will work every hour between now and then, to convince you not to do so. 'You can take this letter as our commitment to do that. However, you can also take this an intention to defend our members by moving towards industrial action with immediate effect.' BA is currently operating 15 per cent of its normal schedule and losing 20million a day, with two of its biggest markets, the US and India, effectively closed. A BA spokesman told MailOnline: 'For more than 100 years British Airways has been flying millions of people around the world. Today that world remains largely closed. 'This is the biggest challenge the airline and our industry has ever faced. Sadly, the global pandemic has resulted in job losses across every industry. Many airlines have already made thousands of staff redundant. A British Airways Boeing 747 is seen at London Heathrow Airport earlier this month on July 17 'We are not immune to this crisis. We have to adapt to survive, so we will continue with the proper, lawful consultative process and we will keep inviting union representatives to discuss our proposals to the serious challenges we face. 'It is not too late to find solutions - as we have done with Balpa (British Airline Pilots Association) - and to protect jobs.' It comes after 1.5billion was wiped off the value of Britain's leading travel companies as quarantine chaos and fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections shook markets. Investors dropped shares in airlines and tour operators after the Government removed Spain from the quarantine-free list with just a few hours' notice. Thousands of holidaymakers cancelled trips to Spain as well as countries such as France and Germany amid concerns they could be next. In the letter, Mr McCluskey said he had himself received a letter from Mr Cruz on Sunday but was 'both staggered and offended' by his arrogance The pandemic came at a time the industry was already strained due to concerns over fierce competition and low consumer confidence. In March regional carrier Flybe went bust and in September last year Thomas Cook collapsed stranding 150,000 UK holidaymakers abroad. Meanwhile, Richard Branson has controversially begged the British government for an emergency loan to rescue Virgin Atlantic from collapse. Virgin Australia has entered voluntary administration. Countless holidays have been cancelled since the Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel in March. With no end date in sight, and the Government now looking to enforce a 14-day quarantine period for travellers returning to Britain by air, it is highly likely that many families will be unable to go abroad for the foreseeable future. Despite this, scores of readers told Money Mail they are still being asked to pay more money for trips they are certain they won't be able to take. At least 66,102 jobs are at risk across the UK amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis Below is a table showing how many jobs are at risk in British businesses Dyson - 600 Southbank Centre - 400 DFS Furniture - 200 Centrica - 5,000 Johnson Matthey - 2,500 Accenture - 900 Airbus - 1,700 Arcadia - 500 BA - 12,000 Beales - 1,052 Bentley - 1,000 Burberry - 150 at risk Burger King - 1,600 Casual Dining Group (Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge and Las Iguanas) - 1,900 DHL at Jaguar Land Rover - 2,200 EasyJet - 4,500 Go Outdoors - 2,400 The Guardian - 180 at risk BBC - 520 Harrods - 700 Harveys - 240 Links - 350 Mothercare - 2,500 Oasis Warehouse - 1,800 P&O Ferries - 1,100 Pret a Manger - 1,330 Ryanair - 3,000 Skyscanner - 300 (84 in Edinburgh) Upper Crust, Caffe Ritazza - 5,000 Ted Baker - 160 TM Lewin - 600 Tui - 950 Victoria's Secret - 800 at risk M&S - 950 Selfridges - 450 Advertisement Matt Hancock denies talking up COVID panic by claiming a 'second wave is rolling across Europe' as he defends increase in self-isolation time to TEN days for people testing positive or showing symptoms Matt Hancock admits more holiday destinations could face quarantine rules Health Secretary denies being hysterical after making errors at start of lockdown People who test positive for COVID-19 to self-isolate for 10 days - up from seven Boris Johnson said to be 'extremely concerned' about potential second spike Fresh restrictions in place in Oldham and outbreaks in pub and Wrexham factory Leicester's lockdown decision due to be reviewed today Matt Hancock today denied stoking up COVID-19 panic and hysteria after he warned a second wave was 'starting to roll across Europe' towards Britain and declared there was a 'real danger' of the UK being struck by a spike in cases. Ministers today confirmed people who now test positive for coronavirus or have tell-tale symptoms will be told to stay at home for ten days, in line with World Health Organization guidance - up from the current seven-day self-isolation period because 'evidence has strengthened'. It came hours after it emerged that Boris Johnson - who fears a second wave could strike Britain within a fortnight - told his SAGE advisers and cabinet ministers that he 'needs to act fast' and is expected to ramp up quarantine measures at home and abroad within days. Today BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson repeatedly asked Mr Hancock if he was being hysterical about rising cases in Europe and the UK because infection rates are nowhere near the lockdown peak and are likely to be a symptom of society returning to a new normal. Mr Robinson also asked if he was overreacting because of a fear of repeating mistakes Number 10 made at the start of the outbreak, such as not quarantining travellers from abroad. The Health Secretary said: 'No, it's not [risking hysteria]. I'm the Health Secretary in the middle of the pandemic. We are absolutely determined to protect this country and it saddens me we are seeing these rises elsewhere but I will be vigilant and we will move fast if we need to because that is what the virus requires and the virus moves fast and so must we.' Labour MP Chris Bryant today called for ministers to calm down, saying 'we need a stiletto not a sledgehammer' to tackle clusters of coronavirus. He said: 'It makes me so angry the government are so loose with their language. There isn't a second wave rolling out across Europe. There are worrying signs of individual spikes of increased infection in some areas.' Britain announced another 763 new coronavirus cases yesterday, up 14 per cent in a week - but way below the 5,000 new cases per day that were being recorded at the high of the outbreak. Cambridge University academics believe outbreaks are getting bigger in the stay-cation hotspots of the South West and South East of England but are only slightly worse. Top scientists today admitted it is unlikely the coronavirus will ever be eradicated, saying it could be around for decades and infect people 'multiple times over their life span'. Critics argued that Britain needs to 'learn to live with it' because the virus is going to keep spreading. Business leaders reacted warily to the prospect of tighter restrictions being introduced over the rise in cases, with firms saying it is 'vital' economies crippled by coronavirus-controlling policies begin the process of recovery this summer ahead of an expected resurgence later this year. Matt Hancock's second wave warning came as: Boris Johnson told advisers Britain 'needs to act fast' to avoid second wave - with more holiday destinations set to be added to UK quarantine list tomorrow; Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty want tougher border controls immediately after figures show 1,300 people with COVID-19 entered the UK at the start of the pandemic; England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the Office for National Statistics; Leicester's lockdown will be reviewed today - 48 hours earlier than expected as official statistics show the city's coronavirus infection rate has halved in a fortnight; Up to 21,000 people have died because of unintended consequences of lockdown many due to a lack of access to healthcare, according to a shocking study. Patients who are confirmed to have COVID could be told to stay at home for 14 days under a change to the rules. Pictured: People queue up at a walk-in COVID-19 testing centre at Crown Street car park in Stone, Staffordshire after nearby Crown and Anchor pub saw outbreak of the disease ENGLAND SUFFERED THE MOST EXCESS DEATHS IN EUROPE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic, new figures revealed today. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths - fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected - out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. While other countries had higher spikes in excess deaths between February and June, England had the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate - meaning it had the highest level of excess deaths overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes, but they can be used as evidence of how severe coronavirus outbreaks have been - because not all deaths caused by the virus are recorded by authorities. It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths, called 'peaks', suggesting they faced the hardest hits on the continent. Bergamo, one of the first places in Europe to go into lockdown, had the highest peak in excess mortality. It saw 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis, in the week ending 17 April. Advertisement COVID-19 cases in Britain rose again yesterday, with the Department of Health announcing another 763 people tested positive for the virus, taking the rolling seven-day average to 726. In comparison, the rate was 697 yesterday, 638 last Wednesday and has been on the up for a fortnight amid fears of a resurgence. However, the number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. It comes as Number 10 today confirmed the length of time people with coronavirus symptoms in England will have to self-isolate for is to be increased to 10 days. Patients who are confirmed to have COVID or who have a cough, fever or loss of sense of smell or taste were told before to stay at home for seven days. Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told reporters the change was being made due to the 'low but real possibility of infectiousness' between seven and 10 days after the onset of the illness. Health officials still believe there is evidence shows people with symptomatic coronavirus are most infectious just before and in the days immediately after their symptoms appear. However, there is also a low but tangible possibility that people with COVID-19 are still infectious between seven and nine days after their symptoms start, which prompted the change in guidance today. Health chiefs stressed the previous advice was 'seven days minimum' rather than just seven days, with people whose symptoms persisted longer advised to remain in isolation for longer. Mr Hancock also hinted more European countries could be added to the UK's quarantine list to stop COVID-19 getting a stranglehold in Britain again, after ministers were accused of being too slow to react early on in the pandemic. He told Sky News: 'I am worried about a second wave. You can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe. We have to do everything we can to prevent it reaching these shores. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall relative excess mortality out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. But the hardest hit nations were Italy and Spain which suffered the largest spikes Looking at major cities, the highest peak excess mortality was in Madrid at 432.7 per cent in the week ending March 27. Meanwhile in the UK, Birmingham had the highest peak excess mortality of any major British city at 249.7 per cent in the week ending April 17 CORONAVIRUS R RATE 'IS ABOVE DREADED LEVEL OF ONE IN SOUTH WEST AND SOUTH EAST' The coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England, according to a projection. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number - the average number of people each COVID-19 patient infects - is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) - home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions - the North West, East and London - have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Advertisement 'It's not just Spain, there are other countries too where the number of cases is rising, and we are absolutely determined to do all we can to keep this country safe.' He told the BBC later: 'There is a real danger of an increase in cases in the UK but we will move fast if needed'. The quarantine period for people returning to the UK from foreign countries such as Spain would be pared back to 10 days with testing from 14 days under the same plans, it was claimed today. Isolation rules have previously caused confusion as those confirmed to have the virus via a test have been told to isolate for seven days, whereas their 'close contacts' faced 14 days. The disparity was due to the time taken to develop symptoms of the virus. The Government has at times been accused of 'mixed messaging' over the rules. The policy change came after talks between Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, Boris Johnson and senior cabinet ministers at No 10 on Monday. Mr Johnson is said to have told them: 'We need to act fast' with a ramping up of quarantine rules expected within 24 hours. The Government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned No10 that Britain could be just two or three weeks behind Spain's second wave trajectory, according to The Times. But experts have called on ministers not to over-react to the small spike in cases. Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, told MailOnline: 'I do not think we will ever eradicate the virus. I think it is likely that the virus will be around for decades and infect people multiple times over their life span. 'However, because of residual immunity from prior infections or immunization, the disease will become far less severe and probably start to resemble to common cold. He added: 'A country like New Zealand that has eradicated the virus will only get infected when they open up again, as they will eventually have to do.' Professor Keith Neal, from the University of Nottingham, told MailOnline: 'We need to learn to live with it, the virus is going to keep spreading and causing spikes or clusters unless we keep restrictions or get a vaccine. 'We may get small resurgences when people's behaviour gets more lax, but we can tighten restrictions in these hotspots, look at Leicester disease is falling.' Modelling from Cambridge University suggests the R rate (left) has barely changed in London and now stands at 0.92, after dropping to below 0.5 after the lockdown was introduced. The team also believes cases (right) are on the decline and have not yet to spike upwards in the capital. The first blue line is March 23, when lockdown was introduced. The second blue line is May 11, when the government released its COVID-19 recovery strategy. The red line is July 24, the last day of modelling The coronavirus R rate in the Midlands (left) is much lower than it was in June, according to the Cambridge team. Cases (right) are also still declining but at a much slower rate than they were The R rate in the East of England (left) now stands at 0.88, but has barely changed throughout July. The number of daily cases (right) is also still on a downward trend, according to the academics However, the R rate appears to have risen above one in the South East (right) and cases (right) are starting to float upwards from an estimated 669 infections on July 6 to 758 on July 24 The R rate (left) is also estimated to have risen to above one in the South West, the region home to Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. The team estimated there were 160 new infections across the region on July 24 up from 136 on July 4 ARE CASES ON THE UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for a fortnight - but deaths have barely changed and hospital admissions are still flat, according to official figures. Department of Health statistics show 726 people are testing positive for the life-threatening virus each day, on average. It is 33 per cent higher than the average of 546 recorded exactly three weeks ago, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. But the number of Brits being diagnosed with COVID-19 is much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being recorded each day during the height of the crisis - but this is likely to be a massive under-estimate due to a lack of testing. Fewer than 20,000 people were getting swabbed for the virus on a daily basis in April. Now more than 100,000 tests are being processed each day. The number of coronavirus deaths has barely changed in the past 10 days, with the rolling seven-day average currently standing at 66. For comparison, it was 65 on Tuesday and 64 last Wednesday. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases across the past fortnight may not start trickling through until next week. Hospital admissions - another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths - have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 100 people are still being admitted in England each day. However, scientists from King's College London believe cases could still be on the rise. Data from a symptom-tracking app the team runs estimates 2,110 people are being struck down with the virus each day in the UK - up from 1,884 last week. But the academics believe the outbreak is stable. Testing figures do not show the true number of people infected because many people catch the virus but never test positive for it, either because they don't realise they are sick, because they couldn't get a test, or because their result was wrong. Advertisement He added the UK can live alongside the virus and keep transmission risk to as low as possible 'by mask wearing, working from home, travel restrictions, taking appropriate actions in hotspots'. Professor Neal said: 'You're always going to have hotspots, like Leicester and in Spain. But every measure helps reduce transmission trails.' The rolling average of daily cases in the UK has been rising since earlier this month, while there have been fresh restrictions in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and localised outbreaks in Stone, Staffordshire, and Wrexham, north Wales. Figures yesterday revealed Oldham had overtaken Leicester to have the England. Blackburn with Darwen is still the worst-hit authority in the country. But NHS data today shows it is back down in third place, with an infection rate of 53.1 cases per 100,000 people during July 21 to 27. Leicester's rate currently stands at 57.7 - up slightly on Wednesday's figure but down 15 per cent in a week. Leicester, the first place in the UK to have a mini-lockdown imposed, will have its shutdown reviewed today - two days earlier than expected. Fears of a resurgence of infections come as scientists found that the coronavirus R rate is above the dreaded level of one in the South West and South East of England. Government scientists say the UK's reproduction number - the average number of people each COVID-19 patient infects - is still between 0.7 and 0.9. But a team from Cambridge University estimate it could be above one in two regions, and on the brink of passing the level in every part of the country except the Midlands. It is vital this number stays below one, otherwise the coronavirus outbreak could start to rapidly spiral again as people infect others around them at a faster rate. Academics analyse figures on deaths and cases, as well as data on how many people have antibodies and social interactions, to make their predictions that feed into SAGE. According to their model, the R rate is the highest in the South West (1.04) - home to the stay-cation hotspots of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. It is also estimated to be above one in the South East (1.02). Three other regions - the North West, East and London - have seen a rise in the reproduction rate, which experts say is not an accurate way to measure an outbreak when cases are low. Scientists blamed the the lifting of lockdown measures, the Daily Telegraph reports. Infectious disease academics warned a spike would be inevitable. Despite the warnings, Boris Johnson was urged not to panic over fears of a summer surge. STOP FOREIGN TRAVEL TO ELIMINATE COVID-19, SCIENTISTS SAY Banning foreign travel could eliminate COVID-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas, top scientists have said. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter and Professor Neil Pearce believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. 'With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing COVID-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' Professor Hunter, of Oxford University, and Professor Pearce, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'If we want to avoid a 'November nightmare' and have a relatively 'normal' Christmas, a push for elimination gives us the best chance. 'Is elimination achievable? We think it is though it would require major changes to the British government's current thinking.' In a call to action this week, Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon called on the UK to work together to 'eliminate' the coronavirus rather than letting it 'hover around'. The Independent SAGE group, led by former chief scientific adviser for England, Sir David King, has also backed calls for a 'Zero COVID UK'. But leading scientists have warned the goal is unachievable, with the government's own chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance last month telling MPs it will be around 'for a number of years'. Advertisement Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said ministers should continue efforts to get the economy moving by urging more workers to return to the office. He said: 'The message from the Government is still really fearful, it needs to be much more nuanced. 'They must say, 'Look, this is a disease that by-and-large affects those with co-morbidities. Protect the vulnerable but the rest of you should be getting back to work'.' Sir Iain added: 'We seem to have lost the ability to balance risk.' Meanwhile, health leaders said there were 'very high' levels of concern about a fresh spike. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that non-COVID productivity in NHS trusts was currently at about 60 per cent. He called for an 'Amazon-style' way for health and care workers to order personal protective equipment where it arrives the next day. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the council of the British Medical Association, said another spike should not be seen as an 'inevitability' and it was time to be 'more robust' about mitigating the threat. He also called for more concise public messaging over measures people can take to stop the spread of the virus. 'If I look even at something as simple as our messages on social distancing we're told that social distancing is still two metres, or one metre plus,' he said. 'Do you think any member of the public understands what one metre plus means? What does the plus mean? Many don't really understand this because it's not clear and they're not social distancing. It comes as damning figures today revealed England had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe over the coronavirus pandemic. By the end of May, England had seen the highest overall excess deaths - fatalities from all causes that are above the level that would normally be expected - out of 21 European countries compared by the Office for National Statistics. While other countries had higher spikes in excess deaths between February and June, England had the longest continuous period of elevated mortality rate - meaning it had the highest level of excess deaths overall. Excess deaths include fatalities from all causes, but they can be used as evidence of how severe coronavirus outbreaks have been - because not all deaths caused by the virus are recorded by authorities. It was Spain and Italy that suffered the largest spikes in excess deaths, called 'peaks', suggesting they faced the hardest hits on the continent. Sunbathers and holidaymakers flock to the beach at the Dorset seaside resort of Lyme Regis today to enjoy the scorching weather Belgium and Luxembourg could be removed from the safe travel list as early as tomorrow and Croatia could also be at risk. Luxembourg has the highest incidence of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Europe YOUNGER PEOPLE 'MAY BE MORE AT RISK IN A SECOND WAVE' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. However, the virus had turned into a new strain which could effect young and healthy people. Advertisement Bergamo, one of the first places in Europe to go into lockdown, had the highest peak in excess mortality. It saw 847.7 per cent more deaths than usual in the week ending 20 March. The UK's highest peak of excess deaths was recorded in Brent, at 357.5 per cent at the height of Britain's crisis, in the week ending 17 April. Two top scientists today said that banning foreign travel could eliminate COVID-19 and give Britain the 'best chance' of achieving Boris Johnson's pledge of returning to normal life by Christmas. Epidemiologists Professor David Hunter and Professor Neil Pearce believe the virus can be wiped out but would need ministers to 'change course'. In a comment piece in The Guardian today, the pair said: 'Encouraging travel abroad in the middle of a pandemic makes no epidemiological sense. 'With every arriving overseas visitor or returning holidaymaker, the risk of bringing COVID-19 into the country increases. 'The government has so far justified allowing this travel because it believes community transmission of the virus in the UK is inevitable until a vaccine arrives. It is not.' Professor Hunter, of Oxford University, and Professor Pearce, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, added: 'If we want to avoid a 'November nightmare' and have a relatively 'normal' Christmas, a push for elimination gives us the best chance. 'Is elimination achievable? We think it is though it would require major changes to the British government's current thinking.' Younger people could be more at risk of getting coronavirus if the predicted second wave hits the UK this winter, it was also claimed today. The president of the Royal Society of Medicine warned that the second wave is 'almost certainly coming this winter' and could be very different from the first. Professor Roger Kirby's warning comes as Boris Johnson revealed a second wave could begin in as little as two weeks. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 this morning, retired surgeon Professor Kirby said: 'The winter is coming and almost certainly a second wave of this virus is coming. 'What we saw in 1918 was the virus change and the second wave was different from the first wave and it affected a different group of people - particularly younger people.' His theory is based on a similar series of events which happened during the Spanish flu epidemic in the early 1900s and killed 50 million people across the world. It broke out in March 1918 and mainly affected the older and sickly people during World War I. The pandemic seemed to come to an end in August 1918 but death rates spiked again between September and November. However, the virus had turned into a new strain which could effect young and healthy people. Experts now fear that coronavirus could see a similar 'W curve' as the Spanish flu - meaning there would be three major spikes in deaths. Who's afraid of a second wave? That's what Boris fears. But as ROSS CLARK points out, the figures just don't add up and besides, from treatment to vulnerability, so much has changed since March For too many months city centres across Britain have resembled ghost towns. So the slow awakening in recent weeks, as shops, hair salons, pubs, cafes and restaurants began to reopen, has been a huge morale boost. The economy might be on life support but there was hope. Buoyed by this and desperate for a break, tens of thousands of us began flying off to the sun. Family holidays were no longer a lockdown fantasy but a real possibility. And then suddenly this week the mood changed again. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the UK faces a threat of 'a second wave in other parts of Europe' and in the UK within a fortnight after a 28 per cent increase in COVID cases since the start of the month On Saturday, holidaymakers returning from Spain were ordered into a 14-day quarantine after a spike in coronavirus cases in the country. And we were warned that similar measures may be applied to other popular destinations. The Prime Minister went further, warning that we face a threat of 'a second wave in other parts of Europe' and in the UK within a fortnight after a 28 per cent increase in COVID cases since the start of the month. That term - 'second wave' - will have struck terror into the hearts of many, taking them back to early spring when the daily death toll was in the high hundreds, rising to more than 1,000 deaths a day at the peak in late April. But is Boris Johnson really justified in using such an emotive term? It is true that over the past four weeks Spain has seen an increase in numbers of confirmed COVID cases, as you would expect with the easing of lockdown - almost 14,000 new cases to July 26. Yet it hasn't suffered even a slight upwards nudge in the number of deaths - as would be likely if there were a genuine second wave. Just six people have died from COVID -19 in Spain in the past week - compared with over 900 a day at the height of the epidemic in April. Moreover, there is a problem in using the number of recorded cases as a sign of a second wave, given that the more we test, the greater the number of cases recorded. And the rise is largely restricted to North-East Spain, especially Catalonia. So is it possible Spain's 'second wave' could be little more than a statistical illusion? Since May 10, the country's daily figures for new cases of COVID-19 have included those diagnosed through antibody tests, which tell you whether you have been exposed to the disease in the past. In other words, someone who shows up as a 'new' case in Spain today could actually have contracted the infection months ago. In Britain, by contrast, daily figures for new COVID-19 infections include only people who currently have the disease. This is just one reason among several that leaves some scientists less than impressed by the Prime Minister's inflammatory use of 'second wave'. Boris Johnson pictured on a visit to Nottingham on Tuesday where he expressed fears over a second COVID-19 onslaught According to Linda Bauld, a professor in public health at Edinburgh University, 'what we are seeing now [in parts of Europe] is essentially localised spikes', while Paul Hunter, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of East Anglia, says it would take two weeks of a rising number of cases before we need to start panicking. But even if we do suffer a resurgence of COVID-19, now or in the autumn or winter, there is growing evidence it won't be as bad as the first wave for the following reasons: Test and Trace: Health Secretary Matt Hancock's 'world-beating' track and trace phone app might have disappeared without trace after its trial on the Isle of Wight, but we do now have a manual test and trace system in operation. In spite of teething troubles which left some of the 25,000 staff running the system complaining of having nothing to do, it is working. In the week to July 15, for example, 355,597 tests were carried out in England and 3,953 people tested positive. Of these, 3,098 were contacted and 13,034 of their close contacts told to self-isolate for 14 days - although no one knows how many of them did. It might be far from perfect, but it is better than at the height of the epidemic when people with mild symptoms were told not to bother the NHS - and consequently had no idea whether they had the virus or not. Social Distancing: It is fast becoming a way of life for millions of Britons and will stop the virus spreading so quickly. Mask wearing, handwashing and the liberal use of sanitiser are also factors. Far fewer people are travelling cheek by jowl on public transport, too. Compared with early March, rail travel has fallen by 80 per cent, Tube journeys by 76 per cent, London bus journeys by 55 per cent and bus journeys outside London by 69 per cent. Fewer deaths: Fewer of us are as susceptible to the coronavirus now. According to Public Health England's latest estimate, 6.5 per cent of England's population (almost 3.7 million) have antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, indicating they are likely to be immune to further infection. Many more of us could have some degree of resistance to infection. Growing evidence suggests exposure to other coronaviruses, some of which cause the common cold, may offer some degree of protection, reducing symptoms if not protecting us altogether. Moreover, at the peak of the epidemic in April, many people were dying in care home outbreaks caused by NHS patients being discharged to the homes without being tested. It was one of the Government's greatest acknowledged failings and the same mistake is unlikely to be made again. We are also better informed about those at greatest risk - people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, diabetics, the obese and frontline workers. Steps will be taken to protect them faster. Sadly, many of those most vulnerable to the virus - the very elderly, and those with serious underlying heart and lung ailments - have already succumbed to COVID-19. Better treatment: In the initial stages of the pandemic, there was a rush to boost the supply of ventilators to the NHS in the belief that this was the only effective treatment for people with the most serious symptoms. Since then, doctors have learned that administering oxygen via a mask - the treatment Boris Johnson received in ICU at St Thomas' Hospital - is often more effective. In the initial stages of the pandemic, there was a rush to boost the supply of ventilators to the NHS in the belief that this was the only effective treatment for people with the most serious symptoms Proning - lying patients on their stomachs to assist oxygenation of the blood - has also proved a simple but effective technique to help seriously ill patients. And in June, a team from Oxford University found that a cheap, readily available anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, can reduce death rates among those on ventilators by a third, and among those on oxygen by 20 per cent. (It doesn't help people with mild symptoms.) Increased data: The Government now has access to data which should allow it to identify places where the disease is accelerating and to impose localised restrictions to stop it spreading - just as happened in Leicester earlier this month and currently in Oldham. The most up to date figures show the number of new cases is rocketing upwards in Spain. It announced 6,361 new cases over the weekend, up from 4,581 the previous weekend. France announced 2,551 new coronavirus cases on Monday Moreover, we now have quarantine in place for travellers arriving from other countries - something which didn't exist in January and February. Warm weather: Many viruses degrade in warm weather, which is why diseases such as flu tend to be seasonal. COVID-19 seems no different. In March virologists at the University of Maryland in the U.S. mapped outbreaks of the disease and found they were concentrated where average temperatures were between 5c (41f) and 11c (52f) and average humidity between 47 and 79 per cent - which put Britain in the firing line in early spring. All in all, while we cannot for a moment relax our guard when it comes to this novel coronavirus, there are reasons to be, if not cheerful, then at the very least, hopeful. (Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department should investigate whether the popular video apps TikTok and Zoom have violated the constitutional rights of Americans by sharing private information with the Chinese government, two senators wrote in a letter to the agency on Thursday. The request from Senators Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, signals growing bipartisan concern over the potential threats of the apps because they have links to China at a time when relations between Beijing and Washington are crumbling. We are extremely concerned that Zoom and TikTok have disclosed private information about Americans to the PRC and engaged in censorship on behalf of the Chinese government, the senators wrote to John Demers, head of the Justice Departments National Security Division, referring to the Peoples Republic of China. We believe that it is imperative that the Department of Justice investigate and determine whether Zoom and TikToks business relationships, data handling practices, and operational connections to China pose a risk to Americans, the senators wrote. TikTok, Hong Kong and More U.S.-China Flashpoints: QuickTake The senators also asked for the Justice Department and U.S. intelligence agencies to brief Congress on the issue as soon as possible. TikTok has repeatedly rejected accusations that it feeds user data to China or that it is beholden to Beijing, even though its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., is based there. TikTok is led by an American CEO, with hundreds of employees and key leaders across safety, security, product, and public policy here in the U.S., a company spokesperson said earlier this month. We have never provided user data to the Chinese government, nor would we do so if asked. Zoom, based in San Jose, California, came under scrutiny last month after it suspended, then reactivated, the account of a U.S.-based group of Chinese pro-democracy activists. Critics say it did so to appease Chinas government. The company has since announced a delay in producing a report about how frequently it discloses information about users to governments. Story continues Zoom is an American company, founded and headquartered in California, incorporated in Delaware, and publicly traded on Nasdaq, the company said in statement. We take user privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously, and as always, we welcome conversations with officials about our global business practices and policies. Did Big Tech Get Too Big? U.S. Crackdown Seeks Answer: QuickTake The company previously came under criticism for not providing end-to-end encryption of its popular video conferencing service, which has surged in popularity during the Covid-19 outbreak. That discovery came after researchers found instances when Zoom meetings and their related encryption keys were routed through servers in China, even though no one on the call was based there. The senators request comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters on Wednesday that TikTok is under a national security review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, and that President Donald Trump will soon get a recommendation on it. Hawley and Blumenthal said TikTok and Zoom hold themselves out as American companies but have sought to conceal and distract from their meaningful ties to China. As tens of millions of Americans turn to Zoom and TikTok during the Covid-19 pandemic, few know that the privacy of their data and their freedom of expression is under threat due to the relationship of these companies to the Chinese government, according to the senators. Another bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday wrote to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christoper Wray, saying they were concerned that China could use TikTok to carry out influence operations against the U.S., including interfering with the upcoming presidential election. (Updates with Zoom statement in ninth 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. Before we get all wound up about this incendiary tweet, lets spend a minute talking about what we know to be true. The president cannot delay the election. Article II of the Constitution empowers Congress to choose the timing of the general election, and a federal law mandates that it must be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The explosive statement came during a really, really bad news day for Mr. Trump. (Check out this astounding graph.) Stock indexes a key measure by which Mr. Trump assesses his presidency slid after the release of the economic numbers. Meanwhile, his three immediate predecessors were honoring Representative John Lewis, delivering soaring eulogies at a nationally televised event Mr. Trump did not attend. Trying to change the news cycle when it doesnt suit him is a hallmark of the presidents politicking. As a campaign message, this tweet makes no sense. Mr. Trump has spent weeks arguing, essentially, that everything is going to be fine workers should return to their jobs, states should reopen their economies, and children should attend school. Now hes saying the pandemic has caused so much chaos that the election must be postponed. I dont want to minimize the real risks of Mr. Trumps remark. Already, this election has been messy, with many voters worried about voting in person and uncertain about how to cast ballots by mail. Theres plenty of evidence that state and local election officials are unprepared for a potential deluge of early and absentee voting this fall. Mr. Trump has tried to exacerbate the confusion, sowing doubt that the election will be conducted fairly and working to undermine voting by mail, which many Republicans believe will hurt their electoral chances. (There is no evidence to back up the argument from the right that all-mail elections favor Democrats.) Mr. Trump is dragging behind in polling, so raising doubts about voting may be a way for him to lay the groundwork to question the legitimacy of the election should he lose. At a White House briefing later in the day, Mr. Trump defended his suggestion that the election be delayed, falsely warning that hundreds of millions of mail-in ballots would be cast and saying he didnt want to wait for the results of the election. Supervisory Authority for the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland 3001 Bern, 30.07.2020 - The Special Federal Public Prosecutor makes application to the competent parliamentary committees to grant the authority to conduct criminal proceedings against Attorney General Michael Lauber. At the same time, he commences criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Upper Valais, Rinaldo Arnold. On 29th June 2020, the Supervisory Authority for the Office of the Attorney General (AB-BA) appointed Dr. iur. Stefan Keller, President of the Cantonal and Administrative Court of the Canton of Obwalden, as a Special Federal Public Prosecutor. His original task was to examine four requests for criminal proceedings that had been received against Attorney General Michael Lauber, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other individuals. Since then, further requests for criminal proceedings have been made. Stefan Keller has now completed his examination of two such requests. He has reached the conclusion that, in connection with the meetings between Attorney General Michael Lauber and the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Upper Valais, there are indications of criminal conduct. This concerns abuse of public office (Article 312 of the Swiss Criminal Code), breach of official secrecy (Article 320 of the Swiss Criminal Code), assisting offenders (Article 305 of the Swiss Criminal Code) and incitement to these acts. Additional criminal acts and the commencement of further proceedings remain reserved. In accordance with Article 14 of the Swiss Accountability Act, the prosecution of criminal proceedings against members of the authorities elected by the Federal Assembly, pursuant to criminal acts in connection with their official duties, requires the approval of the competent committees of the Federal Assembly. This step is a precondition to the opening of criminal proceedings against Attorney General Michael Lauber. The Special Federal Public Prosecutor therefore applies to the Immunity Committee of the National Council and the Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of States for the prosecution of criminal proceedings against Attorney General Michael Lauber. At the same time, Stefan Keller is commencing criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Upper Valais, Rinaldo Arnold, who do not enjoy immunity. The presumption of innocence applies to Attorney General Michael Lauber, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Chief Public Prosecutor Rinaldo Arnold. The Special Federal Public Prosecutor is independent in his activities. He is not available for comments to the media at the current stage of proceedings. Address for enquiries Secretariat AB-BA info@ab-ba.admin.ch Tel. +41 58 464 25 33 Publisher Supervisory Authority for the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ab-ba.ch Cameras were fixed towards the sky and all eyes followed the five Rafale jets as they landed in Ambala on Wednesday. People were enthusiatic as the fighter planes came to India from France. Elated Twitterati expressed their happiness and shared messages and images to welcome the jets. But amid all the celebration, people remembered the man who led India to acquire the fighter jets from France-- former defence minister late Manohar Parrikar. He laid the framework for the deal between the two countries. It has been nearly a year that Parrikar passed away after his battle with cancer. But a Twitter user found a befitting tribute to the leader. Madhav Sharma edited a photograph of Parrikar smiling in the sky as he looks at the Rafale jets. The post is now going viral. Take a look: The post has been shared over a thousand times and has been liked by over 16,000 people. Twitterati filled the comments section with their love and respect for the late leader. Govt. should embed Manohar parikar ji's name on each rafale or they should name the IAF wing which will fly this beast with parikar ji's name and that will be the proper tribute to this great man Kalki (@Kalki19608556) July 29, 2020 Very inspiring thought its very essential to remember visionary our former defense minister. Vivek Sharma (@VivekSh92534877) July 30, 2020 Yes absolutely.He is the person behind Rafales landing today on Indian soil.Always strived hard in making indian defence strong.He will always be remembered for his bold decisions. Satyajit Pattnaik (@satyajit20033) July 30, 2020 Parrikar served as India's defence minister from 2014 to 2017 and stepped down from the post to become the chief minister of Goa. He was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in March 2019. Complete reversal: Michael Flynn was accused of lying to the FBI A U.S. appeals court on Thursday agreed to rehear arguments over whether the judge assigned to the criminal case against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, must grant a request to dismiss it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it would hold an oral argument in the politically charged criminal case on Aug. 11. In a 2-1 decision on June 24, a three-judge panel of the same court ruled in favor of Flynn and the Trump administration and said U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in Washington had to grant the Justice Department's motion to clear Flynn. Sullivan asked the full court to reconsider the three-judge panel's ruling, saying the Justice Department's dropping of the Flynn case was unprecedented and had to be carefully scrutinized. Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, was one of several former Trump aides charged under former Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation that detailed Moscows interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russias then-ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Flynn then switched lawyers to pursue a new scorched-earth tactic that accused the FBI of setting him up, and asked the judge to dismiss the charge. After the Justice Department took the highly unusual step of seeking to abandon the case against Flynn, Sullivan appointed a retired judge to argue against the Justice Departments request Sullivan, represented by his own lawyers, has said he cannot serve as a rubber stamp and must carefully review the facts before deciding on the request for dismissal. The D.C. Circuit panel disagreed in June, saying Sullivan was intruding on the Justice Department's authority to decide which cases it pursues. Democrats have said the Flynn case is an example of Attorney General William Barr improperly meddling to help Trumps friends and political allies. Mr. Brennan portrayed himself in the excerpt as deeply skeptical of Mr. Trump and his ability to keep secrets. He said that even before the election he was convinced of Mr. Trumps dishonesty, unabashed self-aggrandizement and demagogic rhetoric. The congressional briefing occurred a day after President Barack Obama was told about the intelligence agencies assessment and just hours before officials briefed Mr. Trump, then the president-elect. He expressed skepticism and doubts about the findings on Russian interference. Mr. Brennan wrote that he had decided ahead of time not to share details with Mr. Trump about how the C.I.A. learned about Russian intentions or interference efforts. Sources and methods of information-gathering are among the intelligence agencies most closely held material. I had serious doubts that Donald Trump would protect our nations most vital secrets, Mr. Brennan wrote. During the briefing, Mr. Trumps questions revealed that he was uninterested in finding out what the Russians had done or holding them to account, Mr. Brennan wrote. Instead, Mr. Brennan said, Mr. Trump seemed intent on challenging the intelligence and the agencies judgment that Russia had interfered in the election. Mr. Brennan said in the book that he believed that Mr. Trump was seeking to learn what the C.I.A. knew and how the agency had gathered the intelligence. This deeply troubled me, as I worried about what he might do with the information he was being given, Mr. Brennan wrote. Soon after he stepped down as the C.I.A. director, Mr. Brennan began criticizing Mr. Trump vociferously in appearances on MSNBC, where he became a contributor, and on Twitter. In 2018, after Mr. Trumps joint news conference with Mr. Putin where he expressed skepticism about Russian interference in the election, Mr. Brennan wrote that the presidents comments were nothing short of treasonous. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is fast becoming a style icon. Just like her sister-in-law, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, whatever Meghan wears sells out almost immediately. Theres even a name for it, the Meghan Effect. Clearly, people want to replicate her style. Sometimes its more challenging than others especially when Meghan wears one-of-a-kind or rare pieces. Namely, when she wears jewelry that once belonged to her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana. Ahead, check out just a few of the times Meghans worn Dianas jewelry. Princess Diana left most of her jewelry to Prince William and Prince Harry Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William | Anwar Hussein/WireImage RELATED: Kate Middleton Owns Countless Items of Princess Dianas Jewelry, Does Meghan Markle Own Any? Although she died suddenly at the age of 36, Diana already had a will drawn up and in place. Per her instructions, Diana left her jewelry to her sons, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Children at the time of their mothers passing, William and Harry were 15 and 12-years-old respectively when Diana died on August 31, 1997. In her will, Diana stated that William and Harry would get 75% of her jewelry. The remaining 25% would go to her 17 godchildren. Allowed to make changes to the will as co-executors were Dianas mother and sister. And make changes they did. Securing a secret change order in court, they tweaked Dianas instructions about jewelry. Instead of dividing the remaining jewelry between Dianas godchildren, theyd get a keepsake handpicked by the executors. Despite the drama that ensued, today Harry and Williams significant others have both stepped out in some of their mothers jewelry. Meghan Markle wore Princess Dianas aquamarine ring to her royal wedding reception When Harry and Meghan married on May 19, 2018, they honored Diana in many ways. And they didnt stop at the ceremony. When the couple did an outfit change before heading to their wedding reception at Frogmore House, Meghan exited Windsor Castle holding hands with Harry wearing Dianas aquamarine ring. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drive to their royal wedding reception | Steve Parsons WPA Pool/Getty Images RELATED: How Meghan Markle Pays Tribute to Princess Diana Through Jewelry Meghan Markle loves Princess Dianas butterfly earrings Just as Catherine favors certain pieces of Dianas jewelry so does Meghan. Since joining the royal family, Meghans worn a pair of Dianas gold butterfly earrings on a number of occasions. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went to Australia on a royal tour in 2018, Meghan brought along with her Dianas butterfly earrings. Just after announcing they would become parents, Harry and Meghan made an appearance at the Sydney Opera House to pose for photos with koalas. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Sydney Opera House | SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images Walking hand-in-hand, Meghan showed up to the event wearing Dianas butterfly earrings and also a gold bracelet that once belonged to her. The Duchess of Sussex must be fond of this particular earrings and bracelet combo because this isnt the only time shes worn them. During the unveiling of the Smart Works capsule collection clothes for women to wear on job interviews that Meghan worked on, she did another nod to Diana. She attended the launch wearing the same butterfly earrings and gold bracelet shed worn in Australia. Meghan Markle at the launch of Smart Works capsule collection | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Its unclear when exactly fans will get another glimpse of Meghan wearing Dianas jewelry. However, its certainly true the Duchess of Sussex is fond of honoring her late mother-in-law with her jewelry. RELATED: Will Meghan Markle Be Banned From Wearing Princess Dianas Jewelry After She Steps Down? Herman Cain, shown at the Multicultural Media Correspondents Dinner at the National Press Club in Washington in May 2018. Read more ATLANTA HHerman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of a major pizza chain who went on to become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 74. A post on Cains Twitter account Thursday announced the death. Cain had been ill with the virus for several weeks. Its not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending Trumps campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. A photo taken at the rally showed Cain, without a mask, sitting closely to other people who also were not wearing any face coverings. A statement on his Twitter account said he tested positive for COVID on June 29 and was hospitalized July 1 because his symptoms were serious. We knew when he was first hospitalized with COVID-19 that this was going to be a rough fight, read an article posted on the account. Trump offered his condolences in a tweet on Thursday in which he said he had also spoken by telephone to Cain's family. He later started his news conference at the White House with a mention of Cains death. He was a very special person ... and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus, Trump said, using the moniker he often ascribes to the new coronavirus, which was first detected in China. He added, We send out prayers to Hermans great wife, Gloria ... And I have to say, America grieves for all of the 150,000 Americans that had their lives taken by this horrible, invisible enemy. Cain, who had hoped to become the first Black politician to win the GOP nomination, was initially considered a long-shot candidate. His bid was propelled forward in September 2011 when he won a straw poll vote in Florida, instantly becoming an alternative candidate for Republican voters concerned that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was not conservative enough. But Cain struggled to respond to accusations that he had sexually harassed several women and in a video that went viral on the internet rambled uncomfortably when asked whether he supported or opposed President Barack Obamas policies in Libya. There were also gaffes on abortion and torture that led Cains critics to question whether he was ready for the White House. Just as Cain started surging in the polls, Politico reported that the National Restaurant Association paid settlements to two former employees who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was CEO and president of the lobbying group from 1996 to 1999. Another woman, Sharon Bialek, said that Cain, an acquaintance, groped her in a car in July 1997 after theyd had dinner in Washington. Bialek, who was then unemployed, said she had contacted Cain seeking job advice. Cain said he could not remember Bialek and denied sexually harassing anyone, but polls conducted in the weeks afterward showed his popularity slipping considerably. Cain honed his speaking skills in the corporate world, then hosted a radio talk show in Atlanta that introduced his political views and up-by-the-bootstraps life story to many tea party supporters and other conservatives. He first ventured into national politics in 1994 when he publicly challenged President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, on his proposal to force employers to buy health insurance for their employees. For many, many businesses like mine, the cost of your plan is simply a cost that will cause us to eliminate jobs, Cain told Clinton. What will I tell those people whose jobs I will have to eliminate? Afterward, the restaurant industry used Cain as a spokesman as it campaigned against Clintons plan, which ultimately failed. Cain served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City from 1992 to 1996. After moving back to his native Georgia, he ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2004. He lost to Rep. Johnny Isakson in the primary. Less than two years later, Cain was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his colon that had spread to his liver. He recovered and later credited God with persuading him to run for president after Obama, a Democrat, took office in early 2009. Thats when I prayed and prayed and prayed, Cain told an audience of young Republicans in Atlanta. And when I finally realized that it was God saying that this is what I needed to do, I was like Moses. Youve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure? Cain projected a self-confident image that at times bordered on arrogance. He referred to himself in the third person, and his motivations speaking company was named T.H.E. New Voice Inc. The acronym stood for The Hermanator Experience. Cains run for the presidency was unlikely considering his origins. Born in the segregated South, his father worked three jobs as a janitor, barber and chauffeur, while his mother was a servant. He graduated from Morehouse College, a historically Black college for men in Atlanta, received a masters degree from Purdue University and worked as a civilian mathematician in the U.S. Navy. While it was a good job, Cain said his ambitions were in the corporate world. He wanted to be president of something ... somewhere, he later wrote. He worked first for Coca-Cola, became a vice president with Pillsbury, then was appointed to run its struggling Burger King unit in the Philadelphia area. His success prompted Pillsbury officials to ask Cain to take over its floundering Godfathers Pizza chain. Cain said he returned the franchise to profitability. The centerpiece of Cains presidential campaign was his 9-9-9 plan, which would have replaced the current tax code with a 9% tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. Cain said the plans simplicity would stimulate the economy by giving investors certainty. If 10% is good enough for God, 9% ought to be good enough for the federal government, he told crowds. Numerous Republican politicians, party activists and conservative political commentators mourned Cain's death on social media Thursday. Romney tweeted, Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted that Cain was a fierce advocate for conservative principles across the board, while Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, referring to Cain as one of his closest friends, remarked that Herman ... lived the American dream and aspired to share his success with others. Cain is survived by his wife, Gloria Etchison, their children and grandchildren. Baptist university rescinds students admission over same-sex relationship Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Christian university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention has garnered controversy over rescinding a graduate students admission because he is in a same-sex relationship. Alex Duron posted a letter he received from Union University on Facebook last week, noting that his admission to a nursing program was rescinded because he was found in violation of the schools Community Values Statements for Graduate and Non-Traditional Programs. Duron denounced the decision of Union as Bigotry, Prejudice, Heterosexism, Homophobia and took issue with the fact that the university receives federal funding. Union University may not be right for me. I can accept that, but I cannot accept that our government is giving them the money to discriminate against me, he wrote. Friends understand that I am doing fine and I have moved on from this. I have strong support all around me and I know my worth. Continuing to push forward but recognizing that gay discrimination lies all around us. Union University explained to The Christian Post that it has standards of behavior for students and faculty that are consistent with biblical teaching and historic, orthodox Christian practice. We love our students and want them to thrive and succeed, and we believe that a standard of conduct that honors God and submits to his authority is an important part of that success, stated the university. All students who apply to Union University sign a statement saying they will comply with the universitys values. Those students who fail to abide by those values or who show no intention of attempting to do so are subject to disciplinary measures that can include dismissal from the university. In 2015, Union University opted to leave the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities when two other member schools hired staff members who were in same-sex relationships. "The Union community has certainly benefited from the student programs, professional development, and advocacy offered by the Council [but] our faithfulness to the authority of Scripture takes precedence," stated Union President Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver in 2015. "The reason we are passionate about this is because what we are talking about is not a secondary or tertiary theological issue marriage is at the heart of the Gospel. To deny the Bible's concept of marriage is to deny the authority of Scripture." Unions decision to rescind Durons admission comes as other Christian schools face litigation over their traditional views on LGBT issues while also receiving federal funding. Last November, a former student named Joanna Maxon sued Fuller Theological Seminary arguing that by expelling her for being in a same-sex marriage, they violated Title IX rules. Defendants discriminated against Mrs. Maxon based on her sexual orientation because it expelled Mrs. Maxon for entering into a civil same-sex marriage, read the suit, a copy of which was emailed to CP last year. Defendants also discriminated against Mrs. Maxon based on her sex and sexual orientation by subjecting her to stricter disciplinary action than Fuller would have subjected a male, heterosexual student. Becket, a law firm that specializes in religious liberty cases and has successfully argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, has agreed to represent Fuller. "The claims here are dangerous for faith-based institutions," said Becket attorney Daniel Blomberg in a CBN report. If the court was to accept them, then they would be harmful to religious groups of all backgrounds and particularly minority religious groups that have beliefs that the majority and the surrounding communities might find unpopular. The global average cost of a data breach that affects over a million records is $3.86 million, the report revealed. In terms of individual countries and regions, the US has the highest average cost for data breaches, at $8.64 million. The Middle East came in second, with an average cost of $6.52 million. Canada is the third highest, with $4.5 million. Between 2019 and 2020, the cost of data breaches increased for most countries, IBM and Ponemon Institute said. While the US saw a 5.5% increase in data breach costs, Canada experienced a slightly higher 6.7% surge. The report also found that 80% of the large-scale data breaches reported in the year ending April 2020 involved the compromise or theft of customer-related personally identifiable information (PII). By comparison, the exposure of intellectual property only made up 32% of all data breaches recorded, while anonymized customer data was compromised in 24% of breaches those two were also the second and third highest types of records compromised in data breaches after customer PII. On average, each customer PII record compromised cost organizations $150, the report said. In terms of data breach root causes, 54% of all data breaches in the US were due to a malicious attack. In Canada, 42% of data breaches were also caused by hackers. Data breaches still plague industries that hold a lot of customer PII, but now they are even happening to smaller enterprises, the report found. Healthcare and financial industries have consistently had the highest data breach costs, the report noted. But the Ponemon Institute also found that the average cost of a data breach for mid-sized organizations increased by 7% from 2019 to 2020. Some groups are looking towards coworking spaces in an attempt to continue their operations on a smaller scale, photo Le Toan Creating a startup agency for airlines tickets and tours three years ago, 32-year-old Nguyen Manh Hao is now struggling to rescue his business. Hao and two friends set up a joint-stock company and with confidence rented a Grade C office for lease in Happy Tower, in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, at the price of $11 per square metre. Haos company is paying $890 excluding other charges such as parking, management, power and water supply, for the 90sq.m office space every month. In addition, Hao also paid a sum of VND200 million ($9,560) for fitting and equipment installation. The above expenses are not big for doing business in general but are significant for startup investors like Hao and his friends. Strongly impacted by COVID-19 since the beginning of the year, Hao and his company can no longer afford the costs. He has recently decided to narrow the space by half, hoping the company can survive the pandemic. I really do not know how long we can stay afloat in this situation, Hao said. His situation is a familiar story of small businesses which are struggling with the downturn in the market caused by COVID-19. According to figures released by the General Statistics Office under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, more than 92,200 enterprises had to withdraw from the market in the first six months of this year, an increase of 38.2 per cent compared to the same period of last year. Accompanying this number was the increase of vacant space in offices for lease, especially Grade C which is mostly occupied by small and private companies. Difficulties increase The latest report from JLL Vietnam said that a number of buildings recorded negative net absorption in the second quarter of 2020 in Ho Chi Minh City as tenants in financial hardship returned the spaces. The combination resulted in an increase of overall vacancy in the Grade A and B market by 107 per cent on-quarter in the second quarter, even though the market remained tight with only 8.0 per cent vacant space. Negative net absorption was recorded for the first time in a decade, registering -3,619sq.m in the second quarter. This was mainly due to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that were major sources of tenants in the Grade B market, scaling down and terminating contracts as a result of the pandemic and its impacts. The Grade A segment, albeit more resilient and backed up by deep-pocketed companies, was also under pressure due to a collapse in demand. Buildings with increasingly large vacancies, especially in lower grades, will likely reconsider their asking rents and leasing strategies to maintain the required occupancy rate as the pandemic rumbles on. Meanwhile in Hanoi, a similar situation was apparent during the second quarter as negative net absorption was recorded in both grades A and B. This led to a 37 per cent rise in vacancy rates on-quarter, although the market remained tight with only 7 per cent of space vacant. According to Trang Bui, head of markets at JLL Vietnam, as the global economy remains uncertain, office tenants will take a hard hit with probably those in grades B and C first and likely followed by those in Grade A if the virus is not globally contained soon. Tenants had to either move to locations with lower rents or shrink down their size. In addition, not only SMEs were experiencing difficulties, large corporates are also becoming more cautious in their spending as the global market has been affected heavily by the pandemic, Trang said. Aware of the difficulties for tenants, some landlords are actively supporting them by reducing rents or adding more facilities. The developer of MK Centre, a full-package office for lease in Ho Chi Minh City, announced a rent-free period of six months from June for its tenants and a reduction of 25 per cent rent will be applied for the following 12 months. Meanwhile, Huynh Phuoc Nghia, associate dean at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, said reducing rents for offices for lease is a smart solution which can help both tenants and landlords overcome the pandemic. Landlords can suffer from large vacancies so they will still try to keep their tenants as much as they can, hoping that the worst will soon be over. If tenants survive, landlords survive as well, Nghia said. In general, operators of office for lease buildings are reducing their rents from $5 to $1 per sq.m per month. Many companies have been moving to a lower grade of office. According to CBRE Vietnam, in the second quarter, 72 per cent of CBRE Vietnams enquires involved moving from Grade A to B or from B to C. Tenants, therefore, are tending to narrow their space and move to lower grade buildings in non-centre district areas to save their budget. Coworking alternative As companies look for alternative options in order to save costs, coworking spaces are being considered by many, including multinationals, thanks to their competitive and versatile offerings. Unlike traditional office buildings which require high investment from the beginning, coworking spaces are an alternative option for many companies where they can have a space for working with reasonable rents but are flexible and equipped with facilities. This option is especially suitable for SMEs and startups. With the advantage of low rent costs and deposits, coworking spaces are attracting more tenants. Moreover, they will not have to depend on long-term contracts. Coworking spaces have been increasing recently with more than 40 operators in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City including Regus, Toong, Up, NakedHub, WeWork, CoGo, and Tiktak. According to Duong Do, founder and CEO of Toong, it is a tough time for everyone as the outbreak is curtailing economic activity. However, Toong is diversifying its activities to woo customers. Toong has inevitably experienced a decline in revenue growth in March; however, the majority of our clientele are medium and large companies with long-term goals and business continuity plans, which makes it harder to be shut down or come to a complete halt, Duong said. With six new locations soon to come online and a three-month art project taking place across 11 locations, the summer of 2020 is a milestone for Toong. Funded by Indochina Capital in 2017, Toong was Vietnams first professional large-scale coworking brand, becoming one of the key shareholders and holding a board position in the startup company. So far it has 19 locations nationwide in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, and Danang. Although the complicated movements in the world are changing the way the economy operates, we believe that in a challenged context, flexibility is the key for businesses to quickly adapt. The dedication of the service provider is still a key to open up new opportunities, Duong said. Talking with VIR, WeWork head of growth in Southeast Asia and South Korea Ray Tan admitted that it is of no doubt that offices for lease and coworking spaces have been significantly affected by events this year. This is not the first time we had to deal with adverse economic scenarios. When we first started 10 years ago, it was just after the height of a financial crisis. Akin to now, it was a time when the economy was on track to recover and companies were re-evaluating their business strategies. Companies will always value our flexibility, cost efficiency, and shorter lease lengths, especially more so in a recessionary environment, said Tan. Between March and July, WeWork have seen a more than 13 per cent increase since the start of the year in the Vietnamese market. WeWork has three locations in Vietnam, all located in Ho Chi Minh City. Southeast Asia is still in its infancy when it comes to space-as-a-service providers like WeWork. It currently only makes up 5 per cent of total office space in the region and looks to increase to 30 per cent in a decade, Tan replied when he was asked on the possibility of changing investment strategies for Vietnams market. We are seeing optimism that Vietnam will rebound strongly from the current economic slowdown. So, we are very committed to the market and our strategy is to build the right model to ensure smart and sustainable growth, he added. A bill that would rename the title of elected county officials in New Jersey from freeholder to commissioner is headed to Gov. Phil Murphys desk after passing the state Senate on Thursday. After years of debate, the bill (S855) calls for a name change due to the history of centuries-old term that many consider racist and offensive. It was a term coined when only white, male landowners could be hold public office. The measure was approved with a vote of 31-6 and is backed by Murphy, who announced his support of the bipartisan legislation on July 10 with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin. Theres been talk of abolishing the term for years. The new push comes amid a new civil rights wave to address systemic racism in America, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota and fueled by protests across the country. This is an outdated name that is rooted in the terminology and practices of bigotry that needs to be eliminated, Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said in a statement. As we work to bring justice and equality to all Americans we should recognize that symbolism matters and the titles we use for public offices have meaning. We should be diligent in erasing all remnants of oppression. Murphy, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bipartisan bill, sponsored by Sweeney and state Sens. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth and Joe Pennachio, R-Morris. Amid the national reckoning to remove painful symbols and references of oppression, New Jersey is on the cusp of eliminating the term Freeholder from governance. Thank you @RutgersU President and historian Jonathan Holloway for your powerful insight. pic.twitter.com/yjVt3AWw4Z Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 30, 2020 New Jersey is the last state in the country to use the term freeholder. Each of New Jerseys 21 counties has a board of chosen freeholders elected by voters in those counties. The officials oversee taxpayer-funded county budgets, which pay for parks, jails, roads, and more. The bill would also require counties to update their letterheads, stationery, websites, and other writings within one year. They would not have to replace signs or other writings if it would require them to spend county taxpayer money. The name stems from a 15th century English legal term referring to a person who owned land free of debts, mortgage, or lien. That carried over to pre-Revolutionary America. New Jerseys first constitution, written in 1776, declared a county representative must be worth fifty pounds proclamation money, clear estate in the same and have resided in the county in which they claim a vote for twelve months immediately preceding the election. Having a clear estate meant you were the owner or freeholder of property outright. But proponents of dropping the name note that only landowners could hold office at the time, and because Black people and most women could not own property then, it helped ensure white men were in power. Plus, owning property during that period could have included owning slaves. The name change from freeholder to commissioner would be the latest move in New Jersey to address problematic issues of the past concerning issues of race. Murphy gave up using the desk of former President Woodrow Wilson, who has come under criticism for racist policies during his time as governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. Princeton removed the name from its public policy school and a residential dorm, because of his racist thinking and policies, according to a statement at the time. NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips In July 2018, Nigerian journalist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani wrote an honest, captivating and illuminating article about how her late great-grandfathers life as a 19th-century slave trader shaped her life. In the expansive essay published by the New Yorker, Nwaubani told intriguing tales about family, Igbo traditions, slavery and colonialism. She explained how her great-grandfather, Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku, gained wealth and influence during the transatlantic slave trade era by selling other Africans and helping missionaries establish Christianity in Nigeria. She also provided an honest and nuanced account of the conflicting feelings many of her relatives have about her great-grandfathers legacy. She told us how her father once declared he could never be ashamed of the infamous slave trader. Why should I be, she quoted him as asking, His business was legitimate at the time. He was respected by everyone around. But she also wrote about her relatives who see things differently. She told us about her cousin Chidi, who grew up in England and chose to keep his familys inglorious past hidden from his British friends. She also wrote about another cousin, Chiomia, who says she asks God to forgive our ancestors whenever she watches a film about slavery. In the essay, Nwaubani underlined her familys efforts to break away from its painful and tainted history. She mentioned how in 1992, believing that they are being punished for the crimes of their ancestors, the community her family hails from chose to adopt a new name to reflect their severance from the atrocities of the past. She also proudly described in detail a deliverance ceremony her family held in January 2018 to publicly denounce its role in the slave trade. During the ceremony, I was overwhelmed with relief Nwaubani reflected, My family was finally taking a step beyond whispering and worrying. According to Nwaubanis account in the New Yorker, her family resisted the temptation to accept their grandfather as a product of his times, took a strong moral stand on slavery, and made a clean break from his despicable legacy. If this essay remained as Nwaubanis only telling of her familys story, it could have been her heartfelt contribution to the efforts to honestly document one of the most painful periods in human history. It might have persevered as a strong, insightful and emancipating analysis of the slave trade from an African point of view. More so, in todays progressive political climate, it could have provided an example as to how families, communities and societies could reflect honestly on the crimes of their ancestors and redeem themselves from the overbearing weight of historical injustices. Yet, unfortunately, it has not. On July 19, just seven weeks after George Floyds police killing in Minnesota sparked a global movement for racial justice, Nwaubani chose to tell her great-grandfathers story once again, this time to the BBC. The new article, titled My great-grandfather sold slaves, has a brand new editorial slant and does not once mention her familys efforts to reckon with the slaveholders legacy. This time, the Nigerian journalist describes his grandfather not as someone who gained power and wealth by selling other Africans across the Atlantic, but merely as a businessman who lived in a time when the fittest survived and the bravest excelled. There is also no mention of the heart-wrenching emotions towards slavery experienced by her family. As a result, there is no sign of the overarching and progressive morality that characterised the New Yorker article. Clearly, unlike the original essay published two years ago, the aim of the BBC article is not to chronicle a familys struggle to come in terms with the abominable deeds of an ancestor, but to offer a defence for that ancestor by stating yesterdays slave masters should not be judged by todays moral standards. In the BBC article, in a desperate and shocking attempt to glorify a man who traded human beings for a living, Nwaubani even shares an anecdote that paints her great-grandfather as a hero for successfully confronting officials of the British colonial government after they seized some of his slaves. The BBC article not only tries to whitewash Nwaubani Ogogo Oriakus legacy, but also attempts to put the blame for the transatlantic slave trade on Africans. It states that buying and selling of human beings among the Igbo had been going on long before the Europeans arrived and implies that the arrival of Europeans merely accelerated an existing and established practice. By doing so, the article clearly intends to play down the United Kingdoms role in trafficking approximately 11-14 million Africans, many of whom died at sea, or at the hands of angry, hate-filled lynch mobs or cruel slave masters in America. In her piece for the BBC, Nwaubani not only gives the impression that slavery was really just an African construct, but she also credits the UK for bringing it to an end. Without the help of the enlightened and compassionate British Empire, Nwaubani opines, the slave trade would have never ended. To top it all, she suggests, were the Igbos enamoured by statues, her grandfather certainly would deserve to have one built in his honour. So why did Nwaubani decide to retell her great-grandfathers story and offer a defence for him at a time when the Black Live Matters movements call for racial justice finally started to be heard across the globe? And why did the BBC decide it has a national responsibility to redeem the wounded pride and fading morality of the British Empire with an article glorifying a 19th-Century Nigerian slave trader at such a momentous time in history? Nwaubanis revised, highly defensive account of her great-grandfathers life reeks of a desire to protect undue privilege. It is reminiscent of President Donald Trumps desperate attempts to rewrite history and present slaveholders and mass murderers who shaped the past of the United States as the most daring and courageous people ever to walk on the face of the Earth. In her collaboration with the BBC, she also attempts to somewhat absolve the UK of its overriding responsibility in advancing the transatlantic slave trade, setting up colonial structures throughout Africa, and perpetrating racist hierarchies globally. Because of British slavery and colonialism, the BBC enjoys extensive reach across Africa via TV, radio and online platforms. It is a trusted and popular voice in Africa. However, as Nwaubanis article clearly demonstrates, even at a time when winds of just and progressive change are blowing across the globe, it is unable to resist an urge to defend the UKs steadfast refusal to acknowledge its leading role in the centuries-long slave trade. It was only in 2015 when then British Prime Minister David Cameron told Jamaicans to move on from the painful legacy of slavery, while simultaneously lauding the UKs role in abolishing the slave trade. The current prime minister, Boris Johnson, is also known for his admiration of the British Empire, and repeated attempts to dismiss Britains role in slavery. In this context, it is easy to understand why the BBC decided to publish Nwaubanis article casting slavery as an African construct when the worlds focus shifted on the UKs colonial legacy. The efforts of the living beneficiaries of the transatlantic slave trade to stem the winds of change, however, are futile. The statues of slave traders, men such as Edward Colston, a British merchant who made a fortune from the slave trade in the late 1600s, are being forcibly removed in the US, the UK, and various other European countries. The US is reassessing its brutal past and current policies towards policing, racism and Black lives. So are Hollywood studios. So are major corporations, such as Facebook and Netflix. So are Africans of all hues. Nothing the BBC publishes can ever silence the voices that are demanding the UK to have a long overdue reckoning with its brutal history. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Agreement allows Cohen to proceed with publication of a book expected to be highly critical of his former boss. The United States government dropped its effort to silence President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer on Thursday, saying it will no longer demand that Michael Cohen not speak with the media in the weeks before his book critical of his former boss is released. An agreement between lawyers for the government and Cohens lawyer Danya Perry lifting the media ban that had prevented Cohen from speaking publicly awaited a signature by a federal judge. Cohen is completing the last two years of a three-year prison sentence at home after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges and lying to Congress. He was released from prison in May amid coronavirus fears in US prisons, only to be returned earlier this month after making it known he planned to publish a book critical of the president. He said in court papers his book, titled Disloyal: The True Story of Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump, would be published before the November election. The government wants Judge Hellerstein to clarify what he meant by ordering the "release" of Michael Cohen, who was supposed to be transferred from prison to home confinement. The revised conditions no longer have a gag order. Background @CourthouseNews: https://t.co/YmVgIncQLe pic.twitter.com/dLS5ib6YNn Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) July 30, 2020 Cohen, 53, had sued federal prison officials and US Attorney General William Barr, saying he was ordered back to prison because of the book. US Judge Alvin K Hellerstein last week ordered him released, saying the governments action was retaliatory and a violation of his First Amendment rights. Probation authorities had told Hellerstein in court documents that Cohen was sent back to prison because he refused to sign a form banning him from publishing the book or communicating with the media or public. The Bureau of Prisons has said any assertion that the reimprisonment of Cohen was a retaliatory action is patently false. He was released to home confinement on Friday after being held behind bars since July 9. Cohens book is anticipated in part for what it might divulge about the circumstances that led him to plead guilty to campaign finance charges and blame Trump for directing him to commit the crimes. The charges stemmed from his efforts to arrange payouts during the 2016 presidential race to keep adult film actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from making public claims of extramarital affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs. In a written declaration, Cohen said his book will provide graphic and unflattering details about the Presidents behavior behind closed doors. The government is prepared to deal with locust attacks and has hired for spraying pesticide if needed, state agriculture minister J P Dalal said on Thursday. The minister told the farmers that they need not worry about the locust attacks, but cautioned them to stay vigilant. During the past few days, small swarms of locusts have been spotted in some districts of Haryana, including Sirsa which borders Rajasthan. Speaking to reporters in Bhiwani, Dalal said there are enough stocks of and all necessary arrangements are in place to deal with the threat posed by locusts. Dalal also said, we have hired and we will use them wherever the need is felt. Also, if need arises, we will get sprayed even by helicopters. He said tractor-mounted spraying guns will be mostly used to eliminate the insects. Dalal said the Centre had recently issued an advisory warning of more locusts attacks this year. The minister said as large swarms of locusts had entered Rajasthan they could enter neighbouring after breeding. Meanwhile, the Agriculture department has decided to deploy two in Hisar and Mahendragarh districts by Thursday evening. These drones can be deployed in other affected areas as well, if required, said Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, Sanjeev Kaushal. He said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given clearance for deploying the drones. Kaushal said a tender had also been issued for engaging five more drones, with minimum pay load capacity of 10 litres and flight operation capacity of at least four hours every day, for undertaking aerial spray operation in affected areas. These drones could be deployed for spraying in fields, community land, sand dunes, tree tops, acacia plantation, or any other affected area, as required by the Department, he said. Kaushal said the department was putting in place several measures to control the swarms of locusts, including stocking additional quantities of pesticide, deploying tractor-mounted spray pumps, and acquiring fogging machines. The preparatory measures have so far prevented significant losses in most areas during locust attacks in Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal, Sirsa, Nuh, Rewari, Bhiwani and Narnaul since June 26, he said. Kaushal assured that the department was closely monitoring the situation, and urged farmers in the affected districts to stay alert and inform the officials if they see locusts anywhere. A fortnight ago, swarms of locusts had reached Sirsa, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Mahendragarh districts. Dalal had assured farmers that the government would take all necessary measures to control locust infestation in case the insects are spotted in any district and they will be compensated for their losses. The farmers beat ''thalis'' (plates) and other utensils to drive away the insects and protect their crops, while administration and Agriculture department officials deploy tractor-mounted spraying guns and other machinery to spray once the insects settle down in fields or on trees etc. Last month, a huge swarm of locusts had reached Rewari from Rajasthan. While a part of the swarm settled overnight in the district, the remaining headed towards Gurgaon the next morning and eventually moved towards Uttar Pradesh. Haryana had issued a high alert two months ago after swarms of locusts attacked crops in Rajasthan and a few other states. Locusts, popularly known as ''tiddi dal'', are short-horned grasshoppers with highly migratory habits and voracious feeding behaviour. (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.) Robert Hood Robert Hood, assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the Dept. of Defense, has moved to Hyundai Motor Co. to lead its federal and state government affairs efforts. He joined Team Trump after serving as a member of the presidential transition team. Earlier, Hood did an eight-year run as VP government affairs at engineering giant CH2M Hill. Hood, who began his career as an aide to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, also held different jobs in the George W. Bush administration, exiting as special assistant to the president in the White Houses office of legislative affairs. Yong Sohn, Hyundai VP, said Hood will help the Korean car company navigate the complex and dynamic US political landscape. Robs decades of experience in government affairs and his strong reputation will be invaluable as Hyundai continues to engage on important policy issues that impact the auto industry, said Sohn. Hyundai manufactures Sonata and Elantra cars at its Montgomery, AL plant, which opened in 2005. The company says it has invested $10B in the US, which includes outlays in California for its US headquarters (Fountain Valley), design center (Irvine) and testing grounds (Irwindale), as well as a Detroit engineering complex. French Total and Apache Corp have made a new, major oil discovery in the offshore Block 58 in Suriname, the two companies said. We are thrilled with the results from the Kwaskwasi-1 exploration well. This is the best well weve drilled in the basin to date, with the highest net pay in the best quality reservoirs, Apache chief executive John J. Christmann said. While we have a lot more work to do, a discovery of this quality and magnitude merits a pace of evaluation that enables the option of accelerated first production. This is the third oil discovery at Block 58, Reuters notes, and now the companies, which share the rights to the block 50/50, will move on to a fourth prospect in the block. Total entered Block 58 last year after it bought half of the project from Apache. The block is part of the prolific Guyana-Suriname Basin and neighbors the Stabroek block, which has so far yielded a dozen oil discoveries, made by Exxon and Hess, tapping a reservoir containing more than 5 billion barrels of crude. The first offshore oil discovery in Suriname was made in Block 58, from the Maka 1 well, in January this year. At the time, observers commented that this could spur a new oil rush, this time in Suriname, which could boost the investment attractiveness of neighbor Guyana. Then oil prices collapsed and the pandemic spread, and news about exploration and discoveries grew scarce. And yet, half a dozen companies have already received licenses for exploration offshore Suriname, including Exxon, Petronas, Tullow Oil, and Norways Equinor. The tiny country has estimated oil reserves of 92.5 million barrels, according to its state oil company Staatsolie, and some 17.1 million barrels of probable oil reserves. It currently operates just one producing field, Tambaredjo, which pumps around 16,300 bpd. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: DOW Pastor David Brown of the Dow Southern Baptist Church continues to ride the waves of emotions following Wednesdays fire. While the churchs sanctuary was spared from the flames, its office area and classrooms are a total loss. Hours later, it still seems surreal for Brown. When I got the call in the morning, I thought, Theres now way that this is happening, he said. When they started tearing the walls down, thats when it really hit me. With the help of technology, Brown took to Facebook to update church members Wednesday on what he had seen. He told them church members were able to save important personal information of members before the walls came down. He also said the support the congregation has received from the community has been incredible. Local residents, members of the Grafton Chamber of Commerce and even a church in Brussels offered their help and support. He also thanked the different fire agencies for being able to save the sanctuary The outpouring of love and concern has been incredible, he said. Brown described the fire as the most horrible thing he has ever seen. But he added that he believes God will prevail. The emotions are good, he said. The tears are good. The anger is real. The church is the people; its the congregation, he said. Its not the building. Brown said the congregation plans to return to using the sanctuary once the smoke damage is cleaned out. Until then, Brown will be presenting sermons over Facebook Live. This year would have been the churchs 50th anniversary, he said. And he remains confidant as the church goes into Year 51. Even in the midst of this, I dont want us to lose focus of the fact that God is still at work, Brown said. Were going to be okay. The cause of the Wednesdays fire is currently under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshals Office and the federal Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Office. The Jersey County Sheriffs Office is asking for anyone with information regarding the fire to share it. Two Rivers Crime Stoppers a non-profit organization in Hardin also is offering a $500 reward for anyone with information about the fire in the church and one about the same time in the nearby AT&T Building. To submit a tip, visit http://tworiverscrimestoppers.org/index.html. Tips may be anonymous. Despite evident nervousness about the possibility of economic retaliation from Beijing, Australias government this week scrambled to satisfy the demands of the Trump administration to fully commit to the escalating US military, diplomatic and economic confrontation with China. The joint July 28 statement issued by the US and Australian foreign policy and military leaders from the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Washington DC read like a justification for war. It broadcast all the Trump administrations incendiary and unproven allegations against Chinafrom coercive and destabilizing actions across the Indo-Pacific to malicious interference in other countriesand announced a classified military Statement of Principles to advance force-posture cooperation against China. After the post-AUSMIN media conference, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo again lashed out at China, vowing to back and defend Australia from intense continued coercive pressure from the Chinese Communist Party to bow to Beijings wishes. Without offering the slightest justification for his accusations, Pompeo declared: It is unacceptable for Beijing to use exports or student fees as a cudgel against Australia. We stand with our Australian friends. Like previous AUSMIN communiques, the joint statement itself commenced by framing the relationship in terms of fighting wars together. It declared that the US-Australian alliance remains unbreakable more than a century since we first fought side-by-side in World War I. Reynolds and Payne with Pompeo (Credit: US Embassy in Canberra) The significance of these declarations was underscored by the fact that the Australian foreign affairs and defence ministers, Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds, travelled to Washington with an entourage that included their department heads and the Australian military chief, General Angus Campbell, despite the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the US population. They met face-to-face with Pompeo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who thanked them ostentatiously for making the trip. And your entire delegation will be quarantining when you get back, Pompeo said. Not many partners will do that for us, and so thank you to each of you and your teams for being with us here in person. No explanation was provided as to the top-secret classification of the force-posture cooperation agreement, entitled Statement of Principles on Alliance Defense Cooperation and Force Posture Priorities in the Indo-Pacific. The AUSMIN joint statement referred only to the establishment of a bilateral Force Posture Working Group seeking to deter coercive acts and the use of force. Nevertheless, this pact is another indication of war preparations. The four leaders also announced the construction of a US-funded, commercially-operated strategic military fuel reserve in the strategic northern Australian city of Darwin. US marines already have been stationed, on rotation, in Darwin since the previous Greens-backed Labor government of Julia Gillard agreed to that in 2011. The AUSMIN meeting unveiled several other joint operations, including a high-level working group to vigorously monitor and respond to harmful disinformationclearly directed against China. No information was offered about the alleged kinds of disinformation, or how such activities would be attacked. The AUSMIN statement also reaffirmed the two countries commitment to furthering military alliances designed to encircle China: Trilateral dialogues with Japan and Quad consultations with Japan and India. At the joint media conference, the four refused to specifically answer questions from reporters about further details of what had been agreed, such as whether Australia had acceded to the mounting US requests for its warships to join provocative freedom of navigation operations within the 12-mile territorial waters surrounding Chinese-occupied islets in the South China Sea. Esper, however, praised Australia for already joining US naval operations in the region. Last week, five Australian warships joined the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group and a Japanese destroyer in conducting a trilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea ahead of the upcoming RIMPAC exercise in Hawaii, he said. These exercises not only bolster interoperability, but also send a clear signal to Beijing that we will fly, we will sail, and we will operate wherever international law allows and defend the rights of our allies and partners to do the same. Likewise, Esper did not directly answer a question about whether the US was continuing to explore the idea of deploying mid-range missiles in Australia, directed against China, but indicated that this was certainly being discussed. We had a very ranging discussion about the capabilities the US possesses and the capabilities Australia possesses and our desire to advance themwhether they are hypersonic or any other kind of capability, he said. These activities are just part of the gearing up for hi-tech warfare against a nuclear-armed country. Reynolds spoke about joint development of hypersonics, electronic warfare and space-based capabilities, to ensure the alliance maintains its capability edge in a rapidly modernising environment, without giving any details. The assertion by the US and Australia that China is the source of the tensions and malign behaviour in the Indo-Pacific stands reality on its head. The Trump administration is increasingly resorting to anti-Chinese propaganda to blame a foreign enemy for the COVID-19 catastrophe in the US, while vying with the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, to be the most strident in doing so. At the same time, the White House is ramping up the US pivot or rebalance to Asia, which President Barack Obama formally initiated in the Australian parliament in 2011. It consists of continuous diplomatic, economic and military efforts to undermine Chinese influence and reassert American dominance over the region. In the South China Sea, which is strategically vital to China, Washington has seized upon Beijings longstanding bilateral territorial disputes with other countries, the Philippines and Vietnam in particular, potentially creating the pretext for US-led military interventions to supposedly defend them against Chinese bullying. US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) journalist Nick Schifrin asked Payne to comment on Pompeos regime-change call in his speech last week in which he urged all free nations to rise as one against Chinese tyranny, regardless of the economic consequences. Schifrin asked Payne whether the admonition to help the Chinese people change the Chinese government was possible and/or wise? Payne obfuscated, saying US policy was for itself to determine, while insisting that the Australian government had an important relationship with China, which Canberra had no intention of injuring. The billion-dollar interests behind that nervousness, especially based on mining exports to China, received expression yesterday when a business-backed group, China Matters, warned that Australia could be collateral damage if US-China ties deteriorated further. Regardless of these fears, however, the dominant sections of the Australian ruling class have concluded that they have no option but to back the US, on which they depend heavily for investment, as well as military and intelligence support. While Payne claimed that the US-Australia relationship was respectful, she and Reynolds were at pains to recite the actions that the Australian government had taken in sync with the US. The list included banning the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from Australias proposed 5G network, opposing Chinas Belt and Road infrastructure program, introducing foreign interference laws, blocking Chinese investment in certain industries, and denouncing Chinese actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. It also included declaring illegal Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea, collaborating on the mining and refining of critical minerals and allocating an extra $270 billion over the next decade to boosting Australias military capacity, especially for longer-range operations in Chinas vicinity. On every front, each Australian government over the past decade has increasingly integrated the country, militarily and strategically, into the drive by the US to block China from challenging the US domination of the region and the world, effectively placing the Australian population on the frontline of a potentially catastrophic war. A woman whose body was found half naked and set alight in Sydney bushland on Wednesday has been identified. Najma Carroll's body was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road in Menai at 5.15pm on Wednesday by a member of the public. The 33-year-old from Sydney's Inner West was found with head injuries and early examinations indicate that attempts had been made to set her body on fire. Najma Carroll (pictured) was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai Police scouring the site at 'white rock' where Ms Carroll was found. Police have appealed for anyone with information on her death to come forward A crime scene has been established, with specialist forensic police examining the site on Thursday. Investigators are marking the area with neon flags close to a popular dirt bike track which has been closed. Police have appealed to the public for information and asked anyone with information on Ms Carroll's death to come forward. They would like to speak with anyone with knowledge of Ms Carroll's movements in the last few days or anyone who saw anything suspicious off Heathcote Road at the site known as 'white rock'. Ms Carroll's (pictured) body was found with head injuries and indications she had been set on fire Police are combing the site near popular dirt bike track, which has been closed for their investigation Ms Carroll's (pictured) body was found half naked, with injuries consistent with a murder Investigators are still trying to determine whether she was killed at the scene or her body was dumped there later. Local detectives and the State Crime Commands Homicide Squad have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death. They say her injuries are consistent with a murder and are treating Ms Carroll's death as suspicious. A press conference will be held later this afternoon. Police (pictured at the scene) are yet to determine whether Ms Carroll was killed at the site or had her body dumped there LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A proposed overall 3.8% rate hike on drivers insured under California's Low Cost Auto Insurance Program has been withdrawn after Consumer Watchdog submitted comments urging the proposal be rejected or deferred. Instead, premium refunds will be issued for the months of March-July 2020 to reflect reduced driving and accidents while Californians have been sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 10 comments Consumer Watchdog asked the Insurance Commissioner to block proposed hikes in the price of auto insurance sold to low income motorists in Los Angeles and four of California's largest counties. The data used to calculate the proposed rates dated back to before the coronavirus pandemic, and thus did not reflect reduced driving as a result of California's stay-at-home order and the consequent severe economic impact, including widespread job losses. The California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan (CAARP) had proposed increases averaging 3.8% statewide for the state's Low Cost Auto Insurance Program, which enables low income motorists to purchase a lower cost liability auto insurance policy with more limited coverage. Larger proposed rate hikes would have averaged 4.3% for motorists in Los Angeles and Orange counties and 7.3% in Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego, among other counties. Blocking these hikes resulted in a collective savings of $259,000 in annual premiums for approximately 11,470 Low Cost Auto insured vehicles in these counties. "We are pleased with CAARP's decision to drop its rate hike proposal at a time when low income Californians are bearing the brunt of the economic impacts of the pandemic," said Pamela Pressley, Consumer Watchdog's Senior Staff Attorney. "Californians with limited incomes must not be forced to choose between family necessities and auto insurance that they are required to purchase under California law. Most other standard auto insurers have similarly withdrawn rate hike proposals based on outdated loss projections that were filed in the early part of the year before the stay at home orders were issued leading to reduced driving and in turn reduced insurance claims." CAARP has committed to providing 30% premium refunds to Low Cost Auto Insurance Program policyholders for March through May of 2020, and 15% premium refunds for June and July 2020, in response to bulletins issued by the Insurance Commissioner directing all auto insurance companies to provide refunds reflecting reduced driving and claims during the pandemic. Consumer Watchdog has asked the Commissioner to make public information on how those refunds will be calculated. California's Low Cost Auto Insurance program helps low income good drivers afford auto insurance that meets the state's financial responsibility laws. Each policy provides liability coverage for the vehicle's primary driver and eligible secondary drivers. Each individual car owner may buy separate policies to insure up to two vehicles, per person under this program. To be eligible for the Low Cost Auto program, a driver must meet the following criteria: Have a Valid California Driver's License Meet Income Eligibility Guidelines Own a Vehicle Valued at $25,000 or Less or Less Be at Least 16 Years of Age Have a Good Driving Record Drivers can apply for Low Cost Auto Insurance program coverage here: https://www.mylowcostauto.com/ Rates for the Low Cost Auto Insurance Program, like all auto insurance rates, must be reviewed and approved by the Insurance Commissioner before they are implemented. In April, Consumer Watchdog urged the Commissioner not to approve any auto insurance rate increases until more recent data reflecting reduced driving becomes available. While most auto insurers have withdrawn pending rate hike requests in recent months, CSAA of Northern California is insisting on pursuing a 6.9% rate hike based on pre-pandemic data through 2019. California's voter-approved Proposition 103 requires insurance companies to open their books and publicly justify auto, home and business insurance rate increases before they take effect. Consumer Watchdog has used Proposition 103's authority to block an estimated $3.4 billion in unjustified rate increases since 2003. Consumer Watchdog sponsored the legislation that initiated the Low Cost Auto Insurance Program enacted by the California legislature in 1999. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog Related Links http://www.consumerwatchdog.org Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to intervene in a dispute over who has the power to close schools during the coronavirus pandemic. The disagreement emerged Tuesday when the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Education Commissioner Mike Morath issued new guidance that left many school districts confused about when in-person classes can be restarted. They took the position that schools cant be closed solely based on an order from a local health authority. That marked a reversal on the part of the Texas Education Agency and puts at risk state funding to districts that dont comply. Poll: San Antonio parents share their back-to-school plans It also put in jeopardy an order, issued on July 17, by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District that prohibited school districts in Bexar County from returning to classrooms for in-person learning and school-sponsored events and activities, including sports, until Labor Day, Sept. 7. The basis for the order was the surging coronavirus infections in the county that followed Abbotts decision to start reopening businesses in May. Two school districts that straddle the Bexar County line Comal and Boerne have decided, relying on Paxtons and Moraths actions, to open schools in Bexar County according to their own schedules, despite Metro Healths order to wait until after Labor Day. We ask you to resolve this critical issue. If you disagree with our Health Directive, then revoke it. You hold that power under State law. Otherwise, please clarify that Local Health Authority Directives apply, states the letter signed by Nirenberg and Wolff. On ExpressNews.com: Reversing course, TEA wont fund schools closed solely due to Bexar County coronavirus health orders The Attorney Generals letter along with the TEAs reversal on school funding caused great confusion at an already stressful time for local community and school leaders, not to mention among families of school-aged children, Nirenberg and Wolff wrote. On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus surge has not ended in Bexar County In Bexar County, Boerne ISD has two elementary schools: Fair Oaks Ranch and Van Raub elementary schools. Like other Boerne ISD schools, both will open Aug. 12 for the students whose families have chosen in-person learning five days a week. Comal ISD has five schools in Bexar County: Indian Springs, Kinder Ranch, Specht and Timberwood Park elementary schools, and Pieper Ranch Middle School. They will open for in-person classes on Aug. 25, according to a letter from Comal ISD Superintendent Andrew Kim. Families that want to use remote classes still have that option, he said. We believe the ability to have all of our campuses on the same start schedule will help us from a logistical standpoint, while still giving parents a choice as we prepare for On-Campus Instruction and Remote Learning, Kim wrote to parents. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath issued a statement late Wednesday that said, in part: lawful building closure orders will continue to enable a school system to be funded when providing remote-only instruction. Abbott has the authority to issue closures, and a judge could rule a closure is legal. Some Bexar County superintendents have said they will consider taking the state to court if they believe their schools need more time before fully opening and health officials advise them that the coronavirus remains too widespread to safely open schools. Bexar County continues to log new infections by the hundreds or higher a day, and hospitals have nearly reached capacity because of COVID-19 patients. About 12 percent of Bexar Countys infections are among people under 18, Nirenberg and Wolff have noted. In Comal County, the positivity rate the percentage of people who are tested and found to have the virus is about 16 percent, according to county health officials. On Wednesday, there were seven deaths related to COVID-19, for a total of 52. There were 44 new infections, for a total of 2,101, and 44 recoveries, for a total of 928. 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 Then, in 1977, the Derg initiated the Red Terror, a campaign of violence against civilian groups competing for control of the country, and in the years that followed the members of Admas fled to Washington. The musicians, some of whom were friends from childhood, reassembled in D.C. in the early 80s under the name Gasha, and took up residency at the Red Sea, a lively Ethiopian restaurant in Adams Morgan. (An evening at the Red Sea is something like having a picnic in a busy airport, Washington Post food critic Phyllis C. Richman wrote in 1985.) The top court had directed IIT-Bombay to take responsibility for the project a large air purifier in Delhi's Connaught Place to tackle air pollution New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday expressed shock at IIT Bombay's backing out of the smog tower project at Anand Vihar in east Delhi and said this was "not expected of such institutions". The top court said it was "not at all happy with the state of affairs" of the project for installing the smog tower - structure designed as large-scale air purifier to reduce pollution - and non-compliance with its order would be "taken seriously". A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was informed by the Solicitor General that Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has backed out of the project and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the work could not be executed. "It was stated by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General, that they have not been able to enter into any agreement with the IIT Bombay. IIT has now backed out. "This is dilly-dallying tactics and violation of the order passed by this court has already been committed at least by IIT," said the bench, also comprising Justices Vineet Saran and MR Shah. The bench said it has to "proceed against the IIT, Bombay as well as against the concerned persons" for violating the court's order and backing out from the basis of the order which was passed. "This is not expected of such institutions to act in the manner it is projected in the matter relating to public interest, it is shocking that such conduct is projected by such a public functionary," the bench noted in its order. "We are not at all happy with the state of affairs. We direct that the order to be complied with forthwith, otherwise it would be taken seriously, the bench said. The bench expressed displeasure as to how IIT Bombay could back out from the project after six months as the top court had passed the order in this regard in January, 2020. An anguished bench, which said it would not tolerate this, asked Mehta to call the concerned official from IIT Bombay to explain on the issue today itself. Mehta urged the court to give him time till Thursday. The bench accepted SG's request and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, Mehta apprised the bench that the authorities are in talks with IIT Delhi and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) for the project. In an affidavit filed in the matter, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Central Pollution Control Board has said that they had convened a meeting on 27 July with IIT Delhi, NEERI and NBCC Ltd to discuss whether they will be willing to take up the project. "NEERI, IIT-D (Delhi) and NBCC have agreed to take up the project," the affidavit said, adding that the authorities need to further discuss the issues regarding available designs for the project with NEERI and IIT Delhi so that the project could be taken forward in the best way. It said that despite earnest efforts, the ministry was unable to finalise the MoU with IIT Bombay regarding the experimental project of smog tower at Anand Vihar. It said a meeting was convened by the ministry and CPCB with IIT Bombay on 24 July to address the pending issues of the MoU for the project. "It is submitted that during the meeting, IIT Bombay informed that it would not be in a position to certify the design of smog tower and filtration system developed by University of Minnesota as it does not have expertise in these areas, and, that it can only undertake the work of validation of performance of smog tower which is in variance with the original proposal submitted by IIT Bombay," it said. The affidavit further said that "it may not be prudent to use tax payers' money of nearly Rs 20 crore to test the prototype project of a foreign university when no one is willing to certify the design and engineering drawings and take guarantee for its performance". Earlier, the ministry and CPCB had filed an affidavit in the court and claimed that the MoU was not finalised as IIT Bombay has not agreed to take responsibility of overall coordination of the project and verification of works to be carried out by Tata Projects Limited, which has been involved by IIT Bombay for construction, operation and maintenance of smog tower. It had said that funds amounting to Rs 18.52 crore have been sanctioned for the project. In its 13 January order this year, the top court had said that smog tower be installed at Anand Vihar and the project be completed within three months. The apex court had also directed use of anti-smog guns in Delhi and national capital region (NCR) for large construction sites, road construction stretches, mining activities, large parking sites on unpaved areas and during large public gatherings, demolition activities etc. The top court had passed these directives while hearing the matter relating to air pollution in the Delhi-NCR. Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the younger generations of the royal family, have had to experience unprecedented pressures as members of the monarchy. The members of the royal family receive fame as soon as they are welcomed to this world. Even when they are still inside their royal mothers' wombs, royal children can already make headlines. With that said, Princess Anne shared how the constant media coverage made it even more difficult for Prince William and Prince Harry to cope with the pressures of royal duties as they grow up. Speaking to ITV for the documentary "Anne: The Princess Royal at 70," Princess Anne discussed the issue further. She also divulged the tragic fate that Prince William, Prince Harry, and their wives -- Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle -- have to face. "The pressure that is applied to the younger members of the family is always worse, because that's what the media is interested in and that's, you know, hard sometimes to deal with," Princess Anne said. "But there was no social media in my day. So it probably has made it more difficult." The royal family has its "Media Centre" or "Royal Communications" that is responsible "for making arrangements for members of the media to cover Royal visits, events and news stories so that they can provide accurate, timely and informative coverage to their audiences." However, the media outside the monarchy, including the British tabloids, have consistently published damaging stories about the members of the Firm. What Prince William, Prince Harry Faced Last month, royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told Express that, like his younger brother, Prince William also wants the same private life for his family -- especially for his children. Currently, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis follow their father in the line of succession, thus, making the Cambridges more protective and vigilant when it comes to their safety. "William guards the privacy of his family more highly than anything else in his life, and it doesn't take a psychologist to work out why," Nicholl said. The royal expert added that what the media did before and after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, is the reason why Prince William wants a quiet family life. Prince William also admitted in the past that he initially struggled with the constant media and public attention. But as a future King, he had created a method to ensure he could continue doing his job as the Duke of Cambridge without causing further issues. "I could not do my job without the stability of the family. Stability at home is so important to me," he said in an interview with GQ magazine. "I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world and that is so important to both of us as parents." Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan had the worst experience with British tabloids after the Duchess of Sussex became a victim of what they called "ruthless campaigns." In 2019, the Duke of Sussex lost his grip and released a statement directed to the U.K. tabloids to defend his wife. According to Prince Harry, he cannot allow his wife to fall victim to the "same powerful forces" that led to his mother's death. What his mother has lived through is something that he is currently protecting Meghan from. READ MORE: Prince Charles Devastation: Prince Harry's Disrespectful Act' Crushed' His Father Prior to reopening our park field houses, safety measures were put into place to protect our workforce and the communities we serve, Lemons said. These have included implementing robust safety training programs and policies such as cleaning and disinfection procedures, requiring staff and patrons to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, as well as modifying programming and minimizing the number of people in our facilities. In addition, the entire Chicago Park District workforce of 3,700 employees is provided an adequate supply of PPE and hand sanitizer. TORONTO - July 30, 2020 (Investorideas.com Newswire) dynaCERT Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DYA) (OTCQX: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will reopen its offices and newly updated Assembly Plant in Toronto (Canada) after the long four and a half month (4-1/2) hiatus imposed under the general Government of Ontario restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Assembly Plant Accommodating Product Improvements The recently upgraded Company's Assembly Plant will now re-open for production and fulfilment of purchase orders on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. The much anticipated and newly designed commercial HydraGEN Technology HG2 Units of the Company will be the first among Units to be rolled off dynaCERT's newest improved Assembly Line, the first commercial production run of the new HG2 models, some of which have already been paid for in part. The new HG2 design has been improved during the COVID closures. The new Assembly Line, which is also very compatible with the production of HG1 Units, is also expected to be deployed for the first runs of much improved HG1 Units in August 2020. Much Improved Assembly Standards The Assembly Line has been retrofitted with a new semi-automated assembly system, complete with automated and customized conveyor belt equipment advancing work-in-progress progressively to individually designated workstations which provide improved high standards in state-of-the-art technical specifications. The Assembly Line can maintain a capacity of 100 units per day or 2000 Units per month, assuming one single 8-hour shift per day. Capacity is expected to be capable of tripled production of 6000 Units per month using three shifts per day. Of most significance, dynaCERT awarded the commissioning of this new dual-sided Assembly Line to Wecon Systems Ltd. of Mississauga (Canada), the very highly regarded specialists for this type of forward-looking project. The newly designed Assembly Plant, while improving quality control, can greatly reduce costs of goods sold and production delivery times and features the support of a proprietary Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) logistics software. dynaCERT customers can now expect almost immediate delivery of their backlog of purchase orders of HydraGEN Units, at their own desired rate of delivery. Best Practices of Health & Safety During the shutdown, dynaCERT has implemented the best practices COVID-19 recommendations of Governments, both Municipal and Provincial, and has carefully upgraded Health & Safety measures for all its employees and customers. With these new measures, the Company is confident that all employees will be provided with as safe a working environment as could be expected for a growing Canadian company in compliance with new regulatory measures. In a show of support of dynaCERT by the Federal Government, the Company has received subsidies and grants in the order of approximately $450,000 awarded under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS). Proprietary Advances in R&D During the COVID-19 shutdown, the Research & Development premises and testing equipment of the Company were also upgraded. dynaCERT is continually doing scientific research to make its commercial products more robust and applicable to new vertical markets. The established R&D team, under the new management of Mr. Gavy Singh, P.Eng., has been developing product improvements which will be made available to all dynaCERT customers in all the upcoming deliveries of the Company's HydraGEN Technology Products. The new upgrades feature fewer moving parts, less electrical connections, a simpler design and more user-friendly operation than the existing HG1 Units being deployed at the present time. dynaCERT continues to provide existing customers with the latest upgrades to ensure its continued goodwill with end-users. Solid Balance Sheet The Company has re-emerged from the global COVID-19 economic slowdown with a cleaner and stronger balance sheet, having more than adequate cash reserves, a very strong balance sheet with approximately $18,000,000 in cash and virtually no significant debt, a better Assembly Plant, an improved R&D facility, significant Product improvements and a continued backlog of previously announced purchase orders. The Sales Department of the Company continues to maintain existing dealer relationships and has added new dealers where global marketing continues to be active. Additional Certifications in the Middle East In the United Arab Emirates, where the Company has an active dealer, Castle Star General Trading LLC, the Company's products have recently received homologation of dynaCERT's HydraGEN Technology by way of Certificates of Conformity and Schedules of Certification under the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme, based on recent TUV South testing in Germany. The Company's products can now be offered to numerous markets in Dubai and other parts of the UAE and the Middle East. Jim Payne, CEO of dynaCERT, stated, "Our people and our customers around the globe have been very loyal and patient during this COVID-19 shutdown, but, in the end, dynaCERT has continued to advance forward. We continue to carry out our global strategy and have emerged successful. During this time, dynaCERT raised over $8,000,000 in the capital markets via an underwritten prospectus offering, upgraded our listing to the Toronto Stock Exchange, upgraded our listing to the OTCQX Best Market in the USA, upgraded our R&D and Assembly Plant and improved our technology. dynaCERT has pushed on successfully with our plan to get certified globally with various homologations, including in the UAE, and concluded a new alignment with our North American Dealer, KarbonKleen Inc., where we can now offer our products through our wholly-owned subsidiary, dynaCERT International Strategic Holdings Inc. or DISH, via a monthly subscription programme to enhance user financing and adoption of our HydraGEN Technology." About dynaCERT Inc. dynaCERT Inc. manufactures and distributes Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patented technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through a unique electrolysis system and supplies these gases through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with many types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www.dynaCERT.com. READER ADVISORY Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to completion of the Offering, satisfaction of TSX listing conditions and regulatory approvals. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance of achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on 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 the release. On Behalf of the Board Murray James Payne, CEO For more information, please contact: Jim Payne, CEO & President dynaCERT Inc. #101 501 Alliance Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6N 2J1 +1 (416) 766-9691 x 2 jpayne@dynaCERT.com Investor Relations dynaCERT Inc. 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(TSX:DYA.TO) (DYFSF) is a featured Renewable Energy / Fuel Cell stock on Investorideas.com Visit profile page New Zealanders could soon be enjoying a winter break on the Cook Islands as authorities pull the pin on the possible travel bubble with Australia. Air New Zealand has been making plans for the flight route between Auckland and Rarotonga to restart. The government is yet to give the travel bubble to the holiday hotspot the green light, but Cabinet has been discussing the possibility of reopening borders. The Cook Islands is one of very few countries that have recorded zero coronavirus cases during the pandemic. New Zealanders could soon be enjoying a winter break on the Cook Islands as authorities pull the pin on the possible travel bubble with Australia (Pictured: Influencer Emily Davies and her friends in Rarotonga) The Cook Islands is one of very few countries that have recorded zero coronavirus cases during the pandemic. it is a popular holiday hotspot for Kiwis 'Our teams are getting plans in place and we look forward to providing safe travel between the two nations to more of our customers as soon as we are able to,' an Air New Zealand spokeswoman said. There was talk of New Zealand forming a travel bubble with Australia but as cases continue to soar in Victoria that plan now appears a long way off. Last week Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said the travel bubble 'felt a little bit closer eight weeks ago'. 'Now it feels that possibly, that maybe, at best, (it could come at) the end of this year, and probably more likely next year.' Victoria announced a record-breaking 723 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. There were also 13 deaths. The state's previous record was 532 infections on Monday. Premier Daniel Andrews warned that Melbourne's crippling lockdown will likely be extended if case numbers continue to rise. Air New Zealand has been making plans for the flight route to restart despite the government yet to give the travel bubble the green light 'Ultimately, every Victorian, I think deep down knows and appreciates that unless everyone plays their part this lockdown will not end anytime soon,' Mr Andrews said. From 11.59pm on Sunday, residents in regional Victoria will be required to wear a face mask when they leave their homes. Mr Andrews also announced coronavirus restrictions would be extended beyond metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire to six local government areas, where residents will not be allowed to visit other homes. Victoria reported an additional 13 deaths on Thursday, taking the state's death toll to 105 and national figure to 189. The fatalities are three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men in their 90s. There are fears Australians may not be able to travel abroad until 2021 after Qantas recently pulled international flights have been pulled from its website until further notice, including routes to New Zealand. Flights to New Zealand are now unavailable until September 1, despite expectations the neighbouring countries were preparing to open a trans-Tasman bubble with Australia. Flights elsewhere are no longer available until March 28, 2021. Travel restrictions are expected to lifted in the first half of 2021. As director of the Equality Lab and professor of English and American Studies, Elizabeth Loshs research focuses on how digital media and mobile technologies are transforming traditional institutions and public memory. She collaborates with creative innovators on the cutting edge of the digital humanities, including students, scholars, artists and community organizers. According to Elizabeth, the digital humanities allow us to ask new research questions. At William & Mary, the liberal arts are going high-tech, she says. Our digital humanities projects attract extremely diverse groups of students, bringing their backgrounds and expertise to the work. Were laying the foundation for William & Mary grads to be lifelong learners in fields that dont yet exist. {{youtube:large|0BAZ9fZbgb0, Professor Losh discusses her research and work in the digital humanities}} Elizabeth earned an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard University and her masters and Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. She has authored four books and a number of frequently-cited essays about communities that produce, consume, and circulate online video, videogames, digital photographs, text postings, and programming code. Learn more about Elizabeth THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Cebu called for the registration of businesses whether online, barter or traditional, to support the government in terms of taxes for the countrys Covid-19 response. BIR 13 Director Eduardo Pagulayan told SunStar Cebu that registration is important especially in monitoring the growth of businesses. This, as the Cebu Provincial Board is appealing before the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to be lenient toward online businesses and even barter groups when it comes to the collecting of business taxes. Pagulayan said: We need taxes to support our government. Taxes, being the lifeblood of our nation. Our Tax Code provides for instances when a person may not pay taxes even if he is engaged in business or is earning income, such as if a person has an income of P250,000 in one year where he is exempt from paying income tax. He stressed that registration is a necessity they have to implement. He said: Registration with the BIR before engaging in business whether online, barter or traditional, is a necessity and we cannot be lenient on this. We can be lenient with the requirements for registration but we cannot be lenient by condoning non-registration of business. Pagulayan added that registration is an important aspect of monitoring taxpayers for a better tax administration. He said: As good citizens of the Philippines, let us show our patriotism by paying taxes if taxes are due from us. We are always ready to serve and assist our taxpayers in registering their business during this pandemic. With travel restrictions imposed to prevent Covid-19 transmission, Pagulayan assured taxpayers can still be served and assisted through email or by phone, as posted in the different revenue district offices covering their respective areas of jurisdiction. (JOB) Only half as many mortgages were approved last month as during June 2019. There was a 20% increase on the previous month's figures, according to the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). During the second quarter of the year, the value of mortgages drawn down was a third less than the same period last year. The BPFI said the future is difficult to predict as Covid-19 continues to impact on the market. However, the head of the BPFI has said he is "relatively optimistic" that the Irish mortgage market will recover this year. "I think it's a consequence of the dysfunctional nature of the housing market right now, given what we've gone through in the last two quarters or so - the last four or five months. "It's not unusual that there would be this kind of volatility in the figures." "There's good news and bad news: the bad news is obviously for quarter two of this year, mortgage drawdowns are down about 35% when you compare the figure with quarter two of last year. I see a market analyst this morning saying those figures are better than expected - given what's happened, given the fact people couldn't get out and look at houses over the last number of months, given the fact that unemployment is now a much bigger problem than it was this time last year. "And they're down significantly on quarter two, you could argue that quarter two is probably the worst quarter of the year, given what's happened". Asked about a hangover into later this year and 2021, Mr Hayes said: "I'd be relatively optimistic at this stage, given that the economy's come out of lockdown. "People are going back to work, people are now buying and selling houses again, there's more houses coming back on the market. "There's been a brief reluctance for sellers to put their houses on the market, given the uncertainty that's been there. "Given that kind of construction backdrop where for three, five months or so we didn't have builders out there - now we have. "So I think as we get through this year, as those quarters continue, you're likely to see better numbers." "I hear the comment made by people 'lenders aren't lending' and all the rest of it: quarter two shows that 6,500 mortgages were drawn down by the banks of this country." Overall, 6,622 new mortgages worth 1,462m were drawn down by borrowers during the second quarter of 2020. This represents a fall of 34.8% in volume and 35% in value on the corresponding quarter of last year. First-time buyers (FTBs) remained the single largest segment by volume (49.6%) and by value (50.3%). A total of 2,263 mortgages were approved in June - 1,059 were for FTBs, while mover purchasers accounted for 557. The petition filed by superstar rapper Kanye West to appear as a presidential candidate in New Jersey is under fire, after an elections attorney found hundreds of signatures he claims are suspect. West, 43, submitted 1,327 signatures to the state Division of Elections by Mondays deadline, surpassing the 800 needed for independent presidential candidates, the filings show. But just two days after Wests petition was filed, Florham Park-based elections lawyer Scott Salmon found hundreds of inconsistencies, including signatures with apparently identical handwriting and names of people who are not registered voters, he said. In total, Salmon identified at least 640 names of people who were not registered to vote, did not live at the addresses included in the petition or provided incomplete information, according to a letter Salmon sent to the Division of Elections Wednesday morning objecting to Wests petition. In addition, some of the people listed do not live in New Jersey, Salmon said in the letter. Politico New Jersey was the first to report Salmons findings. Salmons scrutiny of Wests petition came out of curiosity, as Wests very public foray into national politics has already brought with it controversy and headlines. But as he read through the petition, Salmon said the document stuck out as being especially problematic. You see a lot of bad petitions out there, said Salmon. You see a lot of ones that are borderline. You see some that have a couple of errors, but maybe not a ton. This one stuck out to me as being egregiously wrong and deficient. There were so many mistakes that immediately popped out to me. Among the inconsistencies in the petition were signatures that appeared to be written by the same person in the same handwriting, names with just a last initial and incomplete addresses that didnt list a municipality, said Salmon. Many of the signatures appear to be written in the same handwriting, with near-identical idiosyncrasies such as circles to dot is and uppercase Ls in names, according to a NJ Advance Media review of the petition. If the Division of Elections accepts Wests petition, Salmons challenge will go forward and will be heard by a judge in the Office of Administrative Law, he said. If the division denies Wests petition, the same process would occur in the event of Wests appeal, said Salmon. The Secretary of States office, which oversees the Division of Elections, did not respond to request for comment, but an official explained its not uncommon for petitions to be challenged. All petitions are also reviewed for duplicate names prior to being posted. Just last month, Salmon, on behalf of Paterson Councilman Bill McKoy, filed an injunction against Third Ward Councilman-elect Alex Mendez to stop him from being sworn in, after Mendez was one of four men charged with voting fraud by the state Attorney General. The injunction was ultimately granted by a Passaic County Superior Court judge and Mendez was prevented from taking office. West, who is currently a resident of Cody, Wyoming, is on the ballot in several other states, including Oklahoma, where he paid $35,000 to cover the filing fee, according to reports. The filing in New Jersey comes weeks after a turbulent start to Wests campaign, where West broke down at a rally in South Carolina. At the rally, West falsely claimed that Harriet Tubman did not free slaves from the south and tearfully recounted that he considered aborting his daughter, North. Wests comments about Tubman caused immediate backlash and was followed by a tirade on Twitter. Wests wife Kim Kardashian released a statement saying that West was going through a bipolar episode. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:34:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HOUSTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- NASA launched its Mars rover Perseverance Thursday morning in a bid to search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. The rover lifted off at 7:50 a.m. EDT (1150 GMT) on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S. state of Florida. "The rocket has separated from the first stage and is being boosted to orbit by the Centaur second stage. @NASAPersevere is now preparing for a second burn that will put it on a trajectory towards Mars," the agency tweeted. After a seven-month journey, Perseverance is expected to characterize the planet's geology and climate, and collect rock and soil samples for a possible return to Earth, according to NASA. Enditem JERUSALEM - Hundreds of opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demonstrated outside his official residence late Thursday, calling on him to resign, while a small group of his supporters clashed with police and journalists at a nearby outdoor mall. Thousands of people, including many young Israelis, have joined protests in recent weeks, accusing Netanyahu of mishandling the countrys health and economic crisis stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and saying he should step down while he is on trial for corruption charges. The rallies against Netanyahu are the largest Israel has seen since 2011, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest the countrys high cost of living. While the demonstrations have largely been peaceful, police have arrested dozens for public disturbance and drawn charges of using excessive force against protesters. This week, right-wing extremists assaulted peaceful demonstrators. As a main demonstration took place outside Netanyahus residence in central Jerusalem, a group of young men dressed in black cursed the media and attacked a Palestinian bus driver and two journalists at a nearby outdoor mall, media said. Channel 13 TV broadcast footage of the men swearing and beating up its cameraman. The reports said the men were part of La Familia, an extremist group of supporters of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, a stronghold of Netanyahus Likud Party. Police said they arrested at least eight people. Earlier Thursday, police said they made several arrests connected to right-wing violence earlier in the week. The countrys figurehead president, Reuven Rivlin, had urged police to pursue the perpetrators of violence to the fullest extent of the law. The unrest comes at a time of political turmoil that has threatened to dissolve Israels bloated coalition government just months after it was formed. The government, established in May after three costly, divisive and ultimately inconclusive elections, was formed with the specific goal of countering the coronavirus crisis and soothing the schisms in society. But from the start it has been characterized by deep internal fighting on most key issues, sparking talk of yet another round of elections. On Thursday, Finance Minister Israel Katz, a Likud politician, said he would bring a short-term budget up for a vote next week, setting up a showdown with coalition partner Blue and White. Katz said that given the current economic crisis, it would be imprudent to insist upon a multi-year budget as outlined in the coalition agreement. But Defence Minister Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White party, is demanding the power-sharing agreement be honoured and cites the opinion of top economists who say a budget covering only the rest of the year will create more economic uncertainty. Netanyahu and Gantz have repeatedly clashed. While Gantz has sympathized with the demonstrators, Netanyahu has taken a more confrontational approach, denouncing them as radicals and anarchists and alleging an incitement campaign against him and his family. Behind the financial debate lie political calculations as well. The government is required by law to pass a budget by Aug. 25 or else elections are automatically called. Though he denies the intention, Netanyahu is believed to be angling for a conflict that will trigger a November election to try to preempt what could be a ruling against his fitness to serve ahead of the resumption of the evidentiary stage of his trial in January. During that phase, he will be required to sit in court three times a week. If a long-term budget deal is reached, Netanyahu would be obligated to turn over the prime ministers job to Gantz in September 2021, a scenario he appears to want to avoid. Israel was praised early on for imposing tight movement restrictions and a countrywide lockdown at the start of the outbreak. But since reopening the economy in May, new cases have spiked and unemployment remains over 20%, up from 3.9% before March. Despite the public anger, polls suggest Netanyahus Likud maintains a sizable lead over any other challenger and it will be difficult to topple him in elections. Read more about: U.S. Officials Hail Afghan Cease-Fire Amid Renewed Hopes For Peace By RFE/RL July 29, 2020 Top U.S. officials have hailed a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed by the Afghan government, raising hopes that the long-delayed intra-Afghan peace talks could begin next week. The two foes announced a halt in hostilities for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday starting on July 31, as the United States presses for the start of long-awaited talks. The announcements come as U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is trying to revive peace talks with visits to Pakistan and the Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as Qatar, where the Taliban maintain a political office. "We welcome the Taliban announcement of an Eid cease-fire and the Afghan government's reciprocal announcement," Khalilzad said on Twitter on July 29. "Our hope is this Eid brings all Afghans together in understanding & mutual respect and one step closer to a sustainable peace." The top U.S. diplomat in Kabul, Ross Wilson, also voiced hope that the two sides would move quickly to the negotiating table, saying Afghans "deserve to celebrate the holiday in peace." "I look forward to both sides fulfilling their commitments and moving quickly to intra-Afghan negotiations," tweeted Wilson, who is charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. 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 to end nearly 18 years of war. Major Hurdle Although the Taliban have refrained from attacking U.S. and NATO forces, militants continue to stage near daily attacks on Afghan security forces. But in a July 28 statement, the militants announced the conditional three-day cease-fire. "All mujahideen (Taliban fighters) are instructed not to carry out any operation against the enemy during the three days and nights of Eid," the Taliban said in a July 28 statement, adding that if the Taliban are attacked, they should "respond strongly." The Afghan government said it had ordered its security forces to observe the cease-fire. However, a major hurdle in launching intra-Afghan talks is the completion of prisoner exchanges. Both the Afghan government and the Taliban have suggested that direct talks may finally occur after Eid al-Adha, provided the prisoner swap has been completed. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on July 28 that peace talks with the Taliban could begin "in a week's time," following a prisoner exchange. "To demonstrate the government's commitment to peace, the Islamic republic will soon complete the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners," Ghani said at the presidential palace. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that the militants would complete the release of government prisoners by Eid as a "goodwill gesture". "The other side should also complete the release process of all the 5,000 prisoners" so peace talks can begin, he wrote. Under the U.S.-Taliban deal, Kabul was to release around 5,000 Taliban in exchange for the militants freeing 1,000 government and military personnel. To date, Kabul has freed about 4,000 militants and the Taliban nearly 800 government forces. The Taliban has accused Afghan security forces of rearresting insurgents who had been released. Ghani urged the Taliban to agree to a "permanent and comprehensive cease-fire" during any peace talks. He said Taliban attacks have killed 3,560 government forces and wounded 6,781 others since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed in February. Ghani's spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, told the media that Kabul would observe the cease-fire, but cautioned it did not go far enough. "The people of Afghanistan demand a lasting ceasefire and the start of direct talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan," Sediqqi said. With reporting by AFP, AP, dpa, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-officials -hail-afghan-cease-fire-renewed- hopes-peace/30754658.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The cover for The Occultists, by Polly Schattel In movie terms, it's called 'smart popcorn.' Its a way of not only capturing a more discerning audience, but a way of being more true to yourself. Sometimes you want a little Raymond Carver, sometimes you want a little Stephen King. But if you have one foot in both camps, everyone wins." Polly Schattel, an independent filmmaker based in Western North Carolina, recently released her first novel, called The Occultists, a dark fantasy based in Edwardian spiritualism and a lifetime of reading horror masters like Peter Straub and Joyce Carol Oates, and literary thrillers like those of Caleb Carr, Michael Chabon and Donna Tartt. Originally conceived as an eight episode limited series for TV, the dual nature of the projectboth thrilling and character-based, historical and modernproved difficult to capture in the filmmakers typically low-budget cinematic context. So she turned to the written word. In movie terms, they call it 'smart popcorn,' Schattel says. Its a way of not only capturing a more discerning audience, but a way of ultimately being more true to yourself. Sometimes you want a little Raymond Carver, sometimes you want a little Stephen King. But if you have one foot in both camps, everyone wins. The Occultists follows an Edwardian-era teen, Max Grahame, as he discovers and is accepted into a secretive spiritualist cabal. But when he learns of their powerful and terrifying techniques of manipulating reality to suit their needs, his suspicions grow that all is not as it should be. This leads to a dangerous, supernatural cat and mouse chase that takes him from the mountains of rural Appalachia to the mystical plains of the midwest, from fin de siecle Manhattan to the Elsewhere. Ive been fascinated by the Edwardian erathe age of opulence, the Titanic, the seances, the spiffy tuxes and elaborate gownsfor years. Despite the bounty of other projects set in that time, it still felt a little like undiscovered territory, in the sense that mediums and spiritualists and stage illusionists were ripe for exploration from a modern horror point of view. At first, Schattel looked to the writers closer to the period, like Algernon Blackwood and Arthur Conan Doyle, to find the right tone. For about a year, I worked as if the book was written back then. The language was more obtuse, the sentences longer and convoluted and somewhat abstracted. But then I realized that the book would work better if it had a more accessible point of viewa shorter, punchier approach to the language, a more immediate perspective that was equal parts YA and literary. The book was published in late July 2020 by JournalStone, the respected small press that released Sarah Reads Stoker Award-winning debut novel, The Bone Weavers Orchard, last year. The other writers JournalStone publishesS.P. Miskowski, Gemma Files, John Horner Jacobs, Emma Jane Gibbonare these incredible artists who push the boundaries of the form. So I was surprised and delighted to find myself, in all my authorial naivete, in their company. For her part, Schattel has gotten used to writing fiction, and doesnt see any reason to stop now. I was frustrated by the film industry. Id had some small successes, but mainly my projects had delays and setbacks and endless budgetary limitations. I continually bumped up against the guard rails of what seemed possible for the budgets I had access to. But with a novel, theres nothing you can imagine that cant be realized. Theres no budget at allits just you and your own raw creativity. And, Schattel admits, theres another reason she likes the writing life. Filmmakers work unbelievably hard. They get up crazy early and find themselves on set at 7AM, and routinely work 12 hour days, six days a week. As wonderful as the people are, as thrilling the camaraderie is, it can be physically and emotionally draining. But writing books, I get to write for four or five hours with a cup of coffee close at hand, and then go for a meandering hike with my dogs. In my old age, Im getting lazy. It suits me. The Occultists can be found at indie bookstores near you, and wherever good books are sold. For more information, contact Polly Schattel 828-779-4332 http://www.pollyschattel.com pollyschattel@gmail.com YEREVAN. In my opinion, if it were not for the change of government in 2018, we would have closed that year with double-digit economic growth. The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, said this in an interview with several TV companies. "But all this stopped. In my conviction, first of all, it is a matter of governance, a matter of choosing economic policy targets. The government with its policy can encourage investments, but it can also simply kill investments. I would divide the current situation into two parts: the problems that this government created before the [COVID-19] pandemic, and the factors that have increased due to the pandemic. Most of the economic problems are artificial, a consequence of the government's policy," said the former president. To the journalist's remark, "But before 2018, when economic growth was registered, there were corrupt ministers, economic monopolies," the second president responded as follows: "Are you sure they don't exist now? Is the $120mn bonus payment corruption or not? It is an obvious theft from the budget. Is there corruption now or not?" Referring to the effectiveness of the Armenian authorities economic measures to fight the pandemic, the former president said that the government had to assist both citizens and businesses. "The pandemic should not have had such an impact [in Armenia], and the government's response is not adequate to the blow that the economy received during the pandemic," said Robert Kocharyan. To the remark, "The authorities claim that everything will be fine, a part of the opposition predicts a famine, and when asked what the truth is, the second president noted that it is necessary to find out what is the basis of the government's optimism, and if there will be a famine, what is the basis of that pessimism. "The statements of the government are not convincing for me. I look at the statistics, and I do not see where their optimism comes from. I also do not think that we will starve. But the fact that the economy will have a 4-5% decline, according to the Central Bank, is realistic (). The important thing in all this is the efficiency of the government. (). This situation is a consequence of this government's lack of management skills; and they must accept it. If you do not admit your mistakes, you will never learn from them," said former President Robert Kocharyan. BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30 Trend: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti condemned the attack of Armenian radicals on members of the Azerbaijani community during the peaceful rally held on July 21 before the building of Azerbaijans Consulate General in the city, Trend reports referring to the consulate. In his letter sent to Consul General of Azerbaijan Nasimi Aghayev, Garcetti strongly condemned the act of aggression against Azerbaijanis and stressed that this fact is investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. The mayor noted that freedom of assembly and freedom of speech are fundamental to American values, adding that efforts to ensure the safety of the Azerbaijani community in Los Angeles will be continued. 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. 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. Connecticut Public Schools have announced their annual policy for determining eligibility of children who may receive free or reduced-price meals served under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Local school officials have adopted the United States Department of Agricultures (USDA) Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs) for family size and income criteria for determining eligibility. The following income guidelines will be used in Connecticut from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, for determining eligibility of participants for free and reduced-price meals in the Child Nutrition Programs. The income calculations above are based on the following formulas: monthly income is calculated by dividing the annual income by 12; twice monthly income is computed by dividing annual income by 24; income received every two weeks is calculated by dividing annual income by 26; and weekly income is computed by dividing annual income by 52. All numbers are rounded up to the next whole dollar. Children from families whose income is at or below the levels shown are eligible for free or reduced-price meals will receive an application packet which they will bring home on the first day of school. To apply for free or reduced-price meals households should fill out the application and return it to the school. Additional copies are available at the school. Only one application is required per household and an application for free or reduced-price benefits cannot be approved unless it contains complete eligibility information as indicated on the application and instructions. The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purposes of determining eligibility and for administration and enforcement of the lunch, breakfast. Additionally, all school-aged children in income-eligible households can receive school meal benefits regardless of a childs immigration status, and the district/school does not release information for immigration-related purposes in the usual course of operating the CNPs. The district may share eligibility information with education, health, and nutrition programs to help them evaluate, fund, or determine benefits for their programs, auditors for program reviews, and law enforcement officials to help them look into violations of program rules. This information may also be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program officials. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year. For up to 30 operating days into the new school year, eligibility from the previous year will continue within the same local educational agency (LEA). When the carry-over period ends, unless the household is notified that their children are directly certified or the household submits an application that is approved, the children must pay full price for school meals and the school will not send a reminder or a notice of expired eligibility. No application is required if the district directly certifies a child based on a household member receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program. All children in these households are eligible for free meal benefits. Households receiving assistance under the SNAP/TFA programs will be notified of their eligibility and their children will be provided free benefits unless the household notifies the determining official that it chooses to decline benefits. If any children were not listed on the eligibility notice, the household should contact the district or school to have free meal benefits extended to those children. Households receiving SNAP or TFA benefits for their children should only submit an application if they are not notified of their eligibility by Sept. 18. Save Pigeon Hill campaign continues BURLINGTON As Environmental Learning Centers of CT celebrates its 50th anniversary, members are embarking on a capital campaign, Blazing New Trails. The campaign has a goal of $2 million; . $1 million for its Indian Rock Nature Preserve, and $1 million for the Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center. The projects for Indian Rock Nature Preserve include restoring the preserves centerpiece- Indian Lake, completing the deck overlooking Indian Lake, installing solar panels and other energy-saving building improvements, and the creation of a three-season covered program space, or Education Pavilion, to meet the demand to host large groups. The projects for the Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center include creating an accessible trail on the original parcel, installing a nature play area in conjunction with the new trail and the Centers educational programs, installing solar panels and other energy-saving building improvements, and saving Pigeon Hill from mining and development. Pigeon Hill consists of 63.9 acres of land in Bristol and Burlington adjacent to the Harry C. Barnes Memorial Nature Center. Part of the property is being leased to a horse boarding operation. The rest of the property is open space. The land gets its name from reports that Passenger Pigeons, now extinct, once roosted in large numbers on the glacial esker that is located on both the existing nature center property as well as the Pigeon Hill property. The esker was formed by sediment brought in by a river under the glacier that remained when the glacier melted centuries ago, leaving a tall meandering ridge; a local landmark. The owners have informed us of their intentions to mine the glacial esker for sand and gravel followed by the construction of 161 housing units. Though ELCCT is not inherently against sand and gravel extraction or development, in this case, this proposed plan would have a devastating effect on the neighborhood, would wipe out a geologically significant landform, degrade the quality of a pristine trout stream that bisects the property, and impair ELCCTs ability to provide the education and conservation it has become known for. The alternative to this plan would be to protect the entire assemblage as open space and manage the habitats as an extension of the nature center property. As a result, ELCCT has worked with the landowners, Barnes Nature Center neighbors, the State of Connecticut, the Town of Burlington, Burlington Land Trust, the City of Bristol, and many other partners, with the goal of purchasing the Pigeon Hill property as open space for the benefit of wildlife and the people of our surrounding communities. The City of Bristol and ELCCT have been working together on this project and have secured a limited-time agreement with the landowners to purchase the property. The goal is that the property will be protected as open space. As per agreement, each entity needs to purchase their respective parcels or no parcels will be sold. The city of Bristol is committed to purchasing the Bristol parcels through city funding and its share of grant funds. ELCCT has $150,000 left to raise by September 30, 2020; $125,000 to complete the purchase and $25,000 to start the restoration. Learn more about the campaign at https://elcct.org/savepigeonhill/ Appeals against detention of three child trafficking case defendants set for August 3 flickr.com / Toshimasa Ishibashi 10:46 30/07/2020 MOSCOW, July 30 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court will consider appeals against detention of three defendants in a case over trafficking of surrogate mothers children on August 3, according to attorney Igor Trunov. In total, the Basmanny District Court detained seven people involved in the kid trade. One more accused woman was placed under house arrest. In January, law enforcement found a body of a dead newborn boy in a flat in the Moscow Regions town of Odintsovo. There were also three other kids there along with a nurse. Investigators believe surrogate mothers gave birth to the children to transfer them later to foreign parents. However, defense lawyers believe that investigators failed to discover cause-effect links between actions of the doctors and the babys death. Moreover, they state that current legislation does not prohibit citizens to become parents using vitro fertilization and surrogate services. Targetting the central government over the "deepening economic crisis", senior Congress leader on Thursday asserted that two major industries -- telecom and -- are on the verge of collapse. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said that millions of people have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months and added that the collapse of the two major industries will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs. "When will the BJP government acknowledge the gravity of the deepening economic crisis in the country? When will the Prime Minister acknowledge his failure and the failure of his economic managers?" Chidambaram tweeted. He said that the industry has suffered massive losses and faces an uncertain future unless the central government steps in with a rescue plan. "Will the government realize that one of our major telecom companies is on the verge of collapse and the government has no plan to save the struggling telecom industry? Will the government realize that the industry has suffered massive losses and every one of them will go the Air India way unless the government steps in with a rescue plan?" Chidambaram tweeted. "Millions have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months. The collapse of two major industries -- telecom and aviation -- will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs," a following tweet said. Chidambaram's remark comes a day after one of the leadling telecom companies, Bharti Airtel, posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 15,933 crore in the first quarter of the fiscal, mainly due to its one-time expense related to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Meanwhile, the aviation industry is also going through a crisis as several travel restrictions continue and passenger international flights remain suspended in view of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hampered the economy and businesses. (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.) Ayodhya, July 30 : The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust has said that it will organise a 'Nirman Yagna' in Ayodhya in the coming months and invite all Ram bhakts to attend it. The Trust's General Secretary Champat Rai said the decision has been taken since devotees are unable to witness the 'bhumi pujan' ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5 due to the pandemic. "The Trust had planned to invite all Ram bhakts from across the country to Ayodhya for the 'bhumi pujan'. Many of them had played a key role in the temple movement since 1984 and wanted to witness the historic ceremony on August 5, but the plan had to be shelved because of the pandemic," Rai said. "We will hold a 'nirman yagna' for Ram bhakts as soon as the pandemic situation eases." The trust has invited a select gathering of 200 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti and top RSS leaders for the August 5 event. "Guests will be seated in blocks of 50 each in order to maintain social distancing," he added. He further said that work on the temple would begin immediately after the 'bhumi pujan' and is expected to be completed in the next three years. Rai, also the Vice President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has appealed to the people not to visit Ayodhya for the 'bhumi pujan' but watch the ceremony live on television instead. He has asked Indian citizens as well as NRIs to perform a puja between 11.30 a.m and 12.30 p.m in their homes on August 5 and light diyas later in the evening. "People should also take a pledge to make donations for the Ram temple as per their ability," he added. Rai had earlier termed the Ram temple bhumi pujan as the most significant occasion in Independent India. VHP sources has asked its cadres to make arrangements in every city and village where people can gather while following COVID-19 protocols and watch the ground breaking ceremony live on TV. They have also been asked to use social media platforms to ensure that the ceremony was watched in every household. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) New Delhi, India Thu, July 30, 2020 07:30 539 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066a5d7aa 2 Environment WWF,tiger-population,tigers,environment,biodiversity,conservation,endangered-species Free Tiger populations in five countries are making a comeback but the endangered species still faces major threats such as poaching, conservation group WWF and the Indian government said. India, home to 70 percent of the big cat's global population, is among 13 countries that pledged a decade ago to boost feline numbers. "From an historic population low in 2010, tigers are finally making a remarkable comeback in much of South Asia, Russia and China," WWF Tigers Alive Initiative head Stuart Chapman said in a statement to mark World Tiger Day on Wednesday. Chapman said population increases in Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Russia were "great news" for other threatened species in their habitat, as well as for millions of people dependent on such ecosystems. But tigers were still under threat from poaching and habitat destruction, while the wild animal populations had fragmented, which increases the risk of inbreeding, the WWF said. "This has reached critical levels in much of Southeast Asia, where a snaring crisis is decimating wildlife, including tigers and their prey," the group said. In a report released earlier this month, the WWF found that there were more than 12 million snares threatening wildlife in the protected areas in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. India released its status report on tigers Tuesday, which detailed the steps taken to conserve the big cats. The report warned that although the population had grown, many of India's tiger reserves and protected areas were within larger regions used for "ecologically unsustainable" purposes such as mining. "Many tiger populations are confined within small protected areas and some have habitat corridors that permit tiger movement between them," the report added. But many of the corridor habitats were not protected areas and also at risk due to human activity and development, it said. The census, carried out between 2018-19, was also included in the Guinness World Records earlier this month for being the largest-ever camera-trap wildlife survey. Camera traps were deployed at more than 28,000 locations across 381,400 square kilometers (147,000 square miles) -- about the size of Japan -- of forested habitats in 20 Indian states. The government's survey results, released last year, found that India had 2,967 tigers in the wild, compared to 1,411 when the first nationwide survey was conducted in 2006. It showed the population had grown six percent a year between 2006 and 2018. Bull Connor may be gone, but today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans, the nations first Black president said at Lewiss final memorial service. George Wallace may be gone, but we can witness our federal government sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators. We may no longer have to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar in order to cast a ballot, but even as we sit here there are those in power who are doing their darndest to discourage people from voting. CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Gelcoat Market by Resin Type (Polyester, Vinyl Ester, Epoxy, and Others), End-use Industry (Marine, Transportation, Wind-Energy, Construction, and Others), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Gelcoat Market size is expected to grow from USD 974 million in 2020 to USD 1,808 million by 2025, at a CAGR of 13.2% during the forecast period. Composites are increasingly used in the marine, transportation wind energy, construction and aerospace & defense end-use industries due to light weight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and other properties. The increasing demand for composites supports the demand for gelcoates in these industries. Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=164224381 Browse in-depth TOC on "Gelcoat Market" 214 - Market Data Tables 38 - Figures 184 - Pages View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/gelcoat-market-164224381.html Polymer resin-baes gelcoats comprise a major share of the gelcoat market in terms of value and volume. The polyester resin-based gelcoats accounted for a larger share in the gelcoat market. Polyester resins are less expensive and possess properties such as good corrosion resistance, fast curing, durability, tolerance to temperature, and low thermal expansion. Polyester resins used in gelcoats offer durability for molds and parts. Traditional gelcoats are available in white, neutral, and clear textures; and tooling gelcoats are available in colors such as orange and black. There is a high demand for polyester resin-based gelcoats from the marine, construction, and transportation end-use industry. However, the demand for gelcoats is expected to decline in 2020 due to COVID-19 that has enforced lockdown across national and international borders. This has resulted in reduced sales in marine, transportation, and construction industry. The recovery in the end-use industries would restore the demand for polyester resin-based gelcoats during the forecast period. The marine end-use industry accounts for the largest market share in the global gelcoat market during the forecast period in terms of value and volume. The marine end-use industry accounted for the largest consumer of gelcoats in terms of value. Gelcoat offers various useful properties such as chemical resistance, corrosion resistance, high gloss, and UV resistance. As a result, its use is increasing in marine industry for coating composite components. Glass fiber reinforced plastics are widely used in the marine industry. Entire decks and complete ship hulls for powerboats or sailing/motor yachts are completely made up of high-quality glass fiber reinforced plastics. However, due to Covid-19 the demand from marine industry is expected drop in 2020, as there is less demand for sail boats and luxury yactches globally. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=164224381 North America is expected to account for the largest market share in the gelcoat market during the forecast period. North America accounts for the biggest share of the global gelcoat market. The marine and transportation end-use industry are the major consumers of gelcoats in the region. The region is home to some of the major composite manufacturers such as ACP Composites and Owens Corning. Moreover, the US is a manufacturing hub of various commercial, military, private aircraft and one of the major automobile manuafacturer. Europe is the second major consumer of gelcoats. Marine, wind energy, and transportation are the major industries fueling the growth of the gelcoat market in this region. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has affected the demand for gelcoats in the region. On the positive side, support packages offered by US government will help to maintain the liquidity in composite industry. Such initiatives coupled with recovery in the end-use industries will increase the demand for gelcoat in North America. The key players in the gelcoat market include HK Research Corporation (US), Scott Bader, Ineos (UK), Bufa Composite Systems Gmbh (Germany), Allnex (Germany), Alpha Owens Corning (US), Polynt Reichold (US) , and among others., among others. These companies are involved in adopting various inorganic and organic strategies to increase their foothold in the composites market. These players have taken different organic and inorganic developmental strategies over the past five years. Browse Adjacent Market: Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers Market Research Report & consulting Related Reports: Carbon Fiber Tape Market by form (Prepreg Tape, Carbon Tape), Resin (Epoxy, Thermoplastic, Polyamide), Manufacturing Process (Hot Melt, Solvent Dip), End-use Industry (Aerospace, Marine, Pipe & Tank, Sporting Goods), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/carbon-fiber-tape-market-148110416.html Transportation Composites Market by Resin (Thermoplastic and Thermoset), Manufacturing Process, Fiber, Application (Interior, Exterior), Transportation Type (Airways, Roadways, Railways, Waterways), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/transportation-composites-market-175821588.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/gelcoat-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/gelcoat.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg Blood platelet counts at the higher end of normal suggest a high risk of cancer in men aged 60 or over, and should be investigated, according to new University of Exeter research. Platelets perform a crucial function in blood, including helping blood to clot, which helps us heal wounds. However, Exeter researchers have previously found that cancer risk is significantly raised by having an abnormally high blood platelet count (more than 400 x 109/l,) a condition known as thrombocytosis. Now, they have found that cases of cancer greatly increased in older males with a platelet count on the high end of normal range (326 to 400 x 109/l), indicating that these patients should be investigated for cancer. In a study funded by NIHR and published in the British Journal of General Practice, researchers reviewed the records of nearly 300,000 patients who had platelet counts on the higher end using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. They found that the number of these patients diagnosed with cancer a year later was significantly higher if the patients had even slightly raised platelet levels. Of 68,181 male patients with levels of blood platelet on the higher end of normal, 1,869 cases of cancer were diagnosed within one year. Of these, 720 were an advanced stage. A higher platelet count was most frequently linked to lung and colorectal cancers -- both aggressive forms of cancer. Dr Sarah Bailey, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Exeter Medical School who led the research, said: "After finding that having a blood platelet count above normal range put people at high risk of cancer, we investigated the risk at the high end of normal. We found that men aged over 60 whose platelet count is on higher end of a normal are more likely to have an underlying cancer. Updating guidance for GPs to investigate higher platelet counts could save lives. This is particularly important in a post-COVID era; clues to help GPs identify cancer earlier are crucial to target the backlog in cancer investigation and diagnosis" Professor Willie Hamilton, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "The UK lags well behind other developed countries on early cancer diagnosis. Our findings on platelet count and cancer diagnosis can help to combat that lag. It is now crucial that we roll out cancer investigation of thrombocytosis. It could save hundreds of lives." The paper is entitled 'Cancer incidence following a high-normal platelet count: cohort study using electronic healthcare records from English primary care'. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, July 30 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has changed peoples lives, including religious rituals. In the coronavirus version of Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice), Muslims in Indonesia are once again called upon to bend teachings and tradition. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has called on Muslims nationwide to perform strict health protocols to prevent virus transmission. Those who live in high-risk areas, known as red zones, should avoid praying in mosques and conduct the qurban (sacrificing animals) in proper slaughterhouses to prevent crowds gathering. In Jakarta, as of last Thursday, some 33 community units (RW) were categorized as red zones, an increase from 30 RWs recorded earlier. The 33 RWs are spread across 26 subdistricts in all six administrative areas in Jakarta. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login By Peter Roff The congressional spending spree that's followed the coronavirus lockdown has obligated our children and grandchildren to trillions in debt that won't be paid off easily. The blame for this doesn't lie with the Trump administration but goes back over many years because Congress, no matter which party was in charge, has failed to consider seriously the financial obligations it's put on future generations. It's not just Social Security and Medicare that could bankrupt us when they reach the tipping point where more retirees are living longer and healthier than the workforce can afford to support. There are other problems we can already see coming over the horizon that aren't being addressed. Take the issue of the public and private pension plans current and future retirees are counting on to provide for them in their golden years. Many are now badly underfunded and, if they crash, it will make the Great Recession look like a small market correction. Both Washington and the states have for too long allowed pension plans to exist in the private and public sectors that were simply concentrated wealth under the control of so-called experts who'd keep it safe. Except they haven't. Illinois could default anytime over the pressure created by its pension obligations to retired state workers. The truth is these plans have been abused and raided for decades. More than once the workers have been left with nothing unless someone or something stepped in with a bailout. Alternatives exist now, like Roth IRAs and 401Ks that anyone can open. Employers can contribute to these plans, even match what their employees invest, which makes them preferable to the defined benefit plans of the past. They don't leave everyone exposed to a potential taxpayer-funded bailout if they go bankrupt, and they give workers who participate a significant measure of control over their retirement finances. For all the good that's come with reform since the 1970s, there's still a lot wrong with the existing system that needs to be fixed. There are currently about 1,400 pension funds that, as defined by the federal Pension Benefits Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), are "collectively bargained plan(s) maintained by more than one employer, usually within the same or related industries, and a labor union." There are more than 10 million workers who've invested in them in everything from mining to manufacturing to trucking. They constitute a powerful voting bloc and they're worried that their plans are underfunded and in financial trouble. Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, a leading advocate multiemployer plan reform, estimates they're underfunded by more than $638 billion while the PBGC, the government guarantor for pension plans, is projected to become insolvent in less than five years. Can you say problem? Polling commissioned by the Retirement Security Coalition in swing states where control of the Senate over the next two years may be decided in the next election found voters care deeply about this issue. In Michigan, where the latest polls show the race very tight between incumbent Democrat Gary Peters and GOP challenger John James, a whopping 70 percent of the more than 440,400 people surveyed agreed these plans are endangered and in need of reform. Similar numbers come from states where other Senate races will help determine control of the chamber like Iowa, North Carolina, and Georgia. The data suggests Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who runs the Senate and presumably wants to continue doing so over the next two years needs to make the issue more of a priority if he wants to keep his current job. Portman's proposed a set of commonsense reforms for multiemployer plans that at least deserve a hearing preferably before retiree benefits start getting cut and the demand for a bailout starts. The Senate needs to get moving. Peter Roff (RoffColumns@gmail.com) is a senior fellow at Frontiers of Freedom and a former U.S. News and World Report contributing editor who appears regularly as a commentator on the One America News network. His article was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc. Dropped share prices in Petrolimex are thwarting the groups divestment hopes, photo Le Toan Nguyen Chi Thanh, general director of State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), expressed his optimism as in the first six months of this year, around VND700 billion ($30.43 million) of state capital was successfully divested, reaching 54 per cent of the whole years target. Hence, we are quite confident in meeting our divestment goals this year, Thanh said. Tran Duc Anh, head of Macro and Strategy of KB Securities, noted there are two major factors determining the success of state-owned enterprise (SOE) divestment: the effort of the government and the market conditions. For the first factor, the government is highly determined in accelerating the process since 2020 is the last year for local authorities to wrap up the equitisation schedule of the 2016-2020 period. Besides that, several bailouts such as stimulus packages and tax relief measures were enacted by local authorities to push the economy out of woes from the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought about a huge budget deficit, Anh told VIR. He also mentioned previous successful deals were like a blast from the past in an amply liquid, bullish market, and upbeat business performance, coupled with large overseas capital inflows. However, given that the current market sentiment remains highly volatile and uncertain, these favourable conditions are unlikely to occur, thus hampering investors appetite who want to reap the fruits from SOEs. As a result, the divestment target has low chances to be completed. Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) has been stuck for years in its divestment ambition of moving from 76 to 51 per cent. On the other hand, the firm is still in discussion with ENEOS Corporation, formerly known as JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation the Japanese petroleum giant on selling an additional 15 per cent stake in treasury shares to lift the strategic investors current 8 per cent shareholdings. Other market watchdogs believe SOE divestment can still be the catalyst for the latter half of this year with attention being placed on large corporations such as Sabeco, Viglacera, and FPT. Andy Ho, managing director and chief investment officer at VinaCapital, stated that foreign investors prefer to buy stocks that have high liquidity, and in which a large proportion of the companys outstanding stocks are already in the hands of other investors. For that reason, those people do not like it when a company like PetroVietnam Gas has been equitised with only a tiny proportion of the companys shares being sold to private sector investors (just 4 per cent in the case of PetroVietnam). We have long been proponents that the government should sell a far greater proportion of its ownership stakes in companies that have already been equitised it should be a fairly simple endeavour compared to undertaking equitisation of new companies, said Ho. In the case of an overseas investor wanting to buy shares in one of those companies, they must purchase from another foreigner at a price which will typically be 7-15 per cent above the prevailing listed price. This creates a problem in that the new foreign investor then suffers a 7-15 per cent mark-to-market loss on the investment because there is no way of verifying the foreign premium that the investor paid to purchase the stock. The solution to this problem would be for Vietnam to implement a foreign board on which transactions between foreign investors are recognised. Thailands stock market implemented such a scheme in order to facilitate foreign inflows into the stock market while essentially maintaining foreign ownership limits of publicly traded companies with some success. Vietnams stock market could simply follow Thailands precedent, as well as garner the necessary technical insights from Thailand to implement such a scheme, said Ho. According to Seck Yee Chung, partner at Baker McKenzie, in addition to pricing, the important factors include access to information and opportunity to carry out an appropriate level of diligence, the percentage of shares being offered, and whether there is a role in management. Strategic buyers would be interested to know about the financial health of the companies, the assets it has in place, and the liabilities linked to it. Future plans and to what extent more shares might be available, and if there are foreign ownership limitations, would also be important considerations. Whilst the Vietnamese economy has various long-standing fundamentals that remain attractive, it clearly does not operate in isolation and the growth potential would also be significantly influenced by global markets and how these are managing the pandemic, Chung told VIR. In the meantime, it would be compelling if best efforts are made to enhance the investor-readiness of these companies. WASHINGTON - At an often-contentious emergency hearing Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers pressed the director of the Census Bureau on how he will follow last week's presidential directive to change the way the decennial census is used for congressional apportionment. Bureau director Steven Dillingham told the House Oversight and Reform Committee that he had no advance notice of President Donald Trump's memorandum, which directs the Commerce Department to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted next year when Congress reapportions House seats. Census and legal experts say such an action would be illegal and unconstitutional, and several lawsuits have challenged the July 21 memo. At the hearing, which lasted more than 4 1/2 hours and included four former Census Bureau directors, several lawmakers drew connections between the memo and the administration's unsuccessful bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, saying both were an attempt to disenfranchise immigrants and minorities. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said it was "unbelievable" that Dillingham had no notice of the directive before it was issued. "How do you reconcile the recent memorandum with the oath you swore to uphold?" she asked him. "Let me explain that the Census Bureau produces statistics and data; we have no control over its uses," Dillingham told her, prompting her to ask whether the director was "just a data receptacle." Committee Democrats also questioned Dillingham about fears that the government has reversed its stance on a deadline extension for census data to be delivered. In April, when much of the country was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, the bureau suspended many of its survey operations and asked for a four-month extension to deliver the data to the president. By law, the deadline for its delivery is Dec. 31 of the census year, but because the bureau has had to postpone its door-to-door knocking by several months, several of its top officials have said it is no longer possible to meet that deadline. Census experts say the count could be compromised if the bureau is rushed to meet the December date. A four-month delay could impede any plan to exclude undocumented immigrants if Trump is defeated and a new administration takes over in January, before the data becomes available to use for reapportionment. In its Heroes Act, the House approved the bureau's request for the delay, along with an additional $400 million to help with the count. A Senate bill unveiled this week asked for an additional $448 million in funding for the census but did not mention the extension. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., the committee's vice chair, asked Dillingham whether he had discussed the extension with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Dillingham said he had not. Gomez asked three times whether Dillingham still supported the bureau's original request for a deadline extension. When Dillingham's responses did not address the question, Gomez cut in. "I'm looking for yes or no," he said. "It seems like there's an obvious pattern that you're not in control of the Census Bureau and that the political appointees of this administration are. You know your name will go down in history if this is the worst census ever conducted by the United States government. You're not going to run away and say that this was only because of the Trump administration later on. You will be responsible." The administration last month added two high-level political appointees to the Census Bureau, eliciting criticism from Democrats in the House and Senate and raising concern that the new hires could attempt to influence the survey. In addition to congressional apportionment, data from the 2020 Census will be used to determine state redistricting and $1.5 trillion a year in federal funding. Last week's memo prompted immediate lawsuits from several organizations, including one in Washington by the government watchdog group Common Cause and one in New York by the American Civil Liberties Union. New York state filed suit Friday on behalf of a coalition of states, cities, and counties and backed by 21 attorneys general nationwide. And on Tuesday, the state of California, several cities, and the Los Angeles Unified School District sued Trump, Dillingham, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and the Commerce Department and Census Bureau, saying the order threatens to "seriously harm Plaintiffs . . . including by depriving them of their rightful share of congressional representatives and by depressing the 2020 Census count itself." Earlier in Wednesday's hearing, the committee heard from four former Census Bureau directors who served under Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump. They warned that Trump's directive is likely to lower participation by immigrants. "They're afraid that the answers will be used against them, as it was unfortunately produced in the 1941 period with the Japanese Americans," said Kenneth Prewitt, who served from 1998 to 2001. "Sixty years ago, we're still talking about that. It cast a very long shadow over the census, and what we're going through now will cast another very long shadow. If they are afraid that it will be used against them as a group, then they have a reason to sort of dodge it and not respond to it and hide out." Prewitt added that he was "very worried" that the bureau will not be able to produce an accurate count by the December deadline. Trump's memorandum could also affect lawsuits already underway, including one led by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Greenbelt, Md., challenging an order for agencies to share citizenship data with the Census Bureau, which the president announced last year after the Supreme Court blocked the citizenship question. Plaintiffs in that trial last week asked for and received permission to amend their complaint by three weeks. Litigation over a version of the memo is also underway in Alabama, which has sued the Commerce Department and the Census Bureau, arguing that immigrants who are not in the United States legally should not be counted for apportionment or federal funding, even if they do fill out the census. Even if the administration found some way to legally exclude undocumented people from the count, experts say it would be impossible to implement, noting that by law, apportionment must be based on the decennial census, which does not ask about respondents' legal status. Census experts on a call with reporters on Tuesday said they worry that the bureau will not have enough time or resources to count the 37% of households that have not self-responded to the survey. The experts noted that people hired by the bureau to go door to door are dropping out at a significant rate for coronavirus-related reasons. Some have complained that although they have been issued hand sanitizer and masks, they have received little or no training on how to stay safe when going door to door. A Census Bureau spokesperson told The Washington Post that he was unable to verify how many enumerators have resigned. Asked at the hearing about enumerators not being provided with adequate training, Dillingham said he would look into the reports. "Jack's relentless commitment to our customers and excellence in project execution has helped Bechtel reach new heights delivering critical projects for governments and industries worldwide," said Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel. "We are thrilled that he will remain on our board, helping to guide the company for continued success." In his new role, Albert will be responsible for overseeing the company's four global business units, as well as the EPC Functions, Strategy & Business Development, Diversity & Inclusion, and Regions & Corporate Affairs organizations. He will also chair Bechtel's Operating Committee. Albert will be based at the company's headquarters in Reston, Virginia, and will report to Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel. The new appointments are effective September 8 of this year. "Craig is ideally suited to lead our operations in an era when customers are looking to us for partnership, innovation, and sustainable solutions to help meet the defining challenges of the 21st century," said Bechtel. "With his strong track record as president of two of our global business units, Craig has proven himself as a visionary and customer-focused leader, adept at aligning Bechtel's unique capabilities to help customers achieve their most ambitious goals." Albert joined Bechtel in 1998 as a senior member of Bechtel's business development team. He went on to management roles at major power, waste treatment, and LNG projects in the U.S. and Australia. In 2011, he oversaw the merger of Bechtel's commercial nuclear power business with its defense and national security unit to form a new Nuclear, Security, and Environmental (NS&E) business unit, which he led as president. In 2016, Albert was named president of the Infrastructure business unit, where has been responsible for the delivery of projects ranging from airports, metro systems, and motorways to communications networks and clean energy resources. Albert was elected a principal vice president in 2001, a senior vice president in 2009, and a director in 2013. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. The company also announced that Shaun Kenny will succeed Albert as president of the Infrastructure business unit, based in London. Kenny, who most recently led the BACS consortium's work on the Riyadh Metro in Saudi Arabia, has held multiple executive and critical project leadership positions since joining the company in 1997. These included leading the Infrastructure unit's Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asia-Pacific regional business lines, and earlier serving as president of Bechtel's Mining & Metals business unit. "Shaun has extensive mega-project experience and a successful track record of winning new work and building enduring customer relationships," said Bechtel. "These skills will be critical as we support customers in traditional infrastructure markets as well as the rapidly evolving digital, sustainable energy, and communications markets." Kenny was elected a principal vice president in 2009 and a senior vice president in 2012. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Liverpool Polytechnic University, and he is a chartered civil engineer. About Bechtel: Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers' objectives to create a lasting positive impact. Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world's infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place. Bechtel serves the Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Oil, Gas & Chemicals; and Mining & Metals markets. Our services span from initial planning and investment, through start-up and operations. www.bechtel.com Media contact: Iva Zagar [email protected] tel. +1-713-235-3088 SOURCE Bechtel Related Links http://www.bechtel.com Hong Kong Arrests Four For 'Secession' Under China's Security Law 2020-07-29 -- Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested four people on suspicion of pro-independence activities under a draconian security law recently imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The arrestees aged from 16 to 21 were taken into custody in raids in the New Territories districts of Yuen Long, Shatin, and Tuen Mun on suspicion of "organizing and inciting secessionist activities," senior superintendent Li Kwai-wah of the newly-formed national security squad of the Hong Kong police told reporters. They are suspected of posting announcements online calling on people to fight to establish a "Hong Kong nation," and of declaring that they would use all necessary means to achieve this end. There were also calls to unite all pro-independence groups in Hong Kong, Li said. As the posts were made after the new law was introduced on July 1, they fall under articles in the law banning "incitement" to secessionist activities. Earlier on Wednesday, members of a pro-autonomy group called Studentlocalism, which disbanded ahead of the law's implementation, said its former leader Tony Chung had been arrested at his home in Yuen Long. Footage of the arrest shared online showed a plainclothes national security officer identifying himself, before leading Chung to a vehicle with his hands behind his back. The arrests came as Hong Kong's leaders discussed postponing September's Legislative Council (LegCo) elections, ostensibly because of a recent surge in coronavirus cases in the city. Opposition and pro-democracy candidates swept the board in District Council elections last November, prompting fears among pro-China politicians that they could win a majority in LegCo on a wave of popular anger and months of street protests over the loss of Hong Kong's promised freedoms and autonomy under Chinese rule. Opposition politicians in Hong Kong have accused the authorities of using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse, citing Beijing's fear of a pro-democracy majority in the LegCo chamber. Chief executive Carrie Lam alone holds the power to dissolve the current session of LegCo and trigger a general election, and she may also order emergency sessions of the existing council to convene to process urgent government business even after it has been dissolved. Several media outlets, including pro-China organizations, have reported that such a postponement is imminent. Based on a political agenda Tanya Chan, convenor of the pro-democracy camp in the Legislative Council (LegCo), said any such move would be read as political by the majority of people in Hong Kong. "Without a sufficient or profound medical basis, I'm sure most people will assume that the decision is purely based on a political agenda, instead of any practical and medical reasons," Chan said. She said other countries had gone ahead with elections during the pandemic, and there was no reason why Hong Kong couldn't do the same. David Hui, professor of respiratory medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), said the government hadn't consulted him about the risks of going ahead with the polls given the current outbreak in the city. Wilson Wong, associate professor of public policy at CUHK, said there had been no known infection cluster associated with democratic primaries on the weekend of July 14, when more than 600,000 people cast their votes for would-be candidates. "The absence of any cluster from the democratic primaries shows that it is entirely possible to make election arrangements that pay attention to hygiene and social distancing," Wong said. "So if the government postpones the [LegCo] election in the face of such a successful example, I think that is a pretty weak argument," he said. Chan Kin-man, one of the founders of the 2014 Occupy Central movement, said it would be an "extreme" move if the government goes ahead as reported. "We have ways to prevent coronavirus transmission ... such as social distancing," Chan said. "They have to find a way to respect the political rights of citizens." "It just shows you how they are thinking now; how easy it is for them to disregard people's political rights," he said. Broken promises Under the terms of the 1997 handover agreement, Hong Kong was promised the maintenance of its traditional freedoms of speech and association, as well as universal suffrage. But Beijing's ruling out of fully democratic elections in 2014, its insistence on the prosecution and disqualification of key opposition figures, and its subsequent imposition of the National Security Law following months of popular protests over diminishing freedoms have collapsed the distinction between the city and the rest of mainland China, rights groups and overseas governments say. The vaguely worded new security law threatens anyone criticizing the Chinese or Hong Kong authorities anywhere in the world, prompting Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to end their extradition arrangements with Hong Kong. The U.S., which revoked Hong Kong's special trading privileges after the law took effect, has indicated it will follow suit. China's feared state security police have now set up a headquarters in the city to implement its ban on actions and speech deemed subversive, pro-independence, or "terrorist" in inclination, although the definitions have already been criticized as impossibly vague by overseas legal experts. The government has warned that slogans linked to last year's protest movement, including "Free Hong Kong, Revolution Now!", will fall within the law's remit. The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the law will be "devastating" to human rights protections in the city. It has created specialized secret security agencies, denied fair trial rights, provided sweeping new powers to police, increased restraints on civil society and the media, and weakened judicial oversight, the group said in a report on its website on Wednesday. "Long used to freedoms, Hong Kong people now face the prospect of lengthy prison terms for possessing banners or chanting slogans that the authorities dislike," HRW senior China researcher Maya Wang said. "The Hong Kong authorities, with China's backing, are imposing mainland-style repression on a city long recognized for its freedoms," she said. The law will also affect the right to education and freedom of information, opinion, and expression in schools, as political statements and discussions are banned from the city's classrooms, and as books by pro-democracy figures are removed from its public libraries. Reported by Man Hoi-tsan for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Lu Xi for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. Copyright 1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A pregnant coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patient (23) delivered a male baby in an ambulance while on her way to a hospital in Agartala from Tripuras Unakoti district in the dead of night on Wednesday. The mother and the baby have been admitted to the state-run Govind Ballabh Pant (GBP) Hospital, a dedicated Covid-19 facility, in Agartala. The mother, who belongs to Unakoti district, had tested Covid-19 positive on Tuesday evening and was referred to GBP Hospital, located about 130 kilometres (km) from her native place after the district hospital authorities had refused to admit her because of the complications of her health condition. The ambulance, which was ferrying her to GBP Hospital, was also entrusted with the responsibility to drop a Covid-19 patient at Kumarghat Hospital in Unakoti district. However, she went into labour, when the ambulance was crossing Atharamura range in Khowai district, 50 km away from Agartala, and she gave birth to a male baby in the vehicle. The ambulance reached the hospital in the intervening night between Tuesday and Wednesday before 2 pm. The mother and the child are doing fine. The baby has been kept with the mother in the Covid-19 isolation ward since he requires to be breastfed, said Dr. Bidhan Goswami, resident medical officer (RMO), GBP Hospital. Tripura Directorate of Health Services has served a show-cause notice to the Unakoti district hospital seeking a reply within 24 hours, ascribing reasons for refusing admission and referring the patient to GBP Hospital. There is a complaint against the on-duty doctor of the hospital, who refused to admit her after she had tested Covid-19 positive. Action will be taken against him, if he is found guilty, said Dr. Subhasish Debbarma, director of health services, Tripura. Dr. Samarendra Debbarma, medical superintendent, Unakoti district hospital, cited infrastructure inadequacy that prompted the referral to GBP Hospital. The district hospital has only one labour room and an operation theatre (OT) and a Covid care ward. We refer serious pregnancy and Covid-19 cases to GBP Hospital, as per the instructions. She, too, was referred following discussion with senior health authorities, Dr. Debbarma said. Earlier on July 22, another woman (23) had delivered a baby daughter at GBP Hospital three days after she had tested Covid-19 positive. Tripura has recorded 4,287 Covid-19 cases to date, including 2,621 patients have recovered from their viral infection and 21 have died. A woman Covid-19 patient had died by suicide, according to the state health department. The Biplab Kumar Deb-led government has extended the lockdown restrictions in the state from 5 am on Thursday (July 30) until August 4 owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases. The lockdown that was re-imposed on Monday (July 27) from 5 am was slated to be lifted on Thursday. Taiwan's former president Lee Teng-hui, who defied China and earned the nickname "Mr Democracy" for the part he played in the island's transition away from authoritarian rule, died Thursday aged 97. He was credited with paving the way for Taiwan to become a modern, free society after decades of one-party dictatorship and became a champion of the island's bid to be treated as a sovereign state internationally. Lee had been in hospital since February after choking on some food and had a history in recent years of chronic illnesses. "He died of septic shock and multiple organ failure today despite the medical team's all out efforts to revive him," Taipei Veterans General Hospital vice president Hwang Shinn-jang told reporters. Lee's 12 years in office from 1988 to 2000 were marked by growing cross-strait tensions as he pitched himself against Beijing, infuriating Chinese authorities for daring to carve out a separate identity for Taiwan. Despite being self-ruled since 1949, Taiwan has never formally declared independence from the mainland and Beijing has vowed to react with force if it ever does. China still regards Taiwan as part of its territory. - Born into a colony - Lee was born in Taiwan in 1923 and educated in Japan, which ruled the island as a colony for 50 years until 1945, when it lost the Pacific War. Taiwan was then handed back to China, which was under the rule of Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) leader Chiang Kai-shek. After Chiang lost a civil war to communist forces on the mainland four years later, he fled to Taiwan to set up a rival government. Ruling with an iron fist, Chiang instigated a "White Terror" purge of opponents which lasted until his death in 1975. Lee, a professor of agricultural economics, was introduced to Chiang's son Chiang Ching-kuo in the 1970s and gained his trust. When he became president after his father's death, the younger Chiang promoted Lee to various top government positions. By 1984 Lee was vice president and four years later was appointed leader following the younger Chiang's death, becoming the island's first Taiwan-born president. - China missiles - Martial law had already been lifted by the younger Chiang in 1987 but it was Lee who drove forward Taiwan's largely peaceful transition into a fully functional democracy. His government introduced wide-ranging political reforms, including the election of a new parliament and a direct vote for president. Lee then won Taiwan's first ever public leadership elections in 1996, which he took by a landslide despite threats from mainland China. China fired ballistic missiles into the Taiwan Strait in an unsuccessful bid to stop voters choosing Lee, prompting the US to send warships to the area. Once in office, Lee urged local firms to avoid extensive investments in China, promoting Taiwan's statehood and separate cultural identity from the mainland, which in turn branded him a "sinner" and "splittist". Lee was succeeded by Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2000 when the KMT lost for the first time. Lee's commitment to formally declaring an independent Taiwan only became clear after he stepped down and helped set up the Taiwan Solidarity Union which advocates a split from China, a move that prompted the KMT to expel him from the party. After Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT succeeded Chen in 2008 and oversaw a rapprochement with China, Lee became a vocal critic of the government's Beijing-friendly policies. He was indicted on corruption charges in 2011 for allegedly embezzling state funds while in office but was acquitted and accused the Ma government of "inventing" offences to persecute him. Since 2016, Taiwan has been run by president Tsai Ing-wen who is also loathed by Beijing because she views the island as a sovereign state. Beijing has ramped up economic, military and diplomatic pressure in response but Tsai won a landslide poll victory for a second term earlier this year. In a statement Tsai described Lee as "irreplaceable, and his passing is a tremendous loss to our country". China's nationalistic state-run Global Times newspaper meanwhile labelled Lee the "godfather of Taiwan secessionism". "Lee's death is definitely not sad news to most people in the Chinese mainland," the tabloid wrote. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered condolences, saying Washington would celebrate Lee by "continuing to strengthen our bond with Taiwan and its vibrant democracy". Lee Teng-hui pictured in 2015 CHEYENNE -- Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe acquitted Michael Abrams of two felony counts of attempting to injure a police officer Thursday afternoon. The system worked in this case, Robert Moxley, Abrams attorney, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Friday morning. If we hadnt had body cameras, they could have said anything they wanted to. Those things saved Michael. The acquittal came after trial lawyers and Sharpe spent roughly two hours Thursday reviewing the police body camera footage of the incident in question, which occurred on the evening of Oct. 4, 2018... Thursday, July 30, 2020 FIRST HALF 2020 RESULTS: RCI BANK AND SERVICES MAINTAINS A ROBUST COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN A CAR MARKET IN STEEP DECLINE 658,555 new financing contracts, for a total of 7.7 billion in new financings Penetration rate 1 at 47.6% of registrations at end of June 2020, up 4.6 points compared to the first half of 2019 21,454 new financing contracts for electric vehicles, up 27% on end-June 2019 1.9 million service contracts, down 22.8% compared with the first half of 2019 Average performing assets of 48.1 billion, up 3.0% on end-June 2019 Net banking income of 1,010 million, up 0.2% on end-June 2019 Improvement in the operating cost to APA ratio 2 at 1.29% Deterioration in the cost of risk at 0.99% of APA, compared with 0.40% in the first half of 2019 Group pre-tax income of 473 million3 "In a particularly difficult automotive environment, RCI Bank and Services has shown its resilience and kept its commercial and financial performance at robust levels. With pre-tax income of 473 million, RCI Bank and Services continues to represent a strong contribution to Groupe Renault's results. These sound bases and the commitment of RCI Bank and Services' teams are key assets on which the group can count during the second half of the year", said Clotilde Delbos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Groupe Renault, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RCI Bank and Services. "Thanks to the dedication of all of its employees, RCI Bank and Services maintained its activity throughout the lockdown period. We have proactively introduced repayment deferrals for our customers and the Alliance brands' distribution networks. This has increased provisions, affecting the company's profitability in the short term while ensuring that our customers are supported during this unprecedented period. We have been supporting the strong commercial recovery of the Alliance brands' business activity since June. This is reflected in the penetration rate1 of 47.6%, up 4.6 points, and the 27% growth in sales of new financing contracts for electric vehicles in the first half of 2020", explained Joao Leandro, Chief Executive Officer of RCI Bank and Services. IMPROVED COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE DESPITE THE STEEP DECLINE IN THE CAR MARKET In a car market that fell by 34% in the operating countries of the RCI Bank and Services subsidiaries4, the Alliance brands' sales volumes stood at 1.1 million vehicles in the first half of 2020. In this environment, RCI Bank and Services' penetration rate5 reached 47.6%, up 4.6 points6 versus the first half of 2019. The volume of new financing contracts for new vehicles totaled 501,055 at end of June 2020. Sales volumes of financing contracts for electric vehicles increased by 27%, with 21,454 contracts, 17,669 of which were accounted for by ZOE, the best-selling electric car in Europe. Used-car vehicle financing activity fell by 15%, with 157,500 contracts at end of June 2020. The total volume of new financing contracts therefore amounted to 658,555 contracts in the first half of 2020, for total new financings of 7.7 billion, down on the first half of 2019 (10.9 billion). Service activity saw a 22.8% decrease in volumes versus the previous year. 1.9 million insurance and service contracts were sold in the first half-year. RCI BANK AND SERVICES IS MAINTAINING A ROBUST FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Driven by its commercial performance in the second half of 2019, RCI Bank and Services' average performing assets rose by 3.0% on the first half of 2019 to a total of 48.1 billion. Of this amount, 37.8 billion are directly linked to the customers business, which grew by 3.9%. Net banking income (NBI) totaled 1,010 million, holding steady since end of June 2019. The contribution from services activities to NBI continued to grow (up 3.5% compared with last year) and now accounts for one third of NBI. The cost of risk in the customers business (financing for retail and corporate customers) improved substantially to 1.15% of APA in the first half of 2020, compared with 0.43% of APA the previous year. This fall is due to the increase in provisions following the negative repercussions of lockdown policies on collection processes (recoveries and sales of seized vehicles having almost stopped) and the slight rise in the share of non-performing loans in outstandings. The cost of risk for the Dealer Networks business (dealership financing) stood at 0.38% of APA, compared with 0.13% in 20197. The cost of risk therefore totals 0.99% of APA, versus 0.40% in the first half of 2019. Operating costs stood at 308 million or 1.29% of APA, having improved by 7 basis points compared with 2019. With an operating ratio of 30.5%, a 0.7 point improvement, RCI Bank and Services is showing its ability to adapt its operating costs to the level of its activity. Pre-tax income came to 473 million, down 22.1% compared with 2019, over the same period, impacted by the degradation of the cost of risk and a negative currency effect of 17.1 million stemming from the devaluation of the Brazilian real and Argentine peso. DEPOSITS ARE CONTINUING TO GROWIN AN ENVIRONMENT OF LIMITED FINANCING NEEDS During the first half, debt issuance was voluntarily limited. RCI Bank and Services completed only one bond issue in January, a seven-year, fixed-rate issue for 750 million. The group entities in Brazil, South Korea and Morocco also issued debt on their domestic markets. In the secure refinancing segment, recharging periods were extended for another year for private securitizations of automotive loans in the UK and of leasing in Germany. Deposits from individual customers in France, Germany, Austria, the UK and Brazil (savings accounts and term deposits) have grown by 0.9 billion since December 2019 and reached 18.6 billion at June 30, 2020, accounting for 38.9% of net assets at the end of June. Press contacts RCI Bank and Services Amandine Monteil + 33(0)6 87 71 80 63 amandine.monteil@rcibanque.com (mailto:amandine.monteil@rcibanque.com) Agence CLE + 33 (0)1 84 16 06 22 rcibspress@agencecle.fr About RCI Banque S.A. Created and wholly owned by Groupe Renault, RCI Banque S.A. is a French bank specializing in automotive financing and services for the customers and dealership networks of Groupe Renault (Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Renault Samsung Motors and Lada) worldwide, the Nissan group (Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun) mainly in Europe, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea and through joint ventures in Russia and India, and Mitsubishi Motors in the Netherlands. RCI Bank and Services has been the new commercial identity of RCI Banque S.A. since February 2016. With 3,700 employees in 36 countries, RCI Bank and Services financed over 1.8 million contracts (for new and used vehicles) in 2019 and sold more than 5.1 million services. At end-December 2019, average performing assets stood at 47.4 billion in financing and pre-tax income at 1.327 billion. RCI Bank and Services has rolled out a deposits collection business in five countries since 2012. At end-December 2019, net collected deposits totaled 17.7 billion, or 35% of the company's net assets. Find out more about RCI Bank and Services: www.rcibs.com Follow us on Twitter: @RCIBS 1Overall penetration rate excluding companies accounted for under the equity method (Russia, Turkey and India). 2Average performing assets (APA) correspond to average loans outstanding plus assets relating to operational leasing activities. For customers, APA corresponds to average performing assets at the end of the month. For the network, APA corresponds to daily average performing assets. 3Impacted by a negative exchange effect of 17.1 million stemming from the devaluation of the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso. 4 RCI Bank and Services operates in 36 countries. 5Overall penetration rate excluding companies accounted for under the equity method (Russia, Turkey and India). 6The penetration rate corresponds to the number of vehicles financed by RCI Bank and Services divided by the number of vehicles registered by carmakers. Given the time lag between registration and delivery of a vehicle, the fall in registrations is having a slightly positive impact on the penetration rate. 7 Negatively impacted by the updating of macro-economic forecasts in connection with the forward-looking recognition of provisions under IFRS9. Attachment There are estimated to be about 160 Indochinese tigers left in the wild in Thailand. They are also found in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and southwestern China. The total population may be only about 350, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Peter Dutton can sleep easy now that a Tamil mother of two young children has been escorted reportedly by 10 Border Force guards back to detention on Christmas Island from a Perth hospital. She'd been there under investigation following a long period of illness until her removal on Wednesday. Priya and Nades with their daughters. The family has been in detention since March 2018. Dutton, the Home Affairs Minister, accused them last week of "using every trick in the book" to prevent their deportation. It defies belief that, while the country faces enormous health and economic battles, he would turn his focus to a family of two parents and two small children stuck in detention on Christmas Island. His seeming obsession with getting this family off Australian soil despite both children having been born here is in stark contrast to the compassion shown by Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he navigates the effect of COVID on those who have lost jobs and loved ones. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Two-wheeler and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor, will be focussing on strengthening its exports and international business for the next three to five years. Along with entering new overseas markets, the Chennai-based firm aims to improve exports from its Indonesia plant, which posted a positive EBITDA of $750,000 for the full year against a loss of $3 million in FY19. Addressing the companys AGM on Wednesday, chairman and managing director, Venu Srinivasan said the international business of TVS Motor has grown by 7 per cent in 2019-20, compared to 16.6 per cent in 2018-19. The company has a long term strategic partnership with BMW and has produced 72,000 units of BMW 310 motorcycles under the collaboration. TVS has also acquired Norton motorcycles which has enhanced its global portfolio bringing in complimentary products, segments, markets in the super premium category, said Srinivasan. TVS has long-term plans to increase its presence in the overseas market. We will consolidate our presence in Africa and Latin America and improve our market share in some of the countries where we have scope for improvement. For next three to five years we will be focussing on international side of the business by improving market share, ensuring customer satisfaction and entering new markets, Sudarshan Venu, who is the joint managing director, added. On the covid-19 impact on the business, Srinivasan said that domestic demand was down last year due to lower GDP and product prices rose by nearly 30 per cent in the last 18-24 months due to GST, emission norm changes and insurance cost. The pandemic further worsened the woes. However, the second quarter looks to be good, he added. A thought for the day from George Zivkovic of Northmead. "Today (July 31) marks the 317th anniversary of author Daniel Defoe being placed in a pillory (stocks) for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet in 1703. However, instead of being pelted with filth, all that was thrown at him were flowers. Who knows what might be thrown at some of today's MPs if they were shackled up somewhere outside of their Canberra or state bubbles and accused of political incompetence?" Linda Wassink of Beecroft has a question. "If Karen Covidiot and Kevin Covidiot are shortened to KC, would the plural be Caseys? And what would the rhyming slang for it be?" Some tips for preventing the fogging of spectacles (C8) in these mask-wearing times. Anne Cloak of Bargo suggests using a short length of translucent medical tape over the nose to hold the mask in place. Susan Pickup of Murwillumbah, having once used a product specifically designed to rub on to the glass to make it resistant to misting or fogginess, has since found "that regular bars of soap will do the same job. Simply use a dry bar of soap, rub it on and spread it over the glass, then polish with a soft cloth. Hey presto! No fogging." As Greg Rutter of Musk (Vic) marches towards retirement age, he has decided he "wants to live close to an optician, a pharmacy and a baker, because life is now all specs and drugs and sausage rolls." When David Braithwaite of Fairy Meadow was full of beans and teenage exuberance in the late 70s and early 80s, he played both rugby union and rugby league in the one season. "I could never understand, and still don't to this day, why I wore a rugby 'guernsey' on Saturday and a league 'jersey' on Sunday. Any help?" REUTERS Calgary-based telecom carrier Shaw Communications (SJR) (SJR-B.TO) has announced it will launch Shaw Mobile, a wireless service for B.C. and Alberta customers who will be able to add up to six mobile lines to their internet service. Unlimited talk and text will cost no money per month, while customers wishing for data can add $45 per month for 25GB. Paul McAleese, president of wireless at Shaw, explained during a press briefing that customers who add a phone line will use Wi-Fi when at home and will automatically connect to one of the 450,000 Shaw Wi-Fi hotspots in Western Canada when not at home. There is a $20 activation fee per line, he said. Regular rates for Shaw Fibre+ internet plans start at $60 per month to $125 per month, according to information on the carriers website. McAleese added that customers wishing for data can either pay $10 per gigabyte or add $45 for 25GB. Speeds are throttled if customers go over their data and they will not be charged an overage fee. Customers will also be notified if they are about to reach their data limit, he said. Customers are required to go to one of the 19 retail stores that will have this offering, he said, adding that 12 new stores are opening in the coming weeks. We are in a stressful economic environment in Western Canada, McAleese said. What a better time to launch a high-value plan when people are most financially stressed. We think we can really help Canadian consumers and its a wonderful bundle. By offering this service, McAleese said Shaws strategy is to reward and secure our existing [internet] base and to compete with Telus, its primary competitor in the West for internet services. We want to ensure that we reward our customers in a way that perhaps its difficult for others to do and stabilize that base in a way that can reduce our churn in a unit face and reward those customers further for loyalty, he said. Currently, Shaw has only been able to capture a 6 per cent market share of wireless mobile customers in Western Canada, but in terms of internet customers, the carrier has a 50 per cent market share. Story continues The carrier has also invested nearly $30 billion since 2013 into its existing networks and announced in May 2020 that Western Canadians now have access to gigabit speeds with the launch of Fibre+ Gig. McAleese said there are no plans to expand the service to other provinces. He did note that customers travelling to other provinces using the wireless service will latch onto Freedom Mobile hotspots. McAleese said the move to have these plans is important as the government pushes national telecom carriers to reduce prices of cellphone plans. We believe that the launch of Shaw Mobile will not only meet that [ask] but will substantially surpass that, he said. This isnt the first time Shaw has tried to disrupt the telecom industry. In November 2018, the carrier offered existing Freedom Mobile customers 100GB of bonus data if they signed up for a two-year monthly $60 plan with a new handset. It pushed larger carriers to later offer unlimited data plans which were launched by Rogers, Bell, and Telus in the summer of 2019. McAleese also noted that this new service will not change what Freedom Mobile will offer. We think theyre very much complementary. Some of our peers are able to manage a trio of brands typically. So were not worried about managing a dual of brands, he said. In Western Canada, we still are a challenger brand so we have a relatively low market share. If a Freedom customer chooses to move their pricing into Shaw, thats fine, were quite comfortable having that conversation and transfer over. But the vast majority, we believe of customers that will come to Shaw Mobile will be new and accretive to our wireless objective. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief. Sushant Singh Rajput's father filed an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and five others, alleging abetment of suicide and much more, in Patna while the actor's investigation was being conducted by Mumbai Police. In response to this, Rhea filed a petition in the Supreme Court, requesting transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai. In the petition, Rhea further stated that the allegations made by Sushant's father K.K. Singh are 'false and concocted with ulterior motive.' She denied those allegations and mentioned that K.K. Singh has substantial influence in Patna, and therefore may be able to mobilize the investigation with the help of local authorities. She expressed her fears of not being able to get a fair and just trial in this regard. "In peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case, the petitioner has been falsely implicated in the present case filed by at the instance of Krishna Kishore Singh," read her petition. She also stated that she was in a live-in relationship with Sushant for a year, and has been in trauma post his demise. Sushant was found hanging in his apartment on June 14, 2020. She claimed that he was battling depression. "He died by suicide on the morning of June 14 at his Bandra residence by hanging himself. The petitioner was summoned and she had visited the Bandra police station on various occasions and her statement was recorded under Section 175 of CrPC," it added. Rhea also mentioned in the petition that she has been receiving rape and murder threats since Sushant's demise. She has lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police regarding the threats. Regarding this, Rhea wrote in her petition, "The petitioner has filed a complaint at Santa Cruz police station in Mumbai against the death and rape threats. It would be just and expedient, if the transfer of the case is directed from Patna to Mumbai." In response to Rhea's petition, Sushant's father had filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, seeking to be heard first with regard to the matter of the petition. On July 26, Sushant's father filed an FIR, in which he alleges Rhea, members of her family, and a couple others of defrauding Sushant of a large sum of money, of keeping him away from his family, confining him, stealing his medical records and threatening to make them public. Amid the ongoing parallel investigations by the Mumbai Police and the Bihar Police, there are requests for transfer of the case to the CBI. However, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said that this will not be done. ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput Death Case: SC Dismisses PIL For CBI Probe, Says 'Let Police Do Their Job' A four-member team of the Patna Police is currently in Mumbai investigating the case. The team has questioned Sushant's ex-girlfriend Ankita Lokhande and sister Mitu Singh. ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut's Claims Have Nothing To Do With Sushant's Case: Lawyer Vikas Singh Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating Mauritius Supreme Court building through a video conference on Thursday, said that India's development cooperation with its regional partners was unconditional and without any quid pro quo. The Supreme Court building in Mauritius is the first India-assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Port Louis. The landmark project has been completed amidst the Covid pandemic, with a grant assistance of USD 28.12 million from the government of India, a statement of the ministry of external affairs said. Inaugurating the building jointly with Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister Modi during his video address said, "India's development cooperation does not come with any conditions, nor is it influenced by any political or commercial considerations." The indirect reference to unconditional development cooperation in the region was a dig at China which is known to be predatory and imperialistic in all its development projects in foreign countries. The core principle for development cooperation, PM Modi said, "is respect for our partners and the central motivation is sharing of our development lessons." Prime Minister Modi said that the development cooperation with Mauritius is at the heart of India's approach to development partnerships. Noting the importance of human-centric approach as the underlying philosophy of India's development cooperation, he commended the role of people-oriented infrastructure projects in further cementing the close ties between India and Mauritius. This, he emphasized, distinguishes the Indian development cooperation as marked by the core values of 'Respect', 'Diversity', 'Care for the Future', and 'Sustainable Development'. Prime Minister Modi said that the new Supreme Court building with modern design and state-of-the-art facilities will be a fitting seat for the Mauritius judiciary, and a symbol of cooperation as well as shared values of India and Mauritius. He also pointed out that the project had been completed on schedule and at a cost below initial estimates. In line with India's vision of 'SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region', the new Supreme Court building demonstrates India's role as a reliable partner of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean region as also India's steadfast commitment to strengthen the future-oriented partnership between the two countries. Noting that India takes pride in the achievements of the people of Mauritius, Prime Minister Modi expressed his confidence that the India-Mauritius partnership is destined to soar even higher in the coming years. Prime Minister Jugnauth expressed his deep appreciation for India's support for the project as reflective of the close ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. "Our country, our people are grateful for your support," he told PM Modi. Quoting PM Modi's Prayagraj speech in March this year, PM Jugnauth said that his government held the same values and vision of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' (Together, for everyone's growth, with everyone's trust). "Today's event bears out the depth of our determination and commitment to our modernization endeavour for the well being of our people. This is sacred for us and I know, Modi ji, that we both share this philosophy," PM Jugnauth said. He noted that the construction of the Supreme Court Building with Indian assistance is a new milestone in the modernization of infrastructure in Mauritius and will help make the Mauritius justice system more efficient, accessible and inclusive. The highly-awaited announcement about Bigg Boss Telugu 4 was made recently. The big news was accompanied by a few rumours about the host and contestants of the show. Of lately, it was heard that actor Nagarjuna will be hosting the show and has shot a special promo for the same, amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The fans and followers of Bigg Boss Telugu 4 are more than excited to welcome the actor on their television screens since the rumours are doing the rounds on social media. Well now, we have a special update on the show, which has a lot to do with Nagarjuna's remuneration! Yes, you heard that right! As per rumours, Nagarjuna will be paid a whopping amount between Rs 12-14 lakh per episode. It is to be noted that the actor's remuneration for the fourth season of Bigg Boss Telugu has been increased since he was paid Rs 10-12 lakh per episode for Bigg Boss Telugu 3. Jr NTR, the first host of the show was charging a mammoth amount worth Rs 35 lakh per episode while Nani, the host for the second season had charged Rs 10-12 lakh per episode. Here is the list of hosts and their salaries Season 1- Jr NTR - Rs 35 lakh per episode Season 2- Nani- Rs10-12 lakh per episode Season 3- Nagarjuna- Rs10-12 lakh per episode Season 4- Nagarjuna- Rs 12-14 lakh per episode Talking about the contestants of Bigg Boss Telugu 4, there are several names that are doing the rounds like Poonam Bajwa, Nandu, Mangli Chinmai, Akhil Sarthak and Tharun Das. Earlier, Shraddha Das refuted the rumour of her participation in the upcoming season of Bigg Boss. Bigg Boss Telugu 4's set will reportedly be set up in Hyderabad's Annapurna Studios. The show will kick-off amid the COVID-19 situation, following several norms imposed by the state and the central government. It is said that the contestants will be given tasks that are related to sanitization. Bigg Boss Telugu 4: Nagarjuna Shoots Special Promo Shraddha Das Is Not A Part Of Bigg Boss 4 Telugu; Says, 'I Have Not Been Approached' The plasma donation platform established last week for Hyderabad by SCSC (donateplasma.scsc.in) that was successfully running was implemented and launched at Pune City. Having facilitated more than 100 donations over the last 6 days and serving as a bridge between receivers and donors actively assisted by Cyberabad Police Covid Control Room, this online portal was very productive in Hyderabad. The plasma donation portal developed by SCSC (donateplasma.scsc.in) last week for Hyderabad and running successully was replicated and launched in Pune City (puneplasma.in) today by Honble Chief Minister Sri Uddhav Thackeray in presence of Deputy CM Sri Ajit Pawar, Pune City Police Commissioner Sri Venkatesham, IPS., Pune Div Commissioner Sri Deepak Mhaisekar, IAS., and several IAS, IPS and Senior officers during the Pune Council meeting. This online platform was very successful in Hyderabad having facilitated more than 100 donations during last 6 days and acting as a bridge between recipients and Donors actively supported by Cyberabad Police Covid Control Room. Prior to the launch, SCSC which is a successful collaboration model between Police, Industry and Society was explained to Police Commissioner to consider its replication in Pune City! Sri VC Sajjanar, IPS., Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad and Chairman of SCSC said that the donate plasma.scsc.in portal is helping connect donors and recipients on one platform and till date more than 100 donors and 400 registered on the link and about 100 patients were transfused with plasma donated by donors registered through app and Covid Control Room of Cyberabad. He said, after successful implementation of this at Hyderabad, replicating this to Pune City was a pride moment for Cyberabad Police and SCSC and all the support will be extended by SCSC in making the city adopt to this portal for benefit of citizens in need. He mentioned that all the support will be extended if any such requests come from any other States! He appreciated efforts of Krishna Yedula, Gen Secretary in quickly stepping up to the current need of such a portal to fight the Corona pandemic. Krishna Yedula, General Secretary, SCSC during the launch event at Pune, expressed thanks to Pune Administration for adopting this online portal based on success story in Hyderabad. He suggested that not only Pune City, it can be extended to entire State. A Mexican drug cartel is being sued in a United States federal court in North Dakota for the massacre of nine women and children from an offshoot Mormon community in northern Mexico. Family members filed the federal lawsuit this week, accusing the Juarez Cartel of carrying out the November 4, 2019 roadside attack in retribution for their public criticism and protests against the cartel. Michael Elsner, an attorney for the family, said they are suing to show that the criminal organization was responsible and to seek damages. Mexican prosecutors have identified more than 40 suspects in the attack. Authorities have arrested and indicted nine members of the Juarez cartel, according to the lawsuit. It was not clear if representatives of the cartel would appear in court to defend against the lawsuit. Scroll down for video Pictured: The three mothers and six young children who were savagely murdered by Mexican gunmen linked to the Juarez Cartel on November 4, 2019. Their families filed a federal lawsuit in a North Dakota court, a lawyer for the family said Wednesday Members of the LeBaron family observe one of the vehicles where Maria Rhonita LeBaron and her children - her eight-month-old twins, Titus and Tiana; 10-year-old daughter Krystal; and 12-year-old son Howard - were traveling before they were shot and burned Adrian LeBaron, whose daughter Maria Rhonita Miller was killed, said in a statement, 'We will no longer be silent victims. We will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of justice for the murder of my daughter and grandchildren.' Preliminary reports indicated that the families were ambushed hours after a gang known as La Linea had been involved in a gun battle with another rival group. The attackers intercept three vehicles driven by the three mothers and opened fired. Miller and her children - her eight-month-old twins, Titus and Tiana; 10-year-old daughter Krystal; and 12-year-old son Howard - were burned and shot dead while they were inside their car. The gunmen executed Christina Maria Langford, 29, who before dying saved her seven-month-old daughter, Faith, by placing her on the floor of her vehicle. She reportedly jumped out of her vehicle in an attempt to get the gunmen to stop, but she was shot in the chest. Tyler Johnson and his children at a memorial site for his widow wife Christina Langford Johnson in Mexico The gang also killed Dawna Langford, 43, and two children, 11-year-old Trevor and two-year-old Rogan, while eight other children inside the vehicle were able to hide until it was safe. The surviving children, five of whom were injured, hid in nearby brush before walking nine miles back to their community to get help. Elsner said the lawsuit is one of the first civil actions against a Mexican drug cartel in the United States and that he hopes it will help halt the flow of money to the cartel. The family accuses the Juarez cartel of coordinating the attack as part of a decades-long effort to intimidate and coerce the local population and influence the Mexican government. They call it one of the most ruthless attacks to date. Adrian LeBaron is part of a lawsuit filed against the Juarez Cartel in a United States federal court in North Dakota, seeking monetary damages for seven claims, ranging from acts of international terrorism to inflicting emotional distress after his daughter and four grandchildren were among nine Mexican-American massacred in November 2019 The family members, including two widowers of women killed, are seeking monetary damages for seven claims, ranging from acts of international terrorism to inflicting emotional distress. The lawsuit also reveals grisly details of how the family members were killed and how survivors as young as 9 years walked miles, some with gunshot wounds, trying to find help. The two men whose wives were killed, Howard Miller and Tyler Johnson, work in North Dakota, according to the lawsuit. Their lawyer said various family members live in the state and work in the oil industry, but travel back and forth to Mexico. Uber will keep its Asian headquarters in Singapore for now, the ride-hailing giant said Thursday, blaming regulatory uncertainty for thwarting a mooted shift to Hong Kong. The decision came weeks after China imposed a controversial national security law on Hong Kong -- although Uber did not mention the legislation in its announcement. The company announced massive layoffs in May due to the coronavirus, and said it was ready to move its regional base to the semi-autonomous Chinese city if there was progress on regulation there. Uber has been operating in Hong Kong for several years despite not being legal there and facing strong resistance from the local taxi industry. Announcing its decision, Uber said in a statement it had "seen strong public support for reform (in Hong Kong), but not the level of certainty from the government that we need". "We have decided to keep Singapore as a regional hub for the medium term," the statement added. Its Asian headquarters will remain in Singapore until the end of 2022, at the earliest. Its office in the city-state has about 90 employees. The San Francisco-based company has not operated ride-hailing or food delivery services in Singapore since 2018, when it sold its Southeast Asian businesses to rival Grab. In May, Uber Hong Kong general manager Estyn Chung said that "regulatory certainty is key" to shifting its Asian base, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported. "It's time for the government to regulate ride-sharing so we can bring jobs and investment to Hong Kong," he said. The national security law tightens China's control over Hong Kong dramatically. Beijing argues it is needed to restore peace after mass protests last year, but Western governments, including the United States, have denounced it for eroding the city's freedoms. There have been concerns that heightened legal uncertainty will scare away foreign investors, although some businesses have welcomed the prospect of greater stability. sr/leg/fox Uber AUSTIN, Texas, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) today announced that Geoffrey Kolander, President and Chief Executive Officer, has resigned as the Company's President and Chief Executive and as a member of the Board of Directors following the Company's change of control. "On behalf of the entire Citizen's team and stakeholders, it is our great pleasure to thank Geoff Kolander for his outstanding leadership in transforming and positioning the Company to prosper for many years to come," said J.D. "Chip" Davis, Jr., Chairman of the Board. Mr. Davis continued, "Geoff has been instrumental in assembling a talented leadership team, redefining culture and transforming the company's financial and operational structures while navigating complex legal and regulatory challenges. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors." "Personally, the past four years will serve as a testimony as to the power of faith. It has been an honor to lead Citizens' transformation alongside an authentic and dedicated team. The collective resolve of our entire Citizens team enabled us to overcome obstacles and emerge stronger as a company. Our team is tested and prepared for its next phase, as it seeks to create and capture enduring value for all our stakeholders," said Mr. Kolander. The Board has initiated a global search with Heidrick & Struggles to identify a CEO successor to build on the Company's strong foundation and lead it forward. To ensure a smooth transition, the Board has appointed Gerald Shields, Vice Chairman of the Board, to act as interim CEO. Mr. Kolander will continue to consult with the Company during the leadership transition. About Citizens, Inc. Citizens, Inc. is a financial services company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CIA. The Company utilizes a three-pronged strategy for growth based upon worldwide sales of U.S. Dollar-denominated whole life cash value insurance policies, life insurance product sales in the U.S. and final expense and limited liability property product sales in the U.S. Information herein contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by words such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate", "intends," "continue" or comparable words. In addition, all statements other than statements of historical facts that address activities that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Readers are encouraged to read the periodic reports the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its current reports on Form 8-K, for "Risk Factors" and other meaningful cautionary language disclosing why actual results may vary materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in the Company's expectations. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by the investment community. For further information contact: Investor Relations [email protected] SOURCE Citizens, Inc. Related Links http://www.citizensinc.com The COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the world has to date infected over 16.95 million individuals and taken more than 665,000 lives. Now the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that this pandemic could cause a Tsunami of cases, and there is no scope for complacency in regions where numbers have declined. Image Credit: zstock / Shutterstock Wave patterns In many regions around the world, there has been a surge in cases over the past three months, and in other areas where lockdowns were enforced earlier and then relaxed case numbers are rising again in a second wave. In some countries such as in Hong Kong, there has been a resurgence in the number of cases, says the WHO. One of the officials at WHO said that this had been called the "second wave" of infections. The WHO warns that this wave pattern is unlikely with a pandemic such as this. The experts at the organization believe the fluctuations in COVID-19 cases should not be described as waves because the pandemic and this particular virus is acting differently from earlier endemic experiences. Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh explained, "'second wave' isn't a term that we would use [in epidemiology] at the current time, as the virus hasn't gone away, it's in our population, it has spread to 188 countries so far, and what we are seeing now is essentially localized spikes or a localized return of a large number of cases." there has been no approval for the term "second wave" she said. One big wave Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, said in a statement from Geneva, "We are in the first wave. It's going to be one big wave. It's going to go up and down a bit. The best thing is to flatten it and turn it into just something lapping at your feet." She was speaking at a virtual briefing. Effect of seasons The WHO, as well as other health officials, has urged all countries and policymakers to keep the pandemic in mind and keep up the restrictions. The WHO says that unlike influenza, the coronavirus spread and infection are not showing seasonal variations. Influenza typically shows a surge in cases in early winters and spring. The experts warn that this pandemic can remain unabated in summer in the northern hemisphere, and there is thus no scope for complacency. According to Harris, the proof that summer does not affect the transmission and infectiousness of the SARS-CoV-2 is the number of cases in the summer season in the United States. She warned that allowing mass gatherings and opening up areas where a large number of people can gather together could be dangerous. She said, "People are still thinking about seasons. What we all need to get our heads around is this is a new virus and... this one is behaving differently... Summer is a problem. This virus likes all weather." Concept of second wave flawed Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control, also said that the concept of a second wave is flawed because it does not aid in understanding the pattern the pandemic will take once the flu season begins. Experts say that what looks like a second wave could be a delayed onset of the first wave of infections in a different region of the same country. Keith Neal, emeritus professor in the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, called "second wave" a "media term" rather than an epidemiological or scientific one. He said, "What we are seeing are spikes in many countries, and in Leicester [in the UK] and other places. Some people might call these waves, but if they do, we are looking at dozens of waves. Even in Australia [in the state of Victoria], there is clearly an upturn, but the disease was only at low levels to start with, so it's down to a vague terminology." COVID-19 and influenza in the southern hemisphere The WHO experts are worried about the overlap of cases of COVID-19 and influenza in the southern hemisphere where it is colder now. The health organization is keeping a close watch on the number of cases of COVID-19 and influenza in the southern hemisphere. According to Harris, the cases of influenza have not shown their usual surge expected during this season in these regions. She said, "If you have an increase in a respiratory illness when you already have a very high burden of respiratory illness that puts even more pressure on the health system." Harris and other experts have recommended the general population to get vaccinated against influenza to reduce the risk of getting infected by the influenza virus. After being released from Essex House of Corrections due to coronavirus, 31-year-old Eric Jalbert has been charged with trying to smuggle Suboxone strips, marijuana and tobacco back into jail. Jalbert was in pre-trial custody at the jail in Middleton for allegedly trafficking fentanyl when he tested positive for coronavirus in April. Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman approved his release on April 14 on the condition that he remain in home confinement at his mothers house in Beverly with a GPS monitor. Essex Assistant District Attorney John Brennan filed a motion to reconsider based on the fact that the defendants mother lived in an apartment complex for elderly and disabled persons, which are at high risk of contracting the virus, and he failed to comply with the conditions of his release. McCarthy-Neyman ordered Jalbert back to jail on April 21. When Jalbert reported to the jail officers discovered that he had allegedly hidden 15 Suboxone strips, marijuana and tobacco in a body cavity. Mr. Jalbert risked the safety of others when he was released while testing positive for COVID[-19] and sent to live with a vulnerable population. His flagrant disregard for the safety of others continued during his short stay on the outside, and again when he tried to smuggle in contraband to our facilities, Essex County Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger said. On July 13th, Jalbert pleaded guilty to possession of Class A with intent to distribute. He was sentenced to 2 to 3 years in state prison. I want to thank my staff and the District Attorneys office for their work to ensure Mr. Jalbert would face serious charges for his utter indifference of the law, Coppinger added. 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. There is a kinder Irish language aphorism about starts, less known than another one, which goes: "Bionn gach tosach lag." It is rendered in English as: "Every start is weak." This ill-starred new Government's debut month has been not just weak but downright calamitous. There are various explanations. But the old maxim "when you're explaining, you're losing" is not old for nothing. The central problem right now is that this new Government has projected as three parties in various stages of disarray - it is very far from a coalition which has gelled and shown signs of functioning as a unit. Fine Gael is in the least disarray and has many back-up structures in place with advisers and communications people inherited from the previous coalition. The Green Party had to batter through a polite but robust leadership contest which also showed considerable internal strains, posing questions about the party's future unity. Fianna Fail was worst hit with disappointed heavy-hitters reflecting that they may have missed their last chance to make Cabinet and a bitter row about geographic gaps in the appointments made. That row folded into the abrupt exit of agriculture minister Barry Cowen after only 17 days in office over a past drink-driving case which dragged on much too long. Read More Since then, there has been undue focus on government pay and perks. There were reports of former Taoiseach and now Tanaiste Leo Varadkar keeping an aide-de-camp from the Defence Forces, former Tanaiste Simon Coveney retaining a garda-driven car instead of a civilian-driven one, and the unholy row about a third super junior minister's top-up payment of 16,000-plus a year. We moved from that to a row over stopping 350-a-week Covid-19 welfare payments for people who ignore government advice - but do not break any law - by travelling abroad. This is one which raises very serious questions about discrimination against people forced through no fault of their own to depend on this Covid welfare payment. It is compounded by an injunction that people must be seeking work. That does suggest pressure for those in this difficult position to accept inappropriate jobs at a lower rate. That is fundamentally unjust. All of these calamities have given heaven-sent opportunities to the opposition, notably Sinn Fein, to be right about so much that is wrong. Thus far, the opposition has only had to show up to score against this Government. Yet, amid all the political hullabaloo, it is too easy to overlook that this Government has been working on the case. The Taoiseach spent the guts of five days closed in Brussels at a bruising EU summit, fighting the good fight for Ireland. That battle is incomplete and ongoing. This day last week the Government announced a 5bn spending plan to boost the economy, adding to a 2bn business loan guarantee fund. On Monday it unveiled a plan to reopen the schools which faces huge snags and challenges - but at least it is a start and a positive move. On those occasions the Government had a coherent look, which was welcome. We need far more of it given we have 20pc unemployment and a debt overhang of 200bn which will be added to by some 30bn this year. We cannot assume international record lows for borrowing will continue interminably. So the Government's end-of-term report definitely reads: "Must try harder." The summer Dail recess will be welcomed as it takes down pressure. This is a chance for planning and reflection. This Coalition has to start pulling together and acting as a coherent unit. We have never so badly needed coherent government. KEY FACTS 1:45 p.m.: Jays weekend series postponed 1:15 p.m.: All Ontario elementary school students to return full time 10:18 a.m.: Ontario reporting 89 new cases The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 5 p.m. Ontarios regional health units are reporting 41,189 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,809 deaths, an increase of 102 new infections in 24 hours. Across the province, no health unit reported more than 20 new infections Thursday, the first time thats been the case since March 23, will before the pandemic hit its first peak in Ontario. Even Windsor-Essex, which will remain by itself in Stage 2 of reopening after Toronto and Peel Region join Stage 3 Friday, reported a comparatively low case count of 10, Thursday. Elsewhere, relatively significant case spikes were seen in two new regions: in Sudbury, which reported 10 new cases; and in the Southwestern region on Lake Eries north shore, which reported 14. Both totals were well above the regions recent averages. Meanwhile, just three more fatal cases were reported, all in Toronto. The city also reported 17 new infections. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases. This means 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 cautions its separate data, published daily at 10:30 a.m., may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system. In the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. 3:40 p.m. There are 115,655 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 8,924 deaths, according to The Canadian Press. This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see this file.): Quebec: 59,131 confirmed (including 5,673 deaths, 50,886 resolved) Ontario: 39,075 confirmed (including 2,772 deaths, 34,906 resolved) Alberta: 10,603 confirmed (including 190 deaths, 8,983 resolved) British Columbia: 3,562 confirmed (including 194 deaths, 3,109 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,306 confirmed (including 18 deaths, 948 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,067 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,003 resolved) Manitoba: 393 confirmed (including eight deaths, 325 resolved), 14 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (including three deaths, 259 resolved) New Brunswick: 170 confirmed (including two deaths, 165 resolved) Prince Edward Island: 36 confirmed, all of which have been resolved Yukon: 14 confirmed (including 11 resolved) Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved Northwest Territories: five confirmed, all of which have been resolved Nunavut reports no confirmed cases. 2:08 p.m. (updated): Toronto medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa says there is growing evidence across North America and beyond that racialized and low-income folks are disproportionately affected and while that is still being studied connections to both poverty and racism. De Villa presented a chart showing the racial divide of COVID-19 in Toronto. Black people represent 21 per cent of COVID-19 cases but only nine per cent of population. Toronto Public Health data shows 83 per cent of people with COVID-19 identified as racialized, but they make up just 52 per cent of Torontonians. Over-represented groups include Black people; South Asian or Indo-Caribbean people; Southeast Asian people; Arab, Middle Eastern, or West Asian people; and Latin American people. Another graph shows of the cases with valid income data, you are far, far less likely to get COVID-19 if your household makes $100,000 annually. People living in larger households were overrepresented in reported COVID-19 infections, de Villa says. Those with more than five people comprised 27 per cent of cases compared to 20 per cent of the population of Toronto 1:45 p.m. (updated) Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo says the teams upcoming series in Philadelphia has been postponed. The Phillies reported that two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 and all activity at Citizens Bank Park has been cancelled until further notice. Speaking on a video call before Thursday afternoons game against Washington, Montoyo says the team has yet to finalize travel plans for the rest of the week. The Phillies said tests conducted Wednesday returned a positive result for a member of the coaching staff and a member of the home clubhouse staff. All players tested negative. The Blue Jays were scheduled to play a doubleheader Saturday and a game Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies havent been in action since Mondays discovery of a coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins, who played a season-opening series in Philadelphia last weekend. The Phillies four-game, home-and-home series against the New York Yankees was postponed this week. Major League Baseball said Wednesday that the Blue Jays-Phillies series would go ahead after Phillies players and on-field staff tested negative for COVID-19 for a second straight day. Toronto was scheduled to be the home team in Philadelphia. The Blue Jays are playing home games in their oppositions park until their temporary home in Buffalo, N.Y., is ready on Aug. 11. 1:15 p.m.: Ontario will be the first province to mandate that students, starting in Grade 4, wear face masks all day when they return to school this fall with younger kids also encouraged to do so. Kids in all elementary grades will return full-time, as will secondary students in some smaller boards. But teens in large urban boards including all public and Catholic boards in Greater Toronto will be in school half-time and learning online from home the rest of the time, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Thursday. The Stars Kristin Rushowy has the full story. 12:40 p.m.: Another player with the Miami Marlins has tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the teams outbreak total to 17 players, according to a person familiar with the situation. The Marlins remain quarantined in Philadelphia, where the outbreak was discovered during a weekend series against the Phillies. Two staff members have also tested positive. Miamis season has been suspended through at least Sunday, and it appears the schedule will be altered next week, too. The Marlins are supposed to host Philadelphia on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, but Phillies general manager Matt Klentak and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said yesterday that MLB is working to have Philadelphia play New York instead, creating uncertainty about when and where Miami will resume. 12:30 p.m.: Four major Canadian airports will begin taking passengers temperatures starting today as part of the effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. The federal government says temperature screening stations are set up at airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. Transport Canada says temperature screening will be expanded to another 11 airports by September. The agency says employees who enter restricted areas of the airport will also be screened. Passengers who have temperatures above 38 degrees will not be allowed to travel and will be asked to re-book after two weeks. The new screening measures are meant to supplement previous travel safety precautions, including a requirement for all travellers to wear face masks. 11:55 a.m.: Quebec is reporting 122 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death in the past 24 hours. The province has now recorded 59,131 total cases of the novel coronavirus and 5,673 deaths. The number of hospitalizations increased by 18 for a total of 208, and 18 of those patients are in intensive care, an increase of nine from the previous day. Public health authorities say a change in their data systems led to misreported case numbers on Wednesday. The number of new cases Wednesday was 112 rather than the 176 reported, and there were two additional deaths as opposed to the zero deaths reported. The province says a total of 50,886 COVID-19 cases are considered recovered. 11:49 a.m. (updated) Cineplex says its ready to start reopening select Ontario movie theatres on Friday. The Canadian cinema operator will begin with 25 locations across the province as part of a wider phased return to business during COVID-19. The announcement comes after Ontario Heritage Minister Lisa MacLeod tweeted about a productive call with Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob where they confirmed the chain was prepared to operate under Stage 3 measures. Cineplex spokeswoman Sarah Van Lange says the company will be permitted to admit up to 50 moviegoers per auditorium. The company says it plans to require guests to wear masks inside the theatre in communities where it is mandated. Cineplex has already reopened 45 locations in provinces where distancing restrictions were loosened earlier this summer. 11:38 a.m. Cineplex has announced it is opening 25 of its Ontario theatres Friday including eight in Toronto. The company says it is taking a phased-in approach to reopening. 11:19 a.m. Herman Cain, the U.S. businessman and former presidential candidate, died Thursday morning from COVID-19. He was 74. Hes entering the presence of the Savior hes served as an associate minister at Antioch Baptist Church in Atlanta for, and preparing for his reward, reads a statement on his website. Cain, a Georgia native, worked his way up through a series of companies, including Coca-Cola and Pillsbury, before landing at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 1995. He served as a senior adviser to Bob Doles presidential campaign in 1996 and ran for his own Senate seat in Georgia in 2004, but lost his primary to Johnny Isakson. 10:18 a.m. (updated) Ontario is reporting 89 new cases of COVID-19, according to Health Minister Christine Elliott. Its the second day in a row cases have been below 100. Locally, 28 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 17 of them reporting no new cases. Yesterday, Ontario processed over 27,600 tests. She says the number of people in hospital, in intensive care and on a ventilator all went down. The numbers come as the province is set to announce plans for reopening schools in September later today. 9:48 a.m. President Donald Trump is for the first time floating a delay to the Nov. 3 presidential election, as he makes unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of presidential elections the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. The Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the Jan. 20, 2021 presidential inauguration. Trump tweeted Thursday: With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Trumps tweet came on a day of bad economic news and amid a dark political patch for his reelection effort. The government reported Thursday that U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9 per cent annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7 per cent. 9:30 a.m. Two residents of the Florida Keys have been jailed for failing to quarantine after testing positive for the new coronavirus. Jose Interian, 24, and Yohana Gonzalez, 26, are facing charges of violating isolation rules for a quarantine and violating emergency management disaster preparedness rules, according to jail records. They were arrested Wednesday in Key West, officials said. The Miami Herald reports Interian and Gonzalez had been ordered by the health department to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, but neighbours said they were ignoring the order. Someone videotaped the couple and gave it to Key West police, according to Greg Veliz, Key Wests city manager. 9:20 a.m. Iceland is limiting large gatherings and introducing mandatory face masks on public transport following a rise in infections. As of Friday, the number of people allowed to gather is reduced to 100, from 500, the Health Ministry said. Masks will have to be worn in public whenever the two-meter social distancing rule cannot be enforced. The tightening, which will apply for two weeks, follows a recent increase in the number of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus on the island. 9:15 a.m. England suffered a more widespread coronavirus outbreak than its European neighbours and had the highest level of excess deaths during the pandemic, according to an analysis of more than 20 countries released Thursday by the U.K.s Office for National Statistics. Spain had Europes highest national mortality peak, with deaths at the start of April soaring 138.5 per cent above the five-year average, almost two-and-a-half times the usual number, according to analysis of figures from British authorities and the European Union statistics agency, Eurostat. England had the second-highest peak, with excess mortality spiking to more than double the average, 107.6 per cent, in mid-April. England also had the biggest overall increase and the longest continuous period of excess mortality of the countries compared. By the end of May, the cumulative mortality rate in England was 7.55 per cent higher than the five-year average. Spain was second, with 6.65 per cent more deaths than usual. 9:05 a.m. The U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9 per cent annual rate in the April-June quarter by far the worst quarterly plunge ever when the viral outbreak shut down businesses, throwing tens of millions out of work and sending unemployment surging to 14.7 per cent, the government said Thursday. The Commerce Departments estimate of the second-quarter decline in the gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services, marked the sharpest such drop on records dating to 1947. The previous worst quarterly contraction, a 10 per cent drop, occurred in 1958 during the Eisenhower administration. Last quarters drop followed a 5 per cent fall in the January-March quarter, during which the economy officially entered a recession triggered by the virus, ending an 11-year economic expansion, the longest on record in the United States. The contraction last quarter was driven by a deep pullback in consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 per cent of economic activity. Spending by consumers collapsed at a 34.6 per cent annual rate as travel all but froze and shutdown orders forced many restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and other retail establishments to close. 9:01 a.m. Mexicos economic activity plummeted 17.3 per cent in the second quarter compared to the previous as the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic drove the country deeper into a recession, according to preliminary government data released Thursday. Mexicos statistical agency said that the second quarter running from April through June was 18.9 per cent lower than the same period a year earlier in its seasonally adjusted estimates for gross domestic product. In June, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography announced that industrial activity fell 25 per cent in April compared to March, the worst monthly decline since it began tracking the monthly data in 1993. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said recently that the economy hit bottom in late April. The country has lost more than 1 million jobs in its formal sector. More than half of Mexicans work in the informal economy, which is believed to have shed many more jobs. 9 a.m. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis raised concerns Thursday about his club travelling to face Barcelona in the Champions League amid a recent spike in coronavirus cases in Spain. I hear a lot of perplexity and fear coming from Spain and theyre acting like nothing is wrong, De Laurentiis said. What does it take to say, Dont go to Barcelona but rather go to Portugal, Germany or Geneva? The Barcelona-Napoli game is scheduled for Aug. 8. The first leg of the round-of-16 encounter finished 1-1 in Naples in February. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals in Lisbon, Portugal. The Barcelona-Napoli game was originally scheduled for March 18 before being postponed amid the coronavirus lockdown. If theyve decided to play the Champions League in Portugal and the Europa League in Germany, I think we can go to Portugal or Germany for the round of 16, De Laurentiis said. I dont understand why it should stay in a city that has a really critical situation. Players at Spanish clubs Sevilla, Real Madrid and Zaragoza recently tested positive for COVID-19. Madrid plays at Manchester City on Aug. 7 in the Champions League, while Sevilla is scheduled to face Roma in the Europa League next Thursday in Duisburg, Germany. 8:03 a.m. Hong Kong officials reversed an all-day ban on dining in restaurants after widespread criticism, exposing the minefield of imposing measures to contain coronavirus while maintaining daily life. Before Thursdays U-turn, photos had circulated widely online and in local media showing workers across the city eating in squalid conditions. They took shelter from scorching heat and a sudden heavy rainstorm on their lunch breaks in bus stations and local parks, and on sidewalks and stairwells. The densely populated city of 7.5 million people, where many live in crowded spaces and where a ubiquitous dining-out culture means many dont eat at home, is battling a third outbreak of the coronavirus. The city reported a record 149 new cases Thursday, the ninth straight day where infections were counted in triple figures. Thursdays development shows the difficulty authorities face in limiting essential human activities without implementing a full lockdown. Many people in the city continue to work at building sites, as transport workers and in shops and offices. 7:02 a.m. The coronavirus pandemic took a toll on Comcast in the U.S. in the second quarter as movie theatres closed, theme parks shut down and advertisers cut back. The company reported Thursday that its NBC Universal TV, film and theme park divisions, as well as its Sky unit in Europe, all suffered steep drops in revenue in the April-June quarter. But period was not all grim news. The Philadelphia-based company added U.S. internet customers and 10 million people have signed up for its new Peacock streaming service since April. Peacock is free for Comcast customers and has been available to them since April, but opened to the general public, with a much-promoted free tier, on July 15. Comcast has said it hopes to have 30 to 35 million users by 2024. 7:01 a.m. Rugby Canada reported a deficit of $41,336 for the year ending Dec 31, 2019, down from $178,610 the previous year. And thanks to the magic of accounting, factoring in amortization costs on the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, B.C., it was a second consecutive cash-positive year for the sports governing body. Call it the lull before the COVID-19 storm. Canadas national teams have been grounded by the global pandemic. The senior mens side has not played since last falls World Cup and Major League Rugby, home to some 50 Canadians, cancelled the remainder of the 2020 season in March. The Canadian women, who are slated to play in the World Cup next year, have been idle since November. Both sevens teams are awaiting word on what lies ahead. The 2019-20 season was cut short and World Rugby has already cancelled the combined mens and womens stops in Dubai and Cape Town, provisionally scheduled for Nov. 26-28 and Dec. 4-6, respectively. 6:30 a.m. Johnson & Johnsons experimental coronavirus vaccine protected a handful of primates with a single shot in an early study, prompting the U.S. drugmaker to start trials in humans this month. The vaccine prevented infection and protected the animals lungs from the virus, J&J said in a statement Thursday. The health-care behemoth kick-started human trials on July 22 in Belgium, and in the U.S. earlier this week. The data show our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate generated a strong antibody response and provided protection with a single dose, Paul Stoffels, the drugmakers chief scientific officer, said in the statement. The findings give us confidence as we progress our vaccine development and upscale manufacturing in parallel. J&J aims to embark on the last phase of tests in September, compressing the traditional timeline as it races against others such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc and AstraZeneca Plc for a shot to end the pandemic. The stock rose 1.3 per cent in trading before U.S. exchanges opened. 5:11 a.m.: Masked pilgrims arrived Thursday at Mount Arafat, a desert hill near Islams holiest site, to pray and repent on the most important day of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The global coronavirus pandemic has cast a shadow over every aspect of this years pilgrimage, which last year drew 2.5 million Muslims from across the world to Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon nearly 1,400 years ago. Only a very limited number of pilgrims were allowed to take part in the hajj amid numerous restrictions to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus. The Saudi government has not released a final figure on the number of hajj pilgrims this year, but has said anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 would be taking part. All of this years pilgrims are either residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. 4:53 a.m.: Australias coronavirus hot spot, Victoria state, will make wearing masks compulsory after reporting a record 723 new cases on Thursday, mostly among the vulnerable residents of aged care homes. Masks have been compulsory for the past week in the state capital, Melbourne, Australias second-largest city with 5 million people, and a neighbouring semi-rural district. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said masks or similar face coverings will become compulsory across the state starting late Sunday. 4:18 a.m.: Germanys economy, Europes largest, took a massive hit during the pandemic shutdowns, shrinking by 10.1 per cent during the April-June period from the previous quarter, the official statistics agency said Thursday. It was the biggest drop since quarterly growth statistics began being compiled in 1970. The plunge far exceeded the previous worst-ever recorded performance, a fall of 4.7% in the first quarter of 2009 during the global financial crisis. Tough pandemic restrictions shut down everything from taverns to auto dealerships. The country has cautiously reopened and the economy has started bouncing back but economists say it is far from the pre-pandemic level and wont reach break even until 2022 at the earliest. 4:10 a.m.: Justin Trudeau will be in the hot seat today for a rare prime ministerial appearance at a House of Commons committee, facing questions about his role in the simmering controversy involving the WE organization. MPs on the finance committee will grill Trudeau about the events that led to his Liberal cabinet asking the WE Charity to oversee a $912-million program that provides grants to students and graduates for volunteering. Trudeaus chief of staff Katie Telford was also scheduled to testify today. 4 a.m.: The Ontario government is due to announce plans for reopening schools in September later Thursday. The announcement comes just six weeks before back-to-school season and a week before the provinces 72 school boards were initially asked to outline their plans for the academic year. The province had previously asked school boards to prepare for three scenarios come September: regular in-class instruction with physical-distancing measures in place, full-time remote learning, and a hybrid model blending both approaches. Thursday 4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 a.m. on July 30, 2020: There are 115,470 confirmed cases in Canada. _ Quebec: 59,073 confirmed (including 5,670 deaths, 50,886 resolved) _ Ontario: 38,986 confirmed (including 2,769 deaths, 34,741 resolved) _ Alberta: 10,603 confirmed (including 190 deaths, 8,983 resolved) _ British Columbia: 3,562 confirmed (including 194 deaths, 3,109 resolved) _ Saskatchewan: 1,268 confirmed (including 17 deaths, 929 resolved) _ Nova Scotia: 1,067 confirmed (including 64 deaths, 1,003 resolved) _ Manitoba: 393 confirmed (including 8 deaths, 325 resolved), 14 presumptive _ Newfoundland and Labrador: 266 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 259 resolved) _ New Brunswick: 170 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 165 resolved) _ Prince Edward Island: 36 confirmed (including 36 resolved) _ Yukon: 14 confirmed (including 11 resolved) _ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved) _ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved) _ Nunavut: No confirmed cases _ Total: 115,470 (14 presumptive, 115,456 confirmed including 8,917 deaths, 100,465 resolved) Wednesday 5:30 p.m.: As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting a total of 41,087 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,806 deaths, up another 112 cases in 24 hours. As has been the case in recent days, the new infections reported Wednesday predominantly came outside the GTA. Inside the region, all five health units reported another day of relatively low case counts. Peel Region reported just nine new cases, its first day in single digits since March; York Region reported eight; Durham Region three; and Halton Region once again reported zero. In Toronto, the city followed up Tuesdays single reported new infection with 19 case reports Wednesday. (Toronto Public Health also reported it had removed 23 cases from its records after performing routine data work, meaning the citys running total actually fell by four; accounting for those cases, the provinces total rose by just 89 cases overall). Elsewhere, Windsor-Essex once again reported the worst rate of new infection in the province, with 30 new cases. On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford announced that Windsor would remain in Stage 2 of reopening. Toronto and Peel are meanwhile set to join the rest of the province in Stage 3 on Friday. 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 cautions its separate 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 more of Wednesdays rolling file Donald Trump was reeled in by senior Republican figures after suggesting the November presidential elections be postponed due to the White House incumbents concerns over in-mail voting fraud. It is a theme the president has warmed to against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and in May he was censured by Twitter for posting remarks stating mail-in ballots would be "substantially fraudulent" and result in a "rigged election." The U.S. Constitution does not allow a president the power to alter the date of an election, something that only Congress has the remit to approach. Trump on Thursday posted a message suggesting the November presidential elections could be postponed so that U.S. citizens could "properly, securely and safely" vote when he faces off against Democratic nominee Joe Biden for the keys to the White House. Opposition party members immediately condemned the president and suggested he was trying to deflect attention away from the Covid-19 crisis and grim economic forecasts. Biden leads Trump in polls Biden has assumed a healthy lead in the polls with his opponents popularity plummeting amid criticism of the Trump administrations handling of the Covid-19 crisis, rampant unemployment and protests across the US following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May, leading to the controversial deployment of federal agents in Portland. According to a Financial Times analysis, if the election were to be held now Biden would trounce Trump in the Electoral College by 308 to 128. In the national polls, the FT calculates Biden holds a 50-41 percent lead over the current president. The White House remained silent on Trumps tweet but senior GOP members rejected the idea out of hand. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the election would go ahead as planned while Trump ally Kevin McCarthy dismissed any change to the polling schedule. McConnell: "We'll have the election as scheduled" "We'll cope with whatever the situation is, and have the election on Nov. 3 as already scheduled," McConnell said in an interview with WNKY-TV. McCarthy, the House Republican Leader told reporters: Never in the history of the federal elections have we ever not held an election, and we should go forward with our election. McCarthy said he understood Trump's concern about the integrity of mail-in voting, distinguishing it from absentee voting that he said can be easily traced and confirmed. "If you just mass-mail ballots out, people have moved, voter rolls are not updated, and that's where you have real problems in elections," McCarthy said. "That's what the president's talking about, he's not talking about absentee voting." Romney: "You can't tamper with paper" Republican Senator Mitt Romney also rejected the delay and noted that about 90 percent of voters in his home state of Utah submit ballots by mail. "It works extremely well," Romney said. "You can't tamper with paper." Nearly one in four voters cast 2016 presidential ballots via mail when Trump beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to the White House. According to electoral experts, the decentralized nature of U.S. elections makes it very hard to interfere with mailed ballots. The boy went viral after begging his mother to calm down Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said he wants to meet the unidentified boy in a viral video, asking his mother to calm down as she attempts to beat him over an offence. Recall that the boy went viral after he committed an offence and was seen In the video appealing to his mother to calm down and rest a little, as she tried to punish him. The video evoked laughter from social media users. He also tells his mother to pardon him, saying this is my last chance, a phrase that provokes further laughter. In his Sallah message to Lagosians, the Governor on his official twitter handle @jidesanwoolu said he was inspired by the video because of the deeper meaning it conveys, urging residents to calm down. He said: I saw a video of a charming young boy online asking his mom to calm down as she was set to punish him for a misdemeanour. I was moved by his sobriety, which reflected in his promise of last chance, when confronted with the fact that he is a regular offender. The exchange was indeed funny, but it depicted the efforts parents put in moulding children into responsible adults. I want to assume that his mom indeed calmed down because the appeal was moving enough to make anyone change their mind. Interestingly, the video inspired this special message to the good people of Lagos State because of the deeper meaning it conveys. Fellow Lagosians, we need to calm down as we enjoy the coming holiday and festivity. It is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahims heart of sacrifice and faith in Allah. We need to emulate and demonstrate his sense of self- restraint at this time the world is combating the scourge of #COVID19. We need to be moderate in our celebration and observe prescribed protocols towards defeating the deadly coronavirus. The world needs the responsibility and commitment of its people to oust coronavirus. I urge every Lagosian to calm down and not get carried away. Like the rest of the world, we are still in the middle of a pandemic and need to remain extremely careful to keep the gains of the sacrifices we have all made in the past months. Lets calm down! The Governor then expressed willingness to meet the boy though he didnt indicate for what. As an aside, I would like to meet the young boy since we both now have exclusive rights to the phrasal verb calm down. Slightly smiling face, Sanwo-Olu said. Watch video below: India's US Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu has discussed trade and people-to-people relations with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, highlighting the investment opportunities in India for win-win outcomes. Sandhu, during a virtual meeting with Evers, discussed strategies to tap the potential in the agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors common to India and Wisconsin that would lead to win-win outcomes for both, the Indian Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday. During the meeting, the Indian envoy briefed the governor about the initiatives India has taken in healthcare and education and discussed collaboration in these sectors. India and Wisconsin share a robust trade and investment relationship. The total trade between India and Wisconsin is over $1 billion. Many Indian companies in the IT, engineering services, medical equipment and manufacturing sectors have invested in the state. These companies have invested close to $185 million in Wisconsin, creating over 2,460 jobs, the embassy said, referring to the recent reports. These companies also add value to local economies and communities through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Similarly, Wisconsin-based companies in the automobiles, electrical equipment, financial services and technology sectors have established a strong presence in India. They include Harley Davidson, Rockwell Automation Inc., ManPower Group among others. The Indian community has a vibrant presence in Wisconsin, which is also an important destination for Indian students. Close to 1,500 Indian students are studying in educational institutions in Wisconsin. India has a strong education connection with Wisconsin. The tradition of Indian studies started on the University of Wisconsin campus in the mid-1880s, when a Professorship of Sanskrit was established. Renowned bio-chemist Dr Hargobind Khorana received his Nobel Prize in 1968 for research he conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was on faculty. During the meeting, the Indian envoy underscored the need to revive and strengthen the university-to-university linkages between India and the US, including in the fields of research and development and bio-health. Sandhu and Evers agreed to further strengthen the multifaceted engagement between India and the state of Wisconsin, the statement added. The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have announced the creation of a joint political platform Dmytro Kuleba paid his first visit to Poland as Ukraine's foreign minister. The visit has every chance of going down in history thanks to the launch of a new political format - the "Lublin Triangle," which should be a platform for regular political consultations between representatives of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. COMMON TASKS AND CHALLENGES On the first day of his stay in Warsaw, Kuleba held talks with his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz, met with the Ukrainian community in Poland, and took part in the opening of a new building of the Ukrainian embassy, where the consular office is now located. At a final press conference after the ministerial meeting, Czaputowicz stressed that he had finally met with the new Ukrainian minister in person after having only spoken on the phone three times so far. The presence of not only Polish and Ukrainian media at the conference meant that considerable attention was paid to the visit of the Ukrainian minister, and that all announcements would not go unnoticed by the European and world press. As expected, the Polish foreign minister stressed that Warsaw has consistently supported Ukraine on the international stage, condemned Russian aggression and will continue to provide political support to Kyiv in restoring its territorial integrity. For his part, Kuleba, thanking Poland for support, including through the EU and NATO, invited Warsaw to join the international platform for the de-occupation of Crimea. The Ukrainian minister also said there were currently no grounds to change their policy towards Russia. Pressure on Moscow, including through sanctions, must continue until the Russian Federation stops its aggression against Ukraine. According to diplomatic sources, the Ukrainian minister asked his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts, with whom he met the next day in Lublin, to convey a key message to other EU foreign ministers: there can be no talk of the EU's "new policy" towards Russia until it takes real steps to stop aggression against Ukraine. As expected, the ministers did not skip difficult conversations about common history. In general, the status quo remains in this issue: Poland asks Ukraine to grant permission for further search and exhumation works, in particular, at the burial sites of the victims of the tragic events in the Volyn region in 1943-1944. For its part, Ukraine is asking for a symbolic gesture to restore the memory of Ukrainians on Mount Monastyr, which has been desecrated twice by vandals in the last five years. Sixty-two UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) soldiers who died in 1945 in a battle with NKVD units were buried at this site. It is worth noting that the Polish side considers this site of remembrance legal and promises to include it in the register of military burial sites under state protection. Kuleba noted that the Ukrainian side has already met Poland halfway, allowing Polish researchers to conduct excavation works at several sites and is waiting for a response "on the principle of reciprocity." However, history not only divides but also unites the two peoples, as the ministers mentioned in the context of this year's 100th anniversary of the alliance of Jozef Pilsudski and Symon Petliura and the Battle of Warsaw, in which Ukrainian People's Republic soldiers fought on the side of the Poles against the Bolsheviks. Speaking about practical intergovernmental cooperation, Czaputowicz acknowledged that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki plans to visit Ukraine "in the near future." According to the Constitution of Poland, it is the head of government who has the greatest power and is responsible for implementing Poland's policy in various areas. Morawiecki has never been to Ukraine in almost three years as prime minister. AMID A PANDEMIC During the meeting with the Ukrainian community, Dmytro Kuleba spoke less and listened more. Obviously, he was interested to hear "firsthand" what problems Ukrainians face in Poland today. Representatives of the Ukrainian minority, who have lived in modern Poland for generations, stressed the need to preserve historical memory and culture. The new Ukrainian diaspora, which has been coming to Poland for the last 20 years, noted that the number of Ukrainian consulates in Poland needs to be increased, as the number of Ukrainians has increased significantly increased over the past five or six years but there is a lack of infrastructure for consular activities. Kuleba said he was convinced that Ukraine now needs a "qualitatively new policy" towards Ukrainians abroad. "The structure of the diaspora, the age of the diaspora and the geographical presence of the diaspora have changed significantly, and we need a fresh and deep look at how to support Ukrainians abroad," the minister said. Kuleba and Czaputowicz then took part in the grand opening of a new building of the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry bought the building back in 2011, but a comprehensive repair was not carried out due to lack of funds. Last year, Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Deshchytsia said that one of the main goals for him as ambassador was to open a new embassy building. During the opening ceremony for the consulate premises, Kuleba stressed that this modern building, built to European standards, reflects what Ukraine should look like. Behind the scenes of official speeches were talks between the two ministers on a possible easing of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions for Ukrainian citizens. Polish business associations and employers' organizations asked the Polish government to lift the 14-day quarantine or relax this requirement for Ukrainians. According to sources close to the negotiations, the Ukrainian side also raised this issue. The Polish Foreign Ministry promised to work with local epidemiologists to study the possibility of easing lockdown measures for Ukrainians. WITHIN A TRIANGLE Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius joined his Ukrainian and Polish counterparts during their visit to Lublin, a city located near the border with Ukraine. The meeting of the three ministers was not accidental: the headquarters of the international Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade (LitPolUkrBrig) has been operating in the city for five years. The ministers visited the brigade's headquarters, talked to the personnel and familiarized themselves with the preparation of servicemen for this year's Exercise Rapid Trident. In the center of Lublin, the ministers announced the creation of a trilateral platform for political, economic and social cooperation between Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania - the "Lublin Triangle." This was symbolically announced near the monument to the Union of Lublin. The union was signed 451 years ago, on July 1, 1569. It was an agreement to unite the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into a single federal state called "Rzeczpospolita." It then included a large part of the current territory of Ukraine. Kuleba drew attention to the fact that the name "Ukraine" first appeared in cartographic sources just in the years of the signing of the Union of Lublin, on the map of Europe of the end of the 16th century, created by Tomasz Makowski. Referring to Harvard University professor Serhii Plokhii, Kuleba wrote on social media that the material for the Ukrainian part of the map had been obtained from the entourage of Prince Konstanty Ostrogski, who at the head of the joint Lithuanian-Polish-Russian army defeated an army of Vasili III near Orsha in 1514. LitPolUkrBrig now bears the name of Prince Konstanty Ostrogski, who actually put Ukraine on the European map. According to the plan, the "Lublin Triangle" Kyiv-Warsaw-Vilnius will not be a formalized union, but a political platform for trilateral consultations before important international meetings or the adoption of landmark decisions. It is a matter of agreeing on a common position on Russia, energy security in the region, including counteraction to the Nord Stream 2 project, economic cooperation and overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. The parties agreed to create the posts of representatives on cooperation within the "triangle" and to hold a second meeting within this platform in Kyiv to discuss issues of Russian disinformation. According to diplomatic sources, Kuleba proposed preparing a regular report on trends and threats of Russian disinformation. Kuleba, Czaputowicz and Linkevicius agreed on a cooperation mechanism in a joint declaration on the creation of the "Lublin Triangle." The document also condemns Russia's aggression in Ukraine, calls on Moscow to de-occupy Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, supports Ukraine's European choice and backs the granting of a NATO membership action plan to Kyiv with the prospect of joining the Alliance. Yuriy Banakhevych, Warsaw Photo credit by the author and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry EU's Hong Kong proposal prompts Beijing's censure Iran Press TV Wednesday, 29 July 2020 3:11 PM China has denounced a decision by the European Union to restrict the export of 'sensitive' technology to Hong Kong in response to a new security law in the semi-autonomous city. On Tuesday, the EU agreed to a proposal made by France and Germany to restrict the export of technology to Hong Kong that might be used for what the bloc calls surveillance and repression in response to a uniform national security law introduced by China there. The legislation has been harshly criticized by Western countries, which allege that it harms Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status. Beijing rejects the allegation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Wednesday the EU restriction "violates the basic international relations norm of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs." "China firmly opposes this and has made stern representations with the EU," he added at a regular news briefing. The new security law criminalizes sedition, secession, and subversion against the mainland and allows Chinese national security institutions to operate in Hong Kong for the first time since 1997, when Hong Kong returned from the British to Chinese rule. Those offenses are punishable by sentences of up to life in prison. Skeptics say it would be a blow to the territory's autonomy and civil liberties, but Beijing has assured that the law would target a minority of individuals who disregard law and order in Hong Kong, which was rocked last year by riots over a now-shelved extradition bill. The EU, which has struggled to agree on a united response to China, a hugely important trading partner to the bloc, would also bring in measures to support Hongkongers by facilitating travel to Europe for them through the granting of visas, scholarships, and academic exchanges. Wang on Wednesday urged the EU to "stop any interference in Hong Kong matters and China's internal affairs." Earlier this month, Canada, Australia, and Britain suspended their extradition arrangements with Hong Kong in reaction to the new law. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HOUSTON Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI) on Wednesday reported a key measure of profitability in its second quarter. The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The Houston-based real estate investment trust said it had funds from operations of $609 million, or $1.45 per share, in the period. The average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for funds from operations of $1.48 per share. Funds from operations is a closely watched measure in the REIT industry. It takes net income and adds back items such as depreciation and amortization. The company said it had net income of $172 million, or 41 cents per share. The operator of wireless communications towers, based in Houston, posted revenue of $1.44 billion in the period, matching Street forecasts. Crown Castle expects full-year funds from operations to be $6.12 per share. The companys shares have increased 22% since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poors 500 index has climbed nearly 1%. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $173.87, an increase of 34% in the last 12 months. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CCI at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CCI A notorious triad leader in China has been executed after running a 196-member criminal organisation and terrorising a county for 30 years. Huang Hongfa, who was known locally as 'the emperor', was put to death today by a regional court after receiving the death sentence at a re-trial in March. He had been found guilty of 17 charges, including organising and leading an organisation of a gangland nature, intentional assault and offering bribes. Huang Hongfa, a former triad leader, was executed on Thursday in southern China. The picture shows Hongfa donning goggles, a face mask and a full-body protective suit in court in March A regional high court found the former triad leader guilty of 17 charges including organising and leading an organization of a gangland nature, intentional assault and offering bribes Hongfa's underground gang was the largest and longest-running of its kind in the province of Hainan in southern China, according to the Hainan Provincial High People's Court. The court said Hongfa, whose age was not revealed, and his partners-in-crime had been operating unlawful businesses. The had owned illegal casinos and mines, and intimidated residents since the 1980s. It added that Hongfa and others had gained 2billion yuan (219million) through their criminal operations over the years, according to a statement. The court did not specify how Hongfa was executed, but it said he had met his close relatives beforehand. Hongfa's underground gang was mostly formed by his family members as well as close-knit relatives from the Huang clan. The criminal is seen during his first trial in January last year He was caught during a huge SWAT raid involving more than 1,210 officers and 300 police cars The once-powerful mafia head was handed capital punishment on March 11 at the Hainan High People's Court. Court pictures show the man standing in court while wearing goggles, a face mask and a full-body protective suit to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He and his main accomplices were caught during a huge SWAT raid involving more than 1,210 officers and 300 police cars in January last year. Hongfa's underground gang was mostly formed by his family members as well as close-knit relatives from the Huang clan. They were also sentenced by Hainan's high court in March The organisation was initially led by Hongfa's father Huang Yingxiang, who was a local official Hongfa's underground gang was mostly formed by his family members as well as close-knit relatives from the Huang clan. It started to develop in the 1980s in the Changjiang County of Hainan, according to a government document. The organisation was initially led by Hongfa's father Huang Yingxiang, who was a local official and had influence among the locals. In 1990, the clan became notorious after Hongfa's brother, Huang Hongming, gathered a team to kill one resident and seriously harmed another. Hongming escaped legal punishment because of his father's political power. Hongfa rose to prominence in the group in 1995 after leading his followers to attack and severely hurt another person to gain a monopoly of illegal casinos in the region. The criminals also controlled government officials through bribing. The Hainan High People's Court held a second trial on March 11 after 82 defenders including Hongfa had appealed against the court's decisions from the first trial in January this year The court ruled in favour of the previous judgement to give Hongfa a death sentence Changjiang's police chief and his two deputies, one senior police officer, one lawmaker and one deputy head of the local Water Affairs Bureau were among the leaders that were corrupted by them. When the group was busted by police last year, they faced 16 charges as a whole. They had committed 58 criminal activities, which caused two deaths, three serious injuries, 13 minor injuries and five slight injuries, the high court said today. Hongfa's brother Hongming has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. His father Yingxiang and other brother Hongjin have been each sentenced to 25 years in prison. Justice in Africa: what it means to Africans? My interview with Dr Ruth Murambadoro about her book, Transitional Justice in Africa: The Case of Zimbabwe was a sensory experience. *This book is a available for purchase at: Amazon, Palgrave MacMillan Books, Exclusive Books. While making a case for the importance of decolonising our understanding of justice, she reinforced the idea that research is about honouring a responsibility to communities to document their encounters while offering a lens for their experiences to be heard in tandem to the mainstream debate on peacebuilding and African approaches to justice. Her offering in the form of a monograph, which was released this July, is a product of her doctoral and the postdoctoral phase of her career (2015-2019). An elective during her postgraduate studies at the University of Pretoria, Peace and Conflict in Africa built the foundation for her enthusiasm for peacebuilding. Rural communities While Murambadoro may not have used the word spirituality in this interview, the manner in which she described central themes emphasised the interconnectedness of the African people and just how important a factor this was in her work. It does offer those who believe in ancestry and spirituality, context or simply a space to think about justice in a personal and meaningful way. In the past two decades the global peace project has been under scrutiny for its emphasis on Eurocentric models of justice which do not cater for the justice needs of African communities. Instead it has been considered an avenue used by Western nations (who often take a lead in intervening in conflicts on the continent) to perpetuate coloniality, because of the reliance on preserving the colonial state over redressing the systemic violence created by colonialism on both the psyche and well-being of African persons, she said. Murambadoro offers a multiple temporal analysis of state-sanctioned violence looking at its impact on interpersonal relations of persons in three rural communities most affected by the post-2000 electoral violence, namely Buhera, Mudzi and Uzumba. She said she focused on rural communities because they are often the hot beds of violence that is underreported and the communal element of African families is much more visible in the periphery than it is in urban areas. My interest was to provide an understanding on how the foundations of African communities i.e. imba, mhuri and musha are affected by state-sanctioned violence. Imba also referred to as mumba in the monograph is both a place of residence and symbol of the ancestral lineage spanning over generations. Mhuri is the family/clan and musha is considered a place of ones origin. Tapping into these understandings of African beings brought to the fore the interconnectedness of humanity and the values as well as practices that forge relations within local communities. Murambadoro explained that relations in the African community are not limited to physical beings or understood in linear form but extend across generations hence, the impact of violence does not affect an individual but all persons related to the being. She paid great attention to the interpersonal experiences of persons who encountered state-sanctioned violence and historicised the cyclical nature of violence to depict how it metamorphosis throughout the life journey of those subjected to violence. For instance, in chapter 2 of the monograph Violence, Transitions and Relational Harms, relates how various participants experienced violence in both the colonial and post-colonial era, and its impact on their psychosocial well-being. This brings forth the human being behind these encounters of violence, an area that the independence government never addressed by choosing to let by gones be by gones a feature of amnesty that prevailed in the liberal peace paradigm around the 1980-90s. Chapters three and four Harm, Displacement and Interpersonal Justice and Spirituality, Rituals and Remedy respectively explores how such effects of violence are addressed and the processes of reparation that rebuilds social harmony within the being, and between the being and other beings including the extended community (metaphysical realm). Practical example Murambadoro used murder as an example to explain the impact of wrongdoing and justice. When a murder takes place, ngozi, which is an avenging spirit that can torment the whole family until redress has been offered, is evoked. Death is considered a rite of passage into the realm of the living dead, because life among the African communities in the study, revolves around multiple temporalities involving the dead, living being and future generation (unborn). The living dead are essential players in the well-being of the living beings and when one dies, they continue to serve in the family as a guardian who protects and intercedes to Musikavanhu (God the Creator). This role of the living dead requires one to transpose to the realm of the dead with a clean spirit, hence several rituals are performed during the funeral and post burial of the deceased. However, when one has been murdered they are considered to have a burdened spirit hence cannot be accommodated among the living dead, instead their spirit will lie in limbo. This state of limbo causes havoc and misfortunes among the living beings hence, there is need for redress to be rendered for the spirit of the deceased to find rest among the living dead (vobwo). This builds to the notion of death being regarded a dignified encounter in the livelihood of an African being. Redressing ngozi often involves the wrongdoer offering compensation and participating in cleansing rituals that breaks the spirit of bondage and retains dignity to the deceased allowing them to rest among vobwo. A wrongdoing is regarded as a bad trait that contradicts their shared principles of kugarisana nevamwe (living in harmony), kuzvininipisa (being humble), kudyidzana (friendship or fellowship), kuzvibata (self-discipline), rukudzo (respect), kushanda nesimba (industrious), and kudzoreka (teachable spirit), among others. These principles instil a reciprocal duty among community members that is demonstrated through positive and negative traits in the conduct of beings. Positive traits resemble the above principles and attract good fortune, while negative traits work in tandem and often beget bad omen such as being tormented by ngozi (avenging spirits). The violence observed in the studied communities has disrupted the human relations that hold people together and this has great consequences on the development and progression of the mhuri (clan). A key need of the studied communities is to preserve their heritage through redressing the physical, spiritual and psychosocial harms inflicted on their families to ensure there is harmony among the living beings, unborn and living dead. This entails performing rituals, ceremonies and symbolisms that promote for a rebirth/renewal of their essence based on shared principles. Murambadoro believes that centering justice on human relations is critical to building sustainable peace among African communities, especially because of the rich communal networks that exist within families, arguing that these are often bruised by political tensions at the community or national level and destroys the harmony that brings prosperity to the being and extended metaphysical community. She said that cultivating the bonds underlying these networks helps to build resilience because it humanises the impact of violence on human relations and their interconnectedness to the environment (including metaphysical realm), which is crucial to their survival and the future generations. Key themes As an avid scholar on gender, governance and peace and security her perspectives on the transitions and justice processes in Zimbabwe were shaped using the intersectionality lens with the chapter on Spirituality, Rituals and Remedy, being built on narratives of various women in the studied communities to bring forth the complexities around how women are subjected to violence. Murambadoro also looked at Rwanda, Uganda and Mozambique as they made for good cases to draw lessons from because of existing literature around use of tradition-based approaches in peacebuilding processes. The Gacaca courts in Rwanda for example, are often cited as a successful intervention that brought more attraction for African justice approaches within the peacebuilding arena, especially because they were adopted at a time the liberal peacebuilding mechanisms had failed to offer justice to many Rwandese people. The magnitude of the Rwandan genocide brought to the fore inefficiencies of the colonial administrative and Eurocentric legal systems, features that were prominent throughout my research on Zimbabwe and other African countries. What was required in Rwanda as it is for participants covered in the monograph, is a human-centred approach that invigorates the sense of shared values among African communities from which a new future can be birthed for both the living beings, unborn and living dead. This is a recurrent theme l noted in Uganda and Mozambique through the tradition-based rituals, ceremonies and symbolisms that were adopted for peacebuilding processes at the local level. Human relations were central to the processes that were enacted in these countries and I was able to draw lessons in terms underlying norms and values that inform human interactions in African settings. Thereby adding volume to the growing discourse on a decolonial turn to peacebuilding, she explained. Murambadoro was a visiting researcher at the Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge when she completed the bulk of writing. She is a political scientist by training but considers herself a political ethnographer and oral historian. She spent several months living among the communities to develop a first-hand encounter of their everyday livelihood (i.e. participating in their everyday activities). She also used surveys and spent some time in the national archives in Harare working through various documents to get a better understanding of the socio-cultural practices that inform the ways of being among communities she was studying. A teenager could face life in prison after being charged with an offence that many would be stunned to learn is still around in the 21st century. A 19-year-old man from the northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth East was charged with sacrilege for allegedly stealing electric guitars and sound mixer after breaking in to the Adelaide Chin Christian Church early on Thursday morning. The charge of sacrilege, or violating the church, carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, reflecting how seriously it was viewed when put on the South Australian statute books in 1935. David Plater, the deputy director of the South Australian Law Reform Institute, told ABC News that the charge was a 'throwback to a different time'. 'It kind of brings the law into disrepute, in a way, when you have these laws,' Dr Plater said. But he said robberies relating to a place of worship tend to be considered more serious than other thefts. 'If you're religious or not, that is a pretty mean, nasty crime,' he said. Police photograph two guitars which were allegedly stolen for inside the Adelaide Chin Christian Church Detectives dust for forensic evidence after the crime against the church on Thursday morning Security arrived just after 1am on Thursday after motion sensors on the church grounds triggered an alarm, and they called police after finding the allegedly stolen goods. The teen was found in a nearby reserve shortly afterwards. The church, which opened in 2016, is operated by Christians from the predominantly Buddhist nation of Myanmar. CCTV footage shows a male wearing all black entering the premises through a broken door, and using a trolley to wheel goods out of the building Community members fled to Australia, saying they faced persecution in Myanmar. The break-in was unsettling for Pastor Mang Hleicung. 'Very disappointing. It is really unexpected to see that happen to the church,' he told Nine News. 'They attempted to break in many times but this time they did a lot of damage,' In addition to the guitars a $20,000 sound mixer was found on the ground outside the church property which is used to broadcast sermons to the 1100 strong congregation. The church which began running sermons in 2016, is operated by the Chin community who practice the Christian faith in a traditionally Buddhist Myanmar The 19-year-old charged over the incident was out on bail for another offence committed only four days earlier according to the Adelaide Advertiser. He faced the Elizabeth Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday charged with serious criminal trespass and theft. The teen's legal representative Elliot King urged the court to consider a suspended sentence. '(He is) illiterate which would make him vulnerable in a custodial setting,' Mr King said. He pointed to a history of ADHD and 'concentration issues.' He was granted bail to appear before court again on September 18, but not without a warning from Magistrate Gary Gumpl 'If you are caught next time, you might have difficulty getting bail,' he said. Tears welled up in 64-year-old Garo Ram's eyes when he received a 'domicile certificate' that declared him a 'bona fide citizen' of Jammu and Kashmir, giving him the right to vote, the right to property and the right to a government job in the Union Territory. IMAGE: Hindu refugees from Pakistan (file photo). Photograph: ANI Photo A divisional level officer said that over 1,900 domicile certificates have been granted to West Pakistan refugees and the process to grant all of them citizenship certificates is going on. "We will ensure that no West Pakistan refugees are left out. We will grant all of them domicile certificates," the officer said. Ram, who lives in a hamlet comprising mud houses belonging to West Pakistan refugees at Rangpur Sidhriya close to R S Pura border town, said that it took over 72 years for Hindus to get justice in the country but the piece of paper has given a new hope to the community. "It is the most important day of my life. This will change the fate of our young generations who will now live as honourable residents of Jammu and Kashmir and not unwanted citizens, like we have lived here for the past 72 years," he said. Barred from government jobs, scholarships and admission in colleges, welfare schemes, and right to own land, 1.5 lakh WPRs in the union territory were 'stateless' in India for more than 70 years. The refugee youths are mostly illiterate and earn their livelihood by working as labourers in agriculture fields in border belts of R S Pura, Samba, Hiranagar and Jammu, while elderly people work as domestic helps and in some cases children learn to beg. "Now our children can have property, education, jobs and they can vote. "They can also get admission in professional colleges with reservation facilities. They will not face what we faced here," Ganesh Chander of Arnia said. "We are very happy that we are finally being considered the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a new hope among our youth who can now also become officers and get jobs," he added. The refugees thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu for ensuring justice by scrapping Article 370. The president of West Pakistani Refugees Action committee (WPRAC) Labha Ram Gandhi said, "Our people have decided to celebrate August 5 like Independence day. We got real freedom after nearly 73 years of Independence. It is our Deepawali." "We had to struggle for basic needs and the right to live in India," Gandhi said. "If I K Gujral, who migrated from West Pakistan to settle in Delhi could become the prime minister of the country, at least the West Pakistani refugees in Jammu and Kashmir should have the right to live, seek education, employment, own land and the right to exercise their franchise," he said. It was discovered that Hopkins had just been released from Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun at 9 a.m. after serving time in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Prison System. He had been sentenced to prison in 2013 for intent to sell heroin. The alleged actions of this individual were not only dangerous to the public but domestic violence toward another person is never acceptable and will always end in an arrest, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said. Furthermore, attempting to flee from a law enforcement officer is a very serious offense and we will do everything possible to bring those individuals to justice. Had this individual stayed at the scene, he likely would have faced misdemeanor charges of battery, but the actions of fleeing led to much more serious felony actions. Fortunately, no one else was injured due to the reckless, selfish and dangerous act of fleeing. State Rep. Will Dismukes has stepped down as pastor of a Baptist church after the controversy over his speaking appearance at a birthday party for the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Dismukes resigned as pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Prattville on July 29 following three days of backlash resulting from a Facebook post highlighting his attendance at the birthday party for early KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867-69, the Alabama Baptist reported Wednesday. Dismukes gave the invocation at the annual birthday party for Confederate General Forrest held July 25 at Fort Dixie in Selma and coincided with ceremonies honoring the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Alabama native andlongtimeGeorgia congressman who was a leader in the civil rights movement and was badly beaten at the Bloody Sunday march in Selma in 1965. Had a great time at Fort Dixie speaking and giving the invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest annual birthday celebration, Dismukes posted on Facebook the day after the event. Always a great time and some sure enough good eating!! The social media post was later removed. Autauga Baptist Association lead mission strategist Mel Johnson took part in a July 29 deacons meeting at Pleasant Hill Baptist, a member of the Autauga Association. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met with the churchs leadership for prayer and encouragement as many, through no fault of their own, have found themselves caught in the midst of this issue that has drawn national attention, Johnson said in a statement published by the Alabama Baptist. I am also thankful that Autauga Baptist churches can move forward and remain focused toward Great Commission efforts to communicate the gospel and reach our world for Christ. Scripture is clear that all people are created in Gods image and therefore equal in every way before Christ and our personal need of Him as Savior and Lord. Johnson said Dismukes was called to an in-person meeting on July 28. Immediate effort was made to connect with Will on behalf of our leadership with commitment toward a biblically based process to mitigate controversy surrounding this issue, Johnson explained. He was open and receptive to our call and subsequent in-person meeting on Tuesday afternoon. We are saddened and grieved to learn of the recent Facebook post by state Rep. Will Dismukes, said a statement by Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. In the wake of tremendous controversy we reaffirm our opposition to any kind of racism. Lances June 4 blog post A Personal Credo Concerning Racism was affirmed by the officers of the Alabama Baptist State Convention and State Board of Missions on July 27. Make sure your dog is left in a safe space that it knows and dont lock it in a room thats unfamiliar. (Getty Images) Calls to make pet theft a specific criminal offence have been rejected by the government after a string of petitions calling for reform gained more than 250,000 signatures. Justice secretary Robert Buckland wrote to parliaments petitions committee saying that the offence was already covered in wider law. The committee had called for pet theft to be made a specific crime after a series of campaign groups and petitions said the current laws were inadequate. Campaigners called the governments decision to reject the petition totally unacceptable. This is totally unacceptable @RobertBuckland Cannot understand the reasoning behind the refusal to take action on #pettheft Strong action is desperately needed now. Agree ???? https://t.co/0Gx8C1oowO Missing Pets GB (@MissingPetsGB) July 30, 2020 The latest petition started by the Pet Theft hReform campaign group reached 85,000 signatures in 30 days and was supported by Dragons Den star Deborah Meaden. Pet theft is currently covered under the 1968 Theft Act which can carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. Campaigners say this is insufficient as it treats the pet as an inanimate object and does not reflect the emotional harm caused by the crime. This means the law defines the severity of the crime purely on the owners loss of monetary value. With most pets being valued below 500, most criminals convicted of stealing a family animal escape with a fine or community service. When the UK went into lockdown as a response to the coronavirus pandemic interest in new pets skyrocketed forcing up prices making pet theft more tempting for criminals. The Kennel Club group said in June demand for new dogs was up 180% from last year. Story continues Pet theft has increased by 24% in the past three years, before factoring in the spike caused by coronavirus, according to campaign group Stolen and Missing Pets Alliance. In 2018, figures showed more than 60 dogs were stolen every week in England and Wales. Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine, told the petition committee in June: Lots of other crimes totally disappeared during lockdown unfortunately dog theft went through the roof. "We had some enormous, horrific organised crime. Twenty-two dogs were stolen in a heist like you get in a jewellers." She said: "Each one of those puppies was going to be someone's lockdown puppy because unfortunately in lockdown everyone wanted a dog. "And the prices went up and up and the criminals looked at those figures and looked at all those people who wanted dogs and put two and two together." Read More: Two litters of puppies stolen from farm in 'act of appalling thievery' Billionaires Row wild cat "terrorising" pets in wealthy neighbourhood A letter from committee chairwoman Catherine McKinnell to the Justice Secretary said: Pet theft is a truly callous crime. It strikes at the heart of families and the evidence is showing that every year the Government fails to take action the problem is getting worse. McKinnell said harsher deterrents were needed as pet theft was spiralling. She said it was disappointing the government rejected the petition as the notion had cross-party support and she would continue to press the issue. In his response to the committee, Buckland said: The Government fully understands the deep distress caused by the theft of a much-loved family pet and the importance of dealing with pet theft given this impact it can have on owners. I understand the strength of feeling among campaigners regarding this issue, but the Government is satisfied that the existing law on theft already covers the criminal offence of pet theft. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 3.55 am ET Thursday, the Federal Employment Agency is set to release unemployment data for July. Germany's jobless rate is expected to rise marginally to 6.5 percent from 6.4 percent in June. Ahead of the data, the euro dropped against its major counterparts. The euro was worth 123.48 against the yen, 1.0745 against the franc, 0.9062 against the pound and 1.1754 against the greenback as of 3:50 am ET. 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. ROSA WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test Brochure The certification marks the third approval of this test kit, which shows that the market favors water-based testing and continued success of lateral flow technology to test for aflatoxin. Charm Sciences, Inc. announces that the United States Department of Agricultures Federal Grain Inspection Service (USDA-FGIS) has renewed the usage of the ROSA WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test. This lateral flow test was first approved in 2014, again in 2017, and is reapproved for the detection of aflatoxin in barley, brown rice, corn, DDG, DDGS, hominy, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat. Charm Sciences is pleased to announce the reapproval of the ROSA WET-S5 Aflatoxin Quantitative Test, stated Mark Tess, Ph.D., Mycotoxin Product Manager at Charm. The certification marks the third approval of this test kit, which shows that the market favors water-based testing and continued success of lateral flow technology to test for aflatoxin. USDA-FGIS also awarded Charm a five-year contract to use the AFQ-WETS5 test to monitor aflatoxin in grains. USDA-FGIS operates and oversees official grain inspection services throughout the United States and will use the AFQ-WETS5 test for official aflatoxin testing. USDA-FGIS used the AFQ-WETS5 test for aflatoxin over the last five years as well. Charm Sciences is excited to be awarded the aflatoxin contract for another five years to test grains in the FGISs testing program, said Dr. Tess. The AFQ-WETS5 test is FGIS approved for 9 commodities and the 5-minute incubation time allows for rapid measurement to meet the demands of the program. The AFQ-WETS5 test utilizes Charms patented Rapid One Step Assay (ROSA) technology to extract aflatoxin from the sample without organic solvents. Like all of Charms ROSA mycotoxin tests, the AFQ-WETS5 test can be read and recorded using the all-in-one Charm EZ-M System. The Charm EZ-M System allows incubation and analysis with the same equipment and is robust enough that tests can be run at the point of receiving. To learn more about Charm Sciences, visit http://www.charm.com About Charm Sciences, Inc. Established in 1978 in Greater Boston, Charm Sciences helps protect consumers, manufacturers, and global brands from a variety of issues through the development of food safety, water quality, and environmental diagnostic tests and equipment. Selling directly and through its network of distributors, Charms products serve the dairy, feed and grain, food and beverage, water, healthcare, environmental, and industrial markets in more than 100 countries around the globe. https://www.charm.com 2020 Charm Sciences, Inc. Charm, Charm EZ, ROSA, and WET are registered trademarks of Charm Sciences, Inc. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:25:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Wang Hsiao-po, one of the founders of the Alliance for the Reunification of China and a leading expert on philosophy, died of an illness in Taipei Thursday morning at the age of 77. Born in January 1943 in east China's Jiangxi Province, Wang left for Taiwan with his family in 1949, going on to teach at the philosophy departments of Taiwan University and Chinese Culture University in Taipei. Prof. Wang was a leading founding member of the Alliance for the Reunification of China in Taiwan and served as vice-chairman of the organization. He also founded "Strait Review Monthly" and served as the magazine's chief editor, actively promoting the idea of peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait and opposing "Taiwan independence." "He was honest and open-minded and an example for us," said Chang Ling-chen, honorary professor of the Department of Political Science at Taiwan University and Wang's long-time colleague and friend. Prof. Wang's life-long aspiration was to see a strong China, and he always held that to realize national rejuvenation, the two sides of the Strait should be reunited, Chang said. "Prof. Wang's death is a great loss to supporters of the reunification of China in Taiwan," said Hsiao Kai-ping, an association chief in Taiwan. He made a trail-blazing contribution and played a major part in promoting the Chinese cultural tradition in Taiwan, Hsiao said, pledging to implement Wang's aspirations and continue his cause. As per Wang's wishes, his ashes will be cast into the Taiwan Strait, his family said. Enditem TDT | Manama Bahrains Ambassador to Egypt Hisham bin Mohammed Al Jowder said that the embassy in Cairo continues to take care of urgent matters and follows up on the affairs of Bahraini citizens in Egypt, despite the temporary suspension of work. The suspension came after the embassy building, located in Zamalek district, sustained damage from subsidence caused by the ongoing excavation being done to extend Cairos underground metro to run through the area. Al Jowder, who is also Bahrains Arab League permanent representative, praised the great cooperation shown by the concerned authorities in Egypt with regards to the damage. He lauded the measures they took to ensure the security and safety of the embassys diplomats, employees and visiting citizens, which reflects the deep ties between the two brotherly countries. The embassy said it has set up hotlines for assistance and inquiries on 01149999566, 01272442749 and 01112580203. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the prospect of delaying the November election while making unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting will lead to fraud. There has been no evidence to back up Trump's repeated claims about fraud in mail-in voting. Trump has previously denied that he wanted to move the November election. In April, responding to Democratic rival Joe Biden's suggestion that he would try to change the date, Trump said, "I never even thought of changing the date of the election. Why would I do that? November 3rd. It's a good number. No, I look forward to that election and that was just made up propaganda." Even if he wanted to, though, the president has no power over when the United States holds federal elections. Q: If not the president, then who does? A: Congress. Unlike some constitutional language that can be widely interpreted, the founders were unambiguous about how Election Day would be chosen: Congress is charged with choosing the date, and that date must be the same for the entire country. Congress chose a date, the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November, in 1845, and it has never been changed. Q: But what about in an emergency like the one we're in? A: Even in an emergency, such as a global pandemic, the president can't circumvent Congress and postpone or cancel the general election. And it's extremely unlikely Congress would move it. "In an emergency, the president is able to do a lot of things he normally could not do, but only because he has been designated these powers by Congress in laws such as the National Emergencies Act," said Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a nonprofit group that advocates for eased ballot access. "But in this case, the Constitution empowers Congress, not the president, to select Election Day. No laws passed by Congress have delegated these powers to the president, even in an emergency, so Congress is the only entity that has the power to change the date of the election." Q: But haven't lots of state changted primary election dates? A: This is different from primary election dates, which are set by states governed by different rules. For general elections for federal offices, states are bound by federal law. Any effort by a state to unilaterally move or cancel the November election would be unlawful, and any results of a future election would be invalid, said Nicholas Stephanopoulos, professor at Harvard Law School. Q: Really, there's nothing he could do? A: Well, a president could try to lobby Congress to change the date. In a hypothetical scenario in which Trump wanted the election moved, he could publicly advocate for it and persuade Republicans to agree, but both chambers of Congress would need to vote to change the date. Even if Trump got his party behind him, the House is controlled by the Democrats, who would be unlikely to take the unprecedented step of postponing the general election at Trump's behest. Q: Is there anything else the president could do to affect Election Day? A: Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science for the University of California at Irvine's law school, said there are other ways that the president could change how the election works without actually moving the date. If the coronavirus is still a factor in the fall, Trump could claim emergency powers to keep people in cities where outbreaks have been worse from going to polling places in person, in the name of public health, Hasen said. That could depress turnout in the heavily populated urban areas that tend to vote Democratic. Former vice president Joe Biden, Trump's presumptive challenger this fall, in April warned supporters that Trump may try to move the election and also mentioned his moves to put conditions on a loan for the U.S. Postal Service, which is struggling amid the coronavirus crisis. Biden claimed Trump was trying to make it harder for people to vote by mail, which he has attacked before. "That's the only way he thinks he can possibly win," Biden said. Election officials in both parties, as well as many Democrats, are trying to expand vote-by-mail in response to growing concerns that voters won't be comfortable going to polling places this fall because of the coronavirus. Many Republicans, including Trump, have rejected these efforts. Hasen said the president could also lean on state legislatures to take voting for president away from citizens entirely in the name of public safety. The members of the electoral college who officially choose the president do not need to be chosen by the voting public. Instead, the state legislatures could select the presidential electors as they did in the early days of our republic. This would be problematic for Democrats, Hasen said, if Republican-held legislatures in swing states went that path. But it's not that likely. "That would be constitutional," Hasen said, "but I believe it would provoke massive social unrest." - - - The Washington Post's Donna Cassata contributed to this report. Burma Myanmar Military Arrests Three Rakhine Women for Alleged Ties to Arakan Army Uniforms allegedly seized from the house of one of three women arrested in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State. / Tatmadaw True News Information Team YANGONPolice in Rakhine States Kyaukphyu Township have opened cases against three local women under the Counterterrorism Law for allegedly funding the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic rebel group actively fighting the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw. As the Myanmar military has filed lawsuits against them, we have opened cases. The plaintiff is the Myanmar military, Police Captain Kyaw Zaw of the Kyaukphyu Township Police Station told The Irrawaddy. According to a statement on Tuesday from the Myanmar militarys Tatmadaw True News Information Team, Myanmar military troops arrested alleged AA supporter U Nyi Nyi Tun, a resident of Yenan Tun Village, on July 18. After the military troops interrogated him, they then arrested three women from the same village on July 22. In its statement on Tuesday, the military claimed that troops seized a camouflaged uniform without a badge and two police uniforms with insignias and badges from the house of one of the women, Daw Khin Myo Swe. The military has accused her of soliciting support for the AA in the township. The military accused two other women, Daw Hla Than Khin and Daw Pyar Ma, of collecting protection money and food for the AA from local residents. We have said time and again that we will take actions under the Counterterrorism Law, military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy. In March, the Myanmar government and the military designated the AA as a terrorist organization under the Counterterrorism Law and an unlawful association under section 15 (2) of the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act. The three women face charges under Section 50 (j) of the Counterterrorism Law, which prohibits financing terrorism, as well as Section 52 (a), which prohibits activities that knowingly involve a terrorist group. They face up to seven years in prison if convicted. Myanmar military troops summoned them and took them immediately without talking to anyone else or looking for any evidence, said Rakhine State lawmaker U Kyaw Lwin of Kyaukphyu Township. As far as I know, there is no evidence [that the three women supported the AA]. That they made arrests based on the account of one individual reflects that the rule of law is quite poor. The lawmaker described the three women as pillars of the community in their village and said he believes they are wrongly accused. The Myanmar military has filed lawsuits against dozens of local residents in northern Rakhine on suspicions that they have ties to the AA. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. You may also like these storeis: Myanmar Naga Separatists NSCN-K Expel Three Accused of Splitting From Group Mmoja Ajabu was 19 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He was in the military at the time, in training in Missouri. He and the other Black soldiers in his base were relegated to a remote part of the base and told they would be shot if they attempted to leave as the white soldiers went out to quell the rebellion in St. Louis, he said. I started understanding at that point what the hell was going on, Ajabu said. Now, over 50 years later, Ajabu sees little difference in the struggle for civil rights. Protests popped up all around the nation including in Indianapolis following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May. While chants of Floyds name and No justice, no peace filled Monument Circle for several weeks, local activists will tell you the demonstrations werent just for Floyd. For many, the viral video of Floyds death was a painful reminder of deaths more close to home. Dreasjon Reed. McHale Rose. Aaron Bailey. Michael Taylor. These names all Black men in Indianapolis who died either by police-action shootings or while in police custody have been repeatedly brought up throughout the protests. Crowds calling for answers and justice for these men have been nonstop for months. From marches throughout downtown to early morning No justice, no sleep rallies outside the homes of Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) Chief Randal Taylor, those participating often remind one another that this isnt a moment, this is a movement. But, a movement needs leaders. Luckily, for the hordes of people who have been protesting, several young Indianapolis residents were more than willing to step up to the challenge. NiSean Jones, 22, formed Black Out for Black Lives after she attended the first protest in Indianapolis following Floyds death. She said she didnt want the demonstrations to be a one-time thing, and was inspired to organize events to continue to shed light on civil rights issues. Jones isnt surprised many local organizers are young adults. She knows what its like to grow up in the age of social media, where hate crimes and injustices frequently go viral. A lot of the people who come to the protests are around our age, like 18 to 30, Jones said. In our lives, weve witnessed horrific events that have happened between Black people and police, where George Zimmerman walked off scot-free [after killing Trayvon Martin], and those injustices were seeing are only magnified due to social media. So, our generation knows whats morally wrong, and were trying to change those things. The process is never beautiful Over the past several months in Indianapolis, demonstrators have been arrested, tear gassed and some beaten with batons just minutes past a curfew imposed by Hogsett. Jones, who was tear gassed while demonstrating, said the experience taught her what she was fighting for. It was traumatizing, Jones said. To see people bloodied up, crying and on the verge of passing out because they cant breath. But I felt like that was something I needed to witness, because it was something my ancestors went through. It was beautiful to see people in my community come together, but the process was ugly. The process is never beautiful, but the outcome is whats beautiful. In June, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana filed a lawsuit on behalf of Indy10 Black Lives Matter against IMPD for its use of tear gas on protesters. Jessica Louise, an Indy10 representative, echoed Jones argument that exposure to tear gas is traumatic, and took issue with IMPDs use of the chemical agent, especially in the midst of a pandemic which attacks the respiratory system. IMPD officials claimed tear gas was used as a final resort after protesters began damaging the City-County Building on the evening of May 29. Protesters claim the damage done in the city that weekend occurred after IMPD deployed tear gas. You cannot change a system While protests throughout the city are ongoing, Jones hopes the demonstrations and the conversations they start inspire those who feel passionately about social justice to invoke change in other ways. Protesting is not all we have to do, Jones said. You cannot change a system, you have to break it. To do that, you have to vote. You have to be active in your community. At many demonstrations, there are designated tents to get people registered to vote, and organizers, including Mat Davis, who formed the Indiana Racial Justice Alliance, frequently reminds crowds of the importance of their voice and their vote. At a June 13 event at Monument Circle, Davis brought City-County Council President Vop Osili to speak to the group. The way that were able to fight, the way were able to make change in our city is when you are behind us, Osili told the crowd. When you say Get it done and your voice is heard. What we need is your voices to continue. The only way that we will have true change, true transparency and the voices of our people is if you continue to speak, continue to shout and hold us accountable. Understand the enemy To truly make change and make ones vote count, however, Ajabu believes one must know what theyre fighting against. You have to understand the enemy, Ajabu said, and the enemy that they are fighting is tyranny. Tyranny is defined as the government being able to do something that a citizen cant, and not be held accountable for what they did. To help organizers and activists better understand tyranny, Ajabu recommends signing up for an online course, led by Dr. Lasana Kazembe of Indiana University, that focuses on the history of tyranny throughout the world. Im saying to the youngsters that they got to understand the makings of tyranny, Ajabu said. As an OG, if I might use their language, I want to help. Become knowledgeable of what theyre fighting for. You cant defeat an enemy of which youre not knowledgeable. Taking the steps to get free Ajabu has been fighting for the same cause since 1969: freedom. Before going to college in the 1970s and becoming a commander in a local chapter of the Black Panther Party in the 1990s, Ajabu began questioning race relations in the United States while serving the country in Vietnam. In January of 69, the Vietnamese had loud speakers on the perimeter of our base, and they were asking Black soldiers why would we fight them when the country we were fighting for was fighting us, Ajabu said. As a veteran who is a recipient of the second highest medal that the government gives a soldier a Bronze star I didnt earn that medal to come back here and be treated like this. Were tired of limited acceptance. We want to be free, and were taking the steps to get free. As a leader in IUPUIs Black Student Union (BSU) in the 70s, Ajabu was arrested for his activism. Today, IUPUI BSU president Sha-Nel Henderson is still advocating for Black students at IUPUI. During a June 19 demonstration through the downtown campus, Henderson and other students were calling for reparations for the Black families displaced by the creation of IUPUI, courses looking critically at Black history and racism in Indianapolis, and a student center specifically for Black students. As a group of roughly 45 IUPUI students marched through campus chanting Were the change, it became evident that, in 50 years, not much has changed. Where IUPUI is built today, there once stood a strong Black community, Aahron Whitehead, a member of the Indiana Racial Justice Alliance, said. We want IUPUI to basically repay the community for their actions. Elicit a change While Jones doesnt believe protesting is all thats needed to bring about change, she knows it helps. In order to elicit a change, you have to talk about it, Jones said. Protests allow that. Through Black Out for Black Lives, Jones doesnt just want to talk about police brutality. Systemic injustice, she says, goes much deeper than that. Every time I see a police officer behind me, my heart shouldnt drop to my stomach, Jones said. Im scared to have a baby. Black women have the highest mortality rate when it comes to delivering a baby. I shouldnt have to fear that. Jones went on to discuss discrimination in corporate America, the prison system and economic disparities that sometimes lead to an increased crime rate. I come from Haughville; I come from poverty, Jones said. I took one route, and a lot of people took a different one. Ive seen friends who dealt [drugs] die due to the streets. We dont talk about how traumatic it is to be Black and young in America. Jones wants to use her organization to educate Black children about the Black leaders they dont learn about in school to let them know their options are limitless. Her end goal is the same as Ajabus: not just limited acceptance for Black Americans, but freedom. America cant exist without people of African descent, Ajabu said. I would just like to say to the youngsters, dont despair. It aint over. If we work together, well eventually be free. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. NiSean Jones, founder of Black Out for Black Lives, addresses a crowd downtown on June 19. (Photo/Tyler Fenwick) Tucsons largest school district now has a framework for physically welcoming students back amid the pandemic, but when that plan will be put into action is in question as TUSD makes an appeal to the state to keep its campuses closed. Tucson Unified said Tuesday that when it submits its reentry plan to the Arizona Department of Education for approval, it also plans to seek a waiver from the state to delay opening its campuses to students, even just as care centers, which the state is requiring starting Aug. 17 as a condition of receiving full funding. Gov. Doug Duceys latest executive order says school districts can apply for such an exemption through the Arizona Department of Education if a county health department in conjunction with the state health department advises closing due to a coronavirus outbreak. The decision to request a waiver came after the Pima County Health Department on Tuesday issued an opinion based on public health data that it is not safe for schools to reopen for traditional in-person learning. The Health Department did, however, recommend that schools provide a place for at-risk students to go to on a limited basis. Travelers to North Korea's China Border Region Must Now Pledge Not to 'Defect' 2020-07-29 -- North Koreans who live in or travel to regions bordering China are grumbling about a new policy that forces all visitors to pledge they won't "defect" -- the latest salvo in a government campaign targeting exiles from the reclusive state, RFA has learned. Under North Korea's rigid system of internal controls on its 25 million people, ordinary citizens need passes for domestic travel. Now, however, those who want to visit areas near the porous border with China face more paperwork, with resulting delays that thwart business, wedding and funeral travel. "Since early this month, residents who need travel certificates to go to the border areas must submit a document with their fingerprint on it confirming they will never defect from North Korea," a resident of North Hamgyong province, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFA's Korean Service. Citizens used to be allowed to verbally declare they had no plans to defect, and get inter-provincial travel passes by showing a certificate of citizenship and character references from a neighborhood watch unit leader, a local security official and authority at the destination, the source said. "Stamping another fingerprint to get a travel certificate is not that difficult, but it is unpleasant that so many confirmation documents have been added, and people going to the border areas feel frustrated that they are being treated as potential escapees," said the source from North Hamgyong. Last month North Korea unleashed a high-level government campaign to discredit North Korean exiles, after groups based in South Korea floated anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border on balloons. North Korea uses "defector" as a pejorative term to describe all of those who fled North Korea, whether in the government or military, as well as refugees who escaped poverty or hunger, which constitute the bulk of the more than 30,000 North Koreans who have settled in South Korea. Ceremonies and rites thwarted The new policy has inconvenienced many North Koreans, even causing some to miss important family events because they did not have their paperwork in order, according to the source. "An acquaintance of mine applied for a permit to travel to the border area to attend his mother's 70th birthday party," said the source. "He was able to go to his hometown after going through all that difficulty, but his daughters, who are married and live in Hwanghae and Pyongan provinces, were unable to attend, so the party was held without them, in an atmosphere of disappointment," the source said. "It seems they were refused because they did not prepare the necessary documents in advance," said the source. The policy has taken a toll on residents ability to observe key Korean ceremonial occasionschildren's coming of age ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and ancestor memorial servicesas it makes it harder for guests to gain clearance, according to the source. "Residents living near the border area are also severely restricted in terms of their own freedom of movement, and they are always treated as potential escapees," the source said. "Even if they want to move to other areas because they don't like it, the authorities usually won't allow them to leave, so they are very unhappy." Another source, a resident of Ryanggang province on the Chinese border who requested anonymity to speak freely, told RFA that out-of-province citizens would be severely inconvenienced by the new policy. "All residents who want to come to Ryanggang from inland areas have to make that pledge and stamp their thumbprints," the second source said. "While residents in the province can pass [checkpoints] with only our ID cards, people from other provinces must carry four to five certificates with them in addition to the written pledge," added the Ryanggang source. "In addition to our travel certificate, people usually need several other certificates to move from inland to the border areas. In order to get the travel certificate, there are many complicated documents to prepare," the second source said. RFA has previously reported that in cases where travelers escape the country while visiting the border region, their family members remaining in North Korea are subject to punishments including internal exile. Earlier this month, 30 families from Pyongyang were exiled to rural areas when their relatives working overseas went missing. Scapegoats Refugees and potential escapees have been under increased scrutiny in North Korea in recent months. Pyongyang kicked off an anti-defector campaign after groups of North Korean refugees who fled to South Korea launched balloons carrying leaflets denouncing Kim Jong Un in June. Authorities have also been on a crusade against South Korean media, claiming that young people emulating Seoul-style speech is eroding national identity, but experts say the government's aversion to pop culture is because it encourages curiosity about the outside world. Blaming Seoul's inability to halt the leaflets, Pyongyang blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex last month, days after it severed official communication lines with the South. Experts, however, say the provocations are aimed at extracting concessions from the United States and South Korea in stalled negotiations on the North's nuclear weapons programs. Reported by Jieun Kim for RFA's Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong. Copyright 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ORANGE, Ohio Suspicion, squad call: Miles Road An unidentified man was taken to Ahuja Medical Center for a mental evaluation on the evening of July 24 after he reportedly crossed the street and, for unknown reasons, started kicking the gas pumps at the Sunoco station, causing some damage. The suspect, described as being in his 40s and shirtless, did not say anything when pressed by the attendant, then walked back to his car in the diner parking lot across the street, where police and an ambulance soon arrived. Sunoco management declined to file a full report. Fight with weapons: Orange Place Police searched several hotel parking lots around 12:30 a.m. July 25 after getting a report from the Extended Stay South involving a male suspect seen brandishing a gun while fighting with two women in the back parking lot. The fight then appeared to move over to the Extended Stay North, where a party in a room was dispersed of all non-paying guests about 1 a.m. It was unclear if the two incidents were connected, and officers were unable to locate the combatants. Special attention and extra patrols were planned in the area. Squad call: Miles Road Police and an ambulance were called to a local restaurant around 10:30 a.m. July 26 regarding an employee whom the caller thought was on the drug known as angel dust (PCP) and was now pacing, angry and otherwise bouncing off the walls. Reportedly involved in a car accident the day before, the employee was taken to Ahuja Medical Center. Disorderly conduct: Emery Road Responding to a report of a car parked in a driveway with the drivers door open and a man in the back seat at 2:47 a.m. July 26, police spoke with a South Euclid man, 54, who initially claimed to be a pizza delivery man. He later changed his story, saying that he was tired and had pulled into the driveway to rest. Because he showed signs of intoxication, police cited him and had him call his wife for a ride home. The 2016 Kia was towed. Disturbance: Orange Place Police responded to the Drury Inn & Suites around 1 p.m. July 24 on a report of a California woman, 29, who had been locked out of her room by the father of their child, 4, who was staying with grandparents in the Cleveland area. Found by the hotel office, she initially reported that she had been slapped and kicked by the man, 31, who was gone when police checked the room. She became uncooperative and declined to press charges. She was given a new key card to access the room in case the suspect still had the old one and was told to call police if he returned. Damage to property: Wall Street A South Euclid man, 31, working at Whole Foods Pinecrest, reported July 24 that he believed someone had intentionally used a key to scratch his 2014 Audi SUV sometime between 7:40 a.m. and 3:40 p.m. Police found two distinct scratch marks. Unruly juvenile: Orange Place Police responded to the Extended Stay South around 10:45 p.m. July 24 for a still-raging argument between a mother and her teenage daughter in their room, after the girl had done chores but was then forbidden from seeing her boyfriend due to the mothers concerns about COVID-19. The mother, 53, wanted to file unruliness charges in juvenile court, while the daughter claimed that she had been threatened with a knife, although police could not locate one in the suite. With no family members available to take custody at the moment, the two agreed to reside together peacefully for the night. Personal welfare: Orange Hill Circle A patrol officer was flagged down by a resident on the afternoon of July 26 by a resident who was concerned about the well-being of a resident whom he had not seen all summer, with cars not having been moved and the yard overgrown. Police went to the home, announced their presence repeatedly and found a door ajar, with the interior in disarray and eventually a relative coming up from the basement who said the homeowner, 55, had been in Kansas City in recent months. Police got a phone number and verified that she was all right. Suspicion: Orange Village Park Occupants of four cars found in the park around 9:45 p.m. July 26 were advised that it was closed for the night. Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun. (Newser) Two Florida Keys residents who ignored orders to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 ended up in jail Wednesday night. Jose Freire Interian, 24, and Yohana Gonzalez, 26, were charged with violating isolation rules for a quarantine and violating emergency management disaster preparedness rules, the Miami Herald reports. Both charges have a maximum sentence of 60 days. Key West city manager Greg Veliz says Interian and Gonzalez were arrested after neighbors at their apartment complex gave police a video of them flouting the order from the state health department. "There were complaints from the neighborhood of them continuing to be outside, going about normal life functions," Veliz says. story continues below Interian and Gonzalez were arrested after a judge viewed the video and signed a warrant. Interian was released around 12:30am Thursday after posting $1,000 bond while Gonzalez remained in jail, Florida Keys News reports. A Monroe County Sheriffs Office spokesman says Interian and Gonzalez were kept isolated from other inmates in "negative pressure" rooms that did not allow air to escape to other parts of the prison. "Weve had people in those rooms before weve suspected of having it," he says. "If they show symptoms, thats where people are quarantined." (Read more Florida stories.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 02:04:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DOHA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Qatari health ministry on Thursday announced 307 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 110,460, official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported. Meanwhile, 286 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 107,135, while the death toll increased by two to 171, according to a ministry statement quoted by QNA. A total of 492,569 persons in Qatar have taken lab tests for COVID-19 so far. China and Qatar have offered mutual help during the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. On Feb. 21, five Qatar Airways cargo freighters flew to China carrying approximately 300 tons of medical supplies donated by the airline. On July 8, Chinese health officials and medical experts held a video conference with Qatari counterparts to share experience and expertise in fighting COVID-19. The two sides also held in-depth exchange of views on the issues that Qatar is most concerned about, including coronavirus prevention and control, test analysis, clinic care, vaccine development and social management. Enditem Pharmaceutical giants are still in the race of finding the vaccine that could prevent the further spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Boston-based biotech Moderna on Monday announced that it had begun the first phase-three study of vaccines in the United States, according to a report. With this, Moderna's shares went up as much as 10.6 percent before paring some gains. President Donald Trump said it was the fastest a vaccine for a novel pathogen has ever gone. Trump added that other vaccine producers were also heading into final trials soon. Positive news from vaccine trials have raised hopes as the number of positive cases in the U.S. continue to rise. Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, said vaccines are never 100 percent effective. However, experts noted that despite this fact, it would still be safe and an important instrument to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO said there will still be a part of the population that will not be protected after vaccination, while for others, this protection might diminish over time. But as the medical and drug-making industry are still testing vaccines for trials, how can COVID-19 be treated? Fortunately, there are drugs that had reportedly shown efficacy in treating the disease, while waiting for a vaccine. Here are some of those: Remdesivir This drug was originally developed for Ebola. But it shows that it can also stop SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19 from replicating. This is the only drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved specifically for the treatment of COVID-19, under a special emergency authorization. H. Dirk Sostman, MD, president of the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, said there is evidence showing that it reduces the length of illness, as well as mortality. In a New England Journal of Medicine published study, it said that hospitalized patients taking remdesivir recovered in about 11 days compared to those who only took a placebo and recovered after 15 days. Dexamethasone This is a powerful steroid that fights inflammation. Dexamethasone has been available for decades and has a good safety record. In a study released in June 2020, the drug was found to cut deaths by one-third in COVID-19 patients on a ventilator. This also reduced death by one-fifth in patients, who needed oxygen, but not ventilation. Heparin The drug was found to inactivate the virus by having the virus attached to the drug instead of healthy cells. This helps neutralize the infection. Matthew G. Heinz, MD, a hospitalist in Tucson, said hospitals are also using this in hospitalized patients. Monoclonal antibodies The monoclonal antibodies make the immune system recognize and attack a potential invader to your immune system. Doctors also use this in people with autoimmune disease such as lupus and rheumatoid disease. Interferon Interferon is a protein released by cells when they are infected with a virus. The protein signals to other cells that an infection is incoming and to build up its antiviral defenses. This is also used to treat people with conditions like Hodgkin's lymphoma, hepatitis C, and multiple sclerosis. Check these out: COVID-19 Explained: Why Do Asymptomatic Cases Happen? The Youth Are Vulnerable to COVID-19 Too, Says WHO Coronavirus Spares No One: Famous Personalities Who Are COVID-19 Positive I want to know what happened, Alsobrooks said at a news conference with Health Officer Ernest L. Carter. I know Dr. Carter wants to make sure that there is nothing different we should be doing right now to make sure we are protecting the health and safety not only of Prince Georgians, but those who are working on the front lines. A dozen Hong Kong democracy candidates have been disqualified on Thursday from standing in the city's legislative elections in September. The government confirmed 12 nominees, including high-profile activist Joshua Wong, had been barred in a statement. The authorities claimed the rejected candidates had failed to uphold the city's mini-constitution and pledge allegiance to Hong Kong and Beijing. A dozen Hong Kong democracy activists were disqualified on Thursday from standing in September's legislative elections, a move decried by candidates as the most pressing assault yet on Beijing's critics in the city. The picture taken on July 15 shows the activist Joshua Wong (left), along with 15 other winners of the democratic primaries, speaks to reporters Many of those disqualified took to social media to post the letters confirming they had been barred - including Joshua Wong, one of the city's best known activists. Pictured, Mr Wong with the nomination papers on Monday as he files his candidacy for the official body on July 20 Many of those disqualified criticised the move as the most pressing assault yet on Beijing's critics in the city. 'Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of the Hongkongers, tramples upon the city's... autonomy and attempts to keep HK's legislature under its firm grip,' Joshua Wong wrote in a tweet. He described the move as 'the biggest-ever crackdown' on the city's pro-democracy movement, saying authorities had disqualified 'nearly all pro-democracy runners, from young progressive groups to traditional moderate parties'. Human rights campaigners called the government's decision to disqualify democracy candidates 'reeking of political repression'. Lam Cho Ming, Amnesty International Hong Kong's Programme Manager, said: 'For all the Hong Kong government's insistence that these decisions do not restrict 'freedom of speech', its actions reek of political repression. 'This move is likely to intensify the climate of fear and tension in Hong Kong, where opposition figures, their supporters, activists on the streets and even ordinary people have been forced to self-censor their political discourse to avoid being targeted under the citys new National Security Law.' The Civic Party, one of the city's most prominent pro-democracy parties, said four of its members had been disqualified. Pro-democracy Civic Party members attend a news conference after disqualifying for a September legislative election The leading pro-democracy activist is pictured on Monday posing with the nomination papers as he files for his candidacy in the Legislative Council elections in September in Hong Kong Other prominent young activists who are staunchly critical of Beijing like Wong and were also disqualified included Gwyneth Ho, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen and Fergus Leung. The Civic Party, one of the city's most prominent pro-democracy parties, said four of its members had been disqualified: Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Cheng Tat-hung. Hong Kong is run by pro-Beijing appointees, but the city is due to hold elections in early September for the Legislative Council. The 70-seat law-making body is deliberately weighted to return a pro-Beijing majority, with only half the seats elected by popular vote. The rest are chosen by industry bodies and special interest groups who reliably vote for pro-Beijing figures. But pro-democracy parties had been hoping to capitalise on seething resentment towards Beijing's rule after huge pro-democracy protests last year. If they take all 35 electable seats they could hold a majority for the first time and block legislation. Hong Kong is run by pro-Beijing appointees, but the city is due to hold elections in early September for the Legislative Council. The file picture taken on July 11 shows Joshua Wong posing with other candidates while campaigning during an unofficial primary election Banners of a pro-democracy candidate Joshua Wong, wearing glasses, are displayed outside a subway station in Hong Kong on July 11 During local council elections last year - the city's only full elections - pro-democracy figures won 17 out of 18 districts. However election officials have been scrutinising the political views of candidates to decide whether they can run for the legislature. Hong Kong says only those who promise to uphold the city's mini-constitution and pledge allegiance to both the local government and China can run. In its statement Hong Kong's government gave a list of political views and actions it said breached those commitments. They included promoting independence, soliciting intervention by foreign governments and 'expressing an objection in principle' to the new national security law Beijing imposed on the city last month. It also said campaigning to block legislation by winning a majority in the legislature would be grounds for disqualification as well as refusing to recognise China's sovereignty over Hong Kong. The government said it would not rule out further disqualifications down the line. 'There is no question of any political censorship, restriction of the freedom of speech or deprivation of the right to stand for elections as alleged by some members of the community,' the statement added. Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences are leading a new 3m study to investigate the real-world effects of the newest cystic fibrosis medications as they become available for people with CF. The research will look at how a new triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, will affect people in their day to day lives, rather than in controlled clinical trial conditions. Kaftrio (known as TriKafta in the US) is a successor to Orkambi. The project, called RECOVER, has been awarded 2.85 m from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (US), 112 thousand from Cystic Fibrosis Trust (UK) and 100 thousand from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. In recent years, a number of promising new medications have been developed that treat the underlying genetic defect in cystic fibrosis. The most recent triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, has demonstrated striking improvements in clinical trials of people with the most common form of cystic fibrosis. Pending final European Medicines Agency approval, expected in the next number of weeks, these new medications will be provided for use in the majority of people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland and the UK as part of an existing agreement between the manufacturer and the respective states. Starting in August 2020, the study will recruit patients and begin to examine clinical outcomes over a two year period across cystic fibrosis centres in Ireland and the UK. In addition to collecting routine health measurements, they will study detailed imaging, functional, biological and quality of life measurements that could not be collected in clinical trials. Our study will allow us to discover in detail how this powerful new treatment affects the health and everyday lives of people with cystic fibrosis, to understand why different people might respond differently to the drug and to gain insight into how this treatment might affect the very significant treatment burden that people with cystic fibrosis currently endure," Paul McNally,Study Lead Researcher and Associate Professor, Paediatrics, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences McNally is also a respiratory consultant in children's health Ireland. "Clinical trials occur under very controlled conditions and exclude many sick people with cystic fibrosis. 'Real-world' studies, such as RECOVER, are essential to confirm the trial findings and examine in-depth effects on the everyday lives all people with cystic fibrosis." In partnership with the Irish and UK cystic fibrosis registries, RECOVER is led by an Irish research team collaborating with researchers in 16 clinical and university sites in the UK, Europe and North America. Philip Watt, CEO, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland commented: "Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is proud to support this major research study that will provide much new detailed data on the impact of new and innovative CF medications across Europe and North America." Dr Lucy Allen, Director of Research at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: "The data from the clinical trials have shown us that Kaftrio will make a significant difference to people's lives. However, as CF is a complex condition affecting many parts of the body it is important to understand the full impact of this drug. In the short term the results of the RECOVER study may speed up access to Kaftrio around the world, in the longer term it will provide information on tailoring care for each individual with cystic fibrosis". Two Indian schoolgirls have discovered an asteroid which is slowly shifting its orbit and moving toward Earth. Radhika Lakhani and Vaidehi Vekariya, both studying in 10th grade, were working on a school project when they discovered the asteroid, which they named HLV2514. The girls, from the city of Surat in the western Indian state of Gujarat, were participating in a Space India and NASA project, which allows students to analyze images taken by a telescope positioned at the University of Hawaii. Aakash Dwivedi, senior educator and astronomer at Space India, told CNN that students across India were taught how to spot the celestial bodies using software which analyzes images collected by NASA's PAN Star telescope. Students then searched for moving objects in the pictures. The project, Dwivedi explained, was intended to involve and educate students in science and astronomy. "We started the project in June and we sent back our analysis a few weeks ago to NASA. On July 23, they sent us an email confirming that we had identified a near Earth object," Vekariya, who is 15 years old, told CNN. Dwivedi explained that the asteroid is currently close to the orbit of Mars -- but in 1 million years, it will change its orbit and move closer to Earth, although it will still be at a distance of more than 10 times the distance which exists between the Earth and the Moon. "Asteroids are taken very seriously by NASA. Since this asteroid is changing its orbit it has become news," said Dwivedi. Asteroids, also known as minor planets, are small rocky objects that orbit the sun. Vekariya said pupils could not celebrate the discovery, due to the pandemic, but added: "This was a dream. I want to become an astronaut." She said: "It is such a vast topic. There is no limit to search in space, especially the black hole theory." Belarusian state television broadcast footage on Wednesday of more than 30 suspected Russian private military contractors being detained near the capital Minsk Russia demanded an explanation from Belarus on Thursday, after Minsk arrested a group of alleged Russian mercenaries and said they were suspected of plotting "acts of terrorism" before a presidential election. Belarusian state television broadcast footage on Wednesday of more than 30 suspected Russian private military contractors being detained near the capital Minsk. Authorities said they had received information that over 200 fighters had entered the country to destabilise it before the Aug. 9 election. A criminal case was opened on Thursday after Belarus said is suspected "the preparation of terrorist acts". Some of the captured men had confessed to trying to orchestrate a revolution, and Russia's ambassador was summoned to explain, officials said. Tensions over the arrests risk worsening already strained relations with traditional ally Russia. Moscow denies it uses mercenaries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow wanted an exhaustive explanation from Belarus about the group detained and hoped their rights would be observed fully. "We don't have information about any illegal activity carried out by them," Peskov said in Moscow. "We hope to receive information that will allow us to sort this out". The election campaign that has posed the biggest challenge in years to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has allowed little dissent in over a quarter of a century in power in the country of 9.5 million between Russia and European member state Poland. Authorities announced additional security measures for campaign events on Thursday. The opposition feared Lukashenko would use the alleged plot to intensify a crackdown on rivals. Lukashenko, 65, has accused opponents of working with foreign backers to overthrow him and has jailed two of his main election rivals. He is expected to win the election despite growing opposition and concerns about the economy, human rights and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'PLOTTING A REVOLUTION' Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Andrei Ravkov told reporters up to 200 mercenaries were being hunted by law enforcement agents. Andrey Dmitriev, a presidential candidate, quoted Ravkov as saying some of the people detained had confessed to plotting "a revolution". They were alleged to have trained in the Russian cities of Pskov and Nevel and were mostly bombers and snipers, Dmitriev told reporters after meeting Ravkov. The authorities did not rule out shutting down internet access in Belarus, he said. State media have suggested the detained men worked for Wagner, a private military contractor. Footage of the group's arrest showed they had Sudanese currency and a Sudanese phone card with them, prompting some Belarusians to suggest they were going through Minsk en route to Africa. Responding to criticism, Lukashenko says he has delivered years of economic and political stability and that the state covers many of people's core needs as in Soviet times. After weeks of street protests, the opposition has rallied around Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, the wife of one of the jailed election candidates, who took his place after his arrest. Search Keywords: Short link: Strong sales in China helped Huawei edge out Samsung to become the worlds biggest smartphone vendor in the second quarter, according to the research firm Canalys a milestone for the embattled Chinese tech giant. Distrust of Huaweis products is rising all around the world. The Trump administration, concerned that the Chinese government might use Huawei gear to disrupt telecommunications networks, has restricted the companys access to American technology. And Britain this month said it would bar Huawei equipment from the countrys 5G mobile networks. Other governments have mulled similar moves. Huawei has doubled down on the Chinese market in response, a strategy that has paid off during the pandemic. Chinas economy is recovering more quickly than others, helping Huawei sell 55.8 million handsets between April and June, according to Canalys. Samsung sold 53.7 million devices. Two Sydney pubs have been shut for cleaning as an inner-city coronavirus cluster continues to spread and New South Wales records its highest infection rate since April. Harpoon and Hotel Harry in Surry Hills closed their doors immediately on Thursday after NSW Health advised a positive coronavirus case visited the venue on Sunday July 26. The infected pubgoer, who attended the Apollo Restaurant in Potts Point a day earlier, was at Hotel Harry for nine hours from 2.15pm to 11pm. Darlo Bar, in nearby Darlinghurst, on Thursday said a guest who visited the venue between 12pm and 2pm on Sunday July 26 has also tested positive for COVID-19. NSW Health said the Darlo Bar case is 'relatively low-risk' but the venue decided to shut for a deep clean. The venue closures came as NSW recorded 21 new coronavirus cases on Friday from more than 25,000 tests, with the Potts Point cluster growing to 19 people and the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster reaching 94 people. Eight COVID-19 patients in NSW are in intensive care, with four on ventilators. There are now 102 active cases being treated in the state. A cleaner in PPE gear (pictured) is seen at Harpoon & Hotel Harry in Surry Hills in Sydney on Friday July 31 2020 Harpoon and Hotel Harry in Surry Hills (pictured) closed their doors immediately on Thursday after NSW Health advised a positive coronavirus case visited the venue on Sunday July 26 A cleaner in PPE gear (pictured) cleans the inside of Harpoon & Hotel Harry in Surry Hills in Sydney on July 31 2020 Health care workers are seen at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney on Wednesday (pictured) SYDNEY'S CORONAVIRUS CLUSTERS Thai Rock Wetherill Park: 94 Crossroads Hotel: 57 Batemans Bay Soldiers Club: 8 Funeral events: 23 Mounties in Mount Pritchard: 3 Potts Point: 19 Advertisement Darlo Bar said they are continuing to work closely with NSW Health 'to support any contact tracing efforts and to ensure the health and safety of all our staff and guests'. The venue will reopen on Saturday, following the completion of the deep clean. Hotel Harry said they decided to close the venue immediately as a 'precautionary measure' to 'protect the health and safety of our customers, staff and community'. 'The hotel will undergo professional deep cleaning and all staff will self-isolate until they receive test results,' Hotel Harry said in a statement. 'If you have visited Hotel Harry between Sunday 26th July and Thursday 30th July you should be tested regardless if you have any symptoms.' The venue said they had implemented a strict Covid Safe plan throughout the pandemic, which will be upheld following the professional deep cleaning. Darlo Bar, in nearby Darlinghurst, on Thursday said a guest who visited the venue between 12pm and 2pm on Sunday July 26 has also tested positive for COVID-19 The infected pubgoer, who attended the Apollo Restaurant in Potts Point a day earlier, was at Hotel Harry for nine hours from 2.15pm to 11pm A woman covers her face with her jumper as she waits at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay, Sydney People are seen lining up at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay on Wednesday The outside of Darlo Bar in Sydney where a confirmed case of COVID-19 has visited THE 21 NEW CORONAVIRUS CASES IN NSW ON FRIDAY Two are linked to the funeral gatherings cluster Three are associated with the Our Lady of Lebanon cluster Two are associated with the Thai Rock Wetherill Park cluster Six are associated with The Apollo restaurant in Potts Point Two cases are associated with the Mounties Club Two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine One case was acquired in Victoria Two are under investigation One case is linked to a known case that is under investigation Advertisement 'We have planned to have a back up team of staff and cleaners available to ensure the hotel may be re-opened safely and responsibly as soon as possible and continue to serve our local community,' the statement continued. 'Stay tuned for updates on when the venue will re-open. Stay safe.' Another positive COVID-19 case, who also attended the Apollo Restaurant on Saturday July 25, visited a gym and supermarket in Sydney's lower north shore. The infected resident became unwell on Tuesday July 28 and went for a test on Wednesday July 29. Another positive COVID-19 case, who also attended the Apollo Restaurant on Saturday July 25, visited Woolworths in Crows Nest between 10.30am and 11.00am on Monday July 27 A confirmed case notified on Monday July 27 and linked to the funeral gatherings cluster attended Tan Viet in Cabramatta on Thursday July 23 from midday to 2pm. Diners at the restaurant are required to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days NEW CORONAVIRUS ALERT IN SYDNEY NSW Health added these venues to the list of places confirmed cases had visited: Harpoon and Hotel Harry in Surry Hills Tan Viet in Cabramatta Matinee Coffee in Marrickville Fitness First St Leonards Woolworths, Crow's Nest Darlo Bar Advertisement NSW Health said they visited Fitness First St Leonards on Monday July 27 between 9am and 10.30am. The case then visited Woolworths in Crows Nest between 10.30am and 11.00am. Patrons and staff who were in the gym at the same time must isolate and get tested regardless of symptoms, and stay isolated for a full 14 days, even if the test is negative, NSW Health said in a statement. 'People who were at the gym at this time but only attended a group fitness class are not required to isolate, but should monitor for symptoms and immediately self-isolate and seek testing if they develop symptoms.' Customers and staff who attended the Crows Nest Woolworths during the time are considered casual contacts and should continue to monitor for symptoms and get tested if they become unwell. A confirmed case notified on Monday July 27 and linked to the funeral gatherings cluster attended Tan Viet in Cabramatta on Thursday July 23 from midday to 2pm. Residents and visitors to Sydney's eastern suburbs line up for COVID-19 testing as inner-city clusters grow Diners at the restaurant are required to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days. Meanwhile, another confirmed case identified on Thursday visited Matinee Coffee in Marrickville on Sunday July 26 between 8am to 9am and Monday July 27 between 7am to 7.45am. Those who attended the cafe at the same time are required to monitor for symptoms. Matinee Coffee and Tan Viet were both closed for cleaning as contact tracing continues. NSW recorded 18 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, including six which are under investigation. A confirmed case identified on Thursday visited Matinee Coffee in Marrickville on Sunday July 26 between 8am to 9am and Monday July 27 between 7am to 7.45am The outside of Matinee Coffee in Marrackville where a case was identified on Thursday In the runup to yesterdays landmark antitrust hearing featuring the leaders of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, Dipayan Ghosh wanted to see what unifying theory Congress would develop about how these companies work. He has his own theory. Ghosh worked on privacy issues at Facebook and tech policy at the Obama White House and is now co-director of the Digital Platforms & Democracy project at Harvard. He has been making the argument that tech companies are fundamentally different from the monopolies that antitrust laws have tried to contain in the past. Current regulators have not been equipped to keep the Big Four accountable or conceptualize their market power accurately. Like some others, he believes this requires a new framework for thinking about them. This includes the idea that data and attention are the new digital currency not just dollars. What we spend on free services like Gmail and Instagram is our time and personal information, which data-driven firms commoditize as ad revenue. And the rates were being charged the endless infringements on our privacy are rising. At yesterdays five-and-a-half hour subcommittee hearing, there was partisan questioning on alleged bias towards conservatives, chatter about competing with China and occasional discussion of anti-competitive behavior. But Ghosh felt enough lawmakers had begun to grasp the notion of a new digital economy. "I think what is clear is that Congress does have some understanding of the business models that are at play here," Ghosh told Engadget. "Congress understands very well that these companies have tremendous power over important markets and they're not hesitating to use that market power in ways that shut down competition." For decades, courts and regulators have examined price as the key factor for whether a consumer is being exploited, and therefore whether companies are anti-competitive. But consumers can still be harmed even if a tech service is free, should data collection or harmful algorithms run unfettered. Documents from the Hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power: Examining the Dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google" pic.twitter.com/dXHMzWOTnJ House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 29, 2020 A company like Facebook may not just monopolize social media as a market, nor Amazon control e-commerce they both have power to monopolize our personal information, too. With advances in data gathering and storage, tech companies now compete on who has the most data. While not all of these issues were addressed directly, pointed questions from Congress members indicated how they were thinking ahead of the final report, said Ghosh. The results of this 13-month investigation could be released as early as August. (Despite over 20 instances of Ill get back to you, recall 2018s hearings involving Facebook and Google where certain members of Congress clearly needed technical support before they could hope to interrogate titans of tech.) For instance, lawmakers hammered the way these companies squeeze smaller rivals through acquisitions or by controlling the platform they need to survive. Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado said he was concerned about the resultant innovation kill-zone; Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington questioned Amazons use of third party seller data to inform its own products, which CEO Jeff Bezos could not wholly deny. Amazon's Assoc. General Counsel told me under oath that Amazon does NOT, use any specific seller data when creating its own private brand product. Reports revealed that was a lie: that they DO access data on third party sellers. So I just asked Jeff Bezos which it is. Watch: pic.twitter.com/MiR7NHI7Y8 Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) July 29, 2020 Together with Representative Val Demings of Florida calling out the apparent degradation of user privacy standards at Google when they reneged on a pledge not to combine DoubleClicks data with its own after an acquisition, the understanding that data is power took shape. But it was the chair of the subcommittee, Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who was most blunt. Big Tech can extract valuable data from the people and businesses that rely on them, he said in his opening statement. When everyday Americans learn how much of their data is being mined, they cant run away fast enough. But in many cases, there is no escape from this surveillance because there is no alternative. People are stuck with bad options. Later, Cicilline cited a Breitbart video from Monday with false information about COVID-19 that garnered 20 million views before Facebook took it down. "Doesnt that suggest, Mr. Zuckerberg, that your platform is so big that even with the right policies in place you cant contain deadly content?" he said to the Facebook CEO. Zuckerberg denied the claim. Cicilline connected this with his characterization of Facebook and Googles business models: that theyre designed to maximize engagement even if its detrimental to society. On misinformation, he said: Frankly, I believe it strikes at the very heart of American democracy. Antitrust law needs to be updated, Cicilline said in closing. And of the companies being questioned: This hearing has made one fact clear to me: These companies as exist today have monopoly power. Some need to be broken up, all need to be properly regulated and held accountable. The hearing implied that the committee is considering new legislation more than an antitrust inquiry, said Ghosh. The issues Cicilline raised went beyond harm to small businesses, and struck at the political and societal consequences of leaving Big Tech unchecked disinformation, hate speech, algorithmic discrimination which current antitrust regulation doesnt cover. "Some need to be broken up, all need to be properly regulated" We need a swift, thorough, comprehensive regulatory reform to address the digital sector because it's wholly different from any other industry now or of the past, Ghosh said. The dominance these companies have extends to a monopolization of our intellectual power, he added a control over our ability to communicate. When all the speech in a democratic country is moving through one company, that one company tends to have tremendous power. And I think it goes without saying we need to think about how to curb that power through earnest regulatory reform." Gambias President Adama Barrow has gone into self-isolation after his Vice President Isatou Touray tested positive for COVID-19. The presidency confirmed the development on Wednesday, urging citizens to adhere to the set health guidelines in efforts to curb further spread of the disease. The Office of the President informs the public that Her Excellency, the Vice President, Dr. Isatou Touray has been tested positive of COVID-19. Consequently, President Adama Barrow will immediately be on self-isolation for 2 weeks, said the presidency. Stories Continues after ad The public is reminded that the Coronavirus is real and exists in The Gambia. The public is advised to properly use face masks, maintain regular hand washing and social distancing in the fight against the virus. Stay home and stay safe. The Gambia has reported 326 COVID-19 infections and eight deaths, according to data from the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has revealed further evidence leaked from a nearly completed closed-door inquiry of systematic war crimes carried out by elite Australian Special Air Services (SAS) in Afghanistan. The revelations include that SAS military rotations in 2012 and early 2013 planted weapons on the bodies of civilians they had murdered, in an attempt to cover their tracks. This was done so crudely that the same distinctively marked weapon was planted multiple times. The official inquiry is being carried out by Paul Brereton, a New South Wales Supreme Court Justice and army reserve Major General, and has lasted four years. Brereton has reportedly conducted over 250 interviews and looked into at least 55 alleged war crimes incidents between 2005 and 2016. An Australian light armored vehicle in Afghanistan The latest ABC report detailed an SAS raid on Shina Village in May 2012. Two civilians were shot dead by Australian troops and then presented as Taliban insurgents by photographing their corpses alongside an AK-47 assault rifle. The same weapon, which had teal tape wrapped around the stock, was used for both civilians, an elderly man in his 80s and a young mentally ill man. A third Afghan killed in the raid was the imam of the local mosque, Muhibullah. Shina villager Abdul Wali told an Afghani journalist that his elderly father, Abdul Wahid, was unarmed and killed in cold blood. [My father] was on his own land. He never stole or did anything bad to anyone, he said. This is impossible to forgive. Jan Mohammad was the young, mentally ill man killed in the SAS raid. Sahki Daad, the victims brother-in-law, gave an account of the killing, saying 20-year-old Jan Mohammad was tending a grazing cow when the SAS approached the village. When the cow heard the helicopters, it ran and he ran after it, Daad explained. The soldiers came his way and saw him running. He continued, they shot him straight away in the head. Several SAS soldiers who served in the 2012 Afghanistan rotation told the ABC that the framing of unarmed civilians as Taliban insurgents, with planted radios or weapons, which were known as throwdowns within the ranks, happened on numerous occasions. In January 2013, an SAS squad was commanded to sweep the village of Nawjoy to find and kill an alleged Taliban target named Mawlawi Sher Mohammad. Merely an identification by name constituted the validation of carrying out this assassination. The Australian SAS soldiers located Mawlawi as he was congregating with several women, ripped him away, and shot him dead. Nawjoy villager Ghafoor Jan, the victims brother-in-law, told journalists, Mawlawi was an innocent man He had no links at all with the Taliban. Chapman revealed soldiers were most of the time [given] a really simple description of the average Afghani man. He explained: Often they would be saying stuff like Fist-length beard, wearing Afghani clothes. Further crimes were committed following the assassination of Afghani citizen Mawlawi Sher Mohammad. Ghafoor Jan told journalists the soldiers burned peoples motorbikes and one car. He added: They burned them because they thought the vehicles belonged to the Taliban. But they were the property of the villagers. Another massacre of civilians in Afghanistan occurred toward the end of 2012. An Australian military raid on Sara Aw in December resulted in up to 10 suspicious killings with another five Taliban dead, the ABC reported. At least five of these suspicious killings occurred at a villagers tractor where there were no weapons found on the victims. Afghan villager Mohammad Nassim, who witnessed the attack, told journalists that there were three Taliban in nomad houses [near the village]. They resisted and were killed. But then they killed other peoplecivilians. Witness and fellow villager Ratmahullah said Australian soldiers were shooting people intentionally. They were mass shooting. Abdul Qadas, who got injured during the raid, said his brother Abdul Salim was driving the tractor when he was killed. He was carrying a load of onions; he was taking them to the city. There were some other people with him as well. Abdul Qadass cousin was also killed in the attack while packing onions. According to the ABC, the SAS were accompanied by Afghan special forces in the operation. It added that the Zulu 1 [SAS] patrol was involved in shooting at the tractor and that some members of the SAS patrol were unhappy about what happened. This is considered to be the worst day of civilian killings yet uncovered by the official investigation into Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. Special Forces commander Adam Findlay revealed the investigation arose from the concerns of SAS soldiers writing letters to the upper stratum about misconduct. The number of individuals who have given evidence to the four-year long inquiry currently exceeds 300. The ABC published photos of Australian soldiers on a mission in Afghanistan waving a US Confederate flag with the inscription southern pride. These featured in a highlights video edited by several SAS soldiers following their rotation of Afghanistan in 2012. The presence of fascistic elements within the SAS is well documented. In 2007 Australian soldiers flew a Nazi swastika flag above a vehicle while on patrol in Afghanistan. The individual war crimes carried out in the past two decades flowed inexorably from the primary war crimethe invasion and neo-colonial occupation to advance the geopolitical and economic interests of the United States and its allies. The criminal violence inflicted on the occupied people of Afghanistan since 2001 represents an indictment of the entire ruling class in Australia. KNOXVILLE, Tenn., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IACMI The Composite Institute learned July 20 it will receive $2.7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and validate technology that will reduce the cost of manufacturing high-performance carbon fiber by 25 percent to make composite natural gas or hydrogen fuel tanks to power cars and trucks. Today, fuel tanks add significantly to a vehicle's cost, impeding the use of these clean fuels in U.S. transportation. Throughout IACMI's first five years of funding, the Manufacturing USA institute has focused one of its technology areas on compressed gas storage (CGS) tanks, making headway in innovations of materials and processes that lead to wider adoption of the technology in novel applications. "Validating the use of low-cost, high-strength carbon fiber for compressed hydrogen and natural gas storage tanks will help expand technology choices for ground transportation," IACMI CEO John Hopkins said. "Significant cost reduction is especially difficult for the type of carbon fiber used in CSG tanks and this project addresses that challenge." Hopkins said while composite fuel tanks are lighter than other options, they have also been relatively expensive. Well over half of the composite fuel tank's cost is attributed to carbon fiber used in its manufacture. So, reducing the cost of making carbon fiber will also lower the cost of composite fuel tanks making them a viable alternative to improve storage options and with no reduction of fuel tank performance. The new award is one of 18 projects and approximately $64 million in DOE funding that will support the [email protected] vision for affordable hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and use. Four of the 18 projects focus on composite fuel tanks. The projects will support the next round of research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities under [email protected]'s multi-year initiative to fully realize hydrogen's benefits across the economy. DOE will fund the projects through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. The projects will feature collaborations with EERE's Advanced Manufacturing Office to manufacture reliable, affordable electrolyzers and with EERE's Vehicle Technologies Office to develop low-cost, high-strength carbon fiber for hydrogen storage tanks. Hopkins said in addition to advancing carbon fiber technology for CGS tanks, the project will validate how collaboration by industry, government and academia partners advances composites innovation. These collaborations drive smarter manufacturing practices and create capacity and related expertise impactful for U.S. manufacturers. For this project, IACMI will leverage its unique consortium network of partners, including: Prescott Composites headquartered in San Diego, CA , will validate the melt spinning and carbon fiber production technologies at a U.S. site to be selected during the project. , will validate the melt spinning and carbon fiber production technologies at a U.S. site to be selected during the project. JR Automation headquartered in Holland, MI , will design and fabricate the melt processing equipment at its facility in Nashville, TN. , will design and fabricate the melt processing equipment at its facility in Hexagon R&D located in Lincoln, NE , will fabricate and test composite fuel tanks. , will fabricate and test composite fuel tanks. High Energy Sales, based in Charlotte, NC , will provide technical support on equipment and process design, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. , will provide technical support on equipment and process design, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN , will develop and scale the melt spinning process and heat treatment protocol. Carbon fiber for tank fabrication and testing will be produced at the U.S. Department of Energy's Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at ORNL. , will develop and scale the melt spinning process and heat treatment protocol. Carbon fiber for tank fabrication and testing will be produced at the U.S. Department of Energy's Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at ORNL. Virginia Tech , whose main campus is in Blacksburg, VA , will provide chemistry support on polyacrylonitrile, also called PAN, polymer formulation and testing. Read the full DOE announcement here. About IACMI The Composites Institute The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a consortium of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to serve U.S. energy and economic security by sharing resources, catalyzing collaborations for innovation and workforce development, and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is founded by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $120 million committed from IACMI's partners. Learn more at IACMI.org . SOURCE IACMI - The Composites Institute Related Links http://iacmi.org Householders who are members of Group Water Schemes around Rathangan and Kildare Town have been advised to boil their tap water before drinking. The advice comes in the wake of Irish Water's Boil Water Notice for the Rathangan area which was issued two weeks ago and affects 6,500 householders in the Rathangan, Monasterevin and Kildare town areas. Kildare County Council Rural Water Department issued the latest Boil Water Notice to Group Water Schemes in that area that are supplied water via the Irish Water Network. "In the interest of public health, it is recommended that all users of the water on the Cappinargid, Tullylost and Glebe Group Water Schemes boil water before use. "Water must be boiled for drinking, drinks made with water, preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior to eating, brushing of teeth, making of ice," it stated. The initial Boil Water Notice was issued by Irish Water on July 16, and remains in place. According to Irish Water, the issue stems from a problem with the disinfection process at the Water Treatment Plant which led to inadequate chlorination of the public water supply. "It is necessary that chlorine is present in adequate levels in drinking water to ensure that the water remains disinfected until it gets to the taps in peoples homes and businesses. This issue has now been resolved," the company has said. Irish Water and Kildare County Council are flushing out the network, sampling water supplies and carrying out repairs onsite. "This will support an Environmental Protection Agency audit of the water treatment plant later next week," the company said in a statement on Friday. "The results of a number of water samples are also required to confirm adequate chlorination of the public water supply." Actor Sushant Singh Rajputs family filed a caveat before the Supreme Court on Thursday, seeking to be heard in connection with actress Rhea Chakrabortys petition in the apex court, pleading for the transfer of the investigation to Mumbai. The Supreme Court, earlier on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking transfer of the probe into Sushant Singh Rajputs death from Mumbai police to the CBI. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that the Mumbai Police should be allowed to complete the investigation and if something was found, then a plea should be filed before the Bombay High Court, news agency PTI reported. Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show, the bench said when the counsel for PIL petitioner Alka Priya sought the CBI probe into the death of the actor. ALSO READ | Mayawati wades into row over Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Congress is her target The actress had moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a stay on the investigation by the Bihar Police on the FIR filed against her by Sushant Singh Rajputs father for allegedly abetting the suicide of his son. An FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint by Krishna Kumar Singh against Rhea Chakraborty, the deceased actors friend, and six others on July 25, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including abetment of suicide and fraud, the police said. The actress, in her petition, had sought the transfer of the FIR lodged by Sushants father from Patna to Mumbai. Earlier, a four-member Bihar Police team arrived in Mumbai to probe the abetment to suicide charge against her and six others. The actor (34), died by suicide in his apartment in Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then the Mumbai police has been investigating the case. West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra passed away at a Kolkata hospital in the wee hours of Thursday. He was 78. Mitra passed away around 1.30 am after suffering a cardiac arrest, the hospital sources said, adding he had tested negative for novel coronavirus. "He was admitted to the hospital a few days back after his creatinine level was found to be high during a routine check-up. He was a patient of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and also had other age-related ailments," a senior official of the hospital told news agency PTI. He is survived by his wife and son. A few years ago, the veteran politician had undergone bypass surgery. The state's Congress chief will be remembered as a key strategist, who, however, was unable to prevent a split in his party, which resulted in the creation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the fall of the Congress as a political power in Bengal. Notably, in the late 90's, during Mitra's second term as the party president, Congress was forced to relinquish its standing as the main opposition to the then powerful Left Front regime to the TMC. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her grief over the leader's demise."Saddened to hear about the passing away of veteran leader, former MP and @INCWestBengal president Somen Mitra. My deepest condolences to his family, followers and well-wishers," Banerjee wrote on Twitter. A VETERAN OF BENGAL POLITICS A veteran in the state's politics, Mitra's political career lasted for more than fifty years and started during the 60's when he was a student leader. Groomed by Congress loyalists like A B A Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Mitra became the youngest MLA in the state assembly in 1972 from the Sealdah seat. He was just 26. Except in 1977, Mitra continued to win the Sealdah assembly segment, which stopped existing after delimitation, from 1982-2006. Fondly known as Chhorada' (younger brother), Mitra was viewed as one of the revolutionary politicians of the 1960s and '70s era and played a vital role in the fight against the Naxals in Kolkata. Mitra, who went on to become three-time president of the Congress' West Bengal unit from 1992-1996, 1996-1998 and then again from September 2018, was instrumental in the party securing 82 seats against the Left Front in the 1996 assembly elections. However, with Congress and the Left Front joining hands at the Centre to back the United Front government, its credibility as the main opposition to the CPI(M) in Bengal was lost. It was then that Mamata Banerjee, who was the West Bengal Youth Congress president at the time, began emerging as the principal opposition force who had a tough approach against the Left Front. Mitra and Banerjee got embroiled in an inner-party tussle within the Bengal Congress unit. The relations between the two soured when Banerjee positioned herself against Mitra for the post of state Congress president. Mitra, a stalwart of Congress politics, was able to secure a victory in the internal party election by 22 votes, after which unprecedented scenes unfolded at the Maharashtra Niwas in South Kolkata. It is claimed that he along with the then Congress national president Sitaram Kesari cornered Banerjee in the party, after which she broke away to form the Trinamool Congress in 1998. With the TMC siding with the BJP and replacing Congress as the principal opposition of the Left Front in Bengal by securing seven seats in the 1998 parliamentary polls, Mitra stepped down as state Congress president. He left the Congress in 2008 and launched his political outfit Pragatisheel (Progressive) Indira Congress. However, Mitra merged his outfit with the Banerjee's TMC before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and won the election on a TMC ticket from the Diamond Harbour parliamentary seat. But in another turn of events, Mitra left the TMC in 2014 after differences with Banerjee cropped up and rejoined Congress. Bruised heavily by constant infighting and defections to the TMC, Mitra was again made Congress president in 2018, to resuscitate the party. He was one of the chief strategists behind the CPI (M)-led Left Front and Congress alliance in West Bengal during the 2016 assembly elections. Mitra was inclined on an alliance with the Left during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but after the talks did not materialise and both the parties faced a drubbing, he played a pivotal role in bringing them together after the elections. Mitra, along with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, was a staunch voice against any form of alliance with the TMC in Bengal. (With PTI inputs) In the latest flurry of diplomatic notes to the United Nations on the South China Sea dispute, China has lashed out at Australia for declaring Beijings expansive maritime claims illegal, while Malaysia reiterated that it too did not accept Chinas stance on the contested waters. Chinas statement, accusing U.S. ally Australia of violating basic principles of international relations, came as Chinas military conducted night-time drills with bomber planes over the South China Sea. According to Chinas Ministry of Defense, the air arm of Chinas navy simulated nighttime take-offs, air raids, and attacks on targets at sea with H-6G and H-6J bomber aircraft. That followed a series of military drills by rival parties in the region in recent weeks that have heightened tensions. At the U.N., China reaffirmed its South China Sea claims in a diplomatic note Wednesday addressed to the world bodys secretary-general. It was posted to the website of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf alongside other recent notes from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United States, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Australias wrongful acts of ignoring the basic facts on the South China Sea issues and denying Chinas land territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have violated international law and basic principles of international relations, including the Charter of the United Nations, Chinas note said. China also reaffirmed its belief in holding sovereignty over the waters and land features in the South China Sea, claiming historic rights to the area as well as 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zones around the rocks and reefs that comprise the Spratly and Paracel archipelagoes. Australia rejected these claims in its own note to the UN on July 23 -- similar to one issued by the U.S. on June 1 stating Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea were illegal. It urged China to abide by the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award that struck down the legal basis for Chinas claims in the region. The U.S., the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia have all recently cited the 2016 award or parts of it when rebuking Chinas position on the South China Sea. China refuses to acknowledge the outcome of that landmark case. The U.S.-Australia Alliance Chinas brusque response to Australia reflects an increasingly tense relationship. It came a day after Australia and the U.S. held high-level talks in Washington and pledged to cooperate on defense issues, making a tough, joint public stand against China. Ashley Townshend, director of Foreign Policy and Defense at the United States Studies Center, said Tuesdays U.S.-Australia joint statement implied that Australia will take a more active role in Southeast Asia and in the multi-nation efforts to push back against Beijing. He noted that the statement referred to a one-off joint exercise of U.S. and Australian naval ships near a Malaysian-contracted drillship that was the object of a month-long pressure campaign by Chinas Coast Guard and survey fleet in April. Townshend predicted more such exercises among nations, designed to alter Chinas calculus when it comes to harassing smaller regional navies and coast guards or commercial ships. Malaysia submitted its own note to the U.N. on Wednesday as well, disputing Chinas nine dash line that roughly demarcates its claims to most of the South China Sea and Chinas insistence on historic rights to the area. The Government of Malaysia considers that the Peoples Republic of Chinas claim to the maritime features in the South China Sea has no basis under international law. Therefore, the Government of Malaysia rejects in its entirety the content of the Note Verbale of the Peoples Republic of China, Malaysias latest note to the U.N. reads. Back in December, it was Malaysias initial claim to an extended continental shelf off its coast in a submission to the U.N. that triggered the series of diplomatic notes by various nations. A half-dozen Asian governments have overlapping claims in the South China Sea. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signaled at a Senate hearing that more exercises and drills between the U.S. and its allies were in store. In the Indo-Pacific, Australia declared Chinas South China Sea claims unlawful and illegitimate, as have we, he said during wide-ranging testimony to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Departments 2021 budget request. And were proud to have stepped up maritime maneuvers in that body of water alongside our friends from Australia and Japan and the United Kingdom, he said. Australia performed a trilateral exercise with the United States and Japan in the Philippine Sea last week, and the increasing presence of the U.S. and its allies in and near the South China Sea has prompted China to respond in kind. Our nations Founding Fathers had a pluralistic view of K-12 schooling. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling brings the country closer to the original vision of the framers, and helps erase the stain of 19th-century amendments to most state constitutions that were rooted in anti-Catholic bigotry. The Courts June 2020 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue overturned a Montana Supreme Court ruling that prohibited students from using funds from an education tax credit program to attend a religious school. Nearly 300,000 largely poor and minority students in 18 states currently benefit from education tax credits. Under these programs, the overwhelming majority of which are needs-based, individuals and businesses receive tax credits for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations. They, in turn, award scholarships that students can use to attend the public, private or religious schools of their choice. John Adams 1780 Massachusetts Constitution, which served as the founders model for the U.S. Constitution, directed the state to cherish education, and clearly envisioned public support for a range of religious and nonsectarian school options. There is a strong public interest in having an educated citizenry. In Americas decentralized and choice-driven higher-education system which is the envy of the world states and the federal government support this goal with scholarships and loans, whether a student chooses to go to the University of Notre Dame, Yeshiva University or a public college or university. The educationally pluralistic vision of the founders who formed our republic was the norm until the mid-19th century, when the Irish Potato Famine triggered an influx of Catholic immigrants to the United States. Amid the ensuing nativism and anti-Catholic bigotry of the mid-to-late 1800s, many states adopted amendments to their constitutions that barred public support for the religious schools to which many Irish immigrants sent their children. These so-called Know Nothing, Blaine or anti-aid amendments also prohibited funding from following students, as it does in American higher education. Espinoza helps restore the founders view of K-12 education, and Justice Alitos concurring opinion in particular calls out the history of anti-Catholic bias of Blaine amendments. Its fitting that the ruling should come in an era when the scourge of nativism is again on the rise across America. The facts of the case are that Kendra Espinoza, who had suddenly become a single mom, sought a better education for her two daughters. In public schools, one daughter was bullied and the other struggled academically. Both would later thrive using Montanas education tax credit program to attend Stillwater Christian School. When the Montana Supreme Court invalidated the tax credit program, Espinoza was denied access to the scholarships her children needed. The basis for the Montana courts decision was that states 130-year-old anti-aid amendment, which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as an example of unconstitutional discrimination against families who were receiving scholarships funded by the tax credit to attend religiously affiliated schools. Affluent families already exercise school choice by enrolling in private schools, or simply choosing to live in places with good schools. Education tax credit programs extend choice to families who cant afford it. Thanks to the Supreme Courts ruling, many more students will be able to reap the same benefits as Kendra Espinozas daughters. While the U.S. Constitution rightly prohibits the government from establishing any religion, it also protects the free exercise of religion. Just as the Courts 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education eliminated the fiction of separate but equal, Espinoza reestablishes the founders concepts of religious liberty and school choice, which are so central to American constitutionalism. As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, A state need not subsidize private education. But once a state decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious. In his famous 1790 letter to the Touro Synagogue congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, President George Washington wrote, the government of the United States gives bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance With its ruling in Espinoza, the U.S. Supreme Court brings us closer to the founders original vision of a system that promotes educational pluralism, while neither favoring any one religion nor discriminating against citizens birthright to religious liberty. Charles Chieppo is a senior fellow and Jamie Gass is director of the Center for School Reform at Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think tank. Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences are leading a new 3 million study to investigate the real-world effects of the newest cystic fibrosis medications as they become available. The research will look at how a new triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, will affect people in their day to day lives, rather than in controlled clinical trial conditions. Kaftrio (known as TriKafta in the US) is a successor to Orkambi. The project, called RECOVER, has been awarded 2.85 million from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (US), 112,000 from Cystic Fibrosis Trust (UK) and 100,000 thousand from Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. In recent years, a number of promising new medications have been developed that treat the underlying genetic defect in cystic fibrosis. The most recent triple combination cystic fibrosis drug, Kaftrio, has demonstrated striking improvements in clinical trials of people with the most common form of cystic fibrosis. Pending final European Medicines Agency approval, expected in the next number of weeks, these new medications will be provided for use in the majority of people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland and the UK as part of an existing agreement between the manufacturer and the respective states. Starting in August 2020, the study will recruit patients and begin to examine clinical outcomes over a two-year period across cystic fibrosis centres in Ireland and the UK. In addition to collecting routine health measurements, they will study detailed imaging, functional, biological and quality of life measurements that could not be collected in clinical trials. Our study will allow us to discover in detail how this powerful new treatment affects the health and everyday lives of people with cystic fibrosis, to understand why different people might respond differently to the drug and to gain insight into how this treatment might affect the very significant treatment burden that people with cystic fibrosis currently endure, said Professor Paul McNally, associate professor of paediatrics at RCSI, a respiratory consultant in Childrens Health Ireland and lead researcher on the RECOVER study. Clinical trials occur under very controlled conditions and exclude many sick people with cystic fibrosis. Real-world studies, such as RECOVER, are essential to confirm the trial findings and examine in-depth effects on the everyday lives all people with cystic fibrosis. In partnership with the Irish and UK cystic fibrosis registries, RECOVER is led by an Irish research team collaborating with researchers in 16 clinical and university sites in the UK, Europe and North America. Philip Watt, CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, commented: Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is proud to support this major research study that will provide much new detailed data on the impact of new and innovative cystic fibrosis medications across Europe and North America. Dr Lucy Allen, director of research at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: The data from the clinical trials have shown us that Kaftrio will make a significant difference to peoples lives. However, as cystic fibrosis is a complex condition affecting many parts of the body it is important to understand the full impact of this drug. In the short-term the results of the RECOVER study may speed up access to Kaftrio around the world. In the longer term it will provide information on tailoring care for each individual with cystic fibrosis. Led by RCSI, the collaborating institutions include Imperial College, London; Childrens Health Ireland at Crumlin, Tallaght, Temple Street and Connolly; National Childrens Research Centre; St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin; University Hospital Limerick; Belfast City Hospital; Royal Belfast Hospital for Children; Royal Brompton Hospital, London; CF Registry of Ireland, Dublin; UK CF Registry; The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto; Eramsus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam; Brandenburg Medical School, Germany; Queens University Belfast; Teagasc Food Research Centre, Cork; and Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Rover will search for evidence of life and help bring NASA one step closer to landing humans on Mars. NASA is heading back to Mars, and this time, the agencys objective will be to search for signs of ancient life. To that end, NASA is launching a car-sized rover named Perseverance that could help answer some fundamental questions about life in the universe. The agency has been exploring the Red Planet for decades, but one big question in particular still remains: Was there ever life on Mars? The story of life beyond Earth is one that has driven Martian exploration plans over the decades. And NASA is on the cusp of launching its most advanced robotic explorer yet. The Perseverance Mars rover blasted off on July 30, kick-starting a 6.5-month journey that culminates in one intense landing on the Red Planet. Upon its arrival, the intrepid explorer will join a small fleet of landers and orbiters whose past discoveries have brought us to this moment. The Mars Perseverance rover in a clean room at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, the United States [File: J. Krohn/NASA via The Associated Press] A cosmic detective NASAs approach to understanding Mars has been incremental. The initial plan was to follow the water. Thanks to incredible maps captured by multiple spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, we know that Mars only appears to be a dry, desert world. However, Mars contains pockets of water and water ice. All of the previous NASA rovers Curiosity, Spirit and Opportunity have not only made incredible discoveries, but were able to build a case indicating that Mars was once a habitable world. Alas, habitable does not necessarily mean the planet had inhabitants. And thats where Perseverance comes into play. The six-wheeled rover is charged with investigating a region known as Jezero Crater. The 45km (28-mile-long) crater is the site of an ancient lake bed thats more than three billion years old. Hailed as one of the most habitable places on Mars, Jezero offers the ability to examine an ancient river delta where flowing waters came together and left behind a treasure trove of sediments that could potentially contain signs of life called biosignatures. Acting as a cosmic detective, the rover will roam around the crater, collecting clues that will help scientists answer a question that has puzzled humanity for centuries: Are we alone? We dont know yet if life existed on Mars, but we do know that Mars, at one point in its history, was habitable, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told Al Jazeera. Now the rover is equipped with a sophisticated suite of scientific instruments that can conduct in situ science on Mars. The rover wont be digging for fossils as we know them here on Earth, but will be hunting for evidence of organic compounds and minerals within the rocks that could be indicative of single-celled organisms. In order to interpret those signs, scientists will help Perseverance collect samples for eventual return to Earth. One of the main goals of the mission is actually to collect samples to bring back to Earth, Lori Glaze, director of NASAs Planetary Science Division, told Al Jazeera. Thats because some of the signs of life, we arent able to detect in situ, were going to really require them to come back here to analyse them in detail. The head of the Mars rover Perseverances remote sensing mast, which contains the SuperCam instrument [File: NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP The Associated Press] The rover is armed with a host of scientific instruments, including two that are mounted on its robotic arm. PIXL and SHERLOC are two spectrometers, which analyse spectra (or light) to determine what types of chemical compounds are present. PIXL will look at x-rays, while SHERLOC will analyze ultraviolet light to help researchers identify the chemical compounds present in samples collected by the rover. Researchers are particularly looking for complex carbon-containing molecules such as amino acids or fatty acids. SHERLOC will be assisted by a special camera called WATSON, which will take incredibly detailed photos down to a spatial resolution of about 100 microns or the width of a human hair. At this resolution, scientists will be able to look for any evidence of past life. The detection of organic molecules alone is not enough to signal the discovery of traces of past life, as the production of carbon-containing molecules could also be generated by geological processes. This is why Perseverance will be the first rover to collect samples of Martian dirt and rocks that will one day be sent back to Earth. Bits of Mars The rover is packing 43 sample tubes that will be used to collect at least 30 samples from Mars. NASA plans on launching a sample collection mission in 2026, and Perseverance is the first step in a multi-step process to send back bits of another planet. To achieve this goal, NASA is working with its partners at the European Space Agency to design a mission that will pick up whatever Perseverance collects. As the rover traverses the Red Planet, it will pick interesting sites to scoop up, which will help researchers here on Earth immensely. Bits of Mars in the form of space debris have fallen to Earth before, and scientists have been able to study and analyse them, but without context because they dont know from where on Mars those samples originated. That crucial piece of information could transform what we know about the Red Planet. Decades later, scientists are still analysing lunar samples collected by Apollo astronauts in the 1960s and 1970s. Future scientists will be able to examine these Martian samples for decades to come, once theyre safely back on Earth. We don't know yet if life existed on Mars, but we do know that Mars, at one point in its history, was habitable. Jim Bridenstine, NASA adminstrator Explore as one NASA has company on the way to Mars. Perseverance is the third spacecraft to launch to the Red Planet this month. Earlier in July, the United Arab Emirates launched an orbiter called Hope. And China launched a rover-lander-orbiter combo, Tianwen-1 or Questions to Heaven, positioning it to possibly become the first country to orbit, land and deploy a rover with its inaugural mission to the Red Planet. The United States and China Mars missions are happening against a backdrop of increasing acrimony between the two countries. With technological prowess being a key driver of tensions between Washington and Beijing, some see space as another emerging realm of competition. A Long March-5 rocket is seen at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south Chinas Hainan Province [File: Zhang Gaoxiang/Xinhua via The Associated Press] The space age kicked off with a race between the United States and Russia, that ultimately ended with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. But Bridenstine insists we are not witnessing the dawn of a race to Mars. We welcome other nations to join us on Mars. We welcome more science, more discovery we encourage them to share what they learn with the entire world, just as NASA shares what it learns, Bridenstine said. Thats what science is all about. To date, NASA is the only agency to have successfully landed and operated a rover on the Red Planet. Like previous uncrewed missions, Perseverance is helping to lay the foundation to one day land astronauts on Mars. The president has also given us a challenge, to plant an American flag on Mars and in order to do that, we need to send humans to Mars, Bridenstine said. The Perseverance rover will help achieve that goal. The rover is carrying a few technology demonstrations on board, including one called the Mars Oxygen In Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE for short. MOXIE is designed to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, with the goal of one day enabling astronauts to breathe on Mars without having to carry oxygen with them. If this experiment proves successful, it could be scaled up for eventual human missions to the moon and Mars. NASA has also attached six different material samples to the rover to help the agency design future spacesuits. Thousands of people worked really hard to get this mission off the ground despite the pandemic. Jim Morhard, NASA assistant associate administrator NASA may be spearheading the launch, but this is a multi-agency endeavour. Thousands of people worked on this mission, including teams in Europe, with three different countries (France, Spain, and Norway) contributing instruments to this state-of-the-art rover. In addition to its suite of science instruments, the rover carries two special plaques: one dedicated to the front-line workers keeping people safe during the coronavirus pandemic, and one containing millions of names submitted by people all around the world. That plaque is emblazoned with the phrase explore as one in Morse code. Thousands of people worked really hard to get this mission off the ground despite the pandemic, Jim Morhard, assistant associate administrator at NASA, told Al Jazeera. And they did so to help bring hope and inspiration to the world. Thats what NASA is known for. New Frontier Data report details impact on European cannabis industry New Frontier Data, the global authority in data, analytics and business intelligence on the cannabis industry, in partnership with Deep Nature Project and Mile High Labs, releases the third volume of its targeted European CBD consumer series, EU CBD Consumer Report Series: Market Size Demand. Leveraging New Frontier Data's proprietary survey of over 3,000 European CBD consumers across 17 European nations and insight from the U.S. CBD market, this report projects the EU CBD market will grow at a CAGR of 10.4% to reach 13.6 billion by 2025 without regulatory changes. The European Commission (EC) recently suspended applications for CBD inclusion in its Novel Food Catalogue, stating CBD and other extracts from hemp flowers would be better regulated as narcotics under the United Nations (U.N.) Single Convention on Narcotics of 1961. Should the "preliminary conclusion" stand, the implications for Europe's CBD market cannot be overstated. The ruling would not only make it impossible for Europe's CBD market to exist in its current form, but also constrict cannabinoid research and innovation throughout the continent. "Despite existing regulatory hurdles, demand for CBD in Europe continues to grow quickly as consumers embrace this cannabinoid for medical and general wellness, creating opportunities for large Food Beverage and Health Beauty brands," said New Frontier Data Founder and CEO Giadha A. DeCarcer. "This provisionary conclusion will likely trigger objections and may increase pressure to amend the U.N. Single Convention to remove cannabis from its prohibited classification. That would have implications far beyond extracts, potentially reshaping the future of higher-THC cannabis in Europe." Other key findings include: Annual spending on CBD in the EU is expected to total an estimated 8.3 billion for 2020 Current annual CBD spending in Germany is estimated at 1.83 billion, the highest annual spending on CBD in the EU The EU CBD Consumer Report Series: Market Size Demand is available for FREE Download at: http://newfrontierdata.com/EUCBD3 About New Frontier Data: New Frontier Data is an independent, technology-driven analytics company specializing in the global cannabis industry. It offers vetted data, actionable business intelligence and risk management solutions for investors, operators, researchers and policy makers. New Frontier Data's reports and data have been cited in over 80 countries around the world to inform industry leaders. Founded in 2014, New Frontier Data is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices in Denver, CO and London, UK. New Frontier Data does not take a position on the merits of cannabis legalization. Rather, its mission and mandate are to inform cannabis-related policy and business decisions through rigorous, issue-neutral and comprehensive analysis of the legal cannabis industry worldwide. For more information about New Frontier Data, please visit: https://www.NewFrontierData.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200730005168/en/ Contacts: Media Contact: Caroline Kowalski media@NewFrontierData.com Boris Johnson has previously warned of a second wave of coronavirus across Europe. (PA) The government has been accused of blaming Europe for a second wave of coronavirus, as measures to combat a potential spike in cases are set to be introduced. Health secretary Matt Hancock said he was worried after he warned that figures showed that a second wave was starting to roll across Europe. But Labour MP Neil Coyle said Hancock was screeching look over there, and said that the crisis was homegrown. He tweeted: Hancock screeching look over there across all news this morn whilst the UK dead toll remains the highest in all Europe. Locked down late; threw care homes under a bus; failed to test on scale seen in other countries; app failed; and stats hidden. Any second wave here is homegrown. Hancock screeching look over there across all news this morn whilst the UK dead toll remains the highest in all Europe. Locked down late; threw care homes under a bus; failed to test on scale seen in other countries; app failed; & stats hidden. Any 2nd wave here is homegrown. Neil Coyle (@coyleneil) July 30, 2020 Hancock said on Thursday morning that a spike in cases across the continent would mean further measures introduced in the UK to tackle a potential uptick. He told Sky News: "I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and we've got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it. "The measures that the chief medical officer will set out later are part of that but so too are the measures we're taking, for instance to ensure that we don't directly bring cases back to this country where there's a big spike in cases. Health secretary Matt Hancock said he was "worried" about a second wave of coronavirus. (Getty) "So absolutely on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening. Hancocks comments come after a government source told the Daily Mail that the prime minister was extremely concerned by outbreaks bubbling up, both at home and abroad. Story continues Professor James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute medical research centre, also told Yahoo News UK that there were signs of a second wave in Europe. Self-isolation rule change People who test positive for coronavirus or display symptoms must now self-isolate for 10 days. The UKs chief medical officers said on Thursday that the period must increase from the current rule of seven days because of the risk individuals may still be able to spread Covid-19. In a joint statement, they said the change for those who experience the key symptoms of a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell is needed because of the low but real possibility of infectiousness up to 10 days. The chief medical officers for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland said that it is now the correct balance of risk to extend the isolation period for those who test positive or have symptoms to 10 days. Evidence, although still limited, has strengthened and shows that people with Covid-19 who are mildly ill and are recovering have a low but real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset, they said. A passenger arrives at Heathrow Airport, following an announcement on Saturday that holidaymakers who had not returned from Spain and its islands by midnight would be forced to quarantine for 14 days. (PA) Quarantine reduced for travellers? Hancock also said ministers were investigating ways to reduce the 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals to the UK from at-risk countries, including Spain. But when quizzed over how many checks have taken place to determine the amount of people abiding by quarantine rules, Hancock was unable to answer. He told BBC Breakfast: The vast majority of people do abide by the rules. When pushed to ask for a figure, Hancock replied: Im terribly sorry I dont have the precise number of people we have been in contact with. Confusion on how many people are being checked to see if they are abiding by quarantine measures when coming back from Spain. Matt Hancock doesn't have an answer.#BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/NGMMjn7Fbp Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) July 30, 2020 Asked about reports of the quarantine reduction, Hancock added: "We're always looking at how we can have the least-possible burden of the measures that we have to put into place so that is something on which we're doing some work but we'll only come forward with a proposal when we're confident that it is safe to do so. However, Hancock said there would be no changes in the next few days to quarantine rules for people returning from overseas. A sign telling travellers to wear face covering for their safety is displayed at Stansted Airport, Essex. (PA) He said work was ongoing on whether testing people during the 14-day quarantine period would mean it was safe to release them earlier. Hancock added: This is a really important, essentially scientific clinical question, so that's something that we're working on. "But we are not imminently making an announcement on it because that work is not concluded, and until it is absolutely safe to make that sort of change, then we won't do so, but it is something that we're working on." NHS staff outside the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, join in the pause for applause to salute the NHS 72nd birthday. (PA) Concern levels very high Health leaders have "very high" levels of concern about the possibility of a second spike in coronavirus cases, one expert has said. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said that the combination of a spike of cases with "exhausted staff" while the NHS tries to rebuild services could prove challenging". He told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus: "I would say in relation to the second spike issue or something coming, the levels of concern among our members the people who are leading NHS trusts, who are leading in primary care and all levels in the systems is very high. "There's real concern about winter and the compounding factors there, but also about an earlier spike. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter WASHINGTON - A growing number of Senate conservatives have provided the latest sign of President Donald Trump's weakening hand on Capitol Hill. From the presidentially ambitious Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to onetime deficit hawks like Sen. Patrick J. Toomey, R-Pa., conservatives are abandoning the president as his top aides struggle with negotiations on a pandemic relief bill that is Trump's last, best chance to pass legislation that could help his floundering reelection bid. TRUMP'S MIDLAND VISIT: Texas supporters line up to catch a glimpse of Air Force One Ignoring their own record of support for adding trillions of dollars to the national debt, these conservatives have signaled that they think, in a post-Trump Republican Party, that deficits will return to the forefront just as they did in the first years of the Obama administration. "We can't just waste money. So I'm very concerned about the amount of money we're talking about," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters Tuesday after leaving a GOP huddle with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Those Trump advisers negotiated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for a week until they rolled out proposals that totaled $1 trillion, a figure that left Scott stumped. "A lot of money," he said. Others washed their hands of the negotiations and said that Trump's advisers would negotiate an even larger compromise with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., whose initial offering two months ago cost $3 trillion. "It's a mess. I can't figure out what this bill's about," Hawley said leaving the same meeting Tuesday. "This is not going to be the bill. They're going to go negotiate with Pelosi. We have no idea what the final bill will be, and we'll be the last to know." And Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., fresh off winning his primary, with Trump's support, issued a detailed statement that accused the president of trying to use this legislation to save his own campaign, almost suggesting that he would rather Joe Biden win than add more debt. "The White House is trying to solve bad polling by agreeing to indefensibly bad debt. This proposal is not targeted to fix precise problems - it's about Democrats and Trumpers competing to outspend each other," Sasse said. As pandemic limits scrutiny, GOP fears lesser-known Democratic candidates will steamroll to Senate majority This group generally supports a relatively modest bill that would reduce the enhanced unemployment benefit, from its current $600 per week to about $200, provide some additional help to small businesses and then grant liability protections to businesses, schools and nonprofit organizations from lawsuits related to the novel coronavirus as they try to reopen. Some Republicans have suggested a "skinny covid" relief package of extending a smaller unemployment benefit and negotiating the rest of the package in September, a position that Trump signaled support for Wednesday - but one that Pelosi and Democrats have uniformly rejected as insufficient for a national crisis. Pelosi's comments drip with sarcasm any time she fields a question about deficit-hawk Republicans, accusing them of hypocrisy given how they handled Trump's first three years as president and their new budget concerns about $600 a week to the unemployed. "So, when they talk about $600, I want the review of the fact that they put $2 trillion onto the national debt to give a tax break to the wealthy, 83 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent," Pelosi said at a news conference Friday. She was referring to the 2017 tax cut that Sasse, Cruz and the other Republicans eagerly passed and sent to Trump for his signature. The debt, which grew from $20 trillion in Trump's first year in office to more than $26 trillion this summer, has long receded as an issue that animated voters. Conservative groups that used to issue voting scorecards based on efforts to eliminate agencies like the Export-Import Bank lost relevance in recent years, as Republicans joined Democrats in gutting the last bit of spending restraint from a 2011 budget law. When the pandemic took hold in March, Trump's top advisers trekked to the Capitol with a directive that fiscal considerations didn't matter. "The president has instructed his team to look very expansively at what we need to do and not be impeded by the potential price tag of what's necessary here," Eric Ueland, then Trump's director of legislative affairs, told reporters at the time. About 10 days later, the Senate unanimously approved the more than $2 trillion Cares Act to try to help with the health and economic crises gripping the nation. A month later, the Senate approved, without a recorded vote, an additional $484 billion for small-business grants and assistance. Only two GOP conservatives, Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.), voiced any concern about the size of government spending at that point. Throughout the early spring, Trump's political standing remained strong - 49% of voters approved of his job performance in late March, vs. 45% who disapproved - but those numbers steadily dropped later in the spring and throughout the summer. That has left Republicans split into two camps, those up for reelection this year who are touting all this heavy spending to court voters and those looking beyond 2020. McConnell falls into the former camp, as he faces the voters this November against Amy McGrath, who remains an underdog but has already shattered state fundraising records. His campaign released an ad Tuesday that shows voters praising the 36-year incumbent for his work to approve the Paycheck Protection Act, designed to help small businesses. "Mitch is fighting for Kentucky jobs," a barbecue owner says. The calculus is clear: During a global pandemic, voters won't care about the size of deficits if their lives and livelihood depend on government support. Those not on the November ballot are positioning themselves for what they think will be a return to fiscal restraint, fighting a possible Biden administration on its spending measures the same way the conservative tea party movement grew in the early days of the Obama administration. Cruz, who lost the 2016 nomination to Trump in a bitter fight, berated Meadows, Mnuchin and fellow Republicans at a closed meeting last week over the initial $1 trillion offering, calling it too expensive. "What the hell are we doing?" Cruz asked, according to a Republican familiar with the remarks who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private conversations. He told reporters leaving Tuesday's private luncheon that he did not talk at the meeting, because he had already made his views known. Even those without presidential ambitions, such as Toomey, expect to oppose whatever Trump's advisers come up with. "I have problems with a number of its provisions. I'll wait and see what the final product looks like, but I'm pretty skeptical about the way it seems to be shaping up," he said. Congress MP and former Human Resource Development minister Shashi Tharoor welcomed the National Education Policy 2020 but questioned why it was not discussed in Parliament first. Taking to Twitter on July 30, he highlighted the unrealistic targets that the BJP government has set with the new education policy, and the challenges it might face in fulfilling them. There is much to welcome in what we have seen of the #NewEducationPolicy2020 announced by @DrRPNishank. A number of suggestions made by some of us seem to have been taken into account. However,the question remains why this was not brought before Parliament first for discussion. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 30, 2020 I've advocated revision of the 1986 National Education Policy since my days in MHRD, to bring it into the 21st century. I am glad the Modi Govt has finally grasped the nettle, even if it took them six years to do so. Challenge is to ensure aspiration is matched by implementation. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 30, 2020 The goals of 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education and 100% in secondary school are laudable, but when you realise it's currently 25.8% in Higher Edn & 68% in Class 9, you wonder if such targets are any more realistic than the Govt's solar-energy commitments at Paris. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 30, 2020 The NEP should have offered more tangible&realisable targets for research. Total investment on research& innovation in India declined from 0.84% of GDP in 2008 to 0.6% in 2018. There are currently only 15 researchers in India per 100,000 of population,compared with 111 in China. Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 30, 2020 The Congress leader opened his address on a pleasant note, welcoming NEP 2020, before moving on to question why it was not introduced in Parliament.He then went on to speak about how he had been advocating the revision of the 1986 National Education Policy since the time he was in power and how it took Prime Minister Narendra Modis government six years to affect the changes.Tharoor also highlighted some of the targets set by the Centre, which he felt were unrealistic, and said: The Centre unveiled the National Education Policy 2020 on July 30. The reforms direct that primary education be imparted in the mother tongue/regional language, lesser focus be given to board examinations, and more emphasis on vocational training. The reforms that were introduced after 28 years are aimed at making the countrys education system more skill-oriented and contemporary. Britains aviation regulator has demanded improvements from many airlines in refunding passengers whose flights are cancelled. In a review of the industrys performance since the coronavirus pandemic began, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has criticised British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and other carriers for delays in paying back air fares. Jet2 is the only UK airline to be praised for providing refunds promptly, along with the US carriers American Airlines and United. Under European air passengers rights rules, airlines are supposed to refund travellers in cash and in full within a week of the departure date of the flight. But carriers have hit back, insisting they have done their best in extraordinary circumstances. Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, said: Although we have taken into account the serious operational challenges many airlines have faced, we have been clear that customers cannot be let down in this way, and that airlines must pay refunds as soon as possible. There is still work to do. We have required commitments from airlines as they continue the job of paying customer refunds. Should any airline fall short of the commitments they have made, we will not hesitate to take any further action where required. Virgin Atlantic is heavily criticised for the extreme delay in paying refunds. The report says: Initially the airline was taking up to 60 days to process refund requests. However, the airlines performance became significantly worse and it provided a commitment to consumers that the maximum wait would be 120 days. The airline has now committed to processing all claims made in August within 80 days, all claims made in September within 60 days and all claims made in October within 30 days. Corneel Koster, chief customer officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: The huge volume of refund requests we have received, combined with the constraints on our teams and systems during the pandemic, has meant that refunds have been taking longer than usual to process, and we sincerely apologise for this. Despite the incredible efforts of our teams, we know we have not lived up to the high standards we set ourselves, but we will do everything in our power to earn back the trust of our customers. British Airways was criticised for directing customers seeking refunds to a telephonic dead-end. Investigators from the CAA made test calls to British Airways, but the report says they were unable to speak to an agent to discuss refunds, with its calls terminated following a recorded message. A BA spokesperson said: We are doing everything we can in these difficult and unprecedented circumstances to help our customers and our incredible staff have answered well over two million calls since the beginning of March. We have provided more than 1.67 million customers with cash refunds and more than 1.3 million with vouchers to fly with us that they can use right up until April 2022. We will always provide a refund if a customer is eligible and were offering flexibility if any of our customers need to change their flights. Britains biggest budget airline, easyJet, is accused of not processing refund requests sufficiently quickly and having a sizeable backlog of refund requests. A spokesperson for the Luton-based airline said it had experienced an unprecedented number of cancellations. More than 250,000 flights have been cancelled since March, 100 times the normal levels. These volumes were compounded by reduced staffing levels in our customer contact centres caused by local lockdowns and unfortunately led to much longer processing times than usual, the spokesperson said. We have already invested in increasing our contact centre resources and continue to invest along with extending opening times to ensure our customers are getting refunds in a timely way. We are currently processing refunds for customers in less than 30 days. Ryanair is heavily criticised in the report, which says: Initially the airline was taking 10 weeks or even longer to process refund requests. World's safest airlines 2020 Show all 20 1 /20 World's safest airlines 2020 World's safest airlines 2020 Qantas Check up: the Qantas fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft are being examined Qantas World's safest airlines 2020 Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Eva Air Eva Air Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Etihad Etihad Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Heathrow Airport World's safest airlines 2020 Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Emirates Emirates AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Australia Virgin Australia Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines World's safest airlines 2020 Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic World's safest airlines 2020 TAP Portugal TAP Portugal Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 SAS SAS AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Royal Jordanian Royal Jordanian Bjorn Strey/Wikimedia World's safest airlines 2020 SWISS SWISS Getty Images World's safest airlines 2020 Finnair Finnair Getty World's safest airlines 2020 Lufthansa Lufthansa Reuters World's safest airlines 2020 Aer Lingus Aer Lingus AFP/Getty World's safest airlines 2020 KLM KLM Getty The CAA was not satisfied with this level of performance and requested that Ryanair provide it with commitments to reduce the time taken to process refunds. The Irish carrier is currently promising to pay 90 per cent of refunds by the end of July. Earlier this month the chief executive of Ryanair DAC, the main part of the airline, told The Independent: We have given out close to 750m in vouchers and in cash refunds. I would say actually were a beacon, were doing it right. We are making our way through this, we are giving regular updates. Theres up to 30 million journeys that were cancelled. It is truly extraordinary. Some foreign airlines, including the Canadian carriers Air Canada and Air Transat, are also criticised by the CAA. But European carriers including Air France, its partner KLM and Lufthansa of Germany, were not included in the review. The Independent has received dozens of complaints about these airlines offering only vouchers rather than cash for cancelled flights. An aviation insider said the review showed UK carriers in an unfair light, because EU airlines are not included. The consumer is presented with a picture that UK airlines have performed poorly on refunds and must be worse than their EU counterparts. This is far from the case. The CAA said: We have today written to a further 30 major European and international airlines that operate services to and from the UK to highlight the results of our review, and to warn them not to deny consumers their right to a refund. We will not hesitate to take further action against any airlines where necessary. The Nifty50 got off to a strong start on the July series expiry day but the bears ate up the gains in the lunch session amid weak global cues and selling in banking & financials. The index ended 100 points lower on July 30, continuing the downtrend for a second consecutive session and again formed a bearish candle on daily charts. Experts feel the selling pressure can be extended in the coming session if the index breaks the day low of 11,084. Traders should adopt a wait-and-watch approach in the next session without attempting a trade, said Mazhar Mohammad, Chief Strategist Technical Research & Trading Advisory at Chartviewindia.in. However, positional shorting opportunity can be considered if the Nifty trades below 11,000 in the last 15 minutes of the next session, he said. After opening higher, the Nifty50 hit an intraday high of 11,299.95 in the morning but wiped out all gains in afternoon to touch the day's low of 11,084.95 before signing off the session with a loss of 100.70 points at 11,102.20. "Weakness may be slowly creeping in the Nifty50 as it closed below the ascending trendline, which is in progress from last March lows of 7,511 and has offered support to prop up the prices higher on multiple occasions in recent past. However, last 26 sessions of price behaviour chalked out an ascending channel with multiple touch points whose support is placed around 11,000 levels," Mohammad said. If the Nifty slips below 11,084 in the next session, then initially the corrective swing shall get extended to 11,000 and if it breaches this channel support, then it shall accelerate downwards towards its 200-day moving average whose value is placed at around 10,861, he said. If expiry was the reason for the fall in the index and doesnt witness a follow through selling in the next session, then the Nifty shall remain sideways with upsides being capped in the 11,300 11,350 zone, said Mohammad. Chandan Taparia, Vice President | Analyst-Derivatives at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said mechanical indicators like RSI had also given a negative crossover from its overbought scenario on the daily scale, which didnt bode well for the bulls. "Failure breakout above 11,300 and sustained selling pressure at higher zones indicates that short-term profit-booking cannot be ruled out," he said. The Bank Nifty also mirrored the Nifty50. It opened strong and rallied up to 22,252.60 in the morning session but erased all gains in the afternoon to hit an intraday low of 21,580.15. The index fell 429.80 points or 1.95 percent to close at 21,646.80 and formed a bearish candle on the daily charts. The index came back to 50-DEMA after a bounce of last two trading sessions which indicates underperformance and weak structure, said Taparia. The index is showing sign of tiredness and bounces are being sold with emergence of negative price set up on weekly scale, he said. If the Bank Nifty holds below 22,000, then weakness could be seen towards 21,000 and even lower levels, while on the upside immediate hurdles are shifting to 22,250-22,350 levels. Taparia said positive setup was seen in Apollo Hospitals, Divis Labs, Dr Reddy's Labs, NIIT Technologies, Sun Pharma, Wipro, ACC, Mindtree and Infosys, while weak structure was seen in Manappuram Finance, BPCL, Indiabulls Housing Finance, RBL Bank, Equitas Holdings, HDFC, PNB and Axis Bank. Rotimi Amaechi, the Honorable Minister of Transportation, has warned the house of representatives committee on treaties and agreements against continuing the probe on loan agreement between Nigeria and China. The Minister who noted that the federal government requested $500 million from the Chinese government to finance some rail projects across the country particularly in the south-east, asked for suspension of the probe till the loan is secured. Amaechi also said that some sections of the country will suffer if China refuses to give Nigeria loan to complete ongoing projects. He said; I have said here to the house, and it is a pity that Im saying it in public, this government, outside Nigeria, they are sensitive to what you say. Nobody is stopping you from your investigation and no government from outside Nigeria can stop you from doing it. We are saying that Nigeria has applied for three loans already. For Port HarcourtMaiduguri (eastern rail line), the minister of finance told me that she was stopped and told that the next borrowing plan would not be approved unless you get Port Harcourt-Maiduguri. Port Harcourt-Maiduguri goes through the south-east and the north-east. The only south-south town is Port Harcourt. We are about to apply for a loan. They will not grant that loan. Then you summoned us back to the House to ask why we are constructing LagosKano and we are not constructing Port Harcourt-Maiduguri. Can we be allowed to get this loan? Then you can summon us, not to start what you are doing and the whole process will then be stopped. My fear is that at the end of the day, some sections of this country will suffer if they stop giving us loans; two projects that will suffer: the first one is Lagos-Ibadan (rail line), we have not finished disbursement. We are asking for a loan to commence work from Ibadan to Kano. The day they (China) say the government is not supporting the loans you people are taking, we are no longer giving you, that is the end of the project. The economy of this country can only be propelled by transportation. We dont mind this investigation but can we please shift it to December or January when we would have possibly taken these loans. Once we get these loans, chairman, turn me upside down, I will answer you.There are rumblings up there in China and there are loans we have asked for. If your government is not in agreement with this dont forget that there are all sorts of allegations against China here and there we can stop. The moment it is stopped, the following things will happen Lagos-Ibadan is not completed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-31 00:15:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump raised the possibility on Thursday of delaying the country's presidential election in November, alleging that "universal mail-in voting" will make the 2020 election "the most inaccurate and fraudulent" in history. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," he continued. "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" The tweet, released on the same day when the Commerce Department reported a 32.9-percent collapse of the U.S. economy in the second quarter, has been immediately questioned and drawn bipartisan pushback. U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, tweeted that there is no way Trump can delay the election and that he was trying to distract the public from his handling of the pandemic, while U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill that he does not think that is a particularly good idea. According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress "may determine the Time of choosing the Electors, and the Day of which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States." Since 1845, the U.S. Congress has required the appointment of presidential electors to take place on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which is Nov. 3 this year. Trump's tweet on Thursday was his latest allegation that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud, as many states have expanded access to mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 4.4 million people in the United States and killed 150,000 of them. National polls have shown that Trump is falling behind his Democratic opponent, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in the 2020 race. According to the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, Biden leads Trump 50.1 percent to 41.9 percent as of Thursday. Polls in key battlegrounds, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Arizona, also showed that Biden is ahead of Trump by at least several points. Trump has repeatedly called polls showing him trailing Biden fake. Enditem GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Public health officials have traced a cluster of COVID-19 cases to a graduation party earlier this month in the Forest Hills area. The cases so far tally 21 people, with teens accounting for most of the infections, according to Kent County Health Department spokesperson Steve Kelso. Kelso said he doesnt believe any of the infected have been hospitalized. Contact tracers with the Kent County Health Department tracked the cluster of infections to a graduation party at Watermark Country Club, as well as an after-party at a persons home, the weekend of July 17. Watermark Country Club, located at 5500 Cascade Rd. SE, did not immediately return calls for comment. Health department officials were surprised at first by the cluster of new cases in the area, as it hadnt been a hotspot for COVID-19. After contact tracers began their work, they soon found that the infected had been in the same locations. Kelso called the situation a textbook example of how COVID-19 can spread quickly among crowds and gatherings. Gathering is important, thats what makes us human. You have to be able to see some family and friends, but we really need you to keep this in mind, Kelso said. If youre going to have a few folks over, you still have to maintain that social distancing, you still have to wear a mask. As for food at gatherings, Kelso said its best for each party to bring and eat their own dish. Related: Kent Countys coronavirus data improving after heat wave likely caused surge, health leader says Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has banned gatherings of more than 10 people indoors and gatherings of more than 100 people outside. Whitmer has ordered people to wear masks in public indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Kent County Health Department officials reported on Wednesday, July 29, that county has a total 6,328 cases of COVID-19 and 150 deaths associated with the virus. 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 executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here . 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: 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 He'll be transported from London to Los Angeles, albeit via Zoom, after winning a surprise nomination at the forthcoming 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. But Paul Mescal pushed all thoughts of triumph at the annual ceremony to one side on Thursday morning as he ventured out for a jog in the English capital. The Normal People star wore a pair of snug fitting shorts not unlike those favoured the show's lovelorn protagonist Connell Waldren while getting his day off to a positive start. Let's go: Paul Mescal pushed all thoughts of triumph at the 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards to one side on Thursday morning as he ventured out for a jog in the English capital Mescal, 24, added to his sporty look with a black Adidas T-shirt, while matching black running shoes rounded things off. The actor was working up a sweat after being recognised for his portrayal of Trinity College student Connell in BBC Three's acclaimed adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling coming-of-age novel. Mescal has been nominated in the category for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, but he faces stiff competition from fellow nominees Jeremy Irons, High Jackman, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Pope. Well done: The actor was working up a sweat after being recognised for his work n BBC Three's acclaimed adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling coming-of-age novel, Normal People However Daisy Edgar-Jones, Mescal's troubled onscreen lover Marianne Sheridan, surprisingly missed out on a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. Paul has since thanked Daisy, 22, for her work and championed her 'extraordinary talent' for the show's success. Sharing a picture of Connell in tears, the Irish star thanked Daisy, as well as Normal People director Lenny Abrahamson. They look familiar: Mescal wore a pair of snug fitting shorts not unlike those favoured the show's lovelorn protagonist Connell Waldren while getting his day off to a positive start He wrote: 'My actual face right now! Thank you to absolutely everyone at @ElementPictures, @Hulu and @BBCThree! '@lennyabrahamson I will never be able to thank you enough! @DaisyEdgarJones this only exists because of you and your extraordinary talent it's as simple as that! Thank you all x.' Mescal has also shared his disappointment for co-star Daisy being snubbed, he told Vulture: 'If it was me I would have given her all the love in that category. I can't speak highly enough of the work she did on the show. 'I know there are extraordinary actresses nominated in that category, but I think Daisy's work is just phenomenal in this.' This year's Primetime Emmy Awards will be conducted virtually as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, with guests participating from home for the first time in the show's history. Overlooked: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Mescal's troubled onscreen lover Marianne Sheridan, has surprisingly missed out on a nomination at the 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards WASHINGTON, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced that a Los Angeles-area business owner was sentenced for her role in defrauding EXIM. On July 14, 2020, Haiyan "Tina" Tang of Arcadia, California, the owner of 3T Holding, Inc. (3T) in Compton, California, was sentenced by Judge Philip S. Gutierrez in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Tang was sentenced to 12 months in prison to be followed by 36 months supervised release. Tang was also ordered to pay $2,999,975 in restitution to EXIM as well as a $100 Special Assessment Fee. Tang pleaded guilty on January 6, 2020, to one count of making false statements to a financial institution in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1014. According to court documents, between December 2014 and July 2015 in Los Angeles County, in the Central District of California, and elsewhere, Tang submitted and caused others to submit false documents to a financial institution for the purpose of influencing the actions of that institution in connection with a line of credit Tang applied for on behalf of 3T. The loan was guaranteed by EXIM. To support advances on the loan, Tang submitted contracts and purchase orders from 3T's customers. In all, Tang submitted approximately ten contracts and purchase orders that she knew to be false and falsely inflated in order to draw down on 3T's loan. The financial institution relied on these false documents to disburse approximately $3,619,000 to 3T. 3T did not repay the loan, which went into default with a balance of $2,999,975 and caused the financial institution to file a claim with EXIM. This case was prosecuted by the Major Frauds Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. The case was investigated by EXIM OIG in Washington, D.C. EXIM is the official export credit agency of the United States and assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets. Complaints and reports of waste, fraud, and abuse related to EXIM programs and operations can be reported to the OIG hotline at 888-OIG-EXIM (888-644-3946) or via email at [email protected]. SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States, Office of Inspector General Related Links http://www.exim.gov Amritsar Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the death of seven villagers who died allegedly after consuming countrymade liquor in the last 24 hours. Six labourers and a farmer of Muchhal village, 30km from here, died between Wednesday night and Thursday evening after falling ill in a mysterious manner. Five of the victims were cremated without a post-mortem. Taking note of the seriousness of the matter, senior superintendent of police (rural) Vikram Jeet Duggal placed Tarsikka SHO Bikramjit Singh under suspension for negligence. A woman resident of the village was also arrested on the suspicion of selling homemade liquor. Those dead were identified as Dalbir Singh, 60; Balwinder Singh, 55; Kuldeep Singh, 24; Mangal Singh, 52; Baldev Singh, 45; Kashmir Singh, 75, and Kala Singh, 45. An eighth person, Joga Singh, 28, is critical at a private hospital. Joga Singhs nephew Gurjant Singh said, My uncles condition is serious. He and others had consumed homemade liquor on Wednesday night. Villagers and the kin of the victims blamed the authorities, saying little was being done to check the sale of illicit liquor which was available at dirt-cheap price in the area. SSP (rural) Duggal said, So far, six deaths are confirmed. We have arrested Balwinder Kaur of Muchhal on the suspicion of selling illicit liquor. A case under section 304 (culpable homicide) has also been registered against unidentified people at Tarsikka police station. SP (investigation) Gaurav Toora will lead the SIT to investigate the matter, the SSP added. Sarpanch Rajwinder Kaurs husband Daljit Singh said that illicit liquor and intoxicants were a big problem in the village. We have been lodging police complaints regularly, he said. He, however, claimed, these deaths were unrelated to the menace. On why the panchayat didnt ask the police to conduct the post-mortems, Daljit said, The police had asked the victims family members to allow autopsies, but they didnt agree. However, some people claimed police pressured families to cremate the dead. Police reached the victims houses and pressured the families to conduct cremation and demands of some villagers for post-mortem were ignored. Family members of the victims say homemade liquor led to the deaths, said Baz Singh, former sarpanch of the village. NNPA Teams with Magic Johnson to Fund Over $100 Million in PPP Loans for Minority and Women-Owned Businesses Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) announced today that he and the NNPA have agreed to assist the efforts of Earvin Magic Johnson, majority owner of EquiTrust, the nations largest minority-owned insurance company, and MBE Capital Partners (MBECP), the largest certified minority-owned asset-based lender, in funding over $100 million in PPP loans. EquiTrust, MBECP and the NNPA together today are focused on informing and encouraging minority- and women-owned businesses throughout the United States to take advantage of the current PPP loan opportunities for businesses in underserved communities. Dr. Chavis emphasized, I have the highest regard and respect for the entrepreneurial leadership and courage of Earvin Magic Johnson. The NNPA, therefore, is enthusiastic and pleased to assist Johnsons EquiTrust and with MBE Capital to enhance the economic recovery of African American and other minority-owned businesses amidst the devastating COVID-19 pandemic in America. Our businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. ADVERTISEMENT Johnsons EquiTrust is providing critical financial support to underserved communities and businesses that have been traditionally neglected. These small and diverse businesses often have difficulty developing strong lending relationships with big banks. According to the Center for Responsible Lending, up to 90% of businesses owned by people of color have been, or will likely be, shut out of the PPP program. MBE Capital is perfectly positioned to help small and diverse businesses take advantage of this latest round of PPP funding; and the company is an approved SBA lender with over 20 years of experience serving diverse and minority businesses. They can process up to 5,000 loans per day, utilizing end-to-end online technology to accept, underwrite and transmit the applications to the SBA. MBE Capital has already processed over $300,000,000 in PPP loans including the EquiTrust partnership funding $100,000,000. The NNPA is the nations largest trade association of African American-owned newspapers and media businesses that reach 22.4 million readers per week across the nation. MBECP has also partnered with The Enterprise Center (TEC), a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), providing them with technology and resources to help them process over $100,000,000 in PPP loans. This will allow TECs CDFI to process more SBA loans in two weeks then they have in the last 10 years. By working with Earvin Magic Johnsons EquiTrust, MBECPs pipeline is over $500,000,000. MBE Capital is committed to providing vital funding for small businesses in underserved communities. With almost $100 billion left in the second round of PPP funding, it is imperative that vulnerable small businesses are able to secure resources needed to sustain themselves. According to Rafael Martinez, CEO of MBE Capital: I contacted EquiTrust to be an additional strategic partner, because I know that EquiTrust believes in changing outcomes for underserved communities the way I do. The team at EquiTrust and my direct contact, Kenyatta Matheny, were incredible, and we put this deal together from first call to contracts in a week. He added: After receiving hundreds of emails and calls from applicants asking if they can receive their PPP loans as soon as possible, because this was a last hope to stay open and in some cases to keep food on the tables of their employees I was moved to expand this and look to fund over 20,000 PPP loans for minority companies. ADVERTISEMENT This is a unique SBA-backed opportunity to use the vast resources of EquiTrusts to prudently provide real and much needed cash to deserving minority and women-owned businesses that find it difficult to secure such funding through traditional means, said Eric Holoman, president and Chief Executive Officer of EquiTrust. The jobs saved will make a significant difference to their families and communities. Equitrust is excited to partner with Rafael Martinez and MBECP to do this and more, as we try to level the playing field for businesses that are the backbone of America. APPLY FOR A PPP LOAN TODAY OR LEARN MORE: https://mbeppp.com/go/nnpa/ Loan Referral Code: NNPA China-sponsored hackers target Vatican, Hong Kong Mission group: report Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Communist Chinese government-sponsored group targeted the Vatican and the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, according to a report by a team of cybersecurity experts. The Insikt Group released a report earlier this week which found that in early May multiple Catholic organizations were targeted by RedDelta, a Chinese state-sponsored group. These network intrusions occurred ahead of the anticipated September 2020 renewal of the landmark 2018 China-Vatican provisional agreement, a deal which reportedly resulted in the Chinese Communist Party gaining more control and oversight over the countrys historically persecuted underground Catholic community, read the executive summary. In addition to the Holy See itself, another likely target of the campaign includes the current head of the Hong Kong Study Mission to China, whose predecessor was considered to have played a vital role in the 2018 agreement. The summary explained that the suspected targeting by RedDelta would offer RedDelta insight into the negotiating position of the Holy See ahead of the deals September 2020 renewal. Targeting the Hong Kong diocese, continued the report, could also provide a valuable intelligence source for both monitoring the dioceses relations with the Vatican and its position on Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement amidst widespread protests and the recent sweeping Hong Kong national security law. The targeting of entities related to the Catholic church is likely indicative of CCP objectives in consolidating control over the underground Catholic church, sinicizing religions in China, and diminishing the perceived influence of the Vatican within Chinas Catholic community, noted Insikt. Due to RedDeltas targeting of organizations that heavily align to Chinese strategic interests, use of shared tooling traditionally used by China-based groups, and overlaps with a suspected Chinese state-sponsored threat activity group, Insikt Group believes that the group likely operates on behalf of the Peoples Republic of China government. In 2018, the Vatican and Beijing approved a provisional deal in which the Vatican would recognize as legitimate bishops appointed by the communist regime. The agreement has been a controversial one, with many criticizing it as conceding too much power to the Peoples Republic and coming at the expense of freedom of religion. Last September, Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong criticized the Catholic Church for not doing more to speak out on behalf of those persecuted under the communist regime. In an interview with the French Roman Catholic magazine La Vie last year, Zen lamented the Vatican's silence on the democracy protests in Hong Kong. In early July, Pope Francis reportedly omitted comments expressing concern over China's recently passed national security law for Hong Kong in a speech. Chris Altieri, Rome Bureau Chief with The Catholic Herald, wrote in an analysis that the pope's recent omission led many to question the deal made between the Vatican and China. The critics of the Vaticans deal with China say it puts the Vatican in a supine position: it gives away the store. A more cautious view of the business would have it that the Vaticans objectives are not to usher in a golden age of religious liberty on the mainland, but to stave off full-fledged, Diocletian-level persecution, The Catholic Herald reported. The unexplained omission makes it harder to defend the deal, and measurably more difficult to defend the Vatican as this journalist has done against accusations theyve bent the knee to Beijing. The on Thursday said ex-gratia cannot be denied to workers who returned to their villages due to lack of work in the wake of the COVID-19 merely because their physical verification cannot be carried out for being registered with the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare (BOCWW) Board. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar said such workers may not return for sometime and therefore, verifications should be carried out over the phone or via video calls. The high court also said that the option of physical verification at construction sites would be available to the workers if they want to opt for that mode. The bench, however, did not agree with the contention of the Board, represented by Delhi government additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose and advocate Urvi Mohan, that verifications ought to be carried out physically at the large construction sites of big companies like DMRC and Larsen and Toubro. It said that doing only physical verification would leave out those workers who have returned home due to lockdown and may not return for some time. Therefore, such workers would not receive the ex-gratia till they return to Delhi if they have to undergo physical verification. The observation and suggestion by the court came while hearing a plea. by social activist Sunil Kumar Aledia seeking registration of all construction workers here under the BOCWW Act so that they can get the benefit of the relief package/ex-gratia of Rs 5,000 per month being provided to each labourer during the lockdown. The high court in its order also said that the Board should consider adopting a simpler form for renewal of registration of those workers who were registered earlier and same had lapsed over time for various reasons. The bench had on the last date of hearing, on July 17, also suggested going for online verification of the applications for registration or its renewal to minimise human to human contact in view of the prevailing pandemic. The bench on Thursday also allowed an application moved by Pt Sukhbir Sharma, a social activist who works for the welfare of the labourers, seeking to intervene in the matter to assist the court. In the application filed through advocate Kush Sharma, Sukhbir Sharma has alleged that there has been "rampant misappropriation of statutory cess funds of about Rs 3,200 crores", meant for the benefit of registered constructionworkers in Delhi, by corrupt officials of the Board and some trade unions. The applicant sought that he be permitted to place before the court an affidavit detailing the irregularities in the functioning of the Board and the bench allowed him to do so. Aledia, in his plea filed through advocate Shiven Varma, has contended that only a small section out of the over 10 lakh workers in the city are registered under the laws regulating their welfare and service conditions and thus, a huge chunk of the labourers are not getting benefits actually meant for them. The petition has contended that despite collection of over Rs 2,000 crore under the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act in the names of lakhs of workers, only around 37,127 construction labourers who are registered are getting the benefits. It has also claimed that there has been gross under-registration of construction workers in the capital since 2015. (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.) All of China now is about epidemic prevention, said Mr. Wang, who was kept in prison for three years before even being charged, and who was the last of hundreds of human rights lawyers to be tried and sentenced after their arrests in 2015. Under such a big slogan, personal freedom can be compromised and you cant say anything, he said. Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the pandemic had given the government an excuse to restrict movement so that it can justify the violation of peoples human rights. These people are clearly not in any condition that needs to be quarantined, Ms. Wang said. Its not science-based, its just an excuse for the government to restrict their movements and suppress their speech. Ms. Eve said her rights group had documented nine cases of activists who were recently released from prison and then held in quarantine, but added that there are likely many more. Among those forcibly detained in quarantine, the group says, are a citizen journalist who tried to raise awareness about the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan; five labor rights activists; and a laid-off worker who, in an interview with a foreign news outlet, had urged people to take up arms against the ruling Communist Party. Chinas Ministry of Public Security did not respond to a request for comment. Chinas government is not the only one to use the pandemic as an excuse to grab more power, restrict rights or crack down on dissent. The Indian government has rounded up and detained critics. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines recently empowered the police to enter peoples homes searching for the sick. And in Hungary, the prime minister can now rule by decree. Although Chinese law grants the government emergency powers to quarantine people during a public health emergency, several local officials have indicated that the practice of putting released convicts into quarantine violates those regulations. "Superior analytics are at the core of FICO's DNA," said Will Lansing, CEO of FICO . "As demand for our AI, machine learning, optimization and other analytics has increased, we have created a central organization for analytics services that will accelerate our innovation and deliver the best solutions faster to our customers worldwide. Louise has transformed our analytics team in Europe, and she brings a wealth of leadership experience to this new role." As head of EMEA analytics, Lunn has led the team responsible for delivering analytics projects to customers throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and for bringing advances in analytics technology to customer projects. In her new role, she will oversee regional delivery teams in EMEA, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and North America, as well as the company's Global Analytic Delivery Center based in Bangalore, India, applying the latest breakthroughs in analytics to solve specific customers' challenges. "FICO has been a global leader in analytics for more than 60 years, ever since it brought the first credit scoring systems to market," said Louise Lunn, vice president of Global Analytics Delivery. "The explosion in data and the increasing use of AI and machine learning have brought the power of FICO analytics to more businesses worldwide, in every industry. I'm proud to be on the front lines of this effort, and to lead a global team of data scientists addressing the specific challenges of businesses worldwide." Prior to joining FICO, Lunn was a partner at Radar Risk Limited, an independent credit risk consultancy. She previously held leadership positions in Experian's Decision Analytics group, and at Scorex. Lunn has a BSc (Honors) in Systems Modelling from Sheffield Hallam University. Lunn is shortlisted for this year's Women in Credit Awards, in the Team Leader of the Year - Data, Risk & Analytics category. She is one of 20 women featured in FICO's award-winning video on the importance of diversity in analytics. FICO holds more than 195 patents related to advanced analytics and decision management technology. For more information: https://www.fico.com/en/solutions/analytics-and-optimization About FICO FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956 and based in Silicon Valley, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 195 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 100 countries do everything from protecting 2.6 billion payment cards from fraud, to helping people get credit, to ensuring that millions of airplanes and rental cars are in the right place at the right time. Learn more at https://www.fico.com FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. SOURCE FICO Related Links https://www.fico.com The 78,442 successful applicants to the provinces Risk Recognition Program will each be getting a payment of $1,377 this week. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/7/2020 (539 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Premier Brian Pallister speaks to the media about the Risk Recognition Program at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg on Wednesday. (Winnipeg Free Press) The 78,442 successful applicants to the provinces Risk Recognition Program will each be getting a payment of $1,377 this week. Those chosen to receive the pay will get an email when the money has been direct-deposited into their bank accounts, Premier Brian Pallister said during a Wednesday morning media conference. First announced in early June, the program was created as a way of thanking front-line workers who continued to work and put themselves at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We want to say we appreciate your work and we thank you for it," Pallister said Wednesday. The set of conditions applicants had to meet to qualify for the program was criticized as being too restrictive when it came to the professions and income levels qualifying for the money. That led to the province consulting with various stakeholder groups and expanding who qualified for the program. Asked about the amount of time it has taken for the money to roll out, Pallister said he didnt think a month since applications closed was excessive for a program of this size. "Its important to get it right. Important to make sure youre not sending out cheques and asking for them back, to make sure because were dividing it between the eligible recipients that we had a pretty accurate number. I would argue four weeks is not a long time to roll out a program of this complexity." Speaking to the Sun after the announcement, Brandon Community Options executive director Brenda Elmes said that she had started to wonder if the money from the program was ever going to come. However, she said the amount of money going out per person was more than she expected. "I think at this point, anything is helpful," she said. "To be honest, we didnt know what the final outcome would be. Some thought it would be even less than a thousand dollars. ... Im happy with that. Im thinking that something is better than nothing and the acknowledgment (as well) $1,000 can help anybody these days." The last time the Sun spoke with Elmes in June, she said her staff at the non-profit agency that provides day time and residential options for adults living with a mental disability had experienced burnout due to the extra work theyve had to put in during the pandemic. She said thats still a concern, but the workload is no longer as heavy as it used to be. Of the 10 employees the organization planned to hire to help deal with the extra work, Elmes said theyve hired five so far. In an emailed statement, Family Visions Inc. executive director Kim Longstreet said she was less concerned about the time it took to roll out the program because of problems the federal government has seen with Canada Emergency Response Benefit payments going to ineligible people. However, she expressed disappointment with the number of front-line workers who didnt qualify. "I am happy to hear that the front-line workers who are eligible will soon be receiving their portion of the Risk Recognition Program funding," she wrote. "It is still disappointing for me to know that many front-line workers have not been able to benefit from the program to have their risk recognized. I had encouraged all of my staff to apply for the program regardless of their eligibility simply for the government to understand how many front-line staff would be impacted because of ineligibility. I am unaware of how many Family Visions employees applied and were approved or denied." Recipients are getting an equal share of the $120-million fund, $90 million of which comes from the federal government, with the remaining $30 million coming from the provincial government. The gross pay is actually $1,530, but the province is remitting a 10 per cent withholding tax it says will help recipients when it comes time to file their 2020 income tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency. That brings the deposit amount down to $1,377. More than 90,000 people applied for the fund, but the premier said the discrepancy between that figure and the final number of recipients was due to applicants who applied for the money but were ultimately deemed to be ineligible. "Payment recipients include 37,060 public-facing essential roles in retail services and lodging, 27,085 in health care, 9,325 in social services and 3,440 in transportation," a release sent out by the province said. Pallister received multiple questions about the provinces plans for the upcoming school year during the conference, but deferred to Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen and said he would be unveiling plans before the end of this week. cslark@brandonsun.com Twitter: @ColinSlark Union flag banners hang across a street near the Houses of Parliament in central London on June 25, 2016. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images) UK Universities Worryingly Dependent on Chinese Students: Report British universities have become worryingly dependent on tuition fees from Chinese students, a new report has revealed. There are also well-founded fears that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sought to undermine academic freedom and the integrity of scientific research on UK campuses, according to the report (pdf) published on July 23 by Onward, a right-leaning think tank. Britain has never had a serious debate about the growth of overseas students. Yet the viability of the UKs most prestigious universitiesto say nothing of billions of pounds of science fundingis now decided not in Parliament but in countries thousands of miles away, Will Tanner, director of Onward and author of the report, said in a statement. Even more worrying is that a third of overseas funding comes from China, a country whose government has shown itself unafraid of threatening to cut student flows in response to criticism and whose commercial partnerships with UK universities are increasingly under scrutiny. Cambridge University in Cambridge, England, in this file photo. (Graeme Robertson/Getty Images) The report said UK universities reliance on China is looking increasingly unsustainable in both the short term and the long term. The short-term disruption of the coronavirus pandemic and the longer-term tension building between China and the West throws this relationship into sharp relief, raising questions about the sustainability of the current funding model of higher education, the report stated. Onward recommended policies that encouraged growing domestic student enrollment, greater transparency in non-UK research funding received by universities, and a possible cap on the proportion of income that could be generated from any particular country to reduce reliance and influence. The Scale of the Problem According to Onwards estimate, during the 2018/19 academic year, UK universities total fee income from mainland Chinese students was 2.1 billion ($2.68 billion), accounting for 11 percent of all higher education fee income last year. While the average UK university makes 7 percent of their total fee income from China-domiciled students, there are 16 institutions for whom Chinese students make up more than a fifth of total fee income. Of these, 12 are research-intensive universities from the elite Russell Group. Ten universities receive more than a quarter of their fee income from mainland Chinese students, including, the Royal College of Art (37 percent), Imperial College (26 percent), University College London (26 percent), and University of Manchester (26 percent). In the 2018/19 academic year, there were 120,385 China-domiciled students at UK universities. This is a 34 percent increase in just five years, up from 89,540 in 2014/15, the report stated. At the postgraduate level, China is an even more significant source of university income. In 2018/19, 20 percent of postgraduates at UK universities were from mainland China. A woman walks through Canterbury Quadrangle in St Johns College in Oxford, England, on March 22, 2012. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images) The number of mainland Chinese students exceeds that from the next largest contributing country, India (26,685), by a ratio of four to one, the report stated. It is nearly ten times the number from Italy (13,965), Malaysia (13,835), France (13,675), or Germany (13,475), the next four largest countries by domicile last year excluding Hong Kong. Influence Such financial dependence on China creates risks for the UK higher education sector, the report said, because we have already seen the CCP using the financial dependence of universities in other countries like Australia, to try to exert political influence. In the event that the Chinese government tries to exert leverage over the UK by discouraging students from coming here (as it has in Australia), UK universities will find they are more exposed than they would be if their international intake was more diversified. People walk past signage for Australian universities in Melbournes central business district on June 10, 2020, (William West/AFP via Getty Images) The report also highlighted growing evidence of state-funded activities on campuses with large Chinese intakes. It cited several instances of how event holders were pressured into cancelling or changing their events, or to censor discussions. In one instance, events relating to Tibet and Taiwan at the University of Nottingham were cancelled following complaints from Chinese officials. In another last year, The London School of Economics considered removing Taiwan from a piece of artwork in response to criticism from China. After an outcry from Taiwanese students, the university placed an asterisk next to Taiwan to designate the countrys disputed borders. Events related to democracy in Hong Kong were also targeted. In October 2019, a group of pro-Hong Kong protesters were forced to take refuge in a lecture theater at Sheffield University after being attacked by a counterdemonstration in support of Beijings crackdown on the former British colony. In November 2019, Chinese students voted down a motion at Warwick University that expressed solidarity with Hong Kong. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The global electric two-wheeler market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period according to a new report by Polaris Market Research. Electric two-wheelers include electric bicycles, electric scooters, electric motorcycles, and others, which are powered through an electric power source. Electric two-wheelers are lightweight, compact, easy to handle, and highly fuel efficient. A small engineering company based in Austria, Johammer, has developed a futuristic electric cruiser, Johammer J1. This bike is equipped with a 2.4-inch digital display attached to its rear-view mirrors, which displays speed, revs, and warnings. It offers a top speed of 75 mph with acceleration of 62 mph in 8 seconds. The bike is designed with motor and controller integrated into the rear wheel to enhance shock absorbance. Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-two-wheeler-market The demand for electric two-wheelers has increased over the years owing to depletion of traditional fuel sources and growing environmental concerns. The growing awareness regarding environmental pollution caused by vehicles run on traditional fuels, and development of public charging infrastructure has increased the adoption of electric two-wheelers. Governments are introducing stringent regulations regarding vehicular emissions, supporting the market growth. Governments across the world have introduced several laws and regulations to monitor vehicular emission. These regulations have mandated two-wheeler manufacturers to use advanced technologies to combat high emission levels in vehicles. The report provides an extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market trends and growth prospects of the Global Electric Two-Wheeler Market, 2017-2026. This report comprises a detailed geographic distribution of the market across North America, Europe, APAC and South America, and MEA. North America is further segmented into U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Europe is divided into Germany, UK, Italy, France, and Rest of Europe. Asia-Pacific is bifurcated into China, India, Japan, and Rest of Asia-Pacific. Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-two-wheeler-market/request-for-sample Asia-Pacific generated the highest revenue in 2017 owing to increasing awareness regarding environment, and growing vehicular population in this region. The increasing resource depletion, and development of public charging infrastructure have resulted in increasing adoption of electric two-wheelers in the region. The global electric Two-Wheeler market is characterized by the presence of well-diversified international and small and medium-sized vendors. These companies are consistently launching new products to enhance their offerings in the market. With the advancement of technologies, companies are innovating and introducing new customized products to cater the growing needs of the customers. Leading companies are also acquiring other companies, and enhancing their product offerings to improve their market reach. Acquisitions enable key players to increase their market potential in terms of geographic expansion and expansion of customer base. The leading companies profiled in the report include Zhejiang Luyuan Electric Vehicle, Yadea Technology Group, Zero Motorcycles, Energica Motor company, Sanyang Industry, Alta Motors, Guangzhou Camqi Electric Vehicle, Yobykes, Ampere Vehicles, and Jiangsu Xinri E-Vehicle Co. Ltd. Make Inquiry about this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/electric-two-wheeler-market/inquire-before-buying 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. Contact us- Polaris Market Research Phone: 1-646-568-9980 Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com The Republican implosion has been a long time coming, and its causes have been documented over many years. In 2012, the political scientists Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, historically respectful of both parties, concluded that the GOP had become ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition. (Disclosure: Theyre friends and sometime co-authors, but you cant write on this subject without citing their brave early protest.) Two years ago, when Jules Miller, the co-founder and chief executive of the Nue Co., a line of vitamin supplements, tried to get her brand on shelves at Barneys New York, a buyer at the store was horrified that Miller wanted to sell products for bloating and constipation next to high-end skin care and makeup. It was easy to get behind ingestible beauty: the idea that consuming capsules or powders could make skin radiant, nails stronger or hair lustrous. But Barneys, now closed, could not conceive of placing items promoting gut health, specifically one that claimed to relieve chronic bloating, on its beauty floor. The beauty industry is becoming more relaxed about addressing grooming concerns previously deemed "unsexy". Credit:iStock "It wasn't always an understanding that retailers had," Miller said. Even so, the Nue Co.'s Prebiotic + Probiotic and Debloat Food + Prebiotic cocktail of digestive enzymes and prebiotics was not a taboo concept to consumers. Combined, the two products make up almost a third of the Nue Co.'s sales, according to Miller. The Royal Exchange in London home to exclusive shops such as Tiffany, Fortnum & Mason, and Boodles is at the heart of one of the world's most vibrant financial centres. But yesterday the landmark, founded in 1566 to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London, was empty despite the Government's call for workers to get back to the office. Staff stood in pristine and beautifully laid out shops waiting for customers, who may not return to work in the City until well into 2021. The reticence to return is being led by Britain's biggest companies, including the banks that form such a central part of the Square Mile and Canary Wharf as well as city centres around the country. Ghost town: The reticence to return is being led by Britain's biggest companies Only yesterday, HSBC told its employees that most staff will not return to the office before September and Royal Bank of Scotland now known as Natwest has said nearly 50,000 staff can work from home until next year. And while Barclays chief executive Jes Staley wants to get 60,000 staff currently 'working from their kitchen tables' back to their desks, he did not put a date on it, instead saying 'it will happen over time'. It's not just the banks. British Airways, Microsoft, National Grid and energy firm SSE are among those saying staff will not return for months. Consumer goods firm Unilever, Britain's biggest listed company, reckons it may never fully get back to the office. More than 10m Britons, around a third of the workforce, will work from home after the pandemic, according to estimates from forecasters at the Centre for Economic and Business Research. And several weeks after shops, bars and pubs were given the green light to trade, many continue to keep their doors shut due to a lack of customers. 'We are literally down to zero customers a week,' Reece Hounslow, 20, who has worked in the Royal Exchange Jewellers for four years, said. 'There used to be thousands of people walking past to the big tower blocks. Now there's nothing.' Several neighbours are still shut, and four other shops lie empty. The silence at the heart of Britain's business district is particularly eerie at nearby Liverpool Street station. At 8.15am the concourse would usually be teeming with thousands of commuters rushing to get to their desks or to meetings. This week, only a brave few made the journey into work, and as a result almost every shop and takeaway in the station was shut. 'If it goes on like this we are all going to lose our jobs, it could be catastrophic, the City will die,' said Dee Pack, an accounts clerk at a London law firm who was commuting in for her second day in the office. 'Because it's not just offices, it's the pubs, the flower seller, the people who fill the water coolers it's everyone.' Barrie Dobson, 66, a business consultant commuting in from Chelmsford, Essex, said: 'It's a nightmare, isn't it? If you've got a business selling something like sandwiches you're in serious trouble.' There are fears the pandemic will create ghost towns out of Britain's great cities. And the dire economic consequences could hurt us all as cultural institutions such as galleries and theatres suffer, businesses collapse and jobs are lost. Takeaway food shops alone generated output of 4billion and employed 226,000 people in 2018. Retail employs 3.2m people, while hospitality is the third largest private sector employer in the UK, twice the size of financial services. Kate Nicholls, head of representative body UK Hospitality, said: 'Around the country, there are countless city centre pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants that are struggling for survival and many that have yet to reopen at all. 'Operators running workplace canteens and cafes have no workers to serve. Without people returning to their offices, many of these hospitality businesses simply won't make it.' MPs have called on the Government to harden its 'back to work' message, but it is an uphill struggle to persuade worried workers on to trains. Around 70 per cent of people are uncomfortable travelling on the train, according to Government statistics, and a survey by the Transport Focus watchdog found most find the journey a 'daunting prospect'. The consequences of fear could be catastrophic. An estimated 20,000 shops across the UK will shut forever this year, according to the Centre for Retail Research, putting 235,000 staff out of work. The jobs catastrophe has begun even before furlough disappears. Two stores with large estates in city centres have made big cuts Pret A Manger is making 1,000 staff redundant and Boots has let 4,000 staff go. Upper Crust last month axed 5,000 of its 9,000 staff in the UK, and TM Lewin, the men's workwear company, has gone bust, leading to 600 job losses. 'It's really highly precarious,' Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of New West End Company, which represents 600 central London businesses, said. 'If more support is not given there could be 50,000 job losses in the West End, and many more in city centres around the country.' The woman, who is a Singapore citizen, had arrived in Singapore from India on July 17. (Representational Image: AFP) Singapore: A 36-year-old woman, who returned from India, has tested positive for COVID-19 in Singapore, the ministry of health said, as the number of coronavirus infections rose to 51,809. Singapore on Wednesday reported three imported COVID-19 cases, including the woman. They were placed under stay-home notice. The woman, who is a Singapore citizen, had arrived in Singapore from India on July 17. Singapore on Thursday reported 278 new COVID-19 cases. "Three of the cases reported on Thursday were foreigners on work passes here while one was a Singaporean," said the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its preliminary update. Today's cases take the national tally to 51,809. There are also four imported cases on Thursday who had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore. With 205 patients discharged on Wednesday, 46,098 patients have fully recovered from the disease, according to the MOH. Singapore so far has reported 27 deaths from COVID-19 complications. Catholic churches vandalized, 1 torched with churchgoers inside Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Several Catholic churches and statues paying homage to one of the most revered figures in Christianity became the targets of violence and vandalism over the weekend. Two Catholic churches were set on fire while statues of the Virgin Mary in major cities across the U.S. were defaced. The wave of vandalism began early Friday morning in the New York City borough of Queens, where a vandal targeted a statue of the Virgin Mary located at Cathedral Prep School and Seminary. Security camera footage captured an individual defacing the statue by spray-painting the word IDOL down the front in black paint, Catholic News Agency reports. Father James Kuroly, rector and president of Cathedral Prep, described the vandalism as an act of hatred while praising the community for the help we have received as well as the prayers. This tragedy saddens us deeply but it also renews our hope and faith in the Lord, as He has shown His goodness in the many people who have reached out to us, Kuroly told CNA. Less than 48 hours after the incident in Queens, a statue of Mary outside St. Peters Catholic Church in Boston, Massachusetts, was set on fire. The perpetrator set fire to the plastic flowers in the statue's hand, which caused damage to the statue's upper body. As he said a prayer next to the statue on Sunday, Rev. John Currie, the pastor of St. Peters, reached out to the person responsible for the damage. I know Our Lady in Heaven is looking down at the soul, or whoever it might have been, and saying, I love you. If you need help, come get help. Were here for you, Currie said, the Boston Herald reported. Early Saturday morning, worshipers gathered inside Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, Florida, faced imminent risk to their lives when 24-year-old Steven Anthony Shields slammed his minivan into the church's front doors and poured gasoline in the foyer before setting it on fire. The Ocala Star-Banner reports that Shields described his act of violence as awesome and relayed his grievances with the Catholic Church to law enforcement officials. The Orlando Sentinel reported that no one was injured in the attack. Shields is being held at the Marion County jail without bond on several charges, including attempted second-degree murder, first-degree arson, burglary with assault and eluding law enforcement. On the same day that Shields plowed his minivan into Queen of Peace, the San Gabriel Mission, a historic Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, dating back a quarter millennium, caught fire. Jose Gomez, archbishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles, described the landmark as the historic cornerstone and the spiritual heart of Los Angeles and the Catholic community here, according to Catholic San Francisco. While no one was injured in the San Gabriel Mission fire, it suffered significant damage after its roof collapsed from the fire and the inside of the structure was burned. Capt. Antonio Negrete of the San Gabriel Fire Department told Fox11 that the cause of the fire is still being determined. He stressed that the recent destruction of a statue of St. Junipero Serra in San Francisco will be a factor in an arson investigation. Serra founded the church in 1771 during the era of Spanish colonization. Last month, as he exorcised the site where the statue of St. Serra once stood, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco described the destruction of the statue as the activity of the evil one who wants to bring down the Church, who wants to bring down all Christian believers. Largest US public university system requires ethnic studies Ethnic and social justice studies will join English and science courses as graduation requirements at California State University, after the Board of Trustees at the nations largest four-year public university system approved the idea Wednesday. The change made amid the national reckoning over racism and police brutality will take effect in three years and represent the first change to the schools general education curriculum in over 40 years. Meanwhile, the state Legislature is considering a bill to require ethnic studies, a more narrowly focused proposal that wouldnt count social justice classes. If passed and signed by the governor, the measure would overrule the action by California State University, a possible scenario denounced by school leaders as an intrusion into academia. ADVERTISEMENT The Assembly has to review minor amendments before the bill could be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The plan approved by California State University trustees allows students to choose from a wider array of ethnic studies topics to fulfill the course requirement than the Legislatures bill. It lets students take courses on social justice that explore issues such as the criminal justice system and public health disparities. Its grounded in ethnic studies, but it is broader, more inclusive, gives students choice, Chancellor Timothy White said before voting in favor of the change. Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a San Diego Democrat and former professor, authored the Legislatures bill. While trustees and legislators agree on the need for more ethnic studies, Weber and supporters of her proposal say the mandate adopted by the university system is weaker because it allows social justice classes. This is not a requirement for ethnic studies, trustee Silas Abrego said ahead of the vote. He was one of the few members to vote against the plan, saying the ethnic studies faculty was not consulted on the proposal. He favors Webers bill. Her bill would take effect in the 2021-2022 academic year and require students to take one course focusing on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans or Latina and Latino Americans. ADVERTISEMENT The universitys proposal would take effect in the 2023-2023 academic year. The universitys plan would cost $3 million to $4 million, while the bill is estimated to need $16 million for implementation. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who sits on the Cal State board, voted against the proposal. He spoke in favor of the bills approach to the four ethnic groups. As chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, Weber has written that her legislation was prompted because the university was too slow on setting a requirement after announcing ethnic studies plans almost five years ago. She noted the California Faculty Association supports her bill. The association, which represents 29,000 faculty members at California State University, has said the aim should be teaching students about the experiences of minorities and people of color in the U.S. Trustee Lateefah Simon called the schools proposal exhaustive and thoughtful but voted against it, saying its social justice umbrella approach might allow students to forgo ethnic studies curricula. An injury is no less painful if it is caused by accident rather than intent. If its serious, the damage is lasting because of the injury itself, and not because it was inflicted by malice. That was the basis of decisions in 2015 by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Obama administration to strengthen a provision of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which would stop discrimination in housing. The Trump administration is retreating from those decisions. The Fair Housing Act, signed into law four days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., was the last major piece of legislation to be marched and protested into existence by the civil rights movement. It prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, sex, religion or national origin and sought to end residential discrimination. Embedded in the act is a directive that local and state governments, and any recipient of Housing and Urban Development funding, affirmatively further its goals of fair housing and equal opportunity. In 2015, in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, the Supreme Court ruled the act not only prevents intentional discrimination in the marketplace but also race-neutral policies that didnt have that intent, but nevertheless have a disparate impact in discriminating against minorities. Again lasting harm created regardless of intent. A few weeks later, the Obama administration strengthened the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision with a rule that local jurisdictions examine patterns of racial discrimination in housing, report their findings every three to five years, and set goals and track the progress of reducing housing segregation. We hailed this change as marked progress with the noble aim of making neighborhoods more integrated. That is, not confining poor people to poor neighborhoods. It is an important policy step toward ensuring access for all to quality schools, grocery stores and parks. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing was defined as taking meaningful actions that, taken together, address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, replacing segregated living patterns, transferring racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws. Last week, HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced that the Obama administrations rule would be replaced by a new one called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice, which defines fair housing as affordable, safe, decent, free of unlawful discrimination, and accessible under civil rights laws. This change in policy was expected, but it comes after repeated accusations from President Donald Trump that Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing was a threat to suburban housewives and the survival of suburbs. The origins of decades of residential segregation isnt by happenstance, chance or the poor choices of residents, but in the design of government policies dating back to the New Deal, including the use of redlining to deny the insuring of mortgages in or near black neighborhoods. These policies also led to economic segregation through the concentration of public housing and low-income people in neighborhoods cut off from resources, opportunities and hope. They shaped some school district boundaries, and in turn have narrowed and confined education, opportunity and lives. Underlying the Obama administrations rule was the recognition that segregation created intentionally by government policy should be reversed intentionally through government policy. Allowing low-income families to use housing vouchers to live in better neighborhoods isnt assaulting those neighborhoods, its allowing access to opportunity. Poverty and ones ZIP code need not be destiny, but so often is. The National Association of Realtors, which acknowledged its role in helping create entrenched patterns of residential segregation, has said the Trump administrations new policy significantly weakens the federal governments commitment to the goals of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act was signed during a time of civil unrest from Kings assassination, which signaled the end of the civil rights movement. That its been weakened at the beginning of a new movement demanding that the nation address structural inequities is ironic and sad. Bluefields(Nicaragua): A fierce hurricane and a powerful offshore earthquake struck Central America at the same time, triggering emergency responses in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica, and prayers among fearful populations. Hurricane Otto, a storm packing winds of 175 kilometres (110 miles) per hour hit first, ploughing into Nicaraguas southern Caribbean coast. Communities in that zone and in northern neighbouring Costa Rica were on Wednesday evacuated ahead of it. There were no immediate reports of any deaths. Just an hour later came the earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.0 and located 120 kilometres off El Salvador in the Pacific Ocean, on the other side of the Central American isthmus. It was felt also in Nicaraguas capital Managua and in Costa Rica. Also read | 5.6-magnitude earthquake shakes Japan, no tsunami warning issued While there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the temblor, El Salvador and Nicaragua issued a tsunami alert for their Pacific coasts, and El Salvador ordered all people in the zone to evacuate. 7.2 earthquake, 154km SSW of Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador. 2016-11-24 12:43:51 at epicenter (8m ago, depth 33km). https://t.co/4YR9npwoi3 Earthquakes Tsunamis (@NewEarthquake) November 24, 2016 The double whammy was a dire test for a largely poor region generally lacking resources and preparedness for major disasters. Faced with a hurricane and possible tsunami, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Thursday declared a national emergencya step Costa Rica had already taken ahead of Hurricane Otto. The storm was expected to chew its way along a broad swath of territory on both sides of the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border into Friday, losing strength as it went. But the US National Hurricane Center warned Ottos trailing rains will likely result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Earlier this week, the outer bands of the storm caused the deaths of four people in Panama.The hurricane came ashore Thursday near San Juan de Nicaragua, also known as Greytown, south of the city of Bluefields and close to the Costa Rican border. The wind is very strong and its raining a lot, a local resident, Aldrick Beckford, told AFP by telephone. We just saw neighbours roofs collapse. A reporter for Nicaraguan state television in San Juan de Nicaragua described a difficult situation with brutal gusts. There are cables fallen, trees brought down, he told Channel 4 television. The wind lifted off the roof of the town hall, which had been operating as an emergency coordination center. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. BAD HOMBURG VOR DER HOEHE (dpa-AFX) - Fresenius Group (FSNUF.PK, FSNPF.PK) reported that second quarter net income attributable to Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA declined 13 percent year-on-year to 411 million euros. Group net income before special items decreased by 13% to 410 million euros. Excluding estimated COVID-19 effects, net income growth before special items would have been 0% to 4%. Before special items, earnings per share was 0.74 euros compared to 0.85 euros. Before special items, EBIT was 1.12 billion euros, flat with prior year. Second quarter sales were 8.92 billion euros, an increase of 2% from previous year. Organic sales growth was 2%. Excluding estimated COVID-19 effects, Group sales growth would have been 6% to 7%. For fiscal 2020, Fresenius now expects, including estimated COVID-19 effects, constant currency sales growth of 3% to 6% and constant currency net income to be in between a decline of 4% to an increase of 1%. This replaces the original guidance, excluding COVID-19 effects, projecting constant currency sales growth of 4% to 7% and constant currency net income growth of 1% to 5%. Fresenius has postponed its Annual General Meeting to August 28, 2020. The Group's dividend proposal remains unchanged at 0.84 euros per share. Fresenius Medical Care reported that its second quarter adjusted net income increased by 40% year-on-year to 351 million euros (up 38% at constant currency). Revenue increased by 5% to 4.56 billion euros (up 5% at constant currency), with organic growth of 4%. Fresenius Medical Care has confirmed its financial targets for fiscal 2020 inclusive of anticipated COVID-19 effects. It continues to project both revenue and net income to grow at a mid to high single digit rate in 2020. Fresenius Medical Care has postponed its Annual General Meeting to August 27, 2020. The proposed dividend remains unchanged at 1.20 euros per entitled share. 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. Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has continued to be the largest contributor of Coronavirus infections in the country, by registering 10,093 new cases on Wednesday. This is the highest-ever single-day spike in the state. The state witnessed 65 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state government has carried out 34,083 tests per million population and has registered Covid-19 positive rate at 6.61 against the national average of 8.63. Maharashtra has tested 15,791 samples for one million population and has registered Covid-19 positive rate at 19.85 while Telangana has tested 9,646 samples for million population and has registered Covid-19 positive rate at 15.08. Health authorities say the state has ramped up its testing capacity and even conducted over 70,584 samples in a day. On an average, the state has been conducting 50,447.7 tests per day as since July 20 onwards, 5,04,477 tests have been conducted for Covid-19 covering 10 days. AP has recorded Covid-19 recovery rate at 46.02 and mortality rate at 1.01 against national average of morality at 2.23. The state has been spending Rs 350 crore per month to provide healthcare to the Covid-19 suspected and infected patients. In its Covid-19 bulletin released here on Wednesday, the state health department said, out of 70,584 samples tested, 10,093 individuals have been found infected with Coronavirus, rising overall tally to 1,20,390. Out of 18,20,009 samples tested for Covid-19 so far in the state, 63,771 infected patients are in hospital while 55,406 have been discharged after recovery from various hospitals. Among new infections, East Godavari has topped the list by registering the highest ever 1,676 new cases followed by 1,371 in Anantapur, 1,124 in Guntur, 1,091 in Kurnool, 841 in Visakhapatnam, 819 in Chittoor, 779 in West Godavari, 734 in Kadapa, 608 in Nellore, 496 in Srikakulam, 259 in Krishna, 242 in Prakasam and 53 in Vizianagaram. In terms of cumulative number of cases, Kurnool leads the list with 14,471 cases, followed by Guntur with 12,816 cases, Anantapur with 12,358, East Godavari with 11,896, West Godavari with 10,356, Chittoor 9,080, Visakhapatnam 8,559, Kadapa 6,477, Krishna 6,259, Nellore 5,753, Srikakulam 5,582 Prakasam 4,443 and Vizianagaram 3,602. The state also recorded the highest number of 65 deaths, rising toll to 1,213. East Godavari registered 14 followed by eight from Anantapur, seven from Vizianagaram, six from Chittoor, five each from Kurnool and Nellore, four each from Krishna and Prakasam, three each from Guntur and Kadapa, two each from Srikakulam,Visakhapatnam and West Godavari. Death toll also has been high in Kurnool with the district reporting 179 fatalities. Krishna district, which reported a considerably lesser number of cases, stood second with 157 deaths. East Godavari reported the third largest death toll in the state with 148 fatalities, followed by Guntur 112, Anantapur 97, Chittoor 95, Vizag 92, West Godavari 91, Srikakulam 65, Prakasam 53, Vizianagaram 51, Nellore 37 and Kadapa 36. In Tirupati urban police district, a 46 year old woman head constable attached to Alipiri police station was infected with Covid-19 and succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment at state Covid-19 hospital at Tirupati late Tuesday night. Satrvadi Selvi, joined the police department in 1991 and had been working at Alipiri police station in the last six years as a head constable. Her body was cremated by following Covid-19 protocol on Wednesday evening. She was the third police personnel succumbing to the Coronavirus in TUPD. West Godavari district administration has announced 26 new containment zones and has advised people to stay put at their homes assuring to supply essential commodities at their doorsteps. However, it has closed 14 containment zones with no case of Coronavirus infection reported in the last 28 days. In Krishna district, transport minister Perni Venkata Ramaiah has announced total lockdown in Machilipatnam municipal corporation and several villages falling in the mandal from August 3 to 9 for seven days given the rise in Covid-19 cases. The minister said the lockdown will be relaxed from 6 am to 9 am every day to allow people to buy essential commodities. With the day between August 5 and 8 being auspicious when several marriages are scheduled, the minister asked people to approach Machilipatnam tahsildar to get red-zone wedding passes for 25 persons to attend the marriage. SANTA ANA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company in North America, received a letter of appreciation from the U.S. Department of Justice's United States Marshals Service regarding the apprehension of Gerald Hunter, who was #1 on the Most Wanted list of the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) St. Louis Strike Force's West Central Region due to his suspected role in the illegal trafficking of Fentanyl. Allied Universal's security team provided crucial intelligence to the U.S. Marshals which led to the successful capture of the fugitive. An arrest warrant had been issued for Gerald Hunter, charging him with "conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl" in 2017. Hunters evaded DEA agents for several years, being described by the DEA and his con-conspirators as a 'ghost" who was proficient in separating his name from everything he touched, often being three levels removed. In concert with information provided by Allied Universal, Gerald Hunter was recently apprehended by the U.S. Marshalls at an apartment building in Los Angeles, where Allied Universal is the security service provider. Allied Universal personnel provided the U.S. Marshals with the tactical advantage they needed, allowing them to execute their plan and successfully apprehend Hunter. "This team represents Allied Universal's Be Phenomenal culture which strives for excellence and connects us closer the communities in which we serve," said Steve Jones, Chairman & CEO of Allied Universal. "The team's dedication and commitment to safeguarding our communities, as well as the people of our nation, is extremely honorable and courageous." About Allied Universal Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company with 235,000 employees and revenues over $8.5 billion, provides unparalleled security services and technology solutions. With offices located throughout the nation as well as internationally (Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom), Allied Universal is responsible for protecting more than 50,000 client sites covering multiple specialty sectors such as higher education, healthcare, retail, commercial real estate, government and corporate campuses, etc. Supported by vast experience gained from being in business for over 60 years, Allied Universal provides proactive security services and cutting-edge smart technology to deliver evolving, tailored solutions that allow clients to focus on their core business. Through world-class customer service, highly advanced systems and cohesive technology solutionsAllied Universal is There for you. For more information, please visit www.aus.com. Media Contacts : Vanessa Showalter, Allied Universal/PR Manager Phone: 714-619-9744 Email: Vanessa.Showalter@aus.com Nancy Thompson, Vorticom Public Relations Phone: 212-532-2208 Email: nancyt@vorticom.com SOURCE: Allied Universal View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/599566/Allied-Universal-Aids-in-Capture-of-Major-Fugitive SYDNEY, Australia - An Australian woman has taken her ex-husband to court for giving their 16-year-old daughter permission to get a tattoo. Bradley Victory, 45, pleaded not guilty in Picton Local Court outside Sydney on Wednesday to charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The charges stem from an ankle tattoo of a dreamcatcher, a symbol with Native American origins, The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday. His ex-wife Nadene Rees brought the private prosecution. Private individuals can prosecute others in Australian courts in circumstances in which police wont lay charges. Their daughter, Casey Victory, who has turned 17 since she got the tattoo last New Years Eve, supported her father in court. Its horrible ... Dads done nothing wrong and it was my choice to get it done, she told the newspaper. Dad ummed and aahed about it ... Dads like: Im not going to be hypocritical hes got tattoos, she added. Under New South Wales state law, it is illegal to tattoo anyone under the age of 18 without written permission from a parent or guardian. Defence lawyer Carolyn Shiels told the court in a letter that the daughter had had no contact with her mother in three years. Shiels confirmed the father had signed the consent form. Court documents show that parental responsibility for the daughter is shared equally between the mother, father and the fathers parents. The case will return to court in September. Bradley Victory told the newspaper outside court: She was 16, she got a tattoo and her mother doesnt want her to have a tattoo. Right now in Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and other cities across America, anarchists are rioting in the streets demanding change. That change is centered on the concept that the very existence of the United States is wrong; that somehow these rioters know better than did our Founding Fathers; and if they had been around 250 years ago, this would now be a land of milk and honey and not a land of injustice -- so they claim. Are their claims valid? Lets have a look. Since everyone seems to have problems with government, ask yourself, why were governments established in the first place? Was it to provide housing for the poor, educate the young, build roads for trade, or to build aqueducts for water distribution? Of course, the answer is "no." So, what is governments purpose? Governments were established to provide security, to provide for a common defense. During mankinds prehistoric, nomadic days, it was family against family and tribe against tribe. The only way to protect your family, or your tribe, was to organize for the common defense. Once a large group gathers together, there must be some type of organized hierarchy or nothing gets accomplished. So, someone was designated the military leader, and that person usually became the tribes leader as well -- because he was backed by those who did the fighting. The security that ensued from the common defense gave stability to society. It allowed tribes to develop civilizations that then built roads and bridges, educated the populace, developed commerce, etc. However, the #1 purpose of government, at all levels, is to provide security and to protect the populace -- thats why we tolerate the other inefficiencies of government. Without security, trade doesnt develop because it will only be stolen. Without security, without protection, nothing else matters. The Preamble to the Constitution states that the Constitution was established to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence (sic), to promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity. The more perfect Union was an attempt to move the colonies from the weak, ineffective, imperfect union under the Articles of Confederation (AC) to a better form of government. The AC had many problems, mostly centered on a lack of power to enforce laws. The colonies needed something more perfect to replace the AC. The worthy attempt by the Constitution to establish Justice should be self-evident. The Constitution recognized that we need a government that applies the laws equally to all citizens, regardless of race, color, creed or gender. Throughout our history that has not always been the case. Is that the fault of the Constitution? Or is it more likely that men (and women) are not perfect, never have been, and it is flawed individuals who unequally apply the Constitution and current laws to the immediate situation as they see fit? The term domestic Tranquility refers to peace and order; the ability of citizens to be secure from harm, and for property to be safe from destruction. Tranquility centers on local governments establishing and enforcing laws that create good order and discipline in the community. This goes to the very heart of government which is to provide security and stability. Who would open a restaurant or a trade if security cannot be guaranteed? Or open a business if officials did nothing to lawbreakers? Answer -- nobody. Right now, across the nation, Democrat mayors and governors are failing to provide domestic tranquility. Portland, Oregon has experienced 60 consecutive days of rioting in which large areas of downtown are occupied by anarchists who loot businesses and burn cars; people who interfere are beaten. Yet Portlands Mayor Ted Wheeler does nothing. Actually, Wheeler supports the rioters in that he told the police to stand down. Wheeler even showed up to riot with them and was tear-gassed. The same thing is happening in Seattle, Chicago, and New York. Mayors in those cities have prioritized burning and looting over the domestic tranquility of its citizens. Its a bizarre world when every single Democrat politician in major cities such as St. Louis, Oakland, Portland, Chicago, and Austin do nothing to prevent businesses from being destroyed. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot did nothing to the mob that injured 18 police officers protecting a statue of Columbus. Instead, she appeased the mob by having Columbus torn down. In St. Louis, a 300-person mob threatened a family with violence. The family flashed guns to keep the mob away; yet the St. Louis attorney general charged the couple with assault, and did nothing to the threatening mob. Domestic tranquility is trampled when laws are selectively enforced and when lawbreakers (i.e. criminals) are prioritized over the victims. A regulated and disciplined police force is what insures our domestic tranquility. In what can only be described as domestic terrorism, a war is being waged against law enforcement. Its unlike anything weve ever seen. Never before have elected officials (mayors, councilmen, aldermen, governors, etc.) been openly hostile to the law. In cities and states across the nation, police officers are screamed at, yelled at, beaten, and killed while officials in Chicago, NYC, Minneapolis, and St. Louis do nothing. Actually, they do worse than nothing -- police are told to not enforce the laws. And rioters who get arrested are released with no bail, which only encourages and emboldens further lawlessness. I cannot imagine what citizens in those cities are thinking and experiencing when videos in city after city clearly show that laws are not being enforced, businesses are looted and burned, people are beaten and killed, and politicians do nothing to prevent the destruction. Getting back to my original question about injustice, these riots have nothing to do with justice or injustice. As Rahm Emmanuel famously said, never let a crisis go to waste. This crisis is an attempt to destroy the country. If the Joe Biden anarchists are successful, what would replace the Constitution? Look at Cuba and Venezuela for your answer. Police have accused a trio of women who triggered a health emergency in south-east Queensland of illegally hosting a party in Melbourne's CBD party that resulted in two arrests and $30,000 worth of fines. Police sources have alleged Olivia Muranga, Diana Lasu and another visitor from Queensland threw a party inside a Victoria One apartment on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne's CBD, before testing positive to the virus on their return home. The third Queensland woman has returned a negative test but remains in quarantine. The trio have since been charged with fraud after they allegedly failed to declare their Melbourne holiday. She has just jetted back from a sunny holiday abroad. And Megan Barton Hanson showed off her bronzed tan as she took to Instagram on Thursday to share some sultry mirror selfies. The Love Island star, 26, flaunted her incredible hourglass curves in a white corset crop top and high waisted denim shorts. Racy display: Megan Barton Hanson showed off her bronzed tan as she took to Instagram on Thursday to share some sultry mirror selfies Megan showed off her ample cleavage in the tight-fitting top which had eyelet detailing on the bust. The television personality proudly put her ice blue Chanel quilted bag at the forefront of the picture and accessorised her skimpy outfit with gold jewellery. She cryptically captioned the post: 'Her hair is so big because its full of secrets'. Strike a pose: The Love Island star, 26, flaunted her incredible hourglass curves in a white corset crop top and high waisted denim shorts Megan has joined the likes of Kerry Katona, Danielle Lloyd and American star Blac Chyna in launching an accounts with OnlyFans over recent months. 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. Wow! Earlier this week, Megan set pulses racing as she slipped into a semi-sheer blue bodysuit 'That was half the issue before Love Island so for that, I use a dating app,' she explained. '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.' (Natural News) Last year, Big League Politics reported on the harrowing case of 4-year-old Drake Pardo who was kidnapped from his parents by the Child Protective Services (CPS) of Texas. (Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com) According to court documents, CPS claimed that Drakes mother Ashley Pardo was exaggerating and lying about [her sons] symptoms and conditions and demanding an unnecessary surgical procedure to place a G-tube in order to justify the kidnapping. The video of the Soviet-style raid on the Pardo family can be seen here: Ashley Pardo noted that her son had been treated for epilepsy, sleep apnea, immunodeficiency and fevers, autism, behavioral problems, cerebral palsy, dysautonomia, developmental delays and problems with feeding and swallowing, and she was simply looking out for what was best for her special needs son. For being an attentive mother, her child was ripped away from her. The Texas Supreme Court ultimately did the right thing and ordered for Drake to be returned home and for CPS to drop the case. However, the vindictive CPS was not finished punishing the Pardo family for fighting back against their overreach. Drakes parents have been placed on the child abuse registry by CPS, which appears on their record when performing background checks. This could stop them from being able to obtain employment or even volunteer at their sons school or church events. CPS made this determination without any input from a judge. They have the ability to unilaterally place innocent families on their abuse registry and have placed the Pardos in a registry next to murderers and rapists out of what seems to be spite. The Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) has been representing the Pardos and are gearing up for the next stage of their fight against CPS. The Pardos are filing an appeal to the Office of Consumer Relations (OCR), an office within CPS that reviews appeals filed against the agency. Last year, the Pardos suffered traumatic injustice at the hands of CPS. Drake spent four months in foster care and the Pardos fought six months in court before finally being cleared of all charges. Now, this innocent family is being punished anyway, the THSC wrote in their press release about the case. CPS protects thousands of children every year who desperately need their assistance, but this type of abuse of innocent families causes the agency to become the source of harm to a child instead of that childs protector, they added. They have started a petition and are attempting to spur a letter-writing campaign to public officials to get their attention on this injustice. They also want people to call Gov. Greg Abbott to get the issue on his radar and donate to the cause if they can. CPS is one of the most evil government agencies in existence, regularly funneling children to abusers while punishing Christian parents who love their children. Big League Politics will continue to follow the Pardo familys case as their appeal is processed. Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com Lonza Disinfectant Ingredients Secure U.S. EPA Approval for Surface Use Against SARS-CoV-2 Virus More than 10 Lonza products approved to kill SARS-CoV-2 on hard surfaces Unprecedented demand for quat-based disinfectant products during COVID-19 pandemic Lonza has committed to increasing production to meet the surge in demand for hygiene products to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 Morristown, NJ (USA), 30 July 2020- This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that several Lonza products have been tested directly against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and have been specifically approved to kill the virus on hard surfaces. The approved Lonza products include: Lonzagard RCS-256 Plus (EPA Reg. No. 6836-349) Lonzagard RCS-128 Plus (EPA Reg. No. 6836-348) Lonzagard S-21 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-75) Lonzagard R-82 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-78) Lonzagard S-21F (EPA Reg. No. 6836-140) Lonzagard S-18 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-77) Lonzagard S-18F (EPA Reg. No. 6836-136) Lonzagard R-82F (EPA Reg. No. 6836-139) Lonzagard DC-103 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-152) Lonzagard R-82G (EPA Reg. No. 6836-381) Lonzagard RCS-256 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-346) Lonzagard RCS-128 (EPA Reg. No. 6836-347) "We have seen unprecedented demand for quat-based disinfectant products and we know the important role many Lonza products play in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic," said Ernesto Lippert, Lonza Vice President of Strategic Development & Advocacy. "We are pleased the EPA has approved these products as effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and commit to working to continue to meet the incredible demand for these critical products." For more information on Lonza's work in Microbial Control Solutions visit our website here: https://microbialmanagement.lonza.com About Lonza At Lonza, we combine technological innovation with world class manufacturing and process excellence. Together, these enable our customers to deliver their discoveries in the healthcare, preservation, and protection sectors. We are a preferred global partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. We work to prevent illness and promote a healthier world by enabling our customers to deliver innovative medicines that help treat or even cure a wide range of diseases. We also offer a broad range of microbial control solutions, which help to create and maintain a healthy environment. Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today operates in 120 sites and offices in more than 35 countries. With approximately 15,500 full-time employees, we are built from high-performing teams and of individual employees who make a meaningful difference to our own business, as well as the communities in which we operate. The company generated sales of CHF 5.9 billion in 2019 with a CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.6 billion. Find out more at www.lonza.com and follow us on Twitter @LonzaGroup or Facebook @LonzaGroupAG. Lonza Contact Details Media: Victoria Morgan Head of Corporate Communications +41 79 599 6260 victoria.morgan@lonza.com Investor Relations: Dirk Oehlers VP - Investor Relations +41 79 421 1609 dirk.oehlers@lonza.com Additional Information and Disclaimer Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST"). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST's continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual. Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-29 22:45:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Russian navy ships sail during a military parade to celebrate Russian Navy Day in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 26, 2020. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua) The Russian drills come shortly after the Ukrainian-U.S. naval exercises Sea Breeze 2020 ended on Monday in the Black Sea. MOSCOW, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Russian warships have begun large-scale drills in the Black Sea, the country's defense ministry said Wednesday on the heels of U.S.-led exercises in the same region. Accompanied by warplanes and helicopters, over 20 ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including a frigate, small missile ships and large landing vessels, are participating in the drills, the ministry said. The troops will undergo training in naval combat, as well as anti-aircraft and anti-sabotage defense. The Russian drills come shortly after the Ukrainian-U.S. naval exercises Sea Breeze 2020 ended on Monday in the Black Sea. The week-long exercises involved some 2,000 servicemen and over 20 ships and aircraft from eight countries, namely Ukraine, the United States, Bulgaria, Georgia, Spain, Norway, Romania and Turkey. The annual exercises have been held in Ukraine since 1997 as part of the Partnership for Peace program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (Natural News) The rioters who have besieged the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland, Ore., for weeks are ramping up their attacks against the vastly outnumbered federal agents assigned to protect the enclave of the Judicial Branch from being overrun and destroyed. In recent days, federal officials have discovered caches of weapons including loaded ammunition magazines and Molotov cocktails that the peaceful protesters of Antifa and Black Lives Matter have stockpiled for use against the federal enclave. Last weekend, the violence became more intense, as rioters hurled explosives laden with nails and the fiery bottles of fuel at the courthouse and the federal agents charged with defending it. BREAKING: rioters throw what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail at federal agents dispersing crowds pic.twitter.com/67hJvnYEB5 ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) July 27, 2020 Breitbart News noted: Portland Police did not assist federal law enforcement in dispersing the crowds and did not make any arrests late Sunday or early Monday morning. The violence coincided with police recovering a bag filled with loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails near Lownsdale Square Park. Portland Police provided a picture of the discovery on social media. Tonight Portland Police were near Lownsdale Square Park. A person pointed out a bag to them. Inside the bag Police found loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails pic.twitter.com/ytpu9pZjqG Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) July 27, 2020 Its not clear who placed the cache or who is responsible for assembling the weaponry, but clearly the find represents a substantial escalation of the violence which has rocked a portion of the Rose City for more than two months. The Portland Police Bureau said that the origin of this ammunition and these destructive devices is under investigation, but as of this writing, there are no additional details. (Related: Portland rioters ARMED with knives, rifles and explosives Attorney General Barr.) Meanwhile, Anarchy Democrats continue to deny that theres anything going on in Portland, or a dozen other cities were federal agents and local police are under attack nightly. Like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler. I ran into Jerry Nadler in DC and asked him to disavow the Antifa violence/rioting in Portland. His response? THATS A MYTH pic.twitter.com/veImyE2rju Essential Fleccas (@fleccas) July 27, 2020 In a separate report, Breitbart Texas noted that investigators discovered that domestic terrorists placed nails in commercial-grade fireworks used against the Atlanta Field Office for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service: Breitbart Texas reviewed an FBI activity alert regarding the use of modified fireworks during the demonstrations in Atlanta, which began on July 25. The alert states that approximately 100 to 200 people dressed in dark clothing, backpacks, goggles, and helmets approached the ICE office in Atlanta. The subjects reportedly carried shields, bats, and large sticks. After the attack on the federal office, bomb technicians discovered commercial grade fireworks with nails embedded in the mortar shell, the FBI document said, according to Breitbart. This kind of device is clearly designed to maim or injure anyone who might be close when it goes off, one federal official not authorized to discuss the finding publicly told the news outlet. Video of the attack also shows rioters using green lasers which are designed to blind federal officers. DHS/ICE Field Office ransacked by frontliners in Atlanta in solidarity with the freedom fighters of the #PortlandProtests and every other suffering poor person trying to build a new world.#PortlandSolidarity #GeorgeFloyd #RayshardBrooks #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/kl7t3hiEKA Acid Vitalist League (@AcidVitalism) July 26, 2020 On Wednesday, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown claimed that she had made a deal with Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump administration officials to have federal officers at the Hatfield Courthouse withdrawn and replaced by state troopers. After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence, she tweeted. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown PortlandOur local Oregon State Police officers will be downtown to protect Oregonians right to free speech and keep the peace. Lets center the Black Lives Matter movements demands for racial justice and police accountability. Its time for bold action to reform police practices. Our local Oregon State Police officers will be downtown to protect Oregonians' right to free speech and keep the peace. Let's center the Black Lives Matter movement's demands for racial justice and police accountability. It's time for bold action to reform police practices. Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 29, 2020 But thats not true. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf clarified that federal officers werent budging until Oregon and Portland officials stopped the nightly attacks. As I told the Governor yesterday, federal law enforcement will remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack, Wolf said. As I told the Governor yesterday, federal law enforcement will remain in Portland until the violent activity toward our federal facilities ends. We are not removing any law enforcement while our facilities and law enforcement remain under attack. Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) July 29, 2020 Sources include: TrendingPolitics.com Breitbart.com NaturalNews.com Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Credit Logement Global Credit Research - 29 Jul 2020 Paris, July 29, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Credit Logement and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history. Key rating considerations are summarized below. Credit Logement's long-term issuer rating of Aa3 has been stable since 2013 and reflects the dominant position of Credit Logement in housing loan guarantee in France (around 37% of market share), the high capital base and capacity of Credit Logement to transfer losses to borrowers through the mutual guarantee fund during stress periods, the commitment of shareholders to support the solvency of the institution and the correlation between Credit Logement's financial strength and the quality of its investment portfolio, which is mitigated by the collateralization of some deposits and purchase of bonds eligible to ECB refinancing. Story continues This document summarizes Moody's view as of the publication date and will not be updated until the next periodic review announcement, which will incorporate material changes in credit circumstances (if any) during the intervening period. The principal methodology used for this review was Mortgage Insurers Methodology published in November 2019. 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The scientists aim to identify mutations or genetic variants in Peruvians' genome, which predispose this population to a higher risk of COVID-19 severity. The GWAS is a statistical analysis of genome-wide association studies that requires hundreds of thousands of statistical calculations applied to genomic data in order to identify genetic variants that may be associated with a phenotype (a specific trait), in this case, the COVID-19 severity. Meddly Santolalla a Huanuco-born researcher at Lima-based Cayetano Heredia University and leader of the group explained that DNA samples will be voluntarily obtained from COVID-19 patients all over Peru. In addition, she said, exons (any part of a gene) that may be associated with varying levels of COVID-19 severity will be evaluated. Both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients will participate in the research. The project will include the identification of new therapeutic targets, which will be made by using bioinformatic analysis. "We will browse the druggable genome database in search for existing drugs that correct the effects of the variants found in previous GWAS analysis," Santolalla said. "Regarding the drugs, the most viable, rapid and realistic drug strategy in developing countries and in the context of the coming economic crisis is 'drug repositioning.' The identified drugs would be new candidates for future in vitro experiments or clinical trials ," she added. Importance of the research The Peruvian researcher affirmed that the study would identify risk groups, or groups vulnerable to the disease , and promote future research on therapeutic targets. (END) SPV/RMB/MVB Starting August, a team of researchers will study the genetic architecture of COVID-19 in the Peruvian population through the statistical analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS).Published: 7/30/2020 Photo: Twitter A 39-year-old Richmond man is facing charges after allegedly luring and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl from Winnipeg while visiting that city last year. Radouene Bentroudi has been charged with luring a person under 16, sexual assault, sexual interference and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18. The Winnipeg Police Service allege Bentroudi picked up an underage girl on the street and allegedly paid for sex, while in Winnipeg in June 2019. The next day, Bentroudi allegedly went to the 13-year-old girls home, and her guardian was made aware of the incident, according to WPS. He then allegedly made a fake Facebook account and attempted to connect with the victim. Through an investigation, police claim the account was created by Bentroudi, which prompted a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest. On July 22, WPS arrived in Richmond and arrested Bentroudi at his home with the help of the Richmond RCMP. Bentroudi has been released on an order with conditions. ORO VALLEY, Ariz., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tautachrome (OTC: TTCM), the creators of ARknet, today announced the launch of TravelPin inside the ARknet mobile platform. TravelPin allows travelers and vacationers the ability to create, share, and explore geo-located augmented reality TravelPins all around the world that are filled with photos, memories, travel experiences, and more. Users can create TravelPins and display years or even decades of travel experiences or browse others and add those places to your bucket list. TravelPins are a worldwide mapped community of geo-located 3D augmented objects which live inside of the larger ARknet social platform. Users can interact with these TravelPins and other 3D objects in augmented reality by using ARknet's "Summon" and "Teleport" features. Summoning allows for a user to select a TravelPin from anywhere in the world and manifest it in augmented reality at their current location for interaction. Teleporting temporarily positions a user's geo-location anywhere in the world allowing for exploration and creating as if they were actually there. Visit or create travel pins in the United States, Spain, Antarctica, or anywhere in the world where you have traveled. At the core of ARknet's mission is content and data privacy. When a user creates their TravelPins, it is at their discretion whether their content is private for only them to see, has restricted access only viewable by friends, or public for all to experience and interact with. David LaMountain, Tautachrome's COO said, "We are excited to officially launch ARknet's TravelPin brand as people love to explore, create, and share with others. Even though 2020 thus far has seen a halt to the majority of the world's travel plans, TravelPin still allows for users to not only share a lifetime of past experiences but also explore others' and decide where they are headed next." In the coming months, we will be launching other new and exciting brands inside the ARknet platform. Stay tuned as we bring even more fun and utility for communities all over the world. Visit www.TravelPin.io to learn more or download ARknet to begin exploring and creating. Download ARknet for Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.honeycombarchive.arknet Download ARknet for iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/arknet/id1466870072 About Tautachrome, Inc: Tautachrome, Inc. (OTC:TTCM) is an emerging growth company in the Internet applications space. The company has licenses, revolutionary patents and patents pending in augmented reality, smart-phone image authentication and imagery-based social networking. The company is leveraging these technologies to develop privacy and security-based applications for global business and personal use. The company posts important information and updates through tweets from the official company twitter page https://twitter.com/Tautachrome_inc Forward-Looking Statements: Statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, general business conditions, risks of managing growth, governmental regulatory risks, technology development risks, schedule slippage risks, and political and other business risks. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this paragraph and the risks and other factors detailed in Tautachrome's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Tautachrome undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements. Press and commercialization contact: David LaMountain, COO 520-318-5578 [email protected] SOURCE Tauatachrome, Inc. The Million Dreams Community has recently been launched by Baz Porter. Porter's community aims to help veterans and civilians in need of emotional and physical assistance. TORRANCE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2020 / Baz Porter has recently launched his Million Dreams Community. The community is a charity focused on assisting veterans that need support. For more information visit https://www.bazporter.com. The newly launched community is based online and provides basic members of Porter's services the opportunity to become a part of the operational organization of this charity. Porter's vision is to have this charity run by people for people to support "humane" humanity. The community is said to be the first of its kind that is solely supported by its community members and it caters to veterans of all forces around the world. In addition to veteran support, the community also helps people who are homeless, starving, alcoholics, or addicted to illicit substances. Porter's work is based on awakening souls into self-awareness, self-love, and providing the foundation they need for a strong spiritual base. As such, he is offering new members of his community his free 15-minute "Power Shots" every Monday-Friday. These "Power Shots" are inspirational messages called transmissions that clear resistance and help to align one's day. For as little as five dollars, interested parties can become a part of the Million Dreams Community and assist Porter's labor of love to the people who need it the most. They can also get access to the 15-minute "Power Shots" and many more offers. More information is available at https://www.bazporter.com/memberships. Baz Porter knows how it feels to be hopeless. He has had many near-death experiences throughout his time as a member of the British army. After leaving the army, he suffered from PTSD and became heavily dependent on alcohol to cope. Story continues In 2011 his life fell apart and he was no longer the person he thought was and began seeing things differently. Through this experience, he was exposed to higher realms and gained the strength needed to overcome his challenges and heal from his addiction to alcohol. Baz has since been inspired to share his knowledge and experiences with those who may be suffering just as he did. His newly launched community is an extension of his vision to help people in the areas they need it the most. Interested parties can click on the link above for more information. Contact Info: Name: Baz Porter Email: Send Email Organization: Baz Porter Address: Suite 205 2780 SkyPark Drive, Torrance, California 90505, United States Phone: +1-310-943-1268 Website: https://www.bazporter.com/ SOURCE: Baz Porter View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/599600/Online-Veteran-Charity-Motivational-Humanitarian-Support-Community-Launched Fresh fears of a coronavirus cluster at a McDonald's have emerged after an infected man dined at the popular fast food restaurant. The South Korean national ate at the restaurant near Christchurch airport in New Zealand last Monday at about 7pm, just hours after he arrived from Auckland. CCTV footage showed that the coronavirus-infected customer spent 30 minutes at the food chain and paid for his meal through a contactless service. McDonald's franchise owner Murray Traill said the man sat alone in an isolated part of the restaurant. The South Korean national ate at the restaurant near Christchurch airport last Monday at about 7pm, just hours after he arrived from Auckland (stock image of a McDonald's in New Zealand) 'He couldn't have been in a better part of the restaurant, it was quite isolated,' Mr Traill told Stuff. Upon finishing his meal, the man flew to South Korea via Singapore where he tested positive for COVID-19. Canterbury District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Cheryl Brunton said people who went to the restaurant were 'safe'. McDonald's franchise owner Murray Traill (pictured) said the man sat alone in an isolated part of the restaurant 'There were very few other customers in the store at the time the case visited and no-one in the store - staff or customers - is considered a close contact.' She also said the franchise did not need to be deep cleaned as McDonald's regularly disinfects high touch points, such as kiosks. No staff members were asked to take a coronavirus test or isolate, but Mr Traill said some were tested voluntarily - the results of which are yet to come through. The man's housemate in Auckland tested negative for the virus, along with border staff at Christchurch Airport. New Zealand has reported two active cases of coronavirus within the last 24 hours. SIOUX CITY -- Tyson Foods plans to launch regular, weekly testing of its workforce, as part of a stepped-up effort to avert spread of the virus, like the outbreaks that sickened thousands of employees and idled or slowed production at several of the company's area meat plants this spring. As part of an expanded monitoring program it will announce Thursday morning, Tyson also will hire nearly 200 nurses and administrative support personnel to support the 400 people that are now part of the company's health services team. The expanded roster of nurses will conduct the on-site tests and assist with care management, coordinating treatment for employees who contract the respiratory disease. To support the increased staffing strategy, Tyson also will create a chief medical officer position at the corporate level. Four company representatives shared details of Tyson's new monitoring initiative with a Journal reporter during a Zoom meeting Wednesday. "This is a very proactive way for us to do our best to stay ahead of this virus, rather than what weve experienced in the recent past," Hector Gonzalez, Tyson's senior vice president for human resources, told The Journal. In the initial stages of the pandemic, Tyson and other meatpackers struggled to contain the virus in plants, where workers traditionally work side by side in production lines and often share crowded locker rooms and cafeteria and rides to work. Tyson already has tested around 40,000 workers, or nearly a third of its workforce. Of its 122,000 employees, less than 1 percent, or about 1,200, are active COVID-19 cases, according to the company. The company conducted mass testing at several plants where large-scale outbreaks occurred, including its flagship beef plant in Dakota City, just across the border from Sioux City. By far the metro area's largest employer, the plant temporarily shut down in early May after nearly 790 of the 4,500 workers and contractors tested positive for the virus. Tyson also temporarily idled several other plants, including pork facilities in Storm Lake, Columbus Junction, Perry and Waterloo, Iowa, and Madison, Nebraska, after hundreds of workers were infected. Under its expanded monitoring approach, the company will test thousands of workers each week across all of its 140 facilities. "That will be ongoing all the time," Tyson senior vice president Scott Brooks, who leads the companys COVID testing efforts, told The Journal. "As we expand this, we're going to be touching even those facilities where we don't know if we have any cases," he said. "So it's going to be a significant expansion." While it's not logistically possible to test all workers every week, the monitoring program will provide a sample of the workforce, Brooks said. Workers with no symptoms may be selected for testing based on an algorithm-based selection process that considers various scientific data. The number tested each week will be dynamic and adjusted based on factors, such as the number of positive cases involving plant workers and the community. Other information also will factor into the weekly testing process, said Dr. Daniel Castillo, chief medical officer for Matrix Medical, a private clinic services company Tyson retained this year to conduct on-site screenings. "There are some people, because of their nature of the work, who might interact more with others. So that data would trigger that algorithm to identify those folks to be tested perhaps more often," Castillo said. "It's continuously learning and updating based on up-to-date data, who needs to be tested, how often and what's the baseline testing rate." Castillo praised Tyson for its forward-thinking approach to mitigating the risk of the virus. "I do believe that this is something other organizations will look to adapt," he said. "I expect that we'll be hearing a lot more of these type of approaches from other companies." Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers, the largest union representing Tyson hourly workers, urged other industry employers to follow Tyson's lead and "take immediate action to expand COVID monitoring as we work to flatten the curve. "Together, we will continue to look for new and better ways to protect the health and safety of the brave frontline workers who are so important to the nation's food production system," Perrone said in a news release from Tyson. Tyson officials point out the expanded monitoring and increased health staff hiring is the latest in a series of precautions and safety measures the company has taken since the pandemic struck. Workers have their temperatures taken daily by infrared scanners at plant entrances and also are required to wear facial coverings. More than 500 social distance monitors also have been installed in plants to track social distancing efforts and ensure personal protective equipment is worn properly. Workers who test positive receive paid leave and may return to work only after they meet criteria established by Tyson and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. JUNE: 25 photos telling the story of COVID-19 in Siouxland Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Today, RNA vaccines, although still experimental, are among the fastest-moving candidates in the race to stop covid-19. In March, Moderna was the first company in the United States to enter Phase 1 trials with a covid-1 vaccine using RNA. The company injected its first test into a human 66 days after receiving the viruss genetic code. Phase 2 trials began in May, and Phase 3 began on July 27, making it possible that the vaccine could be available by the end of the year. FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iBASEt, a leading provider of manufacturing, quality and MRO solutions, announced today that D&K Engineering, an expert in providing product design and contract manufacturing services for high-innovation content, hardware-based products and equipment, is implementing iBASEt's medical device manufacturing execution and quality solution. iBASEt will provide the necessary infrastructure to digitalize D&K Engineering's shop floor operations followed by future easing of supplier quality management. As a medical device manufacturer, D&K is tasked with quickly ramping up new, complex engineering and production processes within a highly regulated environment. Process and documentation must be strictly adhered to assure quality and compliance. The company must also quickly and easily pivot to new or modified production processes, as needed. "We are impressed with iBASEt's pre-configured solution, which has been instrumental in our digital transformation strategy. The complexity and cost of paper-based processes was just too high," said Jason Guhse, Associate Director of Information Systems, D&K Engineering. "iBASEt's solution lets us quickly apply engineering changes and design updates during New Product Introduction, unlocking greater value to our customers." "D&K Engineering represents an important proof-point that iBASEt's product, software, and services solution is a great fit beyond our roots in the aerospace and defense industry," said Naveen Poonian, Chief Executive Officer of iBASEt. "Our complex discrete manufacturing, quality, and sustainment industry knowledge combined with our out-of-the-box solution helps us to better serve this critical and growing industry." About D&K Engineering D&K Engineering provides Total Commercialization Solutions for products and instruments that have high innovation content and complex manufacturing lifecycles. Our capabilities span the entire product lifecycle, including requirements definition, systems architecture, concept creation, design, prototyping, manufacturing, and after-market support. From Fortune 100 to early-stage startups, our clients leverage D&K's infrastructure and TCS approach to evolve hardware, systems and product ideas through all development stages and into stable manufacturing. Our experience-driven engineering, manufacturing and supply chain services get products to market faster with a lower overall cost of development, providing a significant competitive advantage for our customers. We are headquartered in San Diego, California, and have additional development and manufacturing sites in Singapore and Malaysia. About iBASEt iBASEt is a leading provider of manufacturing, quality and MRO solutions that enable digital continuity across the enterprise. With 30+ years of experience in highly engineered, regulated industries, iBASEt simplifies the complex by empowering customers to gain real-time visibility, take control, and drive velocity across their operations and extended value chain. iBASEt works closely with industry leaders, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Patria Belgium Engine Center. Learn more at iBASEt.com . Media Contact Gordon Benzie (949) 958-5200 [email protected] SOURCE iBASEt Related Links http://www.ibaset.com Apache Corp. profits plunged in the second quarter as economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the oil and gas industry. The Houston oil and gas company on Wednesday reported a loss of $386 million during the second quarter, compared with a loss of $360 million in the same period a year ago. It posted revenue of $752 million during the quarter, down from $1.6 billion a year ago. Our objectives remain unchanged despite the extreme market volatility in 2020, CEO John Christmann IV said in a statement. We will budget conservatively and return free cash flow to investors, initially in the form of debt reduction; maintain a balanced and diversified portfolio; and prioritize investment for long-term returns over production growth. Many oil and gas companies struggled during the second quarter to weather the coronavirus pandemic, which depressed crude demand and prices. Companies slashed spending on new drilling and halted production on existing wells. HOUSTON VISIT: Energy secretary: Oil and gas will come back very, very strong Apache said it reduced its oil and gas production by about 28,000 barrels per day during the second quarter, and slashed more than $300 million in spending, which helped lower its break-even price to around $30 a barrel for the second half of the year. Break-even price is the minimum crude price that an oil and gas company needs to operate. The company also said it had made a major oil discovery at its Kwaskwasi-1 well off the coast of Suriname in South America. It is the third successful well off the coast of Suriname for Apache and its joint venture partner Total, the French oil major. "Despite a wave of lease awards at the beginning of the last decade, the industry had drilled nothing but dry holes in offshore Suriname until APA's first discovery earlier this year," Morgan Stanley said in a research note Thursday. "Now, Apache and Total have extended this success, announcing yesterday the third discovery on the JV's Block-58, Kwaskwasi-1, representing a 100 percent success rate in the current exploration program. Kwaskwasi-1 is the largest discovery yet, with meters of net hydrocarbon pay 2.3 times and 3.5 times that of Maka Central-1 (discovery #1) and Sapakara West-1 (discovery #2)." Following the completion of operations at the Kwaskwasi-1 well, Apache plans to drill a fourth exploration well about 6 miles southeast from the Sapakara discovery well. PHOENIX, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Helios Education Foundation has awarded the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) a $260,000 grant to improve leadership training among school leaders at all levels. The three-year grant will enhance ASA's conferences and trainings, as well as place an emphasis on expanding online content to bring educational opportunities closer to individual school districts and administrators, particularly those in rural Arizona. The funding will also enable ASA to develop resources and training materials including recruiting experts to address some of the most pressing issues in today's society, including crisis response to COVID-19, cultural responsiveness and closing the education gap among low-income and students of color. "This grant could not have come at a better time for this organization and its 1,400 members who come from nearly every public school district from across the state," said Dr. Mark Joraanstad, ASA Executive Director. "Schools characterized by strong, visionary, supportive leaders who create a collaborative culture are more likely to recruit and retain high-quality, effective teachers a key factor in student success across the education continuum. In short, school leadership matters to the student experience and student outcomes." "Schools across the state and nation, just like society at large, are beset with challenges, from how to appropriately and safely respond to the COVID-19 pandemic to addressing deep-rooted cultural inequities among student populations," said Paul J. Luna, President and CEO, Helios Education Foundation. "It's our belief that we need strong educational leaders now more than ever who can rise up and find solutions in these unprecedented times." The grant also includes the first opportunity for Arizona to host the National Superintendent Certification Program, which provides a state-of-the-art, innovative curriculum to school leaders, culminating in a 20-month capstone project around an issue or initiative to transform a district's schools and encourage greater student learning. A mentor will be assigned to each superintendent to support and guide the participant through the process. The training will feature the use of online technology to reduce or eliminate travel in this pandemic era. "I am always proud to work alongside Arizona School Administrators and could not be more hopeful for this program to launch," said Kathy Hoffman, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. "This program reflects Arizona's dedication to fostering strong, innovative, and stable district leadership across our state. Strong school leaders are essential not just to a district office, but to the success students, teachers, and principals across a school community." "Bringing trainings to school districts through webinars, virtual meetings and other innovative methods is so important to rural districts across Arizona, especially in these times of the coronavirus pandemic," said Globe Unified School District Superintendent Jerry Jennex. "Arizona educators are fortunate for this partnership between ASA and Helios which provides a valuable opportunity for leaders to build relationships learning together while improvising student outcomes during these unprecedented times," said Dr. Kristi Wilson, Superintendent of the Buckeye Unified School District and President of the American Association of School Administrators. "It is critical leaders are equipped with a network of colleagues they can count on who are versed in best practices centered on culturally responsive pedagogy and student first priorities." CONTACT: Rebecca Lindgren, 602.828.7061 SOURCE Helios Education Foundation Related Links www.helios.org (ANSA) - ROME, 30 LUG - A European Commission spokesperson said Thursday that the EU executive was "aware" of the intensification of the arrival of migrant boats from North Africa in southern Italy, especially in Sicily and on the island of Lampedusa. The spokesperson said the EC was "following closely" the situation, especially Lampedusa where "the difficulties are significant", with the migrant hotspot badly overcrowded. "Clearly it is the job of the member State to deal with these difficulties initially," the spokesperson said. "But the European Commission, which has already given support to Italy, remains willing (to help) if there are more requests". (ANSA). Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 12:41:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- One person has died and at least 17 others have been injured in an explosion Thursday morning at a restaurant in Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, fire department officials said. Investigators said the explosion occurred shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time at a "shabu shabu"-style hot pot restaurant. Police and fire department officials said that one body was recovered from the site, with two people seriously injured in the explosion, while 15 others suffered slight injuries. The restaurant, located in an area with homes and eateries, was undergoing renovation work when the blast happened, and investigators said they believe the explosion was the result of a gas leak. Police were quoted as saying that propane gas had been leaking out of several tanks that had fallen over near the restaurant. Footage of the decimated building showed the ferocity of the subsequent explosion which completely blew out the outer walls of the restaurant building leaving only its steel frame remaining. Windows in nearby buildings were also shattered by the blast, local media reports said, and walls of neighboring buildings were also damaged. First responders were alerted to the explosion in the city of around 323,000 people, by a passerby who heard a loud blast just before 9:00 a.m. local time, according to local media accounts. Multiple firetrucks and ambulances were dispatched to the scene. A 300-meter perimeter has been set up around the explosion site restricting access. Enditem July 30, 2020 Is your organization not meeting its objectives and achieving its true potential? If the answer is yes, you might benefit from hiring an organizational development consultant or ODC for short. The role of an ODC is vital to assisting companies of all sizes (from fledgling start-ups to Fortune 500 enterprises) with realizing and achieving their ultimate vision. With their expert knowledge in business and process management, the ODC focuses their efforts on evaluating a companys current culture and operations and suggesting improvements that will ensure the company can become healthier and more profitable in the long run. In short, an ODC serves as a valuable support that can effectively reposition an organization towards greater long-term success, by aligning personnel, redirecting their resources, and refocusing on the organizations true purpose. They can also provide professional assessments, training, and workshops to positively change employees attitudes and beliefs boosting company morale that lead to a stronger and more cohesive organizational foundation. But when is the right time to hire an ODC? If your companys morale is sagging or your growth is faltering or has become static, these are strong indicators that you require an outsiders perspective and support, says Colorado-based ODC Tom Kalous. Located in Westminster, Tom has a Ph.D. in Psychology has over 25 years of ODC experience under his belt. Tom has built a successful career for himself as an ODC, specializing in Emotional Intelligence and leadership training. Dr. Kalous outlines the top three ways in which an ODC can benefit a company and the employees who work there, in both the short and long term. Outsiders Perspective Owners and senior management have invested so much time, resources, and energy into their companies that they develop a bias and can become blind to problems right in front of their nose, says Tom Kalous. By hiring an ODC, you get a fresh and new perspective, unsullied by bias. The ODC will be able to swiftly identify any problems that have been developing in a company and openly share those findings with you. Expert Market Knowledge When determining which ODC to hire, youll want to choose someone that has spent time with similar companies (some which may be your own competitors), says Tom Kalous. That way, the consultant will have a solid understanding of what these other companies are doing and what strategies you will need to take in order to get to their level of success or even outperform them. Along with the necessary strategies to take, the consultant will be able to fill you in on current business trends and methodologies to support your understanding of your companys current state and how you will reach your preferred state. Save on Time and Resources Initially, companies may forego hiring an ODC, thinking that they can independently analyze their operations and culture, re-position their resources and lead themselves towards growth. However, with the outsiders perspective, organization development strategies that work, and expert market knowledge, hiring an ODC is a worthwhile investment that will provide swift company-wide benefits. One immediate benefit is the time youll be saving, says Kalous. For many leaders and managers, it can be hard to find enough time to develop effective strategic plans while also completing their host of other duties. Consequently, important projects may be rushed or never completed. By hiring an ODC, managers can focus on their main responsibilities, while being at ease in knowing that an expert consultant is preparing a well-rounded strategic plan that will analyze the current situation and provide viable options to ensure the company can achieve healthy long-term growth and sustainability. CALGARY, AB, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - OBSIDIAN ENERGY LTD. (TSX: OBE) (OTCQB: OBEL) ("Obsidian Energy", the "Company", "we", "us" or "our") is pleased to announce our second quarter 2020 financial and operational results. All figures are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Obsidian Energy's unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") as at and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 can be found on our website at www.obsidianenergy.com. The documents will also be filed on SEDAR and EDGAR in due course. FINANCIAL AND OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 2020 2019 2020 2019 FINANCIAL (millions, except per share amounts) Cash flow from Operations $ 2 $ (3) $ 35 $ (4) Basic and Diluted ($/share) 0.03 (0.04) 0.48 (0.05) Funds Flow from Operations 1 25 41 62 77 Basic and Diluted ($/share) 0.34 0.56 0.85 1.06 Net loss (22) (162) (768) (216) Basic and Diluted ($/share) (0.30) (2.22) (10.52) (2.97) Capital expenditures - 8 41 42 Decommissioning expenditures - 1 8 3 Net debt 1 $ 496 $ 478 $ 496 $ 478 Average sales price 2 Light oil ($/bbl) $ 29.20 $ 72.20 $ 39.78 $ 68.57 Heavy oil ($/bbl) 5.98 42.63 15.13 36.63 NGL ($/bbl) 11.65 14.95 17.04 18.12 Natural gas ($/mcf) $ 2.14 $ 1.18 $ 2.17 $ 1.79 Netback 1 4 ($/boe) Sales price $ 20.30 $ 42.01 $ 26.37 $ 40.99 Risk management gain (loss) 4.75 (1.97) 4.61 (1.89) Net sales price 25.05 40.04 30.98 39.10 Royalties (0.76) (2.74) (1.51) (2.77) Operating expenses 3 (8.51) (12.86) (10.32) (13.17) Transportation (1.18) (2.90) (1.95) (2.88) Netback 1 4($/boe) $ 14.60 $ 21.54 $ 17.20 $ 20.28 OPERATIONS Daily Production Light oil (bbl/d) 12,800 12,453 12,656 12,415 Heavy oil (bbl/d) 1,966 4,059 2,805 4,077 NGL (bbl/d) 2,278 2,201 2,258 2,162 Natural gas (mmcf/d) 53 55 53 55 Total production 4 (boe/d) 25,872 27,835 26,482 27,744 (1) The terms Funds Flow from Operations ("FFO") and their applicable per share amounts, "Net debt", and "Netback" are non-GAAP measures. Please refer to the "Non-GAAP Measures" advisory section below for further details. (2) Before risk management gains/(losses). (3) Includes the benefit of processing fees totaling $1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 (2019 - $2 million), and $3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 (2019 - $4 million). (4) Please refer to the "Oil and Gas Information Advisory" section below for information regarding the term "boe". MESSAGE TO SHAREHOLDERS The second quarter of 2020 brought significant volatility to the global oil markets which resulted in extremely low prices. Obsidian Energy reacted quickly and was able to effectively leverage the flexibility in our asset base to temporarily suspend production in areas that were not economic to produce. Given the improvement in oil prices over the last few months, we have currently restored over 88% of previously shut-in production, with 425 boe/d remaining temporarily shut-in in certain higher cost areas, primarily in our heavy oil Peace River property. In conjunction with managing our underlying asset base, we implemented a series of decisions to help preserve liquidity in the business. Significant cost control measures allowed us to achieve substantial reductions in operating costs ("Opex") and general and administrative ("G&A") costs, which, on a combined basis, were $31 million lower than the first half of 2019. In addition, the results of the 10 wells drilled in the first quarter continued their strong performance, with some of the highest rate wells we have drilled to date in our Cardium program. As a result of the proactive and timely actions to reduce costs during the quarter and the outstanding performance and contribution of our first half development program, Obsidian Energy was able to exceed all guidance targets in a very challenging macro environment. Our FFO performance of $25 million for the quarter was strong given the low oil price environment and included $4 million in advisory fees in connection with our lender extensions and office lease renegotiation. Our results demonstrate the underlying strength of the business and the ability of our management team to quickly react to a complex and challenging environment. As we continue to monitor the recovery in oil demand and should oil prices sustainably return above WTI US$45/bbl, we will evaluate initiating a development drilling plan to take advantage of our deep inventory of locations across our Cardium base, with a continued focus in our Willesden Green area. In addition, recent technical work has allowed us to increase our inventory to over 900 identified well locations in our Cardium asset base. Our senior management and the Board of Directors continue to focus their attention on the evaluation of the Company's strategic options and alternatives and actively pursue the objective of consolidation within the Cardium play to add scale, efficiency and financial strength. SECOND QUARTER RESULTS FFO in the second quarter of 2020 totaled $25 million ( $0.34 per share) compared to $37 million ( $0.51 per share) for the first quarter of 2020 and $41 million ( $0.56 per share) for the second quarter of 2019. The decline from the first quarter of 2020 is mainly due to lower crude oil prices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated demand implications. This was partially offset by a lower cost structure as the Company implemented several measures to further reduce Opex, transportation and G&A costs. ( per share) compared to ( per share) for the first quarter of 2020 and ( per share) for the second quarter of 2019. The decline from the first quarter of 2020 is mainly due to lower crude oil prices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated demand implications. This was partially offset by a lower cost structure as the Company implemented several measures to further reduce Opex, transportation and G&A costs. Average production was 25,872 boe/d compared to 27,092 boe/d in the first quarter of 2020 and 27,835 boe/d in the second quarter of 2019. As a result of the lower crude oil pricing environment, the Company shut-in production deemed temporarily uneconomic which impacted average production by approximately 2,100 boe/d in the second quarter of 2020. Capital and decommissioning expenditures were negligible in the second quarter of 2020 as the Company restricted spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and lower crude oil prices. For the first half of 2020, capital and decommissioning expenditures totaled $49 million compared to recent guidance of $51 million . compared to recent guidance of . Opex was $8.51 per boe in the second quarter of 2020 compared to $12.86 per boe in the second quarter of 2019. The Company continued progress on several cost saving initiatives, deferred discretionary spending and implemented additional temporary measures due to the low crude oil price environment which included a 10% reduction in field staff salaries. For the first half of 2020, Opex totaled $10.32 per boe, significantly improved over our guidance range of $11.50 - $11.90 per boe. per boe in the second quarter of 2020 compared to per boe in the second quarter of 2019. The Company continued progress on several cost saving initiatives, deferred discretionary spending and implemented additional temporary measures due to the low crude oil price environment which included a 10% reduction in field staff salaries. For the first half of 2020, Opex totaled per boe, significantly improved over our guidance range of - per boe. G&A costs were $1.36 per boe in the second quarter of 2020 compared to $2.20 per boe in the second quarter of 2019. The Company implemented a number of cost reduction initiatives throughout 2019 which are being realized in 2020. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant impact on crude oil prices, the Company implemented a number of temporary cost saving measures in the second quarter including a 20% reduction to head office staff salaries, the suspension of the Company's matching component under the employee saving plan, and a 10% reduction to the Board of Directors retainer fees. per boe in the second quarter of 2020 compared to per boe in the second quarter of 2019. The Company implemented a number of cost reduction initiatives throughout 2019 which are being realized in 2020. Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant impact on crude oil prices, the Company implemented a number of temporary cost saving measures in the second quarter including a 20% reduction to head office staff salaries, the suspension of the Company's matching component under the employee saving plan, and a 10% reduction to the Board of Directors retainer fees. The Company applied for and received the first three payments from the Federal Governments Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy program (CEWS). In July we received the fourth payment. These payments benefited Opex by $0.32 per boe and G&A costs by $0.09 per boe for the first six months of 2020. per boe and G&A costs by per boe for the first six months of 2020. Net loss was $22 million ( $0.30 per share) during the second quarter of 2020 which can be attributed to lower revenues primarily due to lower crude oil prices from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was partially offset by a lower cost structure as the Company implemented a number of cost reduction measures. ( per share) during the second quarter of 2020 which can be attributed to lower revenues primarily due to lower crude oil prices from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was partially offset by a lower cost structure as the Company implemented a number of cost reduction measures. Net debt totaled $496 million , including $420 million drawn on our syndicated credit facility and $65 million of senior notes. Net debt decreased compared to $517 million at March 31, 2020 , primarily due to negligible capital expenditures and positive FFO of $25 million . , including drawn on our syndicated credit facility and of senior notes. Net debt decreased compared to at , primarily due to negligible capital expenditures and positive FFO of . Through proactive management of production and costs, the Company was able to exceed our production, capital expenditure, Opex and G&A cost guidance targets for the first half of 2020. FIRST HALF 2020 PRODUCTION AND COST GUIDANCE Metric Guidance Range First Half 2020 Results Production (boe/d) 1 2 3 25,500 26,000 26,482 Capital Expenditures ($ millions) 43 41 Decommissioning Expenditures ($ millions) 8 8 Operating Costs ($/boe) 4 11.50 11.90 10.32 General & Administrative ($/boe) 4 1.65 1.85 1.50 (1) Adjusted for January 2020 Carrot Creek Disposition of 115 boe/d (85% light oil) (2) Previous guidance included 600 boe/d of shut-in production (3) Mid-point of guidance 12,500 bbl/d light oil, 2,500 bbl/d heavy oil, 2,200 bbl/d NGLs and 51 mmcf/d natural gas (4) Actuals include the impact of the CEWS payments, which reduced Opex by $0.32/boe and G&A expenses by $0.09/boe 2020 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND OPERATIONS UPDATE Our staff worked diligently in response to the exceptional pricing volatility over the past several months. This focus on decisive, efficient action ensured our strong Opex and netback performance. Contributing to our results was the decision to temporarily shut-in production that was uneconomic in the lower price environment. The shut-in production was mostly comprised of heavy oil in the Peace River area. Production Volumes by Product and Producing Region Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Area Production (boe/d) Light Oil (bbl/d) Heavy Oil (bbl/d) NGLs (bbl/d) Gas (mmcf/d) Cardium 22,456 12,502 31 2,209 46 Alberta Viking 880 223 36 36 4 Peace River 2,132 - 1,806 4 2 Key Development Areas 25,468 12,725 1,873 2,249 52 Legacy Areas 404 75 93 29 1 Key Development & Legacy Areas 25,872 12,800 1,966 2,278 53 Operating Cost and Netbacks by Producing Region Three Months Ended June 30, 2020 Area Operating Cost ($/boe) Netback(1) ($/boe) Cardium 7.37 13.17 Alberta Viking 8.52 2.03 Peace River 8.15 (8.43) Key Development Areas 7.47 10.97 Legacy Areas 74.08 (61.53) Key Development & Legacy Areas 8.51 9.84 (1) Netback excludes risk management gains. The second quarter shut-in production impact of 2,100 boe/d was partially offset by higher light oil production as the Company's results from its 2020 Cardium development program continued to perform above expectations with five wells demonstrating among the best production rates from Cardium wells drilled by Obsidian Energy. These strong Cardium rates also led to us outperforming our first half 2020 guidance with production averaging 26,482 boe/d for the period compared to guidance of 25,500 to 26,000 boe/d. In addition to these strong well results, the Company successfully completed our first half optimization program, investing $5 million for related activities to maximize production from our existing assets. Production rates for the 10 wells drilled and brought on in 2020 are outlined in the table below. Pad Well IP10 IP30 IP60 IP90 boe/d % Oil boe/d % Oil boe/d % Oil boe/d % Oil 12-26 Pad 102/04-28-043-08W5 1,401 84% 1,011 73% 852 64% 12-26 Pad 100/09-28-043-08W5 1,100 77% 925 72% 739 66% 12-26 Pad 100/14-28-043-08W5 1,143 85% 1,145 75% 904 68% 751 66% 12-26 Pad Average 1,215 82% 1,027 74% 832 66% 01-27 Pad 100/05-15-043-08W5 1,450 82% 1,080 73% 01-27 Pad 100/15-16-043-08W5 995 82% 918 68% 01-27 Pad Average 1,222 82% 999 71% 03-06 Pad 100/02-30-042-07W5 694 96% 691 89% 573 85% 502 82% 03-06 Pad 100/03-30-042-07W5 292 98% 363 89% 330 83% 296 80% 03-06 Pad Average 493 97% 527 89% 451 84% 399 81% 14-17 Pad 100/02-08-042-07W5 163 97% 157 94% 138 89% 118 89% 14-17 Pad 100/04-30-042-07W5 245 95% 273 93% 300 90% 287 88% 14-17 Pad Average 204 96% 215 93% 219 90% 203 89% 03-29 Pad 100/15-32-042-07W5 587 95% 443 93% 396 90% 340 88% 03-29 Pad Average 587 95% 443 93% 396 90% 340 88% Our first half decommissioning program of $8 million was completed efficiently and Obsidian Energy continues to be an active participant of the Alberta Energy Regulator's ("AER") Area Based Closure program ("ABC"). In May, the AER suspended ABC spending requirements for the balance of 2020 and accordingly our second half decommissioning estimate reflects this change. The Company's spending on ABC-eligible projects prior to May 11, 2020 will be creditable against our 2021 spending requirement once this target amount is determined by the AER. We also continue to work to secure support for future asset retirement projects via the Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program. Second Half Development Program In light of the current commodity price environment, Obsidian Energy has planned for a reduced second half 2020 capital expenditure program of approximately $13 million. The Company has deferred development spending and will focus activities on optimization and minor infrastructure projects. With our operational flexibility we can react quickly to fluctuations in oil pricing, protecting liquidity in low price scenarios whilst also having the ability to add new incremental production should oil prices continue to improve. Second Half 2020 Production and Cost Guidance Metric H2 2020 Guidance Range Full Year 2020 Guidance Range Production (boe/d) 1 2 24,000 24,500 25,000 25,500 Capital Expenditures ($millions) 10 51 Decommissioning Expenditures ($millions) 3 11 Operating Costs ($/boe) 12.00 12.50 11.10 11.50 General & Administrative ($/boe) 1.50 1.65 1.50 1.60 (1) Adjusted for January 2020 Carrot Creek Disposition of 115 boe/d (85% light oil) (2) Mid-points of guidance: Second half of 2020: 10,840 bbl/d light oil, 2,995 bbl/d heavy oil, 2,000 bbl/d NGLs and 50.5 mmcf/d natural gas Full year 2020: 11,680 bbl/d light oil, 2,885 bbl/d heavy oil, 2,135 bbl/d NGLs and 51.3 mmcf/d natural gas ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING The Company's Annual and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") for shareholders is scheduled for later today, Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 9:00 am (Mountain Time). The Meeting will take place at the Company's head office located at 200 207 9th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta. Due to restrictions on gatherings implemented by the Government of Alberta in response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, guidelines issued with respect to social distancing and out of concern for the wellbeing of all participants, we strongly recommend that registered shareholders not attend the meeting in-person. Any person attending the Meeting in person will be required to follow the Company's health and safety measures, which will include physical distancing, use of personal protective equipment (including facemasks) and completion of a health-assessment. The precautionary measures being taken by the Company are intended to reduce the potential risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and they may be further updated as necessary to take into account evolving recommendations and directives of public health authorities. Following the conclusion of the Meeting, our Interim President and CEO, Mr. Stephen Loukas will host a webcast presentation online on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 10:30 am Mountain Time (12:30 pm Eastern Time). This webcast presentation will also be broadcast live on the Internet and may be accessed directly at the following URL:https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1345300&tp_key=e31cae696f Alternatively, to listen to the conference call, please call 416-764-8659 or 1-888-664-6392 (toll-free). A question and answer session will be held following the presentation. If you wish to submit a question to the Company, participants can do so through the webcast portal, or by emailing questions ahead time to [email protected]. A recording will be available for replay two hours after the call completion and will remain available until August 6, 2020. To listen to the replay, please dial 416-764-8677 or 1-888-390-0541 (toll-free) and enter replay code 047571, followed by the pound (#) key. UPDATED CORPORATE PRESENTATION For further information on these and other matters, Obsidian Energy has posted an updated corporate presentation which can be found on its website, www.obsidianenergy.com. ADDITIONAL READER ADVISORIES OIL AND GAS INFORMATION ADVISORY Barrels of oil equivalent ("boe") may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of crude oil is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency conversion ratio of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis is misleading as an indication of value. NON-GAAP MEASURES Certain financial measures including FFO, FFO per share-basic, FFO per share-diluted, Netback and Net debt, included in this press release do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore are considered non-GAAP measures; accordingly, they may not be comparable to similar measures provided by other issuers. FFO is cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital, decommissioning expenditures, office lease settlements, the effects of financing related transactions from foreign exchange contracts and debt repayments and certain other expenses and is representative of cash related to continuing operations. FFO is used to assess the Company's ability to fund its planned capital programs. See "Calculation of Funds Flow from Operations" below for a reconciliation of FFO to cash flow from operating activities, being its nearest measure prescribed by IFRS. Netback is the per unit of production amount of revenue less royalties, operating expenses, transportation expenses and realized risk management gains and losses, and is used in capital allocation decisions and to economically rank projects. Net debt is the total of long-term debt and working capital deficiency and is used by the Company to assess its liquidity. CALCULATION OF FUNDS FLOW FROM OPERATIONS Three months ended June 30 Six months ended June 30 (millions, except per share amounts) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Cash flow from operating activities $ 2 $ (3) $ 35 $ (4) Change in non-cash working capital 16 32 11 59 Decommissioning expenditures - 1 8 3 Onerous office lease settlements 6 1 5 2 Realized foreign exchange loss debt maturities - 3 - 3 Restructuring charges - 2 - 3 Other expenses (1) 1 5 3 11 Funds flow from operations $ 25 $ 41 $ 62 $ 77 Per share Basic per share $ 0.34 $ 0.56 $ 0.85 $ 1.06 Diluted per share $ 0.34 $ 0.56 $ 0.85 $ 1.06 (1) Includes legal fees related to claims against former Penn West Petroleum Ltd. employees related to the Company's 2014 restatement of certain financial results. ABBREVIATIONS Oil Natural Gas bbl barrel or barrels GJ Gigajoule bbl/d barrels per day GJ/day gigajoule per day Boe Barrel of oil equivelant mmcf million cubic feet boe/d barrels of oil equivalent per day Mmcf/d million cubic feet per day IP10 Initial production for the first 10 days NGL Natural gas liquids IP30 Initial production for the first 30 days IP60 Initial production for the first 60 days IP90 Initial production for the first 90 days FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements or information (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "budget", "may", "will", "project", "could", "plan", "intend", "should", "believe", "outlook", "objective", "aim", "potential", "target" and similar words suggesting future events or future performance. In addition, statements relating to "reserves" or "resources" are deemed to be forward-looking statements as they involve the implied assessment, based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the reserves and resources described exist in the quantities predicted or estimated and can be profitably produced in the future. Please note that initial production and or peak rates are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or ultimate recovery. In particular, this document contains forward-looking statements pertaining to, without limitation, the following: that the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A will be filed in due course on SEDAR and EDGAR; that we will continue to monitor the recovery in oil demand and should oil prices sustainably return above WTI US$45/bbl, we will evaluate initiating a development drilling plan to take advantage of our deep inventory of locations across our Cardium base, with a continued focus in our Willesden Green area; that recent technical work has allowed us to increase our inventory to over 900 identified well locations in our Cardium asset base; that we actively pursue the objective of consolidation within the Cardium play to allow for the creation of additional scale, efficiency and financial strength; our second half development program and that it will focus its capital on optimization projects and minor infrastructure projects; that the Company maintains its operational flexibility to react quickly to fluctuations in oil pricing, protecting liquidity in low price scenarios whilst also having the ability to add new incremental production should oil prices continue to improve; that our ABC expenditures prior to May 11, 2020 will be creditable against our 2021 spending requirement once this target amount is determined by the AER; that we will continue to work to secure support for future asset retirement projects via the Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program; our second half and full year guidance including production, capital and decommissioning expenditures, Opex and G&A costs; and the date, time and place of our Meeting and webcast presentation. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this document, the Company has made assumptions regarding, among other things: we will have the ability to continue as a going concern going forward and realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business; that the Company does not dispose of or acquire material producing properties or royalties or other interests therein; the impact of the Alberta government mandated curtailment of crude oil and bitumen production; the impact of regional and/or global health related events, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on energy demand; that the Company's operations and production will not be disrupted by circumstances attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses of governments and the public to the pandemic; global energy policies going forward, including the continued agreement of members of OPEC, Russia and other nations to adhere to existing production quotas or further reduce production quotas; our ability to qualify for government programs created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and obtain financial assistance therefrom and the impact of those programs on our financial condition; our ability to execute our plans as described herein and in our other disclosure documents and the impact that the successful execution of such plans will have on our Company and our stakeholders; that the current commodity price and foreign exchange environment will continue or improve; future capital expenditure levels; future crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas prices and differentials between light, medium and heavy oil prices and Canadian, WTI and world oil and natural gas prices; future crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas production levels, including that we will not be required to shut-in additional production due to the continuation of low commodity prices or the further deterioration of commodity prices and our expectations regarding when commodity prices will improve such that shut-in properties can be returned to production; future exchange rates and interest rates; future debt levels; our ability to execute our capital programs as planned without significant adverse impacts from various factors beyond our control, including weather, wild fires, infrastructure access and delays in obtaining regulatory approvals and third party consents; our ability to obtain equipment in a timely manner to carry out development activities and the costs thereof; our ability to market our oil and natural gas successfully to current and new customers; our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, including that the revolving period and term out period of our credit facility are not accelerated, that the maturity date of our senior notes is not accelerated, that our borrowing base is not decreased under our credit facility, our ability to renew or replace our syndicated bank facility and our ability to finance the repayment of our senior notes on maturity; and our ability to add production and reserves through our development and exploitation activities. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this document, and the assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are made, are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements included in this document, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the forward-looking statements contained herein will not be correct, which may cause our actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things: the possibility that we are not able to continue as a going concern and realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business; the possibility that the Company will not be able to continue to successfully execute our business plans and strategies in part or in full, and the possibility that some or all of the benefits that the Company anticipates will accrue to our Company and our stakeholders as a result of the successful execution of such plans and strategies do not materialize; the possibility that the Company is unable to complete one or more of the potential transactions being pursued pursuant to our ongoing strategic alternatives review process, including the potential disposition of assets, on favorable terms or at all; the possibility that the Company does not qualify for one or more government assistance programs implemented in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic and other regional and/or global health related events, or that the impact of such programs falls below our expectations; the impact on energy demand of regional and/or global health related events, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the responses of governments and the public to the pandemic, including the risk that the amount of demand destruction and/or the length of the decreased demand exceeds or expectations; the possibility that the revolving period and term out period of our credit facility and the maturity date of our senior notes is accelerated, that the borrowing base under our credit facility is reduced, that the Company is unable to renew our credit facilities on acceptable terms or at all and/or finance the repayment of our senior notes when they mature and/or obtain debt and/or equity financing to replace one or both of our credit facilities and senior notes; the possibility that we breach one or more of the financial covenants pursuant to our agreements with our lenders and the holders of our senior notes; the possibility that we are forced to shut-in additional production or continue existing production shut-ins longer than anticipated, whether due to commodity prices failing to rise or decreasing further or changes to existing government curtailment programs or the imposition of new programs; the risk that OPEC, Russia and other nations fail to adhere to existing production quotas or agree to new production quotas to balance supply and demand fundamentals for crude oil; general economic and political conditions in Canada, the U.S. and globally, and in particular, the effect that those conditions have on commodity prices and our access to capital; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the price of crude oil, natural gas liquids and natural gas, price differentials for crude oil and natural gas produced in Canada as compared to other markets, and transportation restrictions, including pipeline and railway capacity constraints; fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates; unanticipated operating events or environmental events that can reduce production or cause production to be shut-in or delayed (including extreme cold during winter months, wild fires and flooding); and the other factors described under "Risk Factors" in our Annual Information Form and described in our public filings, available in Canada at www.sedar.com and in the United States at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this document speak only as of the date of this document. Except as expressly required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. SOURCE Obsidian Energy Ltd. Related Links https://www.obsidianenergy.com/ For 16-year-old Isabella Ursini of Tottenville, summer couldnt get here soon enough. Not because it meant the end of the school year -- she loves being a rising junior at St. Joseph Hill Academy High School -- but because it meant she made it through her final chemotherapy treatment. The Ohio Harness Horsemens Association will host 'Saturday Night at the Races,' presented by the Galbreath Equine Center at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center on August 1, from Eldorado Scioto Downs. The show will be streamed live on Facebook. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature coverage of the Ohio State Fair races. Hosted by Ohio Harness Horsemens Association Brand Ambassador Roger Huston and harness racing expert Allison Conte, Saturday Night at the Races will include live coverage of the Director of Agriculture Pace for three-year-old colts and the Governors Cup Trot for three-year-old colts. Saturday Night at the Races will include interviews with drivers, trainers, and owners, as well as analysis of the races. Ohio Harness Horsemens Association Outreach and Public Relations Coordinator Frank Fraas says this is another event in the associations outreach program. During the COVID-19 pandemic we are continuing to find ways to deliver our product to fans that might not feel comfortable attending the races in person," said Fraas . "It also gives us the opportunity to present our sport to others that might not follow it on a regular basis. Saturday Night at the Races is sponsored by Midland Acres and Big Dees Tack and Vet Supplies. (With files from Ohio Harness Horsemens Association) A Nigerian broadcaster and founder of Cowrie FM Radio Station, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Willy Thomas, is dead. Mr Thomas died in the early hours of Thursday. His death was confirmed by the former President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lanre Ogundipe. The deceased, who worked at the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation as a DJ/Producer, and later with Radio Germany, was said to have died while being rushed to the hospital, following a sudden health challenge. Mr Thomas returned from Germany some years ago to establish a community radio station, Cowrie FM, in Ogun State. He was said to be in his 70s. READ ALSO: As the news of his death spread in Abeokuta, his colleagues and friends rushed to his private residence in the town to commiserate with the family. A broadcaster who worked together with the deceased at the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Sesan Ekisola, was one of the visitors to Mr Thomas residence. Royal Caribbean passengers cruise ship Gerardo Garcia / Reuters Royal Caribbean, the parent company of cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Silversea, has officially dropped the word "cruises" from its name. The company, now called Royal Caribbean Group, rolled out the changes quietly over the course of months, but announced the change on Thursday. The move comes as the cruise ship industry has been battered by revenue loss due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The parent company of Royal Caribbean cruises officially dropped "cruises" from its name on Thursday, according to a press release. The company is also making changes to its logo. Related: 6 months of coronavirus in the USA, reviewed in 6 minutes The company first used the new name "Royal Caribbean Group" rather than "Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd" in its first-quarter earnings report back in May. But the cruise line didn't confirm the change until a reporter at The Points Guy noticed. Changes to the logo include sharpening the points of the crown and anchor and adding a surrounding circle. The parent company's old name, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., was often confused with its flagship brand, Royal Caribbean International. The parent company owns several other cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, and Azamara. The cruise industry as a whole has been battered by the coronavirus epidemic, and was forced to pause operations after outbreaks on ships like the Diamond Princess. Royal Caribbean has suspended cruises through the end of September, according to the company's website. Read the original article on Business Insider Last night the big tech CEOs sat in front of a camera and answered the US lawmakers in a hearing that lasted for hours. The hearing was about the practices of companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook and whether they are monopolies or not. There were a lot of interesting questions for Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook but one that stood out was about what sort of challenges the tech companies are facing from China. The CEOs were asked to comment on reports that China was stealing technology knowhow from big Silicon Valley companies. The question was asked by Republican congressman Greg Steube and answers to it were different from all the four CEOs. The three, including Pichai, denied that China had stolen any of their technology. But Mark Zuckerberg said that it has. "I don't know of specific cases where we have been stolen from by the government," Cook said. "I know of no case (of) ours where it occurred ... I can only speak to first-hand knowledge." Pichai too talked of first-hand knowledge. "I have no first-hand knowledge of any information stolen from Google in this regard," he said. Bezos was ambivalent. He said that he had heard reports of China stealing technology but his company hasn't faced it. "I have heard many reports of that," he said. "I haven't seen it personally." Zuckerberg, however, was clear. And he said it is well-documented that Chinese government steals technology from tech companies. "I think it's well documented that the Chinese government steals technology from American companies," he said. The comments from the top tech CEOs come in the wake of increasing buzz around the way Chinese government supposedly uses China-based tech companies to increase its influence in the world. And a number of countries are growing wary of Chinese companies. Recently, a number of countries have moved to bar or discourage Huawei from supplying technology for next-generation 5G networks. India too has moved against some Chinese companies. Recently India banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, because it perceived them to be detrimental to the national security and to the privacy of users who had these apps on their phones. With 723 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Victoria on Thursday, outbreaks in New South Wales and Queensland, and with the virus all but eradicated west of the Nullarbor, West Australians have a clear message for the eastern states: keep out. Which is why Clive Palmer's challenge to WA's 'hard border' has generated such angst and why the Commonwealth's move to join his action and question the closure's constitutionality has compounded that angst. Many people are afraid. On Thursday alone there were 13 deaths reported in Victoria. That state faces many more in the days and months ahead. There is no question there is intense popular support for WA's hard border. Social media is awash with it. There is an online petition in support of keeping the WA border closed and blasting the "outside bodies" who are taking WA to court: they are "intrusive and offensive". It is inching towards 200,000 signatures. The pioneer Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC) and former governor of Osun state, Chief Bisi Akande has described the death of shocking the leader of Afenifere, Senator Ayo Fasanmi as shocking. Akande said the death of Fsanmi was a great loss to the Yoruba nation and to Nigeria as a whole. The son of the late politician, Folabi Fasanmi said his dad died at the age of 94 years and would be buried on Tuesday. The Second Republic Senator who until his death was a leader of the Yoruba Socio Cultural Group, Egbe Afenifere (ILOSIWAJU YORUBA) and a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, passed on peacefully in Osogbo on Wednesday night. In his tribute to Fasanmi, Akande said "I'm suddenly made a political orphan by the passing of Papa Ayo Fasanmi at this point. It is shocking and very painful to me personally because he was my political godfather since he introduced me to Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1977." "Papa Fasanmi along with his leader Chief Obafemi Awlolowo were in the Regional House of Assembly and National House of Representatives during the Parliamentary system of Government in the Nigerian 1st Repulic and he became a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Presidential system of Government in the Second Republic." "We were together in the National Constituent Assembly that wrote the 1979 Consritution for Nigeria. His wealth of experience as a progressive politician is mostly needed now that Nigeria is gradually taking steps towards consolidating democratic norms, hence a big vacuum has been created by his exit." " Those Nigerians who were not born before 1956 would only have the military sense of democracy and may never know good governance unless they were fortunate to have learnt under the tutelage of people of Papa Fasanmi's political generation. "It is significant therefore that the knowledge of the contributions of Fasanmi's generation to the development of Nigeria become useful for thinking right on how to reposition the problems of Nigeria." "He had consistently been a champion of democracy and good governance which he pursued till he breathed his last. "His role in ensuring Yoruba has a place of it's own in the politics of Nigeria will remain indelible while his contributions to the formation and sustenance of Afenifere, the pan Yoruba socio-political organisation can not be ignored." "Papa Fasanmi will be sorely missed by us, his political associates and by the entire nation. May God grant him eternal rest as we pray to God to give us, family, friends, political associates, fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We say bye-bye to our great leader", Akande said. Although the focus is on the lawyers, we meet some of their clients. In Tijuana, Gelernt interviews a Guatemalan asylum seeker who describes being separated from his son after arriving at the United States border. Joshua Block and Chase Strangio confer with Brock Stone, a longtime transgender officer in the Navy. The Fight briefly acknowledges that the A.C.L.U. has also defended less sympathetic clients. Jeffery Robinson, a deputy legal director, says there were tough discussions within the organization after the violence in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, when the A.C.L.U. had pressed in court that the white nationalists had a right to rally. On other matters, lawyers read aloud their hate mail and play nasty voice mail messages for the camera. If the filmmakers succeed in wringing drama from decisions that have already come down, their efforts at character development are hit-and-miss. Showing people struggling with everyday technology has become an inane documentary motif, and Gelernts apparently chronic difficulties with keeping his cellphone charged add more cutesiness than texture. On the other hand, it is bracing to hear audio of Brigitte Amiri, a lawyer who works on reproductive-rights cases, parrying with then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh when she argued before him at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It is especially invigorating to watch Dale Ho prepare to present the census case to the Supreme Court. Its the first case he has argued there, he says, and an opportunity he didnt expect. The directors film Ho in a hotel room practicing his opening remarks in front of a mirror and flubbing them, hoping he wont do so the next day. (He didnt.) Later, when the court rules, we watch him reading the complicated decision at the same time the rest of country does, and his dawning realization after initially thinking he has lost that he won. The Fight Rated PG-13. Images of detention centers. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. Rent or buy on Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. By Nam Sang-so Tsutomu Yamaguchi (March 1916~January 2010), a resident of Nagasaki, was an engineer when his employer, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Nagasaki asked him to take a temporary duty at its Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Yard in Hiroshima, some 5 hours train ride to east. Yamaguchi was supposed to return to his home office on Kyushu Island on Aug. 7. He was on his way to the Mitsubishi Shipyard, Hiroshima, on the morning of Aug. 6, when the atomic bomb named Little Boy was dropped. His left eardrum was ruptured and his torso was badly burnt. Despite the unbearable pain, he took a train back to his home in Nagasaki. On August 9, he was being treated for his burns at the infirmary of Mitsubishi in Nagasaki when the second atomic bomb was dropped over the city. Yamaguchi survived again. His wife and son died later from issues related to the aftereffects from the atomic bomb. Earlier in July 1945, just before the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some 1,000 B-29s flew over to Japan and dropped nearly 100,000 tons of incendiary bombs over 26 cities each with populations of 50,000 killing over 500,000 people. I was 12 years old attending an elementary school in Osaka, some 250 km east of Hiroshima. In choosing the cities to be targeted with atomic bombs, the U.S. military identified the Japanese cities that had not been bombed and the cities that had over 50,000 population. And they made sure that target cities had no American POW camps. Nagasaki was initially a Plan-B target. It was Kokura city, also in the Kyushu region, but the sky over the city was experiencing heavy cloud cover. Due to the visibility issues the B-29 holding the other A-bomb, named Fat Man, flew to Nagasaki, and dropped its payload there instead. The August summer in Japan was muggy under the hot sun. The students, boys and girls alike, had been mobilized to work at factories that produced weapon parts and the senior students of elementary schools were asked to help dig up the roots of pine trees in the nearby mountains. The trees had been cut down earlier by adult laborers. It took almost a day of sweaty labor by the children to dig out just one tree's roots from the earth. The dugout roots were sent to a factory to extract pine oil, about a cup's worth from one root, which were to be used by Kamikaze fighter plane units that carried out suicide dive bombing missions against enemy ships, our teachers told us. In the blue sky, we saw parallel condensation-trails left by the American bombers. We knew that Japan was losing the war. Many years later in 1985, I made an engineering business relationship with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Hiroshima and was invited to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Some men from Mitsubishi told me about Yamaguchi's story. He was still living in Nagasaki at the time. He died of stomach cancer in 2010 at the age of 93. The writer ( sangsonam@gmail.com ) is a Korean War veteran who survived the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. Controversy: The removal of the Shelbournes sculptures has drawn both praise and condemnation. PHOTO: STEPHEN COLLINS The Shelbourne Hotel is facing a backlash over its removal of slave girl statues, with an investigation under way into suspected planning breaches and the move being condemned in the Seanad as idiotic and criminal. But the hotel also continued to receive praise from members of the black community and immigrant support groups, who said presenting slavery as art without its brutal context was not acceptable. Dublin City Council confirmed it was investigating possible planning breaches in the removal of the statues, which depicted two Egyptian princesses and their shackled slave girls and which had stood at the entrance of the Shelbourne since 1867. The hotel is a protected structure and, by law, any works which would affect the character of a protected structure must obtain planning permission. If a breach occurs, a planning authority may order any unapproved works to cease and for the building to be restored to its previous state. Former attorney general and justice minister Michael McDowell attacked the hotel's decision in the Seanad, saying it was "nonsense" and he was "outraged" by it. "There are two possibilities: that somebody actually made a complaint about them, in which case it's a response to idiocy, or, alternatively, that this was a corporate search for anything that could offend, which is another form of idiocy," the angry senator said. "This is a protected structure. It's unlawful, it's criminal, to change it without planning permission and for a large multinational corporation to breach the law in this way, in an idiotic way, is wholly unacceptable. "Our heritage is not to be torn down or removed simply because of the foolish notions of causing offence where no offence could possibly be reasonably taken." But Dr Ebun Joseph, who lectures in Black Studies at University College Dublin, said she was surprised that the statues could be viewed as beautiful or that their removal required consultation. "It's not nice to have to pass by a representation of a reprehensible part of your past all the time while others' ugly past are not shown," she said. She said that if the statues were part of a display detailing the brutal truth about slavery, that would be fine, but on their own they did not represent the past truthfully. Green MEP Ciaran Cuffe apologised for tweeting that public consultation should have taken place before the statues were removed. "As an urban planner I should know that planning can suppress as well as liberate," he said in a later tweet. Statues with links to slavery have become the target of Black Lives Matter protests abroad in recent months. Some honouring figures who made their wealth from the slave trade have been removed or torn down. The Shelbourne's statues did not come to negative attention here but were the subject of commentary in an Irish- American online news service in recent days. The Shelbourne issued a statement saying it had removed the statues in light of recent world events and would find suitable replacements. It has not commented on the planning queries that have arisen since. (Natural News) The White House confirmed Wednesday that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had filed a petition to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) challenging the regulation of large social media companies. Filed on Monday, July 27, the petition seeks to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. It requests that the FCC clarify when an online platform curates content in good faith, and requests transparency requirements on their moderation practices. President Trump will continue to fight back against unfair, un-American, and politically biased censorship of Americans online, said a statement from the White House press secretary. Petition calls for transparency from social media networks President Donald Trump directed the NTIA the Department of Commerce agency that serves as the presidents principal adviser on telecommunications policies to file the petition after Twitter warned readers in May to fact-check his posts about unsubstantiated claims of fraud in mail-in voting. In its petition, the NTIA said that it wants the FCC to require social media companies to publicly disclose accurate information regarding its content-management mechanisms to enable users to make more informed choices about competitive alternatives. Trump, who is up for re-election this November, has repeatedly expressed anger at social media companies for their supposed censorship of his posts. Most recently, he complained that Twitters trending topics feature was unfair. They look for anything they can find, make it as bad as possible, and blow it up, trying to make it trend, he said. Brendan Carr, one of three Republican commissioners on the five-member FCC, said that the NTIA petition provides an opportunity to bring much-needed clarity to the statutory text. Both Democratic commissioners, however, Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks, have said that the commission should quickly reject the petition. The FCC shouldnt take this bait. While social media can be frustrating, turning this agency into the Presidents speech police is not the answer, said Rosenworcel said in a written statement. A spokesman for FCC chairman Ajit Pai said on Monday that the agency will carefully review the petition. In the past, Pai has stated that he does not see a role for the FCC to regulate websites like Facebook, Twitter or Google. White House has continued to battle against social media censorship The petition is the latest shot in Trumps ongoing battle with social media companies. Before its filing, Trump had already signed an executive order in May designed to check the power of social media companies to censor conservatives online. Theres no precedent in American history for so small a number of corporations to control so large a sphere of interaction, he said when he signed the order. At the time, Twitter had been adding fact-check labels to certain tweets. Back then, the company claimed that the move was meant to combat misinformation about the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The fact-checking soon turned political, however, with Twitter adding labels to some of Trumps tweets. What makes Twitters actions even more questionable is the fact that the company does not use third-party fact-checkers when applying its labels. This is in contrast to its rivals, which do employ third parties to do so. Whether or not the NTIA petition will result in any action, however, remains to be seen. At the very least, it could take a year or more for the FCC to actually finalize any rules. That is if theyre actually able to do so. According to Andrew Jay Shwartzman, a Georgetown University lecturer, Trump is on shaky legal ground with the petition. The FCC has no authority to interpret Section 230, and even if it did, the rule that Trump wants is utterly incompatible with the plain language of the statute, he explained. Sources include: Breitbart.com 1 NYTimes.com Breitbart.com 2 Rieke Office Interiors uses a special panel from its SafeSpace line to create a welcoming area for returning students. "Our goal is to do everything we can to help schools create safe environments so students and teachers can be safe, and parents like us can feel comfortable. I feel fortunate and grateful that we can help. The beginning of a new school year is filled with promise and excitement as teachers and staff welcome back students. However, this year, schools are filled with anxiety and concern due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies such as Rieke Office Interiors (ROI) in Elgin, Illinois believe that both businesses and schools across the country should provide safe and healthy environments to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The common theme is their desire and commitment to do everything they can to keep their faculty and students safe, said ROI President Melissa Kehl. They are just looking for help coming up with solutions given that this is all so new and moving so quickly. Its been most exciting and rewarding working with them to develop solutions they did not even know existed. Seeing successful use in other small and large businesses, ROIs SafeSpace line has been the solution to help schools safely implement social distancing. Fortunately, our original SafeSpace line of protective shields has universal application, Kehl said. Schools are purchasing them to protect their administrative staff and teachers. Our SafeShield RX and SafeDivide units are being used to divide spaces and tables in cafeterias, science labs, nursing offices and teachers lounges. Were excited about our new desktop products for students that weve designed with the help of our school partners. Weve engineered these products taking into consideration student safety, function, and durability while making them cost effective for schools. We now feel like we have the best student protective barrier option for desktops, circular and square tables, and even kidney shaped tables in classrooms and libraries. Educators such as Elgin Academys Head of School Seth Hanford see the companys line as extensions of safety as school endure the pandemic. "In this environment, all educators are seeking innovative solutions that help deliver education safely in a variety of classroom environments, Hanford said. Rieke has developed just that with their SafeSpace product line and we are so thankful for our partnership!" ROI assisted Geoff Neustadt, assistant director of Buildings and Grounds for Downers Grove Grade School District #58. The district ordered clear panels for its office space and appreciated the companys expert customer service and assistance. I appreciate the knowledge and ability to design the office protection we need for our students and staff, Neustadt said. ROI is excited to being part of the solution in helping schools near and far re-open after being closed for several months. We hear the voices on each side of the back-to-school issue and recognize the challenges, Kehl said. We have kids too, so we appreciate and can relate to the many concerns. Our goal is to do everything we can to help schools create safe environments so students and teachers can be safe, and parents like us can feel comfortable. I feel fortunate and grateful that we can help. For information about ROI, visit https://rieke.com/. About Rieke Office Interiors Rieke Office Interiors (ROI) has an impressive, state-of-the-art, 150,000 square foot, office furniture manufacturing facility in Elgin, Illinois. As a certified WBE business in its 27th year, ROI provides innovative products and services that are fully customizable, a unique capability that isn't found anywhere else in the office interior industry. This flexibility allows ROI to create a big impact for any budget, streamlining the project process to make each vision come to life. For more information, visit Rieke.com. # # # By Chayut Setboonsarng BANGKOK (Reuters) - Bolt, a popular ride-sharing system in Eastern Europe and Africa, has rolled out its platform in Thailand, the company said on Wednesday, as competition grows among Southeast Asian ride-hailers. Backed by Daimler and China's Didi Chuxing, Bolt said its pilot venture in the Thai capital, its first in Southeast Asia, has more than 2,000 drivers and will offer better rates to drivers and riders. "For a minimum of six months, Bolt in Thailand commits to charging drivers no commission for using the platform and offers fares 20% lower than other competitors," it said. The announcement comes as drivers of well-funded rivals, including Singapore-based Grab, backed by SoftBank Group, and Indonesia's Go-Jek, battled the coronavirus crisis that has devastated economies around the globe. These services, however, were already reeling under high costs even before the outbreak. Grab Thailand lost more than $22 million in 2018, while rapid growth led to a near doubling of losses last year. "Our experience in Europe and Africa has proven that ride-hailing is not a winner-takes-all market," Bolt said in a statement to Reuters. Ride-sharing services exist in a legal gray area in Thailand, with police routinely stopping and fining drivers because they are not properly registered. "The existing pressure from taxi associations against legalisation still looms large," said Ben Kiatkwankul of government affairs advisory the Maverick Consulting Group. "The government could take action against these players in the future." Bolt said it complied with all requirements to operate in Thailand and worked with the government on regulation. Thailand's plan to legalise ride-hailing services this year has slowed because of the pandemic. Bolt, founded in 2013, has more than 30 million users in over 35 countries across Europe and Africa. (Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Clarence Fernandez) Watchdog Denounces 'Oppressive' Climate For Reporters Ahead Of Belarus Election By RFE/RL July 29, 2020 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has warned of the "oppressive" climate surrounding media freedom in Belarus ahead of a presidential election in two weeks, condemning the "systematic" arrests of journalists covering pro-democracy demonstrations. More than 40 journalists have been detained over the past 10 weeks in an effort to prevent them from covering the "unprecedented" campaigns against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's reelection, the Paris-based media freedom watchdog said in a statement on July 29. The authorities are "ready to do anything to gag independent media," said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk. Cavelier called for impartial investigations with the aim of prosecuting those guilty of obstructing the work of journalists, which is penalized by Belarus's Criminal Code. Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, is seeking a sixth term in the upcoming election on August 9. The Belarusian leader has faced mounting public opposition in recent months, in part from public discontent over the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 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 the election officials. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/watchdog-denounces -oppressive-climate-for-reporters-ahead-of- belarus-election/30755551.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address For one extremely lucky lobster, death via boiling pot was not in its future. A rare blue American lobster was found last week at a Red Lobster restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where staff fished out the crustacean from a package of live lobsters and saved it from winding up on a dinner plate, NPR reported. "At first it looked like it was fake," culinary manager Anthony Stein told NPR. "It's definitely something marvelous to look at." MONSTER FISH: Fishing in the city? Here's what lurks in Houston's Brays Bayou Staff kept the lobster, which they named "Clawde" in honor of the restaurant chain's mascot, safely tucked away in a tank before it was transferred to the Akron Zoo. "We kept [it] in the tank and just made sure that nobody took him in the back for dinner," server Angie Helbig told NPR. The Akron Zoo said in a Facebook post Tuesday that its famous blue lobster is actually a girl and changed its name to "Clawdia." ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Fishing during coronavirus pandemic comes with a catch "Clawdia underwent a vet exam on Sunday, where our team was able to determine that she was indeed female," the Zoo said in the Facebook post. "She does have a few bumps and bruises from her journey. The next few months are critical for Clawdia as she prepares for her annual molt, a time that is very vulnerable for lobsters of any color." There are mixed opinions on the exact rarity of the blue lobster, with some saying catching one is a one in a two million chance, according to the BBC. Per the BBC, bright blue lobsters get their color from an overabundance of a specific protein that is caused by a genetic abnormality. Regardless, many fisherman consider blue lobsters a symbol of good fortune. For Clawdia, it seems luck was certainly on her side. by Shafique Khokhar For Human Rights Focus Pakistan president Naveed Walter, a new wave of Islamisation has changed the school syllabus, the un-Islamic names of some cities and certain laws making them more rigid. Peshawar (AsiaNews) An elderly man accused of blasphemy was shot dead yesterday in a courtroom in Peshawar. The victim, Tahir Ahmad Naseem, was an Ahmadi, a minority religious group declared non-Muslim in 1974. The courthouse where the incident took place is located in a high-security zone on the main Khyber Road in the cantonment area that houses the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly, the Peshawar High Court, the Chief Minister's secretariat and the Governor's House. Tahir Ahmad Naseem, who was shot six times, was accused of blasphemy in 2018because he claimed to be a prophet. According to the First information Report (FIR) filed against him, he belonged to the Ahmadi community. He had befriended his accuser, Awais Malik, on Facebook, through which he invited the latter to discuss his beliefs with him. In the FIR, Naseem was charged under the Pakistan Penal Code, most notably Section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), Section 295-B (defiling etc. of the Holy Quran), Section 295-C (use of derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad PBUH) and Section 298 (uttering words etc., with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings). The young killer, Khalid Khan, managed to enter the court and shoot at Tahir despite apparent tight security. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mohammad Ali Gandapur said the attacker was arrested at the scene of the crime. He was charged under Sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder), Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and Section 15 of the Arms Act on the report of a police officer. Aurat Foundation director Mahnaz Rehman told AsiaNews that peoples constitutional rights should be protected. The state should protect everyone who is eligible for a national identity card and passport. Not all Muslims are Pakistani and not all Pakistanis are Muslims. We shouldn't forget that our flag also has the colour white," he explained. He also said that if being Muslim is enough to be Pakistani, why arent Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) issued the second and third generation Burmese and Bengali Muslims living in Karachi? Speaking about the murder, Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said that no individual or group has the right to take the law into their own hands, whatever their excuse for the act, religious or other. For Walter, the killing of people charged in sensitive cases is not something new; many others have been murdered during court proceedings. This being the case, he wonders why was security in the courthouse inadequate in this and other cases. With murderers portrayed as "heroes" in social media, other people will be encouraged to do the same. As long as one can hear intolerant religious slogans across the country, certain mindsets will not change. Bemoaning the new wave of Islamisation, he noted that the school syllabus and the un-Islamic names of some cities have been changed whilst certain laws were made more rigid. A grandmother claims her monthly manicures saved her life - after her nail technician spotted signs of lung cancer from her nails. Joan Martindale, from Tutbury, Staffordshire, noticed her fingernails and toenails getting wider, bulbous and starting to curve - predominantly on her big toes - earlier this year. The symptoms are collectively known as nail clubbing. Despite looking on Google and discovering clubbing could be a sign of heart or lung disease, 73-year-old Joan brushed off concerns and convinced herself it wouldn't happen to her. Joan's manicurist of ten years, Linda Bartram, noticed her nails 'bent right over' during their March 13 appointment and begged her to seek medical advice. After undergoing tests, Joan, a retired craft shop assistant, was then stunned when doctors diagnosed her with lung cancer and she had to have a five-hour operation to remove a 4mm tumour. Grandmother Joan Martindale, 73, from Tutbury, Staffordshire, claims her monthly manicures saved her life - after her nail technician spotted signs of lung cancer from her nails. Her nails (right) were had become wider, bulbous and were starting to curve. These changes are known as nail clubbing and are a sign of heart and lung problems Now undergoing chemotherapy, Joan is sharing her ordeal to shine a light on the symptoms and urge people to get medical help immediately. Joan said: 'Going for a manicure saved my life. It was incredible she could pick it up from just looking at my nails. 'I've told her I shall be eternally grateful to her, when we've got rid of this COVID we're going for a big slap-up meal. ' Joan, who kicked her 20-a-day cigarette habit and switched to vaping in 2013, said she first started experiencing unusual symptoms just after Christmas. WHAT IS FINGER CLUBBING? Finger clubbing means specific changes in the shape of your fingers and fingernails. People with heart or lung problems sometimes have these changes. Finger clubbing happens in stages, firstly the nail bed becomes soft and the skin next to the nail bed becomes shiny Secondly the nails then curve more than normal when looked at from the side (this is called Scarmouth's sign) Finally the ends of the fingers may then get larger (when they are called drumstick fingers) Finger clubbing is unusual. If you have it and are worried, speak to your doctor. They should send you for a chest x-ray to check your heart and lungs. It's thought to be caused by fluid collecting in the soft tissues at the ends of the fingers. This is caused by more blood flowing to the area than usual, but it's not fully understood why this happens. Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement Her ankles and feet started to swell up, something a doctor initially believed was water retention. Then Joan noticed her fingernails and toenails changed size and shape and remembered reading about clubbed nails and it being an indicator of a serious health condition. Joan said: 'The first sign was just after Christmas when my ankles and my feet started swelling. 'I went to the doctors and they said it was water retention, they gave me some tablets but they didn't do anything. 'Then I noticed my toenails got wide and bulbous on my big toes. I don't usually look on Google but I was curious and it said it could be something to do with heart or lung cancer. 'Touch wood, for my age, the doctors have said I'm in good health so I did think 'oh no it's not me, I'll wait a little bit longer'. 'Then when I went to have my nails done in March Linda asked if I was alright. 'I mentioned the swelling in my ankles and then she said she didn't want to upset me, but that she thought there was something wrong with my nails and that they needed to be looked at by a doctor.' The following Monday, March 16, Joan booked a GP's appointment and had a chest x-ray done at Queen's Hospital Burton in Burton-on-Trent the following day. On Thursday, March 19, she underwent a CT scan and a fortnight later had a positron emission tomography (PET) scan at Nottingham City Hospital. PET scans produce detailed 3-D images of the inside of the body by detecting radiation given off by a substance - known as a radio tracer - which is injected into a patient's arm. Joan was told she had a tumour in the top right lobe of her lung. Her specific diagnosis was right upper lobe squamous cell carcinoma. It comes under the umbrella of one of two types of lung cancer - in this case non-small-cell lung cancer, the most common form. On May 1 Joan underwent a gruelling five-hour operation at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester to remove the 4mm tumour. Joan also had some lymph nodes removed to see if her cancer had spread and they fortunately came back clear. The grandmother-of-two is now undergoing chemotherapy to blast any remaining cancer cells. Despite the shock diagnosis and the surgery, Joan said she feels 'lucky' it was caught and treated quickly, especially during lockdown. Beauty therapist and nail technician Linda Bartram, 59, spotted Joan's changed nails Joan said: 'I've got such a positive attitude and I kept thinking "I've got to go through all this because I want to see my grandchildren grow up". 'I've always been an optimist and just keep thinking I've been so lucky for it to be diagnosed and all sorted so quickly. 'It was a bit rough lying for five hours on my side with my arms stretched above my head, but the surgeon and the team were absolutely brilliant. 'I'm just keeping my fingers crossed now that it's gone away. I haven't vaped since the operation.' Manicure fan Joan said she may have gone to the doctor about her bent nails at some point, but concedes that due to lockdown it would have been much later. Joan said: 'I might have gone to the doctors without Linda telling me to but I might have left it a bit longer. 'Then when this lockdown happened I probably would have thought I would wait. 'It's been strange, lockdown's gone and past and I've not really noticed it because I've only had one free week when I haven't been to a hospital appointment. 'I've been to numerous appointments since March without any trouble, there isn't anything to be frightened of in hospitals. 'I'm feeling so lucky that although the COVID thing was going on I still got my operation and everything done. 'I'll be eternally grateful to Linda because she really gave me the nudge and told me I needed to do something about it. Joan's manicurist of ten years, Linda Bartram, noticed her nails 'bent right over' during their March 13 appointment and begged her to seek medical advice. Pictured: One of the glamorous manicures Joan has had over the years After undergoing tests, Joan, a retired craft shop assistant, was then stunned when doctors diagnosed her with lung cancer and she had to have a five-hour operation to remove a 4mm tumour 'This symptom needs to be known about so conditions can be diagnosed early - the more people know about it the better.' According to Cancer Research UK, finger clubbing sometimes occurs in people with heart and lung problems. It is unusual and people who have it should ask for a chest x-ray to check their heart and lungs. It is thought to be caused by fluid collecting in soft tissues at the ends of fingers as a result of more blood flowing to the area than usual. However, experts are unsure why this happens. Beauty therapist and nail technician Linda said she was taken aback when she saw how Joan's nails had changed in the course of a month. Linda, 59, said: 'At Joan's previous appointment I had noticed her nails were starting to just slightly bend over. 'On the day I mentioned it they'd bent right over. I can remember when I did anatomy and physiology nearly 20 years ago and was taught nails tell you so much. 'I remembered it when I saw Joan's nails and remember saying 'I don't want to alarm you Joan but you need to get the doctor to look at your nails'. 'Then the ball rolled very fast, and thank goodness it did. 'I love Joan, she's been a client for a long time, she's just incredible, and we've got a great relationship.' NETANYA, Israel, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trobix Innovation Ltd. (Trobix Bio), an Israeli-based biotechnology company developing therapies to remove the threat of antimicrobial resistance, announces the closing of a US $ 3 Million Series A funding from its lead investor, Chartered Opus. The funding will be used to advance the company's antimicrobial resistance platform technology and to further the pre-clinical development of the its lead product, TBX101. "I am grateful to Chartered Opus for their confidence in our technology and their trust in our team", said Dr. Adi Elkeles, Founder & CEO of Trobix Bio. "Antimicrobial resistant threatens to undermine the achievements of modern medicine, and Trobix Bio is committed to developing products that can effectively tackle this imminent threat", he added. "The Covid-19 pandemic stresses the urgent need to tackle the global challenges of infectious diseases, and the global need for a solution to the threat of antimicrobial resistance was there from day one", says Eyal Agmoni, Chairman of Chartered Group. "Trobix Bio is set to revolutionize the landscape of phage-based nanomedicine by introducing its game-changing, precision particle disruptive technology. We are very happy with the progress made by the team and are glad to be part of this unique venture". About Trobix Bio Trobix Bio is a preclinical biotechnology company, developing therapies to remove the threat of antimicrobial resistance, a global crisis strongly evidenced nowadays during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Trobix Bio leverages its ActiSense and GoTrap technologies to develop phage-based products that can effectively deliver DNA to a wide range of bacterial pathogens, and actively sensitize these pathogens to antibiotics. The company's lead product, TBX101, aims to treat patients carrying gut antimicrobial resistant bacteria, resulting in an antibiotic sensitive gut microbiome. Trobix Bio's precision medicine technology minimizes resistance development to TBX101. About Chartered Opus Chartered Opus is a production platform for investment products combining structural and technological innovations to a new methodology in Structured Products. Opus is the preferred investment vehicle for the Chartered Group High-Tech division. In the past two years, Chartered group grew its high-tech portfolio to about 30 companies all with disruptive technologies, including being the anchor investor for TAU Ventures at Tel Aviv University. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1221167/Trobix_Chartered_Opus_Logo.jpg For more information, please contact: Dr. Adi Elkeles CEO & co-Founder Trobix Bio Email: adie@trobixbio.com Related Links https://www.trobixbio.com/ SOURCE Trobix Innovation Ltd The man who tragically died after being mowed down by an out-of-control car has left behind a heartbroken wife and two children. Scott Brownridge, 51, was helping an elderly woman pack her shopping outside Aldi when a Toyota Corolla struck him at Kingston Central Plaza in Moorabbin, Melbourne, at about 1pm on Wednesday. Heartbroken friends have launched a fundraiser to help support the devastated family to prepare his funeral. Scott Brownridge (right) leaves behind his wife Tammy and two children following his death on Wednesday Mr Brownride was helping an elderly woman pack her shopping outside Aldi at the Kingston Central Plaza (pictured) in Moorabbin, Victoria when a Toyota Corolla driven by an 83-year-old struck him 'He was a loving, genuine, smart man and always bring a smile onto people's face everyday without fail,' the fundraiser reads. 'We are here to show our love and support to his wife Tammy, nine-year-old daughter, Shakima and four-year-old son, Zane during tough times like this. 'If you guys could help by donating some money to his family, I think that's the least we can do to help since we are not able to attend his funeral due to covid 19 restrictions.' The Help Scott Brownridge Family fundraiser has already exceeded the $25,000 goal and reached $34,373 in just one day. Mr Brownridge's brother-in-law, Ariel Bud, said he will be 'desperately missed' as the family comes to terms of the heartbreaking loss. 'Scott's infectious sense of humour and sharp wit reflected his deep intelligence and thoughtfulnessalways quick to help,' he told the Herald Sun. 'He was completely devoted to his life partner Tammy and was a superhero to his two beautiful children Shakima and Zane. 'Scott will be desperately missed by his family, friends, workmates and everyone who had the good fortune to have been a part of his life cut short so suddenly.' A fundraiser has been launched by friends to help support Mr Brownridge's (pictured) family Police questioned the 83-year-old Corolla driver who was with a 76-year-old female passenger. A witness said the driver had accelerated onto the footpath outside the store. 'It's terrible...they sped up onto the path and hit him as they tried to come down,' a witness said. Another witness said the victim's face had turned 'blue' as he lay bleeding on the footpath. 'He had a big gash on his head... people were trying to lift him up, it was terrible,' she said. Anyone with information or dash cam footage is urged to come forward or contact 1800 333 000. Loma Lopez has worked since she was a small child, when she picked peaches, potatoes and other produce beside her parents, who were migrant workers in the fields of California. But Lopez's work life ended in April, when she was laid off by the school where shed worked for 16 years because of the coronavirus pandemic. Lopez, 76, could no longer afford her $1,500 rent. And now she and her great-great-grandson are homeless, living with friends. This happened, and everything is upside down, says Lopez, who will now rely on $800 a month in Social Security payments an amount she believes would have been greater if shed been paid fairly throughout her working life. I know now that I should have gotten paid more But I did not have an education." At a time when the nation is reeling from the twin crises of an economic downturn and a global pandemic, long-standing gaps in pay are exacerbating the struggles of many Black women and Latinas who can barely make ends meet. Among Latinas, 51% do not currently have enough money to pay for basic needs like food and housing, while 48% of Black women cannot cover such fundamental expenses, according to a survey commissioned by the Time's Up Foundation and conducted by the firm PerryUndem. No way to pay the bills: Amid coronavirus pandemic, missed rent and mortgage payments are piling up in nearly every state Workers unite: A 'Strike for Black Lives' will bring together workers calling for end to systemic racism Many more lack a financial cushion to fall back on, with 60% of Latinas and 55% of Black women saying they have less than $200 in savings. "We've known for a very long time that women, especially women of color, are breadwinners,'' says Jennifer Klein, chief strategy and policy officer at Time's Up, who added that these women additionally take on many unpaid tasks at home. "We also know, sadly, that we don't have sufficient public policies and private sector practices to support these two roles that they play, and I think the pandemic has only magnified and made this situation worse.'' Story continues Latinas bear biggest financial losses The challenges faced by Latinas and Black women who on average make 54 cents and 62 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by a white man are being compounded by COVID-19, a virus that has led to the deaths of nearly 150,000 Americans, erased 14.7 million jobs, and is disproportionately impacting the physical and financial health of communities of color. Worker come together: A 'Strike for Black Lives' will bring together workers calling for end to systemic racism Latinas are most likely to say their work has been impacted by the pandemic with 72% saying they have lost a job, hours or pay. Among those who are working, 61% say their jobs require them to leave home in the midst of the health crisis, the largest segment of any group. And nearly 6 in 10 Latinas say they've not felt safe on the job amid the health crisis. Those pressures come as, 29% of Latinas are caring for an ill or elderly loved one more than any other segment of Americans. And Latinas worry most that juggling those responsibilities will hurt their chances to get a raise or promotion. Mental health issues are also most acute among Latinas, with 54% saying they experience panic or anxiety at least once a week though many other groups are also struggling. Among all women, 44% are regularly feeling emotional distress, compared with 31% of men. And 43% of white women, 37% of Black women and 35% of Asian American women have felt anxious during the pandemic. "When I look at ... the number of women who are crying themselves to sleep, that's the reality of what women are going through as they do the uncompensated care at home and try to figure out what to do with their jobs,'' says Tina Tchen, head of Time's Up. "Over the long term, thats going to take a real toll if we dont address it. Race and gender matters Meanwhile, 40% of Black women say someone at their job has said or implied that they dont work as hard as others because of their gender, race or responsibilities at home, compared with 37% of Latinas and 31% of white women who had similar experiences. Black women were also least likely to feel that they had a job that provided them with the ability to pay their bills, put money aside and also maintain their health, with 42% saying they had such stability, compared with 51% of Latinas and 54% of white women. Ash Girtley, 29, is a manager at a Peets Coffee in Chicago. But at several of the other chains where she worked over the last ten years, Girtley says she struggled to gain promotions despite her experience. They always labeled the Black female as difficult, said Girtley, who has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Being Black and being a woman on top of that in the fast food industry, I cant get ahead. Ash Girtley is struggling to make ends meet amid the coronavirus pandemic Even before the pandemic, her $16 an hour wages meant money was tight and saving was hard. But now, partly because she is a caretaker for her mother, Girtley says her schedule has been pared from roughly 40 hours to as few as 12 hours a week. The $13,000 she struggled to sock away has been whittled down to $2,400, the money going toward groceries, car repairs and other bills. I sell dinners out of my house just to get by because its not enough for me to live off the wages Im making right now, she says. But I cant crack. Ive got a house depending on me. Many of those surveyed said they were aware of inequities in expectations as well as pay. Among married women with younger children, only 42% said they could take a good paying job that lacked flexible hours and required them to prioritize work over their responsibilities at home. That's compared with 56% of married fathers who said they'd be able to grab such a professional opportunity. And among men who play a role in hiring, 1 in 3 believed that male applicants should be given priority for getting the job when work is scarce. "That means we don't understand the number of women who are the ... engines of our economy,'' Tchen says. ''And so that's the long-term battle that we still have to fight.'' A tipping point? There was some promising news, with 83% of those surveyed saying that in the midst of the current economic crisis, equal pay for women remains just as or more critical an issue. And women were clear about what they needed to address the pay gap and other inequities, including child care, more flexible work schedules and paid sick leave. "This data makes visible what has for too long been invisible,'' Klein says. "I never use the word 'opportunity,' but I think this moment may be a tipping point that both demands big structural changes (and) also makes them possible.'' Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: Latinas and Black women's pay gap magnifies struggle New Delhi:Targetting the central government over the "deepening economic crisis", senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday asserted that two major industries -- telecom and aviation -- are on the verge of collapse. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said that millions of people have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months and added that the collapse of the two major industries will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs. "When will the BJP government acknowledge the gravity of the deepening economic crisis in the country? When will the Prime Minister acknowledge his failure and the failure of his economic managers?" Chidambaram tweeted. He said that the aviation industry has suffered massive losses and faces an uncertain future unless the central government steps in with a rescue plan. "Will the government realize that one of our major telecom companies is on the verge of collapse and the government has no plan to save the struggling telecom industry? Will the government realize that the aviation industry has suffered massive losses and every one of them will go the Air India way unless the government steps in with a rescue plan?" Chidambaram tweeted. "Millions have lost their jobs or livelihood in the last 12 months. The collapse of two major industries -- telecom and aviation -- will cost many more thousand direct and indirect jobs," a following tweet said. Chidambaram`s remark comes a day after one of the leading telecom companies, Bharti Airtel, posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 15,933 crore in the first quarter of the fiscal, mainly due to its one-time expense related to the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. Meanwhile, the aviation industry is also going through a crisis as several travel restrictions continue and passenger international flights remain suspended in view of the coronavirus pandemic, which has hampered the economy and businesses. President Donald Trump on Thursday refused to back down from his suggestion earlier in the day that the November general election be postponed, repeating unsubstantiated predictions of widespread voter fraud amid the coronavirus pandemic and saying that large numbers of mail-in ballots might mean you never even know who won the election. The presidents extraordinary proposal, which he is not constitutionally empowered to enforce, represented his first attempt at floating a suspension of the election less than 100 days away. With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump wrote on Twitter in the morning. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? Hours later, he appeared to launch a partial clean-up of the suggestion after it was roundly rejected by members of his own party. Glad I was able to get the very dishonest LameStream Media to finally start talking about the RISKS to our Democracy from dangerous Universal Mail-In-Voting Trump said Thursday afternoon, reiterating that he totally supports absentee voting. The president added that in his view it was imperative to find out who won the election on election night, not days, months, or even years later, as some election experts have indeed warned that a drastic surge in mail-in ballots might mean a close race isnt called on the evening of Nov. 3. He also vowed that he would win the 2020 election, despite recent polling suggesting trouble for the president. He reiterated those views in a coronavirus briefing at the White House later, ignoring multiple opportunities to walk back his proposal but insisting that he didnt want to see the election delayed. Do I want to see a day change? No. But I dont want to see a crooked election, he told reporters, asserting without evidence that a 2020 election in which large swaths of voters cast their ballots by mail would be the most rigged election in history. Story continues I don't want to see an election you know, so many years I've been watching elections, Trump added. And they say the projected winner or the winner of the election. I don't want to see that take place in a week after Nov. 3 or a month or, frankly, with litigation and everything else that could happen, in years, years, or you never even know who won the election. Virtually all public polling of the White House race shows Trump trailing by significant margins nationally and in battleground states, and his initial tweet Thursday morning came minutes after the Commerce Department reported that the pandemic had inflicted the worst economic contraction in modern American history. As the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States has worsened in recent months, prominent Democrats have cautioned that the president might seek to seize upon the public health crisis to question the legitimacy of the election or even defy its results. Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it cant be held, former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in April. Trump rejected Bidens warning days later at a news briefing conducted by the White House coronavirus task force. I never even thought of changing the date of the election, he said . Why would I do that? November 3rd. Its a good number. No, I look forward to that election. Trumps reelection team was similarly dismissive at the time of Bidens remarks. Those are the incoherent, conspiracy theory ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaigns communications director, said in a statement. Matt Wolking, the Trump campaigns deputy communications director, tweeted at the time: Joe Bidens conspiracy theory is irresponsible and has no basis in reality. The presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, generated controversy in May when he said he was unsure whether he could commit one way or the other to holding the election as scheduled. Kushner sought to clarify his comments hours later, saying he had not been involved in and was unaware of any discussions about trying to change the date of the presidential election. Biden has argued that while the coronavirus might force changes to the way voting is conducted, the election should not be delayed. Id much prefer to have on you know, in-person voting, but it depends. It depends on the state of play, he said in April. But we cannot, we cannot delay or postpone a constitutionally required November election. The date for the presidential election has been set in law by Congress since 1845 as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In a statement provided Thursday to POLITICO, Hogan Gidley, the Trump campaigns national press secretary, said the presidents tweet was just raising a question about the chaos Democrats have created with their insistence on all mail-in voting. They are using coronavirus as their means to try to institute universal mail-in voting, which means sending every registered voter a ballot whether they asked for one or not, Gidley said, adding that universal mail-in voting invites chaos and severe delays in results. The Trump campaign has sought to draw a distinction between universal mail-in voting and absentee voting, similar to how the president did in his tweet Thursday. Justin Clark, Trumps deputy campaign manager, told POLITICO earlier this month that Democrats were working to sow confusion ahead of the election and fundamentally change the process by which the country votes. Contrary to what some in the media and on the left claim, there are significant differences between absentee voting and universal vote-by-mail, Clark said in a statement. If a voter cant make it to the polls, they can request an absentee ballot, he said, repeating his claims about fraud affecting 100% vote-by-mail elections. However, the president often muddles the two terms, and the Trump campaign has refused to clarify his positions on voting by mail. The Trump campaign did not answer a list of specific questions from POLITICO earlier this month, instead providing only Clarks statement. POLITICO asked whether the president supports no-excuse absentee voting, or whether he thinks all voters should have a valid excuse to vote absentee. The majority of states allow for no-excuse absentee voting, meaning anyone can request an absentee ballot. POLITICO also asked whether the president still opposed mailing out absentee ballot request forms, not the ballots themselves, after criticizing such a policy in Michigan. Trump has tweeted that absentee ballots are a great way to vote for the many senior citizens, military, and others who cant get to the polls on Election Day. He deemed them to be fine because a person has to go through a process to get and use them. Voting rights experts say there is no difference between the terms mail-in voting and absentee voting, and some jurisdictions such as Florida have scrubbed the latter term to avoid confusion among voters. Republicans have actively promoted requesting absentee ballots in no-excuse states, including Pennsylvania and Florida. In November, 42 states and the District of Columbia will effectively allow for, at a minimum, no-excuse absentee balloting meaning any voter, regardless of age, health or location on Election Day will be able to vote by mail should they choose to do so. Of those states, just seven are planning to proactively mail every voter a ballot. Five do it as a regular course Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington while California and Vermont, along with the District of Columbia, have announced their intention to do so because of the pandemic. An analysis last month of voting in three of those states that send ballots routinely found that officials identified an infinitesimal amount of potentially fraudulent ballots. House Democrats did pass a bill in May that would mandate all voters be sent a ballot in the case of an emergency, along with other sweeping changes to the American electoral system. But the legislation faces ardent opposition from Senate Republicans, and it is exceedingly unlikely to become law. The remaining eight states, including the large states of Texas and New York, require a valid excuse for a voter to request an absentee ballot for November. Despite the presidents repeated insistence to the contrary, cases of election fraud in the U.S. are exceedingly rare. Experts acknowledge that there are some slightly higher fraud risks associated with mail-in balloting when proper security measures are not put in place. Beyond his allegations of potential voter fraud, Trump has also claimed that mail-in voting would yield unfavorable electoral results for the Republican Party. Nonetheless, GOP political operatives have embraced vote-by-mail, and a recent study found that it does not benefit one party over another. Roughly 57.2 million Americans participated in the 2016 election via early, absentee or mail-in voting, including active duty military who live either overseas or in the U.S. outside their home voting jurisdiction. That total represented 2 in 5 of all ballots cast. Trump voted by mail in Floridas primary in March, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has repeatedly voted in Florida while out of state including when she worked in Washington and had a New Jersey drivers license that indicated she was not a Florida resident. Still, at the White House on Thursday Trump claimed that conducting an election heavy in mail-in ballots would be very unfair to the country, and that doing so would make the U.S. a laughingstock all over the world. He also accused his opponents of trying to conceal what he asserted was rampant fraud for mail-in ballots. Thats common sense, he asserted. Everyone knows it. Smart people know it. Stupid people may not know it. And some people dont want to talk about it. But they know it. He skirted a question about whether he intended the net effect of his comments to cast doubt on the results of the November election, contending that his comments had a tremendous impact and had provoked Americans to look more closely at voting by mail. The presidents accusations of voter fraud extend back to the 2016 election and do not apply exclusively to voting by mail. During his previous campaign for the White House, Trump promoted various theories preemptively casting doubt on the results of the rigged election, including his claim that 1.8 million dead people are registered to vote, and some of them absolutely vote. After he was elected in November 2016, Trump claimed without evidence that millions of people voting illegally cost him the popular vote. And in 2018, he disbanded a controversial commission that was charged with investigating his unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud during the election. His comments on Thursday earned him nearly universal condemnation, even among his top allies in the Republican Party. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who as president pro tempore of the Senate is in the line of succession for the presidency, dismissed Trumps tweet as the presidents own personal opinion and pointed out that it would take an act of Congress to change the date of a federal election. It doesnt matter what one individual in this country says, Grassley said. We still are a country based on the rule of law. And we must follow the law until either the Constitution is changed or until the law is changed. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also pushed back on Trump. No way should we ever not hold an election on the day that we have it, McCarthy told reporters. At least one ally and defender of the president, Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi, used Trumps tweet to call for his removal from office. I am frankly appalled by the presidents recent tweet seeking to postpone the November election, Calabresi wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times . Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats assertion that President Trump is a fascist, he continued. But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the presidents immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate. Prince Harry has seemingly never really done the Instagram thing. The only Instagram account people knew him to use was @SussexRoyal a professional account he shared with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex that has been inactive ever since they stepped down as senior members of the royal family. However, a new biography claims the duke used to have a private account on the platform under a handle impossible to detect. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at an event in January 2020 | Samir Hussein/WireImage What to know about Prince Harrys secret Instagram account Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed the account in their upcoming book Finding Freedom, which is slated for an Aug. 11 release. In excerpts obtained by The Times, the writers claim Prince Harry used to operate the account @SpikeyMau5 a name that apparently combines his nickname Spike and one of his favorite musical artists, Deadmau5. Details about the account are limited, but the writers say the profile picture was an image of mouse-shaped helmet. Meghan allegedly started following the account after their first date and then posted a flirty note about the outing on her now-shuttered account. It was a photo of a candy heart inscribed with Kiss Me that she captioned, Lovehearts in #London, according to the book. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Karwai Tang/WireImage RELATED: The Not So Sneaky Way Prince Harry Hides His Identity in Public Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markles first date Prince Harry and Meghan were set up on a blind date in July 2016 by a mutual friend whose identity has yet to be confirmed. The book says the pair had dinner at Soho Houses Dean Street Townhouse in London and quickly fell off in their own little world as they talked and got to know each other. The date is said to have lasted for nearly three hours. For the second date, which the book says happened the next night, Prince Harry and Meghan allegedly returned to the same place for dinner. A friend told the writers that they chatted a lot that evening and had electric chemistry. Harry knew they would be together at that point, the friend said. She was ticking every box fast. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images RELATED: Prince Williams Warning to Prince Harry About Meghan Markle Is Revealed in New Biography Prince Harry and Meghan Markles relationship continued to move at lightning speed Six weeks after that date, they traveled to Botswana, Africa, where a People source said they fell in love. Technically the getaway was just their third date, a friend said in the book, but by then, they were each already dancing around the idea that this just may be a forever thing. Prince Harry confirmed their relationship via a statement in November 2016 after reports picked up on their romance and proposed about a year later. The pair married in a fairytale ceremony in May 2018 and welcomed their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019. After experiencing nonstop media scrutiny and royal pressure throughout their relationship, the couple announced in January that they had decided to step back from their senior positions. Once the plans went into effect, they left the United Kingdom for Canada before settling in Meghans native Los Angeles in March. They are now staying at an $18 million mansion owned by Tyler Perry until they can find a place of their own. RELATED: The 1 Thing That Would Have Stopped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle From Stepping Down, According to a New Biography BEIRUT, Lebanon In any other year, Muslims undertaking the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca that all Muslims are supposed to perform at least once, would drink from a holy well. They would kiss the sacred black stone embedded in the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in Islam, as they thronged the Grand Mosque. Before they left Mecca, they would collect pebbles to ritually stone the devil, casting them at a series of symbolic pillars. During the coronavirus edition of the hajj that began Wednesday, however, the black stone is off limits to kissing and touching. The authorities in Saudi Arabia are issuing personal prayer rugs and bottled water from the holy Zamzam well instead of letting pilgrims drink from cups at the mosque. Even the pebbles pilgrims hurl at the devil have been sterilized, all in an effort to prevent a coronavirus outbreak from marring a pilgrimage which tradition holds stretches back thousands of years. But the chief public health measure the Saudi government has taken to protect the hajj is to limit attendance, shrinking one of the worlds most famous crowds to a select, socially distanced few. Vernon, N.Y. A pair of drive-in concerts scheduled this weekend in Central New York have been canceled. Jam rock band moe. was scheduled to perform live shows at Vernon Downs on Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1, with fans practicing social distancing by staying in designated parking spaces and other CDC and New York state guidelines to protect against the coronavirus. The second moes Miracle Mile Live Drive-In Concert was added after the first night sold out in hours. Vernon Downs announced Wednesday that both shows have been canceled. Despite putting a comprehensive health and safety plan in place for the events, Vernon Downs management made the preemptive decision to not allow the concerts to be held on-site due to the continuing health and safety concerns surrounding the global Covid-19 pandemic, a statement said. Another site was not announced. Refunds will be issued automatically to all ticketholders. Promoter Creative Concerts blamed Vernon Downs for the cancellation. Due to circumstances beyond our control Vernon Downs has breached our contract and forced us to cancel this weekends shows. Were devastated by this turn of events and are still committed to bringing safe socially distanced events to upstate and central New York, said Chuck Chao, president of Creative Concerts, Inc. We were blindsided by this information and left with no other choice... Thank you for being so supportive of our efforts hopefully we can find a new venue in the near future that will honor their promises and commitment. The cancellation comes days after The Chainsmokers performed at a drive-in concert in the Hamptons. However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered an investigation into the event after video showed a large crowd of fans close together and dancing, appearing to violate social distancing and other coronavirus guidelines. We are heartbroken and cannot convey how saddened we are for the inconveniences this has caused our fans. We wish for nothing more than to play live for you, moe. wrote on Facebook. The band said it would still perform two full shows in an online livestream from a historic church-turned-recording studio on Friday and Saturday night. For tickets and more information, visit https://tourgigs.com/shows. moe., formed at the University at Buffalo in 1989, features members all with roots in Upstate New York. The band announced an indefinite hiatus in 2017 when Central New York native and founding member Rob Derhak, a bassist and vocalist with the group revealed he was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. The band reunited for moe.down 17 in July 2019 and released its 12th album last month. Meanwhile, the Observer-Dispatch reports the Vernon Downs Hotel Casino is in danger of closing for good in October if Cuomo does not allow private casinos to reopen by then. Jeff Gural, chairman of the company that owns Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs, said Tuesday that roughly 900 workers have been furloughed since the end of March and will have to notify them of layoffs if the shutdown lasts six months. Gural told the Utica newspaper that horse racing is still taking place twice a week at Vernon Downs, but will shut down by Labor Day if the casino cant reopen. At some point, we run out of money, Gural said. Were doing the best we can. Chairman of the Risk Communication and Social Mobilization Committee for Ghanas Covid-19 Response Team, Dr Aboagye Dacosta has assured Ghanaians the zeal of the frontline health workers working hard to protect Ghanaians against the deadly new coronavirus. We have worked so hard to make sure that Ghanaians are protected. Even if you look at the death rate of the Covid-19, Ghanas death rate still remains very low if you compare to other African countries, he indicated on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show. Talking about the management of the Covid-19 cases, Dr Aboagye Dacosta explained to the host Kwame Nkrumah Tikese that the recovery rate of those who were reported on time to the treatment centres is about 83 percent. those critical to severe condition patients that reported on time, as at last week, we had about 83% of them recovering. Most of the people who died of the Covid-19 were rushed to the hospitals and died after 48 hours. In fact, Ghanas recovery is one of the highest in the world and this tells you that we have done well, he disclosed. He again said that due to the effort of the government and Ghana Health Service, the treatment centres and the hospitals are not overwhelmed; thus, the active cases in the country is gradually declining, urging Ghanaians to continue to protect themselves. The active cases we are all talking about as the countrys burden is gradually declining and so what I will tell every Ghanaian is that protect yourself by wearing your nose mask and even add the face shield. The safety protocols that the government has enrolled should be adhered to and if we comply with the protocols, we will be able to eradicate Covid-19 from the country, he cautioned. He hinted that the frontline health workers and a team set up by the government are monitoring the students who contracted the virus in schools; thus, the committee is making sure that the students write their final year exams in safety. He was of the view that aside from the minor challenges, the measures the government has put in place has helped to reduce the infections as recorded in the country; emphasizing that the Covid-19 situation would have gotten out of hands if the government has not rapidly put measures in place. We thank God and Ghanaians for their continue support to help fight the Covid-19; we are not done with the fight yet because we still have about 3,000 people infected by the virus and so all hands must be on desk to comply with the safety protocols and make sure that we have reduced the infection. The percentage of death of the covid-19 is 0.5 percent, he made the call on Ghanaians. Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais Evan Vucci Jeff Chiu Jens Meyer/AP Tech giants Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google released results on Thursday that showed just how richly the sector has benefited from the coronavirus pandemic, sending their already sky-high share prices soaring in after-hours trading. On a day when the US announced economic growth overall had collapsed by a record-setting 32.9%, Amazon reported a profit of $5.2bn for the quarter and sales of $88.9bn, 40% higher than the same period last year. Amazon Web Services, the companys cloud computing division, reported revenues of $10.8bn for the quarter boosted as companies and consumers shifted online during the pandemic. Related: Congress's historic tech hearing suggests antitrust crackdown could come soon Facebook withstood an advertising boycott over hate speech in the month of July, beating analyst estimates for quarterly revenue. Ad sales, which comprise nearly all of Facebooks revenue, rose 10% to $18.3bn in the second quarter. Facebook shares jumped 8% in extended trading following the results. Revenue growth was the slowest ever since Facebook became a public company, reported at 11%, still better than analysts expectations that it would sink to 3%, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, opened a call with investors on Thursday reporting a a record high 9 million advertisers in the quarter. Around 1,000 advertisers participated in the July boycott. Zuckerberg struck a defiant tone on the call, criticizing the governments response to the global pandemic and saying Facebook employees will not be returning to the offices for the foreseeable future. It is incredibly disappointing because it seems like the US could have avoided this current surge in cases if our governments had handled it better, he said. Zuckerberg added that because the pandemic appears to be continuing into election season, Facebooks role in providing accurate election information and removing voter suppression on the app is more important than ever. Story continues The CEO repeatedly touted Facebook as a supporter of small business and stressed its role in the increasingly online marketplace, saying he is troubled by calls to regulate the company or rein in targeted internet advertising. This would reduce opportunities for small businesses so much that would probably be felt at a macro economic level, he said. Is that really what policymakers want in the middle of a pandemic and recession? Apple posted revenues of $59.7bn for its fiscal third-quarter, surpassing Wall Streets expectations. Apples record June quarter was driven by double-digit growth in both products and services and growth in each of our geographic segments, said Tim Cook, Apples CEO. In uncertain times, this performance is a testament to the important role our products play in our customers lives and to Apples relentless innovation. Google parent Alphabets revenues fell 2% to $38bn the first decline in the companys history but were still better than analysts had expected. Thursdays results came a day after the tech companies were accused by Congress of wielding too much power in a historic committee hearing. The complaints against the tech giants were varied, but centered around criticisms that they have used their dominant position to quash rivals and overcharge the people and businesses reliant on their services. Facebook might still be a winner as far as much of its audience is concerned, but the world is changing and businesses are being scrutinized for their behavior ever more, said Tamara Littleton, analyst and the CEO of social strategy firm the Social Element. It may not be this year or even next, but in the long term unless Facebook can prove to advertisers and governments that it is able to act in a responsible and ethical manner, it may yet prove that theres no such thing as too big to fail. The coronavirus appears to have been a boon to the tech giants. Amazons sales soared as consumers have turned to online shopping and Facebook announced it now has 2.7 billion monthly users, slightly higher than analysts had predicted. The company now counts 3.14 billion monthly users across its family of apps which include Instagram, Messenger and WhatAapp. Ed Helmore contributed to this report Community Input Session at Lamar Senior Activity Center The ultimate goal of the interpretive plan is to expand park visitors connection and sense of belonging to Pease Park. The Conservancy is committed to making Pease Park more welcoming and accessible to all Austinites. - Health Riddles-Sanchez, Pease Park Conservancy's CEO Pease Park Conservancy is pleased to announce the completion of the Pease Park Interpretive Plan, which outlines key themes and storylines for telling the cultural and natural histories of Austins oldest park. Pease Park Conservancy, in partnership with Austin Parks and Recreation Department, worked through the interpretive planning process with specialists from MuseWork and RECLAIM to create the final version of the strategic guide for Pease Park. This marks a major accomplishment for the park and will inform future programming and community engagement efforts as the implementation phase begins and as the Conservancy moves forward in its realization of the Pease Park Master Plan, through Kingsbury Commons and beyond. Interpretive planning is a process whereby researchers delve into the histories, both cultural and natural, of a given heritage site and develop storylines that will help enrich the visitor experience. Pease Park Conservancy undertook this initiative in order to explore the stories and history that make this 84-acre park such an integral part of Austin. The ultimate goal of the interpretive plan is to expand park visitors connection and sense of belonging to Pease Park, said Heath Riddles-Sanchez, Pease Park Conservancys CEO. The Conservancy is committed to making Pease Park more welcoming and accessible to all Austinites; and particularly acknowledging and working with communities of color to reconcile the lands history of enslavement, segregation, and injustice to what the park is today, and what it can become. We are deeply invested in this process to start a greater conversation about the cultural and natural histories of Pease Park and our city. In January 2019, the Conservancy engaged MuseWork, formerly known as Erin McClelland Museum Services, to lead the interpretive planning process, and throughout the first quarter of 2019, McClelland and her team conducted extensive academic and primary research into the history of Pease Park. This research was followed by comprehensive community engagement throughout the spring, comprised of several large- and small-group charettes and working sessions with Pease Park Conservancy, City of Austin staff, and members of the Austin community. In May 2019, the Conservancy hosted two community input sessions to gauge public interest in the stories of Pease Park and to dig deeper into those narratives with the greater Austin community, one that was open to the public, and one with a more focused, primarily African American audience. The three primary themes that emerged from the community engagement process and are outlined in the interpretive plan address different aspects of Pease Parks history and place within the greater Austin landscape. The three themes identified are outlined below: Pease Park is a place that reveals the wonders of the natural world and the intersections and tensions of our evolving place within it. Associated storylines include Pease Parks unique ecological and geological status, and its location along the Balcones Fault Zone; flooding and the human impact on Shoal Creek; as well as ongoing efforts to restore the natural environment and use of natures tools to mitigate that human impact. Pease Park is emblematic of racial and economic injustice in Austin and presents a unique opportunity to acknowledge our history of slavery, segregation, and exclusion in order to create a public space that is welcoming and accessible to all. Associated storylines include the presence of people, enslaved by Governor Pease, on the land that is now Pease Park; freedmens communities in the surrounding area; the City of Austins 1928 Master Plan and enforced segregation; and the Conservancys ongoing efforts to make Pease Park more inclusive and welcoming to all Austinites. Part of our efforts include the redevelopment of Kingsbury Commons, and certain components of this plan's implementation will be focused on making a welcoming and safe space for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. Pease Park is a natural treasure that belongs to us all, and caring for it is part of our heritage. Associated storylines include the preservation of diverse habitats located within the park; Former Governor Peases donation of the land to the City of Austin in 1875, making it Austins first large green space; Pease Parks long-held status as a beloved place in the history and identity of Austin; as well as ongoing efforts to preserve the park for generations to come. Given its status as Austins first and oldest park and its unique location within our city, Pease Park offers a rich tapestry of narratives to discuss and explore, said McClelland. This interpretive plan acts as a research-based roadmap for telling these stories in the most effective and compelling ways to further the communitys understanding and personal investment in Pease Park now and in the future. As an introduction to the Pease Park Interpretive Plan, Pease Park Conservancy has launched a five-part video series that explores the process of developing the interpretive plan, as well as each of the three themes. Episodes of the video series, along with the full interpretive plan, can be found on the interpretive plan page on the Pease Park Conservancy website. For more information about Pease Park Conservancy, please visit: http://www.peasepark.org. About Pease Park and Pease Park Conservancy Pease Park Conservancy was formed in 2008 and celebrates the diverse ecology and history that make Austins first public park valuable and unique. The Conservancy works to restore, enhance and maintain this 84-acre public green space for the sustainable use and enjoyment of all. Unfolding across 84 acres, Pease Park is a series of connected greenspaces running along Lamar Boulevard from West 15th to West 31st Streets, providing residents and visitors alike with an intimate, yet sprawling, natural amenity. Owned by the City of Austin, Pease Park is a public district park maintained, operated and programmed by Pease Park Conservancy, in partnership with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. About Austin Parks and Recreation Department The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is inspiring Austin to learn, play, protect and connect by creating diverse programs and experiences in sustainable natural spaces and public places. The department has been the trusted steward of the City of Austins public lands since 1928. As such, we protect and maintain parkland and our urban forest. We preserve trails, and offer a variety of sports, recreation, educational enrichment, arts programs, cultural opportunities, nature and aquatic activities. About MuseWork MuseWork is a full-service exhibition planning and design firm located in Austin, Texas. Established in 2013, the firm's team of interpretive planners and creative designers is passionate about developing compelling interpretive plans, exhibitions, web-based experiences and signage that engage and inspire audiences. About RECLAIM RECLAIM, specializes in recovering the often hidden, erased and lost narratives of Black people and communities throughout the Diaspora and presents these findings through a myriad of creative expressions. In addition to ongoing projects, RECLAIM offers community outreach, oral history, creative direction, guided tour design, implementation, and various production and consultation services for organizations seeking to chronicle and celebrate the histories of black communities in Austin, Texas. Nirupa Sampath By Express News Service CUDDALORE: Here is a teacher, bringing an old-world charm into the profession and helping her students maintain sanity during these mind-numbing times. She visits her students at their houses and makes sure they are doing okay. Mahalakshmi, the 49-year-old teacher we are talking about, teaches Tamil in the Naduveerapattu government higher secondary school. She has been teaching over 700 students from Classes VI to X for about 25 years now. Once Mahalakshmi finishes her morning chores every day, she starts telephoning her Class X students and schedules meetings with them. The practice of visiting each of her students during the pandemic has been going on for almost two weeks now, thus becoming a routine for her. She hopes to keep her students motivated and boost their morale. Mahalakshmi says, "As schools have been shut since March due to the Covid lockdown, students are facing uncertainties. They are forced to adapt to a lot of changes academically. Ergo, after the Class X boards were cancelled, I decided to meet them. I was concerned and curious about their whereabouts and their mental health, as many students come from economically weaker backgrounds." Mahalakshmi teacher meets with one of her students. (Photo | Express) She advises parents and students not to panic and assures them that schools will reopen once the conditions get back to normalcy. "I have so far covered only my Class X students. As most of their houses are adjacent to one another, I call and inform the students about the casual meet up every morning. I educate them about the pandemic and precautionary measures to be taken and give them with their confidence to get through the crisis," beams Mahalakshmi. "Having spent ample hours together in the school, these children have gradually become like my own. I do not ask them to study and lecture them on how to pass time. If I did, they would not want to meet me. By visiting the houses, both parents and students feel encouraged. This will only strengthen the bond between my students and me," she adds. An immigrant and refugee from Vietnam, Stephanie Murphy is the first woman in her family to attend college. During her time at William & Mary, she majored in economics, was a member of the Chi Omega sorority, a Japanese House resident and a research assistant. She also studied abroad and served on the Student Alumni Council. "My education at William & Mary prepared me to be an effective engaged citizen, and to be somebody who cares about this country and where it is going," she says. Stephanie is the first Vietnamese-American woman to have been elected to Congress and currently represents Floridas Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Before being elected, she worked as a college instructor and as a national security specialist in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Learn more about Stephanie Utah homeowner Katherine Cwik says she panicked after she found out she owed a lump sum of nearly $4,700 on her mortgage far more than the three months of mortgage payments she thought she deferred back in March. Cwik, 55, who works in the airline industry, applied for a deferral of her mortgage payments on March 20, after she agreed to take an unpaid leave as part of her company's plan to free up payrolls. She's been able to collect unemployment and is supposed to return to work in August. But with the future of her job uncertain, Cwik wanted to shore up her finances. She thought applying for a mortgage deferment would allow her to build a savings cushion. Cwik owns a townhouse in Salt Lake City and pre-pandemic paid roughly $900 a month for her mortgage, which includes her principal, interest and escrow. About 3.9 million U.S. homeowners are currently in forbearance, according to the latest estimates from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Forbearance programs generally imply that homeowners can suspend mortgage payments for a time and then repay the outstanding balance in a lump sum when they resume their normal bill cycle. Deferment programs typically allow homeowners to push payment of any missed payments to the end of the mortgage period. In March, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government and many financial institutions launched mortgage relief programs. But five months later, consumers are still struggling to understand the terms surrounding the assistance and many feel banks are failing to help their customers navigate the process. Cwik's five-month journey through the mortgage relief process is emblematic of many of the issues that consumers are facing: long wait times to connect with the mortgage servicer, unfamiliar terminology, vague answers from customer service and, at times, incorrect information. In March, Cwik says she spoke with a customer service rep at Bank of America, which handles her mortgage. She was left with the understanding that she was eligible for a three-month deferral program and that any missed payments would be added to the end of her 30-year mortgage. After three months, Cwik says she believed she could start making payments again or call back for more assistance. "I cried when I got off the phone because I thought, Oh, my God, this is great and that's a real relief for me right now," Cwik says. But as it turns out, the relief was short-lived. What happened when payments restarted Three months after Cwik received mortgage relief, she sent in her normal payment of roughly $900 plus a little extra since she likes to overpay when she can, $5 this time for her July mortgage payment. On July 9, she received a letter from Bank of America introducing her to a dedicated customer relationship manager and asking her to please call. When she called the bank, she was in for a shock: The home retention department staff told her she owed $4,693 on her mortgage immediately. "I about fell over," Cwik says. "I'm thinking, how does that even compute? I got the relief for three payments. That's $3,000. Where is this number coming from?" But the representative didn't have any answers. Instead, she set up an appointment so Cwik could talk with her customer relationship manager the following day. But when the case manager didn't call, Cwik decided to take matters into her own hands and call the bank the next day. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards As of July 5, the MBA calculates that 8.18% of all active mortgages are in some type of government or private-sector forbearance program. That's down slightly from the high in early June of 8.55% of mortgages in forbearance. Cwik says that kicked off a six-hour odyssey, with her calls being bounced between several different departments as she fought to get to the bottom of the issue. Several of the Bank of America customer service representatives kept talking about Cwik's enrollment in a forbearance program. "I said, That's not what I signed up for. And I kept saying that because I wanted to be sure if it was being recorded, that it was on the record," she says. Turns out, that's exactly what she was signed up for. Bank of America announced in mid-March it would offer payment relief programs, including deferment and forbearance programs for mortgages held by its customers. But Cwik learned in July that she has a Fannie Mae loan that is serviced by Bank of America, not owned by the bank. That wasn't clear on her initial call, Cwik says. Because Cwik applied for mortgage assistance programs before the CARES Act passed and solidified many of the relief programs for federally-backed loans, she wasn't eligible for deferment. In fact, Fannie Mae didn't even have a true deferment option at the time, only a forbearance plan that required customers to pay back missed payments in a lump sum. "I was on the phone for almost six hours. I can't imagine how many people don't have six hours to spend," Cwik says. While Bank of America first rolled out its mortgage relief programs in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, the bank said in a statement to CNBC Make It that it is continuing to offer mortgage assistance options to help clients who need it, including those who have mortgages owned by government-sponsored enterprises (like Fannie Mae). Bank of America says it has deferred approximately 200,000 mortgages during the pandemic. Bank of America blames 'system glitch' But even if Cwik's mortgage was in forbearance, it still didn't explain why her repayment was almost $2,000 more than she expected. One Bank of America rep told her that she could now apply for a deferral, but after the program ended, her monthly payment would be approximately $1,610 a month. "I said, Wait a minute. That's almost double my mortgage payment," Cwik says. "So you're telling me I have to pay that until the end of my mortgage? I still have about 20 years left. That's $180,000. That's more than my original loan. My original loan was for like $132,000." She spoke with five people at BoA before someone figured out the issue: Her escrow payment was exponentially larger now than when she went into the forbearance program. The amount due to escrow can fluctuate year to year, as lenders typically recalculate escrow payments on an annual basis and may take into account increases in your homeowner's insurance premium or rising property taxes. But Bank of America had already completed its annual review of Cwik's account earlier in the year and actually reduced her minimum monthly mortgage payment, including escrow, from $900 to just under $850. So she was confused why it would increase after forbearance. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards After getting transferred yet again, Cwik says a rep in Bank of America's escrow department told her that a "system glitch" was behind the issue of her increased payment amounts. He said it would take 24 to 48 hours to fix the problem. Because the update was going to take a few days to process, Cwik says she agreed to be placed in another forbearance plan so she would not be considered delinquent and rack up fees. "I wanted to be sure the escrow debacle was handled first and then see what I actually owed," she says. To repay her missed mortgage payments, Cwik says the representative gave her several options, including paying the balance back over the course of six months, applying for a loan modification or paying a lump sum. "I just wonder how many Bank of America mortgage customers have experienced the escrow 'system glitch' and are in grave fear of how they are going to pay a lump sum, or even a larger mortgage for six months, to pay off the one to three months of payment relief they thought they had," Cwik says. Bank of America did not specifically respond to CNBC's request for comment regarding the system glitch. The return to normal Jet2 has cancelled all flights and holidays to Cyprus until at least August 17. The tour operator had been due to restart flights and holidays to Larnaca and Paphos on Saturday, August 1. But it says it had 'no choice' other than to cancel trips to the island due to its 'prohibitive entry restrictions'. Jet2 has cancelled all flights and holidays to Cyprus until at least August 17 due to 'prohibitive entry restrictions' British nationals can enter Cyprus again from Saturday. However, they are required to prove they have obtained a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before entering the country. The results must show the time and date of the negative test and travellers must also complete a Cyprus Flight Pass online form. A Jet2 spokesperson said: 'Because of prohibitive entry restrictions into Cyprus, we have no choice but to suspend flights and holidays to Larnaca and Paphos up to and including August 16. 'We continue to urge the Cypriot authorities to review the entry criteria in line with other destinations, so that our customers can enjoy their well-deserved holidays. 'Where customers are affected by any programme changes, we have been repeatedly recognised for how we have been looking after customers, offering the option to rebook with no admin fee, a Refund Credit Note or a full cash refund, and we will be contacting customers to discuss these options. Jet2 flies to both Paphos and Larnaca, pictured, in Cyprus. The tour operator says it had 'no choice' other than to cancel trips to the island 'For customers who are due to travel to Cyprus from August 17 onwards, we are continuing to liaise with the authorities in Cyprus and we will provide further updates in due course. We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience.' Earlier this week, Jet2 cancelled all flights to 10 destinations in mainland Spain until August 16 and to the Balearic and Canary Islands until August 9. This followed the UK government switching its travel advice for Spain on Monday to be against all non-essential travel, and a new regulation - introduced without warning on Saturday - stipulating that all passengers from Spain and its islands have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to Britain or risk a 1,000 fine. Tui has also suspended its holidays to mainland Spain, until August 10, and to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands until August 4. Airlines easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways are continuing their flying programmes from the UK to Spain. INGOLSTADT: Carmakers that once competed mainly over the power of their engines are now vying over a much less tangible sort of power as they race to develop automated vehicles - computing. New Audi boss Markus Duesmann is assembling a team of about 200 engineers within parent company Volkswagen Group to develop a new computer-driven vehicle system, he told Reuters. Dubbed "Project Artemis" after the Ancient Greek goddess of hunting, the plan is to chase down - and overtake - Tesla , widely viewed as the industry leader in software. "When it comes to digitalisation we are lagging behind - for now," Duesmann said in an interview at Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, southern Germany. With the advent of self-driving cars, vehicles need processors and software operating systems to analyse data from radar, lidar, and camera sensors to calculate driving reflexes so cars can navigate and avoid accidents on their own. In the past, bigger cars with more powerful engines were automatically better. Now computing power and intelligence will be a key metric for defining what is premium, forcing Audi and Volkswagen to retool the way they design cars. "Technical development of vehicles is no longer organised according to a vehicle's size, but by the car's electrical and electronic architecture," Duesmann said, explaining that premium and value models would now differentiate themselves according to their computing power and sensor levels. To build the new system, Duesmann is assembling a "results oriented" engineering team to work on accelerating development of a scalable vehicle platform. "(Project) Artemis will be smaller than a Formula One team. I am thinking around 200 staff," he said. "To develop a new car with so many new features in this period until 2024 is so demanding that it is probably without precedent. That's why we have decided to work with a separate unit," said Duesmann, who is also head of research at Volkswagen Group. The idea is that an agile development group will be less encumbered by the bureaucracy within Volkswagen Group, which owns brands including Bugatti, Bentley, Porsche, Skoda, and Lamborghini, as well as Audi and VW. VW has more than 10,000 employees working in research and development at the company's Wolfsburg headquarters alone. Artemis will be led by Alexander Hitzinger, who was responsible for autonomous driving at Volkswagen and built up the Porsche racing team that won Le Mans endurance race in 2015, 2016, 2017. Hitzinger also worked at Apple , where he set up and managed product development for autonomous vehicles. The Artemis team will harness the engineering know-how within Volkswagen Group, but also have the authority to use outside partners. "If we gain speed with a supplier or with a software company, we will consider it. Speed is extremely important," Duesmann said. China will also play a role, Duesmann added, declining to elaborate. Project Artemis will sit alongside Volkswagen Group's Car.Software organisation, also based in Ingolstadt. "They need each other," Duesmann said, adding many of Artemis's staff would remain embedded within Volkswagen Group brands, but receive instructions from Ingolstadt. "The result will be a common concept which is scalable for all of us," Duesmann said. "The first model will be an Audi." This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Photo By Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll CallBy LIBBY CATHEY and IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News (ATLANTA) -- Herman Cain, American businessman and former Republican candidate for president, has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for nearly a month, according to a post on his personal website and a source close to the White House to ABC News. "You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal with it," staffer Dan Calabrese wrote in an obituary posted on HermanCain.com Thursday. "Herman Cain -- our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us -- has passed away." "Although he was basically pretty healthy in recent years, he was still in a high-risk group because of his history with cancer," the post continues. "We knew the time would come when the Lord would call him home, but we really liked having him here with us, and we held out hope he'd have a full recovery." Cain, 74, was hospitalized in Atlanta with the coronavirus on July 1, 11 days after he attended President Donald Trump's indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20. He was photographed there inside the arena without a mask sitting with a group of other Trump campaign surrogates. When Cain's team confirmed the news of his hospitalization on Twitter, they noted: "There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus." A spokesperson for Cain said on Monday that he remained hospitalized and was being treated with oxygen for his lungs. "The doctors say his other organs and systems are strong," the spokesperson added at the time. The former pizza company executive was the frontrunner in the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination for roughly a month with an agenda he called the 9-9-9 plan to simplify the tax code. Another former Republican candidate for president, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was among the first to express his condolences on social media and noted Cain's catchphrase. Saddened that Herman Caina formidable champion of business, politics and policyhas lost his battle with Covid. St. Peter will soon hear 999! Keep up the fight, my friend. Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) July 30, 2020 President Trump tweeted in the afternoon that he spoke with Cain's wife, Gloria, and their two children, Melanie and Vincent, and expressed his condolences. "He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend," Trump tweeted. ...the phone with his amazing wife Gloria, daughter, Melanie, and son Vincent to express my deepest condolences to the entire family. @FLOTUS Melania and I loved Herman Cain, a great man. Herman, Rest In Peace! pic.twitter.com/GNUf5jHjX0 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020 At his coronavirus briefing Thursday afternoon, Trump added, "Let me begin by expressing our sadness at the passing of a wonderful man and a dear friend of mine, Herman Cain. He was a very special person and I got to know him very well. Unfortunately he passed away from the thing called the China virus." Cain was born in 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Atlanta by two working-class parents. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and earned a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University four years later. During his studies, he served as a mathematician at the U.S. Department of the Navy. David A. Thomas, the president of Morehouse College, offered his condolences, saying, "He was a philanthropist, a successful business executive, a political activist, a media personality, a caring father, and a son of Morehouse who graduated in 1967. Our hearts and prayers are with the Cain family." Cain entered the corporate world and climbed the professional ladder at several companies including Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and Burger King. In 1986, he was appointed the CEO of Godfather Pizza and quickly turned the failing chain into a profitable business. In 1993, Cain rose to the political spotlight during a town hall meeting with President Bill Clinton over health care. He argued with the president over a health care mandate, contending it would cost jobs and hurt businesses. "Mr. President, with all due respect, your calculation on what the impact would do, quite honestly, is incorrect," he said. Cain left the Godfather Pizza in 1996 and became the president and, later, CEO of the National Restaurant Association, where he lobbied with congressional lawmakers. He served as an economic adviser during the 1996 Bob Dole presidential campaign and remained close with Republicans. Cain launched two unsuccessful presidential runs in 2000 and 2004. In 2006, he was diagnosed with stage IV liver and colon cancer, but he said in 2007 he was cancer-free. In 2012, he made another attempt at the White House and gained momentum among potential GOP voters. A Quinnipiac University poll released at the end of October 2011 had him leading the GOP candidates by seven points. It was around this time that several women came forward with sexual harassment allegations that dated back to the '90s. While Cain denied all of the allegations, his poll numbers slipped and he suspended his campaign that December. He remained an active figure in GOP politics following his campaign and served as a pundit on Fox News and other programs. Last year, Trump said he was considering Cain for a seat on the Federal Reserve, but Cain withdrew. A co-chair of Black Voices for Trump, Cain became an outspoken advocate for the Republican Party and Trump in recent years. Cain is survived by his wife, who he married in 1968, two children and several grandchildren. ABC News' Beatrice Peterson and John Santucci contributed to this report. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Tweeting their condolences to the family of Tahir Naseem, US State Department urged Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again. Terming the killing of an American citizen in Pakistans courtroom as a shameful tragedy, the US State Department has called on Islamabad to take immediate action and institute reforms to prevent similar incidents in future. Tahir Ahmad Naseem, from the minority Ahmadi community, was shot dead in a courtroom in Peshawar on Wednesday. He was on trial for blasphemy. Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs, US State Department tweeted their condolences to the family of Tahir Naseem, an American citizen who was killed today inside a courtroom in Pakistan. They urged Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again. The young assailant, identified as Khalid Khan who managed to get into the court amid tight security was arrested later. Naseem was arrested two years ago on blasphemy charges. Ahmadis, a four million-strong minority group in Pakistan, have faced death, threats, intimidation and a sustained hate campaign for decades. Pakistans controversial blasphemy law carries an automatic death penalty for anyone convicted of insulting God, Islam, or other religious figures. Also read: PM Modi, Mauritian counterpart inaugurate new Supreme Court building in Mauritius Also read: CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google testify before House subcommittee on issue of competition Many members of the minority communities in Pakistan the Ahmadis, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs were charged with draconian blasphemy law. Many of them are languishing in jails on the false charges of disrespecting the Quran. Also read: Lord Shiva statue, stolen in 1998, to be repatriated from UK to India John Lewis was mourned, revered and celebrated as an American hero on Thursday at Atlantas Ebenezer Baptist Church, a sacred place for many of those who helped to shape civil rights history. Three former presidents joined in the eulogies after nearly a week of mourning that took him from his birthplace in Alabama to the nations capital of Washington to his final resting place in his home of Atlanta. Ive come here today because I like so many Americans owe a great debt to John Lewis and his forceful vision of freedom, former President Barack Obama said. Lewis was a man of pure joy and unbreakable perseverance, Obama said. He always believed in preaching the Gospel in word and in deed, insisting that hate and fear had to be answered with love and hope, former President George W. Bush said from the pulpit. Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80. Former President Bill Clinton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also spoke. Pelosi recalled how Lewis' body was lying in state at the U.S. Capitol earlier this week, and a double rainbow appeared. There was this double rainbow over the casket, she said. He was telling us, Im home in heaven, Im home in heaven. We always knew he worked on the side of angels, and now he is with them. The arc of Lewis legacy of activism was once again tied to Ebenezers former pastor Martin Luther King Jr., whose sermons Lewis discovered while scanning the radio dial as a 15-year-old boy growing up in then-segregated Alabama. King continued to inspire Lewis civil rights work for the next 65 years as he fought segregation during sometimes bloody marches, Greyhound bus Freedom Rides across the South and later during his long tenure in the U.S. Congress. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America, Lewis said of his run-ins with the law. The phrase was repeated several times during the funeral. We will continue to get into good trouble as long as you grant us the breath to do so, one of Kings daughters, the Rev. Bernice King, said as she led the congregation in prayer. Here lies a true American patriot who risked his life for the hope and promise of democracy, Ebenezers senior pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, told the congregation. Outside Ebenezer, hundreds gathered to watch the service on a large screen outside the church. Some sang the gospel song We Shall Overcome. When Lewis was 15, he heard King's sermons on WRMA, a radio station in Montgomery, Alabama, he recalled in an interview for the Southern Oral History Program. Later I saw him on many occasions in Nashville while I was in school between 1958 and 61, Lewis said. In a sense, he was my leader. King was the person who, more than any other, continued to influence my life, who made me who I was, Lewis wrote in his 1998 autobiography, Walking with the Wind. By the summer of 1963, Lewis was addressing thousands of people during the March on Washington, where King gave his I Have a Dream speech. He spoke then about Black people beaten by police and jailed themes that resonate vividly in todays times. My friends, let us not forget that we are involved in a serious social revolution, Lewis told the huge crowd on the Washington Mall. To those who have said, Be patient and wait, we have long said that we cannot be patient, he added. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. In 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers in the city of Selma in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Last Sunday, his casket was carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The wagon rolled over a carpet of rose petals on the bridge that spans the Alabama River. On the south side of the bridge, where Lewis was attacked by the law officers, family members placed red roses that the carriage rolled over, marking the spot where Lewis spilled his blood and suffered a head injury. Lewis was later awarded the Medal of Freedom by the nations first Black president in 2011. He spent more than three decades in Congress, and his district included most of Atlanta. Shortly before he died, Lewis wrote an essay for The New York Times and asked that it be published on the day of his funeral. In the piece published Thursday, Lewis recalled the teachings of King: He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice, Lewis wrote. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe, Lewis added. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. Clinton referenced the essay during his remarks Thursday: It is so fitting on the day of his service, he leaves us his marching orders: Keep moving. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed two bills that provide over $60 billion in direct funding for the child-care industry in an effort to help providers nationwide reopen and improve the safety of their programs during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In a vote Wednesday night, the House passed the Child Care Is Essential Act on a bipartisan basis, 249-163. The legislation creates a $50 billion fund to provide grants to help pay for personnel, sanitation, training and other costs associated with reopening and running a child-care facility amid the pandemic. The $50 billion in funding will be administered through the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), which is typically used to funnel federal funding into child-care subsidies for low-income families with children under 13. Under the new legislation, child-care providers can apply for emergency assistance regardless of whether they had previously received funding through CCDBG, opening up the funding to a wider pool of applicants. The House also passed on a bipartisan basis the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, which is designed to provide funding to help child-care providers reopen and improve the safety of care facilities going forward. The bill allocates: $10 billion for a Child Care Development Fund to distribute grants to construct, renovate or improve child care facilities $7.1 billion increase of the Child Care Entitlement to States (up from $2.9 billion) $850 million for the Social Services Block Grant to fund child and family care for essential workers The Child Care for Economic Recovery Act also includes provisions that indirectly support child care overall, such as amending the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and rules around dependent care flexible spending accounts. Changes like these may help more families afford child care if they can access additional financial support. The bill also includes $5 million for the Internal Revenue Service's Volunteer Income Tax Administration Matching Grant Program to help lower-income families get assistance with their tax preparation. "We cannot assume that business can go on as usual if we don't meet the needs of working parents," Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) said during a press conference Wednesday. When reporters started to ask questions pertaining to other news items, Sanchez interrupted to ask that they stick to the topic of child care. "I get so tired of everyone wanting to talk about deals and red lining and not talk about what's relevant to the majority of families in this country," she said. "[Child care] was an emergency before, it's critical now," Sanchez said. "If people think it's not a problem, they're not living the reality of American families where both parents have to work or there's only one parent who has to support the household or they're grandparents raising children because of drug overdoses." Wednesday's House vote is separate from the $15 billion that Republican Senators earmarked for child care under the HEALS Act on Monday night. The Republican legislation would provide $5 billion to child-care providers through CCDBG, as well as $10 billion to fund "back to work child-care grants" aimed at helping qualified child-care providers pay for increased costs and operating expenses associated with re-enrolling children amid the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this year, Congress allocated $3.5 billion in emergency funding to the CCDBG in the CARES Act. That funding was not only to help support providers that may be struggling with low enrollment or closures related to the coronavirus, but the legislation stipulated that it could be used to help emergency responders and other essential workers pay for child care. Following the steps of Mumbai Police, it seems Nagpur Police too have now joined the trend of spreading coronavirus awareness in a creative way. On the occasion of International Tiger Day 2020, the police department took to Twitter to share an image of a tiger with its paw in front of its face. The image gives the feeling as if the tiger is doing a face palm. Sharing the image, the Nagpur City Police wrote, "That moment when we see people wearing masks below their nose." That moment when we see people wearing masks below their nose: pic.twitter.com/Hq7x9r3nIM Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) July 29, 2020 In a subsequent tweet, the police also wrote, "Be a Tiger. Wear masks properly." The tiger is the king of the jungle,#Nagpur Police is the king of Social Media Mallika Kaleem (@MallikaKaleem) July 29, 2020 Since being shared the post went viral garnering immense praise from netizens for its unique ways of spreading awareness. Thank you for awareness sir Aditya (@adiiityaa001) July 29, 2020 unique idea ... ni (@anilmeshramm) July 29, 2020 unique idea ... ni (@anilmeshramm) July 29, 2020 The declining population of Tigers globally is a cause for concern. In order to raise awareness of tiger conservation and protecting their natural habitat, International Tiger Day is observed on July 29. Leicester shoppers were seen ignoring social distancing as they battled for reduced food at an Asda - as the city prepares to find out today if it is coming out of lockdown. At least seven bargain hunters - one of whom does not appear to have a mask - were filmed pushing against each other to reach a small section of shelving as they frantically load reduced items into bags. Jack Stafford, who recorded the video, said: 'The Asda colleague was stacking the reduced section then as soon as she stepped away there was a mini-riot to grab what they could. No social distancing whatsoever.' Leicester has been in England's first local lockdown since July 4, and although the infection rate has dropped from an alarming 135 per 100,000 to the current 53.2, this is still the third highest in the country. At least seven bargain hunters - one of whom does not appear to have a mask - were filmed pushing against each other to reach a small section of shelving. The video was filmed on July 28 at the Asda Thurmaston Superstore The video was filmed on the evening of July 28 at the Asda Thurmaston Superstore in the city's northern suburbs. In the footage an onlooker can be her complaining of people 'grabbing' and having 'no manners'. Leicester's infection figures for July 20 to 26 show the rate is still high but falling, raising the prospect that Boris Johnson will lift strict local restrictions when he announces his decision this afternoon. The figure of 53.2 infections per 100,000 puts the city at the third highest in England, below Blackburn with Darwen on 85.9 and Oldham on 54.3. Ministers have been urged to 'release Leicester from its chains' and allow the city to join the rest of England in reopening non-essential shops including bars, restaurants and hairdressers. Gatherings of more than six people are also banned. Yesterday, Lord Bach, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Leicestershire, led calls to lift the lockdown as his colleague, Lord Campbell-Savours, read his speech in the Lords because he had been forced to stay at home. Lord Bach highlighted a decrease in positive Covid-19 tests, adding: 'The seven-day infection rate has fallen dramatically at a time when huge amounts of testing are taking place. It's time to release Leicester from its chains. 'People and businesses who have followed the lockdown to the letter are entitled to their freedom. It's now up to HMG (Her Majesty's Government) to do the right thing by Leicester later this week.' A decision is expected at 4pm over the lockdown, which was partially eased earlier this month. Leicester's infection figure of 53.2 infections per 100,000 puts the city at the third highest in England, below Blackburn with Darwen on 85.9 and Oldham on 54.3 Health minister Lord Bethell said progress is being made, adding: 'The decision on the future of the Leicester lockdown will take place on July 30.' Conservative former minister Lord Robathan, formerly an MP for a Leicestershire constituency, said the infection spread 'largely in cramped sweatshops' in the city. He said: 'They stayed working illegally throughout the crisis, illegally paying workers much less than the minimum wage and certainly with some illegal immigrants working there, who did not speak English nor indeed know their rights. THE 10 PLACES WITH THE HIGHEST INFECTION RATE IN ENGLAND Blackburn with Darwen: 85.9 Oldham: 54.3 Leicester: 53.2 Bradford: 45.1 Trafford: 36.8 Rochdale: 32.7 Sandwell: 30.9 Calderdale: 28.6 Manchester: 22.1 Kirklees: 19.8 NHS figures up to July 26 Advertisement 'This has been going on for many years, a fact which public authorities - including some MPs in Leicester - have turned a blind eye.' Lord Bethell replied: 'Covid shines a spotlight on uncomfortable places in our society. 'The use of exploitative labour in sweatshops has contributed to this disease. It isn't good enough and it needs to stop.' Public health chiefs are now scrambling to avoid imposing similar restrictions on Oldham in Greater Manchester after 119 positive cases in the past seven days in the town of 235,000 people. Residents in Oldham have been told not to allow any visitors into their homes for the next fortnight and to keep two metres apart when in public. Visits to care homes - now permitted in parts of England - are to remain banned, and people shielding have been told to remain indoors for another fortnight. Ahead of Eid tomorrow, which in normal times would see widespread celebrations in Oldham's Muslim community, worshippers at the town's mosques are being reminded about the new rules at the five-times daily prayers. Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth and a former public health consultant, said the spike demonstrated the Government had lifted lockdown too quickly. 'I warned the Prime Minister at the end of June that lifting restrictions before we had a fully operational contact tracing scheme in place at a time when high levels of infection were still in circulation was a risk,' she said. 'Unfortunately, this is the consequence - it was a wholly irresponsible decision.' The government had dropped Oldham from its most recent watch list of areas of concern, based on data between 13 July and 19 July Currently infection levels in Oldham stand at less than half the rate which saw Leicester become the first part of the UK to return to lockdown last month, but officials acted quickly due to the speed of the surge. The new restrictions follow similar responses to local spikes 20 miles away in Blackburn with Darwen and in neighbouring Rochdale. Shoppers in Oldham were yesterday coming to terms with the latest clampdown. 'The vast majority of people are wearing masks and doing their bit, so I don't think it's fair that we're having to put up with new rules when it's not our fault,' said Marina Edwards, 53, from nearby Shaw. 'I think it's the teenagers who are spreading it, you never see most of them wearing masks.' Mother-of-four Lynn Foy, 59, from Oldham, said: 'It's going to be hardest for the elderly if families still can't visit them - it's very frightening for them.' Abdul Basit Shah, of Oldham Mosques Council, said: 'We are advising people not to visit family members over Eid but to greet them over social media instead,' he said. 'The Muslim community has already made sacrifices as a result of Ramadan falling during lockdown, but we are urging them to continue to do their bit for the sake of Oldham as a whole.' Cases in Oldham appear to be striking people between the age of 20 and 40 years old more than would be expected. Pictured: People in the town centre on July 28 Arooj Shah, deputy leader of Oldham council, blamed the infection rate on poverty and living conditions rather than 'behavioural' factors. 'We're a diverse community, we take great pride in that,' she told BBC Radio 4's World At One. 'I don't think this is an issue around ethnicity. 'I think it has a lot to do with socioeconomic and health inequalities that need addressing. 'I think it's absolutely linked to poverty. 'The significant number testing positive from our South Asian communities is a fact, but we know these communities are more likely to work in high-risk occupations and live in larger households with multi-generational occupation.' The council is now calling on the Government to supply more information about the jobs of those who contract coronavirus as well as data on those who test negative to help it tackle the outbreak. More than 80,000 people evacuated by a hundred flights a day, Vietnams third largest city preparing for a possible lockdown, and emergency contact tracing procedures introduced. The measures were taken swiftly after three people were found to have contracted coronavirus, with no fatalities, in a population of 1.2 million. The number of infections linked to Da Nang has since increased to more than 30 but the quick action taken, say the Vietnamese government, should ensure that there will be no major surge in numbers. Although Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has warned that every province and city in the country was at high risk of infections and there is a need to be vigilant. Vietnam has had at least 446 cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began with, according to official figures, no deaths. A British pilot, Stephen Cameron, was able to return home this month after 68 days of treatment. Even if one views these figures with a degree of caution, the consensus among international analysts is that Vietnam has been remarkably successful in comparison with many other wealthier countries with vastly more resources in the region and beyond. To put matters in perspective, the US, so far has had 4,435,113 cases with 150, 515 deaths; the UK has 300,111 cases with 45,759 deaths; Russia has 823,515 cases with 13,504 deaths and India has 1,493,904 cases with 33,537 deaths. Vietnam, which shares a 1,100 kilometre border with China had moved very fast on the spread of Covid-19. At the end of January, during the Tet New Year celebrations, the government announced it was declaring war on coronavirus. At the time, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the outbreak was almost totally confined to China. Vietnam imposed stringent restrictions earlier than Beijing with the countrys prime minister telling a meeting of the ruling communist party that the disease would soon reach the country, with devastating consequences unless action was taken. Let us have no illusions, fighting this epidemic means fighting the enemy, said Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The government imposed selective international travel bans, focusing initially on China, against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has subsequently been accused of complicity with Beijing in hiding the spread of the disease (something the WHO and Beijing denies). It brought in the compulsory wearing of face masks, rigorous and intensive testing and put tens of thousands in isolation. Schools were closed for the New Year holiday at the end of January and remained closed until mid-May. By mid-March anyone entering the country were quarantined, with costs mostly covered by the government. Recommended Vietnam bans wildlife trade due to concerns about future pandemics It very, very quickly acted in ways which seemed to be quite extreme at the time but were subsequently shown to be rather sensible, says Prof Guy Thwaites, director of Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City, which works with the government on its infectious disease programmes. He told the BBC: The government and population are very, very used to dealing with infectious diseases and are respectful of them, probably far more so than wealthier countries. They know how to respond to these things. One reason, however, for Vietnams ability to keep the pandemic under control, it has been claimed, was advanced intelligence. It is worth looking, in this context, at a series of cyber attacks aimed at the Ministry of Emergency Management (MoEM) and the provincial government of Wuhan in January. The aim of the operation appeared to be to collect information about coronavirus, the disease, its origins and impact, pretty opaque at the time. The spear fishing campaign was carried out by a group called Ocean Lotus, also known as APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) 32 which, it is widely held in security circles, is linked to Vietnamese state intelligence. APT32 seems to have become particularly busy from 6 January when it sent an email to Beijings MoEM using the sender address lijanxiang1870@163. This was two weeks before the Chinese government admitted that the disease could be transmitted between humans. These attacks speak of the virus being an intelligence priority. Everyone is throwing everything theyve got at it, and APT32 is what Vietnam has, according to the US cyber security firm FireEye. New Zealand confirms two new cases of coronavirus after 24 days without infections Vietnam have called the reports baseless. Ngo Toan Thang, a deputy spokesperson for the countrys foreign ministry, said: Vietnam prohibits cyber-attacks against organizations and individuals in any form, said in a statement online. Vietnams was not the only intelligence service apparently used internationally to seek answers on Covid-19. Western states including those of the Five Eyes network US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand were also engaged in the same pursuit, albeit starting at a later date. Whatever the means used to prepare for coronavirus, Vietnam undoubtedly did well to cope with the disease. This did not, however, result in the level of approbation some other countries received. New Zealand, for example, has been widely held up, with some justice, as a great success story in combating the pandemic. It, too, had moved swiftly to protect its people and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been widely praised for the decisive action of her government. On 2 February, when a man in the Philippines became the first person outside China to die from the disease, New Zealand began banning entry of any foreigners coming from or via China. New Zealanders returning from China had to isolate for 14 days. By mid-March everyone, including citizens, had to go into self-isolation on arrival. Borders were closed to virtually to all non-citizens or residents a few days later. The infection rate began to fall. Twenty four days without new cases ended earlier this month when two women from the UK arrived with the disease. New Zealand, according to official figures had 1,557 cases with 22 deaths. Both New Zealand and Vietnam have now lifted most restrictions except some on international travel. But while New Zealands economy is expected to contract by as much as 20 per cent in the first half of the year, Vietnam has kept to its yearly growth target of being above five per cent. Being relatively Covid-19 free in comparison to most other parts of the world, both countries expect to benefit from tourism. But while New Zealands tourist sector is struggling as it waits for foreign visitors, that of Vietnam has rebounded thanks to internal holidaymakers. July, along with Christmas, is high season for tourism in New Zealand. But scheduled flights are down 40 per cent compared to the same month last year and even many of them are being cancelled. In Vietnam, however, more than 26,000 flights, carrying 5 million people, are due to take place in July, an increase of 16 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, from last year. Other states, like Taiwan and South Korea, and also Iceland, have fared far better in controlling coronavirus than others. The common factor has been fast and comprehensive testing and setting up isolation regimes before the figures began to mount. Some countries, of course, chose to take a different path. Boris Johnsons government did not go into lockdown until there were 6,500 cases of infections and 330 deaths. State Media Vs. The Streets: How Lukashenka Lost The Media War In Belarus By Tony Wesolowsky July 29, 2020 All is not well for Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka ahead of an August 9 election in which he is seeking a new term. Coronavirus cases continue to rise, with many Belarusians blaming his refusal to order lockdowns, and he announced on July 28 that he had weathered a case of COVID-19 himself. The economy is in trouble, exacerbated by the tense ties with Moscow and reduced supplies of the subsidized Russian energy he has long relied upon. The political picture also looks unpleasant for Lukashenka. His standing is shaky enough that a candidate, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has no government experience and was virtually unknown just months ago, is now drawing thousands of people to rallies at towns and cities across the country. Belarusians appear electrified by her message of change, prompting analysts to ponder how long Lukashenka's rule, which dates back to 1994, can last. Still, there's at least one place where Lukashenka appears to be in control and where he is as popular as ever: state-run media. Belarus 1, the country's main state-controlled TV channel, earlier this month highlighted an opinion poll that showed Lukashenka far out in front of the four others allowed on the ballot, with 69.4 percent. And Tsikhanouskaya, the political upstart who seems to have tapped into rising discontent? She polled at just 2.2 percent. The survey was quickly ridiculed on social media and on independent news sites whose own polling results have led to a mocking nickname for Lukashenka that has taken off as an opposition meme: "Sasha 3 percent." "The scale of these lies is just gargantuan," London-based country risk analyst Alex Kokcharov wrote on Twitter. For Lukashenka -- who has sometimes been called "Europe's last dictator" and is also its longest-serving leader, in power for 26 years -- media outlets outside the state-controlled stable are largely treated with suspicion or contempt. He recently lashed out at some foreign media, including RFE/RL, arguing that their correspondents' coverage was fomenting "mass disturbances" a claim RFE/RL's acting president called "outrageous" -- and that they should be expelled. "The Belarusian authorities consider the foreign and independent media as well as new social media in Belarus part of the problem," said Arsen Sivitski, director of the Minsk-based Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies. While many older Belarusians may still get their news from state media, younger generations are relying more and more on social media and online independent sites, observers and experts say. And those sources are far from loyal, let alone fawning, when it comes to Lukashenka. Compounding his media woes ahead of the election: Russian outlets, which have a large audience in Belarus, have highlighted the COVID-19 crisis that critics say he brought upon the country. Back In The U.S.S.R.? Nadia Buka, an artist, illustrator, and magician, also has journalist on her eclectic resume. Buka was a journalist at Belarusian state-run Capital TV (CTV) until she got fed up and left years ago. She said "nothing has changed" at state media outlets since the Soviet days when blatant propaganda was the norm. "The Soviet Union has survived on television. It's the same as it was 10 years ago, 20 years ago," Buka told Current Time, the Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. "Practically nothing has changed." Echoing what researchers have long contended, Buka said state media is being watched mainly by elderly Belarusians. "Unfortunately, people who are 65 and above watch TV here, and, unfortunately, they don't use the Internet, and therefore they believe the propaganda coming from their screens," she said. Besides pumping up perceptions of Lukashenka's popular support, state media in Belarus have downplayed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which the president dismissed in March as the product of a "mass psychosis." The Russian Factor Russian state media, meanwhile, offered critical reporting of the pandemic in Belarus. In May, Minsk got so fed up that it stripped two Russian journalists of accreditation after accusing them of spreading "false information" in their coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Belarus. Relations between Minsk and Moscow have been tense since Lukashenka balked last December at plans for deeper integration with Moscow. Russia then decreased energy supplies to Belarus, which depends on cheap gas and oil to run much of its inefficient, state-run economy. Amid this simmering feud, Russian state media outlets provided not only negative coverage of the Belarusian authorities but also a "platform for opposition candidates," according to Savitski. "Even the algorithms of Russian state news websites target visitors with political ads presenting critical views on Lukashenka and promoting the alternative candidates," Sivitski told RFE/RL in written comments. Meanwhile, Belarusians whose day-to-day experiences made them question the official line on COVID-19 appear to have turned away from state media in search of accurate information, said Nika Aleksejeva, a digital researcher at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab). "The cognitive dissonance between what Belarus state channels were saying and how people viewed the situation 'on the ground' and elsewhere may have facilitated increased consumption of alternative information sources, including Belarusian vloggers" like Tsikhanouskaya's husband, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, Aleksejeva told RFE/RL in e-mailed comments. Tsikhanouskaya entered the presidential race after her husband's bid to get on the ballot was rejected by the authorities. He is now in jail. 'They Will Never Hear The Truth' For many younger Belarusians -- especially members of the "Lukashenka generation" who have known no president other than the former Soviet state farm chief whose domineering style has earned him the nickname Batka (Father) -- online media are the choice for news and information, Buka said. "Modern societyunderstands what is going on, they all watch online channels, independent media," Buka said, referring to younger and more progressive citizens. "Everyone already understands perfectly well they will never hear the truth coming from TV screens," she said. Lukashenka's would-be challengers including several top opponents who were not allowed to run have used social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get their message out. Tsikhanouski has some 250,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, A Country For Living, which shines a spotlight on alleged graft and corruption in Belarus. Viktar Babaryka, the top potential rival to Lukashenka until his arrest on embezzlement charges that backers dismiss as politically motivated, has over 300,000 followers on Instagram. Social-media efforts helped his campaign gather hundreds of thousands of signatures in support of his candidacy in the nation of less than 10 million people. Social Media And Dissent For activists and a growing number of other Belarusians, social media has become not only a tool to organize but to vent anger and frustration with Lukashenka and his government's repressive ways. DFRLab recorded an uptick in such posts around June 18, when Babaryka and his son were detained on embezzlement charges that he and supporters dismissed as trumped up. "I cannot call myself a person who is interested in politics," wrote Yekaterina, who identified herself as an animal rights activist. "When I look at you, I do not feel anger or disgust, I feel shame." A Facebook user named Dima Naryshkin who identified himself as a comedian, addressed Lukashenka in a post, writing: "Aleksandr Grigorevich, you are #notmypresident." Moving Targets With their influence growing, bloggers, independent journalists, and activists have been targeted by the Lukashenka government with arrests and intimidation. On June 25, under what rights groups called spurious charges, Belarusian authorities arrested Ihar Losik, the administrator of the popular Telegram channel Belarus Of Brain, Syarhey Pyatrukhin, administrator of the Telegram channels People's Reporter and YouTube Deputies, and Syarhey Sparish, a leader of the new opposition party People's Hramada. "The Belarusian authorities are carrying out a full-scale purge of dissenting voices, using repressive laws to stifle criticism ahead of the elections. Now those active on social media are being targeted," said Aisha Jung, Amnesty International's senior campaigner on Belarus. Overall, the government has detained some eight YouTube and Telegram bloggers who advocated or disseminated views critical of Lukashenka's policies. "The government reacts like this to bloggers and Telegram channels because it's afraid that the country's population is becoming more informed about what's going on in the country right now," Losik's wife, Darya, contended. More than 40 journalists have been arrested during the past 2 1/2 months of election campaigning, but the prosecutor-general announced on July 24 that he would not investigate the way their reporting had been obstructed. Sivitski suggested that Lukashenka is likely to continue seeking to silence inconvenient voices as he struggles with a changing media landscape. "Old school propaganda techniques simply don't work," the analyst said. With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Current Time Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/state-media-vs- the-streets-how-lukashenka-lost-the-media -war-in-belarus/30755564.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hours after President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hinted that they were prepared to cut a pared-down coronavirus stimulus package focused on a short-term extension of enhanced unemployment benefits and protecting renters from an expected wave of evictions, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows came out of a meeting on Capitol Hill and told reporters were nowhere close to a deal. Democrats are pushing for a comprehensive package; they already approved the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act in the House of Representatives more than two months ago. Theyve repeatedly accused Republicans of stalling. But Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration aim to produce a $1 trillion bill, arguing the federal government has already spent more than $3 trillion to revive an economy decimated by a pandemic. During closed-door talks on Tuesday, Pelosi reportedly told Meadows and Mnuchin that she would lay out the division between the Democratic and Republican proposals in animal terms. Say you are at the zoo. You see a giraffe. You see a flamingo. These two bills arent mateable, she said, USA Today reported. Trump on Wednesday blamed Democrats for pushing for $875 billion in state and local aid that Republicans excluded from the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act. But Democrats point out that Senate Republicans arent even unified on the GOP plan unveiled Monday, which would need bipartisan support to pass and advance to Trumps desk. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told PBS Newshour on Wednesday that as many as 20 Republicans may not vote for any package at all, because they think weve already done enough in terms of stimulus funding. Meanwhile, a weekly $600 bonus to unemployment benefits expires Friday. A federal moratorium on evictions expired last week, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and most other Democrats pushing extensions with Trump suddenly on board as of Wednesday morning. In addition to protecting renters from evictions, Trump and Mnuchin floated the idea of a short-term extension for the unemployment bonus, which Republicans dont like because they wanted to reduce the amount to $200, and Democrats balked at because they demand a comprehensive deal. Its important when you go into any negotiation not to have a piecemeal approach, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in an interview this week. Meadows went into a meeting on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon telling reporters he was not optimistic well reach any kind of comprehensive deal. After leaving the meeting, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he said he didnt know whether anything would lead to an agreement, USA Today reported. Were nowhere close to a deal, Meadows added. It means enhanced unemployment insurance provisions will expire. With the White House and Democrats at odds over a comprehensive deal, Democrats and Republicans in Congress appear to be in a stalemate. McConnell, who blasted the Democrats proposal in May a liberal wishlist, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that coronavirus does not care that we are divided. The coronavirus will not care if Washington Democrats decide it suits their partisan goals to let relief run dry. The American people are hurting and Congress should have their backs. The coronavirus does not care that we are divided. The coronavirus will not care if Washington Democrats decide it suits their partisan goals to let relief run dry. The American people are hurting and Congress should have their backs. Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) July 29, 2020 The Kentucky senator called on Democrats to get serious and come to the table, noting that Americans are dying and that millions are unemployed. Pelosi called on McConnell to at least get his facts straight after over 10 weeks of failing to act. The House-passed #HeroesAct extends the enhanced unemployment benefits families are depending on while his proposal slashes benefits by $400 a week, she said. Schumer told reporters that Republicans are tied in a total knot because of the disunity in their caucus, their inability to gather votes. We want to come back and keep talking to them, but they dont have anything to say, Axios reported. Senator Mitch McConnell: Americans on the brink of eviction are not crying out for a sweeping corporate liability shield, Schumer tweeted Wednesday evening. We need to focus on the needs of the American people. The Republican COVID proposal is not even a useful starting point. Senator Mitch McConnell: Americans on the brink of eviction are not crying out for a sweeping corporate liability shield. We need to focus on the needs of the American people. The Republican COVID proposal is not even a useful starting point. Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 29, 2020 Without a deal, a second round of stimulus checks the single provision most Democrats, Republicans and the Trump administration appear to agree on is surely delayed. For more on the stimulus checks and how much you could receive according to the Republican proposal, read here. Related Content: Martha Nierenberg had barely turned 20 when she was bundled off a train in central Hungary and hidden by nuns in a Roman Catholic hospital. It was March 1944, and a Nazi occupying force that included Adolf Eichmann was marching into her home city, Budapest. Eichmann, a principal engineer of the Holocaust, would immediately embark on the annihilation of 500,000 Hungarian Jews. Mrs. Nierenberg, who was born into one of Hungarys wealthiest families, evaded capture for two months before friends assured her that she could venture home. There she learned that she would be among 42 family members and close associates who were to be driven by the Germans to the Austrian border and, several weeks later, allowed to escape to Switzerland or Portugal. The cost of life was high. The Nazis strong-armed the family into signing away their estates, including some 2,500 pieces of precious art. And Mrs. Nierenbergs father, Alfons Weiss de Csepel, was among five relatives who were forced to stay behind as hostages of the Third Reich. A trained biochemist who spoke six languages, Mrs. Nierenberg made it to the United States with her mother in 1945. She set off on a career as a scientist and researcher at M.I.T. and the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York, and then as an entrepreneur. She achieved major success when, in 1954, she and her husband, Theodore Nierenberg, founded the Dansk Designs housewares company, which reimagined and invigorated the American tabletop. When Natasha Doyle-Merrick quit her job as a host at the AGO Bistro due to racial discrimination, she was asked about ways the institution could remedy the situation. She wanted to make sure other Black employees had a better work environment. So, she made a list: Human rights training for all staff, including senior management, more programming about Blackness so staff and visitors could be educated and an interview process with staff to create a safe space. She also had two other asks. One, that she remain part of the conversation about how the initiatives she suggested would be implemented. And, two, that she be financially compensated for therapy and loss of income that stemmed from the discrimination she experienced. Now, a year later, Doyle-Merrick says shes been shut out of the process and still hasnt received the financial compensation the AGO agreed to provide. Being unable to remain part of the solution, and ensure the workplace culture is improved for other Black employees, has added to her stress, frustration and pain. Its a problem thats coming to light as more people at countless companies step forward with years worth of complaints in an attempt to hold them accountable. In a statement to the Star, the AGO said it could not comment on any incident involving past or present employees and that the issue has been addressed with those directly involved and remedial measures have been taken. The organization which is among those that has publicly pledged in recent months to address internal diversity issues also said it is committed to making our workplace more diverse and inclusive and ongoing learning is taking place with employees and volunteers. A detailed action plan is also being developed via an inclusive process. Doyle-Merrick didnt work at the AGO Bistro long, only about five months, before a particular managers behaviour raised alarm bells. On more than one occasion, Doyle-Merrick was told not to leave her curly, Afro-textured hair down, despite other non-Black servers and hosts being allowed to. One day in May 2019 when she asked directly: Why cant I leave my hair down? the same manager responded, Why? So you can scare the clients away? In an interview with the Star, she recalled talking to another manager at the Bistro who said in the past there was another bartender with big hair and clients complained about it. Hearing these comments, it just kind of broke my heart, Doyle-Merrick said, especially considering how the gallery appears to be so welcoming, and so accepting, and seems to celebrate Blackness and Black artists. I was devastated to know that behind the scenes, this is the way Blackness is treated. That same summer, California and New York became the first states in the U.S. to ban workplace and school discrimination against Black people for hairstyles such as braids, twists and locks. I was depressed every day going into work, Doyle-Merrick said. She resigned the following month, after her therapist advised her to leave the environment due to the impact it was having on her health. After she submitted her resignation letter, an employee relations manager reached out the same day and began an investigation, and it was ultimately decided in Doyle-Merricks favour. The investigation report, which the Star reviewed, and Doyle-Merrick shared on Instagram, outlined that the managers comments and unequal policy enforcement went against the AGOs discrimination, harassment and violence prevention policy. The investigation recommended that all floor managers, including the manager involved, receive more training on restaurant guidelines as well as sensitivity training. To find out that HR sided with me was a relief, Doyle-Merrick said. Sometimes you feel as a person of colour, youre making things up in your mind. Society makes you feel like maybe perhaps youre being too dramatic or, you didnt have to take it that far. Seeing the result, she thought: OK, it wasnt just me. But the initial feeling of validation from the investigation was soured for her as time dragged on. With regards to her training suggestions, Doyle-Merrick was told the AGO had plans underway, so her specific asks wouldnt be met. Doyle-Merrick still questions, if training was sufficient, why did she experience racial discrimination? Why didnt her own work training in 2019 feel tailored to human rights? As for financial compensation, the two sides finally agreed on an amount earlier this year, but she hasnt heard anything from the AGO or her union rep since March to finalize the payment. Doyle-Merrick said she gave the gallery the benefit of the doubt with the pandemic shutdowns, but now feels ignored. Because she left Toronto in August 2019 and is in London, U.K., with plans to go to school in Dublin this fall, shes been trying to sort things out with the AGO via email and through her mother, who is still in Toronto. Employment lawyer Mika Imai, an associate at Karimjee Law, said employers arent obligated to settle a case, so it then falls on the unionized employee to escalate, whether through a union grievance or a Human Rights Tribunal claim. Tribunal claims need to be filed within one year of the most recent incident. The employee ends up being the one who needs to continually push things forward, Imai said. A lot of employees who have experienced racism at work quit, but thats unfortunate, they shouldnt have to quit. Angelyn Francis is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering inequity and inequality. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: afrancis@thestar.ca Police reject ISILs claim of responsibility for explosion that wounded five, say suspects had criminal intent. Authorities in Bangladesh say they have arrested three suspects in the bombing of a police station in the capital, Dhaka. Five people, including four police officers, were wounded when the bomb, which was hidden inside a device that looked like a weighing machine, went off inside the Pallabi police station on Wednesday morning. ISIL (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement the same day, but police on Thursday denied the claim, saying the alleged attackers were motivated by criminal intent. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy said the three men were arrested on Wednesday. Police also found two loaded firearms and another suspicious-looking device, he added. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime Saiful Islam denied any links between ISIL and the blast. ISIL made this kind of false claim in the past, too. This is also part of that process, he said. As per the information available so far, criminal intentions were behind the blast and were investigating the incident. On July 1, 2016, five attackers took hostages and opened fire in a Dhaka cafe, killing more than 20 people, mostly foreigners. The assault was claimed by ISIL, but the government has consistently denied the presence in the country of any transnational armed groups such as ISIL or al-Qaeda, blaming domestic fighters instead. Seven members of a banned armed group were sentenced to death last year for the cafe attack. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday announced there was an agreement to begin withdrawing federal officers from Portland, but a top Trump official said there would still be an augmented force present in the city. Brown, a Democrat, said the agreement, which goes into effect on Thursday, was struck after discussions with Vice President Mike Pence and other officials. After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland, Brown tweeted. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland. Our local Oregon State Police officers will be downtown to protect Oregonians right to free speech and keep the peace, she added. Lets center the Black Lives Matter movements demands for racial justice and police accountability. Its time for bold action to reform police practices. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, confirmed there was a tentative agreement in place to withdraw federal forces if the situation on the ground improves. Federal police make an arrest as they confront protesters Sunday night in Portland, Ore. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Over the past 24 hours, Governor Brown and I have been in regular communication and have agreed to a joint plan to end the violent activity in Portland directed at federal properties and law enforcement, Wolf said in a statement. That plan 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. But Wolf also said his department will continue to maintain our current, augmented federal law enforcement personnel in Portland until we are assured that the Hatfield Federal Courthouse and other federal properties will no longer be attacked and that the seat of justice in Portland will remain secure. In addition to CBP and ICE, the administration had also sent officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service to Oregons largest city. Story continues Shortly before the agreement was announced, President Trump told reporters that any reports of a withdrawal were premature. You hear all sorts of reports about us leaving, Trump said on the South Lawn of the White House. Were not leaving until theyve secured their city. We told the governor, we told the mayor: Secure your city. If they dont secure their city soon, we have no choice were going to have to go in and clean it out. Well do it very easily. Were all prepared to do it. They either clean out their city and do the job and get rid of the anarchists and agitators, which is what they are, he added. Theyre not protesters; theyre anarchists and agitators. We have many in jail. Many of them have been put in jail. Its going to be a long sentence. They either clean out their city and do it right, or were going to have to do it for them. Trump later tweeted that if local authorities didnt stop Portland from being burned and beaten to the ground then the Federal Government will go in and do the job that local law enforcement was supposed to do! President Trump speaks as he departs the White House on Wednesday en route to Texas. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images) Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler had joined mayors of five other U.S. cities in calling on Congress to make it illegal for the federal government to deploy militarized federal agents to cities that dont want them. The administration has begun the process of sending federal officers to other cities, with the legal options available to officials who want to push back still murky. On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced it also would be sending federal law enforcement agents to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. Federal officers arrived in Portland earlier this month under the direction of Wolf, who said that local authorities were not doing enough to protect the federal courthouse there, citing violent anarchists responsible for graffiti, broken windows and setting fires in the area, along with other infractions. A federal courthouse is a symbol of justice to attack it is to attack America. Instead of addressing violent criminals in their communities, local and state leaders are instead focusing on placing blame on law enforcement and requesting fewer officers in their community, Wolf said in a statement after visiting the city. This failed response has only emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day. The Washington Post reported last week that the White House has long wanted to showcase violence in cities, with one official saying the deployment was about getting viral online content. Attention was drawn to the city when an investigation by Oregon Public Broadcasting found that protesters were being pulled into unmarked vans by officers wearing quasi-military attire. Protests grew after video of the non-arrests went viral, with federal officials using tear gas and so-called less lethal munition rounds on protesters. At least one protester, who was holding a speaker over his head, had his skull fractured by federal officers. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon is asking a judge to hold the officers who fired at journalists and legal observers in contempt. Demonstrators huddle and blow back tear gas with leaf blowers during clashes with federal officers during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland on Wednesday. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) The protests were down to 100 to 200 people nightly prior to the escalation of the federal presence, which drew in crowds of thousands, including groups of moms, dads and veterans. Another viral video showed federal officers attacking 53-year-old Naval Academy graduate Christopher David, breaking his hand with baton strikes as he asked, Why are you not honoring your oath? Why are you not honoring your oath to the Constitution? During his first visit to the protests, Wheeler was caught in tear gas fired by officers and was the recipient of boos and heckles from the assembled protesters who dont think hes done enough to rein in police there. The mayor has faced scrutiny for what many critics said was coordination between local police and the federal officers despite a city resolution banning any communication between the two groups. Two former Republican leaders of the Department of Homeland Security have criticized Trumps deployment of DHS officers to American cities. The department was established to protect America from the ever-present threat of global terrorism. It was not established to be the presidents personal militia, Tom Ridge, the DHSs inaugural chief, said during an interview with Sirius XM host Michael Smerconish. Michael Chertoff, who succeeded Ridge during George W. Bushs second term, told the Washington Post that Trumps plan is unsettling and damaging to the department. _____ Read more from Yahoo News: CCP leader Xi Jinping (C) arrives during the second plenary session of the country's rubber-stamp congress in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 25, 2020. (Noel Celis /AFP via Getty Images) Barr Urged to Designate CCP a Transnational Criminal Organization News Analysis A coalition of human rights activists and organizations has sent an open letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr urging him to designate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a transnational criminal organization (TCO). The open letter is a bold move to call the CCP to account for its role in what U.S. officials say are crimes that range from theft of intellectual property, to human trafficking, to the deliberate spread of the lethal CCP virus throughout the world. In laying out the case, the authors cite the Trump administrations Executive Order 13773 as the legal framework supporting the designation of the CCP as an organization that has been committing often audacious crimes not only in the United States, but across the world, for decades. The letter was drafted largely by well-known human and religious rights and childrens welfare lawyer Liz Yore, based on the vision and input from Hong Kong businessman-turned-activist Elmer Yuen, the nonprofit Save the Persecuted Christians, and the Committee on the Present Danger: China. Yuen has been active in recent months in seeking a legal basis by which to disarm the CCP, in order to ultimately cause its fall from power and complete dissolution, as reported previously. The executive order, signed by Trump on Feb. 9, 2017, states that its the policy of the executive branch to strengthen enforcement of Federal law in order to thwart transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security. Among the offenses that such groups may be related to include human, drug, wildlife, and weapons trafficking. The executive order cites corruption, cybercrime, fraud, financial crimes, and intellectual-property theft as activities in which TCOs may be engaged, which also include hiding or transferring the illicit profits from crimes committed by the organization. Attorney General William Barr participates in a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Feb. 10, 2020. Barr announced the indictment of four members of Chinas military on charges of hacking into Equifax Inc. and stealing data from millions of Americans. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) A Litany of Crimes The letter to Barr lays out a litany of the most egregious of the crimes the authors say warrant the TCO designation for the CCP, beginning with fentanyl and the deliberate coverup of the human transmissibility of the CCP virus. Identifying the CCP as a TCO is clearly justified, the letter states, by the epidemic of American citizens victimized and killed by the Chinese manufactured and transmitted lethal synthetic drug, Fentanyl. The letter cites Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures showing that more than 31,000 Americans overdosed on fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics in 2018. Chinas handling of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, is bluntly cited as a crime by the authors, as well. The virus, which is having debilitating health and economic effects in the United States and around the world, could have been contained, the letter suggests, had CCP authorities not knowingly and maliciously failed to warn the world and covered up its transmission and lethality, causing, at time of writing, more than 140,000 deaths in the United States alone. Yore said that she has been seeing the administration lay out one speech after another over the past few weeks accusing China of illegal behavior and crimes against humanity, giving her the evidence to cite case after case of criminal activity by the CCP in the letter to Barr. In a June 24 speech, national security adviser Robert C. OBrien listed the hacking of the personal data of 145 million Americans from Equifax in 2017, and the 2019 hack of Marriott that garnered the CCP personal details on 383 million guests as examples of Chinas malfeasance in the cyber environment. Then on July 7, FBI Director Christopher Wray reported that the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case about every 10 hours, and that, of the 5,000 counterintelligence cases currently on the FBIs books, almost half are related to China. And then, in a press conference on July 8, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in laying the blame for the spread of the CCP virus directly at the feet of the CCP, said the CCP has an enormous credibility problem. Pompeo said of the camps holding Muslim Uyghurs in Chinas northwest Xinjiang Province that new reports of forced abortions and sterilizations add to a body of evidence indicate that they arent the educational and training camps that the CCP characterizes them as. The letter also highlights the March findings of the China Tribunal, which found the CCP guilty of forced organ harvesting on an industrial scale, labeling it one of the worst atrocities in the world. Elmer Yuen in Washington on June 12, 2020. (Sean Lin/Sound of Hope) The Power of a Name You know, if he [Trump] designates the CCP as a criminal organization, its a sensational act, globally, Yuen said. Everybody keeps talking about all of the crimes committed by the CCP, Yuen said, but nobody put it all together and called it organized crime. All Im doing is giving it a collective name. Sean Lin of the Committee on the Present Danger said if more countries can adopt similar measures, that would be more powerful. I think that its a long-time frustration for anyone who works on the human rights issue. China has committed so many crimes. In the Congress, we have hearings, and reviews, testimony, but no fundamental attacks on the CCP, Lin said. So, this designation is a powerful tool. Yore said the designation of the CCP as a criminal organization triggers what is embodied in the presidential order. That order specifies targeting the TCO with a country-wide coordination among law enforcement, among federal agencies, among professionals [and] law enforcement partners, Yore said. The TCO designation also triggers economic sanctions against banks, as well as companies that do business with the CCP. There are layers upon layers of sanctions and criminal penalties that can be put in place not just against the CCP once its designated a TCO, but also against other organizations who are complicit in the crimes being perpetrated by the criminal organization, in this case, the CCP, Yore said. As with other already-designated TCOs, such as MS-13, banks that would do business with [them] could be charged, fined, penalized, and sanctioned. There are very strict banking laws with respect to notification [and] transparency with the federal law enforcement agencies, she said. You have to designate a disease before you can begin to treat it or to fight it. The Trump administration has made great strides in the first 3 1/2 years to begin to educate the public on what the CCP is doing. Im a great believer in if you describe and label behavior as criminal, you begin to have a sea change in the publics view of it, Yore said. Different Ballgame Yuen said that in China, every company with over three Party members, you have to form a branch, which will have its own secretary, so every company in China is basically controlled by the Communist Party, and it goes back to Xi Jinping. So now, Yuen said, if you try to do business in China, and it [the CCP] is a criminal organization, and you know that youre doing business not with a company, youre doing business with the CCP, then its a whole different ballgame. In China, the CCP is way above the CEO of a company. If its an investment banker and they want to lend money to a criminal organization, they will have second thoughts. Or if they want to take [a company] public, and they find out, oh, they have a Party branch inside, they will have more second thoughts. Its a totally different feeling, Yuen said. As they finalize their reopening plans, New Jersey public school district officials have been fielding the same questions from parents for weeks. What happens if a student or teacher tests positive for COVID-19? Will you shut the school down? Or quarantine just that classroom? Will you wait for a positive test? Or send everyone home every time a kid has symptoms? And how many cases do you need to have before you close the whole district and switch to all-remote learning? Director general of the General Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Truong Anh Dung The movement of young Vietnamese labourers to ASEAN countries and other countries worldwide has been a rising trend in recent years. How is the vocational system in Vietnam prepared to latch onto this? The first important move is that Vietnam has built a national qualification framework compatible with the national qualification framework of ASEAN countries. Second, Vietnam has developed and implemented mutual recognition agreements in education and training between Vietnam and other ASEAN members, creating a premise to promote training and integration in vocational training. Occupations such as accountants, architects, dentists, doctors, engineers, nurses, surveyors, and tourism staff are accredited by ASEAN governments, and processes have been set up for highly-skilled labour and experts working in the region. Third, Vietnam has received transfers and organised international-branded training programmes in some fields of agriculture from countries such as Australia, Germany, and Malaysia. This helps the Vietnamese labour force in some key industries to become ready to integrate more effectively into regional and worldwide labour markets. What do you think about the prospects of international co-operation for Vietnam in the field of vocational training? When we promote international co-operation towards mutual recognition of capacity, qualifications, and labour, we will integrate more effectively. Therefore, international co-operation on training high-quality human resources is an important solution to innovate and improve quality of the vocational system. We are also utilising the support of developed countries, including their experiences and resources in supporting vocational training in Vietnam. For example, co-operation on official development assistance has contributed to the development of high-quality schools and key industries in Vietnam. The most effective training model that many developed countries are applying is the training model in combination with enterprises and schools participating in training, or the diversion after high schools and vocational training. Although Vietnam has tried its best, I must admit that Vietnam does not yet have much experience in attracting businesses, vocational institutions, or various associations to participate in professional development compared to many other countries in the world. Vietnam is studying other countries in organising ramifications after junior high schools and high schools through vocational programmes so that workers will soon have a career orientation and equip skills. Singapore, a highly developed country, requires lower secondary students to enter vocational schools twice to learn, and the rate of apprenticeships in Singapore is over 50 per cent. Other countries such as New Zealand and some European nations are also examples. New Zealand was one of the first countries to successfully build a national qualification framework. They have policies to attract learners into key occupations to attract students into priority occupations in certain periods. Students who want to have a diploma or practice certificate must go through the training system. This certificate is not valid forever and will be reevaluated after a certain time. This creates competitiveness and qualifications for New Zealands vocational system in the world labour market. In the context of the labour movement and pandemic impact, what are the general directorates solutions to attract trainees and improve the quality of human resources in this country? In the first half of 2020, many activities in this field here have been delayed. However, we have been rapidly transitioning flexible training plans, organising enrollment and online training to suitable professions and subjects. As a result, in the first six months of 2020 we achieved 70-80 per cent of the plan compared to 2019. In June and July, schools promoted counselling, career guidance, and enrollment for trainees. Many schools have received thousands of records. As the labour market undergoes a drastic change due to the pandemic, we are also focusing on retraining and continuing training for workers up to 46 per cent of the trainees we recruited recently are from this group. Department of Agriculture Agriculture officials are warning people to avoid opening packages of unsolicited seeds that show up in the mail. The Illinois Department of Agriculture is working with the USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to address reports of the unsolicited seed shipments coming from foreign countries, the department said Wednesday. Actress Ankita Lokhande, who was reportedly in a six-year relationship with the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in between 2008-14, has opened up about the actors past behaviour. She said that Sushant wasnt likely to be depressed. In a conversation with Republic TVs Arnab Goswami, Ankita said, It took me a lot of time to accept the news of his death by suicide. I want to tell everyone right now that Sushant wasnt the kind of guy who would be in depression. He wasnt someone who would die by suicide because of any sorrows, he wasnt that personality. She added, He was a happy go lucky guy. Sushant and I must have faced worse situations in our lives. After a certain time period, I started thinking how could anybody be sure about the suicide within 15 minutes. Aapne suddenly bol diya ye suicide hai, photos leak ho gayin, videos leak ho gaya. As much as I know Sushant, he isnt a depressed guy. She continued, I have not seen a person like Sushant who writes his own dreams. He used to write diaries that had his dreams of next five years, and he fulfilled them exactly after five years. Ankita further said, He was never the kind of a guy who would have depression. We all have anxiety. He has been called bipolar. The Sushant I was with cant be in depression. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has declined to entertain a PIL seeking CBI probe into the death by suicide of Sushant. Sushant was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14. The actors father has filed an FIR against actress Rhea Chakraborty in Patna in this regard. KITCHENER Forest Heights Revera residents are returning home from local hospitals, where they were moved as the Kitchener long-term care home battled Waterloo Regions most significant COVID-19 outbreak. Residents starting moving back last week, and all 46 of those who had been moved should be home by the end of next week. Both the staff and the residents have been very happy to see each other, said St. Marys General Hospital president Lee Fairclough. Its a feeling of joy. In late May, the province declared Forest Heights a red long-term care home, the most serious classification reserved for only a small number of homes in Ontario with the highest risk of COVID-19 infections. It appointed St. Marys to temporarily manage an end to the outbreak and stabilize operations. I would say things have stabilized and now were moving forward, Fairclough said. In total, 178 residents and 73 staff tested positive and 51 residents died during the outbreak, which lasted three months, from April 1 to June 30. It was a great day when we declared the outbreak over, Fairclough said. As part of the efforts to control the outbreak, some residents were transferred to the regions three hospitals in April to lighten the load on Forest Heights staff and to allow for more separation of residents in the older home, which has ward-style rooms and shared bathrooms. By the end of Thursday, 28 had moved back home, including eight from St. Marys, 10 from Cambridge Memorial Hospital and 10 from Grand River Hospitals Freeport campus. The remaining residents are at Freeport. Its a very different place that theyre coming back to, Fairclough said. Strict infection control practices remain in place, including staff wearing personal protective equipment, more cleaning and screening of everyone entering, and there are still limits on activities. Were not back to a normal state for sure. None of the homes in the province are, Fairclough said. Certain restrictions were eased once the outbreak was declared over, including allowing visitors to return to the home. Slowly programs and services are restarting, such as more outdoor time for residents, but others like the hair salon need to be carefully considered to ensure theyre reintroduced safely. Residents still eat meals served on trays to their room, rather than eating together in the dining areas. A full-time infection control specialist was hired and started this week. I think its just going to be a tremendous asset for this home, Fairclough said. Staff are tested for COVID-19 twice a month, as required for all long-term care homes in the province. Residents are currently limited to two people a room, and theres dedicated space to quickly isolate anyone who develops symptoms that could be COVID while waiting for test results. St. Marys will oversee the home for 90 days under the mandatory management order, or longer if the province decides necessary. Fairclough expects a decision at the end of August, but she said the collaboration between St. Marys, Forest Heights and owner Revera has been strong and productive. I am feeling good about how things are progressing. I think if we stay on this course, it will be good, Fairclough said. The biggest thing with this virus is to stay ahead of it. The European Union seems to be functioning better than the United States in some big ways right now. Europe has been far more successful in subduing the coronavirus. It has also passed a recent economic stimulus bill, while the U.S. Congress has not. But Europe has a major problem. It has a rising autocratic movement that the continents leaders have no clear strategy for confronting. If anything, the pandemic has strengthened the most autocratic E.U. governments, in Hungary and Poland. Other countries have put a higher priority on fighting the virus and helping the economy than trying to stop the erosion of democracy. As my colleague Matina Stevis-Gridneff, who covers the European Union from Brussels, told me, The leading E.U. member states have been willing to partly turn a blind eye to achieve realpolitik gains right now. The background: Hungarys governing party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has undermined democracy by changing election rules, packing the courts with allies and insisting on uncritical media coverage. Orban has used the virus as an excuse to centralize authority even further. Shortly after dropping espionage charges against two former Twitter employees and a third individual, the US government has filed expanded charges against them. The three men have been charged with seven offenses for allegedly spying on Twitter users critical of the Saudi royal family. The newly pressed charges include acting as an agent for a foreign government without notice to the attorney general; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; wire fraud; money laundering; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; aiding and abetting; and criminal forfeiture. These charges are part of a superseding indictment. Theyll replace the previously pressed charges against the three individuals. The two former Twitter employees, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, and the third person named Ahmed Almutairi were originally charged with fraudulently accessing private information and acting as illegal agents of a foreign government last fall. Advertisement Prosecutors had filed a notice earlier this week requesting those espionage charges to be dropped. The request was submitted without prejudice. This essentially meant the government could file new charges if those already in place are dropped. Thats exactly what has happened. The US files expanded espionage charges against former Twitter employees The aforementioned three individuals were accused of espionage last year. They were allegedly spying on Twitter users using company privileges between November 2014 to May 2015. Almutairi convinced the then Twitter employees, Abouammo and Alzabarah, to spy on users critical of the Saudi kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Abouammo and Alzabarah would use internal Twitter tools to extract personal information from accounts of such users. That information may include email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, the device used, biographical information, browser information, a users actions on Twitter, and more. Advertisement According to the new indictment, the duo gleaned information from the accounts of several journalists, celebrities, and organizations among others. Saudi officials may have paid Abouammo at least $200,000 along with a watch worth around $20,000. The original complaint last year estimated the amount to be around $300,000. Abouammo, however, had provided the FBI with a falsified, backdated receipt that showed a $100,000 payment from Saudi officials. He said he received the money in exchange for media consulting services. A dual citizen of the US and Lebanon, Abouammo is reportedly in custody now. Alzabarah and Almutairi, both citizens of Saudi Arabia, fled the country in 2015. In the new indictment, the US government says Alzabarah lived in the US until December 3, 2015. Almutairi (also known as Ahmed Aljbreen), meanwhile, was present in the country until May 2015. Kravchuk on joining TCG: it is not time to rest, I will do everything for peace in Donbas, until my last breath Ukrainian first President Leonid Kravchuk said that he headed the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) in order to accelerate the advance of peace in Donbas. "Definitely, I thought about it, but when I realized so directly what is happening there in Donbas, when our young boys and girls die there, defending our land, shedding blood, defending the sovereignty of Ukraine, with all that in my I saw life, and it would be possible to rest, but the time for rest has not come. I made a decision, if I can, and I want this, to do something to speed up the peace in Donbas, I will do it to my last breath," he said in a video commentary released on Thursday. Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex left their royal life behind for a chance to live out of the spotlight, but one royal expert thinks Harry may be nervous about his future. Find out why she believes Prince Harry may be struggling as they navigate their new life in Los Angeles. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Karwai Tang/WireImage Prince Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back In a January Instagram post, Prince Harry and Meghan shared their intention to take a step back from their royal duties. Though they had hoped to split their time and have a half-in/half-out arrangement, the queen met with other senior royals and decided the best approach was for the Sussexes to fully leave their royal duties behind. Prince Harry addressed their exit during a speech he delivered shortly after the details were finalized. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not one I made lightly, he explained. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I havent always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. Prince Harry also remarked that he hoped to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth and my military associations but without public funding. He noted that they accepted the arrangement that was given to them, adding, I hope it helps you understand what it had come to, that I would step my family back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life. RELATED: Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Increased Tension With Royal Family Is Putting a Strain on Them; Meghans Family Is Worried They may not get the privacy they want Royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET that she believes Prince Harry and Meghan might not get the privacy that they hoped for in the U.S. A lot of people might think that they have been naive in expecting a greater level of privacy in Los Angeles. America has different privacy rules to the U.K., she explained. While they were living in Britain, there were no paparazzi pictures of them. There was still a gentlemans agreement between the press and the palace that when the principals - the senior members of the royal family were enjoying private time, that private time was respected. So if the couple were papped, then the British newspapers agreed with the palace that they wouldnt use those paparazzi pictures. Nicholl further shared that had they stayed at Frogmore House in Windsor there would not be this level of intrusion. It simply would not be tolerated. If they had gone to L.A. hoping for a quieter life, where they could duck out of the spotlight, they were sorely mistaken, she added. I think the Sussexes have been a little bit naive to expect that they can move to Beverly Hills, where theres clearly huge media attention on them, and not be photographed by the paparazzi. Is Prince Harry struggling with his new life? Nicholl shared some concern over how Prince Harry is adjusting to this next chapter after his exit from the royal family. He has the added pressure of now having to forge a new life for himself in a country without an infrastructure, and without the level of support that he enjoyed when he was a prince of England, she explained. Nicholl added, I think there is a great sense of trepidation for Prince Harry. As much as he is optimistic about the future, I think hes nervous about the future as well. I think he is apprehensive. He doesnt have the same support, he doesnt have the same infrastructure. He doesnt have a clear plan ahead of him. And I think it is probably quite daunting for him. Virginia Military Institute to Keep All Confederate Statues, Building Names The Virginia Military Institute (VMI), the oldest military college in the Unites States, said on Wednesday it wont remove Confederate statues nor rename any buildings named after Confederate leaders. In a seven-page letter addressing all VMI community members and affiliates, superintendent Ret. Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III said while he is willing to erase any hint of racism on campus, the colleges history is deeply rooted with the history of Virginia and the Civil War. Unlike many communities who are grappling with icons of the past, VMI has direct ties to many of the historical figures that are the subject of the current unrest, Peay said, referencing the recent trend of monuments coming down across the nation because of their connection to the Confederacy or Civil War. The VMIs Lexington campus prominently displays a statue of Confederate commander Thomas Stonewall Jackson, who accepted an offer in 1851 to teach natural philosophy and artillery tactics at the college until the Civil War broke out in 1861. Jacksons name was still carried on the VMI faculty roll at the time of his death, and he was buried in a cemetery near the VMI campus. The campus also features the New Market Monument, which honors the VMI cadets who fought at the Battle of New Market in 1864 for the Southern cause. Two dueling online petitions were created last month regarding the fate of the Jackson statue. One petition, started by a groups of recent black VMI graduates, requested that the college acknowledge the racism and remove the statue. Its counter petition, which received three times the number of supporting signatures, said the monument should remain in its place as a reminder of the colleges sacred heritage and honorable traditions. According to Peay, Jackson was memorialized at VMI not only as a Confederate general, but also as a faculty, Mexican War veteran, military genius, and devoted Christian. Throughout the years, the primary focus on honoring VMIs history has been to celebrate principles of honor, integrity, character, courage, service, and selflessness of those associated with the Institute, he added. It is not to in anyway condone racism, much less slavery. Instead of removing traces of the Confederacy that are closely linked to VMIs early days, Peay said the college will focus on its more recent history. We do not currently intend to remove any VMI statues or rename any VMI buildings, he said. Rather, in the future we will emphasize recognition of leaders from the Institutes second century. We will place unvarnished context on the value and lessons to be learned from the Institutes rich heritage, while being mindful of the nations challenges and sensitivities to being fair and inclusive to all. Meanwhile, VMIs northern counterpart is also under pressure to rename buildings honoring Confederate leaders such as Robert E. Lee. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic congressman who represents the area of West Point, New York, sent a letter co-signed by 21 other members of Congress to the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense in June, arguing that facilities at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point shouldnt be named after those who fought under the South banner during the Civil War. We believe we must correct the hurtful and outdated practice of honoring at West Point certain Americans who engaged in armed rebellion against the United States in support of racism and slavery, read the letter. Some investors of TikTok's parent company ByteDance seeking to take over the popular social media app are valuing it at about $50 billion, significantly more than peers such as Snap Inc, according to people familiar with the matter. Beijing-based ByteDance is considering a range of options for TikTok amid pressure from the United States to relinquish control of the app, which allows users to create short videos with special effects and has become wildly popular with U.S. teenagers. The app's success has helped turn ByteDance into one of only a handful of truly global Chinese conglomerates. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a U.S. government panel which reviews deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks, has raised concerns about the safety of the personal data that TikTok handles under its Chinese owner, Reuters has previously reported. Privately held ByteDance has received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them, the sources said. It has also fielded acquisition interest in TikTok from other companies and investment firms, the sources said. The investors' bid values TikTok at 50 times its projected 2020 revenue of about $1 billion, according to the sources. By comparison, Snap is valued at 15 times its projected 2020 revenue, at about $33 billion, according to data provider Refinitiv. It is unclear whether ByteDance's founder and CEO, Yiming Zhang, will be satisfied with the offer. ByteDance executives recently discussed valuation projections for TikTok that exceed $50 billion, one of the sources said. TikTok is growing rapidly as it rakes in more cash from advertising, and its management team expects to achieve $6 billion in revenue in 2021, one of the sources said. ByteDance, which owns other apps including TikTok's Chinese counterpart, Douyin?, has set itself a revenue target for 2020 of about 200 billion yuan ($28 billion), Reuters has previously reported. ByteDance was valued at as much as $140 billion earlier this year when one of its shareholders, Cheetah Mobile Inc, sold a small stake in a private deal, one of the sources said. If a deal for the whole of TikTok cannot be reached, ByteDance is exploring divesting only TikTok's U.S. operations, one of the sources said. It is not clear what such a deal would be worth and what ties TikTok in the United States would maintain with its global operations. There is no certainty that ByteDance will agree to any deal, the sources said. It is pushing ahead with structural changes that will further ringfence the U.S. business of TikTok from its global empire, the sources added. These changes could include a new holding company for TikTok and an independent board, one of the sources said, cautioning that no decision has been made. The company has already separated TikTok operationally from its other apps through dedicated teams. The sources requested anonymity because the deliberations are confidential. ByteDance, General Atlantic and Sequoia declined to comment, while Cheetah Mobile and a CFIUS spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer said in a blog post on Wednesday that the company was committed to following U.S. laws, and was allowing experts to observe its moderation policies and examine the code that drives its algorithms. TARGET OF U.S. LAWMAKERS As relations between the United States and China deteriorate over trade, Hong Kong's autonomy, cyber security and the spread of the novel coronavirus, TikTok has emerged as a flashpoint in the dispute between the world's two largest economies. Last week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously passed a bill that would bar U.S. federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices. It will be taken up by the full Senate for a vote. The House of Representatives has already voted for a similar measure. President Donald Trump and top administrations officials have said they are considering a broader ban on TikTok and other Chinese-linked apps. ByteDance acquired Shanghai-based video app Musical.ly app in a $1 billion deal in 2017 and relaunched it as TikTok the following year. About 70% of the equity capital ByteDance has raised from outside investors has come from the United States, according to one of the sources. Also read: Chinese app ban: TikTok says ready to store data locally, denies breach of user privacy The National University of Ireland, Galway confirmed that Blackbaud, a third party database service provider it uses to record engagement with members of the university community, was the target of a recent cyber attack. The data breach did not affect current students and staff of the university, but rather its alumni, who were notified of the attack by the university in an email. The university told alumni that the incident may have involved a limited amount of your personal information, and while we have received assurances that your data was not and will not be misused, we are notifying you so that you are aware of this breach of Blackbauds systems and can remain vigilant. Cybercriminal The university said that upon discovering the attack, Blackbauds cyber security team, alongside forensics experts and law enforcement, prevented the cybercriminal from blocking their system access and fully encrypting files. Advertisement Though the cybercriminal was ultimately expelled from the system, they removed a copy of a backup file containing personal information before being locked out, including a subset of NUI Galway data. Contact information including names, phone numbers, email address and mailing addresses were taken, however, financial information was not. Blackbaud paid the cybercriminals demand, an undisclosed ransom, with confirmation that the copy they removed had been destroyed. The company does not believe any data went beyond the cybercriminal. Ransom NUI Galway said it was not party to the decision to make this payment and only became aware of this payment after it had occurred. The university has apologised for the incident and launched its own investigation. It said it had informed the Data Protection Commission of the breach and is reviewing its relationship with Blackbaud. Several universities and and other Blackbaud not-for-profit clients internationally were affected by the hack, which the company confirmed took place in May of this year in a statement on its website. The battle over whether or not kindergarten through 12th grade schools in New Jersey will open in September continued Wednesday as three Democratic lawmakers said theyll introduce a bill that would keep students on an all-remote schedule through at least Oct. 31 with the coronavirus pandemic about to enter its sixth month in New Jersey. Later in the day, Gov. Phil Murphy, a fellow Democrat, said hell continue to insist on at least some in-person instruction while declining to comment on the legislation set to be drafted in the Assembly. In-person education dwarfs any remote learning in terms of the efficacy and the richness of that experience, Murphy said at his press conference Wednesday. It is unclear how much support the proposed bill to delay the start of in-person classes will have in the state Legislature. It would need to be approved by the full Assembly and the state Senate would need to pass identical legislation before it would head to Murphy for his signature. The proposed bill would still allow for in-person special education services. Murphy last week gave parents uncomfortable sending their children back to school the option of an all-remote plan, while acknowledging that might not be a realistic option for many families. Meanwhile, New Jersey reported 489 new positive COVID-19 tests Wednesday, bringing the statewide cumulative total to 180,766, though the overwhelming majority have long since recovered. Murphy said people who have attended large house parties around the state have contributed to the recent increase in cases. He added that the partygoers should be inducted into the Knucklehead Hall of Fame. There were 759 patients in the states 71 hospitals as of 10 p.m. Wednesday with coronavirus or a suspected case, down from 761 in the previous 24-hour period. Of the 759, 123 were receiving critical care and 51 were on ventilators. Those numbers stood at 116 and 51, respectively a day earlier. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage A roundup of coronavirus news: Restaurants in this Shore county need indoor dining, freeholder begs: Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone believes now is the time for restaurants in the county to reopen for indoor dining for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered them for that service in mid-March. If they dont, they wont survive, he said. The director called for Murphy to allow restaurants, which are currently only allowed to offer outdoor dining if they are able to do so as well as delivery and take-out, to reopen for indoor dining at 50% capacity. More than 200 teachers may not return to one of N.J.s largest school districts this fall: More than 200 teachers in the Jersey City Public Schools said they may not return to teach in the district in 2020-21 due to personal or family health concerns related to COVID-19, officials said. The states second largest school district is currently surveying its approximately 3,000 teachers to determine what percentage plan to return to work for either in-person instruction or remote learning. We dont want in-person classes. Let us stay virtual, N.J. school district tells state.: At least one New Jersey school district says its going against the states guidelines and submitting a school reopening plan with all-virtual classes because it fears for the health of its students and teachers as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Bayonne, in Hudson County, says it wants its nearly 9,600 students to remain on all-remote learning so it can keep schools closed when the 2020-2021 school year begins. Big waits still plague Motor Vehicles Commission offices, but half of N.J.s 3-month backlog has cleared: Delays continue to plague the states Motor Vehicle Commission offices, but at least half of the backlog have been cleared after months of closures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Murphy said Wednesday. He said the commission has processed more than 355,000 transactions since it reopened four weeks ago. But in that time, the offices looked much like the coronavirus test sites in March. People lined up hours before they opened, forcing employees and police to cap them early in the day. Coronavirus misinformation is proving highly contagious: As the world races to find a vaccine and a treatment for COVID-19, there is seemingly no antidote in sight for the burgeoning outbreak of coronavirus conspiracy theories, hoaxes, anti-mask myths and sham cures. Experts worry the torrent of bad information is dangerously undermining efforts to slow the virus, The phenomenon, unfolding largely on social media, escalated this week when President Donald Trump retweeted a false video about an anti-malaria drug being a cure for the virus and it was revealed that Russian intelligence is spreading disinformation about the crisis through English-language websites. U.S. cases: The U.S. death count has climbed above 150,000 as of Thursday morning, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. More than 4.4 million have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Worldwide cases: Of the more than 17 million infected, about 668,000 have died, the center report. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joshua Rosario of the Jersey Journal and NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco, Amanda Hoover, Chris Sheldon and Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. Mother Nature activists call for an end to development on the Boeung Tamok Lake in Phnom Penh, in a screenshot from a video posted on July 30, 2020. Development on one of the last large lakes in Cambodias capital Phnom Penh is impacting communities that rely on it for their livelihoods and causing significant flooding in the city as the result of runoff during heavy rains, an environmental watchdog said Thursday, calling for an end to the practice. In a video posted to Facebook, Mother Nature said that despite a 2016 decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen recognizing the 3,240-hectare (8,000-acre) Boeung Tamok Lake as public land, the government in June authorized the Ministry of National Defense to fill in around 300 hectares (740 acres) of it to build a military base. The allocation was only made public earlier this month. Last months granting of permission to reclaim land from the lake marks the eighth time the government has done so, after earlier allowing the filling in of 535 hectares (1,320 acres) for official use and private development, Mother Nature noted. Development has proceeded despite a law which says public landincluding lakescannot be sold or leased unless they have lost their public interest value. Hun Sen has defended earlier allocations as part of a battle against mosquito breeding grounds. Mother Nature cited a recent report by Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) which listed the public benefits of the lake as providing an important reservoir and habitat for bird species. The group also noted that more than 300 families depend on it to earn a daily income through fishing and growing lotus. Additionally, the video said, the filling up of Boeung Tamok Lake and other lakes in the capital for development is eliminating crucial reservoirs for rainfall, causing severe flooding in the city during weather events. Activists from the group urged Hun Sen to call an immediate halt to development of the lake and asked for community support to ensure that he acts. A map shows Phnom Penh's Boeung Tamok Lake and the Tompoun/Cheung Ek Wetlands. RFA More harm than benefits Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service on Thursday, Mother Nature activist Thun Ratha said that fishermen and villagers who rely on the lake routinely complain about the situation. They said they are facing a similar fate as the people from Boeung Kak, because those villagers did not get any compensation, he said, referring to the forced eviction of some 3,500 families from another lake community in Phnom Penh to make way for a development project with close ties to Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP). I wonder why development has to do with filling lakes and evicting people? Thun Ratha warned that the city will be increasingly flooded during storms because there are fewer places to absorb rainwater amid the lake development. Filling in the lake not only affects the people who rely on it or those who live close by, but also people in Phnom Penh, he said. I have observed that each time there is rain, peoples houses are flooded, and their property is destroyed. Furthermore, sand being used to reclaim the lake is being dredged from the Mekong River, which is causing erosion and the destruction of homes along the banks of the waterway. Another activist named Long Kunthea told RFA that filling in lakes has caused the country more harm than benefits. She said there are around 20 lakes in Phnom Penh, some of which are already completely filled in. Boeung Tamok is a beautiful lake because of its lotusesit should have been preserved as a tourist destination site or to let the people use the lake, she said. Filling in lakes for development wont benefit villagers, it will have negative impacts for them. So, we are asking the government to reconsider and stop filling Boeung Tamok. Wetlands at risk The Mother Nature video comes amid the release this month of a report detailing the social and human rights impact of development of the 1,500-hectare (3,700-acre) Tompoun/Cheung Ek wetlands in southern Phnom Penhs Mean Chey district. Smoke on the Water, compiled by local rights groups LICADHO, STT, the Cambodian Youth Network (CYN), and Equitable Cambodia (EC), called the wetlands a vital flood protection area for Phnom Penh and the citys only wastewater treatment system, as well as crucial to the livelihoods of families who use the area for farming and fishing. But recent land cuts indicate that more than 90 percent of the wetlands area is slated to be filled in to make way for the ING City real estate project, the report said, noting that satellite imagery suggests roughly one-third has already been reclaimed with sand. Since 2004, the ING City project has been progressively destroying the Tompoun/Cheung Ek wetlands in Phnom Penh, threatening the livelihoods and homes of more than a thousand families, devastating the wetlands ecosystem, placing more than a million people at increased risk of flooding, worsening food insecurity, and polluting the Mekong and Bassac rivers with untreated sewage and harmful pollutants, it said. In their conclusion, the groups recommended that the government cease further developments in the wetlands area until all environmental and human rights impacts are studied and clearly understood. They also called on the government to ensure that evictions and land disputes are dealt with in accordance with the law and to consider alternative options to ING City and other related developments. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. VHP says will not wait for SC's decision on Ram Mandir, ask govt to bring ordinance Sacred water and soil from the Sangam to reach Ayodhya today ahead of Aug 5 Bhumi Pujan India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, July 30: Massive preparations have begun at Ayodhya ahead of the Bhumi Pujan for the Ram Temple to be held on August 5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the ceremony where the Bhumi Pujan will be performed by placing a 40-kilogram silver brick at the sanctum santorum. Today, the soil and water from Sangam-confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati will reach Ayodhya. On Wednesday, the soil and water was handed over to a three-member delegation of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The three members will take the soil and water to Ayodhya today. Fact Check: Ramayana stamps were not issued ahead of Bhoomi pujan of Ram Temple in Ayodhya Soil from the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur has also been sent to Ayodhya ahead of the ceremony. A group of VHP leaders including VHP's Dharmacharya Sampark Pramukh Shambhu, and Prant Sangthan Mantri Mukesh Kumar have collected sacred soil and water, VHP spokesperson Ashwani Mishra said. After collecting the scared soil and water, the VHP leaders took to the residence of late VHP leader Ashok Singhal and recalled his contribution and efforts on the Ram Mandir issue. After this the sacred water and soil was taken to the VHP office. {quiz_265} In addition to this, the soil of Kashi Vishwanath, Shringverpur water, and sacred soil and water of other prominent religious shrines including Kabir Math, Maharshi Bhardwaj ashram will also be collected and sent to Ayodhya before August 5. Buildings on both sides of the roads that the Prime Minister's convoy will take from the helipad at the Saket College in the city to reach the Ram Janmabhoomi site is being given a fresh coat of yellow paint with plans to depict various characters of the Ramayana on them. The work to paint the buildings on both sides of the three-km stretch of the road and draw sketches of the Ramayana characters on them has been given to Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, said Ayodhya Information Deputy Director Murli Dhar Singh. US Covid deaths: 1 succumbed every minute on Wednesday & more news| Oneindia News While life-size sketches of both Lord Ram and Sita will adorn the helipad at Saket College, sketches and drawings of Ramayana characters will adorn the building walls on both sides of the roads, he said. From terror attack at Ayodhya to massive propaganda, ISI has a lot planned for August 5 The stretch is also being cleared of the roadside vendors and shopkeepers to give the prime minister's convoy free and clear access, he said The prime minister will also visit the Hanuman Garhi temple and the buildings on roads leading to it too are being spruced up, he said. On the day, the Prime Minister visits Ayodhya, the roads and various temples will also be decorated with flowers and over one lakh earthen lamp would be lit on the banks of Saryu river and various temples in the city. The temple administration will also make available over one lakh packets of 'prasad' for distribution among people and devotees on the occasion of Bhumi Pujan for the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. A media centre would also be established in Ayodhya to provide various requisite facilities to media persons, he said. Advertisement By Tim Brockwell Jul. 30, 2020 | CLINTON By Tim Brockwell Jul. 30, 2020 | 10:52 AM | CLINTON Hickman County Judge-Executive Kenny Wilson has penned a letter to Purchase District Public Health Director Kent Koster, expressing frustration with how his county has been served by the Purchase District Health Department. Wilson says in the letter that Hickman County residents have been "poorly served" by the Hickman County Health Center in Clinton. He cites limited hours of operation and a lack of communication with staff among issues that prompted the letter. "The Hickman County Health Center opens two random days a week without notice to the public. In addition, calling the location often proves pointless for residents seeking information as there is no one available to return their calls," Wilson writes. "These circumstances pose a health risk to our residents, many of whom could greatly benefit from consistent care. The fact this situation continues during a worldwide pandemic, and with an agency who is supposed to be on the front lines of our communitys response, only furthers our countys frustration." Wilson called the healthcare provided by the PDHD "sub-par", saying Hickman County residents should be getting better care. "We believe that you have enough resources to improve the sub-par healthcare you currently provide to Hickman County. Our residents are taxed at a rate of 3.2% and our county contributes enough to the Purchase District Health Department to receive more consistent care than we have now." Wilson said. Wilson told West Kentucky Star Thursday morning the county's residents expect to get something for their tax money, saying the county may pull out of the Purchase District if things don't improve. "We ought to be getting some services for the tax dollars we pay," He said. "I understand we're a small county, and we're the smallest county in the Purchase District. But our people are just as important as the people in other counties." West Kentucky Star reached out to Koster Thursday. He said he has no comment, as he has not yet received Wilson's letter. An image of the full letter is attached to this story. CHICAGO, July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market with COVID-19 impact analysis by Equipment Type (Single-wafer Spray System, Batch Spray Cleaning System, and Scrubbers), Application, Technology, Operation Mode, Wafer Size, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, The global Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market size is estimated to be USD 7.0 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach 11.2 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 9.9% during the forecast period. The growth of the wafer cleaning equipment market is fueled by growing adoption of MEMS technology in patient monitoring devices due to COVID-19, increasing demand for NAND memory in smart devices, increasing number of critical steps in the wafer cleaning sequence, and ongoing radical miniaturization of electronic. Moreover, factors such as rising demand for wafers in 3D structure and increasing adoption of silicon-based sensors, chips, and diodes in IoT applications play an important role in driving the growth of the market. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=772 The market for batch spray cleaning system expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period In 2019, the batch spray cleaning system accounted for the largest share of the wafer cleaning equipment market, by equipment type. Growth of this segment can be attributed to the various benefits provided by the system which includes processing of multiple wafers at one go, which saves time and cleaning cost. Batch processing is adopted for volume manufacturing and can help attain economies of scale. A batch spray cleaning system is capable to perform functions of both a batch immersion processing system and a single wafer processing system, which gives it a cutting-edge advantage and the ability to yield large batches with a high throughput or small batches with short cycle times. Wafer cleaning equipment market size for MEMS application expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period MEMS is a key component of nearly every electronic device, owning to its benefits such as miniature design, less power consumption, and resistant to vibration and shock. There is an increasing adoption of MEMS devices for clinical monitoring applications, imaging applications, diagnostic and treatment equipment positioning applications, and patient monitoring applications. Moreover, with the advent of IoT, the penetration of MEMS technology is further expected to grow. Thus, the growing applications of MEMS is pushing integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) to increase their capacity and procure more semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including wafer cleaning equipment. Browse in-depth TOC on "Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market" 277 - Tables 58 - Figures 281 - Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=772 APAC is projected to hold the largest share of wafer cleaning equipment market in 2025 APAC is expected to hold the largest share of the wafer cleaning equipment market in 2025. The commanding position of APAC is due to the presence of a large number of semiconductor manufacturing companies in countries such as China and South Korea. Additionally, increasing investments and business expansion strategies executed by offshore companies in the region is expected to boost the wafer cleaning equipment market growth in the near future. Moreover, innovation and advancement in fabrication plants in Taiwan, and growth in the capabilities of semiconductor equipment manufacturing in Japan are among a few of the cutting-edge advantages for the Asian semiconductor industry. The report profiles key players, including SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan), Tokyo Electron Limited (Japan), Applied Materials (US), LAM Research (US), Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation (Japan), PVA TePLA AG (Germany), Entregris Inc., (US), Semes Co. Ltd. (US), Modutek Corporation (Japan), and Veeco Instruments (US). These companies focus on adopting both organic and inorganic growth strategies, such as new product launches, partnerships, agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and expansions to strengthen their position in the market. Related Reports: Terahertz Technology Market by Type (Terahertz Imaging, Terahertz Spectroscopy, and Terahertz Communication Systems), Technology (Terahertz Source and Terahertz Detector), Application & Region - Analysis & Forecast to 2022 Tunable Diode Laser Analyzer (TDLA) Market by Methodology (In-Situ and Extractive), Gas Analyzer Type (Oxygen (O2), Ammonia (NH3), COX, Moisture (H2O), CxHx, HX), Industry (Oil & Gas, Cement, Power), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2022 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/microelectronics-cleaning-equipment-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/cleaning-equipment.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg A beachgoer on Friday found a kilo of cocaine that washed ashore in Palm Coast. Officials with the Flagler County Sheriffs Office said the beachgoer called to report the suspicious package after spotting it on Cinnamon Beach. A test confirmed that it was cocaine. "These packages have washed up on shore in Flagler County over the years, typically when the storm systems start brewing in the ocean," Sheriff Rick Staly said. "If anyone comes across these packages or anything suspicious on the beach, we ask that you do not touch it and call us immediately. Narcotics can be lethal and must be handled carefully." Deputies said they searched the beach but did not locate any other packages. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration was contacted to assist in the investigation into the source of the cocaine. Video: Customs agents find hundreds of pounds of illegal substances with rapid testing New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear all petitions including the transfer petition filed by Government of India on December 2. On Friday, the Supreme Court bench observed, 'We will examine the inconvenience aspect and constitutional validity of the November 8 notification on demonetisation.' A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice DY Chandrachud said, "we will examine both aspects (inconvenience and constitutional validity) of the matter. Come on Friday at 2 PM". Chief Justice of India TS Thakur has also added, "Let us see, what can be done. This is a serious matter." Lawyer & one of the petitioners, Manohar Lal Sharma, told the apex court that only public is suffering due to demonetisation & not the political leaders. The bench, meanwhile, asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, to file additional affidavit, if any, explaining the 'schemes and steps' taken to ease the situation that has arisen due to demonetisation. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners who has challenged the Centre's November 8 decision on demonetisation, said the court should start hearing the matter from Tuesday itself. Rohatgi, however, opposed the contention and said let all the petitioners, who have approached various high courts on the issue, come to the apex court which would take a call on December 2 as to whether the Supreme Court or the Delhi High Court would hear them all. Centre has recently moved the apex court seeking transferof all the petitions pending in various high courts to either the Supreme Court or one of the high courts. On Thursday, centre had filed an affidavit in the apex court on demonetisation and had said that the "bold move" would eradicate black money and slush funds operating sinceIndependence which cast a "parallel economy" hitting the poor and the middle class. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Our nation, and the entire world, lost a giant with the passing of Congressman John Lewis. I was blessed to serve with him in Congress for many years. He was not just a colleague. He was a mentor, a friend and an inspiration to me. The memories I made with him, and the values he taught will continue to guide me for the rest of my life. Ill never forget the day 10 years ago when Congress was poised to pass the Affordable Care Act. Congressman Lewis and I, as well as several other lawmakers, walked through an angry and physically aggressive group of protesters who came to Washington, D.C., to oppose the health care law. Many hurled insults and racial epithets at us, but Congressman Lewis himself no stranger to these acts of hate remained steadfast and determined to go cast his vote. His resilience in the face of such bigotry and potential violence that day, and throughout his life, continues to motivate our fight for equality. The bravery he showed, and our eventual passage of the Affordable Care Act, also reminds us that fighting for justice in our health care system remains a key part of achieving the Beloved Community Congressman Lewis and his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spent their lives working to build. Congressman Lewis short but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer further reveals that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve greater equity in health care. Pancreatic cancer is extremely deadly. It is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in this country, and it disproportionately affects people of color. This disease becomes significantly less deadly the earlier you catch it. Yet pancreatic cancer still has no dedicated early detection initiative. Therefore, no test exists to detect this form of cancer early. That is a clear injustice we must fight. Im working hard to fill this gap in medical research. Earlier this month, the House adopted my amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will authorize $5 million for a pancreatic cancer early detection initiative (EDI) at the Department of Defense (DoD). The provision will provide critical funding needed for more research and an early detection initiative (EDI) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at DoD. This amendment will empower Americas researchers to find new ways to detect pancreatic cancer early, which will help to make this disease less deadly and lessen disparities in care. I introduced this amendment in honor of Congressman Lewis and another congressional colleague, Rep. Alcee Hastings from Florida, who is also battling pancreatic cancer. I want both of them, and all who have suffered from this illness, to know that we wont stand by and let this cancer claim more lives without a fight. This provision is also another way to reaffirm that Black lives matter. At a time when our country is having a national conversation about the persistent inequalities in access to health care for Black and brown people during a global pandemic, Congress must do everything within our power to improve health outcomes through research and treatment. Providing dedicated funding for early detection research at DoD will help fill a critical gap in pancreatic cancer research and will help address the pancreatic cancer disparities for communities of color. I am inspired to build on the legacy of Congressman Lewis, and I hope you will work with me to create The Beloved Community he envisioned. He never stopped fighting, and getting into what he called good trouble, necessary trouble. He knew the struggle to achieve equality for everyone is far from over, and we must keep our eyes on the prize! Though he is no longer with us, we should celebrate his incredible life, and be thankful that he left a blueprint that shows us how to continue moving forward as a society and toward a more perfect union. I know he will always be with us on this journey. Rep. Carson represents the 7th District of Indiana. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and one of three Muslims in Congress. Rep. Carson sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, where he is chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence and Counterproliferation. Contact Rep. Carson at carson.house.gov/contact. HARLEM, NY Each year during Harlem Week thousands of runners take to the streets to compete in a 5k race honoring the life of civil rights icon and Harlem political leader Percy Sutton. This year on the 100th anniversary of Sutton's birth the event will be forced to go virtual de to the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Road Runners announced. Runners who want to participate in this year's 5k which also honors longtime Harlem Congressmember Charles Rangel can register for the race starting Thursday. Racers can run the 5k at any place of their choosing the New York Road Runners suggest a place that is conducive to social distancing at any time during Harlem Week. The annual celebration of Harlem will take place virtually from Aug. 16 to 23 this year. Entrance fees for this year's 5k have been eliminated, but the New York Road Runners will be accepting donations for the Support Harlem Now initiative. The community relief fund was launched by the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce in partnership with neighborhood institutions and community groups to support Harlem residents and businesses through the pandemic. Percy Sutton rose to prominence as a lawyer for civil rights activists such as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmicheal during the 1950s and 60s. He later became an influential political figure in Harlem, establishing a political bond known as the "Gang of Four" with former Mayor David Dinkins, Congressmember Charles Rangel and Basil Patterson. Sutton served as Manhattan Borough President through much of the 1970s, eventually running for mayor in 1977 but losing to Ed Koch. This article originally appeared on the Harlem Patch RAY BROOK New York State Forest Rangers have had a busy month in the Adirondacks and Catskills, responding to at least four cases in recent days when hikers had twisted, rolled or broken their ankles or injured their legs. Additionally, they performed two rescues in six days where they had to use helicopters to help bring down people who had been stranded on a well-known mountaineering route deep in the High Peaks region. Rangers also rescued a hiker who collapsed from heat exhaustion in the Catskills, and helped guide several lost people back to safety. Rangers and guides say its part of a long-term trend in which more and more people, spurred on by social media and state ad campaigns, are coming to the mountains, especially the Adirondacks, for hiking and climbing. Thats made for busy summers for several years now, but the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing in even more people who might normally get on a plane for their vacation rather than heading to drive-to wilderness areas. Its been an increase. That to me is just mirroring the increase in the number of hikers that are out this summer, outdoor guide Ed Palen said of the rescues hes heard about. There are a few more rescues this year than in the past but I think its proportional, added Palen, who operates the Rock and River guide service in Keene. One of the injuries came July 21 when the Department of Environmental Conservations Ray Brook Dispatch center received a call from an injured hiker on Donaldson Mountain in the Western High Peaks Wilderness. The caller had slid down a rock while descending and said he heard a snap in his ankle. During the initial contact, the caller said he would try to continue down the mountain on his own after splinting the injury. At 4:30 p.m., a ranger contacted the hiker, who had only been able to descend halfway and needed help. Other rangers came with an all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, and hiked another 1.5 miles to reach the injured man. After re-splinting the injury, the 46-year-old from Lockport was assisted back to the ATV and brought out to Coreys Road at 9 p.m. for transport to a local hospital. Also on July 21 dispatchers received a call that was transferred from Herkimer County 911 reporting an injured 75-year-old female hiker on the Moss Lake trail who had slipped and rolled her ankle. Rangers, along with local police and fire departments, brought the Tonawanda woman out on an ATV and took her to a local hospital. The day before, on July 20, rangers responded to a call about a 22-year-old female hiker from Oneonta on Blue Mountain with a non-weight-bearing injury to her lower leg. She was about halfway down the mountain. Forest rangers and the local fire department arrived and carried her in a litter down the mountain to the trailhead where she opted to seek further medical attention on her own. Also on July 20 rangers learned that a 72-year-old man from Galloway, New Jersey, slipped on wet rocks near Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills causing an ankle injury. Forest rangers immobilized the man in a vacuum air mattress and placed him into a litter. He was then carried out to a Rangers vehicle and transported to the trailhead. The hiker said he would seek additional medical care on his own. And on July 26 at 3:40 p.m., a ranger overheard a call for an injured hiker on Giant Ledge in the Catskills. Members of the Shandaken EMS squad and Big Indian Fire Department had learned that a 42-year-old hiker from Ulster Park was 5 miles up the trail, suffering from heatstroke. When located, the hiker was found to be dehydrated and suffering from severe cramps. Its not uncommon for hikers to vastly underestimate the water they need to bring on a hot summer day, noted Scott van Laer, an Adirondack-based ranger who is also a delegate for the rangers union. People may not realize that there are long stretches of trails or routes high up in the mountains without water, and hikers need to be prepared for that, he said. Back-country travelers have also gotten in trouble on the Trap Dike, a mountaineering route that is a rocky fissure or cleft eroded by water in the steep side of Mount Colden in the Adirondacks. DEC dispatchers on July 24 were contacted about two 19-year-old hikers from Rye, New York, and Louisville, Kentucky, who said they were stuck on the Western side of the Dike. A State Police helicopter brought three forest rangers to the area. From there, the rangers rigged a rope system allowing the climbers to descend to the base of the Dike and hike out. That was similar to a July 18 rescue with another pair of hikers who had exited or moved away from the Dike at the wrong spot and were stuck on the steep slab of rock, or slide, above. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Meaning kick or step dike in Dutch, the Dike itself is rocky, providing for foot and handholds as opposed to the clean or slick rock of a slide area. But inexperienced climbers sometimes step away from the Dike and start ascending the smooth slide too soon, not realizing it gets progressively steeper. They can then panic or freeze, said Palen who explained it can be harder to climb down under such circumstances. In this case, State Police again helicoptered rangers to the site, and then set up a rope system to bring the hikers down. Palen who has guided people up the route, said he brings a rope for beginners or youngsters. Experienced rock climbers can negotiate the Dike without a rope, but others might need it for safety and security, although that requires knowledge in how to properly use a mountaineering rope, Palen said. There are a lot of people who just run up it in sneakers, said Palen, stressing that the climb should be done with slow, deliberate moves. Palen is guiding hiking trips but not rock climbing this summer due to the difficulty of maintaining social distance in those situations. There have been deaths on the Trap Dike, with the most recent coming in 2011 when Binghamton University student Matthew Potel died after falling near the second waterfall. Potel was with the schools outing club and was helping another student over the waterfall section, according to accounts at the time. One thing people in the Adirondacks are noticing is that a state campaign to get people to go to spots other than the crowded High Peaks area near Lake Placid, seems to be working. There are hikers, and subsequent rescues in trails and mountain areas to the west, near Malone, and the east, near Lake Champlain, on trails that havent historically been all that crowded. Its legitimately park-wide now, van Laer, the ranger, said of the activity in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The region would be even busier if the border with Canada weren't closed to non-essential travel. With Montreal about a two hour drive away, Canadians typically comprise up to 30 percent of the hikers and backpackers in the Adirondacks. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518-454-5758 @RickKarlinTU A woman has been sentenced to 17 1/2 to 40 years in prison in the death of her 6-month-old daughter who was found dead in a storage container in a crawl space in their eastern Pennsylvania home. The Reading Eagle reports that 29-year-old Samantha Trump of Spring Township was sentenced Wednesday in Berks County Court. Trump pleaded no contest in February to third-degree murder and concealing the death of a child. In a no-contest plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to prove their case. Authorities said Harper Trumps body was found in March 2018 in a trash bag in a plastic container filled with cat litter. An autopsy concluded Harper died around Jan. 1 of that year from blunt-force head trauma and she also had rib fractures. The childs father, 27-year-old Shaun Oxenreider, was also charged but has denied having any involvement in the injuries. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. CALGARY - Oil production and refining volumes at Husky Energy Inc. are gradually returning to normal after deep cutbacks earlier this year but the company is braced for a bumpy recovery, CEO Rob Peabody said Thursday. The Calgary-based energy producer and refiner reported having curtailed about 80,000 barrels per day of mainly heavy oil output at the start of the second quarter as COVID-19-related shutdowns hit refined product demand, leading to lower utilization rates at its refineries. It now has about 30,000 bpd of oil off-line but plans to bring it back as market conditions allow, Peabody said on a conference call. We are being cautious not to outstrip physical demand and continue to pace our throughput with our product liftings, he said. We expect the path forward to be bumpy, and well continue to respond rapidly. Husky has the flexibility to reduce capital spending to between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion in 2021 from between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion this year, while maintaining its production base and refining capacity, Peabody said. Its 2020 capital budget had originally been set at $3.3 billion in December but was reduced through measures including delaying construction of the offshore West White Rose Project off Newfoundland. Husky, controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, owns a refinery in Lima, Ohio, and is a 50-50 partner with BP in a refinery in Toledo, Ohio. Those operations were about 60 per cent utilized in April and May, said Jeff Rinker, executive vice-president of downstream for Husky, but have bounced back since to between 80 and 90 per cent utilization. Shares in the company dropped by as much as 5.3 per cent and were down 23 cents at $4.49 in Toronto as oil prices fell on Thursday. Husky reported a $304-million net loss in the three months ended June 30 as revenues plunged nearly 55 per cent to $2.38 billion. That compares with net income of $370 million on revenue of $5.24 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Total production fell 7.8 per cent to 247,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, from 268,000 boe/d a year earlier. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:HSE) Read more about: A warning that millions of people in Latin America could go hungry this year, because of COVID-19. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned at least 14 million people in Latin America are at risk of starvation as the region reels from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Many countries are being forced to expand restrictions and extend lockdowns to stop the spread of the virus. Al Jazeeras Manuel Rapalo reports. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) is offering free guac with an entree to celebrate National Avocado Day on Friday, July 31. Chipotle's 15 million Rewards members will receive the free guac offer in their Chipotle Rewards wallet on July 31, and non-members can join Chipotle Rewards by July 30 to receive the offer. Six lucky customers will also win free guacamole for a year. 'National Avocado Day has become a holiday synonymous with Chipotle's fresh, hand-mashed guac without the extra cost,' said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer. 'This year, guac once again isn't extra on Avocado Day and we're giving fans a chance to guess their way to free guac for an entire year.' In a new 'Unlock the Guac' competition, players work to guess the password to one of six accounts loaded with a year of free guac offers. 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. Mountain gorillas that live in oversized groups may have to limit the number of strong social relationships they form, new research suggests. Scientists from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (Fossey Fund) and University of Exeter identified up to seven categories of relationship between gorillas -- ranging from close mother-offspring ties to "weak" associations. Mountain gorillas usually live in groups of 12 to 20, and the study found the richest range of relationships in groups of this size. When groups were smaller or larger -- sometimes up to 65 gorillas -- the scientists found less diversity of social relationships. "It is often assumed that animals living in larger groups will have more diverse and complex social lives," said Dr Robin Morrison, of the Fossey Fund and Exeter's Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour. "However, our study suggests that social diversity is lower in very large groups where gorillas must maintain a larger number of relationships -- with most relationships falling into the weakest category. advertisement "Strong social relationships still exist in the big groups, but they seem to make up a smaller proportion of the total relationships. "We cannot say for certain why this is, but it may be that gorillas only have enough time and mental energy to maintain a certain number of relationships at a given strength. "So they keep their key relationships and simply maintain weak ties with all the other gorillas in the group." Dr Morrison added: "Living in a social group requires mental effort. "Indeed, one of the big ideas in social evolution is that humans developed large brains and language to deal with social complexity." The research team used 12 years of data on 13 gorilla groups monitored by the Fossey Fund in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. advertisement Mountain gorilla numbers in the park have risen in recent years, which may explain why unusually large groups have formed. The gorillas live in stable social groups, moving and feeding together in the day and nesting together at night. The study used proximity data -- how much time individuals spent close together -- to measure social relationships. "In many primates, social interaction can be measured by how much time individuals spend grooming each other," Dr Morrison said. "However, gorillas spend less time grooming than most other primates. "Instead, a lot of gorilla society is about who individuals choose to sit next to, and who they move away from." The relationship categories identified by the scientists relate to different patterns of interaction revealed by the data. These represent a scale of from close to weak associations, but the categories cannot be simply expressed in human terms such as best friends, close friends, etc. Lauren Brent, Associate Professor at the University of Exeter, said: "Not only were groups above a certain size not more socially diverse, but individuals living in the same group had variable levels of social complexity -- some gorillas had a greater diversity of social relationships than others. "This adds to a rich body of evidence that shows that, whether you are a human, gorilla or another type of social animal, not everyone experiences their social world in the same way." The researchers found that the diversity of social relationships experienced by individual gorillas varied by age and sex. Both males and females experience a diverse range of relationships as youngsters, but this changes as they age. While females maintain a relatively consistent diversity of relationships through adolescence and adulthood, this declines rapidly in males as they enter adolescence, reaching the lowest levels at around 14. At this age, males show many characteristics of sexual maturity but are still several years from full sexual maturity. This is also the period when males are most likely to decide whether to leave the group they were born into -- so they may be socially distancing themselves in the lead up to this departure. If they choose to remain, as roughly half do, they then gradually build up a diverse set of relationships through adulthood as they take on key social roles protecting the group and fathering and caring for offspring. The research findings could be useful for gorilla conservation, including efforts to limit the spread of disease. "By better understanding these social relationships, we can better understand how diseases would spread through these social groups," said Dr Tara Stoinski, President and CEO of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and one of the study co-authors. "This is really important right now for mountain gorillas because disease is one of the major threats to their conservation. "They catch many of the same diseases as humans, including Ebola, and it's extremely likely they would also catch COVID-19 if they were exposed to it. "Long-term monitoring and protection of endangered mountain gorillas is crucial, not only for their conservation but also for what we can learn from this intelligent and highly social species about how complex social behaviour, such as our own, has evolved." A restaurant employee looks at empty sits at a Chinese food court in Hong Kong - AP Hong Kong is on the verge of a "large-scale" coronavirus outbreak that could overwhelm hospitals, its leader warned Wednesday, as authorities implemented their toughest social distancing measures yet. From Wednesday all residents in the densely packed city of 7.5 million must wear masks when they leave their homes while restaurants can only serve takeaway meals. No more than two people from different households can gather in public with fines of up to HK$5,000 ($625) for those who breach the new emergency rules. The latest measures are a bid to reverse a sudden spike in coronavirus cases that has upended the city's otherwise enviable battle against the deadly disease. 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. New daily infections have been above 100 for the past six days. "We are on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly," Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a statement released on Wednesday to coincide with the new measures. "In order to protect our loved ones, our healthcare staff and Hong Kong, I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible," she added. During their lunch break on Wednesday, many residents were eating takeaway meals outside in the intense summer heat and humidity. "It's so hot outside now," a construction worker, who gave his surname as Chow, told AFP as he tucked into a pork chop in an alcove outside a department store. "Ten minutes after I start work, my shirt is all sweaty," he said, adding he missed the air conditioning of restaurants. Hong Kong has some of the world's smallest and most expensive apartments. Some residents barely have a kitchen to cook in, making them hugely reliant on cheap eateries. Story continues The finance hub was one of the first places hit by the coronavirus when it emerged from China at the start of the year. It initially had remarkable success in controlling the outbreak - helped in part by a health-conscious public embracing face masks and an efficient track and trace programme, forged in the fires of the deadly SARS virus in 2003. By June, local transmission had all but ended. But the virus later sneaked back into the city and began spreading. Health officials have been scrambling to uncover the source of the latest outbreak. Some have blamed exemptions from the usual 14-day quarantine that the government granted to "essential personnel", including cross-boundary truckers, air and sea crew and some manufacturing executives. The government has since tightened restrictions for some of those groups. Gladys Chan, who was taking her lunch break, said she felt the government had not done enough to monitor those with exemptions. "I think the government has failed us, especially with this third wave of the pandemic," she told AFP, adding the latest measures were "too little, too late". As isolation wards fill up, authorities have announced plans to build a temporary 2,000-bed field hospital near the city's airport, something Chinese authorities have offered to help with. The latest lockdown measures are a new body blow for a city that was already mired in recession thanks to the US-China trade war and months of political unrest last year. RICE LAKE, Wis., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Repeating Arms Company announced that it is voluntarily recalling all H015-series Single Shot Rifles and Single Shot Shotguns manufactured prior to July 1, 2020. Henry has recently discovered a potential safety issue wherein, under certain conditions, it is possible that some of these models may discharge without the trigger being pulled if the hammer is partially cocked and released. To prevent the possibility of death or serious personal injury, you should immediately stop using all H015-series Single Shot Rifles and Single Shot Shotguns and not load or fire them until they have been upgraded. Henry Repeating Arms Brass Single Shot Rifle (top) and Steel Single Shot Shotgun (bottom). All H015 models are affected by a new voluntary safety recall. The safety issue leading to this voluntary recall was discovered internally while testing the existing fire control system for a trigger pull upgrade. This is the first product safety recall in the company's nearly 25-year history. Although not every Henry H015-series firearm may be affected, Henry Repeating Arms is requesting that all Single Shot Rifles and Single Shot Shotguns be returned to be upgraded free of charge pursuant to this recall to prevent the possibility of the firearm discharging without the trigger being pulled. All H015 owners should visit the Henry H015 Recall website at HenryUSA.com/recall, email [email protected], or call 1-866-200-2354 (M-F, 9am ET-5pm ET) to obtain additional information and begin the upgrade process. Henry Repeating Arms will upgrade all returned Single Shot Rifles and Single Shot Shotguns in the order in which they are received. Henry Repeating Arms is ready to begin performing the upgrade as the firearms are received. Information on the current turnaround time for firearms returned to be upgraded will be provided at HenryUSA.com/recall. Henry Repeating Arms will make every effort to minimize the amount of time required to upgrade and return your firearm. As a sign of appreciation to its customers, Henry Repeating Arms will also perform an unrelated performance upgrade to improve the trigger pull on all firearms returned pursuant to this recall free of charge. About Henry Repeating Arms: Henry Repeating Arms is one of the leading rifle and shotgun manufacturers in the United States and a world leader in the lever action category. The company motto is "Made in America, or not made at all" and its firearms come with a lifetime guarantee backed by award-winning customer service. The company is also known for its charitable endeavors under its Guns For Great Causes program, which focuses on sick children, both individual cases and children's hospitals, veteran and wounded veteran organizations, Second Amendment and wildlife conservation organizations. The company currently employs 535 people and has 250,000 square-feet of manufacturing space in its Rice Lake, Wisconsin and Bayonne, New Jersey facilities. The company is named in honor of Benjamin Tyler Henry who invented and patented the Henry rifle in 1860 the first repeating rifle, the lever action rifle, which is America's unique contribution to international firearms design and is one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. Visit Henry Repeating Arms online at www.HenryUSA.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HenryRepeating, and on Instagram @Henry_Rifles. SOURCE Henry Repeating Arms Related Links www.henryusa.com Were getting surprises all the way along, Dr. Conly said. This paper I find interesting, but it has a long way to go to be able to get into a line of credibility, in my mind. Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, was equally skeptical. He said that, outside of hospital settings, large droplets in my mind account for the vast majority of cases. Aerosols transmission if you really run with that, it creates lots of dissonance. Are there situations where it could occur? Yeah maybe, but its a tiny amount. Dr. Tang and other scientists strongly disagree. If Im talking to an infectious person for 15 or 20 minutes and inhaling some of their air, Dr. Tang said, isnt that a much simpler way to explain transmission than touching an infected surface and touching your eyes? When youre talking about an outbreak, like at a restaurant, that latter seems like a torturous way to explain transmission. In the new analysis, a team led by Parham Azimi, an indoor-air researcher at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health, studied the outbreak on the Diamond Princess, where physical spaces and infections were well documented. It ran more than 20,000 simulations of how the virus might have spread throughout the ship. Each simulation made a variety of assumptions, about factors like patterns of social interaction how much time people spent in their cabins, on deck or in the cafeteria, on average and the amount of time the virus can live on surfaces. Each also factored in varying contributions of smaller, floating droplets, broadly defined as 10 microns or smaller; and larger droplets, which fall more quickly and infect surfaces or other people, by landing on their eyes, mouth or nose, say. About 130 of those simulations reproduced, to some extent, what actually happened on the Diamond Princess as the outbreak progressed. By analyzing these most realistic scenarios, the research team calculated the most likely contributions of each route of transmission. The researchers concluded that the smaller droplets predominated, and accounted for about 60 percent of new infections over all, both at close range, within a few yards of an infectious person, and at greater distances. Many people have argued that airborne transmission is happening, but no one had numbers for it, Dr. Azimi said. What is the contribution from these small droplets is it 5 percent, or 90 percent? In this paper, we provide the first real estimates for what that number could be, at least in the case of this cruise ship. The logic behind such transmission is straightforward, experts said. When a person is speaking, he or she emits a cloud of droplets, the vast majority of which are small enough to remain suspended in the air for a few minutes or longer. Through inhalation, that cloud of small droplets is more likely to reach a mucus membrane than larger ones soaring ballistically. THE Data Protection Commission (DPC) has raised "serious doubts" over the lawfulness of of the collection of personal data relating to the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) at airports. The government has been criticised for the halting of PUP payments to people engaged in foreign travel but has defended the practice saying that more than 90pc of cases related to recipients who were leaving the country permanently. Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys announced a government u-turn on Wednesday to say that the PUP won't be stopped for people travelling on holidays to green-list countries. Sinn Fein TD Louise O'Reilly has called for a special sitting of the Dail next week so that Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Ms Humphreys scan be grilled on the questions raised by the DPC. The DPC has been examining the collection of data from passengers at airports and port. Deputy Data Commissioner Graham Doyle this afternoon said that the Department of Social Protection provided further information on the collection and processing of personal data for the purposes of cancelling Pandemic Unemployment Payments and other social welfare benefits. He said that the Department does have the responsibility to ensure the eligibility criteria for its welfare schemes are being complied with and that it's a requirement for most of the schemes that the recipients live in Ireland. Mr Doyle said that the 2005 legislation that gives powers to social welfare inspectors states that they must have reasonable grounds to believe there has been a contravention of the social welfare act to question and make enquiries of a person who is a passenger. He said: "The DEASP has confirmed to the DPC that, in respect of certain flights over the last number of months, all of the customers boarding the flight were, and continue to be, asked for their details including name, address and PPSN. He said: "The DPC cannot see how this practice of collecting information from all passengers simply on the basis they are travelling to a certain destination conforms with the powers of inspectors under the 2005 Act to act and question (and therefore collect data from) a passenger where they have reasonable grounds to believe there has been a contravention. "On that basis, the DPC has serious doubts about the lawfulness of the collection and processing of personal data in this context." He said that the DPC is following up the matter with Department "as this practice continues today." The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) said they are very concerned at the DPC statement arguing that it shows that the Department of Social Protection "has been operating a blanket policy of questioning passengers boarding certain flights out of the country over the last few months." FLAC Managing Solicitor, Sinead Lucey said: The powers of Social Welfare Inspectors to question passengers at airports are prescribed by primary legislation." She said the 2005 law provides that a Social Welfare Inspector must have "reasonable grounds to believe that there has been some contravention of social welfare law before they may approach a passenger at the airport and make inquiries. "The mere presence of a person at the airport is not sufficient grounds for them to be questioned about a social welfare payment," she added. She said: "It should also be noted that anyone who is subject to such questioning has a right to fair procedures before any decision is taken by the Department on foot of such questioning. "Any information obtained by the Department from passengers at the airport, in circumstances where Social Welfare Inspectors have acted in excess of their powers in obtaining the information, may mean that any decision taken by the Department in relation to a persons entitlement for social welfare on foot of receiving the information is open to challenge," Ms Lucey added. FLAC chief executive Eilis Barry said the Minister must instigate a review into the activities of Social Welfare Inspectors at airports "ensure that Departmental policy properly reflects the limited powers that are available to agents of the Department". The Department of Social Protection this evening said it takes it responsibilities in relation to data protection extremely seriously. A statement said: Since 2012 the Departments social welfare inspectors undertake control checks at airports and ports. These checks have a firm legal basis under Section 250 (16) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. These checks are vital in order to combat social welfare fraud and protect taxpayers money. The Department of Social Protection is in ongoing engagement with the Data Protection Commission in relation to this matter. As there are a number of legal and technical matters involved, the Department will be addressing these matters directly with the Data Protection Commission. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-30 20:15:48|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The announced U.S. troops withdrawal from Germany was a "wake-up call for Europe," Friedrich Merz, potential candidate as next chancellor of Germany's governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told the German radio station Deutschlandfunk on Thursday. Merz, former chairman of Atlantik-Bruecke, a leading association for the promotion of transatlantic relations between Germany and the United States, described the U.S. plan as "disturbing." However, he added that there was "no reason for panic on the European side." Merz is among a slew of German politicians who voiced criticism against the U.S. move. "The announced withdrawal of U.S. troops is disappointing," Minister of State for Europe at the foreign ministry Michael Roth told the German editorial network (RND) on Thursday. Roth, a member of the co-governing Social Democratic Party (SPD), said Germans should not complain now but rather regard the U.S. step as a "chance to strengthen our European sovereignty." "It is time for Europe to strengthen its role in the world and stand on its own two feet. It is about our self-assertion," Roth stressed. Describing the U.S. move as "a Kamikaze action," Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, defense policy spokeswoman for the Free Democratic Party (FDP), told the German broadcaster ZDF that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) "is being destroyed by the current U.S. president." Kamikaze were Japanese suicide bombers in the World War II. Germany's Bavaria State's Minister-President Markus Soeder told the German Press Agency (dpa) that Washington's step "unfortunately strained the German-American relationship." On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced that the United States would withdraw a total of 11,900 soldiers from Germany. Around 6,400 soldiers would be sent home while almost 5,600 would be relocated from Germany to other NATO countries, according to Esper. Criticizing Berlin's "delinquency" on military spending, U.S. President Donald Trump last month ordered the U.S. military to withdraw 9,500 troops from Germany. Currently, about 36,000 U.S. troops are deployed in the European country. Source: Xinhua| 2020-07-29 22:38:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of a leading group for China's seventh national population census, addresses a teleconference on the census in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Wednesday stressed solid efforts to prepare for the seventh national population census, thus ensuring its completion to a high quality standard. Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while addressing a teleconference on the census. He urged efforts to ensure the provision of funds and materials for the census, while completing the selection and training of census staff, along with the registration and alteration of households, as well as the mapping of census zones to lay a solid foundation for the registration work. To guarantee the authenticity and accuracy of the census data, electronic data collection should be fully adopted, executive records should be used effectively and on-the-spot registration should be well-organized, Han said. He also called for conducting the census in accordance with the law, strictly protecting the personal information of respondents and strengthening mass mobilization to raise public awareness and support. China will carry out its seventh population census this year, according to a government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the annual national legislative session. Enditem An angry mob set upon a woman in central Mexico as she was seen carrying her elderly boyfriend's head through the street after reportedly decapitating him during a 'satanic ritual'. Cops took down a group of angry residents in Santiago Cuauhtenco, a town in the State of Mexico municipality of Amecameca, on Monday night, as they attacked Veronica Rivera, 35. Local news outlets reported that Rivera, 35, allegedly used a machete and kitchen knife to butcher 70-year-old Jorge Ramos inside a cabin at a ranch known as La Canada. Veronica Rivera was arrested Monday night in Amecameca, Mexico, for allegedly murdering her boyfriend, 70-year-old Jorge Ramos. She is seen above covered in blood after being beaten by an angry mob Residents in the central Mexico town of Santiago Cuauhtenco stand behind a police perimeter where Veronica Rivera was set upon by an angry mob after she dropped her boyfriend's head out of a plastic bag Rivera then fled to the center of Santiago Cuauhtenco and was spotted by residents carrying Ramos' head inside a black plastic bag as she ranted incoherently. The residents tried to talk to Rivera and calm her down but she then dropped the bag and Ramos' head fell out. The group set upon Rivera leaving her covered in blood. Police saved her from the angry crowd and took her to hospital. Ramos' daughter Isabel and other family members approached the police and identified Rivera as the killer. Rivera suffered bruises to her body and face, and was taken to Valentin Gomez Farias General Hospital. She was later transferred to another medical facility in the city of Ixtapalupa. Rivera remains in custody while the state prosecutor's office investigates the case. Police recovered at least three bags with body parts and Ramos's corpse at the ranch. T he new trailer for The Comey Rule has been revealed, showing Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump for the first time. The two-part Showtime drama takes place in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election, focusing on the FBI investigations into Hillary Clintons emails and possible Russian interference in the election. While the preview clip keeps Gleesons Trump mostly hidden in the shadows, the actor can be seen wearing prosthetics and sporting the Presidents trademark tan. The relationship between Trump and FBI boss James Comey is at the heart of the trailer. After delivering one of his over-the-top handshakes in the clip, Gleeson's Trump whispers into Comeys ear: I look forward to working with you. Lets take a picture. Presidential: Brendan Gleeson stars as Donald Trump in the new two-part series People in the Bureau have it in for me, but Im the President now, he adds. No-one gets treated as unfairly as I do. I need loyalty. Jeff Daniels stars as James Comey, who was head of the FBI in 2016. Holly Hunter, Michael Kelly and Scoot McNairy also appear on the show. The Comedy Rule is set to air on Showtime in the US on September 27. The show has yet to receive a UK release date. Resolute Forest Products Reports Preliminary Second Quarter 2020 Results "On the business side, we've seen stronger pulp pricing and higher lumber shipments in the second quarter, offset by a weaker paper segment, which reflects lower demand levels since the onset of the pandemic and our resulting capacity adjustments." Yves Laflamme, President and CEO of Resolute Forest Products. July 30, 2020 - Resolute Forest Products Inc. today reported net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, of $6 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to net income of $25 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, in the same period in 2019. Sales were $612 million in the quarter, a decrease of $143 million from the year-ago period. Excluding special items, the company reported a net loss of $22 million, or $0.25 per share, compared to net income of $11 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2019. "The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing economic slowdown have brought with them unprecedented challenges and business uncertainty," said Yves Laflamme, president and chief executive officer. "I am grateful for the commitment of our employees, contractors and suppliers, and their loyalty and hard work: they pulled together, allowing us to operate as an essential business, true to our commitment to world-class safety while remaining committed to a job well done. "Despite the challenging business environment, except for the low-interest term loan used to finance the acquisition of the U.S. sawmills, we repaid all of the borrowings we drew in Q1, and our liquidity improved to nearly $400 million. On the business side, we've seen stronger pulp pricing and higher lumber shipments in the second quarter, offset by a weaker paper segment, which reflects lower demand levels since the onset of the pandemic and our resulting capacity adjustments. We're pleased with the integration of our recently-acquired U.S. sawmills and we're excited about their prospects." Operating Income Variance Against Prior Period Consolidated The company reported operating income of $6 million in the second quarter. The $14 million improvement over the previous quarter reflects the favorable impact of the weaker Canadian dollar ($11 million), stronger pulp pricing ($9 million) and higher lumber shipments ($9 million), offset by lower paper and pulp shipments ($18 million) and softer quarter-over-quarter lumber pricing ($5 million), despite a late quarter increase in pricing. Segment Operating Income Variance As of the second quarter, the company's results from the newsprint and specialty papers segments have been combined into one paper segment. Comparative information, including the information in this earnings release, has been modified to conform with this revised segment presentation. Market Pulp Operating income in the market pulp segment was $10 million in the quarter, an improvement of $13 million from the previous quarter. The average transaction price rose by $34 per metric ton, or 6%, with gains in each of the grades, and the operating cost per unit (the "delivered cost") decreased by $14 per metric ton, or 2%, to $581 per metric ton. Shipments, however, were 45,000 metric tons lower, due mostly to the timing of annual outages at the Calhoun (Tennessee) and Thunder Bay (Ontario) mills during the quarter, and lower demand for recycled bleached kraft pulp. EBITDA in the segment was $16 million. Finished goods inventory was 87,000 metric tons at quarter-end. Tissue The tissue segment generated an operating loss of $2 million in the quarter compared to operating income of $2 million in the previous quarter. The average transaction price improved by 4%, or $65 per short ton, but shipments slipped by 4,000 short tons, or 14%, due to low inventory early in the quarter as a result of the spike in customer demand in the early stages of the pandemic. Delivered cost per unit increased by $167 per short ton, or 10%, reflecting the impact of lower sales and also maintenance costs associated with the annual outage in Calhoun. Finished goods inventory at quarter-end remains low, at 5,000 short tons. Segment EBITDA was $3 million. Wood Products Operating income in the wood products segment was $15 million in the quarter, a $10 million improvement from the first quarter. Shipments rose by 78 million board feet due to added capacity for a full quarter of the U.S. sawmills acquired on February 1, as well as the impact of Canadian railroad blockades in the first quarter. The average transaction price slipped by $9 per thousand board feet, or 2%, compared to the first quarter, due to market uncertainty around the unfolding pandemic. Accordingly, excluding the U.S. sawmills, the company reduced production at several sites, leading to downtime of approximately 70 million board feet in the quarter. The delivered cost improved by $25 per thousand board feet, or 7%, to $355 per thousand board feet, reflecting better productivity. EBITDA in the segment improved by $9 million, to $25 million. Paper The paper segment incurred an operating loss of $12 million in the quarter, a decline of $9 million from the previous quarter. Shipments fell by 132,000 metric tons, or 27%, consistent with reduced production in order to adjust to the dramatic decrease in economic activity, particularly for marketing-dependent products like newspapers, inserts, flyers and commercial papers. The average transaction price, however, remained relatively stable, decreasing by $8 per metric ton, or 1%. The company recorded downtime of approximately 180,000 metric tons in the quarter, reducing inventory by 20,000 metric tons from the end of the first quarter, to 130,000 metric tons. The delivered cost increased by $20 per metric ton, to $625 per metric ton, due to the impact of downtime. EBITDA declined by $10 million, remaining positive at $4 million. Consolidated Quarterly Operating Income Variance Against Year-Ago Period The company reported operating income of $6 million in the second quarter, compared to operating income of $40 million in the second quarter of 2019. The change reflects lower selling prices in the pulp and paper segments ($55 million) and lower paper shipments ($40 million), partially offset by favorable manufacturing costs ($18 million), higher pricing in the wood products and tissue segments ($14 million) and the added contribution of the recently-acquired U.S. sawmills ($6 million). Adjusted EBITDA was $37 million, $45 million lower than the second quarter of 2019. Corporate and Finance The company generated $125 million from operating activities in the quarter, due largely to a $92 million reduction in working capital, including a seasonal decrease in roundwood inventory. It made capital expenditures of $16 million and softwood lumber duty deposits of $17 million. As of the end of the quarter, the cumulative total of softwood lumber duty deposits was $194 million. On financing activities, the company reduced borrowings under its credit facilities by $191 million in the quarter, leaving outstanding from its first quarter draws only a $180 million low-interest ten-year term loan used to finance the acquisition of the U.S. sawmills. Liquidity improved by $47 million from the end of the first quarter, to $396 million. The company also completed the disposition of the Augusta newsprint mill for $9 million in the quarter. The mill, which had production capacity of 214,000 metric tons of newsprint, was indefinitely idled in November of 2019. Outlook Concerning the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Laflamme added: "We continue to focus on the short-term priorities we communicated after the first quarter, including: operating under rigorous protocols around the health and safety of our employees, contractors and suppliers; disciplined liquidity management; monitoring customer credit risk; and controlling spending around SG&A and capital expenditures." Turning to the business outlook, Mr. Laflamme continued: "The significant slowdown in economic activity due to the pandemic will continue to impact demand for paper products, and we will continue to adjust our capacity as conditions evolve. Pulp has benefitted from higher demand for higher-quality tissue despite lower printing and writing shipments, but there could be short-term pressure as those markets stabilize in the ongoing pandemic economy. We continue to drive for customer portfolio optimization in the tissue business, particularly in the retail segment where we continue to make inroads as we place volume with new customers and demonstrate the quality of our products. We expect to continue to gain momentum in the coming quarters. "The lumber market lately has been a bright spot against what were pessimistic expectations in April, driven by the strength of the repair & remodeling market and stronger housing starts, giving us the opportunity to bring back to production some of the sidelined Canadian capacity. The integration of the U.S. lumber assets is progressing well, as they have also benefitted from an above-seasonal surge in demand for decking. As lumber demand remains promising, we are pursuing our plan to bring the El Dorado facility on-line in early 2021." Resolute Forest Products (NYSE: RFP) (TSX: RFP) is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including market pulp, tissue, wood products, newsprint and specialty papers, which are marketed in close to 70 countries. The company owns or operates some 40 facilities, as well as power generation assets, in the United States and Canada. Resolute has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. For further information, visit: www.resolutefp.com . SOURCE: Resolute Forest Products Inc. COLUMBIA The back-to-school plans for several South Carolina school districts that intend to start the academic year fully online received state approval Thursday but with a caveat: In-person instruction must start by mid-September. Of the 25 district plans to be officially cleared in the second round of approvals, three including the state's largest, Greenville County gave no timetable for bringing students back for their hybrid option that offers a weekly mix of in-classroom and online learning. Instead, they vaguely tied the return to a drop in local COVID-19 cases. So state education chief Molly Spearman, who required all reopening plans to include both a virtual and in-person option that brings students in at least once a week, set a date for them no later than the Monday after Labor Day, Sept. 14. In conversations with the local superintendents, Spearman learned "they really all planned to get there sometime in September but hadn't listed it in their plan explicitly, so we listed it as a condition of approval," said her spokesman, Ryan Brown. "Obviously the situation is fluid," he added. "If something drastically changes" with COVID-19, the date will be reevaluated. The other two districts given the caveat are Beaufort and Calhoun counties. Orangeburg County schools are starting all-virtual also but plan to bring all students back five days a week starting Sept. 14. Greenville County officials have no problem with the condition, said district spokesman Tim Waller. The district's in-person, hybrid plan splits students into four groups and brings each in for one or two days weekly, depending on how the virus is spreading locally and input from local hospitals. Eventually, that will transition to five days a week. At this point, the district isn't even sure which model will start the school year. Officials will announce their decision Aug. 10, two weeks before opening day, Waller said. The approvals come as teachers with the grassroots group SC for Ed continue their "Virtual Until Safe" campaign, protesting any return to the classroom until virus spread drastically declines. Spearman has said virtual options will help teachers feel safe coming back to school. Parents for about 30 percent of Greenville County's 77,000 students have signed their children up for its all-virtual option, allowing those who do come to school to socially distance. In its one-day-a-week model, each classroom will consist of five to eight students. Those numbers double when students come in for two days a week, Waller said. "Our goal from the very start is to have students in school, preferably five days a week," he said. "We feel very good about the fact we've been approved." The latest approvals bring the total number of districts allowed to proceed with their plans to 31, or almost 40 percent of districts statewide. Fourteen of those are offering parents the option of five days a week in the classroom, as Gov. Henry McMaster asked every district to do. While 10 offer that for all students, four do so only in the elementary grades, which require adult help for online learning to happen, at ages students are too young to leave at home alone. Sixteen districts including the three with conditional approval put all students in a hybrid model as their in-person option. Those include four of Lexington County's five districts. Lexington 3 is among those offering K-5 students a full-week option. Opening day for all 31 ranges from Aug. 17, the normal start for South Carolina schools, to Sept. 8, the day McMaster suggested. On Wednesday, McMaster repeated his preference for face-to-face teaching but said he thinks Spearman's "doing a fine job" reviewing plans, despite declining his request to reject any without a full-week option. "There's no substitute for a live, trained, skilled teacher," he said. "We know if a child misses two or three months of school, its rough to catch back up. If you go any longer than that it gets worse. The real tragedy of this is, the children who need to be in school the most those in lower-income and rural areas are the ones the lack of face-to-face instruction will hurt the most." Aiken County officials decided Wednesday to delay opening by two weeks, to Aug. 31, to allow more time to plan and train teachers for its all-virtual option. About 30 percent of its 25,000 students signed up by last week's deadline, exceeding expectations, said district spokesman Mike Rosier. Now the district is busy arranging for computer devices and Wi-Fi hotspots for students who need them, and figuring out which teachers will provide the online learning; 130 are needed for just the elementary grades. Teachers particularly concerned about being back in front of students have until Friday to volunteer, he said. "It's a big logistical undertaking," Rosier said. Kershaw County gives parents three options a traditional, five-days-a-week, in-person schedule; a live-streamed virtual option where students at home participate in lessons and can ask questions simultaneously with their classmates at school; and a self-paced, all-virtual option. The self-paced option is for parents who don't want to send their children back but can't sit down with them during the normal school day to assist, said Superintendent Shane Robbins. Parents are choosing their option now, but in a recent survey, about 55 percent of respondents selected one of the two virtual plans, while 45 percent wanted face-to-face learning. "I really thought we'd have more families choose face to face, so the number surprised me a little bit," Robbins said. Six districts have yet to turn in a plan. The deadline for submission was supposed to be July 17. But McMaster's request two days earlier prompted many to ask for an extension. A Gladwin County youth camp, linked to 42 confirmed coronavirus cases, had over 230 campers from throughout the state on grounds during two weeks the virus could have been active, according to the health officer for Central Michigan District Health Department. The health official also said 13 probable cases can be attributed to the youth camp. "At this point, we are aware of 42 cases attributed to the Springs Ministries Camp in Gladwin County," said Steve Hall, health officer for Central Michigan District Health Department, which oversees Gladwin County. "In terms of how many people were potentially exposed, there were over 230 campers between the two camps," which ran July 12-17 and July 19-23. Hall said youth who attended the week-long camps came from around the state. He said any positives from the Gladwin County camp would be recorded in the camper's or counselor's home county. In an email to campers sent Monday, the health department stated there were at least 28 camp counselors confirmed to have COVID-19 and additional counselors with symptoms of COVID-19. The email also shared symptoms of COVID-19 and urged campers who had any symptoms to get tested. The email also asked campers to stay in quarantine until it has been 14 days after they left camp. The Christian youth camp, located at 1950 N. M-30 in Gladwin, announced earlier this week it has canceled the last two weeks of activity after a camper tested positive for COVID-19 after spending the week of July 12-17 at the camp. Several staff members have tested positive since the camp was notified July 22 of the initial positive case, Springs Ministries shared on its Facebook page. "We followed our policies and that of our licensing agency from the State of Michigan, which we stated at the beginning of the summer, including, limiting camper numbers, smaller cabin sizes and more activities and meals outside, recording daily temperatures of staff (no fevers were evidenced) and monitoring their health, taking temperature of campers on arrival and departure and asking questions about campers exposure," according to a statement posted Tuesday on the camp's Facebook page. "We realize that COVID exposure could happen anywhere and at anytime," the statement continued. "We are saddened that it happened here." Later in the Facebook comment section, a Springs Ministries spokesperson wrote, "We have contacted all who were in cabins and age groups of those infected." The health department email stated if Springs Ministries decided it wants to open again, it must do one of these procedures: Stay completely vacant for at least 24 hours (open all windows if weather allows) then disinfect entire camp as directed by the Centers for Disease Control or leave entire facility vacant for 7 days (open windows if weather allows) then proceed with normal cleaning. As of Thursday morning, Gladwin County has recorded 12 confirmed coronavirus cases since July 22. Iran Reverses Decision to Give Public Lands To Religious Endowment Following Uproar Radio Farda July 29, 2020 Public uproar over news that vast lands around Damavand Mountain, a national symbol was handed over to a religious endowment has forced the state to reverse its decision and return the land to government ownership. Hamshahri newspaper in Tehran reported on Sunday, July 26, that an official title deed had been issued to Iran's Endowment and Charity Organization (Owqaf) for one-eleventh (1/11th) of Mount Damavand and the slopes leading to the summit. The report has triggered an ongoing series of loud protests on Persian social networks and media. Although the Owqaf is part of the ministry of culture, but it is controlled by clerics and the head of the organization is appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The public resented a decision by the Supreme Court to give 18,000 hectares or 45,000 acres of what is supposed to be protected land to an organization, managing religious endowments or properties left for charity by individuals. One underlying reason for public anger is the lack of trust in organizations controlled by the core of the ruling elite; the clerics and the Revolutionary Guard, which in the past have taken over and commercialized public lands. Following the uproar, the deputy of the National Organization of Registration of Documents and Property announced July 29 that most the lands in question have now been registered as government property. Two fate of two remaining parcels is under review and a decision has not been made, he said. Awqaf has recently been accused of attempting to claim ownership of properties, land, and even national forests across clergy-dominated country. Reacting to the latest news concerning Owqaf's attempts to own parts of Damavand, the former chief of Iran's Department of Environment (DoE), Massoumeh Ebtekar, has said in a tweet that what has been done is "against the Islamic Republic's Constitutional." She said that the summit of Mount Damavand has been put under the protection of the DoE in 2002, and based on the law, "the summit may not be delegated or exploited as real estate." The 5,610-meter high (18,400 feet) Damavand is Iran's highest mountain and a dormant volcano registered as a national monument. It is located north of Tehran and has a majestic view. The mountain has a symbolic value for Iranians as the scene of some of the country's national epic Shahnameh's significant events, the Book of Kings. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-reverses -decision-to-give-public-lands-to-religious- endowment-following-uproar/30754814.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Jersey moved one step closer to ending mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses and other select offenses after a bill that implements sweeping sentencing reforms was approved by the Assembly Thursday. The bill, A4369, implements reforms recommended by the states Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission, which Gov. Phil Murphy convened in 2018 due to the state having the worst disparity in the country for rates of incarceration between Black and white offenders. The sentencing commission, which included Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey and former Chief Justice Deborah Poritz, among others, made nine recommendations in their November 2019 report the most significant being the elimination of mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders. The bill implements all nine recommendations. Joseph Krakora, the states top public defender, said at a press conference Monday that mandatory minimum sentencing is the driving force of the racial disparity in our prisons. More than 80% of inmates serving mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses are either Black or Hispanic, Krakora said. The bill retroactively applies to inmates serving certain mandatory minimum sentences, including non-violent drug offenses, making more than 2,000 inmates immediately eligible for parole, if signed into law. It has the potential to at least be a start to addressing what has really been a black mark on this state, Krakora said. The bill also eliminates mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent property crimes and reduces the mandatory minimum sentence for two crimes second degree robbery and second degree burglary that previously have been subject to penalties associated with far more serious offenses, the sentencing commission said. Mandatory minimums have served far more harm than good, Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer, the executive director of Salvation and Social Justice, said Monday. The bill was sponsored by Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, D-Middlesex, Linda Carter, D-Union, and Shanique Speight, D-Essex. An identical bill, S2586, has been introduced in the Senate. The states Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Commission found that since the 1980s, New Jersey has continually enacted laws that handed down tougher, harsher sentences with an emphasis on mandatory minimums. The commission urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would constitute a significant step toward addressing the lack of proportionality in New Jerseys sentencing laws. Mandatory minimum sentencing provisions dominate New Jerseys sentencing scheme and have contributed significantly to the number of incarcerated people in our prisons and our jails, the commission wrote in its report. In their report, the commission pointed to Michigan and Rhode Island, which previously repealed their mandatory minimum sentencing laws for drug offenses. In doing so, both states have experienced a decline in crime rates and significant cost saving, the report said. The bill also implements reform for juvenile offenders. Juveniles who were sentenced as adults for their crimes to long prison terms will have an opportunity for re-sentencing or release. It would also create a new mitigating sentencing factor for juveniles. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. The xanthan gum demand is projected to grow tremendously over the coming years owing to increasing acceptance of the product within a number of food & beverage application. Today, consumers are increasingly altering their diets to consume more gluten free and easily digestible ingredients, which is expected to augment the product demand further. Request for Sample Report: https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/512 Strict regulations that govern the pharmaceutical sector and increasing inclination towards the consumption of quick acting, easily digestible, and economical products is expected to further augment the xanthan gum market share over the coming years. The product is also used to manufacture a plethora of topical solutions because of its compatibility with a number of synthetic and natural solutions. Key reasons for xanthan gum market growth: Increasing demand in oil & gas applications Growing usage of xanthan gum in the food & beverages industry. Surging demand for economical solutions in the cosmetic industry. 2026 forecasts anticipate the 'oil & gas' segment to record remunerative growth The xanthan gum market growth from oil and gas applications is expected to exceed the $600 million mark by the end of the analysis timeframe due to the rising demand for sustainable solutions in the industry. The product is extensively used to effectively extract oil from oil wells and reduce the overall costs associated with upstream operations. Moreover, several oil & gas industry players are rapidly making investments towards efforts that focus on boosting sustainability measures and reducing contingency costs, which is expected to further foster the market share. Request for customization of this report: https://www.gminsights.com/roc/512 Asia Pacific and Europe to witness a highly lucrative revenue growth spurt The Asia Pacific is forecast to register an impressive CAGR of more than 6.5% through the projected time period due to the increasing adoption of xanthan gum in the regional food & beverage industry. The product is used extensively to produce a plethora of nutritious as well as economical rapidly moving food & beverage preparations in the region. Moreover, rising demand for higher quality ingredients, growing competition within the industry sphere, and shifting perceptions regarding nutrition should further boost the xanthan gum market share. The Europe is anticipated to grow with a remunerative CAGR of more than 5.5% over the forecast timeframe because of the growing geriatric population and rising preference for economical as well as quick acting solutions. Leading market players Prominent players analyzed in the overall xanthan gum industry are DuPont Danisco, Cargill, ADM, Solvay, Fufeng Group Company Ltd, and Unionchem. They have incorporated several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to heighten their stand in the industry. 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